2022-01-15: Vending Hearts

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</poem> 

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         NERV HQ
         THE MUCH-APPRECIATED CAFETERIA

         It's a nice place, honestly. It's the sort of place you know was designed by a military overseer or officer - neat, orderly, white walls and flourescent lights and organized rows of tables and chairs. The food's good and the place is clean and there's vending machines all over the place but it's 'nice' in the way that something well-built is nice, not 'nice' in the way that something comforting is nice. Nobody would think this place was designed with affection. Only efficiency.

         But that's nice, too, right? If you want comfort and affection then Tokyo-3 is right upstairs. This is a place for pilots. And that's a sort of comfort and security all its own.

         Not that Hazard Chevalier looks like a normal pilot. No, he dresses like a Gundamfighter. He's on the tall side - about six-one at a glance - and most of his body is covered in one of those big cloaks that Gundamfighters seem to love so much. A very pretty, if worn, scarf has been pulled down from his face to make eating easier. Bright yellow eyes are fixated on his meal.

         His meal appears to be literally absolutely raw meat.

         It's probably a religious thing. Or a Gundamfighter thing.

         Gundamfighters are weird.

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Shinji Ikari is still getting used to the gung ho cafeteria lifestyle. Even in his tiny one man apartment from before all of this insanity, Shinji had a kitchen. Well he had a camp burner and a cutting board which is basically a kitchen if you know what you're doing. Making your own food is cheap, efficient, and satisfying. The problem.

The problem is Misato asked him to stick around the base. "Some of the new pilots are coming in, and are going to be as scared and alone as you were." She said, smiling in that way he absolutely cannot say no to. "And like it or not, bucko, you're the one with the most experience."

Her lips quirked into a smile. "Maybe they'll call you 'sempai'."

So Shinji broke with his usual rule regarding NERV and hung around the base, making himself useful, doing errands for the bridge crew, avoiding the science team, all of the important things you need to do in order to survive in this place. And now he was hungry.

"Everything's so." Shinji mutters to himself, "Pre-packaged. I guess it's fine for camping." Shinji is very careful to keep his commentary to himself, in order to avoid offending the hardworking staff making sure they're alive enough to pilot the monstrous machines, which all but guarantees someone hears him.

That Tibetan kid, he thinks, is eating a raw steak. Maybe it's a cultural thing. Shinji's hand hovers over a turkey club and a bowl of chicken soup, trying to decide if his heart can handle the shot of sodium. 

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

A nice place indeed. Quiet. Comforting. The subtle hum of those flourescents subtly droning in one's ears. Only the sound of people eating. There's this sense about the whole scene that it demands quiet. A certain kind of military efficiency.

A silence that is abruptly broken by the clattering of metal on the hard floor, scrambling at something. Not moments later, the origin of the sounds becomes apparent, as a rather sizable dog... if it is even a dog, scrambles into the cafeteria as it rounds the corner. One of its metal-capped eyes focused on the source of something else.

Hazard's meal. The biomechanical wolf-hound runs up for Hazard, almost bumping over Shinji Ikari, and tries to get its metalicly enhanced teeth on Hazard's raw meat as it jumps the table and tries to get away with its ill-gotten gains. This is paired with a second set of footsteps joining in on this mess, as a rather fit looking young man who looks like he's in his early twenties, follows in.

"Wulf! No! Down! Put down the man's food!" The young man, dressed in blacks and green accents, looks... odd. The cyber-looking implant on his right eye, the black hair with the green streak. Everything about him looks very extra as he tries to get to Wulf to grab at his scruff. He doesn't at all address Shinji or Hazard at this point.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        The vending machines must be nice, at the least. For pilots, who might be called into service at a moment's notice, it's convenient to be able to order food and drinks at the literal push of a button. For Kaworu, there's something... if not comforting, then *nostalgic* about vending machines. But that could be said about a lot of things.
        
        For his part, he walks into NERV's cafeteria, unannounced and with no fanfare. There's no mistaking him for anything *but* a pilot at a glance, and an Evangelion pilot at that, because he's wearing a black plug suit with red trim. The only thing that might cause confusion is that he's wearing a beige military-style jacket on over it--not unlike the jumpsuits the STORAGE branch workers wear, save that it's, well, a jacket. A patch on his left breast displays a white-winged gold star and the English letters K. NAGISA. He's tall--not as tall as Hazard, but still--but he looks young. Teenaged young, even. If he's an Evangelion pilot, that figures, though.
        
        Otherwise, he's an unfamiliar face. Since he just arrived here from NERV's Tabgha Moon Base, that also figures. Rumors that he's a Coordinator have preceded him, but he's far from the only one, and NERV is a bunch of weirdos anyway. Case in point: the fact that a biomech wolfhound and its owner have barged into the cafeteria but a moment before him, the former hungering for meat. With that kind of commotion going on, it might be easy not to notice Kaworu at first. He strolls in and stops near the commotion, hands in his jacket pockets, his lips curved up with an amused-seeming smile. The fact that Hazard was eating raw meat when this all started doesn't seem to faze him.
        
        Then he strolls over to Shinji, who nearly got knocked back by that wolfhound. If he actually *did* get knocked back or even bowled down, Kaworu will offer him a hand up. Either way, he asks him gently, "Are you all right?"

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka's still in her plugsuit when she arrives at the cafeteria for lunch, putting on the appearance that she's as comfortable in it as she is in her own skin. However perhaps more it's a mark of pride for her to wear it as often as possible. She's a bit later than the others as she took the time to dry the simulator LCL fluid off.

"Really? What's with these selections?" She hasn't been here long but it's already become commonplace that she complains about the pre-packaged selections being predominantly Japanese... in Japan. What does she expect? Unlike Shinji she absolutely has no care about offending the staff. "Ever thought of branching out some? Whatever just give me..." Once it's loaded up her tray with a ham club sandwich, a daikon salad and some kind of flavored soda.

Turning around, she heads throughout the cafeteria glowering momentarily at 'Daddy's Boy', that glance forcing her to look the way of the Hazard Chevalier, double taking at the plate of meat that's so extra rare that it looks like it might crawl off the plate at any moment. Right before a flash of motion enters her field of vision as the wolf-hound jumps on the table. As Eisen tries to get it under control - Asuka merely holds her tray up. Way up - and shouts at him.

"Hey! Keep your animal under control you Chuutwo flunkey! This is a military base, not some doggie daycare."

Asuka it's clearly not a normal dog - or a dog at all.

"I don't care if it rips Daddy's Boy to shreds - but it if I get caught up in it I'll kick both of you out myself." She threatens, and it's hard to tell if she could actually deliver on that... as she keeps walking, selecting a table that's... well not that one. It's a little further away picking a seat which has full view of the cafeteria but isn't up against any walls.

Dropping her tray down angrily, she sits herself down and... lofts an eyebrow as she catches Kaworu offering Shinji a hand up for the first time. 'What's that about?' She seems to think, but doesn't vocalize it.

<Pose Tracker> Haruki Natsukawa has posed.

         THE CAFETERIA

         ...Home. Ok, it's not really home for Haruki, he's not that in love with the place, but it's the second most enjoyable part of his job next to deployment. Honestly, the only bad part of the job is guard duty, but no one likes guard duty.

         Without much thinking, and a lot more instinct, Haruki drops his tray across from Hazard, the contents of the beef bowl he fought hard for nearly spilling out, if not for the pilot quickly adjusting the bowel just at the last moment.

         Ignoring the near disaster as if it's something that happens regularly, Haruki sits down, only now noticing he is, in fact, not alone.

         "Oh! Uh... HELLO!"

         He greets everyone in the room with the smoothness of a bag of prog knives. 

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         The wolf comes bounding forward. Hazard, to his credit, does not fall backwards in surprise. Instead he leans forward to look at the dog. With reflexes only a Gundamfighter could have, he-

         -reaches out and scratches behind its ears with a big smile. "Hello! Do you want some? I don't mind sharing!"

         He tears the steak clean in two and offers some to the wolfhound. No knife needed. "Here you go! It's okay, I don't mind. I can find more later if I get really hungry!"

         He just beams at Eisen. "Is he yours? He's really neat!" His fingers run up against the wolfhound's ears happily. "I don't think I've seen a dog like this before!"

         Hazard has not seen *a dog* before.

         As he scritches the wolfhound and offers it some meat he says, cheerfully, "Hey, it's getting more lively in here! That's good. It was kind of lonely eating by myself." He picks up his plate. "Hey, c'mon, sir!" he says to Haruki, "Let's all go eat together!"

         When he stands, yeah, they can see that he is quite tall. From what little they can see of his arms he's also apparently...less ripped than one might expect from a guy who can tear a steak in two? Huh.

         Then he walks over to the other table and sits down.

         Next to Asuka.

         He beams as he sits down. "Hi, everybody! It's more fun to eat together."

         "Are dogs not allowed on the base?" He asks her after a moment. 

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

A giant robot dog rams into him. Shinji Ikari stumbles, and then his hand hits the bowl of soup, which goes flying onto his chest. If you know cafeteria soup you know it comes in two flavors: tepid and 'McDonalds Coffee' hot. Shinji hisses as his shirt is soaked, he slips and falls on his ass, and his skin feels an intense, unpleasant burn. Luckily it's just the outer shirt, he thinks, groaning. "God damn it Eisen." Shinji thinks he remembered reading somewhere that his mother was some kind of Christian, he can take the Lord's name in vain. Dude won't mind.

And then the new guy sort of hangs over him. Shinji looks up, and thinks a lot of things at once.

Is that a Coordinator thing? He almost looks like Ayanami. Wait, is that racist? I don't have a problem with Coordinators, right? As long, Shinji thinks, remembering the giant asteroid coming down like the fist of God, as they don't drop things from space on me. Good. Okay. He's holding his hand out.

Shinji feels his insides writhe, little snakes moving under his skin, drinking his bone marrow and laying eggs inside of him. He holds a hand out and pulls himself up in a familiar, practiced movement.

That was weird. Say something. "No reason for us both to get wet. Nagisa, right?" There that sounds like a thing a human being would say, Shinji thinks. "Thanks."

Grabbing his sandwich and another soup, Shinji stumbles forward, trying to get a hold of himself. Langley starts taking in ernest and it is a familiar enough irritation that the anxiety dies down.

"I really do." Shinji says, sitting down at her table out of some bizarre rote, "Hate when you call me that. You don't like dogs? I wouldn't have figured." Hazard gets a strained smile, as if he just realized the other man was here. Shinji calms down a little.

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

Eisen, having gotten his hand on the wolfdog, pulls a few times. "It's fine." He answers Asuka after a long breath, tugging on the hungry hound. "He doesn't normally get to eat Raw." The youth considers that the original owner probably had a better handle on the creature. "And he managed to open Babylon's Gate against my predictions. This thing is getting smarter by the day." He adds, and quiets as the hound is offered Hazard's food by the man.

He steps back, releasing Wulf as it sits down on its haunches right next to Hazard and seems to calm down... in as far as a wolfdog can 'calm down' when offered raw meat. It's most certainly not a sanitary way of eating. You'd expect a 'sorry' or the like. But Eisen just jumps in-step with Hazard's dialogue; "Ah! mister Calamite! Yeah, he's mine. A bit of a foster situation, but still mine." The youth remarks, taking a cross-armed posture before turning 'sideways' at Asuka.

He's definitly trying to strike a pose.

"Wulf won't hurt anyone unless they are a threat, or I command them." Pause.

Quieter: "Probably."

He rasps his throat.

He takes a moment to recognize the one who's just settled in right across from Hazard. "Yo." Eisen answers Haruki Natsukawa in reply. It's that kind of distracted greeting as he eyes up what's going on in Shinji's corner. The tell-tale shape of a Plugsuit is obvious, and he believes he recognizes the name. But like many of these people, their faces are still alien to him. He is just going off of voices right now.

In lieu of being caught staring, he tilts his head up and goes "Hmm?" As Hazard asks about dogs on base. "I mean, Wulf is technically qualified as Experiment in the Double-U series, model You-Ell-Eff. As such, he's not some mere 'dog', and is as such, clearly permitted on-base regardless of any rules in regards to pets."

The hound barks next to Hazard in reply, having followed the owner of the raw meat, and Eisen moves to sit down. He's not grabbed any food, but he'll sit. Standing is only cool when others are standing. Otherwise it's just loitering and awkward. 

<Pose Tracker> Haruki Natsukawa has posed.

         "Huh??? But I just sat down... Well, if you insist, I'll follow your lead, kouhai-san!"

         Haruki is perhaps, just a bit enthusiastic for what boils down to moving seats. Genuinely, and disgustingly, enthusiastic. The kind of enthusiastic that people either find endearing or hate. The kind that is definitely inoperable and terminal.

         With that exact kind of enthusiasm, Haruki follows after Hazard, taking a seat next from them and Asuka as he now cautiously places his food tray down.

         "Hello to you too, miss...Uh..."

         Haruki's supposed to know all his colleagues, that's part of being a good pilot. And yet, he's drawing a blank. He's pretty sure he was told about it. Or maybe it was gossip? He's just staring down at his food, lost in his attempts to recall, before finally snapping out of it when someone asks about the dog.

         "Oh. The dog's fine, probably! Hebikura let's Yuka bring in weirder things than that."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Kaworu smiles, waiting patiently with hand outstretched, as Shinji takes in his unspoken offer. Shinji implicitly rejects it, opting instead to pick himself up on his own. Something flickers in Kaworu's red eyes, but it's there and gone in a flash--literally blink and you'll miss it. He pulls his hand away and tucks it back into his pocket.
        
        "Yes. Kaworu Nagisa," he replies affably. No need to ask him how he knows; it's literally right there on his chest. "You're welcome, Shinji Ikari."
         

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka mostly just rolled her eyes at Eisen striking a pose - as if that too fed into her impression of him.

Asuka doesn't see Hazard coming, because she's watching... it's less Shinji than Kaworu, like she thinks she's seeing something unusual. She's just about to shake her head when the friendly shadow of Hazard falls over her. She's about to say something when he-

JUST
        SITS
                DOWN

Asuka's face glares something less akin to Daggers and more like Segmented Electromagnetic Crossbow bolts. She may be imagining kicking one right through someone's chest cavity right now.

"Is that so? Because right now I feel like you're disproving that thesis. What's with you? I know you're from some backwater but even you ought to know that you're supposed to ASK first before joining a girl for lunch? Besides-"

Suddenly whipping her foot out across to his position on the table, she hooks it around his chair leg and promptly attempts to scythe it upwards to try and dump him on the cafeteria floor, just as Shinji sits down at her table too, with a new soup bowl.

"-this seat's taken. My foot reserved it."

Granted, she might fail miserably at her intended course of action but... either way, she gives Shinji an exasperated look, "Are you seriously coming over here too!? So what if you hate it, are you spoiling for a fight or something Daddy's Boy?"

While she doesn't respond to the accusations of not being a dog person it is true that Asuka is less of a dog person than a cat person, maybe the reasons are obvious. And then Haruki takes a seat too and she focuses her belligerent energy as she snaps his way, "Apparently you can call me 'JR' because everyone must think this table is Shinjuku Station!"

All the same... she's started to stand up for her seat.

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         Asuka pulls her foot around the chair leg and moves to rip it out from under him.

         Asuka, and Kaworu, and Haruki, and possibly Eisen if he has any martial arts skills whatsoever, can tell that Hazard just lets her. The pulse of his muscle. The look in his eye. The split second decision - fight back and establish his place at the table? Or make his companions feel better? To those people it's obvious - he's decided to make her feel better.

         Shinji probably thinks he's getting bullied or something.

         Hazard hits the floor. He rolls with the fall, hopping up to his feet and scratching the back of his head. "Oh! Sorry. I just figured since we were all pilots together it'd be more fun to eat together. Besides, you seem really nice."

         He picks up the chair and sits right back down again like that didn't just happen. Man's definitely not folding, either. "Where are you from? Uh, everybody, I guess!" Hazard looks around. "I'm from Tibet."

         Oof. Right. Axis.

         "It's kind of a wreck but it's home!"

         He reaches down to give Wulf another earscritch and a bit more meat, then picks it up and tears it with his own teeth. It is definitely Actually Raw.

         "I want to get to know everybody, so...!" 

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

I've hurt the new kid's feelings, Shinji thinks, but isn't sure. He's a hard read. Maybe this is what being happy looks like. Shinji considers explaining that he just gets like this in crowds sometimes and it isn't anything personal, but that SOUNDS personal, like, why dump your damage on some brand new person who just showed some common human decency and by the time Shinji has fully processed this he has sat down and is being shouted at.

Shinji didn't actually intend to sit at Asuka's table. They eat breakfast and dinner together at Misato's insistence so, he realizes, she was just a familiar voice while his mind was wandering. His eyebrows twitch as he ponders the significance of that, and moves to get up. It isn't, he feels, unreasonable to want a meal to yourself. Shinji is literally opening his mouth to apologize when Asuka does her German circus trick and sends Hazard flat on his tail.

Shinji's eyes narrow, his back straightens, his jaw sets, showing off the gaunt, haggard appearance; a shadow of his father that creeps further and further into the foreground of Shinji's face by the year. Soup drips from his ruined shirt. "Misato." Shinji says as if he's quoting scripture, "Asked us to try and be nice to the new pilots over breakfast, remember? If you want to eat by yourself, fine, but you don't have to kick the guy on the floor just for being friendly!"

Shinji pauses and, as usual, finds strange depths to himself when cornered. "Junior."

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

As Asuka and Hazard start their own little thing for the time being, Eisen's attention shifts back to those who have found themselves a bit more on the periphery of it all. His one visible eye focuses in on Kaworu Nagisa and he makes a short head-bobbing motion that might be reminiscent of some strange upwards nod. Perhaps it's a more European gesture.

"I spotted the plugsuit. Which unit are you a pilot for?" The youth just immediately comes out and say. "I believe the angry one is the pilot of Unit Zero-Two. The young prodigy..." Shinji. "... has Unit Zero-One. And I know what I'm piloting. I believe Zero-Zero is ehmmm." He snaps his finger, trying to get to the name. If someone fills him in on Rei's name, he'll repeat it.

His gaze then turns to Haruki; "You are tall for a Japanese person. You must have been popular in sports." A simple observation to distract so he can glance to the jacket. "STORAGE. So wh~." A sound. The sound of a chair being shifted. His eyes turning to that position. And down goes Hazard. He watches it happen. The way he tenses, then relaxes. The way his body prepares for the impact a bit before it takes place. Eisen watches it happen fast, and Wulf gets a bit upset, letting out a growl towards Asuka. Not really because it understood that she did anything, but because the loud sound of Hazard going down in the middle of this large chamber where everything echoes... is loud.

It feels awkward. Especially with Shinji then admonishing Asuka. Eisen keeps his mouth shut on it, but he'll probably ask Hazard about this later.

The biomechanical wolfdog quiets as Hazard scritches its ear, and takes the bribe rather readily.

This situation, Eisen considers, is not aesthetically pleasing. But he's going to sit this one through. These are his allies. He has to fight side-by-side with them. As such, being here has merit.

<Pose Tracker> Haruki Natsukawa has posed.

         Haruki almost springs out of his seat to catch Hazard from falling, only stopping himself when it's pretty apparent to his well-trained karate hobo eyes, that the gundam fighter let it happen. Being a like-minded meathead, he understands why, and immediately sits himself back down.

         "Eh? Shinjuki Station??? Well uh... Alright! JR-san! I look forward to working with you!"

         Haruki takes the sarcasm at face value, bowing in his seat. He's either too oblivious to Asuka's mood, or trying really hard to be polite despite it.

         "I used to be a pitcher in baseball during high school, yeah! Being tall is just a plus from eating all my veggies. My mom made a lot!"

         When Shinji speaks up, Haruki just remains quiet as he looks at him, and then back at Asuka. It's rather weird contrast compared to how loud he's been before.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Asuka lashes out at everyone in the room, even going so far as to attempt to physically assault Hazard. Kaworu takes another sip of his soup, then delicately sets it down, rests one arm on his table, and leans his chin on his other hand as he looks over at the others. He observes the tension in Hazard's muscles, sees the way he rolls with the backwards fall, and understands the truth of the matter. He doesn't remark on it. It would only make Asuka angrier, and ruin what Hazard is trying for.
        
        Well, assuming Asuka doesn't get volcanically angry anyway, which is likely. Hazard is, Kaworu muses, a rather poor judge of character.
        
        Speaking of: Kaworu glances again at Shinji then, or perhaps more specifically his soup-soaked shirt, as his eyebrows furrow; his smile fades in favor of a concerned frown. Abandoning his soup, he gets up and heads back to the kitchen. After a moment of speaking quietly with one of the cooks, he returns with a couple of hand towels and a large cup of water. Shinji might sense Kaworu passing behind him before he sets the towels and cup down at his right hand--close, but not close enough to touch.
        
        "For you," he says simply. "It would be terrible if you were scalded."
        
        Then, slipping his hands into his pockets, he returns to his seat. "So even after that catastrophic destruction, it remains 'home' to you," he reflects at Hazard's announcement. His smile returns, a little softer than before. "I understand. No matter how much it's defiled, one can't help but love the cradle in which they were raised."
        
        Eisen asks him what unit he's piloting, then goes on to list the others, though he blanks on 00's pilot. "The First Child--Rei Ayanami," he supplies helpfully. "Presently, my Evangelion is still under construction. Until it's completed, I'm here as, among other things, a reserve pilot for NERV's current Units."
        
        He then glances at the growling Wulf; that's a non-issue, though, as his agitation is calmed by scritches. So Kaworu instead focuses on Haruki. He seems the same sort as Hazard in the sense that he's friendly and gregarious, but he also seems a bit more inclined to follow others' leads. Perhaps it's more that he's trying to be friendly to the new members, as Shinji reminds Asuka they're supposed to be doing. Or perhaps he's simply Like That, considering how sincerely he responds to Asuka's ranting. "You're a truly pure person, aren't you?" he remarks. 

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

The way that Hazard hits the floor, rolls with it and hops up to his feet like it's no big thing wins him an odd look from Asuka, more confused than outright angry, "What's with you? Are you just not getting it?" She doesn't look exactly flustered, just like she didn't get the expected reaction and doesn't know what to do with it.

Shinji then correctly points out that Misato asked them to be 'nice' to the other pilots. A comment that causes her to grind her teeth, and consider a very brief flashback addendum of her response to Misato's demand.

-=-=-

"Is that an order?"

She asks, fingertips still clenching her Wonderswan.

-=-=-

Shinji calling attention to it though DOES seem to at least deescalate Asuka down a few notches of belligerence. With a sharp inhalation through her nostrils, she forces herself to sit back down, instead allowing her anger to instead smolder rather than flare up further. "Fine. I'll be nice." She repeats the words like she's spitting up bile, her emphasis on nice perhaps even referring to Hazard's mistaken belief that she's nice, "I won't even move tables... I will sit down and eat my lunch right here. But call me that ever again Daddy's Boy and even Misato won't save you."

What a bully right? After all she's calling Shinji something he hates, but is threatening to rearrange his face if he returns fire in a similar fashion with a joke she came up with.

"The Commander's Pet." Asuka answers Eisen's comment on who the pilot of Zero Zero is even as Kaworu gives a more thorough and correct answer, as she unwraps her sandwich.

Haruki instead gets a look which just asks 'What are you stupid or something?' A look she's perfected over the years. She's definitely assuming one thing of his reaction, rather than another.

Still though, she keeps giving Kaworu strange looks as if he were... something other than what he expected. It's hard to tell if she's disappointed or not more just that her preconceptions of what he'd be like are being challenged by his behavior. With a sigh, she takes a bite of her sandwich... and starts to chew with a rather moody expression.

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         Hazard takes another bite, tearing another lump of meat off. Another little bit for Wulf. He likes the doggie. He's never met a doggie before. It's neat.

         "Ah, well," he says to Kaworu, "It is what it is, right? If I didn't at least care a little, I wouldn't put in the effort to be a Gundamfighter." Technically true. "And it's the least I can do for the place I was born and raised! It's the place I was made to be who I am." Also technically true. "You can't just turn your back on that, right?" Still technically correct.

         "And if I wasn't around, nobody else could pilot Tyrant Gundam. It was pretty much made for me. Even if it doesn't have any weapons, I can fight in it because it's mine. You guys feel the same way about your machines, right?" Hazard looks around.

         Around another bite (he doesn't even use a fork or knife - real wild man karate hobo imagery there) he asks Asuka, "Getting what?" Swallow. "You just seem like you put in a lot of effort to yell at people and get them to be better, so I figured you must be nice, right? Like I said! If you don't care at least a little, you don't do it!"

         He looks over at Shinji and tilts his head sideways. "What does 'Daddy's Boy' mean?" He knows the words. He's not asking for the concept, Shinji.

         "Oh! And why are you guys all here? I mean, in NERV, not here in the cafeteria. Obviously we're all here to eat and get to know each other!" Uh-huh.

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Shinji blinks. Did he just WIN?

Yeah, Shinji thinks, you goaded your friend into eating lunch somewhere she doesn't want to instead of just explaining yourself, so now you're both miserable. Real victory, Ikari. Shinji wilts a little, but knows a scene this public is a bad place to try and make peace. Shinji takes a bite of his sandwich like it owes him money. Shinji sends Asuka an apologetic shrug, anyway, because sometimes he cannot help himself.

"Oh, uh." Shinji blinks, as if shocked by this simple kindness, of a towel in his lap. Kaworu may notice his hands are slightly discolored; did he get burned recently? "...thanks, Nagisa." Shinji says, patting himself off a little.

People are talking. Oh god. Shinji's face twists, but Eisen sums up their jobs pretty well. "I wouldn't call myself a prodigy, Eisen. I was just, uh. In the right place at the right time." Twice. Off the street. Shinji rolls his eyes a little at the nickname. "Commander Ikari's my father, Hazard."

Shinji looks away at this revelation, sinking into his seat a little, his eyes narrowing at that turkey club again. "It's not really important, it doesn't effect our work." 

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

"Right. That's it. Rei Ayanami." One might wonder if he truly had forgotten, or if it was used to try and make a human connection. A psycholigical trick. In the end, it's entirely irrelevant. "A pet? I thought she was human? Is she perhaps sound foul Beast in the guise of a Human? A devil amongst men?" Eisen inquires with Asuka. There's a strange see-saw when talking to him. Sometimes he picks up on things just fine, and sometimes he seems purposefully oblivious to very common terms.

To Shinji: "Don't undersell yourself too much. Being in the right place at the right time is a staple of Clotho and her Sisters! Hmm!"

Returning to Kaworu, Eisen offers; "I'll be interested in seeing it when it's done. I honestly didn't know you could be reserve for an Evangelions." Of course, his own experience has been somewhat different from the others on that particular topic. "Interesting. What pilot are you a reserve for. Is your ego similar?" Questions that come from earnest curiousity. In fact, his eyes brighten a bit at the topic.

He segways that way into Hazard's ask; "Hmm, yeah. I wouldn't say the Carestia was originally made 'for me'. But... it feels like it was." He isn't sure how to best express this. "The Evangelion has grown with me, so... yes. I feel that way." He agrees. "Together, Carestia and I against the Fiends and the Demons." He stands up and motions an arm outwards in a wide arc. "To confront the Kaiju! And to Annihilate the next thing that stands in humanity's way!" He then sits back down.

"Shame some of them were defeated already though. It would have been neat to get to fight some of the old ones. You know, the originals." He grasps at the air and slowly 'crushes' the air within his hand to a fist. "To tear apart and see the blood drip from the Dinosaurs and see what makes them tick." He explains, then motions sideways in a chopping motion. Wulf ducks its head, as if it's used to this. "To chop apart Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts and see the brilliance hidden within!" He nods, too excited perhaps, before lowering his hand and settling down.

"That's why I'm here, I suppose." That obviously, didn't explain anything about his true 'reason' for being here. Or is it something as shallow as that? 

<Pose Tracker> Haruki Natsukawa has posed.

         "Stupid? Uh, no, I'm Haruki!"

         Haruki just sort of laughs it off. He's not actually stupid enough to assume she thought his name was stupid, but it's better to smile and continue on rather than dwell on it. It's not like he really minds, either. Kids around this age are always a bit prickly.

Finally ripping open his pair of disposable chopsticks, Haruki begins digging into his beef bowl, his face portraying a great sadness as the noodles enter his mouth that make it look like he's going to cry.

         His food had gone cold...

         Cheering up a few moments later, he turns to answer Hazard's question.

         "That's easy! I joined because I want to be a pro that people can rely on! Or I guess a hero, they're kind of the same thing when you think about it!"

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Kaworu does note the discoloration on Shinji's hands; he doesn't remark upon it. Instead, when Shinji accepts his offering now that it doesn't involve touch and thanks him for it again, Kaworu simply smiles at him from his seat. Though, to call it *simply* a smile is a grave disservice: it has a deep, fond, rich warmth to it that reaches all the way through his scarlet eyes and out again, that open affection like a second sun embracing the sky and shining solely for him.
        
        Considering this is by all appearances their first meeting, it might seem kind of odd.
        
        "You can call me Kaworu, Shinji Ikari," he offers. It is, at least, casual enough. Maybe he's just a really friendly guy. There's plenty of them here already.
        
        Speaking of, when Hazard speaks of his thoughts about what he was made for, Kaworu gives him a smile somewhere between amused and wistful. "I've piloted a variety of machines. You could say it's a skill of mine," he remarks. "You're right, though. One can never fully turn one's back on who they are."
        
        As for talk of Rei Ayanami, Kaworu says dryly to Eisen, "Not quite." ...And that is, apparently, all he has to say about the idea of her being a 'devil amongst men.'
        
        As for Asuka, for all that she keeps glancing his way, he seems content to leave her be. The one time she does manage to catch his eye, he simply picks up his soup and sips again.
        
        Eisen asks a follow-up question, about which Evangelion he's on reserve for. "All of them," he states. "If any of you all--" that is, 'you all fellow Evangelion pilots'-- "happen to be too ill, injured, or otherwise indisposed to sortie in your Eva for a battle, I can take your place."
        
        The Kill Bill sirens may or may not be sounding in Asuka's head right now. Kaworu, for his part, keeps Shinji in his peripheral vision. He seems content to let that rock as his reason for being here at NERV; at the very least, he's not inclined to make any grand gestures or speeches like Eisen just did.
        
        Meanwhile, Haruki tells Asuka that he's not stupid, he's Haruki. Kaworu breaks into another round of reserved but sincere laughter. It's all the answer he could have needed if he'd ever needed one for if Haruki really is a pure person or not. 

<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.

It's time for dinner! Or lunch. Sanary's not really sure what time it is\, actually\, but she's too hungry and tired to think straight. Either way\, she's int he cafeteria now\, and she's already stuffing her face full of bread when she finally realizes that there's quite a few more people around than she'd normally see around this time of day.

"Whoa. Ghrk... Got a party going on over here?" She calls out as she approaches the crowd\, forcing down that chunk of bread before raising a free hand in a casual wave. "Been a while since a bunch of would-be aces got gathered up like this. Keep at it\, but don't get lazy\, alright?" She offers words of encouragement\, then looks over at Kaworu's comment about taking someone's place and snickers.

"See? He's got the right idea. Better stay flexible on what you're piloting in case you end up taking too long in the shower just before a launch. Otherwise\, me or him'll be right in your seats\, and we'll really be tearing it up!"

Sanary laughs again\, and then pauses awkwardly before clearing her throat. "A-anyway. Uh. Name's Sanary. How many of you're actually new around these parts?"

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Sanary's party comment causes her to sigh in exasperation, before she turns on Hazard, entirely uninterested in the small talk of greetings. "You've got it backwards." Asuka says dourly his way, treating his theory that she's being nice with a certain amount of contempt, "I'm not trying to get anyone to be better, I just think that most of you shouldn't be here in the first place." She gestures towards Hazard, "You've at least earned your place for a reason other than nepotism - Mister Nice Guy. The fact is, I just don't want anyone here who's going to get in my way out there."

While she doesn't specifically comment on Eisen's prodigy comment it's clear she doesn't think it's true. And she seems mostly unmoved by Eisen's speech, only responding to his thoughts about Ayanami, "Don't get swept up in your delusions. What do you think is going on? The Commander clearly gives her preferential treatment even though her performance record is nothing to write home about."

Hazard though picking up on the nickname makes her seem to want to drive it home even further, "But 'Right place, right time' isn't exactly right is it Daddy's Boy? You're not some guy who just climbed into an abandoned Mobile Suit or something and saved a bunch of people in a crisis. The only reason you were there at all because the Commander wanted you to be, simple as that - and that's the only reason."

She makes this sound that's something like contempt, taking a bite out of her sandwich and chewing it down - swallowing, before popping the top off of her drink. "Right place right time? More like you're embarrassed because you got brought into the family business without earning your place."

She takes a long sip out of her soda.

And then Kaworu says something that causes her to freeze in place.

BGM in Asuka's head right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOy6hqzfsAs

Coughing, she slams the drink down and wipes her mouth across a napkin, before all but growling at Kaworu - who has the misfortune of laughing at that moment, even if it's mostly because of Harukis's comment as she rises again, "Wanna bet? I'm not letting anyone touch my Zero Two! Especially not some understudy."

Stepping out from behind her seat and up to him like she's ready to get in his face, "Forget lunch! You and me right now- head to head in the sims. You wanna be my substitute? Well you'd better have the talent to back those words up!"

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         Hazard's shifts uncomfortably at Eisen's words. "That, um...that sounds...pretty crazy. Do people usually want to see the blood drip from other creatures?" There's only a little irony in that, since he is literally eating raw meat, but it's probably a lot less...well, he doesn't seem...he doesn't seem the type to want to chase his food down and slaughter it in a field or something. "It seems like it's not something...people...want...usually?"

         A little more awkward shifting. He latches onto Shinji's statement instead. "Oh! Oh, OK. That makes sense."

         Asuka says he's earned his place.

         Hazard smiles really, really broadly. "Thanks! Like I said, I care about what I do, so...I try my hardest."

         He shuffles a little and looks down at his plate of rapidly-disappearing raw meat. Then Asuka stands up and goes for Kaworu and Hazard's head jerks up abruptly, yellow eyes focusing. It is just the tiniest bit like watching a predator. When she says 'in the simulators' the tension disappears in his face and he instead focuses on Sanary, waving at her. He seems happy to not have to think about either Eisen wanting to tear dinosaurs open to see how they bleed or anything else. "Hi! I'm Hazard Chevalier! Nice to meet you!"

         "I'm the Gundamfighter for Tibet! I guess I'm new. Are you new?" 

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Shinji realizes idly he's doing terribly at this sempai thing. For one thing half the kids are older than him, and then this Sanary woman shows up to give a pep talk and Shinji's face screws up in genuine confusion. Eisen starts screaming about Anubis and Shinji looks faintly disgusted at his open bloodlust. He's fairly sure the guy from STORAGE is making fun of them, on the sly. None of these people know what it's like.

That alien thing mashing through the city. His cybernetic limbs shuddering uncertainly. The searing, screaming pain as his wrists were pierced by laser hot claws hidden in the monster's palms. The glorious, beautiful feeling of the Angel's wrists shattering under his hot iron grip.

"You don't want to pilot Unit-01." Shinji says, in a different tone of voice of Asuka, but not as different as he feels. He looks away from that strange smile, having no context for it. No one's ever looked at him so warmly before, and Shinji wonders what this Nagisa kid wants from him. "It's...a burden. That's why I'm here. Because if I leave, even with all of these new pilots. Because if I leave I have no idea what kind of person Father is going to put in that thing."

"And you have no idea what you're talking about, 'jr'." Shinji says, that crazy look in his eye again. "You've never fought one. You don't know what it's like. All of this, you're doing? It's just noise. What's a simulator going to prove? It's nothing like a real Angel!"

Just as suddenly, Shinji feels a million secret eyes boring into him. Who is he to say these things? "Excuse me." 

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

"Huh? No, probably not. It takes a certain kind of person for that." Eisen answers Hazard, realizing that these people may not share his sense for aesthetics. "But think. All these amazing people, prepared to fight Kaiju. How can this not excite you like it does for me?" He asks Hazard. "To really dig in and live that life to the fullest!" He asks, motioning his hands.

Looking up to Sanary as Hazard greets her, he nods his head; "Eisen Daiwel." He introduces himself, touching his hand to his cloaked chest. "And fairly new. Yourself?" Asking if she's a regular at this place. He quiets however, as Shinji talks of burdens.

This is probably the first time that Eisen quiets down. That he loses some of that flair, and seems to regard Shinji with this adult kind of seriousness. He doesn't say anything. But he recognizes that Shinji is talking from a place of earnesty. And he's not going to ruin this moment for Shinji.

Of course, just getting stared at may give Shinji the wrong idea. 

<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.

Snickering at that sigh from Asuka\, Sanary nods as Shinji mentions not wanting to pilot 01. "Yeah\, something like that wouldn't really be my style\, anyway. Gimme something strong and beefy instead. Like a... I dunno\, one of those huge Mobile Armors\, or a Mazinger or something." She laughs briefly\, but settles down as Shinji mentions something about his father and getting other people into those suits.

"... Sounds rough. Just don't get too in over your head watching out for everyone else\, alright? Nothin' wrong with thinking about them\, but you need to watch out for YOU\, too." Her tone actually sounds somewhat more serious as she says that\, and then there's a bit of a silence as she tries to figure out what else to say to him.

When Asuka calls out Kaworu\, however\, an excited glint hits Sanary's eyes as her grin returns. She looks to her left\, then to her right\, and she whistles lightly while sliding sideways to give them some room should they end up sprinting for the simulators or something. She's definitely not going to get in the way of that going on.

She can\, however\, that it's indeed lunch time. Hazard's wave gets a brief wave back in return\, and then she grins broadly while taking a seat nearby with her own plate of bread\, bread\, and...

That is a lot of bread. There's also a dipping bowl of melted butter\, but no other content to be seen. "Sanary Rondel. I am-" She raises a hand over her exposed eye\, holding it there to pause dramatically before sweeping her hand forward \(while being just careful enough not to hit someone\) with a matching bravado in her tone. "-The one who will construct the foundation for the future! She who will catapult NERV's brightest stars into the cosmos! I am...!"

And then she goes back to speaking normally. "... Construction team lead. Good to meetcha\, Hazzy. You\, too\, Eis." Eisen's comments in particular gets a similar laugh. "That's the spirit! As long as we keep the Earth covered from blowin' up or whatever\, we can enjoy ourselves for the parts we're not bustin' our asses! I'm not NEW new\, but I haven't been around that long yet. Just enough to.. Maybe get a foot in the door for piloting something cooler than a construction unit." 

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         "...what is a real Angel like?"

         It's something he can latch onto. Something he can learn about. Something he can ask that won't lead to...to uncomfortable conversations about ripping open his own kind and feeling their blood along skin. Won't interrupt what's about to be at least one death battle between the Evangelion pilots. That said, if it does come down to that, he's rooting for Asuka.

         'At least you actually belong here,' made him happy. It's an acknowledgment of...well, him. Approval of his abilities. Not 'good enough' but 'you belong here.' 'You're part of the group.' 'You should be here.'

         It's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to him.

         Quite literally.

         Sanary gets his attention, too. He looks at the bread and the butter with a blink. More food he just can't have. Damn it looks appealing. His human genes kicking in, obviously. To distract himself he tears another hunk of the raw meat off in his mouth and listens to her.

         "Hazard," he corrects gently, as if he's just not sure if she's making a mistake or not. "...so you make things?" 

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Sanary approaches then on the heels of Kaworu's explanation, a heartier laughter in her own voice. He looks up at her with a smile, then adds to the others, "So she says."
        
        What that means exactly is up to interpretation.
        
        On a more straightforward level, he tells Sanary, "I just arrived here today after transferring from Tabgha Base." Those who know their NERV bases will know that's the *lunar* base. If he's from the Moon, maybe that explains something about his general air.
        
        As Asuka tears into Shinji, though, Kaworu's smile fades once more, and he gives her the side-eye. When Shinji tears *back*--when he doesn't tell Kaworu, 'Then you can call me Shinji,' when he ignores Kaworu's offer outright, when he speaks to him instead of burdens that he chooses to shoulder all the same--his eyes cloud, like the sky before a shower.
        
        He doesn't respond, though, either to agree or refute him, or to tell Asuka to lay off. Instead, he lets his explaining his status as reserve pilot distract Asuka far better than anything else could. When she marches over and gets in his face, he smiles again. None of that earlier warmth is present.
        
        "No, well put, Shinji Ikari," he states, rising to his feet. With two graceful footsteps, he plants himself between him and Asuka, making himself a shield against her rage. Unlike before, his gaze is locked on her and her alone. "Quite frankly, I'm better than you. Since you insist so passionately, very well: we'll make it a bet. If I defeat you, you must cede your seat as the designated pilot of Unit 02 to me."
        
        He'll hold her stare a moment longer; then, he turns to nod to the rest of the group, as affable as he'd been up until this sudden challenge. "On that note, please excuse us." He flashes a glance towards Shinji--or maybe he was just looking all around the room. It's hard to tell. "Then, until we meet again..."
        
        Once he's certain he has Asuka's full and undivided attention, Kaworu strolls out of the room. He seems completely self-assured. Is he that confident he'll win?
        
        Either way, it'll at least be a lot quieter in here for now. Maybe folks can finally eat their meals in peace.

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Kaworu saying he's better than Asuka causes the intensity of her visage to boil over, like some pot whose lid is now dancing from under the foam of the heat and pressure, "We'll see about that! It's on!"

Shinji though... Asuka's neck abruptly swivels towards Shinji so hard that he might hear vertebrae popping from the sudden movement. Asuka gives him a look like she might a cockroach that just crawled across the floor as she looks past Kaworu, "What's with that look in your eyes Daddy's Boy? You think because you got lucky a few times that suddenly you're some seasoned veteran? As if - you think my training against angels was all in some sims? Someone didn't bother to read my service record."

She tries to walk up to him, but it becomes apparent Kaworu is in her way, and so rather than pushing past, she stays back behind that barrier, hands curling and uncurling in seething rage as she gives him an intense look with those blue eyes, "Try sighting down a GINN barreling down at you - centering their cockpit in your sights, and pulling the switch because it's either them, or you. Try doing it a few dozen more times. You think you have what it takes to take a human life as part of your training to kill threats to humanity Daddy's Boy?"

Turning around, and away from him. "Of course you don't. Let's go Understudy."

She might have to take a few steps away herself to convince Kaworu to move away from where he is, but she's already heading straight towards the hall as if she's making a beeline right towards the simulators.

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

Eisen seems to sit up when Sanary begins to talk and begins to touch over that exposed eye of hers. The eyepatched youth staring at her as she pauses dramatically. Hope is restored! There's a likeminded spirit here!

And then she says 'Construction team lead'. And his shoulders sag. "No no no! That's all wrong!" He demands, patting his hand on the table, standing up and touching his hand in that same pose she did. "I am..." Pause for drama. "Eisen Daiwel, Mad Scientist." He points to her. "Give me your true name, Architect of Stonemasons! Finish what you started!" He demands of her! "Even a construction unit can be a Hero's unit in the right hands!"

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Okay, the construction person sounds nice. Hazard seems okay. Shinji is mostly looking at his. Roommate? Reluctant friend? Right now she looks like she's going to kill him.

Something she's done before. Shinji looks like he's going to be physically sick at the thought. Killing a person? And then something strange happens.

"I think that's-going a little far." Shinji says to Kaworu, but he is at least not shrinking away from the older boy anymore. "You can't just take an Evangelion from someone-" But Shinji doesn't really get a chance to finish.

God damn it. All because he flew off at the mouth.

Shinji turns. "Look, um, everyone, I have to make sure this doesn't end. Poorly. Somehow. Sorry. I'm really a terrible tour guide." Shinji actually bows at the group, before rushing after his two furious co-workers. He's pretty sure Kaworu's mad. "To answer your question, Hazard, fighting an Angel is a lot like that. They get in your head. Somehow. There's a whole science behind it."

"I think that's really why they get people like me to fight them." Shinji smiles a little sadly and rushes off.

<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.

"That's right! I mean\, someone else comes up with the blueprints and the plans for where all the shit goes\, but it takes people like me to really assemble all that stuff." Sanary explains to Hazard\, gesturing around the cafeteria for emphasis. "Like this\, for example. I mean\, I didn't build this personally\, but puttin' together all the framework for these rooms and stuff so other people can figure out what goes in 'em? That's what we do."

She gobbles down another loaf of butter-dipped bread\, then notices Hazard eyeing her stuff and holds out a wad of bread. "You should have some of this\, too. Just eating meat'll give you gout or something."

Kaworu mentioning Tabgha Base\, however\, has Sanary staring again in disbelief. "Whoa. Wait\, so you've been in zero G and all that? What about when you're on the...?" She pauses\, having just enough sense to stop herself for two big reasons. One: this is the lunch room. Two: he's got a match with Asuka in the simulators.

"... Y'know what? I'll bother ya over the radio later when you're free. Have fun in there!" She calls out to Kaworu\, Asuka\, and Shinji looking torn between devouring her food here or taking it to go to follow them.

Alas\, she's hungry now\, so she'll just have to settle for hearing about it later. Eisen proves to be a kindred spirit\, after all\, and she can feel that energy seeping into her very being as she chuckles darkly/like some kind of weird theater nerd.

"My true name\, you ask? I've been known by many names before! Some\, you may have even heard of\, if you're a surveyor of the fine arts!" She declares with a bold laugh that dies down rather quickly once she gets a better look at... Well\, everyone still in the cafeteria.

Maybe it's better they don't know what other aliases she goes by. "... B-but none that are fit for mortal ears\, so you'll have to make do with this one. If you prove yourself\, though\, then maybe one day you'll learn... The truth!" And then she crams some more buttered up bread in her face. She's really carb loading it up. 

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         "Oh, uh, no. Sorry. It's a Gundamfighter thing. I'll be OK. I only eat meat. It's a...training regimen thing."

         Shinji's statement gets an odd look as Shinji leaves. Get in your head, huh. Something he'll...remember. Something he might have to watch out for. Depending on how they do it.

         Then he focuses on Sanary again. "Oh, that's neat. I'm not a surveyor of fine arts or anything, though, so I guess I'll just call you Sanary?" 

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

Eisen nods and smiles, trying to draw Sanary's nature out. Trying to pull in the theater nerd. "Of course I am a surveyor of the fine arts!" Eisen answers her. "Now, grant me Access into your Dark Vault! Show me your true face!" He demands...

But she retreats. "Prove myself?" He reaches for his chest. "The Mad Scientist, Eisen Daiwel, is not yet worthy of The Truth!?" He demands to know. "I would say you hurt me, but I must keep this demon within me at bay." He declares... and then sits down, staring at her. That glowing eyepatch glowing menacingly.

Wulf by now, has eaten his fill, and gotten off of the seat and pads behind Eisen, moving into a surprisingly protective position. Hazard, being a Gundam Fighter amongst things, may recognize the position it takes on an instinctive level. 

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         The wolf gets a last passing scritch as it walks away. Hazard watches Wulf move into position like a guard dog and stares at Eisen. It's one of those long, thoughtful stares, not a 'haha you fucking weirdo' stare. One of those moments where Hazard might be considering what to do about this statement.

         Also, the glowing eyepatch. Huh.

         He looks back at Sanary, then at Eisen, then at Sanary. Finally, he says, "What's a Dark Vault?"

<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed

"Gundamfighter stuff... Yeah\, I getcha. Training routines can be pretty hellish\, I hear." Sanary accepts Hazard's explanation rather easily\, shrugging after a moment and polishing off another chunk of bread afterwards. "I mean\, I heard of the raw egg thing\, so raw meat's probably not that far off. Like... Like..."

She snaps her fingers a few times\, then points. "Oh! Like those diets with only unprocessed stuff! Yeah\, one of those pure... Caveman diets or something." Satisfied with her own explanation\, she chuckles lightly while giving Hazard a thumbs up. "Yeah\, Sanary's fine. You ever need a personal training area built up\, though\, you give me a heads up. I'll make sure it gets put together just right."

With her confidence brimming over again\, she lets out what almost sounds like a haughty laugh when Eisen demands access to her... Wait. Dark vault? True face? That blank stare returns as she tries to process what she's hearing\, opening and closing her mouth a few times in turn. Luckily\, the talk of demons within him and his glowing eyepatch \(mostly the eyepatch\) get her attention before she can think too hard about that.

"You've got one of those in ya\, too? A cursed fate indeed\, shared by two employed by the same company... This can't be a coincidence." Sanary gut chuckles again\, then looks over at Hazard and explains helpfully when he asks about the 'Dark Vault'. "Oh. Uh. That's... I think he's hitting on me. 'Dark Vault'\, 'True Face'\, that's... I mean\, come on. Then again..."

She smirks and leans back in her seat to let both Eisen and Hazard see her clearly. She's definitely got a decent figure both in the curves and fitness department despite still being relatively average heightwise. "I can't blame him. Still\, I figured hotshot pilots like yourselves already got loads of fans throwin' themselves at you already\, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Haruki Natsukawa has posed.

"Well... Kids these days sure have a lot to work out, huh? Kind of-"

         Haruki's cut short as the hand holding onto his chopsticks let go, moving as if they're possessed as it begins reaching around in his jumpsuit. He attempts to casually intercept it with his other arm, holding the rebel arm in place as he lets out a nervous laugh in an attempt to make it somehow seem alright.

         "Crap! Uh... My pager is going off! I gotta take a call... "

         Haruki practically rolls out of his seat, attempting to still look natural as he continues to wrestle his traitorous limb. It, at the very least, has seemed to calm down a bit.

         "You guys can have what's left of my food, it's on me...Uh... BYE!"

         And with that, he runs. There's a weird, light flash as he turns the corner and leaves, but it's probably nothing. 

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

Eisen is surprised when Hazard asks, and Sanary diverts the phrasing completely elsewhere. "Ga-huk! I thought you understood." He touches his chest. A normal boy might have blushed, or flustered. Sanary is by all means an attractive young woman. But he doesn't deflect or awkwardly or over-energetically try to push that statement away.

Rather, he rather confidently declares; "Ah, I see." He nods to her and gives her a 'look'. "Yes, it is best we do not discuss the true meaning in public." He agrees. Almost as if he's oblivious to it all. And not a moment later, Haruki is rushing out the door. Something about a pager.

"People still use pagers?" He mouths, or perhaps 'whispers'.

"Still, we are kindred spirits. This is no coincidence. I am certain the dark hand of the Fates has caused this union." The youth agrees, before turning to Hazard. "Hmmm." Considering him for a while. "I think I like you."

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed


         "I guess!" is all Hazard says about his diet. Sanary lets out a haughty laugh and Hazard just chews on his steak silently, watching the two of them. Are there about to be *two* fights in the cafeteria in one day, and he's not involved in either of them? What are the odds of that, that a Gundamfighter would be present for two whole fistfights and not even be involved!

         He gnaws with the silence of a spectator waiting to see how this goes. When Sanary leans back to show off, he just continues looking at her face. He tilts his head sideways at 'lots of fans.'

         "No? I don't really know what you mean. But I don't have fans, I don't think, and nobody's thrown themselves at me or anything."

         He also doesn't know what 'hitting on her' means, but he's not about to comment on that. He's actually pretty good at not being found out as a weird dinosaur clone after all.

         "Am...am I supposed to? Is that something that happens to a Gundamfighter?"

         He scratches his cheek and swallows another mouthful. Not a lot of steak left now. "...am I not a very good Gundamfighter if I don't have fans throwing themselves at me...?"

         Eisen says he likes Hazard. Hazard blinks.

         "Were you not sure before?" Another scratch of his cheek. "I like pretty much everybody so far!"

<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.

"That\, they do. That... They do." Sanary replies to Haruki with the wizened tone of someone that is at least somewhat aware of the follies of youth\, even nodding like a wise old man. She raises an eyebrow when he does something odd with his arms\, then acts even stranger on the way out of the cafeteria.

"Uh... Okay. Thanks\, and take care... Er. Guy!" She calls out after him\, stroking her chin all the while. "... Hm. Not bad."

She leaves it at that\, then turns back to Eisen and Hazard. The former gets a knowing \(presenting\) nod at the talk of leaving the discussion of true meanings for later. "That's right. There's a time and place for everything\, and it'd be pretty tacky to lay it all out on a first meeting." She chuckles\, then looks towards the latter just as Eisen does so as well.

"Well\, of course. Being the rep for an entire country isn't a position just any shmuck can land in. You've gotta have the right connections\, the right skills\, the right look. Whole package sorta deal\, you know?" She squints slightly as she looks Hazard over a bit more carefully\, trying to get a better look at his face and sizing up his build.

"Little younger lookin' than most of the fighters I've seen\, and a hell of a lot scruffier. Still\, there's definitely people that are into that wandering fight hobo look. Way more approachable than the hoity-toity types."

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

"I wasn't sure before. It's important not to like 'everyone', I think. To be choosy. Like too many people, and you'll end up trying to show your best face to everyone around you and adjust who you are in their presence. Until finally, the real 'you' will be invisible. An amalgamation of other people's viewpoints of yourself. Unrecognizable." Eisen remarks.

He then leans back and pats Wulf's head and gives the beast a knowing smirk, and then leans forward again. "I like you, because you have potential." He explains to Hazard. "Still looking for your place. Your role in all of this. So I am curious to see the man who you'll become." After all, the amount of questions Hazard has asked about 'who he should be' - 'the way he is expected to behave'...

"I think one of the famous Neo Japan Gundam Fighters looked a bit like you. Older, but similarly scruffy. Domon Kasshu." Eisen points out. "I think your look - you've got that down pat. Recognition comes from Deeds. I think the Architect of the Future is right. But I also think it'll come naturally." 

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         "Oh," Hazard says on both counts. He doesn't elaborate. He does look between the two of them.

         "I don't know. I haven't met anyone I don't like yet. I don't think that'll last forever, but everyone here, at least, seems really nice. Maybe at my other posting I'll meet someone I don't like. Maybe here. But I meant in the group I met today. You guys! And those guys."

         He pauses. Then, "Well, I ask a lot of questions because I think I should. I care enough to learn about you! And...like I said. If you care, you put effort in. It's not just about what I think, but about what you think. 'Hazard is a bad Gundamfighter because he doesn't have fans throwing themselves at him' is something to know about Sanary, right?"

         Oh, so he's not just fucking oblivious.

         Then, "S..."

         "Scruffy??"

         "I thought I was really clean! I take baths and everything!" 

<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.

"There's nothing wrong with getting along with everyone\, of course. I mean\, everyone would rather have a good neighbor rather than a shitty one\, right?" Sanary clarifies\, tagging in on the talk of who to like or not like. "But there's being a good neighbor that doesn't cause issue\, and then there's being one that goes above and beyond. Just not enough time in the day to be the second type\, so the best you can do is be the first. And definitely don't be the... Shitty."

When Eisen mentions Domon Kasshu\, Sanary snaps her fingers. "That's the guy! His color scheme had more red in it\, but yellow works pretty good on ya." She elaborates\, looking Hazard over once more before going back to her bread. "No need to rush that stuff if you're still learning the ropes\, though. Just like any building\, big names ain't built in a day. You might not have fans yet\, but you'll get 'em the more you get your name out there."

With those words of encouragement\, Sanary reaches over to clap a hand on Hazard's shoulder\, then gestures at his hair and clothes with her other hand. "Absolutely. It's not just about being clean. It's about everything being neat and put together like a... Like a fancy suit. Not everyone does that\, though\, because it's a pain in the ass. Or maybe they just hate the people that fancy suits attract. Whatever it is... You gotta figure out what kind of company you wanna keep on your own\, yeah?"

<Pose Tracker> Eisen Daiwel has posed.

Eisen's head remains a bit more still as Hazard explains himself. "I imagine it won't." He certainly has experienced that much himself. His rather unusual personality has proven to push people away in the past already. "But fitting in is good too." He doesn't go in too much on him caring back.

"It's the scarf." Eisen points out. "The scarf makes you 'seem' scruffy. It's a good look. Keep it." He then pats Hazard's other shoulder as Sanary is touching the first, gives him a nod, and begins to rise. "Anyhow. I should actually grab a bite to eat, and head back to my lab. Feel free to drop by some time."

Stepping over the seat to the other side, he snaps his finger to Wulf, who immediately seems to just... understand what Eisen wants for him to do, and moves towards the entrance of the cafeteria, and waits for him there.

"If you want, you can always bring some of that raw meat for Wulf. I'm sure he'll appreciate it." He pauses, then suddenly dramatically flourishes towards Sanary, covering his glowing eye with one hand.

"And you! We shall speak again!" Flourish, turn, his overcoat flaring outwards dramatically. And off he goes. 

<Pose Tracker> Hazard Chevalier has posed.

         Hazard looks down and tugs at his scarf. "This makes me look scruffy...?"

         He just seems kind of thoughtful. Then, he looks up at Sanary. "Does that mean you're my fan?" 

<Pose Tracker> Sanary Rondel has posed.

<poem> "... You didn't even eat yet? Damn. You kids need to take better care of yourselves." Sanary shakes her head lightly as Eisen reveals his lack of eating. "Make sure to drink up\, too. Won't be able to do much lab work if you're dehydrated\, too."

Even with all her weird posturing\, she still sounds moderately worried about Eisen. When he does his eye flourish\, however\, she of course gets up to mimic the pose with a hand over her eyepatch this time. "If you can survive until that fated day\, then maybe one day you'll uncover more of those secrets!"

And then she sits back down\, raising a hand to bid him goodbye.

"Totally scruffy. Still\, not bad. That look works for ya. Putting you in a suit and tie would just be weird\, anyway. As for a fan..."

She taps her chin\, then chuckles. "I might be. You've got the look down\, so you just need to get out there and win some fights. Once you do\, I won't be the only one."

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