2023-05-23: 0097 Sect 0: Test Array - DECLASSIFIED
- Log: 2023-05-23- 0097 Sect 0 Test Array
- Cast: Akane Shinjo (designation Aumerei), Rikka Takarada (designation Treasure Chest), Leina Ashta (designation Puru-1), Alexis Kerib, Dr. Murasame, Alberto Vist
- Where: Vist Foundation Atmospheric Supercarrier "Garuda"
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-05-23~0097-05-26
- Summary: There's nothing to worry about. This is simply a basic test array.
Dr. Murasame and the Vist Foundation explore the possibility within Repli-Compoids, in pursuit of a new support pilot for Puru-1. Their captives -- Akane Shinjo and Rikka Takarada, picked up from their road trip through eastern Britannia -- do their best to resist, but Dr. Murasame has received extensive briefing on both of them, their relationship, and their unique natures from the mysterious alien Alexis Kerib. Despite her seeming concerns with the experiments being conducted on Repli-Compoid 00 "Treasure Chest" and Omnisphere Kaiju 00 "Aumerei," Puru-1 continues to comply with Dr. Murasame and the Vist Foundation's requests for support during testing.
Bit by bit, resistance wears down. Eventually, "Aumerei" and "Treasure Chest" decide which parts of themselves they can expect to save, in this place that Light does not reach.
- CW: Brainwashing, traumatic flashbacks, simulated murder, torture, starvation as torture technique, sleep deprivation as torture technique, guardian-ward abuse
<Pose Tracker> ????? has posed.
The panoramic cockpit interface offers absolutely no stimulation. All emergency cushions have been activated, and everything else deactivated; 'Treasure Chest' finds herself floating in a dark void. The anger-tinged chemical fugue is lifting, but there's nothing to latch onto in this darkness; she can't even move, though at the same time it doesn't feel like she's at all restrained. There's just... nothing, no sense of the world, no sense of anything but herself.
The total darkness itself seems strange -- this space was filled with light and sound a moment ago (... it was just a moment ago?), and before that she'd been on a battlefield -- all anger and fear and terror, worse than against any kaiju. And grueling, besides -- demanding endlessly from her for what had to have been an hour.
"There's no need to concern yourself with removal from the reflex testing device," she's told -- is that why she can't move? She doesn't need to? -- but moments ago it had been not a 'reflex testing device' but the cockpit of a mobile suit, beset on all sides by an MS wing with only its remotes to defend itself. At the same time, it feels like what's being said has been said so many times before, that... maybe it is true?
"Your ongoing compliance with testing is satisfactory, Treasure Chest." There is the faintest hissing noise, as something disengages; the air around her feels cooler.
(A hose -- previously attached to the helmet of her normal suit -- now hangs limply between the emergency cushions. A thin grey wisp escapes it in the near-total darkness. It's not in her field of vision -- but for those being made to observe the tests, it's plain as day.)
"You haven't left the hangar, Treasure Chest. There's never been any need. This has been a basic reflex test and nothing more," she's reminded again, when moments before the threat had felt so deeply real. "If your mind wanders to combat in the event you're given spare time, perhaps there is something cruel about your new world you need to confront."
A moment passes. "However, rest assured, we maintain control of the situation. So long as we maintain control of the situation, circumstances will remain peaceful for you and Akane Shinjo. If your aggression remains, you can support Puru-1 as she helps you find more productive outlets. Regardless, thank you for your ongoing compliance, Treasure Chest."
It feels like the twelfth time she's been walked through this... maybe her sense of the past and the future is just off? Everything feels like such a blur... when was the last time she was permitted to eat, or even move around without someone else's direction? (There's a vague sensation of having been praised for such restraint and self-denial, though. Perhaps she ought to take pride in having made it this far with so little.)
The mobile suit does nothing quite so much as disgorge her as the cockpit hatch and emergency cushions all disengage in a precise order. She's given little time to orient herself, landing on her knees on the catwalk as technicians crowd her, providing... a context for the last several hours, certainly.
When Rikka's returned to the observation room, ten or twenty minutes of very enthusiastic reminders of both the 'true nature' of the test and of her excellent performance later, Akane remains at the console she'd been parked at and stubbornly disallowed from leaving. By this point, she, Puru-1, and Rikka have the room to themselves; Dr. Murasame has to work on designing the next battery of experiments based on the readings gained here.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Rikka," Akane starts, weakly. "Are you..." She doesn't even know how to say it. 'Okay' is a stupid question; 'still you' is a terrifying question. Her eyes are still puffy from crying, wide-eyed and haunted; her left hand wraps around her armrest, tapping frantically. Lilac hair -- a reversion, since the start of the 'test' -- hides her face like an armored curtain. Breathing in and out as she tries to find the words, she opens her mouth --
-- and then what she wants to say comes out at Puru-1, instead. "Take us back to our room!" she shouts, unable to keep the anger and misery out of her voice. Her teeth grit for a moment before she speaks again. "Your stupid test is over, right?! Just let us go! You can't be okay with them doing this!" Intellectually, she knows that the Banshee's pilot has no more control over this than either of them, but... if she tries to bottle this up any longer, it's going to kill her.
She puts her arms out onto the console in front of her, then plants her head in them. After a few moments, she tilts it to the side a bit, desperate to keep one eye on Rikka but unable to keep both on the world anymore.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
In the darkness, her mind swims. She's still panting from exertion, the overwhelming emotions of battle still tearing at her heart. What happens now...? Is this it? Is she -
As her mind reels, she hears a voice. A 'reflex testing device'. ...This was a test? She never left the hangar. The voice reassures her, reminds her of that which is true. 'Treasure Chest'... the voice keeps saying that. It's so hard to think or recall anything right now... Is that her? It must be... It sounds familiar. It all sounds familiar. And, Akane... They promise things will be peaceful for her.
Darkness, finally, gives way to light. Treasure Chest drops onto the catwalk, body still trembling and still gasping for breath. Her eyes are red from where she'd broken out into tears halfway through testing, cheeks still stained. Technicians begin to crowd her and her body tenses reflexively with her breath caught in her throat, her eyes going wide and her expression wild as she looks around like a cornered beast - but reassurance and praise both, gradually, get her to lower her guard and relax.
It was... just a basic reflex test. Why did she get so worked up about it...? Maybe there really is something to what they said about her.
And then, finally. She's lead back. Back to her. Treasure Chest's expression visibly brightens when she spots Akane - and then drops a moment later, as she realises she's been crying, concern crossing her face. Her stance becomes awkward for a moment, as if she's found herself unsure of what to do with herself, and ultimately she elects to continue to stand there. It takes her a second to register that the 'Rikka' she's speaking to must also be her, when Puru-1 doesn't respond to it.
"I'm okay." Treasure Chest reassures, managing a small smile for her. "It was just a basic reflex test."
She says it like she's reading it off a script - because ultimately she is, subconsciously repeating the same reassurance she's heard so many times by now.
Akane shouts at Puru-1, then, and Treasure Chest shakes her head.
"It's okay. I'm okay." She lies.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Puru-1, still wearing the flight suit of the Banshee, shaded faceplate in front of her eyes only stops for a moment as Akane calls out to her. There's the smallest, most insignificant turn of her neck, as if she were looking at her. Then, the helmet her normal suit faces back forward, and she starts to walk onward.
Rikka and Akane are given a few precious moments, whereupon Rikka states she's okay. When suddenly the loudspeaker overhead blares with the voice of the Good Doctor, "Puru-1, stop." And stop she does, immediately. "Aumerei is correct. I find your display of empathy for your fellows to be insufficient. Correction is in order within your training regimen if you are going to continue to be of use to us."
It's only now that Puru-1's eyes slide up towards the closest loudspeaker apparatus, "For inflicting such distress, we will begin your REST session imminently. Report to the adjacent room immediately." Akane might catch the small tremor through both of the pilot's arms, before she turns, and enters into the adjacent lab area of the Garuda.
It's over.
Or is it?
A monitor flickers on, and both of them will see Puru-1 undressing, save that her image is a watercolor of thermal imaging blurs of reds and oranges and yellows, clothing and hair cooler and softer colors. Features indistinct at this distant and at this angle. Still, they will see the flight suit fall to the floor, as well as a helmet, her underwear and sports bra in a sheen of blues and greens fast following, as the areas they cover become like the rest of her in such warm colors.
Out of a line of blue blurs of lockers, a shifting blue-green watercolor of fabric is slid on up her legs, before it encases her torso, and the straps are slid upon each shoulder. They'll see her grab something from the locker, invisible to their eyes, her hands moving it to place them on each limb, chest, then head. A blur of even cooler blue is raised, then placed on her head, as she turns and walks out of the locker room.
"My sincerest apologies, Aumerei, Treasure Chest. Puru-1 is unused to being in the company of other residents of this facility. Going forward, every participant within our studies will be required to play a part in the debriefing process. As such Puru-1's behavior towards you, Aumerei, was unacceptable."
A dome like surface that seems painted in the coolest of blues begins to retract, sliding open. "We will thus allow you to lend a hand with the correction process to be certain that her behavior is to your satisfaction going forward. You will find monitoring equipment for Puru-1's vital signs and brain wave activity within the console. I have been informed by my staff that you are quite well trained for this kind of operation."
Once the dome is fully slid open, he simply states, "Puru-1, enter the tank, and begin the test." The pair will see Puru-1 immediately step inside. There is a pale scattering of what can be presumed to be water, as her body vanishes briefly, before levelling off and the view begins to transition from red and orange to just orange... and yellow. The dome starts to close, and the camera view transitions inside.
Her vital signs begin to be displayed in real time along with the waveform. A timer clicks on.
08:59:47
"The comm is on the bottom left. Please inform us immediately if you notice any irregularities within her vital signs or brain activity."
The comm clicks off, giving her no opportunity to ask questions. Soon enough, Akane will notice other things, like sub timers that are much shorter.
There's also a touchpad button which is marked with two words 'Stimulation Protocol.'
Within the first few hours, Puru-1's infrared color goes from orange to predominantly yellow. She's laying so still in there, though one if watching closely enough might swear they see chest rise and fall. The vital sign numbers on the monitor dip just enough to indicate that she's likely, asleep.
By the subtle artifact tremor in the waveform, she's almost certainly shivering.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
'It was just a basic reflex test.'
Akane feels ice run through her veins. She knows what she saw. The tapping and twitching stops -- because Akane moves her hands to her thighs and digs her fingernails in. She opens her mouth to speak again, and then --
Her gaze snaps up to the loudspeaker with crisp, almost inhuman precision as it begins its report. Dr. Murasame is chastising -- Puru-1? Because Akane lashed out at her? Akane feels like someone tied a rock to her stomach and then threw it off a bridge. She opens her mouth to protest, as Puru-1 is...
... Akane can fill in the blanks. She notices that tremor. This is indeed a punishment -- on her say-so.
Maybe she hasn't grown as much as she thought. Maybe she just... convinced herself she was a better person, when part of her is always going to be the same insincere, crappy, thoughtless God she was.
Dr. Murasame asks her to participate, and the twin urges to comply until they're out of the situation and lash out have to go to war for a moment. She thinks about it long and hard. There's risks in saying no -- for her and for Rikka. More than that, though...
... there's information to gain here, isn't there? It's going to be miserable. But nine hours of this -- nine hours to monitor Puru-1, to get a sense of what's been done to her, what's still being done to her. If the circumstances weren't harrowing, this is the kind of data Swan or Kamuy would kill to have later when they have to untangle it.
Akane sits up. She can do this. She'll... watch -- she can do that. She'll commit the whole process to memory. When they're out of this, she'll recount it to 3G. Right now, she has to be strong for --
No. She has to be strong in the way other people were strong for her.
For Rikka.
For Puru-1.
Settling in at the console, Akane pleads, "Rikka -- sit with me?" She can't do this alone, but with her... (She knows eventually she'll have to. No doubt going along with this means she'll be at the same console the next time they decide to do something to her, too.)
It takes her a moment to find anything to say. "Keep your voice down. Microphone pickup can't be that good or they'd hear the ship rattling before they ever heard us," she starts. "I was going to ask you a few questions, but... I think I kinda know where your head's at." Rikka's never been that arrested with her... and something in the back of her brain tells her just where things are, right now. Call it intuition.
"Your name is Rikka Takarada. You were born in Tsutsujidai. You're not 'Treasure Chest.' It's a stupid pun on your family name. They're -- trying to make you think like you're not a person." Swallowing hard, Akane concedes, "Now I get why Alexis hangs out with these guys. Ugh." ... they're faster than Alexis, too -- more brutal. They don't care about doing it slowly.
"They're not testing your reflexes," Akane starts. "They're testing you for Newtype stuff. I'm pretty sure the gas they used is screwing with your memories." Call it... program familiarity. "They brought food in for me but not for you. You need to eat something." Calling attention to hunger is probably going to suck, but... they're going to need it. Anything to lead her back to herself.
Her eyes flick down to the timers. Then back to Rikka. "That's gonna suck for me, actually," she says, louder. "I always did like your thighs." She forces herself to laugh, and offers, more directly to the loudspeaker: "If there's not a smoothie or cheese fondue in this room in ten minutes there's gonna be a problem and it's not gonna be my job to clean it up."
Then, more quietly: "Your name is Rikka Takarada. We've been dating for like three and a half months. I was gonna confess to you like a year and a half ago but I got stupid about it."
"You're the one who never gave up on me."
"So I'm not gonna give up on you. ... Article 5, Paragraph 125."
She says the words like a mantra, hoping it makes them real.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Treasure Chest's attention remains on Akane. There's no reaction as Akane digs her fingernails into her thighs - or perhaps she simply isn't given the time for it? Soon, a voice rings out over the loudspeaker. Treasure Chest's attention immediately, dutifully, snaps to it - however, the voice isn't meant for her, but for Puru-1... and, for Akane. Treasure Chest watches the proceedings curiously and without understanding - and when Akane pleads with her, Treasure Chest obediently moves to sit next to her.
"...Questions?" She repeats. She's never been asked any questions - not really. Is this really territory she's ready to step into...? But, Akane seems to have something else in mind now. Treasure Chest watches her.
"Rikka... Takarada. I..." She repeats uncertainly. Her voice wavers as Akane continues. "...But... i-it was just a basic reflex test." She repeats, grasping for something, anything. "I didn't see any... gas..."
She's offered food. She shakes her head.
"No, I'm okay. I... I don't need it." She assures. She'd been praised for her restraint before. She can hold off for a little longer, can't she? But... the reminder of her physical needs serves to reinforce them. She... really is pretty hungry. For a moment, she looks embarrassed about that, averting her eyes from Akane. But then, Akane, raising her voice, makes that comment about her thighs, and - despite herself, she lets out a small laugh along with her.
Akane reassures her, reminds her of that which is true. ...Actually true, a truth that... some part of her remembers fighting very hard for. Confusion and anguish cross over her face as she grapples against it - looking for some sort of foothold with which to stabilize herself.
"I-I..." She starts. For a moment, it seems like she's about to topple over and she has to brace herself against the side of the console. She shuts her eyes tight, draws in shuddering breaths as she grasps her forehead. "I... You... You wouldn't... lie to me. Like this."
If Akane isn't lying to her... then what she's saying has to be true. But what about her own foggy memories...? She can't... think. She can't say that she's wrong or not - can't find anything that proves or disproves what she's saying. But Akane... she's the most important person in the world to her. She can't confirm or deny it but she can, for now, cling to her words.
Treasure- Takarada- Rikka seems to double in on herself for a moment. And then, she looks back up at Akane pleadingly, looking for a moment very small in a way she usually doesn't.
"...How long?" Rikka asks quietly.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Of course you didn't. They were piping it into your helmet. You never would've had the chance," she offers, quietly. She starts making notes in the back of her head. Memory retrieval is more disrupted than memory formation. (Familiar. A wince, at the realization. Of course Alexis would have given them a laundry list of what works.)
Back to the monitors. They've got time before the first mandatory disruption. They can talk more. They'll have to keep it quiet... but that's okay.
"I'm saying you need food and that's that. Normally I hate making decisions for you 'cuz I spent so long doing it and it sucked for both of us. But you need it. Eight minutes." She asides, almost conspiratorially, "I'm really good at tantrums. You've seen a couple of the bad ones before." It's self-deprecating, but... she can be honest about herself. Rikka knows everything she is.
'How long?' That one's complex. There's so many things it could mean. ... immediate ones first. "The testing battery was six hours," she starts. "Your brain's pretty scrambled. I was hoping whatever let you remember all the stuff that happened in Tsutsujidai would help, but... different situation, I guess. You're gonna have a hard time remembering more than about an hour back until whatever thing is out of your system. Gas usually wears off quick, and I'm gonna try to push things along." She shifts uneasily in her seat, turning toward Rikka and putting a hand on one of hers.
Puru-1's body temperature is... low, but still in the safe zone, and leveling out. Akane can't dwell on her beyond the extent necessary to make sure she makes it through okay. Brainwave data is... interesting. She takes a few mental notes.
"I'm guessing they're going to do it again after they're done doing stuff with Puru-1." There's Akane's matter-of-fact tone in the face of a crisis. "I don't have a plan yet. We're gonna need one but I don't have it." (She always was a stupid god.)
They can do this. Together. Akane has to believe in that -- so she continues, "There was a pretty long while where I would've lied to you about a ton of stuff. You got me to stop. I felt pretty helpless for a long time. Sometimes I still do, but... looks like it's gonna have consequences to beat myself up about it this time, so no can do, right?"
(Part of her tells her that the two of them might as well give up. That if they acquiesce, they might hang on to each other in a way they'd recognize.)
(But Akane's greedy, selfish, and hates losing. She resolves to get everything she wants.)
"About... a year and a month ago, maybe," Akane offers, "I went to the park with you, Utsumi, and Gridman. I brought soup." A hand comes up to her mouth, and she covers a giggle. "I said I'd bring it to school so you could have it for breakfast. That would've been pretty fast, huh?" Her thoughts drift a bit.
"You said that if someone was in trouble and you could help, you'd do it. So you didn't have to agonize over what could've been." She lets that rattle around for a while. "I kinda laughed it off and said I felt the same way, but the truth is I thought you were kinda naive."
"Now I just hope I can be half the person you were back then. So like... a quarter of the person you are now."
"They're really gonna make us wait at least nine whole hours before getting any sleep, huh," Akane groans, switching topics. "This sucks. At least when I was God I didn't have to think about this kinda thing..."
A pause, before she snaps, "Getting impatient here," at the loudspeaker.
... Rikka does get a fruit smoothie, and then they're left alone again. There's more upside in indulging a god than two test subjects, one supposes.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
In the helmet... so that's why. She wouldn't have even known there was something to be concerned about until she was already breathing it in. Not that she's sure she had an option either way... She nods, slowly starting to understand. Akane insists, then, that she needs food. She nods quietly.
"...Okay." She acquiesces, and manages a small smile at Akane's self-deprecating comment.
"Six hours..." Rikka murmurs. She tries to think back, but it hurts to strain herself that much. "I don't really... remember any of it. It's all... run together."
Rikka hesitates a little before asking quietly.
"That wasn't... a standard test, was it? I... only kind of remember the last one..." She asks. The stuff that happened in Tsutsujidai... It's hard for her to remember that, but something within her tells her that it was important. She nods - and pauses for a moment, as Akane puts a hand on one of hers. For a moment, Rikka seems uncertain what to do with it... and then, she clings onto it with both hands, as if afraid she'll lose it and herself again if she lets go.
...She's quiet, though, as Akane states that they're going to do it again when they're done with Puru-1. Rikka breathes in sharply. They're... going to make her forget again. She'll be 'Treasure Chest' again. The thought is imminently frightening to her, and her grip on Akane's hand tightens subconsciously, just a little, in response. But Akane continues. There was a time when she would've lied. She got her to stop.
"...Please don't beat yourself up." Rikka agrees. It's an earnest request. Maybe it's a good thing she's starting to be able to make those now, instead of just asking questions.
"Utsumi and Gridman..." Rikka murmurs. There's recognition in her voice. Their faces are fuzzy, but they're like a bright spot in her memory, one that illuminates so many others. She laughs a little, as Akane giggles at her own comment. "...A little."
She goes quiet as she continues. ...She said that? That if someone was in trouble and she could help, she would...
"...Akane..." Rikka murmurs. ...There's not much time to dwell on it as Akane changes topics.
"...I guess so." She comments. Nine hours... She doesn't even remember the last time she slept. Another snap at the loudspeaker from Akane finally brings them food, and soon enough, Rikka finds herself with a fruit smoothie. She starts on it cautiously, at first... but it seems to be to her liking as she continues with just a bit more enthusiasm.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yeah. I --" she winces, unable to quite meet Rikka's gaze for this part. "I used to do something similar. With kaiju, but it was kinda the same deal. You were one of the people who got me to stop." ... she should voice it. "It was horrible of me. I wanted to keep things perfect, so no one would have to face stuff like this. And I guess instead, it gave them a really good template for doing more stuff like this."
... Rikka asked her not to beat herself up. It's hard -- seeing all her worst nightmares realized and being comforted by the person actually living them. But... she can accept it. This isn't an easy situation for her either. Supporting each other through hard moments -- isn't that what they're supposed to do?
"Uh, no, it super wasn't," Akane says, and while she keeps her voice low to avoid getting picked up, there's anger creeping into it. "You've been tested for Newtype potential before. This was about getting you scared and angry and confused so you'd latch onto whatever they said. Lots of simulated combat... lots of overloading you with information while you can't really process it." With a grimace, she notes, "They're kinda speedrunning it. When someone did this kinda thing to me it was months and not hours. I'm guessing they figure they need you on the field sooner than later..."
The recognition at Utsumi and Gridman gives Akane visible relief. Akane gives those hands a squeeze back. "Yeah. They're our friends." There's a lump in her throat as she strains to say something difficult -- something Rikka needs to hear, and Akane needs to internalize. "We have a ton of those."
She tries to push it back toward the light end, for a bit. Give Rikka more things to latch onto as she swims against the current. "For the record, I'm still working on the miso soup thing. I think I tend to add too much salt and not enough... everything else."
... back into the heavy end. Right now, all she can do is give Rikka things to latch onto. (Another idea is occurring to her, but it hews so close to so many old wounds. Akane's scared to give it a try -- especially when they're no doubt being monitored.) "Every time they do this crap again I'm gonna have some questions for you the next time I see you. I'm going to ask you stuff like... what your name is. What we need to do about Puru-1. Whether we're safe with these people."
"You're Rikka Takarada. We need to help her get away from these people. We're not safe here."
Another glance at the clock. It's going to be a long... what time /is/ it? "... and whatever happens, we're gonna make it out of here. And when we do, we're gonna make an impression."
"Together."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane admits that she used to do something similar with kaiju, that she was one of the ones who got her to stop. ...She admits, too, that it was horrible. Rikka rolls this over in her head for a moment before, eventually, nodding.
"...You stopped. They haven't. I don't... think you wanted this." Rikka replies. It's not so much absolution as it is... acknowledgment. Akane confirms that the tests she thought - was told - were normal, wasn't. Simulated combat, to overwhelm her... And all that praise was meant to reinforce what they wanted to think. What she says next, though...
"...They're... going to make me fight." She realises, dread creeping into her tone. It's only because she's with her that she can avoid panicking audibly. "I... I don't want..."
...What can she do, though? What can either of them do...? For a moment, she feels... hopeless.
But... Akane reminds her that they have friends. A ton of them. ...Important friends.
"...I want to see them again." Rikka murmurs. Akane lets things go a bit lighter. Miso soup... Rikka smiles. "...I want to try it."
...It's something to look forward to. For now, Akane gives her a list of questions she's going to have to ask her. The thought of having to go through all of this all over again is... terrifying, but... Akane is here. She'll trust herself to her hands. ...She just hopes 'she' will still be there...
"I'm... Rikka Takarada. We need to help Puru-1 get away from these people. We're not safe here." Rikka repeats... and pauses for a moment as Akane comes to a conclusion. She can't place why, but... her breath catches in her throat a moment. "...Right. Together."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane lets Rikka recover. There's not a lot she can do for her past what she already has; companionable silence, too, is part of their lives, and that's as much part of healing as active care.
That hazy feeling starts to wear off, especially with food in her. Bit by bit, memories become easier to dredge up; Rikka might not feel quite like herself, still, but continuity of self comes back bit by bit. Treasure Chest may have been born this evening, but Rikka Takarada wasn't.
The timers tick down. Occasionally Akane does have to comment on a reading she finds anomalous, but nothing serious. There's a bit of residual dread, but that's been a constant companion in her life.
Irritation gets the better of her, though, eventually; keeping up the Repli-Compoid facade takes it out of her, and she's starting to get to the point where she needs to eat something.
"Nnh," she groans out. "I wish I could get nine hours of sleep instead of watching someone else do it."
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
There is something off here psychically, that both Rikka and Akane might low key feel as the hours pass. It's subtle at first, the sound of monitor static one room over, just this constant buzz you can hardly notice. Yet hours into it, the more it feels like the monster is in the room, it's in the closet, it's under the bed. It's right here.
It's enough to make one paranoid, like if they turn their head, something might be there waiting to pounce.
And a warning, it could be worse.
Don't fall asleep.
It could be much worse.
Puru-1 floats on the surface of the tank water, full of dissolved magnesium salt. Akane can see the temperature of the water, it's not sadistically cold, it's only room temperature. But room temperature is still twenty degrees and change cooler than the human body. Inevitably, that becomes uncomfortable.
As Akane keeps track of the heart rate and brain wave activity, she'll see the REM cycles, the Deep Sleep cycles, the transient periods of waking. The REM cycles are the absolute worst, the feeling is pervasive.
Then comes the moment she expresses she wishes she could get nine hours of sleep instead of watching someone else do it...
Akane did not hit the touchpad button, but nevertheless, she hears a chime from the monitor and 'Stimulation Protocol Active.' appears.
On the monitor they'll see Puru-1 thrashing in a total panic, her vital signs spiking like she just fully awakened and the yellows become a light orange from the activity forcing her body temperature up. That static like buzz vanishes instantly as she flails like she just woke up somewhere unfamiliar - somewhere unexpected and believes she's drowning, arms splash into the water as she reorients. Then she calms. Calms. Calms.
A subtimer is still counting down. It's still going: 00:22:08
Her vital signs slowly return to normal, as she places her arms over her chest and floats, slowly those arms drift back to her side as her muscles relax, and eventually she's back in a sleep cycle. Her color returns to a dull yellow with spots of orange and a cool blue where her swimsuit must sit. The buzz gradually returns.
At that moment the subtimer is back to 00:09:01
Precisely the moment it hits 00:00:00 it happens again, and if anything, this time it's even more violent, the disruption. Her SpO2 dips, her heart rate spikes, her brain wave activity is all over the place. She thrashes like someone is pushing her with a palm to her face, she fights for her life...
... then she gradually begins to calm again.
And the subtimer resets to 03:00:00
It's at that moment Dr. Murasame's voice returns on the comms, "Aumerei, my assistant states you have voiced a complaint. After conferring with my colleagues, we've agreed, your grievance is valid. Therefore you will be allowed eight hours of relaxation to see you fully refreshed before we're in need of you."
A small beat.
"Treasure Chest shall take over in your stead for the remainder of the REST time. Treasure Chest, I would ask that you do nothing to cause further distress towards Aumerei, so she can take full advantage of her repose."
A threat? Obviously, but what behavior will set it off?
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka and Akane sit there quietly together. Her presence... helps. With Akane there to keep her, to keep Rikka, grounded, things slowly but surely start coming back to her with the aid of the memories she's given her. Time passes. It's bearable, with her.
Rikka wishes she could say it was relaxing, though. She can feel it - that faint fear in the back of her mind. A warning. A threat? She can't let herself ease up, to relax - not when it feels like there could be claws around her throat at any moment. ...It's difficult to tell, too, if it's truly there - if this feeling is just a reaction to the fear of the future. She steals the occasional glance at Akane, wondering if she feels it, too. And all the while, Puru-1's image remains on the monitor like a reminder. Now that she's feeling more like herself, she understands a little more what's happening.
"...Yeah..." Rikka murmurs, as Akane makes her complaint. The monitor chimes, and Puru-1 starts thrashing. Rikka startles, her attention ripped away from Akane and to the monitor.
"Wh-what's happening to her?" Rikka asks quietly, concerned. Eventually she calms - and minutes later, as the timer reaches zero, Puru-1 begins to thrash again, this time more violently. She feels a pang of sympathy, and forces herself to look away. ...It's difficult to watch, knowing there's nothing she can do to help.
The timer resets, and Dr. Murasame's voice returns. Akane will be allowed eight hours of relaxation. She, however, will be taking over for her, and is asked to do nothing to cause Akane further distress.
"U-Understood." ...She's feeling more like herself, but the acknowledgment of her orders comes unbidden still - an instinctive reaction. ...In truth, she doesn't understand. She doesn't know what she did. She doesn't know if she did anything. But she sends Akane a look, a quiet, perhaps pre-emptive admonishment not to blame herself for this.
"...I'll... be okay." Rikka assures. ...She's not sure that she will be. The thought of being left alone here, now, with nothing but her thoughts and the pressure in the back of her mind is the most terrifying thing in the world to her. But the idea of what they might do if she tried to stop her is worse. ...She does, however, risk one final squeeze of Akane's hand. She's going to need the strength it gives.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane's tolerance for ambient dread is, in some ways, higher than Rikka's (... and lower in others); she's definitely feeling it, but like Rikka, she can't tell if what she's feeling is something new or -- well -- ambient dread. She's starting to feel worse and worse, though, the longer it stretches on.
When Puru-1 awakens and begins thrashing, Akane looks frantically between parts of the console for something she can do. There's nothing, though -- all of her options are just to make this worse.
"I'm guessing -- they're making it harder -- for her, to feel like she got a good night's sleep," Akane answers Rikka, though the answer is halting and staggered. Having the dread finally come to a head is a weird sort of relief, but Akane's... still the sensitive person she's always been. If anything, right now she's more so.
Now that she knows it's coming, the second round is less panic-inducing. Akane becomes inured to new facts of life quickly. (It's one of the things that made Alexis so terribly fond of her.)
Murasame informs her she's going to be allowed to rest. She gets about ten seconds of relief out of it, as she's informed that Rikka will be taking over monitoring duty.
She sees exactly what's happening, immediately. The particulars vary, but this isn't far off from how things went with Anti -- Alexis allowing her constant respite while letting her get away with so much abuse and neglect. ... at the same time, knowing it's happening isn't very reassuring by any stretch of the imagination...
Rikka gives Akane a serious look. Akane gives her a small nod as she stands up. She squeezes that hand back, whispering, "I trust you," before moving -- after a little thought -- to the corner of the observation room.
She takes a seat, back to the wall, though after about 20 minutes she's lying on her side instead. Try as she might, she can't get to any kind of restful slumber until Puru-1 wakes up... All she can think about is that sense of dread, and that feeling that Rikka is already losing herself, bit by bit.
... so she only ends up getting three and a half hours out of that eight, all told. She spends much of that time tossing and turning; she's always been able to sleep on the floor, but this is different. The only thing that gets her to sleep is the sheer exhaustion of wearing the 'old her' without being in communion with a kaiju.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane explains what's happening, and reflexively, a grimace crosses over her face.
"That's... horrible." Rikka whispers, shaking her head in disbelief. If that's true, then, these people... really are monsters. There's nothing they can do from here, though. But it really does confirm that they need to find a way to get them all out of here.
Time passes... And, Akane is allowed rest. Rikka so desperately wants to cling to that hand again, but she knows she has to go. So instead, when Akane tells her that she trusts her, Rikka nods quietly. That's something she wants to commit to memory. Akane trusts her... She'll just have to hold onto that.
And so, in the end, Rikka is left alone at the console. She watches Puru-1 on the screen, but there's nothing she can do here. So... She's left with her thoughts. It's... maddening, almost.
She's Rikka now. But how many times will she be able to go through this before there isn't any 'Rikka' left to pull back...? Will she still be 'her', when this is all over...? Rikka draws her arms around herself tightly, taking in a deep, shuddering breath.
She steals occasional glances over to the corner of the room where Akane is attempting to sleep, drawing upon the sight of her for strength. It's all she can do, for now, as she continues to monitor Puru-1 as ordered and expected. She's keenly aware of the exhaustion starting to creep in, now... but no doubt they'd noticed if she drifted off, herself.
She doesn't want to know what they'd do to her.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
It's possible Akane might lightly drowse off a few times, or come near the edge of sleep. Each time she is met by the feel of cool metal pressing against her neck, and the words:
Y O U R F A U L T
When the main timer elapses, the reaction is very subdued. This time Puru-1 does not thrash. Instead the dome just opens, as the infrared camera becomes flooded with the light of the room. Akane is left to sleep. Instead a personal comm turns on on Rikka's monitor, with the voice of a lab assistant. "Treasure Chest. Please report to the adjacent locker room, to Locker 3F, and put on the flight suit within." Before it warns, "Do not disrupt Aumerei's sleep."
By the time Rikka arrives, she'll hear someone on the other side of the locker rooms drying off, and changing. She can already hear a zipper being pulled upwards, the soft shaky breath of Puru-1. However, if she chooses to move one row over to take a look, the Banshee's helmet will be halfway over her head.
She's still shivering within her pilot suit, as she turns, and walks out of the room without saying so much as a word to Rikka, her gait a touch unsteady. Overhead the Comms indicate to Treasure Chest, "Treasure Chest, please report to the test hangar."
The Garuda is a wide open space, of which the main hangar takes up a great portion of it, with the test hangar cordoned off to encompass a smaller section of it. One eerie fixture of it is a purple Qubeley with pink accents, half wrecked just, looming in a corner with monitoring equipment as if it takes a place of honor behind a wall of beam shielding. Within as well is the RX-0 02 Banshee, and the Mu Gundam, facing opposite ends of the space.
Puru-1 is already taking an ascent lift to its cockpit, as the hatch opens, and she climbs inside.
"Treasure Chest. Our staff will direct you to your designated Mobile Suit. This is merely a basic Psycommu test. Once staff is all clear you will align your brainwaves with the Mu Gundam and activate your funnels. They are currently at the lowest power setting."
The staff 'assists' her into climbing within the Gundam cockpit, the start up sequence is performed for her. Then all the staff move down and BOLT out of the room, as metallic doors slide shut, sealing the chamber.
They wait for Rikka to comply.
The moment she does, and those funnels move so too does the Banshee. Moving from dormancy, as suddenly the obsidian armor unfurls, the machine growing larger as orange-gold Psycoframe plating is revealed, its horn splitting into that jagged V-Fin adornment of a Gundam. Its red eyes gleam red, as it raises a hand and in what feels like a blink or you miss it trick of the light, a violet pulse spreads throughout the room.
"Please keep your brainwaves aligned with the Psycommu system." The lab assistant reminds Rikka reassuringly, "This is merely a basic Psycommu test."
All of her funnels suddenly turn towards the Mu Gundam, and it soon becomes obvious, she has no control over them any longer. None whatsoever. Any attempts to move the Mu Gundam itself fail right now, and a quick check of the consoles would show the controls are locked down. There is a moment of disquieting silence. And then abruptly, growing from her funnels are disgusting writhing masses of violet hands that twist over each other, in a competitive race against each other towards the Mu Gundam Cockpit. "This is merely a basic Psycommu test." The lab assistant again drones in his insistence.
They reach through the armoring of the Mu Gundam as if it does not exist, more and more of them grow out of the Psycoframe of the cockpit. They reach. They latch onto Rikka, gripping on a deeper level than mere touch covering her soul in sickly grips that infect her with awful negative feelings.
JEALOUSY ENVY POSSESSIVENESS E N I M SSNEEVISSESSOP YVNE YSUOLAEJ
SSNEEVISSESSOP YVNE YSUOLAEJ M I N E JEALOUSY ENVY POSSESSIVENESS
JEALOUSY ENVY POSSESSIVENESS E N I M SSNEEVISSESSOP YVNE YSUOLAEJ
They writhe over her, within her, throughout her like maggots with this awful hostility and all consuming possessiveness. And the. Rikka feels herself being PULLED out of her body, and towards, as if by magnetism, as if what was intrinsically hers before now is being taken possession of, appropriated by someone else. The gap between two Psycoframes is crossed in an instant.
Within, she will see a brief glimpse of Puru-1 in a similar state, the pilot's chair in the cockpit tipped backwards, those hands holding every part of her, leaving nothing but a vague silhouette of the Banshee's pilot suit visible beneath that sickly translucent limbs. The head briefly tips upwards as if in horror, and some abstract awareness.
A smothered scream enters into Rikka's head. Mercifully, it's impossible to tell in this state if it was her own, or Puru-1's as all awareness becomes thoroughly suffocated, even senses that Rikka was barely aware she had everything fading into an insensate paresthesia.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The constant starts and stops are agonizing. Akane doesn't deserve the sleep she wanted, and on some level she knows it -- what else would explain this feeling of guilt stabbing into her brain, over and over?
(She can recognize that it's the Banshee's negative feelings, but frankly, she's too tired to parse that out. So much of this is her fault. It's everything she was always afraid of for everyone in her city, in all the worst ways.)
By the time Rikka's called out, though, the exhaustion is just too much. She can't be startled back to awareness. Not like this, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the main timer finally elapses. Will they finally let her sleep...?
...No, of course not. The personal comm turns on, and a voice calls her to the locker room. With a slight grimace Rikka stands up, taking a glance toward Akane. If they're asking her to put a pilot suit on, then they're probably putting her through more testing. She should... probably warn her before she goes - except, almost as if they predicted she might, the voice over the comms warns her not to disrupt Akane's sleep.
It's... it's alright. She's been through a lot. She deserves some rest.
Quietly, Rikka slips out of the room and into the locker room. She can hear someone else moving in here - Puru-1? ...She doesn't look. Instead, with some hesitation, she goes through the process of putting her pilot suit on. Rikka catches sight of her, still shivering, as she leaves the locker room. Rikka hesitates for a moment.
"Hey, um..." Rikka starts. The words die on her lips. And Puru-1 leaves without a word to her before she can find them again, regardless. Rikka stands there quietly for a moment, until she receives her next orders.
Report to the test hangar. Rikka does - and is momentarily caught in her tracks as she spots the remains of the Qubeley looming over them. ...That isn't her concern right now, though, for the staff are here - and as directed, she's lead over to a mobile suit. She's not familiar with the Mu Gundam, but it seems that's what's been chosen for her. Before long, she's seated in the active cockpit.
This is merely a basic Psycommu test. She takes a deep breath. She just has to... she just has to think of it like it's her own mobile suit. Like- Like Synchrotank. She lets her mind flood into it, and exhales.
"Launching funnels." Rikka announces. The funnels disengage from the funnel rack, detaching from it and floating in front of her as they come to life. ...And as they do, so does the Banshee. Rikka catches, briefly, that violet pulse - proceeded by a reassuring reminder to keep her brainwaves aligned. This is merely a basic Psycommu test.
...Her own funnels turn toward her. Rikka's eyes go wide, and her breath is caught in her throat. Rikka reaches out to them - tries to fill them with her emotions as she would Synchrotank's. Her feelings fall on deaf ears.
"Wh-what's happening? They're not responding, they-" Rikka stammers out. Anything she could have said is turn from her throat as... hands, twisting and writhing, burst from the funnels. Burst toward her. This is merely a basic Psycommu test. ...Just as much as her last was merely a basic reflex test.
Rikka screams. Her scream falls on deaf ears.
Hands upon hands burst through the hull of the Mu Gundam - drawn from her funnels, and from the very Psycoframe surrounding her. Rikka screams and thrashes in her seat, as if she could shake them off. A hand reaches for the controls, trying to - trying to shut it off, to shut this down. But she does not have control. And she cannot shake the hands or the feelings they bring, which fill her now - horrible thoughts beginning to intrude on her mind. Hostility. Possessiveness. These things and more. They are as hers now - or, perhaps she is as theirs. And...
She is drawn away. Dragged by the violet hand, pulled from her very body, pulled to Puru-1. Their eyes - she can only assume - meet. Rikka's own open in horror. There is a scream.
And then, there is nothing.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Silence.
Your senses are useless. You see nothing. You hear nothing. You feel nothing. Perhaps you are nothing.
Then abruptly there is something, a faint synthetic blip, like the rhythm of a heartbeat on a monitor. Static starts to drip off the sound, at first hushed, but then it consumes all perception of that synthetic heartbeat. You feel her though.
You feel Akane.
And knowing she's there is perhaps relief, balm. Whatever happens, her presence will give you the strength to get through this.
Your presence sh I F T S in an abrupt lurch. Part of you is being emptied out, or suppressed, and filled, and FILLED, and FILLED and it's difficult to tell if these weren't a part of you to begin with.
W A K E U P
As your eyes lurch open, you're on a beach. The scent of battle feels real enough, oil, blood over the sea breeze. Palm trees dot the shoreline beyond the sand. But what draws your attention is a core fighter, nose down in the sand. Smoke pours out of the back of it, but somehow you know its mostly minor engine damage.
In the cockpit is Akane, eyes closed, unmoving other than the rise and fall of breath, arms encircled around another figure with red spiky hair, now sweaty and matted.
It's Yuta, the object of her obsession. The boy she's fought so hard for, in such a self destructive way. He's pale and barely conscious, and the right side of his abdomen is stained crimson from some wound.
He needs immediate treatment.
JEALOUSY ENVY POSSESSIVENESS
SSNEEVISSESSOP YVNE YSUOLAEJ
JEALOUSY ENVY POSSESSIVENESS
And yet, Akane has barely even looked your way, since all those months ago when she saved you. Saved you from a life of being a weapon.
You know what needs to be done.
Just not in front of Akane.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
There is nothing. And then... there is something? A heartbeat monitor... which is soon consumed by static. But through it all, there's a beacon. Akane. She's here. She's still here. She claws through the nothing, in desperate hope of reaching her. ...And then, she lurches. She struggles hopelessly against the sensations flooding into her, and then -
She awakens.
Her eyes open groggily, her vision blurred and gradually refocusing. Oil, blood... There... was a battle, wasn't there? ...Yes. A battle. She remembers, now. She takes an uneasy step forward, her body nearly tipping over in the sand - but the sight of the damaged machine ahead of her forces her to stabilize herself. Core fighter. Damaged - superficial. The occupants should be - have to be...
She continues with her uneven steps, until she is upon the core fighter. She looks inside - her breath is caught in her throat for a moment at the sight of Akane, but... she's breathing. She's breathing. It's okay. And with her is...
She pauses, at the sight of Yuta. Wounded. Gunshot? It's recent. It -
She grips the side of the hatch to stabilize herself and takes a deep breath. It... it serves him right, doesn't it? Because of him... She was alone again. Akane couldn't spare her any attention because of him. Why? What did he have that she didn't...? Why couldn't it be her...? He - he deserves - no, he doesn't deserve -
She grits her teeth, grip tightening on the edge of the hatch - enough that she can feel it biting into her skin. She takes a deep breath again to try and relax herself, nearly doubling over. She could - but... no, she can't. It's - it's Yuta, she -
...There's something she could do. Her blood runs cold at the thought, but. ...She could. She can't do it here. Not in front of her.
She reaches over carefully, gently undoing Akane's grasp on Yuta. She has to be careful. She doesn't want to wake her. And then, she moves to carefully, gently lift Yuta out of the cockpit. She doesn't want to wake Akane.
...Is that the only reason? The only reason she's handling him so carefully, so delicately...?
...She knows what needs to be done.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Even unconscious, Yuta's breathing is coming out a little quicker than normal. His skin has that sheen of sweat. And as his eyes open... Rikka will see they're a vivid blue. Staring at her.
"R-Rikka?" He speaks quietly, clearing his throat, like its dry, "Oh Rikka! You're here!" He smiles at her guilelessly, "You came for us. Akane she..." He shifts within Akane's lap, "...she needs help..."
The way he looks at Akane right now...
HOSTILITY FEAR APPREHENSION
ANGER ANGER ANGER ANGER ANGER
POSSESSIVENESS JEALOUSY
H O W D A R E H E H O W D A R E H E
M I N E M I N E M I N E M I N E M I N E
M Y T U R N M Y T U R N M Y T U R N
T O B E H A P P Y
A quick look at Akane shows that any injuries she took are probably superficial, a concussion maybe at worst. Anything she got, Yuta would have gotten much worse as he was sitting on Akane's lap at the moment of impact. And indeed, he looks awful. That crimson stain is already soaking through his suit to the point where it's dripping off the other side.
It'll be easy enough. You just have to trick him away. He needs help more. You need to get him help. It's not even a lie. He's always been so gullible. He'll believe in anyone, in anything anyone says.
There's a path nearby, a break where the beach meets the treeline. All one needs to do is lead him away, deeper. Say there's help to be found.
And then just let nature run its course. Then Akane will be safe. Her obsession will be over.
You'll be there for her in what comes after. And she'll be there for you.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
As she draws closer, she can judge Yuta's condition a little better. ...It's not good. As she reaches for him, his eyes open. Blue. That's significant, isn't it? Different. She stops what she's doing. And, he speaks - Rikka. That's right, that's-
Akane. She catches the way he looks at her. Her breath catches in her throat. Her grip tightens on the side of the hatch. Tighter, now. She could draw blood if she isn't careful. She exhales, loosening her grip, as she assesses both of their injuries. Yuta... his injury is clearly more severe. She shakes her head.
"Akane... She'll be fine. You need it a lot more." Rikka replies, shaking her head. She opens her mouth to speak. The thoughts come in unbidden. He would trust her. He would listen to anything she said. She could solve the problem here and now. She could have her all to herself. She could...
Rikka stops. She shuts her eyes tight, and takes a deep breath. N-no, that's... That was never what she wanted, was it...? She never wanted to be Akane's sole pillar of strength. It's... it's fine if-
The thoughts are difficult to form, beneath the overwhelming weight of the emotions flooding into her. She has to force it a little.
It's... fine if she has others in her life. She wants her to have others in her life... even if it hurts her, even if it makes her angry. Even if she wants to spend every moment with her. She can't - she can't let herself be the next thing that hurts her, holds her back. She could never forgive herself. And... it's Yuta. Someone she trusts and cares the world for, who's given up so much for her in return. The idea of... hurting him, leaving him to die... Rikka... feels sick and very small for a moment, that she could have even considered it, but chokes it back.
"Yuta, stay here with Akane. I'll be right back - I'm going to find something or someone to treat your wound. Try not to move, you'll make it worse." Rikka urges, stepping back away from the core fighter.
It's not too late -
She shuts her eyes for a moment, trying to ward off the encroaching thought.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
There's a warring sensation in these moments. The static like beep of a hospital monitor, the distant feeling of Akane, when she's right there. And the overwhelming tide of emotions that seeks to smother it.
N O N O N O N O N O N O
It throbs in her head, like that tide was trying to match the pulse. A pulse of violence that tries to drown out the other influence.
M I N E M I N E M I N E
It has a razor's focus upon the fake Akane, this possessive jealousy. The urge to take Yuta and strangle him in the moment is strong, the urge to grab something, anything. To end it quickly.
Rikka resists, it's too unlike her. And yet it tries, it tries to force it upon her. It tries to carve her out and excise a piece and fill it with something else only to find out the armor is strong at certain points.
She never wanted this.
Submission is required, submission is required, submission is required. There's a level of self-denial that's needed for these feelings to fill her like a vessel, otherwise they diffuse in a little, and pour right back out.
Yuta looks at Rikka in confusion, those blue eyes guilelessly focused on her. "Okay." He says eventually with a smile, knowing that this is indeed, something Rikka can do, "I'll be waiting. I know you'll make it."
Things are already becoming fuzzy, but there is a last ditch effort all the same.
There's a rusted pipe out of the corner of her vision, it's laying there, not where it's supposed to be. Long and thin, bent in places. It'd be so easy.
D O I T D O I T D O I T D O I T D O I T
M Y T U R N M Y T U R N M Y T U R N M Y
It becomes distant, and distant, everything here is losing distinction, and they're surrounded by a deep fog, the scenery buzzes like static and they're in Tsutsujidai instead at the train station.
The fog is cold on her skin. The beep grows louder in her head and...
... there's the feeling of impact, as she seems to land back within her body.
"-merely a basic Psycommu test."
...---...
"Hmm." Murasame checks the data read outs that were brought into him by all the monitoring equipment in the Banshee. "Treasure Chest is a specimen particularly resilient to modification. It is only understandable that we will require multiple trials." As he checks read out after read out, he smiles, "I see. Greater specificity to the subject will be required."
"Shall we end the test now?"
"Whiteout protocol first. The less she can communicate to Aumerei about what just happened, the better."
...---...
And that is when the odorless gas is pumped into Rikka's helmet again.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Breathing becomes... difficult, as thoughts war within Rikka's mind. The hospital monitor, the distant sensation of Akane... and, the tide of emotions that seek to consume her. That encourages her to finish this. Rikka breathes in, clenching her fists tight even as the desire to reach out and wrap her fingers around his throat threaten to consume her. She takes another step back.
She doesn't want to. She can't... And Yuta, sweet as ever, unaware of her building desire to end him, offers her that smile. Offers her his trust. Rikka manages a weak smile. She takes a step back. Her eyes stray and spot... a pipe? It stands out against the environment. Long, thin, and bent... Even she could probably...
Rikka tears her eyes away from it, and breaks into a run, shutting her eyes tight. She'll need to go back to help them, but right now... Right now, she's just a danger to them. What's wrong with her...? She runs, and runs... and her surroundings fade and become indistinct, static giving away to fog. Giving away to the familiar sight of the train station. The fog is cold, the beep intensifies -
And, in the cockpit of the Mu Gundam, Rikka thrashes. She gasps for breath, staring around in confusion. ...She's back. Did she ever leave? How much of that was real? Was any of it?
It was... merely a basic Psycommu test.
No, no... that felt too real, it couldn't be, it couldn't -
Rikka remembers. This has happened before. Akane said- Akane said there was gas, that they- Immediately, Rikka's fingers scramble for the helmet of her normal suit, grasping for a clasp, anything to undo it. ...But, it's already too late. She's already taken in several lungfuls of it - her dexterity is already starting to worsen as she feels herself slipping away.
If she can't stop it... she shuts her eyes tight, trying desperately to hold onto the memories most important to her even as everything begins to fade.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Memory becomes a blur, a watercolor smear within Rikka's mind. Strobing images. It was a basic Psycommu test, and things...
Violet hands reach writhing over each other, entangling around arms without joints. They grasp. They TUG. THEY PULL.
... got strange.
When Rikka has a firm grasp of her surroundings again, she's laying down on a bunk in a room free of any features whatsoever save two bunks.
Wait. Two.
When she looks over on the opposite, she'll see the Banshee pilot. In that pilot suit of violets and blacks accented by yellows, greys and greens. The faceplate is shaded red, in a way that distorts all features into vague outlines.
The moment Rikka looks her way, she speaks, her voice warbling through a changer in the helmet.
"You're awake. I'm... sorry for your current circumstances." A pause, and, "I'm sorry." She repeats, "I wish you could be with Aumerei when you woke up. The Doctor is telling me that this debriefing session between you and I is..." A pause, "...mandatory."
There is a gentleness to her voice, and her presence feels familiar to Rikka? She should know this person. Why does she feel like she should know this person? Why? "How are you feeling?"
...---...
Meanwhile, as Akane finally wakes up, she'll see a stout figure sitting outside of her cell in a pale blue suit.
"Ah, Hello, young Lady. Akane right?" As he casually breaks lab protocol in a way that would get a sharp rebuke from Dr. Murasame. "I'm here to let you know, they took Rikka to an experiment while you were asleep. She's in debriefing right now with..."
Alberto visibly hesitates, like he's getting caught up finally on this name, as he rubs the back of his neck, "Puru... One." He clears his throat, "Have they been feeding the two of you alright?"
With that, he discreetly produces something from his pocket, a few granola bar type snacks, which he slips through the bars and just lets fall. "Just in case."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Bleary-eyed, Akane lets out a groan and slowly-but-surely sits up. She moves to stand. Her exhaustion is getting to her, but the nap seems to have at least done something for it. "Yeah," she starts, sounding a little more pliant than she'd like to.
Staggering to her feet, she moves toward the bars. "They... again? Why are they trying this hard to just crush her this fast?" She sounds like she wants to yell, but... knows better, now. She needs to pretend to be a good girl for as long as it takes. "With -- Puru-1, huh."
As she gets her head back together, she begins to notice the genuine hesitation. It's not the practiced deference that Alexis offers. Alberto is the weak link in this operation. She doesn't totally disqualify the idea that he's playing 'good cop' to lower her guard, but...
"I threw a tantrum until Rikka got a smoothie," Akane answers, honestly. "I got some crappy MRE a few hours in but nothing since then..." She picks up the granola bars, opening one and -- after a little thought -- rolling up her sleeves to store the other two. "Thanks," she concedes.
"Sounds like you don't like any of this," she floats -- a noncommittal trial balloon. Her lips purse, and she taps her foot a little, thinking about it. "Wrecking teenage girls' vacations not your thing? Been there, actually. I ruined my best friends' date to try to get one over on Gridman. Then there was a concert -- wrecked that too... then Rikka's birthday... oh, and my birthday. It's always easier to wreck your own stuff, though."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
...Slowly, Rikka begins to stir. Her vision blurs and she stares up at the ceiling. She shuts her eyes again for a moment. She's awake.
"...I'm." She starts. "I'm. I'm. Tr..." She squeezes her eyes tight, and exhales. No. That's not right. "Tr..." ...Trying again. "Ri... kka. Rikka... Takara...da..."
She opens her eyes again. ...There was more. More she was supposed to remember, something Akane told her was important. But yet again, recall is difficult. ...She remembers her name this time, at least. And Akane's face, and those of those closest to her. Those she keeps close to her heart as she now assesses her surroundings. The room is empty, save for two bunks. A second one, with... With Puru-1. Carefully, Rikka works her way into a sitting position - and is surprised, as Puru-1 addresses her.
"You can talk." She comments as the first thing that comes to mind leaves her mouth, and almost immediately looks embarrassed by it. She knows she shouldn't be surprised, but... it's the image she gives off. And not only can she talk, she sounds... gentle. ...Kind, familiar, maybe? ...It's hard to tell what's familiar or not right now. Maybe she's just clinging to the first kind voice - and not the clinical kindness of the staff - she's heard beside Akane's...
But, she shakes her head.
"...It's alright. It's... not your fault. I'm sorry too. For... for... something? There was something I wanted to apologize for, but..." Rikka starts. ...She can't remember the specifics. But maybe that doesn't matter right now. She's here for a reason. "...Debriefing?"
Puru-1 asks how she's feeling.
"I'm..." Rikka starts. "...Head's still fuzzy. Hard to... focus." She frowns... and, thinks it might be safe to admit here, though she lowers her voice a little as she does, "...Tired."
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Puru-1 looks like she's going to slowly get up, and walk over to her as she struggles. Yet she doesn't, her weight that had half risen just settles back on the bunk.
"Yes." Puru-1 confirms that's her name, then waits for her to think it through. "I can. I'm sorry that we hadn't spoken before while you've been here. I was under strict orders not to engage with either of you outside of necessary communication in training sessions and during debriefings."
Which means that it wasn't her fault that she ignored Akane before even?
"It is, I'm afraid, so you have nothing to apologize for. I'm here of my own volition. A willing collaborator. There is something I must accomplish, no matter what." Puru-1 tells her, "This was never supposed to involve either of you. I am currently in negotiations with the head of the Vist Foundation for your release. Unfortunately, I don't have much leg to stand on as I have not delivered on my promises."
The helmet tilts forward in confirmation. "Yes. There's little doubt what just happened was distressing for you." She's trying not to let it show, but she's obviously exhausted. Her sleep was horrible, and they sent her straight into that experiment too. This small slump to her posture, this feeling of enervation in her words.
"If it were up to me, I would let you sleep." Puru-1 tells her, "I wish I could, but Dr. Murasame will awaken you if you fall asleep again, until he believes all objectives of the debriefing are met."
There's a quiet sense of regret here, shame, guilt, "I..." She trails off, then stops, her posture shifting uncomfortably, then it's like she can't take it anymore, "Rikka... this may sound ridiculous, me asking after telling you that I'm someone willingly helping these people. But I'm the only one here, and you went through something horrible."
She looks her way, searching, then asks.
"Do you need a hug right now?"
...---...
"That's." Alberto starts, then stops again, "A certain man convinced him that this could be done swiftly, as opposed to usual tried and true methods." He says, obviously uncomfortable.
That 'certain man' makes his skin crawl whenever he's visiting. He'd prefer he do all his business over the phone with him.
He doesn't say anything about Puru-1, he just looks guilty, hands clasped together. He does brighten up when Akane actually thanks him for the Granola bars. "Ah." He clears his throat, "It was no trouble! No trouble at all. It's not right that young ladies like yourselves be denied a proper meal."
He at least seems to resolve himself to sneak them more food. Puru-1 keeps rejecting it in a way which only makes him feel worse. "It was meant to be just, a matter kept all in the family, so to speak. Not this." He says, while looking away, but then Akane brings that up, and he looks at Akane. While Akane talks about the pattern of interrupting teen girls' vacations he seems horrified, "I knew she was talking about me behind my back. Now see here!"
He says, a little ruffled by the idea that SOMEONE is potentially bad mouthing him, "Let me set the record straight. That was not my idea. I never wanted to keep her here longer than a day, much less three. If I had it my way, the two of you would be released tomorrow. This is a family matter, just as I said. There should never be any need to involve outsiders."
Adjusting his suit by the lapels he just, starts to stand, "I'm... going to check on the progress of the debriefing session."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The man in the suit starts stammering and protesting in response to almost everything she says. "Right, yeah. Alexis. I'm guessing you already know he wants me back," Akane floats, again. "That was actually my first guess about why we got picked up." This one's much worse. She hates it.
Akane takes another bite of granola bar, talking with a mouth full of food. "All in the fam'ly, huh? Alexis'ssh kinna like... a crappy uncle. I'b done the 'innth family' thing a couple times too." (Akane knows that empathizing too much with this man and his hideous fashion sense is a risk, but... she needs to take a couple of those right now.)
Having not contented himself with giving Akane food, Alberto gives her gold, too.
A three day absence... over a holiday. A female pilot with a connection to Elpeo Puru. Akane's eyes widen -- and then narrow. ... of course. The one person who always had a weak alibi, but never a strong one. The one whose mental health took a turn for the worse seemingly right after Valentine's Day... Leina Ashta. Puru-1.
Akane takes a second to compose herself... and then she's -- smiling. "If you're gonna go check up on the two of them, how about I give you a little free advice? I bet you've read my file, so we'll call this one dirtbag to dirtbag?" She winks.
Now she's appraising him, as his stammering gives her space to build momentum. "You really don't want Alexis messing with either of them. His taste for teenage girls is real creepy uncle stuff, but it's not just that... he loves it when you ask for help. He even got the King of Braves to beg him to get in there."
Maybe it's the food that has Akane's mood climbing so high. "If you don't want him around, don't think of him as someone who's helping at all!" That smile keeps spreading, lips curling upward. It's hard to say if they reveal the right number of teeth. "See you when you bring Rikka back around, I guess. If you really wanna get on my good side, see if you can scrape up some cheese fondue to bring with the two of you. She loves that stuff."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
...Oh, she was listening... But, the confirmation helps. A reminder of who she is, so she doesn't have to rely on her own faulty memory alone.
"You were-" Rikka starts - and, there's a vague sensation in the back of her head. Briefly, she feels angry on Puru-1's behalf, but it's hard to place why. ...She shakes her head, then, at the apology. "...It's alright."
But... Puru-1 says it is her fault. She's here of her own volition. A willing collaborator, for her own reasons - and it wasn't supposed to involve them.
"...Not like you told them to grab us, if you're trying to let us go..." Rikka replies, with a shake of her head. ...She's not surprised they'd be unwilling to let go now that they have them, though.
"It was... awful." Rikka murmurs. It's no surprise to Puru-1 that she's tired, too. ...And Rikka can tell by looking at her that so is she. ...She feels a little bad about expressing her own exhaustion, seeing the state she's in. She nods quietly as Puru-1 says that she'd let her sleep if she could, but that Dr. Murasame will just wake her up again. "...Yeah. Seems like something he'd do."
She pauses, though. She can feel it - the regret, shame, and guilt. And... she calls her by name. Rikka is taken aback.
"I..." Rikka starts hesitantly. She really shouldn't. Can she trust her...? It does sound ridiculous, but... Right now... Rikka's gaze finds the floor. She's quiet for a moment before eventually admitting, "...Y-yes."
There's a second of hesitation, though.
"But... don't force yourself. If it's difficult." She adds.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
"I am, but these are the sort of the people I've chosen to involve myself with." A distinct pause, "And I'm no better." Which is an unusual contradiction perhaps, after all if she was no better, then why would she be trying to let them go?
Then again, that sense of familiarity might contextualize why. That personal connection. She is no better, but she wants them out of here because...
"He would. He's very strict in his training regimens." Puru-1 agrees with this almost dark sense of affability. Rikka tells her though that even as ridiculous as it sounds...
'But... don't force yourself. If it's difficult.'
Puru-1 is already halfway across the room, sitting down on the bunk beside her, as the arms of the pilot suit encircle her. Frustratingly, the faceplate seems to obfuscate more, not less up close.
"It's going to be alright. I'll... settle things, and get you out of here." She murmurs up close, "As soon as possible, I promise. Just hold on, for as long as you can." A pause, and then she sounds strangely chagrined, "I know that's... easier said than done."
She even lets out this small broken laugh at that moment.
"If there's anything you remember from... what happened? Maybe I can help you understand. I'm... I don't remember much myself when I'm in that state but..."
She trails off, apparently she might think there's something worth gleaning?
...---...
"I." He looks away from Akane, "I'm sympathetic to why you chose to come into his care in the first place." Wait really? He knows THIS MUCH? "And I'm glad you were able to temporarily divest yourself of such an influence from your life."
His gaze is rueful, as he looks upon one of his palms in inspection, "A shame really. If he were flesh and blood, then it would be a simple matter."
As Akane speaks about the family, he takes a moment to nervously adjust his tucked in Ascot, "Anyhow, I'm aware of-" Dirtbag to dirtbag? That silences him for a moment, as he eyes Akane and that smile. "I'm aware of..." He trails off again at the implications.
Even hearing how his father was seeing a woman so much younger for years after the fact, he never thought it was for that reason. Not once. He never would have thought...
... he looks distinctly ill at the thought that this Alexis Kerib might be that much worse. "I see." He swallows, "I'll... take all of that under advisement." And truly, he'd prefer to treat him that way anyway. He already does with Dr. Murasame.
As he walks away, Akane might hear him muttering, "Cheese Fondue... how does she expect me to..." It trails off as his footsteps take him far enough away.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The sympathy... leaves Akane with a complex feeling. For a second, she wonders how he came by that information -- and then she doesn't wonder anymore. ... Well, that explains a few things about how this predicament came to be as well.
"Yep," Akane agrees. "No easy way to solve this one." Maybe that's the point. The world won't change in a way that makes sure there aren't any Alexis Keribs. She can't get away from him by hoping the world can change.
Something gnaws at her. Something a little further than the edges of her perception, somehow.
... please let that experiment have ended, Akane thinks to herself. Part of her wants to lie there and wallow in that feeling of helplessness. But... even if Rikka isn't there by her side...
... she's always with her. So it's on Akane to be with her, too -- and start thinking of a plan for both of them. Maybe it's just like the start of their road trip, though...
She needs to find an alternative route with lower expectations.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka is quiet at Puru-1's assessment of herself. She's no better... but she's still trying. ...Maybe there is something to that feeling.
Puru-1 makes a comment about Dr. Murasame's training regimens and the way she says it... makes her manage just the slightest smile. ...And before she knows it, she's already up and next to her, arms encircling her.
Rikka sinks into it, a little. It's something. It makes her feel a little less alone. She needs that right now. Puru-1... says it'll be alright. That she'll settle things, and get her out. She nods quietly.
"...I'll... I'll try. For her sake, too." Rikka murmurs. Puru-1 actually laughs. As strange, small, and broken as it is, it manages to get another slight smile out of Rikka.
...And then, she thinks.
"I-I don't... remember a lot. But I'll try." Rikka says. She thinks. ...It hurts a little, to try to and think back. It almost feels like her head is going to explode. But it might be important, so she tries. "I-I remember... Akane was there. And... and... someone else. Y- a friend of mine, I think."
...She doesn't know if it's safe to give away his name.
"...I think... I think he was hurt? They both were, but he was hurt more. But I just... I remember being so angry and upset with him for taking so much of her time for me. I wanted... I wanted to hurt him." She starts... and then, looks haunted for a moment. "...I wanted to kill him."
She shakes her head.
"I don't- I'd never do that. I don't know... I don't know why I thought that." Rikka murmurs, wrapping her arms around herself.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
"I'm glad." Puru-1 states to Rikka trying, and she even sounds sincere? Or at least as sincere as someone can under the distortions of voice changing technology. As Rikka tries to remember, it's like Puru-1 picks up on the tension and her arms just tighten slightly.
And before she knows it, there's this small circular rubbing motion to the small of Rikka's back. In just this even, soothing rhythm. It's comforting, in the way the cadence just doesn't change. This constant light pressure, this almost nurturing feel to it.
"Akane was?" Puru-1 sounds confused at first, until Rikka explains further and further. "And Yuta." She fills in the gap quietly. Who is this girl? Could it be one of her classmates?
And then it's like a lightbulb goes active, "Oh God, he didn't...!" A slight tremor moves throughout her arms, "She..." For a moment Puru-1 just seems overwhelmed, but she doesn't let go of Rikka.
"It was a Psycoframe... reaction, I think. And she drew you into a situation where..." Then its like Puru-1 just sags a little. "It was years ago. And she was jealous. She... tried to trick me and lead me away so I'd... just die, or she'd kill me." Even she sounds frustrated, "I don't know how he did it. How did he manipulate her into putting you into her shoes."
She's rambling a little, it shows, she's tired, transposing he and she like two people are to blame for this in different ways.
"Okay. Rikka." She quiets down, "What he's doing is afflicting you with the feelings of a child acting badl-"
The intercom comes on in that moment, "Puru-1, drink from the river Lethe." The words cause this change in her right away. As Puru-1 just, the rhythm of her backrub is slowly interrupted, and there's this puzzled air around her...
"I'm... sorry I lost my train of thought. Um. I must be really tired."
The way Puru-1 is staring, she's perturbed? Like there's something incongruent in her thoughts right now and she's not parsing what.
"I... whatever you're up to talking about?" It's like something in her mind catches up in that moment, resolves itself, "No matter how difficult it might be, I don't mind hard conversations."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane sits. And waits. And sits... and waits.
There's not a lot going on for her. A moment of respite --
A dark shadow cuts across a cell for two. Its current second occupant... isn't the one Akane would have hoped for.
"Akane-kun! I can't say this is how I expected the two of us to cross paths again, but stranger things have happened, I suppose." He picks up as if they never left off -- as if the months haven't passed.
Akane doesn't turn to face him. "Shuddup," she mutters. "You knew this would happen when you got tied up with Vist. Cut the act. I get your deal now. Don't... we're not friends."
"That's pretty hurtful, Akane-kun," Alexis immediately replies, shifting his stance; he's made himself a bit smaller, it seems. "I just thought I'd say 'hi,' that's all. I didn't expect Dr. Murasame to pick you and your friend up so --"
"Girlfriend. You screwed everything up when I was thinking about confessing. Remember?" Whatever bravado Akane had falls away in an instant. "But we're together now."
Laughing good-naturedly, Alexis offers her a swift, "Congratulations. Ah, young love does move fast." A few moments pass in silence, as he weighs something. "Now, of course, my loyalties are divided here, but I felt I ought to pay you a visit nevertheless..." Alexis glides slightly to the side, allowing a little more light to hit Akane.
"Oh, save it," Akane groans. "It wouldn't matter if you weren't involved at all. I'm done accepting help from you." Never again, she tells herself, in the hopes that she means it. It would be so easy to beg him to take her and Rikka from here. He might even do it.
She remembers how it went with Renais, though. His intercession came with a price. He'd find a way to make it the worst experience of her life -- wedge something between her and Rikka, or render Puru-1 unsalvageable. (... or perhaps him getting her into that line of thinking is itself the trap...? He knows how to exploit her sense of responsibility toward those close to her...)
"Fine," Alexis replies, and it's his turn to sound sulky. The two of them stand there in silence for several seconds, until again he breaks it. "They're using your phone, you know. Making sure people know you're, mmm." He sounds as if he's reciting her words. "'Puking my guts out at a crappy motel outside Nashville. You guys were right about MacDaniel's being the only safe stuff out here. I miss the not eating thing.'"
There's... really no one coming for them. She and Rikka could be safely out of contact for weeks. By the time they got back, they'd be... Rikka would be...
Akane's hands ball up into fists, and her head tilts down. "So, what, did you just come to tell me we're doomed? 'Cuz, like, I didn't need the help."
"Hm." Alexis wonders at that, for a few seconds... and then laughs, saying, "No, not at all, actually. I thought I'd offer you the chance to vent your fee --"
"Shut up. I'm not that person anymore." ... she hopes. "Shut up!"
Alexis allows himself to physicalize, with a shrug. "Suit yourself," he says, one final mirror of her cadence. "Farewell for now, then, Akane-kun. I'm sure we'll have the chance to speak again."
Akane takes a breath, and then -- "Wait."
"Hm?"
"Treasure Chest. That's yours, isn't it?"
Alexis, startled by the question, lets out an "Ope." Then, after taking a moment to compose himself, he says, "I thought you'd appreciate the pun."
"Get lost."
Akane waits until that long shadow disappears before curling up in the corner and trying to squeeze in a last little nap.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka nods back quietly as Puru-1 offers her what seems like a sincere response. She can feel her arms tighten - and then, a gentle rubbing motion on her back. It feels... nice, actually. Rikka relaxes, some of the tension starting to leak out of her.
"...Yeah." Rikka confirms with a nod. She pauses for a moment. It had been a slip on her part, but... Yuta. She knows about Yuta. Rikka flinches for just a moment, but the continuing motion helps her to relax. Which means she feels it, when her arms shift as Puru-1 feels overwhelmed.
A Psycoframe reaction... Rikka listens. The story, it... It feels familiar. She's... she's heard something like this before, hasn't she, it -
Puru-1 starts to tell her something, and then, a voice comes from the intercom. Rikka's eyes snap to it immediately - and then, to Puru-1, as the rhythm is interrupted. She seems... confused. And, she 'lost her train of thought'.
Rikka's eyes track to the intercom again. That timing... Was it a coincidence? Or have they been listening in on everything? She looks back down at Puru-1, and shakes her head.
"...It's okay." She replies quietly. She feels like... if she presses further on that topic, things might get dangerous. She pauses for a moment, then. What does she want to talk about? "...I'm fine with just sitting here until it's time for us to move on to... whatever they have for us after this."
She pauses, then. ...That does raise a question, so...
"What... what does come next? What are they going to do?" Rikka asks. Not just in the immediate. She... wants to know what's waiting for her.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Puru-1 looks genuinely perturbed for a time, abstracted, but her mind seems to normalize things and anchor itself in the moment the longer Rikka says something. The backrub continues, in just this circular motion, as Rikka reassures her she's just fine sitting there until its time for them to move on.
"You'll probably be taken back to Akane for a meal and some rest time. Then after rest, another test? I'll get a meal and then... more training."
There's a distance in her tone, like she's just so inured to life here by now that she's having trouble processing the individual horrors any longer.
"I'm told that they're making a move on the next Coordinate soon, which means I'll be sortied when that happens." The faceplate of the suit turns to look directly at Rikka. "I have to settle things decisively then, that's your only chance of getting out of here. It's their only chance too. There's no other way out."
There's a sudden buzz, and the door opens. A balding, bespectacled middle aged Japanese man with a lab coat and several 'orderlies' recruited from the guards walk in.
"This session is over. Puru-1, I'd like to have a talk with you about effective debriefing strategies." Her arms unravel from Rikka, and she says quietly, "Yes, Doctor Murasame." Rising from the bunk.
"Treasure Chest, these men will escort you back to Aumerei and your quarters."
And they do, not too roughly, but rather firmly, Rikka will notice them handing Puru-1 back her sidearm and a retractable rod, which she stows away on the belt of her pilot suit.
Dr. Murasame starts talking to her again when he believes Rikka is out of earshot, "While the NT-D was active you were once again showing unacceptable levels of conscious control. You're not trying to sabotage everything you've worked so hard for, now are you?"
Once they're back at the cell with Akane, Rikka is given a single tiny Greek yogurt, with nuts. "Eat up. Once you're finished your six hour rest period begins." So wait, Akane gets eight and Rikka gets six? That hardly seems fair. Even if Akane could barely sleep for any of it.
The guards leave them 'alone' after closing the cell back up.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
The relief in Akane's face is plain when Rikka's returned to their cell; even if something horrible has happened, even if she has to drag Rikka back from the brink a second time... Akane's world feels so much brighter for just an instant.
"Rikka," Akane starts, once Rikka's given her food and they're left alone. "Come sit in the corner with me?" Discreetly, she adds, "Keep your voice down. The microphones can't be that good or they'd hear the ship rattling all the time." She knows she's said it before -- but Rikka may not remember it after an experiment.
She takes a breath, then starts going through her mental inventory. She's going to have to ask more questions than she promised -- she doesn't know what they did, and the possibility space is... broad. (She waits on offering the granola bars.)
"What's your name?"
"If Dr. Murasame asks, what's your name?"
"What are we going to do about Puru-1?"
"Are we safe with these people?"
Akane pauses, sorting out possibilities. She knows they're using her bond with Rikka to lead her around, from what they said during the first test. She knows they're pretty hot to send her out to fight. She knows Alexis is involved... ugh, there's so much. Her mind runs away with possibilities, but...
"... How are we connected?"
"What's it okay to do to keep me safe?"
"How do you feel about Alexis Kerib?"
"Is that yogurt gonna be enough for you?"
... this one is going to hurt, Akane reflects, but she has to know.
"Once we get out of here, who's going to help us?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka can tell that Puru-1 is... unsettled, but in the moment she's not sure what she can do to help with that. For now, though... maybe it's alright to just let herself be comforted.
"...More training." Rikka murmurs. More testing. What's going to happen...? It isn't a comforting thought. And then... Puru-1 says they're making a move on the next Coordinate, where she'll be sortied.
"...There's no other way out." Rikka repeats in a murmur. She wishes she could truthfully say that isn't the case, that there must be something she can do. ...But, how can she? She can't see any way out, either. When she has to fight and struggle to maintain even a shred of identity in the face of everything they're doing to her... what can she do? This is the most lucid she's felt since she's been here, and there's no telling how long it'll last. She wants to ask about the 'Coordinate' she mentioned... but before she can, a man appears, accompanied by 'orderlies'. ...This is... Doctor Murasame.
"...Understood." Rikka replies quietly, as she's told that she will be escorted back to her quarters. She allows - only in the sense that she's afraid to resist - herself to be escorted. As she is lead away, she can hear them talking. ...She doesn't try to do anything obvious, but she does try to hold on to what she can.
Back at her cell, back with Akane, Rikka is given food and told she'll have six hours of rest. Only six hours...
"...Understood." Rikka repeats, just as quiet as before. ...It says a lot, that she's willing to compromise for even that much. Besides - she has more important things to concern herself right now. Like... Akane. Akane is relieved to see her - and Rikka, in turn, is relieved to see her.
"Akane..." Rikka whispers. She feels like just a little bit of extra weight has left her. As requested, she makes her way over to the corner, taking the seat next to her. She nods, as she warns her to keep her voice down. What she says sounds... a little familiar. She opens her yogurt, and starts on it. ...She takes it slowly, though. She'll drag it out as long as she needs to to give her more time with her. She watches Akane ready herself... and then, the questions come.
"Rikka... Takarada."
"..." Hesitation. "Treasure Chest."
"We-" She starts. She tries to recall. What was it they needed to do...? Her words are caught in her throat, and then something slides into place. "...We need to... support her."
"...No."
There's a pause, and Rikka gives her time to sort out her thoughts. It gives her time with her own thoughts, too. ...She wonders if she should be more worried about that, as she works at her yogurt a little more.
"We're dating. We have been for... for..." Rikka hesitates. "...A little while. But we were friends a while before that."
The next question... causes Rikka's breath to catch on her throat. Her grip tightens on her cup of yogurt. She remembers the intense jealousy. The desire to reach out and strangle Yuta for daring to be in the same space as Akane. She feels sick again and tries to suppress the memory.
"I- I- I don't want to hurt anyone, but... I want to keep you safe."
"Alexis... Kerib." It takes a second, but just speaking the name aloud and hearing her saying it... feelings and memories rush back. "...I hate him."
She pauses and it takes her a second to admit, "...No. Sorry."
...Who's... going to help them. Rikka goes quiet. ...Who is going to help them? Who can help them? The only people she can recall... she doesn't know what they can do. She thinks of Yuta - no... it isn't Yuta. He is, but... he isn't, either. ...Would he be safe around her?
"...I don't... know." Rikka admits.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane listens. She does her best to maintain the mask, though it takes a lot of effort; some of these answers... scare her. They're pushing her more than Akane had expected -- or maybe it's that they're not pushing her.
They're using her against herself. Once Akane realizes that -- and begins to compare it to her own experiences -- she can't quite suppress the grimace... though she keeps listening.
"Okay," Akane starts. "This is going to suck to hear, but some of those answers," she elaborates once she's done with her basic inventory, "aren't what you gave me last time. I only asked you three questions last time, but some of the others are like, implied." Let's see how she takes to the right ones, Akane says to herself.
A pause, before she adds, "This is the second test battery they've put you through, I think. Here." She unrolls her sleeves, two granola bars popping out. Her stomach growls a little at the sight, but... "You can have both. They brought some for me too. I already ate." When she adds, "Don't apologize for needing to eat," it comes out a little sharper than she means it to. She's so, so tired.
"We need to get Puru-1 out of here," Akane starts. "She thinks she's just playing along, but they did the same thing to her that they did to you. She's Leina." Akane admits -- at strain: "She's our friend."
"That's right. It's been a few months. I was going to confess to you almost two years ago but I was being an idiot about it." Akane scoots forward a little.
Akane keeps going through the answers now that she's gotten all of them. Rikka getting hung up on the safety question hurts. "Rikka... I know you want that, but --" Her voice hitches in her throat. "... Rikka who found it hard to fight me even when I was doing bad things is the one who saved me. And I need you to keep that Rikka safe, even more than I need you to keep me safe."
"I hate him, too," Akane answers Rikka. That one, at least, is... mostly easy. There's something starting to chew at the edge of her thoughts a little on that, but... she can stuff it back down for now.
... The food's already handled... and there's just that last question to address.
Who is going to help them? Can Akane really count on the same people every time? Can she be sure that something won't stop them, or they won't get tired of helping, or...?
"We have a lot of friends. Some of them specialize in fixing this kind of thing. Some of them went through this kinda thing themselves. Some of them are just kinda weird people." Akane takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Some of them I almost killed when /I/ needed help. For /you/ they're gonna be willing to crawl over shattered glass." Akane's eyes open again, her head tilting up so she can look Rikka dead in the eyes. "It's 'cuz you showed them how to do it when it was me. And if anyone ever deserved it, it's you. I won't let them make you forget that."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka braces herself as Akane starts. Some of the answers she gave... aren't the ones she gave before. In response, she draws in a sharp breath. ...They... aren't. If they aren't, then...
...She thought- she thought she'd managed to hold onto herself this time. How much of herself is still... her? Can she even be confident in things she thinks are true?
Akane says this is the second test battery, and removes a pair of granola bars from her sleeve. Rikka looks down at them, then up at Akane.
"Are you sure? I-" She starts. Akane assures her that they brought some for her, too, that she already ate - and when her voice becomes a bit sharper Rikka recoils a bit, accepting the granola bars reflexively. She sets the somewhat-crushed yogurt aside for now, instead starting on one of the bars as Akane continues.
"We need to... get Puru-1 out of here." Rikka repeats. She repeats it mentally, for good measure. And then - Akane drops a bomb, and Rikka's eyes widen.
"She's- god. So that's why. That's why she knew about Yuta, about-" Rikka shakes her head. "I... I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but... we were talking earlier. Maybe it was just the time, or, or she was about to say something they didn't want me to hear, but... they said something over the intercom and she just kind of... stopped, and seemed to forget what we were just talking about."
Akane confirms that they have been dating. That part was never in question - one of the memories she most treasures. Still, she smiles and when Akane scoots forward a little, Rikka follows suit.
Her response to the next question, though... Rikka can tell it hurts. But... Rikka nods, quietly.
"O... Okay. If... that's what you think you need... I'll trust you." ...It's hard, when all her instincts are screaming at her to do otherwise, but... she knows Akane's right, in this instance. She nods, then. ...At least they're on the same page in regards to Alexis Kerib.
That is something she's certain will never change.
And then... Rikka listens as Akane continues. She's quiet, for a moment after. ...She's not sure how she forgot something so... important. Rikka takes a deep breath.
"You're... you're right. I remember now. I..." She hesitates. "Thanks. I..." She goes quiet again. "...I might need reminding again. But... I trust you. That's something they can't take from me."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"I'm working on getting us better food. I have an idea for how, but it'll probably have to come after the next test," Akane explains, as Rikka starts eating. That much, at least, is nice to see; Akane's always liked seeing other people get their needs met. Maybe even more than she likes getting that herself.
'That's something they can't take from me.' Akane wonders, distantly, if that's true. She hopes it is. She'll trust in Rikka's courage.
Tapping her chin, Akane says, "I think they're not going to try to break that... at least not fast." Her thoughts start racing. How can she get ahead of this? How can she get the two of them into a position where they can make it through this? If she had 3G's resources and not just her training, it'd be trivial, but all she has is... is...
... herself.
Hm.
"That's... I know there's a term for it, and I know I know what it is... but, uh, horny backchan threads don't cover that kinda stuff, so I'm kinda struggling to remember," Akane answers Rikka, when she mentions Puru-1 'forgetting what they were talking about.' "She was probably gonna give you too big a piece of the puzzle, yeah." She knows the Intelligence handbook covered this but she can't remember because she's so tired and it's killing her. So she pivots. "They might try that on you later."
Something clicks in Akane's head. Another key turned, another card swiped.
With a wince, Akane continues telling Rikka where her head's at. It'll make it easier on both of them later... she has to tell herself that, anyway, as she makes herself very small and curls up next to Rikka, moving to hold her. "I've been where Leina is, right now. It doesn't get better until you're actually out of the whole place. It's why I had to move out of Tsutsujidai." It's excessively candid, but Akane doesn't have a choice but to confront a lot of this stuff, now. "I hate to say it, but we probably can't win that one unless we find a way to get her out of here."
"I'm starting to put together a plan," Akane says, moving to cuddle in at Rikka's side. "It's gonna suck a little for both of us and a lot for Leina, but I think it's our best shot. Five percent chance, tops, but..."
"I guess this is what they're talking about with the 'make up the rest with courage' thing. Ugghh..."
Wrapping her arms around Rikka, she says, "Let's try to get some rest, okay? We don't know when they're gonna drag one of us out again."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"...That'd be nice." Rikka replies with a nod, as Akane says she's working on getting them better food. She might be able to survive on yogurt and granola bars - and even the latter Akane had to sneak her - but it doesn't exactly do anything for morale.
She nods as Akane says they're probably not going to try to break it that fast, and then listens as she explains that what she's talking about is something - that they were trying to keep Puru-1 from giving her information.
...And, that they might try it on her. Rikka feels a chill down her spine.
Akane curls up next to her, moves to hold her - Rikka sinks almost immediately into her, moving to hold on just as tight. Afraid to let go. She listens as Akane outlines the situation. ...And, she nods quietly. It's going to be difficult, isn't it? And she...
"...Yeah." Rikka murmurs. ...They need their rest. It's like she said... they don't know when one of them is going to get dragged out again. ...Akane wraps her arms around her, and Rikka leans into her. For now, that's the only thing that matters. She'll only have six hours like this. She'll have to make those six hours count. She relaxes into her embrace... and her mind wanders back to the fear she's had ever since she realised it might happen. A hand moves to hold onto Akane. She wonders if she should... even voice these fears, but... it's entirely worse to keep them to herself.
"If... If... 'I' don't come back..." Rikka starts. "...Will you still take care of me?"
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane lets Rikka hold onto her. There's a life ahead of this for both of them -- she has to tell herself that...
... but man, Rikka just made it really difficult to keep doing it.
There's a flinch, at the question; Akane scoots in tighter, burying her face in Rikka's shoulder. Tears stream onto that pilot suit as she finally finds herself too overwhelmed to actually answer, at first. It's so much harder to believe in the two of them once it's out there.
Then again -- neither of them got to this point by making easy choices.
Two impulses war in her mind. She knows Rikka would hate herself if she became something that held Akane back. But... what about what Akane wants? What about what Rikka deserves?
She breathes in and out, trying desperately to stabilize herself so she can give a real answer. Eventually, it comes out.
"I -- I won't accept that," Akane starts. "But if they force the issue... I mean, real talk: I owe you my life."
"And if I have to, I'm going to pay my debts. ... But I'm gonna make sure it doesn't come to that."
One last deep breath, and Akane begins to sing -- quietly, but sing nevertheless.
"Swear to me by your tears
"That a miracle will cling to you
"And you'll leap over the wreckage
"In a rising curve
"Seek out the pulse in my heart
"Until I return to life
"Will you make it in time?
"I pray you'll make it in time…
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane clings tighter, her face buried in her shoulder. ...She's crying. Rikka shuts her eyes, tears streaming from her own. It's... difficult. But... Akane breathes. She says... she won't accept it. She'll pay her debts if she has to... but she'll make sure it doesn't come to that.
When she says it like that... maybe, she can bring herself to hope it'll be alright. She clings back, just a little tighter, and nods.
...And then, Akane begins to sing. Quietly... but this close to her, she can hear it. Rikka holds her breath for a moment.
"...That's... our song." Rikka murmurs. Obelisk. She performed to it once for Akane's sake. She remembers that, vividly. And now... "You have... a really nice singing voice. Has anyone ever told you that...?"
Lulled by Akane's singing, Rikka gradually relaxes... until, eventually, exhaustion takes hold of her, and she drifts off to sleep in Akane's arms, silent except for gentle breaths. She doesn't know how long she'll have this. But having this moment now... that's enough.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yeah, it is," Akane says, able to take some momentary relief from the way Obelisk seems to cut through so much of the fog. "And..." Akane turns a little pink as she's told she has a good singing voice. It brings back a fond memory -- one of a handful from before Tsutsujidai.
She opens her mouth to share it -- and sees that Rikka's managed to fall asleep. Good, she thinks. Next time they have a chance to talk... next time they can sit down and discuss their lives...
It'll be a nice story.
Her hand comes up to Rikka's black hair, smoothing it out. "I couldn't do this alone," Akane whispers. "But together, with you..."
Her lips come up to Rikka's forehead, pressing against it softly, before she, too, does her best to drift off.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Three hours after Rikka goes to sleep, an alarm promptly goes off. An announcement is made, "Fire Alarm Activated. Fire Alarm Activated." There is absolutely no activity, only flashing lights and a horrible siren. Then, three minutes later, it goes off, and the comms state, "This was only a drill. In the event of an actual emergency, please utilize RACE and PASS before implementing evacuation protocols."
Two and a half hours later it starts unexpectedly. The cell opens quietly, someone walks up to Akane, and smoothly, without even allowing her time to speak, a rag is put to her mouth. A single whiff of the sweet odor is all it takes. Two 'orderlies' pick her up and carry her out of the room.
Roughly a half hour later, a rotten egg scent hits Rikka's nostrils, from something waved under her nose. The bespectacled man is there in person this time, along with two more. "Treasure Chest. Please suit up and report to the testing area." The 'orderlies' this time are women, and they both enter the locker room with Rikka.
The escalating security measures must be because experiment two failed to arrive at the proper result. A cornered subject might do something quite desperate. Any questions on where Akane might be go completely unanswered.
Rikka if she glimpses at a monitor in the locker room will see Puru-1 in the REST chamber, in infrared glow, which might be a relief to her. She's so still, almost unmoving. One would have to watch very closely and for a very long time to see that it is on loop.
Rikka doesn't have that kind of time.
When Rikka enters the testing area the Mu Gundam is there, as is the wrecked Qubeley, but the Banshee is not. Instead it can be seen through a window outside of the the testing area within a bay in the main hangar. "Treasure Chest, please ascend into your designed test mobile suit."
The ascent lift is waiting. Once inside the cockpit, Rikka will notice a black crate of unusual construction in the cockpit behind the pilot's seat, which appears to be linked into a port within one of the consoles.
"New monitoring equipment has been installed. Please do not tamper with the monitoring equipment."
The voice patiently waits for her to take her seat in the cockpit, and as Rikka checks the viewports, she'll see a simulated targeting range pops up on her view screen, of various caricatures of One Year War Zaku. They move in stilted animation in horizontal ways.
"This will be an accuracy test. Align your brainwaves with the Psycommu, launch the funnels, and fire at the targets when ready." And for the first minute assuming Rikka cooperates, that's what happens, beamfire at lowest power lances at simulated targets with incredible accuracy.
Then, Rikka feels it, in violet, that horrible dread pulse. That loss of control of her funnels. On the other side of the hangar, she'll see the Banshee in her cameras, transformed, with hand raised. When the hands erupt from her funnels, from the sides of the cockpit they latch on and cling with shocking rapidity. In this state, she has no chance of seeing how they reach through the crate as well.
Even if she readied herself for this possibility, even if expecting it fully, it doesn't matter. If anything, it makes it worse. The horrible feelings flood her right away.
HOSTILITY PANIC RAGE APPREHENSION
M I N E M I N E M I N E M I N E
FEAR GRIEF WRATH DETACHMENT SHAME
And draw her right in, that moment of contact with Puru-1 still happens, in her own pilot suit, covered with hands, she opens her mouth as if to scream. And then nothingness. Emptiness. A void space. That sense of Akane is the first thing she gets, so close, so very close. And as her sight returns, there's a blinding white opening.
A hatch? Her hatch? Of her mobile suit. If she looks around, her vision starts to clear, as she sees the shapes, the outlines of buildings. Look to the side and Akane is collapsed in a heap in the cockpit, nearly insensate, with handcuffs on. Protective feelings flood her instantly. What happened? What happened to her?
Something horrible. Something that you must protect her from. When suddenly, a horrible, shadow blocks out the white opening. "Hooo?" With a familiar voice. Standing outside of the hatch is Alexis, dark cape, the paneling on his teeth carrying such a hostile vibe to it. "Have we reached the end of this little chase? I do commend your dedication." Out of his cape, he lifts his hands, clapping twice, "You almost got away, but I'll be taking her back now."
The control to close that hatch though, it's right there, in Rikka's hand. Just right there, all she has to do is…
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
In the end, Rikka only gets three hours. She wakes abruptly as an alarm pierces her sleep, as pleasant as anything she could possibly get in a place like this. She looks around, listening for signs of danger... and then, huffs irritably as the intercom provides a helpful note that it was only a drill. She shuts her eyes, and tries to settle back in.
So disturbed, the remaining two and a half hours aren't nearly as restful. She doesn't quite manage to 'sleep' in that time. She becomes aware of movement and starts to stir in that time - and before she knows it, a horrific scent reaches her nostrils. Rikka gags and sputters, jarred to wakefulness - if still somewhat groggy. She casts her eyes around, looking for the sight of the one responsible, and her breath catches in her throat at the sight of the bespectacled man, having come here in person. She takes a look around, taking note of Akane's absence - but doesn't ask him directly.
"...Understood." Rikka replies quietly, and with some hesitation. She hauls herself to her feet - or, perhaps more likely, is hauled to her feet - and allows herself to be lead to the locker room. She does, when they're alone, attempt to ask the 'orderlies' about Akane... but when that's met with silence, she instead turns her attention to the monitor.
Puru-1... They're putting her through that again. Having had a chance to speak with her now, she feels a pang of sympathy. What could be so important that she work with people willing to that to her...? ...Maybe, if she were more alert, she might notice something unusual about the display. But running on only three hours of sleep, stacked against her previous exhaustion on all levels, the physical, mental, and emotional...
Soon enough, though, she's lead along. ...She feels some small amount of relief when she ends up in the hangar again to find that the Banshee isn't in the testing area with her this time. She can see it outside, but if they haven't brought it here this time...
She follows her orders, making her way over to the Mu Gundam and climbing into it. This time, there's a black crate. She reaches out to it - and perhaps in response, or perhaps simply because it was predicted, the voice warns her not to touch it. She retracts her hand immediately, and instead moves to take her seat in the cockpit. On the viewport... there are some Zaku. An accuracy test. That's... her guard is raised, but for now she does as instructed.
"Launching funnels." Rikka announces. Maybe if she finishes this up quickly... She guides the funnels, directing fire at the Zaku. It lasts just long enough for it to wear on her - at a certain point, she's just going through the motions. And when her guard is at her lowest... it happens.
Rikka feels the pulse and her breath is caught in her throat as control of her funnels is torn away from her.
"Wh-wh-" She starts. The Banshee wasn't there. She thought- She thought that it was - She looks, and she sees it. It's here now. This time, however, she's barely given time to register her. Before, it was as if they were hunting her. Now, they've already fixated on her and reach out and seize her.
Perhaps mercifully, she isn't even given time to scream as she's once more drawn from her body. She tries desperately to ward off the encroaching flood... but the feelings come faster than she can fight them off, and soon enough, she comes face-to-face once more with Puru-1.
All is as nothing. Nothing, except... Akane? She's here. She's here. Rikka latches onto that sensation, holding onto it like a rock against the flood...
...and when the darkness clears, she is greeting with blinding light. Rikka winces, raising a hand to shield her eyes. Everything is... fuzzy. Her vision, but her mind, too. What's...? She looks around. Outside, outside the... hatch?, she sees buildings. And next to her is... Rikka gasps, clasping a hand over her mouth.
"Akane! What... what happened to you...?" She starts. ...Who... who did this to her? How could they...!? She gets a sensation before it occurs, before the hatch opening is blocked by a horrible shadow.
...Alexis Kerib. He's here. He's come for her. He did this, didn't he...? He was chasing her... Rikka's grip tightens, seeking the mobile suit's controls. Anger rises in her chest.
"No, I... I'm not going to let you take her." Rikka replies. "Just... leave her alone! She's never going back to you!"
The control she's found, it... Rikka pulls it instinctively, trying to shut the hatch before he can enter.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Alexis reacts as if offended when the hatch shuts. It is tapped twice by his fist, "Do you really think just shutting the door will be enough?" As the mobile suit starts to move, he is suddenly just not there. His cape is removed with a hand, and he has grown larger than mobile suit size by a great deal. As he stands there with a dark spear in hand. "Are we really doing this?" He asks Treasure Chest, as if bored by this level of resistance. There is movement on Treasure Chest's sensors.
And the moment she looks, to her horror she will realize she's on a playground, there are children around, pointing in delight at both her mobile suit, at Alexis Kerib. Parents are running over to try and grab them. City streets have cars running by. If she looks up, there is a natural rocky dome encasing the city.
Axis. She's on Axis. She is Treasure Chest. She is a pilot in a Qubeley that is dark violet with pink accents. Facing down someone so powerful. Can she even harm him? Much less beat him? Can she get Akane out of here? Suddenly, much worse, his glasses gleam, as he calls out. "Instance-"
PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC
PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC
PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC
"-ABREACTION!"
A cross shaped bleed of red leaks out, as the cityscape of Axis shines bright crimson, and when it clears. All the people have become Kaiju. Small Kaiju, but familiar ones. A Ghoulgilas roughly six meters high spews a shaped fireball at a Devadadan who redirects it right towards the Qubeley in one large burst. More and more small Kaiju are coming at her quickly
Too quickly. The streets around her that had people on them before are empty of anything other than Kaiju. The children, the parents, the salarymen and women. Now just Kaiju, all coming to attack her. A Nanashi leaps against a building, before bounding off right towards her, claw extended.
And Alexis just laughs as he slides deftly away from any attempt to attack him. Moving around buildings as he uses them for cover.
PANIC ANGER PANIC ANGER PANIC ANGER PANIC
DESPERATION DESPERATION DESPERATION
PANIC ANGER PANIC ANGER PANIC ANGER PANIC
Treasure Chest has to get Akane out, she has to, she HAS TO. There are too many Kaiju though, and Alexis? Alexis will never let her leave, never let her run. Flight isn't an option, which leaves only fight. She has to protect her. She has to protect her.
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY OUT!
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
With a heroic effort, Akane begins to stir behind Rikka. Bleary-eyed and exhausted, barely able to parse the reality around her, Akane feels... disconnected -- like she's only half-in the world.
Her body feels like it's not going to respond to her. Her thoughts are so, so sluggish, and there's a dull sense of panic that only half-reaches her, like it's simultaneously all she has and utterly irrelevant.
Her eyes track off to the viewscreen, expression dull. "Hhuuh...?" she murmurs, as she offers half-lidded half-recognition of what's going on.
"Ri... kka?" Not Treasure Chest. Rikka. Rikka's the one certain thing in her world, even as she struggles to process light and color and shape and feeling outside the mobile suit.
The movement of the mobile suit is too much for her to stay seated straight, in her present condition. She's barely even conscious, let alone oriented. All she can offer is that one word, again.
"Rikka..."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Alexis seems to be offended. Rikka finds she's okay with that. She knows it won't stop him - but it might be enough time to get away. She pulls back away from him... and as she does, he removes his cape, and he grows, his terrible, dark spear at the ready.
Rikka grits her teeth at the question. Are they? She needs to... do something. Can she get away from him in time? Can she -
Her sensors register movement, and Rikka looks abruptly. He's not alone...? ...No, wait. This is- this is a playground. There's people here. Parents. Children. This is a city, this is -
This is Axis. She feels people. Hears cars. She draws a deep, shuddering breath. Her mind was fuzzy before, but she's starting to... remember, a little, now that the adrenaline is beginning to flow. Things she'd forgotten come rushing back to her. This is... this is a Qubeley. She knows what it can do. She knows what he can do. Is this enough, against him? And, what's more, with people around...
"Get... get out of here! Please! This place is dangerous!" Treasure Chest shouts, trying to do something, anything, to drive them off. ...And then, Alexis speaks again. 'Instance' - no. No, she... she recognizes this. He did it before, to Akane.
"No! Stop!" She calls out, horrified. Panic fills her very being as she realises what's about to happen. The red light of Instance Abreaction shines throughout Axis, and in an instant...
Axis's entire populace have become kaiju. It's cruel, how familiar they are. The products of a tortured heart. She steals a glance toward Akane. Treasure Chest's hands shudder at the Qubeley's controls, for a moment. She gasps in surprise, veering out of the way in the last moment as one of Ghoulgilas's fireballs is redirected and sent screaming toward her. Nanashi B uses its overwhelming agility to leap around and rush down her machine, claw tearing into it. It's small - but enough will add up, and she's already being surrounded.
She... she doesn't want to hurt any of them. She turns her attention instead toward Alexis - but he's already out of range. The way forward is blocked by a flood of kaiju. She turns, in an attempt to retreat. She does make an effort to escape, but the damage is beginning to pile up as she finds herself surprised.
Treasure Chest breathes in, to try and steady herself - but she can't, she's afraid, and angry, and quickly finding herself cornered... Behind her, however, Akane is beginning to stir. Treasure Chest spares a glance over to her, even as she just barely dodges another attack. She's... calling a name. Calling for- for-
Calling her name. Akane...
She... has to protect her. With Akane herself barely conscious... she's the only one who can, now. They both have to get out of here. She knows what she has to do. She doesn't want to do it, but... they'll both die if she doesn't. She has to protect her. She has to get her out of here, away from him, away from... all this. She can't let anything happen to her. She feels a flash of anger. It's all his fault...
"Akane... It's... It's alright. I'm here. I'll keep you safe." She murmurs, before turning her attention back to the kaiju. With so many of them here... She has no choice.
...There is no other way out.
"...Funnels!" Rikka cries out. The Qubeley's funnels release, positioning themselves in a circle around her.
And then, she opens fire.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Bless their hearts, some people did respond to Treasure Chest's warning. Some people grabbed their kids, some children ran to hide. Some civilians realized that rubbernecking a mobile suit was not the wisest idea. They ran. They hid. It didn't matter. Alexis' powers were indiscriminate in its cruelty. One might wonder if he were punishing Treasure Chest for daring to take away his charge.
"You're the one who made this place dangerous." Alexis notes, as he watches his handiwork converge upon Treasure Chest and her Qubeley. Akane gives Rikka back her name, but everything about this place tries to take it back away.
WEAPON WEAPON WEAPON
YOU ARE YOU ARE
A A
WEAPON WEAPON WEAPON
T R E A S U R E C H E S T
The sheer pressure, the hostility in the air. She can protect Akane, she can do it. She needs a weapon though, fortunately, she is Treasure Chest. She is the weapon. And the Qubeley provides. Funnels, funnels which always reacted to Rikka's urge to protect people before when she launched them.
Unfortunately, as well as she used them, for as good a cause as she used them, hostility is still required to some degree to project them. And there's plenty of hostility in the air. Along with the panic, the desperation, the fear of the situation. The funnels respond as they rise, beamfire lancing out. Ghoulgilas is carved in twain. Nanashi is vaporized in mid-air. Devadadan reflects beamfire, but that's quickly solved when the ground is melted out from under it, and it dies screaming in molten concrete.
Alexis seems unperturbed by this turn of events. Not a single mote of funnel fire has touched him, as he simply moves behind a building, the building quickly exploding into molten glass and concrete, and steel.
"Hooo? And you think this is a solution to your predicament?" He asks, peeking out his head as if they were playing some game.
PANIC FEAR DESPERATION
ANGER ANGER ANGER
DESPERATION FEAR PANIC
More Kaiju are coming. And Alexis remains untouched.
It matters not if Treasure Chest tries to think at this point, tries to recenter, tries to deescalate. The funnels are already swept up in the emotional cocktail of TERROR and ANGER. More and more Kaiju die as they approach. Mecha Ghoulgilas has its legs cut out from under it before three funnels burn its head off from the neck.
Gonglee melts out of the mist and its head is vaporized instantly.
Amidst the horde, one Kaiju might stand out, one Kaiju. Purple, with accordion like arms and claws. It has no time to react. The whole swarm is cut down. It burbles out a scream of rage in a familiar voice.
"YOUUUUUUUUU! TREASURE! CHEST!"
Moments before it dies. The streets are quiet for the moment, other than the crackling flames of fires. Playground equipment is melted, buildings are glassed, city streets turned into molten pits. Alexis is for the moment out of sight.
And there are countless human bodies all over the ground.
Dead. Dead. Dead.
Including one familiar one, too familiar. Lying face down, his body unrecognizable only from chest up, silver grey hair hiding his face like a funeral shroud.
This would be a moment of horror any other time, but as that horror over what she's done creeps in, so too does a coping mechanism clamp down.
DETACHMENT DISSOCIATION
DISPASSION
INDIFFERENCE AMBIVALENCE
They weren't people. They were Kaiju. Just Kaiju, trying to take Akane away. Akane is safe, that's what matters.
You can look away. They don't matter. Just Akane.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
It's so hard for Akane to feel much of anything, in this state... at first. Something in her gut starts to wake up with each passing moment, though -- something in her begins to sense this world she's been dragged into...
... and unlike Rikka, she's not getting those feelings with both barrels.
That's what makes it hurt, though.
She manages to claw halfway to consciousness -- her body aches, and her vision swims, but bit by bit she starts to understand what she's experiencing. Kaiju outside. Her kaiju, once -- now Alexis's kaiju.
Rikka deploys her funnels --
and Akane starts feeling that sinking feeling again.
'This... is a dream.' She mouths it, but can't quite bring herself to verbalize it -- she's too weak, too dazed. But she can feel, bit by bit, those feelings rolling off of --
No... that's wrong. Rolling into -- pushing on.
A hand comes up, pawing at the sleeve of Rikka's pilot suit, desperately. "R.. rikka... nnnnnnnnoooooooo..." She whimpers, trying desperately to do something.
She lacks the power to enforce the concept of an 'above.'
She lacks the will to posit the concept of an 'above.'
In this moment, she can only receive Rikka's care -- and continue desperately to try to offer her a way back. "Rikka... Rikka..." she pleads, a little louder, a little stronger each time -- but still oh so weak.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
'You're the one who made this place dangerous.' Her breath catches in her throat. Is it her? But, she was... She was just trying to save Akane, she -
"It's... it's your fault! Because you won't leave her alone!" She counters. It sounds, in the moment, like she's trying to convince herself more than him, and she's making a poor argument of it.
Funnels are deployed - weapons are deployed. They are a part of her - a part of Rikka, a part of Treasure Chest, directed by her thought and intent. They are a weapon, regardless of her desire to protect, even when used to that end. They are an extension of her. ...Therefore, isn't she, too...?
She hears, feels, Akane reach for her, grabbing at her sleeve. Pleading for her - pleading for her to stop? ...But, she can't. Not right now. Not until she's safe.
Funnels fire. Kaiju are eliminated. Alexis taunts her and rage takes over in the moment.
"Sh...shut UP!" Treasure Chest - Rikka - roars. The funnels turn on him briefly, firing uselessly upon his cover before returning to the task at hand. It's too late to stop. The sight of more and more kaiju only height the sense of danger, the fear and anger. Akane won't be safe until this is over. She has to keep going, she has to -
There's a familiar voice. It registers, a moment too late for her to stop. And as the voice is quieted, so too are the streets of Axis. There is nothing left. Not even Alexis.
Only the dreadful aftermath of what she's done.
Rikka - Treasure Chest - stares out at it all. Uncomprehendingly, at first - and then she realises. Her eyes open wide in terror. At the bodies. Human. Unfamiliar.
...And, one all too familiar. This one drags a choked gasp out of her.
"N-no, no, no, I, this isn't what I-" She starts, her body trembling. Her breathing accelerates - practically hyperventilating, at this point. She shakes her head in disgust and disbelief, even as the Qubeley's levers rattle from her shaking.
And yet... despite this, a part of her too, feels...
Nothing. She did what she needed to do, didn't she? Akane, is... safe. Alexis is gone, for the moment. She did what she needed to do. ...But, why does she feel so sick...?
She turns the Qubeley around.
"...Let's... let's go." She murmurs quietly. Akane continues to call out for her. To call out for Rikka.
...Can she... continue to be Rikka, after this? The Rikka who found it so difficult to fight Akane... she's lost, isn't she? Stained with blood...
She broke her promise.
Treasure Chest comes to the front. Rikka begins to slip away.
...But not entirely.
Because someone's still holding onto her, pleading for her, with what little strength she has. She cannot establish 'above'. But sometimes, it's enough in the moment just to hold on. It's enough just to call her name.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
The image of the melted streets of Axis is haunting, but, fast becoming this numbing dispassionate situation in the pilot of the Qubeley. It was just another cruelty of the world that hurt Akane. A world still trying to hurt Akane.
She has to protect her.
There's this vague sensation of something flying at the Qubeley, a mobile suit in red, which may remind Treasure Chest vaguely of another mobile suit she'd seen before, maddeningly being kept at the recesses of her mind.
And then everything fades in a static like blur. Reality sets back in. Funnels fire at their Zaku simulated targets and fall over, some with explosion like effects. It's easy to imagine more pilots dying in these simulated Zaku.
They're not real though, Akane is real.
A glance at the Banshee and it will not be in the transformed NT-D mode any longer, it's standing still, stately, straight, its horn closed like some jagged Qilin's horn. There's no sign it ever even moved at all.
The test ends suddenly, with a call over the comms.
"Congratulations. A perfect score. Treasure Chest, your prize is behind you. Please enter code #220-111-113 on the monitoring equipment touch pad."
When she does, the strange crate like contraption unfolds and inside is Akane, sedated, barely conscious, but there and ready for her.
"Congratulations. Please collect your prize and depart from the mobile suit. Debriefing will begin in five minutes."
It may be difficult for Rikka to help Akane out, and down the lift, but lab personnel are there to help.
Eventually they are escorted to the debriefing room, where Puru-1 is laying on a bunk. Through the faceplate, it's difficult to tell if she's sleeping or merely dazed. Either way, she looks out of it.
And on a small table in the back has a table set up with a cheese fondue pot and various charcuterie for dipping. Apparently Alberto came through? Murasame must be happy enough with the results to allow this. Puru-1 is making no move whatsoever towards it, for what might be obvious reasons.
Even if she were allowed to eat it, the enforced anonymity keeps the helmet on in their company.
It takes a moment for Puru-1 to snap to attention, like sensing someone else was in the room was enough to focus her some,"Akane..." She says quietly, voice distorted, then, there's this hesitation, a hitch, like her mind is getting caught on something and struggling before deciding upon, "... Treasure Chest."
What happened? She'd called her Rikka before, every single time.
"Are you both holding up alright? I was... told I'm taking part in the debriefing this time. I don't..." Another pause, "... sorry I must be tired, I don't understand how I'm... relevant to it, but Doctor Murasame says I am, so it must be part of my training."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
As the dream fades out and the real world begins to fade in, Akane realizes how small the space she's kept in is -- how dark, too. She's still too sedated to panic in response -- but she's rapidly coming back up as the crate unfolds to reveal her.
She doesn't want to stay in this dream anymore.
When she reaches full consciousness -- in the middle of Rikka retrieving her -- she gasps sharply, as the last few hours(?) start to add up in her mind. Her eyes dart from side to side, and by the time the two of them reach the debriefing room, her heart's pounding out of her chest.
Her gaze sweeps across the room, resting on -- cheese fondue. An okay start; she's already doing some quick mental calculations. Updating her assessment of Alberto -- of Murasame.
... for that matter, of Rikka and Puru-1.
"Hmm. Let's take a seat..." Akane groans out, moving to sit down with the fondue pot, regarding Puru-1 coolly. "I've felt better, I guess," is her first answer, as she continues to shake off the sedation bit by bit.
Experimentally, she spears a piece of bread. Her own appetite is pretty shot, at the moment, but... "Hey, Rikka~ can I spoil you a little...?" she asks, dipping it in the pot and then slowly moving to offer it to Rikka.
There's a lot she wants to ask Puru-1... but right now, asking it is risky. She decides instead to say, "I slept through it pretty hard. Not a lot to debrief on my end. Just a nightmare, but I guess that's garbage sleep for you!"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
She... has to protect her. She did what she needed to do. There's still a weak feeling of illness in the pit of her stomach but that, too, subsides. This world hurt her. If she can shield her from further hurt...
Her attention is drawn, suddenly, toward a red mobile suit. She recognizes it, tries to recall what it... but before she can, everything fades into static.
Daydreaming...? She is not on Axis. Treasure Chest is in the cockpit of the Mu Gundam. She is going through the motions of an accuracy test. It's... laughably easy - or maybe it's just because of what she is. It's no wonder she drifted off, when the testing barely offers any stimulation.
Her attention drifts to the Banshee. Immobile, seemingly inactive. And then... testing ends, and she receives a call.
"...Understood." Treasure Chest replies, after a moment of hesitation. ...A prize? There's never been a prize. But if it's part of the test... She stands from her seat, and now she is allowed to approach the contraption that had drawn her attention before. She enters the code, and the contraption unfolds. Inside, is-
Treasure Chest's stomach lurches, and a part of her recoils as she realises that the 'prize' they spoke of is... Akane. A troubled look crosses her face.
"Akane... Are you alright?" Treasure Chest asks. ...She's nonresponsive. She feels a flare of protective anger. It's only recognition of the situation that prevents her from taking it out on the personnel that come to assist her in removing Akane from the crate - she knows she cannot carry her alone, as much as she would prefer to.
Debriefing is beginning soon, anyway. She doesn't have the time. Akane awakens in the middle of the retrieval process, her heart pounding. Treasure Chest approaches her immediately, reaching for one of her hands to offer a gentle squeeze of support. She can understand what she's going through - but it does nothing to help her feelings of frustration at those responsible.
Soon, they arrive, and they find that Puru-1 is here, as well. As well as... cheese fondue and charcuterie...? Treasure Chest addresses Puru-1, first. She doesn't flinch or hesitate at the name. The response comes immediately, naturally to her.
"Puru-1. ...Are you alright?" Treasure Chest asks. Akane suggests taking a seat - and with a nod, Treasure Chest moves to sit next to her.
'Rikka'. A part of her still stirs at that name, and in response, Treasure Chest looks over toward Akane as she offers to spoil her. She quails, just a little, and eventually relents. Akane offers her bread, coated with cheese, and Treasure Chest leans forward to take it. ...Her expression brightens a little.
...She'd never thought it'd taste so good, eating real food after so long. She's still tired, but... that's some weight off her shoulders.
...She hasn't yet, though, answered the question of how she's holding up.
"...I'm... alright." Treasure Chest answers, after a moment of hesitation. "I... don't understand, either. It was just a standard accuracy test..."
She shakes her head.
"...A little too standard." She adds in a low mutter, and pauses for a moment. Conflict crosses over her face. ...She has to ask. She lowers her voice. "Akane, they said... they said you were my 'prize' for getting a perfect score. You know... you know I don't think of you that way, right...?"
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
"I'm just a little foggy. That's common coming out of my REST training." Puru-1 replies to Treasure Chest, and she seems honest at least, "I was in my REST training right?" She repeats to herself quietly, like something wasn't quite lining up in her memories. Akane might begin to suspect that Puru-1 was blasted by the gas afterwards, or perhaps she drank from the river Lethe? Who can say?
"Oh. I see! I'm glad it wasn't anything more intensive!" Relief floods her voice as she hears that from Rikka, "Your prize?" The subtle shift in the vague lines of her face, suggests a knitting of her brows, "That's-"
A prolonged pause, then, "I guess it could be a little hot if you two were into that but..." She trails off, as if disturbed. It's clear that she doesn't enjoy the implications. Puru-1 doesn't respond to Akane's cool neutrality, there's no follow up at first. She can hardly blame the distance. She is a willing collaborator after all, which means she has taken a part in ruining both of their lives. Instead she forces herself to sit up, no matter how much her body dislikes the idea.
Her eyes watch as Akane makes her offer to spoil Treasure Chest, offering it as two lovers might. The vibe from her in these moments is difficult to read. Instead Akane notes there's not a lot to debrief. "Yes, garbage sleep. Though my sleep quality doesn't matter so much. It is better if I am exhausted from my training regimen. If you're sure there's nothing you want to talk about I can leave you to spoiling-" That hesitation again, "-Treasure Chest."
Is she truly doing that on purpose? Or is it being forced and she's trying to resist?
"I imagine you're both really hungry." The way her gaze lingers on the table, it's clear 'really hungry' is an understatement in her regard.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
For lack of something more heartening to orient on, Akane takes stock of the situation. Rikka isn't remotely bothered by being addressed as 'Treasure Chest.' Those 'Understood.'s, those 'Puru-1.'s -- they add up too. So this is the limit, Akane thinks to herself.
As long as she exists, she's a weapon against Rikka now. She looks at the skewer thoughtfully for a moment --
And then Rikka's expression brightens in the face of the food Akane requested.
There's still a path out of this situation. It's closing -- getting smaller by the second. But it's still open... if and only if she seizes it.
Akane takes a long look at Rikka, and a brief one at Puru-1, too. She sees her eyeing the charcuterie. Every bone in her body wants nothing more than to feed her... but she knows that it'll be seen as an advancement in her own state for her to be cruel.
"Hm?" Akane starts, looking at Rikka as she tells her something -- and then affirms something to her. She takes a long look, trying to sort things out in her mind. The lines between Rikka and Treasure Chest are starting to get blurry -- sentence-to-sentence shifts. She probably can't untangle this in the limited time she has, but she can take control of the fall for herself, and at that point...
... well, it's easier to wreck your own stuff.
"Huh? Oh, nah, I know that. I know what our relationship's about," Akane says, though she still sounds a little out of it. "On the other hand," she gives a glance toward Puru-1, "I don't mind being objectified as long as the 'object' isn't 'kaiju.'" Her expression turns playful.
She looks again between the two of them -- Puru-1 and Treasure Chest. That hunger is only getting more obvious. She got a good sense of how well Puru-1 gets fed earlier. The impulse to feed her practically roars at her.
Akane knows better than to indulge it after the last few times she ate with Leina. She scoots the fondue pot and the charcuterie a few inches closer to the two of them for easy access, spearing a piece of reheated teriyaki chicken and dunking it in the cheese. "Wow, they really went all out on this one. When I asked for this I dunno if I was expecting it," she starts, aloud.
Scooting practically into Rikka's lap, Akane moves to yet again offer the skewer to Treasure Chest -- this time practically hanging off of her, chin resting against her shoulder. A hand comes up to cover what looks like a remarkably normal, girlish giggle."Play along," she suggests, whisper-quiet, through fingers just slightly parted. "I'm not really gonna go for this, but it's gonna give me some room to work..."
"Listen. I know when I'm beat and I know when you guys are seeing a good mix of progress and walls going up. Mobile Ops does monitor these kinds of things too -- that's not just Intelligence's job," Akane offers the two of them, all chipper -- though it's really for someone else entirely, who isn't even in the room. Indeed, she's now talking about Rikka like she isn't in the room, and given how she felt about Mikoto after their 'alliance' broke apart... maybe she thinks she isn't.
"Speaking of 'hot if I'm into that' and 'you guys needing a hand up...' I think we can get to a pretty beneficial arrangement if you do a few things for me." This time, she threads the skewer through a piece of broccoli and bites into it for herself. Then she goes back to hanging off of Rikka.
"If you're going to act like you're just a fancy room decoration, why don't you make yourself useful," here her tone gets testy, "and get the two of us a couple hours of privacy? If you want to be a really good girl you'll get me my bag, too." Wryly, she adds, "I'll settle for what's in the side pocket."
A beat, before she clarifies: "I'm willing to negotiate. She's going to need a little convincing, but don't worry!" Her voice drops a little lower. "I'm great at making sure a new partner gets something out of it before I do~."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Treasure Chest nods, as Puru-1 says she's just a bit foggy. As for REST training... she has to think on that for a moment.
"I... think so? I think I saw you on the monitor in the locker room..." She considers. For some reason, she feels unsure for a moment... but it passes quickly, the hesitance fading into the back of her mind.
Distracted as she is, she doesn't notice Puru-1's gaze fixated on the table. She's so incredibly hungry, too - and relieved, to finally have proper food. She nods quietly as Akane assures her that she knows what their relationship's about - and she goes just a little red when Puru-1 says it could be a little hot, and goes just a bit further when Akane says she doesn't mind being objectified as long as it's not as a kaiju.
...She focuses, instead, on the fondue pot as Akane brings it closer to them.
"You arranged this...? Thank you." Treasure Chest says, with a small smile. Akane shifts until she's practically on her lap. She adjusts to accomodate her, an arm going around her waist for stability. She leans in as she offers the skewer to her once more. It's really good. And Akane's giggle... she latches onto it, to the exception of everything else.
Akane addresses the room like she isn't there. Treasure Chest... seems alright with this. She doesn't speak up. She doesn't need to speak for this. She moves only to accomodate Akane's shifts in position and her interest in spoiling her - though she seems relieved, when she eventually feeds herself.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
"Right. I must have been." She answers Treasure Chest absently, sounding certain now.
There's just this subtle stutter in her posture as she makes the joke 'objectified so long as the object isn't Kaiju' as if flinched, and it carries through her tired posture right now. Her neck tipping down as Akane enthuses. She could have gotten this from Alberto any time. Any time she wanted, it would just defeat the whole point of everything she's worked so hard for.
Her attention turns back to her just as she starts speaking in that chipper way, and there's just this look around the room, as if she were searching for Dr. Murasame, or some lab personnel's input on how to handle this, but she doesn't in fact respond, until she speaks of 'hot if I'm into that' as her faceplate then locks upon Akane's eyes.
There's a long moment. A very long moment. This small tilt of her head, and then, she responds in a low tone, "I am doing my best to be useful. If I finish the debriefing then you might not get to spend as much time with her, or eat your fill." Is she actually scolding her back? Pushing back a little?
"If you want my help you can ask politely, and I would do whatever I can to accommodate you. You're being a bit of a brat though." And indeed, she leans forward, grabbing her wrist tightly, her fingertip against her forearm. "And 'convincing'? Are you sure Treasure Chest is in any kind of state for that?"
A GGG Operator would know the code for the tap of her finger to her forearm in morse code of WC 88: 'Will Comply, Hugs and Kisses.' Hoping the message gets across that she is on her side as much as possible without compromising her position here.
"What's wrong with you?" She asks, with soft harshness.
The door suddenly slides open, as several guards come into the room, and Dr. Murasame follows not long after, "Puru-1, who is your master?" Puru-1 stiffens momentarily, "You are, Doctor Murasame." "Please let go of Aumerei." She does, immediately, "I see that you're in further need of correction for your complete lack of empathy for our fellow residents. This is poor timing for that, unfortunately. I have to leave for a business meeting with Mrs. Carbine shortly, and Aumerei was correct, some private R&R between her and Treasure Chest is deserved. This unfortunately means Aumerei will be indisposed for monitoring the corrective process to both her satisfaction and mine."
The Doctor seems to mull it over for a time, and then, "I suppose I'll have to call in a favor from a colleague to handle it in the interim. A shame. They're unfamiliar with Puru-1's full training regimen, but perhaps they will offer statistically significant variables to our research."
He locks eyes with Aumerei, as he says a single word.
"Alexis?"
<Pose Tracker> Alexis Kerib has posed.
He glides into the room as he always does. Alexis seems unhurried.
"Ah, it's so nice to see all three of you in one place. Don't worry, Akane-kun -- I have no real interest in getting between you and your dear Treasure Chest. Quite the opposite, in fact -- I've decided to bring you the items you requested. I'm strictly here as a courtesy to Dr. Murasame and Mrs. Carbine." He looks between the three of them, his head barely moving -- only the faintest shifts from side to side.
Alexis speaks middle manager and salaryman like he's been speaking them for millennia. "Doctor, I assure you your subject will be in good hands. Please look forward to it," he starts, before orienting more fully on Puru-1.
"Now, I know REST protocol is usually recommended in situations like this, but it seems Akane-kun didn't take all that well to it! We wouldn't want to upset her while she has alone time with her dear Treasure Chest. We do want the two of them to be... well-accommodated, in the event they decide to cooperate." The teal panels of his mask light up in a smile, as he suggests...
"Art therapy, perhaps?"
With a dramatic swoop of his cloak, both he and Puru-1 are gone.
A tin of mints clatters to the floor where he stood.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane alternates between feeding herself and feeding 'Treasure Chest' as they talk; it seems to ground her a fair amount. She focuses on calorie-dense options first, after that one piece of broccoli; it's strategic. Who knows when they'll get food this nice again...
"Yeah, I figured you could use a nice treat. Way better than the other options, right?" Akane asks, giving a wink. She reaches out for another piece --
-- and Puru-1 seizes her hand after scolding her. "Sorry, but I'm not really feeling it," comes her answer, expression sour as she looks at Puru-1. "I'm kind of past caring about most of this stuff. Sorry~." She glances at the tapping for a moment, head canting to one side.
'What's wrong with you?' she's asked, and she elects to look to Treasure Chest instead. "I'm pretty sure you know exactly what's wrong with me. I did tell you most of it," she answers, before --
The script plays out exactly as she wrote it until it abruptly really doesn't. Akane's heart sinks for just a second as she hears 'Alexis?'
She looks to Treasure Chest again, hoping she still hates him. It's not lost on her how similar Leina's situation is to her own... and just like Knight got out of the situation before she could even begin to, Rikka will have to get out before Leina can. Akane simply has to conceive of a future. It's difficult, but right now it's something only she can do. "I knew he was involved. I'm not surprised," Akane says. 'Art therapy' makes her blood run cold, but even then... Alexis's dalliance with Riika Sheder told Akane that even if he does try this with someone, there's still a path out. She needs to take this whole situation apart brick by brick, rather than hoping some dramatic sweep of her hand will correct the problem forever. She has to live as a human.
"... Good luck!" Akane says, and maybe she means it, as the two depart. The room gradually empties out.
Despite what Puru-1 had said... Treasure Chest and Aumerei get their dinner in full. It's rich and heavy and it feels so, so earned, even if the concern about Puru-1's situation is growing. When at last they finish, and Aumerei collects her... personal items, the two are led back to a nicer room rather than the cell they were in before -- one for an actual guest of the Garuda.
Akane settles in. "Okay. Here we go. I'm going to ask you questions, just like last time. Give the first answers that pop to mind. I'll be able to handle it whether they match or don't. This is about you."
"What's your name?"
"If Dr. Murasame asks, what's your name?"
"What are we going to do about Puru-1?"
"Are we safe with these people?"
"How are we connected?"
"What's it okay to do to keep me safe?"
"How do you feel about Alexis Kerib?"
She skips the food question. Not useful at the moment.
"Once we get out of here, who's going to help us?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Yes. Very." Treasure Chest agrees with a nod. She's only had yogurt and what food Akane's managed to slip her so far... Compared to that, this is a feast. She's content to allow herself to be fed as Puru-1 and Akane speak.
This continues up until Puru-1 seizes Akane's wrist. Briefly, a flash of anger crosses her face. She doesn't act on it, but from the way her body tenses, it's clear that's taking some effort. She doesn't have to hold herself back for long, however, because soon, they have company.
Doctor Murasame arrives. Treasure Chest isn't addressed, so she doesn't speak... and then, he calls in someone else. Alexis. Akane watches her - and her expression tells quite the story. Her eyes go wide, anger etched onto her face. Her breath catches in her throat, and if she weren't currently occupied with Akane, she might be preparing to spring.
It's probably for the best that she can't right now.
He doesn't stay for long, and Puru-1 disappears along with him. ...Despite her earlier anger toward her, Treasure Chest seems concerned for a moment.
But for now... they're left alone, and they actually get a full meal. She feels... rejuvenated, for once, even if she's still exhausted. They're led to a room - a nicer one. Treasure Chest, for a moment, seems a little overwhelmed by this - but soon enough, she settles in.
Akane asks her questions. The answers, this time, come with much less hesitation than in previous times. But, as for the answers themselves...
"Treasure Chest."
"Treasure Chest." The repetition doesn't seem to bother her.
"We need to get her away from him."
"I-" She starts, displaying hesitation for the first time. "I-I don't know."
"We've been dating for a couple of months now. ...I love you. More than anything."
What's it okay to do to keep her safe? She hesitates, remembering brief flashes of funnel fire. A ruined city street. Memory or daydream... She can't go back.
"Anything. If it means protecting you."
"...He's a monster. And he needs to be dealt with."
The next question... there's hesitation again.
"Can anyone?" She asks. In a world so cruel, is there anyone that can help them...?
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane catches something in an answer. She adds one follow-up question.
"Is it acceptable for Puru-1 to remain the pilot of the Banshee?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"I-" Treasure Chest starts. She stops herself, but... Akane asked for the first answer that came to mind, after all. "...Yes."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane chews on those answers for a little while. She's losing a lot of ground. Scratch that -- she's already lost a lot of ground. And it seems like...
... it might be time to make some hard decisions about what she can and can't catch. Her intuition from earlier is again validated. She can't catch Rikka and Leina at the same time. Not on the time schedule she expects to be working with -- two weeks at most. It'll be worse for Leina, every step of the way... but at the same time, Akane's not giving up on Leina either. She's just setting an order of operations.
"Okay. You're going to hate hearing this," Akane says, expression grave and matter-of-fact. "Your answers are getting to the stage where they just kind of suck. They're way off base from last time. There's not a lot I can do about this except make it easier..."And then she smiles. "/Or/," and there's a less bleak-looking Akane, "we start a little bit of community theater. I'm going to start by outlining where your answers changed."
She takes a breath. "Your name is Rikka Takarada. Treasure Chest is a stupid pun on your last name." Something clicks. The anger's intensifying -- and right now it's still fine to throw at Alexis. /Use it/. "Alexis suggested that name as a way of getting me to notice he was involved with what they're doing to you. We used to do word chain and stuff, back when he was still... taking care of me."
"We're not safe here. They want to throw you out into a fight. They want you to kill people to protect me," Akane outlines. "I tried that. I have a... little brother I made." A beat. "Long story. Alexis again. Anyway, I've already had that kinda deal before. Sucks. Pass." She sucks in a breath, approaching the next question. "I don't know everything you are yet, and that's kinda what makes you exciting... but I know some things you aren't. 'Killer' is pretty high on the list, even if they put you through some weird psycommu... dreamscape... thing." A pause, before she adds, "That wasn't real. I... kind of half got it."
Akane... can't fight Rikka on Alexis right now. He /is/ a monster. He /does/ need to be dealt with -- even if the dealing-with isn't the kind she'd have in mind.
"And... let me tell you about that last part," Akane continues. Last time she'd played fast and loose with it. Now she needs to give her the whole story -- especially since her memory of /before/ those last few months of them dating seems so shaky. "When I was living next door to you, with Alexis," a slight oversimplification but they don't have time for the long version, "I was doing a bunch of horrible things. I kept killing people in town for petty garbage."
She tears up a little. "And... I kept trying to push you away and drag you back at the same time. I hated the idea of you getting hurt outside. I was scared /I'd/ hurt you if you got too close. I was a mess, and part of why I was a mess was... how bad I wanted to protect you. From everyone. From me." She breathes, and now it's ragged. Moving over to the bed, she takes a seat, and gestures for Rikka to do the same.
"If you let them wrap your head around that kinda thinking... I'll take care of you either way," she /still/ pays her debts, "but... they'll use that to get you to run away from me too." Laughing -- at strain -- Akane says, "Sorry if that's kinda bleak, but man. How we got here sucks."
Swallowing hard, Akane looks back toward their past. "You made tons of friends. I kinda summed it up quick and dirty last time, but I owe you a little better... Gridman's never stopped trying to save me. Sayla Mass committed to helping me land after getting away from Alexis. Guy Shishioh stuck it out on saving me even after my kaiju nearly turned him into a smear outside our school. Alouette was so committed that she couldn't give up on me even after I cut 'never give up' out of her vocabulary." She considers whether to keep going. There are so many names.
Who else? "Leina -- Puru-1 -- tried to set us up from the start, 'cuz she could tell we were so into each other it was gonna tear us apart. I think Utsumi might have wanted to turn things into a straight up fight, but he didn't. /Sheryl Nome wrote our song/. I could keep going. Half of NERV. A bunch of Sayla's Shuffle guys or whatever. It's crazy. You even helped catch my little brother when he got away from me taking out all my bad feelings about where /I/ was on /him/. And you know what?"
"I don't think any of them would have gone for this if you hadn't told them, 'I see something just a little better than her in her, and I'm not moving until we make it real.' I tried to /stab Gridman/ to get you guys to stop believing in me or whatever and you kept looking for me for more than a month. Talk about a tone setter." With a forced giggle, she adds, "Your cardio got great in that month, by the way."
The urge to start sobbing spikes as she realizes just how much was put into her -- wraps her head around the love, and really, really has to think about it for the first time, really grapples with what it meant; she wraps her arms around Rikka, saying, "So yeah. Your answers suck. The world's better with 'Rikka Takarada' in it, and I'm taking her home with me, 'cuz you decided to bet really hard on someone selfish, greedy, bratty, and who's never taken an L without seething."
What... /is/ her next move, then? What can she do? "I think we can make it out of here... but we're going to have to act like we're both kinda in freefall on this stuff. You're going to have to play Treasure Chest to the hilt, and I'm gonna have to slip back to playing God... but I've got a few tricks here." A /little/ bit of happiness slips back in as she asks, "Do you remember when we went to prom? When I got off the beat of the music, and you stepped on my toes, and we reset, like in Serena..."
"I think we're gonna have to do that kinda thing again." Akane tries to figure out how she's even going to explain this, because... the plan is frankly out there even by her harebrained plan standards. "I'm going to try to kind of... bring 'Rikka' back up, and then make it look like I made you way worse instead. I think they'll buy it, coming from us. Some of this is stuff I learned from 3G. Some of it is stuff I learned... uhhhh... so, remember when we snuck off to the sluice gate, and kissed, and then we went back home and I showed you a few -- visual aids. On the kind of thing I'm into."
Oh my god. Akane, focus. Please.
"... what I'm saying is, if I can't use the actual tools, I'm gonna kinda have to do this the slow, crappy way." ... she owes it to Rikka to set realistic expectations. "This is /not/ gonna fix the problem. I am /not/ qualified. Swan and Kamuy are gonna have to do the real work when we get you out of here. This is about making things look worse enough that they stop wringing you out every few hours until we can make a real move."
Akane finishes her pre-talk. It's messy.
"Okay. I think that's about everything, as far as expectations go." She scoots up the bed, sitting cross-legged. "If you're game for that, then... take a seat in front of me and we'll get started."
Please let this work, and please let this not screw everything up, Akane pleads with herself.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
There's silence. It's a little worrying. But eventually, Akane reaches her conclusion. ...Her answers, they're worse than before. There... was a before. There was a before. Treasure Chest takes a deep breath.
There's not a lot she can do... She can only make it easier. She trusts her, but... the very idea fills her with dread. What does this mean? What does this mean for her...?
Just as she's wondering that... Akane smiles. "Community theater...?" Treasure Chest asks. Akane starts them off. The first one... is a pretty important one.
"...Rikka Takarada." She repeats, and then frowns. 'Treasure Chest' is... a pun? And what's more, it's /Alexis's/ fault. She lets out a sharp breath at the sound of that, her fists clenching. "...Of course he would. He /would/ do that."
...She doesn't know if she feels like 'Rikka' right now. But the thought of continuing forward with a name /he/ gave her... She doesn't know that she likes that idea either. It sickens her, honestly. 'Rikka' doesn't feel like hers - but maybe she can still wear it, for now.
At that thought, something within her relaxes, just a little. Something held onto desperately, struggling to survive, is eased as a little burden is removed.
Akane continues. ...They aren't safe here. They want to throw her into a fight. They want her to kill to protect Akane. She's about to say that she's fine with that, that she would if she had to... but Akane seems ready for that, as she explains that she tried that.
She doesn't know everything she is yet. But she knows what she isn't.
Rikka Takarada isn't a killer.
"Psycommu... dreamscape." Rikka murmurs. So it wasn't a daydream, at least, not in the normal sense. Something did happen. "It wasn't real...? I... I remember it. I was willing to do anything. I... killed everyone. And I was... /okay/ with it."
Akane continues, though. She has a story to tell. Her story. Their story. What she did, how she tried to push her away - how she wanted to protect her from everyone, even herself. She tears up in the middle of it - Rikka approaches her awkwardly, wondering if she should do something... but instead, when Akane moves to the bed and gestures for her she follows, sitting next to her.
"...I don't... I don't want to run away from you." Rikka murmurs. "I want to stay with you."
It's bleak. It sucks. ...But they're still here, despite everything. Akane can still manage a laugh, even a strained one. Rikka nods.
And Akane continues, recounting the friends Rikka made - the friends that did everything in their power to save her. It happened before. It happens now. It'll happen as many times as it takes. As each one is listed, a point of light stirs back to life in Rikka's mind and connects to another in turn, spreading out like a web. Or, perhaps, a net. They can be suppressed, but never erased completely.
...And it's because of her. Because Rikka saw something in Akane, saw something better, they wanted to give her a chance to make that something real.
"I... remember that." Rikka murmurs. A whole month. ...She pulled together a lot of people in that time, didn't she? And then... Akane puts her arms around her. She declares that the world is better with her in it and that she's taking her home with her - because she's selfish, greedy, bratty, and hates to lose...
...Those are all things she loves about her, too. Akane feels the urge to start sobbing. Rikka does, too - and she gives into it, holding tightly onto Akane.
Akane... who thinks they can make it out of here. But it'll take some acting. So that's what she meant. She'll have to play Treasure Chest... There's not much 'playing' right now. That might be easy. But she has a trick. Prom... It takes her a second, but... that, too, is a precious memory she held on tightly to.
"...I remember." Rikka says. "I thought... we looked pretty convincing, when I watched the video later."
She can bring 'Rikka' back up - and look like she made it worse. She learned it from... Rikka goes a little pink.
"...Y-yeah. I remember." She admits with a small smile. She nods, as Akane sets expectations. Realistic expectations. She can't fix her, but she can try to stop them from making it worse.
"...I trust you." She murmurs.
...It's messy. She takes a deep breath, and wipes away her tears - and nods. Akane scoots up the bed, and she follows after her, taking the seat in front of her.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yep. That's... not a huge surprise. I could only catch a little of what was happening, but it was kinda like... blasting the whole area with feelings that aren't yours." She admits, a little weakly, "I did something similar once. I tried it with a lot of people. Giving them /my/ crappy feelings. It worked... for a little while, but... all of them made it back." With a wince, she says, "/Someone/ would've been okay with it, but... that someone wasn't you."
"Thanks," Akane says when she sees that nod, and for a while that's all she says, moving to sit a little closer to Rikka. A hand comes up through that long, dark hair, and for a while, that's all that happens. They've had so few opportunities to genuinely care for each other here. Part of her wants to treat this moment like it's the last one she'll ever have.
Akane wants to tear apart this whole ship and take Leina and Rikka home and let whatever else happens happen. Unfortunately, she has to pick her battles. She's not God, and she's not a kaiju. She is a person -- one person. One person so many other people believed in.
This is something only she can do.
"Okay. Make sure you're comfy. When this starts working, you probably won't want to adjust your position that much. You might end up faceplanting into my lap, too. If you do, that's okay." One hand comes out to gently hold one of Rikka's; the other, after a second, snags the other. "It's gonna seem like we're just talking, but I need you to trust me that it's a little more than that. If you can't fully follow what I'm doing, that's fine, too, okay?"
Her heart's beating out of her chest -- she's /so/ nervous... but she needs to keep it together. This relies so much on her confidence.
Fortunately, Akane's an excellent actress, when she sets her mind to it.
Raising her head and looking Rikka squarely in the eye, she begins to tap. Her right thumb presses into the center of Rikka's left palm once, gently. "So you'll notice I'm touching your palms," she says, before her left thumb presses into the center of Rikka's right. She pauses -- then again, right thumb to center of left palm. "That's okay. It's fine for me to do that. You need to keep listening." Left thumb to center of right palm, this time. "Normally, we'd be using a machine for this, but we're gonna have to make it work this way. 3G has a really good one." Back to right thumb to the center of the left palm. A rhythm starts to form, somewhere in the middle of Akane's speech. Tap, wait. Tap, wait. Back, forth. Left-right. Right-left.
"I know you've been through a lot today. You're probably" Left-right. "really tired. That's actually okay too, right now..." Right-left. "They want to use that to hurt" Left-right. "you, but I'm going to turn" Right-left... "it around on them." The mischief's back, or something like it. Left-right. The grin on Akane's face is more like... Right-left. ... when she's pulling a fast one. "Right now, it's okay for you to be" Left-right... "tired... as long as you keep listening to me."
Right-left. Left-right. Akane doesn't provide anything new to listen (right-left...) to for a few moments. Can you listen to (left-right.) /nothing/?
The truth is that (rightleft) Akane's looking for signals. Changes in (left-right?) blink reflex, pupil dilation. Eye fixation -- either on her own eyes or (right-left!) somewhere in the room. She expects (left-right) some enhanced susceptibility, given Rikka is fresh off of several rounds of work to (right-left) make her susceptible to, well, a less scrupulous version of this. (Left thumb to right palm.)
... The question doesn't remain open /too/ long, though. (Right-left...?)
"Right now, I'm trying to make absolutely (left-right) sure I get to talk to Rikka." Akane levels her (right-left) gaze at Rikka. "They've spent a lot of time (left-right) getting you into a big ball of tension, so (right-left) I'm giving you the time and space to relax." left-right? Akane takes several seconds to breathe slowly, deliberately. right-left... Get Rikka to mirror those slow, deep breaths, and...
Another long pause. Checking left-right for those signs again -- and new ones, too. Slower breathing, changes in expression... Akane looks right-left, closely, to make sure there aren't any signs of agitation forming left-right either. Making sure to address right-left warning signals is important.
"At this point you're probably feeling pretty (lr) hazy. That's fine. That's okay." Akane (rl) leans in a bit. "Right now, they're trying to do (lr) what they did to me. They're trying to turn you (rl) into a kaiju. And kaiju don't have great balance..." Left-right.
Is this a good idea? It's the last chance to (right-left...) back out. (left-right)
... Victory goes to the (rl) one with --
"... but right now, you've got a choice I didn't think (lr) I had. You can choose exactly where and when you fall." One last, long look, and assessment.
Akane's right thumb presses into Rikka's left palm.
"Fall toward me, and keep listening. I've already got both your hands. I can catch you."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
The feelings... weren't hers. Someone would've been okay with it, but it wasn't her. Akane knows this because she tried something similar before. It's... a relief. A huge relief, actually - though she cannot relax. They might not be hers, but she knows they're still there. But... at least she knows, though.
They sit there, quiet, for a moment. Akane runs a hand through her hair. Rikka... has always been proud of her hair. She's always taken careful effort to maintain it, even when she doesn't feel like doing anything else. She hasn't had the chance to tend to it since she got here - and the constant putting on and taking off of her helmet hasn't done it any favors, either. It's probably a bit of a mess right now... but it's hers, and that level of care isn't going to go away immediately.
Akane says to make sure she's comfortable. After a moment of consideration she shifts, just a little, into a more natural sitting position. She nods. Akane takes one hand, and then the other.
"...Okay." She replies, nodding in understanding.
Akane looks her in the eye. Rikka looks back. Her attention shifts, briefly, as she feels Akane's thumbs press into the center of her palms, one after the other, in a building rhythm - but Akane assures her that it's okay, that it's fine for her to do that. She needs to keep listening. Rikka nods quietly.
She's been through a lot. She's probably tired. ...It's true. She's exhausted, on all levels. It's okay for her to be, as long as she keeps listening. But for a few moments, she says nothing. Rikka continues to listen. In the absence of words, she listens to her breathing. The rhythm on her palms has begun to feel natural, normal. She's drawn into it. And her eyes, they remain on Akane's, following their every moment Movement slow, eyes dilated.
It's true - she's in a fragile, susceptible state right now. But she's trusting Akane with herself.
It isn't long before Akane continues. She's trying to make sure she gets to talk to Rikka. ...It's true. They've pushed her, and pushed her, and pushed her, priming her to spring back at the target of their choosing - or break, if pushed too far. Akane breathes in slowly, deliberately. Gradually, Rikka subconsciously begins to mirror this, matching her breathing to Akane's own.
She's tense, for a moment - but her shoulders begin to loosen. Her expression relaxes.
"...I am." Rikka murmurs in agreement, when Akane points out that she's probably feeling hazy. ...That's fine, though. That's okay. Akane leans in a bit.
They're... trying to turn her into a kaiju. But she has a choice of where and when she falls. ...She knows where she'd always want to fall, given the choice. And that's what she's giving her now.
She slumps forward, falling into Akane. Akane, who has her hands. Akane, who can catch her.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Rikka -- Treasure Chest -- releases herself to Akane's care. For an instant, Akane feels a pang of guilt for what she's doing. It's so close to one of the deepest regrets she still carries. What she tried to do with Bujack was unforgivable -- nearly catastrophically destructive to everything she loves about Rikka in exactly the way this experience has been. If this works out, though... maybe she'll come to forgive herself as things settle in.
She smiles as she catches Rikka, whispering, "You're doing a great job." She strokes that long, dark hair again; she shifts her position just a little, moving Rikka so gradually that she may not even notice. (It'd be fun to just let her, indeed, faceplant into her lap, but probably not comfortable after a while.)
After repositioning herself a little to the side, she lowers Rikka such that her head comes to rest on her lap. (... It's a little difficult. Even as she's been going to the gym a little more since leaving Tsutsujidai, she's not that strong.)
She has to consider this carefully. What can she do to shore up Rikka's defenses, to keep 'her' intact. ... She'll start with her name. "We already talked about how Treasure Chest isn't your real name, but they make it pretty hard to keep that in your head with how often they say it, huh," she muses aloud. Is she being overly conversational, here? ... well, it's her style, not Kamuy's, not Swan's.
"So we'll start with that. I know you hate the idea of responding to a name Alexis gave you, but let's keep that urge in check for now. Every time someone calls you that, just think to yourself, 'my name's Rikka Takarada.' If you've got your hands free, tap your thigh at the same time, or else just..."
God, what /would/ be safe to do while she's got hands on controls...? "... Nod your head, if you don't." Simple. Easy. "Can you do that for me? I know it doesn't sound like much, and it kiiiiiiinda isn't. But we need to get you to start slowing down your own fall, 'cuz jeez, I definitely can't catch you at these speeds." A beat. "But I'm gonna catch you no matter what."
She watches, and listens, and waits. If Rikka struggles with the suggestion, she'll run through it a second time.
This isn't that different from sculpting, she reflects. That combination of thinking about a problem until she finds an interesting solution and the slow, meditative action of actually implementing it... even if everything around it wasn't great, that part she does miss.
This... is going to have to be triage, she realizes. She probably can't untangle that newfound killer instinct -- that's a Swan job. She'll have to mitigate /that/ as her operator and not while providing this kind of care. While she thinks, she takes some time to just... finger-walk her fingers along Rikka's neck, run her finger along Rikka's chin. In a situation like this, touch has its own role in soothing things.
"How are you feeling?" she asks, instead. "I hope it's different from what they keep putting you through. I'm kinda new to this..." Another quick check on Rikka's breathing, her pulse (finger-footsie isn't the /only/ reason her hand's there!), her expression. "I'm thinking about other things to do to help you without getting a ton of attention. It's... taking a bit."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Akane catches her. She reassures her, strokes her hair, and shifts her, gradually, so gradually, lowering her gently into her lap even as she repositions herself. ...Somehow, it feels nice when she says it. It's better than the clinical congratulations offered by the Doctor's assistants. It's not so bad, letting her guide her...
"...It's difficult." Rikka agrees quietly, as Akane comments on how difficult it is to keep her name in her head. She hates the name he gave her, but she needs to keep that urge in check for now. Akane offers some suggestions on what to do instead.
Rikka... does struggle, a little, her brow furrowing and her body tensing a little. It's not much, but even that is still a lot for her right now - but on the second runthrough, she seems to grasp it. The tension releases again.
"...Tap my thigh. Nod my head." Rikka repeats. She nods. "I can... I think I can do that."
Akane walks her fingers along her neck, runs a finger across her chin. She relaxes a little more at her touch. Her pulse quickens /just/ a little, but not in a bad way, before relaxing again. She's... steady. At ease. Her expression is... tired, but she seems content.
"I'm okay." Rikka replies. "This is... nice. I always feel... scared, or angry during their tests. ...Or bored. I don't feel any of that with you."
She doesn't mind waiting here like this as long as she needs to, while Akane comes up with a plan.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Dazed, but still responsive. Akane considers whether to talk her down a little further; it's a hard judgment call for her. Even if this is just procedure adapted for lack of tools and a personal relationship, the ethical concerns gnaw at her. Maybe she hasn't grown as much as she'd like since she got hamstrung about confessing. ... she'll tell Swan and Kamuy exactly what she did. If she doesn't handle it perfectly because she's only halfway trained... she can rely on those who know better to help when they can. It'll be easier to clean up later once the crisis is over than just sit here and look helpless.
"Good. Let's keep going," Akane says, tone starting to firm up. She knows where she's directing things, now.
"I'm going to do something called a deepener. Normally I'd do this when I noticed an anomalous brainwave reading from one of our monitors? Sure would love to have one of those right now." The exasperation's there, but not directed at Rikka. "But this one'll be easy..."
Akane takes a breath. "This is something they get like... half-right, in that mini-flashback in episode 19 of Serena. Just like there, I'm going to count down -- ten, nine... and you probably already know where this is going, right? Feeling heavy or whatever. Slowing down. Letting me talk to the deepest part of Rikka." She continues playing with that hair. (... She's also combing it out a bit. She /does/ want to address that helmet hair before it turns into much more annoying tangles.)
"Eight, seven... but what it doesn't get right is it being painful. We're still just talking. It's nothing that should hurt, as I keep going, six, five." Talking about it in the context of something they both liked... actually makes it easier to stay on task. Another check. This one more thorough -- by this point she's fairly certain that Rikka'll be responsive and quite out of it by the time she's finished... but that's all the more reason to make sure she keeps /herself/ on task.
"It's more like... four, three... any other late night conversation we've had when we're curled up and kinda sleepy and feeling comfy. Two. You just don't need to worry too much about keeping the conversation going, 'cuz I'm doing that. One... Zero."
She says, a little firmer, "I'm going to give you a few things I need you to do exactly like I say, exactly when the signal comes, okay...? These'll only work until we're not in the Vist Foundation's custody anymore."
Akane catches where she's put the conversation -- and realizes now is a /great/ time to provide a little more scaffolding. "And we won't be. Remember, we're in danger while we're with them, and so is Puru-1, and we have a lot of friends who'll help us once we get out."
She just has to keep telling herself that she's right about that. Maybe eventually she'll suggest herself into believing it.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Okay." Rikka replies, latching onto that firm tone - hanging onto her every word.
Akane begins the explanation. A deepener... Like in episode 19 of Serena. The more recent memories of watching it with Akane... those are the ones that surge more to the forefront. She'll count down - and then she'll feel heavy. Slow down. Let her talk to the deepest part of Rikka. (She's still there - because Akane held on so desperately.) The contentedness deepens a little, as Akane continues to play with her hair.
It won't be painful, though - they're just talking.
"...They always... play those things up..." Rikka murmurs. She's already starting to slow down a little, as Akane continues that count down. "I know you wouldn't hurt me. You never did..."
It's just like any other late night conversation, but she doesn't have to worry about keeping up the conversation. And then...
Zero.
Rikka slackens a little. She is, indeed, quite out of it - but she's very much still listening, as Akane outlines the things she needs to do, that they, all three of them, are in danger... and provides a reminder of the wonderful, important friends they've made.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane walks Rikka through several key responses. They're both going to need to be able to carry this act off /perfectly/, down to the quantum brainwave response, if they're going to get out of this.
While she has her in that state, she /also/ walks her through her usual inventory of questions -- twice. Once, to make sure the answers she knows Rikka would give are still there, and if they're not, to gently set them back into place as best she can and solidify them...
... and once, to give her the answers she's most scared of hearing, many of which she's already heard. That part's a little painful, and she has to switch from combing out Rikka's hair with her fingers to holding her hand as she does it.
She walks through some changes in Rikka's demeanor, too. Superficial -- not meant to last a second past when they leave the Vist Foundation's grasp. Ways to look like Akane... really did do every horrible thing in the world, so at least they'd be /her/ horrible things.
Conveniently, she has the things they both love as a guide; it really is no different from prom. Theatre. A private performance for the two of them. This or that flourish from Truthseeker Serena, or Tarabaman Hammer's lengthy flashback segments to Hammer and Spike's tumultuous past as villains. Dare one say:
It's (excruciatingly high-risk) cosplay!
When she's done, she gives Rikka's hand another squeeze, and whispers, "It's okay if something is hurt or damaged. It can still be patched up... as long as there's still someone who cares." Her lips brush against Rikka's forehead.
As out of it as she'd sounded at that time... she hasn't forgotten what Rikka said. It was exactly what she needed to hear -- just not when she needed to hear it.
She brings Treasure Chest back up, a maelstrom of anxiety still whirling in her gut.
... She'll get used to it with time, she supposes. Looking to the side of their bed, she notices her glasses have been returned to her, too; she pops them on, and as soon as she does, she feels much more ready. Lips curl up in a confident expression.
"There. Don't you feel better, Treasure Chest?" she asks, sprawling out on the bed. "I'd say that was pretty productive."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka follows along, taking in every word. Even if in the necessary moment her 'self' does not remember them, she won't need to. And then, the inventory comes. Some of the answers she gives are perhaps shakier than either of them might like - but they are much more visibly Rikka than they have been for some time, and she takes quickly to the corrections given.
The second inventory... that one /is/ difficult. She takes the hand that's offered. She needs it.
There are... necessary changes to be made. Superficial and temporary, but necessary to avoid the worst. ...It's true. It's easier to think of it as a performance. Something just for them. She accepts the squeeze gratefully - closes her eyes at the brush of lips against her forehead.
Once more, Treasure Chest comes to the front. She seems, for a moment, confused... but this confusion passes as she accepts her new situation.
"I do... Thank you, Akane." Treasure Chest replies with a nod. She takes Akane sprawling out as an indicator that it's alright for her to relax a little, too. "It was informative."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane smiles down at Treasure Chest as she sees her nod. "Great. I bet we only have another half hour here tops, but that's fine. Honestly, I kinda got out of the mood. Don't worry -- we'll handle that... laaaaaaaater~."
"Let's just take a little extra time to rest, okay? I need some time to get used to this, and you..." Akane trails off for a little while, looking down at Treasure Chest.
Her own expression flattens out a bit, and she sighs. "... Well, I guess you won't know the difference," she says, snapping her fingers as she settles into bed. ... she really does need the time to get used to that one.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Only half an hour... It's something, compared to how little rest time she's been having.
"It's okay." Treasure Chest replies. "We'll have more time later. If I can spend it with you, that's enough."
Akane says they should just take a little extra time to rest, and Treasure Chest nods her agreement. Akane will need time to get used to it. She wouldn't know the difference. Akane snaps her fingers. Treasure Chest lowers herself into bed, beginning to drift off within moments.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
After that half hour passes, Akane starts getting antsy. She needs to get used to the new normal she expects -- now, if not sooner. Fortunately, the new room has an intercom, and without disturbing Treasure Chest's semi-enforced rest, she trots over to it, presses the button, and says, "Tell me when Dr. Murasame's available. I think we have an interesting discussion to have!"
A beat passes, and she elaborates. "I know my negotiating posture sucks, but remember: in the world you guys are trying to explore with instruments from afar, I was a God and I was living in it! Hard to top that one."
"By the way," she adds, conversationally, "I'm saying this for your benefit and not mine? Armed escort. Probably two? Maybe four. Treasure Chest is getting... touchier. That's actually kinda what we're going to be negotiating about!"
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Akane gets no answer to her intercom. There's the distinct feeling that the message was definitely received but, no instant gratification of an answer. Two minutes later, an armed escort of three comes in, and come to escort just Treasure Chest off. Aumerei isn't invited to this party apparently. Treasure Chest is taken to a lab room room, bound to a chair, and blasted with gas as a means to conduct an assessment begins by lab assistants.
Six hours later, two come for Aumerei, as she's escorted down to what's ostensibly Dr. Murasame's office. It's a barren, sterile place, completely devoid of any touches of the man's personality. Whether that's because this is the Garuda, or because the man allows no insights into himself for those who speak to them is up for debate.
He's seated in a metallic chair, there's another on the opposite side of his desk, three files sit in front of him, in hard copy. Apparently he's used to meticulous efforts to keep the records off any type of computer storage. Upon her entering the room, Rikka's file is being closed. It's the thinnest of the three.
"Aumerei. Do have a seat. My assistants tell me you've been busy." He says with a sense of paternalistic patience, as he picks up Akane's record, turns to a page of notes in the back. He then picks up a pen and starts to write. Akane's file is extremely thick, and getting thicker. Akane might be able to see it, that he's writing in some form of Japanese short hand and encoding it as well, "I presume this is what this conversation is about. You, are used to a position as 'Kamisama' and wish to collaborate in exchange for special privileges. You are opening a dialogue with me in order to convince me how your efforts would be valuable to me and my team."
His eyes glance up, and glint behind his glasses.
"That they have already been valuable. I am intrigued as to what argument you are going to offer."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Those six hours are anxious at first. ... It doesn't matter, Akane tells herself. She's confident in her work. She'll get what she wants out of this.
As long as she doesn't give up.
When at last she's escorted along, Akane looks worn out, though. The bravado has started to weaken, and when she sits down, she wears a practiced, neutral expression.
"I mean, if it were just that I'd have just walked out of my room with Treasure Chest and walked in and interrupted your meeting," Akane answers. Her voice is flatter than before. "Look. I tried to walk her through the idea that what happened in your little accuracy test was more complex than she thought and... it's not that she got mad at me, but she was ready to actually kill you guys for being a threat to me. I have no idea what'll set her off anymore and I'm trying to be realistic about the inevitability of you guys screwing me up to hollow her out if I don't play ball."
"I worked really hard to get to a point where I could do girlfriend stuff with Treasure Chest. I want to keep that." She looks him in the eye, explaining, "So I decided that before I became a liability in exploring what she can do, I'd take control of the situation. It's not like this is new for me. I wrecked my friends' date to try to put up a W on Gridman. I thought I was past that but, eh!" She perks up. "Everyone's got limits."
Akane's shoulders slump. "I know when I'm beat. I read the Intelligence handbook and not just the Mobile Corps one. 3G talks a big game about not giving up but I know when 'not giving up' looks like lower expectations."
Aumerei seems to be leveling off as she talks. "I could tell what you guys were going for, so I decided to just get her the rest of the way there. I'm guessing you want her for pair deployment with Puru-1, and she was starting to get upset with her for talking back to me, and I figured that would be a non-starter and another round of pumping new trauma into her."
She concedes, "This is what a mental breakdown looks like for me! I had one after my city popped back out into the real world. It was a little while of sucking and dying about it and then, you know, smearing 3G across street after street." With a half-laugh out through her nose, she shrugs and says, "I guess I'll get back to that pretty soon. Not 3G, they're not political, but, you know."
How much is she willing to give up...? "I get that I'm interesting too. I've lived in a world that you guys are just barely touching. So here's what I'm offering!"
It's at this point Akane gets animated. "I stop fighting you on Treasure Chest. Treasure Chest stops fighting you 'cuz the only reason she's fighting you is because I was. You can tell, because I know you just spent the last six hours assessing her." As if to prove her point, she offers something for free:
"She's giving answers that you want to hear and they're real specific, she's much more docile, and every time you say her name she either taps her thigh or nods her head." She lets that sink in for a moment before explaining: "I didn't have tools to work with so I figured the somatic approach would be easier. That should bear out with the data assessment you almost definitely just took; her brain does all the name recognitiony stuff whenever she hears 'Treasure Chest' now, in a way it was only starting to at the end of the last run of stuff, right?"
After a little musing, she adds, "She probably still hates Alexis, but that's really only over what he did to me. It won't be inconvenient for you in the long term. Once I'm working with you I'll probably be able to get her to ignore that as long as he isn't actively doing stuff to me."
Her expression gets serious again. "I'm not stupid. 3G likes me and Treasure Chest too much for you to have us full time. Your long term play is to turn us into a 3G monitoring post." It's a hunch, but clearly not one Akane didn't reason out. "This is going to end the next time this scow resupplies an MS wing, so like... ten days? I'm getting reconditioned, then our 'vacation' ends exactly as scheduled and I go back to 3G. My guess is you have her decide my operator gig looks like an okay deal, we both drop out of school, and in six months I'm in Intelligence, she's in Engineering, and you have two universally-beloved members of 3G on call in different departments. I'm guessing now that you have the theory you're going to move on to other Repli-Compoids."
A beat.
"That's fine. Recommending Ramo Marusa, actually. She's already pretty discreet since she used to work some sketchy jobs, and she's friends with me and Treasure Chest. Unlike us, she's not that big a deal and she'll probably come when I call." That one still gets her to flinch a bit, but she'll get over it. It's not the first time she's brought Marusan into this kind of situation.
Her lips curl up in a confident smile, now, as she adds, "But all that is just me offering you stuff you probably get with a little more effort if I don't play along. There is something you don't get if you just run me over here, though, and I know you don't get it because I know it's the one thing I'm going to be a jerk about no matter how many times you condition me."
"I'm offering you what gas the maintenance kaiju were using. It's a pretty standard neurotoxin, but that's a big list and you don't wanna take the risk that you damaged my recall on that."
Now fully in her element, she leans forward on the desk, lilac hair framing her face, glasses glinting in a way that highlights their cracks.
"That's my price. I get to do as much girlfriend stuff as I want with Treasure Chest and have her respond to 'Rikka' when we're alone. I stop resisting. I give you so many freebies, including the big one that not even Alexis can give you."
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
"Of course." The man scrawls something else down as Akane presents that 'If it were just that', even as her tone changes. "That's within acceptable parameters, Aumerei. We haven't begun physical enhancement as of yet, so existing protocols do not require much modification."
He switches files and scrawls down, "I may have to forbid physical contact during debriefing, provide a barrier. Puru-1 is rather soft, a downside of the necessities of her current state." He doesn't say anything about the inevitability of 'screwing me up to hollow her out' as if Akane simply had reality pegged. His eyes do focus on her for a time, and then he writes another note down.
"Oh? And truly I thought it would take much longer for you to reach yours after your newfound resolution and time with 3G." He rebuts mildly, but doesn't offer too much resistance to the idea, "Hm." He switches files over to Rikka's, and scrawls something within his notes in the back, before opening Akane's back up wide. Turning through the pages until he gets to a section of various surveillance photos. Most don't look like ones Vist took themselves other a photo of Banagher, Akane, and Haro. The rest appear to come from Britannian Intelligence. There are some fairly graphic ones of Akane as she was before laying in alleyways and in the garbage, "Is it?"
There's something in his tone like he's not quite buying this, but at the same time, he doesn't seem to mind it, believe it or not, this is all acceptable. There is a flicker of, something in his eyes, the stopping of a motion of his pen briefly when Akane mentions both the somatic method, and becoming a 3G monitoring post, apparently caught a little on the back foot by both. Still he lets Akane continue, laying it all out.
Then he sets down his pen, and folds his hand together. There's a long moment of consideration, and then...
"I think I can agree to the privileges you have in mind for yourself in exchange for the Venora Neurotoxin and your 'assistance' with Treasure Chest. However, I have additional conditions. The first is that you will assist in the capture of your 'suggested' subject of Ramo Marusa." A beat, "But also one Alouette Pommier of 3G. Given her prior condition, I estimate I will need no longer than three days with her... and Ramo Marusa has stored up a great deal of vacation time with the Yumi Foundation. This is an easy ask for one of your talents."
Flattery? Well yes, of course.
"The second is that you will be under the direct supervision of Alexis Kerib for the remainder of your stay here. I expect you to remain professional in your dealings with him. Cordial, even. There are rules of decorum that I expect of all of my junior lab personnel to follow. I will not waste any of our valuable time on office politics and power struggles."
"And the third is that I expect you to keep Treasure Chest under control. Before your intervention, violent and erratic behavior was expected, even desirable down the expected track we had for her. Now, you have taken responsibility for her advancement through your 'fine tuning' so to speak. As such, any violent behavior against other lab personnel or Puru-1 will result in corrective action taken against Treasure Chest."
He pauses, allowing that all to sink in, before he asks a question.
"Is all of this acceptable to you, Aumerei?"
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
She doesn't seem that bothered by the idea of forbidding physical contact during debriefing. She shrugs. "Puru-1's well-being is your responsibility, not mine. If you think that's best, I mean, she's your subject. At the end of the day, Treasure Chest is mine. I'm considering this... annoying inter-lab friction?" Waving it off, she says, "More your way of looking at it than mine, but you get the idea. I caught the tail end of the New Desides trials, I know you and Augusta have a messier history than you let on. Same deal."
Akane's eyes turn toward the photos. "Different mental breakdown!" Akane enthuses; she can see herself clearly enough now for that. "Look for stuff from my Kabukicho or Paris trips instead. Back when I had the labcoat and that stupid corset dress. Remember? That was right after Knight left my house." She waves it off, saying, "Same deal. When it looks like I'm losing something I start losing it. I was working on this in therapy but stuff with Hass kinda set me back on untangling it, so I guess we're here again."
She sees the surprise at her accurate assessments, but doesn't comment on it. That's fine. They can move on to negotiation. He wants Alouette and Ramo, huh. Akane thinks about that for a little while, looking off to one side. "You really want the Mobile Corps desk too? Jeez, either you're terrified of 3G or you're planning something big. Guessing the latter. I put Alouette in my pocket when I was planning to do something big."
Nodding firmly, Akane looks like she's about to agree -- and then the second one comes. "... sure, but it's on him to register a complaint if he gets upset. You don't know what our vibe is. I used to kick in monitors he showed up on and that was just like, a regular deal? But sure. If he gets bored and wanders off to hang out with Puru-1 that's not on me either. But sure. We had an okay working dynamic. I'm not going back to making kaiju, but if he just wants to watch, whatever."
The third one... "Oh, easy. I saw this request coming. I have several off buttons for her. You might have found one of them since it's pretty standard. But sure. I need 48 hours to get her to the stage where I'm confident she'll avoid that kinda thing, but that's on you for escalating the violence level this fast."
Nodding, she pushes up her glasses. Leaning forward, she says, "Deal."
"Anyway, you know the Taraba V Tarabaman S crossover arc, with the kaiju that finds a weapons stockpile and starts eating the gas, and it's an actual RL" (yes she actually says 'RL') "gas that they declassified the year before all that stuff aired?" A beat. "It's that. I'm guessing when we land you can get some but don't have anything that old on hand because why would you when you have a better amnestic on tap?"
Now she's feeling insanely confident, and it shows in the way she relaxes into her seat. "Explains why every Repli-Compoid has such specific DNA though, right? Between that and whatever's up with that Gundam you have Treasure Chest driving, though, we can probably achieve pretty total memory rewriting. Just like I was doing..."
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
"Her regimen and any involved corrective action is my responsibility." Murasame corrects Akane, "Her well-being is the responsibility of every resident here, including you. I thought I made that clear by making attendance of debriefings mandatory." Whereas the 'good Doctor' does not appear to respond in such an animated way, "'Annoying interlab friction'? An intriguing perspective, given that you've fully capitalized upon it to your benefit. Honestly given your treatment of Anti while he was within your care, I thought I had created an ideal environment for you to thrive within. Am I incorrect?"
His eyes meet Akane's, "After all, you're here right now, manipulating it in your favor." As he turns to the pictures of Akane in that corset and labcoat and kitten heels, he merely hums noncommittally as if Akane had just confirmed something, while at the same time isn't quite buying something. He simply scrawls something in the margins.
"Terrified of 3G? Hardly. Their sense of moral outrage is confined wholly by the rule of law, and right now, the rule of law is on my side." He does not so much as look up at her this time, "You and your people have known for some time that Puru-1 is a product of the Vist Foundation, yet not a single arrest has been made. Nor has Luio and Co. received so much as a censure. Indeed, even jeopardizing the OCU's relationship with their provider of free energy was punished only by the equivalent of strongly worded letters from the Prime Minister. The winds have shifted, and men like me are needed by the powers that be once more. I'm under no illusions that this arrangement is anything more than a fair weather one, but I will utilize it to the fullest to accomplish my objectives."
He does not comment on whether Akane is correct or not on why he wants Alouette. No, let her keep guessing on that one.
"Don't I?" Murasame states as he turns and flips through a whole section, "He was quite open with discussing your 'vibe'. In fact, it was one of his favorite topics." He does not mention how Puru-1 has unwittingly assisted in filling out Alexis' psychological profile at least when it comes to his motivations regarding Akane.
Murasame checks his watch at that moment, "As a courtesy, I would recommend then that you defer that until the day after tomorrow." Information, a small morsel, what happens tomorrow? He doesn't say, yet it is telling that he suggests Akane not do anything about her 'violence levels' currently. "Deployment is imminent, and Treasure Chest will be expected to deploy as well. Modifying her sense of aggression right now could be... detrimental, to her survival."
There's a small tip of the head as Akane finally agrees to the deal, before he lofts a single eyebrow as she describes the Taraba angle. Without missing a beat, he pulls open a drawer and pulls out another file on Repli-Compoids. Turning to the back, he begins making further notes.
"Total memory modification, intriguing. It does beg the question though of why you would offer it up so willingly." Murasame suggests, "After all, if it would offer me that level of control within my research, what is to stop me from reneging on our deal the moment efficacy is proven?" This feels less like a threat, and more like an attempt at understanding Akane's perspective here when it comes to her willingness to sacrifice long term agency for short term comforts.
<Pose Tracker> Aumerei has posed.
"Hm. Fair." Aumerei takes a long time to consider Murasame's words. "I might have misjudged you, actually! I thought that was more about us than about her, but you really have the whole squad in kind of a big mutual fail spiral." It takes her a moment to self-assess her relationship with Puru-1 at this point --
-- and then something clicks. "Honestly, you could have just said something? Like... well, nah. I guess you couldn't have. I needed to figure out she'd soak the punishments on my own." She shrugs, breezing along as if this wasn't news. The interlab friction factor is easier to talk about.
"I mean, yeah?" she starts, waving it off. "You borrowed my subject and returned her in trash condition, but my funding is cut and yours isn't. If I want to continue my research, I have to play nice with you! Whatever else I might feel about her isn't really relevant to how we discuss her, right?" Letting exasperation creep in, she admits, "It's not that I want to be heartless about Treasure Chest, she's fun and she's incredible. But this is your world, not mine! So we play by your rules."
She lets the silence about Alouette skate, but does note, "Good point," about the total lack of movement against the Vist Foundation or Luio & Co. despite everything. Alexis is more relevant. "Oh, fair. Anyway, as long as he can be professional about it, I can. If you don't want your junior researchers bickering, that goes both ways."
... the mention of deployment being imminent is the one thing she can't -- quite -- let skate like she's completely cool with it. "Hm. Pretty contradictory requests. That's fine. As long as Treasure Chest is allowed to trash talk people I think she'll be fine for that long. Again, worse comes to worst I'll just push the off button~ I can handle it myself if she starts getting unruly." Teasingly, she notes, "I can't say I prefer topping but I can deal. I'll handle operating for her when deployment comes; that mobile suit can't be much more demanding than Guardienne Avierre to monitor." That gets her thoughts going a little more intensely, though...
"... I need a spec sheet for that Gundam if we're going to do this," she adds. "Not negotiable. I can't provide good tactical advice if I don't have that."
The last question comes, and Aumerei looks at Dr. Murasame like he's an idiot for several seconds. "Bigger prizes with me. This is just what you already have but faster and with fewer side effects, right? If you didn't want me putting that together you shouldn't have involved me in debriefing in the first place!" She leans in, starting to laugh. "You probably already know I took GaoFighGar for a little hero joyride. You definitely know about the making kaiju and the making whole cities. What if I can't pull that off if I'm not in the right frame of mind? Alexis does like me best when I'm interesting, and like. You can get close to pulling off my vibe, I'm not denying that! But Puru-1's only like that 'cuz Glemy put in all the hard work, and even then I can tell it's a struggle to keep her that way. Good experimental subjects don't need to go around half-starved to stay in the right frame of mind. I was spoiling my people every day."
"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. You want something else from me, it isn't obvious how you get them, and even Alexis can't really tell you how it works. Not in a way that would let you identify the next Akane Shinjo." He could never really articulate the fine points of the unique way of moving through the world he and Akane briefly shared; it's not a guess. "I'm not giving you this because it helps you right now, I'm giving you this because when your arrangement with the 'powers that be' expires it's probably gonna be your best option, trading clean slate Repli-Compoids for... whatever your type needs while you're in some rathole, I guess!"
Aumerei settles in. This is fine. She knows where the conversation is. Everything she needs is at her fingertips -- but for one thing.
"So. Labcoat when?"
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Murasame doesn't comment on Akane misjudging him, as he scrawls more notes into a margin. Even when it's noted he could have just said something, "Studies are often more effective if the subject is ignorant of the precise ways they're being studied. Any healthcare professional can tell you that when someone knows respiratory rate is being counted, that people alter it, whether they are trying to or not." Closing the file, and lifting it, he turns it perpendicular to the desk and taps it when they slide out slightly, keeping the papers in order. "It matters little, our objective with you has been met. Even if you are trying to deceive me right now."
He then snorts lightly at the idea Akane's subject has been returned in trash condition, "And what funding have you submitted for, Aumerei? Your test subject also being your paramour treads a line I often don't tolerate with Junior lab personnel." He definitely remembers the story of Rosamia, and that fool of a scientist who involved himself with her in that way. How much progress was lost? "I am only permitting it, because in the end you are part of the experiment yourself. Do not mistake collaboration as exemption from the parameters of the test." And instead of continuing to upbraid her, he asks a question, "How long do you think it ordinarily takes for a test to get to this point which you rush to call 'trash condition'?"
He doesn't give her an opportunity to answer, "The median time is twenty one days. With a Repli-Compoid and a Psycoframe, we have accomplished this in three. Whatever 'fine adjustments' you are making are only assisting in speeding the process further. But I estimate that deployment not withstanding, that Treasure Chest will be 'polished' within the week. You are welcome to indulge yourself as you see fit during this time."
Murasame does not smile, but he seems faintly amused at the idea of Alexis and Akane 'bickering' as being the same as junior lab personnel. And Murasame puts up a hand, "If you wish for her to indulge herself in trash talk, she can be allowed to cut loose on Puru-1. I daresay Puru-1's reaction earlier to you was..." He pauses as if to consider phrasing, "... a curious outlier." And the way his eyes fall on Akane, it's clear he is suspicious. As he then waves a hand, "Of course, you will be allowed to fulfill your Operator role under careful monitoring. The spec sheet for the Mu Gundam will be provided to you."
When Akane looks at Murasame like he's an idiot, there's a faint narrowing of his eyes, but more clear than anything is that beyond the outrage at being spoken to this way he is suspicious, believing Akane is trying to play him. And yet he calmly folds his hands together and listens, until she speaks about Glemy and Puru-1. "Ah, I see. You're under several misapprehensions about Puru-1's condition. This explains your conceit." As he then opens Akane's file and pulls out a copy of her bubble graph, sliding it in front of her...
"Honestly I thought you'd be closer to the correct conclusions on the necessity of her regimen given what clues you already had. The cruelty, is not as they say, the point." He says in a moment of supreme pettiness, "As for the rest of your tirade, I'll be blunt. I don't trust your stated motive. This is ultimately a scheme for you to achieve more privileges to work towards your objective of escape. That I know this is beside the point, and the arrangement is beneficial. The fact that you are working towards this ultimately is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things." As he leans forward and tells her quietly, "Because the objectives of the experiment will be facilitated by our arrangement."
One by one he puts the files back away, "You'll receive your labcoat once you file your first progress report on Treasure Chest and the data has been reviewed and confirmed. ... Please escort Aumerei back to her quarters."
<Pose Tracker> Aumerei has posed.
Aumerei files a report. It's utterly routine; she seems comfortable with the process already. She's worked with BioNet before, and unlike BioNet, where the relationship between her and other stakeholders was not very clear, her relationship with Dr. Murasame is abundantly clear. She has the whole thing typed up in about 15 minutes. Within the hour, she -- and Treasure Chest -- are once again right back where they started:
The hangar-adjacent monitoring station. Once again, Puru-1 is on the monitors, though she's displayed in full color rather than infrared; she has a comparable picture of Treasure Chest and Aumerei on a console on her end. Aumerei, for her part, has a clinging purple tube top and black skirt she'd brought along for the road trip, plus a white labcoat and a badge; outfitting Treasure Chest with something other than a pilot suit that would nevertheless suit the local aesthetic has been an ordeal, but there is someone close to her size; she's been taken care of, now that she's been taken care of.
"So I actually kind of think this is just a formality at this point, but we should know where we all stand, so sure," Aumerei says, boredly glancing off. "I decided to take matters into my own hands last night after Treasure Chest derailed from Fun Time to get mad about the way I was being treated. I don't really like it? But in the end my options for protecting what's mine in this dump are pretty limited and this was the best option."
"Anyway, Treasure Chest, Dr. Murasame says Puru-1's the only one you're permitted to vent your frustrations to, so, you know." A dismissive wave of her hand. "If you have anything to say about how I'm being treated, like, go nuts? I'll tell you when to stop."
It seems like she's tuning out whatever might come; after a little while, though -- whether it's because it's running long, because 'Treasure Chest' got too heated, or... well, there's any number of reasons a junior researcher might boredly snap her fingers.
But she does.
<Pose Tracker> Treasure Chest has posed.
Treasure Chest is returned to Aumerei in much the same condition as she left her. Still a little dazed from the gas used to sedate her for assessment, perhaps - but this is within acceptable parameters, and she recovers quickly once directed.
And so, once again, she is seated next to Aumerei in the monitoring station. Unlike Aumerei, wearing clothes she brought with her, Treasure Chest wears a black suit and tie more in line with the rest of the Garuda's staff. It's the local aesthetic... but she wears it pretty well, actually. Someone else might have brought clothes with her on a roadtrip, clothes with a more personal touch - but that person isn't here right now.
She listens attentively as Aumerei explains the situation, the reason behind why they're meeting. She taps a finger against her thigh idly - and when Aumerei addresses her directly, she looks her way and nods.
"I do." She acknowledges, then turns her attention to Puru-1 on the monitor.
"...I don't like the way they used her. She could've been hurt. She deserves to be treated more respectfully than that. I don't like the way you treated her. Don't grab her like that again. I-" She starts. She ramps up, getting a little more heated, feelings of irritation building and feeding off of each other as they're given an outlet...
...But, eventually, Aumerei does indeed tell her to stop. She snaps her fingers... and Treasure Chest's voice trails off. Her head sags - and so too do her limbs fall limp at her side. She goes quiet and still as if she'd fallen asleep in an instant.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
The report is returned to Aumerei in short order, marked up in red, along with a list of expectations for formatting and standardization of future reports. Something which, she was in no way given before and is thus supremely petty. All the same, as if Doctor Murasame was a professor at her school, it is marked with 'An adequate first effort' at the top, and the addendum, 'Please resubmit corrections to Doctor Kerib.'
What does he even think Alexis has a Doctorate in!?
Puru-1 is in the same pilot suit as usual. Green slitted visor propped up over the red tinted faceplate in its helmet. She's been quiet, subdued. She saw them bring Treasure Chest out and into the room with the chair for evaluation. Her attention appears currently on Aumerei with the purple tube top and black skirt, as well as the lab coat and badge. As she mentions how fun time got derailed, her helmet subtly turns just enough to look at Treasure Chest.
"Derailed." She repeats the word, without any interrogative. It is more like an echo for emphasis. There's uncertainty in her posture now, wondering if she misread the whole situation between the two. And slowly she squares up her posture.
"Very well. I accept full responsibility for everything you've suffered." Puru-1 answers to the idea of Treasure Chest venting her frustrations. She's trying to keep her voice perfectly even, cool, hiding behind the voice synthesizer, but in the end she sounds frayed along the edges. Like she's steeling herself for what's coming.
She expected worse, but the fact that it wasn't somehow stabs harder.
"I-"
'I was only trying to help.' She thinks, but it doesn't matter. She thought she was helping give them alone time, but it only made things worse. That's on her too.
"-I won't. I promise. You deserve to be upset for-" Then Aumerei snaps her fingers, and Treasure Chest goes limp and sags. Puru-1 suddenly jerks into a standing position, "What did you do. What did you do to her!?" She says, voice cracking, horrified. Puru-1 puts her wrist up near her faceplate, pressing a button, "Medical alert! Aumerei did something to Treasure Chest-! Some kind of-" Low key panicked, she receives a response that's inaudible to the two of them, "What do you mean nothing is amiss!? Look at her!"
She quiets again as she listens to the response and then, she whispers quietly, "Acceptable...?" As she sinks back down, tone becoming more and more abstracted and sorrowful as her eyes just fixate back on the image of Treasure Chest, "What about this is acceptable?"
<Pose Tracker> Aumerei has posed.
Pettiness from instructors is nothing new for Aumerei. She's certainly annoyed, but it's the sort of annoyance you grumble about and get over. Reintroduction to Puru-1 is higher priority, anyway -- though she does start work on that report as they talk. After all, she's Dr. Murasame's subject; for her, Puru-1 is a lower priority and this is just part of the growing number of inter-lab formalities in her life.
She absolutely resents having to submit a report to Alexis, though. 'Doctor' Kerib. Come on. Unbelievable.
Puru-1 insists on a medical alert -- and then begins to get upset. Aumerei shrugs. "Even if you're the one who she's allowed to vent at right now, there is a limit to how much they're willing to let her get away with," she explains, and she sounds bored in a way Puru-1 hasn't heard from her. Leina, on the other hand, knows it well. Akane used to sound this bored a lot. "Anyway, as long as you don't do anything upsetting again, things are fine!"
Opening her mouth to speak again, Aumerei pauses -- and then realizes, "Oh, right. Really need to get used to that." She snaps her fingers again. "Thank you, that was great! I love having someone who'll handle that stuff. I hate confronting people~"
Akane wants to flinch at Leina's panic, but she knows better. Right now, she needs to go back to that side of herself... just for a bit. She feels gross -- but she needs to hold it together.
"Anyway, between me getting her stable enough for deployment and everyone else sorting out my work we're probably done with tests for a little bit."
It's at this point that one of the other monitors lights up -- though it's not with more data. Instead, Alexis appears.
"Ah, Akane-kun," Alexis says, in breach of the usual lab protocol. "It's good to see the two of you getting reacquainted. Don't mind me! I'll simply be observing."
Aumerei shrugs. "Hello, Alexis," she says, flattening out again. She flips a file open, crosschecking it with her own report. "So! Now that that's out of the way, I guess this is about setting expectations for both of you. Until they reinsert us into 3G, Treasure Chest is probably going to be your close air support? So like... I do need you two to be nice, basically?"
Her expression flattens. "You have the floor, Treasure Chest. Feel free to debrief about however much you remember of all your tests, set expectations for pair deployment, whatever. It looks like both of us can override your MS so it's better if you two have a good idea of what to expect."
She goes back to editing her report.
<Pose Tracker> Treasure Chest has posed.
Treasure Chest sits there, unmoving, until Aumerei eventually snaps her fingers once more. She stirs, glancing around confused for a moment... and then, as Aumerei doesn't consider the situation strange, continues on as if nothing had ever happened.
"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help you." Treasure Chest replies to Aumerei's thanks. Relief crosses her face when Aumerei says that they're doing with tests for a little bit - but it's soon replaced with a scowl as Alexis appears on one of the monitors. She doesn't speak to him, though, instead looking back Aumerei as she speaks. Setting expectations... They need to be nice. Treasure Chest taps a finger against her thigh and considers the situation.
"...Alright. I don't have anything else to complain about. So... I'm fine, for now." Treasure Chest replies. Aumerei says she has the floor. With another tap of her thigh, she thinks for a moment, then looks toward Puru-1.
"I've been tested on psycommu weaponry, mostly. My ability to use them, and use them accurately. ...I'm pretty good at it." Treasure Chest explains. She hesitates for a moment. "I remember... scenes of violence, I..."
She diverts herself from that topic quickly.
"My primary role in combat is support. I do my best work with others, so use me how you see fit. Don't be afraid to rely on me. ...But, Akane has the final say." She says, then pauses. "...And, if there's anything you'd like to inform me of..."
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Aumerei's 'shrug' which feels like apathy only seems to agitate her even more, "No no it's okay!" As she holds up the palm of her gloved hand, "Please just, let her yell at me if she wants. As much as she wants. Please... don't do that to her again." The low key panic seems to throb right off of her in a tangible pressure throughout the Garuda as Akane just sounds bored. "I promise, I'll do my best not to... do anything upsetting."
Aumerei snaps her fingers and Puru-1 starts to level off, though she clasps her hands to her thighs to prevent them from seeing the subtle tremor that was starting to take form when Treasure Chest said she was GLAD she could thank her.
No more tests for a while, for some reason Puru-1 eases off further in relief, even if she ought to be wanting more, and more. It's all training for her, isn't it? Then another monitor bleeps on and Puru-1 says something which deals 1d12 Psychic Damage to Aumerei, "Doctor Kerib." It's low key curt, but deferential enough to feel awful. "I will have my project ready for submission soon."
That may make Aumerei's blood run a little cold, given what project she's likely worked upon with 'Doctor Kerib.'
Aumerei continues to set the tone, and Puru-1 nods quietly about the idea of them needing to be nice, even as Treasure Chest outlines her capabilities. Puru-1 is silent for a long while, and then, "The Banshee and I are the Vist Foundation's current most powerful anti-Newtype weapon. While the specifics are restricted, I can tell you that while I'm out there it is difficult to speak to me directly once combat is initiated. I am... not entirely conscious. As such the Banshee and I will appear as if we are completely out of control."
Her helmet's center focuses in on Treasure Chest, "This is not entirely the truth, and while you cannot communicate with me over the comms, we can sense your intent and react accordingly. This may not be the kind of teamwork you are accustomed to, but nevertheless we are able to respond to your support. Furthermore, the Banshee's actions in combat appear deadlier than they actually are, and it never aims to kill. As such while it has disabled many mobile suits, there have never been casualties." Her influence? Or? Either way its an interesting detail to throw in given the sheer hostility that Murasame is trying to instill within Treasure Chest.
In the end she settles upon, "Don't worry, so long as I am deployed alongside you, you'll be coming back to Aumerei safely, this much I can promise you, Treasure Chest." A beat, "Oh. And you do not have to worry about losing control of your funnels in the field, so long as we act as allies in the field."
<Pose Tracker> Aumerei has posed.
"Perfect! Thought you wouldn't~" Aumerei replies to Treasure Chest, brightly. She tracks the taps of Treasure Chest's fingers, pulling herself out of her seated position as she finishes her report. "Alexis, can you read this from where you are?" she asks, depositing it in front of his monitor.
"Oh, yes," Alexis replies, smooth as ever. "Thank you for the report, Akane-kun! I'll make sure it's up to Dr. Murasame's standards. I did enjoy proofreading your schoolwork, you know."
"Yeah, all two times you did it!" It could be sulky, but it isn't; Aumerei sounds pretty chipper about it, actually, even if it's a little bit of sass. She watches Treasure Chest -- and adds one bit of marginalia to her report:
Comfort level with past violence much higher but still insufficient. Issue may be solved by deployment (contextualization issue?)
"As for you," Aumerei here returns her attention to Puru-1, "Good! As long as the two of you stay mutually supportive I'll be pleased with your progress. Both of you."
'Doctor Kerib.' That does give Aumerei some pause; she frowns, but ultimately doesn't say anything, save, "It sounds like you two are developing an okay relationship." She doesn't have to be enthused, just cordial.
Allowing Leina to make a kaiju isn't that dangerous, at its core, Akane reflects. It's... upsetting, but again -- there are paths back from that, especially early on, and the process itself is cathartic. Allowing her unexpressed feelings to be defeated as a kaiju might even make Leina more resistant again, in the short term. The mental calculus is messy and a little traumatic, but... she can't catch everything.
"I'm glad you two have each other's backs!" comes the enthusiastic answer, once Puru-1 explains the role, capabilities, and true nature of the Banshee. "And here I was worried I was low-balling it with just a single-use kill command... it sounds like things are going to be the other way around from what I was expecting. I expect to demo that on our next deployment, so please look forward to it, Treasure Chest~"
She runs a hand up Treasure Chest's side and into her hair, saying, "And actually -- I do have the activation switches for the HADES-E in the Mu Gundam. I get that you're trying to say that she won't have to kill anyone, because you can override her funnels and you don't, but this is actually really cross-purposes for the rest of us." Leaning into the monitor without taking her hand off of Treasure Chest's back, she adds, "That's 'shuddup,' for the record!"
Returning enthusiastically to Treasure Chest, she murmurs, "I wasn't expecting the blazer to do it for me this much... at first I thought pants wouldn't suit you, but wow, this is a lot." Giggling, she whispers loud enough for the microphone to pick it up, "I can think of a few rewards for after deployment! I bet I can come up with a way to put the 'incidental triggers for personal use' to..." Her hand strays up Treasure Chest's tie, "... very... personal... use."
She raises her other hand as if she's going to snap again -- and then elects not to after all.
<Pose Tracker> Treasure Chest has posed.
Beyond Puru-1's reference to Alexis as 'Doctor Kerib', which gets a glance in her direction from Treasure Chest but no outburst or any other particular outward show of emotion, Treasure Chest tries her best to turn her attention away from Alexis.
When Puru-1 offers her own explanation, however, she turns toward her. She listens attentively, taking in and processing everything she's saying. They won't be able to communicate...
"...It's going to take some adjustment. But I'll adjust." Treasure Chest replies. "As long as we're still able to coordinate."
She pauses, though as Puru-1 explains that the Banshee never aims to kill - fully capable of disabling mobile suits, but has never caused any casualities...
"...That seems detrimental on the battlefield, but I guess I can't argue with your combat record." She considers. Aumerei points out that she thought things would be the other way around. The existence of a 'single-use kill command' doesn't get any reaction out of Treasure Chest, positive or negative - just a nod, as Aumerei tells her to look forward to it.
"Understood." She replies. Ultimately, Puru-1 says that she shouldn't worry - as long as Puru-1 is deployed alongside her, she'll return to Aumerei safely. She taps her finger against her thigh and, after a moment...
"...Then I'm in your hands, Puru-1. I promise I won't hold you back." She replies - and then hesitates for a moment, as Puru-1 reassures her that she won't have to worry about losing control of her funnels as long as they're allies. A look of quiet relief briefly crosses her face, before returning to a neutral expression. "That's... good."
Aumerei runs a hand up her side and into her hair. Treasure Chest leans instinctively into the touch, shifting just slightly to allow her better reach as Aumerei offers a retort to Puru-1's statements. Treasure Chest doesn't react to this.
Aumerei, then, murmurs some praise for her looks. This actually gets a small smile out of her.
"...I'm glad you like it." She murmurs back. Aumerei says she can think of a few rewards for after deployment, a hand straying up to her tie. "I look forward to it."
She doesn't react at all to the hand raising to snap, nor when it ultimately doesn't.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
Ever since she came here, she's been trying to keep her promises.
If she doesn't leave her room by 11 in the morning, remind her. Once a week, new art to To-witter. Stuff with Rikka, she hasn't asked her about yet. Ride her butt, if she wears the same thing three days in a row. And a backrub, if things get bad. Even if she's trying to keep her promises through requests to the staff, there's one she's failed on. This isn't right. Things are bad, but there's a barrier between them. So she can't deliver.
It's her fault for failing to keep them. Maybe it's a simple factor that pushed her over the edge, a simple failure. Contributing to Aumerei's descent, this regression, she had a responsibility towards her and has failed to meet it. A thumb slowly touches the monitor screen as she watches Aumerei and Treasure Chest together, saying nothing.
The way she's acting says it all.
She thought she had the plot, she thought she understood what she was trying to do, but now she feels like she understands nothing. Now she feels like she screwed up. If she'd just acted differently before, would she have gotten where she is now?
It's her fault for prioritizing others over them.
So much is her fault.
"We will be." She promises to Treasure Chest, "And I understand why you might have misgivings but..."
"A what?" Puru-1 whispers, her voice sounding haunted as Aumerei reveals what she instilled in Treasure Chest. "You... after all the two of you have been through? You...?"
Puru-Two, dance for me!
Puru-1, dance for me!
And that's even before she invokes HADES-E. The horror, the dread within her just grows, "That-that won't be... necessary...."
'That's 'shuddup,' for the record!'
Shut up she does. A wave of nausea overtakes her, as Puru-1 reels at the thought of Aumerei doing this to someone she loves. She was better, she was doing so much better.
She had her second chance, and now it's been stolen away.
There's this subtle motion of Puru-1, like her breathing is picking up, like she's trying to suppress something, but seeing Aumerei, hearing her treat her like that, hearing her say this as if this were just some kinky game rather than - the horror of it all.
The dehumanization of it, seeing Aumerei objectifying someone she loves.
It happens ultimately in a flash, as Aumerei and Treasure Chest see her rising rapidly, and running to the corner of the room, only half in frame, back turned. It comes all at once, a horrible roiling sound as she vomits, retching her guts out on the floor.
The red tinted faceplate is up, the green slitted visor has slid down over her eyes, but still she vomits again, and again. Making torturous agonal gasps of her breathing in between, before she hurls again.
Both hands propping her up, she shifts down to all fours, weak and trembling as she throws up again. Panting, weak, trembling, she lowers herself down to the floor, onto her side as she hugs her stomach. They'll be able to see a glimpse of her mouth, flecked with vomit, and her nose.
As she just lays there, not even saying a word.
Dr. Murasame comes on the comms, "Medical staff, please schedule Puru-1 for two liters of normal saline an hour from now. Three hundred calorie replacement once she can tolerate PO."
And yet the medical staff don't immediately come, as she just lays there, letting herself just breathe.
<Pose Tracker> Aumerei has posed.
Aumerei... can't quite manage to hide or suppress her reactions perfectly this time. Glancing down at the monitor as Puru-1 stands up, she stiffens a little bit; that teasing handsiness stops and she pushes herself a little closer to Treasure Chest in genuine concern.
... that's the only hint that something is wrong, though. Akane Shinjo spent a long time training herself -- and being trained -- to react to certain types of suffering with indifference. "Hm. I guess that's why most staff aren't permitted to do this kind of thing," she remarks, tone flat and distant. "I'm not changing course, but live and learn, I guess."
Alexis, still on the monitors, stays silent for a little while. He's been offered quite a gift with that 'Shuddup,' and he intends to make use of it; leaving Puru-1 with no outlets to express what obviously upsets her is perfect for his purposes. Seeing Akane like this...
... it should be entertaining? And to an extent, it is -- but at the same time, he's disappointed. He'd been betting on her ability to fall from a greater height and get worse, but is this the kind of fall he was hoping for...?
"I guess that's over," Aumerei says, eventually, on the topic of their meeting. "Looks like Puru-1 has a ways to go before she's ready to work with Treasure Chest." She looks disappointed, but she's actually reassured, with this outcome. She's been missing just how much of Leina remained intact in Puru-1, and now she has it: a lot, actually. The worse she pretends to be, the more the cognitive dissonance spikes. She knows she's doing something risky -- that pushing Leina too hard risks breaking her spirit -- but for now... just like with Rikka, she has to trust in her courage even as she pushes it to the limit. It doesn't make it easier to watch her throw up, though...
"Not a lot of time left, either. Can't really get up to much. ... wanna study with me?" she asks of Treasure Chest, settling back into her seat. "I know you've got some background as a mechanic, so some of this stuff might be useful to you, too..."
<Pose Tracker> Treasure Chest has posed.
Treasure Chest listens as Puru-1 remarks that she understands why she might have misgivings. She doesn't get to follow through with her explanation, however, as something happens to derail her train of thought.
After all the two of them have been through... Treasure Chest doesn't react as the horror builds. She doesn't react - not until Puru-1 leaves her chair abruptly to vomit off-screen. She tenses almost imperceptibly, drawing in a sharp breath that she doesn't release until moments later. She feels Aumerei pushing closer to her - only now does Treasure Chest initiate touch, resting a hand on her only briefly before drawing it back.
...It is, as Aumerei says, over. Treasure Chest taps a finger against her thigh quietly as she reaches her conclusion.
No time left to get up to much - so, Aumerei asks if she wants to study. Treasure Chest nods.
"...I think that'd be a good idea. I should learn everything I can, while I can." She decides.
<Pose Tracker> Puru-1 has posed.
The comms click on, and Dr. Murasame states to Akane, "You needn't worry about her performance alongside Treasure Chest. She will outperform her for a simple reason. She is merely a biological conduit for the Banshee's will, nothing more."
Is that all she is? If she isn't, then Murasame is deliberately obfuscating it.
Either way, Puru-1 lays there for a while, just letting herself breathe.
In these moments, she thinks of her will. That time in dreams when she visits her. That second chance cut short. These feelings. These feelings of hers. They deserve to keep existing in this world. All of them. Even the worst ones. If anyone deserves to lash out...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPNP-s0lO-I
After a time, she unravels herself from that position, then still shaking a touch, she makes herself sit up, wiping her mouth on the back of her pilot suit. Pressing the button for the faceplate to return back to its position, she finds her way back up to her feet, and limps back to where she was sitting.
She stares at Aumerei.
This world does not allow second chances for those who were caught up in such things. It was stupid of her to fall prey to the allure of hope. Stupid.
Taking in a deep breath, she says nothing more. She has nothing she can contribute to this.
Nothing. She'd only do more harm. An hour is a long time to wait for the medical staff to come. She spends it just watching the pair of them.