2023-02-14: Happy Valentine

• Log: 2023-02-14- Happy Valentine
• Cast: Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada
• Where: GGG Orbit Base
• OOC - IC Date: 0097-02-14
• Summary: After making chocolates together, Akane and Rikka settle in to watch some of Rikka's favorite cartoon and talk a little about their lives. ... they also kiss???

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<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane hadn't been quite sure about cooking on Orbit Base... but sometimes it's good to do things in a setting that's challenging, apparently, so she's decided to go with it. (She'd almost asked to move the whole operation to Sayla's instead, but she couldn't get ahold of Leina to check in by the time she'd had the thought...)

Cooking is actually among Akane's... not strong suits, perhaps, but at least solidly okay suits. Snagging the kitchen during off hours seems to do a lot for her mood that's positive, too.

"... wow, doing this with someone else really is a whole different experience," Akane enthuses, by the time they've finished making their chocolates. "It's kinda nice, right? I don't think most couples cook this stuff together but... maybe we should make this our thing. We can take a second crack at it next month, too!"

... it's really hard to wait -- even just long enough to get back to their room -- to try Rikka's chocolates... but she can delay just a bit. There's definitely a spring in her step about it, though.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Making chocolates with Akane... Rikka's looked forward to this day ever since they first talked about it. If the other residents of Orbit Base don't mind them taking up the kitchen for this, she doesn't either.

Rikka has been hard at work on her own chocolates, an apron from Aya tied around her waist(with a matching apron brought over for Akane), and her hair tied up with her orange scrunchie. She's wearing an expression of focused determination, the effectiveness of which is possibly dimmed only a little by the fact that she's managed to get some chocolate on her cheek.

...Of course, with Akane also in the room, it's impossible for her to remain completely focused on the task at hand.

"Yeah, it is, honestly. I kind of like it... It's really fun." Rikka agrees with a nod, carefully sorting her chocolates into an appropriate container. "Most couple don't know what they're missing. That's a great idea, though. I wouldn't mind that."

Rikka smiles, finally turning to face Akane with the box of chocolates in her hands.

"We should cook together more often."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane hasn't actually noticed that there's a big line of chocolate down her arm -- and it's the arm that's been opposite Rikka for most of the process, so Rikka may not have had a chance to notice it.

"I'd like that a lot," Akane says, as they make it back around to medical, and to the room that... probably won't be hers for much longer. Once they pass the threshold, she finally turns to exchange boxes with Rikka...

... and sneaks in a kiss on the cheek, and a bit of a lick too. "Hmmm... I got most of it, but you do still have a little on your face," she notes, playfully. "It's really good."

Thinking about how to proceed, she asks, "So -- I was thinking we could either get further in Serena or start on Hammer... unless you wanna do something else. We could listen to music, too, actually..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka nods, pleased, and follows Akane back to her room in medical.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Akane." Rikka says with a smile, passing over her box - and is pleasantly surprised when Akane leans in to sneak in a kiss, and licks some chocolate off her cheek. Rikka's face goes a little red - but she smiles and returns the favor by taking Akane's hand for a moment, running a finger of her free hand down the length of her arm where a splash of chocolate has ended up and giving it a try.

"Thanks, I put my heart in it. Yours is really good, too." Rikka says with a wink.

And then, the question of what to actually do is raised.

"Oh, hm..." Rikka considers. "The next bit of Serena is really good but it might also be a little..."

She frowns for a moment, thinking about how to put it.

"Intense?" She concludes.

"If you don't think you're up for something heavy, we could start Hammer, too." Rikka says. "...And either way, I think music would be a good way to wind down afterwards."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane hadn't noticed her stray chocolate either -- so at first when her arm is taken she startles. Her face flushes a little as Rikka licks the chocolate off her finger -- though she recovers fairly quickly. There's practicals to discuss, and Akane can... usually orient on that.

... though she does have to hug Rikka about it first. "I guess after the whole performance thing there aren't a ton of new frontiers for boldness," she concedes, with a giggle. "I like it." ... She does have a long track record of giving out things she'd rather be receiving. Maybe the teasing, too, qualifies.

'Intense...' That gets Akane's attention. "... I think I'm up for that," she says, moving over to the door to shut it and put up a 'do not disturb' sign. "I wanna get through something you like... and I'm having a lot of fun with it! I wasn't expecting it to land for me, but..."

Akane lets her hair down, now that they're comfortably alone. Bringing up a finger into her brown-black locks, she says, "I mean, the worst thing that happens is we get to cuddle more," moving over to the bed to take a seat. ... it's a far cry from the person she was on their trip to the mountains, who thought falling out of the raft was a day-ruiner for everyone involved.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Once you sing to the heavens how much you love someone, it kind of expends a lot of the awkward energy..." Rikka agrees with a giggle of her own. She accepts the hug, wrapping her arms around Akane in turn. "I'm glad you like it, though. I'll have to keep it up..."

But, Akane thinks she's up for it, so Rikka nods.

"Great. If it gets to be too much, or you need to pause and gather yourself for a moment, just let me know, okay?" Rikka assures, and then smiles.

"It's been really good watching it again with you. I'm really happy you've been liking it." She says. She still has a surprise for her when they're through with the series, after all, and it'd be a little awkward if she ended up not liking it.

"Somehow, I think I'd be able to live with that." Rikka replies with a chuckle, moving to join Akane over on the bed.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Ahahaha... I can imagine." A pause, before she admits: "... but I don't have to! 'cuz you're right here in front of me." Settling in, she snags her box of chocolates (or, well, the one given to her!) and pops it open.

There's a little bit of fussing with getting situated; getting everything in order with devices always takes a little effort. She rests her head gently on Rikka's shoulder, one earbud in, once they're finally good to go. "Okay! I'm ready. I'll... say something if it's a little too much."

... though now that she's thinking about it, it is kind of nagging at her. What if this is a turn for the worse in the show? It's clearly really important to Rikka -- maybe she should pick something safer for Valentine's...

She can feel her heartrate spiking -- but rather than get in her own head about it, she just squeezes Rikka's hand with one hand, then pops a chocolate into her mouth.

"Oh wow. What's the secret to yours?" she asks, with a smile. "There's something here I can't put my finger on, but it's so much better than store-bought..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"That's right." Rikka confirms with a nod and a smile, as Akane says she's right her in front of her.

She moves to get situated - setting up the laptop and the earbuds... It might take fussing, but she doesn't mind that, either. There's something nice about going through the effort to do something with someone else. It makes it all the better when they've got everything in place, seated on the bed with Akane's head resting on her shoulder...

...It's so nice to see her like this. She really is beauitful.

"Okay." Rikka replies with a nod, as Akane assures her that she'll say something. She'll keep an eye on her just in case... but for now, she'll trust her - squeezing Akane's hand in turn as she grasps it to reassure her.

As for her chocolate...

"Love~." Rikka replies. ...It's not far from the truth, actually, as she clarifies, "I found a recipe that I thought would be suited to what I know of your tastes. I'm glad it worked out."

It's something that actually took her a while to settle on... but the effort was totally worth it in her mind.

With that said, Rikka brings up the episode...

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Letting out a happy sigh as her grip loosens (but her hand remains there), Akane mumbles an embarrassed, "Ooohhh my goooooddddd," before engaging with that. "It's -- really good. A lot of people kinda get gunshy with the salt, but like... salted truffles are a thing!" ... she really needs to be just a little less of a salt addict, honestly, but for something like this...

"I wanna hear what you think about mine, too! I tried a substitution and I'm not sure how it'll go, but it's supposed to be both a little healthier and something I'm pretty sure you like." It feels nice... to both give and receive that kind of consideration.

They get stuck into the episode...

... and by the end of it Akane is clinging. This is a new high in the Amount of Clinging; she's cuddled but she's never quite allowed herself to just latch on.

"I -- uh -- ahaha," she says, as the credits theme trails out and she realizes where she is and what she's doing. "Can, uh -- I think I missed some of the plot and I'm actually really invested in these two now so like, I want to see it again and catch stuff I missed, but..."

Her heart is racing. She's not sure how much of it is the Content, how much of it is being this close to Rikka, and how much of it is the atmosphere, but... She wants to feel like she's actually engaging, so she shifts topics. "... You know, I'm a little surprised you didn't cosplay Cecilia, though? I know you probably want to be more like Serena but honestly, she reminds me way more of you."

... there's the anxiety again. She did just say Rikka reminds her of the bad guy. That's weird, right? That's too much? That's definitely too much... She doesn't start freaking out out loud, though.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka grins, pleased, as she successfully embarrasses Akane. She's so cute...

"Yeah... Honestly, I was a little worried at first I might've put too much in, but if you liked it then I think it was perfect." Rikka replies with a smile, and the considers Akane's. She pops another in to give it a taste.

"...I can kind of taste it, now that you mention it? But I think it really works out, I do like it." Rikka replies. "It really kind of brings it all together."

Rikka, too, appreciates the consideration. It feels good to know that Akane's thinking about her in that way.

And so, the episode begins. Rikka does pay attention to the show, of course, but she pays attention to Akane, too. At first it escapes her notice, but eventually she can't miss the way she's clinging to her more and more.

Rikka, of course... is perfectly fine with this development, smiling privately to herself. And at the end... She's pleasantly surprised by Akane's reaction. She wasn't sure how she'd take it, but...

"Sure, I don't mind." Rikka replies with a smile. She navigates back to the beginning of the episode, but as she does she looks toward Akane curiously. Fortunately, she doesn't seem upset - if anything, she's interested.

"You think so?" Rikka asks. "I do really like Cecilia, too. It's just - yeah, I've always kind of admired Serena."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Hee hee... the secret is Greek yogurt," Akane explains, on the chocolate. "I was looking for recipes online because the person I was gonna ask hasn't texted me back yet... I hope she's okay." She doesn't seem to dwell or catastrophize, though, at least on that; there's a lot of reasons someone could be somewhere that the comm signal is garbage, and many of them are quite benign.

"Yeah! Serena's really dashing and cool, and compassionate? She's heroic, but..." Akane chews on how to phrase it. "... Cecilia hates losing people without it being just 'cuz she's lonely. Her vibe is also kinda... well, not everything about her reminds me of you? There's some parts of her that actually kinda make me think of Marusan! But... well, if I didn't remember you and you remembered me, I could see this kinda energy from you."

Giggling at that, she pops another chocolate into her mouth. "Yussh sayin'," she says, through a mouthful of food. "Plus I think... the way she gets mad is kinda the way you get mad, maybe? Though I haven't seen that much..."

Playfully, she notes, "I could pull off both her looks though, if you wanted to try the cosplay thing again. I'd need to get a little bit of a haircut, but that's fine." Akane gestures, noting, "... lots of breakage and split ends I gotta handle."

... she's not that much less clingy the second time, though she is paying much more attention to the plot. At a few points, she quietly gestures to the screen, explaining, "This is kind of your vibe in particular."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Oh, wow. I wouldn't have thought of that." Rikka replies, impressed. She makes a mental note of that, as she eats another chocolate. That might be something to look into later. "...Yeah, I hope she's okay, too."

She won't dwell on it if Akane won't - and besides, Akane has just given her a lot to think about. She's quiet as she goes through her explanations - the way she lays everything out.

"...Huh." Rikka eventually remarks, sounding impressed. "That... I hadn't actually look at things that way, honestly. That makes... a lot of sense. I'd never really though to make that kind of comparison between me and her..."

It's definitely something that she'll have to roll around in her head a bit. ...Up until the point that her train of thought is derailed.

"That-" Rikka starts, and suddenly she's picturing it in her head and she starts to go a little red and has to start the sentence over. "...Th-that would be great actually, I think you'd look incredible."

...Having a girlfriend she could cosplay one of her favorite fictional pairings with may have been one of her biggest dreams.

They restart the episode and this time... Rikka might lean into the clinginess a little, but she focuses whenever Akane has something to point out.

"Yeah... Yeah, I can definitely see it..." She considers.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane notices the blush... and now it's finally her turn to get playful again. She is paying full attention to the plot this time, even if she's clinging a bit, but...

... when it ends, she's emboldened. Akane disentangles herself from Rikka long enough to retrieve a juice box she'd left on the bedside table before they got started cooking. She pauses, consciously shifting her energy -- letting herself flatten out.

She takes a long sip, expression flattening out with just a twinge of irritation. After she finishes, she lets out an irritated sigh and murmurs, "I won't use a weapon that can't dance."

... then she instantly bounces back out of character. "How was that?" she asks, with a smirk. "My voice is a little higher than hers, buuuuuuuut..."

She puts an arm around Rikka a little more confidently, and curiosity overtakes her. "Tell me a little about what you like about Serena. I see some of it, but... I think I wanna hear it straight from you." It's one thing to notice things; it's another to let someone share something close to their heart.

"I'm super invested now, if that, uh, wasn't obvious," she adds, awkwardly. "This is amazing. Honestly it might beat about... two thirds of Tarabaman entries for me?" It's not her favorite yet... but the way she says it, it sounds like it's high praise.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Once again, the episode draws to a close. Rikka looks Akane's way curiously - especially when she disentangles herself from her for a moment. She watches her curiously, noting the shift in expression, but she doesn't realize what she's doing until it's too late to brace herself. Akane says the line - says The Line, and Rikka is instantly destroyed. Her face goes red, she feels a shiver down her spine, and for a good minute finds herself completely unable to form words. Until, eventually...

"...God, Akane." Rikka exhales, laughing a little awkwardly. "You're way too good at that."

She shakes her head, then.

"No, no, that was perfect." She assures.

Akane puts an arm around her, and Rikka takes a moment to take her hand and lean into her as she puts her thoughts together.

"...I can tell. I'm... really glad it grabbed you just as much as it did me." Rikka replies. That does sound like high praise...

"Where to even begin..." She murmurs. "It's got this subdued vibe that's more my speed than most, but it still has a lot of heart put into it. It feels like they really cared. The characters hurt, but that hurt is addressed and resolved satisfyingly and in a way that doesn't make it feel... lesser for it, if that makes sense?"

She takes a second before continuing.

"I love the way everyone interacts, how no one feels left out or unimportant even if Serena and Cecilia are the focus, and the environments are really good... And even if the story falls apart a little it's at least good as a vehicle for everyone to interact with and have feelings about it." She says, and laughs a little. "And, god, if I keep going like this we're not going to get to anything else..."

She's not really prone to gushing like this, but somehow, being here with Akane really brings it out of her.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Ehehe... I guess I got a little too good at putting on a face," she says, cuddling up. "But if I can use it like that... maybe that's better than if I never learned how?" The tension releases from her body, as she listens to Rikka.

"I can totally see that! The feeling is very... mature, without being oppressive. It actually kinda reminds me of X4 like that... maybe we need to watch that, but Hammer first, I think. X4's really long and that's after they cut a chunk." The comment on the environments, too, sticks with her. "... yeah, they're really good about keeping the locations interesting. You can get away with that a little more in an anime than a live-action show, but at the same time, there's no, like, obligatory quarry fights or anything..."

The gushing is cute, at least to Akane; hearing Rikka's thoughts on the show helps clarify some of her own. "I was actually kinda wondering why there's so much time spent on everyone else, but now that you say that... I think the show would be a lot emptier if not for the rest of the cast?"

She pops another chocolate into her mouth, chewing on it. This one she takes a little more time to savor... though she notices she has a strand of her own hair in her mouth along with it, which she has to pull back out. "Oogh. Yeah. Definitely haircut time. ... wanna keep going, then? I wanna at least get through this arc today... I'm having a really great time."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"I think there's a lot of good things you can use it for." Rikka agrees with a smile. With Akane cuddled up so close to her, Rikka can feel some of that tension release... The sensation of someone relaxing next to her is something incredible. And she's glad, too, that Akane actually seems to enjoy listening to her gush about it.

"Yeah, that's the kind of thing I usually go for, I think." Rikka agrees with a nod. She listens with interest, though, as Akane recommends X4. "That sounds interesting... You'll have to tell me about that one sometime, we can put it on the watch list."

She nods, too, as Akane comments on the environments.

"Yeah, it's a little easier when you can just draw everything yourself, I bet." She comments.

"Yeah. It'd just... really lose a lot of the charm that draws me to it." She agrees.

Haircut time, though... Rikka smiles.

"...We should spring for getting you a good one. There are a bunch of really cute styles that I think would look great on you." She suggests.

Rikka perks up, though, as Akane suggests continuing.

"Oh yeah, definitely. It gets really good. Everytime I rewatch it myself I end up just kind of... watching through this entire arc in a single sitting." Rikka agrees, and laughs a little. "I might have ended up going to bed way too late because of it sometimes..."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"At the same time, background art isn't cheap... I actually don't know much about production for anime. Maybe I should learn," Akane muses. It's just kind of a floating thought -- not pressing.

The haircut, however, is. "Oooh... part of me wants to just let you pick," Akane admits, on the haircuts, "But I probably need to start choosing things for myself. I might go a little shorter next time than I used to? I grew out really far before I transferred, but if I like the other look... maybe there's something to it a bit."

"Oh no," Akane adds, at binging arcs the whole way through. "I've done that. I can already kinda feel the 'oh, no, we're going to finish tonight' building. ... I don't mind that but another three hours is a lot, and there's a lot more we could do for Valentine's..." ... they should really make Valentine's last a whole week, Akane muses.

"I would love to hear all about... everything. Why this arc gets you, what you wanna do next... places you wanna go, things you wanna do... if we're going to have a whole world to explore together, I want us to see all the things you wanna see most... together." She's tearing up a little as she murmurs, "Happy Valentine's Day, Rikka. I love you so, so much."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"That's a good point..." Rikka considers. It's fun to talk about, at least, and think about what goes into it. But also... haircuts!

"I agree." Rikka says, of Akane choosing for herself. "Oh, that'd look really good... I think whatever you decide, it'll be great."

Rikka laughs a little sheepishly as Akane sympathises with her arc binging.

"Yeah... I wouldn't mind it either, but at the same time it'd be be nice for us to have some more waiting for us, too." Rikka agrees. "For now... let's make the most of the time we have."

Akane tells her that she'd love to hear about everything. Truly everything. And Rikka smiles back at her.

"...I feel the same way about you. I want to hear what you like, to know your hopes and dreams, too. Let's explore them all together." She agrees. Akane's tearing up... With a gentle smile, Rikka leans her face in a bit closer to hers.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Akane. I love you, too. I always have, and I always will." She draws in closer. She hovers just in front of her as if asking permission and, if she doesn't pull away... she brings her lips to hers.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Even if she's not feeling as brave about it as she wants to sound like, in her heart of hearts -- Akane does mean what she says. The idea of being, herself, someone in the way of that dream, still gnaws at her... but at the same time -- there's nowhere she'd rather be, no one she'd rather be with.

It takes Akane about half as long to realize, this time, what's being implied in Rikka's movements; she's still a little slow about it, a little hesitant... but once she lets herself, she brings lips to lips again. The taste of Rikka's chocolate is still pretty fresh in her mouth -- it's hard to miss it. A hand comes up around Rikka, holding her tight.

It's a little different than their first kiss. The hunger isn't quite so high -- but the passion is, if anything, more obvious, enthusiastic want passing that bone-deep need. She holds Rikka tightly, but that tinge of exhaustion is gone, too, compared to last time.

She's happy to hold it for longer -- and she's even a little bolder, relaxing the pressure a bit only to go back in for a second kiss from a slightly different angle. Rikka might feel just a hint of Akane's tongue teasing against her upper lip -- but Akane's not so bold yet as to go for a full-on makeout session. ... it gets a little close, though.

When at last they break, Akane sneaks one last little follow-up in along Rikka's jawbone... and then the energy of the moment overtakes her and she starts giggling, overcome with the glow of it all. "W-wow, ahahaha, it's totally different the second time," she half-pants. "I hope it's still different at five hundred... though I could go for another five hundred of those, too."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka doesn't rush her. She lets Akane take all the time she needs - whether to accept or turn it away. But Akane reciprocates - and so, Rikka holds her tight in return. It truly is a wonderful moment. In the moment, it's as if everything else fades away, just the two of them and their shared passion.

She can feel Akane relax - and is then pleasantly surprised when she goes in for a second kiss. If, in that moment, Akane did want to make out, Rikka would've been okay with it - but when Akane pulls away, she doesn't push for it just yet. She feels the little follow-up and smiles, letting herself relax against Akane and recover. And when Akane starts to giggle, Rikka does as well - slow at first, until soon enough she's matching her pace. It takes her a little longer to recover enough to be able to speak again.

"Y-yeah, wow... i was kind of surprised, but in a good way..." Rikka agrees, looking up at Akane. "...Yeah, me too. I hope it's always that new and exciting..."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"I mean... I don't know if it'll always be that way? But..." She trails off, here, settling back in. "... I do want to see what it's like every step of the way there." She snuggles up, asking, "Do we want to hit the spa like last time? Or something else? I'm fine with anything!"

Sitting up straight for a few moments, she rolls her shoulders around, finally noticing a bit of the stiffness that comes with watching things in a position just a hair on the small side. "Thanks for this... I don't think I would have ever watched this without you! It's really great... and I really like all the new sides of you I get to see, too."