2023-12-15: Home ~FAMILY~
- Log: 2023-12-15: Home ~FAMILY~
- Cast: Mikoto Utsugi, Renais Cardiff, Alouette Pommier, Guy Shishioh
- Where: Division Train, Jupiter
- OOC - IC Date: 11 December, 0097
- Summary: Mikoto Utsugi is welcomed home by Guy, Alouette and Renais- three people who have waited far too long to see her again.
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
Even though Mikoto had been purified, there were protocols to be followed. Namely, medical protocols- after all, the last time Mikoto did an unaided jump through vacuum, she needed the Manage Machine.
This time, things were not so dire- and the medical check was over with quickly. She still needed some rest- but by this point 3G had the technique down, and Mikoto's Semi-Evoluder biology obviated even some of the need for that.
But that didn't mean people weren't waiting for her.
As soon as the medical checkup was complete, the message was sent through-
Mikoto Utsugi is ready to receive visitors.
In her medbay bed- she's still being observed a little longer, just in case- Mikoto placed the now empty tray of food on her bedside table. How long had it been since she'd enjoyed a meal? It kind of felt like food wasn't much of a concern under the power of Triple Zero...
Still, she's not going to have much time to dwell on it right now, is she?
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais Cardiff is stuck recuperating as well; multiple consecutive uses of Hell & Heaven can do that to a girl. She's well enough to walk around, and being a cyborg, she's easy to remotely monitor--but, as she enters Mikoto's room, she's wheeling an IV stand laden with three bags, tubes running through the collar of her gown to--presumably--the ports on her shoulder.
She looks tired... but she's smiling. Mikoto's seen her smile a few times, but... never so genuinely, never so warmly. "Content de te revoir, madamoiselle Utsugi."
Welcome back.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette fought her absolute hardest to bring back Mikoto - they all did. And... they did it. In those days while they waited for Mikoto to recover, Alouette seemed to carry herself with a renewed calm, as if she was finally at peace with something. Their mission isn't over... but in many ways, Alouette already accomplished what she set out for.
But when she got the message that was Mikoto was ready to see visitors, when she followed Renais and Guy into the room, she couldn't hold her tears back anymore. There's no reason to hide them... as they are tears of joy. The very same tears Guy saw during their own reunion.
Mikoto..." She regards her with an intense, yet warm gaze. And Mikoto might notice that she wears a uniform much like her own. "Welcome home." She's been waiting to say those words for so long.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Of course, Guy Shishioh can't be on break. Even with the battle over...there's so much to do and think about. The old GGG has been purified, but the final battle's still to come. Galeon needs to be serviced, the GaoMachines assessed and decontaminated. There's the final push to plan for with Shigeru and Yang. Not to mention Yapool, the devil that's haunting them all, and the lurking final words of ChuuRyu...that thing has a pilot. It should all rattle in his head.
But of course, there's barely anything in his head right now. Guy's spent the last few days uncoiling from two years of tension, and when the news comes through, he's there right away with the biggest smile he's worn in years when the door opens onto Mikoto's room. He steps purposefully forward, taking his place at Mikoto's bedside, taking some seconds to calm his childlike expression to something more measured and warm. "Mikoto...welcome back," he affirms.
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
As the trio enter the room, Mikoto looks up at them. The three people who fought hardest for her. She looks at them all, with eyes unclouded.
Renais, tired and exhausted, but smiling from her heart- and without her cooling coat.
Alouette, in her 3G uniform, tears in her eyes- and looking stronger and prouder than the time they spoke in person.
And Guy... Her King of Braves himself, the one she wanted to see again more than anything.
Mikoto's not able to push back her own tears, seeing them again. She smiles, wide and bright despite them. "Thank you, all of you. It's so good to be back."
And that's about as much decorum as she can manage, because as soon as Guy is in range, Mikoto wraps her arms around him as tight as she can. "I missed you so... so much!" She says, blubbering slightly. And yet, even as she grabs onto Guy, she looks over his shoulder at Alouette and Renais and... nods. An invitation.
Her smile never fades, as she speaks to Alouette. "I'm glad you could show me... You've really grown so big since then..." Mikoto... is that the phrasing you meant...?
Then she realises that Renais is missing her cooling coat and- "Renais? Are you okay like that?" It's not... the setup she remembers. "Have they got better cooling in here...? It's not that cold, is it?"
Mikoto, is this really the moment?
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais' smile only grows as she watches Alouette and Guy slip in alongside her. And... her eyes start to water as the happy couple hug, though she tries to blink the tears away.
She laughs to the question to Alouette, and... looks at herself when Mikoto asks about her own attire, cheeks flushing faintly. "I'm fine," she confirms. Making sure the glove on her right hand is secure, she takes the cue and moves in for a hug. She's abnormally warm... but not hot. Not like she was before.
"It's the bodysuit," she explains. "A gift from the Photon Power Labs. It's... well, it's helped a lot. Next time I come by, I'll have to show you my uniform... and maybe the rest of my wardrobe too, when we get back to Earth." Renais winks at Mikoto and lets the others talk--she doesn't want start gushing.
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Seeing Mikoto smile with those tears in her eyes... it only gives Alouette a wide, joyful smile of her own. There's a lot of work to be done, but... they can have this day. And Alouette wouldn't miss it for anything.
She giggles when Mikoto immediately goes for the affectionate bomb on sight of Guy, and also gushes a little about how adorable it is. A hug both Mikoto and Guy longed for all this time... she couldn't be happier for the both of them.
Mikoto turns her attention towards Alouette then, and Alouette eagerly waits to hear what Mikoto has to say. Only to spare a glance towards Guy.
"Mikoto, would you believe it? If I told you that's the exact same thing Guy said?" She asks, not able to spare some red in her cheeks. "Geez... you know, I thought another lady might have a little more tact about it!" She adds, playfully accusatory. "But honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way." She concludes, with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Renais has a very nice sense of fashion." Alouette nods, when the discussion comes to the bodysuit. "Now that we're all together again, maybe we can go shopping together when we get back to Earth." She suggests.
And when she's motioned to, she's quick to join Renais in turning that hug into a group hug. And it's warm, but not too hot. "I'm just so happy..." She says, even as her face is buried into Mikoto's shoulder. "...that it turned out this way."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy emits a slightly surprised "Whoa!" as Mikoto wraps around him, and he obligingly sits as near as possible to make it easier. He matches the motion, throwing his arms around her. It's automatic; immediate. God.
...God, she's here. He holds her tight as he dares. "Yeah," he says. "I missed you too, Mikoto. More than I ever dreamed."
He pulls back enough to flash her his big grin, then shifts so he can address the other two, releasing one arm but holding the other around Mikoto's back as support. "Koji and Sayaka have been real busy," he says, of Renais' bodysuit. The stuff they're doing with Photon Power these days makes the days of the Mycenae invasion look like child's play."
He does blush at the ears at Alouette's playful rebuke. "I'm afraid she's a teenager now," he teases her back by addressing Mikoto. "I don't know which end is up anymore."
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
The fact that Renais is able to join the hug is a surprise- but not an unpleasant one. Hotter than a normal person- but not the burns Mikoto sustained when she tried to shake her hand- or when she pulled her out of Pilnus' grasp. "Ah-" Now it's doable, she moves her arm to wrap around Renais. It's something she never would have imagined possible... And she giggles at it. "I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to hug my future cousin-in-law."
No Guy, she has not forgotten getting your mother's blessing.
"E-eh?" Guy said the same thing? She turns her gaze to Guy for just a second before she gets the playful accusation- "Oh, I-" Only for Alouette to defuse the situation in a moment. A far cry from the little girl in her memories...
"...I'd like that a lot." She says, a little more gently than she expected. "We've got a lot of time to make up for." But when Alouette joins the hug, burying herself into Mikoto's shoulder... well, she gets held tightly too. "...Me too. I'm so glad I get to see you all grown up.
As Guy wraps his arm around her back, Mikoto leans her own head against his shoulder. Even though it's been so long- it feels like nothing has changed. Now they're together again, they're picking up exactly where they left off. "I'm sorry for making you wait." She says, quietly.
"Oh? Did they finally get together? Did I miss the wedding? Do they-" But the mention of the Photon Power makes her pause. "Oh, you mean. Like that." She blushes, a little embarrassed. "I mean... they were always going to be something big, weren't they?"
Mikoto laughs. "Well, even I can tell that much." She says, her gaze turning back to Alouette. "I want to hear all about it. Everything I missed."
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
Renais laughs softly, brushing off the compliment. "I'm not sure I'd say that much... I just want to look cute. And now I'm counting my blessings that I never said that to her, too."
She gives Mikoto a squeeze, smiling wider. "I never thought so, either. You have no idea how lovely it's been to... to be able to touch people." She pulls her arm around Alouette and Guy, too.
"As for Alouette... I think I might be a bit better equipped than you for that kind of thing, Shishioh." She gives him a grin. "Sayaka and Koji are good people... and so is Sayla. I wouldn't be where I am right now without them."
"Or you. Especially you, Mikoto... I know I've said it before, but... thank you again. For saving me." She's quiet briefly. "... I suppose I owe all three of you my life at this point, don't I?"
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
'Future Cousin-in-law', Mikoto says about Renais. "Oh, you two already have it all figured out, huh?" Alouette asks, with the slightest of teasing tone, for both Mikoto and Guy. "I'm looking forward to the wedding~"
Alouette laughs a little at Mikoto's confused reaction to her teasing, and at Guy's counter-teasing. "It's true... at least I can count on Renais to even know things like who the Galactic Fairy is." Alouette concludes with a wink.
"...But still, even if we missed so much, all the time we can have together is more precious than anything." She concludes with warmth and a heartfelt smile, as she lets Guy hold Mikoto tighter.
Mikoto wants to hear it all, everything she missed. Gosh... where does she even start? "Well... it wasn't just me who signed up for Mobile Corps to follow in your footsteps." She starts. "Hana Hatsuno is here, too, and we were even able to become friends this time." She reports, with a hint of pride.
"Actually... we found your Program Drive technique on video, but shamefully, neither of us were able to match it. So all this time, we've been wondering... what's your secret?" It feels so nice to get to talk about even small things like that.
And when Renais quietly Mikoto for saving her, Alouette nods quietly, too. "Mm... I never got the chance to say it to you, Mikoto, but I feel exactly the same. Even if it was only for such a short time... I'm glad it was the three of you that I met."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy laughs with the most ease anyone's seen from him and firms up his grip to hold Mikoto near, smiling big. "I'd wait forever," he assures her. "But...it is good to have you here." Two years of sorrow and pain for both of them...but that's behind them now. They're together again.
Then he snickers at the notion of Koji getting married. "If you don't look closely you wouldn't even know they're interested in each other. Koji's gonna have to step up soon. ...Tetsuya, though, is a father now. We'll have to bring you to see him and Jun and the baby as soon as we can, huh?"
Guy smiles like the sun when Mikoto calls Renais her own future cousin-in law, and not even Alouette's tease can turn it down below a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "We promised...once things were over. Once there was peace from the Trinary Solar System and the world didn't need GaoGaiGar anymore. That..." He glances at Mikoto, with a crooked look. "We might have to think about that one," he admits. It seems like a fight that won't ever end, sometimes.
Hana's here. Guy shakes his head ruefully. "Mamoru's back on Earth. Someone's got to hold down the fort. I can't wait for you to meet him, he's...exactly the same. It's amazing."
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
Renais having so many more people to feel grateful for is noticed. She remembers when Renais was so distant, when the only person even able to get close to her was J. "...You've really changed a lot since you got purified... I'm happy for you, Renais."
Guy says he'd wait forever, and Mikoto smiles. "I know you would. But... I think we've done enough waiting, don't you?"
Mikoto blushes a little, but smiles. "Well. You saved me too. It's what friends do, isn't it?" After all, who in this room doesn't owe the others their life, at this point?
Now THAT surprises Mikoto. "Tetsuya and Jun, really? I never expected they'd settle down..." Stiil, the talk of a baby to see does make her smile a little. "Well it's about time someone we know did."
Mikoto nods enthusiastically at Alouette's gentle teasing. "Well, I mean..." But Guy steps in, confirming the plans are still on. "...Yeah." That's a deeper conversation than right now. "We've still got to save Galeon, don't we? He should be there too."
She blinks then, at the mention of Hana. "Really? Mamoru's friend...?" That's honestly a bit unexpected. "So you're both here..." ...And then she's asked her secret of the program drive. "Ah! That's..." She leans away from Guy's shoulder to whisper conspiratorially to Alouette. "When I first was doing the physicals to pass for 3G, I actually did a lot of weight training. I needed to make sure I could activate the Program Drive without any lost time." It's a pity both of the other people in the room have *excellent* hearing.
"I can show you my old routine, if you like, but I don't need it so much now I'm a Semi-Evoluder."
Mikoto smiles as Guy mentions Mamoru. "I see... we knew he was fighting, but I guess someone had to look after Earth." She pauses. "Wait, really? I'd have thought after seeing how pretty Kaidou-kun grew up to be, Mamoru would have gotten handsome too."
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
"Honestly, I'd be surprised if they *didn't* get married," Renais asides to Alouette. "Oh, speaking of which, I hope she tours again soon. I think I'd like to go to one of her shows..." And she nods. "We're all here now, and that's what matters."
"Well, Mamoru's bigger than he was, but it's more like... they stretched him out. He's just bigger now. And she's not his *friend*. As far as those two are concerned, they're married." She chuckles. "Honestly, for a ceremony they had when they were little kids... it's sweet that they take it so seriously."
She whistles, very quietly, as she overhears Mikoto's explanation. To Guy, she says, "She really is dedicated, isn't she? Mn... you two are lucky to have each other, you know."
She remembers Kaworu's advice, and speaks up. "And Mikoto? Speaking as a fellow victim... I want to tell you that whatever you're feeling about all of this, about Triple Zero... you can talk to me. I've had to struggle with the same feelings."
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
"You're probably right," Alouette nods to Renais about it being surprising if they didn't get married. "I mean... I think overcoming the universe itself standing between you is enough!" She laughs, quietly. "Whatever you decide... I hope you both prioritize your happiness over anything else. You deserve it."
As for Galeon, she nods, seriously. "Yeah... and whoever else is in there, too." She hasn't forgotten ChuuRyuu's warning.
But she's content on focusing on happier things, just for today. "If she does go on tour, I might just have the connections to get us the tickets." She asides to Renais, with a wink. She does want to visit Sheryl again when they get back to the Earth Sphere...
And finally... Mikoto's secret! "Ahaha... maybe I should've figured it was exercise all along." She whispers back. "I used the skills I picked up from dance and fencing to make it work... but it takes a lot of energy. And Hana-chan? She just two hands it! It's kind of cute. Still... I'd love to learn from you." She concludes, raising an eyebrow at Renais's whistle. It's fine... there aren't truly any real secrets between them at this point.
Guy brings up Mamoru, and how he really hasn't changed much at all. "No kidding... I thought he was a kid when we first met. But you're definitely not wrong about Kaidou..." Alouette raises, with a slight giggle. "Mamoru's very reliable, though. He's the Captain for a reason." And Renais brings up his 'marriage' with Hana. "Honestly still having a hard time believing that one ever since Leina told me about it." She admits. "I guess it's a 'you have to see it to believe it' kind of situation. They are a pretty cute couple, though."
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
"We have," Guy says, with total commitment. "I've waited plenty. Soon, we'll have Galeon back, too." He really believes it. Everyone's with him and Mikoto's returned to his arms. Nothing can stop him now.
"Hana's cousin, too, actually. She married Ushiyama."
He teases by letting her sit in the obvious problem of there being four of those before clarifying, "Tsuguo." The second son. Dude into guns and camouflage.
Guy nods firmly to Renais' assessment. "He's two feet taller and that's about it. Sweetest guy I know. I'm so glad he could keep that smile of his."
Guy chuckles fondly at both Mikoto's secret and Renais' commentary. "Darn right," he agrees. And: "Yeah. We have to get Galeon home so we can send the one we're using now back to the past, too. This isn't over. But we can relax for a bit."
As for Mamoru's wedding, Guy laughs out loud at that! "Oh, it was adorable. We were all still wrung out from the end of the fighting when he was already flying off, but Hana wouldn't let him go without it. They took it so seriously, and they still do."