2024-08-01: Surprise Visit

• Log: 2024-08-01- Surprise Visit
• Cast: Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada, Akane's mother Aoi Furuya
• Where: Nouvelle Tokyo - Takarada-Shinjo Apartment
• OOC - IC Date: 0099-08-01
• Summary: A summer movie night gets a little bit derailed when someone makes a surprise appearance at Rikka and Akane's house.

(cw: neglectful/abusive parent)

---

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Last night's Pseudo-Zonder incident has created a bunch of work for Akane. It's much more Blue's responsibility, and a little bit more Green's, but it's that fact in itself that got her dragged into the work. Actually helping sort through the situation with Cytri is the sort of thing that'll eventually form the core of Akane's day-in day-out work, so she's along for the ride with Hinoki on this one.

(Akane's last text to Rikka, about 8 minutes ago, was 'missed the first train, had to catch the second, just pulling into the stop now. be there in ten minutes or so? really excited for movie night! love you <3'.)

A knock comes at the door. It could well be Akane -- she's forgotten her key before.

What greets Rikka when she opens it, though, isn't Akane... though one might see the resemblance. A woman in her late 40s or perhaps early 50s, with familiar deep brown-black hair cut just above her shoulders. Her eyes are starting to show the signs of passing into middle age -- slightly sagging lids and just a hint of crow's feet. She's a hair shorter than Rikka herself...

"... You must be the girlfriend," she says, tone practiced and neutral as she takes a half-step in -- just enough to make it impossible to close the door on her. "Akiyoshi did tell me you existed. Are you the one who he saw in Chasseur-3G joint medical? That would have been... two years ago now, I think." The rhythm of her speech might seem familiar -- even though she's being pretty thoughtless in how she asks her questions.

She pauses, then seems to realize Rikka might not... know who she is. "... I'm Aoi Furuya -- Akane's mother." Another quarter-step forward, and -- "Is she in?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

The Pseudo-Zonder incident is in Blue and Green's wheelhouse - which means that, except for covering for anyone who's found themselves busy with that - it's business as usual for 3G Red. Which means that, with Akane going with Hinoki to observe, Rikka gets home earlier.

That's fine, though. Even if it's been delayed slightly, she's been looking forward to tonight and this gives her time to get things ready before Akane returns.

('Okay. <3', had been the response. 'See you soon! I'm looking forward to it. Love you <3')

And then... a knock. Rikka, who had been lounging on the couch browsing on her phone gets up quickly. It's been almost ten minutes already - enough time to make it onto the second train and back on a good day, certainly. She slides her phone into her pocket as she approaches the door.

"Hey-" She starts her greeting - but the person at the door is not who she expects to see. She doesn't know her... but her face, that hair. There's enough resemblances, enough little details that she's used to seeing every day but on another face that she can make connection. She's about to stop and correct herself to a more proper greeting...

...When the woman at the door gives hers.

'The girlfriend' - said in that practiced, neutral tone. The way she was told she 'existed'. Rikka is struck silent by surprise but she doesn't budge from where she stands, even as she gets a foot in the door to prevent her from closing it on her. And then she continues. Rikka's eyes open wide in disbelief and she breathes in - that she'd draw that blade so casually, the audacity, is disorienting and is what, ultimately, causes her to cede space half out of reflex.

It takes her a second to regain her composure, but she still feels a little dazed on the inside. It's a familiar rhythm, but with a thoughtlessness that... doesn't suit it much, these days.

"I am, yes, though I don't remember seeing him." Rikka replies, trying to keep her tone polite. "I don't remember much from that stay."

Aoi Furuya... She confirms her suspicions for her. Akane's mother... She never thought she'd meet her. Certainly not like this. And now... Aoi has made enough space for herself that Rikka has found herself trapped. If she tries to directly turn her away now, now that she knows her, knows they're here, it'll only make things worse. The only thing she can do is try to stall.

"I'm Rikka Takarada... and no, she isn't. I'm sorry." She introduces herself. Her attention still on Aoi, one hand slides into her pocket to where her phone rests against her thigh, tapping a warning out quickly before sliding it right back out. There's only so much context she can give in a quick message, but she and Akane had already set up a series of signals beforehand. Hopefully it's enough to alert her that something difficult is waiting for her at home.

From the outside, if the gesture is noticed at all, it's easy to assume she's setting the phone to silent. That would be the polite thing to do.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

The good news is that Aoi doesn't think anything of Rikka reaching into her pocket to fiddle with her phone, and indeed assumes that she's setting the phone to silent. It would be the polite thing to do. "That doesn't surprise me," she admits. "I'd heard you were in rough shape." She evidently can tell that she's put Rikka off a bit more than anticipated, and adds a slightly hasty, "... I'm sorry if that dredged up something difficult."

---

Akane gets a message. Gets a terse message, at that -- all she can really glean from that particular signal is that she's stepping into a delicate situation. That could be anything. Her first impulse is to stop still and catastrophize... but rather than give into it, she follows her second impulse -- to start sprinting home.

---

As she walks the rest of the way in, taking all that ceded space, she takes a look around. "I think this apartment's smaller than the one she had in high school. It is harder to land something good when you're searching the same areas at the same time as any other student. Casually, she adds, "If you can afford it, sometimes it's cheaper to sign a lease a month early and just let it sit empty until you're ready. Less competition." As her eyes sweep over the decor, she lingers on Akane's 3D-printed wall mounts and tokusatsu toys. "I'm guessing you like this sort of thing too, if you'll let her put it on the wall instead of under the bed."

---

Akane's footfalls are heavier; sprinting is... not her strong suit. She stops outside her own household door, taking a few seconds to catch her breath, chest heaving. Whatever's going on, she wants to be at Rikka's side for it. Her hands rest on her knees as she levels her breathing out a little.

---

"Hmmm... maybe not, actually," Aoi reflects, a few moments later. "The rest of the decor is fairly tasteful in comparison. Good of you to indulge her a little, I --"

The doorknob jiggles a little as an exhausted someone's shaky hands slide the key in... and then she steps in. "Rikka?" Akane calls. "I came as fast --"

Her eyes lock onto her mother.

Oh.

The fatigue remains with Akane, but she straightens up in an instant; her shoulders move just slightly up and back as tension comes to rest in her shoulder blades. "... Mom," she begins -- and that's all she has for her, because she's utterly gobsmacked to see her here.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"...Yes, I was." Rikka replies with a nod. Aoi does apologize, though. She did dredge up something difficult, but Rikka shakes her head dismissively. Letting it go is also the polite thing to do. "It's alright."

By this point, Aoi has already fully let herself inside. Rikka can only step away to give her room, watching her as she looks over the apartment.

"We found the best we could for our price range. But the location's really convenient." Rikka explains, and hesitates for a moment. "...I'll keep that in mind."

She's looking at the decor, now. The way she phrases it... Rikka feels a little uncertain.

"We decided on it together." Rikka says. "I-"

The doorknob jiggles, and the door opens - and Akane steps inside.

"Akane, welcome back." Rikka greets, stepping closer to her - and offering her a brief, apologetic look. It looks like she ran all the way here...

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Ah, Akane," Aoi says, her lips turning up in a smile -- if perhaps not an especially kind one. "You must have run home." She opens her mouth to say something -- and then drops it and takes a second to think of something else instead. "Takarada-kun was showing me around your apartment a little." The -kun, implicitly, underlines seeing Rikka as junior to herself; if she were a boy it'd be more ambiguous, of course, but that she isn't makes it quite obvious what she's doing.

"I see," Akane says, and for a little while that's all she says, scooting over toward Rikka by a couple steps. Her hand flops around a little, trying to find Rikka's and hold it for a little more strength... but there's an arrestedness to Akane that hasn't been seen in her in a long time.

"I'm in town for a few days," her mother explains, evidently able to tell that Akane wants to ask 'what the hell are you doing here' but can't bring herself to. "I don't mind getting a motel, but I thought I might stay with you instead... it has been a long time." As if that long time didn't throw that into question.

"Okay," Akane says immediately -- then, equally immediately, wishes she hadn't; she looks to Rikka for a brief moment with a cringing, half-apologetic, almost humiliated-looking expression. "I-if Rikka doesn't mind," she adds, lamely.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

'Takarada-kun'. A brief frown crosses Rikka's face. Rikka notices that, but doesn't comment on it directly... that, or the fact that by 'showing her around', she means she let herself in.

Akane scoots closer to her, and as her hand fumbles, Rikka reaches out for it in turn, giving it a gentle squeeze when they finally meet.

Her mother's going to be in town for a few days. And... Akane evidently wasn't warned of this ahead of time. ...Nor of her intent to stay with them.

Akane agrees reflexively - and Rikka looks her way. That half-apologetic, half-humiliated look... Rikka shakes her head briefly. It's alright. She can see how much Akane doesn't want this.

"I'm sorry, but our apartment is a little cramped, as you can see..." Rikka says apologetically. And, as Aoi herself has observed. "We aren't equipped to host guests as they deserve right now."

Rikka offers her a small smile.

"I can help find you a good one nearby?" She suggests.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Anxiety throbs in the back of Akane's head as Rikka offers a soft no. She knows that she could let things stop there, and even that she probably should -- but part of her screams at her that she'd be an ungrateful little snot if she did that.

"Rikka, we could just sleep in the loft tonight, we could totally..." She's begging for a course reversal even after kicking it to Rikka, it seems.

Aoi looks over her glasses at both of them. "I did expect the place to be a little bigger," she admits. "I'd be happy to have your help, Takarada-kun. You seem like a worldly young lady." Is she relenting because she genuinely respects Rikka's request, because she sees Akane's anxiety... or something else entirely? Hard to be sure -- but she's evidently amenable to taking the soft no.

Akane's relief is palpable. "Okay," she says, with a nod. "So, um -- how much did you two... talk about, before I got here? Um -- Rikka's also the branch manager of where I'm working," she continues. "It just -- kinda worked out that way, ehe... this isn't a..." Here, she gestures vaguely.

"Oh, you're that Takarada. We didn't get around to that, no. I thought there might be a relation, but I wasn't expecting that to be you," Aoi admits. "I'm sorry if I was rude earlier."

Looking to Rikka, Akane says, "Um -- do you mind letting me get into my room for a bit? I wanna change, and Rikka should probably check on the cat food situation." It is very obvious that this is actually 'I want to talk in private.'

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka looks toward Akane then as she makes a suggestion, studying her for a moment. If that's what Akane really wants, actually wants, Rikka will relent... but she doesn't, not just yet.

...And, Aoi seems to accept that, at least, and Rikka nods. She feels internally relieved. She was prepared for that to go south, but she's glad it didn't.

"I try to keep on top of things." She replies. And, Akane seems relieved, too... That's good. Rikka listens as she speaks, and works her way through her words. It... probably is good to clarify that.

"I am, yes." Rikka confirms with a nod, of being that Takarada. She didn't know... Her reaction makes a lot of sense, then, but it's not unexpected. Akane's mother wouldn't be the first one to make assumptions. Less so when she's on the job, but... she still has to work for some things. Aoi apologizes for being rude. Rikka shakes her head. "No offense taken."

It is, again, the polite thing to do.

She meets Akane's eyes, then. It's plenty obvious - and, it's probably a good idea.

"Oh, yes, you're right." Rikka says with a nod, then looks toward Aoi apologetically. "Bear with us for a moment?"

Giving Akane's hand another reassuring squeeze, Rikka moves to lead her to their room.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Aoi glances back and forth between the two of them, as they talk. When they both ask for space, she nods, saying, "Of course. Take your time, you two." She glances around for a few moments, then goes to take a seat on the couch while Akane and Rikka slip off.

Once they're in their room and the door is closed, Akane lowers her voice and says, "I -- I didn't know she was coming. Why now?" she groans, as she goes to change. ... She does need to do that, the vest is not comfortable lounging clothes. "I -- was kinda hoping you wouldn't have to meet her," she says, as she looks through their closet and eventually pulls out a Taraba kaiju screenprint tee. ... She knows her mom's going to think it's tacky. That's why she's picking it.

"I..." She does seem slightly calmer, with a door between them, but only slightly. "We're gonna at least have to make her dinner or she's gonna..." ... Gonna what? They're adults.

... does it really matter?

"... I guess movie night is kinda ruined," she says, looking down. "Let's just -- make her dinner, find her a hotel, and then get her out of here, okay?" A little quieter, she adds, "... sorry," gaze still downcast.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Why now? That's a good question. Why now, of all times... It has to be a coincidence that she chose to arrive at a time like this, when she had plans, but that doesn't make it any better.

"...I don't know." Rikka murmurs with a shake of her head. She nods. "...I can see why. She certainly made a... strong first impression."

Rikka grimaces for a moment, leaning back against the wall while Akane changes. She notes her choice of tee. ...Rikka approves.

As for what she says...

"...We don't have to. Not if you don't want to." She says. She's fully prepared to kick her out. "Just say the word."

Movie night, though... Rikka offers her a smile.

"...Yeah. It's alright. There'll be other nights." She says. ...She nods, reluctantly, as Akane continues, but as she apologizes... Rikka shakes her head.

"You don't have to apologize for her. This isn't your fault. Her being here isn't your fault." Rikka murmurs.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"... Tell me about it later?" Akane can tell that something about that introduction stung Rikka, but... they can't linger there too long.

"It's... gonna be worse for everyone if we don't," Akane murmurs. "Trust me. She's -- it's... she'll find some kind of way." She slips into a nice purple pleated skirt, and takes a breath. Shutting her eyes for a few moments and breathing in deep through her nose, Akane says, "Okay. Let's -- get back out there."

Pushing her dark hair out of her eyes, she heads back out of their room. Akane's mother is standing by the wide-open window, elbows resting on the window track; when she hears Akane emerging from her room, she straightens up slightly, casually shutting the window and turning to face Akane and Rikka again. "Welcome back," she says. "You'll at least let me stay for dinner, won't you? I'd like to get to know Takarada-san better." -san now, apparently.

"S-sure," Akane agrees. "You're here on the last day before we go for groceries, but I can at least make some chicken sandwiches." Heading to the kitchen, she considers asking Rikka to come with her again... but it might be a bit much to ask her to slip away twice.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka nods. Later.

"...Alright." Rikka replies. She doesn't know what she'd do - what she's capable of - and while she'd be willing to deal with the consequences... she doesn't want Akane to have to deal with the stress of it. And with that, with their time here short, she nods. "Right."

She takes Akane's hand to lend her strength one last time. And once she lets go, she puts her face back on and follows her outside.

"Thank you." Rikka replies, offering her a smile. Ah. Takarada-san, now. What a quick change of heart. Miracles do happen.

Akane suggests chicken sandwiches, and Rikka nods.

"Let me know if you need help with anything?" She offers - but for now, she takes a seat in the living room, turning her attention to Akane's mother.

"Would you like to take a seat?" She asks, for the first time.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Of course," Aoi says, and indeed she does just that. She glances off as Akane slips into the kitchen, and nods. "So -- branch manager with the Grand Glorious Guard, at your age. That's impressive." There's a little bit of reflected pride, there.

Her foot absently taps, and she looks Rikka over a little more closely. "Tell me a little about you two. Where do you see your relationship going in a few years?" There's a sense that she's appraising Rikka, now -- trying to figure out how serious a relationship this is, just what the two of them mean to each other.

Akane, meanwhile, starts making chicken sandwiches. She could do this faster, but she's taking her time a bit -- even if they couldn't get away with being in the bedroom too much longer, she still wants a few more minutes away from her mother.

And indeed --

"She seems to be taking her time," Aoi adds, after a second. "I'm surprised. She could have done this faster in middle school."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Aoi takes a seat, and Rikka watches her.

"That's right." Rikka confirms. Impressive... "It still feels a little unreal, at times. I never imagined myself to be moving up that quickly, but everyone was behind the decision, and they've supported my choices."

She asks about her and Akane, then - where she sees their relationship going. Being appraised... Rikka leans back, folding her hands in her lap as she considers the question. Considers exactly how much she should tell her.

"In a few years... We'll have probably moved out of this apartment. I'd like us to have a nice place together, that we can call our own. Get our living situation more stable. I don't want to rush into anything before we're ready." She says. Getting a house together... She wouldn't mind if things went further than that, honestly, but that's all she's comfortable saying.

Akane has been cooking for a while, though. Rikka doesn't mind that. She doesn't mind taking the heat if it gives her a little more time. Aoi, though... 'She could've done this faster'. Rikka grimaces internally.

"I imagine she could have." Rikka replies with a shrug. "I don't mind her taking it more carefully, though."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Tap-tap-tap goes Aoi's finger against her seat. "It sounds like you're a wonderful young lady on a great trajectory," she says, with a nod of her head, as Rikka talks about how things have worked out for her.

As to her future plans, though... "Realistic. Committed to improvements in your situation, but on a reasonable time frame... this apartment itself seems like a cautious option. I'm guessing you weren't as sure of your future salary when you first moved in." Tap-tap-tap.

She doesn't comment further on Akane's speed in the kitchen. Instead, she says, "My daughter seems like she's chosen well, at least." Evidently, whatever arcane criteria Aoi uses to evaluate people have been met, and she's decided Rikka is at least fine. "I hope you two do well."

Akane comes out with three chicken sandwiches. "There's soup too," she says. "Let me go get that." She's out and back in in a few moments -- and then she sits down next to Rikka.

"Hotel Glavas has some open rooms for the night," she says, unceremoniously. ... Maybe that's why she took her time. "I -- hope you like, the chicken," she adds, a little nervous.

Aoi takes a bite, and gives Akane a wordless nod -- and the relief is obvious on Akane's face.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Thank you." Rikka replies. She notes the way her finger taps. She tries to ignore it, listening instead as Aoi gives her assessment. ...She doesn't really like being analyzed like that. "No, I wasn't. My current position is a bit more recent, comparatively."

And Akane's mother says Akane chose well, and hopes they do well. Rikka... doesn't voice her thoughts, and instead, she nods.

"...Thank you. I'm glad you think so." She says. And soon enough, Akane returns with dinner - soup and sandwiches. As Akane takes her seat next to her way, Rikka takes a quick look over to her, looking her over briefly to make sure she's... alright might not be the best word. Holding up, at least.

Akane's already looked into hotels, at least. Rikka can see that nervousness. And Aoi tries the food... and gives a wordless nod.

That's it.

Rikka feels just a little sick inside. Just a nod? Would a compliment kill her? Or even a 'thank you'? It might, actually. At least Akane's relieved by it, but the fact that a nod's all it takes...

Rikka tries the food herself - and offers Akane a smile.

"The chicken turned out great, Akane, thank you. And I love what you did with the soup." She says.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Strictly speaking, the nod is the first time Akane's mother has acknowledged her in any meaningful way since middle school. The bar is on the floor.

Getting settled in a bit more, Akane manages a genuine smile to Rikka as she's told the chicken was great. "Yeah -- it started as just overstock from earlier in the week, but seasoning can go a long way toward making leftovers work out better," Akane tells her... though it's mostly for Aoi's benefit that she says it.

Aoi gives her another nod of approval, and takes another bite -- and finally goes for the soup. "I can tell you've been working on this," she says. ... a solid 'you tried' star level of praise, but better than nothing.

After a few more bites, Aoi pulls out her phone. A few swipes, and... "... Well, it seems like you were right. They do have a one-bed opening for the whole week... this isn't a bad deal, either." No 'thank you,' but at the very least, it's booked.

"If I were staying the night, I wouldn't hurry this much -- but I'm sure you won't mind if I stop by tomorrow, right, Akane?" she asks, before getting back to her chicken sandwich -- now almost done. "It's been quite nice to meet your girlfriend."

"I, um, I have the campus studio room booked for tomorrow," comes the quiet reply. "I wanted to try using the pottery wheels. ... Come see me there instead?"

"Mmm." Aoi pauses. But... "All right."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Seeing a genuine smile from Akane helps quiet Rikka a little, and she listens intently to her explanation. These are all things she knows, of course - but she understands who it's really for.

"It's really incredible." Rikka agrees with a nod. Akane gets another nod of approval from her mother and a... passable, compliment. That's something, at least.

And then, the hotel gets booked. They're going to have to put up with a whole week of this, huh... That really throws some things off.

The way she doesn't ask if it's okay if she stops by again, that she takes it as a given... That gets on Rikka's nerves a little, too. Not that she shouldn't expect that, from the way she already turned up out of the blue without warning.

Akane suggests the campus studio room instead, though, and Aoi relents to that. Stuck in a room with her...

Rikka doesn't voice the thought aloud, but she does send Akane a quick look. It's easy to tell what she wants to ask, though.

'Are you going to be alright?'

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Rikka gets another nod from Akane. That vague, small gesture can best be encapsulated in one word:

'Probably.'

Aoi collects herself a little. It's clear she intends to leave soon, if she's not staying the night.

"Well. It's been good to finally see you again after all this time," Aoi says -- the first genuinely warm thing she's managed all visit. "I suppose I'll need to get going. Night shift is always where a hotel's most unpleasant employees end up."

"... Yeah," Akane murmurs. "Please call when you're five minutes away from campus," she adds, a little anxiously. "During the summer most of the buildings are card-locked. I'll need to come get you."

Aoi nods to her, saying, "Of course," and starts for the door. "I'll see you both soon," she says --

-- and then she's out, finally.

Akane slumps, almost like a puppet with the strings cut. Rubbing at her own face, she looks to Rikka and murmurs, "... sorry," as if the abrupt arrival was her responsibility.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

'Probably'. It's not very reassuring... but she has to trust her. Rikka nods back, then looks to Aoi as she collects herself, getting ready to leave.

Rikka manages a smile for her as she makes a decision, and Akane gives her instructions.

"See you. ...And, travel safely." She offers, watching her go.

...And then she's gone, and Rikka feels like she can breathe easily again, finally. But the way Akane slumps... She feels a little pain in her heart.

"It's not your fault." Rikka reassures again, scooting closer.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"I know," Akane murmurs, quietly. She doesn't start crying, but she does lean heavily into Rikka. "... I don't even get it. Why now? She -- she never even answered my email!" Putting an arm around her, she shakes her head. "I just... I don't get it."

She sighs. "I'm sorry you had to meet her. But... yeah. That's her!" Half-laughing, she says, "I hope she wasn't too bad to you before I got here. She's..." Again, a shake of her head. A sigh. "... well, after this week she'll probably go back to SAUS or wherever. I doubt we'll see her again after Coming of Age Day."

Her hand finds Rikka's, and she squeezes. "... timewise we could probably still do movie night, but I'm not really feeling watching something new," she says, lamely poking at her soup spoon with her other hand but not bothering to actually eat it. "... let's order some ice cream and rewatch something instead," she eventually concludes.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Akane leans into her, and Rikka puts an arm around her.

"...I don't know. I don't get it, either." Rikka murmurs. Maybe it was a whim. Maybe they'll never know.

"I'm sorry, too." Rikka replies, managing an awkward, half-smile as Akane says she's sorry she had to meet her. "Not on... purpose, I don't think. Thoughtless, maybe. But it still stings."

She nods... and then exhales, herself.

"...Here's hoping." She mutters. Akane's hand finds hers and squeezes, and Rikka holds onto it.

"...Yeah, I can definitely get that." Rikka replies, with a small smile. She certainly can't blame her, after what just happened. "That sounds great. Let's do it."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Yeah, that's... yeah, she's like that," Akane says, with a strained laugh. Being able to talk about it a little without her looming, immediate presence seems to do a lot to get Akane out of the worst of it -- but it's clear she's still pretty torn up.

"... All right. You pick something out and I'll handle getting ice cream?" Akane asks. ... She'll definitely feel a little bit more at ease once she gets herself -- doing something.