Scene #9300: Just Hanging and Chatting

Owner	Pose
Hibiki Tachibana	Although Hibiki Tachibana and Petra Soroka have indeed hung out earlier this week under unexpected (very expected in hindsight) circumstances, that was sort of different. It was a meet-up originally for Tiphereth and ended up involving quite a lot of people, after all. Not exactly the sort either of them had in mind when Hibiki first clumsily brought up the idea at the tail end of their heist briefing. Not least of which because Miku wasn't around for that, though she's actually the one who suggested their choice of venue today - and the one who used Hibiki's phone to send her a message just the day prior. 'How about here? < attachment > I hope you don't mind, it was the first place I thought of. I just think it's easier to relax over good food.' 'I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Have a safe trip when you come, okay?' - Miku On an unassuming street in a quiet corner of town, vaguely on the route to Lydian and not far from the canal that runs to the school, there's a pancake shop - Flower. It's a small place ran by a kindly old woman who they say makes the fluffiest pancakes you'll ever eat, and never feels too crowded nor too empty, even when it's a relatively slow day like today. Aside from the owner managing this and that in the back, they might be the only customers inside the homey interior at the moment, with Hibiki and Miku both nestled into a little booth seated across from each other and seemingly going back and forth about this and that while they wait. As ever, when these two are together, the latter always seems to be the one who takes the social initative. "It sounds like everybody had a good time, didn't they?" "Well... at least I think so. Kind of surprising. Or maybe not. It's hard to imagine someone /not/ liking their first burger..." "You were just talking about the compliments you were getting from the others, not just her. I told you it'd be... ...oh, here she is now." Miku, who also chose the seat that'd let her watch the door, is naturally the first to offer a smile and a wave to greet Petra when she rolls around, as sunny as ever - at least outwardly. Hibiki turns to look over her shoulder to also look her way, although she's maybe predictably more awkward about it, because when isn't she. "...Petra. Hey. Didn't have it rough on the way over, I hope. I was just getting grilled about how things went before..." Pun unintentional. She's a little too stupid to do those on purpose. Equally unintentionally, there is now the unstated yet horrendous decision to make of which girl to sit next to here.
Petra Soroka	I'm looking forward to seeing you again. What an incredibly complicated sentiment to express about Petra Soroka. For Miku especially, knowing everything she does about all the times Hibiki's been miserable, beaten down, exhausted, hated, even forced out of her home on the run or trapped in a war, that were all Petra's fault, and how each time she and Miku have met, it's been at wildly different points along the vast and chaotic scribble of Petra's personal arc. When looking forwards to seeing Petra again, who does Miku even expect to see? > :sticker_doggyOK: > i'll let you know when i'm otw Today, of all days, Petra is in the best mood she's been in since the war. It's visible in the way she walks and the way she's slept well enough and dressed herself, with a flannel shirt and a baseball cap for the slightly chillier air here than in the City. She couldn't not be in a good mood today! Lilian finally talked to her again! The worst thing that has ever happened to Petra Soroka was not getting talked to by Lilian for a couple months and now it's solved and she's all better! But when she enters the cafe, she's presented with the second worst thing to ever happen to her: a slightly weird social situation. Why the fuck are Hibiki and Miku sitting on opposite sides of the booth? Surely, when they're going out alone, they sit on the same side, right?? So they had to have chosen to do this because they're eating with Petra, but... but why??? What is it about Petra's presence that drove them to force her to sit next to one of them? Immediately, Petra feels like she's been pointed out from across the bar because they liked her vibe. She feels as trapped as if they slid into a booth that she was already sitting in to pin her against the wall. She awkwardly raises up a hand in a wave, and smiles back-- genuinely, if a bit low-energy. Surely this had to be a machination of Miku's. Petra has to imagine that Hibiki would naturally tag along like a golden retriever to stick to Miku's side and sit in her same booth if not directed otherwise, so she had to be pointed towards the other side of the table for some reason. Thus, it only makes sense to sit next to Hibiki, like they're both getting interviewed by Miku, or something like that. "Didn't have it rough on the way over, I hope." "I mean, I dunno how I would. I feel like the number of muggings that happen to me per day in the City makes pretty much anywhere else feel like a cakewalk." Petra settles in awkwardly at the edge of the bench, putting the absolute maximum six inches between herself and Hibiki. "It's, nice to see you guys, though. Hiromi's mountain wasn't exactly a good place to talk." "Anyways... it's kind of weird to say, that it was Tiphereth's first burger, but not Angela's. Like, it's been long enough now that Angela's got... a pretty solid list of foods she's tried at least once, even if it was only a little bit, and she's figuring out her tastes and everything. In a year, it'll pretty much just be normal for them all. And hopefully normal to leave the Library, too."
Hibiki Tachibana	Truly, Petra is wise for understanding that Hibiki would be saddled right up next to Miku automatically and without thinking if she had any choice in the matter. Equally so, it probably says something that Hibiki is here in her everpresent combo of worn-open jacket and cargo shorts with those big old boots, while Miku has dressed up a bit with a warm beige cardigan and dark blue skirt. Not exactly fancy, but it's clear which of the two actually put any thought into heading out the door. Still, it really does beg the question of what she expects when meeting Petra. She certainly has been there for the whole thing; even before Petra was in the picture at all, during Hibiki's initial troubles with Lilian. She's been there for the good, the bad, the awkward, the violent... and yes, even when Hibiki was driven away from returning home at all for a period of weeks. Maybe it's a little uncanny how she can still greet Petra with a smile. Or maybe it comes with the territory of being joined at the hip with Hibiki Tachibana, also incredibly weird about these things. Maybe, she's just good at hiding her thoughts. "It wasn't, but I did enjoy getting to stretch my legs, going there. You look like you're doing a little better compared to then. I'm glad." Hibiki, who (also awkwardly) sort of nudges herself a little closer to the wall than she was to give Petra more room to exist, also manages to take in that some of the pall of social despair and general downcast-ness that has been hovering around Petra like a dark cloud has dispersed. Any that came back at their seating arrangements aside. "...You kind of do? Did something happen?" And on the subject of burgers, "Well, now I kinda feel double thankful for Angela complimenting me..." Miku is the one who slides menus over, which are - to nobody's surprise, given where they are - primarily dominated by pancakes of all sorts of varieties. Plain pancakes. Stuffed pancakes. Pancakes accompanied with fried noodles or greens, pancakes stacked high, and a half-dozen other sorts to boot. "Hibiki was telling me, off and on, about it all. It sounds as if all sorts of things are on their way to becoming 'normal' for Miss Angela and the others there... after all the awful things you've all been through." "What about you though, Petra?" What a multi-layered question, delivered so conversationally. It's 'how are you now?', 'are you getting used to it too?' and 'can it feel normal?' all wrapped up into one. The slightly apologetic, "Ahaha, I know you and I don't really get to chat much, so..." that comes a moment after shows she probably understands that herself.
Petra Soroka	"...You kind of do? Did something happen?" "I-- that was a whole month ago, I feel like even I can improve a little over that long," Petra protests, but the question immediately makes her self-conscious. When Hibiki saw Petra a few days ago, she was slightly better than the miserable wreck she could be expected to be, when bouncing off of Audrey, but she was still slow-moving and despondent. Improving over the course of days means something must have happened, but it immediately poses the comparison that Petra 'should' be some other way if nothing changed-- because, of course, everyone at the table knows that one thing hasn't changed. And so for Petra to be 'doing a little better'.... "Anyways, um..." Petra's mood sinks visibly, exhaling slowly into a slouch that places her elbows on the table and props her cheek up on her knuckles. "Nothing that matters to anyone but me. Some stuff between me and Lilian got cleared up, I guess." Petra spins the menu around with two fingers against the table without lifting up her head, eyes flicking back and forth every couple seconds to read each line. Even if she's been brought down from the (worn-out, vaguely haunted) smile she had when walking in, she's functional enough for ordering food. It's chronic, not acute, and for once it seems like Petra can be described as 'sad', rather than any of its sharper, more catastrophic and more changeable synonyms. Eventually she just picks out a simple okonomiyaki rather than anything sweet, since she eats too little nowadays to pass up on a chance where she's being forced to get nutrients. "... Yeah, normal. I don't remember if it's been talked about outside private channels, but Audrey and I cooked up a plan that should let Ange go... pretty much anywhere she wants, for short times. We're trying it out next week. So... it's a crutch, but it's almost normal." "What about you though, Petra?" Without raising her eyes from the menu as she fidgets with sliding it around on the table with a finger, a lukewarm smile weakly tugs at Petra's lips. "... Well, I've got no choice, right? Tomorrow comes no matter what. Whatever tomorrow probably has, that's normal. It's up to me to adapt." "Which... I guess I am." Petra sighs, disappointed by her own answer somehow. "I don't know. I'm not killing myself, so, yippee. I'm actually going to college starting next month. So... that's that; things happen and they keep happening and then... yeah."
Hibiki Tachibana	Nothing that matters to anyone but me. Some stuff between me and Lilian got cleared up, I guess. "Ah..." Hibiki gives a slow and hesitant nod, between Petra's visible sinking and her own current standing with Lilian being more or less up in the air and unresolved. It's not as if she's chatted with her at length since everything went down - and honestly, even if Lilian was forcing herself to be especially nasty at the time, that initial fight against her during the war still has a few words that come back to mind when she's left with her thoughts for too long. "...That's still pretty important, though. I didn't want you two to be at odds forever," says the girl who is frequently at odds with Lilian Rook. "There's nothing wrong with crutches, when you need them to walk," Miku intones while pouring over her own menu - although her focus flicks over it to Petra as she talks. Maybe taking in the general feeling around her in a way that was impossible to do during the hectic climb up the mountain, which makes her as-to-now everpresent smile take on a bit of a somber quality when her eyes drift back down. "It might be needed now, but one day it won't. Taking things a day at a time like that... having something to aim for makes it easier." Hibiki decides on an okonomiyaki herself, because it's only normal that she chooses something she can stuff her face with. Miku opts for a stack of simple soufflé-style pancakes, and it's not long after the gently smiling proprietor comes to take their orders before stepping back behind the counter that the sizzle of batter and the smell of vegetables cooking fills the small café. "The world keeps moving on no matter what happens in it, huh..." Hibiki murmurs with folded arms, easing back in her seat while they wait and also seeming vaguely unsatisfied with this. "I guess that's true. Though, I..." She trails off, frowning. She still can't picture being close to 'adapting' if she were in Petra's shoes right now? She can't shake a nagging feeling in her chest over not being able to stop 'that' from even happening in the first place? She still doesn't even know how to broach the subject, despite part of her reasoning for coming out together being wanting to stop dancing around the subject all the time? Miku, no doubt picking up on both of their disappointments - and not making this seem any less like an interview - leans forward enough to put her elbows on the table and clasp her hands together, chin resting on top of them. After a thoughtful couple seconds... "You still can't help but feel guilty." It's said as a statement, not a question. To both of them, maybe. "About... well, I imagine plenty. But also that you /are/ adapting."
Petra Soroka	"I didn't want you two to be at odds forever," "No kidding. Who knows how many people'd die?" It's a joke, of course, but maybe surprisingly, it's indicative of more positive moodlets in Petra than negative ones. After all-- it is true, right? The potency of Petra and Lilian specifically being on good terms is such that people live and die based on it. Even just in the simplest ways, the P.E. boxes that Petra supplied Trideag with last night might let Lilian expand its capabilities or better support the people underneath its care, and if just one more person can be taken in because of the extra resources of that electricity, then that's one person who might have died without the combination of Lilian and Petra. Who else could've gotten stable power to Trideag this quickly, besides Petra? Who else could've built the structure that holds up this well against the apocalypse, besides Lilian? To say nothing of the fate of the City as a whole, where billions of lives will be primarily in Lilian and Petra's hands. Admittedly, the last time the fate of the City was in their hands, they were opposed to each other and Petra triumphed in order to cause this particular apocalypse, but surely Petra's plan to disguise herself as an Arbiter won't make her clash with Lilian ever again. "It might be needed now, but one day it won't." "Yeah, 'cause one day your crutch will slip on the escalator and you'll be dragged through it and crushed like a Capri-Sun." Is that something Petra's seen before? How is that the first thing that comes to mind? Petra drums her fingers on the table, silently agitated for a moment at a soothing tone being taken towards something she was at least a little proud of. "It's sort of complicated. It's not a safe procedure or anything, and it'll never get any better just from waiting. As long as the City is the way it is, there's always the chance that it'll all fall apart again. ... But that's not really your problem." "I guess that's true. Though," "There aren't really any 'I guess'es or 'though's, though, are there? It's just true. Tomorrow the entire fucking war could happen for a third time--" She knows that's not literally what experiencing Angela's memories means, not even subjectively for herself, but it's always a little funny to refer to it as a 'third time loop'. "--and we'd just have to get through it again and then keep existing after that. That could be normal. There's, millions, of people who that's been normal for, I..." Petra trails off, and gradually unclenches her fist from where she suddenly dug her nails across the table in an abrupt fit of intensity. She doesn't finish that sentence, but she's thinking, as she often does since the war, about Eidolon Squadron. "But also that you /are/ adapting." Petra winces and leans back, heaving a labored breath. "... Jesus. What's with the interrogation? I..." She looks to the side, first towards and then hastily opposite Hibiki, slouching into the back of the bench. "... I mean, it's only been a couple months. Even if my sense of time's been fucked a thousand different ways, that's...."
Hibiki Tachibana	No kidding. Who knows how many people'd die?"I think you might be the craziest power duo in the entire Multiverse," Hibiki says, meaning it - having been on the receiving end of both of them individually /and/ together, multiple times even. So it's pretty easy to believe she's genuine on that. She has also been pretty privy to both of them on the opposite end of the spectrum; Trideag's efforts with Lilian at the helm, and everything from Petra working at Lobotomy Corporation to the recent heist. Man. It's been a lot, now that she thinks about it. "The City is really gonna have its work cut out for it for the next couple years. ...I wouldn't say no to more jobs like the last one, honestly. I wonder how many more L Corp holdings are out there and left to who-knows-who." As long as the City is the way it is, there's always the chance that it'll all fall apart again. ... But that's not really your problem. "Mmn... no, I suppose not." Miku replies, having a rare moment of /her/ being the one to glance aside a little uneasily. "Still, it's because of those constant efforts that things over there will ever get better in the first place. You, and Hibiki, and everybody else. I know that. That's why I can't be too upset about her always going over there. Or that you all fought that terrible war..." She says that, but there's still the unease. Without a doubt, part of it is the unspoken 'it's okay because Hibiki actually came home'. "It's not my problem... but it'll always have to be somebody's. Including the people who that's 'normal' for..." "Miku..." Hibiki grimaces, perhaps not having it as bad as Eidolon Squadron or a lot of others out there - but also not unguilty of regularly throwing herselves into completely awful situations where she might get killed... and has. ... I mean, it's only been a couple months. Even if my sense of time's been fucked a thousand different ways, that's... Soon enough, their three individual plates of pancakes all arrive, steaming hot and fresh from the pans. Hibiki and Petra's look fit to bursting between the fluffiness and the wealth of toppings, while Miku's is sporting enough honey-slathered pancakes that it might also look to be too much for her to eat. Only after the kindly old woman has bowed and moved back to the counter does Miku shift to an apologetic smile. "...Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have said so out loud. Being around Hibiki so much makes it a little hard to /not/ notice and point things out." Hibiki, who is guilty as charged, rubs the back of her neck. "I don't know everything. Honestly, there's all sorts of things about what goes on out there that I can't pretend to /really/ understand. Everything you go through. The most I can do is..." She gives a gesture to the food. "...Try to, and do what little I can."
Petra Soroka	"I think you might be the craziest power duo in the entire Multiverse," Petra is visibly smug about this. The typical phrase is 'power couple', after all, and even without that specific word, there's still a certain weight to it. Get cucked, Tamamo. On the other hand, Petra still isn't welcome back at Lilian's house and the intensity of the seething contempt that Lilian has for her has only barely dipped back below drowning her. So maybe she can't brag too much. "...I wouldn't say no to more jobs like the last one, honestly." "Well, I'm out of access codes into the vaults of billion ahn bank vaults, sorry--" Petra cuts off, and blinks a few times. "... Actually, maybe not. I've gotten some info about the fallen L-Corp branches that's really worth looking into, though it's future sight shit so there's no telling. But... I guess they definitely have at least some stocks of P.E. boxes and might not be cleaned out yet because of the Abnormalities killing everyone in there." Petra groans and drags her hand across her face, pulling out her phone and tap-tapping some reminder notes into her infinitely long list. "God, the fucking mess I got left. Every single one of those facilities is risking an outbreak breach across whatever neighborhood they're in, not to mention this other bullshit I got told about." She glances up at Miku after sliding her phone away with an awkward expression. About so casually talking about mass death events, she says, "Er-- sorry." "That's why I can't be too upset about her always going over there." Petra opens her mouth to start making a sound, and then makes eye contact with Hibiki for a second out of the corner of her vision. Instead of whatever she was going to say, she hesitates and starts over again, slower. "... Yeah. It'll always be someone's job to fix things, or else they stay the same. And that'll always be us. But... I'm doing the best I can, and there's stuff changing all the time." "Being around Hibiki so much makes it a little hard to /not/ notice and point things out." A little woundedly, Petra pokes at the okonomiyaki with her chopsticks, eyeing the shop owner. It is, kind of, a lot to talk about in a cafe-- but on the other hand, that's, intentionally or not, the most clear piece of tone-setting Miku could have done. It's not acceptable to cry here, and so they don't want so much of Petra's emotions that she might cry. It's a friendly check-in with distance built in, and that's... okay, and manageable. Petra closes her eyes and steadily breathes through her nose, in a quiet little meditative ritual for a few seconds. Then she huffs, low-energy amused. "Well, she's pretty readable, yeah. Usually people have more trouble with me, though." As if Petra isn't just as obvious. "I'm..." Petra's eyes slide off of Miku to her side, sympathetic beyond just the confines of this conversation. "... sorry. I know what it's like, and you do a lot better than people with a lot less justification to not get it." "... But I'm just feeling a lot, and also probably less than I should, and-- I don't know. I barely get anything myself, and I'm there. So that's why I just keep... deciding the next step's to exist, because it's that or not."
Hibiki Tachibana	Er-- sorry. "I'm... used to it," Miku admits with a up-and-down shrug of her shoulders. "Between the Noise here and everything Hibiki gets up to out there, hearing about these sort of things doesn't bother me as much as it maybe should. If anything, I'd rather be in the know about what everybody is throwing themselves into than in the dark..." She does, in fact, live in a world where occasionally, extradmensional monsters appear and people get reduced to dust piles, and it's just a fact of life. "...If you need a hand helping secure all of those, you just need to say so," Hibiki adds on while starting her food, not lingering on the subject but also not able to stop herself from putting in her piece before it moves on. "Or with 'other'..." She trails off. Of course she's not going to curse in their present circumstances. ... Yeah. It'll always be someone's job to fix things, or else they stay the same. And that'll always be us. Hibiki meets that brief eye contact, also looks like she's going to say something, then frowns a bit. 'Not too upset' is a different way of phrasing 'accepts that's How It Has To Be', not that Miku is really at peace with it - and Hibiki knows that better than anybody. It's always a sort of passive guilt somewhere in her. She doesn't /have/ to do all this, but if she didn't, she wouldn't be Hibiki Tachibana. "...Doing the best we can, yeah. I'm trying to cut back on the... um. Putting myself into too much trouble part, at least." Everyone at the table knows how that'll probably end up. Imagine where they'd be now if Kukuru didn't exist. Miku lets out a quiet sigh.
Hibiki Tachibana	.. But I'm just feeling a lot, and also probably less than I should, and-- I don't know. I barely get anything myself, and I'm there. So that's why I just keep... deciding the next step's to exist, because it's that or not. "Well..." Miku begins, uncharacteristically pauses, then lets out another exhale that's less the slightly-exasperated one of a second ago, and more one almost directed at herself. "...Feelings are a complicated thing. When you're feeling too much, and when you're not feeling enough, and your head and heart are a total mess..." Hibiki lets out a little sound in the middle of her eating, eyes down on the table surface. "Putting one foot in front of the other and keeping on living is the best anyone can be expected to do. I think. I'm glad you have Angela and the rest there so you're not doing it alone. That's one of the hardest things out there. And..." "If you ever have the time and feel like it, you're free to stop by our place sometime. It'd hardly be the first time we had company over, even for the night." At that, Hibiki glances back up with a blink - and after a moment, gives a slow nod. "...Considering some of the get-togethers we've had before, I'd say our door might as well be open to pretty much anyone," Hibiki adds in a manner that implies joking around, but unintentionally gutpunches herself a bit by remembering Rita was with Liza one of those times. Ow. "It's not like that," Miku shakes her head at her, serious despite the jest, before giving a somber smile to Petra. "...Despite everything that's happened, recently and not... you two still just can't help but care about one another. So I can't not care, either. You know? And I do actually think it's a shame that you've been such a part of her life, but we only get to chat maybe once a year," She adds on with a small chuckle. "I'm the one always telling Hibiki she should push past all her self-consciousness and just talk with people."