2022-07-16: Unison ~UNISON~

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<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.

        After a bit of chat with Rikka, it turns out that the best place to park a Mobile Weapon may be right behind the junk shop. She does her best to step quietly as she moves her M9 around to the back--the gravity shift makes that a bit easier, granted. She finds a good spot and crouches the machine down as low as she can, reaching up to flip a jury-rigged-looking switch above her head. A moment's pause, and a status monitor informs her: COOLING SYSTEM DISCONNECTED. She lifts the harness off, exposing cooling ports atop her shoulders. She retrieves her cooling coat from an overhead compartment as the cockpit opens.

        She steps out, locking the coat's shoulderplates into place over the ports, and hops down to the ground, surprisingly lightly. "We really are in a colony," she murmurs to herself, making her way around front and stepping into Aya through the customer door.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

A Lot has happened, and right now, what Rikka wants to do the very most is go right to her room and bury her head in a pillow. She wants to do that, but now really isn't a good time for that because there's a lot that needs to be discussed considering everything that has happened. So, with Synchrotank returned to its usual parking spot, the very first thing Rikka does is smooth things over with her mom - she's just having some friends over for a bit, it's fine, everything's good.

The next thing she does is step behind Aya's counter, slip on an apron, and start getting some drinks ready. They have tea, coffee, various juices... Junk Shop Aya is part diner so it has something to care for everyone, and right now is probably when everyone needs it most.

"Yeah... I still can't believe it." Rikka replies, looking up at Renais as she comes through the customer door. "It feels like... a dream that I'll wake up from any moment. Like it isn't real... I keep looking out the window and expecting everything to go back to normal."

She shakes her head. It's still... jarring, to have the horizon she's used to seeing change so dramatically. She's still a little dazed from it all.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta always wonders if he should offer to help Rikka behind the counter, but it's her job, so would that be weird? He sits on one of the stools at the bar, instead, after ordering some apple juice. Rikka would ask if she needed help.

"I kinda expected the scenery kaiju to put all this new stuff back to normal." He admits, eyebrows drawn together. "I guess they didn't."

What is there to say, after so many dramatic changes? Yuta can feel the tension surrounding Rikka, but he can't think of anything to say to help. At least the civilians weren't panicking, but... having them just accept everything as though it was normal was almost worse than a panic!

"Maybe it'd help if we made a list of everything we learned yesterday?" Yuta offers, sounding unsure of himself.

<Pose Tracker> Sho Utsumi has posed.

"Well, let's start: we're currently in space. But not like, Earth, we're in a space colony." Sho sits at the stool next to Yuta, glancing as Renais enters. He doesn't know her well, but he knows she's an ally through the Shuffle Network, so she gets a nod.

"That boy is actually the kaiju trying to murder you and is infected with DG Cells, reality is imploding, and Shinjo is being controlled - probably by that Alexis Kerib guy - since, you know, she's from the other world."

He faceplants onto the counter. "This sucks. This sucks really bad." 

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

A couple people are approaching the workshop. A mother and daughter in fact!

The mother looks like an asian woman with short black hair in a bun and a pink white and yellow spandex dress with a treble clef on it. The girl is...well, you know her already. It's Nidaime though for once in her life, she has ZERO earbuds in her ears though they are still hanging around her neck.

And they're singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-YMea2QM8w&ab_channel=Jayroach3

"Wake up!" "Got to Wake Up!" "Wake Up!" "Got to Wake Up Now!"

They sing together in this frankly adorable back and forth, Nidaime wearing big smiles and Unison far more reserved but still with a warm motherly smile on her face.

"We got the funk! We got the funk now! We got the funk! We got the funk now!" They sing together as Nidaime collapses into giggles, quieting down as she sees the junk shop.

"...Mom." Nidaime murmurs. "This is their home." She may be misinterpreting a thing or two here.

Unison, who has been physical for much longer than she cares to be thanks to Tsutsujidai being pulled here while she was still in it, observes the building for a long moment.

Nidaime hums along to the song they were just singing as they step into the junk shop together, Unison leading.

"Perhaps we could help?" Unison asks as Nidaime, who gives Yuta and Rikka a big wave, lingers near. "I am certain you must have many concerns about the nature of your existence."

"We're here to help!" Nidaime says, looking to Sho. "....I suggest...considering it... as a probleturnity...!"

Nidaime never stays down for too long.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette's brain is still in overdrive after the battle in Tsutsujidai - she is used to working out the logical side of her problems but dealing with such intense emotions is still new. Although... first order of business is that her Dagger sustained some damage in battle. Making the repairs is no problem of course, although she needs a place to store it first. She decides that perhaps it would be best to take up Rikka's offer to use the Junk Shop from last time she was in Tsutsujidai... it really feels like forever ago since that visit. Rikka gives her the okay, it seems like she is having people over anyways.

She arrives at the Junk Shop, and greets Rikka before parking her unit. "Thank you once again for having me, Miss Takarada," she smiles. "Repairs should not take too long."

Also at the Junk Shop is Renais, and Alouette greets her as well. "Miss Cardiff... it is nice to see you again. I hope I didn't worry you too much..." she says with a bit of a nervous tone. She knows Renais can be sharp, but she is also very caring.

And finally, Rikka's friends are here as well. "You are Gridman I've heard so much about and... his partner, yes?" she opens to Hibiki and Utsumi.

The air in the Junk Shop is quite tense though, it seems the group is discussing what happened in Tsutsujidai - Alouette thinks she can be of some use on that front. After situating herself, Alouette joins in on the discussion. "This world is the creation of Akane Shinjo's heart; that is a fact. We cannot say for sure she is being controlled can we? This is not a world ruled by logic if it was created by a heart - so I propose something happened to Akane Shinjo's heart that caused a collapse." 

<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.

Renais glances over at the cafe counter, a brief look of surprise on her face. "A... combination junk shop and cafe?" she wonders out loud. "That's..." Hmm. A small smile comes to her stoic features, and she moves over to the counter to sit at Yuta's other side

        She gives Rikka a look of empathy. She knows what it's like--and part of her wants to tell her to be lucky for what she still has. But instead, she just... nods to the girl. "I know."

        She gives nods to Yuta and Sho. "Renais Cardiff," she introduces herself.

        Sorry for trying to kill you all.

        As the resident outsider here at the moment... maybe she ought to explain things. After ordering a black coffee from Rikka, she takes a napkin and pen, and draws two circles, one larger than the other, labelled 'Earth' and 'Moon' in somewhat amateurish kanji. She draws an 'X' to one side of the smaller circle. "So, right now... we are here. Side 2." There's more than that. PLANT, Junius Seven, the Bloody Valentine incident... but... she wasn't here for any of it. And it's heavy. Too heavy, when everyone is already reeling.

        Nidaime steps in with her... mother? And Alouette soon after. She gives the kaiju and the music spirit a smile, but her eyes are fixed on the blonde. The last time she saw this girl, she wasn't even five years old. But now...

        Renais can't help smiling. It's small--barely there, relative to most people, and gone a moment later--but it's warm. She nods, and in French, she replies, "<It's good to see you again as well, Alouette. You've grown into a fine young woman.>"

        "She's being controlled," the cyborg says conclusively. "She's under Alexis Kerib's thumb. This... so much of this is his fault. He's postured himself as her caretaker and guardian, someone trying to *help* her... all the while, breaking her down. I... think that's what Anti was trying to illustrate with this kaiju. Puppets upon strings." She glances out the window. "She got the message, but..." 

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Renais comments on the nature of Aya, and Rikka nods.

"Yeah, it was my mom's idea. She wanted to put everything she likes in one place." Rikka replies, turning away to manage everyone's orders. Yuta makes a good point, then, about the scenery kaiju.
"Yeah..." Rikka admits. "I guess... making everyone think this is 'normal' is the limit of what they're able to do about it..."

Assuming they had anything to do with that.

Utsumi, then, summarises everything in a pretty succinct manner.

"...It sure does." She agrees. This is about when two people enter the junkshop. One of them she recognizes, the other she doesn't. Rikka stands up a little straighter, taken by surprise - she looks between Nidaime and Unison, then, recognition on her face.

"Ah... hello, ma'am. You must be Nidaime's mom...? It's nice to finally meet you." Rikka says, feeling a little awkward. Last she heard, her mom had become 'music'... is it a sign of how strange things have become that she's here now? "...I don't even know where to begin."

And finally, another familiar face. Rikka offers Alouette a smile.

"No problem... Glad to hear it isn't too serious." She replies, then looks back to Yuta and Sho. "Oh right, you guys probably never met her... This is Alouette Pommier, she's with 3G too. She's a friend!"

Drinks are passed out, then - a tea for herself, an apple juice for Yuta, and a black coffee for Renais. She pauses for a moment, then, to look at Renais's notes.

...They're in space now. It's still difficult to believe. And not to mention, a particularly notable area of space, one with history. She listens to Renais's explanation about Akane.

"...It's awful, what he's done to her. I just wish I knew what I could do to help her." Rikka says, shaking her head.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Utsumi -- come on, man, you're going to hurt yourself!" Yuta tries to scoot a napkin under Utsumi's forehead. Some sort of padding is better than none. "We'll figure it out!"

Almost as if on cue, Nidaime and her mother enter, Yuta swivels on his stool to face them. "Oh, it's you!" Yuta waves in return. He can't help but feel more optimistic at the sight of Nidaime's smile. "Help would be really great, thank you. And, it's nice to meet you, too, ma'am." He smiles to Unison. If Nidaime's a kaiju, does that mean this woman is too..? That's a worry for another time. Mentally, Yuta tries to figure out what 'probleturnity' means.

"I'm Yuta Hibiki." He says, to the room at large. Yuta elbows Utsumi when Alouette mentions his name. "And Gridman. Thank you all for wanting to help us, really! Something that made Shinjo's heart collapse... That'd have to be something really bad, right? Do you know of anything like that happening to her, Rikka? You guys are friends." Yuta scratches the side of his face as thinks. "Does this mean we have to fix Shinjo's broken heart..? I'm not sure I know how to do that."

Swiveling back around to the bar, Yuta watches Renais draw the Earth and its Moon. "We're really in space..." Yuta mumbles to himself, looking concerned. And somehow, suddenly being a space colony is one of the least of their problems. His eyebrows draw together. "Oh, um -- Kaworu said we shouldn't say Alexis Kerib's name. Something about him being able to hear every time someone says it, or even writes it, or types it. I didn't really get it, but I trust Kaworu. He suggested calling him "The Devil" instead." Yuta laughs nervously. That sounds so dramatic and silly coming out of his mouth. How did Kaworu make everything sound so cool? "A--anyway. Shijo's the puppet, and that guy's manipulating her. So if we get him out of the picture, things should go back to normal, right?"

Yuta takes his juice from Rikka with a smile. "Thanks, Rikka." He sips from it, listening to the conversation. "If you and Shinjo are friends, maybe you're the one who has the best chance of reaching her? Maybe you could talk to her somewhere away from, uh, that guy, and work things out?"

<Pose Tracker> Sho Utsumi has posed.

Utsumi raises his head as he's elbowed with a sigh. "Sho Utsumi. Founder of the Gridman Alliance."

"The Devil? Edgy, but works. The Devil is our primary threat. The problem..." He seems upset.

"Is that we know barely anything about him! And also, like...he's probably the big bad, so we can't fight him properly until Gridman gets his final form." Slump back onto the napkin.

A pause. "Unless...we got a spaceship..." His head slowly raises. Glasses gleam. He's Thinking. He may be thinking about spaceships.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette is pleased to hear the compliment from Renais, and she returns a smile just as warm. It really has been a long time since they have seen each other outside the chaos of the battlefield - before she lost and regained her memory in fact.

"Pleased to work with you both, Mr. Hibiki and Mr. Utsumi," she politely responds to the Gridman Alliance boys.

Nidaime is here as well, the kaiju girl the Chief was with... as well as what she called her "mom". "Hello, Nidaime," Alouette greets. "I'm Alouette Pommier, 3G's operator. You may have heard about me from Chief Shishioh. I'm glad he was able to keep you safe out there!" With the stakes of that battle, he could have been reckless.

The group seems to agree Akane is under complete control by Alexis Kerib and while that is a possibility, Alouette isn't sure it is so simple - there are complex emotions at play after all. She decides to speak up. "I spoke with Akane Shinjo before. She insinuated she has been the sole mastermind behind these events - and she downplayed the role that "The Devil" has taken." She admires Yuta's straightforward attitude and spirit, and she *wishes* that it was as easy as removing Alexis Kerib but... "Of course, I do not believe Akane Shinjo is a mastermind at all, but... she is a broken person. The rift in this city is a rift in her heart. Even if we remove the Devil's influence, she needs to *heal*." She agrees with Hibiki's next suggestion. "I agree that Rikka is the best person to help Akane Shinjo. She only wanted to push me away, and I imagine the same is true for most people. But Rikka is special to her. If anyone can help her, she can..." 

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Nidaime glances to Renais and smiles at her. If she knew Renais pointed a WEAPON at Akane she might have a different thing to say but as she's oblivious to that, she doesn't feel the need to immediately speak to the dire fate that was barely avoided.

The truth is is that Unison was always music but sometimes music can look like a japanese woman.

"I see. I am Unison, a collection of Compoids that are presently in Union for the purposes of presenting a physical form. I have also been called a Spirit of Song." Despite this expression they seem to have an individualized reality but some of this might just be a difficulty in speaking to a different plane of existence than the one she is comfortable in.

She looks to Yuta. Like with Nidaime, he has a feeling he's met her before and this is proven by Unison smiling at Yuta and saying, "It's so good to see you again, my friend." She pauses before adding, "I like your look."

"Mooooom!" Nidaime says, as if this was terribly embarrassing for her.

Unison then smiles and nods to Rikka. "It's nice to meet you too, Rikka. I've heard a lot about you. I'm glad my daughter has made a friend like you. Please look after her. She's still young at heart."

"Mooom...." Nidaime laughs, even complaining in this good-natured way.

She nods once to Renais but she doesn't comment to her just yet to focus on SHO UTSUMI of all people. "You are the leader of the Gridman Alliance? Excellent."

"I cannot say much about that devil. If you wish to know more, it sounds like Kaworu knows the most about him." Unison smoothly avoids mentioning Alexis Kerib's name. "But first..."

She looks to Sho, settling on him though he means far more than just Sho here as she says, "As a fellow Compoid, I wish to reassure you that though Akane is responsible for your creation--you are not fake nor are your existences tied to her design." Unison doesn't make any difference between a REpli-Compoid and a Compoid. To her a Repli-Compoid is just another kind of Compoid. "Nor are you less or more than human."

"Mom is this..." Nidaime begins.

"I do not know how much longer I can exist like this, so I should share what I can while I can share it." Unison tells Nidaime before focusing on Yuta.

"Secondly, if you wish to 'fix Shinjo's broken heart'..." Unison says softly. "...Then you too will have to Wake Up. That is your task. You cannot 'fix' Akane Shinjo while you yet remain broken."

She eases back, "But I am certain as her loved ones, there is a song you can yet share with her."

She's trying her best here.

Nidaime brightens at seeing Alouette. "Hi Alouette! I sure did!! Heehe, I was helping out too, you know...! But yeah, he was really nice, and so was Mr. Yang!" 

<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.

        "Coffee and junk... hmm. Interesting woman," Renais notes, leaning over her cup and inhaling the steam wafting off of her coffee. She nods lightly to Rikka, brow gently furrowed as Sho's forehead hits the counter. "Mm. The Devil." She purses her lips. "Seems accurate enough," she assents, lifting the cup to her lips and taking a sip. There's a moment of thought before she swallows.

        "And what would a spaceship do for us?" she asks Sho. "I believe one of GGG's Division Ships is still here," she nods toward Alouette. "But I don't imagine it has many weapons, if you're hoping to blow him away with battleship fire."

        "As for the Devil... He's manipulative. And... he seems to feed on pain--maybe literally, but I think... he enjoys it. I don't imagine she's very special in that way. He is manipulating her worldview. And... well. He's been selling these kaiju of hers to his BioNet associates, as well."

        She curses under her breath, glancing Alouette's way again afterward. "I already suspected he was working with them before--what Anti said earlier only confirms it." She pulls her cell phone out of her pocket and pulls up a picture of Ghoulghilas attacking a domed Lunar city. "Copernicus City, on the Moon." She swipes. A modified Go'yavec. "Tokyo-3." Another swipe--a modified Gonglee. "Photon Power Labs, near Mt. Fuji. He's selling them."

        She nods to Unison. "I'm Renais. A friend of Nidaime's," she introduces herself, looking down toward the little kaiju with a little smile, before looking from Unison to Yuta with a small measure of confusion. She points to Yuta. "So you are Gridman, then?" she asks, looking at him curiously while she takes another sip.

        Compoids... quite real, no more or less than human... but not human? Hmm.

        "Oh, Nidaime-- how did my advice work out after the last time we spoke?" She seems a bit less... guarded in addressing the kaiju, a touch warmer than she is with the rest. 

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Unison says it's nice to meet her, and asks her to look after Nidaime.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I'll do what I can for her." Rikka says with a nod.

Something that made Akane's heart collapse... Rikka shakes her head.

"I don't know... she never talked about anything like that with me. I guess... there's a lot we never talked about." Rikka replies, frowning for a moment. Was it too late, now, to have a real conversation with her...? "But I think... what everyone is saying might be right, that it all comes back to the outside world's 'Bloody Valentine'. A catalyst, if not the entire reason..."

Yuta gives a quick warning, then - that Alexis hears, knows every time his name is used. Rikka shivers at the thought.

"Seriously...? What a creep. 'Devil' is right." She replies. Was he just always listening...? She looks toward Utsumi, then, an eyebrow raised.

"Are you getting excited about something again...?" She asks. ...She wants to snark further, but honestly, it really might not be an idea for them to get something like that, considering their new situation.

Yuta and Alouette both make a suggestion, then - she might be the person who best has a chance of reaching Akane. Rikka frowns, hesitating a little.

...She's nervous. She wants to talk to her, but... she doesn't know what to say. She'd hoped she'd have some kind of plan, but...

...Well, maybe that's the problem. Maybe she's overthinking it. Maybe if she just speaks to her from the heart, things would work better than if she had a whole scripted thing ready.

"...Maybe you're right. I'll... I'll try to talk to her." Rikka says with a nod.

After that, Renais outlines some of the previous kaiju incidents outside of Tsutsujidai. Rikka looks them over with a nod.

"Yeah... I'd heard about those, but I didn't realise BioNet was involved." Rikka says. They weren't on the chart Akane showed her...

She pauses, then, as Unison speaks. She hesitates for a moment.

"Uh... I'm sorry, I appreciate everything you're saying, but could you back up a bit? What do you mean by 'Compoid'...?" Rikka asks. "Like, a computer, or something?"

It isn't a term she's ever heard before.

Still, a song they can yet share with Akane... 

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta sighs as Utsumi slumps back down. "Final form? Utsumi, this isn't a video game..." Then, as his friend raises his head once more: "A spaceship?! What would we do with one? I don't even know how to drive a car..."

He nods to Alouette. It's so strange to hear Shinjo talked about this way. She's always seemed so cool, so untouchable... certainly not broken. Yuta pulls his cell phone, looking at the text Shinjo sent in the midst of their battle. A broken person... Maybe he should text her back. Yuta taps into the message, and hesitates. "Thanks," he types out. The little cursor blinks at him. "I hope you're okay." Before he can think the better of it, Yuta hits send and shoves the phone back into his pocket.

"I don't want Rikka to feel like she has to do any of this alone." Yuta steals a glance at Rikka. "Just because she might be the best choice doesn't mean the rest of us are giving up. We'll all do whatever we can, that's why we're an Alliance!"

Blue eyes blink widely at Unison's compliment, and Yuta blushes. "T--thank you. It's good to see you, too." Had they met before? Maybe it was his memory acting up. "What's it like being a spirit? It sounds cool." It was only polite to pay a compliment back. But what was a Compoid? Yuta's about to open his mouth to ask, when Unison begins to speak with Utsumi. "Compoid? What?" He hunches his shoulders up a bit. Something about this made Unison's words made heart twist. Yuta glances over at Utsumi, worried for his friend's reaction. "Could you explain what that is, please, ma'am? And what you mean by 'Waking Up'?"

Yuta taps both sides of his face with his hands briefly, refocusing. "Feeding on Shinjo's pain. That's despicable, and really creepy!" Somewhat wilting underneath Renais' gaze, he offers a little nod. "Yep... that's me... Gridman. Sorry if I'm not what you expected."

Beaming at Rikka, Yuta feels a surge of pride. She was always so brave! "Thanks, Rikka."

<Pose Tracker> Sho Utsumi has posed.

"You've obviously never seen the Taraba Series." Sho says to Renais, not knowing the landmine he's stepping on. "The support team has a ship. We've been using Rikka's Guntank - but that presumed a different scale."

"We need to upgrade. If Gridman's going to ever reach his potential..." He turns to Yuta... "Which he will...!"

His brain pauses. Compoid...it hurts to process. But something makes sense. Unison softens the blow with the rest, as the head rehits the napkin. "So I'm a robot, too?!"

But, he's able to process enough to return. "No matter...if you all are trying to help Akane and now, well, know Yuta's secret, you might as well assist the Alliance."

"We'll need a base of operations. A Junk Shop isn't enough, and if ZAFT or Federation ships try to muscle in..."

"I have someone I can contact about the former, but we need a ship. We can try to get something that's distinctly ours. I can learn to captain. It'll be fine."

He hangs around just long enough to endure whatever responses he gets, and then his nose begins bleeding from the head thumping. "Crap! I'm going to use the restroom!"

And thus, he's off. 

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Unison and Nidaime smile placidly at understanding Yuta's 'secret'.

"No, ah, you're a Repli-Compoid." Unison says. She is not someone who gets flustered easily, nevertheless Sho Utsumi has managed this. "A denizen of the Cognitive Layer that replicates humanity--"

"It'd be more like an 'imaginary friend'--" Nidaime considers before adding, "Er, though you aren't imaginary. So I guess... Just a friend!" This is very helpful Nidaime.

Unison tries again. "Compoids like myself are natural denizens of the Cognitive Layer--the layer of existence upon which Tsutsujidai was built. Compoids represent concepts. I represent music. Another Compoid might represent Dance. Repli-Compoids represent humans. You are the expression of humans as conceived by Akane Shinjo."

"She is akin to your god," Nidaime adds. "But like most gods, they didn't account for free will!"

Unison nods once to that, watching as Sho Utsumi runs off with a bloody nose. "Is he... going to be alright? I apologize, I was too...overt about this but we are out of time and... I hope you do understand. You may be cognitive constructs, but you are still real, that is what I wished to impart upon you. I did not mean to, ah, cause a crisis."

Nidaime pats her mom's arm. "She has trouble sometimes in places like this." Nidaime admits. "But we do want to help! And we're happy to be a part of the Gridman Alliance!"

That's not exactly what Sho invited her for but she takes the job anyway.

Unison, however, seems a little more willing to be vague with Yuta. This is her wont as a mysterious advice helper lady.

She answers the first part first.

"I know no other way to be," Unison smiles. "I am grateful to exist as music so I can see into the hearts of those who share their humanity through song. There are many kind and wonderful artists and even the ones who are not so kind--they cannot help but put a piece of themselves into their song. Seeing into their hearts is amongst my greatest joys."

"And being my mom!" Nidaime says.

"Alongside being this one's mother." Unison adds, ruffing her hair gently.

What does she mean by waking up, though?

"As for waking up, Yuta. You, like Akane Shinjo, have hid yourself from a Truth. You must find the answer. My daughter said it would be unkind to simply give you the truth, but so long as you believe in the bonds you have forged--and believe them to be strong enough to surpass any Truth--then I am certain you naturally grow into it."

She bows her head. "I hope this has cleared some matters up."

"We were careful for a while," Nidaime says. "Because we didn't want to freak anyone out or push Akane into a corner but ... she's in a corner now, and your world is merging so... I'm sorry if I was too scared to just tell you everything up front." She DID tell Yuta most of it but, well.

She's distracted by Renais, gratefully. She looks to her and beams.

"It was really helpful! And a bit sad..." She sighs a bit. "But... I guess I was saying 'goodbye' too soon. It seems like I'll be here for a while longer. So it's nice to meet you all...again!"

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Nidaime gets a small laugh out of Alouette. "For a chief, he really is a friendly sort of person isn't he? Very amusing too. And of course, we appreciate your help Nidaime."

It is true that GGG left some units behind in case of another emergency in Tsutsujidai. Alouette decided to stay behind with them. "We do have a ship available, but well, we know what that monster is capable of. One ship is not enough to destroy him," she affirms Renais. "The devil uses trickery and manipulation to get his way. If we want to defeat him, I believe we need to outwit him, not outpower him." She turns over to Sho, who has revealed himself as a massive tokosatsu nerd. "Oh, Tarabaman? Shinjo told me about it... apparently one of the series is how she learned French!" One day, if she ever gets to become Akane's friend she will give it a watch.

Her smile fades and she returns to a serious attitude when Renais mentions BioNet. "Yes... I cannot say I am surprised that BioNet has their hands in this - preying and experimenting on broken children is their modus operandi, isn't it? Although in my research on BioNet I have never been able to trace back to the Devil. He is a shrewd one... and most definitely a higher being using BioNet as a means." Like with Rikka, Akane's chart for Alouette did not mention BioNet either. She wonders if Akane knew about her past and specifically removed the connection but... if she wanted to make Alouette an enemy certainly she would highlight BioNet's involvement. If anything, however, this makes Alexis Kerib her enemy. She may not have any qualms with her modifications anymore, but Kerib's callous use of BioNet to manipulate Akane still upsets her.

Rikka agrees with the plan to talk to Akane, but she is clearly nervous, and Hibiki suggests that they do not leave *everything* to Rikka. "Ah, apologies... I didn't mean to pressure you. If you need me to help, only ask." To tell the truth though, Alouette worries about a second confrontation with Akane. Would it just pull her further away?

<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.

        Renais shrugs a little to Yuta. "You weren't. But you are who you are--and you're fighting to protect others. That's nothing to apologize for." He's making better use of his power than she has been hers, arguably.

        Sho's accosting gets her sitting upright, tensed. "Never seen the Tar..." Her eyebrows drop, and she stares at him, pointing a finger. "Listen, *kid*. I watched every season up until '91. And I will have you know that I have spent the last six months watching five seasons, nine movies, five years of Revenger Fight, and at least *thirty hours* of live show recordings!"

        Tarabaman is how she held onto hope.

        She considers telling him about her M-Color Q boxed set.

        ... Better not. There's enough baggage in there to fill a linear train.

        She sits back down, and takes a deep breath. "You aren't robots. You are... if I'm understanding this correctly, you're closer to a Super-AI. A person by a different path," she suggests.

        "We... should talk about this, I agree. Perhaps only Rikka can be the one to speak with her, but she won't be alone. We can.... work out an approach, yes? At least, I can talk about what not to do."

        Don't pull a gun on her.

        Renais looks at the back of her gauntlet, where Akane laid her palm. Like it didn't hurt.

        "There's a chance... that she's been experimented on." Renais looks up at Alouette, and then the rest. 

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

It all seems to come back to Tarabaman, in the end. It's another reminder that she didn't realise Akane was such a fan. Now really isn't the time, but someday, for Akane's sake... she's going to have to sit down and watch some of it herself.

A base of operations, though...

"...I really don't want to fight ZAFT or the Federation..." Rikka admits. She hopes Tsutsujidai doesn't get drawn into what's happening between them - that was a concern she hadn't really thought about before.

And that's when Unison drops a pretty big bomb. Repli-Compoids... a replica of humanity. Rikka winces, massaging her forehead.

"...She... created us, too?" Rikka repeats. "I... I'm sorry, this is all really a lot to take in..."

Over the course of a single week - only a few days, even - it feels like her world has been turned upside-down, shattered, and then rearranged into something that doesn't even resemble what it was originally. How much of what she thought she knew still holds true...?

She takes a long drink of her tea to give herself time to think. Even if she insists they're still 'real', it's still a lot to think about...

Then there's the matter of her meeting with Akane.

"...Thanks. Don't worry, this is... something I want to do." Rikka says. "I have to talk with her."

Especially now, when her own heart is aching.

She hesitates a little, though, as help is offered.

"...Well... yeah, I wouldn't mind some advice, I guess. Things I should say, or not say..." She admits. Yuta beams at her, and thanks her. Rikka's not sure why, but... she nods back anyway.

"...Experimented on?" Rikka asks, concerned.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Utsumi, you're going to hurt yourself!" Yuta says, watching the red mark on Utsumi's forehead grow larger. "At least let me get a pillow! Wait, you want to be a captain now? Wait a second, I--" And with that, Utsumi is gone, leaving Yuta with one hand raised in concern. "Hang in there, Utsumi..." Just in case, Yuta grabs a pillow from the couch, plopping it down in the spot Utsumi was bonking his head. There, ready for next time. There would certainly be a next time. And... It would be pretty cool to have a spaceship all of their own, even if Utsumi's ideas needed a little more thought put into them.

Yuta turns his attention fully to Nidaime and Unison once Utsumi has made it to the restroom. "A computer... an imaginary friend? A concept? And Shinjo's our god?" This was. A lot. A lot, all at once. Yuta still hadn't adjusted to the idea that they were in space, not to mention having to contend with the realities of his own existence. He hunches his shoulders up, one hand rubbing at his armband. "Youe not messing with me, are you? We're -- really just creations? Like the Shinjo's kaiju?" It was too much. Yuta's brain feels like its full of static, preventing him from thinking about all this too hard. He nods vaguely at Nidaime, then Unison. "I don't think I'm hiding from anything, but -- I'll, um. I'll do my best." Yuta looks at Rikka again, watching her brow furrow as she thinks about how to handle Shinjo. Even worried like this, she was so pretty... "Our bonds are definitely strong enough. I'm certain of it."

Zoning out, Yuta misses a portion of the conversation. Really, the things Unison said made sense, especially since seeing that strange city in the sky. If Tsutsujidai was artificial, of course the people that lived there would be too, right? Yuta suddenly remembers his apple juice, and takes a long drink. It certainly tasted real. The crisp, sweet sensation -- did his friends from outside Tsutsujidai experience it differently? Maybe he could ask Kaworu, or Riku.

"Ah." Yuta blinks, coming back to reality. His eyes focus on Renais. "Yes. I'll always protect everyone who needs me. Gridman and I feel the same way about that! Um, a plan is a good idea." Yuta relaxes his shoulders, breathing out softly. A plan would help a lot. "Shinjo, experimented on? Do you think the Devil did it?"


Sho Utsumi has connected. 

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Akane - experimented on... "I agree it's possible," she responds, looking at Renais with a slight hint of unease in her expression and tone. Could that explain the strange kinship she felt with Akane, despite knowing the girl very little? Or why Akane was able to keep up with her on a mental level?

If that is the case, Alouette resolves that helping Akane is the right move. Although she cannot help but wonder what Alexis Kerib's motive could even be - recalling the spear attack on Renais, it certainly seems like he relishes in the suffering of others. Is that all?

Unison explains the nature of Repli-Compoids - artificial humans created by Akane to populate Tsutsujidai. This is not a new revelation to Alouette - although she did not have the heart to tell them beforehand, but she can somewhat relate to the sting of discovering you are no regular human - twice even. They are still *people* to her though; just as everything else in Tsutsujidai feels identical to the real world, these people behave and think just the same as any person to her. "No matter who you are, you are still friends to me," Alouette offers. She may not have known them long, but she appreciates the kindness the members of the Gridman Alliance have shown and she is perfectly willing to return it.

Alouette begins to think of a plan as well. "For starters, we need to separate Shinjo from the devil. We may not be able to win against him, but can we distract him long enough to get through to Akane?" she suggests.

<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.

Nidaime ehehehes at Alouette. "Well I only talked to him briefly but... his words still reached me." That's her way of expression her feelings about Yang there. She feels it says enough.

If Akane is an experiment, neither Nidaime nor Unison know about it and Unison feels she has put enough on these kids and Yuta as is. Unison's day to day is filled with more important things than terrorism--that Unison is here speaking to everyone rather than working to return to the Music is an indication of how important she finds this to be, even over science crime.

Nidaime doesn't argue against Renais's solutions. She jogs on over to her and kind of looks up at her intently.

Similarly the possibility of ZAFT or the Federation attacking Tsutsujidai is beyond Unison's ability to touch. Or care about. Both the Federation and ZAFT sing and showing deference to one or another would upset her duties. She is here because she cares about these children but she can't fight a war for them. But she does say, "You have forged bonds with those from outside the Layer as well. They will be helpful in navigating your new existence."

Rikka apologizes, saying this is a lot to take in. Unison seems to struggle with this conceit but adds, "The important things are unchanged." Unison says. Because of course she'd think that way. The Cognitive Layer is the whole of her existence and these surface changes do not disrupt the cognitive truths.

"You are correct," She says of needing to talk to Akane.

Nidaime is better at being concerned about Akane experimentation and she asks, Renais, from her position near her, "What makes you say that, Renais?" Nidaime asks. "Did you see something in her?" She sounds (and is!) sympathetic.

It might be evident, this close up too, that Nidaime's breath...

IS JUST FINE.

She's still a bit stinky because she hasn't bathed in a while but there isn't that sort of omnipresent pollution-like breath. It's just normal now. Something about Nidaime has changed.

Yuta assures Unison that he doesn't think he's hiding from anything. Naturally, Unison smiles sadly at this but doesn't comment. Nor does she confirm his comment that puts him in the same boat as his friends. Like Nidaime before her, she isn't going to lie about that. Nor is she going to clarify. All they're willing to do is spin him in the right general direction.

"I am not messing with you." Unison will confirm that much. "Find yourself. That is your task."

She steps back and runs her hand across her forehead like she just got this huge headache but it isn't a headache. This isn't easy on her.

"Mmhmm! Mmmhmm!" Nidaime agrees with Alouette. And then she looks down at her hands as she spares a thought for Anti. "...Maybe Anti can help too. He really knows Akane well. I hope he's okay." 

<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.

        Renais makes a sound. "Maybe. Probably. She's... I went to confront her about the kaiju. About BioNet. Things got... tense."

        I pulled a gun on her.

        "She-- grabbed my hand." Renais holds up her left hand, a golden-bronze cybernetic limb. "My body runs hot. Too hot to touch, especially my hand. It should have burned her. It should have *hurt*. She should have flinched away, but... she didn't."

        Of course, she's leaving out why. It's because she pulled out a gun. Nearly shot the girl.

        But that's less important than things that might save the girl's life right now.

        "I couldn't see if it did burn her or not. She left after that. But... that's... it was like she didn't even *notice* it. Like it was just... normal."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Our bonds..." Rikka repeats. "I guess we'll just have to believe in them."

What else could they do for now, when everything else seemed to be changing so rapidly? Those were the only things she knew for sure she could hold as true, no matter what happened - the friendships and connections she'd built. The important things are unchanged... she doesn't know if that's what Unison means, exactly, but it's a reassuring thought. Alouette assures her that they're still friends, no matter who they are, and Rikka manages a smile.

"...Thanks. That really means a lot..." She replies.

Renais explains what she means, then. Rikka... didn't actually know that about her, so she makes a mental note to be a little more careful in the future, but what she says is concerning.

"She didn't react at all...?" Rikka replies. That's... definitely noteworthy, but she's not entirely sure what it means.

With that, she nods.

"I'll try to coordinate with you on talking with her... but if I see a good opportunity, I'll go for it." Rikka decides.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Thanks, Alouette." Yuta smiles. "I know we're just meeting, really, but I appreciate you saying that." He fusses with his armband again. "If we need to keep the Devil busy, maybe Gridman and I could fight him?" For some reason, the idea fills Yuta with dread. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. "Or maybe someone could say his name a hundred times in a row, so he's distracted listening?" That was stupid. Yuta sighs.

"Find myself. I'll do my best!" He looks worried as Unison rubs her forehead. Could Song Spirits get headaches? "Are you alright, ma'am? Do you need a drink, or to sit down?"

Standing to helpfully offer his seat to Unison, Yuta nods to Renais. "Now that I think about it, Shinjo never really seems to get sweaty at school, either. Maybe it has something to do with," He pauses. It's so weird to say... "Being the god of this world?"

"I should really go check on Utsumi." Yuta says, sheepishly. "He's been gone for a while. Thank you all for coming -- so much. I don't think we could do this without your help." He bows politely, his smile a little wobbly. "Please, let us know if there's ever anything we can do to repay you." Yuta begins to leave the room, then stops, and turns around. "Everything's going to be okay, Rikka. We can do this!" He blushes, and quickly retreats. 

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette smiles back at Rikka and Yuta, she is glad she could make them feel better, even a little.

"I was thinking you Gridman could fight him as well, as long as you are careful, but Nidaime brings up a good point - we have Anti as a wild card." She still isn't very familiar with Anti, but she feels she can trust him... he reminds her a lot of Akane herself. "We owe it to Anti that we are even able to learn more about this world, do we not?"

Renais' account of Akane's non-reaction to the burning hand is strange for sure. "Hibiki might be on to something here. Someone like Shinjo, who created her own world from her heart, likely wants to avoid pain, be it physical or emotional. Perhaps that is a manifestation of that desire? Of course, BioNet could still have a hand in that - they were responsible for the kaiju, and who knows what type of methods that monster uses."

With at least a foundation of a plan, and an idea of where to go next, Alouette decides she should work on her repairs. "Thank you for inviting me to your strategy meeting. If you would have me... I would like to perhaps join the Alliance in full. I can help whenever I am not busy with 3G activities I want to help save Aka- Shinjo too." She looks behind her shoulder. "Although we can figure things out once Utsumi is feeling better, hehe."

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