2025-08-15: Restoration
- Log: Restoration
- Cast: Ichika Kawase, Ririka Kawase
- Where: Etheria, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: August 15, 2025
- IC Date: June 26, 2012
- Summary: Ichika decides to invite Ririka to an evening at the spa, to try out the rumor--and because she, for one, could really use one. They end up talking about some important respective issues... and the future.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika has had a lot of stress in her life lately, and from what she can tell, so has Ririka. So, she invited her sister out... to the spa! She'd been meaning to try out Etheria since she saw the rumors on the Dark Side boards that it really does heal injuries, and so...
Here they are. Ichika's made an evening of it, giving Ririka time to get here from Iwatodai. Earlier was a back massage for each of them, and now there's this strange crystal-surrounded bath. And it is a little strange.
The bath has flower petals in it, which is less unusual, but there are also strange, salty crystals in places at 'meridian points' all around the bath. Ichika and Ririka share one large bath, but they have it to themselves. And Ichika is mostly submerged, her very long hair done up above her head for the most part.
She sighs.
"I have no idea how this is supposed to work," the older sister says, "But whatever it is, I think it's working."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka has definitely been feeling stressed... The last week or two in particular, but really most of the month and last month has come with a lot of new challenges that she frankly isn't used to handling.
See: anything Supernatural-related.
Also see: Yukari Takeba.
But when Ichika invited her to a spa, Ririka eagerly accepted. Just because she likes skateboarding doesn't mean she has to dislike spas, after all. The massage was good, and the bath...
Ririka doesn't know what 'meridian points' are either. But she's got her hair up as well, and is mostly submerged up to her neck. She's not tapping her fingers, but she is bobbing her head a little to some ambient beat, either in the spa or in her head.
"Yeah..." Her body feels relaxed, at least. But her mind is still kind of churning with thoughts. She's been a bit distracted all afternoon, even though she's been trying to be present with Ichika.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
As it happens, there is some soft, ambient music. Very relaxing stuff; it would not be a surprise to fall asleep in this bath, but conversation is accepted too. ...Which is good, because Ichika is inclined to talk. She apparently had a lot of tension...
Ichika hasn't done something like this for a while; it's not exactly gang boss territory. But she likes this sort of thing, with the flowers and the nice music and the pretty scents. Buuut...
Ichika may not have always been close to Ririka, but she's good at reading people; she can tell her sister is stressed, distracted.
"So," she says, "Now that we're alone..."
"Tell me what's on your mind," Ichika offers to Ririka. "I can tell you mine later. ...But you've been distracted. I know something's up."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Soft relaxing music is still music. And it's still helping sooth Ririka's thoughts a little bit, just... not by much.
It's been a while since Ririka's done this, too... after all, it's not like something she could ever really do with her brother. And even though she's hasn't really been close to Ichika in the past, she's glad to ahve the time to do this now.
It takes her a moment to respnd to Ichika's question. "Hmm?" she says finally, glancing over to her sister. "Oh, no, I'm not..." She glances away, looking off to the side. "... I just have something on my mind."
Ririka, that's the definition of being distracted. Come on. She's asking you, you have to say something.
Finally, she sighs. "I don't know. I messed something up but I... I dunno what to do about it."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika continues to relax, her shoulders against the rim of the bath. She does get to the nice baths near the dorms every now and then, but crystals and flower petals are a whole other matter. And it is nice to spend time with Ririka, even when she's distracted. But Ichika is in better spirits; despite the awful things that have happened recently, a couple of good things have happened too, and... it's hard to be in a bad mood when:
Ichika and Ririka's HP, SP, and TP fully restored!
"Yeah?" Ichika prompts. She doesn't tease Ririka about that being the definition of distracting. Not this time, anyway.
"...Well," Ichika says, "Can you tell me about it? Sometimes talking it out helps me figure things like that."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka's had some nice things happen too... but also a whole lot of stressful ones. But the spa is at least slowly soothing her nerves... and the SP recovery is appreciated, for sure.
But... Ichika does offer to listen. And Ririka needs a moment to think about it. She feels guilty dumping her problems on her sister, but... "Well, if you're sure you wanna listen..."
She's not getting anywhere turning this over in her head. She c.closes her eyes and hums along to the spa music for a few moments. There's kind of a lot to cover, and she needs to distill it a bit...
But finally she opens her eyes. "So, at Kasu last week, I fought this woman who was a Persona User, right? Well, she showed up to that launch event and..." Ririka's cheeks flush. "... I tried to warn my friends about her, but I just... there was something else going on too, and all these people around, and... Well..."
Her cheeks redden even more. She can't really bring herself to say it.
"I saw one of my friends later, and she got upset at me, and..." Ririka mubmles. "... pointed out a stupidly obvious answer... but then she was shouting and I was shouting back and we both kinda stormed off and..."
Ririka sinks just a little more into the water. "Last night I tried sharing with the rest with everyone else, but it... didn't go any better than the first time. So... I dunno."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I'm sure," Ichika confirms. "Best time, too. I don't have anywhere else to be."
Ichika is willing to wait. All she has to do is keep relaxing in the water, after all. But she's interested; it's... a chance to do something for Ririka, for once. Toshiaki would've wanted that, and she wants it for herself.
When Ririka starts...
"I see. So, one of those crazies showed up somewhere else... And you didn't warn them she was a crazy." She restates it to make sure she understands.
"...Ouch. That's rough." She nods. "I might've shouted back too," she admits. "Kawase pride, and all that."
Ririka sinks, but Ichika turns her way. Just her head. "...Mm."
"Did you yell back again?" she wonders. "...I get it if you did."
She sighs. "If you were at Kasu, it'd be easy. You'd just fight it out, and you'd be done. Whoever wins was right, whoever loses sucks it up and deals."
"...But I take it that's not an option with your friends." Ichika sits up from where she was, to stretch above water, and then settles back down in a laying position.
"Well, the way I see it, I guess you've got two options."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Well if you're sure..."
This is the type of thing she normally would've gone to Toshiaki with. (It might've been awkward dancing around the supernatural parts, but... even so.) There's part of her that wants to have that kind of relationship with Ichika, but they've also only just started trying to build that relationship, too.
Ririka huffs a little. "Well, she walked right up to one of my friends, and the another walked up to her before I could warn her, and there was this weird supernatural thing ringing in my ears and all the people around..." She looks down at the water, and at this next admission her cheeks turn bright red as she mumbles, "... I got overwhelmed and forgot I could've texted them."
She looks back to Ichika and nods a little as her sister says she might've shouted too. "... yeah?" Well, she's a Sukeban, right? That's expected. Ririka isn't... quite that archetype. At least, that's not how she thinks of herself.
"... yeah..." she answers in a small voice. She did yell again.
Fighting it out... "Not really..." She pauses a moment to consider. "... she's in Archery Club anyway."
Ririka sits up a little and takes a deep breath. "Okay. What are they?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
At least Ririka knows Ichika's aware of the supernatural. ...Though Ichika hasn't revealed all those secrets to Ririka--in part for her own safety. She has a feeling she'll have to break the law to get what she needs about Eiji, and maybe it's better if Ririka doesn't know, in that case. Especially if she has friends in the supernatural to keep her safe already...
"I see," Ichika says. "So you got overwhelmed." Ichika thinks about it. Bright red. Yeah, that would do it.
"Mm-hm," Ichika says. "You gotta fight back, at Kasugayama. You can't just let people push you around, or they learn they can push you around all the time."
"...But that's not so true at Gekkoukan," she admits. "At Gekkoukan, I guess it's more like Sevens--you have to be willing to swallow your pride to get along."
Archery Club... Hmmm.
"Well, you can double down, and dare them to take issue--just do better next time, and make up for it like that."
"...or you can apologize, full force, no excuses, keep your cool if they shout at you."
"Comes down to whether your pride is more important than getting along with these people. ...Sounds to me, at least, like it makes sense you messed up..."
"But if you're dealing with people like those--those people with the Joker Killer--then 'understandable' isn't good enough. They gotta be able to trust you with their lives."
"I support you either way. I've got your back."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka might have supernatural friends... but she hasn't told them about what she and 'Ogre' are up to. That's personal, and she's not letting them in on it.
"... I was ready for a big crowd, not a big crowd and two different supernatural things..." She sighs. "... but I guess I don't get a say in where the supernatural shows up," she grumbles.
"Yeah, well, if I was at Kasu I'd fight back, but... Gekkoukan's not like that." Is it like Sevens? Ririka shrugs a little. "I guess..."
Double down... Ririka lifts one arm out of the tub to lay it on the edge of the bath, and starts tapping her fungers. "... I think I already doubled down last night," she admits quietly. "I don't... want to do that again. Not in front of everyone."
And the other option... Fingertapping intensifies. "Aaaaugh, But I didn't-- I-- I was trying to do the right thing I just..." Her fingertips mash into the edge of the bath in frustration.
Her best effort not being good enough isn't really much better than making a mistake. Ririka huffs. "Gaaaaah I hate this." she mutters to herself. "I hate feeling this way I hate not knowing what to do I just... this sucks."
She's sullenly quiet as Ichika speaks about pride, and 'understandable' not being good enough. Trusting her with their lives... "... yeah, she said that, too..."
She takes a deep breath to try and calm herself, and nods as Ichika says she's got her back. "... thanks. That helps a lot."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika might ask about these friends... but she might not. She's not sure yet.
"Yeah," Ichika agrees. She gets it, about preparing for things--about being ready for a crowd, and not for other things accordingly. But... nobody gets to pick.
"Right, I figured. It's... a good school."
Kasugayama? Well, Ichika thinks it's a place she can appreciate... but as schools go? Nah.
"I see," Ichika answers. Already did.
"It sucks," Ichika agrees. "But it sounds like you know what you need to do, at least. ...Glad if it does help."
Ichika leans back against the bath wall again.
"It's... not the same, exactly, as fights at Kasugayama, and around. But the trust is important, either way."
She smiles. "Of course. 'Swhy I decided to bring you out here instead of doing this alone. ...I knew we'd both been under stress, lately."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka is glad Ichika gets it, at least. It's the kind of thing that's hard to explain sometimes to someone who doesn't need to do it...
"... yah," she says of the school. But she doesn't want to dwell on it, because of where her sister has to attend school.
What she needs to do... Ririka huffs. "I guess." That's 'being moody' for 'Yeah I know but I dun wanna.'
Trust... Ririka lets out another looooong sigh at that. "... yeah, I know. If nobody trusts me... that'd leave everything to someone else, and that's not fair to her." She means Fuuka Yamagishi, of course.
She does manage a small smile for Ichika, though. "... well, I'm glad you invited me. It's nice spending time together, even if... we're talkinga bout all this stuff." She drums her fingers in contemplation for a moment. "... was there anything you wanted to talk about...?" Fair's fair, after all.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika does! She has the same issues sometimes.
But she doesn't press on her school. Instead, she notices Ririka being moody about it, and a small smile slides onto her face. But the long sigh, that really clenches it. "I see. ...So you've got a lot of these friends," she says. "...I'm glad. I don't like the thought of you doing all that kind of stuff on your own."
She smiles back. "Yeah," she agrees. "It is. ...And it's fine. A bath is a good time for serious talk. That's what they say, anyway."
A pause. "...Kinda yeah," she admits. "I'm still... a little messed up about Eiji," she admits. "I've been trying to take my mind off it. In... ways."
Ririka can probably guess.
"And that works great... for a night. But it doesn't really solve it..."
"Mm. I guess I'm just not over it. ...But that's not what I meant to bring up."
"I'm thinking about the future," Ichika says. "...Not sure what it looks like, though."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka shrugs a little. "I wouldn't say friends... we just... tackle supernatural stuff together." She's definitely not counting Yukari as a friend, that's for sure. (She's pretty sure the feeling is mutual, at this point.)
She looks over to Ichika though. "... you've got people helping you with this stuff too, right? Like that Ogre girl you asked me to work with?" That's the only name she knows about...
Serious talk... "... huh. I guess, yeah."
A little messed up about Eiji... Ririka nods, quietly. "... yeah." She can guess, yeah. She doesn't comment on it.
Doesn't really solve it. "... I'm sorry," she offers quietly. "... it's okay if you want to talk about it. But it's okay if you don't too. Whatever you need."
But the real topic... the future. "Did you have any thoughts...?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Hmm, OK." Ichika nods. "That's cool."
But people? "...Right," Ichika answers. "Ogre takes care of it. ...But there are other people she can work with, too. I'm helping her gather some folks up... to go to that place."
But, Ichika doesn't elaborate on her coping mechanisms for the moment. Instead, she inclines her head. "Thanks," Ichika says. "I'm not sure what to say. It just... It hurts, is all. No matter how I think of it, no matter how I feel about it... it hurts."
A sigh. She folds her hands over her stomach, under the water. "And I'm scared."
A look back at Ririka. "...Only vaguely," she says. "...I was in a magazine a couple weeks back. Coolest. The reporter was really nice... She didn't use my last name or anything, either. It made me wonder... if I could do stuff like that. The kinds of things girls are into."
She closes her eyes. "...But I don't know. I don't exactly have big academic prospects. I don't really want to end up in those jobs they try to snag you for in Shinjuku, either..."
"And then there's Gotou-kun. He wants to get serious. But I'm not... ready for that."
"I guess... I'm just thinking... do I get to have dreams, still? What should they be?"
"I don't know."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
That place... Rirka nods. "I talked with her the other night. I'm in," she comments quietly. But she won't dwell on it if Ichika doesn't want to.
It hurts... She could rant and rave about how that's not fair that Eiji gets to do that to her but... she'd be preaching to the choir, right? "That sucks," she says quietly. She's not sure what else there is to say.
She tenses as Ichika says she's scared. "Is... there something in particular or just... in general?" She ran into Eiji recently, right? She really hopes there haven't been more incidents.
But Coolest! Ririka looks surprised, sitting up a little. "Oh! Really? That's really cool!" The kinds of things girls are into... "Yeah! You'd be great at that." But academic prospects... Rirka leans back again and frowns. "... right. Well... maybe... you could intern or something? Work your way up...?"
She shudders at those jobs. "Yeaaahhhh..."
"... Serious? Like... serious how?"
Dreams though... that's a heavy topic. "... you deserve to have drams, nee-san. I mean, I know the... everything makes it tough, but..." The academic and career prospects, and so forth. "I think you still deserve them."
She looks to Ichika. "And if there's anything I can do, I will."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"...Cool," Ichika answers. "Thanks. I learned what a place like that is called, too. It's called a 'Palace'."
But Eiji... Yes. It sucks. "I'm scared I'll end up back with him again," Ichika says. "Somehow. ...That I won't be strong enough to say 'no'. Or that he'll do something to..."
A shake of her head. But the other subject is brighter at least. "Yeah, I've got a copy. I can show it to you if you come back with me after before you go home."
She'd be great at it? That's nice to hear. "Intern... Yeah, maybe, if they'd take me. I just assume you need some big university stuff..." A nod. "But I like that idea. I... I want to help other girls. Even if it's just in little ways."
But those jobs. "Yeah. I've got nothing agaisnt the girls that do them... But I don't want to get tricked into more than I was bargaining for, either."
"I mean, like... make it official. Be exclusive. For starters, anyway. I know he really likes me. ...Maybe I'm being unfair to him."
But dreams! Ichika doesn't smile, but she's not frowning at least. "Thanks," she says. "Maybe I'll think some more about it."
She looks back, and extends her hand, dripping from water, for Ririka's across the bath. "...Thanks, sis. But you're already doing it."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"A 'Palace', huh...?" Ririka considers. "... I thought it was a hotel, though...? I guess it could be a really nice hotel..." She makes a face. "Not that I'd ever think any hotel he owned was nice."
Even if it's technically a weird magical hotel.
Ichika's fear, though... Ririka tenses. "Ichika-chan... if... you ever feel that way, like you have to, talk to me, okay? We'll figure something out."
But Coolest! "Sure! I think I can spare enough time for that, I really wanna see!"
"Well, I don't know what they need but... it could still be worth looking into, right? Maybe if you run into that reporter again, you could ask if she knows anythinga bout it..."
Ririka nods. "Yeah, getting tricked isn't great..."
Oh, exclusive. That kind of official. "I... I dunno what to say about that. I haven't..." Well, Ichika knows her dating history. Or lack thereof, as of late. "I'll listen if you wanna discuss the pros and cons, though..."
But Ririka does smile a little, reaching for Ichika's hand to give in turn. "Well... I'm glad then."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Apparently there's more than one place like that out there," Ichika explains. "I don't know that much yet. I've got this website I'm going through..."
But Ririka tenses, and offers--"Thanks," Ichika says. "I'll remember that. ...Tsubasa-kun would punch him, too. Not that I want them to. It'd just get them in trouble. But between the two of you, I feel a little better."
A smile. "Cool. Then, I'll show you. It's the middle of the week so you shouldn't stay over, so we'll get out of here soon, OK?"
The water's still very nice, but Ichika is about through soon anyway.
"Maybe I will." Ask the reporter--Maya Amano--about how she got into it.
Ichika has some opinions on some of those jobs. But that's not important right now. Instead, Ririka offers to listen to pros and cons... "I think that's a good idea. Give me some time to figure them out, and I'll show you my list. ...I don't think I'm ready, but... I owe it to him to think about it instead of just avoiding the subject."
Ichika squeezes Ririka's hand. "...C'mon," she says, and rolls her shoulders, moving to stand up. "I'm gonna dry off and get dressed. If you wanna soak a little more that's cool."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"A website..." Didn't someone mention one last night? "... is it called the Dark Side of Sumaru? Could you give me the address, too?"
Ririka grumbles, "I'd be next in line. ... not that I would, either." Because it'd be trouble, like Ichika said. She nods to Ichika. "You can lean on us... and I'm glad if it makes you feel better."
"Yeah," Ririka agrees of being the middle of the week. "But a quick look won't hurt, right?"
"Cool," Ririka says of potential internships.
Lists. Ririka nods. "Sure! I don't really know if you should or not either, but I'll at least listen."
She gives Ichika's hand a squeeze and moves to stand up herself. "Nah, that's okay... we were gonna go back and look at the article, right? We can talk more along the way."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yes," Ichika answers. "You've heard of it? ...Cool. I'll give it to you, then."
"Heh. ...They almost did, you know. The other day. I didn't really want them to... But they didn't connect anyway. ...I appreciate the thought, anyway. And... it does."
It is the middle of the week. "Sure," Ichika says. "Short piece anyway."
Ichika doesn't really expect Ririka to know... but maybe to be able to help her figure it out.
Ichika reaches for a towel and steps out of the bath, starting to dry herself off.
"Sure, sounds good."
A beat, "But man. These treatments really work. I feel great."