Evangelion: Project Ragnarok IC

[Syless]

Hana is- why is she coming over here? Why would she notice me? "I'm... yeah. I wish I could have been more helpful during the fight. I'm not... sorry." She can't tell her about her thoughts. Her envy and her admiration. "You looked like you were having fun with Fahd... you should go back and spend time with him. He could use it. I'll just wait for Nakao." She pauses. "Good work with Surt, though... you're amazing."

[Volthawk]

Hana laughs. "Nonsense! Sure, you didn't shoot or stab it directly, but your neutralisation was really important. I mean, based on what you said and we saw, I'm not sure my final shot would've done it without you weakening its defences like that. So hey, head up, you're pretty great yourself."

[roko10]

"Ah, right! Hold on, I'll press that button for you," Evan exclaimed, and then promptly pressed a button on the console next to the bed, not knowing or caring which one it is. Which just made Yume's bed go up a bit. "Er, whoops. Can you wait a bit?"

Finally, after a grand total of five minutes searching for that one button, he finally found it and brought Yume to the "sitting-up" position that she wanted. Great! Now I just have to swing by her room and-

Evan's thoughts were interrupted by the growling of his empty stomach. Ah, right. I should probably start eating some of the pizza I brought here. Wait, isn't that one meant for Yume? Nah, I don't think she'll mind it that much to share a bit with me. Is she even allowed to eat pizza right now, though? I'll just ask her now; better safe than sorry.

"Hey, Yume, I brought some pizza. If you want, we can eat it before we start on your report." Oh crap I forgot to ask her! "Uh, that is if you're even allowed to eat it right now. Don't want to go against the medic's orders, after all."

[aturtledoesbite]

"Idunn's words ring true, Brynhildr!" Freyja barges into the conversation, though at least she brings a whole pizza over to share. "Rarely is Heimdallr praised for guarding the entrance to Asgard via Bifrost, yet without his vigilance, the giants of Jotunheim would never cease their attack. Hold your head high, Brynhildr; this celebration is yours as well!

[Syless]

Did they just... compliment her? Miyako's not sure how to take this. They're too nice. But she can use this be happy with this. She just wants them to like her, and... they do? She still doesn't touch the extra pizza. "Thank you both..." Maybe one day she'll deserve the praise. Her face brightens up. It's probably not sincere. "So what are you two going to do after this?"

[aturtledoesbite]

"After this, I will go vanquish that fell beast known as 'paperwork'! If you like, we can battle side-by-side against this terrible foe." Freyja pauses a moment. "...Though, perhaps unlike last time, we should merely stick to support roles against each other's burdens.

"Idunn, you are more than welcome to join us, if you have no other plans."

[Hypersmith]

Fahd watches Hana go, joining Freyja in encouraging Miyako. She seems very middle ground. Infatuated with Nakao. Yume and Evan are off in a corner. If Yume wasn't on painkillers, Evan would probably be put in bed for the way he's acting around her.
Fahd is still standing. Holding a slice of pizza. He eases himself back into the wheelchair and sighs at the relief, chewing on a bite of his slice. After these past twenty hours, it's difficult to imagine several days with these people, just doing paperwork. What are their daily routines? Does Valhalla have a schedule for them?
This slice was too greasy
Fahd wants to reach for a different pizzerias box, but it's hard to move with an arm still in pain. It's not an urgent enough desire to get him to push through, and he stays put instead.
His gaze swing about to Evan. They'll talk later tonight. There will be time.
Finally, a productive idea comes to mind. Wiping his greasy fingers off on a napkin, Fahd pulls out his phone and starts reading Norse mythology online, looking mainly through articles surrounding Tyr, Fenrir, and Sutyr. There's not likely to be any real correlation. But it's something.

[fibericon]

"I dunno... nobody told me anything. She leans in and lowers her voice to a whisper, "But I'm not gonna ask. Shh! Don't tell the gestapo!"

She suddenly devolves into giggles. Yume, high as a kite and not completely sure where she is, finally sloughs off the layers of military aspirations, self esteem issues, martyrdom, and obsession, and finally becomes a kid again. If only for now.

[Elfbird]

Spoiler: Nakao x Hana

Show

During the time some of the pilots were in the medical area, Hana occasionally poked her head in - it helped her image with them, kept her informed about what was going on, and was just a nice thing to do.

This time, Hana comes in to find Yume asleep. Perfect. She needed a good talk in relative privacy (as far as the rest of the team went). Sitting down next to Nakao's bed, Hana smiles. "Hey, how's the recovery going?"

Nakao rubs her bad arm and looks aside, her face going a bit red with embarrassment. “Oh, it... it’s fine, I just... It’s fine. Are you... okay...?”

Hana nods. "Yeah, I'd say so. Dealing with what happened, anyway. That's why I'm here, actually. We need to talk about the dance - we might not want to, but we need to."
She's pretty good at hiding her emotions when she wants to, and that's what she's doing here.

Nakao is decidedly less so. She stays looking away for several seconds, then turns to look back at Hana, her eyes welling up with tears. “I... Oh god, Hana, I’m so sorry... I didn’t mean to... I didn’t...” The tears spill down and it’s all she can do to stop herself from breaking down sobbing completely.

After a slight pause, Hana smiles, putting a hand on her cheek. "I know, Nakao. I know."
Some tears form in her eyes as she thinks about it, but she continues. "I know you didn't do that intentionally, and I don't blame you for it, not really. I'll be honest, it has had an effect on how I think about you, but I don't want it to."
"That's why I wanted to talk to you, to get all of this out there so it doesn't hang in the air between us."

“So it doesn’t...?” Nakao stares down at her hand as she grips her medical robe at the leg. “How... How are you able to think of forgiving me...? I can’t even forgive myself...”

"Well, honestly? I genuinely like you, and I'd rather friends than enemies. It was some weirdness with the horn and what we are that caused the chaos, not us."
She pauses. "I'm trying to come up with a nice analogy, but I'm coming up blank. Point is, I refuse to let myself hate someone for something they had no control over and barely had anything to do with them."

More tears fall from Nakao’s eyes, but she nods. “I... I see. Then... I’d like to be your friend, too.”

Hana smiles. "So would I. Ideally, all the pilots would be my friends, but I'm having to work on that. Good to hear we don't have any problems, then.
"So hey, rest up and stop beating yourself up. We're a team, remember."

Nakao nods. “I... Alright. And... thank you, Hana. For being... I don’t know. Just, thanks. And sorry again. Friendship aside, I owe you a big one, okay? You can count on me from now on.”

Hana smiles. Excellent, just like she wanted. "That's good to know, thanks."

---

Sunday, January 26
13:00 hours

---

Spoiler: Episode 3 START!

Show

It's now a new episode/session, for the purpose of Luck triggers, etc.! This will be a primarily RP episode, though fisticuffs are never out of the question.

You can shave 3 days off the healing of your Wounds.

Since we're timeskipping over the night and days following your first actual battle, please feel free to backfill RP in your posts. If you do a live RP over PM in Discord, please post a log in spoilers!
(Also invite me to the group, though I won't make you wait if I'm not around.)

Akie calls you all to a mission briefing after lunch. No other non-Pilots are in attendance this time, and Akie herself seems... lacking in her usual confidence and verve, like something's caught her off-balance. She drops a thin manila folder in front of her and leans over the table toward you.

"Alright, kids. I've given you as long as we can afford to let you rest and recover; now you get to work your butts off with the rest of us."
She sighs a little and flicks the folder toward Hana.
"The truth is, we got a rather... strange request from one of our major financiers this morning, and you're the only hands we can spare to work on it. Don't get me wrong - this is important to Valhalla's continued functioning, but so are the twenty million other basic operations we have to cover with thirty staff members. Consider this mission every bit as important as fighting a Giant, because we're just as screwed if we lose this financial backing."

It... sounds like she's trying to psych herself up. It's probably important, if she's spending time even briefing you on it, but... probably not as earth-shattering as she's making it out to be.

"Your task is this: plan and produce a 30-second TV spot to promote Valhalla and improve our public reputation in light of your first victory against a Giant. Hana, you're our foremost PR expert right now, so take the lead - but be sure to rely on each other. I can spare someone to look over your work from time to time, but best to consider this an independent operation. Do whatever you have to do. I'm gonna regret sayin' that, aren't I."

She stands up, flicks her eyes to the window, then takes a quick pull from a flask she had stashed somewhere.

"You've got until the next Giant appears. Could be in an hour, a day, a week... work fast. Understood? Dismissed!"

Akie slouches out of the room; she doesn't seem to have time to spare, but you could easily catch her if there's any questions or concerns.

The folder's contents are pretty much the corporate-speak version of what Akie told you - must be why it's called a "briefing" - along with all the necessary forms and waivers. Seems like you have a lot of creative freedom here, for better or for worse. There's absolutely no indication of who the request is actually from.

[fibericon]

Eventually, the drugs wear off, and once the initial hangover fades, Yume finds herself restless. No running, at all. She knows, because she's been stopped, daily at 4am, as she tries to go for a run. Still, they let her onto the range, but only for small arms. She's watched like a hawk to prevent her from exerting any force on her left arm at all. It even extends to the gym. Mildly annoying, but there are two types of people in the world: those that fold from adversity, and those that take it down and stomp on its throat.

One handed, she manages to clear herself for open carry. Hypothetically, anyway - they've never approved a request yet, but a range test is required for every application. In fact, this is her best score to date.

Spoiler: Attached to the application is a note of circumstance.

Show

In light of the attack on the gala, I believe the prior reasons given for refusing my request be revisited. Simply put, the military presence was insufficient, and had I been armed, I would have had a better chance of aiding in an outcome with less casualties. As it stands, Pilot Kitazora was required to enact a last ditch policy. While I stand by the opinion that this was, by that point, 100% necessary, I also believe that we should not have allowed the situation to devolve to such a point. Furthermore, with the resources situation being what it is now, we simply do not have enough armed forces on base. Please consider my track record and range reports above my age when reviewing this request.

---

Yume stands at attention in the meeting until given the "at ease" command, as is her policy. Once Akie leaves, she turns to Hana.

"You're in charge now. Just tell me what you want. Fair warning - I'm no performer, and I'm strictly forbidden from using my left arm for anything at the moment."

[Volthawk]

As Hana listens to the briefing, she smirks at the strangeness of it all. She did not turn up to the briefing room expecting anything like this. As she reads the folder, putting all the paperwork they need to fill out onto the desk, she starts to think, occasionally looking at one pilot or another. After a few minutes, she chucks the folder aside.

“Alright, I guess this is something that's happening, so we've got to give it our best. At least we have a good starting point with how well that battle went - at least we haven't got to do this after massive collateral damage to civilians or something similar, we just need to make the good look better. So to start, do any of you have any ideas to contribute? I'm working on an idea, but we're in this together so I'd appreciate input.” It also helped with her continued attempts to gauge and understand the team - in particular, she doesn't know how they’ll be in PR situations like this, and how much she’ll have to control them - in particular, Freyja was a wild card here. She could be amazing for this or ruin it all, depending on if Hana could properly direct her...energy.

[aturtledoesbite]

Everyone has probably gotten...if not used to, then familiar with Freyja's general antics by now. Which makes it all the stranger when today, after Akie finishes her briefing, she seems quiet. For those who bother to glance her way, she seems almost a bit uncomfortable.

[Hypersmith]

Spoiler: Nighttime conversation

Show

The evening of the celebration, as the two settle down to sleep, Fahd finally confronts Evan.
"Evan. I'll get to the point. You're spending a lot of time doting over Yume. Why is that?"

Evan was taken aback by Fahd’s question. “Well, why not?” was his immediate response.

"You've practically been ignoring the rest of us to sit around her. That's more than just pity."

“Uh, well, you guys are doing pretty well without me around, right? Besides, it’s not my fault nobody else thought to give Yume company yesterday.”

"It's not about just doing fine. Even at the Gala, you hardly spoke to anybody but her. The rest are getting to know one another. We live in the same room and I hardly know anything about you."

“Hey, c’mon, almost nobody spoke to me at the Gala!” Evan protested.

"Yes, and since you've spoken to almost no one."

...Point. “Why does it bother you so much that I hang out with her, anyway? Why do you hate her so much?”
Evan said, his tone more perplexed than accusationary.

Fahd furrows his brows briefly.
"This isn't about her. Not yet at least. I'm trying to figure out why you've latched on to something so much."

Evan shrugged. “I don’t know either. Do I have to have a reason to hang out with someone?”
Okay, that’s a lie. Yume’s amazing on and off the battlefield- shame that she only knows about the former, and even there she’s having doubts.
She -or rather, what she’s working towards- is what I strive to be. Probably best that I don’t tell Fahd that, though, or else he’ll go ballistic on me.

Fahd gives him a flat stare.
"I'm not gonna force you to talk. My arm is fine. Do you like her?"

“Uh, you mean like-like her?”

"I don't know. Do you?"
"It's the only explanation that really makes sense to me. You're not her family, to spend that much time with her otherwise."

“I don’t know, really. It’s just... I felt connected with her, you know? I can’t really explain it myself, but I just wanted to hang out with her more. Don’t get me wrong, you’re a pretty good guy” -as long as you don’t start judging people- Freyja’s great when she’s not accidentally breaking others’ ribs, Nakao and Miyako are okay people, too, and Hana... exists, I guess, but still. It’s just... I don’t think I’m that interesting of a person. Just look at my side of the room.” He waved to his mostly barren side, just to prove his point. “Even if I talk with you guys, what can I talk about? I’m nobody. Just another pilot to throw into the grinder. Heck, it took me until the Gala until I finally managed to hang out with Yume, and, well-“ OH GOD MY FEET! “-...I’m not going to say that I regretted ever dancing with her, but it’s definitely not something I want to do again.”

Fahd sighs as he listens to Evan.
"You're not nobody Evan. You might have bad judgment in girls, but you're important to the team as a whole. You'll have some interests."
He glances at the spartan side.
"Even if you haven't discovered them. You won't by clinging on to her because she deigned you with a single 'dance'."

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about the hobby thing,” Evan said, lying back again on his bed again. Does writing about your nightmares count as a hobby? I don’t think so. It’s not something I want to show off. “Still, it’s not just because of the dance that I hang out with her; the dance was just the reason why I could hang out with her, not what made me want to. I mean, seriously, if your first impression of someone was them stomping on your feet “dancing”, you probably don’t want to hang out with them, right? It’s just... I saw her, and my first thought was “I want to be with her.” I don’t know if I love her in that way or not, but she was hanging in my mind ever since.”

Fahd resists a second sigh. He just seems lost.
"I understand being drawn to someone like you. It's easy to see them and how they fair for themselves, and be attracted to that. But don't forget that she's violent, and probably possessive."
He holds up a hand to keep Evan silent a moment longer.
"Remember when Freyja broke that boys ribs? I talked to her about it. She says she did it to protect him from what Yume would have done to him. And I've known Freyja to be over the top and crude, but not a liar. You're playing with fire here Evan. Don't give yourself excuses to keep doing it."

“Or maybe it’s just Freyja being Freyja,” Evan retorted. “Look, don’t get me wrong here, I have nothing against her, but she’s still the reason why we can’t have any pets in our dorms. How are you sure she just said something without really thinking about it, and you just thought it had deeper meaning?”

"There's no deeper meaning to be had here. I practically repeated what she said to me word for word. I'm not saying abandon Yume. I don't wish ill on her. I'm telling you to be careful, because once she's coherent and about again, you don't want to be ignored by her all of a sudden."

Evan nodded slowly. He’s just looking out for me. He isn’t trying to get between me and Yume. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. Fahd, thanks for talking with me. I think I’ll go to sleep now, though; the paperwork can wait until tomorrow. Night, Fahd.” And with that, he curled up and went to sleep.

Fahd waits a moment. Good enough for today. He leans back into his bed, and drifts off.

Fahd listens to the briefing, then Hanas input. He chimes in soon after. He looks happy, the tips of his mouth curling. Not truly a smile, but a good demeanor.
"I say this a great chance to show the world that we're normal. We can show ourselves off, our daily routines. Nothing more natural than being ourselves, and I think it's what the people want to see - that the Giants blood doesn't define us. We can handle logistics later."

[roko10]

Evan didn’t exactly have had the most riveting three days of his life, what with it being spent on filling paperwork, trying to learn how to play the guitar after the little talk he had with Fahd, and attempting to learn how martial arts work. Still, he enjoyed it, at least until he was suddenly called for a mission briefing. What IS it about, really? It can’t be a Giant attack, that's for sure, so why does Commander Kitazora sound so concerned?

---

Evan fell in shock for the entire briefing, completely in disbelief at what the Commaner is saying. This has to be a dream. This has to be a dream. This is probably just a new nightmare. I’ll wake up, drenched in sweat, but nothing will have happened. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.

It’s only after Commander Kitazora assigned Hana to take leadership and then left as soon as he can that Evan snapped out of his trance. He looked at Hana, then at the folder, then back at Hana, then back at the folder, then back to Hana again. Oh. Oh no. No no no no NO! This-This is real! This is actually happening! Hana’s on the lead- what will happen with us?! It’s a perfect chance for her to sabotage us! What happens if we fail? Do I even want to know?! SOMEBODY HELP ME, I NEED AN ADULT! During this little mental breakdown of his, Evan started to hyperventilate, as it wasn’t obvious enough yet for all that he’s under major distress due to this assignment.

[Volthawk]

Hana nods thoughtfully. "So a focus on us, humanising ourselves and Valhalla... that's definitely an angle we can work with. We'd probably have to tone down some things and play up others, though... it'd also be nice to capitalise on the battle somehow, but we can work that in somehow" She starts to think of more complex ideas before she notices Freyja and Evan. "Hey, Freyja, Evan. You two okay? I know it's a weird assignment, not in everyone's comfort zone and really something we shouldn't be doing ourselves, but it'll be fine. No need to freak out, we've got this handled."

[Vrock_Summoner]

Nakao basically didn’t leave her room for the last three days except to occasionally spend time with Miyako. It seems like she got an extra stack of paperwork the same size as the amount everyone got and hasn’t had time or energy to do much else but tackle her two piles. She seems to be dealing with carpal tunnel in her good hand, while her bad arm continues to rest in its sling.

During the briefing itself, Nakao is either tired or bored; it’s hard to tell which. Once things have wrapped up and people are meeting to discuss ideas, she grimaces at the first idea that comes up.

“Trying to pretend we’re normal people will never work. We’re obviously monsters. We’d be better off trying to play up our inhumanity in a positive light rather than downplaying it altogether - in other words, we could try branding ourselves as superheroes, like from comics. I mean, not that I’m an expert at PR, but that ‘I’m just a regular folk like you’ crap doesn’t seem to work too well in election campaigns... It’s obvious when people are different and more powerful than us.”

[Syless]

Miyako is sitting around quietly until Nakao speaks. "Y-yeah, Nakao is right. The moment I talk, or Nakao looks at the camera, or Hana just... appears, they'll have trouble relating. Um... I don't suppose anyone knows if anyone got footage from the fight with Surt? If we could cut between that and us, it might make us seem more impressive? And heroic?"

[aturtledoesbite]

Freyja doesn't meet Hana's gaze when she's addressed.

"This is... I don't...

"...What am I...supposed to do?"

It doesn't seem like she's necessarily talking to anyone in particular, and her voice is soft enough that those not listening for it likely wouldn't notice.

[Syless]

Miyako steps out from behind Nakao when she hears Freyja's nervousness, and grasps Freyja's hand. "Just be yourself, Frejya. This is your chance to show the world what you're capable of. Don't hide anything, okay? You're a hero, after all.

[aturtledoesbite]

Myself? But...who is that? Freyja looks down, resting a hand on her armor. That's right... I AM FREYJA, GODDESS OF BATTLE!

"THEN WE SHOW THEM THE GLORY OF OUR BATTLE!" Congrats, Miyako, you fixed her. Here's hoping you don't instantly regret it.

[Hypersmith]

Fahd gives Evan an odd look, but his attention is quickly taken by Nakaos suggestion - which he tuts at. He ignores Miyako.
"I wholeheartedly disagree. People will already be aware that we defeated the giant. They need to know now that we're normal - or at least some semblance of it. I don't think posing ourselves as 'superheroes' will be any better. These events aren't some election by a politician in the first place. We have hardly no public presence, and no records of who we really are. The 'look at me, I'm here to save' angle is awful."
He looks at Hana, arching an eyebrow. "I don't have any hope that they'll listen to me. What was your idea Hana?"

[Vrock_Summoner]

Nakao walks up to Fahd and looks him square in the eye. ”Right, because normal people cut up gods to protect humanity. Here’s a newsflash, Fahd: even if we weren’t literally part Giant, what would we have in common with normal people? What are your primary concerns? Making money? Getting good grades for a college scholarship? Becoming a contributing member of society? We’ve got our lives basically set out for us by virtue of our position, so none of that. Does Evan have to worry about getting hit by a car walking down the street? No problem, he just blinks out of reality for a few seconds to let it pass. Does Miyako have to worry about not being strong enough to help people? No problem, she can just telepathically throw the problem aside. Do I have to worry about getting targeted by a creep in a club? No problem, I’ll just blow the whole place the hell up with my mind. Do we have to worry about losing our homes and famili-“ Her words catch in her throat and her eyes briefly glance at and away from Hana. “... Our homes and livelihoods while we sit here powerlessly when literal gods descend from the sky to destroy us? No problem, we can just get in our giant robots and hack them to pieces.” She sighs, stepping back to her original place next to Miyako. “Sounds a lot closer to the X-Men than good ol’ hometown farmer Joe, huh?”

[fibericon]

"Nakao!" Yume barks, glaring daggers at the other girl. She pauses briefly to let her interruption steal focus, then continues with a stern, but quieter voice. "Get a hold of yourself. We have our orders. Hana is in charge. If she says we act normal, we act normal. Go punch a pillow with her name on it later." Turning to Hana, she adds, "We clearly have no idea what we're doing. This is all on you."

[Hypersmith]

Fahd rolls his eyes at Nakaos confrontational demeanor. He doesn't wait for Hana to reply, and completely ignores Yume.
"Great, and the answer to being different is to immediately shove aside everyone else, and proceed to emphasize all that makes us different, rather than what makes us similar. There's nothing wrong with showing a clip of us fighting Surt, but it should not be the focus here. Ever seen an army advertisement? They emphasize that it's people doing those things, not a different breed. You're right that the people sit there powerlessly, lets at least let them know we understand that. You can't even argue your own point without contradicting yourself. We do have things to lose in this fight, and we have already lost some."

[Syless]

Miyako looks nervously at the rising tension. "Um... I think we're all getting a bit too ahead of things anyway... this is only thirty seconds long, right? We can't really put in much detail... I mean... if we want to make ourselves seem normal, we might mess up the acting and just seem stilted and off-putting and make things worse? I don't think we have any candid video we can splice together... and even then, how do we make ourselves seem likeable in thirty seconds? In that little time you have to be sort of... punchy? Fast-paced? I'm not sure how else to fit it in so little time..." She looks between the other pilots. "Fahd, how would you do this? With how many of us there are, that's less than five seconds each... what would you do in five seconds? Yume... I know Nakao got a little heated, but Hana asked for input, even if she's in charge, she wants to hear from the rest of us. What would you rather do? Make yourself seem more human, or more heroic? Without thinking about anyone else's opinion. Freyja... I'm glad to see you're feeling like yourself again. How would you most express yourself in that short of time?" She's trying her circle-calming again. Who knows, it might even work this time.

[roko10]

Ignoring the others (including Hana and Miyako), Evan has now curled up in a fetal position somewhere in the corner, babbling incoherently.

[Syless]

Miyako walks over to Evan and puts a hand on his shoulder, crouching down. "Evan, it's going to be fine. If you aren't comfortable with this, I'm sure Hana and Akie will be fine with you sitting out. Do you need anything? Fresh air, a glass of water?" She looks to the others in the group. "It's alright if it's just the six of us, right? We still represent Valhalla, together."

[fibericon]

No one really asks what Yume wants, and she doesn't seem to know how to handle it. Her hard exterior melts, and she adopts her puppy eyes.

"I... I don't... I mean... um..." Her voice wobbles, "I just want people to like me. Do people like superheroes?"

[roko10]

”N-no, it’s fine. I’ll participate,” Evan stammered out, having more or less calmed down ”I mean, it’s just that I feel this is too important of a duty to just entrust to us, y’know? I don’t really want to make us look like the ones who are responsible for flushing Valhalla’s funding down the toilet. I don’t have any really good ideas here, so I’ll just follow what the rest of you guys have. ”

[aturtledoesbite]

"A superhero theme might just make people think we're ripping off those Thor movies, even with all the liberties they take with Norse myth." There's a very notable bitterness in that aside; probably a sore spot for Freyja.

"Perhaps something about how we define our own prophecy, as shown by defeating Surtr?"