sweetdevil | 65th ♫ | by the look of the sky, i wonder if the raindrops will turn into snow

Ah–

[ He doesn't pull her in at all roughly, but Ryoko still sort of stumbles awkwardly into the hug – half not expecting it and half because this is Ryoko who is probably the most awkward human being in this or any era when it comes to hugs. But she doesn't protest or try to pull away and after a moment, her wistful expression turns a little warmer.

Really. She should've known better than to think Akira would let that slide. There's the instinct to insist that he doesn't have to do anything, but... that would probably go against the spirit of her promise not to protest when it seems like they're going out of their way for her over the holidays. ]

You're flattering me a little too much. [ Though she definitely doesn't sound displeased. ] I'm managing well enough in the short term, but I definitely couldn't spend the rest of my life fighting kaiju. Being here... it's been a bit of a relief in that way.

[ It seems like she won't be giving him an answer to the question, at first, or that she's cleverly dodged it – but then she glances up at him from the corner of her eye as she continues browsing. ]

... It's April 1st, by the way. If you really do feel like you have to do something.

[Well, if she dies fighting them, then she certainly will have spent the rest of her life doing it. But that singularly miserable thought isn't worth saying aloud even when it isn't the holiday season, so Akira simply lets the thought wither where it's born.]

April, huh...well, the goal's to have you home as soon as possible, so hopefully that'll be my early birthday present to you. But if you're still around, I'll make sure you have a good one.

[He says it aloud more for his benefit than Ryoko's, because the less he thinks about her eventually leaving, the more it will hurt when it happens.]

Oh, this is kinda funny. Don't they kind of look like Taroimo?

[He's found a knockoff of Hungry Hungry Hippos with turtles instead...he tilts the box to show Ryoko. It's gonna go in the basket as soon as she's looked at it, of course.]

[ It's a little scary how easy it is to imagine still being here when April comes around – seventeen years old, decades away from any of the responsibilities of the Sentinel Project, or even her own birth. But if she lets herself linger on it for a second and really think about the people she'd be surrounded by... she has to go back. If only to make sure to pay back their kindness by making sure they have a future to enjoy.

And while she's here, she can make sure she does her best to help them enjoy the present. ]

It's almost a little uncanny. You don't think he'll get jealous, do you? [ Like a dog that's spotted its own reflection... ] We'll just have to make sure he knows we like him best.

[ Board games do give her an idea, though... She peers up at the shelves with a thoughtful look, then glances at Akira. ]

How do they all feel about jigsaw puzzles?

I'll have to rig up some way for him to be able to press the button so he can play with Kaori...he'd just smash it as things are now.

[Though he's not really great at designing things. He's become an expert at swapping out parts on Taroimo and fixing him up with whatever he can get his hands on, but entirely new equipment would probably have to come from Tobei.]

We've got a nice even spread of kids who love to put stuff together and kids who love to ruin shit other people put together, so I think that's a great idea.

[No guesses as to which of the two categories he falls into himself. He's not above putting a puzzle piece on top of the fridge for petty reasons.]

[ Taroimo with hands... cursed image. ]

I'll go with that, then. [ She hums thoughtfully to herself as she peers up at the shelf – then pulls down a chunky jigsaw box with an illustration of a bustling Christmas party on the front. ] Five hundred pieces should last a while...

[ She doesn't put it right into the basket, though – she's just looking at the box with that slightly faraway smile on her face again. ]

... Ei-kun and I used to do these sometimes, over long holidays. We'd time ourselves to see how fast we could go and track our scores on the inside of the lid. Or if it was a smaller puzzle, we'd try and beat each other's best times. It's funny the sort of things you can find to compete over, isn't it?

How else are you supposed to prove you're better, right? Everyone wants to be praised for something.

[At the end of the day, that's always what it was about for him, anyway. Attention from Taeko or the other kids, or Matsu...there's probably other reasons to be competitive, but that's what it usually came down to for Akira.]

You probably weren't the kind of big sister who'd go easy on him just 'cuz he was your brother, huh. Did you ever let him win?

[He can't imagine it. She's so stubborn and determined that he can't really imagine her being that merciful as a kid either.]

Edited 2022-11-13 21:40 (UTC)

[ She sticks her nose in the air a little primly – but she's still smiling. ]

Of course not. If he ever wanted to win, he had to really earn it. I might be his big sister, but I do have my pride.

[ Into the basket the jigsaw goes. It's a good sized one, but it's pretty Christmassy so maybe she'll pick out a smaller one for New Year's, too...? ]

Besides... Ei-kun had his pride as well. If I'd ever let him win at anything, he would've known right away and he'd never let me get away with it. It's funny – I don't think either of us ever had second thoughts about cheating or fighting dirty to win, but accepting a win someone handed you was out of the question.

[ Whether she's aware that she's completely telling on herself right now is... unclear! ]

Cheating?

[Akira is grinning at her like he's just found something priceless. In retrospect, maybe it's not as surprising as it initially feels—not because Ryoko seems like the type to do it, necessarily, but because it only seems like a natural evolution of what seemed to be such a strong rivalry between her and Ei.

Besides, it's not like Akira has any room to talk. Lord only knows how many games he steamrolled his siblings in, especially before it was common knowledge that he could read their minds.]

Oh man, that's great. I'd pay good money to watch someone who tries so hard to be prim and proper around adults beat someone's ass by cheating. Are the two of you still close?

[ Ah. Now her smile turns a little rueful. It's the sort of smile you wear when it's complicated. ]

Mm. For the most part. Obviously, now we're both in high school, things aren't quite the same as when we were younger. We definitely still butt heads just as much – maybe even more, now we actually have important things to argue about.

[ She pulls another jigsaw off the shelf, pointedly looking down at it instead of meeting Akira's gaze. ]

... He ended up piloting a Sentinel as well, you see.

Oh...sorry.

[He didn't mean to kill the mood, and while he can sympathize...he reaches out to muss her hair a little, giving her a fond pat on the head. Now's not the time for that.]

Well, don't worry. I'm sure he's doing just fine. It's impossible to lose if you're too stubborn to give up, and if he's anything like his big sister then he's doing great.

[He has to be, because it's bad enough that one of them's already lost someone like family to them to a giant robot, of all things.]

Hey, maybe you should think about getting him a souvenir too. From the distant past of 2010. If he's still into sentai, I bet mint condition vintage stuff would be nice.

[ Her hair absolutely doesn't need any help to get mussed up and while she'd usually protest, this time her expression warms a little and she lifts her hand to playfully push his away. Right. Of all the times to get gloomy, Christmas shopping really isn't. ]

Mm. He'll be fine. If nothing else, because he knows just how much trouble he'll be in if he isn't. [ big 'if you die i'll kill you' vibes. it's an older sibling thing, he knows how it is. ] So maybe he does deserve a souvenier.

[ She deposits the second jigsaw puzzle into the basket and starts making her way down the aisle. She doesn't really know much about the shows he'd liked as a whole, but she knows Ei's tastes well enough to guess what he'll like. ]

Maybe something like this could be fun for the others, too. Instead of... robots.

Haha! It might be nice to see 'em getting along like a sentai team does. Though I'm pretty sure everyone would be fighting over who gets to be red. I mean obviously I'm red but, you know...

[Not even a pause as he immediately gets right into the silly little discourse he's accusing his own siblings of, folding his hands behind his head as he moves to follow her. It's reached the point where he absolutely does not need to be sharing her scarf anymore, but he's not saying anything about it if she isn't.]

I guess that'd make you blue. We've got that sort of dynamic, I think. The heroic leader and his no-nonsense partner...well, I guess you're up for some nonsense every once in a while.

[And thank goodness for that, because he doubts they'd get along as well as they do if she wasn't.]

The kids can fight out the rest of the colors by themselves.

[ Dryly: ] You're lucky you said 'partner' and not something like 'sidekick' otherwise I might've had to consider unionizing.

[ Ah, action figures. She stoops down a little so she can peer at the shelf and get an idea of what their options are. She doesn't really remember being much into toys even when she was small, so she'll probably have to defer to Akira's experience here. ]

Which ones do you think they'd all like best? It'd be good if we could get them something from the same show or the same line, so there's no squabbling over that.

C'mon, I can't put Taroimo out of a job like that. He's so good at it.

[That's his emotional support turtle robot sidekick.]

Besides, the way I see it, I can trust you with just about anything. So partner's the only word that makes sense.

[Though now that he thinks about it, maybe that's a little heavy to drop on her so casually...well, he's already said it, so it can't be helped. Instead, he just follows her lead, kneeling to get a look at the action figures, placed lower on the shelves to attract attention from kids.]

Oh, I recognize these guys from TV. Yuki was going on about how Misawa could beat the entire team blindfolded.

[He points to a set of five figures, sealed up tightly in a plastic case.]

And I dunno about that, because I think Red here uses a sword. Then again, Masaru really held his own against all kinds of monsters even though he was just a musclebrained meathead...

[He's now considering the logistics of fistfighting a guy with a sword.]

[ Finishing up all the shopping takes longer than Ryoko had expected - mostly because she's never had so many people to shop for before. Generally she just picks something for Ei and during middle school, she'd gotten something for Gouto out of obligation more than anything else (a notebook that looked exactly like the one he was already using because she didn't care to overthink it). This had been different and with so many people and their individual preferences to juggle for both her and Akira, it's been a little chaotic. That's not to say it's been a chore, exactly - it's been surprisingly fun, picking things out, mulling over who might like this and who might prefer that. And it's felt good to know that there's something like this she can give them to repay all the kindness they've shown her.

That being said. Boy is she glad they're done. It'd been enough of a task that it'd gotten dark by the time they were done and if Ryoko never has to hear cheery Christmas music on the tinny store speakers again, it'll be too soon. ]

That's everyone, I think... [ She's nosing through the bags as they head out of the store, looking almost comically thoughtful about this whole thing. The kids WILL have a good Christmas, so help her. ] I can't think of anything we've missed, can you?

Nah, I think we're all good. Man, this might be the best Christmas the kids have ever had.

[Lord knows they need it, after this rollercoaster of a year.]

Once we drop these off at home, Taeko can get a headstart on wrapping 'em while we see the lights. You're still up for it, right?

[It did take a while to finish up the shopping, after all, so he figures he'd better make sure she's not feeling dizzy or headachey.

He is trying not to sound too excited about this, but he's not completely able to stop all of it from leaking out into his tone of voice.]

[ He's looking forward to this, isn't he... it's a little cute to hear. She gives him a smile and a nod. ]

I am. It seems like we're at the perfect time to go see them, too.

[ It's just late enough that it's started getting dark but it shouldn't be too much colder out by the time they've dropped off their mountains of shopping and headed off on their way. ]

Is Taroimo invited, too? Or is it just the two of us?

[ come on, ryoko, teasing him like that's just mean. ]

Taroimo?

[Akira looks completely thrown for a second, but seems to quickly realize he's being bullied. Not that it does him much good.]

H...He's busy! He's got, y'know, turtle shit to do.

[Whatever that means. It's not like he'd mind having him along in any other circumstance, but needing to keep an eye on him on a date isn't exactly an appealing thought...

After a quick swing by the orphanage to drop everything off and another quick exit before Taeko can really ask where they're going again (begrudgingly bringing a jacket, just in case), Akira takes Ryoko to the center of the city, the sky getting just dark enough that the stars are peeking out from behind the clouds, accompanied by the twinkling of artificial lights below.]

...It always seems a little brighter than last year, every time.

[Then again, he isn't usually the type to notice. This is the first time he's thought to bring someone out to look at them.]

They built some fancy tower recently, too...that's all lit up, you can see it from here.

[He points toward its familiar silhouette—it's pretty close, and even for a recently finished structure it's dazzling.]

[ It occurs to Ryoko only as they're setting out from the orphanage that she's never actually seen a full-fledged display of lights before, at least not in person. She's seen photos on cards and social media and twinkling decorations in windows around their neighbourhood – but it was never something her family did and she'd never bothered to go by herself because... well, why would she? It's not like she's ever cared that much about the holidays.

So she's completely floored when they make their way there – or rather, she's dazzled. As they'd headed into the city center and the lights had gradually increased in number, she'd repeatedly assumed she'd seen the peak of their brilliance but now under the starry night sky with nothing to drown them out, it's all so bright that it makes her eyes blur a little to look at it straight on – but she can't make herself look away. ]

I really don't know what I was expecting, but... [ Her breath comes out in a silvery cloud. ] It really is beautiful.

[ She even sounds a little awed, completely caught off guard. ]

And– it really is like this every year?

[Truthfully, Akira's so used to it that it barely registers after the first few days or so, but taking another look after seeing Ryoko's reaction and hearing the tone of her voice...

...Damn. She's right. It is beautiful.]

Yeah. It's like this every year.

[It's another thing he's just sort of taken for granted that no longer seems to exist in her time he can add to the increasingly long list. And maybe there's not anything he can do about the arrival of the kaiju, or anything else, but...what he can do is make sure she remembers this sight fondly.]

There's a couple trees too, a little further in. The buildings only get lights, but the trees usually get these shiny glass balls too.

[He thinks he's gauged the mood correctly when he offers her a hand, and he is trying very hard to come off like he's not desperately hoping he's wrong. Trying not to read her mind is, as always, a struggle for someone who does it instinctively, but it's worth it if it means she can trust him.]

[ It feels a little childish to be so easily dazzled, but she really never has seen anything quite like this. Really, there are a lot of things back in Akira's time like this – things that make her realize that for as hard as she'd been fighting to keep the world safe, she'd seen comparatively little of it before it was all destroyed. The more time she spends here with everyone, the wider and more full her own tiny little world gets.

That's why, when Akira extends his hand to her, Ryoko only hesitates for a second before she reaches out in return and takes it. Again comes that uneasy knot in her stomach, a prickling on the back of her neck trying to tell her that she needs to be more cautious – but for the first time in a good while, she's able to not just ignore it but outright dismiss it. Everything's fine. ]

Mm. Lead the way, then.

[ Even though Ryoko's the one dressed for the weather and Akira's... less so, his hand feels warm around her comparatively frigid fingers and she's glad that the cold evening air gives her a pre-made excuse for the colour rising to her face. She's never thought of herself as a girl who blushes easily but... it's not unpleasant. ]

I'm expecting your best running commentary, too.

65th ♫ | by the look of the sky, i wonder if the raindrops will turn into snow

joke's on you i've already overthought it

sasuga

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