2022-11-06: Welcome
- Cast: Yuta Hibiki, Qivi, Rikka Takarada
- Where: Tsutsujidai
- Date: U.C. 0096 11 06
- Summary: Qivi arrives in Tsutsujidai! She seems to be settling in well, but two old friends come to check on her, just in case.
<Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
Tsutsujidai's been a busy place, lately. It's not a place Qivi has previously spent a whole lot of time - she's been more than once, a couple times to battle kaiju and a few times to visit, but she doesn't live here or patrol it on a regular basis.
Until now, apparently.
About, oh, a week ago, Qivi left a message for the Shuffle Alliance. 'I haven't been able to do much useful lately, so I'm going my own way for a while, while I figure myself out. Don't bother dragging me back. And don't worry; your secrets are safe. --Qivi'
The secrets do indeed seem to be safe, or at least nobody has acted on any of them, so it doesn't look like Qivi spilled any beans that needed to be safely un-spilled, but it was pretty out of character for her to vanish like that. She'd taken Sarangay, her wanzer, at least - had it shipped to space and then out of the Shuffles' sight.
'Space' is apparently 'Tsutsujidai', because that's where she showed up. Though she apparently did a pretty good job of hiding her robot, since nobody has seen it - but they've certainly seen her.
She's still there. Qivi has been doing odd jobs in Tsutsujidai while she looks for a more permanent one; she didn't simply transfer to the local high school because, as a 20-year-old dropout, she neither fits the profile of a high school student or any kind of staff.
Today's job is over, but she's not hard to find as she hasn't gone far; she's been picked up to help do landscaping in one of the parks. Somebody has to do it, apparently. (Qivi honestly didn't think it needed much work.) Which means she is currently *in* the park, sitting on a bench. Having ditched her work clothes into a gym bag she has at her side, she is in a tank top, jeans, a bomber jacket thrown open overtop...
...and no headband like she normally wears, so her pointed ears stick out a bit from her untamed mess of hair. It was more comfortable without.
She's not hard to find for those looking. She stands out a bit; there aren't that many new immigrants with enormous purple hair, especially not Meltrandi (or part-Meltrandi) judging by the ears. And, of course, both Rikka and Yuta know perfectly well what she looks like because they've met her. It's just a question of poking around a little.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Leina, or rather, Spade-7, sent Yuta and Rikka both an official Shuffle Alliance mission. Though he'd prepared himself to go into battle, it turns out all they need to do is find a missing person, somewhere here in Tsutsujidai. This has become a pretty common occurance lately... And, Yuta fears, it means they're about to find someone else with a tragic past who came here searching for happiness and peace.
More and more, Yuta fears he's going to be the one who destroys that happiness and peace.
"Ready to go, Rikka? Calibur thinks he found Qivi in the park." Yuta asks, giving his friend a smile more confident than he truly feels. "He says she looks safe and happy enough."
Today, the young man is dressed casually. Nice jeans, a blue t-shirt with some kind of pink mascot character, and his iconic red shoes make a nice set of colors. A drawstring backpack hangs from his shoulders, filled with supplies for Qivi. Just in case. A little packed lunch rests next to a water bottle, with a card pre-loaded with enough money to get by for a short while, straight from the Shuffle Alliance.
Assuming Rikka's ready to go, Yuta will lead the way to the park. It's a nice day, at least! And it's always great to spend time with Rikka. No matter how crazy things get in their little town, Rikka serves as a steadying point for Yuta. He can trust in her decisions and level-headedness.
"Hi there!" Yuta greets, as they get close to the bench Qivi rests on. "Remember me? I'm Yuta Hibiki, and this is my friend, Rikka Takarada. Welcome to Tsutsujidai!"
It's getting easier to greet these odd new arrivals... but Yuta never quite feels like he's saying the right things.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Another person had found their way to Tsutsujidai. Had she been invited here, like so many others? Or had she simply come here of her own accord?
...Well, Rikka supposes that's one of the things they're here to find out today. Leina had asked them to look into it, and even if she did so under her new role as Spade-7, she's not about to turn down a friend.
Fortunately, they know Tsutsujidai like the back of their hands - and they have people who can help them make finding people easier.
"Yeah, let's go." Rikka says. Her outfit is similarly casual - a black t-shirt featuring the logo of a band, alongside a pink hoodie and a knee-length black skirt.
Fortunately, Qivi isn't very difficult to spot once they've found her.
"Hey, Qivi." Rikka greets. She lets Yuta handle the introductions. "How's Tsutsujidai been treating you...?"
<Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
If Qivi has a tragic past, she hasn't talked about it anywhere Yuta or Rikka could hear. But maybe some people just don't advertise.
Qivi - Club-5, if you want to use codenames, though she usually just uses Sarangay as a callsign, as the fact that it's also her robot name rarely causes confusion - was not really expecting people she knew to drop by. If it was anybody else from the Shuffle Alliance, she'd be annoyed. She told them not to follow her.
But no; Riika and Yuta live here. It makes perfect sense for them to be around, for any reason or none at all.
At close range, Qivi's tank top proves to be a sports shirt - there's a small bird-shaped logo on the front, and a larger one with the text FREEDOM CITY EAGLES on the back, though that's covered up by the bomber. The more obvious logo is her own, on the jacket: Sarangay's icon of a snorting bull's head surrounded by a ring of rainbow-coloured gems.
"Hey," she says, without bothering to get up. "Yeah, I remember you. Not that I ever said a lot to you," she inclindes her head toward Yuta, "but I know who you are. And I've been to Aya. Not since I came back up here, though. How's that going?"
She smiles. It looks both honest and authentic. "Hey, thanks. 'Welcome to Tsutsujidai' and all that. It's a nice place. I've never lived in a colony before... can't say I liked the trip up, though. I hate flying in microgravity."
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Wow, a shirt with your own logo? That's so cool... Yuta briefly wonders about the possibility of a Gridman-branded shirt, before feeling embarrassed with himself. He's definitely not popular enough for anything like that!
"Thanks. Mind if we sit with you for a bit?" Yuta asks, and if Qivi doesn't protest, will sit a polite distance away from her on the bench. The question about Aya is definitely one for Rikka to answer, so he just offers a smile. "Maybe we can become better acquainted while you're here, Qivi. You seem pretty cool!"
Really, he can't get over the fact that she has her own shirt.
"Tsutsujidai is pretty great. I definitely agree! I'm surprised so many people feel that way, though. I always thought the rest of the world would think we're pretty boring. Compared to the Earth, or some of the bigger Colonies, we're kinda quiet. Sorry the trip was rough, though." Should he press for answers? Yuta glances at Rikka, deciding to wait and see how she handles this.
Yuta puts his bag in his lap. "Hey, have you eaten yet? I brought some food if you like. Nothing super fancy, but I can guarantee the cookies are pretty great."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Oh, business is booming, as usual." Rikka says with a smirk. "...That's code for, 'we maybe get a few customers a day, if we're lucky'. ...But, we still manage to get by."
She follows Yuta's example, taking a seat if Qivi is okay with it. She can't help but smile a little, as Qivi compliments Tsutsujidai. It's always nice to hear good things said about your home.
"I'm glad to hear that." Rikka says. Yuta glances her way and Rikka glances back before looking toward Qivi. "This is your first one, then? I bet it's pretty different... It took me a while to get used to this, too. Do you mind if I ask why you decided to move to a colony?"
Yuta offers food, then, and Rikka cracks a smile.
"It's true, they're good." She confirms with a nod.
<Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
Qivi can get away with it; back when she was Rupidis' arena champion (last year) she could get her logo on things. Sure, it would never get the presence of a big band shirt, or a proper sports team, but it was enough for her.
"Huh? Oh, sure! Sit down," Qivi says, removing her gym bag and tossing it under her feet; she kicks it partway under the bench to get it out of the way. "It isn't MY bench. I'm just using it."
Sorry the trip was rough? "It wasn't that bad. I just hate the way I feel in microgravity. I'm used to, you know... down being down. Plus, it makes my hair go just *everywhere*." Given how wild and - well, large - her hair is, that's completely believeable. "And shipping a wanzer through space ain't cheap either. But I couldn't just leave it behind."
Qivi is offered food. Qivi has never turned down food in her life. "Wait, you have cookies? If you want to share, I won't say no... I don't have anything on me to offer back, though. I think there's, like, one can of soda in here." She bends down, scooping up her gym bag anyway to check.
With it on her lap for her to rummage through, she doesn't look up at Rikka when she responds to her. "I guess if you're only that busy you're probably not hiring, huh. - Why? Uh... I thought it was time for a change, mostly. You know I wasn't really doing anything useful down on Earth, these days. Maybe a bit quieter's a good thing." There's a momentary hesitation, just barely audible - Qivi has an atrocious poker face. "But yeah, it's my first one. I grew up on Huffman Island."
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
"Well, slow business doesn't stop Calibur, Max, Borr, and Vit from hanging around all day. So if you want to come by, you'll at least have company!" Yuta shrugs. "They're good people. A little strange, but they'll have your back if you're in need."
Rita gets a subtle nod when she looks at Yuta. After that, he busies himself pulling out the sack lunch. The entire thing is offered to Qivi. A little container of cookies follows closely afterwards, and Yuta offers it to both girls. Taking a cookie himself, he grins. "I can't take credit for the recipe. Shinji Ikari gave it to me. He's a total pro, just like Rikka's mom."
"I get what you mean about gravity. I went to space for the first time recently, I liked it at first, but I changed my mind." Yuta's voice is fairly quiet as he says this. It could be becasue his mouth is full of cookie, but maybe not?
Bingo. Rikka's gentle question gives them an answer. Nice job, Rikka! Making mental notes, Yuta offers a friendly smile to Qivi. "Gotcha. Earth is pretty busy, whenever I've seen it, honestly. I get why you'd want a change. Any particular reason you chose Tsutsujidai?" Yuta takes another bite of the cookie, buying himself some time to think.
"Oh, hey, there's someone you should meet! Her name's Akane Shinjo, one of our classmates at school. She always knows the all about what's happening here. I bet she'd be able to find you somewhere to work no problem."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka cracks a smile at Qivi's comment on the bench, and nods sympathetically when she brings up how her hair goes everywhere.
"Yeah, I bet..." She says. Her hair might not be large and wild, but she gets it. Her own hair isn't the easiest to manage at times, either.
Yuta offers everyone a cookie, and of course Rikka gladly accepts one as she listens to Qivi's comment on the shop.
"You're looking for work?" Rikka replies consideringly. "I could check with my mom, see if she's interested in hiring. And if not, she probably at least wouldn't mind acting as a reference if I vouched for you."
But, she thought it was time for a change... Rikka nods. She can understand that. She can hear the hesitation as she comments on quieter being good... but doesn't press her on it. Yuta asks why she chose Tsutsujidai, and she's curious about the answer. And then, Akane...
...Briefly, Rikka flashes back to her last conversation with Akane. She's quiet for a moment, but shakes it from her mind.
"...Oh, yeah, that's a good idea. Akane's been helping a lot of people get settled in lately..." Rikka comments.
<Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
"Didn't like it either, huh." Qivi grins, suddenly, at Yuta. It's a little incongruous with what they know of why she's here. "Gimme some ground under my feet and I'm a whole lot happier. Doesn't surprise me that you're the same way; it seems a lot of people are, if they didn't grow up in space. I mean, I've got nothing against Spacenoids... I just don't think I could live on a ship myself, or on the Moon."
Qivi accepts a cookie. "Hey, thanks," she says, before taking a bite thoughtfully. "You're right, that is pretty good. You said Shinji Ikari gave you the recipe?" She has at least a vague idea of who he is - well, she would; she fought alongside NERV more than once.
She doesn't take the lunch, though, or at least doesn't open it, because it's kind of awkward to eat in front of other people who aren't. "Yeah, I'm looking for a job. I've got a couple, like... short-term ones? I was helping in the park this week, and next week it looks like I'll be doing some construction work, off on the west side. Apparently they're willing to pay for someone who can push things around good."
"But I'd work in a junk shop, sure. I've done salvage work before, and repair. I do a lot of my own maintenance on Sarangay and my bike - motorbike, not pedal. I know what I'm doing. Except for programming, I never got the hang of that," Qivi admits, a little sheepishly. "So don't ask about that bit."
Why'd she pick Tsutsujidai?
"It's... different here," Qivi says, after a longer pause. "I dunno, really, except it's a long way from where I used to be. Figured I'd be a little distant, instead of just getting in everyone's way. Plus," Qivi adds, bringing one hand up toward her hair to tuck it behind her ear, "nobody gives me shit about being half-Meltrandi here. On the Britannian side of Huffman, you don't really talk about that, some people'll give you shit and I got tired of getting into fistfights over it. I did all my arena fights with a headband. Don't have to wear it here. Hell, the construction crew was going to pay me extra if I helped out - more accurate than a crane, they said, and the rental's cheaper."
This is the first time she's flat-out said she's half-Meltran to anyone in the Shuffle Alliance, publically anyway. Sure, a bunch of people know, it's not really a secret, but she didn't *say* it.
"Akane, huh? I know her, a bit." They fought. She had a kaiju... "I guess if I'm gonna be here for a while I should at least try to make friends. Plus, it's not like she was wrong. Not sure about asking a high school student about jobs, but hey, I asked you two."
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
"It'd be cool if you were able to get a job at the shop! We'd see each other all the time, I live close by there too." Yuta says, his thoughts preoccupied with how it'd be nice to know Qivi is in a safe place while in Tsutsujidai. It's not as dangerous as it used to be, but knowing what he knows of the other new people living here, he's still a little worried.
As for space, Yuta frowns a bit, looking off at the park. "I couldn't move the way I want to. I guess flips and things only really work when gravity's normal. It wasn't the end of the world, you know, but I'm still happy to be here on solid ground, just like you."
Crunch, crunch. The cookie is gone in record time.
"Yeah! Shinji's one of my best friends." Yuta says, a hint of pride in his voice. His friends are the coolest, he can't help himself. "He comes around to visit every so often, if you'd like me to pass along a hello or anything. He's a great guy. Super talented."
Yuta only stares at Qivi's pointed ear for a second, before catching himself. Woah... Just like the prince in that fighting game he always plays with the boys. "Uh -- yeah! People here are really good about that kind of thing. Sometimes I wonder if they even notice anything at all, but in a good way!" Yuta laughs. "And less fistfights have got to be nice, too. Just in case, though, if anyone gives you trouble, we've got your back. For the fist fights, or just lodging a legal complaint, or something."
Rikka gets another quick glance, disguised as Yuta offering her another cookie. Qivi knows Akane. That's a constant with every single person who moved in recently. Blue eyes are serious, but Yuta doesn't linger too long. Instead, he turns back to Qivi again, offering her a cookie as well.
"Oh, I can get that. No pressure if it'd make you uncomfortable or anything." Yuta keeps his voice casual. "Akane's the kind of person who won't judge you for that kind of thing. She'll judge you for other stuff." A grin. This is a joke, mostly.
--Beep.--
It's a piercing sound, though a quick one. It seems to have emerged from Yuta's armband..? "Ack--" Yuta half-jumps in the seat, sending his backpack tumbling to the ground. "S--sorry, haha, I guess I didn't turn my phone on silent!"
He quickly looks away, shifting a little in place.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"It's okay, everyone has an environment they're most comfortable in." Rikka comments with a nod. She wonders how well she'd handle living on a ship, or on the Moon... but that isn't something that'll be a concern for a while.
Rikka nods, though, as Qivi confirms that she's looking for a job and goes through some of her recent short-term jobs.
"Yeah, I think mama'd love having you. We've got some guys who hang around and help out, but they don't really do that side of things... even though they'd be /good at it/ if they /applied themselves/..." She says. Why did she stress that? ...Maybe she expects at least one of them to be listening in. "Don't worry about programming, either. That doesn't come up a whole lot, and I usually handle it any time it does."
She reaches into a hoodie pocket, then, for her phone.
"Do you have a phone number, or any other way to contact you? I can pass it along to mama when I talk to her and have her get in touch with you." She offers.
As for Tsutsujidai, and why Qivi picked it... it's distant, she says. And then there's the matter of how no one cares that she's half-Meltrandi. Rikka didn't actually know that about Qivi, it's interesting.
"...Yeah. People here... they don't really think that way." Rikka agrees with a nod. Yuta volunteers their help, and she nods. "Definitely."
She considers that for a second longer, though, and holds up her hands real quick.
"Just don't, uh, expect me to throw a punch or anything, but I can sure yell real loud and patch you up afterwards." She adds. She meets Yuta's glance, then, and when he makes his joke regarding Akane, she's about to respond when suddenly, there's a beep. It's one she's familiar with. What does it mean...? Still, Yuta scrambles to come up with an excuse, so Rikka backs him up.
"Your phone again...? Maybe you need to just start keeping the volume down when you're not at home." She comments with a sigh.
<Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
Qivi isn't sure if she should be suspicious of Yuta and Rikka's sudden interest in her - but it is not in her nature to be especially suspicious, and so it passes without a comment and a mere moment of confusion. They're not demanding her she come back, or deploy, or anything.
And maybe she would, at least if trouble came to Tsutsujidai. She couldn't leave Sarangay behind, after all. It's not like she doesn't know *how* to fight. It's just... what she was doing wasn't working.
"Some people deserve it," Qivi says, slamming her fist into her other open palm. "But honestly I'd rather just not deal with it all the time, you know? And I wouldn't ask you guys to join in - I'm probably better at it than you are," she adds, with a crooked grin. Well, she is an adult instead of a teenager, and she has broad shoulders that suggests she's not exactly a stranger to using her strength.
"What other stuff is she going to judge me for?" she asks Yuta, before his phone beeps at him. Or his armband beeps at him? Man, Qivi can't keep track of trends these days; she doesn't have a wearable phone. Is that even a thing on colonies? "Well, if you gotta go, don't let me stop you," she says. "Or even if you gotta take the call, or check the message."
Qivi does indeed have a phone of her own, and she pulls it out to give Rikka her contact information. It's a couple years old and in a sturdy case, because Qivi is hard on her stuff. She's managing to give out the vibe that she has a lot of energy - she's been shifting her weight rather a lot the whole time she's been talking - and absolutely no ability to hide her emotions; everything's clear on her face to the teenagers. "I know the kind of guy who doesn't do the tech stuff but would like you to THINK he did," Qivi adds, perhaps understanding exactly what Rikka means.
Or maybe she misjudged. That's possible too.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
At Rikka's comments, a nearby bush seems to rattle a bit. Maybe there was a strong gust of wind? It doesn't look like anything else is moving though...
Yuta, however, seems oblivious to this. "Yeah, I don't know anything about programming either. I can barely run the TV some days, honestly. It's a lucky thing we have Rikka!"
"I could try to throw some punches. I bet I'd be okay." Yuta says, with a smile. "But I'm sure you wouldn't really need the help of an amateur anyway." Especially with what Qivi said about being a replacement for a crane earlier? Yeah, she doesn't need his help, that's for sure.
Catching onto Rikka's point, Yuta quickly pulls out his phone, fumbling with the settings. "Y--yeah, you're right! It's really a pain. Looks like it's, um -- Borr again! They're always sending me emojis."
It doesn't look like there are any new messages, despite a stream of emojis clogging up a group chat between a few people.
"I'll add your number too, if you don't mind. And here's mine." Yuta rattles off his own phone number -- not even having to check a memo for it this time. He's really made some progress with his amnesia.
"You know, if you're not too busy, and you wouldn't mind, I'd love to get some self-defense lessons sometime. It's been something I've been meaning to get around to for a while, now, but I haven't known anyone to reach out to." Scratching the side of his cheek, Yuta smiles. "And I'd pay for the lessons, of course."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka chuckles as Yuta says it's a lucky thing they have her.
"It's true, I'm very good to have around." She agrees. But Qivi says she's probably better at fistfights than they are, and Rikka nods without hesitation.
"Definitely." She agrees. She's not much of a fighter - she'll rush to help people in trouble, but actual combat? She'll leave that to the experts.
Qivi brings out her phone, though, so Rikka trades her contact information. And Yuta does the same!
She chuckles, though, at Qivi's comment. It's not quite what she meant - but at the same time, she understands /exactly/ what she means.
"Hahah, right?" She agrees, then looks toward Yuta.
"Oh, that'd be pretty great for you..." She comments. It does seem like the sort of thing he'd care about.
<Pose Tracker> Qivi has posed.
A gust of wind happens. Qivi doesn't even look up. She's not *that* suspicious, and weather happens. The fact that less surprising weather happens on colonies isn't something she's really used to yet, because this is the first colony she's spent more than a day or two on in a row, except Neo-America. Which is a *very* different kind of colony.
Qivi is (was?) one of those combat experts. She might be trying to find herself - that's why she said she came to Tsutsujidai - but she's always fought, even as a teenager. Some things just... keep happening.
Even if she feels like her strength can't change the world, these days.
"I don't really know a proper style," Qivi admits, looking slightly sheepish. "I just kind of started doing it and then I got good at it. Took a bit of boxing, but mostly it's just instinct. But if you want some tips I think I can manage that much. You don't need to pay for that."
Pause. "You can bring more cookies if you want though," Qivi says, because she's got a sweet tooth she doesn't usually admit to.
"Tell you what," Qivi says. "I'll see if Rikka - or her mom - needs some help around the place, then we can figure that out. I should probably get back and put this crap away," she says, shaking the gym bag that's still on her lap. "But it was good to see you, and I guess if I'm staying here I'll do it again. Maybe I'll look up Akane too." Not that they gave her Akane's number, but that doesn't always stop Qivi.