2025-11-05: Premature Closing Ceremonies
- Log: Premature Closing Ceremonies
- Cast: Yua Ooshiro, Miho Ijuuin
- Where: London - Hotel Room
- OOC Date: 2025-11-05
- IC Date: Mon Aug 06 2012
- Summary: Yua congratulates Miho, intimately, on winning gold in the Women's Team Saber event. But they're woken from their slumber too early with demands from the Order -- and both of them are devastated by their demands, though Yua is far more vocal. Regardless of their wishes, they're coming back to Japan... before the Games have even finished.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
There's one final event at the Olympics for the fencing teams -- Women's Saber Team. Team fencing is of course an event where everyone must be acting in concert; no matter Miho's prowess, were her allies unworthy, they would be targeted, and felled.
Equally, there is a reason why solo gold medalists also tend to take gold in teamed events.
Equally is it so, here.
And so, Monday, as well, is a day where Yua is left to wait longer than usual to meet up with her fiancee again; for Miho has to go through all her tests to confirm her victory, all her interviews, all her locker-room congratulations.
The good news is...
... today was the last day of fencing events.
They can sleep in tomorrow, if they'd like.
And tonight sees them coming back to their hotel room after a lovely dinner; they were going to go on a tour alongside the dinner, but the weariness of the day has prompted them to retire a little earlier, now. Perhaps they can take a few days just to go sight-seeing; certainly the Olympics is not all they need do.
Once the door is safely closed, Yua embraces Miho, tugging her down to press her lips to hers. "Oh, Mimi...! Really, I knew you could do it! You swept the entire event!"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho has not only been talking up her teammates because it is polite; she believes in them. She has trained alongside them to know how good they all are.
And of course, she said as much to the interviews; sure, some focused on her as the star, but she insisted on sharing the spotlight for the team event with the team. Some would call it humility; some would call it the bare minimum, considering. Either way, Miho still took part in the tests, the interviews, the congratulations...
And that marks the last day of fencing events.
She could sleep in. Maybe she will. Until five or even six!
But right now it is not sleep that she has on her mind. Dinner was lovely; Miho does not wish to walk around all night. Instead...
Yua embraces Miho, and Miho puts arms around her in turn, leaning down to kiss her. "Mm..."
"You two cheering did a lot for me," she says.
"...Besides; I can't take all the credit for this one; without a proper team, a single fencer can't win the group event."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"That's true," Yua smiles, as she tosses her arms about Miho's neck, fingers arching through the space behind them. "But I've already congratulated them... and I've been waiting all afternoon to properly congratulate you."
Judging by the flush of her cheeks, they're hardly congratulations they'd want to share with the team.
"Mm, but you do play so well with your team, Mimi...! I can tell you really appreciate their strengths, you know? Like how Habara-san is so decisive committing to her lunges when the opponent's closing in, or how Fumita-san is so good at estimating the other side's timing... being able to rely on them is its own kind of strength, too!"
Yua of course will have worked out the strengths of Miho's teammates with the help of Miho's commentary -- and Remi's, at that -- but that doesn't mean she doesn't notice things, either, after years of listening to her passion. Just because she wouldn't know the first thing about the pointy end of a sabre if you put one in her hands doesn't mean she can't have a deep appreciation for other people doing it.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Hmmm. I accept."
Miho smiles back, looking down into Yua's eye. She flushes slightly herself, and not just because she might've taken the stairs.
Instead, Yua mentions the specifics of the team, and Miho inclines her head. "Yes," she says. "And I in turn focus on a power that is hard to deny, which allows them to rely upon me not to break."
Miho has given a lot of commentary in the past, and so has Remi, but it's not their dear friend Miho has on the brain at the moment. It is... someone in particular. It is Yua.
"But I think that is not the kind of 'technique' I wish to consider at the moment..."
She leans down, and scoops Yua up into a princess carry.
"Why don't we talk more about how you'll congratulate me and I'll thank you for your steadfast devotion?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Yua took the stairs... a little more slowly.
(Even in her compression socks, her feet sometimes end up really hurting at the end of the day, you know?)
She tilts her head as Miho gazes at her; sustained eye contact can be kind of all-consuming in the way other people don't seem to register the same way at all, but if it's Miho, she doesn't mind being swept away. "You're so strong," she purrs, with a coquettish smile.
She leans down, though, and -- "oh!" Yua exclaims, as Miho scoops her up. "Hehe...! Mimi!" Yua giggles, quite delighted, because of course Miho knows how much Yua enjoys her demonstrating just how strong she is.
(It helps that Miho can easily bench-press an entire Yua's worth of weight. Indeed, Miho might even bench two Yuas' worth.)
"I'd love to," Yua smiles, cheeks aglow as she grasps Miho's shoulder. "But we'll need to talk on the bed..."
... well, words are certainly said; and some with great emphasis. By the strictest definition, that's a talk.
Eventually, they even get around to sleeping!
The sheets and a blanket are pulled up over them -- even knowing London is so much chillier, Yua feels like she's overheating with more than one -- and a lamp beside the hotel bed is still turned to a low light. (Yua can't sleep when it's too dark. ... she gets scared.) Yua's weight is leant back into Miho, as she rests on her side; she's grasped one of Miho's hands in both of hers, her grip loose and slack as she slumbers. Breathe in, breathe out; in a nice, relaxed deep sleep, she won't wake for several more hours.
Well, she wouldn't.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho understands. She can still carry Yua!! ...but doesn't most places. People would talk.
Now, though, it's only Yua and Miho who need 'talk', and in point of fact, they do 'talk' for some time...
Miho is awake before the phonecall comes. Her eyes open sharply, as if in aniticipation--but it's merely happenstance rather than destiny.
...Probably; that doesn't always stop Miho from ascribing more to such things...
Now, though, Miho notes the light on her cellphone flashing, a faint vibration going off. Only important calls are set to make it through to even vibrate at this hour, and Miho reaches out to take it. She gives Yua's hand a squeeze, and slips out of bed, taking her phone and putting on a robe.
"...Yes?" she begins, when she is out on the balcony, looking out over London.
Her silhouette is easy to see from inside.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"Mmmnnnnhhh..." Yua's grip tightens, around Miho's hand, as the phone vibrates and Miho starts trying to extricate herself; her first task, then, is figuring out how to get out of bed when Yua is trying her best, half-asleep, to keep her there.
(Luckily, this is something Miho happens to have a lot of practice at. Yua has always been slower to wake up than Miho is; disciplined as she is, she just, really likes being comfortable and safe, okay.)
"Nnn... Mimi...?" Yua gets to wondering, a few moments later. She straightens up in the bed, grasping her sheets to her, as she looks to the balcony; a moment and a few more brain cycles later, she's found her nightgown where it was folded at the end of the bed, and she doesn't need the sheet any more.
She pouts, as she looks out at the balcony. "At this hour...?" She grumbles, to herself.
(Being fair, there are barely any good hours to make a call between London and Tokyo, but most people are more considerate than to ring this early-late.)
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho is good at this, though it is a duel as worthy as any fencing match. ...Eventually she manages it; it's fine. Miho sees no need to dress entirely just to go out on the balcony; the robe is sufficient.
And now...
Yua may see that Miho's body language goes still. Still, in that way that it often does when Miho is angry, or at least having to deal with something delicate. Her hand about the phone closes; she turns towards the cold night.
...The conversation lasts a few minutes. None of those minutes seem particularly happy.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Yua's hand curls, in the sheets, as she watches Miho go still. She by contrast starts to move, rocking her trunk back and forth on the bed, a back-and-forth pendulum to vent off her concerns as she takes in the way Miho's hand curls.
As if she wanted to close it around someone's throat.
Still, she knows better than to interrupt Miho in the middle of her call; there are a dozen people it behooves her to let Miho handle ahead of her, and she knows that interrupting will just make her task harder.
Even so, when Miho finally manages to step back inside, she'll find herself greeted by Yua's voice, small and concerned: "Mimi...?"
She's certainly awake now.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho is familiar with the way Yua moves to alleviate stress; she doesn't see it right now because she is facing away. There are many people who it would be better for Miho to deal with herself...
These are among them.
"...Yua," Miho says gently as she steps back inside. "You didn't have to get up."
But there is a tension on her face that lingers, the kind of tension that comes with an unpleasant conversation.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"It's okay," Yua shakes her head, "you shouldn't have to get woken up alone. Oh, come here..." Yua reaches out to call Miho back to the bed, beseeching. Of course, it's where she ought to be; not even Yua and Miho would entertain getting up this early.
Her own brow is knit; she can see that tension, on Miho's face. "'They' woke you up... right?" She ventures, delicately. "Mimi... you okay?"
She can see that she isn't, but... she still wants to ask her.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho doesn't close the distance--she steps part of the way, but that's all for now. She will lay back down after they talk about this; after all, Yua knows now that there is something to talk about. "That's correct," Miho sighs. 'They'. "I'm..." Fine is her first thought, but she does not like to lie to Yua, who will take it as an untruth. So instead she says, "I am angry. But otherwise unharmed."
"'They wish us to return 'at our earliest convenience'," Miho says. "I can likely push for a bit of an outing tomorrow, provided that we get on a plane in the evening."
"But little more. I would have preferred to stay for the full Games..."
"But it would appear our presence is expected in Japan."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"Mm..." Yua hums, her hand falling to the sheets. Her heart aches, but she won't force her; the rage must be boiling too close to her skin.
Anger flashes on her face, just the same, her eye widening as that hand rises to her mouth to cover her gasp. "But--!" She exclaims, her voice rising to a high spike. "But that's not fair! Tell them it's not fair, Mimi!"
(And this is why it's better Miho takes those calls. Yua would certainly speak without thinking as easily to Rokuro as to her fiancee.)
"Mooouuuuuuu," she pulls her knees up to her chest, hugging them to her, her shoulders hunching across them. "It's not fair, it's not. These games are only once every four years! And you worked so hard! And -- and now they're saying -- you can't even stay 'til they're done? What stupid thing do they even need that couldn't have waited a week or two?! They could just stop scheming for five minutes!"
She's quite properly in a mood.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
She'll go back to bed when she calms. For now, though, Miho watches Yua's anger grow and express, too. "It is not," she agrees calmly. Or at least, supposedly calmly; she acts calm. But there is something colder there.
"That is the case," she confirms. "I do not know what cannot wait. Only that it is apparently quite urgent."
"..."
She slowly lets out a breath she was starting to hold.
"We will do some sight seeing tomorrow. I will not deprive you of the Globe. ...But then we will get on the plane, and return."
"...We will save our strength for a future battle."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"I don't care if they need to -- to -- to kill every member of the Diet! They could have waited one more week!" Tears have sprung to Yua's eye, at least the one which still tears; they feel quite wretched in her throat, as she hiccoughs, because she knows there's no one here to get mad at about what they've done.
But she's SO angry, and it brings to her SO many emotions, that she just -- bursts into tears.
"I hate them! I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!!" Her hands flail on the bed, striking impotently at the sheets, as she rocks all the harder. "They never let us have ANYTHING! They drain you and drain you and drain you and make you do so much work even when you're training every day and then at night too and when you finally get here and you win and you win everything they can't even let you have ONE NICE THING and I HATE THEM! WUAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
It's not particularly pretty, nor attractive, nor endearing; not to Yua's eye, and not to many others. She's a grown woman, who ought, by all means, to have better emotional regulation than this. That she falls into a state of screaming emotional overload is a failure in every respect...
... except, perhaps, the way Yua is helpless to externalise feelings which Miho is not at liberty to express.
Snif, snif, and if a tissue appears in her periphery, she'll take it. "S-sorry, Mimi," she whimpers, because it isn't her fault, and she knows she's only making things harder, but she can't stop her runaway dysregulation so easily. "I-it's... it'll be okay... l-let's go see the Globe, and... and then at least we can tell our friends how you won, right...? Won't it be good to see them...?"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
They could've waited a week. That they didn't was probably intentional. Miho could speculate... but it doesn't really matter. There are tears in Yua's eye, and Miho doesn't like that in the least--she lets Yua rage and rage, and doesn't stop her. She hates them...
So does Miho, really. She can externalize those feelings, and it is at least satisfying to Miho to see it said, though she is unwilling to do so herself. She brings the tissues to Yua, when she is done, offers them.
"I know," she says. "But I don't mind your feelings."
"We will do these things, and we will see our friends. It will be nice."
"It will be good."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Sniff...
Yua dabs at her eye and at her face, and puts the tissue aside on the bedside table for the moment, offering a shakey smile up to Miho. "You're so considerate, Mimi..." She says, a touch tremulous, but at least wishing not to frighten her.
"Mm... they were showing a Midsummer Night's Dream, right...? At least... we can tell everyone about that, w-when we get back..."
She tries smiling, a second time. "So, we -- we can have a good day tomorrow, right? Going out, and... and we can have fun on the plane, too... and mother said we should go see them when we got back, she knows we have exciting news...!" Because of course Yua's been ringing both their families and giving them updates, even if it's unwise to announce a pregnancy this early.
(Miho's mother, of course, is someone Yua addresses a touch more formally, if only because that's how Miho does it.)
"So... so come back to bed, Mimi," Yua tries again, reaching out to her. "Let's get a little sleep, so we can do that much..."
Miho, of course, knows better: Yua will have to stand being alone in the bed a little longer while she books tickets, because not even Ijuuin wealth will get them premium suites on a plane if they just show up.
That's fine, of course.
Yua might know how to satisfy their emotional needs, but it's Miho who understands the weight and value of a plan.