2026-06-27: Enter: the K-Series
- Log: Enter: the K-Series
- Cast: Tyrrha Ijuuin, Reiya Aomori, Aigis, Grumpy Garuda Grandpa
- Where: Yumezaki Ward Rooftops
- OOC Date: 2026-06-27
- IC Date: Tue Nov 27 2012 (Backscened)
- Summary: Tyrrha was tasked to follow the people who were chasing Makimura... but Aigis and Reiya interrupt her, and she gets to have a FIGHT, instead! Best day EVER! What? Aigis is upset, and Reiya's concerned? Don't worry about that, there are MORE ROBOTS OUT THERE! Wow!
- Content warning: Disturbing questions from the robot who never loaded morality.bat
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
There's a humanoid figure in a dark cloak -- not unlike Little Red Ridings' Hood, though the colour is pitch black -- shadowing her face so only two red rings of her eyes can be seen. Her black skirts, beneath the cloak, suggest she's still a she under there... though her feet end in sharp claws, so is it really a human...?
"All right," she whispers, to something beneath her cloak. "We just follow these guys, right, Wels?"
"Ruh," whatever's in there replies.
"Mama's reports were sayin' how two of those girls were Navigators... shhhh!"
"Rrrrsh," the mystery confirms.
They're still in the city limits of Sumaru, for now, as that strange girl lurks on the rooftop looking down into the alleyway. That matters more than it might seem -- because on these strange rooftops where the Garuda nest, the power of the green moon is open to them.
And SEES's team is bigger than four people...
GAME: Yua Ijuuin has assumed form 2, Tyrrha's Summoned Guardian!!
AS: Yua Ijuuin has readied for combat as Tyrrha's Summoned Guardian!! She is now fully healed! Ready for 2 opponents!
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
While Aigis is no Navigator herself, she is playing the role of reconnaissance scout: not a part of the main investigative force, but keeping an eye out for them from a distance. Her scanners can pick up subtle sounds and movement, her firearms allow her to attack from range if needed, and if one doesn't look too closely, she otherwise looks like a regular teenage girl.
She isn't alone. Another member of SEES stalks the night with her -- someone arguably lighter on his feet than she is. 'Two in harmony,' as they say.
Chatter in the rooftops draws her attention, though she can't discern exactly what's being said at this distance. She cranes her head up, expecting the sight of more Demons (the other kind of supernatural creature that she has far less experience with), and sees ... a figure she still can't quite make out. This bears investigating.
Letting her own presence be known and surprising their pursuers may cause them to run away, she figures. This is an acceptable outcome. With a gout of flame from her jets, Aigis ascends from the streets to the roof and lands with a thud nearby this strange cloaked girl.
Aigis levels her hand towards her and states in her usual polite pre-canned manner of speaking, "Stop. Please state the purpose of your presence in this area."
AS: Aigis has readied for combat as Palladion! She is now fully healed!
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Reiya Aomori is not being much help with the scammer directly;; instead, he's with Aigis keeping an eye on who's keeping an eye on them, and his role as scout is ideal for his talents. The night sees Reiya in SEES attire, complete with the braces of throwing needles he carries for the purposes of combat against Shadows. When they notice a figure they can't figure out...
Reiya nods to Aigis, and goes around the other side. By the time Aigis ascends--
Reiya is at the back of the building, hopping one-two-three-four up the wall to make his way onto the rooftop some distance away.
"And the nature of your search."
GAME: Reiya Aomori has assumed form 1, Kunimitsu!
AS: Reiya Aomori has readied for combat as Kunimitsu! He is now fully healed!
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"WAAAAIIII---!"
It's fortunate that Makimura, down below, has pulled yet another dirty trick to pull the main investigation away, when that black hooded figure claps her hands together -- with the dull, sonorous tone of clapped heavy metal -- and lets out such an excited exclamation. "You're no K-Series, are you?! Yeah, no way! No way! What's your deal, what's your deal, what's YOUR deal--?!"
And then -- at the back! --
"Aaahhh, you brought a buddy, too!" The voice squeals, joyfully, as she hops back to see the shadowy Reiya emerge just the same. "This is SO great! They said it was a milk run, but we get to fight! We get to fight, we get to fight!!!"
"Damn kids," Garuda mutters, as he peeks out and folds his face back under his wing. Hopefully, that means the demons won't get involved, but...
But there's a flash of a lighter-coloured purse, beneath that black cloak, as the girl tosses a hand out -- reaching in to pull out --
-- a robotic toy?!
It looks like one of those robotic dinosaur toys that were all the rage a few years ago, certainly. But look a little closer, and it's a little harder to tell; the tail is armoured and curled like a pangolin, and there's a ruff of feathers which almost looks leonine around its neck. It's about as big as a a large chicken... but its jaws unhinge to flash teeth, as it roars, "rah!"
OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z77H_WVAzPE Halsey - Girl is a Gun
"All right! Let's have some fun! Initialising summoning subroutine..."
There is the sound of gears grinding --
-- as deep to the steel, runes flare over a dialect tag buried in her chassis --
-- and something emerges, behind her.
It is bestial, lion-like for the teal fur sticking out from its armour, but steel plating over its face and paws and body obscure its exact identity. The kanji emblazoned over the place where its eyes should be name it 'GUARDIAN'; its teeth, beneath the mask, are strangely human-like, in a wide and horrible grin.
That Guardian beast first slashes its claws at Reiya and Aigis -- and then turns back, to offer its summoner its dispossessed protection, before it fades within her again.
For someone like Aigis... it might be a touch nostalgic.
Was that really a Persona...?
AS: Persona! Yua Ijuuin has used the Slash skill Gale Slash on Reiya Aomori and Aigis!
| Defense: Yua Ijuuin gains 1 Limit!
AS: >>> You still have 1 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Block Worst! Aigis takes 62 Slash damage from Yua Ijuuin's Gale Slash.
AS: Persona! Yua Ijuuin has used the Recovery skill Marakukaja on Yua Ijuuin!
AS: Yua Ijuuin's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Yua Ijuuin takes 0 Recovery healing from Yua Ijuuin's Marakukaja.
| Def_Up (Block Improved!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Reiya Aomori takes 31 Slash damage from Yua Ijuuin's Gale Slash.
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
"K-Series?" Aigis repeats, oblivious to its meaning. She shakes her head and starts her attempt at further diplomacy. "There is no need for us to fight if you will not interfere with -- "
'Initialising summoning routine.' Diplomacy, it seems, has failed. The Guardian beast looms ominously. A sense of familiarity washes over Aigis, disconnected from any concrete sense of recollection -- so overwhelming is the feeling that she's startled and fails to properly defend herself from the slash. "What ... what is this?!"
Is she of Kirijo design? They would have briefed her on this, right? A rogue unit? Built from a leaked schematic? Is that mechanized lion even a Persona ..? She glances over at Reiya with an uncharacteristic intensely worried look. Her already-fragile understanding of the world has been upended in moments. There's so much she wants to ask, but too much at risk to discuss openly -- not here, not now.
All she can do is trust in her ally and fend off this attack for now. "Last warning. Persona, actualize!" As her own mechanisms whir and light up with that telltale blue, she spreads her hands to her sides and briefly hovers in the air. Palladion appears, landing on the ground with a 'thud' befitting its size, and provides its divine aid to both Aigis and Reiya in twin red and blue pulses: the blessings of spear and shield.
AS: Persona! Aigis has used the Recovery skill Spear and Shield on Aigis and Reiya Aomori!
| Pressure: Aigis gains 1 Limit!
AS: Aigis's turn has ended.
| Aigis regains 3 SP from Invigorate!
AS: Take! Aigis takes 0 Recovery healing from Aigis's Spear and Shield.
| Atk_Up (Damage Up!) and Def_Up (Block Improved!) added!
AS: Take! Reiya Aomori takes 0 Recovery healing from Aigis's Spear and Shield.
| Atk_Up (Damage Up!) and Def_Up (Block Improved!) added!
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
What's her deal? K-Series?
And teeth.
Reiya leaps out of the way of the slashes, hands out to catch himself and drop into a roll when he hits the rooftop again. There, he has an instant to wonder at the strange plating over the Persona.
There might've been no need to fight, but there was a desire to fight. Reiya notices Aigis's trouble--"Aigis-san! Are you all right?"
Gears grinding--steel, runes--
"You..." A rogue unit. Aigis is worried, and Reiya looks back at her--and then nods sharply. They can wonder later.
Spear and shield support him, and Reiya kips up to his feet. "If that is your wish, then we will do battle. But I expect answers still."
"PERSONA!"
With Palladion's power behind him, Reiya calls forth Kunimitsu, and the ninja waves forth his hand--and waves erupt out of nothing, watery forcews assaulting Tyrrha!
"Who do you work for?"
AS: Persona! Reiya Aomori has used the Water skill Aqua on Yua Ijuuin!
| Ruin: Reiya Aomori gains 1 Limit!
AS: Reiya Aomori's turn has ended.
| Reiya Aomori regains 3 SP from Invigorate!
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"No need? C'moooon!" The girl whines, clearly put out. "Don't say that! Let's have some fun!"
And yes, it's agonisingly similar; this girl is absolutely not flesh and blood. What can be seen of her chassis, beneath her hood, resembles Aigis's own body in some ways -- though rather than Aigis's hooves, this girl has claws.
At the same time, there's one key difference which can be seen, between the mechanical aegis that Aigis summons to protect herself and Reiya and the plated beast which protects this mysterious girl.
One of them is made of iron, but...
... the other seems as if it's organic, beneath that steel armour.
"Wow, and you're actualised! That's so cool! The boss says I'll figure it out if I stick with mama -- but hey, now we're together, I'm stabilised! More'n I can say for the first five!" Are those the answers Reiya was asking for? Certainly, there's one more: the alacrity with which she leaps away from Kunimitsu's waters. She lands atop an air conditioning unit, and kicks off of it, flipping back to the rooftop. "I love water," she claps her hands together, wriggling. "It's so nostalgic! Gimme that sea breeze, baby! Okay, buddy -- initialise that attack script!"
"Rah!" Welwetes wags his tail, as he springs forward, leaping upon Reiya -- or perhaps Kunimitsu -- to tear and claw with the hindclaws of a raptor and the foreclaws of a pangolin.
She's telling that thing to attack for her...?
"Come on out," she urges her -- it must be a Persona -- again, as that beast choked by steel rises to stir rage in Aigis's heart.
"Well, I used to work for the boss, but I guess it's my mamas, now -- oh, right!" The girl snaps her fingers. "I remember...! That's a secret. Right, right, I can't tell you! Oooh, but you know what?! I got a super cool code name for when I'm doing secret stuff! You wanna hear that? It's 'Scion'! Uh, I guess that means I'm 'Scion'? It's funny, 'cuz it sounds kinda like Shisix, but then they said it was -- HEYYYY! Hey, I just said that was secret, no fair tricking me!"
No one said anything...
AS: Weapon! Yua Ijuuin has used the Slash skill Claw Order on Reiya Aomori! 2 Hits!
| Defense: Yua Ijuuin gains 1 Limit!
AS: >>> You still have 1 regular actions and 0 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Persona! Yua Ijuuin has used the Almighty skill Balzac on Aigis!
AS: Yua Ijuuin's turn has ended.
AS: Take! Aigis takes 0 Almighty damage from Yua Ijuuin's Balzac.
| Rage (Weapon Attack and Incoming Damage Up!) added!
AS: Avoid Best! Reiya Aomori takes 9 Slash damage from Yua Ijuuin's Claw Order. Critical Hit!
AS: Block Neutral! Reiya Aomori takes 7 Slash damage from Yua Ijuuin's Claw Order.
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Curtly, Aigis replies: "So be it." The clicking and clacking of her armaments loading ring out over the alleyways. As coldly and mechanically as ever, as if by rote, Aigis points her hand at the girl, taking aim for her next carefully-calculated maneuver ...
...
No, the true nature of this wavering feeling in her core -- in her heart --
For all the time that Aigis has been aware, her existence has been defined by her isolation. She is machinery bestowed with a mind, sand and stone that humanity taught to think and feel. There are no others truly like her. She has no siblings -- none left on this earth, at least. None that she had ever known and, as far as she can tell, will never know.
She was intended to be a synthetic human, a proxy to fight in their stead. Even if there will always be that gulf of understanding between herself and her peers, even those in SEES, she will always closely cherish the bonds she has managed to form in the last few months. It's the best chance she'll ever have to cross that gap ...
Or so she had thought.
The steel beast rises again. While her opponent's body may not be flesh and blood, her Persona is. Whatever this beast is, it seems closer to achieving her wish than Palladion is. Why does her chest hurt? It feels like it's burning.
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3OiuIDwXtg The Megas - History Repeating: Red - I'm Not the Breakman)
So much for 'carefully-calculated'.
With an inhuman fury in her eyes, Aigis rushes the girl at full speed, fingers-first. Simultaneously, Palladion swivels its giant drill-bit of a laser cannon to track the girl's movements. While Aigis provides what she intends to be point-blank gunfire, Palladion launches its volley from afar, both of them acting without regard for Aigis's sense of self-preservation.
AS: Tandem! Aigis has used the Pierce skill Dual Thrust on Yua Ijuuin! 2 Hits!
| Pressure: Aigis gains 1 Limit!
AS: Aigis's turn has ended.
| Aigis: Rage removed!
| Aigis regains 3 SP from Invigorate!
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
'Mama', Tyrrha says. And there are others. Reiya narrows his eyes. She notices that speed, and considers for a moment. "The water's nice," he agrees dryly.
But Welwetes springs forth, and Reiya dodges the first claw, whirling around to block the second with his sai. "The little one is more dangerous than it looks," Reiya says.
Rage... From there, Reiya llistens to the new intel. The fact that Tyrrha is bad at opsec is very good for him, but she's not so bad at it that he gets confirmation at what he really wanted. instead--"Well, Scion," he says, "Why are you following members of SEES?"
Reiya can guess at some of Aigis's feelings--but he doens't have to guess at her rage. "Aigis-san!" Reiya says sharply, but perhaps she can control herself in a moment after all. He sees trouble brewing--and then steps back, out of the immediate melee, as he calmly decides on a choice of action. "Kunimitsu," he says. "It's time."
"Ancient sealing art--" Reiya stows his sai to make intricate gestures with his fingers, as Kunimitsu copies the same--and then throws out his hand. "Punishment! Suiton!"
It's more Water, despite the fact that Reiya knows that may neo tbe the best tactical decision...
Except that the deluge that sprays up from above leaves behind it constricting bonds of cognitive essence, charged with power that will detonate on any attack.
AS: Persona! Reiya Aomori has used the Water skill Punishment Seal - Suiton on Yua Ijuuin!
| Ruin: Reiya Aomori gains 1 Limit!
AS: Reiya Aomori's turn has ended.
| Reiya Aomori regains 3 SP from Invigorate!
AS: Block Neutral! Yua Ijuuin takes 90 Pierce damage from Aigis's Dual Thrust. Critical Hit!
AS: Block Worst! Yua Ijuuin takes 130 Pierce damage from Aigis's Dual Thrust. Critical Hit!
AS: Avoid Worst! Yua Ijuuin takes 208 Water damage from Reiya Aomori's Punishment Seal - Suiton. Critical Hit!
| Bomb (Attacker takes damage on damaging attacks!) added!
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Whoaaa! Yeah, just like that! Like that, like that, like that--!!"
That's how Scion greets Aigis, as she jets in, squaring up to meet her. The anger in her eyes might be inhuman, but those shadowed red rings of Scion's eyes seem to recognise it intuitively.
So excited is she to receive Aigis's rage, she embraces them, even as Aigis remembers every vulnerable corner of her chassis, every impurity revised out, version one two three four five six seven eight...
She goes sailing back, and as she hits the ground, Kunimitsu's sealing arte -- no, wait, it's an art -- crashes up to lift her again, leaving her crouched with those spectral bindings around her limbs.
"Yes!" Her good-natured tone hasn't changed, though, even with such a savage beating. "That's it! There must be a reason! We weren't made just 'because'! Hey, hey, how is it you can attack me like that? With your own hands! I want to try! I want to try, even though they told me not to--!"
She straightens up, that black cloak fluttering around her, as her hands flex into fists. "Oh, right," she realises, as she takes a moment to self-assess. "I took a lot of damage from that, huh? Right, right, then I'd better...! Come out, come out, wherever you aaaare...!"
The Guardian rises, behind her, again, as a shimmering paling forms around Scion -- before it springs forward to slash its claws at Reiya again, as behind it, those gears grind inside the K-Series chassis.
"I've shifted my subroutines to favour defence! And thanks to 'that power,' physical attacks are an even worse idea right now!" She warns, as her stance lowers. "But they're gonna work for me! If I'm runnin' the subroutine, it's fine, right? All right! Releasing cognitive limiters alpha, beta, gamma! Realigning!" As those fists flex out, claws erupt from the ends of her fingers, too --
(-- as Welwetes chirps, "rrrrrrr...", the cameras which are his eyes whirring as they constrict and focus on her --)
-- and Scion leaps upon Aigis with primal ferocity, assaulting her with those claws, kicking and punching and ripping and tearing, and the only thing holding her back might just be that defensive focus she's invoked.
AS: Yua Ijuuin spends Limit on Exploit! Yua Ijuuin can use another Weak skill this round!
AS: Persona! Yua Ijuuin has used the Recovery skill Line Guard on Yua Ijuuin!
| Defense: Yua Ijuuin gains 1 Limit!
AS: >>> You still have 1 regular actions and 1 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Take! Yua Ijuuin takes 0 Recovery healing from Yua Ijuuin's Line Guard.
| Phys_Safety applied!
AS: Weapon! Yua Ijuuin has used the Strike skill Ferocity on Aigis! 3 Hits!
| Yua Ijuuin takes 135 damage from Bomb and Stress!
AS: >>> You still have 0 regular actions and 1 bonus Weak actions!
AS: Block Best! Aigis takes 10 Strike damage from Yua Ijuuin's Ferocity. Critical Hit!
AS: Block Worst! Aigis takes 39 Strike damage from Yua Ijuuin's Ferocity.
AS: Block Neutral! Aigis takes 17 Strike damage from Yua Ijuuin's Ferocity.
AS: Persona! Yua Ijuuin has used the Slash skill Feral Claw on Reiya Aomori!
AS: Yua Ijuuin's turn has ended.
| Yua Ijuuin: Paralyze removed!
| Yua Ijuuin's Phys_Safety tactic expires on Yua Ijuuin!
AS: Yua Ijuuin spends Limit on Aegis!
AS: Block Best! Reiya Aomori takes 12 Slash damage from Yua Ijuuin's Feral Claw.
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Reiya's shout helps start the process to getting Aigis back to her senses, and her self-repair functionality soon takes notice of the ailment clouding her judgment. She reaches a new conclusion: hurting her won't accomplish anything in service of her yearning. "My thanks," she says to her ally. The 'Aomori-san' is left unstated.
It only just now dawns on her that neither Reiya nor herself had tricked their adversary. "... But we didn't say anything," she comments matter-of-factly.
Aigis stands upright, towering over the crouched girl as the latter questions their 'reason'. There's no doubt in her own mind: "My purpose has always been clear to me. My mission parameters are laid out for me in exacting detail."
To eliminate Shadows. That's the bedrock foundation underneath all of Aigis's decision-making. SEES also exists to eliminate Shadows. Therefore, if SEES is endangered, she must protect them.
She turns her head aside to peer down at their opponent with one eye. "If we are truly at odds, if your purpose does not align with mine, then I do not know what you mean by 'we.' I have my reason."
Reiya's on the interrogation. Good. He's better at that than she is.
It's her turn to be on the back foot now, as the paling rises in tandem with her ferocious assault. She holds her arms up defensively, and with each strike, tears form in the outer aramid layer surrounding the titanium in her arms, her stubby feet skid further backwards against the rooftop pavement. She must remain aware of her positioning, lest she follow some falling gravel down to the streets below.
Aigis determines that she needs to get out of this predicament and buy time. First, she employs a diversionary tactic and drops an armed grenade roughly a meter behind her, approximately timed to detonate after they both step over it. After that, Palladion points its extruded cannon at the girl, but does not fire -- no, instead, a red laser merely highlights and paints a series of red dots outlining the girl's spots most vulnerable to firearms.
Even so, Aigis is a good sport about it, and tries to helpfully suggest, "Perhaps you should not explain your tactics as you fight ..."
AS: Aigis spends Limit on Exploit! Aigis can use another Weak skill this round!
AS: Persona! Aigis has used the Almighty skill Pierce Break on Yua Ijuuin!
| Pressure: Aigis gains 1 Limit!
AS: Item! Aigis has used the Fire skill Grenade on Yua Ijuuin!
AS: Aigis's turn has ended.
| Aigis regains 3 SP from Invigorate!
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Scion seems happy about it. Therew's that. Reiya doesn't elaborate on his art--instead he looks to Aigis a moment, and back to Scion. She's fighting tactically...
But Aigis is able to control herself, at least. "Of course," Reiya says. And the matter of their reason--their purpose...
"Most beings must live without dedicated purpose," Reiya says to Scion. "It is not unusual."
Claws erupt to hit Reiya again--but his Persona is particularly adept against Slashing attacks, and while Reiya cannot yet counterattack, thanks to Aigis's power his sai block quite effectively.
Reiya is sure to avoid Aigis's grenade--instead, he spots that red laser... "On it," he says, and pulls three throwing needles. He thrusts them through the air at joints, at those points where the red dots cluster.
Then he calls forth Kunimitsu again--but he frowns. "I can't use a spell without hitting Aigis-san..." So he won't. Instead, he says, "With me!" Drawing out his sai, Reiya lunges, and Kunimitsu drapes a curse over the boy's weapons.
"Hah--!"
Reiya jabs his sai for Scion's back. "It is not over!"
AS: Reiya Aomori spends Limit on Exploit! Reiya Aomori can use another Weak skill this round!
AS: Reiya Aomori spends Limit on Life Mend! +440 HP to Aigis!
AS: Weapon! Reiya Aomori has used the Pierce skill Rapid Throw on Yua Ijuuin! 3 Hits!
AS: Tandem! Reiya Aomori has used the Dark skill Grim Chakra on Yua Ijuuin! 2 Hits!
| Ruin: Reiya Aomori gains 1 Limit!
AS: Reiya Aomori's turn has ended.
| Reiya Aomori: Atk_Up and Def_Up removed!
| Reiya Aomori regains 3 SP from Invigorate!
AS: Avoid Best! Yua Ijuuin takes 0 Almighty damage from Aigis's Pierce Break.
| Pierce_Break (Pierce Affinity Down!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Yua Ijuuin takes 75 Fire damage from Aigis's Grenade. Critical Hit! Weak!
AS: Block Best! Yua Ijuuin takes 8 Pierce damage from Reiya Aomori's Rapid Throw. Critical Hit! Safety! Physical damage reduced!
AS: Block Worst! Yua Ijuuin takes 14 Pierce damage from Reiya Aomori's Rapid Throw. Safety! Physical damage reduced!
AS: Block Worst! Yua Ijuuin takes 20 Pierce damage from Reiya Aomori's Rapid Throw. Critical Hit! Safety! Physical damage reduced!
AS: Avoid Worst! Yua Ijuuin takes 41 Dark damage from Reiya Aomori's Grim Chakra. Safety! Physical damage reduced!
| Exhaust (Damage when using WeaponTandem!) added!
AS: Avoid Neutral! Yua Ijuuin takes 13 Dark damage from Reiya Aomori's Grim Chakra. Critical Hit! Safety! Physical damage reduced!
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Huh?" Scion asks, as Aigis insists they didn't trick her. "You didn't? Whoa! You didn't!" She exclaims, a hand flying to her chest, cloak fluttering. "That must mean... you've got mind tricks! Like the Yedi! Or War as Art! Man, both my mamas got real different tastes..."
She tilts her head, as Aigis insists she sees clearly. "Wow, for real? Luck-yyyy! I don't remember nothin'! Mister Orange Mane just said I oughta figure it out!" Reiya points out that most beings don't have purpose, though, and Scion's head tilts the other way. "So why'd they make you?" She asks, quite innocently. "Suuuper weird to just make someone aimlessly." She must have mistaken humans as like robots...
"Wellll, we did kinda steal your kill riiiight out from under you that one time, sooooo... I guess we're enemies, yeah!" Scion chirps, cheerfully, when Aigis asks about her purpose. "Man, but mama kept me on Shadow clearin' duty while we were grabbin' that Shadow... I wanted to fight the big guy! Hey, hey, when you were fighting those humans it gathered up, were they any stronger than normal, or did they all just kinda go squish? I really wanted to know if they were stronger or still squishy...!"
And then -- A DISTRACTION!
Scion scrambles out of the way of that grenade, only for its flames to wash over her anyway. "Oh, WOW," she yelps, as she rolls flat on the roof to put herself out, "I hated that! That's soooo cool... it's like gettin' reminded of every time I ever failed an' let people get hurt! But don't worry 'bout tellin' you what I'm up to. Mama says that's honourable!" She picks herself up, and her chest puffs out --
-- just in time for Reiya to dart in and stab. Down she goes again!
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow..." Scion gripes, as she rolls up again. "That's what I'd be sayin' if I was squishy, too, right? But don't worry, I don't feel pain like that! I just get warnin' signals for chassis stress!" There's a flash of teeth as that shadowy figure grins, beneath her hood, red eyes disappearing for a moment as her eyes close happily. "Speakin' of those, though, I've got a big huge alarm goin' off right now about that curse you put on me, nin-nin. You're not one of ours, right? It was a lot of fun, anyway!" She salutes him, cheerfully, as she hops back to pick Welwetes up. ("Rah," he opines, as he dangles in her arms, looking more like a toy than an autonomous combat assistant.)
"Looks like I lost track of Youichi Makimura down there... but don't even worry 'bout it! A whole mess of people ran off to find him, nankuru nai sa~!" That last part wasn't Japanese, despite sounding similar. In fact... it's Okinawan. Hey, isn't that dance teacher who comes by once a week Okinawan...? When she's back from her leave, she might be able to translate for them...
"You beat me fair and square," she says, cheerfully -- though it's Aigis who she turns to, as she adds: "I'm really glad I got to meet you! They never let us socialise or nothin', not since the incident, man, they barely got the third one's black box back after that... sooooo, I never knew if I was the only success or anythin' like that!"
Does she think all robots come from the same place...?
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Aigis boggles wordlessly as Tyrrha insists that she somehow has mind tricks. "I do not, no." She doesn't say anything further on the subject, but glances over to Reiya. Him, on the other hand ... you never know.
She seizes up when asked about how it felt to fight the humans. Horror is a novel experience for Aigis. They would have gone 'squish' had she fought them more vigorously. She did everything in her power to avoid harming those people, but when push comes to shove, her priorities are clear. She's just thankful that people like Hitomi were around so she could avoid having to engage with that grim calculus. No sound comes out of her open mouth.
...
Aigis widens her eyes as Tyrrha lets on another detail. She doesn't feel pain? It's just chassis stress signals? What effect does that have on her psyche? She looks over in Palladion's direction. Aigis's designers deemed that pain was necessary for her own stability, and she's in no position to argue.
...
Who's 'us?' What incident? There's a third one?!
Now that the barrage of new information is done, Aigis takes a moment to try and figure out what social protocol dictates her response should be in this situation where an enemy sincerely says she's glad to meet her after having an all-out rooftop brawl. The question is more difficult than normal, her latency metrics spike upwards, and the queries time out as they fall back to the default response, a stunned and bewildered "I ... am glad to have met you as well."
Hesitantly, she turns her gaze aside to Reiya and adds, "I somewhat doubt that we were made by the same manufacturer, however ..." His mother would know more, right?
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Aigis glances at Reiya, and Reiya shrugs lightly. He might have mind tricks.
Still, "My duty is to lead the clan," he asys of purpose. "...But people are more easily made than gynoids."
He manages to say this with a straight face, because he's like that. Still--
Killstealing... Reiya remembers, too. "They were not," Reiya answers. "They were still fragile, as people tend to be."
Honorable, though... Reiya can use that, anyway. But 'ow'. But she doesn't feel pain???
"I'm not," Reiya confirms, one of theirs. "...Hm." So she was tracking Makimura... Reiya files that--and the Okinawan--away in his mind.
"If you are disengaging, we will not pursue you at this time," Reiya says. He judges that while they did well...
You never know what she could do if they really cornered her.
He looks to Aigis, and puts away his sai.
"...I also doubt it," he says. "But there is similar technology. Mother may know more."
Pause. "...But I find I am not sure I hope that she does, or does not..."
It troubles him. "...Let's get back to the others and report."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Wow! How come you nin-nins always get led by people so young? You must get to fight soooo much, I'm jealous...!" Scion's taken entirely the wrong message from Reiya intimating he's the leader of his clan.
"Oh, right," she adds, cheerfully. "Humans grow more humans inside them! It's supes efficient! Even though it's dangerous for them, since they're so fragile... man, humans are kinda tough, huh? Though, I was wonderin' if pregnant humans would be tastier, too, since eggs are tastier than chickens? But apparently it's bad to eat humans..." WHO PROGRAMMED HER?!
Garuda lifts his head from his wing, and calls out, from across the rooftop: "Oh, that's quite true, child. Like stuffing a turkey with shredded pork..."
"Thanks, gramps!" Scion calls, saluting him, as he settles back down for another nap. She pauses, and adds: "Oh, but I'd better not ask more about that, anyway. I don't wanna upset mama or nothin'!" This is a curiosity which would alarm them more, not less, if they knew just who mama was.
... maybe that's what happens when you don't feel pain. She doesn't seem deliberately sadistic, despite her vicious line of questioning... but her curiosity is certainly unmoored from any kind of morality or empathy.
But yes -- there were three. There were, in fact, at least six, though Reiya and Aigis might not realise that until they review this encounter and reflect on what 'Shisix' might be code for.
Namely, Shisix, a word half Japanese and half English. No -- a serial number. Shi-six... 46...? Or, is that 'shi' as in 'death'...? Death-six might be ominous enough to describe this girl's cheerful approach to human suffering...
"Oh! Oh, wow!" Scion gasps, when Aigis suggests there's more than one manufacturer. "I'm gonna go tell mama right now! Byeeee~!"
With that, she leaps from the rooftop, springing away cheerfully.
She said she was going to go tell mama all about it, but she thinks she'd better go straight home and call Para-Mind, first, since she took some damage...
... still, wow, today was such a good day!