Scene #9601: Trídéag: Weather Report Cloudy Days Ahead

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Angela	Recently, Lilian Rook declared in front of the Liu Association and Trídéag itself of her intent to crush The Head. Most of Trídéag is handling that pretty well considering how frightening that must be for a people whose entire lives considered the entity as something of a boogieman that decides the most sacrosanct laws of City life. Most of the various local Fixers of Trídéag already consider themselves part of something revolutionary, after all, and Lilian's declaration was just an extension of that. They have kept quiet about it from the neighborhood at large, largely because of uncertainty as to Lilian's plans, but that doesn't mean there is no unease at all. Primarily, the unease is about what the Liu Association South Section Director, Xiao, is going to do. Is she going to report to her superiors? Is she going to keep quiet about it? Is she going to officially allign herself with Lilian? If so, how? Are her people going to defect to Trídéag? Is she going to keep it quiet and just support Lilian when she can? Is she even going to change anything at all? Pretend she didn't hear it all? Nobody really knows. Even her close allies sometimes struggle to read the Iron Lady, let alone people who never really knew her. But even THAT is subdued over the general excitement that Lilian Rook has gotten married! To Tamamo! Who is KNOWN by Trídéag even if she hasn't been around much, she has been around enough that they know of her. So while there is some quiet worry, there's also loud excitement and a serious desire to keep everything nice and peaceful for her eventual return. Nobody wants the neighborhood to be a mess when Lilian makes it back. Which is why Ceri quietly contacts various members of Trídéag when a problem DOES crop up in the hopes of quietly resolving it before it becomes a Lilian problem. Ideally at worst, she hears about it after it's solved and it wasn't too disruptive to the normal operations of the neighborhood. The situation, as she describes it, is that Weather Report's powers have gone haywire. She hasn't broken anything major, but the weather over the Trídéag neighborhood has gotten rather unpredictable. At one moment it'd be shining bright and cheery and the next it'd be gloomy and cloudy, sometimes it'd be raining and othertimes it'd be downright sweltering or even snowing. Cheer and Soothe have been kept indoors until the situation resolves itself but Solace has been working with Ceri to try and keep the people calm by assuring the situation will be handled before too long. Knifty has been doing her best to protect the community garden from the extreme weather shifts. "She seems...embarrassed. She's locked herself up in her room." Solace says. "I'm ... not really good at calming people down." "And I feel if I dropped in, it would just make things worse--" Ceri admits. "But most of you were there when you recruited her, so I thought you'd be the best people to talk to her." Weather Report is staying in Trídéag's dorms like many of its Fixers. The door is not locked but a layer of ice has engulfed the door making it more difficult to just pop inside--not so difficult, of course, that it isn't trivial for Elites to get it open, though. The weather outside has hit 'freezing breezy' and that shift of temperature is felt indoors as well as across the neighborhood. "Ohhh...." Weather Report mumbles from within her room. "Come on...get it t-together... Big smiles, like when you are on the radio..." As she says that though another localized cold burst hits. "No no noooo..." She wails.
Riku Asakura	Riku is here today, dressed up in his Trideag uniform. It's like a normal fixer uniform, so similar to a dress outfit for Riku. Except that he's got a band over one arm that says 'Trideag' on it. He put on the uniform because he was told there would be business to deal with today, and he wasn't lied to. The weather has gone wacky, and with Ceri's explanation about what is going on with Weather Report, and her powers. Riku isn't sure what to do or say, but he was called here to help so... he can't exactly turn away from this problem! He nods to Ceri, smiles at her with his usual big, dopey smile, and agrees. "Alright, I'll see what I can do for her." On the way up to her dorm room, the weather gets super cold. Riku bundles up as he knocks on her door. "Hey, it's me. Can I come in? I wanted to talk to you about things," he says, being vague about it. "Or rather, whatever you want to talk about. I heard you, so things don't seem to be going well for you. I just want to make sure you're doing alright." To be fair, he doesn't know Weather Report as well as others in Trideag. He's willing to put in the effort to get to know her better and help her through her issues with her powers. Lord knows that she isn't the only one who had powers dropped on her lap one day, just like Riku did.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine's grown quite fond of some of Trídéag's local members, including Weather Report, so she's been worried by the fluctuating weather. Not about its effects, but about its cause - Maddie thinks Distortions are at least similar phenomena to the dreamlike manifestations of the psyche that occur within her own sanctuary, and when things go wrong there it's because something's messed up with Maddie herself, whether existentially or emotionally. When Ceri calls a gathering, Madeleine takes a break from sparring with Dart. Distracted as Madeleine is, the jovial duelist has scored her fair share of hits today, and the huntress is a little bruised up and sore at the moment. Paradoxically, her regeneration is at its most effective in high-pressure situations; with little to keep her attention fully off the bruises, they're not going away as quickly as she'd like. "Hey, Dart," says the huntress. "Wanna come help us with the storms? I feel like Weather Report needs a little cameraderie to cheer her up." Arriving at Weather Report's room, Madeleine ponders the iced-over door and the sobs from within. She knows, with this sort of power, that simply forcing one's way in and trying to 'shake her out of it' would go terribly. Another association might take the discipline-first approach, but this is Trídéag, and Maddie's pretty sure there's something in the Precepts about treating each other well. She'd have to go down to the lobby to check and she's not in a hurry to leave the hallway outside Weather Report's room. "Hey, Weather Report?" she says after gently knocking on the door. "Whatever it is you're feeling right now... it's best not to feel it alone, you know? And not to prevent yourself from feeling it at all," she adds, making an educated guess as to why the weather is in flux and not just raining constantly - Weather Report probably doesn't want to be upset, and is half-succeeding at bottling it up. "Do you think you could thaw out the door, so we can come in?"
Odette Raskins	After finishing up the day's training session with a local group of Fixers, Odette's back at the Trideag dorms for... A therapy session? She's not a therapist, but she's fairly confident in her ability to help Weather Report with figuring out her power situation. "If she's worried about control.. Mm. I've got a few ideas that might help. At least, we can try a couple of things to see what might cause changes and then work through it from there." She replies to Solace and Ceri, patting her trust medical case before hastily sliding the case around to her back. "Er. N-not with these, I mean! Well, not right away. We don't want her to develop any dependencies while we figure this out." Dressed in her usual Trideag uniform jacket and long skirt, she's actually looking rather comfortable in the chilly hallway as she heads over to Weather Report's room, waving quickly at those at the door before stopping a little bit away from it. "Hello, Riku. Hi, Madeleine. Mm... Mhm. Hello, Miss Weather Report! It's feeling kind of like home out here." She comments, breathing out a little puff of warm air while sounding and feeling quite at ease. "Even the door's frosted over like it was at home... Um. Do you need a hand in there?"
Rita Ma	Rita emerges from the Warpgate on Trideag campus on her usual cool-spring-colors bolero-jacket-and-skirt-- Ah, it's raining cats and dogs. She goes back through the Warpgate. Rita emerges with an umbrella-- wait, no, now it's windy. Rita emerges with a heavy coat-- Screw it. Rita shows up at Weather Report's door still drippy-soaked and a little shivering, in her jacket-and-skirt again. (Madeleine, with the eye for oddities she has, might notice Rita's hair doesn't look wet even as droplets run off it.) A polite smiling nod at Solace, espeically; Ceri, also; and the other three arrivals who are here to help. While the others ask 'may we come in?', Rita hooks a finger under the ice and 'rips' downwards to shatter-clean it off the doorframe. "I brought some food, Ms. Weather Report. I hear you've been feeling under the... um... you know." In her off hand there's a paper shopping bag and a mini-cooler, held side-by-side.
Angela	Dart is a curly brown haired maniac who still wears her feathered tricorn cap along with the rest of her Trídéag uniform. A former (and present) subordinate of Ceri Wood, she is a firm believer of living an honorable life--maybe a little MUCH for The City, because she is loudly idealistic and excitable. When Madeleine recruits her from her current job of running around and offering umbrellas to people trying to perform errands during the wild weather while flirting with them. "My blade is yours, my friend!" Dart says. "Oh, actually, this is just talking to someone my blade is not needed at all but perhaps my RAPIER WIT will be of aid! Haha!" She wraps an arm around Madeleine's shoulders and sings, "When there's love isnide, I swear I'll always be strong o/~, When ther'es a reason why, I'll prove to you we belong Haha!o/~" "Yeah," Ceri says to Riku. "I really appreciate it. Try not to pressure her too much, she's clearly under too much already." She gives a nod to Odette, sort of hoping that her own experiences with anxiety might give her a particular insight on the situation. "It'd be ... nice if her relationship with the village did not change from this." Solace adds. ''Comments on the frozen door.'' "Oh ahhh, I'm sorry I'll tryyyy--" Weather Report panics, the indoor wind gets even more blustery, though at least it warms up a little bit, if quite suddenly. It's not enough to suddenly melt the ice along the door but Rita can helpfully just rip that off with her normal girl strength! "Nice job... breaking the ice, Miss Rita!" Dart cheers her on with an extra little 'huzzah!' after. ''I hear you've been feeling under the... um... you know.'' Dart isn't aware enough to NOT use the pun. "Yes, it seems you're quite under the weather, but fear not! We're here to help!" Weather Report says, "Ohh gosshh... I'm so sorry for worrying everyone. Y-yes! Please! Come in! I don't know what's gonig on it's not usually this baaaad...." Opening the door reveals Weather Report's room! She has a pet octopus in an aquarium that she brought over on the day with coral and a little castle submerged within that the octopus is presently terrozing by gripping a tower with its tentacles. Her bed is covered with little grumpy stuffed animals including an angry sun stuffed 'animal', and a grumpy thundercloud stuffed 'animal', there's a radio by her bed and a large number of magazines and books on a bookshelf off to the corner, most of which look well read. There's a microphone lingering on a desk drawer along with an old computer. Weather Report is in her bright yellow PAJAMAS and her head is presently a tornado spinning around and gradually blowing things around in her room. "Oh thank you, thank you so much, Rita.... I'm sorry, I can't seem to calm myself down--it's just gotten crazier and crazier, haha....hah...."
Riku Asakura	"Hello Odette!" Riku says, upbeat and personable to the nurse. He also gives Madeleine a wave, as well as Dart. It seems they have quite the crew here. Rita being here doesn't dampen his mood; he's still all smiles, Rita. It is still at the back of his mind, their friction, though. Even if L-corp was a long time ago. With the ice being ripped off by Rita and Weather Report welcoming them in, he takes a moment to examine the room. The plushies are absolutely adorable. However, the room starts to get windy, which is weird because Riku has never experienced wind indoors before! He looks at Weather Report, who is now a tornado for a head. "It's alright, don't worry about it. Just... what happened lately to cause this? We're just concerned about you and the weather around Trideag. Can I ask what's been going on with you? Maybe that might get to the center of what's happening with your powers...?"
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Maddie gives Riku a little up-nod, and waves to Rita and Odette. Weather Report lets them all into her room, and Maddie steps inside carefully. A friend's bedroom is a sacred place, after all, one that must be respected like her own. "I'm sorry, I can't seem to calm myself down--it's just gotten crazier and crazier" "Well," Maddie says, looking around for someplace to sit that's not the bed, "sometimes you gotta let yourself be un-calm for a bit, y'know?" She is a firm believer in women getting to have a little meltdown now and then, as a treat. "If a feeling needs to be expressed, you can't keep a lid on it forever. What's got you so worried?"
Odette Raskins	Odette claps politely and looks on in awe as Rita gets the door to Weather Report's room opened up, then nods back at Ceri's warning. "Hello, Miss Rita! And will do, Miss Ceri. Yeah, I can imagine it's..." She starts, then pauses to tap her chin. It's not like she really knows what it's like to have cool powers, so she couldn't really empathize with losing control there. What she can certainly empathize with, though, is general anxiety over possibly maybe screwing up things, and she nods quickly at Solace a moment later. "Let's hope we can help her out in time, yeah." Holding her ground as the wind blows a bit harder, Odette takes a deep breath before snorting abruptly at Dart's pun. She turns her head aside briefly to clear her throat, then kicks her boots off outside and steps into the room once Weather Report 'invites' the little crowd of visitors in. She 'awws' almost immediately at spotting the octopus, then clears her throat again while turning to Weather Report and trying not to stare at her head tornado. "Yes, it'll be alright. We'll take this one step at a time, okay?" She ask/suggests gently, taking off her cap and smooshing it against her jacket to try and keep any dampness off of Weather Report's stuff. Leaving the questions about current events to Riku and food concerns to Rita, Odette hums softly for a moment before speaking up again. "Have you been getting enough sleep lately? Or... ooh, that's a neat microphone setup you've got over there. Have you been recording stuff?" She asks, sounding particularly curious at the end there.
Rita Ma	"It's good to see you again too, Odette," polite-concerned. But it's earnest! It's been a while since they've seen each other, and Rita's only ever seen good things from her. "It'd be ... nice if her relationship with the village did not change from this." Rita's lower lip pushes upwards, outside the apartment. "I hope so too, Ms. Solace. I bet Weather Report feels scared about that. But... people can be more accepting than we worry they'll be. Even when they're inconvenienced." Who does she mean by 'we', there? Her and Solace, or are girlmonsters a 'we' of their own? "Y-yes! Please! Come in!" "Thank you-- oh!" Some papers and a magazine threaten to blow out the door, when it's opened. Rita snatches them out of the air, tucks them under her arm without looking (Weather Report deserves her privacy!!), and then when she enters the apartment anchors them down with her cooler and paper bag. "Here. I wasn't sure what you liked, so..." From the cooler Rita fishes out some suavely-futuristic-branded vanilla ice cream and a 'TECHNO BLUESHIFT' gamer energy drink; the paper bag contains roasted fish kebabs and a cup of salty-warm seaweed chips. Those are enticingly jiggled to see which one Weather Report might like first; then Rita hands the selected treat off, sits on the edge of the bed after a glance for permission, and pat-pats like Weather Report should sit next to her too. Everyone else is already asking about Weather's emotional state, so Rita thinks for a moment before saying: "You haven't felt sick, have you? Running a fever or anything?" She holds out a hand if Weather Report wants Rita to feel her temperature, although obviously there's no forehead to check against. "... I like your pajamas a lot. It's really pretty in here."
Angela	''People can be more accepting than we worry they'll be.'' Solace hesitates, then nods quietly. "Perhaps we worry too much..." The magazines seem to be mostly news mags, they're a bit salacious in the sense that a lot of City news is fixated on celebrity gossip, Fixer drama and rankings, and depending on the origin District-centric politics. Weather Report is interested in Wing politics, general news, Fixer lore, climate, and so on. She's invested in knowing what is happening in the world around here in a world where it feels like there's often only the drudge of survival. But then, she used to live a pretty comfortable life compared to most of the people in Trídéag, didn't she? Enough that she brought the octopus with her to the neighborhood, that she could actually take care of. As Weather Report is soothed a bit, the winds die down if only just a bit, shifting to 'heavy breeze' as the tornado transmogrifies into a dark cloud. ''What happened lately to cause this?'' "Oh gosh...so much has been going on, ahhh... there was that big fight and then Miss Director, Lilian I mean, ahh... she said she's going to crush The Head? I didn't even think that was possible, hahaha..." The wind picks up again briefly, now a hot breeze. "I don't even really know how to fight yet, and even on my best days sometimes I just zap something with lightning--" ''What's got you so worried?'' The dark cloud starts raining down her neck and occassional a tiny little thunderbolt blasts down there too. "Everybody was so nice to get me a place where I could stay, they were kicking me out of my apartment and so I went with the pirates so I didn't have to give Camo away and I lost my job...wehhh..." Water starts spilling out of her 'neck' and across her shoulders. "Here I'm going again... I'm so sorrrrry!" Camo extends a tendril and smushes it against the glass. ''Have you been recording stuff?'' "Noo...not for a long while... I used to be a reporter...ohhgh..." ''Snacks!'' Weather Report's mood stabilizes a bit with the introduction of food into the mix, sort of like how it's hard to be sobbing uncontrollably while you're also shoving ice cream in your mouth. She says, "Oh you're so nice to me, Miss Rita..." And a wind scoops up some of the ice cream and pulls it into the cloud where it's gradually converted into water that spills into her neck slowly, smelling sweetly. She scootches next to Rita when it's offered after and leans against her. "I'm so worried... I feel sometimes like my heart's going to explode out of my chest and then I feel bad about how I feel and I start crying then I feel stupid and embarrassed and it gets so hot..." She sighs. "If I don't get this under control I might hurt someone and then I get depressed and cloudy..." Glumly she adds about the pajamas, "Thanks, I got them from a thrift store. Yellow's my favorite color."
Riku Asakura	'Oh gosh...so much has been going on, ahhh... there was that big fight and then Miss Director, Lilian I mean, ahh... she said she's going to crush The Head? I didn't even think that was possible, hahaha...' Riku knows that the Head is a pretty big deal, literally the ruling person of the City. Lilian made a claim to crush the ruler of the city, so of course, that might cause some concern. Though most of Trideag seemed pretty okay with it, it seems that not everyone is. Or that it's causing some anxiety. Rita asks a very good question, to which Weather Report gives a response. 'I feel sometimes like my heart's going to explode out of my chest and then I feel bad about how I feel and I start crying then I feel stupid and embarrassed and it gets so hot...' "I used to worry too, when I got my powers as Ultraman. Could I use them correctly? Would I be like my Father? It was hard too, because I could crush concrete like sand between my fingers. It's scary when you lose control," he admits. He takes a breath and places a hand on Weather Report's shoulder. "It's okay to be upset or confused about things. It's about how we confront these things and how they make us feel. Just... tell us how the comment about the Head made you feel. Also, it doesn't matter if you can fight or not; if you really want to learn, there are plenty here who can teach you. Just..." "What do you want to do?"
Odette Raskins	"Yes! It really has been a bit, huh?" Odette replies to Rita with a thoughtful noise, her shoulders visibly relaxing a moment later. "Have you been doing okay? There's been a bit of... Er. Lots of stuff going on around here, actually, so I was getting little worried something happened to you." With her spirits raised a bit more, Odette feels a little more at ease as Weather Report helpfully explains both recent events and what's been eating her lately. "I don't even really know how to fight yet," Picking up on that in particular, Odette shuffles over to give Weather Report the most confident looking smile she can muster. It's actually a solid 8! "Fighting's not always about fighting, weird as that sounds. Um! Sometimes, even just knowing how to run around and distract people for our real fighters helps a lot." She gestures at herself. "I mean, that's what I do most of the time, and I'm still doing okay, right? Being able to jolt someone or blow them around should help plenty as long as you're careful, so maybe we can does some training with that?" "I'm so sorrrrry!" "I used to be a reporter..." "If I don't get this under control" "Ah... It's okay, it's okay." Is it actually okay? Odette's worried about the weather indoors getting worse than it was before, but she keeps her tone calm even while her concern for Weather Report is audible and evident. "It sounds like you've been through a lot lately... But you're in a good place now, with plenty of nice folks here." She says calmly, gesturing around at everyone that's gathered here. "We'll help you figure this all out. Plenty of us here-" She gestures around again, notably avoiding herself in the gesturing. "-have powers that needed time to learn, and I'd bet good money that didn't come to them in a day. With everyone here, we can make sure you can learn safely AND nobody gets hurt too badly! A-and even on the off chance someone does, I'll make sure they're right back on their feet in no time." Giving her another confident grin and trying not to 'aww' too loudly when she sees the way Weather Report's eating, Odette's gaze goes to the ceiling for a moment. "Heck, with those weather powers of yours, you might even be able to get all sorts of neat scoops from places nobody would expect someone to be in. Or..." She pauses, and then her eyes light up. "Oh! Have you thought about learning first aid? Then you could even be confident about knowing how to help anyone that is hurt, and you wouldn't have to feel so stressed about it if nobody else is around."
Madeleine Cadrasteia	"I feel sometimes like my heart's going to explode out of my chest and then I feel bad about how I feel and I start crying" Madeleine listens patiently to Weather Report's account of her own emotional state, but the 'feeling bad about feeling bad' part gets her attention some. "Somebody taught you to feel guilty for having emotions, is that right? You've been hurt for showing them, enough times that you keep yourself in line. Not a shock that this City does that to people, really." It's a bit of a jump - maybe Weather Report just wishes she felt better - but Madeleine thinks she's onto something. She leans in a little toward Weather Report. "Lemme tell ya something. When you say to yourself, 'oh, I shouldn't be like this, someone else will be upset by it', that's not you saying it. That's the somebody-else. If you don't let it even get to the point where someone else is mad at you for being you, if you stop yourself at the starting line, that somebody-else bastard wins by doing nothing." Maddie raises a finger to accentuate her point, voice turning a little stern. "That's no way to live. What helps me, is I ask myself 'would this make the people who hate me happy?' and then I do the opposite. It's a tough world and you gotta bite and claw back every last inch that they took from you. Including what they convinced you you don't deserve. Especially that, really."
Rita Ma	"Have you been doing okay? There's been a bit of... Er. Lots of stuff going on around here, actually, so I was getting little worried..." "Huh? Of course I've been okay." Rita looks befuddled at Odette; then a teeny bit defensive maybe. "I've been staying busy. In the City, even. With those circus guys and the vampire lady and all. Where have you been?" Any time she hears murmurings about 'Lilian declaring war' it perks her up. They're on the same page!! Rita seems quietly enriched by Weather Report enjoying the ice cream. She has this kind of reserved-concerned demeanor when someone else is in crisis, smoothly de-centering her own feelings, but the warmth still seeps through. She resists the urge to pat Weather on the back, narrowly. "Camo is the name of your octopus, right? That's really sweet. I have some pet fish at home, too, but I know octopuses are a lot smarter..." She reaches up towards the tank, in a moment where she feels like not many eyes are on her but Weather's, and peels a couple of tentacles off the disguise-wrapping of her hand to color them like an octopus's and "wave" at Camo before re-raveling. "I think Camo likes you a lot," says Rita confidently. She has absolutely no way of talking to regular animals, but, you know! "I'm nice to you because I like you, miss Weather Report. I like you because you're a good person with a very pretty heart. Are you... worried that the people here will stop liking you, if you're not more useful to them?" Maybe she's projecting a teeny bit, but it sounds familiar enough to make her stomach sink.
Angela	''vampire lady and all.'' "The Blood Red Night." Weather Report names her gloomily. "She's so scary..." So far, the Reverberation Ensemble isn't an enemy of Trídéag--indeed, relations may even be improving--but whatever the situation is going on there, it doesn't really feel formal. And also vampiric serial killers are scary no matter how allied they might be. You don't fire blood kamehameha waves out of your hands and keep a normal reputation score in The City. And Blood Fiends aren't taboo, but they're not exactly seen as model citizens either. Most see them as ticking time bombs who will eventually turn people into blood bags or, even at their kindest, steal family members away. Weather Report being a Distortion doesn't really change this feeling. She's never met them before, and the Blood Red Night isn't a good starting impression. The room gets notably chillier. The water in Weather Report's neck freezes into the world's tiniest skating ring. ''I used to worry too, when I got my powers as Ultraman...'' "You did?" Weather Report asks. "...To be honest, when I first got these 'powers'--well, it wasn't really the power that I was thinking about. Being able to not have to worry about what emotions to show anymore--I didn't really want to control them anymore, all my life I had to be performing--it was nice to be able to just ''be''. But then I ... I killed that pirate, I didn't mean to, but Matilda seemed so uneasy after and I can't blame her. I ''dont'' want to perform anymore, I just ... don't want to hurt people just by being open about me either." She considers Riku's other question. "Yeah. I don't know how to do that, but that's where I want to be. Do that make any sense?" ''Sometimes even just knowing how to run around--'' Weather Report laughs a little bit, brightening up, though the ice doesn't quite melt away just yet it is dripping a little. "Yeah I can always run around and be distracting..." She exhales. "But that's just it, I don't know how to ''be careful''." Odette IS right that a lot of the people here have powers they either don't have full control over or definitely had to work at in order to master. Riku even admitted it. At least some of her anxieties are being soothed, the weather is becoming a little more tempered, quieter. She thinks about first aid and admits, "I haven't--do you think that would help? I can't 'first aid' a vaporized guy." ''Somebody taught you to feel guilty for having emotions'' "Ahh...I don't know if it's ''someone'' really. It's just something I eventually learned to do. And then when I became like this, it felt like I didn't have to feel bad anymore. It was out of my hands. There to see, like the weather." If Weather Report was the sort of person who could swallow her emotions still, she wouldn't have Distorted in the first place. "You're sounding a little bit like the Voice there, Madeleine." She admits. "But I still don't want to physically hurt people, you know? Especially not accidentally. Even if they hate me, I'd rather it be because I chose to hurt them." ''Camo is the name of your octopus, right?'' "Mhm..." Weather Report bobs her head, which looks a little silly. "he's sooo smart." Weather Report agrees. Camo, naturally, curls another tentacle into the window like he's trying to pull Rita back into the aquarium where it's safe. But he doesn't seem exactly UNHAPPY. It's wiggling those tentacles around a lot and he's got his own kingdom! "Eheh... I'm glad. I love Camo soo much. He's such a cutie..." She's back to sunny, water dripping through her pajamas as the pond melts. "Yeah..." She admits. "I want to be useful. And helpful. And... I worry they won't like me. Especially if I hurt someone. Or... Or kill them."
Riku Asakura	Riku nods to Weather Report about not wanting to hurt people. It's true, not wanting to hurt people is a major motivator for him, too. "Well, maybe this is something we can work on together. Controlling your powers. It takes time to master your own abilities, even for people like me. So don't worry that you lose control sometimes, but rather make it a motivator to learn how to control it!" he says brightly. 'Do that make any sense?' Riku nods, "It does. Not knowing where you want to be is natural. Give it some time. Whatever you do, don't fret over it immediately, either. These things take time, ya know? We're your friends and we want to see you in a good place. In a place where you want to be and belong!" Riku listens to the other people's advice, nodding along with it and with Weather Report's response to them. 'I love Camo soo much. He's such a cutie...' "He seems like such a distinguished gentleman. He's a cute octopus!" Riku says with another bright smile. 'I want to be useful. And helpful. And... I worry they won't like me.' Riku feels this. This hits him right in the trouble, and he nods solemnly to Weather Report about this.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	"But I still don't want to physically hurt people, you know? Especially not accidentally. Even if they hate me, I'd rather it be because I chose to hurt them." "Yeah, that makes sense. Somebody else might say the answer is focus and discipline but I think that's a load of bunk. Controlling your emotions is like holding a wolverine under a tarp, there's only so long you can keep a grip on everything for. And even if you get all the corners down it'll chew out right through the middle. What you need, I think, is an outlet. If you use your powers more often, and express yourself more freely, you won't... hm." Madeleine takes a moment to find her words. "You won't zap anybody on reflex. It's like... I'm a huntress, right. It's in my blood and bones. If I didn't get to chase and kill something now and then I'd go stir crazy and pounce on the first person who looked at me funny, y'know? But I do, I meet that need when I can, so I won't snap and act on my impulses when I shouldn't." A shrug. "I dunno what'd do that for you, though. Maybe you could take over watering the garden from Knifty? She can still do the weeding and such, but you just give Trídéag some clean rain now and then. We can put up a lightning rod too, so you don't have to worry about electrocution."
Odette Raskins	"Of course I've been okay." "Where have you been?" "That's good. I-I mean, I know I probably don't need to worry, but... Um. Sorry." Odette replies to Rita with an awkward little chuckle, slumping just a smidge. "Aside from the City stuff with Commander Rook's declaration and-" She says, turning a bit more to Rita so she can silently mouth 'the Blade Lineage stuff' before speaking up normally again. "-I've been doing a lot of stuff outside the City, actually! There's the stuff in that old-Earth city that Miss Vertin and Miss Sonetto are involved with, a war against a whole bunch of dragons, lear-" Odette pauses, then hastily adds. "I haven't killed anyone or anything, though. I've just had to see it happen close up. Um." She clarifies, Oh! I'm trying to learn magic to be more of a help to everyone, too, and... I'm almost done with a a new certification!" "vampire lady and all" "The Blood Red Night." "That's right, she was there the other day." Odette chimes in, recaling the initially terrifying woman that turned out to give her quite a helpful reminder to deliberately work on not stuttering so damn much. "She's... Yes, she was pretty scary that first time around, but... She didn't seem so bad. Just kind of really intimidating." "I don't know how to ''be careful''." "do you think that would help?" "Not yet. That just means there's nowhere to go but up." Still chipper as ever, Odette nods quickly at Weather Report's question while sliding her medical case forward and giving it a quick pat. "Every second counts when someone's in danger, and sometimes there's a lot more than one someone, right? But there's only one me and one Miss Rita, so you knowing how to do first aid would be a huge help for sure. Plus..." Odette purses her lips. "With enough control over your powers, you might even be able to kickstart people's hearts without having to lug around a defibrillator, or get air back into their lungs without any risk of rib breaking. And if they're vaporized, I..." Another pause, and then she pops open her medical case to take out a roll of gauze. "I don't think I'd be able to help with that, either."
Rita Ma	"Camo is a distinguished gentleman. I think he's worried that we aren't getting enough water out here," Rita concurs with Riku, while venturing to give Weather Report a little pat on the back. She nods solemnly at Odette's silent mouthing- "Magic? I... didn't think you were from that kind of world, Odette. Congratulations," she says, with a little tilt of her head towards Weather for 'but let's not make her feel more insecure please?', and then gives a wary 'careful what you're saying' kind of glance to Madeleine too. "I just don't think Weather Report is much like you as a person, Ms. Madeleine," Rita says. She offers Weather her hand to hold, or a different snack; whichever seems to appeal more. "I don't think this is 'feelings acting up because powers'. This seems like 'powers acting up because feelings'. Ms. Rook declaring war on the Head is scary. Not being sure if you're good enough to be with your friends is scary. Even if she is amazing, of course miss Weather Report's heart would be hurting over those things, right?" Rita's lips squiggle, then. Truth be told, she was never good at conquering the 'feeling useless' bug, either. But . . . "You know, miss Weather, I didn't ask you to come here because I thought you'd zap bad guys with lightning. I asked you to come here because... me and Ms. Rook both believed in Carmen and her dream a lot. 'The Voice'. But, a lot of people Carmen trusts with these powers, don't act in ways that fit her dream. I wanted you here because... most of all, you prove that her dream led to good things. You're proof we can make the City better." "I don't think you'll kill anybody on accident. Carmen's dream is beautiful, and your heart is beautiful, so that won't make anything ugly. Anything else... well, it's really nice just to see you sunny, and real friends don't leave just because you're rainy for a while." Her smile is a bit wobbly. Maybe she's convincing herself too.
Angela	''She didn't seem so bad. Just kind of really intimidating.'' Weather Report can't really give someone a 'weird look' but she does say, "Um. Well, she's pretty famous. For killing a lot of people." awkwardly. Of course this IS the City so 'killing a lot of people' is maybe a bit more forgivable? Weather Report is a former Nest girl though, mass murders tend to be more a Backstreets problem. The reputation of the Nests as a safe haven are an important part of The City's ecosystem. That's why they're called ''Nests''. Of course, Weather Report knows the truth that the Nests have plenty of problems too, but mass death is still a little queasy for her tummy. ''He seems like such a distinguished gentleman. He's a cute octopus!'' "And he's royalty, but he's a good king." He gives a nod to Camo who waggles tentacles regally. It may be a bit of an easy way to improve Weather Report's mood--but it's working! ''Controlling your emotions is like holding a wolverine under a tarp.'' "And boy, do I've got the scratches to prove it." Weather Report quips, back to being a bit cloudy, though it's only half obscuring the sun. She considers whether or not the question is to be somehow even MORE emotionally honest than she already is. It is, actually, a little hard to iamgine. She's unable to NOT be open with her emotions. But it does seem like a good idea to try to think about this productively rather than to keep spiraling. ''With enough control over your powers, you might be able to kickstart people's hearts.'' "W--woah really?" Weather Report's head is now just flashes of lightning, no rain. "I never thought about that. I think I'd be too scared to try ''that''--I mean, how would I even practice? Messing it up even a little would probably--" She shudders, becoming light snowing. She DOES like the idea of being able to heal people but--"Maybe for now I can do first aid normally..." It is a sort of high-pressure job, though, as Odette knows. Who knows what objects are inside other objects in this crazy crazy world. But so far they haven't really hit the center of all this. Which is that rebelling against the hegemon is SCARY. "Yes, yes...!" Weather Report agrees. "It's so scary! And it's a little exciting too, to even imagine being part of something like that. And ... it's a lot, you know? That's why my emotions are all over the place." Okay being called amazing by someone like Rita is going to heat things up a bit. It's starting to get uncomfortably hot as her head turns into a sun with a thermometer next to it, the meter rising with every passing moment! She places her hands on her cheeks bashfully. "Ahhff....Rita...you're so sweet I feel like I'm gonna melt..." ''You're proof we can make the City better.'' Carmen is mostly just a Voice Weather Report felt in her heart that convinced her to change as a person. She hasn't heard her since and so in many ways, she's still more a stranger to Weather Report than even Rita. She looks to Rita as she speaks of Carmen's dream and ... how it's definitely had some consequences that aren't entirely cute. "Really...? You think so?" Maybe if she can be convinced she won't hurt anybody on accident again that's enough. The heat dies down a little as she transitions back down to a light misty sprinkle. The sort of rain it's not even uncomfortable to stand out in. "That's...really kind of you to say, Rita. If my being here helps you believe a little easier, t--then I'm glad I'm here." She sniffs. "I'm still scared... but maybe I can try believing in that dream too instead of just ... being a beneficiary of it, you know?" The general effect of her 'weather' seems to be dying down some--reverting to being more localized to her rather than hitting the whole room.
Riku Asakura	'And he's royalty, but he's a good king.' "Wow, a king! That's amazing. I can't believe I'm meeting octopus royalty in person!" Riku says this so honestly and with a bright smile. He looks towards Camo and his tentacle wiggling and gives him a wave. Good Octopus! He looks towards Madeleine and her suggestion and considers it for a period of time. He doesn't think that's such a good idea, because it isn't about Weather Report's use or non use of powers but their mood. However, Rita seems to get the nail on the head. "It's true, doing what Lilian wants is going to be a little scary, but I think it's going to be a good change for the city. This place has... problems, I think. If you look at the difference between the Nests and the Backstreets, you can easily see it." "Don't worry, though, we're all in this together! Rita's right too, you are a good person and proof that the City can change..." he pauses, and looks at Rita. "Voice? Carmen? I don't think I heard about this..." he asks.
Rita Ma	"Voice? Carmen? I don't think I heard about this..." "That's... the project of Lobotomy Corporation, that some people were trying to stop," Rita explains with a little difficulty. She doesn't want to announce to anyone who wasn't there that Riku was fighting against Carmen's dream-- he's seemed at least a little guilty. "Ms. Carmen had a dream that all the 'Light' they were gathering could be used to... create a new and happier humanity, that could be above the pains of the City. But because of some things that happened, it didn't happen for everyone, or completely, or all at once." She's very focused on her own hands in her lap, now, thumbs squirming against each other. "... It could still come true, though. It might just take a little longer. I can't say if the 'Distortions' are because Carmen's new humanity didn't work out, or because it did. But for you... for you, I think it was perfect. I think that 'Voice' would be really proud of you, miss Weather Report." Rita reaches way up to pat-pat the thermometer-head on the top, and beams sunnily. "Thank you for being here with us. I mean it. I think... Ms. Rook needed to find someone like you."
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine hmphsat having her methods discouraged, but only a little bit. She knows Rita's right, that Weather Report isn't in the same shoes as herself. "It's so scary! And it's a little exciting too, to even imagine being part of something like that. And ... it's a lot, you know? That's why my emotions are all over the place." Maddie pokes a finger into her cheek, thinking the situation over. Her mind turns to Elibe, and Lilian's dogged commitment to victory there as well. "The Director talks about this Association like... another thing she's involved in, that she's really committed to. She means business here. For some of us-" she indicates herself "-that means keeping us in line, but for you locals it also means making sure you'll be up to the task. If there's something you need from her to do your job better, I'd be surprised if you can't get it. As long as you know what it is you need." Madeleine elects not to ponder if her view of the Dame Commander has in fact changed substantially since the founding of Trídéag and their close-proximity work in Elibe.
Odette Raskins	"I... didn't think you were from that kind of world, Odette." "Right? I didn't think I was, either." Odette admits to Rita with a bashful chuckle. "Although it's still kind of a work in progress..." She adds more quietly, clamming up briefly as Rita continues with those little gestures at Weather and Madeleine. That gets some quick nods from Odette, and some pursed lips to really seal that in. "For killing a lot of people." "R... Right! Oh. Um. True. Almost forgot about that." Odette nods slowly at Weather Report's reminder there, tapping her hand against her chin again while trying to figure out why she was so quick to let that factoid go. Then again, it's not like plenty of her friends in and out of the Watch have clean hands, and she can't even be all that confident about her own considering what she's been involved in already. "W--woah really?" "I mean, how would I even practice?" "Really! I mean, it should work in theory, but it's something we'd definitely need to do some super extensive testing with first." Odette clarifies, still sounding and feeling more at ease with Weather Report expressing concerns about that suggestion. "Learning to control your powers, learning first aid, fine-tuning how much you can put out... Good thiking, though. It's all stuff we'd have to take one step at a time, but I think it'd really help a lot of people. They'd get more comfortable seeing you around instead of being worried, you'd know how to handle things even without having to use your powers for all of it, and having more control over those powers would make people feel even safer on top of that." She starts twirling her fingers in the air rhythmically. "It'd be like one of those self-sustaining power loops, you know? Or one of those old-world race tracks that loop the drivers up and around with just a little motor and gravity alone." "it's a lot, you know? " "It is! The excitement, the fear, all of that's normal with big stuff like this. Small things, too, but especially big things like this." Looking up at Weather Report's sun-shaped head, Odette glances from her to Rita and back again a few times, then turns away briefly to (badly) hide a few giggles. "She really is... Ah, sorry, sorry." Clearing her throat, Odette listens closely to Rita speaking of Carmen's dream. Lacking some of the context behind needed to connect that somewhere else, she can only nod along with Riku while assuming the best for the time being. "That dream... Even if working at that's going to be tough and long and kind of scary sometimes, it sounds like something that'd really be worth working towards, all together."
Angela	It actually is pretty dang hot to the touch, but so long as Rita doesn't just leave her hand there it's probably fine. Fortunately, it is not Actually Sun Hot but Weather Report wanted to be emotionally honest, she didn't want her emotional honesty to melt people--so her Distortion isn't quiet so dangerous as others might be. ''Almost forgot about that.'' Weather Report used to watch soap operas. She knows the appeal of a dangerous woman who can be such a BEAST but can be soft too-- --but she does keep that in the realm of safe fantasy. Some of those books ARE romance novels. Riku seems like a sweetheart. Camo plants another tentacle against the aquarium glass. You've been knighted, Sir Geed. ''It's going to be a good change for the city.'' "Oh I'm sure it would be." Weather Report admits, but that doesn't mean she's ready to be a foot soldier for the cause. "And even the Nests have their problems. It's safer, but it's really a sort of--'hey at least you don't have it as bad as those Backstreeters, or god forbid, those stuck in the Outskirts'." She is a little slow to come up with a way to explain The Voice so Rita gets to it first. Most of this is actually news to Weather Report too. To think that someone like Lilian Rook might need her... Gosh, she thinks, she can't let her down. That'd crush her heart. Be brave, Weather Report, you can be terrified and brave at the same time. It's just hard. But that doesn't mean she can't share what it's like to hear the Voice. "Miss Carmen... The Voice ... She was really sweet. It's like she knew all the things I didn't like about myself and said 'hey, that's okay. These things you think about yourself, they're true to you. But you're still worthy of being loved, you're still beautiful and the world should see it--rather than to keep it locked away." She exhales, blushing sunnily. "But it's not just that she's saying it. Lots of people say stuff like that, but when you hear it from her you just KNOW it's real. It's something she actually believes. It's something she ''knows''. And you can know it too. I'm... Maybe there's people out there who are ... well a bit like the Blood Red Night, but maybe Miss Carmen can't make exceptions. Because once she makes exceptions, she can't be there as much as she needs to for anybody. We'd be able to sense the exceptions. That there could be." Weather Report shakes her head quickly, "Um!! But I don't know her. So I'm guessing! I kind of wonder what she's thinking myself sometimes." She looks to Madeleine, laughing sympathetically at her frustration. She's been there. She's not unsympathetic, you know? But it's also not as if Madeleine hasn't also helped in her own way. She doesn't need to be perfectly correct--she's here, after all. "Yeah, she'll probably be the first to tell me if I'm messing up bad. I don't really ever want to, but -- well, I guess it's nice knowing she'll keep me on my toes too." She looks back to Rita. "I'll ... try to--keep being someone that gives her hope. I think that's something I can do." And maybe learning first aid isn't a bad idea. Maybe --- maybe not so quickly with the lightning though. "I guess I won't really know until an emergency happens." Weather Report admits to Odette. "But maybe we can do some of that testing so when something does happen, an accident is way less likely?" She can't really rein in her emotions anymore, she just can't do it, but it's also emotionally true she doesn't want to vaporize a friend or loved one. "Thanks. I think I'll be okay now. Yeah." She bobs her head. "I'm really lucky that you're all ... so willing to check up on me."