2024-11-28: Perpetuating the Cycle... Of Home Visits!
- Log: Perpetuating the Cycle... Of Home Visits!
- Cast: Aurora Dusk (as herself and Emily Ashcroft), Liam 7-020, Lucine Azul
- Where: Pendragon
- OOC - IC Date: November 28th, UC 0099
- Summary: Aurora doesn't often get to live in a house, but she invites Liam and Lucine to one anyway. They eat brownies, discuss things, and meet Col. Ashcroft (it's her house). In the end, it seems most of Liam's fears have been banished...?
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Aurora, Liam and Lucine have been talking for a while about visiting where Aurora lives. It's been complicated by the fact that Aurora... doesn't really live anywhere permanently. She wears many hats, and is sent many places, and as a result often finds herself sleeping under unfamiliar ceilings more often than not.
However, eventually, something does get arranged. There IS somewhere Aurora can call home, sort of, even if she isn't often THERE. And so, a visit is arranged to... Pendragon. Aurora lives in Pendragon? Nominally, at least.
Getting there is easy. It's a capital city. Security is, well, Britannian security... though Liam is NUNE military, technically. Aurora would think of it that way, at least. Maybe security thinks that too? Then again, NERV is not exactly the most above board organisation there is... Regardless, once actually in the capital, the journey is quick, and Liam and Lucine quickly arrive at a fairly nice house. It's not a mansion, but it does look historically appropriate.
Once they ring the doorbell, Aurora calls out "Coming," realises that she's too far away from the door to be audible, and then rushes over excitedly...
Standing in the opening doorway is Aurora Dusk, wearing a black dress over a white turtleneck. "Welcome!" She's clearly happy to see her visitors. "How was the trip? Uh, feel free to come in." The entryway is visible behind her. Coat rack. Shoes. Variety of both.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam is not comfortable in Pendragon.
Intellectually, he knows he's probably not in any more danger here than in any large city in NUNE's member states. On a gut level, it's disquieting. It's everything about Britannia's imperial territories, but moreso. He made a conscious choice to keep his NERV ID in view, even though he's in civilian clothes. Aside from the usual intensive paperwork-checking at customs, no one's bothered him.
He waits on the doorstep for someone to answer. He's expecting house staff of some sort, even though Aurora's place is merely middling-expensive by Britannian standards. His eyes open a little wider as Aurora herself answers, distantly. He adjusts the collar of his jacket, gives Lucine a reassuring smile, and waits for Aurora to open the door.
"Aurora," Liam says, his smile broadening. He steps forward, and curls an arm around his sister's shoulders in a hug. "Thank you for inviting us. We didn't have too much trouble." Liam takes his coat and shoes off, hangs up the former, and leaves the latter by the door.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Aurora's situation is familiar to Lucine, having dealt with a similar sort of living arrangement since leaving Mars. While Liam and Lucine have their apartment, it was due to Lucine's 'home' being on the Nadesico, and Liam's being an apartment on an increasingly strict Tokyo-3. There was also the fact that Liam's frame had made simple things like 'sharing a bathroom' an art of squeezing around one another due to the tinyness of Japanese bathrooms.
Lucine's arrival is somewhat made easier by coming along with Liam, and vice versa. With Lucine being there, Liam is no only *just* a NERV operative, but one clearly spending quality time with his girlfriend in Pendragon's great cultural landscape. ... Unless they're spies. They could always be spies.
Thankfully, they are not spies. Lucine is dressed for the weather, casual and lightweight. It's only a short visit; she's surprised Liam was able to stomach that long a timeframe.
..... It's definitely not willingly, though, as Liam's mental state openly declares to her his discomfort. However, it also signals his fondness for this sister of the Crucible that he'd be willing to do this, as well as his wish to ensure their relationship is true enough in case Aurora isn't in the best of situations.
Still, Lucine can't help but wonder if any of Liam's fears are founded, when she sees the house. ".... It's like a movie set..." she murmurs, though she's been saying that a lot since coming here. Despite Earth being like a second home to her, there's always a part of her that looks at everything in the context of a replica, or movie set dressing. The fact that real thing exists seems... unreal, in a certain sense.
A pretty house can't tell an entire story, however.
Lucine grins back as Liam looks back towards her. "I suppose this is normal for this area..." she says, obliviously.
She laughs as Aurora opens the door and is engulfed by one of Liam's hugs. "It was very smooth," Lucine adds. She nearly comes in for a hug herself, but stops; while the warmth of the setting is evident even to someone not a Newtype, she's still a stranger here, still figuring Aurora out. "How have you been?" she asks instead, offering her hand up for a warm handshake. "It's honestly been my first time here."
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Aurora's own warm smile brightens too, and it being so obvious that the feelings involved are mutual makes her shine a little bit more. Liam's hug is by no means a shock to her, and she responds by leaning closer to her brother. Again, her feelings don't exactly hide themselves, especially to those with increased awareness.
Once the hug ends, she takes up Lucine's handshake. Her grip is... well, she's learnt over time not to be crushing, but it's still a fairly firm grip. Aurora appreciates the distance. She doesn't really know Lucine either, but she's warming up to her. The impression is much like a dog with a low but wagging tail. "I've been alright... work is still busy, but it's always busy anyway." She shakes her head, dismissing the work-related thoughts that were creeping in. Damnit, this is not the time for paperwork! "How have you two been? I hope work hasn't been... the same." Everybody hates busy workdays. Workweeks. Workmonths. Fuck.
Aurora leads the two through the entryway and the coat rack further into the house, retrieving a stack of magazines (reading kind not gun kind) from the side as she goes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdtDvUqCIv4
It's a nice house from the inside, though it feels a little bit... cozy? Not cramped. Fancy-looking interior, too. A little bit of mess. The mantlepiece carries, among other things, a picture frame that seems to have been jostled out of place so as for the picture to not be visible from this angle, though Aurora hasn't noticed yet.
A slightly irritated Aurora picks a bundle of fabrics off of a sofa and puts them off to the side for later. Liam is NERV, right? Has he seen how Shinji and Misato live? Maybe this is a very Shinji-like reaction from Aurora.
If that's the case, where's 'Misato'?
An ashtray sits on a mini table... thing near a couch. Aurora doesn't smoke herself, or at least Liam has never known her to, and her breath never smells smoky.
The table she leads them to is good for a few people to sit at. Aurora sets the magazines down, intending to sort through them later, and pulls out three chairs. Then, she's alerted by a ding coming from the kitchen, and speeds off through the entryway to do... something kitchen related, it seems. Is that chocolatey smell?
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam simply nods. If parts of the Britannian capital feel artificial, it's because they are--they've been deliberately cultivated to project a certain atmosphere. Everything is as it should be. Liam hates it.
"It's my first time here, too," Liam says. "I was expecting more security, but I'm not complaining." Concern surfaces in his eyes as Aurora complains a little about work, and he manages a sympathetic little smile. "Lots of preparedness drills, here." That's not a secret. NERV's still 'ironing out the problems' with the new Dummy Plug system. They've been doing so for quite a while. There's still no word on whether or not it will see adoption, but Liam suspects that's only because command expects everyone to see it as inevitable.
Liam follows Aurora into the house, glancing around as any curious visitor might. He steps away for a moment to look at the photos--they caught his eye, in a way he hopes will lead to good news. But he doesn't linger long. He takes a seat at the table, and smiles. "Did you bake something?" he asks.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Strong handshakes are something Lucine seems used to. Even if Lucine's grip would feel weak in comparison, it would be the grip of any unenhanced but relatively healthy person. Then again, many things that are normal for anyone would seem slight and weak in comparison to an enhanced soldier like Liam or Aurora.
"It's just been the usual. Though, ah, there has been some luck with a new strain of strawberries! But the carrot experiment failed; it's harder to do root vegetables when there is no 'ground' to work with, after all, and-- Ah, sorry. Liam told you that I'm not just a pilot, right? I'm, ah, the Nadesico gardener too...." Lucine follows the two in, looking around.
She also neatly skips over the very *un*ordinary event that happened not too long ago, as well as her own thoughts about the strange Martian she saw in those visions. (The newest thought: if these are visions of an alternate timeline, could that be a timeline where Martians simply dressed like that, even on Earth? How novel!)
It unfortunately skips over what Liam doesn't miss: that the work Aurora complains about is likely anything but mundane.
Many of the minor clues and cues to something being off fly above the Martian's head as well; the ashtray looks like something she thinks *should* be there, as aren't there a lot of people who smoke? The photos, of course someone would have photos. If you had walls, what else would you put up but all sorts of photos?
And of course you'd bake something for company!
Sitting at the table, Lucine shares a grin with Liam. ".... It smells wonderful, whatever it is..." she adds, to Liam's comment.
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Most of the capital is like that. 'Aurora's house' isn't much different, looking at the clean outside. The inside feels more honest, though. Messy. The mess that outsiders don't usually get to see...
Weak? Maybe Lucine's hand strength is weak by comparison, but it's not like Aurora only shakes hands with the enhanced. Besides, pilots can be scary even without muscle enhancement. She listens to Lucine's comments about plants with interest. "Strawberries... Yeah, I guess you need a lot of extra soil to grow things when there's no ground." Aurora hums thoughtfully. She doesn't do much gardening herself, but she's been thinking about it lately.
Aurora greets Liam's sympathetic smile with... basically the same expression, mirrored. "Yeah, drills can get... excessive, sometimes. Big projects can drag on for a while... some things take a long time to get out of the oven," she muses. "You said you were a gardener from an agri colony, so it makes sense. Piloting and gardening... Can't fight without food." If you can destroy the enemy food source, you can starve them out. A lesson Aurora has been taught. Not relevant. Lucine isn't her enemy.
The Nadesico, hopefully, will stay not her enemy. Didn't the Three Ships Alliance fight to destroy GENESIS? They have a common enemy now, too.
Aurora has no reason to bring up Yuli here either, yet. She's not fully aware of the connection they all share with her.
The magazines stacked on the table might be interesting: there's a homemaking type magazine. Cooking things. An MS development catalogue. Two copies of a newsletter apparently aimed at Federation soldiers. Or NUNE soldiers. It dates back to the Federation. A few scattered political pamphlets are there too. UESA, EA, NIA. The usual you'd expect dumped through a letterbox or handed out by people who are either dedicated enough or couldn't get a better job.
Liam has to turn a frame around back into its proper position to see the photo inside, but once he does, he's greeted by a graduation photo. A tall , fairly good looking middle-aged woman in a dress uniform - white jacket - that Liam probably doesn't recognise, with a hint of pride on her face. Follow her cool blue eyes down, along her arm to the shoulder her hand is on. It belongs to the average-height girl at her side, wearing a pink and black spacy uniform. Black beret. Teal hair. Icy blue eyes. Her own slightly cocky graduation expression. It's Aurora graduating! She's like, 16 or something in the picture? 17? Older than when Liam left her. Aurora notices him looking, and waits for him to bring it up before she says anything.
As for Liam's question... "Yeah, I'm baking-" Ding! "Ah, be right back!" This is when she hurries off. She slips into the kitchen excitedly, and donning oven mitts, brings out... a brownie tray. First, she experimentally pokes the product of her efforts with a knife. A bit melty on the insides. Perfect. That same knife is then used to cut out the brownies from the tray. Several are moved to a large plate and the whole assembly is carried out onto the table by a grinning Aurora, still wearing oven mitts and apron.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam talked with his counselor about what happened. Nothing cuts to the very core of one's being quite like the revelation that the world ended, only to gain a second chance through the tampering of a sworn enemy. He has no idea how the Kafims have taken it, aside from the fact that Elisa was furious in a way he'd never seen out of her. Part of him wants to just leave it at that.
The pile of magazines and junk mail is of nominal interest, but Liam doesn't look for too long. It feels a bit too much like prying. The pictures, though, are there to be looked at, and there's a woman he doesn't recognize in the graduation photo. Liam studies for a family resemblance, despite knowing Aurora is an orphan. There's always the chance she found a relative--an aunt, maybe, or an older cousin. He glances back, seeing Aurora's eyes on him, and he sets it back down. "...I didn't know you graduated," he says, his smile brightening. "I'm glad you got the chance."
"Chocolate cake?" Liam proposes, but brownies are good too. He waits patiently until he's served. "Do you have anything to drink?"
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Aurora says the magic words, which happen to be 'soil'.
Lucine tilts her head, gold eyes blinking. "Sort of... Ah, see, in space, we often have to use different means, since soil can be a vector for microbes in an otherwise sterile environment... that, and in the case of gravity failure, everything would become a mess. So, it makes more sense to use a medium that can sustain itself in short periods of low or no gravity, as well as serve as a vehicle for delivering nutrients from the waste recycling process, so-- ah...."
She clears her throat. "But yes... I wasn't a gardener before that... I was... just a teenager, really. It was just something I could call on to make myself seem more useful to the Nadesico... They had plenty of pilots, after all."
She's nervous, finally, after being too busy wondering at the sights around them to think about her own thoughts, or wonder how Liam was doing, being in the heart of the country that cruelly blanketed his homeland.
Liam comments on the photos, and Lucine looks to them for another look. "How long ago was that photo?" she asks then, when Aurora comes back from the kitchen.
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
To be frank, Aurora still doesn't quite get that stuff about the world ending, and an evil Yuliana from another timeline. Well, eviler Yuliana. Aurora's standards are warped anyway. Even less healthier Yuliana. That's something to untangle. Continue untangling. If only she could talk to Yuli, but... (Careful, Aurora. Wishes like that tend to come true in this genre.)
"Medium?" Aurora wouldn't know much about space hydroponics, but she would like to learn a little!
The woman in the photos doesn't really have much of a family resemblance to Aurora, but the eyes are the same light blue color as hers. Liam makes his comment about graduation, and Aurora responds warmly. "Yeah... it was pretty quick. I was going into it already knowing how to do a lot of the things that we were taught, so I was a good student. I still learnt a couple things, though," she says, remembering her time there. There are some things that Newtype labs can't teach you. For those, there are military schools. Can't teach you to have a paper trail either. It's like money laundering for Cyber-Newtypes. Dirty test subjects go in, patriotic Federation/NUNE soldiers with nothing suspicious about their records come out.
"We've got milk, pineapple juice, orange juice, water..." Aurora lists out the available beverages. She didn't bring small plates; the brownies are all on one big plate on the centre of the table. "And ice for the juice, too. Wait, apple juice too. I thought we were out, but I think we have some, actually." She pauses for a second. "...Wine, too." Probably a bit early for that. Unless your name is Emily. In that case, getting drunk in the middle of the day is fine as a treat, Aurora thinks.
Now, how long ago WAS that photo? Aurora thinks for a second. No need to lie about this one. "It was about... a year ago, maybe? I think it was during the transition period, when we were going from Federation to NUNE. The uniforms were weird back then. Poorly standardised in places. They're still like that, actually. You see a bunch of different uniforms across different squads," she explains.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam's caregiver ensured he had a basic education--including a few skills he ultimately leaned on in his escape. He still doesn't know if Father intended for that. He thinks about it a lot, when he remembers those he left behind. "...Was it one of those soldier schools, then?"
He turns back to the tray of cooling brownies, takes a napkin, and picks one up. It's still steaming. The paper napkin can't offer that much insulation. Liam waits a few moments for it to cool. "Orange juice, please," he says. "...I don't think I ever saw your uniform outside." That design of pink-and-black looks like it'd be distinctive, but he hadn't seen anyone else wearing it, even during that weird era of transition. "Out of curiosity, who was the lady in the picture with you?"
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
"Ah, meaning material," Lucine answers. "So... for example, some systems will use clay balls like leca, but the system I used is... different. We're still ironing out a lot of the kinks to make it more efficient..."
Lucine's more than happy to talk about other topics, however; not everyone is willing to sit through the menagerie of mistakes that can be made when someone is trying to make up entire systems from scratch, based on memory and, later, helpful blueprints.
"Ah, milk would be great," Lucine says, eying the brownies as Aurora brings them in. It'd be a natural compliment. "Thank you..." Seeing Liam pick one up, she draws her hand back after realizing how hot it is. Oops. Still, that means they're fresh from the oven, right?
She lets Liam take control of the questions here, testing to see how much the brownies have cooled after a few more minutes. "So not that long ago, then..."
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Aurora nods along to the explanation of space agriculture. "Different how?" She tilts her head curiously.
"Mhm." Aurora nods. "Yeah, it was a pilot school." Aurora has a wide set of skills, but her education has been... lopsided. She probably wouldn't do all that well in college. She's not a total dropout, though. She has a basic standard education! Can't function without that.
Careful. The delicious steaming brownies sitting on the plate are a little hotter on the inside than they are on the outside, so the smart play is to wait. Not that Lucine would try eating something too hot to touch, right?
"Sure! You want ice with that?" Aurora asks as she slips into the kitchen to pour out the orders. She soon returns with the drinks in hand... and a third glass for herself. Milk.
"That was one of the uniforms they had at the academy," she explains. "I liked the colors on it. Nobody was sure what the future military would look like, so they just dug out whatever. I think I prefer it to the standard uniform we have... but there are a lot of uniforms going around, and we don't all wear the green... mantle looking thing. Mine right now is one of the white and pink ones." Aurora DOES have an affinity with pink, somehow. It shows up fairly often in her outfits, even if it's just a little.
Liam asks who the woman is, and Aurora stares at the picture thoughtfully. Now, THAT'S a question. Aurora answers. "Ah, that's Captai-" She shakes her head, correcting herself. "Colonel, now that we use air force ranks... Her name is Emily."
A brief pause, as Aurora ponders whether or not she should assume he was asking about their relationship.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam is more than happy to let Lucine talk about gardening. For someone who insists she's not a 'real' gardener, she knows an awful lot about it!
By now, the brownie has cooled enough for Liam to eat--meaning it's still uncomfortably warm for anyone else. But he takes a bite, and it does not burn him. "It's delicious," Liam says. "Ah, ice would be good. In the drink."
The uniforms at the academy. That explains it. At least Aurora got to wear something she likes. He catches that moment where she corrects herself, and the pause at the end.
"How'd you meet her?" Liam guesses that's a more polite question than asking who she is, and how they're related.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Lucine has learned her lesson; Liam's tolerance for heat lends itself to tasty chocolate baked goods as much as it does heat in battle. "Ah, no ice for me..." Wait, was she asking Liam? It wouldn't usually make sense to add ice to milk, would it? Or maybe it would, in this culture.
She as to admit, there's a lot about Britannian culture she doesn't always understand.
Lucine waits the appropriate amount of time after Liam begins enjoying his brownie before testing a brownie of her own. When the milk comes, she uses that to balance the different between heat and cold, sighing with satisfaction. "These are really good, Aurora... thank you."
"Colonel Emily." Lucine repeats the name, nodding. "It's alright, you could have called her Captain and I wouldn't have known any better..."
Could Emily be associated with the Crucible, or the Newtype labs, or is that assuming guilt by association? She looks towards Liam for a moment, who seems interested, though whether it's for pleasant conversation or to try to politely pry into Aurora's past is still unclear.
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Aurora would definitely have added ice to Lucine's milk if she had said 'yes' to it.
Once the drinks have been brought over and placed in front of their respective guests, Aurora takes her own seat, and starts on the best part of any recipe - the part where you get to eat what you cooked! Her face lights up. It turned out great, if Lucine's reaction is anything to go bye. "Thanks. It's not the first time I've made this recipe, but it's not one I'm used to yet." She practiced specifically for this visit!
Oh. Of course he'd ask this one. Not at all a polite question. Aurora can't just... tell him the truth, can she? Of course not. Liam got out. Liam is no longer involved in... that part of her business. If she tells him the truth, he's going to get nosy and Involve himself anyway. He's on the outside, and as much as she'd like to work with him again, that is where he should stay. To say nothing of Lucine, who would neither understand nor have the good sense to stay far away from secrets like this.
Wait. Tell him the truth. That's it! She can tell him the truth.
Aurora's eyes flick downwards. She takes a breath, and begins... 'explaining'. All of it is true. "...It was after the labs I was in closed." The Augusta program getting 'shuttered', that is. "I got shoved into a cockpit, but I didn't manage to accomplish much before going down." on account of being like 7 -8. "She found me afterwards."
"She's... like a mother to me. The closest thing I have." Is that sad? Aurora wouldn't know.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam meets Lucine's gaze, and offers a reassuring smile. He accepts the juice with a "Thank you," and takes a drink. Orange juice and chocolate might not be the most traditional combination, but he likes both of them.
Is it too much to ask that at least one of his siblings got out too, and found a family? Liam doesn't know. He listens as Aurora explains, attentive but calm, following bites of the brownie with sips of juice. Which lab was she talking about? It can't be the Crucible lab, can it? Anxiety builds like a swelling wave.
"I'm glad she found you," Liam says. "Is she with the Gaia Sabers, too?"
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
The brownie had no chance. Even when it was still on the side of 'uncomfortably hot', there was no denying it was also *good*.
"The Newtype labs?" Lucine asks, as Aurora continues. ".... I see. So she has nothing to do with..." She pauses, then quickly adds, "sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I had no reason to think that." She's only familiar with Liam's case, which... seems to be the norm, albiet without the escape.
She smiles. "I'm glad you had someone like that, Aurora... to have someone important like that in your life. Are you still in touch with her?"
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Aurora never much cared for tradition. She does prefer milk with chocolate, though. That tradition is worth keeping. Munch, munch. It's best when you wash it down with milk...
Aurora can sense Liam's anxiety fairly clearly. "Is... is something wrong?" Ah, she was hoping not to have to lie to him about this. "It wasn't Crucible, if you were wondering. That's probably still open, if you haven't heard anything."
"...Yeah, I'm glad she found me too." Aurora smiles. Emily is definitely better than... whoever it was before. Some shouty man. They're all indistinct to her at that age.
"The Newtype labs. How much did Liam tell you? I wasn't from Crucible originally, and I was only there temporarily. I left after he ran away."
Aurora turns back to Liam during the rapid-fire questioning. "Mmhm. She's one too."
As for Lucine's question about being in touch with her... she gets her answer. From behind her. "I'd hope so, considering I live here." A woman's voice. Confident, but not stern. At home, you could say. Britannian accent.
There she is, leaning against the couch. The woman from the picture, looking almost as if she'd just stepped right out of the frame. Dark blue hair tied up in a ponytail. White military jacket. Black gloves... the same piercing blue eyes as Aurora, too. Are they really not related? Neat coincidence. The purple officer's coat is new, though. A Sabers fashion choice.
This must be Emily Ashcroft. Colonel, but even if they couldn't read the rank tabs, they've been told about her just now. She shucks her coat onto the couch and removes her gloves, chucking them over it. Then, she looks quizically at Lucine and Liam, as if trying to place them. "...who are you again?"
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Aurora's guess was correct. "...Ah," Liam says, and it's as much a sigh of relief as it is a word. "Wasn't sure. There's been a lot of crackdowns on labs like that." The timeline didn't add up at all.
Speaking of 'labs like that'... Liam nods. "Yeah. Augusta, right?" The same lab Shelby was from, originally, and so many other Federation Cyber-Newtypes.
Someone else is here.
It's hard to tell what tips Liam off, first--the sound of approaching footsteps, a noise from the other room, even motion out of the corner of his eye. He very suddenly stops, glass halfway to his lips, and turns to the newcomer. The tension starts to fade as he meets the older woman's eyes. He recognizes her instantly.
"...Liam," he says. "I--I'm one of Aurora's friends."
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
It'd be nicer to believe that the Crucible wasn't merely one such operation out of a million, all attempting different methods to achieve more or less the same objective: the perfect soldier. Some saw the future in people like Liam was, before he began to reclaim his identity, while others see a refined sort of Newtype as superior. In neither vision does someone like Lucine seem worthy, which, Lucine would suppose, would be the point. Soldiers who are trained like Liam and Aurora don't come 'naturally', they have to be made and molded.
"A little," Lucine answers, not quite picking up on the discrepancies Liam does, even if she did feel his relief at something being confirmed.
One could say that it's very hard to sneak up on a Newtype, but in cases like Lucine, it can be very easy, if you know a few tricks: A. don't be someone she knows well enough just yet, and B. have no discernible ill intent. Achieve these things, and Lucine will have a chance of not noticing you, as you'd simply blend into the latent noise of the world around her. Then, you can strike, using the advantage of some trickery to your advantage.
Which is why Liam's instinct, while not as discriminatory, can be the superior one at ensuring safety. So, while Liam reacts with the nature of a soldier, something Lucine picks up on as her eyes instantly beginning to scan the room as well.
It doesn't take long to see the source. ".... I'm assuming you are Colonel Ashcroft." She stands up, not realizing the small speck of chocolate on the side of her mouth, as she extends a hand to Emily. "Aurora was just telling us about you. I'm Lucine Azul." Liam handles his own side of introductions, though Lucine isn't sure how to further show her relation here. "... I'm, ah, Liam's girlfriend," she then adds, suddenly unsure in her tone. How do you politely refer to yourself in this setting?
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
"Yeah, there have been." Aurora nods. She wouldn't really know, having just lied through her teeth about it. Lied successfully, it seems. Or so she hopes.
Augusta? No. She shakes her head. "It was there in the very beginning, but I've been in other labs. One of those was the one that got shut down," she clarifies. "The Augusta Research Base is still there, even after the Cyber-Newtype programs were shut down. More mobile suits than you think have come from there. Did you know they built a high-altitude interceptor for the AEUG during the First Neo-Zeon War?" Aurora has started nerding out slightly. Being... who she is, she knows her Federation Newtype MS history, having been there for a lot of it.
She's eager to demonstrate her knowledge, too. Like a kid trying to earn a smiley sticker.
"It was the Gaplant Kai. Based off of the Gaplant, but it was just the mobile armor form." Aurora disapproves. Why not make it transform? It should be a proper MS. "Speaking of Gap-" She cuts herself off. Best not to talk too much. They ARE in front of a superior officer, after all. Shouldn't give away too many secrets.
Speaking of. Aurora's eyes light up when Emily makes her official entrance. Liam and Lucine introduce themselves, and Emily returns the handshake with a firm grip. She isn't trying to crush Lucine's hand, but she's used to strong handshakes - there might be a quick adjustment as she throttles back her own grip. "Yes, that's me."
Handshake finished, she looks over to Liam. There's a brief moment of thought, before she appears to recognise him. "Ah, so you're Liam. It's nice to meet you two too, Ms. Azul, Mr..." A handshake for Liam, next. "Oh-Seven-Twenty?" Emily ponders for half a second, before her eyes flick between the two and she decides on something. "Mr. Azul," she corrects quickly.
Introductions finished, she helps herself to a brownie before taking a seat on the couch. "Hm. Good."
"So, what was she telling you about me?"
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
"...Augusta made MSes for the AEUG?" Liam's brow furrows as he thinks on it. "The Gaplant..." He recognizes the name. A moment later, he remembers the airframe silhouette from the training cards. High-altitude interceptor, first used by the Titans...
Colonel Ashcroft doesn't give him time to ruminate on it. He extends his own hand, offering Emily a firm handshake. She knows his Subject ID, he thinks. But--
Liam's face reddens a little, and he glances sidelong at Lucine. She did say it was okay for him to use her name, if he ever felt the need to... "How you took her in," Liam says. "I didn't know she had someone. I'm glad she does."
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
For a moment, Lucine wonders if Emily herself is somehow been modified, like Liam and Aurora, but, by the same measure, the strength in her handshake feels more like someone who's just used to them. That'd make sense, if she's been working with Aurora, right? Though, how much does someone shake the hands of someone she's helping raise...?
.... No, Lucine can't afford to think like that. She barely knows this part of the world as is; she'll find shadows everywhere if she starts looking now.
"So Aurora has told you about him?" Lucine says, grinning. It's hard not to, when Emily picks her last name to refer to Liam. She *did* say Liam could use it; her yellow eyes meet Liam's sideglance, offering a quick confirmation with her eyes alone that the ball was in his court if he wanted to correct Emily or not.
She tries not to grin too much while doing so.
"Indeed," Lucine adds, to Liam's statement. "Liam's told me a little about Aurora earlier... she's seemed to come into her own, from what I've seen. A good baker, as well."
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Liam offers his own hand, and Emily shakes. No need to hold back. He can take a good handshake for sure, or Hephaestus really fucked up.
Watching their interactions, Lucine can tell Aurora is... calm. She isn't in distress or upset or anything. Emily's entrance has had no noticeable negative effect. It's probably a net positive. At worst, she's a little anxious about them meeting.
"Ah, you were talking about the Gaplant Kai." Emily is versed in Augusta-productions. She had a hand in a few of them, after all. "Not strictly an MS - it's more a mobile armor, since it omits the MS form entirely to save costs. If you want my honest opinion, an inferior product, but it's not like Augusta would put their best efforts into something the AEUG was meant to use. Still, back then everyone had a common enemy in Neo-Zeon..." she explains. "...even if the EFF's high officers couldn't be bothered to fight," she says, with some bitterness. "They either didn't have the will, or they were willing to abdicate all the responsibilities of their position to the AEUG. That line of thinking got us Dublin," she finishes harshly. "That, the chaos of the prior rebellion, and the diehards in New Desides causing their own problems..."
She shakes her head, banishing the memories. "I'm rambling. It was a difficult time." Not just because they'd just lost a civil war. They've been living as shadows ever since... Or, not? The Federation and NUNE military structures are extremely friendly to people who know how to shut the fuck up and do their jobs as opposed to choosing 'during a war' to try for their salty runback.
Again, reminiscing. Now is not the time.
Emily takes a seat on the couch where she left her coat and leans back, producing a cigarette from a pocket somewhere and bringing it to her lips. As soon as she completes the motion, Aurora swiftly draws a fancy silver lighter from her own pocket and lights it for her. There's a fairly nice engraving on Aurora's lighter - a wolf.
"How was your day?" Aurora asks gently.
Leaning back on the sofa, Emily takes a drag before blowing out smoke. "'Rora, if I ever say I'm going to talk to a Blue Cosmos blowhard willingly, I've gone insane. Incompetent, nepotistic, short-sighted..." The complaints trail off as she regains her composure and pats Aurora on the side of the head, smiling. Aurora seems to like it.
"Right, so. How I met 'Rora." Aurora gives her a quick glance that says 'I DIDN'T TELL THEM WHEN', and Emily meets her eyes.
"I should probably assume that Liam is familiar with the post-Gryps illegal 'Newtype lab' boom, but for Lucine's benefit: after the closure..." She stops herself. That's not quite right. "'Closure'," she repeats, in Audible Quotes, "of the Federation laboratories and their Neo-Zeon counterparts, there were a whole lot of resources - personnel, equipment... test subjects... with nowhere to go. They were snapped up by either independents or remnant groups, who sought to continue development. These labs have always had to operate illegally. The Psychoframe ban only made the laws tighter, they were always outside the law."
The words are weaved, carefully, to invoke Aurora's post-Crucible period without technically lying about it. Emily is confident in her ability to lie to Newtypes - Lucine will find her notably hard to read. Lots of practice. But it seemed to matter to Aurora, so she's playing along.
"I met her on one of those shutdowns. More poor bastards who couldn't accept Gryps was over and they'd lost. So, instead of returning to the Federation military, they'd decided to hole up in space and play insurgent." She blows smoke contemptuously. Genuine contempt, she's not a fan of New Desides wannabes. "Me and my team - back then, we were ECOAS, but NUNE arranges special forces differently - were responsible for shutting them down. Aurora was one of the child soldiers they crammed into a flying coffin to try and stop us when they got desperate. Not to," she gestures with her cigarette hand, "disparage her skills or anything, but one child soldier in a slapdash machine can't fight ten ECOAS pilots. She went down, scrambled into the lab, we followed her. When we found her, she freaked out and attacked me." Emily mimes a wild slashing motion. "Didn't work, I'm still here," she laughs. "Afterwards, I asked her if she wanted to learn how to do that properly, and... the rest is history. I basically fostered her after that. 'Dusk' is my maiden name, and since she didn't have one when I met her..."
"...well, she's like a daughter to me."
The story is true. It's just been... displaced in time.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam eats the last bite of his brownie, and takes another from the pan. They're genuinely delicious, and having something good to eat takes the edge off a potentially fraught encounter. Liam does not trust the Gaia Sabers' leadership. His gut instinct is to distrust anyone of sufficient rank within their numbers, Emily included. He has to give her the benefit of the doubt, though. He can't let his fear poison everything.
He listens, attentively, as Emily speaks, noting she's already heard at least the tail end of their conversation. What would Judau say about that same point in time? He'd definitely be less polite, and Liam respects him for that. He glances between Aurora and Emily, one hand drifting to his own pocket as if he were carrying the lighter, and not... Aurora?
Aurora doesn't smoke, as far as he knows. Odd that she'd have a lighter.
Liam's face twists a little at the mention of Blue Cosmos. He glances at Lucine, but doesn't say anything until after Emily is done explaining. "...God," he says. "So that was what happened. I was wondering if--she'd been taken somewhere else, after I got out. And maybe..." Liam's eyes darken. They almost got Lucine, too, when they recaptured him.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Sitting back down, Lucine finishes her milk, beginning to regret not finishing it when she still had the brownie on hand. Still, there's some oddness in how Aurora regards Emily, as time goes on. Emotionally, nothing feels amiss; nothing negative, to be sure, but Lucine wasn't expecting that. Even the anxiety is understandable; this is a person Aurora looks up to. She'd want Emily to like the person she considers her brother (as well as his girlfriend).
Still. There's that moment, when she takes out that lighter from her pocket to light Emily's cigarette. Odd. Is this a common behavior in Brittania, perhaps? Lucine looks to Liam, as he tries to draw a lighter out of his own pocket, as if he had one.
..... Or perhaps is this a soldier behavior? She'll need to ask Liam later about it. Would it be a way of showing respect? She didn't watch a lot of military-themed movies on Mars.
The casual talk of factions, how casually Emily moved into the topic of meeting Aurora, the timeline Emily establishes: none of them particularly make Lucine suspicious on their own. It's easy to sneak a lie past Lucine when she's having trouble keeping events straight as is. Lucine's own dad was a veteran of seguing into seemingly personal topics with the grace of a sledgehammer without blinking an eye, forever earning him the ire of Lucine's mom when it happened in front of the wrong guests. He didn't care, or, alternately, he did it *because* it signaled the sort of person he performed himself to be.
Is it Emily's manner, or a sign of something being off?
There's a worried slant in Lucine's gaze as she shares glances with Liam, imperceptible to most, but likely not Liam, who's seen how carefully she acts when she's on the scent of something.
The story itself feels true enough, at least. Emily herself doesn't strike Lucine as being that bad a person, really. But that was the way her dad was like, too.
"... Sounds like it was meant to be, in a way," she says.
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
Regarding how Aurora and Emily relate... There's closeness, and there's distance, and there's similarity. The complexity on the surface belies the complexity beneath.
Aurora's eyes flick back to the plate, sometimes, catching snapshots of the disappearing brownies. She'll take that as a "good job, Aurora!" and smile.
Col. Ashcroft sure does love rambling. She may not be a master storyteller, but stream of consciousness is good enough. Seems like the discrepancy hasn't been noticed. "Oh, you might enjoy this detail: That Ashta kid, the AEUG's most recent 'Newtype ace'... I heard a story about him punching a general out during Dublin. Bastard had it coming, basically letting Haman's Zeeks murder the country." The story is offered genially, but Emily realises something soon after: she follows up with "Ah, you probably knew that one already," waving her hand dismissively.
No, Aurora doesn't smoke, and she hasn't started. This is strictly an Emily habit. Does either Liam or Lucine watch old Japanese gangster movies? The image of a yakuza minion lighting a boss's cigarette might come to mind here.
Naturally, both of them notice Liam's face twist at the mention of Earth's Mightiest Racists. "I can see you're not a fan of them either." Can probably infer Lucine doesn't like them either. "Once you get to a certain rank, you have to learn to..." She tilts her head. "...not step on them when they get underfoot," she says, grimacing and visibly digging her heel into the floor to punctuate her words. "The Coordinator fixation is bad enough, and I have to deal with the Honorary Britannian rants too. Once, I had to stop myself from snapping off with 'why not just brand them then'," she rolls her eyes, "because I didn't want to give the inbred bastard any more ideas"
'Meant to be'. You could say that. Emily would agree. She does agree. "It sure feels like that sometimes." Aurora takes a seat next to her on the couch. She doesn't lean into her immediately, but she doesn't sit apart from her either.
Aurora takes the time to ask her own question. "So, uh, what's new lately?"
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam nods along as Emily's story continues. He's the very image of attentiveness--gaze focused, whole body oriented on her, back straight. Whether she realizes it or not, Emily has triggered a long-dormant instinct to provide a senior with an attentive soldier.
Even if he shouldn't be. Even as she brings up the defining trauma of his life like it's a footnote to a funny story about Judau Ashta. "I've met his sister," Liam says, once he has space to. "She's done a lot to shut down those labs." Her choice of descriptor doesn't escape him, either. He knows people who used that word all the time, and lots of them were not nice. (At least some of them were kids who definitely didn't understand the implications.)
Liam reaches out, keeping his hand below the table, and squeezes Lucine's hand, reassuringly. "They're horrible," he says. "Sorry you've had to deal with them so much." Finally, Aurora throws him a lifeline. "I'm doing all right. Reading up on home hydroponic setups, because I'm thinking of putting a little one in the apartment." He's mentioned this to Lucine maybe once or twice, but this is the first time he's mentioned doing research!
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Lucine's distaste is simple enough-- so simple she doesn't even express it directly. "Blue Cosmos... don't exist," she murmurs softly. "A cosmos is a flower that cannot display blue, as it cannot generate the proper pigment for it, unless they're genetically engineered, and even then... it's an ironic name, considering what they're against..."
Still, she's more focused on how Liam presents himself in Emily's presence. Military culture is certainly present on Mars, as it would be on any inhabited planet, but Lucine's on experience of such a gesture would be more tied to the Syndicate, or, at least, the Martian-made movies that sometimes glorified them along with grizzled detectives and icy dames with hard to solve cases. She knows better, in that case.
Aurora's attempt to change the subject is taken up by Liam. Lucine also seizes on this. "... Ah, yes, that way we can maybe have some herbs on hand." She looks to Liam for a moment. "... I hate to ask, but... what time was our train, Liam?"
It's a way to test if Liam wants to get out of this situation, without alerting the Colonal's attempt to possible insult. The 'train' is just a lie.
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
"...Hhah?" Emily's cigarette, which was almost finished anyway, almost falls out of her mouth. Aurora blinks in a way that Liam would immediately distinguish as 'huh?' Then, the two smirk. "...I thought they were cosmos, like space?" Emily chuckles. "I'm definitely using that one. Thanks." Aurora snickers, too.
Liam's attentive, focused listening is something Emily can't miss. Seems that Hephaestus's boy still has the instincts of a soldier. Aware. Dutiful. She's vaguely aware his record with NERV is impressive, too. He escaped once, and has evaded Crucible's grasp ever since. Maybe he HAS successfully become a soldier after all. She wonders...
Oh, it's not quite a footnote to her, either. Her defining tragedies were all before that. It's just that perpetual war for 20 years has a way of sanding off the edges that would otherwise bump on this kind of thing. "You've met the Black Lioness, I see. I haven't had the pleasure myself." She's being unironic. Leina IS worthy of respect, even if a visit from Cathedra sometimes causes headaches.
Both Aurora and Emily nod along to the Blue Cosmos Hate Circle."They're... I don't like listening to them." "I appreciate the sympathy."
Did Aurora throw that lifeline deliberately? Probably. She knows her mother can yap for sure. And what an interesting subject! Hydroponics, again! Aurora is growing to be interested in hydroponics. "Ooh... indoor growing... that'd be convenient." And fun! "I think there are some underground cities that do that... There are lots of plants that need specific conditions to grow. They can control climate like that in colonies..."
There are definitely trains in Pendragon. It's not suspicious at all.
<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
Liam turns to Lucine, cocking his head a little because he doesn't remember this bit of wordplay off the bat. 'Oh!' he seems to realize, once she gets to the stinger. It's still not the smoothest put-down ever, but Emily seems to like it.
"It is," Liam says, smiling at Aurora--genuinely, and unforced. "I did a lot of work on larger-scale systems in Tsutsujidai, but that was a group project. And we didn't have to worry about taking them somewhere during a move. It'll be a challenge to come up with something portable, but I think we can do it."
The train? Oh, right. The 'train'. Liam checks his phone, considering. "...Next one should get here in about half an hour," he says, "but I want to leave time in case we get stopped by transit security." Which is a definite possibility. His expression turns apologetic as he glances back at Aurora. "Which means we should probably be going soon. Thank you for inviting us, it was good to see your home." A pause, where Liam offers Emily a smile and nod. "And to meet you, Colonel Ashcroft."
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
It wouldn't be the first time Lucine has related a story and gotten that reaction. "... You're correct... That was likely the intention. I'm not sure why cosmos flowers are called that, to be honest... perhaps because of the root name of both, which generally means order, I think..." It's honestly a compliment to call it a put-down; to Lucine, who's seen her mother complain loudly about such requests from the less scientifically minded people in Colony Nemi, it's just simple science.
Lucine's own nature remains hidden, having not the right environment to come out. She lacks Liam's 'soldier nature' for sure, though she's taken pains to hide her usual (often accidental) disregard of ranks and factions beyond how they relate to her own world view.
".... Yes. We've been on various sides." At least here Lucine is reminded to not volunteer extra information, such as how Leina has ensured Lucine's safety against at least ome of Nergal's seemingly unfortunate schemes.
Still, she can't stop herself on some subjects. ".... My mom specializes in that, so... I can't say it's all been been something I've made up myself."
Lucine feigns an apologetic sigh, nodding as Liam confirms. "It's been great to meet you both, though..."
<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
"Well, maybe if they'd had more scientifically literate people, they would've known it was a dumb name." Aurora rolls her eyes, taking a cue from Mom on this.
As Liam explains his and Lucine's plant project, Aurora#s shining eyes look at him like he's genuinely the coolest person in the world. "I believe in you, Brother." Thumbs up.
Aurora's true nature is also a transient thing, expressing its aspects according to its environment. Emily is like this too, but she's more like a leopard hiding its spots than a flower that changes color in different places. Both do hide a lot, though.
Aurora warmly smiles back at Liam and Lucine. "It was nice to see you too."
"Various sides, huh." Emily ponders for a second. "Maybe we've been in the same battles."
Emily has her own last words for the two. "It was nice to meet you two, too." She smiles back. "If it's the transit security you're worried about, I could walk you," she offers. "I could probably walk Judau Ashta himself through there unbothered... he'd probably start something, though." Accept or decline, she will be making sure they're not watched as a matter of courtesy. There are reasons she doesn't want to be seen talking privately to Nadesico crew like this.