2022-09-28: Empathy
- Log: 2022-09-29
- Cast: Alouette Pommier, Leina Ashta
- Where: AEU France - Paris Relief Camps
- OOC - IC Date: 0096-09-28
- Summary: Making their separate relief contributions after the disaster in Paris, Alouette confides in Leina; Leina listens to yet another grim story within an unkind world.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Aside from the giant-robot fighting it frequently engages in, the Gutsy Global Guard is still very much an organization dedicated to helping people across the globe. Although Alouette has determined that BioNet will not try anything else after their own resources have been devastated, the next measure is to move in and assist any civilians who require it.
Since France is Alouette's home country.. she volunteered herself to help out. Besides, she would like the opportunity to visit her mother, who has most likely been worried sick.
Alouette isn't quite of the build to directly assist with reconstruction, but she's charismatic enough to be able to tell people what to do, and reassure civilians.
One person of note she recognizes helping out is a girl she saw a few times in Tsutsujidai: who helped to establish a branch of the Yumi Foundation, and notably was part of the plan to help students evacuate when Mecha-Ghoulgilas attacked the Deculture festivities.
Leina Ashta, she remembers. Can't hurt to introduce herself, right? It's been quite a long day...
"Bonjour," she greets, assuming her native French is okay if Leina has been sent to help in France. If not, she's certainly enough of a polyglot to switch if required. "I'm Alouette Pommier, from 3G Blue, although I've also worked extensively with the Gridman Alliance. I wanted to thank you for helping, both right now, and during the Deculture Festival attack." With a lighter, less formal tone, she adds, "And it's very nice to meet you!"
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
When Bionet fights, it's everyone else who loses.
It doesn't matter in which direction it is. Fighting the heroes, fighting each other. It's always other people which suffer. At best you can just mitigate the damage. At worst...
An apartment building for industrial workers collapses, hundreds of people are without homes. And as always it's the children that are hurt the most as their sense of safety is shattered forever. It's been days since the attack, and Leina Ashta is helping with the relief aid for the children caught in the crisis. Right now she's helping coordinate logistics for handing out basic necessities, as well as toys to the children caught in the crisis.
"Comment allez-vous l'appeler?" Leina asks a little girl who she just handed a stuffed pink unicorn, who took it, but appears shy about it now, "Marinette." Leina lights up, "Ah! Un beau nom! Promettre de bien s'occuper d'elle pour moi?" "Je promets!" As she runs back off to her older brother. Leina waves back her way with a close-eyed smile.
She feels Alouette coming, as her intent is on her, but she doesn't turn until she's greeted, "Ah! Bonjour!" As she listens to her greeting. As she continues to speak to her in French. It's pretty good, though she definitely doesn't have the accent down, and she makes minor errors here and there that are obvious to native speakers. "Likewise. It's very nice to meet you, I'm Leina Ashta, a volunteer from the Yumi Foundation." And there's a subtly mischievous grin, "Though given that you mentioned the festival evacuation, I suspect you already know that."
She offers Alouette a hand to shake, but she doesn't seem offended if she doesn't take it. "And you're welcome. Honestly, it was two other girls that did the majority of the work, I was so lucky to have them lending a hand. Not to mention that helpful stunt Gridman pulled." There is a small tilt of her head, as she asks her with a certain curiosity, "Since you work with the Gridman Alliance, does that mean you were involved in the defense here?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
As Leina extends her hand as a greeting, Alouette awkwardly shakes it, but smiles nonetheless. She also doesn't mind the minor French errors, and in fact, is impressed by her skill considering she doesn't seem to be a native speaker.
"You were all indispensable, really. With your coordinated efforts, we managed the Gridman Alliance's most successful evacuation of all time." The battle itself wasn't quite as successful, with the loss of GaoFighGar still weighing on her, but that obviously wasn't Leina's fault in any capacity. The evacuees did their jobs excellently, and ensured Guy could be safely recovered too.
At Leina's question, Alouette half-nods. "I was, although I deployed separately from the Gridman Alliance this time. Instead, Ikumi, Mamoru, and I directly deployed from Orbit Base." She wishes she could've been there faster, seeing as she was made aware of the plan for weeks, but fortunately Ikumi's intelligence data allowed them to arrive as soon as they could.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Leina seems to sense her discomfort with the gesture, so she doesn't allow it to go on overlong. Instead she just listens with a hand on her hip, something sad in her green eyes when Alouette mentions it was their most successful evacuation of all time, because of the implications for the rest.
"Ha! I thought I caught a glimpse of those two deploying." Leina actually grins lightly, "Shame I couldn't stick around to watch them in action but that battlefield was no place for civilian rubberneckers."
In fact, even in flight it turned out to be just as dangerous for her.
Her grin fades though, as she then asks with some concern, "How's Guy by the way? Last I saw him, at Sayla's birthday, he was still in the wheelchair."
There's suddenly an abstracted look in her eyes though, as she looks towards the backdrop of the destruction, the hastily erected camp of temporary housing...
"... At this point, it's starting to feel like Akane is just setting herself up to have more, and more to answer for."
She hopes this isn't her attempt at slow suicide but... given her state, she can't really rule it out.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
It's less that Alouette is uncomfortable, and more that she simply isn't used to it, yet. But after years of isolation.. it's nice. Noticing the sadness in Leina's eyes, even at the mention of it being the most successful evacuation. Instead of thinking of the past evacuations, however, Alouette looks to the ruination around her. "It's a lot harder outside of Tsutsujidai. Buildings don't regenerate.. the destruction is permanently scarred in people's minds." For a moment, she thinks about Akane clamouring for a world that doesn't have this type of pain.. yet she was the one who caused this.
"It's hard to miss the whirlwind of a Final Fusion!" Alouette grins, mimicking her Program Drive move.
"Chief Guy is doing a lot better. Still in the wheelchair, but he's absolutely back to his usual self, right down to getting back to work." A wistful look on her face, she adds, "He won't be back in action for quite a while, though. Not until we finish building a new Super Mechanoid. And progress has been slow..." That look turns back into a smile as she says, "Well, at the very least he's more than deserved a break."
"Akane... I talked to her during the battle. I wanted to make it clear to her, the consequences of what she did, that she needs to help fix it. She actually seemed to get the message.. even for just a moment." She crosses her arms, her own eyes scanning the temporary housing camps. "I don't know where she went after the battle, though. It seems like Kerib did damage control, but I honestly don't know how much longer she can keep going like this..."
"Still, I hope this means she is done with BioNet.. knowing how they operate, a tragedy like this is just the end-result of working with them. They don't care about their allies, only keeping their projects safe and out-of-view." Her tone is harsh enough to suggest she has history with them, but she leaves it unsaid, and for Leina to interpret.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"In a sense you're right..." Leina gives Alouette a sorrowful look, "... but I can't help but keep thinking about a family in Tsutsujidai that Akane directed the Yumi foundation to help. They're so certain that their loved one passed years ago. Tsutsujidai didn't exist years ago. All those memories of the time they actually existed, erased."
Pause.
"I'm not sure if I can think of that as kinder. I think I'd prefer the scars myself."
However, for all the somberness of her mood, it uplifts instantly when Alouette performs her Program Drive move, she even allows herself a giggle, "You're making me wish I'd been able to visit 3G during one of their deployments while I was growing up." She says with a hand on her hip, "It feels like it's always so lively there from what I hear secondhand."
It's good to hear that Guy's spirits are still up, thankfully it's just a temporary stint... Leina knows what it feels like to be caught in one for much longer, "If anyone deserves one it's him. I'll have to invite him back over sometime soon. It'd do Sayla good to see him more."
As the conversation turns to Akane, she gives her this searching look, "She did, did she?" She smiles, radiating some relief, "Thank goodness. That means she's not committing to the act all the way to the end. That means there's still hope."
Looking out over the camps herself, "From the sense I got of their dynamic, Akane feels ashamed that I was even told that 'Alexis' is dangerous. As if it's her fault that he's viewed that way. I think... you're right on both counts. On how he asserts his influence... and how little time we have to make a difference."
Leina wonders how much tomato juice Akane bought this week...
Leina doesn't respond at first to her final comment on BioNet, her green eyes coming back to rest upon Alouette. There's quiet between them for a time, then she finally breaks that silence... "It sounds like that was spoken from first hand experience."
She makes a leap, though it's only a small leap. Given her seeming personal investment in Akane, enough to try to reach out to her like that, as her voice grows softer, "It must be really hard on you, seeing her as both unwitting collaborator and victim."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"...That's a good point," Alouette nods, when Leina explains the story about the family from Tsutsujidai. "If it was me, I would rather have my memories.. be aware of the world around me." That has a certain nuance that Leina isn't privy to, considering Alouette went through the same thing with her amnesia, and would choose to keep her memories every time in a heartbeat. Even if some of the memories are not particularly "kind".
Alouette giggles along with Leina after she's finished her "dance". "Yes, it is quite lively. It almost has to be, with the legacy left behind from the past 3G members. We never once have given up on bringing them back, though.. no matter what others think of that decision," Alouette replies, resolutely. "If you can, perhaps you should come visit sometime. Since you seemed to know Mamoru, Guy, and some of the others."
"That sounds like a good idea," Alouette agrees at Leina's suggestion for Guy to visit Sayla, with a bit of a grim expression. "I have the feeling he is quite lonely sometimes.. with his old friends, and even Mikoto in the state they are. And the 'new generation' growing up so fast he can barely recognize us anymore." Turning to a half smile, she concludes, "It would do him good to visit some old, familiar faces more often."
"Yeah.. I hope this means we don't have to fight to the very end." Although she's hopeful, she recognizes it may not be this simple, though.
"It's certainly not her fault," Alouette asserts, at the mention of her shame. "Akane isn't his first project, and she probably won't be his last, either. That is, unless we can stop him." She slowly shakes her head. "I don't know his motives, but it feels like it's just a game to him..."
Alouette lets the quiet settle in, not feeling bothered by it, seeing as they are having a rather heavy conversation, until Leina finally responds. "You would be correct," Alouette replies, her voice hushed. "I know she doesn't like being referred to as a victim, but I can't help but vividly see my childhood when I watch what she's doing..."
Alouette decides to trust Leina enough to give her the context, given her help with the Gridman Alliance and being a friend of 3G. "I was the result of BioNet's attempts to create their own Coordinators.. for weapons development." Letting the comparison of that and Akane creating kaiju for BioNet sit, she continues. "I know it can be hard to internalize what your role is supposed to be when the likes of BioNet, or Alexis Kerib, still have their hands on you."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Me too." Leina notes quietly, though she views it differently perhaps than Alouette, she never had to content with amnesia. She just knows for all of her pain, she'd rather that than go back to being the girl from Shangri-la, who knew nothing of the wider world, and it's cruelties.
"Know him? I kind of grew up with that guy." Leina grins at her, "Being around Mamoru is good for the soul. Unfortunately I missed him all those years that he was... away." Leina just gives this small rueful shake of her head, "Sayla just likes to keep me away from trouble if she can... even if it keeps finding me in a way." She then perks up, "But, think I'll take you up on that invitation."
There's just this sad nod of agreement though when it comes to him being quite lonely. She knows how lonely Sayla is certainly. "It's like Ikumi said to me... friends? They're a part of a person's essential needs. That doesn't change, the older someone gets. In fact, I think it becomes even more vital."
Leina inhales deeply, then exhales as she thinks of Alexis Kerib, the chronic abuser. "There are facets of this that are certainly her fault but... falling victim to a being like him? ... That's not one of them."
Leina can't help but think of Renais, the trauma of hers that she willing took in, absorbed, and let herself soak in as she listens to Alouette speak of her childhood, as a BioNet experiment. Understanding implicitly that there's something just as painful here in Alouette perhaps. A different kind of trauma, but from the same sort of people. Just like Akane... three girls linked by one organization. Three girls with different types of pain, but parallel tales in their victimhood.
"Not just hard then, torturous." Leina amends, "Wanting to spare her a measure of that pain you've known, to teach her the hard lessons, only to watch her spiral out of control before your eyes."
She has to actively work to maintain her composure, as she thinks of how this keeps happening, time, and time, and time again.
"I wish... I wish the world could have been kinder to you... and to her."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Oh, really...!" Alouette looks a bit shocked that Leina grew up with Mamoru. "I guess I didn't know that because I only first met him recently, when I rejoined 3G. It was during the time he was away when 3G rescued me." Returning to a smile, she adds, "I thought he was just a kid at first, but we've come to be really good friends. His kindness is.. infectious. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you again."
"You're definitely right about that.. especially in the world climate we're currently living in. They might be heroes, but they can't carry the world on their backs."
Although the three girls have parallel trauma... they each cope with it in drastically different ways. Akane's desire to "use" BioNet and reclaim her own power, Renais' fiery hatred for BioNet manifesting into a desire to destroy it from the ground up, and Alouette's painfully empathetic desire to help BioNet's victims.
"Yeah, torturous is apt. I know she can be saved.. and I know deep down, she wants to be.. but I don't think she can see a world where it's possible.""Thank you," Alouette softly says, giving Leina a reassuring look, as the girl struggles to retain her composure.
"I think the world has that capacity for kindness.. and what we're doing today is proof. It just.. takes this kind of effort, on a large scale." Gazing at the families who were displaced by the attack and receiving Yumi Foundation support, she adds, "I should let you get back to work.. but I'm glad we had this chat."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"You're right." Leina agrees with her, in a statement that seems like a sigh, "I think though... that she can see it in her periphery, right behind her. Some small faint glimmer of how she might be, in the kindness of the people around her, in her own creations. It's just, she retreats from their kindness, just like she retreats from the world's cruelty. Because while she wants to be saved, she doesn't think she deserves to be."
Alouette's reassuring look though, and her belief the world has capacity for kindness, it's inspiring. Someone who came through what she did, can think that. And Alouette as she tells her it will take this kind of effort on a large scale, gets the sunniest smile from Leina. Like it was just a breath of fresh air for her to be told such from someone else...
... as if it were validation.
"There is so much potential for us to create a kinder world, yet." There is so much optimism in that statement, however it feels like it's clinging to that, purely because the alternative is to sink into the despair of the world's cruelty. Or to retreat from it...
... just like Akane did.
"We'll get there."
Beat.
"Yeah. Me too. It was nice meeting you Alouette. Take care of yourself"