2025-06-10: Warm Distractions
- Log: 2025-06-10- Warm Distractions
- Cast: Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada
- Where: Nouvelle Tokyo - Takarada/Shinjo Household
- OOC - IC Date: 0100-06-10
- Summary: One of the last unremarkable nights Akane and Rikka will get to spend together for a while.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
It's a warm summer night. For Akane, these used to mean nights alone, stalking graveyards or shutting herself up in her room. She's six years on, now, from the last summer she spent truly alone.
It's a weird feeling, sometimes -- weird for how normal it gets, weird for how impossible it feels some days. She's not unhappy with it, though -- if anything, quite the opposite.
So it is that Akane finds herself spending this warm summer night with her fiancee. It's a night... honestly like any other, really. She's needed a big chunk of the day to herself; now, though...
"Heeey~, Rikka~," Akane says, slipping up behind Rikka who -- for whatever reason -- is at her desk. "Do you think that outfit with the black tube top, the black shorts, and the fishnets is kinda trashy if I wear it without a jacket, or just normal? Not for an occasion but just, like, casual wear."
A beat passes.
"And is your answer an upside or a downside for you, just so we're clear~."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
It's a warm summer night. Rikka's begun to appreciate these nights, when it's just the two of them and Balam here. It's hard for her to feel alone when she has them. Even now, when she's at her desk by herself finishing up a report. The fact that she knows they're there is enough.
Akane slips up behind Rikka and Rikka leans back, looking up at her as she asks her question.
...She 'hm's for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face as she taps her pen against her chin.
"...Maybe a little." Rikka admits, making a so-so motion with her free hand. "You'd definitely get some looks."
She shrugs, then.
"But honestly, you rock it, with or without the jacket, so I'm not going to complain." She concludes with a smirk.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Wrapping her arms gently around Rikka and resting her chin on Rikka's forehead as she looks up, Akane thinks about her answer a little bit. "Hmmm... okay," she says, before pulling her head back up slightly and giving Rikka a quick kiss on the top of her head. "That's definitely going on the list, then."
There's only one opinion she actually cares about in this equation.
"I was thinking about it earlier, but... wow, it's just a couple weeks until we're, like locked in." Refund windows close, deadlines for arranging things hit... it's not long before they're committed to just about everything about the wedding. "It's kind of crazy... I'm pretty proud of us for getting all of this locked in." She brings a hand back up off of Rikka's body and to her mouth, giggling a little. "Akane Takarada... I just can't quite get over it~..."
She takes a few moments to breathe, then asks, "... You know, getting things going in less than a year... we haven't really talked about the honeymoon. Any ideas?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane wraps her arms gently around her and Rikka settles in just a bit more comfortably into her chair, a smile crossing her lips unconsciously as Akane gives her a quick kiss on the top of her head.
"Great, glad I could help~." Rikka replies, pleased. She listens as Akane continues.
A couple of weeks... Rikka considers that, that thoughtful expression of hers returning again.
"...It's really creeping up on us, huh? We've got everything sorted out, all the hard parts out of this way, and now... we just have to wait." She replies. "I'm proud of us, too."
Akane giggles, and Rikka laughs just a bit, too.
"I like the sound of that." Rikka replies fondly. There was a time when she didn't like her last name... but now, here she is, gladly sharing it. It's incredible how much time and finding someone to love changes you.
Akane brings up a good point. The honeymoon...
"I hadn't even thought about that..." She replies, 'hm'ing to herself. She leans back a bit more - but upon feeling chair legs start to leave the floor she wisely elects to not do that, returning to her original position.
"I'd like to go somewhere - just the two of us. Do something fun, leave the world behind for a while..." She considers.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane just rests there for a little while, arms still wrapped around her fiancee. "It's so exciting," she murmurs. It's not that she dislikes the name Akane Shinjo, necessarily -- it's the name people cried when they wanted to bring her home, after all. But things change -- names included. It's not even the first time Akane's has, after all.
She, too, feels that leaning back and then immediate regret, giggling a little -- and remaining mostly at rest. She does slide her hands to slightly different positions, but that's about it.
Rikka floats the idea of leaving the world behind for a while, and Akane nods. "That sounds really good. I feel like I could use a break for a month or two... but a week's not bad, I guess." She turns that over in her head for a few moments. "I feel like we should try somewhere we haven't been, or at least haven't been much... We could try Australia. I've always kinda wanted to see the Sydney Aquaculture Museum and Aquarium..."
... well, it's not much of a surprise that Akane would pick something a touch morbid.
"I have something for us a week or so after that, too," she adds, playfully. "But I wanna surprise you with that. Just, keep the weekend after our honeymoon open, okay~?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane just rests there, and Rikka is content to sit there like that, too. Just sitting there with Akane's arms around her... there are few things better.
"It is." She agrees. And when she leans back, immediately corrects herself, and Akane giggles - Rikka laughs a little herself, too.
"Right?" Rikka replies, as Akane considers her idea. "I wish we could get away with... getting away for a month, but we probably shouldn't make it too long."
She 'hm's to herself, then, as Akane floats an idea. Somewhere they haven't been... and, somewhere a touch morbid. Rikka laughs. It's very Akane.
"I like it. We'll be starting a new step of our lives together... it fits to go somewhere just as new." She agrees. "Let's consider that, then."
She perks up a little with interest as Akane says she has something for them after that.
"Really now?" Rikka says with a smirk. "Well, alright. But now I'm going to be thinking about it."
She nods.
"Don't worry - I will. I'm looking forward to it."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Class would start up again, and it'd be a whole thing," Akane laments, tone teasing. "But we can totally slip off for a week, unless, you know, everything explodes." ... Fingers crossed.
She finally forces herself to stand all the way back up again, fluffing out her dark hair just a little bit. "I really need to get a trim." As she stretches, her gaze tracks more properly to Rikka's desk now, and then finally back to Rikka again.
"What are you up to tonight, anyway?" she asks. "Sorry for kinda holing up in my room for the first chunk of the night, I had to send some stuff over to 3G Blue... oh, I'm probably meeting with Alouette tomorrow about it after class. I'll be back a little late... do you mind starting dinner prep without me tomorrow? I've got everything bagged up and marinating, so it's not really that different from usual... you're still on side dishes though."
After a moment, she forces herself to mentally loop back again. "But enough about me. Really, what's on Rikka's desk~?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Yeah..." Rikka admits with a reluctant sigh. She'd hate to miss class, after how much effort she's put into it so far. She nods, though. "Then let's plan on that."
Akane stands up fully again and Rikka rotates herself in her chair, legs over the side now.
"You think so?" Rikka considers thoughtfully, taking note of Akane's hair. She likes it like that... but, she's not going to complain if she wants to switch things up a little bit.
Akane asks what she's up to - and then she apologises. Rikka shakes her head.
"It's fine." She assures, pausing a second when Akane explains that she'll be back.
"Oh, really? No, that's not a problem. I'll take care of it, don't worry. Sides, too." She replies. "You two have fun... or, as much as you can when you're talking about work."
She laughs, then, as Akane loops back.
"Nothing too exciting. Just some classwork." Rikka explains. She shifts over, so Akane can get a better look. ...She's been drawing out and labeling a fairly complex engineering diagram, with formulas written out, too. Next to it is a report on what went where and why.
On the other side of her desk, though, with a bookmark two-thirds of the way through, is a copy of the manga they picked up after firearm training the other day.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Not like, a big trim." Akane takes a little hair between her fingers, noting, "I just have a little breakage I need cleaned up, that's all." She can't imagine what a more radical change would look like on her... she's a little uncomfortable if her hair gets quite as long as Rikka's or much shorter than she was wearing it in Tsutsujidai. She's found her comfortable band.
"I don't think it's going to be too much fun. A big chunk of this is going to be about, um, following up on Saistone stuff. Everything we can do as Red for now is kinda prepped... Blue has way better resources for following up on this kind of crime than we do." Akane gives Rikka's shoulder a gentle squeeze, saying, "We'll get it done. And then I'll be home for dinner!"
Shifting her position slightly, Akane takes a look at the diagram. "... Oooghhh, flashback to Mobile Corps tests." The 'Oooghhh' is at least good-natured, and comes with a bit of a laugh at herself. "This has never really been my speed unless it's, like -- how things fit together? Once you're balancing that with having to care about the internals I'm just like, 'pass.'"
With another laugh, she adds, "You're so smart, Rikka. It's... honestly sometimes I don't know how you keep all this stuff going. It feels like forever ago that we were worried about entrance exams, and now you're kinda crushing it..."
... she knows, of course, that it's in substantial part because of all the supportive, wonderful people they have in their corner. It's been a busy year -- but it's been worth it, and soon it'll be really worth it.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"That makes sense." Rikka considers thoughtfully, looking her hair over. She offers Akane a sympathetic grimace, then, as Akane explains that she's following up on Saistone stuff.
"Oof, yeah..." She replies. Definitely not much fun. Still, she smiles when Akane gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You're right, though, they're probably better positioned for something like this."
Akane looks at her work, then, and it's her turn to sympathise. Rikka cracks a grin at the sound she makes.
"It's pretty complex stuff. I don't blame you." Rikka replies... and, she looks pleased as Akane praises her. "Thanks. Sometimes, I look back and wonder myself... But once I settled into the rhythm and stopped overworking myself, it got a lot easier. A lot of people helped me figure that out..."
She offers Akane a wink, then.
"And I have a cute study partner for one of my other classes now, so that helps~." She adds.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The gentle squeeze turns to almost massaging, at this point -- Akane needs something to do with her hands more often than she doesn't, and this option is fun for more than just her!
"It's not that psychology is uncomplicated or anything -- or art, but this is seriously on a whole other level to me. I think it's amazing... the more your skills develop the more you'll be able to talk to more departments, too. Having that kind of broad background must be a huge asset in a job like yours." ... It's not something she hasn't said before, but she only says it because it's true and she's perpetually struck by Rikka's talent.
Her thumbs start to press in a little more firmly; she's now really into the massaging. "A cute study partner, huh? I wonder how much study time you spend studying her," she teases right back. "Because I just know she's at least a little distracted by you...~"
Her voice drops a little lower as she adds, "Maybe she's even a little distracted by you right now." She takes a long breath inward. "Maybe she's taking a deep breath and thinking about how nice your shampoo smells..." Letting out a contented sigh, she continues, "Maybe she's sloooooooowly moving her thumbs down, pressing gently between your shoulder blades..."
Blinking once, then twice, Akane finds herself looking at that diagram again. "... So, um, how close are you to done with that --"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
The gentle squeeze turns into a massage and Rikka shuts her eyes for a moment. Akane can feel the tension in her shoulder ease at her touch.
"Well, I'm sure there's things you're working on that I'd be lost at, too... we all have our specialties." Rikka replies, then nods. "But... yeah. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway. I want have a better idea of who and what I'm working with, and being able to talk to more of them on their level. I want to be able to understand."
Akane's thumbs press in a little more firmly and Rikka shifts a little, at that - and, starts to melt a little, as she continues, soaking in her voice.
"Maybe she is~..." Rikka considers thoughtfully with a sigh, shutting her eyes for a moment - and then opening them again, looking toward her report, as Akane asks her question.
"I still have a little bit to go, but..." Rikka turns a little, to look Akane in the eyes. "...I find I always do better work if I let it rest for a bit."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane nods as Rikka talks about hoping she can talk to more of their experts on their level. It's something Akane's felt, too -- Hinoki's become a real polymath, and Akane really hopes to be able to keep up with her and Swan... at least on neuropsychology. She feels like she still has a ways to go, but she's getting there.
Rikka says -- or at least implies -- she could stand to let this rest for a bit, giving Akane a look in the eyes -- and Akane feels the skipped beat in her heart followed by the ba-dump-bump of returning to standard rhythm. "... Yeah," she agrees a little breathlessly. "We should probably do the, um -- pre-flight checks together."
This is enough to finally get her to stop hanging off of Rikka, noting, "Has Balam been fed? I know this is a stupid question and no cat has ever been fed, but I mean specifically wet food for the night." She has no idea; it's been Akane who's been holed up in her room longer today. "We're... definitely going to need to distract him." It's getting harder now that they have to go up a flight of stairs to get from his food bowl to the bedroom -- sometimes he can be bribed to ignore the stairs, and sometimes he really, really can't.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
It doesn't surprise Rikka that Akane agrees on that point. It's something they've both always been dedicated to, in their respective fields.
But as for letting it rest... It looks like they're both in agreement, there.
"Yeah, good idea." Rikka says. Akane stops hanging off of her for a moment to ask a question - and Rikka laughs.
"That's certainly true - he makes a point of reminding me. But no, not yet." Rikka says. Akane definitely has a point - and they've probably learned this from experience. Rikka stands up, doing a bit of a stretch and rolling her neck to loosen herself up.
"I can go see to him?" She offers.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"He's getting kinda spoiled..." Akane muses, sighing contentedly as she thinks about that. "Ahhh, he's a good little guy." Scooting up to Rikka as she stands up, Akane agrees, "That's probably smart... where did he get off to, anyway. I bet he's going to miss wet food --"
Hearing 'wet food' twice, as always, brings out a criminal who, left to his own devices, would destroy every candy wrapper, pipe cleaner, and stray sock in the world. He walks around Akane's feet once, then immediately forms up behind Rikka.
"... Yes, he does seem to need someone to care for his every whim," Akane says, squatting down to give him a few head-scratches. "You never know what he's going to get up to... yesterday I found him sitting in the sink of that salon chair we picked up for free." She looks down toward Balam, affirming, "Weirdo."
She adds, after a little thought, "I'll... get a few things set up. Uh -- who's taking the lead, and how weird?"
... Akane usually lets Rikka set the answers to those questions. Usually.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"He is." Rikka admits with a small laugh, without a hint of regret. He is, in fact, a Good Little Guy, however spoiled he might be. She nods, then. "Good question..."
Fortunately, Akane has already said the magic words to summon him.
"Hey, Balam." Rikka greets cheerily. She follows suit, squatting down to give him pets as well.
"He does and he deserves it." She agrees with a nod, straightening back up as Akane recounts her story. She laughs, looking down toward Balam.
"Really? Is that true?" She asks him. For a moment, one might almost think she expects an answer. She nods, though, looking back up at Akane.
"Alright." She replies with a nod, then considers it for a second. "Hmm... I'm not feeling anything special. I think right now I want it to be just us."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Oh, right -- we need to schedule him for the vet for next month," Akane remembers. "Checkup on the eye socket." It's not a huge deal -- it's sewn shut, after all -- but it's important to give your cats regular preventive care.
Nodding to Rikka as she answers the question, Akane agrees, "A nice night together it is!" ... This is still not always totally 'normal,' with Akane -- but it does keep her preparation fairly brief and constrained in comparison to what happens when she's encouraged. (Or indulged. Whichever.) "We've got a lot of those ahead."
Akane heads to the closet, giving Rikka a last nod. "I'll see you in a few minutes~ Oh, actually, if you wanna really spoil him you can cut up some of that leftover chicken into his dish... I don't think I'm gonna get to it by the time it's kinda off."
... she is looking for those stockings she mentioned while Rikka's feeding Balam, at least.