2025-08-19: Breakfast Chat
- Log: Breakfast Chat
- Cast: Ririka Kawase, Mitsuru Kirijo
- Where: Iwatodai Dormitory, Iwatodai
- OOC Date: August 19, 2025
- IC Date: Thursday, June 28, 2012 (Early Morning)
- Summary: Ririka is up early making breakfast for herself, while also preparing a bento and a little something extra besides. Mitsuru comes in from outside, having been working on her motorcycle. The two get to chatting.
(|============================ Iwatodai Dormitory ============================|)
-================================================== Iwatodai City/Iwatodai ====-
A large four-story dormitory used by the Specialized Extracurricular Execution
Squad, only five minutes from Iwatodai Station. Upon entering, one passes a desk
with a sign-in book for guests to find a large carpeted common room that's well
appointed for co-ed gatherings.
A TV is usually on with the local news or a movie that's been loaded into the
DVD player for a student to enjoy. A table for shared dinners, or more often
study sessions, takes up the other half of the dorm, as well as a kitchen should
one dare to show off their skills to their fellow students.
There are two winding staircases on either side. The one on the left simply says
'Boys' while the other on the right states 'No Boys Except By Invitation.' The
implicit threat of execution need not be written down for those who violate
these rules. The second and third stories are living spaces divided by gender
with common spaces that have study areas and bookshelves available.
The fourth story is the command center with surveillance capabilities for not
just different parts of the city but each room within the dorms. The Chairman
has assured all who live here that this capability is strictly necessary.
BGM - Dormitory Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-FrFI0qnM
(|============================================================================|)
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka's not always such an early bird in the mornings... but some mornings she makes the effort, like this one. It's a quiet early morning, long before anybody needs to rush or scramble to get to the train station to get to classes, and Ririka's already up, in her school uniform, and... cooking breakfast in the kitchen, apparently. She's got a pair of headphones on, humming quietly to herself as she manages rice, tea, and several tamagoyaki--rolled omlettes.
She's tall, at 5'10", with long brown-black hair she wears behind her. Her uniform is pretty standard, though she's got a purple ribbon instead of the red one and a leather bracelet tucked under a sleeve, with a gunmetal grey hair clip keeping her hair in place.
She's got a bento box too, and seems to be making enough for both breakfast and lunch... and a little bit more, besides. Frequently, she doesn't eat her breakfast downstairs, and instead takes it up to her room to eat... whatever that's all about.
<Pose Tracker> Mitsuru Kirijo has posed.
It's early morning. The kind of time that verges on that twilight point between night and day, where one's sole companion is typically the dawning chirp of birds just outside their window. Ririka, presumably, is comfortably alone. And she is.
Especially since, thanks to the headphones, she might not hear the noises coming from just outside.
Mechanical. Metallic. The clink-clanking sound of tools at work. There is the sound of an engine rev-roaring to life, going quiet, and then revving one more time.
And then silence.
Anyway this is all preamble to note that Mitsuru Kirijo is not in fact ambushing Ririka Kawase--
"Ah. Kawase."
It just kind of happens to work out that way.
She's there at the doorframe, her head cocked owlishly to her right, dark red brows lifted. Her royal hair, typically worn down, has been done up in a fastidious bun that does not leave a single hair out of place, beyond the signature bangs that cover her left eye. The reason for this might be more clearly gleaned from what she's wearing: not yet in that crisp Gekkoukan uniform, Mitsuru is instead wearing a simple, utilitarian white tanktop and black jeans. Not her stylish flair by far, this looks more suited for manual labor or some other form of work... which conveniently coincides with the rare smudge of grease, here and there.
She's wiping some of said, black smudges off with the steady application of a towel looped 'round her shoulders as she regards Ririka with a curious, if terribly difficult to read stare. A second passes.
"... This is rather unusual," she says, and if someone was worried she was practicing the art of understatement--
"I don't usually see other people around at this hour. Other than Akihiko."
Yes. It's obviously Ririka who is striking the unusual appearance, here.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka didn't leave her headphones turned all the way up, but even so, the outside, low rumbling noise is lost for a moment in her concentration. Or if not lost, simply discarded. That's happening out there, after all, and her focus is on her tasks...
And even though she expected she might have to talk to someone she still isn't prepared for the moment when she hears her name. She starts, fumbling with the pan for a moment before solidly setting it down and turning around. "Oh, hi, sorry--" She's already reaching into her pocket, fumbling with her phone as she turns--
And then she spots Mitsuru. And blinks. The tank top and jeans is not something she expected to see Mitsuru in... her eyes flick downwards and then back up. It's not her usual look but it really works for her.
Not that she'd ever say that out loud, of course.
Ririka stands up straighter."Kirijo-senpai! Um, morning." She finally pauses the music on her phone, and then slips her headphones off to hang them around her neck. Almost immediately her fingertips on her right hand start tapping lightly and rhythmically at her thigh.
Unusual... "Eh?" Ririka blushes just a little. But then she relaxes, letting out a small breath. "Oh. Y-yes, well... I couldn't really sleep, so I just... thought I'd get an early start..." She gestures vaguely to the stove. "Perfect time to use the stove, while nobody else is using it..."
There's an awkward moment (probably mostly for Ririka) as Ririka tries to figure out what else to say. "... How's your morning so far?"
<Pose Tracker> Mitsuru Kirijo has posed.
Um, morning.
"Good morning, Kawase."
There's an air of ineffable etiquette to the way Mitsuru greets people. It's not just in her tone of voice: it's in the way she shuts her eyes and dips her head in a shallow bow of acknowledgment, it's in the poise she somehow manages even dressed down like this -- it's in the sense of formality that seems to exude from every fiber of her being.
Mitsuru Kirijo is like a roaming black tie event, even in a tank top.
She waits there at the threshold of the kitchen after that, as if waiting for an answer. She even pauses that methodical wipedown of her right forearm until Ririka's answer comes, not seeming to notice - or politely overlooking - the way the taller girl blushes and stammers through her response. And when it comes--
"Ah, I see," says Mitsuru, who nods once in acknowledgment -- and then immediately moves on.
It's -- definitely awkward.
The Kirijo heiress, however, seems tragically oblivious to this fact as she goes about getting the various ceramics and accessories for brewing tea. She's set her personal kettle and teapot aside by the time Ririka's own question comes. Mitsuru blinks and glances over a shoulder, those bangs obscuring half that inquisitive stare as it settles on Ririka.
"Hm?" Mitsuru wonders, wordlessly, and then-- "Ah. It's been productive."
'Productive.' Is that a word high schoolers would usually use for their mornings--?
"I managed to find a small window in my schedule for maintenance on the Ducati. It's not quite prepared, but it should be serviceable as a communications backup in Tartarus should we require it."
A second passes. And she realizes:
"Ah, yes. Before you and Yamagishi joined our ranks, the motorcycle was my means of amplifying my communication abilities in Tartarus for navigation. And it's a sentimental favorite of mine. Unfortunately..." Her brows furrow mildly. "I couldn't quite finish the repairs to my standards. Malheureusement."
Is this what small talk is for Mitsuru Kirijo...?
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Mitsuru indeed just has a presence about her that's hard to replicate. Ririka might enjoy skateboarding (it's not something she often talks about, but given the circumstances of her initial rescue by SEES, it's hardly a secret here), but she still enjoys plenty of more feminine activities... and there's no way she can come anywhere close to Mitsuru's presence.
She gives a kind of awkward answer... and Mitsuru, thankfully, seems to accept it. That's good, right? (Ririka don't overthink it, it's probably fine. Probably.)
That inquisitive stare... Ririka offers up an awkward smile. She's just trying to be polite. But she was dfinitely not prepared for a conversation right now.
Productive. "Oh, that's... good." She's wondering how much one could get done in a morning, but... more explanations come.
Ducati's not quite a word she recognizes, but her questioning look would be replaced a moment later--motorcycle she gets. "Oh, I see... That's... the motorcycle Katsuhiro-san and Arisato-san used to show up at Tartarus, right...?"
There's an awkward beat as she turns back to minding her omelette. "I've never ridden a motorcycle before," she comments. "I bet it's really cool."
<Pose Tracker> Mitsuru Kirijo has posed.
Methodical. That's the best way to describe Mitsuru in moments like these. Calm and detail oriented, she takes great care in making sure her tea preparations are -perfect-. There might even be a moment there where she takes a second to make the tiniest readjustments on the tea pots orientation, just to make sure the presentation is exactly how it looks in her mind's eye.
Everything is exacting.
It goes a long way to explain why she's doing mechanical work on a motorcycle, personally, in the wee small hours before she has to go to class and work even more, but still may leave more questions than answers in the end.
Like,
'Where does an 18 year-old corporate heiress learn mechanics as a skill trade, exactly?'
But it's just one of the many ludicrous mysteries of Mitsuru Kirijo, the woman who can do competent maintenance on a luxury high-performance motorcycle but had no idea what ramen actually is.
She's in the middle of setting up her tea kettle at the stove to start heating her water when Ririka makes a guess at which motorcycle Mitsuru is referring to. The redhead pauses. Closes her eyes. And then continues.
"Yes," she says evenly, "that is my motorcycle," the my is oh-so-subtly emphasized "Katsuhiro and Arisato took into Tartarus without authorization."
One can't help but feel like maybe 'permission' might be a better word than 'authorization' but literally everything Mitsuru says or does seems to have a naturally official air to it--
There's a brief moment where that impassive expression and level tone could mean almost anything -- and then Mitsuru exhales a soft, calm exhale.
"... But the damage was relatively minor and it ended up being a net benefit to the operation, so I can hardly hold it against them."
it still sort of sounds like she is--
Still! She presses on; a small smile even touches those unmarked lips or hers at Ririka's further commentary.
"You ought to try, sometime," she says simply. "It is... exhilarating. Freeing. Feeling the roar of the engine, the rush of the wind... There's nothing quite like it." It's a sentiment that anyone could possibly understand.
"Especially when you have opportunity to custom tune the engine to your exact specifications. It becomes like an extension of yourself."
Which is, of course, why Mitsuru takes it a step further.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka can be methodical herself, but... that mostly applies to her musical pursuits. Her cooking skills are a bit unpolished, and she hasn't quite figured out the rhythm for juggling everything. It's harder than coordinating her two hands on a piano or a guitar... but either way she hastens to make space for Mitsuru, if needed.
There is a small part of her that wonders that, but... a much larger part of her that things it's really freaking cool that she knows how. (But that seems to describe a lot of what Mitsuru does. She practically runs the school, after all.)
She hadn't heard about the ramen bit, though.
Authorization. "Oh--" Ririka tenses. She really didn't mean to draw attention to her fellow SESS members' infractions. "I-I see..." But the damage ws minimal. "Well that's good then..."
And the operation... Ririka looks down at her pan, frowning a little in concentration. Their actions were a net benefit where as she... well, she got completely overwhelemed. She managed to Awaken a few days later to fight off a threat at Sumaru TV, but...
That personal failure of hers at Tartarus still stings, especially after insisting she come along.
Both her hands are busy now as she rolls the omelet, but there's a subtle bob of her head, as if she were still listening to some tune and nodding along with it. Roar of an engine, rush of wind... She actually smiles a little. "Maybe it's a similar kind of rush as when I go skateboarding... getting some massive air, getting a difficult trick just right... it's kind of freeing."
And then Mitsuru takes it a step further. "Oh, well... I g-guess I can tweak my deck--my skateboard," she adds hastily. "But I haven't worked with a motorcycle before... I think that's more of Kumamoto-san's thing."
<Pose Tracker> Mitsuru Kirijo has posed.
Given room, Mitsuru graciously takes it. Her attention becomes almost wholly focused on keeping a close watch of the kettle temperature -- tea making, after all, is a delicate and precise art. As far as she's concerned, anyway.
Yet despite how much she seems focused on her tea preparation, one should never underestimate her powers of observation -or- her frightening ability to multitask. Arms crossing under her chest, elbows settled on palms, those dark red eyes are still keeping a hawkish vigil on the gradually steaming tea kettle; there is a long moment of silence after Ririka speaks on her own experiences with skateboarding where one might get the impression that Mitsuru is no longer paying attention--
"Skateboarding," she suddenly echoes, exactly at that moment, working the word over on the tip of her tongue like she were trying it out for the first time. Her brows furrow. "Interesting. I imagine it's not so dissimilar to surfing in the most simplest comparison between the two, though likely a world of difference otherwise. A matter of finding your balance on unfamiliar terrain, but on a more level and solid ground than riding the crest of a wave..."
Is she. Working out the mechanics of skateboarding in her head? (Does she surf??)
She mulls over this for a little while, before nodding to herself exactly once.
"Well," she begins, "it is important to stay physically active. Not simply for your own wellbeing, Kawase, but for the benefit of your peers in SEES. Even from the backlines, you can never be certain when danger or unexpected obstacles will strike."
The sheer power of Mitsuru Kirijo, to turn this into an impromptu lesson...!
With that, she smoothly plucks that kettle up and pours it into the teapot. From the teapot, she transfers the steaming water into the pitcher, and from the pitcher, into the teacup. Every movement precise and perfectly emulating traditional, Japanese pouring methods.
"It's good to leave your mark on something you are passionate about," she notes off-handedly as she pours. "That you know how to personalize the tools of your own trade already speaks highly of you. You needn't be a deft hand with a motorcycle." Kumamoto, was it? That makes sense, from what she knows of the other member of SEES. A second passes:
"... Have you been settling in to SEES' operations well?" she asks then.
However much her attention was taken up by the tea kettle -- Mitsuru saw that frown when discussing what happened in Tartarus.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka, meanwhile stays busy. She gets a second tamagoyaki ready and sliced--there's one in her bento box already, this one goes onto a plate sitting on a tray next to where she's working. She pauses after that, muttering something under her breath like she's running through a mental checklist.
Next is the rice. She took it off the heat a few minutes ago, and there's a small overing bowl on the tray that she carefully places some rice into... and a much plainer rice bowl that also gets some rice. The leftover rice she starts forming into rice balls.
She might be humming a little to herself as she works. Maybe it helps her keep track somehow.
But she's still attentive to the conversation, at least. But she's definitely a more active, frenetic presence compared to Mitsuru's.
Skateboarding. "Yeah," affirms Ririka as she works. But she pauses as Mitsuru brings up surfing. "You know... I've wondered about that? Like, I think steering the board with your feet might feel kind of similar, and you need to keep your balance... but the water moves more than the ground does, so that'd be different. It'd be cool to try surfing sometime..."
AFter a pause (and staring another rice ball) she asks, "... do you surf, Kirijo-senpai?"
"Yeah, and the skateboarding helps clear my head sometimes, too..." she admits quietly. But she pauses, as Mitsuru extolls the virtues of preparedness. "... Hai. I'll remember that. Everyone's going to be counting on me as a Navigator, right? Me and Yamagishi-san."
Her own efforts at tea aren't as fancy. She could do it the longer, more traditional way... but with a bit of embarassment she opts for a couple of tea bags--one in an offering cup, one in a plainer one, and pours the water over it.
Speaks highly. "Well, you know, you put a lot of wear and tear on a skateboard, so it's good to know how to take care of it, right?"
There's a pause, as Mitsuru asks that question. She has to consider it. She's still adjusting to the supernatural... even if she found out about it at the beginning of the week, it's been Just over a week and a half since she actually Awakened. "... I think so," she says finally, resuming her work. "Though I'm still adjusting to the supernatural. I sort of knew about it before, but... it's different, being fully aware of it."
<Pose Tracker> Mitsuru Kirijo has posed.
Ririka is... humming?
Academically, it's not surprising; Mitsuru looks into practically every person who joins SEES (it's not paranoia; it's preparedness!) and is at least aware of the fact that Ririka is a member of a band -- and indeed, it seems to reflect in how her Persona manifests, as well, from what she understands.
Still -- the humming inevitably ends up drawing an eye. Dark red brows lift, fractionally; but Mitsuru says nothing, falling contemplative for a moment before returning to her work.
Given that professional level of distance she seems to maintain at all times and that impeccably impassive expression of hers, it's a slight glance and slighter shift of features that could mean almost anything.
There and gone, in a flash.
... do you surf, Kirijo-senpai?
"Mm," is the noise of assent Mitsuru makes, as she tests the heat of her delicate china. Deciding it's finally ready, she sets up her tea - a conventional sencha today, though anyone can be sure the leaves were probably harvested fresh from some high-quality Kirijo property or another - and picks up the teapot.
"I've dabbled." What 'dabbling' looks like for Mitsuru Kirijo is probably daunting at best to a normal person, really-- "I find it quite excellent for honing my control over my center of gravity and my sense of balance. It's lessons that have come quite in handy during my Dark Hour patrols when we founded SEES, and I imagine it will again now."
Honestly, in moments like this, it's easy to wonder if Mitsuru's entire life is framed as it relates to the Dark Hour and solving it. Maybe she's just that focused on the job.
Or perhaps it's just like that tea, or her motorcycle: Mitsuru Kirijo just can't stand to do anything halfway.
"It takes adjustment," she notes, as she pours herself a cup of green tea with a sense of grace that utterly belies her current attire and presentation. "The first day is always the most exhausting, physically and emotionally. Eventually, delving into cognitive spaces will become almost second nature to you."
Mitsuru pauses for a moment. She looks at Ririka, as if remembering something -- and then she pivots smoothly, pulling forth another finely-crafted tea cup.
Without a word, she pours it, and slides the cup Ririka's way.
"You are right though. We are depending on you and Yamagishi quite a bit. My own skills are simply insufficient." She states it, matter-of-fact. No matter her own wishes about how much she can take on by herself -- there's no denying reality.
With that, though, the student council president turns to lean against the countertop, her steaming cup of tea in hand. "There will always be a certain level of exhaustion that comes with delving into Tartarus, or even the Dark Hour."
She lifts her cup to her lips, and sips. A small smile touches her lips. Perfect.
"... So... should you ever require instruction or assistance, I am willing to make time in my schedule and do what I can for you."
It's the least she can do, in the position she's in now.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka is in a band, it's true... but even a cursory investigation of Ririka would reveal that she's been something of a prodigious talent since grade school, one with an unusually keen ear for music that helped her learn to play the piano quite adeptly at that young age.
What investigation might not reveal, but that observation might, is that Ririka can often get distracted with humming, or fingertapping to a melody... she seems to quite easily draw herself into music sometimes without even seeming to intend to.
She doesn't notice Mitsuru's look, but she does seem to catch herself after a moment and stop... along with a furtive glance Mitsuru's way that will probably be more obvious than Mitsuru's own glance was, along with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Dabbled...?" Ririka pauses a moment. She had to push back pretty hard against her parents to take up skateboarding... To do something like surfing so easily as to 'dabble' in it... she's kind of envious of that freedom.
... And maybe the freedom that comes with the fact that nobody will probably dare look at Mitsuru askance for riding a motorcycle, let alone maintaining it. "Center of gravity and balance are important in skateboarding, too," she comments quietly.
But the Dark Hour... "The Dark Hour feels a lot different now," she comments, without elaborating.
"Yeah... after that first fight at the TV studio, I did kind of pass out for a bit... at least I got a good night's eleep out of it, I guess..." She considers the matter of getting used to it before slowly nodding. "I guess so."
She blinks as she looks to that offered tea cup, looking up to Mitsuru with a questioning look. "Kirijo-senpai...? I mean, thank you very much for sharing your tea, but are you sure...?"
It's also not hard to find out that her older brother died a year and a half ago, and with the two memorial offerings she's prepared, well... and her cooking seems to almost be done. Her bento box is ready, and her own breakfast and offerings are also ready, and after a moment that extra cup of tea is also placed on the tray.
"But you're talented in a lot of other ways, senpai." Okay, 'owning a Ducati' isn't a talent, but being able to maintain one has to be.
"Oh, thank you. That's very generous of you to offer." Time out of Mitsuru's schedule... "I'll make sure to take you up on that sometime."
<Pose Tracker> Mitsuru Kirijo has posed.
Freedom.
One of those funny words that can mean such vastly different things depending on who you ask.
To look at Mitsuru Kirijo might well be to look at a woman beyond all reproach. She can 'dabble' in surfing seemingly on a whim. She rides a motorcycle with no one questioning her. She effectively runs Gekkoukan High despite being a student.
Her family owns (multiple!) private islands she can just jet off to as convenient.
And yet if someone were to ask her, would Mitsuru Kirijo consider herself free?
...
It's painstakingly proper, the way Mitsuru takes that porcelain cup up with her right hand, and settles her left delicately on the base; how she makes scarcely a single sound as she takes a single sip, not too short, nor too long. The look of a young woman who has lived and breathed the strict - and beautiful - rigidity of tea ceremonies all her life.
Cup tilted just upward enough over her features, dark red eyes consider Ririka and the flush of her cheeks with furrowed brows. Did she notice the glance?
It's probably a safe bet, just considering who she is.
"It's a perspective shift," she says of Ririka's unelaborated observation, only when she's done with that sip and set her cup delicately upon its dish once again. "When I first visited the Dark Hour and Tartarus, it was worlds different than how I see it now."
She, too, doesn't elaborate on the how, or even the when.
Perhaps such things are unimportant.
But it's when Ririka questions her offer that Mitsuru softly scoffs, dismissing the doubts with the shake of her head.
"It's fine," she reassures simply and to the point. "I won't be able to finish this batch on my own before I must prepare for school. You will be doing me a favor." She offers a wry smile. "Tea shouldn't ever go to waste."
Is she aware of those details of Ririka's life? Given the type of person she is, the resources at her disposal, and the utter thoroughness with which she approaches everything, she must. Even if not -- the extra of the meals Ririka has prepared, as if set aside for offering, paints a picture all its own. Dark red eyes hooded, she considers for a quiet moment.
Loss seems to follow almost everyone in SEES. She is, distantly, reminded of Yukari and her own loss. She has found her own way of protecting Takeba from the pain of what happened to her father - mistaken or not - but...
How could she even begin to hope to address any of it for the others in a way that would be able to salve their grief?
"..."
She can't see the path, and so silence remains her companion. Mitsuru Kirijo simply cannot do things halfway.
So instead, she sips again, and looks out toward the main lobby just beyond them, affording herself a small, confident smile of private amusement as Ririka speaks.
"I appreciate the effort, Kawase," she says, a certain certainty to her tone, "but you needn't worry. I'm aware of my strengths, and my weaknesses. It's merely a matter of knowing where to apply them."
Well. ... At least she's confident in herself.
Gratitude, of course, is only met with a courteous and polite nod. Mitsuru pauses mid-raise of her cup.
"See that you do," she says, simply. After all: Mitsuru is aware of her strengths. This is not an offer made lightly. And so with crisp confidence, she sips one more time, before her gaze returns to the lobby.
"Enjoy your meal, Kawase. And be sure to tend to your classes. I've reminded some of the others" IORI IT'S IORI
"... but our work with SEES is no excuse to lag behind in your studies."
Like some sort of motorcycle-riding hyper-rich den mother, Mitsuru Kirijo is.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
<poem> Maybe it all comes down to relative degrees when considering the topic of 'freedom'...
But there's a gentle rebuke against her questioning the offer of tea, and there's a small smile as Mitsuru says it shouldn't go to waste--that she'd be doing her a favor, in fact. "Thank you very much, Kirijo-senpai." She takes a moment to very carefully set the cup on her tray. "... it's better shared, isn't it?"
Ririka may try to be subtle, and sometimes she can be... and sometimes she's more transparent than she wishes to let on. In her room, on a small, out of the way table, is a framed photograph of a boy who looks remarkably like her, dressed in a kendo uniform and posing with a shinai. He only looks a little bit older than Ririka does, now. Next to the photo is a CD in a case simply labeled 'For Toshiaki-neechan.'
She picks up an apple from the kitchen and puts it on her tray. This, too, will be shared in its own fashion.
But Mitsuru is aware of her own strengths and weaknesses. "O-oh, of course, Kirijo-senpai." Knowing your strengths and weaknesses... there might be a lesson there, for Ririka, sometime.
She carefully--finally--picks up the tray, laden as it is with extra portions (and her bento box.) Mitsuru has a final note. "Of course, Kirijo-senpai." She bows politely. "Thank you very much for the chat, and for the tea."
And after that she heads up to her room to have breakfast and another chat.