2023-05-28: Unlikely Union

Log: Unlikely Union
Cast: Yuliana Kafim, Zoltan Akkanen, Michele Luio, Rita Bernal
Where: Bjerkvik village safehouse, Kingdom of Scandinavia
Date: 2023-05-28
Summary: Yuliana goes to facilitate a meeting between Zoltan and a mystery member of Celestial Being -- who turns out to be Michele, with Rita in tow. They all have their differences, but thanks to Michele's social coordination, they manage to come together and resolve to combine their various strengths. Their goal: stopping Neo Zeong II, saving Jona, and saving the Earth Sphere along with him. Rita directs their strange band towards the Photon Power League... and Yuliana makes a swift exit, believing her presence would complicate matters. Zoltan gets a free house!

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        The safehouse Yuliana's left Zoltan in -- all the way out in Bjerkvik village, out Scandinavian way -- is very nice, as far as boltholes go. The windows are reinforced, but the bars are cooked into the glass, so it's not obvious how difficult they are to break through. The curtains are lacy and cheerful; the house is decorated thoughtfully. There's a big ol' screen in the loungeroom hooked up to a Friendcom console with an entire library of games loaded onto its system. There are also movies.

        The fridge is well-stocked; the heat works just fine. It's a comfortable home, and Zoltan's got the run of the place. The only thing is -- the front door's locked, and agents are always checking in and keeping an eye on him, and they're the ones who get him anything he needs from outside. Mostly, it's been a pink-haired gothic teenager who looks FAR too young to be a terrorist; Shari Loom is pretty content to let Zoltan exist and play on her phone, though.

        You know. Teenagers.

        Yuliana's let the larger Celestial Being nexus know that their cell's holding Zoltan right now; she doesn't much feel like making him her personal problem, so why not involve their friends? She's been down to check on him herself, often enough. When she initially brought him here, she told him that the authorities would be looking for him, given he put a hole in a colony like that -- and she insinuated that the Sleeves wouldn't be terribly happy he lost Neo Zeong II, either. She's keeping him here, according to her, for his own safety.

        He got to see her tentacles, when she dragged him in and dropped him off. Her custom normal suit doesn't exactly hide them. She... did not take questions.

        There were no visits from Yuliana for the past couple of days.

        She's here now, though. The knock she lays on the door is the same she's briefed Zoltan on, so he knows it's her people, and not, say, other people who want to shove him in a sack; she's got a bag of groceries, slung over one arm. (The bomber jacket she's wearing is an excellent disguise for anything else she might be packing at waist level.) "I just got a call," she says, as she puts the bag down on the kitchen counter. It's full of all the things Zoltan wanted! Mostly. "Seems there's someone else who wants to meet you. They're on our network, so it's unlikely they're cops... but I'd be remiss if I left you to the tender fate of 'unlikely'."

        Yuliana, obviously, has a gun strapped under her arm, beneath that jacket.

        Obviously.

<Pose Tracker> Zoltan Akkanen has posed.

There's a distinct sense of listlessness over the past few days; The first few days were spent just staring at the windows, occasionaly bashing a hand against one of those reinforced glass panes. Again and again, trying to break free...And eventually stopping, being "persuaded" by those keeping an eye on him to no, stop trying to break your hand against it.

He's still a grumbler, through and through, even as his own intial attempts at trying to figure out what the hell their deal is died down with little fanfare. By now, he was busy putting himself through his paces: A few small weights, and a treadmill. A treadmill, for gods sake, even if piloting did keep him fit before.

Sure, he did snap at Yuliana, sure, he wasn't exactly happy with the answer of "keeping him safe" (For what!? For what!? For what does he deserve this sort of perverse compassion!?), but with no other option and her having the slightest, smallest bit of sense with that...Che, it's her dime, not his.

Which is why he takes the oh so patient method of at least waiting politely for the grocery bag to be set down, pulling out a few choice cuisines (The definition may be stretched: It's mostly instant packaging stuff and vegetables without much in the way of spices. For all that the Sleeves had, cooking fineese was not one of them.). "That so? If it's any sort of White Devil that's come back from the dead, tell him to go punch the Red Comet for me." A few shuffles and crinkles, an extraction of some choice pastries. Apple turnovers always hit the spot. Mostly.

"And if it's anyone else..." ...What choice did he have? He couldn't exactly be in here forever, but the woman in question always gave him the creeps. Blame the tentacles. "Tell them to fuck off." He knows they won't.

That's why he feels so at liberty to say that.

<Pose Tracker> Michele Luio has posed.

Michele Luio has finally leveraged her CSB status, by accepting the membership and duty in order to accomplish her mission.

With a renewed view on life, she transferred the Phenex to a small single-unit transport ship, skeleton crewing it with Brick Teclato.

It was a bumpy flight, but once they hit Scandinavia, they landed near the woods, in a barely-large enough clearing.

"Alright, Rita. We're going outside. Please..." Michele doesn't finish the sentence, because her heart can't believe Rita will betray her.

Brick will man the ship (with a shotgun!) while Michele climbs into the repaired Phenex's hand, asking to be transported straight to the safehouse's exterior.

Once there, there's a knock on the door after Michele has climbed out. Michele, for once, is armed, but it's hidden - pistol in her jacket.

The windows to the Phenex should reveal the play before they even get to the door.

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

Where we go, we go together.

It may be difficult for Michele to hear Rita's voice now, even with their Bond renewed, so Rita keeps to expressing herself physically as much as possible. A nod, when Michele begs her not to leave, and a gentle lowering of the Phenex's massive hand.

Rita has many reasons to want to go along with this, despite how much her heart wishes to race elsewhere. In the end, she must make a choice, as she always has before. A terrible, violent choice.

She chooses Jona.

Scandanavia's cold does not reach the Heart of the Firebird, but Rita worries all the same. Will Michele be safe, within her hands, as she flies down to the meeting place? Rita clasps them together tightly, trying to keep out the chill as much as she can.

The thought of seeing Yuliana has the Phenex flying slightly faster than it really should. Seeing Yuliana, speaking to Yuliana, for the first time in so long, without a battle raging around them. If she still had a heart, it'd be beating fast.

The thought of seeing Zoltan is pushed aside as much as possible.

At last, they arrive. The Phenex lands softly before the safe house -- only the sound of Brick's ship announcing their arrival. Descending to one knee, Rita lowers her hands to the ground, making it safe for Michele to emerge.

Yuliana must be able to see her by now. Thank goodness she's here -- otherwise, Rita would be rendered silent. There's no way Zoltan will translate the words of her spirit, after all.

<Y U L I> Rita signs, as soon as the door opens. Excitement practically rolls from the golden Gundam. <Y U L I. I missed you so much. Are you safe?>

Zoltan's presence does not go ignored. The Phenex's hands flex, as if weighing her options. She could simply grab him and crush him to death, but without her visions -- he's the only one who will know how to track the Neo Zeong II. How to track Jona. As much as Rita hates it, they need him.

You.

To Zoltan's eyes only, Rita Bernal appears next to Michele, dressed in her Phenex-themed normal suit. Her arms are crossed in front of her body, and she glares at him.

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

There are things to keep physically fit in here, luckily. No literal hamster wheel, but the treadmill will do.

 Yuliana knows that Zoltan isn't particularly happy with the situation, but luckily, she's not all that worried about Zoltan's feelings. (That's the story, anyway. So why did she drag him out here instead of leaving him to the mob? No more questions.) She deals with his snappishness with... well, she snaps right back at him, but that counts as good humour, right?

 Like this: "If it's the White Devil, I'll punch him myself," Yuliana answers snark with snark, leaning on the wall by the door. (Positioning herself far enough away that he escapes her empty aura, even! She's not kneecapping his senses!) There are grocery store pastries which have been pre-prepared in there, but Yuliana didn't buy them in this podunk village. That's a next-town-over sort of deal, considering how cosy things are out here. She's not about to belabour the effort, though, because that would involve acknowledging she's gone to one.

 A grin jags her lips upwards, revealing one too many teeth, that fang hanging down on her right side. "Sure, sure, I'll get right on,"

 she'd STARTED to volley back,

 "that."

 But in the middle of that sentence, a machine got out of the transport, and filled those lacy-curtains with gold. Her jovial smile drops from her face, as she turns, and opens the door.

 She looks at Michele, all framed by gold.

 Y U L --

 She slams the door shut.

 "Shit," Yuliana says, lips twisting back. Once, and once again: "Shit. All right. This was not my plan," she insists, to Zoltan, patience spread thin as ice on the water. "No just shut up," it doesn't much matter if he's said anything, "listen, this is fine, whatever this is is, fine, just -- be cool, all right? If she tries anything I'll just shoot her in the face so it's fine this is fine it's oh my GOD they're still OUT THERE?!" And the sound of Yuliana's fist hitting the door can be certainly heard from the other side, even if her yelling is muffled.

 Yuliana hisses a breath through her teeth -- maybe she ought to take her own advice -- and screws a smile to her lips as she opens the door again and steps outside.

 "Michele Luio! And... your... FRIEND..." Yuliana's teeth are rather clenched, "who isn't flying away at this VERY MOMENT, so I suppose you've several OTHER friends tucked about making sure of that! How wonderful to see you!"

 As she talks, her hands move, in front of her, with sharp and stabbing gestures. < DO NOT GIVE THAT TO ME, > she signs, and it is entirely possible to shout with one's hands, apparently. < WHAT THE HELL, R I T A?! CUT THE CRAP. TELL ME WHERE THE SNIPERS ARE. >

<Pose Tracker> Zoltan Akkanen has posed.

Snark begets snark, the sounds of renewed grumbling firing back at such retaliation. It was fruitless, anyways. Just lashing out to feel something, feel anything but to avoid the increasingly acidic pit of frustration in his gut. To be stripped of purpose. To be pushed out. To be over two decades built to be something and to be left on the rags once that other damn Cyber Newtype was exactly what they wanted. Bastards.

He barely flinches at the sight of that image of one too many teeth. Granted, taking a look through horror movies had helped. Conditioning. The material to snark that Yuliana looked more and more like some old-time Monster Movie animatronic helped his own sanity. His mouth barely started to form the retort before jumping to attention. That gold. That streak of gold. Her? Here? The hell? The absolute hell? "Did you set me up!?" There's no other thing that has that golden allure, that sickly metallic yellow.

He's still shoving himself off of the counter in that slouch he was taking, that shrimp-like posture going back to a false confident straightness. You've had your "rest", Zoltan. It's time to face the music and flip the bird.

That being said, there's the small bit of relish at seeing that gal who had such posturing crumble so quickly as soon as something went awry. Hah. Where's your poor wife now?

And he follows along after a few moments, making sure to relieve the bag of a pastry. A chomp in while walking out, and oh. Oh. She didn't close the door. Just push it open, and...

There is Zoltan Akkanen, that scornful gaze of pure, absolute racidity positioned at the one person he'd prefer not seeing, biting into an apple turnover. Stepping out while keeping that glare, finishing off the turnover. Face the music, for however long he'll still be alive. Che.

"...Why the hell are you here." The voice laced with a straight edge, an implicit question that asked to be answered, directed right at Rita. Sure, he saw that other woman currently on Rita, but there were more important things at hand. "Are you going to make me dig my own damn grave? It's not like the Federation hasn't done that before to prisoners."

<Pose Tracker> Michele Luio has posed.

Michele is kept safe, and thanks Rita graciously. But as the door is slammed in her face...

"Rude. I've never had a door slammed in my face before." Michele sighs, and as it's re-opened and Yuliana steps out. She thinks there's snipers, huh? (Yes, she reads sign language.)

Zoltan is ignored, because she's busy dealing with Yuliana. Rita can angrily throw hands in his direction, but not that kind.

"Hello, Kafim. We're alone. Our mutual employer arranged the call." Michele, casually revealing she's Celestial Being. The sniper theory would have been useful...but Rita's trust is even more so.

"I heard on the grapevine you had a big celebration after... the Metis incident, a big bang, so to speak. But rude people crashed it. I'm very sorry." She keeps her emotions here thin. Whether or not she's genuine or not is hard to read on that 'sympathetic smile'.

"We're here to speak to Zoltan Akkanen, of course."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

The door slams.

Perhaps another version of Rita Bernal would've laughed at this pure expression of Yuliana's personality. Of course she slammed the door! It's just her way.

But now, all mirth has left the Heart of the Phenex. She simply waits for the door to open once again, before continuing her barrage of signs.

<I'm sorry.> The Phenex signs, setting onto both knees and slowly lowering herself to the ground. 

After all, she has no guns of her own. A beat.



Why did you bring a snack?

Rita's spiritual avatar looks incredulously at Zoltan's pastry. Part of her wants to throw it on the ground. She resists the urge.

I'm here for Jona. And.

Green eyes glance away, then back to Zoltan. For the first time, she really, truly, looks him in the eyes.

To figure out who you are. If my visions could be this wrong about what was to come. Maybe they were wrong about you, too.

With a step forward that leaves no impression in the fresh snow, Rita extends a hand toward Zolan.

Since I was a child, you haunted me. You were the one who would destroy the Earthsphere. I hated you for setting me on this path. But that version of you isn't this version of you. And I want to know the truth about this Zoltan.

Michele speaks. It seems the Phenex has her attention on Michele and Yuliana, and Rita's spirit is focused on Zoltan.

<We're here to talk. To both of you. It's time for all of us to work together. I'm worried you will all get too cold. Do you need to go inside? I can stand by the window. My visions are gone. But the Earthsphere is still in danger. If we don't take action, billions will die.>

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

Did Yuliana set Zoltan up? No, just -- shut up.

 One Cyber-Newtype crumbles like another, apparently. Even if Yuliana is one of those horror movie monsters.

 (Yuliana's wife is, as ever, Mistress of their Castle, and she has her own important things to do now Yuliana has finally physically disentangled herself from her person. Thanks for asking, Zoltan.)

 "Ah," Yuliana's eyes narrow, as Michele talks about their mutual employer. "So, it was..." A legitimate call. < Fine, > she signs to Rita, in much the same breath, considering those guns. She glances aside to Zoltan -- of course he followed her out, and she gives even odds that he'll bolt before the conversation's done, but she has literally and figuratively bigger problems right now -- and reassures him: "Easy. They're not Fed."

 She doesn't go so far as to tell him what they are, mind you.

 She nods, to Rita, when she asks whether she's armed. < Habitually, > her hands clarify.

 She doesn't have much time to spend on him, though, because Michele's kept her ears to the ground. "We -- appreciate your sympathy," she bites out, with a little too much of a smile for the prodigy of Luio. 'We,' of course. That elusive wife of hers, again. "It's all right. All will be well." Just as Elisa says it.

 "Go ahead," she allows, graciously, at length.

 "But he's under my protection, so do keep it to words, wouldn't you?"
 < He is under me for protection. Do harm only with your words. >

 She says two things at once, there, almost the same, with her voice and her hands. But... sign language isn't quite as good at subtlety.

 Yuliana scowls up at the Phenex's hands, meanwhile. < My home is more cold than here. This is my normal. > She does have warm clothes on. Notably, it takes her a minute to look back over to Zoltan, though. "Are you cold?" She issues to him, bluntly. "She's offered to stand by the window if you need to go inside."

 A beat, and she adds, scowling to the Phenex: < Billions, explain? Telling stories habitually? >

 ... Yuliana never put much stock in Rita's visions, but she still looks bothered, hearing those numbers.

<Pose Tracker> Zoltan Akkanen has posed.

"To talk? To TALK?" ...Really? REALLY!? All this for...For...! No, there's...Just a deep breath in. A deep breath out.

"And? That's it, Phenex? No sorry, no nothing, no sort of remorse on you and WHAT you did, WHAT you showed me, and WHAT you wanted to do!? That's it!? Talk!?" The vein on his skull was growing three times that day, glaring daggers at that damn Phenex. That damn mobile suit masquerading as one. TALK!? THAT'S IT!?

"And what do you mean you want to get Jona? I thought you didn't want me to find him! Does this mean everything's forgiven because YOU FUCKED UP!?"

<Pose Tracker> Michele Luio has posed.

"Don't worry. Words are my forte." Michele says, still smiling. "I dressed up, don't worry." She's not in her usual jumpsuit - instead a thick jacket and pants. With pockets, of course. She'll allow Rita to explain the visions to the class, while she addresses Zoltan.

"We're all bastards here, Akkanen. And yes, I fucked up. No, everything's not forgiven. You and I - I led you in and you blew up a colony. We're both sinners. But hate the sin, not the sinner, right?" Michele, for all her religious euphemisms, is not actually religious.

"Jona is currently a ball of nihilistic rage, with access to your weapon of mass destruction, amplified by an NT-D system machine. The destruction he could do-"

Michele winces. "Is probably on par with a successful Axis drop, if he plans it right. And he's not stupid."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

The Phenex seems to go extra still at the mention of Yuliana's recent activities and wife. She doesn't visibly protest, but the change in posture is, perhaps, notable for a group so observant.

 The Phenex makes no move to do this. <But I won't. I promise. And I know you're safe. You are a lot stronger than he is. Z O L T A N is a man used to space.>

A pause.

<Billions. When I was a child, I had a vision. Operation British.> The Phenex's hands are slow as she decides how to word things. <But it came with more. I saw the future as it would be. Z O L T A N A K K A N E N destroying the Earthsphere using super-critical tanks of Helium gas.>

<If he succeeded, it would be one hundred A X I S. Devastation beyond what humanity can recover from. All these years I walked the path to stop him. But instead, Jona has taken the monster. I don't know if he will do the same thing. But the monster is too powerful. It can only exist to do harm.>

<Jona is too angry. The chance is too high he will use it to destroy the Earth. Even if you don't care about him. His potential to cause destruction means he can't be ignored.>

<This is true.> The Phenex pauses, bringing a hand to her recently-repaired chest. <The visions were never wrong until I died and began trying to change events. It led me to you, Y U L I. It's why the Institute did not kill me. I could tell them things to come.>

You think I'm going to apologize to you? How many times have you tried to destroy me!

Rita's spiritual self pulls her hand back.

I'm the one who's been saving people, Zoltan. All of this was to save the Earthsphere. I don't want you anywhere near Jona. But Jona must be found.

I'm not interested in forgiving you and I don't expect you to forgive me. Whatever that means. I'm interested in talking to you. I need your help.

Rita's spirit sighs.

What do you want in return. Freedom? Riches?

<Please translate for Z O L T A N.> The Phenex signs. <He's not listening properly. His monster cannot exist in this world. It can only cause destruction.>

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

< His great anger warms him, > Yuliana signs, to Rita, with a light shrug which communicates the precise what-can-you-do emotion she feels as she beholds Zoltan Akkanen. Even so, Rita won't squish him! < I, > a pause, < appreciate your caution. > 'Discretion' is a pretty complicated sign, and it's easily mixed up with the concept of acting without oversight in this dialect, so she approximates. Just in case.

 Zoltan, though, isn't the only one who can click her tongue to her teeth derisively. (Hers comes out like, tsk.) Michele gets that treatment, as she says that she fucked up, and it's not forgiven. Yuliana hasn't much forgiven her, either.

 "NT-D... they were too arrogant, setting Newtypes to destroy Newtypes. I'll admit I wished for that power... but would it even respond to me?" Yuliana looks down, at her hands, at the ring on her finger. "No... I need the aid of no machine. Even so... that machine." If she doesn't covet it, does she hate it?

 She wonders.

 But she sees the Phenex's hands move, and she does her the courtesy of listening to her, at least. (That means pulling her gaze back up, from the expensive gems in that expensive ring.) Her eyes narrow, as she translates those blocky movements. It's not easy -- a Gundam's hands aren't really designed for something as delicate as conversation -- but she's remarkably clever, when it comes to languages. She manages.

 Neo Zeong II... a machine that large and powerful could certainly do that kind of damage, with enough Helium tanks, under the right circumstances. She works with mechanics herself; she understands enough of the process for the alarm to be plain on her face. Her lips curl over her teeth, and they grit together.

 Finally, she closes her eyes, and clasps her hands together, taking a deep breath.

 "So," she starts, turning to Zoltan. "The story is that you got fed up being a discount Char and decided to one-up him by committing Axis Shock a hundred times over. Don't ask if I believe it, but..." Yuliana frowns, darkly. "... apparently, she told good enough stories that it got her some favour back at Medical."

 Zoltan ought to know what 'Medical' is a euphemism for.

 "Now she's dreadfully fussed because her -- hmm, what is it? Boyfriend? Brother? Do tell me it's not both -- has taken Neo Zeong II for a joyride," Yuliana is translating so good. "So it looks like she's displacing all her anger for you onto your ride." A pause, as she looks between Zoltan and Rita, in her guise as the Phenex.

 "Badly, I'm going to go ahead and presume," Yuliana adds, all too dry.

 "But her visions have all dried up, now. She's as blind as the rest of you," not 'us', notably. Don't worry about it. "I'd guess just the same that all Luio's resources have come to nothing, given the appearance of the woman herself. Process of elimination -- you're the one who knows Neo Zeong II best, here."

 Yuliana shrugs, again. "She's asking for your help to find it. And destroy it, let's be quite clear. She's very stern on it being terrible for the world. Massive destruction, et cetera, and so on. I guess what I'd say is..." She gestures out to Zoltan, with a reaching hand. "... you want to get back at that bastard of a suit for betraying you and throwing you aside like so much garbage?"

<Pose Tracker> Zoltan Akkanen has posed.

"Hah. So it's your fault that we're in this mess? Because you USED me?" His venom is laid bare, even if it is a man childly lashing out. The one form of leverage he had on others for the first time in a long, long, long, long while, and he was making every effort to take advantage of it. "...And you need me to stop something anyways." Che. Always. ALWAYS being used. Never the one using.

Frustrating.

"Yes. Yes, I do. Think about it. Do you go and ask someone for help after bashing down their door, saying they're a monster, inflicting visions of fire, everything and anything, and then expecting them to smile, to say that everything's okay because you deliberately misstepped in such a fashion that the Earth is in danger? Have you not been listening to anything I've been saying for the past year?" Frustrating. Annoying.

"You're saving people by condemning someone to take the place of them. How oblivious can you damn well be!" A jab, a finger pointed up at the suit. "Ordaining yourself to be judge, jury, and GODDAMN executioner!" That jabbed finger settles down, taking another breath. Damn it. Goddamn it. Goddamn it.

"If I knew what I wanted, I would've asked for it." A click of the tongue. It's sharper. More pointed.

"Throwing me aside? I'd love to. No more than just stomping on their heads and yelling at them. Bah, they MADE me and then decided I wasn't worth it. Name one person who'd love that sort of situation." Yuliana? Nah. Rita? Nah. Michelle? Nah. "ONE."

He still snags that hand. What more could he do? It at least gets him out of the house.

<Pose Tracker> Michele Luio has posed.

"Well, I should have expected that the moral plea wasn't the right one." Michele whistles, but nods as Zoltan (and Yuliana?) basically join the plan. An uneasy alliance... they can't trust each other, but they're all they have.

"Some ground statements. Jona needs to survive. I've done too much to give up on him here. Got that?"

And then, she looks up to the Phenex. "We're going to need more than us. I'll call on resources, mend some bridges. Rita has her friends across the Earthsphere. Together, we might be able to make a miracle."

Michele laughs, briefly. "Without the power of pure Newtype magic, even."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

<He's stupid.>

The Phenex signs so sharply, with her stiff Gundam fingers, but Yuliana's thanks are acknowledged with a break from that into heart-hands.

Yuliana's translation leaves a little to be desired. The Phenex flicks a bit of the snow near her knee in frustration, letting it impact against the safe house.

<Don't be gross, Y U L I. Jona is my friend.> The Phenex insists. <You know I only have sisters. I've realized Zoltan isn't who I thought he was. Not this Zoltan. The other ones are still bad.>

<But you're right about the monster. We have to destroy it.> A tap-tap-tap of the Phenex's fingers against her other hand. <Thank you for translating. You did a bad job though.>

It's my fault!

Rita's spirit shouts, psychically.

Is that what you need to hear, Zoltan Akannen? I had the path before me, but I wanted more. I wanted to save both my friends and the world. I got greedy, and now we're all paying for it.

Rita turns a little more transparent. Her face is stricken -- a change from the emotionless peace she's displayed thus far.

All I've known for nearly twenty years is how you'll destroy everything. If you were me, would you have taken a chance trying to talk before you killed me? If killing one person could save the entire Earthsphere, would you hesitate?

A shake of her head. Then a long, long pause. Rita looks up at Zoltan, one of her hands grabbing her opposite elbow.

I was wrong. I'm sorry. I'm here now. I'm listening. Say what you want to. Destroy me after this if you want to. I won't stop you. Just help me save Jona, first.

The Phenex nods down at Michele, heedless of her spirit's conflict with Zoltan, for the moment.

<A Miracle is what we need. I can't do it alone. The fate of the living can only be decided by the living. I can't See forward anymore. But I know the three of you are the answer.>

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

It is frustrating, being used. That's why Yuliana makes sure to always use others, instead.

 "I can't name someone who doesn't exist," Yuliana says, and her grasp is firm -- but not crushing. Unlike Rita, she doesn't want to squash him like a bug. Not him specifically, anyway. As a general class of being -- well. "Even someone like you doesn't deserve that, Zoltan. Let's get the bastard." Indeed, moral pleas are only one way to make an argument. Yuliana speaks many languages! Including reject!

 God, it's a good thing no one can see inside her head to know she's thinking of Zoltan as a reject.

 She nods, to Michele. "All right. We'll keep Jona alive. I'm sure Ritechka wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I let him bite it, anyway." She's using affectionate nicknames in mixed company, and -- well, at least Rita will definitely have the background to know how Yuliana doesn't tend to extend affection like that outside of people she's willing to trust.

 She turns her attention back to Rita, with a petulant pout, and retrieves her hand so she can talk again. < That is a STRANGE thing to say when you are incapable of speaking to him like a normal person, > Yuliana snipes back, with sharp gestures. She doubles over the signs for 'normal person', just to make it extremely clear how it has two meanings. So she thinks it's fine to be gross?! Man. Maybe Yuliana is the worst.

 < My Sight does not concern with this world, > she adds, and her sigh is its own tone, to the gestures. < But I can move forward anyway. > She takes a moment more to think of how to phrase it with her words, and settles on: "Obviously I don't have Newtype magic, and what I have won't be much help, here. But if the whole world's doomed, I've got something to say about that. There's no saving a smoking crater."

<Pose Tracker> Zoltan Akkanen has posed.

A firm shake of that hand. It's firm, definitely firm, a strong grip that's not trying to crush Yuliana's hand. For now, anyways. "Hah. You don't think I can stand on my own?" No, not at all. Does it matter? "If that suit thinks I'm a damn monster, there's no way I wouldn't want to live up to the title."

"And yes. That's exactly what I wanted, Phenex." A click of the tongue. Sharper than usual. "Even Char attempted to talk before bringing everything down, wouldn't you say so? Are you lower than him? The man who tossed a meteor after everything, not before it. Haven't you heard of conflict resolution or are you just acting like a hero?" But, well.

...There's an odd sense of optimism. He's still a prisoner, in the most technical sense. A prisoner of being forced along, of being brought not because of who he is, but because of what he is. Such a key difference...

... "Jona, huh. I never did get the chance to talk to him. As for you, Michele...Welcome to the Phenex's dumb world." A shrug. "There's a few places the Neo Zeong II could be taken to. If you know what's used to build it, that might help."

<Pose Tracker> Michele Luio has posed.

Michele listens to the others, nodding. Still a complicated relationship, but it'll do.

"Let's get ready, then. Akkanen, mark those places while I see if I can't find predecessor schematics - I'll use my own talents to narrow from there once we have the players in place. Kafim is a master saboteur - I assume she can keep us from being detected until we want to be, and actually get any of the information I can't. And Rita-"

Michele looks up to her. "We'll need you, too. This may be for the living... but you're still part of the team. You're still inside an incredibly powerful Mobile Suit, and you have the best chance of reaching Jona's heart."

Michele moves to retreat. "Now, it's fucking cold, and no one here wants to hang out together, so we should probably disperse. I'm easy to contact - and I know how to contact Kafim."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

<Laughter.> Signs the Phenex, at Yuliana calling the Neo Zeong II a bastard. All these years, and she hasn't grown out of finding bad words funny.

Again, Yuliana is offered heart hands at Rita's nickname. Is signed in agreement. 

Since when does using a nickname mean Yuliana loves her? Since always, according to Rita. After all, Yuliana's been referred to by her own affectionate nickname in public this entire time.

<I'm not a person at all.> The Phenex signs, gesturing to her face. <I'm dead. Isn't it impressive I can talk to you at all while I'm dead? I think you should be more impressed and thankful.>

Again, the Phenex goes still at the concept of Yuliana's more Void-touched ways, but quickly recovers. <No. We need your magic too. If the monster can't reach out to the Hydrogen tanks, he can't begin the destruction. You are the only one who can stop an NT-D, Y U L I.>

Once she's finished signing Yuliana's nickname, the Phenex reaches down and brushes a fingertip feather-light against Michele's shoulder. It's achingly gentle -- taking an extreme amount of control and strength to come across as affectionate instead of sending Michele face-first into the snow.

Though Rita just apologized to Zoltan, she finds herself wanting to send a snowball into the man's face. Why is he so consistently awful?

No, I haven't heard of conflict resolution, I was taken by the Titans when I was seven and kept in laboratories until I died.

Rita's spirit puts her hands on her hips, frowning.

Not everyone got a lab who cared about giving them an education. And my world is your world! If it's dumb, you've got to live with it!

Thank you for helping us. Jona is like you in... some ways. He was tossed aside too, once the Titans learned about me. I think you could understand each other.

<Wait. We don't a good place, M I C H E L E. I know somewhere we can go all together. K O J I K A B U T O kept me safe. He will keep us all safe. Even Y U L I and Z O L T A N. I trust him. He has secret places. Y U L I, can M I C H E L E and Brick rest here while we contact K O J I?>

The Phenex, somehow, looks hopeful.

<We should stay together now. I don't want to be apart again.>

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

"I'm counting on it," Yuliana tells Zoltan. "I don't want to have to pick you up. You'd better be able to stand beside someone like me." They have... interesting opinions of themselves, don't they?

 But they're what they've got.

 Yuliana clears her throat, and folds her arms, looking away and scowling after Rita agrees so affectionately. "Shut up," she grumbles, with her spoken words, embarrassed as she says it. Is that how she says 'I love you' back? Maybe to people who aren't Elisa.

 She does look bothered, as she watches Rita through the Phenex talk about how she's dead. Something twists in her gut, as she wonders whether Rita is Rita. She wants to yell at her about it, in the heat of this moment, but she bites down on the urge. She...

 It's childish, but this is the first time she's really gotten to talk to her since...

 Oh, never mind.

 She shifts her attention, and nods, sharply, to Michele. "I'll handle it. And I'll put my man from Intelligence on the job -- he ought to be able to keep our digital correspondence secure." They're not Feds, these days, either, but apparently the nomenclature is more difficult to shake.

 She looks surprised, looking up to see Rita talk about how her magic is needed. Someone like her -- her hands pause, in front of her, and finally gesture: < Okay. I will do that. > She can stop the NT-D, for them.

 But -- she shifts a half-step back, when she sees Rita finger-spelling those names out. Her hands shake, just a little, as she insists: < Not me. They do not like me any more. I made it bad. You go. I will meet you later. > She's a little pale -- perhaps from the cold -- as she says, with her words: "Rita's offered to get you shelter with the Photon Power League. You can come inside and warm up while you contact them. And --"

 Yuliana pauses, sighs, and tosses a set of keys to Zoltan. "... listen," she adds, scowling. "I've been keeping an eye on the heat around you -- looks like most of them have given up their manhunts by now. There's no reason to keep you locked down here, any more, but..." She pauses, and takes a deep sigh, as she braces to do something decent for a Newtype. Gross, to be honest. "Since I'm guessing your home might be kind of complicated, you can feel free to stay here if you need a place. Just so you have options. Closest grocery worth a damn's up in Narvik." Which means that all those apple turnovers were a pain to get --

 "I have to get home," she insists, stepping out past Michele. "My wife's expecting me. But... I'm with you, all right? I just... I'll complicate things if I go out there."

 She's talking to herself, really, as she shoves her hands in her pockets and starts walking to her car: "... sorry, Ritechka."

2023-05-28: Unlikely Union

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