2024-09-23: Claws of the Enemy

• Cast: Shinn Asuka, Marian Cross
• Where: Yalafath, Orb
• Date: U.C. 0099 09 23
• Summary: While Shinn is stuck in Orb for an upcoming mission, he accidentally meets its 'Hero' while enjoying some cake and a cup of coffee. Marian recognized him by his voice, and the two end up chatting a little before finally parting ways with differing ideals.

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<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.

It is a pleasant day in the Orb Union. Despite the unrest caused by "Break The World", people are carrying on with their lives as always. That is why there is a nice little market square with a couple of cafes that is bustling with people just conversing over artisanal coffee and pastries. It is a rather picturesque scene.

And in the middle of it all is one boy on a table off to the side, dressed in his civilian clothes again. Dark colors as usual, save for the white stripes on his shirt. Shinn looks unhappy to be here, sipping his tiny cup of coffee between bites of his funnel cake. He stares into the middle distance, wondering how everyone could go on with their lives when the world was on fire. Maybe they were worried internally but Shinn couldn't understand how life could just go on.

He takes another bite from his funnel cake, chewing with a grimace.

When was he going to be deployed out of here? The decision to stay in Orb seemed almost made to punish -him-. It was true that Lunamaria and Meyrin seemed happy to be here but he certainly wasn't! Even Rey seemed less stressed despite never leaving the ship as far as Shinn could tell.

"This sucks..." Shinn sighed, sipping his tiny cup of espresso.

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Picturesque is certainly a way to put it. Everyone's doing their best to carry on, but there's still a lingering sense of unease in the air. By now, rumors of Orb's ascension to NUNE is commonplace, even if the subject of the Princess's marriage to the Seirans isn't made public yet.

For the 'Hero of Orb', an empty title given to her for her contribution in the defense of the nation two years ago, that title is no longer as empty as it once was. She was up there during 'Break the World', fighting with everyone to stop the colony drop. And she almost died once again in her cockpit - turns out being cooked alive during planetfall is not very pleasant. As a result, her contribution hasn't gone unnoticed. It's a sickly thought to her, when people are unironically hailing her as a 'real' hero.

But now she's took to the city, having recovered enough to get out of the house. She needed some fresh air, after being bedridden for three weeks. Marian isn't wearing anything eye-catching. Just a simple T-shirt she likes and some plain jeans. Even so, she's getting recognized by folks. Some coming up to her to thank her, or to get an autograph or a selfie or some other frivolous bullshit. She kindly refused all of them. As much as she wanted to just tell them off, she has a reputation to keep. So the figurative mask on as usual, and she slides into a market square to get some coffee.

'This sucks...' She heard then as she passes by a table. Shinn's voice is one she recognize from somewhere. But where exactly...? She tilts her head as she walks by, inspecting the figure. She's not going to find out just by looking, she don't think. So why not just join him at his table? So with a cup of black coffee in hand, she pulls up to an empty chair besides Shinn. She doesn't take a seat yet, and simply offers a soft casual smile and asks him, "mind if I join you?"

<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.

Shinn takes a bite of his funnel cake just as he hears the voice of the "Hero of Orb". Admittedly, he doesn't who this person is but he does notice the attention she's getting. So when she is right in front of him mid bite, Shinn mumbles out "MMph-ure." He is unsure of why this person wants to sit with him. Could it be a spy? Someone attempting to get ZAFT secrets out of him? Shinn isn't sure what to think, almost choking as his mind is too busy attempting to figure out why.

Finally, he swallows, wiping the powdered sugar from his face with his sleeve without thinking. After a beat, the boy looks her over again. "Do I know you? Sorry, I don't remember you if I have met you before?" Shinn responds as he keep looking her face over. Did he know her? He wasn't sure since it had been so long since he was in Orb. An old family friend? No, he was sure he didn't know this person. So why did she know him?

Shinn takes another sip from his coffee, pondering as he keeps eyeing Marian. Finally realizing he's staring so he averts his gaze. "Sorry!"

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

While Marian is no stranger to underhanded methods to obtain information, she herself is no spy! That's something she pays or convince others to do for her. She nods when Shinn mouthed something of a 'sure', and instead of taking the chair besides Shinn, she takes the one across from him. The chair creaking slightly as she plants herself into it nonchalantly.

"No, this is the first time we've met," she replied, taking a sip of her own coffee as she racks her brains. While it's not unreasonable to think they've met before given their shared history in Orb, it's definitely not the case here. Marian is a workaholic. She barely know anyone outside of her career. Shinn's family would not be the sort of people she would know if they were not involved in the military.

She noted his stare though. Is it her striking dyed white hair? Her attractive face? (Self assumed). It certainly couldn't be that she's coming off as a very a suspicious individual right now. But she chuckled as Shinn apologizes. "It's alright."

Then all of a sudden as she finally remembered where she recognize that voice from. It was at the Junius Seven attack. That's the voice of the pilot who was facing off against Rudi.

She hides her surprise of finding out the one who piloted that new Gundam is a kid as young as him though, and gives Shinn a knowing look. "You're that kid in that Gundam. What was it, the Pulse?"

<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.

Still on guard, Shinn looks up when she sits across from him. He is even more puzzled when she says this is the first time they met. Why was this woman wanting to sit with some boy? Was this...a cougar? Shinn almost spit up when that thought came to his mind, turning bright red. He shook his head, letting the thought go far away for the moment.

No it had to be something to do with his job. The ebony haired boy's thoughts were confirmed when he heard his Gundam's name. Or part of it. He cringed slightly and corrected. "Impulse, actually. The Impulse Gundam." He didn't say it with any malice but there was a certain pride to his voice. He worked his ass off to pilot that Gundam and he was going to make sure people knew the name.

"A lot of pilots are coming up to me lately. May I ask why?" Shinn asks, not used to this community of pilots talking across organizational boundaries. He takes a sip of his coffee, eyeing the woman again as a frown came to his face.

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian lets off a little scoff when Shinn shakes off his red. She wasn't expecting a reaction like this. Maybe she's got more charm than she thought. Or Shinn is just that innocent.

"Impulse, that was it. I only caught a glance of its IFF on my radar while I was fighting," she says when Shinn corrects her. The pride in his voice is noted. Marian is much the same if the Inazuma Gundam is brought up. Orb's power. Her power. It was a national pride to her, and the power she fought for.

"Just striking up a friendly conversation. We were comrades who fought together to stop Junius Seven from dropping. You don't have to be so stiff," she tries to reassure him. Flashing him yet another casual and unassuming smile.

<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.

"I see." Shinn relaxes ever so slightly. He is still out of his element with everyone approaching him lately. He does however note where she says she heard of him from. "There were hundreds at Junius Seven. What makes me so special?" He asks bluntly as he looks her over again.

There was definitely something up with this woman and Shinn wasn't about to fall into a trap.

Not with that meeting with the captain later this evening. He was sure it was due to the 'Shinn Incident' he heard murmuring about from his colleagues. No thanks to that Athha woman. As the thought crosses his mind, he feels his expression turn dark, which is made slightly comical by the tiny coffee cup in his hand.

"So what do you want? It can't just be a conversation you're after..." Shinn's mood is suddenly very blunt, still misremembering that smug look on Cagalli's face. How she faked tears to get to him. Typical aristocrat.

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian chuckl- no, she laughs. Softly. But it is a laugh. 'Special'? He thinks he's special? She just so happens to recognize his voice as she passed by. It was complete coincidence. It wasn't a destiny or fate for her to meet him here. But she'll indulge him. It's nice for kids to be a little innocent. Unmarred by ravages of war or adulthood.

She stops herself from laughing, and nurses her coffee. There's a beat, and when she finally rests her cup on the table, she speaks, "I just want to get to know a fellow Gundam pilot. You can humor me that much, can't you?"

She's entrapping him.

Marian is however, already aware of the Gaia Sabers' involvement in the upcoming wedding. She's already making plans for it. SAL's involvement would be news to her, however, whenever she finds out in the future. While the 'Shinn Incident' is not something she's learned, she's certainly learned of the other incident involving a certain Nergal pilot.

"A conversation is all I'm after," she reassures him once more. And certainly, she doesn't have any ulterior motive for approaching him. "I'm Marian Cross. Orb NDF. Commander," she introduces herself. Her formal rank too, for once. But the 'Hero of Orb' is notably absent in her introduction, as she waits for Shinn's.

<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.

Turning bright red, Shinn stops when he hears her laugh -at- him. "Hey! Why are you laughing at me?!"

It was true that Shinn was a little innocent. He was just out of the academy in fact. How he got this far in ZAFT is somewhat of a mystery to him when he bothers to think it through. Most times he just chalked it up to hard work. That's why that laugh makes his blood boil somewhat. Still he calms down when she stays on wanting a conversation with him.

"Alright...I guess I can give you that much. I guess." He says like a child who is being forced to eat his vegetables. Unaware of the real trap this woman is luring him into. He wasn't experienced enough to see things like that.

"Shinn Asuka, ZAFT Special Forces." Shinn responds evenly, narrowing his eyes at the word 'Orb'. "Oh I see...Did -she- send you? Look I already said I was sorry."

He didn't.

Shinn finishes his espresso, setting the cup down as his crosses his arms. He is clearly uncomfortable now, feeling like all of Orb is out to open wounds he thought were closed. Instead, it feels like the whole country was out to really get under his skin. "If it's about my family, I don't need or want anything from -her-. She knows exactly how I feel about this whole damn country and her family for that matter."

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

This time though, Marian chuckles. "I just think you're cute. That's all."

She hummed and nods when Shinn agreed to humor her. "Thank you." 'How easy', she thought.

"Nice to meet you, Shinn," she says in return. But ZAFT Special Forces... This kid, huh? She'll acknowledge his skills. She's seen him in battle, if only briefly. She's not happy that kids as young as him is stepping foot on the battlefield, but he's not her child. Fighting as hard as she could so no other kid need to fight is all she could do.

But then, 'she'... Who is Shinn referring to? She tilted her head at that.

Shinn continues on and Marian listens intently. She couldn't grasp Shinn's full story. His mention of family doesn't raise dots for her to connect. Marian knew nothing of Shinn. But the way he speaks of the country and her family... It was clear he's talking about Cagalli.

She returns to what he said earlier to pry, "sorry? What for? Did she forgive you for what you did?" She maintains a casual, but concerning tone as she asks. Concern for him, not Cagalli. Falsified concern, but he doesn't need to know that.

<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.

"Cute?" He raises a brow, trying to look tough despite how much she was getting to him. He wasn't cute. -He- was a soldier and the chosen pilot of the Impulse Gundam. Cute wasn't the term for it. Still Shinn did find himself blushing slightly as that word kept repeating in his head.

For the moment, he just sits there, looking across from her as she analyzes him. While she is still very suspicious, Shinn admits that she didn't seem like a bad person. Just infuriating. Like an Aunt or something that is pulling your cheek on your birthday. "Ah! Why should she have to?! She's the one whose family got us pulled into that invasion! The ones that got my family killed!" He is an open book when it comes to this. Maybe with other things but particularly his past. "Damn ideals didn't do a damn thing in the end."

He does note that concerning tone, dropping his guard ever so slightly. That furious brow of him easing up as he gestures for another espresso from the staff. "It doesn't matter. As soon as the Minerva leaves, I'm out of here. Never looking back."

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian reach for her cup for another couple sips. There's a knowing smile when Shinn echoes the word. But she doesn't press. She doesn't know how much teasing he can take just yet. She'll just let it end here. For now.

Marian is not sorry for feeling like an Aunt that teases Shinn. He's just making it too easy to do so. He's practically welcoming it!

The mention of the invasion, and how his family's gotten killed though, changes Marian's demeanor completely. Like a flick of the switch, from a teasing, if not flirty mood to a serious, somber one. Her practiced smile turning into a frown. The feeling of guilt she's had buried, for being powerless. For not being able to save more lives, resurfaces. And Shinn's family...is another victim of her failures.

"...I'm sorry," she offers. "...so many died because we couldn't protect them. As soldiers, we've failed. ...I failed." She says. She not making excuses. On the contrary, she's taking on the blame. Dangerously so.

"But these ideals are what keeps Orb the way it is," she returns. She's not being combative, after learning of Shinn's family. But she's still defending Orb's ideals. The ideals she has absolute faith in. "These ideals are what allows for peaceful co-existence between Naturals and Coordinators. Without these ideals, we'd be no better than savage beasts."

She doesn't say anything though when Shinn speaks of the Minerva. She's learned from Flay that people like her, like him, set in their ways, isn't going to change that easily. If they wish to return, that's a decision they'll have to come to themselves.

<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.

This isn't the first time that someone tested Shinn's limits. It was something that Agnes girl did at the academy all the time. Even Lunamaria would sometimes tease him for his...quirks. For a lone wolf, Shinn had a lot of people who were comfortable enough to poke and prod him.

He was not welcoming it. At least he'd never admit that! Never in a million years!

But the mood of the conversation has changed with the mention of his past. Shinn has even eased up as he stares into the middle distance. He can still see their bodies laying there. His mother's arm a few feet from her body. His father's twisted form. His sister's crushed body. Shinn shivers, breathing slowly as he tries to shake the images that flood into his mind. "It's fine...No, it is not. I don't understand why they had to die when we weren't even combatants. We were powerless." He is almost in a trance as he says these words. "That's why I joined Zaft...I don't want to be powerless. I want this all to stop."

But Marian's next words snap him out of it, a burning anger rushing to his face again. "That's bullshit! If this country had been proactive! If the damn -Athhas- had done something--! They'd....They would be..." Shinn clicks his tounge as he tries to push it all down again, slamming his fist on the table in frustration. "This country sat by until their enemies stormed this country and we payed for it!"

"If that is what Orb is then I HATE ORB" Shinn says absolutely, looking Marian in the eyes. Angry eyes filled with more sorrow than Shinn can even register. "Even if I have to work all my life..I'll be strong so I can keep this tragedy from happening to someone else."

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

"...They weren't supposed to die. There was no meaning to it. Just pointless slaughter. And we couldn't stop it," Marian says in a matched tone. "Even my squad..." She grips her cup hard at that. Making it tremble and threatening to spill its contents. His reason for joining ZAFT...mirrors Marian's return to Orb NDF.

Shinn raised his voice though, and that made Marian feeling combative. She wasn't going to allow that challenge to go uncontested. But she doesn't raise her own voice. It's a public space, after all. It would reflect badly on her. But more importantly, unsettle everyone else. And with the loud slam on the table, one that's starting to cause a scene... She stared at him. A neutral but firm expression. A stare with the message of 'you'd better not do that again'. She then allowed a moment of silence to linger...

And finally replies, "...and what would you have us do? Deal the first strike? Become the aggressor? Do you want some other family to die because of our actions?"

'I hate Orb'... Those weren't words she'd ever wanted to hear. She can only offer an expression of disappointment, perhaps not at Shinn, but at her own country, at herself, for allowing Shinn to feel that way. Even so, she can feel that sorrow within his eyes. She takes another sip of her coffee. The bitterness is even stronger now.

Still, she encourages his determination. ZAFT, SAL, Gaia Sabers, or whatever. The last organizations she wants someone to be in - especially not someone who was formerly of Orb's. She still encourage him, with her eyes gazing into her cup, "you're fighting for the wrong side. But...if ZAFT is the only place you can see yourself become stronger, then keep fighting."

Then she locks her eyes with Shinn's, and with no hesitancy in her voice, "just know if you ever raise your gun at Orb. I will shoot you down."

With that, she takes a final sip of her coffee and throwing her head back to reach the bottom. And almost as if she didn't just threaten Shinn's life, she simply smiled at him. Returning an empty cup onto the table, before the chair underneath her creaks as she slides off of it. "I'll see you around, Shinn Asuka."

There's another casual wave, and then she makes her way home.

Shinn Asuka. It'll be another name she remember.

<Pose Tracker> Shinn Asuka has posed.

Marian's words make Shinn freeze, seething at her answers. There was no reason. While it was the truth, Shinn would never accept that because it almost made his family feel meaningless. It was extremely childish but Shinn still was a child in a lot of ways. It was why at another table a certain blonde was watching, keeping his distance.

But her reaction to his tantrum turned Shinn's blood cold. He stopped, unclenching his fist but keeping his look fierce like a cornered animal. "I...I don't know yet but I will find a way."

Shinn hears her next words and the threat that comes after. He straightens up, baring his teeth. "You're welcome to try." Somehow the cornered animal found his nerve again, glaring at the woman as she downs her coffee. "Have a good day," is said in the most disrespectful tone he can muster.

If this woman came for him, he wouldn't back down. Not with his ideals on the line.