2024-01-22: Star Gazing

• Log: 2024-01-22
• Cast: Rikka Takarada, Alouette Pommier
• Where: GGG Orbit Base
• OOC - IC Date: Early March, 0098
• Summary: Alouette catches Rikka on break at Orbit Base. She's pleased to hear Rikka's growing accustomed to her work with GGG, and they sit and watch the stars while talking about what the future has in store for them.

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<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

It took some time to adjust - but eventually, Rikka settled into her new routine. It was no surprise to anyone that she fit in well in 3G, and her time on the Division Train had already helped prepare her for what life was like.

Now, it's the end of another long day of work. Rikka has some time before she needs to head out to catch the next shuttle home, so she heads to the Orbit Base lounge(or one of them, anyway) to take a load of.

She settles into the couch, sipping at a mug of coffee. A fresh pot steadily bubbles on the coffee maker, lending a pleasant smell to the lounge. She's expecting company, so she made enough to share - and for now, she waits. It's a nostalgic taste, made the same way she did it back at the Junk Shop.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

It was little surprise to Alouette that someone like Rikka might eventually get scouted to GGG - after all the help she was on the Division Train and before that. As her new coworker, it's good to see her adjusting so well to Orbit Base and its work... but it's been a while since they just got to chat, too.

There's been some room to take it easy after the King of Ruin's defeat and the return of GGG Green. There's still a lot to do, from exciting new projects in the works, to working out a plan for grave threat that the Yapool dimension represents. So after a long day, Alouette decides to take a much-needed break with Rikka, smelling the brewing coffee.

"Bonsoir, Rikka," Alouette greets her friend, holding tight a mug of her own. "How's your time with 3G been? I hope everyone's been treating you well.." She asks, a bit of small talk, but she does want to know. "Honestly, I really like it on Orbit Base.. it's nice to see the stars all the time." She takes a sip of the fresh coffee. "I guess it's pretty nostalgic, too..." She reminisces, on how little the place really has changed in all these years. She wonders if 3G Green feels the same.

She quickly turns her attention back to Rikka, though. "Oh, that's right... I heard you and Akane both got accepted into university. Congratulations!" She smiles - not quite aware of the nuance that it wasn't the first choice. But it is a great achievement all the same. "I know Akane was floating a few ideas around... but what do you plan on studying?" She asks, to follow up.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Hey, Alouette." Rikka greets with a smile, looking up from her mug as Alouette arrives. "It's been going pretty well. I haven't run into any problems, anyway... I got to know a lot of people already on the Division Train, so I had a lot of people vouching for me."

Alouette mentions how it's nice to see the stars and, in response, Rikka takes a look out the window.

"Yeah. It's a good view." She agrees with a small laugh. "It really helps put everything into perspective."

Alouette says it's nostalgic.

"You've been here a while, haven't you? It's good to know you never get tired of the sight." Rikka replies - and then smiles, as Alouette congratulates her.

"Thanks!" She says, then brushes a bit of her out of her face a bit sheepishly. "It took a few tries... but in the end, we both got accepted to the same university, so it worked out."

As for her studies...

"I'm primarily studying medicine, but I wanted to give myself options, so I'm studying engineering and business, too." Rikka explains. She looks at Alouette, curiously. She hadn't heard whether she's moving on to college or not, too, but either way, she's interested in hearing her plans. "How about you? What're you doing, now?"

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"That's really good to hear," Alouette enthuses of things going well for Rikka so far. Helping out so much on the Division Train probably did a lot for that... but even before then, Rikka was always a dependable ally. "I've heard you've made quite the impression~ even to the returning members of 3G Green."

When Rikka says the view puts things into perspective, Alouette nods. "Yeah... aside from the stars, you can get a good view of the Earth and space colonies, too. When we're up here, they're ours to protect, is the feeling I get."

As for the familiarity of it... "You could say that. I have a room here, so it's come to be like a second home to me, too." She doesn't know if she could ever get tired of a view like that, though.

"If it took a few tries, then I'm glad at least someone acknowledged your talent eventually. I'm sure you both did great, either way." Alouette says, brushing her hair back a little. Upon reflection, though, with the situation in the OCU, it must've been a pretty competitive year, huh? "Same university, though? That's great! It means you can spend lots of time together, right?" She's a lot more enthusiastic on that point, especially since Rikka seems happy with it.

"Oh, medicine? That does sound right up your alley... and it's a good way to help people too." Engineering and business, too... that certainly isn't surprising. "It's good to keep your options open. It helps that you have some experience with both of those from Aya, too. "

As for what Alouette plans on doing... "Well, I'm a year younger so I still have a little bit of time to figure it out. I was thinking something like music or theatre maybe? Something I don't know a whole lot about, honestly..." She laughs, nervously. "Something I never got the chance to learn about."

Alouette relaxes her posture, taking a sip from her coffee. "Until then, I've just been trying to enjoy my final year of high school. Taking a trip with some friends in Spain was nice... Oh, and this month, it's White Day, right?" She pivots back with a smile. "I'm actually kind of looking forward to that for once this year, hehe..." She smiles. "Do you and Akane have any plans for it this year?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Guy said the same thing..." Rikka replies with a sheepish laugh. "...I'm glad, though. It's nice to have people counting on me, and everyone's been so welcoming, too."

It's a good environment. She listens, then, as Alouette continues. When they're up here, they're ours to protect...

"...That's a good way to look at it." Rikka replies consideringly. It's a responsibility... but not a burden. She nods, then. A second home... "It's a good one."

On the topic of school, Rikka nods.

"Yeah, me too. It was a rough year..." She agrees, then grins. "Yeah, absolutely. I think... we were both feeling like we we'd keep looking if it didn't work out like that."

She smiles fondly.

"...We're looking into getting an apartment together, too. We want one close to the school, so we can benefit from Nouvelle Tokyo Tech's food options whenever we don't feel like cooking. Akane says they have some from all over." She explains, then nods.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I already have first aid training... but I wanted to take it a little further." She replies. "Yeah. I guess being raised in a junk shop will do that, but they're comfortable subjects for me..."

Alouette explains her plans, then.

"Oh right, I forgot..." Rikka mentions. Alouette always seems so mature, it's easy to forget she's still a year behind them. She nods, though. "That's a good use of it - definitely enjoy it while you can. And, oh, a trip to Spain! That sounds fun - Spain is lovely."

But also - White Day! A smug look crosses Rikka's face.

"Sounds like you two are still going strong... I'm glad~." She teases gently. "...I'm looking forward to it too, though. We don't have anything specific planned yet, but I'm sure we'll do something, even if it's just taking some time out for each other."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette can't help but laugh when Rikka points out that Guy said the exact same thing. "Hehe... I guess that is the kind of thing he'd say, too. But he's right. There will always be people counting on you in work like this... but there's always room to count on others, too." In fact, that's the very first lesson she took from Guy - she's just repeating it.

As for school... "I can imagine. Between the OCU leaving and all the changes in the Federation, there must be a lot of people looking to move quickly." She considers. "But as long as you're both together... I think it'll be okay." She smiles.

Rikka elaborates that it's not just going to school together, but an apartment too! "Oh wow, that's a huge step! And... it sounds pretty cozy too." She comments, with a wry smile.

"I think I'll probably be looking in the area myself, for when I'm not up on Orbit Base. Then again, there's still some time to think about it." Alouette doesn't want to rush on moving out, but... she's always been somewhat of an independent girl.

Rikka's explanation of wanting to take her first-aid training makes sense, too. "Yeah... you never know when skills like that come in handy." She nods. "I hope it all goes well... and that you at least end up with some time for some fun, between three whole subjects and GGG."

"It really is," She affirms, about how beautiful Spain is. "I went with Seolla and Tessa from Jindai, while we were on our winter break." She thinks Rikka might know Seolla, but she's not sure about Tessa. "We had lunch and went ice skating for a bit. It... helped a lot to just take our minds off everything for just a while."

"It's also a little bit of... making up for lost time." She adds, trying to hold back a slight red flush with little success. "I thought maybe I'd try my hand at making something instead of just buying it from the store, though, haha..." She plays with her hair a little as she hears what Rikka has in mind. "Mmm, sometimes just being together is more than enough, right? Still... whatever you do, I hope you have fun~"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Yeah. To rely on others, and to be relied on in turn... It's a good feeling." Rikka replies. She can definitely see where she got it - he said something similar, when they spoke the other day. An organization with that as its guiding principle... she really has found a good place.

"Yeah..." Rikka confirms with a nod. "A lot of the good schools got snapped up almost immediately, so if your scores weren't basically perfect... you were out of luck."

She smiles, though.

"Yeah, I think so too." She agrees... before chuckling. "It is, but... I'm looking forward to it. ...And, definitely cozy. Spending so much time on the Division Train together helped us figure out what we should watch out for."

She looks on in interest as Alouette says she'll be looking in the area, too. Rikka nods.

"Well... hit us up when you can start looking? We can share our notes, if there's anyone or anything you should end up avoiding." She offers. Apartment hunting will probably be a chore, but if their struggles can make it easier on anyone else, it'll be worth it.

"Definitely. It's better to be prepared." Rikka agrees, then smiles. "Thanks. I'm sure I will - I've made sure to give myself some time to relax, and I'm sure I can count on everyone around me to pull me away from it if I hide away in my studies or work too much."

Alouette mentions her trip to Spain - and Rikka brightens at the mention of Seolla.

"Oh, Seolla went with you, too? I'm glad - I was wondering how she was doing." She replies, and then chuckles. "That sounds really nice, though. I'm glad you all had a good time."

Making up for lost time... Rikka grins at that red flush, but this time, she doesn't tease her. She can hardly blame her.

"Even if it doesn't turn out great, something handmade is a great way to get your feelings across. If you want, I can send you some of the recipes I've been using." She offers. And then, she smiles. "Definitely. And, thanks, I'm sure we will~."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"Definitely! Even if someone isn't at their best one day... there's probably someone else who is." Alouette agrees, that it's a good feeling. "Well, I can't say 'asking for help' wasn't once a really daunting task." She admits - there was always a certain amount of pride to overcome. "But I like to think it got easier over time."

"Sounds like a perfect arrangement then~" She replies, when Rikka mentions they already sort of practiced that type of living on the Division Train. "It sounds like it'd be a lot easier if you get to split rent and chores, too."

"Myself, I think I'm just looking for something that's easy to maintain." She explains, keeping Rikka's offer in mind. "Keeping everything organized is a total pain... so I guess it'd be for the best to limit that if I'm living by myself." She admits, with a twist of her hair.

"If it gets bad enough, we might need to drag you away on vacation, too~" Alouette teases, about Rikka's tendencies to fall back on studies and work. "Ah, but I'm sure it'll work out. So many of us are chronic overworkers, we can't stand seeing someone else fall into that."

"I could tell everything was weighing pretty heavily on her," Alouette says honestly, of Seolla. She keeps her complicated feelings about helping the students escape the Japan massacre to herself, though. "At the same time... I think that smile of hers was just as real."

"Yeah, for sure," She agrees, about how it conveys feelings even if it ends up bad. "A recipe would be a lot of help, though! Cooking is kind of a science, too, but I guess the best start is making sure I don't set off a chocolate bomb in the Orbit Cafe..." She laughs, taking a sip from her coffee.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Yeah. ...And we all have those days where we aren't our best." Rikka says - and then nods. Asking for help... "It's... as much a skill as anything else. I'm glad it's gotten easier."

She grins, then.

"It is." She agrees, and then, nods. "Yeah, definitely. Splitting the effort makes things easier... and it means we can cover each other on days where one of us isn't feeling up to it, too."

Alouette's looking for something easier to maintain, though, and Rikka nods.

"Yeah... it's good to keep your situation in mind. Especially if you're alone, you don't want to end up with something that's too difficult to take care of." She agrees... and then laughs. "Oh no, that'd be awful~."

She nods, though.

"...Yeah. A lot of people around here are good about that." She says.

Seolla... Rikka nods.

"...I'm not surprised. So much happened. Still... I'm glad she was able to smile." She says. Sometimes, even if it's just for one day, it's worth it.

She nods, then, and pulls out her phone.

"Sure! I have them saved for quick reference..." She says, quickly sending them over - and then, she laughs. "Definitely. But at least then you'd have a great story to tell~."