2024-05-15: Advancing...
- Log: 2024-05-15 Advancing...
- Cast: Kaworu Nagisa, Chloe, Yuta Hibiki, Liam 7-020, Asuka Shikinami Langley, Rei Ayanami, Madoka Kyouno, Laffinty Fin E Ld Si
- Where: Tokyo-3
- OOC - IC Date: May 15, UC 0099 (2024)
- Summary: NERV puts on a meeting to get its staff up to speed on current events and new members. Refreshments included.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Today marks a meeting among NERV members. It takes place in what is functionally a lecture hall with many rows of seats for the attending members that stare down at a central podium where the meeting-runner speaks. Tables off to the side offer wax-paper cups of tea and coffee, which one can steam hot and fresh from dispensers behind them. The beverages themselves are all right, nothing special.
Today's meeting-runner is Administrator Kaworu Nagisa, clad in his familiar administrator's uniform: a black suit with a green-striped purple scarf-tie. There are details beyond that, but that's what's important. He speaks with his usual faint smile and ineffable calm, and he covers a variety of matters, most of them fairly mundane. But there are some that might be of particular interest.
~ * ~
"Some of you are already aware, but Evangelion pilot Asuka Shikinami Langley has recovered from her injuries sustained during the battle against the Twelfth Angel sufficiently well to return to active duty. Additionally, Dr. Akagi has deemed our other Evangelion pilot well enough to leave the hospital, and she has been tentatively placed on standby." Kaworu nods politely to Asuka and a certain pair in their seats in the audience. "There has been a lull in Angel attacks, with none having appeared since the Twelfth Angel in September of 0097, but more will inevitably arrive, so it's advised that we all continue to keep our guard up."
~ * ~
"We've received reports that Meteora attacks have increased in frequency from one every several years to one every couple of months. For those unaware, Meteora are beings not unlike Angels who have consistently been attacking our allied organization, Prometheus, located in Augmented Shibuya in southern Africa. This increase began almost a year ago. It's presently unknown to NERV if this has anything to do with the ongoing lull in Angel attacks, the most recent of which took place a year and a half ago in September '97. For now, pilots can expect to continue to deploy to defend against the Meteora."
~ * ~
"As has been previously reported, NERV has been joined by a new umbrella organization called Novumundus, which specializes in artifacts and relics of ancient civilizations and is currently sheltering visitors from another planet called La Garite, who arrived on Earth with the Gallia IV expedition fleet." A brief pause. Those who kept abreast of the news would know that that expedition ended in Gallia IV getting utterly destroyed and the fleet getting chased back to Earth by a massive number of Vajra, which were destroyed on-site. "Novumundus fields three robots called Voxes, two of which have been assigned pilots. Those pilots are Madoka Kyouno from Kamogawa, which is east of Tokyo-1, and Laffinty Fin E Ld Si, one of our interstellar visitors from La Garite. They're both new, so if you meet them, please be kind to them."
~ * ~
"...and that concludes matters for today. If anyone has any questions or anything they'd like to add, please let me know. Otherwise, feel free to enjoy more refreshments before you return to your respective duties," Kaworu concludes. There is actually one more matter--Yuta Hibiki, former Gridman body-host and current NERV intern, is wrapping up their internship and likely leaving very soon. But NERV is not the kind of organization that makes a fuss over a single intern, and Kaworu would rather let Yuta speak for themselves if they wish in case they'd rather it not come up at all.
Either way, people are free to top off their drinks and socialize for a little while at this point.
<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.
There are actually a couple more Prometheus uniforms at this meeting than is usually seen around NERV's HQ. Chloe is of course here, having spent most of the meeting sitting quietly in her seat only half paying attention. Beside her, floating a little in the air was the holographic projection of her co-pilot, Noa. Of course she wasn't wearing a uniform, but rather her trademarked flower dress. Unlike Chloe she had been paying close attention, nodding along enthusiastically to Kaworu's reports.
The other two would be unknown to most here. Both young men, one with glacier blue hair, the other firery orange. With the meeting over, they both proceed to rise and move from their seats into the aisle. The latter one lets out a groan, stretching as he says, "That was more mundane than I expected. From the stories I'd heard, I thought these NERV types would be wild! No wonder the Professor bailed on us."
The one with blue hair shrugs, "I don't know. I found it quite insightful. It was interesting to see a different perspective. We are rather isolated in the Underground City."
Orange snort-laughs in response, "Of course you would find it interesting. You like listening to Professor Julie's lectures after all... Speaking of, where did she run off to?"
Noa appears beside the two with a flicker of her hologram, saying, "She's taking advantage of the facilities here to tune the Makhias. She seemed like a kid in a toy store... I get the impression she doesn't make it out to Tokyo-3 very often."
Meanwhile, Chloe remains by herself. Still seated as she simply stares at a blank wall, seemingly lost in thought.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
What would likely be their last briefing at NERV ended up being a quite nice refresher of things they've experienced and learned. Given the size of the corporation, Yuta couldn't really say they to got to learn all there was to learn, especially since their position was that of a mere internet -- although it's not like they did not at least try to learn secrets above their station. Yet, they were definitely more knowledgeable and trained than when they came in. Since they had awakened two years ago, Yuta learned that every sewer had rats and every wall had ears.
Since it was the last briefing, should they announce that they'd be leaving soon? Or would be better to just quietly meet up each and every acquaintance in a more personal setting away from public scrutinity? A brief moment was all it took to decide - they couldn't take too long least people started diverting their attention and looking away.
"Ahem. If the meeting is over, I'd like to have everyone's attention for a second before we start to mingle." Yuta rose up from his seat, a polite smile on his face. "Some of you might already know, but my internship here at NERV will be ending soon, and I'd like to thank you all for making my time here as fulfilling as it could have been. There were some accidents along the way, of course, but I have really learned a lot during my stay. I know some of you are aware of my more personal circumstances, so I'd like to double thank you for this opportunity."
The red-haired youngster took a corteous, polite bow. "It's time to move on, but I hope we can all keep in touch." Connecting with people was one of the reasons why they'd been here in the first place, plus this was their first internship under the identity of 'Yuta Hibiki' so to say. "I'll likely still be around for a couple more weeks as I wrap everything up, but once again, thank you all for this." They raised their head to face the public, with a gentle smile curving their lips.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam misses his girlfriend. Aside from their karaoke date in Tokyo-1, it's all been video calls and text messages--things that might be monitored as they make their way to their destination. He's been very careful about what he says. Nothing on the Galactron unit that hasn't already made the news--and the same for the Meteora. Nothing on his fellow pilots, aside from things it would be reasonable to share.
He sits in one of the middle rows of the auditorium, carefully-positioned so he's not blocking anyone's view. His cream-and-maroon NERV pilot's uniform is freshly-pressed. He takes notes on a tablet, occasionally sipping from a metal thermos.
Liam watches the audience as well as Kaworu. The people who are present are as important to note as the people who are absent. It hurts, on a level, to see that Jana and Guy and Alouette aren't here. (It's a different kind of absence than Go, Sho, and Gai, who simply had other, more critical business.)
Yuta speaks up as Kaworu invites everyone to socialize. Liam gives the younger intern his undivided attention, though he can't keep himself from trying to deduce how Yuta feels. It's an old, bad habit of his. Is Yuta okay? Are they really okay, after what they've been through?
Liam promised Gridman that he'd help take care of Yuta. It never occurred to him that Yuta might not need--or want--that.
Once Yuta's said their part, Liam... applauds, softly. He gives them a nod of acknowledgment.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
And one of today's audience is Asuka Shikinami Langley, who currently seated in the hall, wearing her red plug suit and a military jacket.
There's of course the strange blindfold as well with it's eerie red glow she wears for visual assistance, but that's no more noteworthy than glasses, right?
Right.
Her patchy hair has begun to grow back, as she lounges from one seat, with her feet propped on the chairback of the row in front of her.
She's currently playing something on a Wonderswan - note - a new Wonderswan. The true tragedy of the Eva-03 test is that her original did not survive the explosion.
(Along with a certain doll but few people would realize that.)
She has a coffee cup, but it's been drained already. Asuka doesn't respond to her name being called or Kaworu's nod, showing off her recovery with rapid clicking of buttons.
As she effortlessly plays some bullet hell, her chin only tipping as Kaworu mentions the 'Other' Evangelion pilot. It's hard to see her eyes in this moment, to even tell she's looking at Rei, but her focus is on her for several long moments.
"Tck." With a cluck of her tongue, she heads back into diving through long curves of slow moving bullets.
Meteora attacks don't cause her attention to come off the game, nor does 'Novumundus' and of the two new Vox pilots.
'please be kind to them' earns a roll of her eyes, not that anyone can see it.
Yuta however makes an announcement, and Asuka looks up briefly, then- "You weren't a total screw up." Is her evaluation, which - he then offers to keep in touch.
"Pass." Is Asuka's instant reply to that before she returns to her game, but then cants her red hair over in Rei's direction, "If you want to get all touchy feely with someone then she's available."
Is she... throwing Rei under the bus!?
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
There's a familiar face sitting in the audience.
She has been watching the presentation. She had gotten a small bottle of cold water, which she opened and sipped from periodically. Her eyes focused on the speaker - on the Administrator. She has, otherwise, neither risen from her seat nor spoken during the group's introduction. When she wasn't moving the water bottle, or if you weren't looking closely enough to see the occasional blink, you might think she's completely still.
The girl is familiar in appearance to many of NERV and may be a heartening sight even so. The pale skin, blue-grey hair, red eyes. She's in a different outfit this time -- a plugsuit, but with a primary shade of black rather than white.
The meeting is over. She shifts forwards. But she stops when Yuta Hibiki begins to speak. The girl raises her head to look at him, her face completely still. When he speaks in the end and closes with a polite bow, she dips her head. Then, as if she'd hit the pause button, she rises up and walks over towards the arrayed beverages. She is going to get a second bottle of water.
If the fact that she has been thrown under the bus impinges on her awareness, she shows no overt sign of it as of yet. That part, at least, hasn't shown much difference.
Dr. Ritsuko Akagi has also been present, although since it wasn't her show, she simply remained quiet and fiddled occasionally with a pen. *Ritsuko* attended to what Yuta said and she says, with a tip of the head and a faint smile to them, "I hope that we'll be able to work together in the future, Hibiki. If you need a recommendation letter, email Lt. Ibuki and inform me on the details." (Ritsuko does not, as far as can be told, public facing contact information.)
(She also beats the girl in black to the drinks table. She's going for the canned coffee.)
<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.
Lecture halls always felt a bit...Stuffy. The instinctual urge to look out onto the horizon halted by large walls in all sides. The strangest sort of minute claustrophobia caused by the goldilocks of large rooms with an end. There's little she could actually do about it, and it wasn't a deal to make a terrible mess out of. Her leg, however, did jitter slightly when seated. Even in the middle of one of those rows of chairs, sipping on a strange mixture of coffee adorned with a dash of tea, it's hard to really, truly relax.
Not that she was trying to disguise herself, what with the orange jersey setup. Has she even worn anything else while around NERV? (Signs point to no. They're always fresh or slightly used.) A small nod to Liam on spotting him; Pizza was nice, company was better.
Still, she had the terminity to listen without much of a fuss. The sight of Kaworu is a welcoming, familiar one. Memories of the pizza party linger on her mind...Ahem. Focus, focus. Angels, huh. One day, they'll be back. And then...One step at a time. Both for them and Meteora, similar yet different. There's a glance over at Lan; They're in this together. A wordless smile between the two.
The portion of the meeting dedicated to them (or at least, the announcement of their official joining). A curious glance is cast around, scanning past the Prometheus soldiers, the various seated people, and other such minute oddities. Abnormal normalcy? Or was this just how NERV always was? Questions to ask Tadoroko later. Godspeed to him with Moid. The actual weight of knowing the destruction of the Gallia IV fleet brings forth a minute prayer of no misdirected anger. Still, she stands up on being introduced proper, the practical exmaple of someone who's full of energy. "Good morning, ahaha...I'm not usually good with self-introductions, but I hope you can treat us both well. If anyone has any problems they need help with, the Jersey Club is here to help! ...Along with Novumundus on the affiars at large, mhm!" Smiling all through out. "Nice to meet you all, and let's get along well~!" And a seat back down.
Her gaze shifts the Kaworu to Yuta, eyebrow raised out the curiosity of someone leaving. "Good luck to you, wherever you go!" Immediately said after such a speech, politely applauding along. There's no malice in that intonation, only the buoyant hope of a teenage girl wishing someone well.
"Haa..." And a streeeetch at the conclusion of that entire meeting. "Should start posting the posters...Ah, yes. Kaworu! Is there any place to put up posters for personal solicitation?" She's not stopping her stride, not one to pass up free coffee with...don't ask how many cups she's consumed. It's less than 5. Honest. Still. Still! It doesn't stop her from walking on over to Rei, offering an extended hand outwards for...a handshake.
"Yo. Welcome back, even if we've never met before. Let's get along well, right~?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Kaworu glances towards Chloe and her companions. Noa gets a smile, and the two young men get a polite nod, but Chloe... seems distant. He can guess why that might be. He doesn't try to pressure her to speak up.
Madoka stands up when he mentions her and Lan and gives a more proper self-introduction. Kaworu gives her an encouraging smile. Then, later, Yuta does speak up, and of their own volition. Kaworu smiles their way too as they stand and give a bow to everyone. "I'm glad you found your time here fruitful, Yuta Hibiki," he tells him. "May your future endeavors be just as fruitful."
There are indeed several NERV members who aren't present, due to having other business to attend to. There are former NERV members who aren't here, because GGG has split from NERV to become its own organization, and those within GGG have consequently left. It's an inevitable part of the split. It's sad to see them gone, but Kaworu accepts it.
And then of course there is Galactron on Huffman Isle. That was one of the things covered during the meeting, but since there's been no updates since its appearance and it's technically GGG's purview, there wasn't much to say about it.
Asuka, well... is Asuka. Even with her changes. Kaworu looks at the Second Child a bit askance before his red eyes flick over to the First. But her behavior, too, is normal for her. He seems content to simply watch the others--but then a question does come in, from Madoka.
"Is this for that 'Jersey Club' you mentioned?" he wonders. "I recommend you place such things at the connecting station on the surface. You may have noticed the ranking officers in NERV take this work very seriously... even if they may not seem like it in their personal lives."
On the other side of the room, Misato sneezes, then gives Kaworu the stink-eye.
<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.
The Prometheus contingent stop their discussion as Yuta speaks up, listening to them. Then Orange raises a thumbs up towards Yuta, "Hey, congrats on finishing the internship! We haven't met." He grins and then jabs that thumbs up towards himself, "I'm Yamato Amanagi. New pilot of the Ares Makhia. You got any plans on where you're going next?"
That's when Asuka provides her 'evaluation'. Yamato frowns pointing towards her, "Hey! Red! You could be a little nicer to 'em, you know?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Yuta thought about following Asuka's 'advice' and talking to Rei - given the girl was hospitalized and they had a 'connection' of sorts - and they were about to tell Asuka as much. But their attention was turned to someone else entirely as his lips opened up to answer. "Ahaha. It's nice to meet you too. I'm not a particularly important intern, which is why they're letting me off without many strings attached like this. I'm Yuta Hibiki." They didn't know exactly if they could or should throw Yamato some kind of lifeline, for the sharp lashing that was most likely about to come his way.
Hopefully, at least they'd be out of it this time around. In all honesty, they believed Asuka's attitude was not unlike Yuta's own approach to all of this, even if they tackled it in different ways. "I'm a freelancer at heart, and I guess that's what I'll return to being. Though I'll probably make a pass by my... hometown first. I haven't been there in two years, so it maybe about time." Truly, it was more about Kaworu's tip that they might find an Ultraman there.
"What about you, though? What kind of work do you here?" Yuta asked with a smile, while discreetly walking so Yamato would be between themself and Asuka, if anything. At the same time, they took a glance towards Liam - that was also someone else that showed up a fair bit in his brain.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
Yamato Amanagi, the new pilot calls her out not long after his introduction, Asuka doesn't look up from her Wonderswan, as she replies, "Yeah? And what's it to you, Abs?"
Now she does glance up, pointedly at his bare midriff, which is a feature of the uniform, "Though more abominables than abdominals in your case, I think."
Is she purposefully riling him up? Sure. Unfortunately Yuta is unlikely to throw a lifeline in time to stop what comes next.
She doesn't react at all to Rei's words, after all, they're perfectly as she expected. Instead Asuka rapidly changes shield polarity for whatever ship she's guiding in the Wonderswan bullethell, trying not to pay much attention to Madoka. She's just so friendly as she asks permission for her posters.
She certainly remembers her words though, that day. Which means she's trouble - trouble that she's going to have to push away.
Kaworu's answer gets her adding her own fifty yen, "Yeah noone wants to see that kiddy stuff down here." As she answers dismissively, probably earning her more Misato stink eye.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
The girl in black is faced with a Madoka Kyouno. She looks at her. There is probably a sense of being Observed; it's a look that says that whatever is before her is being seen, attended to.
There is silence for several seconds.
"Let's work together to protect the people of Earth," the girl answers Madoka. After a blink, she appends: "Thank you. Please take care of me." It's a stock phrase, if somewhat flat.
Ritsuko exhales, and pops open her can of coffee while looking around. "Jersey?" she asks, turning her own attention towards Madoka. "I'll bite. Do ou mean the sports shirt, or is this a cultural matter? It's one of the islands in the North Sea, isn't it?"
"Of course," Ritsuko adds, while being in frame with Misato in the background sneezing and giving the stink-eye, "it might be a private topic. I understand that pilots often have their own rituals and habits, and sometimes we need all the luck we can get."
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
A breath leaves Liam's lungs as a long, soft sigh. There's a lot here that he's still processing. An open alliance with another world is something that could demand a meeting of its own, but here it's just one development among many. Liam wasn't on the Gallia IV expedition. He can only imagine what happened.
Liam takes a breath, stows his tablet and drink on his belt, and walks down to join the others. Madoka gets a friendly smile as Liam takes a canned coffee off the table, and asks a genuine, guileless question:
"What's the Jersey Club?"
But Rei's there, too, and after all he worried, Liam can't ignore her. He steels himself, turns to her, and swallows the lump of tension that's been building in his throat. "It's good to see you back, Rei," Liam says. Her affect is... even flatter than it was. Brain damage, he reminds himself. She was hurt badly, just like Asuka was.
<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.
Connecting Station, surface. Simple enough; The topography of Tokyo-3 may be something complicated, but a specific landmark is No Problem. "So only a few...So long as I don't need a permit or anything for them." Nod. Nodnod. She's got her mental plan figured out on that avenue! Asuka's own words barely merit bringing that content smile of hers down, the girl releasing a sigh filled with oh so much emotion of varying quantities. An undercurrent of bemusement. Just a quip, nothing more. "You're always welcome to join up, all the same."
Holding the hand out to Rei. One moment. Two. Three. Taking the cue and pulling her hand back, slipping into a pocket. The passive denial was understandable. "Yes, let's." A light toast before kicking another sip back.
Though, of course, that same hand comes out to acknowledge Aoba. "Prometheus? Oooh, the City...Uh, I wonder if you all count as aliens too, technically." A question for the ages! "Voxes are...I've only gotten the crash course a bit ago, but they're special Ovids. I have one, Lan has one, and there's a third one at base. All Voxes-" Index finger in the air, wrist tilted to the right. "-are Ovids." Wrist tilting to the left. "But Ovids-" Wrist, right. "-are not all Voxes. Ah, and Ovids are from outer space. You might want to talk to Tadoroko-" Novumundus's head on Pharos. Godspeed to him. "-or...Moid." ...Moving on. "What about yourself?"
Ritsuko's question brings forth a naturally brighter glow from the already energetic girl, shaking her head at the mention of it being a private topic. Liam's own question only serves to galvanize! In actuality, she's just. Really brimming with the passive energy of energy drinks and the willingness of action.
"It's not a private thing, don't worry. The Jersey Club is a club that helps other clubs and people! Judo, kendo, gardening, filming, television shows, mahjong, shogi, horticulture, archery, newspaper-" She's starting to count them out on her fingers from pure memory alone, rattling off a couple more that veer into the esoteric: Astrology, Tarabaman, Ideas-For-How-To-Go-Home Club... "...And a few others. The mayor had to get invo0lved a few times, but it's not exactly school restricted. In short, if anyone needs help, they can just come to the Jersey Club!" A proud puff of the jersey-clad chest. "I'm wearing the uniform." It's a jersey. A perfectly normal jersey.
"So, do either of you need any help?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Misato will get you guys later!! But not right now because she has to be Professional for the new folks.
"You won't, as long as you post them there," Kaworu reassures Madoka. A lot of posters go up on the aboveground train stations, and as long as people don't plaster the place with them, they're generally left in peace.
<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.
"Wow, two years!? I can't imagine being away from home for that long. Hope it's how you remember it!" Yuta then asks about what Yamato does and he grins, placing his hands on his hips proudly, "I'm the vanguard of the Prometheus Defense forces! I kick Meteora ass... If they had asses. I go in first and set 'em up for Chloe and Noa to finish off! They'd be lost without me."
Asuka counters Yamato, trying to bring him down by targeting his abs or lack thereof. But the energetic Yamato just smirks and turns fully to Asuka, "Like what you see? Don't let my slender frame fool you." He flexes one of his arms, "These muscles have got some serious power in them. Thanks to my dad. He was a Designed Human, like Chloe." Designed Human, the term that the underground city uses for those who are genetically altered similar to Coordinators.
Meanwhile, Noa is still trying to drag Chloe over to join the others. Figuratively, of course, since she doesn't have a physical body with which to literally drag someone, "Come onnnnnnn. You barely leave your apartment except when you're performing your duties. It'll do you some good to talk with people." Chloe just seems to be ignoring Noa at this point. Noa flickers around into Chloe's line of sight, letting out a annoyed harrumph and saying, "Fine. If you're not going to join us, then I'll just have to sing until you do!" Chloe's eyebrow appears to twitch at the 'threat' but still she remains still and silent.
Finally Noa smiles, "Alright then!" She takes in a deep 'breath'...
~ Ooh... The freezing day and night, who can deny? ~
~ Everybody needs shelter from-
The sweet melody from Noa is cut off as Chloe finally cries out, "Stop!" She sighs, before surrendering, "Fine. Just no more singing." Noa grins smugly.
It's at that point that Kaworu arrives, "Ah! Kaworu! Good timing. Yes, things have been pretty busy for us, as you might imagine. Right, Chloe?" Noa looks at Chloe expectantly.
Chloe relents under the stare, nodding to the NERV Administrator, "Kaworu... I see things have been rather quiet here in comparison. I guess that's made your job easier?"
Over at the refreshments tables, Aoba chuckles at the possibility of them being aliens, "I admit that a couple hundred years of isolation has led to some shifts in our culture compared to most of Earth... But we're all still human. For the most part." He definitely looks interest at the concept of the Voxes-and Ovids, which some Ovids are Voxes but not all-being from space, "Fascinating. I may just have to organize an exchange of information at some point."
The description of the Jersey CLub's responsibilities certainly draws a mildly confused look from Aoba. What was that about culture differences? But he smiles, "That certainly sounds like quite the effort. But I'm sure everyone appreciates it." He looks thoughtful for a moment, "I don't think we need anything that the Jersey Club can help with."
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
Liam speaks to the girl in black, who turns her head and looks up at him. He gets that same absorptive regard as Madoka did a moment ago. It really does look like her. If anything she may look just the tiniest bit *younger* -- although some of that might just be that Rei, historically, didn't look people in the eye quite so much.
She blinks, twice.
Ritsuko half-turns. "This is Liam," Ritsuko tells the girl in black with a certain tone of prompting. "He was there during the incident, and fortunately he wasn't greatly harmed. He's been concerned about you throughout your recovery."
The girl in black blinks once and then says, "Liam. " Another two seconds pass. "It's difficult to remember."
Ritsuko speaks rather quietly, not a whisper but intended for Liam. "The memories anterior to the event may not be recoverable, and there's been a number of other challenges. I'm afraid some things may not return. Hopefully, you'll keep supporting her recovery."
The girl in black looks off at nothing in particular.
Ritsuko's eyes turn towards Madoka as she reveals the secret of the Jersey Club. Her expression could be seen as a mixture of amusement and bemusement, although she doesn't interrupt. "I don't think that I have anything on my mind," she answers her, "although if my cat wasn't in Sendai, I might have a thing or two that you could do for me..."
Tragically, Ritsuko cannot just talk about her cat all day. "Hm," she says. "The categories you outline remind me of the Newtype theory, although that's been problematized by the emergence of the phenomenon among individuals born and raised on Earth. How did these categories come to be defined?"
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
'Like what you see?' Asuka's chin raises and as the blindfold looks at him, he might get the impression she's thinking he's stupid or definitely wanting to provoke a fight.
"All I see is some pretty boy who's all flash and no substance."
Asuka replies as he flexes, sounding unimpressed, and to those who knew her in the past - it might be a little unusual that she doesn't follow up on the Coordinator thing.
After all, she tended to be quite racist against them, after fighting in the war against ZAFT which - was notable since she is a Coordinator.
"Pass." Asuka dismisses again to Madoka's offer to join up, so quickly that it's almost predictable. Though she does listen to her information about Ovids despite herself, while playing her bullet hell.
Her brain does parallel processing fine, that's simplicity for her.
Eventually when Madoka does list off everything, Asuka throws a simple jab again, "So you're some jack of all trades, master of none?"
Asuka takes a moment out to listen to the exchange between Liam and Rei - Ritsuko's explanation...
... then goes right back to her game, to try and prevent a boss from killing her between alternating streams of different colored projectiles.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Noa's song is lovely. Kaworu's heard the song she recently released, and although when it comes to a holographic idol, there isn't really much difference between a recording and a live performance, he enjoys her brief performance all the same. When Chloe cuts her off, he walks the rest of the way over.
"Certainly," he tells Noa. "It's been a trying time for Augmented Shibuya." He glances at Chloe. Among others, he doesn't include. They were both there at that time. No need to salt the wound.
"Comparatively so. I still have plenty of paperwork to do for the support we send your way for the Meteora, but it's certainly true I've had little cause to deploy over the last year and a half." Being one of only two Evangelion pilots during that time frame, Kaworu was almost always kept on reserve in Tokyo-3. NERV did still supply what they could to Prometheus for those battles, though.
He looks back over at Madoka then. He's already been briefed on the Ovids and Voxes--he'd have to have been, to go over them however briefly during the meeting--but it's always interesting to hear how those who actually work with something describe it.
<Pose Tracker> Laffinty Fin E Ld Si has posed.
Lan has been present and emoting in reaction shots like the actress got injured before she could do her lines for several moments.
Fin E Ld Si Laffinty - Laffinty first, in the Earth style - looks like she was made from spare Rei molds in some respects. She's a girl in pastel pale blue hair and pastel pale violet eyes and pale alabaster skin, but she wears a military leotard under a half-jacket as her main attire. The jacket has two emblems - one, for Novumundus, and another, in a language unknown, which is presumably the icon of Le Garite. She pipes up helpfully, "The Ovid is a mobile weapon technology from Le Garite. The Voxes use them as a frame for, uhm..."
She hedges, because Moid isn't here to police her. That she knows about. "I guess you'd say it's a vox particle research platform," is what she finally says. Still, she manages to genuinely smile at Madoka, and finds herself straightening unconsciously. "I am...please call me Lan. Here, I'm just a pilot." For as much as the Vox makes her fret...it's still her proof and her burden. "For the sake of my brother and the people back home, we want to...t-to show that the Vox can be used to help people."
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
High-school clubs. That's another profoundly normal thing that Liam missed out on. Even in Tsutsujidai, he felt like he didn't fit in enough to join one. But the gardening club...
Liam can't visit Tsutsujidai as regularly as he used to, but he still talks weekly with Mrs. Sakai and Yamamoto. Yamamoto's become a horticulture major. Mrs. Sakai does logistics for the garden and food pantry full-time.
"At the moment, I don't think so," Liam says. "But... if you do any gardening, I'd be happy to help. Or work with computers."
Liam glances over at Yuta, offering a wave and smile as interjection. Rei--
Is observing him. Liam observes back. Ritsuko speaks as though reminding her of him, and the lump in his throat starts to reform. He's speechless, for a long moment, after Ritsuko explains. "I'm sorry," he says, but Rei is already looking off into space. "I'm glad you're okay." He tries to force a smile. It doesn't work.
<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.
"Human or not, you're still welcome wherever." A definitive nod of self-assurance towards Aoba, Madoka's smile only growing that tiniest bit with the power of camraderie. "We're all in this together, aren't we? Moid's the person you want to talk to for information exchange."
"A cat? Sendai's too far to try and tend to one...I know a few people in the neighborhood who's had one or two, but I've never seen one stay still for long." Cats: The universal conversation topic between humans, even between teenagers and scientists!
Asuka's own pass was expected. The very fact that she's responding was heartening in its own right. And the jab... "Of course. When people need help, they just need a shove or a hand. They all have something they want to do when coming to the Jersey Club. We just give them the additional bit they need." Another sip of her coffee. Ack, she's almost out again...
Her eye keeps flicking back towards Lan, keeping that minor tab on her friend. The early conclusions drawn from her personality are...She'll keep an eye. "You're among people who're doing the same thing we are, Lan. We wouldn't be here if we weren't helping others how we can, right?" A raise of her near empty plastic cup, reciprocating one genuine smile with another.
Liam's suggestion, though... "Gardening? Mmh, I know how to do that. Not too much with computers, but the farms in Kamogawa have my mark on them." A confident bicep pump, keeping that upbeat tone of hers. "Summer's coming, so right now, let me see..." A reach into her jeresy pocket, pulling out a notebook and flipping through. "The old man's crops should start growing in two weeks, the migrations of a few birds are changing up, his farm needs a new irrigation checkthrough, her place...Ah, I know she wanted a herb garden out front, she could be checked up on." Fishing a pencil out, writing a few extra scribbles on the densely-packed planner before snapping it shut.
"Kamogawa has a few herb gardens around that could always use some help once the sun starts blazing down."
<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.
While pretty boy Yamato certainly does seem to have a lot of flash, it seems like he's not so stupid as to let some simple insults rile him up. Beyond excited words, anyway, "Hah, she said I'm pretty." Okay, maybe he is stupid.
Thankfully, having caught part of the conversation, Aoba turns around to come to the rescue of his friend and comrade, saying, "Actually, while Yamato's style is... A lot. He does actually have substance. Since the Ares and Alto Makhias have started going to the field, losses amongst the Defense Forces have been significantly reduced."
Yamato grins triumphantly, "Hah! See?"
Aoba then adds, "Of course, a lot of that is due to the advancements in the Alto Makhia and the skills of Chloe and Noa."
Yamato chokes, "D-Don't tell them that part!" Looking back at Yuta, Yamato insists, "Hahaha, he's just joking. We're good friends! Friends do that kind of thing. Right buddy?" Yamato looks at Aoba.
But Aoba is already ignoring Yamato, giving a friendly smile to Lan, "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Lan. I've never had a chance to talk with someone not from Earth before. Perhaps we can have a discussion some time? I'd love to hear about where you come from." Aoba appears to be the inquisitive sort.
Over with Noa and Chloe, Noa claps her hands together, "Ah! Right! We should thank you for the help that has been provided. Given we weren't used to such frequent attacks, things got rather rough rather quickly. I don't think the city would have survived those first few attacks without help! So thank you."
Chloe simply mmms in agreement with the offered thanks. Then changes topic to something related, "You mentioned that more Angels will inevitably attack. Is there any specific information to suggest that?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
"Haha, well, we all have circumstances, I'm sure there are other people in my situation. Now, if you excuse me for a second..." They smiled to Yamato, keeping the polite and friendly facade. Noticing however that Liam responded to their gesture, Yuta bows and excuses themself for a moment, the long --mostly-- straight hair, keeping its old fluffy messiness only at the tips and tops, swaying as they turn.
They walked over to Liam and Rei, two people that they had read about. The latter, of course, had problems of their own, as they had been briefly briefed in Asuka's welcome party. "Liam. Rei. It's nice to meet you. I'm Yuta Hibiki. Though I haven't properly met you two yet, I know one thing or another about you." Sure, Liam likely knew their name, but the same couldn't be said of Rei, and it was only polite to re-introduce themself in any case.
They remembered Liam, yes. Out of the many people they read about in Gridman's memory, Liam stood out a bit. Not because they were particularly ferocious or strong, but the cyborg had been one of the few people who defended -them- when it happened. Yuta would remember that. "How has life been treating you?" They casual politeness sounded the same, however. "A pity that I haven't been able to meet you during the bulk of my stay here."
Additionally, as Madoka was close enough to the circle, Yuta decided to greet the girl as well - even though there was some quality to her that reminded him of Gridman - "Nice to meet you too, Madoka Kyouno. I've seen you during Asuka's welcome party, but didn't have the chance to make your acquaintance."
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
Yamato is still on it, and Aoba seemingly defends him-
'Hah! See?'
"Doesn't mean anything." Asuka notes so instantly and dismissively, indeed as the point was clarified-
Asuka looks up from her boss fight, looking at him behind that strange crimson blindfold, her fingertip still moving the controls decisively with just her peripheral vision alone.
Apparently it's a really good assist device.
"You really expect me to be impressed by just another fly in the swarm?"
Is it merely arrogance or-
"Heh." Apparently Madoka said something Asuka finds ludicrous with her 'Shove' or 'Hand' comment, "What reality do you live in?"
She doesn't explain what she finds wrong about it, but it's definitely leading enough that she must find something about that idea that she finds ridiculous.
And then there's Lan - which Asuka can tell right away didn't come from some Rei mold.
"And just what do you think it can do?" Asuka asks, as she taps through the boss, indeed as Madoka noted - she isn't ignoring the room.
She's engaging, just on her terms, in her own way.
'Welcome party.' Asuka seems to repeat subvocally, her lips forming the words to echo Yuta's, apparently still - not in a good mood about all that, then again when has she ever been in a good mood?
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"You're quite welcome. We are allies, after all, and the Meteora are considerable foes," Kaworu tells Noa graciously. He takes Chloe's wordless murmur of probably-also-thanks in stride.
Chloe's question, though... "Yes," Kaworu says.
...And then does not elucidate.
If prompted about that, though, he'll at least add, "I'm sorry, but that's classified." (But only if he's prompted.)
When the Princess of Le Garite finally speaks up, Kaworu looks her way. "Lan," he repeats, acknowledging the name she asked to be called. "I'm curious--the information I received about Novumundus did mention vox particles, but went into little detail about what they are, or what the research into them is for. Could you possibly tell us more about that?"
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
The girl in black doesn't seem to object to the presence of Laffinity in the slightest. But then she's not really paying attention to anything. She takes another sip of the cool bottled water.
Ritsuko gives Liam a sympthetic, and curiously weary, look. After this her attention turns towards the discussion of the 'vox particles.' The topic seems to interest her, but she doesn't interject further. (The Administrator, after all, set up the discussion pretty well.)
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam is suddenly a lot less interested in talking about gardening. The cyborg glances after Rei, reminding himself this isn't Ritsuko's fault. This is no one's fault but the Angel's. His hands feel tense. His whole body feels tense. He was--
Knowingly or not, Yuta extends him a lifeline. But how is he supposed to answer that question?
"Been tense," he says. "Have an apartment with my girlfriend--not here, somewhere else. How've you been... adjusting?"
<Pose Tracker> Laffinty Fin E Ld Si has posed.
Lan probably should be stopping Madoka from caffeinating herself until she vibrates out of reality, but Lan has seen this girl down Kamogawa Energy like it's water and frankly is no longer certain caffeine is dangerous to humans as Moid has assured her.
Asuka asks a pointed question and Kaworu asks, broadly, a more erudite version of the same one. Lan fidgets uneasily briefly, and then says, seriously, "My world in the Polyhedron Federation is in immense danger. It could be destroyed within a thousand years. My brother the King," she says it in one chunk, synonymous thoughts, "hopes that if we can understand the Vox and their powers, we can save our world. I...don't have the specifics. Moid is the researcher. But he..."
Her eyes wander.
Moid is on the entire other side of the auditorium adding a thimble of coffee to his creamer.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
When Yuta comes nearer, Ritsuko looks towards him. The girl in black does a moment later too. Yuta gets that intense look, the same that Liam and Madoka did.
Despite all, he may find it a little more surprising than they did.
"Ah yes, Yuta Hibiki," Ritsuko says. "Of course, I've known of you as one of our interns, but it's always good to say hello." Towards the girl in black, Ritsuko says, "A good friend of yours. I can get your operational records when we get the opportunity."
There's a long second. "Understood," answers the girl in black, with a small nod. "Yuta - Hibiki."
Ritsuko tips her canned coffee back with an attitude of 'it's nearly empty.'
<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.
"Hmmmm, not easy to impress, huh? That's fine. I respect that. I guess we'll just have to see. Not that it really bothers me one way or the other." Yamato tries to wave it off like it's nothing.
Yuta excuses themself and Yamato waves, "Nice meeting you! Good luck in the future." The orange haired pilot then stretches, "Well, I'm out for the day." He starts walking out of the meeting hall, calling, "Aoba, I'll catch you back at the room!" And he's gone.
Aoba apparently doesn't notice Yamato's leaving, seemingly happy interacting with Lan. His eyes go a little wide at Lan's description of the situation, "I see... It certainly seems like you have a lot weighing on you." It certainly puts some perspective on his own situation.
It definitely seems like Chloe wants more clarification on Kaworu's response, but it's pretty obvious that it's classified so pressing further would likely be a waste of time. Thus she doesn't. Instead she simply goes quiet and lets the other conversation go on.
A conversation which Noa seems to be rather interested in too, "The whole world?" She recalls the mention of the destruction of a whole planet which caused the alien group to end up here to begin with... Was it something like that? Noa definitely looks concerned, "Well, I'm not sure if there's anything we can do to help... But if there is, let us know! Don't give up hope. I'm sure it'll all work out!"
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It is what it is. Kaworu might not be able to give Chloe detailed information, but at least he can confirm that there's a solid basis for believing there'll be more Angels. He appreciates in turn that she respects that it is classified. He gives her a faint smile and sits with her for now.
There is still the question he asked Lan, though. As a pilot, it seems she doesn't know too much about vox particles either. And when she directs everyone's attention to the researcher...
"I see," Kaworu says, perceiving Moid. "Perhaps he and Dr. Akagi can discuss the matter further later, then." An expectant and guileless look Ritsuko's way as she shakes that coffee can.
<Pose Tracker> Madoka Kyouno has posed.
THere's a curt, polite nod towards Yuta, the quick scan of A New Person passing by with flying colors. "Yuta, right? It's a shame you're taking off so soon after I joined, but I know you have your own reasons." Another sip of her coff- Oh. She's out. Boo. There's a bit of time stolen to pour herself another cup, sipping away without any extra additions. Bit bitter, but it'll have to do in lieu of Kamogawa Energy. "If this is your farewell party, theeeen." A raised coffee cup, steaming with the slow, possibly-refubished coffeegrounds of an industrial complex's office. She wasn't rating it high on the taste scale. "A toast to your future." And another sip.
Bitter, but energizing.
"The Vox? It's a machine that can fly and do things like those Mobile Suits do. There's an old...what model was it again...GM? That gets taken out and used for some of the larger projects, but most of the stuff isn't really mobile-suit developed..." A chuckle to herself. "There's some old people who really love working with their hands."
Just what can the Vox do? She can't really answer herself. "The Vox just works for me. So I'm in the seat because someone asked me. And if it can save others, I'm happy." Simple.
Lan, however, is not going to stop Madoka from continuing her habits of being a teenager with an Uncle who can cook and a cousin who's got an equally eclectic palette. Old Habits Die Hard. This is her...She lost count of the cups. It'll be fine, a few hours of hard work will work it off.
A glance over at Moid. ... "...I'm just the pilot, you know. Moid and Le Garite, they're the ones trying to save their planet."
A glance...back at her planner. Pulling it out, flipping through the pages. Ah, time's... "Let's see, half an hour travel time means...Lan, I'll have to go in a bit, so if I disappear, don't wait up, okay? One of the neighborhood mothers wants to try some enka practice for her 35th anniversary."
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
"Then why'd you mouth off about my attitude?"
Asuka mutters as Yamato says it doesn't bother him one way or another - certainly calling out he's not as indifferent as he seems on that.
In fact he's very bothered.
Asuka isn't looking at Lan any longer, as she explains, but she can't find herself... looking down on that motive.
"High hopes." Is all she says, as if trying to say 'Prepare for disappointment' not to be cruel - but because ...
... because she suspects the outcome will be cruel to Lan.
It often is.
She does listen to Madoka speaking on the Vox but... eventually, just falls back into the rhythm of the bullet hell that is life.
Also she finishes the stage she's on in her game.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Tense. Well, Yuta could easily tell that much, the man has certainly been.... more.... fidgety than they remembered. "I see.... Well, it's nice that you've got a place for the two of you, at least. I'm glad to hear that, actually. As for me...."
The red haired youngster stopped for a second, it's not like they could say 'I've been ingratiating myself around places, not all of them exactly legal, so I can prepare myself for the future with every ounce of knowledge, training, and people-knowhow I can muster.' In their mind, they're laughing in self-derision. His body, however, has the same amicable and natural smile.
"Well, I've been doing a bit of internships around. I lost two important years of my life, but I think I've done pretty well catching up." Not a lie. However, have they done enough? No, not enough. Still not enough. You're not enough. Never enough. "As they say, we play with the hand we're dealt. But hey, I've been planning to go independent since I actually started all this catching up work."
Though perhaps they're jumping the gun a bit, Yuta pulls out a business card. Minimum design, simple, clear and white. On one side, name, contact information and profession - "Basically, a freelancer. If you ever need --anything --" they put emphasis on the word "give me a call, you'll have a neat discount. I remember you've done a solid one defending me back then. I'd hope to return the favor sometime." Perhaps their most congruent and genuine feeling of the night. Of course, building bridges is also important. No man is an island, even if the only person you can count on is yourself.
And then he extends another card to Madoka as well, as someone else in 'helping other people' business. Though for very different reasons. "Of course, Madoka. As I mentioned, I'll be around for a couple more weeks to sort everything out properly, so we might see each other still."
"For now though, I hope you two don't mind, but one of those 'things that need to get sorted out before I leave' will be coming up shortly, so I might need to break a leg." Or so was their cue to leave. There was job honestly coming up, though.
<Pose Tracker> Laffinty Fin E Ld Si has posed.
"....we call it the Thousand Year Problem," Lan explains, quietly, though her hands curl around each other. "...within that time, the planet De Metrio and the planet Le Garite will collide, destroying both. My brother has decided that to prevent future greedy or slovenly leadership from paving the way to catastrophe, he wants to have a solution."
Her posture strengthens. "That's...why I'm fighting. To protect the people of my world. And...perhaps to find a way to save more worlds, starting here."
High hopes, Asuka says, with full pesimism. Lan manages to retain her steel when she nods. "Yes. But..."
She finds Madoka with her eyes, and something more like proper confidence settles into her. "...the Jersey Club doesn't back down from such a challenge," she says. "Oh! Alright, I'll make my own way back."