2023-04-14: Rendezvous
- Cast: Alouette Pommier, Sho Tachibana
- Where: Vieux Lyon, France
- Date: U.C. 0097 04 14
- Summary: Alouette and Sho take a stroll around Alouette's hometown for their first date. They make memories and learn some of the things they have in common (in addition to loving women).
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
After Operation: BioNet Fuckers (thanks, Go) was set into motion, Alouette and Sho planned a date in secret a week in advance: a nice little tour through Alouette's home country.
For all its bustling streets and sights make it an excellent place for an outing, the plan isn't to stay in Paris, France after the plane lands.
Instead, one short train ride leads to Vieux Lyon, a rather unique corner of the country, lacking much of the 'modern' architecture that most French cities have. Because of this, the city district seems to have a timeless, renaissance feel to it.
It's also of course, Alouette's hometown so clearly there's some sentimental value to bringing Sho here. She waits eagerly at the train station, wearing the red dress and blouse that Akane picked out for her while they were shopping in Paris - the outfit has a bit more of a homely feel than most big-city fashion, so it felt appropriate.
It's not a particularly busy station, so Alouette's instantly able to pick out that flash of red hair when she sees it. "Bonjour~" She greets, instantly taking one of Sho's hands into her own. "I'm glad you could make it." She smiles warmly. "Planning some BioNet butt-kicking was great, but..."
"Maybe I wanted to have you all to myself for a while." She smirks. "So.. do you want to just start by walking around? It's hard to find sights like these anywhere else."
<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.
Thanks, Go, indeed.
Gai had recommended that Sho do something with Alouette after their conference - "volunteering to be there for the bad parts of her life is great, but the two of you need to do good stuff too" - and so she's come to France.
Alouette's wearing red, and coincidentally Sho has opted for a powder-blue short-sleeved blouse matching her girlfriend's Operator uniform, paired with tight-fitting black pants with flared ankles. Her favourite pair of boots and a blue ribbon tying up her ponytail complete the look.
Just as her own hair is unmistakable, so too are Alouette's curls, and Sho grins broadly as the french girl calls her over. "Bonjour," she replies deftly, Alouette pre-empting her by taking her hand. She responds by pulling the other girl in close for a hug. "I'm glad you suggested this, it's... lovely. I spent most of my childhood in Saotome Labs and up in Texas Colony. Very different vibes."
She squeezes Alouette's hand. "I know the feeling. It's nice to not have the other two leering at me behind my back waiting for me to mess this up somehow, for a change." She grins. "Yeah, let's... go for a stroll, take in the sights."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette smiles warmly as her girlfriend pulls her in for the hug. Because she's ever so slightly taller, it means she has to lower her head juuuust a little to reach in for a peck on the cheek. "Oh, that's such a charming look." She comments, when she takes a look at what Sho's wearing.
"Yeah... it really is," Alouette nods, taking in the fresh Vieux air. "I didn't get to spend much of my childhood here, honestly.." She admits, a little pained - but she quickly recovers. "And it's definitely different from G-Island City, too. But if I'm going to make more memories here.. I'm glad it's with you." The mention of Texas Colony also piques her interest. "Hmm, maybe next time you should show me around there." She considers.
Alouette laughs at Sho's comment about the guys, and then makes a little handwaving motion. "Honestly! But even if we mess up a little.. I think it's okay. It's my first time, too."
Their path across the narrow streets isn't long, but eventually takes them across a beautiful riverfront. The buildings are old, but not quite decrepit, spanning from cathedrals to art galleries. She tries her best to explain each landmark with a smile on her face - her favourite seems to be the tall, long-spanning 'Tour Rose' - Pink Tower.
At which she stops for a moment to take out her smartphone. "Ah right - why don't we take a picture?" She suggests. If Sho agrees, she angles her phone up to capture the bright pink of the tower and their faces, using her free hand to flash a V-pose with a wide grin on her face.
<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.
Sho smiles when Alouette kisses her cheek, then lets her pull away. "I like that you chose red and I chose blue," she remarks with a grin. "We match each other even though we don't."
Sho listens quietly as Alouette explains, squeezing her hand again. "I understand, I think. I was nine when we lost Musashi - I don't really remember what I wanted to be before that happened. An astronaut maybe?" She shrugs. "I get not having time to make childhood memories, though - we should definitely make new ones together." Alouette mentions Texas Colony and, surprisingly, Sho blushes. "I'd, uh, have to check with Mary. She'll want to meet you, for sure. You know how to ride a horse? They pretty much replaced cars up there." This isn't exactly true - but it's certainly true that the King siblings have an entire ranch up on the Colony and Sho spent a lot of time there.
Sho spends some time watching their shared reflections in the riverfront before taking in the other landmarks. "It's almost like you're breathing the history," she remarks with a smile.
Alouette suggests they take a picture of the Tour Rose and Sho agrees enthusiastically. After the picture, she suggests they take another - and leans in to kiss Alouette's cheek right as she presses the button to take the shot, grinning at her afterwards.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"And we match in ways you don't immediately expect, too," Alouette nods. "Blue's always been my favourite colour.. no wonder I like seeing you in it." She jokes, grinning back. "And I've been told I look pretty good in red.. sounds like she was right."
She gazes towards Sho sympathetically as she explains she didn't have much of a childhood either. "So that's when you started learning to pilot Getter? That young, huh..." She then turns to watch as the water ripples their reflections. "You probably already have an idea I spent a lot of mine with BioNet." She confides. "I think a lot of people would be bitter with a life like that. I'm not, though. I have a lot of reasons I can protect the world with 3G with a smile on my face."
"And just like you said.. we have so much time to make new memories together." Her expression forms a smile again as Sho seems to blush. "Hehe... I'd love to meet her, too." The mention of horse-riding also sparks interest.. even if she takes what Sho says quite literally. "Horse-riding... admittedly? For all that I'm the 'Knight of Braves' I don't think I've ever even seen a horse in my life. I feel like that's a cardinal sin to the Kings." She laughs. "But it's never too late to learn!"
In the second picture Alouette goes to make half a heart with her fingers -- only for the camera to catch her extremely red in the moment as she feels that peck on the cheek. "Wh- GOSH you're fast!" She pouts, and then smiles just as much.
<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.
"Red is a very good colour for you," Sho agrees. "I thought you looked great in it when we first met at prom."
She nods - Alouette's figured it out. "Yeah. Ryoma left, the Feds put Shin Getter on ice... And I decided I had to be a pilot good enough that something like New Yark would never happen again. ... And honestly if I hadn't met Gai I might have just lost myself to training. He reminded me to rely on other people, that if I was gonna fly a Getter I needed a team that could keep up with me."
Sho's blush deepens when Alouette suggests she'd be excited to meet Mary. "She's... great. My best friend, even counting Gai." She lowers her voice. "... also the reason I realised I liked girls, which Gai has never stopped teasing me about." She recovers, grinning. "I'm gonna take so many pics of you falling off the horse."
"Of course I am!" She grins when Alouette calls her fast. "Speed and flight are my two favourite things." She slips an arm around the other girl's waist. "Have you ever gone out on a supersonic flight, without combat being a thing? It's... indescribable. I know it sounds kinda silly - you work in space, after all - but..." She shrugs. "I guess I'll have to take you up in Neo Jaguar one of these days."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Sho could also argue that red looks really nice on her face, but Alouette doesn't dare bring that up.
Alouette listens carefully as Sho explains she was ready to put all of herself on the line, until Gai reminded her that it's okay to rely on others. It's an extremely familiar sounding story, to Alouette. "Your Gai sounds pretty smart... and I'm glad he was able to bring you out of that brink" She nods. "But... I can't say I don't understand how you felt. I had this... immense sense of responsibility, when I was younger." She recalls storming out of Kitchen Hana because she thought it was a waste of time. "When BioNet stole the GaoMachines and Mikoto got taken hostage, I felt like it was all my fault. But it was Guy Shishioh who taught me that even the most courageous rely on others all the time." That even someone as brave as him was willing to trust her with his life. "...Maybe we're similar in that respect."
"She sure does sound great~" Alouette presses almost into a teasing tone, as Sho reveals she's the reason she learned she likes girls. But then she recovers, and Alouette's pout returns. "C'mon... at least take one of me looking cool and gallant up there." She faux-whines.
"Hmm.. I've definitely been on lots of flights, but like you said it's mostly been for work or getting to and from Orbit Base or other places in space." Alouette considers. "I did have Guardienne Aviaire speced to reach speeds on the level of PhantomGao, but I've never quite taken her for a true joyride before." She does need to work on doing more things for liesure. "But taking a flight in Neo Jaguar? That does sound really fun..." She looks up to the sky, watching the clouds for a moment.
<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.
"... I look forward to being someone you can rely on," Sho answers Alouette's story with a smile.
"Oh, don't worry, I will - but ending up in the dirt is a rite of passage when the Kings are teaching you how to ride a horse and should be immortalised too." She giggles wickedly.
"The Neo Machines are space-rated, but not for combat, so... how about finding a spot in low orbit to just... watch the world go by?" She smiles. "That sounds really good, now I'm saying it."
She leans back against the stone railing of the bridge and into Alouette a little. "So when'd you figure it out?" She asks after a moment's quiet. "About girls, I mean."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"As do I," Alouette smiles back. "I'm glad we're both able to protect each other... I wouldn't have it any other way." She squeezes Sho's hand.
Alouette laughs nervously in sync with Sho's own diabolical laughter. "I appreciate the warning! I'll make sure to bring some suitable attire~"
"Honestly? That sounds like a wonderful idea. It's been great seeing the world from down here... but I never get tired of seeing it from up there, either. Not even when I'm just in my room on Orbit Base." She replies, wistfully.
And then Sho breaks THE QUESTION. Alouette's mind darts instantly to some.. interesting events. But she starts from the beginning. "Well, at first, if you'll believe it, I was very boy crazy." She laughs. "Have you met Ikumi Kaidou. Super bishounen? Long hair? I had a huge crush on him but I felt like... it was never actually going to go anywhere, and I was fine with that." She makes a handwave motion.
"But at the same time I just thought it was a fact of life that girls are beautiful, and amazing and perfect and..."
"Needless to say, it turns out that says a lot about me. I could point to some specific moments that really put me on the spot, but in short, I realized once I started actually becoming closer to girls my age."
<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.
"I've got your back," Sho vows with a nod. "Neo Getter-2 and Guardienne Aviaire side-by-side... I'm excited thinking about it. Gai and Go will just have to deal with the flirting." She grins.
"Orbit Base has artificial gravity, right? The Neo Machines don't, so it would just be the two of us, floating above the Earth..." Sho gets lost thinking about that for a moment before shaking off the feeling with a smile.
"I mean... It's not that guys are bad, exactly, it's just that, well, my main examples of guys my age are Go, Gai, and Sagara, and Sagara has enough on his plate, Go is, uh, definitely not date material for anyone and Gai is like family to me." She shakes her head. "I could maybe see myself dating a guy but girls are just... Well. Everything you said." She grins, flushing a little.
"Kaidou?" She considers. "I've seen his ID pics and... yeah I can see it. The cool, standoffish demeanour, the long hair... the slender physique..." Her eyes flash with mischief. "Basically you got a crush on one of the most femme-looking dudes in NERV."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"I don't think anyone could beat that tag-team combination," Alouette boasts. And then she laughs at the thought of Gai and Go dealing with the flirting. "Ahaha, well.. if you liked what I was up to in the fencing club, you'll definitely like what Aviaire's capable of."
"That's right," Alouette nods, about Orbit Base's artificial gravity. "I'm still not very used to low-gravity... but if it's in the Neo Machines, then I suppose you're all I need to cling onto." She grins, especially when Sho gets lost in that thought.
"Yeah, I don't.. I can't say I'd be attracted to any of them." Alouette admits. "No offense to your teammates of course, but you're the real catch from Neo Getter."
And then when it comes to Kaidou, Sho just lays it out perfectly. "Eeeexactly. I don't even think he particularly cares all that much about gender? But at this point, he's family to me too, just like the rest of 3G... I really am a lucky person." She smiles earnestly.
<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.
"I'm sure you've seen footage of a few of NG2's moves, but she's got plenty of surprises of her own that haven't been fully demonstrated in the field." Sho beams with pride in her machine and her skills.
"We'll have to go up there soon, then," she says. "A space picnic, maybe. Astronaut food isn't exactly cute, but you're cute enough for both of us, so that's fine by me." She's matching Alouette's flirting blow-for-blow, like a duel.
Alouette calls her the 'real catch' of Neo Getter Team and Sho beams even as her face reddens. "... I've kind of never thought of it like that. You're incredible too..." She pauses, considering - is this first-date language? Then goes for it: "... 'Lou-chan."
"... I don't know if I'm going too fast," she admits.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Well then~ I look forward to seeing the tricks you have up your sleeve." Alouette concludes, clearly sensing how proud Sho is to pilot Neo-2. "Over at 3G, the development cycle is fast.. so you can bet Aviaire will be able to keep up too!"
Sho's compliment gets her to blush again in this constant back and forth of flirting, before she quips. "I know my hair looks tasty... but I promise you it's not edible." She breaks into a giggle from the sheer silly of that statement.
Alouette finally decides to lean into Sho, looking a little tired - she's usually not out for so long, but the time really seemed to pass by. The nickname gets a surprised smile from her - she's not sure if anyone's really used nicknames like that for her before.. it's just a shame Sho's already such a short name. "'Lou-chan'? That's really cute."
There's a brief moment of silence before Sho admits she's not sure if this is too fast or not. "Either way.. I had a really good time." Alouette affirms. "We made good memories just like you said we would." Which reminds her... "By the way.. we should check out the local parfait place before you walk me home. I did promise to treat you." She smiles.
<Pose Tracker> Sho Tachibana has posed.
Sho blinks a little as Alouette says something incredibly silly, and bursts out laughing - a warm, cheerful noise. "I wouldn't mind trying anyway~" she follows up once she has her breath back.
Alouette responds well to the nickname and Sho's shoulders drop a little in relief as Alouette leans into her reciprocally. "We might have to work on your stamina," she murmurs with a teasing grin. "Yeah. Let's get something to eat."
As they get ready to walk again, Sho leans in and kisses Alouette on the lips - quickly and gently. "I didn't realise how much I needed a day like this until today. Arigatou, 'Lou-chan."