2025-01-26: Familiar Stops
- Log: 2025-01-26- Familiar Stops
- Cast: Rikka Takarada, Akane Shinjo
- Where: Tsutsujidai - Bus Route
- OOC - IC Date: 0100-01-26
- Summary: Akane and Rikka take the bus during their trip to Tsutsujidai. It's a nice time.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Their time back in Tsutsujidai has been quite eventful. Meeting with familiar faces, seeing sights old and new, enjoying the company of friends...
...And oh, yes, Akane had proposed to Rikka. Mustn't forget that. It's been ten days since then and Rikka certainly hasn't. As Rikka tends to do she's kept herself fairly level... but those who know her well can tell she's still practically glowing, even today.
And speaking of today - they've spent a lot of time with friends, so Rikka and Akane have decided to take some time for themselves. There's still a lot of Tsutsujidai they haven't seen, and the best way to get around remains the bus.
...Which, presents an excellent opportunity. The bus they're on travels a familiar route - the same one they both often took back when they both still lived here. They've made a lot of memories on this route - good and bad.
It might be difficult to revisit some of them... but now, after they've made such a big step together, it seems like a good time to revisit them.
Rikka, in her familiar seat, leans again the window, chin resting on her hand, watching the city sights as they go by. Some things remain the same - but there's a lot different, too. It's indicative of the way Tsutsujidai has grown and evolved.
Rikka shifts her hand just slightly, looking at the ring on her finger, rotating her hand to see the way the light of the sunset catches and plays on it. The ring Akane gave her - the ring she made for her.
A small, fond smile crosses her face, and she catches the faint reflection of Akane's face in the window.
They've both grown and evolved, too.
"It's really changed..." Rikka notes aloud.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
It's good that Akane and Rikka's trip is on its back half, at this point. You can't stay in one place forever. And besides...
... Akane really misses that cat, anyway. Having her classmates cat-sit is just not the same as bothering the creature at all.
Akane, unlike Rikka... is not in her own seat!
Because she's sitting next to Rikka. The age where she felt the need to put a seat between them has long since passed.
She, too, is looking out teh window -- which, of course, allows for the faint reflection of her face in the glass. She's a little contemplative, as she watches buildings go by.
Some of the businesses are different. The construction site Akane once haunted now plays host to Tsutsujidai's new GROUND the ONE -- a place they've already been, but which is nice to see. Other slices of the PLANT have been developed in earnest -- off in the distance there may as well be a whole other city that Akane, at least, has never so much as poked her head into.
For a moment her gaze, too, turns to the ring, seeing the orange-red of sunset play against the bright purple of the stone.
Leaning just slightly into Rikka, Akane murmurs, "... Yeah," on their relatively quiet bus ride. For a little while, that's all she says; the passing scenery has her in a contemplative mood.
The bus passes their school. The school's practice building has a new beige coat of paint replacing the dark red it once had; the main building is getting the same treatment, slowly but surely. The HVAC unit is new; without Ashford Academy, the GUTS 'branding' on event signage has gotten smaller than it was during the time they were there. "... Oh, that's..." Akane feels something stir in her heart -- an emotion she can't quite parse. She pushes up against Rikka softly, her brown-black hair brushing against Rikka's longer black locks.
"... it's really just a new coat of paint, and I know that, but..." One of her hands comes up to her breastbone, and she looks -- overwhelmed? Distressed? It's hard to fully get her head around the feeling she has. Her voice hitches a bit. "... It really felt like everything back then," she murmurs. She's not crying, but she's misty-eyed and more than a little verklempt, obviously putting effort into keeping it together.
"... I miss it," she whispers, letting herself lean fully into Rikka.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka misses Balam, too. They'll have to spoil him when they get back... not that they don't already.
They've changed - and their seating arrangement has changed, too. That wall between them is gone. It's nice, to be able to see that contemplative expression more clearly.
Akane leans into her, agreeing. Rikka nods quietly, leaning her head against hers.
The time passes in silence, and then - the school. ...It really does look different. Rikka sits up, just a little, when she sees it. Akane pushes up against her softly. She can feel that stirring of emotion as the sight of the school hits her hard.
"Akane..." Rikka murmurs. Her closest hand reaches out to take Akane's, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"...I know." She replies. She feels the same way. Those days... they were difficult, but they meant a lot to her.
"It's okay. Let it out, if you want to." She assures. Akane's trying to keep it together... but she's there for her, if she needs to.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The color pivoting away from red -- that, too, probably plays a role here, as much as Akane would rather not admit it. It's one thing to stop relating to it like it's her city -- and another for it to very distinctly not be her city.
She squeezes that hand back, and her walls drop a little -- the emotions are all over the place. Grief, fondness, guilt, joy...
... maybe it'd be less honest to try to pretend it was only one feeling, though.
Tears stream down her face in relative silence; she gives that hand another squeeze and allows herself to feel the warm reassurance Rikka's giving her. She can tell that Rikka's own feelings are complicated, too -- but that's its own reassurance in some ways. It's okay to have those feelings.
For a long time, she just... lets herself sit with Rikka, breathing raggedly, tears streaming down.
"I'm... really happy for what we have now," she says, finally pulling herself out of that moment bit by bit. Knowing that the 'Tsutsujidai of Akane's heart' now only exists in people's hearts... she's proud of what it's become without her, but by the same token, she's unsure how she'd ever convey that to anyone who wasn't there.
... Maybe she doesn't need to. It's not the only phase of her life, after all.
Letting the tension back out of her body, Akane asks, "Is there anywhere you want to go tonight?" They're out of the 'having specific plans' stage of the trip...
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane's walls drop a little, and for a moment Rikka just sits there with her in silence. Those complicated emotions, all tangled together... It's natural. It's okay to have them - and okay to share them, too. Rikka can feel them, and she shares her own in turn.
And eventually... Akane breaks that silence.
"Me too." Rikka agrees, offering her a small smile. "We worked hard to get where we are, and I'm proud of it."
Rikka reaches over with her free hand and, pausing for a moment so that Akane can see what she's doing, moves to gentle brush some of the hair out of her eyes.
Rikka can feel the tension fade, just a little, now that the moment's passed, and then there's the question of where they want to go. She 'hm's for a moment, thinking it over.
"We could drop by the park?" Rikka considers thoughtfully.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane's lips curl up a bit as Rikka tells her she's proud of where they've gotten, and their hard work in getting there. When Rikka moves to brush that hair away, to put her hand so close to Akane's face... well, she appreciates the slow movement, to be sure -- and the gentleness of the touch.
The park... that, too, is a place with a lot of memories attached to it, both good and bad. With a soft 'hm' of her own, she mulls it over -- and eventually agrees, "Yeah... that'll be nice."
She reaches into her bag, after realizing what time it is; she sniffles, then dry-swallows a pill before putting her hand on Rikka's again.
They have a decent amount of time before the bus is in that part of town; taking a deep breath, she looks at the stop button, then back to Rikka. Another memory comes to her -- a dream within a dream.
... she likes this version of things better, she realizes -- not a forever-adolescence but a present full of wonderful new things.
"When we get home... we should make wedding budgets and stuff. I've already worked mine up -- uh, Leina gave me a spreadsheet... I think we should work on them by ourselves first and then show each other when we've got a basic idea, maybe? I don't want it to just be, like..." A vague gesture with her hand, before it returns to Rikka's hand. "... me deciding everything."
Playfully, she adds, "... the best part of the whole thing doesn't need a budget at all, though~." Even though her breathing is still a touch irregular... thinking about 'now' and not 'the infinite stretch of time backward and forward' seems to be doing wonders for her stability.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane's lips curl up a bit and Rikka offers her a small smile. Akane considers the park... and eventually agrees, and Rikka nods.
"Yeah." She agrees. She's curious to see it again - how much it's changed or remained the same...
Akane reaches into her bag and Rikka shifts just slightly to make it easier for to reach, but once she's finished she returns to her original position. There's a ways to go left, but Rikka doesn't mind that. It's good to have an excuse to take a long ride together.
Rikka catches her glance toward the stop button. A dream within a dream...
It set so many things in motion for her. She's happy with the way things went, too.
A thoughtful expression crosses her face as Akane floats an idea. She considers it for a moment - though her concentration is briefly broken by Akane's playful addition. Rikka laughs.
"True~." Rikka agrees - and then nods, thinking it over seriously. "That's probably a good idea... We'll want to figure it out ahead of time."
She doesn't want it to be just her deciding everything...
"Something that encompasses both of us..." She considers... and then, nods. "Alright. I'll get to work on it. There are already some things I've been thinking over...
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane shifts her shoulders a few times as the two of them reposition here and there. It's good to open those up on any long ride -- better than standing up and instantly regretting doing so, at least.
"Yeah... It seems like it's gonna be a lot, and I have the feeling it's gonna sneak up on us before we even realize it's that close." She looks out the window again -- and this time it's her seeing Rikka's reflection in the window and having her expression soften. After a few contemplative moments, she asks, "... August, maybe? I know it's a little on the fast side -- most people give it at least a year, but..." Here, she pauses. She seems like she's turning something over.
"... If we wanted a little faster, we could try for June, maybe. I don't really think of the whole June bride thing as a big deal but I kinda get it?" It feels good to be making these sorts of plans -- especially here, especially now.
Another landmark -- the mall with Akane's usual Sevendarake in Tsutsujidai -- passes them by. Perhaps the real sign of her growth is that she's more interested in the future than the past, in this moment.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Things Rikka's been thinking over... she knows that part of the exercise is not putting too much pressure on each other's planning before reconciling it, but she is curious. "... Anything you wanna share right now?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Mm-hm. Time flies..." Rikka agrees with a nod. ...Especially when it's something they're both looking forward to and anticipating, with a lot to prepare. She thinks it over for a bit, and then rolls Akane's suggestion of 'August' around in her head - and then June, as she shifts to that.
"It does kind of have an appeal..." Rikka admits. "...But to me, I don't mind the 'when' so long as we have enough time to get everything we want ready."
It'd be nice to shoot for a significant date... but to her, that isn't the sole deciding factor.
The mall passes them by and Rikka watches it only briefly, but it isn't long before her attention returns to Akane. She can tell she's curious.
"Well, I already know we'll want to make sure we have the best recording equipment possible..." Rikka considers thoughtfully. "...And, there are maybe one or two things that are a little self-indulgent..."
She seems like she's debating with herself on that one...
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane's a little surprised to hear Rikka admit that the June bride thing holds some appeal -- though not in a bad way, she does widen her eyes for a moment as she catches a side of sentimentality that...
... well, it's not that it doesn't suit, but it's a side of her that she isn't sure she expected. She always thought she was the one who had most, if not all, of the tradition hangups.
... It's nice to still be discovering new things about Rikka years on.
"Oh, definitely," Akane agrees, on recording -- it's not something she considered in her own pass (she just checked a box in a spreadsheet and moved on), so she can already tell that 'work on it alone first and then compare' is going to be very helpful. "You're so smart," she enthuses.
Wiping a stray bit of dampness from her cheek to protect her chances at being cool and teasy without just looking pathetic, Akane asks, "... I wonder what you'd think was self indulgent...~" She traces lazy circles just below the curve of Rikka's shoulder, still leaning into her as the scenery passes them by.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"I'll look up some more info so we know what all our options are, then." Rikka replies with a nod as Akane agrees that recording is important. That's one of the advantages of having two separate pairs of eyes looking things over, it seems. She laughs, just a little, as Akane enthuses. "Well, I'm interested in that kind of thing..."
Akane wonders then, teasingly, what she'd think was self-indulgent, tracing circles below her shoulder and Rikka laughs just a bit sheepishly, looking out the window.
She's quiet for a moment before eventually...
"Well... I've always thought it would be kind of nice to get married and then ride off into the sunset on horseback..." She admits.
A horse wasn't her first choice. But she's not sure how feasible renting and transporting a chocobo all that way would be...
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Ehehehe..." Akane realizes just to what extent the two of them can count on each other, in this moment -- and it really is nice. "... I'm definitely coming up with some things we should look into once we get home."
She's listening raptly when Rikka admits that she's thought it would be nice to get married and ride off on horseback. "Oooo... that's kinda -- so like, I wouldn't have come up with that at all, but..." ... in truth, she's a little mixed on horse riding. She thinks for a few seconds, weighing it --
Something clicks about why she didn't enjoy an elementary school pony park trip and she lands on, "... yeah, let's do it. I know legally horses are light vehicles like bikes, so..." Oh, that opens up some possibilities. "I was kinda thinking Shinto ceremony but Western reception? ... Wanna ride from the shrine to the hotel or ballroom or whatever? Then you get the riding out and the cool factor of pulling up on a horse, too..."
Thinking about that... actually kind of has her giggling in that giddy, dizzy way one does when something's really exciting, and she says, "... I'm really looking forward to seeing everything else you come up with. Let's leave each other a few surprises."
The bus hits a small pothole, and the girls get rattled around a bit. A younger Akane might have complained about this ruining the moment, but here she just says, "You're a wonderful partner," letting it pass without comment.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Great. Let's cover all the bases we can." Rikka replies with a nod and a smile. She's sure they'll miss some things - but between the two of them, she's sure they'll have things taken care of.
She voices her idea, and watches Akane's reaction. She waits, as she weighs the idea - and feels a little relieved when Akane actually goes for it.
"Really?" Rikka remarks, surprised, when Akane points out that horses are legally light vehicles. That does make things easier - and she nods thoughtfully as Akane outlines some of the possibilities.
"That would be pretty striking..." Rikka agrees, her expression contemplative. She's already considering it - picturing it all in her head...
She smiles though, and Akane's dizzy giggle gets a small laugh out of her, too.
"Good idea. I'm looking forward to what you have in mind, too. I -" Rikka starts to reply, and then - bump! They get rattled. Rikka is a little surprised and loses her train of thought - but it's fine enough to just let the moment pass.
"Thanks~. You are, too." Rikka replies.