2025-06-30: Sisters
- Log: Sisters
- Cast: Ichika Kawase, Ririka Kawase
- Where: One of the Kasugayama Girls' Dorms, Hirasaka Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: June 30, 2025
- IC Date: June 03, 2012
- Summary: Ichika and Ririka arrange to meet at Ichika's dorm. But Ririka, ahving stayed out late last night, is LATE. ...They end up having a talk, and Ririka opens up a little.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Texts. A number of texts. Ichika was waiting for Ririka much of the morning, after all, and finally grew annoyed enough to call their mother directly to ask after her. ...She can't take back the annoyed texts, but she did follow up that it's fine if Ririka was tired, but Ichika couldn't hold forever, so she'd meet her at her dorm instead.
It's not the first time Ririka's been to Ichika's dorm, and the dorm hasn't changed since yesterday. It's still a former hotel, still has someone only sometimes bothering to sit behind the counter when people show up. (Not now, though. Not usually, in fact. Good for sneaking in boys, bad if there's any need for help.)
The lounge has old, worn couches and metal tables, and Ichika is currently sitting at one of those waiting. She's not just waiting, of course; she has her phone on the table, and she's reading a textbook and frowning. She has some paper down on the table, which are the rest of her notes that she doesn't have in hand comparing to the textbook already.
It's clearly annoying her in some way.
The weather is hot, as usual for this time of year. And obviously, there's no air conditioning in this dorm, though one of the barred windows is open. So Ichika, while she apparently studies, is wearing a short tanktop with a skull pattern and green cargo pants, along with her dorm slippers. She has been waiting for a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka had... a bit of a late night last night. To put it very, very mildly. Specifically, she'd been caught in the dread of the Dark Hour, forced to skateboard for her life, rescued, and then saddled with some difficult truths and a faint glimmer of possibility she might forget.
And after all that, she had gotten home, managed to shrug off her helmet and pads, and promptly flopped on the bed, letting exhaustion take her. Which also meant she hadn't set her alarm. And that she'd slept through many, many texts.
It wasn't until her mom had come in to physically wake her up that she'd realized what she'd done.
And, regrettably, that she remembered why she'd done what she'd done.
There had been an immediate and very apologetic text to Ichika, followed by a mad dash through the shower--hair washed but barely any time to brush it--a hastily scarfed down breakfast that still left her hungry, and all but a mad dash for the train station.
She blows in through the door to the dorm, ready to head for the stairs when she spots Ichika at the table. She skids to a stop and changes course. "Ichika-neesan!" She bows deeply at the waist, still panting and slightly out of breath. "I'm so, so, sorry! It was really late when I got back and I forgot to set my alarm and I really really didn't mean to keep you waiting!"
She's dressed in a t-shirt with a band's logo on it, a dark black athletic skirt, a leather bracelet, and dark purple sneakers. Her hair is a bit disheveled, which is really like the rest of her right now, too.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika is aware of the Dark Hour... but so far as she knows, very few other people are at all. Certainly not her sister. So she doesn't have any particular reason that Ririka should have been LATE other than happenstance. But since Ririka is usually reliable, Ichika isn't as annoyed as she could otherwise have been... or at least, she wasn't until the studying. Now she's a little annoyed.
> It's fine
> Sorry to bug you when you were asleep. I'll be at the dorm.
But Ririka arrives all right, and she spots Ichika at the table, where her sister looks up at her. "Nee-chan," she answers. "It's cool," she says. "Didn't realize you'd ahve such a late night, or I wouldn't have made you come out all this way. Next time tell me sooner, OK?"
She closes up her textbook and notes, setting both on the table and rising up to her feet. She looks Ririka over, and frowns. "...You really did hurry. I feel bad. You want some tea, or something else to drink? We've got some stuff in the fridge..."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka straightens up again, and her cheeks are a bit flushed. "I didn't quite mean to stay out so late... I just... got caught up in skateboarding, that's all. I was just, trying to clear my head, you know?" And now she needs to clear it again for... entirely different reasons. But as far as she knows, Ichika isn't aware of that, so she doesn't specify.
"I will, promise. I'll..." She winces a little bit. "... remmeber to set my alarm, too." But now Ichika feels bad, and Ririka shakes her head frantically. "No no no, it was my fault, I messed up."
She pauses a bit at the mention of tea, glancing to the side a bit. "Tea or water, maybe..."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"It happens," Ichika says. "I've done it too." Stayed out later than she intended, that is. Not skateboarding, though. "Guess you must've had a lot on your mind," she says. Ichika wonders about that--but the things she's wondering aren't 'supernatural'. They're entirely mundane things a little sister might worry about.
"Cool," Ichika says of the alarm, and stands up. She's... a little sweaty, even given the couch. Having as long of hair as she does just makes that inevitable in heat like this. But her makeup hasn't smudged.
She's good at this.
"Hey, if you really want to take the blame, I won't stop you." A beat, "Water now, tea when the water's hot," she settles on. She gestures Ririka back towards the dining area, where she sets on a kettle on a little stove on the side.
"...So, what's got you needing clear your head?" she wonders. "I thought the festival was pretty nice."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Had a lot on her mind. "... yeah..." Ririka agrees with a sigh. Now that some of the panic of 'I'm running late on top of already being late' has started to wear off, she actually looks... a bit tired, underneath. Or a lot tired.
The same kind of tired that left her, last Sunday, crashing on the couch flipping through channels for a good chunk of the morning. In her pjs, even. (And with a purple teddy bear hugged to her chest, to boot.)
Whether Ichika had asked their parents about it or they had said anything Ririka hadn't heard, but... she'd been noticeably absent for from texts and phone calls for a couple of weeks prior to that. Their parents had had to go to Ririka's dorm to finally confront her, and had insisted, in no uncertain terms, that she come home for the weekend.
Was this a relapse of that? It might be too early to say.
She follows Ichika to the kitchen area, shrugging off her backpack and letting it thud on the floor, before slipping into a chair. She folds her arms on the table and then rests her chin on top. "Oh, no, the festival was great." She offers a small, tired smile. "Helping each other get ready was really fun, too..."
But she's silent for a moment as she ponders how to start with the everything that's been bothering her. "Um... did Mom and Dad say anything about... the last few weeks?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika remembered that day; she'd not seen too much of it because she went out with Yuusei that morning, so as not to have him hanging around the house while her sister was in her PJs with a teddy bear.
It's too early to say what it all is, though.
She smiles back, as she grabs a bottle of water for Ririka, and steps over to hand it to her. "It was," she agrees. "Maybe we can do it again sometime."
A pause. "...No," Ichika says, and as they talk, the water starts to boil.
"Just that you're having a hard time lately, and I should be nice. ...I don't like making trouble for you anyway, so it's not like it's a big ask."
"You want to talk about it?" She gestures around. "The other girls are gone or in their rooms. Nobody wants to hang out here on a hot day like this."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka would appreciate that, if she'd been with it enough to be more aware of her surroundings.
In the moment, though, she sits up a little so she can take the bottle of water. "Thanks," she says quietly. She uncaps it and takes a long drink from it. She's a bit sweaty herself--she might've literally run here from the train station.
"That'd be nice... and we could still check out that cafe, too... Leblanc, right? The curry was really good."
But she nods quietly as Ichika says that their parents haven't said anything. Ichika doesn't want to cause trouble for her... but Ririka feels like she's starting to make a lot of trouble for everyone else, and the pang of that guilt makes her heart ache.
"I..." she pauses, and looks down at the table. She should say something. She knows that, even if part of her is telling her to stop making trouble for everyone, to just handle it herself.
But taht's not working anymore.
Still, she struggles with what to say, and she glances around a little as Ichika gestures to the rest of the dorm, giving a small nod. Finally, she settles for something simple. In a quiet fragile voice, she admits, "... I still miss onii-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika only has the regular, hanging out in the dorm kind of sweat going for her at the moment. But she also has tea brewing, selecting a bag out of the cabinet. (She knows how to make Nice Tea. This is not where Nice Tea lives.)
"Oh, was it?" she asks. "I thought it might be. But I didn't want to eat more than I already had." A pause. "But we could. We should. Consider it a plan, all right?"
She listens, though. She listens, as Ririka hesitates, and...
The kettle whistles in the silence after Ririka speaks up.
Ichika takes it off its electric burner and pours it over the teabag, quietly doing her work for a few more moments--until she can walk over to Ririka and set it down in front of her.
"I'm sorry," she says softly. Not an apology; a sympathy. "I do, too. ...Sometimes I wonder..."
She shakes her head.
"Me, too," she says instead. "But you two... you were really close. It has to be even harder."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka will drink Normal or Ordinary tea, in the bsnce of Nice tea.
"It was," Ririka confirms. Ichika didn't want to eat, but. "Welll... I was already planning on going skateboarding, so..." You need to keep your energy up for something like that, even if it doesn't become a life-and-death event. "Cool."
She lets Ichika work with the kettle and the tea. It was hard enough getting that much out, and maybe she's saving her energy, just a little bit. She offers Ichika a small smile but no words of thanks when the tea is placed, at least not yet. Nor does she immediately reach out to take it.
She looks up to Ichika as she wonders, the question evident on her face even if she doesn't vocalize it. 'What do you wonder?'
She nods to it being harder. "It is," she admits. It's a strange thing, to feel the burden lighten for being shared, yet grow heavier for the shame of not having to been able to bear it. She reaches out to pick up the tea cup, but only cradles it in her hands, for the moment.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Oh, right." Ririka would need energy for that. Ichika can acknowledge that much, and when Ririka wonders, she says, "...Might be why I get so attached to people," she says quietly. "Because I miss him, too."
It's hard, though. That much is clear. And Ichika stands and watches Ririka for a moment longer. Then another...
Then she lifts the spoon she'd grabbed and puts the teabag in it. You don't want to oversteep. She takes that over, throws it out, and moves to rinse the spoon.
"Well," she says, "...It's normal for it to be hard," she settles on. "It's supposed to be. I feel like... if it were easy, it would be insulting, somehow. Wrong."
Ichika walks back over and pulls the chair next to Ririka to sit in it.
"So it being hard... is proof. Proof of your bond with him."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Maybe it's why Ichika gets so attached... Ririka dimly wonders about how ti feels like she's done the opposite, in some ways. "Maybe..." she acknowledges.
She lets Ichika handle the disposing of the teabag without comment.
"Yeah," Ririka grees, a bit hollowly. "... like they didn't mean anything."
But then Ichika sits down next to her,.
It's proof, Ichika says. Proof of her bond with her older brother. She's been carrying to many conflicting ideas and thoughts lately, to move on, to not move on, two conflicting ideas on how to honor his legacy, when they both stand in conflict and choosing one inevitably means betraying the other...
But to have that bond acknowledged, with proof.
"You... y-you think... you think so...?" Ririka is staring down at the tea in her hands. There's a hiccup in her voice, and her eyes are already welling up with tears.
There is a choked sob, quickly followed by another as tears start to run down her face.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika is definitely handling loss differently from Ririka, in more ways than one. But that just means they aren't the same person, even being sisters. And their relationships to their brother were different, too. It's not that Ichika doesn't miss him too, but...
"Right," Ichika answers. "It would be like that."
Ichika can tell--this is not something Ririka is only bringing up now, has only thought about in the last few moments.
"I do," Ichika answers her sister quietly. "...I'm not going to lie to you about things like this. It's too important."
She reaches out--and scoots closer to wrap an arm around Ririka. "It's OK," she says. "You can let it out." Her voice is low, soothing.
She's the big sister, now. This is her job.
"Everybody could see it," she says softly.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
This is definitely not something she's only been thinking about recently. Far, far from it, in fact.
She nods a little through her tears as Ichika confirms what she said. It's too important, she says, and Ririka trusts her on that. It feels important toher, possibly one of the most important things.
Ririka puts the tea down on the table and just leans into Ichika as she feels the arm wrapped around her. She doesn't care, in the moment, that she's sweaty or that Ichika is. Just that she's there.
She cries for a good long while like that, the only way she can vocalize a lot of messy thoughts she doesn't have the words for.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika wraps her other arm around Ririka for a while, and lets her cry. She doesn't say anything for a while after that; she doesn't really have any words that can make it any better than that. ...Luckily, nobody else comes into the dining area, such as it is, once home to a little buffet for hotel guests and now home to.... this.
But Ichika waits.
She'll just be here as long as Ririka needs for a while. The chairs are a little uncomfortable... But that's not very important.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka wraps her arms around Ichika, clinging to her tightly as she cries. She's fortunate nobody else comes down. She's probably not in much of a condition to stop herself, like this.
She also doesn't really notice about the chairs.
But after a good long while, the sobbing begins to slow down. She doesn't let go of Ichika, but she does sniff a little. "Sorry," she mumbles. "I'm a mess.. I... I shouldn't be putting this on you, or Mom and Dad, you're all dealig with so much, a-a-and I should just... I should just..."
She desn't finish that thought, but neither does she let go of her sister.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
If anybody had, Ichika would've taken care of it. Nobody really wants to get involved with a crying girl entanglement when they don't have to, anyway--not here.
When Ririka slows down, Ichika just makes a soothing little sound. "Shh," she says. "It's OK."
Dealing with so much...
"I'm your big sister," she says. "This is my job."
"...I want to help," she says more quietly. "You shouldn't 'just' anything. ...He..." She shakes her head.
"I want to help," she reiterates instead. "I know I have other things going. But you're important. And Mom and Dad want to know when something's wrong, too."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka would trust her big sister to chase anyone off, if need be. Luckily, it doesn't come to that.
She does relax a little as Ichika soothes her. It feels nice, even if she's also embarrassed at just how much she's showing. She sniffs a little as she finally sits up, letting go of Ichika.
A big sister's job. Ririka's not sure how to feel about that. She's never disliked any care Ichika's shown for her, but... that's also not really how Ririka's related to her until now.
Ichika wants to help. Ririka looks up to her, her expression still distressed. "I should be able to handle this," she admits quietly. "I hate that I can't." There's a tension in her body as she admits that out loud for what is probably one of the first times.
It might go a long way to explainng a few things, though.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's not how Ichika's related to her before at all. It's new to her, too. But it's what she's supposed to do, now. It's her responsibility, with him gone.
"Why?" Ichika asks, a little less gently. "...What makes you so special that you can just 'get over' losing him?"
"...Sorry, that came out wrong. But there's no 'should'. It's not real."
"...There's just how you feel."
"...I haven't been the 'big sister' much," she admits. "I always... was jealous of you two. But he wanted me to get along better with you."
"...I want to be there for you, OK?"
"I want to be able to do more than make trouble for you."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
They're both going to have to adjust to the way things are now.
Ririka's eyes widen as she looks to Ichika. "What?" There's a short laugh, but it's not a happy one, more of a desperate emotion trying to find an outlet that isn't sobbing again. "I can't just 'get over' him. Thyat's the whole point. He was the one I went to for everything. And now he's gopne, so I just have to..." She wipes at her cheeks. "We were the--"
It's here she finally cuts herself off. It's pretty clear who 'we' is in this context, though.
"... Sorry," she mumbles. She's silent on the matter of how she feels for a moment. "... I don't know how I feel sometimes," she admits.
She looks to Ichika as she admits she was jealous. "... I'm sorry." But then she blinks, startled at the next revelation.
Toshiaki wanted Ichika to get along better with her. "... r-... really?" she asks, her voice almost a whisper.
She nods at the idea of Ichika wanting to be there for her, and looks down at her lap.
... But the next comment makes her look up, and she lokes her older sister in the side. "You're not trouble," she insists. "How many times doI have to say it?" On this note, at least, her voice is firm.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"That's my point," Ichika says. "You can't. ...You aren't 'special' like that. You have to grieve and hurt and cry like everybody else."
'We'. Ichika remembers; it was a 'them', not a 'we', ,for her.
"It's OK," Ichika says. "It's how it was, right?"
Ichika shakes her head. "You don't have to be. And... yeah. He was reaching out to me... and he wanted me to reach out to you. So we could all handle things, together. He wanted to be a family, before he left for university."
Which he'll never do, now. Ichika feels that old pang, too. She's older now than he was when...
"...I'm not gonna argue 'cause you're already crying," she says then. "If you don't think I'm trouble for you, then I guess I'm already halfway there to be good for you, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ichika insists that she's not 'special', and Ririka gies her a long, silent look. There's something she wants to say, but, but... she's holding back on it. Finally she just looks down at the tea. "... I know," she admits hoarsely. She does finally pick up the tea and take a sip, though. Her fingertips tap a light rhythm on the cup.
How it was. "Maybe it shouldn't have been."
She considers those words for a long time. No, Toshiaki won't get to go to university now. But... she pulls her legs up underneath her, sittig crosslegged in the chair as she conteplates her cup of tea.
"I talked to nii-chan right before... well." Right before that trip. "A-and..." Her voice is quiet, with a small note of reverence. She held Toshiaki in such high regard, and though she's never expressed it outright, it's hard not to keep some of that out of her voice. "... he told me the same thing." She turns her head a little to look at Ichika. "... about you. I-it was..."
She can't bring herself to say it, but maybe she doesn't have to.
"I dunno... you were kind of embarassing me the other day at the mall..." There's a playful edge to her voice. Only a little bit, but it's still there.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Of course, Ichika is going somewhere with that. That she's a person likee anyone else. That she's not so strange. ...But then, she couldn't know about the things that Ririka has experienced lately, right? Just last night.
The tea is nice. She didn't let the water get so hot that it scorched the leaves. But it's still just regular tea.
"Mm," Ichika says to shouldn't. But...
Ichika pulls back to look at Ririka, to listen toher properly. And, "...Yeah?"
The same thing...
"...Not surprised. He was really serious about it," Ichika says. "It was important to him."
"And it's important to me, too."
But the other day? Ichika laughs. "That was cute," she says. "It's my prerogative to push your buttons a little. And I think you could do worse than that guy for a friend."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka wasn't even thinking of that kind of 'special'. She was thinking of all the praise that she and Toshiaki had gotten growing up. But that might be an awkward thing to explain, and... her thoughts are already a jumble. Another time, then.
She appreciates the tea, ordinary or not. The takes another long, slow sip of it to savor it as much as possible.
"I could tell," Ririka admits, of it being important to Toshiaki. "And.... it's important to me, too," she admits, after a moment's internal deliberation. "And not just because it was important to him, too."
She doesn't have Toshiaki anymore. But they still have each other.
"C'mooooon," protests Ririka. "You didn't have to call me out on the finger tapping. You know I can't help it." She's even doing it right now. "It's not like I don't have friends, you know." And she does, not even counting her band, too. But she thinks about Minako, that afternoon at the mall... but especially what she saw of him last night.
and she thinks about the fact that she still remembers last night, too. Which probably means they'll be seeing a lot more of each other. "... but yeah, maybe."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Maybe 'special' is just a little fraught for Ichika.
"Cool," Ichika says. "...I think... it would be OK, if we worked on it for him. But he'd be happier if we worked on it for us."
But Ririka protests and Ichika laughs. "I know. But he obviously didn't mind. And... Well, you do. I know. But more friends are good, right? You never know when..."
When they'll leave.
She shakes her head. "Anyway yeah, it's just like that. And you've got the music in common. But don't worry. I'm not gonna try to set you up with him or something. I just think it's... nice, to get along with your classmates."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Maybe that's something they'll have to unpack another time.
But she nods, on the idea of working on it. "I think I want to work on it for us, too."
Ririka huffs a little. "Even if he didn't mind that still doesn't make it less embarrassing." But that's a sobering thought Ichika doesn't quite finish vocalizing, and Ririka just nods a little, silently.
"There is that," she agrees of the music. Then she rolls her eyes, and there's a faint blush on her cheeks. "Please don't. Besides, I'm pretty sure he was kinda into you anyway." It's been... quite a while since she had a date, anyway. "Getting along with your clssmates is nice," she allows.
she takes a deep breath and lets it out in a sigh before taking another sip of her tea.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Mm. ...Glad to hear it."
Embarrassing! That's just healthy. Ichika grins--but she's not grinning at that other thought. And the music...
No, not the music. The blush. Ichika laughs softly. "I won't, I won't. I know it's not really your thing like it is mine." A beat, "Yeah, he seemed to be. Maybe I'll add him to my list," she says with a small, teasing smile. ...She's making fun of herself a little, too. "Unless that'd be too weird. I can back off. ...But he's an interesting guy."
"...Anyway, him aside. The festival was nice. We should do it again sometime."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
She does manage a small, genuine smile for Ichika, on the thought of building up their relationship for them. There's still a complicated mess of feelings buzzing around inside her, but... it feels just a little less scary, having Ichika to lean on.
'Not her thing.' Ririka is momentarily distracted by a thought but then nods. "... yeah." Okay, there's still some things she's not ready to talk about yet. She shakes her head. "Nah, if you want to go for it, go for it. But I'm not passing any notes or anything like that."
"He is interesting, though," she agrees. Just not for the reason Ichika is thinking of.
"It was," says Ririka, and she manages another smile. "And I'd like that. How'd your date go last night?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's a good smile. Ichika's glad to see it.
The distraction, well, maybe there's more to it, maybe not, but Ichika isn't inclined to press, either. besides, there's the matter of Arisato-san (M). "OK, cool. Then I'll at least take him up on that 'maybe later'." A laugh, then. "That's fine. That would be weird."
Maybe he'll be a good friend to Ririka. That would be nice.
But, "Good! And... Really good," she says. "We got to watch the fireworks together, after you and me split ways. ...He had a lot of things to say, too."
Pause. "...Though it still feels weird meeting his mom," she admits.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
IT feels nice to smile, after all of that heavy talk.
Ririka might share those thoughts... later. She nods. "Cool. Good luck, then." She laughs. "Yeah, it would be. But if he breaks your heart I'll give him hell for you." That may or may not be a joke.
Ririka actually sighs a little. "Watching fireworks at a festival sounds kind of romantic." So much for dates not being her thing? "Yeah?" she says of him having a lot to say.
And then she busts out laughing. "Wait, gang bosses have moms?" she teases. "How did that happen?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Later!! Ichika has said she wants to help and listen; maybe that'll even be true
"Thanks!" Ichika answers, and by now she's slid her chair back to a more normal distance. The assurance, though, "Heh. Thanks." It's complicated; Ichika has... a lot of feelings about her own heart, and the breaking thereof. But for this purpose, "I'll give him a fair shake first though."
That sigh makes Ichika think it's not just notbeing interested--but well, she knows what it is to be pressured about this kind of thing. She's not going to do that to her sister.
"It was," she says. Then she considers a moment, and says, "He holds it back... But I know he wants to get more serious. I'm... still thinking about it. I'm not really ready for.. Well, you know."
She laughs too, because it is funny. "Well, it happened the usual way," she says of him having a moment. "...But nah, we went over to his house, and--she's this really sweet lady. But she's still his mom, and I'm... you know."
"More comfortable than sneaking him in here though," she admits. "Anyway you don't want the details, just--I didn't expect... so much hospitality."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
It might take some time, but... Ririka might be willing to let Ichika help more, in the future.
Ririka is doing better, though once Ichika moves her chair back she sets her tea down, soshe can get up and wash her face i the sink. Just a quick splash of water, to get the tears off. And then she sits down again.
She knows her sister can handle herself, and she doesn't want to make light, but... it's a way of showing support. "Welcome."
She might've let on too much with that sigh, but... she hasn't quite put all her defenses back up again.
"More serious, huh?" She doesnt press for details. She knows what Ichika gets up to, in broad strokes. And she can take a guess at what 'serious' means in that backdrop. "It's okay to take it at your own pace."
'And I'm... you know.' "A pretty decent big sister who needs to tease her younger sister a little less?" she suggests, with a grin.
"Must've been some hospitality." She's thankful for the skipped details, though.
"Hey, Ichika-chan... um... thanks, for... listening." She looks down at her teacup, swirling the tea around gently. "It really helped."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika waits through Ririka going for that, though if Ririka needs, she points out the paper towels. Those are still there, for the moment; sometimes the stuff Ichika brings in gets stolen, but... Not usually. There's not much point.
Ichika appreciates the support, though.
But more serious. "Yeah," Ichika answers her sister. "Just... our relationship, you know?" She pauses. "Thanks."
"Hey, you called me decent!" she says. "I'll take it. I'll think abotu the other thing, though."
Then Ichika gives Ririka a level, flat-faced look. "She offered me snacks," Ichika explains of Mahiro's mother.
When she's thanked though, Ichika smiles. "I'm glad," she says. "...I want to be there for you. Just remember that, OK?"
A beat, "If you want to listen to some of that music we got the other day, it's set up in my room upstairs. Or we can go out. Whatever. I just need to go put my textbooks away if we do."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka does avail herself of the paper towels. Sure, it's warm, but... having her face dry will put her in a better frame of mind.
"Yeah, I got you," she says of relationship stuff. "Must be pretty decent if he's trying to hold back, though."
]
She does grin a little and gives Ichika a playful shove on the arm. "Keep it up, and you might even work your way up to 'okay.'" She nods. "Thanks."
... were they nice snacks?"
Ririka nods again. "I'll try. Promise." It's not as easy for her to open up to others as it was to open up to Toshiaki, but... well, maybe this is a start. "And.... I'll try to be there for you too, okay?"
"Oooh..." she considers the matter of music, or going out. "Actually..." she admits with a blush. "Can... we grab something to eat? I, uh... was kind of in a rush, and..."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"He is." Ichika is sure of that one. She explains, "He wanted me to be his girl in the first place," she admits. "But he knows I... need my independence. So he doesn't push. I know he wants to, though. Sooner or later... I'll have to make a decision about it."
A laugh back. "I'll work on it, then."
"Cool," Ichika says. "I'll remember that. ...It's already good to be hanging out a little more."
Going out...
"Ha. Sure. There's this place down the way that's really good--they say the woman who runs it's an ex-spy..."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ichika explains, and Ririka listens. "'His' girl, huh...? I'm guessing that doesn't mix with you also being your own gang boss...? But I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"Yeah, it is," Ririka says, of hanging out. "Sorry I kind of stopped texting you for a bit. Just... yeah." She won't go into it more right now, but maybe Ichiak can get the gist.
"An ex-spy, huh? What kind of place is it?" She finishes her tea and gets up to wash her cup as she listens, then pulls out her phone to send a quick text.
After she's done, she puts her phone away again and picks up her backpack. "Let's check it out."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"It wouldn't have back then, but it might now," Ichika says. "...I'm not willing to abandon my crew--they need someone looking out for them. But I'll figure it out. It's... complicated," she agrees.
"And that's OK," she says of texting. "Maybe next time you'll be able to better."
"It's great--some weird food on the menu, but they've got normal stuff, too. It's an izakaya," she explains, and walks over to the couch to get her own backpack and stuff her textbook in it. "I'll treat you this time."
It'll be fun!