2022-10-04: An Overdue Present

• Cast: Emilia Eschonbach, Sousuke Sagara, Kaname Chidori
• Where: Ashford Academy
• Date: U.C. 0096 10 04
• Summary: Kaname and Sousuke go visit Ashford to follow up with Emilia, on an overdue present; on a request from their friends to check on her; and on simple friendly concern. They help, question mark?

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<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       Ashford Academy is busily gathering for dinner, after another busy school day. Well, most of it is. There's always an outlier. And that outlier is somewhere outside in the cooling weather, in the dimming light of the setting sun. Emilia is good at finding places to hide when she doesn't want to be noticed. Traffic around the entrance is a little busy, with students going home or going out for the evening, so she's avoiding it. Instead, in a nice little blind spot, she sits perched on the edge of the wall, under a bridge. A wall to her right is covered in a number of little marks, but no one seems to pay much attention.

       Tonight's dinner? Cheese flavoured CalorieMark she got on sale, and a cucumber soda- warm, because she's avoiding the Student Council room and it's fridge. Is it good? Well. Depends on your taste in good. But if it means avoiding the dining room and the risk of seeing Milly, it's fine. It's definitely fine. She just has to wait it out. That's all she has to do.

       The problem with a well hidden hiding spot that you travel to regularly is someone with the correct training- or dog like instinct- can find it pretty easily and not even notice it's hidden. She's not even hiding her trail, after all.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke Sagara is both a dog and an extremely talented hide and seek champion. Also, extremely well-trained in locating concealed assailants. It is not his most difficult task.

Why is he here? Well, he had...a reason....yes. Kaname's the one who yelled it at the customs agent, Sousuke was preoccupied with fearing she might finally get sick of him enough to insert him into a tank of piranhas.

Nonetheless; a shadow falls across Emilia's dinner. Its owner rises tall as Sousuke Sagara, in the black jacket of Jindai High's autumn uniform. "Good evening, Emilia," he says. He has the very faint smile he has started wearing in social situations. "I've been meaning to speak with you."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

It was briefly after Kaname yelled at Sousuke about standing Emilia up at her birthday party and made a certain soldier agree to apologize to her, that Emilia had... a bit of an issue at the cosplay contest. So...

It's a good time to talk about that, too. She could probably use someone to talk to, Kaname figured.

Now, she's close behind Sousuke as he finds Emmy, still likewise dressed in her uniform. "Um... hey," she says gently, a small smile on her face. "Hope we're not interrupting too much! We were, uh, both hoping to talk with you, actually."

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       There are... very suddently too people in her hidden spot. She looks up as Sousuke is just *there*. She seems a little startled, only to calm down when she sees it's Sousuke. She does swallow the mouthful of caloriemark.

       It's when Kaname peeks out from behind him she startles a little more openly and knocks over her (thankfully still closed) soda. One person is lots, two is even more than that.

       "M-Mr Sagara, Vice P-President Chidori..." She'd had email correspondence in her official capacity, but had never actually met the other young woman face to face, apart from seeing her from a distance during the openmeeting.

       She blinks a bit. They... both want to talk to her? Automatically, her eyes go to her feet. "...D-Did I ... m-make a mistake w-w-with the GUTS f-funds?" That has to be the only reason why, right? Of course she did. She never deserved that trust, did she? "I-I'm sorry, I'll g-get it fixed r-right away-"

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke's this-passes-for-friendly-usually face drops to a more confused, serious look. "Not that I'm aware of, no," he says. "Rest assured that His Excellency," which is how Sousuke refers to Jindai President Hayashimizu for some god damn reason, "would not send me to address such a thing as a first communication."

...well he is the head of security, apparently.

"Actually, the fault is mine." He brings up his school bag and flips it open, turning it to rummage around. "Some weeks ago, I had intended to attend a party held in your honor, but I'm afraid obligations with my part-time job prevented my attendance. I do apologize. And..."

(He didn't tell Kaname about this part. Oh no. What's next)

He pulls out what appears to be a jewelry box from his bag.

(OH NO)

"This is for you."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname's about to speak when Sousuke does.

She immediately regrets not talking over him. She shoots him a glare, first--his 'part-time job'... she doesn't have enough time to feel bad about giving him so much shit when *that* was why, because he pulls out a jewelry box.

"Ara?" Her eyes retreat to dots, her mouth gawping.

How well does he know this girl? How is this in any way appropriate? What the hell is he TRYING to do?!

Surely he can't be coming onto her, but... better nip this in the bud before Emmy runs off.

Whipping her harisen out of her bag, Kaname smacks the jewelry box out of Sousuke's hand into her waiting palm below. "What the *hell* are you doing, Sousuke?!" She turns to Emmy. "Sorry about that... He's, uh... got some problems when it comes what's socially appropriate..."

Carefully, she opens the box, like she's half-expecting it to be booby-trapped.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       Emilia is also seems weirdly... plussed. "O-oh, it's f-f-fine." Honestly she looks a little boosted that he remembered at all. Still her mood is very low. "Th-that's fine. Ev-vent security seems l-like... you w-w-work when there are sh-shifts." She pauses, avoiding eye contact. "My j-j-jobs are the same." Except hers are somehow dodgier.

       Emilia's eyes do widen slightly. She is not making the same connections Kaname is making. "O-oh..." She pauses. "I'm... n-not sure I sh-should-" No, Sousuke doesn't know. No one apart from Banagher and Ranka might. "Um. Neverm-mind..."

       And then outcomes the Harisen and Emmy pulls back, as the box is knocked out of Sousuke's hands. She looks a bit stunned, but her gaze tracks between Sousuke and Kaname. "Wh-wh-what's wrong?" She genuinely seems to be missing the implications here. "I d-didn't... s-see anything inappropriate...?"

       I mean, what, is she supposed to think he's proposing? There hasn't even been a marriage interview! Or her grandfather ordering her to marry someone!

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke has his hands smacked with a sound like a whipcrack. He says, "Ow," like he accidentally kicked a rock. But like, with his shoes on, so more an observation of a physical stimulus than actual pain?

The box flies in an elegant arc landing directly into Kaname's hands. Sousuke shakes his hands out a little while she opens it. He completely does not respond to Kaname's slightly left-handed excuse for him. That one's just true, honestly.

Inside the box is... a simple gold-colored bracelet band, and a pair of charm earrings. One with a star and one with a moon.

Sousuke explains, "The star earring is a portable flashbang. Simply remove it from the chain and throw it and three seconds later it will release a blinding flash of light and sound able to disorient most on-foot attackers. Unfortunately, making it powerful enough to defeat mechanical flare protection would make it too bulky. That's what the moon is for. That one contains a payload of condensed Minovsky particles capable of interfering with electronic surveillance out to a radius of - depending on prevailing atmospheric conditions - approximately 50 meters, for approximately 30 seconds."

Assuming he's allowed to continue, he adds, "The bracelet contains a transmitter which will broadcast your location on the encrypted channel on the included paper. There's a switch on the inside surface to turn it on or off, depending on your needs."

He turns to more directly address Emilia. He has that faint smile of his again. He's proud of himself. "I have learned through hard experience that even in a civilian setting, a young woman occasionally confronts danger. I hope this will give you additional confidence to go about your days safely."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname glares at Sousuke as he starts to explain, slumping over in resignation and frustration a little more with each point he outlines.

She's got half a mind to suplex him where he stands--or better yet, throw the flashbang--but they're *here* for a *reason*. So instead, she just snaps the case shut. "Sousuke, *I* don't need things like this, and I'm--" She stops herself and gestures toward Emmy with the box, "What makes you think SHE will?! And you KNOW unauthorized Minovsky emissions are illegal!" Leaving aside, of course, that the authorities would have a hard time tracking down something at this size... but why didn't she get one of these? The earrings are kinda cute, as dumb as all of this is...

"Still..." She calms down, no longer looking like she's about to bite Sousuke's head off. She looks over at Emmy, holding the box out to her. "It's not a *terrible* idea, if you're worried about that kinda stuff. Anyway, this isn't about the budget or anything."

She takes a seat nearby. "You were kinda having a rough time at the cosplay competition... so I thought I'd come along with Sousuke and see how you were doing."

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       Emmy blinks a few times, as Sousuke explains, and when she sees the set- "...O-oh!" They're... really quite pretty. They won't quite match the bracelet Shari gave her, but... She takes the box when offered to her. It seems to take her a while to respond to Kaname's arguments. "A-actually..." She looks down at her phone. Phones. One is far too bulky with an after market add on. "I'm... being t-tracked anyway." She looks at the bracelet. And the frequency. It might be nice to have control over WHO tracks her...

       No. Nevermind. The person she'd trust is...

       "...And th-the earrings. Um." Is this too much to admit to Kaname? Not really. "Um. O-one of my j-jobs. Is in a... r-risky p-part of t-town." It might not matter much longer. "S-so, u-um. It. M-might be u-useful." She looks embarrassed, but... "I-I'm safer from m-manhunters or kn-kn-knightpolice than some students but... wh-who knows when the Black Knights m-might attack."

       Indeed, Emmy seems almost more comfortable with Sousuke's way of thinking than Kaname's... but then she Kaname catches her with the pageant. "Oo-oh. Y-y-y-you saw th-th-that." She's avoiding eye contact intensely. "It's- It's f-f-f-fine. It d-d-d-doesn't. D-d-doesn't..."

       A small part of her thinks about using that flashbang now, and running for it.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke, who has NO sense of timing, notes to Kaname, "I actually had a similar set prepared for you, but it was..."

Destroyed in the chaos of the A21 incident. Hm. Can't say that one out loud.

"... ...lost in transit."

Yes. Perfect.

Regarding Emilia, he frowns just a little. Being tracked...? She brushes past it briskly enough he doesn't spin up his full absurd scenarios apparatus in time. That just means it will be extra ridiculous when he loops back around. He does not quite think to glance to Kaname, who is technically now a coconspirator on Absurd Things Sousuke Can Do About Unequal Powers Problems. He'll get used to that eventually. He curls his chin in his fingers, thinking deeply. Almost so deeply he misses Kaname's change of topic. But not quite!

"It did seem rather trying," he agrees with Kaname, then turns his attention on Emilia again. As always his attentive gaze is a piercing one, steel gray eyes not shy about continuing to look.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname smiles a little at Sousuke. She's glad his thinking was *right* for once, but... part of her wonders if the encouragement is gonna bite her in the ass later. She glances around, wondering if they're being tracked *now*, but... "Well... hopefully that'll help, then." Jeez, this already sounds pretty serious...

She nods to Sousuke's comment. "I get it... at least, kind of. I play softball back at Jindai, and the pressure when things are tense... it can be hard not to crumble."

She smiles. "Honestly... you looked great out there, and I think you showed a lot of courage going out there at all. I hope nobody's been giving you any trouble over it..."

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       Emmy falls deathly quiet as she's praised for trying. That's not how it works, though. Trying isn't enough. It's never enough. Trying and failing is proof you aren't fit. She's closed the box, and her hands are fidgeting with it.r
       "It's. It's not about th-the pressure..." The pressure was a lot of though. "I... c-c-couldn't change..." The thin veneer she had put up about being okay is cracking and shattering. "I shouldn't have... I-It was a m-mistake..."r
       Nobody had been given her trouble over it to her face. But the rumourmill was in swing now. She heard people whispering behind her back. "I c-couldn't..." Why is she even unloading this on these two. (Because she's een denying herself access to anyone else.)

       "I'm t-t-too weak... J-Just like. J-j-just like Grandf-father said..." How could she ever escape his shadow, how could she ever take her father's name...

       She must be disappointing both her parents right now...

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Kaname provides comfort. She showed courage. This is true, after a fashion. But...

Sousuke's eyes turn up. He looks Emilia dead in the eyes.

"You're right," Sousuke says, simply. Completely calm.

"Stepping forth into a battlefield you are unprepared for is tantamount to suicide. Danger lurks around every corner and ignorance is worse than no excuse. It is a weapon your enemies can and will use to end your life." Sousuke is EXTREMELY not talking about botched public speech episodes right now.

"However, you are alive." His head tips, just slightly, a thought working through his head. His eyes bore into hers. "There is no such thing as deserving or not deserving to live, to see the end of the battle. You are here, still, and this means that you still have the power to change your fate."

His eyes grow distant, slicing away. "I have faced such failures. I have battled men who bested me and should have sent me to my grave."

Like, in paintball, right? (Not even slightly)

"Instead, I was permitted to live, and I used that life to better myself. And, I have come very far because of that."

Again, his eyes turn to her.

"The Emilia at the Cosplay Competition was too weak. Perhaps the one before me now still is. But tomorrow's, or next week's, does not have to be. You are fortunate. You have time to improve yourself before you next confront the battlefield. I truly believe that you can."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname is quiet as Sousuke starts to speak. There's no annoyance on her face, none of the frustration. She knows he's serious. Very serious... though, it's showing just how little she knows about him, at the same time.

Emilia may think he's being overdramatic... but... that hardly seems to matter, right now.

"... He's right. I don't know who this grandfather of yours is, but he sounds like an ass. Being weak is the first step to getting stronger. Getting *better*. Sousuke's an *incredible* shot, but he wasn't born that way!"

...

"Okay, I can't actually rule that one out. Bad example. Look. The point is, you aren't *stuck*. You need to build yourself up. Get better. Get *stronger*. Don't stop until you can prove that old man wrong."

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       Emmy's stopped looking at anything other than her conversation powers now. Her eyes are widening as the two of them speak things she probably needed to hear.

       At no point does it occur to her to question Sousuke's presentation as anything but literal truth. But both of them hit on points that hit her hard. In her life as a student, and her life as a Black Knight. Not that either of them would know. The way the purple haired girl is looking at Sousuke and Kaname as if they have descended from the mountains to grant her ancient knowledge.

       After all, no right thinking Britannian would consider that the weak aren't born weak, so that the strong may rule.

%"...H-he is." Emilia responds to Kaname's comment. "A-a-and he h-has p-power." And he's a murderer. She takes a deep breath. How does she become stronger? Kallen could teach her how to pilot better. And that Savage from the tournament felt... right. And maybe Professor Martel would be able to teach her how to fight better. She knows how to study, but..

       That's not how you strengthen your heart, is it?

       Emmy's very quiet for a moment. "...Mr Sagara, V-Vice-President Chidori. Can I ask you a question th-that stays between us?" There's a few very tense beats, then...

       "How... H-How do I t-tell a girl I l-l-love her?"

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Ah. Yeah. A motherfucker for sure, Kaname concludes. She makes a mental note of that.

"Of course," she echoes Sousuke's assent... and is met with a challenging question. It's the sort of thing she has to think about, and she looks over at Sousuke as she does, in part expectantly.

That helpless, clueless look is met with a stare. Her lips press together, mouth set slightly to one side. Whatever she was expecting to get from Sousuke just now... she absolutely did not get it.

Giving him a side-eyed 'we'll talk about this LATER' glare, she looks back at Emmy. "Well... some of it depends on the person you love. But I think... if it were me... the most important thing is to be honest, and direct. Don't just give her a note and walk away, though, or leave one in her shoe locker or something. You've gotta *tell her*. Otherwise the waiting's gonna drive you nuts. Just... tell her how you feel. In your words. And don't try to dress it up too much. If she's worth it, she'll pick up on the emotions behind your words. Even if you can't *say* love, or be totally direct... talk about what gives you that fluttery feeling in your chest. The things that make her worth being around."

She puts up one finger in a sort of warning gesture. "But be ready for her not to feel the same way. If you're good friends already, that probably won't change, but... confessing your feelings is always a bit of a risk." She smiles a bit wider. "If she really means that much to you, though... the risk is worth it."

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       Emilia seems... confused by Sousuke's reaction, she just doesn't voice why yet. It's Kaname who has the advice, and Emmy looks down again.

       "...I t-tried. To b-be direct." It's now she's realizing they don't understand what the struggle at the pageant was. Maybe then it wasn't as public a failure as she feared... but still. "...When Sheryl a-asked... the p-person we were e-entering for."

       Kaname wants her to be direct but... "I don't know... I can be th-that b-bold. Th-there's..." She stops again. "...Th-there's rules. About c-commoners and n-nobles. I d-don't know h-how to... get th-through them. And th-then there's... arr--anged marriages..." Britannian society is, sadly, a lot more complicated than Japanese society here. "It's... Grandfather would n-never let me h-have any say in th-that. And I th-think her m-mother would disapprove. I-I'm a c-commoner... A-and my Grandfather sabotaged her f-family." At least that's what Milly said.

       She slumps, looking defeated again. "S-Sorry. I j-j-just hoped a c-couple like you w-w-would... know what to do."

<Pose Tracker> Sophia Mayhew Castellan has posed.

Kaname handles it with aplomb. Sousuke knew he could trust her. He doesn't...understand, a lot of this. Love - the kind of love Emilia's talking about - is a concept he's only brushed up against, seen the silhouette of it in the lives and words of men he's known. Kalinin says he loved his wife, his friends at school say they love one or the other person sometimes. Shinji now has a Ranka Lee poster he apparently printed out from a message board.

Love. Yet another thing of peace he's never seen.

Emilia calls them a couple. Sousuke glances at Kaname, briefly, and looks...mostly like he's not sure what's going on in his own head, for a few seconds. He scratches the side of his jaw, around where that scar is.

Then he says nothing on the subject.

Instead, he says, "It is true that power inequities can rapidly bring about serious domestic strife, even among peaceful couples. And societies that deal in arranged marriage with any frequency have quite strict rules about it..."

"Nonetheless."

He manages to put some steel back in his shoulders. "A part of strength is being able to proceed even without perfect understanding. Understand yourself and as much of the situation as you can. And then, strike. Nobody can say with certainty what is around the next corner."

He scratches his cheek again, eyes flicking to Kaname for just a moment, before he says, much MUCH less certainly, "And...it seems to me, that leaving something unsaid would be a terrible burden, even if it is futile."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

"We're..." Kaname thinks a moment, and falls quiet. She's not sure what they are, and 'it's complicated' isn't really a great answer when neither of them has actually defined it. It's something to touch on later.

They'll talk about it later.

She purses her lips. "I think that was part of what went wrong, Emilia. You made a huge leap, and you made it too fast. Big public stuff isn't gonna get you an honest answer, either... there's a lot of pressure there."

"Hum... this is a lot more complicated than I expected... gonna be a challenge to navigate, but." She puts her fist in her palm, brightening up. "But it's a classic romance story! Two girls from different social strata, linked across the chasm of class by their love." Her eyes twinkle. "We'll help!" she concludes, volunteering Sousuke alongside her.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       As Sousuke puts out his tactical view of the situation, Emilia does her best to take it in. She can follow instructions well enough, but she's not a strong planner on her own. She's sure Zero would have no problem with orchestrating something like this.

       She does not know that anyone who knew the truth would be laughing hysterically at that thought.

       She mulls over a particular phrase longer than the others. A part of strength is being able to proceed without perfect understanding... Can she gain that part of strength?

       And then Kaname tells her \what went wrong, and she nods. "...I t-tried to be. Like h-her." She admits it openly. "I w-w-wasn't planning to b-but... if I d-didn't..." She falls quiet again. She would have lost even worse? Milly would have been disappointed in her? She wouldn't have changed, or... "...It. Might h-have b-been. My only ch-chance."

       And then she is extended a hand a line of help. "Y-you will? R-really?" She stares a little bit in disbelief of the two. But.. Emilia Eschonbach has learned something in her time at Ashford Academy.

       "Th-thank you."Her mouth breaks into a weak but genuine smile.

       She's learned how to take a hand that is being offered to her.