Scene #8111: Before We Fly

Owner	Pose
Xion	Aptom, the 'government agent' that had arrived with the others to Briggs' briefing, could tell that he had been watched by the black-haired girl that shared familiar hugs with the General. She had tried to find his eyes all night with furtive blues, but couldn't catch a glimpse behind his eye-wrapped sunglasses. That was, until everyone traded contact information before departing. If Aptom hadn't had a phone (or had simply seen what she would do) - Xion produced one for the man with a sigh, a scuffed silver flip with a dangling, charmless cord. And then hadn't contacted him at all! Until, the morning of the proposed investigation, he received a set of SMS lines in the messaging app. > Good morning. > Could you show up early? > I want to get something out of the way. > Let's meet at the first gas station past the city limits sign. Just past the 'Welcome to TWIN PEAKS, Population: 4' sign, is a gas station and rest stop built in the style of the 1960's. White and chip-cream with chrome stools and upholstery, linoleum and tile, and warm yellow bulbs that each suffer from varying states of burn-in that soften the light even further, the rest area sits within a set of old-timey wooden doors centered with glass. Besides, a set of dirty white pillars and Shell gas stations sit, self-service with a splash of early 2000's 'modernity', and several middlingly stocked convenience machines hum outside the low-cielinged building. Trees hedge in from just past a little dirt clearing with some dirty picnic tables on gravel, and Xion, in flannel and jeans, drinking a steaming coffee through a tiny caffe straw like a weirdo.
Aptom	Wanting to have zero ways of being traced, Aptom had dropped the random Watch phone he pilfered to originally get to Twin Peaks. Unfortunately, he'd end up with a phone again anyway, so his precautions were kind of pointless in the end. Sure, he could have refused the girl's gift and there probably wouldn't be too much eye squinting, but he needs to keep some level of good faith within the group if he wants to achieve his own goals, and it's not like someone wanting to keep tabs on him is going to set him back in any meaningful way. At least, for the moment. >Sure. Aptom's reply to Xion's texts is short and brief. A man of few words it would seem. Walking up to Xion, it's apparent that the mysterious 'G-man' hasn't bothered swapping clothes since last time. The same leather jacket, the same jeans and shoes, and most importantly, the same pair of shades that hide his eyes. "Well? I'm here."
Xion	The phone, if inspected through prying or spying, is as clean as a flip phone that has been connected to several different near-enough-to-function third generation wireless backbones can be considered 'clean'. It is selling his personal data relentlessly, but the people who receive it don't exist as corporate entities in 2014. Xion sits up as Aptom walks up, considering the Same Outfit all the way up to the sunglasses. "You are here, yep." She raises her cup to her lips and loudly-- sssssssssssips --before putting the cup down and sliding out of the dirty, chained down folding chair and dusting off her back with a few quick pats. "You're not really with the government, are you? It's okay, if you've got a reason to be here -- but before we get into a complicated fight, I'd like a simple answer:" "What are you here to do, in Twin Peaks?" Xion asks, and finds herself reflected in Aptom's wrap-arounds.
Aptom	Aptom's mouth warps into a smirk as Xion accuses him of not truly being a government worker. It was funny while it lasted, but he supposes it was inevitable that someone would catch on that he wasn't. It's not like he put any work into keeping up that appearance. "Heh. Never said I was, but it's not like I had anything to gain by correcting any of you." Now, the question for why he is here. A good one, honestly. He has nothing to gain from helping solve this mystery as far as anyone is concerned, and it's not like he has any emotional investment in it either. Aptom rubs underneath his nose a bit in faux thought, purposely delaying his response for no other reason than to create some tension. "I'm here to hunt, if you can believe it. If that ends up solving the problem, well, I suppose that ends up benefiting everyone else. Hopefully, that's not a problem."
Xion	Xion shrugs, her arms sweeping up in a broad and open shrug, elbows swaying as she rocks left and right. The smirk that lifts and warps Aptom's face is reward enough, as Xion paces out another few steps from the table. She turns to face the man in the leather jacket, sliding her hands into the pockets of her jeans and leaning forward slightly, elbows now jutting out from her sides as her lean increases. "That's right, isn't it? You never did, and people just assumed. Though, you did have things to gain, it was more about what you stood to lose, right?" Rising, her thumbs tap against the inside of her waist while her hands stay tucked within her pockets. "Everyone's pleasant first impression." Xion's expression drops to a flat and all-business expression and blank blue eyes. "I believe it. And I don't really have a problem with it, depending on what you're hunting. I don't mind people gathering new abilities - I'd be a huge hypocrite if I did. If you'd like to turn this place into some kind of hunting ground, however--" Her head tilts left, bangs canting across her right eye. "I'll handle you right now if you're here to hunt the people. I'm not interested in third party threats this time. I've decided to handle them up-front."
Aptom	"That's right. Working with people is always a balancing act. I would have lost some wiggle room with that Rook lady by saying that I'm a free agent, but I lose equally as much by lying about it. In this case, saying nothing was the best way to go about it." There's no point in hiding it now that he's been caught, so Aptom opts to explain his thought process. There's not a trace of regret in his voice on the matter either, though with how low and baritone his voice usually is, that might not be the best way to tell about how he feels. "You, however, don't have to worry your pretty little head. I don't hunt civilians, and if I was after any of you, I wouldn't have shown my face like this. At least for the moment, I'm fine marching to the beat of everyone else."
Timespace Riders	As if on cue, the future Demon King enters into Big Ed's Gas Barn. The faint jingle of the bell at the door may well serve to draw what few other eyes are here at this early our. Big Ed himself, who had happily welcomed Xion (essentially being James' father by fact if not by blood), blanches at the young man's appearance. "Son, you look like you were rode hard and put away wet," says the older man. The years have been kinder to him than to Bobby, although not so kind that his hair hasn't grayed. "Here. On the house." Sougo has coffee foisted upon him before he even notices Xion or Aptom. The display of small-town kindness breaks through Sougo's melancholy exterior, and has him smiling, slightly. "...ah, thank you, Mr. ...?" "Ed Hurley. People in town call me Big Ed." Given that he's 6'2", it's not hard to see why. The flannel-wearing, towering rural fellow nods courteously to Sougo, then returns to his work. Turning around, the Demon King spots Xion and Aptom. Sougo's clearly showing the signs of a lost fight, or at least, one fought hard. Burn marks and cuts from the suit's impact dispersion system, fatigue, a general hesitance to move too swiftly lest he irritate or upset some ornery wound or another. His cheerful, slightly oversized yellow button-up, rolled highwater jeans and low-cut boots seem ill-placed, considering. "Oh," he says, taking a seat with them. "Hi..."
Xion	"Working with people can be easy, but you need to be willing to communicate, and that means accepting risks." Xion answers, after a moment's thought, her head rightening. "I can tell you're pretty strong, because you're confident enough to talk like this with me. I'm happy," She is not. "we can be open, like this, and be plain about what we want." Xion pulls her hands out of her pockets and turns back to the table to get her coffee, lifting it to hold while thinking aloud. "Have you ever noticed that if you get the surprises out of the way early, things go a lot more smoo-" brring! chimes an old bell, and Xion's expression falls into a full grimace reflected in Aptom's wrap-around shades. She rights, drawing a loud sip as Big Ed greets the Demon King and is back to dull business mask by the time she faces the cut-up royal. "Before you get comfortable, the price is you answering a question." Xion announces, at the table, looking to Aptom after a moment. "For both of us." "Do you have Officer Tomari -- Kamen Rider Drive's -- power already?"
Timespace Riders	Sougo Tokiwa wasn't going to be comfortable at this table to begin with--not if Xion was sitting there. She can see it in his face. Nevertheless, "No," says Sougo evenly. "But that's why I'm here. I need it to be king, but more importantly..." His hands tighten around the coffee mug--the Barn still uses them, despite the modernization in town. No paper cups here. "I need it to save someone who was counting on me. So I'm sorry, but I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." He manages another weak smile, glancing between the two of them. "Woz will be at the airport, too, and I'm sure he'll have helpful information, so please try and get along with him."
Aptom	"Smoothly. Yes, I suppose. I'm no stranger to bumpy rides though, there's some destinations you can only reach by taking them." Aptom finishes Xion's sentence, because he gets the gist. He's no stranger to being open about things. After all, only a few years ago, he had a bunch of old men prodding around in his head. But that's the past, and now he's free to divulge what he wants, when he wants, so he's going to savor that power of choice until it eventually gets old for him. "Another hunter? Or perhaps, you're one of those Kamen Riders?" Aptom makes a remark as he finally takes a proper seat down across from Xion. "Ah, wait. You're that 'Demon King', Zi-O. Well, whatever you truly are, you've seem to have drawn some ire from our little detective."
Xion	The noirette drops into her own chair and sighs, threatened more by Zi-O's intrusion than his actual state of getting kicked down stairs and being left, debelted and sad, at the bottom of a ravine. She understands, without interrogation, that Tokiwa's injuries were the result of such things. She understood, without needing to prod and poke with key and feeling -- she had started his tumbling path down the rocks as a means of introduction. "It's fine to say you've been to a lot of places afterwards, but in the moment, it can be pretty bumpy." Xion observes, in Sougo's direction to Aptom's sentence-finishing, and crosses her legs in her seat. "People I already saved once are being hurt again, and someone is using Drive's power to do it. I don't mind if either of you walks away with it," Xion lifts from Aptom, businesslike, to Zi-O, blankly annoyed. "Because everyone here is a certain 'kind of person'. A hunter. A Kamen Rider. A..." She smirks, and trails off. "... little detective?" She snorts with a light amusement. "Well, then maybe I'll have to show you my 'top gear'." She asides, pantomiming a necktie. "For now, I'll stand in for the Kamen Rider who can't any more. I owe him that much, since I missed our reunion." Aptom has context for this. Sougo does not.
Timespace Riders	Sougo lets out a sharp, relieved sigh. He hadn't known how this might have played out, thrust suddenly into it. "Thank you, Xion." Aptom is offered a polite, if tired, nod. "...yes, that's me," explains Sougo to the not-g-man. "I want to be king to make the world a better place. But the future me either lost sight of it, or never wanted that to begin with. That's why I'm going to be the greatest, kindest Demon King, instead, so that future will never happen." He looks Xion in the eye, unwavering. "And that isn't relative."
Aptom	"Heh." There's a wry smirk from Aptom at Xion's last comment. He doesn't have much to say himself however, not without giving too much of himself away. "Is that so? Well, if this Ohma Zi-O still exists, there's something you're clearly doing wrong." Aptom fidgets with his flip phone for a bit, again, not because he needs to think, but because he's purposefully drawing out the conversation, creating a false sense of tension to see if he can cause the young rider to squirm a bit. "I suppose I don't know much about how timelines work, however. That said, it's good we met in person, your face is pretty useful to me."
Xion	"And until you realize that dream, if you realize that dream, Zi-O, the future before you will remain the same." Xion returns, crossing her arms while seated and staring across the table. Aptom, taking the slight angle chair, gets the splash of the Nobody's attention, the regularly cycling 'ah, and also you' pans of the gaze to be inclusory, a learned response for more engaging speaking. A strategy, even when she was gunbarreling the Demon King of Time. "I'm not sure who's behind the attacks, but we'll find out. The threat Kadoya Tsukasa warned us about wasn't 'Ohma Zi-O', but 'Oda Zi-O'. And now, some mysterious man is warning us about 'Decade'. It's a complete mess." She leans forward while Aptom disengages with his flip phone to create tension. "They're the 'most likely' future. And right now, it's most likely the Greatest, Kindest Demon King doesn't win. So if time changes because Zi-O gets Drive's power, and gets worse, then--" She smiles, empty. "Think of it as an experiment, to see if things can change. If it helps, maybe they can change for the better." The split of subject sounds very intentional.
Timespace Riders	"I know," says Sougo to Aptom. He doesn't squirm--but he does fidget with his cup, thumbs sliding up and down it. "But... I'm learning, from everyone around me. Finding new ways to be. I'm still in the shallow end; there are still parts of me I haven't seen or..." he frowns uncomfortably. "Can't see, yet." He reaches into his pocket, and procures a futuristic pocketwatch--but it's bigger than the ones Xion has seen, because it's two-in-one. The lighter, silver-colored half shows Zi-O's helmet, yet subtly different; more intense. The darker half, inlaid with gold, shows a dark reflection of the same. Sougo pockets it, after peering intently at it. Now facing Xion, "I'm going to keep going. I'd rather reach for that dream and fail than accept that the future can't change. Thank you for giving me the chance." Sougo pushes his half-empty coffee aside, bowing his head.
Aptom	"I see. I would think giving up on this dream would actually be the non failure point. But far be it from me to dissuade you, I don't have a leg in any of this." That's not entirely true. If there's no Ohma Zi-O, then at least half of what he's hunting right now goes away. However, he's not going to say that, mostly because this Xion's girl probably already figured as much, and especially since he's positive that anything he said to Sougo wouldn't convince him off his path. That's just how kids his age are, annoyingly. "So. While we have you, do you have anything on Decade? Preferably a picture, but I suppose anything you know is useful as well."
Xion	"You've got two legs in it." Xion smirks at Aptom, glancing down at the table-surface that covers his lower torso from view. "This conflict is between great powers, all of which are fighting over, and around, the power of 'Kamen Rider'. So it's not strange at all that you'd want to try and hunt for some power here. There's so much power to sample, so many strong hearts and colorful ways of being." Xion tilts her chair back on the back feet as she leans and balances, improving her delivery of truths with a carefully careless air. "We're already dealing with a power that's left the owner and is running wild. If it's some new type of Roidmude evolution, I'll be extra cross - Imitating Officer Tomari is an exceptionally low blow." She scoffs. "They're better than that. So it's complicated, and probably going to be extra hard. I'm not going to turn away people who want to help right at the start. Even if we have to split whatever power pops out three ways. There'll be enough interesting new experiences for all of us." Xion cants forward, clacking chair-feet to the floor and elbowing down on the table to lean in on Sougo's bowed head. "Make sure Woz knows to be a team player, Zi-O. I came here to head off third partying, not get a preview of it." Decade, and Aptom's question. Xion relents, sitting up and softening as she grows throughtful and recitory. "Not... directly. I know he's 'someone like Zi-O', in a way - someone who can use the power of many Riders. And I know people call him a destroyer - we heard it again, from that Narutaki." A pause. "And one more thing: He may be the leader of the organization known as 'Shocker'."
Timespace Riders	Does Sougo know anything about Decade? "Mm... I'm sorry, but I don't," he says, after a moment's, brow-furrowed thought. Leaning forward in his chair, he pulls the coffee back before him and stares at the drink. "But... well, I have heard of 'Tsukasa' before. I met someone who had that name, not long after Mr. Kougami gave me the Timespace Driver." Taking a sip, Sougo looks back up, between Xion and Aptom. "He told me something strange, and a little scary--that he was trying to decide whether he should destroy my world. Then he said he wanted to 'capture my essence,' and took a picture with the both of us. I have it here, but..." The picture is, by all recognizable rules of photographic composition, technically fine. But somehow, some way, it's as if the camera, the light or even the world itself conspired against this picture. Sougo, and the man himself (he might be described as an adult delinquent, with expensive taste in clothing), are both... 'out of focus' is the wrong phrase. It's more like they're evading the photo, to the point that you could swear the perplexed Demon King and the subtly smug Tsukasa are both sliding off ofit even as you watch. At the very least, it's confirmation for Aptom, given the charcoal sketch he'd gotten from Garland Briggs, that this man is Decade. "I hope that helps--but I do know one thing for sure: the Drive that's here isn't a Roidmude."
Aptom	"You're making some pretty strong assumptions about my hunt. For all you know, I hunt for sport, not for 'power'. I'd learn to temper your expectations about people, especially those you've just met." Placing the phone he's been fiddling with back into his jacket, Aptom stands up out of his chair, not to leave, but presumably to get a better look at the photo that Sougo has shared. For once, he actually takes off his sunglasses, his exposed eyes squinting as he tries to make out whatever details there are. No matter how hard he looks however, his mind keeps on coming to the same conclusion: this photo is worthless. So much for his easy break. Aptom silently sighs in begrudging defeat as he slips his shades back on and returns to his seat. "I see. A leader of what I assume is an evil organization, and a man who's the antithesis to the current you. If Ohma Zi-O and Decade are destined to fight, I wonder if perhaps your older self is truly as bad as everyone makes out. If he was truly evil, I'd have assumed he'd be chummy with this pink menace."
Xion	Xion begins at a tired smile, and restrains an eyeroll to a saccade motion to the photograph of the smearily-expressed Decade. The oil-and-water of trying to capture Tsukasa Kadoya on film. "If you come in short of what I'm planning for, then it's fine, right? But... thanks for being honest." The noirette winks. "I knew you hunted for sport, though. If you were just a hungry beast, you'd fall upon me, or turn on Sougo. You're clearly not. You're hunting." Xion taps her temple with a finger. "I'm sharing my terms, but if they're insulting, your feelings matter. I'm hoping for a sort of intimate trust, since we'll be fighting besides each other." A pause, and then a fully honest smile, curling in her cheeks. "I hunt for a kind of power. In my travels, gaining that power came with responsibilities, holding onto other people's dreams. For them, I'll even allow myself to be called 'Kamen Rider', and wear that mask without shame or disgust. It can be mine, if I wanted it. I don't, really, not especially, but it's become special to me because of the people in my life, and the hearts I've found." Xion looks at Sougo, looking down her nose gently at the well-tumbled now and future king of time. "You'll have to gain Decade's power, too, to become king. What will happen if you have to use force?"
Timespace Riders	"He is that bad," says Sougo, standing up from his seat after finishing his coffee. "I've seen it for myself." He can't look Aptom in the eye to say it, and there's a slight shudder, an anxious tracing of his fingertips across the pocket of his jeans. "...If this Decade is some kind of criminal mastermind," Sougo continues, lifting his head, "The fight is 'destined' because he doesn't want any competition." What if he has to use force? What if the fight really is destined? His hand traces across the edge of the cheap, yet sturdy formica table, feeling through the years of subtle wear and tear upon its glossy surface. "Sometimes, gathering a Rider's power is as simple as befriending them and earning their trust. But sometimes it isn't." Looking up at Xion, with a small smile, "I'm learning that being out here," he says, nodding to the nearby window, the town outside--ostensibly, the Multiverse--"Means allowing it to test who you are and how committed you are to being that person. His force is his to use, and the same's true of mine. There are things I'm willing to use it for, and things I'm not. I fight because I want to be king, but I want to be king because I want to make the world a better place." Sougo takes a deep breath, wincing slightly as a wound is agitated. "I've learned, being out there, making new friends... that making sure other people are safe, whole, and happy is what makes me happy. If fighting Decade makes that happen, then I'll fight. And if it doesn't, then I won't." Sougo heads to the counter, and attempts to pay. Big Ed waves him off. "'On the house' means it's free, son," says the old man, chuckling. "But if you want to repay me, you can go down to the Great Northern, tell 'em Big Ed sent you, and get some rest before you get knee deep in ugly like I know you're gonna." Sougo looks bewildered. "Eh?" "I have a nephew that's a rider. You just get on, now, and don't forget to have a life outside whatever fancy belt you got." Sougo blinks, then smiles at the proprietor, before turning and giving Aptom and Xion a sheepish wave goodbye. "I'll make sure Woz gets along with you," he says. "And I'll see you... after I've gotten some rest."
Aptom	"You're right. I don't have much use flailing around like a starving beast these days. Enjoying myself is just as important." Looking up at the time as Sougo prepares to leave, Aptom realizes he's been here a while. He doesn't have anywhere to be, he works entirely on his own time, but sitting in one place for an extended period has never been his thing. Unless he's staking out, but that's part of the hunt so it doesn't count. "Well. You may think he's a monster, but there's a saying that the path to Hell was paved with good intentions. I doubt your older self is so far removed from you that he doesn't think he's doing good. I guess, what I'm saying is that you should probably reexamine your goal. There's something in there that's still poisoning the well. But if you've met him, I suppose you'd know better than me. I'm just postulating" There's no point in giving this kid this kind of advice. If it can really be considered advice, really. If Ohma Zi-O is a Demon King in the future, clearly, this kid and that old man aren't that different. But who knows, maybe what he said will make Sougo focus on what his future self lacks rather than just immediately disown him like he seems to be doing. Hopefully he does, mopey kids are obnoxious. Aptom considers handing back the phone he has back to Xion. He can't really consider the girl an ally, but then again, she tolerates him, and that's useful in its own right. Opting to hold on to it instead, he stands up, walking his way to the door and he simply raises a hand up to wave goodbye to the two kids. Moments after he leaves, Xion gets a text. >Good talk. Be seeing you soon.
Xion	The kindness of Big Ed in the moments around Sougo get a tired, private smile out of Xion. She can tell when someone needs some sleep, though it didn't need any kind of empathy to understand. Xion waits at 'her' table while Sougo leaves to try and fail to pay, lingering on Aptom as he too assembles to leave. "Thanks. I appreciate you passing that along, so he'll listen." Xion calls out conversationally to Sougo as he heads out the door. Aptom leaves without a vocal goodbye, but she waves a hand congenially at the leaving leather jacket and wrap-around shades. Settled into her chair, she rests on the surface of the table, alone except for Big Ed. "I want to go to sleep too, but I've got an appointment." Palming around her coffee mug, Xion exhales. Then, her phone (round-edged and chrome cased, with Starlight's keychain dangling from the hook) buzzes and chimes. Lifting it from her pocket, she thumbs the power stud, then swipes through the lock to look at her texts. A little smile quirks up her lips, and she rights to punch in an answer. >Yeah. Good hunting, too. I'm glad we had a chance to talk. She rights. "Ed! Could I get another cup of coffee, before I go?"