2023-11-24: The Power To Seize Fate
- Log: 2023-11-24: The Power To Seize Fate
- Cast: Emilia Eschonbach, Xia Twins (Xia Yu Fan)
- Where: Nagoya, Area 11
- OOC - IC Date: 23 November 0097
- Summary: Xia Yu Fan, newly of the Black Knights is surprised to find a Codarl in the hangar. Emilia is surprised to find someone who knows what Rapunzel is. A tense confrontation leads to a combined ambition to master the Lambda Driver.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
The Black Knights have multiple hangars strewn around Area 11- having things centralized in one space is too high risk- at least this way if a base gets hit, they can minimize risk. This one is mostly Burai's, but towering over those is an Arm Slave.
To Emilia, it's name is Rapunzel- a customized machine provided for her use after her Burai was totalled by Cornelia.
To Mithril, however, it's a Venom. And to Amalgam, a Codarl.
Inside her cockpit, Emilia has been running simulations. She's been doing it a lot lately. Trying to work out how to cover her weaknesses, ever since her fight with Mineva and getting taken down by Gamia NX-3. But she has to take breaks- and now seems to be the time. The Codarl is knelt on all fours, before she climbs out of the cockpit entrance of the back of the neck.
She's in her improvised mission outfit- a black leotard over tights and long sleeves, with boots and hardened gloves. She should wear the uniform more, but she was used to this. She stood atop Rapunzel's shoulder for a little bit, frowning.
<Pose Tracker> Xia Twins has posed.
The Xia Yu twins' search for a new place to stay following their violent fallout with Amalgam, and Gauron's equally violent death. It's pretty easy to get into the Black Knights in Area 11 - they fight for a cause, and for that cause they'll take pretty much any motivated citizen with a mobile weapon.
And what brings Xia Yu Fan to one of their hangars this time is storage of... what used to be a Codarl, little more than a Lambda Driver core and cockpit now. Yu Lan suggested they just trash it... but Yu Fan not only felt it was foolish to throw away the only trump card you have left... she also wanted to know why she fell short of Sousuke Sagara.
So to see another, fully-intact Codarl in the hangar? Either this one was also stolen... or it's trouble. Yu Fan is alone right now, and she decides against making any snap judgements, slowing approaching, hand over holster... as the pilot practices combat simulations.
Once Emilia climbs out... she's met with a figure, bright red eyes, but otherwise unidentifiable, features concealed. "...Where did you get that thing?" She asks, quietly, eyeing 'Rapunzel' up-and-down.
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
The question- and the unknown voice- causes Emilia to snap alert, her head turning to the mysterious figure. She doesn't know who this is, and immediately she's on the defensive.
"Wh-who are you?" She asks, edging slightly back towards the Codarl's cockpit. Someone unknown in the base- though she didn't get informed of a lot of new members. Their ranks were growing...
She's silent for a few long moments as she stares Yu Fan down, trying to identify the completely concealed woman. She can't tell much about her- but the hangar isn't very occupied either. It's unlikely someone was here by chance, and Britannians don't generally do subtle on these things.
"...I-it was p-p-provided for me." Emilia responds, simply. "I d-d-don't know where it came f-from. I just p-pilot it." That's not entirely true- Emmy has an idea who pulled the strings to get her a fancy unit. And she'd seen others before on that ill-fated joint operation. The one led by that merc.
<Pose Tracker> Xia Twins has posed.
Even as Emilia flinches back, Yu Fan's gaze isn't any less piercing, as she takes a single step forth. She removes her hand from her holster. "...My name is unimportant. But you may call me Fei Won if you're inclined." That's the name she signed up to the Black Knights with - obviously fake, because that's a name a boy would have. "My sister and I are lending aid to your organization... we have no particular fondness for Britannia, but what if I told you they aren't the only dangerous predator at your doorstep?"
She crosses her arms, meeting the other girl's eyes as she hangs by the cockpit. "...Precisely." Is all she says, as Emilia lies that she has no idea where it comes from. "Then they have played you for a fool. Because no matter how many weapons they supply you with, they do not particularly care if you win or not. No, they would prefer to see you struggle to achieve it."
She is silent for a few moments as she continues to almost... study Emilia."...What they have given you is a machine that will let you fate into your own hands, no matter what happens." She eyes the Rapunzel, and then the remains of her own Codarl. "You must have noticed it. It is no mere high-spec Arm Slave. It would be no exaggeration to say it grants the miracles of your own will." It might sound like Psychoframe, but the wording suggests it is something different all the same.
"Take it as a warning or a challenge, if you will. Many people go mad trying to master it, lest they never bring out its true potential." She settles on, crossing her arms. "I speak from experience."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
Alas, Emilia isn't familiar enough with Chinese naming conventions to recognize the false name. "Fei Won, then." Her eyes narrow, however, as Yu Fan tells her about the predators. "I w-w-wouldn't be surprised." She says, sharply. "Britannia aren't the o-only enemy. The Dinosaurs, N-NISAR, the rest of the F-F-Federation..."
Still, she blinks at Yu Fan briefly. "...I d-don't care what they prefer. I'm not u-using it for them. This is m-m-my weapon. I'll use it for Zero and to m-make Britannia pay. If 'th-they' have a p-problem with it, I'll go th-through them too." It's easy to tell the anger rising in her voice. Professor Martel wouldn't use her, would she? But...
Her eyes narrow further. "...Y-you know wh-what it is, don't you?" She didn't even know the make. She thought it was a custom Shadow- but then she mentions it. Miracles of your own will...? "...Y-you mean like... wh-when I cut through s-something even though I d-don't connect." She says, quietly. "Or when I a-avoid something that should have hit." Has she been doing this without knowing the system exists?
But it's Yu Fan's final sentence that gives Emilia something to latch on to. A warning or a challenge. "Y-you know how it w-w-works..." She's quiet for a few seconds. "...Th-then I choose a ch-challenge." There's a fire in Emilia's eyes. "I n-need to be stronger. If th-this thing can make miracles- then I n-need it. I n-need to be strong enough to d-destroy and protect!" Strong enough that Mineva will see her as an equal, rather than a child playing at war.
She looks 'Fei Won' in the eyes. Despite her stammer, and her small frame, there's something raging between the surface. "T-Teach me! If you know how to u-use it, show me! I c-can't afford to b-be weak anymore!"
<Pose Tracker> Xia Twins has posed.
"What shall I call you, then?" She asks, as Xia Yu Fan. "A callsign is fine. It may be that we fight side by side whenever Zero plans his next attack." But when Emilia goes into the rest of the 'predators' of the world, Yu Fan's eyebrows raise at mention of NISAR, in particular. It's not like they manufacture machines with Getter Rays anymore...
A smile might emerge on Yu Fan's face through the mask, though, when Emilia asserts it's her weapon, and she's piloting it for her own cause. "Good." She says, slowly nodding. "These Arm Slaves, they become so much more than weapons... as if they're extensions of your own self. Only you can decide what it does." She moves closer to the cockpit where Emmy sits.
"Yes. It is equipped with something they call the Lambda Driver." She answers. "As you say, it cannot be explained through the laws of physics. Theoretically, the only limit is your will." But she's read what other Amalgam soldiers have had to do to consistently keep it active. "But in practice, many turn to drugs to achieve its full effects. You must not lack for strength of mind if you were able to activate the system without even knowing about it."
She sounded impressed, but when Emilia wishes to be stronger, begs her to teach her how to use it better... it reminds her of how she felt when she stole her own Codarl, determined to put an end to Mithril and Amalgam once and for all.
"...I thought I knew how to use it, that is." She clarifies. "I felt like I could fight hundreds at once... and I did! I thought I could finally destroy what I sought to. But I lost... and all it took was the will of one young man. I am certain that the only reason I am still alive is because the Lambda Driver responded to my will to survive, for my sister."
But she does not ignore the fire in Emilia's eyes, and meets the 'challenge' for what it is. "You need the strength to protect, and destroy... but why?" She meets her determination with a question. "It is not a system you can use better by simply understanding it. No... it requires you to believe in it, and never forget the reason you fight."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
"...Emilia." She responds, simply. Surnames aren't necessary, there aren't that many lavender haired half-Britannians in the Black Knights. "In c-combat I use R-Rapunzel. It's... wh-what I called this machine." A fairy tale princess with long hair... maybe it makes sense for the Codarl.
"Th-they're easier to pilot than a KMF." She says. Extensions of the self... Sometimes it does feel like her body but bigger. Maybe why she feels so strong with it... and so powerless without it.
"L-Lambda D-Driver..." She repeats. That must be the system Rapunzel powers up sometimes. But something that doesn't relate to physics. It sounds like something Leina would talk about, with connections and newtypes. She frowns at the mention of drugs. "I... h-haven't needed anything like th-that."
Still, it's Yu Fan describing her own experience that causes Emilia to fall silent, listening. A will to survive? The reasoning, though, Emmy can understand it. It's the question of why she fights that gives her pause.
"...I wanted revenge. Against my Grandfather. Against the Federation, against G-Getter, even Z-Zeon.... For... m-me and the people I c-care about. I still want it. I want B-Britannia to suffer." She pauses. "But more than that... th-there are people who I want to keep safe. My c-cousin... She h-has a lot of enemies. I want to make s-sure my friends make it back safe. I w-want to tear down their enemies so th-they can thrive. So w-we can live. And one st-step of that is d-destroying Britannia." She shakes her head.
"B-But I n-need to prove I'm st-strong enough, strong enough th-that I'm on their l-level. Too m-many people think I o-only need to protecting. So... I n-need to be strong enough to change that, s-so I can pr-protect them too." She never breaks eye contact. "I-Is that reason enough?"
<Pose Tracker> Xia Twins has posed.
"...Understood." She nods, when Emilia gives her name. Maybe Rapunzel is a bit of a fitting name for the machine... but the reference does not come to her immediately. And she never felt interested in naming her machines - only moving them.
"It can be easier or more difficult. It helps if you're skilled in on-foot combat..." She suggests. Emilia doesn't look like she's built for that, but you never know.
"Good." Is what she says again, about the drugs. Then it sounds like the Driver really did react to her true, genuine will.
After her question causes Emilia to fall silent, Yu Fan is silent as well, not wishing to disrupt her thought process. "...Revenge." She repeats. That's familiar, too, even if the targets are different. But Emilia wants revenge against nearly the entire world... no wonder she was already able to use the Lambda Driver.
"Is it reason enough? It sounds like you've made up your mind." Yu Fan says. She doesn't think she could change her mind - she'd probably follow down this dangerous path no matter if she agreed to help or not. And before, she might be fine with that - it's not her responsibility what a girl with a little too much fire in her heart does.
...But what's the point of having the Lambda Driver if she can't use it properly? What was Amalgam thinking providing it to her? "All right." She starts. "The effects created by the Lambda Driver can often look bombastic. Even massive force-fields and energy blasts, if used to their fullest extent." She explains, hearing that anger clear in Emilia tone. "But if you wish to have any hope of effectively controlling that energy... it takes a certain calmness of mind. No matter how angry you feel, it means channeling that anger into a pinpoint - upon your enemy." That's something even she struggled with, clashing against Sousuke in the streets of Azadistan.
"If you cannot control your emotions, you will never be able to control the power that comes from them. And to keep your friends safe, you must learn to steady your aim." She pauses, to look up at Emilia again. "...Does that help you?"
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
"I'm p-p-passable with a sword," Emmy responds when Yu Fan brings up on foot combat. "But... that's dueling. N-not fighting. I need to be b-better at that too." She's still sore about what Cascade's sister did to her. Concussed and down a tooth from one kick. "W-we're fighting things... o-other than humans too. I d-don't want to get caught off g-guard like that again."
Nearly the entire world is probably true enough. Too many people failed her to get to this point. Too much was robbed from her. Even what she has now often feels like too little, too late. The answer seems to be sufficient, from Yu Fan's response, if not perhaps ideal.
"...That's..." It sounds ridiculous, on some level. But every so often there's been that green flash on the edge of her knife or around the Codarl. She thought it was a visual error... "So it's... p-pointing my anger at them? Th-that's really it?" Can it really be that simple? Control and focus?
But Yu Fan continues and Emilia stops. That's the catch, is it. Control has been her weakness in these things. She's followed the anger, but she's always lead by it. It's kept her going at points.
But she's had to be hauled off the battlefield more than once, as well.
"...H-how do you c-c-control something like that?"
<Pose Tracker> Xia Twins has posed.
"They are very different," Yu Fan agrees. While duelling is all about rules, it's hard to say that's the case when your life is on the line. "If you ever find you need training in on-foot combat... perhaps my sister would be willing to show you." She offers. "While I know my way around a gun and a knife... she's the expert between us."
Though Emilia does not express it, Yu Fan finds she sympathizes with Emilia's anger with the world. Might it help her to get to know this girl better?
"In a sense... it really is just that." She nods. "But there's a reason so many fail to grasp something even that simple..." Emilia catches it - the need for control and focus.
But it's difficult to put into words how it's done, and Yu Fan is silent, considering how she should answer Emilia. Does she even have the right, after she failed against Sousuke?
"In many ways... I found it's like unlearning everything you've ever known about how combat works. You can't just rely on your instincts anymore -- you have to be a step ahead of them. Even if it feels like their attack is going to kill you, you have to believe in the machine and believe in your feelings." She sighs. It really does just sound all made-up. But piloting that thing for two days certainly does something to you.
"The anger still matters," she considers, because once she couldn't feel angry specifically towards Sousuke and his allies anymore, the machine wouldn't move for her either, "but it's as if that anger has to perfectly overlap with your target in your mind." It's almost... difficult for her to even visualize that outside of combat, though.
She looks back at 'Rapunzel' and towards Emilia. "It's something I do not fully understand myself... so perhaps it is something we should figure out together." She suggests, removing her face mask. "Because I don't intend on giving up on mastering the Lambda Driver either."
<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.
"I'm t-t-told that I'm n-not suited to it," she says, of dueling and the sword. "But... if y-your sister would be willing, I'm prepared t-to learn." She needs every asset you can get.
"...I w-w-would have thought there'd be more too it th-than that." She says, looking thoughtful. "B-but... that m-means maybe I can master it." Control and focus. Finding a way to control her anger, funnel it into the destruction of her enemies. Surely she can do that.
Predicting her instincts, though... that's something that's going to be tricky with a self taught pilot like her. Everything she's done has been either worked out herself or under Kallen's tutelage, and Kallen's main skill is in AMBAC units. "...Th-then I'll j-just have to l-learn how to do it." Believe in Rapunzel and her feelings... and turn them into something she can manifest.
'The anger still matters,' however, seems to put Emmy at ease. She doesn't have to put aside or give up the part of her that got her this far. She just has to understand it. "...Can th-this Lambda Driver thing... c-can you practice with it or is L-Live Combat the o-only way to learn?" The latter is a do or die method, but if that's how it is, it's how it is.
She blinks, as Yu Fan removes her mask. Of all she was expecting from under the mask, she wasn't someone who looked maybe younger than she did. "...O-okay. M-maybe we can w-w-work it out by working t-together." If 'Fei Won' doesn't intend to give up- then Emilia can do that too. "Let's... take h-hold of our own fates."
<Pose Tracker> Xia Twins has posed.
"...Then I'll talk to her about it," Yu Fan says of her sister. "She's really shy... but she's also sharp as a knife. And you do not need words to practice with weapons."
As for whether it's possible to train outside live combat... "I can't say I've had any luck. But... maybe there's a way to train your mind in similar ways. Breathing exercises, meditation." She can't say she's tried those either, but it's an option.
And finally, Emilia seems amicable to working together. "...With our own hands." She agrees, in regards to taking hold of fate. She couldn't even trust the girl enough to say her real name... but perhaps that comes with time.