Scene #1495: On the Origin of Dinner

Owner	Pose
Nozomi Houken	For the second time in as many days, Nozomi Houken steps through a door planning to get herself dinner, and ends up somewhere entirely different than she'd intended... but still suited perfectly to that purpose. After one of the strangest days she's ever had at school, the young TIGER-user is not quite sure how to feel - but she at least can't quite say 'bad'. Matsumoto Chiaki, one of the biggest fans of the 'Black Armored Girl', has become the first person in her class to genuinely approach her and extend a hand of friendship. The girl is everything Nozomi isn't - outgoing, outspoken, cheerful, and more than willing to see past Nozomi's external personality for the brave, determined girl inside. So it is that, out of sorts but not quite so nervous as usual, she finds herself in the Bar and Grill again, with a soft mutter of, "...oh..." She's fairly quick to duck her head a little and start walking, headed right for a corner table where people can't stare quite so easily.
Samar	Iron Bottom Sound is not a place of seclusion. The winding, twisted wreckage of countless ships is permeated by Abyssal after Abyssal dancing among the twisted metal and corpses of ages past. Some, however, more intact than others, may have space where someone could slip through a door and seal it behind them, allowing some semblance of silence and solitude from prying eyes at the ocean's bottom. One such person searching for once such place is the Seaport Princess, Darwin. Less warlike and unstable than her sisters, Darwin has never been one to revel in the anger and hatred the Abyssals feel time and time again. Sometimes she needs a relief from the constant negativity, and today finds her floating through the wreckage of a ship whose name she doesn't know, searching for a door to some lower hold that she can slip into and seal up again. And as soon as she finally finds one, she steps through... ...only to find herself out of the water, standing in that strange bar, vaguely jarred and still dripping from being submerged only a few moments ago. Standing as tall as she is, at least a little over seven feet tall, she's not difficult to see, either; as soon as the knowledge of her situation strikes her, the giant, heavy-clawed Abyssal grows timid, red eyes widening as she steps back against the door behind her, completely uncertain as to how to approach this new development. No doubt she's getting some attention from it, too; attention she doesn't exactly /want/.
Nozomi Houken	Ordinarily, Nozomi wouldn't so much as blink at the sound of someone else coming in here behind her. But the unmistakable patter of falling droplets of water is rather more attention-grabbing, and midway to her seat, she stops and turns around with quiet curiosity. It's a curiosity that morphs to surprise and a smidge of fear the moment she lays eyes on Darwin, though, and for a few seconds she freezes in place. But... wait. Doesn't that Abyssal look as afraid as she is? And isn't that the one that helped protect the harbor? Biting her lip, wondering if she's going insane, Nozomi lifts a hand and hesitantly waves to get Darwin's attention, before making a little beckoning gesture and indicating the empty table in the furthest corner.
Samar	Darwin seems about ready to turn and try to find her way right back out, but the she notices Nozomi not too far in front of her. The Abyssal pauses, blinks, stares, but doesn't leave just yet. She certainly recognizes the girl, even though Nozomi isn't quite in the same state as the last time they ran into each other. Nozomi didn't attack her back with the events of that port city; maybe it won't be an issue here either? Tentatively, Darwin nods, then follows Nozomi over to the table. Her wet boots squish lightly against the floor with each step, and her giant claws fold anxiously over one another in front of her. She still doesn't look perfectly comfortable, but she moves to the empty table, carefully pulls out a chair, and takes an awkward but polite seat with her claws folded in her lap. "...I wasn't expecting to see you here," she murmurs softly to Nozomi once they've settled in. "Or...to be here at all, actually."
Nozomi Houken	It's so strange to see such a large woman acting so timid that Nozomi actually finds herself less nervous than she had expected to be in such a meeting. "Well, it's... this place tends to do that. I-if you're hungry, or... I think, sometimes, you just want to get away, you can end up here. The food's... i-it's good," she adds, reaching for one of the menus after a second of hesitation. This most certainly doesn't seem like that gold-eyed armored warrior from the battle, but if Darwin remembers the brief glimpse she got of the girl de-transforming at the end... well, the fearful look on her face for that short moment makes a lot more sense now. "Ah, y-you... do you eat?" she asks, as if unsure how to fill conversation with the Abyssal.
Samar	"...I see," Darwin simply murmurs, red eyes glancing around the room some more. It's a strange concept, to be sure, but the Abyssal is used to strange concepts in some regard. Best to just accept it and move along. That question gets the woman's attention again. Her head turns back to Nozomi, a small gesture thanks to the brace around her neck, before she gives a small shake of her head. "...no, not really. Sometimes we...eat the metals from ships to refuel, but not human food. Nothing really comes down to Iron Bottom Sound anyway..." She stares in awkward silence for a moment before she chimes in again. "I am Darwin, the Seaport Princess. I...don't think we had a chance to introduce ourselves. Since Wo and I almost sank, with that giant thing..."
Nozomi Houken	"Oh..." They can eat metal, but not human food. That's... that's a new one on Nozomi. She's not quite sure how to react. Thankfully, Darwin offers a convenient shift in topic, one she can latch right onto. "Ah, that's- I-I'm Nozomi, Houken Nozomi." She bows her head politely. "I... ah, I-I was actually going to ask, about that..." Sitting up a bit straighter, Nozomi folds her hands in her lap. "We... I think you already heard, but... the people who fought that thing... we've been... whoever sent it, has been sending out more of them. I-it's specifically targeting us. I only got out of the hospital yesterday... i-it was pretty rough."
Samar	That gets a slight frown from Darwin. Not much more than a furrowing of her brow, but it's noticeable enough to be a change in her demeanor. "...yes, Ko-Class told me. None of us have been attacked yet, but...I guess it hasn't found any of us yet. Maybe that's just...thanks to living at the bottom of the ocean." She shrugs a little, then sighs, tapping one heavy claw against the metal back of her other hand. Her head lowers, staring down into her lap. "...is that what got Ko-Class, then? She was there too."
Nozomi Houken	Ko-class? What... oh, that's right. Nagato told her about that. "...yeah," Nozomi says softly. The slight shift in topic seems to make her a bit uncomfortable. "I... I know we're supposed to be enemies, but... I-I don't think... I don't think it'd be right, for you to... y-you did something good, you saved people... I-I don't want for you to get hurt because of it. Wouldn't be fair," she murmurs quietly, fidgeting in her seat. To give herself something to do, she picks up a menu, but she does add a quiet, "...so... so be careful. Whatever they send... i-it'll be made for fighting you in specific."
Samar	Darwin gives another sigh at that news, lifting one heavy claw to rub the side of her head. It looks even more awkward than she usually is. "...thank you. I have my sisters with me, though. I think...I'll be able to make it through. I just need to be careful..." With a heavy clank, her hand falls back to her lap on top of the other. Red eyes shift back to Nozomi, then glance back away; the girl's clearly not too comfortable, which Darwin herself is all too familiar with. "...you're very kind. The Abyssals don't get that much, at least...not from outside of the rest of us. Samar looks over all of us and works to make sure we're all okay, but aside from her..."
Nozomi Houken	"...that's not true," Nozomi murmurs; and for once, there's strength to her words, a quiet sort of firmness. "...there are a lot of people who like... who liked Kongou. Losing her... it's hurt them, a lot. They miss her." She almost seems to debate whether or not to say anything further, but in the end, a soft heart wins out. "...you... you aren't cruel, or evil. So I'm sure, somewhere... someone's waiting for you, too." It almost seems anticlimactic for her to order a simple platter of sushi after such a bold statement. But that is all she has to follow it up with, when the waiter finally takes her order.
Samar	Darwin seems a little surprised at that sudden strength. She blinks, staring across at Nozomi again from where she sits. It takes her a minute to think of how to respond, but when she does, it's soft and gentle. "...Ko-" Wait. "...Kongou...was not an Abyssal. I'm...not surprised to hear a lot of people liked her. She changed, after all." The Seaport Princess breathes a slow sigh. Nothing is ordered from the waiter, and, in fact, she doesn't even look at him when he arrives. She simply stands once he's left, leaving a small pool of sea water where she was sitting and below the chair. There's still no sign of threat in her posture, with her hands folded in front of her and her shoulders slightly lowered. "...nobody is waiting for us. That's just...the nature of who we are, Nozomi. I can't ignore that."
Nozomi Houken	There's another brief silence, as if Nozomi were trying to decide something, staring at Darwin while the Abyssal stands up. It's only if and when Darwin finally turns to leave that the much shorter girl speaks, her tone soft, eyes turned back down to the table. "...My parents died when I was little. M-my aunt and uncle... they took me in, but they never... th-they don't seem to care. The people at school... I-I didn't have any friends at school. I've... I-I'm used to being alone. So I know... I know how much it hurts. A-and I know how much it can help, to have someone. So..." It's something she probably shouldn't say; it raises all kinds of complications with her duties to the Union and the JSDF. Darwin is the enemy. And she's been told what it would take to save her besides. And yet, she can't stop herself even now. "...I-I'll wait for you. I know, it's... I'm being silly, or stupid, or... I know. But... everyone deserves someone to wait for their return."
Samar	Darwin...finds herself at a loss for words. The Princess's expression slowly shifts from surprise to a quiet sort of sadness, and still she doesn't know what words to use. She's never really been the talkative sort anyway, come to think of it. If she can make do with silence, then she almost always will. So, this time, she simply steps around the table, lifts a still-wet, heavy hand of solid and sharpened metal, and carefully brings it to rest on Nozomi's shoulder. "...I'm your enemy. Nothing is going to change that. But..." She pauses for a moment, considering her own words. "...I understand how you feel. To be abandoned and alone. I...will help you where I can. It is what I do, as a safe harbor to the injured...but what I can do, and what you can do, are both limited. Samar...would not be happy to know it." Darwin manages a soft, light smile, though, as she looks down at Nozomi. "But to know that you're as kind as you are means a lot. Not many would be so willing to forgive."
Nozomi Houken	All Nozomi can offer to that is a faint, hesitant nod. It's a difficult position for either of them to be in, and knowing that Darwin doesn't believe she can be saved... that just makes it more difficult, in a way. But it's a start. It's something. It will have to be enough for now. "...be careful," Nozomi finally says. Whether it's as regards Samar or the unknown assailants, it's hard to say.
Samar	"...you too," Darwin murmurs, her smile fading back into that ever-present look of concern. Her clawed hand slips back off the girl's shoulder, hanging by her side in a somewhat more relaxed posture than she had at first. For a moment, she seems uncertain whether to say anything more, but eventually... "...I should...go back," is all she adds. With that, the Princess turns and cautiously, doubtfully walks back to the door of the Bar and Grill to return to her home deep within the cold dark.