2023-09-26: Miracle Searcher
- Cast: Alouette Pommier, Naoko Suzuki
- Where: Jindai High School, Nouvelle Tokyo
- Date: U.C. 0097 09 26
- Summary: Alouette takes the time to turn in her leave of absence to Jindai's student council, and runs into both a familiar face and unfamiliar voice on her way out. Finally having the chance to talk about the truth about what went down at Dakar those months ago, it becomes clear that both girls are holding some secrets close to their chests... but they find that they share a love for their respective masterpieces in common.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"I really appreciate you passing this on for me, Hayashimizu-san, Mikihara-san. Of course... I'd like to hope we return as soon as possible too. I want to graduate as much as everyone else, after all." Alouette says calmly, to Jindai's student council president and his secretary, holding a letter of temporary withdrawal from both class and GUTS activities.
Thanks to the Invisible Burst, it was terribly inconvenient to just do all this online... so she's here in person. And while she's here, she figured she may as well take in some of that fine autumn Nouvelle Tokyo scenery before it's time to go.
And since Alouette is a totally dramatic young woman, she manages to make such a mundane thing like a stroll through the city near the school, as the leaves fall from their branches look so very melancholy.
Whether Naoko recognizes her from Dakar or Magallanica or not, Alouette might stand out a bit with her extremely modified and frilly school uniform, and unique hairstyle. On the other hand, Alouette definitely doesn't forget Naoko, or 'Nova' - her actions back at Dakar to try and save a total stranger still mean a lot to her.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
There is an intruder at the gates!
...is how this might be interpreted if one Sousuke Sagara were in attendance at the moment. To less overly suspicious minds, the girl in the black hoodie casually leaning against a wall with one foot propped up against it may merely be a visitor. Even if she does have the hood up and is carefully watching everyone passing through the Jindai school gates from a short distance away, she may simply be waiting for someone in particular.
Either way, that is clearly not a school uniform, even though she is certainly of the age to be attending high school. Hers is not a face that's ever been seen attending GUTS activities either, so... is she in any high school? Perhaps there are Circumstances at play here. Circumstances that might have something to do with the Three Ships Alliance, if her piloting a 3SA-aligned Arm Slave at Dakar was any indication.
A voice that can only be perceived by the psychicly sensitive breaks the relative silence in her general vicinity.
>"I know why you want to do this, but is this really the best time?"<
"Shh," Naoko shushes, before answering anyway, in a voice that anyone may hear. "Probably not, but I don't know if there'll ever be a good time, what with all this stuff going on all the time. Might as well, while I'm here anyway." She fishes out her phone, glancing at the time before pocketing it again. "...or try, anyway. Not like he even has any idea I'm here."
Though she may be a weirdo who talks to herself, she is a weirdo with perfect memory. Even if she's only seen a face the one time in a communications window, that's familiar enough for instant recognition. Before she's even fully realized it herself, she's pushed herself off the wall and taken a few steps towards the Jindai student with the distinctive hairstyle, wondering out loud, "Alouette...?"
...And finds herself at an immediate loss on how to proceed. What if she's wrong about who this is? What if she's not remembered? What if she's being a bother? Social self-sabotage does tend to be the name of the game, when she hasn't prepared herself beforehand.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
An intruder! When Sousuke mysteriously disappeared for a while, it definitely meant things were quieter at the school. But Alouette certainly picks up on the fact that she might be being watched... probably because Naoko's bright hair colour and lack of uniform really stand out a lot.
Although it's not the girl's voice that spurs her from her abstracted focus first... no, it vaguely sounded like she was having a conversation with someone, something definitely unusual enough to cause her to perk up.
Regardless, she's approached, and Naoko calls for the correct name! "Oh! That's me." She nods, with a smile. "You're Nova Stellar, right? Miracle Worker and everything?" It's strange though, because it's not like she's ever seen her at Jindai before. But now that the Three Ships Alliance is in negotiation... perhaps it makes a lot more sense she'd see some of them around on Earth more often.
She takes a deep breath. It's hard to think about the fighting at Dakar, but... "I definitely couldn't forget you after you tried so hard for my sake. I'm sorry it didn't turn out like you hoped... there was just no way I was going to win against Akane like that." She says, a little strained, but it's clear from her tone she doesn't think badly about Akane, either. "I'm really glad you made it out safe, too, after everything." Ironically, she appreciates Nova taking the initiative here... she's never been so good at speaking her heart, either.
"The Gutsy Galaxy Guard is going to be leaving for Jupiter pretty soon, so I hope everything is okay in our absence. Rebels against the Federation or not, you and your crew... you definitely deserve the break, I think."
"So, what brings you here at Jindai anyways? I feel like I would've probably known if you were one of my classmates." She ponders. "Waiting for someone?"
"Oh and by the way, I could've sworn there was someone else around, but I only see one of you." She adds, a little dismayed. Neither is the service good enough to pull off an audible phone call. "Ahh, I hope I'm not starting to hear things..."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
It does tend to stand out when part of a conversation isn't heard with one's ears... and there isn't actually anyone else nearby that Naoko could have been talking to. Not something that Naoko used to have to worry about as much as in recent times.
She actually looks a little confused for a moment when addressed as Nova Stellar. When exactly did it start to sound strange when people call her that? She recovers quickly however, flipping her hood down with her right hand and presenting a v-sign with her left. "That's me!" she echoes Alouette with a sudden increase in energy to her voice. "Nova Stellar, Miracle Worker!" Only to immediately rub the back of her head, feeling awkward again. "...that's it, you can leave off the 'and everything'."
She briefly brings a hand to her forehead, considering, before she shrugs. "You can call me Naoko, if you want? I mean, I don't mind Nova Stellar, it's just, uh." A long story. Easier to just call it, "...A callsign." People use aliases for various reasons, it's probably not weird, she hopes. And then adds, "Definitely a Miracle Worker, though." That's clearly not the weird part.
Dakar is... hard to forget. She felt absolutely terrible for how that turned out. After she tried so hard, too. It may vex her forever that she'll never know how it would have turned out if they hadn't pulled that dirty trick to force a surrender. And she absolutely wasn't quite prepared to be appreciated for it when, in her eyes, her efforts were an abject failure. She averts her eyes, scratching her cheek.
"Ah, well, you know... couldn't quite work the Miracle I wanted there, but... I'm glad you're alright. I mean, I'd heard you got out, but, that must have been an awful experience." She puts her hands on her hips, frowning slightly. "Sounds like you know that magical girl villain personally. I guess that's why she had it in for you, huh?" Somebody doesn't know a whole lot about what Akane Shinjo is actually like.
Jupiter, yes... that's something that somebody will have to tell with. Naoko is glad that somebody isn't her. She could only say 'good luck with that', and hope it comes across as genuine as she'd meant it. But her thoughts are thrown into disarray by the following statement, and she needs a moment to piece them back together. When she does, she shakes her head, "Oh, no, you've got it all wrong... I'm not part of the crew, I just..." 'live there', comes to mind, but instead she says, "...I'm just a guest. Just helping out." Or so she keeps telling herself, no matter how long that arrangement has already been going on by now.
With a shrug and a sigh, she's far more convinced regarding about the next part of her statement. "Fat chance of a break, I'm afraid. I can't exactly relax when Doctor Hell is up to... whatever he's up to." If only she had more power, she'd break through that Kikaiju siege right now, all by herself! It's nice to dream...
"...Ah," she responds to the matter of Jindai. "Yeah, I don't go to school here. But, um... actually, maybe you happen to know who I'm waiting for? His name is Touwa Chiba. Black hair, little taller than me... ...uh, not much in the way of special characteristics, to be honest." How do you describe a guy who would have a picture in the dictionary under 'Average'? Average build, average looks, average grades... maybe she should focus on something else. "He'd be a third year now, if everything went well for him." She pauses briefly. "If he still goes to school here." She makes a frustrated noise. "I haven't seen him since middle school okay, I know it's a long shot." She is, however, not wrong... though this certainly is a student who almost appears to be trying to go unnoticed.
As for there being someone else around... "Geh!" That was a noise and expression that basically screams 'busted', yet of course she's going to actually admit to anything. "Y-you're definitely hearing things, no one else here, it's only me, yup." She doesn't even notice herself fiddling with the braid that has the black butterfly hairpin attached to it.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Naoko's energy is pretty infectious, and it gets Alouette to wipe that slightly melancholy look off pretty fast. "Alouette Pommier! I can't exactly work miracles with my own hands or anything... but I guess I can help make them happen from time to time." She laughs, as Naoko does the over the top pose and all.
"I see! Naoko it is, then." She nods, as she explains how Nova was just a callsign. "I think I can understand wanting to keep your life out there, and down here, separate at least."
Her expression and tone turn more serious when the conversation comes back to Dakar, of course. "It was both the longest and shortest three days in my life. It meant risking everything... but at least that gamble paid off. We made it out okay." She grimaces. And then Naoko likens Akane to that and --
"Pffffhahaha! Magical girl villain..." She can't help it, as she covers her mouth after bursting into laughter. "Don't worry, don't worry, she's doing well right now. She's my coworker -- and my friend." She explains, fondly.
"It was really that awful Doctor Murasame who was after me... and he had her do the dirty work for him. Well, I guess for a lot of reasons, she had to play the role of the villain the best she could out there. But it was thanks to us all working together that we got out."
"Just a guest, huh? It sounded like you counted on each other a lot." She considers, fluffing out the sleeves of her autumn school jacket. "Is it more like... you don't really feel like you belong or something?" She used to know that feeling well, at the very least.
Either way, Naoko lays out the reality of what's going on in the Earth Sphere. "Right... terrible timing that is. After everything, it's not a good feeling having to leave Dr. Kabuto and his people to fend for themselves... but it sounds like they'll have a true Miracle Worker by their side at least. Best of luck to you, in turn."
And then she explains why she's here in the first place. "Touwa Chiba... I can't say I've heard that name before, but I don't exactly go everyday either." She answers, with a slight frown. Average everything... it doesn't sound like much of a clue at first. "Is it possible that he took an alias too, if you haven't seen him in that long? In that case, he might've slipped under everyone's radar all this time." She suggests, cupping a finger on her chin. "It's a long shot... but I'm not going to say I don't understand. And I hope you're able to meet again one day." She concludes, with a slight smile.
"What about you? Do you go to a different school or something? I'm guessing you don't live around this area anymore, either..." She asks, looking around for a bit. "It's a bit of a miracle that I was able to come to school in the first place... and it's a little sad to leave it behind for a while. But there's someone I need to bring home before I can even think about graduating."
Naoko's insistence only makes her look more suspicious, and she follows her gaze over to that black butterfly pin on her braid. Despite her insistence, there was definitely something there - even if she can only liken to rare, incidental experiences like hearing the Banshee, Rita Bernal, or the TDD-1 itself after it amplified its power. "Well~ whether I'm right or not, it doesn't seem so chatty anymore. I'd say it's a little rude to eavesdrop on a lady's conversation... but I guess I was the one who eavesdropped first, hehe..."
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
Naoko pffts, waving off the inability to work miracles without assistance. "Just takes practice, is all. Anybody can learn to become a Miracle Worker in their own way. All it takes is fully embracing your own talents, while not letting little things like the laws of physics or supposed impossibility get in your way!" Ah yes, the 'refuse to read any signs and they can't stop you' method. Easy, right?
As much as she's in her element when in Miracle Worker Mode, it's still easy to take the wind out of her sails. Like suddenly getting laughed at without understanding why. "Wh-what? What'd I say? That was just--" Calling it like she sees it. Unfortunately she's watched a little too much anime to not liken people's apparent character traits to them, sometimes. Makes it much easier to figure people out! She had no idea she was off the mark, this time. She doesn't even begin to understand how Alouette and Akane could be friends until the words 'play the role of' come into it.
"...Oh. So... it was an act. Sure had me fooled..." And now she feels appropriately foolish, losing much of her energy and volume. Good thing Akane didn't hear that. Oh no, is she going to tell Akane? Should I say something? But, if I do, it could have the opposite of the desired effect... So goes her mind again, leaving her unable to make a decision.
This sort of behavior is perhaps making her all the easier to read. She looks surprised at the assessment, but doesn't deny it. The confirmation isn't a very strong one, either. "...Maybe a little." Oh, it's undoubtedly true that she can't fully feel like she belongs. But it genuinely doesn't feel like a very notable aspect of it. After all, she's never fully felt she belonged anywhere. This is just... normal.
Naoko clears her throat, and takes a deep breath, recentering herself. She could tell she's falling quiet. Need to lean into the Miracle Worker aspect more. Fortunately, this is easy when those works are directly brought up. "You bet!" she says, making a fist. "You just focus on what you gotta do, while I... well, I can't be everywhere at once, but I promise you - I'll do everything I can to help! No evil-doer will get what they want on my watch!" She is, perhaps, a little anime herself. Just a little.
Regarding Touwa... the possibility of him changing his name, or even his appearance, is something she never considered. She physically recoils at that even, as if she was just struck. "Ah! C-Could he have... would he really...?" She strokes her chin, mulling it over. "I guess... I could see that. He got bullied a lot in the past. This is kind of a fresh start, so maybe he decided to change his image... I can't deny the possibility, but..." Abruptly, she throws her hands up. "Nope! Just can't see it!" She laughs, boisteriously, at what may be some private joke that would make sense to those who do know the student in question. Finally, she shakes her head, "Thanks, though. I'll try again a bit later, I think... I have to go back to the ship pretty soon."
This is kind of indirectly giving away already that she in fact lives on the ship. Which would make her answer to the school question little surprise. "Ah, no... I don't actually go to school anymore. It's fine," she adds as if to cut off any concern regarding the reason. She smiles, raising a finger. "Did you know? My Arm Slave, Sukeban, was designed and built by yours truly!" For the most part, she neglects to add. The point is, "Working on that stuff is a lot more interesting than school."
As for that final point... she tries to brush it off as best she can. "Well... I don't know much about being lady-like, but they also say 'every lady has her secrets', don't they? It's like that." That's a roundabout way of admitting that Alouette didn't imagine it, but she can't say any more about it. Maybe one day. Once she has some more answers herself.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"That's what many people call its own kind of bravery," Alouette nods with a smile, as Naoko talks of not letting any laws of physics or 'improbability' get in the way.
"You know what our Chief Taiga always used to say?" She puffs her chest out, trying to mimic his deep, booming voice. "Statistical percentages are nothing but scientific theory! A brave hero overcomes any odds!!" That kind of courage is exactly what she'll need... even if they're going to be up against his own genius. "...That said, I usually feel better about it if I have a bunch of others backing me up. I'm not sure if I would've made it so far without that." She admits.
Although she realizes she might've overstepped a little laughing at the comparison of Akane to a magical villainess. "No, it's okay... I didn't mean to laugh at you or anything." She clarifies. "But you have to admit the imagery of it is pretty funny, even a little cool..." At least she might be able to think so if the stakes weren't so painfully high for her and Akane alike.
She wears enough ribbons all of her clothes to make it clear that she might be a little bit of a fan, too - even if her main experience of the genre is mostly the pure romance type.
"...But yeah. Thank goodness it was an act all along." She looks down at the schoolgrounds for a second. "Even I didn't realise until it was time to escape, you know."
Naoko continues on to say that although she doesn't fully feel she belongs, she has to focus on what she can do. "I'm not going to say I'm counting on you, but I do believe in you, Naoko." She answers that proclamation about Miracle Working. "And.. I get what it feels like to be different, but I also think people are probably way more willing to include you than you might think. I mean -- you're so charming, Naoko!" She makes things seem so effortless... but she wonders if there's more beneath the surface.
As for Touwa... "Not possible, huh?" She frowns. "Yeah... for some people, their identity is the most important thing in the world, no matter what they've been through. Well -- best of luck, okay?"
She doesn't go to school of course... but Alouette's eyes do light up in interest when she mentions she built her own Arm Slave. "Oh, that's incredible...! It definitely had a unique look to it, even if I regrettably didn't have any time to study it myself out there. But the sheer speed, remote saucers, and even a Broken Magnum," and not Rocket Punch because she's a different type of Super Robot pilot, "it was all nothing short of a technical marvel!" She definitely sounds excited to discuss this stuff.
"If we're talking accomplishments, I developed GaoFighGar's Final Fusion program myself. That was almost ten years ago now... but that's it's own long story." A wink. Naoko might wonder why Alouette feels like she needs to go to school. "I used those same design principles to put together my own mechanoid, Guardienne Aviaire. She's served me well... but I definitely want to make some adjustments before it's time to go to Jupiter."
And Naoko brushing off that voice as a lady's secret... "Likewise. In that case... I won't pry anymore." She nods, carefully. She's not entirely pushy.
<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.
"Bravery, huh..." The doubt in Naoko's voice is obvious. She has considered herself many things, but brave... it's hard to feel particularly brave about it when you find facing what most might call impossible easier than facing other, more deep-seated issues. Even if you're choosing to run headlong into a world-threatening crisis, it still matters what you're running away from.
Even so, she can't help but smile at those inspiring words, and the attempted imitation, even if she's unfamiliar with the original source. "Sounds like someone I could get along with." With a firm nod, she affirms, "It helps to know the numbers you've got, beforehand. But in the end, you just have to worry about how you're going to transform those numbers into the ones you want. You can't worry about whether or not you can, you just have to make it happen!" Same idea, but deliberately rephrased. "Never any shame in asking others for help, Miracle Workers are at their strongest when they band their miracles together." All the examples she's seen make that point self-evident.
Regarding magical girls, though... for once, she'll admit it. "I'm just... a little annoyed that it isn't true, really. Could've been a great rivalry..." Admit that she wants to fight magical girl villains. It may take her some time to actually realize that this was a pretty overt admission that she'd like to play the magical girl hero role. She does have the decency to correct herself a moment later, "Oh, I didn't mean-- of course I don't actually want your friend to be evil or anything!" She has no idea about Akane's past either.
Belief is good though. People believing in her motivated her like nothing else. It's plain to see her swelling up with pride...
...then deflating instantly when told she's charming. She looks shocked, and makes a weird sputtering noise as if she couldn't make up her mind on which utterance would best convey her reaction. She attempts to say words, after that, but doesn't get very far. "Y-you... I... hang on."
She abruptly turns around, spreads her arms wide... and then SLAPS the sides of her face, hard. She then calmly turns back, red palm prints visible on her cheeks.
"...Yeah. I know people want to include me in stuff. I just... don't know how comfortable I am with being included, in all the stuff. If that makes sense." And that's all she's going to comment on.
She only has a short nod left to offer on the Touwa matter, after that moment of forced recovery. But she can't help but glow at the praise of her work. She smiles wider when Alouette shares her own accomplishments. "I knew it. Somehow, I could tell that you're more of a Miracle Worker than you were giving yourself credit for. In which case, I totally want to see your work! Maybe we could do a collab project, I'm always happy to help! Now's not a good time, obviously, but... it can be something to look forward to when the crisis is all over, right?"
Not even a word on the notability of Alouette managing something so incredible at such a young age... the fact that this is exciting to Naoko rather than surprising speaks volumes. Even if their decisions in other matters were very different... this is something they have in common. Something that Naoko always wished she could have in common with somebody.