2023-06-22: New Frontiers
- Log: 2023-06-22- New Frontiers
- Cast: Sheryl Nome, Alouette Pommier, Rikka Takarada, Akane Shinjo
- Where: Macross Frontier Fleet - Park
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-06-22
- Summary: Rikka gets a chance to get out of Tsutsujidai after her lengthy ordeal, spending time with her friends in the park on the Frontier Fleet. The bigger world still has wonderful things to offer.
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Sheryl promised Rikka to set up a low-key hang-out if Rikka contacted Akane and Alouette to get the four of them together. Since it is a low-key hang-out, it didn't take a lot of thinking to come up with something.
There's a famous park in the Macross Frontier with a large stone monument in the center--a ridged cross with humanoid statues lining the bottom. Stairs lead up to it and through the park, which is otherwise flat and grassy and well-lit with lampposts. An administration building with three domes isn't far away, but it's usually empty, and the park itself is peaceful. Ranka brought Sheryl here some time ago; now it's Sheryl's turn to pay it forward.
She waits for the others at the foot of the monument, dressed in an off-shoulder cyan shirt over black hotpants, thigh-high stockings, heeled boots, a headband, sunglasses, and matching gold bracelets and necklace--and of course her signature earring. She has a picnic basket next to her, but it's filled with a blanket, utensils, drinks, and four single-serving stonewares of tiramisu--she and everyone agreed to all bring a dish to share with everyone for the picnic, and Sheryl claimed dessert.
As she waits for her friends, Sheryl listens on earbuds to music playing from her taiyaki phone. Her long legs are crossed, and one foot bobs in the air to the beat. She might be on hiatus, but she's never going to stop loving music, and it's more important than ever to keep her finger on the pulse so she can go right back to being relevant once she returns to the stage.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Merci, merci!" Alouette smiles back, as Sheryl compliments her in turn. Was she trying to show off? "I always try to look my best! And after everything that happened on that ship... I'm not going to pass up the chance to look good." She replies, almost earnestly despite the statement that could sound conceited.
Water on the bridge...? How could she sound so chill about almost dying? She supposes that's Sheryl for you. But to her more serious statement, she nods. "...Yeah, you're right. I'd rather not let that drag me down."
Rikka and Akane arrive next, and Alouette favours them too with a smile and a wave. "Akane, Rikka! It's nice to see you, too. Your outfits are pretty nice themselves - are they new?" She asks, curiously.
And then cracks open a can of lemonade. "I went light on the sodas," she explains, "because I know me and Rikka don't really like carbonated drinks. But there's still plenty of variety! I thought it's hot enough in the summer that the drinks would be important."
As for food, she tries some of Akane's tamago sando, first. The flavour surprises her a little at first... but she doesn't hate it. With it, she picks up some of the Aya pastries that Rikka brought with her.
"I know, right? And 0097 is already halfway over.." She comments, about the transition from spring to summer. "Swimsuits, though? I actually... don't have any." Her voice trails off. "I never really saw any of the appeal for going underwater unless it was related to a mission." She adds, perhaps revealing to Sheryl some of her natural penchant for isolation.
"That's probably got to change at some point though, right?" Sheryl brings up a beach party, and the idea of inviting her and Akane, and she does look up in interest - it's a new experience! "That could be fun... what do you think, Akane?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Sheryl smiles, and Rikka smiles back.
"...Yeah. I think this suits me much better, too." She agrees - and then laughs. "...Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying to show off at least a little bit..."
It feels good to be able to show off - and to want to show off. Alouette asks her if her outfit is new, Rikka smiles.
"It is! I'm glad you like it." She replies. Due to circumstances, most of her clothes are pretty new, with plans to acquire more on the way... and yet, she isn't too bothered by this.
She looks toward Akane, then, as she says she's kind of wiped.
"Yeah... It was worth it, though." Rikka agrees with a smile, as she moves to take a seat next to her. Akane takes her hand and gives it a squeeze, and Rikka squeezes back in return.
There is a lot, but Rikka isn't complaining. It all looks really good...
"I did a lot of it, but I had a little help from mama." Rikka admits, setting out her dishes and then piling up a plate. For her part, so goes for a juice, nodding as Alouette explains that the two of them don't like carbonated drinks.
"Right?" Rikka replies, as Sheryl comments on the arrival of summer. She 'hm's to herself, though, considering the question.
"Maybe I should..." Rikka considers, her eyes straying toward Akane. She likes the swimsuit she has now... but she does have a girlfriend to show off for now, so maybe she should consider her options. As she's considering this, though, Sheryl puts forth an excellent idea. She remembers that beach fondly, and that day - it helped her get over her starstrickenness toward Sheryl and be able to interact with her as a person, rather than as a celebrity.
"Oh, I remember that! I had a great time." Rikka says, nodding toward Alouette and Akane. She offers them a smile. "It'd be great to go with you if you're interested."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
While she doesn't want to place her own thumb too harshly on the scale, Akane's pretty happy to get to see Frontier. It's a bit overwhelming -- visually, it's a lot 'louder' a place than Tsutsujidai, as places go. Still... it's nice.
Sheryl calls out that they may have been trying to show off for her, and Akane lets out an embarrassed little laugh. "Ahaha... haha... maybe a little... and yeah -- this one's kind of new." Akane concedes -- though it's really more like 'absolutely.' She'd agonized over her outfit pick for an hour or two before deciding on today's outfit -- she can't look bad in front of Sheryl Nome.
"I made the sandwiches, at least," Akane answers. When Alouette mentions the drinks, she adds, "I'm not a huge carbonation fan either? I kinda ruined that for myself, ahaha..."
The conversation turns toward the beach, and Akane turns a little pink. "I definitely need a new swimsuit... I have one, but," a gesture at her... whole body, "I think I kinda filled out a bit since the last time I wore it, ahaha..."
While that could take some more explanation, she decides to skip all that entirely in favor of nibbling at a sandwich. With a little bit of it still in her mouth, Akane adds, "So -- yeah! I'm actually pretty game for that..."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
How? It's a good question, considering Sheryl has no intention of dying anytime soon. Part of it is the fact that she didn't die, or even get severely hurt. Part of it is an innate recklessness and tendency to live in the moment--which also means leaving the past behind, especially the painful parts. But mostly it's the fact that it really wasn't Rikka's fault, and she has no intent of making her feel guiltier than she already does.
So in short, yes, that's Sheryl for you.
"I know exactly what you mean," Sheryl tells Alouette emphatically. (She really does know exactly what she means.) Her smile as Rikka adds that she's showing off a bit too is approving, and widens into an outright salacious grin at Akane's nervous laughter.
The topic turns to drinks before any outright teasing can happen, though, and she tilts her head, blinking wide in curiosity at the girls. "Oh really? Why not? I hardly ever drink sodas myself, but I do like the occasional sparkling water."
Curiosity turns to shock, though, as Alouette admits she doesn't have any swimsuits at all, due to not ever swimming. "Really?! You're missing out, Alouette! Swimming is so much fun--and it's a great way to exercise all parts of your body!" She winks. "Plus you get to show off how sexy you are~!" Akane mentions she needs a new one, and Rikka seems inclined that way too, so that settles it. Going from flirty to decisive in an instant, she concludes, "We'll definitely have to go swimsuit shopping together soon, then! We've got to be reach for the beach. <3"
From her mama, huh... Sheryl looks briefly wistful, but shakes it off. "You can't beat a homecooked meal. Grace fixes some meals for me sometimes--she made an amazing feast for Christmas last year--but most of the time they're handled by my nutritionist." She waggles her sandwich at Akane and winks. "Something like this is a little bit of a treat for me."
...Which means the crudites are her being responsible. Not doing live shows on the regular means less exercise, which means she has to be more fastidious about her diet than usual.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Oh, you do?" Alouette raises, when Sheryl tells her she knows exactly what she means. "Maybe that's not so surprising, I mean, you're killing it even in casuals..." She concedes, with a laugh. "Sometimes it can be not to just impress an audience, but feel good about yourself too, right?"
As for the question about the carbonated drinks, she considers it for herself for a moment. "I guess I'm just really picky... lots of tastes don't really agree with me? And I've gotten myself used to some pretty strict regimens before." She tries.
"It takes a little brute-forcing, but at least I'm trying to be open minded, I'd think." She concludes with a smile. She does wonder the story behind Akane ruining carbonation for herself, though.
"It could be," she notes, when Sheryl notes how swimming is fun. "And as an athlete, that's a reasonable point too." about the exercise. The third point, predictably gets her to fluster. "H-hey! I never quite said-" She almost spits out her lemonade. "Y-Your words, not mine, okay?" Could be fun trying to get a reaction out of Sho though...
She can't say she isn't excited by the prospect of going shopping for swimsuits, though, especially as a group. "I'm up for it, though. I've never really looked around the shops up at the Frontier, actually." She nods, collecting herself. "Have either of you?" She looks over to Rikka and Akane.
Akane and Rikka both note that they made the meals herself. "It's all really good, if you need a review. There's plenty of strong flavours in your dishes... but I feel like that's not exactly a bad thing, and it wasn't excessive either. Pouring lots of love into it sounds better than a bland dish." Alouette chips in. "Yeah... Sheryl said it best. It's hard to beat home-cooked."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane's outfit, too, is new. Rikka sends her a smile.
"I'm pretty sure I've said this about a hundred times already, but it's a really good look for you." Rikka praises. Alouette's comment about dressing to feel good about herself to Sheryl gets her thinking a bit, too. That's definitely important... But then, there's a question about her opinion on carbonated drinks.
"It's, uh... kind of hard to explain? Mostly I just can't really handle the bubbliness..." Rikka admits with a small laugh. She smiles, though, as Akane, too, agrees to the beach trip.
"I'm glad. I really looking forward to it now." She replies. She looks between Alouette and Sheryl as the two talk about swimsuits - and she can't help but laugh just a little at her reaction. Swimsuit shopping, though...
"That sounds great. I could maybe use a few pointers, I might just end up falling back on old habits if it's just me and I want to branch out a little..." Rikka considers. She nods toward Alouette. "I have - though I wouldn't consider myself an expert on them or anything. It was just kind of a bit of casual browsing... so it'll be a fun new experience for me, too."
She does soak up the praise on the cooking, looking quite pleased even though she admitted it wasn't all her.
"Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. A treat, huh... Well, I'm glad I was able to treat you~. But... yeah. There's just something special about the feeling of something made especially for you." She says with a chuckle, before looking Akane's way. "...And of course I'm always head over heels for your cooking."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The idea of Alouette dressing to impress gives Akane a few complicated feelings here and there -- though they're not very strong ones. She's already gone shopping with Alouette once before herself -- that ghost is mostly put to rest by now. ... things never really completely clear out, though.
"I used to cook for myself a lot -- but I actually think I kinda like cooking for other people more," Akane says to Sheryl. At the mention that the sando is a treat, Akane laughs, and says, "I hope it's good! I mostly just cooked it the way I would for myself."
"You are actually pretty striking," Akane notes, seeing blood in the water with Alouette. ... she's actually feeling comfortable enough to tease her a bit. "Depending on how things work out you might have another growth spurt in you yet, and that'd be a big deal... that's kind of the fashion model look, outside the OCU, right?" Sipping at her tomato juice, she smirks. "Nice legs, too."
... she can't dig in that deeply, though. She lets it go, taking another bite of her sandwich. "I've never actually been here before, so, uh, nope."
Scootching forward a bit, Akane finally gets a proper entree -- and some tiramisu, too, of course. "I'd say the trial run of the breakfast-every-morning thing has been pretty good," Akane offers Rikka with a playful wink. "... it's nice to get to try that kinda thing," she adds, a bit more seriously. "Learning to cook diner-style has been nice, even if the secret is mostly just fat, salt, and sugar..."
... that turns her thoughts to a slightly difficult topic. She considers letting it skate... but everyone keeps encouraging her to voice this stuff. "... I was kind of scared of you dropping a bunch of weight on the Garuda," she says -- though as soon as she says it she raises both hands with a nervous expression. "Uh -- listen, I'm just -- glad it didn't happen! We don't need to dwell on that stuff --"
BBSYS: Post 1003, '+stafflist' has been published to Announcements by Escudo Shard.
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"Right! The secret to fashion is owning it. Feeling good about what you wear is crucial!" Sheryl tells Alouette firmly. That isn't really what it was about, but--that part is definitely true too. And... this isn't the mood right now to get into what it was about. To whit, she winks playfully and adds, "The other secret is tailoring. Anything can look good on you if it actually fits your body."
She swaps sandwich for veggies and a drink of her coffee as she listens to the others' taste in drinks and foods. It's a little odd to her that they'd all just happen to dislike carbonation, but it's not a big deal, so she just nods.
"What, you don't think you're sexy? You should give yourself more credit, Alouette," Sheryl teases. "I'm sure there's plenty others around who'd appreciate the sight of your silky thighs~." She giggles as Akane gets in on it. "See? Akane knows what I'm talking about! Show off enough skin and you'll end up seducing the world. <3" Another laugh and she adds breezily, "Just kidding!"
Or is she?
"It's surprisingly demure. Very different from some other numbers I've seen you in," Sheryl belatedly notes to Akane--and graciously not mentioning the context of when Akane was wearing those other more daring numbers. "That's not a bad thing, mind you. You shouldn't ever try to box yourself into just one style. Women are multi-faceted! The moment you think you can only be 'cute,' you can only be 'voluptuous,' you can only be 'mature' or 'girly' or 'modest,' you can only be this or that single thing, that's the moment you make yourself boring."
Maybe that gives some insight into the themes and costumes for Universal Bunny.
She beams as the others all agree to swimsuit shopping. "Perfect~ Let's do that before summer break, then! I'll invite Ranka too--though she might just have her summer looks lined up already." From her tone, Sheryl doesn't seem to think anyone will mind a fifth person. Does anyone dislike Ranka, though? (Lower your hand, Yuliana.)
"It is! It's got a bit of a kick to it," Sheryl tells Akane about the tamago sando. She makes a bit of a face about the diner foods. "Really, is that it? No wonder the food at Aya tastes so good... and no wonder Grace is so strict about it." She sighs theatrically. "I could just sneak more than a bite or two anyway, but I've got to save my calories for dessert. Maybe next time!"
With the main dishes done and washed down, Sheryl goes for her share of the tiramisu. She smiles knowingly as Rikka and Akane flirt over Akane's cooking, but this time she doesn't tease. Apparently that privilege is Alouette's alone... for now. It helps ("helps") that Akane turns the topic to the Garuda and Rikka losing weight. Sheryl's smile fades, and she says crisply, "You're right, we don't." She raises an eyebrow at Rikka and Alouette. "Unless we want to. But that's up to you two. I'm just here to enjoy a nice, sunny day with my friends."
And with that, she spoons up a bite of tiramisu and pops it into her mouth. In terms of technical proficiency, it is quite good.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette also has her own complicated feelings about dressing to impress -- but they're eased by the fact she's not only impressing others. She does steal a glance Akane's way, as if to silently say 'it's okay'.
"I mean, it's not the first word I'd use to describe myself? And silky?" She awkwardly laughs at Sheryl's teasing. But the teasing actually does help, in strutting out of her comfort zone. "But maybe you're right -- your standards are way too high for empty flattery, aren't they, Sheryl? 'Just kiddings' or not."
Akane really goes for it, even pointing out her main charm point at that. "I wasn't expecting you to be shameless enough to say it, Akane!" There's a joking accusing finger - but really it's her fault for not expecting any lack of shame from Akane.
She does consider her words more seriously, though... "A fashion model, huh? Right, they're all really tall." She nods. "If I could reach the 180cm range... you miii~ght be in trouble, Sheryl!" Now it's her turn to smirk!
Sheryl suggests inviting Ranka to their little shopping trip, Alouette looks enthusiastic at least, turning a glance at Rikka. "That sounds excellent," she agrees. "And it'd be nice to get another chance to meet Ranka, too." She kind of wonders what the dynamic between her and Sheryl is like in private.
As for the Akane-Rikka cooking talk, Sheryl holds back, but Alouette digs into it. "Geez, you two sound like you've made it official for years at this point. Not that you'd be the youngest 3G member to do it, or anything." She.. isn't actually aware of the family register situation, making it all the more ironic.
Her expression turns sharper when the topic turns back to the Garuda, and she kind of just looks away for the moment. She is glad that Akane's able to voice it... even if she's not able to really handle the topic at the moment... considering how the Garuda almost ruined her own intake in just a few days. "If it's anything..." She starts, taking a spoonful of tiramisu and letting the spoon hang in the air. "I can't speak for Rikka, but putting together a picnic like this feels helpful, for me at least. And my appetite was a mess even before the Garuda. So, thank you very much for this, Sheryl." She concludes, a little pained, but grateful. And then she eats it... "Delicious," is her assessment.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka looks pleased as Akane teases Alouette. She chuckles, just a little, and then considers Alouette.
"I can see that. And she's pretty dangerous already..." Rikka comments, joining in. She lets it drop when Akane does, though, instead listening as Sheryl comments on Akane's outfit. Don't box yourself in... That's very important.
"That's true..." Rikka says consideringly. She smiles, though, when Sheryl suggests inviting Ranka. "That'd be great."
She smiles back at Akane, then. Breakfast every morning... it has been pretty nice. She's going to miss it - but it'll make it all the better when they reach that future for real.
"I'd say so, too." She says... and then laughs, a bit sheepishly, as Akane divulges the Aya's secret!! "It isn't just that..."
She waits a beat.
"...A lot of it is that, too, though." She admits shamelessly.
Akane, then... admits that she was afraid of her dropping weight. Rikka can understand why she was afraid of that. If it had gone on any longer...
With a small smile Rikka reaches out, taking her hand again.
"It's alright." She assures. "...I appreciate you looking out for me, there. I would've been a lot worse off otherwise..."
Her expression softens, her head tilting just slightly.
"...I was scared of that too, but... I'm alright now. It's alright." She says. She smiles and nods, then, as Alouette comments that this has been helpful. "Yeah. It is. I've definitely needed this. A nice, sunny day with friends, just like Sheryl says."
Rikka smiles and then adds, just a bit more playfully...
"And now I can have anything I want, and isn't that the important thing~?" She says.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane feels like she's about to get a fashion lecture from Sheryl or a lecture from Alouette -- and ends up getting exactly the opposite! Genuine enthusiasm about her presentation startles her, and she blinks as if she's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar -- and then laughs a little awkwardly. "I thought I needed to try some different things... the hoodies were always kinda on inertia, and the other stuff was more..."
... Akane gestures. "Anyway --" She gropes for another topic. "I'm trying to open up about that stuff a bit more. ... I do kinda like teasing people~"
Instead of lingering on that, conveniently, Akane finds food. "Ehehe... honestly it's good to have leftovers. It's, eeeh... I'm kinda getting used to having things to look forward to."
Alouette throws her a tremendous curveball -- and she looks absolutely mortified for a second... and then busts out laughing. "Wait -- I thought all that stuff about Mamoru and Hana was a running gag... ten or eleven? Seriously???" She looks to Rikka, teasing, "It sounds like I've fallen in with some bad influences... you might have to watch out~"
As things get more serious, Rikka takes Akane's hand. "... Thanks. We're not there anymore. It's okay," she affirms -- partially for Rikka, and... partially for herself.
That playfulness is dangerous. "I'd be happy to give you anything!" Akane rushes to say -- and then ends up realizing what she said and turning crimson.
"... it's nice," Akane murmurs, looking out toward the rest of the Frontier colony. "A bigger world's got some nice things in it, for sure."