2024-09-03: Peaceful Reunion

• Log: 2024-09-03- Peaceful Reunion
• Cast: Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada, Yuta Hibiki
• Where: NUNE Administrative Region of Dakar
• OOC - IC Date: 0099-09-03
• Summary: After finally getting out of the house and taking that trip, Rikka and Akane have a chance meeting with an old friend.

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<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

The first two days after Break The World... were rough, to say the least. For a little bit, it looked like they might be canceling the trip... but after finally going 'can we even get international flight or train service,' the funk started to dissipate bit by bit.

If nothing else, they can go be miserable somewhere else.

That somewhere else, for the moment, is the New United Nations Earth Libraries and Archives System (apparently the answer to 'what are they calling it now?' was to change nothing and make it a system). Walking the shelves didn't grab Akane's attention quite as much as she might have liked, but she seems to be gradually hitting her daily life speed again as they exit the library.

"Hrrmmm... that was it for planned stuff for the day," Akane murmurs, checking her phone for their itinerary. "I think it's pretty much free explore-the-city stuff right now..." She scrolls through her phone. "Hrrmm. Marusan said she'll be in the city Thursday, but that doesn't really help us find anything to do right now..."

Taking a seat on a bench outside the library, Akane waits for Rikka to take a seat with her, and once she does, leans into her a bit. "... I'm glad we made ourselves still go," she says, softly.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka took everything... poorly. She was barely able to pull herself out of bed the first day. The second, she barely left the house. But after finding motivation to get up and move... it helps, at least, to be doing something.

They had a trip scheduled, after all. It was part of the future they fought for.

Perusing the shelves was enlightening, at least, even if they didn't find anything of particular interest. It's fascinating to see history from such long ago. Even with the world in its current state, some history still survives. There's something to that.

"We could find some place to eat and then head back to our room?" Rikka suggests. "...I don't mind if we meander a bit more than usual, though."

She's still a bit more subdued than usual, still a little more low-energy. The weight's still there... but it has lessened.

"Yeah..." Rikka considers with a pensive frown, as she takes her seat. Akane leans into her a bit, and Rikka can't help but smile, just a little.

"...Yeah. Me too." Rikka agrees. She looks out over the street, as cars and people pass by. ...There's a different energy to people, these days. She supposes she shouldn't be surprised.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

        As for Yuta.... Yuta had not been in the best of mood these days. Doubly so. For one, they were not cold-hearted enough that a tragedy of this scale could be met with complete apathy, and for another.... were there preparations truly for nothing? Have they survived an event of this magnitude on nothing but sheer luck and other people's efforts again? Annoyed. Annoyed. They couldn't help that they were occupied with something else as it all happened. Not that they had any delusions of grandeur. They didn't think they could stop this entirely by themself, but.... not even having the chance to take a stand? That's what bothered them.

        Still, letting themself get immersed like this would help no one, and if the show goes on, there was a lot to be done. Post-tragedy relief efforts, collecting information, checking if any opportunist factions would make a move, for one. No time to beat themself up or to just gloom in the general sorrow the whole place exuded anyway. Acknowledging it was one thing, doing nothing was another.

        However, that was entirely unrelated to the dilemma currently at hand. Yuta Hibiki was looking at two very familiar frames, frames which apparently hadn't noticed them yet. Akane and Rikka, sitting together under a tree.... and it was hard to say love was in the air, with the current trend and mood. Should they retreat? Should they reach out to the duo? After a small internal debate....

        "I can't say I expected to see familiar faces here, from all places. Fancy meeting you here, Rikka. Akane." Yuta opted for the latter. Walking towards them and making their presence known, the red-haired youngster wasn't heartless enough to at least say hi when they clearly looked down.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

The slowness of the world... the faint malaise over things, as people just like them try to do the same thing they are -- struggle, bit by bit, back to normalcy. It's something that Akane remembers keenly -- Tsutsujidai had that feeling, for such a long time, too.

Maybe the city remembered her violence a little more than she thought, even when she had access to the Venora.

"Hmmm, yeah... we could. The maafe from the place we had for lunch was really good, but the lamb is still sitting kinda heavy for me... maybe some fish yassa for dinner?" She starts typing into her phone, but...

... someone else reaches out before she can fully finish typing. "Huh?" Akane looks up -- and sees...

"Hibiki-kun? Kinda surprising to see you all the way out here..." she starts, taking a deep breath. The first question her mind gravitates to, of course, is:

'I wonder if they've still got a scar.'

... it'd be weird to ask, though. "What... brings you out here?" As anxiety-inducing as it is, she feels like she ought to approach them... well, like a high school classmate. They were, after all, high school classmates. "Rikka and I... have a bit of a history with the city, so we thought we'd wrap up summer with a trip out here..." She moves to make room on the bench, though actually making room will require Rikka's cooperation too. "What about you? Wanna take a seat?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Yeah, same here... I don't regret it, though." Rikka admits just a bit sheepishly. Sometimes, going on vacation means doing things you'll pay for later that you'll look back on fondly. It was really good. "That sounds nice... let's try that. I was thinking -"

But whatever it was she was thinking gets lost to time at the sight of a familiar face, who greets them. The air might be heavy, but Rikka still has a smile for them.

"Oh, Yuta, it's good to see you." She greets. She's... relieved. It's good to know they're alright. Akane asks the pertinent question, though - brings up their history with this place. Rikka nods.

"Yeah. This isn't how we expected to come back, but... we made it, at least." She says. Akane moves to make room and Rikka does the same, making room for them to sit if they so choose.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

        "I saw you two from afar as I was passing by, and thought I should at least say hello." Yuta said, though that didn't really answer Akane's question. "Well, I've been... around the region for the past two weeks, I had a couple of deliveries to make, for work." That was more of a proper answer, if still non-committal. "Though I'm done for the day."

        Hibiki had polite smile on their face. Compared to back when they were classmates, they were.... certainly more approachable, and had more situational-awareness, but they've also tended to keep people at arm's length. Probably not a bad thing.

        "I wouldn't want to intrude on your date, really." - playing third wheel for a girl they used to like back then could be awkward too... though they've been past that from the moment those memories flooded their brain, two years ago. Scratching their cheek, they added with a bit of flair - "You two just happened to looking gloomily at the street as I passed by, so I thought I'd say hi." Half the reason, at least that much was true.

        Given that they so promptly offered a seat, it felt like the duo was inviting Yuta to stay and chat, but their hesitance was clear. Still, this was a much better opportunity to chat than when they last saw each other at Comiket.

        "That's nice though, I hope they're good memories, at least. I don't have much of a history with any place as of now, but maybe I'll book a vacation at some point."

        As for the scar.... would be a mystery for another day.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Taking a few moments to breathe, Akane looks off to the side for a few seconds. She runs through some things in her head, trying to stabilize a bit; it'd be easy to freak out, and indeed, that's still her first impulse.

"You're not intruding! You wouldn't even be the only person we were meeting up with on vacation... we have a lot of time. Marusan's coming out Thursday," that one's top of mind but she has to pick through her itinerary for the others, "and Tuesday we're having lunch with some of the drama club members from when I was in high school... You, uh -- wouldn't be a third wheel at all! Ehehe..."

When Yuta mentions hoping their memories were good, Akane admits, "... Not really. Some really horrible stuff happened here, but... a couple of really good things happened, too! Coming here again was kind of about... hoping we could make a better memory or two, I guess. It worked for the sluice gate."

There's still a whirl of complex emotions there. Akane continues, "Seriously -- come take a seat. I did -- want to try... talking, to Hibiki-kun."

/////

Her head pivots just slightly to look at Qivi, as she asks to sit and talk. "I did -- want to try... talking, to Gridman," she breathes into Yuta's ear, an answer to both of them.

/////

A lot of feelings tug at her at once. She stuffs them down, for now -- Hibiki's presence keeps her focused on the here and now. "So you're -- doing delivery work?" she asks, trying to ground herself a little more.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"I'm glad you did." Rikka says, as Yuta says they thought they should say hello. She notices that the question was ignored, and then they follow it up. Deliveries for work... She's a little curious about that, but she doesn't press them on it.

Akane assures them, then, they wouldn't be intruding - that they'll be seeing other people they know, too. Rikka nods her agreement.

"Yeah. It's nice to see a friendly face, honestly..." She agrees. Right now... this is the time when they all need it most. Seeing and connecting people... it's important, after everything the world has faced.

As for the memories... Rikka nods.

"...Yeah. It's... well, it's a lot. But... what Akane said." She says. "I don't want my memories of this place to be... ruled by what happened. If I can help it."

As for vacation... Rikka nods.

"I think that's a good idea. Vacations are good for making memories." She agrees. She looks toward Akane briefly as she continues - and then, back to Yuta, as she asks what their work entails.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

        Convinced enough that talking would be in the best of their interests, Yuta does accept the offered seat. "Fine, fine, gloat it on my face, why don't you?" They say with an amused tone, shrugging shoulders as if accepting their defeat. "I really haven't had the time to see anyone in the last two years.... though I did hear about you two a couple times while I was at NERV."

        "I haven't even seen Sho since then. It's been a very hectic two years. There was a lot of catching up to do." In multiple ways. Besides, people tended to look at them with eyes that were meant for him. And that had been a bit unbearable, at the time, as much as they logically understood.

        Since they both asked about work, Yuta pondered for a moment, before elaborating with some more harmless knickknacks about their job. "Well, not only delivery work. I'm sort of.... trying to have a finger in every pie, I guess?

        "Hey, some time ago when there was that Kaiju attack on Nouvelle Tokyo, I was helping people get their money's worth out of their insurances, even." They were about to say that they might actually need to... do that kind of work again soon, but that wouldn't be the most subtle pick of subject. A Kaiju attack was iffy as is, but Yuta was sort of... curious on how this duo felt about it, a bit.

        "It's written right there in my business card that no job is too big or too small, right?" Assuming they still had Yuta's card, from Comiket. "I do mean any job. And before you ask - yes, I have been asked to find my fair share of cats." They added with a chuckle. "Probably the hardest jobs I've got, even."

        "Nothing as grand as you two, but it helps to have ears on the ground and eyes on the walls. How about you two, though?" the red-haired youngster asked, keeping themself casual, disregarding their inner thoughts.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

The world's still turning. Yuta, at least, is still alive, and as poorly as she treated him, Akane's legitimately happy for that.

(Akane hasn't checked any of the Montserrat group chats yet. The idea of checking makes her anxious -- Europe got hit much harder than Japan... how many people is she going to have lost?)

Rikka's hand gets a squeeze, when she mentions not wanting her memories of this place to be ruled by everything that happened. ... it would be a bit much to dig into that in front of someone who doesn't know that history, though.

"Utsumi? If you want, I can give you his number," Akane suggests. "It'd probably be a good idea for you to catch up. I bet he misses you."

'Fingers in every pie,' huh... and that kaiju attack. Akane thinks about whether she can talk about that, and thinks better of it; that particular situation is one that's already a little precarious. "No, yeah, that's really good! As easy as it is to get things up and running again with the Carpenters, it's still expensive and it's still effort. That's pretty honest work!" she offers instead.

He prompts them on their own situations. "Both of us went into 3G right after high school? Actually, uh, a lot of people from Tsutsujidai did..." With a nod, she says, "Rikka's actually a branch chief now! She's really amazing... all the relief work coordination she did after those kaiju attacks is a pretty transferrable skill, it turns out... we've got a lot of support from the OCU government in that stuff too. Rikka's setting the tone for the new branch as chief, but the organization is pretty understanding about our age and education level..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Akane gives her hand a squeeze, and Rikka accepts it gratefully. It's a lot... and, indeed, it's too much to bring up, here. She's not even sure she could get through it all even if she tried to.

Yuta seems to take their talk of people they know in good spirits, at least, so Rikka allows herself a smile, at that. Still, not having seen anyone... Rikka nods, as Akane suggests giving Yuta Utsumi's number.

"He's never said it... but I know he's been thinking about it." Rikka agrees.

Yuta explains some of what their job entails, and - oh, right. The weeks since Comiket have been very... busy. She remembers now, though.

"That's important work. Dealing with what comes after is just as important as getting people situated in the now. It can still be difficult for people to get back on their feet after something like that." Rikka agrees. "I'm glad there's someone looking out for them."

She smirks, at Yuta's comment about the cats.

"I bet. They can be a lot of trouble." Rikka says - but she does so fondly. She nods, though. "It's good to stay informed."

As for what they've been doing... Akane gives the explanation and Rikka nods... though she does laugh a little sheepishly as Akane talks her up.

"Yeah. It's been a lot to adjust to. Honestly, I feel like I ended up getting thrown right into the deep end, with everything that's happened." She sighs, just a little, but she still looks pleased. "I wouldn't trade it away, though. I feel like I can do a lot more to help people where I am now."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

        Nodded at Rikka commented about how she'd been thrown into it - "Yeah, that's a feeling I can relate to. Being thrown into things, I mean." And again, they wouldn't trade any single coincidence that took to get them where they are right now - who knows, the alternative might be worse. Perhaps the alternative would still be a puppet at Tsutsujidai.

        Or perhaps something else entirely. It wasn't worth losing yourself to what-if scenarios. The fact that in a sense, Rikka looked even brighter and stronger than when they had a crush on the girl and thought her to be perfect did bring a slightly wry smile to their lips, however. An honest-to-god wry smile, even. It sounded amusing to them, for some reason.

        As for Sho.... "I might. I went to Tsutsujidai sometime ago, but my trip was a bit derailed by chance meetings with unexpected people, and I ended up not really seeing anyone. People still had that Yuta Hibiki too fresh in their mind at the time, and I also had a lot to do. I do regret disappearing on you for two years though." They didn't. Handled it a little better, perhaps, but they did need the time to focus on sorting out both their brain and a plan.

        "Though Sho might not actually recognize me, I'm aware that I've changed a lot, in more ways than one, inside and out."

        Still.... Akane sort of deflected the small probe about the Crisis Alexis situation - but they also haven't asked if Yuta knew something, which probably meant that the fact that they were still connected to Gridman was still secret. Perhaps it was worth playing their hand a little. "The kind of world we're currently living in is one that even a high-schooler, well ex-highschooler, like Rikka can be entrusted with such a high position - not that she doesn't deserve it, mind you."

        "But even I, a highschool dropout with no backing, managed to get my hands on my own suit and such." Not necessarily legally, but still. It showed that if one wanted a weapon of war, one could obtain a weapon of war.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"They did throw us pretty far into the deep end," Akane agrees. "Still, it could be a lot worse!" Akane raises her hands and gives that little 'snip snip' gesture with her fingers. "If the change in responsibilities from when I transferred from Blue to Red is any indication, there's still an okay amount of deep end for us to get deeper into."

Akane would have a rough time with where Yuta's head is at if they voiced it -- but it doesn't come up, and she's happy to talk about Utsumi instead. "We actually went back up pretty recently too... I mean, a few times, but one wasn't for work. Obon was nice..."

When Yuta mentions getting their hands on a suit, Akane blinks a few times. "Yeah... I mean, some of that's kinda inevitable. As long as stuff like... what just happened happens, there's gonna be stuff that needs doing and people can't really be picky about who's gonna do it." That gets a sigh out of her, though she doesn't rub her face in it.

Her thoughts linger on the suit a bit more. "Are you happy doing that kind of work too?" Part of her wants to ask them if they want something more stable. It'd be the kind thing to do --

-- but she's also not sure it's her place to offer, in multiple senses. So instead, she adds, "We do need contractors, and so do our contractors, if you're on the OCU side of the border..." It feels like a balancing act -- but Akane wouldn't be comfortable just saluting Yuta smartly and seeing them off, either. "I know disaster relief, missing persons, and stuff like that are probably in more demand outside the OCU than inside it right now, though..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Maybe that's been happening a lot lately..." Rikka agrees with a nod. The world's in that kind of state, after all. Still, Akane says it could be a lot worse with that little 'snip snip', and Rikka can't help but smile. "That's true. And I've got a lot of reliable people to count on, at least."

Akane herself among them, of course.

Yuta says they went to Tsutsujidai sometime ago and Rikka listens with interest... but it was delayed.

"That sounds rough..." Rikka replies. She shakes her head, though. "It's alright. It's never too late to catch back up."

As for Utsumi... Rikka smiles.

"Maybe not. But I don't think he'll mind, either. All the more reason to talk." She replies. She smiles, though, as Akane brings up Obon. "...Yeah. It was good to see it again."

Her mind goes back to Tsutsujidai for a moment. Tsutsujidai is fine, for now, and her mother assured her she and everyone were fine... but with the recent news about happenings in Side 4, she can't help but be a little worried about them.

Yuta voices their thoughts, and Rikka considers that. She doesn't take offense to the wording - she can tell what they mean. Still... they have their own suit too, huh?

"In an ideal world... maybe that wouldn't be the case." Rikka says, with a shake of her head. "But... it's like Akane said. I was just as surprised as anyone when I was offered the job... but, they'd known me for long enough, but and I had the mindset they were looking for."

Akane has a suggestion for Yuta, though - and Rikka listens, curious as to how they'll respond.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

        'Are you happy doing that kind of work?' said Akane. Were they doing any of this to be happy? Honestly, the question was so baffling that for a moment, the polite smile Yuta had this whole time crumbles for a moment, and they're just blinking there, staring with a blank face. Half of them thought to say that 'ignorance was bliss', and they already knew too much. But they also understood this was not the kind of happiness being talked about here.

        Shaking their head for a moment, they had the same smile back on their face -- purposely a bit wryly, so it didn't feel like they were just plastering it on. "If you allow me to borrow Rikka's earlier words for a second, it's work that needs to be done." If not for other people, for themself. To ensure their own existence. To allow them to live on, despite everything. "Besides, though I mentioned the suit as weapons of wars as an example, I use it for construction work, relief effort, deliveries. Did you know there's even places who do mech combats for entertainment? Like it's the future of horse racing."

        Interpreting Akane's offer as a polite offer to the fact they mentioned having no backer, Yuta added. "Really, there's things I can only do because I'm not officially affiliated with anyone, which is half the reason I've been jumping from internship to internship for the past two years."

        "Though if I do end up needing help, I hope you'll lend me a hand, haha. If there's one thing I learned in these two years of exploring industries and places abound, is that there's nearly as much value in knowing knowing someone who knows how to do something as there is in knowing how to do it yourself." It's been also how they've been learning more than their position allowed them to, in a sense. Bonds are as powerful as knowledge, courage, or money.

        Though they'd still rather solve everything by their own means, if they could. Yuta was, for better or for worse, determined. "Of course, feel free to rely on me as well - and we might end up meeting a lot more anyway, as much as I was thankful for the two years of respite that I really needed to make up for the two years I missed, it seems like we're living history, once again."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane hasn't consciously registered the connection between Tsutsujidai and the rest of Side 4 yet, herself. She's still a little dazed by everything that's happened. (She hasn't thought to check on her parents, either.)

"And you've been knocking it out of the park ever since!" Akane teases Rikka, at the comment on how she landed the job.

When Yuta seems dizzied by the idea of being asked if they're happy, Akane... recognizes that look, a bit. When you hit those questions that are so basic, yet so fundamental to your worldview -- those questions where poking the answer feels a little too much like it might knock something out of place...

... Yuta recovers, though, and Akane listens. "Something only you can do, huh." Akane weighs whether she likes that answer -- the answer that she and Gridman both shared.

(It's hard to talk to Yuta without thinking of him, even though Akane tries her best to think of them as separate.)

"I did know that, though I've never been there," Akane says, nodding. "My mom did bring me to an arena once, but it was just for work stuff..."

Yuta mentions the things he can do without getting tied down, and that... gnaws at Akane in a way she can't put her finger on. "... Yeah. We'll be in touch," Akane agrees, nodding to Yuta. "Kinda wish things would get a little less interesting, though..."

... this conversation is starting to get dangerously close to the 'forever gloom' spot, and Akane's stomach is starting to nag at her. "We should probably let you get back to the rest of your day, but it was really good to see you again! ... Good luck today, Hibiki."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Thanks. I'm glad you think so." Rikka replies, laughing a bit sheepishly. "I still wonder if I'm really qualified sometimes, but... most people think I am."

She'd be lying if she said everyone was happy with her - but thankfully, if anyone in 3G thinks that way, they've kept it to herself.

Rikka catches the way Yuta's smile crumbles. ...It's telling, a bit. She nods, though.

"...Yeah. There's a lot of good they can do." She says. Synchrotank was an example of that. There's a lot of people she wouldn't have been able to help without it. Mech combat for entertainment... "Yeah, I hear it's pretty big."

Things they can do only because they aren't affiliated, huh...

"You must've gotten to learn a lot." Rikka considers. They do mention lending a hand if they end up needing help, though, and Rikka nods along with Akane. "Yeah, for sure."

...She can't help but agree with Akane there. It would be much nicer if the world would quiet down a little and give them time to breathe.

"Yeah, we'll definitely reach out. Even if you don't need anything, or we don't need anything... feel free to keep in touch?" Rikka offers - and then nods. "Yeah, it was good to see you. Take care out there."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

        Have Yuta managed to brighten up the gloomy pair even for a second? Perhaps at first, though things clearly derailed a bit at the end. This is especially hard with people they personally know - the other Yuta Hibiki was much more suited to this kind of thing, with his sincerity and naivety. Hiding a sigh as they stand up, Yuta turns around to bid them goodbye - at least they knew how to read the room better than the other one.

        "It was nice to see you two, as well. By the way, do give me a call when you're doing a class reunion at some point, do send me a message. I may be a dropout but that doesn't mean we weren't classmates!"

        And with that, Yuta waved and took their leave.