2023-02-05: Perfect Gift
- Log: 2023-02-05- Perfect Gift
- Cast: Rikka Takarada, Akane Shinjo
- Where: Continental Europe - Paris
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-02-05
- Summary: Akane and Rikka go on their first date that isn't confined to what is technically a paramilitary base. Akane gives a good gift, and then receives a much better one.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka and Akane have been a couple for a couple of weeks now. Two wonderful weeks that have had Rikka's heart racing with excitement. With Akane on Orbit Base for examination and her own safety, the two of them haven't been able to have a proper date yet...
They've made plans to change that, though! Rikka has been waiting, counting down the days... and now, that awaited day is here - the mythical First Date.
The last time they visited France... a lot of terrible things happened, and they fought. This is a chance to get off on a better foot, to make better memories in this place.
They'd arranged to meet up at a nice, quiet, canal-side cafe. Here, they can watch the water(and each other) with a nice warm beverage and share a good moment together.
When Rikka arrives, she's wearing a long, dark coat, a mid-length black skirt that's still just short enough to show off a little thigh, a black blouse, and a white muffler.
She has also arrived with her backpack in tow, with some Special Contents prepared...
At present... they're sitting together at a cafe table. Rikka's empty cup sits next to her. Her laptop, a pair of light-blue earbuds inserted into the headphone jack and shared between the two of them, is open on the table, which has only just cut to black as the recording they had been watching concludes. Excitement is clear on Rikka's face - but she doesn't say anything just yet, as she looks toward Akane to see her reaction.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Honestly, it's still dreamlike in its way -- the sort of thing Akane never let herself imagine, the sort of thing that leaves her given to staring out viewports on Orbit Base toward Side 4 and sighing dreamily when she thinks no one's looking. A lot of things fill Akane's heart with fear, even still -- but not this, and indeed, this is the sort of thing that makes her want to face those fears.
Akane's chosen a similar skirt, a black jacket with just a bit of a purple undertone to it, a white T-shirt emblazoned with a few very lumpy Taraba Kaiju, and brand new boots.
Leaning in toward Rikka to share her earbuds, Akane finishes her own cup of coffee with a slightly trembling hand, sets it down, and --
-- clings to Rikka a bit, misty-eyed. "You were i-incredible," she stammers out. "So fearless, and -- and so graceful! I don't know when you got that athletic, but it must have been a ton of practice and a ton of work. Your voice is really great, too..."
She doesn't full-on start crying, but she's close. "I love you," she whispers, still transfixed by that now-blank screen. Starting to work her way back up to comfortable, she says, "I'm pretty spoiled -- having a talented best friend who's also my partner... ehehehe~"
Her other hand finds one of Rikka's, giving it a squeeze. "It's still a little... scary being out here, like this, but... as long as I don't have to do it alone, I feel like I wanna see more." She does have to concede, "... even if it is a little overwhelming. Getting out here was kinda -- a lot... I still feel weird about asking to get off at an earlier stop and switch to the bus, too."
(Someone didn't want to go through the industrial district, even if it added a half hour more transit time. ... it's like that, sometimes.)
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane's outfit... it's really cute. Rikka has to reluctantly force herself not to stare so that she can focus on getting their orders and everyone else situated. There'll be plenty of time for that later.
And Akane's reaction... involves her clinging to her. Rikka leans over just a bit closer to make it easier for her, smiling wide as Akane stammers out her thoughts. ...It feels so good to hear that it touched her heart so deeply.
"Thanks... I'm glad you liked it. I worked really hard on it, just for you." Rikka replies... and then laughs, a bit sheepishly. "Sheryl put me through her training regimen. It was... pretty intense. It really gave me a new appreciation for the kind of effort that goes into her shows."
'I love you', Akane whispers. The sound of her voice causes pink to bloom across Rikka's face. She's so close to her right now. She could easily...
In reply, Rikka leans over to give her a quick kiss.
"I love you, too." Rikka whispers back, and then smiles. "...I'm spoiled, too, having you as my biggest fan."
Akane's hand finds hers and Rikka takes it, feeling that reassuring squeeze. Akane admits that it's scary being here, and Rikka nods in understanding.
"...Yeah. I'll be with you every step of the way. You're not alone." Rikka assures. ...Akane admits that it's overwhelming, too. Well... that she can say that much instead of bottling it up is good, too.
"...I know. I know how difficult it is. But I'm proud of you for taking this step - and for asking, too." Rikka replies.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The kiss -- and the immediate follow-up -- leave Akane as red as her namesake. "You're getting way too good at that," she protests, mumbling, "I don't know whether I want you to get out of the 'practicing' stage or not..."
Giggling as she pushes a bit of lilac hair out of her face (the bravery to be herself is... not always in great supply), Akane admits, "A lot of people are rooting for me... it's -- kinda scary sometimes. There were a few days in there where I just couldn't handle visitors and couldn't leave my room, but..."
She shakes her head. "That's not really -- I need to keep trying anyway. ... thanks for putting up with it. I know I'm kinda needy, but... it doesn't feel quite as bad as it used to."
That does remind her, though... "Oh! Right!" She has to finally break from leaning on Rikka to lean down and get her bag. Drawing it up into her lap, she says, "When I snuck off to use the bathroom earlier, I actually picked up a present! It was kinda spur of the moment, but..." She pulls out a small bag, inside of which is --
-- a bottle of perfume. Once Rikka opens it, Akane enthuses, "There's not a lot of more iconic French stuff, right? Except wine and cider, I guess, but... well, that's not for us yet. Maybe next Hatsumode or something... I'm not in a huge hurry."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Seeing that red on Akane's face leaves a satisfied smirk on Rikka's as she pulls away.
"Your reactions are always so good, it makes it easy to tell when I hit the mark - and, they always make it worth it~." Rikka replies with a wink as Akane protests... and then, her smirk widens. "...So, you want me to keep practicing on you, then...?"
Akane giggles and it's a wonderful sound to hear, Rikka's heart soaring. She nods as Akane continues, admitting how some days she just couldn't handle visitors.
"You are getting better, little by little. As long as you're still moving forward, that's enough - even if it's slow." Rikka replies, and then smiles. "...You're welcome. You're worth it."
She watches curiously, though, as Akane breaks away from her, leaning down to pick up her bag.
"You-" Rikka starts, and chuckles. "Wow, that was really sly of you..."
She can't hide the happiness on her face, though as she accepts the bag from Akane. She opens it up and... lets out a gasp of surprise as she retrieves the bottle of perfume Akane had bought for her, her eyes sparkling.
"W-Wow, I don't know what to say. This is... wonderful, and it smells lovely! You're right - that's absolutely perfect. I can't wait to try it on and see what you think." Rikka enthuses along with her. "Yeah, maybe next year..."
And with that, Rikka leans over, wrapping up Akane in a grateful hug! She holds on for a little longer, until something occurs to her.
"Oh, right. This isn't from me, but I've got something for you, too." Rikka says, detaching herself and leaning down to pick up her backpack. "Someone dropped by my place with a present for you around Christmas. A friend of yours, I think, he insisted that he was 'Santa Claus? He had the get-up for it, I guess'..." Rikka replies, drawing out a wrapped gift and handing it over to Akane. The nametag is mispelled(?), and the contents... might be familiar.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Oh no -- she's being targeted...! Akane whimpers out a, "Yes please," but it's after a few rounds of nearly-speechless "Mmuh -- nnh?? Haaa???" God, it was easier when she was the one doing the teasing -- she had so much better control over it...!
Seeing that she's able to give -- and give something that makes Rikka, specifically, happy -- in the same way she's been receiving... it eases her nerves. She gets the blushing under control and looks at Rikka, a little dreamily -- for a while she just appreciates the sparkle in her eyes...
... and keeps appreciating...
... and doesn't actually fully snap out of it until she's hugged. Startling back to full consciousness, she returns the hug, saying, "Honestly, you could be covered in the junk they put in fluid pulse motors and I'd probably still think you smelled great. ... that might be the fumes at that point, but still!"
... actually, now that she's thinking about it, mechanic Rikka with her tongue sticking out just a bit as she tries to pop an armor plate off is nice too... she'd come back into Aya and Akane would start giving her a massage and --
'Oh, right.'
She snaps back to attention again, with a, "Huh?" as she accepts the gift, eyes widening. She looks at the box for a moment... then the tag... Her cheeks puff out. "... Hm, hold on..." She feels along the edges of the gift, noticing the places where the box is creased and dinged up, and...
"So I'm gonna open it, because it's gonna be weird if I'm wrong," Akane says, hooking her fingers into the wrapping paper and tearing. "But I'm pretty sure this is --"
She sees a snowflake. "Yep. Thought so~" she says, her tone getting self-congratulatory in the same way it would if she were the one teasing Rikka. She does keep opening it, but she explains, "This is actually for you! I, uh... right around your birthday I was wandering the streets looking all pathetic and ended up at this electronics shop, and I saw these and realized it was your birthday soon but I didn't have any money and didn't wanna go back to my room 'cuz Alexis was there... I think I know how this got here."
She's not gonna betray Orpheus on this one -- but she is gonna hand the headphones over to Rikka with a smile. "The earbuds are fun to share, but... it's nice to have something for yourself too, right? The quality's supposed to be pretty good, too..."
... and the snowflake pattern suggests why Akane was thinking about her.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka looks very pleased with herself as she takes a moment to appreciate the adorable noises Akane is making, eventually ending in a whimpered 'Yes please'.
"See what I mean?" Rikka comments. "Don't worry, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, just for you."
It's clear that appreciates the gift. She hugs Akane and Akane hugs back, Rikka squeezing gently in recognition before pulling away and considering her words.
"...If you really think that way, maybe you should swing by my place sometime while I'm working on Synchrotank." Rikka suggests. She's more than willing to put it to the test - and maybe she doesn't mind the idea so much, either...
She settles in, then, and watches as Akane considers the gift she delivered to her. She sounds... surprised? But not too surprised.
"...What's up?" Rikka asks. It sounds like Akane already has an idea what it is, and it turns out to be -
...Snowflake-patterned headphones.
She chuckles a little at Akane's self-congratulatory tone - but it's interrupted as she continues.
"For me?" Rikka repeats, surprised. ...She remembered her birthday. She remembered her birthday, and she thought about her, even though she had so much on her shoulders already. Rikka tears up a little at the thought of that - and once she starts, she's never been very good at stopping.
"Hahah, wow... Your friend went through all that trouble to give me a present for you, that was actually meant for me." Rikka laughs. He broke into her house and everything! ...The joke, in part, is meant to fight off the welling up of tears, but it doesn't quite succeed, especially when Akane hands her the headphones. Rikka accepts them carefully, fingers trace a line around their edges as she listens, her eyes focusing on the distinctive snowflake.
"Yeah - the sound quality's supposed to be amazing... I've actually always wanted a pair for myself, but I couldn't really justify it." Rikka says. She wipes away tears with her free hand, but it's only a temporary measure. She hugs the headphones to herself and looks up at Akane with a smiles, tears still beading up at the corners of her eyes. "...Thank you, Akane. I love them. I really am spoiled, hahah..."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Hehe... I'd like to see the place for more than just a few minutes. Maybe this time I won't put my foot in my mouth and sulk off," Akane says -- and she doesn't self-chastise too much about it, even! "Plus I still need to see that pilot suit... maybe by the time we get around to that I'll have a surprise for you, too."
When Rikka starts tearing up, explaining how she'd wanted these but couldn't really justify it -- Akane just smiles. This doesn't make her misty-eyed in the same way -- she's just truly, genuinely happy. "Ahaha, it's kinda funny -- this feels like the best gift I've ever gotten... and it wasn't even for me!" She sighs contentedly, and for a moment, it feels like it really is just the two of them in this cafe. The urge to anxiety-spiral about being in public is the lowest it's been in... honestly, maybe her life.
She leaves an arm around Rikka for as long as she feels the need to cry or be misty-eyed or just lean on her, saying, "I was so mad at myself for not being able to pick these up, but... I'm really glad it worked out like this."
Tapping her chin with her free hand, she muses, "It'd be kind of nice to go out on the canals in a rowboat or something... somewhere a little quieter. I could go for the chance to let my hair down..."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Yeah. And, uh... I'd really like to introduce you to mama, too." Rikka agrees with a nod. They've met... but she wants them to be able to sit down and talk, too. She's quietly proud of Akane for not chastising herself too much, and she perks up a bit when Akane says that she'll have a surprise for her. "Now you've got me interested... But yeah, we should be thinking about that."
She has an idea of what the surprise could be, given some of the things they've been talking about together lately... but she does want to be surprised by it.
Seeing Akane look and sound so happy - well, it doesn't do a thing to help Rikka's tears. It's okay, though. She's never been ashamed of it, especially for such a good reason as this.
"I'm glad it worked out this way, too..." Rikka replies with a smile, and then - sets the headphones safely aside before wrapping her arms around Akane and burying her face in her shoulder. She lets herself stay there for some time as the tears flow before, eventually, emerging with a smile and taking a moment to get her breathing back to normal.
"Th-thanks." She says, and listens to Akane's musings. Going out on the canals...
"Oh... that sounds nice. I don't think it'd be too hard to find a rental place nearby." Rikka replies consideringly. It would be nice to be able to spend some time with just the two of them...
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Meeting Orie... the idea's always made Akane just a bit nervous. The extent to which Tsutsujidai reflects her heart isn't lost on her, and she's always wondered, a bit, if she accidentally paid that forward to Rikka with a lonely home. Then again -- their relationship clearly seems good, if Rikka actively wants Akane to meet her...
... the only way to find out -- even if it's the scary way -- is to meet her, though, right?
For a moment, being held that tightly freaks Akane out, and she freezes just a bit -- did she say something wrong? Did she hurt Rikka? ... no, she tells herself -- she's just too happy for words. She needs to let that kind of thing be real, too.
Giving her one last little squeeze as she straightens out, she says, "You're welcome," eager to move on to lighter and happier things for their day.
"Sayla gave me... a little too big a budget for this kinda thing," Akane admits, rubbing at the back of her head. "I guess it's different when you're a big-deal philanthropist or whatever, but... yeah. I'm not saying we need to go anywhere too secluded, but..." Giggling, she concedes, "I can't have you to myself all the time, but I guess it's normal to want a few hours alone with your girlfriend..."
That reminds her that -- "... If we keep showing up to class over video call in the same place every time, people're gonna start talking about it..." The idea of having people comment before she says something is a little nervewracking -- but it's actually kind of fun, now that she's in the situation...
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka smiles as Akane returns her thanks, and now that she's recovered, she can focus on the conversation again.
"She did, huh...? That sounds like her." Rikka considers, as she remembers those tickets. She's still holding onto them for when they've finished watching the whole show... "I think... that's her way of making sure you have every opportunity available you'd want."
...Rikka does appreciate that about her. She's glad that Sayla's looking after Akane like that...
Though, a few hours alone with her girlfriend...
"...I kinda want that too." Rikka admits with a shrug and a sheepish smile. She considers, that, what Akane puts forth next as she carefully puts away her laptop, her headphones, and perfume into her backpack.
"...Yeah, you're right." Rikka considers. "...Are you okay with that? I don't mind, so if you don't either..."
She considers for a moment longer.
"I already told Namiko I'm dating a girl though I never got a chance to tell her who, but she's bound to put two-and-two together pretty quickly..."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Well, they did finish their coffee and their gift exchange... it might be good to start packing up -- even if it is mostly Rikka who'd have to do the packing.
"I don't mind at all," Akane says, now that the question is actually there to engage with. "I'm a little worried about how people are going to see it... but -- it's their problem, not mine." She sounds shakier on it than she'd like. But if she doesn't say it once, she can't keep saying it.
When she mentions she told Namiko -- that gets a laugh. "I wouldn't mind it if she was the first to figure it out. She's always been really good to you -- and me, too."
There's a lot they could still talk about -- but as Akane collects herself and stands up, all she can think of is how excited she is to enjoy a little more of Rikka's presence. That gentle, sheepish smile... it's so reassuring.
(Granted, the more confident one is good too, in... a different way...)
"We'd better keep moving, then. We don't wanna be out there when it gets too dark," she starts. "... or maybe we do, actually..."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane says she doesn't mind it. She's a little shaky about it, and she admits she's a little worried, but that it'd be their problem and not hers. Rikka smiles.
"Good. I want everyone to know how I feel about you... And I've already gotten a good head start. All the people who've supported us are worth way more than the people who might have problems." Rikka says... and laughs too, as Akane comments on Namiko. "Yeah. She's... really, really good. I've relied a lot on her and Hass's support to keep me going."
She doesn't dwell on Hass's situation right now. She has someone wonderful with her right now, and this is their moment to spend together. She follows Akane's lead, standing up and gathering her backpack before moving to take her hand.
"That would be pretty romantic, right? Watching the sunset from the water, and then, laying out there underneath the moon and the stars..." Rikka considers. That's something she could do for a very long time, if it was with her.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane blushes again -- but this time it's not the fluster-blush of someone who's just been told something exciting, just the warmth of someone who finally feels cared-for. Thoughts of Hass do nag at her, just a tiny bit -- she doesn't quite get to dwelling either, but it does chew at her.
... Rikka cuts through everything about that notion, though. "Hehehe... yeah, that sounds just about perfect," she says. "Thank you for this. It's a really incredible time... but I guess everything with you kinda feels that way. ... Hahaha."
Hand entwined with Rikka's, Akane gets ready to take another step forward -- and each one gives her just a little more momentum for the next.