2024-01-05: Goragon's Legacy! Planning for the Future!
- Log: 2024-01-05
- Cast: Sayaka Yumi, Boss
- Where: Photon Power Labs, Fujinomiya City
- OOC - IC Date: January 0098
- Summary: Unusually out of Boss Ramen today, Boss rides his motorcycle over to the Photon Power Labs, apparently having business with Doctors Seweshi and Nossori. But before he speaks with them, he runs into Sayaka, and the two catch up on recent events. Apparently, not only does she still have certain hangups with what she experienced in Goragon, Sayaka also welcomed in an enemy of the world, in hopes of providing her with treatment and support.'
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
Even with Mazinger Infinity destroyed and Doctor Hell killed, Sayaka Yumi has quite a lot on her plate this January. The questions about the nature of Infinity have begun to die down after the full press release, but with tensions between the OCU and the Federation, there's a certain amount of maneuvering to be done as a leader of a civilian institution - martial law in Area 11 is deeply concerning.
Her personal life is quite busy, too! There's the endless question of 'will they or won't they' with Koji that Boss has doubtlessly been asking for years now. There's the fact that Lisa is almost certainly their daughter from another reality. And well, Sayaka agreed to help Leina provide help to a known and wanted fugitive who just tried to alter reality last month.
Right now, though, Yuliana wants to be left alone, and so she is, while Sayaka attends to other matters within the Labs. If a visitor just happens to stop by though, it is not as if Sayaka will be way too busy to even talk to them.
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Boss is taking a trip to the PPL! He doesn't come here as often as he used to, now that he's so often running his self-titled Ramen restaurant, but he's having Nuke and Mucha take charge for the day. (Nuke responded to this with a cheerful thumbs-up, while Mucha made a motion that definitely seems like a wink, even if there's not actually much eye movement going on.) He's here looking for two specific people, but happens upon someone else first... and he's always been able to make time for friendly conversation.
"Sayaka!" He greets her with a big grin. "Or Director Yumi, I should say, seeing as you're running the place. You've got a lot of restraint, not calling it 'Sayaka Labs'", he says with a chuckle. He'll ask about his reason for the visit in a minute, but Boss never skimps on the greetings.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
As it happens, a visitor does show up, and it's one that Sayaka certainly does not have any problems making time for. Especially after they just called him in for a favour during the Fujinomiya Crisis.
"Boss! You know, I thought I heard the sound of an overtuned motorcycle outside my window..." Sayaka returns the greeting with a smile of her own. "Trust me. It takes a lot of restraint to run this place, and I'm not just talking about the name." She gestures to all the paperwork in front of her... and then promptly shoves it away and out of sight.
"So, what brings you out today Boss?" She asks, curious - it's not every day you see the guy outside his prized ramen shop building. "Just visiting? Afraid Koji's out right now, else I'm sure he'd drop everything to catch up." She stands up from her desk, anyway. "Hey, if you're all the way out, if you have some time, want to talk anyway? ...A lot's happening and I think your take might actually be helpful." She asks, tone a lot more serious.
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Boss's own tone takes on mock irritation as he protests; "Hey, my motorcycle's tuned just the way I like it! Just because I'm not part of a gang anymore doesn't mean I don't have my pride!" It quickly calms, though, and he responds; "Yeah, I'll bet. All for a good cause, though, right? Every step you take's for a better future. And it seems like you've been taking a lot of steps, saving the world again and all! Of course, there's one step he'd quite like Sayaka and Koji to take but he's confident recent events will finally be the push they need.
On the topic of Koji, Boss gives a little smirk. "I'll bet he would! But I'm actually here for someone else I'm in no rush, though, if you want to do some catching up of your own." And as Sayaka concludes, Boss will happily oblige. "Anything for one of my esteemed customers!" he says with a little of his usual bravado, but soon his tone drops too. "Something got you down?"
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
"Some things just never change, do they..." Sayaka grins, at Boss's joking claim that he still has his pride. "Well, not like I have any room to judge, really. Sometimes it can be nice to take Scarlet Mobile out for a ride, feel the wind against my hair and everything." She pauses, and blinks. "With a helmet, of course."
"That's what I like to think, at least." She says, of taking steps to a better future. "Thankfully, we didn't need to 'save the world' on our own this time, right?" She's thankful for the amount of allies they had against Infinity, and... "I hope your little generator didn't get too roughed up while distracting the kikaiju."
"Someone else, hmm?" She asks, partially curious. "Unfortunately, Tetsuya's out, so you're out of luck there, too." She grins. "Soon, though... we should all meet at Boss Ramen. When's the last time you saw baby Gai, anyway?"
Boss agrees to stick around and spend some time, though, so Sayaka seriously nods. "Okay. Why don't we take this to my office. There's some things you should know... about Goragon, and related events." She will lead Boss to her office, and the sign outside will helpfully inform others that she is occupied.
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Boss scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "You know, I always thought I'd have a tough time convincing Nuke and Mucha that we should start using helmets one day... turns out they'd been waiting for me to do it so they could finally wear them too. Not my finest moment as a leader... but these day's we're all safety-first! Gotta set a good example, and all.
"You know you can always count on us if you need us!" Boss looks very pleased with himself for his contributions of Being A Big Shiny Target, but let him have this. "Old Boss Borot got banged up for sure, but it's been through worse scrapes before. I'm more lucky that me and my boys still remember how to repair it! Lucky we had Sewashi and Nossori to help us with the Photon Power." Which brings him to... "Actually, they're who I came here to see. After the fight, I was wondering about that 3D Printer they used to fight with us. It's incredible technology, but it'd be a shame if all it ever made was weapons, you know? I'm curious what else it can do." Here he puts up his arms as if in surrender; "and maybe I'm a little curious if it could give Borot a small tune-up. But I swear, you could have your best security look me over, I don't have any bad disguises or toy weapons! I believe in asking politely, these days." He thinks back to Borot's creation. With one less of the professors now than there used to be, the memory's a little bittersweet... but Boss's processed that in his own time. Before moving on, he asides: "I think it's been a couple months since I've seen little Gai. One day, he's going to be old enough to try Boss Ramen for the first time... but that day's a ways off! I've got to make sure I keep in practice 'till it comes."
Boss has certainly spent some time wondering how their old enemy Dr. Hell and his minions could've come back, but first and foremost he wants to help out his friends however he can. "Even after all the times we've beaten him, Dr. Hell never stops causing us trouble, huh? I'll give you the best advice I can manage." He follows Sayaka to her office and gives a small nod once he's seated. "So, what's going on?"
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
Sayaka gives Boss's little anecdote about wearing helmets a good chuckles. "Besides... you get to have stylish matching helmets, right?" OK, stylish might be a stretch. But she's sure they match.
She is certainly willing enough to 'let Boss have this', not that she even wants to imagine what "repairing" a machine that's literally made out of scrap would look like. "Oh so that's it," She nods, when Boss brings up the Printer. No, Leina definitely did NOT bring up using it to potentially replicate Yuliana's cells so they can understand how her power came to be without doing a science crime! "We, well... might need it soon but I can definitely get you in touch with the doctors." She nods. "You are correct that a lot can be done with it outside the realm of weaponry. It's somewhat of a trump card for us."
And Boss reveals his truest intentions: giving Boss Borot a touch-up?! "Huh. Are you looking to upsize Boss Ramen? I can see why you would need a bigger generator for that..." Sayaka considers. "I think they're already hard at work with Mazinger Z. It was absolutely totalled after the battle, you know..." She explains. "But perhaps they will be willing to hear you out as long as you don't- yes. That." Rest in peace, Doctor Morimori.
"Might be sooner than you think. He's a toddler already, if you can believe it. And you best be ready... because the son of a beefcake like Tetsuya Tsurugi is going to have a truly monstrous appetite." She chuckles.
"With the power of Goragon sealed, I think we can be sure it'll be the last time." She nods about Dr. Hell. "But it's not him I'm worried about right now. I know you've seen Lisa before. And... Goragon kind of showed us an infinite amount of possibilities, with the touch of a hand." Was Boss in the effect range of that? She's not sure. "Turns out Lisa came from a possibility where she was, well. My daughter. With... with Koji of all people." What do you mean 'of all people'? "When she was gone it was genuinely like mourning a child. She's back now, but I kind of don't know what to make of that, still." She admits. Yeah, she just dumps the whole thing on Boss. It's like his unsaid job title at Boss Ramen after all, and she trusts him with this.
"You were there, actually, in another possibility. Pretty much the same guy if you were wondering. But someone else was there, too. Do you remember Private Dispersal from the Mycanae War? Kafim now - she's married. Yeah... she was there, too. She helped us fight Dr. Hell." Boss might have opinions about her crimes that were all over the news, or maybe he missed that the North Pole is green, but Sayaka brings her up for a reason.
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
"We've got a couple sets, actually! Depends on how we're feeling that day." By this, he means they have one set they use normally, and a set painted to look like Robot Jr. when they go visit Shiro. It's very cute. "I don't mind waiting my turn if I've gotta. I'm lucky I even have the chance at a turn, honestly!" As for why he wants one... "I'm pretty happy with the place as it is. We make a living, and we love what we do. I just want to make sure Borot's in shape in case we're ever needed again." Going out in battle after so long has Boss thinking over his own retirement from piloting... but he'd need a long talk with Nuke and Mucha before he makes any commitments about that. For now, he just wants to make sure he can be counted on in another emergency. "I know a 'just in case' like that isn't a top priority next to Mazinger Z. Honestly, I'd be happy letting Borot rest as a generator forever if it meant there wasn't anybody to fight with it. But if the people need protecting again... well, I'm sure you can sympathize, coming all the way out of retirement from fighting and back into Aphrodite. I don't know whether I'd go that far, but it might be good to keep the possibility open, even if it turns out we never need it."
As it happens, Boss will be hearing a lot about possibility very shortly. Also about Gai, to which he quips "we might need to set him a limit!", but mostly possibility.
He listens attentively as Sayaka begins explaining Goragon. He might've felt a little strange at the time, but he must've dismissed them as ordinary nerves. "Infinite? I've heard a lot of people's stories while serving them, but this sounds like it's on a whole other level. And to have to handle that all in a moment, during a fight... no wonder you've got a lot on your mind." He shakes his head just thinking about it. He has Thoughts about "of all people", but he'll hold his tongue on that. After taking a moment to process the very idea of "seeing other possibilities", he says "I can only imagine. You've known Koji a really long time, and it was obvious you cared a lot about Lisa. To have your understanding of those relationships suddenly and forcefully changed, and then have to handle a loss right away... I don't think I'd wish that on anyone. It's a good thing she's back, but that doesn't change what you had to go through. Sometimes it seems weird to be sad even though things look like they're fine now, but you've got to give yourself time to handle it just like anything else." Boss, for his part, wonders what this means for Lisa and Koji, but he puts that aside for now. Right now, he's listening to Sayaka, and he'll do the best he can for her.
He questions, briefly, if it's a good thing or a bad thing that even Goragon sees him being so similar, but he doesn't have long to think about that before he hears Private Dispersal's name. "Yuliana? I could never forget my sworn ally! She came to Boss Ramen around a year ago, and we had a nice talk. Helping show Hell who's boss is a cause I can always get behind, but... I've heard her name recently, and not in places or ways I'm happy to hear. Do you know what's going on with her?" Boss has a good memory for people's good deeds, and he wants to see the best in people, but even he can't help but be concerned for her.
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
It is very cute, that the Borot Crew still remember old Robot Junior. Shiro might have a snazzy Ichinana Custom now, but even all the way back then he wanted to help out....
"I was going to say... I'm pretty sure Boss Ramen is basically perfect the way it is. Which must mean the touch-ups are for another reason, hmm?" She lets Boss explain for himself. "It's a tough choice, whether to dedicate your entire life to peace or to fight when people need it the most. Honestly, I always envied that you seemed to have it all figured out way before me." She admits. "But I won't turn you down... on one condition." She points a finger, for emphasis. "You have to make that thing remotely safe for the three of you to pilot. Open-aired cockpit and yet you guys only seemed to suffer the most minor of injuries." She assumes safety is the nature of the touch-ups, but she had to put it out there. "Even Aphrodite Areia isn't a total death-trap!" Unlike her predecessors.
But now they're on to what Goragon is, and she lets Boss process the idea of it. "Yeah. It's really hard to explain unless you've seen it. Each one was condensed into a single word, but I think that was just Lisa's way of helping us understand it." She explains. "For example, it was the possibility of 'Love' that let us escape Goragon and fight Infinity head-on. But that was also the possibility that Lisa, well... chose." The possibility that Sayaka desperately wants, not in an imaginary realm of possibilities, but here in this one.
But... she listens to what Boss has to say. It's good advice. "Strange not to listen to you say all this between bites of gyoza. But... thanks. I think Lisa still doesn't really understand the extent of the scare she gave us, honestly... but I don't blame her. She's still just a kid, right?" She smiles, and then sighs. "But I know this probably won't be solved by just... bottling it up and doing nothing. Just wish I knew what it takes... I still don't really 'get it'."
Boss sees Yuliana as a sworn ally... that's not surprising, actually. Even back then, Boss related to people pretty well. But it seems he has heard the North Pole is green. "It's... it's a long story. But I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't ready to go into it." She takes a deep breath. "It's her wife, or more precisely, the greater being that her wife is a 'piece' of that's getting her to do this." She explains. "Yuliana wields a certain power to sever reality in favour of another called the Void, which she obtained thanks to experimentation from the REA. We still don't know why it has to be her, but... the Empress within the Void is willing to use Yuliana to open a gate to flood the Void into reality. The problem is that it's almost certain that doing this would kill her. Elisa herself disagrees, but her greater self keeps going further and further, hurting Yuliana."
"There's a lot more to it, but... a lot of it is quite sensitive. But Leina and Judau really want to help her, and they got in touch with me for it." She explains. "You could probably meet with her if she agrees to it, but I won't tell you that you should or shouldn't."
<Pose Tracker> Boss has posed.
Boss is briefly tempted to joke about an emphasis on 'Remotely', but the truth is he wants to make it safer too. He's remarkably fearless about going into combat - maybe a little too much...? But he'd hate to see Nuke or Mucha hurt. He puts a hand over his heart, and swears "you've got a deal. I promise I'll ask about that glass they use for the Pilders." He lets Sayaka elaborate about Goragon. "Well, if 'Love' is the word that represents this possibility, I think two things are clear. The first is that you've got to protect that love with everything you've got. But the second is that you should let yourself rely on it. It sounds like this "Goragon" shoved all these feelings at you in bad circumstances, but also that you really believe in them, right? Now, I'm not saying you should-" Boss almost finishes by saying "propose on the spot", but he decides it's a little too direct in the current conversation. "-not saying you should do anything drastic right away. Going through everything you've talked about is gonna have taken a toll on you, and for all I know Dr. Hell scrambled some emotions just to be a jerk. But 'love' isn't just about the big things. Spend time with the people you care about. Lisa might not know how you felt when she was gone, but she'll be able to feel how you feel with her there. Way I see it, you don't need to look for a key to fit into a lock of your feelings, but processing them together is a long way from "doing nothing."
Boss will find that his concerns for Yuliana do not diminish. "...Damn. I don't know anything about her wife, let alone this 'greater being', she's apparently part of, but it sounds like someone's taking advantage of Yuliana." He doesn't know the specifics of what the REA did to her, but the mention of "experimentation" doesn't sit right with him. "'Flooding the Void into reality' sounds like a bad sign to me, too." Boss thinks back to the news reports of the North Pole: he didn't see them live, but he's had a few customers talk about it, and he knew he had to look into it at least a little as soon as he heard Yuliana's name. "Definitely seems like this isn't a problem you can Rocket Punch through. When you say "getting her" to do this, what do you mean? Is the 'Empress' forcing her to do it, or did she convince her to? Yuliana's always had a habit of pushing herself... I found myself admiring her tenacity a lot, but it'd be terrible if someone was using that against her."
Ultimately, for as much as he'd like to have an answer for this right away, there's too much Boss doesn't know right now. "Her wife wanting to help her is a good sign, but I don't know how much power she and this Empress have over each other. It'd be great if you could just convince the Empress to stop... but if she's willing to kill Yuliana, you can't assume that that's going to work." Boss, for all his composure, flinches a little at the prospect of saying "kill Yuliana." It's not an easy thing for him to say. Sayaka mentions Leina and Judau, and brings up the idea of Boss meeting with her himself. "Well, it's good that she's got people who want to help. I trust Leina and Judau to do the best they can. Still, if there's anything I can do to help, I'm willing. I can't just leave her at a time like this." Boss does not ask if it's safe to meet her - he accepts that, if there's some risk, it's worth it to help his old friend. Instead, his last question is "if you know enough to say, do you think she'd be more comfortable meeting one person or a group? Nuke and Mucha know her, too, and I'm sure they'd be willing to help, but I know it can be a little much to talk to more than one person sometimes." Either way that Sayaka responds, Boss concludes, "got it. Put me in touch with whoever you need to. If she says yes, I'll keep Boss Ramen open after hours for her."
<Pose Tracker> Sayaka Yumi has posed.
They got a deal about the Borot touch ups, and Sayaka is pleased that Boss's safety-first policy doesn't just extend to helmets. But having opened those cans of worms, there's still a fair bit to discuss...
"To protect that love with everything I've got... and let myself rely on it. All right." She nods, considering what that might entail for her specifically. "Oh, Boss..." She interjects, "...you must have people come to you about relationship troubles all the time." Sayaka chuckles, because at the core of it, that's kind of what this is right now. And it's really embarrassing? "Anyway... I'll keep that in mind. I mean, it's not like Koji and Lisa aren't important to me. Of course we protect and rely on each other all the time, but..." She feels far less like something's missing when it comes to Koji, but the advice that the smaller stuff is important too seems to help. "Not a bad idea... I think Lisa has exams sometime this month, so maybe I can help her prepare for them? The young lady did miss several weeks of school." Sayaka shakes her head, but smiles.
But Yuliana's situation is a complex topic in its own right, too. "I think you're on the money about that." Sayaka agrees, about Yuliana being exploited. "The Empress is... no one can really communicate with her on a regular basis except for Yuliana herself. She appears to her through dreams or something like that. Elisa can, but it takes a major toll on her. Which means Rocket Punches are indeed out of the question." She crosses her arms. "The Empress's goal seems to be to reunite herself, but she can't do that without Yuliana's death. Elisa wants to find another way... but I can't help but wish Yuliana never had to be involved with all this in the first place."
"It would be great, wouldn't it? But the Empress only seems to understand human emotion to a certain extent... and Yuliana trying to convince the Empress away from her current course puts her at an inherent risk. Which means we have to be more subtle. Leina's trying the REA for information on what they did to her, and we're trying to research the connection between Yuliana, her ancestors, and the Void. And at the same time, this has become a safe space for her to talk about her experiences. It's the most we can really do without direct access to the Empress."
But Boss doesn't seem to worry about the risks of conversing with what the REA and other nations have deemed a dangerous criminal against reality. "I think just yourself would be for the best. I don't think she'll try to hurt anyone as long as she's here, but because of her past experiences, she can often feel threatened. I think she might feel less worried if it was one person instead of a group." Sayaka explains, carefully. Even with just her and Leina, that was the case. "She might lash out or take things personally that you didn't mean, but I think you're mature enough to know what to do when you see that sort of thing, honestly." She brushes some papers off, and stands up, then at Boss's conclusion.
"Still, I'm not going to keep you forever, Boss. I didn't forget you came here for a reason, and Doctors Seweshi and Nossori should be ready to see you. But... thanks for stopping by. Give Nuke and Mucha my best, all right?"