2022-04-06: Britannian Newtype

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<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.


        It's not raining.

        Here in Area 11, there is the light, welcoming pressure of a thing which brushes the skin; there, there, and there, it flurries like summer rain, thick droplets which hang for long moments before they slide away. But there's no scent of petrichor, where rain meets the soul; the smell of this downpour is its neighbour, pollen-rich and floral, immersive as climbing a great, twisting tree.

        Nunnally can't -- not on her own. But she's heard enough stories to imagine.

        She's dressed all in sunset colours, with calm, shallow blues at the tips of her traditional flower-viewing yukata, all evocative of a pond at the end of the day. It was a gift from her friends on the Student Council, and seated in her psycommu chair, she's glowing with that same gentle warmth. She reaches a hand up, off of one of the half-cupped sensors which help her to move, to cup in the air.

        The wind brushes past her fingertips; a petal lands there, and she feels its perfect curl, midway through the shedding of the trees. She brings her hand down, and smiles.

        (Her face turns to the petal; her eyes do not open. Have not opened, for some time. A flower at midnight, she is contained within herself. Even so, by her gentle smile -- she's content, within herself.)

        "They're wonderful, aren't they?" She asks, because she knows there are ears to listen. "Japan has such beautiful events."

        (It's not Area 11.)

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.


The ears listening, presently, are Milly's. She's been enjoying the chance to spend some time with Nunnally; she's also enjoying the chance to spend some time in a viewing garden. She actually plans to see some on both sides of the border by the time the season is up, but getting the trip organized is a pain.

(Of all the borders-that-aren't in the world, the one between Area 11 and Free Japan is among the tallest. Free travel takes considerable effort to organize.)

She watches as a petal brushes against Nunnally, as if the world has decided the deserves to appreciate the beauty, too. It's here we see -- and feel -- a side of the Ashford heiress that few see: contentment. There's no teasing, there's no smugness, no careful obscuring of a worry it would be unseemly for others to see.

She lets out a happy sigh, and agrees, "It's definitely nice." She taps her chin, asking, "Would you like to go to Nouvelle Tokyo's, too? I was thinking of organizing a day trip for the Student Council and some club representatives."

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.



        Free Travel is, in fact, a pain in the ass, even for those with money to buy their way through it. But events like this give one an excuse, and with a savvy enough person sorting out visas, a tourist visa can become a business trip, and Sayla Mass finally has an excuse to see 'Area 11' up close.

        But first that means... doing the tourist thing for a three or four days. And today that means Cherry Blossoms. Sayla's wearing a comfortable white dress, flats, and a sun hat.

        She's also struggling to enjoy the moment, with so much on her mind. She needed to see this, get an idea for herself, and make sure this potential business partner is on the level. Sayla is bad at trust still. She walks down the path, uneasy-

        Still, something catches her eye and her mind's eye at the same time. The psycommu wheelchair stands out, and thus it's user. Was that the sort of thing Nanai wants to do with the psycho-frame? How is it necessary, when this works well.

        And then the gentleness and calm coming from the user. Not oppressive, not powerful, just there. She looks to her, and the woman accompanying her. Both of them, calm and content. It's not something she wants to interrupt, but all the same-

        She decides to stand a few feet down from Nunnally, and try and catch the view that-

        She pauses, seeing her closed eyes.

        It's not the view then, for her, but Sayla opts not to stare overlong. At least one of them won't recognize her, she supposes, as she watches the blossoms- they've certainly started to fall.

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.


        Nunnally knows there's a border, of course; she is perfectly aware of all the borders in her life, and the way borders affect her friends, too. Physical borders are a thing she knows through the helpful warnings of her chair -- and as for the ethereal...

        Well, maybe it's no wonder Nunnally knows Milly is in a good mood, listening to the way she sighs. She is not surprised, to know Milly is fully herself, without ploy or play to the stage; she's privileged to know that Milly has many speeds outside a dead sprint.

        (Though, of course, she'd never let her secret slip. Nunnally is remarkably good at secrets. Milly even knows just how good, funnily enough, which explains how Nunnally would insist Milly has the best discretion of them all.)

        "Could we?" Nunnally asks, turning her face to Milly, as her fingers uncurl to free that petal from its audience with her palm. The innocence to her question is as delicate as the sakura. "If it's not too much trouble, it would really be wonderful, Milly! If we could show everyone the sakura bloom everywhere in Japan... that would be nice, wouldn't it?"

        Her pronounciation of 'sakura' is still a little clumsy -- she hasn't been here long enough to get a local's nuance, and it's the surest suggestion that she's a visitor herself. But she's always put forward her best effort, so it's still entirely recognisable.

        And here, her head tilts, Nunnally's attention caught by something to their side. She doesn't open her eyes; neither is there a flare to her nostrils or a twitch to her ears to suggest she's using any of her other physical senses to pinpoint their visitor.

        "Is someone there?" She calls out, voice searching, clear and sweet as a bell through the blossom-filled air. A brow creases her noble-pale skin, as she leans forward, a little, in her chair. "Is something wrong..?"

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.


Milly is a good student. It'd be hard for her not to recognize Sayla; she doesn't want to rubberneck, though. (In general, she's the type of person to -- not give celebrities their space, exactly, but to engage them as people. Then again, that might be her own status, damaged though it is, talking.)

So she talks to Nunnally first. "I'll be sure to get you a train ticket, then." The trains do still run -- even if it's mostly nobility. (Granted: this disqualifies very few students at Ashford Academy -- and even fewer groups of students.)

She does, though, eventually address Sayla. If nothing else, Nunnally's call-out forces the issue, a bit. How does she do that, Milly wonders for a moment, before asking, "Are you here to see the blossoms, too?" She approaches -- enough that she can address Sayla and Nunnally without anyone else hearing -- and asks, "Ms. Mass, right?"

She decides now would be a great time for a little discretion... but she can't stop herself from being curious. "What brings you to Area 11?"

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.



        It's easy for Sayla to overhear, and the way they talk about Japan and Sakura is a surprise for one of her first overheard conversations in the Area. She didn't expect such sympathy and enthusiasm.

        She also didn't expect her mere presence to alert the girl in the wheelchair. Given... where her head points. Sayla sighs, and turns towards them, taking a few steps forward.

        The woman knows how newtypes work. "Pardon me, the young lady with the yukata and the wheelchair," given she doesn't know the girls name and it's a crowded area, she needs to make clear who she's talking to, "I think that was me. I'm sorry to disturb you." She gets ready to move away, but Milly's already moving and talking. Damn.

        "I am," She responds with a practiced calm- that is probably pointless with Nunnally there, even with Sayla putting her walls up. "And I'm coming mostly to see the sights." It's a vague answer that she responds to evasively- you never know who might overhear. But Milly's probably use to this sort of doublespeak. She sighs again. "I'm Sayla Mass." Just because one of them knows her doesn't mean they both do. "This is going to be a hard conversation to conduct if I don't know your names."

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.


        "Mass?" Nunnally asks, with those same movements of her head as she tries to locate someone in her space. "Sayla Mass..?"

        Leaving aside her early education, Ashford Academy has an excellent history department. And since they provide Nunnally with braille textbooks, she has a good grasp on who's who in their world, too.

        It helps when Sayla confirms her name, though.

        Milly's the first one stepping up; smoothing a hand over those round controls, Nunnally moves herself forward, too. (She goes whirrrrrr when she moves. That's chair magic.) "My name is Nunnally," she introduces herself, voice as gentle as the rest of her. "Nunnally Lamperouge. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Mass." And here her fingers twitch with her brow, as she tries to decide what to do with this information.

        (It's hard to sort out what information she has, really; she has a sense of discontent -- from the way Sayla speaks? -- but the edges of it are terribly indistinct.)

        "I'm sorry," she settles on, after a moment. "I'm the one who disturbed you... I thought something was wrong, over there. Please don't mind me," she insists, a hand to her chest, as she shakes her head. "I'm told I'm a fanciful girl... but I'm sure someone like you is very busy, right?"

        It seems she's sharp enough to pick up on Sayla's evasiveness, at least. Like the petals, she's not going to trap Sayla here in her hands.


<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.


There are ways in which Milly Ashford is utterly normal for a Britannian noble. She's pushy, she can be haughty at spots, she's used to having the world wrapped around her finger -- sensitive to questions of authority, in both directions.

There are a few surprises, too, though. "I wouldn't say you disturbed us," she starts, tone just a hair playful even already. "Nunnally's got a nose for this kind of thing." There's an extent to which, while Milly is a headstrong person who usually takes charge in a situation, she... it's not that she defers to Nunnally, but she sees Nunnally's gifts and considers her words very carefully.

The Lamperouges have done a lot for Milly's consideration of others, after all. That continues into the present in its own way.

"Milly Ashford," she says. The Ashford name ought to ring a bell -- Milly's family has had an outsize impact on Britannian military doctrine, though many of the Ganymede's lessons ended up unlearned, and some of its problems remain unaddressed.

'Something was wrong over there'... Milly chews on that a moment. Nunnally usually spots people first, in still moments... she's always great at noticing very fine details in movement, too. "You sound like the rest of the Student Council when I ask them where they snuck off to this time," she reflects, after trying to connect a few dots. "Trying to slip away from trouble at the Foundation?"

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.



        Oh. They do both recognize her. Well, so much for that. Still, talking to locals is helpful too, even- Well, a noble from a weapon developing family and a Britannian citizen. "Nunnally and Milly. Nice to meet you both." She makes sure to turn to address them each, listening to their comments.

        And she pauses about the comment about Nunnally having a nose for this A thoughtful expression crosses her brow. Nunnally apologies and Sayla starts to shake her head, before stopping. "Nunnally, there's no need to be sorry. I simply didn't expect a Newtype like you to be present. I can have that effect if I'm not careful." She drops the term so casually, like she assumes everyone involved knew.

        The comments from Nunnally- a fanciful girl? What does that mean? Fortunately, Milly distracts her again. "Hm. Not quite, Milly. The Foundation's doing fine, and I have people who get me to take a break." She pauses, before thinking of how to phrase it. "Let's just say a very insistent donor has made a request of me to see what Area 11 is like with my own eyes, and 'draw some conclusions on a personal level'."

        She's not actually quoting someone, but she's certainly giving the impression she is. Nunnally may aslo find Sayla's emotions rapidly becoming harder to read. Not impossible, but it's as if there is a wall there, to make sure they don't wash over the girl.

<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.


        "My apologies, Miss Nunnally, Miss Milly."

        The apology comes from the woman that is approaching the group of three. Her occupation quite evident by the maid outfit she wears. Well, unless she is cosplaying... But that's unlikely. Carried in her hand is a cardboard carton, the kind typically used by stalls in the area to let customers carry food orders away.

        The maid begins to explain as she gets closer, "I'm afraid the line at the stall was a touch longer than I had expected." She finally reaches the group, quickly taking in the sight of the third, unexpected woman.

        The maid then bows, going into another apology, "I'm sorry for the interruption." She straightens again and provides her own introduction, "I am Sayoko Shinozaki. In service to the Ashford Family and Miss Nunnally. It is a pleasure to meet you."

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.


        Strangely, Nunnally doesn't act much like a Britannian noble, despite the company she keeps. She's a modest, quiet, thoughtful girl; it's hard to imagine Nunnally demanding anything, let alone the world at her feet.

        Then again, not all Britannians are larger than life; so many of its citizens are normal people, making their normal way through their normal lives, and the iron fist on their screens may as well be far as Mars from their existence.

        (He was always so far from --)

        Nunnally tilts her head askew, as Sayla drops that term so casually. "Huh?" She ask, in light confusion, before she corrects her, softly. "No, no, Ms. Mass. You're right to think I'm not originally from here, but I wasn't born in space." The next stage of humanity... well, that is the mythos, after all.

        She does laugh, though, when Sayla responds to the way Milly rallies around Nunnally's own intuition the way she does. Not loudly, not for a long time, and with no malice; her hand lifts, to cover her mouth. "You sound like how my big brother was like when he was younger..! Are you the type of person to want to do everything on your own, too?"

        The connection between Milly and Nunnally, as it happens, is permeable both ways; Nunnally has learned a little about disarming people from Hurricane Milly, too. She can't quite tell what's going on with Sayla, which makes her think she's still uncomfortable -- but if she wants to keep talking, perhaps she can put her at ease with a little teasing.

        Her efforts to reach out are thusly rewarded with: SNACKS. "Oh, Sayoko! Welcome back!" Nunnally's face turns to her, with a warm smile; she's as respectful with her name as with Milly's and Sayla's. "Thank you for taking the trouble to stand in line for me," she adds, and leaves why she'd have trouble with queuing to implication.

        (People can get so pushy when they're hungry.)

        "This is Sayla Mass," she introduces the stranger, quietly, lifting a hand to indicate Sayla -- hopefully she hasn't moved out of the position she was the last time Nunnally pinged her emotional state, because right now it's hard to see her. "She's here to see what Area 11 is like... I imagine it must be a troubling situation, but I don't think she means any harm." Here, Nunnally pauses, and adds: "She's very involved in charity, after all."

        Is that really how she knows?

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.


Newtype -- Milly was vaguely aware that Nunnally's wheelchair had something to do with quantum brainwave research, but the idea of the 'Newtype' as a thing a person just sort of is, is... She glances toward Nunnally, with that aura of faint surprise one often gets. She isn't even that sure of the myth of being born in space having anything to do with it -- she's just flat out skeptical. Then again... it would explain some things, she reflects.

Milly's world opens a couple millimeters.

She moves a little closer to Nunnally, when Sayla addresses her, and rests a hand on Nunnally's own. It's clearly a somewhat practiced gesture -- something that she's so used to knowing is Nunnally's preference in interactions like these that she doesn't think twice about doing it. "Well, you've picked a good spot... though maybe not for the sort of looking your foundation does," Milly reflects. "You might have better luck in Nagoya. You heard about the poison gas attack last year, didn't you?" Even she can't talk about that too casually, as she reflects, "Even if the methods are deplorable... it's hard to argue with that kind of desperation."

Sayoko returns, and Milly gives the maid a smile. "Thanks for taking care of it. Hmmm, though... I've had a lot of occasion food, lately," Milly reflects. "Maybe just one. I'll leave the rest to you two," she says, snatching takoyaki with her non-Nunnally-handholding-hand with a smirk -- and then making an approving face. "These are definitely getting better over time, though."

(It's less kelpy and a touch sweeter than it would've been a decade ago. Here in Area 11, the festival food is slowly moving to meet the Britannian palate.)

Nunnally teases Sayla a tiiiiny bit, and Milly... muses on that a moment. "I wouldn't have minded if he'd kept a little of that," Milly murmurs. "That used to make him so reliable... now I contend, alone, with the hundred shiki-ouji bound into every club budget..." She's dramatizing, and her delivery is very stage-play-oration rather than earnest.

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.



        Sayla lets out a sad smile. "Your wheelchair has a psycommu system, Nunnally. Oldtypes can't use that." And she hears another common confusion. "There are plenty of Earth born newtypes, as well. But it's hard for research on this to come up, a lot of organizations are happy for the idea of the 'newtype' to be Amuro Ray. But there are plenty of newtypes less suited to combat."

        Milly sees what Sayla was getting at, and she smirks. "What do you know? Nagoya hadn't been on my official itinerary. I'll have to fix that." Sayla pauses, and her face darkens. "Desperation only excuses so much." She'll have to take a look herself. And see how it differs from the Titans methods. Or Zeons. She doesn't trust the Black Knights, but she trusts the Britannian power structure even less.

        Nunnally disarms however. "...I really am that easy to read, hm?" She's relaxes a little- but there's a spike of hurt at the mention of brothers, quickly tamped down. "There are some things you have to trust but verify."

        Sayoko appears out of the crowd, and Sayla turns and steps slightly, moving slightly out of position. Sayla glances over her- the outfit is the real deal at least. Though the Ashfords are well connected. "Nice to meet you," she responds to Sayoko, but Nunnally takes the rest of the introduction.

        Milly, too, comments about this mysterious brother, before going into a dramatic diatribe. "I'm sure your brother is more measured about it, Nunnally. You only have to worry if he starts making speeches at the drop of a hat. That unfortunately means you have a workaholic who doesn't know his limits on your hands, and they're, according to my staff, hell to deal with."

<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.


        "Ah, that's very kind of you." Sayoko says to Sayla, after being informed about her purpose her and nature of her work. She continues, "I'm sure there are many in Area 11 who will appreciate any assistance you can provide. There are some parts of Nagoya in particular that are experiencing rough times." Contrary to the other two, Sayoko is very clearly Japanese. Though she doesn't appear to have any significant issues with using the Britannian name for the region.

        As Milly reaches for snacks, Sayoko of course holds the carton open for her to grab some, explaining, "I was able to acquire a bountiful supply of both takoyaki and dango."

        Once Milly has taken some of it, Sayoko proceeds down to one knee next to Nunnally's wheelchair, "Here you are, Miss Nunnally. Why don't you try the dango first?" She softly takes Nunnally's hand and guides it to the bottom of the stick, "The skewer has three round dango on it, each about two fingers wide."

        Confident that she has provided Nunnally with enough help to enjoy the sweet dumplings on her own, Sayoko stands. She then tilts her head a little as Sayla gets a little dramatic, "A workaholic?" She thinks for a moment, before musing to Nunnally, "Hmmm, given Master Lelouch's frequent late nights and lack of energy in class lately, could it be perhaps that he has acquired a night job?"

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.


        Nunnally takes Milly's hand, gently; it's not just a way to get the measure of her. "Psycommu..? I see... they said it was a new type of technology, but I'm not very technically-minded, so I didn't really understand the details." Most technology, after all, isn't very friendly for Nunnally's use. (She does have a wonderful little screen-reader to help her around a computer, though.) "I would like to meet the person who made this, though... it's made getting around quite a bit easier, for me."

        Nunnally looks up, to Milly, as she mentions the gas attack, another frown creasing her fine skin. What those terrorists are doing...

        ... is it really hard to argue?

        It's unease she carries only in the little squeeze of Milly's fingers, and the way she spoke to Milly, in the wake of that attack, of how scared everyone was.

        (Her memories of discontent, conversely, are unveiled.)

        Some memories, as it happens, are sharp enough to be felt even veiled; Nunnally looks to Sayla, as she feels that. It's little more than a searching look -- the type done without seeing -- though; because here's Sayoko, with her takoyaki and dango. Hearing her voice, Nunnally releases Milly's hand to reach out to Sayoko, and finds her hand taken once again to help her find the bottom of her dango stick. "It smells delicious!" Nunnally says, as her other hand taps where the top of the dango ought to be by Sayoko's description. Having located it in tactile space, she proceeds to nibble her dango, happily.

        (There's a little something on her cheek, but she can't tell.)

        Once she's finished with one of the dumplings, she giggles, at Sayoko's conclusion. "A night job..! He's certainly dutiful enough!" Nunnally smiles, to Milly. "My big brother's the most reliable person I know... even if he's lackadaisical about school, he'd always come running if I was in trouble. I know that for sure."

        As for making speeches at the drop of a hat...

        ... well, she only heard about that much later, but there's a psychic twinge there which strangely goes unaddressed in her actual conversation.

        (Nunnally was... indisposed, when Lelouch spoke to their father back then, after all.)

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.


Hearing that Nunnally really has been getting use out of the chair, and likes it, makes Milly smile. It's not a particularly new piece of information, more of a, 'the connections my family maintains are worth it' piece of information.

Milly doesn't partake of too much more food, but does decide to try dango. She doesn't have as specific of comments on it -- because Sayoko's offering more information on Lelouch, a topic still of interest to her. "Hmm... I just hope he's not gambling again. Then again, if he could do honest work, he ought to at least help me with event planning..."

She looks to Sayla, trying to find something to say. It's rare Milly is speechless -- and she isn't, quite, here -- but it does take her a second of thought. Of the topics, Newtypes are -- maybe surprisingly -- the easiest. "That's interesting... if they can still be born here on Earth, why is the textbook committee so evasive about acknowledging it?" It's a topic she's never given much consideration to, until now.

Nunnally has something on her cheek. Milly asks -- with a little more gentleness than she's broadcast up to this point -- "There's something on your left cheek. Do you want to get it, or do you want me to get it?"

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.



        The picture that is being painted of this mysterious brother certainly is a complicated one. A reliable gambler working nights, hm? Still, Sayoko makes a pertinent comment. "That's the hard part, Sayoko. What I can provide is rather harshly limited in Britannian territory, but I still intend to do what I can." Whether that's entirely legal is a whole different question.

        "I'd be curious to know too, Nunnally. Most people only put psycommu in mobile suits. They could make life easier for many people." Sayla is continuing to monitor her feelings, with limited success. She can enjoy they sight of a moment of pure enjoyment. And try not to mar it with her own thoughts, old jealousy, old hurt. She tries to lock them down more, not sour things for the girl.

        But old painful feelings like that can't be shut down that cleanly, not in that space between souls. "I'm glad. It sounds like he has his priorities straight."

        Milly changes topic, and Sayla gives her a tired, cynical look. "It's a bleak answer, to my mind." Milly does not seem the sort to back off from a question like this. "Primarily, control. You're too young to remember, but Newtype research bloomed after the One Year War, only to be clamped down and refocused on almost pure militarization after Operation Stardust. Then follow the thread to the Titans, and you position newtypes as 'dangerous spacenoids'..." Sayla leaves the rest unfinished.

        She's unusually open with these three, but their sympathies- and Nunnally's earnestness- feel it's worth telling the truth. "There's been so little research that most of it is small organisations. Organisations like Flanagan and Augusta poisoned the well. There's not enough research to overthrow the textbooks, and most people don't really care to know." She sighs again. "The Federation and Zeon's excesses still have ramifications, even now."

<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.


        Sayoko nods knowingly along with Nunnally as she praises Lelouch. Sayoko has had plenty of time to observe the two and is well aware of the strong connection they have. It's one of the reasons she is so dedicated to serving them both. It's often heartwarming to see the two of them caring for each other.

        The discussion about Newtypes gets a little deeper, to which Sayoko's expression changes to one that's more thoughtful as she listens. She's no stranger to the idea of misinformation, nor the benefits that can come from its spreading. It's no surprise that some connected to the various organizations would find worth in suppressing the idea of there also being Earth-based Newtypes.

        Sayoko has a sudden moment of realization, which shows on her face. She turns to Sayla and begins, "Where are my manners..." She raises the carton she holds, opening it, "Would you like a snack, Miss Sayla? There's more than enough to go around."

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.


        "Don't be silly, Milly," Nunnally chides her, smiling brightly. "You already know how to get my big brother to help!" It might involve physically springing on him and forcing him into a ridiculous costume, but Nunnally's not a narc.

        She finishes off her dango, and comments, to Sayoko: "Japanese street food is so delicious! Thank you for bringing it for us! Ah, could you..." Nunnally holds out the cleaned-off stick, because she can't see where the trash bin is, after all.

        When Milly mentions the food on her cheek, Nunnally turns her face to her. "Oh... could you get it, please?" She asks, with a little self-consciousness, aware there's a stranger standing right there. She wouldn't mind fumbling with her face if it were just Milly and Sayoko, but...

        Still, the picture Sayla paints for them... Nunnally frowns, her fingers curling around the familiar grips of her chair. (It doesn't move, because she doesn't want to, right now.) "So it's about war, is it..? Well... someone in my position would be no use at all to goals like that, unless they meant to use a blind girl to gather sympathy." She delivers the evaluation with some remove; she's aware of how some people look at her, even if she has a different idea about herself. "... no wonder no one belaboured the point. Even if I'm a Newtype, it's safer if it doesn't come up, right?"

        Evidently, Nunnally is good enough at reading between the lines, even for all the parts Sayla leaves to implication.

        A girl like her, no use at all -- not even to be married -- might well serve her family only in research, after all.

        It's that thought -- that precise thought, with its accompanying shape of emotional futility and frustration and despair --

        All a sudden, Nunnally sags, to the side of her chair. Her hand slips, too, too delicately, from the psycommu grip; it dangles, aimless, from over the armrest.

        She rouses, with assistance, groggily, still without opening her eyes -- a little syncope. (She fainted.) "Oh... I'm sorry," Nunnally says, apologetically. "I'm feeling a little ill... I think... I think I'd better go home. But it was very nice to meet you, Ms. Mass... I hope you find what you're looking for." She sounds disappointed, and she is; but she doesn't want to cause trouble for anyone, either.

        Her health is just... quite poor.

        (It's her heart that's ailing.)

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.


Nodding to Nunnally, Milly reaches out. She takes a moment to assess the affected area -- the bit isn't too saucy, just enough to stick. She decides she probably doesn't need a napkin for this; she gives her finger a quick lick and gently removes the offending bit of food, then moves a dry digit across in the same way to get any residue. After a moment of assessing her handiwork, she says, "Got it."

Sayla seems like a smart woman, and Milly is inclined to believe her -- but she's a little skeptical of the idea of a more positive climate around Newtype research when she was that little. She does agree that it's, "Interesting," and concludes with, "It sounds like I should do some reading. If nothing else, I ought to know what we've gotten Nunnally into."

Sayoko's pensiveness -- and sudden realization that there's something better she could be doing -- doesn't go unnoticed, but Milly is the type to leave Sayoko's thoughts to Sayoko. The offer of food gets an affirmative, "My eyes were a little bigger than our collective stomachs, I think."

Nunnally's heart wavers; Milly doesn't feel it, but she can see it. She's had to deal with this before; it's reflexive, at this point. She moves to one side of the chair, and gestures for Sayoko to move to the other; assistance in getting situated comes quickly.

"If you want information on Nagoya," Milly offers, "don't hesitate to reach out to the Ashford Foundation, Dr. Mass." Once Nunnally has gotten situated again, Milly asks, gently, "Do you want Sayoko to push, or are you okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Sayla Mass has posed.



        As they collectively offer food, starts to decline before changing her mind. "Thank you." Sayla reaches for something savory- skewering a piece of Takoyaki, and taking a bite. Hm. Still not her preferred form of seafood, but tasty enough.

        Those two are certainly close, and she can see the thought with which Nunnally and Milly interact. There are some people like that here. Milly seems to have an interest, and nods. "The University of Seville has a good starting point of academic resources. More theoretical than recent research, though." It would be, after all. That's how she released her personal collection of Zeon Zum Deikun's writings in 0082, with her notes- under a pseudonym.

        Nunnally's comments are. Upsetting, but also not entirely correct. Correcting them might not help, either. "...Sadly, yes. But it's better to know, at least. If you know, you at least can be prepared." And then that sudden thought spike cuts through Sayla's walls, and if it weren't for Nunnally fainting, people might noticing her steadying herself. She can't tell the clean shape, and not exactly what caused it but...

        Sayla kneels down to check on Nunnally, but Milly is more on it. And based on these reactions, it's not uncommmon. So- seeing people more familiar than she handle it- she steps back. They've got this. "...I see. I hope the episode passes quickly." That's the best she can wish.

        "I shall. Thank you all for your time today." She steps back, giving a small wave. "I'm sorry to have cut your day short."

        Sayla's pretty sure of what she caused. She put them into the conversation, after all.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.


        Sayoko smiles happily as Nunnally praises the stall food, "It can sometimes be a little hit and miss, but over time you learn to pick out the right stalls to go to. I'm glad you liked it!" At Nunnally's request, Sayoko reaches out, "Of course." She takes the now empty skewer and proceeds to slip it into a pocket in her clothes. She will find an appropriate place to deal with it later.

        Sayoko stands at the ready as Milly assists Nunnally, but as expected the council president has it covered. Though when speaking of doing some reading, Sayoko nods in agreement, "Yes. This discovery creates some concerns. It would not hurt to look into it further." If this really is some unique tech, particularly tech used in making weapons, it could be dangerous to Nunnally in some fashion. Even if only because others might want to get their hands on it.

        It's at that point though that Nunnally's condition takes a dramatic turn for the worse, Sayoko quickly switching over to concerned maid mode as she kneels down to check on Nunnally. Thankfully though it doesn't seem too serious, though Sayoko clearly believes that returning home to let Nunnally rest is probably a good idea.

        Sayoko already moves behind Nunnally's chair, getting ready to push, even if she chooses to decline Milly's offer. Sayoko would of course object in that situation.

        As the time to part comes, Sayoko bows her head to Sayla, "It was an enlightening conversation. Thank you."

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