Japan's House (aka Place to Bother Japan)

Japan's sliding door is in front of you, closed. Japan is probably inside, because he doesn't have a social life. What do you do?

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I know it's kind of a weird tongue-in-cheek kind of opening, but it gets the job done. Basically, this is the place to come and bother Japan. Bother him, get him into trouble, you know, whatever you want. The door is open...in a closed way.

It had been a long time since he saw his friend Japan, so why not pop in for a visit!

I-It...It wasn't like he was avoiding cleaning or and angry Ludwig, of course not! It was purely JUST for the purpose of visiting his friend. Just. Not that...he had accidentally messed up all of Ludwig files when he tripped into the cabinet and knocked it over after running after a cat he accidentally let into the house! That would just be silly!

...o-of course!

Regardless of the reason, Feliciano found himself in front of his friends house, admiring the simplistic beauty that his home--and his whole country--seemed to emit. He looked at the closed door for a moment before walking up and sliding one open, peeking his head into the house. "Kiku? Kikuuu, are you home?"

---

I hope you don't mind me playing with you~ \;u;/

Japan heard a voice and looked up from the book he was reading. ...Well, okay...manga...manga he was reading. Then Pochi started barking - the visitor bark, not the danger bark - so Japan closed his reading material quickly and softly and placed it down. Then he got up and padded out of the room and called out, "Hai. I am coming."

Now, he began to think about who the visitor was. He knew that voice...yes...was it...?

Italy. Yes, of all the young high-energy countries...of course that voice would belong to Italy. His guess was confirmed in a moment as he came into view.

"Hello, Feliciano-kun."

---

Of course I don't mind. Whether or not Japan wants to be bothered, his RPer does want him to be bothered.

Ah! Kiku WAS home! He knew his little friend liked to stay inside--which was a shame, because it was really fun outside--ah, well, training outside wasn't fun, but there were a lot of other things to outside that were fun! Like painting or siesta or getting gelato or looking at the clouds or talking to pretty girls!

"Kiku! Ciao, ciao! It's been so long since I saw you, so I thought I would visit, ve~" He rushed inside, tripping out of his shoes (he was SURE to take those off--the look he got from Kiku and the hit from Ludwig last time he forgot to take them off was still very fresh in his mind) and rushing up to the smaller man. "How are you, you're doing well right? It's so nice outside!" He resisted a hug, but was sure to grab the other's hand and shake it quite enthusiastically, joy almost radiating from the Italian.

"What have you been up to? Anything new?" Feliciano continued to babble excitedly, making sure to kneel down and give Pochi a proper greeting pat. "I've been fine~ I painted a lot yesterday~ And then I ate a lot of pasta! But it's still really nice out today!"

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ouo Okay, good! >w< Time for some Kiku abuse~ Also, I apologize for any bad grammar or spelling you may find, I'm too lazy to proofread. ;w;b

Japan just stood there dumbstruck for a moment. Italy was like a whirlwind of motion and chatter, and it was hard to keep up.

"Ah! I was just...reading." He answered once his brain had mostly caught up. At least he hadn't gotten hugged this time...that was...different.

He tried to regain his senses and his composure.

"Etto...would you like some tea?" he asked the hyper-active country. Not only is offering tea the polite thing to do, but tea would be calming, right? ...Not that tea would do much to calm the energy storm that was Italy, but it was something.

---

No problem. Laziness prevails. My excuse for this post is that we were chatting while I was writing it, and I had a hard time getting a sentence in. *distracted* Hope it came out okay...

"Ah! Tea would be good! Kiku's teas are good!" He finally let go of his friend's hand, looking around his shoulder into the modest home. It was so...very Kiku. But it wasn't a bad thing at all! The design was simple and elegant! He really liked the art that came from Kiku's house. It was...so very Kiku!

"Ah, but reading! That seems interesting! Was it a good book? You should go outside though, the sky is really pretty today! Really blue, and I saw a lot of birds on my way here! Ve~"

It took a lot to keep the Italian from bouncing around the other, but it didn't stop him from bouncing on his toes, trying to be on his best behavior. "We should go out, Kiku! You spend too much time inside!"

Japan headed toward the kitchen area so he could prepare the tea, feet softly padding on the floor. How many times did Italy really need to mention the word 'outside'? If he really liked the outside that much, he could have stayed out there, and not bothered Japan. ...No, that was a rude thought, and Japan would never voice it. And he did like Italy, he did. It was just...well...Italy was good in small doses. He could get overwhelming.

It was easier when Germany was around to keep Italy in check...Japan had a much harder time of it.

"I spend suffient time outside," he told his bouncy young friend. "Especially when the sakura are in bloom. A viewing can be quite relaxing."

"Ah, a tree viewing! Kiku likes those, right? I like them too! They seem so beautiful, ve~" The Italian pattered after the Japanese man, trying to keep out of his way as much as he could. "I want to come view them with you sometimes, ah, unless Kiku minds! But I think it would be fun! We could drink wine~ Ah, but I guess your sake would be better? Or tea, which do you drink to view blossoms?"

The Italian bounded over to the window, looking outside. He really did want to go to a viewing sometimes! He had lots of gardens at home and loved flowers, but Japan was supposed to have some of the most beautiful springs. Pink petals falling like rain, spring air and laughter...pictures were just not enough! Feliciano would have to come see it sometime! Then he could paint his own pictures to remember it by!

"Ve, but does Kiku need any help? I could make you something to eat!" He looked back over at his friend, hands still on the window sill. "You're so skinny, sometimes I wonder if you eat when you're alone! Or do you just read? I bet Kiku eats, you love food! Food is always good, even when you're alone, but it's better to eat with someone else, si?"

Italy wanted to come to a viewing? Well, that did make sense. If there was one thing about Italy, he did have a sense for beauty. It was evident in many places around his country. Even just some of the buildings...nevermind the art museums... "Sometime, yes, you may certainly come to a viewing. When spring comes around again." He paused. "I usually bring sake," he added.

Japan had gotten everything he needed and started preparing the tea. "I eat sufficient. I have all full meals, even when alone." Which is most of the time, he didn't add.

He looked over at Italy again and studied him for a moment. Perhaps channelling his restless energy into something wouldn't be such a bad idea. "You can make something, I suppose. If you wish."

Cooking! Kiku was going to let him cook! He bounced from the window and imediately started going through Kiku's cabinets to see what he had to work with. "Ah, grazie, Kiku! I'll make something really delicious for us to eat, then! I'm sure you'll like it! It'll be more delicious if we eat it together!" It wasn't often that Feliciano ate alone after all; most of the time he would cook for the German (no matter if he wanted to eat at the moment or not), and it was a lot of fun! Cooking for someone else was just better, and it always made the food taste better to him!

Now, what could he make, what could he make? He was no expert on Japanese cuisine (he should probably learn some more recipes to fix that, then), and most of Kiku's ingredients seemed to reflect his country (as they should); what Japanese food's did Feliciano know how to make? He looked more, thinking. Well, Kiku's people loved soup, and some soups had noodles...what kind of noodles could he make? What was it, udon noodles? Yeah, he could make those, that was in a lot of Kiku's food! And they weren't hard to make if he remembered...just flour, salt, and water?

There were a few things that Feliciano could completely focus on (and those things were few and far between), but cooking was definitely one of those things. He gathered the ingredients (trying to not run into the Asian as much as he could), beginning to kneed the dough for the udon, humming a tune to himself. "Kiku, Kiku, what do you want with your udon, ve? I'm going to try to make some of your food! I think shrimp would be good, do you think it would be?"

Italy was making udon? This could prove to be interesting.... Italy was generally a very good cook, and Japan would have trusted his skill were he making his own food. At this he had not yet been tested...at least to Japan's knowledge.

"You can add shrimp," he told his young friend. "Udon has many options for toppings. Usually, if you use shrimp, it would be tempura - do you know how to do that?"

He continued with the tea, the calmness in his actions contrasting heavily with Italy's energetic movement.

"If you're not sure of something, just ask," he added. "And please be careful."

"Tempura?" The Italian looked up from his kneading, mind whirling through cooking techniques as he tried to recall what tempura required. Tempura was...fried something? "Oh, that's the batter stuff Kiku puts on food, right? Ve..."

Feliciano spread a little flour on the counter to roll out the dough, finding one of Kiku's rolling pins and flatting the udon dough evenly, brow furrowed in concentration; the Italian was picky about his noodles! "Um...hmm~ I'm not sure how to make the batter, though...but it sounds yummy!" Kiku liked a lot of fried and salty things, didn't he?

Taking a knife, the Italian cut the dough into strips for the noodles, pausing for a moment to get a pot of boiling water yet. "And the sauce you use is made with soy sauce, right?" He was pretty sure it was soy; at least, that's what he could tell from the last time he ate udon with the other!

"Yes, there is soy sauce," Japan replied. It seemed Italy did know some things, at least, and also freely admitted when he didn't. It was somewhat of a relief. But then he thought about the task of the food. And then he thought about the tea.

"Perhaps we should have the tea first," he suggested, "and then I'll help you with the food. The tea should be ready earlier, and it would be best if we didn't let it get cold."

---

I was trying to think of the timing here. And then my brain got stuck in stasis.

"Ah, okay then! I don't want the tea to go bad!" He turned off the water on the stove for now, piling the noodles up on a pan and sliding them into the refrigerator. "Ah, what kind of tea is it Kiku? Kiku has a lot of teas!"

Feliciano looked around, eager to be helpful--cooking always made him productive!--and grabbed a couple of mugs from the cabinet, putting them next to the stove. "Do you have sweets, too? Sweets make bitter things always taste better, I think! Ah, not that bitter is a bad thing, coffee is really good! Mm, but it's better with chocolate, or a pastry!"

He hummed dreamily, thinking of the coffee and pastry he had that morning. "Especially for breakfast~ With jam~ It's really good, Kiku should try it sometimes! You always seem to eat fish or something for breakfast, right?" He rushed back to the window, wanting to look outside at the beautiful weather again; maybe he could convince Kiku to go on a walk after they ate?

What kind of tea? How specific did Italy want him to be? Well, it might work out for the best to tell him this much, "It's a kind of green tea called Kukicha. It's made out of different parts of the tea plant then what we usually use. But it is actually slightly sweet - I thought you would probably prefer it to Sencha."

Japan actually smiled slightly. "Just try it first. Then, if you must - I might have some sweets left over from other visitors." There were probably some biscuits or cakes left over from some other western visitation - there always seemed to be lately.

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Okay, for the record - let's assume that Japan steeped at the correct time and temperature.

Also, Kukicha - has a "mildly nutty, and slightly creamy sweet flavor". I admit to looking it up. Sencha is the standard, most popular green tea in Japan.

"Ku...kukicha?" Feliciano stumbled over the Japanese word, trying his best to mimic the man's pronunciation. Japanese was such a strange language! "Sweet? Ve, that sounds interesting, I wanna try it!" The brunet bounded back to the other man with as much energy as he had before, picking up a mug to taste the tea.

Of course, he had forgotten that the tea had just been brewed, and the huge gulp he had attempted to sip did not make the situation better at all. "G-GYAH!" He let out a yelp as the hot liquid assaulted his tongue, tears streaming down his cheeks. Luckily, he managed to sit the mug on the counter without spilling it on himself--but at the moment, it didn't make the Italian feel any better.

"Owie, owie, owie! T-The tea is hot, too hot!" He stuck out his tongue and closed his eyes, whimpering in pain. "V-ve! Veeee!"

(ooc: can an aussie join on in this thread? )

"Feliciano-kun!"

Oh, Italy.... Really. Japan had sometimes seen places where they had to put warnings on hot beverages saying that they were hot.... He now suspected that it was people like Feliciano-kun that caused this to happen. He was just so...impulsive, wasn't he?

"Of course it's hot, it was just made," he explained. "Now, how much did you burn your tongue? Do we need to get something for it?"

He was concerned for his young friend, he was. But, really. He mustered a good deal of energy to contain a sigh.

---

This was intended as an open thread.

"Ah hoogat, ah hoogat, veeeee!" The Italian spoke with his tongue out, words an incoherent jumble of whines and vowels. "Owieeee!" He should've waited; he knew pasta was hot, and soup too, why couldn't he remember that Kiku just brewed the tea!

The poor brunet ran over to the sink, turning the water on cool before sticking his tongue underneath the facet, tears streaming down his cheeks. At least after a moment the stinging stopped, the pain numbed away by the chilly water. Bad idea, Feliciano, bad idea! He didn't even get to taste the tea before he burnt himself! Now he'd probably burned away all his taste buds and he'd never know! This was awful!

Eventually the Italian deemed his tongue numbed enough to turn off the water, lifting his face from the sink and wiping the water away from his face with a sleeve. "Ve...that was horrible!" He stuck his tongue out again, wincing a bit. "I hope I can still eat the soup later!"

Feliciano touched his tongue tentatively, testing the feeling. "V-vee...I think I-I'm okay..." He sniffled, looking down at his friend for reassurance.

Italy was one of the few people that could give Japan the distinct feeling that he was looking up at a child. He was having one of those moments now.

"Ano...Feliciano-kun..." Japan didn't know quite what to say. He himself hadn't ever burnt his tongue like that. It was pretty bad, wasn't it?

"Perhaps I shall have to make Kukicha for you another time as well? So that you can taste it properly," he offered. "Because your taste buds are a bit burnt now, aren't they?"

It must be awful. Japan enjoyed his food, and a good part of that was being able to taste it. And Italy certainly loved his food as well. Well, he was certainly rather vocal about it at times.

"Then, shall we sit for a while?" As much as Japan felt bad for Italy, he wasn't about to let tea go to waste!

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By the way, the 'looking up at a child' thing - obviously, Japan looks up at a lot of people. But even if he thinks of them as young, he still at least sees most of them as adults. Italy is one of the people that sometimes gives him the impression of a child. America would be another. Not all the time, though - for either of them. But a decent amount.

"V-ve..." The Italian wiped his tears, still sniffling and occasionally letting his tongue loll out of his mouth as the numbness slowly faded and was replaced with tingles of discomfort. "S-Si...g-grazie, Kiku...I still really want to try it..."

Feliciano had no objections to sitting now; the burn had sapped away all his cheery abundance of energy and replaced it with whimpers of pain and sniffles of held back tears--he just hoped he'd feel better by the time he got to try his hand at making udon! "B-Before we sit, c-can I have a glass of water?" He looked sadly at the little mug on the table--he still really wanted to try it! But...he didn't want to get burnt again either.

"With lots of ice in it, per favore..." He stuck his tongue out again, trying to see if he could check how it looked. Could you tell if your taste buds were burned away?

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I can see how Japan would think that--Italy is pretty childish for an adult. XD

And...I've totally done this before with tea. ;w; I couldn't taste anything for days, and I was so sad. AND, it was in Japan that I did this...but in my defense, I was being accosted by an Indian man who kept telling me to drink faster like a winner...

Adam knocked on the door of Japan's home, hoping to surprise him with a visit.

"Of course you can have water," Japan told the pained Italian. He got out a glass, put a bunch of ice in it, and was just filling it with water when he heard a knock.

Which startled him. Another visitor? Who could it possibly be? He passed the glass to Italy and then padded back to the entrance to find out who was at the door. ...And possibly to find out of someone had printed a message somewhere to bother him today.

When he reached the door, he slid it open just enough to see who was there.

"...Banjora-kun?"

Adam grinned at the small japanese man he knew so well. " Mate!" He clapped Kiku on the back. " Thought I'd drop by to say G'day! "

"Etto..." Japan's mind search for a reply to the outgoing young nation. Australia had stopped by just to say...G'day...as he put it. That was 'good day' if he remembered correctly. Japan sometimes visited people (no really, he did), but such visits always had purpose.

Although Australia was not what you could really technically call a Westerner (his home was all of west, east, and directly in line with Japan's, depending on where you where - just south, rather far south), his demeanor could be grouped with them regardless.

But then Japan wondered if perhaps Australia could be any help with Italy at all. It was rather trying to be alone with him.

He slid the door all the way open. "You may come in. I have some tea prepared.... Feliciano-kun is also here."