View source for 2025-02-11: Sect 26: Experimental Confirmation Attempt 4

*'''Log: 2025-02-11- Sect 7- Experimental Confirmation'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Akane Shinjo]], [[Character :: Rikka Takarada]], [[Character :: Aurora Dusk]], [[Character :: Knight]]
*'''Where:''' Nouvelle Tokyo - Saistone Spa and Esthetique
*'''Date:''' February 17, 2025
*'''Summary''': ''Rikka, the Second, and Aurora each check out a new business in the greater Nouvelle Tokyo. Something quite literally doesn't pass the smell test, though.''

----


 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
Nouvelle Tokyo, as it happens, has the second largest population of Repli-Compoids outside of Tsutsujidai at this point; it's a familiar place but not in space, and space is not always the place of late. Even as the pitch of the Earth Sphere begins to change, there are definitely still people who would rather live on Earth, even in an area prone to science crime.

Completely unrelatedly, Saistone Spa and Esthetique is a small- to mid-sized new business that's recently come under new management a little east of Akihabara, near one of the high-traffic train stations between Nouvelle Tokyo and Tokyo proper. Saistone is seen as an OCU business bounce-back success story; over the last year it's undergone a significant remodel after being purchased by an international hospitality firm. (The going rumor is that it's being used as a test run and employee training opportunity for a possible renovation of a similar, higher-value property on the other side of the Area 11/Japan border.)

It's also now a spacenoid-owned, spacenoid-friendly business, or so it says -- and indeed, there's a 15% discount for those from spacenoids and a ''30%'' discount for current and former residents of colonies with the Federation Interim Housing for Displaced Spacenoids or OCU Colonial Redevelopment designations. Reviews are comfortably high without being suspiciously astroturfed for that particular cultural affiliation; there are a few complaints here and there but they're mostly, well, low-key to high-key spacist.

The front facade is gorgeous, with traditional Japanese-style architecture ringed by a low stone fence. Further in one could find ryokan-style inn rooms with some modern flourishes as well as private rooms for spa treatments, including facials, salt oil treatments, aromatherapy, and head''foot''body massages. The reception desk seems to be getting reasonable enough amounts of business to have two people managing it; one -- a heavy-set man of apparent colonial descent -- is on the phone with a customer, while the other -- a woman with brown hair and glasses with her hair in the sort of messy updo one might expect to see at a hostess club -- seems more in position to handle a customer at the desk.

Meanwhile: Akane Shinjo is not here. She's at the Sevendarake two blocks over, texting Keita to ask if she can get a price match on the DX Black Infernizer. It's not that she's opposed to a spa day under all circumstances ever... but she isn't that interested at neutral, and unlike Rikka, ''she'' doesn't get the discount. The siren song of Akiba calls to her, with a promise that if her fiancee thinks it's great, she'll come back for round two after midterms.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
There's a new spa in town, and of course Rikka is interested. Having one so close to home is an exciting prospect - the others in the area are far enough away that it requires carving out a decent amount of time for, but the location is pretty convenient ''and'' she's eligible for a pretty sizeable discount. The reviews seem good, too - which means she definitely has to check it out. She could definitely use some pampering.

Rikka had asked Akane if she wanted to join in, of course... but, she knew it was tough sell from the get-go, so it wasn't much of a surprise or a disappointment when Akane wanted to check out the Akihabara Sevendarake instead.

And so, she enters Saistone Spa and Esthetique alone. She takes a moment to look it over first - it ''looks'' nice, and there seems to be a lot of care put into it... It's a good first impression. If she can't trust them to take care of their establishment, she isn't going to trust them to take care of her.

She approaches the reception desk. The man is busy on the phone, so she approaches the woman, instead.

"Excuse me," Rikka starts. "I wanted to see what availabities look like for today?"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
<poem>
         A little while ago, across the border

        Aurora settles into the passenger seat in the limo. The woman next to her, the one in the military jacket, proffers a cigarette and Aurora swiftly lights it.

        The briefing is simple. A criminal organisation that crosses the OCU-Area 11 border is up to... something. "We think they may associate with various Newtype lab remnants," her handler helpfully supplies. "Make sure we get their data. If they're Vist affiliates..."

        Ah, say no more, Colonel. Transportation is arranged and soon Aurora is off on her way. She's gone for her usual comfy, baggy clothes, with an incredibly frugal ''one'' pocket knife.

        Soon, the teal haired operative is walking up to the front facade. Aurora's not really the spa type; she's more like the... go lie down on the beach and look at the stars type. But today, she gets a spa day! At the... onsen she's investigating for Cyber-Newtype crimes. In a country she doesn't have jurisdiction in. (Oh, why can't OCU Japan join BU Japan already?)

        She walks up to the counter, with the other woman - the black haired one (she doesn't recognise Treasure Chest) and asks her own question. "I also want to ask about that."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
<poem>
As Rikka and Aurora walk up to the front desk, a green-haired woman in a custom-tailored business suit sits in the waiting area reading one of those fashion magazines that seem to naturally spawn in salons.

Anosilius the Second, also known as Second, The Second, 2nd, and, if you're pedantic, Nidaime, has spent the past eight months and change of her life gallivanting with her partner through dimensions most people don't think really exist. It was a necessary and beneficial experience for the both of them, but as much as Knight refuses to admit it, there is one thing the Hyper World lacks in compared to the physical planes - they don't have much in the way of creature comforts.

Which brings her to the Saistone Spa and Esthetique, waiting for her manipedi and reading a human magazine.

Her face is mostly buried in the paper, and she appears to be holding it upside down for some reason, but at Rikka's inquiry, her head sticks up like a gopher poking out of its hole.

"Takarada-kun? Is that you?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
"Of course," the woman at the desk says, nodding to the assembled party. "Do you have any coupons, or are you eligible for any of our discounts?" Nevertheless, she's already looking things up, with a clack-clack-clack of keyboard keys and the occasional swipe at a touch-sensitive screen. She pushes up those glasses, saying, "We can definitely accommodate you."

Her eyes track down to the engagement ring. "Oh -- this is probably a little presumptuous, but congratulations!" Looking between Second and Rikka, she adds, "Are you interested in our bridal package? It includes access to our steam room as well as a complimentary fruit platter and cocktail, as well as a 10% discount for up to six people you'd like to designate as part of your bridal party for the rest of the week."

A cart rolls past for just a few moments. There's something unusual on it, and while Aurora likely expects it, Rikka and Second haven't received the same briefing and might be surprised to see some heavy electronic equipment on the bottom part of the cart. Rikka -- juniormost of 3G's Chiefs -- might spot the logo for a subsidiary of Treasure Robotics on the casing; ''Second'' might notice that the device seems to be subject to a very minor Chaos Bringer effect.

... Still, even if Treasure Robotics is exceedingly shady, you don't run a successful front business without it actually doing some amount of authentic front business. It's not ''all'' money laundering and science crime. ... Probably?

The woman at the desk seems unconcerned, at least. "Are there any questions, or would you like to get started? Our women's sauna should be available in five minutes, if you'd like to start with the complimentary food and drinks?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
It seems that she isn't the only one who's decided to check the Saistone Spa and Esthetique out today. Rikka steps aside to allow Aurora some extra room at the counter as well, as she echoes her question. And nearby, a familiar face is buried in an (upside-down) fashion magazine - and its only when she pokes her head out that Rikka recognizes her.

"Oh, Nidaime! It's been a while... how've you and Knight been?" Rikka asks. They had their own duty to take care of, but she has missed them while they've been gone.

With that said, though, she turns back to face the woman at the counter.

"I come from one of the colonies, actually... Tsutsujidai?" Rikka replies, when asked if she's eligible for any discounts. They can accommodate her, though - they must have enough openings. She pauses, though, as she spots her engagement ring - and draws a conclusion. Rikka laughs a bit sheepishly, looking back toward Second and then back toward the receptionist.

...Steam room access plus a fruit platter and cocktail ''is'' tempting, but it's better to be honest.

"Oh, we're just friends... but, if all goes well today, I'm planning to invite my fiancee next time I visit, so I'll keep that offer in mind." Rikka replies, shaking her head. She was correct on one point at least, it seems.

Her attention is drawn, briefly to the cart as it rolls past them. That's a lot of heavy equipment that she doesn't recognize right away... from a Treasure Robotics subsidiary?

...That's a ''little'' suspicious, but they're a big name here, so it's probably difficult to find a field they ''haven't'' stuck their hands into. It's not an immediate concern.

As for questions... Rikka shakes her head.

"None here. That sounds great, thanks." She replies. A fairly quick intake, too...

She offers Aurora a smile, then.

"I'm Rikka, by the way." She greets. It might be a ''little'' awkward to be the only member of the party who doesn't know the other two, so she offers it as a quick icebreaker.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
<poem>
         Aurora puts her hand in her pocket and swiftly draws-

        The coupon that she has for this. (She wouldn't keep a knife in a pocket. Don't be silly.) If this IS a front for Things, this coupon was probably easy to get. They want people coming in, after all, even if they ordinarily couldn't afford it. Don't want to rule out potential victims, and gating by wealth when prime subjects don't divide that way would be inefficient. (Maybe she hangs around too many doctors with too little ethics.)

        Bridal? Maybe that would've been a good angle. Get someone else from the 19th or something. Why is she going it alone, again?

        "Because I trust your abilities," or so the Colonel often says. As nice as the faith in her is, she'd still like some backup on this. Don't these people specialise in people like her?

        The fruit platter did sound tempting, though.

        Aurora raises her hand. "I'm... I'm also from space." Can she have a discount, please? Does living in a lab teach you to be frugal? Interesting question. It teaches you do to without, for sure, but practicing frugality is another matter.

        She surveys her surroundings and notices the heavy equipment being moved around. Is that normal for a spa? She eyes it, trying to see if she can recognise anything like that from her own lab time. The standards might be different, though. It's probably something to do with Suspicious Activity.

        Aurora is addressed, and she turns to Rikka to respond. "My name is Aurora," the teal haired girl says, softly. Wait, why are they talking to her? "I'm here for the onsen spa thing."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
<poem>
Putting the magazine down, Second gives Rikka and Aurora a two handed wave, spreading her fingers in a quirky gesture of greeting. She stands up and clasps her hands behind her back, walking over to join the duo.

"We're great! It's been quite the honeymoon." Second is pretty sure she understands what that term means.

"Oh, I'm not married, but thank you!" she says with a chipper voice to the lady, completely oblivious to the contradiction with her previous statement.

"Wait, fiancee? Did you two oh my gosh! Congratulations!" Second smiles happily - basically everyone could see this was coming, but it was still really sweet to hear that Rikka and Akane were binding the knot, or however the saying went.

The cheerful conversation is stopped as the cart rolls past. To a Natural or even your standard Repli-Compoid, the cart would just look slightly out of place with its bulky electronics. To Second, though, the lines of reality seem to blur just a bit around it, like looking at a mirage on a hot day. Her ears perk up, and a flash of something indistinguishable glints through her whorled eyes.

She thought today was supposed to be her day off Still, it's not like she can't enjoy the spa ''and'' investigate this mysterious trace of Chaos Bringer, right?

"That sounds great! I haven't eaten physical food in aaageeesss," Second says, clasping her hands behind her back as she responds to the woman. The musical note on her suit is apparent, as are her inhuman yellow eyes at such a close distance.

"I'm the Second. It's a pleasure!" She holds out her hand to Aurora.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
The woman's eyes widen just slightly as Rikka mentions Tsutsujidai -- there's clear recognition there. "Oh, then... you qualify for our 30% discount!" She's happy to check identification and confirm everything.

Everyone gets led to a waiting room, and after a few short moments, someone arrives with food, and a, "We need a few extra minutes to prepare the rooms -- thank you for your patience! Apologies if the snack is a little light; we'd be worried about giving you much more before the steam room... there'll be another complimentary snack afterward."

Anyone 20-and-up gets a cocktail; anyone under gets grapefruit juice. The ambience is pleasant.

It's nice. It's... nice.

There's something that's... more than a hair suspicious, though. As individual items, the complimentary cocktail (grapefruit juice, bourbon, and grenadine syrup) and the snack that goes with it (orange slices with cinnamon sugar) are fine.

Rikka, though, may recognize a throughline here; ''literally everything'' in this combination except the grenadine syrup has an interaction with drugs that are quite familiar to Rikka. Half of the ingredients are things that mysteriously found their way into her diet for the few days she was on the Garuda. The ''other'' half (and the alcohol) are things she was warned off of having on treatment days ''afterward'' because they might lead to overabsorption in the event that they needed to administer medication to assist with the procedure.

Aurora may ''also'' recognize this throughline for... somewhat similar reasons, albeit... decidedly different in their structure.

Second probably does ''not'' catch this.

... come to think, reassurances aside, it's a little odd that they'd offer complimentary food and alcohol at ''all'' right before the first step is a steam room...

''''''''''''

Over at Sevendarake, something nags at Akane. It's hard to say what, exactly, she's picking up on; it's just a hunch -- or not even a hunch, really. ... Something feels off...

///////

... The HVAC in this waiting room is a little loud.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
"Great!" Rikka replies, as the woman says she qualifies for the discount. She offers identification to get everything checked out.

"I'm glad. Tell Knight I said hi?" Rikka replies, as Second says that she and Knight have been great. It's good to know they're both still doing alright. She smiles just a bit sheepishly, though, as she excitedly congratulates her.

"Yes! Just last month, actually. We went back home to meet with friends and she surprised me with it there." She replies. She had had an expectation ''something'' was coming, of course... but the when and where had still been a pleasant surprise. The day still stands out pretty strongly in her mind. It's not one she's likely soon to forget.

Aurora offers her name and Rikka nods.

"It's nice to meet you." She offers with a smile. She won't press her any further on it, if she'd prefer to keep to herself - this is a place meant for relaxing, after all.

And soon enough they're lead onward to a waiting room.

"Thank you - and, it's alright." Rikka replies with a grateful nod as she takes a seat. She turns her attention to the refreshments, taking the cocktail glass raising it to her nose for a moment to take a sniff and get a feel for what's in it. The scent is...

...the scent is...

...Familiar, actually. A little ''too'' familiar for comfort, for all the memories it brings. Her mind is drawn back, briefly, to her time on the Garuda and her time afterward - and ''that'' connection is more than enough to sour any appetite she might have had.

"...On second thought, maybe it'd be better to wait until after we're done with the steam room before having anything." Rikka decides, setting the glass back down. Though she tries to hide it, there's a subtle downturn in her mood and she feels a little on edge.

...Maybe it's nothing, and the rest of today will help calm her back down. Rikka exhales, briefly.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
<poem>
         Aurora takes her grape juice. Now, she likes juice, sure, but she's an ECOAS death trooper. She's old enough to kill people! She HAS killed people in cold blood! Why can she not get alcohol? She shakes her head. No, don't yell that randomly. You're not supposed to tell them you're a murderer. Or a Cyber-Newtype.

        "It's nice to meet you too." Aurora inclines her head in acknowledgement. "You too, the Second." Number names are only really common in Aurora's line of work. The two hundred and ninety fourth gives the second a look she probably can't quite parse.

        Living in the Newtype labs... Many animals independently evolve into crabs, even as separate evolutionary lines, or so the internet has told Aurora. Even Ultras, apparently. The food they're being served... This is exactly the kind of diet that a newtype specialist invents when they decide to try optimising the test subject diet. It doesn't always last long in her experience. Usually, there are disagreements, or nobody's heart is really in micromanaging the specific feed they use, or because somebody else calls them stupid or shuts it down. Or in at least one case, because they tried feeding the "students" alcohol to increase absorption and that shit got immediately shut down.

        Watching Rikka sniff her glass suspiciously makes Aurora do it, too. What ''is'' that scent? Some kind of... perfume? Aurora knows enough about labs to know that they put drugs in the food. Now, most people wouldn't notice, but this still seems a little amateurish to her, though.

        After all, she never was able to tell when Emily was messing with her food.

        The HVAC sure IS loud. On the topic of drugs... Aurora gives it a look over, and then sniffs the air, trying to discern any more weird scents. She's sure the brief exposure won't be so bad. If they were taking randoms off the street like this, they wouldn't last long.

        Come to think of it, Rikka clearly looked uncomfortable with the smell of her drink. Aurora swivels her eyes to focus on her. "...Are you okay?"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
<poem>
Second, with her very legitimate papers, is ID'd as also qualifying for the 30% discount and old enough to drink alcohol! Hurrah. She gives a kind nod to Aurora and smiles at the story of Akane's proposal.

"You'll have to tell me all the details sometime. I'm really happy for you two."

When prompted, she accepts the drinks and orange slices without even a hint of suspicion, holding out her cocktail glass to Rikka.

"To the bride-to-be! Congratulations, dear," she says to Rikka, unaware of the issues with the food. As Rikka declines though, Second catches on to something at least, and halts her impromptu toast, giving Rikka a concerned look.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
The wait extends just a little longer than anticipated. Rikka declines her complimentary drink once she actually has it in hand; Aurora seems suspicious as well. ''Nidaime'' takes it, at least.

The woman from the front desk pokes her head in. "We have a changing room and the steam room ready to go!" she says, gesturing for them to follow. Aurora doesn't catch much, if any, weird scent in the waiting room, at least.

... The changing room is another story. They get led past two others before getting gestured into a third, with towels ready to go; ''this'' is something only the Second would notice -- the distinct 'scent' of Chaos Bringer is much higher here, the space between consensus reality and the Omnisphere a bit thin.

It seems to be localized on the PA speaker in the top right...

... which is ''also'' sourced from a ''different'' Treasure subsidiary, actually.

/////

Rikka gets a text.

&gt; hey, how is it over there?
&gt; sorry if i'm being needy
&gt; just... weirdly on edge today? i got grades back and they were good so idk
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
<poem>
         "I think I'll have some." Aurora takes her drink and drinks it. It's probably safe ''enough''. Plus, if anyone would recognise the effects of strange drugs...

        

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Rikka nods back to Aurora as she echoes her greeting, then looks toward Second.

"Absolutely. Maybe we can grab Akane and do something when we're finished here." Rikka replies.

Seated in the waiting room, it seems her mood ''has'' drawn attention. She was so focus on the memories the refreshments brought about that she hadn't thought much about the sound of the HVAC.

"Sorry. Don't worry about me, it's just a... bad mental association." Rikka replies, offering Aurora an apologetic smile. Aurora takes some of the offered drink. Should she stop her...?

She doesn't ''know'' that anything's wrong with it. What would she think? She'll just... have to keep a closer eye on her.

Second, meanwhile, gets a grateful look and a small chuckle. "Thanks."

...She still doesn't drink or eat, though. And as a result, the wait seems to drag on just a little longer than she thought it might, with the HVAC droning on in the background...

...but eventually, the receptionist from before ''does'' come back for them.

"Great, thanks." Rikka offers, putting on a smile that feels forced.

Soon enough, they're lead to a changing room - the third. Before Rikka can get started, she gets a text.

"Oh, just a second, you two can go ahead of me." She says, pulling out her phone. It's a text from Akane - and that does put a smile on her face.

&gt; It's okay so far. They had an opening, thankfully.
&gt; No, it's okay. It's good to hear from you. Will you be alright?

Rikka starts to type - then pauses for a moment. Her finger hovers over the screen as she wrestles with her intentionally. A part of her doesn't want to bother her when she's already on edge...

...And a younger Rikka might have left it there.

&gt; The refreshments they offered kind of made me think back to the Garuda... it threw me off. I couldn't touch them after. I didn't really need anything right before heading into the steam room anyway, I guess.
&gt; Oh, but I ran into Nidaime here. She's excited for us.

She sends off her text - and with that, moves to get changed herself.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
<poem>
         She nods in response to Rikka's waving off of her bad mental associations. With... some potentially weird drugs? Where would she come into contact with those? Aurora ponders the implications.

        "Married? Oh. Congratulations."

         Aurora goes ahead of Rikka as invited. She changes, fairly nonplussed about the casual nudity, wrapping the towel around herself.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
<poem>
"I'd love to! More company would be great" Second says to Rikka. When Rikka notices her halted toast, she gives a wink and a smile with a small shrug.

In the changing room, it's Second's turn to be affected with a sense of general unease. This is definitely Chaos Bringer at work here. The haze from earlier has increased, with sanded-off lines and a not-smell that seems to fill her nose, with the white noise of the HVAC becoming a drone that one could lose themself in if they listened too long. Overall the impression is like standing in a humid, foggy room - ironically, the exact way a spa is supposed to feel.

Second brings her fingers to her back and flicks them just a bit, where sparkles dance for a second before flickering away. Just in case

Well, there's nothing that can be done quite right now, and there's a highly trained professional right here with her if things get weird.

Time to get changed! Second takes off her business suit and hangs it neatly in the locker, donning the towel with a slight flourish and a habitual glance at her companions.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
&gt; oh cool!! say hi to her for me
&gt; i didn't even realize she was back in town
&gt; wait, the refreshments...

Over at Sevendarake, Akane chews on that. It's... probably nothing, and she knows that. But she can't stop turning it over in her head. Why that? Why would the refreshments...

Well, no, she's read those documents fairly closely.

"... I have to go," she says, shaking her head and starting to beat feet. ... She can look through the new stuff later.

''''''''''''

Everyone gets ready, and subsequently gets pointed toward the steam room itself.

... there's something odd there, too. It's as Second passes by part of the equipment ''outside'' the room that things start to click into place. ... Are there any electroics in here that ''aren't'' dealing with some kind of Chaos Bringer effect? This one, though -- this is ''loud''. There's clearly something going on with it -- something not dissimilar to the maintenance kaiju in Tsutsujidai, at that. It's not nearly so grandiose -- but there's ''some'' connection between this and the HVAC, and in turn to the steam room...
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
"Great." Rikka replies with a nod toward Second. She offers her a wink, a smile, and a shrug - and Rikka nods back.

"Thank you. We haven't decided when yet, but..." Rikka replies, as Aurora congratulates her.

Akane texts her back, and Rikka's attention returns to her phone.

&gt; Will do! And, I didn't, either. I invited her to join us for something when we're done here.

The mention of the refreshments seems to give Akane pause.

&gt; Yeah. Grapefruit juice and bourbon? I think there was grenadine in it, too. And oranges with cinnamon. It was just...
&gt; You know.

Aurora and Second are finished changing, at this point.

"That was Akane - she says 'hi'." Rikka says to Second, looking up her phone just briefly before tapping out one last quick message.

&gt; We're heading into the steam room now. I'll text you when we're done.

She's a little loathe to part with her phone when they're both on edge... but the steam wouldn't be any good for her phone so it might not be of much use ''anyway'', so she leaves it with her clothes as she changes into her towel and joins the others in heading toward the steam room.

She takes a moment to settle herself in. Maybe once they get started she'll be able to start relaxing a little...

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
<poem>
         Ah, the steam room. Aurora peers curiously  at the equipment outside before settling into a good spot to sit - not ''too'' close to anyone - and trying to discern what the drugs she ''might'' have ingested are doing.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
<poem>
"Oh, I'm glad!" Second responds to Rikka as she takes her hair out of its bun, the long green locks appearing rather messy at their full length.

"Knight sends his best wishes as well, although I'm sure he wouldn't say that out loud." She giggles a bit to herself at that. When changing is finished, the kaiju walks with her companions, and then-

Second narrows her eyes at the machines on the wall. Something is definitely going on here - there's too much Chaos Bringer activity to be some sort of coincidence or accident. With a subtle motion, she runs her fingers along one of them, making it look like nothing more than a habitual gesture - but when her fingers brush the medal, small sparkles twinkle in and settle on the machine like grains of sand as her eyes glow just a tiny bit.

The technique is a little trick she picked up in the Hyper World, a way of scanning information by leaving parts of her power on an object. It's rather similar to how Chaos Bringer functions in the physical world, funnily enough. With any luck, she'll be able to get a clearer understanding of what's going on and perhaps even interfere with it remotely.

Turning away from her subterfuge, she gives a cheerful smile to deflect any attention and enters the sauna with the rest of the group. Hopping down onto her seat, she closes her eyes to focus on her "probe", and a small, imperceptible hum starts in her chest.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
Akane chews on that. Grenadine syrup and bourbon... oranges and cinnamon...

Akane's walk picks up to a light jog -- not enough to be weird, but enough to get her there faster. She switches to talk-to-type.

&gt; I don't like the sound of that.
&gt; If it were somewhere else, it'd be one thing, but Nouvelle Tokyo
&gt; It's weird for it to be the first thing, too

''''''''''''

A friendly kaiju is a kaiju still -- and the Second is indeed a kaiju. Interfacing with the technology directly makes it obvious what's going on -- the device network in this building is... one might call it a limited, bootstrapped version of what Akane was doing with the maintenance kaiju. The brainwave monitor is somehow ''broadcasting'', and a few of the components have been replaced with a Pseudo-Zonder Metal derivative for this purpose; the HVAC provides the (non-deadly) neurotoxin; the speakers are a low-frequency broadcast...

... it looks like someone went to a ''lot'' of trouble to get this running in a way that would be discreet to a casual observer. These aren't casual observers, though.

Settling in is... nice, though. The room's a ''little'' over-steamy, and the lightheadedness from the heat is setting in a little fast...

... it'd probably be faster -- and harder to notice, and harder to process why -- if you filled up on complimentary food and drinks ahead of time, though.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
<poem>
Second reaches a meditative state, and feels Connection with the machine. All at once, information comes to her, and she understands. She recognizes the kaiju-like components immediately, but psychically recoils from the Pseudo-Zonder Metal - what is that doing here? This is bad. Very bad.

And all she wanted was a good manipedi, too...

Second has to open her eyes. She has to open her eyes and tell them. But by entering this state, she's made herself just a bit more vulnerable to the effects of the room than someone of her biology would normally be. She has to open her eyes...

...

Second's eyes snap open. There's almost certainly cameras, so this has to be discreet. But how?

"Rikka, does Akane still sculpt model kaiju?" she asks. "I always liked those. The one with the smoke had such an elegant design to it."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
Rikka steals one last glance at her phone on the way out. Akane notices it, too. And, in Nouvelle Tokyo... Rikka hadn't thought anything about it, but...

...In the steam room itself, she tries to settle in a little. It ''does'' feel nice. It's been a while since she's done something like this. She relaxes - just a little bit quicker than she otherwise would have, she doesn't realise.

It's tempting to just let her worries melt away with the steam. It almost feels like it'd be nice to just drift off...

Second addresses her.

"Not like she used to. It still holds a lot of bad memories for her... She's been working at it a little," Her mind fetches the memory of a sculpture of an iconic Tarabaman scene. That kaiju was sculpted to deliberately appear more like a suit, though. "She's been pursuing other forms of art, though. She made this ring for me..."

She pauses for a second, though, as she backtracks over Second's words.

The one with the smoke... the Venora that used to stand over Tsutsujidai. The Venora that -

Something clicks in Rikka's head. She sits up, with some effort, trying to clear her head.

"I remember that one. I liked Gonglee, too... It was pretty creative. What do you think?" Rikka asks, sitting up just a little.

Gonglee - the kaiju that attacks from the mist, to follow the smoke theme. And, notably, one that had been taken and used by Alexis to attack people outside of Tsutsjidai.

Rikka steals a glance over toward Aurora to check up on her.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
<poem>
         Aurora settles in, and starts ruminating on her troubles as of late. With how hectic things have been... it's actually quite nice to get an ''investigation'' job. She's a clever dog and she needs something to chew on occasionally. In the midst of all the chaos, this is complex enough to hold her attention yet simple enough to not be too hard. Maybe she'll visit a regular onsen... Lilium might enjoy it. The Colonel, too. Gatsby probably wouldn't. Does Stella get free time?

        She suddenly feels light-headed. Is this the drugs? It WAS a bit quick, and there's a lot of steam. Ah, well. It'll be interesting data to examine her for. She wipes her forehead, then looks around at Rikka and Second. What was that about that Tsutsujidai discount?

        Ahh, this is ''nice''. Is this what professional relaxation is like? Aurora could probably fall asleep like this. It brings to mind memories of... well, that makes it clearer what's going on.

        Huh? Smoke kaiju? Is this... Aurora is a little light-headed, but they definitely mentioned a smoke kaiju. Is this code for something? And the bad memories again.

        Yep, Aurora is kinda fading. She IS tired already. Lots of work. "You sculpt kaiju, huh... I assemble mobile weapon models sometimes."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
A woman probably in her mid-40s with long black hair pokes her head into the steam room. She notices that two out of the three of them, at least, seem alert enough to have a totally fine conversation; that... catches her off guard. For a few seconds, she's clearly unsure of what she's doing; she eventually offers an awkward, "Just -- checking the room temperature," she, before pulling away and shutting the steam room door again.

A voice comes over the PA. "Hello Saistone patrons. We're sorry to report that there's a possible serious issue with our hot water system," the voice says, calmly. "We'll need to close business for the day. Please exit in an orderly fashion. Your information has already been recorded in our system; we'll be contacting today's patrons about a refund within 72 hours. We apologize for the inconvenience; please have a nice night."

A few minutes ago...

That anxious feeling accelerates -- and Akane accelerates, too. She spots the tall stone fence, heading in --

"Excuse me, my -- my fiancee is here," Akane pants. "-- she forgot her glasses, do you mind if I pop in and say hi?" she asks, trying to play it cool. It could be nothing, after all -- just overanxious minds activating on nothing.

The woman at the front desk pushes up her glasses, saying, "She'll be out in twenty minutes -- do you mind taking a seat?"

"It's a little urgent..."

"Wait," comes the voice of the heavy-set gentleman, accent that sort of half-Zeonic that you get from Copernicans and former Anaheim employees.

Akane's eyes narrow. "It's just glasses," she says, fumbling in her bag. "Look, I can leave my ID at the front desk if it's a big deal..."

She puts her ''employee'' ID on the desk. Her ''3G'' employee ID.

The two look at each other, seemingly doing some mental calculus.

"... All right," they say. ... It's cheaper -- and less risky -- to do this nonviolently. It'll probably mean scuttling this operation and starting over somewhere, but... most of the costs they won't recoup by selling the business back on would be equipment (or marketing), and the former they can just pack up... if they can do it before 3G drops in on them.

''''''''''''

... a near-miss -- by seconds, it seems.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Knight has posed.
<poem>
"Gonglee... a predator that hides in shadow and strikes when you least expect... The design kind of reminds me of the Zonders you 3G used to fight, you know?" Thank goodness that Rikka picked up on this, she seemed very out of it.

Second feels just the smallest edges of haze beginning to creep up on her brain, and sparkles dance at her fingertips once more. Maybe if she had That- no, that wouldn't be appropriate here. They'd have to make do.

The woman poking her head through the door startles her just a bit, and those sparkles flutter around behind Second's back before she catches herself and stops.

"Oh, that's a shame." She lays it on a little thick, but it seems they've been saved by the bell. What did that idiom even mean? She saw it on some human drama Knight was watching. No, not the time to be getting distracted. She isn't sure if the danger has fully passed, but there seems to have been some sort of change in plans.

"Aurora, dear, wake up." Second snaps her fingers just a bit to get the poor Cyber-Newtype's attention. "It seems we have to be going."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
<poem>
"It does, doesn't it?" Rikka replies consideringly. Mention of Zonders brings up ''other'' memories, too - and she sits up a bit further, as she makes more connections. Connections which she holds on tight to, to force herself to stay alert.

Rikka looks toward Aurora as she mentions that she assembles mobile weapon models.

"Really? Which ones do you like? I don't do a lot of mecha, but I've built some Haros before..." Rikka replies.

A woman pokes her head into the room. Rikka looks toward her way - and watches her.

Eventually she leaves with an awkward excuse, and soon enough, there's a voice over the PA.

...''Something'' must have happened.

"It is... Oh well." Rikka replies, exhaling. With some effort, Rikka tries to stand up. ...It takes a little effort - her body still feels a little heavy drained. She looks toward Aurora - who, for all she knows, is just a normal person who got caught up in this mess.

"Do you need a hand getting out of here?" Rikka offers, as Second tries to stir her. "We don't want to get in their way while they're doing repairs, so we should probably get dressed and get out quickly..."

Lingering doesn't seem like the greatest idea, now that they have an excuse to leave.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.
<poem>
         Ah, it's 3G. Are they here for the same reason she is? Aurora perks herself up a little. Gotta actually ''do her job''.

        Rikka asks about models. "Yeah, I do. I've built a lot. Wanzers, mobile suits, Knightmares... the Jegan is a pretty versatile machine, and Gaplants have a pretty wide deployment range even if they're fuel-intensive.

        Now who is this woman? Doesn't seem like she's... really knowing what she's doing. And the announcement... seems they didn't get what they wanted. Maybe it's the other two being less... willing to take five than she was.

         Aurora is only ''kind of'' fading, fortunately. She ''could'' sleep. She can hold herself on this side of consciousness. "Ah? I'm fine, thanks." She picks herself up - she's used to operating while Things are in her veins - and gets ready to leave. It seems this place might be getting shut down. Probably the fault of 3G members. Damn. Ah well. She has faces and data. Let's hope they weren't spooked too badly...
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
<poem>
The group is able to depart without incident; despite having a lot of resources, remnants like these are actually pretty small -- and what's more they're a little bit ''directionless'', without someone like Martha or Dr. Murasame to direct them. They can't afford to take risks -- getting violent with a known 3G operative is a game where they make short-term progress and then lose drastically, and they know that much.

(That same small size is why they didn't immediately recognize Rikka as a previous subject ''or'' as Chief, though, too.)

Akane's there to receive Rikka -- and Second -- when they arrive, though. She also gives Aurora a momentary look... she seems relieved. It's good to know that someone she doesn't even know may have been saved in this whole exchange... She makes a note that she's kind of out of it, too. "Hey -- would you mind calling this number when you're a little more awake?" she asks, giving Aurora her business card. (She has those now!)

With that out of the way, Akane takes a few seconds to breathe. Ultimately, she says, "... It's really good to see you two," with a smile on her face.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Phase 2]]
[[Category:Phase 2, Turn 2]]