Scene Listing || Scene Schedule || Scene Schedule RSS
Owner Pose
Kutsuuko Shiratori     Arriving at Nemos Diana, this time, has a completely different air to it. Previously a curiosity -a strange island of calm and civilization in the desolate, conquered wilderness- the gleaming dome of glass and the sparse greenery of actual, living trees seems less of a hint at paradise and somehow much more suspicious.

    After all, the Paladins, and the Watch, both know what these people have been up to; what they've resorted to in order to preserve this unlikely way of life. Kutsuuko, at least, climbing out of the VTOL with her massive god-machine-weapon slung over her shoulder, looks at it with little more than an expression of betrayal.

    She hits her radio. "If you haven't phoned back, I guess that means they didn't go for it." she says to /someone/. "Come on out. You tried. I'm glad you did, but it obviously isn't going to work that way. If they've got a problem with Fenrir, they should have left us alone."
Yuko Minami Yuko's tagging along today, sitting in the back of the VTOL with a distinctly more forced smile on today than her usual too-bright one. Even though a rescue should be a good thing, the fact that doing so could easily involve turning her weapons against other humans is worrying to say the least.

     It wouldn't look very good to anyone if she just carved people up. A second more diplomatic option might present itself, at least, especially with so many Elites coming along to help.

     "This may be tricky, but... We'll manage. We usually do, right?" There's a hopeful tone in Yuko's voice as she grins at Kutsuuko, then over at whoever else has come along with them in the VTOL rather than their own ride.
Yuna Kagurazaka Well, there's one person who isn't rolling up outside the dome with Kutsuuko and the others ... because she's already inside it.

That person is Yuna Kagurazaka - wearing the new outfit which amounts to her 'uniform' (for all that she's no longer military), and with a look of frustration chipping away at her initially-pleasant, still-polite demeanor. Elner is hovering next to her, as usual, and it's Elner who relays the content of Kutsuuko's call to Yuna.

All Yuna can do at that point is close her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. "Then there's nothing more I can do here ..." She opens her eyes again, stands up a bit straighter, and bows, deeply and politely, to the members of the council. "I'm sorry. I wanted - more than I want anything in this world - to avoid what's about to happen."

Yuna straightens up again, swallowing before she speaks once more. "Despite the evidence of my eyes, my friends' eyes, and Elner's sensors, you deny that you're holding a captive God Eater. And now Fenrir is going to rescue that captive - and any others whom you've been enslaving to fight Aragami for you. If you're going to keep denying it, then I can do nothing more to aid you, or to protect your freedom."

She hesitates briefly, a tremor barely visible in her stance, slightly more audible in her voice. "I would wish you good luck, but not at the price of keeping slaves." With that, she turns to leave - and if nobody blocks her, she heads straight back out to the gate where Kutsuuko and her allies are gathering.
Rebecca Chambers Rebecca sits near the middle of the VTOL, first putting on her tactical vest and then going over how much ammunition she has for backup purposes as well as how many healing items she brought with her as well in case someone gets injured. (Those First-Aid Sprays really do work wonders!)

She's brought her Beretta with her, along with her MP5K, and her Magnum as well, all of which have quite a few extra clips available thanks to the new ammunition sidepack she's wearing today. She draws her Beretta and loads a clip into it before narrowing her eyes a little. She doesn't say anything for the time being however, instead just keeping quiet and focusing on readying up.
Gawain Present with the group is Sir Gawain, the Paladin Warden, dressed in his Tomoyo-made suit with partial-armor manifested. He's hoping they can still end this peacefully, and as such has not summoned his sword or gotten combat-ready. Instead, he's standing to the side of Kutsuuko Shiratori, facing the gate as he speaks to her. "Chevalier Shiratori, this is your operation. While I hope that this can come to a peaceful solution, that may not be possible in a timely enough manner! How would you like to proceed?"
Kutsuuko Shiratori     Yuna has spent enough time trying to unsuccessfully convince the councilmen -Nemos Diana's lauded democracy- into doing the right thing, but it seems they might have presumed they might have had more time. Enough time to dodge culpability and figure something out, at least. When she says 'about to happen', instead the chamber becomes an uproar, as the middle-aged men and women realize exactly why Yuna had showed up. People scramble for phones and radio lines, yelling into them in a cacophony of frantic directions.

    Outside the window, she can see people running inside, and the former military presence rolling out in force. The level of response to Fenrir, who should be their fellow man, seems disproportionate to the Aragami alert she had witnessed the other week. How depressing.

    Outside though, it's still practically a stroll up to the thickly armoured gate, like what someone would normally see on a bulky space carrier, instead of a domed colony. Kutsuuko doesn't seem to feel put on the spot by Gawain, merely tapping her God Arc on her shoulder as if it were a baseball bat. "Don't kill anyone if you can at all help it. Even if these people are either scumbags or cowards, they're still humans. They're survivors of the Aragami, and we don't have enough of those. Besides, in a way, they're people that Fenrir failed. It should be our responsibility to fix it, not destroy everything they've built."

    She holds the thought. "Avoid damage to the wall if you can help it too. The dome is replaceable, but the wall is anti-Aragami armour, not just metal. It's difficult to replace, and breaking it might result in an attack."

    The same blondie is present at his kiosk, quickly gathering up his papers and supplies and stuffing them into a bag, lifting a shotgun off the rack in the rear of the cabin booth, before turning around wide-eyed as the procession of Paladins comes into view. He hesitates with the gun, realizing he won't get inside in time, but probably figuring his chances aren't good if he fires, and wondering if it's worth possibly taking one down.

    "Open the damned door." is all Kutsuuko says to him. Her voice's natural, casual purr descends to an almost cracked growl; a serious departure from the cool, curious distance she had shown before. Oddly, the blonde seems to immediately recognize her, but seems to be battling over the thought of being a traitor to his community, and probably thinks he'll be killed if he isn't.
Yuna Kagurazaka They're going to fight.

The scramble to ready weapons and defenses was totally predictable, in a way, and yet it makes Yuna's heart sink like the heaviest of stones. There was an easy way to avoid it - admit the truth, release the enslaved God Eater (or God Eaters, if there's more than one), and seek to apologize, somehow, to Fenrir and to the captives. It seemed so straightforward to Yuna; it might not be easy, exactly, but it wouldn't be complicated.

Surely it doesn't seem to her that it justifies deploying more forces than they rolled out when an Aragami seemed to be coming in.

"You can't win this fight," Yuna says to the guard from inside the gate. "The less your people resist, the less anyone will be harmed. They're here to rescue your slaves, and heavens grant that's all they're here to do."

They? Not 'we'? Well, Yuna still hasn't transformed ... and she looks more than anything like she doesn't want to.
Yuko Minami Understood. Ah... I guess it really was too good to be true, huh?" Noticing the rather disproportionate response to their presence, Yuko sighs softly as she rests her own giant scythe combination weapon on her shoulder. She doesn't make any moves to point it at anyone just yet, but she does flash an odd smile at the defenders starting to mobilize.

     Following Kutsuuko towards the guard's kiosk, Yuko keeps a steady grip on her weapon just in case she needs to take a more defensive stance, although she does hold on the side of her away from the already terrified-looking blonde guard.

     "They're right, you know. It's going to open either way, so... Do you want to be the one that starts a bloodbath, or do you want to let us through and... Maybe avoid all that?" She smiles sweetly as she says that.
Rebecca Chambers Rebecca approaches with her weapon clasped firmly but not openly displayed. She doesn't want to risk giving the wrong impression as they approach, but she knows things aren't exactly on the best terms right now either, so she does have a slightly firm stance to herself as she approaches. Unlike Yuko's somewhat sarcastic speech, Rebecca is a bit more firm and direct with her method of speaking.

"Personally, I'm not in the mood to start a fight, so I suggest you just let us through." She starts to scowl a little as she speaks. "Honestly, I don't want any trouble."
Gawain "I agree with that sentiment. If we must fight, I'll personally aim to capture or otherwise subdue." Gawain proceeds with the others up towards the entrance, when the blonde man at the kiosk grabs a shotgun, unsure of what to do and very obviously in fear of his life. While the others are either threatening or sarcastic towards him, Gawain decides to take the third approach, moving in front of the others and speaking to him gently, a smile on his face. His tone is knightly and noble, one that sounds genuine and truthful. "There is no need to fight. We only seek to rescue our own, we do not need to exchange each other's lives. If you are afraid of your own life should you not oppose us, the Paladins will give you refuge. Please put the gun down, sir!" After all, it's always best to try negotiation, first, and Gawain isn't noticeably armed.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     Someone decides to yell over the clamour at Yuna. Something like "What the hell would you know!" and someone else with "Quit this nonsense about slaves! There's nothing of the sort! Get out before you're arrested on suspicions of sabotage!" "Fenrir dog! Get lost!" So much for the civility with which they had treated her last time. The mob mentality has set in, and their hatred for what comes as close to a government as this world has, shows through brilliantly.

    Mr. Sweatervest outside, always so calm and cold towards visitors, seems to take to the good-cop-bad-cop dynamic immediately. This isn't the kind of place where that trick is well known. Besides, he's afraid for his life either way. And pretty quickly, points the gun upwards and raises his hands. "I-I'm not going to fight you. I wouldn't stand a chance anyways, right?" He looks to Rebecca. "But I can't just-"

    Kutsuuko's had enough of him, apparently. She storms right past Gawain, successfully initiating diplomacy where she is too focused on her comrade to bother. Scarlet Symphony hums with power as its massive, single-edged blade heats up, swinging down from her shoulder with a deceptively agile flourish. She plants her feet apart, right in front of the gate, taking a katana-esque stance with the motorbike sized blade over her head, jodan-style.

    She takes in a deep, steadying breath, and then the sword erupts into a swirling tempest of bloody red light, blazing white and scarlet at an intensity difficult to look at, as it holds position for several seconds, and then, for a split second, disappears. In reality, it flashes straight downwards too fast to see, leaving a sharp, perfectly vertical red trail, and dispersing its energy into a fiery shockwave around it. The single, perfect slice, cleaves the two meter thick gate apart like a paper screen, bisecting all of its locks simultaneously. That would be something something she hadn't exhibited last time around in the Multiverse. Something Yuko probably recognizes.

    Unfortunately, the armoured vehicles have already reached the other side, just in time to come to a screeching halt. Men pile out of the sides in tight, orderly formation, clearly well trained enough to move on instinct and training, instead of recoiling in surprise. Looking at them, it's no wonder. It would seem odd for Nemos Diana to have this kind of military, but the rag-tag patchwork of special forces insignia, epaulettes, and berets from all around the world probably tell the story of where they came from.

    An intimidating number of rifles are on the Paladins pretty shortly, as well as a pair of disposable rocket launchers, and a vehicle-mounted machine gun swivelling to meet them. It would be incredibly scary, were this world not host to so much scarier. A squad leader barks out at the Paladins. "No entry by Fenrir personnel beyond this point! Any action taken upon Nemos Diana as a sovereign government will be taken as an act of war, and we will respond accordingly!"
Yuna Kagurazaka Paladin or not, Yuna's here with their number - and while she sought to avoid the confrontation that now seems inevitable, she's not going to simply let herself be shot, whether in the crossfire or as a specific target.

So as the armored vehicles begin disgorging soldiers of various sorts and armaments, a flash of light engulfs Yuna; the flare lasts less than a second, but it's just long enough for her 'uniform' to be replaced by the sleek armor of her Light Suit. At the same moment, the similarly-armored purple and white form of Erina of the Sky approaches the gate; Jiina and Marina aren't here, but if Yuna needs anything more than the basic Light Suit, she at least has the option of Flight Form.

"Elner, monitor as much as you can, and trace any God Eaters you can get a fix on," Yuna says quietly to her miniscule robo-faerie companion, and Elner flits off. Then Yuna turns her attention to the soldiers, and their weapons. "Your leaders had a chance to avert this," she says - not quietly now, but loudly and clearly, as if she were on a stage and didn't want to depend on a microphone. "They lied when the truth would have saved all of us a lot of trouble. If anyone among you would prevent Fenrir or the Paladins from entering by force, then PROVE IT NOW - bring any captive God Eaters here, without delay! To do otherwise is to disgrace your claims of independence ..."

Only now does a weapon appear in Yuna's hands: not the full-sized Matrix Divider, but what appears to be a simple sword.

"... and I will not let a slave remain in captivity, any more than the Paladins will!" she finishes.
Yuko Minami "That's better. Now, just keep your head down and you'll be fine, okay~?" Smiling the whole time, Yuko jerks her head in Kutsuuko's and Yuna's directions, although she does look Gawain over briefly. Did he just not bring a weapon? Or... Is he capable of fighting unarmed? Probably the latter, if he's come with them in the first place.

     She'll just have to hope for the latter, too, considering that Nemos Diana's military is coming out in force to try and halt their progress. Yuko hurries over towards where her armed allies are already standing, gripping her God Arc with both hands now as the scythe seems to get longer...

     Way too long. Vertically along the staff portion, horizontally along the blade... All things considered, it might even be longer than some of those armored vehicles! "Are you sure you want to do this? We're not your enemies, but you'll need to cooperate with us if you want to keep it that way!"

     That'll probably look good to her superiors, right?
Rebecca Chambers Rebecca sees all the soldiers coming out and realizes her Beretta might be a little too little for such a large number of soldiers. Thinking quickly, she holsters her Beretta and grabs her MP5K, loading a clip into that as well. But she doesn't open fire just yet. Instead, she makes one more effort at being diplomatic.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rebecca pleads. "We can handle this peacefully! Think about what you're doing!" Although it's starting to seem futile.
Gawain As Mr. Sweatervest says he isn't going to fight, Gawain nods. He's about to try and convince him further that everything will be alright...when Kutsuuko decides to instead just chop through the gate with her blade. As soldiers pour out, however, Gawain just silently waves a hand downwards to indicate the guy to drop to the ground behind the kiosk.

"Sir Gawain, Paladin Warden! Please return any and all hostages, immediately!" As Gawain speaks, attempting to find a way to negotiate, he's asking how Kutsuuko wants to respond to this over the radio. Once he gets a response, he turns to the others. "I'll neutralize the machine gun! Remember, non-lethal!" And then, Gawain almost blurs. His speed is inhuman as he dashes forward, leaping into the air and over towards the vehicles. Excalibur Galatine manifests into his hand, as the knight moves to land directly next to the vehicle with the machine gun, moving to cut through the weapon with his sword.

Gawain doesn't seem /too/ concerned about all the firepower, and especially the fact that it'll draw attention on him: that's what he's planning on. Numeral of the Saint will make it easier for him to tank for the others while they move for the hostages, after all!
Kutsuuko Shiratori     To be fair, it looks like these guys wouldn't stand down in the first place. As survivors of a war where soldiers were practically useless, and sworn defenders of this little community, their pride would likely be unbearably broken by giving up. That said, what seems to set them off, rather than Yuna's heartfelt words or Yuko's visible threat, is Rebecca getting out and loading her submachine gun.

    Some habits die hard.

    The instant she has the magazine, the whole group opens fire in unison, picking targets and overlapping fields of fire so that bullets fly at all three assembled ahead of the gate. As trained soldiers, their shots are accurate, and fired in conservative but rapid bursts. The machine gun sets into place, and the gunner toggles the switches, but soon Gawain leaps over the line of fire, and he can only tilt up to snap off just the first few high calibre shots on target, before Galatine cleaves right through it.

    Not about to be shocked into submission, the soldier, a green beret by the looks of it, leaps out of the gunner's port and unslings a compact SMG of his own, aiming at Gawain from the hip. He doesn't get very far before a streak of yellow-grey light zips under Gawain's arm, and hits him dead in the chest, seemingly diffusing through all of his limbs, and then leaving him slumped over, paralyzed to such an extent that he can only faintly twitched.

    At the onset of the gunfire, Kutsuuko has engaged her God Arc's morphic function, and the modular casing has already 'exploded' and re-folded itself into the assault cannon configuration, which she can almost hide herself behind as she hunkers down and starts returning fire. Bullets ping off the sturdy red-gold plating as she trades shots of paralyzing energy, firing into the crowd in sequence. Normally, these bullets are poured on Aragami to immobilize them for a killing blow, but it seems just one is good enough to incapacitate a regular human.

    "Don't stand around! Return fire! Less-lethals only!" she shouts out. She glances over the firing line and to Yuna, whose pleading voice has been lost in all the shooting, hand signalling at her with what probably means the same. She already knows how the Matrix Divider works.
Yuna Kagurazaka "SHUGOSEIHEKI!!"

Yuna's shout is nearly loud enough to hear over all the gunfire - and as the kite shield materializes, maybe it makes more sense why Yuna went with a sword small enough to wield one-handed (in a pinch) rather than the mainstay weapon which requires *both* hands: the Wall of the Guardian Star *does* require full use of her left arm to heft the shield and to move around with it. That said, though, the shield only protects her from most of one direction at a time; she actually sidles towards one side of the Kutsuuko-wrecked gate to cut down on how many bullets her Light Suit has to deal with.

It's still too many, though: every bullet that hits Yuna - whether it impacts on the shield, the Light Suit's visible armor, or apparently-exposed skin - runs into a flare of light from the battlesuit's defensive field, absorbing the harmful force in order to protect Yuna herself from injury. Sustained machine-gun fire - or any automatic-fire weapon, really - turns those individual flashes into a shimmering curtain, like sheet lightning wrapped around Yuna's form, the normally-invisible protective aura made entirely visible.

And just as visibly weakening in a hurry, as bullets continue to hammer at her. Her kite shield provides more efficient protection, but even bullets which hit *there* take their toll on the suit's reserves. She has to fight back, and she knows it, and she hates it. They're just scared people trying to protect their homes ...

At the cost of at least one slave, Yuna reminds herself.

There's another flickering flash as the sword in her right hand is replaced by a pistol, and she begins shooting back - even though a visible wince of dismay crosses her face each time she pulls the trigger. It's not that her shots with this weapon are deadly: the bolts of hard light impact with concussive flares, intended to knock the fight out of someone without causing serious injury, just like if she were using the regular Matrix Divider.

But she's still fighting people she didn't WANT to raise arms against.

And that takes even more of a toll on her than the gunfire does.
Rebecca Chambers Fortunately, Rebecca had a hunch that non-lethal ammunition might be better used here, and that's exactly what she loaded her MP5K clips with before she left. Still, that doesn't make this job any easier on her. She tries to find a place to take cover as she fires upon the enemies as best as she can. All the while, she's hoping that Yuna will be all right, as she wants to help her friend, but it's too dangerous at the moment. All Rebecca can do is fire carefully and hopes for the best.
Yuko Minami That went about as expected. Yuko's keeping her cool pretty well, though, even with the bullets flying her way. They're not all that easy for the scythe-wielder to dodge, either, having to weather a few of them before she can bring her weapon back down properly to engage its shield mode and hunker down behind that. Sure, it might be an anti-Aragami weapon, but it's still more than capable of handling small arms fire like this! Probably.

     "So much for that idea... Less-lethal, then? Okay..." Biting back a grimace at the pain from the gunfire, the rookie God Eater advances steadily /towards/ the oncoming fire, apparently going for a similar approach to Gawain's. She barely flinches each time a volley of bullets pings off the shield, waiting for an opportune moment before warning her allies, then hurling a stun grenade towards the troops firing on the Elites.
Gawain As the high calibre shots impact on Gawain, they should be doing quite a bit of damage. However, the Knight lands and completes his slice perfectly, the shots barely impacting off his armor, which fully manifests mid-air to protect his outfit. He's about to try and find a way to react to the guy with the submachine gun when Kutsuuko gives him a save, and he replies with a thumbs up, before streaming over and behind several soldiers, moving to knock them out with solid blows from the blunt side of his blade.

Afterwards, assuming there's nothing else for Gawain to just slice through, he'll begin moving past the soldiers that are there, since everyone else has them, and checking out the situation ahead. This might also lead the soldiers to aggro on him since he's advancing, however!
Kutsuuko Shiratori     Surrounded by Elites, and Elites heavily prepared for combat, no less, a rag-tag group of what was once Earth's finest 20 years ago aren't really a match. Not that their body armour had been particularly effective against anything but friendly fire and the occasional civil dispute, but they aren't equipped to deal with hard light concussives, paralysis bullets, anti-Aragami grade stun grenades, superhuman swordsmanship, or anything being thrown at them, really.

    Despite a valiant effort, the few squads and whopping one technical go down in a blaze of shooting, back and forth, and pretty soon the fighting goes quiet. Undoubtedly, everyone inside the dome knows what that means.

    Kutsuuko lowers her weapon with a sigh of relief, quickly shooting down the last couple of men still trying to stagger through the effects of the stun grenade. It only takes a couple of seconds to look over all the slumped bodies to confirm that none of them are dead. "Thanks guys. I know it was kind of a pain to ask, and they did shoot at you first." She then waves forwards, using signal gestures probably only Yuko knows the full context of, but are generally clear enough anyways. She's going to take point, and have people watch out for any more incoming.

    Elner, in all its scanning about the domed town, seems to have finally found a match; an incredibly weak signature from a badly damaged P-53 armlet, which quashes any doubt as to what it might be. It's right at the base of the government tower, practically in the basement.
Yuna Kagurazaka That seemed like it took longer, to Yuna. And she's still going to ache in the morning (if not sooner). But the first 'obstacle' has been cleared, and the Elites are still standing.

"Elner's got a fix," Yuna says after catching her breath (actual and metaphorical). "Government tower, probably underground ..." She dismisses her pistol; Shugoseiheki, her shield, remains in hand and strapped to her forearm, and sets off, walking as straight and tall as she can, and trying to keep the dismay off her face. She still wants to be merciful, even if the people of Nemos Diana are gradually chipping away at the amount of mercy available to them.

At least her Light Suit's sparking subsided shortly after the gunfire did.
Gawain As soon as Kutsuuko indicates she's taking point, Gawain stops his scouting attempt (he hadn't gotten far), moving to look over the soldiers who have fallen and confirm that they're alive himself before following behind Kutsuuko. Excalibur Galatine disappears, as the knight speaks. "What other security may they have? We'll need to be especially careful if we're going to recover the prisoner safely."
Rebecca Chambers With the threat taken care of, Rebecca moves alongside Kutsuuko quickly, keeping an eye out behind her just in case. She knows that even when one threat is eliminated, another one can pop up at the drop of a hat. She reloads her MP5K as well, not wanting to risk running out of ammo while facing off against another threat. "Let's get this over with. This really isn't sitting well with me."
Yuko Minami "Don't worry. It's a good learning experience~" Yuko chimes in with her usual overly chipper tone, resting the giant weapon on her shoulder once more as she falls in line with Kutsuuko and the rest of the Elites. Some of that chipperness isn't even fake! After all, responding to attacks rather than initiating them always looks better.

     Still, the rookie draws a more standard-looking combat knife from her thigh as she moves in formation, glancing around rapidly to make sure nobody tries to sneak up on them from the sides. "Now to just find our target..." She perks up a bit when Yuna gets a lock on where the signal is coming from, humming for a moment before nodding lightly in agreementw ith Gawain.

     "If there's more of them... I don't think I can use another grenade if they're too close, but... I've got this!" She waves the combat knife briefly for emphasis, then resumes keeping watch from group's rear flank.
Kutsuuko Shiratori     "Other security?" Kutsuuko repeats after Gawain, rhetorically enough that it sounds almost as if she hadn't bother to consider. "I guess you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise, with all this UN dressup theatre going on, but all of those guys we just dealt with are volunteers. Army has-beens, who wouldn't or couldn't make the cut as God Eaters when the project first started, and had nothing else to offer. Back in those days, Fenrir and the military were totally separate, and the ghettos didn't exist. Nobody wants to give up a spot to some jarhead on the UN's dime who decided fighting Aragami was too hard so he'd-"

    She has to catch herself as she realizes a tirade is starting, letting her breath out and relaxing a fist she didn't realize she'd clenched. "There are reasons Fenrir couldn't take anyone and everyone. It's not like all these people were told to get lost just because. Shooting things, being tough, and making people feels safe were, I'm guessing, all the skills those people had. I'm sure they'd jump at the chance to be able to do that again; especially somewhere that hates God Eaters. If they had anyone else who could fight, I bet they'd rather die at the front than hide again."

    Kutsuuko then has to give Yuko a really funny look. One of mild, but strenuous concern, as if not quite sure of how concerned she should actually be. "Ah, let's put the knife away, okay? I don't think any of these people want to get hurt." What a weird kid. Where does Rachel pick these from?

    She isn't wrong though. Whether or not the people of Nemos Diana knew that their protectors were paper tigers, only there for peace of mind, they've quickly internalized that their daydream of self-defense against the outside world is over. Nobody comes outside, nobody speaks out from indoors, and only the sharpest of attention will pick out the odd disobedient child or exceptionally bitter senior peering out from behind a blind slit or boarded window. The march ahead is eerie, to say the least. Despite the comforting greenery and rural charm of the plucky start-up colony, the entire town has fallen so dead silent that it's as if the pipes themselves are stewing in the guilt they now have to admit.

    Following Elner's beacon is child's play past that point. The way down is a series of stairs and heavy, locked doors. The manpower required to excavate Fenrir's labyrinthine, high-security underground is far outside the scope of this town of pre-fabs and DiY work. No elevators, no bulkheads, no consoles, nothing. The group, in fact, emerges into a startlingly archaic 'brig' of sorts, little more modern than a 2000s era police station, barred holding cells and all. Of course, right now only one of them is actually occupied, and it seems to include a lot of men in black suits standing outside to screen it off and look tough.
Yuna Kagurazaka With the absence of anything else that might resemble even a show of resistance, Shugoseiheki is allowed to vanish as well; it's only by conscious will that Yuna staves off a reversion to her unarmored form.

She should be out there helping protect these people, not storming over their 'defenses' to strip away what real protection they have .... but that 'protection' is gained through slavery, she reminds herself, and she can't tolerate that either. So Yuna just quietly tells Kutsuuko and the others where to turn, which way to go, until they reach the holding cells ...

And the men in suits who bar the way.

Perhaps oddly, it's that combination of sights which kindles the fire anew in Yuna's heart. "You're not going to stop us," she says evenly to the black-suited men. "If you try, you'll only wake up much the worse for wear. For your own sakes, and for the sakes of whatever families you have - children, spouses, even parents still alive to care for your fates .... clear our path and unlock the cell. Nemos Diana will *not* be protected by slaves."

Don't make this any harder than it has to be, she pleads inwardly - but she can't let that plea wriggle out and be spoken. What she said out loud has to be all she says.

She can't afford to lose control. Not now. Not here.
Yuko Minami Yuko hums idly to herself as she listens to the start of Kutsuuko's tirade, a pensive sigh escaping her after a few moments. It wouldn't have been so bad to be one of those jarheads, but...

     Well, the situation is what it is. "We've all had to make do with what we were given. Some of us were just given more than others, but... No need to hate on anyone because of it~" Yuko chimes in helpfully, definitely not trying to win brownie points for being understanding and not just cribbing off what she'd assume Kutsuuko was getting at.

     That funny look even gets one of those vaguely apologetic, but still somewhat silly grins. "Ah, sorry sorry! Just basic hand-to-hand if they get close, then." Yuko slips that knife away, then puts on a more somber and serious expression as that straightforward march through the silent town. Even she's not quite sure what to say to try and lighten the mood.

     It's probably better that she didn't. Or doesn't, even, when the group comes across the remaining guards at the holding cells. Luckily, Yuna's already taken the initiative to try and talk the guards down, meaning Yuko doesn't have to risk screwing things up by talking herself! That leaves her to...

     Stand there with a silent, somber smile and a big ol' scythe rested over hershoulder. That's probably way more effective than actually trying to talk.
Gawain Gawain nods at Kutsuuko as she explains there's no other technology, though for once, doesn't have many words to say. Mainly because he doesn't really understand modern military! And especially not future military. As the group heads through, slowly, and reaches the holy cells, Gawain steps in front, smiling softly as he moves to speak to the Men in Black. "Hello there, sirs! I am Sir Gawain, Paladin Warden. We would like you to please move away from the cell so that we may see the prisoner inside? Don't worry, we're not going to hurt any of you, we just need to assess that the prisoner is safe and take them into custody." He sounds oddly nonthreatening, as if he isn't even /attempting/ to threaten the MiBs, but his armor and sword, as well as the fact that he appears to have no real wounds despite the battle out there, might be telling, or even make him offputting. "Thank you for your cooperation!"
Kutsuuko Shiratori     The MiB types don't look as if they're about to move. Suits and sunglasses, attempted identical haircuts, that classically stoic expression; these guys have gone the full nine yards to try and evoke people's memories of traditional security and safety. It's almost cliche.

    Maybe they figure that's all that separates people's peaceful living here, from their memories of how it was to live out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to rely on but good spotters and crossed fingers. Maybe some of them /are/ former secret service, and have long ago internalized that whole 'take a bullet' philosophy so well that it holds up even now. Kutsuuko looks about ready to shoot them too, and get it out of the way.

    When Yuna speaks up, though, the response she gets isn't a frosty reply from a dour agent, nor something vitriolic from one of the city council. Instead, the group is privy to an old man, who must be her height at most, pushing his way to the front of the crowd, deliberately stepping on toes and batting at shins with his cane with only the most half-assed of attempts at pretending it's accidental. He looks much too healthy and neatly groomed to be as stooped and ancient as he is.

    "Now now, there's no need for that. No point, either! A word of advice young lady: reminding people of their families here is going to have the opposite of the effect you want. Most of them have lost them, after all. It'll only make them more stubborn." Only a few seconds after he flashes her a warm grin, does the chairman of the council, who had shouted down Yuna before, come squeezing from the barricade after him, despite the MiBs' protests, calling after him and trying to pull him back, like a kid from the cage of a wild animal. "I told you! You should have evacuated earlier! There's no point staying down here with this-"

He is the recipient of a quick and efficient cane-slap to the nose, which results in him doubling backwards into his bodyguards, clutching his face. The old man resumes. "Paladin Warden, is it? I'm not sure what that is, but it sounds very important. For you to come all the way here, and cause this must trouble too! Well, it's too much noise and excitement for me, so hurry along and take her home if it's /that/ urgent!" The chairman starts to speak up again, and is silenced by a cane jab to the toe. "Hearing what you had to say before, I think you'll do a better job of looking after her than my grandson."

    "You're not on the council! You can't just give away a-" *bap*
Yuna Kagurazaka With a look of cautious relief, Yuna bows politely (and deeply) to the elder. "My apologies if I've stirred up painful memories for anyone here ..." And with that said (and the elder subduing the council chairman), Yuna attempts to step forward, weaving between the MiBs if she has to, to enter the cell - somebody had better be opening that door for her, at least if they want it to lock again in the future - and to bring the captive God Eater out. If she's still shackled ...

Well, a careful jab with her re-conjured sword ought to shear through the manacles without hurting the young woman.

Yes, Gawain is the one with actual rank here, and seems to have been the one who made the difference in the 'negotiations' just now. Yuna is going to try and take the lead to get the God Eater out anyway, rather than leaving it to Gawain. This entire visit has been nothing but heartache for Yuna; she wants to at least feel like she did *one* productive thing.
Gawain Gawain frowns slightly when the MiBs don't respond. He's about to say something else, not really wanting Kutsuuko to have to shoot them, when the old man comes out. The way the man talks and his demeanor immediately brings Gawain's smile back, as he nods and kneels to the old man. "Sir Gawain, Paladin Warden. I apologize for all the commotion, sir, we're just here to rescue a prisoner." His tone treats the old man as a civilian, but an /important/ civilian, as Gawain straightens himself back up. When Yuna goes for the prisoner, Gawain lets her, as he smiles. "Thank you for your cooperation. Shiratori, what do we do from here?"
Kutsuuko Shiratori     As demonstrated so many times, this place is not Fenrir. The last of what was ever called a national budget had disappeared years before Nemos Diana was conceived of. Steel bars and cameras are all there is, because that's all that there's room for, and really, all they should normally need. Yuna can break down the lock trivially, and only one of the MiBs is briefly surly enough to try and get in her way before the weapon comes out, before Kutsuuuko shoves through the pile like a set of bowling pins, stalking in behind the idol singer.

    Neither of them find the captive in any shape that makes 'jailbreak' come to mind. As originally guessed, by Yang's and Gil's description, it's a girl, and she couldn't possibly be out of her teens. Passed out on a prison bed, the ragged, layered up cloak can't hide that much nearly as well. Blonde as she is, she certainly doesn't look like she grew up here. The damaged armlet, wrapped in layers of tape and bandages, does certainly make it unquestionable why she would be around in he first place, as well as how she disappeared.

    Rather than manacles, however, they find a considerable amount of medical equipment jammed into the tiny cell. There are sensors stuck all over her bare skin, monitoring her breathing and pulse on a rather McGuyvere'd looking mockup of a Fenrir Terminal system, as well as a large variety of IVs, only some of which are linked to her armlet feed. Her shaky breathing and sleep-shivers certainly don't paint the best picture, but she doesn't look abused or starved, and lacks any visible injuries.

    The only thing of note is what appears to be a lengthy blood smear up one forearm, which on closer inspection, reveals itself to be discolouration of the skin, like some kind of blood red bruise, though it is ultimately far too well defined; less like a wound and more like a tattoo after a botched attempt at removing it. It's difficult to tell what it's even supposed to be, save that it gives off the uncanny impression of being some kind of creature with too many legs, like a very abstract spider.

    The old man fixes Gawain with a very serious, very somber expression. "I wish you wouldn't call her that. I don't agree with my grandson in taking advantage of the situation, but she came here on her own, back in the day." He closes his eyes, continuing. "I think, though, that it's about time she left. We'll muddle on through without her, somehow. I'll be sad to see her go, but it's not right to keep her. Anyone with any sense should know that she's past the point our little town can help, and hanging on to pride and stubbornness won't get her what she needs." Then, finally, he jabs the fully armoured knight in the chest with his cane. "Don't get too upset at those boys, though. Childish as they are, they're trying to show their community spirit, in their own way. If you don't take good care of her, they'll have every right to be angry!"