2022-11-29: Bigger and Weirder

• Cast: Lina Lombardi, Rita Bernal
• Where: The Collective Unconscious
• Date: U.C. 0096 11 29
• Summary: Something comes to Lina in a dream.

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<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina always hated the beds in space.

         She had been called to G-Hound's base on Luna II for patrol rounds, and she had to spend a week on call. And that meant sleeping in the base's cots. The mattresses were thin and cheap, sacrificing comfort for value and practicality in zero-G. Like everything up here. It's cold, and sterile, and uncomfortable. It was true that she had started becoming more comfortable going up into space, but it didn't mean she had to completely like it.

         Especially now, completely by herself, with only some moonlight flaring in from the window to softly illuminate her. The space lag had hit her hard -- what even were time zones on the moon? Is it even night? She had been tossing and turning for a good hour and a half until eventually, pure exhaustion shut her body down for her.


         When Lina next opened her eyes, she was on the beach. Forno, on the island of Elba. It wasn't too terribly far from the Grove, and she remembered it as an occasional vacation destination back when...well. She stood right at the water's edge, the rising and falling tide rushing past her boots in the wet sand. The sea, like her, was weighed down by gravity. And yet no one complains about the tide.

         Lina sighs and tilts her head upwards to the beaming summer sun. It was November though, right? Eh, whatever, Lombardi. At least this dream doesn't have any explosions or fire.

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

Laughter echoes behind Lina, and should she turn, she would see a young woman running through the sand, kicking it up around her. An expression of joy is painted across her face, and a simple white dress seems to stay pristine, no matter how much sand is flung into the air. Dancing and spinning, she finally pauses, facing Lina.

"Hello!" She calls, voice earnest and sweet. "Sorry for dropping in like this. I haven't ever been to a beach like this, and I just couldn't resist! If you want me to leave, I will, but I sure hope you'll let me stay!"

Walking a bit closer to Lina, the smile on the girl's face never fades. "My name is Rita. It's nice to meet you! You have a lovely dream. They're not always like this, are they?" Rita tilts her head, letting blonde hair cascade across her left shoulder. "I understand. But I think... It's all the more important to celebrate the good things, when we have them!"

Waves come in, flowing over Rita's bare toes, touching Lina's own. "Oh!" Rita laughs. "Do you want to play in the water with me?"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Well, this was certainly new. Lina tried to place where she had seen this girl before for her to be appearing in the jumble of memories that was a dream. Also about how she was oddly lucid to be thinking inside a thought. Again, whatever. If it's cute blondes she's dreaming about tonight, then bring it on.

         "Hm, I'm Lina. I guess it's a pleasure. Feel free to stick around, I don't think I'm going anywhere until morning."

         She kicks off her boots behind her and takes off her....jacket. When...when did she start wearing this again? Right, dream. Her fingers clench around the collar of the jacket, the garment disappearing from her mind as her hand fully came into a fist. Ugh.

         "This is honestly one of the first pleasant dreams I've had in a while. Things have been rough."

         She shakes it off and follows Rita into the water. "Haven't played at the beach in a long while either."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

"Thank you so much!" Rita beams, squeezing her eyes closed in delight. "You're so kind, Lina!"

Unearthly green eyes watch Lina seriously. "It's been hard, hasn't it? The headaches, the nightmares... If it helps, nobody else expected that to happen!" A lighthearted laugh. "I might be able to help a little, if you want! I'm pretty good at this kind of stuff."

Rita runs into the water, arms held out at her sides. Turning with a mischevious expression, she splashes Lina, just a bit, just enough to see her reaction. The ocean seems to glitter where it touches Rita, passing through her just at the very edges.

"The world is so beautiful." Rita says, dreamily, looking up at the sky. "Don't you think? It's worth protecting because it's our home, of course, but... Even more than that! It's worth protecting because it's beautiful, I think! You can understand, can't you, Lina?"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         ...How the hell did she...It's your brain, Lina, of course she knows. "...Amuro Ray. Ever since that day, I just feel like...I dunno. Like my brain doesn't belong in my own head anymore." Thinking about all that turned a stuck gear in Lina's head. "Hey wait a minute! You're...you're one of those Newty--"

         Her accusation was cut short by a splash of saltwater in her face, causing her to yelp and flinch. "Oh, think you're cheeky, huh? How about you try this on for size?" She sticks her fingers in the water and rushes towards Rita, dragging her hand through the water and throwing it up in an upward arc directly in front of the blonde, bringing a stream of water up with her and a chuckle.

         "Personally, I think the world is worth protecting because of the people we love. Without them..." A pause as she swallows a lump threatening to form in her throat. "...the world is nothing."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

"It's a good thing!" Rita assures Lina. "You're becoming what humanity has always meant to be. Connection without fear, without misunderstanding. Someday, everyone will be like us." Rita spins, raising her hands in a celebratory gesture. "The conciousness that's trapped inside our bodies will regain their original form!"

Rita giggles, then shrieks with delight as the stream of water cascades over her. She's utterly soaked, but that white dress remains impervious to it all, softly glittering in the summer sun. "Oh! You're good at this!" Rita brushes a strand of hair out of her face, grinning wickedly. "Watch out, here I come!"

With both hands, the blonde Newtype gathers water beneath the waves, then brings it crashing out of the ocean, hoping it will cascade down on Lina. Rita is clearly having the time of her life, laughing brightly.

"Really?" Rita looks a little sad at Lina's opinion. "That's okay. You can feel however you like. You have every right to! You fight so hard, Lina. You do all you can for the ones you love!" There's a little pause as those unearthly-green eyes are turned to focus purely on Lina. "But do you love yourself, too? Are you going to be capable of exploring the parts of your heart that nobody else knows about?"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "...I'm...a Newtype. That's what they call you, yeah? I'm not sure about all this consciousness in its original form stuff, but I guess it's nice to know I'm not just going mad." By now she was pretty clear that the woman standing in front of her wasn't a creation of her subconscious, but some kind of visitor to her own mind.

         Bah, therapy is expensive and this works well enough.

         As Rita counterattacks with another splash, their surroundings change, just for a split second. It's Torrington, engulfed in flame. One of the Nu Gundam's fin funnels is directly above her, charging a beam. Lina throws herself to the side, returning to the beach in the next millisecond, having dodged Rita's splash but for little good. Her leap found her falling directly into the water and getting far wetter than Rita's splash would have done.

         "...Sorry about that." She sighs, picking herself back up as she ponders Rita's question. Did she love herself?

         She loved her father.

                  She loved her sister.

                           She loved her uncle.

         She loved her best friend.

                  Despite everything, she even held love for the Winter Witch.

                           But did she love Lina Lombardi?

         "I...lost something five years ago. Something went numb inside. Maybe this is me finally starting to regain the feeling in it."

         "Rita...I can honestly say that I don't know the answer to that question right now."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

"That's right!" Rita beams. "It's a wonderful thing. You'll be able to connect with others so much more easily. Trust your intuition, and you'll do just fine."

"--oh."

Torrington, consumed in flames. Rita wasn't there, she hadn't actually seen it, despite her gifts... Though her smile never fades, her eyes turn sad in the heartbeat the image is present. It fades as Lina tosses herself into the water. Rita offers her hand as the other woman stands.

"It's okay. I understand. A space like this is difficult to control." Rita's voice is soft. "I'm so sorry you had to experience that, Lina. Fighting him must've been absolutely terrifying. But this connection doesn't have to be scary. You can use it to share happy moments, or important things, without ever saying a word."

Rita's eyes flicker closed for a moment, then open. Beautiful greenery has replaced the sea, flowering bushes and fragrant trees dotting what seems to be a well-maintained garden. Three children appear before the two women, making noises of awe and delight as they explore the flowers.

"What's this one called?" A small blonde girl asks.

A boy with deep red hair looks at the flower closely. "I'm not sure. Michele, do you know?"

"Of course." The final child brags, grinning proudly. "It's a golden wattle! Our national flower. In Latin, it's called..."

With a gentle brush of her hand, Rita sends the image away. "See? All you have to do is focus on what you want to share really, really hard. Hold it in your mind like it's happening all over again. The Newtypes with you, if you're connected, will see it just like you do."

Lina's emotions wash over Rita, much like the returned waves lapping at their feet. "I see..." She's quiet for a moment. "I hope you can find your answer. There's not really a wrong one!" Rita lifts her hand, brushing some of Lina's wet hair our of her face. The young woman's touch is as warm as sunlight. "Do you want to talk about the thing that you lost?"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina sighs, taking in Rita's own change of scenery. Yeah, she was right. I'm lucid dreaming, I shouldn't be losing control. Despite this, Lina's cheeks go pink as Rita brushes her hair aside. "Yeah, let me just...think of a good memory."

         She closes her eyes, opening them to find herself and Rita standing between the grapevines at the Lombardi Grove. They were close to the main building, where her uncle lived and ran the winery. A deck area oversaw the vines, and as she looked up, she saw a few figures seated at a table set up.

         A young woman in her early 20s with shoulder length green hair.

         A high school-aged girl with wheat blonde hair.

         An agreeable, slightly rotund man with dark hair.

         And a soldier, wearing a familiar flight jacket.

         The Lombardi family was having a nice dinner. The young woman and the soldier were both beaming. She had just been accepted into a military academy in Rome.

         "...Papa was so proud of me that day. I always wanted to live up to his name. I wanted to fight, like he did. But I guess I never truly understood what being a soldier entailed."

         The soldier's eyes were suddenly covered in a black bar. Redacted. More bars. Redacted, redacted, redacted. The world around them vanished in a sea of black ink and red tape before returning to the beach.

         "It's the uncertainty that gets me more than anything. If I had been told he died, maybe I would have gotten over it by now. But I don't know what happened to him."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

"Oh, how lovely!" Rita smiles at the vines, taking in the sweeping view before turning to look at the people sitting around the table. "Your family looks happy. Just look at you, Lina! Your hair was so short back then!"

Quieting, Rita listens to Lina speak, nodding gently. "It's a life of heavy burdens. Not the kind you can imagine without experiencing it, I think. Oh--"

Black bars, black ink, red tape. Rita closes her eyes until she feels the waves touch her feet again.

"That's how you feel about it now, not knowing..." She murmurs, walking close to Lina to place a hand on her arm. "It must be so painful. I'm sorry. Five years is so long to go without any news. To be apart from the ones you love... No wonder you feel the way you do about the world."

The young lady's eyes turn serious, earnest. "Can I do anything to help you, Lina? I'm..." Rita giggles, a little private joke with herself. "Very fast. I can cover a lot of space very quickly."

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "I eventually just learned to live with it, I put myself on pause as I drifted. A friend from back then...my teacher, came back into my life earlier this year and I felt myself going back into play. All the good and bad that entails."

         She turns to Rita's earnest eyes, tilting her head as she deliberates her offer. "I'm not sure what you could do that I haven't already tried. Dead ends everywhere. I'm just...not important enough to get the information I need."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

"Maybe now that you know you're a Newtype, things will go better?" Rita offers, smiling. "Or maybe..."

Tapping her chin with her free hand, the young lady seems to think something over. "If you need an important person... I know someone who might be able to help you! But, you see... She's very closed off. In order for her to help you, you'd have to have something to offer her, in return."

"Do you think you could do that?" Rita asks, smiling brightly. "You could make a trade! Information for information. She'd find that very, very valuable! And there's one thing she's searching for, just like you're searching for your father. Deep down, she's really very sentimental. I think she'd understand your feelings."

Rita fluffs her hair out, instantly returning it to a dry, wavy state. "I can't tell you too much, but I think... It'd be enough to get her to cooperate. You'll have to be shrewd, okay?"

"Her name is Michele Luio. She's searching for me!"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "Luio? Like '& Co' Luio?" A commerce company...Not necessarily what comes to mind when one needs information. But...she supposed with the company's connections, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

         Wouldn't hurt to ask, like I'm gonna walk into their headquarters and say that a girl in my dreams told me to come in? I may not actually BE crazy, but I'll sure SOUND the part. Ugh, but what other options do I have? I'm getting a possible lead after like three years.

         She lets out a heavy breath and turns away. "I'll...look into it. It seems like a long shot, but it's something. But why would she be..." She stops as she remembers the scene Rita showed her. "I see. You've been missing, too."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

"Yes." Rita replies, simply, with a smile. Then, she raises both of her arms, as though about to conduct an orchestra.

At her motion, the ocean roils. Sunlight beams down all the more brightly, though it isn't unpleasant. Radiance cascades from the sky and the sea. One of Rita's arms lowers, and the other holds up a single finger. In response, a great golden machine rises from the ocean. Seawater falls from its aulic planes, until the Gundam stands before both women. Rita smiles at it.

"Tell her you've seen the Phenex. Only say my name when you're in private, okay?" Rita instructs, her eyes on the golden bird before them. "Please take a good look at her so you'll remember details. The more the better."

A gentle little nod. "You must not think very highly of me now, knowing I'm leaving my friend waiting. But this is the way things have to be. Maybe it's the same for your father?"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina's never seen the Phenex before, but she knows what it is. She saw that mobile suit's sister in that battle. "...Unicorn." That one was snow white, and this one was a brilliant gold. How many of these things were there?

         "Jeez, just what am I getting myself involved in here? Phenex, gold, big-ass shield arms, hey, she's got little pigtails, that's cute. Okay, I think I've got it." She walks up towards the beach, shaking the seawater off her hair and counts herself fortunate that none of this is real and that she doesn't actually have to deal with getting all this sand off.

         "There's obviously something keeping you from her, just like something's keeping Papa from me. It's gotta be pretty serious if you're only approaching me in my dreams. And hey, you're at least trying to get reunited. Maybe he's out there looking for me too."

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

Unicorn.

Rita nods. "Yes. They're sisters, you see. She saved me." Placing a hand on the Phenex's foot, the young woman sighs. It's almost time to go. "I owe her everything."

Rita stays in the water as Lina walks back toward the beach, laughing softly at her description of the Gundam. "Sounds pretty accurate! Don't forget the cuteness, that's very important. And.. yes. Michelle means so much to me, but... I have to be like this, for now." Her eyes are sad, faraway. "Please treat her kindly, when you see her."

"I'm sure your papa is doing his best for you. I believe in him, and I believe in you." The Phenex lowers itself to one knee, extending a hand toward Rita. "You'll be waking up soon, Lina. It's time for me to go. Is there anything else you need, before I do?"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina's vision begins to blur. Looking to her left and right, she sees that the island around them has disappeared into a white void, only the small patch of beach they were on remaining, the edges of their reality smeared and bleeding out like a watercolor painting. She puts her hand up to her face and rubs her eyes, trying to relieve the pressure behind them. Yeah, she was definitely being pulled away.

         "I think I'm good for now. I appreciated talking with you, Rita. Will we see each other again?"

<Pose Tracker> Rita Bernal has posed.

"Thank you for letting me rest here!" Rita says, perching on the Phenex's hand. "It was truly wonderful. Feeling the sun again, and playing in the waves!" She laughs, kicking her feet in the water one last time.

Rita nods. The Phenex begins to lift her, gently, slowly. "I hope so! If you need me, call out, and I'll come find you! I'm very, very fast. Goodbye, Lina! Don't give up!"

As the dream fades around Lina, the Phenex stays clearly in view. Rita seems to vanish from her hand at a certain point, and the golden Gundam turns. Blue light gathers around the machine, and it lifts into the air, surprisingly gently. It barely distrubs the ocean.

Lina may hear the cry of a bird as the Gundam races out of the dream, trailing blue starlight.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina closes her eyes, and when they open, she's back in bed. For a minute, she simply lays there, processing the dream. Pulling herself up, she looks out of the window at the lunar surface and the blackness of space. For some reason, the sight didn't perturb her quite as much as it did when she fell asleep.

         Welcome to a bigger, weirder world, Lina Lombardi. It's as beautiful as it is frightening.