2023-10-12: Catchup Session
- Log: 2023-10-12- Catchup Session
- Cast: Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada
- Where: Division Train
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-10-12
- Summary: Rikka and Akane talk about the things that happened before they set out on their journey, and the things they hope will happen later. They make some plans for futures both immediate and distant.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The first week or so of their journey, Akane... hadn't really felt up to much, and more than that, things had been busy on her end. Intelligence, it turns out, has a lot to do in the days leading up to something major. The hours haven't been grueling or anything, but couple that with an Akane who already felt overloaded, and the need for alone time has been... high.
If there's one thing she's learned from the last few years, though, it's that she can't expect hiding away alone to solve her problems. Now that she finally has some real free time... she knows exactly who she wants to spend it with.
When Rikka comes over, Akane's at the desk in her room, seated; there's a second chair pulled up to it. What she's sitting with is... a lot of papers in a very disorderly configuration. She has her hair tied back in a small ponytail and her headphones -- green earbuds -- in; for the moment, she's distracted enough by the papers that she may not even notice Rikka's arrival without a little prompting.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka understands the need for space. It's fine to an extent, so she was okay giving Akane the alone time she needed. For her part... Rikka has kept herself busy, through schoolwork and finding work around the train. Now, though - Rikka can only go without connection for so long. Fortunately, it seems like Akane's the same way.
Preceded by a light knock, Rikka pokes her head into Akane's room. There's a small smile as she notes that Akane's already pulled a second chair up to her spot at her desk.
"Hey, Akane..." Rikka greets. If that's not enough to catch her attention, what she does next certainly might - Rikka takes her seat in that second chair, scooting it a little closer to Akane's and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she turns her attention to Akane's disorderly papers.
She doesn't say anything else, for now - for now, she's content to just sit here like this.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane half-catches the greeting -- enough to pull a headphone out, at least -- and gives a "Hey," back. It's not until Rikka settles in next to her that she manages to fully reorient herself, though; she leans into Rikka, nestling into that arm and letting the papers sit for now.
For a minute or two, she stays just like that -- nestled into Rikka, feeling warm and safe for the first time in a while. A small smile crosses her lips.
The papers, if Rikka looks, are mostly... for 3G's health insurance scheme. There are some things that are just easier to sort out when you're looking at a hard copy -- something you can physically manipulate.
... there's also homework, though, if you're looking for it. Akane remains very serious about graduation, even with the fate of the world dangling in the balance. Despite all that's gone on -- she's gone from someone scared of the idea of tomorrow existing to someone desperately grasping tomorrow with both hands.
Eventually, Akane lets out a small sigh and says, "... Hey," again, a little louder. "How are you feeling?" She doesn't rush the conversation; she's happy just being with the woman she cares so deeply about, for a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane nestles into her... and for that moment, things feel right and good. Rikka shuts her eyes for a brief moment to just appreciate her presence before taking note of the papers on her desk. Health insurance and homework... that feels about right. It's good that she's keeping up with that.
Akane is the one that eventually breaks the silence - and Rikka doesn't answer right away, leaning her head against her as she figures how exactly to answer that question.
"...Complicated." Rikka decides after a moment, shutting her eyes again. "I think I'm... still kind of reeling from the shock of. ...Everything."
She's quiet for a moment longer.
"...How about you?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"About the same," Akane admits, with a shake of her head. "I... thought about calling Cathedra about the Evangelion team before we left." Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she explains, "In the end, if I'm leaving and can't stick through it, I decided it was the wrong call, but... I had to think pretty hard about it."
The activation of the Dummy Plug... that still lingers, for her. She can't really abide that kind of thing. It's not that she can't see herself making the same call in the end, but the callousness on apparent display...
One of her hands comes up to find Rikka's free hand, entwining with it. "But... I'm glad we're still here. I'm glad I'm here with you." She takes a breath in, then exhales. "I guess we can't agonize over it forever, even with how bad it was..."
Shifting position slightly to rest her head on Rikka's shoulder, she says, "... let's try to make some plans for when we get back. As you can see, uh, I've been trying!" Laughing a bit at herself, she adds, "This is, uh, for after graduation. You can't do it until you're 18 anyway, so..." with a slight upward tilt of her head, gesturing toward the paperwork on her desk.
"What about you?" she asks tentatively. "Any plans for... after this stuff? It doesn't have to be that big."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
About the same. That sounds about right. She listens, though, as Akane admits that she thought about calling Cathedra. Rikka thinks on that, but ultimately...
"I think... you made the right call." Rikka admits, with some reluctance. "I bet it wouldn't be the first time they've gone through questioning. They wouldn't make it easy for anyone."
She trails off. It's something she hates to admit. The Dummy Plug... that's something that still sticks with her, too. The callousness - and, in a roundabout way, forcing Shinji to be party to it, too.
Akane takes her free hand, and Rikka holds onto it, taking in its warmth.
"...I'm glad, too. I really am..." Rikka murmurs. They can't agonize over it forever. "...Yeah."
Rikka manages a small laugh.
"If Asuka saw us moping instead of moving on... I bet she'd be fuming." Rikka says. Akane shifts her position, and Rikka shifts a little too to make it easier for her.
"Yeah, definitely." She agrees, when it comes to making plans. She smiles when Akane laughs at herself.
"...It's good. I'm proud of you." Rikka replies, giving Akane's hand a gentle squeeze before she thinks about her own plans.
"...Catching up with everyone, I guess. Seeing what all I've missed... I might work on some short stories to post for when I get back." Rikka thinks a bit further. "...Maybe I'll take a few small classes on the side, too. Something to round out my skills."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The idea that NERV's Evangelions have already undergone such an audit hadn't even occurred to Akane; her eyes widen for a moment, and then she lets out a relieved sigh. "You're probably right," she says, nodding. ... She'll let it go, for now. There's no use in letting it rattle around her brain like this, at this point.
"Oh, she'd tear us both a new one!" Akane agrees, and that gets a laugh. "There's no way she'd want us a million miles from home and still agonizing over it, hahaha..."
'It's good,' Rikka says, and Akane squeezes that hand right back. "I dunno if we'll be living together at that point, or if I'll still be at Sayla's, or what, but... it might be nice to be close for that. I don't wanna depend on you too much, but..." ... it'd be nice not to face recovery alone. She can't quite make herself say the words -- but some things can just be understood.
Rather than linger too much, she smiles excitedly at the idea of catching up with everyone -- and at posting. "Your writing is so good... hehehe, I might get to see it all for myself first~" The tension of the moment evaporates a bit. "Maybe I should draw some companion pieces..."
The lightening atmosphere gets her to open up a bit more. "Oh, uh... rrrright before we left for training," she starts, "I maybe... splurged a little on clothes for both of us." She does not elaborate.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Hearing Akane laugh again... that gets a smile out of Rikka, and she can laugh more earnestly afterward, too.
"She absolutely would. I don't think we'd ever recover." Rikka agrees, and then nods. "Definitely. Especially not with everything on our plate."
If they'll be living together at that point... Rikka thinks about that. It's a good question. It's definitely a matter of 'when', she feels. But as for her response, there's only one answer.
"I'll be there for you. I promise. No matter how near or far I am at the time." Rikka assures. She'll make sure that Akane won't have to - not if there's anything she has to say about it.
But they don't linger, and Rikka laughs a bit sheepishly at the compliment.
"Don't worry - I'll make sure you're the very first who gets to see them." Rikka says. "That'd be great. I always love your art..."
She can feel the atmosphere lightening up a little, and it feels nice. An eyebrow raises as Akane starts to say something... and then she grins.
"You did, huh?" She considers. "...Now I'm looking forward to seeing what you picked out."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"... I'm really glad to hear that," Akane says. It really does feel like she can face a lot -- maybe anything, even -- with Rikka there for her. They'll figure out the fine points when they need to.
"Any fandoms you're really looking at working in? I know Serena's usually your main thing, but it really helps to try some different stuff that's out of genre for you..." She straightens up a bit, repositioning again -- maybe she has a bit more restless energy than she wants to let on. "I think you can really bring some interesting stuff to the table in a case like that."
The steadily increasing mischief is nice. Maybe she should've reached out to Rikka sooner -- but at the same time, she doesn't really want to be a drag, and before now she probably would have been. ... or she would've had to shirk her duties to do it -- either way.
"Well, a lot of it was from Aya... not all of it. I did finally pick up that three-piece we were talking about, too..." She'd had Rikka's measurements for a while, it was just a question of making herself do it and finding the time -- but at this point, there's definitely a question of, 'if not today, when?' with some of what they've been talking about. "It might be nice to wear when we bring the rest of 3G Green back around." She doesn't even question 'if,' now -- they need a win, so she'll just have to make that win happen. "... I also have, uh... did you ever watch Radi-Robo? The remote control plamo fight anime?"
... again, she decides to leave a few things unsaid.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka smiles at that, and then considers as Akane continues. Fandoms...
"I've mostly been thinking about Serena, but... you might be right." Rikka admits. "It might be good to branch out."
She lets go of Akane for just a bit so that she can reposition herself, but it isn't long before she latches right back on.
...She does make a few mental notes, though, noticing that restless energy. It might be good to recommend taking a walk together... not right now, though, not while they have this moment.
"Maybe I will try something new..." Rikka considers. "I could try something in the Tarabaman zone, maybe... I bet I could really knock a Your Heartbeat Will Answer piece out of the park, too."
She nods as Akane explains. A lot of it was from Aya... she perks up when Akane mentions the three-piece.
"...That's a good idea." Rikka agrees with a smile. "It'll be my first time meeting them, so... it'd be good to look my best."
She listens with interest, then, as Akane mentions something new, then thinks back.
"Hmm... I think I've heard about it, but I don't think I watched it." Rikka considers. "...I'm kind of curious to see what you're thinking."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Ooooh, I'd love to see you write for that," Akane says, when Rikka mentions Your Heartbeat Will Answer. "Tarabaman stuff would be really interesting from you because... well, it's a big fandom but it doesn't have a whole ton of fanfic? Like, it's a weird hobby whether you're a boy or a girl, but I do think fanfic tends to be more girls than guys..."
Rikka's excitement at new suit is a relief for Akane; she'd been fairly confident in the gift, but less certain on the timing. Knowing it's landing is a big weight off her shoulders. "Perfect. I have some nice stuff, too, though I'll probably just be meeting them in uniform..."
She doesn't linger on that. It's good to have hopes and dreams for the future, but at the same time, it's best not to plan it obsessively. Just knowing they've got options and a little momentum is good.
And then --
"Oh, the main girl is super stylish... and there's this girl who's a little older who, uh... well, I don't know if she'll be your style exactly, but there is something about her..." Absently, Akane's hand moves from Rikka's own hand up to her hair, playing with it a bit. "... Again, it's something you don't have to try if you don't want, but I thought an outfit kind of like hers from this one arc would look really great on you."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Then I'll definitely let you see it." Rikka replies with a small laugh. She looks curious, though, when she continues. "Really? I've never really looked into the fandom, but it seemed like there'd be room for a lot, there... I guess that means stepping into fresh territory."
She's not against the idea of doing something where there hasn't been much activity... though it's not without its pitfalls.
Rikka smiles at Akane's relief, but she nods, too.
"Well, you can always show off to me~." Rikka says with a smirk, before her tone gets serious again. "...I'm sure they'll be excited to meet you, though."
She listens with interest as Akane enthuses about Radi-Robo. A stylish main girl, and an older girl with something about her. Rikka tilts her head to the side curiously as she thinks.
"Well, now I'm definitely going to have to see pictures." Rikka considers with interest. Akane plays with her hair, and Rikka finds herself subconsciously leaning into it. "...I think I'd like to give it a try. It's kind of like what you were saying before, it's good to try things that are a little out of genre for me."
This is about fashion rather than fanfiction... but they're both ultimately about expressing herself, so it works.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Hehe, yep. It's not like there's nothing, but it's pretty thin on the ground..." She shakes her head, saying, "It's kinda sad. I guess we could do a lot to make the neighborhood our own, though." That does sound a little nice -- she doesn't want to retreat too much into just that, but... well, it's certainly something to do on their long voyage.
"Jeez, no pressure or anything!" Akane shoots back with a slight blush, at both showing off and at the idea that 3G Green will be happy to meet her. "I've already met a couple of them, I guess... though kinda -- not really. It'll be the first time that matters, anyway." She... would rather not hold her experiences with Mikoto and J under the influence of Triple Zero as saying too much about them.
... Lighter topics, though, win out. "We could watch a few episodes tonight, if you want? There's like 200 episodes even just in the first season... even I haven't seen all of it. Maybe we should just drill down to focus episodes for the two of them... that gets it down to like fifteen. It's not really a great anime... we're not missing a ton by skipping stuff, and I normally have a lot of patience for hobby battle stuff. I brought an external drive with a lot of stuff."
Mischief intensifies... again. "I don't actually have anything scheduled for the next few days... if you're up for it, maybe we could hole up for a bit and catch up~" A beat passes, and she adds, "Oh -- injections tomorrow, too! I almost forgot."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Thin on the ground, huh...
"Yeah, we probably could... Sounds like a plan, then." Rikka replies with a nod. They don't have to dedicate themselves to it fully... but it's nice as an idea for something to do together.
Rikka laughs a little at Akane's comment, and offers her an encouraging smile.
"...Yeah. It's... not their fault." She says. It's a good approach... and, it's good to hear that that's the way Akane feels about it.
200 episodes though in the first season alone... Rikka laughs a little at that.
"A real long-runner, huh... Iii don't think I'm that ready to jump into something new yet." She admits. "Just the focus episodes is good, I think. I know what I'm here for."
Like Akane said, she doubts they'll be missing a whole lot - though she raises an eyebrow with interest as she brings up the external drive.
"You too, huh? ...Me too, actually. Guess we both really decided to prepare." Rikka comments... and then, mischief.
"Sounds great~." Rikka agrees. "I've got my homework up to now all finished up, so my schedule's clear, too. I definitely wouldn't object."
She smiles, then.
"Sounds like the timing couldn't be better for us." She says.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Perfect," Akane affirms. She lets the topic of 3G Green slide away from her; there's no sense in belaboring something they both seem to be in accord on, and about which there isn't much to say until -- well, until they're actually back!
"Oh yeah. I mean, it has to sell a lot of model kits and accessories and stuff... if it's not showing you at least like half of the toys, there's no point," Akane says, quite matter-of-factly. "Like, the other stuff is nice too but it's definitely there to sell funny plastic drills and stuff. It's okay despite that, though. Plus it got me into more advanced modeling stuff..." It's at the point where talking about that isn't inherently depressing, which feels like a win.
Grinning as Rikka brings up her own stash, Akane says, "Now that I'm interested in. We've done a pretty good job of trading off back and forth, so I'd be kinda sad if you hadn't brought something like that. I wanna see more -- of everything 'Rikka.'" She doesn't just mean her anime, either.
Standing up for now, Akane says, "Wanna get in bed? It's definitely gonna be a little cozy with two of us -- but I wouldn't have it any other way." A beat passes before she appends, "I'll get my laptop."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka nods and she, too, is happy to let that topic fade - especially when Akane matter-of-factly mentions more about the show. It sounds like this is something she's thought about a lot - and because of that, Rikka listens with rapt attention.
"That makes sense..." Rikka considers... and then, she smiles. "...So in a way, this'll be like seeing a little bit of you I hadn't before. Now I'm even more excited."
She chuckles, then.
"Yeah, we have. And, I feel the same way." She says. Akane wants to see more of everything 'Rikka'... Rikka takes her hand for a moment. "...We're going to have a lot of free time coming up, I bet... I'd love to give you that opportunity."
Akane stands up, and Rikka follows suit.
"What a shame, I guess we'll just have to cuddle in real close~." She replies with a smirk - and then after that beat, nods. "Sounds good!"