2023-02-23: Sharing Strength
- Log: Sharing Strength
- Cast: Seolla Schweizer, Rikka Takarada
- Where: Continental Europe - Paris
- OOC - IC Date: 0097 02 09
- Summary: Seolla and Rikka meet face to face for the first time since Tsutsujidai - this time on better terms, despite initial awkwardness. Together they agree to share their strength, and count on each other in turn.
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
Seolla's original plan, as far as her little escapade out to eastern Europe to maybe ask about possible family ties - was to be in and out of a rendezvous with Rikka Takarada as soon and silently as possible. Maybe even not actually meet her! Just leave a note confirming retrieval of emergency contact equipment and bounce. Among everyone that she maybe had an awkward encounter with in Tsutsujidai, Rikka's the one Seolla feels the most. ...well-
Well...!
What does she even say...
...But, meeting with Akane and it generally going well empowered Seolla, so here she is. Pacing in front of the hotel room she was told Rikka was staying at. Pacing to the left. To the right. In an oval. Pivoting at the edges. Murmuring a practice for what she's going to say about all of this. Rikka surely knows she's here and that it won't be a surprise - but wait! Did she even know her name back then?! There's a lot of agonizing and fidgeting, ultimately, before finally-
She just rings the darn doorbell already.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka had a wonderful date with Akane! She's in a very good mood, but also a little tired, so she's decided to return to her hotel room to recuperate. It's too early to sleep, though, so she's ordered some room service... and besides, she's supposedly supposed to be meeting someone, so she'd rather not fall asleep on them.
She only has the name of the person she's meeting, though. She figured she'd probably know who it was when they came by. So for now, she sits at the hotel room table, sipping at some tea.
...And then, the doorbell! Rikka stands up from her chair and hurries over the door, pulling it open... and, finds herself face-to-face with someone familiar.
Rikka stares for a moment... at least until something clicks in her head, and a smile crosses her face.
"You're Seolla?" She asks for confirmation. "I wasn't expecting this... It's good to see you again, though."
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
Seolla's stare is silent in return for a while. Yep, just like she saw - that's Rikka. The one she put an awful lot of pressure onto back in Tsutsujidai for a while. Last seen before she sprinted at a breakneck pace in a fugue state.
Stiffening, then-
"Aaaagh I'm so so sorry about the trouble I caused back then! I pinky promise I'm not about to follow through on that! I even just met Akane for real and made sure everything was good so please don't be upset-!!!"
Her eyes are squeezed shut and tight, prepared for a berating or worse. But then she finally processes what Rikka's said, and bolts back upright, and observes Rikka's gentle smile about the whole situation.
--in a weird way that's almost more pressure than if she were upset about it!?
Heels grinding together, Seolla fidgets with the hem of her jacket, worrying the collar between thumb and forefinger, pressing it into her cheek. "W...well...we're probably gonna be working together going forward, so I came here to be sure it wasn't gonna be something super awkward at a bad time. ...But you're immune to losing your cool, huh? Y-yeah...I'm Seolla, yes-! ...It's good to meet you in, uh, not, totally insane circumstances."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka watches Seolla carefully. She doesn't really know what to expect, honestly. The last time they talked was kind of intense. And then... Seolla apologizes! It's - kind of a departure from what she expected, and forces her to take a second to recalibrate. Rikka blinks, and takes a step forward.
"Hey, it's okay! I'm not mad at you." Rikka assures. She starts to reach out but doesn't quite go all the way, not wanting to spook her with unexpected touch, as well-intended as it might be. "...Thanks for apologizing, though. You met Akane, huh...? I'm glad you two were able to get along."
...A part of her wonders what they talked about, but she doesn't want to pry...
She nods as Seolla continues - and then chuckles a little.
"I've gotten used to it, I guess." Rikka admits, of not losing her cool. She smiles. "...Yeah, it's nice to meet you properly."
She considers for a moment, and then steps aside to make some space in the doorway.
"You want to come in for a bit? I just had a fresh pot of tea brought up." Rikka offers.
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
It turns out the intensity doesn't ever quite leave Seolla! Where she was over-determined and over-emotional back in her rather dire situation in Tsutsujidai, she's over-flustered and over-squirmy here. "...I...nnn. I kind of don't get how you're not mad, to be honest. I'd be extremely upset if someone threatened the people most important to me-"
The instant she says this - the myriad ways the people most important to her have been threatened come flooding into her head. The more she thinks about it - the more she boils like, like-
Well, like the tea kettle in Rikka's apartment.
"I am extremely upset about it, actually! I've been extremely upset for who knows how long, and especially lately! And it sounds like Akane's even more important to you than the ones I have in my life, so I'm...I'm..."
Eyes squeezing shut. Fists balling up, a foot stamping once on the ground, before-! "...I'm dizzy from it. ...tea sounds really good. I...I guess I'll...come on in...!" Still red as a beet, Seolla fizzled out a long breath behind her teeth, hanging up her jacket as she steps in and tumbles into the first chair she sees within the little hotel room, the back of her head tight against the rim of the seat. Breathing a little heavily, but gradually calming down.
"...you must've been through a lot, to be so capable and focused in a lot of crazy situations. From where I'm sitting, you're just about the strongest person I've ever met, on a level I can't even imagine. ...What's your secret to it? Did something...happen, that tempered you so firmly?"
[OOC] Seolla Schweizer says, "ah, blu-ray rikka's apartment to rikka's hotel room. (same difference on some level but s s s s)" <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Well... I was mad. I still am. Just... not at you." Rikka explains, with a shake of her head. Seolla says she's extremely upset about it - so much so that she's getting dizzy! This time Rikka does approach, extending a hand to help stabilize her in case there's risk of her falling over.
"Easy, easy." Rikka murmurs reassuringly. "Here, c'mon in."
She follows Seolla inside and takes a seat across from her, reaching for the tea kettle and pouring a cup before pushing it toward Seolla. Seolla breathes in and out, and seems to be gradually calming down. Rikka keeps a close eye on her, just in case.
"Me? Really?" Rikka asks, surprised. She'd never really seen herself as someone strong...
She thinks for a moment, though, as Seolla asks for her secret.
"Sorry. I don't know if there's a secret. I guess it's just..." She frowns consideringly for a moment. "For the last year or so, my friends have been fighting kaiju to protect our home - and sometimes other places, too. We didn't know they were Akane's at the time... but when we found out, it made us realise that she was hurting, too."
She considers something for a moment, staring down into her own cup of tea before looking up at Seolla.
"...I guess, when we last met, I saw a little bit of her in you." She says.
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
Seolla does, this time - take Rikka's hand for support. It's a motion that takes a bit of strain on her part - she's overcoming training to refuse it so deep that she still remembers the instinct even when she forgot the process. But, just like with Alouette-
"...s-sorry I ran out on you like that, also. ...things were starting to come over me, and that's why I ran off. But I didn't for a second forget that you...made an offer. Made sure to tell Alouette that too. ...thank you for being there for even a stranger."
Her hands are rather rough and stiff to the touch, and her grip's a little too strong - these are hands that've gripped on tight to the inhospitable, clearly. "...don't go saying you're not particularly strong after that, though! I'm out there threatening someone you love, and you step out to stop me unarmed. You have the kind of understanding and kindness that's like a great big sword, and you're so confident it'll defend you that you'll wield it against any potential enemy. That's the kind of stuff that was throwing me way off the whole time we were stuck there. I mean hell, the people that finally actually got me to stand down were armed in the process, but I guess I kinda pointed a weapon at them first."
At some point she does let Rikka's hand go, and warms her palms with the tea (even though the cup's at a rather uncomfortably hot level!), sipping slowly. The redness in her face transitions from something bright in her cheeks to something more evenly dispersed, and her breathing is laden with steam from the heat.
"...mm, I got the feeling when we finally sat down that we had more in common than I thought, too. ...Too many of you casually up and say really heart-melty things these days, though! It's slightly hard to deal with sometimes. I'm really used to...only hearing what I've done wrong, so it makes me boil a little bit when people talk about me like they've seen something deep in me. Like I didn't cover it up right."
...Seolla's glance gets evasive, lips purty, before she interjects, "...b-but don't take that to mean you shouldn't say that kinda stuff. ...it's really warm, too, yeah?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Seolla's hand is rough and stiff, and her grip is rather strong. There's a lot Rikka can learn just by taking her hand. Because of that... even if the grip is a little tight, she won't let go for as long as Seolla is willing to hold on.
"I see... that explains it." Rikka says, when Seolla apologizes for running off. She smiles. "...You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to be there for you. You spoke with Alouette too, though? That's good to hear."
She listens as Seolla explains what she sees in her strength, and Rikka thinks it over for a moment. Understanding and kindness that's like a sword... She 'hm's for a moment.
"...I'd never really thought about it that way." Rikka admits consideringly. It feels like high praise. "...But, thanks. I'll remember that."
They've both sat down now, and Rikka listens as Seolla explains that she got the feeling she had things in common with Akane, too. Rikka nods - and then smiles, as Seolla continues. It boils - but it's warm, too.
"Hahah, sorry... It's kind of... For the longest time I kept everything bottled up inside, but little by little it became easier for me to say stuff like that with a straight face." Rikka explains with a small laugh. She grins, then, just a little mischievously. "I'll have to do my best to help ease you into it, then."
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
Eyes go wide at a smile like that headed Seolla's way - the type that can make things feel like they're not a big problem. No, the type that makes tomorrow feel like it's in someone's advantage, if they can be assured like that. The kind of look he'd always give when he broke the tension by trying to do something sneaky or against the rules to cheer people up, no matter how much Seolla said it was pointless...
Suddenly, it all clicks into place. Suddenly, a very clear image of the connection Rikka and Akane share is over-assumed on Seolla's part.
"...now it makes sense. Now it makes so much sense! I get it, because...my own partner who still needs my help is so much like you!" Seolla crosses her arms, lips all huffy and pouty, but in a way that's almost...comfortable for her. "That's right. You're able to live like something dangerous is just something to push against - or maybe that you might not totally get what's even dangerous...except for that nagging sense that you totally do! I'll bet...as soon as Akane saw you out there joining the fight, she was agonizing about you getting in a world of hurt, and maybe screamed a little bit when you finally did fall, only for you to get up and dust yourself off with just a little 'ouchie, ouchie' about something chaotic!"
She's talking faster now. Maybe a little...harder to understand, because she's so animated about a conclusion she's specifically drawn. "Maybe the way you're strong is almost too literal for your own good, in a weird way. Like worrying about anything isn't even something you know how to do in the first place...aaah, and that just makes you easier to worry about. Mou mou mou..."
"That settles it. As soon as I bust Arado out, I'm making sure you meet each other, so I can prove that I'm right!"
There's a blazing determination in Seolla's eyes. Like she can look to Rikka and Akane for guidance - for how she can overcome her own lurking devil, to bring the ones she cares about into the light. Except...
"...ah. Ah. ...but in this case...it's me who's gotta...who has to save him. ...I don't suppose the way you and Akane could've sorted this mess out if you were the one haunted by that 'hyper devil' is something you'd know in advance, r-right?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka looks on with interest as something seems to click in Seolla's head, with the way she's working. And then, comes a deluge of words. Rikka doesn't try to interrupt her - though she's not sure she would've been able to get a word in edge-wise even if she did try.
"I'd like to think she was worried about me..." Rikka comments consideringly. Still, she smiles.
"...He seems pretty important to you. If he's as like me as you say he is, then I'd like to meet him, too." She replies. He sounds interesting, at least from what she's said. Seolla seems confident and determined... though it also seems to fade a little when she realises it's up to her to save him. Seolla poses a difficult question, though - how would they have sorted it out if it'd been her instead of Akane...?
"I'm afraid I don't know that... If I had been her place, I don't know if I'd have been able to become who I am now." Rikka admits with a shrug. She frowns. "If he's like me, though, uh..."
Rikka pauses, and looks sheepish for a moment.
"...Then he's probably prone to rushing off ahead on his own to help? That can be a good thing, but it can probably put him in danger, too..." She admits, a little embarrassed.
She wants to give her something, though, so... "I won't claim to know your entire situation, but Alexis... If the problem you're facing is anything like him, then he wants to make you feel alone, isolated, like he's the only one you can rely on. So... be willing to ask for help, and draw strength from people you trust. That's the best advice I can give."
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
"...ugh, it feels weird to describe my situation as anything like this Alexis guy," Seolla muses, gulping down her tea in one quick, sudden motion to steel herself to even talk about it. "...I mean, it's just...two old people, and a couple of other scientist types. I could've taken them! They're just people...not like they could make kaiju, or do crazy space ghost stuff like people were describing."
"...but you're right. It took me a lot to feel like I shouldn't listen to them for everything. Even near the end, I was almost ready to split on Sousuke and Renais cause they told me to sit still. They didn't even have to be there to make me feel like I only had them..."
"Trusting people...I've met so many people that took one look at me and told me I could count on them. ...thank you for being one of them, Rikka." Resting her cheeks in her hands, gazing balefully into Rikka's eyes, Seolla gives her own sheepish little smile. "...lately, people like you are starting to make me feel insanely lucky. So...that offer goes the same for you, too. If you're in trouble, I'll bust down as many doors as it takes to pull you, and Akane, and Alouette, and Liam, and Leina, and all the rest, out of any jam you're in."
"...that's where I think people like you get it from. You believe deep in your heart in the people you trust. Your strength is amazing...I'll be sure to appear in a flash if you need me to be part of that strength!"
Even though it's late at night and gently snowing outside the hotel window - in this moment at least, Seolla feels like the clearest, brightest daybreak in the world.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem> Rikka listens... and frowns, just slightly. These people she's talking about... they sound awful. It's horrible to think that there are actually people out there like that. One doesn't have to be a Hyper Devil to be a monster...
Seolla thanks her, and Rikka smiles.
"You're welcome." She replies... and Seolla continues, stating her intent to do whatever she can if she's in trouble.
"Yeah... at the end of the day, that's what's important." Rikka agrees - and for a moment, that resolute look crosses over her face. "I'm glad we were able to meet again like this, Seolla. I'll be counting on you, too."
Seeing Seolla looking so bright, Rikka feels sure that she'll be okay - and she finds herself hoping that she'll be able meet her partner again.