2023-08-27: Chosen Tomorrows
- Log: 2023-08-27: Chosen Tomorrows
- Cast: Rikka Takarada, Akane Shinjo
- Where: Tsutsujidai - Junk Shop Aya
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-08-28
- Summary: Akane and Rikka cuddle on the couch in the Takarada family living room, and talk about the future -- every part of it.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka has been feeling the melancholy a bit ever since Gridman left. She's certain she'll see him again... but it doesn't make the parting any easier. That, coupled with the looming spectre of school starting back up tomorrow, means she doesn't really feel like doing much of anything today... but fortunately, she has someone she can pass the time with.
And so, Rikka can be found on a couch in the Takarada family living room, nestled up close to Akane as they both lie there together. The room is as cozy as ever, giving it the perfect atmosphere to just lie down and talk.
Rikka's phone, laptop, and the remote to the TV are scattered across the table. She hasn't made a move to touch any of those yet. The drinks are another matter - for her part there's a glass of iced tea, condensation starting to bead up around it.
...And, she has to briefly break the cuddle as she reaches for it, taking a drink before returning to where she was before.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane, too, has been wrestling with the melancholy; for her, it's only compounded by the need to depart before too long. Montserrat, despite being in the AEU, is on roughly the same school schedule; 3G has handled getting her an extra day due to her ordeal, but she'll probably spend that day in transit and getting situated at home again.
For a while, she's just been lying there -- enjoying companionable silence sometimes, occasionally firing off a lighter topic to bat around for a bit. She's got a bottle of tomato juice sitting on the table. She hasn't touched it in a little bit.
"Hey, Rikka," she murmurs, as Rikka breaks the cuddle. "I heard about something, but it's a little heavy..." She leaves it open for Rikka to touch or not, and after a moment, offers an alternative topic: "If you just wanna talk about the next anime and tokusatsu seasons or something, I'm game for that, too."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane's situation hasn't escaped Rikka, either. This is something they both need, she figures - and she's all too happy to spend the day like this. She could spend all of it there, lying together in silence with the occasional break for light conversation but eventually, as Rikka leans towards the table to take a sip of her drink, Akane brings something up.
She heard about something a little heavy... That could be a lot of things. But... is she up for that? There's a moment of thought as she rolls the idea around in her head a bit. And, eventually, Rikka shifts her body just slightly so that she can meet Akane's eyes.
"...I think I'll be alright. What's up?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"I got a text from Sayla like... right before we got settled in. You might have one too, I dunno," Akane starts, stretching out a little. "Her and her buddies," Akane still hasn't quite internalized 'the Shuffle Alliance,' "managed to pick up Dr. Murasame, finally." She lets out a relieved breath, saying, "It's kinda funny -- him, Martha, and Alexis all split up, but they all got brought in within a week of each other... hahaha."
There's a moment where she's weighing that. "I'm thinking of going and talking to him... I dunno. I kinda just want to rub his face in him and Alexis both getting arrested." She looks to Rikka, adding cautiously, "You don't have to make the same choice I do on this one."
Despite the heavy subject matter, after a few more moments, she smiles. "It's... kinda nice. Bad stuff ends, too, huh..."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
A text from Sayla? Rikka thinks that over.
"I haven't looked at mine since this morning." She admits, then listens. The Shuffle Alliance... picked up Dr. Murasame? Surprise registers in her face. for a moment, it's hard for her to even believe that... but once Akane continues that's when it hits her, and she manages a small laugh, too.
"Yeah, wow... it's kind of incredible. I guess people like that just end up dragging each other down, whether directly or not..." She says.
Akane says she's thinking of going to talk to him... and, Rikka has to think about that for a moment.
"...Mm." She takes one of Akane's hands. "...I won't tell you not to, but... if you do, be careful, okay?"
She hesitates for a second, and nods.
"...Yeah. I think I... I probably shouldn't." She replies. "...I don't think there's anything... left, it's just..."
She trails off. ...There are other ways to get inside a person's head - and he's had a lot of time to look inside hers. Better not to give him the chance.
Still, when Akane smiles, Rikka smiles, too.
"...Yeah. Even something like that." She agrees. "It's hopeful."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Letting Rikka take her hand, Akane gives it a squeeze. "I think that's pretty smart," she agrees. She chews at her lip for a bit, brow furrowing as she looks at Rikka...
... it's better if she actually says it. "I just thought it was something we should talk about... it's important to know where we're at on this kinda stuff." She's content to let that topic rest there for now, rather than dig deep into it. "Speaking of which... that stage show is soonish, right? How's your cosplay coming? Mine's pretty close to done, though I need to make a few alterations to the blazer... or get someone else to do it, I guess. I could use the project, but time's kinda a question..."
A beat passes and she adds, "It's okay if you wanna change stuff up, too. That look isn't like, mega daring, but it's definitely kinda eyecatching... and, like I told Marusan while we were getting ready for prom, you'd be able to catch my eye in a potato sack."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane gives her hand a squeeze and agrees with her.
"I'll get my revenge by not giving him any more thought than he deserves." Rikka decides. She pauses, noticing that look on Akane's face. She's probably thinking something over, so Rikka waits.
"I think so too." Rikka agrees. "It's good to talk about it... I'm glad you brought it up."
She smiles.
"I know I'm going to sleep easier tonight." She says. Akane lets the topic rest, and Rikka's glad to do the same.
"Yeah, it's pretty close... I'd tell you the exact date, but my phone's so far and I've got a pretty comfortable spot here..." Rikka says. As for the costume, though, Rikka thinks it over. "I'm pretty close, too. I'm just waiting on a few orders I put in to get here before I can put the finishing touches on them."
Akane says it's okay if she wants to change stuff up, too. ...And Rikka laughs, as she brings up her conversation with Marusan.
"Don't tell me that, I might be tempted to test that theory~." Rikka teases, then considers. "...Yeah, I was kind of thinking about touching it up a bit. I think there could be a few good ways to keep the spirit of the design in there, while making it easier to wear around people I don't know."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yeah. I mean -- I can let go of some stuff, but this one's kinda hard. I think I just want..." She looks up at the ceiling, letting out a small sigh. ... Being more open-hearted... it's still hard, even if now it feels doable.
"I guess I kinda want him to acknowledge he got beaten. I want to hear him say it." She sighs, admitting, "Maybe I haven't grown up that much."
... It's best to move on. She could pick at it constantly, or they could let it skate for now and deal with whether Akane's still happy with that feeling after she vents it, and in the meanwhile, start flirting. "Oh no, how will I live?" Akane teases right back, before moving back to listening. "Hmm... I'm really excited to see what you come up with. If you need a hand, too, just let me know! I feel like there's a lot of room to mess around with... well, hm. You could try making the translucent parts of the bodysuit a little more opaque... or maybe a skin colored leotard under it. People aren't gonna get close enough to notice the difference, but you know you're covered at that point."
... poking around Montserrat's drama club has given her a few tricks.
Akane snags her tomato juice, then snuggles up a little closer. "... before Gridman left, we talked a little about what's coming up, since Utsumi got me thinking about it. ... I think we should study for the U-FITS together over VERTEX or something... maybe like, once or twice a week until it's here." Her expression takes on a serious cast. "I wanna knock it out of the park."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane admits that she wants to hear Murasame say he got beaten, that maybe she hasn't grown up that much. Rikka... quietly, wraps her arms around her, giving her a brief hug. She doesn't speak up to absolve her of those fears, or to confirm them. But she doesn't judge her, either way. It's not an easy thing to face... and it's not like she doesn't get it, especially when it comes to someone like Murasame, who's done so much to them.
So, Rikka, too, is happy to move on.
She laughs, as Akane counters her teasing.
"It's going to be rough... and you can bet I won't make it easy on you." Rikka teases back, then looks on with interested. "Yeah, I'll definitely be bouncing some ideas off you over the next few days as I work on it... Those are good suggestions, though, I hadn't thought about that..."
Some gears are turning are in her head - though naturally, the moment Akane snuggles up closer to her, those gears immediately grind up to a halt, and Rikka leans in too.
The U-FITS... She'd already promised to study with Utsumi, and she still intends to check on Hass and Namiko. It couldn't hurt to get more studying in - especially with Akane.
"...Yeah, that's a good idea. I'd like that - let's do it." Rikka replies with a nod - and is momentarily entranced by that serious look on Akane's face. She really means it... "We both will. I'm sure of it."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
It never really gets old seeing... all of Rikka's faces. Akane loves the Rikka that grinds to a halt, the Rikka that picks locks, the Rikka that likes Akane's serious expressions... it's a reminder to be grateful to share the world with her.
She leans into that embrace; a tiny bit of tomato juice splashes out of her bottle and onto her own leg, but she doesn't seem worried. (It does get her to down the rest, though.)
"I think it's probably even more important now that... I don't wanna say 'stuff's over,' but at least, like, 'stuff's changing.' I've gotten pretty used to tests by now, but..." She lets herself relax a bit, saying, "I wanna see how far I can get, the way I am now."
She has so many dreams she wants to fulfill now -- it's almost scary. But... "Is there anything you wanna do today, after we get up? I'm not really feeling going out or anything... tomorrow's gonna be enough on that front for a little bit."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka looks pleased as Akane leans in, too. She also notices that splash... but if Akane isn't worried, she's not worried, either.
"Yeah." Rikka agrees with a nod. Like she says - things are changing. "It's our future to make, now... and it's up to us to make it the best it can be."
Akane asks here, then, if she's anything she wants to do today.
"I don't really feel like going out, either." Rikka admits, and then frowns pensively as she goes through the options of things they can do together. "...We could watch something new, maybe? We don't have to finish it today... but it'd be a good start. And then later, once dinner rolls around we could try cooking something together."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Hmmm, yeah. ... and just like that, we're back at talking about the current season... I guess it was kinda inevitable." Akane thinks about that for a little while, considering carefully.
"There's a new Tarabaman... that started in July, we just -- had other stuff to do. We've got an okay backlog if we wanna get into that. I dunno if I want that to be our last thing to watch, though... let's see..." She thinks about it for a little while, and then --
"I remember seeing someone posting about this show... I think it's, 'Your Heartbeat Will Answer'?" she volunteers, leaning a little harder into Rikka. "It started out looking like a rom-com, now it's a bit into horror... the director and head writer are both usually romance guys, though, so I'm kinda curious how they're gonna land it."
Cooking needs no comment, because Akane is always up for cooking with Rikka.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"...I guess so." Rikka agrees with a laugh, then listens as Akane lists out some options. She, too, considers them.
A new Tarabaman... Rikka had heard about that one. But, as Akane said... they had other stuff to do.
"Yeah, I think you're right. I think it'd be better to save that one for now." She agrees. Once again Akane thinks... and this one is new to Rikka.
"That's a new one to me." Rikka commments. Akane leans a little harder into her - and in response, Rikka slides an arm around her. "...That's kind of a big jump in genre. Yeah, that seems like it'd be pretty hard to pull off... but now I want to see where they're going with this, too."
She nods.
"I think it'd be worth checking out?" She decides.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"All right. Let's see if it's streaming anywhere?" she suggests... though she's honestly fine with just pirating something. It wouldn't be the first time; a lot of her favorite Tarabaman shows are either inaccessible or locked away on some obscure OAC-only streaming service, and there's a few pieces of lost media, too.
... but now she's all warm and comfy in that embrace, so... "... in like 20 minutes," she says, playfully. "I just found the comfiest spot in the whole city and I need a few minutes to enjoy it." She shifts just a bit, giving Rikka a quick peck on the cheek.
"... I think this is better than a world that stays the same," she murmurs. Though, being so comfy and cuddled up does make her think...
... the impulse to engage in Kitten Mischief settles in quickly, once she's fully comfortable. Maybe that's just what comfort looks like for Akane -- the impulse to engage in mischief. "... Soooooooo," she adds, teasingly. "I know you finished your summer homework a whole month ago... had any time for any other light reading~?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Sounds good." Rikka agrees. Rikka, as it happens, is fine with that too... though she does try, at least. ...Akane needs twenty minutes, though, and Rikka chuckles.
"I think I can give you that. I've found a pretty good spot, too~." She replies - looking pleased at that quick peck.
"...Me too." She agrees. She lays there like that for a moment, just appreciating the closeness...
...And then, Kitten Mischief.
Rikka looks toward her at that trailing, teasing lead-in. She watches her assessingly - and she has done some reading, but it takes her a second to catch on that she might be getting at something... specific. Rikka pauses for a second, as if giving it serious thought.
"Mm, well... Someone did leave their work handbook here. ...Conveniently bookmarked and everything. I might've... paged through it, a bit." Rikka replies with a smirk.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
It's nice to know that -- but Akane doesn't seem like she's urgently motivated by it, at the same time. It's just nice to hear. She leans her neck back a little more, allowing herself to really melt in.
"Great," she enthuses, letting a finger stray up into Rikka's hair. "I guess if that meeting had actually gone off, you might have ended up having to read that anyway... Now it's just a head start, hehehe." The time it takes her to think of what Akane's getting at, though, makes her think for a bit...
"... What about anything else, though? I don't have a lot of experience with the LN market or anything... my otaku hobby's narrower than it probably seems like." She lets out a content little sigh, saying, "Whatever will I do, looking for a book to read on transit services, forever searching...~"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane melts in and strays a finger into her hair, and Rikka really feels like melting, too.
"I guess so." Rikka replies with a laugh. ...It's true, though. She wonders what would've happened if that had gone through...
...Well, she's sure they'll get to it again eventually.
Akane asks her about what else she's reading, and Rikka thinks it over... She laughs a little, at Akane's sigh.
"I've got some good ones to lend you that you might like. I've got a lot of the more mainstream ones, but there are some more obscure ones in there, too. The last one I read was about a girl who realised she could fly, and the problems she got herself into and out of because of it." Rikka explains. The title is probably something suitably clever.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Ooooh, that sounds really fun," Akane says; for some reason, that sort of piece sounds like it would work for her. "I'm definitely game to borrow it, if you're okay with lending it out. I'm supposed to be flying out pretty late but the time zone thing is gonna have me going right into class, so I definitely need something that'll keep me awake."
She looks off to the side for a few moments, then back up at the ceiling; in the position she's in, she can't exactly look at Rikka, but the feeling is nice. The hand not still dealing with her tomato juice bottle gives Rikka's another squeeze.
"... after we cuddle for a little longer, let's go wash up? I can feel the tomato juice soaking into my shin, and like -- it's not bad enough that I wanna get up, but I'm definitely gonna want to wash up after that..."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"It is, I really liked it." Rikka replies enthusiastically, and then nods. "Yeah, I'm game. If you take to it like I did you're probably not going to want to put it down, so it'll probably help there."
They sit there for a moment long until, eventually, Akane gives her hand another squeeze.
"That's... probably a good idea." She admits. "Yeah, let's."
Still... like she said. They can spare a little bit longer like this.