2023-10-05: Kallen - Friendship's Support
- Log: 2023-10-05: Kallen - Friendship's Support
- Cast: Emilia Eschonbach, Kallen Kozuki
- Where: Black Knights Base, Nagoya, Area 11
- OOC - IC Date: October 6, 0097
- Summary: Coming back from her secret trip to Seattle, Emilia has thrown herself headlong into simulator training- and exhausted herself in the process. Kallen comes back to find her- and help her unpack everything that happened at the memorial.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Sometimes it felt like the Black Knights had increasingly few spaces to hide in Nagoya.
The warehouse and townhouse used for Cascade's meetings had been burnt, as had the hideout where they had met for Kallen's birthday. For now, immediately after arriving surreptitiously back in the country, Emilia was in the main base, where the mobile weapons were.
Up until a few moments ago, she had been inside Rapunzel's cockpit, running simulation after simulation, of increasing difficulty. At least until she had been shot down three times in a row.
Now, she was sitting on a beat up couch in what passed for a break area, a half drunk sports drink on the table, with a straw sitting in it.
She sat there, alone, quiet, for more than a few minutes, before drawing her knees up to her chest, and hugging her arms around them.
Looking at her now, it was easy to see the tiredness in her. Dark rings sat under her eyes, her shoulders sagged, the fading bruise on her jaw not hidden by makeup. She let out a long, laboured sigh, and let her head fall forward, hoping that certain elements of the Black Knights weren't here to see her like this.
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
There's a particularly obvious figure missing from this hideout. The familiar red of the Guren is nowhere to be seen. Of course, this is because she took it out on a mission of her own directive some days ago. To go after Hell's massing forces over at Fujinomiya. A small temporary base has been established over there.
However, Kallen has come back for a day or two... rather, she's currently in the process of returning, as she slips into the base in question. She's got a lot eating at her... but for now it seems like the worst case isn't coming. So she's got time to relax a little bit.
And so, the only sign she's coming is the sound of a motorcycle engine as she pulls into a side entry. Some people might be surprised she has one of these. And that's because she doesn't. She borrowed the bike from Tamaki, who owed her enough favors that he'll basically be paying them back until the day he dies.
So, while Emilia might be worried about it, the person who eventually slips in doesn't deride her or offer any snide, harassing commentary. Instead, a strong but gentle pair of arms slide down from behind, to hug the bruised, exhausted, and despondent Knight. "Do you want to talk about it?"
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emilia doesn't respond to the sound of the motorcycle engine- presumably assuming it is Tamaki, someone she doesn't really want to talk to. It's the footsteps behind her that make Emilia look up- then the feeling of Kallen's arms around her. Despite herself, Emilia leans back into it, closing her eyes. She's quiet, for a little while, before speaking.
"...I. S-s-saw Min- saw Audrey yesterday." She says, quiet enough to hope no one overhears. "H-Her and Leina. Th-th-they smuggled me to S-Seattle. For, um."
She takes a deep, deep breath. When she opens her eyes, Kallen might see the red in them, from a mix of lack of sleep and tears.
"...Yesterday was. Th-the anniversary of D-Dad's death. They... t-t-tried to set up a memorial for h-h-him. S-s-so I could..."
Mourn? Say goodbye? Come around to Mineva's line of thinking?
"...I. Sh-sh-she played his l-last moments to me." There's a definite pain in Emmy's voice there. "And. W-w-we fought."
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
There's a moment where she doesn't move at all... but then, one of the hands does raise from its resting position, stroking through Emmy's lilac hair. She knows there's been a lot her best friend has been going through. And an amount that Kallen... hasn't felt qualified to help with. She's tried, certainly. But there's a certain level of distance still.
Honestly, she's surprised by that news. She'd gotten the impression they weren't on speaking terms, for reasons she'd only heard about after the fact. She hadn't actually heard the broadcast herself, for various reasons. So she's only gotten it second-hand. "I'm sorry... I know it's difficult." Both the anniversary, and the fighting.
Kallen slides over the couch, to sit next to her. So she can look the girl over, see if she still needs to be icing or compressing any of the swelling and bruising still on her. Even where it's been hidden. "...It's okay to be angry, you know. Arguing is natural too. Your situations have been pretty different after all."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy closes her eyes again as Kallen strokes her hair. It's calming, a little, for a girl who has spent so much of her life utterly touch starved.
When Kallen sits next to her, Emilia scooches in close to lean against her. The worst visible injury is still her jaw, even if the swelling has gone down. It'll be a few weeks before she can open her mouth enough without risk of redislocating her jaw for the dental implant, but she's at least kept up with the regime.
She pauses, as Kallen tells her it's okay to be angry. "She... d-d-doesn't get it." Emmy says, her voice still soft and quiet. "She... told me all th-th-th-these things about our family..." True things, probably. "She j-j-just... t-treats me like a child. She said sh-she wanted to p-protect me, b-b-b-but..."
Emilia slumps a little. "...Sh-she t-treats me like a ch-child. She said that... sh-sh-she wants to hear what I h-have to say, b-but..."
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
Once they're next to one another, Kallen wraps an arm around her shoulder. To just hold onto her. Give her a safe spot to curl into. She's been vulnerable before. Often in the face of those she had no desire to let see it. Giving Emmy somewhere she feels is safe, might help her be able to let everything out in a positive way.
Knowing she's on the road to healing helps. Makes it easier to speak openly. "I'm sure she has her perspective... but what the two of you lived are very different things. And... protecting people can go too far." It's difficult for her to put into specific words, but protecting someone is a delicate line to walk with maintaining free will.
She does understand the idea of not chasing... certain dreams, but explaining where that line is, and why, also takes either a certain amount of tact, or a particular brutal honesty. In that particular case, half-assing the line just hurts people.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Emmy doesn't resist the arm around her, but she looks down again. "...I d-d-did something st-stupid." She says, finally. "...when. Wh-when she t-told me the f-f-first time, th-that Char killed my d-d-dad." Emmy looks ashamed of herself, not meeting Kallen's eyes.
"...I told her. That. I w-w-was a Black Kn-Knight." She takes a pause. "D-d-do you remember... that S-Seattle operation? I... was p-pulled last minute, but she told L-Leina and Banagher that I w-was a Black Knight, s-so they could protect me." Why does that feel so uncomfortable to her? "If. Char sh-showed up." She draws herself in a little tighter, as she says it.
"Apparently... o-our intel w-w-was a l-leak from. Th-the Vist Foundation? S-s-so that's why. They thought I'd b-b-be there." She's quiet again. "...Sh-she w-wouldn't even tell me she was. In trouble."
Emmy finally looks up to Kallen with those red, tired eyes. She probably hasn't slept since yesterday. "I kn-kn-know I'm not as g-good as you, b-b-but... Am I... r-r-really that weak?"
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
It's easy to feel to fear in Emmy's voice... not just because they're so close now. But... it's something that's been getting easier. Noticing the little changes in people. How they shift, or carry themselves differently, with the influence of various emotions. Of course, she's not the sort of person who can feel deeply into what those around them hold tight to their chests. Only make observations.
The reason for the fear... that wasn't what she expected at all. The operational security issue is one thing, but... all the same... "That operation was a mess. I remember it, and... I get why you told her. You wanted your only living family to trust you could be counted on." It's not going to matter much soon, anyway. She also feels a twinge of... something. At the mention that she couldn't keep it to herself, and wound up passing along that info. Even if she did it trying to help...
Red, tired eyes meet with blues. Eyes that seem, usually, so certain and strong. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Even outside of that Codarl you use now, I've seen it. There's something inside that refused to break." A weaker persona might have submitted to the cruel plans of a certain hateful old man after all.
"And if you mean on a more demonstrable level, you've shot up in ability quickly. Whatever other people see, I know you're talented as a pilot. And still getting better too, as we practice." There are only so many people worth mentioning as combatants. "And... bluntly, any Knight that says otherwise is gonna have a talk with my boot."
Nobody has to be perfectly strong all the time of course, but that wasn't what she asked. "So, rest your head here. We can talk about everything." And hopefully she'll be able to drift off to some clearly-needed sleep, at some point. "Some people just think they know better. Sometimes they need it spelled out that they're wrong about what they think is best."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
She nods, as Kallen guesses her reason. "I... t-t-told her I'd. K-Kill him." Probably a good reason Emilia wasn't on that mission, honestly, if that was her intent. "Leina. S-Said she wouldn't. T-tell anyone, b-but..." But there was something about that MS she'd never seen before.
Kallen's reassurances hit the mark, and even if she doesn't smile she looks a little more at ease. "Y-yeah... I'll g-g-get good enough... then sh-she won't push me away."
At Kallen's urging, Emilia rests her head on the other woman's shoulder. It's nice. Warm. Safe. "O-okay..." Talk about everything, huh? "...I... d-don't want it to..." A yawn interrupts her words, as she transfers more of her weight onto Kallen. "Don't w-want it to d-d-disappear... I only just f-f-found it..."
She falls silent after that, closing her eyes. Within a few minutes, Emilia's breathing slows, and the rest of her weight slumps on to Kallen, soft, gentle snoring sounds coming from Emmy.
<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.
It's... not exactly surprising, to hear she wanted to kill the man. Kallen isn't exactly in disagreement with that sentiment herself. No, the surprise is in Emmy stating it aloud. Proof that she can be more bold than people think. "I'll keep your training up. We'll look over your recent results and I can tailor adjustment to our regimen based on your current strengths and weaknesses." It's more than that though. Strength alone won't keep them here. She'll have to work that in as they train. Teach Emmy about the power of her heart too. About cultivating the meaningful bonds, making them less... likely to break.
Forcing people to remain by her side with might and fear doesn't sound like Emilia's style, after all. It's not what she would want.
Steadily, she can feel a little more weight leaned against her. Words slowing down. Breathing becoming more natural and even. "We'll work together to preserve it... I'd move the heavens and earth for my best friend, after all."
Kallen has no plans to move for as long as Emmy remains asleep, and no intent to wake her. So, she'll simply remain right here. Even when inevitably, she winds up with a head of soft, bouncy lilac hair shifted onto her lap. "...No matter what happens. I just... have to figure out how to explain to Milly..." All spoken only to herself. Too soft to hear, but perhaps somewhere in the dreaming mind.