2023-07-20: Beach BBQ

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<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.

GUTS Deculture Festival is coming up!

Officially, events start on the weekend, but Cascade had gotten the idea from somewhere to do something early, and - provided she was willing to organize it - GUTS was willing to support it.

And if there's anything Cascade is good at, it's organization and planning. Too much, really; she worries that everything has to be just perfect, that she has to do things exactly right. She actually read a whole bunch of online articles about how exactly to do this, because if she has instructions she can't be wrong.

And that's how GUTS took over a beach.

Well, it's not the whole beach, just part of one, but they've definitely taken a section over. One of the natural islands not far from Nouvelle Tokyo, it's accessible by bridge (you can catch a GUTS bus). It's easy to find the GUTS gathering, because there are already students (and some non-students to keep an eye on things), though not as many as there will be for the 'real' DecuFes events; the students here are mostly the ones that stay in dorms over summer, but nobody minds having something to do. Or, if you wanted some more private time, you could just keep walking down the beach a ways - there's a good kilometer of it.

It's the kind of day you want to be on a beach; it's sunny, and the humidity is more seabreeze here. Some students are already swimming; others have set up spots on the beach itself, whether for sunning or for other entertainment.

And then there's what Cascade's investigation suggested was the most important part: food. She's not running the grill, but volunteers who trade out occasionally have been. There are actually two distinct grilling areas set up back to back; one has burgers and sausages (toppings available), and the other has corn (with salt and pepper butter) and balsamic mushroom skewers. The meat one is a bit bigger, but there's plenty of both to go around, and cold drinks, and a few other snacks.

Cascade herself is currently supervising food creation from a few steps off. She doesn't LOOK nervous, particularly, but there's a certain anxiety in her attitude that some people have seen before on other times she's planned events she's never been to before. She is a tall last-year student with long red hair and freckles, mostly across her cheeks, nose, and collarbone with some fainter dots along the upper part of her chest, currently wearing an asymmetrical two-piece swimsuit; it's a deep green bandeau-style top except for the single shoulder strap with bottoms in the same colour. She also has sandals. 

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


Once twas said somewhere in the deep corn country of Britannia that if you build it - they will come - and Rin Mei Starking is pleased that her roommate, and perhaps (rarefied company indeed) her friend, has discovered this truth. She had had video gaming to do and so she did not help other than token efforts, but even so:

Now she is here!

Rin has kept up with her intense crimson red theme with a bikini top that is not actually that low cut as well as bottoms with decorative little white bows on the hips. Rin's wearing a pair of sunglasses which are probably prescription but has been content to simply enjoy the sun otherwise, beyond the administration of some (non-ultimately-powerful) sunblock. She is also a redhead, if much more Asian than Cascade.

"Is it wrong of me that I'm thirsting for the corn?" Rin remarks to Cascade. "I gaze upon it as it heats and blackens and hey you know what," a tap of the chin, "I wonder why it's not POPPING. Shouldn't it pop?"

Rin Starking has never grilled corn before.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Part of why Sheryl started attending school was to get the social experiences that she'd never had before then. Last year was a lot of firsts as a result--but now that she's in school another year to finish the flight program she's enrolled in, it would be a waste to not keep having those experiences. News of a GUTS-sponsored beach BBQ sounds right up Sheryl's alley too, especially since she just went shopping for new swimsuits.
        
        And so Sheryl arrived dressed in her swimsuit--a green bikini with white straps and a lighter green sunburst design vaguely reminiscent of a watermelon on the top and bottom, pinkish-red straps wrapped on her upper arm and thigh with dark seed designs, block-heeled sandals, shades, a windbreaker just in case it gets too intense, and a sunhat. The bikini is just a little too small for her; that, of course, is the point. Her pale skin had already been lathered with Pure Shield sunscreen, and she carried a stylish tote bag with towels, more sunscreen, her wallet, a melon-patterned beach ball, and more.
        
        That's all past tense because currently Sheryl is lounging under a beach umbrella on a beach chair, arms folded under her head. (She may have made her bodyguard Brera carry and set up the heavier equipment. It's fine.) It's not too far from the grill area; she plans to go swimming at some point, but right now she's just relaxing with a large bottle of water.
        
        Ovehearing what Rin says about the popping corn, though, Sheryl tilts her head her and Cascade's way as she pushes her shades up. "You know, I didn't think about that either. If corn doesn't pop when you grill it, how do you make it pop?" she wonders, raising her voice just a bit to be heard. 

<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.

Yesterday was an odd situation - a battle that started out absurd and became horrifying very, very quickly. However: NERV's analysts are still going over what they recovered from the Barilar Concern, so as field pilot, her job is to: wait for additional information.

Sho could spend this time agonising over what they found. Instead: She arranged to go to this beach party with Alouette so they could get their minds off it for a few hours, and onto more relaxing and/or exciting things ('like each other' a treacherous voice whispers in the back of her mind).

One redheaded asian girl is pretty rare; two is much more unlikely. Sho's own mane is tied up in a ponytail in a powder-blue ribbon matching her fingernail paint, and she's wearing strappy sandals and a sleek competition one-piece coloured gunmetal grey with red vertical stripes that emphasize her athletic figure.

As they walk up to the grills, her brow quirks. "... Huh. I'm pretty sure popcorn's prepared differently?" She looks like she's never had the occasion to think about it, either.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Work has kept Alouette quite busy in recent days - yesterday was a particularly sensitive deployment, even considering she was just on site for support. Like Sho, it's pretty heavy on her mind still... but given she's fresh out of recovery herself, there's not much she can do to tend to Hierro's own recovery. Still having spent a significant chunk of last year's in the hospital, there was no way she wanted to miss this year's Deculture Festival events.

Furthermore, she has two whole things she lacked during last year's events: a girlfriend and a swimsuit! So what's better than a beach date to kick things off? Having the opportunity to see her in a swimsuit is a major bonus too, and she seems to share Akane's preference for girls with competition swimsuits, because gosh she cannot stop staring.

Speaking of swimsuits, she got hers shopping with Sheryl, Ranka, Akane and Rikka - it was actually Sheryl herself who spotted this one out for her. It's a bright blue and teal one-piece with wave patterns on it, gauzy under-material flowing out underneath the skirt (much like her own uniform). The straps, adorned with pearl accessories, tie up into a signature blue ribbon behind her neck. Another blue ribbon and more pearls are clung to her hair, which is still curled up at the moment. Sheryl told her this would make her look like a mermaid, and Alouette would like to hope she's right.

She's spent most of her time so far clung close by to Sho, walking around, taking in the beach... but she's here to socialize in general, too. And she recognizes plenty of the students who showed up today. "Sheryl!" She exclaims, walking up to the pop sensation lounging on the beach chair. She recognizes her swimsuit too, one of the more daring options Sheryl picked out for herself during that trip. "You're looking dazzling~" She compliments, with a sunny smile. "Although that shouldn't surprise me anymore, huh?" After all, she got a sneak preview of this very look while they were trying on their options.

Back to the grills, she ponders the corn conversation that Rin starts. She knows a lot of things, but not really that much about food and cooking. "Hmm... I'm pretty sure it pops if you put it in the microwave?" She tries. 

<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.

Cascade, of course, gets around it by not being Asian at all; she's Britannian and looks it. Honestly, she's pale enough that she looks like she *really* needs sunscreen to be out in this; she doesn't really tan, her freckles just get a little more prominent. Hopefully she put some on! Maybe even Pure Shield. She's not saying.

"I think it pops when it's unripe kernels," Cascade replies, after a moment's thought. "These are already open, which is why they're soft and not hard seeds. So perhaps it expands a little, but it doesn't have anything to break through and pop."

It makes sense to her. She didn't even look it up on the Internet or anything. She's trying not to do that so much.

Cascade glances over toward Sheryl - who she very clearly recognizes, and equally clearly did not immediately want to bother when she arrived because she assumes that's what famous people always have to deal with, but it's different when she puts herself in the conversation. "I don't think we have any corn of that sort. Or a microwave." That with a very faint smile. "Hello, Alouette. And Sho. I almost didn't recognize you in that. I like both the outfits."

The first part of that's a lie. Cascade absolutely did recognize Sho. But it is *very* different from the last outfit she saw Sho in, anyway - but she'd be recognizable no matter what by her having Alouette with her.

"Are you enjoying the trip?" she asks, a more open question. Followed by: "If you want one of the corn cobs, or anything else, please." She means Sheryl too, though Sheryl seems less likely to get up and get it herself to her. 

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


"I've never really seen it happen," Rin muses to Sheryl, "but in any bag of popcorn you're going to get some pieces that aren't really popped, right? They must do something to it in order to prepare it so it pops, and I've heard it at movie theaters..."

It's certainly a RIN STARKING MYSTERY, that is for sure. Her eyes turn towards the approaching Sho Tachibana, who increases the prominence of red hair in this particular patch of Japan (3 out of 4 - 3.5 if you're counting Sheryl, but she may tint.) "That's what we're trying to figure out! I mean I'm not going to object to the results..."

Grilled corn has a savor all its own.

Her eyes track over Alouette, mostly-hidden by the sunglasses, although Rin does peer over the rims towards them in what might be a campy way. "Oho~" she says. "You know Sheryl, too?"

Who doesn't know Sheryl? But then, they're meeting Sheryl Nome, the person, not Sheryl Nome, the *sensation*. "Oh, now you know them too!" Rin says to Cascade. "I'm Rin Mei Starking, I live with Cascade," Rin continues, patting her upper sternum as she self-introduces. "I like video games and stunt performance. Pleased to meet you!"

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl's more blonde than redheaded, but her hair does take on a pink-ish quality sometimes. It might be most accurate to call her strawberry blonde, just as how Brera, with his greenish-yellow hair, might be best called lime blond.
        
        As Alouette approaches, Sheryl smiles and gets up off her beach chair. "Alouette! Nice to see you here, too~." She chuckles and flips her hair at the compliment; just because she gets them all the time doesn't mean she doesn't still enjoy them. "It shouldn't, but I don't mind hearing it! You look just as good in your pick as I thought you would, too. Those are just the right accessories to set it off." It helps that they both saw each other in these swimsuits when they were trying them on, but there's a different vibe from wearing a swimsuit in a boutique to wearing it at the beach.
        
        Sheryl looks from Alouette over to Sho. She looks solidly built--tall, with a competition swimsuit rather than the fancier suits she and Alouette are wearing. "And who's this?" There's a certain knowing quality to her tone that lets on she's already guessed it's not just a friend.
        
        Cascade and Rin all offer potential explanations for grilled vs. popped corn. "Hmmm... It all sounds plausible to me. I don't really know either way. I've had popcorn before, but never grilled corn. I think you can make popcorn in a microwave?" She's used to a special machine for that, though.
        
        She smiles at Cascade as she invites folks to stop talking about corn and start eating. She doesn't know her personally, but that doesn't matter. "I'll give it a try! The trip's been great so far, thanks. The vista's lovely!"
        
        She'll take up one of those cobs once they're made ready. It'll take her a moment to figure out how you're supposed to eat it, though. When Rin introduces herself to the group and by proxy introduces Cascade, she pauses to look again at her in interest. "Oh, you two are roommates?" she asks them both.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        It took Emmy a little while to make it in- she had a morning shift after an evening shift, and even with GUTS passports, crossing the border between Japan and Area 11 is still a pain in the ass.

        Foretunately, she's gotten very deft at it.

        Having made a dash to the changing rooms, she emerges in a simple white one piece swimsuit, with a colourful pink floral sarong, her long hair in a high ponytail. It's a far cry from the revealing swimsuit that was provided for her last year. She may have made sure to have something different this year.

        "S-S-Sorry I'm late!" She calls to Cascade, running up to the group- and then realizing the group she's run up to. Rin- who is cool if a little weird- Sho and Alouette- who she just promised to she'd try to be friends with- and Sheryl- of whom she is still a huge fan and is a little scared to embarrass herself in front of.

        "U-um, h-hi everyone. I h-h-hope I'm not i-interrupting." She's definitely not as shrinking as usual, but she does slip in next to Rin after grabbing a basic burger.

        She seems to have come in during introductions still, at least. That's something convenient.

        Even if it meant she is one of the few here who doesn't know the rules of popcorn now.

<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.

Intellectually, Sho is aware that Actual Pop Star Idol Sheryl Nome is in the coalition of schools that are part of GUTS.

She did not expect to be attending the same event as her, or for Alouette to be asked 'and who is this' in that knowing tone of voice. She takes a quick deep breath, trying not to seem too starstruck. "Sho Tachibana," she answers with a proper bow. "I didn't realise you had connections like that, 'Lou-chan~" she grins.

Alouette's not the only one who can't stop staring - Sho keeps sneaking glances at the blonde, but she's terrible at disguising when she's doing it. Fortunately: Food offers an excellent cover. "You want a burger, Alouette, or something else?" She's grabbing a burger, though, to hell with it.

Emilia hurries over to the grill and Sho offers her a smile - slightly awkward, but genuine - and a "hey, Emilia".

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette lets out a giggle at Cascade's extremely matter of fact statement combined with that small smile. "No, I don't think I've ever seen someone bring a microwave to the beach..." She makes a small shrug motion. "Anyways, it's good to see you too, Cascade - you're looking nice yourself. I'm having fun... you really put a lot into putting this together." There's a lot a creative person can do with GUTS budget!

It is also interesting to see the redhead brigade from prom brought back together, even if she's once again an outlier. The thought of herself with red hair is immediately pushed away as cursed. Although between Mikoto and Hana, it is also a surprisingly common thing among GGG mobile operators...

"She's a friend!" Alouette answers Rin cheerily. "Cascade is too. She's your roommate, huh?" She thinks she might've overheard that during prom, but she can't be sure.

"Thank you!" She replies, when Sheryl compliments her in turn. "I'm really glad, I think it ended up fitting perfectly. And my girlfriend here seems to enjoy it, too~" She adds with a smirk, which answers Sheryl's next question. She wraps her arms around Sho's shoulder, letting her introduce herself.

"Remember when you said half your fanbase is lesbians? You really weren't wrong." She can enjoy a particularly pretty looking boy, but she generally identifies that way these days. "You would be surprised~" Alouette winks at Sho about her connections.

She knows she's being stared at back, but she pretends she's totally oblivious to it. "A burger? That sounds good... we should probably take some time to sit down before hitting the pool, too." She nods, and indeed takes a seat on a lounge chair.

Emmy is a late addition to the beach, but certainly not an unwelcome one. "Bonjour, Emilia~ I'm glad you could make it. We're just getting started!" She waves. "Your swimsuit is really pretty, by the way."

<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.

Cascade, technically speaking, is not any sort of server - the whole grill has the entire attitude of 'serve yourself - but she is willing to pass out corn to Sheryl for her to figure out how to eat, and brings one back for Rin on her way.

The corn cobs are popular amongst this crew (and there's Emmy with a burger) but Cascade decides to cheat; she gets a skewer of the balsamic mushrooms *and* a burger, opens the burger, and uses the bun to pull the mushrooms off the skewer and onto the meat.

There's no rule against it.

"Ah, new swimsuits? Mine is new also, actually! I wasn't sure about it at first, but it was Rin's suggestion out of the ones I found." Cascade twists a little as if trying to look at the bottom part from where she is. "I do like it, though."

"And yes, I know who Sheryl Nome is, but we haven't really been introduced before. I didn't know you knew her, Rin... As for Alouette and Sho, it's been a while since I've seen Sho - since prom - but I have fenced with Alouette more recently." A momentary pause, then: "It was a draw," she finishes, a half-joke for her and Alouette at least.

"Yes, I'm Rin's roommate... I've never really lived at a dorm before so she has taught me quite a lot." And she's one of Cascade's few friends. Which Gamia is not entirely sure is a good idea, but so far Cascade hasn't made any attempts to change that.

Emilia shows up, properly. "Hello. No, I don't think you're interrupting; most of us are just here. I haven't needed to make sure everything is going right in a brief while, once we got the grills set up properly..." Yes, she's been meddling all afternoon. 

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


"So it would seem," Rin echoes, looking at Alouette with curiosity. Rin, of course, knows what a microwave is, but she may well have never popped corn in one. Wouldn't it be a little declasse? This is the peril of the affluent.

She then nods at Sheryl. "Yup! Ashford likes to sort by hair color, you know?" A pause and she adds, "Imagine I did winky face when I said that. Geez," a tug on the glasses, "these things ARE dark -"

"Heyyyy Emiliaaaaa," Rin calls, raising a hand to wave even as Emilia slips in and scores herself a burger. "Sheryl, Sho, Alouette," Rin says, gesturing towards Emilia, "This is one of my other secret gamer friends. Don't let her demeanor fool you, she is lethal."

Back to Sho. "So it's good to meet you and everything!" Rin continues, chattily. "After I get my corn on or something I might go dive into the water, you try it out yet? I mean, it'd be hard to tell for sure in this sun, right? You'd dry out in like ten minutes!"

Rin then blinks several times at what Alouette says. She looks back at Sheryl for a moment. Her lips purse and her head tilts, as she shrugs one shoulder. And then Cascade gives her buttered, seasoned CORN, and Rin raises it to her mouth to take a mighty bite!

Which isn't that mighty a bite; but she does get a few kernels, even as Cascade cheats the burger lords and produces advanced flavor combinations. "Of course I knew her," Rin tells Cascade. "We were bound by the heart of disaster." To the others, Rin says with some pride, "I was a technical stunt co-- you know, all rounder, on Bird Human. And I did it all during break!"

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        When Emilia comes running up, that's yet another distraction from eating corn, but Sheryl doesn't mind it. She raises an arm to wave at her. "Emilia! Long time no see! You're not interrupting at all," she tells her with a smile. "We were just about to try some natural corn!" She assumes it's natural, anyway. She accepts a cob from Cascade and twist it gingerly--it's hot!--and adds, "Just as soon as we figure out how?"
        
        For now, she sets a hand on her hip and smiles at Sho. "Nice meeting you, Sho!" Alouette's declaration that she's her girlfriend is met with a total lack of surprise, only a nod when she brings up the half-the-fanbase thing. "I figured as much! You two can't keep your eyes off each other. Hmmm~ So this is your special someone."
        
        But then she affects a shocked scoff as Sho says she didn't realize Alouette had these kinds of connections. "Alouette didn't tell you about our torrid musical affair? I'm insulted!" She winks at Alouette. "Just kidding."
        
        Her amused smile turns to Rin and Cascade next, but primarily Rin at first. "The perils of sunglasses! That's why you bring a hat, too." She touches the brim of her hat; her shades have been lodged atop it for the time being while she's chatting with the girls. Cascade explaining she's specifically dormmates with Rin gets her another curious look. "Oh, really? What is it like, living at a dorm?"
        
        Sheryl might be attending school, but there are still lots of things normal kids do that she's never experienced.
        
        "Oh, I know Emilia. I went to her birthday party last year. Speaking of which, your birthday this year was just last month, wasn't it?" Sheryl says, looking over at Emilia again. "Happy belated birthday! If there was a party, I didn't get an invitation this time." She does wonder how Milly's doing these days... She hasn't seen her in ages, either.
        
        Rin takes a mighty bite of her corn. Sheryl watches, blue eyes blinking wide. Then she smiles. It's inelegant, but it's not so different from, say, a hot dog. She takes an experimental bite herself while Rin explains about her time on the Bird Human set. It's messy, but-- "It's good!" 

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Sho gets a bit of a sheepish wave as Emilia takes a bite of her own burger. Yeah, things are still a little awkward. But she wants to be fair. Even if it's hard.

        She overhears Alouette's comment to Sheryl and blinks. "O-only half?" She finds herself saying, slipping into the conversation more readily than she expected. Alouette's compliment gets a smile in return. "Th-thanks. I was a little. W-worried it would be too simple b-b-but it's... really easy to p-pair things with." She gives a nod. "Y-you're looking great, too."

        "I'm glad th-th-there weren't any issues. I'm s-sorry I couldn't. H-help out, Cascade. The c-cafe's trying b-breakfast opening with. The whole g-grand prix thing." She gives a look around. "It s-seems like it's g-going well, th-though! The b-burgers are good t-too!" There is something for the simple joy of barbecue on the beach. "Y-you're good at this st-stuff. I k-kind of wish you'd run for student council."

        Rin talking her up does seem to catch her completely off guard. "L-Lethal??" Rin... w-wouldn't be talking about that mission in Paradigm,l right? No. Surely not.l "I d-don't think I'm that g-good." Indeed, Emilia has visited the Virtual Worlds club from time to time, but spent more time on a rhythm game than anything else.

        The wave from Sheryl gets a big smile after everything. "H-Hi Sheryl!" The talk of a torrid musical affair with Alouette does make Emmy blink- only for the just kidding to drop. "Y-you might w-want to be c-careful saying th-that. R-rumours st-start p-p-pretty quickly." She still didn't know why Ranka thought she had been dating Tessa.

        Emmy's smile turns a little smaller and warmer. "Th-that was... o-one of the best s-surpises. It was so soon after I saw my first ever c-concert to." She blushes a little. "Th-that was... o-one of the best days of my l-l-life." The birthday wishes get another nod. "Th-thanks. I... h-had to w-w-work on my birthday this y-year. It's wh-where I met Alouette. B-but I was s-so tired after, M-Milly and I just sp-spent the night in. I th-think she wanted to organize something again but..." Oh there's a smitten little look on Emmy's face. "It was nice just being able to spend it together." 

<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.

Cascade, who has neither hat nor sunglasses, has occasionally been squinting instead. Such is life.

"Oh, she is?" Cascade looks at Emilia with more interest. "Perhaps I should be playing *her*." She's joking... but she's not entirely joking. She does like to compete, but the downside is that - when she competes against Rin, directly - Rin is usually more experienced than she is.

Emilia wishes she'd run for Student Council. "Do you need me to help out with breakfast? I have a few days. And... well, I can help now, I suppose. Though this is my last year, so not for that long. I don't know where I'm going after that, but I don't think it will be at Ashford!"

It definitely will not be at Ashford. Honestly, Cascade isn't even sure if she's going to finish the year, or if Gamia will be called back. She's trying not to think about it; it's why she's been spending so much time doing - well, doing things like this.

Because you only have so many memories to make. She falls quiet for a few moments, uncertain.

"...Living at a dorm was unusual. I used to live - well, only with my family. I have two sisters," Cascade says. "We don't always get along. But we had never had anything like this. It's a little unusual, to get used to someone so close." And it's hard to hide everything; Rin knows she's a little secretive about where she goes, sometimes, if not why or where. She just needs personal time.

She has no comment about rumours. Rumours are unavoidable, in her opinion.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


"You know, that's a good question," Rin answers Sheryl. "Let me kind of organize the thoughts...." And also eat more corn. After a meditative bite, she says: "It's a little like a sleepover that doesn't end. I suppose, anyway; I only went to one of them. At our level we don't have a lot of active monitoring, so it's just sharing your space... It's a little difficult sometimes, but eventually you get used to it, you know?"

"I mean there's advantages to having your own room obviously," Rin concludes.

"I think that's part of why it works out so well with me and Cascade, because we both have a bunch of sisters," Rin continues, before pausing to munch corn and give Emilia a sly look. Probably. Sunglasses.

"Rumors get weird... did you guys hear any good ones lately?" Rin asks, probably to cover while she digs in on that corn. It is rapidly diminishing, but one can only eat a corn on the cob so fast.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"Simplicity can be surprisingly powerful in fashion." Alouette points out to Emmy. "As you said, it means there's a lot you can do to add to an outfit and make it pop. The added floral vibe fits you really well, I think." She adds, with a smile. "And I'm glad you think so!" Her smile widens as Emmy compliments her own.

"This is my first one that wasn't on loan from the school," Alouette nods, about this being a new swimsuit. "Which makes it a little extra special in a way." There is a reason she gravitated so much towards fashion - being able to express herself like this is important.

When Cascade brings up their fencing match, saying it was a draw, she nods. "It was extremely close." She appends. "So I'm definitely looking forward to our next spar." She imagines beach fencing... she doesn't think swimsuits would make very good protection.

Rin introduces Emmy as one of her... gamer friends?! "It doesn't sound like it's much of a secret anymore," she says first with a grin, looking over at Emmy. She doesn't play as many games as one might think - but she did enjoy the Taraba game that Akane lent her. "Do you stream on the side or something?" She asks, interested.

"Ehehe, you noticed, then?" She replies to Sheryl obliviously, as if it wasn't incredibly obvious. "We've been dating for a good few months at this point. Shortly after prom, right?" She looks at Sho, to confirm. "Well... however long it's been, it's been wonderful."

Although Sheryl's shocked scoff gets her eyes to widen for a second! "T-That's kind of a long story isn't it!" She counters, before she's hit with the just kidding. Which just might be inviting more confusion... In all fairness, it is hard to explain how she got involved with Obelisk's production. "Geez..." She crosses her arms and does a fake pout once she realizes Sheryl's teasing her.

And then gets back to chomping on her burger. It's good! It's no Tropical Burger... but Cascade isn't bad herself, Alouette thinks. 

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "That's why I said I was just kidding! You're not wrong, though," Sheryl admits to Emilia. She knows that well. More importantly, she recognizes that dreamy look on Emilia's face as the topic of Milly comes up. Whether it's a crush or they're actually dating, her smile warms in turn. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself so much last year. A quiet night in with someone you care about is a perfectly good way to spend a birthday, too. Maybe I'll do that myself this year."
        
        But who exactly does she have in mind to spend it with? Hmmm... Who indeed?
        
        So Emilia met Alouette at her work, huh... Sheryl looks from her to Sho; there seems to be an awkward vibe between them. Maybe that's related. (Maybe it's something to do with the gaming? Sheryl has little interest in that. The most hardcore games she's ever played are some trumped-up visual novels.) Pretending not to notice for now, she asks Emilia, "Where do you work, anyway? I've heard something about a cafe--if it wouldn't be distracting to you while you're on a shift, maybe I'll stop by sometime."
        
        As Cascade explains her dorm life, Sheryl listens with a thoughtful hum. "I'm not that different. I live with my manager, Grace," she replies. "It's hard for me to imagine what it's like to live in a dorm. I guess it would be like staying at a hotel, only you're supposed to mingle with the other guests?"
        
        She glances at Rin to gauge how accurate that's supposed to be--Cascade probably doesn't know what's normal or not, either. The concept of it being an eternal sleepover... helps less than one would think. "So it's like a hotel stay," she concludes/guesses.
        
        "Oh, it's very obvious," she tells Alouette, smiling. Her momentary panic and follow-up fake pout gets a giggle out of Sheryl. "It's not that long a story! It's really all Rikka's doing, isn't it? She's the one who introduced us."
        
        God, Rin's really going to town on that cob, isn't she? Not that Sheryl's competing, but she's got to hurry up eating if she wants anything else. Those skewered mushrooms look delicious too.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Emmy nods along with Alouette's comment. "Y-yeah. It's n-nice to d-d-dress up from t-t-time to time, but there's s-something... nice about s-s-simple outfits. I l-like them b-better than th-the stuff G-Grandfather's people m-made me wear." Make, technically, but Ashford has granted her a lot more freedom of dress. A lot more freedom in general.

        "I-I'm not sure I'm. Th-that much of a ch-challenge," Emmy admits, not even sure which game Rin's talking about. Alouette leans in about streaming and she looks a bit baffled. "Eh st-streaming? I kn-know some of thje g-girls at the c-cafe d-do that, but. I d-d-don't think performing l-like that is. For me." Wait, Emmy, what sort of streaming are you thinking?

        "Y-you haven't m-m-met the Ashford r-r-rumor mill. If s-someone heard the f-first part of that, th-they would already be o-off and running before they heard the rest." Someone's speaking from experience.

        Emmy blinks. Sheryl visiting her work?? "Oh, um, I w-w-work at a m-maid cafe. Um. Part-time. M-Master's Choice, in N-Nagoya." She scratches the back of her head. "I d-d-don't think it w-would cause a scene, or a-anything."

        Not the sort of scene that would be caused by Sheryl turning up at a cabaret club, anyway. "I-if you want to visit, I th-th-think it would be okay."

<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.

Halfway through her burger, Sho looks up and nods. "Yeah, after our first spar, too." She glances to Cascade, then back to Alouette with a quirked brow and a grin. "Another draw, huh?"

"Not exactly like a hotel stay," Sho answers Sheryl - this is actually a space where she has some knowledge, surprisingly. "You don't get room service, you're supposed to figure out how to provide for yourself. It's more like living in a small apartment on school grounds, and how elaborate the arrangements are is gonna depend on how fancy the school is. I imagine Ashford dorms are pretty extravagant?" She glances over to the three Ashford students. "Alouette and I commute to Jindai from our own places, so it's a bit different."

"Oh, right, the Maid Grand Prix." She sits up a little, actually. "How is that going? I know Gai wanted to get in on that, he loves meeting new people. Hope no-one's causing you any trouble."

<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.

Cascade's mind apparently runs along some of the same routes as Alouette's.

"I'd offer a rematch right now," she says, her smile returning as she takes what looks mostly like a garde position with about a third of a burger in place of a sword; body angled, 'weapon' hand raised.

"...But I didn't bring my weapon, and I don't think I'd like to do it with one of us in a bikini and the other in... well, I would feel bad about poking a hole in the ribbons. ...I admit this is my first suit as well and I'd rather not damage it either. Or get bruises."

So Cascade returns to a more relaxed stance. "But another time, absolutely.

Privately, Cascade thinks that Rin is a lot easier to deal with than either of Gamia's sisters, but all she says is, "As long as we have enough time on our own it's perfectly fine. I don't know if it is like a hotel - we share a space, but we have some of our own also." She's not quite sure what's up with that look - she caught it, sunglasses or not, even though it wasn't directed at her.

She pauses. "It isn't that extravagant," Cascade answers. "But Rin and I are not in the largest of the dorms either." She doesn't go into further details. "It's large enough for us, anyhow. We don't usually get in each other's way very much."

"Rumours? Well... I don't really hear them often," Cascade admits. Which isn't entirely true - she listens even if nobody brings them to her - but her instincts are to hoard the information, not let it free. She'd rather hear other people's rumours.

To Emilia, she notes, "I'm still learning about fashion myself. It seems like it gets complex even with simple outfits..." Gamia's built-in knowledge gave her nothing about fashion, only about disguise, which isn't quite the same thing. "I've at least found something to wear for the Grand Prix."

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


Rin is asked about streaming. "Sometimes for club stuff," she answers Alouette, "but I don't really want to be famous, I guess? Like, I dunno, it just bugs me. Being the secret eminence who everyone in the know really knows sounds way more exciting. Do I seem like a streamy kinda person?"

The cob is largely gone, now, except for some nibbles. "Really? Huh," Rin says to Sheryl. She looks at Sheryl for several seconds - a thing she doesn't commonly do - but then seems to make a silent decision.

To NOT meddle. Instead she reaches over to pick up a sausage and slap it into a bun. After this it gets some vegetables on top and packs it inwards, saying towards Emilia, "The rumors aren't that awful, are they? I mean some rumors can be fun, but, you know, I mostly stay out of trouble!"

UNLESS...?

A suspiciously human-sized bag of some nameless, wet garbage hits the Nagoya harbor and sinks out of sight...

BUT PROBABLY NOT.

"I still have the cheongsam I wore for the last one if it's like, okay to keep my gimmick," Rin comments to Emilia and the area in general at the topic of the maid cafe. "IDK if it was cheating or what, though." At this she bites her sausage, with moderate emotion.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "Sounds intense," Sheryl remarks of the Ashford rumor mill, one eyebrow rising. She's smiling, though, so it's not clear how seriously she's taking it... Then again, she doesn't attend Ashford, so how much does she really need to worry about it? Still: "I'll keep that in mind next time I'm in the area." (Which, if she visits Emilia at work at some point, she will be sooner or later.) "Good to know! Oh, and on that note--how is Milly doing?"
        
        Sho explains more about dorm life. Sheryl blinks at her wide-eyed. "Oh, really? I'd heard there were things called 'meal plans,' so I'd assumed..." She shrugs. "Then it sounds like I'm not missing out on much."
        
        Still, a sleepover... That'd be nice to put on sometime.
        
        "The 'Maid Grand Prix'?" Sheryl repeats. "Come to think, I heard a little about that. It's some kind of maid-butler competition?" She looks sidelong at Rin as she stares at her--but Rin just gets more food, so she mentally shrugs it off. She finishes off her cob, and once it's disposed of properly, she'll get herself a skewer. If there's one with a variety of meats and vegetables and mushrooms, rather than just mushrooms, she'll go for that--and a fresh bottle of water from the cooler if one's available.
        
        "Say, girls, are any of you in the mood for hitting a beachball around in the waves?" she asks. "It's getting pretty hot--" almost as though they're all standing next to a grill in the middle of summer, "--and I'd love to cool down after this!"

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"I usually prefer going over the top, but it usually starts from the base of a simple outfit. Sometimes it's possible to add so much, you can't even recognize the original components anymore. Kind of like my uniform, if you remember?" While that's true for her GGG uniform too, she's referring to her maid dress. Her grandfather made her wear, though... huh. She doesn't poke on that.

Neither Emmy or Rin are one for streaming, it seems. She was going to offer checking out their channels if they did. "I don't blame either of you," she answers. "I bet you could keep up a conversation in stream, Rin, but I feel like it'd probably take a lot of energy, wouldn't it? I probably wouldn't be capable of that, either....I suppose it's nice to just enjoy what you enjoy quietly."

Herself, Alouette feels like she'd be annoying to watch stream games, because she overthinks literally everything. She's not sure the type of streaming Emmy is referring to... most of the cafe girls sans Rin didn't seem much of gamers.

As for their shared work, Alouette nods. "I have a part-time job at the Yes Milady branch in Nouvelle, but I don't ask for very many shifts. As my other job keeps me very much preoccupied." She leaves it at that. "If you decide to stop by, Sheryl, well... I wouldn't exactly complain about having to serve you." She glances Sho's way about Gai taking interest in the Maid Grand Prix. "Not you? Aww... I kind of wanted to see you in a suit."

"It's actually a pretty far commute for me. Considering I live in outer space." Alouette nods, about how she gets to school, and she sounds completely serious about the second part. Orbit Base's living quarters aren't exactly a dorm, but it's close enough. "So I don't go every day. I don't really mind taking the trip, though."

"I need to get more consistent at winning," she nods, as Sho points out it was another draw "But it's very bold of you to think you'll get me at all this time~" Alouette adds, teasingly. "But ah, seriously... you're probably right. We have plenty of time to settle our score." Sheryl brings up beach volleyball, though. A much more beach-friendly flavour of competition! "Oh, that's an idea!" She enthuses. "Could make it a team game with enough people?" 

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Emilia gives a small nod to Sho. "I th-think the cafe in Jindai is f-f-fully operating now, and there's one o-opening in Tsutsu--jidai." She pauses. "I... think I h-heard the boss t-talking about Azadistan too?" She pauses. "W-we'll probably be e-expected to ch-check out the competition at some point." She asides to Cascade and Rin. "It m-might be a fun trip."

        Emilia gives Cascade a nod. "It w-w-worked for you. But if you w-want to l-learn more, maybe you should drop by the F-Fantasy Seduction Club room? Y-you could try out some things." The offer extended, she turns her attention to Rin, as calm as she could be. "I was... on the receiving end a lot. In my f-first year. It seems to have eased off, though. "I think the boss would. B-be okay with it. He p-probably won't mind s-saving on another uniform."

        Emmy looks up at Sheryl. "She's... doing a lot b-better lately. Th-things were pretty rough for a while, with wh-what happened in Tsutsujidai and graduation and her m-mom." She pauses, a sour look on her face, before brightening again. "But she seems to h-have found something she w-wants to do now. We got her a n-new wardrobe and everything." That was why they were in Nouvelle that day, after all. "I c-can show you s-some photos later? She looks... r-r-really dashing. E-even when she's using the cane."

        "R-really?" All of a sudden, Emilia looks at Alouette with rapt attention. "Wh-which colony? W-what's it like?" She stops herself, realizing she's badgering. "S-sorry. I... r-really want to move to space some day. M-maybe one of the M-Macross fleets. It was... really n-n-nice when I v-visited Ranka on the Frontier."

        The offer of sportsy fun comes up, and Emmy's eyes light up. "S-s-sure! I'd love t-to!" And then, with little in the way of dignity, she wolfs down the rest of her burger.

        It's not like they're going to be going deep enough to worry about waiting half an hour. 

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.


For some reason, Rin turns her regard onto Alouette, and it takes her several seconds to respond to what she said. "... Heh, yeah, I bet I could, I just don't really, feel like doing it," Rin says to Alouette, more or less about her comment on keeping up a streaming conversation.

Inwardly, Rin puts together most of the things that Alouette is saying. She actually turns her eyes heavensward for a moment, before taking a bite out of her sausage.

(Okay, Rin, says Rin to herself in her mind: You can't see them, and their base is in a separate orbit, so the odds it's overhead are pretty low. She's just talking socially... this is just one of those nasty coincidences, like when the horrible alien bug attacked and you had to save the whole set with the loader. Wow, that's bizarre. I wish I could just focus on my education and the whole liberation of Japan thing, but that's life, I guess. Kind of makes you think.)

*chew*

Rin relaxes, but gradually. Back to Emilia as she invites Cascade into a languid realm of costume-play enthusiasm. That's normal, that's familiar. "I hope she's alright," Rin comments about Akane...

And then something even more normal comes up.

"That sounds excellent," Rin tells Sheryl. "Let me finish this tho." And she does finish it, though she also goes to get a soft drink which seems to get swiftly killed. But that's being a teenager for you.

<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.

"3G Shuttles probably make the Orbit Base-Jindai commute a lot quicker than otherwise, though," Sho points out with a grin to Alouette - and answering Emilia's question about Alouette's residence in the process. "I just have an apartment in Nouvelle Tokyo that I stay at when things get busy and I can't get back to my folks."

Still - they're supposed to be leaving work at the door today, so she leaves it at that - especially once Alouette expresses disappointment in Sho not attending the Grand Prix, and the redhead grins again. "A suit, huh." She winks. "I'll keep that in mind. Look forward to it~"

Sheryl brings up the prospect of smacking a ball around for a bit and Sho nods, lifting her arms up and interlocking her fingers to stretch. "That sounds good. Definitely could use a workout. And a swim. And maybe busting open an actual watermelon, that's a beachtime tradition, right?" She also abandons decorum to polish off her burger, washing it down with a couple swigs from a large bottle of water out of the cooler.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "That's good to hear," Sheryl tells Emilia. "I'd love to see pictures later. Tell Milly I said hi, all right?"
        
        Her eyebrows rise at Alouette. "You commute all the way from space to Earth for school? There are schools in the colonies too, you know!" She won't press it harder, though--Alouette's a smart girl, so she must have a good reason for attending this particular one. "Oh, you work there too? Then I'll definitely have to come by sometime." She smiles at her enthusiasm--and at making it a team battle. "Sounds good to me! We could make it three on three!"
        
        But they all need to finish their food first. Before Sheryl finishes off her own skewer and drink, she gives Sho a cheerful nod. "So I hear! I'd love to have some watermelon later, so let's definitely make that happen. But until then~..."
        
        Whether they use an actual volleyball or the melon-patterned beachball Sheryl brought, they're all bound to have a great time. 

<Pose Tracker> Cascade Vermilion has posed.

"I don't see why you couldn't keep the cheongsam. I'm using a similar style to the one I used on the first day. It was a better fit than most of the outfits they had, anyhow." Cascade... actually just likes the cheongsam, honestly.

Cascade remains blissfully ignorant of any garbage in Nagoya harbour. SHE didn't put any there.

If she wanted to dispose of a body, she has more effective ways.

The mushroom skewers are on the vegetarian grill, but there are enough vegetables and sausages around to make something up... it just didn't occur to Cascade when she was planning that she needed more than about four major options.

"Are you prone to draws?" Cascade asks Alouette, before glancing over at Sho. "Perhaps I should challenge you too, but I have never actually been trained in kendo, so it would be cross-disciplinary. Another day, though! Not on the beach, even if you do have your sword somewhere."

DOES Sho have her sword somewhere? She didn't see one. But the ways of the samurai (or whatever) are mysterious.

"I haven't actually seen your uniform," Cascade reminds Alouette, which is true enough, though Gamia has seen a picture. "But my outfits have been... simple, I suppose? I'd like to learn more..." That's almost wistful, though Cascade almost manages to hide it. Almost. Not quite.

Gamia makes a mental note about Alouette's route, which may come in handy sometime. "Outer space seems like it would be difficult to get back and forth regularly, even if you don't go every day. I haven't spent a lot of time there," Cascade says, "but I'd like to visit. Not your facility, of course! Just space. I've only been in microgravity twice and it was awkward both times."

Gamia actually has some very good reflexes for microgravity. They just involve using her hair. Cascade can't do that.

Emilia makes an offer that surprises Cascade. "Fantasy Seduction Club? I... hadn't ever considered that one." Gamia thought it looked like something completely irrelevant, but honestly, Cascade is a little intrigued. "I'll be sure to stop by, at least. I'm sure there's something there I'd like to see."

No that wasn't an innuendo. At least, not an intentional one.

Cascade straightens. "I've never played beach volleyball either," playing the role of the sheltered noble's daughter again, "but I would like to try. I could only bring a few watermelons, but I think I can arrange for us to get one... what do you break it with, anyhow?" 

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"Colony? Oh, no, I-" She begins to start to explain, but Sho makes it quite obvious by mentioning the speed of 3G's shuttles. That makes it easier. She's proud of what she does, so there's no point in hiding it. Instead she flashes a golden pager with the three G's logo- from the Gutsy Galaxy Guard era, before they were exiled. You can count the number of people in this universe who own this specific item on one hand. She notes Rin's gaze, and the way she looks up afterwards... wondering what that's about.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you what it's like to live on a colony... but the Tsutsujidai PLANT is close by and I've been there plenty of times. It's a nice place." Unfortunately for Emmy, it also happens to be where Milly got injured... "I'm glad to hear Milly's recovering, though. I went to visit her not long after she got hurt, so..."

To Sheryl's comment, she adds, "Tsutsujidai High is probably a faster route, true. And I did used to attend there for a while. I... find I like Jindai's atmosphere a lot, though." She concludes, with a bit of a forced smile.

"You could say that," Alouette nods about drawing a lot. "It was a tie against Tachi-chan, too! But if you two are going to duel... I'd absolutely love to see that."

Sho's wink at considering wearing a suit... it turns Alouette as red as most of the girls' hair colours. "Th-that wasn't very hard..." She turns her gaze away. "Of course I'll look forward to it!"

But FIRST, she's looking forward to some beach volleyball and some watermelon. She hopes all the ribbons on her swimsuit don't get in the way, but even with that minor handicap... she won't go easy.

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