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.

Spoiler: Takeo

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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.

Spoiler: Ryall

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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.

Spoiler: Envy

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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.

Spoiler: Xiren

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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?"

Spoiler: Liza

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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...

Spoiler: Aoba

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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

Spoiler: Envy

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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.

Spoiler: Envy's Directory

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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.

Spoiler: Envy's Perfect Execution

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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]

Spoiler: Envy

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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!

Spoiler: Liza

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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?>"

Spoiler: Xiren and Ryall

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"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?"

Spoiler: Takeo

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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.

Spoiler: Aoba

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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]

Spoiler: Liza

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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."

Spoiler: The Scene

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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.

Spoiler: Aoba

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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]

Spoiler: Aoba

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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?

Spoiler: Pilots

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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?"