2023-05-18: .opportune salvatioN
- Cutscene: .opportune salvatioN
- Cast: Yuliana Kafim
- Where: Celestial Being Safehouse
- Date: 2023-05-18
- Summary: After setting Zoltan up in a Celestial Being safehouse, Yuliana rings her wife to tell her what happened at Metis -- and initialise something terrible, while everyone's recovering from that tragedy.
Yuliana delivers Zoltan Akkanen safely -- and securely -- to one of Celestial Being's many safehouses, dotted about the globe. Give her some credit: she sees to his needs, in the process. Food, water, warmth, entertainment. No phone call, and she wouldn't contact his lawyer even if he had one, but she does arrange for another agent to come by and keep an eye on him. She can't stay to keep him in place, of course, because...
Outside of the room, she leans against a wall, pulling out a phone. In her normal suit as she is, it's plainly clear that she's something more or less than human; her tendrils have been fitted with their own containment and gloves, and there's no real place to hide them. She'll be gone before her associate arrives to notice them, at least, and really -- who would believe Zoltan?
She knows the number by heart; she presses the buttons, and lifts the phone to her ear. "Zhenushka," she greets her wife, warmly, and a smile finally crosses her face again. With a glance aside, she elects to switch to speaking Zaftran entirely. An abundance of caution, you know. "It's me. Yes, yes, I'm all right... I got out fine," she assures the woman on the other end, gently. Exasperation enters her voice, as she explains: "The Sleeves put a hole in the side of the colony, can you believe that? Fucking Sleeves... making me feel bad for some lousy Spacenoids!" It really pisses her off. But... they were just college kids, out there, barely starting out their lives. Only students -- and civilians, by and large.
Even she has standards. A couple of them, anyway.
"Yeah," she grouses, "it's not fair at all. Anyway," and names, at least, are the same in any language, "Luio got Ritechka, so now all I have to do is take her..." A glance back, and she adds: "I brought this reject back with me, in case Ritechka escapes and comes looking for him. Haa... you know, the Banshee's pilot even fought back, for a moment, though the whole thing was wretchedly short-lived..." She pauses, for a moment, and adds: "Yes. Yes, I do think so, really."
Yuliana sighs, sinking in against the wall. "But... you were right," she says, brushing her bangs behind her ears. (And not her frills; she's put those down, at least. No need to show Zoltan everything.) She's a shade quieter, thinking of it. "We had to crack a lot of eggs to get it done... but it's done. Without Jona, she's as good as ours." Michele has Rita -- which means it's only a matter of time before Yuliana has Rita. It hasn't escaped her that Michele always needs someone else to fight, for her. Now Jona's distracted with Neo Zeong II...
But Jona's not the only one, distracted.
"Say," Yuliana starts, with a thoughtful expression, "I was thinking... everyone's hurting, after this." She's part of 'everyone.' Anyway. "They'll be licking their wounds, they're distracted... darling, I don't know when we'll get a better opportunity."
She smiles, and her gaze lids, entirely too sly.
"Yes. Let's save them all."