2023-06-18: Not That Different
- Log: Not That Different
- Cast: Naoko Suzuki, Anita Rosetta
- Where: Hangar Bay, Ra Mari II
- OOC - IC Date: 0097-06-18
- Summary: Naoko, in the midst of modifying her Arm Slave, finds an unexpected level of common ground between her former hometown and where Anita used to live.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
The Ra Mari II's hangar is no less busy than it usually is, even during this period of relative downtime. Relative, because matters with the Unicorn certainly appear to be coming to a head now that the Vist Foundation has amped up its level of overt aggression in attaining their goals. For many, it's less the relaxing sort of downtime, and more the preparatory sort.
So too has it been for the girl known by Nova Stellar, who's sought to get through the many depressing and stressful situations as of late by burying herself in her 'work', such as it is. Can't really call it a job when nothing about it is official. But she's certainly been sketching out diagrams and schematics in her room, and tinkering away like mad at the workbenches using the 'junk parts' she's been given access to. Since she tends to hop from mini-project to mini-project, it wouldn't be assumed that she's been working on anything in particular, or anything more practical than her usual outlandish ideas. But this time, nothing could be further from the truth.
The first clue was her moving her work area from that out of the way corner to the area where her Arm Slave rests, as always sticking out like a sore, very purple thumb in the hangar area for smaller machines. The two disc-like attachments normally affixed to the Sukeban's shoulders have been removed and hung up on a rack off to the side, partially disassembled and positively surrounded by a mess of various parts. But those have been left out to dry, so to speak, Nova having moved on to work on something else. Not that anyone could easily see her right now. Only her legs are sticking out from the back of the machine, as she works on... something or other, that apparently required her to crawl under there.
The noise of her tools isn't very audible over the general din of the hangar bay. What is more easily audible is a sudden loud, "OW!" In its wake, something small and flat slides across the floor out from under the Arm Slave. It's Naoko's phone, camera lit up as she was using it a a flashlight. "Ugh, damn it..." Following muttered complaints, a hand comes out from under the Sukeban, feeling for the missing object. There's absolutely no chance she'll find it this way, it flew out pretty far. Far enough for a passer-by to find it, in fact.
As it's lying face-up, the phone's background image is clearly visible. It's a cute anime-style image of a girl in traditional farmer's garb, which few people would have any chance of recognizing. It's not actually even from an anime. But there it is: https://i.imgur.com/UCbfOfR.jpg
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Tensions are high, and there's no doubt that sooner or later, the fighting will break out again. Even Anita has been taking things a bit more seriously, now that the stakes have risen so drastically. It's not something she can really let go.
And so, Anita, too, has been frequently spending time in the Ra Mari II's hangar, tuning up and calibrating her Valkyrie for combat. There's no telling what they'll be up against, so preparing it for any possible outcome is ideal. That's been Anita today - but with today's tuneup complete, it's time to relax.
...Or, that was the plan, but as she starts to make her way out of the hangar, she hears a loud 'OW!', soon followed by something sliding away from Sukeban. In a way, it's good that the flashlight was on - she might've completed overlooked the device if it weren't for the bright light. Anita stops in her tracks to let the phone slide to a stop, before leaning down, picking it up, and looking toward the hand grasping around blindly.
...Yeah, she would never find it on her own.
"Hey, Nova. You drop somethin'?" Anita asks, approaching, kneeling down, and holding out the phone so that it's in her arm's reach. ...And, since it's kind of obvious that she would've seen it at this point, she decides to comment... "That's a cute background. Don't think I recognize it..."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Upon suddenly hearing a voice calling her name from close by, there's a loud *CLONG*, the reaching hand going rigid for moment, then slumping. No cause for concern though, judging from the following, "Damn it, again?!" Who would have thought the odds of bumping her head would further increase without a light source?
Giving up on doing things blindly, and so that she can actually look at the person who came to assist her, she reaches back in so she can push herself out from under the machine. Judging from the squint and the pained grimace, she's been under there for a while, long enough to need to readjust to the brightness out here. It doesn't take her too long to refocus, running a hand through her somewhat messy hair with a fatigued expression.
"...Hey Anita. Thanks." She's feeling pretty lame after that, but finally takes the offered phone. She seems to need a moment to put together what Anita's talking about, glancing at the phone's lock screen. Wow, now she feels even lamer, she should really put something a bit more mature on there.
"Oh, that... I keep forgetting to change it. That's, uh, that's Akarin. I'd be surprised if you knew about her, she's kind of the mascot, of where I'm from."
Which begs the logical question where it is she's from, then. She hasn't exactly openly discussed much about herself. But, all things considered, this will probably be out in the open soon, so she might as well talk about it.
"I'm from Akaigawa, in Hokkaido. Doubt you'd recognize that name either," she adds with a chuckle as she clambers up to her feet. "Unless you took a skiing trip there for some reason. Or you're secretly a farmer." She pauses, glancing down at her phone, before shaking her head and flicking off the flashlight before pocketing it.
Leaning back against Sukeban's arm, she literally takes a breather, looking back to Anita following that exaggeratedly deep breath. "...Come to think of it, I don't really know where anybody else is from, any more than I told anybody where I'm from, until recently." That's because she didn't ask personal questions, to avoid personal questions in return. "For all I know, you really are secretly a farmer."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
There's another CLONG and Anita winces sympathetically, especially at the ensuing complaint. She takes a step back to give Naoko room as she pushes herself out from under her machine and, with a smile, Anita offers her a lazy wave.
"No problem." She replies with a shake of her head, letting her take the phone. She listens with interest, though, as Naoko explains. "Oh, a mascot? That's kinda neat, actually. It's cool you're still representing where you're from."
Akaigawa, in Hokkaido... Anita searches her brain a little.
"I've heard of Hokkaido, but Akaigawa's new to me." She considers. Naoko takes a breather... and then, mentions how she doesn't know where anyone else is from. Anita nods.
"Hah, well... I'm probably about as far from being a farmer as you could get, I'd say." She comments with a laugh. "Me, I grew up in a tourist trap colony called 'Winter Wonderland'."
Where she grew up, not where she was born. Important distinction, and one she doesn't call attention to.
"A place for people to come by whenever they'd need a shot of winter and all the associated festivities." Anita comments, waving her hands for emphasis. "...Of course, for all us kids who grew up there, it just meant it was really cold and snowy all year long, and that there was always a little money taking care of whatever odd jobs were needed to keep whatever the big attraction at the time going was."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko doesn't say anything regarding 'representing where she's from', but it's not just Anita's imagination if it appears there's some measure of embarrassment there. Keeping that image there for so long probably does mean she likes her hometown, in spite of everything. In the end, she waves it away with, "It's really not a big deal... there's maybe about a thousand people living there. An 'everybody knows everybody' kind of place, you know? I didn't really fit in, so... anyway, it's fine." Pretty obvious that there are still things she avoiding to talk about.
She actually lets out a laugh as well when Anita confirms her roots, interjecting, "Are you sure? I mean, Akaigawa... 'tourist trap' and 'farming' kind of went hand in hand. And it sure got to be what you might call a Winter Wonderland!" She did mention the skiing. Though the kind of resort she's talking about is not at all on the same level.
She quiets down when the details come out, and she's finally hooking into the very important distinction. "Wait, you said 'colony'. So, this was in space." Yes Naoko, that's generally what people mean when they say that. She seems to need a moment to try and wrap her brain around that. It's not really working as well as she would've liked, frowning as she scratches her head. "Having trouble picturing what that would be like."
Feeling like she should explain herself further, she pushes off from where she was leaning on her machine. A hand moves to her chin as she looks out across the hangar in a seemingly random direction. "To tell you the truth, there's still a lot I don't get about... 'space', in general. I knew that 'there is stuff there', but... well, it was far away from me. Akaigawa was... basically my whole world. ...I suppose it's not that different from living in a colony in that regard, huh?"
She turns back to her Arm Slave, looking at the various tools that are half visible underneath the machine. "...Never would've expected I'd end up in space." Turning her head to Anita, she explains, "That's actually what I was working on just now, recalibrating the thrusters for better maneuverability in zero-G environments. I think I've got it worked out, should be a decent improvement."
This of course implies that she's been flying a machine that wasn't built for space, in space. And doing just fine, apparently? The way the machine moved certainly didn't suggest it was having any trouble...
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Sounds kinda nice, honestly." Anita replies with a smile. Winter Wonderland wasn't impersonal... but a part of her wonders what it'd be like, having a home like that. "...Sorry to hear you didn't fit in, though. I guess... that happens sometimes. I get that."
She massages the back of her neck a bit sheepishly, though she chuckles as Naoko brings up a counterpoint.
"Maybe not too far off, then." She observes.
...And, when Naoko makes a realization, Anita grins.
"Yup. I've lived my whole life out in space, pretty much." She confirms. "For me, thinking about what it must be like on Earth was kinda the same thing. Always having your feet firmly planted on the ground, with earth below your feet instead of knowing its metal panels all the way down, weather that can change unexpectedly instead of bein' on a set schedule..."
She trails off, then grins. A place that's one's whole world...
"...In that case, I think you get it. I guess it'd be pretty similar." Anita replies with a nod.
Naoko turns back to her Arm Slave and Anita's gaze follows her, looking up at it.
"Life kinda has a way of sneaking up on us like that." She says, looking back down. She looks interested, though, as she continues. "...Huh. No kiddin'? You've been fighting in space all this time without optimizin' for it?"
Anita chuckles.
"...That's pretty impressive, actually." She comments.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Anita says she gets what it's like to not fit in. 'No you don't,' Naoko thinks, hopes even. She's not getting into details exactly because she's sure no one will understand her particular set of circumstances. Even knowing there are others with certain special gifts, hers yet seems unique as far as she knows. It doesn't do anyone any good to get into it.
Outwardly, her smile doesn't even fade. "Well I'll tell you one thing, changeable weather? Sucks. Better to just stay home where it's always comfy." As if she would've gone out more if she knew it was going to stay good weather. As for the rest, she can only shrug. "Doesn't feel that different out here to me. Before, I would've thought I'd never get used to it, but I guess I just... sorta did, without noticing." Just because her surroundings were static for so long apparently doesn't mean she isn't exceptionally adaptable. Different yet similar, indeed.
Before she fully realized it, she started talking about her Arm Slave, which to be fair is among her favorite topics. But she usually pays a bit more attention to what she's saying, exactly. She only realizes she said something that didn't completely add up when Anita questions it. And though Anita seems to be glossing over it... Naoko instead starts to panic a little.
"Uh... um! That is, I mean... well, of course I wouldn't expect to need the machine to operate in space when I wasn't exactly planning to go there, but, ah..." But she has her AI co-pilots helping her to compensate for such things. But she can't just say that, that's a secret. The answer, then, is clear. With a sudden grin, her bearing instantly takes on more confidence, as she declares, "Well, I am a Miracle Worker, after all!" It's such a convenient line, it can explain literally anything!
Step two: redirect attention, to something that does make more sense. With a sweep of her arm, she indicates the machine's severed shoulder plates. "That's nothing, wait until you see what I'm doing with the Saucers!" Moving a bit closer, she whispers conspiratorially, "I'm putting beams in 'em." That makes much more logical sense, why wouldn't you want to put beams in the parts of your machine that can operate autonomously for no explicable reason? And because she's on a roll, "Want me to put some extra weapons on your Valkyrie while I'm at it?"
Careful now, most of her weapon designs have proven... very impractical. That's why she's generally kept away from doing maintenance on units in active service.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Naoko's outward smile doesn't change - and unlike her closest friends, Anita can't get a good read on someone without something to go off of visually. So, she rolls right along with it.
"I bet." Anita replies with a laugh. "There's somethin' nice about not knowing what to expect... but I bet that gets old preeetty fast when you have to live with it every day."
She shrugs, listening as Naoko continues.
"Extraordinary circumstances, I guess. Sometimes, you've just got no choice but to get used to things." Anita replies with a shrug. Now, as the topic turns to Sukeban... that panic is something Anita does notice. There's clearly something special about it she doesn't want her to know...
...Which is fine, Anita figures. She's not going to pry if it's causing her that much stress.
"That you are. I feel like our luck's been goin' up ever since we met." Anita agrees with a grin. Her attention is diverted, then, to the Saucers - and that does catch her attention. Anita lets out a low whistle. "Beams, huh? ...Not bad. I could see that being pretty useful."
Naoko offers to add weapons to her unit, and Anita raises her hands in front of her.
"Nah, I think I'm good - Svipul's loadout is pretty finely-tuned to make the most out of what it's got, you know? Addin' anythin' else might risk throwin' off the balance - these things can be kinda delicate with that. 'Ppreciate it, though!" She replies. It's a convenient excuse.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Everything gets old when it never changes, even when the thing that never changes is that it's always changing. Naoko fails to appreciate the irony in there, since... she actually kind of liked things not changing so much. Certainly now, after having to experience so much change in such a short time. Extraordinary circumstances is right, she didn't even know things could get this extraordinary.
Getting used to things, though... "I guess I do kinda just... go where the wind blows, when I have to. Gotta be able to improvise, in my line of work." By which she means the work of a Miracle Worker, of course. You have to be good at doing things you've never done before with conviction, and make them work out somehow. It generally goes pretty well for her.
However, she's also not easily satisfied. When Anita claims their luck has been going up, she makes a face, and shakes her head. "Maybe a little bit. But not nearly enough. I gotta get better, so the miracles can get bigger." She doesn't specify, but maybe she doesn't have to for the point to come across: she's unsatisfied with the conclusions of recent battles she's been involved in, wishing there was more that she could have done. And thus: modifications! An attempt to give herself a greater edge in battles to come.
"Got no room for more, so what there is has to be better," she explains her choice in weapon upgrades. "Just had to strip down some broken beam rifles, fix up the power source, reroute the distributors... you know, basic stuff." To her, anyway. "Would've been easier if I had Arm Slave-specific parts to work with. Not many people using those things, huh?" She shrugs, she has no idea. This is just how things shook out for her, no specific reason why she ended up with an Arm Slave... that she knows of.
She would be all too keen to expand to Valkyries, but... Anita is good, it seems. "Aw, really? Well I had a few ideas of what we could toss to make room... or better yet, combine them! I wonder why nobody's ever thought of missiles that shoot beams." And that would be why she doesn't get to put her ideas into practice. Hopefully the ideas for her own machine are as solid as she thinks they are.
Still, she doesn't press the point. "Oh well! Maybe later then." After a moment's pause, she adds in a more serious tone, "...There'll probably be time for it. I'm... not sure yet, but depending on how things go, I might have to back to Akaigawa at some point." She laughs. It feels forced. "Well, I'm sure that's fine... I am just a guest here, after all."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Makes sense. Good skill to have, being able to roll with whatever happens." Anita replies with a nod. She watches as Naoko makes a face at her comment, though, and shakes her head. Anita smiles, just slightly. It's true - she can kind of guess where her head's at, there.
"Even a small miracle's good in my book. As long as things get better bit by bit, that's enough sometimes, y'know? ...You're doin' good." She does pause for a second to shrug, though. "...'Course, self-improvement is always a good thing. Just don't try to carry everything on your shoulders, y'know?"
But, Naoko explains her upgrades and Anita nods consideringly.
"Makes sense... Couldn't hurt to soup 'em up." She replies, nodding, and then chuckles. "Not here, anyway. You mostly see 'em back on Earth? Not a lot of them are space spec'd by default, so... Well, that part you already knew. Makes it hard to field a lot of 'em when you expect a lot of space action."
The conversation turns to her unit, and Anita chuckles.
"That could work, but, uh, I'd definitely want a few rounds o' testing on that idea..." She says. But, Naoko doesn't press it... and then, her tone gets more serious.
Anita frowns, just a little, hearing that forced laugh.
"You will, huh...?" She replies consideringly, then offers a smile. "...Well, you've done a lot for us. Guest or not, we'll always be there for you if you need us, yeah? We owe you a lot."
And she hesitates a little, remembering how she said she didn't fit in.
"...And if you need someone to tag along with you to make sure everything's alright, let us know." She says, massaging the back of her neck sheepishly. "...You don't gotta do anything you don't wanna, you know?"
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
It's hard to feel like small miracles are ever enough, when the consequences can be so dire unless everything is absolutely perfect. Still, being told that she's doing good... that matters, quite a bit. The smile she gives there is very much genuine. "Well, I do try." And she nods - she knows it's not a good habit to think that when things are looking bad, it has to be up to her to make the difference. But... that's part of being a Miracle Worker. Her greatest motivation is at the same time her greatest hindrance, making it exceptionally difficult to feel like she's doing a good job.
The fact that most Arm Slaves aren't made for space is news to her, but that does explain a few things. Nodding several times, she concludes, "Makes sense, makes sense. I was wondering why thruster output was so limited. Good thing I modified mine. And added a few more than the common variants have." She's kind of lowballing what she's done, having gone beyond the typical output safety limits, and adding an excessive amount of extra verniers. It's certainly translated into exceptional mobility! It also wouldn't work that well at all without her special brand of piloting, but never mind that.
There is a brief look of distaste when Anita says the word 'testing', which says it all regarding the correctness of her decision in not letting Naoko do whatever she wants. Thankfully, that topic passes quickly, though one can imagine she has a whole speech regarding how things that have been proven to work can't be called miracles.
There is understanding for the possibility of her needing to leave... though, she needs to correct it in one aspect. "Sometimes... there's things you just have to do, even when you're not sure whether you want to." She bows her head, a smile having returned by the time she raises it again. "Thanks, though, for the offer, and your kind words. If it's up to me--"
She stops herself short, not quite ready to commit to anything. "...Well, let me just say this. I never expected I could feel at home in a place other than my house. But you've managed that. No matter what happens, I won't forget it."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Naoko gives her a genuine smile, and Anita smiles back. She says she tries, and Anita nods back approvingly.
As for Arm Slaves...
"Yup. The movement requirements are all different. But... that ought to take care of it, so I bet you'll be fine from here out." Anita replies with a nod. If she knew just how far she went...
...Well, she'd have some things to say, so maybe it's for the best she doesn't. She does catch that look of distaste, though...
But with the conversation turning serious, Anita nods quietly.
"...Yeah. Guess so." She admits. Naoko bows her head, and when she raises it again, Anita smiles right back. She notes her catching herself - and, for a moment, she looks taken aback. Anita is... touched by her words, and it takes her a second.
"...Hey, no problem. I'm glad we could do that for you." She replies. "...Yeah. We're not gonna forget you, either."