2025-08-28: An Open Mind
- Log: An Open Mind
- Cast: Ririka Kawase, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Kawase Family Home, Iwatodai City
- OOC Date: August 28, 2025
- IC Date: Monday, July 02, 2012 (Late Afternoon)
- Summary: Ririka and Ichika are hanging out at home. The parents are out for a date night, which naturally brings up the topic of dating, and how it relates to Ririka. Turns out, Ririka has something to share...
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
It's late afternoon at the Kawase household, and the nice home is... mostly silent. There's some loud music playing that someone might hear if they get too close to the house, but it's mostly confined to the kitchen.
It's a nice kitchen, too, with an island and a little nook. Right now Ririka is seated at the kitchen table, books and papers spread out, but everything arranged in a neatly organized way, down to the space pencils all being flush with each other.
Ririka is quietly bobbing her head and half-singing along under her breath as she works. Nearby is a takeout coffee container that's mostly empty.
The parents are nowhere to be found, though.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Evening approaches! Ichika is here for a bit, to check in on some things and to pick up a few things. Mom is out shopping, their father is at work, and Ichika has just arrived. The kitchen is nice. But Ichika doesn't need to be let in; she's already here.
"Hey," she greets, stepping into the kitchen. "How's it going, Ririka-chan?"
A pause. "Working, huh?"
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka looks up and smiles a little as she sees Ichika. "Hey, nee-san." She nods a little. "Yeah... just... gotta make sure I stay on top of everything, you know? I meant to get some of this done yesterday, but I got busy."
She puts her pencil down and stretches, she's changed into a t-shirt and shorts. Then she gets up to pause the stereo. "If you're hungry Mom said there's leftovers in the fridge. But she's gonna be meeting up with Dad for a date night so..." She gestures a little. "They won't be back until way later."
She pushes a loose strand of hair out of her face. "How're you?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"...Well, good luck," Ichika says. "You're a good student." Not like her. But Ichika doesn't inject bitterness into her words; instead, she walks along. She's in green cargo pants and a skull-patterned top, midriff exposed. "Oh, yeah?" Ichika asks. "That's cool. It's nice that they get some time together like that."
"...Guess we should get out of the house by then, huh?" She is not scandalized by the idea. She just wants to give some privacy.
"Hmm. Speaking of date nights..."
"Did you sort things out with that guy?"
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Thanks." She is, but... she definitely puts in the work for it, too. On top of all of her other responsibilities... "Yeah, it is." She frowns a little as Ichika makes a point. "... Oh, yeah. Thaaaat'd probably be good..."
She goes to pick up her coffee and sip at it. "Hmm?"
Ririka blinks. "... Oh! Yeah. I mean... I think so? I don't thik he really... got why I thought it was a date, though. Like, he offered to buy me food when I got there. He called me destiny arriving when I got there. Like..." Ririka runs her hand through her hair. "Leaving a note for someone is such a secret admirer move, right?"
"But he insisted that it was just because he had promised to play sax for me, but he didn't say that in his letter..." She shakes her head.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika is still a terrible student, but she has some goals now. It might help. And Kashihara to help her study!
"Heh. Yeah. I don't know if they still do," Ichika says of their parents, "But I don't wanna be the reason they miss out on alone time, you know? ...Their relationship is important. I know things have been hard on them. With me and all, too."
A pause. She moves to the kitchen counter to start making tea for herself, int he meantime, and listens along.
"Heh. Yeah, that's... pretty 'date'," Ichika agrees. "To be honest, so is playing the saxophone for you. But if he says that's not what he meant, maybe it's not."
"...Either way, he's not for you, right? You don't seem to have a lot of interest in that stuff, or else, you're more focused on other things, like your music."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka would help Ichika study! Because there's no such thing as a full plate as long as you can keep piling things on top without it falling off.
"Yeaaaaah, I'm not gonna be the one that asks them. But yeah, I wanna get back before it gets too late, try to make sure I don't lose out on too much sleep..."
Saxophone playing. "Oh, yeah, that's true... but he did promise to do that--and we'd talked about jamming together, so that part I was okay with."
Ririka rubs at the back of her neck a little as she sits down. "Yeah, he's... not my type." Which might imply that she /has/ a type.
She nooks at the table and drums her fingers. She thinks about it a lot actually, but... how can she explain that without... "... yeah, that's... that's what I told him too, that it just wasn't a good time."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Quite! It's definitely fine to just keep working until you drop!
"Heh. Me, either," Ichika says of asking. "I've got plans later, too, back in Hirasaka." She doesn't elaborate on what they are for now. But sleep.
"Oh, cool," Ichika says. "Then good. I just think... the saxophone's kind of a romantic instrument, you know? If I could play one, I might want to play that."
But she's got no talent for music and no drive to study it, so that is likely not to be a dream she fulfills.
But Ichika picks up on the implication. "So you do have a type?" Ichika wonders.
"...I won't pry if you don't want to talk about it," Ichika's quick to reassure. "But I am interested in hearing. You know all about my 'types', after all. And I always thought you just weren't interested at all."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Oh, cool. I hope they go well." She's not pressing for details either. Nor does she share her own plans.
"Oh, yeah, totally. And he's actually pretty good? He was already busking for the crowd when I showed up, and people were giving him money. And he had a permit and everything."
Ririka would be even more ecstatic to help with that one...
Ririka pauses as Ichika picks up the implication, like a deer frozen in headlights. "W-well..."
You lost the moment to deny it, Ririka.
"I... just..." Ririka looks away, her cheeks turning a little red. She nods a little. She does know Ichika's type. She's tried to be receptive to talking about them with her, but it's awkward because she's been so withholding, and she gave that impression...
Her fingers drum a little faster, and she takes a moment to hum a little. It'd be so much easier to tell her, wouldn't it? To just get around this awkwardness?
She's even asking, and you have to say something, or she'll wonder.
"... So... I do have a type, but..." She looks to Ichika for a moment, eyes wide and vulnerable before she drops her gaze. "... you might think it's a little unusual so just... if you still want to hear, keep an open mind?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Thanks," Ichika says.
It's probably not just meeting a boy, or Ichika would've said that. It's a mystery! ...But she isn't trying to solve Ririka's mystery plans, either.
"Oh, really?" Ichika wonders. She cares less about having permits, because that's for squares, but, "He must be pretty good. Sounds fun."
But Ririka... is not denying that she has one. She indeed starts acting strange. But that doesn't clue Ichika in to why, not immediately.
"Hey," Ichika starts--but Ririka speaks up.
"Whatever it is," she says, "It's fine. I know you don't talk much about this stuff." That is a perfectly sensible reason to be embarrassed, after all; it doesn't have to mean anything but that.
"So consider my mind open. Like I said, you know all about my romantic life, and you're not judging me about it, so..."
"Go for it."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Yeah, he is. I dragged him over to the Soundworks after and used one of the demo keyboards to jam with him. It was pretty fun."
Because, well, of course she did.
"Yeah, I don't... I..." Ririka's still looking down, at her lap, fingers drumming harder on the tabletop.
There was someone else she wanted to tell, but she never got the chance. But she wants to try and build that kind of bond with Ichika, right? Both for Toshiaki's sake, and for hers.
So maybe, if she shares this...
She looks up to Ichika. "... I haven't told anyone about this, and it's actually been on my mind a lot, and the reason I've been so weird about dating and romance and all of that is..."
Deep breath. Come on.
"... I'm not into guys at all," Ririka blurts out. "I'm... into girls."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Nice," Ichika answers. Of course Ririka did. That's just what she does. But Ririka also does... this. Nerves.
Ichika tries to be supportive and encourage her, but she can only do so much; she can't force Ririka to tell. But...
As it happens, she does. She mentions that she hasn't told anyone, too. The reason she's been so weird about it is--
"Oh," Ichika says first. Then, more animatedly, "Oh!"
Ichika smiles. "I see. Well, that explains a lot." She reaches out, stepping over to Ririka, to take her hand if she'll let her. "..I see, yeah. I appreciate that you felt you could tell me."
"But that's great!" she says. "That you have it figured out, I mean. A lot of people have trouble with that..."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
'Oh', comes the first reaction. Ririka just nods silently, waiting for Ichika to take it in. There's another nod as Ichika says it explains a lot. "... yeah." She's a little uncertain, still.
But she lets Ichika take her hand, which had been tapping but stops when she feels Ichika's hand. She looks up, giving another nod. "You're welcome, Ichika-chan. I just... yeah."
But she blinks when Ichika calls it great, though, and slowly she starts to brighten up. "... Yeah?" She lets out a happy little laugh, starting to feel relieved. "You really think so?"
"Yeah, I kind of figured it out a while ago, I just... never worked up the nerve to tell anyone. There was always something else going on, and... yeah."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika is smiling still. It took her a second to adapt and to understand, but now that she has, she looks in very good spirits. And she wants Ririka to be, too!
"It's hard to share, huh?" she asks. "But yeah!" Ririka laughs, and Ichika laughs too. "I really do," she confirms when she stops.
"Oh, yeah?" she asks. "Then I'm definitely glad you told me, if you knew already. It must've been hard to deal with that alone..."
"There's always going to be soemthing going on. Hmm..."
"Are you going to tell our parents?" she wonders. "It's cool either way. It's all up to you--That's important."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka looks a lot more relaxed now, and, indeed, laughing and smiling a little.
"I mean... yeah," Ririka admits. "But... we're working on supporting each other and I thought... w-well... if I shared..." Her gaze drops for a moment. "I'd been planning to tell nii-chan, but..."
That might help date how long it's been... as well as the type of trust she's trying to extend to Ichika now.
"But," says Ririka with a smile, "I'm... glad you think it's great. That really means a lot to me to hear."
"Yeah, it... took me a while, but... once I did it all kinda made sense." She considers for a moment. "Remember a couple Summer Breaks ago, when you found me crying into my pillow?" At the time she just said she was sad that a friend of hers was moving away...
"Yeah, that's true..."
Ririka shrugs a little. "I dunno... but they're not always like..." She lets out a frustrated breath as she tries to figure out how to phrase it. "Like, they pushed back against the skateboarding, they were surprised I like video games. They're nice and all but they're not always..."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Thanks," Ichika says again. "We have been," she agrees. "And well, you know a lot about me..."
Ah. Their older brother. "I see," Ichika says, and moves to give Ririka a hug. "I'm sorry," she says either way.
"I do," Ichika says. "...And not just because it means you're not competition," she jokes, nudging Ririka. She'll pull back if she managed to hug her.
"I remember," Ichika says. "That's hard..."
It must've been really hard, keeping it to herself.
Still, "Hmm. Well, up to you. I think..."
"I mean, they took me getting pregnant OK," Ichika says, with a wince. "I think they could handle this. But I understand if you're not ready. I'll support you either way."
"..."
"You know, I've got some friends who are... like that. Like, prefer their own gender. I could introduce you sometime."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"And... now you know a little bit more about me?" Ririka admits with a small, lopsided smile. She gets up to hug Ichika tight for that hug, though. "It's... I mean, it is what it is. But thanks."
She manages to laugh a little at that joke, though, returning the nudge. "Yeaaaah, I guess that's true, huh?" she admits with a bit of a grin.
"It was." Hard, that is. "... because that's when I started figuring out I had a crush on Yuki-chan," she admits. "I didn't know it yet, but..."
That would be Yukina, the girl she used to hang out and go to shows with. Ririka owes a lot of her exposure to punk and other laternate genres to her.
"I guess they did," she admits of their parents. If Ichika thnks they took it okay that's good enough for her. "... but I still think I wanna work my way up to that? Having you know is... a tremendous relief. And... maybe I can stop being so awkward around the subjcet of dating."
She'll just have new reasons to be awkward, probably.
Blink. Blink. Ririka's cheeks redden and she glances aside. "I-I mean, that'd be cool..." she's trying to sound noncommittal, as if she doesn't suspect that Ichika is trying to set her up on a date.
... but she is definitely thinking about the possibility.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"So I do." Ichika smiles back. And hugs! She figured it was a good time. And after that...
"Of course." But Yuki-chan. Ichika vaguely remembers that girl; she was kind of distant from Ririka back then, but she still saw her around sometimes. And as for Ichika's issue they took fine... Well, they did, in her mind. But she doesn't talk more baout that for now. Instead, "Good. Glad it helps." A pause. "That'd be good. Like I said, it explains a lot."
Then she considers. Blink blink. Ririka seems embarrassed.. which means--
Ichika laughs cheerfully. "I meant for support," she clarifies. "But if you want me to try to get you a date, I can do that too. I'm pretty good at setting people up."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
It was definitely a good time for a hug. She needed that.
Ririka brought her around some, but, well... they were more distant. Especially after Ichika decided to go to Sevens, too... "... I think it was my heart breaking that clued me in," she says softly. "... but I'm fine now. That was a long time ago, you know?"
Explains a lot. "Yeaaaah, I bet it does..."
Support. "Oh! Yeah, that'd... that'd be rad. I've looked at stuff online, but... it's not the same."
That blush only deepens as Ichika makes that offer. "Um..." Her voice squeaks a little. "Maaaaaybe I should work my way up to that, too... I'll think about it?"
"But, uh... yeah." Ririka leans against a counter. "Like you said, I know a lot about you, so... is there anything you want to know about me?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"That... would do it," Ichika says. "Knowing how you felt by knowing what you were missing... It's rough." She nods. "Glad you're doing better."
She smiles then. "Yeah," Ichika answers. "I'm not big online or anything, but... I know some people. I'll put you in touch. If you don't mind punks," she clarifies. "I'm thinking of a couple people in particular..."
Ichika laughs again, but smiles more gently this time. "Sure," she says. "Let me know. I'll need to expand my contacts for that anyway. There's this one girl I know... But I think she'd be too fast for you."
She considers. "Well..."
"Yes." She goes back to get her tea, now that it's all ready.
"Relevant stuff," she says. "What kind of girls do you like?" Ichika wonders. "What's your type? You can tell me, I won't judge."
She already knows Ririka's interests. She knows Ririka has a Persona. But Ichika...
Always has romance on the brain.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Yeah, but... maybe if it hadn't been for that, I never would've realized? So... silver lining?" She reflects for a moment. "I wonder if Yuki-chan knew... sometimes I think she did."
She has Yukina's number. She could text her, but... maybe best to let that one be.
Punks. Ririka laughs a little. "Gee, I dunno. I hang out with a sukeban all the time, I think I can handle a punk or two," she says with a grin.
"Eh heh, well... no rush, okay?" Ririka blinks a little. "... t-too fast...?"
And right out of the gate. "Oh. Geeze. I'm... okay, this is going to sound lame, but. I not sure? I mean, I guess I think a lot of different girls can be hot, or cute, or whatever, but I haven't narrowed it down..." She thinks. "I mean, Yukina definitely counted, but I dunno if that's because of a type or that we just... spent a lot of time together? Like, I dunno when it turned from 'cool friend' to 'I have a crush', if that makes sense?"
"Most of it so far has just been... thinking about it. A lot."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Silver lining," Ichika repeats, and it does make sense. But, "Maybe so. ...But it'd be hard to find out now, huh?" She ventures. "Even if you still have her number."
Still, at the matter of punks, Ichika laughs. "OK, good point. I'll ask if they're willing to get outed to you, and then let you know."
No rush. Sure! "I'm not going to set you up with somebody who expects you to jump right into bed," Ichika says. "That's... Nah. That's definitely not for everyone."
But right out of the gate! Ichika smiles. "That's OK," she says. "I mean, I'd say I like passionate guys. And guys who are either really manly or willing to play with their gender a little--either one's good, but they can't just be lukewarm about it, you know?"
Ichika brings her tea up to take a sip. "But you never know where that 'connection' is going to be. So it's fine if you don't know yet."
"But eventually," Ichika says, "You'll have to figure out if you like busty or leggy girls," she says, and manages to keep a straight face. "Sei-kun's a boob guy, for instance. Just think about it! When you know your tastes, you'll be happier with whatever you pick."
A laugh, then. "But, c'mon. I've grilled you enough. How about I make you a snack before you head out? You can tell me if there's anything else you want to share."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka shrugs a little. "Yeah." She doesn't mention the number. Yukina didn't want to stay in contact that way, so...
She smiles and nods. "Cool. And, uh... I'll be discrete, obviously."
"That..." Big blush. "Yeah, thaaaaat... yeah. I, uh... would wanna work my way to that for sure."
Ririka leans over to grab her coffee. "Passionate is good, I guess," she reflects. She then blinks a little. "Wait-- really?" She's giving Ichika an appraising look. "Wow... I never would've suspected that about you."
Ichika says that with a straight face, but Ririka is... turning redder. "O-oh, yeah, that's... yeah. ..." She glances aside. "It feels kind of weird discussing this," she admits. "But... I think it's a good weird?"
"Sure, that'd be great," says Ririka of the snack. "Anything else... dunno. I mean... would it be weird to talk about some of the girls I've seen that I liked? You talk about your boyfriends, so... Oh, and, uh, sorry for being awkward about that. I just... it was hard to relate without explaining, but now that you know, I think I'll be okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It'd be hard.
"Cool," Ichika says about discretion. Then a nod. "You should," Ichika says seriously. "Sex is great, but... It's a lot. A lot of feelings, a lot of everything. And you're just starting out like this. So seriously. If you can talk with me about it before you do, cool--or our parents. But somebody. ...I should've talked to someone more, myself."
But the seriousness is aside--and then Ichika laughs. "Yep. I like pretty guys I can share clothes with," she says, without outing Yuusei. And Ririka turns read, and Ichika smiles. "Good," she says. "...I want to be able to talk about this stuff. Sunlight's good for it. If you feel like you're too ashamed to talk about it... You might be doing something you shouldn't be."
Would it be weird? "Nah," Ichika says, and goes to the fridge to see what ingredients she has. "Feel free. Personality, body, whatever--you'll figure out what you're into."
She pauses, and smiles back. "I hope that's true," she says, "But even if it's not... I promise I'll listen. OK?"
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"I-I mean..." Ririka's eyes drift off to the side a little. "It's not like I've never thought about it..." But she nods seriously at the advice. "But... I will. Promise. Probably you. That might be... too much to tell Mom and Dad at once."
'Hi, I'm gay, and also I'm about to have sex with a girl, got any advice?'
No. Just no.
But Ichika wanted more advise. "... I'm sorry," she says softly.
"Wow!" That's an even more explicit statement than the previous one. "... heck yeah. That's rad. That's really cool of you, sis."
But too ashamed... Ririka won't ask about that now, but... she will remember it, for later.
"You want some help with that...?" As for her likes... "Well, I think she's gotta be into what she does, right? Like, I'm all into my music and my skateboarding, like that. Body... eh heh. Let me come back to that."
"I'll try," affirms Ririka. "And... thanks. For listening tonight, I mean. You don't know how relieved I am you took it this well."