2022-11-09: Incongruent

• Log: 2022-11-09- Incongruent
• Cast: Akane Shinjo, Yuka Ohta, Liam 7-020
• Where: Tsutsujidai High
• OOC - IC Date: 0096-11-09
• Summary: A new student and new teacher get situated in Tsutsujidai. Akane Shinjo can't keep her understanding of the world straight anymore.

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<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

New student! New student!!

This isn't nearly as exciting as it used to be, admittedly. Akane's graduated from doing this because she's genuinely hoping for new understanding to doing this because she needs to be absolutely sure that -- well, one, her new charges feel comfortable with the number of their friends and allies also present, and two, so Gridman has few enough allies that when she finally gets around to him...

... well, that's another matter.

Which brings us to her lingering after school, of course. She's called for Ohta-sensei to meet her in 2-E's classroom, once she's sure everyone else is going home for the day. She needs to update her on Ouka. Her actual plan with Liam is mostly to keep him close today; the early go of it is always the most tenuous, so she wants to keep an eye on him for at least the whole school day.

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

The good news is, Akane has absolutely zero trouble getting Yuka... rather, Ohta-sensei, to join her in the classroom at the day's end. Therefore, she knows Yuka doesn't really have any plans for the day. So she was probably just going to go home after she was done grading papers and the usual administrative business, to relax on her couch with Tarabaman and her Notes. Whether one considers that good or bad on the other hand...

...Is entirely a matter of opinion.

That being the case, she's still the picture of professionalism when she arrives, glasses set perfectly upon her face and the jacket for her teaching suit left open in the way that shows she's both a fun teacher and one with a great deal of insights to impart. "Akane. What can I do for you this afternoon?"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        After a horrible fight, and a harrowing escape from his hospital bed, Liam is in Tsutsujidai. He came here with one set of clothes and his money card, and nothing else, but Akane... has helped him get settled in. She showed him his new apartment, and got him some clothes. They're a bit different than what he wore before, but Akane went out of her way to help him, so the least he can do is accept graciously.

        Today was Liam's first day of school in almost a decade. He sat in the back, near Akane, at a desk that was not designed for someone of his mass. He kept up with the lessons well enough, but he didn't so much as raise his hand, much less express interest. It's better here, but 'here' is a place where he's a stranger.

        At least Akane is here. They can protect each other.

        Liam stands near the board, arms hanging loosely at his sides. He wears what would be a regulation Tsutsujidai uniform if not for the cowled blue sweater-vest overtop the shirt. It's... not very appropriate for the eternal summer, but Liam isn't so much as sweating. On top of that, he has hair, sort of: it's blonde and shortish and definitely a wig once you look at it and realize it's there to make him feel more 'normal' because it doesn't match his eyebrows at all.

        Liam bows as Yuka enters, but does not otherwise engage. That's Akane's job.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Half-leaning against, half-sitting on the teacher's desk, Akane says brightly, "Well, for one -- here!" She reaches into her hoodie pocket for a few seconds, then hands over -- a thumb drive?

"Every episode of Kaiju Coliseum except 175!" she announces. Evidently she didn't forget that; it's good to check that one off. She hates leaving this kind of thing hanging. "I'm kinda curious if you ever found that one... it's not a big deal now, I guess, but I'm in a bit of a watching-stuff mood lately, so I thought I'd check." Stretching her shoulders a bit, she adds, "Oh! I was also wondering if you could help catch Liam up."

She gestures enthusiastically to him, then in turn gestures for him to approach. "I kinda get the vibe he hasn't been in a classroom in a long time, so, you know. It's important." Even a more than year on from her abortive status as class rep, she's still inclined to fuss.

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

If Yuka were any other teacher, she'd probably have something to say about people sitting on her desk. But... it's also not really HER desk. She's not the homeroom teacher, and her classes generally require a lot of special equipment. So she's only in here to fetch students or make deliveries generally. She pockets the thumb drive as if it were the most valuable treasure in the universe... For her it actually might be.

When asked about the last missing episode, she shakes her head sadly. "I had a couple leads on it. But..." She pushes it away, a little bit. Distances herself slightly. She doesn't want to just say that one of her leads was killed about a week before she came to Tsutsujidai. That's the kind of thing that people come here to escape. "Some things happened... but I'm confident it's out there." Of course her leads on it could have just been messing with her. She'll never know either way now.

Her gaze shifts toward Liam, looking him over from behind her glasses. Something's clicking back and forth in the back of her mind. Like there used to be something important regarding him. That she was supposed to do. Doesn't matter any more. They're somewhere else now. "I can do that. Go over the recent coursework, see if there's anything he might need more help with. "

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam seems to fade out of the conversation as Akane presents the thumb drive. There's no curiosity, and no attempt to engage with Yuka beyond acknowledging her existence and authority. He only comes back to the present once Akane gestures at him.

        The cyborg steps forward, and nods. "Of course, Ohta-sensei." Polite, deferent, unobtrusive. Barely there, despite towering over the both of them--even as he tries to slouch a little, and make himself less intimidating.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

Akane's very happy not to hear about that particular anecdote from Yuka -- it's much too depressing for her to think about, too. "I'm sure we'll find it!" she says, though there's a bit of hollowness to that. (Then again: when isn't there?)

Akane nods to Yuka, saying, "Thanks. ... honestly, I get the feeling he doesn't know what to do in, uh." When Liam fades out of the conversation, then back in as he's addressed more directly, Akane offers: "... any, situation, basically?" It feels a little bad talking about him like he's not here, but...

... well, frankly, it's not her responsibility to get him used to socializing, she thinks. If he's happy withdrawing, then -- well, she can't really stop him. "Maybe you two can chew through a chunk of Kaiju Coliseum together? It's one of my favorites -- even if it's just a compilation of suit battles and stuff..."

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

Yuka can relate there. Her own smiles have been more hollow as of late. But they're enough to not bother anyone, and get through the day. So it's fine. "I think I can help with that." She's not clear on which part she can help with. Probably the getting him acclimated part.

She could have done more than that before. It's not like she didn't have a period of withdrawing that way. Sinking into herself, to avoid people noticing or thinking about her. It happens, when you're the kid everyone says has lost her entire bag of marbles. "If you wind up with an itch to watch with us, you're welcome." An offer. She doesn't have to accept it. There's no pressure or expectation. Just 'if you wind up in that mood'.

She starts to lead Liam out. Thinking that was the whole reason to call her in. But then turns. Best to be safe. No reason to inconvenience Akane later, if anyone forgot something. "Was there anything else? I'm happy to do whatever I can for my students." The word she wants to say doesn't come out. Instead it's stamped into this convenient container. Students. Not friends. Something less meaningful. More impersonal. It's her job to be here for the kids.

There's no need for a heart... She's not so different from the kaiju in that way.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        For an instant--as Akane explains his situation to Ohta-sensei--Liam feels hurt. It flashes through his eyes, and he glances at Akane, fighting with the urge to tell her he's not as helpless as he looks. The urge doesn't put up much of a fight. Akane has her reasons. If he spoke up, he'd only upset her. So instead, Liam puts on his gentlest smile, and nods. "I... didn't have many friends in school," he says. "But I'd like more. Akane's been so kind already."

        Kaiju Coliseum? Liam's never heard of it. But suit battles... how would those relate to macrobiology? That's what Ohta-sensei teaches, right?

        But maybe there's something here he's missing. "Thank you," Liam says, "but... do you..." The words stick in his throat, and it takes hideous effort to force them out. "Want to never mind I'm sorry." Liam looks away, his face burning. He's already bowing.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Hmmm... I'm kinda busy lately," Akane says, waving her hand a bit at the invitation. "It's one of my favorites, but... there's something I have to do -- soon." There's a bit of a drop in her voice as she continues, "Something only I can do."

She takes a long, slow breath in, then lets it out, as Liam apologizes for a question that isn't actually asked. Both of them seem to want to invite her along, but... "... I think you might get more out of it if it's just the two of you. Part of the fun is figuring out stuff about the kaiju! Plus..."

Akane considers her words carefully. "... It's kind of neat to see what kaiju want, right? Like, fictional ones. Real ones are usually either just BioNet stuff or big animals, but the fictional stuff is... it's interesting how they can just want things without needing to worry about anything else, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

Akane's words echo painfully in Yuka's ears. In her head. 'Something only I can do.' But... that's wrong, isn't it? She told Yuka herself, there's no such thing. That there's never something only one person can do. She squeezes a hand against her own chest. Directly over where a heart should be.

The pain fades into the background. After a moment. Everything becomes... nothing, again. "I understand. Friends are... hard to make. But if you want them, you'll get them." It just... may take a long time, and a lot of pain along the way. ...So maybe it's easier to just not. She doesn't put words to the thoughts of her mind. It wouldn't be right for a teacher. Someone meant to inspire their wards.

The part about kaiju tears at something too. Something Yuka can't identify. For some reason... it just sounds wrong. The idea that real ones can't... want things. But again... that feeling of wrongness fades into the background. Into the gloom of nothingness, hidden behind Yuka's smile. "I'll pull out a fresh notebook. Start from scratch on the kaiju, with your ideas on them Liam." It's one of the most relaxing things Yuka can come up with to do, honestly. Modelcraft is more of a stress release valve, or a way to vent those feelings of wrong. Not so much just... a way to flow.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        There's another flash of pain in Liam's eyes, but like the first, it's gone in an instant. He really must be a disaster. Why else would Akane not have time to help him? "Okay," Liam says, even though part of him wants to beg her not to go. "I don't want to keep you."

        It'll be fun. Right? And Yuka believes in him, right? She's Akane's friend, too, and they all have to stick together.

        "The real ones," Liam says, but he trails off in mid-sentence. He can't bring himself to mention Anti. What if Akane's still hurting? Instead, he nods. "We can do that," he says, to Yuka, a hollow smile on his face.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

There's a long, awkward silence from Akane. She isn't sure what to say -- especially when Yuka says that if you want friends, you'll get them. Her thoughts on that one jumble up in her head; while she remains nonchalantly half-leaning against, half-sitting on the desk, there's a small drop in her expression at that.

Instead, she keeps thinking about kaiju. "It's just... a neat thing! Taraba Kaiju only ever want something, and it's the only thing that matters while they're there. And then they die! They set the whole tone for the episode, and then, well... anyway, there's no direction in an episode without kaiju. And Coliseum is all about showing exactly what a kaiju wants, how it wants it, and how it fights!"

... this is digging a little too deep into something. So instead: "Ooo, modeling, huh? Do you sketch before you get into it, then, with the notebook? Or do you just dive in? I'm kinda... hands-on."

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

A hand is held out to Liam. It's fine for her to be more friendly. She doesn't have to do much... It's not all that out of the way. If he makes a friend now, that can help him with making more. It's just part of doing what she can as a good teacher.

The whole thing about kaiju... Yuka makes a choice not to dwell on it. The idea that they exist to scream their wants and set the stage, only to die without fail. That's too horrible to focus on. So instead she focuses on the other part. "To write down what Liam comes up with as we watch. Ideas on how the kaiju operates. What it might do in a certain situation." What Yuka's always done. Analyzing the kaiju. Putting words to an idea that makes them more... 'real'. Her current set lacks the warmth of the kind of notes Akane saw in that book, so many months ago though. Now it's more... cold, sterile preservation. But this one won't be her notes. They'll be Liam's thoughts and feelings.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Akane doesn't look all right, Liam thinks. Should he ask what's wrong? She just said she had something to do, but she's still here. Liam's stomach starts tying itself in knots--did it ever really stop?--as she talks. "That's..." He remembers Anti breaking eggs in his kitchen, trying to control his strength. Talking to him about...

        No. Don't think about that, that will be like pulling a loose thread in a sweater. The whole thing will come unraveled.

        "Okay," Liam says. "I can do that." He's always been good at putting things together. He reaches out and clasps Yuta's hand, but his grip is so, so delicate, like he's terrified of hurting her. Like he could break her hand as easily as Anti broke those eggs.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Oh! I forgot," Akane mentions, finally pushing herself off the desk and walking back to her own for a moment, at Yuka's explanation of the notebook. "That's still a pretty interesting approach." Even if it's not her kind of thing...

... she thinks back to telling Yuka she was kind of shallow. That's -- a little more complicated, now, a little more of a nuanced thing. She isn't sure how to mentally approach it.

So she doesn't! Instead, she turns to Liam, glancing at the hand-clasping. "I think you two are gonna have a great time going forward from here!" That, at least, she does sound legitimately enthused by -- as she finally snags her notebook. "Oh, by the way, good news! You missed exam week by just a little bit, so you're going to have pretty smooth sailing from here," Akane says to Liam. "I'm sure with a teacher helping you out, things'll go nice and easy. This is a pretty demanding school, but still..."

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

Yuka's never met Anti. Never seen for herself, his particular eccentricities. And the kaiju and seijin she HAS met and interacted with off the field... She doesn't know they're not humans! Poor girl, if only she knew. She shakes the hand, when Liam accepts it. "I thought it would be an exercise that could pull extra work for us. Testing some of what you need to know for my classes. They're a little unusual."

That's an understatement to claim. Sure, she can't openly, outright teach about kaiju. ...But that's basically what she's doing, abstracting it out a layer or two, for the sake of the town's peaceful life. That's... overly simplified, but it's close enough.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam smiles another hollow smile as Akane tries to reassure him. It isn't that she isn't trying, and that he doesn't know it. It isn't that he isn't grateful--

        It's just that he's not feeling happy yet. Not yet. He just needs to give it more time. He just got out of a very bad place, and he's still hurt, but he can heal here. Right?

        "Thanks, Akane," Liam says. But he doesn't want too easy. Does he?

        He turns to Yuta, then. He knows her already. Something about a--

        A core ripped from the body of a kaiju in pain, and Yuka laying into Eisen for--

        No. Stop. Stop picking at it, it's never going to heal.

        "Ready when you are," Liam says, to his teacher.

<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.

"Ooh! That's a good thought. Get him up to speed in class and do something fun!" Akane says. Normally this would be the sort of thing she'd love to do, but lately she's just...

... well, to be honest, she's kind of drowning in her own sense of self at the moment.

Gathering herself and her things, she affirms, "I'll leave you to it! Try to have fun~" before starting to make her way toward the room's exit.

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

Indeed, some things are just too painful to remember. Some things need to be swept off into a corner and forgotten. Let that mental trash pile up out of the way. Forgotten, discarded. No longer a problem. "Good luck with your business Akane." Surely she doesn't need the luck. But it's the right thing to do anyway. They're all supporting each other's forms of happiness and growth.

Akane can head out first. Then they'll go. Taking Liam to where she's staying would be weird, probably. So they'll just borrow the movie club's room. They're not using it lately. And they have comfortable places to sit. "I think you'll enjoy this. And if not, well, we can come up with something else. I'm here to make sure your time learning here is the best it can be."

They'll be here a long time, if nobody ever shoos them out of the building. Yuka's a little too prone to binging episodes, these days.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        "I will," Liam says, and that smile of his still fails to reach his eyes. He looks back--down, really--at Yuka, and nods. "Thank you, sensei." He never would've thought that watching old shows could be so educational.

        (Maybe because that's because this feels strained. Maybe that's because everything about school here feels so profoundly at odds with Liam's previous experiences.)

        But he doesn't want to think about those.

        Liam stays engaged for a long as Yuka is willing to teach. If nothing else, he's good at pattern recognition, analyzing motives, and strategy. He doesn't need to think of kaiju like he used to anymore, but this is fine. Right?