2024-07-22: Haro, Hero of All Social Situations
- Log: 2024-07-22- Haro, Hero of All Social Situations
- Cast: Lacus Clyne, Anita Rosetta
- Where: Shoal Zone - Terminal Factory Asteroid
- OOC - IC Date: 0099-07-22
- Summary: After being called in to assist with some testing at Terminal's factory asteroid, Lacus writes something up. As a result, she ends up meeting Anita Rosetta face to face for the first time. Getting the conversation started proves a little tricky -- until a certain pink friend greases the skids.
<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.
The EFREET Steward is a finicky bit of kit, to say the least; it demands the top end of even a Coordinator's capacity to split attention, unlike its mass-production counterpart, given its status as a battlefield control machine and a predominantly Coordinator-use mobile weapon. There are fairly few people who could give the machine the attention it needs to really shine, even in Terminal -- especially with command experience.
Lacus, thus, was a natural call-in; it's one of the few things she's done for Terminal over the last few years, after spending a long time slowly recovering from the ordeal that was the First Bloody Valentine Conflict. This round of testing is over, though -- and she finds herself in the command center of the Factory's asteroid, hidden in the shoal zone of Loum amid other debris and spent mining asteroids.
"It's quite responsive," she murmurs to herself as she types up her thoughts, "but the weapon array is somewhat strange... I think there may be a reason ZAFT passed on this design." ... It wouldn't be the first machine the Three Ships Alliance fielded that was designed for one of a handful of pilots, though.
Her expression casts just slightly downward, looking pensive, worried. "I hope it never comes to pass that we need this level of control over a battlefield as small as this one seems to suit..."
... It's a naive hope, and she knows it -- but she can hope nonetheless, as she sits alone, finishing her notes for the development team.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
The Svipul had been a joint project, sourcing technology and know-how from across the Three Ships Alliance and combining them all into a single machine. Just because the project is complete, though, doesn't mean that Anita has stopped reaching out to the engineers and mechanics that had helped her reach this point, and there's always little improvements that can be made to fine-tune its performance.
She's visiting today, in fact, because some of them wanted to take a look at it. Now that things are starting to spin up again it's important that Svipul is in top shape, and they know some things better than others.
There's a team fussing over it now - and while she's provided as much input as she can as its pilot and someone with some engineering know-how of her own, at a certain point she's just getting in the way, so she's decided to slip away into they're finished.
She finds herself getting turned around, though - and opens the command center doors to find Lacus hard at work recording notes.
"Oh, sorry, didn't realise there was anyone here. I can get out of your hair." Anita apologizes. She's still in her full pilot suit and EX-Gear, helmet tucked under one arm. Seemed more convenient to bring it with her.
Still... she's a little curious. About what she's doing, and who she is. They've never really talked.
<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.
Lacus -- still likewise in her full pilot suit, helmet set aside -- looks up to see Anita. "No -- please, I'd be quite happy for the company," she says, with a small smile on her face. One might detect a hint of extra makeup at the edges of her eyes -- perhaps self-consciousness, or perhaps hiding exhaustion.
It takes her only a moment to find the name to put to the face; she makes a point of remembering those she's asked so much of, even only indirectly. "You are... Anita Rosetta," she says, once she finds it. "I'm happy to meet you. My name is Lacus Clyne." Her voice remains that mix of gentle, crisp, and formal -- the product of so much time spent in the idol world, and then briefly in the world of politics. "You've continued to work very hard as the world changes... thank you."
Her glance turns off to the side again for just a moment, before she fully orients to face Anita. "What's brought you to the Factory?" she asks, after a few moments' thought on it. "Have you been asked to test something, too?"
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"You sure? Alright, then." Anita replies with a nod. She notices the extra makeup - but she doesn't point it out. Instead, she moves to take a seat, carefully setting her helmet down on top of a nearby console.
Brief, slight surprise crosses her face when Lacus recognizes her. It's one thing for her to recognize Lacus, given her prominence - but the other way around?
Well, it says a lot.
"Got it in one." Anita confirms, offering her a small smile. That gentle, formal tone is quite a bit different from her own casual, laidback one. "Nice meetin' you."
She offers a hand. She doesn't know if Lacus is the hand-shaking type - but, it couldn't hurt. And, Lacus thanks her. Anita laughs, just a bit sheepishly, massaging the back of her neck.
"Uh... no problem. Just doing what I can to help." She replies. She watches Lacus glance to the side for a moment, then back to her.
"Nah. ...Or, maybe, kind of? The folks here wanted to take a look at my Valkyrie, since it's been a while since they were able to check in in-person. They helped put her together, so they want to see how she's held up through everything, and if there's any tune-ups they can do." Anita replies. "How about you? Sounds like you've got something you're working on."
<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.
Lacus asks a lot of pilots; the least she can do is to remember their names. (Admittedly, there are only a handful of augmented cyborgs among the assets coordinated through Terminal; it does winnow the list of names a fair bit.)
Handshakes have a somewhat different valence for Lacus, as a once-idol; she's certainly not afraid of them in the least, though. She accepts the hand, and gives it a firm shake. The movement remains slow and deliberate -- indeed, an idol's event handshake through and through.
"Ah, that does make sense. As times change, weapons like that must remain at the ready..." Her lips purse for a moment, and then she tries to shake off whatever lingering worries bother her. Instead of ruminating, she gives a smile and says, "It sounds like it's gone well for you and your machine, at least."
She's asked what she's working on, in turn, and certainly sees no reason to hide it. "Our contacts within ZAFT gave us some of their Millennium Series rejected designs to test... one of them is a battlefield support machine. I was asked to give my opinions on its capabilities as commander of the Eternal, and as a -Coordinator." Her practiced delivery stumbles just the tiniest bit as she goes through the explanation -- not enough to even lose her verbal footing. Perhaps this, too, is a sign of self-consciousness -- or much time spent away from the practice of war.
From underneath Lacus's seat, or perhaps behind her feet -- a friendly little Haro rolls! All in pink, the Haro Mini proudly -- albeit somewhat delayed -- announces, "Haro! It's nice to meet you! Haro! Haro!" and its ear-flaps wiggle around.
That gets Lacus to stop losing steps. "It seems Haro's happy to see you as well," she says, perking up a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Lacus shakes her hand, firm and deliberate. Anita nods back
"Yeah. Just how it goes, I guess." Anita replies with a slight smile, and the nods. "Yeah. We've been working pretty well together. Couldn't ask for a better ride."
Lacus goes on to explain with she's working on, then, and Anita listens with interest. A rejected design for a battlefield support machine? She's so focused on that she almost misses the stumble - and by the time it registers, Lacus has already continued on smoothly.
"Sounds pretty fascinating. It'd probably be pretty useful, if it can be made to work." Anita considers thoughtfully - but then, a certain someone appears who derails her train of thought. It's hard to miss the way her face lights up as Lacus's Haro rolls out into view. Anita leans down, offering it a smile.
"Well, hey there, cutie!" Anita greets, cheerily. "Nice to meet you, too, Haro!"
She laughs, just a little, looking back up at Lacus.
"Seems like you've got a pretty lively little friend, here." Anita notes.
<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.
"I'm glad to hear that," Lacus says, with a nod. The most important thing for a pilot is to trust their sword -- she appreciates that Anita places so much trust in hers.
"I can see why the design would be passed over -- it makes a great demand of the pilot... as a limited-run machine, however, I think it may hold promise." She doesn't want to pointlessly bore Anita with the details of just how solid that sensor suite is, how capable the EFREET is of out-detecting a mothership -- not least because she, herself, is hardly the expert.
Haro, though, is a topic she's delighted to discuss. "Are you a fan of Haros as well?" Lacus asks, as Mr. Pink wobbles once, twice, and then hops up onto her lap, then wobbles a bit more to get situated. "I have several. They were gifts from someone close to me... though this one is my favorite. This is Mr. Pink, though he's happy to just be called Haro as well."
Lacus pats him gently on the head -- an act that gets his ear flaps flapping like crazy. "He's been with me through many difficult events."
Haro seems to have his own opinion on this. "I won't accept them! Haro!" He rolls slightly forward as he says it, giving the flapping a slightly more agitated cast.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
She smiles back, and then that considering expression crosses Anita's face once more as Lacus continues.
"Yeah... It don't matter how awesome your suit is if no one can actually pilot the thing. If it's too harsh or too demanding on the pilot, then what you've got is a ton of dead weight on your hands." Anita considers. "But, yeah - if you keep the numbers down to people you know can use it, that makes a lot more sense."
Anita, of course, is always delighted to discuss Haro, as well.
Gifts, huh? Anita nods thoughtfully.
"A Haro's a real good gift - it can tell a lot about what a person thinks." She replies. "'Mr. Pink', though - that's a good name."
She nods earnestly and decisively. She has Haros named Red, Green, and Blue. Of course there'd be zero judgment.
Lacus says that Mr. Pink has been with her through many difficult events, and Anita chuckles just a bit at his agitation.
"He's a fiery one. I like him." She says.
"...I get it, though. My own companion Haro back home... he's helped me through some of the hardest stuff in my life, too. It's incredible how much they can do for you." She says. "So, yeah. I'm a huge fan. Building, modding, collecting, playing... It's probably my favorite hobby besides flying."
<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.
Lacus senses a kindred spirit in terms of Haro naming, and that buoys her spirits. "I've never learned too much about maintenance and modification," Lacus admits, though, as they get to talking about it. "There's always been someone in my life who was better at such things..." First Athrun, then Kira -- she's always had someone to rely on.
"It's fascinating, isn't it? Almost forgotten, if it weren't for Amuro Ray and the One Year War," Lacus muses, as Haro's feet retract slightly; Lacus knows this means Haro wants to be picked up, and pick him up she does. "Being there for one person was what allowed Haros to be there for thousands more. Kindness and companionship that never could have happened, if not for humanity's mistakes..."
... That's a really moody line of thought, so Lacus leans forward and laughs a little at herself, instead. "I think it's wonderful. And you've had your friends on the Ra Mari with you through many of those events as well, haven't you, Miss Rosetta?" The longer the conversation lingers here -- even when it touches on heavy things -- the more content Lacus seems. The weight of her concerns about Terminal and the Factory, at the very least, takes a backseat.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Anita nods, as Lacus admits to not knowing too much about maintenance and modification.
"That's fine. Not a lot of people do. They're hardy little guys, so as long as you've got someone you can trust with them, that's good enough." Anita replies with a nod.
Fascinating, though... Anita thinks about that. It is an interesting thought, the way that connection draws back.
"Yeah, it is fascinating. Funny how things work, sometimes. Small things becoming bigger and bigger as they pass through different people." She agrees with a nod, and smiles.
Lacus laughs at herself - and asks about her friends on the Ra Mari, and Anita nods. There's a fond, nostalgic look on her face as she thinks about.
"Yeah. They're the ones who gave me the strength to stand on my own two feet again. And we've been supporting each other like that ever since, through everything that's come our way. No matter how hard it gets... we back each other up." She confirms.
<Pose Tracker> Lacus Clyne has posed.
"They are," Lacus agrees. "You'd think with all the mischief this one gets up to, he'd need more regular repairs... but he's a little more clever than most people give him credit for. Isn't that right, Mr. Pink?" That gets a small hop of assent.
The fondness Anita carries is plain to see -- and Lacus is happy to see it. "Whether it's Haros or their fellow humans, people gain strength from their encounters. I can tell you truly appreciate the people in your life." That counts for a lot, for Lacus -- her feelings seem clearly quite warm.
And speaking of encounters with fellow humans -- "Would you mind staying while I finish this write-up?" Lacus asks, smiling. "I don't anticipate heading home for some time -- most of the others I came here with still have a lot more testing to participate in." Lacus... has gone long stretches, lately, only spending time with the people she's around every day -- and while she cherishes those people as well, part of her does crave more novel interactions. "You might see something in my report that's worth expanding upon as well, as a more experienced pilot..."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Anita laughs. She's all too familiar with the sort of shenanigans Haros can get up to when left unattended.
"I believe it. Not a day goes by when that I don't find myself surprised by what they're capable of." She replies, and then, she nods.
"I do." She says. Lacus asks, then, if she minds staying while she finishes up. Anita offers her a smile.
"Sure, I don't mind. I'm not going for a while myself, so we might as well stick together, right?" She says - and with that, she nods. "Sure. If I see something worth pointing out, I'll let you know."