Match of the Millennium

Description: After a long time apart, Ichika invites Chevy to catch up over chicken. There's a lot of catching up, but not so much of the chicken. Perhaps the levee will hold just a little bit longer...

[ICHIKA]
What a difference a year makes.

Ichika's journey has taken her across a large number of countries, speaking with a large number of people, and - perhaps most surprisingly of all - she has maintained a low-key presence across much of it. It's... easy, actually. All she needs to do is take off her uniform, stow her sword, and she becomes just another Japanese tourist. Her fans have been surprisingly chill about it; a few Punchreon posts here and there, photos of her locales, thoughts on training and iterating her style... and they still continue to support her, sending the money she needs to carry on the trip. She doesn't engage a great deal with them, but there is one thing that comes up a lot: Ichika, what do you think of the New Fighting Generation?

Ichika's thoughts have remained her own this entire time. Though she's undoubtedly shared a few messages back and forth with her former teammates, especially, she has studiously ensured that her path does not cross with theirs - and she has refrained from comment on any of the new crop, or the developments that have pushed her old friends to new heights. She is no longer involved in the New Fighting Generation. It would not be proper. She has refused to be drawn on it, too; she is surely paying attention, from afar, but this is a path that they are continuing to walk and not a path that she is walking alongside them.

So it may come as a surprise when Chevy receives a text message from Ichika which shows a fried chicken restaurant in Rio De Janeiro and the message: This place looks good. We should go together.

When Chevy arrives, as Ichika is totally sure she will, it might even take her a moment to -recognise- Ichika. The girl has let her hair grow long, it falls well past her shoulders now though there's still that stubbornly spiky streak up front. She's two inches taller, and much more muscular. She is also wearing a loose grey hoodie with a yellow thunder bolt symbol, a pair of torn, black jeans... the boots remain the same though; and the fingerless leather gloves have had steel studs added across the knuckles.

The real telltale is the sword, though. That, is propped up next to the booth in the back corner of the restaurant, where Ichika is waiting with a strawberry milkshake, practically waving a flag to announce her presence to her old teammate.

[CHEVY]
After that one Ichikast, Chevy's fans had asked for her to make even more appearances. Her own forays into online streaming have slotted more into the 'just chatting' category, firmly cementing her reputation as a "girl next door" who could ramble on on nearly any topic. She wasn't trying to follow in the Ichikast's footsteps, per se; on Chevy's streams, any discussion of fighting techniques and strategies that took place was largely instigated from reading the Chevaliers' chat bubbles scrolling past. She's made her own personal connection with her fans in the way that most suits her.

She's been happy to respond to Ichika's texts, while also being careful to keep from drowning her in responses about her own mundane minutiae. As Chevy walks through the door, there'd be no surprises in the redhead's appearance -- Chevy had sent selfies as much as she could, in a blind hope of getting Ichika to return in kind. So her migration away from novelty T-shirts wouldn't be a shock; the spaghetti-strapped camisole top and baggy capris she walks in with should seem perfectly natural. As is the mild tan, the one that would've been completely unthinkable for the freckled, fair-skinned farm girl even one year prior. There's a tiny, one strapped sling backpack over one shoulder, that seems to be serving as her purse.

Her eyes squint as she gets used to the subdued lighting within the restaurant -- but as soon as she spots the hooded girl with the sword, she's quick to shuffle her way over. "Hey girl! Hope I didn't make you wait long!"

Normally, giving a hug to someone exuding as huge of a 'touch me at your peril' aura would be a bad idea, but... Chevy feels brave enough to tempt that fate! She's effervescent as she squeezes Ichika's shoulders, lingering to get a closer look at her friend's face.

"It's felt like forever! Gosh! You look fantastic!" She brushes her thumb along the long, raven locks. "This is new! It looks great on you!"

Beaming, she finds her way to a seat, not wanting to test her fate -too- much longer. "Great choice for a meetup! Gosh, all the way out here in Rio, yeah? I--"

For the first time, she hesitates. Wondering -- is it arrogance that has her assume that Ichika is here on *her* behalf?

"I mean, you tryin' to practice your Portuguese?" Freckled cheeks pull into a broad smile. Chevy really *couldn't* be happier!

[ICHIKA]
Ichika returns the hug, warmly. There's a laugh from her, even, when Chevy comments on her hair and brushes at it. "My mother thinks it makes me look like I'm homeless." She says, grinning, "Apparently, reminding her that I -am- homeless, technically speaking, was not the reassurance that she wanted from me."

As her friend settles opposite her, those bright blue eyes of Ichika's meet Chevy's gaze with the most 'are you serious right now' expression she can muster. "No. My Portuguese is terrible. Beyond saving." She says, "I wanted to see you, before you head into your own finals. Just like you helped me, before mine."

She folds her hands neatly on the table before her. In spite of her very relaxed clothing and perhaps mildly antisocial appearance, she's still not totally abandoned her formality. She's -- definitely a lot calmer, too. Infinitely more so than the last time she had seen Chevy face to face. Everything had been thrown up in the air, after that - by Ichika's own design, to be fair, but that didn't make it any less distressing that their communications had, mostly, been texts and pictures with the odd phone or video call. Nothing that could possibly replace being face to face.

"You look amazing as well." She says, "Not, just with the new look. But your fighting has developed even further than when we last sparred. I'm, very impressed. I remember that first time we fought, in the gym at the hotel." Ichika's smile becomes a little smaller - of course she does. Ichika remembers -everything-. It's a curse as much as a blessing. But the memory is a fond one, at least. "We've both come a long way since then."

A beat, so that she can sip her milkshake, and then, "Fire and water in the finals, then." She muses, "That's poetic as well. I would've worried about you being in your own head about fighting him, not so long ago, but... you seem pretty relaxed, I suppose that isn't so much of a problem any more?"

[CHEVY]
"Wait, you're homel--" Chevy's tendency to blurt out her thoughts is, unsurprisingly, a trait that persists through this day. "I mean, but yeah." She laughs awkwardly, lacing her fingers together in her lap as she scoots back a little bit. No more needs to be said -- as she'd known of Ichika's circumstances from previous texts, of course!

Is Chevy serious? She flashes a bare-toothed grin when Ichika fixes that look upon her, so probably not!

"Aww! I do appreciate that! I feel way better knowin' that you're here to watch!"

There's a moment where Chevy seems a -bit- uncertain about proceeding -- at least, until Ichika brings up their first meeting in Southtown Hotel.

"...Ah... Yeah! It's really hard to believe! I definitely couldn't have done it without y'all though. That time we spent together up at Mount Shasta... Oh! Right! Buck and I took a hike along the Andes! We had a good ol' time practicin' there too. Didn't run into any old ninja this time."

She draws in her breath at the thought of facing Hawksley. "... Aww... Well. Yeah, things were different last year. But when we fought a few months ago, he came at me with a set of car keys." She cranes her chin upwards, brushing her thumb across a thin scar that doesn't look too bad now -- but will probably not ever fully heal. "He might be a goofball out of the ring, but I cain't give him an inch inside it, I know that much."

She breathes in a wistful sigh. "I think I'll be okay though. The fight with Coco was the one I was -really- worried about..."

There's a moment in which Chevy just.. basks in the light for a moment, with a thin grin. "Life is -good- now, Ichika. It feels -good-."

She looks over at the milkshake, and then over towards the kitchen. "Oh, did you place an order? I should probably figure out what I want..."

[ICHIKA]
Ichika shrugs her shoulders easily, not at all offended by Chevy's outburst. If anything, it only makes her feel more at home - that was the Chevy she remembered! "My Dad asked if I needed my room, and when I said no he turned it into a room for his model trains." She says, "I'm sure if I needed to, I could go back... but back is not where my heart lays. The road is long. I'm not even close to the end of it yet."

That Chevy had gone up the Andes gets a grin from Ichika. "I would like to fight Miyama-san again." She confesses, "I think, this time, it would not be so easy for him to make light of me. If we were to fight together... I feel sure that even just the two of us could take him." Not that she had hesitated for a moment to lead the three of them into battle against the ninja even when they were all quite significantly outclassed as individuals.

She doesn't comment directly on the scar that Hawksley had left behind - what more is there to say, on such things? "I'm glad that you have found your stride." She says, "I didn't want to jinx it... but I always felt that being a tutor would bring out the best in you. It, felt like the next obvious step." She shakes her head, raises her hand to beckon over the waiter. Chicken sandwiches are, no doubt, the order of the day.

But it isn't until he has gone back on his way that she gets to the point. Ichika... has never been able to turn off her intensity, not really, and whilst she is delighted to see her friend and it is nice to take a break and catch up - there is, of course, a deeper meaning beyond just wanting to be here.

"Do you remember, before the last finals, we talked a lot about what the future might hold for me." She says, the blazing sapphire of her gaze burning across the table. "I would like to know - have you decided what it holds for you?"

And yet, there's a sense that there's something -more- behind the question. A deeper query, left unsaid. Ichika -hasn't- spoken a great deal about what she's actually been learning, what she's seen, or what might be on the horizon for her in those fleeting text messages. It is always simple and light. But this is not the same girl that walked away from Southtown to reconnect with Japan. Hundreds of days and thousands of miles later, she might not have any carkey-given scars, but her journey has left its own marks.

[CHEVY]
"Model trains?" Snickering ensues. "Your room's as good as gone, now. I ain't ever seen someone's collection get *smaller*..." Though she is teasing, when Ichika speaks about the road, she gives her dear friend an earnest nod.

As for Miyama Noboru... "... I mean, I'd like to think we'd do better, for sure. If it weren't for him I'd still be runnin' outta gas mid-fight. That guy was *intense*."

Chevy seems to shy away from the notion of being a 'mentor,' even after a successful run. "Well, I mean, Tan was already so good! There weren't a whole lot for me to do, aside from just... toughen her up, y'know?" She grins upon realizing how much more mature Tan seemed to be at the end of the island stay, compared to the beginning. It may not have seemed like a big change then, but looking back...

Chevy is just about to comment on her order, when Ichika suddenly ambushes her with a question she's -really- not prepared for. Her jaw hangs open in surprise at the intensity. In one sense: classic Ichika, definitely! But in another: it's been a year since she's had to experience that sort of insistence!

"... I... Uh." She stammers, taking a sip from the water that the waiter had thoughtfully brought over. "Well, my momma wanted me to go to college, you remember how she kept goin' on about that and all, so... I'm gonna go to Denver with Buck when this is all over with, and maybe check out the campus that-a-ways."

She quails -- just a little. It's always weird to feel immature and out-of-place compared with someone several years her junior.

"The NFG has opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities I weren't considerin' before. An' I wanna help people in the same sort of way. Maybe like... a career in sports medicine, or somethin'. I ain't really made up my mind yet."

She cracks a grin, afterwards, hoping for a release valve from the intensity. "Why d'ya ask?"

[ICHIKA]
For a long moment, Ichika is silent. Her expression is difficult to read; studiously neutral, and then... she nods her head, once. The tension in the little booth dies away, as though moving again allows the rest of the world back in. She sips her drink, she even smiles. It's true that Ichika is still much younger than Chevy; but it's hard to overstate how much she has changed. From the nervous, socially anxious girl who cared so much about not stepping a foot out of place, to... this.

"I climbed a mountain as well." She says, slowly. "When it was open again, I traveled to the summit of Mount Fuji. I... have avoided any of the others I passed in my travels. When I came to the foot of them, it always felt wrong, somehow. As though what I saw at the top of The Lotus Peak was the message that the kami had for me, and until I have acted on it, it would be ... disrespectful, to seek them out atop some other mountain on distant shores."

Her eyes drift up to the ceiling - she's quite aware of how unnerving her full and undivided attention can be. Unless she wants to add some sunglasses to the outfit, that's just not a situation that is going to change - and sunglasses indoors? Definitely not an Ichika vibe. "College is valuable for, a lot of people." She says, "And, I'm sure that you could learn many things that would be of great assistance when helping people, there. Honestly..." And here, she smiles just a little abashedly, "I won't pretend I'm not a -little- disappointed."

A deep breath, and then a long, slow, exhale, follows. She forces herself to relax. "In the times that are coming, we will need teachers." She says, "And physicians, and trainers. All sorts of things. But, I was hoping..." For a moment, she hesitates, and then, she shakes her head. "It doesn't matter." She says, "I'm glad that you have found your path. Truly. If it is one that will bring you joy, let you help others, and make your family proud, then... what more could any of us really ask for?"

[CHEVY]
At times, Ichika and Chevy act like two peas in a pod. Sisters, in their own way. But at other times, the worlds they walk in couldn't be further apart.

There is a moment where Chevy is starting to grow nervous -- did she blurt something out she shouldn't have? That anxiety fades as Ichika nods her head and smiles. This is the friend she's known all along, of course -- one of the handful of people she trusts more than anyone else on the planet. And this trusted friend is one to put a lot of faith into her mountaintop enlightenment. Maybe a bit weird to Chevy -- but understandable. "Right..." affirms Chevy with a smile, remembering the 'aizuchi' from her time in Japan -- an essential way to communicate one's attentiveness. "Yeah, of course..." She doesn't understand why one -shouldn't- communicate more with the gods, but Ichika clearly has her reasons.

There's a brief sigh of relief from Chevy as her friend looks upward. She'd felt a -bit- on the hot seat, there, and this gives her time to sip at her water, and relax a little bit.

... Though she's slowly put on edge again, at the way in which Ichika verbally steps around what she really wants to talk about: her disappointment. Quietly, Chevy sets her drink back on the table, folding her hands up in her lap -- and sits as prim and properly as she can. Her expression starts to match the one Ichika had moments ago -- studiously neutral, with perhaps a hint more concern.

Chevy knows when there's something not being said -- and when her feelings are being spared for a more solemn truth. And that's definitely the vibe she's reading here, in the moments of silence after Ichika's circumspect words.

Her expression softens. And she leans her elbows on the table. A grin begins to form on her lips.

"Ichika, what in the heck are you talkin' about? It sounds like you're workshoppin' somethin' nice to say for my funeral.." She scoffs a bit, afterwards -- looking down at the table for a moment as she fears she might have been -too- dismissive. Fingertips take through her forelocks, sifting them off to the right as she draws in her breath.

Settling her hands back onto the table, she offers with new hope: "Like... I ain't dead yet just 'cause I say I'm college curious, I'm right here." She thumps her palm against her collarbones, just above her white-gold necklace. "Ain't goin' nowhere, promise! So let's, like, back up: what do you mean by, 'in the times that are coming?' Somethin' you saw up on the mountain?"

[ICHIKA]
Ichika runs her hand through her hair when Chevy calls her out on her evasive words. That familiar cowlick sproings right back up when her fingers pass through it, and she's only saved from needing to say something immediately by the arrival of - naturally - chicken sandwiches. She takes a bite from hers, which buys her at least a few more moments to try and work her way through the issue, in her own head as much as anything else.

"... I know you're here, Chevy." She says, as she set the burger down. "And I know that if I needed you, you'd stand with me. Just as I would with you. That's, why I have to support you, if you've decided that education is where your path leads next."

Still not getting -quite- to the point, but the words are earnest; she can't just come out and say what she thinks Chevy should do. It's not as though Ichika's life is following the kind of path that her tutors or family would prefer; as she had alluded to earlier. She is wandering the world with no permanent place to rest her head. The journey is one that has given her a lot of things, but traditional success and a normal life are definitely not among the prizes on offer.

And Chevy -did- ask, directly.

"There is a storm coming, Chevy." She says, softly. "That is what I saw atop Mount Fuji. A storm so great and terrible that it threatened to sweep everything away. Not just the people, but the oceans, the mountains, the land itself. Everything."

Her hands fold on the table again. All at once, she seems to have lost her appetite for chicken sandwiches and strawberry milkshakes. "I don't know what it means, exactly." She says, "But I fear that in the end, all of our paths will have to chart a course through that storm. And I intend to make sure that when we do, we are as prepared as it is possible for us to be."

[CHEVY]
Whatever Chevy -might- have been about to follow up with is abruptly circumvented by the arrival of chicken sandwiches. Chevy's eyes light up as she turns to the wait staff! Smiling in appreciation, she starts to dig in.

She's quick to give a thumbs up in approval, upon savoring the flavor. "Mm. Great choice! It's been a minute..."

But... As much as she'd like to delve into greater detail on the mouthfeel and flavor, she can tell Ichika would rather talk about a matter of more serious import. "Mm. Of course, yeah!" Though, once again, her normally-cheery expression darkens at the clouds ushered in over her choice of higher learning. It more or less stays that way as Ichika continues to tell of a great and terrible storm.

"... Well... I mean, sure, but... What's that got to do with my bestie being disappointed in me?" Her thumbs play across the bun of her sandwich. "I mean, I weren't sure *what* I was gonna do after the first season, and when I walked in here I was a bit *more* sure, but now..."

She presses her lips together; her chin wrinkles up like a walnut. "... Are you fixin' to offer me a commission with the NOL or somethin'?"

[ICHIKA]
"I'm not disappointed -in- you, Chevy." Ichika says, sounding vaguely horrified that might be what was taken away. "Just... disappointed, in general." There's a soft sigh from the girl, and she reaches up to pinch the bridge of her nose, only stopping to laugh, when her former teammate mentions NOL. "-Hardly-." She says, with some emphasis.

"If there's one thing that Justice High taught me, it is that the leadership of the world is hopelessly outmatched by the challenges facing it." She says, seriously. "The -reason- we have so many problems assailing us today, is because we didn't solve them yesterday. If we're going to solve them tomorrow, we can't just keep throwing all our resources into the hands of the last generation and hope that they figure it out, this time around. We need something new."

Again, her hand reaches up to brush through her hair. Again, the hair refuses to stay where it has been smoothed, as it always does. "I was hoping... that perhaps you could feel it too. That, something, in the air. The feeling that has the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. That's what I've been chasing in my journey. Trying to find other people who feel it too, who can help me sharpen steel with steel, and be ready when the kami need us to stand between them and the storm..."

And then, she spreads her hands, smiling helplessly. "I don't want to pull you away from your normal life. If you, and Buck, are going to go to college and get a degree and... start a family? Then, I'm happy for you! It just means... the paths we are walking will continue to be diverged, for a while longer, anyway. They'll cross again here and there. We'll make sure of that."

[CHEVY]
Chevy scratches her cheek, forging a relieved smile. Yes -- it's clear she -did- think that's what Ichika was saying. And that also partially explains her awkward laughing -- as she knew -something- was a bit off. "... Well, good. Those uniforms ain't the best," she concludes with a wry smile.

Still. There's warm chicken sandwiches to be eaten, and she avails herself of the opportunity while Ichika explains how Justice High set her up for leadership. She nods for many of the points being raised -- though when Ichika expresses her hope that Chevy could -feel- something, Chevy's eyes widen just a smidge.

She sets her sandwich down -- but keeps her hands nearby just in case there's another lull of opportunity. "You've always been the one of us who feels things. I ain't been able to tell nothin's wrong. But... any time you wanna clash steel..." She looks up at the ceiling for a moment, then hastily responds, "I mean, I got my stuff out in the rental, I guess!"

Dropping her eyes back to address Ichika, she resumes listening... only to drop her eyes again once Ichika goes -right- there and drops the 'f' word (the nice one), flooding her cheeks a rosy red hue.

"A-anyway," she says, slightly flustered as she brings her eyes up to face Ichika. "I... I'm sorry, Ichika. I wish I could say I'd seen stuff. I mean... I -do-. But it's ..."

She scratches at her cheek. "Well, I mean, can I be real for a moment?" She waits just long enough to receive confirmation, before continuing -- at a greatly hushed volume, and with a somber expression.

"Almost losin' my life to that -one- ex-teammate of ours? That kinda... set a lot of things into perspective for me."

[ICHIKA]
Ichika can't help but grin when Chevy mentions that she's got her gear with her. Of course she does; Ichika would expect nothing less. Her smile fades when she's asked the question though. The chicken sandwich is - more or less totally forgotten. The milkshake, too. Catching up with her friend is fun, sure, but... this is an intense conversation. One which demands her full and complete attention. It's a pity, really; she would much rather spend the time gossiping about Buck, telling Chevy about the kindness she had found in Japan's more rural regions, and some of the meals she'd enjoyed along the way. But... that sort of thing has to take a back seat.

"Of course you can, Chevy. I would expect nothing less."

And as it so often seems to, the conversation turns back to Junko. Ichika's jaw clenches, her lips pressing into a thin line. "In some ways." Ichika murmurs, "She taught us a valuable lesson, didn't she?"

The traveling swordswoman forces herself to relax, letting the tension flow out of her. She hadn't even realised it, but the mention of the girl had caused her hands to grip the table painfully tight. "She proved to us, beyond a doubt, that even our mentors can be wrong. We cannot trust the judgement of those who have come before. We must apply ourselves to the situation ahead of us, and follow our -own- path. As much as I respect them all... /that girl/ should never have entered the world of fighting, not until she had conquered her demons. But."

Here, some of the severity leaves her voice, and her stern expression softens. "I... do understand. When she ambushed me, it took me months to come to terms with what had happened. My, weakness." More than the loss in the finals for certain; fighting as a sport is fun, but there are no stakes. With that damned girl, though, things could have ended much worse for her. In many ways, that was the moment where she had her answer to the dilemma Ichijo-sensei had put before her. It had just taken her a long time to accept that there was, in fact, a -reason- she picked up the sword, and applied herself to it so rigorously.

"... I know, what it did to me." She says, softly. "What lesson did she teach you, Chevy?"

[CHEVY]
Chevy knows that Ichika doesn't really want to talk about Junko much. She regrets even bringing the topic up, in a number of ways. But, she also knows that in order for her to be able to move on... she needs the counsel of her dearest friend. And she needs Ichika to understand how much that demigod had -shaped- her current mindset.

And Chevy, knowing Ichika's own history with the girl, she shows her agreement with a wan half-smile. "Yeah. There ain't no one we're gonna ever meet who has all the answers."

The farm girl looks down for a moment, as if surprised by the words that came out of her own mouth. But when her fallen eyes spot that chicken sandwich, she makes a note to keep her thoughts short. Sandwich awaits.

She looks back up to Ichika with a solemn resolve. Many things have stayed the same over the past year -- but it's clear that her experiences have weathered her.

"Well, I don't know how much you know," she starts, in a tone so low it's unlikely anyone else in the restaurant can hear. "But Suzaku trapped us on that island. So after dusting each other up in the tournament, we had to face her if we wanted out."

There's a brief glimmer of a smile, at that. "And that's when I realized Junko really *was* pushin' back against the so-called goddess."

Chevy glances down for a moment, places her fingertips along the sandwich bun, and then looks back up again.

"But, if I had to put my finger on a lesson, it'd be that throwin' your might around, makin' a big fuss ... That just wins you fear. An' every one of us realized -- fear ain't the same thing as *respect*. It's kinda the opposite."

Chevy draws her sandwich closer, and offers a faint smile. "Love and respect are two things you cain't just up and demand from someone. You gotta earn 'em."

[ICHIKA]
Ichika's expression doesn't change much with the revelation. "I didn't -know-." She admits, "But after the way things were handled with -us-, between the kidnappings, the maiming, all that extra security they had to put on just so that things could proceed to the finals... I'm not surprised. I could tell that -something- wasn't right. I thought about trying to force my way in to check on things myself, but..."

Here, she smiles, a genuine warmth to it. "I knew that with you, Buck and the others there, you'd be able to handle it." And - whilst it sounded like things hadn't been /easy/ by any stretch of the imagination - it's hard to argue the point. Chevy is sitting across from her, after all.

"That's a good lesson to learn." Ichika agrees, nodding her head. "I, used to care a great deal about respect. Fighting was just a means to an end, to make others respect me. That feels like a totally different person, now. It's funny, isn't it? The more you -demand- respect, often, the less worthy you are of actually receiving it? And love..."

She trails off. That, wasn't something that she had even begun to explore, not really. There had always been something getting in the way; her studies, and then the Project, and now her journey. All great reasons why she hasn't been able to pause and really examine her heart. She loves her friends of course, and her family, very deeply... but those kinds of love are different to the romances she has seen blossom between her comrades. That, remains a complete mystery to her.

"Love is a very precious thing." She says, hoping that it doesn't sound too much like a platitude. "For what it is worth, though... I'm not afraid, any more. Not of Suzaku, not of failure, and certainly not of the storm that I see in my dreams. I know that we will face all of these things, and I know that we will overcome them. Because we are the New Fighting Generation."

She grins, blue eyes sparkling with that bright inner light. "The world is ours to build."

[CHEVY]
Chevy had waited long enough. After making her point with the tangent, she digs in. *CHOMP*

She has a few moments to consider Ichika's thoughts on her chances of survival, on respect, and... on love. The hesitation doesn't go unnoticed -- and Chevy even feels a little bad about bringing that *particular* word up into conversation. Her bright smile returns as Ichika spins it into a positive. "Yeah. Whole time we were fightin', love was first on my mind. I couldn't stand the thought of losin' anyone precious to me. 'Cause I definitely got the sense that it weren't just the island in danger."

The hayseed smiles at the *idea* of being fearless. As someone who is fearful at almost everything, it's a nice sentiment -- and one of the qualities about Ichika she admires most. "Yeah! We stuck together through it all. We *made* ourselves tough. So I know whatever we set our minds to, we can do it!"

She looks down at her half-eaten sandwich, and holds it up again with a grin. "So it's been a whole *year*, ain't it? You did more than just climb a mountain, right? Tell me 'bout some of the other stuff you've done!" And then she takes herself another bite.

[ICHIKA]
"Fighting is often where we find what motivates us most. It is a language without words." Ichika murmurs, softly, at the thought that Chevy found -love- to be at the heart of it all. It's, a beautiful sentiment. Something she can't really relate to, sadly. For her, it has been justice, the spirit of the kami, and the pride she feels - both in herself, and in her team - which have come to her at her most triumphant moments. Love is a whole different thing, and not for the first time she wonders if she should be trying to make more room for it in her heart. But, could she? Really? That sort of thing always seems so complicated! ... Tch. At least the topic moves on, quickly enough. She can worry about all that later.

"I spent a lot of time in Japan." Ichika says, "Hokkaido, mostly. Then I traveled across China, Russia, parts of Europe... it has been interesting, so far. Seeing the parts of the world that we did not see during our first travels. There's still, so much more of it to go. I like the travel! And I've found that people all over the world are very happy to see me. Even those who didn't know about the New Fighting Generation. ... Even when I'm dressed like this, to avoid too much attention. When we went to America, I found it overwhelming and odd. But, as much as there is hardship everywhere... there is kindness, too. And if you do your best to be kind, others will be kind to you, in turn. At least, most of the time."

[MINT]
It may just be a casual conversation, but Chevy is honed in on Ichika's expressions. So when her Thunder teammate grows quiet in response to her notions of love guiding her through all... It stands out a little bit. The hayseed's brow furrows the slightest little bit at the realization -- she's not quite sure what to make of that.

She puzzles through that, as Ichika tells about all the places she's been. "Hokkaido!" She remembers hearing about that place -- usually in association with its temperature in relation to the rest of Japan. And then as she hears about even more of her friend's travels, she finds herself feeling a little chilly, wrapping her hands about her shoulders. "Mm... Sounds like a lot of cold places!" And considering the Mermaid has practically followed summer across the equator, it's clear that Chevy seemed to prefer the warmer climes.

She smiles at the notion of 'going incognito' with a jacket that still speaks 'thunder' to anyone who will listen -- but it's not far off from how she's abandoned her favorite denim for her own stealth rendezvous.

"Mm, yeah! That's pretty true! Pretty much everyone we ran into on our travels has been pretty nice to us. Aside from that one camel dealer down in Algeria, but Buck realized he that was just him haggling for another twenty percent."

She rubs her shoulders, still fixated on the cold. And for some reason, she starts to scoot her chair closer. "That got me thinkin', though. What do folks do to stay warm? Like, whenever there was a cold snap back home, the power would go out! Whenever that happened, Momma would get the ol' kerosene heater out in the living room. Some of my favorite times was just settin' out there with a pot of warm chicken stew. Sometimes Momma would spook me with scary ghost stories. Aww, it was the best!"

Some people start to turn their heads as the chair scoots across the floor -- but once they see Chevy whip her cellphone out of her back pocket, they politely turn aside...

"Let's get us a pic real quick, Ichika!" Chevy's grinning face fills half of the cellphone screen, and she's hoping to get a good reaction out of Ichika in the process!

[ICHIKA]
Ichika nods her head very seriously when Chevy comments on the temperature. "Why do you think I got this hoodie?" She asks, rhetorically. "I tried the old uniform in Russia, once, but... no. No. I don't know how Zangief runs around with his shirt off all the time, the man must have a heater hidden in his chest hair."

She listens, fondly, to the stories though - both the idea of Buck arguing about a camel, and Chevy's warm home life. Such a contrast to her own! Study and duties helping in the kitchen... "I remember your mother's cooking fondly." She says, the memory of that waterpark visit floating to the top of her mind, "Give her my best regards, when you speak with her next--" And then Chevy is suddenly on her feet, and the younger girl is being pulled into a selfie?!

That gets Chevy her coveted shocked expression - Ichika's eyes wide and shining blue, her mouth open, not quite a -protest- but certainly caught off guard. When she is released from the impromptu snapshot, the prodigy is blushing as red as a beet, huffing adorably as she looks down at the barely-touched meal on her plate. "You, always bring me crashing right down to earth, Chevy." She pouts, and then, after a beat. "... I did miss this. A lot. I hope college is everything you want it to be. I... am likely to start seeking more open fights and competition myself, soon. I've learned many things on my travels, but progress applying it to my fighting has been slower than it was when I had a more structured arrangement. I need to find a middle ground, I think."

[MINT]
"Oh, I will! She keeps askin' about you!"

Chevy's wide grin is forever immortalized in the camera shot with Ichika's surprised look. If there's one thing the hayseed had missed, it was getting the most candid expressions from the ever serious Ichika.!

"Haha! I do try my best..." There's no trace of remorse on her face as she withdraws back to her own seat. Her cheeks are a little flushed as well from the sudden motion, but she composes herself as she files the image away on her phone.

"I miss it lots! I feel bad pickin' on people who cain't rock my face off in a fight." Miss Beaumont snickers infectiously as she steeples her fingers on the table. Not that she wouldn't tuck in on her sandwich, but she doesn't want to outpace Ichika too much on that count.

"... Yeah, like... Honestly? That's kinda why I think I *need* the college. Some of that, uh, structure. Fillin' my head with facts so I'm proper *motivated* to train s'more. And... Are you thinkin' of Neo League, or somethin' else?"

She tilts her head slightly, looking at the hoodie. "That hoodie's cute, yeah! Did you do the lightning bolt yourself?"

[ICHIKA]
Ichika smiles faintly at the mention of the Neo League. "I have certainly added my name to the list, but it seems that the focus of the world is elsewhere at the moment. We'll see if there are any takers." It doesn't seem like it particularly annoys her, that - the League is professional fighting at its best, but the world of professional fighting has been dominated by the very project she felt that she had outgrown. That doesn't mean that the world of fighting itself is closed to her, though.

"And, I can certainly understand the value of structure. For me, setting my own pace has felt like setting down a weight that I didn't know I was carrying my entire life. But, I wouldn't have reached where I am if it weren't for that part of my journey. I... hope that it gives you everything you want. And when your schedule allows, we can make sure that our paths cross again."

And then it is on to the smaller matters; her outfit (yes, she's been practicing how to make off-the-rack clothing more to her style, it's so much harder without Lyraelle's team!), the music she has enjoyed, the places she has visited and the places she has yet to visit... until, eventually, it feels that the conversation has run its course. Her sandwich remains mostly untouched, but she picks up her sword anyway, as she rises from the booth.

"It was good to see you again, Chevy. Hopefully I can come and visit you again soon."

Log created on 08:05:37 01/28/2025 by Ichika, and last modified on 16:13:02 02/06/2025.