2022-03-07: Social Links: After Hours

• Log: 2022-03-07: Social Links: After Hours
• Cast: Rikka Takarada, Yuta Hibiki, Kaworu Nagisa, Shinji Ikari
• Where: Junkshop Aya, Tsutsujidai
• OOC - IC Date: 20th February 2022 (0096)
• Summary: A private talk between budding allies, and a meeting that's been a while coming.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

       Immediately After A Certain Battle..

Yuta tiredly scratches his cheek - with the Synchrotank having been waterlogged by Anti, it'd wound up needing help to get back out and on its way to Junkshop Aya, where it now sat. It would take a lot of maintenance to get it back up to spec, he realizes. "Eh.." Borr murmurs. Wow. Even the ever gutsy Borr is cringing at the idea of pulling some all-nighters to to a fix'er up'er.

Calibur was inside of the mobile suit, sitting down in its 'tank' mode, presumably performing maintenance on Junk before Shinji and Kaworu arrived. Given the latter's request to speak to Gridman - and NERV's continued assistance in Tsutsujidai's problems - Yuta had felt it a good opportunity to get the pilots to meet him, face to face.

Vit was - somewhere, Yuta didn't actually know, and Max had decided to take his leave for now, citing that there was something he wanted to take care of before wishing them luck.

The sun was dipping below the horizon now, Yuta realizes, as he turns around and leans up againstt the hull over the Synchrotank's tread, uncaring of the grime he was getting on his sweater-vest in the process. "You know - " he starts.

His eyes fail to meet Rikka's as he frowns in thought, "It's starting to get pretty complicated, being the 'Gridman Alliance', huh?"

"But I guess that's why we should be thankful there's groups like NERV to help out now, too."

Junkshop Aya served as both the establishment at which Rikka's mother worked, and also the family's residence - the front of the shop has a variety of things you'd expect from such an establishment, as well as a large wooden counter to process transactions, but also to serve food and provide seating for customers. By the time Kaworu and Shinji arrive, Calibur had moved out to greet them. " ... hello. er, this way ... " he murmurs with a quiet shyness, before leading them out to the back where the Synchrotank and Phormotank were stored, along with the rest of the shockingly orderly junkyard.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka... felt responsible for the situation Synchrotank had been put in. If she were a better pilot, it never would have happened. If the kaiju had done anything other than throw them all out of the way... who knows how many of them would still be left standing here. It's that realisation that leads her to work on Synchrotank's maintenance in a quiet fervor, silently promising both herself and the machine that she'd do better next time.

Rikka herself is wearing her work apron, with her hair tired up. She pauses when Yuta speaks, looking over in his direction. Getting complicated...

...Yeah, it really is. It used to be just Tsutsujidai they had to worry about. Rikka looks back at Synchrotank, considering this quietly as she stares at the machine.

"...Yeah. I guess they're reliable." She decides after a time. "I wonder why we don't have anyone like them in Tsutsujidai... Or maybe that's just us."

Rikka pauses, then, turning around as she hears movement from Aya...

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

       Given how intense the battle against Anti had gotten, Kaworu wouldn't have minded sending Shinji home to rest... but he certainly doesn't mind the chance to spend more time with him, either. Once he'd made sure that Shinji was in decent condition and both of them had left their Evas--whether the Evangelions vanish in a puff of dream logic or if they get them back to NERV before returning again is not *especially* important in Kaworu's view--Kaworu left for the address that the Gridman Alliance had given them.
       
       He smiles and nods courteously at Calibur, following after him into the junkyard. When they're in the back with the Synchrotank and the Phormotank, Kaworu gives them both a curious look.
       
       "They're all in good condition, aren't they?" he remarks, as much to Shinji as it is to Calibur. His gaze rises to Yuta as he works on the Synchrotank, and he offers him and Rikka a friendly wave.
       
       "Hi there. I appreciate your willingness to let us see Gridman," he calls. "Are you both doing all right after that battle?"
       
       If he overheard Yuta and Rikka's conversation as they came in, he refrains from remarking directly upon it. Then again, could he really be expected to answer why NERV exists in the 'outside world' but not in here?

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Shinji Ikari taken a quick hose off to get the stink of LCL out of his hair and wrapped his heavy pilot's jacket around his plug suit. Shinji doesn't deploy without a go-bag he keeps in a dry spot of Unit-01; a backpack with a first aid kit, camping knife and rope, dried food, bottled waters and sterilization tablets, and a burner phone with Misato's number pre-programmed in. It's an odd visual, wrapped in the too-tight plugsuit with relics of the real world shoveled on top. There was probably a metaphor there but Shinji isn't in the mood; it's a little rude but he's been listening to music the whole walk over, not really making eye contact if he can avoid it.

Snap out of it, Shinji instructs himself as they get to Calibur and he lowers the volume. Snap out of it. They asked you here. Shinji thinks about the Anti Gridman and wonders why people as genuinely decent as the Gridman Alliance wouldn't run screaming from something like Unit-01.

Shinji looks at his reflection in a pile of polished, lovingly preserved junk, a relic of a family business where you can see the affection build into every floor board, every link of fence. He sees purple armor, red teeth, and the green eyes of some carrion bird.

"Yeah." Shinji answers, putting his headphones away and raising an eyebrow at the tank in their back yard. "No one notices the guns? Though I guess a scrap yard's a great place to hide a secret mobile suit."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

" ... well, that's ... " Yuta starts, before stopping himself. He'd been considering such things for a while, and the only answer he could come to was probably the one he liked the least. And that was, if there were such a place in Tsutsujidai at one point, would any of them even know if that had been the case? They'd only begun retaining their memories recently. Anything that had been erased before they met Gridman, they'd have no idea about.

Yuta presses his lips together firmly, " - that's a good question," he finishes lamely.

Meanwhile, Calibur nods mildly, "y-yes. the care put into everyone, and everything here is apparent..isn't it?" he replies to Kaworu, before stopping to give a very muted wave towards Yuta, who smiles and waves back, his hands coated with grease and oil spots from helping Rikka - though really, Yuta's ability to help wasn't all that great. He wasn't particularly able or knowledgeable and so, just as when they were making the mobile suits together, he had nothing to contriute without being first told what he needed to do.

       "We're fine, thank you for asking."

Yuta's eyes drift towards Shinji, his mind briefly recalling how the Evangelion had seemingly just .. changed, during the battle. It'd been an unsettling visage he hadn't truly had the time to ruminate on, much less so at the time it had happened.

But Ikari is Ikari, right? .. yeah, he still looks the same as ever. So .. even if that was scary, I should do my best not to treat him any differently. Yes, even if it was a little scary. Very, a little. Extremely, a little.

"Gridman had also expressed an interest to meet you two, as well, so - there's no need to thank us for that, or anything. Besides, it's better for us to collaborate as allies .. I think."

Yuta turns to hoist himself over the Synchrotank's tread and make his way to the open hatch into the cockpit bay, where all of the seating arrangements for the team was, and most importantly in this case - Junk.

It was an utterly ancient looking computer terminal that buzzes to life, and to a white backdrop on the screen, Gridman's upper body could be seen, white noise distorting the view every so often.

"Evangelion Pilots," Gridman acknowledges, "Greetings. It's good to be able to talk to you without the heat of battle getting in the way."

Although it was seemingly the same voice, there was something profoundly different about Gridman's inflection compared to how he spoke more often than not otherwise, out in the field as it were.

"It's good to see you're doing well too, Gridman, after how fierce that fight was." Yuta says.

       "Indeed."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"We keep it hidden when we're not using it... But frankly, I don't think anyone would notice it in this pile of junk anyway. And it's not like we get a whole lot of customers..." Rikka replies with a shrug to Shinji, and then a brief frown. ...Come to think of it, she's not sure how her mom was able to get away with keeping all of the parts used to make their machines here in the first place, or where she got them from. Mobile suits aren't exactly common in Tsutsujidai.

...Well, maybe 'weren't' is the better phrasing now.

"I'm still a little sore after getting thrown about like that, but I can't complain, I guess." Rikka replies to Kaworu's question with a shrug.

They're here now, though, so it's time to go do what they came here for. Rikka follows the others into Synchrotank, taking her usual seat in the cockpit. While she's here, she can run a few diagnostics, at least...

Once Gridman appears, though, she turns to give him her full attention.

...He really showed up for them. Wow.

"It's good to see you, Gridman." Rikka greets, but otherwise remains silent for their guests.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

       "It very much is," Kaworu says to Calibur, turning a smile sideways to Shinji as he wonders about the guns. "I suppose, to the locals, it isn't anything to be concerned about. There isn't any war here and they forget the kaiju attacks, so to them, it would simply be a relic of an older age." He looks up at Yuta and Rikka. "...Though I expect *actual* locals would have clearer insight."
       
       Sure enough, Rikka weighs in on the matter as the daughter of the shop owner. If it's anything to Yuta, Kaworu seems quite comfortable next to Shinji, and he came here with him in a similar machine, so maybe it's fine...?
       
       He nods to Rikka as she answers how she is. "I hope some good rest will be enough to settle that," he replies. To Yuta, he smiles. "I quite agree."
       
       But then Yuta heads into Synchrotank and over to an ancient-looking computer terminal. Kaworu glances at Shinji, then follows him into the mech--there seems to be plenty of room for them. And on that screen...
       
       Kaworu's expression turns thoughtful as he considers Gridman, and the change in his inflection if not quite his voie. Then his smile returns, and he nods affably in greeting. "Likewise, Gridman. I've been looking forward to meeting you at last. I'm Kaworu Nagisa, and this is my friend, Shinji Ikari." He nods to Shinji next to him before focusing back on the screen. "I realize this might be abrupt, but what brought you here to Tsutsujidai in the first place? It's a rather closed-off space..."

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

"Yeah, that lizard kid hits like a truck." Shinji nods to Riika, maybe the most normal he's sounded since getting here. He rolls his shoulder like Tetsuya taught him to do, in order to relieve pain without hurting himself in the long run. Or was it the gun god? Shinji realizes he can barely keep track which is probably a bad sign. One of them wasn't 'right' for the distorted town, though, right? That's the real reason why they're all here.

Tsutsujidai wasn't just tolerating outside monsters, it was helping hide them. Whatever private war was going on here'd changed, fundametnally. That's why they're getting to talk to Oz the Great and Terrible up there.

Shinji offers Yuta a wan smile when they make eye contact, or rather when they try and Shinji doesn't quite manage it. If he gets the vibe he isn't saying anything. Maybe he understands, or he's just ashamed considering how genuinely good Yuta seems to be compared to Shinji's act.

Shinji takes a step back, shocked, as the screen turns on. Z-zordon?! "What the hell??"

"Huh." Shinji says, as Kaworu is as unsurprising as ever. Huh. "Uh. Yeah, yeah I'm Ikari. They put me in the purple one. Nice to meet you?" It's like something out of a shinto fairy tale, it's like he's talking to a local god like the lost Yamato Princes.

For just a second he understands why his father has let the strange and unusual things in the world consume him, looking at this wonder. "Sorry, I've never talked to a giant before." Well, the turtle girl, but she doesn't count right? She listens to synchpunk.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta clasps his fingers together as Kaworu makes his query - it's a question that had been floated around a few times, but, never to any real answer. Of course, Gridman really did care for the people of Tsutsujidai and desired to protect them, yet ...

There's a pervasive silence as Gridman quietly stares at Kaworu from behind the screen of Junk, as if attempting to appraise the measure of him.

"'A closed off space', you say .. you aren't wrong. Very well, I'll share this with you. There was a certain entity that I chased to this place."

Yuta blinks slightly, digesting this information. It was certainly news to him; and he couldn't help but be a little bit upset that Gridman was only starting to open up when prompted by strangers. Then again, he'd only turned to Yuta and the others in desperation, right?

       Or was it something else?

Gridman seems amused at Shinji's awe, and lets out a light, disarming laugh. "It's fine. While it might be unusual, talking to a giant isn't that different from talking to another person, no? .. Although, the particular giant that you ride .. no, maybe it's not my place to speculate. But take care, so that you aren't consumed by the dead."

Yuta balks, "Uh? Did you just say something incredibly ominous? I mean - can't you elaborate a little on what you mean by that?"

       Gridman says nothing.

" .. are you ignoring me..?"

       Gridman says nothing.

Yuta frowns, but, he realizes a failed avenue of conversation when he sees one. "Then let me change gears from that. Is this entity you mentioned what is causing the problems in Tsutsujidai? - No, let me change that. Is that the 'god' of this place?"

" .. I am unsure. I don't believe that entity to be the 'god' of this place, at least, but .. whether or not the problems here are caused by him is debatable. I don't know. But he certainly has his hand in all of it."

Perhaps what he was about to say was unfair, but Yuta couldn't help it, "Can't you be a little more helpful? I mean .. I appreciate you talking to us like this, but - you could have mentioned all this before."

"I'm sorry, Yuta. But I only know as much as you do."

"What do you even mean by that? Are you saying you only realized this stuff recently?"

       Gridman says nothing.

Yuta looks away in frustration, his eyes catching Rikka at the controls, running her diagnostics. His eyes soften in shame as he paces to the left.

" - now, a question of my own. What is your interest here?" Gridman, pointedly, asks Kaworu.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Thanks." Rikka replies with a nod to Kaworu and a nod to Shinji. Soon enough, they're all gathered in Synchrotank. She listens to Shinji and Kaworu as they greet Gridman and speak to him, noting the latter's question. It's a bit of an odd question... but even odder are Gridman's responses. Rikka raises an eyebrow as she takes it all in.

"...That's a lot to take in at once." She admits. It seems like she didn't know any of this, either. "Why didn't you say anything about this before...?"

...It's not like she can hold /too/ much against Gridman, with how often he puts his life on the line for them. Maybe it's like Yuta said, that Gridman only realised it recently...

"...Sorry." She apologizes after a moment. They didn't come here to grill Gridman, they were supposed to be introducing Shinji and Kaworu...

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

       'There was a certain entity that I chased to this place...'
       
       Kaworu's eyelids sink to half mast. "Why were you chasing them?" he wonders, tone neutral.
       
       Meanwhile, Gridman warns Shinji not to be consumed by the dead. Kaworu can't help but smile, a light chuckle in his throat. He doesn't explain what he finds so funny. Poor Yuta and poor Rikka; Kaworu and Gridman are of a kind in some respects, it seems. Likewise, when Gridman and Yuta have their exchange about the 'god' of Tsutsujidai and that certain entity's connection to them, Kaworu simply watches and listens in silence. His expression is thoughtful... but he doesn't offer an opinion or ask another follow-up question as Yuta and Rikka fruitlessly try to ask Gridman for more details.
       
       So it's just as well that Gridman asks him first. "Hmm... The simplest reason for my interest would be Shinji." He looks over at his companion. "He and another one of our Evangelion pilots were drawn into Tsutsujidai in their dreams, piloting their Evas." He looks back at Gridman. "As an administrator in NERV, their wellbeing is my responsibility. If there's something here in Tsutsujidai that could be a threat to them, I can't ignore it. And in a more general sense, dealing with kaiju is one of the purposes of NERV."
       
       He pauses. Then, tone neutral, he adds, "One might say it's not unlike your own responsibility towards Yuta, Rikka, and Sho."

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

"What?" Shinji says, because what does that even mean. Why would you say something like that. Unit-01 hasn't taken human life (yet, Shinji thinks, they're buttering you up towards being okay with thrashing some zekes.) and the only Kaiju that talks is that lizard kid. He's the only successful pilot of Unit-01. So who could.

There are ways the human mind protects itself from primal, root deep trauma. Defenses that keep the mind from being totally overwhelmed, from choking under the weight of agony. The problem is that synchronization with an Evangelion erodes these defenses; it's why despite anyone being born after a certain date is CAPABLE of piloting an Evangelion, it takes a very special sort of mind to endure the process. Shinji's just coming off a hundred and twenty percent synch ratio. His defenses are, to put it plainly, lowered.

"He needs to see." Ayanami's voice says in a tone utterly un-Ayanami. Ayanami never smiled like that, confidant, sure of herself. Like the Mona Lisa, Shinji thinks. Brown hair, and the brightest green eyes. "It's a part of the process, Gendo."

A grumbling behind him, from the bear of a figure Shinji's just starting to suspect doesn't like him very much. He isn't pleased. He was never pleased.

"Shh." She soothes, rubbing his beard with a thumb. "This is how it has to be. We've done the math, darling."

No no no I dont want to see I dont want to be here why did you

The woman's mona lisa smile says, as the rest of her body rots and decays, flesh falling off in great sheets, the muscle and bone purifying impossibly, until all that's left is gleaming. Purple. Steel.

"Our son is a bridge to our bright future."

"Hah." Shinji stumbles backwards, grabbing a chair(?) for support. "Hah. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Synch. Not fully. Desynched." Think of a lie. "They're cleaning the Eva."

Shinji's hands shake as he reaches into his bag for pills, which he somehow pulls two out of, and a bottle of water he opens with his teeth. "Sorry. Sorry. Go on. It's nothing." Shinji wheezes out, shoving the pills down his throat.

Shinji coughs on the water but swallows it. "The. The god. That's what's keeping the people trapped here right? And what you chased here is making it worse? Do I have that right?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

As for why Gridman was chasing the un-named entity -

       Gridman says nothing.

Between Yuta and Rikka fruitlessly trying to pull answers from him, the only response he provides to her is, "It's fine, there's nothing to apologize for."

After Kaworu provides his explanation, and the following addendum, Gridman makes a low humming sound as he mulls it over.

"I see, it's like that, then. - before, the things happening in Tsutsujidai would have had no meaning to the world outside. Now, however .. I'm not sure."

Gridman seemed to ease up just a little bit - as if he'd come to an understanding of some kind with Kaworu or at least, how Kaworu was going to handle things.

Unfortunately, the bubbling away tension isn't given time to dissipate because of Shinji's panic attack. Yuta is visibly disturbed as he considers what to do, eventually settling on giving him a gentle hand on his back, over his right shoulder blade with a small soothing rub. "Uhm .. - I - I'm sorry if what Gridman said really bothered you so much .. I don't understand, but everything will be fine."

I really don't know what it was, but Gridman stepped on a landmine for sure.

"Whatever it is, just remember that you don't have to carry the weight of your past by yourself. That's the strength of human connections."

There's an awkward and pervasive silence for several moments before Shinji manages to start coming back around, to which Gridman finally says, "I seem to have troubled you. I'm sorry."

"I believe that is the case, though, yes. You could consider that entity to be something that validates its being with the tears of humans."

" .. but you can't, or won't, tell us anything more than that, right? Because .. if you could, or wanted to, you would have already done so, and we'd already have confronted that being."

       Gridman says nothing.

"This is too confusing." Yuta asserts. "- all I can say for now, is that everything will be revealed when the time to part has come."

       "What...?"

Gridman's image appears to get fuzzier and fuzzier, before fading away.

The dim light of Junk's monitor flickers off. "I hate it when he's so cryptic."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

...Nothing. Well, Rikka supposes she expected that. But before she can dwell on anything further, her attention is immediately drawn to Shinji.

"Ikari? Are you alright?" She asks, concerned. She starts to stand up... but, it looks like he has things under control. With that, she glances toward Kaworu. "...Is piloting them always like this?"

It's... concerning. But there were a lot of things about the Evangelions that seemed pretty concerning. And she doesn't even know that much about them yet!

Still - an entity that 'validates its being with the tears of humans'... That was the kind of thing Gridman was chasing? And what he has to say after that... She'd like to know more, but Gridman's imagine fades out and Junk flickers off. Rikka sighs, massaging her forehead.

"...Yeah." She agrees with Yuta with a sigh. "Sorry, you two. I hope you heard everything you wanted to hear. That's about how he is with us, too..."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

       "There's definitely been a change," Kaworu says to Gridman in regards to the things happening in Tsutsujidai. "Tsutsujidai and the world outside it... Things and people aren't just flowing in; they're also flowing out."
       
       Whatever Kaworu found amusing before, it shears away as if sliced off by a knife when Shinji stumbles and shakes. "Shinji," he utters, urgent and concerned, hands automatically stretching out to clasp his shoulders and steady him--but before they make it all the way, they flinch and freeze. As Shinji reaches for his bag, Kaworu pulls his hands back, only watching as Shinji medicates himself, expression a cocktail of wretchedness.
       
       But then he drinks it down. All that's left is a few drops of unhappiness. He lowers his hands to his sides, watching Shinji for a moment longer. Then he turns back to Gridman, nodding once curtly at his description of 'that entity.' Something that validates its being with the tears of humans... "Why did it turn out like that?" he murmurs, more to himself than the others.
       
       Regardless, Gridman excuses himself, having answered little before vanishing. Kaworu's expression is melancholy as he looks back at Yuta and Shinji when the former does his best to encourage the latter, but he doesn't weigh in. Instead, he tells Rikka, "Not *always*."
       
       Not always, but quite alarmingly frequent, this time around.
       
       At least when Rikka apologizes for the crypticness, Kaworu's able to smile anew at her. "No need to apologize. On the contrary, I'm truly grateful to both of you for introducing us," he reassures them. "It seems we all have much left to do."
       
       He glances again at Shinji, concern in his red eyes. Then he adds, "Do you mind if we all sit and talk a bit more about things? If Gridman can't share much more than that, perhaps it would be worthwhile to discuss it amongst ourselves a little longer."
       
       If there aren't any actual chairs, Kaworu will sit on the floor, shooting a glance Shinji's way as if it might prompt him to follow suit. "For example--you two and Sho have been able to go back and forth between Tsutsujidai and the outside, correct? When did you start being able to do that?"

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

He's ruined everything again. Shinji can feel the stares, the sneers, the false pity ripping into his skin like rusty hooks, peeling and picking away. He knows he needs to will this to stop but that's the problem, it's stopping a cascading process, and the more you think about it the harder it is to stop.

Shinji's not swarmed, though, and pulls himself together quickly enough. Just more visions. Why does he keep seeing a Large Ayanami and confusing it for his mom, though? Shinji doesn't know what his mom even looks like.

"Fine." Shinji lies, forcing a smile at Yuta and swallowing a bitter, bitter laugh at 'connections'. What connections? A sociopath he shares an apartment with, the other sociopath using him to avenge her father, the blank slate he's projecting his issues on, Tuxedo Mask over there?

Who the hell does he think he's fooling anyway? "I don't know what he was talking about, though. I'm the first successful pilot of Unit-01. There's no record of other test pilots. There aren't any ghosts in it or whatever. Unless he means dead Angels."

Shinji shrugs at the thought, frowning at the description of the being. "Seems pretty apt to me. If some kind of space parasite is feeding off of human suffering, there's not much for it. This town won't be free until the entity haunting it is dead."

Shinji stays standing unless there's a chair because he's in a plug suit and there's a girl in the room. His face flushes at the very thought; why did they have to make these stupid things so TIGHT anyway? Otherwise Kaworu seems to know what he's talking about.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Within the Synchrotank, discounting the chair that Rikka sits in as the pilot, there are five seats available. One of them is by Junk, and the others are situated at differen stations in the bay with their own various stations to assist in the operation of the Synchrotank in some capacity, even if the majority of the load would all be on one pilot.

There is only one seat that is the odd-one-out in that regard, seeming to serve no purpose whatsoever.

Ikari .. Yuta thinks to himself with a thoughtful frown, watching him do his best to pull it together. "Yeah, that's fine with me," he says to Kaworu before taking up the aforementioned useless seat.

"Well ... I'm not entirely sure," he answers Kaworu, before looking to Rikka. "The first time we tried, that I can remember, is the day you all first appeared in the city - uhm, I think? ... Right, that's when we got to ride aboard Captain York's ship."

"It took us a while to figure out how to get back to Tsutsujidai.." he trails off, recalling how much time had spent trying to go back, until they'd chanced upon the train station that was able to do so. "Does that sound about right, Rikka?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Not always. But it definitely still happens. Rikka frowns a little at that, but nods.

"...Seems that way." She agrees, as he says that they have much left to do. She pauses, though, when he asks if they mind if they sit.

"Oh, sorry... Yeah, feel free to take any of the chairs around here." Rikka replies. She probably should have invited them to do that first, but... hindsight! This made it easier to watch Junk, at least. If she notices Shinji's embarrassment, she doesn't comment on it.

Once everyone's seated, Rikka considers Kaworu's question. When did they start...

"...That's a difficult question." She admits, then looks to Yuta and nods. "We didn't have a reason to until then. It's hard to say that's when it first started... but it was the first time."

They owe Captain York a lot, though... she got their machines patched up and helped them get their bearings.

"Yeah, that sounds right. We had to go back and forth until we figured out what worked... It was a real killer on the wallet." Rikka confirms.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

       The availability of actual seats means that Kaworu sits himself down on one of them, legs folded elegantly. His gaze lingers on Shinji as he sputters out lies so transparent even he can see through them--but what would it accomplish to point that out here and now? It would only make him feel worse.
       
       Instead, as Shinji talks about Unit 01's test pilots and how the entity needs to be killed before this town can be free, Kaworu looks away at the seemingly useless extra seat. He watches it for a moment; when Yuta sits there, he meets his eyes.
       
       "I see..." he murmurs softly as Yuta and Rikka explain--how it'd been their first time leaving when they'd left with Captain York, how long it took them to figure out how to return. "Was it painful for any of you two be separated from your home? Either emotionally, or..."
       
       Kaworu trails off, leaving the thought open-ended. Yuta and Rikka can fill it in as appropriate for each of them.

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Shinji does sit if there are proper seats. Listen he has very little dignity right now, alright?

The conversation seems to have moved on, thank God, and Shinji focuses a little on the actual topic.

"If we could work out a time table, we might be able to figure out when Gridman chased the entity here." Shinji says, "I mean that would explain it all wouldn't it? We've already had one space monster trying to warp the space here to hide. Maybe we should check in with the Photon Power Lab, Kaworu? I read online they're doing some high end work with how energy imprints on locations." It was actually a conspiracy website about how Koji Kabuto is visiting Amuro Ray's ghost but Shinji leaves the cool parts out, being able to read the room. Shinji's total lack of scientific background clashes with what he actually wants to say, "If we could, uh, measure what's going on here, we can trace the entity, maybe, is what I'm trying to say. We don't know what the 'god' is, just that Gridman thinks the entity's interacting with it. Could be a person, could be a tree, could be something even weirder, so logically I feel like we should be looking for what doesn't belong instead of what does belong and has been altered."

"It'd explain why everybody's memories are so twisted too. The thing's covering its tracks." This is assuming Gridman knows and has been telling them the whole truth but to Shinji's current frame of mind any movement is better than stillness.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Yeah - she helped us out a lot back then," Yuta agrees with a small nod. She'd been a very understanding and courteous person.

Yuta pauses to actually take in Kaworu's question and contemplate it, "Well - ... the idea that we might not be able to get back was pretty distressing. After all, without us, who'd be there to protect the city? Not to mention everything we'd be leaving behind."

He felt, just a smidge dishonest in saying that. What do I have to leave behind here, really? My parents are away, and I don't even know what they look like, or what they do. I don't know anyone except Rikka, Sho, Akane, and the rest of our classmates; but even then, I don't have any context for our relationnships. I don't remember ever being Sho's friend before Rikka told him about my condition. My first memory of Rikka is her having to take time out of her day to tend to me. My first memory of Akane is being given her lunch, before -

His recollection ends with a painful sting, as he recalls the volleyball club that no longer existed. ... I have no past. And without that, I may as well be a reed blowing in the wind, huh ..

"Sorry, I don't know what else to say," he says to Kaworu, "but I hope that answered your question."

Turning to face Shinji, "You're kind of sharp, Ikari." he praises. "This is just my thought, and I have no evidence of it .. but I think that Gridman, probably, appeared in Tsutsujidai the day before, or of, my accident."

" - that is, er, something happened that left me unconscious, and Rikka had to take care of me. It was only a little while after that, that Gridman appeared and we all began to be able to see kaiju, as well as remember those who were erased.."

"In other words, its only been a few months. As for the entity covering its tracks - I'm not so sure. I don't think it actually came here to hide, or at least, that wasn't the impression I got from Gridman. If anything, Tsutsujidai pulling things in, and also spilling out into the other world -"

       "I can't prove it, but maybe that's part of what it wants to do."

Yuta puts a hand on his cheek in thought, "Or maybe, that's just the natural result that would come from it being here?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Was it painful? Rikka goes quiet for a moment.

"Well, we knew people were able to get /in/, so we figured there was a way for us to do what they did..." She starts. ...That's the /logical/ answer, the one that lets her save the most face, but her expression falls a little and she stares down at her hands after a moment, letting some cracks show through in her composure. "...But, yeah. I didn't feel anything physically, but..."

She nods, to agree with what Yuta says.

"...I was scared. Scared it wouldn't work, or that there was no way back. I was afraid of leaving behind mom, and my friends... And, afraid that they might not remember me if I ever /did/ find a way back..." She admits. The dead were forgotten, but a part of her had been afraid that might apply to those who had left, too, at least until they found a way back and that was proven wrong.

It's a concern that's still on her mind - after all, that risk is there every time she goes out in Synchrotank.

This thought understandably puts her in a quiet mood, but she does listen as Shinji puts forth his theory, and Yuta considers a response.

...She doesn't really know how an entity like that might think, or how it'd react. It's kind of a lot to take in.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

       Shinji suggests that they talk to the Photon Power Labs and explains his reasons why. Kaworu gives him a contemplative look throughout, unsmiling but not disapproving, before he folds his arms and furrows his brows in thought. He glances over at Yuta when he weighs in in turn-- "Accident?" he echoes.
       
       A few months since Gridman appeared. Well, that certainly tracks. Such serendipitous timing...
       
       "Either way, it seems clear that the entity is having a negative effect on this space," Kaworu says to Yuta. He looks at Shinji, resting a hand on his chin. "It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask them. The worst they could say is that they can't help. However, if they *could* track down the entity, allowing us to engage it directly... then we'll be one step closer to resolving the issues that pervade this space." His expression gentles as a smile returns to his lips. "Good thinking, Shinji."
       
       Yuta is a little indirect about the 'painfulness' of it; Rikka, meanwhile, goes silent for a moment before ultimately admitting that it scared her. Kaworu nods to each of them, compassion in his vermilion eyes. "I see... Thank you both for your answers."
       
       Yuta suggests that maybe the entity *wants* things to spill back and forth. Kaworu nods at him. "I think that's likely. Gridman said it was 'something that validates its being with the tears of humans.' In other words, it wants humans to suffer." His eyes narrow, expression tightening around his cheekbones with rare darkness. Even so, his voice is level as he continues, "If this is a world where there's been no conflict since the One Year War, then intermixing with the outside world, which has undergone relentless conflict since, would surely bring suffering to its denizens.
       
       "One other thought strikes me. That one who claimed to be the 'Protector of Tsutsujidai'--" He glances at Shinji, head tilted as if to ask, 'Remember?' "--might genuinely want to protect this place. They took action to try to destroy one of the known ways to enter and exit Tsutsujidai. Yet if it had wanted to drive away invaders, how had they made contact with BioNet as they'd claimed to acquire that Death Knight?"

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Shinji looks at Yuta, for a minute. He's not the...

But Shinji knows that look on Yuta's face, because he's worn it. Before he can overthink it, Shinji puts a weak hand on Yuta's shoulder. "We'll work this out. I'm sorry this has happened to you all. But every fact we have is a step closer towards working this out." Figuring out lost memories can only be a good thing, right? Right?

Shinji pauses, paling. "Wait, erased?! People can just be erased here?!"

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"Oh, uhm, you're welcome." Yuta says, waving his right hand a little before returning it to his lap.

"As long as they're not, uhm .. how do I say this .. - as long as they're not the kind of people who would take advantage of Tsutsujidai, I'm in support of bringing that 'Photon Power Lab' you mentioned in to help, provided they're willing."

Yuta gives Shinji a genuinely appreciative smile for his consideration, before his eyes blink owlishly, "Oh..I'm sorry, did we forget to - I guess so .. erm, we've explained it so many times now that it must have blended together .. yes, when the city restores itself overnight, anyone killed during the incident is 'erased'. That is, they either never existed or, sometimes, they simply died 'a long time ago'."

The topic moves to the 'Protector of Tsutsujidai' and by extension, the 'god' of their world.

       "About that .. "

Yuta holds up both of his hands for demonstration, using his left to extend a single digit. "If we think about it this way, then - "

"Let's start by laying out what we know or at least, what we can take to be factual until proven otherwise. Several months ago, Gridman chased an entity to Tsutsujidai and made contact with us shortly afterwards.."

       He holds up a second digit alongside the first.

"Tsutsujidai possesses a 'god' that the entity made contact with - I can prove this at least, circumstantially. Because of the timing of all of it, that is. The kaiju attacks that targeted Gridman only began to happen after Gridman came here, and based on what we know, Gridman and the entity arrived at the same time."

Another digit, "The 'god' is not necessarily evil or unkind .. if it made this world we live in, which is so peaceful, it must be something that dislikes suffering, right? Otherwise, our world would be even worse than the other one."

He was almost out of fingers on his left hand, " - and so the only reason kaiju attacks have been escalating like this must be because it's being prompted by that entity, who has some connection to 'god'."

With that hand down, he starts with the next, "Then, Tsutsujidai's 'protector' who wants to preserve the city, somehow came into contact with organizations from the outside to supply them with arms. If we assume everything that I've laid out so far is true, then that means the entity is probably the one who made that possible, I think .."

He moves his hands down to push his fingertips together, "Based on all of that, and the talking kaiju from before, then it's pretty likely that the entity has convinced 'god' that Gridman must be killed because his presence is threatening the status quo of Tsutsujidai."

Whether or not that status quo was desirable for the denizens of the city was besides the point, and so he didn't bring it up.

"So to condense - we can assume the following things about the entity .. that it is in Tsutsujidai because it is somewhere that it believes it can make humans suffer in the way that best suits whatever criteria it uses to measure that, that the 'god' is being manipulated by it or has otherwise been convinced to be a collaborator."

Yuta's brow furrows in a thin and nervous scrunch, "Well, even though I just said all of that, there are some pretty clear holes in a lot of the leaps of logic I was taking. Pretty much all of it is based on circumstantial evidence at best, and suppositions at worst. It also got a little long winded - but pretty much, the bottom line seems to be that things here will only get worse until that entity can be confronted, one way or another."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka nods as Kaworu offers his thanks. She lets Yuta take point on the explanations - frankly, she's impressed he's managed to put so much together. It's all a little beyond her, to be honest - talk of gods and entities... Somehow, things have started to get incredibly complicated. It's a little overwhelming.

"...It's a little much for me." Rikka admits. "...But I guess we just have to do what we can."