2022-09-06: Curry Favor
- Log: 2022-09-06- Curry Favor
- Cast: Milly Ashford, Rikka Takarada
- Where: Jindai High School
- OOC - IC Date: 0096-09-06
- Summary: Milly and Rikka follow up a little on the results of the community service curry cook-off... and maybe a few other things in their lives too.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Somewhere else, there's a haunted house going on. DecuFes is a very wide-ranging event, however, and that's not the only thing!
Today's other primary activity hub is Jindai, which is doing some smaller, more conventional school culture and sports festival style events. (Some Jindai students really wanted a second crack at some sports festival activities.) Tsutsujidai has the lion's share of those, of course, but these are a little lower-key. They're not the draw and everyone knows that; it's an easy day.
Milly, for her own part, has taken up a seat in the bleachers to watch the huge tug of war -- currently between Mihoshi Academy and Jindai. She's not participating, of course; Ashford wiped out early, and it's not like Milly's going to be a mercenary. (She's thought about it, though. Tsutsujidai
"I'm still not used to how hot Japan stays... even now that we're out of summer, it's..." She wipes a little sweat off her brow, and takes a long drink of ramune. "I hope the heat breaks a little by the Games, or some of those cockpits are going to be... really unfortunate."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka had a few choices of where to go. A haunted house... it's probably just the silly, fun kind of haunted, but she's not sure she's up for horror right now. Hits a little too close to home, maybe. So, she settled on Jindai. She hasn't really been there before despite knowing people who go there, so it's a good opportunity to check it out and see what they have going.
Right now, it's tug of war. Rikka doesn't really have a horse in the current race, but it's nice to at least see them trying their best. She's... about half-interested, right now, so when she hears someone else talking Rikka looks over, spotting Milly.
"I get you. I'm used to it and it's awful even for me." Rikka comments glancing over to her. "Tsutsujidai is warm like this even on the best of days, but some days the heat just... really sucks. Complete mood-killer."
She grimaces, then, as Milly brings up the games.
"Yyyeah... I do not envy anyone who'd have to pilot in this kind of heat." Rikka replies, shaking her head. She might even be a little familiar with what it's like from experience.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Someone talking to Milly gets Milly to scoot a little closer; the bleachers aren't totally empty but everyone is at peace with the fact that this is kind of a 'B' event and as a result they're a little sparse. (For conversation, admittedly: not a bad thing!)
"You're..." Milly needs a few seconds to shake the name of the girl to her side out of her head. "... Takarada, right? I think we've met a few times now but I'm pretty sure we haven't had the chance to talk one on one. Milly Ashford, Ashford Academy's Student Council President... three years running." It's vanishingly uncommon to have a first-year as president, which suggests either she's a supersenior or her situation is Complicated.
She doesn't seem embarrassed or wince about it, though. Instead, she asks, "Isn't Tsutsujidai a colony? It seems like that'd be an easy fix..."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Milly scoots closer, so Rikka offers her a smile. It's good to have someone to talk to, honestly. She wasn't so bored that she was going to lose her mind over it or anything... but it's a welcome change.
"Yeah, that's me." Rikka confirms with a nod. "...And, yeah - closest we've been was the trip out to that shrine."
Milly introduces herself. Ashford, and Ashford Academy... there's some lines she can maybe draw there, but Milly herself seems dedicated to the job. This is all happening because of her, after all - it must've been no small feat to bring so many people together.
"Three years... That's a long time to be in charge. I don't think I could do it, but you seem to have done a good job with it." Rikka replies with a small laugh. "Nice to meet you properly, though."
Milly points out, then, that Tsutsujidai is a colony, so the heat is an easy fix.
"That's-" Rikka starts... then pauses, thinking about it a little more. Tsutsujidai is a colony right now, and she'd heard that the environment inside them could be adjusted. But if that hasn't happened... she can only assume that's just because someone wants it that way. ...And it was the same way before, back when it wasn't a colony. It doesn't take much thought to figure out who wanted it way. So, Rikka shrugs. "...I think that's just the way the person in charge likes it."
The only question left is 'why', but that's something she can dwell on later.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"Your curry was really good," Milly notes, with a bit of a twinkle in her eye. "If I had to pick one to eat every day, it'd probably have been Chidori's, but you made some bold decisions and committed, and in a group setting that's not easy. That's the kind of thing that makes better memories in the long run."
When Rikka comments on how long Milly's been in charge, Milly admits, "My situation this year is... complicated. I'm a handful of credits away from graduation, but wouldn't you know it, they're all spaced out so I end up here at least until next April!"
... that's actually not very far away, at this point. The adult world looms over Milly like a sword of Damocles... but maybe that's why she's so motivated to make the Deculture Festival such an absolute blow-out event.
She thinks a little on that. "Not necessarily? If it's been stuck like that, maybe something's broken somewhere. I know the financials on colonies and they're..." Her hand comes up to wobble a little bit.
... That's kinda a lot to think about for either of them, though, so she decides to go back to something easier. "I've noticed Tsutsujidai's had a little more presence at each event... you guys are still pretty small, but it's getting pretty far from Rivalz getting lost delivering an invitation and ending up with just one or two students..."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Thanks, I'm glad it turned out so well. I'm going to have to remember that recipe." Rikka replies, and then chuckles. "Oh yeah, Chidori's curry was great, no question."
But as Milly says, she made some bold decisions and committed...
"I was mostly just looking to get some objective opinions it... but, I'm glad it made such an impact." Rikka replies. ...Even if she didn't quite get that, because ultimately the cleaning crew wanted to make sure no one felt left out. But she can appreciate that, too.
"I guess things just work out that way sometimes..." Rikka comments with a shrug, as Milly mentions her situation. ...She's not sure that is how it usually works, but she isn't going to pry into her business on their first meeting. "You'll just have to make the most of it, then."
Milly brings up that something might be broken somewhere, and Rikka considers that for a moment.
"Maybe... That kind of thing goes over my head sometimes, so I don't really poke into it." Rikka replies with a shrug. It's true, though, that it's a lot to think about, so she almost welcomes the change of topic.
"Yeah..." Rikka replies with a nod, and considers it. It definitely feels like there's been a marked change in everyone. She's not sure what to think about it. Concern, because the world outside is a dangerous place... but at the same time, it's good for them to get out there and make their own decisions about it.
To grow, as people.
"We used to keep to ourselves, but... I guess when you show a bunch of teenagers that there's a whole world outside of what they're used to, they're naturally going to start getting curious about everything they've missed eventually." Rikka replies. "So... I guess I have to thank you for that, even if it might have been a mistake at first."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
Milly -- who has some Ideological Opinions on this topic -- seizes on the implicit 'and I didn't' in Rikka's comment on objective opinions. "I'm actually a little disappointed about that! 'Everyone's a winner' isn't really the kind of attitude that brings out anything. My family's voted for the AEUG in every election," (and indeed Milly gets to do that herself this year), "but I think people get a little spooked by the speeches and kinda miss the point of the competition thing."
This is an arena Milly has had to train herself to be interesting in, for... reasons. "If you don't hear you came in second, what's going to motivate you to come in first when it matters? I'm not saying we should kick the third place finisher while they're down, but just mumbling 'It's all so good' isn't going to keep anything interesting."
... okay, she's got a lot to say. "Anyway, your curry is obviously diner-grade, which is kind of the up and the down here. It's good and the idea is good, but I still think there's something holding you back..." After a little thought about how to explain it, she says, "You ended up kind of in a weird middle zone between tomato as a thickener and tomato as a flavor. I'm guessing you're used to working with preserved ingredients and not fresh, too, since you could have gone much saltier without offending anyone's palate... and if you were cooking for someone who liked salty foods it's not even going to register for them."
Once she's done talking about curry, she finally loops back around to their actual topic. (She has thoughts on colony climate repair too, but maybe that's a little out of her lane.) "If it had that big of an effect on you guys, I'd say it was worth it," Milly says, tone pretty playful. "There's nothing worse than getting used to something. If you get too fixated on your idea of how something 'should' be, 'should' go, you're going to miss your opportunity for it. Eventually it just becomes something you shoved into a bag or a closet and never knew what to do with."
... This time, Milly is a little embarrassed. She concedes, "I've thought about that a lot. All through high school, actually! I was in the audience at the last Gundam Fight finals, so..." It's a complicated memory -- terrifying, but Milly certainly wouldn't trade the conclusions to which it led her.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Milly clearly has Opinions on this topic... but Rikka doesn't mind, because the points she brings up are interesting, and worth thinking about.
"Yeah. It shouldn't be something to be ashamed of. If you don't know what it is you need to improve on, you're never going to get better. And, like you said... it's good motivation." Rikka agrees. "I guess... I think it's good, too, to outline what went well, and what went wrong."
Which means that when Milly moves on to the topic of curry, Rikka listens with interest, nodding along as Milly explains her reasoning.
"Yeah, you're right on the money, there." Rikka confirms, as Milly points out that she's more used to preserved ingredients. "So, I could've gone a little harder on the tomato... I held back a little since I wasn't sure how everyone would've taken it, but if I could've done a bit more with it..."
She draws out her phone real quick to jot down some notes. Already, she's thinking about things she could do different to improve the overall result.
"That's the exact kind of thing I was looking for, thanks." Rikka replies, stowing her phone away again. "I'm glad I brought it up to you."
Milly continues on, and Rikka listens - nothing worse than getting used to something, fixating on 'should be' and 'should go'... Rikka goes quiet for a bit after that, thinking about it.
...It's a good thought, honestly. Kind of inspiring, in a way.
"I like that. I think... it's better to move forward, instead of stagnating. And a part of that is dealing with things going in ways you don't expect." Rikka agrees... then listens, as Milly explains she's been thinking about it since high school, and the Gundam Fight finals. "...I heard about what happened there. That must've been terrifying, being right there for it... but, it seems like it must've had a positive effect on you."
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"You could've held back more and it might have been better, too -- but I went into it expecting tomato and mostly I just ended up wanting more?" Milly affirms. She gives Rikka time to take notes, and asks a little curiously, "Does Tsutsujidai have any programmatic education, or just compulsory general education? I think you'd enjoy a cooking program, maybe, and Ashford does have one... if nothing else you can borrow our kitchens some time." Letting students explore what they like in a safe environment even if it'd normally be out of their league... that, too, is GUTS.
"Sounds like you've been thinking about that kind of thing lately yourself," Milly mentions, at the idea of it being better to move forward than to stagnate -- and then on to her own history a bit. "The Devil Gundam happened because people made a machine that got fixated on the environment needing to be a certain way... and it decided humans were the problem. They claimed it was 'self-evolving,' but if you can't change what you want, is it really evolution? I'd say that's the kinda thing that goes extinct fastest... or kills everything else."
Milly realizes she's sent the conversation down an extremely dire path and gives a big smile and a little wave of her hand, saying, "I'm not usually this moody!! You just got me thinking about some things, ahaha. I'm not setting a great example for GUTS..." That reminds her, though. "... Are you involved in student government or anything, actually? You're a second-year, right?" Something easier, but still with a little pressure.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"So I should decide one way or the other what I want it to be and stick with it, instead of trying to keep to a middle ground..." Rikka considers with a nod, as Milly points out that holding back might have improved it, too. She takes note of that, too, and then considers as Milly asks her question.
"...I'm not actually sure on that. Our schooling is pretty basic, but I can't say that I've actually looked into it that far, either." Rikka replies with a shrug. Tsutsujidai's people have been evolving - maybe it's caused some changes in other ways, too. "I've been taking first aid classes, but those have been outside of school."
She considers the offer for a moment, though.
"...I'll think about it. It could be fun, and I could use the practice - without having to use up our personal ingredients or the shop's, anyway." Rikka considers.
She pauses for a moment, and then nods.
"...Yeah, I have. Every now and then, anyway. I've had a lot to think about, lately." Rikka replies with a nod, then listens as Milly explains more about the Devil Gundam. "...I see what you mean. I didn't know it was that bad... You're right - I'm not sure if there was any way that was going to go the way they wanted if it was so inflexible."
She pauses, though, as Milly tries to wave the thoughts away. Rikka laughs, offering her a smile of her own in return.
"It's fine, really. It's good to talk about this sort of thing from time to time... better than pretending it doesn't exist. The fact that you can talk and think about it reflects better on you, honestly." She replies, and considers how to answer the question that comes next.
"Ah... not... really. I've never really had that much involvement in extracurricular activites, honestly." Rikka admits a bit sheepishly.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
'The shop' -- Milly makes a few connections there. "Oh! Now I see where all of it comes from. I'm guessing you help out around 'the shop' a lot?" Milly is envisioning more of a pure diner than the two-in-one of Aya, but she's at least mentally on the right track.
School is a more mutually-relatable topic, though, so she mostly sticks there, rather than dwelling on the Devil Gundam for much longer. Even if it informs a lot of Milly's attitude to stasis and changing, it's ultimately not the kind of thing she wants to dwell on.
"Ashford Academy actually mandates participation... the first year I was in the Fantasy Seduction Club. I could have kept going, but I think as Student Council President it's important I can oversee budget activities as a mostly impartial arbiter." ... Milly does have favorites, mind. The emphasis is on 'mostly.' She turns her gaze up, seeing the tug of war finally give way after several minutes (!) of effort; for the most part, the teams have exhausted concurrently, but Jindai takes this one, and several of the students end up covered in mud. ... Milly's not above laughing at that.
"The Going Home Club is a proud tradition, but... Give it a little thought, okay?" Milly nudges the shorter girl with her elbow, noting, "If you've got a sudden explosion in club interest, it's going to be all hands on deck."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Yeah. It's the family business, so, that's just kind of what ended up happening." Rikka confirms... and then pauses to clarify, "Not that I mind it or anything. If I wanted to do something different it probably wouldn't be a problem, but I like it there."
Milly moves on, discussing the way Ashford Academy handles things.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea... It'd probably be a hassle if people started thinking you were too biased or something." Rikka replies. It's about this time that the current tug of war battle draws to a close and Rikka turns her attention that way, taking note of the result. Jindai ended up winning this time, huh...?
Milly nudges Rikka and she looks her way.
"...Yeah, I'll give it some thought." Rikka replies with a nod. ...Maybe she should do something. It's not like she has much school left to go, herself. ...But then again, she has a lot on her plate right now. Maybe once things start to clear up a little.
<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.
"I can definitely appreciate that," Milly says, when it comes to the family business. "I've got more than a few responsibilities on that front myself... I'm glad you like yours!" She doesn't seem to downturn, but there's a bit of urgency as she gets away from that topic herself.
"I think people almost expect the bias. I didn't want that to be my legacy, especially at a school that's mostly Britannian students..." There are a few stories there, but Milly thinks this is a good amount of disclosure for a first one-on-one.
Stretching out a little on the bleachers before popping up, she says, "I should probably check on the refreshment stands, but I needed to get off my feet for a little while. It was good to talk to you, though!" She takes a few moments to get her bag together -- she has a lot of documents and checklists for DecuFes to tote around, so getting that in order takes a bit -- and provides a chance for anything else Rikka wants to say.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka nods. She's a little curious about that... but she can tell that Milly's trying to get away from the subject, so she doesn't pursue it. Instead, she considers what comes next.
"Oh, yeah..." Rikka says with a nod. "...I don't really know the full situation, but... I'd like to think you're setting a good example, from what I've seen."
And then, Milly stands up. Rikka nods, as she says she needs to check on the stands.
"Yeah, it was good talking to you! See you later." Rikka replies. It's been a good conversation - and rewarding, too. And not just because it helped her refine her tomato curry recipe...