2023-05-18: Study Session ~PHANTOM~
- Cast: Alouette Pommier, Leina Ashta
- Where: Tsutsujidai - Kamesan Park
- Date: U.C. 0097 05 18
- Summary: Having the same idea to study in the warmth of Tsutsujidai, Alouette and Leina discuss their present lives... and confide in the past as the spectre of the Banshee looms, sharing in the hope for a brighter future.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette is once again very very busy. Just last night, another Banshee sighting occurred, and although GGG didn't sortie, the Photon Power Labs did. Apparently, they recorded some rather interesting information, and as Operator, it's her job to make sure it reaches the intelligence desk.
And on top of that, it's exam week. Which brings Alouette to Tsutsujidai for a change in scenery: the nearest city to Orbit Base since its move. Still.. she knows BioNet is still active here. She can't help but look on edge...
Even as she relaxes and takes in the breeze on a treeside bench at Kamesan Park, she has one of her schoolbooks open in front of her as a means of distraction, meaning it takes her a minute before she notices Leina's here at the park too. "Ah-" she glances up. "Oh, bonjour, Leina. I'll move my bag, there's still plenty of room on the bench." She offers. "So... how's studying been?" She imagines it's hardly the top of Leina's worries, just as it isn't the top of her own... but it's a decent enough starter, she thinks.
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Leina hasn't been sleeping well, news of the Banshee sighting being involved with Luio and Co. The fate of the Colony Metis, the casualty records...
... and the hands of course, in her dreams, along with that hollow pit for a face. Today, she swung by the Yumi Foundation branch. Then did a teleconference with a teacher...
And now she's going to be reviewing notes outdoors, at some point in the park, with some Starbooks coffee in hand. She's currently wearing some denim shorts, and a Natural Lychee T-Shirt, in pink. In her hair is a holographic barrette set to Wonderful Persimmon's wand.
She spies Alouette, of course she spies her! That's the thing about being a Newtype, you tend to always have some good sense of someone familiar in your vicinity.
Giving her a smile, enhanced by the fact that the makeup is concealing the dark circles and the last vestiges of a draining bruise, she raises her coffee cup in salute to her fellow student consigned to studying.
"Bonjour Alouette! Oh! Thank you! Feels like most of the benches out here are taken."
Settling down, she puts her bag on her lap as she pulls out her notebooks, "Honestly? I barely have to study at all. I'm repeating the year due to not meeting attendance standard last year - but fortunately they're being lax on work that's already repeats for me."
Opening up to some of her notes, she offers a more wan smile, "A few essay changes but basically the midterms are just a refresher for me."
Then she glances over at her notes, "You probably get this a lot, but I'm surprised you even have to study!" Her gaze turns perhaps a touch sympathetic at that, but still, she decides to let her answer on that particular subject.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette has her own cup of cold tea from Starbows on hand, and she's dressed for the warm Tsutsujidai weather, wearing a sleeveless blue sundress paired with a sunhat. The sunhat provides enough shade for her tired-looking eyes, but Alouette still greets Leina with a warm smile, raising her own cup.
"Right? I feel like the park's a pretty popular spot for studying. I suppose a lot of people had the same idea as us..." She smiles, ruefully.
"That's lucky," Alouette nods. "--I mean not needing to study, not having to repeat a year." She clarifies. "That part sounds annoying, actually!" She adds, laughing it off.
"As for me.. it just happens that I have some competition." She snaps shut the history textbook she had open. "Introducing me to Ms. Testarossa might have brought out some of that academic competitiveness." Which probably shows how much she respects Tessa.
"Besides, I've had to miss plenty of class myself. Although.. it's not like Jindai was unaware of my not-so-usual circumstances." She notes. "I'm still glad I get to go. Because living a life like this... it's important to me."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"So many." She echoes, as she looks around the people dotted on benches, sitting on tablecloths and towels...
... even some brave few who have resigned themselves to no further studying, by instead playing at Frisbee and the like...
Either they're doomed, or they're just that confident.
"Oh it is. Super annoying. Unfortunately my school didn't take 'running a charity group because its founder vanished' as a valid excuse."
And well she can't exactly tell them she's flying combat missions in a mobile suit??? That would go over just so... NO???
"Sorry but not sorry." She grins at Alouette over introducing her to Tessa, "That, was part of the plan." She sips her coffee, with a slightly smug look.
Academic competition? What a very NORMAL part of a high schooler's life, even if they are two highly gifted normal high schoolers thanks to... certain circumstances.
"Though I do wonder, when both of you get a perfect score, who you will declare the winner? How do you break the tie?"
Her fingertips tap the side of her cup, pleased. She's glad she set those two up to meet. And with a smile, all that smugness leaves her voice, and is replaced by earnest sincerity, "I'm glad you're getting the chance. It's important for me that you do."
And Tessa for that matter, but that's... private, she's not going to share that even if she suspects that both of them suspect something like that... for each of them.
"How is life at GGG treating you by the way anyway?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"How rude of them," Alouette continues in that same tone. "It's not every day you have to run a charity by yourself and also point a gun at world-renowned supervillain." She read about that after she got out. Sounded wild.
She mock-pouts at Leina's smug face, before sipping her own tea. "You are... absolutely devious! Though I admit, you really made the right call there."
Leina asks a very good question. "Hmm. I have no idea, actually? Do academics just get thrown out the window and it becomes a fistfight? At a school like Jindai I wouldn't be surprised..."
Alouette smiles right back when Leina looks genuinely pleased. "Thanks, Leina. I'm glad, too. Even if it... just took a while to understand the merit."
The topic of GGG has Alouette continue to smile. "It's been quite well. I'm not the junior-most operator anymore, you know. Since I've been training Akane as my 'kouhai'." She sounds pleased. "And would you believe it is beyond relieving to have someone my age there now?"
"Hana is probably my best friend but even she's like five years older than me? So when she talks about being married to Mamoru I'm just like... 'oh. geez.'" Never mind the fact they apparently have been since they were 12. It's hard to believe it without seeing it.
Her expression turns from humourous exasperation to a more genuinely serious one. "On a darker note... 3G's been investigating the Banshee as a cosmic threat of sorts. Banagher came to visit us about it, even." She frowns. "I know it's probably sudden to ask, but have you been getting nightmares? Akane and I have.. and we've noticed a bit of a pattern, too."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"'No exceptions. What kind of example would we be setting for the others'." Leina mimics the voice of the Assistant Principal who made the call. Then shakes her head. There's a sigh, as she rubs her face, and smiles, "It's all just school politics."
Her grin then returns in full force, "Praise me more~" She lilts, facetiously, before it became a discreet smile, "It just felt like something both of you needed. I don't always get it right with my little schemes..."
She thinks of Sousuke, for example, "But in the end, meddling comes naturally to me? When I can just, tell these things about the people around me, feels like I have a responsibility to use it for good."
A pause, and her smile widens, "You're welcome. And yeah that's the most understandable thing that it did."
There's a small laugh, where she hides her mouth behind the back of her hand, "God, your 'kouhai'." That smile returns, "She's come so far, and it sounds like she's helping keep you grounded now that you have that responsibility."
Then, a chuckle and- "Honestly Alouette? I was there and I still don't believe it. I thought it was just you know..." She gesticulates a little with her coffee, "... I don't know, sweet, cute, and definitely non-binding??? I was the same age at the time. Imagine my surprise when I find out everyone considers it very, VERY binding?"
A small pause, "I keep reminding myself I need to catch Hana on a day off and ask her what life with Mamoru is like."
She's in the middle of sipping her coffee again when Alouette invokes the Banshee, and that Banagher came to visit them.
She doesn't spit her coffee or anything, but she does freeze for a moment, then lower, it and sigh... there's several long, long moments of rumination and...
"I've been having them since just after... I fought 'Crossfire' in it. A few days after, I don't remember the exact timeline since...."
Leina says quietly, "Nightmares about her aren't uncommon, so I didn't think... too much of it, other than they were especially bad ones." She looks at Alouette out of the corner of her eyes, "It's, just how it is, after losing her. Though, she also came to visit from time to time. To ask things of me - to do things for her."
Her eyes drift back down to the grass ahead of her abstracted, "Those dreams have stopped ever since... that day with Lilith was the time. She showed up to thank me for helping save her sister."
Two fingertips rise up, to pinch the bridge of her nose and softly... "God... what did they do?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Ugh. Doesn't that sound like typical school bureaucracy." She scoffs. Now she feels grateful Jindai has been so good to her.
The pout only widens as Leina continues to tease her. But she does concede, "It really is a gift.. I'm glad you're using it well." Not necessary about being a Newtype and being able to tell these things. She's talking about Leina's kindness.
Alouette smiles with pride when Leina holds back a laugh about calling Akane her kouhai. "I think we really complement each other well in that sense." Alouette nods. "While she keeps me grounded, I can do my best to lift her up.. show her the same happiness that GGG showed me." She smiles, softly. "The happiness she thought could never be hers."
"You were there?" Alouette instantly asks, but she supposes it makes perfect sense, being one of Mamoru's childhood friends. "That's what I figured too when I first heard about it. But the way they talk about it is... it's almost like sacred? It's a little unreal. But I can tell they're happy, too." She laughs. "You should absolutely make time. I think she'd love to see you, Leina." Alouette encourages. Hana's a lot like her in that she throws herself into work a little too much, so some company would be good.
Alouette sits through Leina's initial shock and subsequent silence. "Ah.. apologies if I brought something painful up. I've been told she... Miss Elpeo meant a lot to you." She breaks the silence with a pang of sympathy. "I never met her of course. But I think I can understand her feelings a little bit, which is why I feel so dedicated to freeing her soul." They were both made, after all. Even if Glemy Toto wasn't associated with BioNet.
She does note Leina's pattern of dreams and nightmares, how it slipped under the radar at first because of her connection to Elpeo.
"Whatever it is they did, we have to put a stop to it. We can't let Elpeo keep going down this path, right? She deserves to rest in peace."
"For your sake, too," Alouette adds. "Even if it's not exactly like Triple Zero, it's awful seeing someone you cared so much about turn up again as an enemy against their own will."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"I knowwwwww." She whines, a touch, "I like my school, I just don't like the administration." She does at least smile over her pout... and then her compliment after.
Whether she knows she isn't talking about her as a Newtype, well... she doesn't say.
"It's something her recovery truly needed, I can tell. And honestly I'm glad you're able to pay it forward- that sounds important to you too."
The incredulity earns a small laugh, and then a smile, "Yeah I was there. It- yeah!? It's VERY unreal. Honestly some days I want to march into Guy Shishioh's office and ask 'What the hell Shoujo manga were you reading when you signed off on that?'"
She asks, like she's ready to go off on a rant about Shoujo manga, or adults allowing kids that young to pledge their undying love for each other.
Then there's a sigh, "BUT they appear to be the exception to the rule in how happy they are, so I'm abstaining."
She rolls her cup back and forth within her hands in thought, "Yeah I really should. It's just so hard to catch her, last time I heard she was working like triple overtime or something ridiculous and I just wanted to march in there and shake her."
Also note to self, ask her about her sex life if she's open to talking about it? It is somehow so hard to believe Mamoru knows what sex even is.
Alouette apologizes and, there's a shake of her head, "It's okay, it's important to the investigation." Her thighs shift as her position turns more towards Alouette, "And its important to me that this gets resolved. I've been investigating myself, but unfortunately the Vist Foundation base of operations is a Garuda. Which- rarely lands. I'm trying to put out feelings to figure out where they're going to dock next time they do for routine maintenance."
There is something disquieting to Alouette understanding her feelings a bit, as her eyes shift towards her. They were in similar positions but...
... part of her thinks about the pipe at her throat, strangling her.
"I'm sorry that you're able to say that." She tells her quietly, "That says a lot about how BioNET treated you. This must hit really close to home for you too."
There's a prolonged pause, then a look of resolve in her eyes, "Absolutely not. If they somehow..." She stops as if something is painful saying that, but, then restarts, "Sorry it's just, tiring, my mind keeps going to trying to figure out if they brought her back, and how - in what form."
Another shake of her head, "It is- awful. She... got her second chance, but it was in the middle of the war. So she never got to stop fighting. Until the day of her death. And now even after that- she's still forced to fight for- people like this."
Her voice has just become whisper thin, "That's why it's always been so important to me that, each of you get to live out your second chances to the fullest, in the manner of your choosing."
Drawing herself up, she forces herself to be strong, as she tells her, "If there's any questions I can answer that might help your investigation, by all means, please ask. Don't hold back because you're worried it might hurt."
A beat pause and-
"It's for her."
As if that says everything in and of itself.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Yeah. It doesn't just stop with me. It makes me really happy to see others get the same chances as I had.. that's why I made it so clear to Akane that I would fight for her no matter what." She nods, resolutely.
There's a nervous laugh when Leina sounds like she's about to go on a rant about shoujo, because she knows that if given the chance, she absolutely will. "Hard to imagine Guy's read a shoujo in his life, to be honest!" Even if he and Mikoto are like the ideal form of a shoujo romance... outside the being on opposing sides of the battle for Cosmic Law.
"I have no clue where she gets all that stamina." Alouette shakes her head about the triple overtime. "I remember when I joined on, everyone was really relieved she finally had a co-operator. It's not hard to see why now." So to get her to meet up with Leina... "Well, I'll have to see about a scheme of my own to get you two talking." She grins, and then faux-whispers. "Her weakness is sweets. Inviting her for parfaits should do the trick~" Somehow, it's a common weakness among all 3G operators.
She makes a mental note about Leina's intel about Vist and their Garuda. "That's a pretty old ship... I guess they're trying not to attract too much attention to themselves." She considers. "But very self-sufficient at the same time... frustrating."
Alouette goes silent for a second, before slowly nodding. "Sometimes it's hard for me to internalize that I was just a child during that time. And so was she... she was so young."
"My theory..." she starts, on how they brought back Elpeo, "...isn't pleasant. I think Alexis Kerib had something to do with it. He can transform hearts in kaiju... did he somehow find a fragment of hers to become the kaiju that is the Banshee?"
It's a cruel existence, fighting throughout your entire life and death. She realizes it around the same time as Leina voices it. "That's why... thank you, Leina. I'll.. try to honour that." She stops herself. "No.. I will. Because I'm eternally grateful for this second chance."
"I might have one. It's about the Banshee's pilot. Akane's been investigating that in particular, but she hasn't really made any headway in ruling out anyone's alibis. Since she's going on vacation, it'd help a lot if you could let me know if you notice anything particularly unusual. Although..." She frowns. "It could just be that Alexis fed us bad info. It's exactly the type of thing he would do."
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
Leina absolutely WOULD go on a rant about Shoujo. And the thing is, she likes Shoujo! It's just she hates the tropes of children declaring undying forever love for each other, or a young girl marrying their teacher, etc. etc.
"It is a stretch that he has I know, it's just surreal! Like it's something out of one!"
There's a pregnant pause, and Leina she chuckles, and smiles, "Well then, madame co-conspirator, I think I'll gladly be party to your scheme and invite her out for dessert. It feels like my responsibility to make certain noone in my life falls victim to Karoshi."
And indeed she is glad Akane is there too, between her and Alouette it feels much less likely that Hana will fall victim to overwork.
"Yeah, Gryps era but theirs is the cream of the crop, the prototype namesake of the class." Leina sighs quietly, as the conversation grows more serious as her eyes fasten to Alouette for a time, "She was. It's difficult sometimes, thinking that we were right beside each other, but I was treated- better. Since I was being groomed for a different role than her." Her eyes wander upwards, "The mind tends to just think 'I had it so much better than her.' and that's... what she saw too."
This is uncomfortable for her to speak upon, but it's necessary she supposes, "Instead of looking at Glemy Toto as the source of her suffering, she looked at me. She wanted what I had, she wanted to be me. To take my place. To be Judau's little sister, to be the Lady, rather than the Weapon."
She's quiet for a time, as if going back to that time in her head, replaying certain events, "She'd play games with Judau by taking me hostage in her mobile suit. And in the end... she tried to lure me away and kill me." A short, sharp breath, as if pained, her ribs are fully healed, that's not what's paining her, "That was the last time I saw her. Judau stopped her, told her we could be family together."
The theory, she thinks upon it, there's a prolonged pause then... "I- don't know enough about Alexis Kerib, but it feels possible. There are things that, could contain part of her." She allows, "It would be easier with modern era Psycoframe, but she died at the hands of the Psyco Gundam Mark II, which had so many unknowns about it... reports labelling things as 'Evil Waves that draw Newtypes in.'"
Momentarily stricken after confiding that, she pinches the bridge of her nose, "God." She's mired in that for some time, before Alouette tells her she'll try to honor that, and Leina actually smiles thinly as she raises her hand.
"I'm glad. I'm-" She looks momentarily overwhelmed and, "-I'm glad. You deserve it. You of all people, do."
Alouette tells her that Akane's been investigating this 'Puru-1' and Leina nods quietly, "If I notice anything strange, I will." Leina tells her, "I don't intend to confront anyone alone either, if- this truly has part of her involved she'll..." Something wavers in her voice, "... it feels as if it'd be extremely dangerous for me to do that."
A thoughtful pause and, "In confidence, Alexis has been harassing me. Mostly to hurt Akane. That's possible - I don't think he'd lie or make something up, but he does feel the type to just, manipulate context? So that we tunnel vision in on the element he wants us to scrutinize."
She again seems to be toying with her drink, "Even harassing me is probably also... a distraction, since I'm so personally involved in all of this."
BBSYS: Post 900, 'KTS Update' has been published to Announcements by Escudo Shard.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Honestly, I really used to be into the shoujou stuff, too. When I was probably thirteen." Alouette admits. "And sometimes I do get a craving for it every now and again. Although I could do without some of the.. weirder ones." She laughs.
Alouette grins as Leina goes along with her own scheme. "Excellent, sounds like a plan~ and also sounds like Hana will be in good hands with you." They'll have to arrange for her own vacation, god knows how many vacation hours she's racked up by now.
"That's..." she starts, when Leina explains the relationship between herself and Elpeo Puru. Her initial thought was that it sounded an awful lot like the relationship between Akane and Anti - now Knight, highlighted to her in the battle against Diriver. "I'm sorry... it's awful how you were both pitted against each other like that. When you both had a common enemy right there..." Still, she's glad Puru was able to realize, in the end, that she didn't need to compete against Leina, that she could be family. "I just wish she didn't have to die for it."
"Evil waves that draw Newtypes in... that sounds eerily familiar, somehow." She frowns. It's not exactly the same, but perhaps because of some research on the Newtype Destroyer system she happened upon. "It'd be a lot easier if we could examine the Psyco Mk. II's components, but I imagine there's no shot it wasn't destroyed... or hidden by Vist."
If Leina allows it, when Leina raises that hand, Alouette takes it with her own. She's not wearing it gloved, right now. "I- I'm glad you think so. Really." There's a hint of a tear in her eyes, even if Alouette would have you know she doesn't cry (often).
"Thank you, and... that's good. I don't want you to do anything dangerous." She nods, firmly.
Alouette looks genuinely upset when Leina mentions Alexis has been harassing you. "Contemptible. And beyond petty." She remarks. Does he have better things to do with his time? Of course not. "Exactly. It's all about the framing with him. I wonder if he thinks that if he does it enough, he'll get you to reveal something that would hurt you or Akane." She considers. "And... if it happens again, feel free to VEETEX me. It's just the same as dealing with any other creep, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.
"No shame in that! I'm mostly a 'Mahou' Shoujo fan, but sometimes the rom coms drive me up the wall with the 'will they won't they' tension. Seeing it play out a lot in real life just-" She pauses, then gets a thoughtful look, and a smile, "-let's just say I nudge things along sometimes."
Oh no.
Nodding at Hana being in good hands with her, her smile vanishes again as they discuss Elpeo. "It's, I guess I didn't realize her feelings until the end in that matter, I was just... so absorbed in my own situation."
Leina confides quietly, "It's hard not to be. Even if I did sometimes hear the screaming..." She shudders, "... you just feel so helpless to do anything about it?"
Still though, she regrets it. She regrets it. Even if she tried to hurt her so many times, part of her still wishes she had reached out, given more to emotionally support her, be there for her.
Maybe if she had...
She snaps out of the thought, "She at least got some time, with my brother, with the crew of the Argama. I was in a hospital for the rest of... her life."
And then she at least tries to smile with the evaluation, "The time she got. That's... that's not nothing." She gives Alouette a sidelong glance as she tells her that it sounds eerily familiar, "Unfortunately I can't figure out who salvaged it. Where it went. Was it Neo-Zeon? Vist? The AEUG? Britannia? There aren't any good records of the immediate aftermath of Dublin."
When Alouette takes her hand, Leina looks momentarily dumbfounded, but then she smiles as a hand closes over hers. Her eyes mist up a little, there's this, tiny sniff, as she closes her eyes.
She definitely doesn't like to cry in front of others, but this subject, it always hits close to home for her, "I do. I really-really do." She tries hard to compose herself, as she opens her eyes, then puts down her drink and grabs a tissue, as she laughs, "God- I'm tearing up. Everyone's going to see us and think we're- we're crying over something normal."
She offers Alouette the tissue, smiling at her, droplets of water still visible in her eyes.
"This time I think I don't mind."
She gives Alouete's hand one last long squeeze, before letting it go, "He usually, doesn't have to? He knows things, people's deepest secrets. I don't know how he finds them out! He dangles them out like... landmines and dares you to step on them."
She shakes her head, "Yeah. Cept I can't you know, just TASE him like I would any other creep that got handsy." Leina rubs his face, "He cultivates this atmosphere like, he's only immediately dangerous if you stop being interesting or do something drastic. So I'm literally afraid to even consider- walking away!"
She takes a deep breath, then gives her a wan smile again, "Either way, I'll message you if he does. Anything to help your investigation."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"Ahaha... I can't say I haven't seen relationships like that in real life. Sometimes a little push is seriously all it takes, isn't it.." Mahou Shoujou is interesting too.. sometimes she feels like one when she's with Guardienne Aviaire.
"Oh, Leina... how could anyone feel anything but in a situation like that?" She gazes at Leina sympathetically when she brings up the screaming. "Not nothing... that's an optimistic way to view it. And probably how she'd rather be remembered instead of... an attack dog of the Vist Foundation." She shakes her head.
Alouette also cry-laughs, accepting the tissue from Leina. "Geez.. they're going to think one of us went through a really bad breakup or something. Maybe that's okay." And one last sniffle before she lets go of her friend's hand.
Back to the topic of Alexis Kerib and the secrets he finds. Doctor Mass, most recently. "I know he knows all mine, but that's just because he has access to BioNet's files." And then she grins, adding, "Unfortunately for him, a lot has changed and that file never got updated."
"Guy was able to stab him before." Alouette considers. "But that was his unique little Will Knife. And you might get arrested for carrying something like that." Shame! "I think the good thing is, he thinks people close to Akane are valuable enough he won't do anything.. serious. That's the type of villain he is." And then she nods when Leina agrees to message her in case of any other Alexis incidents.
Checking her smartphone at reflex, she realizes it's getting about time she needs to check back at the Wadatsumi base. "Ahh, looks like my studying period's over. Even if we didn't do much of any studying~ I'm glad we could chat Leina, so please take care."