2023-12-24: A Birthday Shared
- Log: A Birthday Shared
- Cast: Naoko Suzuki, Shari Loom
- Where: Nova Stellar's Quarters, Ra Mari II
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-12-24
- Summary: Shari springs a surprise on Naoko, and the two celebrate their shared birthday by means of the four Cs: Chat, Cake, Coffee and Cartoons.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
It's been an eventful week for Naoko Suzuki, and for once this is not in the sense of having to deal with any kind of world-threatening impending doom. Feels like forever since that was last the case. Instead, it's been filled with a more pleasant sort of activity: work! That's pleasant to her, as long as her heart is in whatever she's working on. It's not hard to motivate herself, but motivation is at an all-time high in that regard, considering the importance of the two projects currently being worked on.
The first is, of course, directly related to Shari, so the other Whispered knows all about that already. Naoko has more of a support role there, since Shari is naturally best suited to take the lead in her own crystal shielding project, the ongoing effort to keep the Empress at bay.
The other... is mysterious! Naoko did promise to show Shari, once there was anything to show, but she hasn't actually shared much in the way of details. Just that it related to upgrading her Arm Slave, and devising a way to more effectively combat threats such as the Void. Which, of course, would strongly benefit from Shari's support as well, but Naoko wouldn't dream of accepting help before Shari's managed to secure her own safety, insisting it should have top priority before worrying about anything else.
In the mean time, she's been working on her own whenever she found the time for it, though staying in contact with Shari in case an emergency intervention from her Friends might be necessary. She thinks she's been sneaky about it. But it's not hard at all to find out where she's been going. Other than a notable recent instance where she left the ship to 'pick something up', she's always going to the same place: a private, keycard-locked hangar bay, where she spends hours at a time. If she has any hobbies, she hasn't been engaging with them.
Today, though, things have gone a little different. She emerged from her hangar carrying a laptop under her arm, and has brought it up to her quarters. Brought it back up, would be more accurate, as it's her own private-use one. Setting it down on her mostly-empty desk, she frowns at the absence of the extra monitors that she moved. Sucks to have only one, but she'll live. "...forgot the keyboard too," she realizes, and sighs. Having to use the actual keys on the laptop itself, what a world. Well, whatever. She's not going to be programming today, anyway. Instead...
The theme song of Magical Princess Natural Lychee is quickly reduced in volume once it starts up a bit on the loud side. It's been forever since she's watched this show. It's hard for her to consider it 'okay' to take a break and just do something for fun, but... things have been going well, haven't they? She can treat herself to a little nostalgia, just this once. She leans back into the office chair behind the desk, smiling faintly at the memories from her childhood.
...It's not for any particular reason that she chose today for this. She's completely forgotten that it is, in fact, her birthday today, the one that she's aware she shares with everyone who is like her. She's just had no reason to care about when her birthday even was for so long. Most others likely aren't aware of this either, since she also sees no reason to ever bring it up. But... there is at least one other person on the ship who knows, isn't there?
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
The Empress, it seems, has been focused elsewhere for a while. Naoko's intervention was only necessary the once, but it was a harrowing experience. It worked--but getting there was scary, and Shari slept it off for a while after that.
She's been working, too, though, and she thinks she's gotten somewhere. That alone puts her in the mood to celebrate, though of course, she won't know for sure until the Empress looks in on her again. But there's something else, too...
Shari doesn't really have any friends on the Ra Mari II, but she's personable enough, and saying she wanted something for a friend made it easier. So it is that the pink-haired girl acquired an important package. And now...
"Naoko?" Shari starts, and then finds when she tries the door it's unlocked. "Perfect."
She steps inside, and looks around, "Naaaaaokoooo..."
"Happy birthday!" she announces, once she finds Naoko, and then--
"Oh, cute! Magical girls?"
Shari is holding a box! And she looks in good spirits.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Harrowing experiences are not as harrowing to Naoko as they probably should be, providing that she knows exactly what she can do to help with them. As long as she's in her element, she can stay calm and do what's necessary to defuse the situation. ...Of course, it wasn't her who really had it rough there to begin with.
Compare to, say, birthdays. Naoko does not know how to handle those very well at all. At school, that sort of thing just felt like a fake sort of obligation. At home... well, there was rarely anybody at home to begin with.
But who can even begin to worry about that, when the door suddenly opens, and she's caught watching a guilty pleasure. Which, frankly, isn't even anything to feel guilty over, but it doesn't match the image she tries to portray. She's (wishing others considered her) too cool for this kid's stuff. And so the reaction is obvious.
"Waaaaaah!!"
She quickly slams the laptop shut as if it isn't already too late to hide the evidence, leaping from her chair and turning about. Her posture is akin to that of a cornered animal, and her face is very red. "S-S-Shari, you're supposed to knock, why didn't you knock?!" God, why did she have to pick today of all days to forget to lock the door behind her? Will she ever survive the humiliation that's sure to follow??
Only then does something else begin to process. "...birthday...?" It takes way too long for that to register enough for even so much as her eyes to start widening. Forgetting someone else's birthday is one thing, but it's clear just by looking that, somehow, she really just... genuinely forgot her own.
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
Shari knows how to handle them! ...Not with family, generally, but with friends! And if it were just her, maybe she wouldn't do that much, here on the ship. But it's not just her. Not at all!
'Waaaah!!'
"Ahahahah," Shari laughs, looking at the red-faced Naoko with a happy smile. "My hands were full," she comments innocently, though there's a teasing note to her expression now. "I didn't know you liked stuff like this. It's really cute."
A beat, "Yep. Birthday. I got us cake! I figured it would be nice to do something..."
"...I don't really have many friends on the ship, but I've got you! And we both have the same birthday, so..."
She looks around. "Where can I put this?" she asks.
"...Happy birthday," she says again.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
...Hands were full. Dammit. It's a perfect defense, Naoko can't say anything to that! Not that she could manage to form many words after an embarrassing incident like this. Now Shari's going to think she's--
...cute? Not hopelessly lame? Not even the expected 'dork'? She can't quite shake the suspicion that she's being made fun of, but she doesn't quite have a response to it, only looking down at the ground. She really needs to find a way to gloss over this somehow.
Finding out the hard way that a birthday snuck up on her is not something that'll let her easily do that. She just looks so bewildered at this, as if something were happening that she couldn't imagine in her wildest dreams. Which is exactly what is the case here.
The last time she consciously cared about her birthday must have been when she was eight. She kept thinking that something would feel different as she got older. That things would become somehow easier. But she never noticed anything different. Nothing ever changed. The measures she took to keep from falling into despair... dismissing her birthday as irrelevant was just one of many.
She would never have guessed how different it could feel if someone else genuinely cared enough to celebrate it. There's no way she can effectively gloss over anything now. Instead...
Instead, she sniffles, quickly wiping away the forming tears with her sleeve. "Thank you... h-happy birthday..."
That's all she manages to say for the moment, unable to immediately answer the question. This was clearly a much bigger deal than Shari could have expected.
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
Maybe Shari's just in a good mood. That's why she didn't call Naoko a dork this time. ...Maybe she really does just think magical girl stuff is cute. Either way...
Shari is surprised, indeed, to see how much it affects Naoko. She wasn't expecting this at all. So...
"...Naoko," she starts, and then says, "Sec." Shari finds a table to set the cake on, so that she doesn't drop it or something, and then turns back to Naoko, walking conversationally close. "Thanks," she says.
"...I thought it'd be nice to celebrate together," she follows up her explanation. "Since... we have the same birthday, and everything..."
"And with you around I don't feel so alone on this big ship."
A beat, "I think the cake's going to be pretty good! One of the cooks made it for me when I explained everything. No charge, either. Heheh."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko obviously needs a moment. Most of the time, she's able to improvise better if she runs into a surprising situation. Which she finds easier when it's a negative surprise. That's just a realistic expectation, part of being a miracle worker is turning those situations around. However, when something good happens, something that makes her really happy... Well. It doesn't appear as if she has too much experience dealing with feelings like that.
She takes the second Shari needs to put the cake down on the only table in the room (decorated with nothing but a coffee machine and a couple of mugs), taking a deep breath and wiping more at her eyes. As if she wasn't embarrassed enough already. By the time Shari steps closer, she seems to have pulled herself together. For the most part.
"...I'm sorry," are the first words that feel appropriate. "I... totally forgot. I haven't exactly... done birthday stuff, for a long time." Stating the obvious. "I would've, um..." She pauses. What would she have done, if she hadn't forgotten? She's not exactly big on the initiative where it comes to things she knows little about. Maybe she should focus on what she's specifically sorry about instead.
"...I feel bad, for not getting you anything. You'd think it would be the easiest thing ever to remember, and still... ugh, I feel like such a bad friend." She rubs her temples briefly, before she manages a faint smile. "Well... I guess I can at least go along with however you'd like to spend your birthday. But, I don't have much to offer here except, uh... coffee?" Her eyes dart over to the closed laptop. "And, uh... anime...?"
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
Shari can give her a moment!
"That's OK," Shari answers. "It doesn't really matter to me. You got me help with the Empress, so..." She gestures. "That counts for a lot, right? That's a pretty big present."
But still, "You can always get me something later," she jokes. "But really it's no big deal. I get to eat cake with my friend! That's good, right?"
"You've been busy, and you don't do stuff with birthdays much, you said. Which... I kinda figured, since nobody knew it was your birthday, too."
"Hmm..."
She looks around the room, back to the laptop. "Actually coffee and anime sounds pretty great!"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko is quick to wave off her efforts with, "Oh, nah, that's just, that's no big deal, just, you know, doing what I can to help." It's the natural thing to do, as far as she's concerned, she can't count that as a present. So, something later? "Guess I'll just... have to think of something really good for next year!"
Wait a second, why is she looking ahead that far, she has no idea where either of them will be then. She can't just... assume this can happen again, or if Shari would even want to. "...I-I mean, if there's a chance, then... I'll be prepared! You won't surprise me again!" Good save...? Maybe? She doesn't even know what that was. She's still just a little flustered.
Averting her eyes, she adds in a softer voice, "I'm just... glad that you're glad, about this, I guess. I don't really get to do the whole... 'hanging out' thing much." That sounds like a regret, but, well... she's always busy, on things that feel too important to consider taking the time to do other things. On that note, she nods to herself, then looks back to Shari.
"But, I'll show you, what I've been working on. I don't mean - well, I'd like your input of course, but, no obligation? And, I just want to tell you, up front. If there's anything you want to use, my notes, my ideas... then I'm okay with it. Just, whatever seems helpful, it's fine."
She makes it sound casual, but... that's not an offer anyone else is going to get. Not just because Leina said it could be dangerous if people full realized what she's capable of, but also because, well, she has her pride. She'd like her accomplishments to be recognized, to the extent that they can be, so the specifics of the modifications she's planning isn't something she'd normally share. But... it feels okay, when it's Shari.
She sure doesn't mean to make a big deal about it though, quickly moving on, also in a physical sense as she approaches the table, "Alright, coffee then, and we'll see how that cake goes with it! I don't have milk here, but how much sugar you want?"
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
"It's totally a big deal," Shari says, but that's all the argument she gives, because Naoko talks about next year. Shari smiles at that. "Yeah," she answers. "You will."
Then--flustered, Naoko follows up, and Shari suppresses the laugh this time. "Okay, okay. I'll hold you to that, though."
She is always busy. "Maybe you should take more time for yourself," Shari ventures. "I'll be around a little longer here, anyway, and even when I'm not, you've got my new number, right?"
And.. She'll show her! "Great," Shari says. "I'm super interested. I'm almost done with my thing, too--maybe by the new year!"
Anything she wants to use... "I appreciate that a lot. We'll get this going together, right?"
Shari at least recognizes how big it is. Though it's not like she has a robot of her own right now...
Still, Shari approaches too, "Just a little," she says of sugar. "The cake should be plenty sweet. And it's cool, I don't need milk."
"The cake's marble," she says. "I figured I didn't know what you liked so I could go both!"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
If Naoko's made one thing obvious today (without meaning to), it's probably how unused she is to someone who actually... wants to hang out with her. Not that she's never hung out with friends, but she was always forcing herself to act more outgoing to make those hang-outs happen. She hung out with others - others would never choose to hang out with her, or so she'd convinced herself. She doesn't know many on the Ra Mari II who share both her interests and her lack of a fixed schedule, so it hasn't really happened much there either, unaided by her tendency for self-sabotage when she thinks she's being a bother.
The fact that there's a birthday get-together, of any kind, feels like a miracle in itself. And like any miracle, once Naoko's experienced it, she can't wait to see more of it. Short-sighted as always, getting ahead of things as far a whole year... and yet, Shari seems to be board with it. Naoko only chuckles awkwardly in response, but... she appreciates that, a lot.
"People say that a lot," she comments on the matter of taking more time for herself, while she busies herself with the coffee. "It's just what I'm used to, you know? I do like working on machines, it's my biggest hobby, but..." This aspect of it is felt more keenly now than it is on most days. "...I guess it can be a pretty lonely hobby." Being able to share projects is a very exciting change, she's never been able to do that before. And she's all to happy to agree, "Yeah, we'll stay in touch! I'll dust off my old VERTEX account, in case you wanna use that."
As for coffee sugar, and the fact that cake will be sweet already... "Don't see why that matters, but alright." One sugar for Shari's coffee, four for hers. This should surprise no one, don't make her tap the 'CANDY FIEND' print on her shirt.
Turning about, she extends the hand holding the coffee containing a non-lethal dose of sugar to Shari. "There you go. ...I, uh, is it bad that when you say the cake's marble, my first thought is 'why's the cake made of stone?'" Her smile brightens. "Just kidding, I know what a marble cake is. Sounds great! Feel free to grab a chair!" There are two plain dining table chairs next to the table, Naoko'll sit in the office chair.
Still... she wonders, and finally asks once they're seated. "Hey, Shari? What exactly do you plan to do, after this? Where will you go?"
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
It is pretty clear to Shari. Hangouts are something she's good at, at least; she's always been able to get along OK with people for a while. ....It's just that after they get to know her they tend to go away, when they get to know her 'issues'.
Shari's on board for this.
"Hmmm, yeah. It's a good hobby, but is kind of isolating. But most of mine are like that, too. It's why I like tennis? It gives me a reason to get out and go places."
She smiles. "Cool. VERTEX sounds good."
Shari notices that candy fiend print. And the four sugars. So that's how she likes things...
But, "Hahaha. No, that's not bad. It's funny." She does in fact grab a chair, pulling it over and taking a sip of her coffee. Then, there's the question.
"Uh?" Shari asks, and then--opens her mouth, and closes it again. "...I..."
"I don't know," she admits. "I mean, I know some stuff I want to do, but what do I want to do in general...?"
"I've thought about it," she admits. "The first thing I want to do once I'm safe is drop by Barcelona again. I miss my..." She pauses. "I'm not sure if he's a boyfriend or what, at this point. But I can't go see him how things are now. It'd just put him in danger."
"And I want to make up Leina's help to her. I want to... I dunno, maybe I'll see about what she's doing."
"It's weird. I don't... Have a place to go, otherwise. My family is in Britannia and I don't really want to go back. My school might never open again. Do I really need to go on to university anyway? I already know stuff that people can't figure out."
"So maybe I'll go see Leina and go from there. Otherwise..." She shakes her head.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Not that Naoko's even really looking for reasons to get out and go places on too much of a regular basis. It sounds tiring just thinking about it. And that's before even taking that specific activity into account. "Oof," is all Naoko has to say on Tennis. Nothing against the sport in particular, just... sports, in general. "Yeah that's uh, I've never been very... physical, like at all." In more ways than one, though she fails to catch the accidental double meaning. Which is good, because she'd die.
Wow, though, she managed to get a laugh out of her dumb joke, that doesn't scan like a pity laugh? Incredible. How many more reasons why they're friends is she yet to discover?
Of course, after sitting down, her first order of business has to be to cut the cake. She does have some cutlery around, despite lacking a kitchen in her quarters. She can still make simple things like sandwiches on occasion, and the knife used for those gets through a cake easily enough. ...the size of the slices is possibly a little distressing, but of course Naoko wants hers to be huge, and wouldn't give Shari any less than she's having.
While that's going on, she broaches a more difficult topic, but an important one nonetheless. She hadn't heard any concrete plans from Shari yet, which made her suspect that there weren't any. It appears she wasn't mistaken in that.
"...I see," is her initial reaction. The fact that she doesn't immediately touch her fork after dividing the slices shows that she doesn't feel terribly reassured by that response. "Well... I don't have any actual authority, but. I'm sure that the people here'd be happy to keep your room open to you, in case you ever need it again." She chuckles. "I mean, look at me. This is a guest room, but I've been staying here for almost a year now. Everybody's just fine with it, and nobody's ever forced me to do anything. I only pilot when I volunteer for it. That's exactly why I want to stay here, it's... it's nice, and the people are nice. They don't judge."
She doesn't feel like she needs to voice her opinions on school, given that, well, like she said, she's been here. She can't do much else but shrug, taking up her fork and plunging it into the edge of the cake. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... it's important to do what you want to do, of course. But... I hate the idea of you feeling like there's nowhere you can go. So, I'm gonna say, call me anytime, if you need a place to stay. I don't think I'll have to convince anybody, I just have to tell folks, it'll be fine."
Finally, she takes a bite of the cake, momentarily incapacitating her as she savors its sweetness. "Ohh, that's really good."
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
"Ahahah, yeah?" Shari wonders. She looks over Naoko. "Hmmmm..." If she notices the double meaning, she doesn't say anything about it. Instead, "Yeah, that's cool. I like getting up and moving around. It's nice."
A laugh!
That's a big slice of cake... but Shari, also, likes cake, so it's fine. She accepts one, and then, well, the question.... Which...
Is not that reassuring, no.
"Wow, really?" Shari wonders. "They don't... make you do anything?" She stops. "I guess they have been pretty nice. Nobody's tried prying into why I'm here or anything..."
She looks down at her cake--and then back up to Naoko, with a more hesitant smile. "Really?" she asks. "...I'd hate to just feel like I'm crashing, but..."
"But that's nice," she says. "Thanks. ...I'm not sure about..."
She smiles. "Well, it's nice to have the option open," she says. "It feels good, to have a friend offer me a spot."
A beat, "It's good, right? I figured it would be."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Oh sure, just getting up and moving around, no problem! Having to do anything more physically strenuous than working on machines... Naoko passes on that. But to each their own, no need to linger on that topic. Especially when the other topic is so much more important.
"Not a thing," she confirms. "I can contribute how I like, which... they keep making it sound like what I'm doing is more than they expect from me. I wouldn't be surprised if they were fine with me just sitting in my room all day if I wanted to. But... I wouldn't feel good about that."
The cake, however, she clearly feels good about. Which wasn't really a question, though it does appear that eating something sweet does absolute wonders at making her feel more at ease. "Nobody's ever asked me a lot of questions, either. It's like... if I were them, I'd be doubting me a lot more than they ever have. But, that's just the kind of ship the captain wants this to be. A home, more than anything else. Even, or maybe especially, for people like me, who lost theirs."
Obviously, she thinks this is a great option. But it's important to ultimately leave it up to Shari. What matters most is making sure that her friend doesn't lose hope. She knows how it can feel like that's in short supply sometimes.
"You got great taste in cakes," she agrees, clearly another reason why they're friends. But, what about... "So, uh, what's your tastes where it comes to anime? We've got a clear connection again, so we should be able to watch whatever you like."
<Pose Tracker> Shari Loom has posed.
"Huh." Shari doesn't really get it, but... Naoko explains. And it makes more sense that way. "A home, huh? Kinda weird for a battleship, but... I guess this isn't just a battleship, huh? If the Captain likes it like that..." She nods. "Well, that's nice. I'll have to remember it. And it is pretty nice here..."
She does have more hope, at least, than she used to--she feels a lot better than she used to. Just the prospect is nice.
"Ha! I have great taste in most things," Shari says cheerfully. But, anime...? "Hmmm..." She thinks about it. Her tastes might not suit Naoko very well. But there is something she likes that they seem to have in common, "I thought the magical girl stuff was nice. We can go for that. It's been a while for me, so... it'd be nice."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko would be lying if she claimed not to agree that it's weird to view a battleship as a home first and foremost. But... she's seen firsthand that it can feel that way, whenever there's a peaceful period. It is nice, enough so to make her want to believe in that vision. She'd certainly like if Shari could come to see it that way too. But for now...
It's her turn to laugh when Shari claims to have great taste in most things. "Oh, I don't doubt it," she readily agrees, more accurately the belief that one's own taste is supreme. She knows how that is.
She was not, however, expecting that to be the expressed taste. Naoko likes a lot of anime, so she was expecting she'd be able to smoothly roll with whatever... but when that surprise hits, she coughs, having gotten a piece of cake briefly stuck in her throat. "...Really? You want to-- of all things?"
Looks like... she was embarrassed for no reason, then. Certainly no reason to be embarrassed now that it isn't her idea. "Well, alright, it's your birthday," she says with a knowing chuckle, moving over to open her laptop and restart the first episode of Natural Lychee. A shared pick for a shared birthday, not bad at all.