2022-12-26: Lone Sialia

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<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.

        |_Mission has extended 2 weeks past parameters, with no conclusion in sight.
|_Supplies running dangerously low. Coordinating with others harder than expected.
|_what am i going to do
|_they're onto me, escaping at once

        Footsteps pounding on the waterlogged roads. Sprinting at a blitz pace, then stopping behind cover. There's fewer people in this specific part of Tsutsujidai...because it's the perimeter near where Britannian forces have settled, and there's a bit of wariness just...being around here - though plenty more line up along specific avenues in search of their resources and protection.

        Around the corner of an abandoned home's gate, two blue eyes peer warily, ready to retreat at the first sight of a guard. They then do - but this time, in response to a sound - Seolla hearing a more distinct |splash| and twisting around, grimacing and aiming her pistol at-

        She was sure it was something.

        This would be the fifth time today...her heart's racing. Is someone following her? Does she have to throw off her trail before she tries infiltrating 'enemy' lines?

        Seolla takes the 'risk', and darts through the property, leaping above a gap in the rear fence and rolling into an alleyway between homes quite dramatically...

        ...She's doing all this, when she easily could have just...asked the encampment for whatever she needed... 

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke has had a somewhat perplexing few days, but a little Christmas tree hunting and a little bit of helping around the camps has reduced his stress to the level he feels like he can undertake normal people roles again.

Then - perhaps it was Liam - told him there was someone dangerous afoot that might need to be brought in. Subdued, not killed.

"Not a problem," was the answer, of course.

Sousuke has once again borrowed one of the school's vans for this. The solar cells are still charging from whatever not-quite-light is streaming out of the sky, a small blessing for a place that will be starved for fuel all too soon. Every resource that can be renewed without effort must be used to its fullest.

Sousuke's analysis, tracking the target, is that this is a supply run. If they feel like the main shelters will be alerted, then there's no choice but to actively raid the Britannian Union camp.

It's not rational, of course. Resorting to force at the shelters would have much much less risk. But perhaps that says something about the target, itself.

An electric vehicle may not be as thundrous as the old days of internal combustion, but still, it's best to cover the last few hundred meters on foot. Posted up in a rooftop position to monitor the slots of access points into the camp...bingo. At least the shortwave radios work at this range. "Sagara. Someone just jumped the fence into the encampment. Go. I'll join you on the ground shortly."
Lina Lombardi teleports in. 

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        Liam had hoped that Seolla would calm down after her outburst at the construction site, but he had prepared for the worst. He saw the pill bottle, and knew that was a sign she wasn't in her right mind, among others. After days went on with no sign of her, Liam reached out to some others who were helping, and gave them Seolla's description. A missing person, undergoing an emotional crisis, and a danger to herself and others.

        It is tremendously difficult to keep in touch even over short distances, thanks to whatever's interfering with every form of communication that isn't a face-to-face chat. Nevertheless, Liam's kept in touch with Sousuke as they picked up Seolla's trail... which is dangerously close to the Britannian lines. Most of their camp is out in the wastes, but...

        "I see her," Liam says, from his hiding spot behind a bus stop across the street. "What is she doing?" He decided to wear his NERV uniform in case they did have to check in with the Britannians, but it's not bulletproof, and none of them would recognize him as anything other than a nominally-allied soldier.

        (He doesn't want to have to do that. And he doesn't need or want their mercy. He keeps both of these thoughts buried deep.)

        Liam moves to close the gap. He crosses the street with slow, careful steps, approaches the fence, and plants a hand atop it. He vaults it easily, after checking to see if Seolla's moved on.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Some Christmas this had been. Lost in a town she didn't know, with people she didn't know, with nothing but lousy space wine. She still hadn't managed to get a meeting with this Sophia she was referred to or really get any more information on the Devil that had trapped them here, so all she can really do at this point is go on one of her aimless walks through Tsutsujidai. Geez, I hope Elsa isn't working herself up too much...losing me in the same way as Papa...

         And by the Britannian encampment, she sees motion. Somebody's jumping the fence! It's hard to see from here, but she looked familiar...one of ours? She had started thinking she was the only member of G-Hound left in town. Oh...she's being trailed. Aw crap, this could cause an incident.

         Lina crouches down and begins to approach the area, trying to keep herself out of sight of the others in the area. She knew that she was in for a big report to the Colonel when/if she got back, and the whereabouts of other officers would be a big part of that. Just keep your distance, observe, and don't step in unless you have to. At that last thought, she pats her jacket, feeling for her concealed sidearm. 

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

"Alright. I'll try moving ahead. If we're all chasing her tail, she'll just run harder."

Ennil had been making another supply run from Aya to Liam's garden project. Technically, she did have some other small chores to get back to. But when he'd expressed his concern about Seolla, she'd decided to make time for this instead. Borr was covering her slack.

She'd thrown a heavy blue jacket over her usual black suit for the occasion, and some heavy gloves. Mostly for the sake of the suit. Moving through the streets, or chasing through alleys, limits her routes.

Instead, when her hand comes out of the jacket, there's a metal spike clenched between her fingers. It clicks a couple times against the glass and then --

A crash. She throws herself into the ruin, clambers over collapsed brick. It's not subtle. With any luck, she'll turn the girl around, towards safety. And if Seolla is armed, well, she can take it.

<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.

        Maybe Seolla could have assumed she was just hearing things. Maybe she could have pushed in and pushed out. Somewhere, she knows that she's prone to effects like these when she's low on her daily doses - that's what makes it easy to push onward in spite of this. Those pursuing footsteps could just be echoes of her own. They could just be errant things splashing about from the rain. There's so many explanations that can be rationalized, and none of them are urgent-

        Until the window shatters nearby.

        Seolla's quick to enter a fugue state - anyone pursuing her through side streets and around the perimeter of the camp can almost definitely see how she's suddenly clambering up the pipes and fire escapes of a small three-story apartment building - one currently inhabited at that - and perched herself on the roof, in a matter of seconds.

        She sees one person - vivid green hair - somewhat familiar - right, an occasional colleague, that's Lina Lombardi. Still - can't assume she'd be helpful.

        But then three more. One familiar face - right, Liam's always out and about on these tasks - and two unknowns. Seolla immediately unholsters a second pistol from a sideband, loading it up even with her other hand holding the first - and swiftly points it varyingly at all four people below.

        "Tsk!!! I knew it!! Are all four of you following me?" Seolla belts out, almost certainly risking a stir with the encampment's occupants and security. "If you...if you go on your way I'll overlook this, alright?!"

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke isn't, like, ABOVE shooting a Britannian, but his assessment is it would cause complications that could catastrophically jeapordize other missions. So he'd REALLY rather not.

Sousuke has rappelled down the building in seconds, and charges through the gap. He's nimble, dodging around puddles. His attire is nondescript in a way that sings of soldiery, a black tee shirt and a olive green jacket, with a headset and microphone plugged into one ear. Its utility here is...dubious at best. But at these ranges, even with the strange non-laws that govern communication in Tsutsujidai, should be adequate.

Still. When Seolla calls out the number, Sousuke jerks back and ducks behind cover. He slams his back to a wall. Spotted him!? Liam was right, this one had some kind of enhancements. Or was just operating at the very apex of her senses....

He takes a long, slow breath. He doesn't know this woman. He doesn't...know what to do. He decides: "Liam," he says, quietly. "You're the one in uniform." Liam's the one who has to take point.

He takes Ennil's advice, though, and settles into an observation position. For the moment. 

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        Rainwater drips down Liam's face as he looks up, following Seolla with his eyes. He sees the gleam of metal in her hand, and knows better than to assume it's a knife. He crouches beneath the fire escape, and calculates how long it would take him to reach the roof. Fifteen seconds, maybe ten if he really motors and abandons subtlety altogether.

        And then, ahead, a window shatters. Liam's head snaps in its direction, and hears other footsteps, sees Ennil's silhouette through the window she just broke.

        Seolla... does not take this well. Sousuke has the right idea.

        "Seolla," Liam says, and he steps forward, into the open. It takes effort to do this with Seolla pointing the gun at him, but he manages--and he raises his hands to show he's unarmed. "I can't do that. You're endangering yourself, and you're not in your right mind. If you come down, we'll take you to the doctor and get you your medicine. Please."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

As usual, Ennil gets about half of what she wants.

Seolla is flushed out, at least - but Ennil can't cover her all on her own, with the second gun. If Seolla decides to unload, she'll ruin Ennil's suit, blow her cover in front of Liam and his friend, and probably pose a lot of danger with the ricochets. And it would hurt like hell, to boot. A kid this size, running around armed like this...

Well. She's not one to judge, honestly. Even if her eyes do narrow a little -- there's something annoyingly familiar about this girl, and the way she flees to higher ground. Little sparrow.

And it's only going to go worse if the Brits catch on and start feeling threatened. She lets the pick slip from her fingers and raises her hands, palms out. "Look. You're the only one holding a weapon right now, okay? Just listen to Liam, miss." She musters a smile, though it's a little tense. "It's not going to hurt to hear him out, right?" 

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina is right at the wall of the encampment when Seolla calls her out. Ah frick, nothing to be done about it, she supposes. She steps out into the open with her hands up, keeping a safe distance.

         "Schweizer, right? Listen, I'm not here to interfere. I just noticed you trying to mess with the Brittanians. We don't want the Colonel to have to deal with an international incident when we're back on Earth, alright?"

         Her left arm tenses up, ready to reach into her jacket at a moment's notice if the situation went south. She turns her head to address the other people at the scene.

         "Ensign Lombardi, G-Hound. I'm not part of any of this, I assure you."

<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.

        One of them is silent and staying back - Seolla peers at Sousuke in particular, judging whether he's coordinating with these other three, who seem to be all on the same page. The posture and fast movement - she gets it now, ather quickly. Liam, Ennil, and Lina are the diplomatic trio - Sousuke's the one they entrust to go toe to toe if things get hairy. It's not like the other three aren't capable either - maybe she could take on each one in sequence, but it's a tall order when there's more involved.

        The pragmatic angle, the patience angle, the help angle. It all definitely freezes Seolla up from anything hasty - especially when someone emerges from the building below and asks what she's doing up there. She looks over her shoulder - the structure of the encampment is...a bit unclear, since it's using a lot of existing buildings. The ships would probably have resources - is she prepared to actually go that route?

        ...If it was just about 'endangering herself', Seolla might have not considered much else. ...But it is ultimately, as it is, Lina's appeal to authority that pushes her back to reality. Seolla wasn't considering that at all, coming here- the Britannians, however, certainly would consider every last incident, even in this tense, uncertain situation.

        "...d...damn it. Damn it!!!" she yells as she rears backwards...gets a running start...then leaps out of the encampment's boundaries from one rooftop to another, one story lower, bracing and rolling and back on her feet in no time. Still gripping her guns rather intently...but lowered, breathing heavily. "...Why...why are so many of you on this...? This isn't just something impulsive, is it? You all don't just happen to be here. There's so many people here who need you, so...just...let me handle what I have to do, okay?!"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        Seolla moves. Liam's body tenses; he follows her with his eyes first, and then adjusts the rest of him to make that easier. One moment, he's facing one building, and in the next, he's facing another.

        "Do you really think you can, like this?" Liam asks, his voice tight. "Even if you could find her. And besides, Lina's right. What do you think would happen if they caught you sneaking in?"

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Funnily enough, Sousuke's pretty sure Liam's their heavy. He's not overly familiar with Ennil so he's not aware of her current Story-Related Passive Abilities to price them in to that assessment. Sousuke...

Sousuke's a specialist. But not in this. Kurz would be the better pick for the role he's fallen into, but Weber's not around.

Finally, seeing Ennil and Liam AND this Lombardi woman all approach in full surrender...

        'That means you need to make it back, apologize for not being there for Christmas, and make it up to her. ... Consider it an order.'

His entire brain buzzes at the mere concept, but he tucks his gun away. He doesn't throw it. He's not that invested in this approach. But when he hears Seolla slam down onto the rooftop above him - a story lower - he finds a pipe and starts climbing.

He's quick. He's nimble and quiet, too. This is a role he fills better. He might manage to be on the roof between glances from Seolla - like he apparated out of nowhere.

But when she sees him, his hands are out, open and unarmed.

He doesn't answer Lombardi. Cold stone-grey eyes watch her. Maybe she knows that kind of look, a person fully aware of what to watch in another person to read them for intent of violence. But he seeks her eyes, eventually.

"Liam was concerned," Sousuke says, simply. "I know what it's like, left to your own devices. Alone, unsupported."

"Which is why I know it's a curious choice to go to the most heavily armed, dangerous encampment. Right now, pooling resources is the superior strategy." 

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "Schweizer, I just kinda bumbled into all this. Into...Tsutsujidai and into this right now. And if you don't mind, I would prefer to keep my stay as hassle-free as possible. Each snafu is another paragraph I have to report in to the Lieutenant Commander with. I don't know why you're doing this, and I don't care. Once we're back in the sphere, you can antagonize foreign powers all you want, but not in a place where it's trivially easy for them to retaliate, please."

         Sousuke's eyes will meet Lina's right eye, smoky blue with the other eye veiled by her bangs. There isn't a single drop of deception to be found in her slightly nervous glance. Lina didn't feel like lying right now. She didn't feel like much of anything right now.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Seolla turns. Violence is... delayed, at least. Ennil lunges the moment Seolla's eyes are off her, scrambling across the ruin, scraping her pick from the ground (no evidence, nothing that will damage Tsutsujidai), hefting herself over the wall and springing towards that fence - another ringing noise as she throws herself over it and then she's rolling, following on ground level while Sousuke takes on the upper level pursuit.

Where is Seolla likely to fly to next? Rooftop chases aren't exactly Ennil's specialty.

She's more of a pack tactics kind of girl. Sousuke is on the roof - Liam will make the direct approach --

Ennil takes a deep breath.

Now isn't the time for that. They're here to help. Cornering this girl will only drive her further into panic.

...Well, at least she didn't send Borr?

<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.

        Seolla's eyes distinctly have the tell of 'always being ready' for something to happen, her body language stiff and poised...but for the occasional fidget. She backs off as far as she can from Sousuke once he climbs up.

        They keep coming at her unarmed. She doesn't get it. It drives her crazy to have to deal with. Her grip tightens, her heel clicks at the rooftop's edge...

        Warily, though, Seolla puts both guns away in her holsters, mostly so she can clap herself on her own cheeks, eyes squeezed shut, fuming out a squealy, breathy, frustrated little scream of frustration. "I...I've done worse before...! I could handle a compound like this, especially with the compromises they've needed to make setting it up in pre-existing, totally non-combat territories. I saw the weak spots in it. . . ugh! How am I supposed to pool resources when anyone and everyone might have to be an enemy...! The thing I'm here for is. . . it's against...it's something nobody else here wants to have happen, but it's the only thing I can do, damn it-!!!"

        Her fist bangs on a small antenna in the corner, before she slowly slides down it, breathing heavily and staring upwards from a seated position. "...It shouldn't have been a hassle to anyone...they were counting on me, and it's gotten this bad...!"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        Liam sees Sousuke move out of the corner of his eye. He's placing a great deal of trust in him right now, and his trust is rewardedd as Sousuke helps deescalate. Good.

        Liam's not sure how effective he's being, given that he's tired and hungry and tense and he can just picture Seolla in a Crucible subject jumpsuit.

        "It's not fair, is it," he says, his voice soft. "You have a mission. You need to complete it. But everything keeps going wrong." And she wouldn't be in this position if those monsters hadn't sent her here to kill Akane. That thought bubbles through Liam's brain like lava. He can't indulge his own anger now. But thankfully, Seolla has already deescalated, and makes no attempt to draw or otherwise fuss with her guns.

        "Even if you could, you'd still be trapped." Liam moves slowly and deliberately, stepping through the puddles as he approaches the building's fire escape. His footsteps are heavy and audible as he climbs.

        "Do you want to talk?" he says, once he's reached the top. "I'm here. Ennil's here." He's not going to volunteer Sousuke, and Lina... well, he doesn't know her well enough to volunteer. Ennil seems like a Helpful Type.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Something twists in Sousuke's stomach. Something bubbles out of his memories, something he remembers Gauron chuckling at him, once.

        'I remember when you had the eyes of a creature that had forgotten everything but killing. Eyes like a saint. The purest eyes I'd ever seen...'

Is this woman...

"You could," Sousuke says, with no doubt, and adds, "and you'd cause a chain reaction of chaos that would kill everyone here. The Britannians would blame the populace, and strike with their usual venom. The mechanized defenders here - and there are many - would fight back. It'd be as big a war as this place can have."

"And everyone would die."

He holds her eyes. Head tipping slowly. Piercing her with his gaze. A silent assertion through body language alone: 'You know I'm right.'

His hands stay out to the side. He says, "I know...what it's like, to have an impossible mission," he volunteers, and his eyes soften a hair. Majhid....but more than that, Anti.

He remembers a titan of light, rising against the sky.

He blinks the thought away. "It can be navigated," he says.

It's weirdly shaped, but it's an offer to talk. 

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina sighs and pulls her arms down. The situation seemed to have been defused and her shoulders were starting to hurt.

         "Things have gone bad for a lot of people here in general. You've got nothing to blame yourself for. Whatever mission you've got that's bugging you, I'm sure I can help you make it right. G-Hounds hunt in packs, after all."

         Immediately relaxing her stance, she walks up to the building and leans against the wall, looking up. "Now, how about you come on down so we don't have to keep yelling at each other?" 

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil recognizes this kind of shutdown. It doesn't make her feel good, but... it's an opening.

"Yeah," she confirms, voice softening. "I'm here."

Now that her mind isn't racing, she actually can place this voice. She's met this girl before. At the time, the thing that had angered her so much...

Well. If Liam could read minds along with all the other incredible things he can apparently do, they might have something to talk about.

Even if she's picturing a very different, bright red pilot suit. She wasn't there for the thing that made Seolla run away the first time, but the way Liam and Sousuke talk... it's not hard to put together.

"You... Someone wants you to hurt Shinjo?" She grimaces, a little, but -- "You think you have to."

A girl convinced she can only exist if she kills another...

"I hope it doesn't come to that. But... if you can't give up on your mission, that's even more reason not to let yourself fall apart. The doctor here is very trustworthy. She's my best friend's mom. Aren't you wasting a lot of time, fighting for supplies we'd be willing to give you if you asked for help?" 

<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.

        Seolla's knees curl inward, arms folded upon them, chin rested upon that. Staring forward - avoiding direct eyelines, as though trying to squeeze herself so tightly that she'd slip through some fourth-dimension crack in her surroundings.

        "...the last thing I'd want to do is talk. The last thing I'd want to do is ask for help." She's too caught up in her own...everything to immediately recall where she's heard Ennil's voice, but something about it is familiar. Her eye fixes on the red-haired woman - does she know her from somewhere...? She hasn't seen her before...

        There's a shudder at the more...realistic outcome Sousuke describes. It's enough to make Seolla fidget - it's an outcome she just wants to run away from, almost enough to physically lift her away from all this. Failure is unacceptable. Success is unacceptable. There's not a path forward.

        There's a scent of ichor that permeates from Seolla's every thought. Sousuke certainly can't feel it - the other three can catch that intense emanation of inner dread, if only a bit.

        "...I don't...I don't have any other way. ...I have to follow you for now..." Seolla's voice is tight. Trying to navigate herself into this with the same maneuvers she escapes it so often. Maybe it's the fact that her head is ringing - that she's out of that medication that propels her, that flares up the urges to fight in times like these. Slowly, Seolla peeks behind her, at Lina two stories down - she got herself up here this easily, but all the sudden it feels so distant, and she feels so heavy. Her joints practically creak as she pushes herself up to her feet, stumbling rather slowly.

        "...just lead me to...where I'm supposed to go...alright...?"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        Seolla doesn't answer Ennil's question. Liam looks at the mysterious Fifth NGJHS Member, nods once, and then turns his attention back to Seolla. He can tell she's trying to navigate through a mental minefield. All her options are bad, and she's trying to figure out which one is least so.

        "I think you know the stakes," Liam says. He waits until Seolla picks herself up, and moves to stand beside her--just close enough to catch her if that awkwardness turns into an actual fall. He doesn't hold out his hand. "There's a van on the street. We'll get you some food, some water, and your medicine, and you'll have a safe place to rest a while. Okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Seolla's collapse completes. He doesn't move for weapons or anything else. He watches her for several long seconds. "Alright," he finally says. He certainly can't feel it. His heart is not open in that way - perhaps not at all. He looks at her for several long seconds, after Liam clambers up to stand beside her. "I think we'll have much to discuss," he says to Seolla, and gives her the small, warm smile he's slowly been cultivating. "For now...let's get you away from this place."

He steps off to the side, tests the lock on the door to the stairs, and finding it locked, rears back and kicks it open with all strength. "The building is empty. We'll be fine taking the stairs," he assures them, and then guides the way down.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina waits at the bottom of the building for the rescue party to arrive, pulling her bomber jacket tightly shut. Jeez, you'd think a colony out in space wouldn't be so damn cold.

         "Least you waited until after Christmas to pull this stunt."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil waits, and breathes. She can feel the way the dread pours off Seolla - it nearly raises her hackles again, but - instead she just moves to the door. When Seolla begins to emerge, Ennil will be ahead of her to guide her, while Sousuke defends her back.

"Just like that. Keep moving." It's firm, but not unkind. "When you don't know what to do... Eat. Sleep. Do the things human beings have to do. Figure it out tomorrow, or the day after. As long as you remember to do those things, you'll have time."

She makes a mental note to ask Calibur for something tomorrow. He talks to Sayla the most, after all.

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