2023-01-19: The Miracle Worker
- Log: The Miracle Worker
- Cast: Naoko Suzuki, Eight York
- Where: Over Japan, OCU
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-01-19
- Summary: The Ra Mari gets a distress signal while passing through the OCU. Eight elects to answer it. A friend(?) is made!
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
"Haaa... haaa..."
Heavy breathing comes from the cockpit of an Arm Slave, dashing low over an open field. At a glance, it's clear that this isn't a standard model, and that whoever designed had some Ideas. Slightly oversized hands, huge circular shoulder plates, haphazardly applied armor plating, a metal spiked club on its back, and a fairly excessive amount of thrusters, currently firing on all cylinders. Until there's a sputter. A first warning sign of energy reserves running low.
The pilot, currently visible only as a shadowy figure, glances at the readouts and clicks her tongue. "Dammit... already? Still haven't found a good spot... what should I do?"
The machine slows, and soon stops, coming to rest on its feet next to a rocky outcropping, crouching beside it to... mostly hide itself. Its violet color is very visible among the greens and greys, but at only 8 feet tall, it doesn't stand out quite as much as your average Mobile Suit would under the same condition.
The pilot lets out a sigh. She leans back in her seat for several seconds, before coming to a decision. "...Guess there's nothing else for it." Without the pilot touching any controls, the status display on a small screen in the cockpit is covered with a brightly blinking text.
>EMERGENCY BEACON ACTIVE
To those in the area picking up the signal, the unit self-identifies as 'NS-1 Sukeban', not transmitting any EFF signals. It's a general S.O.S., so it could really mean anything. At least it's alone, so this is probably not a trap. Probably. One never can be completely sure.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
If not for that emergency beacon, the Ra Mari certainly wouldn't have noticed a small Arm Slave far on the ground below. But with the emergency beacon... Well, it happens sometimes that these are traps, but the Ra Mari hasn't gotten where it is today by ignoring people in trouble. So, in short order...
"Captain," comes Astelian's voice at the sensors and comms, "We've got a distress signal from the ground."
"Let's get a close look, Mr. Astelian."
In short order... "This is the Londo Bell ship Ra Mari, responding to your distress call. Need a lift down there?"
A shuttle that can tow an Arm Slave up will be readied. Assuming Naoko is willing, they'll take both back up to the ship to be repaired and refueled, with Eight planning to meet the pilot in the hangar.
The hangar itself is spaceious; designed for bigger things than an Arm Slave, it has plenty of room in its gray-and-white interior. And Captain York, in her usual uniform, is on deck waiting for Naoko to step out!
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
With the beacon active, there's not much to do at this point but hope for the best. Though it may be unwise to let one's attention slip while broadcasting your presence to whomever may hear, the pilot can't help herself. Before long, she's snoozing in her seat, exhaustion quickly catching up once her focus on piloting is no longer required.
Thankfully, the response comes quicker that she was expecting. When the broadcast comes in, she quickly snaps out of the impromptu nap, not yet having had time to sink into a deep sleep. She still sounds a little groggy in her response. "Oh, uh, yeah, yeah! I mean, if you could get me to somewhere I can refuel, that'd be awesome!"
It's a very youthful-sounding, energetic voice. Voices can be deceptive of course, but it certainly sounds like there's a young girl piloting this machine, with the first of her two age digits most definitely a 1. That's all that's readily apparent, since the pilot didn't broadcast a visual.
She cooperates with the towing proceedings, following instructions but staying silent after the short initial conversation unless directly asked to speak up about something. Still, this is a stroke of luck, to be found with an actual ship that could do the refueling right there! Looks like she'll be out and about again in no time!
Everything goes smoothly... right until after the moment the Arm Slave has taken its directed position in the hangar. The captain is waiting... and she will have to wait for several moments before there's another open broadcast from the Arm Slave.
<"Um. What are we waiting for? Weren't we gonna do the refueling thing? ...Do I have to come out? No way! You can't make me!">
Well, that sort of attitude tracks with the voice, at least...
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Voices can be deceptive, but Eight doesn't imagine this one is. She has a feeling. That's part of why she's standing out by the Arm Slave, too. And so she waits at first. Silent immediately...
Hmm.
"You don't have to come out," Eight allows after a moment. "We can just put you back down where we found you, that's fine too, if you're not comfortable accepting our help. But if you'd like fuel I'd like to at least talk to you about it first."
A beat, "I'll start. I'm Captain Eight York of the Ra Mari. What's your name?"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
For a moment, there is only silence. No response either way. The pilot must be thinking it over. Then, finally... a loud hiss, as the machine's head slides forward, expelling steam as it exposes the entrance to the cockpit block beneath it. It seems she's made a decision.
Out pops the head of - indeed - a teenaged girl. Messy purple hair in pigtails sporting butterfly hairclips of mismatched black and white colors, bright green eyes that survey her surroundings in wonder and caution. A stick of chocolate PaPPy is hanging out of the corner of her mouth. Finally, her eyes land on the womand who identified herself as Eight York, down on ground level. There's a grin, then she flashes a V-sign by way of apparent greeting, before emerging fully, hopping onto her mech's right shoulder.
Reinforced by the way she acted, she may look younger than she actually is, not even a full inch over 5 feet and wearing baggy clothing that may be a size too large for her. Her long-sleeved black hoodie is completely covered in various colorful patches, most of which have (mostly nonsensical) English phrases on them, and her blue cargo jean shorts jangle as she moves, its large pockets filled with metallic objects. Black and white sneakers round the ensemble, along with strangely mismatched socks, one white and one black. And then...
"You ask my name...?"
She proceeds to use the arm of her mech as a slide to quickly get down to ground level, landing in a three-point stance, from which she rises with deliberate, overdramatic movement. Her hands go to her hips as she proudly declares herself.
"My name is Nova Stellar, Miracle Worker!"
Yep, it's a weirdo alright.
She doesn't explain anything about that, smoothly going back into her normal enthusiastic tone. "So you're the boss of this place, huh? And your name is Eight, seriously?" One might expect this to preceed some form of ridicule, but instead she balls her fists enthusiastically. "That's such a cool name!!"
She may be acting like a goofball, but Eight would probably be able to pick up that there's 'something' about this girl, on a mental level. Which may only be expected. People piloting a robot at a young age... there's usually something more to that.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight can wait. It's fine.
Eight, for her part, is a very tall blonde woman in a Londo Bell uniform, with long hair and bright red eyes. She keeps focused on the girl with the patchy hoodie, and there are... well, she has a lot in her pockets, anyway. And as she lands, in movement--
Oh, yeah, it's gonna be like this.
"Well!" Eight answers. "It's an honor to meet you, Miss Stellar. What kind of miracles do you work?" She considers. "Is this one a custom job?" she wonders of the mecha. Then, back to the enthusiastic tone. Yes, Eight does expect to get something strange when she comments on her name, but--
"Glad you think so. I worked hard to make it mine!" She smiles. There is 'something' about her all right...
"I'd offer you something to eat, but it seems like you've got snacks covered!" A beat, "But it doesn't look like a long-travel kind of unit. What brings you out here?"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Oh it's an honor, is it? She likes that, that much is clear to see by the way she puffs up her chest. "Please, please, Nova is fine! You can call me Miss Stellar once I've made it to magazine covers and stuff." Not lacking in self-confidence, that's for sure.
Taking the two questions together, she indicates her Arm Slave with a dramatic flourish. "That's my biggest miracle right there! The NS-1 Sukeban! Give you one guess what the NS stands for~"
A 'custom job' is one word for it. 'Questionable design choices' is another. This explains the needless attachments to the unit's head - knowing the designer and her general attitude, it's obvious that she tried to give the machine pigtails, too. Even so, it clearly functions just fine.
A thoughtful look crosses Naoko's-- sorry, Nova's expression when Eight mentions she worked hard for her name. She's wondering about what that means. But she doesn't actually comment on it. Hard to say if there's any understanding there.
With a hand on her candy stick she bites down on it when it's mentioned, eating the whole thing in short order, then whipping out two more from the pocket of her hoodie. "I'm never without some candy! Want one?" One chocolate-covered stick goes back into the same corner in her mouth, while she holds out the other for Eight. Looks like the prominent patch on her clothes that reads 'CANDY FIEND' is there for a reason.
"Won't say no to something a bit more filling, though! Or, um, I'd like to say that, but..." 'What brings her out here'... time to gloss right over that question. "Well, not to seem ungrateful or anything, but I'd really just like to conduct business and be on my way here. Only reason I'm here is 'cause my buddy here is low on gas. Can I just, y'know, pay you for a refuel and I'll be out of your hair?"
It's at that point where something... odd happens. There's another voice, a boyish one, coming out of nowhere. No... it's coming from Naoko. And it's not with her ears that Eight can hear it. A psychic broadcast of some sort?
>"They're not gonna believe you can pay for that. I mean, look at you."<
Naoko keeps talking as if nothing happened. "If you're worried about the money, don't be, just tell me what I owe and I'll transfer it right now."
Then another voice rings out, again on a psychic wavelength, this one sounding feminine, younger and more soft-spoken than Naoko.
>"What'll you do when it runs out? You shouldn't spend too much, you need to make it last."<
Naoko semi-smoothly continues, "...Though, y'know, if we can work out a deal I'm willing to hear you out."
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"Nova, then." Eight usually leans towards formal in uniform, but a specific request is fair! So she goes with it. She regards the Arm Slave, and with indefatigable optimism says, "Your design is really creative!"
Which is true! ...Even if it's also 'questionable'.
But she doesn't linger on her name. She just smiles, and considers the candy fiend before. "Thanks, but I'm OK for now," Eight answers as to the delicious chocolate. But... Hmm. She'd like to say that, but...
"Well, we can get you something," Eight says. "We've got a full galley. Good cook! If you weren't in a rush, we could defintiely get you something to eat."
But she is in a rush... and yes, there's a psychic broadcast of some sort. Eight tilts her head thoughtfully.
"...Your friends have a lot to say," Eight reflects thoughtfully. "But no, if you don't want to talk about it--don't worry."
"You're welcome to stick around for now, but if you'd like to be going, just give my techs a moment to fuel her up."
Eight shakes her head, putting out a hand. "And don't talk to me about money! You don't have to pay to be helped out when you're in a bind. You're not doing big terrible crimes with it, right?" Of course right. "So it's fine!"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
"Hehehe, isn't it though?" 'Nova' readily agrees with the assessment on her creativity. She certainly believes that she's put forth something truly... stellar. She knows what she's doing, she just... also knows what she likes, is all. She quite obviously doesn't know the first thing about formality, but then, this is the first time she's ever dealt with the military, that's not an area she knows anything about.
It shows clearly on her face that she is surprised - aghast even - when the offer of candy is turned down. Who would ever do a thing like that?? "...Well, if you're sure..." The second stick goes into the other corner of her mouth. She won't insist - more for her!
And yet... candy will only stave off the hunger so much. Eight starts talking about a full galley and a good cook, and Naoko can't stop her stomach from rumbling. "Oh geez... I really want some food..." That's not all she could use. Though she tried to hide it, the look in her eyes may have betrayed that she's tired. She feels tired. Also she, uh, kind of smells. Plenty of context clues to deduce that this girl hasn't exactly been taking good care of herself for the past several days. And yet, she seems to have doubts...
Doubts which are at least somewhat removed when she hears that this will be free of charge. "...Whoa, really? It won't cost me anything? Wow! You're the best, Eight!" She has also apparently decided that they're on a first name basis.
...wait a minute. Back up. What did she say just now?
Your friends have a lot to say.
Realization dawns on three minds at once.
"Geh!"
>"What the?!"<
>"Mumu?!"<
Dropping the confident Nova Stellar act completely, Naoko now looks extremely unsure of herself. "Y-you can hear them? How...?"
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight isn't even bullshitting here; she just likes to find something nice to say when she can, in general. She hasn't seen it in action, though--and that's what would really count. For now, though... Aghast!!
"I appreciate it, though!" She doesn't make up a rule about 'no snacking on duty' or anything. But Eight notices Nova starting to Obviously Hunger, and she smiles faintly. The rest she notices, too--but she wants to be encouraging.
"Aww. Thanks, Nova." She waves her techs forward. "Just the fuel," she says, and they will go and do that. Eight herself steps back, though, gesturing towards the way up the corridor.
Then--
"I hear a lot of things most people don't," Eight explains. "You can tell me about them, or not, at your option. ...But on the other hand I shouldn't just hang out here all day. Are you aiming to go anywhere in particular? If not, I should get the ship moving again soon. But the offer's still open on a chat and some food..."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
With this realization, everything about Naoko has changed. All her previous intentions, stated as if they were a sure thing, have grinded to a screeching halt. She doesn't know what to do or say anymore. Hearing things that other people don't... yeah, Naoko knows a thing or two about that. "I... I thought I was the only one..."
Even if she hasn't actually said anything about her circumstances, her lack of awareness in that regard may imply a few things about them. Just learning that There Are Others has fiercely upset her worldview. She doesn't even realize that her PaPPy sticks have fallen from her mouth. Nor that she's mentally calling out to those that Eight rightly referred to as her friends.
>"Hey. Uriel. Ariel. Are you there? Please, tell me... what should I do...?"<
But there's no response. The other presences can no longer be felt, as if they've walled themselves off. They may have been thrown for a loop by this as well. Leaving Naoko more alone than she normally is. Will she really have to make a decision on her own? But how can she?
Her stomach loudly protests, once again. She feels as if she's about to collapse from exhaustion. She hasn't bathed or washed her clothes in days, she hates how she smells. Suddenly, everything except these things stopped mattering. And Naoko... falls to her knees, bowing deep.
"I'm sorry for troubling you! But I'm so hungry, and I need a bath, and I haven't slept in a real bed in days, and I don't know what to dooo, please help me!"
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
It's very different--and that, for sure, gives Eight feelings about Nova's sincerity. She clearly doesn't know what to do or say, so Eight does a litlte for her and says instead, "Well, it's normal to think you're alone, experiencing something unusual."
She notices the fallen PaPPy sticks... she will worry about that later. Instead, she considers that they aren't answering her, and she looks thoughtfully at Naoko in the meantime.
Her stomach protests...
"All right," Eight says. "We'll get all that taken care of for you. Let's start with something to eat, and then we can get you a bath and some clean clothes and a bunk."
"I'll stay with you for a while, all right? Until I can introduce you to a friend of mine, who can help you out. Until then--don't worry, OK? We won't abandon you."
"...And you can leave whenever you want. Until then... Welcome to the Ra Mari, Nova."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko raises her head upon receiving a response far more positive than she could have hoped for. Her eyes had already gone moist, but when promised this much, she really can't stop the waterworks anymore, crying out all the tears she'd been holding back. There isn't much else that she can offer in the way of a response in this state, but it should be clear - this girl was a lot more starved for a ray of hope than she was letting on. With this, her path will take a turn... with any luck, it will be for the better.'