2023-06-30: Daemonseed - Cad Goddeu

• Cast: C.C., Kaworu Nagisa, Liam 7-020, Roger Smith, Franziska Edelweiss, Ryoma Nagare, Nunnally Lamperouge, Rin Starking, Orpheus Zevon, Sayoko Shinozaki, Kallen Kozuki, Lucine Azul
• Where: Paradigm City
• Date: U.C. 0097 06 30
• Summary: The Black Book of Carmarthen, Act 4 - Battle of the Trees. Paradigm City's peace collides with its turmoil.

---

---

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        Heaven's Day - a holiday rooted in ancient tradition. In the city of amnesia, though, nobody remembers why this day's on all their calendars - so everyone's come to accept it's a festival of Paradigm's founding.

        But perhaps some traditions are so habitual that they escape what's forgotten.

        To outside observers, it's a familiar sight. Blinking lights and tinsel adorn every lamppost in the shopping districts of the domes. Every shop in the city has their engines in full gear, putting their best products front and center in display windows, dresses and appliances only the wealthiest could afford glowing like thrones.

        Snow starts to filter in, even through the cover of the domes - or perhaps it's being 'dispensed' by the vast metal structures. By all measures, snow is a pure inconvenience, a hazard that takes cleaning up and maintaining and caution. But in a 'perfect' paradise, inconvenience becomes an event. After all:

        Some would call it the biggest hassle of all to try to exchange gifts of equivalent value with each other.

        ...In front of the glitziest tailor in the main plaza before Heaven's Gate, a green-haired witch spins balefully, arms raised upwards, snow landing and melting on her cheeks. A black hat with false 'horns' crowns her head - a matching black coat and mittens goes all the way down to her feet. Tight and clingy enough to be showy - fluffy enough to be comfy. A perfect harmonic balance.

        She breaks out something that does not belong. An utterly modern cell phone, which people on the street peek at with a bit of curiosity: 'is that some sort of crazy tiny television?' 'no, she's holding it like a phone up to her ear' 'I've heard of this...she could be one of those. You know, those! An android...'

        Mitten cupping her face, C.C. makes her call, gazing deep into the glitzy storefront she's left her traveling companions in. "...Kaworu. It's me. ...Right. I'm just in front of that gate. It's important. Do come quickly."

        The baleful song of a fortuneless saxophone player backs C.C.'s call, nary but loose change and trash in his starving little instrument case...
Roger Smith teleports in.
Orpheus Zevon teleports in.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        It's a lovely name for a celebration, isn't it? Kaworu had been interested in it--both its nuances, and its similarities and differences from the more common 'Christmas'--but the Eleventh Angel has arrived, and looms closer and closer to Tokyo-3 by the day. Dealing with the Angels is one of his top priorities, so experiencing this sort of 'Christmas in July' would have to wait. How long of a wait? That's unknowable.
        
        But then a call had come in. A call from an old... friend is a strong word; let's say acquaintance. She says it's important; she bids him come quickly. Given their mutual interest in Paradigm City, and the sorts of problems that will inevitably crop up there, it's not something he can simply overlook. He takes a moment to consider it; then he says, "All right."
        
        It takes some time after that. Tokyo-3 and Paradigm City are not close to one another. But time is something C.C. has plenty of. Eventually, Kaworu arrives, strolling down the street, a touch more hurried than usual. He wears his NERV administrator suit--mostly a normal suit, save for a few minor details, such as the scarf-like violet tie with two green stripes--but no jacket. The cold doesn't bother him.
        
        He gives an appreciative look to the saxophone player nearby as he passes. His technical proficiency is low, but there is a lot of heart and passion in his playing, something no amount of technical prowess could reproduce on its own. Before long, though, he stops before C.C. and regards her, red eyes serious.
        
        "What is it?" he prompts, as if continuing the phone conversation they'd had some time ago.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        A young couple walks down the snowy street, arm in arm. The taller of the two is a big, burly young man in slacks, dress shoes, and an overcoat made of modern, moisture-wicking thermal fabric. His head is shaved--his hair would be red, judging by his eyebrows--and lined with surgical scars. His eyes are the bright blue of a gas flame.

        "What do you think?" he asks, turning to the woman beside him. "It's something, isn't it? We... didn't get to have a proper Christmas together, so I thought... maybe this, to tide us over."

<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.

"Ah? How about this one, miss? And we have this lovely one in red. It's very stylish!"

"It must be black."

"Ah, miss... black? If it has to be black, I'm afraid they're all funeral ties."

"So? It's for someone who has very lousy taste."

---

A familiar pale figure steps onto Paradigm's streets, a red bag clutched in her hands. As precise as ever, she slips into step with Paradigm's Negotiator, perfectly matching his pace.

"Dorothy!"
"Roger. What is it?"
"I'm on my way back from work."
"You seem upset about something."
"I don't care for the scenery in town."
"You don't like Heaven's Day?"
"It's not based in any logic. It comes from emotions you wouldn't understand."

The ever-darkly-dressed Negotiator, black funeral ties and all, may just be a bit of a humbug. Who knew? He sidles into an elevator among Paradigm's other citizens, turning to his companion.

"There's plenty of room. Come on."

The elevator cries out, a harsh buzz splitting the air... The Android sprints clear of the elevator and down the street, the Negotiator chasing his ward.

"I'm sorry. I completely forgot."

They break a corner, taking a different route down through the streets back towards home... and the amateurish wail of street saxophone fills the air. A silver coin arcs out, clattering into the case among the other loose change, and Roger's somewhat-smarmy commentary barely slips his lips before his turn draws his shaded eyes over a familiar face.

"Hmm? Mr. Nagisa..."

The pause is brief, but it's enough to signal to Dorothy that her freedom has arrived. She slips past the saxophone player, taking in his song with that robotic bemusement... and gazing past him at the window of the tailor's, seemingly transfixed.

<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.

         The city of no memory had been a notorious enigma to the scientific community ever since it had appeared at the ruins of New Yark decades ago. The true nature of the dome and its citizens lost in time had been the subject of much debate and hypothesis, with no answers having come forth. Even Dr. Franziska Edelweiss had indulged herself in such folly, given the city's location on top of the ruins of a Getter disaster.

         Of course, that was not the mystery Dr. Franziska Edelweiss was concerned with at the moment. She was more concerned with the unseasonable cold and the Christmas...Heaven's Day spirit. "Ach...so much for climate change. Perhaps this city originated in the Southern Hemisphere...? The dome potentially retains its climate..." The scientist mutters to herself, bundled up in a thick jacket and glasses constantly fogging up from her breath.

<Pose Tracker> Ryoma Nagare has posed.

C.C. has a security guard today. Ryoma Nagare, veteran of the Dinosaur Wars, is dressed terribly for snow. He did not read the advisory warnings, so he's in a light jacket, shirt, jeans, and a tattered red scarf.

He is hiding that he is shivering as best as he can.

Standing not far from the green witch, Ryoma's listening to the saxophonist. When he's done, he drops a fiver in the case, and then turns to Kaworu as he speaks up. "Ya know, if you *like it*, you're supposed to tip." Yes, Kaworu was talking to C.C. about something different, but still.

"I'm just here to stop any problems. And also, uh, buy ...Christmas...? gifts. I guess." He clarifies, if asked.
Rin Starking teleports in.

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.

        And this earth-shattering revelation which C.C. summoned Kaworu for, is...!!

        There's a girl in a wheelchair, here. She's dressed in a nice, warm light green dress for the winter, with a hat to keep her light brown hair all warm against her head. She turns her face to Kaworu -- but doesn't, you understand, look at him; her eyes, as always, are shut.

        "Oh! It's Kaworu... the musician! Is this the surprise?" She looks surprised, with a lovely smile, as she reaches a hand out in the vague direction of Kaworu's voice. "It's lovely to meet you again."

        She smiles, tilting her head. "I was so stressed about final exams, I really wanted to get out of the house... this is the first time I've ever been in high school, you see. So C.C. brought me here! It's like a Christmas celebration, but it's July, isn't it wonderful?" The flowers sparkling from her portrait are metaphorical, but they must be understood.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

Rin Mei Starking - if that is her real name - is here as well. Other than her hair being done up in Chinese twin buns, however, she almost blends in. She is wearing a greenish-gray wool trenchcoat, left unbuttoned in the front flap; it conceals most of the rest of what she's wearing, although her feet are in mules and there is a single gold chain around her right ankle.

As the saxophone plays, Rin - who is standing not too far off from the enigmatic green-haired witch - gazes at the gray-haired youth approaching them. Her eyes study him, grey behind wireless frames.

In Rin's view, she can see he's moving with great precision. Kind of surprising at his age. And he stands out, too.

"I'm surprised you can get reception out here," Rin comments, cryptically. "I guess it's a holiday miracle..."

Rin glances towards Ryoma, then.

And then to the saxophonist.

"I've never tipped a street musician before," Rin asks him. "What's the going rate?"

At this point, Rin sees another redhead. Half her size, and staring in a window. Rin turns her head to look in the window as well, as befits a random loiterer.

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

        'A Christmas in July'

        Such weather makes him think back to the events of the following year. It had felt like such a long time since that Christmas, since the events that had transpired. As the snow descends, even Oz finds gazing past the windows of the storefront to see the white innocence dissipate. As he does though, he can catch the contrast of black of the witch twirling about in the snow as he exhales. Turning to the others he finds himself with an expression that shows just how tired of this he's become already.

         "I don't suppose any of you know what she intended to talk about while we were here?"

        He feels like being dragged into the flow is something C.C. has become rather adept at. If Zero was one that could gather people with charisma and influence, then it felt like C.C. could perform the same with whimsy and mystique.

        For Oz though, such things would possibly last for so long before it simply turned to annoyance. Even now he finds that all of them aren't just waiting on her, but on another. If it was going to be such an event he was sure that someone could give him the spark notes later. "I'll leave it to you all to give me the details lat--"

        The sound of the store's door chiming as he opens it signals his appearance back outside. A young man with gold hair that tied down to below his shoulders. A white long-sleeved sweater that was being worn under a black-jacket to keep him warm upon this...Cool July day. He had planned to simply walk out at this point, but as his emerald gaze catches sight of a familiar crimson and sleek silver upon a familiar face he halts. This person is no 'acquaintance', he is not someone he considers 'friend'. While he would never say it in front of such people, this person to Oz is 'Family'.

         "..."

        And even to someone as close as family, no words escape his lips. It's clear from the brief look there's questions that want to be asked. With Nunnaly's appearance it felt as though one could argue something along the lines of a GUTs occurrence and yet... Kaworu's attire, the seriousness in his gaze makes it seem there's more to be had here...If there was any reason for him to reconsider his choice to leave, it is this person before them...And also to the one who had called him out here, to have him garner such expression...The witch.

<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.

        Only a dutiful maid like Sayoko would take a vacation from her vacation to join the one she serves in a little mid-year Christmas shopping. Which is why she's currently wearing her usual maid outfit, standing beside Nunnally amidst the fake falling snow. Isn't she cold?

        Nope!

        One should think critically about why the mysterious C.C. has roped the younger of the Lamperouge siblings in to this trip. In this city. Within which the Black Knights, Sayoko included, have been recently operating.

        Not Sayoko though. It doesn't even occur to her as she smiles and bows to the arriving Kaworu in greeting. As Nunnally mentions the stress of exams, Sayoko speaks up, "I hope my absence has not been a significant trouble for you, Miss Nunnally. I can return at any time should you require it."

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Given the weather and casual nature of the event, Kallen has foregone the suited look, or a Black Knight uniform. Instead she pulled out a cozy and cute turtleneck that matches her eyes, and a much longer than normal skirt to pair with it. No mittens or cap, but she's pulled out her blue jacket just to be safe. She's pretty comfortable with this winter wonderland, such as it is. There's a notable spring and cheer in her step that almost seems like she wants to dance in the snow. And she's very much happy to take in the sights, while picking up gifts for people. Not just those here with her, but... her friends back home too. Along with something for Nao-nii and her dad.

The strangest addition really, might be that, as she's here today on a peaceful excursion... She brought along her pet, which is sticking its head up out from a hiding place in the aforementioned turtleneck. Apparently it likes that space. She too is not far from the crowd, with a few gift bags already in hand. Others yet to be procured. She's been, as had been suggested to her, getting a feel for living in this city. Getting to know its inhabitants, through the lens of a friendly and curious shopper.

She considers as she observes C.C. having brought along Nunna, not for the first time, that maybe she should have opted for an outfit in more muted colors. But she's happy with her choice. ...Milly has said more than once, Kallen is not exactly great at fashion.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Alongside the tall young man in slacks is a young woman, blue-teal hair draped over a scarf wrapped around her neck. "... You needed an excuse to go on a date with me?" She teases with a gentle smile, then looks towards the saxophone player. ".... Some parts of this place... remind me of Alba City." Her expression settles into something vague; there's good and bad that could come with that.

        Yellow eyes soften on the sax musician, giving her memories of a time a planet away.

        ---
        The little girl with the teal-blue hair dragged against her Dad's arm and pointed to a musician playing a saxophone on the streets, a cardboard sign nearby indicating a tattered case with some change. Relenting with a sigh, her dad gave her a few coins, and she rushed over.
        'Um, here's some change, please don't be so sad.' The young Newtype peered at the bewildered musician.
        It didn't make the feelings coming from him go away; they just mixed with anger and shame, instead.
        ---

        Footsteps echo as Lucine approaches the saxophone player, change in hand. She quietly deposits it in the case, then looks aside, to the familiar presence of Kaworu. She nearly opens her mouth to speak, but seeing as he looks busy, she merely gives a discreet wave of her fingers instead, should their gazes cross.

         ..... Wait, why are there so many people converging here?

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        C.C.'s welcoming of Kaworu is blunt and straightforward. To either side of her, a gradually accumulating treasure trove of shopping bags has begun to take bloom. "Good. Everyone's here that's needed. Kaworu's just the extra manpower we needed from the get-go." The witch's thumbs point down to several sectioned off accumulations of the bags in quesiton, then pointing towards Rin, Ryoma, Kallen, Orpheus - and, of course, Kaworu. "I'd likely be berated to no end if I took Nunnally Christmas shopping and we didnt't get her any presents. Sayoko here needs her hands free for more moment to moment duties."

        C.C., of course, plans on carrying Absolutely Nothing given her refusal to so much as touch the smallest of shopping bags- OR SO YOU THOUGHT! But actually, she's pushing Nunnally's wheelchair along the streets! Awww. "Really, today's task is the most important one of all. If I told you all the main reason I brought you here was to make sure Nunnally was protected on this little 'vacation' of ours, would you believe me? It's really just an added side benefit, but I'd probably look like a saint if I convinced you that all this was for the sake of one girl's wish to spread her wings."

        As ever, C.C.'s talent for being the worst is impeccable.

        ------------

        Despite his oh so sparse success, the saxophone player shoots Lucine a winning smile at the tip, and briefly interrupts his playing - eyeing up her and Liam with the charm of a salesman. "I may not look like much, but I know more music than most do in the domes. You two are on a date, aren't ya? Give me a request, and I can probably play it, as thanks.~"

        A gentle looking blonde haired girl sitting next to the musician tugs on his arm. "...Oh, Oliver - it sounds like they gave you a lot. You said they're a couple, right? Are they older or younger?" Her eyes remaining closed and her face un-focused on anything tells all one needs to know about why she needs to ask, when they're right in front of her.

        "Ahahah, I'm not at all in the position to only take special requests from high paying people, Laura. Especially I'm gonna be able to afford that..." Oliver sighs, and gazes balefully at the most expensive dress in the same window as the tailor that Roger stares at. "...They're a younger couple, though I can tell the big guy's been through a lot. Just goes to show that...no matter what's in your way, love won't stop so easily."

        ---------

        ...To the outside world, this figure would be familiar, obvious. A red and white clad man laughing merrily and festively is a recognizable Christmas tradition.

        Is it his unsteady, lopsided gait that makes people back away warily? Or is it the unfamiliarity in this city with such a figure? ...maybe, it's what is familiar, but buried in memory...

        He homes in immediately on Franziska, his hollow eyes alighting, a delirious smile on his lips. "Ohohohohoh! ...Finally. Finally, someone who 'belongs', because they don't belong at all! No, just from the look of you, Doctor - you're not just someone who's realized how to leave this world. You're someone who's managed to come back! Perfect. Perfect!!! Ho ho ho ho ho!! Yes. Yessss. Take this. Take this! It's a gift, a present! Isn't that what this holiday's always been about?"

        The Santa-clad man foists a vivid green gemstone the size of an egg into Franziska's hands - the kind of assured gesture that demands, 'no refunds'. His laughter heightened enough for parents to hold back their children warily, the unsettling man jaunts his way into a side alley...

        And disappears, just like that.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        The first to overtly greet Kaworu is Sayoko by way of a bow; he returns it with a polite nod. Ryoma, though, is the one to speak first.
        
        "Hmm?" Kaworu looks over at the familiar face when he chastises him. He gaze turns down towards the saxophone case at the musician's feet. Sure enough, there are monetary offerings therein. Another one drops as he watches--a silver coin, offered by Roger the Negotiator. "Oh, I see," he says, and offers a piece of silver and a smile of his own.
        
        That smile turns to Roger now, to whom Kaworu offers an affable nod; that's it for now, as it seems he's got his own business going on. That may change in a moment, given Dorothy's fascination with something in a storefront window, but Kaworu still believes he's here for something of more otherworldly import.
        
        That is, until Nunnally cheerfully greets him, indicating that C.C. brought her here to blow off some steam. Which may of course be a cover story. Either way, Kaworu smiles at Nunnally too, accepting the hand she offers. She will not find a pulse, or at least, not one that is normal for a human.
        
        "Nunnally Lamperouge. It's lovely to meet you again, too. You came to see us perform in Tsutsujidai High School, and I helped you with your make-up at Ashford Academy." He lifts his chin to gaze up and around at the snow and the decorations, pausing only briefly to flash Lucine and her handsome date a smile as they pass nearby. "It is indeed wonderful, but..." He gives C.C. a silent, quizzical look.
        
        That look passes over her shoulder and links up with a certain golden-haired youth. Kaworu, too, doesn't speak, but his smile warms, the corners of his eyes crinkling in wordless greeting. He won't insist Orpheus stay, but it's clear he's glad to see him.
        
        Which is good, because C.C. takes ruthless advantage of his momentary distraction to foist several shopping bags upon him. This is quite a feat considering his hands are in his pockets, but even an Angel can be defeated by a powerful enough Witch, it seems.
        
        He blinks down at the many bags, nonplussed, and then looks up at the others gradually assembling--there's Kallen too, not far away. Finally, his gaze settles again on C.C. herself.
        
        "You realize the Eleventh Angel is coming," he points out. Judging from his tone, he doesn't think she'll care very much, but it's one of those things that needs to be said. For the record.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam's parents taught him to be kind to buskers, and to people who need a helping hand. He doesn't know which the saxaphonist is--maybe both--but he follows Lucine, and drops a generous tip of coins into his cup. (Liam is not used to carrying cash. It feels different, more precarious, but... nice, in its own way.) "Ah," he says. "We are." At the offer of a request, Liam's brow furrows, but when the little girl speaks up, his heart melts. Liam tips even more money into the cup. "Silent Night, please." That's a centuries-old classic. Can't go wrong with that.

        It's then that he turns to notice the other besuited man nearby. "Roger?" he says. He's not sure what's going on in front of the store--did he hear Kaworu's voice? Yes, he did. But who are the others?

<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.

         Dr. Edelweiss yelps as she is accosted by the somewhat off Father Christmas. "Sankt Nikolaus?! Preposterous, it is June! And it is not that hard to get in and out of the city!" She is about ready to complain even more when the gemstone is foisted into her hands.

         "Are these not supposed to be wrapped?! Get back here!" She growls as she chases him into the side alley and...loses him. "Humbug." She places the gemstone into her jacket pocket and decides to forget the whole thing happened, walking down the street to where a crowd was forming around a saxophonist. Heaven's Day really was just Christmas...She couldn't really say she was complaining, given how hot it had been in Orb.
Nunnally Lamperouge (Nunna) has paged C.C. with, 'i have a vital question'
Nunnally Lamperouge (Nunna) has paged C.C. with, does cc have a pulse.
You paged Nunnally Lamperouge (Nunna) with, ' yes! she still bleeds to death she just gets better.'

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.

        "Oh, no, no, not at all," Nunnally shakes her head, smiling as she turns her head to aim her smile closer to Sayoko's direction. Her register is polite, but it is warm; her love for Sayoko is achingly genuine, as her affection always is. "I'm very happy that you decided to spend today with me, Sayoko, but please don't cut your vacation short just because of me. This is a normal thing for high schoolers... so I've got to show my guts!" Her hands curl, with a little pump, and one can HEAR her best friend talking through her as she says it.

        Milly might have left Ashford, but Ashford can't just leave Milly.

        When she takes Kaworu's hand, she frowns, briefly, her fingers travelling across his wrist. "Ah...?" She wonders, before her fingers settle, in his palm, feeling all the lines which map his life's course there. She smiles, again, looking up in the direction of his voice. "I wasn't imagining it..." And that might feel a little threatening, for all Nunnally speaks it with no threat at all -- until she finishes her sentence, "... you have a beautiful heart, Kaworu."

        If it's a secret, it's safe with her. Perhaps he's a cyborg, and he doesn't have blood any more; perhaps he's a visitor, strange in different ways. She doesn't have to know why, because what she sees, in his warmth, is his kindness.

        And she accepts him, easily.

        Her smile shines out from her strange little family unit, to Rin, to Ryoma, to Kallen, to Orpheus. "Everyone's come today," she says, and holds up a little bag in her lap -- one of those little paper gift-bag arrangements, with no weight at all. "I'm so glad! It's lucky I'm able to be with you all, before exams start... and it's only responsible to get started on Christmas shopping early, right?" A little giggle; it shines, brightly.

        "Big brother will be so surprised!" Of course, the first gift she brought was for him.

<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.

"Another Angel... So I suppose we both have work today." Roger arches an eyebrow past Kaworu, gazing over at Dorothy as she peers at that dress... a conversation drifting to mind.

"You may find it interesting that Alex Rosewater saw fit to reach out to me personally, Kaworu Nagisa. It seems someone's been issuing threats against the domes..."

---

[HEAVEN'S EVE DINNER]

"For years now, Paradigm has given alms to its poorer citizens on this day. At first, it was bread and wine - and as Paradigm's prosperity grew, it became money and goods."
"And everyone takes part in this exchange?"
"That's right. Another tradition exists, where you give presents to the one you love."
"Will you be giving a present to anyone, Roger Smith?"

A deep sputter into his wine glass, and a disgruntled huff.
"Do you think I'd waste my time with that? After all, Heaven's Day started as a celebration for when Paradigm was founded. Why would someone who has forsaken Paradigm celebrate a day like that?"

"...I'll say goodnight, then."
"Hm? That's odd... Norman, could I have said something wrong?"
"No, sir. Nothing in particular, other than the usual."

---

More money clatters into the saxophonist's case, and Liam makes his quiet request. It's not a particularly lovely rendition of the classic - but it is unmistakably Silent Night, and in a city of Amnesia, that's something, isn't it? Roger crouches down to examine the case, curious... his eyes alighting on a Christmas card, propped up inside the case. Something about it seems to draw his eye, judging by the way he slips his sunglasses off his face and folds them into a chest pocket.

"That same card... Is that a church that actually exists, here in Paradigm City?"

<Pose Tracker> Ryoma Nagare has posed.

As Kaworu donates a silver, Ryoma nods, and then turns to - the little(?) girl in a wheelchair they're apparently escorting. They PROBABLY have a bigger mission but for a moment he's believing this is their actual mission and-

Well! Okay. If this is the job, he'll do my best. "Hey there. I'm Ryoma. I'll make sure nobody's mean to you, alright? You getting your big brother a present? I bet he'll love that."

Ryoma squints at C.C., but nonetheless, is happy to help. When an Angel is mentioned, though, Ryoma stares at Kaworu. "What? Is it attacking this city?"

Ryoma Nagare hasn't been watching the news.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

"Oii," Rin says to Kallen. "You know, it's lucky I found this coat here, isn't it? I wonder if it's what caused the cold snap. That or it's some disaster or other... all kinds of stuff going on all over the place."

"puchuchuchuchuchuchu who's a good little Nel," says Rin, to Kallen's passenger.

And then C2 reveals that she subscribes to McDuck's theory of mandatory volunteerism. Rin's shoulders sag, but she picks up several bags, more or less game enough given that. As she does this, she looks to Kaworu again.

"The Eleventh Angel... that's bad, right?" Rin asks Kaworu, innocently.

In the distance, a jolly man laughs, not quite sane.

Rin speaks a little more loudly to overwhelm this morbid noise. "SO YEAH we have a lot of stuff now, Nunnally. It's going to be a great holiday! I wonder what she picked out." Not enough so to peek.

<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.

        "I'm convinced."

        Of course, it doesn't take much to convince Sayoko to do anything for Nunnally. So C.C. may as well be a saint for this, whether or not her reasons for everyone being here today are legitimate or not!

        The maids devotion is further shown as she smiles back at Nunnally, saying, "Thank you, Miss Nunnally. I am of course no happier than to be by your side." But even maids need breaks now and then, to do other things. Such as seeing to her duty as a shinobi to bring about a free Japan.

        Nunnally takes priority, of course.

        Spotting one of the apparent compansions of this growing group staring at a dress, Sayoko wanders over to see it for herself. She looks for a moment, before saying to Dorothy, "A wonderful display of craftsmanship. The stitching in particular is of expert quality. It would make for a sound purchase."

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

        There is no denying that as far as Oz has known her, this green-haired witch truly was devious in more ways than one. So to see her push this on all of them does leave him exhaling a tad heavily. "It would have been so much simpler to stay back...As for you..." Orpheus' gaze turns to the witch who already brings herself to reach for Nunnally's wheelchair, almost looking like he's about to get up into her face for this grievance...Instead however, she finds that he's taken the time to reach for the bags she's given Kaworu, and taken them up himself, before returning a certain look back to her. The kind that she might be familiar with a certain older brother giving when attempting to queue her in not to mess with a younger sibling. He's just about ready to push them back onto the green-haired girl, and get her to actually start talking...And then...He finds himself halted by a certain smile gifted to him. Nunnally can't see it but there's just a gentle pause as he stares at the girl. A peculiar image comes to mind as he mutters a certain name in a hushed tone so soft that it leaves his lips as daintily as the snow that falls from above. "Euliya...?"

        It's after this long pause does he end up going back to the rest of the shopping bags at the ground and picking up the few that would have been for him. "Can't be helped...So, what have you gotten for your brother? He seems like the type that would be a tad troublesome to shop for. " It must have been the holiday season if Orpheus was not only taking someone else's load, but even making small talk. Especially when it was C.C. devising this. Though there is a long sigh that does escape his lips. "So tell me, are all these presents that you've gotten for Nunnally, Should I assume you're the one who helped pick these out...?" The words do ask one question, but it should be very apparent from his tone what he's really asking... Had she paid for these presents herself, or was a certain older brother going to find out later that he'd gotten his sister quite the excessive amount of presents?

        Still, he'll continue to walk along with the rest for the time being. Though he'll be just as quick to try and find out when and where they'll be dropping these presents off at later. As the conversation picks up, it's Orpheus who continues to interject as he tries to answer Rin's question.

         "Any Angel would usually be quite the problem. Though it shouldn't be too much, Nerv supposedly has quite a few...Capable pilots from what I've heard. Isn't that correct?" His statement returns to more of a question as he looks back to Kaworu. Though in truth it's less a question of reaffirming that, and more hearing from the young man how the pilots of Nerv have been since the last time he'd seen them all.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Some of the people here were expected. She's aware now that there's some link with C.C., Kaworu, and Oz that might draw them all together. A few Knights were expected. But the other members of the NERV Squad, not so much. As a result, she's very much glad she's here as her casual self. As the girl looking at universities and working on an engineering internship, instead of the experienced pilot. And indeed, she thinks that with Nunna there, Ashford will continue on a legacy of chaos, bringing people together, and ultimately kindness. The girl's warmth is infectious, even on these chilly days.

To the man with the saxophone, she too provides some payment, but quietly so as to not disturb the song. She's always happy to support those who are without, be that lacking money in this case, or safety, or the strength to protect themselves. And almost immediately after, begins adorning her arms with the sorted gifts C.C. wants the group to carry. There's no point in arguing with her... and really, how could she possibly, when Nunnally is here? How could anyone?

Rin can't help chuckling at Rin's question. "Maybe it is that. This does seem like somewhere a cold snap might come packaged alongside a shift in fortune." While her arms might be full, it doesn't stop her from subjecting Rin to a hug either. "Thanks for coming out here with us today. We ought to enjoy it, much as we can."

Nel, strange not-hamster that he is, chirps affectionately at the attention. His head bobs toward her, courtesy of a longer than normal frame, and looking closer, it's clear his front paws are sticking out from the turtleneck, holding onto it.

The thought of an imminent Angel attack makes Kallen wince though. She feels... not great, about the fact that some of NERV's people are wrapped up in all this, when they'd rather be taking care of that problem first. Still, here is where they are, and she should greet them. "Nice to see you again. It's been some time." Not... that long, in Kaworu's case. They had actually spoken in person a week or so ago. But that's still 'some time', even if the words make it seem more like months.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "What he said," the yellow-eyed girl says, chuckling, as Liam contributes some money of his own. "I don't have any in mind; what about you, Liam?" Her eyes look towards Laura, noting her eyes. "We're here for the Heaven's Day festival-- it's my first time here in Paradigm City at all." She hears the extra coins, and a brief anxiety flutters in her stomach briefly, the shadow of the little girl she was grasping at phantom fears.

        Looking aside at Roger kneeling there, Lucine's gaze turns back up towards Liam. "Friends of yours?" Lucine asks. Acquaintances at least, judging by his reaction. "... It seems we weren't the only ones to come here for the festival."

        The hollow words of an eleventh angel makes Lucine's blood draw cold; she tries not to look towards Kaworu's way out of politeness. ".... Liam, Kaworu's over there," she directs, softly. ".... I think he said something about..." Should she? Maybe it's a secret, still. NERV is still an organization of secrets, just as Nergal is.

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        "Hoh? Eleven of them already?" C.C. muses to Kaworu. "Honestly, it feels like just yesterday that a single one would've spelled the end of the world as we know it. And yet in the blink of an eye, nearly a dozen have had ill-fated trips to Earth. Has it been frustrating, or maddening? Perhaps you've enjoyed it? Or maybe this trip so far's been rote and predictable..."

        With literally more strain than she's ever exerted to anyone in present company, C.C. lifts Nunnally's wheelchair over a little curb, crossing the street and doing her best to mitigate the bumps of the trolley track...then, abruptly - her hand specifically flashes out in front of Ryoma's shoulders, pre-emptively stopping him.

        The reason why is apparent! There's a sudden parting of the crowd, as dozens of officers with metal detectors sweep along an avenue, murmuring amongst the citizens at the organized march passing by. "Don't move suddenly, I know how you get. They're not here for us - if my informant's correct, it's just the head honcho of this place getting paranoid, as he does."

        A little smile quirks at the corner of her lips. "Be careful, Oz-kun. It sounds like a ~memory~'s just hit you. Are you adapting to the local cuisine so well? Just be wary - people like us might have indigestion if we drink too much of the past's water."

        ---------

        Oliver spends a while gripping Laura's hand tightly, shooting Roger a little glance between himself and that familiar little card. "Oh? Yeah, a local guy's been giving these cards out a lot. That church...it's a weird place. I think it's where the older folk go when they've got Memories they can't cope with. I can't understand what they're singing about one bit in there, but neither can they, I reckon."

        Liam's request posits a little upward stare from Oliver, before he cracks another smile. "Silent Night, that's on one of the sheets my dad left behind. You've got it, bud~" And the baleful sound of that slow, steady Christmas carol melts out of Oliver's saxophone - he gives it a jaunty, jazzy little twist, perhaps picked up by the generous donations, but it's still the kind of measured, faintly melancholic pace that anyone knows. Some, in the crowds, hear that song - and pause. The distant echo of a buried memory familiar...even, somehow, to Laura, who gets this teary little smile against his side.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBOKQpJFVts
�

        -----------------

        Of course, a liiiittle bit of the peace is disturbed when an officer peels away from the throng passing nearby. It's none other than police chief Dan Datsun, homing in on Roger, tugging his hat down low and trying not to make a scene - but he naturally does, as the most well known officer in the city.

        "Oy, Roger. Nothing's turned up thus far in all of our searches - to think, Mr. Rosewater's so worried about such a vague threat that he'll comb the entire city like this...one thing we have got is a suspect, at least." A photograph emerges from Datsun's pocket - gaze briefly turning to Roger's immediate company, before sighing and conceding that keeping this too secret is just depriving himself of opportunity.

        ...Franziska may well catch a glance. It's unmistakably the gaunt, eerie face of that mysterious Santa from earlier.

        "A strange scientist, they say, someone who talked a lot about memories. Memories of a life outside the domes. Before 40 years ago. They say the world was covered entirely in trees, and he wanted to 'restore the environment'...doesn't make a lick of sense to me. ...Maybe you've seen him, or maybe someone you've known has seen him, but finding a single missing man in Paradigm's never been easy..."

<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.

         Scheisse! That damned Krampus was just offloading evidence onto her! Dr. Franziska Edelweiss was no mere mule! She was a scientific genius! She stuffs her hand into the pocket with the gemstone in it and gently feels it in her hand. She would definitely have to take a look at it later.

         Her gaze then turns to the officer with the photo. Much as she resented having to speak to the police, it might be good to get more data on the man. "Verzeihung, Officer. Do you know this mysterious scientist's name? I am a member of the scientific community myself, and I do not believe I have ever encountered this man before," she lied as naturally as she breathed.
[O-BLK] Emilia Eschonbach> sorry I'm missing it, I overslept badly
[O-BLK] Orpheus Zevon> Happens to the best of us!

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        "..." Kaworu watches Nunnally explore his wrist with the cadence of someone who understands what they're feeling. Her words only underscore this impression. For a moment, he says nothing, expression neutral; but then she decrees his heart beautiful, and he softens and smiles anew. "As do you, Nunnally Lamperouge," he replies.
        
        He slips his hand back into his pocket--only to be beleagered with bags, and he accepts his fate here--only to be freed from it by Orpheus, who takes them for himself. He chuckles quietly in appreciation of his protectiveness. "It's all right; I'm already here," he starts to say.
        
        But then Orpheus catches sight of Nunnally. Kaworu's expression turns momentarily wistful. "...They do have a similar aura, don't they?" he murmurs. He doesn't comment on Memories, though. Those belong to someone else entirely.
        
        He looks to Nunnally again--and then, specifically, to the gift in her lap. "Lelouch Lamperouge is your brother, correct?" He hmmms thoughtfully as he looks from her to C.C.. "A complicated relation that involves heritage and problems at home, hm..."
        
        Orpheus might recognize this as how Lelouch described his relationship with C.C. when Kaworu asked him about it last January.
        
        But the topic of the Eleventh Angel is of interest to more than just Kaworu here. "Yes," he tells Roger, and also to Rin, though it's to Roger he continues, "Though that wasn't why I came to this city today." It does seem as though there is danger to this city, though, as Roger explains to him.
        
        Mad laughter rings out as if to punctuate it. Kaworu gazes off in that direction, but that's all.
        
        Ryoma, in turn, asks if the Angel will be attacking Paradigm City. "No," Kaworu tells him. "But it doesn't need to." He considers this statement for a heartbeat or two (someone's, anyway); then he adds, "Probably."
        
        But as Orpheus points out, NERV has a lot of Evangelion pilots. Kaworu nods once. "That's correct. Even without me, there are four Evangelion pilots currently on standby." ...Which might sound like a reassurance, but there's no point in going into how Sahaquiel is particularly dangerous. They've defeated that one without him plenty of times before; if needed, they'll do so again.
        
        So it's all right, Lucine. Given that there was a massive evacuation of the Orbital Ring in response to this, it's not something one could reasonably hide, anyway.
        
        For now, he turns a faint, rueful smile at C.C.. "That's still the case," he points out, how any one of them could well end the world. Has he enjoyed it, though? For a moment, he stares off into space. "...I wouldn't say I enjoy it." He shuts his eyes and smiles lopsidedly. "But I have enjoyed the moments that have come in between."
        
        As C.C. maneuvers Nunnally's wheelchair, Kaworu turns his smile to Kallen. "It has indeed been some time," he agrees, a subtle humor to his usual crooked smile. After all, even a day is some time. He looks with curiosity at Nel, poking his head out of her turtleneck, but doesn't remark for now.
        
        Instead, he watches Sayoko walk off to join Dorothy in window-shopping. Then he looks over at Roger, who picks up a card from the busker's case. "Is it?" he wonders. Surely Roger would know the city better than any of the rest of them. With that in mind, he adds, "Is there some sort of relevance to it?"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        "This is Roger Smith," Liam says, indicating Roger with a nod of his head. "We've worked together." As the carol starts up, Liam holds Lucine's hand, and takes a moment to just... enjoy the music.

        The laughter manages to send a chill down his spine, regardless.

        Lucine points out Kaworu. "...Yeah," Liam says, with a nod. "I'm on standby as of eight hours from now. I just thought..." He turns to Lucine, clasping his hand in hers. "This one's big. No one's sure what any of them do. Wanted to take what time I could before the next one hits." Like the Angel is a disaster, a hurricane approaching land.

        And then, Dan Datsun. Liam recognizes the voice. He glances at the photograph, and then shakes his head.

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.

        Nunnally is fifteen, as one can deduce from her talking about how she's a new high-school student. She smiles, kindly, in the direction of Ryoma's voice. "It's all right," she assures him. "Kallen and Rin wouldn't think badly of me. And, if someone I meet today makes an assumption... haha, how should I put it, I'm a disabled girl in Britannia..."

        Or, to put it bluntly: she's very used to it.

        She's not used to any of the stormclouds hanging over the peripheries of this conversation, but Nunnally isn't going to pry into things like Angels. She knows the world is dangerous, but -- "I always feel safer when you're beside me, Sayoko," Nunnally smiles. "You're so good at handling everything... but that's why it's important to take breaks, too!"

        Her face turns, to Orpheus, out of the blue. She is good at hearing subtle things. She remembers, long ago, twirling with her hands latched in another girl's. They fell to the grass, and laughed, and... "No," she shakes her head, gently. "My name is Nunnally. Nunnally Lamperouge." A little emphasis, on that last name.

        "But... I miss her."

        It's a quiet phrase, on her part, too. It might be easily overlooked.

        She smiles, and holds up the bag. "Hehe... I got him a real feather quill! I thought it felt really interesting, and he's the kind of guy who might like something off-beat like that, don't you think?" Her smile shines to Kaworu, as she adds: "That's right. Lelouch is my big brother! He was busy, today, but it's okay. We're going to have dinner together soon." And it is okay; Nunnally is just glad to spend time with her brother, even if he had something to attend to, first. ... she doesn't tend to ask what's occupying him.

        Luckily for Nunnally, she's surrounded by gifts herself -- and the gifts of the people here are no less than anything in those bags. "Thank you," she smiles, to C.C., as she helps her up the curb. "It's hard, when the curb isn't cut... my wheelchair's always warning me about it." She doesn't complain about a single jostle from the trolley-tracks, though she certainly feels it. She would never be so ungrateful.

        She looks up, as the crowd parts, though she's surely responding to the murmur. "Ah... is everything okay?" She asks, a little nervous, looking back towards C.C.

<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.

"Ah, well. I thought it looked odd... a place where the city's old folk gather to sing songs they remember without knowing why..." He smiles up at Kaworu, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe it's nothing. After all, if these are getting handed out all over the city, the fact our would-be terrorist was using them as stationery doesn't give us much. Hm? Oh, Major Dastun." With practiced ease, and just the slightest hint of military bearing, he turns cleanly towards the military police sergeant. "I see... It's hard to imagine this wasteland growing much of anything, much less an entire field of trees. But I suppose we can't rule out the possibility. I don't expect your men will find any sort of conventional bomb, if this man has uncovered some kind of Memory... ah, but can you hold that thought?"

Dorothy pivots from the window to regard the two couples sharing this Paradigm street curiously, taking a long moment to consider something about each of them. She makes her way back to the group around the saxophonist, laying one hand over the other and rolling them once in an artificial display of girlish anxiety. Nunnally too, draws her eye, and she glances over the many bags of presents CC has assembled, a small red bag carefully clutched in her own hands. She contemplates for a long moment before finding her voice;

"The presents you're getting... Are for someone you love, isn't that right? And, he would want to buy you presents too? ...Can I ask, why does he love you so much?"

And perhaps Roger Smith would have something to say about that - and about Dr. Edelweiss approaching Major Dan Dastun - were he not taking this opportunity to slip smoothly past the crowd into that tailor. After all,

---

"Dorothy's birthday?"
"That's right, sir. I was looking over her memory banks recently, after that incident... and her birthday just so happens to fall on Heaven's Day."
"...That's really a shame. Hey, Norman? Do you know what size dress Dorothy wears?"
"I believe size 3."
"Norman? I'll be going."
"Very good, sir."

<Pose Tracker> Ryoma Nagare has posed.

Ryoma rubs the back of his neck after he realizes he thought Nunnally was much younger than he was. Nunna can feel the awkwardness radiating off him for a sheer moment, before he just smiles and nods. "Gotcha. Sorry you have to deal with that. Quill, eh? Is he a writer or something?"

And then, a look to Kaworu and C.C., nodding again. "Good. This place is already weird - if an Angel attacked, who knows what would happen. My buddy... he probably made this place, yanno? That's my theory, anyways." He doesn't expand on this theory. Anyone who can guess who he is can guess what he's thinking.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

The hug from Kallen seems to surprise Rin. Her eyes widen behind her glasses. She stiffens for a moment, then laughs, and returns it lightly. "Ohh-h," she says. "It's fine! This is the closest I've gotten to the capital in my life, you know? Other than that one sixth grade trip, but that's just seeing the monuments and stuff."

Who hasn't gone on the capital tour in middle school?

Other than all the people who didn't grow up in at mid-grade private or high-grade public schooling in Britannia, obviously.

After this, Rin attends towards Kaworu as he explains. Yes, it's bad. It's not why Kaworu came here. Her eyes turn towards Roger Smith for a few moments.

After this C.C. exerts a disproportionate, almost HEROIC level of force to push up Nunnally's chair and get it over that hump -- "Uh," Rin says, her hands coming up slightly, but she's got it, she's GOT it, it's FINE...

"This whole place? With the domes and everything?" Rin asks Ryoma, if relatively quietly. Her hands slide into her coat pockets.

<Pose Tracker> Orpheus Zevon has posed.

        Despite what he can imagine were intended to be an excess of items that were stuffed into these bags, he doesn't complain, at least for now. When he complains it's usually for better reasons than just his own discomfort with physical labor. What does cause him discomfort though is something else entirely... His brow furrows for a moment.

        Even if Kaworu's remarks are sincere, it's more annoying that he himself had ended up saying such a thing so thoughtlessly. It was...Just not like him. He can't remember the last time he's said her name in front of strangers before, though it was true that this girl's aura really did resonate with her own. So when Nunnally does try to correct him, even he finds himself...Having to lament.

        "Sorry...I wasn't trying to call you that. You just reminded me of...Someone who was very pleasant like yourself. But don't worry...I know you're Nunnally."

        It's at this point that even if it's only for a moment he hears those words uttered so gently they almost may as well not exist. Euliya was surely a name that anyone could have and yet...

         C.C. finds herself sneaking herself into the conversation and once again that furrowing of his brow returns. She speaks of people such as 'us', and he's very well about to question what would make her think there's anything alike between the two. Even if Kaworu's words run through his mind of Lelouch's thoughts of that time.

        'A complicated relation that involves heritage and problems at home.'

         At face value if those words were true then surely one day these two might truly be able to see eye-to-eye. Maybe one day he could offer to listen to her woes, or she might be able to express some compassion for his own. Though...If they truly were the same, that would simply mean that neither was keen to open up. A shame perhaps.

        "That's fine. I'd be willing to stomach pain to quench my thirst...What of you though?"

         He'd return the question back to her. She's just claimed the two were alike, and even Kaworu's taken the time to remind him of what it was that Lelouch had made of her. A person like her was similar to him? If that truly was the case, he was keen to hear just how similar the two might actually be from her own lips. Though truthfully...He can't feel himself sharing any sort of similarities with someone who seemed so detached from the world sometimes.

         "Should I assume that you're fine at this point staying parched? I wonder if you still remember the taste?"

        A part of him is keen to hear her response. Though as he'd be waiting for one, he instead sees her intercept Ryoma. Warning that the coming of officers wasn't directed at them but elsewhere. All the same, a hand returns to the inside of his jacket, where inside he keeps concealed on one side a blade and the other a pistol...

        It's just not in him to be without a weapon. Especially when they're inside Britannia of all places.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Smith," Lucine says, not extending her hand while he's kneeling down. "I'm Lucine Azul." She lets the introduction stop there, as Roger begins his investigation. An odd church, to be sure, but the city's entire history is a mystery that she's been unable to understand. How can a city live without memories? What caused it?

        But maybe this is her answer, and all the answer she needs, as Oliver begins to play. She leans her head against Liam's shoulder fondly as the saxophonist plays, her gaze fond as it glances outwards towards Oliver and Laura. A tranquil moment. A good memory. Something nostaglic in the emotions drifting in the air.

        And then the moment passes. "...?" The laughter and resulting chill is noticed by Lucine, who pauses from listen to quietly look up towards Liam.

        Her gaze drifts to Dorothy, who comes over, asking questions of love; by the time she glances back, Roger has smoothly slipped away for a mission of a different sort.

        As for where, it doesn't matter as much as Liam's own words. Her eyes widen, and a faint flush of embarrassment colors Lucine's cheeks. "... I can't believe I let that news slip past me. I thought it was about..." She trails off. Her reasoning will sound foolish; any news of an Angel should be taken with extreme care.

        Always having your head in the clouds can sometimes mean you miss what's going on the ground. Her fingers clasp slightly tighter around Liam's. "... This won't be the last date... so let's promise not to treat it like that."

<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.

        Sayoko makes her way back over to Nunnally's side as the group of police officers are entering the area. She doesn't show any concern, even going so far as to smile and briefly bow as some look her way. One appears to to discuss some matters nearby, allowing Sayoko to overhear. She muses out loud to Nunnally, "Local police officers. They appear to be looking for someone. Or something. Or perhaps both." She turns away from watching to focus on Nunnally, "Probably nothing we need to concerned about."

        Sayoko instead turns her focus to the gift described by Nunnally, "I'm sure Master Lelouch will love it. I have noticed that he sometimes prefers the written word over digital. Perhaps this will encourage him more?"

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

The officers coming up give Kallen no visible pause... why would they? She's been a law-abiding figure here. Nevermind that one time she vaguely aided in a jailbreak. That was with a different name and a mask, and only one person who even could have told about her. Besides, these aren't Britannian goons. And she has no idea where their mad genius is either, so fear would be pointless. Maybe she'll be able to help them, later on.

She pulls away after the brief hug, and just smiles. Her friends mean a lot to her, and she's trying to be better about showing that. "Don't think I did that as a school trip. I did go once with my dad though, on a business trip." Not a lie, as it happens! Though, those trips used to be more common.

Watching C.C. put real effort into helping Nunna and see to her having a smooth ride is one of those rare occasions. The times that make her positive about the idea the witch has a far kinder heart than she lets on. And more sentiment and attachment. She could be wrong of course, but... it doesn't feel that way.

She isn't commenting on Ryoma's theory. Though... he must mean Musashi, right? That would make more sense.

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        Tucking the picture back in his pocket, Datsun gives out a weary sigh, and shoots the gathering of the Black Knights and their wheelchair-bound charge and raises a little eyebrow. Somewhere in the back of his mind he can tell that they're not from around here - and the organized 'not from around here' group lately has been...

        "...Roger, do a little favor for me," Datsun murmurs. "...just so you know, Mr. Rosewater's been cagey about all this Britannian stuff. One minute he's sweet talking him, the next, he's thinking how to outsmart him. I'm too busy with this...pain in the neck, but keep an eye...on those Black Knights they've been talking about over there."

        With a tip of his hat, the police chief passes on his way, back among the departing throng of officers...

        The question about love finds C.C.'s way in particular - Dorothy's inquisition is one of those strange rare things that can throw the witch off. A faint glance the android's way tells C.C. all she needs to know, though. "For a person like me, 'love' is like what 'memories' are here. Where I come from, it's all people want to talk about. Does someone love because it's what's genuine in their heart, or because it's the right thing to do? The word itself breaks hearts. At the end of the day, you might well be better served throwing 'love' out of your vocabulary, and just acting based on what your impulses inform you to do. They'll mean what they mean."

        It's easily the most animated C.C.'s been to most here - but she returns to her more stable, cool-headed presence, with a simple pinch to Orpheus's cheek. "Too much knowledge to try and drink just leads to drowning. Honestly, it amazes me how you manage to stay afloat with all you have, Kaworu - even with all you have to put up with. I wonder how much some people here 'choose' to forget...and whether that's any different from the real world..."

        -the evening goes on like this, a little oasis of respite and comfort in this strange, yet somehow comforting city. It's like Tsutsujidai in exactly that way - take away the bizarreness, the culture shock from its differences to reality, and it's easy to get lost in its almost 'idyllic' hustle and bustle. It's a city that forces itself to live in today.

        
Until the world reawakens.

        To anyone with a modicum of psychic awakening, it's like a thunderclap. In the middle of a more free-form jazz solo on Oliver's part, a vivid glow emanates from Franziska's pocket. It starts with just one 'root'. Passersby point and gaggle about its tumultuous growth and waving around - like a fun party trick for a second.

        It stops being fun, very fast.

        The growth is unprecedented. From such a tiny seed, its roots violently expand, coiling around civilians and buildings alike, a sudden onset crisis like many of the monsters Paradigm often faces. People begin to flee in droves - at least, those who don't get caught up in its vines and roots - the police nearby attempt to fire on the sprouting plant, to no avail. What was merely minutes ago a little gem becomes a disaster of unimaginable proportions - a titanic tree, growing and growing ten - fifteen - twenty stories tall, breaks this cozy Heaven's Day gathering with the wild ferocity of nature...if perhaps at a speed unlike the natural world at all.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Angels are disastrous. If this one hits--well, it won't. But if it did, it wouldn't be something to simply shrug off. NERV has already recommended that its on-site staff fill out last wills and testaments--just in case.
        
        For the record, Kaworu has not.
        
        He gives Nunnally a long look when she mentions she 'misses her.' It is not overlooked. It does go unremarked upon, though. Instead, he shares a glance with Orpheus, then smiles as Nunnally explains her gift. "I don't know him particularly well, but from the few times we've crossed paths, it does seem as though it would suit him. I hope you enjoy your holiday together when you have dinner. It must be nice, to have family you can be close to."
        
        He considers Ryoma when he suggests his 'buddy' made this place. He doesn't agree, but he opts not to say so. "Fortunately, an Angel is unlikely to attack this city," he says instead. It might be reassuring to Rin too to hear that.
        
        Orpheus moves for a hidden weapons when the military police show up. Without missing a beat, Kaworu steps up and takes one of the bags from him as if he were about to drop it. "Careful," he cautious him gently, red eyes seeking out green. "You must be more mindful of their weight." In other words, best not to do anything to draw the police's attention to him.
        
        He'll leave Orpheus's similarly double-meaning conversation with C.C. be, though--at least, until C.C. pinches Orpheus's cheek and expresses her amazement at Kaworu's patience. "Does it?" Stepping away from Orpheus, he turns his gaze out towards the city and its denizens, going about their business. "Still, I can understand the desire to 'choose' to forget..."
        
        Roger meanwhile brushes off the matter of the church on the postcard. Kaworu gives him a thoughtful look. "Perhaps... Without knowing more about the one who's threatened the domes, it's difficult to know." He watches him ditch Dastun to slip off towards the tailor as Dorothy walks away, over to the saxophonist and his girlfriend. Hmm...
        
        His gaze softens when Dorothy asks that question, though. Kaworu has his own thoughts on the matter, but he won't interrupt--unlike C.C., who brazenly offers her own thoughts. 'Love' is what like 'memories' are here, hm...
        
        He might offer his own thoughts after all--but then he looks over at Franziska, well on the other side of the square. Oliver's saxophone sings and squeals, and then--the tree erupts.
        
        "I see," he muses as growth explodes up and outwards, as the denizens begin to flee around him. He himself stays where he is. "So this is the 'threat' that Roger Smith mentioned. A return to nature, or...?"
        
        He glances at Nunnally--but she has many friends and protectors here already. He expects to see her already being taken care of.

<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.

         This is bad this is bad this is not a crime that is my fault for a change this is exceptionally bad! The good doctor throws off her jacket and runs off, attempting to disappear in the crowd and the chaos. Ducking into a side alley, she stops for a second to catch her breath. She may be a double PhD, but she still always failed gym class.

         "God dammit! I was played for a fool! That man is going to rue the day he crossed Dr. Edelweiss..." Her breath catches as she remembers something about the encounter with Saint Nick.

                  No, just from the look of you, Doctor - you're not just someone who's realized how to leave this world. You're someone who's managed to come back!

         ...How did he know she was a doctor? Yes, she had a certain level of cache in the academic world, but how likely was it for someone from this city to be able to recognize her on sight?

         She glances back to the street and begins to run again. She shouldn't have taken off her jacket...but it was ruined by the roots emerging from it, it would have given her away in a second! She would just have to hope this stayed in Paradigm City for the moment. Nobody here should have known who she was, and if worse came to worse, she could just contact her Bionet liason to fix the problem.

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.

        Nunnally smiles, to Dorothy. "Yes," she explains, and she is earnest and frank in her discussion. "My big brother and I love each other a lot, because we're family. We grew up together, and my big brother's always protected me. After something happened, we only really had each other... but then Suzaku came to us, so we weren't alone any more!"

        If it strikes her as a strange thing to explain, she doesn't point it out; she thinks it sounded like a difficult question to ask, so she wants to give it her all.

        She smiles, to Ryoma, too. "Mm! He's really very smart... though he doesn't show it in class a lot of the time. And he's a very fancy guy, so I think a fancy pen will make him happy." She beams, to Kaworu, with more of those metaphorical little daisies tumbling off of her as she adds: "I hope you get to meet him, one day. My big brother is a wonderful person, too." Nunnally... really believes that, from the bottom of her heart. She can detect everyone's lies, except...

        She tilts her head, to Orpheus. "Oh... oh, yes. I'm sorry, I got lost thinking, for a minute... I guess I can be a little strange, sometimes." She is someone who has chosen -- chosen? -- to forget much, in her life. But she is... sensitive. Easily-given to become lost in her connections. It's... probably fine.

        She's relieved to hear Sayoko explain. "Oh, it's just a coincidence... that's good." She considers what would happen if she ever had to run from a police officer. She decides, immediately, that she'd just ask her companions to go on without her. Not that someone like Kallen would ever be in trouble with the law, of course! "I hope it will encourage him," she says, and smiles, thinking of Lelouch again. "You know, the woman said it was a crane's feather. I feel like if my big brother has a crane with him, too... it will help make my wish come true." Sayoko, of course, knows of Nunnally's Very Important Wish; she's the one who gave her the tools she needed to bring it to life, after all.

        Her happy wish is interrupted, though, as her head snaps up. "Look out!" She cries, louder than her meek existence suggests she's capable of, her hands gripping the orb controls of her chair. Her throat draws in a ragged breath, as her upper half sinks back down, into her chair.

        "I'm sorry. I didn't know -- something dangerous has happened -- Sayoko..." It's her maid she turns to for help, feeling utterly helpless as people begin to panic and flee. She can't see them run, can't see where they're running, but... their hearts are beating, so, so loudly.

        She's scared, too, but she won't cry. She's already a burden, all a sudden.

<Pose Tracker> Ryoma Nagare has posed.

As the tree monster attacks, Ryoma is listening to the others respond to him. Kaworu doesn't share his thoughts, so he doesn't react. Instead, his eyes widen - but he won't get to his mech in time. So he does the first thing he can think of.

He gets between the monster and Nunnally (and by definition, the others), and take a fighting stance. It's stupid and foolhardy, because he cannot punch a massive tree, but he will TRY if it comes anywhere near them.

"Get her out of here! Some tree isn't gonna take a girl's smile! This *wave* doesn't need to *crash*!"

Sometimes, gestures are more important than results.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        It will be a date, just like many dates. That's how memories are formed, and how you don't say goodbye.

        You stay in the moment, like the free-form saophone solo, not holding itself to the sequence of memories, becoming something new.

        But like all memories. it has to stop.

        Lucine's eyes widen, warning yellow like the color of a traffic light. Liam will feel her grip on his hand tighten.

        ".... get down."

        It's a useless warning, too softly delivered and only a second before the crisis erupts.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

"Ohhh," Rin tells Kallen. "I never went on anything with Count Starking myself, so I guess that's one up you had on me. Did you get to do anything cool or did you just get parked in the hotel room?"

And then... something creaks... and Rin looks...

And she sees the impossible timelapse tree.

Rin blinks once.

She does a number of things in what seem like well practiced succession. She reaches into her jacket and pulls out a pill bottle, popping it open and taking out a good fingerpinch full of little white pills which she immediately puts in her mouth. The pill bottle is closed and placed away a moment later. She had put her shopping down and now she squats and sweeps it up with one hand --

The other one snatches to grasp Kallen around the upper bicep as she says "C'MON!" and turns abruptly to start running. If necessary Kallen will be PULLED although Rin is confident that her comrade will get her feet under her in a few moments.

Sometimes it just takes a moment to catch on.

"Comin' through! Make way! Don't get in my way or I'll run you down scrub!!" Rin continues as she moves to dart ahead, turning her head every now and again to check on the others -- Nunnally. She has Sayoko, she has C2, she has Nagare, she has that big local guy, but --

As a wise man said, up in the stars: Even so...

<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.

Dorothy smiles, softly, at Nunnally earnestly answering her question. "Thank you. Ah, but I don't have any family, now that my father's gone... But I suppose I understand what you mean, by only having each other to rely on."

Unfortunately, deeper ponderings on matters of the heart will have to wait - Something deeply unsettling is happening. Dorothy scans the crowd, assessing those gathered - Nunnally is obviously at risk, but she has the two women accompanying her to assist her - and an unfamiliar hand, especially a mechanical one, might be distressing rather than helpful in the moment. So she cleanly leaps to the front of Oliver and Laura, who at least are fellow citizens of Paradigm, and holds a hand out to the young blind woman.

"I'll help the two of you get away. You can't give him your present if something happens, isn't that right?"

After Orb, this sort of evacuation work is rather natural to Dorothy - an efficient use of her artificial body. Hopefully the street saxophonist won't be too alarmed by a young woman who can lift two full grown adults and still maintain her full running speed.

For Roger, of course, this sort of calamity has a natural answer. He dashes free of the tailor's, looking for an empty alley himself - Major Dastun was right there on the street, after all - and lifts his watch to make two very important calls. The first --

"Norman. I need you to come by and pick up a dress from this tailor. It looks like there was something to those letters after all."
"Of course, sir."

The other, with a bit of dialing, is a much more well known call - sprinting across blocks beginning to split under questing roots, Roger Smith directs the black Megadeus to the other side of this encroaching plant monster - to hopefully buy time for those on this side to make their escape.

"Big O! It's SHOWTIME!"

<Pose Tracker> Sayoko Shinozaki has posed.

        Sayoko does not feel anything, except for a sudden surge of adrenaline at Nunnally's warning. Of course, it doesn't take her long to notice the source of the disturbance with her finely tuned maid senses. Plus, it's a quickly growing giant tree.

        Sayoko's first instinct is to step between Nunnally and the source of danger. Essentially following Ryoma's actions, though likely closer to Nunnally, herself. Sayoko seems calm though, hands still lightly clasped near her waist. Her voice is also calm as she turns her head towards Nunnally to comfort her, "Not to worry, Miss Nunnally. Thankfully there are plenty of police officers already here. And I'm sure more assistance will be coming. Still-"

        A stray vine whips its way around in their direction. Sayoko's movements are swift, only those who had already been looking in her direction seeing something in the maid's hand slicing through the vine to sever it and send it flopping to the ground. Her hands are then back at her waist again. Without missing a beat, she finishes, to C.C. in particular who is currently handling Nunnally's wheelchair, "-Perhaps we should promptly proceed to safety?"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam drifts away from the others, window-shopping. It's nicer than it used to be, now that he's an adult, and he has money--there isn't that lingering discomfort that comes from merely wanting, and never buying. He's standing outside of a hat store, not far away from the others, when--

        Lucine's hand tightens around his. '.... get down.'

        Liam pulls Lucine close with one arm, and dives for cover. He hits the ground first, grunting as he skids across the sidewalk--but he gets right back up, putting himself between Lucine and the--the tree, the enormous tree. It's grabbing people. "LU!" Liam shouts, "the Dianthus! NOW!" He reaches around to the small of his back. The sheath concealed beneath his coat ejects a combat-knife, hilt-first, into his waiting hand. A root breaks free from the pavement nearby. Liam turns into a blur of black suit and jacket, and there's a horrible CRACK of splintering wood. When he resolves again, the root has been messily severed, pine sap leaking from the wound.

        "GO!" Liam shouts, to a group of fear-paralyzed civilians nearby. "RUN!"

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

"I don't know if it's all that cool really. A lot of what I saw was relating to earlier generation KMF making, and energy production facilities. That city isn't exactly a great tourist attraction, generally speaking, and there's not much in the way of..." She's cut off before she can talk about what a nightmare it was finding places that make food in styles other than Britannian. Not a huge amount of foreign market service at the time she went last, beyond the Britannian versions of a bunch of fast food chains. And that's probably for the best.

Unfortunately the REASON she's cut off, is an explosion of giant tree. So that's not ideal.

Her feet move more quickly than her brain, apparently, because while she stumbles for a second, she's keeping pace with Rin reasonably well after a moment for her body to adjust to the sudden motion. But once her brain does catch up, she... well, thankfully doesn't drop anything. But that aside! Her eyes are glued to the now very loud speed demon pulling her along. "None of them are going to know what a scrub is, you know. I'm not sure video games exist here at all?" ...While a reasonable point, it might be a weird time to bring it up?

She doesn't exactly want to leave it up to everyone else to take care of a clearly panic-stricken Nunna, but... she's not really been given the option here. So, while she glances back in concern, she asks what she thinks is a relevant question. "Where are we... going exactly?" To get what they need to pilot? Or just running for safety. Both reasonable for different reasons, of course.

<Pose Tracker> C.C. has posed.

        It seems unstoppable. Impossible to counter against the primal tide of nature. Growing, growing, growing - like it's sprouting from all the potential that has been lost from Paradigm, an entire society's worth of uprooted natural splendor concentrated in this one seed.

        Its roots are more than capable of entrenching the Big O and Dianthus alike even as they sear and hack away at its tendrils - like battling with a hydra, for each mass cut away, nine more seem to sprout.

        It is some sort of divine catastrophe passing judgment on Paradigm City? Its arbiters may be cast in the name of God - but this...this is a force older than gods. Branches that bloom high enough to crash against the ceiling of the dome.

        C.C., for her part, is...unusually paralyzed. Almost unresponsive for a bit. When events like this happen - well, she's going to die, isn't she? It's painful. It's familiar.

                so just let it happen. fighting just makes it worse

        Her body goes loose, like this is just something she's resolved to wash over her. It's what so many instincts force on her.

        --right until she hears Nunnally's voice.

        Right then and there, her eyes snap back to attention. It's not just her here. Everybody fleeing who can't get up and fight against this sudden travesty, beneath the shadow of heroes who are forcing it in vain. When...

        -when did she start to care about them?

        A deep, determined breath follows C.C. acting at a blitzing speed. Nunnally's immediately pulled from her chair, and anyone who can help is called on to hoist this girl on, but with that momentary fireman's carry, the normally willowy witch seems determined to pull her out of there even if she's going off of sheer fumes. Nothing else matters right now. Nothing else matters now. But these people don't deserve this. This isn't where your fate should end.

        ...Right when it seems most hopeless, though...

        ...it all stops.

        The tree reaches its full height, the one it was always born to reach. And its roots lie still, withdrawing from their frenetic search for grounding and nutrition, anchoring into the soil below. All the decorations from the Heaven's Day festival it sprouted beneath hang on its branches like colossal tinsel.

        From chaos to silence in the blink of an eye...but for the inevitable ensuing chaos of police sirens when they start to dig through the rubble and organize search and rescue teams. A calamity that came as soon as it left...

        Maybe, in its own bizarre way, it was meant to be a 'gift'.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        "Oh, I apologize--I've given the wrong impression. I've met Lelouch Lamperouge. He came to speak with me during the incident in Tsutsujidai last winter," Kaworu clarifies to Nunnally. What that conversation was about, he won't get the chance to extrapolate on, though he doesn't try to, either.
        
        Ryoma gets in between Nunnally and the monstrous tree; Sayoko immediately goes to Nunnally's aid (with a swiftness that Kaworu briefly admires) while C.C. lifts her up out of it entirely. Dorothy, Liam and Lucine, and the military police handle the rest of evacuations... and Roger is nowhere to be seen. Satisfied, Kaworu regards the tree anew. He hasn't shown concern before and he doesn't show concern now. There's something about this behemoth tree that reassures him--yes--
        
        Its growth abruptly ends. And then... it's just a tree. The biggest Heaven's Day tree there could be. Kaworu looks over at Orpheus and smiles, like there was nothing at all to be worried about. Since, apparently, there wasn't.
        
        Then he shuts his eyes and hums a soft rendition of Silent Night.

<Pose Tracker> Roger Smith has posed.

Big O struggles against the beast, until it ceases to be a beast and simply drapes the dome in green.

At one point, a vast black motorcycle roars across the streets, emerging with a gift box - and the startled tailor, herself.

As it comes to a rest, Paradigm's Negotiator slides down to street level on a long cable... strides up, confidently takes the box, and strides up to R. Dorothy Wayneright. He swallows for a moment, and tilts the box towards Dorothy.

"Dorothy. I got you a... birthday present."

"My birthday? It's the same as the original Dorothy's. It's not this month, Roger."

"That's... I... Norman, you--" Nonetheless, Dorothy seizes the moment, thrusting out that small red bag.

"Your Heaven's Day present, Roger Smith."

With a sheepish cough, Roger sighs and takes the gift, passing that festive green box back to the Android... Shrugging and turning to the saxophonist as he returns to Silent Night.

Dorothy carefully sets her present aside, setting it next to the young woman accompanying Paradigm's unluckiest street musician. And then, as she draws herself back to her height, she slowly begins to twirl, letting herself settle into the music, as the cracks in the shattered dome bring down a low dusting of snow, setting the sky glittering under those harsh artificial lights.