2022-12-18: I Want to Know Why I Was Interested In Hope

• Log: I Want to Know Why // I Was Interested In Hope
• Cast: Neon Genesis Junior High Students, Ennil El
• Where: Tsutsujidai
• OOC - IC Date: 12-18-0096
• Summary: Ennil El returns to Tsutsujidai. The Neon Genesis Junior High Students need an extra pair of hands. We all have commitments to each other. We can all be grateful to each other.

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<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Tsutsujidai has changed. It's easy to see the destruction from the recent battles. Though the Carpenters are at work now, even they have their limits. The scenery kaiju who would have tended to this task have been uniformly decapitated, their bodies left to decay around the edges of the city.

Despite everything...

There are still cats who need to be fed. Since most of Calibur's fellow fugitives from park justice (he may have sliced a few "do not feed the stray cats" signs down) are occupied with survival, the well-being of the park felines has fallen to Tsutsujidai's favorite samurai.

"D--dinner." Calibur calls, to the oncoming crowd of four-legged friends. They crowd around him, meowing urgently, rubbing against his legs. He can't help but smile.

In a flash, several cat bowls are placed on the ground. There must be a dozen, at least, and each cat assembles before a dish. Calibur has trained them to behave nicely at mealtimes. With a grunt of effort, a bag of cat food is tossed in the air and slashed. Each bowl is filled to perfection, and Calibur resheathes his blade.

Sitting next to the bowls as the cats dig in, Calibur slouches over. "D--don't worry. I won't forget you all."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Tsutsujidai... It wasn't like the problems, themselves, were unexpected. Kaiju attacks were a fact of life here, and the heart holding things together had been coming apart at the seams even the first time Ennil met her. But any portion of it falling into ruin for more than a day, much less for a week, would've been unthinkable before now. The sight of wreckage in this particular city had been a lot to take in. Ennil needed somewhere to breathe.

Fortunately, she'd found a friendly face.

"Pretty impressive. I guess I knew you could do that, but it's still something to see. It's good to be back, Calibur." She waves, putting on a smile despite the gloomy situation. Honestly, this is just... cute. "So sorry I'm late. It's been a mess outside, too, and once I realized where I wanted to be... Well. We can call it the one favor my bad decisions ever did me. ES windows are hard to come by."

She finds the edge of a park bench, leaning forward and letting a hand dangle low enough for one of the more investigative strays to wander over and sniff at. Couldn't blame Calibur for bad behavior on this one - stray cats are definitely just too cute.

"Akane... really took it too far this time, huh? Is Yuta gonna be okay? ...Are you guys doing okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"E--ennil." Calibur sounds almost surprised, looking up at her from his spot on the ground. "You made it. I--I wasn't expecting this. A--are you sure you want to be here right now? Things are pretty rough."

A few cats have already scarfed down their food, and a particularly friendly one comes trotting over to Ennil. She sniffs the offered hand, then rubs against it with her cheeks. Ennil is claimed for the stray cat gang.

As she brings up Yuta... Calibur slouches a little lower, turning his attention back to the cats. "Yuta... H--he has yet to wake. Max is staying with him. W--we don't know much beyond that he simply isn't waking. Akane Shinjo stabbed him and destroyed Junk. W--we failed. We can't contact Gridman."

"Tsutsujidai is in terrible shape." Calibur's voice is rougher than usual. Even Hyper Agents need their rest, and he hasn't been getting nearly enough. "W--we don't have enough strength, without Gridman."

"I--if you want to return to the outside world. No one would think the worse of you."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil smiles and gives the adventurous stray a few pets. Though it's hard to maintain that smile, seeing how rough Calibur's mood is right now.

"Hey. You been running around like this the whole time? You come sit down, too." She sighs, rubbing at her knee with the other hand. "I... was worried about what she was thinking. She told me that, if she didn't think she'd win, she'd have to 'cheat' somehow. But for Yuta to get hurt like that... No Yuta and no Junk means no Gridman, huh?"

Calibur's voice is rough, and he's awkward at the best of times. It's hard to get a good look at his eyes, but it's not that hard to understand him.

"You didn't fail. You're still working really hard. He'll get better -- I know he will, because he wouldn't give up on this place. So you have to be ready to welcome him home, right?"

She turns that hand up and holds it out.

"So I'm not going anywhere. Not until I can help you guys just as much as you helped me."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Calibur grunts as he stands, but he stands and joins Ennil on the bench. "N--none of us expected this. She could've killed Yuta at any time, and didn't make a move. B--but she must've been desperate. Desperate enough to 'cheat'"

As more of the cats finish eating, they gather around Calibur. One particularly small kitten clambers up his suit leg and settles in his lap. Absent-mindedly, Calibur pets the little creature.

"N--no Gridman." Calibur's eyes close for a moment, and the kitten begins purring. It seems to soothe him, a little. "Max can't face the fact that Yuta might not wake up. Vit can't face the fact that Junk may be beyond repair. W--we're spread too thin. And at odds with each other." Blue eyes open again, and turn to Ennil.

As much as Calibur ever expresses anything, he looks concerned. "E--ennil. You're not much older than Yuta. Wh--why did you come back here? We can't know what state the outside world is in. B--but it must be doing better than Tsutsujidai is. Y--you would've been far safer out there."

The stray kitten meows, and Calibur turns his attention back down to it, scritching up the little thing's spine.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil sighs... though she does smile a bit to see Calibur reach for that kitten. "Tch... you guys..." And she softly tilts her head. "You're not used to things like this, are you? I'm sure it's been hard before, but... I have to admit, I'd have found it hard to picture any of you scared."

For a moment, she turns her attention to the strays as well. Take it slow. Let them get used to you. At least they already had someone they were comfortable with here, so they were in a friendly mood.

"You guys weren't meant to work alone, I guess. But without Yuta and Gridman holding things together, you're all trying to make it without the support you're used to." She smiles softly. "So I definitely picked a good time to come back. I'm not here because the outside world is scary, Calibur. If Tsutsujidai does end... I want to understand why, and only Akane Shinjo can tell me that. But more than that, I came here because I was interested in Yuta's hope for this place. I still think Tsutsujidai could be the peaceful city he wished for the last time I talked to him."

She leans down, scratching softly under one cat's chin and enjoying the smooth rumble of its purr.

"And you know, I'm actually 21 this year. So I'm plenty old enough to make my own mistakes without a nice guy like you worrying about them."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Calibur shakes his head. "W--we can't remember any further back than Yuta can." It's a serious statement, despite the toneless way he says it. Ennil is the first person he's revealed this to. "None of us know how to handle this."

Ennil's words seem to affect Calibur. Slowly, he picks up the kitten from his lap and deposits it into Ennil's. "W--wait here. I will come back."

Standing, Calibur gives Ennil a look, and then vanishes in a blur of movement.

Five minutes go by. Ten. Fifteen.

Some cats disperse, and some clamber around Ennil for attention. The little kitten Calibur placed into Ennil's lap seems perfectly comfortable to stay with her, now fast asleep. Ennil's clothes are going to be covered in cat fur.

Another rush of wind and motion, and now four personages stand before Ennil.

"Hey girl!" Borr says, immediately making herself comfortable on the bench next to Ennil. "Didn't think we'd see you back in this nightmare."

"They say that, but we're all really glad you're safe." Vit, holding some kind of garment bag, smiles at Ennil. He looks every bit as weary as Calibur.

Max steps forward, carefully placing his enormous feet around the various remaining cats. "You are truly a welcome sight, miss El. By avoiding the battles and various dramatics of Tsutsujidai the past week, you have fresh strength. And you have more than earned out trust."

"Y--you can say no." Calibur says, simply, slouching at Max's side.

Borr rolls their eyes. "Yeah, we all have shit to get back to. Let's make this quick."

"Basically..." Vit draws the word out. "We want to know if you want to join us, at least until things either go to hell completely, or go back to normal. Hate to admit it, but we really could use the extra pair of hands."

All four members of the Neon Genesis Junior High Students wait eagerly for Ennil's answer. A cat bats at Borr's ponytails.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil sits for a moment, pleasantly bewildered as she lets the kitten nestle into her lap. She settles back, occasionally petting one of the other strays but careful not to jostle the little napping one. Calibur is a trustworthy guy. The atmosphere in Tsutsujidai is, as always, warm and gray, especially these days where the sky barely changes. Waiting feels like the most natural thing to do.

The air stirs, and Ennil gently curls a hand around the kitten, letting it purr away against her. She smiles when she sees the four of them all together.

"Hey yourself, Borr. I'm the kinda gal you find where the biggest trouble is, you know what I mean?" She lightly leans into the smaller girl, giving her a playful shoulder tap. "And it's good to see you too, Vit."

Her eyes widen just a little at the sight of the garment bag, and she looks over to Max as he greets her. "You... y-you do realize... I mean, of course I want to help, but..." Slowly, she looks across those four friendly faces. These are... people who chose to be kind to her at a very important time. Already, she thinks of each of them as dear friends.

"Ah, hell," she jokes, adopting a bit of Borr's tone. "You'll all run yourself ragged without me, won't you? And all that stuff I said to Calibur; I'd be embarassed to have run my mouth like that and back out now." She looks up to Max, and over to Vit, still holding that bag. "Of course I'm in. I promised Yuta and Rikka I'd believe in Tsutsujidai... and Gridman. And I believe in you guys, too."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Borr grins at Ennil's shoulderbump, returning it with one of her own. "Yeahhh, we're the exact same type that way. You know who else is? Rikka. You'd never think it, with that good-girl attitude. But even now, she's out there running a rescue team of all things. Kids." An affectionate snort.

"We realize." Max says, his voice warm behind his mask. "Believe me. We are in unanimous agreement, miss El. We trust you to sit by Yuta's bedside, and we trust you to assist with Junk's repairs."

Taking the garment bag from Vit's arms, Calibur steps forward, offering it to Ennil. Within is, quite obviously, a sharp suit, in the style of the Neon Genesis Junior High Students. "W--we may need to tailor it. Vit knows a guy."

Borr snatches the little kitten from Ennil's lap so it isn't crushed by the oncoming suit, squishing the little creature to her face and cooing at it. Vit reaches into an inner jacket pocket and pulls out a glossy black box. "It's not all in the suit. You've gotta have individuality. It's a bit of a rush job, but I think you'll like them."

Within the box are a pair of opalescent earrings. Three shells cascade down from an anchor point, each one smaller than the last.

"And you will need a way to defend yourself. Just in case. The battle for Tsutsujidai will not end until Alexis Kerib has been dealt with. This, we can advise you on, but it must be ultimately your decision." Max rumbles, stepping forward to place a hand on Ennil's shoulder.

"W--we believe in you, Ennil." Calibur manages a little smile. "We'll stand by your side. Thank you."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil giggles, helping slip the kitten over to Borr... and peering into the bag, giving a soft gasp. "You all... Not a bad guess, but yeah. You want stuff like this to look just right."

She leans in. Calibur's quick, but he probably won't think to escape the fierce, tight hug that follows. It's only a few seconds, though, especially because Vit is still moving. She takes the box from him, running a finger across it and popping it open.

"Oh, wow. This is your idea of a rush job?" She gives Vit a teasing smile. "Since when do you rush anything, Vit?" These, at least, she could wear now - but honestly, she'd rather complete the look. So while she does briefly lift one, she mostly just turns it over in her hand, eyes a little misty, before returning it to the box. For now. "They're gonna look great. Thank you so much."

Max, of course, is always the practical one. She gives the big guy a firm nod. "Nothing to worry about there. Not that much could kill me these days, anyway, but I was scrappy to begin with. I'm not gonna carry a gun into a hospital, but... I'll make sure I'm keeping myself safe." She reaches up, laying her hand on that larger one and giving it a firm squeeze. "Wouldn't wanna make work for you, having to look after me, too. We're all working together, for everyone's sake..."

It takes a couple breaths for her to really get her head around the idea, but she smiles widely as it settles in. "Feels a lot better than doing it on my own. Thank you all, too. Though, uh..." And there's a brief pause, as she reaches up and slips a hand into her hair, pressing it back. "I can't say I've ever worn a tie before. Vit, you're coming with me to that 'guy' of yours."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Calibur lets out a surprised grunt, but his arms slowly come up, and then wrap around Ennil. Borr joins him, hugging her new comrade from the side. Vit steps forward too, and with a sigh, Max completes the group hug. There's a sense of relief from all four Hyper Agents as they hold the embrace. It's been a terrible week.

Once the hug ends, Vit gives Ennil a grin. "Yeah, you should see what we can do if we've got some time. Ask Rikka to show you the bracelet Yuta gave her, that was a work of art. Hey, I can move fast when I need to! I'm the only one of these guys with a pair of wings!" Vit looks overwhelmingly proud as Ennil goes a little misty-eyed. "Hey, you're welcome, Ennil.

Max's eyes go misty, and he clears his throat. As if to cover for him, Borr speaks up, a kitten perched on her shoulder. "You know, we're all close-ranged fighters. A gun would work out pretty well! Just don't shoot one me while I'm carving some jackass up, yeah?"

A sense of... mischief emanates from Calibur. "V--Vit doesn't know how to tie a tie either. None of us do. W--we just look like this."

At this revelation, Vit looks absolutely scandalized. "Calibur! If you say that to anyone else, I won't help you install cat doors in your house."

Calibur makes a sort of wheezing noise for a moment. Was that a laugh?

Max clears his throat, and Vit makes a grumbling noise, sulking. Borr shakes with quiet laughter next to Ennil, holding the kitten steady with one hand.

"Miss El, if you would like, you may take as long as you need to settle in to your new role. We can discuss duties and planning when you feel prepared. Our most urgent tasks are Yuta's recovery and Junk's repair. Calibur and Borr assist our allies when needed, while I stay with Yuta, and Vit works on Junk. Though we are not bound to these tasks, this is our typical arrangement. Do you have a place you would wish to assist, first?"

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Being part of something like this... for once, Ennil can't stop smiling. She turns that grin on Borr. "Hey, don't worry about that. If I hit you, I was aiming for you!" Even Calibur is joining in. They all really needed this, huh?

Yeah. Her too. The giggling eventually settles enough for her to give Max a serious look.

"Well. Medicine's not really my strong suit. I can take a shift watching over Yuta, of course, but I'm not going to be able to do much to improve things there. And, it's not like I mind your other friends, but... I don't want to cause more strife if I end up stumbling over a few Braves. Best case scenario, it's still more trouble at a time where Tsutsujidai needs anything but."

That does thin her smile a bit, but she's able to shrug it off. "So, odds are I do my best work taking a look at Junk, at least for now. Machines, I'm not half bad with."

A little sigh as she turns it over in her head. "I'll need a place to stay sometimes where I won't be troubling anybody -- so, probably crashing with one of you guys for now. And I might wanna find a less conspicuous way to get around than a mobile suit."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Borr laughs. "I'll hit back! Watch out!" Her non-kitten occupied hand makes a gesture, and a knife spins into existence. "Wish we could teach you how to summon weapons like that, but even we don't know how we're doing it, really. Maybe ask that little guy who used to be a kaiju? What was his name, Calibur?"

"A--anti." Calibur murmurs. "I should check on him."

"Alright! Good to see a lady with her priorities straight!" Vit gives Ennil a thumbs-up. "I've got everything organized. It should just be a matter of slotting it back into place. Maybe a little soldering. You know how it is."

Max nods in agreement. "If you need a place to stay, each of us have houses. Rather nice ones. They do not see much use, so you would be welcome."

"I--if you pick mine." Calibur says, looking earnestly at Ennil. "You could help with my cats. T--they love company." Stepping forward, he pulls his phone out of his jacket pocket. A few taps takes Calibur to his photo album -- which seems to be solely pictures of cats. 2018 pictures, according to the file. "I have six of them. T--this one is--"

"Aaaalright, if Calibur's bringing out the cat pictures, it's time for us to get back to work." Borr reaches out, patting Ennil on the shoulder. "As for a way around... the roads are pretty torn up. Your best bet is one of us running you somewhere, probably. Lots of other groups are running around in here. If they try and mess with you, we'll be there."

And with that, Borr places the kitten down on the bench and vanishes in a blur of movement.

"I must return to Yuta's side. Thank you again, miss El." Max inclines his head slightly, and he, too, vanishes.

Looking slightly put-out, Calibur puts his phone away. He rummages in his jacket for a moment, then brings forth a shiny bronze key. "F--for the house. Vit, hand me some paper."

Vit sighs, but does so, and Calibur scrawls something down on the sheet. "T--the address. Of my house." Both are offered to Ennil. "I should return to Sayla." Pausing to gather the various cat bowls, Calibur does just that, flashing away back to his duties.

"HEY! Since when are you and her on a first-name basis?!" Vit yells after his comrade. "These guys are unbelievable sometimes. You wanna get to work, Ennil? Or I can take you by Calibur's place to get settled. Not much in the way of good food around here, but I know he's got some ramune stashed in his fridge."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

"Heh. That is a good trick. I just have to use, like. Tape." She smiles, and nods at Vit. "Yeah, for sure. Sooner Gridman's back, the better, right?"

Still, when Calibur pulls up his phone, she leans in for a better look. "Aw, cute -- I bet they love you." She smiles back at Borr. "Neon Genesis taxi service it is, I guess. I'm in your hands."

She takes the key and paper and slips them into a coat pocket. "Guess I'll be meeting those cats soon! Wait, Sayla?"

But Calibur is already gone. Still... If it's that Sayla, Ennil might need to check in. Unless Leina's brought up the Ruin Disciple thing. Might be just as good an idea to play it cool.

"Ah, they're fun. And it's good to see them all loosening up again." She smiles at the easygoing Vit. "You've been working hard too. Let's get that ramune. Borr's busy with Rikka, so nobody's gonna ruin your organizing, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Dr. Sayla Mass, yeah. What a woman." Vit says, somewhat dreamily. "Never thought Calibur'd have a thing before I did."

Seeming to catch himself, Vit stretches a bit. "Calibur's place it is! He's moved in the most of any of us. I don't think I've spent more than an hour at my place since we got here. All the action's been down at Aya. All the good food, too. Never thought those days of bumming around would become things I'd miss. I guess that's life for you."

"Your chariot, madame!" The Hyper Agent playfully bows to Ennil. "We can do piggy-back or princess-carry, whatever you prefer. Nobody should be coming to the Junk Shop with Rikka's rescue team out and about. Even mama's helping, and that angry redhead girl. In their own ways, of course."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil smiles and stands up, stretching slightly and slipping her new earrings into the bag with her suit. "Aw, jealous?" She steps in a bit, smiling. "Well, the jewelry's a good start. Maybe learn how to tie my tie, next, and we'll see." She gives him a wink, and can't resist a giggle afterwards. "I do miss Aya, though. Another good reason to help out with Junk."

She sets a hand on Vit's shoulder, throwing the bag over her other shoulder. "Princess carry, of course. Otherwise the gun in my boot would be digging into your back the whole way. How'd you end up with a tailor, anyway, if you all just showed up like this?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Laughing, Vit shakes his head. "I'm supposed to be the dreamy one! My pictures get tons of likes online. Guess it's a different story in the real world, huh?" Though... getting a wink from Ennil! He can't be doing too badly.

"As you say, my lady!" Vit bends his knees, scooping Ennil into his arms. Once he's sure she's safe, he takes off. It's exhilirating -- the outside world flashes by around them. Tsutsujidai's main streets appear and disappear in a heartbeat, not more than a second later, they're in front of a pretty nice house. Two stories tall with a bit of a yard out front. It must've cost Calibur a fortune.

Vit has stopped them right outside the front gate. A fence lines the property, purely decorative. If anyone was foolish enough to try and break into a samurai's home, hopping a fence would be the least of their worries. Opening the wrought-iron gate, Vit leads the way up to the house. "I've got a key too, but I feel like you should do the honors."

And should Ennil do so... Instantly, they're greeted by a proverbial flood of cats. Small, big, young, old -- even one missing an eye and a leg both. The only constant between these creatures is that they're all extremes of some sort.

"There's even more than there was last time... He just adopts whichever ones he feels won't be happy as strays." Vit says, sighing in an indulgent sort of way. "I should start collecting something, just to be difficult."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil thinks of saying something, but - sometimes it's just nice to go with the flow. The trip is brief but exciting - she's actually a little flushed from adrenaline by the time they're in front of the house, and keeps a hand on Vit's shoulder as she's let down.

"Oh, you have your charms." She steps past the gate, slipping that key from her coat and pressing it into the lock. "Girls like it when a guy can show he cares, though. Cute pets... handmade gifts, that sort of thing." She grins back at him and swings the door open gently, stepping in and smiling at the collection of cats greeting her. "Aww. That's... very like him, isn't it. Get the door for me? I think I have to do the meet and greet, and I don't want any of them slipping out."

She steps gently to the side, finding somewhere to set the bag down (high enough that the cats will, at least, have to jump up to investigate - it wouldn't do to have cat hair all over her suit before she even gets to wear it!) and leaning down, presenting her hands and a warm smile for the collection of cats.

"You might have to make that fridge run, too. I think I have new fans."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Thanks, Ennil." Vit says, looking a bit mollified by her praise. "I guess I could always try and bring Dr. Mass a nice necklace or something. Nahh, I don't wanna mess up her thing with Calibur."

The cats seem mostly focused on Ennil, as the newcomer. Two floof their tails up in surprise and hang back in the hallway, observing before they make a decision. Four of them wind their way around Ennil's legs, the smallest of the lot coming up to Vit with a terribly loud "mew!"

"You wouldn't believe how he spoils these guys." Vit says, picking up the teeny kitten. It's small enough to balance on his palm, as Vit carefully guides the rest of the cats inside and closes the door. "Alright, one, two, three... four five six. Yep, everyone accounted for. Including my favorite little guy here."

Vit scritches the little kitten under the chin. Calibur's house opens to a sitting room to one side, with a set of stairs to the other. The hallway continues forward to a kitchen/dining room combo, with another hallway trailing off from that. Alas, Ennil's best intentions are foiled near-immediately. The one-eyed kitten hops up onto the bag curiously, sniffing it. It must smell like her daddy.

The two remaining cats almost seem to be trying to trip Ennil, with the amount they wind around her legs. She is sniffed within an inch of her life. Even the two standoffish cats come closer, giving her a cautious glance, and then joining in the sniff-fest. Vit, carrying his little buddy, wanders into the kitchen.

A little bowl sits on the dining room table, full of clear-blue marbles. "You got a flavor preference? I like the classic, myself." Vit says, voice raised so Ennil can hear him.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil rolls her eyes. "That's my best friend's mom, you know. And before you ask - we haven't met, and my new duties don't include being your wingwoman. Unless you know someone cute... then maybe we can work out a deal." Still, she's smiling, though she has to crouch just a little to not be tripped by the cats rubbing up against her legs. "Aw. Yep, totally spoiled."

She has to be very careful moving around like this, especially given she's stopping every so often to distribute more pets. At least she can get a little bit of a look at the place, while everyone's getting familiar with her.

"I'm a strawberry girl. The melon's good too, though." She gazes around, getting a sense of the space. "Pretty big place. I hope you guys thought to set up more than one bedroom. Be pretty awkward otherwise - especially if Sayla drops by."

She reaches out and gently pets the one-eyed kitten, giving her extra attention. A clever ploy to lure her away from the suit? Affection for an especially needy kitty? Ennil's secrets are her own.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Let's see... that'd be Leina Ashta, right? Yuta's fond of her, in a friendly sort of way. Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you to back me up!" Vit says, as he rummages around in the fridge. "But if you do want to look around, there's a lot of new folks in Tsutsujidai. These combat groups have a way of attracting some real pretty people."

"Speaking of all that." Vit comes into the dining room. A wide table and chairs is in the center of the room. Really, the whole house is very home-y feeling. Calibur either has a talent for interior design, or he bought an entire floor-set from a furniture store. "Yuta confessed his feelings to Kaworu Nagisa, the NERV pilot, just before all this happened. Don't think Kaworu ever got a chance to answer... pretty rough."

The most notable feature of Calibur's house is the oddly placed high shelves. They seem to line every room, up close to the ceiling. Circular holes are cut into the walls, allowing the shelves to continue seamlessly throughout the rooms. As Ennil begins to move, a few of the cats rush to a nearby cat tree and clamber up. The older cats follow Ennil on the floor, while the rest happily zoom along the shelves. This seems to be a common part of their lives.

"Strawberry it is." Vit places a pink bottle on the table before an empty seat, and takes the seat next to it for himself. "Calibur's wild about these sodas. Make sure you toss the marble into his collection once you're done." Vit gestures to the centerpiece of the table -- the clear bowl with many blue marbles within.

After a long drink, Vit nods. "Yeah. We've all got guest rooms, in case the kids ever needed to crash here. We don't really need to sleep, so we kinda... haven't been. There's just too much to be done since it all went bad. Max got chewed out by one of the NERV doctors for not eating or sleeping."

With a clatter, the one-eyed kitten comes leaping down onto the table. She toddles over to Ennil and rubs around her ramune bottle. That extra attention is working!

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

"Leina, yeah. We,"

Somehow it feels... weird to bring Axis here. Into Tsutsujidai. She makes her way towards that voice, looking up at the cats and smiling as they follow along.

"Met a long time ago, and we're starting to reconnect. It's nice. Complicated, though." She sighs, taking the empty seat and the drink. "Amazingly, I'm somehow not the craziest thing going on in her life. Leave it to Leina to date a Zeon princess and... I don't know exactly how Banagher ended up in the mess he's in, but he handles it well. They're sweet."

Her gaze flits up to the shelves, just tracking the cats for a bit. "A NERV pilot, hmm? I bet I can guess the guy, if he's been around Tsutsujidai. I wonder how he's feeling right now, then. He seemed... Thoughtful." That earns a wince. That had been an especially rough encounter. "Dating advice, Vit - movies be damned, shooting at someone's a terrible way to make friends."

She takes a long drink of her own, gently rattling the bottle. "Hmm. Good call on the doc. Technically, I don't need to sleep either - but it helps, y'know? I don't wanna get too used to this and not be able to take care of myself." For a moment, she slumps across the table, though she can't help but smile when the kitten leaps down. A hand slips out to gently rub the cat's ears, even as she gives Vit a bit of a pathetic look. "Maybe I'm just a lousy date. It never seems to work out."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"That's always good to hear." Vit says, politely. There's no way he'd know the inner turmoil surrounding the relationship Leina and Ennil have. "Zeon, that's uh... That space empire, right? Didn't know they even had princesses. I wouldn't mind dating a princess." He leans back in the chair. "A girlfriend and a boyfriend, now that's just showing off."

Pointing at Ennil with his bottle of soda, Vit nods. "Yeah, the thoughtful one! Not the anxious kid. Don't know what's up with that guy, always looks like he's fifteen minutes from a total breakdown. Then there's the girls, who seem just as messed up. The red haired one's more violent than Borr, and the white-haired one stares right into your soul. All four of us have had a few talks about if we should do something for those kids, but then the whole dream thing happened, and we had enough going on just taking care of our kids."

Ennil seems to have been accepted as a household fixture. The cats meander around the high shelves or settle in to their favored spots around the house. The one-eyed kitten -- "Gari", according to her tag -- seems particularly fond of Ennil. She folds her three legs under her body atop the kitchen, blinking slowly up at the visitor.

"Ha! I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, wingwoman." Vit gives Ennil a wink, now. "With you supporting us, I hope everyone'll be able to take some time to sleep. Max is the biggest concern. He literally won't leave Yuta for more than five minutes unless someone else is watching. I guess I've been slacking on my self-care as well."

"Mm..." Another long drink of soda. "If you tell anyone this, I'll deny it. But I've never been on a real date, myself. Lots of luck online, no luck off-line. We're in the same boat, girl."

With a chagrined smile, Vit lifts his bottle, extending it to Ennil. "Cheers to being lousy dates."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

"Just the one princess. Far as I know. But who knows? I grew up on Earth." She giggles when Vit says 'showing off'. "Ah, you'd get it if you met her. She's super cute. And..." She softly waves a hand, trailing her fingers down Gari's back with the other hand. "Eh. If I get into it we'll be here all night." That laugh is a little more self-conscious... but she's able to pull herself onto her elbows at least.

"Yeah, they were all there, uh. My first night here. You know... how that went." She matches Vit's wink and does her best to put on a proper smile. "Can't lecture too much. But if you've got a nice place, might as well put it to use. I'm living out of the back of a bar. Or, was, I guess? It'll be there when I get back." She gives another little twirl of her hand, scratching gently behind Gari's ears. "I make it my own, though. Can't imagine what I'd do with all this space."

She gives a serious little nod at Vit's 'confession', though a smile creeps into the corners of her mouth as she meets her bottle to his. "Cheers. You finally get a girl to crash through the dimensional border and right into your back yard, and our big plans for the day are... Let me check. Soldering irons?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Dang. Just my luck, find out princesses are real, turns out someone's already got her." Vit says, in a joking manner. "Oh yeah? If you wanna get into it, we'll have plenty of time while organizing bits of Junk. Seriously, Akane shattered the poor thing into a million pieces. Max hasn't said it, but I know he thinks it's hopeless."

Vit shrugs. "Water under the bridge, Ennil. Hell, we're still trying to save the girl who stabbed Yuta. What's a little battle between friends?" Despite her best efforts, Vit can feel how exhausted Ennil must be. They should call it a night soon. "Yeah, it's good someone's using this house, beyond just the cats. It's a little miracle that none of our places were destroyed in the battle."

Gari rewards Ennil with a sweet little purr. "Well, you could always be like Calibur and adopt a bunch of needy cats." Vit smiles. "There's worse things in the world. Though we're practically in the same boat -- us four bumming around in Aya, you living in the back of a bar... Maybe this is destiny."

Another laugh. "Hey, it's one way of heating stuff up, right..? Ooh, that was a bad one." Vit finishes his ramune, then shakes the bottle a bit. The marble remains trapped. He stands, going back to Calibur's picture-perfect kitchen and picking up a knife. Sky Vitter is nowhere near as skilled as Calibur or Borr when it comes to sharp objects, but he cleanly cuts the empty soda bottle in two, pulling the marble free. The rest goes into the trash.

"We should call it a night, Ennil. You need anything from the corner store? I don't mind making one more run before I settle in."

Vit walks back to the table, flipping the little marble into Calibur's collection. It clinks loudly against its fellows, enough to startle Gari into opening her one good eye.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

"Alright, maybe I will. Lot for you to catch up on, after all. If all this works out, you might have to learn a lot about the outside world in a hurry." She smirks back. "We'll make it happen. Once it's done, everyone will have a lot less to worry about, Max included. Just needed to ask for a little help picking up the slack while you're missing Gridman."

She gives him a soft, if slightly teasing look. "Can't believe I have to be the one to tell you to look for help with stuff you can't do alone. I'd call it a guy thing, but Borr's just as guilty."

Gari gets some more scratches, Ennil letting her hand rest on the kitten's back lightly and enjoying the soft rumble. "At least you found the one place in town with good food to hang around in. Something special about that place."

Ennil is still finishing off her own ramune as Vit cuts clean through his. She can't help but giggle at his bad joke, and it actually takes her a bit to recover. "Wow, that was bad. It's definitely been a long night, if that's cracking me up. I'll save breakfast for meeting you at Aya, but something to snack on might be nice... Some chips or something, I guess."

She peers down at the little marble in her ramune. "Gari, be good." She steps over to where Vit did his little trick and grabs the same knife - sliding it under the plastic and cracking it open with a smooth twist. Before long, there's a second, softer clink as she strides over to the bowl with a victorious little smile. She tilts her head back towards the entryway. "And when you pick me up tomorrow, we're getting that suit tailored first thing. Maybe they can teach you how to tie the tie for me."