2023-07-05: A Bond Forged In Fire
- Cast: Renais Cardiff, Alouette Pommier
- Where: A Cafe in Paris
- Date: U.C. 0097 07 05
- Summary: It's exam week, and Alouette invites Renais for coffee while she's studying. They talk about a lot of things - including school and summer plans, but the war against Triple Zero inevitably comes up too. They agree they need to save them as soon as they can - for their sake's, and Guy's as well.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
In many ways, Alouette sees Renais as something of an older sister - their shared nationality and similar pasts is a part of it - and as scathing as Renais was back then, she has fond memories of staking out BioNet together.
Although... ever since her return from the Trinary Solar System and subsequent purification, Alouette feels they've had less time to just hang out for non work-related purposes than she would like - they're both busy people after all.
Ironically, school exams provides the perfect opportunity for that - it's pretty easy to just text someone and ask if they want to hang out as she goes over her notes or something. So she does exactly that - inviting Renais to recognizable middle-high end cafe in the heart of Paris.
And she waits at a table - her notes are all sprawled out, mapped out with complex charts. Physics, it looks like? Renais should be somewhat familiar... that kind of stuff seems to run in the Shishioh family.
Alouette herself looks... happier than Renais might've last seen her, favouring Renais with a warm smile when she sees her. Her recovery's gone well, and she's made the major step of returning to Orbit Base for work last week which seemed to really lift her spirits - even if she's back planetside for school at the moment.
[Characters] * Gary Biaggi has joined the channel.
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Bonds forged in fire are difficult to break. Renais might not have been able to admit it at the time, but she'd felt a camaraderie with Alouette from their first meeting... and just as much as Alouette sees her as a sister, Renais feels the same.
She's prompt in arriving--it's no surprise that she knows the cafe, and makes her order promptly before taking a seat across from Alouette. "Bonjour~" she chimes as she does, smiling and continuing in French, "How are you holding up? I know you were as well taken care of as you could be aboard the Garuda, but..." Her eyes trail down to the homework. "... And I trust you're excelling in school?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
When it comes time to place her order, Alouette goes for an espresso brewed coffee. Normally she might prefer a sweeter tea or something like that... but she's on full throttle right now.
"Bonjour!" Alouette waves breezily, waiting for Renais to take a seat, when she asks how she's holding up.
"A lot better," Alouette answers. "It was... very unpleasant, the Garuda." She says, in the understatement of the century. "But it was about to be a whole lot worse... if it wasn't for Akane's brilliant thinking. We were able to work together to make sure everyone got the chance to come home." Even if it took a bit longer for Leina's chance.
Once her coffee arrives, she sets it carefully aside from her notes - a spill would be devastating! And then continues what she wanted to say. "I'm feeling well enough to return to my post even... and I even got to do one of the great operator rites of passage." She means the safety device release of course.. she watched footage of Mikoto doing it SO many times with Hana.
As for school... "I've been giving it my very all of course!" She nods, glancing down at her page. "Jindai has some tough competition.. so I can't take it too easy. It's hard to believe it's almost summer break, though." She sips. "You're planning to go back to class after that, right? I'm glad you get the opportunity too. But before that, do you have any kind of plans for the summer?"
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais grins. "I'll have to tell her how proud I am of her... but I'm proud of you, as well." Her coffee arrives with Alouette's, an iced Vietnamese coffee. She takes a brief sip through her straw before setting it aside.
Her eyes light up a little at the talk of the 'rite of passage'. "Ooh, the Goldion Hammer release? How did you do?" she giggles. "I've been meaning to get my own operator training in, but... well, recent events have kept me busy." It's not at all hard to guess what she might be referring to, given just how eventful things have been.
"Mn... Jindai, hm? I hear things are a bit chaotic there, but it's a good place regardless. I'm planning to go back to school, yes... I feel a bit odd, really, starting high school again at 20 years old." She laughs. "Plans, though..." There's a pause for thought. "I'm unsure right now. Haven't really considered it." She's not used to considering things like that.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"She really has become a Brave in so many ways." Alouette agrees, when Renais says how proud she is of Akane. "But I appreciate the praise, too, of course." She adds, with a grin. "But really.. she's about to become an incredible intelligence operative." Now that she's back at her desk.. the transfer should be fully in process by now.
"Right. We had to dust off DoubleMarg and put it to the test even without Goldy, thanks to the eleventh Angel." She nods, and then her eyes gleam. "That feeling of unleashing that much power into the world? It was.. almost really exhilarating." Alouette has to admit - even if one wrong adjustment would've possibly turned Tokyo-3 itself into light.
"To be able to do that in almost every single sortie... Mikoto really is a strong woman, isn't she?" She got through some of the heavier baggage about Mikoto with Akane... but she never actually got to see her on active duty against the Zonder and Primevals, even less the Planetary Masters of Sol.
And then Renais mentions getting her own operator training in. "Oh? Are you thinking of Mobile, Intelligence, or Research?" She can see Renais being a good fit for any of those... she's pretty talented. "Either way, I'm really looking forward to working with you soon. But you're right... it has been very busy."
"Most days, Jindai feels pretty normal. But sometimes it goes completely off the rails." And it's almost always Sousuke Sagara's fault somehow, funny how that works. "I think it's a pretty good fit for me, though. I've been getting along with my classmates, at least." As for Renais's comments about being too old for it, Alouette shakes her head. "I don't think it's ever too late, especially when it comes to learning. And I can see the.. appeal of other aspects of it too, now."
Speaking of which! "Maybe you could come to the Deculture Festival next month, if you're interested?" Alouette offers as a suggestion. Tsutsujidai is hosting this time around. I missed a lot of last year's, but I'm actually kind of looking forward to it this time."
Renais Cardiff says, "The eleventh angel..." She looks up, vaguely, sipping her coffee. that was the giant cloud, "
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais looks a little surprised, but nods. "Intelligence... sounds like a perfect fit, really. She'll be amazing. I've read some of the reports now, the way she handled it... honestly, some of the best crisis management I've seen."
"The eleventh angel..." She looks up, vaguely, sipping her coffee. that was the glowing cloud, no? Something that unusual sounds like a good testbed... though without Goldymarg, I'm betting it trashed the user's arm." She chuckles.
She nods in agreement. "Incredibly strong. You've only ever seen her behind the desk, haven't you? When we were in the Trinary Solar System... Pillnus had ambushed me. She had me in a web, toying with me. Not only did she overcome the paras particles, but... she fought off one of the Sol Masters and freed me." She holds up her black-gloved metal hand. "Took me by this hand to pull me up and get me out. The burns weren't pretty, but... she did what she had to do. It kills me knowing she's still out there, under 000's control."
"Hm. the Deculture Festival... that sounds like a good idea, actually," she agrees. "It'd help me get to know my fellow students, I suppose. And with the stories I've heard from Jindai, it's... probably for the best that I'm going to be schooling in Spain. GUTS means the two of us won't be far apart, though, even half a world away." A smile. Something so bright and warm... it's criminal that it was locked away for so much of her life.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Some of the best crisis management... and under that much stress, too. I don't know how she even did it..." Alouette nods, sipping her coffee. "We're really lucky to have her... and I know with those skills of hers, she's going to change so many people's worlds."
"The Eleventh Angel tried to imitate a colony drop." Alouette says with a frown. It was right down to the mobile suit swarm-like tactics. "With such sensitive mission timing, we really had no choice but to make it work. But as it happens, it did buy enough time for the Evangelions to finish the job." And it was a good testbed in proving it's workable.. but they really do need Goldy back soon.
Alouette giggles about the comment about the arm. "GaoGaiGar is pretty sturdy... but you're right, the Usshi brothers had their work cut out for them on repairs for sure."
Alouette listens very intently as Renais tells her a story about Mikoto. Back then, Mikoto treated her like her own daughter. But she never got to see her in full combat duty.
Alouette looks really mesmerized, as she watches Renais's hand, imagining what it would feel like to touch it for even a moment - Mikoto didn't care how much it burned. "I knew she was strong, but... wow. It does sound just like her to stand up to anyone, withstand anything for someone she cares about."
But she is still under Triple Zero... it pains them both. "We'll get her back soon, Renais." Alouette assures her. "And I know she hates this just as much as we do... so we'll fight for her with everything we have. I know I have a long path to live up to her... but that's my promise to her. And I know Hana feels the exact same way."
"Aha... you're probabl right." She laughs, at Renais' decision for schooling in Spain. "Would you believe me if I said we have our very own firearms specialist? Besides, that means you get to attend with Akane and Leina, right?"
Close together even half a world away... Alouette likes that thought. "Exactly! And even outside work or school... we'll always have time to visit each other." Neither of them smiled much often when they first met - so catching that radiant smile feels noticeable. She matches it with a wide one of her own.
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
"Oh, no, I know how sturdy it is. But I've also seen what the hammer did to GaoGaiGar's arm in its first deployment," Renais chuckles. "Still... a colony drop..." She shakes her head, thinking about Axis for a moment. "The double hammer sounds like the perfect tool for the job."
She nods to Alouette. "She's just as much a hero as Guy is... she just expresses it differently. They're perfect for each other. It must be killing her... I know she was always conflicted. We'll just have to do our best to do what she needs us to. What they all need."
She twirls her straw idly, spinning the ice in her drink. She nods, "Yeah, we'll be going to the same school. It'll be nice... and yes, exactly! We can compare notes, work together... I wonder if they'd let us do cross-school group projects, somehow? That would be fun, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Yeah, no kidding... I tried my best to make sure the simple AI did what it needed to do. But when it comes to the kind of bullheaded personality it takes to hold the Goldion Hammer together? Yep, nothing beats Goldy." She laughs.
"The Goldion DoubleHammer did its work. But I was actually pretty surprised by the Evangelions too... one of them had the strength to hold the Angel back itself -- under a lot of strain of course." That Shinji kid... he never did seem like much of a soldier, though. Is he okay with risking his life like this?
When Renais compares Guy and Mikoto, Alouette nods. "You're totally right. I look up to both of them so much." She adds, longingly. "I know it's killing Guy inside too. He's just... better at hiding it maybe." Underneath that hero's grin, she knows there's a lot of the same emotions Mikoto's feeling. "So I'm doing the best to support him and make sure they can be together again. So we can all be together again, really. But I do know this war will have its end."
"It'll be nice to be able to do that," Alouette agrees, about comparing notes and working together. "Cross-school projects, though? That's an idea.. I know the last GUTS president just graduated but I'm sure they're still looking for new ways to bring schools together." She takes another sip. "There's definitely a lot of room for cross-school club activities, if you're interested in joining any." Which reminds her: "Speaking of which, I just invited someone over from Ashford's fencing club for a match.. she was a pretty interesting girl -- and a close match in skill."
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais shakes her head, muttering, "Evangelions creep me out. I saw the purple one... open its mouth and roar at me, when I was compromised. Ugh." She shudders.
She nods, "Don't let him know I told you, but... it is. It hurts him a lot." A sigh. "I worry what will happen if we start taking real losses to them. I don't think you've really seen it, but... his rage, when he's really, truly *angry*, is terrifying." If something truly dire were to happen, she's not sure if he could be stopped.
"Mm, you're right, though. GUTS has a lot of those events and clubs, doesn't it?" She lets out another brief sigh. "And of course, I'll probably have get choosy about which ones I actually join." She sounds a little annoyed at that. "Still... -oh, who's that? Having a rival is an excellent motivation," she nods.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"They're unsettling..." Alouette agrees, about the Evangelions. "And they're not normal machines." NERV classifies them way too extensively to get a read beyond that, though. "But the pilots are agreeable enough. Even Asuka is, once you get to know her a little." Really easy to tease, too.
Alouette hangs her head down for a moment then at the mention of how hard this is to Guy - and the sheer anger he holds within.
"I don't think I have... and it's because he'd prefer I never have to see him like that." Even when Bujack had its claws on her, Guy never outwardly showed that anger - he was kind, gentle and patient the whole way through - Renais probably remembers this too.
"When Akane and I met him after we escaped the Garuda, though... I think just for a moment, he looked like he was holding back a storm." She reminisces, hushed.
Taking real losses, though... so far they've been lucky. They haven't faced the true terrors they have at their disposal yet, the Ruin Generals, even the Goldion Crusher. "That's why we need to put a decisive end to it. The only trouble is that we can't just initiate an attack on them. We'd lose horribly." Everyone at 3G knows this. "I hate this stalemate, though... I miss them." She concludes, hiding her face for just a moment.
Talking about school seems to get her spirits back up a little, though. "There's a lot, and some of them seem kind of strange. When I was walking through the halls at Ashford one time, I saw one called the Fantasy Seduction Club." There's a short pause. "...Britannians, right?"
She nods enthusiastically about the idea of having a rival. "Her name was Cascade. Sho and I met her at prom. We're the only two people at Jindai's fencing club... so getting a visitor from Ashford is actually a pretty big deal. It means we're getting somewhere." As for Cascade herself... "She had a really interesting fighting style. Playing it safe at first, but then going fast and aggressive. I guess she's more hot-blooded than she looks, too."
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
"Asuka is... a lot like me. A lot like I was." Renais looks aside, slightly. "Probably the result of... no, never mind." Too personal. "But she doesn't believe herself to be a person. Just a weapon. Or, she didn't. I'd like to help her move past that, if I can... show her that she means more than that." She simply nods in agreement at Alouette's assessment of the situation with Guy, and with 000. "He must have been."
The fantasy seduction club. She laughs, "That's certainly odd, but... not *much* moreso than Tsutsujidai's crossdressing cafe club." A brief pause. "... Well, okay. A fair bit moreso..." She shakes her head, "Britannians."
"Hmm... a smart style, it sounds like. Allow your opponent to wear themselves down, and take advantage of their exhaustion later in the match. Fencing was always too... precise, too *formal* for me, but I see the appeal... mn. I suppose I'd need a handicap to participate, anyway," she sighs and shrugs a little. "Still. Oh, how are things with Sho, anyway? I'd like to meet her again sometime!"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
When Renais compares Asuka to herself, Alouette immediately understands. "Just a weapon, and not a person..." There's a lot of weight to that statement. "I've been trying to be a friend to her, so... I hope that helps." Perhaps that's Mari's aim as well, when it comes to the teasing. The two of them have an interesting relationship.
"I don't think Tsutsujidai's was that weird. Yuta - or Gridman now, and Rikka really pulled off their outfits." Alouette points out. Renais seems to agree, though... and she laughs at her conclusion.
"If that was her aim, it might've worked." Alouette considers. "Eventually, I tried to match her aggression and go all-in... and that's where the match ended." Sssssip. "A handicap... part of me really wants to try my odds at facing you without it. But that's probably a bad idea." Sometimes, Alouette just has very unhinged ideas.
As for how things are going with Sho, Alouette's expression brightens. "Really well! She stayed over at my home for a while, when I was in recovery. It was nice... having her company. We can definitely arrange that sometime, though... I think she liked you."
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
"I think I saw photos of that, they did look cute! It's just an odd idea for a school club," Renais laughs. "And, as for Asuka... yes, I think it does. It'd... certainly help me."
She lowers her eyelids a little as Alouette suggests sparring against her without a handicap. "Mn... well, you never know. I don't know how to fence... you might have a good chance, even with my reflexes~ ... but more seriously, you're right. It's probably a bad idea." As much as she thinks it'd be a good way for Alouette to test her abilities... the risk is pretty high.
"I'm glad," she nods, as Alouette moves on to Sho. "Someone like that being by your side when you're recovering... that's important. And I can see why I might be appealing to a Getter pilot... we share a similar sort of hot-blooded aggression, after all."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"I wonder if they'll do something like that again for this year's DecuFes. You could do a whole lot in terms of themes for that." Might be worth trying it, too, menswear isn't really her style but it's all in good fun.
On the topic of Asuka, Alouette smiles when Renais says it seems to help... and works for her. "I'm really glad, then. I know being shown I'm not alone helped me, too."
"My reflexes aren't so bad, either~" She replies, lightly, before her tone turns more serious. "It's probably best not to play with fate, though. I don't want to put the burden of you accidentally hurting me on you. And there's plenty of safer contests of skill we could try, certainly."
"Definitely," she agrees at the importance of having someone like that at her side in recovery. "If I was just by myself for weeks, I think it would've just been miserable.. so she reminded me of the things I loved doing."
Alouette finishes her coffee and gives out a long refreshed sigh, also clasping her books shut. She's memorised the content about the best she's going to, she thinks. "That was good... it's been awhile since I've had high end coffee." She comments. "Especially with such good company. If you still have time, we could take a stroll around the city? Perfect weather for it." She suggests.