2024-04-04: The Scent of 'Intrigue'

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<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Of course Ruri noticed when a mobile suit disappeared from the Nadesico's logs. She and Omoikane remember it being there, of course, but... someone came in and edited the history.

        She notes they were quite good at what they did. If they didn't have their memories, they might never have known another mobile suit was on the Nadesico at all.

        ... but they haven't talked about it. Ruri keeps a lot to herself. For instance, when she gets curry. "I'd like a mild chicken curry, please," the littlest Nadesico crewmember requests from the cafeteria window, as Eri, one of Howmei's girls, sparkles with a smile. ("Sure thing, Ruri-Ruri!") She takes her lunch, and finds a non-obtrusive place to eat which happens to be close by Lucine.

        Nom, nom, nom. Lunch Tanuki is working hard so that Ruri can have Ms. Howmei's famed curry, after all.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        "That's where you learned how to make it?"

        Liam sits across from Lucine, in a grey shiphand's jumpsuit and work boots. A plate of green Thai curry sits on the table in front of him, along with a large glass of water. "I should keep a lookout for a cookbook, then." Bright blue eyes glance back at the line at the counter. "Unless you're daring enough to convince the chef to part with her secrets."

        Mr. Prospector. Liam heaves a sigh at the name. He has not been enthused with running errands for the man, either, but this is Lucine's career at stake. The cyborg pinches the bridge of his nose, and workshops his initial response into something a bit less angry, while still keeping the meaning. "They know they messed up," Liam says. He runs fingers along the coppery stubble on his scalp. As Ruri walks past, he offers her a gentle nod. "And they're trying to cover their tracks. But if--the test unit was confiscated, they can't pretend it never existed to Cathedra." Liam scoops up a spoonful of curry, blows on it, and eats. It's like a tiny detonation of flavor in his mouth. "Cathedra knows exactly what happened. And if they think Nergal's trying to cover this up, that's... not going to end well for Nergal."

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.


Ryoko Subaru goes through the line, taking up a tray of curry... before swinging by the vending machines. They were a luxury after all.

She had to tap her company card, and out rolled her favorite Soft Drink. Placing it on the tray, she started winding through the cafeteria.

'psycommu-- er 'psychocommu' unit, just sitting there for anyone to use'

Ryoko's pace slows subtly, then she walks out of the cafeteria nonchalantly out one entrance.

What reentered the cafeteria, about twenty four seconds later was an anonymous individual, mostly so because it's definitely not Ryoko Subaru in the Nergal Uniform, hunched over and bent down - with a tray table blocking her face.

Balancing a bowl of Curry AND a soft drink with her other hand.

Why would it be? After all Ryoko LEFT. Sliding into position at a table behind a planter for decoration, she slid down into the chair so that her green hair would mostly be obscured by...

... A SHRUBBERY!

And then she ate curry slowly, while definitely not eavesdropping.

Who would ever do that? Not her, she's not here.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "Fool," Ruri says, pausing between bites of curry. She's even insulting the plants, now. How cruel...

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        The rumors and murmurs of the Missing Mobile Weapon have pestered the back of Yurika's head - apparently this is more a matter relevant to Nergal itself, and the mere captain of their flagship apparently just ought to be concerned with managing the day to day affairs of her own little department.

        That's underestimating the heroic resolve of the Earth Sphere's most powerful glorified HR officer!

        "Nergal's trying to cover what up? Tell me tell me!" Yurika immediately butts in, viciously nosy, with her head hoving right over Lucine's shoulder, locking eyes with Liam. Her plate is piled oh so high with curry, which she quickly sets on the seat next to Lucine. She's making herself a Part Of This Conversation come hell or high water.

        "...I mean, you two were whispering, and this whole incident's been just something people talk vaguely about, but if it's gonna tank our whole company, I've gotta help resolve it! My title is 'Problem Resolver Yurika', after all! ...Hey, maybe if I became a magical girl, that's the option I'd go with...!"

        Her head cants over her shoulder at the distant Ruri, and Yurika wonders aloud, "Are even the plants being foolish somehow...? Eeeeh? They don't even have brains..." 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.

         While Maya wouldn't identify herself as a curry aficionado, usually when Curry Day arrived in the cafeteria enough time had passed for her to be fine with grabbing some. She'd gone with a Japanese curry - very different from Indian and Thai curries, but quite tasty. She'd come alone and been wondering if she wanted to join anyone's table in particular or just eat quietly, when she heard a loud outburst from the captain. A coverup? She... wouldn't exactly call herself a nosy woman, but she instantly plopped herself down at a nearby table, and started to eat her curry and listen to what was going on.

         She then looked to the side and saw Ryoko sitting there, with a large plant in front of her as she was very clearly interested in the same program she was, to put it bluntly. "Hey, what's the coverup about?" Maya stage whispers to the flight leader, making no real attempt to hide herself. It'd just make her stand out more, after all. But it would be fun to put on a set of Groucho Glasses while reading a newspaper. 

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        By and large, Sheryl's had her own things going on. Granted, that's true approximately 99% of the time for the Galactic Fairy, but still. While on the Nadesico for a transport, she complained of a headache and found a dark room to lie down in. Now, she's emerged, and thanks to her make-up you'd never guess she was still tired and achey and had a coughing fit fifteen minutes ago, prompting her to come to the commissary for some tea and honey.
        
        Tea and honey has become a big hit with her of late. The doctors keep finding nothing wrong with her, and yet she keeps having these fits.
        
        Brushing her long hair back with one hand, Sheryl enters with a faint sigh, heading up to where Howmei and the girls are to put in an order of tea. The curry looks and smells delicious, and she sniffs the air as she perks up a bit. "Oooh, thai curry..." she murmurs.
        
        But before she can make up her mind on if she can stomach anything right now or not, Yurika is yelling something about Nergal covering something up. Sheryl blinks over her shoulder her way and spots Liam and Lucine there too. "Hmmm? I smell intrigue," she murmurs, lips curving up into a catty smile. She looks back at Eri and says, "I'll stick with the tea after all, thanks!"
        
        A moment later, she's carrying a steaming cup of honey-sweetened tea over and seats herself on Lucine's other side, pincering her between herself and Yurika. (If only Liam were so lucky.) With a brilliant smile, she leans her chin on one hand. "Let me in on this gossip, too~!"
        
        Subtlety is for people who aren't Sheryl Nome. 

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Curry, unfortunately, does not rank in Hikaru's actual esoteric list of top favourite foods, losing out to the likes of soggy rice crackers and pizza crust. Well, that doesn't mean Hikaru won't eat it - it's not like she's picky, just weird.

Being in the cafeteria also lets her hear all the latest juicy gossip and who would miss out on that? Not Hikaru. And today's gossip seems to be... the case of the missing mobile suit.

"I mean..." Hikaru starts, hearing it wasn't just any mobile suit but a psycommu one... "Do you think maybe some kind of spooky ghost got in the cockpit, piloted it and flew away?" Hikaru asks, with a straight face. "...What, did you think I was kidding? It's not like it'd be the first actual ghost to show up on our bridge."

Yurika also offers her own support, and Hikaru blinks in her direction. "But don't all magical girls solve problems, Yurika? I feel like you'd need to be a little more specific HOW you're solving the problems in your title if you really wanna stand out." Human Resources Yurika isn't exactly catchy either though...

"Hey, speaking of fools..." Hikaru glances over to the shrubbery, as Ruri insults it. "Have any of you ever noticed how close the plants are to Ryoko's hair colour? That's probably a funny observation to make since she isn't even here but it only just came to mind now for some reason..." Hikaru has the biggest smirk on her face right now. 

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "... Well, kind of. I got a cookbook, and then tried to add the stuff I remember, but it's just not as good... but maybe it's because I'm making it?" Lucine tilts her head in that way of hers, gold eyes wide. Then, she grins. "... I don't think me saying 'please' will cut it with Howmei. She's not about to let go of any of her secrets."

        Speaking of secrets--

        "... Which part, though?" Lucine frowns thoughtfully at her curry. "The data they could have gotten from it... it can't be that unique, or useful... their IFS technology is leagues ahead. Was it just to confirm that I'm... who I am?" She looks up. ".... Because I'm, ah... well... how do I say this without, ah, implicating--" She's not the only one with these abilities, though it's not like she's come out and *asked* Minato if she's a Newtype, or one of the other types that Lucine's just beginning to learn about--

        She notices Ruri out of the corner of her eye, and looks conflicted. She leans in and whispers to Liam. "... She might... know, if I ask, but should I really get her involved...? Maybe I'm making a big deal out of this..."

        Lucine sighs, and leans back, looking towards the shrubbery, for a long second. She squints, and frowns, then relaxes.

        Well, it's not like Ryoko would necessarily be a bad person to overhear either, or Maya--

        Annd there's Yurika. Lucine startles briefly as her boss magnificently swoops in at the slightest hint of a cover-up.

        And then, Sheryl Nome swoops in on the other side, equally interested. Lucine blinks, briefly concerned about something, but dismisses it.

        Lucine should have realized this would happen. However, Yurika makes a very, *very* good point. "... W-well... ah," she begins, realizing, once again, she's been leaving the very people she cares about in the dark. Just as Hikari openly reveals Ryoko's foolishly foolish shrubbery tactic. "Ah, Ryoko? Maya? You... might as well come over here, too. Maybe it's better to just... get it out in the open, right? ... If you're interested." She huffs a sigh. "I.... kindaaaa.... got Mr. Prospector in trouble, but.... it wasn't his fault? I.... wanted to borrow... something, that, ah... I wanted to... test out?"

        "Some of you probably already know this, but, ah, I'm.... kind of a Newtype?" She quickly waves her hands in front of her. "But.... not the mind-reading types! I swear. I've never even driven something with psycommu tech, up until, ah, recently, and... I probably won't go near anything like that for a while."

        That isn't the sole mystery here, but it does seem to make Lucine feel a little more relieved to openly admit it. 

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Ruri, who can hear them, looks over to Lucine and says: "A mobile suit disappeared from the Nadesico's log files recently. Any record of contact is gone now. Whoever did it was quite good." And then she takes another mouthful of curry. "Lunch is good, too."

        Nom, nom. "Anyway, Mr. Prospector is already involved in that sort of thing. He's the one who recruited me, after all. But I suppose it would be very embarrassing to use psycommu machines right now." And then she just keeps eating. She's not terribly bothered, apparently. Same stoic expression...

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.


Ryoko tries her best not to react at Yurika wondering if even the plants are fools. Muttering at Hikaru INCONVENIENTLY NOTICING A THING, "Close to my hair my-"

She is in the middle of putting a spoonful of curry to her mouth, when Maya addresses her.

There's one beat - two beats - three beats where that spoon is just in her mouth.

Perhaps her theory is that if she doesn't MOVE or otherwise react, that Maya can't see her.

'Let me in on this gossip, too~!'

Ryoko begins coughing, at that moment, like curry just went down the wrong pipe as her spoon clatters on the table

"-'s that Sheryl fucking NOME?"

Pause. Longer pause - longer pause.

It's not like she is surprised by Sheryl being around the Nadesico of course - just surprised at her being in the Cafeteria TRYING TO CATCH THE LATEST HOT GOSS.

Lucine then outright just CALLS HER to come over there and Ryoko starts low key panicking, but trying not to let it show.

"Uh."

Pause, as she puts a hand to the shrub, causing it to jostle just a little.

"Shrubby is nobody suspicious."

Yes, foolproof save.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        "Smart woman," Liam says. He looks up from his plate, tracking the swirl of crew around them. So far, nobody seems to be paying too much attention, even as he regrets steering the conversation into this territory. "...Maybe? It's still... Weird. I did a little research. That tech was right. The suit was definitely at least inspired by the Zeong, and... I think its size might've been its only real selling point? The Zeong was huge, because the tech couldn't be miniaturized, back in the day..."

        Anxiety flutters against Liam's ribs. His eyes dart about. It's okay, he reminds himself. They're safe. The crew care about each other, and Lucine's one of them. Nobody's going to rat her out for talking about shady corporate dealings, right?

        Right?

        Attracted by the scent of fresh gossip, Lucine's crewmates descend like the nosiest of carrion crows. Liam glances at Ruri--okay, so he expected her to know what was up, no one sneaks anything past Ruri--and visibly suppresses a wince as Yurika gets herself involved. He goes silent. He reaches over and grips Lucine's shoulder. God, even Sheryl is here. (Sheryl? Here?? Liam's heart flutters for a somewhat different reason.)

        "...Cathedra got involved," Liam says. "So it's... a big mess."

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        Lucine's staggered, struggling admission of her being a Newtype makes Yurika put her hand to her chin, and the surroundings (to her) begin to go wibbly and chimey in recollection...

        . . . o o o ( TWO YEARS AGO, LATE AT NIGHT, RIGHT HERE ON THIS VERY SHIP

         - - - ".... Why am I talking like this.... You're the captain, and I shouldn't keep this from you....." says a weary looking Lucine, draped over a table in sleeplessness - just before Yurika valiantly hoisted her off to bed...!

        ) o o o . . .

        "Ohhhh is THAT what you meant back then. You were that nervous about it? Didn't some people say like, anyone could become a Newtype some day? I'm not well read on the idea, but for all I know, maybe I'm one too!" (no, Yurika, you're not.)

        The Mysterious Shrub begins to make a noise, and Yurika whispers, "Lucine, I don't want to alarm you, but I think that plant might be a Newtype too..." Does she even know what the word means!?

        Liam brings up the much more worrying technical details, and Yurika blurts out, "What do you mean it's inspired by the-" she realizes the subject is sensitive, and hushes down, "Something based on the Zeong was just sitting in a warehouse? That's crazy talk. Yeah, I can imagine why the rest of the company would wanna cloak that desperately." A sterner look crosses Yurika's expression. "And there's not really a good answer since I'm sure Cathedra would just dig further if they came clean but called it an accidental find...nmhmh, no, Nergal would deeeefinitely get its hands in some kind of weapon like that. They probably had it before Cathedra started getting up in everyone's business."

        Spooning curry into her mouth between each sentence, Yurika whispers, "...Did you two know what you were getting into, or was it a situation that ambushed you sorta unexpectedly? I'm wondering if it's something they thought was more benign than it was...well. I don't know what exactly happened, but it sounds like Lucine's kinda torn up about it herself..." 

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Hikaru comments on how the local plants totally look like Ryoko's hair. Sheryl glances over at the shrub and smirks at her. "You're right! It's just the right shade!" she declares. When Ryoko makes her own declaration about Sheryl, she 'ufu~'s and winks. "In the flesh. <3" At least Lucine's kind enough to invite her and Maya over to join the conversation!
        
        Sheryl's expression turns thoughtful as Lucine starts explaining what happened. She takes a long sip--and when Lucine mentions that she's a Newtype, Sheryl breaks into a cough. She pulls her cup away to cover her mouth with one hand, and sets it down to wave Lucine on. "W-why embarrassing?" she asks Ruri, wiping away a tear.
        
        Cathedra... and psychocommu units... Settling her cough into one fist, Sheryl says, "I've heard a little about those. They're machines that're controlled by brain-waves or something, right?" She frowns, a touch of concern in her blue eyes. "I thought they were illegal? Or at least immoral."
        
        Sheryl isn't very well-informed on that sort of thing--it tends to go beyond her normal interests. But she's seen a bit of that before.
        
        Leave it to Yurika to lighten the mood, though. Sheryl giggles as she weighs in on Newtypes. Including that maybe that plant over there is one. "Maybe we're all Newtypes! People make a bigger deal of it than it really needs." She falls quiet and takes a more measured sip of her tea as Yurika whispers to ask about how exactly this happened.
        
        Cathedra, though. Cathedra...
        
        ...where's she heard that one before? 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.

         Maya shrugged at being invited over and glanced over at her flight leader... who evidently had decided that she wasn't about to give up. She was COMMITTED. OK. She was going to have to save her. "Oh no, you caught me and only me~!" She said in a singsong voice with a smile as she raised her hands in mock surrender. It's lucky the Nadesico was technically a civilian ship. There was a lot more room than she imagined that there would be on a Navy ship. Considering how fast gossip spread, it was important, as a lot of the main players had immediately sniffed out a scoop. Even Sheryl was here, in her usual, look-at-me-I'm-the-centre-of-the-world manner. This was in an entirely complimentary way, of course. Someone has to take centre stage, after all!

         The woman picked up her tray and deliberately sat in front of Ryoko's shrub to try and provide her with even more cover and shielding from prying eyes. "I'm sure Shrubby isn't a Newtype, she's just your normal, garden-variety shrub." Maya said, hoping to deflect attention from Ryoko's 'disguise'. Well, no so much hoping - that ship had sailed - but playing along. "I don't know all that much about Newtypes; just that that means you'd be able to see the ship's ghost?" She was speaking of Rita here. She was a little jealous that she wasn't able to see or hear her, but the ghost had definitely proven its existence. "Do we HAVE to worry about Cathedra, though? Nergal's a pretty big company, and we've also diversified off planet, too. I don't want there to be a conflict or anything, but they seem to be a bunch of bullies, trying to shut down legitimate scientific and technological paths."

         Her IFS was one such thing that they were iffy on. And considering how widespread it was within Nergal, and key to a whole bunch of different technologies, she was sure that they wouldn't take that lying down. 

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "Tell me about it," Lucine grumbles to Liam. "It felt like I was flying a brick... then again, the fact that it was so old... I thought it might... offset the chances of it going... haywire." She just failed to account for *herself*.

        Nevermind newtypes and mind-readers. Ruri, who is _fully capable of hearing what her co-workers are whispering about_, lays it out plainly. "A-ah, thank you, Ruri." Wait, *embarrassing*? "... Because Nergal's IFS technology's much better...?" Lucine says, her voice a touch hopeful. Being a Newtype can't be both dangerous *and* embarrassing at the same time, right...?

        Liam's anxious 'deer in headlights' energy calls to Lucine, who gives him a small 'it is what it is' kind of grin, as he grasps her shoulder. This, at least, is familiar, and... warm, in its own way.

        'Ohhhh is THAT what you meant back then.' Probably the biggest signal that Lucine isn't a mind-reader like she claims is that she looks obliviously at Yurika. ".... oh, you meant... y-yeah... I meant to be more open about it! But it's... hard, you know?" Yurika being a Newtype is something that could be utterly terrifying, but in more than one way. .... And not all in bad ways, either "It's possible," Lucine says, yellow eyes wide. ".... I... don't always catch if someone is or isn't." Pause. ".... And even if I did know, I wouldn't say anything!" Another pause. "..... Because you never know what'll happen..." Long pause. "...... I don't think shrubbery can be a newtype, though, even if I have high opinions on plants..."

        When Sheryl breaks into that cough, Lucine rises out of her seat slightly, concerned. "... Ah, Sheryl--" She lowers back to her seat as Sheryl waves her back on. "... Yeah. The kind this unit had was the older type, controlled through cables. It was... difficult, because you had to focus your intent on things. So it's not like, ah, other forms of driving. I suppose that's why they're dangerous." Are they illegal? Immoral? Lucine's smile grows sheepish. ".... I'm... not sure, on the illegal part? I wanted to try it, just in case it ever... came up. It sounds weird, I know, but... like... it's one of the reasons I never went the IFS route. I was... well... there was the whole, ah, deal with... emotions? But now I realize that's not as much of a thing as it sounded like. At least, for all of you." She frowns.

        Now, she'll refuse to get an IFS tattoo for slightly different reasons.

        ".... Well... it's because of Cathedra that... things got stopped before they got even more messy. Because Liam had the... failsafe switch? If something went wrong. And something did. And the switch didn't work. An agent," Lucine willfully doesn't mention Leina's name, "intervened. It may have gotten a lot worse, without them."

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.


Despite Maya trying to cover with her, 'Shrubby' tries to do the same when Yurika floats the idea of it being a Newtype and Lucine validates it, "I'm not a Newtype dam- dangit. Shrubby is a..." It jostles subtly towards Sheryl Nome, "...ah tree-mendous fan."

-=-=-

Halfway across the ship Izumi Maki suddenly starts looking around her. Because like Inez Fressange has a sixth sense for when Exposition is required - Izumi Maki has one for when pun crimes are being committed.

IT'S HER THING.

"Heh heh. ...You grow girl."

-=-=-

Still, hearing more details about the incident, especially one in particular between Liam and Lucine, Ryoko's hand smacks the table, causing an audible clatter of cutlery.

Apparently that shrub isn't enjoying what she's hearing.

All this nonsense though of her trying to hide listening in- she counts it worth it now, for one singular reason.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "It's not a thing for us because we survived it," Ruri says, of the IFS implants. This, too, she says with a straight face. "Maybe Cathedra won't like it, but Nergal-san will deal with it. Anyway, it would be embarrassing to be seen using this sort of technology. That's why I suppose Mr. Prospector would be nervous." And then she just keeps on eating her curry. She does not interrogate the shrub.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Lucine admits something grand and difficult, about who she is. Hikaru just kind of blinks in her direction. "A Newtype? Oh, cool!" Is the extent of her thoughts on it really. "They always say Newtypes are one step ahead... so I guess that might be why you always seem to know when danger might be coming." The mind-reading stuff always seemed totally fake anyways.

"Wow, Sheryl..." Hikaru whispers, hearing what Shrubby has to say. "You might not be the top-charting idol in the PLANTs... but you've definitely hit it big with the plants!"

But at the end of the day, the issue of Newtypes was called to attention because of weapons only they can use. "I kinda don't blame Cathedra for trying to intervene. Newtypes might be just fine, but the weapons are a whole different story. Really, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt, Lucine..." Hikaru sighs.

Despite her usual cheerful demeanor there's almost a slight frown on Hikaru's face. It's obviously not news to her because she actually read the entire consent form top to bottom when she got her implant. "Well... I think it's best not to worry about it because it's not like I can get rid of it or anything, you know?"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        "It was Mobile Suit-sized," Liam says, lowering his voice. "Not that big. I think it might've been from Gryps. That's when the EFF got into Psycommu design, right?" Thanks in no small part to the Titans and their Cyber-Newtype programs, including Murasame Labs. "My theory is that Nergal stuck their toes in back then, decided it wasn't worth it, then... just didn't bother to scrap their prototype."

        "But... if it is that old, then the miniaturization is really the only thing it had going for it."

        Lucine explains the details. Liam's gaze focuses on Sheryl for a moment. "There's a bunch of them," he says. "Psychoframe is the newest, the most powerful, and the riskiest. If you've ever seen or heard of the Unicorn units, that's what they use. Psycommu's older, so it... I don't think Cathedra's as against it?" Maya calls Cathedra a bunch of bullies. Liam's face tightens. "Lu's right. The failsafe they gave me didn't work. And even that old prototype's weapons were more dangerous than they let on. Did you know you have to want to break something to make them work?"

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        The tree is shaking and rumbling and making noise. Yurika rubs her eyes, and tries to refocus them. "...Maybe I am becoming a Newtype if I can hear plants talking...wait, do you feel something similar that way, Lucine?"

        Mysteriously, Yurika sneezes the moment Izumi makes that faraway pun. That's not how that bit's supposed to work!

        There's a hint of concern in Yurika's eyes looking over at Sheryl coughing - and at the vague sense that she's under the weather a little. Granted, Sheryl's an idol, and going out there and doing your best even when you're not at your best is kind of their bread and butter, but the captain can't help but whisper, "Are you doing okay...?"

        Maya's note on the division diversifying out to Mars makes Yurika grumble under her breath. "Oh right, the whole Zio Matrix thing...if the Psychothingy mysteriously disappeared, it's not entirely out of the question that they went and shipped it all the way out to Mars. I feel like that's playing pretty spicy with that whole treaty they made with Cathedra, if we're already using it to stow illegal weapons off-planet! ...Isn't that actually kind of an obvious loophole, come to think of it!?"

        Folding her hands under her chin, Yurika furrows her brows at the mystery of where a Shockingly Dangerous Psycommu Weapon could've gone, peering between Liam and Lucine, and sighing out, "...Do you even think we should try and figure out where it went? Are you worried, if it's worse than you anticipated, that someone in Nergal - or maybe some terrorist thief type - is gonna use it for dangerous purposes...?"

        At the topic of implants being frowned on, Yurika tugs at the glove that conceals her own IFS, and murmurs a little more carefully, "...I definitely felt weird after mine for a few days, but I figured that was normal. Besides - ...It's a little bit of a pride thing. It's really common on Mars. Akito has it, after all. ...So I kinda felt like...since I do wanna go back to Mars some day, a Mars that's flourishing - maybe I ought to do it. It came in handy a bunch! Saved my life once! Even if that's mostly Hikaru's doing, ehehe~" 

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        "Ah, Captain," Liam says, his voice lowering a little more. "We know where it is. Cathedra took custody of it as evidence." 'Evidence.' Oh boy, that's not good.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Someone has to take center stage, and it may as well be Sheryl Nome! ...But right now, Sheryl isn't thinking about taking the spotlight; she's just curious about some juicy-sounding gossip, and it's a good distraction from how unwell she otherwise feels. By the time she sets her teacup down again, it's mostly drained. Lucine gets a flash of a smile for her concern, but once again, Sheryl waves her on.
        
        "Oh, like Rita," Sheryl says to Liam. "I don't know a lot about that sort of thing, but..." Her eyebrows furrow. "That's what the Vist Foundation was on about a year or two ago, wasn't it?" They inflicted that same thing on Rikka, she's pretty sure. If not exactly that, then something similar. And then Cathedra... That's right, they're associated with the Benerit Group, if she recalls correctly. A mega-conglomerate that decided they were cops now.
        
        Yurika leans in to ask if she's all right. Sheryl flashes her a smile--but it's not quite her usual level of brightness. "I just had a bit of a headache earlier, that's all," she whispers back. "I'm still recovering a bit." Understandable, maybe, but--what's a headache have to do with coughing fits?
        
        "Oh, I see. That kind of embarrassing," Sheryl says tartly when Ruri explains a little more. "Ruri, in the business, we call that a 'scandal.'" Like this IFS business. Sheryl knows that a lot of pilots on the Nadesico use it for their piloting, but this is the first she's had it suggested that it could be really dangerous. Her frown deepens a little more.
        
        That frown is thankfully undercut by 'Shrubby' claiming to be a tree-mendous fan. Sheryl scoffs and rolls her eyes, but she can't help but smile a little. When Hikaru chimes in on it, she gives her a playful little shove. "Oh, shut up!" she whispers back.

<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.

         "You see that, Sheryl? Your audience is branching out even more!" Look. There was no way that Maya was gonna be leafed out on making bad puns. Even if Sheryl was pushing back on them a little. Hopefully she's OK. Everyone got a little sick every so often, so she didn't think too hard on it. Especially if she said she was recovering. In the meantime, she genuinely was hungry, so she was content to listen to what people were saying while eating her curry, occasionally murmuring assent or understanding. The fact Cathedra had already made some moves, though, was concerning. She didn't feel embarrassed about her IFS, but was a little touchy that some people thought that it was worse than it was. "If they've got it as evidence, what are they gearing up to do exactly?" 

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "--ee!" Lucine startles as SUSHRUBBERY smacks the table. Ryoko may still be committing to her bit, but that doesn't mean she can't be concerned. But that's why Ryoko's the head, right?

        'It's not a thing for us because we survived it.' Lucine audibly squeaks in surprise at this revelation. Just... what is involved in getting one of those tattoos? ".... ah, yes, that does make sense." Lucine nods at Ruri. "But... does that mean this was all just a mistake, or..."

        Looking away from Sheryl as she assured her she's alright, Lucine seems relieved at Hikaru's reaction. Even if she expected Hikaru would be the last person to get scared, having it confirmed instead of lying in the realm of possibilities is always a plus. "Yeah. It's one of the things I'm very good at. Understanding where things are, looking ahead... I'm not going to go into fortunetelling anytime soon, but... it's come in very handy."

        "... I... talk to the plants," Lucine admits, sheepishly, "... but that's just a habit of mine. I've never heard them talk back. But... they seem to perk up a little when I do." Lucine blinks. "Wait, what's... Zio Matrix?"

        Liam swoops in with an explanation for Yurika. "OH, right, yeah. I don't think that'll be a problem, regardless. Ah... it's... kind of destroyed," Lucine says, sheepishly. "... It's more just... I remember doing a search before, just... to see, you know? And I didn't find anything. But then, just to make sure, later on, I did a search again, and... there it was. At the time, I thought, maybe I just didn't search correctly the first time, but... Nergal's not just the Nadesico. Surely, if this thing has been on their databases for this long.... could it have just been an oversight?"

        Hikaru's frown and Ryoko's worry draws guilt from Lucine. How can she describe it? What are the words she could say? Shouldn't she somehow know?

        Or maybe, all Lucine needs, is a Yurika. "... That's... kind of a little of my reasoning, too. Even if it didn't work out, for me. But I'm glad it worked out for you, Yurika!" Lucine's eyes shine with obvious admiration.

        Maya's got a point, though. "... I'm not sure. Probably just keep it away from Nergal, just in case. And maybe... that's all it'll be." 

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.


The puns! The terrible puns! She did this, it is her fault. She has noone to blame but herse-

-no Hikaru and Maya are definitely paying for it later. It is they who are wrong.

And then Lucine sounds especially sad and she's allergic to these scenarios of emotional vulnerability.

And thus she decides she has to save face by making a daring escape while everyone is focused on comforting Lucine. But how. How? HOW?

Her genius solution to this is to suddenly set her curry bowl aside, to grab her Soda - then her tray.

Unclicking a pen she scribbles something on a Napkin, which she stuffs through the shrubbery to the other side, which displays a rumpled note.

            ON BREAK
        PHOTOSUNTHESIZING

(Look Break Etiquette is well known on the Nadesico, even for plants.)

Then she slide down, utilizing the shrubbery's green for camouflage and- moments later, yeah that sure is a woman crawling out from under the table down on both legs and one arm, hiding her face with a tray.

It's possible it won't be noticed, like - theoretically.

She can DREAM.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "So it's a scandal," Ruri nods, learning yet another new thing from Sheryl-oneesan. "I guess that counts as a mistake. Scandals seem bad." That's why they don't talk about her!

        She nibbles at her curry some more, before she says: "Psychoframe can be very willful. Last time I tried to talk to it, it was quite confronting. It didn't want to cooperate, even though I was trying to help. It's not that it's always curious the way Omoikane is curious, but it doesn't always behave like a machine, either."

        And then she just keeps eating.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

"That's so mean..." Hikaru whines, when Sheryl play-shoves her... even if it's clear Sheryl might be sick, at least she's not in bad spirits. Even idols have to get sick sometimes, right?

"Yeah... it's really weird, right?" She gestures to Yurika about the effects of the IFS. "When I activate it in battle I just get... super focused. I don't even have to think about all the moves I'm doing, I just do them..." Which means her acting like a loud airhead in battle isn't actually relevant to the IFS. To illustrate this point, she jousts her knife like an immediate one in empty space. "I guess it worked out if the only thing I was focused on was saving you~"

Seeing Lucine's worried reaction to the talk of IFS, though, she pivots away a little. "If they're collecting evidence... I wonder if they're planning to go to court with Nergal? Nah, I can't really see that happening. Would just be a massive waste of money for both sides because their lawyers are both too good." She shrugs.

MEANWHILE, the Shrubbery attempts to make a daring escape. "You know..." Hikaru starts, absently, picking up the glass of water she ordered with her curry. "I think the plant probably needs some watering! Mind if I go check it out?" Slow methodical steps with the glass... surely she won't dump it all on Ryoko's head??? 

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        "Oh, I just meant the branch of Nergal making expeditions to Mars lately..." Yurika clarifies to Lucine. "Right now it's mostly scouting crews and people trying to do industrial stuff, and it's a pretty small outfit, but I'm hoping it's the stepping stone to Nergal saving Mars some day."

        There's a mild flinch when Hikaru play-acts with a knife, and Yurika sputters, "If we gotta share an Aesti again, I hope you don't have a real knife if it's that automatic an impulse! ...well okay. If it came to that, I'd hold onto the knife and stop you from going to far, I promiiiiiise."

        Tugging her gloves and shoveling the last of the curry into her mouth, Yurika hastily swallows, furrowing her brow over at Liam. "...Do you think about going after it...? Or is it a lost cause, I wonder? I don't think Cathedra's letting go of something like that easily, but in that case...isn't Nergal being screwed or not kind of a foregone conclusion...?"

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl gasps in mock scandal at Maya joining in on the pun procession. "Et tu, Maya?" At least Ryoko knows to get while the getting's good, even if it's for reasons unrelated to her. Sheryl eyeballs her as she scoots away with a tray in front of her face as if that's any kind of camoflage. Then she shakes her head with a smile.
        
        She got both a distraction and cheered up. She'll let her off the hook this time. Hikaru, who remains, she teases, "You should be grateful! There are lots of fans who'd love to get pushed around by me!" She smirks and winks. "At my old school, they used to call me Queen, you know. o/`" And then there was "Princess" Alto... They made quite a pair.
        
        "Adults hate scandals. You'd think in that case they'd get involved with less of them, but it's not that they dislike doing scandalous things, they just dislike getting caught," Sheryl tells Ruri matter-of-factly. "That's because a scandal reveals who you really are. Unless it's a scandal because the paparazzi distorted something you did or said, but that doesn't apply here."
        
        It's possible that this is all some innocent mistake on the part of some frazzle Nergal employee. But Sheryl's a little more suspicious than that. It's not like they can know for sure with that unit having mysteriously vanished, but Lucine's description of her search just sounds shady.
        
        She tilts her head as Ruri describes the experience of communicating with a Psychoframe. "Huh..." It's very interesting, but it's also a little unnerving. Sheryl doesn't want Ruri to think that she's unnerving her, though, so she leaves it at that, instead falling silent to sip at the last of her tea. She's starting to get tired again anyway, so for now she'll listen to the others talk about IFS, Nergal, Cathedra, Mars expeditions, and where all this might end up going. And lean away from Hikaru as she jabs a knife at Yurika, for funsies. 

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.


        Liam's gaze flicks in the direction of the enigmatic animate plant. Only for a moment, though--he allows Ryoko to make as dignified an escape as she can manage. "They confiscated everything they could," he says, to Hikaru. "Not just the remains of the test unit--the testing platform we launched from, and the unit I was piloting. The one with the override."

        Yurika asks if it's a lost cause, and Liam shrugs. "Maybe just a fine? They... didn't seem really focused on safety. The backup was just two techs in a little unarmed aircraft."

        "Nothing about this feels right."

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.


What happens when Hikaru approaches with the water?

Ryoko of course, being the leader of the Three Angel Squadron takes this turn of events maturely and gracefu-

No she totally flings the tray at her and books it top speed out of the cafeteria.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        And then the camera cuts back to Ruri, who remarks, looking straight into it: "Fools."

<Pose Tracker> Maya Jintek has posed.

         "At least when I got my IFS they made out that it was more like a routine operation. As in, yes, there's risk of something horrible happening, but it's really unlikely. Like if you were getting your appendix removed." Maya didn't recall any issues on her end, asides from needing a little time to get used to using it properly. Had it been a lot more dangerous previously? During development? Was she just really lucky? Hopefully there wasn't anything more nefarious she was unaware of. She liked the IFS. At least to her knowledge there were still a few issues, but it'd be great if it were more accepted, and more people got it. But what if there were more than just a few issues?

         At which point Ryoko snapped at Hikaru's joking and bolted like a tsundere who had almost made a confession of love. "No running in the cafeteria; you might trip and faceplant!" Maya called out, unable to stop herself from giggling. She turned and glanced over at Sheryl. "You look bushed. Do try and get some sleep if you're feeling unwell." Yes. The puns were continuing. But enough of that. For now, at least. "I just hope that all this talk about safety is genuine. It's important for what we use to be safe, after all, but I feel like it's just a cover for something else sometimes. And then there's such a thing as informed consent as well, too. Sometimes something does do harm to an individual, but it's still worth it to them in some way. Should that be ignored?"

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "... I wonder what that machine would say," Lucine wonders aloud to Ruri, idly. "The one I piloted." She feels back about calling it a brick, now. It probably felt bleeding edge when it was brand new, but to just be locked up in storage somewhere, all this time... "... But that one probably isn't going to be like a Psychoframe." What determines something having a will, as Ruri senses it?

        "... Ahhh. That's... not too different from what I feel like too." Lucine smiles softly. Hikaru's words place IFS back in the frame of being relatable. ".... But, that's mostly because the Dianthus is mine. I move with it. So when things are going well... I feel like no one can touch me. I don't sense any of you guys being different in combat, either. You're just focused, like I am." She sips from her glass. "If I know someone well enough, I can sense them, a little. Sometimes certain changes, too. Emotions, definitely... but I don't catch everything. And... I never know what causes something. Or if... it's just my imagination." She can't help but look at Sheryl once as she says that.

        Paranoia can seem like a lot of things.

        Nodding at Liam, Lucine says, ".... The agent said I'd be okay. And... I trust them. For the same reasons I'd trust anyone here, but not Nergal. At least, right now. So... I think they'll pursue some threads, but... I don't think they're as concerned about old technology as much as... whether or not this was just a fluke. There was a sense that they wanted whatever information they'd get from it, but... what would they want?" She looks down, furrowing her brow, as Maya speaks. "Maybe... Nergal was hoping they'd see something different. Them purging information about it afterwards... if they got anything, it clearly wasn't something they were willing to get into further trouble over. At the end of the day, I'm not any different from anybody else, Newtype-wise. And... I'm okay with that."

        Try as she might to spare Ryoko in her stealthy retreat, Lucine's eyes keep being drawn to Ryoko's trail. As Hikaru picks up the glass, Lucine's farce is abandoned. "... A-a-ah, maybe you should let the plant leaf-- er, LEAVE! I meant leave--" *BONK*

        Well, Lucine didn't see *that* coming. 

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.


~Elsewhere, not long after~

"What the HELL is Nergal doing?"

Ryoko has suddenly taken ahold of Erina Kinjo Wong's collar within her private quarters.

"Building a ZEONG - getting one of my pilots involved in testing a PSYCOMMU system?"

Erina Kinjo Wong gave her an irritated look, "Ah I suppose you would think that has something to do with you. So what - you stormed in here to take a principled stand? You?" She smirked at her, "And what are you going to do if I don't answer, Ms. Subaru?"

"Obviously I'm going to DECK YOU!" She says as she drew up an arm, "And I'm going to keep doing it until you TALK!"

"Oh? Then what happens next? Go on. What's your goal here? ... It must be to abandon your people."

"... You...!" She rasped, but for that she had nothing to say, her grip loosening as she broke eye contact.

Erina lightly slapped away at the hand, forcing the hand off of her, "Apparently dogs have to be retrained on occasion that they're only to bark on command."

Erina took a moment to straighten her uniform.

"That'll cost you two weeks pay. Now slink back to your kennel... before I change my mind and report you to Corporate."

Ryoko stood still for few seconds longer, before - slowly turning and leaving the room.

Erina used that moment to hit the intercom as a screen with Mister Prospector's face came up, "Please add a note to dock the entirety of Ms. Subaru's check next payroll."

"... Ah. Putting your conflict resolution skill on full display again, are you Ms. Wong?" Prospector stated in a dry tone. "Given her salary it won't even be a drop in the bucket towards recuperating our losses."

"That's neither the point - nor any of your concern, former Branch Manager." Erina stated, as she ended the call.

"The nerve of that woman - she's fortunate I didn't make her apologize on her knees, for her lack of gratitude."

-=-=-

~Not Long After that~

In the medical bay, Ryoko Subaru sat sullenly as Inez Fressage splinted her hand.

"... With this kind of fracture I'll recommend to the Captain that you're on light duty for the next two weeks."

"Nah. With the IFS - won't matter if I'm deployed with a broken hand."

"But..."

"It doesn't matter." She eyed Inez, who locked eye contact with her for several long moments, and continued to wrap the hand in silence.

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