2022-08-18 16:55![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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chitose_miyuki in the_zoneWho: Akutsu and Miyuki
When: The 15th?
Where: Poolside
What: Akutsu making a cute friend.
It was, as always, a hot day on Yomi. Which made it a perfect day to go swimming, in Miyuki's mind. So she put on her bikini, parked Tigger by the lounge chairs, and dove into the water to do some cooling down.
What a great day!
Akutsu had the day off work, and there wasn't anything interesting going on, apparently, so he decided to check out the pool everyone had been raving about. He changed in his room, into the black swim trunks he'd brought from home and a grey t-shirt, grabbed any random towel, and headed out.
When he got there, it actually looked deserted…aside from a random dog. So he walked over, crouched down, and held his hand out to let it sniff him. "Where's your owner, huh?"
Tigger panted stupidly and set about licking the fuck out of Akutsu's hand. Dogs had no limits to their love.
Meanwhile Miyuki surfaced, shaking the water out of her hair and sighing contentedly before noticing a man over by her dog. "Oh... You're Akutsu, right? I recognize you!"
The dog licking his hand like that actually had Akutsu smiling a little, and since it seemed so friendly, he went ahead and used his other hand to give it a few scratches by the ears. At the sound of a girl's voice, though, he turned around and spotted a very young looking girl in the pool. "Yeah. You're the one that called me a hipster."
Miyuki nodded her head. What could she say, she only ever saw hipsters smoking actual cigarettes.
"Chitose Miyuki is my name. You can call me Mi-chan if you want." Miyuki offered, smiling brightly. "And the dog is Tigger. He's a good boy."
Tigger barked in confirmation. He was the goodest.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna call you that." The only way Akutsu ever called anyone -chan was if he was purposely trying to piss them off. "Chitose. … Your brother's the hippie doctor?" He was still petting the dog - Tigger - and gave him a friendly headpat at the bark.
Miyuki nodded her head in confirmation. "Yeah, my brother is the hippie doctor! It's where I get my height."
Admittedly she was in the pool and her height wasn't really visible at the moment... but she was tall. Possibly taller than Akutsu? It was hard to eyeball from the swimming pool.
"Haven't actually met him. Apparently he relocated my idiot friend's shoulder though." And somehow convinced Niou he was an asshole, but Akutsu didn't feel a need to tell the guy's sister that. "How tall're you?" From here, she didn't look like much, but the pool could hide a lot.
"189 centimeters!" Miyuki happily climbed out of the pool to compare their height. "You're taller, but I think it's just because of your hair. Which is totally rocking by the way!"
…No way. Akutsu stepped close to her, just to see…and sure enough, he could look straight out and directly into her eyes, no up, no down. "Damn girl." Okay. Honestly, it was kinda weird. He was used to always being the tall one. Even with most guys, since Japanese people were usually shorter. "Uh. Thanks?" Probably should've washed the gel out before coming. Oh well.
Miyuki laughed at that reaction and nodded her head. "I get that a lot... even in places with a lot of foreigners I'm considered unusually tall." She crouched by Tigger, scratching her good boy's belly and cooing at the dog, before turning back to the pool. "You feel like joining me in the water? I see you bought your own swimsuit... smart move. The UEA apparently expects us all to look like pin up models with what they sent."
"I bet…Definitely the tallest girl I've ever met." Akutsu looked her over, arching an eyebrow. "Well, they got what they wanted with you. Bringin mine was a shot in the dark. Didn't actually think I'd use it, but glad I did. Wouldn't be caught dead in that stupid speedo." He stripped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes, leaving them on one of the chairs next to Tigger. And then, because, what the hell, he ran towards the pool and cannonballed in.
Miyuki laughed at the compliment. "Well thank you for saying I look good, but my usual style is a bit more shorts and a tank top than this."
She watched as Akutsu jumped in the pool, before hopping up and tossing herself into the water herself. "Aaah, water feels so good. I'm excited for actual baths, too."
"Tomboy type, huh? Nothin wrong with that." For some reason, it didn't really surprise him. Maybe because it matched her boisterous attitude.
Akutsu ran his fingers through his hair, breaking up the gel. It'd only last so long in the pool anyway. "So, what. People actually like. Bathe together? Sounds weird."
"It's pretty common for families in certain regions on earth. And amongst same gender groups." Miyuki explained, floating in the water. "It's relaxing since the tub's really big, but I can see how it might seem strange if you've never done it before. The big thing is just not focusing on the fact that everyone else is naked."
Akutsu tried to imagine it. All kinds of guys walking around with their bits hanging out… and sure, he liked looking at naked guys…well. Some of them. Others he'd definitely rather not. "Yeah…I think I'm gonna pass on that."
Miyuki laughed at that reaction, paddling around Akutsu. "I mean, it's not for everyone. Maybe they'll have hours when you can go in alone?"
She figured they'd have separate hours for girls and boys at least... which would give HER way less competition for the tubs.
Akutsu just shrugged. "I don't think I've ever even had a regular bath. But yeah, maybe if I can get it all to myself. Might try then." On a base this big, what were the odds?
"What, really? You've never even had a bath in a bathtub? You're missing out!" Miyuki exclaimed, flailing in the water as her shock made her forget to stay afloat. She righted herself quickly. "I feel like I need to devise a way for you to try the tubs... it's a relaxing experience, bro."
"Nah. Spent too much time in places that didn't exactly have the room for tubs. Showers all the time." And it wasn't like prison had baths. Just showers. Group showers, in which Akutsu learned you absolutely kept your eyes to yourself. "Seriously, don't worry about it. Can't miss what ya never had, right?"
"It seems like such a shame. Maybe I can sneak you in and stand guard during women's hours... there are a lot fewer girls on base." Miyuki mused, tipping her head to the side a bit.
Akutsu actually chuckled a little. "It's alright. I'm sure I'll manage to find time once they're not so new and the novelty's worn off some." People would probably flock to the baths at first, once they opened, but eventually things would settle down. He could just go then. "I'm in no hurry."
"If you say so!" Miyuki finally agreed, though she seemed unsure. She adored baths, after all. Well, as long as Akutsu got to experience them eventually. "It's good you'll finally have the chance to enjoy something nice though... the base seems to be striving to be a pretty pleasant place!"
Akutsu snorted. “Striving being the key word. Kind of a hellhole now.” Barely a damn thing to do but work, which is most of why he’d finally made it to the pool. “You’re awfully chipper. It’s weird.“
"I'm a positive person. Makes life less stressful if you just go with the flow." Miyuki replied with a shrug. Being called chipper wasn't the worst thing in the world. "Besides, I have to balance out all the cranky people around here... seriously, a lot of the people on this base need to work on not taking life so damn seriously. You only live once, you might as well have fun with it."
"Well, I guess that's one way to look at it. Never been much of a 'go with the flow' kinda guy, myself." Akutsu tipped himself back, letting himself float a little. "So I guess I'm one of those cranky people you need to balance out."
Miyuki laughed and gave Akutsu a thumbs up. "You're actually not to bad. Not giving a fuck is surprisingly similar to going with the flow, bro."
She still climbed out of the pool to go root through her stuff, pulling a crystal pendant on a leather cord out of her stuff. It was actually pretty cool looking. "I have something that will improve your vibes though! Here, put this on."
Akutsu arched an eyebrow. He was actually a little caught off-guard by such a pretty little girl - well, not so little, really - using his kind of coarse language. Not bad, he thought, glancing over to see what she was up to by getting out again. "...Don't know if ya noticed, I'm not really the jewelry type." And what did she mean, improve his 'vibes'?
Miyuki laughed and tossed the necklace at him. "Come on, give it a try. It will improve your quality of life, I swear!"
Even if it just improved it by making Akutsu look cool.
"It's a token of our friendship. Senri will hate it." She pointed out.
For a split second, Akutsu thought about letting it drop into the pool and sink to the bottom, but by instinct he caught it before that could happen. "How is that supposed to work, exactly?" he asked, skeptical as hell about it. He swam over to the edge and tossed the necklace onto the chair with his shirt. "I'll think about it." No promises he'd wear it.
Miyuki seemed happy enough with that. "It's the crystal. It will amplify the good energy around you by looking cool."
It was totally unclear if she believed the crystal had mystical properties or if she was just messing with Akutsu.
"....Sounds like total bullshit to me," Akutsu shrugged. He'd known people who believed crystals had powers, so the concept wasn't completely foreign to him, but he was definitely more of the kind of guy who had to see something to believe it. And who's to say it wouldn't all be a giant coincidence? "D'you really believe in that stuff?"
Miyuki laughed, pleased that Akutsu just called her bluff. "Nah, crystals are just cool. They can't actually improve your good energy. Well, other than making you look cool. And you'd look killer with that."
She sat on the edge of the pool, feet in the water. "Some holistic stuff has merit, though. Like some aromatherapy and meditation. Senri's the real expert on all that though. I'm just the little sister."
Well. At least she was honest about it. "Too bad I don't give a fuck how I look." Well, okay that might be a little bit of a lie. But just a little. He cared how he thought he looked. Everyone else could go fuck themselves. "Aromatherapy and meditation…yeah, that's some hippie shit alright." Note to self: avoid the hippie doctor.
"You must care somewhat. You bother to spike your hair." Miyuki replied with a laugh. "That means you put more effort into your appearance than I do!"
Akutsu just pointed at the wet, now basically gel-free hair hanging in his face. "I mostly do it because the other option is this." It wasn't long enough to put in a ponytail - not that he'd be caught dead with his hair that long anyway. "It gets in the way."
Miyuki shrugged. "Make all the excuses you want, it doesn't change the fact that you style it!"
She was clearly having fun pointing out the care Akutsu put into his appearance, but she also wasn't dumb enough to keep going.
"What does it get in the way of, anyway? What do you do around here?"
Akutsu just rolled his eyes. No point in arguing with a girl about stuff like that. "Mostly just grunt labor. Moving stuff from A to B, unloading supply shuttles. Working on the shuttles sometimes, too, making sure they're in working order. But I'm not technically qualified to work on them alone yet, so, always babysat." That, and too much concern he might try to steal one, of course. "What about you?"
"I'm a welder. The head welder, actually." Miyuki replied, stretching and waiting for the look of surprise. "I was brought on because of my qualifications, and to teach some of the staff how to weld... you ever want to melt some steel?"
"Head welder. And you're how old?" Akutsu thought she looked awfully young…but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Could've started young too, after all. "...Never really gave it any thought, actually."
"I started when I was just a kid. I'm nineteen now!" Miyuki laughed. "Probably the youngest person on base. I guess I'm doomed to be everyone's little sister here."
Nineteen. Well. At least she was legal. Still damn young though. "You must've started young to only be nineteen." It made Akutsu think back to what he had been up to at that age and…oh, yeah. Getting booted off the space station because he couldn't keep himself out of trouble. "Good for you, kid."
Miyuki seemed pleased with the praise. "The old man next door taught me. I think mostly to stop me from running feral through the neighborhood. I was always a pretty rambunctious child. Guess I needed the guidance to harness that energy properly."
Akutsu actually chuckled a little. He hadn't had much at an early age to keep him from running rampant, but… "Reminds me of the guy who taught me to work on shuttles. He was tryin to keep me out of trouble. …Didn't exactly work, though… Kinda got kicked off the space station…" He shrugged. Some people would be embarrassed. For him, it just was what it was.
"What, you steal a shuttle or something? Not gonna lie, a joyride in a shuttle sounds like a blast... I might not have been able to resist either." She was a cute girl from a stable family and would probably get away with it though. In her mind society was likely responsible for a lot of the shit that happened to Akutsu. He didn't seem as terrible as he seemed to think he was.
That actually got an amused grin out of him. "Yeah. At fifteen. Wanted to see if I could. Even managed to get it out of space dock before I got caught." Barely. Barely out of space dock. "Got sent to prison for it. When I got out is when that guy started teachin' me stuff. Tryin' to put my energy to good use, he said. But kept gettin in trouble anyway."
"They sent you to prison at fifteen? Hell, you were just a stupid kid. That's fucked up!" Miyuki shook her head. "Sometimes it's like the whole system is rigged, too... once you get in trouble everyone spends all their time just waiting for you to fuck up again... sorry you have to put up with that shit."
Akutsu just gave a little shrug. "It is what it is. Spent two years in, that time. Three years the second time. And for what it's worth, in my case, at least, it ain't that I fucked up. I made choices, knowing the consequences, and still did it anyway. Don't regret nothin." In some ways, prison was good for him. There was a structure there that was missing on the outside.
"Well, personal responsibility is a good thing... you planning on going back in the future?" Miyuki asked, genuinely curious if that was a choice that Akutsu planned on making.
Akutsu just looked at her flatly. "Not at the moment, no. But who knows. There are things I'd be willing to go back for, under the right circumstances."
Miyuki nodded her head. That seemed to make sense to her at least. Akutsu was a guy who chose his own path, and if that path led him to prison then so be it. It was kind of admirable.
She kicked her feet in the water. "So what were you in for the second time?"
"Same as the first. Stole another shuttle. Got to keep it for a year, that time, at least," Akutsu chuckled. "Less of a thrill ride than the first time, though. More of a survival thing." He looked at her a bit curiously. "None of this bothers you?"
Miyuki shook her head. "I used to volunteer at a soup kitchen back home that got a lot of ex cons... just because you've been to jail doesn't mean you're a bad person. Usually it just means the system failed you and you did what you had to do." She shrugged. "And you own up to it all, so that's cool."
She was from a family of hippies. They were big on social reform. And enough drugs and public nudity to probably land in jail themselves if they were unlucky.
Did what you had to do, huh… Yeah, some of his life could definitely be described that way. Not the first shuttle joyride that landed him in prison, but a lot of the other things… And damn if she wasn't so chill about it that it was…kind of weird to Akutsu. So, since he wasn't good at dealing with weirdness, he reached over, grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her back into the pool.
Miyuki squeaked in surprise as she was grabbed and pulled into the water, before splashing down and emerging laughing and sputtering.
"Haha, you got me! This means war, bro!" She declared, disappearing under the water to take out Akutsu's legs.
Akutsu couldn't help laughing as well, though he raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh yeah? Gimme your best shot," he smirked, making a beckoning motion with his hand. "I dare ya."
She latched onto Akutsu's legs and used the added buoyancy of the water to sweep them out from under Akutsu so that he'd fall over in the water. She was a pro at water wars, after all, what with having a big brother and all.
Akutsu sunk under the water from the pool, but he didn't come back up. He'd had enough warning to hold his breath, and he'd gotten a good deep one in before getting submerged. While he was down there, he grabbed Miyuki by the ankle and pulled her under and towards the deep end, making sure they were deep enough that neither of them could touch bottom before he let go.
And Miyuki responded like some kind of barnacle, wrapping her legs around Akutsu to shove him downwards as she went up, laughing, for a breath of air.
Then she kindly released him so she could resume staying afloat.
Oof she was good. By the time Akutsu came back up, he was almost desperate for air. She'd managed to make him use up the breath he'd taken. Once he had surfaced and taken a few breaths, he shook his head to get his hair out of his eyes. "Lemme guess. You've done that before," he chuckled, making sure to stay out of arms' reach for now.
Miyuki grinned, momentarily victorious. "A bunch of times... and in the ocean where you have to contend with stuff like waves, too."
Her skill at roughhousing had been finely honed.
Akutsu briefly stopped treading water just enough to throw his hands up in surrender. "You win. I've never even seen an ocean." Much less gone swimming in one. Waves? Forget about it. Only seen them on tv shows. "So. Practiced on your brother, I guess?"
"My brother and all his friends." Miyuki laughed. "Plus a bunch of my own friends. I'm experienced!"
The benefits of living somewhere with a beach, really. She had a natural advantage when it came to learning how to swim.
"Ha. Learned my lesson then. Never start a water fight with you. You're a fish. …Or maybe a squid." With those long limbs, definitely a squid. Akutsu let himself drift towards the edge, until he could hold on. Maybe he'd have to add swimming to his workout routine.
Miyuki laughed at the squid comment. It seemed accurate, with how lanky she was. "Long limbs give you an advantage in a water fight... but my brother was always taller than me so I had to learn to dodge limbs too."
She swam over to where Akutsu was, clinging to the edge of the pool now. "You ever try duving before? Off the board."
Akutsu idly wondered just how much taller her brother was. From the sounds of it, probably more than just a centimeter or two. "So…basically you're saying I don't stand a chance. …I'd try to prove you wrong, in just about anything else." He shook his head at her question. "Closest I ever had was a lake. There was this one really tall tree, and we nailed boards to it like a ladder, and someone had tied a rope to one of the branches. We'd grab on and swing, letting go when we were out over the water, trying to see who could make the biggest splash."
"That sounds like something out of a movie!" Miyuki commented, imagining said lake in her head. She had never actually swam in a lake before, just in the ocean or pools. "Maybe we can install a rope here to do that! Sounds fun and would take minimal materials."
Akutsu snorted. It was probably the only part of his life that sounded like a movie. "They'd probably say it's 'too much of a safety risk'. What if someone misses the pool and splats on the ground instead?" Although…honestly, it was kind of a funny image in his head.
"I feel like if that happens it would be their own fault for not jumping at the right time." Miyuki was brutal and willing to just let people splat themselves. "If their timing is bad they shouldn't swing on the rope in the first place!"
That got a solid chuckle out of Akutsu. It was a little weird, how well they seemed to get along; he couldn't remember the last time he'd just seemed to click with someone. "You're somethin else, Squid. Not sure what yet, but somethin else."
Miyuki stretched out in the water and grinned at Akutsu. "Hopefully I was able to make your day a little brighter. You seem to spend a lot of time brooding... it's gonna make you all wrinkly before you hit thirty if you're not careful!"
She glanced over at the clock and sighed. "I need to start getting ready for work though... it's been real. Let's hang out again sometime!"
Akutsu looked at the clock. So she worked night shift. Probably better for a welder. Fewer people in the way. "Y'know…you actually did," he admitted, feeling a little mixed about it. "Be careful workin tonight. Don't burn your tits."
"I've actually done that this month... so I'll try not to have a repeat performance." Miyuki laughed and toweled off, before whistling for Tigger. "Come on, boy! And bye, Akutsu!"
And off she went to do her work.
When: The 15th?
Where: Poolside
What: Akutsu making a cute friend.
It was, as always, a hot day on Yomi. Which made it a perfect day to go swimming, in Miyuki's mind. So she put on her bikini, parked Tigger by the lounge chairs, and dove into the water to do some cooling down.
What a great day!
Akutsu had the day off work, and there wasn't anything interesting going on, apparently, so he decided to check out the pool everyone had been raving about. He changed in his room, into the black swim trunks he'd brought from home and a grey t-shirt, grabbed any random towel, and headed out.
When he got there, it actually looked deserted…aside from a random dog. So he walked over, crouched down, and held his hand out to let it sniff him. "Where's your owner, huh?"
Tigger panted stupidly and set about licking the fuck out of Akutsu's hand. Dogs had no limits to their love.
Meanwhile Miyuki surfaced, shaking the water out of her hair and sighing contentedly before noticing a man over by her dog. "Oh... You're Akutsu, right? I recognize you!"
The dog licking his hand like that actually had Akutsu smiling a little, and since it seemed so friendly, he went ahead and used his other hand to give it a few scratches by the ears. At the sound of a girl's voice, though, he turned around and spotted a very young looking girl in the pool. "Yeah. You're the one that called me a hipster."
Miyuki nodded her head. What could she say, she only ever saw hipsters smoking actual cigarettes.
"Chitose Miyuki is my name. You can call me Mi-chan if you want." Miyuki offered, smiling brightly. "And the dog is Tigger. He's a good boy."
Tigger barked in confirmation. He was the goodest.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna call you that." The only way Akutsu ever called anyone -chan was if he was purposely trying to piss them off. "Chitose. … Your brother's the hippie doctor?" He was still petting the dog - Tigger - and gave him a friendly headpat at the bark.
Miyuki nodded her head in confirmation. "Yeah, my brother is the hippie doctor! It's where I get my height."
Admittedly she was in the pool and her height wasn't really visible at the moment... but she was tall. Possibly taller than Akutsu? It was hard to eyeball from the swimming pool.
"Haven't actually met him. Apparently he relocated my idiot friend's shoulder though." And somehow convinced Niou he was an asshole, but Akutsu didn't feel a need to tell the guy's sister that. "How tall're you?" From here, she didn't look like much, but the pool could hide a lot.
"189 centimeters!" Miyuki happily climbed out of the pool to compare their height. "You're taller, but I think it's just because of your hair. Which is totally rocking by the way!"
…No way. Akutsu stepped close to her, just to see…and sure enough, he could look straight out and directly into her eyes, no up, no down. "Damn girl." Okay. Honestly, it was kinda weird. He was used to always being the tall one. Even with most guys, since Japanese people were usually shorter. "Uh. Thanks?" Probably should've washed the gel out before coming. Oh well.
Miyuki laughed at that reaction and nodded her head. "I get that a lot... even in places with a lot of foreigners I'm considered unusually tall." She crouched by Tigger, scratching her good boy's belly and cooing at the dog, before turning back to the pool. "You feel like joining me in the water? I see you bought your own swimsuit... smart move. The UEA apparently expects us all to look like pin up models with what they sent."
"I bet…Definitely the tallest girl I've ever met." Akutsu looked her over, arching an eyebrow. "Well, they got what they wanted with you. Bringin mine was a shot in the dark. Didn't actually think I'd use it, but glad I did. Wouldn't be caught dead in that stupid speedo." He stripped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes, leaving them on one of the chairs next to Tigger. And then, because, what the hell, he ran towards the pool and cannonballed in.
Miyuki laughed at the compliment. "Well thank you for saying I look good, but my usual style is a bit more shorts and a tank top than this."
She watched as Akutsu jumped in the pool, before hopping up and tossing herself into the water herself. "Aaah, water feels so good. I'm excited for actual baths, too."
"Tomboy type, huh? Nothin wrong with that." For some reason, it didn't really surprise him. Maybe because it matched her boisterous attitude.
Akutsu ran his fingers through his hair, breaking up the gel. It'd only last so long in the pool anyway. "So, what. People actually like. Bathe together? Sounds weird."
"It's pretty common for families in certain regions on earth. And amongst same gender groups." Miyuki explained, floating in the water. "It's relaxing since the tub's really big, but I can see how it might seem strange if you've never done it before. The big thing is just not focusing on the fact that everyone else is naked."
Akutsu tried to imagine it. All kinds of guys walking around with their bits hanging out… and sure, he liked looking at naked guys…well. Some of them. Others he'd definitely rather not. "Yeah…I think I'm gonna pass on that."
Miyuki laughed at that reaction, paddling around Akutsu. "I mean, it's not for everyone. Maybe they'll have hours when you can go in alone?"
She figured they'd have separate hours for girls and boys at least... which would give HER way less competition for the tubs.
Akutsu just shrugged. "I don't think I've ever even had a regular bath. But yeah, maybe if I can get it all to myself. Might try then." On a base this big, what were the odds?
"What, really? You've never even had a bath in a bathtub? You're missing out!" Miyuki exclaimed, flailing in the water as her shock made her forget to stay afloat. She righted herself quickly. "I feel like I need to devise a way for you to try the tubs... it's a relaxing experience, bro."
"Nah. Spent too much time in places that didn't exactly have the room for tubs. Showers all the time." And it wasn't like prison had baths. Just showers. Group showers, in which Akutsu learned you absolutely kept your eyes to yourself. "Seriously, don't worry about it. Can't miss what ya never had, right?"
"It seems like such a shame. Maybe I can sneak you in and stand guard during women's hours... there are a lot fewer girls on base." Miyuki mused, tipping her head to the side a bit.
Akutsu actually chuckled a little. "It's alright. I'm sure I'll manage to find time once they're not so new and the novelty's worn off some." People would probably flock to the baths at first, once they opened, but eventually things would settle down. He could just go then. "I'm in no hurry."
"If you say so!" Miyuki finally agreed, though she seemed unsure. She adored baths, after all. Well, as long as Akutsu got to experience them eventually. "It's good you'll finally have the chance to enjoy something nice though... the base seems to be striving to be a pretty pleasant place!"
Akutsu snorted. “Striving being the key word. Kind of a hellhole now.” Barely a damn thing to do but work, which is most of why he’d finally made it to the pool. “You’re awfully chipper. It’s weird.“
"I'm a positive person. Makes life less stressful if you just go with the flow." Miyuki replied with a shrug. Being called chipper wasn't the worst thing in the world. "Besides, I have to balance out all the cranky people around here... seriously, a lot of the people on this base need to work on not taking life so damn seriously. You only live once, you might as well have fun with it."
"Well, I guess that's one way to look at it. Never been much of a 'go with the flow' kinda guy, myself." Akutsu tipped himself back, letting himself float a little. "So I guess I'm one of those cranky people you need to balance out."
Miyuki laughed and gave Akutsu a thumbs up. "You're actually not to bad. Not giving a fuck is surprisingly similar to going with the flow, bro."
She still climbed out of the pool to go root through her stuff, pulling a crystal pendant on a leather cord out of her stuff. It was actually pretty cool looking. "I have something that will improve your vibes though! Here, put this on."
Akutsu arched an eyebrow. He was actually a little caught off-guard by such a pretty little girl - well, not so little, really - using his kind of coarse language. Not bad, he thought, glancing over to see what she was up to by getting out again. "...Don't know if ya noticed, I'm not really the jewelry type." And what did she mean, improve his 'vibes'?
Miyuki laughed and tossed the necklace at him. "Come on, give it a try. It will improve your quality of life, I swear!"
Even if it just improved it by making Akutsu look cool.
"It's a token of our friendship. Senri will hate it." She pointed out.
For a split second, Akutsu thought about letting it drop into the pool and sink to the bottom, but by instinct he caught it before that could happen. "How is that supposed to work, exactly?" he asked, skeptical as hell about it. He swam over to the edge and tossed the necklace onto the chair with his shirt. "I'll think about it." No promises he'd wear it.
Miyuki seemed happy enough with that. "It's the crystal. It will amplify the good energy around you by looking cool."
It was totally unclear if she believed the crystal had mystical properties or if she was just messing with Akutsu.
"....Sounds like total bullshit to me," Akutsu shrugged. He'd known people who believed crystals had powers, so the concept wasn't completely foreign to him, but he was definitely more of the kind of guy who had to see something to believe it. And who's to say it wouldn't all be a giant coincidence? "D'you really believe in that stuff?"
Miyuki laughed, pleased that Akutsu just called her bluff. "Nah, crystals are just cool. They can't actually improve your good energy. Well, other than making you look cool. And you'd look killer with that."
She sat on the edge of the pool, feet in the water. "Some holistic stuff has merit, though. Like some aromatherapy and meditation. Senri's the real expert on all that though. I'm just the little sister."
Well. At least she was honest about it. "Too bad I don't give a fuck how I look." Well, okay that might be a little bit of a lie. But just a little. He cared how he thought he looked. Everyone else could go fuck themselves. "Aromatherapy and meditation…yeah, that's some hippie shit alright." Note to self: avoid the hippie doctor.
"You must care somewhat. You bother to spike your hair." Miyuki replied with a laugh. "That means you put more effort into your appearance than I do!"
Akutsu just pointed at the wet, now basically gel-free hair hanging in his face. "I mostly do it because the other option is this." It wasn't long enough to put in a ponytail - not that he'd be caught dead with his hair that long anyway. "It gets in the way."
Miyuki shrugged. "Make all the excuses you want, it doesn't change the fact that you style it!"
She was clearly having fun pointing out the care Akutsu put into his appearance, but she also wasn't dumb enough to keep going.
"What does it get in the way of, anyway? What do you do around here?"
Akutsu just rolled his eyes. No point in arguing with a girl about stuff like that. "Mostly just grunt labor. Moving stuff from A to B, unloading supply shuttles. Working on the shuttles sometimes, too, making sure they're in working order. But I'm not technically qualified to work on them alone yet, so, always babysat." That, and too much concern he might try to steal one, of course. "What about you?"
"I'm a welder. The head welder, actually." Miyuki replied, stretching and waiting for the look of surprise. "I was brought on because of my qualifications, and to teach some of the staff how to weld... you ever want to melt some steel?"
"Head welder. And you're how old?" Akutsu thought she looked awfully young…but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Could've started young too, after all. "...Never really gave it any thought, actually."
"I started when I was just a kid. I'm nineteen now!" Miyuki laughed. "Probably the youngest person on base. I guess I'm doomed to be everyone's little sister here."
Nineteen. Well. At least she was legal. Still damn young though. "You must've started young to only be nineteen." It made Akutsu think back to what he had been up to at that age and…oh, yeah. Getting booted off the space station because he couldn't keep himself out of trouble. "Good for you, kid."
Miyuki seemed pleased with the praise. "The old man next door taught me. I think mostly to stop me from running feral through the neighborhood. I was always a pretty rambunctious child. Guess I needed the guidance to harness that energy properly."
Akutsu actually chuckled a little. He hadn't had much at an early age to keep him from running rampant, but… "Reminds me of the guy who taught me to work on shuttles. He was tryin to keep me out of trouble. …Didn't exactly work, though… Kinda got kicked off the space station…" He shrugged. Some people would be embarrassed. For him, it just was what it was.
"What, you steal a shuttle or something? Not gonna lie, a joyride in a shuttle sounds like a blast... I might not have been able to resist either." She was a cute girl from a stable family and would probably get away with it though. In her mind society was likely responsible for a lot of the shit that happened to Akutsu. He didn't seem as terrible as he seemed to think he was.
That actually got an amused grin out of him. "Yeah. At fifteen. Wanted to see if I could. Even managed to get it out of space dock before I got caught." Barely. Barely out of space dock. "Got sent to prison for it. When I got out is when that guy started teachin' me stuff. Tryin' to put my energy to good use, he said. But kept gettin in trouble anyway."
"They sent you to prison at fifteen? Hell, you were just a stupid kid. That's fucked up!" Miyuki shook her head. "Sometimes it's like the whole system is rigged, too... once you get in trouble everyone spends all their time just waiting for you to fuck up again... sorry you have to put up with that shit."
Akutsu just gave a little shrug. "It is what it is. Spent two years in, that time. Three years the second time. And for what it's worth, in my case, at least, it ain't that I fucked up. I made choices, knowing the consequences, and still did it anyway. Don't regret nothin." In some ways, prison was good for him. There was a structure there that was missing on the outside.
"Well, personal responsibility is a good thing... you planning on going back in the future?" Miyuki asked, genuinely curious if that was a choice that Akutsu planned on making.
Akutsu just looked at her flatly. "Not at the moment, no. But who knows. There are things I'd be willing to go back for, under the right circumstances."
Miyuki nodded her head. That seemed to make sense to her at least. Akutsu was a guy who chose his own path, and if that path led him to prison then so be it. It was kind of admirable.
She kicked her feet in the water. "So what were you in for the second time?"
"Same as the first. Stole another shuttle. Got to keep it for a year, that time, at least," Akutsu chuckled. "Less of a thrill ride than the first time, though. More of a survival thing." He looked at her a bit curiously. "None of this bothers you?"
Miyuki shook her head. "I used to volunteer at a soup kitchen back home that got a lot of ex cons... just because you've been to jail doesn't mean you're a bad person. Usually it just means the system failed you and you did what you had to do." She shrugged. "And you own up to it all, so that's cool."
She was from a family of hippies. They were big on social reform. And enough drugs and public nudity to probably land in jail themselves if they were unlucky.
Did what you had to do, huh… Yeah, some of his life could definitely be described that way. Not the first shuttle joyride that landed him in prison, but a lot of the other things… And damn if she wasn't so chill about it that it was…kind of weird to Akutsu. So, since he wasn't good at dealing with weirdness, he reached over, grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her back into the pool.
Miyuki squeaked in surprise as she was grabbed and pulled into the water, before splashing down and emerging laughing and sputtering.
"Haha, you got me! This means war, bro!" She declared, disappearing under the water to take out Akutsu's legs.
Akutsu couldn't help laughing as well, though he raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh yeah? Gimme your best shot," he smirked, making a beckoning motion with his hand. "I dare ya."
She latched onto Akutsu's legs and used the added buoyancy of the water to sweep them out from under Akutsu so that he'd fall over in the water. She was a pro at water wars, after all, what with having a big brother and all.
Akutsu sunk under the water from the pool, but he didn't come back up. He'd had enough warning to hold his breath, and he'd gotten a good deep one in before getting submerged. While he was down there, he grabbed Miyuki by the ankle and pulled her under and towards the deep end, making sure they were deep enough that neither of them could touch bottom before he let go.
And Miyuki responded like some kind of barnacle, wrapping her legs around Akutsu to shove him downwards as she went up, laughing, for a breath of air.
Then she kindly released him so she could resume staying afloat.
Oof she was good. By the time Akutsu came back up, he was almost desperate for air. She'd managed to make him use up the breath he'd taken. Once he had surfaced and taken a few breaths, he shook his head to get his hair out of his eyes. "Lemme guess. You've done that before," he chuckled, making sure to stay out of arms' reach for now.
Miyuki grinned, momentarily victorious. "A bunch of times... and in the ocean where you have to contend with stuff like waves, too."
Her skill at roughhousing had been finely honed.
Akutsu briefly stopped treading water just enough to throw his hands up in surrender. "You win. I've never even seen an ocean." Much less gone swimming in one. Waves? Forget about it. Only seen them on tv shows. "So. Practiced on your brother, I guess?"
"My brother and all his friends." Miyuki laughed. "Plus a bunch of my own friends. I'm experienced!"
The benefits of living somewhere with a beach, really. She had a natural advantage when it came to learning how to swim.
"Ha. Learned my lesson then. Never start a water fight with you. You're a fish. …Or maybe a squid." With those long limbs, definitely a squid. Akutsu let himself drift towards the edge, until he could hold on. Maybe he'd have to add swimming to his workout routine.
Miyuki laughed at the squid comment. It seemed accurate, with how lanky she was. "Long limbs give you an advantage in a water fight... but my brother was always taller than me so I had to learn to dodge limbs too."
She swam over to where Akutsu was, clinging to the edge of the pool now. "You ever try duving before? Off the board."
Akutsu idly wondered just how much taller her brother was. From the sounds of it, probably more than just a centimeter or two. "So…basically you're saying I don't stand a chance. …I'd try to prove you wrong, in just about anything else." He shook his head at her question. "Closest I ever had was a lake. There was this one really tall tree, and we nailed boards to it like a ladder, and someone had tied a rope to one of the branches. We'd grab on and swing, letting go when we were out over the water, trying to see who could make the biggest splash."
"That sounds like something out of a movie!" Miyuki commented, imagining said lake in her head. She had never actually swam in a lake before, just in the ocean or pools. "Maybe we can install a rope here to do that! Sounds fun and would take minimal materials."
Akutsu snorted. It was probably the only part of his life that sounded like a movie. "They'd probably say it's 'too much of a safety risk'. What if someone misses the pool and splats on the ground instead?" Although…honestly, it was kind of a funny image in his head.
"I feel like if that happens it would be their own fault for not jumping at the right time." Miyuki was brutal and willing to just let people splat themselves. "If their timing is bad they shouldn't swing on the rope in the first place!"
That got a solid chuckle out of Akutsu. It was a little weird, how well they seemed to get along; he couldn't remember the last time he'd just seemed to click with someone. "You're somethin else, Squid. Not sure what yet, but somethin else."
Miyuki stretched out in the water and grinned at Akutsu. "Hopefully I was able to make your day a little brighter. You seem to spend a lot of time brooding... it's gonna make you all wrinkly before you hit thirty if you're not careful!"
She glanced over at the clock and sighed. "I need to start getting ready for work though... it's been real. Let's hang out again sometime!"
Akutsu looked at the clock. So she worked night shift. Probably better for a welder. Fewer people in the way. "Y'know…you actually did," he admitted, feeling a little mixed about it. "Be careful workin tonight. Don't burn your tits."
"I've actually done that this month... so I'll try not to have a repeat performance." Miyuki laughed and toweled off, before whistling for Tigger. "Come on, boy! And bye, Akutsu!"
And off she went to do her work.
