sweetdevil | 6th ♫ | they're sparkling so far away in the distance

[After the Future Foundation contacted the Hope's Army members' loved ones with messages about their friends and families survival, and maybe some personal messages too, quite a few have been showing up in Kalos. Lots of reunions are happening, and the crowd's building up. For Sonico's part, she might hear a familiar voice in the distance first.]

Hey, get out of the way already!

[That sure is a lot of pink and white somewhere in the crowd. Pushing her way through, there's a dark-haired girl in familiar nurse cosplay, her determined look shifting to bright-eyed enthusiasm when her eyes meet Sonico's.]

Nico-chaaan!!!

[SUDDEN TACKLE HUG. Suzu squeezes Sonico a bit tightly, equal parts affectionate, possessive and protective.]

There you are! You're really okay! Sheesh, what were you thinking, getting mixed up in all this nonsense? You could've been hurt!

[Slow down, Suzu. Give her a chance to reply! And breathe.]

[ Sonico jumps. She's been mingling a little more sedately the longer the party has gone on and while she doesn't really blame anyone from her own home for not being able to make it (she doesn't even want to think about her grandma jumping through that machine) it's hard not to feel a little downcast. She loves everyone here so much but it's not the same, not being able to say a proper goodbye to the people back home.

So when she hears Suzu, Sonico whips around, her eyes wide. She probably looks fairly different than she did since the last time Suzu saw her. Those headphones are gone and she's even dressed fairly differently than what you'd expect of her. But there's something else, too. She looks... tired. Not in a physical way exactly but there's a little weariness in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

She's all asplutter when Suzu collides with her and it takes quite a few moments before Sonico can even process her presence enough to response. ]

Ah-- awawa, Suzu-chan! You-- wh--when did you get here?!

[Suzu chuckles a quiet chuckle as she relaxes her grip on her friend. She'll worry about how weirdly drained Sonico looks later, when she's had more time to observe her. For now, she plays the self-assured leader.]

Can you believe I only got the message when I got on my shift? I had to run straight from work, and I almost missed it!

[Now she lets a little concern creep in, eyeing Sonico curiously. She's just as cutely flustered as ever. It's just that weariness that makes Suzu pause. She doesn't want to badger Sonico so soon after arriving, but she really wants to know what exactly happened here...]

[ Suzu's words wash over her like white noise. It's not that she isn't listening -- it's that she's paying so much attention that the words themselves are meaningless. She's hyperfocused on the sound and the cadence of Suzu's voice like she's trying to work out if she's being fooled or not. It's been so long and so much has happened that it's a little hard to reconcile. But she can't exactly deny the truth right in front of her eyes.

Suzu's here.

Her very best friend, Suzu Fujimi, without peer and without comparison and without a care in the world for the scene they might be causing at the party. It's been so long since she's seen and spoken to her that for a moment Sonico doesn't really know what to say. Her chest feels tight. So does her throat. And she's blinking rapidly like she's trying not to give her eyes enough time to form tears. ]

I-- that's-- [ she swallows hard and her voice hitches just a bit on the way out. ] You're really here... you really managed to make it here...

[ She sounds... awed, almost. Suzu's really here. She can hardly bring herself to believe it. ]

H-Hey... Nico-chan...

[Suzu's eyes soften, seeing Sonico acting like this. She really must have been through a lot. It's almost enough for Suzu's eyes to start misting up, if she weren't putting so much effort into being the strong and stable friend Sonico can rely on.]

Of course I made it. Nothing can stop Suzu Fujimi!

[She gives Sonico another little squeeze, her arm wrapped around the other girl's shoulders. She won't push her for too much information at once, if she's honestly so shaken she wouldn't expect Suzu to move heaven and earth to be here with her.]

So, this party's for you guys? You must have done a pretty good job here.

Oh, um-- well, I guess we--

[ she's hastily wiping her eyes even as she says all this. She's not... actively crying but tears are definitely happening and after a moment she gives a shaky, soggy laugh. ]

S--sorry! I didn't-- I didn't think I'd start-- um, give me a second...

[ She has to press her hands to her eyes for a moment and take a few deep, steadying breaths before lowering her hands and finally giving Suzu a smile. The least she can do when she's come all this way is make sure Suzu doesn't see her upset. ]

I--I guess... it's something like that? But um... s--something like a goodbye party too. ... how much did they tell you?

Nico-chan... [Her voice is softer again. Still teasing, but very gently.] You're gonna make me start next.

[She doesn't want Sonico to feel bad about almost-crying. It's always better to see her happy and smiling, of course, but Sonico needs to be Sonico. She's always so genuine and open with her feelings.

It has quite an effect. Suzu goes from feeling like she might start to tear up as well, to returning Sonico's smile with her own. That's the face she wanted to see!

Unfortunately, well. The 'how much did they tell her' topic is still a touchy subject she didn't want to push for too quickly.]

The letter... said something happened, but you guys all survived. And of course, they invited me to come see you!

[There's such an urge to be Suzu-level intense and in-your-face, but she's trying so hard not to for Sonico's sake! The poor girl seems fragile enough today! Instead of OH MY GOD WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED WHY WERE YOU ALMOST DEAD, et cetera, she tones it down to:]

So what happened?! You weren't supposed to be involved in anything too dangerous!

[ Her smile... does... something. It's a little hard to tell just what. It fixes in place a little unnaturally like she's catching hold of her real reaction and pulling it back before it can show on her face. She can... understand why the Future Foundation didn't explain everything, after all, what if Sonico hadn't wanted her to know? But... now this means she has to try and explain some of it right to Suzu's face. She's not really sure if she has the stomach for it. But she can't very well lie. ]

Well, um... I--I guess... some things went wrong... and, um, they weren't really able to some and retrieve us for... a--about three months? And they couldn't contact us at all. B--but we weren't just stuck in the middle of nowhere! We had... f--food and everything else we needed...

[ She's not technically lying. She's just. Not exactly telling the truth, either. ]

Three months?!

[Most of her attempt at chill is gone now. Sonico came here and the people responsible for it lost her for three whole months. That is unacceptable!]

Is that what they meant when they said you survived?! They lost you for three whole months?!

[SHE'S GONNA FIGHT SOMEONE IF YOU DON'T CALM HER DOWN, SONICO. OR DISTRACT HER, OR SOMETHING.]

[ Sonico jumps and that weird, unnatural smile finally slips. She flaps her hands in the panicky way she always does when she's trying to calm Suzu down and get her off the warpath. Something about it seems a little more... extreme though. Especially considering that Suzu is totally right to be so angry on her behalf. Isn't she? ]

N--no, I-- they-- i--it's not like they lost us! N--not like that, not exactly, but um-- they-- we were...

[ She runs out of words and purses her lips hard like she wants to keep any more of them from falling out. Then she swallows hard. ]

S--Suzu-chan... I'm sorry, but... n--not now. Please? I promise I'll tell you everything later, but... I--I don't know if I can right now. Not here.

[Hmmm. She doesn't like this. Sonico's far too kind, which is what makes her so amazing! But when things like this happen...

At least she's safe now. And the last thing Suzu wants is to push too hard about whatever it was she went through. If it's too much for her to think about right now, then Suzu will make sure she doesn't have to until the time is right.]

Alright...

[She sighs, forcing herself to relax in the meantime. And she even manages a convincing smile again!]

A party isn't the right place to talk about that, anyway. So let's forget about it for now!

[ The relief on Sonico's face is almost a little too much and the smile comes back to her face just a little too fast. It isn't fair to keep Suzu in the dark like this, she knows, but... now isn't the time. Not when she has so much good to tell her. She can't blacken the atmosphere of their meeting again with the details of the past three months. This is a time for victories, not dwelling on failures. ]

I'm sure-- um, I know we'll get a chance to have a real talk before you leave. I'll make sure of it. I promise I'll tell you everything then.

[ she swallows hard. her throat feels a little tight just thinking of having to talk about it but... at least it's not something she has to do right now. ]

But, um...! Before any of that... I want to know how you've been! And how things have been back at home. I feel like I must've missed so much...!

Right! There's lots to catch up on!

[It worries her, all of this about Sonico being in danger and the people that were supposed to be looking out for her managing to lose her. But Sonico doesn't have to talk about it right now. Suzu will be a beacon of positive energy for her, in the meantime!

Though, she deflates a little after her initial exclamation, with a slightly sheepish smile.]

Actually, not much has changed. Since we haven't been performing lately, I've just been working and taking on some projects around town. Fuuri-chan almost got us in trouble a couple of times. You know how she is around food...

Oh, and we kept practicing, too! Gotta keep our skills sharp!

[ Though Sonico knows Suzu doesn't mean anything by it, she still feels a pang of -- guilt? shame? -- something painful in her chest at hearing the status of their band. Of course they won't have been performing -- there's only so much you can do without your guitarist and main vocalist but it still stings. She thinks so often of First Astronomical Velocity as a permanently welded together unit that the idea of Suzu and Fuuri being without her is... strange, surreal. Almost the same kind of surreal as trying to imagine herself just... going back to it all now.

She hopes Suzu can't see that in her eyes. Suzu's always been so good at reading her and Sonico's a little scared that she can see everything. But she also knows she's not quite the same girl Suzu used to prod and poke and tease -- she's still smiling and the brightness in her eyes at seeing her best friend again is genuine enough. But there's something flat and reflective behind it, rebuffing Suzu and making sure she doesn't see exactly what's going on until Sonico feels like she can actually tell her. ]

You've been so busy...! Eheh, I guess we all had our minds on practice. I've not had a chance to play much but I've been doing some here and there -- I keep telling myself I'd put some more time to one side for it but everything's been so busy...

[ she trails off, realizing she's getting dangerously close to the topic of herself and her plans again and quickly derails that train of thought. ]

Oh, speaking of busy...! Have you seen Manager-san or Ouka-chan around? Do you know how they're doing?

[Sonico's absence has definitely been felt. Suzu didn't want to just stop while she was gone, but there's only so much they can do with just her and Fuuri. The assumption was always that Sonico would be coming back soon...

She certainly notices something is slightly off about Sonico's reactions, but she can't tell what. So all she can do for now is continue the conversation. She's about to reassure Sonico that it's alright if she's been a little busy, but the other girl quickly snaps to another topic before she can.]

Oh! I've seen them around, doing promotional stuff here and there. You know how it is. Usually, they just ask about you, and I didn't know how you were doing at all!

[She doesn't say this to make Sonico feel guilty. It's just a fact.]

It does seem like Ouka-chan's been working hard while you've been gone. But you know, our Nico-chan has lots of charm points that someone like Ouka-chan can't compare to at all~!

[Suzu......]

Suzu-chan, that's mean.

[ But despite her words, it doesn't sound like she's being at all scolding and there's still a smile on her face. ]

I'm sure Ouka-chan's working and working as hard as she can, you know.

[ ................ she says that, but she's not denying that she has certain charms that Ouka unfortunately lacks. A--are you sure Suzu's the only one being mean here, Sonico?! ]

It's a shame she couldn't come and meet everyone though... I'll be seeing her and Manager-san soon but... it would've been nice for them to be here. I don't know if we're all going to be together again anytime soon and there's so, so many important people I need you to meet, Suzu-chan.

[ Not want. Need. She needs Suzu to meet and speak to these people, to get to know and hopefully like them before Sonico has to taint their image by telling Suzu exactly what it was that brought them together. She has no intentions of divulging everything -- they aren't her truths to tell -- but she certainly isn't going to lie. She thinks Suzu deserves that much. ]

[ every morning when Ahiru wakes up, there's a disorienting moment in which she thinks she's still in her room at the Academy in Gold Crown Town. she comes to only half-aware, and she rolls herself out of bed, and she usually walks straight into a wall because she's forgotten that this isn't her room with its double windows she has to open for the birds to come inside in the morning.

at least Sonico is kind about it. Ahiru still doesn't understand how or why she ended up here when the story ended, but she's really glad that she met Sonico. it's nice, staying with her, and Ahiru is lucky that such a nice person happened to run into her.

the biggest obstacle in her life lately is that she doesn't understand a lot of things here — she'd only just gotten used to being a person in Gold Crown Town, and now suddenly, being a human involves entirely different things. that's... that's a work in progress. she doesn't turn into a duck anymore, at least. she's quacked when she gets startled by the microwave or the toaster enough times to know for sure that she won't change. ]

Good morning, Sonico-chan... [ it's not the most enthusiastic greeting, because Ahiru is not a morning person. she's kind of stumbling around the house with her eyes shut. ] Do you have work today?

[ It really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Sonico’s made the jump from taking in stray cats to taking in stray girls. Not that she’s thinking of it like that, of course. As far as she#s concerned, any reasonable person would offer a girl Ahiru’s age somewhere to stay while she got back on her feet. She’s a little afraid to start asking questions about the girl’s home life, her parents, her family – she doesn’t want to make Ahiru feel unwelcome and she’s a little scared that if she does then the girl might just find somewhere else to stay. At least if she’s here then Sonico knows that she’s safe.

Sonico’s already up and she’s at the table with breakfast set up – a place for her and a place for Ahiru, opposite each other. The novelty of having someone else at breakfast with her still hasn’t quite worn off so when Ahiru greets her, Sonico gives a warm smile in return. ]

Good morning, Ahiru-chan! Did you sleep well?

[ She’s used to all the noise and bustle of a Tokyo apartment by now but some worries sometimes it might be a bit hard for someone new to the city to settle in as well. ]

Today’s my day off – I was just going to see what I could to do catch up on some work for college. Have you got any plans?

[ as a cat owner, Sonico is probably used to the silly things staring intently at nothing, or deciding it's suddenly time to play at odd hours, or starting to raise a ruckus for seemingly no reason. that's just about normal for cats, after all!

...what's maybe not so normal is how regular it's become the past few days; always around late afternoon, always starting when Sonico is in another room.

and what's definitely not normal: for it to be accompanied by a low voice this time, the tone clearly babytalking even if the words can't quite be made out. ]

[ ... that's definitely strange. She hears voices sometimes, of course -- it's an apartment and the walls are only so thick. But there's only one other apartment attached to hers, since she's on the very end and she knows the lady who lives there -- a very nice young woman who doesn't sound at all like that. It's a little too clear to be a visitor next door too. It's quiet but it doesn't sound like it's been muffled by the wall either.

Maybe one of the cats has turned the radio... or the TV on...?

She creeps over to the door and holding her breath and feeling silly all at once, she peeks her head around to see just what's going on. ]

[ things Sonico probably wasn't expecting: for an absolute stranger to be sitting on the floor in the middle of her room like she belongs there, legs tucked neatly underneath her as she shamelessly coos at Sonico's cats in a low, raspy voice. ...there's no sign of how she got in there. ]

[It's been about a year since Sonico left Waverly Bay, and the temple had somehow granted the most important wish she and her recently-adopted roommate held in their hearts. Rise Kujikawa, the small girl Sonico had taken in when she was still new and frightened, had just confessed to Sonico that she didn't just see her as a big sister figure. She was so much more than that, someone she loved and knew she could rely on for support no matter what. They had to stop kidding themselves eventually - Sonico was too much like a mother to her, and she treated Rise too much like her own daughter. When they finally admitted it to themselves and each other, their relationship really clicked into place. And from then, there was no way Rise was ever going to leave her side.

So when Sonico was sent back home to Kalos, the Temple gave the two what they most wanted... a chance to live together as a family, without worrying about ever being separated by an entire world again.]

Mama! I'm home!

[The small girl's cheerful voice calls in, as she enters with a shopping bag in her arms and her guardian Meowstic in tow. She'd shifted from calling Sonico "-neechan" to "Sonico-mama" at first, but at some point the name had just... dropped. It felt more simple and natural this way.

Rise has really blossomed in her time in Kalos, too. All the shyness and awkwardness she'd been unable to completely shake in Waverly Bay have pretty much entirely disappeared. She can see a future where she's happy and fulfilled again, and doesn't mind that she still has some years of growing up in this new world ahead of her.

She makes her way to the kitchen first, to drop off some of the groceries she'd picked up for Sonico on the way home. But if she doesn't see her mother along the way, she'll poke through the apartment curiously looking for her. She might be embarrassed to admit it, since it could seem kind of babyish even at her age, but she loves how Sonico greets her with the snuggliest, warmest, most mommy hugs when she comes home...]

6th ♫ | they're sparkling so far away in the distance

DRRP reunion thing for you~! ♥

TEMMIES FURIOUSLY

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the problem with letting your single PSL tag for a character get buried in your inbox... /sweats...

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how long has it been my turn here...?

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Kalos family AU, go~

6th ♫ | they're sparkling so far away in the distance

DRRP reunion thing for you~! ♥

TEMMIES FURIOUSLY

no subject

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the problem with letting your single PSL tag for a character get buried in your inbox... /sweats...

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*how long has it been my turn here*...?

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Kalos family AU, go~

how long has it been my turn here...?