2022-09-30: A Question Unasked
- Cast: Rena Lancaster, Anita Rosetta
- Where: Torrington Base, Australia
- Date: U.C. 0096 09 30
- Summary: Rena and Anita talk. An attack on Torrington Base, though, means that Rena never quite gets to ask a question on her mind.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
Anita, of course, was glad to accompany Rena on her shopping trip. It's been a fun outing. She didn't buy anything for herself directly, but she did make a few reservations on some upcoming products.
Now, though, they're in Rena's officer's quarters. Anita has claimed one of the chairs, leaning back in it with her hands behind her head, propping it up.
Anita can't help but smile as Rena gushes about her latest purchase.
"I'm glad. Have you been looking for that for a while?" Anita asks... and then, as Rena says she's being a nerd.
"You are." Anita replies, without missing a beat. She shrugs, then. "...Buuut you're in good company - you know I'm always going to be first out the door whenever a new or limited-edition Haro comes out."
Her companion Haro, the one that's been with her since childhood, will always be first in her heart, of course, but she's always loved the little robot in all its forms.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
Rena turns a little redder when Anita replies so instantly. She smiles, though; Anita didn't miss a beat, but she also knows her audience. Rena tilts her head as she looks at the other woman, smiling. Her fingers tug on some of her bangs, as she does.
"That's right!" she says. "You love your Haros. What's the latest one you've gotten? I should really come check out your collection, sometime..."
She trails off for a moment, then she nods Back to the earlier collection.
"Yeah. They did a limited set of the Dozoos -- um, the blobby things that fill the stages -- and I got three of them. The fourth had eluded me, but..." Her brown eyes turn towards it. It's a fat, round green plush with big eyes. "...That's all changed!"
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
When Rena smiles, Anita grins - it was all in good fun, of course. When Rena asks, though, Anita thinks back.
"Let's see... Oh, I'm pretty sure it was the one with the cool, swirly rainbow-patterned shell. I remember I ended up staying up late just to make sure I could secure one." Anita replies with a nod.
She turns her attention back to Rena and her newest treasure, the wonderfully-round green plush with the soulful eyes.
"Wow, so this completes a collection too, huh? Score. Definitely glad we were able to grab it, then." Anita replies with an impressed whistle. "I think I remember those... They're pretty cute, actually."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Aaah, that sounds cool!" Rena says, with a grin. "It sounds really pretty. Did you get it yet, or is it still in pre-order?"
She knows how these things work.
Rena pats her new plush on the head. Then, she turns around, leaning back against the wall. This means Anita gets two pairs of eyes looking at her; Rena's and the Dozoo's. One pair is more soulful than the other, but few people could compete with a Dozoo.
"They are, aren't they? I'm a big fan," she says. "I remember, I was always trying to get people into the games... and the stuff they released to go with them. Manga, that one anime, the tie-in products..."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"I did! It's safe back in my room." Anita replies with a nod. "And, it really is! You should definitely see it when you get the chance. There's a nice finish on it that really brings out the colors."
Anita finds herself meeting two pairs of eyes. She chuckles a little at the sight of it.
"I can see why." Anita replies with a nod. She's a little surprised, though, at how much media there is to go with it... "They really gave it their all, huh? Kind of impressive they were able to build a franchise off of it..."
She pauses for a moment, 'hmm'ing to herself.
"I think I remember playing the games with you before..." Anita considers, thinking back. And then, after a moment, she laughs. "...I don't think I ever managed to take a round off you, though. One of these days we ought to play again sometime."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"They've really come a long way, haven't they?" Rena says, with a tilt of her head. "I mean... I like the old ones too. Especially that first one you have. It's really distinctive. And... um... important." She scratches at the back of her head.
It had sentimental value. She isn't sure how to describe it, exactly, though.
"It really took off, for awhile. Now it's basically back to the games," Rena says, with a glance at the plush. Then, she looks back at Annie.
"We should!" she says. "I mean, um... I'm still pretty good, but maybe I can do a handicap or something." She smiles, tilting her head. "I remember trying to get you to play, though."
She laughs. "It was an excuse to try to hang out more, too, when I was younger."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"They really have. You hear a lot of people talk about how they're not as great for modding, which is true, but they've still got a lot of great points on their own." Anita replies with a nod. She smiles fondly, then, when Rena brings up her original. "Yeah. That old Haro... It's really gotten me through some hard times."
She laughs a little sheepishly at that. She nods, though, when Rena says that it's back to just the games.
"Guess that's just a normal part of the life cycle... It's good that they're still making games, at least." She replies, and then nods. "Sounds good!"
An excuse to try to hang out more... Anita nods.
"...I dunno if I ever said it, but... I really appreciated the effort. I, uh... really needed it at the time." She admits a bit sheepishly, massaging the back of her neck. She wasn't always this friendly and easy to get along with, after all - it was efforts like that that helped her get to where she is now.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"You had it with you... basically as soon as you came to Winter Wonderland, right?" Rena asks, with her head tilted. She remembers that for a moment, and then she blinks.
She felt a little embarrassed for a moment, watching Anita laugh sheppishly. But she smiles, after a moment, and steps away from the wall. She walks closer to her, looking at her for a moment longer.
"I'm glad," she says. "I... I mean... I just wanted a friend. It was a little selfish, at first, maybe. Since I was kind of lonely, and... you were there. But then I realized you were so cool. And..."
She glances to the side. "You were the first person who didn't care where I was from. Or that I was a Newtype. You just... liked me for me. I needed that, Annie."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Yeah. They gave it to me to keep me company while I was recovering from my surgery, since I was going to be confined to my bed for a while." Anita replies with a nod. "It also monitored my health in case of emergencies, like if my body started to reject my cybernetics or something, and helped keep track of my medical appointments, so it had other uses, too."
She pauses for a moment.
"It still does both of those things, though it only reports to me now." She adds.
Rena steps closer so Anita leans forward to give her more of her attention. She smiles, as she remarks on how she just wanted a friend.
"Maybe it was... but, it sounds like we both needed that at the time, so it worked out, right?" She remarks. She's a little taken aback by what Rena has to say next though and now it's her turn to blush a little. She goes pink, and it takes her a few seconds to recover.
"...I don't think I even knew what a Newtype was back then. You were always just Rena to me... and even when I learned, that didn't change." Anita admits. "Still... I'm really glad I was able to be there for you when you needed it."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"So your Haro was kind of also like... your personal assistant? And, um, your best friend?" Rena says, her eyes widening. Though, of course, Annie also modified her Haro so it doesn't report everything back to the hospital. That seems wise.
She keeps looking at Anita, as she gets closer. She smiles at her -- even as she feels a little bit of awe. Normally, Rena is the one who blushes and gets flustered. She does so infamously easily, after all. She hasn't made Anita blush before, that she can remember.
She doesn't mind the way that feels, though.
"Just Rena to you..." Rena's eyes close and she sighs, as she pulls idly on her bangs again. She might be getting a new nervous habit. She opens her eyes, still smiling. "...I like the way that sounds. You were there for me. You still are, Annie."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Yup, pretty much." Anita confirms with a nod... and then 'hm's to herself, with a pensive frown. "...Actually, thinking about it, that does explain why it's so much more... uh, willful, than others..."
It does, after all, have a tendency to scold her when she's doing something unhealthy, like staying up way later than she should...
Anita notes the way Rena pulls at her bangs as she moves closer. Is it because of her new hairstyle? Still, she smiles.
"Yeah. Whatever happens, I'll always be there for you - you can count on that." Anita replies with a nod. "And I know you'll always be there for me, too."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"S-So your... Haro kind of bosses you around, still...?" Rena asks. She saw it a little when they were younger, but somehow thought it had mellowed out. Though, of course, maybe that was because the Haro really only got after Anita when Rena wasn't around. Such as staying up late...
Her fingers let go of her bangs, and then Rena smiles a little wider. There is a nod, because she agrees: she will always be there. And then, a second later, her cheeks flush red, and she glances to the side.
"N-Not fair," she whines.
She puts a hand over her face. "You can say things like that and it's so effortless and cool," she says with a sigh. "It's almost cheating, you know."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Just a little." Anita admits with a laugh. "I could probably stop if I wanted to... but, that's part of what makes it special, I think?"
Rena nods, and Anita smiles... and then, laughs good naturedly, as she points out that it isn't far how she can just say things like that.
"Hahah, sorry, sorry." She apologizes, a grin on her face that doesn't help things. "It's just always been easy for me to just, say what comes immediately to mind with you... and the others too, of course."
She doesn't even realise she's doing it half the time unless someone points it out. She's just like that by default.
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"It sounds like it has a certain kind of charm," Rena says. "You know... the way something fussy can have that kind of charm."
She laughs, her hand on the back of her neck, this time. She looks apologetic -- which is a little strange, she thinks, that they're both apologizing. "I'm glad you do. Even if it is unfair. It's part of what I like about you."
She sighs. "It's nice and direct. Though... it's the style, too. The way you say things."
Rena laughs again. "I will, though," she says. "I'll be there for you, too. E-Even if I'm not quite as cool about it."
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"Yeah, exactly." Anita agrees with a nod, and pauses for a moment with a small laugh. "...I just have to make sure it doesn't start teaching the rest of my Haros to do that. One is enough for me, I think."
They're both apologizing. Anita chuckles a bit sheepishly, then, as Rena says what she likes about her - her nice and direct style, and the way she says things.
"Thanks..." Anita replies... and then grins, as Rena assures her that she'll be there for her too. It's... really nice to hear that. "Hey, you can be plenty cool. But, that's okay. That's your style - and I wouldn't have things any other way."
<Pose Tracker> Rena Lancaster has posed.
"Oh, I dunno, Annie. You could have a whole legion of Haros, telling you what to do," Rena says, with a grin. "That might be something memorable!"
She is teasing. That would be awful.
She looks at Anita, smiling. Her head is tilted for a second, before she nods her head. She keeps looking though -- thinking about something she talked about with some of the others, once. "Hey, Annie--"
Then it happens.
A loud, piercing wailing through place, and then a light mounted in the wall begins to flash red. Rena's smile vanishes; her eyes blink. A young man's voice echoes over the intercom.
"We have hostiles inbound!"
"Oh, no..." Rena says, quietly.
<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.
"'Memorable' would absolutely be one word for it." Anita replies with a laugh, shaking her head. Yes, it would certainly be a nightmare she'd never be able to forget.
She catches Rena looking at her, though. By this point she can recognize when Rena wants to say something... and she starts to, when suddenly a siren cuts through the air, the room filled with a flashing light. Anita groans.
"...Right now?" She says with a sigh, then looks toward Rena. If there's an attack... then they both know they have to do something.