2024-05-20: New Responsibilities
- Log: 2024-05-20: New Responsibilities
- Cast: Alouette Pommier, Akane Shinjo
- Where: Freedom City, Huffman Island
- OOC - IC Date: May 20, 0099
- Summary: Following a data check-up on the Galactron situation at Huffman Island, Alouette and Akane take a slice out of their schedule to hit up Freedom City and make some much-needed catch up on each other's lives.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Huffman Island has seen some of the most activity it has in a while - which isn't necessarily a good thing considering the hotbed for war that the island is. Everyone with a stake is interested in what the deal with Galactron, and Grand Glorious Guard is no exception - being one of the best equipped organizations to study it, and being compelled to a certain extent by the OCU.
This means many GGG personnel have had a good reason to be on the island - and while Alouette now has the duties of a Captain... analyzing a large amount of data at once is still one of her strengths. Right now, though, it's hard to say Galactron is doing much of anything, which means what an analysis team can do only do so much, too.
Which in practice, means Alouette's on her break - and a monitoring post in a ruined war-torn valley isn't really a pleasant place to spend it, but they are close enough to Freedom City to have a place to regroup to. Alouette folds up the laptop she brought with her, slips it in her bag... giving the monitor one last look before preparing to check on GGG Red's setup to see how they're holding up.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
This is the most action 3G has seen in a fair while -- and of course, Akane's here too. She's on the tail end of a weekend spent on Huffman -- a lot of her classes can be conducted remotely, even if it's not mandatory for them to be, so she's not missing much. At the same time, she's really wondering if having her physically here was all that wise...
Closing up her own laptop, she packs it into her bag. She doesn't fly back out for a few hours, so she's got some time to kill --
-- and someone to kill it with, conveniently. "Hey Alouette," she says, favoring Blue's current Mobile Captain with a small smile. "Been a while since we were face to face, huh. I guess we've both been kinda busy..." She tilts her head just slightly to one side, asking, "How's university going for you? It's a lot to juggle, right?"
Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she asks, "Have you been to Freedom yet?" The OCU Huffman capital, she means, of course. "It kinda caught me off guard how big it was..."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Akane, it's good to see you," Alouette turns to face GGG Red's head intelligence operator with a smile. "It really has, hasn't it?" She agrees, with a wistful tone. "...I don't think we've had a chance to see each other since Galactron first showed up." She adjusts her bag, sparing a glance back. "Which seriously wasn't the best time to catch up."
Alouette's full attention falls on Akane again when she brings up university classes. "A lot to juggle, for sure... definitely more than high school was." She nods. "I had to sign up for a lot of remote classes this year... but it's really quite a shame, because the campus life was something I was looking forward to."
"I'm guessing it's the same for you? And I can't imagine how it must be for Rikka... how have the two of you been adjusting to your new roles?" Alouette knows they're both capable of handling their respective positions, and she's been pulling strings to make sure Red gets the proper support it needs from Blue, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
"I was hoping to stop by today, actually," She answers, about Freedom City. "Admittedly, I've heard it's the tourist-y kind of place..." She nods, when Akane mentions how big it was. "But it certainly doesn't seem like a bad city by any means, either."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yeah, and I'm not even sure about before that..." Akane rubs at the back of her head, saying, "Well, we've got right now at least!" When Alouette mentions she's got a lot to juggle, Akane nods, noting, "Rikka was kinda struggling with it too. I had a pretty okay sense of how much time I needed for classes, but I had some other stuff going on last year, too... though I guess most of that was over break." She shrugs, then says, "I bet by next year you'll have everything ready to go too."
She thinks a little more about how both she and Rikka are doing, moving to walk with Alouette. "... I could catch a later flight back, if you wanna check the place out with me," Akane offers, while she thinks. Eventually, she loops back, saying, "Rikka's got it worse. I was interning in high school so it wasn't really that bad? But she was newer to it and she's got a lot of responsibilities, too..."
Akane has a thought, evidently, as she talks to Alouette. "You know -- you don't have to have classes on campus to do campus stuff? Like, if you wanna just go to campus whenever you have a free minute, you're fine if you're enrolled... I was doing hybrid classes second term and still going to circles and clubs and stuff."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"I don't even think I've gotten to see your new cat yet..." Alouette points out, as if to emphasize how long it's been. "I definitely have to make some time to visit." She exhales. "But you're right... we might as well make the most of right now!"
She picks up her pace a little as she walks, as Akane explains how she and Rikka have been doing. "The university classes haven't been too bad... but there's definitely a lot that goes into filling Mamoru's shoes and I'm not that good at managing my time."
"When you're mostly fighting science crime operations, there's a lot of care the Captain has to put in planning operations as much as carrying them out?" She brushes her bag as she explains. "Thankfully, if I really need to pay attention to my classes, I always have Ikumi for second pair of eyes..." She admits, with a slight laugh.
"Rikka has always been very good at performing under pressure, so I'm sure she'll adjust..." Alouette says, before giving a thoughtful look. "But I hope she's been getting some time to relax, too." She adds.
She considers it then, when Akane offers to take a later flight to spend some time in the city. "...Hmm, I think I'll take you up on that if you really don't mind being late. Do you know any good places to stop by?"
"I guess you're right... it just means finding the time to stop by off-schedule." Alouette nods. "I feel like if I'm going all that way I need to find... you know, some way to be productive, but getting involved in something extracurricular doesn't sound like a bad idea..." She considers, thinking back to the different club rooms she stopped by. "I did fencing in high school, but maybe something weird like theatre would be fun."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Oh man. You have got to come see Balam," Akane insists, once she realizes. "He's really easygoing. He let Marusan pick him up the first time they met," she enthuses, as she pulls out her phone. (It's a new phone, even, no longer spider-webbed with cracks like her phones have historically been.) She has a flight to push back.
"Oh, that makes a lot of sense," she says, as Alouette talks about the difference between being an operator and being the Captain. It's clear that Alouette's taking her new role seriously -- and that makes Akane smile, just a bit. "You and Ikumi seem like you get along pretty well," Akane adds. "It's good that he's hanging around, even if he's in a different position..."
Akane turns her phone screen back off and puts it aside, continuing to walk with Alouette. "I've heard of a couple good places to try, at least? A few of those I want to do with Rikka, but..." She thinks. "I know there's a mall food court, at least?"
In the end, they end up back at university stuff, and Akane nods. "I know there's a few different drama circles... it's a big campus. Plus, you know, you could always go to the library. I know you can get everything online at this point, but..." Here, the dark-haired girl gives Alouette a slightly hapless smile. "Sometimes it's nice to be able to ask the librarian for help face to face. I don't have that kinda organizational skill, so it helps me a lot."
It's taken Akane a long while to make it to this feeling... but it's nice to be able to feel this way, at the same time.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"I'd really love to," Alouette enthuses, about Balam. "I don't have too much experience with cats, come to think... but it sounds like he makes it pretty easy." She laughs. "How's she been, anyways? Didn't she get a really prestigious scholarship somewhere in the AEU?" She asks, incidentally, about Marusan, even if she's more of a 'friend of a friend'.
"Honestly, we didn't before," Alouette admits, about Ikumi - and perhaps Akane would have only known bits and pieces from during the Bujack situation. "It took some time, but I think we understand each other a lot more now. He's always preferred a supporting role, but well... he's one of the best supporters I could ask for." She concludes.
"I'm guessing it's somewhat of a similar change going from an intern in intelligence to the head of the division?" She asks, curious to know how Akane's own work is going.
"The mall food sounds good enough to me.. I'm not really in the mood for something big today." Alouette agrees. "I'm not sure if I'd buy anything today, but we could always look around for a bit after, too... they probably have a Uniqlo or something?" It's not usually the style she goes for - but it's good to have some lighter clothes in your wardrobe too.
"That's a good place to start," She nods, when Akane brings up the drama circles - she considers trying each of them and see if there's a particular style she prefers. "The library, huh..." Normally she is more of an online reader, too, and absorbs information that way much so faster but... "Hmm, that's not a bad idea. You already know mine aren't much better, so I'll be sure to keep that advice in mind." She gives an encouraging smile to Akane - also realizing how much Akane's gotten better at asking for help when she needs it.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"This is my first cat too," Akane says, deciding not to go for any of several implicit gags she could go for. "And -- yeah, the Yumi Foundation is paying for her school. She's... so, like, good for her? But I think she's kinda regretting going to college in Europe. Whenever she DMs me it's like, 'wow, this is really hard.'" ... Okay, those aren't the exact words she uses.
"Still, she's not transferring... I guess she's pretty serious about the program. Good for her... she's really on another level." There's definite fondness in Akane's voice; Marusan, after all, proved a really good friend in more ways than Akane could ever have expected. "I have no idea what's up with her and Ako right now... neither of them seems to wanna talk about it."
She thinks about her own responsibilities, having heard about Alouette's role. "... you know, yeah, it's a lot. I still don't really think of myself as heading it up -- Intelligence is really a team effort, and I'm still pretty green." Not being the most junior member is pretty surreal on its own, though -- more than once Akane's had something show up at her desk and had to go, 'uh, really?'
As they head a little further from the makeshift monitoring post, Akane adds, "Sometimes it's just nice to go somewhere quiet that isn't home, too. I'm definitely kinda a homebody still, but it's... good to go somewhere else to decompress sometimes."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"People always seem to say that," Alouette laughs, about colleges in Europe. "But I can tell she's a really hard worker, too. Maybe to a fault? But it sounds like she has a pretty good future ahead of her." She's not sure if being so busy is what accounts for her relationship troubles, and really doesn't feel like it's her place to speculate.
"A team effort... mhm, that makes sense. It's kind of all a team effort, no matter what division you're in." Alouette nods. "I'd imagine your own takes hold more lot of weight than you're used to, but it's important to have multiple eyes on these things too." She brushes her hair back a little. "Especially when your branch's first major task is something like this..." She's able to gesture more broadly to the area now that they're further in the valley from Galactron.
Somewhere quiet that isn't home... "That's true. When I lived full-time on Orbit Base, it wasn't like there weren't plenty of ways to relax, but you know... I feel like I always had to be 'on' in case something happens." She half-smiles. "And there's something special about the kind of atmosphere in a library, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yeah, I think even if she feels kinda overwhelmed, it's probably the kind of environment she'll do great in," Akane agrees. She, too, decides to let the topic of Marusan's love life drop for now -- they have better things to talk about, anyway.
"Oh, uh -- do you mind driving?" Akane asks, as they approach the motor pool. "I'm still not great on the road, ahaha..." She rubs at the back of her head, with a small smile. "Nouvelle's public transit is so good that I haven't really bothered learning..."
The topic meanders a bit, and Akane looks back toward Galactron. "... It's pretty heavy stuff. A lot more talking with NUNE guys than I expected to be doing after how that shook out, but it's not... well, I'm not doing that stuff alone, at least?" Nodding to herself as she goes through the situation in her head, she continues, "I think we'll get it right, though. Everyone made it through... everything I did, so we're all kinda experts." She still feels shame for her behavior in Tsutsujidai -- but it's not something to dwell on.
"Yeah. You get it," Akane agrees. "I never liked the library in high school, but university libraries really feel special..."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
With a nod, Alouette is content to leave talk about Marusan there, pleased to know Akane's friends seem to be doing well for themselves, too.
"Sure, I don't mind... just going to need some directions." Alouette agrees, while beckoning to Akane's phone. All things considered, she's an attentive and careful driver, especially with passengers - so it's likely a pretty smooth and uneventful ride.
"Mhm. Every single move you make is likely to be seen on an international scale... which is why I haven't really been taking point with NUNE this time." She frowns. "They've been sending their own military types, but I think they would get the wrong idea if it was the Mobile Corps they were dealing with. So... I definitely appreciate you and your team handling it." She nods, too, when Akane says she isn't doing it alone. She doesn't dwell on Akane's actions in Tsutsujidai - it's true that they learned a lot from Tsutsujidai - but the most important part is that Akane is here. "We will get it right." She says, assuredly. "It's going to take a lot of care... but I think we have that in spades."
"The Jindai library didn't have those really comfy bean bag chairs." Alouette comments. "That's a plus."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Ehehe... it's kind of crazy being on the other side of something like this," Akane remarks. "And -- yeah, if we escalated to Mobile Corps right away it'd probably be chaos. Taiga's been handling a lot of it, but it's been pretty good experience for everyone in 3G Red to see this stuff happening." All told, a single kaiju that seems to intend to take its sweet time analyzing the world feels comparatively small.
As they make an uneventful drive, Akane says, "Yeah. We definitely have that..." Few know 3G's care -- kindness, even -- better than Akane Shinjo, at this point. It feels good to be able to pay it back.
... She does start to dwell, as they drive, on the possibility that this could be a defining international incident -- something that really shapes how NUNE and the OCU interact for years to come. ... the pressure is a little much, and for a few seconds, she stares out the window, eyes wide in a not-quite-grimace. ... Then she starts counting trees and listening to the tires for a few seconds.
"... Don't tempt me to order one of those beanbags for the house," Akane adds, eventually. ... It's an empty threat -- they don't have the space. But it's a fun thought for if they ever get a bigger place...
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"It is crazy," Alouette agrees. "I don't think it's probable at this point that it's anything more than a cosmic coincidence it landed here... but even if it's not, it's all up to how we react to it." She nods. "I'm really glad we have Taiga's expertise for this one, too. If we didn't... I think it'd be a lot more murky, but I guess we'd still have to find a way..."
Alouette falls silent for a few moments then, after the point of 'care'... wondering if things like 'care' alone will be enough if the other side is so cavalier about it... but she just has to hope the answer is yes, anyways. She focuses on the road instead... she doesn't really have to drive often, but it's a relaxing, almost meditative kind of activity for her - maybe just because it's different from the fast high-intensive piloting situations she ends up in.
"Well, then maybe I'll have to get one first," Alouette counters, and then pauses, making a turn. "Ah, but then I'd never want to leave my room... and I can't just die of comfort." She laughs. But with that, the GPS beeps with only one more turn until they reach... Freedom.