2022-09-15: Alive ~SURVIVOR~
- Cast: Guy Shishioh, Takeshi Todo, Nidaime
- Where: Tsutsujidai High School
- Date: U.C. 0096 09 15
- Summary: Guy and Nidaime fulfill their promise to visit a mutual friend...another survivor of Orange Site.
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
Tsutsujidai only seems to have the one high school. There might be more on the books, but everything seems to only happen in THIS particular highschool. But that's the way it goes in the strange pocket universe. After all, why should Akane Shinjo care anything about any other high school but this one?
This is a digression.
And this... is a math room.
It's also a homeroom, but it's being run by the local eccentric math teachier. 'Math.' There are computer bits strewn around all over the place like a makeshift junk shop. The chalkboard is full of an INCREDIBLY in-depth series of lecture notes linking mathematics to the fundamentals of computer science and design. It looks as though someone has been tinkering with a number of computer parts on a set of tables cannibalized from other classrooms (for some reason, there have been quite a few empty seats scattered about). This... is the homeroom of one Mister Takeshi Todo, Perfectly Ordinary Math Teacher and Computer Science Enthusiast. The rumor among his students is that the amiable and passionate-about-computers-but-only-kind-of-about-math teacher was some kind of technologist who couldn't quite make it in the cutthroat field of business. Or he's some weirdo they pulled in on a desperation hire. But either way, he enjoys a fair bit of popularity among the nerdier students, who have also bootstrapped him into managing the computer gaming club. (They're reportedly working on a new multiplayer space-themed wargame! Fun!)
Mister Todo is in today, as the school day winds to a close. The sun hangs low on the horizon, peeking over the distant buildings and shining bright through the wide classroom windows. Mister Todo sits at his series of tables with a set of jeweller's goggles over his face, tinkering happily with a tiny screwdriver and set of pliers with almost inhuman precision. He seems to be working on some manner of circuit board?
The door is open. Who might be visiting today...?
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
Nidaime was like 'UHH THAT CAN'T BE SIGMA SIGMA IS A TEACHER NOW WHO TEACHES ME ABOUT BOYS'.
Anyway this leads to her bringing Guy along to visit Takeshi Todo. As usual for Nidaime, she waits until after the school day is pretty much over but not so late that Takeshi goes home or picks up his fellow student to start his meth empire because Akane doesn't provide free healthcare.
Anyway, Nidaime holds Guy's hand with one of her hands and swings the other back and forth like she's going to Disneyland. "Uncle Siggy~ Uncle Siggy~ The day is biggy~ when we visit Siggy~."
She hesitates before swinging open the homeroom door, taking a few careful sniffs.
And then she brightens into a big smile and swings the door open without even knocking first.
"Uncle Siggy~!" She singsongs. "I brought you a friend!"
She looks at the goggles and the pliers and the screwdriver.
"What're you doing?"
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
That was quite an odd conversation, for Guy Shishioh, seeing as Gridman Sigma shot him with a hacking beam and hacked all his bits. And then did the same thing to the possibly-malevolent-we'll-worry-about-that-later supercomputers that run NERV.
The man following Nidaime in, hand in hand, is familiar enough, Guy Shishioh with his natural human auburn hair, down from the vibrant orange of his Cyborg days. He's changed, actually, out of the GGG uniform he wore seemingly permanently since his grand return, down to a businessman's button-down shirt and slacks. Trying to fit in in Tsutsujidai, a little - if only to avoid its master's attentions while he's here. The school, especially, is near to the heart of the whole thing.
He's out of the wheelchair, finally. But he does still have a cane he's leaning on in his unoccupied hand. When he sees the face of who Nidaime has brought him to, he grows briefly concerned, but still turns it into a smile, after a moment. "...sorry it took me a while," is his introduction.
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
And yet Guy Shishioh in a suit has probably still succeeded in causing several members of the student body (and faculty) to swoon and stare.
Because let's face it, dude is pretty.
So while he will unlikely be remembered as The Leader of GGG Green Visiting The School, he will still be known as 'that extremely pretty and rich-looking guy who sounded a little like Senpuuji Maitou. Oh my gosh was that actually Senpuuji Maitou in a wig!?!?'
Such is the rumor mill.
"Ah?" Takeshi Todo pauses and looks up when his door is hurled open. It's none other than Nidaime! Every day is shine-eh when you get a visit from Nidaime. "Nidaime! And you brought--"
Oh. That sure is Guy Shishioh.
Takeshi Todo lifts his goggles and sets them aside. In the same instant, a strange pulse pushes through the room, protecting it from... certain prying eyes. "I anticipated that you'd come sooner or later, Evoluder Guy. Nidaime has informed me that you had an encounter with... 'Gridman Sigma.'"
Beat.
"I wish our reunion was under better circumstances," he admits with a sigh, then to Nidaime, answers: "Oh, just tinkering on a little side project I'm working on. A hobby to keep me sane, you know?"
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
"Are you worried about going insane?" Nidaime asks with childlike bluntness. Worrying about how students might react to the very anime Guy Shishioh is one reason why Nidaime waited until after the schoolday. It might not solve the problem entirely but.
Well there's only so much Nidaime can do at this point.
Luckily 'Takeshi Todo' has some tricks up his own sleeves. "Eheheh, sorry for interrupting... But Guy is really nice, I thought maybe he could help you." Plus she did mention the whole Gridman Sigma situation too so there's ... that.
Nidaime lets go of Guy's hand to waddle over to one of the student's desks. She sits herself in one of them. Then curls her legs up underneath her feet. Then she sort of twists around so that her legs are going over the back of the desk and her upper body is lying down on the desk itself as she looks upsidedownly at TAkeshi.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
It's all about damage control, sometimes. GGG's a search-and-rescue agency, after all.
Guy's smile softens at the few little actions. He senses that pulse through the Evolual half of his senses, crackling through the infinite information circuit that is his body like signal through a wire. His posture softens and he steps in, cane going tap tap with each step he takes. He doesn't sit; it might be difficult to stand, still. Getting nearly torn in half did a number on him that even the Superhuman Evoluder is taking his time recovering from.
"It's fine. Considering everything, just seeing someone else who got out of there with their heart intact is nice." Stepping over, he gives Takeshi a hard, searching look. "You've got his face. And he has yours. When they exploited a security hole in GaoFighGar to hack Orbit Base, we knew it had to be 'Sigma' at work, and then he's shown up again in full form recently."
He softens again, giving back a step to personal space. "How'd you get out? I barely got away thanks to Galeon's help and Mom and Dad's spirits, but the Division Fleet was already lost by then."
[O-NRV] Sheryl Nome> Hmm?
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
Nidaime is on her back! It's a turtlemergency!!
"Oh, no, it's like... Well, for a lot of people, when they get really bored, they start feeling anxious? It's like that. I don't like being idle if I can help it, and the lesson plans are set for the rest of the month, so..." Tinkering! It's a hobby! Everyone's got their hobbies, Nidaime-han.
Guy is hobbling around on a cane, that helps his image somewhat. 'Takeshi' doesn't seem bothered when he steps in for a closer look. His assessment is accurate; this is, by all reckoning, Takeshi Todo. At least, physically, it's Takeshi Todo.
But what's inside... Well, they all already know what's different about that, don't they?
"You're injured...?" 'Takeshi' furrows his brow at the Evoluder's limping gait. "With your regenerative abilities, to have a prolonged injury... It must have been severe. I'm sorry we weren't there to help."
'We' being this Takeshi and the other, plainly.
"With he, Entouji and Volfogg together, Triple Zero does pose a significant threat in information warfare. Always planning layers within layers, those ones," 'Takeshi' sighs, shaking his head slowly. "Be careful, Guy. It's hard to say what they're really after, whenever they might make a move."
But then, the subject of this Takeshi's escape comes up. And a few other things as well. "...You encountered your parents' spirits...? Remarkable. And they were sane, too..." He considers it briefly, then: "I believe I escaped infection in the same manner. Triple Zero is fundamentally an affliction of the material universe. A poison to the body, and thereby the mind and soul. But it has no effect on one who is purely spiritual, or similar."
"...I ran away," he explains, quietly. "Or rather, Takeshi sent me away. Before he was taken completely, he was able to eject my consciousness as an electrical signal. Without a corporeal form, Triple Zero could do nothing to me."
"Our link still remains," 'Takeshi' adds, "And I am unwilling to sever it. Even if I did, he has taken the majority of our shared power. Cutting it now would do little to deny him that."
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
Nidaime continues to be in her weird upside down posturing. She smiles as the two talk. It's a wonder if she actually understands all of it--though her eyes softening at the mention of Guy's parents does, at least, signify she understands the important thing.
"Ohh...!" Nidaime says. "I like music." Though is that really a hobby or just kind of a natural state of being for someone like her? OOO is hard for her to understand. It seems counterintuitive to her understanding of humans but maybe it's simply a matter of making potential into something...kinetic.
"Takeshi saved you? aww..." Nidaime says, thinking. Corporeality--the MATERIAL--is neccessary for OOO to get their claws in?
"It's weird. If Triple Zero succeeded, there wouldn't be anything for Triple Zero to attach to, isn't that...how it would go?"
She smiles upsidedownly. "We have to save him too. They did it before, Takeshi! With Renais!!"
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"Remember the kaiju attack on the school festival?" A relevant question, even. What one remembers in Tsutsujidai can be...unusual. "That Mecha-Ghoulghilas tore GaoFighGar in half, and nearly me with it," Guy says. "Still a few aches and pains from that. Plus, with GaoFighGar off the table, there's no point in me running straight from the operating table to the battlefield like I used to."
Guy listens to 'Takeshi's' story, fist curled to his chin in thought. "I see," he murmurs. "I had been thinking the same. It's an energy, but it's only an energy. It needs a physical aspect to corrupt. My parents fell into THE POWER in Jupiter, back during the Primeval War, and it somehow preserved their spirits." The story's got a few more steps than that, but, it's close enough. "Apparently even though it can do that, now that they're no longer physical, it can't corrupt them to its ideology. Bit strange...but I guess we can't expect too much consistency from an energy we can only call a miracle."
Finally, he takes a deep breath and nods. "I understand. I wouldn't ask you to, anyway. You still hope to reach him, someday, right?" He musters a grin, a bit dampened perhaps but a shade of his usual heroic confidence. "We'll get them back. I promise. There's a new GGG, with Mamoru and Ikumi leading the charge. They're as good as we ever were."
He puffs up a bit, as one might when a child sings your praises. "And we did succeed once already," he agrees, with a nod.
Though he does stop to add, "It seems like the Oath Over Omega's goal is a 'return to zero.' Not an absence of existence, but rather, the destruction of anything that could affect the smooth operation of the universal lifecycle." ... "In other words, I don't think they would want to risk anything that could actually, literally destroy the universe. Just..." Grimace. "Everything smart enough to change it."
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
"Music is a great hobby!" 'Takeshi', whose name we will be repeating without single-quotes from now on, says with a smile. "Anything that you love to do is a worthy hobby to pursue. Passion can take a soul many wonderful places." As one who has watched humanity closely, Takeshi knows this well. After all, of the Hyper Agents who have dwelled with humanity, he has been here for... a while.
"He did," this Takeshi adds with a quiet smile. "And yes, I am... loathe to simply leave him. I will not abandon him, not after all that he has been through." And not when there is still so much the other Takeshi has yet to show him of the human spirit. But more than that... "I fear if he feels I have well and truly abandoned him, then even if we save him, he may still be lost."
"But I do have a plan. It's just... It will take a while."
Beat.
"That... was what did this?" Takeshi arches a brow at Guy, but nods. "Yes, I remember. I remember seeing GaoFighGar fall. I'm sorry, were I able to stand with you, I would, but..."
He can't.
And it's painful every time.
"But I can at least elucidate a little bit, I think, on Triple Zero's nature. And its desires." Takeshi gestures at an empty glass, "It is the stuff of miracles, as you say. From Triple Zero, all of reality comes to be. All the laws of the universe, of physics, they all came from Triple Zero. But the trouble is, we beings of spirit are... somewhat removed from simple 'physicality.' Because of this, we can upset the balance."
"But because it is also the 'origin' of things, it can act to stabilize things like spirits. After all, if our souls have some 'permanence,' if we can dwell in 'the material,' then why wouldn't we be able to exist in some level within the source of all things material? It's deeply ironic that it is the substrate that allows what it seeks to eliminate to exist in the first place." Takeshi chuckles quietly, adjusting his glasses with all the sagacity of a professor imparting a lecture. "But other than that, I think it seeks to eliminate anything that doesn't fall within the paradigm of 'itself.' It's the same as many of GGG's foes in the past."
"It fights," Takeshi says, firmly, "Because it is certain that if it does not, the laws of the universe will fail. In other words..."
"It seems rather afraid, doesn't it?"
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
"Huhhh..." Nidaime says of their goal. "...It seems like a lot of people are worried about the universe changing. Even mom and dad are worried about the universe changing. That's why I'm here. Well--" Nidaime adds a bit more awkwardly. "It's one of the reasons. How do you know what ways the universe can change and which way they can't? Some poeple might say that risking the Chaos Bringer effect is worth it for making a kinder existence." LIKE AKANE WHOSE WORLD THEY ARE PRESENTLY RESIDING. "How do you know the right way to change the universe and the wrong way?"
"It's okay... You're not alone in wanting to save him, okay?" Nidaime promises Takesih. And Sigma. And Sigma and Takeshi.
Takeshi does have some kind of plan, though?
Nidaime rubs at her neck lightly as Takeshi speaks of Triple Zero's concerns about 'spirits' and 'balance'. "This really does sound like they might be worried about the same stuff mom and dad are huh..."
Nidaime doesn't answer the question of whether or not its afriad, she just sort of looks down at her hands and look...
...kind of vaguely unsettled, and nervous.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Hm. Guy turns his attention more fully on Nidaime, smiling his best. "That's what being an adult is like, I'm afraid. Once you find something you understand, the fact it can change is pretty scary. The trick is being ready to embrace what you find...and fight for what you need."
He scratches his cheek, considering his own words. "Which causes a lot of problems of its own, I guess, if you stop there. But that's the gist, at least."
"But you're right, I think," he says, directing his attention to 'Takeshi.' "Humans...I'm sure most intelligent life, doesn't worry about something as big and distant as the life and death of the universe. Maybe there's a point, to fearing for its health. But there's so much more to gain and live for." Takeshi's...theory? Explanation, seems like it explains much. Guy's not the supergenius of the family, but he's still a brilliant man; he follows easily. "Inherently, if everything passes through Orange Site - through Triple Zero, then the immaterial must also, even if Triple Zero's nature can't touch it. Interesting..."
His smile turns sad. "I'm sure Papillon would have been fascinated," he murmurs. He thinks of Entouji, briefly. Another friend to save.
"As for fighting beside us, we'll be happy to have you back when the time comes, Sigma." Guy reaches into his pocket, producing a small card with phone numbers and contact data on it. "This is the current information for the Gutsy Global Guard. Remember little Hana and Alouette? They're the main Mobile Operators now." Without them here, he can look as paternal about it as he pleases. "Shocked me, let me tell you. But, if you need us...call. They'll know. Just have them contact me, in the worst case." He shakes his cane. "I won't be in the field for a bit, so contact should be stable."
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
Gridmen are, regardless of their true identities, all very in touch with the emotions of others. Nidaime's uncertainty and trepidation seem to draw Takeshi's gaze and concern. "Nidaime... It's alright to be afraid. In the GGG charter, there are no rules about not being afraid. The best advice is not only to have courage, but to share your fears and anxieties with others. It is easier to shoulder the burden together."
He can understand exactly how awful of a time Guy must be having, as a result. Not being able to reach out to the people he loves... Is a terrible, terrible thing. Guy is lucky, though, that he is not truly alone right now.
And neither is Takeshi. Nor is Nidaime.
"If you want, you can always tell me what's bothering you," he says, gently.
Guy slips him a card. Takeshi nods. "As ever, please let me be of assistance however I can help. I am unable to fight by your side, but if there is information or insight that I can provide, please feel free to come by." Discussing Triple Zero, even on an intellectual level, can help make it less scary. And for someone who wields courage as his weapon, that can mean all the difference.
"Finite lives..." Takeshi peers into the fading rays of the setting sun, "...Yes. In a way, the inability to perceive eternity gives lifeforms with finite lives a limited worldview. But at the same time, it enables them to build such beautiful worlds out of the time that they have to them. The connections and stories that they create out of their limited time in the world, and how those build upon one another over the course of history, is something that the Laws of the Material Universe could never conceive of. It is a power that the laws of physics could never account for. Truly, a remarkable thing."
"Triple Zero... is not necessarily evil," Takeshi shrugs. "It is also not really an 'intelligent' thing. I could sense no 'intent' from it, no 'malice.' Just-- it is a force of nature. But like I said, it does seem to 'behave' in certain ways. It has 'tendencies.' So perhaps it does have 'emotions' and 'thoughts, but simply in a way we cannot perceive?"
Troubling to think about. But still.
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
NIdaime says, "Oh..." She lowers her head. "Huh. I guess... maybe I'm becoming a little more like an adult, then." And then, sincerely, looking into Guy's eyes... "It is... a little scary." Another pause. "And I do not know if I like it."
She looks down at her hands. "I miss it... Well it was never easy, but now I have to... make choices rather than follow a plan. I don't know."
She thinks it's unfair that to be an adult already, to already have to deal with this stuff. She hasn't even gone to school.
She shakes her head, clearing her thoughts.
She exhales slowly.
She nods to Takeshi quietly. "I don't know how else to put it right now, that's just--what's in my head right now, Siggy."
Most of it at least. Nidaime steeples her fingers together and adds, "But Takeshi is my friend."
"And...he didn't choose to do this. He didn't even have a chance to argue. And he's my friend. I want my friend to be my friend again."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy is doing his level best not to show the strain. Perhaps that's the most concerning thing, depending on how you look at it. Even with that cane in his hand, he gives off the aura of a hero ready to tear down the street at a moment's notice to ward off a kaiju or Will Knife a Zonderian. But...he lacks his Ultimate Armor and his King of Braves, both, today. Just a man alive by the grace of many miracles, with the courage to smile in the face of it all. "I don't know your situation, but I assume you're here as part of your plan," Guy says. "Still, if you ever end up needing to evacuate, let us know and we can get someone out here fast. The new team has kept Orbit Base operational, response times are quick."
But, beyond that...he just finds himself smiling. So this is the partner Takeshi found...he thinks of Galeon, too. His own partner, trapped within Triple Zero's clutches. And the courage Galeon showed, to force him out so that the day could be saved. "It is," Guy says, firmly. "I believe in that. I believe in the oath sworn through courage that we all shared."
Then his thoughts turn to Nidaime, his smile turning sad. "It can be," he admits. "But encountering new things and changing because of them, that's part of what it means to be alive. The best thing we can ever do is decide what we believe is important, and have faith in it." He lets himself grin. "And it's not so bad. Adults don't change as much as kids think they do." He laughs. "I think Mamoru mostly grew two feet? That's kind of it. He's still as bright and courageous as ever."
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
Growing up. Becoming an adult. Do Hyper Agents go through a similar process? There's so much about their everything that is so... unknown. This Takeshi, however, has something of a... perspective on the process of maturation. His face breaks into a gentle smile, "You know. When children grow up, they may not change much-- but I understand that what change does happen can be intimidating. It's... Stepping into a new stage in life, moving from the comfortable and safe into the unknown. But you know, not all change is bad. It can be scary, maybe, but..."
"Take Takeshi for instance," Takeshi-- Sigma-- muses. "He changed quite a bit from when he was a child, but as he matured and reflected upon himself, he found where he had gone wrong, where he could allow himself to grow. He changed, but... not for the worse, and he kept those parts of himself that were important to him. For all else, I don't think he ever lost them, but he could... reframe them. Look at those parts of himself through another lens, one that could allow him to grow, in spite of the scars and the shadows."
"That's something else remarkable about life. The Material Universe is in many ways static, when you break it into its fundamental parts. But those with life and will and mind, they can start in one way and grow to be something greater, if they face life and their own faults with courage in their hearts and a willingness to be honest with themselves."
"I understand growing up is scary, Nidaime," Sigma finishes with that same smile, "But... You are not alone. If ever you feel like you need guidance, you have people to lend you their aid. That is what Takeshi lacked so much for, in the old days. Those bonds you share are powerful things."
He looks to Guy then, and slowly nods. Though he is absent of many of the things that make him the King of Braves, the fact remains that Evoluder Guy is ever in possession of his most powerful asset-- that brave heart of his. That is something too many people lack, but then, that's what makes it remarkable.
"Indeed," Takeshi nods slowly. "...Something you should know, Guy. The Brave Corps. I'm sure your fellows have told you already, but given the way Triple Zero functions, it's not impossible to save them, too. If Triple Zero can be purged from their circuits, their Super AI should be able to recover. And if they need more of a push..."
"Well," he cracks a wry smile, "Get Takeshi back, and I think the two of us can make something work."
"As for me, I cannot leave here safely. At least, not as I am." Takeshi admits with a shrug. "In this place, I can materialize physical form. But outside? That might be a bit difficult, with Takeshi in possession of most of my power. I'd need to inhabit a vessel, and that would mean I couldn't work from in here."
He places his hand meaningfully on that pile of circuits he was working on, before. "...I'm not just sitting idle. If he can be drawn here, if his resolve can be weakened and the hold of Triple Zero on his mind loosened, I may yet be able to save him."
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
Nidaime looks at Guy for a long moment when he says adulthood isn't so bad. Her eyes slant to the side as she mulls over his words. She doesn't really know how to answer it. If she should answer it. At the moment that's just...the reality of things. A world with no answers.
She is not alive in the same way humans are, really. But living isn't strictly a definition of living either.
"Where he had gone wrong..." Nidaime reflects. "...He had a really unlucky life. But he didn't give up on it, Guy." Nidaime looks to him. "Even though it was really hard on him for so long, he didn't give up on it. And in the end, he even fought for it. I think...someone like that shouldn't be used by Triple Zero."
She looks to Sigma and adds, "Takeshi. He was one of those people I could seek guidance from." Sigma too. The two of them.
She looks to Guy. "You can save him right?"
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy listens well, keeping his eyes on Nidaime while she thinks. He didn't know Takeshi as well, truth be told - a GGG member, sure, but GGG has hundreds of staff. Not even the Superhuman Evoluder can hold them all in the deepest parts of his heart. So he's a bit surprised to find Nidaime knew him so deeply. But, it's good to know, as well. Guy knows well that the friends a young person makes can be a large part of their future happiness. Or lack thereof, sometimes.
He finds himself briefly worrying about Renais--
But, that can be later. He smiles. "I didn't know all that about him," he admits to both of them. At least, not that it went so deeply. But still... "I agree. He had the heart of courage needed to come with us even all the way to the Trinary Solar System, even knowing there might not be a way back. So..."
He puffs up a bit, smiling confidently and thumping his chest with his free hand. "Of course I can. We're all working hard on it. Me, and Mamoru and Ikumi...and Sigma here wants to save his friend more than any of us, I'm sure."
He gives 'Takeshi' a slightly sad look. "I know more than most how much it hurts to lose a partner. If you need him brought here, I'll see what we can make happen. As you say, that group is crafty...not to mention, Taiga's giving orders at the top. we'll have to be careful. But we'll come up with something."
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
Renais has friends!!
P...probably?
One of them is a bird.
Takeshi, though-- Takeshi had friends. Has, friends. He left many of them behind to go into the depths of the unknown, beyond the boundaries of the universe, to save all of them.
Maybe it was atonement? After almost bringing a threat to the world into being himself, he has always been wracked with guilt, so... Perhaps.
Perhaps he just felt it was his duty as one who was host to a Hyper Agent...?
"I appreciate it, Guy. I'm certain that Galeon gave everything he had to save you, as well. We'll get them back. One way or another, we'll get them back." Even if it means risking themselves in the process. For a Hyper Agent, being corrupted by Triple Zero is difficult, if not nearly impossible. But...
Risks must be taken.
"I'm glad to have the support of such great people, as well. I believe the connections I make from here will be instrumental in bringing him back to us. But with Taiga in command..." Surely Taiga would be able to see through most traps they would be able to set. "...Unless Takeshi is convinced to disobey Taiga's orders...? He has always been kind of..."
Obstinate? Stubborn?
"...Headstrong."
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
Nidaime considers herself a friend of Renais.She's a turtle though. Maybe Renais just gets along with animals. WAit Taiga? Is one a tiger too?? Friend to all animals.
You can't really claim that Takeshi isn't stubborn. It takes intense levels of stubborness to be in the business of building monsters of the week. It's easier to NOT do that than it is to do that.
"That's okay. Now you have a bond with him. It'll be easier to help him." Nidaime says. "And to understand him."
She smiles at Guy's confidence. "Eheh...Well, I didn't know Takeshi was in trouble either. I guess we both had to learn something."
The three most important things--
"Are you able to leave this place, Siggy?" Nidaime asks.
@emit A smile and a nod. Indeed; they'll get them all back. The promise he's made with all of his friends. A new oath sworn in courage.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
A smile and a nod. Indeed; they'll get them all back. The promise he's made with all of his friends. A new oath sworn in courage.
"Like convince him to do something against plan? That might be the best way. They're still our old friends, deep down. Which means Hyuma can still go off the handle, and Mic should still value Mamoru's friendship. We can take advantage of that, if we get or make an opportunity."
<Pose Tracker> Takeshi Todo has posed.
"That's true. He's not completely alone this time," Takeshi smiles sadly. "And he was able to put himself back together under much worse circumstances the last time. I'm sure he'll be alright, but..."
It's always rough.
"He'll need support from his friends, just like last time, I think." Maybe even worse. After being so resolved to turn a new leaf, to be forced into obeying the whims of Triple Zero... is nigh-on nightmarish, isn't it?
"Like I said, I can only leave here if I have a vessel," he answers with a shake of the head. "My existence in the outside would be purely electronic, otherwise. I'm not strong enough as I am right now to manifest a physical body like you can, unfortunately. And I'm a priority target. While I'm in here, I benefit from... Certain protections."
Alexis Kerib-Shaped Protections, whether the Hyper Devil knows it or not.
"Indeed. Or for instance, if Takeshi is made to believe that a greater threat to Triple Zero exists here, one that Chief Taiga may not be as familiar with, he may be compelled by duty to act." Sigma shrugs, "Such as, for instance, Gridman regaining his true power."
<Pose Tracker> Nidaime has posed.
"Hm. So you might need... another vessel if you want to talk to him huh...?" Nidaime thinks it over. "Hm... Unless maybe we ... install you into something he's hacking through a floppy disk...?"
Nidaime goes cross-eyed.