2024-02-12: An Upcoming Announcement
- Log: 2024-02-12 An Upcoming Announcement
- Cast: Rikka Takarada, Sheryl Nome
- Where: Nouvelle Tokyo
- OOC - IC Date: Early July, UC 0098 (during Controlled Acceleration)
- Summary: Summer break approaches, so Rikka and Sheryl get together for a casual hang-out.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
The apartment shared by Rikka and Akane is a cozy little place in Nouvelle Tokyo, close enough to the university they both attend that they can both easily reach it by foot. It's a little on the small side, but it works well enough for them - and today, Rikka has invited someone over!
It's been far too long since she and Sheryl were really able to hang out and now that she has a new place, she's proud to show it off to her friends.
"Here we are! Home sweet home." Rikka announces stepping through the door. Today, she's wearing the Nouvelle Tokyo Institute of Technology's sukajan with its irezumi design of Raijin on the back over a black t-shirt and jean shorts. She props the door open, welcoming Sheryl inside. "Go on and have a seat, make yourself at home."
It's small enough that a tour isn't really needed - you can see pretty much everything from the sitting area. There is a comfortable couch, though, with a table and a TV in front.
"You want anything to drink? We've got a pretty good selection..." She asks, heading back toward the kitchen - and as she pours herself something, she looks back. "So, how's everything been? I know things have been really busy for... both of us."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Sheryl's off hiatus--but for some reason, she hasn't done anything in the way of concerts or touring yet. She's instead been working on various other projects, including the amateur songwriting contest she has currently running in her name. Why is that? That's not important! What's important is that a friend has invited her over to see her new place, and it'd be nice to get a change of scenery for a while.
If she's got a medicine box in her purse, that's not important, and anyway, what are you doing snooping around her personal belongings?
It's early July, and so Sheryl's wearing lighter casual clothes of her own. On top of cut-off jean shorts belted in place, she's got a Fire Bomber T-shirt tied off under her bust, a cap with a long front brim to both cover her tied-up hair and shade her face, sunglasses, and platform straw sandals. A mani-pedi brightens her nails with colorful beach scenes, and naturally a healthy layering of Nome Pure Shield ensures her alabaster skin will stay that way. Her taiyaki phone hangs from one of the loops of her shorts.
"Oh, it's cozy," she remarks as she strides inside, taking advantage of Rikka's invitation and door-propping. She seats herself on the couch and crosses her legs, pushing her shades to the brim of her hat as she smiles over at Rikka. "If you've got sparkling water, I'll take it! As for me--you hardly even need to ask, do you?" She shrugs broadly. "I'm doing a little bit of this and that--" She winks and holds a finger up in front of her pink-painted lips. "And you'll see an announcement for one of them very soon~!"
She lowers her hand, but keeps smiling. "What about you? You and Akane have graduated by now, right?" Just like her, she doesn't say--after all, she had to repeat a year. But then, she also started high school late, compared to others.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Thanks. We've made the most of what we've got." Rikka replies, offering her a smile - and then, a nod. "I thiiink we do?"
She fishes around in the fridge - the appliances are all second-hand so their age shows a little, but growing up in a junk shop means that Rikka has the knack for picking out good quality for the pricetag - for a moment, and... Sheryl's in luck! She pours a glass of sparkling water for Sheryl and some juice for herself before heading back over to the couch. She hands Sheryl her glass before taking a seat, herself.
"Not really." Rikka replies with a small laugh. "But I like hearing it from you."
She's been following her career, after all - but there's a big difference in hearing something in a report and hearing it right from a friend. Her eyebrow raises curiously as Sheryl continues.
"Oh, you've got something in the works, huh? Looking forward to it. I'll have to keep an eye out..." She replies, intrigued. She takes a sip of her juice, and nods.
"That's right. We graduated, took the U-FITs... and now, we're both in college." Rikka replies with a nod. "Nouvelle Tokyo Tech wasn't either of our first choices... but we both ended up going to the same place, so I think it worked out for the best."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Sheryl accepts the glass of sparkling water with a smile and a grateful nod, then takes a deep drink. This must either be for Akane or for guests; Sheryl seems to recall that Rikka can't handle carbonated drinks, so it sure isn't for her. "Thanks~! Ahh, that really hit the spot."
She sets the glass down on the table and grins over at Rikka. "There's something special about hearing it from the source, hmm? Fine, I'll give you a hint: my work with movies isn't done just yet~." Rikka will just have to wonder what exactly that means! Sheryl enjoys being a tease, after all.
She nods thoughtfully as Rikka talks about herself. "College, huh... I thought about college, but I think I've gotten all I wanted out of 'traditional' schooling. I started learning how to pilot because I wanted to take revenge on the Vajra, but I realized dogfighting just isn't for me." She doesn't say it, but that battle against 'Treasure Chest' is what made that clear to her. "I'll take what I've learned and apply it a different way. In the end, I'm the Galactic Fairy! I'm going to live up to my fans' desires and rock the galaxy!"
With a dramatic toss of her hair, she raises a hand to lean on the back of her head, smiling anew. "It's a shame you and Akane didn't get your first picks, but it's not so bad, it sounds like. It'd be a shame if you two ended up going to colleges in totally different parts of the world, and it's convenient when you can stay close to the one you love."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
It's true, it's definitely a sign that this is a shared living space. Those signs are clear, here and there, to those who know both of them well enough.
"No problem." Rikka replies with a nod, settling in. A hint... Rikka listens.
"The movies, huh... Now I'm even more intrigued." Rikka considers. It's vague enough to leave a lot of room to wonder just what she means, meaning she's going to be left thinking about it until the news gets out... how devious!
Sheryl explains her own plans, how she's gotten all she wanted out of traditional schooling, and dogfighting isn't for her, either.
"That's fair... It isn't for everyone. It sounds like you've already found your calling. And... I think it's a good one." She replies. She laughs, goodnaturedly, and offers her an encouraging smile. "You've got a lot of people who look up to you. Me, included. We'll all be cheering you on."
"Yeah..." Rikka admits with a nod. "I think we would've made different college plans and started looking elsewhere if it looked like it was going to end up that bad? But... yeah. That's it exactly. I think... that's what both of us wanted, more than anything."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Devious indeed! Sheryl grins mischievously and leaves it at that. Maybe Rikka would've been better off without the hint...!
"I am a professional, after all. For the Galactic Fairy, there's nowhere to go but up!" Sheryl boasts. She winks at Rikka and adds, "Just kidding~. I've got some mighty rivals out there. Even I've got to watch my step if I want to stay on top. But I'll keep your cheering in my heart. <3"
She then glances around the room curiously. There are those signs of a shared living space, and specifically with Akane. Yet Akane hasn't come out to greet either of them by now, and even with her sharp hearing, Sheryl doesn't detect any hints of her holded up in her room watching movies or gaming or something similar. She could be wearing headphones, but...
"Where is Akane, anyway? Out at class?" she wonders, picking up her glass for another sip. Sheryl's heard that class schedules for college are basically whatever a student wants them to be--in reason. "What're you two studying for, on that note? It's hard to imagine either of you settling into a normal job."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Indeed...
Sheryl boasts... and then winks, announcing that she was kidding. Rikka laughs.
"That's true. But it'd be pretty boring if you could just coast, right? A strong rival is a good way to keep to keep your skills sharp." She replies - and smiles. "Great~."
Rikka notes Sheryl looking around, and she can guess what she's going to ask before she asks it. She takes a quick look around, herself.
"She's probably resting right now, unless she went out somewhere? She's focusing on recovery right now." She says, then immediately clarifies, "It's okay, it's nothing serious."
Any more than that is for Akane to say.
"Well, Akane's studying psychology... she could probably tell you more about that." Rikka replies. "As for me... my main focus is medicine, but I'm also studying engineering and business, too."
A normal job... Rikka chuckles.
"You've really got us figured out..." She admits. "Maybe I'll settle in someday, but for now, I've signed on with 3G. Akane's still with them, too."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"It would," Sheryl replies with a smile. "Being on top means hardly anything if you don't have to fight for it!" Which doesn't mean that sometimes she doesn't get alarmed by just how good her main rival is... but that's a separate issue. This still really is how she feels.
Rikka's answer about Akane makes that smile fade quickly, though. "Recovery?" she echoes--but before she can ask what happened, Rikka responds. Sheryl purses her lips in a frown... but ultimately, she decides not to press, and just says, "All right, if you say so."
She knows she doesn't like talking about medical stuff either. If Rikka says it isn't serious, she'll trust her.
"Oh, wait, does that mean we should keep our voices down?" she then realizes, lowering her voice in turn. "Either way, tell her I said hi when you see her, won't you?"
She nods as Rikka aswers her questions about their fields of study. "You're pretty ambitious," she nods. "That's a lot to study." She smiles when Rikka chuckles and winks. "Of course~! You think after I wrote a song with you for her that I wouldn't have you two pegged by the end?" 3G... "Oh, does that mean you went to Jupiter? I was on the Gallia IV expedition while that all took place, but I heard about that mission against the King of Ruin and all that from Grace afterwards. That must've been intense.
"Still, that's a good place to be--especially with the Vajra popping up here, there, and everywhere." Sheryl's expression turns momentarily grim. "I might well end up counting on you and Akane to help me down the line."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"That's true." Rikka agrees. "I know I don't like to be handed a win. That doesn't tell me anything about what I should do to improve."
She nods, then, offering her a smile.
"It's a good thing." She says, and then considers for a second. "If she is resting, then she's probably sleeping like a rock... but it'd probably be a good idea, just in case. And, sure, I'll pass it along. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear from you sometime, too."
Sheryl comments on her ambition and Rikka laughs, just a bit.
"It surprises me a little, too... Two years ago, or even just last year, I don't think I would've seen myself taking on so much." She replies. This was the girl who was a prominent member of the 'go home' club, after all - she hadn't given a whole lot of thought to her ambitions, before. "But... I wanted to be as equipped as possible for whatever I want to end up doing in the future, if I don't stick with 3G long-term."
She laughs a bit sheepishly, then.
"That's a good point... I've pretty much bared my heart to you already." She agrees - and then nods. "That's right. At first it was just a temporary 'civilian volunteer' thing - but then I got to thinking about it after we got back and decided I liked the idea?"
"...But, yeah. It was... Intense is a good word for it. It put us through some of the most difficult things we've ever been through." Rikka replies. "I did hear you went with them. I'm glad you made it back okay..."
She nods, then.
"Yeah. There's a lot happening lately... It's not our place to deal with all of it... but what we can deal with, we will." She notes Sheryl's grim expression... and offers her a small smile. "If it comes to that... we'll be right there. I promise."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Good to know that they aren't likely to wake Akane up if they get a little too boisterous, but Sheryl will endeavor to keep her voice down all the same. Ever since she met Alto and Ranka, she's become a more conscientious person like that--especially towards her friends.
So when Rikka talks about being different two years ago, Sheryl nods in understanding. It's a different type of understanding, but it's still character growth that happened because of the bonds they formed with other people. "That's smart. If you're ready for anything, then you can do anything," she replies. "Is there anything specific you're hoping to do, or are you at that point where you just want to see and experience as much as you can?"
Sheryl went through that phase, too. ...when she was a pre-teen. Maybe the natural end result of being raised to present herself as more mature than her age would imply. She was sixteen when she debuted, but was marketed as having an adult woman's appeal. Fortunately, by now, Sheryl actually is an adult.
She hums thoughtfully as Rikka goes over how she got involved in 3G in the first place. It's not someplace she would've assumed Rikka would've gone, but hearing about it now, it makes perfect sense. "Same goes for you," she replies.
Her grim expression doesn't last--not with Rikka's promise. "I know I can count on you two." She uncrosses her legs and leans forward. "Hey, can you tell me more about what all happened out there in Jupiter? In return, I'll tell you whatever you want to know about Gallia IV." She sobers anew. "I think it's important for both of us to know."
They are long stories, though, and so they'll no doubt be talking for a long while... So it might well be something to save for later--especially given that Akane isn't here to hear, either.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"That's right." Rikka agrees with a nod, and then considers her answer. "Hmm... a little of both? Ultimately, I just want to be able to help people, so I picked out fields that I know I can excel in and would help me do that. And seeing as much as I can along the way keeps things interesting."
Sheryl echoes her sentiments, and Rikka offers her a grateful. She smiles, then, as Sheryl says she knows she can count on her and Akane.
But, Sheryl wants to hear about everything that happened at Jupiter - and in return, she'll tell her about Gallia IV.
"Sure. We ended up having to deal with a lot of problems on the way so it's kind of a long story, so now may not be the best time... but I think it'd be good for both of us to tell our stories. Let's get together another time? I can see if Akane is interested, too." Rikka agrees. Some burdens are better shared - and that includes the weight of heavy, difficult events, shared with people they care about.
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"Deal," Sheryl agrees. Right now probably isn't the best time for such heavy topics anyway--not when they got together to enjoy themselves!