2022-11-05: Girl

• Cast: Leina Ashta, Namiko
• Where: A mall on the outskirts of Tsutsujidai
• Date: U.C. 0096 11 05
• Summary: Having spoken to Alouette, Namiko goes out to the mall on the edge of town again, halfway hoping to again encounter the orange robot that startled her classmate so. She runs into someone else.

It goes well, and then doesn't.

---

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

It's been an interesting few days for Namiko, the spunky brunette of Tsutsujidai 2-E. Finally really taking some time to meet her new classmates, a long overdue chat with everyone's favorite class idol, having a whirlwind adventure with her new friend the killer toy robot, and of course, valuable, rejuvenating hugs from her very best friend, she'd call it a full week, even without her usual low-key counterpoint Hass around.

School's over for the day, and tea club is on light attendance for the moment, so she's out early. And she's on the hunt.

She's gone back out to the mall toward the edge of town where she ran into Mic the other day. She's hoping to see him again, but so far, it's a bust, so she is outside the boba shop reviewing the menu on the window.

"'ZAFT Red?'" she says out loud, scratching the side of her head. "Is that in bad taste?" or is it patriotic? Sometimes she feels like PLANT isn't really her home, it's weird.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Namiko’s having a real one these past few days. Leina’s coming to terms with the consequences of her actions. And those consequences involve her now being Spade-7 in the Alliance. This was not how she thought she was going to join, if indeed she ever was.
Right now, however she’s making a brief trip to Tsutsujidai. Just a quick stop by the Yumi office to pick up some sensitive materials they didn’t really want to transmit. It’s quick for obvious reasons.

Namely she’s still in a wheelchair. Which is inconvenient if Akane decides to start something. However, that doesn’t mean she’s in a rush. She decides to stop for some tea. The Boba tea in Tsutsujidai is good, because Akane actually knows how that’s supposed to taste.

Leina’s currently tapping on her phone a text to Banagher and Mineva as her wheelchair just rolls up to the store without any obvious use of controls. When she hears ‘ZAFT RED’? And feels the presence of someone who has some actual intentionality, who isn’t just background noise here.

The wheelchair halts-

Let’s examine what Leina Ashta is wearing for a moment. A pair of worn skinny jeans, good good, very normal. A pair of old running shoes, also good. A simple yellow shooting star barrette in the left side of her curly and fluffy brown hair.

Also a red shirt which says prominently on it-

                                Stop the War!
                Never again!!! Remember Bloody Valentine!

Yep, she’s wearing a protest shirt. Not so great. While it’s good for attracting people who are awakened to the truth, it’s inconvenient to those who are on... the cusp of it, like Ramo was.

Very smoothly she takes the bag she has with her and puts it on her lap, blocking out a good portion of the text. The wheelchair backs up, then moves up just behind Namiko and off to the side.

"Hm. I think commodified patriotism always leaves a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth." Leina throws in her 2 gilla with a subdued smile. Before she asks,
"Come here often?"

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

It's not a ton. Not yet. Despite her point-blank proximity to much of the Goings On in 2-E, Namiko has slept peacefully through it all, the nightly fog smoothing over even Rikka's increasingly transparent excuses. But there's only so much it can do when she makes friends with a Ruin Apostle without completely paving the thought, and having not done that, the dominos began to fall.

That process is ongoing. She notices the wheelchair slowing, turns to regard her. Namiko herself is in the Tsutsujidai High uniform - such as it is. Her accessories of choice are a red sport jacket (like a jacket for sports, not the menswear) with white double-line trim; a full-length tie instead of the usual girls' ribbon, also a rich red patterned with black; and a red hairclip keeping the hair out of one eye, which looks like a toy that isn't diegetic so don't worry about it. Her eyes scan to the shirt and then up to Leina, earning her a slightly crooked grin and an arched eyebrow.

Leina covers that text before calling her attention, so Namiko's response is mostly to the words. "Yeah, that sounds right. This place is pretty good, though."

Hm. Does she come here often. She glances, not at the mall but down the street, the direction Mic came from last time she was here. "Eh, only my second visit, actually. My friends and I usually go to the plaza down by the school, but they're all busy so I'm pokin' around this week I guess. Suppose the tea place around the corner won't have new stock so soon..."

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Leina listens to Namiko for a bit, smiling despite herself. There’s something about her choosing tea places that reminds her a bit of Ramo revolving a lot of her choices around fast food places.

"You sound like a real tea person, not a dabbler like me. I’m mostly a coffee person myself, just where I’m from."

The thing about coffee in Tsutsujidai is that it sucks. Even at Starbows it sucks. The only place that’s remotely good is Junk Shop Aya’s. Thus, when Leina’s here, she switches to tea unless she’s near that side of town.

Winking at her with a single seagreen eye, "Spain just lives on its coffee." And then she extends a hand in an affable way.

Namiko might notice she’s not bending forward at all in that wheelchair, which may necessitate her leaning in more if she wants to take her hand, "Leina Ashta. I’m here in town on behalf of the Yumi foundation, but I’m a part of GUTs too."

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

"Heh, I used to do baseball and guitar," Namiko laughs, flicking her fingers through her short hair in a wry impersonation of smugness. "But tea ceremony club demands total dedication!"

What an incredibly specifically Japanese hobby to have, citizen of PLANT!

"Though honestly, you're only really using one kind, there. Most tea doesn't even prepare well that way, eheh." Having completed her thought about herself, Namiko processes what Leina said and her eyes bug out. "Spain!? Like, the place! On the planet! Wow!" She brightens up at once, falling into Leina's cunning handshake trap by taking a step forward and taking that hand. "Name's Namiko!" No last name. She doesn't seem to even think of it. "Oh, wow, so I guess you must travel a ton, huh? Crazy! I've never even left the colony."

She looks off, in the vague direction of the cylinder wall. "Think this mall might be the farthest out I've gone, I guess. Oh, I mean, there was that river trip outside town, of course."

Is that even still remotely possible with the new geography--well she's not thinking about that, clearly.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

She was here when it was merely this sleepy Japanese city swathed in fogs at the borders, the transition to it being a PLANT was surreal for her. However... it also told her so much about Akane in a single act.

Leina grins at Namiko’s hobbies- "Swimming and Drama myself." Pause, "When I’m not-" Leina makes just a gesture at the whole wheelchair setup, at least indicating this is all just temporary.

It’s fascinating hearing her talk about tea the way Renais does about coffee. Leina has a pretty firm handshake, despite being off her feet, "Nice to meet you Namiko. Do you happen to be classmates with Ramo? Pretty sure I remember her talking about you and... Hass once? Mentioned her as a possible hire for her graphic design work."

However, she then moves to talking about the earlier subject.

"You’ll have to show me what you mean sometime by preparing it well. I have to admit I’m pretty curious, I’ve spent a lot of time in Japan. My ex is from there even. And yep! Though originally, I was born on Shangri-la, Side 1. Just lived Earthside for the last eight years. So the answer to your question is..."
Leina smiles sunnily, "...definitely, Yumi foundation work takes me all over. Have to, if we’re going to make any kind of dent on child poverty."

It’s an easier sell than ‘war orphans’ in Tsutsujidai, and its not a lie either. As for selling traveling the way she sees it, the sooner those who are closest to awakening get used to going off colony, the better. Just in case...

... well, there’s some worst case scenarios in mind.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

"Ah, just got banged up?" Namiko says, casually. "Must've been a heck of a tumble." She gives her a big smile. "You're lookin' good, though. Hang in there!"

Does it sound trite? She means it sincerely; they're essentially strangers, but she's unafraid to offer encouragement and an ear.

Speaking of which, she listens well. "Heheh, I'll show you ceremony alright," she says, puffing up with pride. "I happen to be good at it! It's sort of a mindfulness thing, right? Appreciating the intensity of every step!"

"Yeah, Hass is one of my best friends. She's pretty busy lately so it's just me this week." Just slightly sad about that. They're usually together so much you'd think they were joined at the hip. "Us and Rikka!" Namiko adds. "If you've met Ramo you've probably met her. Funny, she never mentioned meeting a jetsetting charity worker." She laughs. "More secrets! I'll have to extract a price in hugs."

She scuffs her shoes. Child poverty, huh... "Sounds like pretty heavy work," is the main thing she says of that. The sort of thing she...mostly just doesn't commit energy to.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

"Thanks!" Whether it sounds trite or not, she can feel the sincerity, so she takes it with the earnest intentions meant, "Yeah nothing too exciting, just a motor vehicle accident. My boyfriend was having a medical emergency at the wheel and had to unbuckle to lend a hand. But..."

She doesn’t really need to tell her how it ended. It’s also a bit of a deliberate obfuscation, since it was a mobile suit, and the medical emergency was the Unicorn going berserk and trying to ginsu up other people she cared about. However, a small omission is better than the truth here.

She takes the time to explain why she hasn’t really been around any tea ceremonies, "I’ve read some about tea ceremonies, but never had any experience with them. My ex’s family wasn’t the most... traditional? And I’m going to a school in the AEU."

Leina listens to her talk about Hass, and she catches that vibe of sadness. Hm hm hm. Is she just lonely and feeling left out or...? "Oh yeah? What’s she up to? Was thinking of contacting her soon to help with an advertising campaign after all but wouldn’t want to bother her if she had too much on her plate." As she decides to dig just a touch, and get her talking.

"And yep! Rikka’s great. I chat her up all the time in texts. As for Ramo, makes sense that she wouldn’t bring it up, she’s the reserved type about her private life, you know?"

As she catches the tone in Namiko talking about it being heavy work, it’s a kind of discomfiture she’s used to. However, part of her wonders if it’s something that Akane instilled within her creations.

"It can be? It’s not for everyone, but I’m passionate about it. Shangri-la you see, it’s... a real dump if you’re not rich. I don’t ever really want to forget where I came from, no matter where I am now. And if I can help other kids growing up in slums, then it feels like I’m at least doing a little towards making the world a better place."

She just nudges the approach of no judgment upon Namiko, instead spinning how it’s something for her. However, maybe it’ll get her thinking about it. And the outside world...

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

"Yikes!" Namiko yelps, eyes widening in surprise. "That's nasty, alright. Sounds like you all made it out OK, at least..."

"Heh heh! Well, I'll have to show you sometime, then! Hm, I'll have to look up the changes you make for a wheelchair, though."
Hass, though... "Oh, Hass? She's doing some kinda...streaming gauntlet? Thing?" She waves her hand a little. Friendships in Akane's world are a little flat, sometimes. Things you might expect friends to care about deeply that just don't seem to click into place. Like one another's hobbies. "She's basically dead to the world this week. She's either at her computer, in class, or asleep. Had to chase some of the boys off from pulling her mask down the other day. Honestly. Gross." Hmph! She looks really bothered by that last bit!! Recovering her center, she says, "But between that and Rikka off doing a bunch with the shop lately, leaves me at a bit of loose ends. But I'm a strong independent girl! I can handle myself." She grins wide. "That's two friends I've made at this shopping center, now."

Is it...it might be more accurate to say that Namiko is a person who just expects the system to work. It does, in Tsutsujidai, at least in all the ways Namiko knows to look for. The kind of work Leina's already suggested about the Yumi Foundation is, in a way, a challenge to that assumption.

Well, Namiko might not be aware of herself enough to realize that's what's going on in her head even if her personal world were fully formed. She says, "Yeah?" with some sympathy to it. She's not running, at least, even if something is slowly twisting with unease in the not-all-metaphorical clay of her heart.

She brightens. "That's the way it should be, I think," she says, finally. "People helping each other."

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

"Only six fractures." Leina at least seems in good cheer about her situation, "My Doc says I can start PT next week though so, I’ll be back on my feet in no time." Leina winks at her, "So maybe those modifications won’t be that necessary."

There’s a nod at a streaming gauntlet thing, she can puzzle out what that likely means. Leina’s expression darkens as she talks about boys pulling off her mask in class. She realizes instantly it’s a surgical mask, that’s just how Japan is like – even when it’s a PLANT. "God what’s their problem? She’s wearing it for a reason. Let me guess, it was for some stupid dare or something?"

She has some emerging theories on Hass right now, and how Namiko relates to her, it’s just her gut instinct, but instinct is really important for a Newtype. She has no doubt that Namiko is a strong independent girl, but she gets the sense that she really is lonely right now.

"Yeah Rikka’s been real busy, sadly. Almost worry she’s being overloaded, sometimes I make excuses to swing by or invite her out just so she can take a little time off."

It’s interesting though, meeting at this shopping center, rather than school... especially since she knows this place didn’t exist before a certain point. And she knows what that point is, her shirt even says it.

"How’d you meet them if you don’t mind me asking? Sounds like an interesting story, meeting your girl friends at the mall." The use of girl friends rather than girlfriends is intentional perhaps, to see if she can provoke a small reaction.

She catches that small struggle though in Namiko, and fortunately she doesn’t retreat from the idea that not all is well, that the system isn’t working perfectly for everyone. However, she seems to come to a positive conclusion, and Leina decides not to dig further on this topic yet.

"I think so too."

She’s already gone too far, awakened Ramo on accident to the truth of the world, and while it worked out well... it’s not something she wants to do without knowing more about the person she’s doing it to.

There’s a glance towards the storefront, "Wanna go in? Maybe we grab something over than ZAFT red-" She says with a wink, "-but... my treat."

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

"Oh, you've seen the shop, huh? Still haven't gone out that way," Namiko says, with the energy of someone who's been meaning to clean their room. Wait the girl who professes to be Rikka's best friend hasn't gone to her house?? Another reflection of Shinjo's godhead into her world, perhaps. Who would ever go to a friend's house? That's not what houses OR friends are for.

She does, however, realize that they've been loitering. "Oh, heck yeah, sure." Stepping in, she holds the door open for Leina, continuing to chatter away merrily. "Rikka and Hass? Heh, may not have been clear on that. Those two I met back in middle school. We've been classmates basically ever since! Still haven't seen Hass' mouth..." She scratches her cheek. "I mean, I get the appeal of the mystery, but she's obviously sensitive about it, ya know? Jerks."

"What I meant, though, was I swung by here to hit that tea place I mentioned just a couple days ago, yeah? They have some neat stuff, even stuff they uh,*say*, at least, is from the Colonies." Shrug. "Like, pretty neat trick, if so, but I thought it worth a shot, you know?"

"Anyway there was this...robot, guy?" she laughs, and actually rubs her arm a little like it had a memory. And...flinches a bit? "Gah, still a little sore. He's a cool guy! Real friendly. Seemed like he and Pommier, the new student here, they have some history though."

She pulls her phone out of Wherever It Was and flips through it quickly for the photo she's been showing off. "Anyway we both looked at the airsoft place at the same time and that's how I learned the high ground is not always an advantage in a gun battle."

She flips her phone around with a grin and a chuckle, completely unconcerned.

...with the fact she's showing Leina a picture of Namiko herself, grinning and a little banged up; and behind her, lightly shedding the light of the dawn, is Mic Sounders the Thirteenth in his Cosmo Robo form.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

"Sure have, even bought a load of furniture there second hand for the office. Orie’s got a good eye for stuff that doesn’t need throwing out." Leina says with the appreciation of someone who once lived near a junkyard, whose brother was in that business.

Leina rolls into the tea shop as Namiko holds the door for her. Still no use of controls, and she’s definitely not rolling the wheels herself. Leina doesn’t say anything at first, however she learns a few things just in the language chosen. That Namiko probably really wants to see Haas’ mouth, and that she sees the appeal there, even if she’d never violate her boundaries. "Yeah for real. Good thing you’re looking out for her huh?"

Could just be friendly. Could be. Leina is all smiles, "Oh I see! You meant-" Middle School, those years didn’t even really exist for them, she knows. However, she’s not going to say that. As they head over to the line, she mentions a ‘robot guy’. And Leina cants her head to the side, "What really? Like one of those advertising bots or-?"

‘Pommier, the new student here, they have some history.’

Leina’s blood runs a bit cold. For multiple reasons. The moment she joined the Shuffle Intelligence Division, she learned of Akane’s latest scheme. She even put together a team to go look in on a missing member. She hates it. She hates it so much. Even knowing she’s a manipulated and abuse victim, Renais and Alouette were on track to getting better – living better lives.

And then she snatches them away and takes over them in a way that’s not unlike Glemy’s conditioning machines. She wants to march over there and do something, but...

... that’s what got her in trouble in the first place, acting on her own, utilizing sensitive intelligence to her own selfish ends. She has a leash on her now, a superior. She can’t just do that. And she’s not cleared for field work.

Leina has to take a deep breath, and put on a pleasant smile, and then she looks at the photo and pales.

"That’s-" Pause. Recompose. Leina laughs lightly, "-Oh man, playing airsoft with a robot. That sure made for an interesting day I bet!"
She just has her phone out, "Hey mind sending me that picture? Got some friends who are real interested in bots like that. They’ll be... thrilled! We can trade contact information too if you don’t mind."

Meanwhile in text message she’s already drafting to a secure line.

>witnessed sighting of ruin apostle Mic Sounders the 13th last known location Tsutsujidai
>further information forthcoming shortly

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Namiko actually is looking while Leina moves, now. "Oh, wow, it just kinda goes? What, do you have the pedals wired up? Wait, that'd be terrible for a wheelchair. ...huh!" she says, slipping around the wheelchair with interest.

She does brighten the whole way up about Hass, though, even above her interest in the wheelchair. "Heh. Fiendish boys will never touch my darling girl of mystery!" Namiko declares, rubbing a finger under her nose like a boastful anime brat. "The secrets of her mask are for, like, I assume her boyfriend, someday?" Hands on her hips, nodding firmly, and then giggles. "She's *really* serious about it. I've seen her replace it while still wearing the old one. It's wild. She swears she's not a mouthless psychic though."

That's about when it's time to order, so Namiko trots up and is busily describing a surprisingly elaborate boba while Leina is experiencing Every Human Emotion behind her. When she turns around, Leina is mostly recovered...and yet still, Namiko has the sensitivity to tilt her head. "Something wrong?" she says, sincerely curious. "Oh! Yeah, the picture? Sure. Heh, didn't think someone in charity would know many mecha heads. Seems like everyone here's into Taraba, instead." That part's DEFINITELY just Shinjo's thumb on the scales. "I'll send you my VERTEX, one sec."

Ping! "It was great," Namiko laughed. "Like the first thing he said was 'do you want to be friends?' and I was, you know, pretty sure I was about to get vaporized or turned into a wind-up doll or something, but no! He's super nice. And then we got bodied in airsoft, because don't stand in the open ten meters into the air in airsoft. Lessons to live by!"

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Leina just smiles mysteriously when it comes to her wheelchair, her classmates ask a lot of questions about it too. "Neat isn’t it?"

 ... Which doesn’t clarify anything. Everyone assumes it’s just something super high tech given that Sayla is uber rich, and well it is – just not in the way everyone thinks. It’s one of the earliest models of psycommu wheelchairs.

She giggles over how protective of Hass that Namiko is, she doesn’t miss that first off she thinks she has to protect her from fiendish boys, but also that she assumes that it’s going to be her boyfriend that takes it off first, like a bridal veil. Leina’s got this lopsided smile here.

"You’re a real romantic Namiko, the way you see these things." Pause, as she taps her chin, "Though, you think that’s the reason? I mean, you’re her best friend – so of course you’d be closer to the truth. She must talk about boys with you a lot..."

Leina Ashta just sort of stirs the pot a little. A tiny bit, just to see if she can learn more about the two of them all at once. That’s at least before the picture comes into play, "Aha yeah – even my brother and his girlfriend are really into this kind of thing. They’re do it yourself mechanics. Me? I’m kind of a Magical Girl fan myself more than Taraba – but I’ve watched some with Rikka and Akane."

She accepts the VERTEX, sending her own, and...

>*attaches picture of Mic Sounders the 13th and Namiko*
>On the right Positive ID as Namiko: Student at Tsutsujidai High School 1st year
>played airsoft together
>ignorant of his true nature
>warning: engage Namiko with caution may be close to awakening to the truth of Tsutsujidai

"I feel you, if a robot came up to me with that line out of nowhere, I’d probably think I’m in some sci fi horror flick myself. Glad he was one of the good ones though? Man, airsoft with a robot."

Airsoft with a Ruin Apostle. What is the universe coming to? Other than... an end.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

The person with opinions on what the universe is coming to is not present. This service is a teapot.

Namiko remains puffed up about Hass, even as she first angles toward a booth further back, remembers who she's with, and finds a full table with some chairs she can kick aside instead. "Hehehe, Namiko can smell the scent of boy problems at fifty paces," she says, with a mischievous grin. Seems she fancies herself the class gossip and/or shipper, which is real cute given how thoroughly she's getting taken for a ride here.

Perhaps a dangerous partnership is now being made.

"I'm still trying to figure out what on earth is going on with Rikka and Hibiki. She's been really cagey since he had his whole amnesia episode." She flops down, and waits patiently for Leina's arrival to continue.

Apparently she uses that time to think about Hass. "Boys?" Namiko says, tipping her head. "I mean, yeah," she says, with the tone of someone who is having a hard time proving a fact she took for granted using her own memory. Eventually she does get one, though: "Like, you know, there's that one streamer she likes, Arcadia? He's real cute! We went out on a group date with him, once." ...doesn't even trip on that one.

"Idunno if I'm like mega into Taraba, but my brother *really* likes it, and it's fun to watch him have fun, you know?" Namiko muses, kicking her feet idly.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Leina pulls up to the table all smiles at Namiko, grinning at her, "Have that much experience with boys, do you?" And then a single eyelid descends into a wink, "You’re real cute, so I bet you attract all of them."

She tries to make herself sound a bit flirtatious on purpose with calling her cute. She’s not embarrassed at all. Utterly shameless in fact in this regard.
Real dangerous, perhaps.

"Well, the two aren’t together. Can tell you that much. I’ve seen them interact and, come on. No way. Bet they just found some point of common ground they’re hanging out on."

She knows Hibiki likes Rikka but she’s also aware that Rikka’s only into girls. Sorry Hibiki. Leina tells only the truth here.

Taking up her tea cup she lifts it to her mouth and takes a sip. "Hmm." She stares over at Namiko as she struggles to find a single example and comes up with – a streamer. Given Hass’ hobbies, not a surprise. "Group deito huh?"

There’s a bit of a smile behind her cup. She's not 100% certain of course, but her instincts are rarely wrong. Maybe she doesn’t even need to meet Hass to at least partially work this out about her either.

"Think she’ll ask him out? Or is she the type that would need him to ask her?"

Leina then muses about Tarabaman, "Yeah, it’s more fun for me really seeing the superfans watch it. I can see the appeal, just not my..." Leina raises her tea, "... cup of tea."

She winks again, not caring if she goes to pun jail for this one.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Like all great weapons, before she can be put to proper use, Namiko must first be tempered in the fires of, in this case, Leina having her completely downloaded.

Figuratively. That has to be specified with folks like Namiko sometimes.

THIS actually gets her to stammer a little, and she glugs down an entire boba pearl in defiance before slapping her drink down. "Hah! Like any of the lameoids in our class have a shot at me!" she humphs! "...OK no that was too far." ... "Hibiki's actually a really sweet, cool guy. And I hope Utsumi finds someone who can love him like the househusband he was born to be." She tries to giggle, but she actually blushes to the point she has to direct her attention to spinning her cup idly in her fingers, thinking further on the topic. "Honestly, it's basically impossible to get anyone's attention anyway, with Akane around. She's really amazing, you know? Cute and sweet and smart. When she showed up it was like nobody in class could take their eyes off her."

She grins, cheeky and happy just to chatter and totally ignorant of the gravity to her words as she says: "Not that I could ever get mad at her, of course."

Namiko moves on: "Oh, they're not? Huh, I was sure she had some kinda Thing starting up, with how fast she suddenly got close to him and Utsumi." Hmmm. ... "Ah well. When she's ready, she'll tell us, I'm sure." Soft smile. Total faith.

"Oh, I think she asked him out? Like, on the group date." Why was it a group date? Because Arcadia used to be FOUR people. Namiko does not remember this iteration of her world. "But Idunno if she would again. It was kind of a bummer date, honestly. Akane bailed real early for some reason."

Namiko has fully forgotten why she brought this up. That's not a memory fog thing she's just attempting not to get owned by something she can sense but not see.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Leina’s straw swirls around a bit near one of the little tapioca balls, and grins at her, "Hey nothing wrong with high standards." Before she grins, "Yeah, I’m casual friends with Hibiki, and haven’t actually caught Utsumi around yet?" She giggles in turn, "With that kind of endorsement though I’ll have to."

She immediately hones in on her talk about Akane, it could be that Akane is just the goddess here but... "You sound like you’ve got a bit of a crush on her yourself." There’s something sly in her smile, "And hey nothing wrong with that if you do. I’m mostly into guys myself – but I’m into girls too."

She won’t tell her that she’s currently dating a boy and a girl though – that’d probably blow her mind. Baby steps. Baby steps. See if she can just get her to outright say it.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

'You sound like you've got a bit of a crush on her yourself.'

Namiko swallows yet another pearl with that one, and this time she actually makes a gagging noise, pounding on her chest and coughing to force it down. "Uhm!" she squawks.

And then Leina's into girls, too?! "Uhm!?"

She's BEAT red, redder than her own tie, and she looks around like she's desperate for an inconspicuous box or a kaiju attack or Mic or like, just the deepest, darkest hole to dive into and never emerge from. Eventually she puts her face in her hands and whines in keening embarrassment. "It's, I'm not, oh god is it that obvious," she whines. "How is a girl supposed to behave herself around boobs like that, okay!? I'm not made of stone!"

It was clay, technically.

She peeks out at Leina between slightly parted fingers, embarrassed completely beyond speech.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Leina knows by the time she’s squawking that it was a direct hit, even before Namiko turns red and... there’s that whine and...
By the time Namiko is peeking, Leina isn’t on the other side of the table. She’s next to her in that wheelchair, speaking quietly. Offering a napkin if she needs it given that she was choking.

"Hey it’s okay. I get it. It’s harder being into girls. You worry about being seen as some creep because it’s harder to function when girls are just so hot right? You’re put in a position of trust, and you’ve gotta restrain yourself more, hide it. Whereas guys it’s expected that they’re ‘like that’ and that double standard sucks."

There’s something gentle, comforting, understanding in her tone.

"I know we just met – and we’re only just above the level of complete strangers. But your secret’s safe with me. Promise. I’ve seen a lot of girls at my school having to deal with this. And I just want to tell you that it’s okay."

And then abruptly, without any shift in tone, Leina tells her without reddening at all, or being embarrassed.

"... And she really does have a magnificent pair, doesn’t she?"

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

She's not crying or scared, she's just, deeply, deeply embarrassed. ...to appearances, anyway.

But Leina's gentle, quiet tone lures her out of her makeshift bunker, at least into peering over her fingers. "Uh-huh," she says, and she does get, actually, a little glum. "I, uhm...yeah, pretty much."

She sighs, and that big kitty grin of hers has gone away for now. She brings a hand up, scratching the side of her head in a mix of embarrassment and frustration, eyes failing to look for Leina's. "I'm the huggy friend, you know? I like...showing people I care with my hands, I guess. And it's not a weird thing! But it is...nice...you know...sometimes...uhm..."

"And I don't wanna lose that with my friends, you know...?"

Well, cracked the whole way open, may as well spill the whole thing, right?

Leina's final tease gets her to giggle out of it, though, and release a long, long-held sigh Leina's probably heard before. "God, doesn't she though..."

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Namiko’s giggle and almost dreamy sigh is a good sign, and Leina cracks a smile at her. "Yep." Before telling her...

"It’s not a weird thing."

Leina agrees, but she can tell from her intentionality that there’s nothing malicious going on here. She wouldn’t think that anyway of any girl who’s into other girls that way at baseline anyway – Newtype senses or no.

"You’re just extroverted, friendly. I get it. I’m into a lot of touch-based affection myself, you know? With friends, family even. So, I wouldn’t think there’s anything wrong with it."

There’s such sympathy in her seagreen eyes.

"I can get worrying about what your friends will think... so, if you don’t ever want to say anything to them, I won’t tell you differently."

Leina herself feels everyone shouldn’t have to hide this kind of thing, but she feels it’s someone’s decision, they have to live with it, not her. So instead of recommending people do that – she just tries to make them feel better about themselves.

"But me? I think it’s just your way of being friendly, your way of being you."

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

She's obviously way, WAY off center now, and takes a deep, deep breath, and holds it for a long, long time, releasing it only slowly to try and ease her racing heart. "Ugh, what am I saying," she says, with the nervous chuckling of someone who has fully lost control of their end of the situation.

She wipes her eyes with the heels of her palms. Well, maybe a little wet. "Uhm....jeeze, I barely know you and here I am, uhm...thanks? I guess? Is what goes here?" Another nervously giggly noise, and she shuts herself with a mouthful of boba.

...She sits with it, for quite a few seconds.

"Yeah," she says, and manages a smile. "Jeeze...didn't expect to get called on THIS today..."

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Leina wants to actually hug her, but right now it’s obvious how off center she is, and as she pointed out, they barely know each other. That fact is being accentuated right now.

She feels pretty bad actually, she often manipulates these situations to make people feel more comfortable revealing this, but Namiko isn’t comfortable.

Not really. As she offers another napkin as a tissue.

"Ah hey, it’s my fault to be honest. I barely know you – and it sure sounds like you’ve been bottling it up for a long time. My bad – bringing it up if you weren’t ready to talk about it, I was just trying to be a little flirty, because it’s fun?"

Leina’s wheelchair moves back to the other side of the table smoothly, "You know it’s fun being able to talk about these kinds of things with other girls."

She just smiles at her apologetically, as she explains.

"Like – how all the girls in class talk about who’s like their list of hottest guys or something? Being able to do the same but talking about the other girls, more casually. Or girls they have a crush on."

There’s a pause, as she tells her.

"Maybe it’s just a European thing. Anyhow I’m sorry – we can talk about something else if you want. Or just call it a day for now."

As she gives her an escape route, just in case she wants to retreat, just in case she’d prefer to be alone. She gives her that option freely, without shame.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Like certain other awakenings that will come, it's not entirely pleasant in the moment, but will lead to great things later on. Namiko accepts the napkin and dabs at her eyes a bit. She has resisted fully crying but does sniffle as she composes herself. Not...quite a set of emotions she had ready for activation.

She tries to smile, and says, a bit weakly, "That sounds...really great, honestly, but, uhm..."

She puts her face back in her hands. Namiko's a people pleaser, a person who wants to be the light and the heart and the smile, and right now she just can't squeeze it out.

Which means now she's spiraling. To her credit, that emotional sensitivity of hers extends inward, at least. "I think. I need to go," she says. "Uhm. We can...talk again, OK?"

She grabs her drink and her bag and stands, giving Leina a nervously overpolite bow before moving a bit too fast for the door and a bit too fast out of the mall.

Once she's sure she's got some distance she ends up planting her back to a wall, trying to calm her scattered nerves.

"Jeeze...the one thing I can't talk to Rikka or Hass about, too," she sighs, eyes drifting off to Tsutsujidai's gloomy sky.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Leina can feel that complex set of emotions, that intentionality, she can tell she’s spiraling in this moment and...

... Namiko stands and bows. And Leina smiles at her, even if its frayed along the edges from guilt.

"Okay. I’d like that. It was very nice meeting you."

She doesn’t watch her go out the door, she can feel her go, the complex set of emotions she’s giving off putting her in an abstracted state. Distant.

She understands moments like this can be awful for a person, how painful. How much they might need to retreat from them. She doesn’t blame her.

She just feels guilty for putting her there thoughtlessly.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/518567535600336899/997290281470799882/unknown.png

The psychic tinnitus of Tsutsujidai begins to feel like hollow applause as Leina Ashta stares out into nothingness for a time.