Nightshift 35: West Wing, North Hall 1-A

[scarletspeedstr]

[from here]Wally took a quick look around the hallway before looking back at Tony. "Maintenance closet, nurses' station and maybe a doctor's office? I'm guessing most of that stuff'll be on the second floor, right?" He hadn't seen much of the institute last night, as this was when he'd kicked into superspeed on his way out. Things were mostly a

Comments

[fyeonly]

( from here)

"Boston's a wonderful city," Naomi went on, passing into the hallway that led to the dorms with higher numbers. "It's old. And big, and majestic and it has everything. And it's right on the ocean. Boston has some of the best seafood you could ever taste. And all these little hidden places...."

She did miss it. But she'd ended up in LA. And she loved LA, too, but there was something special about Boston.

[showtime_matsu]

"Maybe." They hadn't been in LA for very long, but it was still a possibility. It wasn't all that long ago, either, so maybe it was just fresh in his mind? Oh well, if he remembered, then he could let her know.

He was happy to move on to talking about Boston, though. "Wow, sounds great! Maybe if I ever get some time off, I should go visit..." He tried to ignore the little voice that finished it with if we ever get out of here, and focused on the other things she'd said about the place. "What sort of seafood do they serve? I heard that American food is a lot different from Japanese food."

[fyeonly]

"You should," Naomi agreed. "It's worth the trip." She glanced up and down the hall, making sure things seemed clear for now.

"Oh, yeah, the food's different but it's still pretty familiar. If you ever go, make sure you try clam chowder. New England's the best place to get it. Lobster's big, too, and crab cakes. You can get good sushi there, though. And there are a lot of Japanese restaurants." Especially in certain areas.

"Everything's nice and fresh, though, since fishing trade is big there. And the islands are very nice. You can take boat tours out there. Sometimes you can see whales, right up close in the wild."

[showtime_matsu]

That sure sounded like lots of fun to him! He'd definitely have to go, then. There were so many things he had to do once he got back home. Catch Kira, first and foremost, but he also had to start a band with Demyx and go to Boston. Maybe go start a band in Boston, if he was feeling daring enough.

...Of course, he'd need to find someone else who knew more than the little bit of English that he was familiar with.

The food and whales were what caught Matsuda's attention most, though. He had to survive over there if he went to visit, and if he took his parents, he was sure that being up close to whales would fascinate them. "It's been a while since I've been on a boat, so that would be lots of fun," he replied, grinning at Maki. "And...clam chowder, you said? I'll definitely try it out."

[fyeonly]

"There are plenty of boats in the harbor," Naomi assured him. She'd been a bit worried, at their initial meeting, that Matsuda would be...irritating. But he was relatively pleasant company.

"Make sure it's New England Clam chowder," she cautioned. "New York clam chowder's different." It was weird to be talking about things like food and whale watching right now, but it was sort of nice.

"When were you on a boat last?" she asked, out of curiosity.

[showtime_matsu]

"Oh, it's been a really long time, when I was still a kid." Matsuda glanced up at the ceiling as he thought back. "Maybe...nine? Ten? We went to the nearest beach for the day, and my parents thought it might be nice to give it a shot."

He looked back down and gave her an embarrassed smile. "It...wasn't even anything really big and spectacular, just a small ferry that went around the bay, more for tourists." If he remembered correctly, he had almost fallen over the railing, too.

Then he glanced back, just to make sure that nothing was headed their way, before looking back at her. "How are the chowders different?" he asked. Matsuda failed to see just how different the two recipes could possibly be, but there had to be something about it worth mentioning.

[fyeonly]

"It's nice to go out on the ocean. I love the beach." Naomi was getting a little homesick, honestly. It felt like she'd been here so long.... She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I've done the tourist things in Boston," she admitted. "I used to love the swan boats. I'd just go by myself." Even though they were typically for families or couples. She hadn't cared.

"Oh, the chowders? New England is white and thick and creamy, New York is red and more watery," she explained. "They use different kinds of clams, I think, and different bases. I don't really understand it - I don't cook much myself or anything - but they're definitely different."

[showtime_matsu]

"Oh, the swan boats are real, and not just movie stuff?" Matsuda asked, tilting his head slightly. He supposed if he really thought about it, Japan probably had some swan boats somewhere, but he'd never actually been on them before. It looked like that was another thing that he had to do! If only he'd brought his journal with him, so that he could make a list. Well, he could write everything he remembered down in the morning, and ask her later.

Matsuda was even more amazed by the chowder explanation. "Huh, interesting!" Even if she said one was better than the other, if they were really so different, then he may as well just try them both! "You said New England's was the good one?"

[fyeonly]

Naomi had to laugh a little. "Yeah, the swan boats are real. So are the duck statues in the park. And the story about the ducks crossing all the way from one side of the city to another is true. So is the molasses flood." There really were a lot of things that seemed strange and weird when it came to America. But she supposed that was true about anywhere.

"Well, New England's my favorite. Especially in winter. With crackers and a lot of butter. I...really like soup."

[showtime_matsu]

Matsuda stared at her as though she had just told him that all the fictional characters he had believed in when he was younger were real. "Really? Wow...but it seems so weird. What about..." He trailed off, trying to remember some of the other stories that he'd heard about America. When he couldn't really think of anything, he just shook his head.

"Anyway, that's awesome! And soup is pretty good, too. I usually go for ramen a lot, myself, but I like to try and get something different when I can."

[fyeonly]

"What about what?" Naomi asked, smiling. "It's really funny. When I first went to America, everyone would ask me all these things about Japan. And some of the things were just stupid, and some they didn't even believe me about." She shook her head. And the men. Ugh.

"Yeah, I eat a lot of ramen," she agreed. "It's cheap and easy to make, and I just toss leftovers with it. And I usually have a stock of canned soups in the pantry usually. And this is the third time I've had a conversation about soup around here. I must be...pretty boring."

[showtime_matsu]

"Oh, I was just trying to think of anything else I'd heard," Matsuda admitted, scratching the back of his head. "What sort of things did people ask about Japan?" He got the feeling that samurai were probably in there somewhere, and maybe something about geisha or...well, he didn't really know what sorts of stories Americans had floating around about Japan. Those two were just ones that he had heard while in Los Angeles.

"Really? I don't think it's boring at all," he assured her. "It's a lot better than the alternatives." It was kinda normal conversation, and thankfully not the only one he'd had here so far. Anything that focused his attention more than it currently was on the current situation and 'when' was nothing fun, in his opinion.

[fyeonly]

"If ninjas work for the government," Naomi said, "if geishas are really prostitutes, do we really only eat raw fish, is it true that foreigners aren't allowed inside the country...." People were stupid, really. It had driven her crazy. "Oh, and if it was true all our cartoons and comics were nothing but kiddy porn."

People's perceptions were...skewed, to say the least.

"Yeah, I...get sick and tired of talking about this place. It's nice to just talk about normal things with a normal guy." She offered Matsuda a friendly smile, and for once she actually meant it.

[showtime_matsu]

Hey, he'd actually gotten a smile out of her! Matsuda laughed at the examples she gave, and shook his head. "Do we really...? Wow, I guess we do get a pretty strange reputation." He supposed he probably should have expected some of the other questions, but the reality was just so normal to him that he hadn't expected it. Oh well.

Then he gave her a grin and a thumbs-up. "Well, if you ever want to talk about normal things after tonight, I'm all for it."

[fyeonly]

"Yeah. But...well, I guess I had some pretty weird ideas about America, too." It was inevitable. These things just happened.

Naomi smiled again. "I think I'd like that." She was supposed to be making friends and contacts. Now, at least, she could say that she had. "We need normal things around here. It gets to a point... I got so excited just over being able to wear normal clothes out tonight. Because it had been so long."

[showtime_matsu]

"Yeah, I guess it works both ways," he replied, nodding.

He was kind of torn at her next statement, though. He didn't want to end this normal conversation by asking just how long she had been there, so he decided to go the other route. "Where did you get them?"