2024-10-28: No Imposition
- Log: 2024-10-28- No Imposition
- Cast: Neon Genesis Junior High Students, Akane Shinjo, Rikka Takarada
- Where: Nouvelle Tokyo - Takarada-Shinjo Household
- OOC - IC Date: 0099-10-28
- Summary: Sam and Max (not those ones) stop by a small apartment in Tokyo to trade intelligence with two of 3G Red's higher-ups. Or, more succinctly: two groups of two catch up with each other over dinner.
<Pose Tracker> Neon Genesis Junior High Students has posed.
A tall, bulky (armored), well-dressed yet mildly-mannered individual made their away across a hallway with a gait more certain than they had a couple weeks ago - being sure of where they were going without having to ask for directions or a check a map made wonders to how long it took for them to get to this exact place. 'Them', as behind the gentle giant was a person that while not as tall, happened to be even wider.... when accounting for the three massive swords hanging behind him.
The rough-looking and armed man spoke with a slow tongue. "Ho.... Hopefully we can get up to s- speed this time." Samurai Calibur said while looking at the distance, in the direction they knew a massive Kaiju was supposed to be (even if he couldn't quite see it from there, man just had a really good sense of spatial direction).
"Couldn't be helped, we also had a lot of updates to give on our end, and our current situation is both delicate but also a powder keg with clearly lit fuse. It was only fair to give Miss Takarada time to think about it. And also update Miss Shinjo, who wasn't present."
"I- I'm not blaming, the situation... just makes me... unusually tense." Perhaps a bit uncharacteristic of Samurai Calibur, but also affirming the strangeness of the situation. Both inside and outside.
"It's no less an unknown than it was last time. We'll just keep going to the best of our abilities." That small exchange was enough to have the absolutely inconspicuously dressed duo to arrive at their destination - once again the residence of Akane and Rikka, Gridman Alliance members and collaborators. Knocking mutely at the door with enough precision that, to the best of his ability, sound only reverberates inside so as to not disturb any neighbors, Max let his presence known. "Miss Takarada, Miss Shinjo. Samurai Calibur and I have come to impose on you with another visit as arranged."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Entertaining, for Akane, virtually always means food, and that means cooking; Monday is a light day for her (no conventional lecture classes, just due dates for a remote course) so she's got plenty of time to spend much of the day doing that. Knowing that it's Max and Calibur means that she's cooking big. It's the first time she's had the opportunity to go big and heavy in a while, in fact.
Tonight's dinner, accordingly, is gyudon! She's putting the finishing touches on four bowls -- two soup bowl-sized, one pasta bowl-sized, and one serving-bowl-sized -- of the stuff, plopping a poached egg and sprinkling a little extra soy sauce over each. She brings each out to their living room table, putting one on each side of it.
Finally, she unties her hair tie, letting her dark brown locks tumble freely. "Just a second!" Akane calls to the knock, before asking, "Rikka, can you get the door? I wanna get our drinks set out."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Now that they're able to keep in touch more effectively, they can plan ahead of time for their friends' arrival. Akane's done the cooking, and while Rikka has helped out a little bit where she can, most of her focus was on cleaning up and getting the space ready for their arrival.
Fortunately, their arrival is punctual - neither early or too late.
Akane calls to the door, and when she asks her to get it, Rikka nods.
"Sure!" She says, stepping away to head over to the door. She opens it up, offering before Max and Samurai Calibur a welcoming smile.
"Hey Max, Calibur! It's good to see you both again." Rikka greets. It hasn't been that long since she saw Max, but Calibur is a welcome sight. She shakes her head, then. "It's fine. You're not imposing on us at all. Come on in, have a seat - Akane's just putting the finishing touches on dinner."
She steps aside, welcoming them in. She's adjusted things just a little, since the last time they were here - remembering the previous seating arrangement, she's made sure to pick up a floor cushion more suitable for Max.
<Pose Tracker> Neon Genesis Junior High Students has posed.
"It's g- good to... - see you... as well. It's been a while." Two years to be precise, Samurai Calibur said while turning sideways (!) to pass by the front. Taking his shoes of at the entrance, the slightly gruff looking gave space for Max to come in. No surprise given the previous visit, but externally Calibur also had changed absolutely nothing since Rikka had last seen him, two years ago.
While Max didn't need to turn sideways to come in, he did need to bend slightly down, just to be on the safe side as he passed by the door frame. "I'll take your word for it, Miss Takarada" He said with a soothing tone, placing his shoes neatly by the side of Calibur's pair.
As they walked towards the living room, the strong smell of gyudon invaded the two Neon Genesis Junior High students' nostrils - and Max was about to say they shouldn't have before swallowing his words - "Thank you for the hospitality, really.", he said instead. Double so when he saw the more... comfortable seat he'd be using this time.
Taking a seat on one of the four sides (and taking much more space than someone that thin should, given the sprawled swords still by his hips), Samurai Calibur's gaze perused over Rikka and Akane both.... seeing how much they've grown in these two years, and their clearly happy countenance gave him a sense of relief, that the previous incident had been handled as well as they could have. "It's.... good to see you t- two." He said again, truly meaning so.
Still, there were questions to be asked, information to be shared. They could do it after eating, as such talks might sully an otherwise delightful meal, but time was really a resource they didn't know how much they could afford. "Did Miss Takarada appraise you of our current situation, Miss Shinjo?", Max asked. First he needed to check if they were both up to par.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
Akane never quite knows where she stands with the Neon Genesis Junior High Students. She doubts it's bad, but at the same time, it's hard not to think of the kaiju she never named -- never bothered deliberately making, even -- ripping them off Gridman one by one...
She shifts uneasily for a few moments -- takes a breath -- and decides to set that aside for now. If they're here it's because they want to be. It's not the first time she's had to hear that -- and it's better if she can tell it to herself first.
Leaning out from the kitchen, she says, "It's... yeah. It's really good to see you guys, too." Then, a pause -- and then, "Do you want anything to drink? We have a store brand yogurt drink, tomato juice, Calpis, canned coffee, green tea, and... -- hold on --" The sound of a fridge door opening and closing. "We also have four bottles of normal flavor Ramune." Those are specifically for guests, of course.
She waits to take drink orders, then brings them out -- plus Rikka's usual yogurt drink and her own usual tomato juice.
"I know some of the details," Akane answers, once she gets settled in. "Yuta and Gridman are still kinda entangled, right?" She thinks back to seeing Yuta around a few times, weighing that in her head. "But I don't think you'd stop by just to go over the basics again?"
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"It has." Rikka says with a nod. Two years... It's strange to think about. And yet, he doesn't look any different at all. That isn't too big of a surprise to her. They seem like the sort of people who wouldn't change unless they decided to.
"Of course. You're always welcome here, all of you." Rikka replies to Max's thanks with a smile. She moves to take a seat, herself.
"Thanks." Rikka offers with a nod as Akane brings out her yogurt drink, then offers Calibur a smile. "I'm glad."
And, now that they're settled in, the question. Rikka nods.
"Yes. They're still bound by their connection, but Gridman can't break it himself." Rikka says - then looks toward Calibur and Max for confirmation, to make sure she recalled it correctly.
Of course, Akane raises a good point, too. What else did they have in mind...?
<Pose Tracker> Neon Genesis Junior High Students has posed.
Max accepts a serving a green tea with grace, taking a long and slow sip, letting the bitterness flow down his tastebuds in appreciation before nodding to Akane's comment. "Correct. Additionally, according to Gridman, it is most likely Yuta that is blocking their separation, though they can't completely rule out an external force. Plus, none of us has been able to meet Yuta for the past two years, even when we supposedly should be able to locate him through our connection." Akane was right that if it was only this much, they didn't need to come, however.
"L- Last time, Max and Borr were also sup- supposed to get information from the two of you. W- We have dedicated most of our resources t- trying to solve our internal conundrum, and have-n't been entirely up to- date with events o- outside." Samurai Calibur added while popping open a can of coffee. Does canned coffee even go well with gyudon....?
They have at least kept abreast enough to know that the world was starting to move, and fast, and hence why they can't just wait anymore. "Indeed, that was the intention. I've judged however, it would be more practical to give you two time to digest our information, plus it would be more convenient to meet both of you together, just in case. Two years - nearly three by now, indeed was a long time. And even then, just the last couple months seemed to present more changes than the previous twenty four combined.
Yuta showing up, Kaiju, a second Alexis, the tragedy of Junius 7, the list goes on, all in the last few months. If information could be efficiently shared and from both sides and a network could be established, that would do wonders to the efficiency of the NGJHS own movements in the upcoming issues.
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"You're welcome!" Akane enthuses, as the group settles in. She looks at her own helping of gyudon with a smile; this is a dish she hasn't cooked near as much, but the smell is telling her she probably nailed it.
(It's a little undersalted by fast food standards, probably, but Akane's clearly put a lot of effort into making the flavor profile interesting in spite of that.)
Thinking about Max's words with a brief glance toward Rikka, Akane turns this over in her head. If there's anyone who can speak to a forced link between host and giant... well, she's not the only one, but the list is short.
"Well... as far as the world outside goes, right now everyone's kinda reeling after that ZAFT remnant attack... no one really knows what normal is gonna look like yet. We're hoping Cathedra's intervention slows the boil, but it's still kinda wait-and-see." Akane, as an analyst, has to have a pretty top-down view on this sort of thing. "Hrrrmm..." She turns something over in her head. "I could see about getting you guys at least the amount of information we give spies." Spies, here, as the technical term -- intelligence agents who aren't professional officers. "That's something I can do with only summary approval from either my government liaison or the Chief!"
If she sounds chirpy and smug as she says that last part, it's because she punctuates that sentence by turning to face Rikka and looking at her expectantly over her cup of tomato juice.
Ssssssip.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
Rikka nods as Max explains and elaborates, and as Calibur continues. That makes sense... But, it's true.
"That was a good idea, I think... It's a lot to take in, and there's been a lot going on." Rikka replies. She digs into her gyudon, then - and sure enough, Rikka's confident that Akane nailed it, too.
"Oh, this is great. Good work, Akane." Rikka praises. She eats a little more of it, before a thoughtful expression on her face.
"About Yuta... we saw them again, just the other day." Rikka explains. "I'm sure you know about the inert kaiju that appeared here. We were assigned to keep an eye on it on the day that restrictions around it were lifted, and they were there to see it. Among others."
She looks toward Akane, then, as she considers things going on outside. She leaves explaining that up to Akane - that's her area, after all. And when she makes that smug comment, and then looks at her expectantly... Rikka can't help but laugh, just a little.
"Permission granted." Rikka replies with a nod.
<Pose Tracker> Neon Genesis Junior High Students has posed.
Max parts his chopsticks and takes a mouthful of it.... then nods in genuine approval to the taste. "Miss Takarada's assessment is correct, this is wonderful, Miss Shinjo. How long has it been since we last had a meal, I wonder...." Or at least a proper one. It's not like they physically needed to eat in when in the Hyper World. But tastes were wonderful..... His thoughts are diverted to Gridman's plight over his lack of a physical body, until Calibur's voice snaps him back.
"We've been there- a couple times.... as well. It was.... strange. But we didn't want to make a... movement without a- a clearer picture. No... Yuta, though." said the gruffier looking man, somehow managing to not dirty his suit in the slightest despite how fast he was eating.
Going on - after a long gulp of coffee, he added. "Thank you for ---- the food. So it's.... the calm before the storm?" asked Calibur, and Max was about to say something when Akane made her proposal. Some of the names she mentioned were known to them, some they had only a rudimentary idea. Some factions seemed to have risen from nowhere, while others disappeared entirely since they were last active.
"Really? I confess that would be fantastic as far as our needs go, but..." Max looks dumbfounded for a second while watching the exchange - though Calibur continues to consume the gyudon - then a smile reaches his eyes as he understands what's going on. "Ah- I see. Forgive me for not addressing you correctly, Chief Takarada. I'll make sure the other students know to address you appropriately from now on."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
When Rikka mentions her piece about Yuta, Akane nods along. Rikka had been the more focused of the two on Yuta's side of events at the time, anyway -- it's best for her to handle that part. Akane starts in on her own gyudon, and while part of her is definitely missing the saltiness... the onions are doing a good job of shifting the profile.
When Rikka approves her summarily, Akane nods and says, "Great. I'll get you guys set up later. That's going to be a decently big data package so it might take a second to get together." Another few bites of gyudon as she takes the time to listen to Max and Calibur.
"I wish we knew more about that 'brother' of Alexis's," Akane murmurs, glancing off as the topic turns around the kaiju. "Kinda scary to have the same basic guy running around again, even if there's some differences there..."
Max's confusion about 'Chief Takarada' gets a smirk from Akane. "If you really wanna, that's one thing, but I don't bother with 'Chief' unless we're at work."
Akane takes another bite of gyudon, then absently adjusts the chain of her necklace, disentangling some hair from it. "... Usually."
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"You should come by more often, even if it's just to eat and hang out. Bring the others, too." Rikka offers, as Max appreciates Akane's cooking. She looks toward Calibur, then, as he comments that they've been to the kaiju, too.
"I think that's the right call... At best, it won't do anything. At worst... it might cause bigger trouble." Rikka replies... and nods, as at the mention of not seeing Yuta. "I don't know what their connection is, but they were talking with Asciel Colette, who's a known problem causer, and the girl who's... working, with Crisis Alexis. They seemed to know each other, but I don't know if it goes any further than that..."
With her permission, Akane says she'll get them all set up with the data they can share.
"...Yeah. Me too." Rikka agrees quietly. It's concerning - and she can't blame Akane for feeling that way.
Rikka smiles, though, and shakes her head - and she laughs just a little at Akane's comment.
"It's alright. You're all friends - 'Miss Takarada' is fine. I'd be okay with just 'Rikka', even, honestly. We've been through enough together." She replies to Max.
<Pose Tracker> Neon Genesis Junior High Students has posed.
"I'm ashamed to say we're as in the dark about it as you are.... and given the problems with Gridman, we thought it would be too risky to go to the *previous* Alexis to ask. I can say for sure that we've never heard about Alexis having a brother however, which could be a hint in itself." Gridman's knowledge about the kind of beings that inhabit that plane of existence was extensive, after all. The fact that they know nothing about a figure potentially as problematic is absolutely fishy. Where that can lead somewhere else is another matter entirely.
Max and Calibur nodded at each other, a frown forming over the former's face as Rikka adds to the fact that Yuta had been potentially in cahoots with known.... villains, for a lack of another word. "Perhaps we should try tracking this collaborator.... Yuta seems to have the means to avoid us, could I bother you with asking him about his intentions, if you can? Though perhaps the topic would just put their guard up...." Setting chopsticks down for a moment, Max pinches the bridge of his nose between thumb and index finger to undo that frown. Samurai Calibur was still eating (and listening.)
"Miss Takarada.... Rikka. Rikka, it is. Once again, thank you for sharing intel with us, I understand how information is valuable. Rest assured I'll share anything I find with you and yours." A polite bow (or at least slightly, given Max was sitting down. "Would it be.... a problem if I called you Akane as well, Miss Shinjo?" Max was at least trying to imply that the NGJHS considered her as much as their companion as Rikka was. The situation had been as it was, but Akane herself was a victim, not a perpetrator. At least to them.
Akane's last comment seemed to completely fly over the duo, however. Or at least they didn't comment on it. But at least, Samurai Calibur was finally done eating, as announced by a clap of hands and the fact he set his chopsticks down. "Thank you.. for the food. If it's n- not a problem.... could I retrieve junk? I might be a-able to at least... put you in contact with Gridman through it. Max informed me it should still be in.... Tsutsujidai."
<Pose Tracker> Akane Shinjo has posed.
"Yeah! It's kinda... cozy -- if you come by in a few months or so we might have a real place," Akane says. "But even if it's sooner than that, like... we can figure something out." She has no idea what that something is, at the moment -- but she's sure they can manage.
"Yeah... then again, like, Alouette and Renais were hanging out with me when I was at my worst. Maybe that's just how it is for Yuta too...?" She doesn't sound that confident, though. It's wishful thinking at best.
Her eyebrows rise just slightly at 'Miss Takarada,' though only slightly. Her head tilts slightly and her eyes turn up a little; with an enigmatic smile still just a bit on her face, she turns her full attention back to the conversation. "He never mentioned that either, but like... he was never super interested in talking about his past with me." Something that used to be true of her, too, come to think. "And... yeah, I don't think I'd be ready to see him again yet," she admits, shifting uneasily.
... Doesn't put her off her appetite, at least!
"I can definitely try my best to find out what they're up to. I've met Leila a few times, at least..." It does get a few mental notes made.
The question about how to address her gets a slightly shocked expression. A few blinks. "I -- uh." Blink. "... Yeah. Akane's fine," she eventually says, nodding.
The question about Junk, though, gets deference to Rikka in turn, a small nod -- and a long drink of tomato juice. Even despite how close she's become to them as individuals, Akane's not really part of the 'Gridman Alliance,' as such.
<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.
"Yeah." Rikka says with a nod and a smile, as Akane says they might have a real place in a few months. "We've been shopping around."
She nods - they can figure things out!
Asking the previous Alexis, though... Rikka frowns just a little about that.
"...I can't imagine that'd go well." She agrees. She looks toward Akane, then, as she considers about Yuta... Is that what's going on? ...Rikka isn't too confident, either.
"I'll try talking to them next time I see them, but... you're right. We don't want to make Yuta feel alienated or accused - that won't help anything." Rikka replies. It's something they'll have to approach carefully. She nods, when Akane says she'll try her best, too.
She smiles, though, as Max thanks her.
"No problem. And, thanks - we'll do the same for you." She replies with a nod, before looking toward Akane at her surprise. As for Junk...
"That's more a question for Mama..." Rikka considers. "...But, I don't think she'd say no, especially if it's for you four. I'll let her know you're planning to pick it up."
<Pose Tracker> Neon Genesis Junior High Students has posed.
"T- Thank you. I'll pass by with.... Vit... to take a look." Making a portable version of Junk would probably before the best by this point given their extended scope of activities, but that will take effort, time and tinkering. Something that they should probably do sooner rather than later, though.
"Hmm. We don't think we should contact him either, at least not yet." Between risking something wrong going with Alexis- With Kerib's metaphorical cage or potentially leaking to Crisis how to access it would be far too disastrous when compared to the potential information benefit they'd gain at this point. It's still an option to be kept in mind, however. With that said, Max resumes eating for a while longer. Who would want good meat to go cold? Meat is very expensive these days!
"I- If business is over for now.... could I have seconds? ....if it's not... a problem." Samurai Calibur almost sounded embarrassed as he asked, but they really hadn't had a proper meal in ages, it's just too hard to pass. Besides, it's true that there's nothing more to discuss until they went through the files Akane was getting them.