2022-02-09: UltRamen

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<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

Cheap noodle places exist everywhere, and as a man who has learned to eat cheaply as humanly possible, Riku has learned to find the good ones from the ones who do anything to turn a profit and are usually gone in six months. This one has most of the hallmarks he looks for. A family store, hole in the wall, always busy at lunch, and has some sitting in case he needs to have a sit down together with other people he's working with.

This place is all of these, a young woman is currently operating the counter and serving, her father is working the kitchen, while her mother comes out to talk to both her and the father, probably more the hands-on manager type. Riku is already grabbed a table, something in the back and off the trail so that they could talk.

There is a T.V. on at the front of the store, but the sound is turned down. The table is an older set, probably made forty years ago, but still somehow kicking. The seats are a little rough, but comfy. More room can be added by pushing another table together, and Riku's made sure to indicate the number of people that were comin' based on a combination of guesswork and people who said they'd be there. Riku's also already ordered.

He's got himself a bowl of ramen, probably the cheapest thing on the menu with only a little beef in it.

  

<Pose Tracker> Sho Utsumi has posed.

Noodle places are familiar, so Sho Utsumi is happy this is where the meeting is. The teenager walks in, hands in his pockets, and before sitting down, makes sure to order 'basically the same as Riku, but a bigger, more expensive portion' because he's hungry.

Once he's taken a seat, Sho nods to Riku between the latter's eating. "Yo. Hope I'm not too early."

  

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta follows after Sho - the Neon Genesis Junior Highschoolers are nowhere to be found, this time. "These people are doing well for themselves, huh?" he idly comments; despite everything he'd been coming to learn about the 'other world' and how rough it truly was to those who lived in it, he'd also been able to see with his own eyes that people were still capable of eeking out a happy, meaingful existence despite those hardships.

    It was pretty inspiring.

Yuta seats himself next to Sho, and clasps his hands together, "It's, erm, good to see you again .. " he stops, trying to recall Riku's name, " - Asakura, I think, right?"

  

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.


        For all her rich people tastes and expensive chefs, Sayla is not actually a picky eater. A hole in the wall ramen place suits her just fine.

        She is dressed to be 'low profile' which, uh, still sticks out. A long dark brown coat, a white turtleneck with a brown low cut top over it, tan trousers, and brown heels. Oh and sunglasses. She's also a bit behind Riku and Sho- which means they both miss out. When she enters, she scouts a look at the table and... Riku and Sho's plates. She looks at the menu.

        Her concerns were warranted.

        After a quick discussion with the girl at the counter- and the sliding over of a frankly way too shiny Anaheim Express- Sayla moves to the table to take a seat at one of the 'ends', closer to the door. Hm.

        "Good afternoon, Mr Asakura, Mr Utsumi, Mr Hibiki." She pauses. "...Though I could probably afford to stop being so formal at this point, couldn't I?" She sighs. Some habits are hard to break. When Sayla's meal comes- tonkotsu ramen with chashu pork and and topped with an egg- it also comes with some Gyoza and a big plate of fried rice. And just a bowl of more beef, which Sayla quietly slides next to Riku. "For the table. There's going to be a few of us."

        Incidentally, anyone who comes by in the next two hours has their meal paid for. Weird, that.

  

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka has gotten into the habit of going back and forth from Tsutsujidai to the outside world. She has family and friends to keep in touch with, after all, and that way she can keep everyone posted on what's happening back home.

Today, however, Riku has asked everyone to gather at a noodle place in Nouvelle Tokyo. Well, she doesn't really see a reason to say no, and Hibiki and Utsumi are going too, so she finds herself joining the others today at the table with a bowl of ramen at the table that she picks at idly. Her portion is not nearly so large as Sho or Riku's.

The food tastes different here, outside Tsutsujidai. It's just one of those little subtle differences she's started to pick up on. ...They have it good back home, she realises. A part of her feels a little bad about it.

"Oh, yeah..." Rikka says, a bit distracted, looking up as Sho and Yuta greet Riku. It's not too long after that that Sayla arrives, and Rikka offers her a nod of greeting.

"Oh, good afternoon." She returns.

 

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Chibodee Crockett only has one outfit that isn't a tuxedo. He does put on a trucker cap -- red -- and a pair of cheap plastic sunglasses. I mean this works for some main characters, right? So he does that to show up to the ramen shop. It's a little tight for the Gals to come with him, but he promised to take them out somewhere nice when he's not on a business lunch.

Chibodee enters. He orders per Cath's instructions: shio ramen with three eggs and a variety of bean sprouts, onions, and canned corn. He plays dumb to see if he gets swindled at the counter, but he doesn't. Some more money than is strictly necessary will end up tucked under someone else's bowl when they're ready to leave.

Chibodee sits near Sayla. He broadly considers himself her security detail when they're out like this.

Chibodee will need to be compelled to take anything from the goods 'for the table.' He will in the meantime drink his nutritionally balanced (for a prize fighter constantly in training) bowl of broth and start eating his vegetables. People he's talked to before get a nod. Chibodee's still feeling people out.


 

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

You probably smell Nidaime before you see her.

Nevertheless, she steps in shortly after the Neon Genesis Kids. She sits herself down, likely squeezing herself in to get as close to Sayla as possible, before looking at Yuta and just--

--just looking at Yuta like some kind of creep.

The camera zooms in on her mysterious eyes and then--

--her stomach grumbles.

"...."

And she just smiles big and wide and continues watching. She does start to kick her legs back and forth though.

This does mean as a side effect she's seated next to Chibodee. She reaches into her bag, unzips it, reaches into it, draws out a water bottle--

--and offers it to Chibodee.

 

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN:

"Ah, Chidori. I'm afraid I have something to attend to today."

"Oh yeah? It's not karaoke again, is it?" She sounds...worried. Admittedly, even he knew that the karaoke trip was an unmitigated disaster.

"Negative," Sousuke replies. "A small meeting of comrades regarding mission activity. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

The pause is long, as she searches his face with those big, brown eyes. Then she turns away, with a noise he can't discern. "Hm. Sure, alright. Well, no worries, 'Sergeant,' I know how to get home. Just try not to blow up anything."

"Not a problem," he says. "I have only brought my standard equipment."

She stops cold, then flicks her fingers over her shoulder, dismissive, and resumes walking. He's not sure why that feels wrong. He turns toward the train station.

PRESENTLY:

Sousuke Sagara appears in a black jacket with gray lining and black slacks, looking just a bit like a school uniform. Wait, yeah, it just is one! He has a school bag in one hand. The boy himself has slightly tan skin, like he spends much of his time outside, with a scar on one cheek along his jaw line, and deep grey eyes.

He might look like a local, if he didn't immediately lock eyes with Sayla, nod, and then find a seat near the gathering bunch.

  

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

Riku nods his head to people as they arrive. He's not in a hurry to finish his ramen, because this stuff was actually pretty good. This is the kind of place that buys their stuff fresh, makes their noodles in the back. Cheap because Ramen is incredibly cheap to make, though they do have fancier stuff you can get. Sayala makes sure to get the table that.

"Not at all, take a seat!" Riku says cheerfully to Sho, nodding at Yuta. "It's alright, you can call me Riku. I'm a bit less informal," he says, with a smile. He also gives Rikka a smile, and she can tell immediately he's more of an idiot who's well-meaning. "Everything alright? It's a family place, been going on for a generation so far," he adds on.

Riku gives a surprised look when Sayla passes some extra meat for him, "Thanks!" he says, and while some might push back, Riku has known not to turn away free food. Or reject a friend's gift. He also helps himself to others 'for the table stuff' but takes a modest amount.

He gives Chibodee a nod and a smile, "Good to see you here again.." though, with all the girls, he looks a bit more surprised, but see's what Chibodee meant with 'and guests' and was glad he got that in. "Hi, I'm Riku Asakura," he greets.

Nidaime is back, and she gets a smile, especially with her staring at Yuta as she does. "Hey there, can we get you anything?" he asks Nidaime, not wanting to have someone at the table go hungry. He might even pass his meat over to her if someone doesn't stop Riku.

Sosuke gets his greeting as well, once he sits down. Though he doesn't say anything, he doesn't recognize him. This would be their first meeting, "Hello, I'm Riku Asakura," he says, properly greeting the young man.

"Alright, so...I know there are some questions about myself. I didn't want to say everything over the radio either, so...let me at least introduce myself a bit more officially."

With a breath, he speaks, as he puts down his food. "I'm both Riku Asakura, and Ultraman Geed. I am...not entirely human. I am both an Ultraman and Human. I am also not from this world, but from another Earth, that's a bit in the past compared to this one. A few hundred years? I mean, we don't have space elevators and mecha."

He folds the chopsticks over his bowl and speaks with a bit less cheer. "I came here chasing a being called Gillvalis. He's a mechanical being who tried to eat my Earth and has been a threat to many universes for a long time. We, that is me, Ultraman Zero, and Ultraman Orb worked to destroy him. At this time he...was some sort of planet being."

"We thought we got him then, but he escaped into several parts. I have been hunting those down for a while, trying to prevent him from reforming and continuing his terror again. The thing is...when we got here he disappeared. It was also at that time I encountered the incident here with Guy Shishio and the people who want to destroy everything. That's...well that's a different thing, and I know very little about."

"I know it's a lot, and there are other questions outside of what I'm talking about here...so please feel free to ask!"

  

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Chibodee takes Nidaime's water bottle without fanfare, nodding to her. He gestures at the gyoza and fried rice, tilting his head toward it to indicate that she should have some. Chibodee doesn't want to interrupt anyone but he does want to feed these kids.

"Sir," he says to Riku, nodding.

Riku tells his story. Chibodee listens. He blinks a few times, uncomprehendingly, and drinks his broth. He glances between everyone else to see if he's the only one who is totally head-empty on this situation.

  

<Pose Tracker> Sho Utsumi has posed.

Sho is happy he has ramen to distract himself as he eats. He glances to Chibodee as Chibodee glances at him. Somewhat empty-headed about this.

"So you're saying you're...a superhero. Half-superhero? And you're chasing a robot kaiju...I don't know what Gillvalis is, but it sounds cool. ..."

"How DID you get to our dimension, then, if you're from the alternate past? Is that a power Ultramen have?" Despite the confusion, literally anyone who has been around a teenager knows that Sho is internally geeking out. Especially the Newtypes.

  

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.


        Well, everyone seems to be in good spirits. Even as Chibodee sets in near her, she gives him a glance. The meal is fine, at least, but one day she is going to have to coordinate with his partners to actually force some more clothes on him. And that's making the bold assumption they haven't tried, which honestly she doubts.

        She gives a nod to Rikka, finally remembering to lose the sunglasses. "Good afternoon. Are you well?" Better to ask about Rikka before asking about her friend. Nidaime makes her presence known, and Sayla smiles. "You can get whatever looks tasty from the menu, if you go up to the counter. Just point at the one you like the look of." She smiles again at Chibodee sliding her the fried rice. It's a little bittersweet, seeing Chibodee grasping Nidaime's way of doing things better than Sayla ever had but... Well. She's been luckier than them, and she knows it. "That's go for you too, Sagara. The meal is on me."

        There's a pause. "Oh, this might be your first time meeting. This is Sergeant Sousuke Sagara." The sergeant is said quietly to not be over heard, but it's a Shuffle meeting, after all. "He's from one of the agencies with the organisation. Sagara, these are Yuta Hibiki, Sho Utsumi and Rikka Takarada. That's Nidaime, and you've met Chibodee already."

        And then Riku explains himself.

        Sayla is quiet for a few moments, and then a single word comes from her, not in her usual composed tone of voice.

        "What."

  

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Chibodee looks at Sayla. He waits a second as if expecting the other shoe to drop.


  

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Nidaime says, "Oh!" to Riku. "Ahhh...." Chibodee points her to the fried rice and gyoza. "Oh sure! Thank you!"

She takes a pair of chopsticks to try adn collect potstickers but they just keep slipping out of her grasp so she eventually just collects them with her hands.

She reaches into her pocket after getting a few on her plate before setting down a random assortment or coins from her pocket onto the counter.

She then looks towards the menu before pointing to the Sapporo Ramen dish as Sayla suggests.

She kicks her legs back and forth a couple times. "Yuta..." She says thoughtfully before focusing on Riku again.

She listens.

"How many parts...if he's a planet that's..."

Nidaime starts counting on her hands as she tries to imagine the scale of this.

"That'd have to be a lot of pieces." Nidaime says. "More than I could count on my hands."

  

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta sheepishly smiles and gives a small wave of greeting to Chibodee, and then when he's introduced, to Sousuke.

Yuta's order is a bowl of noodles with one egg, and spring onions. Nidaime's constant and steady gaze leaves Yuta staring back, his head tilting no more than three centimeters to the side. ... This is weird.

Thankfully, her status as a resident foodie gives something resembling reprieve. Only long enough for Riku to share his story, and make Sayla spittake. Yuta on the other hand, seems to roll with the explanation fairly easily, "I see. So it's like that ... "

It made sense, only when one considered that as far as he knew, Tsutsujidai was also from a completely different world. It wasn't that much more crazy to assert that there were more alternate worlds than Tsutsujidai, or that there was a villain who could travel between them.

Something stung at the back of his mind, and feeling the oncoming signs of a headache, he stops to gently massage his temple before drinking some of his broth. "That Gillvallis .. I'm sure you'll defeat him. You're Ultraman, after all." he affirms. " - I feel like Gridman would probably say something similar to that if he were here."

  

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Compared to Riku's apparent cheer, Sousuke looks like a human brick. In that he's not emoting much at all. He nods at the greeting. Sayla introduces him and he nods to that, too. "Sousuke Sagara," he repeats. "I'm..." He glances to the side at the lovely totally normal people by the counter. "...a specialist," he says, in a way that suggests he thinks that the meaning is clear even if it's *definitely* not.

When he does eventually order something, it's small. Food should be consumed efficiently and you should be prepared to have to either leave it behind, or pick it up and run. Old lessons drilled into his bones.

When Nidaime's...presence, reaches him, he looks at the small...human? Human. Obviously. And then just nods and returns his attention to Riku. Missions can take one to all sorts of locations, after all. Perhaps the odor is valuable camouflage on her next assignment.

Riku's statement is ludicrous on the face of it, and Sousuke...actually emotes!? He gets a bit of a crooked look to him, maybe not doubting Riku so much as having a chord stroke within him.

Another impossible thing. He'll have to ask the Captain about this one. It sounds mad on its face, but he knows better to doubt simply because it's outside his expertise. Still. He can think of it as simply somewhere far away, if he has to. That much he can understand.

"Nidaime is correct," he says, finally, cupping his chin and visibly thinking. "Conventional armaments will be no use against something of that scale...NBC weapons might work depending on the enemy's composition, but are of course banned by numerous treaties."

  

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Oh... yeah, it's alright." Rikka replies with a nod toward Riku, before nodding again to Sayla.

"I am, thanks. Um... how are you?" She can kind of guess why she's asking.

She takes note of everyone who filters in, making sure to greet them. She lingers on the new face for a moment before offering him a nod.

"Good to meet you, Sagara." She greets turning her attention once more to Riku as he starts to talk. She listens politely, not interrupting him. His story is... well. It's A Lot. Rikka just kind of stares for a moment. Utsumi and Yuta... well, of course they'd be right there with it.

"...It's not that I don't believe you, but... it's hard to believe." Rikka points out. "If it weren't for everything that'd happen lately, I'd think you were screwing with us, but..."

But, they'd somehow found themselves in another version of their world, too, where history had taken a drastically different path. It's hard to say that Riku's story is impossible. Rikka sighs, massaging her forehead. What was going to happen next...?

  

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

Riku continues to smile, though it becomes a bit more muted when Sayla and Chibodee seem to either not follow along, or are completely shaken. Riku scratches the back of his neck with a sort of sheepish look as he's not exactly sure where to go from here. "Sorry, maybe I said a bit too much at once.."

Sho seems to roll with the punch and asks him a few questions. To be fair, at his age he'd ask the same questions in this situation. "It's...so Ultramen are a species of Alien. So it's more like I am half-human and half-alien. Ultramen come from the Land of Light, a world in a different universe."

"As for how that's...complicated and not easy, it's not something I can just do at the drop of a hat. I know some have it, but...again, we're getting a bit off topic." He's not avoiding the question, so much as not wanting to get into details about this situation quite yet.

Yuta gets a nod, "I appreciate that. Though...is it possible to talk to him sometime? He's...definitely similar to what I am, but also different. I can't put my finger on it."

Riku smiles at Nidaime, "Yeah, it was. Not every part turned into him though, but enough. Though I think some came back because of the Devil Splinters...which is a whole different issue and another history lesson.." he says, with a rub of his head. "Needless to say, he's the only one left. For now.."

To Sousuke, who was a brick of emotion until the story, he does say with a wave of his hands, "Not quite the same as he was when I first defeated him, he's no longer a planet...thank goodness for that. I hope to make sure it remains that way."

His smile doesn't dip when Rikka has her doubts. "Oh, I understand. It's a lot to take in...but then again, I never thought about being in a place where mechs are a thing. I mean, gosh! And the elevators! If I had more money I think I'd just ride one up and down all day..haha.." he says, taking it all in good cheer.

"I also talked to someone, who helped me out of a problem in space. He works with NERV, and told me that there is a possibility I didn't consider and that would fit into what has been happening, the convenient timing of me showing up for what I did...and the fact we can't find him anymore.."

"Is that Tripple Zero have him, or that he's joined with them."

  

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.


        Sayla... suddenly looks a bit embarrassed. "Well enough, I suppose." Rikka's response cut straight through. "I'm that obvious, huh." She sighs. "Sorry." And, she realises, here might not be the best place to ask, in front of everyone. Careless.

        "I-I see..." This is. A lot. "Like the Zentradi, but from another universe." There's a pause. "...There were news reports of something called Ultraman operating in Tokyo, weren't there?" She pulls out her second phone, chunkier, secured. Sousuke might approve. Or think it's not enough. "...Yes, someone reported a chunk of OCU and Britannian funding going toward a NERV agency after an Ultraman incident in Japan recently." She pauses. "But... that was before we encountered any of you. Are there more of you?"

        And now it's a new and different topic. "Devil Splinters." Her face hardens. "Chibodee, they don't sound like...?" The Queen of Spades would know exactly what she's asking about. Something like that...

        Riku mentions Space Elevators and that reminds Sayla of something. She pulls out some envelopes from her desk, one each for Riku, Yuta, Rikka and Utsumi. "You'll need these, if you want to go to space or use commercial international travel. ID papers." She sighs. "I was told we had to improvise a little, but officially you're citizens of Free Japan. I'd give them a read. Still, Riku being from-" She struggles to get the words out. "Another universe... explains a lot."

        "He's no longer a planet!?" Sayla's eyes widen. Gilvalis... certainly sounds enough like the Devil Gundam to send a chill down her spine. "...You'll have our full support locating him." She looks to Sousuke. "Without NBC weapons."

        It's a few moments later that she chides herself. She should have been getting Chibodee to make that call.

  

<Pose Tracker> Sho Utsumi has posed.

Sho nods. "Half-alien half-human. That's awesome. We'll try and help you." And then the ID papers are handed over. Sho pauses, and then, turns to Sayla, dead-serious.

"What about our alternate universe selves? Won't this interfere with them?"

  

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Chibodee doesn't even know enough about this situation to ask difficult questions. He seems to be back at step one rather than say, step 30. Proper nouns race by him. He knows the more common ones. Chibodee knows a Zentradi guy that goes to the same dealer. He barely understands alternate universes. Science isn't his thing. Literacy was hard enough and sometimes he still needs to ask for help.

Sayla looks worried. Chibodee puts his hand on her shoulder and nods. He barely knows what she's talking about but he is going to generate Reassurance, and because he has that kind of presence it might even work.

"I'm gonna rehash this to be sure I get it," he says. "Bad guy from the past comes into the future. I guess like... a living angry planet. Good guy from the past," gesturing at Riku, "comes after him. Bad guy is a planet-eating kind of bad guy not a military dictatorship bad guy. Fortunately the good guys also have ... big power, like a planet power, kind of thing. But the bad guy broke up into chunks like DG Cells do, I mean you call them Devil Splinters, Devil Gundam, this is all the same shit functionally. Please do not explain why they are different because I actually will not understand."

Chibodee keeps going. "So you've got to get all of them before they spread and make problems. Other bad guys might want to help this busted-up bad guy because all bad guys are dumb as hell."

Chibodee points at Riku. "When we need to go out and punch this guy just call. We can punch it until it stops being bad." He nods. This is Shuffle Science. "In the meantime if you wanna go up to Neo-America and ride the big roller coaster I will comp you. It goes out over the Earth in a big clear hampster tunnel kind of thing. Oh, hey, have you ever had my WcWonalds' meal? I'll get you one. Sometimes it has a foil card inside," leaning in, "I'll make sure yours does." A grin.

  

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke does not immediately offer verdict on Sayla's cell phone. He has Opinions.

Sousuke nods quietly, first at Rikka's assertion and then to Riku's clarification. "It is a strange story," he says, chin cupped in his fingers. "Difficult to know how to act on it. But, if there is an enemy, the background complexities can be entrusted to our superiors."

Chibodee's explanation makes him nod, quietly. "Yes, I see," he says. "Preventing something akin to a Devil Gundam outbreak. I wonder if the Captain still has that AS-scale flame thrower around."

Chibodee's explanation has got him pretty much where he needs to get but Sousuke is nonetheless a curious sort in his heart, a man who likes to know and understand what he can. He's a soldier who's been working and fighting with machines since the earliest moments of his life, seen the ways small shifts in understanding can make what might appear impossible prove to be actually quite simple. So he considers it further. Aliens from another universe? Well, extraterrestrials are something he's heard of, at least. They became an inescapable military fact when the Zentradi appeared. But there's that phrase again...Sayla seems to understand, as does Utsumi, who brings up a question Sousuke can't even attempt to grasp.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with something that seems to be key to your story," he admits, and his gaze is completely intent and fully serious.

"What is, 'another universe'?"

  

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Nidaime says, "Oh okay," to Riku. Chibodee begs Riku to not explain how Devil Splinters and Devil Cells are different. Honestly this is still a bit beyond one preteen kaiju's ability to plan around. "We'll help!" She says. "If I see something that looks like a Devil Splinter I'll let you know!" She pauses. "What does it look like?"

She looks over towards Chibodee for a moment and then nods to Riku as well. "Oh wow you're so lucky... WcWonalds food is great but the ice cream machines are always broken."

She kicks her feet a few more times as she finally focuses back on Yuta.

Ocassionally she puts food in her mouth.

  

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Oh, thank you.." Yuta says, as he accepts his envelope, before pausing. Sho asked a question that he hadn't considered, "..do we have versions of ourselves in this world?" he wonders.

" .. but, surely that'd have been caught if that's the case, right?" he looks to Sayla and smiles in relief. For having just met her, he sure was a trusting guy.

"Oh, as for you Asa-erm, sorry .. as for your question, Riku, Gridman only contacts us occasionally through Junk ..."

He felt bad telling a white lie like this, but he'd made a promise not to reveal the truth. He wasn't sure why Calibur and the others were so cagey about it even beyond the Federation, but he believed that they had to have a good reason for it. And a promise was a promise.

He willfully chooses not to address Sousuke's question because it's something he himself wasn't sure how to break down in a way that'd make sense. Saying it out loud was totally different from internalizing it, after all.

Besides that, he had a staring contest to get back to. "Are you enjoying your food?" he asks Nidaime. "Mine is yummy."

"Oh! And Mister Crockett, I saw some of your mechandise today. Look," he rustles around in his school bag for a minute before pulling out a Chibodee Crocket Bean Plushie. "It's really cool."

    It looks pretty deformed, actually.

  

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"It's alright." Rikka replies, shaking her head at Sayla's apology. "...I appreciate it, though."

Her attention turns back to Riku as he continues his explanation. Some terms come up that she isn't quite familiar with, though.

"I'm not sure what 'Triple Zero' or the 'Devil Gundam' are, but that sounds... bad." Rikka comments, massaging her forehead. "Dealing with kaiju was already a little too much..."

He wants to talk with Gridman, too... fortunately, Yuta has a good out for that.

But apparently this reminds Sayla of something, as Rikka soon finds an envelope in her hands, containing important documents.

"...I didn't think about that..." She admits. "I thought my usual ID would work just fine."

And Sho asks about alternate universe selves. She looks at him with an eyebrow raised, and starts to say something, but... the last time he said something like that it turned out he was right on the money, so this time she decides to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

Riku looks over at the phone, "Oh! That's Ultraman Z. Huh...I thought he was supposed to be with Ultraman Zero.." he says, thoughtfully. This is going to require a house call, Riku thinks. They're likely going to need to catch up anyway, because why is Z hanging out here anyway..? He rubs his head, more in a trying to puzzle something out way.

He takes the papers given to him, and gives Sayla a bright smile, "Thank You! Now it'll be possible to actually get steady part-time work with these." He says, with a nod. "Hopefully I can find an affordable apartment.." not likely in any version of Tokyo.

"No, he's not...so.." And then Chibodee takes control. It is now Riku's turn to be stunned into silence. He nods along because most of what Chibodee says is correct enough to not need to be explained again. "Right, just...Bad Guy I talked about first isn't the source of the Devil Splinters...though he is like the Devil Gundam in the replicating and machine way." Riku got at least that much in a history lesson. "You ask enough questions.." he says, with a shrug.

He smiles at Sho, and gives him a thumbs up. "I appreciate your support!" He says and nearly falls out of his chair at Sousuke. He looks at him for a very long time and then takes a breath in. "Imagine your world...but...not your world. That is an alternative world." Riku, you are a genius.

He nods to Yuta, and even if the truth were revealed to Riku, He'd likely very much understand. He can really only be so open because he's not native. The moment he leaves his ID goes with him...so it's not as big of an issue. Likely. "I understand, if you do get to talk with him though, let him know Ultraman Geed would like to talk."

"Triple Zero is something current, and I can share what I was told from my friend in NERV, but uh...that's a whole other thing, and I think it'd help if I told someone from here what I know so they could translate. As for the Devil Gundam, I asked around about that and got funny looks. It was a giant robot that tried to eat everyone and infected people with itself..."

Nidaime asks a question, which causes Riku to actually look uncomfortable. "You know what my eyes look like as an Ultraman? It looks like one of them..." he says, knowing this is going to get a question. "Sorry Chibodee, I have to explain what they are after all because it's...actually important."

He sucks in a breath because this is going to be a thing. "They are fragments of my father, Ultraman Belial. Ultraman Belial was a multiversal threat, who was defeated repeatedly but kept coming back. He nearly destroyed our universe, but the Ultraman King managed to repair it with his own body.."

Emotions run across his face, there is happiness there, the journey he had, the friends from his home. But there is pain too. Those thoughts...the fight against Belial, feeling his pain even at the end and begging him to give it up. "I destroyed him, and we managed to do so in a space outside of space. These remains of him are...dangerous. They can reconstruct monsters, or corrupt them. They've caused a lot of damage so far."

"Sorry," he says with a weak smile, "I haven't seen a few friends of mine in a while. Made me a little homesick," he says, with a brighter smile.

  

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Chibodee doesn't know all these people. He works on a simpler, elemental level. He has to hit something. He has to hit it a lot.

Chibodee sees the plushie. He's already reaching into his pocket for his Sharpie. "Pass that over here," he says to Yuta. "That's a knockoff but I'm gonna sign it anyway because I know you won't sell it on eBay."

Chibodee uses this move as a reason to not think about alternate universes, metaphysics, or other things that Bunnie talks about on the internet.

Riku explains despite being warned Chibodee wouldn't get it. Chibodee listens. Sure enough he doesn't get it. Not even a little. Fuck it.

Chibodee gets up, moves over to Riku, and puts both his hands on his shoulders. "My friend," he says, "had to fight his dad when he turned evil too. But... I'm going to believe, in my heart, that your dad loved you, even if he lost himself inside the big power. Because fathers should love their sons."

Chibodee keeps his hands on Riku's shoulders for a moment. He squeezes them lightly, takes a breath, and then lets go to return to his seat, not looking at anyone for a moment. He drinks a big swig of ramen.

  

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Is Nidaime enjoying her food?

"Uh-huh." Nidaime says. "It's almost as good as vending machine food." Oh geeze.

She considers Riku for a long moment. She then looks to Chibodee. And then--

--she looks kind of uncomfortably at her hands. "...It isn't very great...when your family decides to threaten everyone."

She smiles at Riku. "I'm going to believe that too, what Chibi said."

She looks back to Yuta and adds, "'Yuta'." She says to him, trying out the name. "Are you..." She tightens her hoodie. "Okay? Do you need...help?"

But other than that, she seems hesitant to distract from Riku's plea. This seems pretty important!

  

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.


        Sho raises a point, and others question it. "...About that." Sayla says, after a moment. "As far as I can tell, none of you four have ever existed. And not in the war orphans and disposessed people don't exist." This is, to a degree, one of her many specialties. "Plenty of records get lost due to war, and regimes. But usually there's somewhere before the trail goes cold. With all of you, that's not the case." She looks at Riku. "Riku's story explains that, and what you've said about Tsutsujidai makes sense as well." She leans back. "I was going to ask if you wanted to try DNA testing to see if you had any relatives out here, but it might do more harm than good." She pauses. "That said, I would like to run some standard blood tests on you all, if you're willing. If Tsutsujidai hasn't changed since 0079, then it's possible you may not have antibodies or vaccines you need. Similarly for you Riku... You're from a different place altogether, but your biology might be able to handle it."

        "As for your normal ID, Rikka, well. Tsutsujidai is not and has not, to our people's research, ever been part of Japan. That could trip alarms." She sighs. "We're really going to have to put aside some time for history lessons, to get you caught up. It won't be pleasant, though... Sagara, you're read up on the wars at least, aren't-"

        And then Sayla stares off into space, her eyes seeming to lose focus, staring at nothing. It goes on for at least a minute, but she tenses a fist. Even as she spaces out, there seem to be moments of tears forming in her eyes.

        When she speaks, it's sort of sudden, and a little emotional even as she tries to rein it in. "Chibodee... I don't think that's helping." She's quiet, as she looks up at Riku. He probably has no idea what happened, most of them won't. "I'm sorry we brought it up."

        Whatever that was... hit hard for some reason.

  

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.


Chibodee doesn't look up from his ramen. There are things he understands even if he doesn't know how to say them. "He is a brother," is what he finally settles on. "We are in understanding. That's all I need to know."

  

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

"A brother..." Nidaime murmurs thoughtfully. It seems Chibodee is a man of big families.

  

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

Riku looks a little sheepish for having to explain something, but to him not explaining it might cause distrust. He isn't ashamed for being related to Belial. He's not afraid of that, because most understand he is not his father, and what his father did were his own crimes. Though some species out there would differ, due to the atrocities that Belial visited on them.

Chibodee's shoulder grab and squeeze had caught Riku by surprise. The emotion is raw, pure, and simple. He couldn't keep it in, and he smiles at Chibodee and places a hand on his for a moment. Solidarity. He doesn't know why, or how...but he KNOWS that Chibodee was a brother and a friend he could count on.

Perhaps he could feel that his own emotions got the better of him, or that he thought about that moment that Sayla got to experience he looks at her. There is a solid moment where words just aren't necessary. "It's alright, Ms. Mass. Thank you," he says.

Nidaime speaks too, and he nods at her. "Yeah, I am too."

On topic, Riku thinks. "I'm not about to turn down health care. I do not know if I'm covered against everything here, I mean...still half-human and all. So better safe than sorry. I am sure I don't have a counterpart here...given you'd have to have a Belial here to have done it...and he did it in my world. There has only ever been one Belial as far as I know."

  

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta hands over the plush freely, smiling rosy cheeked as Chibodee autographs it. "Oh? But, even if it's a knock-off, I thought it had a really macho vibe .. but thank you for signing it."

He determined to make it a fixture of his room, now. Maybe somewhere on his desk? Where he could look at it and ask, 'What would Chibodee do?'.

Yuta turns back to Nidaime and blinks slowly, "Erm..well .. I guess I'm alright. I mean ... "

He looks down and touches his fingers together. " ... okay, I need to get something off my chest. I haven't been honest with any of you, and I'm sorry about that."

"It's just something that would have been strange to bring up. But I can't really hide it ... so ... " Yuta says.

After leaving everyone, briefly, in suspense, "I hava amnesia ... " he confesses. "I only know my own name because Rikka told me who I am. I didn't even remember where I live, Sho had to show me .. so - I guess ... it's easier for me to take all this in, kaiju .. alternate worlds and different histories .. because I don't remember anything."

"I'm sorry again for lying to you. And .. I'm sorry that sometimes, I might not be entirely honest about things .. but if you can still trust me even after this, I'd appreciate it."

Yuta breathes out, feeling half of the weight of dishonest fall off his shoulders. Unlike with Gridman, he hadn't promised to not say anything about this - he'd held it in of his own volition. But, especially with the way Nidaime had looked at him, he felt compelled to be as honest as he could be about his situation.

"Thank you - " he says to Nidaime, " .. you just helped me a lot, you know. I feel much better after telling everyone."

"Oh, uhm, and - I don't mind if you run blood tests on me. I'm scared of needles, though."

He clasps his hands again, "I'll also let Gridman know, the next time we talk to him, that Ultraman wants to meet him. I think he'd want to meet you, too." Yuta says to Riku. 

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke listens closely to Riku's explanation and at the end...actually scratches at the side of his head in something approaching visible frustration. He'll...ask the Captain, he decides. If it matters. Maybe Chidori?

No. Chidori...shouldn't have to concern herself with this kind of thing.

"Thank you," he says, because Riku did make an attempt. He's experienced this before, this feeling of being out of the loop. Mostly it happens at school, among people he knows have lived another life from himself. Coming up in a setting like this, surrounded by people he would have called part of his world, is...a strange feeling, frustration and something else he doesn't know.

Which is why it takes him most of that minute before he realizes Sayla is having some kind of episode. "Doctor?" he prompts, and when she doesn't respond he stands and approaches. "Doctor?" he prompts again, with visible, mounting concern. Aliens and universes and light-men and thoughts that make people explode are all well beyond him, but a woman falling into catatonia is a thing he understands the shape of.

Fortunately, she recovers herself before he jumps to jury-rigging a debrilator with the ceiling lights. He slips back toward his more neutral posture, breaking eye contact to hide what most people would call embarrassment. He slips back toward his seat and busies himself with his dinner.

  

<Pose Tracker> Sho Utsumi has posed.

Sousuke BSODs Sho for a while, who has no response. None. "You know, like another universe with different versions of you, like the movies?" He finally answers, before listening to Sayla.

"Never...existed?" Sho freezes. No trace? There's no AU clone? Nothing? The only explanation is...

"I have no explanation, damn..." He mutters, having no Tarabaman knowledge to help him. He sighs and eats some ramen.

"I'm not a big fan of needles, but I guess." Sho shrugs.

  

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka nods as Riku gives an explanation of some of the things that have happened. The big thing comes, though when he explains about Ultraman Belial. It's... overwhelming. She can feel something, but she can't quite place what it is... maybe it's just the immensity of that revelation.

"...God. I don't know what to say..." Rikka replies sympathetically, shaking her head. What can you say to someone who had to fight their own father?

And then, Sayla has a bomb of her own to drop.

"...We never existed?" Rikka repeats, dumbfounded. No trails, no records. This is a lot to take in... "That can't be possible, right?"

...But then again, a lot's been happening that she would have said couldn't be possible. She grimaces, though, at the idea of blood tests.

"Ugh, those kind of suck, though..." She mutters... and then, after a moment, relents. "But, fine... I don't want to get sick. And I don't want anyone else to get sick, either... We really should figure that out."

She is no less enthusiastic about history lessons, but...

"...Yeah, I guess so." She admits. "It's clear there's a lot of things I don't know that I should..."

  

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Nidaime listens carefully to Yuta. She doesn't...react with a shocked expression or anything like that, even when Yuta admits to his amnesia. It's another curious head tilt. "...So you ... didn't recognize the resemblance, huh...?"

She scootches back in her chair. She seems to run this through her head for a moment. And then she looks to Rikka. As she's looking at RIkka, she picks up her bowl of ramen and drinks down several gulps of the soup and licks her lips.

She smiles at Rikka, then, just a nice smile--but she...still doesn't say anything directly to her. Just giving her the smile.

Back to Yuta she adds, "I still trust you. Don't worry, Yuta!"

She smiles brightly. "Maybe I can help you recover your memories sometime, if you want...!" She does, if nothing else, finally understand why someone as cool as Gridman needed help.

"Tell Gridman Anopapa hopes he's well too."

She smacks her lips and then goes back to wiggling her legs back and forth.

"I too...!" She says. "Don't like needles."

"But....!" She says. "I'm a big girl now so I'll sit still."

  

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.


        Sayla is a little started to see Sousuke so close, but given what she's coming out of- "I'm alright, Sergeant. Thank you for checking." Riku, too seems to be okay. "...if you're sure."

        And then her eyes turn to Yuta, as he admits his condition and Sayla's eyes lock on to him. The fact that he had to say it out loud... "I... can guess you're not holding that well, at the moment?" She makes it a question at the last second, something for Yuta to answer rather than Sayla stating a fact. Even though she is. "Do you have anyone with you, apart from Rikka and Sho?" So much for formal- she's spanish, she doesn't do honorifics. "I know you had those others with you, but..." They felt, frankly, wrong. So does Yuta, still. But he's also hurting.

        She looks to the others around the table. "Do you have parents, or a guardian?" There's something about that question, the way she phrases it. "Do you need food? Money?"

        There's a brief distraction about the bloodtests. She nods. "I can get a hold of a clinic I trust here in Nouvelle to do the collection. If I can find a former anaesthetist or EMT, they'd be my first choices. They tend to get it done the first time. If I have to do it myself I can, but it's better to trust the specialists.""

        She pauses, giving Nidaime a smirk. "And unlike some people, I think you'll squirm and struggle and hide under the desk in my office less."

  

<Pose Tracker> Chibodee Crocket has posed.

Chibodee feels like he's probably said too much today as it is. He eats his ramen. Definitely coming back here, he decides. The girls would love it.

But, well... Chibodee can't help himself. People feel lost. He's got to do something.

"It doesn't matter about what universe you're in or what you remember so long as you're here, now, and have the will to act. All that cosmic stuff isn't where we are. We're here, alive, people on this Earth. And no problem that comes along isn't one we can't beat if we work together."

  

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sho asks Sousuke a question and Sousuke looks at him like he asked it in Klingon. "I am not familiar," he says. ...maybe that he can ask Chidori? She likes movies, doesn't she?

Chibodee's comments settle in over what's bothering him in a way Sousuke isn't quite self-aware enough to understand. It helps.

He eats efficiently, like he's weighing every bite against being ready for the door to come flying in and Britannians or Yakuza to burst in with guns.

  

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

When Yuta says he needs to admit something, Riku turns to listen to all ears. Even if he's eating Ramen again. Actually, he's happy they're not making him explain anything else for a moment. He really wants to finish the bowl. Once done, he places the chopsticks down, but at this point, Yuta has let it out.

His face turns to concern, "That's...I'm sorry! You were helping with the fighting all this time, and had no idea who you were? That's..." He says, moved by this. "Really brave of you...but I think you should get checked out if that's the case."

Riku the hobo guy who had self-treated basically up to this point. He is totally someone who should be talking.

Though with none of the grid kids existing on this side of things...that's pretty odd. He's not sure where to even begin about that, or how to help. However, Sayla has it locked down. "You're really good at this, Ms. Mass!" he says, a bit brighter. "Well, I don't know if it matters existing on this side or not...but you're here right? That's what matters now. It isn't who you are that determines where you go, you do."

The comment from Chibodee is nearly identical, and he gives him a grin. "Right, exactly that. Chibodee is very smart."
Chibodee Crocket raps his knuckles on the table once affirmatively. He avoids thinking. That's his secret.
Riku Asakura says, "Sitting around doing nothing won't get us anywhere," Riku says with a nod to Chibodee. "

  

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Sayla is - she phrases that as a question, but Yuta understands she's only asking him for his sake. He appreciates it, but it instills the same feeling of shame he'd had when Rikka had been forced to go find Sho, so that Sho could be the one to show him home.

    Because she'd had to nurse him back to health in her home.

His clasped fingers tighten unti his hands turn white. " ... it's really hard. I mean ... I don't know anything. I'm as hapless and unhelpful to the people around me as can be."

Yuta sucks in a breath, "No amount of guts is going to make more more knowledgeable, or more wise, or more capable. And now there's a whole world out there that I also know nothing about .. - it didn't even occur to me that there might be another 'me' here, because it doesn't really feel like I - "

A sharp buzzing in his temples forces him to stop spilling his tender, aching guts all over the table to people he largely, barely knows. Something deep inside warns him that if he finishes that thought, going back to Tsutsujidai would be difficult.

    What was I thinking about...?

He can't remember. " .. sorry. I shouldn't be pushing these problems on any of you, I just thought you deserved to know."

Yuta nods to Nidaime, " - I'm sorry that I don't recognize you .. but, I'll let Gridman know. If you could continue to help me, I'd really be in your debt."

Chibodee manages to bring his mood up a bit, too, with his helpful encouragement. "You're right. Focusing on the here and now .. is much better than focusing on stuff I can't possibly know about."

Yuta's eyebrows raise into a squiggle as he looks at Riku in half gratitude, half-concern, and one percent amazement. "I'm .. not sure if I want to hear you of all people saying that ... if you're not careful, you'll spend your whole life up, A-Riku." he catches himself quicker, this time.

"As for my parents....I -" it hurts.

"I .. have parents, probably." ... no, that's right. "Yeah, Sho mentioned it. My parents work overseas."

Yuta smiles, "I haven't gotten to talk to them since whatever made me lose my memory ... but, don't worry. I can take care of the apartment just fine. The Neon Genesis Junior Highschoolers - Max, Calibur, Borr and Vit - also drop by and sometimes stay over to keep me company. I still get an allowance .. I think?" Right, where else had the money come from?

"So I'm fine on food and such." he concludes, to Sayla.

"I already imposed on Rikka and Sho way too much as is. Which ... well, I'm not sure how to feel about there not being a version of us in this world ... maybe it's just one of those things?"

 

<Pose Tracker> Sho Utsumi has posed.

Sho just treats Sosuke like he's insane, and instead zones in on something he can. Like Yuta's parents! Who work overseas, as far as he knows. "Yeah, Yuta's parents work overseas." He confirms, unhelpfully somehow.

 

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Nidaime reaches into her bag, withdraws a water bottle, and offers it to Yuta quietly. "You're such a sweet boy." Nidaime says to him. "But don't worry about it. I want to help you out so you don't have to feel guilty. You're already helping the people of my home so much already."

She beams. "Actually, it turns out all of you do huh...! So don't feel guilty over me, eheheh! I'm just glad that even without your memories, you're still you."

She finishes off her ramen readily. "Kind people shouldn't feel guilty too much." She says, like a life philosophy.

  

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

It takes Rikku a little while to notice that Nidaime is staring at her. But when she does notice she glances her way, returning that smile with one of her own.

And then, there's the matter of Yuta's situation. She hadn't said anything up this point, because it felt like something he should say when he was comfortable - and now, that time is here. She listens quietly, letting him say his piece.

"...Hibiki..." She murmurs, when he remarks on feeling as if he'd imposed on herself and Sho. She hadn't really realised he thought that way... It makes her feel a little bad for acting so inconvenienced at the time.

"Right, thank you..." She says with a nod toward Sayla, a little distracted. "I'd feel better if it's someone you trust."

After all, they don't really know much of anyone in this world yet. They should probably be careful about who they reach out too, especially for something so personal.

  

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.


        Chibodee communicates in a way Sayla can't seem to. That's what a Crest Holder should be. They do the heroics and the inspiration and the understanding anothers heart through combat. She wouldn't be doing what she was doing without people like that. And Riku seems to feel the same way. It even seems to have a faint effect on Sousuke. Maybe. She can't tell, that boy is a fucking rock in space to her. Nidaime too, tries her best, while Sho and Rikka confirm the situation.

        "...Yuta." It's a good thing no one here is a newtype. They could feel how hard it is to open up. To talk frankly. "Telling us your problems isn't pushing them on us. Even if they're heavy. Take it from someone who bottled hers up way too long." And still is, frankly, but he doesn't need to know that part. "Most people who help others want to. Not out of some obligation. And our alliance wants to help. Telling us your troubles lets us do just that."

        She leans back in her chair. "...Yuta, what if Riku stayed with you? Until your parents get home. You'd be helping each other out, since I don't think being alone in your home would be that good for you." Spoken from experience.

        "As for the rest... You need to have the opportunity to learn. Fortunately we're still finding out about Tsutsujidai and you're still finding out about our world." She knows she's moving fast, she wants to try and fix the problems all at once. "It might be a bit like cram school, but I certainly know people who could teach you. And then we go from there. That applies to all four of you." Hopefully, that wasn't too much.

  

<Pose Tracker> Riku Asakura has posed.

Riku looks up at that, it WOULD solve one problem that's true...and with Yuta not having any memories it would be responsible for someone to stay near him, in case other trauma came up because of the amnesia. He leans back and nods his head. "If Yuta is okay with it, I don't mind. I'd still have to consider part-time work, but I could handle chores until I could pay my share of the rent."

  

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed. 
<poem>

"Oh.." he says, to Sayla - Yuta seems to awkwardly fidget for a second before the topic shifts slightly, to something he was more comfortable with. " ... well, if Riku needs somewhere to stay, I don't mind. There's plenty of space," he smiles.

Between the encouragement of Nidaime and the others, he felt - refreshed, almost. " .. I'm really lucky to have met all of you, aren't I? I'll try to remember that, when I need to stir up my courage."

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