View source for 2022-02-12: Cut Down The 'Cross' Of Our Purposes

*'''Log: Cut Down The 'Cross' Of Our Purposes'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Lilith Aiden]], [[Character :: Ruri Hoshino]]
*'''Where: Tokyo-3''' 
*'''Date: 2022-02-12 (ICly placed soon after [[2022-02-10:_Furimukanaide]])''' 
*'''Summary''': ''The Gwennangorn contacts the Nadesico to make sure all is well, and finds all is not really well. Lilith proceeds to offer Ruri some advice.''
----

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Phase 1, Turn 1]]
<poem>

'''<Pose Tracker> Lilith Aiden has posed.'''

AFTER THE ANGEL ATTACK, TOKYO-3

They are no longer in a sea of blood. The Irish-class Gwennangorn has prepared towards the nearest repair bay, damaged. The damage was glancing, even though there was almost a fatal blow to the command crew - and there was, thankfully, no casualties, but several injuries.

With another ship still in range - and not of her organization - Captain Lilith Aiden felt it best to communicate with them. Her own crew was a bit shaken - she was pushing through it, and her XO, Kandrin Ayelock, sat at his seat, perfectly composed.

A video-audio comms is sent to the Nadesico, IFF coming from Federation (Londo Bell) Irish-class Gwennangorn.

Once accepted, the lilac haired captain pulls up the feed, and speaks. "ND-001 Nadesico, this is Irish-class Gwennangorn, Captain Lilith Aiden. Good work back there - checking in on your crew." Her tone is warm enough for What Just Happened, and sympathetic as hell.


'''<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.'''

        AFTER THE ANGEL ATTACK, TOKYO-3

        The bridge of the Nadesico is currently empty, because ''everyone is having a bad time right now.'' The bridge crew of the Nadesico is engaged in meditation, or receiving debriefing therapy, or eating away their sorrows, or taking care of the people who are doing any number of those things. Whatever they're doing, they're not on the bridge. They --

        The Nadesico, from their perspective, began their mission only months ago. They came home from Mars to find themselves a battleship trapped between so many wars between humans, and when an alien menace rose from the seas, it was THAT.

        This ship just isn't having a great day.

        So when that communication window is accepted, what appears is the face of -- a twelve-year-old girl, hair all up in twin-tails, pale skin and fae-gold eyes. "Irish-class Gwennangorn, we read you," that girl replies, stoic and unmoved. "Systems Operator, Ruri Hoshino. The crew is," suffering, "busy at the moment. How can I help you?"

        There isn't much sympathy in her voice, but there isn't much of anything there, really.


'''<Pose Tracker> Lilith Aiden has posed.'''

Oh No, A Child. Oh no! Oh no! OH NO!

Lilith, play it cool. Don't denigrate or show ageism. You can't feel their emotions and they can't feel yours. Be strong.

"I understand, Operator Hoshino. This is a check-in between allied ships. To do otherwise would be a lack of care." She signals for Ayelock to pull up damage stats so she can relay if asked.

"Status report? We've thankfully had no casualties, but our lower hull was grazed by the ice, and the 'darts', so to speak, have battered the entire ship."


'''<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.'''

        It is, indeed, a child. A child whose eyes are stoic; a child whose voice is even. Lilith saw what Ruri saw, in the wake of that Angel. Why, then, does Ruri not look bothered at all...?

        ... why is the child the only one who remained at her post, after a horror like that?

        "A lack of care," Ruri confirms. "I see. The Nadesico suffered heavy damages along its lower back half, alongside explosive damage along its hull. Our landing gear has been severely compromised, so we'll be reporting to the ND-002 Cosmo shortly for repairs."

        She looks down to the console, and adds: "The crew suffered seventeen injuries, but there were no casualties." The way she delivers that so atonally is -- well, Ruri doesn't ''intend'' for it to be chilling, the way she's so cooled about their wounds.

        There is a beat of silence, as Ruri stares into the window, without speaking.

        Finally: "They were not darts."


'''<Pose Tracker> Lilith Aiden has posed.'''

Lilith's coolness cracks, slightly - not at the age of the child, but at the way they are the only one to be able to take this in stride. The way the crew is busy confirmed to her they're suffering - especially since she knows the Nadesico isn't a veteran ship.

After a moment of frowning, Lilith nods. "I assume the damage wasn't enough to prevent a return to space, then. Good." A wince at the number of injured, and exactly how it's said. "I see, I'll be hoping for their recovery to be smooth."

But then, after a few awkward moments of silence, Lilith responds to Ruri's statement with curiosity. "Oh? I admit I'm not studied up on Angels - do you know what they were?"


'''<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.'''

        "We'll need to operate some bulkheads, but we can do it." Which is standard panic procedure, during a hull breach. She's impassive, as she reports: "Most of the injuries are relatively minor, so I don't anticipate any casualties relating to this event."

        It turns out that a ship getting yoinked upwards by a cross tends to toss people about a bit. They were insulated, on the bridge, but on the lower decks...

        The fact that Ruri feels the need to anticipate casualties, on the other hand, is its own comment. The fact that Ruri listed ''every'' injury, up to and including whiplash, is another.

        Well, never mind that.

        "... no, Captain Aiden." A little dip of her head, a little shake back and forth. For an instant there's something lost, to her voice, before it cools to stillness again. "But darts are primitive warfare tools adapted in the current day for recreation. Those projectiles... were not. They... weren't anything I've ever seen."

        She looks, very intently, at her communication window.

        That unblinking stare might read as aggressive.

        It isn't.


'''<Pose Tracker> Lilith Aiden has posed.'''

Ruri lists off the injuries, and Lilith's slight frown grows. She explains the darts...and Lilith, despite being too far away to feel her as a Newtype, feels her as a human being.

A child couldn't possibly be this impassive. They may be withdrawn, but her pausing indicates it. And there's no reason for aggression. So...

"Scary, huh? I thought XO Ayelock was going to cry." She's clearly joking, and Ayelock can be heard off-screen saying "Captain, you can't say that!", the man sighing and pushing up his glasses.

"Are you alright, or just busying yourself? Can't leave the bridge unmanned?" Lilith decides to veer into the personal. She can't help herself.



'''<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.'''

        "It isn't practical to be scared during missions," Ruri responds. "People who are afraid make mistakes, Captain Aiden."

        Her gaze slips away from the window, off to the side, looking at the empty helm. There's the slightest twitch of a frown, as she remembers Omoikane calling her back to the battle, Minato's efforts to evade that crucifixion.

        Ruri was... distracted, is the word she carefully chooses, back then. If she'd been properly attentive... would she have been able to better help Minato?

        Her gaze comes back to the window, still stuck in neutral. "I'm more comfortable here, thank you." She doesn't sound like she's lying or saying it to make Lilith feel better; Ruri ''is'' most comfortable here at the arrowtip of the Nadesico, with Omoikane, the beating heart of the ship.

        It's an answer to ''one'' question. The other she borrows: "Are you all functioning adequately? If you need debriefing, I can ask Ms. Fressange to connect to you." Wait, does that mean the Nadesico has its own onboard therapist, or --


'''<Pose Tracker> Lilith Aiden has posed.'''

Lilith doesn't respond to Ruri's big statement. Not yet. She instead watches the girl's movements, and then listens to her statement, nodding as she says she's most comfortable. But she asks a caring question to Lilith.

"We'll manage. I appreciate it, however. I'd like to meet *you* in person someday, though. And the rest of your crew. You may be with Nergal Heavy Industries, but that doesn't make us enemies - people like us need to stick together."

It's probably about time to end the conference - they've confirmed the Numbers and also that everyone is okay, or will be. But...

"I have to say, though. People aren't practical, all the time. They can't be. You don't have to avoid being afraid - you have to avoid it overwhelming you in the face of disaster. Bottling anything up is just as bad as letting it all out all the time." She's clearly speaking from some form of experience.

"I don't know how Lieutenant Stirner does it, though. She's just always an emotional wellspring of good vibes. I hope your crew has someone like that, too."


'''<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.'''

        "Nergal is cooperating with the Federation on the Jovians," Ruri responds, entirely proper. "So we're closer to allies than enemies, right now." It's a very corporate-boxed sort of response, but --

        The last Londo Bell ship Ruri befriended... she made quite a mess of it.

        Ruri listens to what she hears as a lecture, and by the end, she sighs. It is notable in its shifting of her movements, lifted shoulders, dipping chin. "If you're looking for a fool with too much energy and excitement," she says, "you'll want the Captain. The fool looking out for us is Ms. Haruka, and the fool always making light of things is Ms. Amano. And there's Ms. Howmei, I suppose... well, her, too." Wait, ''she's'' not a fool???

        (Don't spite the cook. This is Ruri's wisdom.)

        Her fingers twitch, on the console; she pulls them to her lap, fingers lacing together, in a vulnerable gesture which the communication window is thankfully not framed to catch.

        "I don't... really understand whether it was frightening or not," Ruri says, finally. "My operations don't require me to understand the enemy. But... the Evangelion unit... didn't want my help," she says, finally, a touch haltingly. "I don't know how to feel about that... when it happened, I thought we didn't belong here at all. We weren't allies... just killing the same thing. It was..."

        Ruri trails off, for a moment, looking down, before she returns her gaze to the window. "Confronting," she chooses a word, finally. "There's a lot I don't understand about this sort of battle, I suppose."


'''<Pose Tracker> Lilith Aiden has posed.'''

Lilith sighs, but then listens as Ruri sighs herself, and seems to open up a bit. She smiles lightly at the mention of the fools, and then the smile fades as Ruri opens up fully about the Evangelion unit - she doesn't know the latter's ability, so she thinks she's talking about one of the pilots. It wouldn't change what she'd say.

"I've been doing this for sixteen years. There's still a lot *I* don't understand about it. I think you're pretty strong, to be doing this at all - Alma - er, Lieutenant Stirner, wasn't that much older than you when she was first fighting, and she saved my life."

"If you ever want to talk to me - or her, or both of us - hit me up the next time our ships meet. Talk to some more fools, I guess."

"Stay safe."


'''<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.'''

        Ruri listens to Lilith's perspective, watching her, quietly. Alma Stirner...

        "Oh," Ruri says, suddenly more animated (if still quite ''neutral'' about it), as she finally connects something in her mind with the registration on the field. "Please tell the MSN-05R Amabilis that it did very well today. I think this is the first time it's had a real pilot, so be sure to congratulate it for its hard work."

        Without stopping at all to explain how she possibly knows that, Ruri says: "I hope you stay safe, too."


'''<Pose Tracker> Lilith Aiden has posed.'''

...Well, that's odd. Lilith just blankly nods, and then speaks. "Okay."

And then signs off. Well, okay. Guess she's...heading...to the hangar.


'''<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.'''

        Ruri, on the other hand, will be staying right here. The secret is that more than one person on the crew ''asked'' her if she wanted to step away, have a break, but --

        Ruri wasn't lying, to Lilith. She's most comfortable here, where she can talk about things with Omoikane.

        Everyone on the Nadesico copes in their own way, really.
</poem>