Scene #5098: Nobody's Goddess-2

Owner	Pose
Kutsuuko Shiratori	This time, people have to take the ride. It's well known by now that, for some reason or another, Aragami love warpgates, and any of them within a considerable range of one being activated will beeline towards it. The good people of Nemos Diana, predictably, want nothing to do with that, even if it /seems/ like no Aragami go anywhere near them anyways. This means that people are left to travel long distance from the exterior staging grounds of the Far East Branch of Fenrir. Doing this over land is extremely ill-advised. By air, marginally less so, as safe routes are few, and change often. Aerial Aragami are supposedly more likely to attack the faster and more complex an aircraft is, and so the only really safe transport Fenrir can guarantee is a kind of advanced model Chinook helicopter, plated in what they're calling anti-Aragami armour. Not because it would actually shield against them, mind. It's material treated to be as unremarkable and unappetizing as possible, reducing the chance anything will bother. Just to be safe, one especially notorious God Eater is on board as well; that being Kutsuuko Shiratori, Captain of Cradle Unit. The entire trip paints a dismal picture of the landscape, clearly called 'Former' Japan for a reason. Instead of being some kind of radioactive wasteland, crater-riddled desert, or abandoned, overgrown disaster zone, what passes for scenery is far more surreal. It's as if someone had taken a giant eraser to the map and rubbed parts of it out all over. Massive, perfectly spherical holes, coat the flatlands, poke through mountains, and leave the shore covered into thousands of barren, circular lagoons. Anything green, and almost everything liquid, has disappeared as if by magic, and few signs of civilization are mostly half-buried swiss cheese, where everything actually useful, such as vehicles and electrical systems, has been wiped out, leaving only depressing shells of buildings behind. There aren't even any signs of death or battle anywhere, though even if nukes were dropped, it'd be hard to pick out. Thus, it's not hard to see why this settlement is so special either. A steep gradient down into a kind of shield volcano caldera (that shouldn't be there) leads to a huge mass of fog from the air, which obscures a green forest below. It's cold, sparse, silent, and it feels unnatural and unforgiving to be around, rather than being pleasant and full of life, but it's /trees/ and /grass/. The aircraft touches down well on the edge of the area, as the 'city council' (seriously? in this day and age?) of Nemos Diana has made their enmity with Fenrir very clear. The settlement itself is equally odd. There is a giant, bleak, armoured wall present, yes. Above it though, is only a giant, gleaming dome of beautiful glass, like a metropolitan greenhouse or arts center. There are actually signs of habitation outside too; little houses, cottages, and ramshackle huts, as well as parked vehicles, though much of it is signs of some paramilitary presence. The entry gate is heavily fortified, but has a pleasant little visitor's kiosk, with a neat and tidy young gentleman with blonde hair and a rustic sweater vest reading from a tablet; same as before.
Yang Xiao Long	Yang is onboard! Well, she kinda has to be since trying to get from the Branch to the caldera on Bumblebee would be harrowing, hazardous and take an absolute /age/. So here is the blonde, leaning just inside of one of the side doors, arms crossed under her chest as she looks out at the wasteland below. "I'll never get used to that... probably wouldn't want to either." she muses to herself.
Rebecca Chambers	Locked and loaded and ready to rumble, that's Rebecca for you. She loads a clip into her custom made Magnum, making sure she still has plenty of extras on hand. And if that runs out of ammo, her Beretta will most likely suffice. Hopefully, though, things won't get too violent, but a S.T.A.R.S. member can never be too sure. For now, Rebecca looks down at the wasteland and sighs. The overall sight is so gloomy, it reminds her of Raccoon City.
No. 9	You want to know what one of the most annoying sounds ever is? The mass consumption of skittles. There's a scaly quality to the sound, like ancient dry slithery things whispering underground. A certain slippery skitteriness, reminiscent of dermal plate sliding against one another. Scrp, scrp, skttrskttr scrp. And then the saliva gets involved and it's just an auditory horror show, growing mercifully quieter until one more shovelfull of sugar is poured into the mouth once more, and the motherfucker has a full sized bag of the stuff, like one of those three pound monsters. At least it makes him smell fruity instead of, yannow, GOLEM. Hulking, ugly, troglodytic and crude, the mutated ANMC cyborg hogging one of the windows hunches a little but further, blasting the area with a sugary and artificial fruit smell as he sighs, scanning the somewhat eerie landscape with a slow and unreadable gaze, his leathery, lined and scarred face drawn into a terse, faraway expression. Nine is not known for being... smart. Proper. Reserved. He isn't overconfident, he's just insane, but there's something about this place, these things, all that he's interacted with that gets the Golem quiet and cold inside. He remembers. All the things, he remembers, and in his fruit flavored silence that face, those eyes, they tell a silent story all their own, of memories and a monstrous hulk who doesn't get shaken easily who is more than a little shaken right now. Should Kutsuuko draw close, there would be a small movement and a skitter of sound; the bag being tilted sideways, offered silently to the former ally as his eyes stared down into that odd, strange landscape.
Dorian Pavus	Aircrafts are a little better for Dorian than ships on the water. They don't rock as much, so it doesn't quite make him feel like his stomach is trying to crawl out his throat. Of course there's the whole 'how does this bloody thing stay in the air' feeling adding a certain tension to the whole ride. So if there's anything to hang onto, even if it's the sides of his seat, Dorian's very likely got a deathgrip on it for the whole trip. He's in his typical outfit, the light-colored leather armor with the white cloak over it, and his serpent-dragon headed staff is leaned against the wall somewhere near him. He's been trying not to look out the windows, because he doesn't want to consider just how high in the air they are. And he really doesn't like the idea of being inside an inexplicably flying tin can when there are beasts out here that would make a dragon from his world look like an overgrown lizard. Canned Altus is most definitely not how he wants his life to end.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna could probably have made her own way from Fenrir's Far East Branch to Nemos Diana, but with the helicopter easily having enough room for the whole group, she didn't need to. Why travel more-or-less solo when you can ride with friends and allies? That said, it wasn't quite as sociable a ride as it could have been - not that Yuna had a problem with whose company she was in; Kutsuuko, Yang, and Rebecca are friends of hers, and while Nine can still be a little disconcerting to be around, Yuna's been around him often enough to accept his presence with a friendly smile and a cordial greeting. The way No. 9 is hitting the Skittles en route makes her wonder if she should bring chocolate or something for him next time. Not that it would sound much different, but hey, chocolate. Three more girls have been riding along with Yuna; some people might recognize them as the human-disguised forms of Jiina, Marina, and Erina, three-fourths of the 'Matrix of Light' who support Yuna's efforts in battle. This isn't supposed to be a combat mission after all, but if the Aragami DO show up for some reason, their presence will ensure that Yuna can fight at full power. And of course, the little robo-faerie Elner is flitting around as well, normally sticking close to Yuna. And Yuna herself is in her Light Suit, at least until they approach the civilian settlement proper. If any Aragami mistake the helicopter for an airborne 'meals on wheels,' Kutsuuko won't be the only one discouraging munchies. Short of that, though? Yuna isn't really taking in the desolate view outside; if she's not chatting with somebody, she's leaning against a bulkhead, humming or quietly singing. Not loud enough to distract anyone over the rotors, but if anyone WANTS to listen to her, she's not chasing away her audience.
Kutsuuko Shiratori	It's been a very, very long time since Kutsuuko had seen Nine, specifically. Last time had been when they had both been part of the Confederacy, and that had had changed long before the whole reality quake thing. Despite his big, ugly, obliviously inappropriate self, Kutsuuko had taken immediately to a little bit of hanging out and catching up, petering off once into the ride. Scarlet Symphony is as it ever was, folded up for storage in the massive, cherry red docking clamp that eats up a good bit of the helo's cabin, towards the rear. Most of what's changed is three years of maturity, and the snazzy new white jacket. The asymmetrical glove has not, but those memories are old enough from her perspective that she has no issues eating the odd handful of skittles with her left hand. Otherwise, she mostly takes the ride laid back, one leg over the other, fingers laced behind her head, watching the scenery with abject boredom. She lives here, after all. Always has. "You know, I'm hoping that, one day, nobody will have to get used to it at all." she comments offhandedly to Yang as the helicopter sets down. The cabin is remarkably well insulated from the noise of the rotor, or perhaps the engine is just very quiet. It'd make sense to design it that way. "It makes me interested in how these guys got all this green to stay here. It's not perfect . . ." Kutsuuko wobbles her flattened hand. "But it's a big step." Finally, she stands up, slim boots clacking on the deck plating as she meanders over to her God Arc. "Anyways, you know they're not going to let me inside, so I'll be holding things back here. We confirmed the report from Lenka and Yuko of Blood Unit that these people have Fenrir technology. That can only be built from Aragami biomass, and the only realistic way they could be harvesting it, is with the cooperation of a God Eater, or outright stealing it somehow, despite how much they might reject Fenrir. I don't need to tell you why that's suspicious, right? If things go FUBAR, just give me a call, and I'll drop fire support on the problem."
Yang Xiao Long	"Yeah." replies Yang over to Kutsuuko. "It's kinda like I'd love a see a day when there's no Grimm on Remnant... but it probably won't be in my lifetime." she shrugs, and hops out of the coptor once it touches down. She gives a meaningful glance over at Yuna, before heading over to group up with the others.
Rebecca Chambers	As soon as the helicopter touches down, Rebecca jumps out quickly and double-checks her Magnum to make sure that it's fully loaded and the safety is disabled, before going to group up with the others. As she gets a closer look at the scenery again, her mind becomes a bit grim again, but then she shakes her head as if to get the thoughts out of brain. "You've got a mission to focus on, Becky! Stick with it!"
Dorian Pavus	Dorian listens to Kutsuuko, and nods. "I'll try and defuse any people problems with my charm. I have plenty of it to spare," he assures her, with a smile. However, he is only too happy when the chopper lands, and gets out as soon as humanly possible. It's not the company, really. He's just not fond of heights. Once they land and he's out of the chopper, he straightens his cloak first, and then reaches up to check his hair's still in order. Yes, he totally is fixing his hair. One of his many vices is his vanity, after all. But at least he's almost always well put-together. He doesn't comment on any of the world-specific things that are being talked about. For once he listens. Because he's very much a newcomer to this world's issues. He might be an arrogant ass, but he also knows when he doesn't know enough to be making assumptions. Of course, he's also a pessimist, so as they approach he's going to be looking for the grass to start trying to eat them or something.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna stands up straight as the helicopter touches down, and nods briefly to Elner; the robo-faerie flits out through the nearer open door, doing a quick sweep of the area, checking the trees to confirm the lack of Oracle Cells from last time and doing a limited long-range sweep. Yuna steps out of the helicopter behind Yang and Rebecca, taking a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the forest, and as Elner returns from that brief look-around, Yuna starts walking towards the independent settlement that they found last time they visited this volcano. Elner's not simply flitting along; the little robo-faerie continues to scan and analyze, compiling and collating data along the way. Elner still doesn't have that much information on how Oracle Cells work, outside of what intel Fenrir has seen fit to share, but if this volcano is actually safe from the Aragami, it's a mystery that Yuna wants solved - and Elner is better-suited to try and crack the secrets than Yuna herself is. As for Jiina, Erina, and Marina? They're staying around the helicopter; if nothing else, they can keep watch in other directions so Kutsuuko doesn't have to watch every direction at once, and if Yuna needs backup in a hurry, they'll be able to fly out and reach her faster than Yuna could return to the chopper on foot. (Or Elner can teleport them.)
No. 9	Yuna gets offered Skittles. FRUIT, FROOT, EVERYONE HAVE FROOT. Let's work towards diabetes together everyone, we can make it happen with work and dedication. Now Nine isn't entirely sure if Yuna can eat or her preferences, knowing his bro Taro and how his tastes run, but it never hurts to offer, right? Unless it did. He might be being rude. He doesn't withdraw but he does look hella awkward for a moment. As for Kutsuuko? She might not've been Fed anymore but it's never Nine who breaks off the friendship in such things. Barring horrid and spectacular betrayal (and sometimes even then) he respects people's personal and situational choices, and whoever she is, Kutsuuko is still someone Number Nine measures as someone who's cool in his book. He's not sure she regards him as a friend, so it would be presumptuous for him to think of himself as one, but he thinks of himself as one, because he's a presumptuous jackass, and oblivious as a microwaved brick. So catching up, check. Brooding silence? Check. Shared skittles? Check and check. As they set down and Kutsuuko is going on about the situation here, he admits he's hella confused himself. Imean, all this grass and greenery, and scrubs who don't know how good they got it. Pffh. As Suuko rolls out he in turn hits the ground with a heavy thud, snorting (fruit flavored) air out heavily through his nostrils.
Kutsuuko Shiratori	There isn't a whole lot that has changed since before. The area looks only superficially different, mostly in a load of crates and pallets being set out by the gate and changed off in some kind of loading procedure. It seems the place isn't a totally self-sufficient arcology, but then by this point, neither is Fenrir, in all but the most basic respects. In the first place, they have to be going off to hunt for resources elsewhere if they have jeeps, and besides, there's already something up with what they're making their walls out of. The rest is a sort of military escort guarding a parked and refuelling convoy, helping exchange the supplies. Unlike Fenrir's military forces, consisting of faceless military police in light powered suits, or mostly teenaged super soldiers with armlets and zero dress code, these guys look like an actual, recognizable corps. Tactical vests, various models of rifles, light vehicle guns, carry webbing, hard cases, canteens and GPS units; that sort of thing. They're a very mixed bag, but some of them are sporting actually recognizable memorabilia; touches here and there from the green berets, SAS, and the like, which are surely ancient history by now. It's a bit of a disorganized mess, which makes one wonder why they were called in on a shipment day, of all days, but a relatively unthreatening one; more like a busy wharf than much else, despite some of the steely-eyed gazes people get from the men actually on-duty. Mister sweater vest seems only marginally more pleased to meet a few of the same faces as before, but is significantly more polite, informing them of their appointment, and directing them to the central administrative office, wherever that is, before they are allowed in through the smaller sub-gates to the side of the main ones, only big enough for people, rather than trucks (it might be a stretch for Nine, should be brave the twitchy fingers and misgiving looks before the tiny doorframe). It doesn't look like anyone will get lost, though. Inside the dome is remarkably similar to the Far East Branch, albeit at a far smaller, friendlier scale. The wall around everything is tall, imposing, and circular, with lengthy struts bridging it to a ring of taller, fortified buildings nearer the center, which keeps a system of pipes, cables, and weird, glowing tubes well off the ground. The outer areas are clearly civilian in usage, but instead of the giant, sprawling, ramshackle ghetto that had sprung up around Fenrir's Japanese arcology, the habitation space looks intentional. Still low-income, mind, but cozy, decently organized, and populated with actual greenery, like an extremely rural Mediterranean town, rather than a cheerful slum.
Kutsuuko Shiratori	The mix is odd, with brick and mortar and fabric contrasting against steel, glass, and ceramics, where blocks sharply break up into 'where people live' and 'where the engineers installed solar arrays, water towers, and radar stations', looking like a fairy tale village grew up like junipers under the skeleton of a Fenrir base. It's not unpleasant though. The sun is bright, the air feels fresh (though it is undoubtedly recycled), and people walk the extremely cramped 'streets' without fear. The crossed arrows symbol is frequently visible, but not ubiquitously stamped on everything like Fenrir's logo. The food people eat isn't packaged in visible reminders of which corporation is providing for all of their basic needs. The central administrative building can only possibly be the one that serves as a kind of central support to the dome; a needle tower beneath its highest point, with a circular observation deck near the top, before it becomes purely support structure for the glass roof. It is surrounded by a small section of something like an 'inner city', where all the buildings are made to modern standard, which means they are most likely factories or hydroponics facilities. There are actually a number of elevator cars that go towards it on long, curved lines; impromptu, but certainly fast, as if being able to get to the inner city quickly was a vital consideration. People walking around give them plenty of stares, but nothing excessively untoward. After all, none of /them/ knows that they're here on Fenrir's behalf. They're just some weirdos from outside, though one gets the sense that this isn't a big deal, as if silently acknowledging that everyone here was an outside weirdo at some point. The population certainly seems like a motley collection. The scans are as before: the forest vegetation isn't anything on file, but is quite mundanely carbon based and genetically healthy, with no Oracle Cell tampering. Those signatures come from the armoured wall, and to a lesser extent, a number of tall towers topped with glowing orange pylons, that would otherwise be assumed to be aircraft signals, were there not a giant dome over everything.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna did indeed accept some Skittles from Nine - only a few at first, since she hasn't had them before and wasn't sure what she's getting into (but didn't want to be rude), and a somewhat larger handful once she knew that yes, they're good. Approaching the settlement - or village, really; it might not be big enough to call it a 'city,' and 'town' might be shaky too - Yuna is her usual sociable self, probably keenly aware that her Light Suit stands out a lot; once they're inside the dome proper, Yuna nods to Elner, and her transformation is reversed, leaving her in civilian clothes, namely a black turtleneck and a red jumper. As tempted as Yuna is to go exploring (and/or shopping for souvenirs), Yuna sticks with the others, heading for the administative building. Those pylons atop the towers get her attention enough to crane her neck and try to look at them ... but she doesn't try to get a closer look than that. Neither does Elner - although a slightly stern whisper from Yuna to the robo-faerie may have something to do with that ...
Rebecca Chambers	Yuna may be tempted to go shopping, but Rebecca knows they're only here for one thing, and that's for business matters. She knows that there's a job to be done, and it must be done quickly. At the same time, though, her gut instinct is telling her something might not be right, and Rebecca tends to trust those most of the time. She holds her Magnum at the ready as they approach the administrative building. The pylons get a slight look from Rebecca, though, and she takes out her binoculars to try to get a close-up of them. She's not sure if she'll find anything interesting or not, but she figures it never hurts to be safe than sorry.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian remains polite to the person pointing them towards where they're supposed to be, and then moves along with the others to that location. A weirdo? Dorian is most definitely that, and so as they walk through the streets, he draws himself up proudly. He might not have any rank or title here, but one couldn't tell that by looking at him! If he happens to catch the eye of someone giving him a look he just returns it with a smile. He wasn't kidding; he's turning up the charm here.
No. 9	Stretch isn't too far off. More like heavy exhallation and a bit of contortion while moving noteworthily sideways. Even still it gets caught on a bit of his armor and he has to grunt and shift a bit to get through, scraping a bit of the doorway as he shoves his mutated body through the hole. Now, Nine IS a weirdo and ugly as hell, fairly suspicious, obviously armed and very much used to being stared at. He actually feels a bit awkward at how polite people seem to be, merely staring rather than say, making faces or spitting on the ground at his feet. Stuff like that. He feels awkward and out of place, like something profane in a holy place, and walks with an odd softness to his step. Anyone particularly close or particularly stare-happy might get candy offered to them, almost a kneejerk defensive maneuver by the out-of-place monster. Um.
Kutsuuko Shiratori	The pylons are a little odd, but not unlike those that stand at regular intervals along Fenrir's own walls, really. Whatever is inside is deliberately obscured, kept within a minimalist, translucent casing that radiates a steady, neutrally orange light, of just the right quality that it doesn't look like a glow during the day. The fact that they're so similar is what is suspicious. Those taking the cable cars to the tower are in for a little more of the same as the gate. Inside, the place is obviously much less heavily fortified. It's actually less guarded than the Far East Branch's interior, really. The kind of podunk aura Nemos Diana has makes it difficult to really imagine someone wanting to break in and cause a stir, so it's mostly some locked doors and on-call SEALS, delta force, and KGB standing around as a motley crew to supervise visitors. The interior is nice though. Not corporate luxury by any standard, but not unspacious, and prettied up with carpet and greenery. The meeting room people are led into is pretty conspicuous though. The guy out front didn't lie last time, about a city council. An entire circle of older gentlemen and ladies flank the room in two halves by semicircular desks, raised a little off the cleared middle floor, so everyone can see everyone else. Crossed flags are set at the far wall, with the crest of Nemos Diana, and the motto 'Et demum in terram' stencilled above it. A lot of effort has gone into finding space to really play at a city council or united nations feel, which ironically makes it more ostentatious than Fenrir. The Far East Branch, being an arcology, has space at a premium, and so the sole Director basically just gets a nice office. It's a little difficult to distinguish anyone from anyone else though. Trying to appeal to the stereotype, to visibly support their ideology, they all just kind of come across as middle aged people in suits. One of them gets up, and so he might be more important than the rest. It's hard to tell without Fenrir's rank insignia. "I suppose greetings are in order, for our delegates from the Multiverse." He gives Nine a misgiving look though. "Tell us, what brings you to our forest of the goddess? I can't imagine that esteemed people such as yourselves are in need of a safe place to call your own."
Yang Xiao Long	Yang has been largely quiet this entire time, hands stuffed into pockets on her jacket, lilac eyes glancing around at the people passing by. It might be unsettling to those that know the normally vivacious young woman, but she's in full 'observe' mode, something is /wrong/ here, she can feel it, but can't put a finger on what's causing the feeling. Yang just lets the others do the talking for now.
No. 9	Nine has been inside Kutsuuko's territories. Nine has experienced Kutsuuko's world, in all it's horrifying glory. Nine... doesn't remember any of it. Oh there are odd bits and snatchets here and there, but like so much it has run like the sands of passing time through helpless metal fingers. Nine. He's here. Technically. Mostly. He might not have lost more than most folks has had, but he's lost more than most folks have to lose. The eyes that look out at the towers, those glowing pylons might well have gazed upon them before. His mind though, his memories? One more casualty of an ever-broken consciousness. Speaking of a broken consciousness... The scarred lips move slowly, sounding out the words. "Et demum in terram..." A bit of a mispronounciation, and a pause. "...Put teeth in earth..." Pause. "Eat dirt?" He glances up, one eyebrow raised faintly. Latin. Nine does not grok latin. At the word 'goddess' there is an almost bestial snort from the glowing eyed armored freak off to the side, nares flared in mild alarm and eyes quite literally glowing, several blinks like shuttered panels before distant floodlights, snapping out some unknown signal as he seems to process the man's words. And then he's... sniffing? Sniffing at the air several times, at the wall, snuffling at the nearby surface. A nervous tic perhaps, some mental need to work out unknown things, twisty and suspicious, terms that set off alarm bells in the ANMC BOW's head.
Gilgamesh	Well this place is basically horrible. And yet, it's horrible in an appealing, beautiful way. It's horrible in a way that is hypnotic - in a way that dances before those beautiful red eyes, seductive and plentiful and marvelous in all things. It is something that the people of this place do not see; of that the King has no doubt, as he rides the rail-car more out of boredom than anything else. He is not here to help them. He is here because he /arrived/ here, because his feet drew him to this place at this time, and because the world says that he should thusly be here. There is an unqualified, supernatural beauty to the young man escorted into the room, a beauty that runs before and around him like the palpable aura of Divinity and Kingship that pervades the area immediately near him. There can be no doubt that he is Beautiful, that he is Royal, that he is Divine; these are not adjectives that describe him but aspects of his existence, things hammered into the DNA of his soul. Around him is Divine; to be around him is to be near the Divine; to be close to him is to be close to the Divine. Even his clothes, a rag-tag robe made from XCOM and Hellsing patches, seems the finest of silks because of his presence - the words VIGILO CONFIDO upon his back and HELLSING: WE ARE ON A MISSION FROM GOD around his arm are the stuff of covenants stitched in fabric. The others get from a mild glance (Nine) to a curious, interested inspection (Yang, Tomoe, Yuna, Dorian) from the impossibly beautiful young man as people from the forest talk. "Wanderings," Gilgamesh says idly and imperiously as he moves around the room to look at the mottos and flags and the various patches on people's arms. "And treasures."
Yuna Kagurazaka	There's no other way to put it, really; Yuna's pretty much playing tourist on the way up in the cable cars. Elner is still sticking close to her, naturally, so neither of them can get a much closer look at the pylons; Yuna has a guess or two about what they might be, but there's no way to find out without either getting a much closer look, or just up and asking. Either of which could well be rude, if done without an explicit invitation from the council or a representative thereof. Once they get off the cable car, Yuna falls back on the lessons she's had of etiquette and decorum, drawing on both her early experience as an idol and on Ryudia's far more recent tutelage. She refrains from looking around too much, she smiles and bows politely where it's appropriate to smile and/or bow, and while the security personnel seem a little on the unnecessary side? She's not going to protest; the council's members could just be understandably skittish about this many outsiders coming in and poking around. The Latin motto hanging on the wall draws a slight look of confusion from Yuna, but she murmurs a question to Elner; the robo-faerie's quiet reply prompts Yuna to raise her eyebrows, and to glance around at the others ... Whereupon she realizes that she might be the closest thing to a genuinely official representative of anyone that isn't Fenrir. Okay, so that's not exactly true by any stretch - she's not with the Commonwealth's Paladins, or the Concord, or any other government or established agency. But she's also not just some random wandering adventurer. Still, Yuna musters all the protocol she can manage, wishing she'd thought to dress up a little more formally, and bows to the council's speaker. "My name is Yuna Kagurazaka; while my title means little here, my calling - and the calling of several of my companions - is to assist those in need. We're here mostly because of curiosity; the fact that Nemos Diana exists as a sanctuary free from Aragami predations stood out to us, much as it did to Fenrir. While I can't speak for everyone in our group, I was hoping to gain some insight into how you keep the Aragami at bay; I also understand that you desire to keep Fenrir at arm's-length, if not further, and I certainly understand your desires in that regard ... I'd like to help make sure that you and Fenrir can co-exist without butting heads." Yuna pauses, looking at Gilgamesh; exasperation wars with awe, in her heart and behind her eyes, but she pulls her attention back to the council's speaker. "In all honesty, esteemed members of the council -" She does look around at the rest of them before focusing on their representative again. "- this world would most likely have caught my attention even without my past interactions with Fenrir and its members. And I'm sure you can understand why the existence of this sanctuary drew particular interest."
Dorian Pavus	To be perfectly honest, EVERYTHING here is odd to Dorian. Not just because of its similarity to Fenrir's tech, either. The whole thing is just weird. It's a testament to Dorian's confidence -- or perhaps his own arrogance -- that he manages not to look intimidated here, where he more or less has no idea what's going on. But he does have some interest here. In a world like this -- perhaps ESPECIALLY in a world like this, where giant beasts eat people who don't have ten armies' worth of technology and an entire fortress to their name -- it seems especially unfair for Fenrir to expect everyone in the world to 'join or die'. Technology that can save others ought to be being offered, not hoarded. That question from that man in the suit gets a nod. "Thank you for seeing us," he first offers, bowing politely. "My name is Dorian Pavus." His own etiquette training might just be helping him out here too. "I can't speak for everyone else. But myself? I've heard absolutely nothing good about the outside world in general, and I'd like to make sure this place stays safe from those foul monsters out there. Personally I've had no dealings with this 'Fenrir', and could really care less. I'm more concerned with safety here." Which is completely true, even if he's spinning it that he's not here at Fenrir's behest. He does a double-take at Gilgamesh when he notices the look. However, he returns it with a polite nod of his head, and a smile. Hm.... interesting! But alas! There are other things to pay attention to than ogling a king, despite said king being one of the more pleasant aspects of the scenery. What a sad state of affairs! Perhaps he can do that later.
Tomoe	The Pylons are indeed odd but Tomoe is still looking about as she's lead on in. She takes a bit of a deep breath and she listens to their host she bows for a moment. "Thanks I admits I came this way on a job and that I was curious. I am a free agent." She lookst to Gil whom she has met before and wonders about it for al his talk? He damn well did back it up after all. She now Also takes nte of Yuna who is here and gives her long time friend a look. "I figured honestly was the best policy why, I'd been helping Fefnir hunt the local monsters before the Union collaposed and I didn't see a reason to stop after the fact. As I said here? I was curious to hear someone else had surived and thrived from the looks of it."
Kutsuuko Shiratori	When Gilgamesh walks in, people notice. This is not a room, or even a town, full of high class Elites who have Seen Some Shit. Gilgamesh radiates an air of divinity that has long since left this world as well; longer than it ever had back in Denmark. He can see it in their eyes, that they notice, and they known, perhaps even subconsciously. Unlike the other clay dolls, this does not make them dance to his tune, hungering to share his presence. In fact, something about it gives the distinct impression that they /revile/ it. Perhaps some in the room don't, and might bend to the usual, but others see his sublime, deific beauty, as the mark of the unspoiled age of the gods, and react with a kind of subconscious, deeply hateful fear. Not even the fear of the unknown, or the fear of divine wrath, but of something else entirely, and hate of an equally emotional and contemptuous sort. Many of the lost beings of this fallen world hate their gods. It's the only way to put it. "I think you will find that we have little to give away, unfortunately. The fact that Nemos Diana can exist at all is a testament only to the brilliance and hard work of our fellow visionaries." Tersely responds one woman. True, it doesn't look like they're swimming in valuables; or the conventional sort, at least. Nine might not remember, but some of these do. Rather, just one or two, and only what amounts to third hand. He can tell just in the way they look at him. That's answered why in short order, when a gentleman in a grey vest acknowledges Yuna with a casual, official bow. "Ah, is that all? I'm happy to inform you that it's a simple matter to answer. Our vision, here, of an independent way of life, without the subjugation of Fenrir, is possible only thanks to the efforts of those who once worked for them, and saw for themselves the errors, trespasses, and corruption of Fenrir at the highest level." "Are you familiar with Aegis Island? Almost a decade ago, it was a Fenrir initiative to build a 'last fortress of humanity'. An arcology so massive and so well defended, that all of mankind could live inside of it, and ignore the world forever, that no Aragami would be able to breach. It was exorbitantly expensive, syphoned absurd amounts of resources to the Far East Branch, which grew cancerously massive to support the project, when the sheer amount of people and technology being brought into one place attracted stronger and more vicious Aragami. Three years ago, the project was scrapped entirely, when an 'accident' caused the entire thing to collapse, and killed everyone on the island, including the Branch Director at the time." "Of course, I can tell you that it was no accident. It was a result of the ineptitude and corruption of Fenrir's upper echelon responsible for the disaster. The resources that went into that project could have built new places to live for /half a million/ human beings, or maybe even rid us of the God Eater program forever. Many of Fenrir's best scientists, previously under the Aegis Project, couldn't stand working for those sorts of people anymore, and came together to bring their expertise here." "I assure you, Nemos Diana exists to the willing and sincere contributions of our fellow man. We provide hope to those abandoned by Fenrir; those left to struggle for survival outside their walls. That a place like Nemos Diana exists, is crucial, for people to know that there /is/ another way of living, and that there is always a home they can make their way to."
Yang Xiao Long	"What would Fenrir do if they found out you, no offense intended, hijacked their tech?" asks Yang from her little brooding corner. Out of everyone here, she's probably the most 'normal' seeming of the bunch, apart from Yuna when she's not transformed. There's a sense of power around her, a primal essense and a contained sense of rage for those that can detect it though.
No. 9	There's a soft distant sort of whirr as the servos start up, the little clicks and shifts of mechanics deep within the Golem's legs quiet as he steps away from Gilgamesh, unable to really hide the look of profound sanity crawling loathing and extreme sudden shaking uncertainty, head going down and spine creaking as the huling shape of the Golem King flinches almost bestially away from, well, a real, actual king. A thing of divinity and rightful kingship that's like a palpable aura of pain to the GOLEM-style ANMC. And at that mild glance the Golem King actually bares his teeth; surprisingly white, solid things in the rest of that scarred leathery ugliness and his eyes literally blaze as he hisses at the smaller, far prettier (okay it's more like night and day, that beauty against the GOLEM King's ugliness) young man. HSS. Nine's patch? It's a gearwork silver G with 'olem' on the strut, and it's embossed directly into his weathered, mutated flesh; a large patch in his shoulder, the skin warped around the metallic brand. Also he um, smells. HSS! Hss. Hss! CLACK! As for the question of what the fuck they're doing there? Nine does... not, even, bother answering. Whatever lie he could toss out there would barely be noticed, more than likely. Why bother? He's not Mr. Diplomacy, he's the wall of armored meat between whoever he's supposed to protect and whatever is currently trying to murder the shit out of all and sundry. Though at the words Nine's attention is mercifully pulled from that of the almost literally painful Gilgamesh and towards the speaking man. His eyes are wide. Thin. Widening again, before thinning out, not as drastically as before. And then... he's leaning in. Too close. Far too close. Closer-then-Gilgamesh close. And sniffs the man. Thoughtfully, ponderingly, sniffs deep. "Huh." Just that. Nine. He's not so good at the deplomacy. Or making a good impression. That's for sure.
Gilgamesh	"I am not looking for payment," Gilgamesh says with a deep and abiding exasperation as he straightens and goes to inspect one of the flags, "Payment is not treasure. Treasure is something you claim justly as part of your victory. Payment is something you are given to do a task. You have nothing with which to pay me. But there are treasures here." The King returns their loathing in equal measure. The look of disgust and irritation is writ plain on his face. Even if they are empty clay dolls that hate him for his glory, they are still creatures grasping at the hem of his metaphorical soul and seeking to drag him down to them. That it is hatred or adulation makes no difference - his disgust is clear, and he does not bother to hide it. But, strangely enough, there's something odd in his gaze. Affection? Fascination? Some responsibility that the gods of this world have neglected for so long? Perhaps some mixture of all of them, even hidden under that disgust. These people have the makings of greatness. That must not be ignored. Gilgamesh lazily points at Yuna and Yang. "I will take these," he says idly, "As my treasures. Where are the beasts you need slain? I will slay them and ease your struggle." With that, he goes back to fucking around with their flags. Eventually he pulls one down and drapes it around his shoulders like a shawl. He does not seem to give a shit about or care about things like 'personal property.' Nine receives a scornful glance at the hiss. The look in Gilgamesh's eye is not the look of a person to another person - it is the fundamental denial of personhood. "What a pointless doll." Then he goes back to fastening the shawl with a clasp of gold.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna smiles, inclining her head in response to the gentleman in the gray vest who's answering her. At length, in fact. That certainly explains a lot - it pretty much answers all of the questions that Yuna was keeping in mind for their investigation. The Fenrir technology that's keeping Nemos Diana safe is salvaged from the Aegis Island project ... that's a simple enough explanation, and it should be enough to satisfy the Far East Branch's current leadership as to how they got it. And then Gilgamesh casually lays claim to her, and all Yuna's careful diplomacy and propriety gets blown out the window in one spectacular, spluttering spittake. "Wh-wh-wh-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!? .... Can we NOT discuss anything about that here, if you really want to try then I'll argue about it sometime when we're not talking to the --" She stops, takes a deep breath, and gives a sheepish smile to the Council of Nemos Diana. "I'm sorry, that should not have happened here in front of you, please accept my apologies ... At any rate. Do you, ah ... do your ex-Fenrir engineers or whatev-- I mean, or whomever ... They're able to keep ensuring that your defenses, whatever they are, remain functional? Without recourse to Fenrir's resources, if there's anything that can burn out or be depleted over time ..." She trails off, making an 'and so on' gesture with her hand. Then, despite herself, she shoots a(nother) glare at Gilgamesh. Yeah, he may radiate divinity, but he is very clearly NOT Yuna's type of god-anything.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian listens to this tale told by the gentleman in the suit, looking more distressed by it with each passing moment. He is, unfortunately, prone to always thinking the worst of every situation. So he does rather see Fenrir as the 'bad guys' here, especially after that tale. But he's also knows it's not that simple. This world's got problems that make a Blight look like a mild inconvenience. So he's not going to just blow the whistle on everyone here and go 'hey the rest of these guys are here to grab Fenrir's stuff'. Oh but this is definitely going to the Watch for consideration. And no, he's not admitting that, either! He nods in response to the tale. "I can imagine that would go badly. What's the saying? 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'?" A phrase he picked up in the Multiverse. He indicates Yang, her question. "That does bring up a question, yes. How will you keep Fenrir off your backs? I can't imagine they'd like the fact that this place exists because of the airing of their dirty laundry. They're bound to find out sooner or later; this place is the only green place I've seen since I arrived." The sort of interplay going on behind him gets a bit of a sigh. He has, however, been in the Multiverse long enough to know that trying to curtail Elites' eccentricities is like trying to catch smoke in one's hands -- an ultimately pointless gesture. So he just keeps his attention on the situation at hand. And on Yuna's question. "Another good question," he acknowledges, with a nod. Keeping his voice gentle, he adds, "My concern's just for the people here. There seems like a great deal that can go wrong, to catastrophic effect."
Tomoe	Tomoe ius just in a curious frame of mind and she listens as they get some answers. The talkabout Aegis island, the last fortress gets her attention. She hears the story be played out, and the concernt ehre and raises an eyebrow for a moment. She ses either it was a screw up or there was malice there eitehr way it's quite concerning there. "Yes I can't see you guys being a threat personally if you endured so far here? I think your doing pretty good." She also knows she's a pretty simple sort, right? She also notices the local's reaction to Gil, that was interesting as well.
Kutsuuko Shiratori	Gilgamesh continues to get some more sour looks at what they perceive to be (what is) self-important declarations. A couple of the younger men disguise choked laughter as stern as officious coughs when he freaks Yuna out, though the one who stood up has to close his mouth and make a thoroughly frustrated noise to object to Gilgamesh taking a flag. It's a very nice flag, all said. They didn't cut corners on it. Still, flags can be replaced without too much trouble. Besides, maybe people will see him carrying around their crest and draw attention to their project. "Fenrir, unfortunately for them, has little recourse. Our engineers left under their own volition, and it was their scientific prowess in the first place that allowed Fenrir to build Aegis. They couldn't retain their own talent. It's not as if they broke in and stole a database. And really, what of it? Will they take us to court for infringement of an NDA?" The entire group laughs at once. "If Fenrir has so severe of a problem as to gather together a military force and fly them out here to deal with us by force, then their priorities are extremely jumbled. Most of us are people they rejected and refused to take in to begin with. Why should they care what we do?" The air in the room becomes significantly more tense when Yuna asks the question of how they're maintaining it, though. Some of the people in the room are clearly former bureaucrats or politicians (and so, probably useless in an arcology) and hide their feelings well behind practised masks, but the vast majority are not, and have merely tried to imitate the trappings of democracy, and thus shift with obvious discomfort. "We manage. Unfortunately, what you're asking is a trade secret, and I am disinclined to give away the hard-earned efforts of our generous engineers to people who may still decide to turn around and sell them to Fenrir. Now, if you're here on the subject of 'slaying beasts', I'm glad to inform you that Nemos Diana will, of course, reward you for any materials you can bring back, so that we can expand our-" The meeting is rather rudely interrupted by the plaintive, insistent whining of an alarm. It's nothing like Fenrir's networked tactical alerts, blaring lights, instructions, and holographic evacuation routes everywhere. It's more like an old timey air raid siren spliced into some loudspeakers, but everyone seems to know what it is. The council starts gathering their papers in a hurry. "Speaking of which, could we trouble you to adjourn this meeting for the time being. Living out on the frontier is not without its little dangers, even if the Aragami don't come our way. We'll have an escort to show you to a warpgate, of course." The grunts outside show up very quickly, without anyone having said yes yet, hemming the group in to try and dissuade wandering in a fairly obvious fashion. Outside, visible through the panoramic windows, people are filing quickly into the cable cars, or else running indoors. Many of the jeeps begin moving to the gate, bouncing over the rough roads and spitting up gravel. Most of them are filled with armed men, but everyone should know that even Bias-Factored hand weapons are a joke against anything but the smallest of Aragami. What sticks out is a single figure sat in the back of a heavily loaded and tarp-covered APC, much smaller than the surrounding soldiers, and almost entirely obscured by a ragged cloak. Head to toe, with a full hood, the only thing it fails to obscure is a glimpse of chains around the figure's wrists.
Yang Xiao Long	Yang glares at Gilgamesh. "I'm nobody's 'treasure'." she says firmly in response to the King of Heroes. And then the alarms start up. "An Aragami attack?" she muses out loud, unceremoniously shoving past the spec-ops guys with surprising strength. Enough to knock one right on his arse as she hustles out of the area and simply leaps off the platform. Her gauntlets deploy with a mechanical clanking sound, and she fires two concussive shots before landing to soften the impact. The blonde then sets off at a run, following the armoured vehicles as quickly as she can. "What the..." Seems she's spotted the figure.
Gilgamesh	It's hard to tell if Gilgamesh even heard Yuna. There is a look of consternation on his face but beyond that he doesn't actually acknowledge or disagree with her in any way. Maybe that means he's inclined to talk about it later? Who knows. He does, however, shrug casually in Yang's direction, like he just didn't care that much. There's no protest. Apparently he doesn't mind people just saying /no/? Who can tell? They are unceremoniously hustled out of the area as the alarm goes off. The noise infuriates the King of Heroes; it's loud and irritating and /blaring/. It reminds him of some truly obnoxious birds. Nonetheless, when Yang goes out the window, the King shrugs. That's a fair exit point. So he does the same. He falls like a rock. He hits the ground with a WHUD; it cracks under him. There is no evidence that he cared enough to slow his descent. That said, as he lands, there's something obvious that probably wasn't noticeable when he was walking up and being a weird crazy God-King: He's favoring one of his arms. The other one...is /broken/. The man in the cloak gets another appraisal from the beautiful King. The chains fascinate him. Something in the fullness of time stirs, and he feels an intense sense of deja vu. Then he just starts walking in the general direction indicated as 'troublesome,' because, come on, it's clear that's where everyone else is going.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Whatever Yuna was going to say to Gilgamesh about casually laying claim to her is going to be further delayed; the sound of the alarm going off prompts Yuna to trade looks with Elner. "If you need some extra help," she offers to the council, "I'd be glad to assist in driving off or disposing of whatever threat is on its way ..." Whether her offer is accepted or not, the meeting seems to be over - and the only place to go, really, is 'out'. Yuna looks over the jeeps which are heading out to face the threat ... and just from her own experience, she hopes that they AREN'T headed out to intercept some wandering Aragami. She almost doesn't notice the figure in the back of the APC ... 'Almost'. The APC itself is pretty big. The robed, hooded, and shrouded figure who appears to be its sole passenger ... She does a double-take at that. And the glint of metal at the figure's wrists. And she stops walking in the direction that the guests were being directed. No, she's not going to try and rescue the 'prisoner'; she's not THAT brash (not quite, anyway). However, Yuna does transform and sets off at a run after Yang and Gilgamesh. At the same time and some distance away, Jiina, Marina, and Erina take their leave of the Fenrir helicopter, reverting to their true armored forms, and all three of the androids take flight, heading out to where they can rendezvous with Yuna en route. As soon as Yuna and her partners are close enough, a second transformation ensues - Erina of the Sky turns translucent, 'phases' over Yuna's form, and then vanishes entirely, leaving a wireframe shape around Yuna, before chunks of armor bearing Erina's purple-and-white coloration begin materializing and attaching to the Light Suit. Soon enough, Yuna's in her Flight Form - and she picks up speed and altitude, trying to get a better look at whatever Nemos Diana's defenders are en route to engage ... She's not going to jump into the fight without seeing whether the locals can, in fact, deal with the threat. But she doesn't want to see any of their lives thrown away in a delaying action, either - not if she can help it.
No. 9	Oh Gil is good at this. A double-shot to two major points of severe insecurity in the Golem King? Delivered with that offhanded derisive scorn; the GOLEM-Style ANMC's eyes BLAZE and he hisses a thin and whistling snarl, like the world's angriest roid-ragey teapot, his ugly face all the uglier in that bared-tooth loathing snarl. Yea he's a little touchy. That look though... that look is like poison to the Golem King. A person of questionable personhood at the best of days, of personhood stolen back from a group that had worked so hard to shatter to dust that which he had been to mix the concrete of the foundation they had wished of him, a personhood stolen and hoarded and tucked away, only for that derisive, empty gaze to suddenly make him realize just how utterly stupid all those pointless exercises were- in the face of that look, that mild muttered comment his own lips start working, low rasping mutters under his breath, eyes going strange, distant faintly greenish colors as he's twitching, muttering, all dry raspy whispers and the whuffling suck of mechanical breath. Twitch. There is several long periods of intermittent silence. Empty. Stretching. The lips move but no sound comes out. At least he's still, standing like a statue too ugly for anyone to ever have sculpted. Before suddenly there's movement, and Gilgamesh might want to move because if he didn't he might well find a blunt metal finger poking him rather rudely in the chest. "I AINT. A fuckin. /DOLL/. And you /look/ me in the eye when you TALKIN' to me, -little- -man-, or you aint gonna like what happenss..." the last part is hissed through teeth so clenched there's the very faint whining ting of hard-clenched artificial dentition cracking just slightly in the quiet, his hideous face bare inches from Gil's now, and all the poorer for it. But then, he's, stepping, back, and shaking himself out, or trying to. He doesn't feel stupid. Or awkward. Or fucking hideously ugly, no. Useless, pointless, aimless, obsolete. Expired. Past his purpose. No. Because right now, he's angry. And he clings to that with a fierce desperation that has little to do with kneejerk purile rage. Nononononononono, this is more important, THIS is important. Concentrate Nine, concentrate. Shakeout. But it's easy to pay attention to wailing alarms, the Golem King's head snapping up, eyes going animal-unfocused as the sound tears through the room. Even the details of the body language if not the words start to drain like sand through shattered glass, despite the obvious NO PAY ATTENTION THIS IS IMPORTANT!! that is flashing it's own alarm through his mind as his head snaps around, more eyeing the folks herding them out then the region for potential threats. One of the grunts might find teeth clacking dangerously close to nose or face, the Golem King's blazing eyes burning harsh and crazy in that wasted face. But then Yang is making her way free and someone who moves with power and purpose is always gonna register first and foremost on the Golem's mind. Without a clear leader to follow he simply shoulders past one of the other guards moving to back her up; hell if she started giving him orders he'd have a hell of a time not just automatically following them. At least not at first. He hits the ground just as heavy; he's used to multi-story falls, and though he coils up from the heavy crouch he seems untroubled. By the fall at least. A glimpse of a distant figure brings an odd sort of tranquil fury to that ugly face. It's been a bad day. And it's just gotten worse.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian tilts his head at the explanation. "Not a terrible point." This to the mention of Fenrir's priorities. "Though there's always the danger. Sitting astride a world, no matter how torn by monsters, sometimes skews those priorities. That said, I for one am glad to see this place thriving." He sounds like he means it too. Oh but he can see that squirming at Yuna's question. He's from a place where you can't let anyone see you flinch, not in social dealings, and particularly not in politics. So of course he's trained to zero in on it. Of course he doesn't comment on it. A nod at the refusal to answer. "I can understand that," he notes. "Besides, I can't think a bunch of 'weirdos' coming in and immediately asking about the inner workings of the place would exactly inspire confidence." Though now he's just trying to keep his good impression. Why should it be a trade secret to people who have a good chance of not being able to understand it anyway? Unless they HAVE twigged to that Fenrir sent them. Or already knew beforehand. Dorian's the paranoid type, you see. But it's not paranoia if it's true! And then suddenly they're being asked to adjourn. "Oh, of course," Dorian replies politely. Yes, good impressions must be maintained. "It was a pleasure to have met you," he offers with a respectful bow. It bears watching, this lot. But he's not about to argue with soldiers. However, there are people amongst the group who AREN'T willing to leave it at that! His attention's drawn in their direction, and he catches a glimpse of the figure in the APC. Well, he can't go out the window and fall all that distance without killing himself, so he'll have to make due with land-based routes. But that doesn't mean he has to stick to the cable car, though. He offers a smile to the nearest guard. "Terribly sorry. It isn't that I don't immensely enjoy your company, but..." And with that... his form seems to dissolve into thick, blue-white smoke that seems to make the air immediately surrounding it much colder. And that smoke makes a fast beeline for the route to the outside, where the jeeps -- and that chained figure -- are.
Gilgamesh	Gilgamesh does not permit himself to be touched. The reaction is instantaneous and /revolted/. The look in his eye goes from 'a disgust at the creature's general existence' to 'a profound level of spite so deep it mirrors the endless blue ocean.' The moment Nine's finger touches Gilgamesh's makeshift robe, it.../doesn't/. It touches the flag. Gilgamesh, as if disgusted by the mere /idea/ of wearing something touched by Nine, tosses the flag from his shoulders, gold clasp and all. Like it's been /wronged/. Like it's /sick/. Like it's.../broken/. The flag settles on the ground, where it is probably run over, or retrieved by someone who wants a gold clasp for some purpose or another. He steps away from Nine not with fear but with the disgust of a man with a centipede on his arm writ plain in his eyes. He doesn't even need to say /don't lay hands on me again if you want to keep them/. It's right there, in his eyes, in his face, in his demeanor. "You cannot even control yourself," Gilgamesh says, his voice full of scorn, "You snort like a bull. How dare a doll made like a beast pretend as if it is human before me?" "How insulting." There's anger there, and it's not from Nine. It's something else, something deeper. It probably goes back to why he calls people who are empty inside /little clay dolls/. To why he's so scornful of humans who can't measure up. Is it hate for Nine? No. No, it can't be. The words from his lips weren't personal. It's not scorn for race. It's not scorn for birth. It's scorn for /weakness/. For /a lack of control/.
Kutsuuko Shiratori	The grunts sure as hell aren't there to protect these people. They're there to shuffle them away somewhere unobtrusive and send them on their way. They're pretty big dudes, so when Nine starts bowling them over and Dorian turns to smoke to escape, and people start /busting out the window/, it causes quite a commotion. The council stand up from their desks with furious and panicked shouting. One of the armed men calls out a "Get back here!" as people break for it. One waves on the APC crew at the bottom, with some military hand gesture. The vehicle's engine revs up with a loud, high pitched whine. It's not the rumbling of a gasoline engine, which probably explains how its cable tires spin up so fast, and start rocketing it away, spewing sand and small rocks back at people. Men on the ground immediately move to form a line, some pointing weapons even as they insist "I'm going to need you to move back. This area isn't safe, so please move to a secure zone." To their credit, they're not random assholes with guns. They may have been cream of the crop before the Aragami made their combat skills all but irrelevant. The figure in the back of the APC turns to look at the source of the commotion. Up close, they look far too small to be the same age as the men flanking them. The glimpse of a chin and lips that can be seen outside the shadow of the hood look young and feminine. Soldiers on board quickly move to screen and close the back door, but sharp eyes can catch one crucial detail before they do. Around the prisoner's wrist, behind the cuffs, is a metal armlet of heavy duty design, clamped permanently to her flesh, and armed with a broken transceiver, a jack, and a taped over logo. It's a black instead of red design, but the equipment is unmistakable. The truck speeds towards the main gate, which opens hastily to let it through. Before it quite vanishes into the forest, scarlet light flashes on the distant horizon with a delayed peal of thunder, briefly splitting the fog with a skyward pillar of bloody light. That'd be Kutsuuko for sure. She always overdoes it when fighting solo.
No. 9	Okay so Nine is poking the flag. It doesn't matter to him. Just that he's angry. That matters to him. He watches the flag flutter to the ground, his anger twisting funny, heading sideways into something ugly and strange. But then there is merciful silence, and the Golem King's hideous face sort of... shuts down. Ugly, yes, but sort of glassy now, like whatever lay behind was shifting too fast to register on those troglodytic features. It's not until afterwards that there would be a few words. Four of them. Too low for many people to hear. Unimportant. "I used to be..." But then there are explosions, blasts of light, blooms of fire, and the Golem King turns towards the light. A slow swallow of the throat, the eyes matching that light. "She's gonna need help."
Gilgamesh	"Then be again," Gilgamesh says, with more than a little contempt in his voice. But then there's the flare, the explosion, the blasts of fire. "Hah! Beautiful. A beautiful struggle to live on! Humans, struggle on against monsters!" There's a golden ripple in the air behind him. No, not the air - /space/. It distorts and warps, twisting and writhing and rippling as golden light shines forth. The King reaches over his shoulder with his good hand and pulls free a weapon - a massive, heavy, ancient-looking golden axe. It is powerful magic, from an Age that this land has lacked for a very, very long time. It is perhaps even more magic than metal, the potential of a narrative crystallized in iron, or steel, or bronze, or gold. The axe swings in front of him. "At least you have some courage!" And then he's off, running, his broken arm trailing and dangling next to him as he takes Nine up on his suggestion.
Tomoe	More Tomoe heres the more she finds intrest and she also seems to be concerned. She's not saying much but she darn well is listening she doesn't ask them to give out the hows though. She knows if that happens? It would take a lot of trust and the people here getting things of equal value in exchange for the information. Then the meeting is cut showrt is an alarm. 5R "We understand, if you need some help with the attack?" She's more than rilling to help them out here if it comes down to a fight. She looks over to Gilgamesh for a moment, doll? Okay that's an interesting and very dehumanizing insult to be sure. She doesn't linger long as people charge off to fight? She's taking off at full speed as her wings take form and she's going into the air, as she speeds off to join the fight.
Yuna Kagurazaka	If the guards/special forces/whatever try to physically block Yuna, her reaction is twofold. The first part, simply enough, is to transform. Right there, never mind who's watching - in fact, being seen transforming is part of the point: a bright flash of light replaces her civilian attire with the sleek armor of her Light Suit. The second part, even softened as it is by a smile, is honestly spoken truth. "I may not look like it, but I'm able to fight the Aragami at nearly the level of a God Eater ... and I've actually fought a God Eater before, too, and I didn't lose to her. I just want to make sure whatever's heading this way doesn't get any closer than it absolutely has to, so if you'll pardon me?" She bows - and then tries to slip past, around, or through the cordon. Being as small as she is, she can probably slip through between two people ... or between one person's legs. She also checks in with Kutsuuko over the radio. A Camlann, Kutsuuko said; Yuna has to let Elner pull up the data on that. And speaking of God Eaters - she did notice the bracelet. It's not a surprise, but keeping a God Eater enslaved ... ? Even if Fenrir DOESN'T have a claim on him or her, that doesn't sit well with Yuna. Something to look into in a future visit. At least the Camlann, or any other Aragami in the vicinity, won't stand much of a chance of breaking through to menace the settlement. Truth be told, though, there's a piece of Yuna which hopes the Camlann is killed off before the forces of Nemos Diana can get close enough to get involved, because at this stage? It would get REALLY messy, really fast, and Yuna needs to chew over what she's learned so far and try to sort out what can be done about the situation as a whole.
Dorian Pavus	To be fair, Dorian's actually headed OUT, which is where the guards were trying to point them anyway, right? Just... okay, maybe not the same exact location. He'll eventually end up where everyone else is, and probably see the same thing. He hasn't actually seen Fenrir technology, so he can't recognize it on-sight. But it definitely does look like some of the stuff Kutsuuko is using. Can't be a coincidence. Probably isn't, given what was said about Fenrir rejecting people. This is where a bit of his moral dissonance kicks in. See, he's grown up with slaves being A Thing. It wasn't until he left that he started to realize that wasn't normal. He hasn't quite adjusted to that way of thinking, so that's not the first thing he recognizes. It's actually the bracelet/bracer thing behind the chains. But, that aside, good points are being made about Kutsuuko possibly needing help. He's not sure what he can do against something that renders anti-aircraft weapons all but pointless, but that doesn't mean he's going to do nothing. Barriers might at least be useful. Besides, there are plenty of people running off to help, he's pretty sure he can make sure to keep the attention of anything nasty off of him. So he dissolves into blue smoke again and follows the group. Also that could help him get out of the way of anything nasty.