2010-06-20 - Pink Introduction

 Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "...Rachel?"

 Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha hesitates to answer at first, letting the line dangle for a few moments. Then, she draws in a breath. "... Soma..."

 Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: Soma Peries is silent for a few seconds as well before finally speaking again, "Are... are you busy right now? There's something we need to-- no, something I need to talk to you about."

 Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "I-- Y-you... y-yes."

 Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "Ah.. yes you're busy or yes you can talk?"

 Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha sounds as though she's walking off to somewhere more quiet. "N-No, go ahead."

 Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: Soma Peries sounds relieved. "Oh, good... Um. I don't suppose we could meet somewhere?" She pauses for a beat. "Somewhere neutral, so you don't have to worry."

 Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "... I-- I don't know. I would... I would have to talk to Cagalli and Tessa..."

 Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "Tessa was the one who told me I should talk to you."

 Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "You talked to Tessa?"

 Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "Yeah, I did. A few days ago..."

 Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "I see. Do you have a place in mind?"

 Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "N...not as such, no. If you're near any major cities or colonies, I can probably meet you there, though."

 Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "I can't say. But..."  Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "I've..."

 Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "You can tell me where you want to meet me?"

<Radio> Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "Y-Yes." <Radio> Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "... Soma, you're... speaking differently..."

<Radio> Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "I... yeah. I can explain but... it will be easier face to face."

<Radio> Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "... Yeah... I can understand that much..."

<Radio> Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "So... it's okay, then? If you tell me where, I can meet you..."

<Radio> Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "Somewhere remote. I'll-- I'll send you coordinates, somehow."

<Radio> Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "Okay then... I'll be waiting."

<Radio> Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "All right..." <Radio> Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "Soma?"

<Radio> Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: Soma Peries hesitates again before responding. "Ah... yes?"

<Radio> Tightbeam from Rachel Miu Athha says, "...I'm glad you're okay."

<Radio> Tightbeam to Rachel Miu Athha: You say, "I... yeah."

When Marie received the coordinates, she was a bit surprised. When she thought about it some more, though, it made sense. It was a... mostly neutral area, and as far as she knew, there weren't any foritifcations on either side of the China conflict nearby. It wasn't somewhere she could take a shuttle to, but that's what Mobile Suits were for.

A standard GN-X III flies through the Chinese skies. The GN lance is attached to the machine's back, rather than held in the hand, and both arms are spread out to the side and down. Just to be safe, a non-combat signal is being broadcast as it flies.

Once the GN-X III reaches the coordinates, Marie opens the cockpit and climbs down to the ground. She nervously loosens the collar of the pilot suit and begins to fidget, glancing around for any sign of the distinctive pink color that Rachel usually uses for her machines.

The whole time, she's been nervous. A little scared. A little terrified Tessa will tell her to stay, or strap her down in a chair unless the Colonel could come along. Even her clearance to leave the Tuatha de Danaan was questionable; the pink machine she took out last night in good enough condition to travel, but... if a fight broke out, the damage it sustained may make things a little bit rough.

In this remote location, there isn't so much as a satellite dish or a communications tower for at least a hundred miles, as untouched by war and strife as a place can be in these modern times. There's lush hills and greenery everywhere, and by god there's even a waterfall nearby to provide a muffled roar through the trees, a baffle against outgoing sounds.

After the GN-XIII lands, signals and all, another machine steps out from between trees. It's definately shorter than the MVF-M11C Murasame, lighter, more compact, but it damn well /looks/ like a machine that the mysterious Rachel Miu Athha would pilot.

Because it's goddamn pink.

Paint is scuffed and worn off on the knees, across the back if Soma cared to take a look. It looks like it was just put through the wringer, even if some of the armaments on it look brand new. The cockpit opens, restraints lifting, and from out of the machine climbs the Second Princess of the Orb Union.

Landing with a small grunt and pulling off her headgear, there's a bandage over her right eyebrow that can be spotted through her bangs. From the looks of her, the girl is a little tired and sore; stiffness in her joints as she moves and the way the Gernsback makes the body move.

The collar of her own flight suit doesn't give much, even if she were to tug on it; close fitting to her curves and with the extra layer of padding on the chest and back that some have referred to as the "armored push-up bra." The flight suit seems to match the M9, at least: Black, the stripes on the shoulder armor, thighs, and the stripe around the ankles at the top of the boots pink. On the right hip is the emblem of the Orb Union. On the left, the unfamiliar to most of the world and beyond-- but perhaps to Soma, after her time on the Danaan-- winged sword over the azure shield that identifies Mithril.

"Soma..."

When the M9 suddenly appears, Marie jumps several inches. Golden eyes blink several times rapidly as she stares at the machine... but the color alone is enough to tell her who the pilot most likely is. When the cockpit opens, her guess is confirmed.

A somewhat hesitant smile comes to her face as she walks toward the AS, waiting at a safe (and, she hopes, nonthreatening) distance until Rachel is on the ground. "Rachel..." That pilot suit looks a bit uncomfortable, but she doesn't want to bring it up. There are several other matters to attend to.

And to start, Marie takes a few steps forward to wrap her arms around Rachel in a hug. "Please... please don't be scared, or run away, or be angry, Rachel. Please..." Even though she's been making an effort to not broadcast anything mentally, at this distance, it probably isn't hard to feel that something is... different. "I have a confession to make."

Marie hesitates, then takes a step back, lightly biting down on her lower lip as she looks at her fellow Cyber-Newtype. "I... I'm not Soma Peries." She pauses, then, a worried look on her face. Will Rachel run? Will she freak out?

Recently, even she can't deny it-- she's made leaps and strides in the realm of of her emotional states, perhaps even striding toward the Newtype awakening that Amuro Ray was at first personally overseeing. Sadness still clings to her like her attire, but there's a brief streak of calm in there, relief. Maybe even a little bit of happiness. She has Tanith and Judau to blame for that, mostly. But who she was, who she is now-- she's never had a problem being able to feel out the mind and emotions of Soma Peries.

Now, she has a bit of trouble.

Drawing in a breath as she says she has a confession to make, her hand tilts upward a little bit while she looks not at a weapon, but a scanner linked to the sensor suite on the M9E Gernsback CIS-Type standing not all that far off behind her. No enemies in range, at least that she can pick up.

So. She's not going to suddenly have twenty robot ninjas spring out of nowhere and take her down. Instead, Rachel asks very simply, "Confession...?"

Rachel gets her answer in a moment after. The look on her face is dumbstruck; Soma is here, now, talking to her. It's the girl that she's known for over a solid year excluding the recent few months. It's her, but-- everything that she is, from her voice to the emotions filling the air between them...

Rachel draws in a breath and opens her mouth to speak. She isn't sure what to say.

"A preprogrammed personality? Then why are you still...?"

The hesitation passes. "Why are you still with the A-LAWS?"

No, there are no hidden robot ninjas. If they could be detected by a scanner, they wouldn't be very good ninjas, anyway, even if the scanner is from a Mithril AS.

At least she didn't panic. "Pre... no!" Marie lifts both hands in front of her, waving them slightly. "I'm not! I'm..." She pauses and takes a breath. "I'm... my name is Marie Parfacy. This is my body. I was... born, I guess you could say, like this." Sort of. "Soma was a replacement personality they made because I wasn't able to perform. I've been asleep for years until just recently."

She pauses again, then presses a hand to her heart... then to the side of her head. "Soma is still here. She's not gone. She's not dead." Marie feels the need to reassure Rachel of this especially. She can still remember the fears Soma had. "She's just... asleep right now."

That second question is a little harder, and Marie averts her gaze. "I... Louise. And Leo. They need me there. They... they took care of Soma, and they still care about me. I can't abandon them."

"That's what I mean. If Soma is..."

If Soma isn't real.

She can't say it. The words literally will not come out of her mouth, and her lips try to shape the words, but there's no sound. She can't deny that, because then she would, if Tessa's theory is correct, be denying part of her own self and the memories she has now.

Soma-- Marie-- isn't the only one that's averting her gaze. She's looking down to the ground now with a slightly lopsided frown, listening to the reasoning that the girl is providing her with. "I understand," she finally says. "I can understand, I think." It's still hard to look up, instead looking more at the Chinese girl's knees than her face. "You have something you need to protect, there, just... just like me."

Her mouth draws into a flat line. It hurts to ask this.

"How's Leo?"

That hesitation is enough for Marie to know what Rachel was going to ask. She shakes her head quickly. "Soma is real! She is... she's just..." How best to explain this? "She's artificial, and she wasn't born, but she's still a real person." Marie frowns slightly. That's not the best way to put it, but it does get the point across. And she won't let anyone think that Soma wasn't a person.

That wasn't the question she was expecting. It does hurt a little that Rachel won't look at her face, but she can't really blame the girl... "Leo is..." Marie pauses. "...his room's a mess." It's a weak attempt at humor, she knows, but hopefully it will soften what comes next a little bit. "He's... sometimes good. He worries about me.. but I don't think he believes that I'm not Soma. But some days..." Marie pauses again, shifting her weight. "He's sometimes good. Sometimes a little unstable."

There's some small part of her that smiles when she explains that Leo's room is a mess. There's even more of a pull inside her when she remembers the last time that she spoke with the Chinese girl-- that is, with Soma Peries, not Marie Parfacy. Hands shift the headgear from hand to both hands, and she brings her gaze up a little bit. Slowly, she makes it up to looking Soma in the eyes, one off-color pair to the other.

She starts taking steps, walking across the layer of grass on the ground to sit down on a rock, the protective headgear set off to the side. She's looking out over the horizon of the country, taking advantage of that view for just a few moments time.

"He hasn't been the same since Rei died," she says, as though she believes his explanation of events. Maybe she did die. Maybe not. Either way, that mysterious blue-haired girl is alive now.

"I talked to Latooni Subota a short while back, too. She knows what's going on, but... she told me she wouldn't say anything to anyone, at least... I hope she won't. I guess we had similar situations."

The emotions roll off of her shoulders. That sadness gains ground, a little more weight on her. "I wish things could go back to the way they were before, So... Marie. I wish we didn't have to fight each other. I wish Leo was happy." There's another pause. "If I go back, then I would probably lose all of this over again... and there's still so much I... I mean... I can't fix all the things I've done."

"I still go to sleep and hear three hundred people screaming as they die in my mind. I feel like if I go back, I'm giving up on any chance of ever..."

Rachel draws in a slow breath, then exhales.

"So you... can remember everything now? If you two have changed places... then what does that mean for me?" she asks, turning her head to look at Soma.

"No.. you're right, he hasn't." Marie shifts from foot to foot a few times before following Rachel over toward the rock. She doesn't st down, but she keeps close by, idly glancing off in the same direction.

"So Latooni knows... just about everything, then?" She frowns slightly. "I don't think she knows about me yet, but we haven't really talked. I don't doubt she'd figure it out pretty quickly." Another pause, as she glances back toward Rachel. "Please.. keep me a secret? Leo said they might want to take me back in to... experiment on me, or get rid of me, if they find out. I don't know what they'd do but... I'm afraid." Marie lifts both arms, hugging herself tightly for a moment.

And then Rachel mentions those three hundred people, and Marie crouches so she can lean over and hug the girl. "Rachel... I..." She's silent for a few moments, just holding Rachel... though she does eventually speak up again. "I don't have any place to say anything about that, but... but Cagalli forgave you, didn't she? You're different now."

When Marie finally lets go, she slowly nods. "I wasn't awake while Soma was, but I... I remember what she saw. I know her memories." With a slight tilt of her head, she gives Rachel a smile. "You were a good friend to Soma. She liked you, even if she didn't know how to say it. I know I'm not her, but... I'd also like to be your friend, if that's okay?"

Physical contact: Rachel Miu Athha's safety net.

"I won't say anything to anyone. But... if you're worried, you should probably talk to her. Latooni is... I think she's willing to help people like us," she says, without using the word 'Cyber-Newtype,' "I mean... if we want to leave, she's..."

Arms come around her shoulders. The padding on her shoulders shifts, and she leans back a bit into the embrace; Rachel's hand lifts up to rest over Soma's as her eyes close. "She... she forgave me, but I don't... I don't know if I could forgive myself. I don't know if anything I ever do to help Katharon, Orb, Tessa or Cagalli-- I don't know if any of it will matter, but..."

Rachel tilts her head forward. "I want to try."

Slipping off the rock and gathering the headgear again, Rachel turns her attention toward Marie, feeling a bit better than she did before. She even smiles, and... with Soma's memories, with all those thoughts she may still have, that's something that just didn't happen before. "That... that sounds good."

Pulling on her headgear, Rachel secures the chin strap and glances back at the M9. "Listen, I... if I'm gone too long, they're going to come after me. If you need me for anything, anything at all, just... just let me know. Or Tessa, but... just..."

Her hand extends toward Marie, fingers fanned out. She's looking for a moment of contact as she stands at arm's length. "Just... reach out. I'll be there."

Should Marie take that hand or not, she'll hold on for a few moments before returning to the Gernsback, before climbing inside, and before slipping back into the trees to disappear.

Inside the M9, Rachel is crying just a little bit.

"I'll... think about it. But I'm scared." Marie closes her eyes for a moment. She hasn't had much contact with Latooni... but she does remember the time Soma spent with Latooni and Ruri. Latooni was a friend. She wouldn't betray her... right? And if Rachel trusts her, then it must be safe. But still... it's frightening, giving the fate of her very existence into someone else's hands.

That sounds good. Marie smiles, despite her worries. "I'm glad." That's another person who has accepted her, even if Rachel still doesn't know all the details. It's a small list, but it's growing.

"I... yeah. I shouldn't keep you." She looks sad for a moment, but when that arm is extended, Marie wastes no time in reaching out to lace her fingers with Rachel's. For reasons different from Rachel's, Marie also craves physical contact, and being able to just hold hands with someone who she can consider a friend is something that soothes away her worries. "I'll be sure to let you know if I do."

She doesn't want to let go. She really doesn't. But when she feels the hand start to pull back, Marie reluctantly does the same. "Rachel..." Her other hand comes up, fingers curling slightly, and rests over her heart. "Thank you." Until the M9 vanishes, Marie just watches it... and then she finally turns back to her GN-X III. There was a lot to think about.