2022-10-09: A Goddess Brings The Groceries
- Cast: Teletha Testarossa, Sousuke Sagara
- Where: Sousuke Sagara's Apartment
- Date: U.C. 0096 10 08
- Summary: Following an anomalous invitation to a game show and an only-as-anomalous-as-Anti-always-is encounter with Anti, the Captain arrives and works Sousuke's last nerve.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Sousuke's apartment in Tiger's Mansion has been slowly accruing a more lived-in sense since Captain Testarossa became a semi-regular presence. Some of that is that Richard Mardukas secretly-but-probably-not-secretly-ENOUGH comes by and gives Sousuke one of his patented 8-hour lectures if he's not satisfied. Some is simply that a tidy person's touch will all but inevitably do some things to a space, to say nothing of the type of woman Tessa is.
For instance, now the guns are in a locker, rather than just out in a box, presumably in preparation for fending off the Public Security Bureau.
It's been a day or two since the filming for the game show, and mere hours since Sousuke's gotten back himself. For now, Sousuke is at the desk of the 1-room-and-change apartment, in front of the secured comms equipment, typing away at some report or another on his laptop. Anti's long gone, of course.
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
Tessa was a tired girl. Most of the time. This time was no different, a small yawn coming from her body as she streeetched. Another surprise visit from her, as per usual. More than usual? Then again, she was in her regular uniform, considering she came from the ship.
Knock, knock, knock, knock. Knock knock.
Before unlocking the door and peering inside, expecting the obvious.
"Sagara? Are you in today?"
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Sousuke's gotten used to the cadence of her knock. He's also had to rather dramatically change his security practices for someone who doesn't know how to use the foxhole techniques he's used to.
Still. Having someone come by from time to time, even if it was his revered Captain, was... ...something? Something. What this feeling is escapes from his grip.
"I'm here, Captain," he calls back. He saves the document and closes the laptop, turning in his seat to see her as she enters. "Good evening, ma'am." Ah, she did go back to Danaan, then, he sees from her dress. He'd stayed in Britannia some extra time to catch up with some old contacts. He had...a project, in mind.
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
The long sweep of braided hair as she walked in, rustling a bag filled with food. Perishable food, meant for consumption and usage. ...Okay, there might be a few calorie-packs trapped in there. Just a few.
"Good evening, Sagara. I hope nothing was too bad with Kaname." A light bow, giving off a bright smile as usual. She's in a good mood. "Mardukas confiscated the prize money, of course. I can't exactly have that sort of cash laying around, so he said." She says, when she makes more than that every year. Probably.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"Miss Chidori is fine," Sousuke reports. "Wraith appears to be doing an...adequate, job."
He stands up, seeing she's brought packages. Food, huh. "It's probably better that he did. Prize money frequently has unseen obligations and taxes attached. Better that the accountants process it for you."
Though, given her incredible competence and skill, maybe an unnecessary step.
"You've brought food," he observes. "Would you like me to put it away for you, Captain?"
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
"That's good to hear." A rustle; There's a few prepackaged meals, always the preparer. "I do trust him with the money, and Mithril should be fine in that regard. Although...I do wonder who sent it, in the end." The stray thought aside, she opened the fridge, peering into the (slightly more) stocked appliance. Glancing around, frowning, and...
"Sagara, did you eat the sausage?"
No matter, she was already cramming things inside. "Finish what you need to; It's nice to have something menial to do after everything."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"It was certainly curious," Sousuke agrees. "I asked His Excellency, but he had no idea either. He's mischievous, but he'd admit it at that point if it was him." His Excellency is what he calls Jindai Student Council President Atsunobu Hayashimizu, for some reason.
"Oh. Yes. Anti visited and I realized I required nutrition. There should be SPAM still."
...trust the soldier to think that's remotely acceptable alternative...
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
"That's good to hear." A rustle; There's a few prepackaged meals, always the preparer. "I do trust him with the money, and Mithril should be fine in that regard. Although...I do wonder who sent it, in the end." The stray thought aside, she opened the fridge, peering into the (slightly more) stocked appliance. Glancing around, frowning, and...
"Sagara, did you eat the sausage?"
No matter, she was already cramming things inside. "Finish what you need to; It's nice to have something menial to do after everything."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"It was certainly curious," Sousuke agrees. "I asked His Excellency, but he had no idea either. He's mischievous, but he'd admit it at that point if it was him." His Excellency is what he calls Jindai Student Council President Atsunobu Hayashimizu, for some reason.
"Oh. Yes. Anti visited and I realized I required nutrition. There should be SPAM still."
...trust the soldier to think that's remotely acceptable alternative...
@emit <Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
"That's good to hear." A rustle; There's a few prepackaged meals, always the preparer. "I do trust him with the money, and Mithril should be fine in that regard. Although...I do wonder who sent it, in the end." The stray thought aside, she opened the fridge, peering into the (slightly more) stocked appliance. Glancing around, frowning, and...
"Sagara, did you eat the sausage?"
No matter, she was already cramming things inside. "Finish what you need to; It's nice to have something menial to do after everything."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"It was certainly curious," Sousuke agrees. "I asked His Excellency, but he had no idea either. He's mischievous, but he'd admit it at that point if it was him." His Excellency is what he calls Jindai Student Council President Atsunobu Hayashimizu, for some reason.
"Oh. Yes. Anti visited and I realized I required nutrition. There should be SPAM still."
...trust the soldier to think that's remotely acceptable alternative...
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
"That's good to hear." A rustle; There's a few prepackaged meals, always the preparer. "I do trust him with the money, and Mithril should be fine in that regard. Although...I do wonder who sent it, in the end." The stray thought aside, she opened the fridge, peering into the (slightly more) stocked appliance. Glancing around, frowning, and...
"Sagara, did you eat the sausage?"
No matter, she was already cramming things inside. "Finish what you need to; It's nice to have something menial to do after everything."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"It was certainly curious," Sousuke agrees. "I asked His Excellency, but he had no idea either. He's mischievous, but he'd admit it at that point if it was him." His Excellency is what he calls Jindai Student Council President Atsunobu Hayashimizu, for some reason.
"Oh. Yes. Anti visited and I realized I required nutrition. There should be SPAM still."
...trust the soldier to think that's remotely acceptable alternative...
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
"Mhm. It's a slightly strange thing, but you and Kaname are pretty well known throughout the school." She's excluding herself out of habit. Her story? The regular transfer student bouncing in and out due to obligations from her father's work bringing her everywhere. Her actual story? Operations and maneouvers for the TDD-1. And being the Captain of it.
Silently picking up the kit of SPAM and giving a small sigh at the rest of the fridge being laid barren and empty, as if it was screaming for usage before Tessa's grocery run. She'll live with it. "No bread, that's perishable..." She knew the reasoning.
SPAM it is, she already made one grocery run for the...would it be appropriate to call it a hostel? A question for later. "Anti did? I still haven't seen him in person, but the reports do paint a picture of him...and of Akane."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"That is true. There was a previous incident with an attempted assault," Sousuke murmurs. He's thinking of when Mizuki Inaba introduced herself to the crew by spreading terrible rumors about Kaname, incorrectly assuming Kaname was attempting to steal a boy she liked. "That was resolved without incident, though." They hang out together now, actually. Sousuke has decided he doesn't understand Inaba, but she appears to be neutralized as a threat at this point at least.
"Affirmative," Sousuke says. "It's primarily a source of empty calories. A soldier on long-term field duty must retain a strict diet."
...that is what he thinks of this as, isn't it?
...it's a little bit of a hostel. He's given thought to seeing if the Geotron garage the Shuffles are coordinating through might be able to set up some cots, but...he doesn't want to give the Captain the impression she was intruding.
"He is an interesting person," Sousuke says. He doesn't bother to think through the implications of human or kaiju metaphysics. Anti is a person. And a... ...friend...? Is that the word for this...? "He learns remarkably quickly given the environments of his creation and accelerated, brutal upbringing."
...There's something unkind in his eyes, something skittering through the labyrinth of his unseen thoughts. "...Akane Shinjo appears to have treated him quite poorly, as a person and a commander," he says. "But. He still wishes to save her from the captor who has made her this way. If that is his wish, I will support him."
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
"And everything afterwards." Mind drifting towards the Behemoth incident. THe One Night Stand that set crosshairs on them. "We haven't had much trouble shaking anyone in the area off. No one believes the Toy Box exists, anyways." A smile blossomed onto her face at saying that. She was doing her job, and doing it well. What person wouldn't be proud of the craft they designed?
"He does sound like such..." A Kaiju. It wasn't a secret they existed, but it was...an interesting thing to think. That she has the war inside her head, and yet there's so much more she didn't know. Of course, that was a Need To Know basis. "I don't think it'd be bad to meet someday, if there aren't more pressing matters at hand. Upcoming combat operations. Nothing too outlandish; a few hotspots in the tropics that needed dealings now rather than later.
Quite poorly? ...A frown. She knows the kind of person Sousuke is. This is not something light, coming from him. Peeling open the SPAM and shoving a fork into the meaty contents, feasting on the simple meal of a soldier abroad. "It sounds like she was the victim of circumstance, even if I don't know how much she's accepted of it. ...Nor should I be a psychyatrist." Chomp.
"I can't officially support the mission, but if there are Tsutsujidai kaiju when we're coincidentally around..."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
"Mithril's stealth capabilities are nearly unmatched," Sousuke observes. Tessa knows all this of course, but sometimes he just has to process things out loud. "Only top-level bases have ECCS capable of countering ECS and Invisibility Mode reliably. Of course, Danaan's abilities surpass even that."
He nods, firmly. He doesn't have the de Danaan's specs, of course. But its performance speaks to the truth of his words.
He watches her eat, and while she eats at the counter he stands to go over to the kitchen to help with the rest.
"I've been asked to secure him an apartment in this building for his use. I believe he's roaming at the moment, pursuing an enemy kaiju. But finding him should be viable if you wish me to attempt communications."
"...I am not much interested in the girl myself," Sousuke says. Is he...upset on Anti's behalf? He doesn't entirely seem to realize he is, but the way he hesitates to speak of her... "But I understand having a person one must protect."
He glances at her briefly at that one.
"I understand. Of course, per standing orders, if I deem it an appropriate test of Arbalest's abilities, I will proceed on my own recognizance and file a mission report after."
Then he shuffles a few boxes of Calorie Marks aside to make room for a box of dry pasta. "Ah. Shelf stable. Thank you for your consideration, Captain," he says.
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
A slow nod. She knows her ship inside and out; Classified, of course. "I can't speak about the specifics, but yes. We both know it's that much." Monch. Even like this, SPAM was something delicious. Or perhaps it was the situation...She was glancing over at Sousuke every so often, openly smiling every small bit. Perhaps it was the first time she was offered food. (It wasn't the first, just the first major one she was aware of.)
"Mmh, it's not urgent, but we should have outreach to everything in close vicinity. If he does manage to find an apartment here, report it. We need to know if this location can come under kaiju attack." Contingency measures on the back of her mind. Scratching, whispering, beckoning. Never stop thinking, never relax, never try to assume that this world is out of tricks.
"I...wonder what kind of person would make him." The absentminded thought. Was it because she was also in this position of molding people? Of sending people out, people hinging on her word to go here or there, cognizant of the fact that her (supported by Kalilin and Mardukas) words could, at the wrong moment, send them to her deaths?
...Arbalest was Arbalest. No mention there; She didn't know how it operated, only that it worked with Sousuke. If only...Think about it later.
"I did bring some stuff just in case. I do not anticipate having another hostage brought over, but it's necessary for their well-being." It was a last minute purchase. (It was also because she passed by a Tarabaman promotional poster on the way to the store.)
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Sousuke is as newtype as a brick, but still...his situational awareness is keen. He can tell she's looking at him. It makes his hair stand on end with nerves. The attention of a commander is always dangerous, but one he holds in such high esteem is...nerve-rattling.
He hopes he's helping. He'd hate to make her as mad as he makes Kaname.
"Agreed," he says, of outreach. "Heart-2 requested I acquire the apartment for him some time ago, so that's already been achieved. I assisted him in getting in earlier, but he has been a drifter as long as I've known him. Would you like me to confirm his residence as part of my weekly report?" Daily seems intrusive, but he'd do it if she asked.
"My impression of Akane Shinjo is a woman who did not have a clear plan. My understanding is Anti is a type of kaiju designed to learn, created specifically because she lacked the command skills to complete her objectives herself. In so doing she created not a weapon, but a soldier." Why does that make him upset? He feels his stomach churn. He stops moving, for a moment.
"...yes, of course. Kaname also says I don't eat a varied enough diet," he muses. The Captain has seen his cupboards of Calorie Marks, now cut down to a single cupboard while the rest has more common kitchen tools like reusable cups and plates. "Kazama," she knows him; Sousuke's mecha-enthusiast friend, "was aghast that I'd never tried cup ramen, either. I'd considered acuqiring a pallet on his recommendation."
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
She's staring by now. Enjoying the company of another, dropping her guard the slightest bit. She's here on Not Official Business, and no one has attempted to squak over the radio for her to return, so it's fine, it's fine, Mardukas trusts them both, Kalilin trusts them both, and the submarine is on leave. It's fine, it's fine.
She's definintely not spending more time here than she possibly could.
"Heart-2 does have her heart in the right place." She's still formal; It's something she can't drop. She can't ever drop the job completely. She can't. The stiff shoulders say as much. "Only if there's notable change with his activity. If he's living here, that means he's living close to you and Kaname." ...Priority number one. Job description. "Mithril won't raise a fuss, if I were to give my opinion, but we don't know if Akane will want to find Anti again, and what she'll do to get her." A job is a job, but a friend...A friend's a friend, and she can't say 'Leave him out'. Impossible.
"So there's Anti, then Akane, then whomever's above Akane..." The mutterings of a woman forming ideas. Plans? She wants to learn; Electromagnetism and her Whispering can only carry so far in this world. Materials. Research. Development. Even with the TDD-1 in play, she was still...the head of that, to put it lightly. Of all the Shuffle people...
...She had to sort that mind out soon. A shake of her head, clearing away thoughts. "We need to know more. About everything." A minor mutter. She was R&D. Research. Learn. Know. Uncover. Discover. Extrapolate. Hypothesize. Inquire. Pry. Push. Pierce the veil of knowledge. A deep breath in, a deep breath out.
"Do you need help with general groceries? I could ask her for a list of what she usually eats during a week. Kazama could suggest some other non-perishable items. Have you two gotten the latest Arm Slave issues yet?" Considering Sousuke's own unique circumstances, as they say, all personal deliveries were routed through Mithril and TDD-1's mailing room.
This, of course, included Sousuke's Arm Slave magazines.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
Sousuke isn't entirely certain he'd describe Mardukas' opinion of the situation as 'trust' but he's also very certain if he let that on to the Captain he would be slowly inserted into an industrial press.
Sousuke is also presenting quite formal. This is, for all intents and purposes, his home. This is nearly the most casual environment a soldier could possibly be in - his own quarters, putting groceries. Sure, an officer's eating nearby, but it's forking spam out of a tin.
But she's watching him intently. Did he make a mistake....no, what could possibly be the error? Did he put something away in the wrong place!? Did he fail to intuit her ingenious sorting mechanism!??!
He turns on his heels stiffly and barely hears her next orders regarding Anti. He comes up from the bag with a bag of vegetables next. Sousuke knows what salads are! Amazingly! This will help him to focus.
"He's currently moving about specifically to avoid that possibility, I believe," Sousuke notes. "He mentioned that he was pursuing one of Shinjo's kaiju that was behaving unusually."
Sousuke is not deeply involved with the Tsutsujidai situation, though he has read enough reports to note: "Akane Shinjo's guardian and captor appears to be an entity known as Alexis Kerib. It is apparently not human. I have few other details."
Hm. "Assistance with supplies is appreciated but not necessary, Captain," he says. "Kaname helps me with shopping regularly." So that he doesn't just buy out the Calorie Marks, you see.
Oh. His magazine. "I believe it should be arriving in the next few days. This month's issue is the special on the REA's new Zy-98, isn't it?"
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
The Captain looks out for the crew. This also includes managing accidental insults. Workplace discrimination and words were something to be managed in the workplace...So says the 16-year old Captain of a $5 million+ submarine.
Tessa herself was in her uniform. Mithril emblem. Pencil skirt. Braid. The whole nine yards. Even so, she was informal; Relaxed, eating SPAM out of a tin, and generally...Enjoying...company? The rare (yet seemingly increasing) moments of calm in this tumultuous world, even as the waves lap around the island of tranquility.
She's still staring. Oh no, she might be a small bit of a tease. Just a tad. Just a bit. She holds that gaze for the next few moments before deliberately parting away, focusing on digging out a tough piece of meat that decided to cower in its metal corner.
"Has he offered any information on the kaiju? It may come up during our travels, and if he is who he says he is, we should be wary of anyone else interested in it." It was only customary to know more. "Know thy enemy, as they say."
...No, it doesn't ring a bell. "Keep an ear out for anything, but if he is around Tsutsujidai, we won't have the time or energy to investigate further." Inhuman, huh...In what way, she wonders. Being Whispered was sort of inhuman in of itself, no? Or it could be her self-confidence marinating in the dirt.
Good. "Good to hear. We can't have you dying from scurvy."
"I believe so...We should have information on it soon, but they've been keeping it belowground to avoid detection. The spy satellites don't work as effectively as they used to." Information in an age where everything was connecting...And yet, there are relics floating in the air, taking regular pictures.
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
nnnnnnn she's looking why is she looking NNNNNN
He's started sweating nervously, feeling tension gather in a lump in his throat. what did she see. what does she know. He doesn't have any secrets worth keeping from his Captain but the weight of her stare was like exquisite, refined torture, more crushing than the pressure of even experienced REA interrogators. If she asked right now he might confess to any crime or sin just to release the tension.
She looks away. His tension drops by almost nothing. He puts the vegetables away and then lock-leggedly walks back to the bag, which now contains air. oh no. what now. He levers back up, moving only at the hip, and then just sort of stands in the doorway with no idea what to do with himself.
"He commented the kaiju had not 'rendered properly.' I did not quite understand his meaning, but he explained that it was not properly, reliably interacting with the physical world." This is kaiju stuff so Sousuke just says it, as ridiculous as it is. Kaiju are not robots and are allowed to be Weird. "One moment he could phase through it; another, it left footsteps; another, it didn't; another, it vanished. I have left the situation to him, as attempting to track it would of course detract from my protection of Kaname Chidori."
The scurvy thing was a joke, right? Yes. Please. "Kaname said the same," he says, instead of protesting that he takes vitamin tablets like anyone in a field situation should, obviously.
"If ARM Slave magazine is running an article, they must have gotten fairly solid details. How many will be published is another matter. Still, it will be valuable to see more on the M9's direct competition." Sousuke keeps a close eye on specifications, of course. Knowing them thoroughly is how he gets so much out of the M9, of course.
<Pose Tracker> Teletha Testarossa has posed.
...Really, she could feel herself relaxing the slightest bit. An empty can prompty discarded into its proper basket, still managing a small smile at the fidgetness of Sousuke. She may just be a tease. Possibly.
...She can see the idea. "So it's a fourth-dimensional being?" The closest iteration of it; Phasing through higher dimensions and becoming transient in hours. "Or quantum in some form that's not observant." High level ideas from a high level officer, more darts at nothing than anything concrete.
"...Please don't get scurvy." Was the admonishment genuine? ...No, but her tone was. Lightly.
"I understand it's your hobby, Sagara, so don't sweat the small details." It's more important to know where the forces are rather than the actual specifications...Is what she'd say if she weren't aware of the circumstances. "If it helps you during your work, I think we can do just fine."
<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.
He is now RAMROD straight and looks like his brain is overheating. "Unclear, ma'am!" he yelps, sweat pouring down his face WHY IS SHE SMILING AHHHHH. "His explanation was only that it did not render properly! I am not familiar with the term! Ma'am!"
please don't get scurvy "UN-UNDERSTOOD MA'AM" he yelps, and marches over to the fruit bowl and rams an entire lemon directly into his mouth.
His face suggests he has subsequently bit through it as it twists at the waxy bitterness.
This serves to stifle his answer about ARM Slave Magazine, which was surely insightful.