7 Sins IC

[fibericon]

It's the night of the big gala, and everyone has been encouraged to look their best. Whether or not you've actually bothered to do so is entirely up to you, but everyone else has, and it's quite a guest list. You have representatives from the three major arms manufacturers for the Virtues: Germany's Das Deutsch Presse, China's World Peace Emporium, and America's Guns of Liberty. You have various fundraising contacts - politicians, businessmen, and charity representatives. And of course, you have the most valuable human assets of all - the pilots.

S2 is out in full force, both dressed and armed to kill. Commander Kazuma Nakamura and his Lieutenant, Irina Kuznetsov, are in dress uniform, the latter supported by the ever-present cane on her right. Kazuma seems to be having some trouble relaxing, though that might just be his personality. Irina, for her part, has been taking occasional breaks to sit, as she has trouble standing for long stretches.

Carmen is with Shane, when he isn't running off to do something she requested. More like demanded, perhaps. To her credit, she has taken this gala very seriously, and absolutely looks the part. Against her credit, she probably didn't choose this look personally.

Gabriel is a model representative of Babylon, or as close to such as he can be. He maintains calm, calculated responses that betray nothing he shouldn't be talking about. His outward appearance is sufficient. His behavior is on point. Unfortunately, this all makes him a bit dull, and no one speaks with him for very long.

Pandering to outsiders. Fantastic. Akari dragged you here and promptly left you alone. She's busy, after all, but knowing that doesn't make it fun. Yes, her job is to help ensure that the sort of people you've quickly come to despise don't shoot up the gala. How very Christian of them. And it's not unfounded paranoia or spite toward them - Christian terrorism has absolutely been a thing throughout history, and it's only gotten worse with The Rapture.

Of course, Akari reminded you that there are Christian personnel in Babylon, but did that help or hurt your ability to trust them?

Of course, there are secular interests at play tonight. The businessmen, in particular, might be more your style. After all, they're making the weapons you're going to use to end this madness. Or perhaps the politicians? The charities tend to be more sympathetic, to everyone, in general. Talking to them has proven to be a chore.

You can see this gala for what it is - begging for handouts. There's no other reason for it. Worse, everyone has to do their little dance at the same time. Dress nicely, speak politely, please sir may I have another. You'd think an organization like Babylon could earn what it needs, but some people need to be spoon fed. Speaking of which, Carmen is… well, she's certainly a person that exists, isn't she?

At least there are some people who speak English here. Japanese has been hard on you, but the Guns of Liberty representative definitely speaks English, and he's about in the same boat as you are. His useless son is one of the few non-pilots your age here, and he's off chasing tail somewhere. At least it's not yours.

It must be nice to have people actually want to talk to you. Look at them all. Do they even know you're a pilot? Maybe not. Maybe you've blended in a bit too well. It must be nice to stand out. Like Xiren. Wow, does she ever stand out. And that American boy is walking toward her now. What's his name, again? He wasn't important, but his father was. Cole. Yes, that's his family name. You could probably insert yourself into any number of conversations here, though you kind of wish you didn't have to.

Being the face of Babylon Japan, you've been asked to be the MC tonight. Every break you take from the mic, someone wants your attention - maybe it's the WPE rep, maybe it's a politician, but this time, it's Jacob Cole, son of the GoL representative. Oh, and he's come armed with a pickup line in Chinese.

"<A delicate little tea leaf.>"

It takes you a moment to parse - the four intonations have been beaten flat, and he probably got the thing from a translator app for how awkwardly it's worded. Thankfully for everyone involved, he switches language quickly, though not before his grin betrays just how pleased with himself he is.

"Pilot Hua, may I have this dance?"

A lot of people with a lot more than they need here. Pretty little trinkets everywhere. It seems like Irina is having a hard time. Her destroyed hip means she can't stand for long, and the repeated stress has worn her down to Russian, which the commander learned to help accommodate her. Perhaps you can eavesdrop on them now...

The directors, along with S2, have barely visible earpieces, and are in constant communication. Kazuma described hosting this event as "tactical suicide", and is consequently wound up about it. He knows better than to say so in front of the esteemed guests, at least. With all the important people here, it's on you to manage your time accordingly. Who in this room can you extract the most value from talking to first, and for how long?

[Vrock_Summoner]

Envy and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Dance: a short story by Vrock_Summoner

https://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/square_small/3/39931/2112936-akirasatou.png

Envy spends a long while staring at each person in the room in sequence, simultaneously judging everyone and wishing they could be pretty much any of them. Everyone's enjoying something - the attention, the food, the physical experience of dancing with someone, something. Everyone but Envy. The only sensation Envy is enjoying at first is the grinding of their own teeth. This is fine.

... No, you know what, this is not fine. They can have what everyone else has if they just do what everyone else does. Starting with finding a dance partner.

Envy scans around the room, singling out whoever's alone right now. Woah, tall... well, whatever. I'm taller than you in my mind. Jerk. Their eyes flit to the next target. One, two... Five accessories? Which means five times as many compliments as us normal folks who only wore one. Compliment hog... pass. Envy's visual lenses contract to focus on someone a little further away. My height, plain looking... Ugh, they fit in so well. Whatever, maybe I'll fit in better dancing with them, then. Let's do this.

Envy power walks across the room, stopping directly in front of the younger boy and just staring until he looks up from his phone and sees the pale, gaunt Russian boring a hole into him with his eyes, reflexively jumping with surprise. "Can I... help you...?"

"Would you like to-"

Envy stops and stares for several seconds. The silence between them grows denser and more uncomfortable by the moment. The boy gulps and wipes his brow, looking a bit concerned. Envy remains perfectly still.

On the outside, at least. Inside, there is chaos.

Social Protocol.exe has encountered a fatal error. Searching directory for keyword "dance" and autocompleting sentence.

Envy whirs back to life, their voice becoming substantially more animated. "-Dance Dance Revolution! Select your difficulty?"

The boy grimaces and backs away slowly. "Er... are you... trying to ask me to dance? 'Cause, um, I'm straight... sorry... and actually, I just remembered I'm meeting up with someone, so..." Without further adieu, the boy turns and half-runs away from Envy, the distress coming through clearly on his face.

"I'm straight," he had said...

What in the world does that mean??? Envy wondered.

https://positivewordsdictionary.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Straight-definition.png

Assuming the primary definition... I see. So they'd have said yes if I'd been more direct... Well, that's fine. I didn't even want to dance with them anyway. They can go have fun dancing with whoever, I don't care. ... I don't. I'll be plenty direct with the next one.

Envy takes vigorous strides towards a goth girl with pigtails and confidently snatches her by the wrist, prompting a bewildered glare from the target of their advances. "Hey, what the f-"

Not taking the moment's pause, Envy brings the girl's hand up to their lips, kisses it, and looks up at her. "You. Me. Dance?"

The girl is so taken aback by the sheer forwardness that her rage is temporarily abated. "I, er... Sorry, I don't like girls...?"

Directory search: Def: "girl". Primary result: A young human female.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Envy reassures the girl, still maintaining a vice grip on her wrist. "I'm not human, so it should be fine, right?"

The rage comes back in force, and Envy notices that by the time the girl has stormed off, some of the ligaments in their wrist have suffered fractures. That's not a positive outcome.

Well. Dancing with others is officially a bust. But... this is... f...fuuuUUUUUine. Everything is fine. I can dance by myself I don't need those pretentious jerks screw them I bet dancing with others sucks anyway what's there even to be jealous about who cares who cares who cares who cares who cares

...

Directory search: Michael Jackson's Billie Jean

Envy glides onto the dance floor, fully in their own zone. Step, step, step, pivot, step, step, step... It's all a rhythm. If there's nothing else in this world that Envy is good at... At least they've got patterns. Consistent patterns, no need to overload their brain trying to figure out how things work or how people work or why things are the way they are, just... just following patterns. Easy.

Step, step, step, pivot, step, step, step... Am I dancing okay? Ha, people are watching me! Screw all of you getting everyone's attention before! Oh, this feels good. Step, step, step, pivot, step, step, step... Now, I'll do something really cool!

Envy had it all planned out. Just like the pattern they were following showed. Step, pivot, twirl into moonwalk. It's all about executing a rhythm. No deviation necessary. The one thing they're good at. They don't need anything else.

https://media.giphy.com/media/EomKk0Zxx7U4M/200.gif

Except, apparently, motor control. Oops.

Thoroughly defeated, Envy slouches over to the snack table, and begins cramming as much food as they can into their mouth before somebody who knows better notices them and makes them stop.

[Elfbird]

It's a little hard for Liza to relax around this many people and such commotion. She's never been a shy girl, but in the past couple years, adults have meant danger and pity more than anything. Besides her personal hangups, however, this is both a mission and a treasure trove.

She wore her dress uniform, using its sleek lines to make up for whatever she may lack in posture and movement befitting a soldier. She keeps her back straight and head held high, using her sharp Slavic features as a symbol of Babylon's strength and pride while also making herself seem unapproachable. She's learning to fudge through Japanese with the other pilots and their overseers, but it'd be embarrassing to show her ineptitude to any strangers.

She has two objectives tonight: looking out for the other pilots' needs, and exploiting the occasion for all the resources it's worth. She surveys the hall as she slowly works her way to the food tables, evaluating her priorities as the night gets underway.

Lieutenant Commander Kuznestov: as part of Babylon's upper echelons, she's inherently untrustworthy. Even so, after she took me under wing and helped me acclimate in our mother tongue, she's earned a special exception. I'll make sure she gets food and nobody bothers her while she's resting her leg.

Carmen... exists. I bet Shane would help me if I catch him apart from her on some inane errand. Maybe with the food...

Gabriel... also exists, on some technical level. He'll be fine.

Takeo's been abandoned by his guardian. Still, it's not like she's far away, nor is he a child to depend on her. He's fine, but I'll keep an eye out.

Ryall's in a pretty similar boat as me linguistically here, but I can't offer any easier conversation. It'll be convenient to keep her company in silence if I need to lay low.

NV. What the frog guts are the scientists thinking, dropping them here before even letting them out in the pilot barracks?! I'll need to stay as close as I can... but I have other things to do, so maybe it's okay to let them take a tumble or two.

Aaaand Xiren's getting hit on by some American jerkface. I have confidence in her ability to turn him inside out, but it'd be pretty fun if I get to punch him too.

Looks like our babysitter has more important jobs tonight. Better let her think everything's fine with us. Less supervision.

With her assessment of the situation firm in her mind, Liza sets about filling two plates - quite moreso than is reasonable - and takes them back to Lt.Com. Kuznetsov. One plate is for the Lieutenant Commander, the other she'll nibble from until she finds someone who needs it more.

Her goal on the walk from the food to the Lt.Com. is visibility rather than scouting this time. She makes frequent eye contact, smiles in that cold Russian way, and takes particular care to pass in view of NV, Takeo, Ryall, and Xiren, whether or not they acknowledge her. If Carmen begs for her food, she'll tell her she sneezed on it and to wait for Shane to sneeze on her food himself.

Approaching her mark, she'll be sure to appear in the Lt.Com.'s field of vision first, even if it means sneaking up on anyone she's talking to.

"Pardon me. <Lieutenant Commander Kuznetsov, for you. Can I bring you anything for your leg? Medicine, ice, an evac helicoptor?">

She delivers the joke deadpan, but her eyes light up in a certain way to convey the humor.
After handing off one overfull plate, she stands perhaps uncomfortably close by the Lt.Com.'s shoulder, as if she's unwilling to fully let go of the offered food. Even so, she absently pops raisins and cheese cubes into her mouth while scanning the hall for her other high-priority targets.

NV's... spectacular failure takes her by surprise. Only her attachment to the food she gave the Lt.Com keeps her from running straight over. As it is... There are more people closer by to help. A tumble or two. Yes. They're already moving again, over to the food. Seeing their healthy appetite does her heart good. If anything else happens, she'll be right there. They wanted a dance, right? She'll definitely ask them for a dance tonight. ...It's hard to dance with food.

Even while she's taking care of everyone, she needs to figure out how to get some of that long-lasting food - like the cheeses, crackers, cookies, anything packaged - back to barracks without too many questions, and get the pilots to eat plenty of the perishable fruits and meats tonight.

Part of her recognizes the absurdity of the compulsion: they have plenty of food on base, and most of this stuff wouldn't keep more than a week, if it can be transported efficiently at all. However, that rational part is being crushed and squeezed by the great black serpent of her anxiety - of the feeling that even one bite of this food will mark the line between survival and a terrible fate - and, well... It's easier to plan some kind of heist d'oeuvres than to fight the beast. Besides, she has no proof that it won't be helpful, even if just for midnight snacks.

[velvetWing]

Xiren wore down the PR department slowly over a day or two to get them to authorize the requisition of a resplendent red dress just for this occasion - the dress uniform is nice enough, but is it really appropriate when all eyes are going to be on her? It's a bit more modest than she'd have liked, but of course, this is Babylon they're talking about. She'd been lucky not to get a burlap sack with leg holes cut in it.

Being the MC for this evening has been surprisingly tiring - while she'd thought the press conferences and constant social media management would have prepared her for a role like this, standing up in front of a crowd of representatives from all over the world and being expected to speak with some kind of authority had been deeply nerve-wracking, despite her calm, collected exterior. She'd just sat down at a free table for a moment or two of well-deserved rest when Jacob Cole, in his ill-fitting rented suit and that abominable mass of gel he has the nerve to call hair, sauntered up.

The corner of her mouth twitches almost imperceptibly at the American lout's "delicate tea leaf" line. Dubious mastery of Standard Chinese aside, it's actually sort of impressive that he managed to come up with a more disgusting plant-based moniker than "exotic flower." She'd give him credit for the attempt, but no doubt he'd just plugged it into a translation app ten seconds before walking over here.

That said... this was the son of the Guns of Liberty rep. Source of a substantial portion of Babylon Japan's supply contracts and responsible in no small part for the construction of her own Virtue. Anything less than a perfect handling of this could be dangerous to her position. Smiling blandly at Jacob for a moment as she considers the ramifications, she eventually decides, much to her own chagrin, that even a polite refusal wouldn't be worth the risk. Americans are rather touchy about rejection, to say nothing about American men.

Besides, he is rather attractive, in a primitive sort of way... As she takes his outstretched hand to 'help' her to her feet, the thought wanders through her mind, finding no real purchase before being quickly buried under a pile of Scripture.

"I would love to, Jacob." She replies, in her most flattering tone. "Did you start learning Chinese just for me?"

As he guides her to the dance floor, she casts a sideways glance over at Commander Nakamura, as if to say, "You see the things I put up with for you people?"

"I'm afraid I'm not a very good dancer... You might have to take the lead." This is, of course, a lie. At the firm suggestion of her Oversight officer she'd spent several hours practicing the steps to a few basic dances, and she's graceful enough when she needs to be. But men like this need to feel in control to be satisfied. And for better or for worse, that was now the name of the game until some kind of official obligation came along to rescue her from her new "suitor".

[roko10]

Ryall gazes at the crowd wearily, punch glass in her hand. To say that she was out of her element would be an understatement; she never really felt at home at social functions like this, and unlike Gabriel, she couldn't be bothered to present a facade of interest. Most of her responses were monosyllabic, at least when she bothered to respond at all. To her credit, she did at least show up somewhat presentable; wearing a freshly ironed dress uniform and her unruly mop of neck-length hair as neatly brushed as she could.

Up until now, Ryall mainly stood at one of the tables, occasionally taking a sip from her glass. She barely made an effort to hold a conversation with anyone; the most she did was making small talk with the GoL representative about the efficacy of the Progressive weaponry she's currently testing, and a curt nod of acknowledgement at Liza when she passed her by. She's starting to get bored, however, and thus she started to look for anything -anything- that might be of interest to her.

There's Envy, gorging themselves on snacks after terribly fumbling a dance move. There's Liza, currently in conversation with Lieutenant Commander Kuznetsov. There's Carmen being Carmen. And- oh. [/I]That's[/I] interesting.

Jacob Cole, that pathetic waste of skin in the vague shape of a humanoid being, is currently laying his moves at Xiren. And, despite just about everything abut him, she seemed to actually accept his offer of dancing. After letting out an audible groan at this, Ryall began to think. This could be a chance to humiliate Jacob and make him feel like the idiot he is, and I'm not going to let that chance slip by. Besides, Xiren is *way* too hot to be seen with him- wait. Where did that thought come from?

Shrugging that unwanted stray thought off, Ryall takes another glass of punch with her and promptly marches towards Xiren and Jacob, stopping right in front of them. Glaring at Xiren's would-be dance partner, she said: <"Oi, playboy. You do know you're about to dance with my date, right?">

[Volthawk]

Takeo didn't really have much of a problem being left alone. Sure, there were places he'd rather be and things he'd rather be doing, but this was a situation he could deal with. Keeping what Akari said in mind, be purposefully keeps the conversations he's involved in light and on topics that aren't to do with the Angels, his job or traitors to humanity, for the sake of keeping decorum decorum and avoiding any incidents. Despite his best efforts, though, some people still insisted on bringing the conversation to places they shouldn't, and after a few cases of harsh words being exchanged, Takeo storms off away from the crowd to try to calm down. The list...pulling out a pad from a pocket, he scribbles down a few names of the people who'd angered him - deep down, he knew that nothing was probably going to come of this, but it helped focus his emotion and put off more immediate responses.


It still didn't really help, and he looks around the hall, trying to find something to distract him and noticing the other pilots in the process. In the end, it was Envy's...whatever you called that...which did the job of pulling his mind away from darker places. He still wasn't particularly used to Envy, but he was fairly sure they wouldn't bring up anything to make his mood worse, so he heads over to the snack table, grabbing something to eat before starting to talk to Envy.

"Hey. You alright after what happened? Didn't look pleasant."

[Syless]

Aoba is in full military dress. She's a bit jealous of the people whose positions allow them to dress nicely- but she's a soldier, first and foremost. Even if this is her first proper command, and it's... teenagers. Kids, really. She'd never even worked with teenagers, the most experience she had with kids were her nieces, and the oldest one was five. But she'd been cast into this role, and she's going to fill it. She'll get the pilots in order into a cohesive fighting unit- as long as they listen to her...

She takes stock of her wards. Envy didn't seem to be doing well... but Takeo was attending to them. A conflict seemed to be brewing around Xiren and Ryall. Liza was talking to... oh dear. The Lieutenant Commander. She's not quite ready to intervene, but she starts to drift in that direction. She doesn't want to risk her saying something that would reflect badly on her immediate superior... Aoba would really rather not start off poorly. Then again, if she's tactful... it's a gamble. But Aoba's going to give her a chance. Unfortunately, Aoba's Russian isn't great... she'll have to rely on other cues.

But she's positioned to watch and listen, and to intervene should things seem tense.

[fibericon]

You successfully garner attention! Looks of concern, laughter, and slowly backing away are all, technically attention. When you start cramming food down your gullet, that's when you start getting looks from S2. Their radio communication becomes obvious, and a moment later, a pair of them descends upon you. They remove every scrap of food from your presence, and just like that, they're gone. Not even an apology. Jerks. Well, Takeo's here at least. Of his own accord, even!

Irina blows a bit of air through her nose at your joke.

"<We aren't quite there, pilot. But I will be able to take a painkiller now, thank you.>"

She eats a bit before taking a blister pack from her jacket and swallowing a pill dry. You've seen these before - enough to know the drill. Three per day on a schedule, and up to three more as necessary when her pain flares up.

The earpieces are much more obvious up close, and you notice Irina glance up at the commander. He looks stressed, and has gone quiet. She looks back to you.

"<What brings you here when you could be dancing, or perhaps solving world hunger with the twin peaks you've assembled?>"


"I'll admit, my interest in the language begins and ends with you."

The commander doesn't meet Xiren's gaze. In fact, he's locked in a thousand yard stare.

"And don't worry too terribly much about the dancing - they say if the lead is a competent dancer, his partner need not know how to dance at all."

But Ryall's approach doesn't give him the chance to prove it (or make a fool of himself by disproving it). There's a cruel gleam in his eye at the interruption, but just for a moment. He offers Ryall a condescending smile.

"<You lost the moment I entered the room. But don't be too distressed at this humiliation. Humility is a virtue, after all.>" Turning back to Xiren, his smile shifts. "I apologize - I switched to English on reflex, but that was rude and exclusionary. I assure you it was nothing important. Shall we?"

You arrive on the scene just in time to see S2 confiscate Envy's snacks. No explanation or apology - just swoop in and swipe their stuff. Alright. You barely manage to get something yourself before they strongarm everything. Although, come to think of it, they might just be protecting Envy at this point, given just how much managed to disappear in such a short time span.

S2 out in the field is reporting on every single person within a several kilometer radius of the gala, and the commander looks like he's about to pop a blood vessel. Never mind that no one is actually approaching the gala. That's when you're approached by the DDP rep and her translator. He waits for her to speak, then begins.

"Greetings, Director Mashimo. I assume you're to thank for this lovely evening? I'd like to discuss the future of Babylon Japan and Das Deutsch Press."

They almost certainly want more money.

[Elfbird]

They're taking the food.

They're taking the food.

If Liza had maintained her composure and thought through the situation, she would have found it remarkably similar to Ulyanovsk. Let them dump the food, go around later and collect it in peace. Sitting in a garbage can for an hour or two doesn't make it any worse than sitting out in a room, so long as you brush off whatever it's touched. There were even tablecloths here, like a to-go sack.

However, Liza is not particularly composed right now. She's high-strung from having to keep an eye on so many people, things have already started going to Hell in more places than she can attend, and now they're taking her food.

Something hot and dull rises up through her chest. Her heart clenches and her ears start ringing, brain diverting all its resources into the action to come. Weight shifting toward the balls of her feet, she's already starting to move when she excuses herself from the Lt.Com.

<"Sorry, too many fires to put out!">

She breaks into a run, leaning into it to shelter her plate with her chest as much as possible. Getting strawberries and cream on her dress uniform is the last thing on her mind; it barely manages to mash some Japanese together for her.

"STOP THAT FOOD!!"

She barrels a path toward Takeo and Envy, not even slowing down to shove her plate into Takeo's arms. That, too, could have been better considered; she ends up slamming their shoulders together, making her dress shoes slip on the polished floor and leaving the plate in gravity's care. Anything that falls will still be edible as long as no more idiots come trampling through the mess.

"WAIT!"

The shout is as much to Takeo and Envy as to S2; it was the only word that came to mind as she regained her balance and took off again, adrenaline and fury dulling the new ache in her ankles. She'll follow the agents with the food as long as she has to until she can cut them off and make her demands.

The situation can still be salvaged to her advantage, says the irrational fear that's gripping her body and soul.

[roko10]

Despite the fact that she was lying about Xiren being her date, Ryall somehow can't help but feel offended and angered by what Jacob says. Part of it is because of what he said (implying that he of all people is better than her) and how he said it.

Oh, now it's on.

As the last of Jacob's words to Xiren escaped his mouth, Ryall flung the contents of her left punch glass into Jacob's face, then, as he's distracted by that, promptly moves in to kick him in the family jewels. As Jacob fell to the floor, writhing in pain, she then turns towards Xiren and nonchalantly asks her: "So, how about we go dance now?"

[Syless]

Aoba's briefly put off when the DDP representative starts talking to her, before she begins a calculated reply. "The accomplishments of Babylon never belong to a single individual, arranging this event was a collaborative effort between many o-" The S2 agents come and take the food. Concerning, but she's heard that Envy has dietary issues. Awkward, but within parameters. Liza is screaming about the food now... but she's going to be dealing with S2 agents momentarily. She can intervene there later, maybe spin it as theatrics.

Back to the rep. "Excuse me. It was a collaborate effort between many of us, down to our own pilot Xiren-" She gestures in the direction of the dance floor... just in time to see Ryall kick the son of the SOL rep. This is no longer within acceptable ranges. "...excuse me." She rushes over to the dance floor, stepping between the angry girl and the injured boy. "Is everyone okay? What happened here?"

[velvetWing]

Out of the corner of her eye, Xiren faintly registers the fact that her elegant gala is slowly but surely tearing itself apart at the seams, with the buffet table being evacuated by S2 and that nervous-looking Russian pilot screaming her lungs out as she sprints after it, spreading her own food behind her as she goes like the contrails of some petit-four fueled jet liner. But that's nothing compared to the crisis that's unfolding in front of her. A member of Babylon Japan - a pilot no less - has just assaulted the son of the representative of their largest supplier. Best case scenario, the Commander is going to have some serious sucking up to do... which means she's going to get a serious dressing-down in turn. Worst case, Ryall's little tantrum just put them all at risk of losing the tools they need to fight the Angels.

Not that she can really blame Ryall for covering the boy in punch. She doesn't know what was said, but she recognized the cold condescension in Jacob's voice. Still, the kick seemed a little much.

Wait, does this mean they're... fighting over me? Very pointedly ignoring the small shiver of satisfaction that runs up her spine at this realization, she swallows her pride and starts to do damage control. Snatching a napkin from a nearby place setting, she begins to dab at the front of Jacob's suit jacket with it, her other hand on the back of his doubled-over form. "Cheese and crackers, Ryall. Think about where you are. Think about who he is. You can't just..."

Before she can finish that thought, though, the Lieutenant makes her appearance. Xiren straightens and gives the briefest of salutes, her be-napkined hand fluttering like a white flag of surrender. "Lt. Mashimo! Good evening! Hello! Yes, we're, uh, all okay here. Just a little accident. She slipped and ran into Jacob here, and spilled some of her punch. Isn't that right, Ryall?"

[roko10]

How does it matter where we are? Garbage remains garbage no matter where you are, and I know that he's the son of a GoL representative, but if he lets this influence his decision to back Babylon, clearly he isn't anywhere close to be professional. Besides, have you seen him? He looks like an inbred sewer monkey had-

Before Ryall could actually start to justify herself, however, Commander Aoba shows up demanding an explanation to what happened. Xiren piped up again without giving Ryall any chance to explain, claiming that she accidentally spilled punch on Jacob by accident. Which is good and all, saves me the hassle of explaining my motives, except I'm sure that the commander heard that unmanly yelp when my feet made contact with his gonads, so it isn't nearly enough. A small smirk appears on her face. Except if...

"Xiren is correct. I did bump into Jacob and I did spill my punch on him," Ryall spoke in slightly stilted Japanese. "This made him angry, and he tried to attack me, so I kicked him in the... well." She gestures at Jacob's crotch as she trails off, hoping that the commander would get the message.

[fibericon]

As the S2 agents aren't running, you do, in fact, catch up to them. Right around the time the other side of the gala goes to hell. They don't stop, or even acknowledge your shouting, until you stop in the way.

"Ms. Petrovnya," Wow, that's not an easy one for Japanese speakers. In fact, you probably would have missed that he was talking to you if he wasn't looking directly at you. Now you see why Irina doesn't go by Kuznetsov here. "Envy's... digestive situation... means that their gorging is going to result in a rather lengthy medical procedure. Allowing them to continue would only make it worse, so this is for their own good. Please move."

Jacob drags himself up off the ground, once he manages the composure to do so.

"You little bitch. That wasn't a threat, but this is."

And that's it. All it takes is a credible threat of physical violence against a pilot, and S2 is hauling him out. He doesn't resist.

His father apparently lacks the flair for theatrics. The older Cole watches quietly, almost impassively, as his son is escorted out.

Acquiescence doesn't mean the GoL rep is okay with this series of events - it simply means he knows better than to start a scene. Or, another scene, as it were. The commander speaks into the comms.

"Idiot children. I'm going to do damage control. Deal with the pilots as you see fit."

As he walks toward the father, another report comes over the comms. Eight armed with AK-47s and explosives intercepted 3.4km from the gala. Five dead, three captured. The commander very quickly goes from irritated to dead serious.

"Change of plans. I'm going to ensure full cooperation in the interrogation. Handle the situation here."

[Elfbird]

If Liza had an aura, it would be on fire. These are the people who're supposed to be taking care of the pilots? They'd do better for themselves in a bombed-out city - at least you don't expect rubble to talk like a human being!

She gives them a rant in Russian at such breakneck speed that even a native speaker would have trouble following. Her shrill voice might even make it through the earpieces.

<"So-you-take-the-food-away?!What-do-you-throw-out-dinner-when-Carmen-snubs-it-or-Gabriel-takes-too-long?!Is-every-gala-guest-going-to-starve-because-you-can't-be-forked-to-teach-the-kid-better?!Even-dogs-know-better!You-know-what-dogs-do-when-their-puppy-is-in-a-bad-situation?!No-because-you-don't-have-enough-empathy-to-tell-the-difference-between-a-pet-and-an-ashtray!When-the-puppy-is-in-danger-you-remove-the-child-so-they-learn-to-avoid-it-themselves!The-fudge-even-is-your-job-to-make-us-complacent-idiots-who'll-kill-ourselves-for-you-?!Leave-us-in-Ulyanovsk-and-save-the-trouble!">

Her mouth keeps moving for a moment after she's run out of words. She lets out a half-sigh-half-howl of frustration and fear that echoes against the ceiling. When the breath's left her, she regains some semblance of rationality, switching to growled Japanese supplemented by imperious pointing. These agents may as well be facing down their own mother.

"Food. On table. Say you're sorry! I'll talk to Envy. Understand?"

Liza lets out one more exasperated breath. Whether they were sincerely cowed or just decided they weren't being paid enough to deal with her, the sight of their acquiescence is enough to evaporate her rage.

She glides back to where she had bowled over Takeo and Envy - careful to avoid any rolling grapes and stray cheese cubes - and kneels down beside Envy to look them in the eye. She'll watch for indication whether or not a touch on the arm would be welcome; her family in Russia was always more hands-on than Japanese are used to, and she's not sure where their preference falls. Her voice is soft and soothing now, and her grammar is flawed but comprehensible.

"Hey, NV. Are you okay? S2 is pretty scary, right? Listen, food is a bad thing for you right now. You want to eat with all of us pilots, right? Then... um... make your body powerful! We'll definitely, truly eat dinner together! So please wait!"

She gives them a reassuring smile, hoping her meaning came through clearly enough despite not knowing how passable her language came out.

"Hey, Takeo, I'm sorry. Does it hurt? I'm being honest immediately."
--She intended to say 'I'll fix it later', but the mistake is even less evident to her than it would be to Takeo, if he picks up on it at all.

[velvetWing]

Xiren shoots Jacob an apologetic and rather deliberately-tender look as he's hauled away by S2. Best to keep that particular plate spinning as long as possible.

Once he's well out of earshot, though, Xiren lets out a hissing sigh through clenched teeth and shakes her head. "For what it's worth, I'm sure he had it coming, Ryall. I'm just not looking forward to the lecture I'm going to get from the Commander..." She looks over at the man in question, just in time to watch him make a quick exit stage left. "...or not. Lieutenant, is something going on?"

[Volthawk]

Takeo had walked over here for a distraction, but this was more than he had bargained for. All this over food? What? How did any of this make sense? And now he had cream on his clothes and Liza was running off after slamming into him. What? Did he miss something?

He had just about pieced together a chain of events that made sense when Liza came back, indirectly giving him the information he was missing. So all this was about Envy not being to eat properly? That...made some sense. He nods in response to Liza's question, noticing the odd wording. "Oh. I'm fine. No pain, just confusion. What has honesty got to do with this?"

[Syless]

A quick flurry, more chaos. There's no fight brewing anymore, though. She needs to get the pilots in line. First off: she smiles at Xiren. "The commander has been informed of an issue that requires their attention. Nothing you need to worry about, let's just try and get this gala back on track after these... incidents." She needs to resolve multiple situations at once. Let's put these resources to work. "Xiren, Ryall, would you mind checking on Liza? A dance immediately after that altercation may seem in poor taste, if you'll give the atmosphere a moment to cool down." That should keep them distracted. She'll give a proper debriefing later, but for now there's more important damage control to take of. Gathering the pilots should keep them out of trouble, at least for a few minutes.

Following that, she turns to the other immediate situation, and looks to the SOL representative. She bows respectfully. "I'm sorry about the incident. Your son will be treated well for the rest of the evening, despite the separation from the festivities. The situation will be investigated, and the pilots reprimanded appropriately once the investigation is complete. I hope there is no ill will between our organizations, merely the emotions of teenagers running awry."

[roko10]

"Don't worry about that. It's not you they have a problem with, it's me," Ryall responded dryly to what Xiren said. When she gets shoved to where Liza is standing, however, she notices the mess of food lying on the ground. Awkwardly maneuvering through the minefield of snacks (even she knows better than to invoke the wrath of Liza on her by trampling on the food), she then asks, to no one in particular, "What <the hell> happened?"

[velvetWing]

Xiren also very carefully maneuvers through the minefield of strewn food, less from any consideration toward Liza and more because in these heels, stepping on a stray glob of crème pâtissière would be enough to send her sprawling on on the floor. She's not very friendly with Liza or Envy, given the language barrier in the former case and the strange resistance to her usually-unflappable charm in the latter, but she gives them a bright smile nonetheless.

"Good evening, you three! Sorry I haven't gotten a chance to say hello yet. I've been running around all evening. Seems like you've been busy yourselves. Having fun?" She seems to have settled on the approach of very pointedly ignoring whatever it is that has happened here. Whether that's for Liza and Envy's sake or that of her own sanity is anyone's guess.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Envy stands motionlessly as things continue happening around them. Food taken, yelling, they think I don't know Russian, sympathy, talking, pity, condescension--

Condescension.

Organizing memory database for new addition to category: condescension--

What? No! Stop! I don't need to review these memories right n-

Objection override, memory organization required.

...

"Even dogs know better! ... Difference between a pet and an ashtray... When the puppy is in danger... Are you okay? S2's really scary, huh?"

"... have to clean this thing out for the third time this week. ... waste of time. ... We have more important things to do than take care of it... like a dog, but it can't even throw up without help..."

Whatever, they're all stupid! They don't know anything about me, they just pretend to 'cause it's their job! If somebody knew everything about me, they'd-

Final entry: Shura Mikhailov.

No, they... P-parent loves me... Parents love their children, right? That's what all my sources say... They don't think that way about-

Memory database: corrupted. Reconstructing...

No, I did that on purpose, cancel restoration-

Objection override.

"... couldn't do the one thing you were born for right... stop pretending you're a real person... Why would I want your hug? Your skin is so cold..."

Memory organization complete.

Outside Envy's head, mere seconds have passed. Xiren and Takeo are being friendly. Respond. It's what a normal person would do.

"Haha, yes!" Envy responds in a strangely slow, drawn-out drawl, a big grin plastered on their face. "Having fun! It's a great party! Good food, good music, nice outfits... What more could a person want?" Their arms slowly lifts to give a thumbs-up. It's... creepy, to say the least; this would be the most normal-acting anyone had likely seen Envy, if they weren't moving at something like 75% speed through it all.

"Couldn't... Be... Happier. How about you two?"

[Elfbird]

"Oh. I'm fine. No pain, just confusion. What has honesty got to do with this?"
Not realizing that she'd used the word for "honesty" instead of "fix" in the first place, Liza hears Takeo's question as "What are you gonna do to fix this?" His mild tone takes the edge off, but the aggressiveness puts her on the back foot, so to speak. She can deal with angry shopkeepers, but it's been too many years since she's actually had to fix a relationship.
"Um... I'll wash your plates? Er... play with them? ...I'm sorry."

Envy's behavior strikes her as a little concerning, but she can't put her finger on it. As long as they say they're fine, no sense dwelling on it! Ryall's and Xiren's arrival is a welcome diversion from the fiasco with S2, her botched apology to Takeo, and Envy being weird.

"Everyone, help me with the food! After that, dance for me! Er, let's dance!"

She takes the plate she had thrust at Takeo - whatever remains on it - and starts picking up stray pieces of fruit, cheese, and crackers from the floor, alternating between putting them on the plate and straight in her mouth. She's really grateful that nobody stepped on anything, squished fruit is way more gross. She's not sure how to express that, however, so settles for a warm smile and cheery attitude in spite of the prior chaos.

"Xiren, did that pervert go away? I didn't see, but you did good!"

[fibericon]

Matthew Cole watches his son get dragged out by S2. There's a coldness in his eyes, and it's hard to tell who it's directed at, or if it's directed at all. He looks over at you when you address him.

"I'm sure Babylon will take care of this. The excessive scenery speaks poorly to the discipline of the Sins, but from my position, only the Virtues matter. I would like to see Japan's requisition budget increased - Saudi Arabia has shown a willingness to take the lead in this regard."

Is he using his son to attempt to guilt you into a deal, or does he simply not care?

The food is returned to the tables, but no apologies are given. Partial success, at least. It doesn't take long for someone to come by and clean up the food spilled during the collision. She's actually rather apologetic about getting in your way and interrupting your conversation. She was probably in the back during the... excitement.

You're all getting a few stares now. The other guests are giving you plenty of space, and you suspect no one else will be hitting on Xiren tonight. Well, no non-pilots, anyway.

Carmen is trying to disappear from embarrassment. Gabriel, rather disapproving of the situation, has decided to allocate his yearly budget of emotion to it. He approaches the group, and bows.

"Please forgive my interruption. We have investors present, and I need to ask that you all calm yourselves for their sake. I apologize for by bluntness. Please carry on. More calmly, if possible."

He bows again, and turns to leave.

[Syless]

"This is likely the Sins' last chance to revel. They'll soon be an impeccable fighting force, once they fall in line. But..." A thought occurs to her. Why would there be such a small attack...? It can't just be that. It might be...

A distraction. Aoba looks to the representative. "I'll keep your proposal in mind, and bring it up with the Commander when I can. I have to attend to something else, though, I'm sorry." She bows deeply, then maneuvers over to the pilots, muttering into her earpiece as she does. "All S2: watch the entrances. Doors and windows alike. I'll be looking after the pilots directly, devote attention to potential intruders before internal incidents."

Arriving at the pilots, she offers a polite smile, while her eyes dart about. "How are all of you doing? Not too tired from the festivities, I hope?"

[velvetWing]

Xiren blinks a few times in quiet confusion as she watches Envy's slow-motion smalltalk. There's no way to graciously ask what in the world they're doing, so she files it with all the other things from this evening she's obligated to pointedly refuse comment on.

Equally strange, but perhaps more understandable, is Liza eating morsels of the dropped food straight from the floor. The Sins all have their oddities, but it takes a certain sort of past to stomach a thing like that so casually. One Xiren's all-too-familiar with. Is it possible that Liza, too...? File it away. Mysteries, mysteries, mysteries, ignore, ignore, ignore. Just keep smiling. That's all that's required of a pawn tonight. She helps gather some of the less liquid-y bits of dropped food, where she can. "Jacob's not a pervert, I don't think, but, you have Ryall to thank for that, not me. She was my knight in shining armor tonight, it seems." She shoots a rather teasing glance in Ryall's direction.

When Gabriel swoops in, she nods politely and greets him, but even she can't resist a brief scowl at his rapidly-retreating form. If you realize that, then why not stay and try to help do something about it, you sanctimonious prick?

She makes a note of the Lieutenant's rather nervous demeanor. First the Commander, now her. It seems the evening's excitement might not be done with yet. "Not at all. I do hope Mr. Cole wasn't too upset...?"

[Volthawk]

Takeo blinks in response to Liza's answer, taking the plate and still not quite figuring out the cause of the problem here. Playing with his plates...was that some kind of Russian innuendo? Was something more going on here that he was missing? That can't be right. Add in Envy being weird as usual and...thankfully piloting was more straightforward than this. He just gives Envy a nod in response to her question, letting Liza take the plate back without question as he watches her collect the food - the thought of helping her enters his mind, but the weirdness of the situation means it doesn't quite translate to action.

The arrival of the other pilots, and then the Lieutenant, provides an opportunity to disengage from the insanity, and he takes it. Gabriel only gets a moment's attention, his, well, boringness and the fact he's leaving already meaning there's no point in any more there, so he focuses on the others. "Oh, Xiren, Lieutenant. Things are okay, I guess. Just...some things happened, but we're okay now, I think. It's...under control now, I think?" He did not sound at all confident in that, but it was what he figured he should say here.

He then shifts his attention to Aoba. "Is everything going well with your work, Lieutenant?" Takeo usually tried to keep an interest in what was going on with command and the strategic situation, even if he wasn't usually told much. Much like his religious studies, it was stuff he thought he might find useful for the glorious war that will soon be here.

[Syless]

Aoba nods at Xiren. "No major problems, nothing to worry about. Representative Cole knows to not jump to conclusions, and you'll all be debriefed in good time. Just casually, don't expect a formally dressing-down here." She leans in and whispers to Xiren playfully. "I'm sure he had it coming, after all."

She turns and nods to Takeo next. "Everything seems to be going according to plan, yes. I suspect that will change the moment we're all deployed as a unit, but that's what ongoing practice is for, isn't it?" She grins, then turns to look around the ballroom. She's scanning for anyone she can't recognize- anyone who isn't a known figure or clearly connected to a known figure.

[Elfbird]

Liza spares brief glares for the others nearby who aren't helping with the food, though at least in Takeo's case it's hard to hold it against him after what she did to him. The way he reacted to her offer to wash his dishes, though... Was it some kind of Japanese innuendo? She keeps glancing back to him, trying to figure out what's going on in his head. Maybe he just feels awkward about the language barrier and isn't sure how to respond? Maybe she accidentally said something really really stupid?

I can't know anything until you talk to me... Or I find your diary, I guess.

In between those distracting thoughts about Takeo, Xiren earns a particular bit of eye contact and a grateful smile: one Liza reserves for the people who respect her... obsession, I suppose, whether or not they actually know where she's coming from. The look expresses gratitude, sympathy, and a little trust, though she doubts her feelings are so clearly read.

Between the two of them, they get the food cleaned up quickly enough. Liza sets the refilled plate on a table, then stretches with a satisfied sigh. She has the tact to turn her back to the group while licking her fingers clean and rubbing down the front of her uniform with a napkin. It won't save it from staining at all, but it'll at least curtail the spread of cream for the night.

Rejoining the group, she makes a show of counting the six of them off in pairs.

"Okay! Shall we dance? Let's show a good time! Xiren and Ryall, Takeo and Ms. Aoba, yes?"
She offers a hand - clean, not even sticky - toward Envy, and a gentle smile - the kind you'd show to a child.
"Envy, would you dance with me?"

...Maybe it's just her poor grasp of Japanese, but she uses more polite language with Envy than with Aoba or the other pilots.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Good thing I organized the "condescension" file after all, I guess. But... I did want to dance with someone... "Don't bite the hand that feeds you"... They'd probably like the dog metaphor, but laugh at the idea of feeding me...

Envy stares at Liza's outstretched hand for two seconds, then cautiously takes it. "Ah... Okay, sure. Er... Thank you."

I wish I could make everyone listen to me that easily. Or have someone come protect me... My hand is still busted. I wonder if Liza will even notice.

Everyone else is so lucky...

[roko10]

Ryall simply stared as the scene unfolded in front of her eyes before shrugging it off and trying her best to help Liza with the food anyway, though she still kept her mouth shut aside from a curt "It's okay, I guess," in response to Aoba's question. She did feel the slightest bit of a blush at Xiren's fliratious glance, but she tries to hide it as much as possible.

After helping Liza more-or-less cleaning up the food, Ryall turns toward Xiren. "So. How about that dance?"

[velvetWing]

Xiren doesn't find herself particularly reassured by Aoba's casual dismissal of the situation - somehow she doubts the Commander has such a laissez-faire attitude toward it. Where is he, anyway...?

Xiren delicately extends a hand toward Ryall. "I'd say you've more than earned it."

As the nominal MC of the evening - though it's clear the proceedings have spiraled rather out of her control by this point - she judges it appropriate for her to begin the next dance, so she gently pulls Ryall to the center of the room and starts a rather uncomplicated two-step, hoping the others will follow her lead. Up until now, Xiren hasn't taken much of an interest in her fellow pilots; less from any aversion to them (well, except Carmen) and more because she's simply been occupied with her duties. But she can't help but feel rather more intrigued by the lot of them after tonight - particularly the odd, stubborn girl that now has her hand around Xiren's waist. "I've been wondering... Why exactly did you step in for me like that? Not that I'm complaining, of course, but I've never had someone act that, er, passionate on my behalf before."

[Elfbird]

Liza leads Envy out to the dancing area after Xiren and Ryall. A two-step is about all she could manage herself, so good on Xiren for setting the bar low.

She faces Envy, raising their right hand in her left, placing her right on their left shoulder blade. She closes her eyes and breathes for a moment, listening for the beat of the music. A memory of dancing with her father, when she was just a little girl...

I guess I have to take the lead this time. Papa, are you watching me now? Or did God make you a prisoner of war up there?

She sighs, chasing the memory away, then reopens her eyes to make contact with her partner. Her warm smile hasn't faded.

"Feel the music. Come with (listen to) my body. Look at my face. Ready? One, two, one, two, one, two..."

She starts by bobbing at the knees in time with the music, to get the beat into her body and give Envy something to follow. She'll then try small, heavily telegraphed steps, using her arms and hips to guide Envy where she wants them to move. From there, it'll just be a matter of Envy picking up the pattern until they can move in sync, even if it takes a few songs to get the hang of...
She'll gradually taper off the counting as they both become less dependent on it... probably.

She's keeping her eyes on Envy's face partly so she doesn't get dizzy, and partly looking for signs of discomfort, in case they get nauseous from their digestive problem or injured themselves with their earlier... dance. They seem more concerned with impressing the audience than taking care of their body, so it'll be up to her to look out for them until they learn their own limits. She'll definitely, absolutely make herself a reliable big sister soon.

[roko10]

Ryall, to her credit, follows the admittedly simpe two-step dance rather well, at the very least not stepping on Xiren's toes. Xiren's words somewhat surprises her, however. Isn't it obvious?

"...You're too good for him. He makes you look bad. And he needed to be taught a lesson." Ryall bluntly stated after a brief period of silence.

[Volthawk]

Watching the others start to pair off and head off to dance, Takeo takes a moment to realise what Liza was suggesting. Him and the Lieutenant dancing together? Was that a thing that was done?

He decides to solve this issue by looking at Aoba and shrugging, an unsure expression on his face. "So, um, should we dance, like Liza suggested? What are we doing?"

[velvetWing]

"...I'm too good for him?" Ryall's words light a glowing ember of something in Xiren's chest. This kind of direct praise is unfamiliar to her. Sure, she's keenly aware she's attractive - she secretly suspects it's the only thing that got her her present position, in fact. But being confronted with her effects on other people so directly, between this and Ryall's fight with Jacob earlier, is undeniably exhilarating. On a different night, in a different state of mind, she might bury the feeling under the weight of Leviticus, but she's caught up in the adrenaline and the anxiety and the million little distractions pulling her in every direction. On the contrary, she feels a wild impulse to feed that ember and stoke it into a flame... and so, unable to suppress a smirk, she leans in to murmur in Ryall's ear, not-so-subtly nudging her body closer to Ryall's as they spin in little concentric circles around the dance floor. "But I'm not too good for you, is that what you're saying?"

[Syless]

Aoba shakes her head at Takeo. "While you may not hold official rank, I'm still your commanding officer, that would be fraternizing." She seems distracted by something. "Besides, I have something to attend to. Step in on the next dance with someone?" She looks over in the direction of the kitchen, then mutters into her mic. "Disturbance in the kitchen. Keep two people at the ready in case of intruders. I'm going to go check it out." Aoba does her best to subtly make her way towards the kitchen- which is not especially subtle- her hand making its way to her service pistol.

[fibericon]

Two S2 agents take position by the kitchen, and not a moment too soon. A small can rolls across the floor through the open door, and a moment later, explodes. The flashbang blinds and deafens those in the immediate vicinity, and it's immediately followed by gunfire. An agent goes down.

Two more agents have taken up middle ground positions, but are unprepared for the flashbang and are left reeling. The remaining agents are focused on getting the pilots out safely. Irina is nowhere to be seen.

You're able to shield your eyes in time to avoid the worst of it, but many around you aren't so lucky. Many people have been rendered largely helpless by the blast.

Your vision goes white for a moment, and your ears ring. Though it slowly starts to return, your vision is significantly impaired, and it feels like your head is underwater while you try to listen to sounds above the surface. Take 2 fatigue.

The fact that you brought food for Irina means she was able to take her medication, thus negating her temporary fatigue.

As the chaos unfolds, an S2 agent grabs Envy's shoulder.

"I'll get you out of here. Let's go."

The S2 agents you posted by the kitchen are able to get shots off before anyone else is in position. One of them is hit. It's bad, but he'll probably make it.

"Six intruders, entering through the kitchen service entrance, one down. Body armor and assault rifles. Be advised: appearance suggests Vatican soldiers."

Akari shouts over the crowd toward you.

"Head down and move quickly to me! I'm outgunned but I can at least get you to safety!"

You have successfully gotten Jacob Cole to safety before the gala could get attacked. Clearly, that was your intent all along.

All NPCs and PCs can now act. All PCs are currently exposed.

[Elfbird]

Liza has the good fortune to be dancing with her back toward the kitchen when the flashbang goes off. Maybe she blinked at just the right moment. Whatever happened, there's suddenly an even bigger uproar than the one she caused, and a lot of things are very, very wrong.

Starting with the S2 agent who came to get Envy. You know how when you steal from a greengrocer, he yells bloody murder at you, and then when you go back in next week, he treats you like a customer, all civil-like, but there's still murder in his eyes and a hand reaching for the shotgun under the counter? It's like that. S2 never wants to deal with Envy, and now here's one giving them special attention. He doesn't move or look like the rest of the musclebound apes either - good lookalike, sure, but it's aftermarket parts inside.

If this guy isn't S2, and is bothering with one specific pilot while there's a bullet hell going on in the hall, then he's probably a terrorist or Vatican soldier sent to kidnap Envy.
Envy being Envy probably won't catch on in time to do anything about it.

Well, no sense letting a nice slab of meat go to waste.

-------

Outwardly, Liza freezes for a second. She then lets her strained nerves loose all at once, throwing herself into the agent's chest, clinging to his jacket, shaking and sobbing into his lapel like the frightened little civilian she - quite honestly - is. He'll provide good cover from at least one direction, more if his allies are unwilling to shoot him to get to her or Envy.

<"Oh thank fork!> I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go! P-please save me...!"

She's careful to keep her face downturned, and rubs her eyes dry on the suit as quickly as she can manage. It's a nice jacket; she'd like to keep it, but it's not realistic, so she doesn't feel too bad about leaving snot stains. More importantly, while her face and right hand and modest chest are keeping the guy's attention front and center, her left hand slips around and yoinks his sidearm out of its holster, holding it down by her thigh to not draw attention to it, where the dark metal blends in with her dark dress pants. Every action movie ever has taught her that having more guns, and your enemy having fewer guns, is a net gain. She can always pawn it and any leftover bullets when they're done, or keep it private for emergencies.

[Volthawk]

Nodding in response to Aoba and watching her walk towards the kitchen, Takeo ends up looking right at the flashbang as it detonates, and instantly regrets his decision. Recovering to the sound of gunshots and what he could make out of Akari's shouting, he can't quite put together what he's experiencing, but...Akari would protect him.

Using what remained of his senses and strength, Takeo starts to stagger through the crowd in Akari's direction, trying to collect his thoughts as he goes. Enemy troops...the Vatican? It must be. The traitors. Must want to kill them. Can't let them do that. Can't fight, though. What can he do? Survive. Kill them later.

For now, he just tries to keep moving despite everything, picking himself up when he trips over and keeping low, as much because of the grenade's effects as any survival instincts.

[roko10]

Ryall couldn't help but crack a small smile at what Xiren's saying. "Maybe," she responded as she and Xiren continued to dance. That, however, came to an abrupt end when Ryall sees a small can rolling over the floor, and her eyes widend with shock.

Oh, ****.

Instinctually, Ryall lifts her arms to protect her ears and closes her eyes, whilst shouting out "Watch out, there's a-"

-----------------
---- ------
-----------------

As the flashbang goes off, Ryall found herself fortunate enough to be only slightly deafened and vision-impaired by the blast, though she seemed to be the only one in her direct vicinity to be so, with the crowd around her in various stated of disarray. Her dancing partner, in particular, is now more-or-less laying on the floor, face down. Ryall crouches next to her, rolls her over, and shakes her, perhaps a bit rougher than she intended to.

"Xiren! Are you okay?! Xiren!"

[velvetWing]

Xiren, smiling from ear to ear, has just opened her mouth to respond to her dance partner when the world turns white. She doesn't hear the bang so much as feel it, like someone's smacked her around either side of her head. Acting on pure instinct she drops low, her hands clutching her ears, but ends up somehow sprawled out on the ground. She's still very firmly in the grips of her fight-or-flight response, and she thrashes wildly against Ryall's rough shaking for a moment before her vision fades back in and the fuzzy, whited-out form of a concerned Ryall comes into focus. "I'm.... fine." She says, without much conviction, using Ryall's arms as support as she stands up on shaky legs. She can barely hear her own voice, much less Ryall's, but she doesn't seem to be injured, thank the Lord. "We need... We need to find the Commander. Or Lieutenant. We need orders." As she quickly scans the panicked crowd for the fuzzy shapes of her commanding officers, one hand still firmly hooked on Ryall's arm, she kicks off her heels. She has no idea what's going on exactly, but even in her rather shell-shocked state she suspects there's some running in her future.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Envy sees the can roll out onto the floor and raises their eyebrows.

Oooh, an M84! Fascinating! According to field tests conducted in 2007, the photoelectric discharge is capable of-

... Wait.

In the next moment, they're suffering complete sensory overload from the brilliant explosion. Envy furiously shuts down the various alarm systems blaring in their head as they slowly try to reboot their visual cortex. By the time they're aware of their surroundings again, Liza is laying the moves on an S2 agent. She has fascinating timing; the effects of stress on the endocrine system increase the likelihood of developing intimate attachments to others. Envy hopes that works out for her, but takes in the other issues going on around first and foremost.

Everything grinds down to slow motion as Envy processes what they see halfway across the dance floor. There's an S2 agent hiding behind an overturned table, popping out to take shots at an infiltrator, who is trying to advance to get around their cover. In the way are... Two of the humans Envy saw tonight. Plain-face and accessories hog. Envy starts running.

Running into area of higher danger. Alert-

Oh, can it, can-brain. I have to help.

Pilot life priority renders higher than other human-

I said can it! Stupid... What's the point of being a pilot, then? The whole reason for getting in the mecha... The whole reason for going through all this... The reason they didn't scrap me... It's because every single other person who exists is worth more than me!

... That's why I hate them all so much.

Rate of approach too slow. Unlikely to prevent humans from being shot.

Then... I've just gotta go faster.

Envy's feet drive into the floor. Their internal servos grind against the food that's gunked up inside them. Their processors are unresponsive to demands to push any harder.

The TVs always talked about this. "Heroic willpower." If I'm willing to put everything on the line... I should be able to do something heroic, right? Even if it isn't possible, even if I'm useless the rest of the time, I-

Then Envy's feet slip on a puddle of blood, and they go down as bullets spray, slicing through the two students. Envy never even made it close.

They're now out in the open, and just lay there, staring at the floor. Either unable or unwilling to move. Maybe both.

Worthless.

- .... . / .-- .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. .- .-.. .-.. ... --..-- / - .... . / - . -- .--. .-.. . / .-. .. ... . ... .-.-.-

Elsewhere, in a poorly-lit room, a dark-skinned, red-haired woman in her early thirties taps on her pen, looking down at the design calculations she's working on. However, she's interrupted by a security agent barging into the room.

"Ms. Nijima! An attack's been confirmed on the gala! All the pilots are in danger!"

Nijima's lips purse as she looks back at the agent. "Really... Is that right? Well, I can leave that to S2, can't I?"

The guard gulps. "W-well, the prototype is also in attendance..."

Her eyes widen briefly. "Whose idea was it to send it to a party!? Well... Fine. I'll deal with it, then. Get me into a guard car... We'll cut them off as they try to leave, if it's necessary."

[Syless]

Aoba's mind races. Six enemy targets. Vulnerable pilots. Important envoys. Babylon employees. The three tiers. No cover... no solid cover. But maybe... she shouts across the room.

"All Babylon employees! Escort the pilots out, at any cost! Three month's pay to anyone who tries, double S2 death benefits if the worst happens! Civilians, I guarantee you a medal if you get a pilot out of this room alive!"

Now she needs to act herself. She scans the Vatican soldiers- they have more grenades. She draws and levels her service weapon, takes a deep breath... and fires.

[fibericon]

Five commandos come through the door, firing on the crowd. Kids go down in a hail of gunfire. S2, businessmen, whatever. This isn't a targeted strike - this is a crusade.

Perhaps they should have paid more attention and fired on more S2 agents and less civilians. Aoba's bullet hits a flashbang on one soldier's belt, and that's it. They're staggered and gunned down immediately.

The call for evacuation doesn't immediately stop, however. It's unclear if there are additional threats, and it would be irresponsible to simply toast dead soldiers and be done with it. Most pilots are being ushered out. Xiren, Ryall, and Takeo all have escorts. Gabriel and Carmen are bleeding from both ears, and clearly traumatized, but are able to walk and be led out.

The "agent" you've pretty thoroughly bamboozled shouts to Envy as they run off, then go down near dead students, having failed to reach them in time. He brushes you off and runs toward Envy. He hoists your fellow pilot up on his shoulders in a fireman's carry and makes for the exit.

S2 is taking stock of the situation and keeping you informed.

"Ballroom secure, threats neutralized. One agent with survivable injuries. Two Vatican soldiers still breathing - all others dead. Commander Nakamura out of range. What are your orders?"

Akari grabs you and pulls you toward an armored transport.

"Looks like someone doesn't have their backs anymore, eh Takeo?! Let's get you home safe!"

One of the commandos levels an assault rifle at the two of you, but the explosion throws off his aim. He wings one of the S2 agents sent to protect you instead, who responds by putting him down.

"Front and follow! Get these two out of here!"

Sniper fire rains down near you as the agents provide covering fire and shove you into the APC.


In the APC, you're provided with a laptop and a satellite connection. Sensors indicate Envy is on the move, but multiple sensory systems are throwing errors.

"Reports indicate threat is Vatican. Gala status unconfirmed."

Xiren, Ryall, and Takeo are safe! Liza, Envy, and Aoba are no longer in immediate danger, but need to get to the transport.

[Elfbird]

Well, that was a quick transition from "damsel in distress" to "worthless lump". Also from "under fire" to "hostiles eliminated". Except not all the hostiles were eliminated, and one is now absconding with one of her people.

Time to be taken seriously. All these adults may be untrustworthy, but they've proven themselves useful. She just has to hope she's playing her cards right.

"Wait wait WAIT!"

She rushes to cut in front of the agent, pointing his own gun at him with both hands.

Shaking hands, and a stance that's likely to make her own feet slip on the ballroom floor. She's too panicked and inexperienced to notice, having never even held a real gun before now. But she's not even intending to waste a bullet, just buy time for the real S2 agents to decide to use theirs.

She shouts in the same shrill, echoing voice she used with the agents who tried to take her food away - any quieter and she couldn't hide the quaking in her throat and chest. Instead it emphasizes, for everyone present, just how bad her Japanese accent and grammar is.

"IT'S NOT S2! FREE ENVY! NOW! WHAT'S THE PASSWORD?!"

First step: startle and confuse the target. If that's not enough, and he tries to maintain his cover, she can waste time negotiating that. She has no idea what the password is either, if there even is one, but he doesn't know that and is going to think really hard about it.
If he plows through her, despite staring down the barrel of his own gun, well... She's pretty much out of ideas here, so she'll figure something out. Maybe she would actually pull the trigger.

--Wait, crud, she was going to keep the gun hidden for later. No way S2 will let her keep it now that they know she has it. Better look for a chance to stash it before things settle down. Ugh, thinking under pressure really sucks.

[fibericon]

An S2 agent holding Envy in a fireman's carry suddenly stops in his tracks as Liza levels a pistol at him. The other agents still in the room begin a careful approach. He speaks softly in response.

"Easy, Sin. I'm sure this is all very frightening for you, but we're not your enemy. S2 is here to help. Just hand over the weapon and let's get you out of here. It's not safe."

You don't remember seeing her there a minute ago, but Irina pushes her way into the group of agents. "Move, I will handle this. Agent, perhaps if you can be disarmed by a child, you cannot be trusted with a weapon. I will take possession of the weapon, and schedule a performance review. You will hand Envy over to someone who didn't lose track of their weapon during a firefight. Do you have any objections?"

The air is tense from Irina's interjection. There are about three different ways this can go.

Another pair of agents escorts Gabriel and Carmen, tossing them into the back of the APC. The pilots don't look good - Carmen is staring straight up at the vehicle's ceiling, her ears bleeding. Gabriel is cradling his head, curled up in a fetal position.

"Two more pilots secured! What the hell is going on in there?! We can't hold this position forever!"

[Syless]

Aoba takes stock of the situation. Her plan worked, the immediate threat is gone- but the pilots need to be secured.

...if they all make it out of this alive, Aoba is going to put a proposal in to the commander about hiring body doubles. But for now she has three remaining unsecured pilots, in case there's any more attackers. They need to get to the escort. First. The casualties. She speaks into her earpiece.

"Two S2 agents on the casualties. Restrain the surviving Vatican soldiers, keep the downed agent stable until medics can arrive. If the soldiers fight back, consider them active combatants and respond accordingly, but ideally we'll have someone to interrogate. Pilot escorts, do not let them near windows, force them to hide if you have to. We don't know what firepower these soldiers are packing, the Vatican wouldn't send five unsupported commandos. Comfort is not a luxury they can be accorded right now."

That done, she shouts to the crowd. "Hostiles downed! Civilians, relax and keep away from windows!" She then rushes- she saw five pilots leave, some wounded. But there's two more- back to her earpiece. "What is the status of pilots Petrovnya and Envy? Report immediate location, I'll join their escort personally.

[Elfbird]

Liza is understandably tense. She makes eye contact with the lieutenant commander, but can't bring herself to give up the weapon. Besides the power and safety it offers as a symbol in her hands, both the gun and each bullet in it are worth serious money - maybe up to a few hundred rubles each!

Still, she accomplished what she needed to. There's eyes and guns on the fake agent, who still doesn't have a weapon himself, so Envy will be safe as long as everyone obeys Ms. Kuznestov. And it's harder to imagine that they wouldn't.

She lowers the gun to point at the floor and takes her fingers off the trigger. She's still holding it in both hands, shoulders tense.
She backs away from the fake agent toward Ms. Kuznestov, not turning her back on him. Once she's reached the Lt.Com's side - pressing her shoulder into Irina's arm for comfort if allowed - she'll turn her gaze aside and pout.
She's not willing to hand over the weapon, but she doesn't mind handing her whole body over with it, if it's Ms. Kuznestov...

[fibericon]

An agent outside reports first, shouting to be heard over gunfire.

"Lust, Wrath, Pride, Sloth, and Gluttony all in the transport, but we're pinned down by sniper fire! We need to get them out of here!"

An agent inside the gala reports next.

"We have a situation involving Greed that is delaying the evac of both her and Envy. She has disarmed another agent and is accusing him of treason. No evidence is present. Lieutenant Commander Kuz... Irina is attempting to intervene on Greed's behalf, but Greed is refusing to relinquish the firearm."

Finally, a report comes in from the perimeter guard.

"I hope someone's paying attention on this frequency, because the commander isn't! We've got an APC incoming! It's one of ours, and they're saying the science team authorized it, but I don't have it on the itinerary! One of you call for backup?"

The disarmed agent carefully puts Envy down, and they're quickly picked up by another agent. But Liza's weapon is the focus of everyone's attention, including Irina.

"<I must insist you hand over the weapon. Without proper training, you're more dangerous to yourself than anyone else in the room right now.>"

Irina nods toward the door, prompting three agents to leave, one carrying Envy. Left in the room are Irina, Liza, one armed agent, and the agent Liza disarmed.

Three agents come out, one carrying Envy over his shoulders. Envy's clothes are completely soaked in blood. The agent leading the charge takes a bullet to the chest and goes down, but manages to crawl back into cover. The two behind him, with Envy in the middle, duck back to avoid getting shot.

You're almost to the Gala, and now that you're on the Gala radio band, you're more aware of the situation.

One S2 agent is being accused of treason, and has been disarmed by Greed. Other agents with you had to confirm that a couple of times, but yes, he was disarmed by someone with no hand to hand combat training.

Envy is currently pinned down by sniper fire, along with the agents attempting to evacuate them - the Sin is no longer able to walk of their own accord. Reports indicate the Sin is covered in blood.

All Sins other than Envy and Greed are in an APC waiting to retreat.

Multiple civilian casualties - reports suggest they were randomly fired upon by Vatican soldiers.

Kazuma is unreachable, presumed back at base. Irina and Aoba are still in the Gala.

[Syless]

...they have infiltrators. Of course they had infiltrators. One nearly got Greed, and now an APC full... she starts with the latter. "Order that APC to stand down! If it advances, treat it as hostile and respond accordingly! Make sure the pilots evac in a different direction, go offroad if you have to to throw them off, we built these things for that for a reason! But do not depart until Gluttony and Envy are loaded, unless you are under fire!"

Second situation- Gluttony. If Liza was right, then she nearly got kidnapped from right out under them... she takes off at a sprint to go find her wayward pilot. If she won't go with S2, maybe she'll go with Aoba.

[Volthawk]

Takeo nods in response to Akari's question, his head starting to put itself back together. He doesn't have any kind of humorous or upbeat response, though, his mind taken up by outrage and indignation.

How dare they attack us. Traitors, the lot of them! They don't just deserve death, but...yes. That would be a fitting response. Justice.

Nodding to himself, Takeo turns to look at Akari again, his emotions probably quite obvious to her. "The Virtues. Are they close? Can they be used here? This scum needs to be destroyed. Teach them a lesson."

While waiting for a response, his gaze drifts over to the building, Envy and their escort still taking cover, an agent taking the sniper's bullet. Good. A pilot can't die today. That would be letting them win.

[Elfbird]

Liza continues looking away from Lt.Com. Kuznestov; she makes no other effort to hide her shame. She slowly unbuttons her dress uniform to access the inside pockets and slips the gun into one, not quite able to let go of it yet.

...Envy needs her more than anyone right now. She's emotionally exhausted and wants to believe that the other three agents are the real deal, but a part of her has to consider that if one agent was fake, any or all of them might be. She doesn't have the energy left to fight her own mind.

"<...Sorry. Sorry!">

Without warning, she breaks into a sprint to follow the three agents who took Envy. If they're taking Envy to safety, then it's just as well for Liza to follow; if they're taking them to danger, there's nowhere Liza would rather be than at her fellow's side.

<You don't need to be alone. You don't need to be like me.>

[fibericon]

Akari chuckles, "At that scale, hitting infantry? That'd be a little like swinging a hatchet at a trail of ants. Wrong tool for the job. If you just wanna bomb the area, we've gotten pretty good at bombing each other. We got better ways. If you wanna kill something smaller than a house, finish your weapons training. I'll file the paperwork to get you your sidearm myself if you can pass the range test."

Liza runs out, following behind Envy's escort, just in time to get tackled by an S2 agent. He takes a bullet for his trouble, but shoves her back behind cover. He's wounded and exposed - the bullet has penetrated his vest, but not come out the other side. The other three agents get Envy to the APC. Liza is now alone, save for the bleeding agent a few feet away.

Another APC pulls up, and S2 immediately fires on it. They do not open their doors or return fire.

You get to where Liza was supposed to be, just in time to see an S2 agent, unarmed, attack Irina. She fires a shot, but is unable to connect with him fighting her in point blank range. With all present S2 agents trying to protect the pilots, you're her only ally in the room.

"Ma'am, they're firing on us. Looks like they didn't get the memo. Orders?"

[Syless]

The S2 agents should have the pilots secure, if Gluttony is no longer there. And Irina is too valuable an asset to risk, so... her service weapon is still drawn. She's a decent shot, but firing into a brawl...? She'd be just as likely to hurt her ally. She needs a clear shot. So... "Irina, fall!" If Irina obeys- and removes herself as an obstacle- Aoba will fire off a shot into her attacker.

[Elfbird]

Liza is only half-thinking at this point; she has the cognitive function to speak and plan, but she's guided purely by instinct.

She scuttles to the wounded agent and pulls him the few feet back into cover. She lightly smacks his cheeks for attention.

"Walk? Walk?"

Liza will support him across her back as best she can and continue making her way to the APC. He's cover. If he gets to safety with her, that's a perk, not an expectation.
"<...If you've done your job, you can die proud.">

Liza will quickly shed her jacket and hold it open beside her, to billow as she bolts for the APC. It's not a good diversion, but in the darkness it might draw slightly more attention than her black undershirt - any hesitation or mistakes on the part of the shooters will buy her freedom, just like every other time she's escaped an irate homeowner with a gun.

Well, this time she's-- sherpa, she forgot the food!

[fibericon]

Liza and the agent move as one and make it to the APC. Shots fall around them, and blood soaks into Liza's dress uniform, but they make it. The various wounded S2 agents are loaded in as well.

"Nishiguchi, you're up!"

One more uninjured S2 agent clambers in, taking up the last seat. She shuts the door, and you all hear someone slap the side of the APC.

"Get 'em outta here! We'll worry about the directors!"

Irina attempts to follow your orders, but the agent quickly gets her in a choke hold. It's a simple and easily broken hold... for anyone else. Without being able to use her hip to pivot and throw him over, she's effectively stuck here as a human shield.

"You goddamned Russians have been the biggest pain in my ass, you know that?! And you, you're gonna let me walk out of here."

Over the radio, you receive an update.

"All pilots secure! APC is on the move! Scouting party found where the sniper was, but they're on the move. I dunno how much time we have before they start firing on us again. What's the situation in there?"

The enemy agent is considered to be in cover, and firing at them from your angle will impose a -10 penalty. Missing could have other consequences.

[Elfbird]

Once safely inside the APC, Liza flops into a seat next to the agent who got her there and lets out an enormous breath. The pilots' conditions... aren't great, and a lot more bloody than she's frankly comfortable acknowledging, but they're all alive and mostly conscious. The medics can handle it from here; she's more likely to cause infections than actually help, given that her first aid experience ends at treating her own scrapes and splinters.

There's just one thing she still--
facepalm
"<Cripes, I forgot the food!>"
She lets her hand slide down her face and slap against her knee, then makes a frustrated, growling sigh.
There's no going back for it.
She knows, objectively, that their safety is infinitely more valuable than that food which they don't strictly need and Babylon could easily repurchase.
But she fought so hard to keep it, and now it's going to waste - left to rot, or for dirty mongrels to scavenge before they secure the crime scene. Maybe some homeless people can get at it? Tch, more like they'd get shot at.

Another frustrated sigh.
A hollow, burning ache grows in her chest that has nothing to do with acid reflux.
She closes her eyes and gets lost in memories for a while.

Those days when she never had enough, but everything she did have, she earned with her own two hands and quick wits. When she had freedom and power to decide her own future, more than just a pawn for the adults to sling around...

. . .

When she opens her eyes, her breathing is calmer and there's a familiar pang in the pit of her stomach and a dull weight in her heart. It's comforting, in a strange way.

She lightly touches her hand to the uninjured shoulder of the S2 agent next to her, the one who got her safely to the APC.

You took a bullet for me...
"Thanks. Really, thank you. What's your name? Um... You're a friend...?"

She fishes in her jacket pocket for a granola bar or something pocketed from the buffet. She'll unwrap it, break it in half, and offer a piece to the agent while shoving the rest into her own mouth. Her cheeks puff up like a chipmunk's until she chomps a couple times.

[fibericon]

Once you're all moving, it quickly becomes clear why Nishiguchi was chosen to go along with you. She begins patching people up, with the aid of medical supplies on board. For those of you hit by the flashbang, it's instant ice packs - two part bags of water and ammonium nitrate that cool when the separator is broken. Most of the pilots should start feeling a bit better, but Carmen was simply too close. There's not much the medic can do for ruptured eardrums in the field. She instead covers the traumatized pilot with a blanket to help counter the shock.

She then moves on to bandaging up wounded agents, and finally, drags Envy off into a corner. While she attempts no first aid on them, she does prop them up in a deliberate position - sitting with legs extended and back straight.

The agent turns away from Liza's offer, grimacing. He puts a hand up between his face and the snack.

"Thanks, but I feel like I'm gonna throw up. The name's Murayama Hikozaemon." He looks at Liza for a moment and adds, "Uh... just call me whatever part of that you can pronounce."

All pilots other than Envy and Carmen remove 1 fatigue.

[Elfbird]

Liza blinks at Murayama for a bit as she chews her snack, eyes attentive but not comprehending.

"...Please don't die. Okay?"

She breaks the remaining half-bar in half again, absently swallows what she had, and pops the next bit in while she turns her attention to the other pilots.

Carmen, Gabriel, Envy... The ones who most need the help are least likely to benefit from food right now, let alone being in any condition to eat.
Ryall, Xiren, and Takeo seem... less bad? Not good, but better than the worse ones.
Takeo has his... aunt, right? taking care of him. For a given value thereof, anyway.
At least the medic seems competent.

Liza breaks in half the last quarter of her granola bar, shrugs, and moves to Xiren's other side (shooing the agent there to her vacated seat if necessary).
She offers the last little bit to Xiren - if she's been watching until now, she can bet it's a limited-time offer.
Ryall is also spared a glance. Xiren just got upjumped on the priority list for offering such earnest help cleaning up the spilled food earlier.
...the wasted, abandoned spilled food...
Liza's never gonna live that one down.

"Tonight, er... how was it?"

[Syless]

Aoba can't get a clear shot... she won't risk hitting Irina. But that's just a chokehold, he'd have to have time to hurt her. So... may as well see how he reacts to this.

Aoba throws her gun behind her, taking it out of the fight, and rushes the remaining soldier. He has no weapon, and he can't hold Irina and avoid being punched into the face. Plus, the adrenaline high feels really good right now.

[fibericon]

The infiltrator fighting with Irina not only fails to both maintain his choke hold and dodge your punch - he fails to do either. You hear a loud crack as your fist connects with his temple, and he hits the floor. As he lays motionless, a small amount of pink liquid pools in his ear. It's a cerebrospinal fluid leak - you hit him hard enough to damage the lining around his brain.

"Well, my friend," Irina sighs, "We have much cleanup to organize, yes? Once we both have a few minutes to breathe, I will bring a bottle of your choosing over by your office."

S2 reports the sniper has gotten away, but you got a good haul for interrogation - two Vatican commandos, however many of the decoy team survived the trip back to base, and whoever this infiltrator is, though it remains to be seen how bad the head trauma really is.

The civilians are hauled off to Babylon temporarily for their own safety, and will remain there until non-emergency transport is organized.

The pilots arrive at Babylon first, along with the injured S2 agents. Next come the directors and injured civilians. Other S2 and civilians are a lower priority, but eventually, you have quite a party at the base.

You're encouraged to take a nap, but the medics are up to their ears in serious injuries, so it won't be enforced.

Shortly after your arrival, you're approached by Jacob. S2 apparently didn't manage to wipe that smug look off his face.

"I heard you had unwelcome guests. Might I interest you in a bit of quiet conversation? Of course, I must know what you chose in the end: the open hand, or the closed fist?"


Jacob is right back at it, of course. His father is nearby, but perhaps, with so much commotion, you can organize something.

Though something does bug you a little. One of the nurses comes by and advises you to try to take a nap. Not go to bed for the night, despite it being rather late at this point. You didn't suffer any ill effects from the flashbang, so that can't be it.

You're in the clear. Since the one agent who last saw you run off with your weapon is now being taken to surgery, there's no one to tell you to give it back. Congratulations: you're now the proud owner of a Beretta M9 - the sidearm of choice for S2 agents. NATO compliant and everything! Shame that information means nothing to you.

Irina hobbles in with Aoba, apparently having been evacuated unscathed, though her dress uniform is a bit ruffled.

You feel great. Well, physically, anyway. Better than Carmen, at least. She's shell shocked on top of everything, and not responding to verbal prompts. A nurse comes by to tell you to take a nap, but who needs one? You're good to get in the Virtue anytime.

"You look good for someone who just ate a flashbang." Akari quips. She opens her mouth to continue, then furrows her brow. "Radio calls - I need to go help put out fires. Don't run off. We need you to stick close."

Akari wouldn't directly tell you that unless something was up.

Well, that was a disaster. You just earned yourself a bunch more paperwork with the APC stunt, but at least none of your people got hurt, and you've been filled in on the status of the prisoners.

Three captured extremists from the first wave. They were the distraction meant to lure away the commander.

Two captured Vatican commandos. They're in very bad shape, and might not make it.

One captured infiltrator. He came in with severe head trauma, condition critical.

Session 1 complete! Everyone (including statted NPCs) take 20xp and 2e.

Everyone who attended the gala: take a bravery roll. Those of you with Skill Proficiency: Combat do so at a bonus of +20. This roll is unaffected by fatigue or injury. On failure, take 1d6 stress.

[Elfbird]

Over the duration of the bumpy and quiet APC ride, Liza has time to start processing the evening's events, to a backdrop of the medics doing their work and their patients' moans of discomfort.

Irina pushing herself to be present for the event...

Envy trying so hard to fit in and enjoy themselves despite their condition...

Her own fight with S2 for the food she subsequently abandoned...

The dance...

The flashbangs and bullets and blood and screams and insurgents and infiltrators and--

--she saved Envy from being kidnapped; even if the adults barely believed her, it was enough--

...she stole a gun, almost shot somebody...

...then disobeyed a direct order from Lt.Com. Kuznestov to hand it over.

It's still in an inner pocket, thumping her ribs with every bump in the road and every step she takes.

It's heavy. It hurts.

She couldn't do anything for the few people she cares about, then betrayed and abandoned the one who saved her from three different nightmares.

...It's heavy. It hurts.

...Tired...

...

Liza slips away from the group pretty much as soon as they've disembarked, before the other vehicles arrive. The other pilots aren't in great shape, but the medics are there, and she doesn't have enough to give them right now.

. . .

As things turned out, Liza basically has two rooms at Babylon HQ: one where she sleeps, does her studies and paperwork, and the other day-to-day activities that don't happen in common spaces. The other is where she keeps her stuff.

She heads to her sleeping room, takes off her dress uniform, and tosses it unceremoniously on her bed. She should probably hide the gun - the bulge is a little obvious on the inside of her jacket even if you're not looking for it - but she can't bring herself to touch it right now.

It's a symbol of everything she hates about herself and everything she takes pride in.

Proof of the skills that let her survive alone since the Rapture took her family, behind a facade of normalcy that nobody before Irina Kuznestov were able or willing to see through.

It'd be easy to make it right by just handing it over to Irina or anyone with an apology,

But she can't do that either, and hates herself for that too.

Liza stands in her room for a while, too exhausted to rest and too paralyzed to act.

Then she sighs, slumps her shoulders, and slinks back to the landing area where the others should have arrived.

. . .

When Liza finds Lt.Com Kuznestov and can make eye contact, she'll do a Japanese-style bow as deeply as she can without falling over, then approach and wrap her torso in a hug. Her eyes are teary, not quite on the verge of spilling over, and her voice has a crack. She's looking for comfort from the closest thing she has to a mother, but she's also setting herself up to be punished somehow. It's how she's always coped with the guilt of living the way she has - when it gets too much, make someone else absolve you of it without compromising your haul.

"<I'm so glad you're okay, Ms. Kuznestov. I'm sorry I left you back there. And that I... yeah.>"

She sniffles and squeezes a little tighter. She doesn't even care if they have an audience. It's sincere.

[velvetWing]

Xiren is content to bundled into the APC by S2 like a sack of potatoes and lands heavily on a jumpseat. She doesn't seem quite all there as her vision slowly returns to normal and her ears stop ringing - at least enough to hear clearly what's going on around her. The night has been an absolute, unmitigated disaster, but there's a certain consolation that an even larger problem eclipsed her own, more domestic bit of drama. She might even be spared a lecture from Kazuma. Where in the world did he go, anyway?

She's surprised at how well she's taking this little brush with death... until the adrenaline is flushed out of her system and she starts shaking like a leaf in her seat. She's bent almost in half and staring at the floor when Jacob, typically oblivious, saunters up. When he starts speaking, she jumps a little, as though she's just noticed him. "O-oh. Hello again, Jacob. Glad to see you're alright." For a moment she thinks of feigning deafness from the effects of the flashbang, but... she doesn't really have the energy to keep up the ruse. "I got taken out of commission pretty quickly. Probably just as well. I'm not much use in a fight without my Virtue. Especially in heels."

[fibericon]

As you look up at Jacob, his voice catches in his throat. He stares blankly at you for a moment. Maybe he's finally started taking this seriously. But if that's the case, he's not the shoulder to lean on.

"I, uh... I should... let you, uh, get medical. Yeah."

He scurries off, back to his father. His father has failed to show concern for anything thusfar, and isn't starting now. It's the same passive expression he's had all night.

[roko10]

Ryall spent most of the ride back to Babylon in quiet contemplation, pondering about what just happened in the gala. It was worrying that the Vatican would stoop so low as to attack a gala filled with civilians just to get at the pilots, yes, but considering how every single one of them are still alive, it could've gone far worse.

She thought back at when one of the commandos leveled an assault rifle at her and Xiren, only to be thrown off by a lucky explosion, and silently thanks whatever unseen cosmic force saved them (because clearly, it couldn't be God). That, or God's just trying to spare you so He can screw you over later. Just as usual, she thought grimly.

After arriving at the base, Ryall first wanted to check on Xiren to see if she was okay or not (messing with Jacob, whilst not something she'll just turn down, is a secondary objective at best now), but is halted by a nurse, who advises her to take a nap. "No, thank you. I'm fine," she responded somewhat grumpily, and she pushes the nurse aside to approach Xiren. Jacob has apparently decided to scram off, thank UCFs.

"Hey, are you feeling better? Can I help you?" she asks Xiren, with genuine concern in her voice.

[Syless]

Aoba's first task after reuniting at Babylon is checking on her charges. They all got out intact, but... they must be shaken. Ryall and Xiren are talking, Liza is with Irina... Takeo is left alone, after a nurse goes to check on other patients. She walks over to him and takes a seat next to him. "How are you holding up? The first time you stare death in the face is always the worst, but you did great."

[Volthawk]

On the ride back to Babylon, Takeo was content to keep the silence the others seemed to want, his mind turning inwards and chewing over what just happened, fuming at the injustice that just happened. The lack of restraint with which the Vatican troops acted was an outrage - attacking civilians like that was unforgivable.

Being left in the medical bay with no need to recover gave him plenty more time to think things over, particularly once Akari tells him to stay put. So the Vatican was still causing problems...that made sense, so long as they still had troops here, they wouldn't just give up after failing at the gala. Fanatics didn't think like that. In any case, he trusted in Akari's judgement enough to obey her and stay put.

Aoba's arrival serves as a distraction from his thoughts, Takeo giving a small nod in response. "I'm fine. I've recovered from the flashbang already, and all going through that has done has made me more determined to see this through. So if it gets easier, you shouldn't have to worry about me. Thank you for thinking of me, though." He is then quiet for a few moments, returning to his thoughts, before speaking again."They can't get away with this, can they? The Vatican has to pay for what they've done. What can we do in response?"

[Syless]

Aoba pats Takeo on the head. "That remains to be seen. They lost here, though- and chances are they made enough people mad that they're going to be even more isolated, going forward. This time, we're fighting a war of image- they slaughtered civilians, we used minimal necessary force. Our diplomats can spin this to our advantage. I know you want revenge, but we don't have the resources to fight an actual war- for now, all our effort needs to be dedicated to the Lamb. Don't worry. You'll be safe."

[Volthawk]

A little surprised by the unexpected head pat, Takeo mulls over Aoba's logic, nodding. "That... makes sense. I suppose political consequences will do for now, as some semblance of justice. Besides, you're right...the traitors are a distraction to the true enemy. You don't have to worry about me or my safety. When the time comes, I'll do what needs to be done to destroy them."

[fibericon]

Irina is with her daughter when you see her again. She wraps her free arm around you lightly and sighs in response to your apology.

"<Leaving first is exactly what you were supposed to do. We have evacuation protocol for a reason. Rejoice, Pilot Petrovnya! Our enemies lay under our boots on this great day. Besides which, I had Director Mashimo with me. I was never in any real danger. Especially after you rooted out and disarmed the false agent. I do hope you have returned that weapon.>"

An emergency message is pushed through to your comms.

"Russia is reporting lamb activity. An eye has closed. Keep eyes on all Sins, whether or not they're combat capable - this has never happened before. Satellite monitoring cannot see the lamb, so we have to assume it can't see other possible threats. Global recon efforts have begun."

[Elfbird]

"Mm... <Ye--> yeah..."
Her tone and downturned face don't even try to lie; such weak affirmation is as good as a confession that she kept the weapon. She's embarrassed and ashamed, but feels a bit lighter just for having made that confession. It's even a little exciting to wonder what kind of punishment Lt.Com. Kuznestov will issue, if any.

Liza sniffles to clear her airway. She clings to Ms. Kuznestov for a bit longer, just to feel secure and spoiled. She looks up at the girl on Irina's other side and gives a friendly, somewhat contrite smile - 'sorry for looking like this and stealing your mom's attention, I promise I'll give it back soon'. They've seen each other a lot, but never really interacted, or even properly introduced themselves. It's a bit of a shame, if the daughter is as cool as the mother, and another Russian-speaker to make friends with besides.

"<Hello! I'm-- oh, wait, uh...>"
She clears her throat and tries out the self-introduction her Japanese tutor made her practice.
"How do you do? I'm a Pilot of Babylon, Liza Petrovnya! My master's orders are cooking and shopping! I hope we'll get along~! What's your name?"

Liza said "shumei" ("sake brand", "name of a species", "master's orders" depending on kanji). She meant "shumi" ("hobby").

[fibericon]

"Hmm." Irina replies. "It will be handled in the coming hours."

Rather ominous, but she doesn't elaborate.

It takes her daughter a moment to process what you just said, but she quickly perks up as she realizes the mistake. "My name is Alyona! But I let people call me Alena here. It's easier for people to say. Nice to meet you!"

Irina narrows her eyes, putting a hand on her earpiece to focus on it for a moment, then reaches down and grabs your chin. She turns your face back and forth to inspect your eyes and ears. "<Are you injured? Do you have any effects from the flashbang? Bruising during evacuation? It is important we take care of everything immediately.>" Her tone is much sterner than normal.

[Elfbird]

Liza's face lights up. She wasn't expecting such a lively reply! Maybe she'll have a new language buddy!
"Is 'Alyona-chan' good? I can speak! Do you like Russian language, or not so much?"

She doesn't notice Irina's distraction, absorbed as she is in her new friend, so having her chin suddenly grabbed is especially startling!
"N-no, I'm fine...! <Ms. Kuznestov, what's going on? You're scaring me!>"

[fibericon]

Alyona watches her mother with a bit of concern, not looking back at you to reply.

"That... is fine. Yes, Russian is much easier. It's my mother tongue... <Mother, what is wrong with you?>"

Irina glances over at her daughter. "<I need to work, little bird. Stay here until I get back.>" Looking back at you, she adds, "<Come with me. The other directors can handle the other pilots. They will have more time, because they're not escorting an old cripple.>"

[Elfbird]

Liza swallows hard and nods at Irina. Her heart is pounding hard enough to make her feel dizzy, and her expression goes blank as she starts to withdrawn inside and steel herself. She falls in on Lt.Com. Kuznestov's weak side, half a step behind, ready to support her if need be.

You're not an old cripple. You're strong. I look up to you too much to accept any other answer.

After they've started walking, Liza suddenly throws a smile over her shoulder at Alyona.
"<Alyona! Practice Japanese with me after this, okay?!>"

As they keep walking through the endless steel and whitewash walls at Irina's pace, Liza's thoughts get pulled to the other pilots. Will they be okay? She wants to be there for each of them, but she knows that leaving Lt.Com Kuznestov would only cause trouble now. She hates her own uselessness and lack of power. As if the 'other directors' care one whit about supporting the pilots as people! After the danger is passed then, she'll make hotpot and they'll all have a big family dinner...

The swelling anger and hope ignite a fire in her chest; it lights up her eyes and burns away her doubts. There's still a lump of fear in her throat, and her limbs are shaking, but that's nothing new - she's faced the same terror every time she's faced down a shopkeeper's rifle and a policecar's siren.

She's found something worth protecting. She can give this battle her all, just like she did to save Envy. If her 'all' isn't enough, she'll just steal somebody else's.

That's great, but what does 'stealing somebody else's all' even mean...?

[velvetWing]

Xiren lets out a quiet sigh of relief as Jacob uncomfortably stalks off in his father's general direction. She doesn't really have the energy to deal with him right now. And yet.... some small, selfish part of her, the same part that was silently euphoric watching Ryall and Jacob fight over her, is disappointed that he bailed so immediately.

Maybe if I had...

No.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit...

Her lips move silently as she recites the passage from memory. It's one she's read over many times. Concurrently, her hand sneaks into her now-dirty and rather beleaguered clutch, and fishes out a small chess piece, which she worries in one hand. To a passersby she might look just a touch crazy, which is unfortunate, because she's barely made it through ". . .and if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin. . ." before Ryall walks up. Immediately she stops her little impromptu Bible study and flips over her hand, resting it against her knee in what she hopes is a suitably-casual method of concealment. This time she's determined to act with a bit more composure. Her winning smile's back, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, I'm quite alright, thank you. A little shaken up. Thank you for... well. Helping me get out. I don't know what I'd have done without you." She looks Ryall up and down in apparent concern. "You weren't hurt, I hope?"

[fibericon]

Touching her earpiece again, Irina switches to Japanese briefly. "Petrovnya is with me. Try to get the others to rest, if possible."

She keeps looking forward as you two walk down the hall. "<I don't know how much of the Rapture story you've heard, or from who, but in the house of the hanged man, they mention not the rope. Perhaps they should. You flushed out a spy who fooled us all, Liza. I want to make use of your talent while there might still be time to do so. Will you listen to a broken soldier's final war story?>"

[Elfbird]

Liza also keeps her gaze fixed straight ahead, and her voice drifts toward a monotone as she numbs herself in preparation for whatever nightmare lies ahead.

"...No... <...You're not broken, Lieutenant Commander. You saved me, and watched over me, and that's more than any adult has done for me since the Rapture took my family. Nothing is broken as long as it can do something. Damaged, maybe, but never useless. I know. I'll prove it, because I'm trash you picked out of the gutter too. What shall I do for you?>"

[fibericon]

Irina scoffs. "<I was at ground zero when The Rapture took place. In the joint training exercise between the JSDF and the RAF. We came to the lamb, laying on an altar and surrounded by robed figures. We now call them Elders. Seven eyes, each was as large as the common room, and the Elders were similarly giant. But as large as they were, satellite imaging could not see them. The shadows that ravaged our homeland were also there. They approached us on sight, and did not respond to verbal communication. We attacked first, but bullets only dispersed them temporarily. The black smoke that formed the shadows seemed connected to one of the Elders. After I was crippled, I couldn't attempt to retreat anymore, so I fired at the Elder. He had a shiny necklace, and I knew a bullet so tiny couldn't kill something so large, so I decided to be petty and break his trinket before I died. I don't know if it was because of that, or because I dared attack him at all, but he was so angry he couldn't command his shadows while in such a fit of rage. We retreated, but shortly thereafter was the event that destroyed so many lives. So tell me, Liza: what piece of information are we neglecting to make use of? Think quickly, pilot, for one of those milky eyes has just closed.>"

[Elfbird]

Being presented with an unexpected puzzle, and having to build such a complex mental image, actually brings Liza somewhat back to her typical self. She'll be startled by this later. For now, the solution - one possible solution out of countless unknown ones - is pretty clear from her perspective.

"<Do you have anything important to you? A precious memento, or a favorite tool, or maybe a person? If that important thing were stolen or destroyed, wouldn't you be so angry that you couldn't focus, couldn't even think, and then you'd lash out on whatever's convenient, even if one thing has nothing to do with the other? It sounds to me like that necklace was important to that Elder, so maybe the others have similarly important things. That means they think and feel, so if we can learn what they value and respond to, we can control them. Seven eyes, seven deadly sins and virtues... Were there seven Elders? It's a lot different if you shot Patience's treasure and flipped him to Wrath than if all the Elders react the same way. I don't know what the Lamb's closed eye means, but I feel like we're going to find out soon. Are they attacking now?>"

Irina might find it surprisingly how empathetic Liza sounds toward the Elder. She never saw them, largely blotted out the memories of the horrors their spawn caused, but she can absolutely understand the pain of losing a precious treasure.

Her heart clenches in her chest and she stops in her tracks, eyes wide and staring at nothing.

The gun she left on her bed.

They'll probably just open her room while she's piloting and take it.

She'd been setting herself up for something like this - she knew that at the time, subconscious as the impulse was - but she made herself vulnerable just now and discovered herself unable to accept the price she'd previously prepared to pay.

She clutches at her collar until her nails prickle her skin through her undershirt, and doubles over in physical pain born from her emotional agony.

She wants to run.

Turn back right now and go to her precious things, to protect them from the thieving and heartless adults.

But right now there's someone she doesn't want to disappoint at her side. Trusting her.

She has to keep moving forward. She wants to, as much as she wants to go back.

. . .

...It's probably already gone.

She drops into a balled-up squat, and when her breath uncatches, it comes out in wheezing sobs.

...I want it all. I want security and comfort and Irina's respect and affection and the pilots' happiness and enough food and medicine on the table and money to care for everyone and to know God isn't going to blow them all away tomorrow and I need so much power to attain and protect it all.

I don't have nearly enough yet.

...And I'm going to lose it all because I can't stand to sacrifice anything.

Adults, God, the world... they'll take away everything that matters to me, sooner or later.

...So even if I can't stop them, I'll just have to become strong enough to take it all back.

She stops breathing again. The hand on her chest moves to cover her forehead and one eye. She puts her other hand on the ground and staggers to her feet, lurching toward the nearest wall, only letting her steps carry her forward - never back.

When she reaches the wall, she'll fling her back against it for support, looking up at the ceiling lights through the fingers half-covering one eye and gulping for air. She's still too light-headed to move or think properly, and standing definitely didn't help. She tries to look down to Irina and say something, but that only results in another wave of dizziness and her mouth going fish-like until she looks back to the ceiling.

[fibericon]

Irina simply stops and watches your panic attack quietly, letting you gather the strength to stand back up on your own. Her steely gaze follows you from the floor to your shaky standing position.

"<Now imagine your shock if you had simply been thrown into Charity without warning. We do not know exactly when the attack will come, how, or even if. But we must treat this information as though it will. It was more than seven Elders. It was twenty four. This is consistent with Revelations 4:4. But we saw no throne, only the altar. The book of Revelations has not been wholly consistent with what we are currently seeing. I do not know if this is due to being lost in countless translations over many years, partial metaphor, misinterpretation of the passages by an outside force, or deliberate omission.>"

She pulls a gold chain out from under her uniform shirt, revealing the locket on the necklace she's been wearing. Opening it, she reveals a picture of her, her daughter - at age seven - and a man you've never met before.

"<We all carry something from our past that is precious to us. But perhaps you are right. There were no harps, as the Bible told. No incense. These are not the saints many scholars believe the Elders are meant to represent. If they were, why would they have a need for jewelry? What saint clings to material things so? Make no mistake, Liza - we are not fighting angels. We are not fighting God. These are monsters. Monsters that slaughtered our countrymen and burned our borders. That left our homeland a husk of its former self, only fit to be a militarized wasteland in the hopes that what few people remain can warn everyone else. Treat them accordingly. Remember your training, show no mercy, and shoot to kill.>"

[Syless]

Aoba fusses with Takeo's hair. "Good, as long as you remember what job one is."

She next heads over to Lt. Com. Kuznestov- she's talking with Liza, but she should still check in with her fellow officer. "Lieutenant Kuznestov- How are you holding up? Did the enemy agent do any actual damage, or was he subdued before anything could be done?"

[fibericon]

There's a brief silence while Irina lets her steely gaze soften before looking over at Aoba.

"I am unharmed, but thank you. The infiltrator will think twice before trying something like this again... assuming he remembers anything. I was just trying to ensure my protege is prepared for battle, but I appear to have caused a panic attack instead. Perhaps I could learn from your approach. I believe in being direct - too direct, it would seem. Do we need to call medical, Liza?"

"An angel has been spotted in Russia. Eyes on the lamb have reported one missing Elder, but the angel in Russia is not a match. No other countries have reported a sighting as of yet."

[Elfbird]

Liza lowers her head to look at Ms. Kuznestov and Aoba, and shakes it emphatically in the negative. She swallows hard, runs the hand on her face up through her hair, and takes a couple deep breaths before she can speak. It's hard enough for her to think in Japanese on a good day, and she doesn't care about Aoba's presence enough to do her the courtesy now.

"<N-no, I'm fine. It's not your fault, Ms. Kuznestov, just thinking about the gala. I screwed up a lot, and it's too late to make any of it right.>"

The food, the gun, her betrayal - they won't get it at all, but just admitting it out loud somehow helps her cope. Her limbs stop shaking and she can breathe again. The lump in her throat and the white fuzziness around the edges of her mind won't go away though.

She pushes herself away from the wall, and finds she can stand under her own power.

<"It won't affect me in combat. Let's keep moving.">

She starts walking ahead of the two directors to prove her soundness of body. With Aoba at Lt. Com. Kuznestov's side, Liza doesn't feel the need to stay close by Ms. Kuznestov, and she's still flooded with nervous energy - now under her control, but with no outlet.

She turns around - walking backwards at the same pace - and makes eye contact with Aoba. The junior director hasn't earned any of Liza's respect yet, but the Sin at least knows to give thanks where it's due.
"Hey, Ms. Aoba. You saved Lt. Com. Kuznestov. Thanks! <...I'm gonna run!>"

Without further warning, she twists herself to face forward again and breaks into a sprint down the hallway. Her footfalls are surprisingly light, barely making enough sound to echo against the walls.
It feels good to run toward something for once. The pent-up energy flows out of her and is replaced by something warm and pure, and she can hear her thoughts clearly for the brief moments before her mind goes blank again into a runner's high.

She may not know the base very well yet, but she's walked from her room to the test bay often enough that her feet bring her there even in her half-aware state.
Once she gets to the locker rooms, she'll go ahead do a five-minute rinse and change into her plug suit, then wait outside the door for the directors to catch up.
She bounces on her heels to keep the circulation going, smiling and feeling much more her usual self.

[fibericon]

All over the base, emergency lights and sirens go off. Over the speakers, you hear one of Aoba's team.

"Angel has been spotted fifty kilometers from base! All Sins and directors, report to the briefing room! This is not a drill! All civilians, follow instructions from the nearest S2 agent!"

S2 work quickly to get the Sins out of the crowded common room and into the meeting. In the briefing room, Kazuma makes his appearance for the first time since the gala. He's no longer in dress uniform - he's wearing a plain button shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He's standing in front of a large screen, depicting a giant robed figure. Irina grimaces, but remains silent.

Kazuma has dried blood under one fingernail.

"This angel doesn't move very fast," Kazuma begins, "But it's moving toward Babylon Japan. We have a limited amount of time to engage before it's on top of us. We're getting reports from Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, and Russia of angel encounters as well. Australia and the US are likely next."

Carmen approaches Kazuma, holding her phone out to him. He looks at the screen for a moment, then nods, and she goes to sit down.

"Ms. Xia is completely deaf. Envy is also suffering serious side effects form the flashbang. I recommend keeping them in reserve, but I don't make the final call on who gets deployed. Ms. Mashimo, the floor is yours."

RP is not required at this point, but you can if you so wish. There will be time for the Chessmaster talents to be used.

[roko10]

Ryall visibly relaxed upon hearing what Xiren said, though she still looks a bit worried. "That is good to hear. I am fine. Thank you," she said before she was cut off by Aoba's warning from the speakers. Immediately, she straightens up and prepares to leave, but before she does that, she turns towards Xiren. "Do you need help to walk?"

[fibericon]

Cheering erupts from the command center as Xiren puts the Elder down for good. The shadows dissipate as a single blow to the core reduces the angel to nothing. Irina puts her head in her hands, overwhelmed with relief that a second Rapture event did not come to pass.

Of course, Russia never had Virtues the last time around. It's an entirely different set of circumstances now. Still, one has to wonder why only Japan faced an Elder. Kazuma, in fact, wonders this very much out loud.

The medical team meets the Sins in the hangar first, before allowing them to be escorted back to the briefing room. At least one face you've seen before - Nishiguchi is among them.

"Congratulations on your first victory." Kazuma says, "On this great day, you have proven that you will bow to neither man nor monster. Updates are coming in from the global Babylon organization: Russia and the Netherlands fared very well, with comparable victories to our own. There was significant collateral damage in Saudi Arabia and Australia. The United States has two pilots in critical condition, and suffered civilian casualties. The Netherlands will most likely send backup to the United States if necessary, as they are closer than we are by some three thousand kilometers. There is some important information to note from this battle: though all Babylon locations fought angels, only Japan faced an Elder. I would like to know why. Ms. Nijima, I want you to make figuring this out your priority. Dismissed."

"<Commander,>" Irina chides in Russian, "<Don't you think you should appeal to their humanity a bit?>"

Kazuma sighs and adds, "Pilots, you have a non-trivial salary for a reason. Have some fun."

As the base was not very far from the battle, it would have been too dangerous to arrange transport for the gala guests. They're all still in the common area. Gabriel seems to be doing better than before. Carmen doesn't seem to have it in her to be the spoiled princess you've all come to know and begrudgingly tolerate, now simply having a conversation with Shane via text.

After the command room is dismissed, you all receive a distressing report: the captured agent with head trauma died suddenly in the medical wing, despite appearing to have been in stable condition.

Your room has been tossed, and the pistol is gone. Nothing else appears to be missing.

As Ms. Nijima passes you, you swear you can smell ozone. Very strongly, and very briefly, as if lightning had struck near you. You don't get much time to think about this, as Akari runs up.

"What a show!" she beams, "Our enemies are having a real bad day, eh Takeo?"

You're caught alone, by Jacob's father. He has the same emotionless gaze he's maintained all night, but a quick look around tells you that this was very well thought out. He speaks slowly and calmly, and well out of earshot of anyone else.

"<Ms. Lagrange. We have been informed that, due to the two attacks in rapid succession, my son and I will remain in the Babylon Japan base for the next several days. Obtain a modicum of self control during that time. After we leave, your antics are no longer my concern.>"

There is something frightening in the way this man carries himself. There is no threat - veiled or otherwise - to be obtained from his words or tone, but just talking to him feels like you have a gun barrel jammed into your ribs.

That Elder spoke directly into your mind. Repeatedly. If they're supposed to be the angels, why are they encouraging the sort of behavior you've worked so hard to resist?

Have you misunderstood your teachings?

You and Kazuma don't always see eye to eye, but he is a Christian, and he is on your side. Consulting with him might yield something. There are others on base as well, but Japan doesn't have the highest Christian population.

Session 2 complete! Everyone (including statted NPCs) take 100xp and 2e.

[velvetWing]

As the rest of the Pilots and much of the support staff file out of the briefing room, Xiren cautiously approaches Kazuma. Outside Castitas and lacking clear orders, she's lost whatever fleeting bravado the killing blow gave her, and her thoughts have turned to worry. She can still feel the disgusting presence of the Elder in her mind, like an imprint left in wet concrete, and she's eager to wipe it away before it coalesces into something darker and more difficult to grapple with.

She smiles and clasps her hands behind her back in a slightly-more-refined semblance of parade rest. "Congratulations on the victory, Commander."

[Volthawk]

Before the battle

The sound of the sirens and the announcement of an Angel's presence stirs Takeo from the semi-relaxed state he'd reached, a well of emotions replacing the relative calm with excitement, the promise of coming vengeance invigorating him more than any bed rest. This was it. The time has come.

Takeo doesn't make much effort to hide his feelings when it comes to the briefing, his anger building under the surface as he looks at the image of the Angel, his thoughts turning to the past. Of the pilots assembled, he is probably the one most looking forward to this.

------
After the battle

Since leaving his Virtue, Takeo's emotions have been quite consistent, a mixture of joy and excitement like he hasn't felt for a long time, not since before the Rapture. If any of the other pilots happen to meet his gaze, his gratitude towards them for fighting with him is quite evident.

He listens to the briefing with some interest, evidently still trying to be aware as he can about the strategic situation, and makes a mental note about Ms. Nijima's unusual smell, even if he has no clue what he could do in reaction to that or if he even should do anything. Akari's presence takes priority, though, Takeo responding with a smile of his own and a nod, glad to see her and even happier that she seemed to be proud of how he'd done. "Yes. The Vatican should think twice before trying that again, particularly now we've shown them that their angels can be slain." Takeo pauses, uncertainty flickering on his face as he considers whether to continue. "I'll admit, I had doubts sometimes about if we could this, but now...we can really do it, can't we? We can win this, get justice for her, and destroy our enemies. It feels...good to be sure about that now."

[fibericon]

Kazuma looks over to you and nods. "It would seem the victory is yours, Ms. Hua. I'm only here to provide support."

Xiren bows her head slightly in return, as a gesture of deference. "You're too modest. A soldier's only as good as their commanding officer, after all."

Kazuma offers a rare smile. "That is why the blame falls on me if we fail - you all have near limitless potential. That gala incident, for instance, was very much a failing on my part. But that is something I understand much better. How was your first experience of actual combat inside the Virtue?"

"It was exhilarating... and terrifying." Her own smile falters a bit. "It was my honor to strike the final blow, but... Well. Before that, when the Elder attacked me- attacked Castitas." She corrects herself. "It... spoke to me. Like it was inside my head." She seems to be reluctantly dancing around her own pressing questions, as though afraid of the answers.

Kazuma's smile fades. "These things... battling them continues to have unintended consequences. What did it say to you?"

"It encouraged me to do things. Sinful things." For a moment she closes her eyes and shakes her head as though trying to clear it. "Its words were... intoxicating, almost. It's difficult to put into words." She musters up her courage and meets Kazuma's gaze again. "These things we're fighting, they're angels, right? Why would an angel want me to sin? I hoped, since you keep the faith as well, you might have an idea..."

"There is certainly debate as to whether we actually are fighting angels. The belief comes from the parallels with the book of Revelations, but there are many deviations as well. Many people think these are something else entirely - a conspiracy, aliens attempting to mimic the scriptures to strike fear into us... Then there is the fact that it is possible for an angel to fall. If you believe the Old Testament - which I largely do not - approximately one third of all angels fell, and now reside on earth. Quite frankly, I've picked my side. If this was the same Elder I saw during the Rapture - and I believe it was - it was a mass murderer. Hardly a being whose opinion should be respected. Let me ask you something, Ms. Hua, and you can decline to answer, as it is intensely personal: Why are you a Christian?"

"Because my grandfather was," she replies, simply, before perhaps realizing that's not a sufficient answer. "No, that's not quite all of it, is it? I suppose... I have to believe that everything that's happened, it's moving toward something. The world isn't just chaos and suffering, there's structure here, too. Order. Purpose. The word of God is the ultimate structure. The highest purpose. Why wouldn't I want to seek out His blessings?"

"When I was on tour in South Korea, I met an elderly couple. They didn't speak a word of Japanese, and I only had a Korean/Japanese dictionary to communicate. They invited me over for dinner, despite having just met me. After we ate, I asked why they would invite a stranger into their homes. They said they had more than they needed, so this is what Jesus would want them to do. Japan doesn't have much Christian representation, and like most, I considered Shintoism more tradition than religion, so I'd always been mostly Agnostic. But I was curious about teachings that would result in acts of kindness. They continued to invite me over for dinner, and my last night in the country, they gave me a Japanese bible. I read it, cover to cover, to learn what made these people what they are. I almost gave up during the Old Testament. In fact, it was a whole other book. It wasn't until I got to the teachings of Christ that I understood. So that's what I took from this. I know I am not that man, but I do my best to make everything I touch better. I've accepted that it's okay to make mistakes, and it's okay to defend yourself and others. It's not okay to inflict cruelty for personal gain. It's not okay to harm people who don't deserve it. Your Sin, in particular, comes with heavy stigma. I won't ask you exactly what behavior was encouraged as I'm not sure it was appropriate, but I'll encourage you to forgive yourself for behavior and thoughts that don't harm others. None of us are Christ, Ms. Hua. And as far as I can tell, you are nothing if not a model human being."

"Don't compliment me too much. 'Pride comes before the fall', and all that." Xiren laughs a bit weakly. "Thank you for the kind words, Commander. You're right - ultimately it doesn't matter what that thing was, or what it wanted. It was evil. God wouldn't allow a thing like that to exist in His name, and wherever it came from, it's not of the Lord. That's what matters."

Kazuma smiles again. "Listen: My door is always open. If you wake up at three in the morning with a problem, bring it to my quarters. The lot of you have quite enough to bear without having to swallow your fears."

"W-would that really be appropriate? I mean, you are my commanding-" She cuts herself off, in a rare overruling of her usual boundaries. "No, I shouldn't stand on ceremony. I appreciate the offer, Commander. I might take you up on that."

"What would be inappropriate would be deliberately ignoring what ails those under my command. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

"Well..." She hesitates. "Perhaps this is inappropriate, but are you alright? You disappeared just before everything went wrong at the gala, and, well..." She gestures, a bit awkwardly, to the hand with the dried blood under his fingernail.

He looks down at his hand and winces. "You weren't supposed to notice that. I'm fine. There was a..." He averts eye contact, then steels his gaze. No point trying to hide it now. "There was an initial attack, before the group that got through to the gala. I went back to base to interrogate the survivors. On a related note, we may be making a public relations gambit to capitalize on the Vatican's assault. You will probably be asked to take charge."

Xiren gives him a reassuring smile. "I know you did what you had to do. Nothing more, nothing less. I'll be happy to help, of course. Do we know any of the details, yet?"

"You will be on television. Beyond that, I'm afraid not."

"Oh good, I love television." She strikes a rather overdramatic pose, complete with puppy dog eyes. "It's so difficult to play the poor, victimized damsel in distress over social media accounts. You just come off sounding trite." The act is gone as quickly as it appears. "Don't worry, Commander, I'll have them hating the Vatican as much as we do in no time."

"Excellent. I'm looking forward to this already. Our public image certainly needs the help."

[fibericon]

Akari nods. "We've got something in store for the Vatican. The commander has a couple ideas that he won't share with me just yet. I'm pretty sure carpet bombing the Holy See is off the table, though. And after seeing you kids put down that scary thing? Yeah, we can do this. Hell, I think you all just stopped a second Rapture event. Kuz-... uh, Irina was sweating bullets when that thing showed up."

"Why? It didn't seem as powerful as what was at the Rapture. Are they all capable of doing that?"

"Well, we didn't have giant robots back then. No idea what the other Elders can do - our infantry was too busy running at the time, so your squad is the first one to actually fight it. But that thing just about took Irina's legs. You don't come away from that being okay, ya know? The other Babylon locations fought more traditional angels. I don't mean the cherubs you see all over the place - I'm talking about flaming abominations with too many eyes. Shame about our US allies."

Takeo nods. "Yes, but at least we're still able to cover our weaknesses with help from other areas. Although...I wonder if the enemy will keep attacking us all simultaneously like that, so we have to keep our forces spread. It'd be a good plan, and they must have someone or something planning this, right?"

"Yeah, I guess that's a fair point. Russia attempted an air strike on the lamb before. It didn't go well. We're thinking that's the central point, but it could just be a red herring."

"If an air strike didn't work, what about Virtues? We've seen that we can kill Angels with them, and we have techniques to deal with their AT fields, couldn't pilots do a better job of it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it might work. We've got... twenty three elders left. It would be a hell of a fight. Committing all our resources there at once would leave the rest of the world vulnerable, and I'm not sure any one Babylon team - or even two or three - could pull it off."

Takeo nods. "Of course, the other Elders. I suppose it would be best to wear them down first. Do you think more will come to fight us, like the one we fought?"

"As well as that fight went for us, I'm worried about it. What makes Japan special? Are they mad at the commander for getting people out of there alive? Because damn are they gonna be even more pissed now if that's the case. And if we do get another elder, will it be the same? Stronger? More at once? But hey, looks like you made it out okay. Maybe I'm worried for nothing."

"Could it have something to do with the Vatican attack? I'm alright, but I do understand your worry. We still don't know enough about them to relax."

"That's... a worrying connection. To date, we've thought the Vatican simply assumed themselves to be acting on God's behalf. If they're actually allied with the angels, we could be in a lot more trouble."

"It's just the timing of the Elder attack, soon after the Vatican tried to target pilots - tried to cripple our ability to fight the Elder - that concerns me. If the Angels are actually angels, then there is biblical precedent for them speaking to chosen humans. Could that be happening now? From what we've seen of the Vatican, it wouldn't surprise me, but of course there's no evidence yet."

"Oh boy. Well, if you're right, putting a high velocity round through the Pope's head might turn the tide of the war. Of course, I don't think we can do that without losing global funding. Not yet, anyway. The media needs to be on our side, and that sure ain't my job. Logistics isn't easy, but what is easy is telling you those giant robots aren't cheap to run, maintain, and repair. I'll run it up to the commander. He might chew me out for even suggesting it, but at least I'll have put the idea out there."

Takeo nods. "I suppose for now, that's all we can do. I trust the Commander will make the right decision, whatever that is."

"Worth a shot, even if he won't let me line one up! Wanna grab late dinner, or you gonna go hang out with your squad?"

Takeo mulls this over for a minute. "Dinner sounds good."

"And away we go!"

[roko10]

Ryall felt somewhat... underwhelmed. Sure, the Angel being defeated at no loss of life is objectively speaking great and she knows that, but she imagined actual combat with Angels, let alone an Elder, to be more exhilarating than that. Her contributions during the combat amounting to standing around and tanking hits also didn't help much.

Her internal grumbling is interrupted, however, by Jacob's father. Ryall felt a cold shiver run up her spine at the man's words, but remained stonefaced regardless. <"Sir, I would like to point out that my so-called "antics" resulted in your son being gone from the party, which kept him safe from the Vatican's assassins. If anything, you should be thanking me.">

[fibericon]

There's a flicker across the man's eye. Dead silence. It couldn't have lasted more than a couple of seconds, but in those seconds, you are most certainly not having fun. They creep by, and finally give way when the man in front of you does something you couldn't have possibly prepared yourself for.

Robert Cole chuckles.

"<You are an inspiring woman, Ms. Lagrange. Only results matter, correct? Methods are irrelevant, and sometimes the shortest path between two points is through the mud. I'm going to have a special requisition form sent to your quarters. Do make use of it. Enjoy the rest of your evening.>"

That was the slimiest compliment you've ever received. This might be worse than just having him mad at you.

[Syless]

Aoba's celebrations are blunted by the news. She was a soldier, obviously, she'd trained for this... but it was her first kill, and it was an accident. She was trying to let him survive. She just wanted him disabled for interrogation, but instead, with her own hands... She needs to get her mind off it. Her mind drifts towards her bottle of celebratory scotch, for two reasons... but she was left with a higher priority. She would have to save it for the big celebration, like she meant to.

"Understood, Commander." Six simultaneous assaults by the Lamb, but an emphasis on Japan. If it was Russia itself, it would be a matter of proximity... there's not enough information to go on yet. She needs to know more. She sends a text to an assistant: <I know this is time for celebration, but I need to know if there were any events preceding the assaults on the other Babylon installations similar to the Vatican incident. Anything irregular.>

With that done... she should tend to her other responsibilities. Carmen... Carmen is a difficult girl, but she's still clearly doing badly. Aoba walks over to her, taking an adjacent seat. "How are you feeling, Carmen? Any better?"

[fibericon]

Carmen stares at you blankly for a moment, then thumbs out a message on her phone. You receive a text a moment later.

"I can't hear. They say it might take two months to heal."

When you repeat your question by text, she replies.

"I'm not in pain anymore. Sorry I couldn't fight."

An apology from Carmen is unusual at best, worrisome at worst. There's a reason the other pilots don't like her very much. Still, it's hard to think poorly of her right now.

Your assistant responds quickly, and you immediately remember - she doesn't seem to understand the text message medium. Her response is broken into multiple messages due to the character limit.

"<No Vatican attacks on other Babylon bases. We were also the only ones holding a gala today, but the dates were deliberately staggered to give representatives time to attend multiple galas. The DDP representative in particular made it very clear that she intended to attend all of them. It's unclear why we went first, but Australia is to go next, in three days, unless something changes as a result of the attacks.>"

[Syless]

Aoba sits next to Carmen, then texts a reply. <I'm so sorry. We'll get you a speech to text interpreter ASAP, unless you want Shane to fulfill that responsibility. And don't feel any guilt for not fighting- the four of them pulled it off successfully, and I know you'll be ready next time. That was a dangerous situation, and you aren't trained for that sort of thing, so you have no room to feel guilt. If you need anything at all, please let me know.>

She then turns her attention back to her assistant. <Acknowledged. I assume the other branches don't need to be told to heighten security at their events.> She ponders what she was told. Could the Vatican have known that an Elder would attack Japan? Did they manipulate events? It can't be a pure coincidence, they targeted the pilots an hour before the Angels began to move, and the strongest one was aimed for here... we were down three pilots before we even started the fight, it was lucky that the four remaining could handle it. We need more information... and I killed an infiltrator before he could talk. God dammit. Hopefully the other captured soldiers had some intel... she texts again. <Was the deceased infiltrator on staff, or was his infiltration purely for the gala? Do we need to sweep for moles?>

[fibericon]

Carmen thumbs out a message, then hands Shane the phone. He hesitates before reading out loud, "Shane can do it. I can talk, but he says I yell when I try so I stopped."

Shane looks a bit like he's just been scolded. She takes her phone away from him to give you another message.

"I can't imagine any of this will make things less cumbersome."

Ah, there it is. At least she's feeling well enough to be complain a bit.

Then comes the reply from your assistant.

"<We think it was a new infiltrator. He took an existing S2 agent's ID and modified it to have his picture, then assumed the man's identity. We haven't found the real agent, but we're assuming we're looking for a body. We're looking into the infiltrator's death. Medical assured us he'd live. Then he didn't.>"

[Syless]

"I suppose software would be easier, yes. You could probably find a speech synthesizer somewhat close to her normal voice and install that on her phone." She goes back to tapping at her phone. <Check everyone in medical against older records. Make sure all IDs are valid in all known recordings. Make sure we don't have a second infiltrator who may have silenced the first.>

[fibericon]

Shane gets to work on finding an appropriate voice synthesizer. She initially looks over his shoulder, but eventually falls asleep on him.

"Ah. Forgive her, director. She isn't bored by you, I'm sure - she's just had a hard day. I can wake her back up if necessary."

Your assistant gets back to you in the meantime.

"<On it. I'll let you know when we find something, or decide that we won't.>"

[Elfbird]

Liza drifts through a post-battle haze for a while. Her mind remains transfixed by that moment before she pulled the trigger, long after she's left her Virtue behind.

Calm. Focus.

Power.

Not the anxious thrill she gets from stealing. That's the narrow success of a child sneaking around a giant, praying not to get crushed.

For the first time in memory, she was completely in control - of herself, of her target, and of an indomitable power greater even than the adults who think they own her.

The feeling is addictive.

. . .

When her consciousness starts to come back, she finds herself leaning in the doorframe to her sleeping room. Just as expected, it's a mess; S2 wasn't shy about reclaiming their twice-stolen pistol. She's more surprised by how little it upsets her right now, considering her panic attack before the battle. This happened because she set herself up for it; there's no deeper meaning, and no sense blaming S2 for acting according to their nature. By confirming their predictability, she'll be able to use it later. Not quite worth the trade, but it can't be helped now.

"A non-trivial salary, huh...?"

She changes into casual clothes - all stolen from thrift stores she volunteered at back home - and retrieves her wallet from her bed's hollow leg (the one in the corner, so nobody would accidentally bump into it and learn the trick).

Still riding the post-battle calm, she throws on her 'cheerful, innocent girl' persona, then strolls over to Xiren's room to invite her to go shopping for dinner ingredients. Liza wants to make something for all the pilots to share in celebration of their first victory. Between the pair's thriftiness and charm, they're bound to get the best discounts together!

[velvetWing]

Xiren, rather unsurprisingly, has her nose buried in a Bible when Liza turns up. She's about halfway through a stack of adhesive page markers and has been pretty rapidly flipping back and forth, singling out specific passages to mark. Curiously enough, there's another more worn, but otherwise unmarked, Bible on her nightstand. She greets Liza with a bright smile - her earlier troubles seem to have passed entirely. "Oh, hello, Liza! That was a heck of a shot you made earlier. Sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you sooner."

[Elfbird]

"Yes, it was good, wasn't it? But you were cool! Super-duper cool! Are you doing research now? Talk to Ms. Kuznestov! Ah, do you want to go dinner shopping with me? I want to make hot pot for all the pilots!"

Her Japanese is simplistic and stilted, much too formal for the situation, but her friendly intentions show through in her smile and energy. She's loud enough that anyone in the hallway can probably hear her.

[roko10]

Ryall could feel her skin crawl when she hears Jacob's father compliment her, but nonetheless, she tries to keep up a facade of composure. <"Thank you. Now, if you would excuse me, I have places to be,"> she said before she leaves, walking noticeably faster after he is out of sight.

Passing through the hallways to her own room, she hears Liza talking nearby Xiren's room, something about dinner shopping and hotpots. She walks close to them and asks "Hey. Need any help?"

[velvetWing]

Xiren closes her Bible and places her palm on the cover. "It's not that kind of research. Commander Nakamura told me we'll be starting a PR campaign soon against the Vatican. I was looking for what the Scripture tells us about what they're doing and why it's wrong. She seems nice enough, but the Lieutenant Commander doesn't seem like the religious type." She pauses. "What about you? Do you... believe?" Before Liza has time to answer, Xiren shakes her head. "No, I'm sorry, that's inappropriate. I'd love to go shopping with you. Just let me gather up my things and-" At this point Xiren notices Ryall's arrival on the scene, and she seems extremely eager at the prospect of an obvious 'out' to her entirely-self-inflicted zone of awkwardness. "Oh! Hello Ryall! Good work out there today. We were just about to go shopping. Want to come?"

[fibericon]

Liza's eyes kind of glaze over as she struggles to parse everything Xiren's saying, but she's able to catch the gist and Ryall's appearance spares her from having to respond to things she half-understood.

"Ryall, come with us! Do you want to cook hot pot or soba or curry? What... food do you like? Xiren too?"

She's ready to go out as soon as the others are. Though...?

"Shopping... What is the method to go?"

"It's been a while since I've had hot pot - we used to make it for special occasions back home. We should probably have S2 get us a car and driver though. The nearest train station is a bit of a walk." Xiren's face sours momentarily. "I don't recommend it. They get a little touchy about same-day requests, but we did just save the world, right? They can spare it."

"The commander literally told us to "have some fun. " S2's hands are basically tied here, they'll have to let us hitch a ride."

When you all approach the nearest S2 agent, he's not exactly on board with your idea.

"There have been two attacks already tonight. I can't-" he puts one hand to his earpiece, "You're joking. No, I'll do it. Saito out." With a sigh, he drops his hand and looks back at you, a bit dejected. "Right, hotpot. Uh... follow me."

You're each assigned one agent, not including your driver. They stay out of your way unless addressed. The first place they take you is a butcher. You get looks, but mostly because of the security.

In any other circumstance, Xiren would probably ignore the S2 agent's condescension, but she's had a rather rough day. "Think of it like this," she calmly reassures Saito. "People need to see us acting normally, now more than ever. The more we look affected by what's happened, the more people worry about us. We need people wondering what kind of monsters would attack children over religious fanaticism, not what kind of monsters would allow religious fanatics to attack children. Plus, it's a nice photo op for my social media accounts."

Once they arrive at the butcher, she greets the person behind the counter warmly, as though they aren't flanked by several armed, suspicious-looking men, and asks what meat they'd recommend for a hot pot - it's common in Japan too, right? Surely they'd have a suggestion. A thought occurs to her. "Ryall, do you even have any idea what we're talking about? I doubt they do hot pot in America."

Ryall shrugs. "I have no idea. But I don't care, food is food."

"Public relations isn't my job." Saito replies, "Keeping you safe is. But orders are orders, and even if it's not an ideal scenario... well, I'm not trying to rain on your parade. You did good out there."

The butcher eyes the suits for a moment. And the guns. Open carry in Japan isn't exactly common. When he turns to Xiren, he gestures toward some thinly cut strips of beef and pork under the glass.

"You want it to cook fast if you're doing hotpot. These here with the more even marbling are more expensive, but they're a better texture. That fat gives it a lot of flavor, too. Let me ask you something: do you prefer it spicy, or with a rice wine soup?"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it. But hot pot is an important bonding exercise! You'll see."

"Spicy." She grins. "My grandmother put so much Sichuan pepper in hers that you could hardly taste it by the end."

The butcher chuckles, loosening up a bit now. "Then you probably want to go heavier into beef. I'd say... 50% beef, 30% pork, 20% lamb. I tend to recommend more pork and lamb for the rice wine."

He brings up a tray of thinly sliced wagyu. "This is what you want, I think. What are we celebrating?"

"Being alive!" Xiren leans forward on the butcher's counter and gestures vaguely in the general direction of the afternoon's battlefield. "I'm sure you heard about the commotion. That was us. So, we thought we'd celebrate a job well done."

The man behind the counter offers a blank stare for a moment, then looks over at the security again. It hadn't really clicked for him before you mentioned it, but it certainly does now.

"Yeah, it's been all over the news. They say you stopped... whatever that was before it could hurt anyone. I can't be giving everything away, but I can ring you up under an employee discount. I'll admit I don't really understand why they have to put you kids in the battle like that, but I appreciate what you did."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Xiren smiles and claps her hands together. "If you want to know the truth, I'm not entirely sure why it has to be us either. One of the techs tried to explain it to me once - something about type 1 theta wave frequencies and GnRH production. But what I can tell you is that none of us would rather be doing anything else. God works in mysterious ways, and if He's put me in a place where I can help people, I'm sure not going to question Him."

"Yeahhhh… that's about where I got stuck too. However it works, looks like they were right to pick you. You're feeding seven, right? That part I understood. Speaking of which, where are the rest of your friends? Ah, never mind - they're probably grabbing the other ingredients as we speak. Enjoy!"

An important fork in the road - you can try to start sowing seeds of distrust for the Vatican, risking a possible negative reception, or you can ignore the opportunity and take the good reputation as is.

Xiren's smile fades, and she stares at the counter for a brief but calculated moment before speaking again. "Actually, that's the other reason we're here. The Elder wasn't the only thing that attacked us today. A group of armed men tried to storm the base, right before the Elder attacked. They meant to kill us. We're all fine, but, two of the other pilots were hurt badly enough they couldn't fight. If it weren't for Ryall..." She gestures to Ryall behind her. "...I'm fairly sure I wouldn't be here right now. We're all a bit shaken, and we thought this might cheer everyone up." She's careful not to come on too strong. She needs to bait him into questioning who would do such a thing of his own accord.

"What a shame on Japan. Attacking kids? It's a disgrace." He takes a deep breath and sighs. "And you're saying they were working with that thing? That's suicide. Everyone knows what happened to Russia. Well... at least no one died. Is that all of them at least? How come it wasn't on the news?"

"Well..." Xiren leans in a bit across the counter. "This isn't confirmed yet, so please, keep it to yourself, but... the men who attacked us were wearing Vatican insignia. Reporting something like that before we were completely sure would be irresponsible."

The man glances at the security for a moment, then lowers his voice. "That's an act of war, or someone trying to make it look like one. I never really liked them anyway. They keep going on TV and saying we should just lay down and die for these 'angels'. I never thought they'd actually do anything, though." He straightens back up and clears his throat. "Well, I have complete faith in you all to handle anything else that comes our way, but if I were them I'd just give up with how easily you beat the last one! Got a buddy who runs a seafood shop if no one's allergic." He reaches under the register and hands you a business card. The address is about three blocks away.

"Thank you so much!" Xiren's smile returns and she takes the card with both hands. "It's people like you that make everything worth it. We'll be sure to stop by." As they leave the shop with the security in tow, Xiren's expression takes on a certain Cheshire Cat gleam of self-satisfaction. "And here Agent Saito didn't think the trip would be worth it."

[fibericon]

Your hotpot celebration goes off without a hitch. The odd science team member fumes at the fire hazard those little hotplates create, but no fire. "No fire this time." he's quick to correct.

Jacob doesn't bother any of you that night - possibly on his father's orders. It would appear that Ryall is the new favorite child.

Liza doesn't see any disciplinary action for refusing to hand over the firearm. She may have done some minor services for Babylon Japan that enabled them to overlook it.

Gabriel seems to be doing well now. Carmen, as usual, would rather sleep it off. Though this time she might have a legitimate reason to feel that way. No word from Envy. Takeo may have gone for dinner with Akari, but everyone can muscle down a little hotpot when the situation demands it.

The night comes and goes, and the next day is upon you.

Day two

You wake up to your alarm, and spot a manilla envelope that's been slid under your door. It's adorned with a Guns of Liberty logo, and addressed to you. Inside is a form and a twenty page whitepaper on a piece of experimental hardware - the AT Drive. The whitepaper is a dry read, and parts of it are redacted, but the goal of the hardware is to use it as an upgrade that provides localized AT manipulation to any weapon it's attached to. Unfortunately, it isn't a simple modular attachment, and must be customized to each individual weapon.

That's where the form comes in. It's an in-depth questionnaire about your Virtue, fighting style, preferred weapon, and AT usage. The form is to be turned in to any member of the engineering staff, since Babylon will have to handle the requisition and outfitting.

Today is the big day. You receive a press release packet template, along with reports on the battle and attack. Some parts of the reports have been redacted, but it's not to hide details from you - you were there. It's meant to remind you not to release certain information to the public. More importantly, your assignment: you will, along with the other Babylon Japan pilots, be creating a 30 second commercial to improve Babylon's public relations. You've additionally been provided with the contact information of the director, who will be in charge of the camera crew.

Akari has a weird sense of humor, and some days, it's hard to tell if she's joking. When you wake up, there's a stack of paper slid under your door. Scrawled up top is her handwriting: "In case you wanted to know what it takes." The document itself is a rundown of the process of taking a fresh cadet and making them combat ready. You see a long list of requirements. You see a fairly strict regimen. You see a lot of physical activity. Jesus that's a lot of physical activity.

The medical staff all checks out so far. This investigation is going to take more than one overnight shift.

However, the body of the real agent your infiltrator replaced has been found, by one of the kitchen staff. He was stuffed in a walk in freezer near the back so he wouldn't start to stink. They're trying to put together a picture of what happened from security camera footage, but it's hard to tell how long he's been dead due to the cold.

Additionally, they're doing the autopsy on the infiltrator today - your assistant had it made a priority job.

Your wakeup does not warrant a note. Instead, there's a pounding on your door. You hear Irina's voice on the other side.

"Wake up, pilot. We need to discuss something before Xiren takes your attention for the rest of the day."

[Elfbird]

Car rides always help Liza relax. The last time she rode on a regular basis, she had a warm family and a child's innocence. Somehow the intervening years - and getting carted around by Babylon - didn't break that subconscious connection.

Under the circumstances - having just gone through two life-threatening scenarios and successfully defending an entire city, followed by casual shopping and cooking with her friends - the deep relief that washes over her is enough to nearly put her to sleep. She's barely present for the whole outing, and doesn't parse most of what's said. Judging from people's reactions, though, Xiren must have made the most of the PR opportunity. Good, good... Liza's own public image must've become that of an aloof, exotic beauty by now - not quite as charming as she'd like, but there's still a certain appeal.

Once they're back to base, Liza gets caught up in food prep and becomes more absent-mindedly chatty, in her typically simple phrases. The others helping might feel like they're in a children's cooking class.

She marks Envy's unexplained absence, but for now is willing to assume that they're just exhausted from the day. She's pretty much there too; once her belly and heart are full and the dishes put away, she flops into bed and goes out like a light.

It's been a long time since she's felt so content.

. . .

Liza is visiting her family's graves. The mood is calm, without grief or regret. She's made peace with their passing and learned to carry them in her heart.

A small grey kitten catches her eye on a nearby stump, looking at her and meowing for attention. She goes to it, crouches down, and rubs it on the head for a while, to
its great pleasure.

Suddenly, a tidal wave of cats surges over them - a solid mass of leaping, yowling fur and muscle. Her breath catches and does not return; they suffocate her in hot darkness. Choking, gagging, her lungs aching with no relief in sight.

The pressure suddenly vanishes, and she's standing under a spotlight on an empty white stage in a black room, wearing a sparkling white outfit that's halfway between a wedding gown and a Disney princess. Those cats are now her audience, sitting still and silent in perfectly symmetrical rows as far as the darkness allows her to see. She's expected to... perform for them?

No music or choreography comes to her, but somehow she feels like she knows what she's doing. Undaunted, not quite calm, but in control of her energy and the gradually swelling pressure in her chest.

She smiles her most charming fake smile and points excitedly into the audience. The cat she selected disappears.

She does it five more times, bouncing a little between each gesture, smile never wavering. Every time, her target disappears, eliciting zero reaction from the rest of the crowd.

The consistency and power makes her feel more confident, but also bored and more than a little self-conscious. She starts to turn her pointing hand to her face, but at the last moment, aims at the darkness above the audience instead.

The entire setting disappears, revealing brilliant blue sky in every direction. Liza and the countless remaining cats plummet together.

Liza awakes with a bodily jolt, as if she had actually just fallen into her bed from a height - albeit without the injuries that would have actually incurred.
Her earlier contentment is gone, replaced by the vague unease that she's come to consider normal. She rolls over in the darkness, checks her phone's clock - 3:34am - then clutches her pillow under her head and settles back into a much lighter slumber.

Liza jolts awake to the pounding and shouting at her door. She's not thinking straight enough to parse the Lt.Com's Japanese, so her reflexive reaction is to treat whatever's happening as an emergency. She rolls out of bed and across the floor to fling open her door, remaining crouched and looking up at the Lt.Com. until the blood catches up with her head. Luckily her flannel pajamas are both warm and decent enough to go out in - with thanks to whoever outgrew and donated them to her favorite thrift store.

"Mornin'! What's up?"

Her speech is entirely too casual for addressing a superior no matter how you look at it, but perhaps forgivable for its brevity when she's the one who needs to listen more than talk in this situation.

[fibericon]

Irina stares you down for a moment. Her expression is impassive, buy she clearly isn't impressed. She moves past it without comment.

"<You have excellent attention to detail. You have experience in the Virtue. I believe these two qualities make you a good candidate for working with engineering. You will have a lot of work on your plate if you accept, and you will still be expected to perform your regular duties. Perhaps of more difficulty, you will have to improve your Japanese. You would start tomorrow at the earliest. You have a job to do today.>"

[Elfbird]

It takes Liza half a moment to realize she's not being addressed in Japanese. Her language tutors have said that's a good sign; it means she's starting to think in Japanese subconsciously.

Once her head stops spinning from her rapid acceleration, she takes a deep breath, then springs to her feet in some semblance of attention.

"<Ma'am! I barely have a middle school education! What can I do for a cutting-edge engineering team besides make them paranoid about leaving small parts unattended? And what's happe-->" She catches herself. She knows how to say this in Japanese, and she needs to practice, as much as she dislikes it. "What will happen today?"

It's not like she doesn't get some satisfaction from mastering a new language, and it'd be nice to not have to work so hard to comprehend what's going on around her all the time...

[fibericon]

"<Today you have public relations work. As for what you can do, you will be expected to be apprentice to one of the engineers. It is a lot of work, pilot. But no one in engineering can pilot, and I believe that to be an unacceptable oversight. Visual learners are highly prized in the field. If you can manage to keep up.>"

Irina hands you a textbook.

"<If you want the chance, you will have to improve your Japanese first. I know exactly how hard it is, and I won't hear excuses.>"

[Elfbird]

Liza makes grumbly noises, but takes the textbook. Possibly by reflex.

"<Okaaaay! It's not like I didn't have to learn it anyway. Extra work means extra pay, right?>"

She loses her train of thought and glances past the Lt.Com. into the hallway. She wants more snacks to go with her increased workload, but it's not like her to wheedle or beg in these kinds of situations. She'll figure out how to get what she needs without compromising herself from the start.

"<By the wa--> Um... Where is Envy? I... <I wanna help them get ready for the PR stuff. It, uh, won't be easy on them...>"

[fibericon]

Irina chuckles.

"<We'll see. Envy has been taken for... well, their handler saw fit to withdraw them after the gala. You will need to speak to Mimi Nijima in engineering if you wish to see Envy. It will be good practice for you to jump though the hoops required to enter that area of the base.>"

[velvetWing]

Xiren's already awake when the PR packet is slid under her door - the early morning, before she can occupy herself with external obligations, is always the worst time of day for wrestling with demons, so she almost leaps out of bed when she sees the manila envelope appear and immediately begins to devour its contents. She carefully makes a mental note of what information's been redacted, but is somewhat concerned about the relatively muted tone of the beginning of this PR campaign - is thirty seconds really enough for the opening salvo in what will almost certainly be a war of information? The Commander must know what he's doing, though; surely there's a reason behind it.

Immediately after she's finished reading, she calls the number she's been given for the commercial's Director, to get her marching orders for the day.

[Volthawk]

Although he quickly realises that the life described in it won't be for him, Takeo takes the time to read through the entire document from Akari, out of respect for her and to some degree out of curiosity - it was good to know what the rest of Babylon was capable of and had experienced, even if his life and role was very different from theirs.

It was strange to think about, really. All this time, money and effort in making the best soldiers they could and now it fell on Takeo and his team to do the most important work. Everyone had their place, though. His was to annihilate the enemies of humanity coming from outside of their world with the strength of his Virtue and AT field, while they focused on the enemies within and protected him while he was exposed and unable to protect himself. Going through all that time and effort to get himself to a standard where he could fight like Akari was a waste compared to making himself better at dispatching Angels and furthering his understanding of the AT field. Besides, he had his theological studies, all the better to understand his enemy.

As he gets dressed and heads out of his room, the thought about the need for protection of pilots, and how fragile they were compared to both Babylon's soldiers and the Virtues themselves, sticks in his mind. While piloting was a purpose he loved and accepted without question, and wouldn't dream of refusing, it was still evident to him that the pilots themselves were the weak link in Babylon, both in terms of numbers and resilience. Surely there must be some kind of solution...

Mulling all this over, Takeo heads to Babylon's AT training facilities. If nothing else, he needed to keep pushing himself in that area. He can't help but feel like the more he understands this power, the more he's able to manipulate it, the more he'll understand...everything about this.

[Syless]

This is a serious problem. Babylon is compromised. She's not head of security, this isn't her job... but the pilots are. And the Vatican is after them. One dead agent, at least two infiltrators... the medical staff seems fine. Which means they have an honest traitor, not just a replacement. <What's the status of the other Vatican captives?>

From there, she takes in the status reports on the pilots. Xiren, Ryall, and Liza went out for hotpot, but brought S2 escorts, acceptable... the pilots are all getting personalized expanded training, interesting and practical. Which leaves... the other angels. <Forward me the AARs on all of yesterday's global angel attacks. Translators as well, if necessary. The tactics they've shown will be invaluable for future battles.>

[fibericon]

Notably redacted in the reports is how the elder spoke into your mind. It would seem they want to keep it looking like mere combat.

When you place the call, a man's voice answers, and he's clearly excited. The sing song tone suggests he's been awake quite long enough to be happy about the day.

"Good morning, sunshine! I'm your lackey for the day, Hashi Ebizo. And you're the great Xiren Hua, she whose blade stands between Japan and oblivion. Now, I'm in charge of the crew, but this is your show. I make sure the 'sins' of Japan get a thirty second slot, but it's up to you to make it primetime. You've got your work cut out for you. Whoever decided to call a teenager 'lust' needs to be fired out of a cannon and into the sun. So round up your friends, feed them their lines, and let's wrinkle the pope's pointy hat."

It doesn't take long to get you suited up and placed in the simulation. It never felt quite the same as actually synching, but you can't put your finger on why. But with the data obtained from your last battle, they've improved it. It's still not your Virtue, though. It's something else entirely.

You're informed going in that you won't have time for a full day's training today - you have PR work scheduled. The team in charge of maintaining the simulation doesn't seem to know much except for the fact that you'll be called.

You're informed that the initial captures have already been interrogated by Kazuma, and the commandos have woken up. They're being transferred to interrogation today.

Russia fought an Angel with fifteen burning appendages. They lured it to a decoy city, where it was able to cause what it thought was massive collateral damage, while the Virtues picked it apart from a distance. It had an aura of flame as well. The melee fighters could not approach without being damaged, so they pulled back and let it focus on empty buildings.

The Netherlands fought a glob of differently sized eyes. The pilots were uneasy afterward, likely due to its disturbing appearance, but largely unharmed. It used concentrated beam attacks, which appeared highly destructive, but it had little in the way of self defense, and fell quickly.

Australia and Saudi Arabia fought Angels that exploded violently upon their destruction, causing huge collateral. In fact, this is how most of the damage was done - they hardly lasted long enough in combat to threaten the Sins, or even provide useful data.

The US tells a very different story. While it was reported as a swan song attack by the Angel that caused the devastation and nearly killed two pilots, Babylon knows the truth. They called in an orbital bombardment when it became clear the Virtues weren't getting through its Absolute Defense. Attacks were ignored entirely, and the battle was a losing one. The Virtues were able to destroy it only after this.

[Syless]

So. Save for the attack on Japan, these were all attacks focused around causing as much collateral damage as possible. The Elder seemed to have greater focus in its attack. Coupled with the Vatican attack beforehand... there's definitely something unique happening here. But if I were in a position to be informed, I would be, they wouldn't deny me information unnecessarily. Which means... despite America likely needing reinforcements, we can't spare anything. Though I imagine that's what the other installations will say... This is complex. But the Russians' tactic was by far the most effective. With the size of Japan, America's is untenable... But this makes it clear. Keeping the Angels out of civilian centers is vital.

She pauses. There's one other consideration. The pilots weren't physically injured in the fight, but... Xiren. She sends a message to the director of medical. <Arrange for therapy and psychiatric care for the pilots, starting with Hua Xiren. Highest level of confidentiality necessary.>

[fibericon]

Soon after giving the order to your assistant, Director Muromi Hitta contacts you personally. She's quite likely had quite a lot of paperwork from the gala attack, which probably explains how short she's being with you now.

"Director Mashimo. Your office has been running a lot of high priority requests to mine in the last 24 hours. You do realize that if everything is high priority, nothing is, yes?" You hear a sigh and what sounds like her glasses being set on the table. "Though I suppose the pilots are, in fact, the highest priority. We do have the human resources for this, but I need to know what prompted the request. Confidentiality is a given for the field, but I assume, coming from you, that may have meant something else entirely. Would you like to visit me in my office, or switch to a secure line before answering that?"

[roko10]

As soon as Ryall wakes up at 4:30 AM for her morning run, she notices the envelope that has been shoved under her door. Picking it up, she quickly realizes this is the ""special requisition form" that Jacob's father mentioned to her. Opening it and thumbing through the whitepaper, she realizes what the AT Drive is about. Huh, that's neat. It's a shame that I don't really use my AT field, though. Takeo would probably love this, he's the one with the AT manip, but you know what they say. Never look a gift horse in the mouth



VIRTUE NAME: Humilitas
VIRTUE DESIGNATION: Assault
GENETIC QUIRKS: Virtue shows higher performance, particularly in defense-related areas.
FIGHTING STYLE: Knife-fighting w/shield, using the knife to impale vulnerable spots and hamper Angels. Currently experimenting with dual-wielding knives, though technique is as of yet not refined enough to bring to Angel battles.
PREFERRED WEAPON: Progressive Knife.
AT USAGE: Currently sparse; limited to the usage of the Virtue's Basic Field and the occasional Neutralize.



After filling in the form, Ryall decides to go on a run first before delivering the package back to engineering. They're probably still all asleep right now, and just walking in at four in the morning would be weird. After finishing up her run and cleaning herself up, she went straight towards the engineering division, package in tow.

[fibericon]

When you hand the engineer the forms, he flips through them briefly until he reaches the section his department needs to fill out. He's a mumble reader, faintly reading a little of it to himself with furrowed brow. He raises his eyebrows and nods, then looks back up at you.

"Great! Can't wait to see how this works! I'll run it red in the AOFINIT."

He turns to leave, then stops abruptly, nearly stumbling over his own feet. Without turning back around, he adds, "That probably didn't mean anything to you if you're not familiar with NetView DSIPARM data set. That... probably didn't mean anything to you either. High priority! I really want to see this function in a closed environment. Oh, and you should get to see how it handles before taking it into live combat. Of course."

He scurries off excitedly. You probably just made this guy's day.

Your phone alerts you to a priority 1 process put in by a member of your team. Eisuke Iida is easily excitable, but he knows better than to enter a top level priority without a damn good reason. The details of the report absolve him of a write up. Guns of Liberty's AT Drive prototype is coming to Babylon Japan, and needs to be outfitted for Humilitas's Progressive Knife. The report itself mentions wanting to get it in out of combat Virtue testing, but doesn't mention independent lab testing. You may or may not wish to rectify that.

[velvetWing]

"Understood. I confess, I'm not particularly confident in my abilities, but I'll do my best." Xiren pauses. "Could you tell your crew to meet us at the site of the fallen Elder, please? We'll do our principal photography there." After exchanging pleasantries with Ebizo, Xiren gathers her things and sets off to gather the pilots. As she does, she thinks back to her childhood; to the crimson red posters and billboards that dotted her small mountain town. What was it that had made her stop in the street and stare at the pictures of the noble soldiers with upturned faces, flanked by bold text in Standard Chinese she could barely understand? And what had made her grandfather hold her hand a little tighter and hurry her along as they passed? She walks, and she remembers, and by the time she arrives at Carmen's door she's formed the beginnings of an idea.

Once she and Shane have wrangled her into a semblance of full consciousness, she asks Carmen a simple, if rather cryptic question: Why do you fight? As they collect the other pilots, she asks each of them the same question, in turn, and seems to make note of their answers. On the ride over to the site of the battle they'd fought the previous day, Xiren has her nose buried in a small notebook, scribbling furiously, then repeatedly crossing out what she's written and beginning again.

[Elfbird]

So Envy is locked behind a language barrier for now... Clever, and more than a little motivating. As much as she hates Envy being used as a pawn, she's absolutely not going to abandon them, whether she has to unlock the barrier, circumvent it, or even break it. There's no lengths she won't go to care for her pilots, her family - and Babylon obviously doesn't feel the same.

She excuses herself to get ready for the PR proceedings, doing up her outfit (all stolen), hair (worn loose), and makeup (very minimal) to get the most out of her exotic appeal.

Xiren's question, as simple as it is, gives Liza quite a lot to chew on. Why does she fight...?

At first, right after the Rapture, she fought to hold together her pride and sanity, the fragments of her shattered life.

She grew used to that kind of living, almost comfortable, and soon began to fight just to survive and keep her stomach full for one more night.

She started to take pride in her skills, in living outside of society while maintaining the guise of being part of it still. She fought to defy the world and god who thought they could take everything from her. They couldn't. Not yet.

Babylon - Irina Kuznestov - came and plucked her out of her life and into theirs. She struggled to survive and master her new environment. Like always, she learned what she needed to and learned to abuse, exploit, and evade the rest.

She met the other pilots, saw pieces of herself in them - kindred spirits - and pulled them into her heart to fill the void left by her birth family. People she wants to protect, to never let go of, to provide for physically and emotionally... and who will do the same for her (whether they will it or no).

Why did she pull the trigger yesterday?

Breathe.

Feel.

...

Fire.

"<I fight to support the people I care about. The world I know is heartless and cruel. We Sins are sacrifices, rejects set above the rest to bear the brunt of that monster's fury, so that the people with warm homes and full bellies don't have to. I defy that fate; as fellow rejects, I expect us to look out for each other when nobody else gives a damn, because when we're staring down an Angel, each other is all we've got. In other words, I fight to give my Sins everything I wanted, to give them back the things God took from us... So that they'll do the same for me. Ah... Maybe don't quote all that, Xiren?>"

Liza surprised herself with her own passion, once she got going, and let slip more than she'd intended to reveal.

"Ah! Um... Don't say it! Wait, wait! Um..."

After a couple breaths to reign herself back in, she fiddles with a translation app on her phone to try to get her actual quote just right.

"I fight to give the Sins what we lost!"

Whether or not the translation came out well is beyond her... but it sure sounds cool to shout!

[fibericon]

Shane transcribes Xiren's question to text, and Carmen stares at her phone blankly for a moment, her hair frazzled and eyes droopy. She rubs her face and sighs, then gets to typing.

And typing.

And typing.

She's furious. This determined glare is about as much anger as she shows - the dramatic fit throwing is just for attention. This is real.

After some time, her phone begins to speak for her. It sounds flat and robotic, like most text to speech voices, but it's somewhat close to her own. Not that she knows the difference right now.

"If you had asked me this even one day ago, I wouldn't have an answer. Now I do. From my ivory tower, the rapture didn't look real to me. I heard stories, but saw nothing that would suggest they were anything more. Then the Vatican, the one organization that should be built on love and compassion, took my hearing. I laid on the ground and watched as innocent people fell. I couldn't move when their blood pooled and flowed toward me, then over me. When the Russians stood against the monsters, they did not have what we have now. When Russia had all but fallen, my homeland suffered as well, also unable to defend themselves. When Japan stood against the monsters, the monsters crumbled. We have a chance to stop the monsters now. We have a chance to make sure another rapture never happens. And I have a chance to make sure what happened to me never happens to someone else."

Shane stares uncomfortably at her. And Carmen... flops on her side. That's about all anyone's getting from her for a bit.

-----

Gabriel takes a lot longer to reply. Though he was hurt in the attack as well, he's a paragon of self control. But then again who isn't, compared to Carmen?

"An interesting thought. I fight because I'm needed to fight. A great many people, with much in the way of talent, training, experience, and critical thinking, reviewed my person and decided that I was to be a part of this. This wasn't done lightly, and the consequences are dire. To reject such an important request would be beyond selfish. Simply put, the world needs me. This is bigger than any one of us."

[Syless]

Aoba can't help at chuckle at herself in response to the message. "You're right. This is just in light of yesterday's events. This is my last major request on the matter, I can wait for general info drops past this. But the pilots are our most valuable resource, and they're in my charge, so I'm using all the pull I have to ensure I can protect them. I'll meet you at your office when possible, no line is secure as long as it's spoken aloud."

She stays on the line, but starts making her way to the medical wing, should Director Hitta have any other questions to make before arriving.

[fibericon]

"Then I suppose there's nothing more to say right now. Would you like me to prepare you some black tea? Coffee? Adderall?"

Given the night you all had, she might not be joking.

When you get to her office, Muromi has your stimulant of choice ready, and black coffee for herself. There are seven folders on her desk - she's already begun reviewing the Sins' files. Once the door closes, she flips a switch on her desk, activating a white noise machine.

"Aside from the fact that Ryall has a superiority complex, and so on, why do you feel the need to have urgent mental care for the Sins? And what makes Xiren a priority?"

Notably, there's no battle report on her desk. Either she neglected it, or, more likely, she was not provided with it.

[Syless]

Aoba takes the energy drink she'd been left and she walks into the director's office. "Short answer: Angels- or at least Elders- are capable of psychological attack. It's our responsibility to ensure that the attacks leave no lasting damage on the pilots. If you haven't been informed past that, it's beyond your clearance."

[fibericon]

Muromi taps her pen on the desk, glancing back and forth as she considers this. She takes a sip of her coffee, looking down at her hand, then nods and looks back up at you.

"Whoever I provide for this is going to require elevated clearance. You and I both know the Sins are rather... laissez faire with classified information. You do remember the Pride/Core incident, yes?"

It would be hard to forget the time the Australian Pride started blabbing about his Virtue's core on a BBS. At least he didn't know much, but still.

"I suspect that anything that comes out of their mouths during the sessions will be above my clearance level, and I won't have my staff penalized for doing their jobs. That is my one requirement, and it is non-negotiable."

[Syless]

Aoba nods. "I'll request security run extra vetting to get them pilot-level clearance. We need the pilots to be able to be completely open. Once there's a suitable candidate I'll put in the formal transfer request, for now I'll get moving on the security end." Aoba adopts a joking tone. "I won't tell them it's highest priority."

[fibericon]

As you make your leave from Muromi's office, you receive a text from your assistant. The commandos from the Vatican are being brought to interrogation with the commander. Kazuma has had them sent far underground. By the time you get through the layers of basement security, Kazuma has taken a chilling step.

He removes his uniform jacket, folding it neatly and placing it on the chair. You receive an impassive look as you enter, before he turns his attention back to the prisoners.

"Please disconnect the security camera so we can begin, Director."

Hard to say if it's a bluff or not, but the tension in the room is very real.

[roko10]

Ryall was slightly bemused by the engineer's enthusiasm, but chalks it up as just excitement on his part. Must be a damn good upgrade if he's so eager to test it, she thinks before quickly heading off to the PR proceedings.


When Xiren asks her what she's fighting for, Ryall has to stop to think about it for a while before speaking up about it- in English, of course. She's not even going to try and translate her thoughts to Japanese. <"Why do I fight? When my brother, the only family I had left, died in the crossfire of the Lamb's attack, I was left completely alone, without any purpose or way to keep myself afloat. It was Babylon that took me in, that offered me the chance to be part of something bigger. To take the fight against the ones that took everything away from me,"> she says with a hint of anger in her voice, before returning to her usual terse and stoic voice. "So why do I fight? Put simply, it is because of gratitude. Because I believe in the cause of Babylon."

[Volthawk]

When Xiren comes to find Takeo, he's waiting for her outside of the AT facility, thinking about what this could entail. He wasn't exactly an expert about these things, but anything he could do to help against the Vatican was a worthwhile use of his time as far as he was concerned.

He doesn't give Xiren's question much thought before responding. Although his initial response is calm, as he speaks he quickly builds up into the fervor that typically comes when he speaks about the Angels and the Vatican. "Isn't it obvious? The enemy wishes to destroy us all, regardless of who you are or what you believe. Fighting back is the only thing you can do in the face of such evil - you can't act like the traitors in the Vatican and worship the destroyers as holy beings, not without turning your back on the rest of humanity. They have already done too much, and I - we - will have justice for the people they've killed. We have to. There is no acceptable alternative."

[velvetWing]

By the time the Sins have arrived at the site of the previous day's battle, Xiren has stopped scribbling. She tears off a sheet of paper and presents it to the Director, for his approval, unable to contain just a bit of pride.

"Let me know if it's too much. I know it's a little... dramatic."

[EXT. BATTLEFIELD. DAY.]

The seven PILOTS stand in a line, their backs turned to the camera, surveying the fallen ELDER. A wide shot slow-pans from left to right, intercut with close-ups of the PILOTS’ faces as they speak, upturned and well lit. Suitably dramatic orchestral music in the background.

CARMEN: For the people I can still save.

RYALL: For the people who saved me.

GABRIEL: For the people who depend on me.

LIZA: To take back our future.

TAKEO: To avenge the past.

XIREN: To safeguard the present.

Final shot of the PILOTS, this time from the front, panning out and away. Slow fade to the Babylon logo, with a slogan beneath: “We Fight For You”.

[fibericon]

"Let's start simple." Kazuma says, looking at the commando on his left. "Name and service number."

"Go to hell." the man growls.

"You think what everyone thinks: if your nation's military isn't implicated, it won't be considered an act of war. What you seem to be forgetting is that foreign terrorists can trigger military occupation of their country of origin. This has actually been happening for a long time. And if we find evidence that your nation did fund you, it becomes state sponsored terrorism, and we can capture, try, and execute the pope." Turning to the other soldier, he adds, "Explain your connection to the elder attack."

Kazuma waits for a few seconds, but when he receives no response, he nods. Rolling up his sleeves, he speaks again. "Alright. I see you've chosen the hard way."

"I like it!" the director replies excitedly, "The only thing that's missing is a call to action. People are going to watch this and they're going to think, 'This is great, but what can I do?' Here's what I'm thinking: right at the end, juicy snippets of interviews with the pilots - maybe a group interview - and a website where people can go to watch the whole thing." His phone rings and he groans, "I'll be right with you."

He answers his phone, clearly annoyed. "I have a-... Really? Yes, of course. I cant not do it now, can I? Uh huh. Buh bye now." He hangs up and looks at you, tilting his head. "We're announcing the attack on the gala. We can't officially say the Vatican did it, but we can say the attackers claimed to be attacking in the name of the Vatican." He offers a wicked grin. "They're going to have to do something in response to that! So, the interview snippets? If you decide to go with that, maybe have someone who got hurt? I know there were civilian injuries - and casualties - or you could maybe go with Carmen? They say she had the worst luck of all of you."

[velvetWing]

Xiren sighs. "Before we can make an effective call to action we need to build up goodwill. But you're the director. If you think it will help." At the suggestion that Carmen be interviewed, Xiren bristles ever-so-slightly. "Let me ask her if she'd be comfortable with it. We can't just trot out the disabled when it's politically convenient, even if they are Carmen. It wouldn't look dignified." Xiren thinks back to the gala. "That said... Why tell, when you can show? You and I both know there was security footage of everything that happened yesterday. See if you can get clearance to use it in the commercial. Intercut that footage with the rest of it. Nothing graphic, you understand. Just little flashes. Focus on the heroism of S2, and the Pilots helping each other escape. But make sure we get a couple of shots of the attackers in those wonderfully distinctive Vatican uniforms."

[fibericon]

"Ah, of course. The steady approach. Well, unless the calls I'm about to make go through." He hands the page to his crew. "Start getting this footage while I get the security tapes! Move it, people! We're losing the magic hour!"

As he runs off with his phone, a woman furrows her brow at the script. "I'd have gone for the blue hour myself." she sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, then looks up at you. "Hashi is just excited. I also favor a slower campaign, but in the end, you were put in charge for a reason. I just... don't think we should use footage of a tragedy for our own gain. Right, let's get this footage"

[velvetWing]

Xiren purses her lips, mulling this over. "This isn't just a PR campaign. We're doing the Lord's work by fighting against the Vatican's deceptions. When Jesus cleansed the Temple Mount, he didn't bring a strongly-worded letter, he brought a whip. The Holy See has been the epicenter of Christian belief for a thousand years. It's going to take more than a sad little rich girl's text-to-speech app to turn people against them. So if throwing their atrocities in the faces of everyone who believes their heresy is what it takes to stir them, I'm prepared. Are you?"

[fibericon]

"I-I... uh..." The woman averts her gaze, looking at the script as an excuse. "Yes, I'm on board."

They begin shooting, and calling up other pilots. Carmen will probably be carried in by Shane shortly. Gabriel may well be there before the crew member hangs up the phone, knowing him.

Between takes, the director approaches you. "Xiren, you evil genius! The security footage is on its way!"

You receive calls from a member of a filming crew, informing you that transport has been arranged to take you back to the site of the fallen elder. This must be the PR work you were told about earlier.

[Syless]

Aoba bites her tongue at first, but isn't about to let this move forward. "Commander. This man wants you to beat him. Even kill him. He thinks he'll be martyred. Your tactics rarely work at the best of times, and this is far from that. Let's see if we can bargain. And if not... we'll find better ways to break him." She walks over and looks the captured soldier in the eye. "Why don't we make a trade. You answer the Commander's questions- the ones he's already asked you- and we'll bring you a Bible. How's that sound? You can have your token to cling to, and we can move forward from there." She turns around to brush by the commander and whisper into his ear. "If you want to break a spirit, you have to know it's weaknesses. If he dies, he wins. We need to find what it means for him to lose- in his case, sacrilege. Give him something... and then make him cast it into the flames."

[fibericon]

Kazuma listens to you carefully, then nods. As one the captives begins to speak, he gestures toward the mirror. An S2 agent arrives moments later with a bible, then leaves.

"My name is Martin Hertig. I am a member of the Pontifical Guard. We do not carry service numbers."

Kazuma considers this briefly. "Is your organization no longer called the Pontifical Swiss Guard?" After waiting for an answer that doesn't come, he adds, "No need to answer that verbally. Your silence is enough. Tell me about the Vatican's connection to the elder attack."

"I have nothing to say about that."

Kazuma looks to you and raises his eyebrows. Perhaps it's time to show him what can be accomplished when you have more tools than a hammer.

[Syless]

"Clearly Switzerland is no longer comfortable providing the full military of the Vatican. Likely it's now akin to the French Foreign Legion, taking recruits from all nations loyal to their cause. Tell me, soldier. Would you rather betray your faith, or betray your cause?"

[fibericon]

The other soldier, previously silent, finally speaks up. "They are the same." Kazuma winces, but holds his tongue as the man continues. "King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide. Once again, Babylon rises with giant idols and demands we fight god himself to lick its heels. But He did not strike down your throne Himself with lightning or plagues - an army did. Today, we are that army."

[Syless]

Aoba breaks down laughing. "Except you failed. Catastrophically. But you're going to have to pick. See..." Aoba is now thinking in terms of history. To the Kiri****an purge. Not exactly a high point in history, but when you're working with zealots... she pulls out a lighter. "For every question you refuse to answer, I'll tear out and burn a chapter of that bible. Back to front. If we run out of bible, then... I'm sure we can get a picture of Jesus for you to trample. Or a crucifix to break. Show that you're more concerned with this mortal world than the spiritual. I'm sure that will get you in great with your god. Or just answer our questions, keep pure, and who knows, we might even accelerate your trip to Heaven, if you ask nicely."

[fibericon]

"Stop." Martin replies. "We attacked the gala on orders of the pope. He did not mention the elder, only that Japan had to be attacked first, and it had to happen at a particular time and date. We thought it was so that we could eliminate the arms manufacturers' personnel and investors at the same time."

[Syless]

Aoba grins. "Thank you for your honesty." She puts away the lighter, then turns to Kazuma. "Any other questions? We have the biggest ones."

[fibericon]

"There's still one thing that's bothering me." Kazuma replies. "Why do you follow the pope?"

"God speaks to him directly." Martin replies.

Kazuma shakes his head. "A popular opinion, but I don't think I believe it. See, I have faith in God. You have faith in a man. The Old Testament is rife with prophets, but God was right there to back them up. You're just taking this man's word for it."

"Faith is blind." The determination in his eyes suggests that he believes it.

"Is it? Is that why you brought assault rifles into a party to butcher children?"

"You stole their childhood when you put them in those abominations."

Martin remains calm in the face of Kazuma, who is clearly losing his composure. Punching probably wouldn't have gotten you very far.

"Minghuan He was twelve years old when his father brought him to the gala. You double tapped his skull for the crime of being dragged to a party he didn't want to go to. You better damn well have an answer for his death or I swear to-"

"We were told to purge the gala."

Kazuma slams his fist down on the table. "You murdered a child! Tell me why you believe that strongly in the word of one man!"

"If you'd seen his radiance, you would understand. It is clear, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that he is blessed. He is chosen by God. No weapon can hurt him. If you are truly one of the faithful, just speak to him. I promise you, that's all it will take, just one conversation, and you will dismantle this organization of your own accord."

Kazuma stares at the man for a moment, then replies softly, "I think we're done here." He turns to you and adds, "Unless you've thought of another question, I'll need you to join me for a meeting."

[Syless]

Aoba shakes her head. "No more questions. Let him keep that bible for solace in a cramped cell until we have a permanent solution. But yes, there are... implications to what he said we need to discuss."

[fibericon]

As you and Kazuma leave the interrogation room, he's clearly tense. His pace has picked up a bit. He takes out his cellphone and places a call. "Irina."

Not a good sign. Kazuma must be pretty worked up to start using first names.

"Get Akari and Mimi into my office immediately for a meeting. Also-... No, no, that's fine. Let her work, the AT Drive is more important to us right now. No, leave Muromi out of this. She can't contribute to this meeting. Also, I need the dossiers on all active Sins stationed in Japan."

In Kazuma's office, he briefly scans the Sins' files as he speaks. Ryall's file contains a sample of her target practice, which he holds up for a moment before returning it to the folder.

"We've just finished interrogating the Vatican commandos. They've admitted to being with the Pontifical Guard, which is apparently no longer supplied by the Swiss. They were acting under direct order of the pope. I dismissed Akari's report on Takeo's intuition out of hand as teenage aggression, but based on what we know now, I should have taken this more seriously. The pope is a Sin, reportedly capable of using personal scale AT abilities. After Mimi's team has finished reverse engineering the AT Drive, I need to see if she can outfit it to a personal scale weapon."

"We serious about taking a shot at the pope, commander?" Akari asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. If it is possible to use the AT Drive that way, we need to see if you can make use of it. That would be my preference, but I suspect you cannot. Aoba, which of the Sins would be most capable of receiving the necessary training? They will need to be combat trained and receive additional AT training."

Irina stares, wide eyed and silent. She clearly suspects Kazuma has taken complete leave of his senses. Akari is obviously uncomfortable with the idea of turning a teenager into an assassin, but keeps her mouth shut.

[Syless]

Aoba bites her lip. She doesn't like this idea... it's far too dangerous. And there's one other option... "Sir. Before we prepare this plan, there's one other option to consider. We know that the Elders can affect minds. What if the Pope isn't a Sin... but a vessel for an Elder? If that's the case, a single Sin, however trained, doesn't stand a chance."

[fibericon]

"I didn't ask-!" The commander stops himself and takes a deep breath. "I apologize. There would be no point to having anyone else in the room if I wasn't willing to hear them out. This is just... a very stressful situation. Thank you for keeping your composure. Yes, we need to do recon before we can commit such a valuable resource. Normally, I would have Akari do this, but no one is going to believe the aunt of a Sin and known Babylon employee is suddenly joining the Pontifical Guard. And with the pope reportedly having the ability to affect the minds of believers, we need to ensure whoever we send does not have any Abrahamic faith. Comb through S2 files, and do it discretely. The less people who know about this, the better. I still want a Sin trained, in case it comes to that. Better to have one and not need it."

Akari loosens up a little at this. "Wouldn't hurt to give these kids a kick in the ass with basic training, maybe induct one or two into the half moon club."

"I'm not sure if it would be better to offer additional training to all of them or to simply pick one for it. The Sins aren't known for their discretion. Perhaps if we offer the training to all of them, and let the ones that wouldn't make it anyway drop out or ignore it entirely, they won't think anything's amiss. Thoughts?"

[Syless]

Aoba nods. "I wasn't refusing. I just wanted to make sure all options are considered. I agree with the notion of letting all pilots have access to the proper training, and this means we shouldn't pick an agent yet- but as it stands, my recommendation would be Ryall. Takeo would take to the mission most enthusiastically, but I worry he would be consumed by his fury towards the Vatican and risk compromising himself. Carmen and Gabriel lack the temperament. Envy is... Envy. I doubt Xiren would take to this particular training- force doesn't strike me as her style. Liza... Liza is the wild card in this situation. The incident at the Gala shows she does have a killing instinct, so she could likely be molded into the role, but... I'd worry about her in the long run for it. So you have my assessment. Offer additional combat training to all pilots, and we will assess them as they take to it, should this plan be implemented."

[fibericon]

"Then it's settled. Let the Sins show us who can do this. I will need to speak with engineering about the special AT training, but let's focus on the combat training for now. Inform the Sins tomorrow - I don't want them getting distracted from their PR work today.

The camera crew has chosen their angles carefully. Foot patrols and aerial drones ensure that no one crosses the very broad perimeter, but the cameras pick up none of it. A silhouette of the fallen elder lay across the golden horizon. This area was mostly light forest, but it's now trampled. The ground is uneven in places from Virtues stomping around, but you can find a path to the elder on foot. S2 keeps an eye on you, but doesn't make any attempt to dissuade you.

Before you get close enough for a good look, you can smell ozone. This only gets stronger as you get closer. Once you do, you notice the lack of a necklace. A moment later, you see signs of a very large scale autopsy. The top of its skull has been removed, and placed back on for the benefit of the PR shoot. They likely took the brain with them.

[Elfbird]

Liza puts her all into her performance for the commercial. She has the dual advantage of doing it for and with the only people she wants to support, and not giving a damn what the public thinks of her, so she's able to act in front of the cameras, film crew, and S2 without a shred of hesitation. They don't have a lot of daylight, so there's not much time wasted on off-camera fussing either.

Even so, the unrelenting attention starts to wear on her nerves by the end, and the smell of ozone puts her even more on edge. She's glad to recognize an angel's smell now, but being deprived of even one of her senses is a warning to her instincts. Luckily she's so used to being in the dark that the setting sun isn't a problem for her.
Once it seems like her part is done, she asks the group for a few minutes alone, and makes her way to the Elder's body.

There's something relaxing, refreshing about picking her way through the debris field. Judging footholds, reading the path ahead, measuring her strides to never waste a step, just moving her body in different ways. Life at Babylon involves far too many polished floors and people who care about decorum.

When she's cleared the majority of the debris up to the Elder and slows down to catch her breath, the ozone hits her like a wall. The sudden muting of her sense of smell causes her to glance around anxiously, but S2 is keeping an acceptable distance, and she can hear every movement now that she's away from the filming site. The growing darkness becomes a comfort; away from the camera lights, it becomes something that hides her, rather than hides others from her.

Now properly adjusted, she gives the Elder more of her attention. She paces slowly beside its arm toward the neck, looking the creature over, enjoying the pride and satisfaction swelling within her over having been part of the team that killed this bastard.

She puts her hand on its shoulder, first just her fingertips, then her whole palm. Its skin looks like porcelain, but feels more like leather. Flesh - something dirty and mortal, not the trappings of the higher being it pretends to be. And they killed it!
She laughs with glee, and gives it a solid kick. Her foot bounces off like kicking a tire.

The things that murdered her family and ravaged her hometown? They're not so scary any more. She'll master Japanese, get into engineering, and come to understand the Elders so well that she could turn every last one into butcher's cuts on the battlefield. Protecting her friends, avenging herself and her family, and becoming one of the biggest heroes on Earth? Right now, it all feels within reach.

Coming up to the neck, she's not surprised that they took the necklace and whatever else they tore out of it for research. She'll learn about that soon enough.
What she is curious about is whether she can nick any necklace fragments left behind - maybe something flew off when Xiren struck it and lodged in the dirt, charred by her flaming axe and hidden from the recovery crew?
She shuffles around the area, using her feet to feel for hard, loose objects, rather than rely on her eyes for something she's hoping the adults missed in full daylight.

One other thing she's curious about are its eyes - specifically, if they took or left them, and if she could take one as a souvenir. Are they jelly balls like human eyes, or hard like gems? Did it... even have eyes? The memory is a bit fuzzy now.
...Tempting, but not worth the hassle right now. Even if she could get up there and pry one out, there's nowhere she could hide it on her person unless S2 were dumb enough to believe she'd suddenly become pregnant. Hm, could be convenient to be 'seen' sleeping around for just that excuse...

She'll surreptitiously search for her necklace fragment until the others start calling her back. If she finds more than one, maybe someone would appreciate the trophy as a gift...

[Volthawk]

Although the filming wasn't quite what he was used to, Takeo was quite happy with the trip in general - reliving everything around the battle against the Elder kept his spirits high and from time to time between takes, he'd even sing a little to himself. The smell didn't seem to bother him - it was less of an annoyance, and more of a reminder of a job well done, that the enemy can be killed.

Takeo hadn't planned to follow Liza or interrupt her alone time, but he'd nonetheless made his way to the Elder's corpse, thoughts about the battle and his cause taking up the parts of his mind not occupied with the PR work. For a short while, he doesn't even notice the other pilot, standing a short distance from the body and just looking it over as a whole thing, feeling a strange kind of satisfaction from observing where parts of it had been removed for examination.

The sound of laughter breaks his train of thought, and after some looking he finally spots Liza as she moves into a spot where the Elder wasn't breaking his line of sight - he never really understood how big it was from the perspective of his Virtue - and smiles. Good. It wasn't just him that felt drawn back here. Still, he wasn't sure what she was doing there...was she looking for something?

Walking down from his vantage point, Takeo gives Liza a wave as he approaches her, although his brain fails to come up with a good thing to say in the situation, leaving him quiet, waiting to see what she says first. At the least, he still seems to be in a good mood.

[fibericon]

The camera crew does what they do best, and the shooting goes off without a hitch. Gabriel dutifully memorizes his lines, and delivers them with the grace and discipline you've come to expect from him. Carmen is dragged out to the shoot and instructs her phone to throw a fit for her, but does what's expected of her nonetheless. Her inability to hear herself actually helps, as she sounds a lot more invested than she probably is due to her volume.

Once everything is filmed, the director lets you all go, unless you want to stick around and watch the crew splice footage together.

The following day, you all find mail has been slipped under your door before you wake up. Except for Ryall and Xiren of course, who are already awake. An optional new training regimen is being offered. This is to take four parts: general exercise and hand to hand combat led by Akari, bladed weapon training led by Kazuma, and marksmanship led by Irina. The schedule shows that this would take up four hours of your day, everyday, if you were to take part in all of the classes. The letters state that it is not an all or nothing situation, and you will be allowed to drop out at any time.

[Note: There will be rewards to be determined (after in channel discussion) for sticking with the regimen. It is not possible to fail except by not attending. You can optionally roll your related skills to see how well you perform before posting, but it won't have a mechanical effect.]

The smell of the elder is very similar to what you smelled when you happened to pass Mimi Nijima in the hall.

The autopsy has been performed. The agent died of an acute drug overdose. The medical examiner has gone on record as saying the equipment used to administer the mannitol used to reduce brain swelling has safety features that require significant intervention to override. Your team has taken this to mean the agent was definitely murdered.

None of the medical team show signs of having been tampered with, according to the security footage review. Review of the footage of the agent's room shows he died very abruptly, with no one in the room.

Day 6

People in base gather around televisions for the first showing of Babylon Japan's new PR campaign. While the reactions were mostly positive, many staff question the decision to release security footage of the gala.

The internet explodes with activity. It probably isn't much fun to be managing the Vatican's social media accounts right now. Weapons manufacturers take the opportunity to remind everyone they stand with Babylon. It becomes an even more important political platform. S2 gets a lot of new applications, and though many of them can be dismissed out of hand, former military personnel and law enforcement present valuable opportunities.

Funding is increased dramatically, and staff can be heard buzzing about expanding operations in their various departments. There is to be an influx of staff, new facilities, and relief efforts in areas that need it. No one wants to say it, but the US needs that more than any other Babylon host country.

Kazuma is likely going to pop a blood vessel vetting all these new people. Hey, he asked for this.

[Volthawk]

The overall success of the filming gives Takeo some satisfaction, but after he's done his bit and finished with the Elder, he leaves as soon as he's allowed. While some creative arts did interest him, editing footage was not one of them.

---

The letter describing the training regimen offered gives Takeo some food for thought when he reads it. On the one hand, things like this were definitely not his area of expertise or something he enjoyed, but on the other hand if command was directly suggesting it, perhaps it might be a good idea to go along with it? Akari's part of it causes a small grin - she's finally getting him to train with her, huh. The other names bring a little pause - they must be concerned about the pilot's physical ability, if they're involved. In any case, he'd be disrespecting his duty to his purpose if he turned down this opportunity, so had no choice. He had to accept, and do his best.

---

After several days of training, parts of Takeo were beginning to regret his decision, although on the other hand, even if he still wasn't enjoying it or doing too well, he was nonetheless drawing a small amount of satisfaction in sticking with it. Maybe it gets better with more time? He had to hope so.

The reception of the PR project by the public was gratifying to see, but at this point he'd lost interest in the exact details of the outcome - just that they'd helped was enough, really, and his mind was on other matters. At the moment, his time is spent looking for Akari. After a few days of training, he's started to wonder why it's happening.

[velvetWing]

Xiren spends much of her free time over the next few days watching the flurry of reactions to the TV spot - she's unconcerned about what backlash there is, writing most of it off as those who would be enemies of Babylon no matter what information was presented, and looks over the doubling-down of arms companies and the flood of new applications with unrestrained glee. For her part, she backs off of her Babylon-monitored social media accounts for the duration, content to retweet and reblog official Babylon media. Her own personal public image doesn't mesh well with the more confrontational tone of this new commercial, and it's best if she avoids taking direct responsibility for it.

Xiren doesn't immediately jump at the chance for physical combat training, recalling her rather embarrassing incapacitation at the Gala. She's already found her way of serving Babylon, and she appears to be quite good at it; why muddy the waters with something she's just not built for? However, the prospect of bladed weapon training with the Commander catches her eye - after all, she's never had a particularly high sync rate, and if she understood more about how to wield a blade, she might be more effective when piloting Castitas. It's very definitely only in the interests of personal development, and not an excuse to spend some time with the Commander. That's her story, and she's sticking to it.

Unfortunately, Xiren isn't particularly adept with a blade right off the bat. She's very good at memorizing stances and forms, but she's struggling quite a bit at taking and keeping the initiative during sparring sessions - simply put, she's too rigid and reactive to make a good fighter, for the moment at least.

[fibericon]

It comes as no surprise to any of you that Carmen didn't make a token attempt to attend a single class even once. Gabriel pushes himself to get through it, despite not being particularly proficient at any of it.

You find Akari reviewing what looks like a conversation log. She looks up when you approach, and closes the folder.

"Hey. Surprised to see you attending. After the gala, there was a meeting, and we decided you all need to know how to handle yourselves better, since this is apparently the kind of crap the Vatican is willing to pull now."

That's probably not the real reason.


Kazuma is brutally efficient with a knife, and even the practice knives hurt. He has managed a mixed combat style of Tantojustsu and Systema Spetnaz. The result aims to enact a death blow in the fewest possible moves. He explains that the longer you stay in a fight, the more consequences begin to pile up.

For as stiff as he is in conversation, he flows like water in a fight.

This might be a good time to ask him for something, since he's loosened up a bit.

[Elfbird]

Liza takes the morning to consider the offered training regimen, then decides to give it a try. If the letter is to be believed, she has nothing to lose, and she doesn't exactly hate physical exercise.

She enjoys the stretching and muscle training portion of Akari's class, but gets her derriere handed to her in every single hand-to-hand exercise. She doesn't have the psychology for direct confrontation; her instinct is always to disengage and flee, or trick her way out of fighting, which leaves her stance vulnerable when she's not allowed to do either. It's frustrating, but she likes Akari's teaching style, so she's willing to stick with it for now - at least until she gets tired of running the same route every day.

Kazuma's class is a different story. His fearsome aura and the ceaseless pain of being struck by knives compared to punches and throws just exacerbates Liza's tendencies. While knifeplay leaves more room for trickery than Akari's structured exercises, Liza simply lacks the proficiency to do anything with the opportunity, especially against someone as skilled as the Commander. It feels like she's being beaten down as a way for the authorities to 'put her in her place', which is perhaps the part she can tolerate the least.
Liza can't fathom how Xiren is taking it so resolutely in comparison, when she's hardly performing any better.
She endures through the end of the first lesson, then tosses her practice knives aside in disgust and frustration (but stops to pick them back up and pocket them for herself) and never goes back.

Irina's class is... entirely the opposite of her CQC experience. Unavoidable confrontation is bad. Hanging out at a distance, disguising your presence, controlling your breath and heartbeat, watching and waiting for the opportunity to eliminate the target that doesn't even know it's in danger? That's something Liza can get behind. She already has the basic skills from her days following the Rapture, so it's considerably more rewarding to refine them into the specific tasks of sniping than to be fighting her instincts while building skills from scratch.
Aside from that, it's nice just spending time with Ms. Kuznestov, enjoying her presence with little need for words, and feeling her approving gaze as Liza disappears into the environment and the targets fall one by one. It's been a long time since she's felt like she's doing a good job. Usually her only reward is filling her stomach with a little food and a lot of guilt.

Between needing to distract herself from her misery with the CQC training and feeling extra motivated by her time with the Lt. Com., it's no trouble for Liza to dig into her Japanese studies in her spare time while letting her body rest. It turns out she actually absorbed a lot from her tutoring until now, she just never had the motivation or confidence to put it all together. By the end of the week, her phrasing is still an awkward mix of formal and informal speech no matter who she's talking to, but she's able to make smalltalk at a good pace and understands more of what she overhears that isn't tailored for her as if speaking to a child.

Part of her self-study involves following the reactions to the TV spot. It's kinda fun, like she helped pull off a big practical joke or started a good rumor, except this is actually beneficial - even if most of the funding and recruits aren't going to the pilots directly, she still squeezed a whole lot of money and time out of people who weren't gonna do anything better with it. Next time maybe they'll be the suckers taking Vatican bullets instead of her friends.

The one downside of her back-to-back work, training, and study that Liza's starting to regret is that it leaves her precious little social time, and everyone is too exhausted to do much during what little they do have.

That weekend, she decides to pay Xiren a visit. Mostly to hang out with her, but she has plenty of excuses: talking about funny comments she's seen from the PR campaign, practicing her Japanese, asking for her advice about the knife forms...

In retrospect, pulling a pair of practice knives on a smaller girl after being invited into her room might have come off as more threatening than intended. Whoops.

[fibericon]

Irina starts from the basics, working off the assumption that no one in the class had ever held a personal scale firearm before. It wasn't true for everyone, but rushing the instruction for handling a deadly weapon can exact a heavy toll down the road. She starts with small calibers first, allowing you to learn proper handling before throwing something that really kicks at you.

And that's what the first day mostly is - firearm discipline. One pilot fires at a time so that she can inspect their form. She occasionally deliberately distracts the shooter to ensure they won't sweep the weapon while turning to reply.

Her preferred weapon seems to be an older bolt action rifle, and she's surgical with it. It fires a much larger round, which makes the proper firing position even more important. If it's not pressed snug up against your shoulder, you're going to have a bad time.

With a few days to monitor your progress, she approaches, looking through your file. She makes no effort to conceal it. "I'm hearing good reports about you, except that you dropped the commander's class. But I don't think any of us were surprised at that outcome. Hopefully you aren't too bored with the closer range firearms. You won't always have the time and distance to snipe a target."

[velvetWing]

Xiren's sitting, looking rather defeated, on the practice mat. The new red welt from where Kazuma's practice blade just jabbed her in between the second and third ribs stings angrily as a reminder that if it had been a real blade, she'd be dead right now. When the Commander barks out the call to reset, she stands back up and resumes her stance quickly, but without much enthusiasm. She darts forward in the same move she's attempted the previous three times - a simple lunging strike with her knees bent, her knife hand pushing upward toward the neck, her free hand raised to deflect the Commander's incoming blow... but just like the last three times, Kazuma elbows her strike out of the way, puts his free hand directly into her face, sweeps her knee, and sends her sprawling onto the mat.

Her face hot and flushed with embarrassment, Xiren stands again, swallowing hard in an effort not to tear up. This was a mistake. I'm not cut out for this after all.

She feels, as she so often has over the past six months, like a child playing at being a soldier. For a moment she considers just throwing the practice knife on the mat and fleeing the training room with her tail between her legs, but because of this childish feeling - or perhaps in spite of this - a snippet of memory comes back to her.

High summer in Sichuan, with overcast skies belying humidity so oppressive the air hangs off your shoulders like wet clothes; the smoke-spice-heat smell of cooking wafting out into the courtyard, and mixing with the scent of dust and old wood buildings, forming an unmistakable greasy mix that to Xiren, smells exactly like home. She's lying in the dirt, hand-me-down bike (her mother's, pink floral paint long since given way to bare aluminum and rust) in a heap next to her, freshly-skinned knee oozing blood. She clears her hot and stinging eyes of tears to see the calm, measured face of her grandfather standing over her.

"Why are you crying?"

It hurts.

"All pain is a lesson, xiao ren. It tells you: do this, don't do that. You must listen to what it tells you."

But I don't know what I did wrong.

"That's because you're not listening. Try again, and this time, pay attention."

But it hurts! I don't want to do this anymore.

Grandfather crouches by her side. "If you stop now, the pain you feel-" He raps a cool, rough knuckle against the raw spot on her knee, making her flinch, more from surprise than pain. "-will be for nothing. So get up, xiao ren."

What if I fall again?

"What if you don't?"

But what if I do?

"That's why you have me here. To make sure you stand back up again."

Cautiously, she lowers herself from a ready stance, letting her practice knife drop to her side. "Commander... I'm sorry, but I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I try to counter every single time, but I just can't react fast enough. Is there some other way you can teach me? Did you learn it this way?"


Xiren just looks rather amused when Liza pulls the knives - she doesn't know the girl very well yet, but she's seen enough to know that this is almost certainly a miscommunication. "Sure you haven't had enough of sparring practice? I don't know how many more involuntary frontflips I can handle this week." Nevertheless, she takes the proffered dummy knife and folds it into a reverse grip. "I hope your marksmanship training with the Lieutenant Commander is going better. After that shot you made with Caritas I bet you're her star pupil."

[fibericon]

The commander stops, and takes a moment to give you the once over before replying.

"Yes, this is how I learned, but that's irrelevant. If it isn't helping you learn, it isn't an effective teaching method. Perhaps Kuznetsov was right."

He steps off the mat and walks over to a locker. Setting his practice knife down, he removes his shirt to reveal a white undershirt, then reaches into the locker. He produces a white t-shirt for you, and hands you a red marker.

"The practice knives are weighted to feel more like real knives, and are thus believed to be more useful in training, but not everyone feels the same way. Also, pain fades. This way, you'll have a visual representation of where a blow is struck, reminding you to not leave the same area unguarded. Here, go get changed, and we'll try again."

[Elfbird]

Liza takes longer than usual to compose her reply here. She spoke normally during lessons, but in private she particularly wants to make a good impression on Irina and show off what she's learned, without relying on Russian.

"Mm... It's scary to be too close. I was shot at sometimes, but never hit before. I can practice as long as it's with targets. The worst part is seeing money shoot out every time I pull the trigger!"

She chuckles as if she made a good joke, but quickly turns somber again as she thinks back to the gala, when she took the fake agent's sidearm and used it to save Envy. She never really intended to fire it; its power as a symbol was enough at the time. But that won't always be true, especially when it comes time to face enemies with bigger guns and smaller morals. As long as she wishes to protect and provide for the other pilots...

Her voice comes out much smaller this time; she's letting a little bit of her heart show from behind the facade.

"Ms. Kuznestov... How did you learn to kill people? Did you ever have to? Um, instead I should ask... How do I learn to kill people, without hating myself? I've never stolen anything that can't be taken back..."

Liza follows Xiren's lead in adjusting her grip on her own practice knife, but doesn't take a sparring stance yet. If anything, she seems embarrassed.

"Ahaha, yeah... The truth is, I can't stand the Commander. I saw you trying your best, even though you were as bad as me the first day. So I wondered... Is it too soon to give up, maybe? If you can teach me differently, we'll both get better together! Something like... how to fight when you want to run?"

Liza's speech is markedly improved since the last time she and Xiren spoke at length. Still awkward and stilted, but she can convey much more complex ideas than before.

"I'm best at sniping because it's about paying attention. It's scary being close enough to be hurt, but watching is fine. You do the same, right? You watch people, then shoot for their heart or their brain with your words. If you have trouble with anything, ask me!"

[Syless]

Aoba contemplates her tasks. They need intel on the Vatican... but Babylon Japan is compromised. That much is clear. Not to mention given their lack of ties to Christianity or Catholicism, any Japanese applicant would likely be suspect.

...unless...

Could they manufacture a history? Create an online record of anti-Babylon propaganda, then send off someone to play the zealot, any investigation seeming to back them up as having a history of being pro-Pope? Something to consider... She sends a couple of messages off.

<Do we have any available agents, preferably European-passing, who would not have been seen by potential infiltrators? Or at the very least, aren't distinct enough for that to be obvious?>

<I need someone to write some over-inflated anti-Babylon propaganda, and someone who can set up a blog that seems to go back months, at minimum.>

[fibericon]

"Taking a life isn't easy. It does have an effect on soldiers too. There is no training that can make this okay - only the understanding that it is a last resort. When you have decided it is okay to kill someone, it is because you know that you or someone else will die if you don't. At the gala, the Vatican attacked with lethal force. People died. Others are in the hospital. Agent Hikozaemon is lucky to be alive after the sniper hit him while aiming for you, but for the rest of his life, his bones will hurt when it rains."

Irina sighs and presses a button on a post, bringing one of the targets forward. She looks at it briefly - it's from one of your fellow pilots. They're aiming high and to the left, but it works in her favor this time.

"The Spetnaz comprises the National Guard, and some special forces. I won't bother you with my full service record, but suffice to say I've held more than one position in my lifetime. Have you ever heard of Krokodil? It's a horrific drug that quickly destroys the body, but it is so fiercely addictive that its users will fight to the death to protect their supply. It literally turns people into monsters. One of those monsters attacked my partner... after being tazed. We couldn't stop him without lethal force, and he'd just driven an ice pick, right here." She taps one of the bullet holes on the target. "Right into Yury's shoulder. And he was trying to do worse. Yury was pinned down. And I had the choice of killing a victim of a horrible drug, or watching my partner die. And some people like to say that if you choose to do these drugs, you get what's coming to you, but I don't believe that. I don't believe he deserved to die that day... but I had a choice to make."

<We have two half Japanese that weren't on duty that night. Yahiro Shinzaki is on the darker side, but he could pass for half Chinese pretty easily. Chiyako Ayase is very light skinned and has her father's eye shape. I'd flag her as half Korean if necessary. They both have given English names that don't appear on any official paperwork.>

<One of our techs got cocky at the request. The writing's no big deal either. You want standard crazy, our writers will handle it. Expect a link in your mailbox in the next couple of hours.>

[roko10]

Ryall took to the additional training sessions like a fish in the water, enjoying the additional physical exercise. She performs rather well at the CQC portion of the training, even managing to knock down Akari once or twice; although not a particular focus of her training, she did learn basic hand-to-hand combat just in case, so she has some experience in that field.

Knife-fighting, however, was an entirely different story. Ryall got her ass handed to her multiple times by Kazuma, owing to her acting like she's in Humilitas and being too aggressive with the two knives that she wielded, causing her to overextend herself multiple times. Over the course of the week, the ground became a far too familiar place for her back, to say nothing of the countless bruises she gained over the course of the week. Still, Ryall's well aware that failure is the best teacher, even though it goddamn sucks at times, so she persists in following the lessons and standing up every time she gets knocked down.

The marksmanship lessons by Irina didn't go too well, though for entirely different reasons than training with Kazuma. Ryall only has had enough experience with firearms to not have the recoil result into the gun smacking her face and never particularly had any affinity with them, so most of the shots she made were off-target, especially early on. Deciding this was a weak spot of hers and somewhat miffed that she did so poorly, she decided to hit the range of her own accord, supplementing the training given by Irina with her own self-study, and by the end of the week she became an adequate enough marksman, if not great by any stretch of the imagination.

In any case, the combat training was supplemented by her daily exercises, and soon enough, she feels like she have picked up a thing of two about personal combat. She's toying with requesting a sidearm for her personal use just in case, but decided to at least wait until later for such a large request.



In the weekend, Ryall decided to make a visit to the engineering department after her morning run, curious about the progress made on the AT Drive and having nothing better to do that morning. [

[Elfbird]

Liza listens to the Lt.Com. intently, then seems somber and contemplative afterward. She lapses back into Russian.

"<...I don't think it's ever okay to kill another person. But I know all about doing other things that aren't okay, even if they're necessary to survive. I'm fine with hunting animals, and with destroying Angels and Elders, but... Lieutenant Commander, I'm scared. In a way I don't think I've ever been before. If I have to kill Vatican soldiers and Christian terrorists to protect my friends, and find out that I can't? Or if I teach myself to do it, and become a monster myself? I don't know how I can possibly accept either outcome. Please, tell me what I shou-->"

She bites her lip to cut herself off. This isn't like her at all, and it's unbecoming in front of a superior officer besides. Relying on someone else, gushing like a little girl...?
A warm, unwanted memory flashes through her mind; she crushes it with an icy grip.
Japanese only for the rest of today; that'll be her punishment.

"Ahem. I'll look forward to your continued instruction, Lieutenant Commander. Even if I lack your strength, soon I'll definitely have my own."

She abruptly stands to leave, but waits for a proper dismissal.
If she's being honest with herself - which she's trying very hard not to be - she wants to speak with Ms. Kuznestov more, even just to hear her voice for a while longer.
But she's annoyed with herself for opening up so much to an adult. She knows she'll be betrayed, that she's barely more than a pawn in the eyes of the person she most looks up to right now, and she needs to take measures to minimize the damage when that happens.
So, leaving sooner than she'd like will be her punishment, if Ms. Kuznestov doesn't prevent it.

Ugh... I wanted to visit Alyona to practice Japanese with her, but I'm in no mood for that now. Oh Yelizaveta, why did your parents raise such a fool...?

[velvetWing]

Blushing ever-so-slightly, Xiren hurries from the room and returns clad in the t-shirt. She takes the proffered marker and again resumes her combat stance. This strategy doesn't work instantly, of course, but she's gotten her motivation back, and as the red marks pile up on her own chest while Kazuma's remain unblemished, she realizes that they're all clustered in the same spot - she hasn't been adapting her tactics to the situation, merely focusing on executing the forms she's been taught with better speed and precision. With some effort, and no insignificant amount of luck, Xiren manages to score her first blow - a bright red mark on Kazuma's side, just above the floating ribs.

"It's sort of like a chess game, isn't it?" She remarks, a broad smile on her face, practically bouncing in place with glee. "Move, countermove... You have to read your opponent just as carefully and change your approach accordingly. Though... I guess a knife fight is usually over much quicker."

"That's a good way to put it. 'Words are weapons, and thoughts the act of wielding them', after all. But how to fight when you want to run... That's an interesting question." From her nightstand, she grabs her Bible and places it on her lap. "If it were me, I'd turn to faith." She opens the heavily-marked tome to 1 John 4 - a passage she's highlighted and marked specially, clearly read and re-read many times over. "'Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.' Maybe you don't, or can't, love God, but... I remember what you told me about why you fight. To give the Sins back what we've lost. If you can't shed fear by loving God, try loving all of us instead. Think about what makes you want to fight, and put it out in front of all the things that make you want to run."

[Elfbird]

Liza visibly cringes as she struggles to follow the Bible's archaic phrasing in a language she's barely halfway to mastering, but the way her face lights up at the end shows that Xiren's final summary made it easy to grasp.

"To put love in front of fear... Hm?"

She puts her finger on her chin and looks up, rolling the idea around for a few moments. It's clear that those few words left a strong impression on her.

...

...Then her head drops, expression dark, and she lets out a humorless chuckle.

"The truth is... I don't know how to love, except to be so afraid of losing that my heart will break. Even that feeling, I want to run away from. I didn't lie, but my reason to fight isn't strong, for the moment..."

Abruptly yet gracefully, she moves to sit beside Xiren, entirely too close, and aims to lock eye contact.

"I want my love to be stronger than my fear. Like yours. Will you show me... a different kind...?"

Then she leans in to steal something she's never stolen before.

The thrill of the theft, the fear of rejection, the allure of a whole new kind of power nearly within her grasp...
The feelings of affection she holds for Xiren as a fellow pilot, and the feelings of affinity she's fostered since what she saw in her while cleaning up at the gala...
The pounding of her heart, and its overflowing warmth...
The medley is more intoxicating than vodka; she may not be able to hold herself back.

"Your confidence... I want it... for myself," she whispers to Xiren in the following breath.

[Syless]

Aoba starts cross-referencing the ideas in her head. Gears turn, ideas form. She types up a quick profile and sends it off to both agencies.

Our agent will be Ji-Hyun Williams- Half Korean, half American, wholly Catholic. Anti-Japanese streak as well as unashamedly pro-Vatican. Has firearms training from time on her father's military base. Give her no human relations, but add minor humanizing details- give her pictures of cats. [Yes, this means someone in the PR department gets to go stage pictures of cats. Have fun.] Add other grounding details as necessary.

[fibericon]

Pushing through the paperwork at the highest priority gets you your new toy very quickly. Ryall probably thinks it's her new toy, but really, this is a lot more interesting for you and your team. That electricity in the air when you're about to learn something new. Excitement buzzes throughout the room when it's brought in.

A small device - relative to Virtue scale, of course - with hooks to latch onto a progressive knife. The meat of it - the core, if you will - is a half sphere, somewhat larger than a person. The flat edge is meant to press up against the blade. The panels are bolted and welded on, and come with dire warnings.

WARNING: CORE CONTAINS HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF ALPHA, BETA, AND GAMMA RADIATION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL UNDER SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE
REMOVING ONE OR MORE SEALS WILL CAUSE HIGH VELOCITY DISPERSAL

"Radiation shielding the lab would take months, if not longer. We can use lead sheets as a close enough approximation for now. Send for two prisoners."

S2 brings in two conscripts from the Japanese prison system. It's the type of person no one would miss if something went wrong. The science team, meanwhile, is in another room watching through their equipment only. Everything is wired by necessity - the shielding makes wireless communication impossible. Scientists are monitoring the inside of the room with every kind of relevant sensory equipment they could procure, for visible light, sound, different forms of radiation, and temperature. Guards armed with tasers are stationed outside the door, and the order is given.

The prisoners break the first seal. Radiation spikes, and a brilliant flash, reminiscent of the infamous screwdriver slip with the demon core, announces to your team that these people have maybe 48 hours to live. The prisoners probably don't even grasp the significance. Inside is a set of tubes, running deeper past a second seal. You expected a reactor of some sort, but this appears to be meant to irradiate whatever is inside.

While the other scientists are taking down scientific measurements and asking the prisoners questions to see if what they're observing is different from what the researchers see or hear, Mimi whispers to one guard to get a team ready with heavy-duty radiation gear in case they need to retrieve the bodies. She turns back to the microphone and says, "Tell us what you're feeling as you go. We don't expect there to be any problems, but if anything indicates you're facing a serious health risk, we'll pull you out." A bald-faced lie, of course.

"Feelin' fine, boss."

They probably are, for now. They didn't poke the elephant foot - it'll take some time for this to be noticeable. When they remove the rear panel, there's a dull "whomp" heard through the speakers, as though they'd just been turned on. Everyone inside the room collapses simultaneously. Biomonitors indicate signs of life. A mostly opaque green and white humanoid figure flickers into existence near the open panel. Feminine in appearance, loosely sitting on her knees and propped up on her hands.

"Am I free? No... just a bigger cage."

Mimi frowns, her eyebrows twitching.
"What is she? Does she show up on the radiation monitors?" She asks the scientists, then leans forward to the microphone. "Can you hear me through this?"

Sensors indicate no signs of life from her position, but you lack a biomonitor on her person. She is significantly irradiated - it's like pointing your sensors directly at a reactor.

"I can hear you." She looks up toward the speaker. "Are you going to let me out?"

Mimi tents her fingers, thinking. "I can't promise either way. I'd like to have a positive relationship with you, but I need to make sure we can interact safely first. What did you do to the two in the room with you?"

She looks around, then pushes some of the hair away from her face. It's a blank stare on her part as she quietly evaluates one of the prisoners.

"Nothing on purpose. I think it's similar to what being near an angel does. I remember them saying it before. In the other lab. They say Sins can better tolerate it."

Her eyebrows raise. "The other lab? I see." A pause. "My name is Mimi. Can I ask who you are?" She catches herself wondering if she should've asked 'what' instead of 'who,' but she really does want to develop a positive working relationship.

"Oh. You don't share information. Okay. I'm Ren Tanaka. The last lab experimented on me and put me in that cage."

"My apologies if I've been trite, but the only thing you've asked me is if I'll let you out. Feel free to ask your own questions."

"Well... am I still in America? I lived on the coast of Japan before they flew me out and told me I was going to be a Virtue pilot.

"Negative. You're back in Japan." She pauses. "So you were originally a normal human, then."

"I was. I guess this is a rescue attempt? I'm grateful for your efforts. I can't tell you everything about them. Just what they let slip. I wasn't the only one there, but I think I'm the only one who survived."

After several agonizing seconds of consideration and a deep inhale, Mimi leans forward to the microphone again. "I understand you've been through something very hard, and I'd like to help. But I'm sure you understand I also need to keep everyone on my side safe. So if I can ask anything of you, it's that you be patient just a little longer. I'm going to put top priority on creating a mechanism - I'm thinking a suit - by which you can move about and have a life outside without injuring people around you. I'm sorry it isn't immediate freedom - I know you're only a victim in all this, and that that's what you deserve. But the people I'm taking care of also deserve safety. So... I just need time and cooperation to help you not be stuck in a cage anymore. Is that acceptable?"

Ren opens her mouth, hesitates, then closes it. She looks down at her hands for a moment and nods before looking back up at the speaker.

"Of course. It's not okay for me to just hurt people. Do you know what they did with me? What is this thing? Oh, and... I'm afraid I'll never be able to walk around. I have no mobility or sensation below the waist. It's been that way since before they flew me out."

"I don't know the whole story yet, but I've deduced almost enough to help you. The rest is just details. They... Tried to use you like an angel core to create a weapon enhancement. I don't know why they did it to you, but if it's akin to the effects of being near an angel... R&D has already been trying to synthesize materials that can dampen AT Fields in order to protect civilian bunkers during Virtue-scale military conflicts. We haven't had any success on a large enough scale to help against the angels, but perhaps if it's just enough to make the mesh for a plug suit out of... Then it could be possible."

"The main problem is a lack of access, right? The other scientists complained about it sometimes. They said they can't develop without a test subject or they'd just be... well, uh, they said they'd be doing the equivalent of making it all up. So... if you can help me, you figure it out at the same time, right?" She suddenly looks hopeful. "I can be good for something? I can... wait. I can tell you why me. Well, not why I survived, but why I was in the experiment. They let slip that there are only 42 active duty Sins. A few dozen more reserves. But they estimate the number of angel encounters to be in the low hundreds. I'm one of them. They said I wasn't fit to pilot, so no one would be looking for me."

Mimi absorbs the information, making sure the other scientists are taking careful notes. When the subject is done speaking, Mimi thanks her for sharing.

"Do I... need to be that weapon? Or, weapon enhancement, I guess. I don't know what happens when I'm... used like that."

"What is the experience like for you?"

"I can't see outside when I'm in there. I can feel movement. The shock absorbers are good, I guess. They wouldn't want to damage me. Once I saw a vision of someone else's angel encounter. Just once. It felt like something pressing on my chest. That was the only time... oh. That was the only time a pilot tested this thing, wasn't it? Then I guess that's what happens."

"It doesn't sound very pleasant," Mimi notes the obvious.

"No, not really. But I also had no idea what was happening."

One of your team passes you a receiver - an ears only message from Kazuma. "If the AT Drive can be scaled down to fit a personal scale weapon, I need it done."

Mimi scowls at the receiver, before sending back her own encrypted message, "The 'AT Drive' is a girl. Human, or at least formerly so. I can't just hit her with a shrink ray." Then she turns back to the room microphone and says, "I'll do my best to keep you from having to go back in. But to be completely transparent, I'm only the head scientist. I don't believe it's safe or ethical to use you that way and will make that clear. But the best thing I can do is finish that suit as fast as possible. Otherwise the military heads may ignore me. I'm on your side, but like I said... I need time."

"Ma'am," one of the team says quietly, "What do we tell the Sin? Should we make up a safety issue as the official story, or...?"

"Okay. I hope it doesn't come to force. I'll help you in any way I can."

Mimi looks thoughtful as she shuts off the microphone. "Yes." She looks at the prisoner bodies on the ground, fighting a grin from forming. "The test released enough radiation to kill a couple of personnel, after all. We fear that using it carelessly could spread enough radioactive material to endanger wildlife and render residential areas uninhabitable. We'll appeal to have it classed as a C-3 crisis weapon... Just below a nuclear strike." She looks back at the soldiers at the door. "I'm officially raising the classification information about this entity. Do not discuss it with anyone of lower clearance than the science team without my approval."

"Understood, ma'am."

[Volthawk]

When Akari gives him an explanation, Takeo doesn't see any reason to doubt it - it makes sense, and he trusted Akari. She had his interests in mind. He smiles at her surprise about him taking part, though. "This time, it seemed like something bigger than your constant attempts to get me to train with you - perhaps I had the same realisation your meeting did. I did find it strange to see the three of you were running it, though. Didn't think our physical condition was so important it needs Kazuma and Irina as well as you." Takeo's tone makes it clear that he's not suspicious about anything, just making conversation about the training without realising any connections he's making to the truth, but that changes as he considers his next point, looking more serious. "Have they considered my theories about the Vatican's possible alliance with the Elders? It still feels like the most plausible theory when I consider everything. Are they doing anything about it past all this PR stuff?"

[fibericon]

When you ask about the AT Drive, the engineer you happen to run into pulls you aside.

"Ms. Lagrange, I think you should have a seat. The AT Drive... killed two members of the science team during the initial tests. It's a very unstable prototype, and the danger should not be underestimated. The level of radiation it emits would be too great of collateral to justify deployment. We don't even know if it would be safe for you to use. But I want you to understand that this is in no way your fault. The blame lies entirely on Guns of Liberty for sending us something like this."


Irina doesn't call you back, but she does reply.

"Not everyone can do this. Some soldiers freeze in battle. It is easier when you don't have to kill something with hopes and dreams. But I can tell you that you won't spontaneously become a monster after drawing blood. Much more likely is to become traumatized or jaded. The first time you kill someone, that's one feeling. The first time you kill someone who really didn't deserve it, that's another. After that, it doesn't really matter. That, or you end up needing therapy. Ask yourself if you really want to be like me, Liza. Because you can't copy the good alone. When you open a can of sardines, you get to see all of them."


Is it just you, or are Kazuma's rare smiles becoming a touch more common?

"Excellent. Yes, even a quick game of chess tends to be over in minutes rather than seconds. Still, it is an admirable skill to cultivate - planning your moves so quickly. I believe if you keep up with this training, you will do very well in close combat, should it ever become necessary. I would encourage you to take advantage of the basic exercise and hand to hand class as well, since it does help, but if the methods don't help you learn, your first instinct might have been correct."

It isn't long before you receive the new person. The blog is done by that time, too. Your organization can afford very good employees - especially now. The blog is amateurish, but not so poorly written as to raise questions about trolling. The pictures are instagram quality. It looks like she got an expensive camera and started calling herself a photographer. The passport is enough to fool airport security unless they have a reason to bring out the big guns.

You soon have one Ji-Hyun Williams in your office. She looks notably different from her pictures - liquid foundation. It would seem she, or at least her contact to you, took the threat of infiltration seriously.

"Korean was a good choice - written Korean is very easy to learn. How long do I have to learn the spoken language, and where am I deploying?"


"Yeah. PR is step one. We're actually not sure what step two is yet, but I'm worried about what their step two will be. They went Seal Team Six on us and got taken apart for it. Somehow, I don't think they're just gonna take an L on that. For the record, I think you're right. You know, about the Pope. I can't prove it, not yet, anyway. Global Babylon suspended their galas 'until further notice' after the attack here."

[roko10]

Ryall looks shocked for a moment, then grimly nods. What, was this just a roundabout way for Jacob's dad to kill me? "...I understand. Can you tell me why it is radioactive, or is that sensitive information?"

[fibericon]

"It isn't uncommon to use radiation in Virtue equipment, due to the nature of AT abilities. However, the AT Drive was deemed unacceptable. If it could do this, while powered down, the hypothetical consequences of using it in actual combat are enormous. Worse, it could hurt you. Our projections suggest that one of you being seriously injured or killed could result in the deaths of thousands of civilians, and many of us consider that a conservative estimate. We will have to devise a way to safely confirm that you will be okay before approving the use of this equipment. I'm sorry."

[Syless]

Aoba shakes her new agent's hand. "That's an excellent question. We need to try and get you an in with the Vatican, and you're not likely to have your 'native' language questioned, but we need to be prepared for extremities. If possible, brush up on Italian, Latin, and English as well. It's a tall order, and the first two are fine if you can't- frankly, they aren't likely to expect fluency, so they may let something slip if they think you don't know. Catholic dogma, too. You need to make sure you can pass any loyalty tests. Anything else... hm. We'll get you a full timetable of operations as soon as possible. Study 'your' blog to make sure your voice is consistent. Be ready to communicate with potential Vatican agents."

[fibericon]

The agent considers this for a moment before replying. The gears are turning, but her face betrays concern.

"I can probably be expected to be new to Italian and Latin, but isn't the Vatican a boys club? Did something change that you think they'll let me in?"

[velvetWing]

Yes, but then I wouldn't get to see you smile. She can't very well say that now, can she?

"True, I suppose, but there's something about this that feels... right." Xiren curls her fist tightly around the red marker. "Maybe it's because I'm more used to fighting in Castitas. Maybe I just like keeping something between me and the enemy. But I like the feeling of a blade in my hand." She chuckles. "Then again, that means I'm useless if I'm disarmed. And they'd hardly let me carry knives around the base. Or into town, for that matter."

For a moment, Xiren is too stunned even to move. She doesn't resist Liza's affections, but neither does she accept them. As Liza pulls away, her eyes are wide and distant, and she brushes two fingers against her lips, as if in disbelief at the sensation.

Oh.

Oh no.

This is wrong in so many ways. We're fellow soldiers, there's probably regulations against this. Not even beginning to mention the mountain of scripture.

Her knuckles, still clutching the Bible, go white.

And yet...

And yet, since the night of the Gala (or perhaps before), she's had something lying in wait in the pit of her stomach; something warm and primal that whispers to her in quiet moments. Something that's now awake and coiling up her spine like a serpent. As Liza whispers breathily, her eyes still shut, Xiren entertains wild impulses to run from the room or to drop to her knees and start praying as loudly as her voice will carry her.

But alongside the serpent, alongside the scared little girl hiding behind her Bible, there's a third voice in her head: the soldier. The one that quietly reminds her that she's just made a breakthrough with another pilot, and that if she handles this poorly, she's at risk of not only losing that, but setting back the entire unit's cohesion. If Kazuma were here, what would he tell her to do?

She remembers the blood underneath his fingernail. She knows the answer, even if he'd never say it aloud. And even if it's only a thin justification she repeats to herself to make what she knows is about to happen not her fault, the conclusion is still the same:

Whatever it takes.

She leans in, a bit too quickly, darting forward to close the space between them. The book on her lap clatters, forgotten, to the floor.

[Elfbird]

At a certain point, Xiren's affection sinks into Liza's psyche. For the first time Liza can remember, she feels... wanted, valued, by someone she can actually trust. Like a small wish came true.
A warm, comfortable weight settles in her chest and limbs, entirely unrelated to the other girl's body on top of her. Did I actually steal her heart? Is this what it feels like to hold another one?

Clothes disheveled but still fully worn, she wraps her arms around Xiren's shoulders and hums in contentment (an unconsciously possessive gesture), bringing an end to that part of their exchange.

"A love that can stand in front of fear... This one is capable," Liza murmurs into Xiren's ear.
I need more... Much more... I could shield you, but I'd hesitate to kill for you. Still, this is a step closer to the power I want. How much more do you have to give me, I wonder?
"Thank you..."

After another moment like that, lying quietly together, Liza gives Xiren one more kiss, then sits them both upright. Her hand goes to Xiren's between them; she's reluctant to fully let go of the other girl, for reasons she's largely unaware of that have little to do with loneliness.

"So you and Ryall and that guy at the gala... You only love girls, right? Is that why you like training with Commander Kazuma? Because he's like a high-difficulty training dummy, compared to everyone else's... distractions?"

"Thank you, ma'am. I'll consider your advice. Until class, then."
Liza's reply is stiff, even the inappropriately casual farewell at the end. Maybe she'll get a proper scolding for that, or maybe she needs more practice before she can get herself called out on mistakes like that.

Once she's gotten out of Irina's office, walking through Babylon's hallways starts to clear her head a bit.

Who do I want to become...? It seems like a simple question, but I've always been too focused on my next meal to think beyond it... Who is there to become? All my childhood role models were killed by God. Would Irina be so bad? Or...

Well, I can't do everything right this moment. Maybe I should pay Alyona a visit after all...

She stops by the cafeteria for lunch first, pocketing a few extra napkins and chopsticks as usual and eating in some secluded cubby instead of the main dining area. She'll join a table when she wants to socialize, but having exposed food always makes her feel vulnerable, like some person or animal will snatch it away if she's not perfectly vigilant. Moreso when she's lost in her head, which hasn't moved on from Ulyanovsk most of the time.

With a full belly and some time to digest her thoughts, by the time she finds Alyona she's able to greet her with a properly energetic smile.

"Alyona-chan! Do you remember me~? I studied a lot this week, so please help me practice Japanese!"

While she's being honest about wanting the practice, Liza's intention is to make it a pretext to learn more about Lt.Com. Kuznestov... About the person she's thinking of becoming.

[velvetWing]

The corner of Xiren's mouth twitches. She has to roll her shoulders and count to ten inside her head while she reminds herself that Liza's bluntness is a product of her newness to the language and her brash Russian character, rather than outright malice.

"Do you know, I hadn't really given it much thought? These last few weeks have been... eventful." Xiren squeezes Liza's hand gently. "I've never had time for love before. Before the Elders came, I was practically still a child, and after... well, it was too much to ask just to survive. I know that you understand what that's like. So I don't think I want to put restrictions on who I might or might not fall in love with. I like training with the Commander because he's a good teacher. He's firm, but kind. And... he reminds me of someone. I don't know that I'd be more distracted by the Lieutenant Commander than I am by him. Or any more than you are."

[fibericon]

"The primary reason we don't allow you to carry weapons is for pilot safety. Giving you a weapon is hypothetically a danger to you and others. While I don't believe you would be a threat to your fellow pilots, an untrained person with a weapon is far more dangerous to themselves than anyone else. Yes, you have some training, but I wouldn't be able to sign off on that just yet. Only if I believe you're safer with a knife than without one would I approve the request."

He heads over to his locker and takes out a knife in a horizontal sheath.

"I carry mine on my back, attached to my belt. It is what I have decided is my acceptable balance of concealable and accessible. You might choose to carry yours on your ankle. Some people carry theirs in a sheath worn around the neck. I don't recommend it, but it's important that you understand your options."

If Irina has any qualms about letting you leave, she doesn't voice them.

Alyona is rather excited to see you. "Liza! You're not stumbling anymore - that's wonderful! Mother told me you all have extra training right now, so I didn't know if you would have time to practice."

[Syless]

Aoba nods. "They aren't going to take you as a priest, probably not even a soldier. But they aren't about to lock women out of their support structure entirely. If we're lucky, your blog will end out being formalized- if you can work in their PR, you'll have access to a lot of their information. Or just make yourself indispensable. Look at it this way- they're now facing a massive setback in image. They're going to be shorthanded in terms of recruits. They aren't about to turn away offers. Think of it like Daesh- any defector from a new country was a valuable asset."

[fibericon]

"It might be best if I find a way in myself. If anyone else does it for me, and the Vatican thinks to look at the trail, it won't look good. So I'm going to need a ride to Korea - one without paperwork. I have to look like I was there all along. Before I get to work, is this general spy work, or are you looking for something in particular? Anything you can tell me about what I might be walking into might help, too."

Babylon can afford the drop off, especially now, but the next request poses an interesting problem. Giving her any further information would be disobeying a direct order from Kazuma, but it might also help her do her job better.

[Syless]

"The drop off is easy. A quick trip by boat. As for your mission... we just want any information possible on the Pope. That's all I can say." She hopes that's enough, but... the more she knows, the more that can be compromised.

[velvetWing]

Xiren peers at the Commander's blade, listening intently to his advice. "A belt sheath wouldn't have helped me at the Gala. An ankle one would have been too obvious. Likewise with the neck." Her smile takes on the slightest hint of an impish smirk. "Maybe I should wear it on a garter."

[fibericon]

Your agent goes to study three new languages while waiting for the transport to be arranged. The careful approach will have to do. For now, you have other projects.

Your team has determined that the life support malfunction that killed the enemy agent was the result of a hack launched from inside the base. Nothing beyond that yet, and hardly a surprise. Given the technical knowledge required, it narrows down to... a few S2 agents, some of your team, some of the directors, and half the science team. And that's just the personnel known to have those skills. By now, they know you're looking for them.

Kazuma has called another meeting as well. Looks like it's just you and him this time. Excluding Irina is unlike him. She's been his right hand since the founding of the global Babylon organization.


"Of course - your outfit must be taken into consideration as well. If you'd like, I can arrange a meeting with one of our female agents. She would understand better than I would how to account for women's clothing. I can only pass along what I've heard, and that would make for poor advice." He stops himself and chuckles. "Oh, you were joking. Perhaps a sewn in secret pocket would suit you better?"

[Syless]

Inside the base... damn. An assassin is bad enough, but a hacker at that... the Vatican sent in someone very capable to cover themselves. No one is cleared of suspicion. But in terms of immediate concerns- she goes to the Commander's office. Apparently she has more to address.

[roko10]

"No need to apologize. This wasn't your fault in the first place," Ryall responded as calmly as she could. However, there was something odd about what the engineer said, something she couldn't help but notice. "Wait. Did you just say 'one of you'? That's strange, I recall me being the only person who was cleared to try out the AT Drive."

[Volthawk]

Takeo first responds to Akari's confirmation with a smile, pleased at his theory being validated, but it is soon followed by a frown as he starts to think over the implications. "So do you think we should expect more Vatican attacks to go with future Angel appearances? Even without galas, they've still got enough power to be a problem, judging by what they threw at the gala. Should we - Sins, I mean - be keeping an eye out for enemy agents, or do you think they're not that close yet? How much do you think we'll need to use these skills you're training?" After a moment's consideration, he continues.
"Also, is there anything I can do to help? With any of this stuff going on. I'll stick with the training anyway, but if there's anything else, I'm there when you need me."

[fibericon]

Kazuma turns on the white noise machine when you enter, and tents his fingers. It takes him a bit to make eye contact.

"Director, I have known Irina Kuznetsov for two years. She is fully dedicated to protecting the Sins, and her loyalty is a waste of time to question. That is why she can never hear of this. Ms. Nijima has finished her initial analysis of the AT Drive. It's powered by a child. Guns of Liberty apparently has a method of tracking down Sins not employed by Babylon, and they're using these kids for their experiments. They put the survivor in that prototype, and Ms. Nijima described her as 'no longer fully human'. We need to handle this delicately, and I'm afraid Kuznetsov would do no such thing. As despicable as it is, we can't afford to lose a third of our arms to UN sanctions and Hague trials. Make no mistake - I want to save those kids. I just don't want to lose the world while doing it."

"I, uh, no! I mean... the Sins! As a general rule! You're all very valuable! Uh, excuse me. I'm expected in the lab."

She scurries off. Yeah, you've seen better acting in tough actin' tinactin. She's hiding something.

Akari hesitates to reply. She has her mouth part way open and her brow furrowed. This is her tick whenever she's about to tell you something she probably shouldn't, and she's never managed to stop herself yet.

"You've always been able to sense things the rest of us can't. I think we need that now more than ever. All the Sins can, to a degree, but yours is better. Sins report the areas of fallen angels to smell like a lightning strike, yeah? Yeah, we can't smell that. That's the only example I know of, probably because it seems normal to the lot of you."

[Volthawk]

Raising an eyebrow, Takeo slowly nods. Where was this going? "Yes. I smelt it when we went to the Elder's corpse for the PR project, and before that I smelt the same smell on one of the scientists - Mimi, I think her name is? - which I suppose was because of the..." He pauses, trying to think of the right word. "Autopsy? Organ harvesting? Research? Whatever the right word for it is, the stuff they took from the Elder's corpse. Why, what in particular do you need me to do? I haven't noticed anything I thought was unusual, but perhaps I just didn't know what I was looking for."

[Elfbird]

Liza gently pets the top of Xiren's head with her free hand, a soothing gesture half-remembered from her older brother.
"Heheh, yeah. It's hard to love when everyone would kill you for your food. I'm truly happy we Sins can trust each other. Then, I guess we'll learn about love together!"

She stands up to face Xiren from a few paces back, letting go of her hand a little reluctantly. Her expression is much brighter than it had been until now; her eyes finally reflect the light.

"Because of you, I can stand and fight! I know what to ask the instructors too. Can you show me the basics once more? I think I'll do better if my opponent is less scary, at the beginning."

"This is my extra training! For the first time, I have friends who I need Japanese to talk to, so I'm studying a lot! Let's go to a quiet place, it's embarrassing where everyone can hear. Your room or mine?"

I need Japanese to get into the place my friend is held captive... but sweet Alyona doesn't need to know that yet.

Despite her protest, Liza doesn't let the time they're walking pass in silence.

"I often feel homesick, so I'm happy to meet another Russian girl my age. Your mother is awesome, but talking to a commanding officer is different, y'know? What do you miss in Russia? What do you like in Japan? Um... If it's sad, don't talk about it, I think? But, if it's fine, I want to know all about your Russia!"

After the workout portion of Akari's class the following week, Liza is the first to approach her, hardly even winded after a moment to rehydrate.

"Instructor! Teach me Judo! My mind says to fight, but my body knows 'escape or die', so I want to always be where the enemy isn't! Can you do it?"

Liza accompanies Xiren to Kazuma's class the day after their private 'full-contact lesson'. She's acting more confident than she feels, but it's true that she is optimistic about her abilities now that she has a better idea how to apply them. Worst comes to worst, she just drops the class again, but for now she doesn't want to let Xiren down.

She strides toward Kazuma first thing to make her demand, followed by a more detailed explanation. She'd been practicing the phrases all morning.
"Commander! Teach me evasion! And let me and Xiren fight you together!"

"I can't stay in front of an enemy. Especially you, who I know I can't defeat, my body says I'll die if I don't run away. So teach me to run around instead of away, so I'm only where my enemy can't stop me! Neck, kidneys, knees, I'll hit from behind! Then it's like sniping, and if I have a partner, it's just how Xiren and I killed the Elder! Does my request make sense? I don't like you, but I want to try my way before I give up totally."

She says that last part not as an insult or threat, but a statement of fact to get it out in the open. She's willing to try to work with him again, but her trust and patience only go so far, so he has a heads up if he cares about improving that relationship.

[fibericon]

"It's hard to say because we don't know for sure. Nijima probably gets up to all kinds of crazy in the lab, so she's gonna stink of it. But like... okay think about this. Back in the 1800s, people used to not wash reusable diapers most of the time. We would never even consider that now, but back then, they didn't know what we know now about cleanliness. And we almost never found out. They considered it normal, so they didn't record the practice. We only know because of an off chance diary entry. So keep a diary of the mundane. I think with time, we can train you to make better use of it. Who knows what's right under our noses?"


"We can go to my room."

While you walk, she furrows her brow at your question.

"I'm still not used to the weather here. Japanese winter isn't winter at all - it's summer in a winter dress. But that's okay. I can survive the heat. I miss the food. I miss my friends. My family is here, so I'm not alone. What did you leave behind?"


"Oh yeah? Alright. It's not my best skill, but I can teach you the major points, like using your opponent's momentum against them. You might consider taking out a knee instead, though. They can't chase you down if they can't run."


"You aren't required to like me. And you aren't required to attend this class, or any other. But turning your back on an enemy is suicide. I fear that if I encourage this, you will fall prey to the great movie cliche of leaving a supposedly dying foe to recover and come back for you. The neck is a good target - it's hard to survive for very long with damage to an area that carries so much. The knee, you can run, yes, but they can return. You can survive with a knife in your liver long enough to kill your opponent."

He takes up a defensive stance, holding a marker now instead of a training knife.

"Mercy is a luxury you won't always have."

[Volthawk]

Takeo's first reaction to Akari's rather meandering request is a raised eyebrow. A diary? He'd never really considered the idea - sure, he had the list, but that was just a way of redirecting his anger and letting him keep his priorities straight, not for some greater purpose like this. Still, the logic behind it felt solid, and he didn't see any reason to refuse Akari's assignment.

"Sure, I can do that. I'll keep aware of anything that could qualify. Is this something anyone's looking into, outside of what I'll be doing? Just wondering if there's anyone else I should be talking to about this asides from you."

[Syless]

Thoughts flow through Aoba's head- first and foremost, how appalling the notion is. But Kazuma doesn't need morality right now. He knows it's wrong, that's why he left Irina out. "Okay... okay. First of all. We are now accessories to the biggest human rights violation in history. This is important. Our current political situation was strong because we held the moral high ground. We need to be working on an exit strategy, now, if this information is leaked- we have an enemy hacker on the premises. I would advise going as far as deleting all written records regarding this project in Babylon's hands, at least regarding its source. As far as we know, it has a different power source, and we can throw GoL under the bus if there's a leak. We're still going to take heat regardless- people will insist we knew and well, clearly we know. The important thing is establishing reasonable doubt."

"Next... I assume you want my assessment of the drive as a resource. Given the cost paid... we need to make use of it. You said 'no longer fully human'. Does that mean there's still a human element? Is there a consciousness there?"

[fibericon]

"The science team would be the ones to talk to about that. They're the only ones doing any AT research, but I don't know about anything like this being done at the moment. I just feel like we're not watching our backs, and I don't like it. I used to say 'rich and poor, we all bleed the same', but I don't even know if that's true anymore. With the introduction of all of you, the game changed, and no one wants to admit it. People act like you're just jumping in a cockpit and playing with a joystick, but that's not right, is it? You know goddamn well if that was the case, I'd be the one in there and not you. Look... I don't have clearance for everything going on behind the scenes, but I know enough to see this whole operation went tits up from the word 'go'. So don't expect Babylon to tell you everything you need to be doing to win this war - we're still figuring it out ourselves."

Kazuma rubs his face and sighs. This meeting is not going the way he wanted it to.

"I had this... this idea that we could somehow... raid the facility, save the kids, and not shut down GoL in the process. I wanted you to come in and tell me that I wasn't crazy for thinking we could do the right thing and not destroy the war effort in the process."

He covers his eyes and shakes his head, then looks back up at you.

"The 'core' of the AT Drive is fully cognizant. Her name is Ren Tanaka." He passes you a folder with photos of a girl - human in shape, but ghastly shades of green and white. The folder also contains sensor readouts. Nothing from the biomonitors, but the radiation levels are dangerously high. "The GoL scientists spoke freely in front of her, and she's willing to cooperate with Nijima, who is currently working on a way to give her some semblance of a normal life. There is apparently strong evidence to support the notion that Ms. Tanaka could advance our understanding of protecting civilians against angel auras, since she has one herself after what they did to her. But using her as a weapon might be a problem, even ignoring the ethics. The AT Drive has been ranked just below a nuclear bomb." Shaking his head, he adds, "At this point, I don't know if disavowing them will be enough. We... say they're criminals, and then what? Arrests are made, scientists flee to the Vatican? No, no, I don't suppose we have the military might to even prevent that. Look, my point is, I think, if you're saying there's no way we can salvage the situation with GoL, we get ahead of this. Make the rescue of Ren Tanaka public."

Kazuma seems very unsure of himself at this point. It won't take much to tip him in whatever direction you see fit.

[velvetWing]

"I was, but only half, Commander. I think I'd like that meeting - once you decide I'm ready." Xiren raises her marker. "I need a lot more practice between here and there. Let's go again!"


For a long moment after Liza finally pulls away from her, Xiren is expecting a wave of self-hatred that doesn't come. The sky doesn't fall, she doesn't turn into a pillar of salt, and the Commander doesn't burst in with a squad of S2 to drag them apart. In fact, nothing much happens at all. The world continues along just like before. And that's worrying enough in its own way.

When she leaves, will we just go on with our lives like this never happened?

Xiren's not naive enough to believe that this is really love, whatever it is. She can offer Liza a source of strength, and solace, and perhaps something else, something murkier that Xiren doesn't yet know Liza enough clearly to see. But in the end, she hasn't really acquired a lover - just another person who'll abandon her if she can't give them what they need.

And there's the self-loathing she was expecting.

Xiren picks up the training knife, again reversing her grip. "Sure, we can go a few rounds. I'll try to be as non-threatening as possible, I guess. Not that that's hard for me." Smiling despite herself, Xiren takes up her stance and loses herself in the slow rhythm of the practice.

[Elfbird]

Liza's eyes light up at the mention of food.

"Let's make <borscht> and <pirozhki>! Do you want to meet the other Sins, or will it be only us and your mother? I worked in soup kitchens, so I know how to make a lot! Cooking language is useful too! Aaaah, I'm excited now! What's Ms. Kuznestov's cooking like? Maybe she doesn't have time now, but before?"

Liza makes herself take a breath, giggling a little with delight, before remembering to actually answer Alyona's question.

"I... left behind a lot of memories and enemies. The rapture already took everything. I owe Ms. Kuznestov for rescuing me from that, but... I was proud of learning to survive in Ulyanovsk. Sometimes I hate Babylon and Japan because it's unfamiliar and scary, but the more skilled I get here, the more fun it is."

She tries to break the somber mood by flashing Alyona a great big smile. Even if it's a mask, she's having too much fun with Alyona to let it end just because God destroyed her hometown and dumped her into two years of a living nightmare. He took too much already, He can't have this.

"And! Thanks to you, now I have more friends here than I did in Russia!"

Since the Rapture, anyway... Though, if I count my friends from school, do the Sins outnumber them? Hell, I've nearly forgotten their faces...

Liza puts her hand on her hip and pouts, but doesn't take a sparring stance in response to Kazuma's.
Honestly, are Japanese men nothing but testosterone and melancholy? No wonder I don't like him.

"No no no! You can't just beat skill into me! Teach me how to move around my enemy! Like dancing! Have you ever done ballroom dance, Commander? You do not teach dance by stomping on toes!"

She relents for a moment, realizing that she's getting worked up just at the threat of more pointless beatings he calls 'lessons'. Her frustration is legitimate, though, and she's hoping that if she explains it well enough, he'll know how to help her learn.
...It's starting to feel a bit overly optimistic.

"Huff... I do not know if I can kill a human. But if I need to, and learn that I can, then I need the skills to do it before that moment. Running is often wiser, but I cannot protect another Sin - she glances at Xiren - if I only run away. I want you to teach me to use my instinct to run somewhere useful, so I can hurt or kill my enemy even if I cannot endure to stand in front of them. If it's impossible, tell me. I'll focus on Judo and guns and not waste my time on useless things."

Her breathing is a bit heavy from such a charged rant. When the blood recedes from her head, she'll be pleasantly surprised that she can do it in Japanese almost as well as in Russian already.

Liza's gotten confident enough in her vocabulary and technical grasp of Japanese that she mainly needs conversation practice, so it's easy to justify using her study time for socialization instead of reading and drilling kanji. Combine that with the big questions that have been foremost in her mind - 'can I kill if I need to' and 'who do I want to become' - and it seems natural to seek out the S2 agent who took a bullet for her back at the gala. Is that something she would be able to do for the sake of another Sin? What kind of person does it take to use their flesh as a shield, and what kind of person results from that ideal?

She asks around the medical wing and soon finds Murayama Hikozaemon's room. She pokes her head across the threshold to address him, acting a bit on the meek side for this occasion. Tough guys dig shy girls, right? Even if they're almost the same height and blindingly blonde?

"Excuse me, Mr. Murayama? It's Liza, the Sin you saved at last week's gala. Is it okay if we talk? I'm practicing Japanese, and I'd like career advice from you."

[Syless]

Aoba stares at Kazuma for a minute, than can't help but laugh. "Oh, you mean- I thought you brought me in to avoid doing that. Frankly, I would much rather stop any atrocities like this from ever happening again. Do you want me to start planning on how to stop GoL from doing anything like this, with strategies short of 'full-on Virtue raid'? Because I will do that in a heartbeat. We can probably get information on their security in the name of shoring ours up, make it easier to circumvent. Maybe get Nijima in there on an intelligence exchange... if she'd even be on board with this plan...

...this is against my morals, but I have to mention the option of using Cole's son. I imagine he'd be keen to show off his family legacy to a certain pilot of ours. I don't want to use Xiren as a honey pot, but... she seems like our only other good bet on getting access. And we need to know what's in there before we can plan an extrication.

If Ren is fully conscious, if Ren remembers herself, she's not a weapon, any more than the other Sins are. If we can arrange for regular socialization with other Sins without divulging too much, that would be excellent. Same if we can add her to the therapy itinerary, though this may go past the level of secrecy even Ms. Blackford is eligible for. I know the more people who know, the greater risk of a leak... if we can free the captive sins from GoL, then we do so, tell them this is not acceptable, tell them to purge the records. If it ends out impossible... then we begin a media offensive to keep us from being dragged down with them."

[Volthawk]

Takeo takes a few moments to consider what Akari's saying - and he's not particularly liking what he's hearing. He'd hoped Babylon had more of a handle on things, that they'd know what all of this was about. To hear Akari say otherwise was disconcerting.

"I...okay. I'm already spending a lot of my time training my AT powers, so I'll try to talk to the relevant people about this other stuff too. As for the rest of it...I understand. I need to do more than just destroy the Angels as they come, and I'll do what I can." Going quiet for a moment, Takeo staves off the uncertainty by returning to the core of why he's doing this. "I have to. We can't lose. We can't let her die in vain."

[fibericon]

Alyona laughs, "I can get away with bringing one friend home without warning, not seven! Mother's cooking is... non-toxic. I have grown accustomed to it, since she was the one cooking for most of my life."


"You assume you will be able to run faster than your opponent. This is the common tactic of a prey animal. It usually works, too. But what you're forgetting is that humans are endurance hunters. And you are very valuable prey. When I dodge. I create an opening. If I teach you that, and you fail to utilize it because you don't want to strike, it won't help as much as you would like. And as for running to your backup? You don't need my help for that. Why are you really giving this another try?"

"Hey." he grunts. His voice is gravelly and a touch weak. "Yeah, I remember. Just glad you made it out of there alright. Unless you're going into security work, not sure how much help I can be."




Kazuma looks somewhat relieved. "We need to figure out where the facility is and how much of the rest of GoL is attached to it. My preference is to not wipe them out, but... we'll, there's one other thing that concerns me. I don't think we can keep Ren a secret. Not if we let her loose, not if we keep her locked up. When that information gets out, it needs to be done on our terms. Ren doesn't know who took her. If the connection is ever made, we lose GoL. Ryall will figure it out in a heartbeat. What angle am I missing here? Is it really not possible?"



"She won't."

Akari probably believes it too.

[Syless]

"So it's a snowball you're worried about. We can't hide Ren from the Sins, and anything the Sins know we can assume Irina will know. Is your concern only Ryall, though? If so, we could tell her and her alone the origin, and tell her we're working on being sure this doesn't happen again. Which is, at this point, true? Are we in fact going to plan a raid on one of our chief weapons suppliers? Because I am 100% on board if so. Just give me the word and I'll give us a next step, as well as beginning contingency plans. America might not be willing, but I'm sure most countries would just nationalize their production facilities if circumstances demanded. America's a lost cause regardless."

[fibericon]

"Ryall will have the easiest time making the connection. We need to get ahead of that, or it's going to look like we're a part of this atrocity. As for the raid, do it. Get us building plans, security detail, do whatever it takes to get what we need. Once we know what we're up against, we can form a strategy for the raid and commit the resources necessary. We confiscate all the research and destroy everything. Bomb the facility into glass if we have to. Cyberwarfare to back up the boots on the ground - GoL cannot be allowed to retain a scrap of it. I'm more interested in how they're finding Sins than anything else, but we can't be sure what they've learned until we have everything. Then we lean on executives. Make sure they understand that if there's the slightest amount of push back, we pull the trigger on the data. Monitor them, both overtly and covertly, for the duration of the war. They can go down after we're done with them, or the second they prove they cannot be trusted."

[Elfbird]

"Kyaaah! I cook for the Sins every week anyway, I can make enough for you two also! Let's make a big Russian dinner for the Kuznestovs to celebrate tonight! Do you have ingredients? Should we go shopping? Let's get started right now! Um, if it's a good time?"

Liza bounces on her heels, barely able to contain her excitement. She's making a new friend from her motherland, getting very confident at Japanese, and found a way to begin to repay the Lt.Com. for everything she's done up 'til now.

"Hey hey, what's your mother like at home? Does she work really hard to be motherly, or is she like an old man? 'Alyona, bring me a beer!' Ahaha, I can imagine both ways! I only know her at work, but now that you and I are friends, I wanna learn so much about both of you!"

Her questions might be coming across as intrusive, but they're fueled by excitement and innocent curiosity this time. She's not yet aware of the undercurrents of her heart that want to take the Kuznestov family for herself...

Liza lets out a frustrated sigh and shakes her head. Unconsciously, she shifts her weight away from Kazuma, hinting at her instinct to run from this difficulty even now. But she's not done yet. Not until she gets what she wants from the commander - either a lesson she can actually use, or an admission of his failure as a teacher.

"Do you truly not understand? We Sins are children, not some bullheaded and disciplined soldiers. We learned to survive in a world where adults could beat and kill us with their bare hands at their whim. Some of us are still living in our nightmare. A child has no strength to win fights, only fastness and cleverness to avert them. For the first time, I have people I want to protect. I do not have time to... to un-train my body, so I want to learn to apply my instincts to CQC instead of fighting both my enemy and myself. If you cannot teach me, admit it and introduce me to who can. Stop acting like you are better only because you are stronger, or you will kill the people who try and fail to become you."

Her attitude turns colder as she goes on. In the course of constructing phrases in her head, she thinks about her problem in more depth, and she starts to believe that this man is not merely irritating, but a blind fool who endangers everyone she currently cares about. If he can't accept that not everyone can manifest his strength and determination, and that there are other kinds of strength besides that which he cultivated in himself and his soldiers, then he has no understanding of the people he presumes to lead, and will lead them to disaster the moment he tries to push them into roles they are unsuited for.

She very much wants him to prove her wrong. People can open their eyes, or reveal hidden depths, or accept their shortcomings and expand their awareness. But if he continues to prove her right, well... She may still have to find out whether or not she can kill to protect the Sins.

Liza takes Murayama's response as permission to enter. A little tentatively, she walks across the room to sit in the chair between the bed and window.

"The truth is... I already am in security work. The world's security and the Sins' security. You can't be shot for all of us." She smiles weakly.

"Since I learned Japanese, more people talk to me. They ask me who I want to grow up to be like. It seems Lt.Com. Kuznestov is the only role model I have who didn't die in the Rapture. So I want... other ideas. I respect you, because you risked your life to save mine. Not many adults would do that. Will you tell me why? For what reason you became S2? How you put the lives of strangers before your family or yourself?"

[velvetWing]

Xiren's been making strides in the days since her one-on-one marker training with the Commander. She's even started attending the CQC and marksmanship training, achieving fairly mediocrely competent results at both, but today her attention hasn't been on her form for some time now. She's been listening with interest and rapidly-growing concern as the conversation between Liza and Kazuma turns hostile, and as the tension in Liza's voice grows, Xiren winces internally until finally she realizes that if she doesn't do something now, all her "hard work" yesterday will be for nothing. Abandoning all pretense, she folds her blade back into a now-familiar defensive grip and walks over to the pair of them.

Liza first, then the Commander. Liza needs to be disarmed so it doesn't feel like I'm cosigning her behavior, and the Commander will get defensive if Liza's insubordination isn't reigned in before he gets any more criticism.

Xiren places a hand on Liza's shoulder comfortingly. "Liza, please. I know the Commander's teaching style can seem a bit rigid, but he's doing this because he cares about us. Remember the Gala? I was almost killed. If it weren't for Ryall and plain old dumb luck, I'd have caught a bullet and you'd be training with a different Lust right now. The Commander and the others are trying to make sure that never happens again. You and I made it here because we were smart and careful. But that's not the only way to survive." She glances briefly up at Kazuma. "The bullheadedness and discipline he's trying to drill into you were what helped him survive. I understand you're frustrated, but if you're going to truly engage with what he's saying and figure out what you can use, you need to take his teaching in good faith."

Now the hard part.

Xiren takes a deep breath. "And Commander... You say there are no shortcuts to learning this. But isn't this entire class a shortcut? You're trying to drill into us skills that take years - a lifetime even - over the course of a few hours a day for a few weeks. I know if you could you'd take your time and teach us everything we need to know, you would, but we don't have time. Another Vatican attack could happen today. It could happen in five minutes. So you made the call to do what you could with what you had. Isn't it better that Liza receive imperfect training than no training at all? I know there are ways to satisfy your concerns about failing to disable an opponent." She taps the practice blade lightly against the back of Liza's neck, near the base of the shoulder blades. "A blade slipped between the cervical vertebrae can cause paralysis in all four limbs, for instance, but not death." Another tap, this time on the bridge of the nose. "Or you can go for the senses. Break the fangs of the snake. Who can shoot or stab or even grapple with no eyes?"

Evidently Xiren's been giving this subject some thought lately.

"If you can't teach her to dodge, teach her to feint. Use all that impulse toward movement to lure the enemy in, make them think she's made one of those fatal mistakes you talked about, then go for a disabling strike. Or a killing blow, if you must. Parry and riposte. That wouldn't go against your teaching, would it?"

[fibericon]

Kazuma sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose before looking back up at you.

"Alright."

His stance shifts, and he takes a somewhat different posture.

"You're Russian. I should have known. Let me explain: Tantojustsu and Systema Spetnaz are the two styles I mix. The former eliminates the footwork of the latter. I have spent a long time creating this mix, but... ignore your death, just this once, and look at my feet."

It's different than how he wants to fight, but not so much as to be unrecognizable.

"I honestly don't entertain parrying with such a short blade except as a last resort. It's so close to your hand - it's just too dangerous. Allowing the opponent to attack first in the hope that you can capitalize on it isn't necessarily the worst strategy, but if there is more than one enemy, it exasperates your disadvantage."

He's still fast - it's a difference only a skilled fighter would care to make. After a few practice sets, he steps back and takes a lower defensive posture as he prepares to entertain your original request to spar both of you at once. There is a notably a harsher tone when he switches to Russian. In fact, he sounds like an old man.

"<Yelizaveta. You are finished with running away. Promise me right now.>"

He doesn't look like he's willing to let this one go.



"We have ingredients, don't worry. Mother is... well, there is little reason for her to show her true face while working. <The still waters are inhabited by devils.>" Now there's something you haven't heard in a long time. "I think she is sweet on the commander. I have seen his true face as well. He should crush the mask underfoot - I have liked the man for all of five minutes combined. But father was like that too."

She puts on an exaggerated gruff voice, "You! Soldier! Your weapon is tilted three millimeters to the left of requirements! Ten demerits and a public flogging!" Switching to a sweeter tone, equally exaggerated, she adds, "Oh, little bird, how was school today?"

She rolls her eyes, and speaks normally again. "She is less extreme, but this is how she is as well."


"Some people are better at certain things, and we don't always get to choose. It seemed like I was always going to be military or law enforcement. What about math? How come I wasn't ever good at that? I don't know. Armed forces just called to me, I guess. Then a couple years ago, when Babylon was formed, they started recruiting from the military, from private security, wherever they could find people. And they said they only wanted the best of the best, so when I got that call, damn straight I want the job. Look... it never really occurred to me to not protect you. That's not who I am. I've got a sense of duty to protect people, and you needed it."

[Elfbird]

Xiren's intervention gets Liza to stand down and take the pressure off Kazuma, at least long enough to let him think before reacting. It's almost terrifying how Xiren really does 'snipe with words'... but equally reassuring to call her a friend. After all, that shot got what she wanted out of the Commander too.

She's already claimed a victory over him today, before markers even clashed, thanks to Xiren's covering fire. Whether or not he considers it his loss, it feels good to have that over her supposed superior, and to know that he can be... redirected, with the right buttons pushed.

Liza follows his forms intently. She does sincerely want to learn this style, if it'll let her fight while moving the way she wants to. When Kazuma makes his challenge, a fire lights in her eyes and burns away the earlier frost. Her shouting this time isn't a rant, it's a rallying cry.

"<Running is who I am! You may as well tell the wind not to blow! But now I will run toward my goal! I will never abandon my comrades while I have the power to save them, even a little. Neither God nor man will take anything else I care about!> Now give me that power!"

She switches to Japanese and charges in, then suddenly changes her direction to dart to his non-dominant side. If she keeps him between Xiren and herself, he might kill them twenty times, but they'll get him more than either can alone.

. . .

Liza throws herself into the entire lesson period. Her flaws make a daunting list, but no longer so innumerable as last week. She uses her momentum and body weight to make heavy blows more suited to an axe or broadsword than a knife, wastes far too much energy with unnecessary movements, has no sense of how to read an opponent or cover her own vulnerabilities...

But she's focused. She frowns or cringes when she receives criticism, but still internalizes it and works on correcting one or two things at a time. Given time, she'll improve in a way she wouldn't have before.

To speak of her strengths, fledgling as they are: she has energy to spare, even with how much she wastes, and seems to genuinely enjoy moving her body no matter how many times she gets dropped. She's a creative thinker, always trying to surprise her opponent and stay in close where he can't generate force - of course, Kazuma knows every counter, but she feels like she's at least making him work a little harder. She even tries to incorporate the basic Judo she's learned, using her forearms and free hand to block and restrain. She's afraid to strike with anything but the marker, lest Kazuma punish her for diverging too far from the class topic and respond with full force.

It seems like her idea of 'protecting' Xiren isn't to shield her so much as to exploit the foe's attention. If Liza is the target, she gives a merry chase to aggravate and wear him down until Xiren can deliver a killing blow, just like with the Elder. If Xiren becomes the target, Liza darts straight for the back of his neck or tries to entangle their limbs to leave him open for her.
She does her best not to let either of them die from error or sacrifice, no matter how they're positioned. Her best is, understandably, not very good yet. One thing she very quickly learns is to stop making eye contact with her partner over Kazuma's shoulder, which always seems to cue him to what's coming. Instead, she starts using her peripheral vision to fight while focusing where she wants his attention to go. He's too good for it to work, but it works better.

Her most spectacular failure of the day is when she tries to slip past Kazuma's non-dominant side, runs straight into an arm bar, and falls back onto his marker. He barely had to move. It would have been almost artistically bad for the observers.

Liza laughs and clutches her stomach at Alyona's impressions. It's been far, far too long since she's had this kind of casual gossip to enjoy.

"Um... Did they tell you bedtime stories about historical wars? Your teacher worried when you drew gun diagrams instead of animals? Your childhood sounds like old television! The good kind, the good kind!"

She tries to remember things about her own mother and father to tell Alyona, but... it's difficult to reach those memories. She was a child who took her life for granted, and then spent two years watching that house full of memories descend into ruin. There's so much darkness between her and the light-filled memories, the faces she only half-remembers as if from a dream...

They were... ordinary, weren't they? They loved and cared for her and her siblings and each other. This she knows to be true.
...But what does that mean, really?

She starts to smell pirozhki, the faint smell of frying potatoes, even before they approach the door. She sheds a few tears with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Alyona... what's your favorite memory about your parents? The one that warms your heart on cold nights - as cold as Japan gets, at least!"

"I see... You followed your instincts through life. You're happy with the result? Not your wound, uh... The way you conduct yourself? Um... again, thank you."

The idea that someone can succeed at their ideal life by following their instincts to the end... it's pretty impactful for Liza. She sits quietly, staring into the middle distance, as she lets it sink in.

This... isn't an adult she should be able to rely on... but it feels harmless enough to exchange a little bit of her feelings for the advice of a person who lives this way. She's not really losing anything... right?

...Right?

She clutches her pant legs and hunches her shoulders. Her instinct is pushing her to run away before she does something she might regret, before she makes herself vulnerable to this person who her mind and body know not to trust too much but who her heart insists is worth it.

She wants this knowledge. Perhaps needs it, if she's to move forward.

'I will run toward my goal.' This is a different kind of fight, but I did not lie then. Here I come!

She takes one deep breath, in and out, then plunges in.

"I think the Japanese military hates me, my instinct. I am proud of my running and hiding. That's how I protected and fed myself. Even now, it's good. The Commander thinks I am a coward. Not worth his time. Lt.Com. Kuznestov is kind, but... if I do not become her, I should not fight. I know they are wrong, but without their skills, I cannot show it. Please give me ideas. I want to become more skilled at my strong points, in a way that helps in Babylon and Japan, not Russia. You are a rock, not wind or snow, so it's okay to not know. Maybe you have a friend?"

[fibericon]

Kazuma is forced to take the two of you more seriously as practice goes on. It's something. You made him work for it more and more everytime. His breathing picks up. When Liza hits the mat, he's clearly forcing himself forward.

"They say Samson beat an army of one thousand with a jawbone. You two have another few hundred sets in you so I can break his record?"

A breathless laugh. His emotional defenses are dropping as he faces exhaustion. But he pushes himself into another defensive stance. This is what you came for, and he's determined to give it to you.

This is what he hinted at with Xiren before. He believes he can't take credit for your success, only your failure. And he might just break himself to prevent your failure.



The Kuznetsov home is very well organized. Open spaces have been prioritized to aid with Irina's mobility issues. There are rails in places. The kitchen is probably cleaned after every meal.

"They never brought work home. Well, not to me. I eavesdropped on a conversation once, and wished I hadn't. Being a soldier is hard, and mother wants to protect me from it."

Alyona begins laying out ingredients for dough.

"Come, then. I will give my favorite memory to you. First, we make piroshki, then we eat them with our hands like barbarians. It will never be cold enough in this country for hot chocolate, but we can make it anyway. No instant trash! I will show you how to make a slurry so real cocoa powder mixes with water!"


He takes a deep breath and hesitates. His expression makes it clear that he was not prepared for this.

"Okay. Let me tell you something about the commander. During the rapture, everyone who ran instead of listening to him died. He had to watch. He might not seem very nice, but he's just trying to protect you. People got shot in the back running from the gala, too. I mean, he's got a point. How can you protect yourself from something you're not facing? I don't know what he's said to you, but he's just a hardass, not your enemy. Now me, yeah, I'm happy. I made a decision to take the bullet for you. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have done anything differently. Anyway, I don't think I can point you to anyone who would run. My friends are all S2, and if we run, you all suffer for it. And your role model? She can't run. I'm sorry, pilot. I can teach you about popping out of the bushes to take someone out? Hey, yeah. Yeah, that's close to your skill set, right?"

He's a little meandering, but he means well.

[Elfbird]

Liza makes no pretense of being shy about looking at everything. She's overcome by a mix of emotions - joy at being invited into her mentor's private life and receiving that trust, a strange sort of comfort from how open and organized everything is, and also feeling out of place in this environment so utterly unlike the chaotic city she knew. Like she's something dirty that crawled into a clean place where she oughtn't be, despite the opposite reality.

She takes particular interest in photos and bookshelves, and glances at any personal notes or mail that's sitting out - though not so long as to seem rude. She'll ask for the stories behind any photos, even if they're tucked somewhere instead of displayed prominently.

She stays close to Alyona or in the kitchen as much as possible; there's nothing here that she wants more than Irina's trust and that she couldn't take later if she changed her mind, and she doesn't want to be... tempted... by being left alone somewhere she could get in trouble. When Alyona goes to the bathroom or her bedroom, Liza repeatedly catches herself pocketing potatoes, fruit, and utensils. She doesn't realize she's doing it until she notices the new lump or prod in her sweater. It takes a a force of will to put things back each time, and her self-loathing grows accordingly. But the moment Alyona returns, all is right again; her company chases Liza's melancholy away.

...Mostly.

Having heard Irina's and Alyona's feelings about soldiering, Liza keeps away from that topic - not so desperately as to be awkward, but focusing on other, more ordinary things. When the conversation lapses, there's always their cooking to go back to, so the silence never lasts.

"Say, what's your school here like? The cute foreign girl who speaks Japanese must be very popular, right? Are there festivals like in the anime? I want to see! Let me enjoy ordinariness, um... <vicariously!> I don't care if it's boring! High school is all new to me!"

She can do a lot of the bulk food prep seemingly on autopilot - things like peeling, grating, chopping, kneading, stirring - but has to double-check the recipes for anything involving careful measurement or flavoring. She spent a lot of hours in soup kitchens to keep her belly full, and this meal is exponentially more important to her. She's giving a little bit of Mother Russia back to her fellow expats, and receiving their part in return.

Laughing with Alyona like this, as the kitchen fills with comforting familiar smells found nowhere else in this country, Liza starts to feel like she's... home.
Like she's allowed to be happy and carefree again.
To feel safe and cared for again.

During a moment when Liza's hands are clean and dry, she gives Alyona a sudden hug around the waist.
"<Thank you, my friend! Today you have given me something wonderful. With our cooking, we have bested God, for we took back a piece of the happiness He stole! Hey hey, let's get married and make every night like this!> Let's get married!"

The terror of losing it claws at her heart.

Liza listens to his story seriously. Intellectually, she can understand where the Commander is coming from, but it's still hard for her to reconcile detached sympathy with the way she feels every time they interact. There's merit to his way, but that doesn't mean hers is wrong. Maybe fewer people who ran would have died if they'd been good at running.
...She's tempted to try to start a class on that herself, but it's too soon. Her way of thinking is anathema to Babylon's, to Kazuma's, so they'd reject her outright. She first has to demonstrate her worth in a way these hardheads can understand. Her chance will surely come sooner or later. If she can pull it off, teaching would be a good way to give back to those who deserve it.

She perks up at the end. It's a connection, something she can seize for the moment.

"Yes! Teach me how to ambush! Sniping is different than close, it's important when I'm too close to shoot. I have little time, but I will study on free days and practice during the week!"

[fibericon]

The printed photos are largely formal and planned. Birthdays, holidays, special occasions. A far cry from the photos Alyona takes herself and posts on social media with her classmates.

"No pictures inside the base! The double extra classified super secret bathroom mirror is integral to the functioning of the Virtues and it cannot fall into enemy hands! Oh well." In one picture of a mixed group, there's a Japanese boy with his arm around her shoulders. "We dated for two weeks. I get a lot of letters. I kept them all because it would be rude to throw them away. But boys just want one thing - to see giant robots. They seem disappointed when I can't show them giant robots."

Your proposal earns a laugh and a cheek pat. "No marriage until the second date!"


"Alright." He looks down at his IV and groans, "Maybe not right now. When they let me out of here, you got yourself a deal."

[Elfbird]

Liza laughs at Alyona's joke about the mirror, as with all her others. It's refreshing that someone else sees Babylon's endless regulations and procedures as something ridiculous instead of life-depending.

"Don't you know that Babylon's bathrooms are cutting-edge Japanese technology? It'd be so scary if our enemies could bathe in comfort! <Oh, the humanity!>"

"Really? Giant robots? I always thought boys wanted something else from girls. Now I see Japan's true face! Don't worry, I see my own 'giant robots' enough. I can appreciate... <a Russian girl's charms!>"

Some time later, the condo is suffused with the smell of piroshki and borscht and the hand-made hot cocoa Alyona promised. Irina should be coming home soon, just in time for the food to finish but not cool.

Without constant tasks to focus on Liza's anxiety begins to creep in more strongly. Is it really okay for her to be here? Will Irina be angry or kick her out? Is she wearing on Alyona's hospitality? She must be acting too familiar with her kinswoman for a first visit. But if she suddenly acts cold, wouldn't that be a problem too?

Wait. Ugh. She's already thinking in a way too Japanese way.

Sitting on the sofa beside Alyona, Liza suddenly lowers her hot cocoa and turns to regard the other girl a little seriously.

"<Alyona, let's speak Russian for tonight. Will you tell me how I am today? It's been a long time since I was a guest in Russia, and never in Japan. I am overjoyed to spend time with someone my age who knows my country, so if I have a problem, I want to fix it immediately.>"

She smiles, not as strongly as she intended to, and raps her chest to indicate that Alyona should be sincere and that she can take honest criticism. Whether Alyona says good things or not, there's no way Liza will feel at peace unless she believes it.

"Of course, heal first! Don't hurt yourself for me! You gave me things to think about, thank you. Shall I... come and talk to you again?"

She prepares to stand, feeling that the conversation is at its end, but not needing to hurry away. She feels... lighter, somehow, yet finds it too unsettling to think about why that is.

Beside the Elder's corpse in the waning evening light...

Liza returns Takeo's wave, bouncing with glee.
"Hey, Takeo! Nice work, isn't it?!"

Grinning, Takeo nods. "Yes, it is. We did well here. It's good to see that the Elders can be killed."

"Right, right?! It's like a big... car...!"
She trails off and draws a circle in the air. Does she mean 'tire'?
"Strange that it was scary. Not now!"

"...Car? Hm. I don't know about scary, but I did have some doubts before this. I wasn't entirely sure that we'd win this. It's reassuring to see the Elder like this, isn't it? I see they've already started taking it apart for research."

Liza's eyes go a little glassy as she tries to follow Takeo's words, but she seems to catch the gist at least.
"Really, this is like an anime. Mecha, giant monsters, heroes of children... The commercial, will the world think it's true... I wonder? What do you want... everyone to think?"

Takeo shrugs. "That we're right. That we'll win. That we'll get justice."

"Win... Yeah! Before a battle, let's eat pork cutlet bowls! It's tradition!"

Takeo raises an eyebrow, Liza's latest translation error taking the wind out of his sails a little. "What? Sure, I guess, they're nice, but that's not what I meant. I just meant, well, I suppose just that they'll believe in us, that we can protect them and avenge the fallen."

It's probably fun to watch Liza freeze every time she's given a lot of words to listen to, then react in either understanding or confusion. It could be some kind of game.
This time, she smiles warmly and nods.
"Yeah! God won't take more anything, from us! Are you protecting an important person?"

Takeo goes quiet for a moment in response to her question, before letting out a little sad sigh and shaking his head. "No. The time for protecting her had passed before I could do anything, and Akari can protect herself. This is about justice now, and avenging her."

Liza's expression turns solemn, though no less warm. She closes the distance between them and takes Takeo's hand in both of hers, looking him in the eye.
"That's fine. Get justice. Get revenge. For me too. You're my important guardian. Um, the meaning... Important person. I'll protect."
She blushes as she stammers through the end.
"Um... I'm not-- I wasn't cool..."

Takeo blinks when Liza takes his hand and starts to have something of a deer in headlights look when Liza starts talking. "Oh, um, I...well, thanks. Don't worry about not being cool or whatever. I appreciate the thought."

Liza smiles again.
...It's a little while before she releases his hand.
"My family was killed by angels. I hate it, but... it's more scary. My thoughts are about living, not revenge. So I'm glad you'll do revenge. But the Sins are really important to me! Don't die! Don't become a monster!"
Her outburst is sudden and brief; she flips back to a softer tone just as quickly.
"Come home. Always come home. This world... truly, it has many monsters. ...For you, I'll cook, okay?"

Takeo nods, smiling. This wasn't what he expected from the conversation, but it was nice. "I won't die, then, and I'll keep your family in mind along with her. I promise. You'll cook? I'd...I'd like that."

Liza claps happily.
"It's a promise!"
She looks up at the Elder's looming torso.
"Everything God took from us... We'll take it back!"
She turns back to Takeo and taps his sternum, then her own.
"To start with... this happiness, here."
"Eheheh, I studied that! For the commercial's sake! It's the truth."

Takeo can't help but keep smiling at Liza's attitude. "It's a good truth. Hopefully it makes the commercial succeed."

Something catches Liza's attention apart from the Elder or their conversation. She looks like a startled cat or dog, absolutely still as she stares into the growing darkness. The sky is still orange, but the Elder's body and surrounding terrain are falling quickly into shadow.

A moment passes, then another. The only sounds are from the distant gathering around the camera crew, and occasionally the crunch of an S2 agent on watch shifting their weight onto fallen sticks and leaves.

Whatever happened passes without comment. Liza looks at Takeo again and returns to her conversational demeanor.
"You're not afraid of the dark? Isn't your body weak?"

Well that was a blunt way of putting it. Takeo shrugs. "Well, yeah, I'm not strong, but I don't need to be strong here. The Virtue gives me the strength I need to fight angels, and if I'm in danger as I am, we have all of Babylon to protect us."
"And so far, something like the Vatican attack happening is rare. Things aren't bad enough that we need to be worried about that every night." He keeps himself from adding 'yet' to the end of the sentence. She probably doesn't need to hear his theories.

After her usual pause, Liza breaks out in a big grin and snatches up Takeo's hand, coiling her arms around his. She's really close and it's kinda hard to move...
"You're cute! I'll protect you! A bear won't receive you, and.. um... the dirt won't hit you! Be careful! Go back?"

She'll release his arm when they actually start walking back to the group, but keeps his hand firmly in hers, to lead him through the debris field. She can't accurately call out each upcoming obstacle, so she does it by exaggeratedly pulling Takeo up or around to indicated what he needs to do after her. Does she think he's blind at night...?

Liza's mentions of bears and dirt are a little confusing, but by this point Takeo had started to get used to her unusual word choices. He lets himself get led back, not complaining about her closeness or how much she's leading. It seemed to make her feel good about this protection thing, and even if he wasn't blind, she was good at getting around here.
He decides to leave thinking about the fact she just called him cute for later. That needed more thought.

If Liza knows what it looks like to return to the group hand-in-hand, she doesn't seem to care. She doesn't let go until they're firmly within the circle of lights as the crew packs up, then lets go like it's no big deal.
She's in high spirits for the rest of the night, right until her head hits her pillow and she passes out from exhaustion.

[fibericon]

Alyona laughs politely in response to your flirting, but doesn't otherwise address it.

Your fears about your company prompt a more concerned response. She opens her mouth, then glances toward the door as she hears Irina opening it. Lowering her voice, she hisses, "<You are doing fine. Stop worrying.>"

Irina looks around quietly, then offers a smile. "<I cannot sit on the floor this time, and certainly no fireplace, but I know what you're doing, little bird. Alright. Oh, and hello, Liza. This was something we used to do in Russia - family time can be hard to come by, and we wanted to spend time together, not traveling.>"

Irina settles into a chair, and Alyona brings her food and hot chocolate. Once she has a bit of food in her, Irina takes one of her pills. As the pain wears off, laughter becomes easier.

"Sure, pilot. I'll be here."

He relaxes a bit, probably preparing to nap. Between the injury and the treatment, his energy is at an all time low.

[roko10]

Ryall groans as she lies on her back, still catching her breath from trying to rush Kazuma for the umpteenth time and getting completely wrecked as a result. Noticing that Takeo isn't doing so well himself, she decides to sit upright, legs crossed, and asks him: "Hey. Everything okay?"

Takeo shrugs a little, wincing slightly at the pain in much of his body, but he puts a brave face on it. "I'm fine, just not used to this kind of training. I've never fought much outside of my Virtue. Or done much physical training, despite Akari's best efforts. I'm still not sure when it becomes fun."

Ryall shrugs. "It is never going to be fun in the... well, let's say "playing games" way, but you do get a certain amount of satisfaction out of it, when you realize just how far you came from where you were before."
"A certain kind of pride, even." she added with a smirk.

Takeo grins a little at her comment, nodding. "I suppose so. In that case, I have a long way to go yet. It still feels a little weird, fighting as myself, not having access to the raw power of the Virtue or any access to an AT field. Still, I suppose it's necessary, with how the Vatican is acting. I wouldn't put another attack past them, before the next battle against an angel."

Ryall scoffs. "With their track record, I don't think you should be too worried. Still, it never hurts to be prepared."

"I suppose so. Still, since they're almost certainly in league with the angels, I wouldn't discount them."
"Command seems to think similarly, anyway. According to Akari, that's why we're here, and they seem to be taking my theories seriously."

"...Huh. What do you mean?"

"Think about the timing. The Vatican tries to assassinate us, the only pilot in Japan, and immediately after an Elder attacks. Doesn't that strike you as an enemy trying to cripple our defences before a major attack?"
"The timing, and the way it happened that way worldwide, feels like more than a coincidence to me."

"I... never really made the connection until you pointed it out. Wow." She lets out a small chuckle. "Can you believe it? One of the world's biggest institutions, reduced to a doomsday cult."

"They've taken unquestioning faith too far, let it overtake their duty and loyalty to humanity, unlike Xiren and Kazuma and the other Christians who see sense, see the threat of the angels for what it is. The traitors in the Vatican will face justice soon enough. That much I'm sure of." Takeo seems quite pleased by the last part of his response.

Ryall simply nods. "I see."
There's a small gap in the conversation, before Ryall pipes up again. "So, there's something I wanted to tell you, but I never really found the right moment for. You see, back during the Gala, I threw a glass of punch at a playboy jerk who hit on Xiren. The punch, that is. Not the entire glass."
"Point is, his dad, which creeps me <the hell out>, then confronted me after the Elder's attack. I managed to bluff my way into saying that it was for the jerk's safety, and he actually believed me. He then sent me a form for an addon that juices a weapon up with AT one way or another. "
"A few days passes by without me hearing anything from the engineering team, and then when I decided to visit them, they say that using it is a no-go. Apparently, the thing is super radioactive and using it will wreck the enviroment and kill people by the bucketload. Including me."
Ryall sighs and takes a breath, her voice very much tinged with anger now. "I'm starting to think the Guns of Liberty are actively trying to kill us, with the way things are going with them now. External sabotage from the Vatican is to be expected, but internal sabotage as well?"

Takeo this this over. "I suppose I can see why that could happen by accident - it's possible to mess with gravity and particles and stuff with an AT field, but most of what pilots can do with an AT field depends on our ability to manipulate it and our Virtues. An innocent explanation could just be that without those aspects whatever they tried went wrong."

He pauses. "However, I can see your point, it's suspect. It's strange, though. Why would they send something that obviously dangerous? Engineering would've been sure to notice it, as they did. Any smart saboteur with access to GoL could have been much more subtle and successful. Sabotaging our supply of standard Virtue weapons, for instance."
Takeo shrugs. "It's just weird, is all. If they're legitimate, they wouldn't have sent a dangerous and flawed weapon to us, and if they're an enemy, they're being very obvious and ineffective. I don't like to assume incompetence, but..."
"It's just strange."

"Maybe you're right. Still, there's another thing that makes me think something's up with whatever's going on. The engineer that I asked about the AT Drive said that if "one of us" is seriously injured or killed when using it, thousands of civilians could die. As in, plural. Last time I checked, Humilitas was a single-seater and though the engineer said that she meant the Sins in general... I'm pretty sure she's lying about that. "
"Hell, I'm starting to believe that the AT Drive may even have a human being in it." She shakes her head, almost as if immediately acknowledging that whatever she said was a tad daft. "Sounds a bit silly when I say it, though. I mean, what are the odds?"

Takeo shrugs, trying to make the information make sense. "This whole thing is strange. If the engineer way lying about this 'one of you' thing, then presumably they're lying about the other details, and that explains the weirdness of the story. Something living there - maybe human, maybe not, but alive and capable of AT manipulation - would explain a lot, though."
"I know the science department have started extracting and studying parts of fallen angels - perhaps GoL did the same, and used part of it in their weapon, but it didn't work."

"That's also a good theory. Better than mine, at least. Still, I know something is up; it all seems too damn fishy." Ryall falls silent again, observing Liza and Xiren sparring with Kazuma. "Hey. Is it just me or do they seem to be awfully close lately?" she asks Takeo.

Takeo nods when Ryall says it's fishy. "Yeah, something strange is happening. I wonder why they're trying to keep it so under wraps."

Her comment about Xiren and Liza draws his attention to then and Kazuma, and he watches them thoughtfully for a few moments. "Perhaps. Liza...she's a good person, she cares a lot about the rest of us."
"Why, do you think there's more to it?"

"...It's nothing. Nevermind" Calm down, Ryall, you're Pride, not Envy. You and Xiren weren't really a thing anyway, so why are you being jealous now?

"Oh...okay." Takeo is only quiet for a few moments before pieces start coming together. "You didn't think they were....you know...did you? I mean, that can't be right...can it?"

"Why wouldn't it be right?"

Takeo gives a small awkward shrug. "I don't know...just didn't think any of us were that close yet, and I...well, it's just that, really."

"I'm starting to feel like they are that close."

"Oh. Okay. That's fine."

"I guess..."

[Elfbird]

At first, Irina's return makes Liza feel disoriented. She can sense the dynamic, the shared history between the two Kuznestovs, but Liza herself lacks the context to understand it. She doesn't feel like an intruder so much anymore, more like... when she first came to Japan, perhaps. An outsider.

As the night wears on though, and Liza is immersed in the sounds and smells and tastes of her childhood, laughing with and learning about her kinswomen, that discomfort also begins to fade away.

The dark void between her youth and her present no longer seems so impenetrable. Just a little bit, she starts to remember the faces of her parents and siblings. The clothes they wore, what their voices sounded like...

She's laughing and trying not to choke on a mouthful of piroshki, then suddenly tastes something else wet and salty on her lips. She touches her cheek and her fingertip is immediately soaked by the river of tears. Why, from such a happy moment?

Liza drops her head in a vain effort to hide her embarrassment, manages to stifle her laughter and swallow her food. She tries to wipe her face dry on her sleeve, but the tears refuse to stop.

"<Sorry, sorry! It must be the onion! I've... Thank you. I can't say how much this means to me, or how happy I am in this moment. Thank you!>"

Speaking her heart like that pulls the cork out of it; she has to set her plate down and devolves into unreserved bawling. She's red as cabbage with the embarrassment of her mentor and her new friend seeing her like this, but she doesn't exactly hate it either.

She's not aware of it right now, but for the first time in two years, her subconscious isn't fixated on 'wanting'. It's a pure feeling, like porcelain.

[fibericon]

Alyona freezes up. She can't process what's happening, and quietly stares at you. Wide eyed and utterly confused, she doesn't form a serviceable reaction until Irina leans over and speaks quietly in her ear.

Moving from next to her mother, she crouches to your right and puts her hand on your shoulder.

"<Um... it's okay, Liza. You don't have to go back there anymore.>"

"Back there" is about as nicely as anyone could describe the post-rapture Russian ghettos. But she has no point of reference for this, and can only offer a boiler plate, tone deaf response.

[Elfbird]

Liza closes her eyes and leans into Alyona's hand, shaking her head lightly. It's a few minutes before her tears run dry and her breathing is back under control.

"<It's not that, it's... Being with you two, speaking Russian casually, eating the food of my childhood... I feel like I have my family back. I never thought I would know such comfort again, yet here it is. It was always right here...>"

Liza relaxes a little, looking like she might reach for her plate again. Instead, she swiftly takes Alyona's hand in both of hers, but leans forward toward Irina to call out in an over-the-top imploring way.

"<Lieutenant Comm-- no, Ms. Kuznestov! You must let me marry your daughter! She shall want for nothing, and we'll cook good food for you every day!">

Liza releases Alyona's hand and chuckles lightly to seal the joke before it gets awkward, but in truth she would accept that offer in a heartbeat. It doesn't seem so unattainable from here, though she has no doubts that she would have to work harder than this for it to be real.
Killing an Elder, learning Japanese, her first kiss, getting the Commander to change his mind, and now having a family again... this week has truly been full of impossible wishes fulfilled, why not yet more?

[velvetWing]

The Commander's putting on a brave face, but Xiren's more than savvy enough to put two and two together. She's plenty familiar with the concept of pushing oneself too hard for those one cares about, but she's never been on the receiving end before. It's not a very pleasant sensation.

Is this what it always feels like?

What I said to Liza wasn't exactly wrong. I became the Commander's soldier because that was the only way I could survive. But he's different. He's... stronger than that.

Isn't he?

The idea that the Commander might be throwing himself into his role in the same way she throws herself into her own is... difficult to swallow. On the one hand, it means the man she's looked to for strength and solace since she arrived at Babylon, the man who she considers herself beholden to above all others, might be just as lost as she is. On the other...

It means that I know what he's going through. I can help. Or... I can try, anyway.

Xiren, for the first time, turns the same warm, comforting smile she uses on everyone else toward Kazuma. "Samson was blessed by the Lord with the strength of a nazirite, and even he was on the verge of death afterward. Why don't we take a break, Commander? You've given both of us the breakthrough we needed. We can spar with each other while you grab some water."

[fibericon]

Alyona is immediately overwhelmed, and freezes up again. You might be a bit more than she can handle at the moment.

"<I think you need to calm down.>" Irina replies. Her deadpan tone implies that she hasn't seen the humor. "<No one is taking this from you.>"

"<Ah, I told you, no proposals.>" Alyona adds, trying her best to make it less awkward. There's a tinge of annoyance in her tone this time. "<Just be happy. That's enough.>"

Alyona looks embarrassed. And in front of her mother of all people. They haven't kicked you out, at least. Still, it doesn't look like you're getting that wedding anytime soon.


Kazuma chuckles and drops his guard.

"I used to have that kind of energy. Enjoy it while it lasts."

And there it is - three for three. Everything you've asked of the commander while sparring, you've gotten. Granted, you've yet to ask for anything unreasonable, but he didn't even attempt any push back.

But the question then is, can everyone else do it too, or is it only you he drops his guard for?

[Elfbird]

Liza wipes her eyes with her sleeve again, the last of her chuckles dying down but a smile still plastered on her face.

"<Sorry, sorry. Today's been a lot; I promise I'll be better next time. Will you tell me more about the city you grew up in?>"

Liza finishes her food calmly, without any more outbursts of laughter nor tears. She must be pretty exhausted, between experiencing so much emotion and her unrelenting training schedule this past week.

When Irina starts yawning, Liza cleans up as much as she's allowed, then sees herself off to her own bed.

The part of her that refuses to be satisfied is small and quiet tonight, barely noticeable through the haze of weary contentment.

It reasserts itself through half-remembered nightmares. Terror, loss, helplessness, and burning piroshki.

[fibericon]

Day nine

As the classes continue, all of the pilots have learned something, regardless of their performance... except for Carmen, who failed to attend a single one.

Kazuma has arranged for your meeting with the female S2 agent, to help you learn to conceal a weapon. You haven't been given a name - only a time and place. When you arrive at the meeting place, your new instructor opens the door to let you in, then consults a group of monitors displaying the output of security cameras.

She's wearing a sundress and sandals. Hair in a simple bun, held up with a pin. Makeup. Not an overly muscular build, but definitely athletic. If you had no prior context, you would probably assume she was a civilian.

"The commander says he assigns equal priority to concealability and accessibility, and recommends everyone do the same. He's very skilled, but he sent you to me for a reason. You're going to prioritize concealability first. It's just a fact of our casual attire. You still need to be able to reach your weapon. Your weapon can't be on your friend, in the car, in your home, or on your boyfriend. It moves with you at all times. Your assignment for tomorrow is to bring me three of your outfits - your typical outfits. Don't pick something you think will make it easy to hide a blade. If you start dressing differently, people will notice. Speaking of which, we've never met. These lessons don't exist. If another agent asks what you're doing, say anything you have to in order to get out of the conversation, then give me the time, place, and physical description."

Still no name.

"Let's start you off today by teaching you how to analyze outfits to decide on a carrying location. After all, you won't always get to choose your outfit. I have four weapons concealed on my person. How many can you guess the locations of?"


Xiren and Kazuma make for interesting sparring partners. Gotta watch that one around the silverware now. Liza loves her rifle training, and she probably tried to steal the rifle a few times. Still, you're pretty sure you've done better overall than any of your peers in any class, and that's not just your sin talking. You put in the work, and you're seeing the results. Your instructors are seeing the results, too. Perhaps that's why, after class, Irina holds you back.

"Lagrange, you've been selected for special AT training. This is optional, just like the classes you've been attending already. Also, I believe Director Mashimo wishes to see you."

No details, of course. Between this and the AT Drive, they've been pretty evasive lately.

It seems Alyona wasn't prepared for your emotional outpouring. Since the gathering, your relationship with her has been strained. She's stiffer and more cautious around you now.

On the plus side, your Japanese has improved. It might be possible to go to engineering. One step closer to your friend, who has been squirreled away by the lead scientist.

Hold on. Isn't that your move?


You've been taking note of a few things, but it's hard to tell how much of it has been useful. The smells stand out to you, though. After all, that's the only known special case.

Xiren smells like clay.

Liza smells like died blood and fur.

Ryall smells like kerosene and ash.

Carmen smells like parchment.

Gabriel smells like the sea.

It gets easier to notice as time goes on, to the point that you don't have to see a fellow Sin to know they're in the room.


Your new "Korean" agent has made landfall, and went dark for 48 hours. You monitor her instagram. She's going to Italy.

Your cybersecurity tackles the GoL issue. Robert takes it very seriously, and uses the same phone issued to the US president. Your team knows better than to try - it would be too great a risk. What does work is monitoring security cameras and recording his texts. He's careful, but he's not perfect. You have a location. The base you're looking to hit is far inland. It's a desert location. Getting your people in isn't going to be easy. And since Robert uses a VPN, you don't have a target for their servers yet

Jacob, however, has a much easier phone to crack. He had Bluetooth enabled, and that's all she wrote. Unfortunately, he lacks relevant information about this mission, but curiously, he's a financial prodigy. GoL invests as a nontrivial percentage of their profits, and Jacob is a valuable asset in this regard.

Easier to tackle is the fact that Ryall has been asking questions about the AT Drive. It might be time to have that conversation with her, especially with the GoL raid coming up. More importantly, Ren now has a prototype shielded plugsuit. It might be safe to be in the same room with her, which means Mimi is going to push for more freedom soon.



You did it. Probably. The last prisoner didn't die. Well, not yet, and he didn't register as irradiated. You might just be able to let Ren out safely. From an information standpoint, it might not be the best idea, but comparing that to keeping her locked up...



One of Aoba's team sends for all of you. A mandatory meeting in the common room. There's a foreign woman with him you don't recognize.

"Thank you for coming. I've called you all here to introduce Doctor Shara Blackford. She's a psychiatrist, and she's available for you to talk to. It's important to note that this doesn't mean we think something's wrong with you. The truth is that you've been placed in a very stressful situation, and it's normal to feel overwhelmed. Doctor? The floor is yours."

[roko10]

Last week was quite the learning experience for Ryall. A humbling one, at that, considering the amount of times she got KO'd whilst training with Kazuma. It took her a while, but when she finally swallowed her pride and admitted charging ahead recklessly with knives like she does in her Virtue wasn't the best idea, she made significant progress in that area. And with her hitting the range whenever she could to improve her marksmanship skills and her already being skilled enough in CQC, she has made significant strides in her progress- she's not as good as a professional soldier yet, but she's getting there.

When Irina approached her with an offer to hone her AT abilities further, Ryall responded immediately, without any hesitation. "I would gladly do both. I was planning on meeting with the Lieutenant already, and adding more tools to my repertoire would not hurt." Internally, however, she's a bit wary about the AT Training, though not enough to reject the offer. What's their endgame here?

[Syless]

The seemingly western woman waves and smiles. "Nice to meet you all! Ryall, Takeo, Xiren, Liza, Gabriel, Carmen... Envy, do you like to be called that? It's what I have your name down as, but I wasn't sure if you liked using your Sin title. If any of the rest of you would like to be referred to by any other name, please, let me know as soon as possible. I want you to be completely comfortable around me. None of you are required to make appointments, but everything you say to me will be completely confidential. And if you don't want to talk, you can think of it as getting a free hour to nap, and no one will know." She winks at Carmen in particular."Ms. Mashimo is my liason with Babylon, she'll help you get scheduled with me whenever you're willing. I hope to see you all soon! Do any of you have any questions?"

Planning this mission will be difficult. Obviously a foot approach won't be easy. Just destroying the place would cause more problems than it would solve- especially if they have more captive Sins. Jacob is still the weak link... she needs to find out if he has access credentials. If he can be used against them more than he already is, or if he'll just be used to wedge open a door. She sends off messages to that effect- to find out whether or not Jacob has full access to the facility.

As far as the Vatican infiltration goes... she'll just have to wait and see. Aoba crosses her fingers, hoping she didn't send a good agent to her death.

She sees her opportunity to speak with Ryall when Dr. Blackford is introduced. Once she's said her greetings, the Lieutenant goes over to the young pilot. "Ryall, when we're done here, can you speak with me in my office?"

[velvetWing]

Xiren stands at parade rest, though with her posture slightly more relaxed than usual, as she listens to the S2 agent's lecture. She's slightly confused by the cloak-and-dagger nature of it all, but, she reasons, a concealed weapon loses effectiveness for every person that knows you have it. And if the Commander ordered it, there must be a good reason.

She carefully looks the agent up and down, focusing more on posture and stance than holsters or clips poking out of garments, but finds her mind... wandering.

Alright, if I were her, where would I stash a blade? Gosh, that sundress makes her legs look nice. She's actually really well-built, now that I look closer. It'd be a shame to hide that beneath an S2 uniform. Though that has its own appeal, I guess-

....Wait, what?

No no no no. For those that are of the flesh mind the things of the flesh...

Xiren swallows hard and refocuses her attention on the task at hand. After a moment, she presents her 'findings. "...One in the small of your back, one strapped to the outer thigh of your dominant side, and one in your bra. The fourth... I'm not sure of."

Xiren is taken aside by Aoba and politely encouraged to make an appointment with Shara, given her encounter with the Elder during the battle. She doesn't much see the point - her conversation with the Commander cleared up any doubts she had about what happened. But her sense of responsibility outweighs her misgivings about the usefulness of a therapy session, and she reluctantly requests an appointment with Dr. Blackford.

[Volthawk]

The training still wasn't going too well for Takeo, given his starting point, but he still keeps going with it. To some degree, it is working, but he doesn't expect to be a match for a serious fighter any time soon.

Still, at least his other project was going better, and that was quite evident to him when he meets the therapist with the other pilots - now he'd noticed their individual smells, it was quite hard to not notice them, and with all the pilots arriving here and being together, the individual scents combined into something that was strange and wouldn't usually be at all considered a nice smell, but was nonetheless something Takeo quite liked experiencing. Even if the smell itself wasn't particularly enjoyable, the connotations - his improved senses, the pilots all together, unity and success - were quite nice to think about. He hadn't seen Envy enough to pick out here in particular, though - he noticed something different in the combined smell, but for now he'd just have to identify them by a smell unlike the others.

He greets the therapist with a nod, but doesn't give her much thought. He felt like there was nothing wrong, after all, and nobody has given him much reason to talk to a therapist, so he didn't see the point.

Once he has the chance to get away from the meeting, he does so, thinking of something much more interesting to look into. In his spare time, Takeo had been studying theology and symbolism under the principle of knowing your enemy, and the odd details of what he'd been smelling had him wondering if there was anything more to it. It was worth a look, anyway.

[Elfbird]

Liza doesn't blame Alyona for withdrawing. She laid a lot on her in their first time visiting. No regrets though, and the memory of being full of hot borscht in a safe house keeps her mood high for the rest of the weekend.
All it'll take is some time and casual distance... and maybe no more emotional outbursts until they're on more intimate terms.

Liza continues to greet Alyona and make smalltalk in passing, but doesn't go out of her way to find her, nor press her to talk at length. She does pick up a cute journal while she's grocery shopping (on clearance!) and gives it to Alyona without fanfare during one coincidental meeting.

After experiencing the incredible healing and morale-boosting powers of a good homestyle meal, Liza starts thinking about how she could provide that for the other pilots too. Russian food is definitely her specialty, but she's a quick learner and already started trying some local and cross-cultural dishes. Japanese ingredients will be the easiest to procure here, and she still needs to properly pay Takeo back for crashing into him and dirtying his clothes at the gala...

After Akari's class one day, Liza hangs back while the others are leaving. If anyone else sticks around, she'll make up a question about the judo forms Akari is teaching her, but her real goal is...

"Instructor! Can you tell me Takeo's favorite food? Maybe something you or his mother made for him as a child? He did something nice for me, so I want to surprise him in return, if it's possible."

Liza immediately mistrusts this new adult thrown into their midst. There's no way she's letting a shrink inside her head.
Adults are powerful, but predictable and easy to handle once you learn what's important to them and how they react to things. Someone like this, though, who wants to be trusted and confided in, but only answers to the people who're trying to control and oppress you...
Getting involved with someone like that is just asking for trouble.

Even so, there's no doubt that some of the pilots might find value in having a professional listener to talk to. Liza won't discount the possibility herself, as a last resort or a potential advantage, once she finds out what that might be. For now, she'll just keep an eye on the pilots who do see the shrink, and call them out if they start acting strangely or threatening her family's cohesion.

She'll hand around the periphery during the mandatory meeting, and slip away as soon as everyone's dismissed.

Later in the week, once she's had some time to get used to the new person - or, more importantly, the idea of her - it's easier to start thinking of potential opportunities despite the risks. For one, here's another adult accessible to her who's taken a wildly different career path from Ms. Kuznestov or Mr. Murayama.

Ah... Is it that I would prefer us Sins to confide in each other instead of relying on a stranger? Even if it's selfish, I'm sure someone like Xiren and I could handle it instead of that woman...

In a situation like this, with the kind of person Liza's gauged Ms. Blackford to be presenting herself as, it's probably better to get things in the open. There's no way she can outplay a psychiatrist at mind games, so she'll test her reactions instead.

Liza waits for Shara in the quiet hallway that Shara usually takes during her lunch hour. Leaning against the wall with her arms and legs crossed, looking out of the corner of her eye without raising her head. It's a pretty obvious defensive posture, and the crossed legs mean she doesn't intend to move - whether to leave or to cause trouble.

"Dr. Blackford. I'll be clear: I don't trust you, and it's not your fault. Your placement here changed the social atmosphere. Change is dangerous, until it's ordinary... or so I think. Answer my questions, and if I believe you I'll let you off the hook. Why did you take this job? What are the Sins to you? When it comes to one of us or a commanding officer, whose side will you take?"

Liza turns her head slightly toward her target to get a better view of her. She's not counting on honest answers; they'll almost definitely be the ones she thinks Liza wants to hear. Instead, Liza's looking for any hints of insincerity, anxiety, or raw emotion. She's no expert, but it'll give her more information than she had to pin down what kind of person has been forced into her pilots' lives.

Liza finally got through her latest Japanese textbook cover to cover. She still has a long ways to go for fluency, but she can at least communicate more or less accurately and observe - or deliberately eschew - basic courtesy. The engineering textbook she got from Irina is another matter, but once Liza got through the first couple chapters with about 70% comprehension, she figured it'd be better to learn hands-on. No point in being subtle now! Off to engineering!

"Excuse meeee! Liza <Petrovnya>, reporting for duty! Lt.Com. Kuznestov recommended me for an internship here?"

[fibericon]

Irina sends you to engineering, and engineering sends you down a special elevator under guard. It takes a while to get down - long enough to think about how hard it must have been to put a facility this far underground in Japan.

Once you're all the way down, you're very strictly escorted. No Willy Wonka tour today. You're led into a room setup similarly to a private room in an intensive care ward. At least, that's what it looks like, with the bed and the huge amount of equipment. A single scientist is waiting for you. After your escort leaves, he introduces himself.

"Greetings, Ms. Lagrange. My name is Haruaka Sato. We want to do an experimental procedure with you. Simulations suggest that this will work, but I want you to be fully informed before asking you to agree. The AT training you're to undergo will be atypical, in the sense that you won't be in the Virtue. You see, AT abilities require two key elements: the Sin, and the Virtue core. But there is an alternative. Angels. I'm proposing that we, to simplify the description, infuse you with the remains of the Elder core, along with a colony of nanites. This should allow you to access the core element of the equation without the Virtue. But there are caveats. This has never been done before. We will take precautions to protect you and ourselves, but I cannot promise you, or I, for that matter, will be completely safe. Also, you can never tell anyone about this. This is the highest level of classification. I understand if you need time to think about this, but if you do agree, once we start, we cannot cancel the procedure. It would be too dangerous."


The agent offers a playful smirk.

"You're a natural.

She pulls the pin, letting her hair down and revealing a silver plated bodkin. It would make for a rather nasty spike to get stuck with.

"You're probably going to be using a four inch blade for the knife or knives you hide. Take this one, for instance."

She turns around to show exactly where she hid the knife at the small of her back as she draws it. Her dress has been modified to have a secret holster built in. The knife is shorter than what Kazuma had you training with, but definitely easier to hide.

"This is typical for what I recommend. You also want to conserve space when it comes to the holster." Hiking up her dress on one side, she reveals and removes the holster, then hands it to you. "Now, think about your own outfit. What are your options?"


Some of these jump out at you, when you consider the demons associated with the sins. Lilith, the demon of lust, is said to have been make of the same clay that Adam was. The sin of avarice has been described as Mammon being carried up from Hell by a wolf. Lucifer, the demon of pride, was often personified as a male figure bearing a torch. The parchment and sea, though... those might require more research.



Alyona receives the diary, and stares at it for a moment.

"<Oh, thank you, Liza. Good thing you're not Japanese. I bow, but I don't want to.>"

Irina definitely taught her to respect Japanese culture, but parts of it can be exhausting.


"You're a good kid, you know that? Fatty tuna sushi is probably what you want to surprise him with. Uh... don't bring up his mom around him, alright? It's a touchy subject."

Akari doesn't seem to be too uncomfortable with your question, but it does give her pause.


The first engineer you meet practically trips over his own feet when he stops to talk to you.

"Oh! You speak Japanese! I, uh, I thought we'd have several months longer." He chuckles nervously. "Okaaaaaay... you're a visual learner! I think. That's great! Uh... follow me please. Let's get you in a lab environment."



With Jacob's email login, one of your team thinks he can do privilege escalation attacks and traverse the network. Another member of your team warns that the email server might be isolated, and you might be looking at a dead end. He advises you look for other options, as the current attack will take time to succeed or fail.

[Syless]

"Those are the right questions to ask, Liza. I took this job because I'm doubly qualified as a therapist and a psychiatrist, I already had some security clearance, and you seven are the most important teenagers in Japan. It was a chance to help in a very focused way. But that said, you're still teenagers- and you have an impossible burden put upon you. I want you to be able to still be kids while you can, and if I can keep you functioning while not letting go of your youth, I'll feel like I've done my job. And my job is to help you. Everything you tell me is confidential, and if my options are manipulate you to keep you in the fight or push for you to get leave, I will do the latter without hesitation. The commander himself could try and interfere in your care and I would say no. And I made sure I had that right as a medical professional."

They need a secondary plan... and she has another idea. This one is even more dangerous, but... she needs information she doesn't have. She requests clearance on how to identify a Sin. And how many agents they have who could pass for Sin age.

[fibericon]

There are a startling number of agents who can pass for teenagers. This request might have been harder outside of Japan. It's a lot to review, but at least it will allow you to focus on their skills.

Identifying as Sins is going to prove more difficult. Kazuma clears your request, but reminds you that GoL has been identifying Sins Babylon hasn't. Babylon uses a complex system of algorithms and machine learning to pick Sins out based on seemingly mundane data. This can be easily manipulated, but there's one possible untapped resource: Ren Tanaka. She has offered Mimi full cooperation with everything she knows. You're not Mimi, but if you can gain the trust of someone with little to spare...

[Syless]

Having a long list of candidates is excellent. Preferably someone who excels in stealth- it's more important that they not stay captured than anything. Aoba doesn't want to just send someone in to die and be a beacon. Someone who can escape a cell if properly equipped.

And then... she sends a message to Kazuma. To request a meeting with Ren Tanaka.

[Elfbird]

Fatty tuna, huh? It'll be expensive no matter what, but if she can get the smallest amount on sale and stretch it with other things...

Liza's been in Japan long enough that she's starting to form connections among the local grocers. Not much, yet, but she's learning who will give her an extra discount or freebies depending on whether she smiles and winks, or haggles earnestly, or lets them chatter at her, or gives them a good view... What days things are close to expiration or being pushed out for the incoming delivery, or when things are so busy that she can 'forget' to pay...

In short, she's able to procure a nice selection of seafood, meat, eggs, and vegetables with less difficulty than she's used to, and spends her scant free time that week practicing on her stock for her own meals until she's confident that she can produce a cute and well-balanced boxed lunch.

She'll bring her masterpiece to Takeo at the end of that Friday's afternoon classes: seasoned white rice, a few choice pieces of tuna sashimi and shrimp tempura, two halves of a sausage cut and boiled into octopus shapes, all decorated with an assortment of fresh and pickled vegetables cut into stars and animal shapes. It's all quite childish, but the earnest effort that went into it might be cute in its own way.

"Here, here! I want you to eat it! Consider it making out for hitting on you at the gala! I thought, 'Ms. Akari must not have time to cook anymore', so I tried! Is it good?"

Liza nearly skips along after the engineer, several times narrowly avoiding tables and door frames as she tries to take in everything at once.

"What kind of lab? Do you have a name? What do you do here? Is this where you keep the robots?"

She's so out of it that when her hand unconsciously reaches for a candy bowl on a passing desk, she knocks it over entirely! Her reverie turns to a panic, not really freeing her from her instincts, so a few pieces end up in her pockets even as she scrambles to clean it up and apologize in a breathless rush.

There's a long silence after Shara finishes.

Finally, Liza sighs and stands to leave.

"...Fine, I'll accept you for now. Don't let me regret it."

That woman sounded so sincere, gave no hint of deception... Liza can see no reason not to trust Dr. Blackford.

That frightens her.

[Syless]

Ryall walks into Aoba's office with some trepidation, knocking on the door when she finally arrives there.

Aoba is digging through data on her computer when Ryall walks in- but she turns off the monitor upon seeing the pilot. "Ryall, it's good to see you. Please, close the door and sit down?"

Ryall takes a seat as instructed, making sure she's sitting upright. "Lieutenant. What did you want to talk about?"

Aoba puts a hand on her chin as if to think. "...Ryall, what do you think of Guns of Liberty?"

"I don't trust them one bit. Their representative and his son both rub me the wrong way for different reasons, and from what I can tell, the AT Drive is an elaborate way to get me killed. Why are you asking me this?"

"Well. I can safely tell you the AT Drive is not an elaborate way to get you killed. But that's because we have learned what it is, and that is... monstrous." She takes a deep breath. "The AT Drive is... powered... by another Sin. Her name is Ren Tanaka. We don't know exactly how they did it, and we don't want to. Instead, I want to shut down whatever GoL facility is responsible for this atrocity, and use the leverage to ensure they never do anything this terrible or we will throw them under the bus."

Ryall could feel her blood run cold when she hears what Aoba was saying. She tries to open her mouth, but only manages to eke out a weak "...what? How? Why?" due to the shock. Is... this what they meant what they said "one of us?"

"Like I said. We don't know. GoL has just proven that ethics are nothing to them if it gets results. And we... we are not willing to cross that line. We can win without making ourselves monsters." She sighs. "You needed to know this. You would have figured it out the moment you interacted with the AT drive, even if Ren weren't visible. I want you to keep this secret, but at the same time... Ren is alive. And aware. She's just... highly radioactive. If we can make it safe... we want to introduce her to you. To the Sins. She should be one of you- and she should have the choice whether or not she wants to fight, the same as the rest of you."

Ryall nods, breathing heavily. "....I would like to meet her as soon as possible. I just... I can't believe this. Even in my wildest ideas and theories, I never would've guessed that the Guns of Liberty would've ever stooped this low." To hell with them.

"I'll try and get you clearance as soon as I can. I haven't met with her yet myself, and I have some... important questions to ask her. But I think she'll be happy to have some friends her own age."

"Are you already working to find out who's responsible for this?"

"Of course. We plan on learning everything about the project so we can completely destroy it."

"You better." At this point, it's become clear that Ryall's holding back her anger at the situation.

Aoba puts a hand on Ryall's shoulder. "I'll tell you what. If we end out taking the extreme option and bombing a GoL facility, I'll try and convince the Commander to let you push the button."

Ryall slightly relaxes at what Aoba's saying, but she's still tense. "Thanks."

"We're of the same mind on this, trust me. I'll do whatever it takes to see Robert brought to justice, and to ensure nothing like this happens again."

Ryall nods, then falls silent for a while before speaking up again. "...Anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Aoba looks away. "...don't bottle this up inside. Talk to someone. Talk to Shara. If you aren't comfortable with her, talk to me. If you aren't comfortable with that, then just... wait a little longer. Until we can tell the other pilots. Then talk to them. Just know you're not alone."

"...I see."

[velvetWing]

Xiren is the first pilot to arrange a session with Shara. A time is set soon, and when Xiren enters, she finds Shara waiting, a tablet in her hand.

Xiren steps in, somewhat stiffly, and stands near the door with her hands behind her back and her back straight, seemingly waiting for permission to sit down. "Good morning, Dr. Blackford. I-" She chuckles awkwardly and relaxes her posture. "I'm sorry if I seem awkward, this whole thing is a bit new to me. May I sit down?"

Shara nods and gestures to the various seating in her room- there's a plush recliner, a classical therapy couch, a big cushioned couch... interestingly, there's enough room to seat seven comfortably.

"Wherever you like. What would you like me to call you by? Xiren, Ms. Hua? ...Lust? I want to make sure you're comfortable from the beginning."

Xiren seems caught off guard by this question. It's possible she's never been asked it before. "Just Xiren, please. Being called by my Sin is still a bit strange for me." She sits down to one side of the large couch.

Shara nods and jots it down on her tablet. "I'm keeping notes for my own sake, but no one else will have access to them, if you're worried. Even if Babylon has parental rights, they don't have access to these medical records. So... is there something specific on your mind? Or would you like to help me understand who you are in general?"

Xiren makes a dismissive gesture. "I'm not worried. A commanding officer has every right to information about their soldiers. As for why I'm here... Well, frankly, I made an appointment because I was told it was a good idea." She smiles thinly. "I'm sure they briefed you on the battle with the Elder. I had an... encounter... with it. I think they're worried it's been weighing on me."

Shara shakes her head. "They didn't brief me on it. I asked for as little background as possible- I want to hear it from you, not from what the analysts have put in a report. So tell me, Xiren, what happened in the battle?"

"The Elder reached into my mind and tried to tempt me to embrace my Sin."

"Your sin... how so? What did it say?"

"It.... asked me why I was denying my 'true self'. Told me that the other pilots weren't really my friends."

Shara jots down more notes. "What do you think of the other pilots? Do you think you're friends?"

Almost imperceptibly, Xiren's hands tighten around themselves in her lap. "I'd like to think that Liza and Ryall consider me a friend. The rest are more like acquaintances." She shrugs. "We don't need to be friends, really, so long as we have unit cohesion."

"You say you don't need to be. But do you want to be?"

"I'm... not sure. I want them... I want people... to like me. So I guess so."

"Why is that?"

Xiren chuckles a bit. "What sort of question is that? Doesn't everyone want to be liked by others?"

"You'd be surprised. Not everyone cares. And even for the people who do, there are different reasons. So I'm curious. Does being liked make you happy? Or do you feel bad if you aren't?"

It's rather less imperceptible, now. "...It's not a question of happiness. It's what I have to do. It's what's expected of me."

"Who expects it of you?"

"The Commander. Ms. Kuznetsov. The Lieutenant. Even the other pilots are counting on me. I'm one of the public faces of Babylon. I was brought here to be liked. If I can't accomplish that, what good am I?"

"You've already done more than anyone could possibly expect of you. You helped take down an elder, something no one has managed. You could retire tomorrow and you'd still go into history books as a hero. Everything you do adds to your legacy, it's not a bare minimum."

"Isn't it?" Shara doesn't know Xiren well enough to realize it, but the expression on her face is so abnormal that it might cause serious alarm. Her brow is furrowed and her lips upturned in a joyless smile, the very picture of a contemptuous smirk. "Tell me, if I decided tomorrow I wasn't going to pilot anymore, what would happen to me?"

"You'd be given a chance to return to a normal life. You wouldn't have your Babylon paycheck, but you could go to a normal high school, just with a great deal of celebrity. You wouldn't be disavowed. I'm not going to lie and say everyone would approve of your decision, but you still have one. You're a child, not a conscript."

Xiren starts to laugh; a low, hollow sound that fills the room and hangs heavily as she begins to speak, softly, staring at the beige carpet. "...'Return to my normal life'...? Childhood? High school? What in God's name are you talking about? Everyone who ever knew me before I came here is dead. When Babylon found me, I was starving to death in the refugee camps in Fukuoka. Do you really consider that a choice? Of course I'm a conscript. My childhood died the day the Elders came, and pretending otherwise doesn't do anything but make me grieve the past." Xiren's leaning forward in her chair, fists clenched. "I'm a soldier, Ms. Blackford. A good one. Don't insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise."

Shara seems to be genuinely hurt by Xiren's later words. "Even if you didn't have it before, you could have it now. You've earned it. They wouldn't just dump you in a refugee camp again. But.... do you want to be a soldier, Xiren?"

"Stop pretending you care what I want! You're not here to help me get what I want. You're here to make sure me and the other pilots are battle-ready. You're a mechanic with a wrench, making sure all the gears of the Commander's war machine are turning smoothly." Perhaps realizing what she's just said, Xiren lapses into silence for several long moments. "...No... that's.... not right." Tears begin welling up at the corners of her eyes. "I've said a few terrible things to you, haven't I? I apologize."

Shara takes a box of tissues from a table next to her and hands it to Xiren as she starts to tear up. "I can understand why you'd think that. But I promise. That's not why I'm here. I don't want to be a soldier. I'm here as a medical professional, I'm here for your health. I couldn't get all the privileges I pushed for, but... I'm still here to advocate for you before everything else. But you don't have to apologize. You've said what you genuinely think. I don't want you holding anything back. I want you to be completely honest."

Xiren takes the box of tissues with an awkward but grateful smile through the tears. She allows herself the ability to just cry for a bit before speaking again in a small and, ironically, rather childish tone of voice. "You won't... tell him I said that... right?"

Shara stays quiet while Xiren cries, wanting to let her just process. "I won't tell anyone anything. Everything here is just between us. Anything you want anyone to know, I'm here to encourage you to tell them yourself."

"...Right. That was sort of a silly question, I guess. For the record, I don't actually think that about him. I just... My mouth gets ahead of my brain sometimes." Xiren sniffles. "That's one of the reasons I don't put much stock in what I want. When I want things, that's how it tends to end up."

"You're allowed to want things, Xiren. Everyone wants things, and everyone pursues what they want. Even the Commander has wants."

"Perhaps, but the unrestricted pursuit of want is the path to sin."

"Do you not trust yourself to show judgement in what's healthy to pursue?"

"Not really, no."

"Why is that? Have you ever made what you consider mistakes in the past?"

"Hasn't everyone? But I'm less worried about the past than I am the future. It hasn't escaped my notice that all the Sins were chosen for a reason. Ryall is prideful, Carmen is lazy, Liza takes everything she can... I'm not stupid enough to think that my faith makes me immune to falling into sin. And it seems like every day it gets just a little bit harder not to."

"What is it you want that you're so scared of?"

"Do I really need to say it? ...Ah, but you want to hear it in my own words, of course. Then: Attention. I wasn't lying earlier when I said I never had a choice to be what I am, but being at the center of everyone's attention is... intoxicating." Xiren blushes a bit. "Actual intimacy is even worse. It makes me feel like I'm drowning, and if I don't fight to keep my head above water I'm going to be pulled down into... well, Lust, I guess."

Shara smiles. "You're a teenager, Xiren. Lust is natural. It doesn't make you any worse. I'm sure the other pilots all have similar desires."

"You think my Sin is just a coincidence, then?"

"You just said you like being the center of attention. Doesn't that make you proud? You got angry at me earlier. Isn't that wrathful? Lust may suit you better than any of the others. But to be human is to have desires. Letting yourself follow them isn't the same as being lost to them."

"...I suppose there's some truth to that. But how do you tell when you're lost?"

"That's why you surround yourself with people you trust. People who can see you from the outside. People who can tell you if you're drifting. It's one of the reasons I'm here, in fact."

"You're right. People can't live without other people. Me especially." Xiren sits up straight and sets the box of tissues down next to her on the sofa. Though it's not particularly convincing, she smiles at Shara. "Thank you, Dr. Blackford. And... I'm sorry again for the outburst. May I come here again, if I need to?"

Shara nods. "Always. The only time I won't be available is if I'm with another pilot. My work number will be available at all other times, if I'm not in my office."

"I appreciate that." Xiren shakes Shara's hand, a bit awkwardly, and then moves to the door, but pauses with her hand on the knob. "Oh, and Doctor? Maybe don't try this approach with Carmen. If she embraces her Sin any more I'm pretty sure she'll literally starve to death."

Shara smiles. "Noted. Have a wonderful day, Xiren."

[fibericon]

Your top two choices couldn't buy alcohol for themselves without their ID. Kagemori Inoue's talent is interesting - he does voices, male and female, well enough to fool voice recognition software. Aimi Kimura is a crafter. She can make a tool or weapon in the most unforgiving situations. Otherwise, they're both very competent agents.

Ren Tanaka is being kept far underground. No surprise, of course - there's so much that can go wrong here. The room she's being kept in is fairly bare. Other than a wheelchair and a bed, she has no amenities. You can see her through the monitor, and talk to her through the speakers, but you're advised to not enter the room. Her plugsuit seems to work so far, but very little testing has been done, relative to the danger. Of course, no one here has the authority to stop you.


"Oh, me? I'm Eisuke Iida. First thing I'm going to do is teach you how to use a lab book in simple experiments. Observe and record! Most important part of science!"

The lab has several boxes of integrated circuits and prototyping boards. Eisuke hands you a hardcover notebook.

"Write in pen only. Never tear out a page or cross out an idea. It's okay to be wrong. Being wrong is vital in science. Write down what you tried and what happened every step of the way. Okay, let's do some simple experiments."

[Volthawk]

After all that training, Takeo's glad to see the food Liza's offering, smiling as he remembers her promise of cooking for him and sees both her excellent choice of dish and the effort she put into it.

Liza's words, however, take up more of his attention, the logical explanation and likely mixed up words not at all crossing his mind as he tries to understand an area of human interaction that until recently hadn't taken up much of his thoughts. "Oh, um, thanks! It looks good. So, er...you were really hitting on me in the gala? I mean, there's that and this and everything that happened when we talked during the shoot..." Takeo doesn't finish the line of thought, trying some of the food in a not very well hidden attempt to mask his confusion and awkwardness about this. It's pretty good cooking, though.

[Syless]

Aoba isn't sure of the best way to go about this. She's just another Sin, right? I mean... one who's been put through something even worse, but... maybe that's the best approach? She presses the button to communicate. "Ren? Um, hello. I'm Lieutenant Aoba Mashimo. I'm in charge of, among other things, coordinating the Sins, and since you're one of us now, I wanted to say hi. I can't say I can even imagine what it's like, but... how are you?"

[fibericon]

Ren turns her wheelchair toward the camera when you speak. Besides the plugsuit to replace her tattered clothing, she has also been provided glasses and a hairband. It's a notable overall improvement from the pictures you saw, but it would be impossible to mistake her for normal.

"Well... I killed people who were trying to rescue me, just by being in the same room. But I think I can be useful for research. Maybe... I mean, it won't make up for it, but I can at least help save others from angelic auras. So... I'm not doing great, but I'm doing better than I was."

Ren's attempt at being glib falls flat. She's clearly unhappy, but her circumstances are extreme.

[Syless]

Aoba really isn't sure how to progress here. She's not Shara. "I'm... alright. Worried about you. What happened to you is... wrong in every possible way. And I want to stop it from happening to anyone else, and maybe see if we can find a way to undo it... so... anything you can tell me might be helpful. About how you were found, about where you were, about what happened to you. And if not... I understand. There's nothing contingent on this. I still want to try and introduce some pilots to you. One in particular already knows about you and would like to meet."

[fibericon]

"If I can be useful in some way... She averts her gaze. "Um... sorry. I'm sure your time is more valuable than my own. I spent most of my life in Okayama - right on the coast. My angelic encounter happened when I was thirteen, right around the rapture. There was an accident. I was in the back seat, and time stopped. I had an out of body experience. This... abomination appeared. It spoke with a woman's voice. It told me that I had a choice: I could unfasten my seatbelt, and be killed in the crash, or I could do nothing, and end up crippled. I chose to do nothing. When I told people this, they wouldn't believe me. Eventually, I stopped trying. They found me... I don't know how long ago. Time gets funny when... when you're... well, it was after Babylon was formed - I was fifteen. I got called out of class. Two men with suits had a newspaper clipping, about the accident. They were asking if that was me. Then they flew me to the states. It was a private flight and airstrip. I don't think they wanted anyone to find me."

Ren turns her chair, facing away from the camera now.

"There were seventeen Sins in my group. I don't know how many groups there are, but they referred to us as the 'core candidates'. They pumped us full of radiation, drugs, all to put our synch ratios through the roof. The rest of my group is dead. To be clear, I don't think I'm the best - just the one who got 'lucky'. Eventually they turned me into a... they called me a 'synthetic core'."

Ren suddenly turns to face the camera again. She's crying, but her body can't properly process it. The capillaries in her eyes don't swell as expected, and you're not sure if the fluid is even saline.

"Wait! I have a family in Japan still! My mother is Kazue Tanaka, and my father is Gendo Tanaka. I have a little sister named Momoko. Please, you have to contact them. You're not going to save me, but they shouldn't have to suffer not knowing if I'm alive or dead. I... sorry, sorry. I don't have the right to demand anything from you. Okay. I, um, I was taken to this desert area. The base was isolated, huge, they had a lot of guards. Tasers only. Some of us tried to escape. But they didn't want us dead. They needed us for their experiments."

Finally, some good news. They might have an armory, but if they use only tasers by default, they're going to get slaughtered in the raid.

[Syless]

Aoba ponders. No workable information in how to get an artificial Sin infiltrated... she didn't know how they were found. But this is a data pool. She grabs a notepad. "We'll figure out the best thing to tell your parents that won't, well, cause things to spiral out of control... I'd rather not say you're dead, since you aren't, but they can't know what happened to you. Not yet. They're civilians. In the meantime... how many names do you remember? Of your group? If we can research all of them, find out what they might have in common that Babylon couldn't find... we might be able to get in and stop them."

So far the only real option is a brute force infiltration, which they might not be prepared for... but that would leave them with a lot of hostages as leverage. A shame EM tech hasn't advanced... being able to shut down the base would provide a great many advantages. Infiltration is still preferred, but it depends on what they can find out with Ren's information. "And... is there anything we can get you to make you more comfortable?"

[fibericon]

Ren looks at her hands, thinking about this for a moment.

"There was... I guess only full names will help you right now. I remember Genta. Genta Daiju. He was the last one to die. He said his encounter was a visit from Cassiel to make him stop bullying younger kids to take their stuff. It worked, I guess. Genta was the kindest, most genuine person I've ever met, and they..." Ren runs her fingers through her hair, her breath hitching in her throat. "Um... I think he was the only other Japanese Sin there. There were a few Americans, other people who spoke English. That's why I was so confused when Ms. Nijima started speaking Japanese. I'd done my English studies. You know that - we've all done it. Some of us cared more than others. I'd always wished I'd had some use for it... well, I got it, didn't I? Um... Rebecca Woodward. She wouldn't tell us about her encounter. She was a wrath, though. Jesus Martinez. Apparently 'Jesus' is a common boy's name in Mexico. He was a pride. He didn't last long enough for me to learn about his encounter, but he said they picked him up because everyone knew he was close to god. Yeah. I remember some first names, if that helps. I wish I could be more useful."

She completely ignored your question about making her more comfortable. You might not be a therapist, but you've worked with these kids long enough to make an educated guess - she doesn't think she deserves it.

[Syless]

Aoba frowns. So... they'll take anyone who seems to have a divine experience that Babylon hadn't found. So... a plant should be easy. Place an agent somewhere out of the way. Hokkaido, maybe. Get them to spread their story. Maybe fake a few social networking posts about it... maybe even see if we can get it somewhere Jacob's feeds might notice. See how long it takes them to bite. We just need to be sure the agent has high-quality tracking and communications, so they can report back and be found when the team goes in to get the Sins. She jots down notes for the mission to be available exclusively to Kazuma. They still need to be ready with a strike team to enter quickly, even if it's not needed. See how many people can be spared to be kept on idle, once their fake Sin is taken.

And now... for the girl in front of her. "Thank you. That's very helpful. But... you must be bored in there. I can make sure you have a liaison to put on TV for you, or get you a collection of books... anything so at the very least, you'll have entertainment."

[fibericon]

Ren nods. "I'm glad. Things... I've never really had many things I wanted. Experiences, people, that's what I love. I met a lust there. God, she was gorgeous, but I didn't want to be with her. I wanted to be her. I wanted to hear about her life. I guess this is a really roundabout way of asking... can you tell me a story?"

You might not be able to entertain her all day, but a few books wouldn't hurt.

[velvetWing]

Xiren taps her finger against her lips as she considers her own outfit - and regrets not thinking to wear something with more nooks and crannies to hide things in. "Well, I could tuck a knife into one of my boots. Or strap it to the underside of the heel, if it were a small one. I could sew a holster into the inside of my back waistband, as long as it was kept horizontal. My cardigan's pretty thin, but the fabric's thicker near the seams. There'd be space to hide something there. My bra's probably too thin to hide a blade in comfortably... I should get some with underwire... but I could still hide something in my hair like you did, if I put it up."

[fibericon]

"The boot is always good when you can pull it off. Most shoulder holsters are designed for men, so the handle is going to ride up around your armpit. I can get you one made with us in mind. Let's practice getting you to strap up, move around with it, and get a positive draw."

Your instructor proves to be very observant, and hands on. For the next hour, she's there for inspection, correction, demonstration, theory, and answering your questions. Before you leave, she promises to teach you how to modify outfits to help you conceal your weapon tomorrow.

[Elfbird]

"Never throw anything away? You're speaking my language as good as I'm speaking yours!"

Liza follows Eisuke's instructions and her experiments with rapt attention. She doesn't really understand what's going on, in a physical sense, but she starts building a stories in her mind that make it surprisingly easy to keep track of the phenomena she's observing. She can envision the circuits as streets and back alleys, and soon finds herself with a particular eye for ways to bypass and deliberately break the "intended" flow of traffic. That's bound to come in useful next time she meets an electronic lock...

There's a limit to how long purely theoretical exercises can hold Liza's interest, however. As soon as they take a break, her attention wanders beyond the room's walls.

"Hey hey, Mr. Iida, when can I look at the Virtue weapons? Lt.Com. Kuznestov directed me here so that... a person who uses the weapons... would help... to make them the best!"

Her glow of pride over her work with the lab book is reinforced by how she composed such a complex sentence without breaking it down. By next week, she'll be able to do that without pauses!

Takeo's response makes Liza even more flustered than he is; he can watch her turning as red as a pickled radish.

"Eh? ...Eeeeeh?! I-I made a pass at you at the gala? Then v-various things happened...?! I-I mean, if those are your feelings..."
She squirms cutely and her voice rose an octave, like a schoolgirl in an anime. Did she pick up mannerisms from watching cartoons...?
"...I don't hate... those feelings..."

Her words and actions are sincere, but as the scene unfolds and she starts to catch up to her brain, she likes where it's going from a tactical perspective as well. If she's already made two of the Sins care about her, and nearly has Alyona too... She might not be worthless garbage after all. Lust's confidence, Wrath's resolve...

Next time Takeo steals a glance at her, she looks up to meet his gaze. Her eyes are big and watery, expressing something between pleading and hunger. Will he reach out to answer her feelings, or will she need to be more aggressive here too...?

[roko10]

Ryall's first session is arranged not long after Xiren's ends. When she enters, she sees Shara sitting in a comfy looking chair holding a tablet, while there's a wide array of seating around the room. "Please, take a seat. What do you like being referred to as, Ryall?"

"...just Ryall is fine, I guess," she says, as she takes the seat that's closest to Shara's.

She nods and takes notes on her tablet. "Just so you know, everything I write is completely confidential, only I have access to them. Despite holding legal parental rights, Babylon cannot interfere with your care. So... is there something in particular you'd like to talk about? Or should we just lay the groundwork for future sessions?"

Ryall opens her mouth before closing it, hesistates a bit, and then speaks up. "Laying the groundwork is fine by me. I just want to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Oh? Ryall, you know this isn't mandatory, right? Just encouraged? If you don't want to be here, or don't want to talk, it's perfectly fine."

"...correction, there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about. Does the name 'Ren Tanaka' ring any bells?"


"Ren Tanaka?" She furrows her brow. "No, I can't say I kno anyone by that name. Should I?"

So Aoba didn't tell her about the AT Core? "She's... part of the AT Core project spearheaded by the Guns of Liberty. The main power source, in fact. She was experimented on. I don't know to which extent, but considering the Lieutenant says that she's highly radioactive and that it isn't safe yet to introduce her to the rest of us, I'm guessing it was agonizing."

Shara drops her stylus and physically pales at Ryall's words. "W-what...?"

"I-I don't know much about it, either. Only that the Guns of Liberty were behind this somehow. I thought you might've known more, but... it seems like you're just as clueless as I am," Ryall answered, tone unusually soft and apologetic.
"Could you do me a favor? I'm not even sure if you have the security clearance for it, but please, talk to her. Make sure she's okay, or at least not doing as bad as she could given what happened to her. It's your job, right? I... " This is partially my fault, isn't it?

She nods. "I... I have clearance to know anything you do. And... if she's as badly off as you say... I'll ask for permission to work with her as well. Ms. Mashimo knows? I'll go to her." She starts to regain her composure. "...but that's for later. For now... You're distressed by this. What do you wish you could do?"

"Ï want to help her, somehow make everything all right for her. But right now..." Ryall's breath hitches, "...I can't do anything."


"That's... a natural instinct. Have you spoken to her yet?"

Ryall shakes her head. "I couldn't even see her yet."

"What would you say to her, if you could?"

Ryall falls completely silent at that question, before hesitatingly answering the question.
"I... don't... know."

"Do you feel like she's your responsibility, somehow?"

"...yes."

"Why?"

"Because... she could've been me. She could've been Xiren or Takeo or Liza if the Guns got to them first instead of her. In the end, I was assigned to test the AT Drive, so if anything happened to her, it would be my fault."

"But you didn't. You didn't do anything, and even if you did, you didn't know. Why would that be your fault?"

"I..."Ryall is left completely silent again at that question, unable to even make eye contact with Shara.

"Ryall, the world isn't your burden alone to bear."

"...can we please end this session? I just remembered I have something important to do."

She frowns, but nods. "Of course. I hope you'll come back and see me again, Ryall. I hope I didn't let my... ignorance make a bad impression."

"No, that wasn't a problem at all," Ryall says before she leaves the room. As she closes the door shut, she leans her back on it and sighs, her right hand clutching the weathered wallet that she always carries with her.
"The world isn't your burden alone to bear". Yeah, right. Who else is going to bear it, then?



It only took Ryall a few minutes of thinking before she decided on the proposal given by the scientist. "I'm in. When do we start?"

[fibericon]

"Sooner is better, if you're ready. I need to prepare, so make yourself comfortable."

He gestures toward the hospital bed, and begins configuring the equipment. Sensors are attached to various points on your body, and he turns on a monitor to inspect the readouts. You're fitted with an IV next, which is hooked up to a regulator. The regulator is connected to a saline bag, and a bag containing a dark blue fluid with metallic specks.

"Once I begin introducing the nanites to your IV, we won't be able to stop the procedure until it's complete. This is your last chance to back out. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'm going to begin."

Haruaka presses two buttons on the regulator, and the dark blue fluid begins to mix with the saline. It takes five minutes to have any noticeable effect.

-----

Your children and friends gather around you. Someone sees you, but it's too soon. You're not ready. There are too few. You send your children to deal with the intruders. An insect shatters your Gift. You can't hear your children anymore. Without your voice, they move on their primary directive. But it's too soon. They can't complete it on their own. You scream for them to return, but they're deaf to you. Only the babies, too young to go out on their own, stand by your side. You can feel your children fade to nothing, barely making it beyond the fence.

More invaders, as you mourn the deaths of your children. They scavenge and steal the broken pieces of your Gift. They flee with their ill begotten treasure. They take part of it back to the one who broke it. But that piece has changed. Something is wrong with it now. You need to go see.

The invaders have made many false gods, blessed with your Gift. Those constructs are the last thing you see before you lose consciousness.

-----

"Welcome back, Ms. Lagrange. It would appear that the experiment was a success. In the sense that neither of us are dead, anyway. How do you feel?"

You feel like you just had your soul ripped out and crushed. Take 3d6 ego.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, that. Yes, we do want you to do that. I just want to make sure we can understand each other first. Japanese is only part of it. Imagine... okay, prior to the 13th century, there was a common Eastern Slavic language we now call 'Old Russian'. This was before it diverged into Ukrainian and Belarusian. But now it would be completely unintelligible to someone speaking modern Russian. No, wait, that's a bad example. Um... Oh! I know! Let's say I describe something as 'large, soft, orange, and elastic'. But you don't know I care if it's elastic, so you just describe it as 'large, soft, and orange'. Now I'm missing important information because I didn't tell you how I wanted it described. That's what these exercises are for - I'm teaching you how I want things described. Make sense? Okay, okay. How about this: I'll show you a pallet gun. That's probably not going to change no matter what we find, so no pressure to get it right the first time. We can use that as practice. How does that sound?"

Irina catches you in the hall as you're leaving your concealed carry training session. She's always been better at connecting with the Sins than Kazuma has, but she's grown more distant lately, and not just with you. It seems like she's phoning it in with every conversation.

"Xiren, I wished to speak with you about your training. I'm not here to scold you for not attending marksmanship - I did not expect it to interest you. But I also did not expect knife fighting to interest you. Commander Nakamura tells me you successfully convinced him to change his training methods. Might I ask how you found yourself drawn to such a thing?"

There's something in that wooden tone. This isn't a social visit.

[velvetWing]

There's a cold, black pit churning in Xiren's stomach as she listens to Irina speak. She's never liked Irina much; her mask of indifferent severity is off-putting to someone who compulsively needs to know what everyone around them is feeling, and of the high-level staff she strikes Xiren as the one who views the pilots least as people and most as weapons. Except perhaps for Nijima.

...And because she's the closest one to the Commander. No matter how useful I am to him, she'll always be the one at his right hand. There's no point in staying in denial about it. That won't make it go away.

Still, outwardly she smiles warmly and bows her head in acknowledgement. "Yes, I was having trouble mastering the forms, so Commander Nakamura tried a different technique. He's a very good teacher. I enjoy learning from him. And knife combat feels right, somehow. Maybe it's because Castitas uses bladed weapons. It's a bit like dancing, really." She turns her head to the side a bit and studies Irina with a more neutral expression. "If I may ask, what's your interest in this, Lieutenant Commander? Forgive me if I've misread the situation, but I don't think you're asking out of simple curiosity."

[fibericon]

"You are right. I asked because I am concerned. Whenever a person displays unexpected behavior, there is cause for concern. Tell me something, Xiren: if our commander took over my class, would you attend?"

Her steely gaze doesn't leave much room for interpretation. She has dropped any pretense, but she doesn't look upset - just stern, as she usually does.

[velvetWing]

Xiren presses her tongue against the inside of her cheek. How arrogant. My behavior is only unexpected because you haven't made an attempt to understand me. Your concern isn't for me, it's on behalf of the Commander. Is it even concern? Or is it jealousy? Would she realize it if it were?

"Yes, I think I would. Is that bad, Lieutenant Commander?"

[fibericon]

Irina nods, glancing away for a moment to consider how to proceed. When she looks back at you, her expression softens a bit. But going from quartz to granite does you few favors.

"That depends entirely on why. If you believe he is the superior instructor, no, there is nothing wrong with that. If you look up to him as a role model, again, no. If you're simply hoping to catch him shirtless?"

She pauses to let it sink in. Irina wasn't there for that class, but it's not hard to imagine how she found out.

"It will only become a problem if you act upon an impulse. You're so young, Xiren. And maybe you don't expect to survive this war, but I do. I believe in all of you. Don't do something you'll regret."