2023-05-02: Phoenix and Songbird
- Cast: Rita Bernal, Alouette Pommier
- Where: Fujinomiya City - Photon Power Research Lab
- Date: U.C. 0097 05 02
- Summary: A meeting with the 'Phoenix' under very different circumstances, Alouette attempts to understand who Rita even is, and why she fights the way she does, while also affirming her own reasons for staying on the course she's on.
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Repairs continue on the Phenex Gundam. The Psychoframe glimmers in a nearly-healed state, almost perfect enough for the spirit within the Phenex to reach her full power again. She could do so now, if she had to, but when a few more days would lessen the risk of destroying her partner... She's decided to be cautious.
Still, every day grants the remnant of Rita Bernal more strength, and allows her to spend more time utilizing the hard-light avatar Koji Kabuto created for her. She's spent time playing video games with LiSA and Shiro, doodled using a sand-art station, and spent a lot of time listening to music.
Disconnected from her greater self, Rita cannot see the future beyond what she saw before the battle at Palau. It's made each day at the Photon Power Labs a true novelty. Today promises to be another unique experience -- Koji has arranged for another visitor. "Alouette Pommier", who Rita knows of from the Phoenix Hunt.
Why does Alouette want to meet her? Is she after the Phenex again? Surely Koji wouldn't allow someone in with an ulterior motive. Rita hums to herself, twirling halfheartedly in a spinning office chair.
Today, she's chosen to "dress" herself (really, projecting the data of a dress catalogue Kaworu gave her over her avatar) in a one-shoulder piece. It's white near her shoulder, and fades to a deep blue by the skirt's hem. As ever, she bears no shoes or accessories, but -- intense scarring can be seen across Rita's exposed skin. Surgical scars cross and crisscross nearly every open area. Golden hair falls down just past her shoulders, and manages to disguise the worst of the scarring -- lining her head and the back of her neck.
Rita can feel Alouette's soul as she approaches, familiar from their meeting in space. She doesn't stand to greet the other woman until the door opens, trying to be polite. Maybe they can be friends!
"Hello! You're Alouette, right?" A sweet smile. "My name is Rita Bernal. My partner is the Phenex," Rita gestures to the golden Gundam laying on the hangar floor. "And... I'm happy to meet you!"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
GGG and the Photon Power Labs have been closely acquainted since the days of the Primeval War and Gryps Conflict; although much of 3G's staff have changed since those days, they still exchange information no less.
So when Alouette found out the 'Phoenix' was staying at the PPL... she was interested. An opportunity to understand her, without worrying about the motives of Michele Luio... and worse, the Vist Foundation.
Alouette arrives, wearing her rather stylish uniform, red Operator's vest overlying a blue dress lined with gold, bearing the insignia of 3G Blue. The Photon Power Labs really have outdone themselves, she thinks, as she eyes the way Rita's able to project herself in an avatar of Photon Power.
Still, she approaches the hologram with a hint of hesistancy... she's not sure how Rita will take their meeting, with 3G having been involved in the attempt to capture her. Her nerves are eased a little when she's greeted with that warm smile, and she attempts to return the gesture. "That's right, Alouette Pommier. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rita." She takes a moment to study her look in more detail. She sees the scars, of course.. but she doesn't comment on them. "Such an elegant dress... that shade of blue is really nice." She says instead - she's still a teenage girl with an eye for fashion, of course.
But she hasn't forgotten why she's come to visit, the condition Rita's in makes it hard to. "You and your partner were injured fighting one of the Ruin Apostles, weren't you?" She glances over to the Gundam, her corporeal form. "If only we could've purified him in time.. you wouldn't have to go through this." She frowns - remembering the crushing defeat they faced in Char's first re-appearance. "I don't really understand why you fight.. but some thanks are in order for your help." In that sense, she's a little like the Betterman ensemble.
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Rita's green eyes light up with delight at the sight of Alouette's outfit. She brings her hands together in front of her mouth, bouncing slightly. "Oh! You look so stylish, wow! I wish my uniforms had been like this when I was alive!"
The Titans had no sense of fashion, nor did the Institute, or the Federation... Really, it seems like "science crime" and "fashion" are mutually incompatible.
Genuine friendliness shines from the hard-light avatar. Rita laughs and blushes at the compliment to her dress, spinning in place as if to show off.
Within the Phenex's cockpit is another entity. Perhaps Alouette will feel her, perhaps not. She doesn't move, or make an effort to communicate. All that could possibly be sensed is the presence and the sensation of watching. There is no malice, or curiosity, just... soft wariness.
But perhaps the entity within the cockpit will go entirely unnoticed. Rita doesn't seem eager to draw any attention to her.
"Thank you so much! I hope it looks nice, this avatar can only see in shades of red and purple." Rita seems to notice Alouette's nervousness, and smiles softly. "There's some chairs over here. Let's sit and talk. I don't blame your group for chasing me. It's what had to happen."
Even if things... went a little out of control.
Rita sits, leaving a variety of chairs and positions for Alouette to choose from. There's even a beanbag, curiously enough. It seems someone has picked a hole in it and pulled some 'beans' out.
"I never got to choose what I wore when I was alive." Rita starts, seemingly jumping back to a safer topic. "I always wanted to wear a dress. A friend of mine brought me data for hundreds of dresses, so I've been having fun pretending."
She looks back up to Alouette, something gentling the look in her eyes. "This time at the PPL is something I never foresaw. It's been like a dream. Listening to music, talking to people while they're awake, even getting to dress up. I'm very grateful."
"You're a kind person, aren't you?" Rita tilts her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she smiles. "Even after we caused you so much trouble, you're worried about us. Thank you, Alouette. The fact that you're here at all means Koji trusts you quite a bit."
Rita closes her eyes briefly, then nods to herself, opening them again. A decision has been made.
"I have extremely powerful future vision -- or my real self does. This version of myself is just a psychic echo. But don't worry, she'll be back once the psychoframe is fixed!" Rita smiles, as if that explains everything. "I foresaw the events at Palau, and warned as many people as I could. But things... didn't go the way I saw them. Three monsters appeared."
Rita looks troubled. "So I burned the half of my soul that resided in the Phenex as fuel for the Phenex's NT-D to fight the three of them, and perform a Miracle to slow down the asteroid's fall."
"But it came with a cost. Without an active pilot, the Phenex couldn't fly, and so she fell to earth. It hurt her quite a bit." She looks over to the Gundam, eyebrows drawing together in distress. "But that isn't your fault, Alouette. It was what had to happen. Nothing matters more than preserving the path."
Why does Rita fight? She blinks, then smiles again, somberly.
"Bad things are coming. Scary things, too. I foresaw it when I was very small, and I foresaw the one way to save the Earthsphere. I waited for eighteen years." Rita's voice is so soft. "And then it was time. It won't be long now, only a few months. That's why I fight. I'm trying to save everyone I can until then."
Rita is quiet for a moment. "Why do you fight, Alouette?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
The first thing Rita does is complement her uniform, which Alouette responds with a smile and a giggle. "It's true, 3G seemed to master the stylish uniforms thing before everyone else, even if they're hardly well, uniform. Chief Taiga truly was a man ahead of his time." She grins. "Although... I made a number of heavy modifications myself." She tugs at the ribbon on her back for a moment. "For example.. I always used to wear a big blue ribbon when I was little.. I thought it'd be pretty cute if it was a part of my uniform."
Alouette does feel that faint tug at her psyche, coming from the Phenex Gundam. She accepted that it was a separate entity from Rita Bernal.. but she can't place what it might be. Not a Super AI, at least Mic and Volfogg didn't think so. Still, it's easy enough to move on to talking about dresses, even if Rita might catch her glancing at the Phenex.
"I think they really suit you," She nods. "It's a shame you weren't allowed to. I think everyone deserves to be able to express themselves... so I'm glad you're able to while you're here."
Alouette, perhaps unpredictably, takes the beanbag! She likes being comfy. "Out of all the places you could've crash-landed.. this is among the best possibilities." Alouette agrees. "Music? What kinds have you been listening too? I actually just went to Ranka Lee's debut concert with some friends recently... she's very talented." She pauses for a few seconds before adding. "One day, I'd like to be able to sing like that too. An 'alouette' is a songbird after all."
"I don't know..." She admits, when Rita calls her a kind person. "If anything, it's Guy who Doctor Kabuto trusts." But if she can be even half the person that he and Mikoto are... "Still, I'm glad you think so. It's only right to worry."
Rita explains the events of Palau - the way they didn't go as expected. Alouette cups her finger on her cheek. "I see... that's quite the sacrifice, Rita. Hopefully, once we defeat Triple Zero, you'll never have to do such a thing ever again." She hopes - no, she promises.
"So that's the burden you carry," Alouette remarks, when Rita explains how far she can see into the future, and what she must do to save it. Deep down, she's not sure if she believes there's truly only one way. But something else comes to mind. "But what about after?" She asks. "Once your mission is over, what do you plan to do?" In her mind, that's the more important thing than the fighting itself. "What kind of world do you envision saving?"
When she's asked why she fights, Alouette smiles softly. "It's a pretty selfish reason. Among the Ruin Apostles are many people I love. Who are like family. They were the ones who gave me a life outside of BioNet's experimentation." She explains, and as a former subject herself, Rita might understand.
"They're fighting for a cause that's been imposed upon them. Even if it's the will of the universe, I don't care. I... want to save them in return so we can be reunited again." She concludes resolutely.
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
Rita giggles when Alouette does, oooh-ing over the blue bow. "That's so sweet! I think it suits you perfectly. It's funny to think a child could pick an accessory that would become a lifelong companion. You must've been very insightful, even then."
"I think so too." Rita says, a little sadly. "Self-expression is a gift, but it should be a right."
Rita blinks in surprise as Alouette flops down into the beanbag, then laughs, beaming. "That thing is fun, isn't it? LiSA brought it in for me. Everyone here has been so kind to me. They didn't have to take me in, or fix the Phenex. Really, they're putting themselves in danger by doing so." Rita smooths her skirt again. "I didn't think people like this were real, besides my sisters."
"Oh, Ranka Lee's concert!" Rita nods, looking to a switched-off radio on a nearby table. "Her songs have been on constantly! That explains it. I like her a lot, but nobody beats Sheryl." Rita giggles. "She's my favorite."
An alouette is a songbird? Green eyes light up, and Rita practically launches herself off her chair to flop into the beanbag as well (thankfully, it's rather large), grabbing one of Alouette's hands in both of her own. "Then we're the same!"
"I always wanted to be a bird!" Rita's practically glowing with delight. "And you've gotten to be one as long as you've had your name! I'm so jealous, Alouette! I'm sure you'll be able to sing beautifully, just like every bird."
Rita nods to Alouette, then, accepting her words on Rita's sacrifice. "The light of dawn obscures my vision. It's difficult to 'see' when someone corrupted with it is present. But I believe in you, and your team. I'm certain you'll save them."
"Once it's over..." Rita looks down, pulling her legs a bit closer to her body. "The world of the living belongs to the living. Once I've played my part, it's time for me to go. I'll take the Phenex and head deep into the solar system. There's so many beautiful things to see!"
Rita doesn't... look very happy about this. Her face is neutral, with something akin to doubt in her eyes.
Slight, pale hands come together in front of Rita's chest, clasping. "I'm not fighting for the world, but the future! Someday, everyone will ascend and no longer need physical bodies. We'll be able to communicate without hurting one another, and understand each other perfectly!"
"All I have to do is make sure we stay on the path to that future. And that means stopping the monster." Rita wears an expression of faith and devotion, eyes sparkling with her belief in this ideal. "Just to save the Earthsphere, and then wait..."
But Alouette speaks of the reason she fights, and Rita wakes from her fervor, listening seriously to the other young woman. "How is that selfish? You're fighting to save the people you love most. That's just like m--"
Rita cuts herself off, eyes darting away.
"I think that's the most noble reason anyone could fight. It's beautiful, Alouette. And I know you can do it! Soon they'll be back by your side, free and thankful."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Blue's always been my favourite colour," Alouette nods. "And ribbons are both elegant and cute at the same time." She smiles. "Although... people say I look pretty stunning in red too." There's another giggle there.
Alouette makes herself comfortable on the beanbag and looks up Rita's way, smoothing out her own dress. "You would be surprised by the capacity for kindness this world has." She replies, with a smile. "I was too..."
"Her songs are already on the radio, huh? She really made it big fast." She looks attentive when Rita talks about music. "Gosh, ever since the concert, Interstellar Flight's been stuck in my head non-stop..." But if she looked attentive before, she practically lights up at the mention of Sheryl Nome. "She's amazing! We've actually met a few times. It's a really long story, but I helped with the production of 'Obelisks music video. The song was written for a good friend of mine."
Alouette is very caught on guard when Rita dives into the beanbag to grab her hand, eyes widening in surprise. "Ah...!" She straightens herself out then, leaving Rita's hands in hers, with a smile. "Birds of a feather then, right?" She won't resist the opportunity to make a pun.
"Hey, have you heard of the French song 'Gentille Alouette'? It's about a hunter who keeps plucking every part of the bird. But larks are pretty tenacious, you know." She keeps Rita's words to heart. "I hope you'll be able to fly like a bird one day, too."
The fact that the light of dawn, of Triple Zero, has the power to obscure Rita's vision is an interesting point of data in its own right. "That must be because... Triple Zero opposes the future of this universe." She considers. "But we won't let them become heralds of their own end."
"I suppose that's fair..." Alouette nods, when Rita explains she'll leave once her part is played. "The Solar System is such a vast place I doubt you'll ever get bored... but I don't think there's anything wrong with coming back to visit now and again, is there?" Somehow she senses that Rita's made her decision, even if she's not happy about it. "And from then on, the future is totally uncertain. Isn't that exciting?"
Alouette clasps her hands together as Rita explains the future she's fighting for. "It almost sounds like... a future where everyone becomes Evoluders." That is, the evolved form of human that Guy and Mikoto became through union with the G-Stone. It might say something about her that she came up with this word before 'Newtype'.
"You might be right... love is not a bad motivation." Alouette nods. "And you too? That makes sense... I think everyone fights for the people they love deep down. Who are you fighting for, really, Rita?"
<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.
"I always liked bold colors the most." Rita smiles. "I can only see it as purple right now, but it still looks really nice!"
Rita's eyes are soft and faraway as Alouette speaks of her surprise at the world's kindness. "That's a very hopeful outlook. You've seen a lot of the things I have, haven't you? After BioNet. For me, it was the Titans. Then the Institute for Continuing Study, then the Federation."
And then Rita died. But that seems too sad to mention, even if it's the obvious conclusion.
"Your family, your friends." Rita's hands squeeze Alouette's. "You're blessed to have them close, or at least some of them. I hope you never take it for granted or lose any more than you have."
It sounds like a prayer, almost. If Rita knew what praying was, perhaps it would be.
The conversation turns to music, and Rita brightens, nodding. "Yes! I've been trying to memorize each song I hear, so when I go, I'll be able to keep them with me. I like Interstellar Flight a lot too!" Rita hums the song briefly, then laughs. "Woah, no way. You know Sheryl? What is she like?" Rita tilts her head. "What's a music video?"
"Birds of a feather." Rita replies, sweetly. "I'll come if you call me, if you're in danger. I haven't heard that song, but it sounds kind of horrible, doesn't it? Plucking a bird, it must hurt."
There's a shimmering of light from the Psychoframe, accompanied by a laugh from Rita. "Don't worry, Alouette. The Phenex is my body now. We fly together always. As soon as she's repaired, no one will ever stop us again."
"Is that why they exist? I've never been able to figure it out." Rita says, of Triple Zero. "I thought they were just bad, but then Amuro Ray appeared... That didn't make sense to me. I guess that makes us enemies, since I fight for our future."
Rita's face darkens. "I won't let them make it all for nothing."
"Alouette, I don't think you understand." She says, quietly. "I've done horrible things to preserve the path. I've let the people I love most suffering nightmarish fates. They won't want me here. And they deserve to be able to live. I'll be just fine. Someday, everyone will join me!"
"I'm not sure I like having the future be uncertain. It's scary." Rita's eyes are drawn toward the Phenex. "And it hurt my partner. If I had been able to see properly, we would both be okay."
Rita keeps her gaze on the Gundam, but tilts her head. "Evoluders? I haven't heard of that before. Is that like a Newtype? I'm not sure any other type of thing matters but becoming a Newtype..."
Who is she fighting for?
With surprise clear on her face, Rita turns back to Alouette. In that moment, a necklace shimmers into existence around her neck -- a simple silver chain trailing down to a diamond shape. It's uneven, pieces are clearly missing on either side. Rita brings a hand up to touch it.
"Yes. Jona and Michele." Rita closes her eyes. "My friends. We were always together. I've changed things, changed what I saw in my visions. Trying to save them. If I didn't..." She shakes her head. "But it's led to so much going wrong. More than I can fix. I have to -- I have to connect with my greater self. I have to find the path again, I have to make this right."
BBSYS: Post 870, 'Staff Adjustment' has been published to Announcements by Tem Ray Circuit.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"I've started to see the value in bold colours lately. Sometimes it isn't so bad to stand out, I suppose..." She affirms.
"It's likely, unfortunately." Alouette nods sadly. "The irony of it all is that I actually suffered amnesia until a year and half ago, or so." She shakes her head. "But now that my memories are back, I can't possibly forget. Still... it's better that way."
She listens as Rita recounts her own history. It's similar... but her story comes from the corruption within the Federation. "I'm just sorry those kindnesses came too late for you, Rita."
She lets Rita's hands squeeze as she really takes in her words. "You're right. And it's not just them either... I've made so many more. I'm even lucky enough to have a girlfriend. I'll keep them all close."
Alouette smiles when Rita hums Interstellar Flight's lyrics, and then that grin grows wider at her shock of knowing Sheryl. "She's amazing, honestly. Sassy, sharp-witted, of course. But really nice, too." She kinda ends up gushing a little. "...And hot. Anyways! A music video is a recording of the song, usually accompanied by visuals, uploaded to the Internet. You can buy them, but they're usually available for streaming too. You can see my name in the credits for 'Obelisks!" She explains. "Oh no, don't tell me I need to explain the Internet too..." She mock-groans, with a laugh.
"It is pretty horrible." She nods. "But I've grown a lot stronger since then. I know how to fight for myself, even if they pluck at me. I'll keep your offer in mind.. but I'm sure there's much you need to attend to."
"It's a lot," she starts about Triple Zero. "It's the energy born from a dying universe, that brings about the Big Crunch into the Big Bang of the next universe. People who expose too long to it start to believe in its principles." She continues grimly. "Namely that our reliance on miracles and technology is prolonging the expiration date of our universe... and they need to put an end to it."
"It'll be okay, though." She assures Rita. "It's not their fault. We're going to purify them all, no matter what."
Alouette frowns sharply when Rita explains she's done horrible things. "I won't approve of whatever you've done. But there's no courage in running away from it all, either." Alouette challenges, but her tone remains unchanged. "I can't change your mind, of course. But if you can do all that.. I think you have the capacity to change for the better, too."
"You're not wrong. If you can't see the future, you're a lot more likely to get hurt. Your risks might not pay off." She nods, looking closely in Rita's photon powered eye. "But you never would have found yourself here, would you? Never would have experienced their kindness. As it turns out, it gets lonely when you predict everything perfectly, and stay on a singular path. I made that mistake too."
Alouette glances at the necklace, hears those names, and then immediately jolts upwards. "Wait - Michele? You mean... that Luio lady who was after the Phenex?" She asks, incredulously. "Now that I think about it, it does put a lot of her unsavory actions into context."
"If you care about the two of them, and they care about you, I know you will be happily reunited one day. Even if you can't foresee that. Please don't forget that, Rita."