2024-08-01: What's Engraved in Your Heart?

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<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane strides into Saida's -- just barely outside the evacuation range of the kaiju attack, and thus still operating -- like she owns the place. Her expression remains that smug, self-content smile she's worn to meet the Kaiju Eugenicists; why change it? She seats herself at a table and immediately sets about the business of doing her favorite thing: watching other people eat.

"All right -- pass the order slip around and write down the four-digit number for what you want," Akane says, just in case her new friends have never been to a Saidariya before. "I'm just getting the bottomless soft drinks and a bottle of the olive oil to take home."

Leaning back into her seat, she does her best to continue looking smug and nonchalant. "So -- did you guys have fun today?" she asks, brightly. "It's been a little while since I've seen that kinda kaiju. Good stuff." A beat passes before she adds, "Know anything about the fake one?"

Despite her best efforts to remain smugly, contentedly curious... it's hard to keep a couple of things out of her eyes. There's a territoriality to all of it, that seems to double as she looks at Sizumu in particular. 

<Pose Tracker> Mujina has posed.


        Mujina has, in fact, never been in a Saida's before. She has probably been in places like them before but it has been, at best, a while.

        But it's a little novel, so, you know, she'll take it. More interesting is the woman across from them- in a uniform like theirs but not. Mujina has been watching her for the entire walk- along with Sizumu, who is. Acting ever slow slightly differently. It's weird. It's new. Mujina's not sure she likes it.

        So while they're following, she does fall back to- wait, Juuga's not here. Hm. That means...

        "...hey, Onija," She whispers. "Do you know who she is?"

        Ultimately, though, they end up in the restaurant seated at a table surrounded by people... largely unbothered by the Kaiju attack? Hmm. It's kind of strange too, isn't it?

        Still, once the system is explained, she looks to Sizumu. "We can order whatever we want, right?"

        She waits for an answer before writing things down- 3401, 1423 and 1415, a glass of red wine, jamon serrano & buffalo mozzarella and crispy potatoes. That done, she slides it and the pencil over to Onija.

        "...So, who is she?" Mujina finally asks Sizumu directly, instead of Akane. He seems to know, right?

        Unfortunately she's asked a question and she feels like she has to answer. "Juuga was doing most of the work, he's the one you should ask." Mujina responds, her voice flat and unemotional.

        And the fake one... "..." She looks over at Sizumu again, that's... his call, right?

        Even if Onija will blurt it out, probably. 

<Pose Tracker> Sizumu has posed.

"Holy shit! What the fuck kinda place is this?!"

This is the Kaiju Eugenicists' introduction to the world of the pizzeria: profanity-laden wonder courtesy of expert summarizer, Onija.

Without Juuga here to offer a well-reasoned guess as to Akane's origin and nature, all that Mujina has to fall back on is that very aggressive, very distracted red-headed peer. He doesn't seem to recognize her question at first, busy just rudely staring at things and people as he is. It takes a second before he goes, "hah??" blinks, and looks Akane's way finally.

He squints at her, lips pursed, as he leans towards Mujina in a way that is entirely too conspicuous. And then, the point of it now ruined, he whispers his pearls of wisdom:

"She's some kinda cosplayer. Right?"

...

This is how it goes, with the entire (short) trip to their table being full of Onija sort of nudging Mujina with his elbow and waving his other hand dramatically at all the "crazy shit" around them (to wit, the fancy booths and all the various forms of alcohol he's spotted along the way; both of these things are miraculous modern-day marvels to him). When they settle at their table, Onija spins his chair around and bodily slumps forward into it, rocking forward until the front-now-back legs are off the ground and his arms are folded loosely over the tabletop, gobbling up all the space.

Sizumu? Sizumu picks the innocuous interior seat that by pure happenstance is exactly one chair removed from the others closest to him, leaned back into the chair. He offers a simple nod of confirmation and a "go for it" to Mujina before his red gaze turned to some point far off in the horizon, looking impossibly deep in some sort of thought.

It's perhaps the most expressive he's been in a long time.

Akane offers her instructions, and her questions. Onija is the first to launch into his order, scribbling a furious flurry of four-digit food orders. It's concerningly long to the point one might wonder, grimly, if there will be any space for anyone else to order anything in the aftermath.

He only pauses once in the middle of his savage scribbling to squint skeptically Akane's way.

"This is on you yeah? You're not gonna be a rude hostess or whatever right? 'Cause I'm not exactly liquid right now."

... before he adds multiple orders of chuhai to his list.

And Sizumu...

Sizumu doesn't order anything.

Not even a complementary glass of water.

He just slides the card Akane's way the moment it reaches him without even looking at it, like it was rote.

Akane asks her questions; that attention focuses on Sizumu in a way that's impossible to ignore.

It's been a little while since I've seen that kinda kaiju. Good stuff.

Those red eyes so like the hue of her own right now tilt further upward.

"Kaiju come and go from people's perceptions. But they're always there."

Those red eyes turn Akane's way, before a smile squeezes them shut.

"But people won't be able to ignore them anymore. That's thanks to you, too."

Onija looks sidelong at Sizumu, just shrugs, mutters a "yeah whatever," and continues on to blurt out his own answers before Mujina can even get confirmation from Sizumu, true to her predictions:

"Awesome, right? That kaiju totally tore shit up! I wonder how many humans it killed."

People kind of... stare at Onija here until he barks a loud "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS YOU RUDE BASTARDS UNLESS YOU WANNA GO OUT BACK". He continues thusly once he's settled:

"Don't know a damn thing about that phony kaiju though. Bet it's something that traitor Gauma came up with, definitely!"

He pauses before one of Mujina's questions finally catch up with him. He blinks. And then he jabs a finger at Akane.

"Yeah! Who the hell are you? Don't you know anything? You're like -- from around now, yeah? Speaking of which, what the hell's up with your outfit! It's not cool to swipe our look!"

"It's hers," Sizumu suddenly interjects. He looks Mujina's way, then Akane's.

"She's the one who helped reintroduce kaiju to the world. Right?"

                        -+ The Usual Spot +-

Juuga stands at the usual spot, a nondescript playground he decided would be their meetup point despite knowing at the very least Onija wasn't paying attention, and glances around at the empty lot.

He scratches the back of his head and frowns.

"... Maybe none of them were listening..."

Juuga sighs. And then he starts theorycrafting where they could have ended up.

It's a line of thought that sees him turning around and walking in the direction of the first potentially fight-friendly restaurant that probably wasn't evacuated yet.

Because Juuga just pays that much attention to his comrades.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Nope! Go nuts. I wouldn't say I'm loaded, but I could probably feed a small army at Saida's prices," Akane answers Onija, with a big, happy smile on her face. "I like watching people eat. This sort of stuff is fun for me! And if you aren't spending on fun, what are you even doing, right? Like seriously..." She stretches out, glancing down at the sheet.

... She's going to have to apply for reimbursement from 3G for this. She can already tell. On the other hand, Intelligence gets far and away the least questions about submitting purchase orders for restaurant food of any division.

Sizumu's card coming back immediately empty doesn't surprise her in the least. She looks up to him, red eyes meeting red eyes, and simply nods once. "Thought so," she says, sliding it under her own. "I'm only getting Tuu, myself." Akane isn't quite as carbonation-averse as her partner, but she's not a fan, either. Non-carbonated juice beverage only for her!

Mujina's note that she should ask Juuga gets a nod -- before she brings her attention back around to Sizumu and Onija. "Kinda feels that way, doesn't it?" she asks of Sizumu. "Even if people don't remember, it's all engraved in the heart."

One might wonder just how metaphorical this statement is. But there's a way she looks at Sizumu as she says it -- an implicit understanding that she's saying more than she's saying, and expects that transmission to be received.

Onija's complaints about her swiping their look get an enigmatic smile -- as does Sizumu's half-explanation. "Someone told me once that this was how they saw me, in their heart~" That's... a complete non-explanation, so she continues, "And when I noticed you guys showing up, I felt like I should wear my heart on my sleeve!" It's... certainly a simplification. Whether it reaches the level of 'lie by omission' remains to be seen. A hand comes up to her mouth. She giggles.

Her eyes linger on Mujina, next, at this point. That disaffected tone seems to stick with her. ... Something in Mujina's eyes -- in her posture -- sticks with her too. She can't put her finger on it yet, though... "Interesting order. If you want more, just let me know! But it has to be stuff you're gonna eat here if I'm gonna pay for it~"

She loops back, finishing, "Yup. A whole kaiju-shaped city up there is 'cuz of me, even!" She points up, out into space.

... She's left to wonder where some of what she had there -- things she never considered important when she wasn't holding them -- went.

Hmmm.

"But that's enough about me," she enthuses. "Why don't we talk about you three? And your friend who isn't here yet."

A beat.

"You guys really need phones or something."

<Pose Tracker> Mujina has posed.


        She really should have expected that. She did expect that. And yet she asked anyway. This one is on her. She lets out an exasperated sigh.

        Indeed, as Onija continues to cause a scene, Mujina just rests her head on her hand looking away from Onija with the best 'I'm not with him' face she can muster. At least the mystery woman is paying.

        The matching uniforms make that a much harder act to sell.

        "...He was controlling it," Mujina admits, adding fuel to the Onija fire.

        Two words from Sizumu spark an interest again, and Mujina sits up and takes notice. "What?"

        She stares over at Akane, watching her with a new expression. Fascination, confusion, amazement- all of them show, a difference from the flat face she had before. She's not sure what to ask, exactly. She has to predate them, surely, if it's 'her look' but... She seems so much more comfortable with this world than any of them.

        And a Kaiju shaped city in space... how does that even work? "...How long have you been back?" She asks, even though it's really a more a Juuga question, but... it makes sense in Mujina's view of things. She must have... gone through the same experience, right?

        She blinks a bit at the second question. "...Us?" She looks to Onija and Sizumu again.

        This *really* is Juuga's spot, and Mujina's not exactly the one eager to do the introductions.

        "...Phones?" 

<Pose Tracker> Sizumu has posed.

I like watching people eat.

Onija squints until his eyes become tiny slivers of incredulity. His lips purse. He slowwwwly leans back until those uplifted chair legs fall with a little bounce.

"Uhhhhhh. What?"

he asks,

perturbed.

Which doesn't at all stop him from racking up the orders like he was trying to put the place out of business but.

It's there.

                        -+ Meanwhile +-

Juuga's been all over the outer perimeter of Nouvelle Tokyo, using process of elimination to find his companions.

He checks:

Slappy Cakes. Plenty of carb-loaded food but no Eugenicists; no dice.

Bubby's. There's someone yelling and picking a fight but it's not Onija; no good.

Waffle House. Didn't check; too intense for him.

He's lingering outside a place called SOUL FOOD HOUSE with a scrunched expression when a group of students jog pass him, giggling amongst each other.

"Did you see those four at Saida's? What was up with those weird outfits?!"

"They were cosplayers! They looked like something out of Tarabaman!"

"No way, that's so--"

"Lame!"

"Cool!"

"What?"

Juuga watches as they whisk past. He blinks.

"... Tarabaman?"

                          -+ <3 +-

Even if people don't remember, it's all engraved...

There's a message in Akane Shinjo's words. A message received with an enduring smile from the gold-haired youth sitting apart from the rest of the table.

A look of true understanding that goes down deep to the heart of the matter.

"It's why we're all here. To help them all remember what they can be."

He's engaged. And yet that distance remains; as literal and metaphorical as Akane's own observation.

It's only when she mentions 'this is how someone saw me in their heart' that a reaction is elicited from Sizumu. He blinks; his head tilts as if bemused for a few seconds.

... And then his gaze drifts westward, the brim of his hat shaded by his stare.

Mujina, meanwhile, is fascinated if not confused -- but Onija does away with the first part to really double down on the second in the wake of both Akane -and- Sizumu's words. He has -enough- problems dealing with -one- cryptic person -- two of them at the same time, both being so nonchalant about it?

For a second, the way his face is screwed up, it looks like he's about to blow a fuse at any second as he leeeeeans back to peer at Akane from a new angle, as if trying to size her up as she talks about her kaiju city in space. He looks up, uuuuuuup. Then back down at her. Up, down. Up, down, up down.

"... Yo. You're not some kinda alien, yeah? I don't truck with aliens. Bastards."

He looks at Mujina, jerking a thumb Akane's way.

"Is she saying she's an alien??"

You can probably guess where that train of thought is headed -- but Akane smartly cuts Onija off by tilting the mirror back towards -him-. Or, them, but really, Onija's not paying attention to that; he just taps his foot impatiently against the ground as he looks in the direction of the kitchen.

"That's a dumb question," he asserts, flatly. "We're just here to kill as many humans as possible."

... it's why -he's- here, but then, Onija has no problems asserting that's -all of their goal-.

"We coulda got way more of 'em if Juuga didn't screw up. I told him we shoulda killed Gauma the second we saw him. Remember, Mujina?? I said it right to his face!"

They really need Juuga here.

"Oi! Where's our food?? Things in our day moved way faster than this--"

A pause. A blink. He looks back Akane's way.

"--The fuck is a phone?" he echoes, hot on the heels of Mujina's own lack of understanding.

Sizumu, for his part, seems to be taking -all- of this in remarkably better stride than the others. He's also not answering any questions about himself that aren't specifically directed at him -- though he offers up a helpfully nonchalant "Sure. What kind?" on the matter of the phone, like someone who really doesn't require explanations on modern-day lingo.

Otherwise, though? He just looks at Akane again for a few pensive seconds, and wonders:

"Do you miss it?"

The question is indistinct, yet like Akane's previous observation, seems to hold a wealth of possible meaning that could be gleaned from someone who truly knows.

Does he mean the city?

Or...

It's just about then that the entrance to the restaurant swings open with a jingle, and a tall young man with dark hair, glasses, yellow eyes and that distinctive white coat - this one with two yellow stripes on the left sleeve - emerges.

Some of the patrons grimace at the sight of yet -another- one of these weirdos ruining their perfect Saida experience.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Stop staring," Akane chides Onija -- a convenient answer to essentially all he's said. "It's fun!"

That, it seems, is all she intends to offer that particular topic.

As Mujina explains more of the situation, Akane starts to slot pieces into place. This is very good to know; it turns out it's a lot easier to get information from people who think you're their ally.

(... Is she their ally? What is an ally?)

The sudden look of amazement... as much as she might not like acknowledging that, part of her does like being looked at that way. When she's asked a question, she assumes it's a completely different question from the one it is. "About two and a half years now!" she answers. "I've been finding ways to kill time. It's definitely slower, but I don't really mind that."

They linger on phones for a bit. "I mean, I have an ePhone from about four years ago, but I think it might be time to upgrade. That's never been a bad pick, though, brand-wise." She realizes that by conversing exclusively with Sizumu, she's being a little rude.

... She still makes them wait a few more seconds before saying, "A way of contacting people who aren't face to face with you."

... it's then that Sizumu throws her a curveball. It's a genuinely challenging question, and one she doesn't expect. It's enough to throw her heart for a loop -- with the lens turned back around again, Akane's curiosity gives way to a more closed-off emotional stance... but she doesn't linger there.

The arrival of a fourth buys Akane some time; raising her hand, she waves him over, saying, "Hey there~"

... But she does have to answer, in the end. Her heart gradually clears, as she gives the honest answer:

"I don't think anyone can really give up on their dream. Right? If I told him," gesture to Onija, "to stop killing humans, he'd be pretty upset. So yeah! I do miss it -- but I'd rather be less bored, you know?"

<Pose Tracker> Mujina has posed.


        "She's probably not an alien," Mujina says as dispassionately as ever when she deals with Onija. "...No snakes, no crystals, no..." She frowns, trying to remember the other ones, and just trails off instead. Probably not important. She is pretty quiet on Onija's comment on their purpose- and on Sizumu's desire to help them remember, instead craning her head to look towards the kitchen. You'd think they'd have drinks by now...

        "I remember. But you lost so we did it Juuga's way." ...She *really* wasn't paying attention to that rock paper scissors match, huh.

        Sizumu has said that they'll get these phone things, even asking what kind, so that argument is settled, isn't it? Mujina just sort of settles back into her seat, leaning back into her chair- when she hears the door and looks over.

        Oh good, Juuga is here. He can handle Onija and the talking.

        She raises a hand half heartedly, as though she needs to catch his attention, and when he reaches the table-

        "We already ordered." She says, helpfully.

        Akane explains phones, and Mujina nods. Explanatory enough. "...Huh." That seems to be about all Mujina can manage about dreams. After all... you need one of those to be able to give up on it or not. "...He would." She does at least take the opportunity to dunk on Onija.

        But it's being 'less bored' that strikes a chord with Mujina, and causes her to look away for a second. She really wishes her wine was here.

<Pose Tracker> Sizumu has posed.

But you lost so...

Onija's eyes widen. He looks as if his heart has shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Wh-- what the hell! But I won! I won--!!"

Onija's harried complaints are lost in a sea of indifference and the blithe cruelty of changing subjects. He's left hunching over and lifting clenched fists and grumbling about how "none of you fuckers support me" as everyone else talks about phones, completely oblivious to the irony because Onija, of course, lacks the capacity for self-reflection.

This also means he completely misses the explanation about phones, but.

To be really real for a second here: he probably wouldn't have paid attention anyway.

Sizumu, of course, seems to take the advice about phones in stride with a simple, "The ePhone, huh? Alright." as if that's really all he needs to know. He's more interested in his follow up question -- a fact that's clear even in that understated, crimson stare of his. It's a look that somehow looks both expectant and patient all at once; the sublime zen of someone who has let go of all earthly attachments and in so doing found enlightenment.

And in that enlightenment, found...

...

Well. Perhaps it doesn't matter.

For as disarmed as she is, that expression endures right until Juuga's entrance, and Akane's shifting attention. Sizumu's shifts as hers does. Onija's follows only after Mujina, blinking once. And where Sizumu offers no greetings, and Akane offers a lilted handwave of a greeting in contrast to Mujina's quieter rendition --

Onija throws his whole body into his wave, shouting,

"OI! OVER HERE! TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!"

as if it was somehow up to him to be the lighthouse that signals Juuga to their shores as brightly and obnoxiously as possible.

Juuga, for his part, just makes his way over to them with a well-practiced expression of exasperation, beginning into a contrite,

"Sorry about him. You get used to it after..."

... only to find his words slowly trailing off as he begins to digest their newfound companion's outfit.

"... a while..."

Juuga hangs there for a moment, hesitating on a precipice of uncertainty. He clearly wants to ask about it, but seems to waffle between what he knows of modern-day etiquette and not wanting to tread old ground. In the end, he settles for a polite smile, his eyes squeezing shut as he rubs the back of his head.

"... That's quite a look, ha ha."

"Oi! Just sit down already, god damn! You're making a scene!"

Juuga sighs; settles in at one end of the table, his hands folded politely in his lap, elbows never even so much as thinking of touching the table. He just offers a hapless half-smile to Mujina's note about the food, nodding once.

"Alright. I'll just order something simple, then." He looks Akane's way, offering the obvious: "We're all a little new to this. Things now are similar, but... different. But I'm happy to split the bill with you."

Onija looks up from his hunch to squint skeptically.

"Eh? Where'd you get money?"

"I've got a part-time job."

"The fuck? Already? What's wrong with you?"

"It's called being responsible, Onija."

"Sounds lame."

All of this occurs in the background as the distraction of the moment fades, and Akane returns to that question; Sizumu's attention drifts back to her as she speaks.

He ignores the part about Onija (who is currently grousing "What! Stop giving her ideas, you're gonna ruin my rep! It's not like I'd break down crying or whatever, so what if I like killing--" at Mujina) to focus on what comes next.

I do miss it --
                'but I'd rather be less bored, you know?

Sizumu blinks.

"..."

And as their order starts to arrive, his eyes hood as he looks off to the side, something... implacable in his expression. Resigned.

Almost sad, in some far off way.

"... People do say things like that to justify their choices."

Juuga's attention turns back towards Akane here. His head tilts; yellow eyes inexorably drift towards the bands at her sleeves.

"That outfit, though..."

"We already went over all of that. She made some kaiju city in space or something. Mujina said she's probably not an alien so it's alright."

Juuga glosses over the extremely extraneous details Onija provides to widen his eyes over one detail in particular:

"You were responsible for Tsutsujidai??"

Juuga: actually does his homework.

He pauses; hesitates, really, as the food is laid out and Onija conspicuously starts eyeing Mujina's order instead of his own. Juuga's lips part, his tone cautious, yet hopeful.

"... Does that mean you're like us...?"

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane observes the back-and-forth between Mujina and Onija. She gives a small affirming nod to the comment about her not being an alien -- that much, at least, is true, and watching other people speculate about her is kind of fun in its own way. The cry of her heart settles into amusement again, at least for now.

Food starts arriving. For Akane, that's a cup of Tuu and a bag with a bottle of olive oil in it. For Mujina, it's exactly what she ordered; for Onija, that's four plates and a promise that more will be coming.

Akane takes a sip of her non-carbonated juice drink, noticing the way Mujina struggles with the idea of being bored.

Akane assesses Juuga, as he apologizes for Onija. Her gaze tracks between the four of them for a few moments, then -- as Juuga compliments her look, she leans back a little bit, giving herself an angle from which to look at all of them as a group.

... Huh.

"Thanks. You too," Akane offers Juuga, as he sits down. "And -- no, this one's my treat." She sees that she doesn't have to teach Juuga about modernity -- and that's a bit of a relief. "It's fun to watch other people eat."

Another long sip, and she looks to Sizumu -- seeing that vague sadness that eats at him, in response to her answer. Her eyes widen -- and she blinks, once, twice. "Once I got things exactly the way I wanted them, there wouldn't be any room for kaiju in a city like that. And that's boring," Akane adds, with an upturn of her lips and a wink -- directed primarily at Onija.

... Some more caution is slipping into her heart, though. The walls have started to come back up.

It makes it easier to answer Juuga's question, too. "Mmhmm. That's me!" All smiles, even as she closes off a bit. "The whole Galactron thing at Huffman Island was me too." It's here that she pulls out her own phone, and with a few swipes brings up footage of Galactron Mk3's rampage. She tilts the screen toward...

... Onija, again...

"Can't get away from kaiju! And I don't think I'd have it any other way~. But still, doing it all in the same city's kinda lame..." 

<Pose Tracker> Mujina has posed.


        Mujina has, unfortunately, already to start to tune out Onija's possibly justified complaints. It's old hat by now. Just like Onija aggressively calling Juuga over. This is...

        ...getting less interesting already.

        Fortunately Juuga introduces a side topic. "Oh? What sort of job?" She asks because that's new information and thus of interest. Still, she has to acknowledge Onija again. "You'd probably just try and kill more people over it." Mujina responds, because of course, why wouldn't he.

        The food gets here and Mujina starts with... the wine. It's cheap, and kind of acidic, but Mujina gives all the presentation- swirling it, sniffing it, sipping it slowly. It's... not good wine. Nonetheless, it has her full attention for the time being, over her food. "...Sizumu called her the one who brought the Kaiju back to this world." Sizumu's not exactly prone to repeating himself on these things, and is more interested in their mysterious... comrade? Fellow Kaiju User? Current meal ticket?

        "And that it was her look." She still doesn't understand what it means, but she's not really questioning it either.

        "...that... looks kind of like the fake Kaiju." Mujina says, looking at the footage of Galactron. But... she could control it?

        This moment of wondering continues to mean that her focus is not on what's been put in front of her. 

<Pose Tracker> Sizumu has posed.

"Huh? Oh," begins Juuga to Mujina.

"I got hired to be a promoter for something called Sevendarake. They sell merchandise for entertainment media like..."

Juuga's sentence trails off. He looks at all of them, then down at himself. He frowns.

... Do they really look like Tarabaman villains...?

He needs to do some research.

Juuga, unlike Onija, seems to take Akane's thoughts about people-watching in good, companionable stride at least. A little laugh escapes him, coupled with the shake of his head.

"People are interesting that way," he says, with a good-natured sense of academic curiosity about it. He gestures Onija's way.

"Try not to be too put off by the way he eats."

Onija, who was busy in the middle of launching a put-upon "so WHAT if I'd try to kill more--!" rant at Mujina, blinks and shoots a glare Juuga's way.

"H-hey--!"

Juuga pushes right on past, gesturing next at Mujina.

"... And the way she drinks."

He offers a little, teasing smile for both of them, before his gaze falls on Sizumu.

"And he..." his sentence trails.

"... I don't think I've ever seen his eating habits actually. Did you order anything, Sizumu?" Sizumu, lost in his reverie, doesn't actually look their way -- at least, not until Onija takes him by the shoulder and kind of just -- shakes him.

"Pfah! He didn't! And she's fronting the bill and everything! It's a damn waste! I bet this little prick filled up at a classy restaurant without us! He's always going off on his own like that!"

Sizumu, swaying back and forth with Onija's friendly-and-or-violent (it's hard to tell the difference sometimes) shakes, stares forward with placid zen.

"Sure; that works."

Despite Onija trying to demand the lion's share of Sizumu's attention through sheer force, however, that bright red stare remains focused on Akane as she makes her addendum. The wink, at least, is enough to distract Onija; he stops his jostling of Sizumu (really it's become more like 'two-handed shoving' at this point; Sizumu's reaction has not changed a single bit) and disengages with the toss up of his ring-laden hands.

"What the hell's the winking f-- wh-whatever!" he begins and then -immediately- dismisses to try to not look put upon by someone who is apparently by Sizumu's expert estimation some sort of living legend (the fact that none of the timeline seems to add up has zero affect on onija who doesn't even think about it for a second). "If you got a space problem, I know how to fix it--"

Juuga smoothly pushes past the impending perfect circle of Onija's interests to instead ask, "--Sizumu said that?" at Mujina's much more comprehensive - and succinct - explanation. His attention turns back towards Akane curiously. Onija, meanwhile, snorts in annoyance and then turns his attention towards Mujina's plate.

"What -- where'd you find that on the menu, what the hell, I didn't see those--"

Onija is grabbing his fork, and Juuga is smoothly ignoring it to focus his interest fully on Akane. It's a curiosity that just grows as the mysterious, similarly-garbed young woman grabs her phone and shows her those pictures. Galactron... Juuga blinks.

"I heard about that," he says after a long moment, astounded. "It was almost an international incident." Juuga -really- makes sure he knows the lay of the land--

"Did you seriously bring that kaiju under control--?"

Onija, who is in the middle of stabbing a chunk of ham on Mujina's plate, is suddenly distracted by the presentation of -- a PHONE. Despite him having -no- idea what 'phone' refers to, he does seem to immediately grasp the device he's peering at, pulling away from his jamon-pilfering, ham-slice in hand, to leeeeean forward and peer with wide-eyed wonder at the thing.

"Holy shit! That thing's a badass! And you nabbed it?! Ha ha, looks like that outfit ain't just for show! You're awesome!"

...that... looks kind of like the fake Kaiju.

"It's different. It's a kaiju made by kaiju."

Sizumu, leaned back, only gestures towards that image with the little nod of his head, as if with that singular gesture and those vague words he could sum up all that Galactron is. Those subtle notes of sadness in his tanned features are gone, replaced with a little smile. The way he speaks, the way he looks -- it's like he has firsthand knowledge.

Juuga, at least, takes this revelation in good stride, even as Onija has a strong, shocked reaction about "kaiju made by kaiju?! Why're you always saying this crap and then never explain--" The yellow-eyed young man looks at that phone for a long few seconds, then back at Akane in the face of her explanation. He smiles in a certain way that the others might recognize as his wind up towards a sales pitch. His lips part--

"You really do get it."

His words are always so soft-spoken. And yet Sizumu's voice always has a way of cutting through even Onija's rambunctious rambling. He leans forward, the brim of his cap revealing one red eye mirroring Akane's own as he continues on, echoing a sentiment he expressed to her hours earlier when they first, officially, met:

"You should join us."

There's interest in his expression once more. In his voice. He gestures at that picture of Galactron once again.

"Things are moving differently this time. Don't you want to see where it goes?"

Juuga just sort of hangs there, bemused by having been beaten at his own game, by Sizumu of all people. He rubs the back of his neck.

"Right. ... Right. I was, uh. Thinking the same thing. Our interests seem to align. Kaiju users should stick together; and Sizumu's always had a good eye for people like us--"

Onija, for his part, just looks between the three of them, eyes wide and mouth full of dry-cured ham.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"It kinda does, yeah! I totally see what you're getting at -- like a scary mecha, right?" This line of inquiry seems to please Akane a great deal. "I wonder who'd win in a fight..."

The wondering doesn't last long, though. "And, yep! Her summary is great," Akane adds, for Juuga, before fully orienting on him now. And --

"Oooo, you got a job at Seven? I'm there pretty regularly, though you might not recognize me. I kinda try to duck," she gestures to herself, "all this when I'm in public. ... Buuuut if you want me to show up while you're working for sure, I'll make an exception~"

Juuga gives some half-apologies for his colleagues, but Akane just laughs it off. "They're both pretty interesting," she says, "but what he's not doing tells me a few things, too." She's not going to out Sizumu on the spot; that'd be rude. She's ducking her own power level; far be it from her to criticize Sizumu for doing the same. Still, though... Having power...

... it really is like raising a monster in your heart.

Akane lets Onija pull the phone over, though she keeps a finger on it; he's a bit of a wild one, and she doesn't want him to run off with it.

"Yep! And I can even keep it. ... Right now I'm using it to help out the locals, but... well, that arrangement's only going to last until I get bored of it." Another giggle punctuates her sentence. She seems like she's having fun, at least.

Sizumu makes a pitch again. The same pitch, in fact.

"... Yeah," she says, with a smile. "I'm pretty interested in what fate has in store for all four of you." Stretching out after taking another sip of Tuu, she adds, "I can't hang out with you guys all the time -- I've got my own plates to spin, you know! People are doing real interesting things with kaiju lately, and I wanna keep my eye on that..."

"... But I could tell the minute I saw you that you guys were dressed to go somewhere."

A slow nod. A smile.

"Somewhere you'll make an impression."

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