2022-10-24: Like seeds cracking stone

• Cast: Kallen Kozuki, Sousuke Sagara
• Where: Ashford Academy swimming club
• Date: U.C. 0096 10 24
• Summary: Sousuke happens through the swimming club while Kallen tests the waters.

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<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

With classes winding back up, clubs have been doing early recruiting. Particularly the athletic clubs. Traditionally, Kallen wouldn't be caught anywhere near there. Certainly not this time last year. But things change. She's retiring the need to be 'sick' all the time, given the danger her friends keep winding up in. Plus there's really no hiding how fit she is, after having been in a swimsuit over the summer. So she's at least tentatively joining the swim team, perhaps a few others as well...

Strictly speaking, she's here as a manager for the team, and a backup. But that doesn't mean she's keeping out of the pool. Indeed, right now she's diving in to do some practice, while most of the club is off to the side cooling down and observing. With the ace swimmer of Ashford ready to jump in if there's any trouble.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke Sagara does not, as the saying goes, even go here. But as Jindai's Semi-Official Student Head of Security and also just a person who will hold virtually any object you give him as long as he doesn't think it's a bomb (he will often think it's a bomb, though), he sometimes just...ends up helping out.

Perhaps nobody particularly expected a nebulously Asian boy in the high-collared Jindai uniform to march in during girls' swim club carrying a box of balls for the water polo club, but here he be. His eyes sweep the room, curiously.

He spots red hair on the young lady hopping in presently, and loses a step, blinking and taking a second look.

Huh, his face says but his voice doesn't.

He resumes his pace before getting called out too loudly, making for the equipment room off to one side.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

A few swim club regulars stop Sousuke briefly. To see what he's delivering and have it brought to the right storage area. It's no amount of trouble, and nobody is going to stop him from hanging around if he wants. Truthfully, he's probably getting hit on by one or two of them, but they have no chance of breaking through the layers of his skull anyway. Still, good thing Kaname didn't come along.

If he waits around, either out of boredom or something else, Sousuke is treated to a surprising show. The Sickly Scarlet Wallflower of Ashford Academy, tearing up the pool, figuratively speaking. Doing several laps at... definitely not record setting paces. But she's far more adept with the physical activity than anyone would suspect. And then pulling herself up onto the wall after her practice. Unaware still of the looming Sagara. "Whew, that felt pretty nice actually!"

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke is beset by beauties with bodily btasks! Most of them involve using his boy muscles, for some reason. The humidity in here is absolutely killing him in that high-collared long-sleeved shirt-and-jacket uniform, but he makes no complaint. He makes eye contact with people. He does not look at anyone's boobs for more than a brief glance to momentarily confirm nobody has a tiny gun in there.

Today almost certainly earns him at least one person besotted with the cinderblock he keeps where most people put their personality, but in terms of his own focus, it mostly keeps scanning across Stadtfeld.

Unusual, he thinks. Most unusual.

He returns from Somewhere with a pile of towels from the locker rooms, which he sets on one of the tables for the girls whose tasks are done. "Supplies replenished, ma'am," he reports to the captain.

He is standing literally next to where Kallen has pulled herself up, and looks down.

jiiiiiiiiiiiii

"Kallen," he says, in greeting.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

There's a key danger to sitting on the edge of a pool. If one happens to lose their balance, they can fall in. When Sousuke calls to Kallen, there's a yelp and flailing of arms. As she starts to fall backward into the pool. "Bwhaaa!? Sagaraaaaaaaaa-!"

SPLASH!

A small explosion of water bursts up from the pool, as Kallen crashes into it. Followed by a lot of bubbling noises. It's completely incoherent to anyone except mermaids and fishmen. For a couple minutes, until a matted down mess of red hair pops up, finally. "Since you're here, do you want to talk for a bit? Just need a minute to dry off and get dressed, if that's fine."

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke watches Kallen belly flop back into the pool. "Ah. Do be cautious. Most drownings don't occur from hostile action, but rather simple negligence around water."

He says, to the pillar of bubbles.

...

...

Two minutes in, he turns to the captain. "She has exceptional lung capacity," he notes, in a praising voice and with a small, placid smile.

Eventually Kallen emerges again. Sousuke continues watching so the audience can get that good KyoAni FREE! sakuga AND those good Code Geass curves. "Certainly," he says, and eventually turns. He glances to the team captain for a confirmation and then says to Kallen, "My work is done. I'll meet you outside?"

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Thankfully, she's not mad about Sousuke not trying to help fish her out. That's a good sign. She also doesn't seem mad about his advice. She does have something to mention however, once she's up and out. "Sousuke? I fell in. Because you came up in my blind spot and surprised me. But thank you, I'll be more careful." This must be a great day for Sousuke. Nobody kicking him or smacking him with a shoe while he's going about his regular business.

Kallen nods at him after that, and goes to make herself publicly presentable. Also leaving a note for Shirley, on how to handle anyone asking about Sousuke. That is to say, she leaves his contact information written on a post-it note, to be handed out when one of those poor girls reveals they've fallen head over heels for his strong himbo energy. Because that seems like appropriate revenge for making her fall in the pool.

A few minutes later, she's joining him outside. Her hair is still damp, and unfortunately jutting out in all directions. As she said to Emmy, the way she wears her hair as Kallen Kozuki, is how it naturally shapes. And she didn't bring a comb or brush with her to push it down. "So, what did you come up to talk about? Must have been something on your mind."

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke hums. "Ah, I see. I overestimated your situational awareness. I apologize. I...misjudge things, sometimes."

She didn't bop him any, but he still looks, just a little, self-conscious about that.

Sousuke, unwitting that he is now EXTREMELY going to have some kind of girl problem directly in front of Kaname, waits patiently outside, presumably by the feet showers and such. He regards the hair just for a moment. "Oh. I had student council duties that brought me to the area, and was asked to provide some assistance at the swim club while I was present."

His eyes do glide back down to Kallen, and he states, quite matter of factly, "I was under the impression you were quite ill. You seemed to perform well in there." Sousuke isn't an actual unsmiling homunculus, believe it or not, though he's not exactly mr. sunshine. Still, he gives her a thin, genuine smile. "Is treatment going well, then?"

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Thankfully the number of people who have seen her wild-type hair is, generally, restricted to members of the Knights. She usually has a cap and visor on during those activities, so the odds of any photograph or such of that hair is next to impossible. Also thankfully, she has a cover story.

"Oh yes. I suppose updates haven't fully made the rounds. But sometime before the original Meeting of Councils, my father got me into a special treatment program. It's been working wonders."

Though she probably shouldn't say that to a person who might go off with only half his mind and come to weird conclusions. Such as the idea somebody is making a supersoldier out of her by tampering with her body. Or other ridiculous assertions.

"I never got to say, but... I appreciate the save back at Fumo Land. You helping us out of that jam. And yeah I was in pretty bad condition before, I'm catching up on parts of living that I didn't have the chance for." She shoots her own bright smile Sousuke's direction. He might be an oddball, but he's a great friend. And she's starting to treasure those more than ever.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke does not know what goes on in his own head, half the time.

He doesn't know, for instance, that he feels the same. Only that there is a certain sort of happiness he feels at hearing that she's been feeling well. "That's good," he affirms. "One's health is their most precious resource."

Though...this kind of turnaround...hm, from the girl he met around the Meeting to this, is that so possible...? He turns it over in his head.

Such things are of 'his world'. Guns, and violence, and young boys turned into weapons just on the off chance they kill someone on the way to their own deaths. Kaname would call him ridiculous for even thinking it. But if Kallen were being targeted in such a way, would she know--

She snaps him out of it, blinking up. "Ah. I." ... Dead eyed. "Was not present." Because if he was present Kaname would have killed him! "...revealing the secrets of someone's cover," he says, as if it were a totally unrelated thought, "is something one can never take back. So I wonder who that mysterious helpful mascot was."

wait. shit.

"Kaname mentioned."

....abort abort abort

Actually, she pulls him back to the first topic, and he doesn't notice his own lips curl up at her happy face. "I am glad," he says. "My comr--friend says one's youth must be treasured."

He is talking about Kurz and is VERY wrong about what Kurz means.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Thankfully, in being wrong about what was meant, he's stumbled onto the right answer instead. "I wasn't always sick, only for the past handful of years. So... Knowing what I could do, then having that taken away. It makes you all the more aware. Makes you value that time so much more."

Strictly speaking, there aren't too many lies in there. It's just... what she lost wasn't really her health. Which makes the way her eyes mist up stranger. Like she about to cry.

But she's able to break the somber mood with Sousuke's help, giggling about his attempts at denial. "Right, you weren't around, sorry. Still, that Bonta-kun mascot was a lifesaver. That's... another reason I'm trying to put myself out in the world. It seems like my friends attract trouble so often, I want to be able to help them too. I guess you wouldn't know about this, but the very first concert I went to, one of Sheryl's? Was attacked by a small military force. I couldn't do anything to help... and I just felt so..." Useless. Helpless. Like keeping her cover in that situation was endangering people's lives. That she was betraying her own soul, for the sake of the mask.

But she can't say those last parts to anybody. She could barely articulate them to herself at the time. Why standing by, made her want to throw up.

Finally she finds words she CAN say. "...I want to protect people in need." Which is weird for a Britannian student to vocalize. "And especially, protect the people I love." And if there's any particular face in her mind as she's saying that... She'll never tell.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke nods, seriously. "Illness to the point of disability. I've seen it often."

Sousuke's cover story basically is his actual biography, albeit missing a few key details. But that he's been raised in a succession of dire warzones is essentially public, certainly to a student council member. When he says such things, perhaps that flavors the meaning greatly.

Still, where someone else might crack and grin at her giggle, he simply nods, approving. "Indeed. One never knows when one will encounter a hostile force. You were fortunate a friendly mascot-suited warrior happened to be passing by."

His head tilts, and...

Kallen gets to see him look just slightly worried, at the mention of an attack. It's small; anyone else would be underreacting, with that widening of the eyes, the slight opening of the mouth. Sousuke, for his part, fails to understand why he felt his stomach twist.

But he does say, with sudden quiet, "It's a noble goal. And I can appreciate the feeling." This place. These people. He doesn't understand the thought slowly rebuilding him, pushing up from deep, deep below his conscious thoughts. The thought that it would be terrible for them to become like him. The thought that he must prevent that by any means in his power.

But maybe it's involved with why he cautions her, "But do not rush too quickly into peril, Stadtfeld. It's important to keep yourself safe, as well."

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

She hasn't looked too deeply into it, but she has the basics... Yes, that he's familiar with the struggles of wartorn lands. Living in places with far worse medical care. Likely even worse than the care 'Elevens' have access to. It's not hard to imagine he's known people who were victims of chemical attacks or carelessly placed explosives. Perhaps even some who weren't killed by them, but... left in such a condition that it might have been kinder if they were.

That thought makes it impossible to stay completely distant. And so Kallen slides an arm around his shoulders to just... give her friend a hug. "I'm sorry you've had to see so many horrible things. It... shouldn't be that way. I hope Jindai, and everyone around here, has been better for you."

That much, it makes her think better of elaborating on the attack. What could she even say? That hulking alien people crashed the concert and tried to kill everyone? No, there's no reason to detail it. Instead she'll focus on something else. Reassuring him. "I wouldn't go diving into danger like that. I don't have a death wish. But keeping myself safe too... that still means I should at least have some self-defense skills, right? And between you and me, I don't think the fencing lessons from when I was a kid will do too much good there." It's not a secret anymore, that she's capable in that field. Considering she brought her personal blade out on stage, at a live and recorded event.

She couldn't possibly know what he's thinking. Even if she's slowly getting better at reading his subdued expressions, so much remains a mystery. "Personally, I'm planning on having a long, interesting life with my friends. So we ought to plan another outing like that trip to FumoLand. Maybe you and Emmy can both come along this time." It's just a question of where they all should go. Strictly speaking they aren't limited by the border, whether it's a national one or a planetary one. There might be some pretty interesting colonies to visit, especially if they used the excuse of expanding the Initiative into other schools out there. Given at least one of their founding members is... now a PLANT.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke did not, despite how it occasionally appears, emerge fully formed from a pod. He's been held before, even companionably. But he's more used to it from his comrades than someone like Kallen, and he looks at her with a certain alien thought glimmering in the back of his head. Uncertainty, unfamilarity, but appreciation, too, thoughts he doesn't know he can name. He does not return the embrace, hands flat at his sides. "Jindai is a fine place," he says, fully earnestly. "Everyone has been welcoming." ...the people who have not been welcoming, Sousuke has mostly not noticed. Or he terrorized until they were welcoming. It shouldn't be that way. ...he agrees, he realizes, dimly. But he doesn't know how to say it.

He lets the topic end, instead. "Agreed," he says instead, of self-defense skills. "A young lady is a prime target of any number of underhanded industries, and proficiency in close-quarters battle and perhaps portable weapons are both wise investments of both time and money."

Well he's back on his 'just saying supporting facts' thing again, so he's apparently fine now. He does add: "Have you pursued any training yet, or is this a recent thought?"

As for her final line of questioning, his face brightens at that, and she gets something much more like a smile a teenager should wear. "That sounds like a good time," he says. "I'd like that. GUTS does open us to quite a few possibilities in that vein, doesn't it? Quite a remarkable project it's been."

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Kallen could answer him any number of ways. The truth is of course, most of her fighting skills are self-taught. Japan being Japan, guns are not exactly EASY to get ahold of, though they're more common now. Naoto's oldest friends didn't really have any marksmen among their numbers, so she learned the basics of shooting pretty much on her own.. and not much beyond those basics! And discounting guns... Ohgi was a teacher before all this. Not exactly the brawling or stabbing type. And of course, as much as Tamaki's a hothead happy to throw down over anything... the man frankly doesn't know shit about actually fighting. So she won't really have to lie much. Her skill in a Knightmare is much the same. Self-taught and honed in action, mostly through her old career in the underground.

"I've not had anyone to particularly teach me, no. I've thought of asking Suzaku, but his other work keeps him busy a lot so... I think I need some other options. I did buy a little knife to keep on me though, just in case." Her purse knife isn't... great. It's effective enough, but it's not the kind of thing you rely on outside of a last resort.

"I'm glad you're enjoying your time there. You and Kaname always look like you're having a great time, even if it can be occasionally frustrating for her." She doesn't know about all the... trials, they've gone through. At least not in full detail. Kaname sometimes tells her stories, but those obviously have to be... partially redacted. Of course.

Seeing Sousuke's face light up in a way that's recognizable and normal brings light to her own expression. "We'll set it up then. Anywhere you'd be particularly interested in visiting?" She of course quickly snaps a picture on her phone of him smiling, to text out to people. "It's brought together all kinds of people who never would have met otherwise. We've built up friendships, and, if the gossip mill is to be believed, a number of budding inter-school romances as well. There's a lot of happiness growing, and that's something the world needs more of."

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke nods. "I see. I'm afraid I'm not aware of any trainers appropriate for a civilian's training," he says. Oh he knows plenty of people who can train you in all sorts of tricks. Actually. He tips his head a little. Mao, maybe...? "Maybe one," he says. "But she's former military herself, so perhaps not."

He trusts Mao to handle herself, uh, usually, but he's gotten to see Drill Instructor Mode Mao before and he'd rather not see Kallen shatter into a million pieces under her ferocious demon power.

He does add, "A knife should be adequate. If you'd like, perhaps I can source something inconspicuous. - Ah, that reminds me, actually. Kaname and I spoke with Emilia when I delivered her belated birthday present." He nods. (the fact these thoughts are connected should be concerning.) "It went well, I think. She seemed to feel better, after." Somewhat.

"Kaname has been very patient," Sousuke agrees. "I appreciate her timely help in fitting in properly." What else can he say? Everything else is getting into The Whole Thing, which he can't.

>A couple like you two, Emilia had said.

And he's extremely not bringing that part up with Kallen!!

She takes his picture. He doesn't quite get why. "I agree," he says. "The world could use more peaceful days like these, I think."

As for places to visit, he tips his head. "Previously, I've simply gone where it would be easiest to survive." A razor's-edged line between somewhere stable enough to not get bombed to oblivion, but dangerous enough that a mercenary could thrive. ...that's not what she's asking about. "Somewhere to visit, though..."

"I might have to think about this one," he defers.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

She wasn't exactly expecting him too know anyone, really. Merely talking about her own thoughts. Still, a 'maybe'. "Worth considering at least. Something to keep in mind if I can't find anyone to help?" She couldn't begin to imagine the kind of person he has in mind though. Nobody would ever think up a person like The Drilling Demon. And... it's probably best Sousuke doesn't offer himself as a teacher. Considering everything. Really, that's probably why he doesn't? Some buried fear he might make someone else become like him?

"If you'd be willing, it certainly couldn't hurt. Though, it would need to be immune to tampering or otherwise easy to keep safe. I'm... afraid Mrs. Stadtfeld is a little nosy, and something of a control freak. She has a habit of poking through anything of mine that isn't well enough secured." She doesn't call the woman her mother. Pointedly. Whether that's strange or not... Well, Sousuke isn't Britannian after all. But the picture she's painted could be easily construed in several ways.

But they're steadily moving along through topics. As far as Kallen knows, this is just stream of thought. Sousuke remembering something out of the blue. "I'm glad you were able to talk to Emmy. I couldn't really do much myself, and it's been eating at me. Hmhmm, I'll just have to get something for you and Kaname as thanks~. Maybe treat you both to your favorite restaurant." She might be considering setting them up on a proper date. Maybe. ...Milly might be infecting her mind more deeply than anyone knows.

"Well, take your time considering it. Look over some locations if it helps. We have plenty of time, and I'd want to get a list from all of you." That might be a fair bit of chaos in the end, but... if it gets them all smiling and happy, making lasting memories together, it's worth it.