2026-08-07: The Ignorance of Youth
- Cutscene: The Ignorance of Youth
- Cast: Yua Ijuuin, Tyrrha Ijuuin, Para-Mind
- Where: Aoba - Penthouse
- OOC Date: 2026-08-07
- IC Date: Somewhere During Finals
- Summary: Tyrrha shares some concerns with Yua about her troubles, who affirms that Tyrrha is her beloved daughter and not the problem at all. But what IS the problem? She goes to Para-Mind to help her investigate...
The Ijuuin's new koi pond is a beautiful addition to their rooftop; it sits beside the pool, running long across the side, so that one may lounge in the deck chairs to appreciate both pool and pond. The head of it features an artificial waterfall, where poisonous waterlilies and their fellows grow at Miho's pleasure, before the water tumbles into a deeper pond with more fish-friendly greenery. Their fish are striking: one dragon glitters black, another Olympic gold, and of course the trio of traditional fish swirl happily in the long pond.
Yua sits on a deck chair beside it, now, alongside Tyrrha -- the girl crouching by the pond as she scatters fish feed, her grumpy face lighting up in a ferocious grin. "They're coming up!" She declares, delighted, as she watches that stunning gold fish peck at the surface of the water. "Nibble, nibble...!"
"Nibble, nibble," Yua agrees, giggling, and knows Tyrrha's been heeding her instructions when she hears it. "Good job, Tykko! You're being so gentle!"
"Yup, yup!" Tyrrha grins. "Fish as pets are delicate, right? Just like Yumama!"
"Just like Yumama," Yua agrees, though the ghost of a frown flickers over her face for a moment.
Tyrrha tilts her head, thoughtfully, and frog-hops around to face Yua. "Hey," she starts, a touch unsure, "Have you... not been happy, lately, mama? I thought it was fine, since you were smiling... but sometimes that smile goes sad."
"Oh..." Yua shows another of those wavering, sad smiles, as she realises she's been caught out. "I wasn't... really trying to deceive you, ucha. I just... don't want for you to feel responsible. You're still so young..."
"You cheered up, but then you went sad again when I got broke and we went back to the lab," Tyrrha says. "And that girl said 'ignorance is bliss', so are you not happy because you know something?"
"It's not that," Yua says, softly, shaking her head.
"Then... am I happy since I don't know stuff?" Tyrrha asks.
"You're happy because you like to be happy," Yua insists, smiling. "That's who you are. Don't let those girls get to you, okay?"
"Okay," Tyrrha tilts her head, and nods. "I was just thinkin', like... do you resent gettin' assigned me? You were like this when we met, when we went back..."
"No!" And Tyrrha is surprised to hear the fierce emotion, in Yua's voice. "No, baby, no! Oh, come here," she says, spreading her arms; Tyrrha plants a hand against the concrete and pushes herself up, stepping over to Yua's deck chair and crouching beside that, instead. Yua wraps her up in a tight hug, pressing her lips to her head and smoothing out her hair. "Ucha, look at me, look at me," she says, grasping her shoulders as she pulls back. "None of these sad feelings are because of you. You are beautiful, Tykko. Now we've met, we've become family, do you remember?" It's an old Okinawan saying, so of course Tyrrha nods. "Mm, so you're my beautiful daughter, my first daughter... I could never resent you."
"Mama," Tyrrha notices, first, "why are you crying?"
"Oh... I'm just very emotional," Yua sniffles, realising she's tearing up only after Tyrrha asks. "It's the baby... but I'm not crying because I'm sad, ucha. Though I don't want you to feel unwanted! I just -- I love you, Tykko. You aren't merely an assignment! Certainly not!"
"Okay," Tyrrha says, though she still looks confused. "But... you are sad, right?"
"... I am sad," Yua admits. "For your auntie and I, Revelation is a very sad place. It's okay if it doesn't make you feel sad," she adds, squeezing her shoulders. "But... it's a difficult place, for me. That's not your fault, ucha," Yua adds, firmly. "Nothing about this is your fault. Okay?"
"Okay," Tyrrha frowns. "But, hey... did something happen?"
"..." Yua falters, glancing away, before she smiles reassuringly to Tyrrha. "Leave that to the adults, okay?"
"Okay," Tyrrha says.
... but she still thinks of it, the next day, when she's supposed to think about her exams. When she comes home to Para-Mind tinkering at Welwetes, at the docking station in her room, she isn't offended he's in there. Instead, she hops onto her bed -- largely performative but a thing Yua insisted she have -- and asks: "Whatcha doin', dandy man?"
"Getting myself killed," Para-Mind replies. "Turns out your mama's real convincing -- not the pretty one, the sharp one -- so I'm running through a couple alterations. God willing, they'll blame her and not me."
"Ohhhh," Tyrrha says. "So you're doin' somethin' you shouldn't again! Like how ya started workin' for the boss!"
"Something like that," Para-Mind says. "But to be honest, you can't just set up some labs that don't exist and not expect me to take a look. That's like, my whole job?"
"That's just your job because they caught you doing it," Tyrrha points out. "It doesn't make much sense to me. If you got caught, doesn't that mean you're not very good?"
"Hey, man, I got feelings!" Para-Mind whines.
"No you don't," Tyrrha says. "You said you don't."
"I said they're broke," Para-Mind insists. "Big difference. You meet a guy what's got no feelings, you're gonna have a bad day. Anyway, screw you, man! I'm the best! You know how rare it is a guy can do the code and the wires?! Who's the guy who stuck your arm back on quick enough you could go back to school the next day!"
"But you're also the guy who got caught," Tyrrha says, again.
"Yeah, well..." Grumble, grumble. "They've got the best, too. And you know what they say!"
"Nankuru nai sa!" Tyrrha volunteers, cheerfully.
"Okay, stupid question, talking to you, right. They say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
"Oh," Tyrrha's legs swing, on the edge of the bed. "Is that what Mimama did? She got assigned Yumama and Auntie-san, just like Yumama got me... but I don't think Mimama came from a lab like us."
"Nah, man, she sure didn't," Para-Mind grins, as he twists a wrench. "So yeah, you could say that."
"So if you guys joined 'em," Tyrrha goes on, hands pressed to the edge of the bed, "how come you're getting yourself killed?"
"What, were you born yesterday?" Para-Mind lobbies back, dryly.
"Nope! I was born 74 days and 15 minutes ago!" Tyrrha replies, cheerfully. "Oh, but if anyone asks, I'm fifteen!"
"Everyone believes you," Para-Mind assures her, "and they're not assuming your mother drank while she was carrying you."
"But you're not supposed to do that," Tyrrha says. "Babies make you weak to poison."
"Bingo," Para-Mind clicks his tongue. "Anyway, if I've done this right, she'll be left holding the bag... I'm giving her the keys. They wanna know why I helped, I'll just tell 'em she threatened to cut this gorgeous face of mine."
"Did she do that?" Tyrrha wonders.
"Nah." Para-Mind shrugs a shoulder. "It's called lying, kid. Give it a try, being hopeless at it is a dead give away you're a fake teen."
"Oh. So does lying to those guys work?" Tyrrha asks.
"Ehhhhhhn," Para-Mind lifts a hand from his rewiring to wobble it back and forth.
"Sounds dangerous," Tyrrha says, still deathly curious. "So why'd ya do it?"
"'Cuz it'll be really funny," it's Para-Mind's justification for most things in his life.
"Oh." Tyrrha nods. "Do you want to help me do something funny, too?"
"I'm the shark, you're jumping in the tank, pitch it," Para-Mind says, not looking up from his work.
"I want to figure out how to fake powerin' down," Tyrrha says, "so I can switch myself on again."
"Okay, here's the deal --" Para-Mind says, lifting a finger.
"Yeah?" Tyrrha tilts her head.
"Say it a different way, and I'll see what I can do," he points to her, somehow still without looking.
"What, switching myself on?" Tyrrha frowns. "What's so weird about that?"
Para-Mind's drawling, "oh, honey," has absolutely had this conversation before.
Even so, he's remarkably helpful for someone who claims to give no shits.
... why did the NWO first catch him snooping around, anyway?