2023-01-16: Replant

• Cast: Yuta Hibiki, Alloy Kaas
• Where: Tsutsujidai
• Date: U.C. 0097 01 16
• Summary: While working in Tsutsujidai's new community garden, Gridman meets someone new. In sharing memories, a dangerous secret is revealed.

---

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

"...all I long for, all I worship and adore..."

Gridman sings, quietly, to the little plant he's tending. With Tsutsujidai's ever-present rain, he's thankful for the structures Liam set up to protect the garden. Any break from getting drizzled on is appreciated. Working at the other end of the row of sprouts is Borr, though her movements are far more practiced.

"Vit says if you sing to 'em, they do better." Borr says, conversationally, her eyes fixed on the sprout she's re-settling. "But I think he might've just been messing with me. Not like it'll do any harm, though."

"Ah..." Gridman blushes, glancing up. "You could hear that? Sorry..."

"Nah." Borr grins. "You sound good. You sound happy. I like it."

Gridman smiles, the act coming so naturally, compared to what it was once like. "Thanks, Borr. I can't believe I never tried singing before. It's really fun."

Neither Hyper Agent has gloves on, Borr recommending being able to feel the root of the plant over keeping clean hands. Gridman, of course, followed her advice. His hands are absolutely covered in dirt, causing some of it to spread to his cheek as he scratches an itch.

"Gridman, I'm gonna go get the next set of sprouts. Don't fall over while I'm gone, yeah?" Borr says, already walking out the door.

"I'm fine!" Gridman laughs. "I'll be fine!"

Borr is /so/ fast at this, she's already re-planted three rows in the time Gridman's made it through one half-box. And this isn't even her rushing -- she's /enjoys/ gardening, and so won't use her Hyper Agent speed. It's not so bad, though. Now that he's alone, Gridman turns back to the plant and begins to sing again, his voice carefully soft.

"...in other words..."

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Drawn by a song, Alouette Kaas approaches the garden. She halts in surprise when she comes upon a figure mingling in the soil. One voice she didn't recognize and was presently walking away from the one singing. Alouette, Alloy, regards them both, but heads for the one playing with dirt.

        "Please excuse my interruption. I- I heard you singing, and was curious. I apologize if I am interrupting."

        Alloy closes the gap between herself and Gridman until there was just over a meter separating them.

        "My name is- I'm Alouette Kaas; Alloy if you prefer. May I... May I ask, what you are doing?"

        A tilt of her head, and a gracious smile beams at the Hyper Agent. Silence after her attempt at introduction, lingers before she tries to fill the silence with more... more not silence.

        Alloy attempts to whistle the tune that she overheard. She ends up a bit sharp in her effort, rather than flat or in key. She laughs nervously after her less than succesful attempt, and begins fidgeting. Alloy squats at the edge of the garden, but not knowing anything about gardening, she pokes at the soil with a finger.

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

"Oh!" Gridman turns, yellow eyes wide in surprise. He'd expected Borr, but instead, someone he's never seen before. A soft blush covers his cheeks as Alloy tells him she heard him. "I hope I wasn't disturbing you. It's nice to meet you, Alloy. My name is Gridman."

There's an odd echo to the 'young man's' voice, though faint. It sounds like metal, like a robot speaking. Between this and his bright yellow eyes, he may be a bit unsettling to speak with.

"As for what I'm doing." Gridman turns back to the plants, as Alloy approaches them as well. There are several empty cartons near him, and several still containing plants that clearly have grown too large for their current home. "This is a community garden, to help provide for the city. I'm volunteering here today. The plants need to be put into larger containers."

Gridman looks back over to Alloy, a little smile on his face. "Would you like to help? It's a bit messy, but I'm finding it very satisfying. I never knew the dirt was so pleasant to play with. It's... almost soft, and very cool to the touch."

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Catching someone else blushing is a suprise to Alloy. Usually she finds herself turning crimson. She rights her tilted head and smiles. She hears the echo, a vibrato, though it doesn't trouble her. In fact she smiles at the unique quality of his voice.

        "Hello, Gridman. "

        A little hop of happiness at the invitation, she steps into the garden and squats in the dirt. Her hands hug around her knees as she takes a closer look at the plants; some in pots, or containers. Some not. It may seem silly, that this is novel to the long legged young woman.

        "How... How does one help?"

        Alloy looks up at Gridman earnestly. Her orange and blue eyes trail back down to the soil underneath her. She touches it gingerly. This soil is different than the dirt and ground she treads, she notices. it has a different... feel. A different texture. Being so close to it now, the scent of the soil mix teases her nose. Alloy gives it a skewed look, as she pokes and prods it. She doesn't actually expect a response from the dirt, but its quality is fascinating.

        "It's pleasant to play with... How do you- how does one play with it?"

        She looks back at Gridman with a curious smile. She chuckles softly.

        "I- would like to help, yes. What do I do?"

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

"Here, let me show you." Gridman says, gently. "First, you take one of the seedlings that need to be moved..."

Picking up the carton, Gridman breaks off one section to Alloy, and holds another himself, to demonstrate with.

"Squeeze at the very bottom, gently, pushing the dirt up." Gridman does so, until the plant and its dirt is about halfway out of the carton. "Then grab it with your other hand, and put the carton down. As long as you're soft, it'll stay together!"

Gridman turns his body to the pot in front of him, now. With his free hand, he scoops the dirt out of the center, until there's a hole deep enough for the plant to rest safely. The top of its dirt looks like it'll be flush with the dirt in the pot.

"The last thing to do is just bring them home!" Gridman says, cheerfully. With great care, he places the plant in the hole he made. "And then tuck them in." He scoops dirt in, filling in the edges of the hole until the plant perfectly situated. "And done. Not too bad, right?"

Gridman smiles, a little dimple forming beneath the streak of dirt on one of his cheeks. "Well, I've been playing by just helping the plants to their new homes. But it's kinda fun to just stick your hands in the dirt all the way, I think. Like this!"

With a laugh, Gridman leans forward to a free spot in the raised bed before them and buries his hands in the dirt entirely. He wiggles his fingers under the surface, gradually lifting them until they emerge, covered in dirt.

"It's a little silly, but..." Gridman shrugs his shoulders. "I've never experienced this kind of thing before. I'm really enjoying it."

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Orange/blue irises track the movements, as Alouette memorizes Gridman's demonstrations, her mind like a camera recording what is said and what is shown. She waits until the Hyper Agent reaches the conclusion of his show, before assessing things in front of her. She tries to look at the few containered plants objectively, at least she makes the attempt. She has no idea what traits the plants should or should not have, and she realizes, is incapable of the task. May as well just...

        "Eeny Meeny Miney Mo... Catch a Kaiju by the toe..."

        Ah the good ole' eeny meeny, invented just for such a need and circumstance. Alloy completes the lymric, with a finger triumphantly pointing at the chosen container. She reaches forward and brings it to her.

        ""Squeeze at the very bottom, gently, pushing the dirt up."

        Alloy recites Gridman's words at each step, to reinforce what she is learning. She proceeds to dig out a spot for the plant with her hands, not realizing there was a spacing pattern to follow. Her arbitrary choice puts it too close to already transfered plants. But, she makes sure to dig to a depth to match the height of the soil/root bundle.

        ""And then tuck them in."

        Alloy packs it a bit too tight, and more than level. Noticing the discrepancy she tamps down on the soil to flatten it out. She turns her attention to Gridman, glancing from the Hyper Agent, to her transplanted, plant.

        "I see, playing because you are enjoying it."

        There is a happy lilt to her words. She did enjoy that. Without standing from the squat, she backs away from her soil patch, but as she starts to back into another plant, she reacts suddenly when her hand brushes the plant she almost stepped on.

        Alloy attempts to get out of the way of the plant she brushes behind her. But when she pivots, the loose soil mix under her gives way, and Alouette finds herself falling backwards. She tries to stop her crash, panicked and grabbing onto what she can... which is nothing. Better than ripping the plants out of the ground.

        Something does keep her from landing on her back. It's Gridman!

        Their bodies coming into contact with one another...

        "Merde!"The swearing gets lost in the flash of colors in her mind...A crimson bird profile like flapping wings transitions into a memory... no, memor-IES!

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

Gridman regards Alloy's "eeny meeny miney mo" seriously, never having seen this before. It looks like some kind of choosing-things ritual? Interesting.

Yellow eyes carefully watch her tend to the little plant, nodding to encourage her at each step. "Ah, scoot it over just a bit -- you want a few inches between each plant. That way they have plenty of room to grow. I try to put my index finger's length between them."

"Great job! That's a good depth for them. Be a bit softer when you tuck them in... There you go. See? You're a natural."

Gridman's smile is soft, and his eyes sparkle with life. This is a piece of living he never considered, but it's yet another thing worth protecting here in Tsutsujidai. These little plants are so dependant on their caretakers. Gridman feels proud to be helping them.

"Oh--!"

Alloy is falling! Gridman reaches forward, grabbing her carefully. His wound aches as he moves this quickly, but that's quickly forgotten, as--

---

"Again!"

A feminine voice calls, leaving no room for argument. Various young people -- mostly young women -- groan, inside a school gymnasium. Yuta, though, stretches his arms above his head. More practice can't hurt! Tsutsujidai is hosting the next GUTS festival, after all. They've got to get this routine right!

As the club members drift to their positions, Yuta joins them, crouching down to wait for his entrance. Music floats through the gym's stereo system. A few of the girls begin to dance already, but Yuta's seen their routine a thousand times by now. He stays focused on himself. Sixteen counts until he enters...

Eight counts. He stands, just off the side. Even here in practice, he always gets butterflies in his stomach before every run through of their routine. Four counts...

Now! Yuta takes a running start, bending his knees when he hits the halfway point of the mat. With a breath, he pushes his hands forward, springing off them into a flip. Red hair brushes against the floor -- he cut this one a little too close! But there's no time to worry about that, the show goes on...

---

"Eh? Calibur, you're not supposed to drink that." A bored voice says, belonging to Borr, sitting on a bar stool. They spin in place on the revolving stool.

Samurai Calibur stands behind the bar counter, holding a bottle of hot sauce in his hands. It's a terribly bright red. They all like red. And it /looks/ like a liquid.

"Perhaps it's a specialty drink of sorts?" Gridman offers, from his place inside Junk. "The color is appealing. Perhaps it's apple-themed?"

"I--it says 'extremely hot'." Calibur offers. "In a flame icon."

Borr puts their hands out in a 'See?' gesture, still revolving.

Gridman wishes he could get a better look. Stuck here... He can barely interact with his comrades. And it's awfully boring, just waiting around for a kaiju to show up. "Well, it's your decision, Calibur. It reminds me of those blue drinks the children seem to like so much."

"Mmh." Calibur grunts.

Silence, except for the squeaking of Borr's stool.

"...y--yeah." Calibur lifts the bottle. "I--it smells nice. I'm trying it."

"Don't do it, man." Borr says, stopping their spins to watch. "I'm telling you."

Without another word, Calibur tips the red bottle up to his lips, guzzling down a good amount of the mysterious liquid.

Silence.

Calibur's eyes roll back in his head and he tips forward, stiff as a board. There's a /thud/ as he hits the ground.

"Calibur!" Gridman calls, in his metal-echoed voice.

"Shit!" Borr says, laughing. "Did you see that?"

---

With a gasp, Gridman lowers Alloy down gently, then backs away. What /was/ that?

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Wandering with small stride and a lower perspective, younger eyes search up and down sterile hallways. A small voice calls out a name. Over and over the name passes over a childs lips. "Euliya?" The childs voice carries an accent. One might be able to hear the Brittainian, western european accent and dialectical inflection. Another corner rounded, The child's query goes unanswered still.

                "Euliya??"

        The tone and tember of the voice grows more and more anxious. The memory finds the child, standing in an open doorway, looking into an office, or a dorm room. The interior is dark, only lit from outside the room, behind the small person. The light doesn't reach further than two meters into the room.

        Obscured by the deep shadows, someone stirs. There is a blink and you miss it flash, of the exterior lighting reflecting off something. Glasses? Some jewelry? To the child in the doorway, it seemed like the figure lifted their head, their eyes, from the desk top. Fed by the growing anxiety that came from failing to find who she was looking for, and the creepy feeling crawling up the spine. It is directed towards that room, or who might be inside.

        A timid and worried girl asks softly,

                "Where's Euliya?"

        The response from inside the room is muffled, making it difficult to parse. Two pairs of hands grab the childs arms from behind. The girl jumps, startled, and whimpers. She can't see their faces, as they pull her away, and towards another room. She pleads and struggles with each step they take. They stop in front of a closed door. Apprehension peaks, when the door opens before her.

        Her eyes widen seeing chair in the center of the room. She fights and struggles as they move her to the chair. Her pleas are desparate, panicked... and ignored. Everything goes dark and the feelings one might get from observing this, taper off and cease. The memory ends.

                . . .

        A brightly lit room, smelling of bleach and cleaners. Inside the room, several children litter the floor. Some in groups, some by themselves, engaging in different types of play with the toys scattered about.

        One wall stands conspicuously in contrast. At about the waist height of the average adult, a mirrored wall stretches to the ceiling. The reflection in the mirror is a diminuitive creature, a small version of Alouette Kaas looks back at herself. She meanders from group to child to group, stopping before some wooden 3d puzzles. Cubes and spheres of wood, broken into components and needing to be put back together. She gathers up the pieces in her arms, and checks around the room. The young girl, when she decides no one is looking, moves against the wall. She shuts her eyes and concentrates.

        Small hexagon like patterns begin to shift, in gradients that match the design and color on the walls. Her eyes open and, glancing around the room again, she ducks out of a seemingly unmonitored door.

        The young girl keeps herself pressed against the walls, blending in with them as she makes her way, to a room with a uniformed adult sitting nearby. Excitement as she realizes the man is asleep in his chair. Alouette opens the door, as quietly as she can.

        A figure inside, a boy, sits looking at some device. Small hands close the door behind her. She watches a moment, before moving forward. The girl stops a couple meters from where the boy sits, and her camouflage ripples back to her "steady state". In a shush, just barely above a whisper, she addresses the rooms occupant. She almost shakes from her fear. Fear of the adults, and fear of the strange feeling she feels after sneaking in here. He doesn't look scary, she thinks to herself. But the feeling persists, until he looks over and smiles at her.

                "Hey," he says, calm and casual. Despite how suddenly she must have appeared to him, he isn't at all startled or surprised. "What brings you here?"

                "Um. H-hello. I- my name is Alouette. Um. My friend Euliya said, you might like to play, since you are stuck in here."

        She smiles and stretches out her arms, showing the puzzle pieces she had secreted here.

                "Do- you want to play puzzles?"

        The memory begins to fade, with the soft smile on the boys face lingering last.

        Alloy's fall was interrupted by Gridman catching her. Only a breath or two had passed, though the experience might feel as if each memory happened in real time. This had never happened before, two memories being witnessed at once. Had Gridman also experienced two memories in the exchange? She is set down gently, and she watches him, her suprise mirrored on his.

                "What WAS that?"

        She returns his question with the same question. What was that? What does she say? Alloy turns crimson as her cheeks flush, and then she pales imagining consequences.

                "Are- you ok? Are you injured Gridman? I'm so sorry!"

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

The memories rush through Gridman's mind, in the space between blinks. Someone that isn't him. Someone that isn't him, inside his mind, giving him more to know, more to remember. Half-panicked, he backs up into the wall, sending a stack of pots tumbling to the ground with a crash.

In response, a figure blurs into existence before the redhead. "Gridman, what's wrong?" A knife is in their hands. Gridman just shakes his head, and the figure turns, slowly, looking at Alloy. They have twin ponytails, and a fearsome demeanor, despite their incredibly short stature.

"What'd you do?!" Borr shouts, spreading one arm out protectively. "Why are you apologizing?!"

"Borr," Gridman manages, though he keeps his eyes closed, trying to sort through the memories. "She didn't hurt me. I don't think she meant for this to happen."

Borr looks unconvinced. "/Something/ happened here. I want to know exactly what it was. Nobody moves until then, yeah?"

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        From nowhere, two blonde ponytaails, and a glint of a knife.

        The latter garners Alloy's focus. The young woman pushes herself from the ground, to have some sure footing. She does it, calm and slow, never taking her eyes off the threat.

        Alouette's is doing her best poker face, while inside, her mind races to process the situation. One, two, five, six. Six most likely scenarios are plotted and chased to their conclusions. Shuffle and reorganize it, pick the top two...

                "I- was apologizing- for falling onto Gridman. It's my first time in a garden like this, I lost my footing in the soil."

        She keeps her tone soft, but even.

        Alloy moves from one knee on the ground, rising up- carefully. Continue...

                "I was curious about what Gridman was doing. He invited me to join him and demonstrated what to do. I gave it a try, I slipped and fell. Unless there is a 'Keep off the Gra- off the Gridman' statute, I don't think that-"

        Alouette indicates with a bow of her head, at the knife, but continues...

                "-that is necessary. Perhaps, part of my genetic makeup, generates a static charge when distressed, and it- transferred, like the carpet socks thing."

        Alloy maintains the steady, flat composure, as she is now standing, feet planted. Steady Alou, stay calm.

                "I was just curious, because he was singing."

        Alloy wills her words to be, a truth, not necessarily the truth. But it's this short one, facing off with the tall young woman, that needs to buy what she's selling.

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

Borr watches Alloy's every movement. Standing seems to be acceptable to the small Hyper Agent, despite their proclamation. "Static, huh? That true, Gridman?"

Yellow eyes are distressed. "What? No, I... saw something. Memories, of a child. I think it was..." Gridman looks at Alloy carefully. She doesn't seem to be malicious, just scared. "Borr, please put away the knife. We're okay."

With a glance back to Gridman, Borr nods, and the knife vanishes into thin air. "Alright. But I'm gonna be right outside this door. No weird shit!"

Borr leaves the plant house, and Gridman sighs. Kneeling, he re-stacks the pots he knocked over, frowning to see one of them broken. Without looking up at Alloy, he begins to speak.

"What really was that? Borr is --" a piece of me "-- my comrade. I trust them. But I understand if you don't trust me." Gridman tries to slot a fragment of terracotta back into place. It stays for only a second, before falling out onto the ground again. "...but I'd really like to know the truth of what happened."

Yellow eyes turn to gaze up at Alloy. Gridman's made himself vulnerable -- he's kneeling on the ground, he's occupied with a heavy object. He couldn't possibly be a threat.

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

                "Alright. But I'm gonna be right outside this door. No weird shit!"

        Alouette lifts her arms, palms open and face out, a gesture of cautious neutrality. She isn't an enemy; she isn't a present threat.

        As Borr retreats, the tension in Alloy's shoulders drops. She looks to Gridman as he speaks from where he kneels.

                ""...but I'd really like to know the truth of what happened."

                "Truth. I truly don't know what THAT was. That has never happened before. I saw something too. I-"

        A carefully measured breathing rate. /A/ truth, she thinks to herself. This is a grey area. Protocols never included a double whammy like this.

                "-saw something too."

        She gathers her words and recalls to Gridman, what she had seen in the exchange. She stops short of giving up classified information, well... certain, classified information. She salts her lie of omission with another, truth.

                "I am not a lilin. Part of me, is, cephalopod. I think it was some kind of, sting, or defensive reaction of my body."

        Alloy very slightly wiggles her hands, still raised like a white flag. This preceeded her stepping slowly to another section of wall. She places her arm against it and... squeezes her eyes shut. Concentrating. A grid of tiny hexagons shifts under her skin, and her pigmentation mimics the color and pattern of the wall under her hand.

                "See?"

        Please, buy the truth adjacent explantion, she thinks, as she pulls her hand away from the wall, the pigmentation returning to what it was before. Her hand is played, now for Gridman's.

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

Gridman doesn't move, trying very hard to put Alloy at ease. Holding the broken pot on his lap, he fusses with it. Not really managing to keep any pieces in place, but he makes an effort anyway. This place is important to Liam, he doesn't want to hurt it.

"Really..?" Gridman asks, brow furrowed. What can he do but trust her? "I apologize. It may be because of my nature as--" A pause for thought. "A Giant of Light. I've never experienced anything like this before, but if I've harmed you, I'm truly sorry. I hope what you saw wasn't too distressing. I'll be sure to keep my distance."

Alloy says the word "lillim" and Gridman's eyes widen. Now that he's had a moment to adjust, that boy in the memory, that was --

"Kaworu." He breathes.

Heart racing, he's barely able to pay attention to Alloy's demonstration, though he's still impressed. Some kind of cephalopod? Gridman's certainly never heard of that. "Does it hurt you? It looks very difficult."

He believes her. What else is there to do but believe her?

"I'm standing up now. I'm going to walk a little ways closer to you, but I promise, I won't do anything else."

Putting the broken pot aside, Gridman slowly stands. He winces, partway -- it hurts to use his stomach muscles, it seems. With terribly careful steps, he makes his way just a few feet closer to Alloy, his arms carefully held at his sides. Dirt brushes against his jeans. His fingers are still covered in it.

"Please," Gridman says, bowing forward, as low as he can. "Please. I saw someone I love in the memory. It looked like he was being held captive. His name is Kaworu -- it looks like a small girl brought him a puzzle toy. She looked like... you."

"I understand if this is personal, and I'm so sorry to pry. But I!" Gridman closes his eyes, cheeks burning, even as he looks at the ground. A necklace slips out from his shirt collar -- a single snowflake charm, gleaming in the low light. "I love him! I want to know, if someone hurt him! If he was scared, or alone! He's done so much for me, I want to be able to support him, too! Even if it's too late. Even if I can't do anything, now! I'll find some way!"

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Alloy's hands slip to her sides, a mutual stand down as it was.

                "I love him! I want to know, if someone hurt him! If he was scared, or alone! He's done so much for me, I want to be able to support him, too! Even if it's too late. Even if I can't do anything, now! I'll find some way!"

        Alloy is staggered by the sudden change of dynamic. Her left leg shits, as she braces herself. This wasn't any of the expected scenarios.

        Alloy's teeth clench as she drops her head. She tries to maintain her breathing, but manages only a sigh of concession, of surrender.

                "Love. You love-"

        Alouette's white hair moves about her as she shakes her head.

                "It's a curse. What you- and I- experienced. Its a curse. It condemns me to be alone, this is the cost of being cursed."

        Her eyes look for escape, but they find and linger on the broken pot.

                "I grew up, in part, with Kaworu. Kaworu is one I care about. He is important to me. Different though from ... from the-"

        There is a brief but discernable pause in her words.

                "-from you loving him. Kaworu is- If there is love, I hope, it brings Kaworu happiness."

        The orange parts of her eyes, accented by a deep blue, search Gridman's face for reaction, any give or tell.

                "If what you say is true, if you want to protect Kaworu, you must forget what happened. Any breath of this endangers Kaworu, and others. You must forget what I am about to tell you. It's called Geass."

        Alloy explains the contract, the curse, and those memories in clinical detachment. She could easily be reading crop information from a Farmer's Almanac, for all she gives in explanation.

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

Gridman straightens, looking to Alloy. Confusion is clear on his features. "A... curse? Just because you see memories sometimes?"

Even to Gridman, struggling under the weight of his own splintered identity and fractured memories, that doesn't seem too horrible. Alloy looks horribly distressed, though, so he keeps this to himself. She certainly knows more about herself than Gridman knows about her. If she says it's a curse, he'll accept that.

"I hope it does too." Gridman murmurs, as Alloy goes on, in broken little sentences. He's not sure how to comfort her. If he hugs her, will it trigger the curse again? "I want to make him happy, and protect him. But I don't understand, Alloy, why-- just knowing about his past? What's so dangerous?"

"Geass?" Gridman repeats, baffled. "I've never heard of anything like that."

Seeking to put Alloy at ease, Gridman sits back in his previous spot, beside the sprouts still waiting to be re-planted. "Alloy, if someone is hurting you, or forcing you to do things... Please tell me. I promise, I'll protect you. My comrades and I are very, very strong. Especially together. We can keep you safe."

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

                "Alloy, if someone is hurting you, or forcing you to do things... Please tell me. I promise, I'll protect you. My comrades and I are very, very strong. Especially together. We can keep you safe."

        Alloy moves to the broken pot pieces when Gridman returns to where he was when they started this exchange. She turns them over and over in her hand, scrutinizing the cross section.

                "You sound like-"

        The young woman stops before saying anything identifying. She won't doxx the others.

                "It's not about that, not about, being hurt or forced. I would not exist if not for purpose and design. You have a purpose. Mine, is to be a component in a design to save lilim."

        Gingerly Alouette puts the pieces down.

                "If not me, it'd just be another like me. My apologies, if this upsets you. But you must understand that this knowledge, puts Kaworu and others at risk if, it gets out."

        The lithe young woman, approaches cautiously. She sits down in the garden, with distance between herself and Gridman. No more accidents today.

                "Kaworu is important to me. I'm sorry you have been given this burden of knowledge. Please, protect Kaworu."

        A smile, mostly forced, is given to her present companion. Her eyes say more, but her voice. Her voice says in a near whisper.

                "There is, another important thing I need to tell you. Don't hurt him."

        Alloy isn't sure herself, if it is a warning, or something else. Kaworu deserves happiness, and... Love.

                "I am trusting you now."

<Pose Tracker> Gridman has posed.

Gridman tilts his head when Alloy begins a sentence, then stops. His red hair brushes against itself, drawing attention to a singular blue clip. It looks like the hairclips the Evangelion pilots wear -- though this one is painted a bright, cheerful blue. It matches Yuta's eyes, from the memory.

"You shouldn't say that." Gridman looks distressed, as Alloy puts herself down. "Even if you were created for a reason, you're still a person. You have every right to exist as an individual!" His hands shake, and those big yellow eyes look so, so troubled. "Nobody has the right to tell you otherwise. Besides, it's even true. Look --"

Gridman gestures to the little plant Alloy re-homed. It stands tall with its siblings. If a plant could appear pleased, this one would.

"See? I bet replanting sprouts was never a part of your design! But you did it, and you did a good job. You can do anything you want!" Gridman's metallic voice echoes in the pseudo-greenhouse. "Nobody... nobody gets to say that kind of thing. Not to anyone. Every single being has the right to choose how they live."

Gridman glances around. His discarded gloves from earlier are nearby. Would that be enough? Quickly, he puts them on.

As Alloy approaches, Gridman scoots close to her. Gently, he takes her hands in his own. Should she wish to pull them away, there would be no resistence. "Alloy. I'll fight for your right to exist as you please. So will my comrades, and probably half the people in Tsutsujidai right now."

"If it's so important that I keep this a secret, I will. I promise. And I will protect him, with all my strength." A little smile. "Though I can't imagine Kaworu will ever really need it. I'll never hurt him."

Gridman isn't who Kaworu's heart longs for. That's okay. Their bond is real, and strong. It'll endure, no matter what comes to pass. Gridman has perfect faith in his boyfriend and the promises they whispered to each other.