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Thread: 7 Sins IC

  1. - Top - End - #271
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Xiren takes the opportunity to sit and rest, sliding gingerly into the chair. She's outwardly impassive as she listens to the Commander's words, but on the inside, it's a different story.

    Spoiler: Sublimation
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    Wait, is the Commander seriously asking me to...

    He has to be.

    There's no way he doesn't know.

    I suppose I always suspected something like this was coming, on some level. That's why I wanted to stay in Jacob's good graces.


    The serpent raises its head just long enough to scoff. Is that why you reveled in his attention, too?

    Shut up. You're not real.

    As real as you are. You know what 'compartmentalization' is, right?


    Fine. Maybe you are real. But I'm still the one in control.


    Control is a funny thing, xiao ren. We'll see.


    "Twenty-four hours isn't a lot of time to convince anyone of anything. Much less subtly. But I'll do my best, Commander." Xiren folds her hands in her lap. "Just to be clear... You're asking me to seduce him?"

  2. - Top - End - #272
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    The celebrations and congratulations didn't mean much to Takeo - his satisfaction came from succeeding and seeing dead angels, not thanks or praise for doing what he needs to do. The latest supernatural event takes up most of his thoughts, even putting his romantic confusion to one side (he still needed to talk to Xiren about Liza, didn't he? That wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to) as he considered the issue. Perhaps it was time to get a second opinion, like he'd suggested he would do to Akari.

    Taking a slight detour to grab his larger notebook and update it with his latest observations, Takeo heads out to try and find someone in the research department or AT facility whose area of expertise might possibly be relevant here.

  3. - Top - End - #273
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Spoiler: Xiren
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    Kazuma hesitates.

    Spoiler: On a successful read person
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    This isn't what he expected, but he believes he put the idea in your head.


    "For your own health and safety, I would prefer you not sleep with him. This is a difficult subject to broach, but you all aren't kids anymore, as much as we want you to be. Legally, yes, but in a practical sense, I can't stop you from making these sorts of decisions yourself. No one can cast you as a soldier, then tell you to listen to the adults. I can only advise you. I won't pretend we're not looking the other way when one of you smuggles in a bottle of alcohol. I've been your age, and there's no telling a teenager to not... look, just be safe."

    Kazuma is... entirely the wrong person to give you the talk.


    Spoiler: Takeo
    Show
    The AT researchers take a good deal of interest in your notebook. Excited chatter erupts around you.

    "No entry for Wrath?"

    "You can't smell your own body odor."

    "I bet we can find out the missing pieces for Sloth and Gluttony. You think the parchment represents the plans for get rich quick schemes?"

    "Hey! I think you're onto something!"

    A little startled, one of them looks up at you. "Oh! You had questions! Hmm... rushing of cold air from over top... someone like you, but not you... crossing a threashhhhhh... ohhhhh. Uh..."

    "Oh, come on. That would be silly."

    "Silly like the gala getting shot up? Listen, Takeo, how likely do you think a second Vatican attack is?"

    "...Why are you asking him?"

    "He literally has supernatural senses."
    Spoiler: Active characters
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  4. - Top - End - #274
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Takeo doesn't hesitate before nodding. "Of course. If nothing else, I'm surprised there wasn't one to coincide with the last Angel attack. Why do you ask?"

  5. - Top - End - #275
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    "I'm sorry, Commander, I shouldn't have assumed." Xiren stares down at her lap. "But you're not just any adult. Like you said, I'm a soldier. And you're my commanding officer. I understand that sometimes following orders means you need to make sacrifices. If I didn't, I'd never have stepped into Castitas."

    Even when he's ordering me to do something so unpleasant, the Commander is still trying to be kind to me. I need to give him a way out.

    She looks up to meet the Commander's gaze again. "If you specifically order me not to, then I won't. Otherwise... I'll do whatever's necessary to complete the mission."

  6. - Top - End - #276
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Spoiler: Takeo
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    "Okay, so, we have this software that indexes archives of prophets' accounts throughout history that I'm going to give you access to now. We've been working with it for a while, so we know a lot of this stuff off the tops of our heads."

    "Basically, we're looking at your account and cross-referencing it against that information. What you've told us is ambiguous, though."

    "The stuff you wrote down about Carmen and Gabriel is less ambiguous. Belphegor, the demon of sloth, offers schematics of ingenious inventions to make people rich. This is commonly misattributed as greed, but the reason he does this goes back to the book of Genesis. When Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, God told Adam he had to get a job if he wanted to eat."

    "That's... that's one way of phrasing it."

    "So the theory is that if someone were to instantly get rich, they'd never have to work again."

    "Gabriel's is a little harder to follow, so stay with me. Mammon is considered to be the demon of greed. Gregory of Nyssa claimed that Mammon was another name for Beelzebub. The name Beelzebub is associated with the Canaanite god Ba'al. Ba'al is also called the vanquisher of the sea, due to the conflict with Yammu."

    "Now, your more recent report can be interpreted different ways. One way is to consider the cold feeling, and crossing threshold, to be you feeling the death of a fellow Sin - Eva Lorentz. I don't know if I believe this, because she was a Pride, not a Wrath."

    "My colleague believes the, quite frankly, ludicrous alternate interpretation that you felt the Vatican infiltrate Japan a second time. But your extrasensory perception doesn't apply to the rest of us, and the Vatican's soldiers are just normal people."

    "But what if they had a Sin?"

    "You think the Vatican has a giant robot."

    "I mean..."

    "That they, what, stomped through the streets of Italy to get to the Holy See, and then subsequently, by some form of magic, sneaked through the ocean and onto Japanese soil, and also somehow manage to continue to hide?"

    "..."

    "Yeah. Anyway, the other explanation is that you're having a premonition of the next angel."


    Spoiler: Xiren
    Show
    Kazuma clenches his jaw. It's a no win situation. If he gives the order, he's telling a minor to sleep with someone. If he doesn't, he could be endangering quite a few more lives by not doing everything in his power to bring a swift end to the GoL lab in question. He winces as the next realization hits him: it's too late to call this off.

    "If I tell you to back down, you're going to think I don't trust you to complete the task, and do it anyway. Or, possibly, something even more risky. If I tell you to hold back, I may be allowing what Mashimo described as the greatest human rights violation in history to continue because I'm squeamish. But telling you to use your own judgement is its own price. Jacob is an idiot teenager. You shouldn't have to do more than swell his ego. But Sins are being kidnapped and tortured - to death - for their experiments. Do what you have to do. Nothing more, nothing less."

  7. - Top - End - #277
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    "Perhaps they don't have a Virtue, but something else. The circumstances of the first attack - how it coincided with the angel's attack, how they directly targeted the people capable of defeating it - has lead me to believe that the Vatican is directly in league with the angels. Could it be possible for them to have something, some kind of power or weapon or being, that I might be sensing?"

    Takeo then considers the other possibilities. They were also plausible, once he got past his gut reaction of blaming the Vatican. "However, if it's the next angel...could the cold air blowing symbolise something about its nature? A flying enemy, perhaps.

  8. - Top - End - #278
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Spoiler: Takeo
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    "Well... AT things don't really work without the Virtue and the Sin - you need both parts or nothing happens. So, if they had, say, a positron cannon, it would just be a really big gun unless they also had a Virtue, and a Sin to pilot it. If we had an AT weapon we could deploy without putting you all in the line of fire, we'd absolutely be using it."

    "But as far as angels go, sure. We've observed flying angels in other countries already. No reason we can't have one here. I'll run it up and see if we can't get increased surveillance."

    "The Vatican definitely knows more than we do, though. They're the only ones with access to the Dead Sea Scrolls, and whatever else they're hiding in their archives. I mean, a lot of it we'd just consider junk - they're not just a religious organization. They're also a political and financial organization. There's a lot of bookkeeping, ancient documents that would be destroyed if exposed to sunlight, and so on and so forth. Even if you did somehow get access, you'd spend years just trying to find one page that wasn't completely useless to you."

    "Another huge problem is that most of what the archives contained went missing when the archives were moved to Paris by the Napoleonic troops. Some experts say that more than two thirds of the documents were lost, and a lot of the remaining records are damaged."

    "Most say there were only modest losses, though. It's all speculation anyway, since no one's allowed to see anything."

    "Yeah, we might be wasting your time with that conversation. See if you can focus on what you're feeling. Maybe if you learn more, we can figure more out."
    Spoiler: Active characters
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  9. - Top - End - #279
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Syless's Avatar

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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Spoiler: A Critical Situation
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    Before the good doctor enters, Ren can be seen through a monitor. She seems to do very little besides sit in her wheelchair.

    Shara brought her own office chair, but before entering, she presses the intercom button. "Ren, this is Shara Blackford, the therapist for all the Sins. May I come in?"

    Ren looks toward the speaker, then turns her wheelchair to face the camera. "You... want to come in? That's okay, I guess. Ms. Nijima said it's safe now."

    "Thank you." Shara goes through the procedure to open the door, then wheels in her seat and sits down opposite Shara, holding her tablet. "After hearing about you, I wanted to have a chance to speak with you." Her composure is far more controlled than when Ryall mentioned Ren for the first time. "Everything you say to me is confidential, and if you ever want me to go, I will. But I wanted to give you a chance to talk through anything on your mind, without fear of judgment or reprisal."

    "Alright..." Ren takes a deep breath and hesitates. She's waiting, perhaps for her guest to run away from her ghastly appearance. When it doesn't happen, she eventually continues. "Have you ever thought, if only I was anybody else at all? I just... I just... I want things I'll never have. I know I can't have them. And I know the scientists here are working so hard. They say they want me to have the most normal life I can, but... I'll never walk again, I'll never have kids, I'll never finish school, or, or, or... or fight in a Virtue, like those Americans promised... I..." Ren doubles over, cradling the back of her head.

    Shara frowns. "You've had... a terrible situation thrust upon you. You're allowed to want what you can't have. But not everything is out of reach. You can still have kids- you'll still be able to adopt. You can still fall in love. You can still go to school, if the suit works. You can graduate with honors if you want. Fighting in a Virtue... I'm not the sort of person to talk to about that.

    But... is it really what you want? Babylon has had its first Sin casualty. A brave girl named Eva Lorentz. And every time an Angel comes... that could have been you on the line."


    "I want, more than anything, to be useful." Her words are muffled as she speaks into her lap. When she raises her head, her face is wet with tears, that appear to be tinged green. "If I die, well, at least I was good for something first. How can I feel like I'm good for anything right now?" She takes a few breaths, then brushes her hair back. "I shouldn't even be wasting your time. It's more valuable than my own."

    The things they do to these teenagers... "No. My job is to work with the Sins. You're still a Sin. If you want to be useful... you can ask for tutors. My understanding is that several of the other Sins are taking on multiple positions at Babylon, maybe you can get one too."

    Ren looks at her hands and nods. "Can I... be you, then? Before the accident that took my legs... well, after, too... up until they made me like this, I was really outgoing. I listened, and made people happy. I got ostracized when I tried to talk about my angel encounter... but now, people will know I'm not lying."

    Shara smiles. "You can't be me. You can only be you. But... if you want to learn therapeutic techniques, I'd be happy to teach you. As I mentioned, I'm the Sins' therapist- I have exactly eight clients, which leaves me plenty of free time. Maybe once you're introduced to the other Sins, you can be a regular stabilizing force for them. Someone who isn't an authority figure."

    Ren looks up at you and smiles. It's something. She soon breaks eye contact and her smile fades. "I... I'm grateful. How much should I tell you? What's done is done and it's just whining now, but I don't know what's important."

    "You can tell me whatever you like, Ren. I'm here to listen, and it's not whining. Opening up is the first step towards recovering."


    Ren takes a deep breath and exhales, her lips pursed a little. "I'd come to terms with my disability by the time I was taken. Two men showed up a my classroom with an old newspaper clipping about the accident. I'd mentioned my angelic encounter. No one believed me then, but it made for good news, so it went in there anyway. Well, they told me what it meant. What I was. They told me they needed me. They needed my help. I left my home and family and friends because I thought the world needed me. There were a bunch of us at the facility. I... they're all dead. I had to see. They suffered... so much. And the whole time the scientists told us no one would come looking for us, because we weren't good enough to be pilots. They said Babylon handed off their rejects for the experiments. I know that part is a lie now, but... I spent a long time thinking I was garbage. I can't turn that off now."

    Shara nods. "It's not surprising. That's an experience that would leave an impact on anyone. Survivor's guilt is a powerful thing, and working through it isn't easy. Compounded with trying to break you... it's going to be slow. But Ren, if you work at it... I think you can recover."

    Ren swallows and nods. There's a sigh, at least somewhat of relief. "If you're feeling brave, I'll shake your hand. As long as you don't touch any area not covered by the plugsuit - so pretty much just my head - you should be safe." There's an attempt at another smile, but it's more forced.

    Shara gets out of her chair and reaches out for Ren's hand. "Thank you. Appointments with me can be arranged whenever you need, as long as I'm not with another Sin at the time. And that's not excluding you- if I'm with you, the others can't interrupt."

    Her brow softens when she takes your hand, making the smile appear a touch more genuine. "I look forward to it."
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  10. - Top - End - #280
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Planetar

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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    To say Ryall was high off killing the Angel would be a massive understatement. In comparison to the last battle, where all she did was standing there and getting hit, here she actually managed to do more than a token sum of damage against the Angel and, more importantly, kill it. Admittedly, she does know that it wouldn't have happened without the help of the others, but it still felt like her victory.

    That good mood, however, is deflated almost immediately when she hears the bad news; Eva Lorentz has died. That news hit Ryall hard; although she and Eva never knew each other personally, the simple fact that someone that she knew from her training has been killed was enough to shake her somewhat, and she spent most of the ensuing celebrations in somewhat of a sour mood as a result. Still, at the end of it, she had recovered somewhat; enough so that she could talk to the people she wanted to talk to, at least.

    Spoiler: Ren x Ryall
    Show
    When you're escorted to the lab where Ren has been living, the monitor outside gives you your first impression. Bespectacled, wheelchair bound, and... green. Ren Tanaka is mostly green, with faded areas of white, and stark white hair. She seems ever so slightly translucent.

    Taking a deep breath, Ryall presses the intercom button. "Hey. Ren, isn't it? I'm Ryall Lagrange, B-J's Pride. Can we talk for a moment?"

    Ren turns to face the camera and smiles. "Of course! You're the first Sin to come visit me after I got back to Japan."

    "Can I come in?"


    "Yes, it should be safe, as long as you don't touch my face."

    Ryall turns to her escorts, and asks "Can you open the doors for me, please?" After they do so, she hurriedly takes a seat opposite Ren.

    Ren looks at you for a moment, tilting her head to the side. "Would you prefer English?"

    "No, Japanese is fine, I need the practice anyways."

    "New languages can be hard. Your Japanese is very good. It was nice of you to come spend time with me today, Ryall. I'm glad you're here. What brought you my way?"

    Ryall hesitates for a bit, before taking another deep breath and answering. "...I was the pilot assigned to test the AT Drive. Lt. Mashimo told me about how you were basically entombed in it, and, well... I felt guilty, kinda. How I could've harmed you without me even realizing you were in there, or even that I trusted that man with giving me an upgrade." The tone of the last couple sentences shifts noticeably, being bitter and dripped in venom as compared to the somewhat guilty, hesitant tone of the first few.

    "Ah. Well... I lost track of time in there, but I can tell you this much: it's not safe for you either. There's a mind link, of sorts. If a pilot uses the AT Drive when I'm inside, I seen their angelic encounter, through their eyes. I hope it doesn't go both ways, but realistically.... it's not a pleasant experience for the other person. But who are you angry at, Ryall? I don't believe anyone here has done anything but help."

    Ryall nods, then continues. "Just... the Guns of Liberty representative. He gave me vibes when I talked to him even without me knowing about you, and knowing that he was complicit in how you ended up..."
    She takes a look at Ren's wheelchair. "...are they also responsible for that, too?"

    "So that's the name of their organization." Her tone gives your skin a prickly feeling, but it quickly shifts to the more pleasant one you've become used to. "No, I don't think so. This was just a traffic accident. I had my encounter at that time, so they didn't know to look for me until after. How has Japan fared?"

    "Japan's doing pretty well, though I guess all branches are. Well, all but B-A. I would call it karma except that I actually knew one of their Sins, and considering she died... yeah."

    "Oh. I'm so sorry to hear that, Ryall. I was informed of Eva Lorentz's death by the therapist, but I guess I assumed no one here would have known her. Were you close?"

    "Not really, we weren't anything more than acquaintances, but it still stings. Moreso the fact that one of us died so soon."

    "I understand. I haven't lost anyone, so I can only imagine what you're going through." She looks away.She's not a good liar.

    Ryall sighs. "Look, I... forget that I brought it up. Do you have any hobbies?"

    Ren looks like a deer in headlights for a moment, then smirks. "Caught that? Well, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I just enjoy your company and want you to be comfortable. I like stories. I like reading - true stories, that is - and listening to other people's experiences. Being able to know what it feels like to be in someone's shoes is very interesting to me. It's like... have you ever been to a fun house with all the mirrors? And you get to see all kinds of angles you wouldn't normally be able to?"


    "Yeah, I've been to one. I think I get where you're coming from."

    Ren grins. "I enjoy knowing what it feels like to be other people. Is that weird? I want to know what it's like to be you."

    Guess she must be an Envy, then."I see. Not to sound too stereotypical, but it's weird for me to think of how it would be for other people. Though, I guess you have better reasons to do so than I would have."

    Ren chuckles. "The previous Pride I met was actually named Jesus. A common boy's name in Mexico, apparently. He... well, he certainly lived up to 'pride'. All, 'I'm number one' and everything. Well, what do you enjoy, Ryall? What makes the Pride of Japan tick?"

    Ryall thinks long and hard at this question. "I... don't have much hobbies, actually. Most of the time I have is spent training in one way or another."

    "Of course. You wouldn't have a body to be proud of if you didn't." She grins and adds, "That sounds a lot like flirting, doesn't it? Oh well. The words are out. I might be allowed to leave this room tomorrow. They had to make sure it would be safe. I'm sure I don't have to explain to you what angelic auras do to people, but this suit suppresses mine."

    Wait, is she actually flirting with me? ...nah, must be my imagination. "Well, at least that's some good news. It must've been lonely being cooped up all alone here."


    "Of course. The scientists would talk to me, but they couldn't devote much time to casual conversation. I don't blame them - they work very hard. But I'd rather be lonely than risk killing someone else. It wasn't safe to be in the room with me before. Well, you would have survived, but others... I know I didn't do it. No one could have known, but I still feel bad about it. They helped rescue me. They deserved better."

    "...that must've been hard on you, yeah. Is there anything else I could do for you?"

    Ren shakes her head. "Will you be there, when I'm allowed out?"

    Ryall nods. "Of course I would."

    "Then I can't ask for much more than that."



    Spoiler: Xiren (now with added log!)
    Show

    Ironically, it turned out to be easier to talk to Ren than it would've been to talk with Xiren, especially after her conversation with Liza. Ryall has debated with herself if she should do so at all; it still feels wrong somehow to do so, especially with her still thinking that Xiren is Liza's girl now.

    Nonetheless, she worked up the nerve to talk with Xiren, knocking on the door. "Hey, Xiren? Can we talk?"

    It's shortly after the Elder fight, and Xiren is still trying to weakly swat away the swarm of nurses which have gathered around her to monitor her condition. She was visibly in quite a lot of pain when she was helped out of Castitas once they returned to base, but now that she's resting she looks more comfortable. When Ryall enters, Xiren smiles and shoots her a look as though asking for some assistance with her minders.

    Ryall notices the swarm of nurses surrounding Xiren, and moves in closer to her bed. "Hey, need any help with them?"

    Xiren sits up a bit in her bed, wincing. "Yeah, I'm fine, but they won't stop crowding me. The doctor on call already said I would be fine."

    "...I see." Ryall turns towards the nurses crowding around Xiren's bed. "Can you please leave her alone? The doctor already said she's going to be fine, and I want to talk with her alone."

    Once the room empties out, Xiren sighs with relief and leans back against her pillow. "Thanks, Ryall. I swear, if I'd known everyone was going to make this much of a fuss I'd have just dropped the axe."

    Ryall smiles a little. "I mean, you are the public face of Babylon, after all. It would be weird if they didn't make this much fuss. I was also worried about you too, so I'm glad to see you doing okay."

    Xiren chuckles. "Likewise. I sort of lost track of everything in the last few minutes of the fight, and that field it put up was nasty. So... I'm glad to see you doing okay, too."

    "Thanks. I can't really complain much, though, considering I killed the damn thing, so..."

    "Congratulations, by the way. That makes one killing blow for each of us, I guess." Xiren grins playfully at Ryall. "I hope we're not in competition now."

    "What, just because I'm a Pride I have to make everything a competition?" Ryall rolls her eyes, though her tone makes it clear that she's joking along. "Still, I appreciate it, especially coming from you."

    Xiren arches an eyebrow. "Especially coming from me?"

    "You know, because you're..." Ryall sighs. "Look, the point I'm making is that I have a crush on you even before the gala, but then I thought you had a thing with Liza, but then Liza also made a move on me and now I'm not sure anymore what's going on. Are you guys an item?"

    Xiren sighs and closes her eyes for a moment, sinking a bit into the bed. "...Yeah, I thought as much. Liza's been busy, huh? I don't think we're an item, per se, any more than you and I are an item. Liza has a lot of... passion... and I don't think either of us could contain that even if we wanted to. I don't think she expects either of us to contain it, either. What about you? How do you feel about her?"

    "Honestly, I... don't know. At the very least, she seems sincere in her affection to us both, so I don't think she's just trying to play around. That or she's really good at lying, but I'm hoping that it's the former."

    "I don't think she's lying. Liza has a lot of things she keeps to herself, but she wouldn't lie to one of the Sins. I know how easy it is to get swept up in her pace. For now, as long as you aren't uncomfortable with it, I think it's okay to accept her affection. Speaking of which..." Leaning forward, Xiren takes one of Ryall's hands gently with a smirk. "What's this you said about a crush on me?"

    "Well, it means that I like you, and I want to go out with you," Ryall says, returning the smirk. "How does a date sound?"

    "That sounds nice." Xiren smiles, then pauses and furrows her brow, as though struck by a thought. "It occurs to me, I've never actually been on a date before."

    "Well, there's a first time for everything, right?"

    Xiren chuckles. "You'll have to give me a few pointers so I don't make a fool of myself. That said... It'll probably have to wait a few days, if you don't want me to be spending the whole time in this hospital bed. There are worse first dates, I suppose..."

    Ryall shrugs. "I can wait a few days, sure. Anywhere you'd like to go?"

    Xiren thinks for a moment about how to answer, before giving Ryall a slightly devious look. "Take me somewhere you like to go. Somewhere you haven't told anyone else about."

    "I got you. How does next week sound as a date? Enough time to recover, I guess."

    Xiren nods and brushes a thumb along the top of Ryall's hand. "I'll be looking forward to it. Will you come visit me again sometime before then? I'll be bored out of my mind cooped up in bed all day."

    "Of course. Anything else I can help you with now?"

    "Please." Xiren squeezes Ryall's hand gently. "You've done enough for one day."
    Last edited by roko10; 2019-11-11 at 12:15 PM.

  11. - Top - End - #281
    Halfling in the Playground
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    redface Re: 7 Sins IC

    Xiren's face sours at the implication that she would willfully disobey orders. She does her absolute best not to take it personally.

    This is what he needs to believe to make it okay. I need to let him.

    She leans forward in her seat and folds her hands in front of her. "You're making the right choice, Commander. And I know if there were any other way, you'd take it." Her voice and expression are as comforting as she can muster. "I'll get it done. Permission to be dismissed?"

  12. - Top - End - #282
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Takeo nods, taking a note of the side tangent about the Vatican but not pursuing it yet. "I'll keep that in mind, if there's more I'll come back. Also, one last thing. Ryall has started to smell like the angels, that same ozone scent. Any ideas what that could mean? Nobody else has had any change like that, so I'm unsure why it could be happening."

  13. - Top - End - #283
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Spoiler: Xiren and Jacob
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    "Dismissed."

    Finding Jacob is never difficult. He's off by himself, probably from the less than stellar first impressions he's made. He looks up from his phone and winces at you.

    "Rough fight?"

    Xiren steps gingerly forward and smiles. She's overplaying her injuries, but not by all that much - the exertion's taken something out of her. "A little bit. Castitas took a pretty bad hit to the chest. The doctors say I'll be okay, though. And I wanted to come see you before you left. It didn't feel right leaving things how they were at the gala."

    "Ah, you know." He pockets his phone. "Could have just told me you weren't into guys. If I knew you two were dating..." He shrugs.

    Xiren's laugh is mostly performative. Her subsequent wincing mostly isn't. "Ryall and I? We'd barely spoken before that night. And we've barely spoken since. She wanted to 'defend my honor' to stroke her own ego, that's all. She is Pride, after all."

    Jacob chuckles. "Well, that's... something, alright. So, if you're not into her, I guess I missed my chance? I mean, I should have went with my gut and kept trying, but S2 is scary."

    Xiren rolls her eyes. "I swear, they're like overprotective parents, the lot of them. Like, really, you're going to throw us in giant robots and make us fight giant monsters, then treat us like we're children the moment we're back in the real world?" She sidles a bit closer. "I wouldn't say you missed your chance. Sure, you're heading back soon, but you're the heir to our largest supplier. It's not like we won't see each other again. And besides... We do still have tonight."

    Jacob's voice sticks audibly in his throat, and a grin is glued to his face. It doesn't take long for him to recover the composure to reply, but it's long enough to be noticeable. "I mean... yeah... I travel for business. I have to see... uh... business... being... done. You aren't interested in business, are you?"

    A little thrill goes through Xiren at his subtle, but definite reaction. She shrugs. "I'm interested in you, so I guess I'm interested in your business. What kinds of things do you do for Guns of Liberty?"

    "Heh... oh... okay, uh... I do investments. I run the whole gamut - shorts, longs, hell, even pump and dump. Been following bitcoin for a while. It's like the most volatile commodity you've ever seen, and it's jerked around by people like me constantly. If a stock tanks, it's not an accident. I watch a lot of tickers, all the time. A tap on my screen and we make a fortune. Someone else loses one because they guessed wrong. That's the extent of what I do for GoL. For now."

    Xiren's eyebrows shoot up. The Commander did say he was a financial genius, but that's more than she'd given him credit for. "'For now?' I bet you'll be getting more responsibilities soon if you're that good with investment. Your father seems like a man that recognizes talent."

    He hesitates at the mention his father. "Father likes specializing. I'm good at this, so this is what I do. My work helps bring in money to fund... whatever it is that money is used on. Research and development, I assume. It's a bit of a black hole from where I'm sitting."

    "Wait, you're making all this money for him and you don't even know what it's being used on? That doesn't seem fair."


    He furrows his brow. "I... well... I mean, it's just egghead stuff, right? They... uh... hmm. I don't really know how weapons design works." He puts his finger on his temple. "I mean, I don't really need to know everything."

    "Maybe not everything, but you're his son, not his CFO. Someday you're going to be running the company, right? If you want to be prepared for something like that isn't it normal to start to... expand your knowledge a little?"

    "Well... I guess I never thought about it. Father likes having a lot of control."
    He taps his head a couple of times. "Maybe I need to know what he's offering in these deals."

    "I may not know a lot about business..." Xiren puts her hand on his shoulder. "But like I said, I know a lot about overprotective parents. Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself a little. Prove to them you deserve to be treated like an adult by making them treat you like one. They might not like it at first, but... it's part of growing up, I think."

    Jacob grins. "Yeah. Yeah, what am I going to do if all the garbage he eats catches up with him and I don't know anything besides what I'm doing now? Ditch the weapons and turn it into an investment firm?"

    "You're brilliant, Jacob, I'm sure you could make it work, but..." She grins at him. "I can't exactly fight angels with sound fiscal strategy."

    "I'll make sure to give you a proper weapon." He winks, punctuating what he's sure is both subtle and clever.

    Xiren giggles rather coquettishly by way of reply. "Careful what you promise; I might hold you to it."

  14. - Top - End - #284
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Spoiler: Takeo
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    "Maybe because she struck the killing blow?"

    "Maybe. Let's see what we got here..." The man sits down at his computer and tries to look up Ryall's file. What he gets is very heavily redacted near the end.

    "Okay, now it's spicy."

    "Deny me access? Mother****er, I am the one who knocks." He opens a console and sets upon his keyboard. A moment later, alarms go off in the lab, an he looks up at the red lights now flashing from the ceiling. "Uhhhhhh..."

    The other scientist freezes up, glancing around as S2 converges on them, weapons drawn and shouting. He shuffles away, or attempts to, anyway. He makes it about three steps before S2 fires a warning shot, and he hunches over, covering his ears and screaming. He's tackled and forced to the ground. The hacker complies.

    With a very strong suggestion that you accompany them, S2 drags the two scientists into their supervisor's office - Emon Chihiya, according to the name plate. Your notebook is taken, and handed to the man behind the desk. He leafs through it quietly, then looks up at his subordinates.

    "I'm waiting."

    "So... Takeo brought all this really cool information in about his sensory percep-"

    "Get to the part I care about."

    "When he asked about why Ryall smelled different I tried to look up her file, but there's classified information and I don't like not having information, so..."

    Emon puts an elbow on his desk, and his face in one hand.

    After waiting for a moment, the scientist speaks again. "Mr. Chihiya?"

    "No no. No. No. No, you're done talking." He looks up, shaking his head. "You two are functionally retarded." One of the scientists opens his mouth, and Emon quickly interjects. "Shut up. Shut. Up. You two are functionally mentally disabled. The next time you do something like this, you will be shot. Get these two idiots out of my office."

    While S2 drags them out, one of them calls back, "Wait! Increase surveillance in the air! Takeo may have had a premonition of a flying angel!"

    After S2 leaves, he sighs and leafs through your book again. "Interesting that this can be trained. I don't have the answer you're looking for, regarding Ryall. It's above my level of clearance. I'm not head scientist - that's Mimi Nijima's job - I only run this department. And I can promise you, no one in this department has the answer you're looking for. So please stop asking before one of my people really does get shot."

    He hands you back your book.
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  15. - Top - End - #285
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Spoiler: Liza and Aoba
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    Kazuma has the B-US data delivered to you, and your team verifies that it hasn't been modified in any way. Engineers get to work reconstructing it in simulation for you. There seems to be a lot of hesitation on command's end. Translators interpret the radio chatter for you. Sins are demanding updates from command, and getting either nothing or delayed responses. Their formation in disarray, Eva Lorentz takes de facto command of the unit. The moment she does, the angel turns its focus to her, and her comms go dark.

    Hushed chatter fills the room. Your team is not okay with the idea that angels can directly interfere with the concept of command.

    When her comms come back, she's already been beset upon by the angel. The others run in to aid her, but everytime someone gives an order, the offending unit has their communications crippled. Without the ability to synchronize, the Virtues quickly devolve into blindly attacking the angel and hoping for the best.

    From the moment Eva's Virtue chassis is sundered, to the moment of her death, is twelve minutes and twenty-seven seconds. She spends the entirety of it sobbing and pleading for help that never arrives. Less than halfway in, your translator is emotionally unable to continue, and excuses herself from the room.
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  16. - Top - End - #286
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Griffon

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    Liza goes into the B-US battle data review watching intently for any weaknesses they can exploit, either in the Angel or B-US's persecution.

    That lasts about until B-US command starts screwing up.

    Liza empathizes with the foreign pilots. That could easily have been her own team yesterday, if she hadn't been there to take over for Aoba.

    Hell, she could have been Eva if she'd been deployed, taking field command and paying for it with her life.

    That thought fans the flames of her outrage, and it unfairly bleeds into her feelings toward B-J's command. She's barely paying attention the simulation at that point.

    Then Eva's plug is breached. In Liza's half-focused state, it bypasses her mental defenses and goes straight to her heart.

    First she goes very still, her breathing imperceptible.

    Then she starts shaking uncontrollably.

    Her eyes and nose start to run. She can't look away.

    When the translator leaves, a sob finally breaks out and she doubles over with her hand over her face.

    It's too late to run away. She'll bear this memory for the rest of her life... however short that might be.

    When asked if she wants to leave, she'll shake her head--
    --draw in a squeaking, shuddering breath--
    --let it out in an almost vicious sigh--
    ...Then sniffle, and wipe her eyes in vain.

    "No, I won't look away. <I owe Eva that much; she didn't have the choice to flee.> We'll get justice, <revenge>. On God and the American command."

    When the simulation ends, face still streaming, Liza glares lightning bolts into Aoba's eyes. Her fury is half-rational, directed at both the people responsible for this and those who could have been if things had gone differently.
    "We will not let this happen to Japan. Got it?"

    ...Expressing that released the pressure that was holding her together though the twelve and a half minutes of horror. The fire vanishes from her face and she curls up sobbing, leaning toward Aoba as if she wants to be held, or lay her head in her lap, but is too embarrassed to commit on her own.

  17. - Top - End - #287
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    GreenSorcererElf

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    Spoiler: PolyB-US
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    You find Akari at the quartermaster after texting her. She's comparing a couple of gun and scope combinations. "Hey, Takeo. What's the good news?"

    Takeo shrugs. "I...guess I have good news? It's just all, uh, wrapped up in confusing stuff."

    She puts the rifle down. "Walk with me." Once away from the quartermaster, she picks the conversation back up. "Alright. What's going on?"

    Thinking for a moment, Takeo decides to start with the more mundane issue. "Well, um, I think Liza and I are a thing now, but it's starting out complicated and I think she's going to keep making it more complicated."

    "Welcome to the wonderful world of dating. Liza's had a rough hand dealt to her, and she's doing her best to flip it. At least she speaks Japanese now, yeah? Of course, you're under no obligation to put up with it if it bothers you."

    "Oh, no, she's fine, even if there's the odd misunderstanding, it's just that..." Takeo takes another moment to try and figure out how exactly to talk to this aunt about this, and comes up with no answer other than just coming straight out with it. "Her and Xiren are also a thing, and she's fine with being with both us and asked me if I was fine with it and I said yes because, well, she'd just kissed me, but now...I'm not sure what I'm fine with. I wasn't planning for anything like this."

    "Eee...yuh. Hoo boy, you really stepped in it this time. Well, there are a few ways to look at it, and you have to decide what works for you. What occurs to me? The most common belief is that a couple is exclusive. That's how most people feel. Alternatively, you're not Xiren. You can never be what she is to your girl, and the opposite applies too. And on the far end of the spectrum, exclusivity is overrated. Not gonna tell you where I sit, because I'm not trying to influence your decision."

    Takeo shrugs again. "That's the thing, I don't know. Until a week or so again, I wasn't thinking about relationships period, let alone this. I mean, Xiren's fine, she's a great pilot and everything, I just don't really know her and now I'm in this situation with her and Liza, and I'm not sure what to do. I...guess I don't really mind, though, just...I guess part of me was worried that Liza wouldn't really care that much about me if she's trying to get with other people too - I mean, a person only has so much time and attention and focus, right? Is that a silly concern?"

    "Nah, it's not silly. You gotta figure out if you're okay with it. If it's a deal breaker, dip out. Telling her to ditch Xiren won't end well, so if you want to be with her, that's the condition."

    Takeo nods. "I see. I'll...have to give it more thought. Thanks for the advice. The other thing is...more serious though. Did you hear what happened with the AT researchers and S2?"

    Akari laughs, "Yeah. Quite a scene. I think everyone on base with a firearm heard about that in half an hour. I didn't hear what they were looking for, though."

    "Well...it was kind of my fault. I went to them with my observations - the things you asked me to record - because I had a particularly strange experience, but that wasn't why the alert happened. While I was there, I asked them about why Ryall's smell would change - she smells a lot more like an angel now. They investigated, and when they found Ryall's recent record was classified, one of them, um, tried to hack in. Cue the alert and gunshots and everything. "

    Akari covers her mouth, trying not to laugh. She doesn't succeed. "Oh man. Those guys in the lab are great sometimes. Yeah, scientists hate being told no, in my experience anyway. No answer for you on Ryall. I mean, I know, but..."

    "Oh. You can't tell me. I see. Can you just at least tell me if she's okay? This isn't anything bad, is it?"

    Akari grits her teeth. "Uh... she's... she's not dying... yet... ****. It's not great. She doesn't even know why yet. She knows what we did, but not why, and I'm not okay with the whole thing. If everything goes well, she'll be fine, but I can't promise everything will go well."

    "I...okay. There's a lot going on you can't tell me about, isn't there? Just...look out for her, okay? After what happened in the US, I don't want to lose any of us."

    "I can promise that much. As for the states, well, I hear Aoba is supposed to look into it. Last thing we need is to lose B-US, even if it's their fault. The US spends more on their military than Babylon Global, and the other member nations, combined."

    Takeo nods. "I'm sure she'll handle it. She's been doing well with us, in any case."
    "If you don't mind, I'll leave now. I have...things to think about."


    "Yeah, that fight probably took it out of you. Try not to get shot in a lab, yeah?"

    "I'll try. That'd be a waste."
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  18. - Top - End - #288
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    Aoba's instinct is to hug Liza, but that would be horribly unprofessional in a command setting. This is... horrifying. No one should have to suffer like that, especially not someone so young. But the tactical situation... it's clear what went wrong. Aoba needs to focus on this. Only this. Not... or else she can never give a risky command. "There's two problems here. The first is that the American pilots are command-structured. They expect us to be able to handle every situation. In our fight with the Elder, our pilots handled the fight fairly independently, largely disregarding my plan, and had a stunning success in spite of it.

    The second is that the only communication we have is based on signals that can be disrupted. We didn't think the Angels would have this capability, and now we need to counter it. There's a simple solution, though- hand signals. If Virtues can be given hand signals, or other visual methods of communicating, isolating the pilots won't be nearly as effective, especially if there's a designated squad leader."
    She looks at Liza with that. "So I suggest pilot coordination training. Get them able to fight without words if necessary. This can happen outside of Virtues, as long as the signals are limited to what Virtues can finesse. I'll coordinate with the engineers to determine what that is, then come up with a code."

    She once more looks down at Liza. "Do you have any additions?"
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  19. - Top - End - #289
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    Griffon

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    Liza manages to nod emphatically in response to Aoba's question, but her initial contribution is several more minutes of unabated sobbing.

    Gradually, her body stops shivering.

    Her breathing steadies, then slows.

    She sniffles loudly and wipes her face on her sleeve again.

    Then she uncurls from her ball with her head held high.

    Her Japanese is more clipped than her new usual, but entirely comprehensible.
    "I want to give other countries training. Babylon Japan is the best. Other countries are good too. We should teach each other our skills and tactics. Japan will also learn from an exchange. Most important, all pilots must have tactics. If the squad leader is killed, it's the same as if the director... stops. As for hand signals, can we protect our visual systems more? Deaf and mute, we can fight. Blind, we all die."

  20. - Top - End - #290
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Spoiler: On Responsibility
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    Aoba, after concluding the command analysis, makes her way to the hospital wing, and knocks on a particular door. "Xiren? May I come in?"

    "It's open!" Xiren calls brightly from inside. She's back in her hospital gown and has been doing her best to convince the nurses that her sudden disappearance for most of the night does not, in fact, warrant cuffing her to the bed, but is nonetheless in rather high spirits.

    Aoba walks into the room, a mixed expression on her face, and locks the door. "Sorry to bother you while you're recovering. I just wanted to talk to you about a few things. I heard... Kazuma made a request of you last night?"

    "Erm... Yes, that's right." Xiren's not squeamish about the details of her assignment, but she doesn't actually know how much Aoba is cleared to know.

    "You should know... I'm the one who proposed the idea originally. If you feel any discomfort, pin it on me, not the Commander. It's part of my operation. And... I'd like to know what exactly happened."

    I figured this wasn't just a visit to check on me. She's looking to tamp down her own guilt. Xiren smiles and shakes her head. "Please. I don't feel any resentment toward you or the Commander. I know if there'd been another option you'd have taken it. I can't speak to whether the mission was a success or not, but, I definitely planted the idea in his head that he needs to request more access. If I'd had more time and more access to him I could have made it a sure thing, but..." She picks up her smartphone off the bedside table. "Worst comes to worst, I have a direct line with him now. I can try and... persuade him again."

    Aoba shakes her head. "Kazuma is pursuing all routes. I was hoping to use other avenues. I wont ask you to push anything further, especially if you planted the seeds. But... how are you feeling?"

    Xiren shrugs. "I'm fine, Lieutenant Mashimo. Really. I was just following orders. I don't understand why everyone keeps acting so concerned about me."

    Because you're a teenager! "You were also injured in battle. Showing concern is normal."

    "I suppose, but this kind of thing happens on the battlefield, doesn't it?"


    "You're our first. I'd rather not make a habit of it. And... I faltered. After you were wounded, I couldn't make myself push you through the halo. Liza had to step in, or the Angel would have escaped."

    "You're a lot like her, you know that?" Xiren sits up a bit more in the hospital bed. She has a reminiscent, almost fond look on her face as she speaks. "She came to me last week asking where I got my confidence from. If you doubt yourself, Lieutenant, try not to forget that God put you where you are for a reason. And if you can't believe in God, believe in the Commander. Or the Pilots. We listen to your orders because we trust you."

    "But... I can't let myself just see you as pawns. I will never sacrifice one of you to win a fight. And I don't want to slip down that path, bit by bit..."

    "It's not only our lives at stake. If we hadn't felled that Elder, how many people might have starved before it was finally taken down? Sacrificing the life of one Pilot to save thousands doesn't feel good, I know, but it's the right decision. And it's one you might need to make before all's said and done."

    Aoba smiles. "Don't let Liza hear you say that. She'd never let you hear the end of it. But... there should always be a way to win. Without it. Eva Lorentz's death wasn't a sacrifice, it was a failure of her command. Maybe a pilot will never need to make that sacrifice."

    Xiren's brow furrows. "Who's Eva Lorentz?"

    "...Oh. I thought you were informed with the other pilots. The Sins have... had their first casualty. A Dutch Pride, working under B-US."

    Xiren lapses into silence for a moment, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "...And you said it was a command failure?"

    "The details are confidential. But it was not a tactical decision, it was a catastrophe."

    "I see." There's a very subtle shift in how Xiren's carrying herself when she hears that. "What about the details of why I was asked to seduce Jacob last night? Are those confidential as well?"

    Aoba shifts on her feet. "Guns of Liberty has committed... atrocities. We need to break their security so we can stop them without crippling the war. I imagine you'll all be cleared to know the details soon."

    "...And Jacob is your way in."

    "Like I said. Kazuma wants all routes. We have others."

    "Try to make sure he's not caught in the crossfire, Lieutenant. He can be a bit... self-absorbed... but he really is a child. He's allowed."

    "His father may be arrested. But he should be fine. Even if he loses the GoL assets."

    Xiren nods. "Let's hope. In the meantime, try not to beat yourself up, Lieutenant. You're doing the best you can with what you have."

    "As long as you don't push yourself too hard. Like getting out if your hospital bed rather than asking the commander to speak with you here."

    Xiren arches an eyebrow. "I was ordered to report to him. If the Commander had been available to come here, he would have."

    "You could try asking. You're outside the ordinary command structure, not a fresh recruit."


    Xiren pulls at the paper-thin cotton hospital sheets anxiously. "That... wouldn't be appropriate."

    "I'm the Commander's proper subordinate and I still bother him periodically."

    "Maybe so, but you're... more useful to him. He needs you more than he needs me. That buys you more leeway than I have."

    Aoba stares at Xiren, then stifles laughter. "You're a Sin, Xiren. You're more valuable than I am. I'm just a tactician who was in the right place at the right time. He'd lose me before you."

    "Yes. I'm a Sin. And there are dozens of others like me waiting in the wings. If I die out there you'll have another Lust on-station before they've finished washing the blood out of Castitas. My role is important. The one filling it is not."

    She shakes her head. "Every Sin is valuable. I just have knowledge, but anyone can do what I do, if they tried. Liza might replace me before the war is done. And the more you fight, the more invaluable you'll become."

    "I've never been particularly good at piloting. My sync rate is on the low side of average. We both know I was chosen more for my marketability than my skill as a warrior. But... you're right. There are things only I can do. There are ways to make myself indispensable."


    "You already are."

    Xiren smiles warmly. "We'll see about that, Lieutenant."

    After Aoba leaves, Xiren sinks down in her hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for a few moments.

    Our dear Liza's been busy without us, hm?

    Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils...

    Cast me as a demon and yourself as possessed, if you like. It won't change the truth I speak. Ideas don't care where they came from.

    The Devil speaks in half-truths.

    Which is half again more honesty than anyone here will give you. She said herself that Liza might have her job soon. And I know those little glances she's been sharing with Ryall and Takeo haven't escaped your notice... Meanwhile, you're convalescing in here. Which of you is really the indispensable one?

    You're not going to turn me against her. Liza cares about me.

    She cares about what you can give her. Just like Aoba. Just like the Commander.

    So what? That's just how people are. I can give them what they want. I need to give them what they want!

    For now, xiao ren. For now.
    Last edited by velvetWing; 2019-11-04 at 03:11 AM.

  21. - Top - End - #291
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Day 14

    The civilians have finally been cleared out. Babylon took their safety very seriously, but couldn't be expected to host them forever. Once they're gone, one of Aoba's team calls for a meeting in the common room, with all pilots expected to attend. You recognize him as the man who introduced Dr. Blackford. This time, he's alone.

    "Thank you all for coming. I wanted to introduce someone to you, but I needed to provide a bit of context and warning first. She's been through a lot, and her appearance may be a bit startling to you. You all don't need me to give you 'the talk', but you are teenagers, so I'll just say this: skin to skin contact is not safe with her, as she has angelic properties. The plugsuit keeps her from being otherwise dangerous." Looking to another room, he calls out, "Ren? You can come in now."

    When she wheels herself in, the reason for the warning becomes immediately obvious. Most of her skin is hidden by the plugsuit, but her face and hair are not. She is decidedly inhuman in skin and hair color, but otherwise normal, save for the wheelchair.

    "Thank you, Mr. Nara. Hello, everyone. My name is Ren Tanaka. I'm also a Sin, but I have no pilot training or Virtue. I will be living at Babylon Japan for the foreseeable future, and look forward to getting to know all of you."

    Spoiler: Xiren
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    You're called into Kazuma's office for a mission report. After your debriefing, Kazuma nods, considering his reply.

    "You did well. With the inception of Babylon, we never anticipated needing to assign the Sins anything other than piloting duties. We had this idealistic view that we'd be able to handle everything else, and insulate you all from it. That hasn't panned out, but it's a relief to see that you can handle it."


    Spoiler: Ryall
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    Your additional AT training has been going… well, it's certainly been going. There have been missteps. Unintentional fires are pretty common. You're still not sure of the point of this new ability. It has its moments, but you haven't done anything at Virtue scale, which means you probably wouldn't be able to do much more than annoy an angel. Not to mention the fact that you're exposed without the heavy armor plating the Virtue provides.


    Spoiler: Liza
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    You run into Alyona in the halls. She looks somewhat relieved to see you.

    "<Oh good. I was hoping I'd find you. The only other people here who speak Russian are arguing in my home. Apparently the commander kept some information from mother because he was afraid of how she would react. Something about the new girl I haven't met yet. Mother is very protective of all of you, and I guess the new girl is another Sin?>" Imitating Kazuma's voice, albeit comically, she says, "<This needed to be handled with care, but you wouldn't do that!>" Switching to her impression of her mother's voice, which is actually just a higher pitched version of her impression of Kazuma's voice, she adds, "<You're my commander! I do not disobey orders! But now I have to worry about what else you're hiding from me!>" She rolls her eyes and sighs. "<Honestly, I understand his point. He chose poorly this time, but I cannot fault him for it, because I don't know what the correct answer is. I just hope they can make up. They need each other more than they realize. How much respect do you have to have for someone to learn Russian just for them? Just for one person? That is so much work. And she left her home to be his right hand in a foreign land. She could have had so much influence in Russia, but she gave that up, and she did it for him.>"


    Spoiler: Takeo
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    The fireflies are coming into season. Tiny blue swirling dots, until you reach past it and begin walking once more. You're heavier than usual. It's going to be a long road before you're reunited with yourself.


    Spoiler: Aoba
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    Your cybersecurity team reports that Jacob's phone has received new account information. He now has access to their projects hub. Your team will be working on getting their own elevated credentials now. Additionally, the hacker that infiltrated the email server has found a link to another server. He's slowly compromising as much as he can, in order to lock everything down when the day arrives.

    The investigation into the families of the Sins taken by GoL - at least the ones Ren could name - has revealed a depressing but expected pattern. Ren Tanaka's entire immediate family was killed in a house fire. Genta Daiju's family was in a vehicle when it got T-boned by a loaded dump truck. Rebecca Woodward's family was killed in a home invasion. Jesus Martinez's family got caught in cartel crossfire. Hard to say how many people were killed, with only four Sins to go off of, but with an average household size of three, you're looking at fifty deaths, just for that research group. No telling how many other Sin groups there are in the facility.
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  22. - Top - End - #292
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    The new...feelings? Experiences? Premonitions?...were interesting, and Takeo makes a mental note to discuss them when he gets the chance. The new arrival, though, takes up his immediate interest for the day.

    Her odd looks don't bother Takeo as much as the smell, and when he notices it his gaze starts flickering between Ren and Ryall - was there a connection there? Ryall didn't seem to have the same issues as Ren evidently did, but...this bore further investigation.

    Takeo takes the first opportunity he gets to approach Ren, offering his hand. "Hello, Ren. I'm Takeo, it's good to meet you." He pauses for a moment, considering how to continue. Probably best to avoid the big questions for now. "So...do you have any questions about living here, or did they tell you everything you need to know?"

  23. - Top - End - #293
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Spoiler: Takeo
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    When she shakes your hand, there's nothing immediately off about the sensation. Her hand feels like you would expect under the plugsuit. You notice a mild translucency to her when you focus on her face.

    -----

    A river of blood flows.

    The haunting pull of the spirit that resides within.

    A thin film of magic between you and oblivion.

    -----

    When it subsides, you realize you haven't lost any time in the slipstream. Touching her skin would quite possibly be the biggest mistake of your whole life.

    "I've been given the basics. It's nice to meet you, Takeo. What do you like to do?"
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  24. - Top - End - #294
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Unable to fully maintain decorum, Xiren beams at Kazuma's praise, however tepid it might actually be. "Thank you, Commander. It's... noble... that you wanted to protect us. I can't speak for the other pilots, but whatever innocence you're trying to protect I lost before I ever came here. I know I'll never be as good at fighting as Ryall, and I don't think I'm sure of myself enough to lead like Liza does. But this kind of thing... Understanding people. Manipulating them. I think I'm good at that. And I want to be useful to you. To the cause. So if there's another job like this, that only I can do, then please, Commander, I want to help."

  25. - Top - End - #295
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Well, it was good to know that they weren't lying about the dangerous aspect to Ren. With everything he already knows he's not being told, it's nice to be able to confirm something for once. This might be another one of those things he can't discuss, though. It was annoying how the people who wanted to talk to him about these things didn't know anything, and the ones who did know don't want to talk about it, so he was stuck piecing together insights where he could. He wasn't sure if Ren would lead him anywhere, or how far, but it was worth trying.

    "Oh, I do research and training, mostly. Looking into theology and symbology in the hope it might come in useful, and working with the people in the AT facility to push the extents of what I can do with it in the field. I'm not sure how much of it you'd find interesting, but I can go on if you are interested."

  26. - Top - End - #296
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Spoiler: Xiren
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    "I'm glad you liked your first taste of spy work. It's not my field of expertise, but that's why it's so important to be able to defer to others. I know that the more Bond-like a spy becomes, the less useful they are. Not in terms of gadgets, mind you - spies often make use of resources that won't be available to the public for decades, if ever. I meant in attitude and performance. You're in a unique position, in the sense that you're very much a public person, but with well hidden skills in certain areas. As long as you don't get too bold, you can be certain that I won't forget what you're capable of."

    He sits down with a heavy sigh.

    "I assume you've met Ms. Tanaka by now? One of their experiments. They killed quite a few people to achieve her horrific mutations. She's been turned into a weapon upgrade. One that's so dangerous to use, Ms. Nijima classified it directly below a nuke."

    Kazuma shakes his head.

    "We're better than this. It's absolutely foul what some people are willing to do. I... I'm sorry. I'm wasting your time at this point. Thank you for your report."


    Spoiler: Takeo
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    Ren seems to perk up significantly at this.

    "I'm interested. I don't really know much about AT fields. My information just comes from what I've picked up listening to scientists, since I've never had any formal training. I know I'm less dangerous to other Sins than I am to everyone else. Ms. Nijima's team is studying my angelic field to help further the field of shielding civilians. That's pretty exciting to me."

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  27. - Top - End - #297
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Syless's Avatar

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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Aoba clenches her fist. How far are they willing to go to hide their atrocities...? She's continuing to rethink her limited approach. Destroying GoL outright seems increasingly tempting as a proportional response. At the very least, anyone who knew about this project needs to be imprisoned. She starts to push for that- finding out who has access to any servers they're aware are related to this atrocity. And... she needs to tell Ren. But she's just getting to know the pilots. Aoba... will save that for later.

    She turns her attention to the greater global effort next. She sends an email to Kazuma. <When convenient, I'd like permission to contact the other global Babylon branches and set up a conference call with my counterparts to discuss command situations and come to a global standard, in light of recent accomplishments and... failures.>
    Avatar by SeraphicMayin

  28. - Top - End - #298
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Her being interested makes this easier. Probably. Takeo still didn't really know where this was going exactly, but if nothing else it was a nice enough conversation.

    "Oh, really? That's interesting. The way us Sins interact with AT is a little weird, from what I know - which seems to be less than what is known by others, but such is life when you're deemed to not need to know. For one thing, we have some level of ability to...sense the supernatural, I suppose you could call it. On the basic level, there's this ozone smell to angels that Sins have reported smelling before, but I've been working on it, and there's more than that. All the Sins have different smells, which are in some way linked to their sin, although it can be quite vague. That's one of the things I've been working with the AT researchers on, as well as these...premonitions, I suppose they should be called. I still don't know what they mean. I actually just had one when I touched your hand, but it didn't do much but confirm what they said about you. Between that and your smell - you smell like an angel - I'm curious. Can you tell me how you ended up like this, or would you rather not tell me? I'd understand if you don't want to go into it, or if you've been ordered not to. I'm just curious, because so far you're quite unique to me."

  29. - Top - End - #299
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    Spoiler: Aoba
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    Spoiler: GoL
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    This time, it's only a few hours before the cybersecurity guys get back to you. The email server might have gotten them as far as it can, but the project hub server has a lot of interesting information. The AT Drive makes use of what they're calling a "synthetic core" - an attempt to recreate the Virtue cores. They posit that currently, only Babylon can build fully working Virtues - GoL can only make the shell, then send it off to have a core placed.

    Creating a proper core requires [REDACTED], which is unavailable to us. Thus, the only course of action is to utilize the underlying angelic properties of Sins.
    The redacted information does not appear on this server.


    Spoiler: Kazuma
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    "Do it. I need to get in contact with the Russian commander before he does something we all regret. I can tell you the likely conclusion beforehand, though: I will need to handle training in person as a show of good faith. You will be in charge during this time, as the Japanese government would never agree to letting a foreigner take control of Babylon Japan, even temporarily."



    Spoiler: Takeo
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    Ren smiles, but it takes her a moment to reply.

    "That is quite interesting. The reason I smell like an angel is most likely that I was created in a lab. Well, my current form, I guess I should say. I'm not a test tube baby. It's my understanding that this result was very much the intent. It's possible for another Sin to synchronize with me, but it is very traumatic for them. It's not so bad for me."

    Her eyes don't quite sell the smile.
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  30. - Top - End - #300
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: 7 Sins IC

    As Takeo thinks this over, a past conversation with Ryall comes to mind. Guns of Liberty made an AT related weapon for her, one that Babylon's engineers realised was dangerous, and that might have involved another being...

    "I see. Did...are Guns of Liberty responsible for this? Did someone do this thinking that they were...helping us? If so, I'm sorry for everything you've gone through."

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