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Post by Camillia Hidetoshi on May 3, 2009 2:11:41 GMT -5
[OOC: Tag Souji.] ---------------
Happy or not, her food supply dwindled after almost a month of staying here, and so she took the liberty to visit the hypermarket chain in this small town. It seemed out of place, actually; as if the structure alone was misplaced by humans. Camillia vaguely recalled a bill regarding hypermarkets or emporiums not allowed to be situated so close to residential area, but was never passed—perhaps it was because Japan was running out of land. …There were more to think about, and the train of thought about that subject continued as she stared at the goods, the aisle filled with typical advertisements, offers, contest or sweepstake forms that blocked the view of the actual good itself.
Such marketing tactics were pretty common, the redhead had to remind herself, as her hand waded past the flyers to reach for a can of sardine—a brand amongst many brands of the same product. Comparing the can in her hand with the ones still on the rack, she eyed the net weight and pricing, brow furrowed slightly as she contemplated which was more worth it. Then off it went into her trolley.
Of course, the sardine can wasn’t alone—there were various other foodstuffs that Camillia intended to buy; after all, she was doing grocery shopping—that is, to fill up her foodstock. But considering how much free time she had on her hands, she most probably could shrink it to a weekly, or fortnightly affair instead (which prompted her not to buy too much). Pushing the trolley off the aisle, she greeted some promoters lightly before moving on, finding herself to the frozen foods section. Mmm.. Maybe some pre-packed meat could work, despite how it might be more troublesome, financially or otherwise. The half-Russian took up a packet of frozen fillet, once again running through the consumer decision making process.
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Post by Souji Seta on May 12, 2009 11:36:48 GMT -5
Souji preferred shopping later in the evening. For one, the crowds usually thinned out by that time as the legions of housewives scurried home to prepare elaborate dinners for their families. In addition to that, the chance of Souji getting a deal on week old stale bread was significantly increased. It made great bait and, considering it had gotten to the point where he carried a small baggy of fresh fish on him at all times (so not to disappoint his feline wards should they be hungry), he couldn't afford to run out.
And if his friends were bothered by the slightly fishy odor, they refrained from mentioning it (well...most of the time).
His friends were another benefit of visiting late -- namely his best friend. If he was lucky, Souji could occasionally catch Yosuke coming off his shift in time to walk him home (and recruit him to carry half of Souji's groceries).
But none of his usual mainstays were biting today. A late-day sale left Junes suspiciously crowded, an unpleasant woman beat him out on his bread (for some foul meatloaf recipe she wanted to try, apparently), and he was informed by one of the older full-time workers that Yosuke had gone home early after a mean spirited part-timer slipped tofu into his lunch. Defeated, Souji made his way to the frozen food aisle. If he didn't have time to cook a proper dinner, instant meals always did the trick. Souji got the impression that had been all the Dojimas lived on before he showed up.
Sidling up alongside a redheaded girl -- who looked oddly familiar, he noted -- Souji picked up a few packs of his favorite brand. Catching a glimpse of the one the redhead was holding, Souji frowned and tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, don't go with Junes brand. It's dirt cheap, but it tastes like chemicals. Here." He handed her one of the packs he'd selected, "Almost as cheap and ten times as good. You'll thank me, I promise."
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Post by Camillia Hidetoshi on May 13, 2009 8:30:34 GMT -5
"Hmm?" the redhead said, slightly irritated that she was interrupted from her train of thoughts, looked at whoever who had tapped on her shoulder with a minimally annoyed look, before dropping the face to a polite one. "Oh... I keep forgetting hypermarket giants tend to outsource products for cheaper price slashes..." taking the pack he offered, she stared at it intently, comparing it with the one she was holding. It was true that the other one looked fresher, and came with a minimal price difference.
Not forgetting her manners, Camillia nodded with a smile, placing the Junes branded fillet back into the freezer, and the newly selected one into her instant food filled trolley. "Thank you. I shall give it a try... But I trust your judgment, from the smell of raw fish emanating from your clothing," she joked casually, reaching down to take stock of what she needed. She was still lacking some instant noodles... Then she will have enough for the next month or so. Like the ash-haired teenager, Camillia could not shake off the impression that they had seen somewhere before. Well, she won't be entirely surprised; after all, it was a small town.
Looking up from the trolley, the half-Russian wondered once more, words accidentally escaping her lips. "Eh... It would be a waste if I bought rice... I could easily take out from a foodplace..." ...But it sort of inflicts higher cost-- but she really only needed rice to go with the fillet. Realizing that she was being watched, she snapped back into attention and bowed slightly in apology to the boy in embarrassment.
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Post by Souji Seta on May 19, 2009 20:35:26 GMT -5
Souji risked a small smile, trying to smooth her annoyance with tentative friendliness. She talked oddly, and with an accent...funny, that seemed familiar as well. He nodded in agreement with her, returning her smile with a broader one.
"Glad I could help...and ha, yeah, I was looking for my friend by the fish display." It was a lie, but it was better than admitting he was a walking seafood market, "He works here, so he lets me in on all the little tips to save a buck here and there. Pretty handy, really."
He watched the girl look over her cart, slipping back into trying to place where he'd seen her before. It wasn't a passing meeting, he knew that much. In fact, he wondered if it was even in Inaba that he'd first seen her face. It was all very puzzling and, while Souji enjoyed a mystery as well as the next Investigation Team member, this was more frustrating than stimulating.
His train of thought was halted by the woman mumbling about rice. He was still staring, though he didn't seem to notice that until the redhead turned around and noticed for him.
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking...," he paused, eyes narrowing as he tried to place her again, "Have we met before?" Once the words left his lips, he privately hoped they didn't sound like a cheesy pick up line. He didn't want to garner a reputation for women-hunting in the Junes frozen food aisle.
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Post by Camillia Hidetoshi on May 20, 2009 8:31:52 GMT -5
Blinking and not comprehending for a moment, she just stared at the ash-haired boy. It was true that she had that nagging feeling that stayed in her head, as well, but it couldn't be that much of a coincidence for them to have met before. "Inaba is a small place," she said, shrugging. But honestly, she had met so many people in life that she had lost count-- but rarely people in the same age group as she was. Sense of familiarity was nothing new to the redhead.
"But it is truths that I have the same query in my mind, as well." He reminded her of someone she knew from the past, back in Russia, but that part of herself she never had the intention to reveal to others. "Though I can never be sure. I do not recall your name, so I believe that we would be mere acquaintances--or even less than that--if we really have met before."
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