2022-11-23: Meetings Between Old Friends and New
- Cast: Banagher Links, Leina Ashta, Rena Lancaster, Mineva Lao Zabi
- Where: Ra Mari
- Date: U.C. 0096 11 23
- Summary: Leina introduces her old friend Rena Lancaster to Mineva Lao Zabi and Banagher Links. Despite sharing history -- if not a shared history -- and some questions about the world's state, they all get along. Also, there is plotting of psychological warfare against Full Frontal.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Life continues on the Ra Mari...
But Rena Lancaster was kept away after the Unicorn was towed in, with its cargo. She got to the Ra Mari late -- after a fateful run-in with Zoltan Akkanen, for that matter -- and she has been... off for days now. In something of a funk that she can't quite shake.
But she heard that Banagher, with Leina and another guest, were recovered after events in Side 3.
So she comes to the quarters they're at. She is a woman in her early twenties, with ash blue hair cut short at the neck, and a streak of red dyed in the bangs. She stops outside the door, eyes on it for a second. Of course, the Newtypes might know she's there; she is one herself.
She reaches out, then knocks.
"Ah... hello!"
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
After a few days of recovery, Banagher is up on his feet and walking around. He seems to spend a good deal of time in their quarters -- after all, Audrey can hardly walk around the ship, and he's not about to leave her alone. There is one other reason he's happy to stay cooped up, of course...
"Banagher! Banagher!" A green Haro calls, flapping through the air. "Petals! Don't forget!"
Floating just above the surface of a bed, Banagher laughs, pulling Haro into his arms and hugging him. "I won't! Don't spoil the surprise, okay?"
Before he can do too much else to interact with his companion, a knock at the door is heard. With a worried glance toward Audrey and Leina, he calls out, "Just a moment!"
Bustling around, Banagher pulls his hoodie's hood over Audrey's hair. It's not a great disguise, but it's the best they've got in the moment. Leaving Haro floating beside the two girls, he makes his way to the door, opening it with a cautious smile. "Hi."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Petals?"
The microgravity has been good for Leina's injuries. Every moment here is like an easy session of PT, given how it takes the pressure off her joints. "And just what are you planning here Mister?" As Leina gives the Haro a pat on the head as if thanking him for spoiling the surprise, as if he were some informant on the secrets Banagher keeps.
Banagher pulls his hoodie over Audrey's head, but Leina indicates even before Banagher hits the door, "It's alright. It's Renalle. We can trust her. In fact..."
Leina gives Banagher an amused look, "... she already knows." Leina says, as she brushes back Audrey's bangs, as if to fix them.
Still, she doesn't rise from her spot, instead leaning sideways and waving, "Hey Renalle! Was wondering when you'd drop by!" Before she gives her a look of sympathy, "How are you holding up?"
<Pose Tracker> Mineva Lao Zabi has posed.
Mineva has adjusted to life in confinement pretty well--if nothing else, the last couple of years have taught her how to survive--if not thrive--in situations like this. And while her experience aboard the Gwennangorn has her wary, she's hardly on edge. The presence approaching the door doesn't register as much beyond the background hum of a ship at work, as a result.
She's free-floating 'above' Banagher, reading on her phone, when Leina asks about Haro's reminder. She glances down at the pair, shrugging. "Got me," she says, about to look to the door when Banagher puts his hood over her head. She lets out a squeal of surprise. "Banagher...!"
She frees her hair from the hood, cheeks taking a faint pink tinge as Leina adjusts her hair. She smiles at Rena. "Hello! I'm glad to meet a friend of Leina's... I'm Audrey."
Whatever Rena may already know, her other name is hardly something to advertise, after all.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Ah, hi, Banagher," Rena says. She lifts a hand, fingers curling a little in the wave she gives him. "...I'd say welcome to the Ra Mari, but I think other people beat me to it."
She smiles at him. Her friend, even if things have gotten complicated. She does brighten, a little, when Leina speaks up. She likes Banagher, but Leina is an old friend. She smiles at her, a little more relieved. "I'm doing okay. Uh, so..."
She looks over at Audrey. She nods at her -- she knows, and it's strange to see her here. Growing up on Axis, Mineva Lao Zabi was a distant symbol. But, here, she is a girl wearing Banagher's hoodie (adorable) and existing in a way that she never had before in Rena's mind. She blinks once.
Then she extends a hand. "Likewise!" Rena says. "I'm Rena Lancaster. I've met Banagher before, too--ah, if he got you a plushie of a Mobile Suit, that's my fault."
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
Banagher laughs. "It's nothing big. A little something Haro's held onto me since we were separated."
As if to confirm this, Haro waves his little winglets, clearly excited by the prospect of being an informant and getting pets. "Leina! Leina!"
"Really?" Banagher says, smiling as Audrey squeaks. "I'm glad, but--" He's still nervous. Leina's judgement has never failed him yet, though.
"Rena!" A look of relief crosses his face as the door opens. "Oh, thank goodness. Sorry for being so wary --" As Rena looks to Audrey, he goes on. "...I think you can understand why. I'm afraid the plushie I bought for her is back with my last ship still. But someday! And speaking of..."
With a quick motion, Banagher floats back across the room, scooping up Haro. "This is Haro! I've been hoping he could meet you. Haro, remember, I told you about the nice lady who knows how to do cool modifications?"
"Mods! Mods!" Haro chirps, once more waving his flaps. "I want to glow!"
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Leina grins a bit at Audrey's blush. She may be staring at Rena in assessment pretty closely, but then nods with a smile, "Good good."
There's no need to let Banagher or Audrey realize something is wrong there, to worry them... Rena can tell them if she decides she wants to.
She laughs lightly, "I remember that, he got my Unicorn plushie from the same trip." She winks at Rena, "Thanks for lending him a hand with that, again."
Back on the Garencieres? Hmmm, Leina doesn't comment on the fact that it's still there.
And then Leina blinks as she's informed Rena can do, "Didn't realize you were into Haro modding, Renalle." Her face splits into a wide grin, "Are you and Anita the Haro fan club members on the Ra Mari? Good taste, both of you. I'm not great at technical stuff like that, so I've never been a part of the modding community."
<Pose Tracker> Mineva Lao Zabi has posed.
Mineva smiles a bit more. "It's good to meet you, Rena." The remark about a plushie earns a brief puzzled look, and a glance at Banagher, before she shakes her head. "No, he hasn't. That sounds kind of cute, though," she giggles. Rena's perception of her doesn't go amiss, either, but she doesn't remark on it; better to simply be who she is, than tell Rena what to think.
"It sounds like you've actually got a few surprises, Banagher," she winks. "Hm. A glowing Haro... some blue under your flaps might be cute," she tells the green orb, patting its head after Leina does. "So how do you all know each other? It sounds like we couldn't have picked a better ship to get picked up by, with all of these old friends."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"It's okay," Rena says to Banagher, with a quick shake of her head. "I don't blame you about being wary, after everything that's happened." After everything the Federatioon has done, a little bitter part of her thinks, but she doesn't voice that aloud. It's too unkind.
"Ah, we might need to find another one," she admits. She hesitates, before her eyes widen. She claps her hands then. "Ah! Haro! It's great to meet you!"
She laughs. "Yeah! Annie's great, ah--I'm gonna have to introduce you!" Then, she looks at Leina, and she shakes her head. "Ah--well, I've never done it, actually. Just Annie, but she's made a bunch. I could probably write software for Haros, though."
She looks back at Mineva, then she smiles at her, and she nods. "It was adorable. Maybe some day!" she says, and she leaves it at that, before she answers Mineva's other question. "Well... Leina and I knew each other, um, as children."
She lowers her voice. "On Axis," she says. "It's... a bit of a story, but I don't mind telling it if Leina's okay with it."
Then she looks at Banagher. "And we met at a shop, in Tsutsujidai," she says. "I don't think we totally knew the other was a pilot, at first."
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
"I had no idea how to shop for girls." Banagher admits. "Rena saved me. And she taught me how to play some cool games! Those are back on my last ship, too... But I've been practicing! I'm ready for our next chance to compete!"
Haro looks thrilled at Audrey's ideas. "Blue! Blue!" He flutters out of Banagher's arms and circles Audrey's head, then flaps his way over to Rena. He turns this way and that, as though showing off. Haro is very much aware that he's a special edition, after all.
"What Rena said." Banagher says to Audrey, with a smile. "Tsutsujidai's a strange place, but she made it feel a lot better. There's something that just feels empty about that town... I don't really get it. And thanks for understanding, Rena."
"Back when life was normal, I was a moderator on a Haro fan page. I'd really like to get back to that sometime." Banagher says, a little wistful. "Haro was pretty famous there. He did Q&A sessions! I'd love to see what software you've made. We had a -- well." An embarrassed duck of his head. "A security issue... I was keeping a video diary on him, and one of our enemies tried to get information from it. So anything you have to help secure him would be amazing."
Rena brings up Axis, and Banagher feels the mood in the room darken just a bit. He glances back to Leina and Audrey, checking on them. "If you're both okay with it. I don't want to bring up any dark memories. But I'm happy to listen, just the same."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"Oh yeah? What kind of software are you thinking? If you give it a try, be sure to mail me what you come up with, I'd be interested in trying it on Giovanni." The idea of Banagher being a mod for a Haro fanpage, she could see it. Before... "Yeah... encryption programs would be wise. Probably some kind of bio-authentication too."
As she then glances at Renalle, "Full Frontal really wants to get his hands on Banagher... so anything that gives him a leg up, even if it's his Haro."
Rena mentions that they knew each other as children, on Axis. Is she okay with it? "It's fine." Leina says quietly, "They both know." Banagher tells her that they don't have to. There's a smile, and she just tells them, "It's really okay. The short version is Renalle's mother was a scientist under Glemy Toto. Back then, when I was his prisoner he was trying to turn me into a 'refined lady'... so I had all kinds of tutors in piano, etiquette, dance, ballet, politics... and sometimes Renalle was my substitute etiquette tutor." With a wink, she tells Rena, "Don't think the lessons stuck, not that you weren't a good teacher."
She then turns to Mineva, as she gently drifts off in the low gravity, and looks her way, "As for that. I met most of the crew of the Ra Mari through Callisto. I didn't even know Renalle survived the war until - I was walking through the colony during a visit and there she was, eating at a Londenion cafe! I felt this, faint thread of connection? Enough that I wanted to investigate and lo and behold-!" She smiles broadly, "That was a good day. Turns out she's the Squad Leader for the Kakapo Squadron now, the Ra Mari's flight wing."
<Pose Tracker> Mineva Lao Zabi has posed.
"Oh, wow! That's really cool, Banagher." Mineva grins at Haro, "I bet you were a great host~"
She nods to Rena, "I see... well, the 'me' you might have seen on Axis..." She trails off. "Anyway. Banagher doesn't really give off the pilot vibe, does he?" A laugh, disarming enough to hopefully elevate the mood past that first remark.
"I'm glad you both got out of there... and it's great that you managed to reunite like this." She smiles wider. "And I'd love to get to know you more. If you're friends despite meeting the way you did... well, you're definitely worth knowing." She winks.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"'Saved' might be a strong word," Rena says with a sheepish laugh. She scratches at her cheek, though, but she smiles. "Sure, just let me know. I'd be happy to play you, Banagher."
She tilts her head -- her eyes widening a little. She shouldn't be surprised that Banagher was a moderator on a Haro forum. She really has to introduce him to Anita, now. She pauses, for a moment, though, before she considers. "A security program... yeah, give me--oh, a couple days. I'll code one up. Can you do me a favor and make your Haro watch..."
Rena wrinkles her nose. Then, she gets a mischievous grin. "Weka Boko Cats Mega-Glide the Megaroad-02?"
It's a children's anime from the early UC 0080's, in which terrifying horseheaded children communicate solely in whalesong while doing strange strutting dances across the famed lost ship, Megaroad-02. The human characters have photorealistic eyes and teeth, but drawn faces and tongues. It is widely considered utterly unwatchable (except as nightmare fuel). "You can use a spare room, so you don't have to watch it. Just, do it while you sleep." She coughs. "No reason."
She is already plotting.
Then, her eyes meet Leina. She nods, as Leina begins to explain -- and grins a little. The lessons did not stick. "I thought Leina hadn't, either. So when I saw her again... well, it was one of the best things to happen this year."
She smiles, then. It's been a hard year, in a lot of ways. Rena glances at her, before she looks back at Mineva. She hesitates for a moment, a little agog at the fact that she winked at her. But, she overcomes it easily enough; after all, she doesn't want to think of herself as Renalle Kan Zeitun. The least she can do is see the person in front of her for who she is, not who Rena saw her from afar as. "Thanks, Audrey. You, too. I'm glad you fell in with them, too. They're both great people."
A beat. "I mean, you know that! But, ah, you know--" She reddens. "--I think I'm blabbering a little."
<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.
There's a momentary flash of grief and anger when Leina talks about her imprisonment. Banagher gets himself under control quickly, but -- his feelings are so powerful. There's no way to be okay with what happened to Leina. "O--oh!" He manages, grinning. "I'm sure you did your best, Rena."
"The Squad Leader for the flight wing? That sounds amazing!" The young man is earnest, imagining Rena leading a daring squadron of mobile suits. "You're even cooler than I thought. I'm really glad you guys found each other again."
"Thanks, Rena." Banagher smiles. "You're a lifesaver. I don't want him to be in danger ever again. He's -- really, really important to me. And, Haro? What do you think about the show?" It's certainly not one Banagher's heard of.
Haro seems to regard this. He makes a humming noise, then: "Okay! Okay!"
"In my sleep..?" Banagher looks a little suspicious, but that's such a small thing to ask in return for Haro's safety. "Any reason why?" He glances back at Leina, smiling. "Maybe Giovanni can watch it with Haro. They're fast friends already, I'm sure."
Banagher laughs at Rena's blush. "You're okay, don't worry! We're all friends here. You should hear when I get blabbering. I don't know how they put up with me."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Not the most well known fact about Leina, but she watches a decent amount of anime, mostly Magical Girl anime, but anime, "What exactly are you scheming by making his Haro watch that?"
Leina gives her a suspicious look before her mouth splits into a grin, "Are you thinking of giving Full Frontal an unpleasant surprise if he gets ahold of his Haro again?"
She actually is not opposed to emotionally torturing the nihilist that way, shockingly. She may be still REAL upset about Callisto.
"He doesn't, nope, but he had no formal pilot training." Leina grins at Banagher, "Closest thing to self-taught that exists really."
Rena mentions that she thought she hadn't either as they discuss her imprisonment, and Leina briefly looks sidelong at Mineva... as that's not something she's actually told her. However, it's easy enough to interpret that in numerous ways, so she doesn't launch into an explanation right now.
Leina puts her foot down with a small kick against a solid surface, and moves over to Rena, and... puts a finger to her nose as she reddens, "It's fine." Leina says, as she winks at Rena. "After not seeing you for years, as far as I'm concerned, do it all you like..." Leina smiles broadly at her, with an emotional look in her eyes, "... it's a nice way to make up for lost time."
<Pose Tracker> Mineva Lao Zabi has posed.
Mineva laughs a little, reassuring Rena, "It's okay. But I... Oh God." She very clearly recognizes the show Rena's talking about, and she blanches a little. "Yeah, I, uh. Trust me, let's not watch it for ourselves," she tells Banagher.
To Leina's speculation, she adds, "That, or it'll help her jailbreak him somehow... honestly, I can't think of any other reasons to have him watch something like that." She laughs.
"And honestly, Banagher, you're really cute when you get like that. It's not something to put up with, it's something I want to see more of out of you." She floats over to give him a hug. It sounds like she hasn't picked up on whatever Leina was worried about--or if she has, she's opted not to press the matter right now.
"Maybe one of you should see if you can get something from the mess hall, though... I think it'd be great for us to get to know each other over some snacks." She beams.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"It's, ah, it's pretty cool," Rena admits with a sheepish laugh. She tilts her head to the side for a moment. The truth is a little different, but she has a squadron of -- mostly -- friends and close companions. "I try to do a good job..."
Then, she nods her head. "I, um--just... maybe let them watch it in an empty room. And definitely don't have it on in the room while you sleep. That's a bad idea."
She has a haunted look for a moment. Then, she looks at Leina, and cracks a grin. "Maaaaaaybe."
The grin says it all. She flushes, as Leina kicks over to her -- and gently touches her nose. Rena's still red in the face... but she smiles, then nods her head. "Mm. It is," she agrees with Leina. "It's good to make up for lost time."
She smiles, glancing at Mineva -- and then she nods. "I can do that," she volunteers. "I'll go get some and be back in a flash!"