2022-11-29: Junk STORAGE

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<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Thanks to Namiko, Rikka has some idea of where Hass, or whatever's controlling her, is hiding out. All of Rikka's instincts are shouting at her to go after her. Despite her level-headed appearance, she can never sit still when people are in trouble - especially people she cares about. ...But, she knows that just running off is going to make things worse in a situation like this. So, she's forcing herself to wait.

...But, she's not going to just sit and do nothing, either. She did some poking around, trying to find something, some information might help. Eventually, her inquiries drew attention. One thing lead to another and, eventually, Kaworu got in touch with her. He knows some people. If he trusts them, Rikka trusts them, too - so she agrees to meet with them.

And that brings us to today. The appointed meeting place is the Junk Shop. The sign has been set to closed, but it's definitely the place. A few extra chairs have been set up in case anyone doesn't want to use the sofa or the bar stools. Rikka, at the moment, is sitting on one of the bar stools, her eyes fixed on the door and waiting nervously.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

A pleasant hum can be heard within the supposedly-closed Junk Shop, four people bustling around within. They were expecting guests, after all, it was only polite to be prepared. Max, with one arm in a sling, wears his apron as he tidies the dishes from the day's sales. Borr and Vit work in tandem, setting out extra chairs and glasses of water about the place. Calibur... sits at the bar, knitting what seems to be the beginnings of a red scarf.

A twin to the in-progress scarf is wrapped around Yuta's neck. It's far too warm for such a thing, really, but he values it far too much to leave it at home. Tassels flick as he moves, helping the Neon Genesis Junior High Students prepare. The young man has dressed up a bit more than the last time he visited Aya -- jeans and a green t-shirt with a geometric design.

"I think we're ready, Rikka!" Yuta says, a smile on his face. There's still bags under his eyes, and he hasn't been to school in a few days, now, but... he's trying. That's what matters. "I hope everyone shows up."
Akane Shinjo teleports in. 

<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

A nervous man in a business suit enters the Junk Shop. He looks around, glasses on his face, before waving. "Ah, h-hello...is this the meeting place...?"

Leito moves to remove a business card, presenting one to each teen.

LEITO IGAGURI - NERGAL HEAVY INDUSTRIES

"Mr. Nagisa told me you were seeking assistance...am I wrong...?"

He'll take a seat at a stool if allowed to.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Namiko has been staying at Aya for a few days now - the possibility of...whatever is controlling Hass coming back was, however low, enough that she just didn't want to be at home. So they've made an excuse about a group project, and Namiko has temporarily, at least, joined the Aya Regulars squad in testing Orie Takarada's saintly good will. It's a strange experience for the girl; she's gone rather abruptly from never seeing Aya with her own eyes to sleeping in Rikka's very own room.

To say nothing of the rest of the strange things going on in her head. But she feels a little more together with every day that passes.

Namiko has no ambitions of going ANYWHERE NEAR this situation again, but still...she's also the main lead they've got. So she knew she should be here. She's busying herself with making a big serving of tea in the back - by now she feels comfortable enough to help herself to the kitchen. It's not the fancy macha preparation she does in tea ceremony, but she goes about it with a similar degree of focus on process. Maybe just because it lets her keep an eye on her hands.

She knows they can do things she doesn't understand, if she doesn't.

She visibly tries to stick near Rikka and Yuta as much as possible. 

<Pose Tracker> Haruki Natsukawa has posed.


         Haruki doesn't know why he's being called. He doesn't know a lot of things, admittedly, but it's apparently important, so he's got to go! Perhaps, in the future, he could have Z remind him, but he's not particularly chatty unless he specifically meets with him in person.

         Arriving at the Junk Shop, Haruki is not dressed to impress, wearing his usual work attire as he just absentmindedly looks around. He hasn't been in a place like this in a while, it's kind of nice- There's a mental tug from a certain someone in his head, and he immediately snaps out of it, straightening up as he formally introduces himself in an enthusiastic manner.

         "My name's Haruki Natsukawa! It's nice to meet you all!"

         He gives a rigid salute for a few seconds, before exhaling and letting his arms fall to his side.

         "So uh... We're here to talk about something, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

A bit after the first arrivals make their way in... Well, Yuka's not too far behind. There's a couple members of STORAGE coming out here after all. Though unlike some people, this will be her first time at Aya. For the gathered kids, it's probably weird, because... Well, she's that oddball biology teacher they've got, who does lessons about kaiju of all things. At least she looks the same. But she's got bright eyes full of life, and a genuinely overjoyed smile on her face.

She's also carrying along a few large books today, just in case. She doesn't expect that the reason they're gathering is in them, but... Better to have reference materials just in case, right? "Doctor Yuka Ohta, here today in my capacity as STORAGE's primary kaiju specialist!" She's also sewed the patches back onto her work jumpsuit, properly over her heart as they should be.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

The bustling of the Neon Genesis Junior High Students behind her is reassuring. She's done her part, but she lets them handle most of the work.

"Great." Rikka says with a nod, as Yuta says that they're ready. She can see that he must be exhausted. ...She's a little exhausted too, honestly. "...Yeah, me too."

Namiko is here as well, and Rikka is proud of her for that. She could relay what Namiko told her... but it's possible that the others will have questions that will jog her memory more, help them get a better view of the situation. Rikka looks back behind the counter, offering her a smile. She'll make sure to stay close, too.

...But for now, it's time for people to arrive. A man in a business suit arrives first. He... looks almost as nervous as she does, actually. She accepts the business card, looking it over before offering him a nod.

"That's right, Mr. Igaguri. Thank you for coming." She greets. Not long after, Haruki arrives, and she nods to him in turn. "Mr. Natsukawa."

Rikka's gaze lingers on Yuka for a moment. She recognizes her, of course, but she's still a little surprised to see her here.

"Miss Ohta... I guess this'll be our first time meeting properly, huh? It's good to see you again... I hope being here isn't bringing up any bad memories." Rikka greets, then looks back out over the room.

"I'm Rikka Takarada - it's nice to meet all of you. And these are my friends." She says. She'll let them introduce themselves, but for now she nods toward Haruki. "Yes, that's right. Kaworu thought you might be able to help."

She lets them settle in for a moment before continuing.

"My friend Hass is being controlled by something. It's... not like Triple Zero, or the kaiju that appeared here recently, if you've heard of those, where they're still largely themselves. She's doing, saying things she'd never do, and hurting her friends." Rikka explains. "I don't know what it is, but she's planning something, too. Something big. We need to stop that, but..."

Rikka hesitates.

"I just... really want to save my friend. I hate the idea that there's something out there using her to do horrible things." She shakes her head then looks toward Namiko. She meets her eyes for a brief moment before looking back to everyone gathered. "My friend Namiko... the thing controlling Hass was keeping her in a trance to help with what they were planning. We were able to rescue her, and she remembers some things about what they were doing..."

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Leito is given a welcoming smile from Yuta. "Please have a seat, if you like! You're in the right place." In fact, there's an open stool next to Calibur, who pauses his knitting to scoot a glass of water toward Leito. Yuta squints at Leito's business card. "Mr... Igaguri? It's nice to meet you, my name's Yuta Hibiki."

Yuta seems particularly protective of Namiko, as does Borr. The shortest member of the NGJHS acts casual, but it's clear she's practically acting as Namiko's shadow. "Lot of folks, huh? Gotta feel nice. People coming together to help your girl like this." Borr says to her, smiling in her own cocky way. "You've got this. Just tell 'em what happened. If anyone even looks at you crosseyed..." A knife appears in Borr's hand, glinting in the light of the shop. "I'll get 'em." It's a joke... probably.

"Woah, no need to be so stiff, kid!" Vit says, grinning. He's actually put his phone away for this. "Haruki, huh? Nice name. No need to salute though, we're pretty casual here. And yeah, you got it!" Vit offers the young man a chair. "We've got some kind of parasite to drive out. These things always seem to pick on kids..."

Max carefully hangs up his apron, approaching Yuka with a glass of tea. "Dr. Ohta. It is a pleasure. Your expertise is truly valued here." Perhaps, as he also appears as an oddball adult, Yuka will feel more at ease in Max's company. "Would you care for some tea? I can assure you, all the offerings at Aya are more than satisfactory."

As Rikka begins to speak, Yuta joins her, nodding grimly at her words. He can see how tired she is... He's got to do whatever he can to help. "Right. Hass... tried to hurt us." Yuta says, carefully, unsure how much it's safe to reveal. Kaworu believes in everyone here, which is a good sign... With a soft breath, he goes on. "She'd never act that way. Hass doesn't even know the truth about Tsutsujidai, not to mention how to fight, or control people. Any information any of you have -- we'll be so grateful!"

Pre-emptively, Yuta bows.

<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

As they all get started talking, Leito smoothly removes his glasses and pockets them. There's no strong Newtypes here, so none of them would notice anything different happen mentally.

But the nervousness clears up completely.

"I work for Nergal as a kaiju specialist. It's the reason I've been invited. One of my associates battled a series of transformative kaiju two nights ago - she reported that it seemed...intelligent. While I don't want to entirely speculate...it may be related."

He knows it's related, because Zero heard the girl's voice. But he can't let that off. Play it cool, Zero.

"Have you heard of such a thing as a Devil Splinter? It's connected to a long-gone entity known as Belial, but remnants of his evil remain. That kaiju - it was definitely associated with that power, by all accounts." 

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Namiko catches Rikka's look. She's been at about 10% of her usual Full Power Namiko for a while now. An experience like this would damage anyone's shining optimism, to say nothing of her still-missing Best Friend Unit 2. Still, she manages a decent smile for her.

Namiko emerges from behind the counter with a set of teacups - not the fancy ones - filled with a black tea to give people energy for the upcoming conversations. There's sugar cubes to the side, for preference.

She takes her own and settles in in a spot between Borr and Rikka that has magically remained open. Her smile gains a few degrees of warmth at Borr's encouragement. "Yeah," she says. "Yeah," she repeats, a moment later, sipping her tea and letting the heat surge through her. She even giggles at Borr brandishing that knife. She's seen it at work. And she knows she can trust it.

And with that strength, she sets her cup down to call attention to herself. "Ah, yeah, Namiko is me!" she says. "Uhm! ...it sucked." She laughs lightly at her own terrible introduction, scratching at her cheek. "I think..." She looks at Leito, but then again at Dr. Ohta, nodding at her particularly. "Uhm, I think we...said some stuff to you? I think I remember it was pretty bad. I'm sorry about that. It's all kind of a blur. Whatever she did, it really made it hard for me to think straight. Or at all, sometimes... Uhm."

She fidgets with her hands for a second and then straightens again. "It started...something like four weeks ago. Might be six, now. Time's--Hass had this streaming gauntlet that had her on her own for a while, and after she came back she'd changed. She had this...blaster. Thing. That could mess with your head. She said..."

...She quietly reaches for Rikka's hand, and then says, lower, "She said it was convenient, because even after it wore off I just ran back to her. Because we met on the way to school every day, see. Uhm. I think because of that she used me as sort of a lab assistant. She's doing...stuff. In the city."

...and then she looks to Leito. "Belial," she mutters. "She was talking about that a lot..."

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

Yuka seems to brush off the worries, as if all is fine. She's just laying out her books wherever there's free room, as she pulls up a seat. "Oh no, no bad memories at all. In fact, I've still got my teaching job part time. I want to help everyone here, as much as you all do." Her smile doesn't fade for even a minute, looking from Rikka, over to Max. "Oh, thank you so much." She'll be happy to sample the tea.

"Actually, I've been looking into the situation with your friends independently myself, so coordinating our information is likely to prove especially helpful." From the offered tea, she takes a brief drink. Her throat's a little scratchy feeling, so that helps. And to Namiko, she just offers her free hand. "Don't worry about it, water under the bridge. If I'm being honest with you, that encounter... actually kinda helped force me out of my slump." She won't elaborate on what the 'slump' was actually about. But it's true that the weirdness and vitriol had played its own role, both in breaking the 'spell', and reinforcing her conviction going forward. "So, I promise. We're going to save her from that parasite."

Devil Splinters... fragments of Belial... Well, Yuka doesn't know who Belial is, YET, but she gets the idea. And she's certainly taking notes on the new information. "Now that we know about that shifting monster... it's likely the replicant Angel Core incident a few months back was the same perpetrator. Probably a trial run of the kaiju fusing technology, if I had to guess." And he was VERY interested in her kaiju notes. "We'll need to take precautions. It's likely they'll be looking to use it on newly emerging kaiju in the near future."

<Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.

Captain Shota Hebikura, STORAGE Commander and civil defense coordinator for Tokyo under NERV, is a bit late for sitting down with Haruki and Yuka. The other two members of the team had already showed up! Sat down and everything. So what was taking the captain so long?

"Hey~hey~!" Singsongs a dark-haired man, framed in the door with all his bangs tucked neatly back and slicked over. Haruki and Yuka know it as the Hebikura's 'presenting before the director' forced cheer flavor of Public Relations act.

Sweeping into the Junk Shop door is the rest of the jumpsuit-uniformed man, carrying two trays of Fruity Beverages from Starbows. Each has a vibrant flavor, most trending towards red and orange, from passionfruit guava to acai berry strawberry. There are eight, two sets of four, as he steps through the front.

He immediately scoffs with a self-effacing 'ah, too bad!' smile. "And I'm late because I brought drinks to a cafe." Clicking his tongue, he sweeps out into a grand shrug before looking between Yuta and Rikka for a place to put down his drinks nonverbally. It involves some intense staring with saccade flicks between the Starbow drinks and the well-loved Junk Shop. . .

Everything.

To the 'only other Adult in the room', Leito Inaguri, Hebikura has only a momentary: "NERGAL. . . still a company man, Inaguri-san? Or are you on vacation?", sweetly inquired. 

<Pose Tracker> Haruki Natsukawa has posed.


         Haruki, being the polite boy he is, bows when greeted. He awkwardly stands around for a bit more, before finding a stool to take a seat on.

         "Mmmm, Belial? Isn't he that super bad Ultraman that's dead now? So, the shards are from, right?"

         He's talked to Z about it a bit since it was brought up. The Devil Splinters, and Belial. It's all a bit fantastical and is having a hard time sticking in his brain though... Wait, he talked to Z about it... Is this public knowledge? He didn't remember STORAGE talking about it, or NERV in general. Oh. Oh no.

         Haruki visibly panics for a moment, before suddenly collecting his cool. That's right. He has the ultimate tried and true excuse to ease suspicion on him by saying weird things.

         "A-At least that's what I remember Z telling me! I don't remember all the details though, sorry!"

         He nailed it, he thinks. Maybe! At the very least, he doesn't feel any disembodied disapproval looming over him. Not any more than he normally does, that is. So there's that, at least!

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

It's a decent smile, and that's good enough for Rikka. She's not going to expect Namiko to be at full power after everything that's been happening to her.

"Thank you." Rikka says with a grateful nod as Namiko brings out the tea and takes a seat in between herself and Borr. Borr, on the other side of Namiko, gets a smile too for their encouragement.

She listens, then as Namiko begins to speak. When she reaches for her hand Rikka takes it in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze for reassurance to remind her that she's here. She'll hold on for as long as Namiko wants and needs.

She keeps her temper level, but... it's still upsetting to hear how 'Hass' so casually took advantage of their friendship.

"I'm glad. ...You've been a good teacher, so its nice to know you'll still be sticking around." Rikka replies with a nod toward Yuka. She looks toward Yuta, then. He offers an explanation of his own and she nods in agreement. He even bows... Yuta really is strong. She's glad she's not figuring her way through this alone. She looks toward Leito, then.

"For Nergal?" Rikka repeats, as Leito explains himself. She thinks on that for a moment. Like Ruri, then, though in a different field. She nods and listens. An intelligent, transformative kaiju... Rikka frowns. And then, her brings up the Devil Splinters. She thinks on that for a moment, and...

"...I have, actually. I haven't seen him in a while, but a friend of mine brought them up before." Rikka replies with a nod. She doesn't know if Leito knows Riku or not, and his secrets aren't hers to tell. "I don't know much about them, though. Only that they're dangerous - a while back, in... February, maybe, we fought a kaiju that was being affected by one."

She pauses, her gaze landing on Haruki.

"...Actually, come to think of it, I think you were there too, Mr. Natsukawa. Kaworu was too, so if you want to know more you can ask either of them." She says... and then pauses for a moment, as she thinks about something he said. "Z?"

As she says that, another person arrives with a sing-song greeting. He's late because... he brought drinks.

"It's okay. A lot of people don't realise we do both." Rikka says with a shake of her head. "I'm just glad you're here at all."

Junk Shop Aya would probably get more customers if they lead with the cafe side of things, but... her mother seems to think that it's important they cater to both sides equally. 

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

"K--kaiju specialist." Calibur mumbles. "Intelligent kaiju..." He seems to knit even more thoughtfully, taking in Leito's words. "I--I do not know what a Devil Splinter is. But I have heard the name 'Belial'." With a quiet hum, the samurai goes quiet again, though his eyes stay focused on Leito.

Borr smiles in return, seeing Namiko's smile warm up a bit. Grabbing one of Shota's drinks at random, Borr offers it to Namiko once she finishes speaking. "Drink up, Namiko. You're doing great." Leito and Yuka get a particularly intense look as Borr goes on. "Nobody here holds it against you, you didn't know what you were doing. And it's not gonna happen again. You're safe and sound here, and Hass will be too, before you know it."

With a nod, Max accepts Yuka's thanks. His offered tea seems a bit redundant now, as Shota brought all those drinks... Alas. "The children enjoy your class. It is good to offer them a worldview they have not yet been exposed to." The large man rumbles, crossing his arms over his chest as he listens. At the mention of an Angel Core, Max and Calibur exchange a glance. "Fusing kaiju... This is indeed troubling. What precautions do you recommend, Dr. Ohta?"

Yuta blinks in surprise at Shota's appearance. "O--oh, hello!" The young man waves. "Let me help you with that tray..." Taking it from Shota, Yuta gently places it on an nearby empty stool. It's fairly central, so anyone who wishes to can grab a drink. Yuta takes a bright red drink (hopefully strawberry!). "Thanks for this! And thank you for coming."

Haruki bows, which gets a little grin from Vit. "Woah, hang on." Vit comes over, bending down to put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You good? You looked a little shaky there for a second. Z, huh? It's okay. Just tell us what you can remember. Between all these pros, we'll figure it out."

"You're doing great, Rikka." Yuta says, quietly. He gives his friend a little thumbs-up. Yuta feels just a bit useless, but he's doing his best! After glancing around the room to make sure nobody else needs anything, he takes a seat on Rikka's other side.

<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

As they talk, Leito-Zero, glasses off, nods to the others. "Indeed. And-"

And then a vaguely familiar face arrives, one who recognizes him and is playing coy. "Ah, it's been a while. How are you?" He says, confidently, not actually knowing the man's name. But in his brain...why is this man, who he recognizes, in this universe? Could it be, that he's Ultraman Z's hos-

Nope, actually, Haruki kinda accidentally reveals that. Time for damage control.

"Z, huh? Is that one of those nicknames kids have these days?" Come on, Haruki, play along. "You shouldn't namedrop your friends so casually as info sources." Nudge, nudge.

"Anyways, that's correct. Ultraman Belial is very much dead. These splinters are fragments of his body - they grant evil power to those they infuse with. Whoever...or *whatever* has your friend is using this power."

"Unfortunately, we're at a limit to what we can do. We can't use mobile suits, or your friend's body is in danger. We'll likely have to fight them on-foot."

And then, he begins nursing his water. 

<Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.

Hebikura nods at both Rikka and Yuta, still apologetic to Rikka as she thanks him 'anyway'. "Then, please enjoy."

Yuta's strawberry drink is easy to find - it has ice and actual strawberries in it, with the extra berries adding a kind of tart bluebrry bite to the sweet strawberry. And cane sugar, of course, at least a full pump - it's Starbows and the drinks aren't authentic without the sugar kick.

With the trays taken off his hands and stepping back and straight, Hebikura's expression pops - a performative 'ah, I forgot!' and another apologetic smile. Leito gives him a setup, and the captain plays it all off like he planned it. "I've settled in," He answers cheerfully. "-and found a capable team. I'm the captain of STORAGE - Hebikura Shota."

He'd go for shaking Leito's hand, but the office hero is answering questions about Belial, and that has more of a value than bothering with the Ultra Host's extremely flappable outer demeanor. "Yuka, while you were on vacation, Jana Cektru worked with me to uncover a kind of... kaiju medal press, and the research notes on that in alien language. The doctor and I believe that medal press process is what is allowing controlled kaiju attacks in Tokyo. The Ultra Medal crisis we've been following has evolved... and an agent or the mastermind just recently attacked. The 'Medal Gacher' might have been used to produce a Belial Medal - and if there's a medal, it's not like the real thing is truly dead, mmm?"

Ominously, Hebikura seems to be gunbarreling Leito while he asks that.

"But!" Hebikura claps. "I'm optimistic, because the response was very good. Even though a completely new, powerful fusion Kaiju suddenly intelligently started attacking the city, three Ultra-types arrived, and Evangelion Team was able to help stop the threat. Really, it's a lot better than things have gone recently."

"So I'm thankful." He adds. 

<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.

"That man is dead." Is all Leito says, *incredibly firmly*, as he ruminates over the medals. He'll have to talk to Dr. Cektru to follow up on this...they may have started off on a bad footing, but who can hate this face?

For now, he goes quiet with his water.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Yuka's forgiveness is met with a smile and a handshake, accepting. It's a little fragile. Namiko's not at her sparkling best, as one might imagine. Still, she tries. "Alright. Thanks, then."

If her nerves are picking back up, Borr slipping over to grab drinks from Hebikura's set and none-too-subtly give it to her helps break that spell. She flashes the smallest and also coolest of the Neon Genesis Junior High Schoolers a good glimpse of her usual full-wattage grin, grateful. "Yeah," she agrees. "Soon enough we'll be having a good time together." She drinks. It is one of the redder ones, because Gridman runs on unimaginable amounts of color theory. And because she's Starscream.

She finds the strength to slip away from Rikka for now, at least, saying, "You're right," and nodding at Hebikura. "She had that. There's some...space. Somewhere in the city. I don't remember where. But Rikka and I think it's in the sublevels, because I remember it was really dark. I think he had some other people he'd controlled down there, too. I remember people calling out. And..."

.... "I helped," she says, quietly. "With, with the Belial medal. I know I did."

She looks at Rikka. "That day we blew you off. The person she needed to capture for it was coming back. That's why she was in such a hurry. She."

She pulls up her hand and for a moment she looks almost afraid of it. "She taught me how to pull something into my hand. Some kind of...capture teleporter. And then had me flag him down."

She claps the hand onto her bottle. "...I don't know what she did after that. But she had the 'Belial Factors' she needed afterward. Maybe he's still down there, too?"

<Pose Tracker> Haruki Natsukawa has posed.


         "Eh? No, Z-san's the guy who shows up to help us fight kaiju. Everyone in STORAGE knows him. We talk on uh... occasion?"

         Haruki doesn't get what Leito's trying to do. So he just comes out and says it. He does realize he said 'everyone in STORAGE knows him', so maye that wasn't supposed to be public info, but honestly, it's not too weird if he says that to the people here. It's not like talking to a weird giant alien guy automatically makes him a suspect of BEING them. He thinks? No, no, he KNOWS.

         "Ah-Ah! Yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't slept in a bit because of my shifts. So uh, remember more? Uh, well... I think it's because Zero killed him? And then he exploded? I'll just Leito-san explain, he seems pretty knowledgeable!"

         Haruki might be a Karate Master, but the way he handles the conversation by just throwing the responsibility of answering to someone else is more akin to someone who's really good at Judo.

         "Eh? Belial medal? But-"

         Haruki cuts himself off and just silently groans, he really wishes Z was here to talk right now. But he doesn't speak Earthenese very well, not to mention the other, more important problems bringing him out would cause. But at the very least, he can come to his own conclusion: Whoever made the Belial Medal definitely has the stolen Z-Riser. Making the medal would probably be kind of useless otherwise.

<Pose Tracker> Yuka Ohta has posed.

A great deal of information is steadily passed around. Much of it Yuka notes down, even scribbling out a number of guesses about the mechanics. What might have been missing previously, how this medal making machine works... Well, nothing concrete yet. She'll have to hope they can translate those notes into an earth language. "Belial Factors... from kidnapping somebody? Would this Belial have left more direct traces of himself inside people? Inhabiting them perhaps...?" In the manner that parasite is using Hass's body, is what she's thinking. The truth of course is just a little different. "If he is still there, we should organize rescue. I can fabricate some unorthodox equipment for stunning and disabling any threats we encounter, without harm." She's got several ideas in mind already. Miniaturizing certain tech she already uses in other capacities. Applications of kaiju biology from the samples on hand.

She was asked about precautions, so she'll double back to that. "I'm not really a security specialist. But before I came to Tsutsujidai on an extended stay, we had taken custody of one such... kaiju medal. One thing we'll need to do is secure other such objects if they happen to pop up. This Belial seems dangerous enough on his own, without mixing in something like an AT Field to whatever other abilities they have access to. Preferably we'd store them in different facilities, to be especially safe." There's a brief pause, as she considers what they'll need most for the operation. "If I could study the device used for... mental control, Dr. Cektru and I might be able to engineer a countermeasure. I don't suspect that device will be terribly effective if we're working in a group, but that DOES mean we should avoid being in groups smaller than three, for so long as we lack a countermeasure. I suppose that part was obvious though."

Then the absolute hardest problem to solve... She doesn't have a good answer for this. "As to precautions regarding kaiju themselves... Those are rather limited. There's only one kaiju I can predict the emergence date of right now, so my best suggestion there is that we invest in detection systems for smaller-scale entities in the area of attacks. In the event that investigating this lair doesn't pan out into a capture, we'll need to have a small-scale response team specifically for... interfering third parties. Well, realistically, we'd be adding more personnel and equipment to our evacuation team, I suppose. I'm sorry my answers aren't great, this is a somewhat new area to deal with." She'd love to have more thorough answers, but something more proactive is a bit beyond her ability-set. 

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Yuta takes the water and sets it on a nearby stool. Rikka glances toward them, giving it a quick look-over. She already has Namiko's tea, so she's fine for now. She might take one later, though - she's fine taking whatever's left over.

Yuta says she's doing great, though, and gives her a thumbs-up.

"Thanks..." She says, as he takes a seat next to her. She lowers her voice a little. "I'm glad you're here. Kaworu recommended them so I trust them, but I'd be stressed out if Namiko and I had to do this on our own."

She looks up again, though, as Leito continues. 'Z' is just one of Haruki's friends, huh. That makes sense... who he clarifies is a guy who shows up to help them fight kaiju.

So, an Ultraman, then. It kind of feels like he knows more... but, she isn't going to press him on it.

"It's great to have a friend like that, isn't it?" Rikka says, with a smile toward Haruki. She nods, then, as Leito explains what Devil Splinters are... and how they figure into this.

"...That makes sense. " Rikka replies with a nod. ...That'll make things dangerous. That doesn't discourage her, though. She'll do what she has to.

The late arrival introduces himself, then - Hebikura Shota, the captain of STORAGE. The captain himself showed up...? They must be taking this seriously.

"Rikka Takarada... It's nice to meet you." She says, and then listens as Hebikura explains some things. Leito says Belial is dead, Hebikura say he isn't truly, but Leito insists. The situation's gotten pretty complicate. Ultra Medals... this sounds pretty bad. And... Namiko actually knows something about this. She has the strength to slip away from her, so Rikka sends her an encouraging nod as she tells her side of the story.

"Oh, so that's why she was in a hurry..." Rikka murmurs, and then pauses for a moment. The way she looks at her hands... Is that why she's afraid of them? Because 'Hass' taught her how to do things like that...? "It's okay, Namiko. No one here blames you for that. If he is down there, we'll make sure to help him, too."

Yuka seems to be in agreement, too - and she has a lot more to add. Rikka can see already why she makes such a good teacher - she already seems to have thought about a lot of this. A lot of it is a little over her head, honestly, but she's glad she's here. But... she also brings up the subject of investigating the lair.

"When you go... I'm coming with you." Rikka says. She doesn't leave that up for debate. "I don't know how to shoot a gun or anything, but I know first aid. I can help if anyone gets hurt, and there's no telling what kind of condition the people that the thing controlling Hass captured will be in."

She has to sell her skills somehow - but the main reason she wants to go is that she wants to make sure there's a friendly face there for Hass. 

<Pose Tracker> Shota Hebikura has posed.

Raising his hands in surrender, Captain Hebikura nods at Leito. "Then, I'll take your word for it. Alive or dead... Belial's power is being used."

Namiko's struggle draws a somber note out of Hebikura. "During the ongoing Kaiju crisis events in Tokyo, STORAGE let the kaiju controller get away. Dr. Cektru and I chased a..." Hebikura rolls the specific word over for a moment, before indelicately selecting- "...suspect into hiding, and pressured them to go to ground. At the time, I thought it was one who summoned the enormous fusion kaiju previously, Five King."

He doesn't like to admit this. It's his own failure, not a subordinate that he was taking meaningless blame for. This was a personal failure, when he had seen the tail of Kaburagi and had kept joking with a fellowly shady doctor on winks and nods. Winks and nods and witty banter may have gotten people killed, as Namiko revealed.

A disgusting feeling, without any steps removed. A drift of dark bangs fall across Hebikura's face, framing the sides and losing a lot of the straight laced too-bright performance.

"It... Isn't your fault, that your friend was attacked. If you were trying to help them, you can't pick up the chain of blame that--" A grimace. "Things like what we're chasing use as a weapon. Like a barbed whip. It's meant to hurt. Understand it as an attack, and--" His expression straightens, hands sliding slowly into the pockets at the side of his jumpsuit. "--try not to get cut, if you have to hold it." He advises Namiko. There's a struggle here, and it's not just Haruki getting out a megaphone and trying to make sure everyone is aware of his STORAGE Secret.

The terrible truth of why Sevenger is always saved by Ultraman Z.

"Yuka." Hebikura begins, not looking directly at the scientist. It's one of his official tones. "It seems like everyone here is interested in helping out, and you know we don't turn people away from helping when it comes to civil defense. Since you'll need to work with Dr. Cektru, anyway, why don't you coordinate, here, as you have been? The civilan liason for this operation."

"Ah... Operation... <False Face>?" He hangs on title, switching to a Britannian accent for the last bit.

<Pose Tracker> Namiko has posed.

Belial's destroyed, and the Devil Splinters are what's left of him. And someone with a 'Belial Factor' was necessary to make it all stable. These things are in her head now. Little bits, bobs, facts floating free inside her. Her part mostly said, she retreats back to Rikka's side, grabbing her tea that she prepared this time. Swapping taste profiles around like this is an absolute affront. But she suddenly wants something warmer in her. A small smile. She's usually burstingly outgoing, but right now, every dip back into that darkness takes a recharge for her.

Haruki fills in a few blanks, but mostly ones she already knew. "Yeah," she does add. "I think that's why it wanted that power. It said it was collecting the Splinters that scattered when Belial was destroyed...I guess to make that Belial Medal. I don't know if it has more, now that it has a Medal created."

Hebikura...the Captain, takes a more serious posture, and Namiko turns to him. She might not quite assemble the pieces - she doesn't have as many as most. But, she understands the weight of that advice now. "Yeah," she says. She slips her hand back into Rikka's, quietly seeking her strength. Holding something that isn't meant to hurt her or anyone else. "That's its kind of joke, I think. I remember it was cruel." But despite saying it, she's buoyed, by the support. "I'm gonna stay here. Since that thing already got in my head, it's better we not find out if it did something else, too. But I'll make sure the tea's ready." She grins. Something she can do for them, at least.

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