2024-07-21: High-Class Negotiation

• Log: 2024-07-21
• Cast: Flay Allster, Miorine Rembran
• Where: Miorine's Greenhouse, Asticassia
• OOC - IC Date: 0099-07-21
• Summary: Flay visits the Earth House on behalf of the Gaia Sabers in hopes of taking a look at the enigmatic Aerial. When she's directed to Miorine Rembran, such a negotiation quickly devolves into a mean-spirited exchange of cruelties, in face of their incompatible views of the lives they've been dealt. Meanwhile, Nika Nanaura tries her best.

---

<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.

It's been a little over a month since the high-profile duel between Guel Jeturk and the mysterious Suletta Mercury - and her surprise victory using a new model Gundam. It was a victory that certainly led to scrutiny of the pilot and mobile suit alike - and while Cathedra has been making investigations towards whether 'witchcraft' might have been involved, the Gaia Sabers have a different agenda entirely in response to seeing such a high-performance unit.

But they haven't made a move towards it until now - Flay's personal schedule having a note slipped into it to, in short, close in on the students in charge of it and take a good look at Aerial's specifications. It's not the kind of work she's particularly fond of doing... but after her conversation with Trem the day prior, it doesn't really feel like she can refuse, either. Besides, there's something interesting about Miorine Rembran, and the girl who become her Holder. She might get something out of talking with either of them.

With the Duelling Committee business out of the way, Flay borrows one of those ubiquitous electric scooters to reach the hangar area of Asticassia - she doesn't stand out terribly much just yet in casual dress instead of the Asticassia uniform, because it's use for holding CANON units means plenty of non-students move about the area.

With the precious little units they have access to, Earth House's personal hangar is a different story, however. Surely there's a couple Earth House students stuck on Demi-Trainer repair duty though, and Flay approaches them carefully. "Are you from Earth House by any chance?" She asks, slipping her phone out of her handbag. "Say, if I was interested in that mobile suit of yours, who would I have to talk to?" She tilts her head. "It's just an ordinary Gundam, so it's not like there's anything to hide. Is there?"

<Pose Tracker> Miorine Rembran has posed.

The first student that Flay encounters is a tall boy with a brown-haired bowl cut, who is currently trying to work through an instruction manual...

"Nuno do you recognize what language this is?" The other boy wearing a hoodie under his uniform and a beanie on his head moves to a translation app, and types a few things in, "Looks like Dutch."

"Dutch? I can't read that. Why did the company have to send it this way!?"

"Because we had to order from Neo-Holland to save on shipping costs." This one, a dark haired girl with blue highlights explains apologetically as she sets a cardboard box full of parts down, "Don't worry, I'll run it through a translation app later."

Then Flay speaks, and Martin and Nuno are looking her way immediately, while Nika is giving her a more thoughtful look.

"I'm the head of Earth House." Martin says, timidly, before, "But I don't have any mobile suit-"

Nuno interrupts to say.

"She means the Aerial. And nah there's nothing to hide? Cathedra already vetted it before releasing it to us..." And makes a motion like he's just going to show her, but Nika puts a hand on his arm before he can raise it up all the way.

"Well usually you'd have to ask Suletta but she's in class, and Miorine has taken charge of the Aerial's security..."

Taking her hand off Nuno's arm, she smiles at her, "I can take you to her. There's really only one place she'd be at this hour."

Though she does look her up and down, "Though, I really would like to know who's asking first, Miorine can be..." There's an apologetic look, "... temperamental?"

Martin makes a noise like a strangled squeak as he looks at the box of parts anxiously, "Please don't encourage her to come back here."

-=-=-

Nika makes some easy please small talk on the way, as they walk off the beaten path, down a trail through a copse of Colony trees. As they round a corner though, a bunker built in the Colony grounds rises, it's shutters locked firmly in place, probably either an evacuation shelter into the bowels or a campus area that's in disuse.

Beside it, is an elevated Greenhouse of two spheres of glass and metal, with a connecting segment. The shadows of the struts holding up planters can be seen on the outside.

And emerging from it, is Miorine, holding an empty bucket, as she spies Nika and Flay coming and stops whatever she was doing right before she would descend the ladder down, putting her opposite hand on her hip.

"Oh? What's this all about?"

Nika stops from a respectable distance, and smiles her way affably, but perhaps a touch nervously as she gestures at Flay, "We received a request today to see the Aerial by-"

"Absolutely not."

Miorine interrupts Nika before she can even say who it is, or why with her refusal her eyes giving Flay an unfriendly, suspicious look from her current elevated position.

<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.

Flay doesn't seem to have too much remorse about interrupting the students' schoolwork. She regards Martin first, though with his demeanor,she wouldn't have guessed him as head of the house. "There's at least one, isn't there?" She gestures outwardly, as if it was obvious, and then Nuno names Aerial.

"Yeah. That one. Since it passed Cathedra's.. incredibly tight regulations, I don't think it's a problem." The Earth House seems just laid-back enough that her tone doesn't need to be particularly forceful. Though she wonders if it will really be that easy when Nuno motions over like that... only to be stopped by Nika.

She looks at the blue-haired girl consideringly when she suggests either speaking with Suletta, or Miorine. As a rule, Flay has come to understand that pilots can be rather overly protective of their machines... so perhaps it's for the best she isn't speaking with Suletta first.

She nods, when Nika offers to take her to Miorine. "Sure. Flay Allster, though I'm here on behalf of the Gaia Sabers more than anything." She answers, making no real secret of her alignment. They were the ones who put her up to this, after all. "But I won't lie... I don't personally think there's anything special about that mobile suit." She still believes the performance comes from elsewhere.

As for Miorine's temperment... "So I've heard. Hahaha, from the looks on your faces, I bet she gives you guys an extra hard time, doesn't she? Must be tough." Flay laughs, and no, her gaze definitely doesn't linger on poor Martin in particular.

Flay follows along with Nika, perhaps some small talk with where on Earth she's from, and what brought her to study at Asticassia - it's not a privilege available to many, even if Earth House is treated as 'lesser' than the other houses. When she asks where in particular they might find Miorine, she's a little surprised to learn it's a Greenhouse.

Where Nika stops at a certain distance from the Greenhouse, Flay keeps walking closer, meeting Miorine's abrasiveness with her own as she looks up at the white-haired girl. "Why not? It's just a Mobile Suit." She asks, her expression sharp, stopping once she's close enough to he Greenhouse entrance. "Or are you too busy tending to your makeshift garden?"

<Pose Tracker> Miorine Rembran has posed.

"The military?" Martin makes a noise of alarm, "Eeeeheha!" Before he murmurs, "Nika maybe we should just let her in, we don't want to get in trouble." Nika smiles at him in reply, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

There's a bright smile, and she offers her hand to shake, "Nika Nanaura - and this is Nuno Kurgan." "Yo." "And Martin Upmont." "W-WELCOME!" Martin replies in a tone that says 'please don't remember my name or that I even exist.'

Nuno shrugs, "Mostly she doesn't come around here, she only started when we moved the Aerial to our hangar." It's a casual reply, "She makes things-"

"Interesting." Nika replies quickly, and Martin replies, "Terrifying." While Nuno chooses, "Tiresome."

-=-=-

Nika's swift to reply that she's here to study Mechanics, that she's from Earth too, and then moves into asking if she's a pilot and what she pilots.

It's an interesting question, because who would assume Flay is a pilot by her casual presentation, even if she is military?

But indeed... she lands on that, perhaps there's some detail that gives her away? Or maybe she's just aware of her past history.

"It's a mobile suit that belongs to my groom."

Miorine corrects, just as acerbic, "Which means that countless people would love access to it for espionage, or sabotage. Why should I take the chance that you're not on the payroll of some moron who thinks beating my groom would be their one way ticket to owning the group?"

Her grey eyes look at her dismissively and turns like she's about to go back into the greenhouse, "It's my future that's at stake here. If it were yours, maybe you'd understand why I'm not so quick to let someone in for a 'little peek'."

Nika raises a finger, "Miorine... this is Ms. Flay Allster, with the Gaia Sabers." And Miorine pauses for a moment, before glancing sideways in profile, "That's even more reason not to let her in."

A beat.

"Did she mention she used to go to this school? She's not some CANON lookie-loo who's oblivious about how duels work around here and wants to see the specs on the Holder's suit."

Miorine notes to Nika, "If she's acting like there's no harm just taking a quick look, then that means she's dangerous."

<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.

Flay's expression remains unshifted when Martin suggests just letting her in just because she's military. The fact that she is military does seem kind of at odds with her presentation, though perhaps, someone like Nika can see right through it.

"Thanks, but there's no need. I'd like to hear what Aerial's 'manager' has to say, anyway. If she's really the kind of person you say she is." She shakes her head, and then takes Nika's handshake, giving each student a nod of acknowledgement.

Nika is unassuming enough that her question about piloting doesn't ring strange, until after the fact... though she was in the piloting program back when she attended. Her answer is pretty straightforwardly 'a Gundam', which gets certain looks in Asticassia's culture, even if the Strike E is fuilly cleared as 'safe for a Natural'.

Flay does listen to Miorine's explanation on why she can't just look at the Aerial, crossing her arms as she does. "Tsk. I'm not going to call you unreasonable for wanting to protect what's yours." Flay's salt-water blue eyes shift back downwards. "So maybe I do understand. What it's like to bet everything on a single mobile suit and its pilot."

Miorine recognizes her at that, as not just any Gaia Saber, but a graduate from this school. "But as far as I can tell, the Aerial is nothing without its pilot... so if that's how it's going to be, I may as well leave my report at that." She uncrosses her arms, glancing back up the greenhouse ladder to Miorine.
r"But I want to talk for a little longer." She flips her hair back. "I'd love to know what makes one of the luckiest girls in the Earth Sphere think she's in so much danger." She continues, coldly. Is that a hint of envy in her tone?

<Pose Tracker> Miorine Rembran has posed.

"Ohhhh? An actual Gundam!" Nika puts her hands together, enthusiastic, eyes a little dreamy like she's indeed found her true love, "I'd love to take a look one of these days."

It may seem strange too, Nika's reaction, but of course she isn't assuming Flay's using Gund Format, that's illegal after all.

But that was then, and right now...

Miorine listens to Flay's talk, saying she won't call her unreasonable.

"Exactly. But seeing as it isn't 'Mrs.' Flay Allster, I feel like you haven't had to put the same thing on the line."

The Aerial is nothing without it's pilot? Leave her report to that, "Am I supposed to act like you've done me a favor?" Miorine says dismissively, as if unimpressed by the idea that she's simply going to leave her report basically a blank.

'But I want to talk a little longer.'

"Then talk."

Miorine looks like she's going back inside but 'Luckiest girls in the Earth Sphere' and she darts her a look, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Lucky." And in a single moment, they go cold again, as she looks away, back inside her greenhouse, just, chilly in her tone, "For being the President's Daughter? The greatest 'trophy' in the Earthsphere, that every moron who wants a quick ticket to fame and fortune are fighting for?"

She shrugs her shoulders, and shakes her head, "Who would want that? If you're really that much of an idiot to think that makes me the 'luckiest girl in the Earthsphere' - then I'd hand it all over to you right now, but my lousy good-for-nothing father would never allow it."

Does she really not understand how good she has it? How can someone think that being the richest heiress in the Earthsphere is worth... so very little, that it might as well be nothing to her.

How can her father be worth so little to her?

<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.

"It can change packs to handle any mission," Flay explains, with a hint of pride, seeing the excitement in Nika's eyes. "And bullets and missiles don't do a thing to its armour!" Even now, she still almost sees the Strike like it's some kind of guardian angel. Enough to give Nika what is admittedly common knowledge about its specifications.

Flay's gaze sharpens when Miorine points out that she remains unmarried. "I used to be engaged, you know. But like you, I simply decided to place my bets on someone else." She explains, as to what she put on the line herself. "...And you should know that it was a horrible mistake." She crosses her arms. "You'd better be careful, before your 'groom' decides she's happier somewhere else." She couldn't know about Suletta's crush on Elan, but...

"I don't really care either way." Flay shrugs, when Miorine asks if she expects her to see it as a favour. "It's just the way I see it. That you're relying on some Coordinator from all the way from Mercury to solve all your so-called problems." Coordinator, where did that come from? Is it just because she's such a skilled pilot? She doesn't explain it, moving on to what Miorine says next.

"Lucky," Flay repeats, when Miorine's eyes flicker, and dart away. While, sure, Miorine's view of her life as a gilded cage would be more than understandable to most, it's the kind of life that many upper-class women would dream of. "And that's exactly the problem!" Flay accuses Miorine, when she says she'd hand it right over. "You have no idea what it's like to lose it!" She raises her voice, especially when she calls her own father lousy and good-for-nothing.

"...So no, I just don't get it." She shakes her head, and her tone drops quieter again. "Why you'd throw all that way and willingly choose a life of uncertainties. Is it just a game to you?"

<Pose Tracker> Miorine Rembran has posed.

"Bullets and..." Her eyes lit up, "Oh! That must be that Variable Phase Shift armor they're fielding in SAL!"

Nika certainly knows a lot, but then again she is in the Mechanical program here, and seems like an enthusiast.

"Wow it'd be a real treat to look at how they power something like that."

Miorine's eyebrow twitches, momentarily as Flay said 'But like you', "'Like me'? There's nothing 'like me' about that. I don't have a choice who I'm engaged to. It's whoever is the Holder."

She gestures her way derisively, "If you had the option place your bets on someone else, it means you had a choice, that noone was stopping you."

She snorts at 'Coordinator', "Coordinator? Is that what the rumor is? And you actually buy that?" There's this edge of cruelty right there- while Miorine won't seek someone out to stab them, she seems to enjoy taking their knife from them and twisting it, "You think they have genetics labs out on some backwater Mining Colony like Mercury? They don't even have a school."

She echoes that word again, dismissively, "'Coordinator'. What'll they think of next, 'Cyborg'? 'Newtype'? 'Evoluder'? Maybe you're an idiot who believes that 'Whispered' tell-all leak online?"

Is there really any need for her to be like this? Well perhaps not - but at the same time, she feels she's on the defense all the time, that she's being attacked.

"I fight my own battles, but this is the one battle I can't fight." She looks livid at that, her fingers flexing around the bucket handle, "I can't exactly marry myself."

However, Flay insists on 'Lucky, and that that's the problem, but it's 'You have no idea what it's like to lose it'. There's a sudden flick of motion, and Flay will likely see a blur moving by her head.

Because Miorine just threw that bucket at her. It missed - but it was a near thing, there's just this look of hatred.

"You! You smug brat! A game!? You think my freedom is a GAME to me? You think because you're some important man's daughter and life didn't work out the way you wanted that you know the first thing about me!?"

Nika is putting up both of her palms, waving it, as if she's trying to deescalate this, "Miorine I'm sure she didn't mean any offense-!"

"Get out of here! Both of you OUT! Telling me that I have no idea what it's like."

To lose it.

She lost the only person who meant anything to her in life, that day.

"If you envy my life so much - then go cry about your broken dreams elsewhere. If you sell the pity-party hard enough, you might hear wedding bells yet as someone's consolation prize."

<Pose Tracker> Flay Allster has posed.

"Yep, that's it!" Flay nods, when Nika names Variable Phase Shift Armour - though it ended up in the Gaia Sabers' hands surprisingly fast. "It's way more intuitive to use than it looks, but my favourite part is that it even changes the mobile suit's colour." Somehow, she finds she's having way more fun talking mechanics with Nika - is becoming into this stuff the fate of anyone who decides to climb in a mobile weapon?

Miorine's point that Flay really did have a choice in the matter does at least sort of make sense, and she's fine with having her own agency reinforced, but...

"Fine, but the whole deal with the duels is that you can use as much outside influence as you want. Everyone knows that." Flay starts, trying to regain some momentum against Miorine. "Aerial never would have won that last match, and Jeturk would still be your groom, if you didn't care to intervene. That was a choice, too, wasn't it?" While not entirely wrong, it's an argument clearly grasping at straws.

"What, so you really think she's a Natural?" Flay doubles down, even without any outright evidence that Suletta must be a Coordinator, when Miorine seems to almost, taunt her for falling for those rumours. "If it's such a backwater colony, where do you think Aerial came from? If they can build a mobile suit like that, I don't think genetic engineering is too out there."

Miorine continues twisting that knife as well, and Flay just.. glares knives of her own as she compares it to other kinds of transhumanism. "Some people are just.. different. That's just the way the world works, isn't it?" Flay says, and though it certainly reveals her prejudices, at least she doesn't outright repeat Blue Cosmos bigotry.

Miorine talks about fighting her own battles whenever she can - except for this one. Flay watches her flex around the bucket, and just gives her this smirk. "Why don't you give it a try, since you seem to love yourself so much." Okay that one was just unnecessarily catty.

But before she even gets a chance to react to it, that bucket is out of Miorine's hands and whirling towards her, just narrowly missing by a lucky hair. "You... you jerk!" The bucket lands just close enough that she finds basically just stomping on it is a good enough release of tension before glaring back at Miorine.

Who has some words for her. "You sure seem to act like it!" Flay counters, because she just can't see as Miorine as someone who's seen what she has. She doesn't even seem to consider the fact that Miorine's mother doesn't seem to be around.

Though she does somewhat calm when Nika tries to de-escalate, and shakes her head when she claims she probably didn't mean any offense. "No, I think I deserved that. I meant every single word I said. I can't exactly take them back, either." And when Miorine says OUT, she turns her back and gestures for Nika to follow, too.

"Fine by me! I have way more productive things to do than cry about it," Like argue about it with a teenager?? "I don't plan on being a consolation prize either. I know that.. the only one who can make my dreams a reality anymore is myself." A beat. "Good luck with your wedding, Ms. Rembran."

She walks off - what is she supposed to write in her report, that she was too busy picking a fight with Delling Rembran's daughter to get anything on Aerial? ...It's probably easier to focus on how poor and unfair Miorine's temperament was.