2757/Dischordant Waves

Dischordant Waves
Date of Scene:	07 August 2015
Location:	Bar and Grill at the Edge of the Multiverse
Synopsis:	Zuihou calls Lute out for a meeting, perspectives are shared
Cast of Characters:	188, 637

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Lute (188) has posed:
     It's a quiet night at the Bar and Grill. Most of the patrons are on the path home for the night. In one corner, sitting at a table with his back to the wall, is Lute. He's in his current normal outfit: Labcoat, and blue jeans. No shirt. He's reluctant about this. This whole thing just screams bad news. But. This is the Bar and Grill. Fighting isn't allowed here. What /could/ a Fleet Daughter possibly pull?

     He idly sips at his drink. He's decided to avoid anything alcoholic, because he wants his mind somewhat clear for this. Instead, he's drinking a simple soda, wiht a straw in it. His eyes lock onto the entrance, though. Waiting. It shouldn't be long, now.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Of course violence is the furthest thing from Zuihou's mind, and so Lute's choice of the Bar & Grill only made her mission easier. The door opens to reveal a sandy beach at night, with a full moon overhead. In steps the red-clad girl, equipped with her fitting and flight deck. No sooner has she taken two steps into the Bar that this equipment disappears in sparkles of silver light.

    Raising a now-empty hand, Zuihou shades her eyes unnecessarily while craning up, skimming the bar's occupants. Sighting who she's looking for, it's not long at all before the girl seats herself opposite of Lute and folds her hands primly on the table, a big smile on her face, "Hello!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Normally, Lute would get up and pull the seat out. Today, he isn't. It is, of course, less meaningful with Zuihou being unlikely to know all of his little habits. But still, his stance gives hints to his demeanor. He looks entirely on edge, and no smile is upon his face.

     He speaks, somewhat uncertainly. Obviously a bit nervous. "...Hello. So. You really didn't tell me /why/ you want to meet me, but... Yeah. Let's get to the point."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Yup!" Zuihou dips her head briefly, "It's no secret in the Fleet that you're against us. And I think Isuzu made a mistake by ambushing you like we did back then." Unfolding her hands, she gestures, "But I think we were asking the right questions, that day. And understanding each other a bit better might make things better!"

    Hands folding together again, Zuihou adds, "We might be enemies, but that's no reason to hate each other, right? I feel the same way towards the flagship Wo class, I even gave her a precious gift recently."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute shifts a bit, leaning back in his chair. He's silent as he listens, his arms crossed in front of him. A slight pause. Friends with Wo. That phrase troubles him.

     "...I'm not sure there /is/ any middle ground here, or a place where we can understand eachother. The viewpoints are just... /too/ fundamentally different. And..."

     There is a slight pause. He leans forward, his elbows placed on the table. His hands clasped in front of his face. "...The friendship with Wo bugs me. I'm not sure I can trust any of you to be friends with her, and I can't trust that none of you have alterior motives to this."

     "...What can you do to convince me this isn't some sort of trick, too?"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Zuihou unfolds her hands and stretches her arms out. Under the table, she kicks her feet a little, a few inches shy of touching the floor. Being a light aircraft carrier, she's a bit on the small side among the Fleet Daughters, after all. "Well~ I never was very good at tricks. I just wanted to get to know you better."

    The girl closes her eyes with a shrug, "But if you don't want to do that, than that's okay with me. But I'll happily answer any questions you had about me or my friends, anyway." Eyes opening, she raises her hands again, "So long as it's not military secrets, anyway! But if you wanted perspective, I'm not the sort who'd play tricks."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute is somewhat poor at reading people. He doesn't realize it. But. While some would be able to spot Zuihou's likely honesty, he just assumes she is, in fact, trying to trick him. But, he will play her game. Not that she is likely pulling anything.

     "...Well. Fine. I guess I'll start by asking questions. First off. What /did/ you give to Wo? And /how/ did you start connecting with Wo? ...Second, why /don't/ you girls want to be Abyssals anymore?" He already has answers in his head for these questions, but he wants to know what TERRIBLE LIES she might tell him. He's going to be a hard sell.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Zuihou lets out a little 'mm!' sound, "The first one is easy! I gave a precious memory back to her." The girl leans forward on her hands with another little sound, "She was at W Island when we attacked it, but didn't fight. After the Isolated Island Demon left and we captured the base, I found an airplane she had built." Eyes closing, she exclaims, "It was a cute little F4F Wildcat~! I wanted to keep it, I really like American airplanes, but I decided to give it back to her."

    Eyes opening again, "It's not what Abyssal carriers usually have. She built it from her memory, and for us.. Memories are all we have. They're very precious. I couldn't keep that from her, even if she's our enemy."

    Raising a hand, she gestures proudly to herself, "As for what we have in common, isn't it obvious? We're both aircraft carriers~!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute continues to listen, his eyes never leaving Zuihou. That... It at least gives him some idea. That is a form of connection. He moves to part his lips, but closes them again, thinking. He just nods a little.

     "...Okay. That makes sense. Carrier and Carrier. But... An airplane, from her own memory? ...I haven't heard Abyssals talk about their previous forms ever."

     A slight pause. "...And that /still/ doesn't answer my other question. Why not just all be Abyssals? They're a big, happy familly."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Mmhmm~!" Zuihou leans forward, "Most Abyssals don't talk about who they used to be... because they don't remember. That's why memories are so important to us." Her eyes close and she rests her chin on her hands, "I don't remember details... but I used to be a Nu class. All I remember feeling was hate..." Eyes opening, "..Until I started to remember who I was."

    Hands lowering she lets out a little sigh, "That's what it is, I think. Just like me, they were missing something precious. That's why I gave Wo her airplane back."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute's mouth hangs slightly open. That is troubling him to no end, right now. Aybssals don't remember. The Fleet Daughters do. Is that... Does that have to do with why Abyssals turn into Fleet Daughters? No one had told him the specific of how. A lot of subdued rage is on his face.

     "...So. Several things. First off. Abyssals are not /just/ hate. If you're friends with Wo, you should /know/ that. At a guess, when you turned, you simply forgot everything /but/ the hate. You forgot all of the good."

     "...Second. Are you trying to convert Wo into a Fleet Daughter? Can awakening her memories of her past life /do that/ to her?"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Oh, I know~!" Zuihou tosses up her hands, "Wo and her little destroyer friends taught me that they can be curious and silly and even want to have fun sometimes! Wo is very thoughtful and smart~!" Hands lowering, she leans forward in her seat again, "But~... I can still see it in her eyes. She knows it too, something is missing and she wants to find it. Even if she's not sure what it is-- I don't know what it is, either."

    Eyes closing again, she considers, "I probably did forget a lot of things, so you might be right, seeing Wo and her friends like that. I wouldn't want to break them apart."

    The girl folds her hands again, "I don't want to make Wo do anything she doesn't want to do, though. If she finds what she's missing and decides to stay as an Abyssal carrier, I don't care as long as she finds happiness~! And if that means she changes, what of it? If she can be at peace, does it matter if she's Abyssal or Kanmusu?"

    "I'm okay with Wo being Wo, so long as she's happy."

Lute (188) has posed:
     The rage is building in Lute. Anger, and confusion. He hates this situation for many reasons. Normally he'd enjoy time with a cute girl. Normally, he'd be glad to hear that Wo has friends, let alone that Zuihou is admitting that she /might/ have lost something.

     But now he is far too worried about Wo.

     He leans against the table, putting a lot of his weight on it. He buries his face in his hands, rubbng at it a bit. He needs to focus. Important points first.

     "...I want Wo happy. But. You have /just admitted/ to actively wanting Wo to find that which could make her a Fleet Daughter. Aaand, this /might/ be a surprise to you, but. Treason is /not/ something that people like. Even within the Union. And you know how the two forces have aligned."

     He lifts his head, his eyes glaring at Zuihou. "...I won't let you do anything to bring harm to Wo."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "I know~." Zuihou smiles brightly, "I think you're a good person, since you want to protect her and keep her safe." Eyes closing, the girl positively beams, "You'd make a good escort cruiser, keeping a carrier safe like that~!" She's not /intending/ to anger the man, but the singsong way she talks can't be helping if he feels she's somehow threatening his friend.

    "I don't want to hurt her at all, though," Zuihou admits, "Like I said, if she finds what she's looking for and decides to stay as an Abyssal, I don't mind!" Eyes opening again, she leans forward, her voice suddenly much more purposeful, "So my only question is~... Would you support her, even if she were to make a choice you didn't agree with?"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute looks down and away. This is a hard question. It wasn't that long ago when Juno had her own issues. He frowns, slightly. This situation is... It's not really good. He is actually a little mad at the happy tone. He finds this far too serious to treat it lightly.

     Still looking away, he speaks, "...There was a situation a bit back. I made a really close friend. And then she had to leave the Confederacy. It wasn't her choice. Shit happened. But even though it wasn't her fault, she was hunted and a bounty was put on her head."

     He looks towards Zuihou, frowning, "...This is different. It'd be more willing. But... I would do /everything/ I can to support her. I..." A pause. He looks away again. There is something he really wants to say, but.... "...I just hope that she remembers all of the friends in the Confederacy."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Zuihou leans forward across the table, reaching out to place her hands around one of Lute's, "You're a good friend. How could anyone forget about you after what you've done?" She retreats quickly enough with a little sigh, "I admit-- I know it can be scary, thinking you might lose a friend. But memories are all we have."

    Eyes closing, she smiles again. This time, a bit more sorrowful, "I think there's a bit more you need to know about what we are and what we represent. You should ask Wo sometime, she can explain it a bit more than I ever could-- My memories of my time in the Abyssal Navy are hazy at best."

    Raising her hands, she offers, "You might want to keep an open mind, though~. I know Isuzu and Kongou haven't exactly given you reason to trust us, but all they were trying to do was protect the ships they care about, too. The same as you."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute looks at Zuihou. He's trying to calm down. At the same time, he is keeping in mind that much of this could be lies. He's still leaning against the table. The ponders for a bit, finally finding words again.

     "...I want to believe you. I really do. But. Whenever a Fleet Daughter has talked to me about their time as an Abyssal, all they mention is the hate. I can't believe that she'll still care about me, or that she'll even be the same person."

     A sigh. "...But. I will talk to Wo. I will /try/ to believe you for now. I won't stop wanting to sink you all, though. Because I'm standing with the Abyssal Fleet. I've been fooled by women in the Union /far/ too many times to just trust you. And it's always worse when they're as cute as you."

     Pause.

     "...Did I say that out loud?"

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "I understand," Zuihou states with a nod, "I am your enemy, after all. I don't blame you for wanting to verify with people-- or ships!-- that you trust more." Looking down, she adds, "But.. I think our memories of our times in that fleet are different. For me, it was hate and anger. But it was probably different for Kongou or Hayashimo." With a more sullen smile, "And it's probably different for miss Wo, too. But until we know who she is, all I can do is guess."

    Zuihou scoots aside, then stands again, hands folding so she can bow a little, "Of course we're still enemies. But I hope I've given you a little insight~! You've certainly given me some!" Her smile grows more sincere again, "Next time we meet, if it's not neutral ground, than I'll have to show you my cute little airplanes~!"

    Did he say that out loud?

    "Nope~!" is the immediate response.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute sighs in relief that he didn't ctually say that aloud. But, for the first time, there is a slight smirk on his face. Fighting his enemy head on Something he can do. His eyes look up to her as she stands.

     "...Well. I'll talk to them more. And... Yeah. If we meet, I will /not/ hold back. I rarely do."

     He pauses. There is one more thing he wants to say, but he is uncertain. He might as well, he supposes.

     "...If you want to meet me again on neutral ground, let me know."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "I wouldn't expect anything less," Zuihou states with a smile, "Though~..." Looking upward, she taps her chin, "..Something I just remembered.. When I gave Wo her airplane back, she had a little breakdown and talked about torpedoes-- That she could still fight."

    Hand lowering, she squares her shoulders with her hands tucked behind her back, "She might have been scuttled. That might be important~!" The girl bobs briefly, "Until next time, though~! I might bring an escort next time, though."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute listens to these last words, just nodding. He suspected the model was connected to the freakout, but this at least confirms it. He just nods, listening.

     "...Yeah. See you next time." He has little else to say, but a lare amount to think on.