2022-04-06: A Literal Pitfall
- Log: 2022-04-06: A Literal Pitfall
- Cast: Emilia Eschonbach, Sousuke Sagara
- Where: Cherry Blossom Viewing Parks, Tokyo, OCU Japan
- OOC - IC Date: 2 April, 0096
- Summary: After a panic attack at the Cherry Blossom Parks, Emilia Eschonbach ran off the beaten path. Who knew that all you needed to calm down was a pit trap and a very odd student to talk to.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Moments ago, a young Britannian woman in a cherry blossom patterned yukata fled from her peers, badly upset and just needing to get some space- something she was being denied. So she ran.
And then there was a muffled thud.
NOW
Emilia is pulling herself up to sitting position in... a pit. On a tarp. What?
Instinctively, Emilia pulls her knees to her chest- she's awfully vulnerble here. Why is she here? Was this some insanely elaborate plot to humiliate her? No wonder they tried to overwhelm her, they knew this this would happen. Even Kallen? Did she try to stop them?
She'd been doing so well too... It was fun and Ranka seemed nice... And then that girl...
That stupid, callous naive idiot girl, what the hell was she thinking. Fighting means people die, no matter what. What kind of moron pretends otherwise. She doesn't even know what it is to suffer but...
Well. Anger is a minor step up on mistery. Minor.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
And then a mop of brown hair peeks over the side, below two clear dark gray eyes. "Hm," he says, with an analytical bent to his tone. "...civilian," he decides. "Remaining in the area to check for victims was a good decision."
Yes, he's saying that out loud.
"Are you alright, down there?"
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emilia is startled out of her anger by someone, looking up at the half face above her. Is she alright? What? Why would you...?
Emilia blinks a few times, before eventually, stammering out an answer.
"N-No?"
Physically she's... probably fine, but how can she be alright at the bottom of a trap?
Who knew this was the trick to getting a straight answer.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"I see," he says, with zero change to his expression. "Very well. One moment."
He disappears back over the lip.
About a minute later he returns with a short ladder, which he feeds over the edge. The position exposes the latter half of his face, with the X-shaped scar on one cheek, and making more obvious his tanned complexion. "It's important to be careful in the vicinity of public gatherings," he says - subject-wise it could be read as a lecture, but his tone is strictly informational. "The dangers are many and varied."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Wait, he's just going to help her? Just like that? No begging or pleading or having to wait for a beleagured authority figure to find her and say she shouldn't rise to the other students bait? What's his game here?
Still... She can't do anything down here, so with about 5 seconds hesitation, she grabs the ladder- making sure the strange boy can't pull it up from her- tests the weight (good practice in a warehouse or MS shop job) and then begins to climb up.
She is caught, momentarily, by his scar- and then by his lecture.
It could be easy to write this off but... she's been to so few events like this. And he's not berating her, he's just... stating fact? He's not trying to make her feel bad?
Maybe the situation is so ridiculous her defenses are down, but...
"I... I see..." She's quiet, as she climbs up, and- carefully as to not further mess up her Yukata- "I've not been to many of these... Is this a normal security measure?" It makes sense that they wouldn't have them at the concert, because who would put pit traps on a ship?
"Umm, thank you. For helping me up." She's a little too rattled to put two and two together yet. And even then, she's shown some trouble making four sometimes, in these situations.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
The young man's gaze is steady and clear, and his face a neutral mask. He doesn't try to mess with the ladder, holding it steady on his end and hauling it back up when she's done. He's in a black, long-sleeved jacket and slacks; she may or may not recognize it as the winter uniform of Jindai High.
"Protecting the perimeter of a large gathering with defensive measures is an obvious step, and not seeing any, I chose to erect some of my own," he says.
The between-the-lines there is that no, it is not in fact normal.
"Not a problem," he says to her thanks. "I noticed you left the gathering at some speed. Is something wrong?"
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emilia's new enough to Japan and Area 11 that she's not familiar with the uniform, but is nonetheless grateful to this... very strange young man. Right up until he establishes that he made these. "...How? When? D-didn't anyone notice??" That's.... Emilia is not completely oblivious- she's better with a factsphere display- but there's lots she's been prevented from learning.
But nobody thought to teach her about pit traps.
And then he expresses concern and Emilia starts to wall up. But... frustration and confusion boil over instead.Even then, she can't be loud, or even hard in her speaking. "...Someone was speaking too lightly... about something..." Her mouth starts to lock up, the words are jammed up in her head and her throat. "A pilot... talked about...."
Words, damnit, words. Why is she trying to even open up. What is she doing. She turns away from the man, which does not help.
"...how if... you stop being careful... you never have to worry about anyone dying...."
It's not what she said, not accurate, but... It was what Emilia heard, or close enough.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Emilia asks a TREMENDOUSLY obvious question and Sousuke answers, honestly, "I have been preparing them for some time in areas most likely to be used for spying by enemy actors."
Don't worry, Kaname will probably find out before it becomes a Big Problem and make him fix it. ...probably.
Sousuke does not entirely understand her answer, at first. He's not so much of an alien that the notion of being distressed at someone's words doesn't register, but still, his expression is about as blank as before when she explains herself.
But, he takes that response at its face value, even as his eyes remain pinned to her relentlessly. "An indefensible belief," he says. Again, almost robotic, the way he simply...states things and then explains them. "Death is a near certainty on the battlefield. Every precaution must be taken to survive, and to preserve the lives of those one is protecting. Utmost caution is a necessity."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Enemy actors...?
"...That makes sense. There are lots of famous and important people there... Visiting nobles, foreign dignitaries, even Sher-" Her eyes widen. Ranka told her to keep it a secret, and she crossed her heart. Stupid, stupid idiot, she'll hate you now.
Rather than try and change what she's saying mid word, Emilia just stops talking for three or four seconds before lamely finishing with "pop stars..."
Sousuke's assertion, hit hard though. Every precaution.... That's... Emilia nods silently. It's something she wishes certain Heroes had thought about.
It's also something she should be thinking about, but she's not there yet.
"...Do you also work security here, Mr-" Oh shit, she doesn't know his name. And he doesn't know Emilia's. She blanches, takes a step back- not into the pit- and curtseys deeply which frankly looks wrong in a Yukata. "I'm dreadfully sorry! My name is Emilia Eschonbach, sir. May I ask your name?""
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
The young man nods firmly along. "Indeed," he says. He catches her slip, but because he knows, like, actual nothing about pop culture unless it's one of the outdated magazines Kurz sends him sometimes with the severely underequipped personnel, he doesn't have a prayer of putting the name together. "Ensuring the safety of VIPs is essential, of course, and in a situation like this, with a spread-out group, it's best to approach that with an eye to general safety."
Oh. Names. Right. "Not a problem. My name is Sousuke Sagara. I am from Grade 2, Class 4 at Jindai Municipal High School." He looks at the pit, and thinks to add, "I am the monitor in charge of trash and umbrellas."
That...was not a yes!
Nunnally Lamperouge has arrived.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Honestly, Sousuke's delivery may be a little strange, but honestly the way he lays it out, it makes sense. If you don't have, say, the upbringing of a normal person, his straightforward, simple and militaristic output makes sense. "I see..." She pauses, looking around, having another realization. "So there's more of these around?" She can't... see any of them.
Oh, he's a student, then... "So this is a part time job?" That also makes sense... "So you had to do all the hard work setting up..." He must be a junior employee.
You sweet summer child.
"Oh, um, I'm from, um. Ashford Academy. In um-" She stops again. Is it offensive to call it Area 11 when you're in Japan? Or do they acknowledge it or should she use occupied Japan??
She chooses to move on. "I'm um, a first year in the Fantasy Seduction Club." Which she says, like it's a normal ass club name.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
His logic is impeccable, when it applies. The problem is he so often uses these trains of thinking when no normal human would use them.
"There are," Sousuke says, simply. "So long as attendees follow the prescribed exit procedures, there will be no problems." And only malcontents wouldn't follow the signs, of course.
A part time job...yes, that is the term Kaname and he came up with for his cover. "Affirmative," he says. "It's difficult work, but protecting citizens is gratifying."
Ashford. Hm. "Ah. The Britannian preparatory academy. I'm familiar." He nods, once.
And then she says three words in a certain order, and Sousuke cups his chin. "Fantasy Seduction. Intriguing," he says. "A club to prepare students for the task of using their bodies as weapons in the war of information. A grim necessity."
He looks her in the eyes. "I hope it goes well for you."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
"Oh... right..." So all you had to do was run off in the correct direction and she would have been fine.
It also makes it easier to avoid being crowded by her fellow students. That's good, maybe. "...That's... good of you." There's something twisted up in Emilia's heart at that point. She can't put word to it. "...Yes." She sounds a little... ashamed, maybe? Again, it's messy.
And then, the already pretty down Emilia visibly deflates. "That's... not exactly it..." But is he wrong? Her looks are about the only thing she has going for her. Maybe that's why the club wanted here. "I mean.. it's- there's also... dressing up and... makeup and..." This isn't helping things at all.
Security is an easier topic. "...I wish the security at the concert had been as thorough as you..." There's no way she's going to get tickets to the Macross City one.
She pauses again, finally having a realization. "Um... Mr Sagara, if you've set up this area... Would you be able to help me get back to the main area? I..." She looks down at her feet. "I don't want to ruin any more of your work..."
Oh. She means that.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Sousuke is not a person DEVOID of empathy, but...the situational cues, the subtle marks that give away a person's feelings...he doesn't see them well. They aren't part of the social language he's learned. So, Emilia's conflicted, messy heart passes him by. He nods to acknowledge she's spoken.
She attempts to explain the club, and Sousuke cups his chin again, thoughtfully. "Yes...I imagine it's a complicated subject, with many peculiarities. To say nothing of the highly individual aspects..." He tips his chin up to the sky, thoughtfully. "Ah, but it's not my specialty," he finally says, letting the subject drop.
"Concert?" he asks, with a brief, confused look. "Hm...I remember my classmates discussing a major concert in the colonies the other day...I had other priorities at the time. Did things go poorly?"
Ah, but, she asks for an escort. He looks at her, then down, then back at her, and nods. "Not a problem. Escorting a person out of danger is an important duty. Please come with me."
He swiftly turns, stepping carefully as he walks back toward the main gathering.