2022-01-29: Lost In All My Selfish Thoughts
- Log: 2022-01-29: Lost In All My Selfish Thoughts
- Cast: Akane Shinjo (ft. Alexis Kerib)
- Where: Akane's Room, Tsutsujidai
- Date: January 29, 2022
- Summary: A discussion. Takes place concurrent with 2022-01-29: The Tenth Letter.
Alexis appears on the monitor -- still, pleasant, unthreatening. "You wished to speak with me, Akane-kun?" he asks, obliging as always.
"What's the Aura of Dawn?" Akane asks, choosing her spot carefully. Alexis has been decidedly less than forthcoming about the things in her domain; she starts with the softball, without overplaying her hand.
Alexis is silent for five seconds. "I would describe it as an argument -- an assertion about worlds like yours." He leaves which world 'like yours' refers to unstated. There's a beat, before he asks a question of his own. "I thought you'd decided to leave the outside world to me... are you worried?"
The question gets Akane... not to testy -- she doesn't show that side of herself to Alexis, for the most part -- but close. "Nah, but if all this stuff is coming into my house I need to know how to beat it, right? Is it something I could make a kaiju to fight?"
Alexis has prepared a little better for this one. "Akane, dear," he says, approaching with a hair more softness. "You're getting ahead of yourself. You don't need to make this your problem, do you? You have the Vessels of Light to worry about, still."
"Yeah, I guess so," Akane agrees, a little lamely. "If we got rid of Gridman and the other one, that would fix the," she turns the words over, "psychic rupture in Tsutsujidai, right?"
The teal panels of Alexis's face all light up. "Just so," he agrees.
Akane slurps at her disgustingly sweet coffee drink. The lack of correction tells her a lot. So this space is 'psychic.' Not sure what that one means yet. She commits it to memory regardless.
Alexis considers whether he needs to perform corrective action, and whether that action ought to target Kaworu, Renais, or... what's this new thread outward from the --
Maybe now is a great time to test Alexis's loyalty a bit, Akane thinks. If she can't do something about this problem, and it's an Outside Problem, it's definitely his responsibility.
Untangling this will be messy... and perhaps beyond Alexis's scope. After all, a 'Betterman' changes to hunt threats humanity cannot -- and by this point, Alexis himself no doubt qualifies. He'll have to rearrange the board. Or upend it. Fortunately, he knows someone good at upending boards.
"Alexis," Akane says, casually. "Until I need a kaiju made, I want you to try to help out Renais, okay? Get all the stuff, or whatever, out of her brain."
"Hoooh? What's this? Is it her you're worried about, specifically, Akane-kun?" Alexis asks, surprised.
Yes, Akane thinks. "If she stops having the problem," Akane says, instead, "then she won't have any reason to come around anymore, right? Then I can stay here."
"Mmm... that's a good thought. Still -- best to work toward closing the rupture regardless. With the appearance of 'Ultraman,' your world's Vessel of Light problem has at minimum doubled."
Akane loses interest in the conversation, and decides to start rearranging her shelves. If Gridman -- and whoever was helping him -- were themselves trying to save the world, it couldn't be them, so...
Why is Ultraman here? What heart cries for aid...?