2023-01-29: A Little Bird Told Me
- Cast: Lina Lombardi, Rita Bernal
- Where: The Collective Unconscious
- Date: U.C. 0097 01 28
- Summary: Lina catches up with a friend and faces a dilemma.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
The Lombardi Grove winery had been in higher spirits than they had been in years the last week. Lina Lombardi, the official heir to the business, had finally re-emerged into reality after being caught in the Tsutsujidai PLANT for the last month and a half. In fact, Lina had made such a beeline for her family home that she had left her ReLion back on the Paradiso. Oh well, G-Hound would arrange an equipment retrieval.
The night she had arrived, Elsa and Uncle Francis had both been waiting for her, and all three of them hugged and cried for what felt like hours as they celebrated avoiding a repeat of what had happened to the girls' father. The rest of the week had been made up of delayed Christmas celebrations (Uncle Francis had refused to take down the tree until Lina had come home) and Elsa dragging Lina along by the neck to look at houses and apartments in the area. She was apparently serious about Lina moving back home.
However, Lina knew she couldn't stay forever. She had to report back to G-Hound, especially leading up to a significant operation. She had fallen asleep the night before she was set to head back to Luna II, but the very next minute found herself standing outside the house, between the grapevines that seemed to stretch out into the eternity of the Tuscan hills. Above her, the sky seemed to shine and swirl in brilliant purples and blues, the stars shining brighter than Lina had ever seen them shine before. Ah, a dream. This probably meant...Yeah, she could feel it. Something had changed since her rematch with Amuro. She had finally broken through. Maybe I can call her this time...
Lina looked up into the cosmos and cried out, "RITA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
In the wake of grief and pain, the Phenex rides along with the Ra Mari II, keeping her own counsel. She couldn't have done more. Her visions are always correct -- all she could've offered these people is notice to evacuate. And she did. And she did.
Why can't she get the image of the PLANT's destruction out of her head?
Deep in the Phenex's heart, her beloved rests, playing the events of the battle out again and again. It's a mercy, then, when something tugs at her soul, echoing through the resonant plane. The Phenex urges her beloved to go. They still have time.
And so, a radiant golden bird comes streaking out of the sky, flying straight toward Lina. Two extra-long tail feathers trail behind her, reflecting the light of the dreamy sky. After circling Lina once, the bird spreads her wings, glows too brightly to be looked at...
And Rita Bernal emerges. Ever in her sundress, ever smiling, she reaches out and hugs Lina close.
"You're home! You're safe!" Rita laughs, stepping back. "I knew you would be, but I'm still so glad!"
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina laughs along with Rita as she returns the hug, picking the poor girl up for a good spin around just to mean it. She had so many hugs to catch up on and she wanted to savor every one.
"Rita, you have no idea how good it is to see you again. You won't believe what happened in Tsutsujidai! I--W-Well, hold off on that for a bit, how were you out here? I met with Michele shortly before the wall came up, have you seen her since then?"
She really wanted nothing more than to brag about the fight with Amuro Ray (she had already told the story to Elsa, Ally, and Uncle Francis about five times each and she could use a new person to tell it to), but she would be lying if she said she wasn't concerned about how the Phenex had been.
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Rita's laugh turns into a cheer of delight, spinning easily. She looks breathless when Lina lets her go, grinning widely.
"That was so fun! I've never had a hug like that before!" She spins in place, hanging on to the feeling. "I want to hear everything, Lina! I missed you."
How was she out here? Rita looks away, though her smile never fades. "A lot has happened out here, too. A terrible man launched a terrible weapon. Many heroes fought to stop him, but this was always going to happen. Another battle is soon to occur." She looks up to Lina, green eyes luminous. "I'll do what I can to aid the heroes of the living."
Rita doesn't mention the confrontation she had with Treize. It won't serve any purpose, here.
"I haven't seen Michele in a very long time." Rita says, her eyes sad. "Please, tell me how she's doing! And how your meeting went. Did she have any leads for your father?"
"This time, your call helped me find you. It seems like you've gotten stronger, Lina." Rita smiles mysteriously. "I'm sure there's a story behind that!"
Rita glances around, taking in the beautiful vineyard she finds herself in. "I've never seen anywhere like this. Where are we?"
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina's smile lowers a bit as Rita tells her about what happened while she was gone. In a way, she expected something like this. The entire Earth Sphere was a pot just waiting to boil over. For a second, the voice of a 10 year old girl passes through her mind.
'"That's why I'm gonna become a soldier! I'm gonna help Papa stop the wars so no one else has to lose their Mamas!"'
Yeah right.
Looking to change the subject..."Michele is doing fine. She somehow knew I was gonna ask about my father before I even mentioned it! She's pretty powerful! I haven't caught back up with her yet to see if she's found anything. I wouldn't be surprised if she was busy looking for you."
She blinks when Rita mentions her call. So she was right. She was a full-fledged Newtype now, she figured. "It's a long story." She turns to look out towards the vines, stretching farther into the horizon than they did in real life. "These are the vineyards. This is where my family grows the grapes for our wine. They're not actually this big in real life, though. This is more what they were like...before the war." The Grove had been a much larger business before the One Year War, but the havoc the fighting caused on the Earth's climate had affected most planetside agriculture.
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Rita blinks in surprise at the sound of Lina's childhood dream, her eyes turning so sorrowful. "I'm sorry. I lost my mother in a war, too."
Lina doesn't wish to discuss it, and Rita won't press her. "Oh, I'm not surprised. Michele's powers are really impressive! I think she's better than I am at predicting things." A little laugh, with those green eyes closed. "It's led her to great fortune and power. I'm sure if anyone can find your father, it would be Michele."
Michele, looking for her... The idea makes Rita smile a bit more brightly, though her hands squeeze into fists for just a moment. A bright pinprick of fear breaking through the constant acceptance and love that surrounds the spirit before Lina.
"Vineyards... and grapes!" Rita sounds thrilled. "I've never seen them in person before, not like this! I'm glad they still exist in all their glory here, for you. They feel like..." Rita brings a hand over her heart, looking back to Lina. "They're a part of you. The One Year War affected you so terribly, Lina. I'm so sorry. Would you like to walk through the plants as we talk?"
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"Sure." Lina slips her hands in her pockets as she walks between the vines, not waiting too long for Rita to follow behind. "The war was hell on our land, but enough time has passed that we were able to start cultivating again and bounce back. Company's not as big as it used to be, but we had enough stock aging in our cellars to keep the company afloat. Was a pretty good time for Earth wine to come at a premium."
"So, time to brag. It was last week. GGG had built a device to anchor Tsutsujidai back into reality, but there were a bunch of kaiju and other big shots trying to stop us, so I had to help fight them off. And wouldn't you believe it, I got a rematch against Amuro Ray! Now, you might think, 'Oh no, Lina you crashed and burned the last time you fought him, you must have gotten beaten up bad!' No! I barely got a scratch on me! I...Something just...awoke! I burst through, I felt like I could see better than I ever have! In fact, I got a good few shots on him, and I even struck the final blow! How cool is that?!"
[Characters] Zan> Only one that's kinda making me look at it funny is the Senju-Kannon.
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Rita follows along with Lina, looking eagerly at the plants they pass by. "It's beautiful... I never dreamed I'd be able to see something like this." Green eyes turn back to Lina. "I'm thankful your company survived. I've never had wine before! What does it taste like?"
Rita smiles brightly as Lina says its time to brag. "Please do!" She listens to the story, bringing her hands together over her mouth when Lina mentions Amuro. "Oh--! Lina, were you -- oh! You're amazing, truly! To be able to succeed against such a skilled hero..!"
With a bright laugh, Rita moves her hands away from her mouth. Light glimmers from within, and then she throws her hands into the air! Sweet pink flower petals cascade down around Lina. "Congratulations..! You've awoken! Now you'll be able to communicate with others so much more easily. Someday, all of humanity will be like us!"
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"It might be hard to describe if you've never had alcohol. It's like grape juice, but...so much more. Wine is one of the greatest pleasures of humanity, and one of its oldest inventions. It's been with us since before history, and it'll probably be with us for eons to come."
When Rita mentions how all of humanity will be like them, she pulls a hand out of her pocket, staring at a clenched fist. "We'll all be able to communicate...Ideally, it should end all conflict. But I wonder if that'll really ever happen..."
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
"Grape juice.." Rita laughs. "That makes sense! It's made from grapes, after all. I'd really like to try your family's wine, Lina. I'm sure it's wonderful... It really is someone that unites all of humanity. That makes it beautiful."
Stepping forward, Rita puts a hand on Lina's clenched first. "It will. I promise. This life isn't all there is. We'll be reborn, all of us, and someday, we'll return to the soul's true form. Then no one will hurt each other, ever again."
"We have to make sure humanity can make it there." Rita says, seriously, her green eyes alight with spiritual fervor. "We can't make them go faster, but we can keep them safe."
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina stares at Rita's hand on hers, lost in thought. Geez, she hadn't realized this whole thing came with a mission. But she supposed that's what she was doing as a soldier already. Her other hand comes on top of Rita's and her gaze moves back up.
"I...guess I'll try my best. That's what I've always been doing. For him."
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Rita beams at Lina. "Thank you! That's what I fight for. Someday soon, something very scary will happen. I'm waiting for that day. I hope, when that day arrives, you'll be by my side."
"Until then... Lina, do you know what G-Hound has been doing while you were in Tsutsujidai?" Rita asks, gently.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina's heart began to sink at the question. She hadn't been able to get specifics, but she had at least been able to pick up that G-Hound had been making some moves in the meantime. Combined with what she had said earlier...
"I'm going to guess that a terrible man launched a terrible weapon?" Colonel Treize...
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
"Two weapons." Rita says, sorrow in her eyes. "But even before then. G-Hound conquered a PLANT and kept the elderly, sick, and very young in metal crates, to blackmail the healthy civilians into creating a warship."
Rita holds up a hand. An image of the Cerberus appears, slowly rotating above her palm. "My sister was there. Terrible crimes were committed. Though the ship was destroyed--" Rita closes her palm. The ship blinks out of existence. "Justice has not been served. I'm worried they'll continue on, doing worse and worse things to innocent people."
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina's breath catches in her throat. What if she had been there...would she have been forced to take part? Had Ally taken part? Had Sokolov? What would she say when she reported in to the Colonel?
"...Here I thought being autonomous from the Federation would do some good."
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
"I'm sorry." Rita squeezes Lina's hand. "But you deserve to know the truth. Your choices are your own, Lina. You get to decide what you do, I won't tell you. Or judge you."
"But I want you to know, so you can make the choice that's right for you. Your commander... I saw his future. He will cause a great war, worse than any the Earthsphere has seen so far. I don't know if this can be changed. But if he does this, I will guide the heroes of the living to try and stop him."
And you, Rita doesn't say, if you go with him.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"No, it's good that you told me this..." The sky above the two began to gather dark clouds. Was this what she was working for? Where would she go? She couldn't go back to being a PMC, she'd just get caught back up in their business. Would the Colonel even let her leave? What if she was branded an enemy of the Federation? What about her family?
"I wish Papa were here to tell me what I should do..."
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
"If you need help getting away, I have friends who can keep you safe." Rita offers, ever so gently. "They've done this for many people who have had to flee powerful organizations, for one reason or another. I can pass a message to them as quickly as you need. Or I can wait for you to decide. It's up to you, Lina."
Rita's hair blows a bit harder in the unearthly breeze, matching the darkening sky.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"...That would probably help. I think the top brass has their hands full with some other something or other right now, which should give me a bit of time to assess the situation."
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Rita takes Lina's hand in both of her own, smiling softly. "Please take all the time you need. When you're ready, you can call me again. I'll come to you as soon as I'm able."
"Until then, Lina. Please be wary. Stay true to yourself, and do what you think is right. You're awake, now. If you trust your intuition, you'll find the right path."
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
"Yeah, I'll call you as soon as I'm sure what to do." The edges of the vineyard begin to fade into a white void, the dream bleeding out into consciousness. "Speaking of awake, I think I'm about to wake up. It was good to see you again, Rita."
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Rita hugs Lina once more. "I'll see you soon. Be safe, Lina. I'll be waiting!"
Before the dream comes to a close, golden light consumes Rita once more, and she shifts into the form of a beautiful, incandescent bird. Stretching her wings, she soars up and out, returning to the resonant plane.