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C As one of the most cutting edge institutes not only in Crossbell but even among its neighboring states and countries, St. Ursula's Medical College was more than willing and capable to receive and treat the Elites who had fought at Mishelam Wonderland, after they'd been exfiltrated by Crossbell State's Police Department.

The campus is, much like the rest of Crossbell, shockingly futuristic and relatively advanced even by the standards of people from the contemporary 21st century; rooting around for more information around about the history of the place is not difficult and reveals quite a bit, for those interested.

The complex was named after Ursula, sainted by the Septian Church well post-mortem, she was the daughter of a therapist who lived in Zemuria's Middle-Ages and was famous for protesting the ruling lords for their behavior and policies, putting her in deadly cross-hairs. It is commonly believed that she died young because of this; there are however, novels based on her which include far more fantastical elements, such as The Saint and The White Wolf.

Not only being a place of learning, St. Ursula's is a fully-fledged hospital funded by the Principality of Remiferia and supported staunchly by them; if there's a serious medical problem in Erebonia, Liberl, or Remiferia, it isn't uncommon for them to seek treatment at St. Ursula's.

While most of the Elites were fairly easy to treat, and members of the SSS such as Noel, Zeit and Ellie only needed to be stablized as they came out of cryostasis, Lloyd and Featherman both required immediate surgery and intensive care.

The masked hero, thankfully, was able to convince them not to remove his suit -- as they were more concerned with saving his life than the prospect of him trying to escape to preserve his identity and the potential medical complications it could cause -- and were skilled enough to work even through his suit to remove the bolt lodged in his chest.

Lloyd's situation had been a good deal more precarious, without armor to protect him, the assailant's weapon had blown a hole clean through him. If it had been a shot closer to his center of mass, he'd have assuredly been already dead by the time he could be treated.

Which brings everyone to where they were now, Featherman's hospital room now that he'd been moved there to recover. Lloyd was still being worked on and as such, Rixia was not present with Randy and Tio.

The red-haired man sighs, mildly, and rubs the back of his head. Tio looked worried, but stuck around presumably because Randy wouldn't be able to handle the conversation on his own. She has a large and bulky Orbal Computer on the chair she'd been given to sit on, choosing instead to use it as a makeshift desk while she sits on her knees.

"So ... we're not arresting you guys yet, I'm gonna' clear that up now. But depending on how this conversation goes, that might be in the cards, and there's really nothing I can do about that. Considering what went down, you guys understand what I mean, right? So .. I think it's long overdue for all of us to have a talk and swap some info."
Featherman Neo Featherman Neo is dressed in his costume, still, though his chest armor has been wrapped in bandages until it can be repaired. He's laying sort of up in the bed, a finished tray of food on a nearby table. As Tio and Randy talk, he chimes in.

"Ah...please, don't arrest them. Hibiki means well, and despite her anger at me, I believe Rita does as well. They've been helping us destroy the monsters."

Featherman then sighs, and says clearly. "I'm sorry for deceiving you. While I had hinted what I was doing to Hibiki, and told her I was investigating C, I still was a spy. I know you can't trust me right now. But I only did it because I want to help him." It sounds perfectly genuine, and also a bit guilty.
Rita Ma      Rita is the portrait of discomfort: sitting down, hands folded tightly in her lap and legs equally tightly crossed, eyes staring off into the distance, body squirming restlessly every so often.

     This hunger, it makes me want to double over and cry... we went straight from the fight to here. There was blood everywhere, human blood in my nose, monster blood on my tongue. But I haven't had a bite to eat since then, and it's been hours...

     It's hard for her to focus on Randy's words, but she tries her best.

     "So ... we're not arresting you guys yet, I'm gonna' clear that up now. But depending on how this conversation goes, that might be in the cards, and there's really nothing I can do about that."

     "Please don't," she murmurs softly in response. I'd have to fight it. Between here and jail, I'd starve for even longer. One way or another, I'd just end up hurting people...

     Featherman's response, despite her quiet distress, gets a more substantive reply out of her.

     "I'm angry at you because I mean well, Mr. Neo. Do you think you have a right to pry into other people's secrets? Do you think you have a right to keep secrets from other people, even so? ... You look like Zephyrman, but I know Mr. John would never do that."
Hibiki Tachibana     Hibiki is, thankfully, not that much in need of medical attention herself. She wasn't shot at, after all, so the most necessary was some mild anti-cryostasis treatment given she shook off the worst of it herself. Don't think about it too hard. The Symphogear is extremely weird.

    Of course, she's not in it anymore, and has been sitting with the others while looking more than a little unsettled. This is the second time she's had to visit someone else in the hospital very recently, and though Featherman was there last time, it's almost ironic that he's the one in the bed this time. At least he's going to be okay. St. Ursula's really knows what they're doing.

    Which brings her to now, grimacing some at what Randy says before glancing towards Featherman. "...Yeah. I did know about that." She nods. "He really does want to help him. Though I didn't know about what it is you did that made him vanish and..." Hibiki trails off with a deeper frown, though it's not too difficult at all to know what she's alluding to. It's the reason they're here. There's another moment, to process everything that's happened.

    "...But it looks like it went the whole other way around," Hibiki murmurs, looking down between her feet as Rita speaks up, with a small wince. "...I doubt he's gonna be coming back to us for any more Cryptid hunting after that."
Featherman Neo "I read his mind." Featherman Neo replies, simply, to Hibiki. "I'm a telepath. Empath, as well."

And then, Rita can feel the pain in Featherman's voice. "I'm not good at communicating with people. At understanding them. I never have been. But I honed my psychic talents. Now I can. I can understand what they feel, what they mean. I can help them, and they can help me. People I otherwise couldn't communicate with. It's prying, and I'm a hypocrite for keeping my own secrets, but..."

Featherman Neo seems anguished when he says this. "If using this gift is so wrong, I'm better off dead, because I'll never get anything done. I want to help C. And to do so, I need to understand him. He's not the type of person to show or say what he's truly feeling. And I know what you said about actions and words, but that's not all a person is. I know that *intimately*." It sounds like this is a personal thing for him, as well.
C Randy closes his eyes with a troubled look on his face, dragging a gloved hand down his brow before steeling himself, before replying to Rita, "I don't want to. But you guys gotta' give us something to work with. That's why we're doing this infoswap instead of doing an interrogation."

Tio speaks up, quietly, "We want you to understand more. So that you can help us understand more. ... so that nothing bad happens to Crossbell."

    " ... yeah," Randy sighs.

As Featherman goes into further detail concerning what he'd done to provoke the attempt on their lives, Randy takes a considering look on his face. "You mentioned, when you went down, that you were able to confirm his ties to the society ... Ouroboros, that is."

    Tio grimaces palpably.
    For her, that was monumental.

"First off, to you guys, we asked him to investigate C that way when we talked with him before. So .. if anyone's to blame for that, it's us." Randy accepts, attempting to bring some heat off of Featherman. He'd rather they dislike himself rather than cause any trouble between friends -- Randy was transparent like that.

"Ouroboros is a mysterious organization that almost nothing is known about, but they've been behind a lot of weird shit across Zemuria for a real long time, lurking behind the scenes. Like the Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon in Liberl."

Tio interjects, "An incident that occured approximately two years ago, due to an artifact Ouroboros clashed with the Bracer's Guild and the Kingdom of Liberl over which had the capacity to nullify the reaction that creates orbal waves and orbal energy. In contemporary multiverse terms, it was an object which could instantly shut down all forms of power in its radius which, when harnessed, could potentially encapsulate a country, or an entire world."

Randy nods, " ... among other things. We've also had clashes with some of their people. Pretty much, you can assume that whatever they're up to, it's some kooky world threatening plot."

Randy admits to Hibiki, "It'd be easier on us if he just left you guys alone. C's a notorious guy. ... Speaking of which ... did'ja figure out anything about his identity, Featherman? So we know where to start."
Rita Ma      Rita looks away and down, holding herself a little tighter as she soaks up Featherman's response.

     He's been a bad person in the past, and he's trying to change. I know what it's like to be scared that you're bad at heart. So why can't I forgive him?

     ... It's because, even with how bad my heart is, I've still tried my best to be good. So for him to fall short and make excuses, I can't stand it.


     "Heroes shouldn't be hypocrites," she interjects, looking over at Featherman Neo before he can answer Randy's question.

     "If you're really a hero, then tell us who you are before ratting out C's identity. It's fair, right? Now's your chance to not be a hypocrite. That's how you can prove you're a hero now, and not just someone who likes having power over others."
Hibiki Tachibana     There's a purse of Hibiki's lips at what Featherman says--his self-derision, the pain in his voice. "...Not good at..." She echoes quietly, to herself. Psychic ability as a way of understanding people. Like Persephone? She remembers when the very same was offered to her, but after thinking about it, Hibiki turned it down. But those reasons were her own, and Featherman isn't Hibiki Tachibana - so it's not right to hold it against him for finding his own way to try and get better at understanding people.

    She knows better than anyone how hard it is. But what's she supposed to do when it resulted in this, and now Rita is holding it against him?

    She doesn't get the chance to open her mouth to say anything on either that or the subject of C before the other girl wheels on him, in fact, and Hibiki swallows heavily. "Rita, that's--" She doesn't finish what probably would have been an objection. Maybe because she can't think of a good defense for it. Maybe because she thinks Rita really will lose any good opinion of him she had if he refuses.

    There's a conflicted look on her face, before she turns her attention to Featherman. Her moment of confusion over an exchange back in the hospital between him and Muramasa comes to mind, briefly, but it doesn't show on her face. Instead, she tentatively asks, "...Are you really okay with...?"
Featherman Neo Rita tells Featherman Neo that he needs to desuit. His words stop in his tracks. But even so..."I don't want to do it. I'm protecting somebody by keeping my identity." That's all it is.

Until he finally thinks, and cracks. "...but if I just end it there, you'll never trust me. You'll never be my friends. So please, don't tell anyone you know." His hand moves for his belt. He flips a switch. His true face is revealed - unfamiliar to any of them, unless they've seen old pictures. He looks much more rugged than he did then.

"My name is..." He says it. Featherman reveals his identity, and the name and the face match.

And then, after they've had a good look, he reups his suit. There's no long transformation - this is the fast version! "Is that enough? Now that you know, you know I would never want power over others."
C Randy and Tio both keep silent as Featherman reveals his identity, neither of them knowing who he is. That, after all, was well before C's time in the Watch and their multiversal research only really went so far. The redheaded beat cop scratches his cheek awkwardly, while Tio blinks in confusion.

    "...well, uh. I'll keep it lower than the floor, yeah?"

" .... what a scary face. I see why you wear that mask all the time," Tio nods with approval.
"Ouch, Tiotot, could you hold back? Just a little?" Randy pleads, to a deadpan "No."
Rita Ma      Rita's eyes go as wide as dinnerplates and both her hands cover her mouth in shock as she takes Featherman's identity in. It takes her a good few moments to process: once the shock wears off, a half-dozen emotions fight for control of her face.

     What finally wins out is a tense look, directed at the floor, tinged with both residual hurt and an undercurrent of sympathy.

     "I didn't think you actually would," she says, her voice a little hushed. "I thought it'd just make you reconsider what you're doing to C. But..."

     A pause of a good few seconds. She still doesn't make eye contact, just internally struggling. Her gaze only flicks up to Hibiki, to see how the other girl's taking it.

     "... I guess you can be a hero. Even if you're a hero I don't like."
Hibiki Tachibana     Hibiki gulps again, and Featherman's mask comes up. It's not a face she knows...or a name. It shouldn't be, right? It was also something well before her time, but the gravitas of him actually doing it still hits like a brick. He really is serious.

    When Rita looks at her, there's a mix of shock and surprise--and maybe like she's trying to process something, the last bit of what Featherman said during his reveal. Her expression tightens up after a few seconds though, and her eyes meet Rita's. There's a small nod, and then she looks back at him.

    "...Your secret is safe with us. Thank you...Featherman. Maybe it's not right to say when we want C to bring down his mask, but...that's still who you are to me."

    She takes a small breath, and then eases back in her chair some. Randy gets a glance, and then it's back to the masked hero. "...I've never heard of C mention that organization at all. And you really did find out his identity...?" Actually, didn't he shout a name back during all the chaos...?
Featherman Neo "I hope, someday, then, we can change that." Featherman says to Rita, honestly. As Hibiki tells him the secret is safe, he nods once, and then moves to reply. "I don't know his identity for sure. He knows he is C. He is not the 'incompetent' Gilbert, though. He is either Crow Armbrust, or someone competent enough for it to not matter whatsoever. His mind is well-guarded, but I was able to confirm an Ouroboros connection. Think of them like a supervillain organization, from our mutual interest shows, Hibiki. My goal..."

"Is to help C avoid the same path I went down. I don't want anyone walking that path of pain. Because all it does is kill you inside and out."
C Randy nods his head in inclination towards Featherman, "I see. So we can assume that he's not just a body double and is either a genuine successor, or the original C. Since we can't really speculate about that further, for now,let's just assume that he is Crow Armbrust."

Tio, having been accessing the Orbal Network to obtain what information they had concerning the topic at hand in their database - now that it was something they were all, indeed, ready to delve into - suppliments Randy's statement, "The original C was the leader of an organization of rebel terrorists in Erebonia. His true identity was Crow Armbrust, the grandson of former Mayor Armbrust, prior to Jurai State's annexation by Erebonia. The Imperial Liberation Front was responsible for a variety of incidents across the Nord Highland and most of Erebonia, including but not limited to: the attack at the Zemurian Trade Conference, as well as arming Garellia Fortress' railway guns and attempting to fire them on Crossbell proper."

Randy addends, "Those puppies are the strongest cannons developed on Zemuria, and there's only two of 'em. Both were used by Erebonia to defend their border shared with Crossbell in the event Crossbell fell to Calvard, so we couldn't be used as a staging ground ... they have the kind of firepower to wipe the entire state off the map with only a handful of bombardments. One of those cannons was captured by The Watch and hasn't been seen since."

Tio nods, "The Imperial Liberation Front was comprised of a handful of core members; Vulcan, former leader of the Armgarm Jaeger Corps, Scarlet, formerly of the Septian Church, Gideon, former professor at Heimdallr's Imperial Academy, and their leader, Crow Armbrust. Their ranks were supplimented by former jaegers, soldiers, and people from all walks of life who held grudges against the Erebonian Empire."

Randy crosses his arms and says, "Supposedly, they were all killed at Saschen Mine a while back, by the Railway Military Police and Thors Class VII, along with Paladins support. ... I don't know how he's alive, if he is the original, but putting that aside and assuming it is the case, he can't be up to anything good. Can you guys think of anything at all you could tell us about what he wants with the Cryptids, or what those things even are? We have no clue."
Rita Ma      Rita crosses her arms over her stomach, quietly tapping her shoes against the floor as she listens to Randy and Tio explain.

     I hate this a lot. The things they're saying about Mr. C... even if they're true, they don't make him bad. But if they want to know about the monsters... there's no reason I can't help them with that, right? Monsters are an enemy to everyone.

     After a moment of silence, she coughs quietly and speaks up. "Mr. C said that, even if they're killed, the Cryptids will just come back. So what you're doing, it's only a temporary fix. He thought that, by putting them to sleep with that flute, they could be kept from hurting more people."

     Rita looks up from the floor, her eyes sweeping from Randy to Tio and back again. "I made 'contact' with one of them, the big ice monster. It's not from a place that's anything like this world. It doesn't even understand basic ideas, like 'stop' or 'go'. I don't know how it functions. I think... they can't be killed for good because their root is still in another place?"

     A short pause. She averts her eyes again, something obviously still weighing on her.

     Should I really say this out loud...? No, I have a duty to. Monsters that hurt people need to be killed. That's the way it always is.

     She looks back up, her expression uncertain and a little ashamed. "... But I can kill them for good. Things that I eat completely, like the Hydra Plant- they never, ever come back. If you need help getting rid of them, I can do it."

     ...

     "Um. While I'm mentioning that. Do you have any raw meat, Mr. Randy? I haven't eaten all day, and it hurts awfully bad."
Hibiki Tachibana     Featherman putting it like that makes Ourobouros a hell of a lot easier to understand. She gets it completely now. 'Crow Armbrust' is also a name she doesn't recognize, but the explanation on things that follows up helps fill in a lot of information there.

    And that's a lot of it. But she does get the general gist. "So it sounds like 'C'...Crow...has it out for Erebonia after what happened to Jurai. And all those things they did are why you guys call them terrorists here...and the incident with the railway guns must be why you guys in Crossbell especially don't like them at all." She glances to Featherman, briefly. Is that the 'revenge' he mentioned C wanted to get?

    There's a small breath, and she allows Rita to explain what she knows about the Cryptids. "...I thought subduing them like that was for the best, with how he mentioned they keep coming back. It's a better long-term option than just killing them every time they show back up, right? But...I wonder what he was planning to do with them...?"

    She never truly did think that hard about it, other than the fact C was willing to 'loan them out'. He still has Elon Ark, doesn't he?

    After a moment of thinking, Hibiki looks between Randy and Tio. "...Jurai State. It was annexed by Erebonia right? Why'd they go and do that?"
C Recalling what happened with the Hydra Plant, Randy visibly shudders a little. It was understandably gruesome, but, there's not necessarily judgement on his face. Really, it was more like a look of sympathy rather than pity, or disgust.

    Like, in some way shape or form, he could relate.

"So, those things will just come back eventually -- they only started showing up recently .. but if that's the case, then that's a problem." he frowns, before smiling a little and nodding to Rita, "As long as you're alright with it, we'd really appreciate help in stopping them in the future. You saw what happened to Mishelam, and that was a relatively small population center. I don't even want to think about what would happen if one of them got into Crossbell city."

Since the flute was mentioned, Tio narrows her eyes and seems to focus on her computer for several moments before looking up, " .. that flute. Michael Gideon was known to possess an artifact in the form of a flute, which allowed him to revive and control monsters. After his death at the hands of Thors Class VII and the Paladins, custody was given to Erebonia's RMP."

Randy pauses, "You know ... if they really do have ties to the society, that's probably how they got their hands on that thing, huh? But if the RMP are supposed to have it, then why is he walkin' around with it? Something about that stinks."

Tio frowns and casts her gaze back to the computer as Randy then turns to Hibiki and Rita, "It's not just a case of us being mad he tried to blow us up, though, yeah ... look. We're surrounded on all sides by superpowers and our peace here is tentative ... we're at constant threat of invasion from Calvard and Erebonia both. If Erebonia has any ground to suspect we might be collaborating with the ILF, even through inaction, its grounds for them to annex us by force. We can't stop them if that's how it plays out, and that's also why it's been such a problem for us to look the other way, even if you guys want to help."

That it's because of their association with C is left unsaid.

"As for the Jurai SEZ; that's what it's called now, it's a small little isle off the coast of Erebonia. Erebonia constructed a railway going over the water to bridge Jurai to Zemuria proper for trading purposes, and .. a lot of shady stuff happened. Erebonia wanted Jurai to become part of Erebonia while Mayor Armbrust vehemently fought to retain independance in the trade deal."

Randy holds a hand up as he explains, " .. then the bombings started. Jurai was plagued by raids from unknown assailants, and the under-consutrction railway was repeatedly damaged to non-operation. Mayor Armbrust was forced to concede to Erebonia and stepped down as they annexed Jurai by force for their own safety, and he later died to mysterious circumstances. The whole world thought the situation was whack, but, no one could prove anything without starting a fight, and so the matter settled."

" -- Oh, shit, you must be starved, huh? Well don't worry, Ritty, I'll head on down to the cafeteria in a jiffy and get you as much meat as they can offer. Hang tight."

With that, Randy departs, and Tio looks up awkwardly. " ... uhm."
Rita Ma      Being taken over by some faraway superpower... that sounds horrible. Having your community's right to govern itself taken away, replaced by people who want to exploit you... I really can't blame Mr. C. And if I believe Featherman, he was even the son of the mayor who got killed. Is that why he's sad and bitter all the time? It'd make me bitter, too.

     "Even though you have the same enemy in Erebonia, you think there's really no way for you to work together? I can't accept that, but... I can't think of a way around it, either," Rita admits. She rubs her own temple, trying to dispel a budding headache. Resolving complex geopolitical problems isn't what Ritas are for!

     Fortunately, Randy's offer perks her back up. "Thanks, Mr. Randy! Just make sure it's really, absolutely raw, okay? I really appreciate it."

     There's a silence left behind when he departs. Rita lets it sit for a few moments before adding, to Tio: "Mr. C is still my friend. Even with all of this... I can't believe he's a bad person. But it's my job to protect humans, so... if there's anything I can do to help you with the Cryptids, I want to do it. Especially after seeing Mishelham."

     Despite the circumstances, she gives her best Sunny Imouto Smile- eyes closed, head tilted to one side, and everything.
Featherman Neo Featherman Neo mostly stays quiet. Though, when Rita says Mr. C is her friend, and she can't believe he's a bad person...

"Good. Believe in your friends. But...still, try and help them become better people. There's no plateau. You have to keep achieving that height. I want to be his friend, someday. But maybe we got off to a bad start. Certainly, reading his mind and then getting shot in the chest builds animosities for both of us." A sigh.

"Thank you for helping us with the Cryptids, at least. We can't let them hurt anyone else, ever again."
Hibiki Tachibana     "So Crossbell is in a really rough position..." Hibiki frowns, deeply. "All this politics stuff is a massive pain..." Even in her own world, things are pretty tenuous despite appearances, and it's even worse here. Now she understands a whole lot better the kind of spot they've been put in, and why they absolutely jumped the gun to their eyes when it came to trying to cop C in their first run-in. One slip-up and it means invasion.

    What's left unsaid comes through easily enough. The magical girl grimaces a bit.

    But she pays close attention to the explanation on the situation in Jurai, focusing on Randy as he goes on. A trade deal was behind everything happening up there? ...Unknown assailants? Her thoughts on that reeking in all sorts of ways is evident in the way she sits back in her seat and folds her arms in thought. "So they just had to let it fly...? Everyone...?" What a mess...an unfair mess.

    She's silent for a time as Randy departs and they're left with Tio, looking back up a bit awkwardly herself. If it wasn't for Rita speaking up herself, she probably would've remained quiet the entire time herself. Instead, she manages a small, tired smile. "...Lloyd's gonna be okay. If he actually died, I don't know what would've happened...but he's not. I'm sure we can help C. I don't think it's ever too late to bring the good in someone back out. You just need to keep trying."

    There's a bit of a wistful tone, and a brief fall of her expression, before Hibiki glances back up and addresses Tio. "...Based on what you guys know about C, and the ILF's way of doing things, can you think of anything special he'd want to use these Cryptids for?"
C Tio stares at Rita blankly before slowly, measuringly frisking around in a Mishy plush to her side that has been revealed to in fact be a purse. She produces cat-print pink paper and a pen on which she writes down a series of 12-digit numbers, before providing them to Rita.

"These can be used to reach the SSS's office line, as well as my personal number, and the CSPD circuit line. Uhm. If you want to help .. you can give us a number we can call you with, or you can call us and we can collaborate ..."

In contrast to Rita's sunny little sister energy, Tio's reservation and shyness is a sharp difference, but one that seems like it should fit, somehow. Isn't that strange?

" . . . also. While Randy glossed over this, allow me to show you something."

Tio turns her computer around and presents a map of Zemuria, zooming it into the territories surrounding Crossbell. Crossbell State is naturally the smallest among them and is pinned between the Empire of Erebonia and the Republic of Calvard, two ginormous supernations.

"Calvard and Erebonia have been at odds with one another for a very long time. One of the ILF's worst attacks was an attempt at instigating armed conflict between them, by fooling both sides into believing the other had attacked them unannounced."

The implication that such a war would have devastated the entire world was obvious, just looking at the size of the countries. Tio seemed to catch on that most of the people here were not great at geopolitical complications and seemed to be trying to condense her explanation, " ... Gilbert, a low level grunt in Ouroboros impersonated C at Roer and threatened to bomb the Orbal Reactors there. It turned out to be a dud. Do you know anything about that? .. it's alright if you don't, but we'd like to know."

Randy returns, with nearly 30 pounds of various raw, red meat. How he got it, well, that's a story for another day.

He wheels it in on a cart typically used to serve patients and settles it in front of Rita, right about the time Hibiki is speaking of trying to put C back on the right track. "If you guys could do that ... I also like to think that people deserve redemption. But with him, I don't know."

Scratching his head as he closes the door, Randy turns back around, "...we've been thinking on what he could be doing with the Cryptids, and based on his track record, most of his operations have been multi-faceted. The only thing we've been able to come up with is that he probably intends to use them in some kind of two-pronged operation. All of his big plans in the past have involved two or three layers, and since he's being blatant about the Cryptids, they're probably involved with the first one. Since that flute can control the Cryptids, he'll probably use them to attack somewhere, so that he can accomplish something else in a seperate location while everyone's trying to put out the fire where the smoke is, if you catch my drift."
Rita Ma      Rita's eyes open wide when Randy rolls the cart of meat in. They have imouto sparkles in them. Her hands are clasped in giddy delight, and she's visibly drooling. "Thank you so much, Mr. Randy! This is amazing!! Really, it's... you've been so nice to me. Thank you."

     Usually I'd keep to table manners, for the sake of looking normal. But everyone here already knows... and I'm so hungry, it's like a spike of cold metal in my gut. There's no harm in letting loose a little, right?

     Her jaws cut through the raw meat in huge, greedy bites, an audible click of enamel following each chomp as triangular teeth interlock. Tough ligaments and sinews are ripped apart with a vicious shake of her head. Bones are swallowed down whole or crunched into splinters with superhuman bite force, her tongue slurping the marrow out before eating even the jagged pieces. Meat juices trickle down her chin and neck in rivulets.

     She annihilates all thirty pounds in under a minute, then takes an enormous heaving breath. She hadn't even breathed that whole time.

     When her brain boots back up, she looks intensely embarrassed, hiding her face behind a tissue as she tries to clean herself up. "Um! I'm sorry, it's just... thank you, Randy, I..."

     It's really hard to tell if it's more cute or horrifying.

     "Um," she finally says afterwards. "I'm sorry, I... don't know anything about a Gilbert. Or the previous things Mr. C might've done. I'll have to talk to him about that later, but..."

     "... I can't believe he wants to set monsters loose and hurt people. I don't think the C I know would do that. But, if he does... I promise I'll protect people, like I always do."

     Even considering that possibility has her looking grim and stressed, though. She really doesn't want to think the worst of C.
Hibiki Tachibana     A visual aid very obviously helps Hibiki a lot. You can practically see greater understanding flash in her eyes as she leans forward in her chair and gets a far better idea of just how much area Calvard and Erebonia cover. Crossbell is like a drop of water in the ocean compared to them. If it really did come down to an annexing...

    There's no doubt what'd happen to Crossbell. And just the thought of these guys fighting each other openly sounds as dangerous as any war between superpowers she'd know of from her Earth. Maybe even worse. C wanting revenge against Erebonia, she understands. But trying to go that far with it...? How much more is there to it, deep down? She just doesn't know enough...

    Randy's back, and Hibiki sits up straighter to rub a hand back through her hair. She opens her mouth to say something--

    And Rita promptly works on downing the absolutely gross amount of raw meat at speeds never before thought possible. The entire minute goes by with Hibiki watching with an expression not unlike someone watching a force of nature at work.

    It's maybe for the supremely embarrassed Rita's benefit that when her mouth finally closes again, she tries to go right back to addressing what Randy said without so much as blinking. "--Then, um..." It takes her a second. "Thankfully, the only one he should have is Elon Ark, unless he got more while we weren't looking. And we dealt with that once, so if worst comes to worst..." She lets out a small, uncomfortable sound.

    "...Whatever happens, we'll do everything we can so people don't get hurt. Whether it's from the Cryptids, or any plan that'd have innocent people get caught up in things. I just wonder what his real goal is, if he does things like that..."
C Randy and Tio both wince as Rita begins quite literally tearing into her food like a rabid animal, devouring it all within mere moments. "God damn." Randy murmurs.

"If..this ain't a bruh moment, then I don't know what is."

Tio seeks shelter behind her computer, offering tissues over the top with the tippy tips of her fingers, "Here. Don't eat them too."

Shaking his head, Randy says, "Alright. Well, thanks for answering our question even so. For what it's worth, I hope we're wrong about that .. and if we're not, we'll be more than happy to accept your help in putting a stop to it."

He then turns to Hibiki, "Well. This is just a hunch .. but I think that, more than anything, he might want to kill Chancellor Osborne. Ole' 'Blood and Iron' himself, it's his expansionist policies that drove forward the annexation, and his reformist faction possesses the vast majority of Erebonia's military might."

Tio interjects, "Erebonia is traditionally ruled by the Nobility. However, after the Hundred Days War, Emperor Eugent created a new position in the government .. Chancellor, which holds power nearly equal to the Royal Family, and appointed Giliath Osborne to it. The 'Reformist Faction' is comprised mostly of commoners in the government who wish to reform Erebonia's political system."

Randy nods, "Right. Pretty much all of the crap the ILF did, while having repercussions elsewhere, was laser targetted at the assets controlled by the Reformists ... and it's just a rumor, but I heard the mess at Saschen Mine was to cover up some kind of involvement the Noble Faction of Erebonia may have had with the ILF."

    ~Oh ho ho ho ..

"W..what?!" Randy looks around, Tio jolting up in alarm. The room seems to darken, and the lights flicker themselves off. The door locks and, no matter how hard Randy beats on it, he can neither open it nor break it. "What's happening?!"

    No need to be alarmed...

A blue haze lights up the dark and forms into a spectral image of the same woman that Rita and Hibiki may remember had been with C during the subjugation of Elon Ark, Vita Clotilde.

    "...! Randy, isn't she..?"

"Yeah...she fits the description we beat out of Gilbert the last time we saw him. That's Ouroboros Second Anguis, the Azure Abyss herself..!"

Swiping at the image, Randy's hand passes clean through, much to Vita's amusement.

Oh de~ar. Temper now, then again, considering your past it should be no surprise you'd turn to violence against even a prim lady, hm~?

The sour and sick expression on Randy's face is fierce as Vita grins in an apologetic manner, Did I take it too far? I'm sorry. At any rate, I couldn't help but drop in for a little visit. I haven't eavesdropped much, but it's nice to know that a certain talkative little birdie didn't know that much after all. We were so concerned, we thought you might have figured everything out once we realized you'd been picking at my dear chevalier's mind. No matter. I just wanted to wish you all a speedy recovery, a pleasant day ... and to make sure you really take what happened to heart as a stern warning. Next time you might not be so fortunate~. That's all.

"Hey, hold on! You're not finished here, you haven't explained anything! All you did was show up and say a bunch of cryptic bullshit!"

Vita smirks widely, and her image dissipates before the lights, door, and windows all return to normal. Tio's computer resumes functioning as it should, as well.

" .... what a bully." she grouses.
Hibiki Tachibana     "So he has a clear target...?" Chancellor Osborne does indeed sound like the driving cause behind what happened to Jurai in the first place. It would mark him as the obvious instigator of whatever backhanded maneuvers went on that resulted in it being taken over, and whether that's true or not, it's someone physical for C to get his revenge on.

    And he's Reformist, opposed to the ordinary Nobility. A superpower of that size has to have division in it, apparently, and that's worrying in its own way. This really is complex. The nobles might be conspiring with the ILF too so they don't lose power, maybe...?

    This kind of thinking really isn't Hibiki's thing at all, and she's sitting back and rubbing at her temples when things get intensely spooky. After a hasty glance around, she also springs to her feet--

    "You...!"

    The magical girl's fists tense as does her expression, particularly when Featherman is brought up. "So you thought we knew more than we did...?" Doubly as much with her parting words--a warning? "That sure as hell was a lot more than just a warning...!"

    Randy says what's basically on her mind, and she's gone. Hibiki remains on edge for a few moments before slowly relaxing and sighing. "...So she's a part of Ouroboros...I guess that explains one thing..."
Rita Ma      Rita remains frozen in confusion and shock during Vita's spooky visitation. It isn't until the very end that she hops up from her chair, holding out a hand as if to reach for the sorceress.

     "Wait!"

     Recoiling a little, as if startled by the sound of her own voice, she adds sheepishly: "Could you please tell Mr. C that... I hope he's doing okay? We still care about him a whole lot."

     She was the one who 'loosened' his cuffs, after all. So hopefully he can take it to heart.
C Vita's smug expression, as Rita speaks up, shifts into something gentler -- kindler. The kind of face your favorite aunt might make at you, before the shimmering image fades. Rita could take that look however she liked, as wordless as it was; but, it wasn't the sort of look that would inspire the feeling of being rebuked or turned down.

Tio has a terse frown on her face as Randy kicks softly at the tiled floor, "Damnit. .. You guys know her? -- from what Ritty said, I guess she has to be connected to C, then. Man.."

His face is sour, "I almost prefer dealing with Gilbert or those three knight girls to whatever the hell that lightshow was. Now I'm just plain irritated .."

Randy rubs his forehead, "..anyway. If you want to talk, later, Tio gave you some numbers to call, right? Besides that, the upgrades she made for our equipment should be done soon, so we'll be available on open radio channels, too."

Tio, unhelpfully adds, "We can play Pom-Pom Party."

"Also. .. thank you, about Lloyd, I mean ... to tell you the truth, he's supposed to be Mishy. I'm just Mishette, so I ..."

She frowns, "I wouldn't know what to do if he left us all alone."
Hibiki Tachibana     Rita piping up is simultaneously surprising--and not that surprising. Hibiki blinks at her, and then back up to the image of the woman as she begins fading off. Where she catches that expression. She's not really sure what to make of it. It was...kind? Hibiki's arms fall fully to her side, and she processes Randy's question. She doesn't think she's ever really spoken to her, even over the radio.

    But that--for some reason, it brings to mind Randy's explanation of what happened in Jurai, and something she heard from someone else not that long ago at all.

    'Hah. But, this is all that's left for sad-sacks who can't move on, kid.'

    "C...and the rest of them..." Hibiki's voice is low and kept to herself, before she glances back to the SSS duo. Tio's frown gets hers to deepen some, but after a moment, she puts on a small smile.

    "Well, he's not gonna. Once he gets back on his feet, Mishy's gonna join us when we play." She nods, as if it's a matter of fact. And...that's why she really can't let something like this happen again.