2025-01-18: Breaking The Cycle

• Log: Breaking the Cycle
• Cast: Yuliana Kafim, Elisa Kafim, Rena Lancaster, Shelby Korts, Li Yao, Aurora Dusk, Kaworu Nagisa, Leina Ashta, Anita Rosetta, Sayaka Yumi, Lucine Azul, Liam O'Maol Chonaire, Naoko Suzuki, Murasaki El-Amari, Koji Kabuto
• Where: Earth Orbit, Opposite Lagrange Point 4
• OOC - IC Date: January 18, 2025 (January 17, 0100)
• Summary: In the wake of the Empress's defeat, it is time to say goodbye.

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<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        God is dead.

        And as She burns to nothing, with those bright blue flames of the Earth's power, Threshold Queen EMPTEAR drifts down to meet the others. "She's... really dead," Yuliana says, as Emptear's claw presses to the side of her head, just as Yuliana grasps the side of hers. "I can't feel Her, any more... She's gone."

        Part of her is... sad, as she looks to the space where the Empress once was, now empty once more. It's audible in her voice, that conflicted feeling.

        "Dosvedanya, Elisa Dian," she says farewell, her eyelids lowering behind the blindfold she wears to protect her psyche, in Emptear's heart. "In that place... you were my very first friend."

        Emptear turns, then, to the Gaia Gear Alpha. "Sister," Yuliana says, her voice still a touch emotional, "there are wounds we may yet heal. Shall we dance?"

        Elisa may have been able to help her tear the Gate open, but in order to close it -- she needs someone whose Voidtouched heart is closer to the Earth Sphere. Ivnerre flaps above the Ra Mari II as the two robots join in a dance which stitches together so much of the rest of space, returning the view of their stars to the sky as the emptiness between them is closed again.

        By the time they're done, there remains only a circular portal above the Ra Mari II -- and an arch which Shari is deliberately keeping open, with her technology, in its hangars.

        "These machines will no longer trouble the Earth Sphere," Yuliana promises, as Emptear drifts closer to that portal -- a resolution she and Elisa already made. It might seem as if she's going to dive through it, herself... though her palm thrusts out, in front of her, and it's not immediately clear on the outside that she's placed her palm on Emptear's control console.

        "Emptear, set automatic controls," she invokes, calmly. "Forward six by six five degrees, adagio. Set down at eighty-fifth junction. Get set!"

        And as Emptear starts moving forward, she calls out: "Elya--!"

        There's nothing stopping Elisa from teleporting, any more -- and that includes teleporting her.

        As Ivnerre and the Flight Altos which the surviving Protivisny are piloting follow the Super Robots through that portal, Elisa and Yuliana appear in the Ra Mari II's hangar, alongside everyone welcomed onto the ship in the wake of that battle. Yuliana, strangely, isn't dressed in a normal suit -- she's dressed in something closer to a dancer's leotard, with bracelets at her wrists and ankles and a circlet over her brow, and a green blindfold over her eyes.

        (Yuliana, strictly speaking, was never quite 'in the vacuum of space'. Emptear's heart has always laid in the threshold twilight between this reality and the Void.)

        She pulls that blindfold down around her neck, hanging loosely there like the scarves she always liked to wear. Alongside everyone's robots, there is a portal, set up here, an arch which still glows with Void energy -- much like the circular portal above.

        "Okay," Yuliana says, turning to Shari and Naoko. "The kaiju are through. Let's see how your portal works, shall we?" They had a plan of their own, after all -- to make sure that they could transport things into the Void without leaving an open wound in reality.

        And with the Whispereds' command, at their console, the metal edges of the portal in open space begin to collapse down on each other. Lined with untreated Green Fold Crystals, it pulls itself in, until that ring portal becomes a small, closed circle floating above the Ra Mari II.

        "Hey," Yuliana smiles, "that's pretty good! There's just a small crack left, but if that's how your portals work, we'll be able to fix that right up. So that just leaves this one, huh..?" She turns, to the human-sized archway they've set up in the hangar, itself lined with those fold crystals. (Surely Elisa can use it, too, even though she's not human.)

        "Then..." She pauses, her tone growing thoughtful. "... it's about time."

        There are others, aside from them, who would rather try another reality than stay here. They say their own goodbyes, to their own loved ones, and that handful of pioneers begin filtering through the portal. Amongst them --

        "You sure you wanna spend eternity with this vampire?" Parminder Chaudhri asks, grinning, sly, to Guanyu Yuan. And that woman smiles, taking Wendy's hand in hers.

        "... I'm sure," she replies. "I thought about it long and hard... but I meant it when I said I couldn't imagine life without Wendy. The weird stuff -- we can work it out. I mean, Yuliana did, didn't she?"

        Parminder laughs, rubbing at the back of his head. "The Captain's never gonna work out how to not be weird! But you guys have fun in Hell, or whatever!"

        "It's not Hell, Parminder," Wendy shakes her head, smiling; but he's already turned, strolling off. His path takes him past Yuliana, where he lifts his hand --

        -- and she lifts her hand --

        -- and their high-five claps into a firm hand grasp.

        "See ya," he grins.

        "I won't," she grins back.

        And off he goes, to give the Ra Mari II even more trouble. He'll disappear before the authorities show up to ask him pointed questions.

        And the court jester of the Silent Castle, in his way, has already made a joke of the truth... a truth Yuliana has to turn to, now, as she turns to her friends. (Though many were her enemies, once.)

        OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEPbUhHhECU Deltarune - Don't Forget

        "That is the situation," she smiles, sadly, her hands clasping together in front of her. "Once I go through this portal, you won't see me, any more. I won't exist as a physical entity... I'll never be the same. But I'm ready. I will go to the Void, with my wife, and those who wished to join me... and we will make sure the Empress never rises again to threaten the Earth Sphere."

        She brushes one of her bangs back, behind her ears; she's folded her frills back behind them, to make Shelby and the others more comfortable, though the black snakes at her back are still hovering beside her. "When I was a child, I loved the Gundam Fight," she says, "because I believed in their message that one person could save the world. But reality was always more complicated... there's always been too many problems in the Earth Sphere for one person to be able to bring peace to everyone. The hope I can hold in my hands, for you, is just this one part in the tapestry. As for the rest... I guess it's up to all of you to figure out what you're happy with as individuals, huh?"

        Yuliana smiles, to them. "So long as you're doing what you believe in, I think this world will be okay. And I'll do my part to make sure our new world is okay, too."

        If she's crying, a little, that's fine.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Ivnerre flaps, and Elisa waits for her wife to dance with their Sister. Rena may not like being addressed that way... but at least she won't have to deal with it much longer. Soon, the time to leave. But first, there are things yet to do. Elisa does her work. She teleports herself and Yuliana free of their units, and allows them to fade into the portal. Delack and Emptear perform their final dance.

And so, Elisa appears with Yuliana in the hangar. Elisa is also not in a normal suit, but in robes. However... "Excuse me," she says. "...I would go to the Void in something more... more." She holds a satchel over her shoulder, and she steps away. "I shall return in a moment, my darling. ...And everyone."

Shari handles the portal with Naoko. "You got it!" she says. And Shari grins at Yuliana when they're done. "Hey, it's my first set of portals. ...Too bad I won't be opening enough more of them to get good at it, huh?" She looks a little more serious, then. "...She's really gone. I don't Hear her anymore."

Elisa returns, as the Others who will go with them return. She is now wearing a fabulous green dress and four-inch heels, fine jewelry. She goes to her doom(?) in style. She looks after the pioneers who follow through. "Remember," Elisa tells them. "If you cannot bring forth solid ground to stand upon, simply wait until I join you. I shall do it."

Elisa smiles at Parminder. She has the normal amount of teeth. "I have left you some surprises at the Castle... I hope you look forward to them, before you go."

"HEY!" Shari suddenly calls before Parminder leaves. "Parminder!" she says, and her expression is emotional--serious. Until, in a completely deadpan tone she says, "Lol. Lmao." She laughs, and waves him off.

He was an important mentor to her, once. ...That says a lot about her life.

Elisa, then, wlks up with Yuliana, and waits for her to speak. Then, she adds, "I shall attempt to conjure solid ground, walls, a city... Such that those who go can exist in a form familiar to them, for a while. We shall not break ourselves in the Void as the Empress did. ...But we shall be together. ...Think not of us as gods to rule over the void, though. I have had enough of Goddesses, even if you could still call me such."

She looks to Leina. "Look at us as explorers, witnessing the vast expanse of the Void. Perhaps, one day, humanity will evolve to explore it as well. ...If so, then I shall greet your descendents... as friends, I hope."

A pause, as she looks to the group again. "...I do not remember much of my childhood," she admits. "Perhaps in time I shall. Perhaps Mother can remind me." A pause. "...But I wish you music. Music was always what foiled my powers the most... But I shall develop new powers that do not quail in front of such a force. I do not... wish, to be the sort of being who dislikes it."

"The world is yours to seize! ...Ah, I know you shall not, do not worry. But remember--sometimes, you need the dark Power that lurks within your heart, to defeat your enemy. It is, what? That man must be both god and devil? ...This is so, I think."

"And so shall I be, though 'man' I am not."

She is not crying, but she puts a hand on Yuliana's shoulder, comfortingly.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

The Gaia Gear Alpha dances. This time, it's a familiar dance; Rena has done this once before. And she is exhausted, like before, but she isn't baffled. Before, she didn't expect that she would be helping Yuliana. This time, she knew it would come. After all, they needed someone connected to the Earth Sphere but with a Void-touched heart.

The portal is sealed. Rena exhales, leaning back in the Gaia Gear. Her hand pats the arm rest. She exhales, motes of blue and green light dancing around her.

"Guess the word might get out," she says. "Well... we'll handle it, yeah?" she says to Anita and Leina.

Sometime later, the Gaia Gear has landed in the Ra Mari II's hangar. It may be able to teleport, but she doesn't quite have the knack that Yuliana and Elisa do.

And when she walks up, she's pulled the helmet and gloves of her normal suit off. Those are tucked away into the Gaia Gear. There's a ring on her left hand, sapphire on it glittering.

She watches Yuliana's interactions with Parminder. There is a smile -- but it's a conflicted one. This isn't easy for her, because it's complicated.

Her expression gives that tension away -- and she finds Anita's right hand, giving a squeeze.

She looks at Elisa, too, and she is quiet for a moment more.

<Pose Tracker> Shelby Korts has posed.

        The return of the Jagd Doga is one of little fanfare; a swift, almost autopilot-assisted docking procedure -- one the crew of the Ra Mari II have seen a few times, especially in operations where the Void is involved. Shelby Korts allows the panoramic sphere cockpit to flicker and shut down, the cockpit plunging itself into darkness as she does not move-- not yet, anyway, as she does her best to keep her head from exploding and her stomach from entering complete open revolt.

        When she arrives in her Zeonic normal suit, she clicks the locking mechanisms on the helmet and tugs it off, her glasses replaced with a set of prescription sports goggles. Her hair is spun into a messy bun, held with clips, that barely stays intact in a chaotic mess of red-pink over the purple-and-black suit's shoulder. Less than her mobile suit, Shelby herself looks like she was the one tangling with a void-god, rather than the machine; a smudge of blood under her nose and sweat clinging to her skin.

        Shelby says nothing, at least at first, instead clutching her helmet a little tighter under her arm, mouth a flat line-- or, more perhaps, the Britannian just isn't sure what to say.

<Pose Tracker> Li Yao has posed.

        The bug devoured Yulong docked with the Ra Mari II and some of the maintenance crew look at it like how in the world will they ever rebuild it. The fact that the cockpit maintained pressure and atmosphere during the fight speaks to the luck of the pilot. Still the old man doesn't care for the moment, instead he is arguing with someone about how he needs a cigarette and how smoking isn't allowed in a pressurized environment. That is until Yuliana and Elisa make their appearance.

         Gravitating towards the two with the rest of the group Yao can't help but scoff at the gundam fight mention, "Just because you try to butter me up with such things doesn't mean you can slack on your training, kid. Void or whatever you don't get to slack. " The old man looks back at Yulong and then at the new rulers of the void-verse.

         "So, whats the weather like over there?"

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         In the post-battle confusion, NUNE's hastily-assembled forces are left... listless. Ships are damaged, machines are destroyed. You do not fight a goddess and come away unscathed.

        They DID just do that, didn't they? The entire battlegroup breathes a sigh of confused relief, doing their best to let the stress of eldritch combat fade into the ether. The Ra Mari II sends out its invitation, and some of the people listening answer.

        Aurora is among them, GN-X trailing particles (and bits of armour) as it comes to rest in the hangar. She awkwardly clambers out of the cockpit. She's supposed to be here, officially. Captain Fari told her to find out whatever she could from the meeting, and Aurora has always been the faithful hound of the Federation.

        That she wanted an excuse to come say goodbye to Yuliana is a coincidence.

        Vert is here too, in all his rather plain-looking ship captain glory, looking slightly awkward himself. An adjutant stands off to the side, awkwardly. (Emily is off in a corner nursing a void headache.)

        The first thing Aurora does is wander over to Yuliana. "...Captain. It was nice to fight alongside you one last time." She smiles. It WAS nice. "...I'll miss you. Good luck." She casts her eyes over to Elisa. "I've never met you before, but... thanks for looking after Yuliana." Aurora looks from side to side before chancing a brief salute.

        After that exchange, she looks around at the assembled people. Most of them, she doesn't know.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        God is dead; they have killed her.
        
        Is the greatness of this deed too great for them, though? To dance the Void shut--to close the Gate and save the world decisively from this particular threat--must they themselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?
        
        These are questions that do not apply to Kaworu Nagisa. He ponders them as he watches over his friends, companions, and allies all the same. The more time he spends among humans, the more human he feels; to have friends that are not human at all has been very important to him. He brings Unit Beta to the Ra Mari II's launch bay; when he has emerged from her entry plug, slightly damp, he strolls over to where the others are gathering in front of that final portal that Shari is keeping open a little while longer.
        
        There is a good amount of chatter among them all. Kaworu doesn't join in at first, opting to watch and listen from the sidelines. There is joviality, and there is sorrow--and there is hope.
        
        Hope, and music. Kaworu's smile widens as he shuts his eyes. Yuliana swears to the responsibility they both now bear, and Elisa swears to be a being who rejoices in music. If only Ranka could see them off now...
        
        For now, though, he chuckles faintly at what Elisa says of how man must be both god and devil. Koji and Sayaka could comment on that in far greater depth, but he can appreciate that particular brand of humor.
        
        (That is to say, 'it's funny because it's true.')
        
        His gaze turns towards the others now assembling. He may catch Aurora's eye as she likewise looks around at the group; he may catch Rena and Anita's eyes, since his gaze lingers on them for a little bit; but in another moment, he returns his attention to Yuliana and Elisa.
        
        "I have faith that you'll shape your new world to be a kind one," he tells them. "One day, should I have the privilege to bear witness to it myself, I'll be sure to compose a song for it."

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

She takes her moment... and feels the drifting ashes of emotion that were Elisa Dian drift away. Unto the warm universe - or a colder one? A kinder world would say she might know warmth again.

Even someone who tried to steal it away.

But despite having the senses to perceive some of the mysteries of the universe, she has no idea where Elisa Dian's final destination might be. The touch of other fingers join with the ones she already feels.

And she closes her eyes again, pinching them down.

"Hey you."

A soft greeting, but it's only fitting that she come - right now, when she's coming to terms with what's about to happen. Through the portal Shari made, others go, one by one.

"<Little chance it won't.>" Leina replies to Rena over the comms, "<Don't worry. I'll figure something out.>"

She can't tell them, any of them - the situation she'll be in once she leaves this place, or she won't be able to. She knows it.

And on the Ra Mari II...

The Banshee - Singularity-02 lands. It is a bold move in and of itself. She cannot stay long. Admiral Eight Orlodhari knows why - the disaster it would be if it did.

Yet the girl descends from the lift in her suit, sans helmet, as she hits the ground, but she doesn't interrupt Yuliana's exchange with Parminder, stepping up, and smiling at Elisa as she echoes the term she used before 'explorers'.

The music... there's a slow blink, as she thinks about how 'normal' that is - how much of Elisa is still in there, beyond what was done to her.

"There's always been more to this universe for us than this pale blue dot. We were always destined to go places far beyond it." She says with a smile, "Hmm. We'll see how long we keep you waiting - but I think - whatever you both become, you'll still be human. ... If anything. What we went through just now? Proves it all the more."

Whatever the Empress became... she was still so painfully human.

Then as Yuliana speaks, qualifying the changes to come. "Oh stop it... you dummy." As she steps forward, a hand on her hip as she takes on a slightly admonishing tone, "Whatever happens next... You'll still be you." This coming from the girl who once helped drag someone back from the other side - to being a non physical entity.

Perhaps perspective has changed. Or perhaps it's merely the nature of the choice, not in reaction to some great disaster in the moment, some heroic sacrifice - but an active one.

Taking responsibility too is human.

But whatever irritation is in the moment, it fades in the next, as she steps forward, and loosely puts her arms around her.

"We've got this. Big heroic gestures have never been what build the world. It's choices... like the ones you've made of late..."

And as her grip tightens.

"... I'll miss you. I'm proud of you..." And more selfishly, for selfishness too can be a virtue, "... Thank you." Maybe she's not not even finished accounting for all the harm Yuliana Kafim has done to her, and others - and especially not Elisa but...

... choosing to try, there's something liberating in admitting the outcome, for all the pain and harm it did... to herself, to others. She did it for herself, and knows that it was worth it.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

...They've done it. It's a little hard to believe it was even possible. But today... they've felled a god.

The Svipul flies to join the Gaia Gear. It may not be able to join it in its dance, but it can be there to support it as the portal is closed - and return with it, as it flies back to the Ra Mari II.

"We'll handle it." Anita agrees with Rena. She wouldn't be surprised if this entire fight had been visible from Earth - the Empress, at the very least, in her attempts to swallow the Sun.

She steps out of the Svipul and out of her EX-Gear, setting her helmet aside as she joins Rena. And in the hangar are Yuliana and Elisa, among others.

...It's still an odd sight, seeing them like this. She's full of conflicted emotions, too. She isn't crying - but it doesn't mean it's easy. She could never call them friends... but it's still a big moment, and she can see how much this is affecting Rena, too. She can feel that tension without even needing to see it - and when Rena searches for her right hand, she holds onto it and gives it a squeeze.

"So... this is it, huh? Didn't think it'd happen quite like this." Anita admits, looking toward Yuliana and Elisa. "Well... I know what I'm happy with. So, we're gonna keep looking after things over here. Don't you worry."

The world is theirs to seize... Anita cracks a smirk, once they're assure that Elisa knows they actually won't.

"...Yeah. Guess it's everyone's, now." She comments.

She glances briefly to the side, as Kaworu's gaze lingers on them, before looking toward Rena and then, finally, back to Yuliana and Elisa.

---
%An envelope has been left in the care of the Ra Mari II crew, to be delivered to Yuliana upon her return from the fight. Inside is a photo, depicting a large, fluffy, and quite friendly-looking dog with a familiar key dangling from his collar. There is no name or address, only two words, written on the back.

'Fight well.'

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

God is dead. But not only that, a woman who was once Elisa Dian has passed on as well. It's a nuance that isn't completely felt until the fate of the world is no longer hanging at a thread... but they all did what they had to. And now... Yuliana and Elisa can pass onto the other side of the Void in peace. But first... that means farewells.

When they gather on the Ra Mari II, Sayaka's still wearing her pilot suit, her winged helmet held between one arm. She watches, wordlessly, as Emptear and Delack are sent away, their power to never touch the Earth Sphere again. It's... a conflicted feeling, that on one hand, perhaps the world will be a safer place if their power is needed again. But on the other... it was never just about their power.

"So. This is it, huh?" Sayaka manages a bittersweet smile towards Yuliana. "I never would have imagined being able to call you one of my greatest friends... but I'm glad I can. And I'm glad you kept trying, kept visiting, no matter how difficult it became." She's tried to hold it back for the entirety of the battle... but now that it's over, she feels she can speak her heart. "I can't speak for the entire world... but I'll miss you, Yuliana." There's a slow sigh, as she reaches over to give Yuliana one last hug if she's willing.

And then Sayaka regards Elisa Kafim, not with contempt as she had before... but with a newfound respect. "Explorers of the Void... I like the sound of that." She nods to Elisa. "There's something to be said about dedicating your life to understanding the secrets of the world... and I'm certain the Void has just as much to discover as ours." She looks out the 'windows' of the ship out into the empty space the Emrpess had just occupied. "As for us... Leina's right. It won't be easy... but it'll be up to us to be the stewards of this world. You don't need to worry... we'll keep it safe. Long enough for our descendents to maybe one day meet yours, and share in our respective knowledge once again."

A God and a Devil... Sayaka looks to Koji, and then smiles. "You're half correct, Doctor. But today... just today, we've surpassed both. To be neither God or Devil in their entirety is to be human."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Like with any fight that large, it takes Lucine a while to come down from such a high. For this one, however, it's taking her a little longer.

        Dressed with a fleece-lined jacket over her Nergal-assigned pilot suit, Lucine emerges from the bathroom and proceeds at a panicked jog, nearly bumping into Shelby in her haste. "... Ah, sorry--"

        She looks at Shelby for a moment, registering the pink-haired pilot's emotional aura. Then, quietly, she dips a hand into one pocket of her jacket, taking out a clean white handkerchief, which she subtly extends to Shelby. ".... I'm... not too late. Good."

        Parminder's disappearing act is one Lucine quietly ignores; that's not her problem, at least, barely knowing the guy outside of dishonest deeds done diligently. .... People like Leina are better at that, anyhow.

        Keeping an eye out for Liam, she turns now to the two people who the room is focused on, for good reason-- for they are the two that are about to leave, forever.

        "... I take it... that your minds are still set, so... I'll keep my words short." She manages a smile. "It was an interesting ride, knowing you two." Time has made the worst of those wounds heal; even if the deeds of the past still remain, there is no reason to ask more than what's been done already. "What is left.... is the wish that I could have gotten to know these sides of you two. I'm glad Sayaka and Koji were able to give Yuliana a place to stay... perhaps... we could all learn from that."

        Her thoughts are muddled. She had so much she wanted to say, and now... is that just the adrenaline leaving her? "But... perhaps it's better to see each chance as valuable as it ephemeral. Once you go through that portal, we may as well be like cherry blossoms, but our value... is that we existed, just as you exist and will continue to, for us. Continue to remember us and the world we'll live in. And fill yours up with so many flowers... that you'll never want for anything."

        Why is she beginning to cry? Wasn't she privately a little relieved, once?

        Perhaps, it's weight of knowing that this will be forever, for them.

<Pose Tracker> Liam O'Maol Chonaire has posed.

        The Empress is dead.

        Liam still can't believe it. This is a deed that will echo in history for as long as humanity exists. He was here to see it, and committed it to memory, just like the generations of bards and chroniclers of ages past. His family line. His name.

        And now he's here to see off two people who were once among his worst enemies. Liam still doesn't feel wholly at ease about this. The scars Yuliana and Elisa left are real. People died because of them, and while they're headed out on peaceful terms, it's still bittersweet.

        The Akashima Balor kneels at the far end of the hangar, surrounded by scaffolding. A few techs handle emergency repairs. Liam himself approaches the gathering, wearing his maroon-and-beige NERV flightsuit. He picks Lucine out, and in a few smooth strides, he's behind her, sweeping her into his arms for a hug and kiss.

        "Shelby," Liam says, with a smile. "Aurora." He turns to Elisa and Yuliana, and runs the back of his sleeve across his eyes. "Remember the flowers, Yuliana," he says. He's not sure what else to say, at first. This is goodbye, forever. "And I--I hope the new world treats you better than this one did. We'll take care of it, I promise. We've still got our own future."

<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.

Naoko is frankly astonished at the fact that she's standing here in the Ra Mari II's hangar right now. Not the being alive for it part so much as being conscious for it. She has that unfortunate habit of taking things a little bit further than is strictly good for her in the heat of the moment. Somehow, this time, she managed to take it exactly as far as she could handle. Maybe she's getting a better feel for how far she can push the Lambda Driver without suffering adverse effects! That would be nice.

For now though, there's more work to be done. Even if the hard part's over and it's Shari doing most of the work from here on out. Though she of course lends what assistance she can with closing the tears in reality. It's a bit of awkward thumbs-up that she gives Yuliana, but then, their interactions have been pretty awkward at best so it's par for the course.

It's much easier to give Shari a genuine, and knowing, smile. "Happy for you. That's at least the most terrible voice in your head taken care of." At least, she sure hopes the Whispers could never be as bad as an actual evil god talking in your brain.

That part taken care of... well, she can't help but still feel awkward about all this. She can't exactly be gleeful in this goodbye, but she'd also be lying if she said that it didn't feel as a relief. What could she really say here?

She hasn't figured that out yet by the time Parminder is making his way out. A giggle escapes her at Shari's words; she briefly covers her mouth and recomposes, before deciding to add to that call-out herself.

"Yo Parminder, say hi sometime, wontcha? I'll be disappointed if I never have to deal with random hacking attempts when I least expect it."

This isn't reverse psychology or anything. That grin on her face is genuine - she would actually enjoy an impromptu pro hacker battle. And that helped to relieve her tension a little bit. Enough so to finally say something in response to Yuliana.

"...Right there with you, really, about the Gundam Fight. Never used to think I'd have a choice but to do everything by myself. Glad I no longer have to. It's... no way to live."

It's a bit of a roundabout way to say 'I'm glad you won't be alone out there', but hopefully that translates. She can't help but chuckle though, honestly admitting the rest of her feelings on the matter to the Kafims.

"Gotta be honest, I half expected you to turn around and go 'we're free from the Empress, time to take over the world!' Part of me still isn't convinced you won't be back to try that someday. So, if nothing else... I hope you can get some satisfaction out of proving me wrong."

<Pose Tracker> Murasaki El-Amari has posed.

Murasaki sits on the open hatch of her very damaged Murasume, and watches the events unfold from afar. She watches, an outsider in so many ways to these strange events.

Again and again, over the course of the fight, that...god, or Yuliana, or whoever it was, demanded her annoying little attacks cease, that Murasaki and Elisa were "of Orb".

But Murasaki wasn't. Orb was home now, but she wasn't born there. It felt so strange that the only person who well and truly accepted her it seemed in her home was someone dedicated to destroying reality.

Either way, she hoped this was going to be the last of her encounters with cosmic horrors beyond her comprehension, and if it wasn't, she certainly hoped it was going to be in something stronger than a mass production type mobile suit.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Shari grins back at Naoko. "Definitely. I can take the other ones all day, compared to that." She reaches up, and takes out an earring, looking down at it thoughtfully. "...I'll never need this again."

"If the void has 'weather'," Elisa says to Li Yao, "Then I do not know it. For all that I draw on its power, I have never been outside of brief glimpses. I remember nothing of my time as the Empress's hand." She watches Vert and Aurora curiously, in the next moment. She smiles at Vert, and then looks to Aurora. "I always shall," she says. "She is my wife. My closest one."

What 'gets out' is no longer her problem, but... she does regard Rena for a few moments, too. Rena, and then Anita. "Ah," she says. "So you have found her," Elisa says to Rena. "Then be well. ...We shall not meet again."

An amused look at Anita's smirk. "...Everyone's. Very well."

And then to Leina... Hmmm. "I suppose so. We have come to value this 'humanity'," she says. "...I do not believe that I am. But if I have a glimmer of it, then I will accept it, and watch over it."

To Sayaka she nods, deeply. "I am a scientist. ...But I am glad. I would be... disappointed, if Earth ceased to be before its time."

But half-correct? Hmmm. "Ahhh," she says. "Then perhaps by that definition, Leina will be right." She looks to Kaworu, though. "...But only by some definitions."

"Kind... I do not know 'kindness' well, but that is why I have enlisted so much aid," Elisa says to Kaworu. "The people of the Silent Calling know kindness. Perhaps that will be enough." A pause, then. "...If you do, then you shall find that I remember. And will be waiting for that day."

Lucine speaks of ephemerality, and Elisa looks to her thoughtfully. "...Yes," she says. "That which is 'eternal' is not all that is good. We shall have flowers." She actually winks at Lucine. "Some in particular."

"...And you," she says to Liam. "Treat your world better than I have. Goodbye, Liam O'Maol Chonaire."

As for Naoko, Elisa nods. "That is fair," she says. "I certainly considered it," she admits. "Yuliana loves this world. If I could keep it safe by ruling it... Perhaps that would be well. But I cannot. I would only destroy that which is beloved about it."

"...If ever the Void threatens you, if ever we do change to become as the Empress was... then I shall count on the edifices you and young Shari create to counter that day. I do not wish to live as She did. In madness and rage alone."

"...But I expect instead I can be satisfied, yes."

Shari sighs. "You two..." She nods. "My life would be totally different without you. It was hell, sometimes. Because of Her. ...And i helped with things I'm not proud of. But... You let me go, when I left. And we went through some of the same things."

"...So goodbye. I won't contact you."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         To be frank, Aurora does not grasp the consequences of the Empress's death. She wasn't really AWARE of the Empress until very recently. She stands awkwardly in the hangar of the Ra Mari II, helmet hanging off her back, eyes flicking back and forth. That's right, this is the Ra Mari II. Strictly speaking, this is an enemy ship. But right now, that doesn't matter. What are the passions of mortals in the face of a god? ...or something like that.

        Aurora gets another shock as the Banshee lands in the hangar, and Leina clambers out. Huh, Cathedra sent THEIR dog here, too. ...this one knows Yuli too? It's like everyone here knows each other or something. Small world. They speak of humanity, and something in Aurora's chest turns awkwardly. To be human. You'll still be you.

        The white-haired boy... he's NERV, right? Administrator. Aurora knows very little about him, too. As he watches the festivities, like an outside observer, Aurora watches him. Is there something relatable about the way he does that, she thinks? ...the boy born the day of Second Impact. Is that true, she wonders...

        "Liam. Lucine." She acknowledges them in turn, smiling. "...that was a hectic battle. I didn't know you knew Yuli... I knew after the dragon, but there wasn't a good time to bring it up."

        Vert looks at Elisa Kafim of all people smiling at him, and cautiously responds. "...I never expected to be saying this to Elisa Kafim, but... this includes you too." Feeling like he should say something, even if he feels out of place, he takes a breathe, and... "...Today, we fought an enemy beyond human reckoning. NUNE- I should say, humanity itself - owes everyone here a great debt." His speech sounds genuine, even if he's a fish out of water. Off in her corner, Emily mumbles that he should give himself some credit too, then goes back to nursing her hangov- void headache.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Mazinkaiser needed to undock the Kaiser Scrander to fit inside the Ra Mari II's hangars properly, just to ensure it doesn't take up a premium of space (you could fit a mobile suit on either side if it if you got those wings off), but once the full separation is complete it looks much more at home here surrounded by the wide array of characterful machines brought to bear against the Empress - and still dwarfed by Unit Beta, after all.

Koji is also very much frazzled from the battle, his messy hair messy in a very different way to usual.

Is it drooping? Has it ever drooped before?

His fatigue, however, doesn't diminish his mood about this triumph... even if it is a bittersweet victory.

As Yuliana and Elisa speak, plan their future in the Void - a space beyond, that he'll likely never have the opportunity to see for himself - he steps up next to Sayaka, slipping his hand into hers to squeeze it and favouring her with a tired, fond smile.

"I've... never been able to have a goodbye like this," he admits. "Not one that's both 'final' and... well. Not one where you get to say everything you want to say, let's put it that way."

"... and I have no idea what to say anyway." He barks a laugh, shaking his head.

Fortunately, Sayaka has always been the more eloquent of their partnership, and his smile becomes broader and less tired as she says their farewells for him, pausing only to add "If you had told me seven years ago that one of our best friends would have been tied to a cosmic entity of terrifying power and anger, I might have laughed. Then again, having a daughter be 'born' from the crown of a giant robot did a lot to change my perspective of the world."

He steps forward with Sayaka to give Yuliana a tight hug of his own. "I know the Void ain't a place for light... but maybe try and remember something like it, to guide yourselves with, huh?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        Yuliana reaches up, to squeeze Elisa's hand on her shoulder, and smiles to her. She'll... be okay.

        She spares a glance to Rena and Shelby -- and she can see how much she looks like she's been in a tumble-dryer with a Void cat. Yuliana will wave to Shelby, from a distance, and perhaps that's the nicest thing she can do for her. "Thank you," she calls, to Rena, just the same. "For dancing with me. I pray you will never need to dance that way again."

        Yuliana has to laugh, though, when Yao asks about the weather. "I think we get to decide that for ourselves!" She remarks, brightly. "But I'll make sure we have a light-dark cycle, just so I can get up at dawn, old man. I know you missed being able to make me do that under the Arctic sun." There wasn't ever dawn or dusk, that far North. A missed opportunity!

        She hasn't saluted anyone for a long time, but she offers Aurora one, anyway. "Nice work. Please, meet my wife," she gestures, with a hand to Elisa's arm. "Elya -- Elisa -- she'll be with me from now on. And... good luck."

        To Kaworu, she smiles, too. "I welcome your song, Kawochka." Be they Gods or explorers, they will go. And... Kaworu might be one of the few who could join them, without endangering reality. "Until then, I hope you'll keep an eye on the Callers who remain in Magallanica... they are kind, as Elya says." She worries for them, still.

        "We'll make sure not to speak in such harsh tones as She," Yuliana adds, turning to Leina. "So that we don't cause you a fright, when humanity gets there. Haha... but you're right, Leyasha," she adds, smiling to her. "Whatever happens, it's still 'me'."

        She embraces Leina, as she puts her arms around her. "Thanks," she says, her voice a touch muffled. "It... it means a lot, really... I'll miss you."

        Straightening up, she wipes at the corner of her eyes, and turns to Anita. "Ah, and your rings...! I am glad to see it," she smiles, looking between Rena and Anita. "It's a strange thing to happen, isn't it? But... I'm relieved you were fighting with us, Anita. I would be quite frightened were you on the other side."

        Anita has always been the most fearsome woman of the Ra Mari II?!

        "I am glad you were one of my very best friends," Yuliana smiles, to Sayaka, and opens her arms to give her a tight squeeze too. "I'll miss you... and... thank you. Were it not for the work you did, I doubt it would have happened this way."

        Koji gets a tight hug of his own, with a good, friendly slap-pat on the back for good measure. "I'm awfully cruel, making a goodbye like this, huh?" She asks, still a touch choked up. "Haha... but I couldn't have disappeared into the night. Don't worry... I promised Li Shifu I'd make sure there's a dawn, didn't I? Besides... we'll need a source of light to grow flowers."

        She turns, then, to Lucine. "Sometimes it is like that," she says, gently. "Stories you never hear told. But there are many stories like this, Lucine, and I hope you will hear them out. I'm glad... I was able to meet you as an ally, before it was over." She smiles to Liam, just the same. "I'm honoured I was here to hear you speak your name, Liam O'Maol Chonaire," and she's able to pronounce it perfectly, thanks to all those languages she speaks. "And... I'll remember. The flowers, too. And even if this world isn't so kind... I'm sure you'll be kind to each other."

        She laughs, rubbing at the back of the head. "Well!" She remarks, brightly, to Naoko's suspicions. "I guess there's still time to take over the world!" It's fine, though, she's laughing. "No, no... I wasn't always very good about it, but I certainly did want to help the world, even when I was struggling to. I'll not be back to conquer it." Despite what Elisa keeps advising Shari. "And... I am sorry for the troubles I caused you, Naoko," she says, now she knows her name. "I know they won't be the last troubles you face... but I'm sure you'll be all right, with Sharochka."

        She turns, then, to Murasaki, in the cockpit of her Murasame. "Thank you," she calls up to her, a touch more grave. "Our paths haven't often crossed... but you still came to defend our home. I owe you a debt we cannot repay, but I will remember your bravery."

        Parminder swings back, though, with a letter in his hands. "Twist ending, you got a letter!" He grins, as he hands it off to Yuliana. He also goes and drops off a letter to Naoko... except it's just a napkin with 'I'M @CATBUSCONNER' scrawled on it.

        You know. That asshole who was arguing with her on social media for five days not a month ago. In his own way, is he assuring her he'll still be in her life? (Or is that a threat?!)

        Yuliana opens the letter, and...

        "Gina," she murmurs, as she hugs the photo to her. "I will." She shows Regina Everhart's dog to her wife, smiling, with tears in her eyes. "Look -- look, Elya. Gina has a family of her own, now. She's all right."

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

Rena looks sideways at Anita, and squeezes her hand. She smiles at her. Then there's a look at Leina, too, and her heart is in her throat for a moment. She can't stay here for long, she knows.

She looks back at Kaworu -- and then there's a brief smile at him. Then, she looks at Elisa. She hesitates for a second.

But, she nods.

"I know. But... thank you for going with Yuliana. And for... what youd id today, too," she says. "I do hope the best for you."

She says it a little stiffly -- but she smiles, still.

She glances at Koji, listening as he and Sayaka say their goodbyes. And Koji gives Yuliana a hug. Rena hesitates for a moment, herself, still. She smiles a bit, though.

"Hopefully not," she says, awkwardly. She steps forward, then, after Yuliana's had a chance to read the letter. Rena swallows, and finds her voice thick.

"Try... try to take care of yourself over there," she says. "I'll--ah. I won't forget you. And... I'm glad things turned out the way they did. I'm--"

She laughs, and her voice catches. "I'm not the best at goodbyes, I'm afraid," she says, with a laugh. "I never want to say them. But... I'm glad you figured things out. And I'll miss the person you became, Yuliana."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Anita looks away; Kaworu leaves her be. She's among those taking care of Shinji now, so he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable. Rena, at least, he shares a smile with. No words, but neither of them is the one saying goodbye to the others.
        
        Aurora's gaze lingers on him, and Kaworu smiles at her. It is a benign, serene thing, and moves from her to Liam when he addresses her by name. "A friend of yours, Liam?" he wonders. However Liam responds, though, Kaworu gazes back at Aurora. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Kaworu. Kaworu Nagisa."
        
        He's clad in a dark, red-lined plug suit, and he came here from an Evangelion--an elegant champagne gold unit with long silver hair--so whatever connection he may or may not have to Second Impact, he's certainly a pilot with NERV, like Liam.
        
        He looks to Lucine then, who is tearing up, with his smile turning soft and sympathetic. He is discreet enough not to comment on those tears, though. "A world full of flowers and music... That sounds very beautiful indeed," he remarks instead.
        
        He looks back to Elisa. "Yes," he says, of kindness--of her understanding, of those of the Silent Calling. "You've learned so much already, of their strength and weakness. You will learn more. Of that, I have no doubt."
        
        The corners of his eyes crinkle when she promises she will remember, and she will wait. The two of them have always been so similar in a way quite different from everyone else he's been like. "Then I pray we do meet again after all."
        
        He looks from her to Yuliana, who welcomes his song. His smile broadens for her as his red eyes shut. (Red, the other side of the pole from green. The Antarctic, the other side of the pole from the Arctic. Even so, he may or may not be able to go see them anytime soon.) "Magallanica is not my place of power, but I will do what I can to look after them when I visit." He does visit frequently, after all.
        
        As Koji approaches from the hangar, a little later than the others, Kaworu half-turns towards him. He does look a bit more enervated than usual, but his spirit remains indomitable, as always. "You've experienced quite a few more perspectives," he remarks, of how he might have laughed seven years ago.

<Pose Tracker> Shelby Korts has posed.

        There's faces she doesn't recognize, but others she does recognize -- especially the thousand-yard stare at the Banshee before looking back to Leina as she speaks to Yuliana. And Parminder. Shelby remembers him.

        Lucine, at least, will be able to quickly realize how messed and jumbled Shelby's senses are in the wake of the day's events, primarily by the fact that she does not seem to react to her showing up at her side until she is, essentially, Right There. Blinking, stinging red eyes glance at her, then Liam, and gives them both a bit of a curt nod before glancing down at the handkerchief. She stares at it, her brain starting to connect A to B to C to J to the square root of--

        "Shit" is all she says, thumbing some of the blood before looking back at the offered cloth. Her voice is ... tired. "Thanks," comes next, as she starts cleaning herself up, even dabbing at her ear to check.

        The lost Castellan doesn't have a lot to say: She doesn't know Elisa, and the relationship with Yuliana Kafim has always been ... strange, even if antagonistic at most points, from meeting on a beach one day to standing at the death of an eldritch god. She's never been good at speeches, even at the best of times; when her head *wasn't* trying to split in half, always speaking in that strange clipped staccato method.

        How do you say good-bye to someone that you have this weird and complex and at times infuriating of a relationship with? Rita would probably get mad if she let all of those complex emotions boil over, but. For the Void-wife's wave?

        "Yuliana." It's probably the first time she's ever said it not through grit teeth.

        She doesn't charge, she doesn't make a big scene, no janky speech. Instead, eyes half-lidded, Shelby Korts now clutches the bloody handkerchief in her helmet-carrying hand. Her freed hand now lifting just a little bit, then displays her middle finger.

        And then, she smirks.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

"Who am I to define how human you are- so long as you accept that much." She tells Elisa, "But you told me once she was a goddess. And what we went through just now... all I saw was a broken person."

If she's Cathedra's dog, she's a very strange one at least. After all, dogs are trained to defend their master's house, and instead she's greeting the pair on such familiar - friendly terms.

"You better, because you already know all have voices - and we're not afraid to raise them back." Leina tells her, with a hint of subdued whimsy, amidst the sorrow of a coming parting. "... Yeah. It's not so bad, if you think of it that way. Even if I wish..." But she trails off, and shakes her head... her arms loosen some. "I'll take good care of Sokrova. Don't you worry. Just... ah... please ... god."

It's almost like when Judau got on that ship to Jupiter - except she knew one day he'd return. This time, not so much.

"Promise I'll think of you... while you're out there."

Maybe not all will be fond in rumination of the past - but they will be, for what it became in the present - what they will be going forward.

As her grip loosens, she looks to Sayaka, then nods, and smiles, "I like that thought. Our descendants meeting theirs one day." And at first her tone is sweet, but then, there's a wink, "I like it a lot." Unfortunately Sayaka, you cannot escape this side of her.

Before she takes a step back to look at Rena and Anita, then at their rings, then back at Rena. And there's affectionate irritation in those eyes as 'When was I to be INFORMED of this?' that only Renalle Kan Zeitun will see, before she replies, "Congratulations you two. Happy for you."

A hangar technician she stops, speak to for a moment in hushed words, before they nod, and go to look for something. Before she then eyes Shelby, then snorts like it's a smothered laugh.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

Oh, no you don't, Leina. Rena sees that look. She sputters -- her cheeks start to redden -- and she shakes her head. "Th-the world was ending! I didn't want to be like 'hey surprise bestie, hope you can clear your busy schedule of an angry goddess trying to eat the sun' and save it for the happy aftermath!"

She crosses her arms. "A-And, you know, I could have left my gloves on, b-but--it'd have felt weird and like I was hiding it, and--"

She puts a hand over her face and then she whines.

"Leinaaaa!"

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Rena smiles at her, and Anita smiles back. She gives her a brief nod of encouragement - assurance that she's right here.

She looks back toward Elisa, then - watching that look from Rena to her.

"She has." Anita confirms - and then nods. Everyone's, indeed.

Yuliana's noticed, too, and even says she's glad to see it.

"Thanks." She replies... and then she smirks, with a small laugh.

"It sure is. Never could've seen it coming. To be honest, I was pretty glad we were on the same side this time, too." She says. Yuliana's always been a fierce foe - the repair bills always end up haunting her for months afterward.

But, she nods, as Rena bids Yuliana to take care of herself, that she'll miss the person she became.

"...Yeah. Good luck over there. Both of you." Anita agrees. "I dunno what'll happen to you, but... Here's hopin' it all works out for you and yours."

And then... Leina congratulates her and Rena. Anita looks her way - and then laughs as Rena starts to stammer. Anita takes it all in stride.

"Thanks, Leina. We'll let you know when we've got the big day scheduled." She replies with a grin.

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        "I wish I hadn't taken it out on you," Yuliana says, to Rena, "but I'm glad we were able to understand each other better. I won't forget you, either... you're of many worlds, now, but I hope you'll keep your feet grounded right here. You have so many wonderful people around you."

        She smiles, to a man whose eyes are not red like Mars is red. Will the Antarctic be repaired, one day? Perhaps... that's up to them. "You're a welcome visitor," she says, to Kaworu. "Please give Shinji our best, if it won't frighten him too much to hear them. He is a dear soul." And, she thinks the wordplay to herself, a deer soul; easily-startled, gentle, and fierce in the right moments.

        And then Shelby gets her thoughts together enough to flip her off, and --

        And Yuliana laughs, as she jerks her own middle finger up in a rude salute right back. "See you never," she calls to her, cheerfully. It was always a complicated relationship, but at least she can say something to her, at the end.

        She doesn't know... what she would have ever said to Rita, who never came back from the far reaches of space. Maybe she'll see her, again, someday, but Yuliana won't be a bird. She's happy... being more or less human.

        "I know you'll take great care of him," Yuliana smiles, to Leina. "Let Lisichka see him, now and then, okay? She loved him... and a youth called Tieria did, too. I don't know if you'll ever see them again... they might not explain their situation clearly, but they'll remember Sokrova, I promise you that."

        She sniffs, and adds: "I'll be thinking of you, too." All of them, really.

        Yuliana has to laugh, though, when Rena whines in the wake of Leina's bloodhound acucity. "Haha! You've been found out! Now you've no choice but to have a grand wedding, the both of you!" She puts a hand to her hip, smiling to Anita. "Wherever I am -- I'll always be on the side of a good wedding. You'd better knock it out of the park."

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Elisa watches Koji as he speaks, in that particular reptilian way of hers. She never has gotten completely safe to be around, completely reassuring. And perhaps she never will. "If you had asked me whether I would have 'friends' or accept my wife having them outside of me years ago... I would have scoffed. And yet, here we are."

She does not move for a hug with Koji, but she does seem pleased. "Perhaps... a bit of 'light' is fine."

Vert includes her in his statement. Humanity owes them a debt... "No," Elisa says. "I have killed many humans, wiped out much potential that could have been great. There is no debt owed here to me. However... you are welcome to show gratitude to the others. Perhaps it will lead to the 'peace' they so value."

Then she looks to Kaworu, who says that she will learn more, and she inclines her head. "I believe that to be true."

But they are similar, in a way Elisa has never found anyone else to be. Her first friend, Kaworu will always remain special to her. And so, "May it be so," that they will meet again.

Then she pauses, as she looks over to Shelby, who--

Elisa tilts her head with that reptilian gaze. "Do you... know her?" she wonders of her wife.

Rena is good enough to respond to her, and so Elisa nods to her, once. "You are welcome. I would rather be nowhere else, but at her side. ...I hope the best for you, as well."

"Mm. That... is true. I thought I would never understand 'pity'," Elisa says to Leina. "And yet now I do."

"...Yes. I wish that we could bring Sokrova, but... he is still a creature of this world. He will be... happier, this way."

Then: A young officer of the MDF comes over with a tablet, and presents it to Yuliana. "Here," he says. "The Admiral wished to say something to you," he continues, and displays it, where Eight Orlodhari is there--not in uniform, but visibly pregnant in her red dress, and in front of a table with quite a lot of papers on it. (Face-down, of course.) "Yuliana," Eight says. "...You did it. You managed to save the world like you always wanted. Not alone, but you were part of it. And I'm glad of that."

"I wish I could've been there. But..." Aarmi and Zaress peek into view from the sides of the screen.

"Well." A pause. "Be well, Yuliana. We'll take care of this world. I promise you that. And remember what I said before."

<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.

It really is a big relief, knowing that Shari won't be plagued by the Empress again. Naoko didn't exactly enjoy the front-row seat of seeing Shari at her worst a few times, while they were working on a way to shield her mind. Those earrings...

"...Guess you won't need those anymore, no. Doesn't mean you have to get rid of them though. They can just, you know. Look good on you."

Dangit, something embarrassing slipped out. Turning red, she quickly looks somewhere else. Oh look there's Koji, surely that's going to lead to something interesting aaaaaand he's hugging Yuliana. Not... what she was expecting to happen, there. But in a way it's also a relief, to see that no matter how much she follows his example, he'll always have her beat in the way he handles things. That's what a role model is for, after all.

To hear that he assessment was fair from Elisa is... a little bit unnerving, but at least that scenario was averted, in the end. Hopefully forever. But if not... "...I see. Well, for whatever it's worth... I'd much prefer it doesn't come to that. I may not totally understand the happiness you've found... but I hope it endures."

Yuliana... almost seems like a different person now. Has she ever seen Yuliana looking genuinely happy in her presence? That wasn't in a universe that might have been, but was not? It feels familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. And to hear an apology even, if she hadn't already felt awkward, she certainly would now.

"W-well, you know. You had me a little worried," says girl who spent over a year working on countermeasures against the Void, "But, I can understand your motivations a little better now. A lot of bad things happened because of it, but it wasn't all bad. And it certainly wasn't all your fault." That's about as much as she can say. It's especially hard to say more when taking what Shari went through into account. Speaking of which, with Yuliana's phrasing there, it's probably no surprise that a blush comes to her face again.

"W-what do you mean, 'with' her, it's not, I mean--"

Thank god Parminder intervenes at just that moment, shoving a napkin in her face. She doesn't manage to process what that's all about right away, taking way too long to turn it the right way to read what's written on it. Parminder is likely to be already back on his way out by the time she does, hearing behind him words that he probably hears on a daily basis.

"Oh you son of a--!"

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Lucine gestures subtly to her own nose. "It why I always have them around." She doubts hers would mirror Shelby's, though; that's an entire hankerchief... "You got it all," she murmurs quietly. "Keep it."

        ..... but, maybe that's what it takes to defeat a god.

        It never takes long for Liam to find Lucine, with that height difference. The other part is how fast he can sweep her up into that warm embrace of his, with a kiss Lucine lets herself get lost in. Being discreet may usually be their style, but, this is a man who's unveiled his last name at the end of the world, who is watching two people who went against the cycle command a new path for themselves.

        .... And Lucine certainly will _not_ complain. Recovering from that heady kiss, Lucine briefly wonders if she's suffering from some high. Did... Elisa just... *wink* at her?

        "Y-yes." Lucine winks back. Don't forget.

        Looking to Aurora, Lucine nods slowly. "... It's a long story. I almost worked for Elisa years ago... and they stole the Dianthus once. It's complicated." Nodding to Kaworu as he approaches, she smiles back at Aurora. "Kaworu's a kind soul... and very talented with music."

        Past them, Lucine looks, and sees... i-is that Shelby giving Yuliana the bird

        She desperately tries to hide her sputtered laugh behind her hand. She draws it away eventually, using a knuckle to remove the last of her tears. ".... We're supposed to make them miss us... but I suppose you're the one who could get away with that."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         Ah, that's right. Kaworu would be a friend of Liam's. They both work for NERV. He addresses him to ask about her, too. Aurora fidgets slightly and watches him from behind her cool eyes, with her usual neutral-blank expression. It's not like she's grinning at him, but she's not hostile. He seems... charming, somehow. Nice?

        "Nice to meet you, too." She's not very good with new people, but Lucine providing the context for him helps. If she thinks he's kind, that's probably good enough for Aurora.

        Aurora may not be much of a telepath, but still she tries to... inspect him, somehow. Like one of those TV shows about detectives that hold onto objects and get visions...

        That's the part that Aurora doesn't quite get about Leina. From what little she knows, she had her pegged as... well, an attack dog. (The canine metaphors are getting slightly overwrought, she ought to know in the back of her head, but she knows people who are worse than this.) 'Leina Ashta' is one of Cathedra's elite soldiers.

        So why is she acting like this with Yuli and Elisa? ...Aurora is in the same boat, actually. But she and Yuliana go back, and she was never keen on being her enemy. Maybe it's something like that, she thinks to herself. Yuliana has sure led a weird life. Briefly, Aurora wonders if Leina is likely to get in trouble for it.

        Eh. Probably not. Leina seems less... mulched than her.

         Lucine almost working for Elisa is a weird one. Aurora gives her a quizzical look.

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

Sayaka squeezes Koji's hand in turn when he admits to her it's his first time saying goodbye like this - and that he doesn't know what to say anyways. "Some things you just can't put into words," She agrees. "Not fully." And she chuckles, too, when Koji brings up how they met their own daughter - before nodding along with his words about light. It may not go along with darkness... but their friendship has proven it can still co-exist.

And speaking of Lisa... "I think she'll be happy to hear that Sokrova is staying behind."

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Sayaka says, when Yuliana thanks her for what she did for her. "That's what I gave you... and you made the most of it." She smiles. "It's bittersweet to have to say goodbye after all that... but I already know you'll flourish when you make it to the other side." The 'other side' almost makes it sound like a death... and Sayaka has to keep reminding herself that's not what it is, no matter how changed they'll be by the process - they'll still be themselves. That at least, is comforting.

Sayaka smiles back to Leina, as she chimes in about their descendants one day meeting... and then she sees the wink, and a conceding, yet good-natured sigh follows it. "Of course you would, Leina." She'll never escape that side of Leina Ashta, the ultimate shipper of the Universal Century, and she wouldn't have it any other way. "If such a thing never happens," She adds to Yuliana, "You have my full permission to be as disappointed as you'd like." Her eyes track the rings that Anita and Rena wear at the same time Leina does... "Oh! Congratulations, you two."

"Before it's time, huh? Maybe we'll end up fully outliving the Earth one day." She turns to Elisa as she expresses her own hopes. "We can never be fully sure what the future will look like. But if we can make sure that future is one filled with light to complement the darkness of your new home... I think we can both be satisfied with that." She does not reach to hug Elisa Kafim... but she does extend an arm for a cordial handshake.

<Pose Tracker> Li Yao has posed.

        Yao smiles at the joke from Yuliana and kinda gives a look to Elisa before back to Yuliana, " With the concept of forever being on the horizon, Elisa needs some lessons in humor." The old man jokes before he looks at Yuliana, then at all the others that continue to express their sentiments about the two leaving.

         "You know, for someone who always wanted to be the villain of her own story you sure did manage to collect a lot of friends who are sad to see you go. You sure you weren't exaggerating when you said no one but Elisa liked you?" Yao continues to jab at Yuliana in such a sentimental time, such is the way of the old man.

<Pose Tracker> Liam O'Maol Chonaire has posed.

        Liam glances out at the crowd of familiar faces. Everyone's here to see Yuliana and Elisa off. It feels surreal that they ended up leaving like this, but... that's all right. "I will," he says, to Elisa. "My family have been historians and storytellers since Ireland had kings. I'll be here to tell your story, and to remember it." And that's a part of himself that he's never revealed. His mother was a distant descendant of an ancient family line, but that family work resonated with her, as it does with her son.

        Liam sweeps Lucine into his arm, and smiles at Kaworu. Aurora addresses him, and he smiles. "Yeah. Met her while she was still with the REA. We helped bring down the Institute, Lucine and I."

        Anita and Rena--! Liam's going to have to congratulate them.

        "I'm glad we could bring an end to this tragedy," Liam says, meeting Yuliana's eyes. "Together. And I remember what you told me." He places a hand over his heart. He doesn't look at Aurora, then. Yuliana already knows what she told him.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

"Sure. That shouldn't be a problem." On them visiting Sokrova. Tieria might be, she does recognize that name but - you know - she'll figure it out.

As Rena starts sputtering, Leina folds her arms in front of her, lifting an eyebrow as if to say 'And'?

Which then becomes- 'AND?'

Before she then turns to Anita and she smiles, "Please do. If you need any help with the planning, let me know."

Leaving Rena pitilessly in the middle of her whine of Leina's name, as Leina gives her her best 'I'm not mad I'm just disappointed' look - that someone her age shouldn't be capable of.

But she pulls it off, before her expression lapses into a smile to make it clear she's just teasing Rena.

"And as her last request before leaving forever, I'm sure that's just fine by both of you." She winks at Rena and Annie, completely unseriously.

Before she then mouths to Sayaka, 'I'll never stop.' And the technician comes back by, giving Leina a small ancient pad of paper, and a pen. Probably not something often requested in this age.

Leina pops off the top, and starts scrawling something down on the front sheet of it as he leaves. As she finishes writing, she looks up at Aurora automatically, despite the other figure having not said a word to her - and probably swearing Leina hasn't so much as looked at her.

"Going to say something, or just stare a hole in my head?"

Ripping off the sheet of paper on the front, she folds it in half. Then walks over to Sayaka, and slides it into her hand as she murmurs 'Once you're back in range of Earth, you're going to get a lot of messages from the Lab. Don't look at this until you're on your way back.'

Leaning back, she gives her a look, as if to say how serious a matter it might be, before stepping off to the side.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

"I am, too," Rena says, after a moment's pause -- and then a nod to Yuliana. It's an apology that she accepts. And feels better for, too.

Then, she smiles a little. "Mm. I'm attached to this one. And the people in it." She glances back at Anita -- and further back, towards the elevators to the bridge. The elevators to where Eight is, even when she isn't on it. She looks back at Yuliana and smiles.

"Because of them," she says. "But... I'll keep an eye on things here. Try to make sure the way to the Void stays closed, while you have the time you need to work."

She makes a little space for Yuliana, though.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Perspectives... Koji glances over to Kaworu and chuckles. "Too many to keep in one head," he agrees.

Still, some of those perspectives have been of immense value to him, he can't deny that.

He looks around at the group, taking in how different the small cliques the Kafims have connected to are from each other... yet, as his gaze alights on Liam and Lucine, then back to Sayaka, then finally noticing Rena and Anita's rings... Even how close Naoko and Shari are, for all the former splutters about it...

... There's a connecting thread here, isn't there? And by the same token, that similarity illuminates the differences clearly - the people who are holding themselves apart, even when they're a 'part' of this. Leina, and two other, unfamiliar pilots, who nevertheless joined them when all seemed lost.

He notices Leina handing Sayaka a note, and his brow furrows in concern... but it's not the moment to inquire.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

"I am, too," Rena says, after a moment's pause -- and then a nod to Yuliana. It's an apology that she accepts. And feels better for, too.

Then, she smiles a little. "Mm. I'm attached to this one. And the people in it." She glances back at Anita -- and further back, towards the elevators to the bridge. The elevators to where Eight is, even when she isn't on it. She looks back at Yuliana and smiles.

"Because of them," she says. "But... I'll keep an eye on things here. Try to make sure the way to the Void stays closed, while you have the time you need to work."

She makes a little space for Yuliana, though. Then, her cheeks redden all over again -- and she looks back at Yuliana and sputters. "W-Well, of course it'll be grand!" she says. "I-I mean, I've just started the first binder, but--"

Oh no. She looks at Sayaka, then she smiles at her. She laughs, then. "Thanks, Doctor Yumi," she says. "You'll have to ask Annie to show you how she gave me the ring sometime."

Then, she looks back at Leina. She grins at her. "Thanks, Leina," she says. "You know I'll be bugging you. After all, I have to have my maid of honor in the planning~."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        A dear soul, and a deer soul... It's a shame Yuliana doesn't say that one aloud, because Kaworu can't read minds. It's an apt description, and a fine piece of wordplay. "He is," he agrees, of the surface definition. "I'll pass your sentiments on. He has no more reason to fret about you two now."
        
        When space is less unstable, he will try to visit. Yuliana welcomes him, and Elisa too prays it will be so. They all fought to keep this reality safe, though, and so he will take care until then. That sentiment may convey itself when he smiles at Elisa--but it may not. He is not as he was when they slew God.
        
        In the same way, when Aurora attempts to probe at Kaworu, what she finds is... inconclusive. His spirit seems bigger than a normal human's, but only vaguely, inconclusively so, like a shape in the mist, its edges fading into obscurity. Kaworu himself is unfazed either physically or spiritually either way; he only continues to smile at her and the others.
        
        "Thank you," he tells Lucine graciously. To Liam, he gives a curious, thoughtful look. The Institute... "Is that so?" he wonders, and then looks back at Aurora. "Then it seems you've done good in the world."
        
        He smiles warmly at Sayaka as she mentioned the second chance that she gave Yuliana. Though it took a long time, their efforts paid off. He follows her and Leina's gazes to the rings on Rena and Anita's fingers, and reflects anew at how much love there was beyond strife that She could not see.
        
        Koji's response gets a quiet chuckle back. "It depends on the head." There was at least one head that managed to contain them, after all. But as there is mention of Sokrova on top of that, he adds to Koji and Sayaka both, "Speaking of which, please send LiSA my regards." It's been some time; he doesn't often get a chance to visit the PPL.

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        "Haha... that's Shelby," Yuliana introduces her, to her wife. "Don't worry, zhenushka. It's no worse than I've done to her." Or, in other words: she does kind of deserve to get flipped off.

        SHELBY SPEAKS FOR THE PEOPLE.

        "I'll remember it fondly," she assures Lucine, still chuckling.

        Yuliana gets another letter, though, in a fashion -- a tablet pad, which she takes, with a curious glance down. "Oh...?" And there's Eight! Yuliana smiles, shaking her head. "You protected your children, as a mother should," she says, to her. "Don't worry. Lavnadim was here with us, today." Because, of course, a married couple is a unit, so she can take credit for his help too. "And... I did save the world, didn't I? This is a thing I can celebrate. Though," she adds, consciously remembering a little humility, "I could not have done it alone. You take care, too, all right? And... thank you, again, for taking them in. The boys, and everyone else, too." She's already said her goodbyes to Maksim and Makar -- she didn't want them anywhere near this battle, either, so they're already safely in Magallanica.

        She laughs, though, placing her free hand on her cheek when Naoko splutters. "Not like that," she assures her. "She's your dearest friend, isn't she? Those connections are valuable, too. Elya might have struggled to let me have my own friendships, in the past, but I struggled to realise how meaningful they were just the same. Now I come to look at everyone, and I see... the love I hold for my comrades is its own shining jewel."

        (Parminder flashes Naoko a thumbs-up, entirely used to filling in the rest of that sentence.)

        "Your full permission, huh? Then I'd best make use of it!" Yuliana snickers, smiling to Sayaka. "And... yeah, maybe you'll move past the Earth, one day. I was always too hard on space... people are still people, no matter where they are." Even if they're in the Void, huh?

        She rubs at the back of her head, when Yao points out how many friends she has. "Right? It's weird. I think I've hurt almost everyone here... and I'm sure if I said something thoughtless, I'd be able to hurt people's feelings even now. I just -- you know -- I don't want to do that. I decided to make better use of the chances they gave me... maybe that's why I turned out different this time. So... yeah, I was exaggerating, huh?" They're all sorts of different people, just as Koji notices. She made a lot of enemies... and then, she made a lot of friends.

        She bows her head, to Liam. "Historians are going to be vital, in a time like this. I trust you, Liam, to tell my story as it was... and thank you," she adds, "for helping to save me, back then." When the Institute fell, she means.

        "Only the first binder?" She teases Rena, on the heels of Leina using her as ammunition.

        (Between all those heartfelt moments, she doesn't happen to notice Leina scrawling a message. Parminder does, but the jester causes more trouble by not revealing the trick.)

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Shari didn't enjoy it, either. But she does enjoy the next moment. She won't need them, but--

"...Naoko," she says, surprised, and just faintly red because it's a compliment she didn't expect and SOMEONE just said something about hurting someone she cared about earlier. "...Ahahaha," she laughs, as Naoko starts to look elsewhere.

Elisa, meanwhile, looks tto Naoko a bit herself, and then Shari chimes in about 'with her', "I'll take good care of Naoko. Don't worry."

She laughs, as Parminder intervenes. And Yuliana clarifies, but, "Yeah. ...We can talk about all that soft stuff later, OK Naoko?"

But to Lucine's story, "I needed a gardener," Elisa explains. "But then she insulted my wife. ...But I have forgiven that."

She considers Li Yao. "Humor... Yes," she agrees, "I must."

But to Sayaka, of course--a handshake is a far, far greater thing than their relationship previously would ahve allowed. She accepts it--and her hand is chill, but not cruel this time. "I would be satisfied with that. ...I am glad, in the end, that I was wrong. That we need not be enemies any longer."

Then she looks to Liam. "is that so?" she asks. "Then tell it as it was. With my cruelties and her eventual kindnesses. That is all I ask of you. To capture 'us', not what we wish we could have been."

...Kaworu's sentiment does communicate itself to Elisa, if distantly; while he is not as he was, she is stronger than ever. And that connection has not fully faded. She communicates in the same way her own understanding, in a look.

Then she smiles to the others, and looks to Yuliana.

...She watches her, as she speaks with her friends. It is... nice.

And Eight answers, "Yes. He insisted." A pause. "...I'll check in on them personally," she says of Maksim and Makar. "And you're right. I did what I needed to do, too. But I'll take care. You're welcome, and... Tell your wife I said I appreciate her, too."

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Yuliana... actually apologises to Rena. That, of all things, really hits Anita. She looks surprised for a moment - but her attention is quickly drawn toward the officer who presents a tablet to Yuliana. It's Eight, with a message for Yuliana.

Meanwhile, though, Anita sends Leina a smirk.

"Will do... but Rena's probably the one you'll want to ask about that." Anita says. She did, after all, dive headfirst into planning.

She laughs, then, as Yuliana observes it, too.

"Guess we have no choice, then." Anita decides. "We'll make it the best there's been - a wedding so good the vibes'll reach you all on the other side, too."

...She may be exaggerating. Just a little.

And she laughs, at Leina and her wink - and offers a look toward Rena who, indeed, remarks on her planning.

"Thanks." Anita offers Sayaka with a grin, and a laugh at Rena's comment. "Oh, definitely. It was a moment to remember."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         The Institute... now that's a blast from the past. Aurora didn't spend too much time in the building itself, but she hated it. Probably the nastiest lab she's ever been in. Once she came back from it, she was grateful. (Briefly, Aurora wonders what would have happened if the timeframes had been different and she was there when it got taken down. She dismisses the hypothetical immediately.) "...It wasn't a very nice place."

        "...I heard your name. it sounds nice." Aurora repeats Liam's name to herself, mangling the pronounciation horribly.

        "O'Maol Chonaire". From the nearby corner, Emily interrupts, correcting her. When Vert gives her a quizzical look, she shrugs. "It's the Historic Kingdom. Of course I can pronounce the local language, even if I don't speak it," she explains. "I swear, the Earth's stock in Britannia gets lower every year. Country full of..." The colonel's rant cuts itself off before it begins, and she returns to her corner, mumbling. Vert gives his BU superior the look of a proud AEU man and then turns to Eight, reaching for a handshake. "That was some battle."

        Back to Aurora, she shakes her head. "Anyway, I like it," she says of Liam's name. "Your family were historians..."

        Kaworu is an enigma to her. 'Big soul'. There is definitely something about him, but she has no clue what it is.

        "I'm Aurora. You're Kaworu, right?"

        Leina notices Aurora wondering about her, despite never looking her way. Ah, Newtype. She'd have to be to pilot the Banshee, anyway. She opens her mouth to speak. "..." The words don't so much die in Aurora's throat as they never really existed in the first place. Finally, remembering the previous battle, she says "You move pretty well." It's... at least it's something. Hm. Come to think of it, those were some Gs she pulled...

        Yuliana says something about hurting almost everyone here, and Aurora raises her hand. "You didn't hurt me. Not in a way that stuck. I mean, not in a way that stuck in a bad way." Aurora doesn't really conceptualise what Yuliana did as really hurting her. There's hurt and there's hurt, you know? Maybe that's sad, but that's her life.

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

Sayaka smiles, when Rena and Anita both thank her for her congratulations. "Oh, I'd just love to know." She looks to Anita, about the story behind the ring. "But one thing's for sure... at least you won't have to worry about having the most embarrassing proposal in the Earth Sphere." She actually winks, with that.

"Hey," Sayaka teasingly chides, when Yuliana is all too quick to make use of her permission. "I only said if it comes to that. At least we already have one descendent to speak of." She grins, and then looks to Kaworu when he brings up Lisa. "Yeah, we can do that. I think she'll be happy to hear from you, Kaworu." She nods, with a smile.

And she's glad to hear Yuliana's starting to come around on the idea of space, too... she supposes there isn't much distinction to be made in the Void. But Earth or Space... no matter which, it's their world to cherish. Sayaka only feels that way more now that it's almost ended.

When Sayaka takes Elisa's hand, the sensation certainly isn't warm... but it isn't overflowing with that overwhelming Power, either. She thinks she can accept that. "I never expected this either, but... I'm glad as well." She agrees. "...Take care of Yuliana, okay?" She asks, and then shakes her head. "No... take care of each other."

There's a grin when Leina mouths she'll never stop, but as her eyes track the note... her expression turns a lot more noticeably serious, slipping it inside her helmet. She gives Leina's instructions a grave nod, before turning to Koji and giving him a look that says 'we'll discuss this as soon as we get back'. She suspects she knows what this is about, having sheltered and colluded with the Kafims for years... but this is no time for regrets.

<Pose Tracker> Naoko Suzuki has posed.

Naoko is at her most honest when she doesn't think before she speaks. But the thoughts still happen a moment later, and then there's a problem with saying anything else, after that, as she considers all the possible ways words could be interpreted. It's a struggle, once her brain takes a wrong turn.

Yuliana's words actually do help, effectively putting into words what she's failing to, right now. Parminder, too, giving her something to be upset about. Getting trolled by a stranger, shame on them, learning that it was a deliberately targetted effort without her suspecting a thing, shame on her.

...But now it's Shari who is not helping. First with the 'take care of' phrasing, and then... "Huh? What? I-is there something we need to talk about? S-soft stuff!?"

Oh no, she's a mess. People are looking at her and can see she's a mess. It's been a while since the last time this happened, but with the way things are, she sees no other recourse than--

"I-I need to make sure Sukeban won't explode, excuse me!"

And there she goes, running away again... more like, to make sure that she won't explode.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Cathedra's 'dog' giggles lightly as Rena reveals she's going to be the Maid of Honor, "I was hoping - but I didn't want to assume." Even more reason to navigate what's to come... to make it there. "I'd be honored." She says, not even caring about the pun inherent in that response.

"She'll be getting right on that second." She asides to Yuliana, as if that were a certainty inherent in Leina Ashta, you've got some WORK to do sounds like Lera, which seems doubly confirmed, as Leina nods Annie's way, "I see I see~ Well. No need to worry, now that I'm involved."

Among Leina Ashta's many powers... she's quite rich.

Sayaka's grave nod is met with a grateful look that she understands, after all, they were in collusion in this way for quite some time, and as Aurora greets her, she looks her way. There's a touch of a pause, and a discerning look. It's not too unusual a comment to compliment, she's a pilot - and so is Leina but...

... there's a difference in what some people focus upon...

"That's a thing to say. I usually start with. 'Hi my name's Leina Ashta.'" She says with wry grin, "What's your name?" It's simple enough, a greeting. Perhaps...

... at the same time as a parting...

But something's changed, recently, of moments like these. And she isn't about to say why.

As Nova runs off, she looks towards Annie and Rena... and Sayaka and Koji. "She'll need about two hours cooldown after being around so much romance talk." It's a tease. "That girl... I swear... one day I'll get her."

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        "I will," Yuliana assures Eight, smiling. "And... thank you. Look out for them, please. They are still so young." It's only when the connection cuts that she puts the tablet away, and places a hand on her wife's arm, again. "Elya," Yuliana says, looking up to her -- in her flat dancer's shoes, Elisa is taller than her -- with a gentle smile. "The Admiral appreciates you, too."

        And she turns to Kaworu, and adds: "Perhaps Shinji will visit the boys, too? I understand he's taken quite well to children..." Perhaps she glimpsed him, in the background of Eight's domicile, helping with her babies.

        Perhaps Kaworu will visit them, too, when reality has stabilised. Someone like him... can see what they make of the Void.

        There are a lot of apologies Yuliana needs to make -- even on top of all the ones she's made -- but right now, her apology to Rena will have to speak for her change of heart. "Haha! I'm sure it will be a grand celebration!" She smiles, to Anita.

        Yuliana shakes her head, her smile growing a touch sad as she looks to Aurora again. "No," she says, gently. "You were a Newtype in my unit... even if I was easier on you due to your particular circumstances, I still did not treat you well. There were certain things about your tour of service I had no control over... but I was too hard on you, Avrorka." She might have called it 'tough love', but she was fooling herself. Aurora was a child. She needed... something other than the Nega Force. Maybe she'll find it, some day. (Maybe saying something like that will suggest something to Leina, too.)

        "We will," Yuliana promises Sayaka, when she bids them to take care of each other. "And I'm counting on you to take care of things here, Yaka. You and Koyan... you surpassed God, today. I'm sure there's nothing you can't do."

        Yuliana laughs, behind a hand, as Naoko stammers through her feelings just like a teenager. "Goodbye!" She calls, after her, and doesn't try to stop her. Some battles are things only the youth can fight...

        (Parminder helpfully calls out, "BOOM!", behind Naoko as she runs off. He's a helper. He's helping.)

        "Haha... was I too hard on her?" Yuliana wonders, looking back to Leina. "Well, that's not so surprising... but I'm pleased to hear you'll be a maid of honour, Leyasha. You're an expert in this subject, after all."

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

"I'm sure we can pull it off!" Rena says after Anita promises vibes that will reach the very Omnisphere.

She looks at Sayaka -- and she cracks a smile, herself, and nods quickly. "Well.. every proposal is memorable, as they say!"

She gives Koji a grin, too, at that. Then she looks at Naoko -- glances at Shari -- and blinks, before she smiles and waves her hand in her direction. "Good luck, Naoko!"

She smiles at Leina after that, and then Rena beams. Though there is another glance in Naoko's direction.

Hm.

But, on the subject of Leina being maid of honor, she doesn't just file that away. "I'm glad," she says. "I was hoping you would!"

She looks back at Yuliana, and she considers for a second. "Don't worry," she says. "We'll make sure we talk to her."

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Koji can't help but grin, noticing Yuliana and Shelby exchange middle fingers. Yeah, that about sums them up. He nods over to Korts, in respect and thanks.

Then his gaze tracks over to the GN-X pilot as she compliment's Leina's flying... and says that Yuliana didn't 'really' hurt her. Yuliana's reply to her only makes his brow knit further as Sayaka gives him that quiet look, and he shares a look of his own with her. "A Tsurugi's work is never done," he mutters to her.

"We'll have to make sure we can throw a good party, too," he speaks up, as the topic turns inexorably back towards weddings. Anita suggests making one so big they can hear it on the other side of the threshold, and he grins at her. "Exactly."

Naoko takes off running and Koji can't help but grin fondly. "Don't be too harsh on her when you do get her, Leina. And at least make sure she doesn't make anything that can compete with - " he looks back to Sayaka with a grin - "the 'most embarrassing proposal'."

Embarrassing it might be, but it's a precious memory nonetheless.

"After all, she's picked me as her role model, for some reason."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        'But then she insulted my wife.'

        "... I-I did?!" Lucine looks at Elisa, bewildered. "I most certainly would never...!" Then, as a second pauses, she begins to laugh. "After all this... to think I was the cause... whatever it is... even if you've forgiven it, I apologize. I was nervous, and was trying to impress you." She bows her head. ".... I'm glad we could speak on that, at the very least..."

        She looks up at Liam, giving his arm a squeeze back, then over towards Anita and Rena, sensing the excitement. ".... A wedding....!! Ahhh, congratulations..."

        Her gaze looks back towards Elisa and Yuliana. "... So much of this... I suppose, it all made us reevaluate what we wanted for our future. .... Thank you both, once again. I'll miss you both..."

        She never thought she'd ever say that, but today has been a day of many firsts.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        That look is shared between Kaworu and Elisa, then, and so is their understanding. Theirs is a friendship that will last, whether they ever meet again or not.
        
        "Yes," Kaworu tells Aurora. He then smiles over at Sayaka. "Thank you." His gaze follows Naoko as she rushes off, but he has an objective understanding of the need for Lilim to isolate themselves at times of high emotions.
        
        "He has. He often lends his aid in caring for Eight's children," he tells Yuliana, confirming her understanding, and nodding to Eight herself in turn. "I'll ask him if he can help look after them. He's a kind soul, so I think he will." Ultimately, it's his choice, though.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Anita laughs as Sayaka jokes about the most embarrassing proposal in the Earth Sphere. Even she knows what that's about.

"That's a relief. But, uh... I think mine was actually pretty smooth." Anita says. She can be confident about it now, but it took a lot of effort for her to work herself up to that point.

She chuckles, then, nodding toward Leina.

"We'll be counting on you." She replies with a nod.

Lucine, then, gets a smile.

"Thanks! The Nadesico'll be invited too, of course." She says - and offers Liam a wink. "...And of course we'll welcome plus-ones."

Rena, Koji, and Yuliana are all on board with the world-shaking wedding, though, and Anita grins. Sounds like they really will have to make it work.

Well, it's excitement she's looking forward to. It's the reality and the future she fought so hard to protect, ater all.

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         Aurora's comment was weird, but perhaps Leina can tell from her aura of far-off introversion that she's not good at this... and she wasn't expecting to get brought into a conversation, from the way she was staring from a distance without saying anything, wondering to herself. "It's Aurora." She introduces herself softly, one arm hanging at her side, held by the other. The quintessential "awkward" pose.

        Yuliana acknowledges her past mistakes, and Aurora... well, it would be for the best if Yuliana wasn't hoping for an accusation, here. Aurora gives her a sympathetic look, but she doesn't say anything like "I'm used to it" out loud. Instead, she lets her eyes do the talking. (This is exactly the wrong company for her to say it out loud. She's supposed to be 'out' now, but the less attention the better.) It seems Yuliana will not see Aurora grow to truly grasp what was taken from her. "...maybe it was hard, but I still enjoyed our time together. I'll miss you, Yuli."

        Kaworu indicates that he is indeed Kaworu. "...You're Liam's friend, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Liam O'Maol Chonaire has posed.

        Aurora addresses Liam again. He manages a smile at her mangling his name, because it's his name, now. He gets as far as 'O' before Emily corrects, and his mouth forms a flat little line. Britannians. Thankfully, Aurora draws him back to a more pleasant topic. "...Yeah. Mom was a professor before she lost her job. I think I want to study it, myself." History, culture.

        "Yeah," Liam says, with a somber nod to Elisa. "In this day and age, anything less would be wrong." It starts with a refugee from ancient Mars, traces its way through the blood of a family, and has a stopover in the cruel augmentation labs of the REA. A chance meeting with Sayla Mass, encounters with an Olympic athlete, and then... a snowballing until the cycle resets.

        It's impossible to understand the Kafims without understanding the Empress, and it's impossible to understand her without understanding the Dians.

        "...I'll miss you, too," Liam says. He wasn't expecting that, either, and it shows a little in the lines of his face.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Shari smiles lopsidedly as Naoko runs off. "It's cool," she assures everyone about her. "She'll be fine. ...Just don't make a big deal of it to her."

She nudges Koji, "You're not a bad role model, you know. Some people happen to think you're worth looking up to."

Elisa says very little else for a while--until Lucine is so bewildered. "...Well," she says, "It is true that my response was disproportionate," she allows. "An insult does not have to merit death or torment."

She looks to Yuliana. "I..." she pauses. "You are thanking me," she notes. "Very well. I accept it. Be well."

Liam, too, though. He will do as she asks. And, "...I..."

"Thank you," she says, genuinely thrown just a little bit.

Elisa watches Lucine and Liam a few more moments. She is memorizing them, before she looks back to Yuliana again.

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

        "Elya proposed to me on my birthday," Yuliana shares, smiling warmly. "We were on a trip to the opera, in a private booth of the Palais Garnier... it was La Divisione della Luna, I remember, just as a song was ending. I was overjoyed that she'd make a real, honest woman of me..." She laughs, looking to Koji. "Which is still a more dignified response than some of us, no?"

        He'll never let it down.

        "I will leave her in your hands," Yuliana adds, to Rena, "and not just her."

        She turns to Koji, again. "But she didn't do so poorly, you know," she adds, "choosing you as a role model. By the way... you'll give Boss, Mucha and Nuke all my best, won't you?" Speaking of role models you gain in youth.

        "It was quite a lot of trouble for a misunderstanding, no?" Yuliana says, to Lucine. "I was too arrogant to approach you and clear things up... but I do not blame you, now." A light pause, and: "Be sure to pay close attention to their celebration," she adds, her smile creeping into a more familiar smirk for just a second, "so that you can plot your own well." Oh no, now Lucine's getting teased, too...

        "He is a kind soul," Yuliana agrees with Kaworu, "as you are. Yes," she adds, glancing to Aurora, "Kawochka is friend to a great many people..." Is he a friend to humanity? Well, she'd say so.

        (Yuliana is trying to be a friend to humanity, though, so she doesn't comment on Emily's Britannianness, even if she surely would at an earlier time.)

        "I'm glad you'll have a large wedding," Yuliana adds, to Anita -- she only knows of the Nadesico, but she's aware there's a lot of people on that ship. "I pray that there are many, many people celebrating you."

        She smiles, to Aurora, and does not press her to grow so soon. She still has so much time, and she's in the right crowd. "I am glad I remembered our time together, as well," she assures her. "And I will miss you, too."

        She taps her cheek with a finger, turning to Liam. "Elya's parents come with us, but mine remain, in Magallanica, to take care of the boys... and there are others, on my father's side of the family. You will find them in Ambon, a regional island of Indonesia. And... you will make a fine professor."

        She gives Elisa those moments to mesmerise Liam and Lucine -- just as she's been committing everyone here to memory -- before she turns to her wife. "Perhaps it's time," she suggest, to her, gently. "We should not leave the portal open too long... and the others have all passed through, by now."

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

Sayaka can't help but laugh when Naoko runs off embarrassed. "She's such a handful... but what can I say except I'm flattered that she designed her own Rocket Punch and Breast Fire variations?" Even if it was super cheesy in the moment... perhaps it was exactly what they needed.

"We'll do what we can," Sayaka assures Yuliana, about taking care of the Earth. "I'd like to hope we can create a world where we won't need the power of Mazinkaiser very often... but I suppose that means we'll have a lot of work ahead of us." She adds, with a wry smile.

As for the wedding parties... "I'm looking forward to it," Sayaka nods, to Rena and Anita, before looking to Koji. "It'll have to be one to never forget. But there's plenty of space in the old Kabuto house." Even if she does regret a little that Yuliana won't be physically present... at least she got to see said 'most embarassing proposal' live.

"...Right," Sayaka nods to Koji's comment as she spares a glance to Aurora, striking up an awkward conversation with Leina. "You must be that girl Yuliana mentioned," Sayaka says, noticing the way she drifts towards Liam and Lucine, too. "Liam's friend, right?" She didn't fully get the implications of her closeness to Liam, at least. "Sayaka Yumi. You're always welcome at the Photon Power Labs if you stop by Japan." She keeps the offer of shelter deniable and vague enough.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        "Yes," Kaworu repeats to Aurora. Yuliana's praise of him, both directly to him and to Aurora, get another smile. "Thank you."
        
        He turns his attention to Liam. He hadn't known his family was one of historians and storytellers, but then, Liam's family history is something he has been cut off from for a very long time. Good for him that he's reclaiming it. "It's a fine choice to study the memories of the world," he says. "If you decide you want to retire as a pilot to pursue it, let me know."
        
        He smiles anew in genuine amusement as Elisa looks just the slightest bit bamboozled at Liam's sentimentality. It's adorable, for both of them. It's good too that she and Lucine were able to air out an apparent misunderstanding. Closure... is a good thing.

<Pose Tracker> Li Yao has posed.

        Yao steps forward and having been rather quiet up to this point seems to start saying something a few times and is for the first time a bit awkward for an old man. Finally having heard the words from Yuliana about needing to move on. "I haven't asked but I can't be your bodyguard if I don't come with you both..."

         The old man looks at the portal before looking back at the two, "Of course I understand if you two don't need protection over there." Yao just sort of leaves the words in the air as he doesn't want to detour the goodbyes of the others. Leave it to an old geezer to wait till the last minute to bring up something important.

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Rena promises Yuliana. "And the world. I won't let it go to pot while you're not here. You've given us an opportunity, and we won't squander it."

Then, she glances at the Nadesico pilot.

"Thank you, Lucine," Rena says, with a smile at her. Then, she looks at Yuliana; there's a blink at the story of how she was proposed to. It is sweet, she thinks.

"That's wonderful," she says. "And very classy! Annie proposed to me up on the sky garden, in Olofant, on our anniversary."

She looks sideways at Anita again -- grinning. She seems more at ease, now. That shifts some, though, when Yuliana mentions it may be time to leave. She sucks in a breath, looking more serious.

But she holds her breath a moment -- giving time for a response to Li Yao's surprising offer.

"Right, then," she says. "Well... you two, live well over there. And don't forget us, the Earth Sphere, and today. And... maybe in whatever life comes after this, we'll all meet again someday."

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         Liam's mother was a professor... Aurora never knew her mother. The Colonel is the closest thing she has, but... does that really count?

        The Colonel that seems to have just gotten on Liam's nerves, apparently. Oops. "It sounds fun. You know all the legends... I never knew what my parents did. Sometimes I wonder..." Aurora shakes her head. "That was nice flying out there... did you see me? I was the one the IFF labelled Red Five." If Liam was counting, that was the unit that flew into the Empress's chest. Incredibly bold moves! Does Aurora want to be praised? ...well, she always wants to be praised, but is she fishing? Who knows!

        Aurora gives Yuli a sad, but grateful look. "Take care in the Void... I didn't know Kaworu and Shinji could visit..."

        Aurora doesn't appear to notice whatever Sayaka and Koji were talking about. Aurora turns to face the two, responding to Sayaka's query with a nod. "He's my brother," she says, smiling, offering no context to that statement. "I didn't know he knew so many people..." Aurora looks a little starstruck, or at least surprised to see people she only knows from TV. "...You're Sayaka, right? The Yumi foundation person..." Seems Aurora has made a common misconception.

        Off in the corner, both Emily, and Vert, who went there to talk to her, glance over at Koji. The man who fought Dr. Hell has different meanings for both of them.

        Kaworu is Liam's friend, too. From work. Nice. He says something surprising: Liam retire as a pilot?

        ...it's not something Aurora had considered. She sure as hell can't stop, but... can he?

        Aurora can't really see it. Analogising from herself, it's hard to envision that future.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Yuliana shares the story of her own proposal, and Anita smiles.

"Very classy." Anita agrees with a nod alongside Rena. She smiles as Rena recounts their own proposal - and then meets Rena's look, offering her a grin in return. Rena seems more at ease... Anita's glad for that - though she can see that shift when Yuliana announces that it may be time.

This is it, then.

"What she said." Anita says with a nod, raising a hand to offer a casual wave goodbye. "Take care out there, both of you. Your people, too. This world'll be alright - go make your own."

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Proposed to her on her birthday. Leina's not sure she ever heard that part. And Elisa maybe sees her loft an eyebrow, with this 'Really?' look on her expression... after all, things are different now, but the past remains.

Still, she doesn't make any ugly remarks. There's no need to air it out publically, just to let her know 'I see what you did there.'

When Aurora answers to her introduction, she replies. "Nice to meet you, Aurora." A greeting, and the details of the meeting are noted for later. If she gets a later. Well... she'll figure something out.

'Perhaps it's time,'

For a time words fail her, but it's not like death, not really is it. It's another form of selfishness that she wished for them to live in this world. That's all she ever wanted...

... a place in this world for people like her...

Not merely to have their lives discarded as a sacrifice to the way the world shaped them. Her eyes shut for a moment, she takes a breath, and then...

"I wish we had more time. There's never enough." She says quietly to two people who did their utmost to hurt her again and again, "Not in the way we'd like."

Still she smiles, and after a moment, opens her eyes, which are misting up and says-

"Go find what lies beyond tomorrow."

It's meant to be a parting not just for Yuliana, but for Elisa - after all. 'What lies beyond tomorrow?' is the question asked of an old Minmay song, and for two people exploring the cosmos - she thinks they'll find the answer to the question.

<Pose Tracker> Koji Kabuto has posed.

Koji takes the teasing with the grace of a man who knows it is well-deserved - and when Yuliana says to give her best to Boss, Mucha and Nuke, he nods very seriously. "They'd have been here, but, well." Boss Borot getting space-rated would have been a tall enough ask without developing an entirely new Mazin into the bargain. (One day they'll find a big enough goldfish bowl.)

"They were with us in spirit, though." Yelling and hollering, certainly.

But then... the hour comes - the moment of final parting. Koji looks around at the group again, and takes a deep breath.

"A farewell like this..." He glances over to Leina. "Even if we don't get enough time, I think it's something everyone can face on our own terms." He favours Yuliana and Elisa with that cocksure Mazinger-pilot grin. "If we had some drinks, I'd raise a toast. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit any sake bottles in the Kaiser Pilder, so I'll just say... 'to New Beginnings'."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Anita's comment about the Nadesico causes Lucine to laugh. "They'll be all glad to come! Hopefully with no hijinks..." Wait, what-

        Lucine's eyes light up as Liam ponders studying the same fields as his own mom. "Ah! I'll have to see if my mom still has some contacts on Earth! I think they'd all be in science, though..." Earth felt so small, when she was back on Mars...

        And now, her world is so much larger.

        And Elisa and Yuliana... they'll have to craft a world all their own, for them and their followers, as well as... Lucine looks to Li Yao. ".... If you are sure..." Maybe... it's the right time to look for a new horizon.

        As Yuliana suggests a certain horizon for the two of them, as well.

        "Our own--!!" Lucine's face goes beet red, as she mentally completes the sentence, looking for all the world like she's a teenager, all over again.

        Leaning against Liam, she grins at Aurora. "Liam has a big heart. You'll make more friends too, in time..." Her eyes are misting up too, as she looks towards Elisa, who is...

        .... thanking them...? Yellow eyes look at Yuliana in shock, then back to Elisa. "... You'll be able to see from there, right? All the weddings. And hear the wedding bells."

        She nods to Leina, and to Koji. "'To New Beginnings'," she echoes.

<Pose Tracker> Liam O'Maol Chonaire has posed.

        "Red Five?" Liam blinks, but recognition blooms in his eyes a moment later. That GN-X. "That was you?" But then Kaworu asks a question Liam never thought he'd hear. He takes a moment to weigh it in his mind, because it deserves an honest answer.

        "Not right now," Liam says, "but when the time is right, I will. Need to finish school before I can study that, anyway."

        As for Yao, he's going, too? Liam does a bit of a double-take as Yao steps forward, but--if he's as familiar with the Kafims as he seems to be, he knows what he's getting into. "Good luck out there, old Fighter," Liam says, with a nod.

        Their own wedding? Liam caught that, too. His face flushes a little, but it doesn't dim the smile on his face. "We will," he says, and he squeezes Lucine tight. "I'll tell your parents what you've done out here. And everything else, I--I won't let the world forget it. Any of it." All the suffering they endured, and all the suffering they inflicted. Tears mist Liam's eyes, and he raises a hand to wave.

        "Safe travels!" Liam says, before repeating himself in Gaelic.

<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.

"Photon Power Labs," Sayaka corrects Aurora. "But Dr. Mass is someone just as worthy of respect." She adds.

'Perhaps it's time' Yuliana says, and while Sayaka had to much to say at first, in the end, her own words fail her, too. After all... it's so difficult to say something knowing it will be the last thing they hear from you. The last thing they'll remember you by.

"There's nothing else I can say that I haven't already said, but... we won't ever forget you. You might have new trials to overcome all the way out there... but I know you have the spirit beyond a God or a Devil to overcome it." The void may be cold, but Yuliana's always had that hot blood deep within. "...It's goodbye, but that doesn't mean it's over."

"To new beginnings." She agrees, with a warm smile as her eyes pass between Yuliana, a true friend she never expected to make in the midst of all the damage - and Elisa, an enemy she came to shake hands with at the last moment. It's messy, all of it, but it couldn't be any other way.

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         "...nice to meet you too." Aurora responds to Leina quietly.

        Everybody seems to have parents, or fond memories of parents, or something left to them by parents... Aurora only has her mentor. She looks at the floor. There's something... sad about that. Aurora is alone, there. No memories, no keepsakes. Only her present life. The first 'parents' she remembers are lab technicians. She's got three options for parental figures and one is leaving her dimension today.

        "Yeah. He has a big heart..." Aurora is familiar. Big heart, big kindness. (Big size, too. Tall...) "...oh, I met some more people at work since the last time."

        A pause for Lucine to actually ask who, and then the explanation. When Lucine mentions making more
 friends, she nods. "Well, I got assigned to the Flay unit... she's a reliable lieutenant," Aurora begins listing off on her fingers. "There's Lilium... I met a man called Alto at the Vajra briefing but I called him pretty and he didn't like it I think. I apologised though."

        "Yeah, it was me. I didn't get the chance to call you, but I saw you ripping open that thing's jaw..."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        "Very well," Kaworu tells Liam, as unruffled as ever. He'll choose his own path at his own pace. That's what's best for him.
        
        He doesn't comment on if he and Shinji would be visiting the Void.
        
        He does look faintly surprised as Yao steps forward and offers to join Yuliana and Elisa. But then, it's only fitting, isn't it? Kaworu smiles mutedly to the married couple as they speak of wrapping things up. He's said what needs to be said; he will bear witness as they begin something new.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

Elisa did propose to Yuliana on her birthday. Elisa remembers that day. It was a very good day. ...Leina's raised eyebrow gets a look from Elisa, and she gives the ever-so-slightest shrug--but a serious look, after. She knows what she did, at least.

Elisa is not commenting on Britannia today, either. She has left that matter in Shari's hands, for as much as Shari doesn't really want it. But that's another story.

This story, instead... is coming to an end.

Elisa nods to Yuliana, then. "Yes, my parents among them... We should not leave them without my shelter overlong."

She reaches to take Yuliana's hand, and looks out over the hangar. So many people, at their work or here to see them off or say goodbyes or just watch the spectacle. So many, and...

Elisa will finally achieve the dream she had for so long, but in a way she never would have expected when she started this journey. She pauses.

"Shari," she says. "...We have said our goodbyes. I will not darken your mind, as She did. So to you I say a final goodbye... You, with whom I share a bond. Goodbye."

Then, she looks to Li Yao, and smiles. Her teeth are not an issue, this time. "We would be honored by your presence, Li Yao," Elisa says with a serious nod. Then, she looks to Yuliana. "...Yes?"

Then she looks to Rena, thoughtful. "Perhaps it is so," she says of some other life. "But I shall remember. ...We shall create matter, there, that we might record our memories. This, I also shall do."

She looks to Anita, too. And Rena. The both of them, together. As she does, Shari looks back to Yuliana, and smiles. "...Yeah," she says. "I know. And I appreciate it."

She considers and then--

Goes to give both Aunts a hug, before they go. Elisa and Yuliana both.

"I won't. Goodbye. And... Thanks."

Elisa nods to Shari, briefly stopping all else for a rare hug, and then looks to Leina, at that mention. The old song... "Ah," she says. "Yes. Let us do so."

And then to Koji, "Then have a drink for us when you return home. ...Time is a suggestion, to the Void. It will be 'close enough', yes?"

Then to Lucine, "...I am unsure," she admits. "We must make the Veil thick, now, so that reality is preserved. But if I can watch, I shall. And if I cannot... Well, then you had best make it a grand enough occasion that it reverberates." She looks to Liam, too. "...We shall take care."

"And indeed," she says to Sayaka. "...it is not over. We shall carry that spirit."

Elisa turns to her wife.

<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.

r "Who doesn't want to Rocket Punch?" Yuliana asks, grinning to Sayaka. "Even with its blasted AI getting in my way, I quite enjoyed my time in an Ichinana!" Leina might not have entirely approved of her sneaking out to fight during her recovery, but maybe it was good for her to fight as a hero, for once. "I admit... I feel better knowing Mazinkaiser's here for the Earth Sphere," not just Earth, in this final hour, "but I hope you won't need it, all too often. Haha... but you were really something in Mazinger Z, too, you know? What a Rocket Punch that was!" Yuliana might have had her own battle to fight, up there, but she caught a few things. "And I bet they were!" She exclaims, to Koji, laughing at the mental image of Boss and the gang hollering along; she doesn't begrudge them for not finding a big enough goldfish bowl, clearly. "They're probably hard at work, down there."

        She smiles, as she adds, to Aurora: "Your GN-X was stunning, too. You're a brave girl, Avrorka." As it happens, she's fishing in the right pond, today.

        "It's no less than the opportunity you all gave me," she replies, to Rena, quite genuinely. "And oh, what a wonderful proposal... I'm not surprised," she adds, with a sly look to Anita, "that it was you who struck the hot iron."

        She's glad that Kaworu is there to look out for Liam, too. And speaking of people looking out for others -- she smiles, to Shari. "You have amazing talents, Sharochka. Do not reach for us, but know that I will think of you kindly. I may have begun treating you more gently without any choice in the matter... but it is no one's control which affects my regard for you, now."

        She leaves Sayaka with the struggles of being identified as Sayla, though she adds: "Dr. Mass is a fine woman. Please pass on my regards," this she says to Leina, "and for your brother, as well."

        But -- "You... want to come with us?" Yuliana asks, all her surety shaken by honest surprise, when Yao speaks up. "You won't be able to return, you know... the Gate will close. Even so... you want to come with us?" Oh, no, she's crying again. "I-- I'm touched, truly-- you're sure? Yes -- yes, of course you are welcome, Shifu! There is still so much I must learn from you!"

        Is it a comfort to Leina -- to hear that she intends to keep living and growing, instead of going through something like death? Yuliana can only hope. She smiles, to her, and answers: "I bet it's another tomorrow. To new beginnings!" She cries, lifting a fist in a battle-cry just as Koji leads them.

        "Ring them loud, and maybe we will," is all she can say, to Lucine. "We can't have the Void cross over with this world any longer... but even if we can't reach you, I'll remember your intent." She doesn't intend to weaken the veil... but she'll encourage them to celebrate as loudly as they can, anyway.

        "I'm in your hands," she smiles, to Liam. "Good luck with your studies, all right? And... slan agat," she bids him farewell, in his tongue -- and says in her goodbye that she is going, and he is staying.

        "I won't forget you, either," she smiles, to Sayaka. "All of you... I'll remember you as long as I live, which may well be a long, long time. Time is but a suggestion, there, as Elya says."

        She smiles, to Aurora. "May you meet many more people," she bids, to her. "... you couldn't go wrong meeting anyone here a second time."

        And when Shari embraces her, she hugs her, tightly. "Good luck, plemyannitsa," she murmurs, to her niece.

        Then... it's time.

        "Let's go," she says, stretching out both her hands -- to take Yao's in one, and Elisa's in the other. With Kaworu as their eternal witness, she will walk with them, through the portal... feeling the way reality grows strange, on the other side. (Elisa will make sure they have ground to walk on.) Once she's through, she turns, and waves.

        "Sharochka!" She calls, back through to physical reality. "Reka! Leyasha! We'll close things on our end -- so give us a hand!"

        For the last time, in the Void, she begins to twirl...

        ... and in the Void's embrace, her flesh does not come undone, as she did on Earth when she tried to dance this dance.

        Elisa always promised... and that promise holds true.

<Pose Tracker> Li Yao has posed.

         At the acknowledgement from Elisa that it was ok to come he smiles back a thank you and then hears Yuliana crying, "I have nothing left here save for the gundam. This old man is tired of fighting and just wants to find some peace, with his new family." He smiles at her before he takes a deep breath and for the first time in who knows how long looks relaxed.

        Yao steps forward ready to go himself and is about to take Elisa's hand before he stops and looks back and pulls from his pocket what looks like some variation of a thumb drive and a key. The skeleton key so to speak for Yulong. He tosses it at Liam, "It's name is Yulong, you can do with it as you wish. Use it, make it your own, bury it in a mountain for some young lad a millenium now to stumble on. It's the last thing this old man owns and now there is no more attachment here." With that he turns back and grabs Elisa's hand.

<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.

As the three leave, not only two, Shari returns to her machine. She will remember that last embrace, and that last murmured good luck. Time...

There's so much she could do with the Void. ...So much she doesn't want to do. But this... This she does.

This she must.

The young woman who started this journey as but a girl trying to avoid a horror places her hands on either side of her control panel. "...Goodbye," she says again.

And then, she begins to close the portal. Little by little, it physically moves shut, until it is all done.

The Void can no longer be seen with the eye.

"..." Almost. It's almost done.

Shari looks to the others. "...It's up to you, now. The last time."

<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.

Rena smiles at Yuliana. She watches her dance -- and watches them enter the Void. She can see them for a moment, as Yuliana dances again. This time, she isn't undone.

Rena sucks in a breath as the three of them step through. She nods to Li Yao, as he walks through. Then, she looks at Shari as she speaks.

"On it," she says.

She focuses; she holds a hand out, as a focus rather than necessity. There's a glow that shines through her normal suit, at where her breastbone is; pale green and deep bluem both bright.

She puts her strength, through the Psychoframe and Voidframe shard embedded in her, to the portal -- and looks sideways at Leina, ready to join her in this.

"Let's see them off," she says.

<Pose Tracker> Aurora Dusk has posed.

         "...I had good teachers," she says, looking at Yuliana meaningfully. "Goodbye... and thanks."

        Aurora waves back to Yuliana, and maybe Yuli can see the tears in her eyes.

Aurora runs up to Yuliana and hugs her. Her embrace is
 crushing... she's not restraining herself at all. But Yuliana can take it."

<Pose Tracker> Liam O'Maol Chonaire has posed.

        Liam's eyes widen. "...Really?" he asks, but his hand snaps out, catching the keys. He touches them to his chest, over his heart. "Thank you."

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

Anita laughs, as Yuliana says she isn't surprised that she's the one who proposed first.

"Well... I knew it'd make her happy. So, I did." Anita replies.

And with that she steps back to give them all room to do what needs to be done - to give them a proper send-off.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Rearranged My Life - retuneS x Gundam Unicorn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0LskO47RJ0

"Here?" Leina slow blinks at Yuliana's request as if incredulous that she wants her to do this while not in the Banshee, but then... there's this perplexed look, then a smirk, 'You could have mentioned this part sooner.' Before...

"Alright... I think even right here - we can do this properly." She replies to Rena.

However, she watches... the two move to the other side. And she remembers what it was like - to grasp it within her hands. They are small, and so - she stretches out to her bonds, to each of them - even the one that Yuliana consumes each time it comes near.

For a moment - those with psychic senses to see it. The inert Banshee in the hangar. It's presence is with her instead, so much larger, a part of the infinite expanse. A part of her. Then...

It's just her

And violet energy wisps off of her, and her presence is suddenly so much larger. She does not move - so much as two hands stretch around Rena's presence. For where Rena has come to be a part of it - she's come to sense it's influence, to her with the separation of space between one reality and the next.

"Don't hesitate to look me up, once you both get settled."

It's perhaps a request - that if ever they can reach out to her. That they need not hesitate. She has not ever known what it was like to truly let go of the people in her life. The good experiences - the bad - the messy - all the people she has ever known encompassed her existence.

-=-=-

Singularity-02 finally returns to it's home, a shifting layered vault that's not unlike the crates used to transport mobile suits, save the sheer extent of the layers, and shielding. It'd be near impossible to break into, much less destroy or steal it without giving time for half of NUNE to come down on their heads.

When the hatch opens, she raises her hands, feels the last touch of the Banshee upon her, as mechanics get to work, and guards 'escort' her down, only not putting cuffs on her as she'll need time to take off one of the most expensive pilot suits ever made.

Kenanji Avery was waiting, with his arms crossed.

"You're back late." He remarked to her, like a father chastising a daughter for not being back by curfew. She doesn't say anything, as the Cathedra guards led her by.

But she stops for a moment, long enough to smile, and tell him.

"It was worth it."

As she answers his earlier question more directly. The large man gave her a severe look, then gestures.

"You're expected to give a full report in the debriefing that comes - and leave nothing out. It's mandated each time Singularity-02 is deployed."

She knows that trust has been demolished, and things will never be the same here for her. Choices have consequences, and she's here to take responsibility.

"I'll keep that in mind." She replies, and not with faux cheerfulness, as he gives her a bemused look at how strangely happy she seems, watching her walk away.

"... Gundam pilots." He murmurs, as if that concept left a profoundly bad taste in his mouth, but for once in his life... he hadn't simply dubbed them 'Witches' instead.

As Leina walks, she looks out one of the viewports, as if she could glance into the beyond, for some glimpse at them - when she only sees the black of space, she doesn't seem disappointed, as she keeps up her walk.

It's going to be a huge mess, what happens next but...

... maybe she will let it be her turn, this time.