2024-12-30: Strength and Weakness
- Log: 2024-12-30: Strength and Weakness
- Cast: Flay Allster, Elisa Kafim
- Where: Tokyo International Airport
- OOC - IC Date: December 30, 0099 (2024)
- Summary: In rejecting her Power, Flay shows Elisa the strength and weakness of humanity.
<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.
Having spent the last two days in Nouvelle Tokyo to take care of some Striker Pack business, Flay had just checked out of her hotel and headed to the nearest international airport in Tokyo-1 - also the closest airport to Fujinomiya (not that Elisa Kafim ever needed such trifles to travel). It's a conflicted feeling to leave - it really is an entirely different world from the strife NUNE is facing right now. Not to mention, she hasn't really been able to keep her mind off of what she learned about Lacus and Kira.
But to live is to move forward, and Flay is currently in the transitory in-between of that... the waiting lobby. It's got all the comforts you'd hope for from an airport - leather seats, magazines scattered across coffee tables, and a television in the center. And on the television plays a rather interesting news story: the void energy that had cursed the North Pole's ice for almost two years ago now had vanished overnight, three days ago.
While many reporters are not convinced, and footage of what truly transpired three days ago is limited, some suggest a 'change of heart' from the rulers of the enigmatic Silent Castle. Flay, who's been half-watching the report, can't really say for sure. She was terrified of Elisa Kafim's magic... and what mortal wouldn't be? But for once, it does seem to be good news, and she can at least be happy with that.
As the news switches back to the weather, she double clicks her phone to check the time. These wait times are brutal, even for first-class, she thinks... but then again, people are rushing to see their families in time for New Year's. When she thinks of it that way, it doesn't really feel like there's much to wait for.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Elisa Kafim has not been spending time in Nouvelle Tokyo. As a rule, it's quite hostile to her. ...And she's been busy. But there are loose ends to tie up; things to understand about the world before she leaves it for good. And one that she remembers is one Flay Allster, fascinating in a previous battle, of interest to her greatly... who instructed her in human strength and weakness both.
She could've ssimply appeared to her, but she decided that might not be the best approach. Instead, she asked Parminder where she could find her. so it is that in this lounge, a woman with dark skin and darker sunglasses steps towards the couch. She watches the news for a moment, thoughtful, at what they suggest.
She tehn sits down on the couch, near Flay. "Hello, Flay Allster," Elisa Kafim's voice comes. She does not dip down her sunglasses, but still turns towards her.
She's in a long coat and a hat.
"...Do you think we have changed so much?" she wonders. "Perhaps we have, in some way. But I am not so sure that it is to their liking."
A pause. "I said I would one day speak with you again. This is that day. Do not be alarmed."
<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.
It's not as if Flay suddenly gets the idea that she's been watched or tracked in any way (not even digitally, Parminder is more than good enough to cover his tracks). It's as simple as a sunglasses-wearing Meltrandi woman taking a seat next to her, which isn't unusual on its own.
It just takes a moment, for Flay to match her disguised appearance to the blurred figure that was just shown on the television, and her voice to the woman who spoke to her at Sveaborg. And when she pieces it together, there is first fear, a response that shouldn't be foreign to Elisa Kafim. "No way... why is she here?" She mutters under her breath, and for a moment, the fight or flight response leans towards flight. If she sought her out to attack her, then she wouldn't stand a chance, that's certain.
But instead, Elisa poses a question, and claims she's here to talk. This is a public space, if she meant any harm, surely she's capable of much worse. Flay doesn't look at Elisa Kafim, but she does answer. "It's a little hard not to be alarmed.. you know," Her eyes dart downwards, but she does consider the question. "Maybe you have changed," She agrees. "It might as well be impossible to live without doing so. We can only hope it's for the better." She adds, carrying over some of that wisdom she learned the day prior.
"...I'm honestly surprised I left an impression on you at all. Do you find it entertaining to prod on those who seem weak to you?" Then again, it might be its own strength that she's able to retain that harsh disposition in the face of someone like Elisa. "After all, I couldn't even pull the trigger on you in that battle..." She reflects, remembering the screams of the victims of the operation in Sveaborg.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
No way, Flay starts. But she doesn't run away after all. Elisa waits, and watches. She could indeed cause a lot of trouble here... but she doesn't. "Hmm," Elisa remarks on the difficulty. "That is fair. Be alarmed if you wish. I would simply prefer that you not draw attention to my presence."
"I have not become kind," Elisa says of her change. "I do not think it is in my 'nature', even before I became what I am. But I wish you no ill will. ...Perhaps it is for the better."
But she is surprised, and Elisa inclines her head. "I do," she says. "Strength I understand; power I understand. Weakness I do not. ...Humanity, I do not."
"You couldn't," Elisa agrees. "You were distracted by suffering. ...I rescued those of the prisoners I was able, incidentally. Do you still feel there was nothing to 'savor' in your victory? After all... your side did win."
"But it did not satisfy you. Why? Do you not wish your comrades to achieve their aims?"
<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.
A lot of trouble could indeed occur, if Flay decided to call upon the security detail intended to accompany her flight. If the Gaia Sabers learned that a known criminal appeared before one of their officers. But no trouble occurs today. Flay knows it might only make things worse if she does so.
Instead, she tries to understand... and finds it terribly difficult, since Elisa's motives are so inhuman in their nature. "Then I won't expect any kindness from you," She says, with a tilt of the head. "But the North Pole turned back to normal. If that was really your doing, then why?"
Elisa makes it clear what she understands, and what she doesn't. "It's painful," Is what Flay admits, about weakness. "Without power, you have nothing to protect yourself with. The only way is to keep taking, and taking from others. Until there isn't anything left to take." She turns to face Elisa, then. "The strong don't have that problem. They can protect not just themselves, but others, too." She can't study Elisa's expression, underneath those glasses... but she wonders how she feels about it.
"It's because of that, I learned to pilot the Strike Gundam. So if you thought I was mocking you because you're able to fight together with your partner, I wasn't." She adds. "But that mission showed me that there's another side to having power." She frowns, when Elisa points out that all the suffering distracted her.
"When you put it like that, you're right. I joined the Gaia Sabers because I felt it was the only way to prevent another war. I still want to believe that, but..." She finds it difficult to explain, when Elisa does not understand her feelings about it. "Those prisoners might not have been innocent, but they still couldn't fight back. How could anyone be satisfied with that?"
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
"...The Goddess who made me what I am," Elisa explains, "Could take advantage of that weakness between the worlds. The only way to stop Her was to undo what we had done. ...The Power there was useful, but not worth the destruction of the Earth."
Painful, though. Elisa listnes thoughtfully to that. "...Yes," she says. "I understand. The weak prey on each other, in order to seek what they can to protect themselves from the strong. Or else they find leverage on the strong..."
"Yes, this makes sense to me. My friend tells me that to 'love' is to understand both virtue and flaw. So I have tried to understand weakness."
"...I did think you were attempting to mock me," Elisa admits. "Hmm..."
"So 'victory' is not enough. It must be victory that agrees with your moral sense. Perhaps.. that's more important than the victory?"
"Once, I would have agreed with you. That 'honor' for instance was a necessary part of winning. In another life, when I was the Olympic gymnast 'Elisa Kafim'."
She considers. "Would you like to have more 'power'?" She wonders. "I could show you the way. ...But I do not..." She muses, and shakes her head. "I will show you, if you asked, because I brought it up. But I do not think it is a path that would satisfy you. If you care the 'how' so much as the 'what'... then my power would only change you into a thing like I am. And I am strong, indeed--but I am not human. ...Nor Meltrandi, really."
<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.
Flay tries to wrap her head around the explanation Elisa gives her. A Goddess who has power in the boundary between reality? "If I didn't know any better, I'd think it's all just one big fairy tale," She admits. "But that power," she recalls, with the slightest shudder, "was very real." She's glad that Elisa's aim isn't to destroy the Earth, though. As it happens, the Earth is very important to her.
"Yes..." Flay nods, when Elisa begins to understand what it means to be weak. "After I lost my father, there was someone I used, and hurt to try to get my revenge. When it came to piloting a mobile suit, he was very strong. But in other ways, you might call him a weak person... he had a kind, but fragile heart." She's still not sure if it was 'love', she began to feel, as Elisa puts it. "I want him to be happy," she concludes, "so I developed my own strength."
There's almost a smile, when Elisa admits she figured she was mocking her. "You could say it's a begrudging respect."
And then, she considers, when Elisa suggests her victory must align with her morals. "Maybe that's the case. After all, I felt the same way during the attack on the PLANTs. Even if I might have once believed the Coordinators had it coming after Junius Seven fell," But she has changed. And Elisa changed even more, Flay giving her a slightly puzzled look at 'another life'.
But Elisa Kafim is no longer human nor Meltrandi... and she presents Flay with an offer. "More power? Are you trying to tempt me?" Flay raises an eyebrow. "I might be hearing you out right now, but that doesn't mean I'm going to fall for that." She does wonder, though... if she was the weak person she was three years ago, would she have accepted it?
"Yes, you are strong. But... that's not the kind of strength I want," Flay shakes her head. "Call it pride, but I'd rather keep my humanity." That's the strange thing about humans, isn't it? They're so desperate to cling onto it.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
The power was real; that is enough, for Elisa, who inclines her head. Because Flay does know better.
"I see..." Someone she used and hurt, but who she wants to be happy now. Elisa is thoughtful about that. "I am reminded of someone," she reflects. "...Yes, this makes sense to me. You harmed him, but now you wish his well-being. It is... human."
A begrudging respect. "Acceptable," Elisa declares.
"Indeed. Your forces, had they been able to overcome the PLANTs, could have unified the Earth in vengeance. It would have been a clear victory for your goals."
"No," Elisa answers of temptation. "I am... pleased, that you have rejected my offer. There is strength in pride. ...One who has no pride in her 'self' cannot begin to exert that 'self' in power to others. So now I have seen both your weakness and your strength."
"Keep your humanity then, Flay Allster. But know that always there are others who seek to subvert you. As for me..." A look up, to nothing in particular. "I will be leaving this realm soon. What happens here is no longer my concern. But I have come to... appreciate, this planet that my wife loves."
"It is 'strength' like yours that may yet shape it. If you have the will. To use people is a significant power that you have chosen to forego... But I believe that you can find other avenues."
<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.
Flay is quiet, when Elisa reflects on her words. Though it's such a human emotion - a human sense of empathy - that drives her, Elisa is able to understand it, too. "If that's the case... maybe we aren't so different after all." She replies.
And she's thoughtful, too, about what would have happened had the PLANTs been destroyed in nuclear fire. She doesn't quite come to the same conclusion. "If so, then the people who dropped Junius Seven would have gotten exactly what they wanted. Their leader said he wanted us Naturals to know exactly how they feel." There's a small frown. "But those Windam pilots had no idea they were just playing into their hands..."
Flay tilts her head, and blinks when Elisa is pleased at her rejected. "Oh... does that mean it was a test then?" And she supposes that means she passed, as she considers Elisa's words about pride and power. "Don't worry... I'll keep my humanity and my pride," She asserts, even as she's warned that others might take advantage of it.
"If you're leaving this planet... I guess I'm glad I helped you understand it just a little better." Perhaps it's for the best, that a being like Elisa will no longer dwell the Earth... but it doesn't mean that this interaction was for nothing. "It's a dangerous world to live in... but it's still the only one we have. That's probably why your wife loves it so much."
Strength like hers? "Yes... there's certain things I won't do anymore. And it's about so much more than just what I want." She agrees, about forgoing her 'power'. "I used to only care about the past. But there's still a future I want to protect... so I'll try to keep moving forward." She looks back to Elisa then. "Does that satisfy you?"
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
"I was human once, or half-human," Elisa allows. "My wife encourages me to reclaim that side of myself. Perhaps I have managed, if only a bit." That's the closest she'll come to saying they're alike, probably.
"True," Elisa allows. "Their wants, and your wants, and your comrades' wants... They are more complex than 'victory and defeat.'" A pause. "Many are unaware of the goals their actions ultimately serve. I have taken advantage of this fact many a time."
"No," Elisa says, "An idle thought that became more. I am accustomed to offering power to those who feel they lack it. ...But because of what you said, I realized that it would not suit your goals to achieve it, even if it would give you 'power' over others."
"Good," that she will keep them.
"Hmm... is that so? Curious." Glad, to have helped her. "That may be. There are many worlds in the universe... but none other that are 'Earth'."
Elisa watches Flay from behind her glasses as she asserts what it is she wants, what it is she will do. She is silent, a few moments still. "...Yes," she says. "Yes, it does. I thank you for your insight. You interested me, before... and soon, I will be out of reach. I wish to complete all that I can here, before I go."
She moves to start to stand. "I do not believe in 'luck'. So I will wish for you 'clarity'. May you always be certain of the things you wish to protect."
<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.
It's not a bad thing, Flay supposes, that Elisa has gotten a little more in touch with her human-side. Even if she doesn't fully understand all of Elisa's inhumanity.
"Everyone has their own desires," Flay agrees. "And when they clash, that's when you get conflict... and even hatred. And it's so easy to get swept up in it without even knowing." At the same time, she knows that such things can be overcome, even if it's not always easy.
The power that Elisa would offer her, wouldn't suit Flay's goals, she explains... "I see... that makes sense," She nods. Logically, she could accomplish much, with the kind of magic that Elisa wields. But she isn't sure if that would make her happy, if it eroded away the emotions that make her human, or if that happiness would even be a concern to her anymore. It's scary to think of it that way.
"Well, it's the people living in it that makes the Earth Sphere what it is. And I feel safer knowing you have no interest in harming it. That's all, really." She answers, about helping Elisa understand the Earth and humanity. Still, Elisa does thank her for her insight. Truthfully, Flay feels like she just took part in a really bizarre humanities research study without any real compensation.
But this will almost certainly be the last time she ever sees Elisa Kafim. "I hope you won't forget what you learned. I don't believe in luck... or destiny, either. But I'll accept clarity." She regards Elisa one last time, as she begins to stand.
"Farewell, Dr. Kafim."