2022-12-06: Birthday

• Log: Birthday
• Cast: Rikka Takarada, Alouette Pommier, Namiko, Yuta Hibiki, Akane Shinjo's friend Ramo Marusa
• Where: Tsutsujidai - Junk Shop Aya
• OOC - IC Date: U.C. 0096 12 05
• Summary: Rikka's friends gather to wish her a happy birthday, to celebrate their friendship even through everything that has happened.

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<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Today is Rikka's birthday. She hasn't told anyone about it, of course. Recent events haven't left her in much of a celebratory mood... and so, it has fallen to Orie and Rikka's friends to spread the word, to coordinate and let her friends know that the big day is coming up. Because now more than ever it's important to remind her that she is loved, cared for, and appreciated. And maybe, it'll help everyone else remember that for themselves, in turn.

Rikka has gone out for a walk to get some fresh air, which gives everyone time to assemble and get ready. Orie sent her a text, letting her know that she was closing up shop early today and that she should enter through the family entrance, and asking her to join her in the living room. When she arrives, the blinds are drawn on the Aya's windows, as expected.

"I'm home..." Rikka announces herself. She steps into the living room - cozy but with more than enough room for everyone - and is immediately struck silent by the sight of it. It has been modestly decorated, but in the kind of way filled with heart. Carefully-wrapped presents are stacked onto the table. And, of course, many of her friends are here!

Orie Takarada, presently standing by the stove turns, looking toward Rikka as she enters with a smile.

"There's the birthday girl. Happy birthday, Rikka." Orie greets, stepping over to give her a quick hug - and stepping away just as quickly, fully expecting her to be swarmed immediately. "Go on, sit with everyone."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Rikka is someone that Alouette only knew as a friend for a little less than half a year. But they've been through a lot together and Rikka has come to mean a lot to her. So when word broke that her friends were planning a surprise party, Alouette simply had to join in. And she even spent most of yesterday putting together a homemade gift!

Arriving in the living room as part of Orie Takarada's most devious plans, she places her wrapped box onto the table with the rest. It is rather small and could easily fit in your hands.

When the girl of the hour arrives, Alouette slightly lifts herself from the nearby couch and waves cheerfully. "Rikka-chan! /Joyeux anniversaire~"

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

Marusan and Yuta had been talking about a group gift at one point. Despite not knowing Rikka all that well, Marusan regards her pretty fondly simply because Akane does; she'd be lying if she said she didn't worry about where things could go for them as Akane is now, but...

... well, that makes it all the more important to make sure that they've both got a nice environment where they know they're cared about. She hasn't been able to get through to Akane since the middle of last month, though...

... but that just underlines the importance of these small kindnesses.

Marusan places a box on the table with the other presents, giving a small wave. "Hi, Rikka. Happy birthday. I wish it was under a little better circumstances..." She's still thinking about both what Namiko told her and the kaiju corpse still lying there in the shopping district. While Marusan is the type to try to put things out of mind by avoiding them... there's a limit.

Nevertheless, she can smile for a time like this.

(True fact from a real Marusan: She's not alone when she arrives, either!)

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Namiko has been staying here for a little bit, to keep her safe from the entity they now know is named Celebro. She's been spending her time, mostly, on scraping her personality back together from when Celebro smashed it with his experiments. ...whatever those were.

But today's not about that. When Rikka walks in, she nearly leaps out from where she is - of course - making tea to chime, "Happy birthday, Rikka!" with a full-scale face-splitting Namiko grin.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta's flushed with exertion when he arrives at Rikka's home, just a few minutes before the birthday girl herself. "We made it!" He announces, coming into the room with his arms piled high with gifts. He's dressed in his very favorite clothes for the occasion -- a red undershirt with a nice blue button-up overtop it. A brilliant red scarf is wrapped around his neck, despite the warm weather.

After carefully placing the gifts on the designated table, Yuta takes a look around. He's only been inside Rikka's house once before, and he hardly had a chance to look around, then. It's nice. It feels homey, in a way his own apartment is lacking. Smiling, Yuta finds a chair and sits down, catching his breath.

As Rikka enters, Yuta stays back at first. Once the girls have gotten their hugs and greetings, he approaches, opening his arms shyly for a hug of his own. If she doesn't want to hug him, he'll play it off as a weird stretch or something -- it's fine. She gets to choose. "Happy birthday!" He echoes, looking genuinely thrilled to be here.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Mamaaa... What did you do?" Rikka complains, in that way where you can tell she doesn't really mean it. It's hard to look too put out, when a smile is currently working its way up her face despite herself at all the well-wishes being sent her way.

Orie, of course, looks pleased with herself at the sight of everyone greeting her daughter with such cheer. ...It's nice, seeing that so many people care about her.

"Well, you've been looking so gloomy lately. I thought you could use something to pick your spirits back up." Orie explains. She turns back around to get back to what she was doing - while Namiko prepares the tea, she's been preparing snacks.

"Well... I'm happy to see you all. Thanks, everyone." Rikka says, looking a bit sheepish. She nods to Marusan, too, as she says that she wishes it was under better circumstances. There's some notable absences here, ones she doesn't bring up. It's a surprise to see her - she still doesn't know her too well, but in a similar fashion she knows she's one of Akane's close friends so in that way they share a sort of kinship. "...Yeah. Me too."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"Well, of course. Today is your big day!" Alouette smiles widely after she receives her hug from Rikka. And then she takes her seat again, opting to take the sofa across from Rikka - and letting the friends she's known for longer sit right next to her.

As Yuta and Marusan arrive, she waves to them as well. "Yuta-kun! And Maru-san.. we've seen each other in class, but we never talked too much, did we? I'm Alouette, one of Rikka's friends, from outside," she skips over the part where she seemingly vanished from class to go back home. Too complicated. (Marusan likely has the pieces to put it together anyways).

As for Namiko, she's looking slightly worse for wear compared to the one time they met, and Alouette certainly can't blame her: reading the NERV report about what happened to her and Hass made her upset. "I can help you with that if you'd like," She offers, about the tea that is ready to be served. She learned at least a little during her visit to the Tea Ceremony Club - and she doesn't mind giving the extra support.

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

Marusan is actually struggling with her breathing a little less than Yuta. She's had a long time to get used to running, between having to get from one end of town to the other at speed and having done Dance Club as long as she has.

Marusan settles in on the sofa across from Rikka; she's not that close to Rikka, ultimately. She will take a hug, though.

Her gaze tracks to Alouette, though, after a little while. When Alouette addresses her, Marusan nods. "I put that together. I was... a little nervous about talking to you in class, for a few reasons," comes her answer. Her expression gets a little gentler as she adds, "You look good. ... very you." It's a small gesture, and she knows it. ... life is built out of small gestures, though.

To Rikka, she notes, "Yuta and I went halfsies on ours." This is a little bit face-saving for Yuta, because it's really more like 80-20; Marusan has Yumi Foundation money.

Their gift is a salon-quality styler that uses warm air rather than extreme heat; it's insanely nice, with attachments for wrangling hair of varying lengths. (It also doubles as a hair dryer, and is ghostly quiet.) For good measure, Marusan has also thrown in an oscillating hair dye brush; this one she was less sure on, because she's fairly certain Rikka does pretty negligible if any highlighting, but... it might come in handy nevertheless.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Namiko puffs up with pride. "I helped!" she declares, proudly.

As hugging begins, she of course dashes around the corner to clatter Rikka with a big around-the-shoulders hug, and give her a BIG smile right up close. "It's OK," she says, smiling ear to ear. "It's gonna be OK, so let's let today be OK! OK?"

And then she slips off back toward where tea and snacks are almost done. "Good to see you again," she says to Alouette. Her smile IS a bit more strained when she gives it to Alouette; she's not quite back at capacity to moodmake for hours at a time, yet. "I don't entirely get what all happened, but...I'm glad to see you." At the offer: "Ah, that'd be good!" she says. "All this steeping! Matcha just dissolves!" This is a tea ceremony joke that she apparently finds funny, and then sliiiides a tray of teacups with a prepared kettle to Alouette to carry to the main table. Namiko grabs a second tray, expecting high tea usage apparently.

She claims a seat next to Rikka through the power of the Bestie Card, claims a cup of her fine work, and takes a moment to scent it, letting the heat and leaves begin their work before she even drinks.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta beams as he's also given a hug -- he keeps it short and friendly, stepping back after only a moment has passed. Feeling quite a bit at home, he settles on the close sofa -- though leaving room for the Best Friend spot, of course. Before that, though, he has some greetings to make.

"Alouette! How are you doing?" Yuta greets her warmly, always happy to see such a reliable friend and ally. Namiko gets a quieter hello, the young man not wishing to startle her. "Hey, Namiko. Thanks so much for making tea. Nothing compares to when you make it." And finally... "Mrs. Takarada, can I do anything to help?" Yuta asks, politely. He is, after all, very good at carrying things.

Of the five gifts Yuta has brought, four seem to be a part of a set, wrapped with identical bright-blue metallic wrapping paper. The first is quite small, hardly more than the size of Rikka's palm. Written on it, simply, is "HBD -C". Within is a homemade scrunchie knit from the same vibrant red yarn as Yuta's scarf. It's stretchy, but still holds its shape quite well, a real sign of mastery over the art form!

Second is a rectangular package. There's no card or writing on it, as though the gifter is sure their present will speak for itself. Inside is a beautifully-made wooden box, with a stylized "R" carved into the lid. Opening it reveals... a knife! Clearly recently sharpened and polished, it gleams in the light of Rikka's living room. The handle has some kind of opalescent material worked into it, and it's really very comfortable to hold... should Rikka pick it up, of course.

Up next, for number three, is a small box, wrapped with great care. A small tag is taped to the tap -- "From Max." Inside, there's a solid layer of protective bubble wrap, but further in is a small, handheld digital camera. It features a miniaturized printer on the front, and is clearly quite retro. Supposedly, you can take pictures, apply alterations using the screen on the back, and then print them immediately.

Finally is a card -- but they've wrapped it in that metallic blue, just the same. The front features an over-sparkly painting of a birthday celebration between some woodland creatures. Within is a giftcard, taped to the card over a message. "Happy birthday. Get yourself something cool. -Vit"

The larger half of the card is taken up by a more lengthy message, in Yuta's handwriting. "Rikka," it begins, "I cannot thank you enough for your support in our continuing battle. Without your family's shelter, I would not be able to exist as I do now, and my comrades find true comfort spending time in your shop. You are our most valuable ally, and I wish you every happiness in the year to come. If this next year of your life is even a fraction of how wonderful you have been to us, I'm sure it will be a great joy. -Gridman (and Yuta!)"

Lastly is the un-matching gift. This one is wrapped in stylish blue wrapping paper, and gives off a mysterious aura compared to the gifts from Gridman and his comrades. A silver ribbon holds a folded note to the package, reading: "To Rikka: Must-have music history for a Sheryl Nome fan. I hope you enjoy their sounds too. -Kaworu". Within are a pack of three albums, each representing a different artist. Lynn Minmay, Sharon Apple, and Fire Bomber are all present. Yuta smiles when Rikka picks this gift up. "Kaworu sent this one! He couldn't be here today, but he wishes you all the best."

Marusan generously describes their gift, and Yuta gives her a grateful look. "Right! These were the top rated hair things online. They're supposed to be total game-changers when it comes to getting ready. Marusan knows how to navigate this stuff way better than I do, honestly. She was so cool when we were picking it out!"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"I'm glad you could make it." Rikka says, to Alouette. She's become a valuable friend to her, too. In a way, they've kind of grown as pilots together over the last year, so it's nice to have her here. It's nice to see she and Marusan interact, too.

Namiko, of course gives her a big hug, which Rikka appreciates, and assures her that it'll be okay. If she can still say that, even now... then, Rikka believes her.

"...Yeah. Thanks." She says. She appreciates the effort she goes through, too, to get the tea ready - laughing along with Namiko's joke and, when she takes a seat next to her, scooting in a bit closer.

Orie, meanwhile, looks toward Yuta when he approaches her asking if there's anything he can do to help. Well, she can tell when someone wants to be useful and she's not above making less work for herself, so it's a win-win for her. She starts portioning out some of the snacks she's been preparing onto plates - finger foods, mostly.

"Here, could you pass these out to everyone?" She asks him.

Soon enough, though - gifts! Marusan comes first, with a gift shared between her and Yuta - a salon-quality styler and a hairdye brush!

"Wow... This is really cool, actually." Rikka remarks with interest, as she looks through both of them. There's so many useful attachments, too - and her hair requires very specific care, which it seems to accomodate well. "I feel like this is going to cut-down on prep time a lot, thanks. And I definitely might want to try this out sometime..."

It's true, she doesn't really do highlighting now, but having a tool that makes it easier makes it a lot easier to consider it.

"Yeah, absolutely. I can't wait to try them out - thanks, you two." Rikka says with a smile. And then there's the gifts Yuta brought over - four of them as part of a set, and one on its own.

"...I think I can guess who sent these." Rikka comments. The first one is a handmade scrunchie. The package might be short and to the point, but a handmade gift like this speaks volume.

"Calibur's gotten really good at this..." She remarks. She slides the scrunchie over her left wrist, sitting opposite now the orange bird scrunchie she always wears.

The next is... obviously from Borr. Rikka is immediately impressed by the artistry of the box - and only further as she opens it up and looks at the knife contained within.

"Oh, wow." She remarks. She picks it up gently with both hands, looking at it from multiple angles before putting it back into the box. A knife is quite a gift to receive, but Rikka knows how significant a personal gift like this must be for Borr to give.

Next, is... a camera! Rikka looks at it with interest, turning it over in her hands. Sure, phones these days have cameras in them... but nothing beats a proper camera made for that purpose, and this one even has a printer built in!

"We'll definitely have to get together for a picture before everyone leaves." Rikka says with a decisive nod. And lastly, there's a birthday card... with a giftcard from Vit inside. Rikka can't help but laugh, at that.

"Yyyeah... That's Vit, alright." She says. She appreciates it all the same. And within the card is a message... from Gridman(and Yuta, of course). Rikka is struck silent for a moment, but a smile crosses her face.

"...Wow. That's a lot..." She admits. "...It's nice to know he cares. That they all do... I'll really have to thank all the next time I see them."

Gridman, too.

And last, but certainly not least... is a gift from Kaworu! Rikka looks at each album in turn, interest clear in her eyes.

"Wow, yeah... He read me just right. I've heard some of their songs here and there, but I don't have any of their albums yet... I can't wait to dig until these. I'll have to send him a thank you." She says.
BBSYS: Post 513, 'New Reaction: Job' has been published to Announcements by Escudo Shard.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"Mm.. I understand. Talking to the mysterious transfer student can be pretty intimidating, especially when there was what, five of them?" Alouette answers Marusan about being nervous. She takes on a lighter tone towards what's a bit of a heavier topic for herself. "Oh! Thank you." She blushes just a little at the compliment, brushing her curls with her finger for a moment. "...I like this outfit." The white blouse and blue skirt combination has remained a part of her wardrobe for a very long time.

"I'm doing well," Alouette answers Yuta and she really does mean it. "We just helped Miss Renais settle into her new home a few days ago, if you're wondering about her too. I think.. she's very happy." She'll never forget the smile and tears on Renais's face when she received the gift of real clothing.

To Namiko, she nods, and balances the tray in her hands. "It's good to see you again too, Miss Namiko." She smiles, pleasantly. "And it's complicated, but I don't think it's something to worry about," she says as she walks off towards the table. "Even if I won't be your classmate, I'll still be visiting!"

Then Alouette places the tray on the table, and carefully pours the tea - sliding the fanciest looking cup Rikka's way. She takes her seat again, and watches Rikka progress through opening the gifts - one from each Neon Genesis Junior High Student, the joint-bought hair styler from Yuta and Marusan, and the music albums from Kaworu.

Alouette supposes it's time for her own gift, and when Rikka opens the box, she'll find a miniature replica model of Synchrotank, small enough to hold with both hands. "I put this little one together with some of the leftover parts you gave me," Alouette explains. "Oh- and.. it's actually a music player!" Opening the cockpit area reveals an interface that Alouette programmed paired with a vintage CD drive.

Glancing over at Kaworu's gift, she adds, "Kaworu-san and I didn't actually coordinate this at all, but it worked out perfectly, don't you think? It should be able to play whichever music you want it to." Alouette was a slight worried that a model of Rikka's mobile suit would remind her too much about the fighting. But it's also a representation of her courage to stand up for what she loves.. so it didn't seem like such a bad gift after all.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Marusan is delighted to get some tea. She isn't in much of a hurry with it, either. "... It's complicated," she offers Namiko, on the topic of 'entirely what all happened.' No one really wants to hear the bad things their friend is doing, much less talk about them in depth at what's supposed to be a party.

She watches Rikka go through all the gifts, a grin splitting her face as she sees the multiple music-forward gifts. ... that's good data for next year. (Marusan only knows about Rikka's one-time stint as a hair model. ... where was that, again?)

The comment on cutting down on prep time gives Marusan cause to smile. It's not a small one, either. "Time's the one thing you can't get back, right? Even if it only saves you 20 minutes or so a day, that's 20 minutes you can spend bailing her out with your notes again," she teases, with a Look in Namiko's direction.

... okay, so even if she's a warm person, Marusan's sense of humor is a little mean. Just a little.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta does look pleased to be able to do something useful. "Of course!" He moves around the room easily, starting with the birthday girl, of course. Namiko comes next, then Alouette and Marusan, and one final plate for himself.

"Oh, I'm so glad you like them." Yuta's smile grows all the more bright. "I hope they help!" Rikka's hair always looks so nice, after all, it must take ages to get it like that. And if she chose to add some color, that'd be cool, for sure. Yuta's always admired pops of color like that.

As Rikka goes through the Neon Genesis Junior High Students' gifts, Yuta watches with interest. He's seen many of these gifts while they were in progress, but the finished products are just as surprising to him. The scrunchie was particularly impressive to watch -- Calibur perfected his speed-knitting technique as he worked on it, his knitting needles flashing in and out of visibility as he worked. Borr's knife makes Yuta laugh aloud. "Borr said it's so you won't have to borrow one of theirs again. I didn't know it'd be that nice, though!" The camera is particularly impressive -- Yuta remembers Max assembling one functional version from the remains of several broken models. And Vit's present... He rubs the back of his head. Vit had put that together five minutes before Yuta left. But Rikka doesn't need to know that.

Gridman's message seems to really hit Rikka hard... Yuta looks away as she reads it, a little embarrassed. What are you supposed to do while someone reads your card, anyway? "They all put their hearts into their gifts. Everyone trusted Gridman to express their feelings. We couldn't do this without you, Rikka. Oh, and I'll let Kaworu know you liked it!"

Yuta winces as Alouette mentions the five mysterious transfer students, but he quickly recovers. It's not the place for guilt or self-pity -- this is a party! Rikka's party! Yuta chomps down one of the snacks on his plate, rallying his smile again. Time with friends is to be cherished.

"That's great to hear!" Yuta says, of Renais' new home. "She deserves to be happy. I'll work out some kind of housewarming gift, or something! An occasion like that is worth celebrating."

"Marusan!" Yuta says, half-scolding as his friend playfully calls out Namiko. "Right after she made us all such amazing tea?"

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Even with everything...Namiko smiles. This is her element. Even if she's not bouncing off the walls to be the moodmaker like she can be sometimes, helping everyone have a good time, helping present a good party, is pulling energy out of her that she hadn't been able to reach. She positively beams at Yuta. "Hehehe! They called me mad when I dropped softball!" They didn't, but she plants her hands on her hips smugly anyway. "Thanks a bunch! And, it's good to see you!"

Soon enough, she's settled in next to Rikka with a more mild smile on her face, scenting her work and just...vibin', basically. Her eyes do slip over to Marusan at her quiet brush-aside of The Whole Situation, which Namiko meets with a nod. Really all she feels like she needs to know, for now. She still has some people she wants to see again, but...for now, she's satisfied to have some friends she can count on seeing around sometimes.

Marusan's tease sees Namiko humph! "Twenty minutes!" she says, and her grin ignites into Second Stage Kittygrin. "A real office lady knows all about what you can do in twenty minutes, Rikka! We should listen seriously."

As for Namiko's gift, she's laughed, "Feel like a one-trick pony over here," before the wrappings even off, so when it's a sealed pouch of tea leaves, it's probably predictable. It is labeled as...Earl Grey!

"That," Namiko supplies, "is real black tea made with varieties from the actual for-real county of Cornwall in AEU England. As far as I can tell about five tons total get off the planet in a year. I was hunting that pouch down for a month!"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Oh, Renais moved into a new place?" Rikka asks, curiously. Alouette says she's very happy - and hearing that makes Rikka happy in turn. "I'll have to send her some congratulations later."

She will of course, gratefully accept the tea, offering a nod of thanks to both Namiko and Alouette - and then in turn, the treats from Yuta with a similar nod.

And there's a gift from Alouette, too! Rikka finds herself curious as to what it is... and she's struck silent to find a cute little model of Synchrotank waiting for her. Rikka sets her tea down, picking it up in both hands and inspecting it closely.

"W-wow... I don't know what to say." She says. A lot of care and attention has clearly been placed into getting it just right... even some of the small details. Her interest only grows, though, when Alouette points out that it's a music player. Sure off enough, Rikka opens up the cockpit and there it is. She shuts it closed again.

"You didn't? Wow, it's incredible how that worked out. Thank you, I love it." Rikka says with a smile. It's true - Synchrotank means a lot to Rikka. It was constructed together through the combined efforts of the Gridman Alliance with the sole desire to protect Tsutsujidai and its people, and sometimes Rikka is certain that it was their hearts joining as one that makes it perform far better than a Guntank of its age would. So to see a representation of it here in miniature, in a way that encourages one of her passions, and made by an important friend who wasn't there when it was first built, means a lot!

She nods toward Yuta, then, as she expresses the desire that his gifts help.

"Yeah, they will. Absolutely." Rikka agrees, and then chuckles. "Yeah, me either..."

It almost makes her afraid to use it. ...Though she hopes she won't ever have to actually use it. But who knows what'll happen!

"Yeah, I can feel it, from each and every one of them..." Rikka says with a nod. "And, thanks, I'd appreciate that."

"That's true..." Rikka says, as Marusan points out that time's the one thing you can't get back. She laughs, as she spins it into a tease toward Namiko - and then when Namiko counters Rikka grins, nodding sagely.

"Oh yes, you're right. Please, share with us your office lady wisdom." She says.

Namiko has also brought a gift - it's tea! Earl Grey, specifically - and how rare and valuable it is isn't lost on Rikka.

"I happen to like that one trick. It's a good trick." Rikka says. "But, wow... how did you even get this? You know you're gonna have to help me prepare this, right?"

This is, of course, the opposite of a problem.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen adjacent to the living room Orie only watches in amusment, sipping at her own tea as the teenagers begin to tease each other. She hasn't even flinched when some of the gifts have included a model replica of a very specific robot she isn't supposed to know about and an Actual, For Real Knife.

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

It takes a second for Marusan to connect 'Renais' to 'new swim coach who is also now gone,' but when she does, she... settles for offering a brief, warm, "That's great." She doesn't know her as well as everyone else seems to.

She gets a rib back, and her cheeks puff out a bit; she has no answer for this, though, other than a slightly tired, "Ahaha..." It brings out the dark circles under her eyes more than a little bit.

Settling back in her seat a bit, she looks at the music player a little more closely, now; it feels like... oh! Oh, of course. "Huh... wow, you guys are pretty brave," she says, as she slowly puts it all together. "Happy birthday, Rikka," she affirms, again. "You're a really brave person."

Marusan may not quite have Akane's uncanny inference engine, but she can put things together.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"It's good to see you too, Namiko." She seems well, and happy, even if not back to normal. Yuta can't help but think about Hass, and he quickly turns his gaze to his own tea. Hass should be here... Her absense is palpable, leaving one Best Friend spot unclaimed next to Rikka. A memory of her shouted determination as Hass was pulled through that weird portal comes back, and tears come to Yuta's eyes.

Wherever you are, Hass, we're coming. Please stay strong.

Yuta takes a deep, deep drink of his tea, then coughs. Too hot..! At least it works as a cover for his watery eyes. "S--sorry! That was a bit too much, I'm still a novice tea drinker!"

"Let's do something for Renais together, Rikka." Yuta says, once he's recovered. "If you want!"

When Synchrotank is unveiled... Yuta's eyes go wide, and he nearly drops his plate of snacks. "Holy sh-- uh." A quick glance up at Orie. Whoops. "Wow." That'll do. "Alouette, you're really next level!"

Somehow, Synchrotank looks about as small now as it does when Gridman is at his full size. It's a funny realization, one that makes Yuta grin. Maybe he can bring it up in a sneaky way... "Hey, now you know how Gridman feels, seeing that thing! It's so tiny and cute!"

Kaworu's gift aligning so well with Alouette's can't be a coincidence. Even if they didn't arrange anything on purpose, Kaworu has a way of making these things happen. Yuta smiles to himself. He'll definitely ask the other boy about it later.

Yuta can't help but laugh when Rikka and Namiko fire back at Marusan. Office-lady wisdom? He covers his mouth quickly, suddenly very interested in the birthday decorations around the room. Making fun of your club leader is a great way to find yourself running extra laps. Namiko's gift of tea is remarkable, and Yuta leans over, hoping to be able to smell the rare tea. "That's amazing, Namiko. You're like a fancy smuggler!"

Marusan seems to have a realization, as Yuta turns his attention back to her. His eyes go wide, and he glances to Rikka, then back to Marusan. Carefully staying quiet, the young man simply nods, his hair-spikes flopping up and down as his head moves. Another drink of tea. Rikka is really brave.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Rikka, Yuta, and Marusan all offer congratulations for Renais. "It's a very nice place. And she'll be a lot less lonely. Although..." A grin emerges on her face. "If you send a housewarming gift, I recommend clothes."

Alouette's expression turns very warm when she sees that Rikka likes her gift.
 But it's briefly interrupted by a short giggle at Yuta's own reaction. "I'm really glad you like it! And true, it's a wonderful coincidence."

Alouette's specialty is not hardware - but she still put her all in making the model as perfect and accurate to her memory as it could possibly be. And the finished product is something she can be proud enough of to make a gift.

As the group banters, Alouette just takes a long sip of matcha and watches the chaos unfold eagerly. But when Marusan affirms that Rikka is brave...

"...Yes. One of the bravest people I know."

<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.

After the back-and-forth finishes between herself, Rikka, and Namiko, Marusan turns to Yuta, giving him a bit of a look. "Trust me, we know where we stand with each other. Besides, they're made of tough stuff... they can definitely give as good as they get."

She decides to get the last word in the back-and-forth, even if it means taking one on the chin. "Don't worry, you two -- I'll write up everything you need, as soon as this carpal tunnel dies down..." She has to laugh at herself a bit, too.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Namiko will inquire about some of these names she doesn't quite recognize later, although she does glance aside to Marusan and mouth 'Gridman?' because it feels...something?

Her memory provides her an image of a hero in red, and blue, and silver, a giant leaping into the sky. She doesn't quite have the connections for it yet.

The rest of the gifts have her smiling, though. An Entire Actual Knife...would be more shocking if she didn't have EXTREMELY unpleasant context for it, but also she has now had Borr doting on her for a while so she actually finds herself smiling, once the associations clock through. But everything else is...just, nice. Vitt copped out but she's met Vitt by now, too and: Yeah, scans, actually.

When Rikka investigates her gift, Namiko puffs up. "That's why I've been going into all those import shops at the edges of town. Some of them are phony, but there's a couple real ones!" Hee hee. "Oh I will." She leans the whole way into Rikka's side, a falsely angelic smile on her face. "Ahhh, your adorable guardian Namiko will always be by your side so you don't boil the tea into charcoal, never you worry."

For Yuta, she tut tuts with her finger. "The term is treasure hunter!" she supplies, wisely.

And for Marusan's light retreat, Namiko nods firmly. "That's important!" she says, teasing off of Marusan's own joke. But the smile she gives her is actually quite tender. "I know you have a lot to sign, after all."

Ah, but...On the matter of Rikka's bravery, Namiko doesn't quite assemble all the pieces - she is having far too much fun keeping everyone going. But her smile does turn soft and tender. "Yeah," she says, and turns her eyes to the side, smiling. "Rikka's super brave."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Marusan... says they're pretty brave. Rikka looks her way, curious. She wishes her a happy birthday, and says that she's a really brave person. Rikka... can kind of connect the dots too. She laughs a little.

"Ah... thanks." She replies. This is probably something they ought to talk about sometime... but, it can wait, for now.

Yuta says they should do something together for Renais, and Alouette recommends clothes. That grin on her face... Rikka connects the dots there, too.

"Oh! Really?" She says with a smile. "Yeah, clothes sounds great, too. I think I have some fashion magazines she might like, too. Yeah, Yuta, let's do something for her. We owe her a lot, too..."

Yuta's response to Alouette's Synchrotank gets a laugh out of Rikka, and then a grin. "Huh, wow, I never thought about that..."

It certainly puts things into new perspectives... Maybe Gridman'd like it if her Synchrotank played music for him sometime, too?

Rikka grins a little at Marusan's comment... but then, she elects to get the last word.

"Ahah... yeah, good luck with that..." Rikka replies. Only Namiko is strong enough to come up with an expert response to that.

"You've always had a good nose for this kind of stuff..." Rikka remarks, and then grins as she leans into her. "I'll be counting on you."

And then... everyone remarks on her bravery. So many earnest comments at once... She has good resistances to them, but even she's starting to turn a little red now. Embarrassed, but in a good way.

"You guys..." Rikka complains with a smile - but it doesn't hide how much she enjoys the attention, and just being there with everyone. She glances over to the side toward her mother, with silent gratitude in her eyes. Orie simply smiles back.

...Yeah. After everything, Rikka really did need this.