2022-04-19: Cultivating Friendships
- Log: 2022-04-19 Cultivating Friendships
- Cast: Lucine Azul, Leito Igaguri
- Where: The Nadesico's Greenhouse
- OOC - IC Date: April 19, 0096
- Summary: Leito and Lucine chat about a recent incident with the Vajra, as well as the importance of believing in your allies.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
It's hard for crew members to remember what this room even looked like before Lucine took it over as the 'greenhouse', for lack of a better term. What were once a series of rows of equipment that didn't seem at all like it could sustain plantlife has become covered with lush greenery if different types of vegetables and fruits. None are quite at the stage where they could be fruiting just yet, but with many beginning to put out various flowers, it shouldn't take too long. No space is left unused- the rows along the walls are placed in a curve, with taller plants in the back and shorter ones in the front.
There are also flowers of the non-eatable sort, mostly in those spots that can't be used for any crops. These ones imploy actual soil and pots, usually hanging from the ceiling or pressed into nooks and crannies where Lucine's personal belongings are.
Because Lucine also lives here too, though her area is behind a privacy screen in a corner, which is also filled with plants of different shapes and flowers.
The door is open to encourage people to come in, with a schedule posted outside with general hours- unlike some parts of the ship, this area is not open 24/7.
"There you go, you are doing so well!" Inside, Lucine is on a stool examining some of the plants near the ceiling. She looks much different from when Leito last saw her, with her hair up in a bun and a smock over her uniform, though the skirt is swapped out for a pair of slacks. "Looks like the pollination went well! I wonder what your tomatoes will look like..."
Another thing about Lucine: she talks to the plants.
Only when she thinks she is alone.
No one's impolite to point out that's not always a thing on the Nadesico.
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
One person would have no idea it wasn't always a greenhouse. Leito Igaguri steps inside, on a mission to meet as much of the crew he'll be working with as possible, starting with the person he worked alongside - Lucine Azul.
Footsteps ring out, as Leito looks at the various plants and future crops, before approaching Lucine's area. "A-ah, Ms. Azul, are you free to chat...?" He says right as she's talking to the plants. He is polite enough not to mention anything, specifically because it's also not that weird to him.
Sometimes you talk to weird things!
Assuming she answers, he marvels aloud. "This is lovely...did you cultivate all of these yourself?"
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
"O-oh! Ah, Mr. Igaguri, right?" Lucine turns around, nearly startled by Leito's approach. "Ahah... sorry, I didn't hear you come in."
Another aspect of Lucine Nadesico crew members have gotten used to: she gets focused when in the greenhouse. Very, very focused.
So focused that all concepts of Newtype precognition and alerts are thrown to the wayside, for better or worse.
Stepping down from the stool and placing her scissors in the pocket of her smock, Lucine readily grins. "Yes, of course! Ah, I'm not sure if this place was introduced to you before, but, ah, in addition to being a pilot, I'm the Nadesico's gardener." Lucine itches a finger to the side of her chin, self aware of how silly the concept sounds, even with the backdrop of her hard-earned rewards. "Ms. Howmei has been looking forward to having fresh produce even when we're enroute to someplace! I... don't have anything I can collect just yet, though... Ah, there's a stool over there if you'd like to sit.... it's not the most comfortable, though..."
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
Leito nods as Lucine turns and confirms his name. "Leito Igaguri, yes! I work in accounts." He takes a seat as he's offered one, ignoring the discomfort of the stool and taking in the fact he doesn't have to walk across an entire ship. "What a lovely job...plants sure do make people feel better, I've always heard."
Leito straightens his tie anxiously, before speaking up. "A-ah, right. I thought it'd be smart to meet the rest of the crew, learn what they're like, if I will be assigned to this ship. I m-must say, I was not expecting you to be the gardener, after what you did in that ship!" He's referring to her 'ace' gun skills, which he, a man who's never held a gun, clearly thinks were pretty impressive. "Are you alright? It certainly was scary..."
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Leito Igaguri, who works in accounting. Lucine looks surprised. "I wonder how they got you to come along... though, I suppose, with your abilities, that must be why." Lucine beams with some amount of pride at the praise. "... Yes, I believe that too... There have been people who come in here even though there's the holographic rooms and the virtual reality rooms... I think, just for the change of pace? Once the novelty dies down, though, I imagine it will be a different story. I don't mind, either way, really."
Or she does appreciate it, given how quickly she took to talking to Leito.
"W-well, I'm a better pilot than I am at shooting things." Lucine's expression turns apologetic. "It's hard to aim and adjust for the recoil... my dad was much better at it. But the passengers that were alive were rescued, so..."
Of course Leito knows- because he was there. He fought off those insect creatures. With his bare hands. "I wasn't expecting you to be in accounting, to be honest..."
It really is like it's two different people. Briefly, Lucine ponders...
If she were to focus on him with her mind, would she notice something? An answer, perhaps?
....
Nono, that would be impolite, especially as her status as such has been kept more or less a secret. A terribly kept secret, but a secret, nonetheless. If anything, this aspect of Leito might have saved them.
Lucine looks downwards, a sudden look of guilt on her face. "... I'm afraid I wasn't much help, there. But... yes, I'm alright. I've been through a lot worse than that, and... you, actually... you helped a lot. Moreso than me."
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
As Lucine talks, and points out how he seems weird for accounting, Leito tilts his head, rubbing the back of it with his hand. "R-really? Most people think it makes a lot of sense..." He's a little nervous, but it must just be his energy, right?
But when she says he helped more than her, he shakes his head. "I may have, uh, led the charge..." A pause, trying to clearly but discreetly remember the events. "But you're the one who led me to them, r-right? If we had waited any longer, who knows what those creatures could have done. However you did it, that was impressive. Thank you." He puts his hands together as he says it.
A pause. Oh god, everyone's gonna think he's a martial arts god now. Why did he do that on his first mission?! "A-ah, I just know basic self-defense, though. I'm not that good, I promise!"
Oddly enough, it's not even like he's lying.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
"Er, well, I meant, usually, people in accounting aren't pulled into dangerous situations like that. I mean, people with your skills are really valuable!" Lucine pauses a moment, then clarifies, "Your accounting skills, I mean. Otherwise... Nergal wouldn't be able to exist as independent as it is now. As a pilot... well, I guess I wouldn't be technically expendable due to my unit, but..."
It was that shred of independence that allowed the Nadesico to go to Mars.
... Though this may be unique to the Nadesico.
Lucine frowns. "You should be more proud of your skills, though!" Pot, meet kettle. "Even if you might be down on yourself, there are people who don't know much about it... much less be able to perform under pressure..."
Sitting down on the stool she was just standing on moments ago, the gardener smiles. "Plus, it took some of the pressure off of me! I suppose I did lead you to them though..." she conceeds. "I was afraid what we might find, but when we found those passengers, that... made me feel a lot better. Though those insect things... the Vajra... I can't believe we just stumbled into the same things are what destroyed Sheryl Nome's home..."
How did Sheryl feel, having to flee from them?
Lucine's fingers grip the fabric of her smock hard enough to turn white.
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
"Ah...I volunteered..." Leito scratches his nose. "I'm just a businessman. I'm easy to replace in that sense. But...lives aren't. So if I have a chance to save them, I will. I can't shy away from stuff like that, n-no matter how much it scares me - otherwise, what kind of world am I leaving for my daughter...?"
The mention of not being down on himself gets an awkward laugh from Leito. "I'm not a master or anything, it's fine. I've just been taught a few tricks, is all..."
The Vajra gets him serious. Not glasses-removal serious, but he nods, feeling the emotions as Lucine grabs her smock. "They're on Earth...that's not good. Between them and the Jovians, we'll have a lot of threats ahead of us. But we can count on the Nadesico, and each other as crew, right? If we're to build a safer, kinder world..." He's being a bit self-indulgent. "We need to get to the bottom of these alien threats with the others, as our missions are likely to point us to them...and be as compassionate as we can."
Leito wants to ask about the Jovians. But he gets the idea it wouldn't be the best to ask randomly. The crew here's been dealing with them, so he has no idea how scarred they are.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
"... Yes, lives are a lot harder to replace--"
His daughter.
".... You have a daughter." Something softens in Lucine at that moment, like a question she had never asked until that moment had finally been answered. "... Your life especially, then, if you have a family waiting for you. Even if you want to make the world a better place for them."
Her dad probably didn't have such high goals in mind, but he did care for her and her mom, to the last.
She'll have to make sure Leito never has to make that decision himself, even if he's shown himself to be more capable.
"Ah, I was hoping you could teach me a few," Lucine says, laughing softly. "It's alright, though. I understand." Does she?
Between them and the Jovians....
Two threats.
"The Jovians...." It's more pronounced now- the feeling of fear, of nerves stripped raw until they've gone numb out of self-protection, of a deep well of despair that takes months to get out of.
Wasn't there a few flowers that were open a few minutes ago? It's not as if they snapped closed just then, but as if the sun had moved below the horizon.
"... I don't know if we can truly beat things we can't reach... even a person pointing a gun at you has a heart and a mind... I never want to back down from them, since that would be worse if we gave up, but..."
She's been staring at the ground. "... Sorry. I shouldn't be saying such things, when the crew here did so much already."
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
"Well..." Leito hesitates. When Lucine asks, though, with everything she's said... "I could give you a few pointers, at least?"
But that fear strips away whatever else he was thinking. He grimaces. But even so, when Lucine starts staring at the ground, he stands up, but not to leave. After a moment of fidgeting, he nods, to no one in particular.
He removes his glasses and straightens his stance, wiping his mouth confidently with a thumb.
"Ms. Azul. Even if you cannot reach them, does not mean they cannot be stopped. Even some people cannot be reached, despite possessing both of those. The key to focus on isn't the enemy..."
With this confidence of the 'change', Leito smiles reassuringly. "But on your friends. If you focus on what the enemy can do, what they think, what they feel, more than how your friends think and feel in the moment and how they can bring you to victory...well, that seems like a losing proposition. I joined the Nadesico..."
A smirk. "Because despite being pretty odd, it's a ship full of winning hearts. I can tell that already. Everyone on that tanker cared about one thing: saving people. And together, we saved all of those possible. If we can do that against the Vajra, don't you think we could do more? That's all."
He puts his glasses back on, before kinda fumbling his words. "A-ah. I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. I, uh, should leave, shouldn't I?"
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Lucine chuckles. "Well, let's see how we feel later on, then. It might be that moments like those will be rare. I'm a lot better in the Dianthus than I am on foot."
At the moment he takes his glasses off, something prompts Lucine to look up, just before Leito says her name.
It wouldn't be fair to say his personality changed too much, now that Lucine has had the change to meet the accounting part more fully. There is a change in confidence, but his words...
Are they really all that different from what he had said before, in a way? It's the same hope, a streak of heroism and wanting to do the right thing. If there was some further logic to this change beyond a simple trick of the mind, similar to how she feels confidence inside the Dianthus, would it even matter? This is another side of Leito.
And he, like her, knows the true strength of the Nadesico.
When the glasses are put back on, and his confidence fades, Lucine quickly responds, nearly getting off her stool if he moves to leave. "No, no... please don't. Not unless you want to." She resettles on the stool. "You're right. And... what you said... that's why I joined the Nadesico, myself. I suppose I wasn't clear... I'm from Mars." She places a hand over her heart, and smiles gently. "As far as I know, the only survivors from my colony are my mom, and, well, me. Because I used the Dianthus to get us both out, while my Dad... covered for us. When I went back, months later..."
It's an odd, bittersweet peace that settles in on her face and demeanor, like catching the last scent of cherry blossoms for the season.
"I'm still dealing with these memories. But, it was the Nadesico that was there, when I had to escape a second time, from Nemi. They were the first ship I saw that was from outside of Mars. And so... after... finding out just how committed they were... I came here. It's just... I forget, sometimes." Her smile turns apologetic. "You just reminded me, even if you... had to take off your glasses, again." There's a certain wryness there in her gold eyes, but it's still gentle.
It's an acknowledgement, and an acceptance, of Leito's 'quirks'. "... I'm glad you're here, Mr. Igaguri. I feel you will be a valuable part of the crew here."
<Pose Tracker> Leito Igaguri has posed.
As Leito returns to normal, and Lucine tells him he can stay, he does so, slowly returning to stand by the door instead of taking another seat. He takes a moment to remember what he read about Mars, and nods. "A-ah...I'm terribly sorry. I've never experienced such a thing - I'm from Japan, and the worst we got was...tremendous kaiju attacks. But the heroes would save the day." Truth, even if it's shaded without Context.
"But, the Nadesico's here to help you out. All of us out. We may be corporate - but people here seem closer-knit than any office I've ever worked in. If anyone can be the next generation of heroes, against these alien threats...it's us. We won't win every fight, but we can make a change, right?"
He does give her time to respond, before looking at his watch. "Ah...I've forgotten to eat. Have you? I'm heading to the cafeteria, if you'd like to go. Perhaps we can get someone to tell us all about that...what's it called? Gangekiger?"
Somewhere, a million angry eyes narrow on him for butchering the title.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
"... Well, I've never experienced a kaiju attack so... I suppose, I will have to rely on your experience when that happens."
Lucine remembers the way the entire crew felt after that Angel attack, and the two massive kaiju that intervened during the pirate attack on the passenger ship Sheryl Nome was on. That sort of terror... how would she handle that?
Leito has faith in the Nadesico. Maybe, more than she even does, as she hasn't revealed anything about herself and the things she can feel from others.
".... a hero, huh..." Lucine chuckles, softly. "I could see my dad making a face at something like that, but... I suppose he needed to still look like he hadn't softened any from his bounty hunter days. But... he was a good dad, in the end. A different sort of dad, but a good one. And your daughter... I imagine she's a good kid."
Now she feels awkward, for saying that.
".......... When was the last time I've eaten...." Lucine.... has to think about this. "..... If I can't pinpoint it, I guess I should eat... time gets away from me, when I'm holed up in here." She gets up and begins unbuttoning her smock, then pauses.
She sighs, giving in. "Gekiganger.... I think you'd like it. It's... uh, not to my tastes? But it's charming, at least..."
Did she just whisper that, as if she was afraid she'd be overheard?
Yet another mystery to solve on the Nadesico!