2024-03-15: Hangout in a Hangar! Boss Takes a Backseat
- Log: Hangout in a Hangar! Boss Takes a Backseat
- Cast: Boss, Sayaka Yumi
- Where: Photon Power Labs, Fujinomiya City
- Date: November 0098
- Summary: When Boss is temporarily occupied, Nuke and Mucha head to the PPL's hangar on their own. They find Sayaka there, and the group discusses the directions various aspects of their lives are headed.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
November has come, and that means chilly weather for Fujinomiya City, nestled right by the great Mt. Fuji. Well, perhaps that isn't such a big deal for the Photon Power Labs, where even your average worker seems to have unusually hot blood...
But today is another routine day, for the most part. Yuliana Kafim is in today for her Photonic Neuromodulation Therapy treatment, and while that's going, Sayaka usually leaves Dr. Kimura to his task, unless there's an emergency of any sort.
At heart, Sayaka is an engineer, though... and right now, she can be found in the hangar. While Koji seems to have an ambitious project at works, and a certain sassy, yet bright young intern has expanded the scope of the hangar's capabilities... Sayaka's work today is on the practical side. How can Photon Power be used to improve EWAC systems, increasing the reliability of Ichinana models?
Boss and his crew - as well as Borot itself, when it isn't being used as a generator are always welcome in the hangar, too, of course. If there's any need for the hangar and its tools now that Borot is back in action, now's the perfect time while Boss is here to visit Yuliana.
For her part, Sayaka feels she's made enough progress that she wouldn't mind taking a break from her own work.
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Strolling through the PPL, with a characteristically positive energy that seems to radiate off them... is a group with a surprising absence. The Boss Ramen trio are here for one of their visits to Yuliana, but their namesake is separated from the group. Nuke and Mucha are on their own, and they've got something resembling a song going as they walk: Mucha is whistling a tune, and Nuke is snapping his fingers in time with it. An attentive ear might pick up the melody as part of Fire Bomber's discography; it's anyone's guess whether Nuke could name which song it is, but he's following along pretty well anyways.
In a table in the corner of the hangar, there are a few small, broadly Borot-colored plastic shapes, with various drawings on small papers around them. Borot itself isn't here, but evidently the (very) rough plans have been given their own dedicated spot, with their Photon 3D Power Printer helping make miniature mockups.
Walking into the hangar, Nuke and Mucha are immediately headed towards the table; but they pause briefly when they see Sayaka. Nuke, if Sayaka acknowledges the two as they enter, offers a silent but friendly wave. Mucha has a little more to say, though: "Hello, Dr. Yumi. Don't worry, we won't interrupt you: I'm sure you're busy with stuff a lot tougher to make than the average person." And with that, he keeps walking.
...Huh? Did he forget to finish his sentence? It's at least clear that his compliment is fully sincere, but... well, Mucha's expressions are not an easy read, and he knows it. All the same, he's also genuine in that neither of them want to disrupt her work, so they won't say any more unless Sayaka chooses to open a conversation.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
It's not often you see Boss without Nuke and Mucha - and vice versa, too. It's not difficult to tell what might have Boss occupied though... and Sayaka supposes Nuke and Mucha might just need to kill some time - the hangar isn't such a bad place for it.
A familiar tune is hummed as Nuke and Mucha march in, and Sayaka climbs out of the test-model Ichinana's 'Pilder' - it certainly doesn't hurt to make conversation, right? "Hey, isn't that Fire Bomber?" Sayaka calls, waving. "Not bad." Of course, she doesn't name the song - which might totally put Nuke and Mucha on the spot.
She waves back to Nuke, though it's Mucha who has more to say... "Oh, it's no big deal," She quickly brushes it off, laddering down to the base of the hangar. "Actually, this isn't really anything exciting at all. It's just-" She blinks though, because she expects Mucha to keep talking, before realizing where exactly she's heard that wording before.
"Geez... is that how you choose to ask someone if they've been getting busy? No tact at all! It's just like you three." She shakes her head, tossing her helmet off to the side.
"Well, I said 'you three'... but it looks like it's just two of you, huh?" She looks around a bit, and indeed, there's no sign of Boss. "Well, that's fine. I'm sure he'll turn up. Why don't we chat in the meantime?" She glances over to the table the trio set up. "How've the two of you been, anyway? Business as usual at Boss Ramen?" She's sure the customers at least, have had a lot to vent about. "The world's changing... but I guess there haven't been a ton of reasons to break out Borot since Isaac City, has there?"
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Sayaka's assumption is correct: Nuke and Mucha are mostly just here to wait as opposed to furthering any particular projects. Still, they're not here for no reason, if she wants to inquire further.
Nuke almost jumps at the chance to talk about Fire Bomber. "Mucha and I are doing this thing where he knows how to whistle every song in Ultra Fire!!, and I said 'that's so cool' when I found out, but I can't whistle well enough to follow along, so I've been practicing going through the album, but I'm going in order from Try Again, so I can't do later ones like Remember 16 just now. But I'll get there!"
Mucha waits a beat. "Really? I was just doing the first melody that came to mind."
"No, I'm kidding. But don't tell Boss, okay? When we're ready, we're just gonna start doing it one day and see how he reacts." There is a truly elaborate scheme brewing here. "Anyways, hello, Dr. Yumi..." and Mucha says his greetings.
It takes Sayaka just a few seconds to fully parse that greeting, which is about what Mucha expected. He does, (imperceptibly), get ready in case that helmet is tossed at him - it doesn't end up happening, but he wouldn't have blamed her for it. You can't poke fun at Koji-slapping if you're not prepared for the consequences yourself. As it stands, Mucha raises two empty palms as if to say "guilty" - "Hey, I don't mean to pry about any private information. I'm a changed henchman. All I'm saying is, it took a lot of work to come up with that line." Exactly how long it took him to think of a riff on that, he's not telling.
"Yeah, we're all here at the Labs," says Nuke of his leader: Sayaka is correct again. "Normally we'd just wait out by the motorcycles, but it's starting to get cold out, so we're here until it's time to go." Nuke has a deep purple jacket over his shoulder; unsurprisingly, the Photon Power Labs has plenty of energy to keep the place heated. Mucha's fully wearing his coat, so he must not be bothered by it.
Truthfully, Nuke and Mucha have not been much affected by recent changes on Earth. Still, as Nuke responds, "There's a lot going on, even if it's not knocking on Boss Ramen's door. We get a lot of people with loud voices about the OCU and NUNE: we make them leave if they get nasty about it, but usually we just ask people to respect the other customers." As for Borot - "we still do our maintenance, and we're back to throwing around ideas for improvements. Not much chance to test them out - but I can't complain about the peacetime, that's the whole point."
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
"Every song, huh? You guys must be on some kind of nostalgia kick lately." She laughs, hearing Nuke's absolute dedication to learning them all. "Well, it's not like I don't get it. Their sound is definitely something special."
Mucha almost throws Nuke under the bus... but it seems like these two have some kind of elaborate bit in the works. "Well, good luck with that... I'd almost be a little surprised if Boss recognizes anything but the top hits. Doesn't he mostly like the more folksy type of music?"
Sayaka is in a merciful mood today - which is why Mucha ultimately doesn't get a helmet to the face. "Oh, good. I was almost worried Koji decided it was a good idea to spill every little detail of our relationship!" Sayaka says - jokingly. "I'm hoping we can move things along for the ceremony pretty soon... but making wedding plans is a lot of work too, wouldn't you know it?"
Nuke confirms that they're all here. "Well, you're always welcome here, of course. It'd be rude to kick out such honoured guests." There's that lighthearted emphasis on 'honoured'.
Nuke and Mucha recall their experiences on the changes in the Earth Sphere. "That's a pretty reasonable stance to take. The least you can do in a public restaurant is show some respect, after all." Having to be glued to all the latest news... she can imagine the NUNE's first real military action being to completely rout Celestial Being must really have people talking.
"The free energy the Photon Power Labs provide is more important than ever now that the OCU has taken its independence. So, it's safe to say we're thriving." Sayaka adds, expression completely neutral. "Seems like the demands have been piling upon the Prime Minister's desk, though..." PM Yumi may be her father... but she can't blame people for wanting him to finally take a stand regarding Area 11.
"It's still your generator, so I can see why maintenance would be vital." Sayaka nods. "I have to say, though... I'm curious about those improvements. The 3D Printer was already quite the novel idea. Can't imagine what else the three of you might have in store..."
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
"When are we not on some kind of nostalgia kick?" Mucha continues to wear his signature smirk, but his tone conveys the same warmth as the wide grins Boss and Nuke have on so often. He agrees with Sayaka's prediction to a point: "it's definitely been a long time since Fire Bomber was at the front of our minds, but Boss has a long memory when he wants to. I give it 50% he only remembers his favorites, 40% he's got almost all of them, 10% he joins in and doesn't miss a beat."
Fortunately for Koji, he's been responsible about his privacy. Besides, Mucha may tease about it, but he's not actually interested in the details. He is Honorable, after all. About wedding plans, Nuke remarks that "I remember Tetsuya and Jun's... if it was a lot for them, it must be a lot for anyone, even two people as motivated as them..." a thought visibly crosses Nuke's mind. "It'd better be two motivated people for you, too. If Koji's slacking off again, you tell us and we'll give him a talk!" As he says this, he pouts a little and puts his hands on his hips.
Mucha, who's turned away to grab one of the small plastic shapes on the corner table, speaks up again. "I'd be happy to, but I don't think we'd be needed. If Koji wasn't pulling his weight, I know there's a line of people waiting to set him straight. Plus," and here he turns to face the other two, "Sayaka would be first in that line anyways. Koji'll do the work for his special day if he wants to make it there."
Nuke continues to speak on political stances in Boss Ramen. "Us three all have our own opinions, of course, but we let people say what they want as long as they're not going out of their way to be a problem. Mucha's usually the first one to jump into those conversations himself - sometimes I do too, but sometimes I get tired." There's a little wavering of confidence in his voice, there.
Mucha naturally notices this, so he backs Nuke up. "We've got a pretty good track record of customers not fully causing a scene, but a lot of people have pretty passionate views and not much flexibility about them. Like, Area 11 comes up a lot - I think there's a pattern of either thinking 'we shouldn't even touch that whole thing' or "we've gotta go and Show 'Em Who's Boss.' Personally, I'd want to be a little more careful about all of that."
A small shrug, as he fiddles with the plastic in his hands. "But I don't want to tell people off 'as someone running the restaurant.' I don't know everything, and we'd be a bad conversation spot if we didn't let people disagree. Within reason, of course." He does realize who he's talking to, and the reasons she'd have a personal interest in politics - but he doesn't want to put her on the spot, so he leaves it.
As Boss Borot comes up, Mucha now holds up the plastic he's been fiddling with. "Nothing as big as that. We're feeling pretty good about firepower - we've got a few more ideas, but hopefully we wouldn't need them. Mostly it's more safety stuff. Nuke, could you-?"
He turns his head to address Nuke, but he already has a pink ball in his hand to give to Mucha. It's a miniature Borot head, and it's visibly much more accurate than all the other single-color plastic shapes.
"Thanks, Nuke." Mucha turns back to Sayaka - "For example, we're figuring out what to do with the head. After coming back, we did immediately think to just attach it properly - bad idea, turns out. It being a little loose kind of acts as suspension. We'd feel any hits way harder if we tightened it. So we're seeing if we can find some other way to keep it from going flying so much." The solid-color plastic, held under the Borot Head, is now visible as approximating the body; with a round indent on top to hold the head.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
"Touche," Sayaka admits, when it comes to nostalgia kicks. "Ahaha... it's always something special when Boss decides to flex his singing muscles, though." She adds, to the notion of Boss joining in and singing along.
As for wedding plans! Sayaka shakes her head, about Koji not being motivated enough. "No, no! That's not it at all. It's just, you know..." The mention of Tetsuya and Jun helps the words come easier. "It took such a long time to sort all of this out, there's almost this pressure that it has to be absolutely perfect." She does respect Mucha's sentiment, though. "It doesn't need to be... but I don't exactly want to half-ass something so important either." She picks up a drill, and sets it aside the foot of the Ichinana for later use.
"I am curious what your own opinions on everything going on are," Sayaka clarifies as Nuke goes on about the kinds of discussions they hear in Boss Ramen. "Passionate views with little flexibility, huh..."
The hanging thread in the air that is Area 11 finally comes up. "...That situation really has been complicated. And it's hard to say it's really getting better." She admits. "It would be wrong to abandon the people of Area 11... but it's hard to really have a moderate response to that." She frowns. "We're nearing one year since that horrible massacre... yet one that Zero was happy to spin for his own agenda. Seems like his Black Knights scattered in the chaos, anyway."
She takes a seat then, next to her companion test Ichinana. "All things considered, I'm not surprised people want Free Japan to stop looking the other way. Or even that still others think it's a hopeless situation." She nods to Mucha. "If anything, I wish we could do more. We can't get Photon Power across the border, but I can't see air-dropping Mazinger Z in the middle of occupied territory making anything better, either." A wry smile, as she concludes, "I suppose that's what you call 'being careful about all that'."
The conversation ultimately fizzles from politics to Boss Borot. "'Safety stuff', is that right? Well, good to hear." It sounds like Boss really did take her suggestion about seatbelts seriously. "That head of yours always has been a mechanical nightmare." She agrees. "Sounds like you've got a plan, though. If you need some help with the execution, just let me know." She offers.
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Sayaka's not alone in instinctually equating the time spent on the relationship with higher expectations. Of course, none of the Borot trio have ever set down and planned out this wedding that Is Not Theirs, but they each have some way they've idly imagined it to be from time to time. Naturally they don't think so often about every relationship they're aware of, but Koji and Sayaka are a special case. ...Largely because of how long they've had to wonder about it. But things are really moving now!
This being the case, they naturally echo how Sayaka feels somewhat. "Must be hard to stick with one set of plans when 'Possibility' is so important around here", notes Mucha. "Still, you two know better than anyone that eventually you just have to commit." He's teasing a little more, here, but he ends on an entirely genuine note. "You're Mazin pilots. You're famous for giving your all and making it work. I'm sure you can do it again."
(Nuke lets Mucha have the moment. He nods along supportively.)
Nuke might not always want to talk about political dilemmas, but Sayaka is definitely someone he trusts about it. "Honestly, I think if we do get involved, we should be ready to go all the way. If we hold back without a good reason, we get the downside of having Britannia mad at us, and we don't even help out as much as we could've." A brief pause as he takes a breath. "But that's 'if' we get involved. If the OCU picks that fight, it should be because we know it'd be helpful - it shouldn't just be 'because we can.'"
"Plus, you gotta consider civilians that more fighting would put in danger", Mucha adds. "Personally, I think it'd be safer to take it slower, so they don't get caught up in hasty battles. I agree with Nuke about what the risks are, though. Basically, there's two things we really want to avoid - we don't want to show up and start randomly shooting at stuff, and we don't want to send a letter saying 'hey, we're gonna fight you eventually, have a head start on attacking us first.'"
"Well, we've got a few plans for Borot, but it hasn't held up so far..." Nuke looks slightly embarrased, but not too much - the three of them are used to it. Before he can continue explaining, though:
"Hey, Sayaka! Didn't know you were here!" Yes, Boss has entered the hangar! The trio reunites! The readers at home are cheering! "I'm here to grab Nuke and Mucha, but I hate to cut a chat short. Mind if I join in for a bit?"
Assuming Sayaka allows the conversation to continue longer, Boss makes his way over to his companions. "Talking about Borot plans, huh? See, we have the files to 3D print little Borot mockups really well - thing is, we don't know how to make the limbs move yet. Funny, since we know how to get the real thing moving so well. We can print the head, but for the rest..." It now becomes apparent that all the little plastic shapes are either meant to resemble Borot parts or some addition to them. "Well, it gets the job done. We'll make it look pretty when we do it for real!" Laugher fills the hangar - that's how you really know the trio is here.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
Sayaka chuckles at Mucha's... supportive words. "It's true that everyone seems to talk big about possibility. But... I think we've more than settled on ours." A grin - among all the possibilities Goragon showed her, there's only one she wants to fight for every day to make happen. "So... don't worry about us, Mucha. Your encouragement means quite a lot."
Sayaka notes that Nuke and Mucha seem to differ on the nuances of the Area 11 situation. "I'm not sure our Prime Minister is ready to go all the way, is the problem." Sayaka nods. "It's all but guaranteed that any action would be under heavy scrutiny of NUNE, and as you say, it wouldn't end up being of any help at all."
Mucha gets a similar nod. "That's the most important part. A lot of the fighting in Area 11 in the last few years has been in heavily-populated areas. I'd really rather not contribute to that, if it can be helped." It's a point that the Black Knights faced rather a lot of criticism for, in fact. "At the same time, I'm sure Prime Minister Yumi realizes 'waiting and seeing' isn't a valid strategy forever..." Though she may be his daughter, Sayaka has always been one of the Prime Minister's most vocal critics - but even this isn't an enviable position.
Boss's voice breaks the chatter about Borot upgrades, then. "Boss! Yes, actually... we've been waiting for you." She greets him with a wave. "Of course, come make yourself comfortable." ...As comfortable as a hangar can be at least.
"It does get to be difficult when it's all miniaturized, doesn't it?" She asks, with a laugh. "Although even the real thing never had the most elegant gait of all time." She points out.
"So... how was your visit, Boss?" She asks, guessing at why he's here but not prepared to press too much further. "It's always nice to catch you outside the restaurant from time to time, at least."
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Mucha understands Prime Minister Yumi's position is precarious, here. "It's a good thing he cares about having a strategy. Better than calling it 'not our problem' and walking away. Trouble is, you really do need to have the support on this; if not enough people are on board, you're gonna have trouble making a difference regardless of how far you try to take it. If you wait, that's more time to organize... but it's also waiting. Gotta strike the balance."
Is this, strangely, kind of related to the wedding plan talk from earlier? Even Mucha doesn't seem to notice the possibility.
Boss arrives, as it was foretold! "That so? Well, aren't I flattered! Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long." The environment of a hangar practically feels like a home, to Boss and his crew, so he has absolutely no troubles putting himself at ease.
"Be a heck of a lot easier if I could take a little wrench to it! But I'm sure we'll sort it out eventually." Nuke adds a comment: "right now, it sure feels like it'd be more useful just to use a toy... but we have to stick with learning the 3D printer so we can use it better. Eventually it'll have enough articulation to do pirouettes, you'll see!" He doesn't mention that there's no plans to actually power the testing mockup; Sayaka might envision the three of them gathered around a tiny Borot, carefully moving each limb. Really, are "testing miniature" and "toy" so mutually exclusive? Don't answer that.
"I feel real good about it! Seeing Yuliana's always nice. Nuke and Mucha left a little earlier 'cause she wanted space for a bit, but I don't mind staying a bit by myself. When she feels better, I feel better." Indeed, Sayaka does usually see him inside Boss Ramen, but not exclusively. "Good to see you, too. You know, sometimes I'll hear customers say they were surprised to see me out of Boss Ramen! I love the place, but I do leave it sometimes, just like anyone else." He flashes a wide grin: "I'll be back before you know it, though!"
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
"I suppose that's what it means to 'lead'. It's never really an easy job... but I've come to understand just how important it is." Sayaka nods, at Mucha's wise assessment of striking a balance of acting and organizing. It doesn't occur /at all/ that such thinking must also apply to wedding planning, of course.
Boss brings the energy with his appearance, so Sayaka can't help but smile. "Not /too/ long. It's good to see you though, Boss." And in good spirits, too. She knows the reason /why/ he was here in the first place.
"Pirouettes? Hah... now that's something I'm not sure I need to see." The mental image of the most graceful Boss Borot you've ever seen takes over, anyways. "Well, I think you three may as well have some fun with it."
"It's good to hear Yuliana's doing well today," Sayaka nods - and that seems to put Boss in a good mood, too. "You know, sometimes I'm surprised just how much we get along sometimes. We didn't start off on the best foot, and there's /still/ plenty of obvious reasons to be wary of her. But..."
Is Sayaka too prideful to say they might have a lot more similarities than she cares to admit? You bet! "I'm just glad the Photon Power Labs have been of some help to her."
"I'm not surprised you get that, Boss. You're practically a celebrity in Fujinomiya, you know that?" Perhaps that's an exaggeration, but it's not far off the mark, either. "But that's true enough. You wouldn't still have those motorcycles if you didn't get around from time to time." Her gaze darts across the room, and then back to Boss. "I wouldn't want to keep the three of you forever, but you know you can stay as long as you like."
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
As Mucha and Sayaka talk, Nuke briefly wears a puzzled expression. He really thought Mucha was setting up for another pivot to tie everything together, but... neither of them went for it. Ah, well. He shrugs it off.
"Same to you, Sayaka. And good thing I didn't hold anyone up." By this point, Boss has walked over to join his team, and he makes a wide sweep of his arm to indicate them. "I always used to tell 'em they could just go home without me, but we all know that's never going to happen. I couldn't leave without them, either." Mucha clears his throat. "Boss, aren't you forgetting-" and then he stops; perfectly predicting when his leader will cut in. "That was different!! I thought you said you'd- okay, so I couldn't leave without them ON PURPOSE. Point is, I don't want to keep 'em waiting."
"Hey, it was an example! I'm not SPECIFICALLY trying to make a Borot ballerina. ...It /would/ be handy to turn quicker, though..." Hearing this, an idea takes root in Nuke's head: "Why stop there? We could plan all kinds of new moves with more mobility. Borot Breakdancing Leg Sweep, coming to a hangar near you! Even better, 'cause we don't have elbows or knees to worry about." "Now there's an idea, Nuke! Mucha, write that down." Oh dear. Well, at least they'll have a practice model to try it first.
As Mucha grabs a paper, Boss realizes he'd momentarily forgotten it's not just the three of them there. "Ah! Sorry, Sayaka, where was I?" Conversation picks back up, and turns to the person he'd come here to see. "I'm not much of a wary person, myself. Nuke and Mucha help cover me with that - still, there's more than one reason you make a better PPL director than I would." He chuckles a little as he says it - he might not be /fully/ aware of just how trusting he's being, but he can at least tell that not every situation calls for Boss Ramen's carefree vibe. Still, he hardly even considers Yuliana as a possible threat - "I'm not surprised. I couldn't have gotten to know her if she wasn't a friendly person, would I? I'm telling you, you've got nothing to worry about."
Nuke adds onto that a little, himself: "Besides, if anything goes wrong, we're all right here to help. /All/ of us, I mean, not just us three." Mucha looks up from his paper to flip a thumbs-up, as Boss nods proudly. "You said it! I don't care what kinda evil magic tries to get to her, the PPL will put it in its place. And we'll be back to laughing over lunch in no time!"
What if Yuliana changes her own mind? Not a possibility Boss's considering. They're friends! They're friends. Even if she needs help sometimes, she's a friend. Friends don't use the void to hurt friends. And so, nothing will stop Boss from putting his faith in her. He and his crew is 100% confident about this... as they should be...?
Either way, they don't see any reason not to move on; which puts them near the end of their conversation. Boss quips about him being a celebrity: "I've always prided myself on my branding! But I'll only take sponsors that put 'Boss' in their name." As to how long they'll stay: "Ah, we'll be going soon, but not just yet: I gotta see more of these acrobatic Borot plans! Good luck with the Ichinana, too." With a light-hearted salute, Boss fully turns his attention to Mucha's now-completed sketch. The trio will be there for some time yet - once they're done, with a wave goodbye to Sayaka, they'll head home.