2024-09-07: The 'Star' You're Reaching For
- Log: 2024-09-08
- Cast: Ryoko Subaru, Hikaru Amano
- Where: Olofat, Orb Union
- OOC - IC Date: September 7, 0099
- Summary: Hikaru accidentally checks up on Ryoko. Instead of hitting the town, she decides to stick around for a makeshift camp-out night. Even if Ryoko still can't be fully honest, Hikaru hopes she can find the star she's looking for.
<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.
After Break the World, Ryoko's request for Shore Leave was granted, in part because - it was Yurika she was asking, specifically when Erina had lunch Gekiganger in her chair.
And because she never takes shore leave! She has basically vanished ever since, from the ship.
Where is she then? WELL!
"Wherever Erina isn't." Ryoko answers the universe, not the Fourth Wall asking her narrative questions. Right now she's got a few hot dogs cooking on a stick over a campfire, in the middle of a forested area-!
Pull the camera back though and you'll see it's just a simple tent behind some bushes, as she settles there in some trousers, with a simple track jacket on over a tank top.
Her phone IS on her lap but-!
"It's fine once communications are restored, I'll just get the confirmation text that I've been fired and..."
She lets out a sigh with eyes closed, "... you know, go from there. The others will be better off anyway."
Pause.
Long Pause.
Her weiners catch fire.
She sniffs. She sniffs again.
"AAAH!" Waving her now stick with flaming hot dogs, she takes off her jacket to quickly pat them out, before smothering them.
"STUPID CHAR!" She shouts in fury, before sulking, as she looks at her burnt dinner, "... now my hot dogs are ruined."
Sighing, she pulled off one burnt hot dog and ate it anyway, a can of baked beans are heating up, hooked over a stick plunged into the fire.
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
The Break the World incident brought with it some serious revelations to the Nadesico team, though frustratingly, thanks to the interference of their Nergal overlords, there's no way to share what they learned with the world. That, combined with the general tragedy of a successful Colony Drop, has the wacky crew's morale pretty low... but Hikaru's still her relatively usual self.
That said, she was pretty eager for some shore leave after all that, and at Izumi's advice, she has decided to touch some grass... literally. Sorry, Ryoko, your perfect hiding place to set up camp was right around the same artificial greenery area Hikaru decided to park herself with her sketchbook earlier. Naturally, she's pretty enraptured in her sketch, but the smell of BURNT HOT DOGS would alert even someone like Hikaru...
So she awkwardly shuffles out from behind the bushes, and just smiles at Ryoko. "Can I have one? You'd be surprised, but burnt hot dogs don't place too bad on my favourite food list." Says the woman who always introduces herself as a lover of soggy rice cakes. Maybe it's better than getting Izumi, who would probably call these hot-dogs Char-broiled.
Instead of explaining herself, she just looks from the burnt dinner to Ryoko. "I didn't know you were on shore leave today, too. I think it's a good thing... the atmosphere on the ship is kind of a lot right now even for me, you know." She pauses, then, giving some consideration...
"Seriously though... you ran off and said all those things about Char and no one even had time to ask about how you're feeling. I don't wanna be a busybody gossip about it, but..." She sits back down, putting her sketchbook into the cool grass. "Think you could use some company?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.
"GAH!?"
You'd think Ryoko was used to Hikaru popping up anywhere, but mostly that's on the Nadesico. That is the domain of funny business, and thus she's caught utterly flat-footed by her presence.
"HIKARU!? What are you doing here!?"
Ryoko stands up in a hurry, before just offering her the stick with the other burnt dog.
"Yeah sure, whatever. They're not that burnt or anything."
(They are. Ryoko takes OOC Psychic Damage from the Char-Broiled pun.)
Ryoko munches on the end of her hot dog, trying to pretend she's unfazed as Hikaru explains, "Well you know, people kind of need a break. Just trying to, reconnect with nature here."
Ryoko you're in a public park in the middle of the Orb Capital.
"What's left of it." She adds that afterthought, muttering with a sour expression, as Hikaru notes that she just ran off.
"Sure I guess? Like - whatever, it's your night, if you'd prefer to do that rather than something fun."
She waves a hand at her, still with a half eaten burnt hot dog in it, "It's, you know - it's nothing anyone needs to worry about. I'm a tough cookie - I just you know, hike up my big girl pants, roll with it. Roll with anything!"
She looks away from Hikaru, "It's not like anything even happened. Just you know - why would anyone want to hear about my past fighting for..."
...
...
...
...
"... New Zealand."
Oh come on.
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
Hikaru simply appears whenever it's most convenient for her to be there. With the power of shore leave, not even the Nadesico can contain her anymore! So she regards Ryoko's shock with a breezy smile. "Sketching, mostly! I wanted to work on my backgrounding, so I thought while we were hanging around Orb, I'd take in some of the scenery... I heard it's all artificial, but it's still better than the nature sim in the VR room, right?" Clearly, Ryoko thinks so, if this is her idea of reconnecting with nature.
Hikaru graciously accepts the hot dog, by immediately shoving the skewer into her mouth and taking a generous bite out of it. "Wow... it's got a really unique flavour to it!" She comments, with a thumbs-up, which is her way of saying, 'it's super burnt'. "My complements to the chef~" It's still hard to tell if she's being sarcastic or if she's just like this.
Hikaru does frown a little at Ryoko's sourness, though she doesn't really blame her. "Hey, don't be like that. Are you kidding me, there's way worse ways I could be spending it!" When it comes to the Nadesico, she doesn't feel like she needs to name any of them. "Spending it with one of my best pals isn't so bad."
Ryoko reinforces that she's strong enough to handle this, and Hikaru gives her a look. "You're always saying that, Ryoko! And it's not like you aren't the toughest person I know. Nom. She takes another bite out of her own hot dog. "But you're not really the kind of person who just goes with the flow, either."
She expects Ryoko to finally come clean about it, only to mention... New Zealand. "Come on Ryoko, don't be silly! The Kiwi War was way before our time." Some blame them, even to this day, for the Colony Drop in Sydney... but Hikaru knows what Ryoko really means. "It's not really your past that matters to me. Mine isn't a big deal either. But can you really call it your past, if you're still shook up about it today?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.
Hikaru reveals why she's around, and Ryoko... "I mean I guess? I don't know much about art." She rubs the back of her neck, "I figured you'd be checking out the latest anime or manga or something, but sounds like - developing your art isn't just about that to you."
It's sorta an awkward affirmation that Hikaru's hobbies are more complicated than Ryoko thought, in the sense of how one gets good at art.
Ryoko glowers some because she SUSPECTS that Hikaru is just saying that, but then she realizes it's because BURNT HOT DOGS are up there on her list of favorite food. "Sure whatever..."
There's a huff of a sigh as she realizes she's just as bad at cooking as ever, even if stuff over an open fire isn't complex.
Taking her jacket, she grabs the stick her beans are attached to, gingerly lowering it to the ground.
"...well at least I can't mess this up."
She looks dumbfounded as Hikaru talks about how spending time with her best pal is a good way to spend her time, or at least - not so bad, looking faintly touched, but trying to keep that look from creeping on her face.
"You sure?" She rubs the back of her head, "Hanging out with me doesn't seem all that interesting. Like feels like you'd have a much better time tearing up the town. Like girl as cute as you, with your interests? Plenty of guys who'd think they hit the jackpot."
Ryoko looks up at the sky, perhaps at the few stars that can be seen through the trees in the light pollution of Orb, "Camping out in some park with me doesn't seem half as fun..." She murmurs, trailing off as she thinks of those stars.
"Eh?" She looks down, a little surprised at the compliments, "Well yeah of course!" She preens a little, laughing, "Exactly! Who would ever want to live life just going with the flow? Ahaha..."
(How does one go with the flow!? Ryoko wonders, pathologically incapable of doing that.)
"The Kiwi War- well yeah-" She coughs, "-my Dad fought in that, you know. Against the... Berry legions you know what! Doesn't matter! Ancient history!"
Ryoko looks away, thinking 'Berry Legions what the hell is coming out of my mouth?'
What Hikaru says though, she's quiet for a long while, then just...
"I don't need to get past it." Ryoko finally utters, after a moment, "Something like that doesn't matter. It's all about that first star, finding it."
Ryoko taps her chest with the side of her fist, remembering the weiner, then taking a bite, chewing, swallowing.
"When I do - then I'll know why I'm still here."
She grins, looking awkwardly, "Sorry that doesn't make a lot of sense but - I don't know if it would even if I did explain it. A girl like you has as many stars as there are in the sky."
She looks up again as if embarrassed by the lack of them, "Well not this sky. Like - a sky that's actually nice to look up at, somewhere else on Earth like - on a mountain or something."
A beat.
"Or a boat? Anyhow not the point!"
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
"I was definitely considering it. But... I've got the Internet for that, and besides, Comiket wasn't too long ago," Hikaru answers, when it comes to checking out the latest in anime and manga culture. She has a briefly troubled look, remembering how the two who helped caused Break the World were right there at Comiket, but she bounces back pretty quickly.
As for what Ryoko says next, Hikaru nods slowly. "Yeah, maybe? I love manga of course... that's what started my passion in the first place. But I feel like if I really want to go professional, I have to be well-rounded too." Even if her public portfolio really is as shameless as Himeyuri said it was.
Hikaru does notice Ryoko huffing over how poorly cooked the hot dogs were, but really she doesn't mind... food is food, and the shared experience of eating crappy hot dogs is something to bond over. It's not like your ability to cook would define your worth as a woman or something crazy like that, right?!
"Of course I'm sure!" Hikaru confirms, as she sits down and makes herself more comfortable. "I mean, if I went to town, I'd probably have a pretty good time for a while. I think they even have manga cafes in the downtown area. But guys, huh?"
The way Ryoko words it, someone as cute as her, hitting the jackpot... it kind of just makes Hikaru recoil without even noticing it. "I just don't know if it'd be worth it." She answers, quietly, before perking back up. "Especially if it means missing out on singing campfire songs with one of my favourite teammates~" A pause. "We ARE going to sing, right?!"
The way Ryoko responds to Hikaru's compliments on the other hand, is just a liiittle suspicious. "The Captain, maybe? The Nadesico kind of just does its own thing these days." Hikaru shrugs, about living life with the flow. "It'd be nice if we could keep taking things easy, but who knows?"
Even if things are uncertain right now, Ryoko's attempts to cover herself up keep making Hikaru laugh. "Berry legions?! Ahaha, what?" She giggles, before throwing what's left of her hotdog stick in the park trashcan. Perfect aim! After that, she regards Ryoko a little more seriously...
She's the creative type, so she does her best to interpret Ryoko's metaphor about stars in the sky after a little thought. "So it's like... you're trying to find your own star instead of looking back at the comet behind you?" She asks, very pointedly. Someone like her has as many stars as there are in the sky, huh...
"I think it's the same for you, Ryoko. Maybe you just don't see them yet, like we can't see them tonight. But you've got that spark, too, I think." She smiles. "Maybe you just have to light it first."
After that beat...
"Don't we basically LIVE on a boat?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.
"On the internet huh?" Ryoko seems a little surprised, "People really put anime and manga on the internet? The way Tenkawa talks about it, it's like if he didn't have those discs he'd be lost."
Ryoko's brow furrows and, "I saw you putting together that thing for comiket all day yourself too. How would you even put a thing like that on the internet?"
Apparently Ryoko is NOT someone who uses the internet that much, they apparently actually exist.
"Well hey! If that's what it takes to go pro in the art world then - we should go all over for you to draw some cool shit."
It's like for a second Ryoko actually forgets she thinks she's inevitably gonna be fired and this is goodbye but - maybe it's hard for her to actually process that with Hikaru right in front of her.
"Well yeah I mean, what else do girls sit at those cafes for other than to meet guys?" Ryoko blinks, utterly clueless herself on the issue, despite being a girl herself, "Like aren't you supposed to put on a show of like - doing stuff and playing it cool - to make them interested in approaching you naturally?"
Maybe she's reading way too much Shoujo manga. Maybe.
Of course Ryoko's TRIED doing this thing herself, but she figures that she just isn't that interesting to anyone, or feminine enough, who'd approach her?
"I mean - maybe it wouldn't? You'd probably meet a few losers at first with what a catch you are, but how else are you supposed to meet someone good?"
Other than you know - them being in the same workplace and her just happening to make a big mound of inedible fried rice that she has a lot extra and - him being a guy with a big stomach just happened to be in the same vicinity- DON'T JUDGE!!!
"That's... going with the flow?" Ryoko blinks, as she considers Yurika for a moment, then looks at Hikaru. "I think we might need a plumber."
Ryoko recoils, then crosses her arms at Hikaru's laughter, flushing, "H-Hey! It's- where I came from... Fruit's serious business." As a Spacenoid, fruit IS serious business since it's so expensive.
Ryoko doesn't respond to the idea of looking for her star rather than the comet behind you, there's this frustrated expression, but she's not looking at Hikaru right now.
She thought he was her star...
... or was going to be at least...
... and she was wrong...
... and it ruined her life...
In the end she doesn't answer her on that, but she does flap a hand at her, "Pfft, what do you mean? Spark? I mean I'm kind of a hot-head I guess, so yeah I guess maybe something started a fire in me."
Ryoko remembers being a pre-schooler, her father taking her in that stupid dress to see one of the Colony viewports in the Closed Colony for the first time...
... they had these telescopes with filters that let her see her first star...
"But I dunno if you can compare a fire to a star." She tells her awkwardly, "Eh - don't worry about it! It's- I'll know when I find it."
Blink blink...
"No?" Re: The Boat. "Or uh - I guess it is a ship, but like - I mean, like a boat out at sea! Every sailor I ever talked to - which is a LOT on - New Zealand, like throw a rock and you hit a man of the sea... it's like - they talk about how the stars are all out at night, when you're out at sea."
Ryoko looks up again, "Here it's - like it's so polluted, you can't see them. Out there, maybe you can forget for a while that's the state of the world right now. I dunno."
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
"Yeah! People put scans up all the time if you know where to look," Hikaru explains, because she is not a person below going such lengths, even if she prefers to collect the official media she really loves physically. "But that's the nice thing about Comiket, too It really hits different to see someone's work in person, you know?"
"Hey, that'd be pretty fun. We could make a whole thing of it... Nadesico on World Tour!" Hikaru smiles, dreamily. She doesn't mention how much of a shame it is that so many world-famous attractions that she'd just love to draw just disappeared in a flicker. Nor does she worry for even a second that Ryoko would be fired - you can't just separate a trio like that!
She considers Ryoko's thought process about picking up boys, though - she already knew she had some surprisingly conservative opinions about it from last Christmas.
"Haha, that's actually true... I never end up getting any work done in those cafes because people always want to chat. And while that's fun sometimes, I mean... it's not like I'm looking for guys to line up to give me attention. I... I'm not that kind of girl, you know?" She looks down, but laughs, a little awkwardly, because she DOES appreciate Ryoko calling her a 'catch'.
"I think if I'm going to find someone I love... I'd rather it be someone I'd never even expect." She concludes. "But hey! If I ever get the time to hit the cafe, maybe I should bring you with me! I bet I could find you someone who matches your energy for sure~" She winks.
And then bursts into laughter towards Ryoko's joke about Yurika. "Ahahaha, no kidding... at least Ruri and Omoikane are there to keep us on the right track."
"What, would you prefer for me to say you have a Gekigan Flare in you?" Hikaru raises her eyebrow, when Ryoko questions her wording of 'spark' and calls herself hot-headed. "But that's not the same thing, is it?" It's something they all call out to feel just a little comfortable with the reality of fighting an actual battle.
"Honestly, I don't really think I get it... but whatever it is you're looking for, I hope you can find it, Ryoko." If it's something Hikaru already has, like Ryoko said, can she share just a little bit of that with her? She's not really sure, but she'll stay here with her anyway.
"The Nadesico is way closer to the stars when we're up in space, but they don't really feel as special up there for some reason." Hikaru considers, tapping her cheek. "I'm not sure if I've ever seen them from down on Earth." It'd definitely be a sight she'd want to put to paper, if she could... "But I think I understand a little more what you mean by looking for your own star." She blinks, looking up to the empty fading blue sky.
<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.
"Really? Wow I guess people put up all kinds of things on the internet."
It's... a weird sort of innocence in a way about her, even if she's also not, in so many other ways.
"Like I knew there were makeup tutorials and shit but... I just didn't realize."
It's like part of her just doesn't understand how the world works, outside of the part they live in.
"Hey sure, I mean, we got a good start with the Polar Bear Ambassador right?" She notes, as if it were like an inside joke, "Parts of Earth sure are pretty..."
Even if... even if most of it they can't even go to anymore. Best not to focus on it!
It's more than that, even, not just being conservative even though there's certainly that too, just - like, she has no guidance on navigating the world as a woman.
Is it just a lack of role models or, an even deeper problem in her upbringing?
She gets by fine when it's on a battleship but...
"Oh yeah? You don't?" She gives Hikaru a surprised look, like part of her just thought some of Hikaru's behavior was... for attention, and she's seeing her in a new light, rather than simply disbelieving it.
"Well, hey, nothing wrong with that right? Like - if you don't want that you don't want it."
She reaches over, and pats her on the shoulder repeatedly, "Hey if that's how you want to find your Prince Charming - I aint gonna fault you! I'm sure it won't be long until he crosses your path and... SURPRISE-! Just like one of your gags."
She seems to accept at least that's a SUPER VALID WAY for a woman to find someone, at least - unexpected random fated encounter with a Prince Charming.
"I dunno. Not sure how I'd do as your wingman?" Before she pffts, "Nah no way - they aint even gonna pay attention with you there." It's just - seemingly a good natured evaluation of the whole scenario.
And Hikaru might realize part of her thinks that the only reason Ryoko thought she stood the SLIGHTEST chance with Akito is that Hikaru didn't seem interested in him - despite shared interests.
"H-Hey nah nothing anime like that!" She flusters, "It's - not like some anime, it's - you know, romantic and shit. Like - a woman's romance?"
As if it were some inverse to a man's romance for her, "Yeah - it's okay." She actually cracks a smile, "Thanks Hikaru. Maybe one day."
She doesn't know why Hikaru would ever choose to come hang out with her when she's got a whole city in front of her, but tonight... she feels grateful for it.
"Oh?" Ryoko searches Hikaru's face for a time, then after a second of just - watching her expression, "Maybe you do... at that."
She tells her, softly...
Ryoko's phone buzzes. An icon of Erina's face, switching between two graphics of chiding her with a finger, and crossing her arms with a smug look appears.
Her handle on the phone?
WICKED WITCH OF THE MOUTH
Ryoko makes a face, and then sends her to voicemail with a tap of the button. Moments later, her phone buzzes rapid fire.
>I KNOW YOU'RE THERE
>PICK UP THE PHONE SUBARU
>THE OUTAGE IS OVER SO YOU GET ON THIS LINE RIGHT NOW
Ryoko glances at it again, then begins tapping out a message awkwardly.
>we both know ur just gonna fire me so just do it right now
>YOU COWARDLY WENCH
...
...
...
>Ms. Subaru you are to ignore all prior messages. If they are of an unprofessional nature then it was entirely provoked by your boorishness.
>You are not to be terminated, no matter how much you might deserve it. We are to have a conversation, and you will receive a write up, which will be handled under Nergal's Disciplinary Policy 187-1F regarding Conduct Unbecoming of an Employee.
>Return to the ship by tomorrow morning, and be in my office @ 0800 sharp.
>From this moment forward you are under NDA regarding these proceedings as well.
>This includes further discussion of your prior affiliations and employment history with other Nergal personnel
>That is all.
Ryoko stares at her phone for a few moments longer, then clicks it off.
"Well, looks like my leave ends first shift tomorrow." She tries to say casually, as if nothing just happened at all, part of her still skeptical - but part of her daring to hope that...
... that she'd get to stay on the Nadesico with those people that mean the world to her... for a while longer...
Standing up, she walks over to her tent, and slowly pops back out, holding a bag of Marshmallows, Chocolate Bars, and Graham Crackers, "Want to make some Smores before we turn in?" A faint smile her way, "They taste even better burnt."
<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.
Hikaru supposes that Ryoko simply isn't as terminally online as she is, the way she seems amazed by even the simple things... it's kind of charming, though. "Yep! You can even buy stuff on a website and have it delivered straight to your door, but well... we don't exactly have an address to put down." Has she been tempted to get merch sent to some base on Orb or Magallanica, though? Yes.
The mention of the Polar Bear Ambassador gets a giggle out of Hikaru, though. Definitely one of her favourite missions of all time so far. "It's good to know we have some allies up there! And definitely... I've always wanted to see more of Japan, but there's sights to see all over the world." There's a dreamy sigh at the thought of it.
"I mean, it's not like I've never tried? But it hasn't always gone over so well, and..." She pauses, when Ryoko says there's nothing wrong with it - if it isn't what she wants, that's that. It's straightforward, but Hikaru's always appreciated that from Ryoko. "Yeah, it's important to focus on the things you really want, right? Life only lasts so long~" She smiles, when Ryoko pats her on the shoulder.
"Heeeey... that just makes me sound like Yurika," Hikaru pouts at the Prince Charming comparison, though it's clear she doesn't actually take any offense. She just doesn't consider herself THAT passive. She seems to accept it when Ryoko likens it to one of her gags, though, having an eye-popping motion with her glasses. "Yeah, just like that! It's always fun when it's unpredictable, you know?
As for wingman, Hikaru shakes her head when Ryoko claims she'll get no attention next to her. "What? No way! I mean... you've got the super cool green hair dye. That'll make you stand out a ton!" She counters.
"And not just that, but trust me, there's people who go crazy for a girl with a strong personality. One who will yell at you, but it's only because she cares, and she's worried about what you think." She feels if Ryoko put her true self out there, people would love her...
Ryoko is correct that she was never hoping of a relationship of her own with him, though - even if it was fun to have that shared interest. But if she's still vying for Akito, Hikaru has no idea. As far as anyone on the Nadesico knows, he settled down in a nice home in Orb with Megumi Renard a few years ago, leaving Yurika, Ryoko and any other potential admirer (Akatsuki?!) in the dust... how scandalous!
She blinks when Ryoko explains that finding her star is something romantic. A woman's romance... Ryoko really has learned a lot from shoujo hasn't she? "Hey, you're welcome." She smiles. "We all have our dreams... I want to help you make yours true, too." As if it was like wishing upon a star. She closes her eyes for a moment, when Ryoko gets that text...
"What? Already? Geez... those corporate heads really don't give you a break, huh?" That was, what, one whole day of leave? "Well, if that's all you're getting... then we may as well make this party for two something to remember!" Hikaru enthuses, all the same. Because the only thing better than burnt hot dogs... is burnt smores.
"Smores!" She cheers, reaching out for a stick, as the fire crackles into the night sky. "Here, lemme go first, I'll show you how it's done..."
Despite Ryoko's disbelief about it, Hikaru finds herself thinking there's no better way she could have spent this evening than camping it out in a public park with one of her best friends.