2024-08-19: A Transparent Dialogue

• Log: 2024-08-19 A Transparent Dialogue
• Cast: Marian Cross, Sheryl Nome
• Where: A hospital in Frontier
• OOC - IC Date: August 19, UC 0099
• Summary: Marian pulls some strings to arrange herself a hospital visit for Sheryl Nome. They don't exactly hit it off, but this might just be the seed for a future alliance.

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<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Security was tough for Marian in the Frontier Fleet. Her being who she is - an officer of Orb's NDF - when she decided to pay the Galactic Fairy a visit. She met Sheryl back at Ruri's birthday party, ignorant of Sheryl's identity as an idol at the time. She doesn't really listen to music and is completely unfamiliar with the idol scene. It was only until the Vajra attack on Lagos that she realized who she was. To this point, she recognized the value Sheryl could bring her when it comes to making connections... So she looked into her. Utilizing her connections with Orb's nobles and eventually, one of them returned with the info she needed to get in touch.

A few greased hands here and there, and not before too long, she managed to get in touch with Sheryl's manager.

She was a tough woman to deal with. And was justifiably suspicious of Marian's motives. But Marian thankfully had the excuse of meeting her in Orb prior to the attack, and she is just here to visit a 'friend'.

Marian had some magazines in hand. Their edges slightly wrinkled from travel and getting through security. She's dressed in a simple white button-up shirt and high-waisted pants that flared at the ends when the door to Sheryl's room opens and meet her gaze.

"Good morning, Sheryl. That fall didn't leave a scar on your pretty skin, did it?" she says in jest with a little chuckle. She wasn't trying to flirt, but it could be misconstrued that way. "It's good to see you up." There's a little beat, then she offered, "...I'm sorry for what happened."

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Grace is of course busy managing not just Sheryl but also Ranka, and with Ranka not recuperating from several broken limbs and still actively working, it's only natural that she'd be spending more time managing her. However, that doesn't mean she isn't keeping an eye on Sheryl--and on those who'd like to see the Galactic Fairy while she's recuperating. There's one name in particular, not especially noteworthy on its own but rather on who's helping push it forward, that she gets in touch with Sheryl about.
        
        "Marian Cross?" Sheryl echoes, eyebrows furrowed at the holo-image of Grace emanating from her taiyaki phone. "Who's that?"
        
        "You don't know her? Apparently you met at Ruri's sweet sixteen," Grace replies, eyebrows raised. "I already found her a bit suspicious; do you want me to send her away?"
        
        "Marian Cross, Marian Cross... Oh! I remember now! That was the military lady whose Nergal friends wanted her to get some fresh air. Yeah, we chatted for a bit," Sheryl says. "I'm surprised she wants to come visit. I didn't get the impression she knew who I was when we met."
        
        "She's certainly realized since then," Grace says.
        
        "Hmmm... I doubt she's suddenly a fan, but I didn't get the impression from her that she was interested in schmoozing with celebrities, either. I wonder what she wants," she muses. "Why not? Send her over, Grace. I'm curious."
        
        "All right, if you're sure..."
        
        ~ * ~
        
        And so, when Marian arrives at the hospital and is directed to the top floor where the VIP suites are, then opens up the door, she'll find that Sheryl is sitting upright in bed, waiting for her. She greets her with a smile. Her strawberry blonde curls are tied back, and her make-up has been applied with a light touch--enough to make her look bright and awake. Both legs and her right arm are up in casts, but her left arm is in good condition.
        
        So are the many bouquets, cards, gift baskets, plushies, and other get-well gifts from her fans decorating the room. A bedside stand sports a glass of water and a stand from which her fold quartz earring hangs, and she has a couple of remote controls in reach, one of which being for the HDTV mounted on the wall across from her. It's almost more like a hotel room than a hospital room, really, with how plush the seats and even couch are, how elegantly the walls are decorated and how spacious the personal bathroom is. The wall-wide windows are draped with velvet curtains, even. But there's no mistaking the casts, or the IV drips, or the heart monitor, or the various other medical equipment. She's at least graduated from the medicated bandages--thankfully, her alabaster skin was saved.
        
        "See for yourself," Sheryl thus declares, draping her good arm outwards for Marian to see for herself. "Now I'm just waiting for these silly breaks to heal." She gestures at her other arm and legs. Her smile turns a touch sardonic at Marian's condolences. "Me too! I hate having so much down time. I've gotten plenty of gifts, and a friend sent me a new show to watch, but I'd rather be out there doing things." She shakes her head. "So! What brings you by for this 'casual' visit?"

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

The room is indeed grand, at least for a hospital room. The roomy surrounding, the large TV, couches and all too! But Marian briefly takes in the view of the room and not dwell on it. She wasn't greeted to a luxury like this when she awoke from her two years of coma. Just goes to show what an empty title 'Hero' really was.

The mountain of gifts she sees doesn't surprise her, however. Sheryl being an idol and all. It was a right decision to try and get closer to her. If only she knew back then exactly who she was dealing with... So she just navigates towards her beside, where her good arm is, of course, and placed the magazines she brought with her. Fashion magazines, she hoped would help stave off boredom or depressing thoughts. But seemed to her Sheryl is doing just fine without. "Just a little something, in case you get bored of watching...shows."

She looks at the TV, a little stumped. Another aspect of civilian life she's not familiar with.

She turns around then and finds a chair, and pulling it up besides Sheryl's bed. A sympathetic smile as she gets seated, and crosses her legs. "Just here to see how you're holding up. I barely know you and you already got in an accident before you could perform in Orb." She idly adjusts her cuffs as she continues, "...I was in the same place as you. I was in a coma for two years... Thought you might need someone to talk to, but it seemed you're handling things way better than I am- did."

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl certainly doesn't mind gifts, and fashion magazines are sure to stave off boredom--in between watching TV, movies, and resting, that is. Being laid up in bed is shockingly exhausting work--though Marian probably would be less shocked than most, given what she says.
        
        "Thanks," she thus says. She blinks at the stare Marian gives the TV, though. "What, do you not watch shows yourself?"
        
        Her smile turns sardonic. "You still barely know me. I performed in Orb three years ago, during my Earth Sphere Global Tour. Mid-June, 0096, if memory doesn't fail. I performed in Lagos too back then. I did a repeat last month, but for my new tour, I was planning on otherwise doing new locations." She shrugs. "But if you're not into concerts, that probably doesn't mean much to you."
        
        When Marian brings up her coma, though, Sheryl's expression turns sympathetic. This, to her, is a much more believable reason for Marian to be visiting her than because she has any interest in her as a performer. "I'm guessing that's where you got your scars? Though as a military woman, I'm sure you had plenty of opportunities for that." She leans back in her pillow. "I've had a few friends come by and visit, and that's helped a lot. Plus, I only lost two weeks of time, though that was bad enough. Two years... That must've been unbelievably rough."

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian snickered. "No. Even at the orphanage, all I did growing up was chores and picking fights for fun. I don't get what's fun about TVs." She says. She's certainly not a technophobe, however. She just doesn't comprehend the 'fun' aspects of certain things that's just common for most people.

But she flashed a wry smile, as Sheryl called her out on her ignorance. No point in trying to hide it now, then. "You're right. I don't know you, and I don't really care for concerts." She got up from her chair, leaving it there by her bed as she moves towards the window. Watching her own reflection and Sheryl's within the skyline. "...but I was on a mission the other day. To destroy a Vajra nest. Your friend was there," she noted. "You idol girls sure have a thing for the Vajra..." She continued a little accusingly. A hint of something more behind her tone.

A quiet nod when Sheryl asks of her scars. While the heavy marring could be cosmetically removed... The injuries goes deeper than skin deep. Leaving them as is is a reminder of her failures. But... "you're lucky," she says plainly when Sheryl mentions her friends. "I have no one like that. But I'm happy you do. Two years was nothing though. ...It's what coming out of it the part that's rough. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone."

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "If that's your attitude, no wonder you had no idea who I was," Sheryl says with a dry smile. An orphanage, huh... It sounds like all they have in common are depressing things. Though in Sheryl's case, she didn't even get to go to an orphanage. Whether that's better or worse than what happened to her, she doesn't know and she doesn't try to press.
        
        Even that dry smile drains, though, when Marian brings up the Vajra. Sheryl has lots of friends, but the way she talks makes it clear she's talking about Ranka. Her eyes narrow. That accusatory hint, and the way she calls them 'idol girls' like they're just flash-in-the-pan entertainers, rubs her the wrong way. Does she also think that she controlled the Vajra? Does she think the two of them are involved with them for fun?
        
        So when Marian tries to claim she's happy she has friend and empathize with her lost time--and maybe she's being sincere on those points--Sheryl's unmoved this time. She leans a curled hand on the side of her head. "Okay. Let's stop messing around, Marian. What do you want out of me? Trying to butter me up isn't going to make me like you, so you may as well just say it."

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

She tilted her head and looks at Sheryl - who is currently addressing her dismissively - instead of her reflection. "And here I am, trying to be friendly. Maybe I really am not cut out for making friends," she shrugged. And a smile tinged with defeat. "Very well, this is easier anyway."

Marian then fully turned back towards Sheryl as she walk towards her. When she reached the chair, she spun it around, and straddles it. "I heard the rumors. Even in the military, I hear gossip about how you can control the Vajra and whatnot." She then leans her arms on the back rest and matching Sheryl's posture. "I don't care for the poison the media or the paparazzi spew. I don't believe you can control the Vajra," she explained, her tone firm throughout. "Like I said, I was on the mission with your friend there. I've seen what her singing did. It wasn't control. It was...something else."

"And I want to find out what. And if that's gonna help fight the Vajra." There's another confident smile as she tries to convince Sheryl.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "If you're only being friendly because you want to get something out of someone else, then yeah, I'd say you're not cut out for making friends," Sheryl replies bluntly. This is the Galactic Fairy who sometimes says too much during her interviews--a rarer sight now than it was three years ago, before she met Alto and Ranka, but still very much alive and well.
        
        Her smile returns, tight and sour, when Marian tries the tactic of saying of course she doesn't believe the rumors and gossip. But Sheryl hasn't already forgotten that accusatory note, so she's not so easily snowed over. "You're right. My singing doesn't do anything to the Vajra. I wouldn't have had one buzz up and try to eat me otherwise," she says, stony and even. "Of course, even that's not enough to convince some idiots, who insist either I'm incompetent or I must've been faking it. Because obviously I wanted to be laid up on a hospital bed for months on end!"
        
        Her blue eyes flicker at the mention of the effect Ranka's song had on the Vajra, though. That it wasn't control, but something else. As much as she doesn't trust Marian at this point, that's a bulls-eye for her.
        
        "I'd like to find that out myself, frankly. What did you see?" she wonders--and something in her face and her voice might cotton Marian on to the idea that she's not trying to stonewall her here, that she actually does want to know.

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian chuckled. Sheryl hit the nail on the head when she pointed out her facade. Marian wasn't always like this. It wasn't until she was thrusted into this role of being the 'Hero' that she started putting up this mask. She used to be like the Sheryl she's seeing now. Blunt and honest - though perhaps less confrontational. She actually found this side of Sheryl to be refreshing, and likes how transparent she is. "On the other hand, I like you more now with how honest you are."

"I would've brought a gun for you, if not for the security," she mentions when Sheryl talks about the Vajra that tried to eat her. "Though I don't doubt you'd shoot me with it," she laughed, considering the hilarity if it happened. But there's an idea there, like a bulb that lit in her mind. 'Convincing idiots', huh? She'll have to look into manipulating the press. Something for the future.

And she noted Sheryl's sudden change of expression. She finally caught her attention. That's good. She'd rather have a transparent dialogue than working weird rhetorics as she has been dealing with the nobles.

So she recounts the events at the asteroid, starting with her being on the Nadesico and the assault on the nest. How the Vajra was defending it and trying to repel the invaders. And finally, "...and when Ranka started singing, the Vajra seemed to stop. They seemed...confused. Like they're looking for something."

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl can hold back; when it comes to her fans, she's often very nice. But Marian isn't one of her fans or one of her friends. She's not even a professional she works with, though she can get plenty sharp-tongued with those, too. Sheryl doesn't like getting used or having people make wrong-headed assumptions about her, and she won't hesitate to say so.
        
        Of course, ironically, that's earning her points with Marian in turn. She frowns at her response, but there's more of a thoughtful cast to it now.
        
        She shakes her head at the talk of guns, though. She knows Marian's just joking, but still, she replies, "Please! That's not my style. I hate the Vajra, but I'm not eager to gun a person down, and the one time I flew into a battle, I nearly got myself killed." She huffs a faint sigh. "...Well, it helped clarify a lot of things for me, so I don't regret the experience."
        
        The topic turns to Ranka's song and how it affected the Vajra. She nods slowly as she listens. She knew NUNE wanted to run experiments with her, and she's had a feeling for a while that Ranka really could affect the Vajra... and what Marian describes is consistent with what Sheryl's seen in the past.
        
        ...weirdly, it's not unlike what some of the Vajra were acting like at her concert. But it's not like she stopped them in their tracks. Maybe it's just a coincidence? Or maybe...
        
        The morning light shafts through the window and hits her crystal earring, making it sparkle. That sparkle draws Sheryl's gaze for a moment. Then she looks back at Marian. She still doesn't trust her, but still...
        
        "So I'm guessing NUNE didn't share the results of their experiments with the Nadesico, if you're trying to pump me for information," she says, and there's a touch of resignation in her voice. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but they didn't tell me either. I'm supposed to be laying back and recuperating like a good girl, not sticking my nose in military procedures. Ranka's come by to visit, but she only mentioned that she'd joined up with the Space Assembly League to help fight the Vajra, and nothing more detailed than that."
        
        She frowns as she considers Marian. "So what's your stake in all this? Are you just that eager to fight? Or do you have a grudge against the Vajra, too?"

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian hummed thoughtfully when Sheryl spoke of the last time she got into a battle. "Hmm. Maybe you're not just an idol. I really am liking you more and more," she laughed softly. She never quite liked people who relented to their fate and just accepted whatever circumstances were set upon them. But when someone fights back against that, she regards them highly for it.

She shakes her head though, "they didn't." And then there's something of a grin. "...not officially, anyway. Alto said it was something about fold waves. Ranka is able to generate them when she sings, and it affects the Vajra." She reassures her once more, "That's as much as I know though... But I want to find out more. And I want your help. Not for free, of course! You can use me as much as I use you. How's that sound?" She offered with a twisted smile. What a cynical way to say 'work together'.

But as for her stake... "Eager to fight...?" She considers for a moment. Fighting's all she's ever good at, so... "Maybe. I'd rather not fight at all, but it's all I'm ever good at. And if doing so allows me to protect Orb, then I'll gladly lay down my life for it." Her tone is less firm when she says. Almost as if she's accepted her fate despite of all her struggles.

"I know you don't trust me. I can tell that much even if you don't say it outright. I don't have a grudge against the Vajra, but believe me when I say they are a threat not just to Orb, but to all of us. And I'm fighting to secure our peace."

She stood up and picks up the chair, and slowly moving it back to the original position she found it. "I'm sure you would have no problem getting in touch with me. I'll talk to you soon." And with a little shrug, "or not."

Before she heads out, she leaves her with a farewell, "get well soon, Sheryl." And only after then, she smiled like she has when she first entered the room.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "Of course I'm not just an idol! I'm Sheryl. Sheryl Nome! The songstress who'll rock the galaxy itself!" she declares, blue eyes flaring with passion. Apparently topping the charts isn't enough for her--and while she's in no hurry to get back into the fray of battle in a Variable Fighter, there are more battlefields than just those for fighter planes. However, when Marian tells her the details of the mission, her fire banks into a smoky frustration. It isn't actually anything she didn't already know, but-- "So they proved it, then."

        But she's not going to go into that here and now.
        
        Sheryl raises an eyebrow at Marian's protest--but she at least drops the pretense and says what she means. Even if it's an ugly way of putting it, it's honest, and she can respect that. More importantly, if Marian has the kinds of contacts that gets her into Ruri's sweet sixteen and her hospital room, she might just be useful right back. So: "You really don't have any friends, do you? Fine. I'll think about it, at least. But right now, I don't have any use for you at all, and I'm sure I'm barely any use to you either, so let's table it."
        
        Fighting's all she's good at, though, huh...? That's a little sad. That thought, Sheryl keeps to herself. It's not like she knows Marian well enough to tell her that's not true, and she's not going to bullshit her or sugarcoat reality. "I know. The more the Vajra spread, the more they're going to be everyone's problem. I guess you see that too." But Sheryl does note that Marian talked about Orb first.
        
        "Yes, yes. If I want to talk to you again, I'll be in touch." Grace will be able to give her Marian's number if she wants it--or so Sheryl assumes. For now, she leans back on her pillows. "Thanks for the well-wishes, Marian."
        
        She won't have a problem finding her way out.