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<!-- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Check your log for bluray editing! 1 mark was detected! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! --> *'''Log: 2025-01-02- Happy Twentieth''' *'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Akane Shinjo]], [[Character :: Rikka Takarada]] *'''Where:''' Nouvelle Tokyo - Takarada-Shinjo Apartment *'''Date:''' 0099-01-02 *'''Summary''': ''Akane's 20th birthday hits, and both she and Rikka have received alcohol-related gifts for their respective birthdays. It's time to try out getting a little drunk!'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed. <poem> Rikka's birthday out with friends, Christmas in as a couple. ... Akane's birthday in as a couple too. She'd thought about going out, and batted it around during the leadup -- but then there was a transit snarl due to suspected Red Dragon Crime Syndicate activity on the way back from the customary New Year's Day shrine visit. While it turned out to be a prank, it ''did'' jam both girls' trip home... and their phones. As a result, Akane's plans for a 20th birthday outing have changed. Besides -- a gift delivered at the office provides some other incentives to stay in. It is, indeed, a bottle of Yamaton 18 Year. It even came with a note from her father that, at the very least, did not suck to read. Akane makes a mental note, at 'multiple actual nice bottles of alcohol,' that they might want a bottle rack for the new house. (Closing's in two weeks...) -=-=-=-=-=-=- Akane started out with some trepidation; even if she's had alcohol -- both historically and in recent memory -- before, those circumstances were always sort of awkward. Here, though... this is her first time actually drinking with her ''partner''. Most of her fears about it haven't materialized. She is, however... ... ''quite'' sauced. She didn't really expect ''how much'' more alcoholic whisky is than shitty vending machine chu-hai and the probably-barely-alcoholic mixed drinks she had with Orie. She's also still a ''little'' bit of a hamster-drinker, in spite of herself; she does not quite understand the concept of sipping unless it's for the sake of an extremely specific bit. "Ehehehe... you know, this isn't that bad. I get that this is kinda... ttttooooop shelf alcohol, but there's way more to that flavor than I was expecting... I feel like we gotta save the rest of this bottle for a reeeeaaally big occasion though." She knows that this was tens of thousands of yen and when she thinks about it she's gotta grimace a little bit. "We should do the wine next... I'd have felt kinda weird not starting with the stuff my dad sent but I'd feel super bad if we didn't get to the Lombardi after I got you ... I made you... 'cuz my birthday was later..." She pauses. Then she starts giggling. "We were waiting for each other again! Ehehe... pppfffhh, sometimes that's still gonna happen, I guess~" </poem> <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed. <poem> It's just as well that Akane's decided to stay in for her birthday today. Yesterday's... incident, has left Rikka feeling a little drained and not quite up to a big social gathering. She would've if Akane decided that's still what she wanted, of course... but she's quietly glad she's elected to share it with just the two of them instead. This is Akane's first time drinking with her partner - and as it happens, this is Rikka's first time really drinking with anyone. The closest she got was that time Mari brought a case of (non-alcoholic) beer to Rei's housewarming party... but even then, Rikka ultimately didn't drink because she was put off by the bubbles. She isn't letting that stop her today, though, and so, she's taken that first step. Unlike Akane, she's a bit more careful with her drinking - doing it slow and evenly. "It's definitely not what I was expecting, either." Rikka agrees. "Though I'm not sure what I ''was'' expected... But, you're right. Not bad." She nods, though, as Akane says they should probably save the rest. "That's probably for the best." It ''is'' pretty expensive... ...Which means it's time to set the whiskey aside for the wine. She smirks - and then when Akane starts giggling, Rikka laughs along with her, fondly - maybe a little more than she might otherwise. "I guess so." Rikka agrees with a smile. "I don't mind waiting, sometimes." With that said, she reaches for the wine. "Here, let me do the honors..." She reaches for the corkscrew... and then pauses, staring intently at the cork of the wine bottle with her brow furrowed. "Uh, wait. ...I don't know wine, is there anything we're supposed to do first, or do we just... pour and go?" She'd probably make an actual wine aficionado cry. </poem> <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed. <poem> Akane moves to stand up and take the bottle of Yamaton to the kitchen. No she doesn't. She stands up, takes a deep breath, and then very calmly and sedately sits back down... and scoots closer to Rikka afterward. This is surely an even better result. "Yeahhhh, like... I dunno, I think we've hit most of our milestones at a time that felt right... uh, once we got the ball rolling anyway?" At this point, they've been together longer than they knew each other beforehand... Akane notices Rikka's intent stare. ... yeah, intention-with-mild-bewilderment is also a top-ten Rikka face, as far as Akane's concerned. "You are ''unbelievably'' hot," she says, before actually addressing anything to do with the wine. "Uhhh, hold on." Akane pulls out her phone and opens an Internet search. &gt; what do italian wine "I'm not looking for the history," Akane groans, trying again. &gt; how to italian wine serve "Uuugghhh!! I'm not looking for food pairings either!!" &gt; pouring wine That last one seems to do a little better. "Uhhh... looks like not really? I guess you're kinda supposed to swirl it before you take a drink to get some more air in it or something." Akane is not ahead of Rikka on this point at all. She takes a deep breath, getting herself away from the research side of it -- -- and runs a finger lazily down Rikka's arm. "So I guess, yeah, it's mostly just pour and go. I did see some stuff about decanting but apparently that kinda ruins Italian wine so, uh, ggggoooood thing we checked." A stray thought hits -- and then un-hits, and it takes a few seconds for Akane to pick it up again. "... you know, it's kinda funny... when I had that crappy experience when I was in middle school I kinda thought I'd never drink again, but this time and the time with your mom were soooo nice. I guess that's why you're not supposed to drink alone?" </poem> <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed. <poem> Akane stands up... and then, after a breath, sits right back down. Rikka gives her a pat on the leg as she scoots closer. Yes, she's perfectly fine with this outcome, too. "I think so, too." Rikka agrees. "It took us a while to get there, but... once we got going, we handled it at the pace that was comfortable for us." She offers her a smile. "And I'm looking forward to where it takes us next." ...Back to the wine, now. Rikka sizes up the cork - but Akane's out of the blue compliment hits harder than usual, causing her to look up, stare at her, and momentarily forget the bottle and tool in her hands. It takes until Akane's searches finally turn something up for her to remember. "Oh. Oh, good." Rikka replies... and smiles, just slightly, as she runs a finger down her arm. It takes her a second to figure out how to work the corkscrew, but when she does, the cork is removed with ease and set aside for later reuse. She pours into Akane's wineglass first, eying it carefully, and then her own. The bottle is set aside... and then she looks toward Akane, as she relays her experience. "...Yeah. I think drinking alone is something you usually just do when you're sad and lonely." Rikka replies. The words leave her mouth quicker than her mind can consider the implications and filter them. "...But it's different when you're with people who care about you." She swirls her wine glass around as Akane's research suggested - then after another thought, raises it toward hers for a toast. That's something she ''does'' know... though not if it's actually tradition or not. </poem> <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed. <poem> The pat on the leg definitely has Akane going. ... She's not hard to get excited. It's like that sometimes. The brief moment of semi-serious talk gets an, "Yeah, for sure. It'll be... really good. I think we've got a lot of... really good stuff ahead of us." The future does feel like it's mostly getting brighter, even if there have been some low lows this year too. Speaking of brighter, Akane's enjoying the look on Rikka's face a lot -- though she ''is'' impatient for the wine, if only because, well... underlining the waiting you've been doing makes it obvious that you've been waiting! Rikka's graceless comment gets a rub at the back of the head and a grimace-smiling, "Guilty as charged, ehehe..." before Akane takes the wine glass. She's halfway to her mouth when she notices Rikka's raising it for a toast -- and with a smile, she clinks her glasses against the other woman's, before starting in on it. She blinks once, then twice, at the taste. Pauses. "Oh, that's kinda -- ooh, so like, it's kinda acidy but in a good way? I bet this would be ''fantastic'' with dinner..." Leaning toward Rikka while holding the glass wrong (akane your hands are going to get it warm!!) she asks, "What about you? What do you think?" </poem> <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed. <poem> Akane agrees, and Rikka smiles. "I think so, too." Rikka replies with a nod. It'll be good, she's certain. Akane's grimace-smile finally causes her to catch what she said - and in response she offers her a small, sheepish, apologetic smile. Akane clinks her glass against hers and Rikka looks pleased - and then, she takes her first sip. Much like the whiskey before, Rikka ends up taken by surprise - and the previous drink definitely lead her to expectations that weren't borne out in reality. Not in a bad way - but enough that she has to reorient. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's good. I didn't expect it to hit like that..." Rikka says, nodding in approval. ...She takes another sip and looks thoughtful for a moment, before looking back toward Akane and revisiting her earlier statement. "Definitely. Did you save those search results?" ...And then, she realises she forgot to clarify which ones she ''meant''. "The ones about food pairings, I mean." She adds quickly. </poem> <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed. <poem> "Ppbbbhhh, it's fine. If I got mad over someone saying I was sad and lonely in middle school I'd be mad at myself all the..." Akane pauses, trailing off. "... well, it'd look like the first year of high school, I guess." She facepalms a bit, and then decides to let it drop. Akane takes another drink -- probably characterizable as a 'long sip,' at minimum, but she at least understands a little better that you're supposed to pace yourself with wine. "Ooo... so like... it's fruity but also kinda almost, like. I dunno." She does not have the refined palate to get more than the top notes, at least not yet. "What do you think? These are both pretty good, but I think I almost liked the first round better..." Her thoughts drift a little, and she looks out the window for a few moments. "Uh --" she starts, but Rikka clarifies ''which'' results she meant and cuts off Akane's question. "Oh, uh, yeah. I guess, like -- if you think this is a little too strong you'd wanna pair it with something savory or salty... if you want it to taste ''stronger'' you swap over to sweet food. I guess that's kinda why Italian is like that...?" Akane looks like she's thinking ''very'' hard, staring at the wine as if it will reveal what she thinks about its flavor profile with enough focus in her expression. "What are you thinking?" It's hard to tell if she's asking the wine or Rikka. Probably Rikka. </poem> <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed. <poem> Akane says it's fine. If she got mad every time... Well, if Akane's willing to let it drop, then Rikka is, too. Still, that she can admit that now is probably a good sign. Rikka nods as Akane comments on the flavor. "Mm-hm. Yeah, it's-" Rikka starts, then frowns. "It's-" Her brow furrows. "...What you said." She thinks it over, though. Which did she like more...? She taps her fingers against her wineglass thoughtfully. "I think the wine is more my speed... But you're right, they were both good." Rikka decides. She listens intently, then, as Akane discusses what you'd want to pair it with. She 'hm's to herself thoughtfully with a nod. "That makes sense..." She considers, taking another sip of her glass. It's a pretty in-depth topic, and something she still has a lot left to learn about. Not that she sees herself doing this often, but when she does... might as well do it right. Rikka's attention is drawn to Akane, watching her as she thinks. She's so focused on her face that she it takes her a second to realise that Akane's question was directed at her, and she sits up a little straighter. "Oh, uh-" She starts. It takes her a second. "Just thinking about what we'd want to pair it with next time we break it out." </poem> <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed. <poem> It is a testament to how much things have improved for Akane -- both in relationships with other people and with herself -- that she doesn't linger on thinking about her past failures, even with the opportunity. Akane can definitely tell that Rikka is starting to catch up to her -- or else the alcohol is catching up with Rikka. Well, either way. "Ooo..." Akane's mind wanders a little as Rikka affirms that the wine is a little more her speed. ... yeah, if they ever loop back to Truthseeker Serena cosplay again that'll make for some killer photos if nothing else. "I dunno, I kinda like the... nutty, woody... thing... to it. But that sort of tangy acidy flavor is good too..." She lets out a content little sigh. "When your mom comes down for Coming of Age Day we should let her try too..." That 'next time' might be coming sooner than expected, in that case... Akane looks very contemplative for several seconds. Then, out of nowhere, "... We gotta -- make nikujaga!" Sirloin, potatoes, and onions in a dashi-based soup... other than the red meat, that ''does'' sound like something in their usual band -- and a good baseline for figuring out what they personally want out of a food pairing. Taking another sip, Akane gets that subtle tension in her neck and throat muscles of 'this flavor is attacking me a little bit.' After a few seconds of awkward squirming, she sets her glass down on the table and lets her hand slide into Rikka's hair a little. "I... like the life we're building together a lot," she murmurs. "Ready for the other half of the month? I gotta to pick up my furisode this week..." It feels a little indulgent to get her own made knowing that it's fairly likely she won't pass it down to a daughter of her own, but... well, you only get one shot -- might as well go all out if you've got the time and the money, right? "''Wow'', thinking about you getting your hair done up is getting me kinda hot." She might have dressed it up a little more, but... yeah, not happening. </poem> <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed. <poem> "Mm-hm, that makes sense." Rikka considers. It doesn't surprise her that Akne would prefer that - but that difference in tastes is good in its own way, too. She nods, then. "Definitely. I want to share that with her." She wants to have it while she can, that chance to share a drink with her mother. She thinks on that for a moment. Akane looks contemplative... ...And when she finally breaks her silence - "Nikujaga...?" Rikka repeats, her brow furrowed. It takes a second for her to make the connection, and then - "Oh! Yeah, I bet that'd be great." ...Thinking about food makes her start to feel a little hungry, but she puts the thought aside for a moment. Akane squirms, and slides a hand through her hair. "I do, too. It's better than anything I could've imagined." Rikka agrees, and nods. "Mm-hm. I've already got everything arranged, so... nothing to do but wait for the big day." Akane's furisode... Rikka looks at her thoughtfully for a moment - but then Akane makes a comment, and Rikka laughs. Rikka takes another sip of her glass, sets it aside as well... and then cozies up closer to her, leaning her head on her shoulder. "I'm really looking forward to seeing ''you'' all dressed up, too." Rikka replies with a smirk. </poem> <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed. <poem> Akane is ''also'' getting quite hungry by this point, and more than that thinking about cooking for Rikka is something that brings a smile to her face. Not every dish has been a perfect hit... but she's a little addicted to the warm reception she gets. Rikka's enthusiasm brings a smile to Akane's face; maybe it's a small thing, but having someone appreciate how she looks is its own exciting sensation that rarely-if-ever gets old. A pun floats to mind, but she can't ''quite'' find a way to make it come out right... so instead, she continues absently twirling her hand in that hair for several seconds, just letting the world spin. ... and the room spin, for that matter. Oh, the curse of being just 150-ish centimeters... Snuggling in, Akane finds her thoughts drawn back to conversations they'd had in the past -- conversations about what their lives together would look like, about what happiness could look like for people who've struggled in the way they have. All at once, she ''bursts out'' laughing. She opens her mouth to try to explain -- and has to stop. Once, twice -- on the third time, she holds up a hand as if to say, 'no, no, really, it's coming out this time.' "... R-remember when you did my meds for the first time," she starts, and she's ''still'' having to fight through giggles, "and I told you I'd be okay with you putting it in my butt?" ... Yeah now she's just cackling. It's hard to believe it's been more than two years since then. ... No, maybe more than that, it's hard to believe the sting is out of everything that happened enough that thinking back to the time before Alexis, Dr. Murasame, and Martha Vist-Carbine all went to prison that she can isolate that moment and start laughing without it drawing her too much toward the surrounding circumstances. "I remember that was the first time we really talked about, like... what the future looked like for us. And I guess we made it a pretty good chunk of the way to what we talked about..." She picks up her wine glass again, asking, "... how about a second toast to that? To making it through all this junk and having our own place." </poem> <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed. <poem> Rikka is perfectly satisfied, in that moment, just cuddling as Akane absently twirls her hand through her hair. It's nice. ...And then, Akane laughs. Rikka looks up at her, brow raised in a questioning manner. Akane laughs and doesn't stop laughing - and it takes a little while before Rikka gets an explanation. She stares, as the explanation itself takes some effort, and when Akane finally manages it - There's quiet for a moment - and then, the sputtering, ungraceful sound of someone trying very hard not to let themselves laugh and failing miserably. "Oh, Akane..." Rikka says with a sigh... but that smile makes it clear she's no less guilty than she is. ...It becomes fond, though, as Akane continues. "...I remember, too." Rikka says. ...It was a big moment for them - a moment that helped her cement herself, pull herself back when so much seemed uncertain for her. She smiles and laughs, just a little. "We did. Somehow." Rikka shifts, just a little, moving to pick her glass back up. "Now that's something to toast to." Rikka agrees. </poem> <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed. <poem> Gottem. There's nothing quite like laughter tinged with a little bit of nostalgia to make you feel like the world's got a lot to offer. "And the new place has a little bigger tub! So we can get back to that without it being a whole thing." She makes a mental note to revisit the tub at ''Aya'' when they head up later this month, too. Having her guard down this far... honestly, it feels like new levels of pleasantly unguarded. Somehow she keeps finding those -- new ways, new circumstances where she feels warm and safe. And even when she's feeling strained -- at least they're in it together. "... As birthdays go," Akane says, "I'm pretty happy with 20." Akane finishes her glass, scoots in closer, and then pivots her body. For a second or two it looks like she's about to try to straddle Rikka's lap right on the spot. She ends up more just sort of spilling over her instead, her dark hair tumbling over her face. As she reveals those bright red-brown eyes, she concedes, "... I really wanna either make out or cook but I think I'm gonna need like 20 minutes to get to the point where I'm c... where, you know..." She gestures vaguely, terminating at, "Where standing up or repositioning myself aren't like. Hard. Wanna put something on?" She pauses. "Or t... or ppphhh... ppphhaahahahahaha..." She can't even get through the joke. </poem> <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed. <poem> "That'll make things a lot easier." Rikka agrees thoughtfully... and then she smiles. "I'm glad. Happy birthday, Akane." She replies. Akane scoots closer, and pivots - and Rikka sets her glass aside, facing her and watching her. Akane just sort of spills over her - and Rikka puts an arm around her, to stabilise and also just have a moment of holding. She smiles, looking into her eyes - and laughs, just slightly. She listens as she continues and can't ''quite'' get around to something that would be no doubt incredible. Rikka snorts, once against trying to hold back a laugh, and gives her a brief pat. "As great as the first thing sounds... we should ''probably'' get something solid in us before this alcohol wrecks us any further." Rikka comments. "Let's remember that for later~." And with that, she reaches over for the remote. </poem> [[Category:Logs]] [[Category:Chapter 3]] [[Category:Chapter 3, Act 1]]