2023-03-07: What Makes a Mazin

• Cast: Banagher Links, Koji Kabuto
• Where: Fujinomiya City - Photon Power Lab Combat Sims
• Date: U.C. 0097 03 07
• Summary: Banagher asks Koji to help him train and get stronger, and learns several things: Mazinger Z's earliest struggle, and how its pilot made it through to today. Koji imparts the most important lesson of all: To not let the bastards grind you down.

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<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

The first time Banagher might have had cause to doubt the good sense of this plan was when he first sat in the cockpit of the Photon Power Lab's training sims and was confronted by the dizzying array of levers and switches on the Hover Pilder dashboard.

The second time was when he figured out how to get the simulated Mazinger Z moving and felt the sim cockpit shake with the thud of its stride, looking down on the world from an angle and a height the Unicorn's own chest-mounted apparatus can't match. At least there's no risk of an NT-D system jabbing needles into him and forcing him to fight - but at the same time, it's just him and a machine that doesn't understand him intuitively.

The third moment: Realising that this first program out of ninety-six on the lab's records is a match against not one, but two kikaiju: Doublas M2, with its ferocious twin dragon heads on extending necks, and Garada K9 with its detachable sickle horns (currently held in each hand).

"Alright, Banagher," Koji says over the intercom. There are a bunch of things he wants to say, but... He's made a decision to reserve any advice he has to give to controls. Banagher needs to understand how Koji learned to fight - and that means going in as blind as he did.

"Don't get killed."

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

This is... different.

Banagher may as well have stepped into another world. Comparing the Unicorn to the Mazinger Z is impossible. No sleek touch screens or mental connection. He looks at the dashboard blankly for a moment, waiting for inspiration to strike.

...looks like Newtype Intuition won't be much help here, either. Banagher takes a breath and begins with the closest levers. If he doesn't know what any of them do, he'll just try them one by one! This certainly has dubious levels of success, but hopefully, he'll find some kind of attack.

96 programs, with an unfamiliar mobile suit and minimal guidance. Whatever Banagher expected when he asked Koji for training, this was not it. But even so.

He thinks of the Banshee pilot. He thinks of Audrey and Leina. Everyone's counting on him. Banagher has to become the kind of pilot that can overcome any odds.

And, well, it seems like Koji understands that much. "I won't let you down!" Banagher replies.

Two kikaiju. Banagher spent his childhood idolizing Gundams, but even he heard of Koji's battles. That robot looking one is intimidating with its weapons, but Banagher turns his gaze on the two-headed dragon. That one's got to go down first.

Hopefully, by now, he's found the right combination of levers and switches to move Mazinger Z. Moving forward, he aims for Doublas M2, hoping to figure out an attack by the time he gets there.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Banagher's attention is focused on Doublas M2, so, naturally, it's Garada that strikes first, pulling back its arms and throwing its sickle-blades one at a time! The gleaming crescents spin deadly arcs through the air, scoring straight through the armour of Mazinger Z's shoulders before arcing back towards Garada, who catches them and reinstalls them in the mounts on its head, before starting to close from a flanking angle.

Doublas M2, meanwhile, opens its menacing jaws on each head, billowing forth twin torrents of flame that lash the ground ahead and beside Mazinger, while bracing to receive Banagher's charge!

Koji watches, clicking off the intercom. "Doublas is the trickier foe," he says to himself, "he's got good combat sense to target it first, but the problem with ignoring the straightforward opponent..."

Garada is coming in from across Banagher's view (restricted by the armour plates erected around Mazinger Z's cranial dock) with a right hook!

"Is that," Koji finishes his thought, continuing to watch. He is of course recording the footage, and watching a replay of his own original showdown with the pair. To be honest, he's less interested in if Banagher can win this fight, and more in how.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

Banagher makes a little sound of surprise and distress as Garada strikes -- these things are faster than he assumed they'd be! Mazinger Z, taking the hit so cleanly, nearly topples over, with Banagher only /just/ able to keep it on its feet.

"D--damn it," Banagher stutters out, pulling lever after lever. Despite his many, many disadvantages in this battle, he's at least a quick learner.

Gradually making sense of the way this dashboard is arranged, Banagher manages to steer away from the worst of the fire -- at the cost of his charge. Coming to a halt a little ways away from Doublas, Banagher frantically looks over his options, before--

"AAH--!"

Garada's right hook connects, this time knocking Mazinger Z to the ground. "Come on--!" Somehow, this is worse than his first battle in the Unicorn, but he can't give up! Not with Koji watching!

Managing to get Mazinger Z to a kneeling position, Banagher takes a breath and presses a button at random. Luck is on his side (or perhaps that Intuition, kicking in at last). Mazinger Z launches its fist at Garada. It's a clumsy, poorly aimed attack, but Banagher feels a spark of hope at the fact he managed to find an attack at all.

Hopefully, this will buy him enough time to get his robot back on its feet.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

No defiant cry fills the air as the Rocket Punch soars forth, but that's fine - Koji didn't go into the early fights yelling either. He does grin and nod as Garada takes the punch square in the chest, driven back several metres by the force of the haphazardly-aimed blow! To keep up the offensive pressure, it'll have to draw its sickle horns again, throwing just one at Banagher this time while keeping the second available for melee.

Doublas, though, is closing in even as the retrothrusters mounted in the fingertips guide the launched forearm back to Mazinger Z. Not for the first time, Koji wonders how Juzo Kabuto even programmed the retroguidance systems to work so precisely as to get the arm back to its socket every time.

Doublas's necks extend as its jaws snap shut, its heads becoming barbed spearheads as they lance towards Mazinger Z, coiling around it and snaring the Castle of Iron as Banagher struggles to get it back on its feet! The bipedal, wyrmlike machine stalks towards him as the necks retract, reaching out with its arms as well as the panel mounted in its gut crackles with electrical discharge!

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

"Yes--!" Banagher can't help himself, thrilled to have managed to hit something.

Alright, he's going to remember that switch. That's a good one. As Garada throws the single sickle horn, Banagher instinctively brings Mazinger Z's arm up, the same motion he'd use in the Unicorn. The Unicorn, however, has a shield. Hopefully, Mazinger Z's armor can hold up against this attack.

Both kikaiju move in, but the immediate threat is Doublas. Mazinger Z is caught in the dragon's coils before Banagher can get it back up to its feet -- the young man crying out in alarm.

Initially, Banagher struggles against the coils, trying to pull away. But a flash of inspiration cuts across his awareness. If he's getting dragged in anyway--!

Mazinger Z launches itself toward Doublas, straight into that electric attack. Banagher braces himself, taking the hit -- and pulling back his machine's arm at the same time.

"Let me go!" He shouts, as Mazinger Z punches Doublas between its double heads. "Let. Me. GO!" Another punch, then another -- Banagher spamming the attack as much as he can while he's stuck.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Koji barks a laugh of approval as Banagher launches himself forward and blocks the spinning sickle with a raised arm. That ferociously sharp blade embeds itself in the Super Alloy Z, which fortunately stops it short of penetrating the jet fuel tank mounted inside the chassis and making an extremely hazardous leak.

Banagher only manages, however, to land a few blows before the electrical surge courses through the simulated Mazinger. Alarmed red lights are blinking in the cockpit as the controls stop responding, Doublas giving the Castle of Iron as good a punishment as it was about to receive while the Mazin is incapacitated. Untangling its necks, it raises its heads over Banagher and spews forth a focused torrent of flame, a bombardment that could roast him alive!

Garada, meanwhile, stalks closer, raising its remaining sickle overhead in preparation to launch a strike that would certainly shatter through the canopy of the Pilder and end this sim - until it's tackled by a graceful figure of yellow and red - Aphrodite A!

The recording of Sayaka's younger self roaring her own challenge plays as Aphrodite A grapples with Garada K7 - only for one of Doublas's necks to snare around the unarmed robot's waist and fling her over the grounded, burning Mazinger Z. Her scream is abruptly drowned out by the crash of metal hitting the ground.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

At least Garada is down a weapon. Maybe he can use this thing? It's not a beam saber, but it's at least something.

Banagher blinks as the controls stop responding. Forgetting for a moment he's in a simulation, the young pilot flinches at the torrent of flame. Banagher reaches out with his awareness, instinctively searching for the answering call of the NT-D, but of course, receives no answer. Until--

"Miss Sayaka!?"

Banagher struggles again against Doublas' snare. It's stopped with the fire, at least, and if he can get the controls back online, he can team up with Sayaka to end this! But Aphrodite A goes down, its pilot screaming, and Banagher gasps in horror. It's a simulation, but he's not going to let her be hurt like this!

"Leave her alone!" Banagher shouts. If he can get Mazinger Z to move again, he'll rip Garada's blade out of the robot's arm and slash at Doublas, trying to free himself.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Koji knows it's just a simulation, but still - hearing Sayaka scream again, cut off by being thrown out of her pilot seat, he can't help but wince. "Every time, huh?" He chides himself.

The electrical overload, though, has worn off. Mazinger Z is still aflame from Doublas's breath weapon, but it and Garada have overlooked Banagher to move in on and finish off Aphrodite A.

The controls are responding again. He has an opportunity.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

Banagher shouts in anger, wrenching Mazinger Z to its feet. He and the Unicorn have fought in worse states than this. These things can't compare to an anti-fleet missile--!

Grasping the stolen blade, Mazinger Z runs behind Doublas, bringing the weapon down in a clean arc as if hoping to cut the kikaiju in half. Banagher lets his hand slide off one of the levers. Believing in possibility, Banagher blindly flips a switch.

Mazinger Z responds with a torrent of flame of its own, startling Banagher into nearly knocking the robot over again. Once he's recovered, he aims it at Garada. Hopefully, this close up, it'll be effective enough to save Sayaka -- or at least draw the enemies' attention.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Even though it's a simulation, Koji has programmed Garada and Doublas to account for the pilot's voice, so as Banagher yells they turn. Doublas tries to snare Mazinger's arm as it comes down, Garada's scythe in hand - and its neck is cleaved right through, leaving it with half its options! As it staggers back, Banagher hits one of the buttons on instinct, and the torrent of flame of Mazinger Z's Breast Fire cascades forth, catching both kikaiju in its hellish inferno!

Slowly at first, then faster and faster, the kikaiju chassis begin to melt, until both are no more than piles of slag between Mazinger Z and the prone Aphrodite A.

The scene freezes, and slowly irises out as the sim cockpit slides back from its active position, the canopy clearing to read "CONGRATULATIONS" in blinking kanji before opening up.

Koji's leaning against the wall next to the sim, grinning. "Great job, Banagher. That's... pretty close to how the original fight went down. Sayaka will be in traction for a little over a week, but - everyone's alive, the Photon Power Lab isn't demolished, and Mazinger Z has just made its statement to Doctor Hell and Baron Ashura that they don't get to run rampant over Japan without opposition."

Like he suspected when they first met, there are more similarities between him and the pilot of the Unicorn than just what they were handed by their progenitors - the kid will fight just as fiercely for somebody he cares about as Koji would.

Good.

"I finished them off with the eye beams, but Breast Fire is, honestly, one of my favourite tools in any fight. I liked charging into Doublas's snare, too."

He passes Banagher a bottle of water.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

It works -- it works. Almost unable to believe it, Banagher is ready to keep fighting, but it's over. "CONGRATULATIONS" blinks down at him, and Banagher stares at it. Emotional whiplash...

Climbing out of the simulation cockpit, Banagher approaches Koji, a little smile on his face. "I can't believe you /survived/ that. Either of you. Why wasn't anything... labeled? What kind of person doesn't label things?"

The Unicorn, of course, has clearly-titled menus and options. Not to mention responding to her pilot's thoughts.

Banagher laughs, shaking his head. "I was choosing levers and switches at random. Maybe I was thinking about being on fire so much that I managed to find the Breast Fire option. Honestly... I'm even more impressed with you, having experienced that." Banagher takes the water bottle, enjoying a long drink. "You're really amazing, Koji. Thank you so much for agreeing to train me. ...are we really going to go through all 96 programs?"

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Koji's eyes glaze for a moment - Banagher has touched on an ancient struggle - before he chuckles. "My grandfather was the kind of man who would go into a project only thinking about himself as the intended user - him telling me Mazinger even existed only happened because he was out of options. Thank god Yumi-san managed to dig up the blueprints and shout advice to me during the original fight. I was gonna call out some of his pointers during the sim, but... you handled it." He grins.

"Most of my training was 'live fire' - every kikaiju attack threw something new at me, even if it was just dealing with the logistics of getting the Pilder from home to the Lab in time to get into the fight." The distance between the two buildings is not insignificant, after all, even with the Hover Pilder at full speed. "That was before we developed the Jet Scrander, though, which hugely increased operational range and combat capabilities."

"And Sayaka was there every step of the way." He smiles, a distant warmth in his eyes now. "Honestly, without her, I'd be dead so many times over." And obviously, the reverse is just as true.

He clears his throat. "Whether we do all the sims is up to you, honestly. I wanted to give you the rawest possible first time experience, but... in the end, fighting simulated kikaiju, even as accurately as we've recreated them, is a pale imitation of the real thing, when you can feel your life on the line with every blow."

He grins. "Thankfully - or unfortunately, I guess, depending - 'Citizen' Hell doesn't seem like he's going to bother with making any new ones to throw at us."

Just the human-seeming monsters to confront, then.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

"Sorry, if it's tough to talk about." Banagher notices that glazed-eye expression. "He sounds like... A difficult person. I'm really glad you had someone on your side. I'm -- not sure if I handled it, I think I got lucky." Banagher smiles ruefully.

Listening to what Koji went through, Banagher fusses with the lid of his water bottle. "It's amazing you were able to develop anything at all, in a situation like that. I could barely get through Leina's Christmas gift. It must've been such a relief to have the Jet Scrander after all that time."

At the talk of Sayaka, Banagher looks back up, something glimmering in his golden eyes. He remembers what destroyed Leina's relationship with Shiro -- he stopped valuing her, putting his missions first. Would Koji make the same mistake?

"Miss Sayaka is pretty amazing." Banagher agrees. "You two make a really great pair. You could probably tell her how much you love her a little more often, though."

He keeps his voice light, but it's clear Banagher means it.

"Koji, I came to you for training. Whatever you think would help me the most, I'll do. It won't be worse than what Lieutenant Angelo put me through." Banagher scowls, then. "I was at the gala Hell chose to appear at. No matter what he says, I won't forgive him for terrifying Leina. I trust her intuition when it comes to that guy."

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Koji squints at Banagher as he's prodded about Sayaka. "First Shiro and Jun, then Leina - and she's already got to you, huh? I wonder how long until the princess is on my case, too?" He grins, shaking his head. "Do you ever look at her, or Leina, Banagher, and just feel anything you might want to say fall out of your head?" He chuckles. "And you scramble for the first thing that comes to mind, and you know by the look on her face that it's the current record holder for stupidest thing that's ever left your mouth?"

He's grinning, self-deprecatingly, again. "That's me with Sayaka. Sometimes it seems like the only time we're on the same page is when we have an enemy."

He shakes his head, smiling. "I'm working on it. Axis shook our relationship up pretty badly, but we are at least going on dates again - even with all this on our plates now."

"Well - as much as I want to talk a big game about running you into the dirt with training, I also don't want to be to you what my father was to Tetsuya. You've already shown me you've got combat intuition in spades even without the Unicorn, and enough spirit to stay in the fight. Hang on to that and you've got a great foundation - and don't discredit luck, either; sometimes it's all we have to count on to get us through. Something just as important to training as the activity, though, is what we do with our downtime."

He takes a seat on a bench near the sim. "How are you and Audrey handling the nightmares? They haven't stopped, have they?"

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

Banagher laughs. "Leina's gotten to both of us. I'm sure Audrey'll be a lot more polite about it." He thinks over Koji's question and flushes softly, looking away in embarrassment.

"I haven't experienced that, but I've said plenty of stupid thinks. After Leina and I accidentally Newtype Bonded, she said it was something neither of us could take back. And, w--well. My mother said if I ever did something I couldn't take back with a girl, I needed to marry her."

Banagher huffs out a little breath, almost a self-depricating laugh. "...I proposed. With no ring, in the middle of Leina's hospital room. She actually laughed." Banagher says it fondly, somehow. "But she was really, really kind to me. Way more than I deserved. I realize what my mother meant now, but I'd never put any thought into it before."

"But dates, that's awesome!" Banagher says, with genuine enthusiasm. "I'm really glad things are going better for you two. I think -- you're meant to be together. Your relationship is worth fighting for."

As Koji responds about training, Banagher actually sags with relief, closing his eyes. "Thank you. I'm willing to do anything, but-- I'm so tired. I can't leave things the way they are, not with the Banshee's pilot being hurt every moment I'm delaying. ...but sometimes, all I can think about is how much I want to take a nap."

Banagher joins Koji on the bench, looking down. "No, we have them almost every night. There's no pattern to when they stop or appear, so it's impossible to adjust to. And for some reason, even though it's always the same thing, I just can't get used to it. Audrey's taking it pretty badly."

"Leina's having the nightmares too, and it's hardest on her. She knew Elpeo, and she has so much trauma with everything that happened." Banagher says, quietly. "I don't know how to help. I wish we were all in the same place, still."

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

It is a credit to Koji's willpower and the seriousness with which he is taking this conversation that he manages not to laugh when Banagher reveals this embarrassing information. Instead he nods firmly, an unspoken promise between Foolish Men - he will take this secret to his grave.

"... That's probably better than the time I woke up in Sayaka's arms while she thought I was dead, and laughed at her confessing her feelings for me." He trades one embarrassment for another. "I was a real jackass as a kid - and I'm sure she has plenty of stories that would, uh, be even worse. Back in the day, the two of us were like firecrackers in a hot room."

He nods when Banagher explains about the dreams. "All you can do is get as much rest as you can. Sayaka and I are starting to feel it too, honestly, but... we're much less sensitive to this kind of stuff than most of our friends, and for once that's kind of an advantage - and we're going to use that as best we can. You and Audrey... are probably feeling the effects differently, too - the fatigue will affect one of you in a way the other isn't. Fall back on each other when that happens - let her support you when you're weary, and do the same in turn for her."

"Also - this sounds... hypocritical coming from me, but there are times when rushing straight in is the worst possible thing to do and also the only correct move. we are... definitely not in the latter situation, right now. Without enough information, we have to wait, figure out how to build our strength, while fully knowing the enemy is doing the exact same thing. It's uncannily like the war with Hell - the quiet while he designed and built a new kikaiju, followed by a day or two of frantic action, then back to waiting, both sides learning more about each other and growing stronger."

"It sucks." He grins, but it's a sharp, bitter expression. "If I knew how and where they were doing this, I'd drop Tetsuya and Great Mazinger on that facility to wipe it off the map." The way he says it - this is his personal 'nuclear option', to trust that the man who single-handedly demolished the Mycenaean Warrior Beast Army would visit that same terrible destruction on the people who have been doing this to Puru-1.

Sighing, Koji looks back to Banagher. "The problem is - Vist has all the money, and so much more intelligence than we expected. The advantage is firmly theirs, and making them spend or waste it is going to take time and effort - and if we hollow ourselves out training dusk 'til dawn, on top of this... psychic malaise? We're not going to be able to seize the opportunities we do get."

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

Just as Koji mananges not to laugh at Banagher, he's afforded the same favor. In fact, Banagher winces at the story. "Oh... I bet she kicked your ass for that, didn't she?"

Based on that vicious battle-yell Banagher heard in the simulation, younger-Sayaka seems like a ferocious woman. Not someone he'd want to get on the bad side of.

Golden eyes finally meet Koji's again as he gives Banagher advice -- the young man listening carefully. "I can do that. I got into all of this because of Audrey -- to try and protect her, and help carry her burdens. I'm glad you and Miss Sayaka aren't having the dreams. It must be frustrating not to feel the things your friends are." Banagher says, seriously. "But I'll let you know if anything changes. With the dreams, or the feeling the Banshee gives us. Anything could be a clue to saving the pilot."

"That sounds awful." Banagher murmurs, about the war with Hell. "It feels just like that though. Something horrible happening, dealing with it, and then just... waiting. Knowing someone is being hurt every second." He sighs. "I wish Tetsuya could just destroy them."

An awfully violent wish, from the boy who couldn't be forced into killing even by a machine specifically designed to make him.

"The Vist Foundation probably has dozens of facilities spread across the entire Earthsphere. Controlling the Federation for a hundred years... They've got unimaginable power. And with Elpeo's abilities, they can find me no matter where I go. That's what she always says in the dreams." Banagher admits, almost as though he feels like he's done something wrong.

"You're right. That makes me feel a lot better." Banagher smiles. "No matter what I do, it hasn't felt like enough. But thinking about it that way -- there's no way I'd be able to pilot the Unicorn when I'm exhausted. There were days I tried to, months ago. I was living in her cockpit. It went... badly. Captain Zinnerman saved me from that."

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

"Oh I regretted it, alright." He can, at least, laugh about it, and there is a strange fondness in the way he talks about Sayaka's hotheadedness and their arguing.

Relationships come in all shapes, probably.

Koji gets serious again. "When did you start feeling that the Banshee had changed like this, Banagher? We fought Lilith piloting it before at the wedding, and it was... nothing like this. If it's bad enough that even Sayaka and I can feel things from the pilot, then I can't imagine how you and Audrey manage to stay standing."

He frowns. "I... frustrating, I suppose, isn't a bad word for it, but... As much as Sayaka and I will never have the kind of connection you have with Leina or Audrey, I also think about how badly Kamille was hurt because of his open heart." He frowns. "In this world, the smart thing to do must... sometimes feel like to retreat from everyone, and close off, so you can't ever be injured that way."

He gives Banagher a wry smile. "In which case, I'm proud to be a big goddamn idiot, because closing off from everyone was going to get me killed."

He shakes his head. "We... I don't know if we're having the same dreams, I can't really remember them, but with Sayaka and I both struggling with sleep while you and Audrey are as well? Probably not a coincidence. As for their facilities - hopefully, OCU Intelligence will start turning things over. Carving those out will be just as long and arduous a process as finding them, and it'll have to be a well-executed operation to stop the people running them from going to ground and just starting a new one, but... we'll get it done."

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

Banagher smiles, a little confused at Koji and Sayaka's relationship. But just because he doesn't understand it doesn't mean it's bad. Everyone has their own way.

"I didn't see the Banshee after the wedding until the day it attacked the Garencieres and the Ra Mari II. That was.." He closes his eyes, thinking. "February 5th. Then, it was still Captain Aiden. I'm certain of it -- and Leina is too. After that, it disappeared for a while again, and then on February 17th," He's certain of this date. "It was different. Wrong."

"It knows exactly how to hurt me." Banagher says, softly. "It can do this psychic thing that knocks me out immediately. And it always tries to send those hands and cover my eyes. If the Unicorn and I couldn't connect spiritually, I'd be dead."

Banagher pauses, then. "I don't think your relationship is any lesser than mine just because you aren't Newtypes. Sayaka knew when you were in trouble in that fight, and she was willing to die to save you. And you've stayed together ten years! It'd be ridiculous to consider that anything but soulmates!"

"Kamille hasn't told me much of what happened to him, and I haven't tried to find out. If he wants me to know, he'll tell me. But I don't think I'll ever be capable of closing myself off. I can't even figure out how to raise walls like Sayla and Leina can." Banagher looks a little sad. "After my mother died, I was so overwhelmed by my Newtype abilities, I couldn't handle the world at all. I disconnected entirely. Now... I could never go back. This way is so much better, even with what the Banshee can do with it."

Banagher thinks for a moment. "That's a good point. Audrey and I noticed the dreams aren't quite as bad if we're sleeping together -- uh, I mean -- in the same bed. Not -- the other thing." Flushing softly, Banagher looks away. "Having someone there with you when you wake up from the nightmare makes it linger far less."

"I was -- at the raid of the Institute for Continuing Study. I know how horrible, and hard those things can be. When I was there, I --" It's still too soon to talk about. Banagher closes his mouth. "...I don't know if I could be any use on another raid like that. But if you trust your Intelligence people, I'll trust them too."

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

"The 17th?" Koji grumbles, thinking. "And the nightmares... the night we fought the Banshee and the Amabilis off."

It's data. He doesn't know what to do with it yet, but it is data.

He shakes his head, grinning. "I feel like a psychic bond with Sayaka would be worse for our relationship, honestly. We'd bicker telepathically, or something." He laughs, then nods sombrely. "What happened to Kamille is his story to tell when he's ready; he won't even really talk to me about it. And - yeah. I get that. When Shiro and I lost our parents, having him around was all that kept me going. He's why I learned to bake, y'know - I didn't want to have Juzo's housekeeper doing all the work for us."

He chuckles a little as Banagher trips over his words with his next suggestion. "I'm going to make that exact mistake talking to Sayaka about this, I guarantee it." Even knowing he will? Perhaps some things are simply inevitable.

"I know this is going to be difficult to ask, but. There's something else you can do that's even more important than training." Koji considers how he's going to approach this. "What the Vists are doing to 'Puru-1' - turning her into their weapon, something to flourish from crushing other pilots? They're doing something similar to you and Audrey - making every single day an attack on your spirits, trying to grind you down until it seems hopeless. Having Shiro and Sayaka and everyone at the Lab wasn't the only thing that got me through the war with Hell - it was how their presence and support let me make time to still be an idiot teenager while I had it. I know it seems impossible given everything that's going on, but - you and Audrey have to make that time to still be kids, to be with each other. The responsibilities you both have won't go away, but allowing yourselves to be yourselves, sometimes, will make them easier to bear."

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

"Yes, you're right. That's such a small window to have grabbed... Elpeo. Unless they've had her for a long time and only now deployed her..."

Banagher closes his eyes against that possibility, momentarily overwhelmed.

Koji lightens the mood, thankfully, and Banagher laughs at the thought of telepathic bickering. "It's a real problem! Sometimes I get going about Haro technical stuff, or Leina starts talking about the history of some play, and you can /feel/ the other person's attention drifting." A grin. "I've learned not to take it to heart, but if we ever fight, I can't imagine how emotional it's going to be."

Another laugh. "No, you've got to prepare! Practice saying it in the mirror or something!" Sayaka is absolutely going to kick Koji's ass if he messes up that bad.

"But, I'm sorry." Banagher murmurs. "I didn't know you'd lost your parents. That reminds me of Leina and Judau, a little. For me, it was just... Studying. Trying to make sure I didn't ever give anyone a reason to kick me out of school, so I wouldn't wind up homeless. Holding onto Haro."

The young pilot quickly grows serious again at Koji's mention of something he can do. Golden eyes widen. Is that really... okay?

"Koji," He begins, "Are you sure..? Can I just... go to HaroCon, and take Leina and Audrey on dates, knowing someone is suffering because of my family?"

'Because of me,' Banagher thinks, but knows better than to say it now.

"It makes sense. Just like with how we need rest... Kamille said breaks are vital. And if I just try and rest all the time, I'll go crazy." Banagher looks uncomfortable, but goes on. "...this is really the only thing we can do, while we wait. I can't neglect Audrey and Leina, even if I could train every second until the Banshee appears again. They're hurting too."

A little smile, nervous and soft. "...I have been wanting to try out those games Leina gave me."

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

"Yeah, and then I found out after we beat Doctor Hell that father hadn't been dead, he'd been training Tetsuya and building Great Mazinger to fight the Mycenae in secret for as long as I'd been without him." He chuckles sadly. "Neither of us exactly have the best male role models in our own families, huh?"

On instinct, he reaches out to ruffle Banagher's hair. "Which is why both Tetsuya and I care so much about being better than that."

He waits for Banagher to figure out his logic in asking him to take breaks and 'be a kid'. "Life's meant to be lived, Banagher, not waited to be lived. While some of my friendships only happened because Shiro and I moved here from Tokyo to deal with Mazinger problems, the fact remains that they are new things that happened, people in my life that if I'd never met them? I'd be a very different man today. I know that with all of this hanging over you it seems irresponsible to goof off - but darkness this heavy can only be dispelled by finding the light wherever you can."

He grins. "Now, try and get some rest, or pick out a game, or watch a movie, or... something. Put the worries of the Earth Sphere aside, at least for a few hours, until you feel like you can handle picking them up again - or at least asking for help lifting them. Make that an order from your coach, if you have to."

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

"W--wow." Banagher stutters, looking shellshocked. "That's. Um. I'm sorry. That's awful, Koji. I'm... glad you and Tetsuya can be close now, at least."

A little moment of surprise, when Koji reaches out -- but Banagher allows it, grinning. The young man's wild hair only fluffs up more afterwards, defiant to the last.

"Yeah. If I never accepted the Unicorn, I'd be a far worse person right now. I think I understand." Banagher grins back to Koji, standing. "I bet I can convince Audrey to play Haro Party. I've been wanting to try it out."

Banagher hurries to the door, already pulling out his phone. Before he leaves, he turns back, giving Koji his brightest smile yet. "Thank you, Koji. I feel -- so much better."

>Hey, Audrey <3
>I'd like to play some Haro Party
>Are you in? :)