2024-06-14: Dirty Laundry

• Log: 2024-06-14: Dirty Laundry
• Cast: Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada
• Where: Nouvelle Tokyo - Takarada-Shinjo Household
• OOC - IC Date: 0099-06-14
• Summary: After a somewhat eventful week, mundane household issues start to pile up (though the laundry is strictly metaphorical, for now). Akane and Rikka try their best to talk out their problems, then make some future plans. One of them may be thinking about more future plans than the other.

---

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Things have been... a little awkward in the Takarada-Shinjo household. Hosting a guest -- even for a day or so -- is a little strain, and more so when that guest comes with a bunch of presents. Oh, sure, it's nice, but...

... well, Akane's primary sketchbook spent all of Wednesday and Thursday missing until she finally found it put up in the loft, where she personally never takes it -- probably in the process of putting away the cat gift basket. (Who puts a sketchbook in a loft? How's she going to draw with no light?)

The energy spent hunting that down over the course of two days, in turn, has had her going to bed in mild frustration (the second night in the loft -- ironically, leading to her finding the sketchbook) and in turn forgetting the dishes... which also pile up pretty fast when you've got guests and those guests remind you you wanted to make some new and different soups.

... that would make a good excuse once, but this is the second time within a month that the dishes have stayed piled up for more than three days, actually...

All of that in turn led to an emergency call to Marusan... which brings us to the present, where Akane has parked herself on the couch to watch TV until Rikka gets home.

When she does, she gives a slightly terse, "Check the chore wheel," on which Rikka's side has a note pinned:

'I need to talk to you about something. Don't let me not bring it up.'

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

It's been... a day. Schoolwork has been heavy - with a paper to write for a project that needs finishing, it's been a busy. But, she finished it! It's done, and she can put it out of her mind.

And so, it's in a somewhat exhausted state that she returns to the Takarada-Shinjo household.

"I'm home..." Rikka announces with a sigh - and at the sound of the TV, turns her attention to the couch. She begins to greet Akane more specifically -

...But Akane gets to it first. 'Check the chore wheel'.

"...Alright." Rikka replies with a nod. She makes her way to where the chore wheel is displayed, shedding her sukajan and setting it over her chair at the table on the way, and reads the note pinned on her side. Once, and then again.

Rikka breathes in, and then out. ...It's a little indirect, but... maybe this is easier for Akane.

It's not entirely unexpected. It's not like she hasn't noticed the awkward tension creeping in - it's not like she hasn't felt some of it, herself. Something was going to have to be done sooner or later.

So for now...

"...Do you want something to drink?" Rikka asks. She opens the fridge and takes some chilled water for herself and waits for Akane's answer before shutting the door and making her way to the couch. She sits down, offering Akane's request to her. She takes a drink, once, before deciding to get down to business.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" Rikka asks.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

If initiating a difficult conversation wasn't a ten-step process, well, it wouldn't be Akane. She stretches out, turning off the TV for now; when Rikka asks her if she wants something to drink, she takes a few seconds to consider. "Yogurt drink," she says, with a nod that Rikka can't see from the kitchen.

When Rikka gets settled on the couch, Akane takes a drink too. Then: "I... you..." She struggles to get it out. How is she even supposed to say this?

"... you put my sketchbook somewhere weird again," she settles on, as her opener. "We talked about this before." Between phrases, Akane's foot twitches a little bit -- an obvious tell that she's struggling to remain calm. "Art supplies and my laptop are like -- the only things, where, I really need those to not go somewhere I don't know."

Akane closes her eyes for a moment, takes a breath, and then takes another drink. "I missed art circle because I was freaking out about it, and our schedules didn't line up as much this week for me to just ask, and I felt like maybe I lost it so I felt like I couldn't ask --" heel now practically vibrating up and down, Akane cuts herself off and tries to recenter. "But, up in the loft, really? You --" cuts herself off again.

"... I'm upset," she concludes, and at the very least once she's said it her foot stops twitching as fast.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Akane asks for a yogurt drink, and a yogurt drink is what RIkka hands her. She looks toward Akane as she starts to speak. It takes some effort, but eventually...

Ah. So that's why she was looking so on edge all week. She notes the twitching of the foot, and they've been living together long enough that RIkka knows that particular tell. She missed art circle, too...

Twitch, twitch, twitch. Akane's heel goes faster and faster, and she seems to be working her way up to something...

But she concludes with an 'I'm upset', and Rikka notes the twitching of her heel slowing.

"...I'm sorry." Rikka apologizes. "I was cleaning up, so I tried to put it somewhere I was sure you'd look this time."

Not that that worked out... but it's a place she knows Akane goes, while also keeping it safely out of the way so it won't get damaged.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane lets Rikka talk -- and nods, when she apologizes. That's all she does, for a little while; she needs a few seconds to let that sink in. "I --"

Breathe. Try again.

"... Oh, that's --"

Breathe. Try again.

"I understand that, but --"

Breathe. Try again.

"... I appreciate that," she eventually manages, "but we really need a better way to do this than guessing." Another long drink. She tries to think of something. "Maybe we need -- a spot. Most of the stuff where this really freaks me out is about notebook-sized... we can -- put a bin under the TV stand, or something? Somewhere -- consistent. I know I've put your laptop somewhere weird too before, and it'd work for that, too."

Akane definitely seems less agitated, as she works through it. She's a little tongue-tied, though -- so she decides to open the floor rather than force herself to fill space. "Okay. Is there anything you've been sitting on?" It's... fair, if she opens herself up to the other way around.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka takes another sip of her water. She doesn't rush Akane, not when she needs time to think about it. And she doesn't interrupt her as goes through a few false starts before eventually getting to her point. And Rikka...

"...You're right." She admits, looking away just briefly. They really do need a better way. This isn't the first time it's happened, after all, but it's a little embarrassing to admit that. Akane proposes an idea that would benefit both of them, though, and Rikka looks back her way.

A bin, somewhere consistent...

"That's... probably a good idea." Rikka replies. "We'll probably want it a little higher so Balam can't knock it over, but... yeah. That's a good idea. And... if there's anything you'd like me to not move when I clean up... let me know?"

And then, Akane asks her if there's anything she's been thinking on. Rikka considers that for a second.

"...Yeah. The dishes. You forgot them again. We've been using a lot more of them, so they've really started to pile up." Rikka replies. "It's made getting ready in the morning take longer than usual."

It's important to eat breakfast, after all.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Oh yeah -- I wasn't thinking. I wouldn't want Balam to eat an eraser or anything," Akane says, nodding. "Maybe that shelf at the top of the entryway closet we never use -- but that's a little out of the way... then again, we'd be checking it regularly..." She shakes her head, saying, "We'll figure it out. After dinner let's find a good spot."

There's another question, too. "Still just art stuff and my laptop," Akane affirms. "That hasn't changed." There's some tightness in her voice still -- but she seems less anxious than she was, less given to catastrophizing. A long sip of her yogurt drink follows.

Then Rikka brings up the dishes -- and Akane, for a split second, looks like she's about to freak out. Her eyes widen, and she flinches a little -- but, no, Rikka's right. She nods, and says, "Sorry... I know I said the last time we split the chores up that I like to do the dishes and kind of zone out, but I haven't really felt like I was in a place where I could zone out this week... so the dishes kinda..." She gestures vaguely.

Swallowing, she admits, "... okay, that and I'm getting kinda bored of doing the dishes," as a follow-up. "I think... I'm actually kinda stumped on how to solve this one. It's like -- the first thing that falls out of my brain when something's going on. If we move we can look for a place with a dishwasher, but that doesn't really help now..."

The anxiety starts to creep back in a bit. Akane squirms a little -- first slightly away from Rikka, then -- more consciously -- toward her.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"It's alright. But, yeah." Rikka replies with a nod of her own. The shelf at the top of the entryway... That's possible, but like Akane says, a little out of the way. One of them is bound to forget about it, whether putting things there or looking. "...Yeah. We can think on it."

Akane, then, confirms that it's still just art stuff and her laptop.

"Okay." Rikka replies with a nod.

And then it's her turn - she cringes internally, a bit, at the way Akane's eyes widen, and the way she flinches. It hurts to see her like that - but she holds back her own initial reactions, to let Akane work through it herself.

And she apologizes. She likes to do the dishes to zone out, but hasn't really been in a position too... and, she's been getting bored of that, and it's the first thing that falls out of her brain.

"That... makes sense. It's been a busy week for both of us." RIkka replies. She offers her a nod, accepting her apology... and then she thinks, 'hmm'ing to herself. That is a tough one... She definitely puts a dishwasher on her mental checklist - that'll be a bit of weight on both of their shoulders. But like Akane said, that doesn't do them any good right now, so for the time being...

"...We could set up some reminders? Something to remind you when it's time to do them - something consistent." Rikka suggests. "Or I could take over the dishes, and we'll swap one of my chores over to you. We can check out the wheel later and figure out what would be good..."

Akane squirms away from her bit - and then, toward her. Rikka moves a little closer, too. Her hand slides across the sofa cushions, coming to a stop at the edge of Akane's - an open invitation for her to take it, if she feels comfortable doing so, while leaving the option to keep her space if she'd prefer.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Yeah... sorry," Akane says again, remaining close for now. "I just --" no, she's already been forgiven, she doesn't need to say that stuff again and again. The twin urges to defend and self-castigate... neither of those are particularly productive.

"It's on the chore wheel, and that feels like it should be enough," Akane mumbles -- but she does seem to be thinking about it a little harder with a starting place. "I could set up an alarm on my phone... but -- hrm." It'd be easy to swap with Rikka, but does that address the problem or does it just give her a new chore to get bored of?

"... We could try having one thing we swap off each month on, instead of just the one time? Like so far it's always been a consistent schedule for both of us, but being able to change things up even a little might help me, like... not get bored or start resenting something or anything."

Akane takes that hand, with a little hesitation. Then, she asks: "Is there anything else you wanna bring up? I think that was all I wanted to say on this stuff."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Akane apologizes again and starts to say something, but stops herself. Rikka lets that drop - there's no point in going into that any further.

"It's alright if you need a little extra push every now and then." Rikka offers. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Akane considers an alarm, at first... and then, considers swapping chores each month. Something to keep her from getting bored or resenting something...

"I think that's a good idea." Rikka replies with a nod. "We can give that a try for a bit, see if it helps, and then go from there."

Akane takes her hand - and for now, Rikka just holds it. Then, Akane asks if there's anything else she wants to bring up...

Rikka frowns consideringly for a moment, looking thoughtful as she gives it some serious thought. Is there anything else...?

After a moment, she shakes her head.

"No, I think that's everything that was bothering me right now, too." She replies.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Rikka reassuring her that it's okay to need a little push does ease the burden a bit. "Okay. The dishes are one of the bigger chores. Do you wanna swap something big with me starting next month?" she asks, nodding. "And in the meantime... I'll get them tonight once we get up, if you don't mind cooking dinner?" That's never been a hard-delineated responsibility in either direction, even if Akane tends to cook more often. "I know it's a little cramped, but... I like when we're both in the kitchen at the same time."

When Rikka affirms that that's all she had to bring up, Akane affirms, again, "... yeah, same. Thanks."

Glancing down at her hand, still entwined with Rikka's, Akane looks thoughtful for a few moments. "... Wait, actually -- I was gonna ask but kinda lost track because of everything... do you wanna do Summer Comiket again this year?" ... they still haven't finished that doujin Akane pitched -- years ago, now, with everything going on -- but it's fun to shop, too...

Scooting in, she adds, a little shakily, "I think it'd be fun to try doing a Taraba cosplay this time. We've -- usually stuck to Serena characters for that, but I feel a little more confident in my body. I was thinking Hammer -- I mean, Kaji, I'd die in that spandex -- and Spike."

After a second, she adds, "Spike has that big full-finger ring... I can handle shopping for that, but do you know your ring size?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Yeah, let's. I'll take a look at the wheel later and we can talk it over." Rikka replies with a nod - and then another nod, as Akane says she'll get the dishes done tonight if she cooks dinner."

"I can do that." Rikka confirms. She shakes her head, offering Akane a small smile. "It's okay, I don't mind it. I like having you there, too."

It looks like that's everything for now. She's a little relieved it went so well...

"Thanks." Rikka replies.

Akane becomes lost in thought... and then, she realises something - which causes Rikka to come to a realisation in turn.

"Oh right, that's coming up..." She comments, surprised. Time really flies... She thinks it over before nodding. "Yeah... I think if we have the time for it, that would be nice. I could definitely use something to unwind a bit."

Akane scoots in, and Rikka gives her hand a gentle squeeze before listening to her suggestion. A Taraba cosplay? It's true that they've done Serena characters a lot lately... and if Akane's been feeling more confident, then that's a good sign.

"That could be fun. It'd be nice to try something new, and I really like Hammer and Spike..." Rikka considers. Akane points something out and asks a question, and Rikka has to think about it for a second. "Let's see... I haven't worn a ring in a while so I might have to measure again, but last time I did I was a size 5."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane's heart rate is still flying, but talking about something else comfortably seems to be getting her back down, bit by bit. It did go well. Akane still has trouble initiating these, but... it's getting easier the more she does it.

It helps to have something to focus on too. She downs the rest of her yogurt drink -- perhaps a little too quickly -- and nods. "Oh, cool, I'm a 5, too! Hinoki had to size me for an Algernon Watchman Mini recently so I know that's right." She shifts the position of her hand slightly, pressing ring finger to ring finger and... "Yeah, it looks like we're really close to the same. Yours might be a hair bigger, but I can squeeze into a 4.5 if I jam it on there, so..."

Akane transitions from that, in turn, to a quick hug -- and then moves to stand up. "Wanna get into the kitchen with me?" she says, her heartrate still somewhat clear in her voice but clearly trying her best to consciously calm herself down. "I don't wanna give myself time to forget again..."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Akane mentions that she's a 5 too - and Rikka actually laughs a little at that.

"Wow... That is cool. It's neat that we have that in common..." Rikka replies. Their ring fingers touch and Akane compares, with Rikka looking closely, too.

"Yeah, there we are." She notes. "That gives us a little wiggle room. ...Though, I guess we don't really want the ring to wiggle, so maybe that's not the right turn of phrase to use."

Akane gives her a quick hug, and Rikka leans into it briefly - and then nods, standing up after her.

"Sure. That's a good idea... Let's get started." She decides with a nod.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Rikka makes a half-joke, and Akane... giggles. That's disarming. "You're so right," she says, with a little smile on her face lingering. It doesn't totally shake off the mix of feelings she's been struggling with -- but she might be able to put those away with the dishes.

"Yeah, though," Akane notes. "Even if you're a little up from eyeballing it that way, that's resizable even with some harder metals, let alone, like, plastic. Like -- for cosplay jewelry, I could do that." She nods, mostly to herself. "Perfect."

As she heads toward the kitchen, she seems like she's thinking hard about something...

It takes a little bit to get situated, especially in a small kitchen. Once Akane's done with the faucet, she asks, "Anything else you wanna do this summer? If work doesn't totally eat us, I mean. Comiket's just a couple days... we could definitely make time for some more things."

That gets her thinking back, in turn. "... A lot of really important stuff to us has happened in the summer, huh... Not all of it good, but." Breathing in, then out, she sighs contentedly. "It's still my favorite season."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Akane giggles and Rikka smiles, just a little, before nodding.

"Yeah, definitely." She agrees - then pauses, thinking back. Akane mentioning metals reminded her of something. If she's going to be doing the shopping for the ring... "...Oh, but I can't do anything with more than a little nickel in it, so you'll have to watch out for that."

They move toward the kitchen, and Rikka notes as Akane seems to be deep in thought - but, she gets distracted just a bit while Rikka gets out what she needs to prepare dinner, Akane's words bringing her back as she asks her question. Is there anything else she wants to do...?

Rikka thinks it over. A couple of days... that leaves them a lot of room to do some other things, too. And after a moment...

"Do you think you'd feel up to going to the beach?" Rikka asks. "It might be nice to do something to give us the opportunity to get some good, fresh air afterward."

...It's true, though. There really has been a lot of important things during the summer. Rikka smiles fondly.

"I've started appreciating it a lot more lately, myself." She replies. Even after everything... being with Akane has helped her start to enjoy the summer more than she used to.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Oooh, that knocks out cheap sterling silver, too, to stay on the safe side," Akane murmurs, as Rikka mentions a nickel skin allergy. "Maybe for a cosplay thing it's best to just go stainless steel..." Whatever secondary anxiety she might have had starts to fade as she thinks practicals.

"I would love to go to the beach," Akane enthuses, lips quirking up. "We didn't really get to last year with everything going on." And now a lot of her secondary beach anxieties have been... addressed, so...

"I know it's a bit of a hassle to route the travel, but... I think it's been long enough that I wanna go to Grande Cote with you, if we're talking beaches." She'd considered it last year, but worried the memories might be too heavy -- and had surgery upcoming anyway. Now, though...

... now, that ride in the Mu Gundam's cockpit feels like an even brighter spot, if anything, because of all the darkness that surrounded it. "Summer's on like the whole other end of the year from the biggest tourist events out that way, so even the crowds might not be too bad."

She pauses to put some dishes up on a drying rack. "We don't have to. But... I remember we did want to go back, once."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Yeah, probably a good idea..." Rikka agrees with a nod. She's had bad experiences there in the past. "Let's go with that, then."

And Akane... wants to go to the beach, too!

"Great." Rikka replies with a smile. "...Yeah, there was a lot happening."

And Akane even has an idea. Grande Cote... Rikka thinks back. That does bring back memories. She stares into the pot she's working in for a moment. It's a lot, but... She doesn't want to let that stop her from doing what she wants to do. She smiles, just a little.

"That's a good point. It'd definitely be better if would could avoid the crowds..." She considers... and then, she nods.

"It's okay. I want to. Let's make some better memories there." She says. "I always did want to give a road trip with you another shot..."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Nodding as Rikka works through it, Akane agrees, "We'll give it a shot. If one of us loses our nerve I know there's some parks really close to there, too." That's... a good thought, for her. Reassuring, at least.

Clank. Clank. An abrupt, loud clatter. "Hfff --" Akane hisses, as she nicks herself on one of the knives in the sink while she's not paying that much attention. "Aaaghhh, I keep forgetting we have a bird's beak knife in the knife set... Uh -- d-don't worry, I'm fine. It's not deep."

She takes a half a minute or so to run her finger under the water, then once she's confident she's not bleeding anymore, gets back to it -- and gets back to talking. "Where were we -- uh, right. Yeah. I know you can't always try again, but... it does sound nice to try again on this one. Let's do it."

... That gets her humming a little bit -- a habit she may have picked up from a certain someone...

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Good thinking... That'll give us some back-ups, just in case." Rikka replies. That way... even if something does happen, they'll still get a good time out of it. It's good to think ahead.

And then - there's a clatter, and Akane hisses. Rikka drops what she's doing immediately, hurrying over to her.

"Akane, are you alright?" She asks quickly. But, Akane assures her that she's fine, that it's not that deep. Rikka hesitates for a moment... and then, nods. "...Okay. As long as you're sure. But let me take a look at it later?"

She returns to her cooking - starting a little slowly at first, but picking back up to her usual space once she's sure everything's alright.

"...Yeah. For the times that we can... it's nice to get that chance." She agrees... and then smiles fondly, as she hears Akane beginning to hum.

Rikka's always thought she has a lovely voice. It's the perfect tune to cook by.