2022-01-23: 'Protective' Visitor
- Log: 'Protective' Visitor
- Cast: Ruri Hoshino, Eight York
- Where: The Nadesico (Side 1)
- Date: 2022-01-23
- Summary: Eight visits the Nadesico, and Ruri. She speaks to Omoikane about her concerns over the young system operator, before Ruri shares her concerns over violent parties and uninvited guests.
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
The Nadesico has parked in Side 1 again; it's a mobile battleship, so it's not so difficult for it to get around, now the Big Barrier isn't getting in its way. Finding ports large enough for such a large ship is of course something of a logistical problem, but luckily, they have two helmswomen to chart a course.
Right now, it's idling between missions -- there is a frightful amount of non-Jovian fighting involved in being back on Earth and its surrounds, and Ruri knows better than to ask Mr. Prospector about all the paperwork. She has her own reports, of course, but she knows how to fill them. And Omoikane is helping her, so she'll be okay..!
She's not even mopey about the party being ruined. She's very composed, after all.
When a screen pops up on her station of the bridge, she's surprised to hear that there's someone here to visit her. But her bridgefellows encourage her to go and see her new friend, so she asks the man from the lower decks to escort her to one of the Nadesico's meeting-rooms.
And she asks Omoikane to automate the systems while she's away from her station, of course. Ruri is diligent like that.
Ruri exits the deck to go to the room herself; it's quicker to get there from up here, so she manages to be in the room, first. Designed to receive important visitors (such as visiting Captains), it's well-decorated -- there's even a fireplace, though it's one with electric faux-flames, obviously. There are two brown couches, facing each other, under the light of a shining chandelier, and flags on the wall. One, obviously, is Nergal's logo; the company knows how to brand itself, just as it has Ruri's uniform. It's a friendly room, with tasteful decorations.
The man escorting Eight will, naturally, open the door for her. That's just polite! (He won't stick around, though.)
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Captain York has a lot of paperwork of her own to do, especially after the other night in Moscow. But she can find a break from it to perform some 'diplomacy'. She didn't get to have as nice a time at the party as she'd hoped herself, but she wasn't expecting too much anyway. ...Not that it didn't manage to sink beneath those expectations, with that girl...
That girl, and Lady Une. Is it true that Une killed her father? The troops there seemed eager to bury the entire situation...
Well, in any case, she needs to check in on Ruri, for that reason and for others. She has Questions. And so it is that she requests a visit. As she arrives, she is in her normal uniform, rather than fancying up with her coat and hat; this is a casual visit, as much as it can be when she's Captain of her own ship.
And the Nadesico is... interesting...
"Thank you," she says to the man with a nod, and steps into the room, looking around and finding Ruri. "It's good to see you," she says. "I'm glad I was able to catch the Nadesico still in port. She's a very impressive ship."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
Ruri, seated with her hands all folded neatly in her lap, looks up to Eight when she enters. "Hello," she greets her, politely; the only real shift in her flat expression is recognition, but it's friendly enough for Ruri, probably.
A little more energy enters her eyes, and she straightens up in her seat. "Omoikane, did you hear?" She asks the empty room. "Captain York thinks we're impressive." There's a beat of a pause, before she adds: "It's okay," though, again, there's no one here for her to reassure --
OR IS THERE?
Because a communicator screen pops up in the air beside Ruri, with an emblem like a big, brass bell, which switches shortly to text all bound in a box: < THANK YOU >
"Um... feel free to sit down," Ruri adds, a touch embarrassed, when she realises she's forgotten something very important. She gestures to the other couch, not entirely sure of her social script for Receiving Visitors. The Captain normally does this sort of thing! But since Ruri is the one who's been meeting Eight, Ruri is the one who's here to meet her. It's a little recursive, but it's still logic.
How does this go...? Her eyes widen, slightly, as she realises what people Do in this situation. "Do you want something to drink, Captain York? We have water, and soda, and juice... and coffee and tea, too." Ruri doesn't tend to drink those last ones most of the time, but that's just because growing ladies ought to avoid stimulants.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
'Hello' is good enough; Eight is accustomed to more reserved people as much as friendlier types. Eight even smiles at her, because that does seem friendly enough. But as she asks the empty room...
"Oh!" Eight says in slight surprise, and then smiles at the communicator screen. "You're very welcome, Omoikane." The context clues are not too hard to pick up on.
"Sure," the Captain answers when Ruri invites her to sit down, and does so on the other couch, apparently willing to go with this script just fine. It's logical. It's fine!
"Since you're offering," Eight says, "I could really use some coffee. I had a long night writing reports."
It would be rude not to accept hospitality, really. It would suggest she doesn't trust them! Which is obviously silly*.
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"Okay," Ruri says, and -- gets up, because she's not used to Meetings, so she doesn't remember that she can just page someone from the kitchens to bring them snacks. "I'll get that now, so please wait a moment."
Luckily, for all the Nadesico is -- quirky -- there's nothing wrong with the food. Ms. Howmei runs a tight ship.
The fact that Ruri has left Eight in an EMPTY ROOM is something she hasn't thought about, because the sheer depths of her knowledge definitely never covered social entertainment. It's not like there's anything classified just lying around in this room, though, so it's fine..?
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
That is what Eight expected to have happen, for Ruri to just page somebody. She's heard about Howmei from the Howmei Girls, and she is indeed looking forward to trying ehr cooking if she gets the chance... but she finds that Ruri just steps off on her own, and leaves her alone here.
Not the best for security, maybe, though Eight recognizes that she is not alone. Or at least, might not be alone. "Hmmm," Eight says, looking to the door, and then back towards the communicator screen.
"Well, Omoikane, it looks like it's just you and me! Or it's just me, and I'm talking to the wall. But if you didn't leave with Ruri..."
"Let's talk!"
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
For a moment, there is silence.
(This is not a case of loading times; Omoikane, who has five back-up systems and a main computer centre to boot, is capable of processing every conversation on the Nadesico in an eyeblink.)
< I AM EVERYWHERE >
Since it's just a text box, there's no real way to communicate tone, but it probably isn't... meant to sound ominous. A moment later, the text box refreshes, once and once again:
< OK ! >
< QUERY? >
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Silence! Omoikane seemed shy before, if what Ruri had to say to him was any indication. 'It's okay', she'd said. But there's Omoikane's response!
"She did say you were the ship's computer. That makes sense." Eight can't 'read' Omoikane at all like she could a human, so she has to rely on... well, her natural charm, maybe.
"Hmmm..." Query. Where to start? There's a lot of places she could. "Well, I guess I'll come directly to the point."
"...Is Ruri safe here? Happy? I'm worried about someone that young being obligated to fight on a battleship. But she seems to get along with everyone; I don't sense distress in her."
"I know it's not my business," she says, "What she does and where she goes. But I was forced to fight as a child, so I'm hoping she isn't in the same situation."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
Ruri told Eight that Omoikane was a computer, which means, to Omoikane, that she must trust her; after all, Ruri didn't trust their handlers, back in the lab. A quick lookup of Eight's own public history reveals familiar gaps, and he draws his own conclusions about her veracity, from that.
< WE ARE THE NADESICO >
< NADESICO'S 'SOUL' >
There's a notable gap between the windows, as they pop up; Omoikane is giving Eight time to read and process the information.
< ALWAYS US >
< SINCE I WAS BORN >
< RURI WAS ALREADY HERE >
< INTELLECTUALLY NURTURED >
< BUT NOT >
< BURNING >
There's a pause, in the windows, as Omoikane reflects. He is data; there is no emotional information for most people to glean from him. That doesn't mean he is unfeeling.
< NOW >
< SHE DOES >
< AND GOES >
< IT IS NOT SAFE >
< OR STERILE >
Omoikane is an honest being; he won't lie to Eight, and tell her Ruri is safe. He has the best perspective on just how dangerous their life is, after all -- the Nadesico and Omoikane are, functionally, the same body. He has calculated the damages, the likelihood of injury. He has produced automated reports on the wounded.
And the dead.
But there's another pause, before three more windows pop up, in front of Eight.
< WE LIVE >
< WE ARE ALIVE >
< AND REMEMBER >
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Reading is easy; processing takes a little more deliberation. But what Eight does is this: she takes Omoikane at his word, when he explains what he is. Why should she doubt him? Ruri trusts him, and she has no reason to doubt Ruri in this. And AI who could be called 'souls' are not strange to her.
So Eight looks very serious; a reading on her vital signs suggests a sign of contemplation, of calm, and does not show the signs of someone who might be lying... unless she's very good at it. But Omoikane explains, and reflects...
"Intellectually nurtured," Eight reflects. She nods, after a moment. When Omoikane says it is not safe or sterile...
"...I appreciate your candor." A pause of her own; her brow furrows, as she looks down. "...Living on a battleship could never be fully safe. But she has people looking out for her; Lavhi told me about Mr. Hoary. And she has you. You..."
Live. And Remember.
"I believe you," she says simply. "You'll remember far more than I could..." She thinks about it, and decides. "All right. I'll trust you. You, who seem to be her best friend. Thank you for answering my questions, Omoikane."
She lets that hang on the air for a few moments, serious. Then she smiles. "Most of my other questions I'm afraid would be classified," she says with a little laugh. "I'm terribly curious about what the Nadesico is up to and intended to be up to. So I won't ask those questions. ...And I won't ask any more about Ruri, because it should be her choice what to tell me about herself. So I suppose I don't have a lot of questions I feel comfortable asking of you at the moment. So instead, I'll make a statement."
"I hope you get to live a kind of life you can be happy with, Omoikane. That you're making good memories."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
< v/ >
A blue checkmark in a box confirms Eight's statements, as she says she'll believe him, and Ruri is his best friend. He accepts one of those statements, and the other one is true!
< OK ! >
That flashes up when Eight considers that the rest of her questions aren't suitable, which is nice, because it saves Omoikane the trouble of pulling up his CLASSIFIED INFORMATION warning.
There's a moment of pause, as he considers her well-wishes.
< RURI IS TROUBLED >
< SO I WILL NOT FORGET >
< MEMORIES >
< PROOF OF EXISTENCE >
There's more to it than what he says, even though he's speaking plainly; Ruri is the one who gets to share her own experiences, so he expresses his, instead.
The fact is, Omoikane holds so tightly to those painful memories...
... because he keeps an exact count of the amount of times Ruri asks...
... and he, for all his unfathomable processing power, has no answer.
He can't say all his memories are 'good'.
But without them, is there any evidence he ever was..?
< THANK YOU >
< GOOD JOB >
< NEW FRIEND >
Whether he means a new friend of Ruri's or a new friend of his might be an inconsequential question; after all, best friends share everything, don't they? Including new friends. A moment later, he flashes up a warning:
< RURIRURI >
This message includes a little cartoon graphic of Ruri's face. It's adorable. It's also a handy heads-up that the door is about to open!
"I'm back," Ruri announces herself, holding the door open with a foot as she brings in a cup of nice hot coffee. (And a can of juice, held in the crook of her arm.) She pulls up a little corner-table from out of frame so she can put the coffee down next to Eight, and goes to sit down opposite her, legs folding neatly in front of her again.
"Um... did I keep you long?" Ruri asks, a little embarrassed. "Ms. Mizuhara said I didn't need to come to the kitchens myself... I didn't realise."
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight kind of figured that if she actually asked any she'd get classified information warnings or something of the kind. There's no sense in making things unfriendly. You don't hit the fence if you happen to be wise enough to look out for where it's sitting in the first place.
But those troubles... Hmm. Memories... proof of existence. There is more to it, certainly. But this much makes sense to her.
"I feel that way, too," Eight says. "Even my bad memories... are mine. They're part of how I got here. If I lost them, who would I be...?"
But thank you, Omoikane says, and Eight smiles. "Yes, I--" Ruriruri!! This adorable graphic prompts the door opening, and Eight happens to glance at the door before she even finishes processing the image mentally. "Welcome back!" Eight answers her, and reaches out to accept the coffee, taking it in both hands and letting it warm her a bit with its scent. Mmmm, coffee. Somehow, adults actually like this stuff.
"You didn't," Eight answers. "Hardly any time at all. You left me with your friend, after all."
Ruri is very polite. Eight notices that. "But that's true; next time maybe we can have something sent in." Because there may be a next time.
"How're you doing today, Ruri? We didn't get a chance to talk much after everything happened the other night."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
Even her bad memories are hers, huh...?
If Eight feels that way, then Omoikane doesn't have to worry about her with Ruri, either.
Speaking of Ruri: here she is!
< WELCOME BACK >
Omoikane chimes in, in a communication box by Eight's head, since that's where Ruri's looking at the moment. Her expression softens, from some combination of the acknowledgement that he's her friend and his greeting.
"Oh," Ruri is a little surprised to hear next time, but she isn't flustered for too long. "Okay, I'll remember." Is Eight the sort of person who would want to visit her..? It's strange, because Ruri never had anyone who'd want to visit her before. Everyone she knew was right here on this ship!
She cracks open her can of juice. No doubt Junko Mizuhara, one of Howmei's girls, offered her a fresh drink while she was in the kitchens -- but Ruri is of the sort of age to be particular about flavours in a way which corporate drinks can fulfill much more easily. Besides, it's harder to hold two cups than one cup and one can. It's just practical.
Speaking of being practical: "I'm not hurt," Ruri replies, after a moment to open that drink. "Our group managed to leave after some negotiations and return to the Nadesico. We've submitted incident reports to the company... but it was unexpected, so I suppose they can't complain."
Not included in that statement: any consideration about how Ruri is doing emotionally. Her face is still quite neutral as she relates her experience, with, perhaps, a shade of resigned salaryman annoyance at all the paperwork.
There's not much visual hint that she's bothered, but maybe the clue is in the way her fingers tighten, a little, around her can.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Next time! Eight just says it without even asking, because she is a confident young woman who likes to make friends. "Good," she says about remembering, and it's kind of funny to hear that word again--well, 'hear' it again--just so quickly...
Eight is pretty particular about juice herself--she avoids certain foods for reasons. Reasons that exist. But practicality states...
"That's good," Eight says. "I had to leave to chase down the suspect, but Lavhi tells me that Mr. Hoary arrived to protect you very quickly." Which she approves of. Definitely approves of. "The paperwork was a bit of a hassle for me, too," she admits.
"...But it was a scary moment," she says, delicately. "It's pretty normal not to be OK with something like that breaking out with no warning."
No visual, easy hint, but Eight can tell.
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"Mr. Hoary is reliable," Ruri confirms, and she doesn't even call him foolish in the process, so he must be good.
(For some reason, Ruri gets along with stoic people... is that why she was comfortable with Lahvi so quickly? She notices the nickname, too, but she puts it down to the casual environment.)
She's slower, though, to respond to that last point. Verbally, at least -- emotionally, there's a flash of remembered fear, and a subsequent rejection of those feelings. They're put aside, like so much paperwork.
"I was startled," Ruri admits, restrained, "since fighting on the Nadesico isn't like that. But I'm okay. I'm not some miclone. Omoikane told me what that meant," she adds, with a little grumble, a raincloud of a frown.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
He must be!!
Eight appreciates stoic types herself--all the moreso because of Lavhi himself... and she does use the nickname with Ruri. Maybe she's more comfortable around her in a casual environment; she does, after all, use his full last name when she's talking about business, or in a professional situation.
Fear--and a rejection of that fear. Eight has to step carefully; she doesn't want to force Ruri to relive it or dive into that fear when she has a way of coping. ...But is she coping, or is she just ignoring? She can't be sure.
"It was very surprising," Eight agrees. "I'm glad you're OK, and that you got to talk to Omoikane about it." A beat, "Yeah, I was surprised when she called you that myself. I've picked up a lot of Zentradi since I was going out--" Pause. "Ah, since I met Mr. Orlodhari," she says, faintly embarrassed herself for once at the slip. She's usually better at keeping that divide clear, but...
"Anyway," she says, "Good." Pause. "If you didn't know--she got away. She claimed..." Eight considers. "Well, I'm not sure you want to hear all of that. But it was a very ugly situation. I'm trained for gunfire and danger, but I didn't like it much either."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
A photo on the desk...
A personal nickname...
Eight asked him to come along to the party...
'Going out', which Ruri has absorbed from bridge gossip as slang for a romantic date...
"You're much more embarrased about romance than our Captain is," Ruri notes. "Maybe things would run more smoothly if she covered her feelings up." Did Ruri... not notice that Eight was trying to ignore the subject?
She doesn't notice the way she describes what she thinks is the proper way to deal with feelings, anyway. Clearly she and Eight agree that these things are far too embarrassing to actually acknowledge!
"But, I don't need to be protected," Ruri points out, plainly. "I read all the casualty reports from when we left Earth. Lots of people died, and they all had different wishes for their bodies." As if to prove just how tough she is, Ruri volunteers the information Eight doesn't: "That Lady Une person didn't die. She wasn't even hurt very badly, and Doctor Dorothy helped her, so she was okay. She wasn't very happy, but I guess I can't blame her." She's still annoyed at being called a 'spoiled princess', though, even if she's very reasoned and reasonable about it.
There's a light frown on Ruri's face, as she goes on. "The person who shot her is Relena Darlian. Lady Une said she lost her father, and lost herself... but she also said she was delusional, and that didn't sound right." Ruri said she had a strange feeling about her, before the shooting; maybe that's why she sounds troubled, relating information about the girl.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"Ahahah..." Eight brings a hand up to the back of her neck, laughing faintly. "It's not that I'm not proud of him or anything, it's just that it's more appropriate to maintain professionalism in public..." Eight wasn't going to talk about it; she actually likes talking about romance, but this isn't the right Setting. ...Apparently the Nadesico's captain does not share that concern, though.
"Maybe; we try to keep those things out of our work. ...Though I was hoping to get the chance to dance at the party," she admits.
Ruri--doesn't need to be protected. Eight does not do as much funeral work as Yurika apparently does, but apparently Ruri is involved in that knowledge. "All right. Noted."
She's not going to go full bloody with it all, but if Ruri wants to talk plainly, then...
"Darlian claimed that Une killed her father. I was almost able to talk her down, before someone showed up and ended up being her hostage." She considers. Ruri doesn't want to be protected...
"I don't think she was delusional," the Captain admits. "Quite the opposite, the soldiers there seemed eager to cover things up. But it's not something I can look into; it's completely outside my authority, and concerning allies to begin with."
What they talked about before--how allies can get into war, alliances can make conflicts happen... Eight remembers it. And she bets Ruri does, too.
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
Ruri tilts her head, a little. "I don't see the point," she says, of dancing, or perhaps of dating. "But I think it's better to keep it out of work. The Captain gets very distracted by her feelings." Which is, indirectly or otherwise, approving of Eight's approach.
"... I think Lady Une was lying," Ruri says, quite plainly -- still quite polite. "But maybe she just wasn't very nice. And lots of people are cruel without being murderers, in any case." Plus, she had just been shot. Anyone would be grumpy in that position!
Ruri sighs. "Well, who knows?" She asks, lightly. "It's foolish, anyway. Even if she killed her, that just means more people would be dead. Killing someone won't bring someone else back. The only thing left of dead people is in the people they left behind. So if someone killed Ms. Darlian because she killed Lady Une, it would be even worse than not bringing him back, wouldn't it..?"
It seems Omoikane isn't the only one preoccupied with memories. Perhaps that's to be expected.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"That's OK," Eight says of not seeing the point. She's not here to tell a twelve year old she needs more romance in her life! "Yes. We have jobs to do, and we can't let our personal feelings prevent us doing them." Eight is pretty good about not being too distracted by it... while she's on duty, anyway.
Plainly, and polite. "True," Eight says. "But I don't think Relena was lying, though what you say is true." Lots of people aren't very nice.
"...Yes," Eight says. "Killing all the 'bad people' doesn't solve war or strife, regardless of how good it might feel to the people who have been hurt." She thinks Ruri is... well. She's still a child, but she's a child who has thought about these things. She wouldn't call Ruri immature, to say the least.
"...You can't bring people back, or undo the harm that's been done. There's no easy solutions for it, and a lot of bad ones that make things worse." She smiles, but it's not a happy kind of smile. "...But we can just do what we can, right? You have to find your own reason to keep going. That's what I think."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
Ruri can understand romance when she grows up! Probably. It's fine. She has way more important things to worry about right now. She definitely sympathises with Eight, hearing her talk about jobs and personal feelings, though. That's how she feels, too..!
So Ruri thinks Lady Une was lying, and Captain York doesn't think Ms. Darlian was lying... between both of them, Ruri wonders what that means.
"Right," Ruri agrees, when Eight says there's no easy solution. She thinks that makes a lot of sense, but... by the end of listening to her, she's still troubled.
"Everyone seems to have figured out why they're going forward," she supposes, lightly, "but I'm not clear on it, actually. Well, whatever," Ruri sighs, sipping her juice, which is still nice and cold. "If deciding that means bringing a gun to a party, I'm fine with not knowing."
She shrugs, a little heave of her shoulders. "But are all parties like that..? Well, I guess not even inside the Nadesico is safe all the time." She certainly sounds like she's referring to all the war and strife, but strangely, her emotions are turned more to intrusion.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
It probably means that Une is a murderer! But what can they do with that information? A lot of nothing, so far. It gnaws at Eight a bit. Part of the complicated world of adults she's entered into...
Eight sips her coffee, which is still nice and hot. "It's not as easy at I make it sound," Eight opines on finding reasons to move forward. "For a while I didn't really have any myself, other than looking after my friend. I sort of... found them as I went along."
A pause, "It definitely doesn't have to mean that."
But all parties, and... intrusion? Here on the Nadesico, then? That sounds remarkably like a security question that Eight can't actually ask... "I've been to lots of parties that were both more fun and didn't get interrupted, by gun-wielding girls or otherwise." She can't ask... But...
She can think of a way to bring it up. "But it's never fun when somebody intrudes on your home. That happened to me last week, too. This strange man showed up out of nowhere on the bridge. Nothing bad happened, really, but it was still unsettling."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"Looking after... well, I guess I do that, too." It's kind of a troubling thing for someone like Ruri to say, given she really still needs looking after herself -- but from the way she straightens up a little, it seems like she takes some pride in it.
(Wait, isn't that just even more concerning...?)
She looks (and feels) a little sceptical about the capacity of parties to be fun and not traumatising, but unlike Eight, she just doesn't care enough to ask. Whatever! She'll find out if it's true eventually, probably.
Besides, she doesn't have much time to think that parties are stupid and bad, because Eight is relating something herself. Ruri frowns, and it's an expression of recognition. "Alexis Kerib," she confirms, which is less impressive with the knowledge that he just told Ruri he found her through Eight.
"An alien from the stars who is worried about the negative charge of the universe. And he's not very good at talking to people. I guess stars aren't very good company, or something like that." Ruri Hoshino sighs, pensive sadness washing over her.
"But I was a fool, too... I couldn't find anyone to help, and I was scared to use my communicator on my own. If he was going to hurt us, it would have been easy... so it's lucky it was a misunderstanding." She's embarrassed to admit something she sees as so irrational, and the fact that she admits it at all tells a story of just how grievous his intrusion was.
('Us', she says, because Alexis found her in the Computer Control Room, and saw it for Omoikane's mind instantly.)
"Mr. Kerib said he found me through you, but... it's not because you told him." Her arms draw in, closer to her body. "I appreciate that."
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight is not completely surprised that Ruri takes this attitude. She calls a lot of people foolish... and seems to care. But Omoikane will look after her in turn, and--she noticed--at least two other members of the crew are doing that.
Eight does not insist on parties. Instead, she finds that Ruri knows what she's talking about, and that does surprise her. Eight tilts her head. She does not immediately know that Ruri was found through her, so she gets the feeling of going ??? for a moment.
"Hmm. He didn't tell me where he was from," she admits. That's something that for all that she's good with people, she didn't get.
"...It's hard when you're caught by surprise," Eight says. She doesn't say 'on your own' because Ruri said 'us'. "I was worried he'd hurt my crew, too. I took him away from them to talk."
But he said... Hrm. Eight frowns. "I didn't, but... I'm sorry," she says. "I didn't mean to put you in danger. ...He said he found me through watching a friend of mine." She shakes her head.
"I don't think he'll come back to the Ra Mari, though. He didn't like my answers to his questions very much."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"He didn't tell me either, really," Ruri says. "Or maybe he didn't mean to tell me. But he put seijin and Hoshino together. I speak both Japanese and English, so I understood."
It's possible he was born in a field instead, she supposes; but since he's an alien, stars are the logical assumption.
Ruri puts her other hand on her can of juice, too, and sips it in that sort of grip. It's a little childish, but she prefers putting something in front of her when things are uncomfortable.
"It's okay," Ruri goes on, after a moment.
"I think he just understands things differently to us. Like how I know how Omoikane is feeling." How he's feeling..? It's a strange concept for her to raise, given Omoikane hasn't given off any emotional resonance. "So you didn't do anything wrong."
She looks down at her drink, brow arching in troubled contemplation. "Oh..." She starts, and the conflict there is perfectly audible in her voice, no flashes of insight required.
He didn't like Eight's answers very much..? But...
"... I don't understand why he wouldn't like that... since he was impressed by my answers. I was rude to him, so he left, but... he said he could help me if I needed it." Ruri shrugs, head canting to the side. "I don't know how to feel about that... I kept telling him to talk to the Captain, but he wanted to talk to me."
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"Oh, that makes sense." Eight speaks enough of the language to understand when Ruri lays it out like that. She lifts her coffee to her lips again though as Ruri grips her juice. It's an intuitive kind of gesture; 'same hat', but also, Eight just needs the caffeine. Ruri says it's okay, but...
"That sounds accurate," Captain York says of him understanding things 'differently'. Ruri... understands how Omoikane is feeling. It is a little strange, but Eight wonders about it; could it be something like that?
Well, regardless. "...I appreciate that." Especially because Eight doesn't know how she can keep people safe from someone who can just... appear based on relationships, apparently. It's troublesome.
But Ruri's conflict is clear, and the blonde listens for a few moments, glancing down into her coffee as she thinks about it. "...Well, what I told him wasn't what he wanted to hear, I guess. But I..." She considers. She looks at the communicator, wonders who else might be listening, and decides against saying one thing. "I have a bad feeling about him," she says instead. "I don't know what he really wants. I think he was being truthful, but not telling the whole truth." She figures Ruri can get that concept. "...You and I are different people, so it makes sense we'd give different answers."
She remembers exactly how his loathing felt--how that disgust, that hatred was. But how can she explain that...?
She can't, she guesses. Not now. "I'll just ask you to be careful with him. If he thinks so differently from us, then his idea of what 'helps' might not be what you'd want."
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
If he didn't like Eight's answer because it wasn't what he wanted to hear, Ruri wonders what that means for he, who gave an answer he seemed to approve of.
Did he want to hear that answer from her..?
Being approved of is uncomfortable, for Ruri, though she can't quite place why. That sort of positive regard feels... sterile. Exhausting. But...
But belonging is a powerful draw, isn't it? Terrifying as it is.
Those two concepts, placed together. The way she describes him as inept, as she struggles to recount it herself. She doesn't feel good about it, but she kept it to herself, anyway.
Maybe it's no wonder Eight had a bad feeling, when Ruri is feeling so many bad feelings.
Ruri sighs, looking down at her juice. "Okay," she says, downcast. "That's what the crew said, too... when I told everyone about him." Which means she did, at least, tell the rest of the Nadesico about their unwanted visitor.
"He's a troublesome person, so it's better if I don't meet him again... or something like that." Ruri's gaze tilts up, to the glittering light of the chandelier. She wonders briefly how it never falls down. Maybe it does, and maintenance has to fix it. Maybe she'll ask. (Not all thoughts from children are particularly deep or profound, are they?) "Though, I don't know how I'd stop him... since he can just come in without warning."
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight can see--can feel--the conflict in Ruri. She has so many bad feelings about this, and Eight can't really allay them, even if she'd like to. A bright spot at least is that Ruri spoke to her crew. That's important for many reasons, not least of which is to get their take on the matter. They know Ruri better than she does.
"I don't know how I'd stop him coming back either," Eight admits, and glances too to the chandelier for a moment. Just a moment though. "Troublesome is probably right, but he also warned me about some dangerous things. I don't think you should try to stop him, if he comes back--that might be dangerous. But as long as you're careful, and trust Omoikane and your crew, I think you'll be all right."
Be careful, she'd said; she can't hammer it too much, because it's a vague warning in the first place, but a bit of that worry shows through on her face anyway. "...Well," Eight says. "Him aside. Have you learned anything interesting lately?"
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
Would it be dangerous? The more they talked, the more Ruri felt like she was foolish for feeling so threatened by that strange man, who just didn't know how to explain things properly. But... she doesn't get the sense that Eight is lying, either.
She doesn't know how to feel about that. Bad? Probably bad.
"Mm," she nods, though, and her face doesn't show much of that inner conflict, at least. "I'll be all right."
She sips her juice, and puts him aside. For a moment, she thinks, quietly. And then...
"Oh," Ruri looks up, looking a bit more engaged, at her recent thought. (It doesn't nearly communicate her excitement, but that's there, too.) "One of my contacts at Nergal has offered to let me adopt a Haro. I feel like I was friends with one, once... so I'm happy about that."
(It's a little more complicated than just being happy; the story BEHIND the Haros are sad. But the idea of having a new Haro friend is just plain nice.)
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
That's how they get you!!
Definitely bad.
Ruri says she'll be all right, and she's putting on a brave face, so Eight is going to let that be that for the moment. She can't do much more, and... it might be nice to talk about something else. For both of them. So she asks a question as she drinks more of her coffee. "Mmm," she says. "This is actually really good!"
Excitement!! That's good to see. "Oh, that's lovely," Captain York answers. "I have a good friend who loves Haros; maybe you can meet her sometime. The things she can do with a Haro are really impressive! ...Me, I always liked them, but I never had much of a head for them..."
New friend Haro!!
<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
"It is," Ruri agrees, even though she's just drinking vending machine juice. She likes this better.
Her eyes widen, when Eight relates the tale of her friend who loves Haros. "I can..?" She wonders, hopeful. "I'm curious about them," Ruri says, her legs kicking a little against the couch. Movement! "They feel familiar, but there weren't any around when I was learning about the Nadesico." Haros, after all, are toys and hobbyist passion projects, and Ruri had to focus on the ship's systems.
"But they feel like friends," she goes on, quite confident in that assessment, a hand dropping to her knees. "I hope this one likes me, too..."