01 ; Voice

[hopelessdream]

[ Nabuca feels pretty awful, but he doesn't want to complain about it. Nabuca hasn't complained about anything since he was nine. He also hasn't been sick since he was nine, so he's mostly just holding up to himself, right now, as he has for a while.

There's only so much self-isolation he can take, though, so the 14 year old decides to pipe up. ]

Those of you in military... how have you adapted to losing all the responsibility you had? To go from having so much to do to... basically nothing. Nothing by comparison. I can't help but feel lost, all on my own.

Comments

voice

[agelostdoll]

Military, huh?

Same here; feel like talking in person?

voice

[hopelessdream]

Um... sure, I guess so.

voice

[agelostdoll]

I'll be outside the apartment block; kid with the eyepatch.

voice

[hopelessdream]

Alright... [ This is really strange to him. People are never so straight forward about things, but he'll go out of curiosity. Maybe he should have found new clothes before he agreed to go talk to people face to face again. ]

voice -> action

[agelostdoll]

[ahaha, don't worry; Asuka's standards are loooow.

As promised, she can be found outside the apartments; a 'fourteen' year old girl dressed almost entirely in red save for a blue cloth tied around her arm. She's keeping an eye on the comings and goings but obviously doesn't know what to look for from a voice post alone.]

action

[hopelessdream]

[ Nabuca still doesn't know how to talk to girls. Girls didn't become soldiers. In Hellywood, women that weren't Abelia had other... purposes. Ones he didn't want to think about. He keeps his back straight as he walks out of the building and starts to look around for someone with an eyepatch.

He's dirty-looking in his still blood-stained sandy uniform. He hasn't bathed much while he's been here - he still can't get used to believing in an abundance of water. Too much washing seems absolutely wasteful and dangerous. He doesn't care too much about smelling. It's impossible not to in the desert where he's from, anyway. At least his hair is brushed.

She stands out, though, in all red and he approaches slowly. His mouth is tight and his greeting is careful. ]

Hello.

[agelostdoll]

Hey. [personally she thinks the uniform is a good sign. WILLE never really got a chance to make one; they just made do with a blue cloth around their arm.

Since the boy is going the formal route, she holds herself professionally as well, offering a hand to shake.]

Asuka Langley Shikinami. I was a Captain in the European Air Force. I'm sorry for the call-out; I just don't trust the network not to be monitored.

I'm looking to get people together to see if we can't investigate or break out of this mess. Interested?

[hopelessdream]

[ He looks at her hand a moment before he shakes it once, firmly, before resting his hands at his side again. ]

Nabuca. I lead one of the squads of the children's division in Hellywood, under King Hamdo. [ That feels like a lie, now. He DID betray that title completely just before arriving here, but it's not like he resigned. ]

It's fine. I understand the precautions. We don't have communications this advanced at home, so it feels strange to speak through them, anyway.

... I would be willing to help. [ It's not like he has anything to lose. ]

[agelostdoll]

[...an actual child soldier. Shit. 'Children's Division's and Kings... wherever he's from it doesn't sound good.]

...To be clear; we'd be looking for a way to get home. If you want to stay, that's fine; you wouldn't be the only one.

[hopelessdream]

I understand that. It doesn't make a difference to me, if I'm here or at home. If I play a part in this, at least I won't be spending my time being idle.

My only condition is... [ He looks away from her. ] I don't... think I would be willing to kill anyone for you, unless it was necessary. I don't want to do it anymore.

[agelostdoll]

...I can't promise anything. Myself and a few others are in a situation where not being where we came from puts considerable lives at risk. Still, I'd prefer not to ruin it for anyone who wanted to stay behind. You could even help out and then stay here if you wanted.

[hopelessdream]

... I guess that's still fine. I don't know what I'd do. I can't really go back, though, but at the same time, there's nothing for me here, either.

[ It's not like a person like him being anywhere makes much of a difference. It was like Boo said, he can't live with what he's done. He should have listened to Boo more often. He was always right and Nabuca's stubbornness was always in the way. ]

[agelostdoll]

I don't mean to presume, but from the sound of things, there's a chance of a better life.

[hopelessdream]

I don't think I deserve a better life. I've done every terrible thing you could ever think of because of a lie I've been fed for years... Everything I've ever been ordered, I've done and convinced the other kids to do, too. That's why I'm alright with helping you. At least I'll be helping people, this time.

[agelostdoll]

[Asuka sighs]

I've done the same. When I was your age... the organisation I fought for was supposed to be protecting everyone, but in the end it was just one big stab in the back. I've killed, I've ordered people to their deaths.

I won't offer forgiveness or redemption, but I'm here to talk if you need it. I should mention... I'm actually 28. I've been there. Trust me, just because you're lost now doesn't mean you can't find a place.

[hopelessdream]

[ He clutches the fabric at his hips with his hands. He doesn't know if meeting someone in his position makes him feel better or worse. He doesn't want anyone to be in his position, ever. He doesn't want to be around people that feel this guilt, but he hasn't ever had anyone to share it with. It's not like a kid makes friends in Hellywood. Boo was too young to share with and Tabool too far gone. And, anyways, he always had to be a rock. So, what now? What does he do? He grits his teeth a moment before he speaks, deciding not to question her about her age. It's a moot point to him. ]

I just feel like the floor's fallen out from under me. I can't justify any of it anymore. I guess there was no justification for it to begin with.

I shouldn't talk about it, though, probably. I don't want to bother you with it. What would you need me to do? I've done reconnaissance before, if that's what you need.

[agelostdoll]

Reconnaissance is the most of it right now; it's pretty obvious we're being lied to [or it is from Asuka's perspective] - it's about figuring out how much, where and why.

Right now, there have been a number of disappearances amongst the people they've brought here, and the official explanation's full of holes. For now, we're trying to figure out where they went.

If you're looking to find your feet; I promise I won't ask too much of you. We live, and we keep walking on. That's how it goes.

[hopelessdream]

I'm not surprised about that.

Are there any theories about what might be happening to them, or is there just no information so far?

... Right... Understood.

[agelostdoll]

No information that's trustworthy. Most of it depends on the draining effect in the restricted districts. If that's under the local's control, the missing people could be anywhere. If it's not, they'd have to be held somewhere in this area.

[hopelessdream]

I see. So we need to determine that first, then figure out what to do about the missing people from there. How sure are people that they're still in this world?

[agelostdoll]

It's what makes the most sense. This entire situation's an energy collection op, right? Sending people back-and-forth across dimensions costs them energy, so it's not in their interests.

The official explanation is some bull about 'extremely rapid onset' withdrawal systems that meant they had to send them back, but they all disappeared at the same time, none of them got word out to anyone about it and frankly, if it was that rapid I'd doubt their ability to pull off that kind of response time.

Whether they're alive or dead is harder to say.

[hopelessdream]

So we might not be able to do anything for them, but we might be able to prevent more events from happening.

[agelostdoll]

...Well, at the very least, we should be able to get some actual answers.

[hopelessdream]

That's better than nothing, I guess.