2023-03-31: One Person Matters
- Log: One Person Matters
- Cast: Naoko Suzuki, Eight York
- Where: Hangar Bay, Ra Mari II
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-03-31
- Summary: Ahead of the Battle of Palau, Eight checks in with Naoko to confirm her intentions in that regard. In the process, they learn a few more things about each other's backgrounds and personalities. It would seem that Eight's Mom Energy is rapidly gaining in strength...
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
It has already been two months since Naoko - Nova Stellar, rather - was picked up by the original Ra Mari, under circumstances that were somewhat shady, and kept nebulous at the time. Though she hadn't planned to stay long, happenstance saw her get caught up in a crisis situation, and she decided to stay and help rather than continuing on with her Great Journey of Having No Idea What To Do.
Though she never did seek to become an official crew member and has only ever referred to herself as a guest, she's certainly tried her best to be of assistance. Thanks to Eight commissioning her as a Pilot, she can assist there whenever she wants, but doesn't actually have to - and she has elected not to do so since the GENESIS crisis. Instead, she's followed up on Minae's suggestion to help out in the hangar, and spent a lot of her time there. Her mechanical aptitude has been evident in the repair jobs on her own machine, so it was thought that she could be of great help in working with the maintenance crew.
As for how that went... well, Lahvi could probably tell some stories. Naoko has mentioned before how she isn't very used to working with others, and that's showed, in how she usually just ended up doing her own thing. Which is fine, so long as she can keep her mind on what she was supposed to be doing. The thing is, Nova Stellar has Ideas, and little self-control where it comes to making these ideas happen. Sometimes they're objectively good ideas, managing to fine-tune a machine's systems for better performance. But more often than not... well, they might still be good ideas, but they're also outlandish and impractical. She needs a LOT of supervision to make sure she doesn't do anything that someone else might regret.
Until the luminous idea was conceived to put Nova where she might do the most good, while having the least potential for harm. The spare parts section, full of weapons and materials that have been deemed irreparable and only good for stripping down to their base elements. She can't break anything that matters there, and she is free to tinker around as she pleases, the results of which... aren't always useful, but almost always surprising. She's even managed to prove that some things weren't as irreparable as people thought, and she was of course quick to remind them: that's what makes her a Miracle Worker!
This day, too, she can be found at what's pretty much become her personal workbench, right outside the storage area full of junk parts. Looking at what all she's got scattered around, she appears to have completely taken apart a standard Beam Rifle, and is in the midst of studying what she has to work with, rubbing her chin, appearing deep in thought. She either doesn't notice or doesn't care that there's a black residue all over her hand, which is now also all over her chin.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight York has been quite busy herself; lately, busy with the planning for and now the transit towards Palau, itself heading towards Earth. There's quite a bit to be concerned with there... But there's also the matter of taking enough time 'off' to be ready.
Checking in on her pilots isn't really taking off, but it's at least low-impact, so Eight has elected to handle this one herself rather than having Rezza do it. She at the moment in uniform steps towards Nova at her workbench, looking her over and considering what she has. A beam rifle of some kind...
"You seem to be hard at work," she comments.
"Mind if I have a seat?" She would rather sit down than stay standing, for some reason. "I wanted to talk."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Nova is definitely lost in thought about what she's working on, to the point where she doesn't notice Eight's approach at all. In fact, she still doesn't even when spoken to. And yet, she still responds, without turning her attention away from the parts scattered before her.
"Mm, nah, just considering what to do here. I think it might work if I just re-route the distributor. But what if I circumvent it instead. Just have it discharge the entire cap in one shot." It's less a response and more thinking out loud, chuckling at her own idea. "I bet that'd look pretty amazing. Wonder if it's powerful enough to blow the head right off of a--"
There it is, at last. The moment she realizes that someone's there, and that she was being spoken to. Instantly snapping out of her reverie, she whirls over to face Eight, trying to cover up her embarrassment as best she can. "O-oh, hi, I, I didn't notice you there! Just, you know, this is sort of my thing, the bread and butter of Miracle Working so to speak, it needs all of my attention!"
She pauses, needing a moment to go back in time to when Eight's words were spoken to remember the rest of them. "--oh, a seat, yeah sure, you can just, um... there's only these plastic fold-up ones around, I hope that's okay?" She indicates one just outside of her work area, the only other one nearby aside from her own, further back. Which she quickly goes to retrieve to bring it in better conversation distance, before sitting down herself.
Which finally brings her to processing the last of those words. "Wait, you wanted to talk? To me?" Is it really as surprising as she makes it sound?
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight is patient enough. What Naoko is considering is something she also thinks about for a moment. "That'd have to be one very good shot," she reflects on it. "...Though it sure would look like something."
She smiles as Nova whirls towards her. "It's not a problem. I'm glad you're doing well with it."
Eight sits down in one of the folding chairs, the one Nova brings over to her, and cannot entirely hide the relief of getting off her feet for the moment. If Nova looks really closely, Eight is kind of tired. No, fatigued might be the better word. She's in good spirits regardless.
"I wanted to check in on how you're doing. And I also wanted to check in with how you feel about the upcoming mission. Think you'll join us?"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
It's a classic Nova Stellar brand idea. It could work, it could even work very well. You'd just be bringing a weapon with a single shot. Would anybody really want to do that...? Still, Eight giving it even a little bit of positive consideration is enough for her to chime in proudly, "Right? A Miracle Shot with a Miracle Effect!" Fully committed to that bit, too.
Spotting Eight's fatigue is not that much of a challenge, since Naoko was looking for it. She's kind of expecting the captain of a ship this size would have to be fatigued pretty much all the time. This fits her colored assumptions a whole lot better than seeing Eight at HaroCon. This is part of the reason for her surprise in Eight taking time out to come talk to her. She may style herself as a Miracle Worker, but it's difficult to genuinely see herself as someone worth other people's valuable time. As for the other part of the reason...
Nova scratches her cheek, spreading more of that soot-like substance across her face. "...I see. And here I was thinking about how you'd react if I went up and told you I wanted to be there." The subject is not a surprise. How could it not be on everyone's mind? But Eight sure has her number, it seems... must have already guessed her plans, huh?
Leaning on the bench, Nova folds her hands, adopting a tone more befitting the seriousness of the situation. "As you've likely surmised, I can't just sit back when there's a threat of disaster like this. I have to do everything I can to stop it, so I have to be out there."
That moment lasts only briefly, as insecurity returns directly after, following a momentary aversion of her eyes. "Are you... okay with this? I mean, with all this, with me. I know I'm kind of, you know. Not exactly following the normal rules, for being on a ship like this."
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
It could work! ...But Eight wouldn't want to bring only such a weapon. Maybe in tandem with some others, though. She nods along--but doesn't dwell on it for the moment.
Eight is tired a lot of the time, but it's not just from being Captain. She doesn't bring that part up though. Instead, she notices Nova's... Ah. "Your face," she starts, and then pauses. "Hmmm. Well, that's a fair question."
Eight nods to Nova's statement. "I feel the same way," she says. "As do most of our pilots, I think."
"...So, one of my very best friends was attached to our mobile suit squadron back when we were Federation--as an irregular, a civilian. I let her do it... so it's only fair to let someone else do it sometimes, now that I'm calling the shots, isn't it?"
"You're helpful to us. As long as you follow chain of command in battle, it's fine. You've demonstrated so far that you're good in a fight and able to work with the team, so that's what I require."
She pauses, and then pulls a cloth. "...But you've got oil or something all over you. Here..." Eight is totally going to use the cloth to wipe at Nova's face. It's happening.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
To be fair, this was the only way it was ever going to happen. Naoko just looks puzzled at the 'your face', not even realizing what she's been doing. But, before that happens, storytime happens. It's not unexpected that there's a story there, and it's given all due attention. She would very much like to know the reason for why things have been allowed to go the way they have.
And that reason... gets a few blank blinks, before an astonished, "...That's it? That's the whole reason? Because 'it's fair' and 'I'm helpful'?" She's flat out astonished that this was apparently all it takes. And yet... it's come up in conversation with other members of the crew, and they didn't seem surprised at all. This really... is just what Eight York is like, isn't it?
While she's still trying to process how this makes her feel, a cloth is suddenly pressed to her face. And Naoko just... seems to blue-screen for a second, sitting there wide-eyed while the mess on her face is wiped off.
Then she abruptly scoots her seat waaaaay back, face no longer black, but very red instead. "Wh-wh-what the hell was that?? You can't... you can't just..." She can't manage to say anything else to Eight directly, casting her eyes downward. Her volume has dropped to a mumble, barely audible as she stammers, "N-no one has ever..." before clamming up.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
So it must be.
"That's it," Eight answers. "Besides; we are a military organization, but civilians can help us. So long as you're willing to follow the rules when it's necessary, it doesn't matter if you have an official rank." This is really just a restatement of what she already said, but it is just what Eight York is like. However... The blue-screen happens, because Eight wipes the mess off of Naoko's face and then she is--
"Ah, should I not have?" Eight asks. "...Sorry. Guess I'm going all in on this 'mom' thing a little soon." She smiles, but doesn't seem that apologetic. "I didn't have a mirror handy for you, though." She proffers the cloth. "It's on your arm, too."
No one's ever, huh?
...Hmmm.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
It's indeed something that Nova has been told before. The fact that she seems to need to hear it again could imply many things, but there's almost certainly a reason why she finds this so hard to believe. A reason that... she'll get to in a moment. Because there's this other moment, which has completely derailed her train of thought. It takes some time for her to slowly reach for the cloth, and wordlessly wipe at her arm, taking the moment to put her thoughts in order.
The 'mom thing'. Naoko's heard about it through the grapevine. She hasn't really known what to say about it, for reasons of... well, of what she just cut herself short saying. But, in light of this, actually hearing it was meant as a 'mom thing'. As much as she doesn't like to talk about it, she finds herself looking up to Eight, and decides to say it after all, in only a slightly higher volume than before.
"...I wouldn't know anything about that. No one has ever... treated me like a child."
There's a massive amount of regret behind those words. Plenty reason to infer that there was a time in Naoko's life where to just be treated like a child was all that she wanted. Because of that failing to happen, perhaps on some level that wish never truly faded.
Taking a deep breath, she tries her best to push those feelings to the back of her mind. "...Sorry. That's not... something you need to worry about. Instead..." It takes her another few moments before she can properly manage to switch the topic back to the previous matter. The matter of Eight's motivations, and her reasons for being so surprised by them.
"...I'm sorry, but I just don't understand. You're the captain of this ship, responsible for everyone's well-being. And yet, you're letting me get away with so much, without even asking questions. Not even... about 'them'."
By that, she could only mean those voices, her 'friends'. What she knows now to be something that's not typical even in the world of Newtypes. But in the end, what really bothers her is what she goes on to posit next, a little fire returning to her voice.
"What if I'm a spy? What if tomorrow I hijack the broadcast system and tell you there are 72 explosives scattered around the ship and you have one hour before they all go off?" ...That's awfully specific, but she's just trying to make a point. And that point is:
"Why would you put everyone else at risk, for the sake of someone like me?"
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"...Well, I'd do it for a friend too," she says, of treating her like a child. "The old saying is, never tell someone about their appearance that they couldn't fix in thirty seconds. Right?"
"...I'm sorry, though."
It's hard, to have never been treated that way. But instead, Nova seems so surprised, and...
Eight smiles at her. "It's true. I'm curious about 'them'. But you started off risking your life for us pretty soon after just being a 'guest'. You've done it more than once, now."
"...I trust my instincts," she says. "And my instincts tell me you're all right. And if my instincts are ever wrong..."
She pauses. "Well. My XO was watching you for a while, too. They always sort people out one way or another, trustable or not. And if they haven't told me anything's wrong with what you've been up to, then there's nothing to tell."
"One person matters, all the same. If we can't believe in people... Then we have no hope of changing the world."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
She doesn't say it, but it shows in Naoko's expression. 'That's something friends do?' If she knows as little about what friends are supposed to do as she does about what moms are supposed to do... that would help to explain much about this conversation. But whether that's indeed the case... she's confessed to enough for one day. Okay, she'll confess to one more thing. "...Never heard that saying before."
There are things that Nova understands better than most, however. And one of those things is... "Your instincts... huh." On some level, she realized that. That there was a reason why she felt that Eight was someone she could trust. Someone who shares her belief that instincts matter more than logic.
...And, who has someone who's stronger with the logic side of things cover that part, as it turns out. She can't help but laugh a little at her own expense. She was being watched, and she never even realized. Things are making a whole lot more sense already.
"Sounds to me like I underestimated you, Captain York!" she says jovially, actually addressing Eight by something else than her first name for once. Probably best not to get used to that.
She quiets down soon after, and gives a respectful nod at the final statement, agreeing, "Spoken like a true Miracle Worker." That's about the best compliment she can give. She looks pensive for a moment, and rubs her chin, only to immediately realize her mistake. She takes a moment to re-clean her face and actually also wipe her hands with the cloth this time.
"...I couldn't actually tell you much about my Friends if you asked. But, what I can say is... they don't mean any harm. They're just protective. Maybe, if I can convince them to trust you, I can introduce them to you properly later." She looks about briefly, before adding, "In private. I agree with them that it's best if they don't talk in public places."
Because it feels important, she adds, "I trust you, though. So, if there's something you do want to ask, I'll tell you honestly. However!" She raises a finger in caution. "I'm a firm believer in equivalent exchange, so if you do, I may ask you something in turn!"
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"It's a good saying!" Eight says. "If you tell someone something's wrong with her appearance that she can't fix, she'll just feel bad. There's no point." Thus the logic.
But her instincts.. and her allies. Eight smiles back at Nova. "Seems like. I've gotta keep up a lot of things if I want to keep up with a ship this big!"
A Miracle Worker... yes, that is a big compliment. Eight recognizes that, and will accept that--though she gives a lopsided kind of look as Nova re-dirties her face again. She takes care of it herself this time, though. And then she mentions... Hmm.
"That's probably for the best then," Eight says of public places. "But... Hmm. All right. Just let me know. They haven't done anything to harm the ship or the crew so far, so if they want to keep to themselves, I have no reason to stop them."
But Nova trusts her... "Hm. Then there is one question I have, at least--one that's important. You were on the run when we met. Is someone looking for you? Friend or foe--it might be important to know, if they track you down to here."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
"Huuuh." Naoko contemplates that one for a moment. Concerns about appearances are... not really something she's ever worried about. Maybe that's something she could stand to be more aware of. It feels like there's a lot of things she fails to consider, where it comes to dealing with other people. But, maybe that only stands to reason. It's just not been very relevant.
She shakes her head. "Don't know how you do it, honestly. That's the hardest thing for me to get used to, how much bigger my world is now." In terms of space, in terms of people, this is all... very new. Even if it may not have looked like she's had much trouble, given how quickly she seems to have adapted to her new circumstances.
She only gives a silent nod, in acknowledgement to the matter of her Friends. Bit of a difficult topic, for reasons beyond just the obvious ones. They'll get there, maybe next time. She's spoken of them once before. She can do it again, once she's ready.
The question, though... she's not sure what kind of question she expected, but it wasn't that one. There's surprise and worry in equal measure, Nova glancing around as if to make sure nobody's listening in. Then she scoots her seat back forward, to be as close as she was before, until Eight took the cloth to her face, placing that now thoroughly stained cloth down on the workbench.
"...Didn't think that's what you'd ask about. But I guess it makes sense." She scratches her cheek again. Thankfully her hands are clean now. "Unfortunately, there's not much I can tell you. That whole thing came pretty much out of nowhere for me." Shifting her tone, Nova quotes the words as she heard them: "'Get the machine out of there. People are coming, don't let them find...'" A helpless shrug. "That's all I heard Mother say, before the line was cut."
Even if that's all she knows regarding that, she can imagine this would lead to other questions, so she elaborates a bit more. "I don't... actually know much about my parents' jobs. Well, they're mechanical engineers, I mean that I don't know who they work for. I think they might be freelance? They travel a lot, so, I was usually home alone." Which probably helps to explain a few things. Averting her eyes, she adds in a softer voice, "I... kind of suspect they weren't working with very good people."
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
They are important to Eight! And she likes little things like that. But how she does it? "Hmm. I guess I'm just more open to a 'big' world. And I have a lot of help. I can't discount that part."
There are many questions Eight could've asked, meanwhile, but this one seems to be the most pertinent. So, whether it's expected or not...
"I see," Eight says. "So probably someone is... but we don't know who. They care about the machine, though." She considers. "Do you want to seek out your parents? To see what's going on there? I can't divert resources away from the current mission, but when we're not actively pursuing something else, the Alliance could help you look."
She considers though. Her parents...
"...My adoptive parents worked with some pretty bad people too," Eight answers. "But that doesn't mean they're bad, necessarily. ...But you wanted to ask something of me, too. What's up?"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
That's definitely something that Naoko wouldn't be able to deny. Her world being small was fine by her, she never actively sought to make it bigger. And... she didn't have any help. "Yeah, that's... kind of the opposite from me," is thus her conclusion.
For someone who's parents are missing, Nova seems fairly calm about that part, giving another helpless shrug. "Of course I would like to know what happened and where they are, but... I don't even have the slightest clue where to begin. I guess searching my house would make the most sense, but it also makes sense that they're expecting me to go back there, I can't do that."
And that's as far as it would be able to go, in her previous, small world. It's not as small anymore now though, is it? Tilting her head, she wonders out loud, "But, maybe someone else could...? Not right now, obviously," she adds quickly, "But if there's, y'know, any stealthy types around that could maybe sneak in..."
But that's for later worry. For the moment, she gives Eight a brief sympathetic glance, before being prompted for what she wanted to ask. "--Oh, right. Well, um... I suppose maybe that's related, to what you just said. When we first met, you said you worked hard to make your name yours. I don't know what that means, what's the story behind that?"
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"We can make that happen," Eight answers of searching Nova's house. "Not right now, as you say. But we do have people who are suited to that kind of mission, and they would be expecting you, not someone else. So sure--just remember it."
It's good enough for the moment, anyway. But that question...
Eight smiles again, but it's a more distant kind of smile, as she reaches up to brush some hair out of her face. "Well..."
"'Eight' wasn't originally a name; it was just a designation. When I was younger, I was part of a set of experiments meant to give people powers like a Newtype--psychic abilities, specifically the kind that are good in fights. When I was rescued from that... 'Eight' was the only name I had. But I decided to keep it. For the other seven who didn't make it. For... me, to remind myself of how far I'd come. For a lot of reasons."
"So it's mine now. Even if 'they' never meant for it to be."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
There is just the tiniest, briefest smile in response to Eight's promise to help find her parents. There is a lot on Naoko's mind right now, but knowing there's some hope in that area, that means a lot. Even if she doesn't show it very much outwardly, if her warm emotions are any indication, this is still important to her. "...Thank you. I won't forget."
That concern is soon deprioritized, as she receives the answer to her question. That one sends her mentally reeling - she'd heard a few bits and pieces here and there, but not enough to put together the full extent of the story. All she can manage in response is, "You were... a Cyber Newtype. I'm so sorry." She bows her head, not just sorry for what happened, but for asking about it, bringing the memories back to the surface. She doesn't know a great deal, but she's evidently familiar enough to realize the horrible nature of those experiments.
Not about to linger on that specific topic, she leans back in her chair, head tilted up as she lets out an exasperated sigh. "...Does everybody have stories like that? It feels like war has affected everybody in some horrible way or another." She lowers her head to look at Eight. "...Except me. I just lived quietly in that no-name village all my life. To me, war was just... something on TV, something that didn't feel like it affected me. Until now, of course."
And yet, in spite of that (or because of it?) she thought nothing of it to just jump into a robot and enter a war zone. It's not for nothing that she frequently wonders what is wrong with her, to say nothing of other people.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
Eight smiles back. She does want to help--and she also does think it might come up to bite them if they ignore it...
But the question and the answer get--"That's right," Eight answers of being a Cyber Newtype. "Thanks. But I've had a lot of time to get my life in order--to get a life of my own. Not everybody like me is that lucky."
Familiar enough...
"Mmm, maybe not everybody. But war affects people a lot. Some people are insulated more from it, like you mentioned. War's 'something on TV'. But I think it affects all of us whether we realize it or not."
"...But maybe, if we do well enough, more people will find it's 'just something on TV', instead of having to face it coming to their homes, too."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Even after all of that, Eight considers herself lucky. In light of that, the comments regarding her own lack of experience with consequences brought on by war can only make Naoko draw one conclusion.
"So you're saying... I was lucky." She frowns, unable to feel that her luck and Eight's are comparable in the slightest, but even if she can't feel okay with considering their situations equal, she can understand the following sentiment well enough.
"And... you want to make sure others can be that lucky, too...?"
With that, Nova smiles widely, making a fist. "That sounds like exactly the sort of thing a Miracle Worker can get behind. If there's anything you can do to help, you should do it!" She's got a whole list of Miracle Worker credos, but that's the one that she always comes back to in the end. Her actions aren't that hard to understand, keeping that in mind. Whether they're wise, that's another matter entirely.
<Pose Tracker> Eight York has posed.
"I don't know that much about your life," Eight admits. That's why she didn't actually say that. "...But if you didn't have to deal with war, that much at least is a good thing." Probably. More than likely, anyway.
She smiles back. "That's right," she says. "A Miracle Worker has a lot of work to do in a world like ours!"
Eight starts to rise from there, bringing herself on up with only a little effort for fatigue's sake. "...I should be getting on with things," she says. "But I'm glad you're up for the mission. Let's both do our best, right?"