View source for 2022-10-03: Maybe We Can 'Repair' It

{{Log
|cast=Yurika Misumaru, Lucine Azul, Anita Rosetta, Ruri Hoshino, BP-119 Duke, Liam 7-020
|location=OCU Australia
|summary=In the wake of the devastation wrought to Torrington, a bit of recovery, both of people and of infrastructure.
}}
{{PhaseAndTurn
|phase=1
|turn=2
}}
 <Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
<poem>
Torrington Base is a complete wreck. The nearby city is hardly in any better shape. The raid and ravaging of the Sleeves and ZAFT forces left spirits and concrete alike shattered and smoldering. Even the Nadesico, that beacon of hope and morale, looks like it's spent rather too long in the toaster, singed and charred and buried in a half-askance angle in the center of town.

        But there's no force in the universe more powerful than very panicked and surprised politicians and investors.

        Obviously there's not enough cash to do 100% of the rebuilding, and this place is going to be a mess for years, maybe decades to come - but at a minimum, surrounding the Nadesico itself are countless mobile tower cranes and engineers swarming the hull to patch up its scars, like watching a timelapse of a rotting fruit in reverse. Surrounding it is a mess of hastily organized dirt roads, mazes of orange cones, and countless tents and loudly yelling personnel redirecting rescue efforts.

        Among these is Yurika! In oh so unfashionable brown overalls and a day-glo yellow safety vest and helmet combo, the ship's captain is out and about getting her nose in just about every salvage team - maybe being slightly more of a nuisance than a help, but the spirit's there! It takes a preposterously loud grumbling of the tummy heard for miles around to get her to settle the heck down, and guide her to the impromptu mess hall - a tent beneath which countless pots of soup and bundles of fruits are being carefully rationed out. Hard hat askance, overalls half-unbuckled, the captain's parked atop a wooden crate, sudden fatigue setting in as she slurps her way through a potato soup with somewhat less potato than she'd hoped...

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
<poem>
        In a corner of the mess hall, in her usual Nergal operations uniform, Ruri Hoshino taps away on a data pad. Beside her approaches the honey-haired Minato Haruka, a stunning woman with enough worries to spare. "Ruriruri," Minato says, "have you eaten?"

        "I need to finish this report," Ruri says, without looking up.

        "I'm... going to leave this here," Minato settles on, after a moment, putting a bowl of soup down beside a girl who can't be much older than thirteen. "Don't forget about it, okay?"

        "Thank you, Minato-san," Ruri glances up briefly, nods, and returns to her notes.

        Note, of course, that Ruri ''is'' wearing a hard hat over her pale twin-tails, just like Minato's waves of hair are trapped by one. Safety first.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> BP-119 Duke has posed.
<poem>
Duke never anticipated this when he seized the initiative and requested permission to board the Nadesico; the Brave Police Super AI was concerned more with the mental well-being of its pilots after an extremely rough sortie.

However.

In a crisis situation such as the present state of Torrington City, access to an additional ambulance and fire engine is a boon for the workers on-site dealing with disaster relif; the fact that neither require a driver present to operate effectively is a further boon.

Currently, Duke is in his system-changed humanoid form, utilising his superior mass and strength to heave aside debris. The Fire Roader, parked nearby (operated remotely by Regina, who is sitting in the mess hall helping coordinate the operations), is currently blasting some of the lingering fires with its firehose cannons.

Duke's efforts shift a large chunk of fallen wall away from a basement entrance, allowing the humans in emergency gear around him to rush in and sweep for survivors. Or casualties. Setting the chunk of concrete safely aside, Duke stands up, his formerly pristine white armour stained with smoke and dust, and surveys the situation to determine the place he's needed next.

A Super AI never tires; he only needs maintenance and refueling occasionally. This is not police work, but it is Extremely Necessary, so he is honour-bound to render aid.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
<poem>
        Poor Liam will find that the Dianthus, while it technically has room for a passenger, it wasn't exactly built for people his size in mind. Still, he fits safely enough to make it work, though Lucine tries to remind herself to let the poor young man take breaks whenever they stop for a refuel break.

        The inside of the Dianthus, otherwise, is very much all Lucine, with a serviceable music system, some bits of flower decor where it can safely be screwed, clipped, or wired in to avoid debris floating, and a sufficiently padded chair that, despite it being in a half-seated position, makes sure all death-defying stunts do not end with Lucine getting a concussion from her own unit. It's basically Lucine's room, except she has a room, in the Nadesico.
        
        That wasn't always the case.

        It's a long ride from Tokyo-3 to Torrington base, but the second time is much, much easier, thanks to a proper meal, a proper nap, a proper shower, and a proper cuddle between two very very good friends.

        "We're almost there, Liam. Do you want me to pick anything up before we get close? It may be a while before we have access to food or water."

        -----LATER-----

        The Dianthus comes, as promised, bearing another passenger than it left with two days or so ago. Lucine drops down from the opening cockpit, carefully, shaking out her legs. "Captain Misumaru!" She gives Yurika a salute. "... Reporting for, ah, duty. And, ah, Liam wanted to come as well, so..." She tries not to blush, as it makes it &#42;extremely&#42; clear and yet &#42;extremely&#42; not what she was doing those days she was missing!

        Spoiler: it was flying.

        Also, Yurika is in the middle of eating, so all of that probably occured in the middle of a long slurp of much needed calories.
Teletha Testarossa teleports in.
POT: Teletha Testarossa is now set observer.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
<poem>
Picking up the pieces... that sounds like a lot of hard work.

...

...A while back, Anita would have let that thought fade away there without touching it further. She's not a huge fan of working hard. She much prefers to relax and do nothing. ...But, she's friends with a few good influences. And right now she has a feeling that if they were able to do so, they'd be right there helping out. And so, Anita finds herself in Torrington today.

She's in her mechanic jumpsuit today, sea green with the Londo Bell emblem on the front and the mark of the Kakapo Squadron on the back. It's a sturdy outfit good for labor like this... though, the main reason she's wearing it is that it cleanly covers her arms and legs to hide the heavy-duty cybernetic arm and leg she's picked out for today. They're tough, and stronger than average. They don't really tire, either, so as long as she's careful not to put too much strain on the part of her that's still just flesh and blood, she can get a lot of work done. She can take care of a lot, as long as no one tries to ask too many question about how she's able to do so much heavy lifting.

...Of course, she's still going to get tired ''eventually'', and she still has to eat. So eventually she finds herself pointed to the mess tent. In lieu of a chair, she reclines on the ground propped up by a crate near the one Yurika's sitting on. She is currently munching on an apple. It's a perfectly serviceable apple.

After a moment she realises that there are some familiar faces here so she offers a lazy wave with the hand that is currently not occupied with the apple.

"Yo." Anita greets. "Hanging in there?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
<poem>

        The Dianthus' passenger seat isn't the roomiest place Liam's ever been, but he endures the trip without complaint. He tries to keep his limbs as mobile as he can, and uses each rest break to stretch. It helps that he's more flexible than he looks, because that, too, is an asset for a soldier and athlete. He did not expect to be greeted by anything remotely heartening on arrival, but mental preparation could only do so much; as the Dianthus reached the city limits, anxious dread settled in Liam's stomach.

        So much of it is gone. Apartments and office buildings, flattened. Solar farms shattered. Smoke rising from fires that still burned, days later. The red-and-white of aid tents, and the forms of rescue mechs picking through the wreckage. "There's something left," Liam breathes, behind Lucine's shoulder. "It's not all gone." He's trying to convince himself.

        LATER...

        Liam squeezes out of the cockpit, and clambers down the Dianthus' side, grimacing slightly as he moves again. But he's quick to catch up with Lucine, taking up position at her flank. He nods, once, when Lucine introduces him. "Objectives, Captain?"

        Said like someone who wasn't in a cramped cockpit for eight hours, and who hasn't eaten anything substantial in at least five hours.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
<poem>
Yurika's arm is already a-waving and a-v-signing even with a big loaf of bread still in her mouth. "Mghgh ghgmh hmg! Gffhgh mghgh! Ghh!" Finally, she remembers to swallow, puffing out a long -phew-. She heralds the Dianthus's arrival with a basket of apples and two steamy cups of soup. This isn't a suggestion to eat- she's foisting it on Liam and Lucine as they exit into the clearing. "I hope you two had a good trip! Yes, hi, I'm the captain, so sometimes I boss Lucine here around! Oh, how did you two meet? Was it a very ~destiny-laden~ meeting? Or just one of those...normal ones? As far as duties go...Well, there's a lot of rescue operations going on - - oh!!"

        Yurika's gaze flashes over to Regina, and she's pointing back and forth between her and Liam. "Yes! I think that younger one who's getting along with Ruri-Ruri is an associate of the Brave Police? She probably knows a lot about the most urgent ongoings! Rubble that needs clearing! People giving off radio signals in need of help! It's been a crazy few days here!"

        Speaking of Ruri, Yurika does poke-poke her technical operator on the hard hat, crouching down in that 'not how you talk to shorter people' way and locking eyes. "Ruriiiii. It's really important to eat! A hard worker like you is pretty prone to suddenly just toppling over mid-important thing when you don't get enough energy!"

        Anita's a face that admittedly takes some prodding in Yurika's mental library - but then she recalls, "Ah! You're with Captain York, right? Hihi, yes, I'm not in the usual uniform, but I promise you're right if you remember me as the one and only Captain Misumaru of the one and only Nadesico! V! ...also, I'm worried about you! I've noticed when you're moving out and about, it kinda seems like you're relying a bit more on one of your arms and legs...you're not...injured and trying to hide it just to help out, are you!? It's honorable and all, but please don't push yourself so hard!" ...So she's noticed, but gotten...the wrong takeaway...

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
<poem>
        Ruri looks up, again, from her data pad, as she hears a less-familiar voice. "Oh," she blinks, as she places her. "Miss Argine. Sure, that's fine." She gestures, with a too-pale hand, to the chair beside her. "Is Duke still working?"

        While she's looking up, she adds, to Anita: "It's good you're all right, Ms. Rosetta." Ruri has many friends aboard the Ra Mari, and she was ''also'' worried about them.

        She nods to Lucine and Liam, too, and turns back to her data pad --

        Which is precisely when Yurika ''pokes her in the hard hat.'' Ruri blinks one eye shut, frowning to her. "I'm fine, Captain," she insists, her stoic tone gaining a sullen shade. "I wasn't hurt or anything." Unlike, she leaves to implication, all the people who ''were.''

        If Ruri doesn't get the paperwork in, then people can't get help. She has to collect all the numbers together to convince those foolish adults out there in the world to do something.

        But since it's the Captain's Orders, she reluctantly puts her data pad to one side and pokes at her soup.

        Siiiip.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
<poem>
        ".... I should have better prepared you," Lucine says, as Liam surveys the damage behind her. "But it's not something you ever want to get used to, either, so... I suppose... the fact that it shocks is a good thing..." What is also a good sign is how Liam immediately points out what's left. Lucine smiles, something that carries into her voice. "... Yes, there are. The attack's been stopped, so people can rebuild." Small blessings, never to be taken for granted.

        ---- NOW ----

        "Be careful Liam, it's easy to fall out, especially from the back..." But the warning isn't even needed, it seems, as Liam doesn't show that he's been stuffed in the back of her unit for eight hours.

        And the dreaded question comes from Yurika-- or wait, no, it's about how they met! "A-ah, w-well, we met when Liam was... ah... moving in?" Even if it would be easy information for Yurika to gain, being an ally of NERV, it wouldn't feel try to volunteer that Liam is basically a Bionet fugitive. As Yurika does the introductions, Lucine blinks, seeing Duke and Regina. "You were there during the Paris battle... Thank you, for helping us get to safety afterwards. We weren't in the greatest state then, so..." Then, Anita, which Lucine gives a nod to. "... Ah, I can still use the Dianthus to move things, though.... it's not really great for that. In fact, it'd be really terrible, but... I'm very good at flying, so.."

        Ruri is there, and Lucine smiles softly. "... One of these days, I will need to thank you properly." And talk to her about some more pressing issues, but not here. "Speaking of that... Liam, let's eat some soup. I don't think this is work we can get away with without a proper meal."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
<poem>
Liam gets a brief wave of greeting too as he arrives, and her attention soon turns to Yurika as she greets her.

"Yup - Anita Rosetta. Nice meeting you again." She replies, offering her a smile - which is soon turned toward Ruri as she speaks up. "Thanks,  I appreciate it... We all managed to make it out okay, fortunately."

Physically, anyway.

"Good to see you're alright, too - how's everyone on the Nadesico holding up?" Anita asks. If both Ruri and the Captain are here, then things are probably fine... but, it feels right to ask. It's then that Yurika comments that she's worried about her. Anita pauses for a moment, blinking once, and then laughs a little sheepishly, massaging the back of her neck.

"...I guess that's the way it'd look, huh?" She admits. She considers Yurika for a moment, then considers the present company. After coming to a decision, she pulls off her left glove, showing off her metal hand and flexing it as explanation. "My left side is just a little better suited to that kind of work, is all."

There's another brief pause.

"But, uh... thanks. For worrying about me. I appreciate it." She adds.

She glances to Lucine next, returning her nod with one of her own.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> BP-119 Duke has posed.
<poem>
Regina nods when Ruri acknowledges her, sitting down near but not too near the Nadesico's systems operator. "Yes. He insisted on helping out with the relief efforts, and he's still out there." Even something as simple as moving the injured from their rescue sites to the triage tent is a huge help, while the Fire Roader runs thermal imaging scans to help locate them if they're buried.

Taking another bite of her apple while watching the movements of the two Brave Police vehicles on her tablet, she glances to Ruri. "I have some coordination data of my own - should I sync it up with you?"

Duke quietly rolls up to the mess hall tent in ambulance form, dropping off another group of workers taking their break. "Lady Regina, is everything well?" He does not transform into his humanoid form to speak. Regina looks up and smiles. "I'm fine, Duke. How are things?"

"I suspect I will be giving the maintenance teams something of a workout by the end of the day. There is a lot of dust in the air."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
<poem>

        Liam falls silent. There's something left, all right, but that's opposed to 'a crater', a fresh wound gouged into the face of the Earth. This is still recognizable as a former city, despite the ruin.

        NOW...

        Liam lets Lucine take point. "Lucine assisted me," he says, taking the bowl of soup in one hand, and the basket of apples with the other. "Operator Hoshino," Liam adds, acknowledging Ruri with a nod of his head. "Duke." The Super-AI gets a nod as well, as does Anita, though something flickers in his eyes--

        Anita and her comrades made it out alive. There were many others that didn't. Liam sucks in a breath, flinching at the sound of remembered screams. "I can assist. Once we've eaten." He might have to force himself to eat, despite his hunger, but it wouldn't be the first time--

        Lucine is there. The horror feels marginally lighter. As they take seats, he sits down next to her. He has neither confirmed nor denied Yurika's suspicions, but Lucine's presence is, at minimum, calming. Liam still has... some misgivings about what Duke told him in the wake of Niko's death--the guilt still eats at him--but it's good to see him hard at work, too.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
<poem>
        "Ooooh...ooh! Wow! So that's why...have they really gotten that advanced...is it like your -entire--" Yurika's in the midst of zipping from angle to angle observing Anita, before she realizes- 'wait, there could be company that's really weird about cybernetics, that's a whole political dispute with all sorts of baggage going on', and so she shuts her trap. "I can only imagine it's tricky to balance, but it's good to know it's the opposite of what I was worrying! I won't be too loud about it though!" A finger over her lips signals that she'll indeed zip them about that subject she was very openly ooh-ing and awe-ing about.

        Duke's arrival quickly pivots Yurika to helping the workers out and directing them to and fro, giving a merry little salute to the ambulance. "Thank you SO SO much for all your hard work! You and your...ah...hm. Operator? Assistant? You do call Regina 'lady'...oh! Is it some sorta knight in shining armor sorta thing? Eee, that'd be so cute...!"

        She does pick up on the ~shared vibes~ Ruri and Regina have...and a firm smile of satisfaction crosses her lips. "Say say, Ruri-Ruri...you're pretty unique, but there's actually a fair few other super-geniuses we've encountered from time to time. Have you kept in contact with any? Obviously if you wanna ring up Regina here, you can totally do it whenever you want even aboard the Nadesico, it's totally fine to use our comms relays to call up friends from time to time!" Uh oh. the F word...

        ...But is that the word Yurika would use for Liam and Lucine...? That critical eye for ~the blossoms of romance~ never really turns off, and instead of just like, asking directly she's trying to divine the situation through her own intuition. But then...the tiredness in their eyes is a little more apparent. It's not the time to turn that mode on.

        "Any amount of help is appreciated, you know. Even if you're too tired to do more than a little bit - there's no wasted effort here! I trust Lucine with all my heart and soul, she's been with us for a long while, and she's as hard a worker as anyone else - so just follow her lead when in doubt, Liam!"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
<poem>
        "Yes, please," Ruri nods, to Regina, when she offers her own coordination data. "I'll send it to Omoikane, so he can consolidate it with everything else." Quick pattern matching -- Duke, and Miss Argine. Yobisute address, and formal address. Omoikane, then -- well, he's ''probably'' an AI himself.

        Ruri doesn't say this in so many words, of course.

        (She wasn't entirely sure how to address AI who weren't Omoikane, for a while, there -- but in the end, it just feels a little strange to keep them at a lexical remove.)

        Ruri sips her soup, and observes Yurika tripping over Anita's cybernetics. "Fool," she remarks, from the Genius Corner For Geniuses. And she looks further on, to Duke, and asks: "Do you need to change your filters?" Ruri is a systems operator; she knows EXACTLY how gnarly dust can be.

        Minato Haruka -- whose safety vest has exactly enough buttons unbuttoned to be just a /little scandalous/ -- shows up to Lucine and Liam holding two more bowls of soup, which she slips onto the table near them. "Howmei's girls are really putting their all into this, but we're stretched pretty thin," she says, by way of apology. "This should help, anyway."

        Before she bustles off to continue doing what she's doing, she looks over to make sure Ruri is eating. Ruri silently tips her bowl just slightly to show that most of it has already been sipped.

</poem>
 
 <Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
<poem>

        Even if Yurika chooses the word 'friends' for Liam and Lucine, sooner or later exposure to the likes of the Ryoko, Hikaru, and Izumi and others may catch Yukari up to date..... most likely on misinformatiom and inferred details based on watching from afar. "Thank you again, Captain, for allowing me to go rest before coming back... I intend on paying that back in full."

        Everyone's found a role they can play, it seems-- no one is idle.

        "... Let me know if they need more help there. I can do either, as needed..." Accepting her bowl with a quiet but grateful thank you, Lucine gives Liam a small smile, as she turns from Minato. "They're giving their all so we can do the same. So... maybe that will make you feel a little better?" she says encouragingly.

         Looking at her bowl, Lucine frowns. ".... So.... Duke is... fully functional AI, but he also has a pilot...?" she whispers to Liam, confused. "I didn't want to ask because I felt it would be rude..."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> BP-119 Duke has posed.
<poem>
The specific complexities of manner of address in Japanese are a little lost on Regina, but she has enough of a grasp to function in the language, and she certainly notices the difference in manner between how Ruri addresses her and Duke and refers to Omoikane. A little smile forms on her face as she sends the golden-eyed operator her data.

Duke responds to Ruri's acknowledgment. "I would assess filter cleaning as the highest priority; in addition, ensuring the servos and mechanisms that enable my System Change function do not jam so that I can transform as needed. Beyond that, my operational capabilities are nominal at present."

Addressing Yurika, the ambulance pauses for a moment - then the body shifts, splitting and unfolding to form Duke crouched at the tent. "Pardon; I felt this form more suitable for addressing a ship's captain. As a Brave Police officer I am capable of fully autonomous operation; my lady Regina is responsible for maintenance and upgrades to my operating programs, and personally coded my AI framework." This also answers Lucine's question. "The Fire Roader is a support vehicle that I can combine with in combat; either Regina or myself can operate it remotely."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
<poem>
"Pretty much the rest of that side, too. ...Maybe a little more? It's kind of fuzzy." Anita replies, with an uncertain hand gesture. She doesn't mind the hovering - she's still engaging her as a person, and excitement is definitely a better response than fear or surprise. She smiles, though, when Yurika makes a realisation. "It can be, a little, but I'm used to it by now. And I figured... I have it, might as well do some good with it. ...And, thanks. I appreciate that."

That definitely earns Yurika some points in her book - it's something she's had problems with before, which is why she's so careful about it now. Anita puts the glove back on, chuckling a little at Ruri's remark.

She catches Liam's nod back - but that sudden breath doesn't escape her notice. She can only hazard a guess at what caused it, but...

"...Hang in there, okay?" She offers as reassurance.

That's about when an ambulance rolls up, and begins talking. Anita takes this completely in stride. Part of it is due to growing up with Minae, and part of it is because she's just like that. She doesn't even flinch when he turns to humanoid form.

She glances, briefly, toward Minato as she supplies Lucine and Liam with more soup, and checks on Ruri to make sure she's eating hers. Anita smiles a little. It's nice to know there's someone looking after them.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.
<poem>

        "Understood," Liam says, and he gives Yurika a firm nod that ''would'' be a salute if she were more formal. "I trust her, too." A furtive glance to see if there's anyone outside the circle within earshot. "She and I can assist with search-and-rescue, if needed." Lucine has keen eyes, and talents that help her see beyond the physical. Liam is strong and durable. If he thinks about strategy, he feels more in control, and less like someone who arrived too late to save people.

        But food, first. Liam accepts the second bowl with a little smile of gratitude. "Thank you," he says. "People need food." He remembers how it was after he escaped--relying on foreign aid that was half-shipped, half-smuggled from overseas because Britannia's officials could barely be bothered to send shelter and sanitation. The memory makes his shoulders bunch.

        Anita looks at him, tells him to hang in there. "Trying," he says, in between spoonfuls of soup. "Bad memories."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.
<poem>
        "Okay," Ruri nods, to Duke. "The Nadesico has plenty of filters, so don't overdo it. Well, that's what Minato-san would say, I guess." She doesn't look at all surprised to see him transforming like that, but he might be able to ''feel'' that she's impressed, when she reaches out with those accolades. It doesn't show on her stoic expression, but the feeling is certainly ''present,'' inside her.

        Siiip.

        "Omoikane is Omoikane, but the Nadesico still has a helm," she points out, to Lucine, dryly. How did she hear her whispering??? Children are terrible with secrets.

        Siiiip. "I call people already, Captain," Ruri points out, stoic. "I just don't talk often. But Kaworu-san and I speak sometimes, and Mayvy-san and I speak sometimes, too. Ms. Lancaster is very smart, too, so sometimes I try to get her opinion as well."

        Ruri finishes her soup. "... but right now," she says, "I had really better just finish this report. I need to gather the statistics so that Nergal-san and the Federation will understand what's going on here... unfortunately, adults are too foolish to understand how to allocate aid just by seeing what's plainly going on."

        She picks up her data pad, and keeps on jotting in numbers.

        Ruri Hoshino, the Nadesico's youngest crewmember, always works so tirelessly in the face of these horrors.

        ... but Duke might have been able to tell, through that connection she shared with him, that she's not at all happy about any of this.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.
<poem>
Yurika knows full well that there's cars what turn into giant robots, and such - but it's still a surprise to see an ambulance convert into one! She's kinda jumping backward and tense at the process, before finally relaxing a bit. "I mean!!! I can't say I've ever negotiated with a talking giant robot -or- a talking ambulance, so I really can't say which is better suited for diplomacy! ...But okay! It makes sense! Ruri-Ruri kinda does the same thing for the Nadesico too! I guess you're kinda like Omoikane in that sense!"

        To Lucine, Yurika waggles a finger at the notion of being paid back. "Nonono, there's thing that you had to do to take care of yourself, and I assume this person you care about deeply...there's no need to pay me back! I know well that it's super important...when you have to take a little while, away from the world, to replenish your spirit. There's no- hang on. Hmm. ...Actually I take that back, maaaaaaybe there's a favor I have in mind for the near future to call you for, Lucine...!"

        "...and if we can be friends with a giant robot ambulance, I think anyone who gives you trouble, Anita, ought to get an earful from me! So if you ever come on anyone like that...whether it's some of those skeevy types in the brass, or weirdos besides...just give your pal Yurika a call, and I'll show them what for!!!"

        A van pulls up to the mess hall, and a stocky but strong pink-haired driver calls out, "Any spare hands here for pouring new concrete? We're heading out closer to the base for this one!", to which Yurika starts gathering her things and stuffing them in her purse. She quickly turns to Liam, lips worried slightly at how tense and weary he is, baleful blue gaze wide and open... "You take your time and eat up, unless you're in a huge rush. Trucks like these come all the time, just about every hour, so if you're set on helping out, just jump at whatever you realize you can do. Alright? ...I know someone like you, who's been through a whole lot, and can push himself too hard trying to do the right thing. I admire it a lot!!! But it's so easy to crash and burn. So of course I'll worry about you, just like I worry about him!"

        Hard hat adjusted, Yurika's running off to cling onto the back of the van, the engine starting to rumble in starting back up, and she calls out, "Ruriiiiii! Take good care of the Nadesico for meeeeee! You're the hardest worker of us all, don't forget thaaaaaaaat! We're all counting on yoooouuuu!!!! And all the data and statistics we're making use oooooooof! Aaaaaaaaaah!" Her voice gets more and more shouty and like that as the van takes off into the horizon...!
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
<poem>
Bad memories, huh... Anita nods.

"...Yeah. I get that." She replies. ...So many terrible things have happened. "If you need to talk to someone about it, I know some folks."

Yurika says that anyone who gives her trouble will get an earful from her, and Anita laughs sheepishly, massaging the back of her neck.

"...Thanks. It's nice to know folks have my back." Anita replies. She has her friends and everyone on the Ra Mari, of course, but... it's always nice to have more people willing to stand up for her.

Someone calls out for help getting things taken care of, though, so Anita stands up with a stretch.

"...Guess that's my cue to get back to work, too. Thanks for the chat, folks - good way to spend a break." She says with a smile.
</poem>