2025-08-06: Communication Between Navigators
- Log: Communication Between Navigators
- Cast: Fuuka Yamagishi, Ririka Kawase
- Where: Iwatodai Dorm, Iwatodai
- OOC Date: August 06, 2025
- IC Date: Thursday, June 21, 2012 (Late Afternoon)
- Summary: Ririka comes back from school gets the chance to talk to the dorm's newest resident, Fuuka. They discuss studio equipment, awakenings, their unique Navigator powers.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
The Iwatodai Dormitory's common room serves as a comfortable place for the residents of the dorm to relax and meet up. Fuuka has been a more common sight here, lately, now that she's largely recovered.
She isn't an official member of SEES yet, but she's been doing her best to try to get to know everyone. Whether or not they end up working together, they have one thing in common. It can only help to know people who face the same thing she'll have to.
There's one person in particular she wants to talk with right now, actually...
...but they all have school and social lives outside of it, besides, so the only thing she can do is wait. The day of Fuuka's return has already been decided, so there's not much she can do but count them down.
So for now, Fuuka settles into one of the common room's couches, her laptop in front of her as she taps away at the keys, occasionally glancing up at the door.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka's been wanting to get to know Fuuka better, too... when she Awakened in Sumaru TV, and reached out to everyone... Fuuka seemed to have the easiest time contacting her back.
But she has been busy, between school, her band, and making lots of trips to Sumaru to visit her sister. And tonight, much later, she's got a meeting... but that's later.
She steps in side sometime after school and club activities are done, still in her Gekkoukan uniform, with its purple ribbon instead of red, calf-high boots, and her straight hair down her back, with a gunmetal gray hairclip in front. (She is also, as ever, exceedingly tall, at 5'11".)
She looks a bit distracted as she starts to head for the stairs up, but she pauses. "Oh, Yamagishi-san. How are you feeling?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fuuka hears the door opening, and looks up from her laptop. And she does have to look up, because Ririka is nearly a foot taller than she is, especially while sitting down.
"Welcome back." She greets... and she feels a little self-conscious, because she can see that Ririka looks distracted. She must be busy... She doesn't want to bother her, really, so she's about to return to her laptop when Ririka notices her and asks how she's feeling.
"I'm doing much better, thank you... I think I'm about back up to one hundred percent, now. I'm eager to be over it." Fuuka replies, offering her a smile. "...How about you, Kawase-san? How are you doing?"
She remembers she collapsed from the strain of her awakening, much like she had. She's been a little worried.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Thanks," Ririka says. She was headed to the stairs, but she stops instead and moves over to sit near Fuuka, instead, setting her backpack down next to her chair.
"That's really good to hear," she says of Fuuka's recovery. Eager to be over it. "Yeah, I bet. I know I'd hate being cooped up like that..."
She's hardly that bold confident girl who delcared herself the leader of the band in that fight, but rather more... demure and polite right now. "Oh, well..." She looks down for a moment. "I've been okay. Um... I was out for a few hours but I got some good sleep and I feel mostly okay?" Actually, she's a bit tired running back and forth between here and Sumaru, not to mention the fight at Kasugayama, but... she doesn't bring that up. "But, you know," she adds quickly. "That was a much shorter amount of time, so that makes sense, right...?"
She's trying not to sound like she's bragging about needing less time to recover.
"Oh and... they rescheduled the taping of our interview for next week, given the... 'blackout', so... at least the band will get to do their thing, you know?" She rubs at her neck a little. "Sorry I got you mixed up in all that. I hope it didn't mess up your recovery or anything."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Ririka diverts course, moving to set next to her instead. Fuuka scoots over to make sure there's enough room, closing her laptop and setting it on the table. It's polite!
"Thank you. And, yes... That's always the worst part." Fuuka replies with a nod and a small sigh. She'd be lying if she said she didn't spend most of her time inside even when she was in good health, but it's different when you don't have a choice.
At least she didn't have to spend it in the hospital, this time.
She looks over to Ririka, considering her for a moment. She notices the change in demeanor, from that bold confidence, to someone more like...
...Well. More like her, she supposes.
She listens thoughtfully, nodding as Ririka explains that she feels mostly okay.
"Oh good, I'm glad..." She replies with a sigh of relief. It doesn't come across as bragging to Fuuka, at least - though she can understand the concern. She offers her a small smile, as if to reassure her.
"That's a relief. I know it must be a big deal for all of you." She replies, at the mention of rescheduling. She shakes her head, then, at her apology.
"It's okay, I don't think you did." Fuuka replies with a shake of her head. ...Though she very well may be just saying that for Ririka's sake. "It isn't your fault... No one could have expected that it would happen on the exact same day. That was just... rotten luck."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Polite! Ririka doesn't pull out her phone or anything, but once she sits down she's lightly tapping her fingertips on her thigh, over the schol uniform skirt.
Ririka can also spend tons of time indoors, working on some music, but the minute you tell her she can't go out... she wants to go skateboarding. "It is," she agrees.
Funny, that. It's just kind of what Ririka defaults to, most of the time.
She does manage to smile back a little, when she sees that smile, though. She's glad Fuuka doesn't seem to be taking any offense, at least.
"Yeah, it's... kind of exciting," she says, with a bit more enthusiasm now. "We've done a few shows now, so... this'll help with getting our name out more. I don't know if I can get another tour, but... I'll try to bring back some behind the scenes footage, maybe?" she says hopefully.
"I'm glad to hear that," she says of Fuuka's recovery. "And... yeah. It was just so... bizarre. I mean, if you all hadn't been there... I don't know what I would've done."
She's silent for a moment, the rthythm of her fingertips changing as she thinks. "There's still so much I'm taking in... summoning a Persona for the first time, finding everyone... I think the shorter woman had an Evoker, did you see that? It looked kind of different..."
She looks to Fuuka again. "We... I mean... when I reached out to you, it just kind of felt like... you got it right away."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Exciting... that gets a smile out of Fuuka, too.
"I imagine. I hope it goes well... I'll be rooting for all of you." She replies with a nod. It doesn't surprise her, though, that getting another tour might be hard. ...She's a little reluctant to go back, anyway, after what happened last time. Even if it wasn't anyone's fault... it was stressful. "Don't go out of your way, but... if you can, that'd be neat, I think."
She nods, then - and considers Ririka's words as she comments on how bizarre it was.
"I don't know. It didn't seem like you were their target, but... I don't know what would've happened, either. I'm glad we were there." Fuuka replies with a shake of her head. She doesn't know if those two are the 'no witnesses' type. They didn't seem like it, but...
Her thoughts trail off with a thoughtful frown... instead, nodding.
"Yumi's? Yes, I saw... It did seem different." She confirms with a nod. "...I don't know what it all means... There's so much more than I can understand right now."
Though she'll certainly try. If there's one thing she's good at, it's figuring out a puzzle. She looks up, then, as Ririka continues.
"Yes, I remember that." She replies, then frowns consideringly. "When I heard your voice, I could feel your presence, if only for a moment. And then I was able to... follow it back, and connect with you, so you could hear mine in return. When everyone was coming for me in Tartarus, I had tried reaching out to everyone, too... but that was the first time I was able to get an answer back."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Thanks!" She gets some of that concern, but... well, her band's counting on her. And this time she knows she can protect them. "Behind the scenes stuff is always cool, though. Maybe we could even post it online..."
Ririka's band does have a web presence, after all.
"I don't think I was, either? The... shorter one, Yumi, seemed kind of surprised when we found her... she kept asking us why we were there. I mean, we were getting makeup done, so..."
It's awkward to have to account for being in a place you're expected to be.
"And she did that... skill cartridge thing...? Ririka shakes her head. "Yeah this is alll... super weird."
She listens as Fuuka describes her side of things, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I'm... really glad I was able to... reach out, and get help," she commands quietly.
But at the tower... Ririka considers for a moment. "I thought I heard something," she admits, a bit awkwardly. "I just..." Well, everyone saw the results, but she maybe hasn't explained the why of what happened yet.
She looks to Fuuka for a long moment, considering. "Hey, um... can I ask you something? I don't know if this will be... too personal, so you don't have to answer, if you don't want."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"It is, isn't it? I like seeing the work that goes into it. I'm really interested in seeing the effort everyone puts toward it and the kind of equipment they use." Fuuka replies - and she actually seems eager about that. She nods, though.
"Yes, she did. She seemed upset about it, even..." She says. It really must have been awkward. The cartridges... Fuuka nods at that, too. "Yes - I haven't seen that kind of capability before, either."
Of course, she has a very small sample size - counting only those who were there to rescue her, the members of SEES, and now those two masked women.
"I'm glad you were, too." Fuuka agrees. ...Ah, she heard something before? It certainly seemed like people could hear her... She pauses, though, looking curiously back at Ririka. Something personal...? She considers that for a moment and then she nods.
"It's okay. Go ahead." She assures.
...She can't say whether or not she'll answer it until she hears the question, but she does want to hear her out, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Oh, yeah, like... everyone's gotta work together in a band, right? But at a TV station it's way more people all working together to make things happen. It's really cool, you know?" She picks up that last bit, though. "You're interested in the equipment, huh...? Well, if I get a chance to get some footage of it, I'll definitely try."
"Yeah, like... she kind of got upset at us but then kind of locked us in that room...? I don't know that she was going to hurt us but... I didn't know if they were just waiting to deal with us later, or something..." She shudders a little. "And I couldn't let them hurt Emi-chan." That's her friend that was with her.
A very small sample size indeed.
Speaking of reaching out and asking for help. "Oh, right." Ririka sits up straighter and then bows politely. "Thank you for coming to help..." She kind of passed out bfore she could thank anyone, after all.
She smiles a little at the reassurance, though it takes her a few more moments of silence and drumming her fingers on her thigh before she seems to work her way up to actually asking.
"I was just curious... what it's like for you when you use your powers. We can both reach out, we can both analyze... it seems like they're similar, so... I was just curious."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Yes. Coordinating that... It must take a lot of work. It's very admirable." Fuuka replies. ...And then pauses, looking away sheepishly for a moment. She hadn't meant to say that much, but she couldn't keep it under wraps. "Oh, yes, um... is that weird...? But... I'd appreciate that."
She remains awkwardly silent for a moment, at least until the conversation picks back up.
It's true - they don't know what was going to happen either way, but...
"...I'm glad we didn't have to find it." Fuuka murmurs - and nods. "Yes. I'm glad you were able to protect her."
She knows what it's like, to want to protect someone. She smiles, though, as Ririka thanks her.
"Of course, you're welcome. But you don't have to thank me." She assures with a shake of her head.
And then, Ririka asks her question - what's it like for her, when she uses her powers? A thoughtful look crosses her face. She folds her hands in her lap, looking up at the ceiling.
"It's a little hard to describe - but, well, I suppose you might be one of the few people who could understand it..." Fuuka starts. She shuts her eyes, as if trying to remember and re-immerse herself in that feeling. "In that moment... it's as if, suddenly, my senses expand outward. What is 'me' becomes greater than 'me'. I can see, and hear, and feel everything around me - not just physically, but... spiritually, I suppose? And when I focus on something, I can start to see it more clearly - who or what it is, what they're like, through the... 'aura', of sorts, around them. I can get a better understanding of them... see things as they truly are."
She opens her eyes again, looking back down toward Ririka.
"...How about you?"
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Yeah, and they're doing it all day..." Ririka pauses, blnking a little as she watches Fuuka glance aside. "Is... what weird...? Being interested in the equipment...?"
By the way she's asking that, she sounds genuinely puzzled.
But she'd appreciate it, and Ririka nods. "Sure."
"Yeah, I'm glad, too... and she doesn't seem too shaken up by it, so..." Mostly because she doesn't remember the most incredible (i.e., not credible, supernatural) parts about it.
She smiles a little as Fuuka reassures her. "... thanks."
But then Fuuka answers, and Ririka closes her eyes too, just so she can listen, and try to put herself into Fuuka's shoes. They have similar powers, but... Ririka knows she can be rather... particular, about certain things.
"Mmm... Spiritually, yeah..."
But she opens her eyes as Fuuka finishes answering, looking to the other girl. "That's really cool," she says softly.
And the natural follow-up. "Well... some of that is the same, I guess. Like... how you describe being able to expand your awareness, being able to focus on specific things... but for me, everything kind of comes through as all these different sounds. Like, at the TV studio... I could hear this... distortion, all around me, from what Yumi was doing. All the people there kind of became their own individual notes, but... everyone from the dorm, and Aragaki-san and Akabane-san... your 'notes' were different, louder."
She's still tapping her fingers rhythmically on her thigh as she looks over to Fuuka. "So that's what it's like for me."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"Yes." Fuuka starts - and, oh no. Ririka looks puzzled. She sounds puzzled. Was it weird to ask if it was weird...? Was she overcorrecting herself? Fuuka starts to feel a little self-conscious about it. "Oh, I... No, well, it's just..."
...She trails off, looking a little more awkward than before, as she tries to figure out how to word it without making it worse.
...She's glad for a change of subject.
"...I'm glad she's alright." Fuuka replies. She supposes it must be the same for Emi that they said it would be for Natsuki. For better or worse, the memories of the event forgotten...
The talk of their respective experiences as Navigators is, at least, something she can feel comfortable in. She nods thoughtfully as Ririka explains it. For her, it comes through as sound... Fuuka looks at her thoughtfully - and it's only now that she's heard this, that she realises Ririka's tapping gesture isn't just a tic - there's a rhythm to it... She looks down briefly, then back up at her.
"I see... So, it's different depending on the person. What feels the most important to us, maybe." Fuuka considers. It makes her wonder, briefly, how Yumi sees the world - and also how it reflects on her, that her own express themselves through sight.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Whoops. Things have just gotten more awkward. Fuuka stammers, and Ririka's trying to piece things together, but... "It's okay if you want to see the equipment?"
She's trying to be reassuring but still doesn't seem to get why Fuuka is embarrassed.
Let's change the subject. "Yeah... I wish I could talk to her about it, but..." She gives a little shrug, helplessly.
Ririka blinks and follows Fuuka's gaze as it lowers... and sees her hand. She blushes, and quickly folds her fingers her her palm to keep from tapping. She's not quite able to look directly at Fuuka after.
Well now they can both feel awkward together.
"Y-yeah, maybe... Um... from what you described, I guess I still get all the same... like the same information, I guess...?" She might wonder about Yumi sometime, too... though maybe not for a bit. Put some distance there, first.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fuuka nods quietly. She does still want to see it, even if she feels self-conscious about people knowing she does.
"Yes..." She murmurs with a nod. It's unfortunate, in a way. But maybe she's better off not knowing about things like that. Unlike them, she has that option.
And - Ririka catches her noticing the gesture. Fuuka sees the blush, and the way Ririka looks away... She didn't realise that was something she felt sensitive about. She looks away for a moment, too.
"I-I'm sorry." She apologises quickly.
"...But, yes." She replies with a nod. "It just... expresses itself differently, I think..."
There may be some things that their individual natures make it easier for them to notice, of course. Right now, she doesn't have enough experience to say anything definitively. They're both still new to this.
"It's, um... Nice. To know there are others with the same power..." She ventures, still awkwardly.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka will definitely try her hardest to get some good behind the scenes footage... Maybe if she explains it's to post online they'd go for it?
She looks at Fuuka for a moment, contemplating... Well if she's interested... She looks down at her lap for a moment, thinking. "Say, Yamagishi-san... you know how to work a video camera?"
Maybe... at least Ririka still has people she can talk to about it.
Fuuka apologizes, and Ririka shakes her head quickly. "It's-- it's fine. You weren't... I was the one."
"Seems like," she agrees. "And I guess... we know there's people who can counter what we do, too..."
But there's a small smile as Fuuka expresses that sentiment. "Yeah. Um... maybe we can help each other figure out... how this all works."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
There's silence for a moment as Ririka contemplates. Fuuka's glad to give her the time she needs to think things through, because it helps give her more time to reorder her thoughts. Ririka voices her thoughts, then, and Fuuka perks up a bit.
"Oh... Yes, I do." She confirms with a nod. "I haven't used one in a while, but I'm familiar."
Ririka says it's fine, she was the one, and then it's Fuuka's turn to shake her head.
"No, it's okay... You didn't do anything wrong." She replies.
People who can counter what they do... Fuuka nods.
"Yes... I think it'll be all the more important to train our abilities, knowing that."
Ririka gives a small smile - and Fuuka manages one, in return.
"Yes, I'd like that. I think it'd be easier if we worked together." She replies.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka manages a small, hopeful grin. "Welll, would you like to help us by recording some behind-the-scenes footage for us? We'll all probably be busy getting ready, so... it'd be a big help."
The band gets some BTS footage, Fuuka gets to see the equipment up close... win-win, right...?
But Fuuka reassures her next, and there's a small release of tension. She nods, and quietly says, "... thanks."
"I'd like that," she says of working together.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Ririka extends an offer, and Fuuka nods.
"Yes, it sounds like you'd be pretty preoccupied... I'd be happy to help." She replies with a smile. "Just let me know when you're planning to get together again."
And Ririka thanks her for reassuring her, and Fuuka nods - and offers her another smile, as she says she'd like working together.
"Then I'm looking forward to it, then." She replies.