2024-10-08: First Candidate
- Log: 2024-10-08- First Candidate
- Cast: Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada
- Where: Tokyo Metropolitan Area - Hachioji - House For Sale
- OOC - IC Date: 0096-10-08
- Summary: A surprise opening in the girls' schedule leads to a last-minute house tour; things get a little awkward at a couple of spots, but overall it's a decent experience and gives the two of them a solid fallback option.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
While Akane was planning to put this off until the weekend... a surprise opening has come in both her and Rikka's schedules. An OCU Australia representative was supposed to be in town this week to discuss a dimensional boundary distortion in the Sydney crater... but it turned out that it was just a (known, ultimately-unremarkable) kaiju and the whole thing got canceled. When it's your job to deal with known unknowns, known knowns stop being your responsibility.
The first place she pitched checking out -- near Nouvelle Tokyo's south-by-southwest corner -- has no tour openings today... but another place, about 60km west of Nouvelle Tokyo, does have open tours. This one was on Akane's list as a fallback, but...
... well, you do have to check your fallbacks too.
As the two of them approach the house, Akane takes a little while to appreciate the scenery around them. It's still fundamentally a metro area, but the vibe is a lot more intimate than either Nouvelle or the 23 wards of classic-flavor Tokyo. It's definitely a touch sleepier, and there's a fairly large shrine off to the right of their current spot. Getting here has also meant passing a clinic, a dentist's office, and a middle school.
... of course, it also took a solid hour and 20 minutes to get out here.
"Hmmm... I do like the vibe," Akane admits, as she flips through a city pamphlet she snagged at the train station, keeping an eye out for the place they're touring. "The price is amazing, too!"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
With everything that's been happening these days, something turning out to be not as big a deal as they thought it might be is a huge relief. Rikka will take those where she can get them, and appreciate the day off it gives both of them. They have things they wanted to do, after all, and it gives them an opportunity to look into it.
And so, here they are!
Rikka looks around thoughtfully, taking in the area - and she's taken in everything they passed on the way, too. They passed a lot of convenient things to have - though that's partially because it took so long to get here, too...
"The area is really nice, even if it's a little out of the way." Rikka agrees. She takes a moment to pull out her phone, taking a picture of the house as they approach. She leans over, then, looking at the pamphlet Akane flips through. "That is a pretty good price..."
At that kind of price, it's definitely worth checking out, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane scoots a little closer to Rikka as the two of them walk, nodding. "Hrrmm..." Akane taps at the pamphlet a little, thinking about it. "It seems like it's kinda older... I know some of that's just Japan, but..." She taps her chin.
She isn't that worried yet, though. As they turn a corner and finally approach the house itself, Akane takes a look at it. "Hmmm... curb appeal's not bad either," she enthuses, looking at the two-floor building with a smile on her face. The commute would suck, but nothing is gonna be perfect... this could be it.
"You know, we haven't really talked about it much lately... how's class going?" Akane has actually forgotten what's on the docket for Rikka this term in terms of classes, with everything going on; her brain barely has room for her classes some days. She knocks on the door of the house, hoping the real estate agent is there to provide the tour still. She knows it's not like they're going to just ditch, but still...
She passes the pamphlet about the neighborhood over to Rikka and starts rummaging for her cell phone, just to be on the safe side.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane scoots a little closer to her and Rikka smiles, before looking toward the pamphlet.
"Hm, you're right..." Rikka considers. "That's not a bad thing, but we'll want to keep an eye out..."
Buildings might not be her usual area, but she at least usually knows what to look out for when it comes to dealing with old things. And as Akane had suggested before, she'll be sure to take pictures for her mother to look over, too.
"I do like it." Rikka agrees with a small laugh as Akane enthuses about the curb appeal. Things are definitely looking good so far, at least.
Akane asks about classes, then.
"They've been going pretty well, actually? There's been a good amount of forgiveness," Understandable, considering the state of the world. "And since I haven't been able to do much besides classes these past few weeks, I've had a lot of extra time to put toward schoolwork. I've had to beg off a more physically-intensive engineering project until after I have a clean bill of health, but that hasn't been a problem for my med classes..." Rikka explains.
She turns her attention to the door as Akane knocks, then, accepting the pamphlet from Akane and giving it another look over as she goes for her phone.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yeah. It's not impossible, just..." Akane rubs at the back of her head, conceding, "We might not have a lot in common with our neighbors. Not the worst, but it might make getting acclimated a little tricky." At the same time, it is mostly a commuter town, so there are worse things.
Akane lets Rikka take a little time evaluating the building; when it meets with her approval too, Akane nods. That's a point in its favor. She shifts her weight on her feet, and --
-- the door opens! Their real estate agent (or rather, the seller's) is an unremarkable mid-career professional with a thinning hairline who waves them in. "I wasn't expecting you to be so young! It's good to meet you," he offers, with a smile.
Akane scoots subtly closer to Rikka, and a little bit behind. "Let's take a look at the main room," she says, nodding.
As she gets in, she fishes her indoor shoes out of her bag, plopping them onto the floor and swapping. She decides to follow up on Rikka's answers about schoolwork while they look around. "Oh, right, that's -- what, applied mechanical engineering or something? I can see that being a big pain. What days does that class run? I don't mind making a cameo appearance if it's when my schedule is open, if it'll help you get going." ... This may not be a stellar offer, given even with a lot of time spent at the gym Akane's raw strength leaves... something to be desired.
Reviewing the entryway and the main room, at least, seems to meet with Akane's approval. "How many of these outlets are dual data and power?" Akane asks of the agent, and gets a, "Most, actually -- though it's more common on the second floor."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka nods. That'll definitely complicate things - the people can add a to an area.
"Yeah..." She considers. It's something worth thinking about, at least.
And so, the door opens! Rikka greets the real estate agent politely, offering him a smile.
"It's good to meet you, too. Thanks for meeting with us." Rikka replies, as Akane scoots closer behind her. Rikka keeps track of that, then nods back at her.
As Akane swaps shoes, Rikka follows suit then begins looking around.
"Yeah." Rikka confirms with a nod. "Do you think so? It'd be a little rough, but I'd be glad for the help if you can make it... It's running on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule."
...And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out.
Rikka looks the room over, then, nodding quietly in approval as she studies it, occasionally taking pictures.
"I really like the look of the place..." She considers. It is a really nice place... Akane has an important question, too, and Rikka listens intently.
...For both of them, it's really good to know that - they'll have to keep that in mind.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Hmmmm... Tuesday-Thursday is my heavier period, so I can definitely pop in. I might need to ask Funaberi-san to cover something and I feel like I've been doing that a lot lately..." Akane weighs that a bit. "... Oh, I could probably trade off for her weekend work time for a couple weeks, actually. That shouldn't be so bad."
The real estate agent seems interested in what they're talking about, at least; the fact that, despite their young ages, they sound like they have actual professional trajectories and indeed possibly actual professional jobs is a good sign. He writes himself a few notes.
"Yeah, you can tell there's been a really recent remodel. The earth floor is decent, too... I could have some fun with that," Akane says, as they look around. She starts toward the stairs, thinking about it carefully. A little warmth creeps into her eyes; this definitely has her in a way it didn't, quite, before.
"Have you girls thought about financing? You're a little younger than a lot of the other people who've toured this place," the agent notes to them, a little curious. "I don't want to dump any cold water on you, but -- which one of you is actually buying?"
Akane glances to Rikka; she's nervous enough about answering to kick this one to her.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"That'd be great." Rikka replies wih a nod as Akane considers her schedule. She nods, too, as she considers trading work time. "That'd probably sweeten the deal..."
As for the house itself, Rikka nods in agreement to that, too.
"Yeah, it's nice and sturdy, too. They've definitely put a lot of work into it. It has a bit of charm to it..." Rikka says, looking over the place with a thoughtful expression. She walks around the room, taking it in from all angles. "Yeah, there's a lot you could do with that."
Her attention is drawn to the stairs, too - but then back to the agent, as he speaks.
"We have some options we've been looking into." Rikka confirms with a nod. "And we've been budgeting in preparation for this, as well."
And then there's the question of who's actually buying. Rikka meets Akane's glance, then looks back to the agent.
"We were planning to buy it together, actually." Rikka explains - and waits, to see if that becomes a problem.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"It's a little generic, but I get how selling the house works," Akane says, with a little shrug. "That just means we could do a lot with it." She starts up the stairs -- but pauses when Rikka waits, hand on the railing as she looks back.
The real estate agent glances between them, brow furrowing slightly. "I see," he says; this doesn't end the bit, though it does seem to put a little damper on his hopes. Akane makes a small, irritated face.
After thinking a little about how to handle that, Akane says, "She's the branch chief of 3G Red. This isn't -- we're not..." She pinches the bridge of her nose, tapping her finger on the railing -- and then decides to just start heading up. It's not her fault if this gets weird, she tells herself.
"Ah --" the agent starts, looking to Rikka, more off balance than anything else. "Was she -- is that?" It's incredibly rude to ask if that was a joke, but... He settles for, "Would you mind showing me your employee ID?" The listing did ask for serious inquiries only, so this is merely mildly rude rather than intensely rude.
Akane, meanwhile, starts looking at the upstairs hallway, poking her head into one of the bedrooms. "Hmmm... each one's a little on the small side. This feels like it divides the second floor up a bit too much... I can kinda see how I'd use this, but still..."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Yeah." Rikka agrees with a nod, following Akane up the stairs. "I don't mind being given room to express ourselves with. It's nice to not feel tied down to a layout."
And as Rikka explains that they're planning to buy together - Rikka sees the way it puts on a damper on things for the agent. She frowns, just slightly. Akane explains that she's chief of 3G Red. It would've come up eventually. Rikka doesn't really like having to lean on that to be taken seriously... but she can see how he reacts, and how the information puts him off balance.
She meets the agent's look, and she can tell what he was trying to ask, but suppresses. She's not going to get after him for something he stops himself from doing, though.
"Of course." Rikka replies. She straightens up, her tone shifting to something a little more business-like and less casual than it had been before. She draws out her wallet and pages through it, pulling out her 3G ID and showing it to him. There it is - Grand Glorious Guard, Rikka Takarada, Chief of 3G Red. The official seal is difficult to mistake. "If you'd like references, as well, I can provide some numbers for you."
Still holding it out for him, Rikka looks back toward where Akane's scoping out the rooms.
"You think so?" Rikka asks, her serious expression shifting back to something more thoughtful. "We'll have to take that into consideration - brainstorm some ideas..."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Now somewhat self-conscious, the agent shakes his head, affirming, "No, that'll be fine." Now they at least only have to deal with subconscious bias rather than being treated as if they're not serious.
Akane says, "One bedroom gives us three rooms, the earth floor, and mayyyybe the storage space? Though we might actually want to use that for storage space, unless we want to keep paying for the unit forever..." It's not that expensive, but with a full-on house payment it might start feeling like a pinch...
Akane pokes around the closets a bit. "Hmr... closet space is fine... A little small for my tastes but not horrible. We'd just need an organizer... and laying this room out in particular might suck." She starts trying to map it out in her head, taking a few steps around the room here and there... "Hey, Rikka -- can you spread your arms out as far as you can both ways and hold my hand here? I'm trying to get a good sense of how big this room actually is," she says, putting one hand against the wall.
This also gets her focused on Rikka rather than the room again, though. "If nothing else this might be a pretty good fallback if the other places we're looking at turn out to suck. It's not bad, and I can think of worse things than spending a few hours on the train with you every day?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
The agent affirms that it'll be fine - and Rikka gives him a nod of acknowledgment. If they have to deal with the bias, then... that's fine. Maybe it would've been smarter to play it safe until it was too late for anyone to do anything about it... but it's hard for her to not want to take the honest route, to find out ahead of time. She'll just have to look everything over like a hawk.
Rikka returns to follow Akane, with that, watching her poking into the rooms and considering their options.
"It'd be nice to cut out some expenses..." Rikka considers. "We'd already need less room for storage with more room for our things... I guess it's just a matter of how it'd look."
Akane moves to check out the closets, and Rikka looks in on them. She watches her work, the way she forms a mental map of it... Rikka does like to see the process.
But Rikka perks up when Akane calls out to her with a request.
"Oh, sure." She replies, moving to join her. She takes her hand - then stretches both of her arms out. "How does it look?"
She can't help but smile as Akane sums up her thoughts.
"Yeah. I do really like the house itself, even if the distance from everything complicates things... I don't think it'd be my first choice because of that, but it's worth keeping in mind." Rikka admits, and then laughs. "Yes, I think I could live with that."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane thinks for a few moments as she holds Rikka's hand, getting a sense of how much space they take up wingspan-to-wingspan in the room. Most of the second-floor rooms are comparable in size to this one, so that gives her a lot to work with in her head. How would the lived experience look... She starts considering how much it would cost to knock out the wall between two of the rooms, too. That moves the house up a few ticks in her estimations.
"Hrmmm... okay, I think I have everything I need," Akane affirms, nodding. "This wouldn't be too bad to work with overall." She heads back out into the hallway, and says, "I think I've seen everything I need to, at least. What about you?"
She's tracing that picture in her head still, even as she talks -- and even as they head back down the steps. "We can contact you with any other questions, right?" she asks of the agent. "It's getting close to dinner time, so I think we can cut this off here for now. Uh -- thanks for showing us around."
Then, back to Rikka, she adds, "Do we wanna stop for food on the way home? There's this ramen place I'm kinda dying to try, and I've eaten so so good this week..." ... a little elevated sodium intake is inevitable with the Japanese diet, unfortunately... on the other hand, something that's mostly broth might agree with Rikka's stomach if she's still feeling the tail end of her medication regimen.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane has a better head for these sorts of design details, so Rikka lets her focus on figuring everything out. Mostly she just likes watching the process as she thinks it all over, the way it all crosses over her face.
"Great." Rikka replies with a nod, beginning to follow her. "I think I've seen what I need to, as well."
They had back down the steps, then, and Rikka looks toward the agent as Akane addresses him.
"Yes, thank you. I know it was a little short notice..." She offers.
With her attention back on Akane... she chuckles.
"It's hard to say no when you ask like that." Rikka replies with a smirk. "...Sure. That sounds good, honestly, and it'd be a shame to pass up on the opportunity."
She should be able to handle it - and she's definitely been missing something a little heavier.