2024-02-16: Skill Issue
- Log: 2024-02-16- Skill Issue
- Cast: Akane Shinjo, Leina Ashta
- Where: Nouvelle Tokyo - Takarada/Shinjo Apartment
- OOC - IC Date: 0098-07-31
- Summary: Leina finally gets a break from crunch thanks to a suspension, which means she has the time to stop by and see Akane post-surgery. They talk about how things are going, school, anime... and a lot more.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane's spent much of July recovering from surgery. It's getting a little easier at this point, though only a little; she's at least been able to cut her painkiller dosage and get around a little bit more. It's been a fairly easy convalescence, thanks in no small part to... a lot of people wanting to help.
Akane's regained some degree of independence around the house, at least, and has at least made it out to the (still-running; summer term is very real!) university cafeteria once or twice... but she's still not in a position where she wants to be moving around that much. Right now she's in the middle of cooking -- a thing that she's back to being able to do on her own again, now that she's reduced the painkiller dosage. Given a sudden craving for Western-style chili, she's sent Rikka out for a few ingredients that the pair usually don't buy. (No ground beef just lying around, for instance.)
She looks a little tired, and her dark hair is a little stringy at this point; she's really starting to miss bathing. Just a few more days until they check up on her to make sure she's bath-safe...
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Leina meanwhile has been working. Between that and her undergraduate course work, her social life has dwindled a great deal.
It's not that she wants it to be that way, it's just how it is. By the time one has free time, the only thing one wants to do is have your head hit the bed.
However, this weekend she's home. There was an 'incident' at work with a new transfer, that resulted in both of them being suspended while it was being reviewed.
She did nothing wrong, it's just how it is, her Commander had said. And thus she's gone to Japan. Nominally at first to visit Yuliana and the PPL, but then - well, a text from Sayla sent her Nouvelle Tokyowards by high speed train.
She mostly slept through the train ride, before checking the address, and working her way there through...
In Five Hundred Feet! Turn Right at the Intersection! Akane! Akane!
She COULD have made it all a surprise visit, but decided while recovering from surgery, it was better to alert her in advance.
And so Leina's brief case bump bump bumps up the stairs of the apartment, even as Giovanni - her Haro (Now with Asticassia Feature Upgrades) climbs it utilizing his arms to springboard him up step by step.
Once at the door, she doesn't need to double check the address... she feels her, after all. Ringing the bell, Leina's...
... about eight minutes early.
She's currently wearing a shirt of Kamineko, an anime Isekai about a high school girl being reincarnated as a grumpy feral cat that's just a little too aggressive.
When she hits the door, Leina simply says, "Hey you." She does not immediately launch into a hug, after all - surgery! "Been a while. Hope two days notice was enough."
A beat and-
"You okay for a visit right now? Can always put it off if you're not feeling up to it." She asks that with all sincerity, like she wouldn't be offended at all. And then...
"But I hope not. Whatever you're cooking up in there smells good."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane heads for the door; she's a little slow going, but she calls, "Just a second!" partway there. It's not that she's unsteady on her feet, but she's definitely been on them less -- and between that and the painkillers she's been taking things easy.
When she gets the door, she gestures Leina in and agrees, "Oh, yeah -- it's not the shortest anyone's given me? And... I'm a little tired, but I'm okay for a visit." She laughs, saying, "Rikka's on an ingredients mission right now. She'll be back a little later. Do you wanna stay for dinner? We're making chili."
She walks toward the couch, taking a few moments to make sure the cushion she sewed together out of neck pillows is still on it and not, say, on the floor. (Rookie mistake she's made several times.) "Oh -- this is the apartment, by the way," she adds.
It's... pretty cozy, generously; it's a 1LDK that could probably have just been a 1DK with a somewhat generous dining room if not for the wall. One gets the sense that listing it as an LDK was a plan to get more eyes on the property. A ladder in the sitting room leads to a 30-inch-tall loft with a futon in it.
Akane gestures back to the kitchen, adding, "Right now it's mostly just the canned ingredients simmering... we don't have beef around the house so I'm kinda waiting on that."
When Akane sits down, she asks, "How's school going? My first term went pretty smooth... my grades aren't perfect, but I'm pretty sure I hit myself with the worst of it right off."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Leina waits, and when Akane hits the door - "Akane! Akane!"
She's greeted to a happy Haro that can't hop quite so high because his soul is shackled by gravity. He was at least a regular fixture around the Villa, sometimes with a cat chasing him.
"Want me to tag in so you can take a break?" She winks at her, "I make a mean chili on my own, so think I can follow your instructions."
She puts down brief case inside the door, sliding off her shoes. It is Japan after all. Whereas Haro hops in over the threshold.
"It'll be good to see her again. And of course I would." Stretching up with a hand on her hip, she looks around, "Looks pretty great by OCU standards." Is Leina's comment, she prefers a little more space, but she can make do anywhere.
That is after all, what Shangri-La taught her.
"I like it." As she follows her into the kitchen. Haro doesn't follow in, apparently it's in pre-programmed 'no contact' mode because of Akane's surgery.
"Really? How do you figure that?" She asks of hitting her with the worst of it right off, a little quizzical, as in 'What class did it?' before.
"Eh. Grades are doing alright, more than alright, beautiful campus, but..." She scratches the back of her neck, "... the culture isn't really my vibe?" She looks somewhat sheepish, "Just, you know... how it is."
That really isn't the tone of someone who thinks they made a bad decision? It sounds more strangely resigned.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane is absolutely delighted to see a Haro. "I mean, it's mostly just simmering other than that we gotta add the meat when Rikka gets back," Akane says, as she gives the Haro an enthusiastic little wave. She can tell she's being given some space, and she appreciates that. "If you wanna give it a try in about... ten minutes? That'd be great though. I like it a little acid-forward, but not much."
"Math. I only need one math class and one stats class for this whole program, so I thought I'd get it out of the way? In high school I was pretty good, but I kinda hit the wall here..." She laughs self-deprecatingly, affirming, "It's fine! It's not a big deal."
As she gets situated on the couch, Akane nods to Leina. "I get you. I think one of the schools we were looking at was kinda like that for me, too? Like..." She gestures. "Is it kinda stuffy, or just..." She knows Leina's going to school on the Ring. She doesn't want to start with 'racist' or 'spacist' but she's obviously thinking it.
"Nouvelle Tech's pretty easygoing. I was sad about not getting into the University of Tokyo, but I think we landed where we needed to..." she adds, on her own end of things.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Absolutely."
Leina notes as she takes a ladle, and gives the smallest sip. It's not long before she adds like, the tiniest splash of vinegar and a stir.
"Huh! Was it just - so much time off from anything challenging?"
Leina asks curiously, of math, and stats. After all, Tsutsujidai was after all, not really going to offer challenging math problems to her.
The ladle gets a little twirl, like she's gesticulating in thought of how to put it. "Like I love being back in Space again. It's just so many students are the children of Corpo big shots. I stayed away from the piloting program, since well-"
'Duh.' seems to be Leina's response on why she wouldn't need a Piloting Major. "-it's so emphasized? And not for any good reason. It's a prestige thing that they be pilots too, sorta like how Fencing or Sport Shooting used to be for nobles in the Middle Ages? All sorts of proxy duels fought there as some messed up local version of the Gundam Fights."
There's a shrug of her shoulders, "And yeah, it's super Spacist. The Earth House of 'disadvantage students' there are treated like dogshit. They're in an actual barn." She gives Akane this knowing look at that, "There's a goat."
There's a sigh, as she rubs her nostrils, "I tried to apply to stay there anyway but it got rejected because they want me to board in the Front Management Barracks. Just easier for security."
However, Akane mentions not getting into her first choice, "Well, I'm happy for you and Rikka in that regard. As for me?" -and Leina holds up...
... ten fingers, still keeping a hold on the ladle easily in her palm. "All my Top Ten sent me a rejection despite me being considered a stellar candidate before. Had to provide documentation of my special accommodations for Cathedra."
There's this tired sigh, "And part of that was providing documentation of my upcoming involvement in the case against Martha Vist Carbine."
There's this rueful chuckle like it's just too sad, "You know there's a website where you can find all the Universities Vist and Anaheim had donated to, and how much? But mostly it was admissions just being worried about what being involved with someone... 'controversial' would do to their image given the seriousness of the 'allegations'."
That knowledge has a far more acidic taste to it than any chili can manage. More bitter laughter, and a shake of her head.
"So yeah! Asticassia. Guess they were willing to risk the 'controversy' with my Commander's recommendation."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"I dunno if it was that? Math isn't really my strongest subject in general," Akane admits, a little sheepishly. "I could do it but I never really... got it?" Wobbling a hand, she shrugs, and says, "I'm out the other side of it, anyway. Just intro stats next term and then that's it." ... maybe she should let herself be challenged a little more, though...
"Oh, yeah, that makes a ton of sense. Asticassia always kinda gave me that vibe? I didn't even apply there... I think I'd go crazy." She laughs, then listens as Leina talks a little more about the piloting program, and the emphasis. "... Duels? I knew it was weird but I didn't realize it was that weird. Uh -- hahaha, good luck." The casual spacism gets no comment -- what do you even say to that?
... It takes a slightly more depressing turn at all those rejections. "Big oof," is all Akane has to offer at first -- but she feels like she owes Leina a little more than that. "That's gross. They shouldn't close off all your options just because something bad happened to you. Yikes."
She wonders if Asticassia wasn't more willing to risk that specifically because it's Benerit and there's no love lost between them and Anaheim... but she doesn't voice that. Instead, she mumbles, "... I wonder if 3G smoothed stuff over in the university app process for me without me knowing." She isn't sure how she feels about that, but it seems pretty plausible, given she isn't exactly far from Leina on the 'extenuating circumstances' point. "Either way, I hope it works out okay. Nouvelle Tech's actually been pretty nice... I had to ask for a couple of accommodations for the first week after break just in case, but they were pretty chill about it."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Oh I get it." Leina says solemnly, before teasing lightly, "Art brain." As if that was a serious condition, of dividing people into that category, but she doesn't push Akane further on that.
"Driving me a little nuts myself but... they have a really good Pre-Law program? Like, back end of Top 20 in the whole Earthsphere, just wouldn't know it given how much they emphasize the 'Big 3'."
Before she looks up at Akane and shakes her head, "Yeah. I've gotten some challenges myself so far, just haven't accepted any since it's not required. It's like one guy who got super mad that I turned him down for a date. And another that just wanted to see if I was really 'all that'."
For a while though, the stirring just stops, at it being gross, and nods with closed eyes, "Could probably fight it. Force it. Have Mom donate the money for a new library or something but - I want to make it in on my own merits and... well also I figured, if they're gonna be like that, then I don't really want to be there?"
As she murmurs, "Asticassia feels better than any place like that." Yikes. Before she looks up at Akane, "Not sure, could be as simple as their recommendation carrying a lot of weight. Could be they figured out a way to keep that private, as it's 'none of their business'."
For Leina at least, she unfortunately didn't have that option. "Ah- hey I'm glad they were chill about it." She says, going back to the stirring on occasion from the chili. "I've had to ask them to let me off for like - big raids or the like. Luckily most of that we do on weekends anyway."
There's a prolonged pause, a struggle, like she was going to say something else perhaps then...
"Eh, that's enough venting about me." Leina says with a smile, "How are you holding up after the surgery? I looked it up online but, but I don't have much practical knowledge about... what it's like, or Post-Op care?"
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane puffs out her cheeks. As she does so, it's obvious that she's gaining a little weight relative to when she was at Sayla's place; she's not carrying a ton of it in her face, but it's noticeable. "Rude," she shoots back, though there's not a lot of heat in it.
Leina mentions the really good pre-law program and that gets her to smile, though. "That's pretty good... I think you've got the right kinda head on your shoulders for that stuff. I'm a little worried about art therapy? Like, I have all the parts, I think, it's just... putting them together." She wobbles a hand, before looping to the duels. "Man. I'm definitely glad I'm not going there. I think I'd take every challenge they threw at me, ahaha..."
ubbing at the back of her head, Akane gets settled in a little more. She doesn't dig in too much on the topic of getting into school -- for all the complexity to it, it's in the past. This is where they're going now! Instead, she answers about the surgery. "It's been okay. Insurance here covers some regenerative therapy afterward, so I got to skip some of the worst complications? There's not a lot you can do about the pain part except," she gestures to a bottle of pills on the table. "Anyway, like -- I'm a little out of it, but it's not bad. Rikka's been a huge help. Really, like, everyone's been a huge help. I wanna do something really nice for Rikka once I'm most of the way back, though..."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Adorable." Leina says as Akane puffs out her cheeks, "Gonna have to tease you more often if that's the expression you're gonna have~" She threatens, not taking Akane's reaction seriously at all.
After all, she was always more arts than sciences herself anyway.
"If you had it together after semester one-!" Leina says as she tries the chili again, without the meat. Just a tiny sip. "I'd be worried? You'll get there."
Whereas Leina grins at her subtly, "Oh yeah? I can be pretty competitive but, they're just idiots? Like- what does that first guy think I'm gonna be his girlfriend because he beat me in a duel?"
'He wouldn't' she makes clear, but she's not entertaining it. "As those were his actual terms! Like what am I even gonna ask for back if I win? That he just never talk to a girl for the next three years?"
There's this shake of her head, even she thinks assholes should have the option to try and get dates, it's just the harassment and ego that she hates.
Akane does at least talk about the surgery, and Leina nods, "Good." At the regenerative therapy, but as she speaks more and more Leina gets a bigger and bigger smile- "Oh yeah? What were you thinking about?"
When it comes to something nice that is.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane turns a distinct shade of pink, crossing her arms and leaning forward a bit -- then, with a 'tsshh --' leaning back again. "... Okay, that still sucks," she mumbles, before straightening herself out a little more thoroughly.
"You're right. The first term is probably gonna be the hardest one in a lot of ways anyway... plus at the end of it I was kinda anxious about," she gestures to herself, "this." Playing with her dark hair a bit, she murmurs, "I should go for a cut again..."
Looping back to the duel, Akane asks, "... Is that, like, enforceable? Man. I'd definitely be in trouble." She pauses, before musing, "You could always tell him to get therapy." That gets a giggle out of her.
After a little thought, Akane muses, "I love the idea of cooking for her, but that's not really that special now that we live together... maybe a gift, but..." Her lips purse a little bit, her brow furrowing. What could she do for Rikka...
"... aaaah, I don't know!" she suddenly interjects, anxiety on her face. It's not serious, but it's certainly present. "Maybe I should take her somewhere nice...?"
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Hm?"
Leina gives Akane a quizzical look, in the aftermath of her teasing, as if uncertain she heard her right, or is really parsing the vibes coming off of her.
"Want me to trim it?" Leina asks, "I'm pretty good, since well, I've been cutting mine since I was seven."
Couldn't spare the money, or rather, Leina wouldn't let them spare the money.
"Apparently? They have a whole dueling committee and everything that's all about - documenting it, authorizing it, witnessing it, and enforcing the results."
At Akane's giggle, Leina laughs back and- "Like what, art therapy?" Leina winks at her. "Knowing my luck, another Hyperdevil would come along to prey on his hurt man feelings."
Yet, as she tends to the simmering aromatics and beans, Leina listens to Akane decide, one after another and...
"Well... have you considered sculpting something special for her? I know it might feel a little weird after everything, but-" She taps her ladle lightly against the edge of the pot in thought, "-it might be good for you both?"
Thinking more upon it Leina then notes, "As for somewhere nice- it's summer. Maybe go somewhere a little rural, that has a stretch of shore where the two of you can be alone."
She understands too that 'road trip' is a loaded thing to ask of them to do, but she figures the two of them would take more precautions after...
... what happened last time.
"Shiro and I did that once, during our first summer dating." Before she notes with a smile, "Sex on the beach? Even better than it sounds."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Hrrmm... maybe after dinner tonight?" Akane answers, nodding to Leina. "If you're okay with that, I could definitely use it. I kinda put it off during first term, and then, well," she elects to not comment further. It's obvious at this point.
Akane laughs -- though there's a little strain -- at the idea of a Hyper Devil chewing on Leina's duel partner. It's... remote enough that she can laugh, but it's still a little difficult if she dwells on it.
"Oh, uh -- I did that over the winter holidays... I kinda don't wanna repeat it, you know?" she answers, at the mention of sculpting. "It definitely took a different approach, though? Like... it felt like learning sculpting all over again, kind of..." She lets out a small sigh, saying, "It was good to do. Maybe it would be a good idea to do it again..."
Akane thinks about Leina's other suggestion, and agrees, "That sounds kinda nice. Japan's got a lot of beaches, and the public transit stuff here is nice..." She lets out a contented sigh. "... the other part there is gonna require doctor clearance, though, so we might not be able to squeeze it in before class starts again."
She thinks over what she just said for a moment and then bursts out laughing, with a, "Then again -- squeezing it in's not --"
Oh yeah she's losing it.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Sure. Be happy to." Given the length Leina cuts her hair, she does carry a pair of scissors basically everywhere when she travels.
She can perhaps sense Akane's discomfort, in that way, and part of her simply decides 'Too soon.' without actually saying it aloud.
After all, that's uncomfortable for reasons more than just - the time frame.
It's just a little cathartic for her since she was nibbled on too, even if she's not comparing herself to the one that tried to duel her.
"Oh hey! That's cool." Leina says of not wanting to repeat it, "What'd you sculpt for her?" She doesn't ask if she sculpted Rikka since - that could be uncomfortable for the same reason the Hyperdevil joke was uncomfortable.
As if she were just adjusting somewhat, her own humor, her own comfort levels for what Akane is comfortable with. "Oh like - that's right. Your summer break is..." Considerably less time than it is in other parts of the world?
Yep.
But there's a bark of a laugh there, "No longer a problem? Yeah, I bet!"
Once she's stopped laughing though, she does say more seriously, "You're gonna have to tell me what it's like after you're cleared, whatever you're comfortable with."
There's multiple reasons, but for the most part, it's just wanting to know, to be able to empathize and understand with her situation.
And because that might be useful to her in the future, knowing what it's like, given her chosen career path.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Oh, uh -- let me see if I can go get it..." Akane pauses, taking a few deep breaths in and out. "... Wait, no, I... actually don't know where we have it displayed right now?" Her brow furrows, and she sighs. "... I'll remember eventually. Anyway, it's this scene from Tarabaman W -- W and Alien Zamiki together playing video games? It's from one of the, uh..." She gestures. "Weird episodes. Rikka gets more out of those than I do..."
Getting situated, Akane nods. "And -- yeah, sure. I can tell you some stuff once it's not just, like, 'it hurts all the time!'" She laughs at herself a bit, then says, "Thanks."
The topic of Tarabaman, though, leads her to a new topic, and a much more mundane one. "Hrrmm... what have you been watching lately, anyway? I feel like we haven't talked much about that in a while... I've kinda let Rikka take point on picking shows for now, other than catching up on the Taraba stuff I missed while we were heading to Jupiter?" ... It's nice to talk about something normal for once, now that they've gotten past a lot of the crazy stuff...
Akane glances outside. "... Huh, looks like it's starting to rain out there," she adds. "I hope she's got an umbrella..."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Leina blinks once, twice, and then- "Huh. That's sweet." She doesn't ENTIRELY get it even if she's watched Tarabaman with Akane.
But she gets that that's their vibe as a couple.
Personally she was hoping Akane sculpted Rikka but, that's just where her brain goes when it comes to artists.
"Absolutely! Whatever you feel comfortable with." She winces in sympathy however. She's had some problems with ovarian cysts in the past but, can't imagine what that kind of post op pain would be like in that area.
"Anytime."
But then Akane asks what she's been watching lately, and Leina hums in thought, "Lots of old musicals and theater - gotta get my drama fix. Oh! And an anime called 'Phantom of the Auditorium.'" She tells her, almost apologetically, "It's pretty trash, but it's about students trying to restart a drama club and - attracting this gender androgynous sorta 'Phantom' from the school's past to haunt the lead."
Leina then taps her chin, "Also 'FreshFro Magical Girl Natural Lychee!' which is like, Season 3. It's actually going pretty interesting places with the subtext..."
The last one takes her some thought, "Uh? Also like..."
She rubs the back of her neck and looks away, "...Tarabaman versus Captain Zeon? I did a paper on Side 3 Propaganda media back in high school, so I was morbidly curious after finding out it existed."
A beat.
"Was honestly surprised there were no Axis Zeon... allusions in it. Maybe the EFF was still in denial during production."
When she mentions it raining, Leina looks out the window for a moment, then...
"Pretty sure Nouvelle Tokyo does the Umbrella exchange too if not." She smiles at her reassuringly, "And if not, basically every station has a vending machine for them."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane... is working up to that.
It's the perfectionism.
"Oooo, so sort of a seven school mysteries kind of vibe but drama-focused? I think Rikka might like that. I wonder if she's seen it already..." Then again, Leina's a bit older, so it's possible that her intake doesn't quite line up with theirs...
A new magical girl season... that is definitely something they can probably all agree to get in on. Akane still feels hopelessly behind when it comes to Lychee and related media... there's so much of it and unlike with Tarabaman, where she'd just picked a point and then gotten in deeper and deeper by inertia... now it feels harder to do that.
Fortunately, Leina gets directly into her wheelhouse a moment later. "Ooh! The official one or the fan film? They're both -- I mean, they're both pretty important pieces of media either way... I'm surprised how much traction that thing got. Anyway, like, uh -- where was I going with that..."
Shaking the cobwebs out of her head, she nods and says, "Oh, right. Duh. ... Still, though... I don't want her to get rained on just for meat 'cuz I had a craving..." She puffs out her cheeks. "Anyway! Tarabaman versus Captain Zeon is a mess either way but it's kind of a fun mess -- but at the same time, I guess I'm missing a lot of stuff a spacenoid would see, huh..."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Yeah! It's mostly about them - trying to put on a play, but it's just they keep getting drawn into the mystery."
Leina shrugs with a small grin, "It hasn't finished yet, I personally suspect that the Phantom is really a girl. Like that's really such a innovative twist for any Yuri vibes to be a little predatory, but- I'm kinda into it anyway?"
Perhaps predatory Yuri is just a little more acceptable for her own personal tastes more than her morality due to her past.
"Kinda downloaded both? They were together. I guess this fan considered them both like - important in that way, rather than having a preference."
Before she then- Leina eyes her, "I mean fulfilling partner cravings is pretty important. You'll probably be sick of hearing about them in a few months in the GGG social circle because like..."
There's this small shrug, a tiny smile, "... well given how Koji and Sayaka are probably going at it, shouldn't be too long."
She coughs, and- "By the way, you've seen the proposal vid right? Like, it's been edited to death for the memes but - I've got an unedited copy."
She does come back to Tarabaman versus Captain Zeon after a bit, when Akane does, "Probably? Living in space gives you a different perspective about... this kinda media. But I've also analyzed propaganda media to death, too?" She winces, visibly, "Once had Mom get me a copy of Magical Blaster Ensign Mari for my paper?"
She rubs the back of her neck, "In retrospect, I get why she was so hesitant now - seeing as it had Char giving a little girl her Magical Girl Artifact. Yeesh. Fucked up how close to home that must have hit for her after the Second War."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Ehehe..." Akane pauses, as something about Phantom starts to hit a little close to home. "I think I'm gonna let you finish that one and give me a trip report before we dive too hard into it over here," she says, a little lamely. ... She's maybe a little self-conscious.
She doesn't linger, though -- not least because Leina throws her a curveball that gets her to choke on her own spit. Her eyes bug out a bit, and she starts laughing. "You -- you can't just say that!!" she stammers, though she's never known Leina to stay away from that kind of topic. After catching her breath, though, she admits, "... Good for them. I actually haven't seen it? Like I said, uh --"
Another vague gesture at herself. "Busy," she concludes, with a light laugh.
When Leina explains Blaster Mari to her, Akane cringes a little. Even now that she's, like, had dinner with Char Aznable, it's still a lot to process. "... I can't even imagine someone making that kinda thing now. It'd be way out there... like, I guess you could do it in some parts of Zeon but that's it?" She shrugs, saying, "... Though now I kinda want to read it just for the weirdness, and like, to see how it does what it does."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Sure. I'll let you know my review."
She catches the self-conscious vibe, and Leina thinks perhaps she's being a little hard on herself but...
... if anyone understands being unconscionably hypercritical on one's self, it's Leina Ashta.
As Akane chokes, and sputters, laughing- "I can and I will. They like-"
Leina looks Akane dead in the eyes, "-I had to literally break up the party they were throwing because the two basically were putting out the vibes like they were gonna go at it RIGHT THERE in front of all of us."
A beat.
"That's what fourteen years of repression does to a couple, yeesh." Leina says, as she scratches the side of her cheek and-
"Yeah, Yeah. Uh-" She slides her phone out of her pocket and...
She puts it on, this long preamble of awkward silence before Koji blurts out, 'LET'S MAKE A BABY!'
Akane hears Leina's voice say quietly 'Right now?'
Before Sayaka splutters something incoherent and smacks Koji so hard he goes flying over a table then there's... met bedroom eyes between the two of them, it's like the heat is palpably rising.
And then there's laughter, comments from the crowds, and Leina's 'Alright everyone, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.'
It cuts out not long after.
"He's... still popular there." Leina's eyes lower subtly, "Not many know about his vengeance against the Zabi family. They just see him as Zeon's son, and an instrument of the 'Spacenoid Will' avenging itself against Earth. It's how... Full Frontal was such an effective gambit."
For a moment it's somewhat awkward, as she stirs the pot, before Akane requests to see it and- "Oh. Sure! Let's see the hard copies are in a safe back at the Villa but..." Tap tap tap, tap tap. Giovanni the Haro's eyes start to glow, as it rolls into kitchen.
Accessing Restricted File: Magical Ensign Blaster Mari Collection.
Voice ID required.
Leina takes a deep breath and- "Magical Futon Beater: Chenji!"
The Haro's eyes take on a deeper red glow.
Confirmed. File Transfer Initiating.
In short order Akane's phone starts getting a file and- Leina says gravely to Akane, "I sealed it away because... it was genuinely... that bad."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane scoots over -- with some effort -- to look at Leina's phone. She looks.
Her jaw drops. Then, after a second --
She starts just losing it again. This is the funniest thing that has ever happened. It's like -- being this impossibly cringe, seeing someone be this cringe... it does something for her mood. She has to stabilize herself by putting her hands on the furnishings. More than laughter, though, there's relief in it, somehow...?
"This owns. This. This owns," she says, gasping for breath. "I can definitely do better than this. It's not even hard. I've been doing dry runs for like years now. I can do so much better than this."
Time will almost certainly reveal that she cannot. Skill issue.
She grounds herself for the more serious topic, though, and nods as Giovanni arrives. "I'll just take it on my phone, yeah," she agrees. "I spend a lot of time just lying in bed on my phone reading stuff lately, so that part's fine." ... She does not know what she's in for, and doesn't seem to be taking Leina's grave warning fully seriously...
Speaking of her phone, though, reminds her. "... I bet it's just the trains running slow with everything that's going on, but... I'm gonna call her and make sure everything's okay," Akane says. "Give me a minute?"
Once she gets the affirmation, she slips back away for a few minutes to make that phone call. ... look, she's new to living together in a space where you can travel! It's impossible to know if the instant the human has left the house they were sucked into a black hole.