2022-12-10: Additive Identity

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<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

Day 1 of the post-apocalypse of Tsutsujidai. It's a cold, rainy twilight of an afternoon.

Immediately after the Collapse, civilians were rushed to Inoue Hospital, as nothing reset - the Venora are dead, after all. But the hospitals weren't equipped for the kind of violence a kaiju attatck unleashes. Luckily, people from outside Tsutsujidai are.

A group of volunteers, including one Leito Igaguri, mysteriously here on business, has set up extra beds and what supplies they had for the incoming wounded. It's not at peak crowd yet, but it inevitably will be.

For now, Leito Igaguri is manning a raw text-input terminal in the central lobby (there's no signal, so all it's good for is spreadsheets). He's got a cup of REALLY crappy instant noodles (he was a college student once!) to force himself to eat as he rapid-slams information on who's come in, statuses (very morbid), and supplie counts.

A nurse comes over and tells him to take a break. He says he's fine. She tells him she'll unplug the computer if he doesn't.

He is now sitting on a bench, drinking a water bottle with his ramen. 

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        Inoue Hospital is supposed to be a very 'normal' hospital. One that's hardly anywhere special, where doctors and nurses are rather ordinary people only really distinct from anyone else by the occasional labcoat or surgical mask.

        C.C. has elected to blend into this environment by way of the most ostentatiously cutesy Halloween-costume-style nurse attire of all, with a stiffly wide skirt, that mysterious little pink hat between cutesy little twintails, and a syringe roughly the size of a large baguette in hand.

        The worst part? The absolute worst part of all?

        ...she's also like, one of the most competent actual medical practicioners here???

        Anyone who does come in with some sort of injury - many of which are more out of a sort of clumsiness and accidental nature with Tsutsujidai's enhanced 'realness' - C.C. figures out exactly how bad the wound might be - if it's infected or not - if it's actually a sign of a much worse ailment people can get now that disease is an actual thing here - and gets people patched up and in the right place with almost lightning speed, despite moving at a relatively lazy actual speed. After all-

        How many times has she seen each and every one of these ailments?

        Another one. C.C.'s eyes scan the sight of a blitzing-fast working salaryman eating noodles in that 'i have to eat! > no i can't eat too busy > i have to eat!' cycle. The steam's practically billowing from his ears.

        Her hand's quick to push on Leito Igaguri's monitor. "Alright, you're around thirty minutes from risk of severe eyestrain, and your wrists are going to give out fast if you do that. This hospital is going to be a tight ship whether people like it or not - and part of running a ship like that is getting workaholics to rest. ...don't give me a polite refusal. You unplug, or I unplug you, got it?"

        As usual, C.C. gets her way when she gets that stern look like her eyes could smite you. Leito's going to have comfy R&R whether he likes it or not - and to that end, on another pass-through, a paper plate with two piping hot little mini-quiches is pushed onto Leito's hand. Never before has nutrition been so threatening. 

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Among those volunteers coordinating the management of casualties: Koji Kabuto, who has no direct medical skills beyond basic field first-aid but can help move people to the right places. His Ichinana is parked out front, reactor exposed to the elements (A steady glow emerges from the machine's reactor hollow, providing a warm light to guide those still bringing wounded in) and heavy cables trailing from it into the hospital's basement to hook up to its generator - an emergency measure that will suffice for now.

Olive-green jacket thrown over his red-and-gold guard suit, he's now coming up to the lobby, hauling more cable spools in case power needs to be redirected to critical areas of the building, looking around to take stock of who's there. Seeing Leito now visibly forced on-break by... an individual dressed in an outfit that is decidedly not a standard nurse uniform, he pauses until the green-haired woman saunters off, then takes this moment to head over, setting down his spool. "Igaguri-san, right? I'm Koji Kabuto. I work at the Photon Power Lab Earthside."

He doesn't look the part of a scientist, or an electrician - but then, that nurse didn't look the part of a nurse either.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Independently from the Hospital efforts, the local high school has also been partially converted into a sheltering facility. Responsible parties are, primarily a group of high schoolers and certain adult sponsors, who has answered the initial calls for help. Before communications cut out. A few hours into the process, requests were made for volunteers to visit the hospital and take stock of available space and resources. And, more immediately important, to make sure the hospital is still standing.

To that end, one Kallen Stadtfeld has offered to make the expedition. In part to spare the stomachs and hearts of those who are less... accustomed to the sight of tragedy. And in part because she needs to get out and walk. Certain fears are eating at her. The worry over the people who didn't come with them to Tsutsujidai. Worry how they'll fare, and how the precarious position of certain things will play out. Given the way sentiment had been trending in Occupied Japan... It's a reasonable fear. One that leaves her clutching tight to something in her pocket.

What she isn't expecting is to walk in the front door, and see C.C. being a stern cosplay nurse. ...Did she steal that from the FSC Clubroom before they all left? All she can do, when faced with this revelation, is a crimson-faced outburst of "C-CYZARINE!?" That is, after all, the name she uses at Ashford. ...Hopefully nobody knows her as Shiranui is in earshot. 

<Pose Tracker> Faye Valentine has posed.

Of all the rotten luck.

Women are supposed to be delicate creatures. On most days, even Faye Valentine at least attempts pretense.

Today she's slouched over a folding chair, a cheap cropped jacket thrown over her shoulders, enormous aviators her only defense from the miraculously steady flourescents of this hospital. There's a cheap mug of convenience store coffee in one hand (the place was closed, obviously, but she's not an animal -- she'd tossed some change on the counter) and... a half-unwrapped packet of dry instant noodles with a rather intimidating bite out of one corner.

Which had all been fine when she was nursing this... concussion? Hangover? Might be a double feature, honestly -- anyway, when she had been alone, after scaring off the first couple gawkers.

But this guy... She'd actually feel bad chasing him off. He looks almost as pathetic as she feels right now. So she gives a tired little growl, kicks her legs crossed, and sighs, eyeing down this rumpled salaryman.

"Too bad... you're cute, but they probably don't let you sign prescriptions, huh?"

A couple fingers, exaggeratingly digging at her forehead.

"Like to know who pulled this little stunt about now..." 

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


After the horror.

There was little that could be done. No one expected this, nor seriously anticipated it. Even the MAGI were blind, although given all, they may be learning to suspect these kinds of things. But the MAGI are far away, and might as well be, themselves, another star.

Rei Ayanami has come here, even so. Somebody had to do it. And the thing is that Rei *does* know where the hospital is. She had been tasked to take with her a clipboard and a pencil and to write down what might be needed, by whoever is in charge of the NERV detachment -- it certainly isn't her.

"Why are you here?" Rei Ayanami asks C.C. without preamble or predicate, having emerged from some damn place with her clipboard in hand. Rei, at the moment, is wearing her white plugsuit - although the hair clips are not currently on.

Rei proceeds from there to stare at C.C. in silence.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

With the parasite inside Hass driven off, Namiko no longer feels quite so much like she's in Imminent Danger, and had returned to her home. When things went crazy yesterday, she'd been out under the perpetual rain, aimlessly wandering town en route to the junk shop and her friends.

This time, when the screaming began, she found herself watching the area around Aya, and found a small smile on her face as not just one but several machines launched from it. And after briefly wishing for her friend's safety to whatever star could still reach them, she pulled out her phone and texted Marusan.

---

Which is all prelude to how Namiko ended up here, having come from the school with an Ashford girl she doesn't know, with a Yumi Foundation Staff-Volunteer tee shirt and a box she has extremely specific instructions to hand to one of exactly four people. She looks around. The lights are on, at least. "Photon Power's the real deal," she says, with a certain awe, and then her escort loses her mind at a girl in nurse cosplay. Namiko peeks around her box, and then back at Kallen. "Friend of yours?" she prompts. "....she's cute." 

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        For what might feel like the thousandth time today, the push-doors in the back burst open, and more casualties arrive.

        This group is fairly large: two gurneys, one pushed by a nurse who never had to tend to anything worse than a broken ankle, the other by team of two paramedics whose worst day on the job was having to rescue an elderly man clinging to his capsized rowboat in a small local lake. A third gurney follows the others, pushed by a firewoman who never remembers fighting an actual fire. All three bear unwalking wounded. There's blood on the sheets covering them.

        Two more civilians trail in after: a man in a dust-covered coat carrying a six-year-old child. "Papa," the child sobs, and she reaches towards one of the gurneys.

        At the very end of the trail is Liam, carrying an older woman. His armored Trace Suit is covered with ash and blood. Another nurse hurries forwards with a wheelchair, and he hands his patient off to her, setting her down with all the gentleness he can muster.

        As the nurse wheels her off--hopefully towards healing and continued survival--Liam lets out a strangled noise, and slumps against the wall. He tries to turn back towards the door, but can't.

<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

Nurse C.C. is frankly odd but maybe that's just what a thing in this world. As people begin to gather around Leito, he looks up from his sulk noodles to glance at them. As he's given mini-quiches, he looks down at thtem. "Ah...couldn't these be given to the doctors...?"

Regardless, C.C. is in total control of the situation, so he bites into one. "H-hot hot hot!" He almost spills his noodles. In that he drops them...

And then his hand rapidly shifts outwards (Newtypes get a weird sensation in his mind if focusing) and grabs it, picking it back up. "A-ah." Is all he says.

"A-ah, yes. It's a pleasure, Kabuto-san. Aren't you that famous hero...?" He's old enough to know about Koji's history, yet, he seems to be recollecting it poorly.

Kallen gets a glance, before he looks back up to C.C., speaking. "Cyzarine? That's a l-lovely name, nurse..."

Also Faye called him cute, so he momentarily goes 'hah?' because he is a married man wearing a wedding band so he cannot parse any compliments besides 'oh, thank you' afetr five seconds. "Ah, no...I'm helping around the city with administration where I can...the hospital seemed like the best first place, before I head to the school..."

Rei gets a glance. Plugsuit...some sort of soldier from NERV. Well, that tracks - kaiju fights.

Namiko gets a glance back to C.C. as she speaks, before back to her. "A-ah. Is that a delivery for someone here?" She asks about the box.

And then, Liam enters. Leito straightens up a little (though is still Leito), and calls out. "Liam...please, come sit down. Have a quiche...? You need to take a b-break, or you'll be on one of those gurneys..."

A little hypocritical, but it's because he cares!

He's also ignoring the child saying papa as best as he can. Is Mayu alright back home...? 

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        "What am I doing here...?" C.C. twirls a twintail in one finger at Rei. "Oh, I've been in and out of this place aplenty, just like you. Just like a lot of you. I am, however, here on purpose, and made my way here pretty quickly the moment this little bottle started...calling. I take it you, too, are here rather intentionally, if you're even here in the attire of your employers."

        ...She's completely evaded the idea of 'why is she here, at this hospital', of course, and gone for the bigger picture.

        The twintail twintwirling turns into twintousling with a faint little frown at Namiko and Kallen. "Of course I'm cute. Hmmm. You seem familiar. Ah yes. I'm in class 2-C at the high school around here. Shiranui Shirome, at your service. Kallen here calls me 'Cyzarine', it's like a nickname. Usually I mind my own business, but with the snap of a finger, it's become pretty irresponsible and impossible to let the days swirl around."

        The ever-furtive little glance to Kallen. That's so-obviously-fake-name number three foisted on the poor girl. Her imposing little :< quirks into a faint smile at the corner of her lips. Is she trying to imply she's perpetually full of it just to mess with Kallen? (the worst part is she'd do something that high-effortly-petty!) The teasy little smiles turn into a widening of her eyes at Leito's sudden impeccable reflex. No, she definitely feels that. Pretty acutely. Interesting. She'll have to keep a closer eye on this salaryman...

        Suddenly, a practically glowing present descends from the heavens - that is, C.C. lowering it from holding her hand way too high - before Faye. ...A glass of water, and two tablets. "It's the strong stuff. Less a prescription, more a...'measure' around here. We'll probably have to ration materials out, so don't push yourself too hard and get yourself another killer headache. After all, whether you being all pitiful is cute or kind of depressing is kind of up to the lighting.

        ...and theeeere comes the real reason C.C.'s here, 'at this hospital'. With an irritated little click of her tongue, C.C. drops off one folder, picks up another, twists her head to Koji with a brief, "Are you able to help move these new patients?", and marches off after the delivery of the newly wounded to help treat them...but not before resting a hand on Liam's shoulder along the way.

        "Good work there. Every bit's important. Rest up with the others. Now. I'll be back in a few." Just like that, she's busied herself with new patients for a while...

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

"That was a long time ago," Koji says, glancing at the computer Leito was working at and hissing at the recognition of that most dreaded of administrative tasks, Data Entry. He takes in the amount of work done, and nods grimly in respect to the salaryman. "... Not super relevant right now, either; I'm just the nearest thing to a power expert we've got, so I'm trying to make sure everything's running optimally."

He looks around the lobby as others arrive - Ayanami from NERV's Evangelion team, an Ashford student, and a girl he doesn't recognise (is that the local school's uniform? The Gridman Alliance wear something similar...) ... and Liam, trying to turn back to head outside and slumping against the wall instead.

Koji moves quickly through the flow of people coming into the building, pausing to help direct some of the gurneys at Shirome's urging. "Hey, Liam, lean on me, let's get you out of the crush." He'll try his best to help the much taller cyborg over to sit by Leito. "Take a moment to catch yourself, eat something. If you run out of energy, you can't help anyone else." He nods quickly then moves to relieve one of the people pushing a gurney in, moving the groaning woman in the bed over to the triage room.

<Pose Tracker> Faye Valentine has posed.

That rumpled, ordinary guy stammers out a response, and Faye's brain finally focuses enough to catch sight of the wedding band.

More bad luck. She sighs as he confirms he also can't save her from this splitting headache. She collapses back into the chair, momentarily defeated... Before an angel brings her a glass of water. She gulps down whatever's been placed in her hands without much thought, and beams up at the green-haired girl. "Oh, you're sweet~"

Before those gurneys push through the hall. Her heels click against the floor, and she spits out an utterly unintelligible curse as she spills the contents of her bag in the process. She stumbles over cosmetics, scoops up what she was looking for, and presses a plastic water bottle into the hands of the collapsing Liam.

"Dumb kid. What's gonna happen if you get yourself sick running around like this?"

It's reflex, and her eyes are still swimming under those shades... so it takes her a moment to notice the size of this guy. Some growth spurt, huh?

She mutters more frustration and goes back to scooping up the mess, shooting Liam dirty looks. It's not actually his fault, but... The room keeps getting louder, and she's not exactly the caring type.

Obviously.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


Rei stares at C.C. as she speaks. She does not blink throughout what C.C. says.

But then she reaches the end of the explanation, and without really moving, Rei goes from staring to looking. It's not even quite her face; it's more of the air.

"... I'm not an employee," Rei says. "Understood."

She doesn't really look *away* from C.C. as she speaks further to Namiko and Kallen. She introduces herself as a high school student, which Rei classifies as a lie, but it does give her a name. Shiranui Shirome. Cyzarine. Kallen, Rei thinks, looking at Kallen now for a moment. Her arms fold, along with the clipboard.

Rei looks at Leito for a moment, blinking once -- and then there's a name out there, one that isn't common here -

"Liam," Rei says, stepping forwards and towards him. Rei looks towards Koji Kabuto (who, at least, she recognizes on sight) for a moment, and then up to the taller young man, even as he sits and gets nearer to her eye level. "Are you well?"

Someone else comes into the area, with a bottle of water. Rei looks at Faye for a moment, who has an air that has a faint familiarity to her, and then back to Liam.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Kallen might have, at least briefly, forgotten she had people with her. For that... honestly she feels bad. So she glances back at Namiko when she makes a comment, and leans in to whisper something. "We're familiar enough... and I can't argue with your point about cuteness. But don't let her hear that or she'll get incredibly smug about it for weeks." Besides, cute though she may be, she's not a person that sends Kallen's heart into a butterfly mess.

But it's too late. She already heard it... and what she says next makes Kallen's eyes narrow. Of course she knew the woman's name wasn't ACTUALLY Cyzarine... but knowing just how many fake names she has floating around... Well, at least they're better than C.C. And her expressions... no matter how irritated Kallen might be about the fake names, she can't actually focus on those, once she recognizes her green-haired ally is mercilessly teasing her. She knows it'll end in her being too wound up to accomplish anything. "Ah, well. I'm glad you've found a way to help out around here. We should talk later, when things aren't so busy!" And a smile, directed toward her to complete the picture.

s if on cue, new patients come in, and Kallen leaps aside, pulling Namiko and her boxes along as well. Can't have a collision happening here in the entryway, now can they? And now she can focus on Leito and Kouji. "We're here from the high school. We were intending to take record of what is and isn't in supply right now, for the shelter over there. We didn't expect the hospital to already be converted and running, honestly." Largely because they had an understanding of things here being... odd. Not much record of illness and injury. The known lack of evacuation protocols.

"But since it is, I suppose we need to change tact. Set up for communication between the two." She offers a notebook and pen. "Are there any supplies you're short on here? We might be able to provide something." She's trying so very hard to avoid the natural reaction toward being in a room with a pilot you're a fan of. Mazinger's fight to protect all people was after all, something that she held as a personal inspiration. Despite the politics that wound up tying his hands in... a particular field.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Ah, Leito calls over and Namiko snaps immediately to Oh Right I'm Doing Something mode. Despite it all, she's got her spirits up and achieves a smile. "Ah, yeah, I have some....thing? I'm supposed to give it straight to the hospital director. Orrr the nurse manager. Orrr like one of two other people?"

In other words, presumably medical supplies.

While she waits for Leito to presumably enter his mind palace, she is pulled back into orbit of C.C. the halloween and also actual nurse. She nods urgently at Kallen's informational supplement. "Oh! One of those types. OK, got it." But the damage is done! Fortunately she does not get smug immediately? Maybe it's a time delay thing. Wait she's-- "Oh!" Namiko says, head bobbing. "Right, yeah! I think I remember that. Uhm, it's..." ... She quirks up her face. "Stuff's hazy right now, because of all the everything, but, uh, hi! Namiko, from 2-E."

Namiko is escorted away as more stumble in. Namiko peeks around the box the other way. "Wow. Just a lot going on, huh....?"

Wait. Head tilt. Squint. "'s that Liam? Uh, whoa, hey!" as he collapses. Fortunately, it seems like people are helping him. "You OK there, bud?" she offers, possibly somewhat unhelpfully.
Akane Shinjo teleports in. 

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        Liam's shoulders bunch. The hand pressed against the wall tightens into a loose fist. His other hand trembles, slightly, and he fights to get the weakness under control. Before he can do that, someone puts a hand on his shoulder, and he jerks back in surprise. Liam's legs start to wobble, and not even reinforced nanocarbon musculoskeletal lacing can make up for the extreme of exhaustion he's already brought on himself. Not thirty minutes ago, he was holding up a chunk of wall so the paramedics and firefighter could extract this group of survivors from a wrecked apartment. Bringing a Labor in would've only risked crushing them. Tsutsujidai doesn't have the tools other cities use for casualty extraction. It never needed them.

        Koji intervenes. Desperation glints in Liam's eyes, and he grips the smaller man's shoulders. It takes some doing, but Koiji gets him into the chair, where he slumps back and lets out another of those little strangled noises. His eyes darken as Faye looks at him, and for a moment, he feels like she's someone else, who called him 'dumb' and 'idiot' and 'useless' a lot. He takes the water bottle, and closes his eyes until Faye leaves.

        'Liam.'

        Liam's eyes open again. "...Rei," Liam says. "I'm... I'm not well." He pops the top off the water bottle, and takes a swig, only now realizing how dry his throat is. He had to take off the respirator on the way in because the filters were clogged, and now his whole chest feels choked with dust. (It isn't, largely thanks to said respirator.)

        And then, he looks past Rei, at Namiko. "...Namiko? Tea ceremony club?"

        Liam, not from any club, dressed in what is very much not a standard uniform. Of any sort. Or a normal suit, for that matter.

<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

Leito removes his glasses briefly to clean them as Koji talks, nodding. "W-well, making sure we have power is also heroic. Every little thing we do here is important..."

C.C. is running off to help people, after all, despite being a high school student. How DOES she know all that stuff?

Faye drops her purse. Despite that, she gave Liam water. Nice girl with attitude? Probably. And that's why...

Leito sets his food down, and then moves tto bend down and help her start picking it back up. "H-here."

Rei can handle Liam from here! They're probably co-workers.

As he either helps or gets shooed away, Leito turns to Kallen. "A-ah. I'll head to the school as soon as I can to assist - I don't believe in us factionalizing. A bunch of us knew of the situation here, honestly, so we spent the night setting up..."

To actually answer Kallen's question, he recites off the top of his head several things they're missing. "How about you guys?"

Namiko also knows Liam, so Leito formally introduces himself. "A-ah. Leito Igaguri, Nergal Heavy Industries. I'm a salaryman...was here on business." Why a PLANT? Who knows.

Done near Faye by now, Leito moves to a still-stocked vending machine, and removes a sandwich. He brings it over to Liam. "Eat. Please." 

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        It may seem unlike C.C. that she's pushing herself so hard, all while tamping down on others' proclivities to push themselves. After all, it's typically a challenge to get her to put in just about any effort at all.

        That answer comes as the doors to the ER swing open triumphantly, and C.C. emerges back into the break room, to-! ...immediately topple backwards over onto the top of the waiting room's 'just cushiony enough to be called a' couch. Arm draping over the side. Eyes staring at a slightly out of place ceiling tile. Long exhale of venting steam.

        Without so much as glancing her way, she murmurs out, "Kallen, go get meeeeee...a can of green tea, and - you know the vending machines that get hot food? Make sure it's one of those, I want a mushroom and swiss burger, but there's this ridiculous machine that also can do burgers, only for them to come lukewarm and plastic-wrapped. Absolutely disgusting.

        She does, however, tip her head Leito's way, locking eyes at his statement of just being here on business. Eyes narrowing, shimmering - as though rippling from the ocean of the mind slowly crashing waves. She clearly seeks something important from this man - you could cut the tension in her stare with a knife-

        "...Is Nergal hiring for positions like that? The pay for nurses at hospitals like this, especially part-timers, is plenty to complain about. Obviously now isn't the time to bicker about that, but it sounds like they have enough weird interests that your job surely pays well, to be out in the sticks like this." 

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

While Ramo Marusa sent Namiko over here... it turns out she's going to need to come over here herself, anyway. If the communications network was still up, they could probably have done most of what she needs to do as a phone call -- but then, that's the operative word: 'could.' For good measure, she has brought some more supplies, though -- mostly cotton balls and swabs.

(The good news is, she has her moped license now, at Yumi Foundation insistence.)

She hasn't slept since the kaiju attack; accordingly, she looks even more tired than usual. Which says something, because her dark eyes usually have dark circles under them.

It's not long before she finds her way to Namiko -- and by extension Leito, and then, well, everyone else. Giving a small wave, she says, "I have... several thousand cotton swabs in the basket on my moped outside," she says, before awkwardly adding, "Oh, uh -- I'm with the Yumi Foundation, too," with a vague gesture toward Namiko.

(Why does she report this to Leito in particular? Well -- he seems like the responsible adult in the room, and the supplies she's bringing are less sensitive than the ones she had Namiko bringing -- just an inventory update. 

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


Rei gazes at Liam with a soft look in her eyes. She reaches over - with a little hesitance - to touch his shoulder, two or three suit-clad fingers resting there before she lifts her hands away.

"Rest," Rei tells Liam. "Were you on a mission? I will complete it, if it's urgent."

She may regeret that later. Her eyes turn for a moment as Kallen suddenly leaps and moves aside along with Namiko, who Rei has not stolen the name of, as of yet; but give all things time. Oh, she's coming over here? Rei blinks at her several times.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Leito provides a list, and commentary on 'factions'. She makes sure it's all written down, and nods to him. "Over there, nobody so far has too much worse than incidental cuts and sprains. I guess we know why now, since the more serious injuries are here." Also the school was further away from the fighting, compared to the hospital. So of course they wouldn't wind up there. "Mm, and you're right. We need to be a united front, not split on some ideology or another... It's just been hard organizing with no phones for communication."

C.C. appears once more in dramatic fashion, so shortly after leaving. And then has the nerve to make a request like that?! Every single person here can obviously see the stress vein pop out on her forehead. But then again, she IS doing vital work here. Maybe just this once, she can indulge the woman's whim. At least she didn't ask for a delivery pizza. "You owe me for it later. Don't you dare try to weasel out of it either." And... just like that, she's actually turning to find the appropriate vending machines. Back outside in the hellscape of a city. Well... it's not THAT MUCH of a hellscape. But it's still a good amount wrecked. A shocking amount of people involved had actual restraint.

Appropriately, as she's heading out, she passes by an exhausted looking Marusan, and pauses a moment. May as well, it's not like she's going to be swamped with a dozen people's orders all at once. "You look like you could use something to drink. Want me to grab something for you?" ...Are the city's vending machines even going to be WORKING now? Well, she's going to find out, one way or another.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        "Ambulance," Liam says, his eyes meeting Rei's. There's a familiar gentleness there, which he recognizes from when they first met, and she brought him a bag of clothes. He relaxes, ever-so-slightly, though the adrenaline is still taking its sweet time leaving. (It's for the best. If the implants spun down altogether he'd probably pass out, and maybe even need IV glucose to recover.) "Was helping cas-evac." His diction is clipped, but there's emotion in it. Speaking takes effort. "They'll... head back out again."

        The door opens again, with less force than last time. Liam's eyes glance past Rei, to Marusan. She's... one of Akane's friends, he realizes, and urgency ignites in his eyes again.

        Thankfully, Leito presents the sandwich before he does something reckless, like trying to get up to ask her if she's seen Akane anywhere. Instead, he says, simply: "...Marusan?" And then, a bite of the sandwich.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Namiko nods a few times, that short hair bobbing around her ears. Despite the gloomy weather and also falling out of the universe, she is currently maintaining good cheer. (Honestly, having people to care for has given Namiko more energy than she had at any point in the recovery from Celebro's brain blasting, even if the circumstances are beyond dire.) "Yeah! I guess, uh, things...occurred, but I'm glad you're OK, at least."

"Yeah, that's good," Namiko says, nodding eagerly. Then, toward Leito: "I think those Gutsy Galactron Guys are trying to keep everyone talking to each other, but they've got their own problems setting up, right now. Comparing notes'll help. Nice to meet you! Name's Namiko. I, uh, live here. So I wanna help." ...nod!

Ah, Marosan!! Namiko hups up her box a little and then leans out the other direction to grin at her. 

<Pose Tracker> Faye Valentine has posed.

Faye grimaces as she's scooping things back into her purse. It's starting to sink in...

She's going to have to make this stuff last. She gives a wistful little look at that plastic water bottle, but it's already too late. Besides, the guy clearly needed it. Easy come, easy go.

Leito joins her crouched over her belongings, and her hand snaps out on first instinct, ready to push him away -- but she stops.

"Hey, thanks. Said something about a school? It'll be a little cramped but -- guys like you have a vibe, like you'd find a way to fall down an open manhole. Or at least sprain an ankle, stumbling around in the mess out there. I can give you a lift when you're ready." The headache is fading, but the fogginess isn't... Which answers itself when she gazes back at her chair and the sad noodle packet abandoned on it. Right. She's just thrown back who-knows-what on an empty stomach. If she's gonna be flying -- "Just grab me something decent to eat. Fair's fair."

It looks like that tall guy has friends. She gives a thin smile. Guys like that who start trying to carry everything on their shoulders... Don't tend to last long without a lot of people taking care of the little things around them. He better be grateful. She opens her mouth to say something -- he'd been so out of it earlier, she hadn't wanted to push, and --

"Make sure to thank your girlfriend there, big guy." She doesn't mean anything by it, of course, just a gentle prod, but...

Faye's never failed to stick her foot in her mouth before, and she's not gonna start now. 

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

"We can accommodate everyone for the time being but--"

"That's why we need to figure this out as soon as possible." As the door to the hall that connects the ER and the breakroom had opened, a familiar voice to some could be heard intermingling with another nurse. For a certain twin-tailed 'nurse', if she found herself curious enough to pull her view from the ceiling tile, she's got the perfect view to see the person in question from the corner of her eye just as the door attempts to shut again.

A young man of Britannian descent, no older than most already within the break room. Long hair braided down to his shoulder, while he usually was adorned in a certain high school's uniform today he appears in a much more casual attire. A robe-like fabric tucked into his pants and secured with a purple sash, along with a red headband hidden beneath his bangs. Though there's no doubt that above that beauty mark, there's the notice of something there. Something unique. Something familiar to her.

The conversation continues just as the door continues to slowly shut, "I'll be back in three hours time. Let me know what the ration supplies situation looks like. The sooner we know what our supplies look like. The better..."

"Right away, doctor!"

Just as the door is just about to shut, those eyes do an instant peer into the break room. If anyone in that instance had cared enough to peek through the tiny opening between the door as it was closing, they might have seen what looked like an elderly doctor. Graying hair, with a bald spot atop his head. Though for this nurse in question... She sees that familiar face all the same as the door shuts.

Just as quickly as it shuts though, it reopens again and in that moment, all there is, is the face of that young man for all. His eyes turned to her in question for a moment, that presence no longer as strong as before. A sigh escaping his lips before he speaks up.

"...I thought for a moment I was imagining things, but it seems like I didn't hear at all." He begins scouring the room as he keeps speaking up, "So, is Stadtfeld here as well? I thought I heard her as well..." He had yet to find her about, seeing as she had left to go on her errand, but as he does scan the room he does find his eyes catching another familiar face. At least, it did seem familiar as he looked to Rei. 

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        "...I'm not okay," Liam says, without looking at Namiko. What's going through her head right now? How is she processing this? Has she lost her home? Her family? Everything she knows has been uprooted--and maybe it was even before this happened, if he remembers that one report right. He takes a bite of the sandwich, and chases it down with some water.

        "...Girlfriend?" Liam startles, again, and glances between Rei and Namiko, before looking back at Faye. "She's not--"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        "Wasn't a mission," Liam says, realizing after a moment that Rei might be thinking about going off to help in a way that might hurt her. "They'll... find someone else." And that's a hard thing for Liam to have to grapple with: being idle while people are hurt, and scared.

        "...I'm not okay," Liam says, without looking at Namiko. What's going through her head right now? How is she processing this? Has she lost her home? Her family? Everything she knows has been uprooted--and maybe it was even before this happened, if he remembers that one report right. He takes a bite of the sandwich, and chases it down with some water.

        "...Girlfriend?" Liam startles, again, and glances between Rei and Namiko, before looking back at Faye. "She's not--"

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Emerging from the triage room after making sure several patients get where they're supposed to go, Koji runs a hand through his messy hair. While he's the type to be energised by a crisis, this is still... a lot, and it's a kind of crisis that can't be resolved by a giant robot punching something. Fatigue is starting to set in.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Marusan gives a wave to Liam, and a nod. "Yeah," she says, simply. "Miss Mass has me running errands for the Yumi Foundation." A grin splits her face as she adds, "And wrangling the new volunteers," with a jerk of her head in Namiko's direction.

When Faye asks after a school, Marusan helpfully supplies, "The high school is the primary contact point for daily rations and shelter for people who aren't injured, right now. I think we'll end up with more points set up over time, but there's a lot of empty warehousing space on school grounds after we used a lot of it for GUTS events... I think a lot of our supplies ended up at Jindai, since it's mostly school sports festival stuff. ... huh, we're going to need that back in a few months, actually."

That thought gets a big smile from her.

<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

The vending machines do work! For now.

"A-ah! Nergal has a lot of business that needs to be done, and sometimes we need to transfer data far away...itt's c-complicated." Anxious.

C.C. can feel something looming in the back of his head. ...another presence?

Marusan appears, and Leito nods, thinking on the Importance of Cotton Swabs, before remembering to relay. "A-ah. the people you're looking for are..." And then giving names to Namiko.

Kallen gets a nod. "We're on the same page. It's good to see everyone band together...!"

Faye offers a ride! "I'd appreciate that...anything specific to eat?" She probably doesn't want more vending machine noodles.

But then she says something he knows will hurt. "A-ah, please be careful with your words. ...we didn't all bring our families." He suddenly looks pained. Like he's gonna cry, almost. And then.

He swipes his glasses off his face, and pockets them, posture raised. C.C. and any other strong Newtype instantly realize that 'something' switched in his head, but C.C. has more of an idea. He's completely calm.

"Just be cool, y'know? It's an important time to care for each other."

Luckily, Orpheus shows up to cut through the tension.

"Thank you for all the help."

And then, to Marusan once more. "Are there enough beds at the school? I'll need to snooze eventually." As much as Leito-Zero hates that fact, he DOES need to sleep. 

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


Liam is trying to say something. It's a little difficult for Rei to parse, but this is not unfamiliar country for Rei, mentally. He speaks about how they'll find someone else; and she nods at him, once, accepting it.

That woman comes back. Rei turns her head a little to glance at Faye Valentine.

Is she frowning a little? Maybe. Is she judging her?

A meddlesome woman.
Go away.

Her mouth seems about to open.

... she, too, is trapped.

Rei exhales with mild frustration instead, and doesn't answer her. Instead she turns her head -- and spots Marusan, to whom she blinks several times.

This is less of a surprise.
She lives here.

Rei leans out from slightly behind Faye, relative to Marusan, to ask her, "Are you well?" Although she is in her plugsuit, which was not the case the last time they met.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Namiko idly shifts the weight on her feet. "I guess you wouldn't be," she says, awkwardly, to Liam. "But, we'll get through, OK?" She manages a sunny smile, even if the Sun is gone. "Everyone's working hard, so nobody needs to work too hard."

She looks at Marusan at that, and gives her the same smile at her acknowledgment. Hee hee she's helping...

"Ah cool! OK!" she affirms to Leito. "Iiii will find them." Yes. how. she'll figure it out.

She doesn't move, though, because she figures she'll accept escort from Kallen. Or Marosan, really, either way. She... ...doesn't want to be by herself, with all this. 

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

It's only a handful of minutes later, when Kallen makes her return. She's picked up what people requested, of those who wanted her to quickly grab food. C.C. is first, getting the green tea and still-hot burger she wanted. Then the remaining orders. She's not exactly hiding from anybody.

She does of course, overhear the talk of finding some people as she's coming back in, and glances to Namiko. Who seems like she'd... really like somebody to help out. She gets that, being alone right now... it'd be especially harrowing. Too much time to dwell on the whole situation and go into a bad place mentally. "Let me give you a hand." No need to actually spell out what she's waiting on, just make an offer, as a responsible Student Council member.

Oz gets a distinct stare, briefly, but she's not... okay no, she IS pretty surprised to see him. He didn't travel with the rest of Ashford's people, which means he was either already here, or came with some other group. Both of which present their own questions. Questions she'll have later, when she takes a break from working. "Orpheus." She's not aware he was looking for her. But she'll address him regardless, given how utterly bizarre it is to see him here in the first place.

<Pose Tracker> Faye Valentine has posed.

Faye's head snaps back over. The sudden movement actually makes her wobble a little (more embarassment) and she narrows her eyes behind those heavy shades. Especially when she spots that blue haired girl ready to pipe up -- What's her problem?

But she catches a glimpse of Leito in the corner of her eye, and sighs. Her cheeks redden, and she tilts her head down a little so she can slip her shades down enough to rub at the corner of her eyes. She gives him a guilty little look out of the corner of those dark green eyes and nods. "Yeah... Ugh, this is a mess, huh? No way home, don't know what's happened to anyone..."

If her heart wavers a little there, it's only because looking at these poor saps is like finding a box of kittens out in the rain.

"Sorry, sorry." She waves a hand in front of her, still too exhausted for heartfelt emotion. "All the more reason to take it easy, big guy. You gotta hold out 'til we all go home, right? There are people out there counting on you too."

She slowly drags herself to her feet, tossing her bag over her shoulder, and considers Leito's question. "Honestly, just about anything sounds good right now. As long as it's not noodles. But... Spoil me with something sweet, please~"

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        The frilly nurse disguise is hardly a concealing getup for C.C., but what does disguise her is the burger that will be perpetually against her lips for the following thirty minutes. Her talent to continue running her mouth despite mogu-mogu-ing a hamburger seems to just be yet one of her many incredible talents - but she's actually just cheating and resorting to local-area telepathy that falls short of feeling tooooo invasive and mostly sounds like she's simply saying what she's saying..

        ((Oh, Namiko, that's a good way to put it. I think I'll juuuuust borrow that turn of phrase whenever there's wrangling I've got to do.)) C.C. does, of course, fully plan on breaking this out when she hasn't done Anything, but what can you do. With her one free hand she does give the arriving Marusan a little two-fingers-up welcome.

        Her chewing stops when Orpheus enters the room. ((Well well well, so you made it here too. It's good that we're in this pickle together, actually - we're liable to rely on each other quite a lot. I'll be sure to properly touch base in the, ah...medical offices.))

        ...And there it is with Leito. C.C. is halfway through the burger by now, but progress slows there when that second personality emerges. ((...I get the feeling I'm going to be relying on you too, come to think of it...))

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Marusan nods to Rei, saying, "I'm fine," waving off the concern despite the fact that she has truly heinous bags under her eyes. "I just have a MacNuggets craving but I don't want to overeat while we're in this situation -- that's all."

Giving a nod to Leito, Marusan forms up with Namiko. ... she wants to be sure things get where they need to go -- and hey, while she's here...

"You might be sleeping on the floor, but no one's called dibs on the weight room as far as I know, which is about as comfy as you're gonna get." A beat. "If you don't mind boy-stink."

Marusan, of course, minds boy-stink rather a lot, and cannot actually be utterly certain that there's no one who's taken it up yet. She's not going to say that, though, and instead gives a mirroring two-finger wave to 'Cyzarine' ('Shiranui'?). 

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        "Good," Liam says. Again, there's that brief flare of uncertainty. Marusan has had some exposure to the outside world, but he's sitting here in front of her in a bloodied, dust-coated Trace Suit and does she know that they first met when one of Akane's kaiju wormed its way into his brain? "It just brings up bad memories," he says to Namiko, managing an actual half-explanation this time.

        As insensitive as Faye was, she at least managed to drag Liam's brain away from trauma and existential horror and shove it, violently, towards garden-variety interpersonal awkwardness. The heavier layers of worry compress down into his psyche, for now.

        "Thank you, Rei," Liam says, because she was kind, and she's stuck here now. Stuck here just like him, and now Leito's about to cry, and there's a sudden ache in his heart. "Someone's counting on me," he says, to Faye.

        Sandwich. The sandwich is not exhausted, it is an inanimate object and exists to be eaten. Liam starts eating again, because this is starting to approach too much.

<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

"Boystink's fine, as is the floor. I'm a martial artist." Isn't he a salaryman? Well.

Leito-Zero moves to follow Faye’s motions. "Fine. I'll buy you a pastry while we can. I need to get out of the data entry for now, anyways. It's making me cry." Smooth, Zero. Be cool!

He's such a jerk. But...

He's coping in his own way. He has a mission to orient on. 

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

"Wow," Namiko says, completely not taking Liam's hint. "If this whole thing brings up some bad memories you've seen some wacky stuff, huh? Glad to have someone experienced around."

She is...trying, to cheer him up. Discussing What All Happened is a matter for later. Whether her particular format will work is a question she hasn't considered yet.

'Shiranui' eats while talking to her, and Namiko is not quite sharp enough to pick up that she's not just very cleverly throwing her voice. "Wow," she says. "Neat trick." ... "And, like, thanks? Yeah, thanks." Yay, she's clever.

Namiko does not describe her position on boystink because it is a closely guarded secret, but she does take it as an opportunity to hup up her box one more time and nod to Kallen and Marusan with her big smile. "Hee hee, I'll take that offer. Thanks! Yeah let's go, I'm sure they're around here somewhere." 

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


Rei gazes at Marusan. It might not be comfortable but it isn't malicious. She blinks several times when she reports a MacNuggets addiction.

What is that?

But Rei doesn't ask. She nods to her, once, and lets her attention slip away because there's another conversation which is not including Rei. Rei's attention returns to Liam even as she has another contemplative thought (boy stink?) in the corner of her awareness.

"Who?" Rei asks Liam, which may be good or bad.

I don't understand that. 

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

It was for the record that Orpheus Zeveles had been away from Ashford for over a week, so his presence here now would have at least explained that. Although as to why, that should have definitely warranted some surprise from Kallen.

His attention is brought back to her as she calls out to him in such a distinct manner.

"Stadtfeld...Mmmm, ah, right. I do think I recall that there was some sort of GUTs event that was going on the other day wasn't there? I'd imagine that saying it was poorly planned was an understatement. Although..."

His eyes link with her own for a moment. He's sure that she's got questions on his appearance. At the very least the eye-contact he can hope to suffice for what would be him reassuring her that one way or the other that the two will be in touch. "If it seems like you can go to vending machines without them already being emptied out, the people in this city don't panic as much as you'd think. Or..."

They simply didn't have a sense of urgency.

Speaking of food though, his gaze would turn back to the greenette. Her face was still buried in the burger and yet he could still hear her perfectly clear. His mouth concealed to prevent the notice of telepathy or lack thereof. Though at this point, he simply takes a seat beside her. "I imagine we all do have some catching up to do. That said...I'm assuming you're all having trouble with your phones as well? Mine's had no service at all."

He'd pull out his phone, messing with it for a moment before showing the screen to C.C. Even with no connection working, simply passing a note was sufficient for a phone's usage and thus, she finds herself looking at the following message.

<Anyone else I should be aware of being here?> 

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Marusan is quite tired and it's taking her a little while with Liam. He doesn't look much the same at all, which means she has to process his voice a little more to make the connection. ... she doesn't want to press, though, so she maintains her distance. She does give him a sympathetic look at 'bad memories,' though.

Moving to escort (read: wrangle) Namiko, Marusan notes, "I'll be around. I was going to say text me if you need something, but... it looks like I'm going to be riding between here, the school, and the office a lot, instead."

lucin 

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

"Right." Allowing himself a few moments of rest, Koji sits up, eyes opening. "I'm going to check the output on my Ichinana's reactor, make sure we aren't gonna get any overloads, then see what else needs looking at." He forces a smile. "Take care of yourselves, everyone, and we'll get through this." It's hard not to sound like a hero, retired or un-retired as the case may be, when he says things like that.

Nodding to Leito, with a gentle smile for Liam and the other kids' benefit, Koji heads out of the hospital, turning the corner to climb up the access ladder to his Ichinana's cockpit and busying himself with the system controls.

At least the dimensional instability didn't make this reactor flicker...

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        'If this whole thing brings up some bad memories you've seen some wacky stuff, huh? Glad to have someone experienced around.'

        Liam stops with the half-eaten sandwich in his mouth. He looks past it, at Namiko, his eyes gone dark and hollow. He looks through her, and part of him wants to somehow take every horror he's absorbed just by living in the Universal Century and explain to her, in eloquent detail, that this is what happened outside Tsutsujidai. THIS is what Akane ran from. THIS is what scarred him so badly he's not even sure he's a person anymore, on his bad days.

        Thankfully, Marusan is on the case. Sheer, exhausted gratitude flickers in his eyes as she guides Namiko elsewhere. It's nothing personal, it's just... He doesn't know how to feel right now, aside from 'bad'.

        Rei, too, helps, by providing him something to orient on. "Lucine Azul," he says, and he forces himself to finish the bite. Chew, swallow. "My girlfriend."

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


Rei's eyes widen a fraction. She, at least, hadn't been informed; but then, perhaps she had never thought to ask. Why would she?

"... I understand," she answers Liam, which is gentler than her usual rote phrase.

She stands there for a moment, even as Koji Kabuto leaves; Marusan and Namiko too. Rei stands there, without words.

Searching, in her heart.

It's a formless urge; something to do. A swelling in the heart.

"If..."

"If we cannot escape with our power," Rei says, finally, "then, the Commander will rescue you. It will be their greatest priority. I know, that Dr. Akagi is working on it, as we speak."

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