Scene #9344: Gebura's Work Mandated Vacation

Owner	Pose
Angela	The last former Lobcorp Agent to leave Lobcorp is finally making his way to Apple Tree Island and rather than Petra being the one to haul him back, it is someone that is no doubt familiar to Rita. Though she doesn't quite look exactly like the Gebura of Lobcorp, she is unmistakably her. She's considerably less pale than her appearance through the cognition filter, and has several new scars on her face to compliment the ones that version of Gebura had. She's wearing a maroon red jacket and a black and lined bodysuit not unlike the sort she was 'wearing' at LobCorp. Shajo is wearing a white shirt and grey slacks with a heavy jacket around his shoulders. "Oh thank god, I see the island. You... Are... Crazy..." Shajo's general deference to Gebura seems to have been shaved away by exasperation, exhaustion, and general muscular and cardiovascular agony. Why? Well it seems to be because Gebura has taken a simple two person rowboat and has elected to travel to Apple Tree Island with that. "Aw quit you're whining this is just a light workout. We both gotta get back in shape," "Kill... You..." Shajo manages, despite the fact that he's conversing with the Red Mist. Once one is exhausted of all else, it's easy to be brave. "Oh fine. I'll handle the rest of the way on my own." Gebura says. "But we're working on this during our stay." Shajo has already dropped his oars on the rowboat and flopped to one side as Gebura takes the two oars she's been wielding and--- VERTICAL SLASH OAR TYPE Gebura swings the oars down with enough force that the water temporarily parts behind her and propels the tiny wooden rowboat across the water, skipping along it like Gebura was living inside a Popeye cartoon. She presses down on Shajo with a foot to prevent him from tumbling out of the boat as it hops across the water towards Apple Island's beach rapidly and precariously.
Rita Ma	The sky is cloudy-gray, the water choppy, the air cool; in the distance the great Apple Tree is in full bloom, and already delicate petals dot the surf. It didn't take long after their arrival in this ocean for great dark shapes to start swirling beneath them, occasionally nosing close enough to the surface for the silhouettes of claws or flippers to become visible. The dimmed sunlight emboldens them. But the sea monsters, of course, don't attack; their Queen wouldn't want them to. For a little while one like a small whale nudges the rowboat forward with its face, giving Shajo a temporary break for his aching arms, before it seems to get bored and submerge again. Up close, Apple Tree Island is shaped like a C. The open caldera at its center is a port with docks for ships; the town of sheet-metal buildings is built around it. And closer still . . . - - - - It's been several hours since that message from Angela. Rita couldn't really bring herself to respond. She just waits up on the old Union Busan's deck in the shadow of the tree, near the warpgate, with vaguely fading hopes. This isn't a trick, is it? What would be the point? Is Liza in danger, since the Concord knows I'll be at Apple Tree? "What's she like?" Kana interrupts Rita's thoughts by asking, leaning against the tree. "Ah... Ms. Gebura?" "Yeah. I've got time to know Shajo." "Well, she's really focused and intense. She cares a lot about other people, but tries to seem rough. And she's a little scary, but in ways that make me feel safe. She's a lot like you, Kana." "I try to seem rough?" "No! I mean..." But that rowboat pulling into port snags Rita's eye. From hundreds of feet away, she sees that little splotch of red. "Oh!!" They rowed?! As Kana shouts "Rita, wait up!" Rita's already leaping off the ship's side. Skipping over the roofs of buildings and sprinting down the pier with Kana behind her, Rita doesn't wait for them to dock: she yells "Mr. Shajo! Ms. Gebura!" and pounces off the pier's end to land between them in the boat, wrapping her arms giddily around them both. "I'm-- I'm really, really sorry," is the first thing that tumbles out of her mouth in the hug. "I couldn't quite do it... I tried my best, but..."
Angela	They rowed. Shajo wouldn't have second thoughts about leaving the Library but he certainly didn't expect this to be part of the price he paid for leaving. He's pretty sure he's going to have to get buried with Max at the way his heart is pounding and his body isn't responding to commands. He is straight plum exhausted in every capacity. Gebura certainly pushed him to his limit. ''Mr. Shajo! Ms. Gebura!'' The boat is slowing down as it's pulling into the pier but as Rita leaps onto the rowboat, it flips to one side--not quite capsizing entirely, but enough that Shajo and Gebura are both starting to slide OUT of the rowboat and into the shallow water. Shajo doesn't hug back, exactly, he sort of wiggles his arms as if to indicate he's made the effort and he manages, "Oof...! Rita, sorry...for taking so long... Would've felt wrong leaving her in there by her lonesome." Gebura's immense power allows her to hug even in these circumstances. She wraps an arm around Rita, even as water licks at her ankles. "Well well...! You're full of energy!" Gebura says. "Give some of that to Shajo--" "You kept us rowing...for days straight..." Shajo says. "I thought I was gonna die." "But you didn't, which means I didn't push you too hard." But Gebura is startled by the apologies spurting forth from her friend. Her jaw hangs open slightly. She wasn't ever gonna win ethe race to the first apology--she's not that sort of person--but she feels she has more to take the blame for than she does. "Hey it was my responsibility first--you both fought harder than I could've asked for. Without you..." Gebura doesn't think she would've managed at all. The forces arrayed against the loyalists were more than when she fell to Binah's machinations. "If anything I feel bad for dragging you into that kind of war." Nonon is busily doing INTERIOR DECORATING with Bisu and is much further insland so when Shajo glances around she doesn't see her immediately but that's fine. He thinks if Nonon hugged him right now he'd break. God if only he had some of those K Corp ampules left... "We nearly got sucked into a whirlpool on the way here. Gebura wanted to go ''through'' it..." "Closest distance is a straight line everyone knows that." Gebura pats Rita on the head and adds, "Glad to see your home's still peaceful. How's Lilian?"
Rita Ma	Rita wobbles, but does her best to steady the boat by shifting during the hug. One of the further-gone mermaids helps, too- rising up to steady the boat with her hands from below, getting a telepathic "oh, thank you!" from Rita, and then submerging again. After snuggling her face into the spot between Shajo and Gebura- his chin, her chest- they both can feel her little stifled laugh through her ribs. "Please don't say sorry, Ms. Gebura," she murmurs, stifled. Echoing Gebura from a moment ago: "'I didn't die, so you didn't push me too hard', right? And what about you fighting harder than I could've asked you for? You can't be the one always taking responsibility, you know..." Deep breath, accepting headpats. Finally Rita pulls back, does as she's asked by contributing some energy to Shajo- "Okay, Ms. Gebura!" (the white glow she pulses into him can't substitute for food and hydration, but it does stop his uscles burning)- and hops up on the pier, extending a hand to pull Shajo up. "Don't you apologize to me, either. It's Nonon who's been worried about you," she gently scolds. "I've got to show you the house she made! I'm sure she and Bisu are holding their breaths." After a little pause and an unnecessary 'hup' of pulling-him-up effort: "... Did Angela and Petra treat you alright, while you were stuck there? I'm sorry I didn't check in, but..." But there might've been blows, of course. "Ms. Rook's alright. I think she's doing better than me, Ms. Gebura," Rita admits. "We're a bit closer now. I felt like we were drifting apart before the war, but... it reminded me of why I liked her, I guess. I--" "This is them, Rita?" comes a voice behind her on the pier, interrupting her. "Oh!!" Kana's shorter than Rita is, now; not that it changes their dynamic much. Gebura last saw her through a tablet; she wears a yellow coat over her bikini-like combat gear now. The eyepatch is gone, doubling the intensity of her gaze. A few more scars, slightly longer hair; that's the extent of the changes. "Welcome back," she says, after a long moment to size Gebura up. "You might be the last person to visit Apple Tree Island, after being at the Battle of the Nest. Long enough to put off your reward." The wind blows through the great tree, sending a new wave of snow-white apple petals fluttering down. Behind Kana, people go about their errands in town as usual; chatting and laughing and working. There's always something to do, but compared to the City, it's practically idyllic. "How's it feel?"
Angela	''I didn't die, so you didn't push me too hard'' Gebura winces, as Rita calls her out on her own shit. She looks away for a moment to obsufucate the conflict in her eyes. Gebura was never given a proper education, of course, she was bornn a orphan on the Backstreets and was raised in a District of cannibals, fighting tooth and nail against Syndicates in order to survive. And she found something in that violent lifestyle--oh she never cared about the FAME of being 'The Red Mist' or anything like that. And she didn't find a family either. But she found satisfaction in getting hard work done within the mercenary lifestyle of a Fixer, even one who got to pick her jobs. But eventually she wanted something more than that, she supposes, she wanted to make a difference. Maybe Carmen was the one who infected her with that need, or maybe she simply brought it out, but now... Now she feels like she could just move to this island forever and rest. Despite what Angela said, she doubts the AI would war with Rita over her. No, that wouldn't be practical now would it? But ... ...She shouldn't think about this right now while she is so exhausted and defeated. "I guess I'm just used to that being my duty." Gebura says eventually. "I couldn't dream up any tech or uncover any new miracles so clearing the path forward was my job." She sighs. Right now she's not sure how she feels about all this time she spent fighting. Even being given a body back like this, that time she spent just didn't vanish away. What even IS her goal right now? The fact that it's kind of unclear whether the goal was accomplished--or not--or if her understanding of what that goal was was even correct--the ambiguity is a heavier weight than if she had simply completely lost. Shajo feels strength return to his arms and this time HE hugs Rita. "You're a lifesaver." He insists, suddenly fierce in the moment before he awkwardly lets go and is about to apologize when he gets scolded for apologizing! "Ahah.... yeah... I should... I should head over to check in on them before I take too long or I'll never hear the end of it." His eyes widen. "Oh da--ng...!" He adjusts at the very last second, still compelled. "That's all ready?" ''Did Angela and Petra treat you alright?'' "I didn't run into Angela much but they treated me fine. They fixed me up and didn't try to keep me locked away." Shajo says. "Didn't let me keep the EGO but I wasn't really expecting that." He doesn't state that he thinks Petra was a little snarly mostly because he doesn't want any potentiality for Nonon to get riled up over him. "Actually about that--If you already told her, there's no doing for it, but I'd appreciate if you didn't tell Nonon Petra was the one who took me down. I don't want her trying to get revenge for me." It is real easy for him to imagine Nonon running over to pick a fight and he doubts the Library's mercy extends to those that actively antagonize it. Even former employees. "They seemed worried I'd pick a fight but I wasn't gonna pick that one," Gebura says. "I'm not in a state to war right now even if I wanted to." Despite her maneuver with the boat--but this might be a psychological condition rather than strictly a matter of getting used to a new body. "They did put me in a proper body again, even if I figure it's tied to the Library." ''It reminded me of why I liked her, I guess.'' "Well something good came of it anyway. Glad you're back together. Always felt awkward when our bullshit caused personal struggle to offworlders."
Angela	But before she can get into it any further, there's Kana! Gebura whistles. "Been a minute, Kana. Coat looks good on you." Of course people from The City like dramatic coats. "Seems like you're still active too." How does it feel? Gebura closes her eyes. Breathes in. Breathes out. The air here feels so different, even compared to the sea air of The Great Lake. A place like this, isn't it exactly what she wanted? What she was fighting for? What she thought Carmen's grand project would be a step towards? "Like I haven't woken up yet." Is Gebura's eventual answer.
Rita Ma	"Seems like you're still active too." Kana blink-blinks, then looks down at her leg where there's a newer scar. "Oh. I dropped some sheet metal," she says blandly. "... I try to stay sharp. It's hard." "I'm still not going to train with you, Kana." "I know. But at least Bota..." "You're too scary. That's the problem." "Like I haven't woken up yet." "Mm." Kana looks up, where a current of apple-blossom petals is swirling in the breeze. One or two land in her hair, where they blend right in. A deep breath lifts and drops her shoulders. "I was ready to die," she says, while her eyes search the clouds. Her hands rest in her pockets. "There would be a big battle. I'd give it my all. Then, nothing. ... I didn't know how ready until after. 'After' isn't real, until it is." "The point of helping people isn't to be thanked. And the point of making a better world isn't that you'll live to see it. Right?" Kana's eyes finally turn down; first to Gebura, then to Rita, who's suddenly trying not to look at her. "But it's nice when that happens, anyway." ". . . Anyway. Here we are. Let's eat some fish and see the house." "Y-yeah!" Kana walks back up the pier, past fishermen unloading their catch, traders with boxes of faraway goods, kids swimming with mermaids in the deep-clear water, and the tentacle-cragged volcanic rock of the shore. Rita falls behind her enough to squish between Shajo and Gebura again. "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell Nonon Petra was the one who took me down." "I won't. We haven't talked about what happened at Lobotomy Corporation much. I don't want her to feel guilty for not being there," Rita says, just a little glumly. "... I told Petra if I saw her again and you hadn't been released, I'd kill her. That felt like the only way for you not to be a hostage. I guess that means, now that you've been released, I shouldn't try to kill her? I... I'm not really sure." "What happened anyway, Ms. Gebura? Is your new body, um, 'real'?" Rita asks clumsily. Her spirits lift a bit. "If there's anything to be happy about, with how everything went... I'm really glad you got to live. It's hard to fight to die."
Angela	Gebura can't help but grin a little at the interplay between Kana and Rita. It's sweet and charming even as they dig into each other. Relationships are like that when they're true. Like fire. ''I was ready to die. There would be a big battle. I'd give it my all. Then, nothing.'' Gebura looks towards Kana's eyes and, then, into them. It's nice, isn't it? That even a missing eye can come back in the right circumstances. Not all wounds have to be forever. ''The point of helping people isn't to be thanked. And the point of making a better world isn't that you'll live to see it. Right? ... But it's nice when that happens, anyway.'' "...Yeah. It's nice when it happens. Got at least a couple weeks to figure out the 'And then what?'." But the truth is, that's for when you win the war right? When you lose the war, is it right for her ot say 'ah, well, I did my best. Time to live happily ever after in the island paradise'? What about the people she fought with and lost? the ones she sacrificed because she couldn't fight alongside them. But in truth she doesn't want to think about that right now. It's not escapism. She juist needs ... a break. She does need it. She's not so meatheaded she doesn't realize it. But she's not sure she can discard that compulsion of hers to help either. Fortunately Rita lied and said there was no work that needed doing! It's something Gebura's ready to believe because she doesn't have the fight in her to disbelieve it. "Appreciated." Shajo says to Rita, both about the offer of fish and for keeping Nonon in the dark for her own good. He does worry she'll find out anyway, or find an even more capricious reason for throwing herself into that furnace. But-- "--Don't kill anyone on my behalf--" Shajo manages. "I asked to stay cause I wanted to make sure Gebura wasn't ... waking up without any of us there." The people who fought along with her, not counting the Sephirah of course. "Some people chose to stay behind. I get why. Some chose to go to Hydrochoeria or join the Concord--start up multiversal lives. Ceri's still with Trideag. She was sent away so she couldn't help either--" "Sent folks away so they wouldn't be able to help stop her, but also so she wouldn't face any backlash for killing 'em. Practical. Like her." Gebura says. She's a little slower to say 'don't kill Petra' than SHajo, who can't ever really shake the idea of coworker solidarity. She, on the other hand, knows it's about a bit more than just being on opposing sides. Shit was SAID. She thinks about her neighbors who she tried to help and then tried to rob her. This was more complicated than that but... "I'm sorry it didn't work out." Gebura says. "And our situation set off that argument. We were too fucked up to realize we were sharing our torture with you." And that war was part of it? She seems to think so.
Angela	But about her body? She's more uncertain. She puts a cigarette in her mouth and doesn't light it. She didn't bring a lighter. "Angela could've gone back on her word and left us asleep forever. But she didn't. I'm sure some of that is out of practicality, but maybe some of it is sentiment. I don't know. I'm guessing she used her ability to 'book' people to capture the information that made us ''us'' and then reformed bodies from the books afterwards. It's not like she's a surgeon or anything so it'd have to be through her EGO. Or the Light and her EGO. They hired a new girl, Audrey, and it seems like they made progress in getting Angela out of there. And Petra said the experiment was a success. I don't know if that's true--we always knew it wouldn't be anything instant. Now I get a chance to see if there's seeds, I guess. And if it isn't enough then I'll have to go back to the battlefield to finish things. But I don't really know how to make the best use of being 'alive' again. Not like I changed much in The City before Carmen either." She manages a smile. "Wasn't what I was fighting for, but I ain't gonna whine that I get to walk in your world." Shajo, the closer he gets to Nonon's house (she definitely put skulls and crossbones on it), the more energy he gets in his movements, rushing forward like a man who has just seen an oasis in a desert.
Rita Ma	On the crescent-walk around the central crater, with the flowering hill petal-rustling in the breeze to the left and the deep inlet-pool shifting with dark submerged shapes to the right, people keep giving greetings or trying to make small conversations. It's mostly for the sake of Shajo's anticipation that Rita doesn't allow their group to get snagged. "Oh, my. A foreign harpoonist, are you? Hope you'll--" an older man in a diving suit starts to say to Gebura. "Sorry, Mr. Dan! We can't stay! Later!" Rita calls back in passing. "Kana! Who's that! Are they staying?" "I hope so," Kana answers to a little kid leaning out their home's window above. "Ji-woo, don't lean out so far!" Rita scolds too. . . . It's like a tight-knit neighborhood, just a little overgrown. Just by being here, you're included in "us". "We were too fucked up to realize we were sharing our torture with you." "I chose to share it, Ms. Gebura. And please don't say sorry about Petra," Rita says, slumping back down a little. Her mood's still warm, but... bittersweet. "She was never my friend. It's not like the war tore us apart. Even before that, there were signs. She wouldn't let me stand up for her, like it didn't matter how bad I felt watching her get hurt. And, she made me feel like, I'd never be as important to her as other people were." "Someday... I was always going to wake up from the dream that she cared about me. It's probably better that it was sooner." "Rita . . ." "Huh? What is it, Kana?" "I'm sorry I've been negligent." "What does that mean?! I'm an adult!" "They grow up so fast." The house comes up ahead, near the pier, murmured-to by the constant sound of gentle waves. Homes here tend to be sheet-metal with rock foundations, but well-made- Nonon has definitely had all the caring architectural help she could ask for. While Rita rushes ahead, presumably with Shajo in tow- "Come on! I think she's home! I hope Bisu is too, it'll be so sweet..."- Kana lingers for a moment with Gebura, at a slower pace. "I don't know what the 'best use of being alive' is either. Not anymore," she says, side-eyes sliding up to the taller woman. "But... this isn't a bad one. I hope. I know your work might not be finished, but anything more you put yourself to is extra."
Angela	Gebura glances over to Mr. Dan and is about to say that she's not a harpoonist--or even a harpooner--by trade but one of the first things she learned as a Fixer was how to keep your trap shut when in unfamiliar territory. And despite this being Rita's home, it IS unfamiliar to Gebura still. She's never been here before except by video. ... Besides, Harpoonist is what they'd probably be calling Fixers if there was a lot less land and a lot more water too. Shajo waves a hand to everyone as they pass by and one of the challenges to corralling these two is that Shajo is struggling not to get pulled in himself to these conversations. He had a lot more time to get to know the people here than Gebura has and seems thrilled that these people are getting to be his new neighbors. He honestly feels suddenly weary. Like he could go lie down in a bed and sleep for days. It's a strange feeling. Maybe when Petra impaled him he lost much of his fighting spirit. Maybe he lost it long ago and it was Nonon's presence that kept him going. But right now he just wants to raise that family. Maybe plant something in the ground. Get some meaningless job that's meaningful to him where he gets to do something that makes him happy and can be of help to others. Isn't that the dream? Isn't that why some people risk the Outskirts? But he doesn't have to risk the Outskirts. There's here. Gebura, meanwhile, is wondering if someone like her even deserves to stay in a place like this for two weeks. She didn't ask to be 'the hero of the Backstreets' but once they start calling you something like that, doesn't she have a responsibility? She could probably move in today and never go back and Angela wouldn't fight it because she couldn't afford to pick a fight with both her and Rita, but she's not quite sure the extent that Angela has a hold on her and, more importantly, her fellow Sephirah can't walk away. Maybe, Gebura thinks, she'll be able to let some of that wash away here. The waters seem like they can handle a bit of that here. ''And please don't say sorry about Petra. She was never my friend.'' Gebura isn't sure about that, but she can't deny the rest. She thinks of her long dead neighbors. What having never been friends feels like. "Doesn't mean it doesn't suck." Gebura says, to all of it. "'Specially when it was a dream." Her head snaps to Kana as she speaks suddenly, but her shoulders relax when she realizes the general zone of what Kana has to say. "Yeah. I remember when this guy was just a punk." She raises a hand and presses down on the top of Shajo's head. Shajo doesn't fight back, letting himself hunch down a bit as he accepts the reality of things with a stoic expression on his face. "But he found what he wanted and stuck to it. Can't help but be proud of him for that." Shajo's expression struggles to remain stoic but after heroic effort, he manages it.
Angela	Maybe it's because Nonon hasn't had Gold Rush in a while, but the house she built is more modest than she expected. It's only two floors and not big floors, and instead of a chimney there's a ship mast sticking out from the center of the building with a crow's nest. That requires someone to pull themselves up onto the roof in order to get to. Nonon has hung out a bunch of clothes to dry. Even though Bisu didn't get wholly turned into a mermaid, she prefers to be near and in the water when possible so the house is near one of the docks but there's also an inflatable pool filled with sea water for Bisu to lounge around in--though Bisu is presently keeping the mermaids company so Nonon is by herself. Nonon can be seen in a kitchen area, wearing an apron that says 'KISS THE COOK - OR SHE'LL KISS YOU!' on it and seems to working on boiling some crab when she spots the incoming crew from through the window. Her eyes settle on Shajo and she immediately turns the heat off, leaps out the window and tackles him three manwa panels to the left off screen while bellowing, "SHAAAAAJOOOOOOO!!" "Well that alone's worth the trip already." Gebura grins. "Guess she calmed down some."
Rita Ma	Kana allows herself a long moment of staring fondly at scrunched-Shajo. She hardly ever smiles, but there's a relaxing in her face. Does she see Bota in him? "Maybe you should be training successors," she says, after sponging up the warmth between Gebura and him. "You'd be good at it." Rita goes from waving ecstatically at Nonon, to covering her mouth in shock, to laughing behind her fingers as Nonon tackles Shajo through the window. Scampering over to where they land among the wildflowers: "I told you, Ms. Nonon! I told you we kept him safe!! Ohhh... um, you're not hurt, are you, Mr. Shajo?" But of course Nonon would never hurt him! So she's still giggling a little, leaned over them hands-on-knees. "Doesn't mean it doesn't suck. 'Specially when it was a dream." Those words come from behind her. It does suck, doesn't it? Gebura can read that in the way Rita straightens up, not-quite-casually tucks hair behind her ear. If she's acting casually about it now, it's only because she's had months to dull it, surrounded by good family and friends. Still... Rita takes a breath of air, with her close-enough-to-human-again lungs; and turns to look back at Gebura, who's in her close-enough-to-human body; and Kana next to her, not only alive but with both her eyes; and at the town framed behind them, a new Union Busan founded on real land; and casts her gaze around to try to find Bisu, who's somehow alive... "I guess... some dreams you wake up from, Ms. Gebura. And some dreams you don't. You're all here for me. What do I have to feel sad about?" A pretty good amount. But she's doing her best not to. Oh, right, Bisu!! She mentally reaches out, while Nonon and Shajo roll on the ground: "Bisu! Mr. Shajo's back! I thought I'd get a special dinner together. Want me to get you something from Mao's?"
Angela	If there's anything Gebura learned from her Meltdown, it's that she shouldn't be trying to carry everything on her back anymore. It took her a while, but maybe--she figures--that's just how it is for strong people. It's a harder lesson to learn when what served you best was your own two hands. she doesn't know what to think about Angela or even Petra really. They weren't the most subtle about sabotaging the project, sure, but now that all is said and done, what does she do now? Does she try to finish the rest of it, make sure it's completely done? She's sure she could defeat Angela in a straight fight but within her own EGO, that becomes something else far beyond who can swing a stick better. And maybe what happened is what she was fighting for, what then? Will Angela gathering the Light mean the end of change for The City or not? The temptation to just live here is strong. It's an island paradise. Why wouldn't it be? It'd be stranger, wouldn't it, if she ''wasn't'' tempted? Hasn't she fought long enough? She never saw herself as a hero, that's just what people called her, it was Carmen who made her think she could actually be one. And she might still be there. But far out of reach. Nonon isn't going to hurt Shajo (too much. She's a bit rough but never hostile), slinging him over a shoulder like a sack. "You were gone so long! But I guess you were looking after Kali over there, Ga ha ha!! But now you're all mine!!" All is well apparently now that the pirate has her treasure. "Thanks for bringing him back home, Rita! You're the best pal a gal like me could hope for." "Never felt better..." Shajo, who is definitely going to bruise tommorow, promises Rita with a grin. ''I guess... some dreams you wake up from, Ms. Gebura. And some dreams you don't.'' Maybe the monster hunter has a lot more in common with the monster than she thought. Is this a dream she needs to wake up from, she wonders, or should she close her eyes once more. Angela intends to send her to Elibe. That's something she'd do even without Angela's input so she's got a war to think it through, she supposes. And she's a vacation before that. She's got time to figure it out. "Yeah. You've got a good dream here. It's enough to satisfy even Nonon over there." "There's so much ocean!" Nonon bellows not quite defensively. RIta reaches out... And makes contact. Bisu is with Ariel and there's still some lingering connection between them, even if it's a quiet thing these days. BIsu seems to be playing with Ariel and has just finished tossing some fish her way. "Rita! Whole family...! Coming! Just gotta--" Finish playing with Ariel presumably, but soon enough, Bisu drippingly pulls herself onto the dock. #-1 FUNCTION (ASNI) NOT FOUNDSsh... it's okay it's okay Ariel. I'll be back, sweetie. I won't ever be gone too long." She knows better than to let them feel lonely. And neither does Dreaming Current who crashes into Ariel while making shark noises. Some mild rough-housing occurs. Bisu comes climbing up back up to the house. SInce Shajo is still in Nonon's arms she just tries to hop up and give Shajo a headpat. "Wow--everyone's back home now...!" Bisu sniffs a bit, rubbing at her eyes. "Not crying, Captian Mom!" "Ga ha...didn't say anything!"
Rita Ma	Kana lingers by Gebura's side, still, hands resting in her jacket pockets as comfortably as they long-ago rested on her blades. She can't tell the source of Gebura's long bittersweet contemplation; but she knows that faraway and tempted look. "Having something to fight against and something to live for are different," Kana says at last, while her gaze casually drills into Gebura. "You need both." That's a complete answer to Gebura's unvoiced questions, she seems to think, because she's already walking towards the house. "Awwww... you're such a good older sister, Bisu," Rita thinks in her direction. Is 'older sister' exactly it? It feels close to her relationship with the other mermaids. "I love you, Ariel! I'll come play with you tonight, I promise!" she adds, leaning forwards on tiptoes and waving out at Ariel and Dreaming Current both. To anyone else this looks a bit silly, since she's not really saying anything! Fortunately, Bisu's racing up the craggy shore soon. When she joins Nonon and Shajo's pick-up-embrace to pat Shajo's head, Rita hovers around the edges of the cluster for just a moment, uncertainly- she's got less of a right to be in on it than any of the three of them, right? ... But I'm still their friend, aren't I? she thinks to herself. And, like this... On impulse, Rita steps forward and wraps her arms around the three of them as best she can, rubbing her cheek in with a little noise of relief. ... It feels like I'm gluing them tighter together. "That's right. You're just wet from the ocean, Bisu," she teases- hypocritically. Rita's own eyes are stinging a little as she pulls away. The good she does for other people tends to be systemic; impersonal. Sure, she 'made' Apple Tree Island, but that was with thousands of people's help. This reunion is... Probably the most cause she's had to feel a little 'heroic', ever. That, as much as Bisu's tenderness and Nonon's relief and Shajo's joy, makes her next breath a little shivery. "Thank you," she tells them while rubbing her face with the back of her arm, a little nonsensically. "For, making it here. I..." And then-- "Oh!! Nonon, how long have the crabs been on!! I've got them!" She's hustling in through the window, to make herself useful once again.
Angela	''Having something to fight against and something to live for are different.'' Gebura is startled from her thoughts. It's like she read her mind without reading it. "Getting my ass are we?" Gebura smirks. "See where Rita gets it from." Ariel chirps happily at Rita before bonking heads at Dreaming Current who is, as ever, a shark! This probably means something akin to 'I love you, Rita!'. It sounds happy. When Rita joins in to pull the three of them in a hug well--Shajo is being lifted but Nonon is a big gal and she has a free arm that can readily wrap around Bisu, who is tiny, and Rita both. "Ga ha ha ha! Rita ambush! Rita has joined the crew!" "You can ambush join a crew?" "Well you basically did--" They're all smiles because they already love her. It's as simple as that. ''You're just wet from the ocean, Bisu.'' "That's...right! I've been swimming!" That was a close one..! Thanks Rita! She has to be as tough as Nonon or she'll <s>cry</s> have to go swimming again! "Shouldn't they be thanking you for--" Gebura begins but Nonon, who has had some time to get to know Rita best by living here longest interrupts, "You're welcome, Rita! Glad to be of service! Don't worry, we're all great at navigatin', we'll always find our way back--" ''How long have the crabs been on!!'' Nonon freezes mid laugh. ... And the choruses of 'shit fuck crap' that follow after might seem like they're in a panic, but it's a happy panic--assuredly.