View source for 2023-11-13: Closed Chest

*'''Log: 2023-11-13: Closed Chest'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Rikka Takarada]], [[Character :: Akane Shinjo]]
*'''Where:''' Division Train
*'''OOC - IC Date:''' 0097-11-13
*'''Summary''': ''Rikka does her best to try to pilot the Mu Gundam again, confronting her experience as 'Treasure Chest'. While she can't manage it yet, she and Akane talk about whether she even needs to.''

----


 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
It stands in one of the Division Train's hangars - the Mu Gundam. It had been the machine Rikka piloted as 'Treasure Chest'. She had hidden it away within the maintenance tunnels of Tsutsujidai, hoping to never need it again. But with Synchrotank gone, however, she needed something else. 3G had introduced her to the Kakuseijin V2, and that's a machine she's proud to pilot alongside Akane...

...But with the final battle looming ahead of them, and so many events that have hammered into her head the risks and what's at stake in this mission, a part of her wonders if that's enough. She needs something more - and the Mu Gundam, with the improvements made to enable her aggressive side, is certainly the more advanced machine.

So, she has to give it a try. In the end, it had helped - it was the instrument of their escape, and when she fought Alexis, its funnels had responded to her call.

Maybe... that's enough.

And so, Rikka settles into the cockpit of the Mu Gundam. The cockpit is still... compact. Isolated, and dark. It's a concerningly familiar sensation. Rikka takes a deep breath.

"...Okay. I'm booting it up now." Rikka announces. Switches are flipped. The console lights up, screens turning on one after the other. Their light reflects onto her eyes, onto her face. ...Rikka takes another deep breath.

"...Alright. I'm... I'm going to try moving it." She starts. She reaches for the controls. They feel a mile away.

Everything rushes back to her. Rikka breathes in. Again, and again, and again.

Outside... the Mu Gundam doesn't move. There's no response. Her heartrate is accelerating.

...In the end, she couldn't...
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
Even though her current remit is Intelligence, Akane ''is'' an operator -- and, well, Intelligence is a desk that does that kind of work, too. Even if she wasn't overseeing this, though, she'd definitely be here for Rikka.

"Okay," Akane says, when Rikka announces she's activating the machine. "All the special systems are off right now. Just focus on moving the mobile suit."

But when Rikka ''does'' try moving it... she locks up. Akane gives her some time; she, of all people, knows when these things take a little bit. After a minute of Rikka just trying to breathe over the comms, though...

"... Let's cut for now," Akane says, with a shake of her head. Almost immediately, she abandons her desk, taking off her headset.

Standing below the Mu Gundam, at the spot where the tow cable will plant Rikka when she elects to get out, Akane decides to just wait for her. It's okay if she takes a little extra time to get out -- but if she wants to sprint it, well, Akane's there to catch her in ''that'' event, too.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
It feels like everything is swimming - but Akane's voice manages to make it through the fog. Rikka reaches out, fumbling, until eventually her fingers brush the lever to open the hatch. She grips it tightly and pulls. The hatch opens, and light streams in. She feels like she can breathe a little easier.

It takes a moment. But eventually, Rikka emerges. The tow cable lowers her back to ground level. She steps off of it shakily, half-stumbling, pivoting in Akane's direction - and lets herself tip, not enough to bowl her over, just enough to hold on. Just for a little while. She doesn't have any words yet.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
The tip surprises Akane -- and, indeed, it leaves her feeling a little worried. While she doesn't immediately express those concerns out loud, as she gathers Rikka into her arms, it'd be hard to miss the pursed lips and downcast eyes as she looks over Rikka's shoulder.

She stays there for a little while, wordless and concerned -- just breathing, and letting Rikka breathe. Sometimes it's okay just to be present, she tells herself -- she doesn't have to launch into solutions right away.

... what she ''can'' do, though, after a minute or so of thought, is...

"... really proud of you for trying," she whispers in Rikka's ear. "Want to go get a snack and talk about it? Or talk about other stuff, I guess..."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Slowly, Rikka's breathing starts to level out. Her tension eases, as they stay there quietly for a moment. Eventually,  Akane breaks the silence. Rikka squeezes gently in response, and then, when she makes a suggestion - Rikka opens her mouth. Nothing comes out at first, then she swallows and tries again.

"...Y-yeah. Yeah. Let's... do that." She agrees. She steps away, letting go so that they can both walk. Right now... it'd probably be for the best to put a little distance between themselves and here.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
Nodding to Rikka, Akane lets Rikka disengage herself; for good measure, after a few moments, she moves to hold her hand. It's hard to miss the worry in her eyes, but she's at least trying to keep herself stable instead of pulling into Rikka's own anxieties and spiraling.

She leads Rikka an okay distance away, over to a vending machine and a bench; she gets herself some potato chips, and offers to snag something for Rikka too. Once they sort out food, though, she leads her over to that bench.

... and then she's silent, for a little while. Rikka can take this one at her pace.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Akane moves to hold her hand and Rikka holds on, following her as Akane leads them away toward a vending machine. Akane gets potato chips, and Rikka requests a fruit granola bar. They move to sit down and Rikka unwraps her bar. She eats it quietly... and once she's about half-way through, she breaks the silence.

"It felt like... I was back there again. I remembered everything - how I felt, what I did. It was all too familiar. I tried to tell myself it wouldn't happen again, but..." She trails off, staring at her bar for a moment.

"...Do you think I rushed into it?" Rikka asks quietly.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
Mmm... salt. Akane takes a few moments to appreciate her chips; these, too, are nice. Not everything has to be a grim reminder of how things change for the worse as much as they do the better.

"Yeah..." Akane nods. "I kinda -- wasn't feeling too crazy about being your operator in that thing either." It was just one battle and one 'day trip,' but even so...

Rikka asks if this was rushing, and Akane pauses. "Hmmm... it's been like, what, five months? Six? And you've been out there in Synchrotank and V2 a couple times since then... I don't think you rushed into it." Akane scoots a little closer.

She mulls it over... but she doesn't find any obvious answers just yet. So instead: "It's okay if you never get back in that thing. V2 isn't quite as strong, and it takes both of us, but still."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
One battle and one 'day trip'...one that left a lasting effect on their lives. Rikka nods. She doesn't blame her.

"...That must've been hard on you." Rikka murmurs. To have to be the one to push that button... it's cruel, in a way. She looks up, then. She doesn't think she rushed into it. Rikka nods - and when Akane scoots a little closer, Rikka scoots closer, too.

Akane assures her that it's okay if she never gets back into it - if she never gets back into V2.

"Well... I don't mind it taking both of us. It's... kind of nice." Rikka admits, briefly cracking a weak smile. It fades after just a moment, though, and she takes another bite of her granola bar as she works through her thoughts.

"I guess I'm just... afraid. Of what's coming up. I don't know what's going to happen. If it's possible it could've helped us... I didn't want to have not tried it. But it's still..."

She trails off and, when she can't really find an end to that sentence, takes another bite.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
"It's..." Akane trails off. Having to operate for 'Treasure Chest' -- to be the one to take actions she knew full well would hurt her. ... for that matter, to be the one to purposefully give strictly average-to-mediocre guidance to the flight wing. Akane tries not to think about it, but...

... even if they made the choice to be there -- and to risk their lives for the sake of an organization like the Vist Foundation... there's no doubt that Akane altered (and ended) a lot of possibilities, that day.

It's something she tries not to think about. "Mmhm," Akane says, at the thought of it being kind of nice. "I really like it... It's nice to be able to trust you."

The fear of what's coming up, though, looms large. "Yeah... we've got some seriously rough battles ahead of us," Akane murmurs. "And we're down some staff, too." She takes a breath, glancing down. "I keep wondering if I could... turn myself into a kaiju again, too. If it'd help. Like Betterman. Like -- that's not how anything works, but it's still..." Trailing off the same way, Akane pushes some of her dark hair out of her face.

"... I hope it's fine. I have a lot more to do... and I want to share that stuff with you." Akane takes another potato chip, biting down. The salt craving starts to level off a bit, and she leans into Rikka.

"... it's okay to be scared," she eventually mumbles.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Rikka looks toward Akane as she trails off. She nods - and is content to leave it that. There are things they'd both like to not think about.

"Yeah." Rikka agrees with a nod. "It's... Synchrotank was a team effort too, for the most part, but it feels different when it's with you."

She nods in agreement, then. They might be facing some of their hardest fights yet... and as she says, they're down people. Rikka watches her as she glances down, as she says she'd wondered if she could turn herself into a kaiju again.

...So Akane's been thinking about that kind of thing, too. With Akane's hands still busy Rikka elects instead to rest a hand on her knee, and when Akane leans into her, Rikka follows suit.

"...Me too." Rikka murmurs in agreement. There's so much she wants to do, so much she wants to share with Akane... "We still have things we want to do together... So, we'll do everything we can."

She hesitates for a second.

"And... it's alright. You're plenty helpful as you are now. I'm glad you're here with me. Like this." She assures... and then nods back, as Akane mumbles. "...Yeah. It is."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
"I can get that," Akane affirms. Having a lot of people handling different roles, maybe even moving from cockpit to cockpit... that's very different from the tandem swapping V2 enables.

With a little self-deprecating laugh, Akane says, "... Yeah. It'd be pretty hard to date as a kaiju, anyway... and I like being with you more than winning." She breathes out, before admitting, "Though I guess we need to do both here, huh..."

Akane tilts the potato chip bag back, pouring a few into her mouth; when she realizes this means she doesn't need to occupy both her hands, she brings hers to rest on top of Rikka's. "... I'm kinda nervous about if I'll get a chance to do everything I want to do. Now that Kamuy's..." She trails off. She doesn't want to say it; as morbid as she is, she doesn't want to contend with that kind of finality, either.

"... I never really got along with him. He always had kind of bad vibes," Akane murmurs. "He could be kinda weird around Hinoki, too... but I don't --" She catches herself. It's an awkward comment. "... I guess somewhere along the line I realized it's kinda hypocritical not to want second chances for guys like that, too."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Rikka nods - and when Akane laughs, Rikka laughs, too.

"For you, I'd be willing to figure out how to make it work... but it ''would'' be kind of a pain." Rikka replies with a smirk. She nods, though. "...Yeah. We do. ...We will."

Akane continues and Rikka looks toward her curious, but - Kamuy... Rikka goes quiet. She remembers that moment well. She's not sure she could ever forget it, face to face with him like that. She nods. Akane doesn't finish the sentence - and that's just fine with Rikka, too.

She didn't really know him - but Akane did, and Rikka nods as she continues.

"...Yeah. Everyone deserves that second chance." She agrees, and smiles, just slightly. "...It's good to hear you say that."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
Akane gets an answer to 'would you still love me if I were a worm,' or perhaps 'would you still love me if I were several worms and a giant rock,' and it keeps her from getting too tense. "You are ''so'' much," Akane giggles out -- before planting a quick peck on Rikka's cheek.

Taking a breath, Akane says, "... I guess it doesn't matter now, but it's something I want to remember for next time." That's all they can really do, right? 'We'll do better next time.' And mean it. "... anyway, all that has me working a little more on Intelligence stuff. At first I was kinda feeling bad about holing up in my room the first week and doing schoolwork, but now I'm kinda glad I did... I bet I'd feel way more crunched. Even then, though, I dunno if we'll get a chance at everything..."

She thinks about that. "It's only a few weeks until your birthday, huh..." ''That'' gets her to smile. "Assuming we don't have any operations that day... do you want, like, a full-on party, or just...?"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Akane giggles and gives her a quick peck on the cheek, and that gets a laugh out of Rikka, too. Her heart is already feeling much lighter.

"I know~." She replies, looking smug for a moment - but Akane takes a breath, and it gives them both time to recenter.

"Yeah." Rikka agrees. It's something good to remember. Intelligence... Rikka nods. That does make sense. "I think you definitely had the right idea, there..."

She agrees, and thinks about it.

"...Yeah, we'd have to really squeeze it in. Things ended up a lot more... eventful than we expected." She considers.

And then, Akane brings up her birthday. Rikka smiles back.

"...Yeah, it's coming up." That's a good question, though. What does she feel like...? "...I think I'm kind of feeling something a little more low-key. I don't mind a big party... but this one's special."

Their first chance at spending a birthday together...

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
Akane loves every one of Rikka's expressions, but that smug teasing... ''does'' do it for her. She finishes off her potato chips, snuggling up on the bench. Knowing how much could happen outside of these moments makes it easier to cherish them, in some ways."

Eighteen... it really did get there when she wasn't so much as thinking about it. "Low-key it is," Akane agrees. "I have a plan... it's not quite ready yet, though. I've been working up to it." Just what that plan is and where she's been working on it... she keeps to herself for now.

"... I really want to get this one right," she adds, her expression turning a little more serious. "I missed some really important stuff... I don't want to keep missing out on opportunities."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Akane finishes off her chips and Rikka finishes off the last of her granola bar, taking the opportunity to snuggle up as well.

Akane agrees with her decision, though, and Rikka smiles - and then, looks with interest as she mentions a plan.

"Now you've got me curious..." She considers, then smiles. "I'm looking forward to it."

Akane's expression gets serious, though. Important things she missed... Rikka nods.

"I know you will." She assures. Even if things don't turn out quite the way Akane wants, the fact that they're experiencing it together is enough. "There's still so many more opportunities out there for you... it's never too late to start."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
"Hehehe... good." It's Akane's turn to look a little smug. "I like having a couple surprises up my sleeve still... though it's ''seriously'' hard not to just tell you now and watch you get excited."

She sits up a little straighter, finally, not wanting to crowd Rikka ''too'' much. She's gotten it through her head that her physical presence is more calming than a burden, but still... it's important to ''move'', too.

"Yeah... you're right. We've got a lot to do, so we have to make it through this stuff." She adds, "I'll think about it. Oh, and, uh --"

Here she pauses, turning a little pink. It's getting ''easier'' to ask this question, but she's still not ''really'' used to it --

"... Your room, mine, or separate tonight? I'm gonna warn you, mine's kinda messy 'cuz I was working on something..."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
"I'll just have to wait and be surprised, then. It'll make it all the more worth it." Rikka decides. That smug look from Akane... She appreciates it, too.

Akane sits up, so Rikka shifts herself accordingly - and then nods.

"Yeah. We'll see it through, together." She agrees. They have to. And... Rikka can't help but smile as she notes Akane turning pink.

"Hmm... how about mine, then?" Rikka decides. She feels pretty confident saying that.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
Even though they've been together for months now... yeah, that still makes Akane's heart pound a little bit. "Great," she says, with a smile. "I didn't wanna crowd you if the... dry run," she almost says test but ''really'' does not want to say test in the context of the Mu Gundam, "was too much."

Finally standing back up, Akane looks at her hand and the empty potato chip bag, then looks at Rikka. Her cheeks puff out a bit, and she has to ask:

"... Do you remember where the last garbage can was?" As much fun as she's having flirting, she's not just going to leave an empty bag on a hallway bench...

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
"Thanks... I appreciate that." Rikka replies, offering a smile in return. "I was feeling a little like that at first, but now that I've had time to settle I think I'd prefer the company."

She pauses for a second.

"And... thanks, for being there for me." She offers. She stands up, then - and she can't help but laugh a little. ...That's right, it wouldn't do to litter on the train.

"Uh... let me think.." She considers. "I think there should be one on the way? Otherwise we might need to swing by the dining car first..."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
"... UUuugghhh that's so faaaaar," Akane complains, letting herself just be a whiny teenager. "But... I guess that's important too." She stretches out a little, rolling her shoulders and starting on the way. "... Well, in the worst case I'll just throw it away in your room trash," she mumbles to herself.

Looping back to where she started, she adds, as they start to move, "... I'm really proud of you. I think Rikka's really, really strong."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Rikka laughs, again, as Akane complains. Her whining ''is'' pretty cute... it kind of makes her want to tease her about it. She doesn't at the moment, though, instead following after her.

"Yup. Sometimes the important things take a little more effort." She says with a nod, and then considers for a second. "...That's an option, too."

She follows Akane's gaze back, then looks back to Akane herself.

"When you say it like that... it really makes me want to believe it." Rikka replies with a smile. "Thank you."

If Akane thinks she's strong... then she'll be strong.
</poem>
[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Phase 1]]
[[Category:Phase 1, Turn 4]]