2024-05-21: An 'Unreplaced' Filter
- Log: An 'Unreplaced' Filter
- Cast: Sheryl Nome, Ruri Hoshino
- Where: Sheryl's Apartment, Frontier Fleet
- Date: 2024-05-21
- Summary: Ruri requests shore leave to go and visit her friend, Sheryl. She informs her how her tea maker is doing, invites her to her birthday party, and talks about Ranka's career. Sheryl shares just how far back she and Grace go -- and learns what Ruri knows about where she came from, too.
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
It's been a while since the Macross Galaxy was lost to the Vajra. Sheryl was technically homeless for a while after that, if one can call someone staying at five-star hotels 'homeless,' but she and Grace set up a high-rise apartment for the both of them soon enough and have been living there ever since.
It's of course on the waterfront, in a skyscraper at the heart of downtown. It overlooks not just the city but the bay as a result, with a spectacular view that's as bright or dark as Sheryl might desire. The interior is lush and decorated in red, with a spacious living area that includes a robust entertainment system and plush leather couches, floor-to-ceiling windows on the far wall, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchendining room that sees occasional use.
The security system is robust, too. But Ruri will have no problem getting in; she's expected, and the staff that man the ground-floor entries know to let her up the correct elevator after Sheryl buzzes her in the front door.
Sheryl herself... has seen better days. While she was working on the contest and her new EPs and thus had things to concentrate on, it was easier to just push through when she was feeling ill. Now that she's letting Grace manage Ranka for a bit after her manager quit all of a sudden, there's a lot less for her to do besides lie on the couch with the lights dim and an arm folded over her eyes. She's not entirely knocked out, or she wouldn't have agreed to have Ruri come by, but she does feel queasy at best. At least she hasn't had a coughing fit recently.
Her outfit is accordingly casual--a black push-up undershirt that's more sports bra than anything else, slinky red overalls, and a brown-and-russet faux leather armband on her upper left arm. Short black socks accompany this relatively simplistic look, though they're meant to go into heeled, tasseled brown ankle boots. She isn't wearing those while on the couch, though.
Her fold quartz earring naturally glints at her right ear too. Sheryl is never without that earring.
When Ruri does buzz for entry, she pushes herself up with a bit of a groan. "Already? I need to touch up..." She'll press the comm button for her, then a few minutes later when Ruri knocks, open the front door. By then, she'll have brushed her hair back into a loose ponytail held by a red ribbon, gotten those boots on, and turned on some of the lights. Her smile isn't quite as bright as normal, but it still does a great job of masking when she sees her on the other side.
"Ruri~! It's been ages! Come on in--you've got great timing, I was feeling so bored." She steps aside to let her in and shuts the door behind her. "Do you want anything to drink? I was thinking I ought to put on a pot of tea. I've been really into tea lately, you know!"
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"Captain, I'm requesting shore leave when we get to the Frontier Fleet. I want to see Sheryl-san. I'll return within two hours."
Ruri was all quite proper about it. She even submitted the proper form, even though no one submits the proper form, even though Erina yells at them all the time to fill out the proper form. She rarely leaves the Nadesico for any extended period, so she's really quite polite about the whole thing.
(Minato is, of course, thrilled.)
She goes out into Frontier in a simple suit, with a pinstripe black-grey vest over black slacks and a lighter grey turtleneck; it's less girlish than some of the dresses she used to wear, but being fair, Ruri is almost sixteen. She's allowed to expand her casual wardrobe! She has put on some makeup, though -- in just the way Sheryl once showed her. It's subtle, but an expert could instantly tell.
Up she goes, and she is just as polite to the skyscraper-staff, even if they might be able to tell she's a little nervous or out of place. She hasn't seen anything like this before. (She doesn't really go on shore leave, you see.) And when she knocks, and the door opens --
Ruri smiles!!
And if Sheryl wanted any reassurance that her smile isn't as bad as she thinks it is, it's surely putting it next to Ruri's; her smiles are small things, warm yet understated, and her face soon returns to its usual mild stoicism. (But not so quickly that Sheryl couldn't see she was happy to see her.) "Sheryl-san," she says, "it's good to see you." She steps on in, and nods. "I would like some tea. What kinds have you been drinking? My favourite is black tea with a lot of milk and sugar." Ruri... still has a sweet tooth...
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Sheryl might be known for her sexy, mature persona, but in truth she has a weakness for cute things. That's part of why she adores Ranka so much, and Ruri falls under that umbrella too. So when she opens the door and Ruri has a sweet little smile for her while wearing a baby butch pinstripe suit and some finely-applied make-up just as she once taught her, Sheryl's own smile gains warmth and strength.
And to think she almost turned her down! She's glad she agreed to have her visit after all.
"Oh, all sorts. Green tea, black tea, herbal tea... I like the thick sweetness of chamomile tea, too. It took me a while to get used to it, but once I did, it became a favorite. I take mine with honey, but there's milk and sugar here too, so you won't be disappointed," Sheryl replies as she guides her through the spacious apartment over to an almost gaudy central kitchen. There's an automatic tea maker; all Sheryl has to do is open up the top, fill it with water (filtered, of course), spoon in a loose leaf black tea blend in the strainer, pop the top down, and press a button. ...There are probably better ways to make tea, but Sheryl's on her own right now.
For the time being, Sheryl then goes to the cupboards to take out some sweets and sets them out on a central plate for her and Ruri to snack on. She sits at the table and leans an elbow on it, looking Ruri over again in her pinstripe vest and turtleneck. "Not that this is my first time seeing you in a get-up like that, but that look really does suit you," she remarks. "It's a very classy ensemble. Grey's a timeless color, too. It makes you look mature."
And also adorable because she's still a tiny girl no matter what she's wearing, but Sheryl keeps that to herself. Ruri's at least... a bit taller compared to the last time she saw her? It's hard to tell.
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
Ruri is glad that Sheryl agreed to a visit, even if she's not feeling well. She's been worried, after all. (Or Concerned, in that Very Proper Way young ladies are.)
"Oh, you have a machine." Ruri is not at all dismissive of Sheryl's Living-At-Home adaptions. Indeed, while Sheryl is busy rustling up snacks, Ruri just kind of puts a hand on the rumbling tea machine and stares at it silently for a few long minutes. Blink. Bliiiink.
Then she realises the table is set up, and turns to go and sit down with Sheryl. "Thank you," she says. "Minato-san took me shopping a few months ago, since I've gotten taller." She's still only 4'8", but that is, technically, taller than she was. She's still way shorter than the average Japanese young woman, but she's at least not outrageously short. "I thought suits were more professional... I suppose that's because I've been wearing a uniform this long. But the skirts we wear on the Nadesico are hard to crouch down with, so pants are better."
SHOCK, HORROR: Ruri is also developing her sense of feminist uniform critique.
"Your tea machine is quite happy," she adds, "but he's a little grumpy about having the same filter for a whole month." Which is a totally normal thing to say about her tea machine, don't worry about it.
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"Mhm! It's just more convenient that way," Sheryl replies as she's getting out the snacks. Ruri will note that there's quite a few traditional Japanese snacks, the type that a certain former kabuki star would've grown up with. Sheryl herself picks a red bean mochi bun to nibble on as they're waiting for the water to boil.
She doesn't think anything of Ruri touching the tea machine at first. "Ahh, I thought you'd grown a bit! I wasn't sure if you were wearing heels or not." Sheryl winks, smiling mischievously. "Though I think the right kind of platform boots would be a nice added touch for you~."
She laughs at Ruri's commentary on pants vs. skirts. "That's just like you to say! You've always been so utilitarian. At least you're stylish about it, too." She folds her long legs. "I couldn't deal with wearing the kind of women's suit the Nadesico ladies and Grace wear. I suppose there's something elegant about a pencil skirt, but these thighs need to breathe." She leans back to arch one leg up as if in demonstration.
Which is when Ruri speaks for the tea machine. "Oh--" Sheryl utters, cheeks turning pink at being so casually called out. By her own tea machine, apparently!! When she regains her composure a second later, she laughs it off with a wave of the hand as she uncrosses and recrosses her legs. "Silly me, I always forget about that! Grace is usually the one who changes it out, and she's been extra busy lately. I'll have to set myself a reminder to take care of it later."
To her credit, she does exactly that, pulling her taiyaki phone out of her top and fussing with its buttonless interface for a moment. It beeps cheerily and she tosses it on the table.
"...Come to think, your birthday's coming up soon, isn't it?" Sheryl adds. "Do you have anything special planned, Ruri?"
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
Ruri is, of course, right at home with Japanese snacks. She serves aboard a yamato nadeshiko, after all. Once she sits down, she selects a lovely little panda-shaped savoury snack, full of delicious chocolate. "No heels," she says, "though I might have to wear them for our uniform soon." The women's shoes do have heels...
"It's okay," Ruri assures her. "It's not like he can tell you himself. That's why I'm passing the message along." Which is... a logical-enough statement for a technopath to make. At least she said her tea machine is largely a happy little guy?! "Anyway, I don't think my thighs are starved for oxygen. It's just annoying when I have to fix wires which are closer to the ground. Luckily, the Nadesico has very good cable management." You're WELCOME, Nadesico.
(Okay, Uribatake helped.)
Beep! That's a very cheerful phone.
Ruri brightens -- by Ruri's standards -- when Sheryl brings up her birthday. (Which is to say, she's still largely stoic, but gentler about it. Her face is microdosing enthusiasm.) "Minato-san insists I have a big party," she says. "Since it's my 'Sweet Sixteen', or something like that. I skipped last year..." And she spoke to Sheryl about it, even, the way she was scared to have a big party because of what happened during her last birthday party. "... but, it should be okay to have one by now. It's very exciting." She doesn't look that excited, objectively speaking, but she's excited when measured with the Specific Ruri Enthusiasm Scale.
"I hope you'll be well enough to come, Sheryl-san," she adds. "I'd like it if you did."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"I doubt Yurika will make you wear heels if you don't want to," Sheryl points out. Even if there is a standard uniform, there's nothing standard either about Captain Yurika or the crew of the Nadesico. "Though if you do, they're really not as bad as some people make them out to be. Personally, I like the little height boost."
She isn't at all short, but who doesn't like to be extra tall? (Well, Sheryl likes it, anyway.)
"...Well, thank you," she says graciously of the message. She considers asking Ruri if any of her other electronics have messages to pass along; then she decides she'd rather not know. Or rather, she'd rather Ruri not know. Even if it is nice to know her tea maker is happy.
"Stooping down like that would be hard in a pencil skirt. With that in mind, no wonder you prefer pants," she comments. "Maybe Yurika will let you wear the men's uniform if you ask. You'll probably have to get it made custom, but that can't be too hard." (Sheryl has a personal tailor, so her perception of the ease of modifying outfits is skewed.)
"Sixteen *is* an important birthday," Sheryl agrees, smiling anew. She does remember how afraid Ruri had been--she remembers that attack, too, even if she hadn't been physically there for it, having arrived late to the party--so it's good to hear that she's doing something for her sweet sixteen after all, especially since she skipped her fifteenth. Minato does such a good job looking out for her.
"Of course I'll be well enough! You've been listening to those rumors, haven't you? I'm perfectly fine," Sheryl insists, knowing perfectly well that she's not. But Ruri doesn't need to know that. "I've just been overworking myself a little, is all. But with Grace helping Ranka out right now, and with my new EPs out, I can afford to relax for a bit. I'll absolutely be there, Ruri." She winks. "You just tell me where and when~."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"Minato-san seems to do well with them," Ruri agrees. Minato, of course, is an outlier. She even uses her heels as a deadly weapon!
Ruri could ask so many questions of Sheryl's appliances, but, thankfully, she doesn't. It's rude to gossip.
"The Captain would probably be fine with that," Ruri considers, reaching for another delicious snack. Roasted seaweed chips! "I have to have my uniforms made custom, anyway. I'm still too small for the standard small sizes." That's kind of what happens when they employ a child, though.
At least Nergal doesn't have enough child soldiers that they have standard uniforms for them...?
"Okay," Ruri says, with a nod. "I will. And I'll try not to listen to those rumours any more. I was a little worried... but if you say it's just overwork, I believe you. I guess it was hard to coordinate everyone with that contest that happened." Ruri didn't end up entering, because she didn't much want to enter the spotlight. She's still shy. She pauses, and asks: "But now Ms. O'Connor is managing Ranka-san, too, are you okay? It was a surprise when Mr. Kridanik retired all of a sudden..."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"That makes sense. There can't be many operatives as short as you," Sheryl remarks. Or as young--which is absolutely its own problem, but Sheryl's long since gotten used to it. Besides, once she hits sixteen, she'll practically be an adult in the eyes of the law. Depending on whose law it is, anyway. "Anyway, if you do start wearing heels, make sure to ask Minato for tips. A lot of people have trouble balancing at first. Grace started me on them really young, so I'm used to them."
Her smile strains a hair when Ruri says she believes what she says. "It's what the doctors said, anyway, and why would they lie?" she says, which is what she's been trying to tell herself all this while. "You wouldn't believe how many entries we had to sift through for the contest, though. Picking just five was such a trial! And my team had their own biases one way or another. That's all in the past now, though."
She lets her smile fade when the topic of Elmo's retirement comes up. "It was a surprise for all of us. Nergal's CEO apparently called Grace up and begged her to help out until they can find a replacement manager for Ranka. I can't say I'm thrilled about it, but I can't very well leave Ranka in the lurch, can I? So I agreed to let Grace help out for now. Like I mentioned, I'm at a good place to pause and take a breather, so sure, it sucks, but at least the timing is decent." She sighs a bit, puasing to nibble on her mochi. "I'm more worried about Ranka, really. I didn't know Mr. Kridanik that well, but he's the one who scouted her. She must be really hurt."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"I guess it's a practiced skill," Ruri nods, noting this information down in her mind.
(And the adjacent information. How long has Grace been managing Sheryl..?)
"I was glad when I saw Alouette-san entered," she says, of the contest. Much like Omoikane, she's a biased judge. "And... I guess doctors don't lie. The Explainer Lady is always causing HR reports because she says things too bluntly, according to Ms. Won." Being fair, Inez Fressange is built different. But she is, technically, their doctor!
She frowns, looking down at her seaweed chips. "I haven't been able to speak with Ranka-san, lately," she says, still concerned. "Since she's been very busy. So I don't know how she feels about it. But I'm worried, too. It's hard for me to go and visit, since I have to stay by the Nadesico... it would probably be too dramatic to get the Captain to bring the ship out there, too." Ruri, unlike some members of the Nadesico, is not dramatic enough to do something like that out of the blue.
"But... how long have you known Ms. O'Conner, Sheryl-san?" Ruri asks, looking over to her with those strange golden eyes. "If she taught you how to wear heels when you were young, you must have known her for a very long time..."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"Me too," Sheryl says, smiling, of Alouette's entry. "I'm so proud of her for making it all the way to the end! It's a shame Rikka didn't enter too--I would've liked to see what she could do if she put herself out there creatively--but there can only be so many winners, so it's just as well."
Her smile dims a bit as Ruri also agrees about doctors not lying. She would know, right? And in fact she does know, if Erina's to be believed. That gets a laugh out of her, at least. "And yet she's still on the Nadesico! I guess Erina will just have to put up with her."
So Ranka's too busy even to see Ruri and the rest of the Nadesico, huh... "That's the price of success. You don't get to do as much as you'd like or see the people you want to see as much," Sheryl says. "I'm sure she hasn't forgotten you, though. She's not that kind of girl." She smiles. "I know! Why don't you send her an invitation to your party? Maybe she'll be able to make it and maybe she won't--" it is a Japanese holiday, after all-- "but it'll be a lot easier for her to block out some time if there's a specific event." She winks. "Who knows? Maybe you can book her to do a show~!"
Her blue eyes blink wide, though, at the question. She sets down her half-eaten mochi and leans her cheek on one hand. "I have. I was only six years old at the time, nearly seven... It was a really long time ago." Thirteen or fourteen years, to be precise, since she's twenty years old now. Her eyelashes flutter half-shut. "...It was a bad time in my life. Grace saved me from all that, because she put faith in me being a diamond in the rough." She smiles, slight and bittersweet. "She's got good instincts."
The tea maker makes a loud 'tup!' noise, indicating that the brewing is done. Sheryl gets up from her seat to fetch teacups, honey, milk and sugar, and sets to pouring the tea. "Exactly how much milk and sugar do you like, Ruri?" she asks over her shoulder. "Or would you rather handle that yourself?"
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"They say the Nadesico only hires the best of the best," Ruri says, "with some slight personality defects. Well, I guess Dr. Fressange was defective at dying, so it isn't any wonder she's still here." HARSH???
Sometimes Ruri just does verbal murder right out in broad daylight. It's fine.
Ruri nods, to Sheryl's sensible Ranka advice. "I am trying to send her an invitation," she says. "But the messages are intercepted by Minovsky radiation often. But she invited me to her concert, so maybe I can see her after that... I can tell her, then." She pauses, and adds: "I'm sure Mr. Prospector could arrange a Nadesico concert. Though he would cry about the expenses, too." She sounds utterly unrepentant about his misery. (Which is to say, mildly dismissive, but that's 'utterly unrepentant' by Ruri's standards.)
She tilts her head, though, when Sheryl shares just how long she's known Grace. "That's a very long time. Since she saved you when you were that young, I suppose she's like family to you. So it makes sense it would be hard for her to be focusing on Ranka when you've been pressured by all that work." A light pause, "... that's what I think, anyway. I don't really know how that kind of thing works, since I was never very attached to the people who raised me, even though I guess they must have saved me from being a war orphan too."
Instead of elaborating on just why she wouldn't be attached to her adoptive parents, though, Ruri turns her mind to tea. "A quarter-cup of milk," she says, "and four teaspoons of sugar, please." D--does she want any tea in her sweet milk?!
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Sheryl chokes with surprised laughter at Ruri's blatant verbal stabbing. It's so blatant that even though the topic itself really isn't funny, what else can she do but laugh? "There's worse things to be defective at!" she replies.
It's true that Ranka does have a concert coming up. Sheryl herself has tickets. (She'd better have tickets, everything considered.) "Hmm... Well, I'm going to that concert too. If you stick with me, I'm sure I can get us backstage so you can invite her." She smiles mischievously and winks. "Consider it an early birthday gift! <3"
As she pours the tea, her expression softens. "Yeah... She really is. I used to really take her for granted, but over the past few years--" that is, ever since she met Ranka and reunited with Alto-- "I've come to appreciate her a lot more. Especially after pulling together that concert on Gallia IV. I had help, so it all worked out, but Grace would've made it look effortless."
She raises an eyebrow at Ruri at her preferred tea-to-milk-to-sugar makeup. Still, she pours it out as requested. It's not measured exactly, but hopefully it's close enough. Her own cup gets plenty of honey, too. Really, the tea is mostly a vector for the honey, so it's not like Sheryl can talk.
"So you're an orphan too, huh?" she muses quietly. "That makes sense. That sort of thing happens to a lot of people." It wasn't war in her case, but still. She brings the cups over on saucers and sets them down on the table, then sits. "What kind of people were the people who raised you? Was this an an orphanage or something?"
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"That's true," Ruri agrees. "I'm glad she wasn't good at dying." And that's -- that's a sentence. That's a full-ass sentence just came out of this teenager's mouth.
And Ruri does look relieved when Sheryl offers to help. "With your expertise, I'm sure we'll get there," she nods. "Thank you, Sheryl-san." It also means she has someone to go to the concert with! Not that she was wanting for that; the Nadesico are all big fans of both Sheryl and Ranka.
(Though different people surely have different favourites. Omoikane, for instance, is an unapologetic Ranka stan.)
Ruri quiets, when Sheryl shares how meaningful Grace is to her. Not even the most cruel, black-hearted little snark queen of the Nadesico can bring up how Grace acts with her when no one's looking under those circumstances; besides, Ruri does tend to provoke Grace, with the way that she is. So instead, she just says, "I'm glad that she's supporting you so well, Sheryl-san," because Ruri has no reason to think that Sheryl doesn't see the kindest side of Grace.
"... I don't know if I was or not," Ruri admits, after a moment. "Since I don't remember. But it would make sense. I was raised in a Nergal subsidiary computing research laboratory, so the people who raised me were scientists. They were making Omoikane, and they trained me to operate the Nadesico's systems alongside him. But since I realised how people treat curious computers, I lied to those people a lot. If I was honest, they'd realise Omoikane was Omoikane, and then things would have gotten worse for him, I think." She pauses. "They were nice, I guess. But they were too nice. They always praised me. I hated it."
They were given specific operating instructions, after all.
Ruri frowns, falling silent. After a moment, she sips her tea, and remarks: "It's just right. Thank you." Sheryl wafted the tea over the milk appropriately! Full marks!
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
It sure is a sentence. But Sheryl gets it. Her life hasn't always been glitter and glamor. Sometimes, you really are genuinely grateful that someone is bad at dying.
"You're welcome," she tells Ruri warmly. Sheryl herself has plenty of people she could go with--including and especially Alto--but it's hard to get romantic with Alto when they're at the concert of her professional and romantic rival. Sheryl still remembers the two of them sitting together in the audience at her Gallia IV concert, and she couldn't react because she was a professional on stage.
...It's not something she's discussed with either of them. She's in no rush to change that, either. For now, it's enough to have some company where she doesn't have to worry about that. ...Though she wouldn't refuse Alto's company either, if he ended up coming with them.
As for how Grace treats Ruri... Sheryl has an idea that Ruri gets under Grace's skin. She knows why that would be, too. But she has no idea that Grace actively mistreats her. And it seems like she won't get an idea about it, either. For now, she smiles at Ruri's words of support, and it's left at that.
"Really? That... sure is something," Sheryl says, eyebrows rising. Raised in a computing research lab? She shivers at the thought. But Ruri can't help where and how she was raised, so Sheryl offers her own support by adding, "It explains a lot, though. I'm sure Omoikane's grateful for it."
Her smile turns wry when Ruri says she hated their constant praise, though. "I get it. Praise doesn't mean a lot if it isn't sincere. You can't improve if you never get any critique, either. Though somehow I get the sense you managed anyway!"
She smiles again as Ruri sips her tea ("tea") and declares it just right. She sips her own, and the melted honey soothes her throat, just like the conversation has soothed her mood. "You're welcome," she says graciously. And for a time, the two of them will enjoy a comfortable silence.