2024-01-09: Planning Futures

• Log: 2024-01-09- Planning Futures
• Cast: Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada
• Where: Legally Distinct From IKEA
• OOC - IC Date: 0098-02-13
• Summary: Rikka and Akane take the chance to go shopping, now that they've settled on colleges. ... yeah okay they also flirt.

---

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

In the end, neither of them managed University of Tokyo-level scores. ... It's a competitive year, but that doesn't mean Akane didn't cry about it a whole bunch.

The good news is that the Nouvelle Tokyo Institute of Technology is very happy to take both of them, with a now-finished follow-up exam in early February. Tsutsujidai's... unique, legal status, as an OCU refugee colony also means there are some scholarships on the table for Rikka.

... Which means it's time to go shopping for a few things! While they haven't had the chance to apartment hunt yet, there are some things you need no matter what -- and they've got to decide on those together. It's a nice opportunity to talk about what comes next, too.

Akane's looking at 3D printer filament, at the moment, though she's thinking about the next leg of their trip -- couch shopping. "Sooo... what kind of color should we go for?" Akane asks. "I was kinda thinking something colorful at first, but now I'm kinda back at neutral... because..."

Akane tilts her phone toward Rikka, showing her...

... someone's wall full of Donshine henshin devices...

"Hehehehehe... Now that I have enough money for the premium stuff I have a lot of these, and the couch shouldn't compete for attention..."

Oh no.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka was there to comfort her, having dealt with that sting not long before. It didn't work out... but now, at least, they have their college squared away(with the scholarships in particular being a big help for Rikka) and can begin to look forward toward other, more fun things.

Which means, currently - shopping!!

Rikka is accompanying Akane, looking over the filament - which is why she doesn't immediately catch what she's getting at.

"Oh, I guess it would depend on the project-" She starts... and then, Akane tilts her phone toward her.

Oh no.

It's a very impressive array - but also, Rikka gets a vision of a terrible future. She should've known this was coming. She knew what she signed up for. She has to deal with now, before it grows out of control...

"I don't... think we're gonna have room for all of those." Rikka points out diplomatically. "You might need to pick your favorites."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane pouts a little. She can tell when she's being gently let down, but part of her wants to dig her heels in and be a brat about it just a bit...

... but she can't bring herself to be particularly intransigent to that face. "Okay, okay," she says, but she looks soooo pathetically sad about it for a few moments. "Just five..."

She does end up snagging some white filament, at least, before they keep moving. The odds are decent they're going to use it either way; Akane didn't spend all that time being assigned 3D modeling class by 'Mr. Todo' to not print out some basic house goods and save a little money.

"It's... nice to finally know where we're going. It was driving me seriously crazy having that up in the air... how do people even do it?" She rubs at the back of her head, admitting, "Now that it's over and I don't have any reason to freak out, I kinda don't know how to feel, but it's still way better than having no idea."

Glancing up as she tries to find her way through the store, she mumbles, "What else should we pick up while we're here..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka meets that pout carefully. Akane is at her most dangerous right now, when she has that pathetic, sad look on her face... She has to be strong.

Just five... that's still a lot, but Rikka can work with that. She offers her a smile.

"Think about it this way - it'll be easier to coordinate the couch to them that way." She points out. Akane grabs some filament, and they move on.

"Seriously..." Rikka agrees with a sigh, as Akane points out that it was driving her crazy. Rikka smirks with a wry laugh. "...Probably the same way we did - nervously checking their inbox every hour and jumping at anything that sounds like a notification ping."

She nods.

"...Yeah. I'm just glad the wait's over. There's still a lot of things to figure out, but at least that weight's gone." She replies.

What else, though... Rikka 'hm's.

"Hmm... do we want to spring for newer appliances, or do we want to try our luck at the junk shop? I've handled them all myself so I know they work, and it'd be cheaper..." She considers. "Other than that... curtains, maybe?"

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Mercy will prove somewhat tactically sound later. Akane hadn't really been thinking about it, but five is much less likely to get something absolutely enormous going than some of the lower options, just because of how numbers work and Akane's... unique aesthetic sense. (Indeed, the most likely result is a single toy and its accoutrements.)

Rubbing at the back of her head, Akane admits, "... yeah, I guess you're right. Everyone's going through that kinda stuff, and I guess we all do it the same way..." Still -- she does feel like she's more of an agonizer than the average.

Breathing a sigh of relief at the reminder that the wait is, in fact, over, Akane nods. "Hrrmmm... I think hitting the junk shop is a good idea, but..." Her lips pout out a little as she sort of half-chews on them, brow furrowing. If she had a straw she'd be mauling it. "Let's see... desks we should probably wait on until, like, we've picked an apartment. Curtains are a good idea, though... I kinda want blackouts, at least for anywhere I might sleep? I know they feel kinda oppressive sometimes, but..."

As they head out of that aisle and toward curtains, Akane brings up something else. "... Anyway -- I guess Nouvelle Tokyo's got some upsides," Akane muses. "It'll be close to a lot of 3G stuff, at least..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Yeah... It's something a lot of people understand." Rikka replies with a nod. They all handle it different... been in the end, she wouldn't be surprised if most people who had been in their position felt the same way.

She does smile as Akane breathes a sigh of relief - but then, there's things to consider. She nods as Akane agrees to hitting the junk shop, but beyond that...

"Yeah... we don't want to get attached to a desk only for it to be too big for any of our rooms. We need to know the dimensions, first." Rikka agrees. Curtains, and Akane wants blackouts... Rikka nods.

"That's fine. We can get a set for our bedroom, and a layered set for... whatever room we turn into our spare sleeping room." She agrees. She doesn't know what that'll be, yet - it might have to be the living room, depending. Rikka likes letting a little sunlight in, herself... but this is a position where she's willing to adjust for Akane's sake.

Akane muses on the upsides of Nouvelle Tokyo, and Rikka thinks that over.

"That's true... that'll be a lot more convenient." She considers. 3G... she thinks about that.

"...I've been thinking about it, a bit." She starts. "I had something else in mind... but I don't think it'd be viable with the current political atmosphere. So I was thinking about maybe signing up with 3G, myself."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Yeah. ... ooooghhh, we need to actually go apartment hunting," Akane realizes. "There's not a ton of time left..." Student housing isn't that difficult to find, but even so... "... I wanna make sure we're close to campus. I've heard university cafeterias are crazy good for the price, and Nouvelle's got a lot of international food stuff going on."

That thought has her excited -- indeed, literally salivating. "Hrmm, okay. Let's get some nice ones that aren't too thick so we can tie them back sometimes without a ton of fussing with it, too?" 'Thin and good sunlight blockage and not ugly' is probably going to drive the cost up, but Akane does want Rikka to have the option to get some sunlight, even if Akane prefers to sleep in the dark.

Rikka brings something up -- and Akane's eyes widen a little when she pitches it. "Really? I mean -- there's no shot they say no right now. There's a serious need for just about any position..." Kamuy's loss still hangs over her... to say nothing of international personnel who've decided to return to their home countries rather than remain involved with 3G. She considers asking if this is what Rikka really wants, but it kind of feels condescending when she thinks about it --

So instead, she allows herself a teasy little smirk as they turn down another aisle.

"Soooo, you're the office romance type, huh? Did seeing Knight and Nidaime the other week put that in your head, I wonder...~"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"We do. ...Sooner, rather than later." Rikka agrees with a nod. Even if it won't be hard, it's better to do it now rather than having to scramble get one secured later. Besides - the earlier they can do it, the better options they'll have... and Akane presents a very good reason for that.

"Really? I didn't know that. ...That is tempting." Rikka considers, with interest. Getting something within walking distance of good food... That would be the ideal.

"That sounds great. Let's go for it." Rikka agrees with a smile. It'll definitely be a bit pricier than going with one or the other... but it's something that'll make both of them happy in the end, so it'll be worth the bigger price tag.

Rikka drops her news - and Akane's eyes widen. Rikka nods consideringly.

"That's a good point..." She replies. She already thought her chances were pretty good... but it makes sense they'd have a need for people right now. "Now's probably the time to do it - especially while we're already planning things, so we can work that into it."

She pauses, as that smirk crosses Akane's face - and then laughs, at her teasing.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it. It's definitely a plus~." Rikka says, with a smirk of her own. "They have a pretty good set-up, huh?"

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"I guess I should decide if I want a meal plan or not... I think it's cheaper? But sometimes I'm not gonna eat a meal every mealtime, and I think there's limited hours for some stuff..." She's just thinking aloud, here -- but it's nice to walk herself through it.

Scooting a little closer as Rikka talks, Akane seems... less interested in the shopping than in her. Rikka's become such a strong person... it's really incredible to see. Maybe the 'world of the gods' was the challenge Rikka needed...

"I can pass stuff along, if you want to hand in resumes and stuff without needing to go anywhere? They're pretty courteous about my schedule but that doesn't mean never going in," Akane offers, after a few seconds' thought. "I -- ehehe, I admit part of me's kinda nervous about the idea of you doing something that can get dangerous, but..."

She scoots closer, giving Rikka's hand a squeeze. "I know you'll crush it. You're incredible." She smiles warmly, and says, "I think you'll have a lot of support, too. The Neon Genesis Junior High Students seem like they're handling taking up with 3G pretty well, and... ehehe, well, obviously I'm gonna be there!"

As for Knight and Nidaime... "They really do. I'm really glad for them... I didn't exactly make the last couple years easy on them. ... or anyone else, ahahaha..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"We might want to just eat at home sometimes, too, if the opportunity arises." Rikka points out as Akane thinks aloud. There's a lot of things to think about - especially if work ends up taking them away from school.

Akane scoots closer and Rikka offers her a smile, as she sees her looking at her like that - and then, a grateful nod.

"That'd be great, actually... I don't mind going in to do it myself, but that's kind of a long way." Rikka replies. There are probably some things she will have to do herself... but it'll be nice to take care of the things she doesn't.

Akane admits that she's nervous about her doing something that can get dangerous... then scoots even closer, squeezing her hand as she offers encouragement.

"...Thanks. That means a lot to me." Rikka replies, then chuckles. "Yeah. I definitely won't be alone. Them, you... and Hass and Namiko seem set on going where I go, too."

She offers Akane a smile.

"At least we'll be facing the danger together, right?" She says with a small shrug.

Knowing she has that many people encouraging and supporting her... it's a definite boost of confidence.

Next, though, it's her turn to offer a squeeze of Akane's hand.

"Yeah, I'm happy for them, too. They definitely deserve it." She replies. "And, maybe not, but... we all still care about you. And we still have a whole new year ahead to look brighter."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Oooh, you're right. I forgot for a second how nice it'd be to be able to cook for you..." There's a long pause as Akane gets the most 'about to say something stupid' face she's ever gotten (no mean feat), and offers, "Soo... eat my miso soup two days a week? Three~?"

She can't keep a straight face as she says it; as they look for curtains, she takes a second to think about Namiko and Hass.

"Ehehehe... ahhh. I'm glad we'll have friends," Akane enthuses. She has faith in the Rikka Corps. As far as she's concerned, if Rikka needs it, those two can pull off just about anything.

As things get a little more serious, though... "Yeah. No matter where we go..." she murmurs, quietly. There's still a lot of worries that bounce around in her head, even after something as momentous as making it through the battle with the King of Kings. ... but they'll face it the way they've faced everything up to now: one step at a time, together.

"Yeah, definitely," she agrees. "Hrrmmm... sooooooo, anything you'd like to decorate the apartment with? If you're gonna stop me from turning it into a big display case I wanna see what you have in mind."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka chuckles at Akane's realisation - and then, that look crosses her face. Whatever's coming next, it's definitely good - and Rikka grins.

"I'd love to~." Rikka replies, without missing a beat. She's only doing marginally better at keeping a straight face.

"Yeah, me too." Rikka agrees. "Now more than ever is when people ought to be sticking together, I think..."

Rikka has the utmost confidence in them, too. There's nothing that she can't do with Hass and Namiko's support, after all.

"...Yeah." Rikka replies with a nod, her expression softening.

And then, Akane asks her what she wants to decorate with, and Rikka gives it some thought.

"I think some houseplants would be nice? It'd be good to get some pictures of everyone, too..." Rikka considers. And then, with an 'oh' of realisation, adds, "We definitely need to find a good spot for Alouette's Synchrotank music player, too."

She still loves that thing. It doesn't feel like just a handmade gift from a friend, anymore - it's like a tribute to the machine that carried her through so much. It definitely deserves a spot.

...And then she trails off for a bit before eventually offering, admitting, with a sheepish chuckle.

"...And, I've got some Serena merch I wouldn't mind showing off, too..."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Hehehehe... I have some different stuff I want to try with dashi now." Working at Aya was really good for Akane in terms of learning how to produce absolutely industrial quantities of dashi of different types. She's even managed to get herself to the point where she enjoys the vegan dashi without making it not vegan, though it's meant adjusting the quantities from the standard recipe a bit.

"Oooo, houseplants are a really good thought... again, we're gonna have to pick stuff after actually getting the apartment -- but I think it'd be nice to have something going on..." After a little consideration and some poking at curtain options, "I think I want six different types of plants."

... It's wordplay on Rikka's name, because Akane can't stop herself.

"Oooo, we need a display case I think? One of those, like... ones with all the cubes. That'd be an easy spot to put the music player and get some good acoustics, plus we could display Serena stuff in the rest of the slots... we shouldn't go too big with it, and again -- that's a thing we should pick up later."

... and if there are slots left over in the display case, well, who knows what Akane will put in there. "Ehehe... I kind of hated Nouvelle Tokyo when I first moved there. I guess a place is only as lonely as you let it be, huh..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Oh, that sounds great... I'm looking forward to seeing what you try out." Rikka replies eagerly. It's good to see Akane enthusiastic about something, and she's definitely excited to see the end result. She smiles, too, as Akane likes the idea of houseplants.

"Yeah, for sure. They just kind of add a nice touch that brings things together?" Rikka agrees. She's had one in her room for the longest time. Her mother's been taking care of it for her... so in the end, she'll probably leave it with her. ...It takes her a second to catch the wordplay, hitting her just as she reaches out to examine the feel of one of the sets of curtains on displays. Rikka laughs, letting it slide out of her hand.

"Sounds great~." She says.

Akane suggests a display case, too, and Rikka nods along, interested.

"Ohh, yeah... Yeah, that would be nice and convenient." She agrees enthusiastically. They might not be able to pick up any of this stuff now... but they're both building up a set of mental notes that'll be a big help later.

...She offers Akane a small smile, then.

"...Yeah. Sometimes you just need a change of perspective - and people to share it with."