2022-10-07: Alteration ~DISTORTION~

• Log: 2022-10-07: Alteration ~DISTORTION~
• Cast: Akane Shinjo, Alouette Pommier, GaoGaiGo Team, Kaworu Nagisa
• Where: Tsutsujidai - Shopping Arcade
• OOC - IC Date: 0096-10-07
• Summary: Tsutsujidai's first and newest residents go shopping together, and have an unexpected encounter with their friends. (cw: mild-to-moderate abuse dynamics)

---

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

It's a perfectly normal, summery day in Tsutsujidai, and Akane...

... has bubble tea and a shopping bag from Sevendarake. More importantly, though, she isn't shopping alone.

"Do you need anything else for your apartment while we're out?" Akane asks, scooting closer to her... friend. "I know it's kinda boring for us to go shopping and end up buying, like, bathroom mats or whatever, but still! You should be comfy here!" She brings her straw to her lips, and --

-- ssssssssip.

"Oh, but -- clothes first." The pair's feet inexorably lead them to a mid-range trendy clothing store, of course. As they head in, Akane snags a pair of large round purple sunglasses, noting, "I like that you have a really unique style, but it's good to have some stuff that fits in at school, too, right? Uniform rules aren't exactly strict, but still, moving somewhere new is a chance to try something different!" Twirling the sunglasses around her finger before tossing them to her friend, she continues, "Let's start with these! I'm kinda feeling reds and purples for you? That's always super striking with blonde hair..."

Ssssssssip.

They're such good friends, right?

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

It's been quite the hectic week for Alouette; although she hasn't had to deal with her former colleagues chasing her down, moving in is its own challenge! The apartment is compact, but nice, and Akane was very meticulous in choosing one that both fits Alouette's tastes and is close by... just in case Alouette needs anything at all.

Alouette has her own bottle of tea, cold out of necessity of the artificial sunlight, but nothing quite so sweet, citing health concerns.

"Mmmm..." she thinks, lips remaining on the straw. "I think everything's well enough set up - but... yes, clothes!" For someone who cares so much about how she dresses, Alouette currently has quite a small wardrobe, due to wearing her uniform so often when she was in the Gutsy Global Guard. A lot of her old clothes are still in the closet in her mom's home in France... she didn't have the time to pick those up.

Taking the opportunity to scan her surroundings as they enter the shop, the clothes they sell are definitely nothing like her usual style, but Akane reassures her. Catching the sunglasses with a slight giggle, she immediately tries them on, nodding approval when she sees herself in the mirror close by. "Reds and purples..? That's a very bold choice, but you have a good eye for this, Akane-chan".

<Pose Tracker> GaoGaiGo Team has posed.

Three young men made a pact to go shopping. Or more accurately, to go *hunting*. Mamoru Amami and Ikumi Kaidou are with their partner for this 'hunt', a search for missing NERV agents. Mamoru's holding the reins, and they've explored most of the busiest districts looking around until now.

Mamoru is dressed in a light jacket and t-shirt, blue jeans, and a baseball cap (he actually likes baseball caps, it's not JUST a disguise). Ikumi is dressed in a thick jacket and jeans. Thicker means more protection from a knife.

"Is that...?" Mamoru whispers to the two, as he spots Akane and *Alouette* enter the clothing store. "C'mon, let's go confirm."

Once inside the clothing store, Mamoru immediately shifts to another aisle, behind racks, and then whispers to Ikumi. "You're tall. Can you peek over the racks and confirm that's them, Ikumi...?"

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Even before Mamoru had reached out to him privately, Kaworu had had his suspicions. Three NERV members disappeared in rapid succession in ways that suggest they weren't in their right minds; meanwhile, in Tsutsujidai, Yuta's Primal Acceptor had signaled the presence of a kaiju--but with only one beep, rather than its incessant beeping it normally does. It wasn't enough to be certain, but Mamoru had shared that hunch with him, and so Kaworu had agreed to go "shopping" with him and Ikumi.
        
        As such, he's dressed rather more stylishly than usual. He's chosen an outfit he hasn't worn since he was shot in it, not because it makes him uncomfortable but because it would make others uncomfortable: a black-and-white plaid shirt with red buttons; a navy blue jacket with red cuffs; white slacks with the cuffs rolled up; black-and-gray shoes with yellow laces and no socks; a few simple banded bracelets on his left wrist; and a metal wristwatch on his right. His hands are tucked into his pants pockets, and he strolls along with his companions as they walk through the city.
        
        He pauses when Mamoru spots Akane and what looks like Alouette Pommier up ahead. He doesn't know Ms. Pommier very well, but they've met and spoken a couple times, more than enough for him to recognize her. His faint smile flickers away, replaced by a grim look, and he follows Mamoru and Ikumi in without a word.
        
        Through the clothing store they lurk, hiding behind racks of clothes. Kaworu is reasonably tall for his age, but he's not taller than Ikumi; he looks over at him when Mamoru makes his request.
        
        "It would be simpler to approach them directly," he murmurs to the two... but he doesn't actually go ahead and do it. Kaworu is a straightforward person, but he does understand discretion.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Hearing the honorific touches off two contradictory feelings in Akane -- but the one that's 'this is great, actually, and I deserve it' wins out for the moment. This is what both of them deserved, and ... honestly, she almost feels territorial about it -- that dragon-on-a-hoard this-is-mine feeling is a familiar one for her, but it's rare for it not to come with the feeling of threat.

"Oh, those look good on you!" she says, casually picking out a jacket. It's various shades of red not far off from the ones in Akane's eyes, with a concentric set of hearts as a motif, along with some barcodes. The sleeves are large and kind of floppy, allowing them to reveal a white under-layer; it's very fashionable, though it might be a little hot for Tsutsujidai's perpetual summer. (Then again, Akane herself wears hoodies all the time...)

(At that, though: Where did she get such a good sense of Alouette's height and clothing measurements? ... if we say it came to her in a dream --)

Akane spots a tall figure with a shock of bluish-purple hair while she's in the middle of looking through the racks. "Hm -- a foreigner...?" she murmurs, eyes peering out. After a moment, she spots someone else -- just barely -- entirely on the size of his dark brown hair. (Kaworu, for the moment, gets totally missed.)

... then again, that's not her problem. She returns to fussing over Alouette. "How's this? We can build the rest of a look around it!"

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

The honorific is a new development, and seemingly a touch of Alouette's new trust and friendship with Akane. She had recently come into the habit of dropping honorifics with her friends on Orbit Base during personal conversations, but during work, even Hana, who she was close to, was Miss Hatsuno or Hatsuno-san. In the end, Akane's feelings on it are entirely lost on her.

Akane hands her a jacket, and Alouette takes a moment to ruffle it, carefully studying its patterns. Even if it's a bit lighter than she's used to, it still feels intuitively "her", with the fluffy white underlayer, while also having Akane's "chic" touch to it.

Her thoughts on the outfit are briefly interrupted, when there's a bit of noise from behind, which also seems to distract Akane. She looks behind for a moment, which likely gives those watching a good look at her face, confirming it is indeed her.

Mamoru might be the one to notice that her face looks... different. He once said that she had a wise, beyond-her-years look to her. Right now, though, she looks like a regular, carefree 15-year old girl, shopping with her friend. It's still Alouette, but she doesn't look quite so burdened.

And so... she doesn't worry about what's going on behind her, either. "Yes, I like it!" Quickly putting it on over her blouse, it seems to fit perfectly, maybe strange since Akane just picked it up, but it's not too much of a stretch for a jacket, she thinks. "Shall we take a look at the skirts, then? I don't suppose you know my measurements... there, so I can handle the sizing." Slightly flustered, but still smiling, she slowly drifts towards the next aisle, letting Akane choose a skirt design that would go nicely with the jacket.

<Pose Tracker> GaoGaiGo Team has posed.

Mamoru frowns as he spots her. Sharply. Why does she look so different? Ikumi is looking over the aisle, and...

With Kaworu's words, he moves forward, allowing the two to follow as his footsteps rapidly approach her. "Pommier." He grabs her attention first, voice calm but with hidden worry.

"Why did you leave Orbit Base in such a hurry? Everyone's worried sick."

As Ikumi draws their attention, Mamoru asides to Kaworu as they approach. "I don't know about Shinjo, but Alouette seems off...that's not her fashion sense at all, and the color choice..."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Though Akane may not see him, Kaworu does observe her and Alouette from the thin slits between the hanging garments. On surface appearances, it would look like they're simply spending time together as friends--and it's not as though Kaworu's familiar with all of Akane's relationships--but there's something about Alouette in particular that seems... off.
        
        "Something about her feels different," he murmurs to Mamoru and Ikumi, but they hardly need to be told. After all, his comment about approaching directly was all the permission Ikumi needed, it seems.
        
        Kaworu blinks once. Then he moves to stroll over after him, hands still in his pockets. Mamoru confirms his observation, and Kaworu glances over at him. "I see," he says. "Yes, it's a very bold hue compared to what I've seen on her before."

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Hmmm... I don't," Akane agrees -- and then she puts an arm around Alouette's waist, waits a second, and proudly announces, "Now I do!" (... This is unfair, a tiny voice somewhere deep in Akane's gut reminds her. ... then again, Alouette already knows that unfair relationships are the kind Akane's good at.)

An Ikumi approaches, interrupting the moment; Akane had planned to let Alouette go, with the joke carried off, but... instead, she scoots in a little bit, and her arm stays exactly where it is. She knows this memory intimately -- it is, after all, the one she twisted around; she knows exactly who this is. "Oh! You must be Ikumi-kun," Akane says, skipping past all of the intermediate steps of intimacy directly to first name with -kun attached, because... well, there are lots of reasons. "Alouette-chan needed a change of pace!" she volunteers for her. "... I guess I should let her tell the rest of it, though. I don't actually know what happened between France and her moving here."

Akane pulls her cup of boba out of her hoodie pocket and takes a long sip, draining the remainder as she notices Kaworu and Mamoru behind Ikumi. "Ooh, a small army. You guys must be serious about dragging her out of here. NERV must get really upset when the experiments they pry off someone else's floor decide to go have lives of their own." Her lips quirk up. "... Hey there, Kaworu~"

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette's eyes widen in surprise a little when Akane does her little maneuver, not being used to being touched, well anywhere, really. But still, she laughs along at the joke until-

"Kaidou-san?!" Alouette explicitly disabled Orbit Base's tracking programs, and there's no way they could come back online so quickly, so efficiently. That could only mean one thing; they manually figured out she went to Tsutsujidai. Perhaps she underestimated their care for her.

Akane begins to explain the situation, keeping her arms wrapped tight around her friend. Alouette lets her, as if Akane'll shield her from the emotional damage. Giving a distraught look to Ikumi, Alouette continues. "I- lost the will to keep fighting. I don't think I can be a Brave anymore.. I'm sorry." The will to keep fighting the Ruin Apostles or to fight the comforting thrall of Bujack? Maybe both.

But even as Mamoru and Kaworu also show their presence, Alouette begins to regain her composure. "Besides, you shouldn't be worried about me. I made a mess out of your systems, and prevented you from fielding that Vessel of Light I helped to make. But here I am: perfectly well and fine." An easygoing smile returns to her face. "Shouldn't you be worrying about yourselves, instead?" However calm she seems, her logic is a direct match for Akane's when she's cornered.

Her deep blue eyes make a more direct gaze at Ikumi in particular. "And Kaidou-san.. I've been nothing but a constant thorn in your side, haven't I? You should be happier with this arrangement too, so.. don't be so selfless."

As she looks back to Mamoru and Kaworu, she makes her final statement. "Amami-san, Administrator Nagisa, I can't come back to Orbit Base, or to NERV. This is my home now, so please excuse me."

As she quickly retreats to the changing room, clothing in hand, she simply adds, "Tell Chief Guy I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye." Whenever she thinks about him, the man she looked up to so highly, she feels a pang of guilt, that she could never live up to him and that he must be disappointed. Maybe it's better to think about happier things. That's why she's here. She gives Akane a reassuring look that says she'll be fine, before closing the changing room door and locking it behind her.

<Pose Tracker> GaoGaiGo Team has posed.

"We're not an army, Akane-chan." Mamoru can be ultra-familiar right back! It doesn't even bug him! "We're worried about our friend...who ran away without a word." He doesn't respond to her last line. He's too smart to dignify it with a response.

But Alouette speaks up. Her words are knives in both boys' guts, except, after a certain turn of phrase, Mamoru's brain works in hyperdrive and he regains his slipping composure.

Ikumi doesn't.

"Selfless...I-" As she goes to the changing room, he just speaks through the door. "Okay. Please, be happy with your life here. I won't bother you again."

Ikumi turns on his heel and pushes past Mamoru and Kaworu, leaving the store. Mamoru doesn't call out - Akane can twist the knife further if he tries comfort.

"Akane-chan, you're *pretty* smart." Is all Mamoru says, before turning to the door. He still doesn't leave, since Kaworu will probably have things to ask. "If you want to come back, Alouette, you're always welcome. Just let us know."

---

Outside----

Ikumi suddenly leaps into the air, and doesn't come back down. He's gonna go brood on a tower somewhere.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Curious. Akane's being so intimate with Alouette. Kaworu considers this, as well as what Akane once told him about her feelings on touch. Even then, she'd only barely brought herself to touch his wrist, to check out the watch that had been strapped there at the time. It's back now, if she cares to look, but he does have his hands in his pockets, so it might be hard to see.
        
        As she makes her various cutting remarks, though, she gives her a steady, unsmiling gaze. It would be inaccurate at best and naive at worst to say he didn't know she could be so hurtful; just because they got along for a time doesn't mean she was never cruel to anyone else. Anti is ample proof of that. However, this outright viciousness is new. Even when they had that talk in the boutique, she wasn't so mean-spirited.
        
        It makes sense. If other people don't listen to your insistence that you want to be left alone, eventually you need to escalate. Unfortunately, they've reached a point where she simply can't be left alone, regardless of how anyone feels about her.
        
        He thus lets the taunt wash over and past him, instead responding evenly, "Hello, Akane. How are Ouka and Yuka doing?"
        
        Alouette, meanwhile, says various interesting things. She's lost the will to fight. Her use of the term Vessel of Light. Her claim that this is now her home. And if anyone had anything to say about any of it, she immediately enters a changing room and shuts and locks the door behind her. He regards that door as if he could see her through it, but he doesn't remark, choosing to let Ikumi and Mamoru address her. They know her far better than he does.
        
        And apparently, the same is true in reverse. Ikumi emotionally recoils as if he'd been stabbed, and flees in the opposite direction. Kaworu lets him go even as he pushes past him out of the store, though he does turn his head to watch his departure.
        
        Then he looks back at Akane, expression neutral.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Alouette plays her role to perfection; Akane's glossy smile quirks up just another tiny bit -- at least until Alouette slips free of her grasp and heads toward the changing room. "I was going to --" she starts, but ... well, she can pick out a skirt and a shirt for that jacket later. Alouette's free to make sure it fits comfortably and looks good on her.

"Army, civil defense organization... in the end it's pretty much the same thing," Akane answers Mamoru, first. Her gaze turns to Ikumi -- who leaves on the spot. "Glad to see someone gets it without too much trouble."

Mamoru's comment about 'pretty smart' reads to Akane instantly as faint shade -- and his comment to Alouette leads to a spike of anger in her gut. She knows that ultimately she's done too much, herself, to have that kind of path back. Those words are empty to her...

... but then, maybe that isn't a bad thing, because she's not the only one they'll feel empty to.

Kaworu goes straight through to the heart of the matter, piercing through like a nail -- grabbing hold of the core in the hopes of removing it. (Vessels of Light always follow the same progression -- if the 'King of Braves' comes up short, they'll do better with a helping hand.)

... it'd be nice to have Alouette still here, Akane reflects to herself -- it sucks to be outnumbered. (Then again, that's something she already knew.)

"They're doing just fine!" Akane enthuses. "Renais too. Looks like this is a pretty popular move-in spot the last couple weeks. People must be more tired of fighting than I gave them credit for." Setting her empty boba cup on top of the middle of one of the racks and replacing it with a red and orange skirt, Akane says, flatly, "I have a skirt to run over to someone you guys spooked. Is that everything?"

She starts circling from one side of the two remaining NERV representatives to the other; while she gives them a chance to get a word in edgewise, she doesn't wait too long before making the same retreat.

Once she does, she gives a gentle rap at the changing room door. "Hey, Alouette-chan. I have a skirt to match that jacket... do you want me to bring it in, or just slide it under the door?"

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

"I knew you would understand, Kaidou-san.. I'm glad you're the one who I-" Alouette doesn't finish that sentence. She knows he's already gone. And the pain she felt from him even through the changing room door stings Alouette just as much.

Mamoru on the other hand, continues to tell her that she'll always be welcome at 3G... but she gave up. So in the end, it would be wrong for her to accept that offer, as well-meaning as it is. Besides, she keeps telling herself insistently that she'll be happier here.

"You can bring it in, Akane-chan," Alouette replies, trying her best to return the energy to her voice. She hasn't actually changed at all, the room was simply the closest "safe" location. Instead, she is sitting, anxiously sipping her tea.

Taking a look at the red, orange-crossed skirt that Akane leaves in the room, she smiles. "It's a cute skirt." It's a bit short compared to her usual length, but in the sweltering Tsutsujidai heat, that's for the best.

A couple minutes later, she slowly exits the changing room, a somewhat forced smile on her face, wearing the jacket overtop a simple black shirt, with the skirt underneath. "Oh, and I'm sorry I ran away so abruptly.. seeing them so suddenly was too overwhelming, I think." Trying her damndest to keep that smile on, she continues. "Still, I think we picked out a good outfit, so that's a success, right?"

<Pose Tracker> GaoGaiGo Team has posed.

Mamoru simply says to Akane, before leaving with his hands in his pockets, "Paradise only lasts forever if you're actually happy."

And then he's gone out the door. He'll wait outside for Kaworu.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        There's that change in Akane's smile--both when Alouette insists she has no more will to fight, and in another way when she runs away to the changing room. Still, Kaworu says nothing for the moment. It's no surprise that Akane sees no distinction between an army and a civil defense organization. It's the same reason why her world doesn't have evacuation procedures, despite its regular kaiju attacks.
        
        She does at least confirm that Ouka and Yuka are indeed here--and Renais too, which is a surprise to Kaworu. He stands up a little straighter at that. Did Renais notice what was going on too? Is she here to play along with what's going on to give herself a chance to observe? Or else...
        
        Akane asks if that's everything, with the sort of tone that indicates she wants them to leave. Kaworu looks again at the changing room door, and listens to Alouette's final words and how they differ from Ikumi to Akane. On the surface, everything seems so carefree, so cheerful, so normal and happy. Precisely the peaceful world that Akane so badly wanted to create. But...
        
        Mamoru makes his own final remark before he leaves. Kaworu lingers a moment longer, waiting until he's gone. Then he meets Akane's sunset eyes with his own bloodred. His usual smile is nowhere to be found.
        
        Is that everything?
        
        "When we find and dismantle your latest kaiju," he wonders, "will they still want to stay?"
        
        A beat.
        
        "You needn't answer that," he adds. "I don't really think you would give an answer that's anything but noise, anyway. You have an unfortunate tendency towards dishonesty..." He turns away towards the door, a certain gloom to his lack of smile. It would be easy to read as disappointment. "...to yourself."
        
        With that, he leaves. He'll rejoin Mamoru outside, and likely from there, Ikumi.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane's own parting words to Kaworu and Mamoru are kept direct and to the point; it's what she's receiving, after all, so she sees no reason to give anything else back. "... I'll be perfectly happy as long as they understand me, and they will too," Akane says. It's an answer for both of them -- despite the fact that Kaworu asks for no answer.

... the understanding that comes from connecting with a kaiju -- will surely outlive the kaiju itself, right? ... kaiju are doomed to die, after all, so...

Akane waits for Alouette to let her in and slips into that small space. ... Just the two of them, again. It feels safer this way. "It's fine. They'll understand it or they won't," Akane notes for Alouette, when she mentions that it was so overwhelming. "But yeah! This is super great. I bet everyone at school is going to like it a lot."

Dragging herself to playfulness, she adds, "... and I'm sure I'm not the only one who'll appreciate what it shows off, either!" One, two, three --

"Got you~"

It's so much easier to keep things light and airy like this -- and above all else, small.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.

Alouette knows that the three of them didn't mean any harm, and they really did care.. but the intense emotions their sudden appearance stirred means Alouette still feels safer in that smaller space. "They'll understand or they won't... I guess you're right."

Her head perks up a little. "By the way, I heard you mention Renais is moving in too." If that means she understands too, that makes Alouette happy. "It might be nice to visit. Talk about something other than business..."

When Akane slips the conversation back into levity, it's a lot easier to keep that smile on. "I really hope they like it, I'd like to make a good impression," Aside from all the new people she'll be meeting, she hasn't even seen Rikka or Yuta since France.. it might be nice for them to see a striking new look from her, off the battlefield. Akane says everyone at school will appreciate what it "shows off".. her legs? Alouette never tried to stand out in that way, but if Akane says it's working...

It feels like Akane is solely trying to distract Alouette from what just happened with Ikumi, Mamoru, and Kaworu with her playfulness.. although she doesn't mind, as she'd rather keep her thoughts away from it at the moment. "Thank you for helping me with the outfit.. we should definitely try this again, although hopefully it really is just us next time."