2026-04-03: Spinach, Fuzzy Socks, and Rebirth
- Log: Spinach, Fuzzy Socks, and Rebirth
- Cast: Hitomi Mandai, Aigis
- Where: Iwatodai Dormitory
- OOC Date: April 03, 2026
- IC Date: October 19, 2012
- Summary: Aigis goes up to the garden at night to tend to the plants and catches Hitomi staring off at the ocean. They start talking about the events of the aerospace museum and the Zeppelin, but then things take a lighter tone when Aigis takes her first guess as per Hitomi's wager -- and she ups the stakes.
(|============================ Iwatodai Dormitory ============================|)
-================================================== Iwatodai City/Iwatodai ====-
A large four-story dormitory used by the Specialized Extracurricular Execution
Squad, only five minutes from Iwatodai Station. Upon entering, one passes a desk
with a sign-in book for guests to find a large carpeted common room that's well
appointed for co-ed gatherings.
A TV is usually on with the local news or a movie that's been loaded into the
DVD player for a student to enjoy. A table for shared dinners, or more often
study sessions, takes up the other half of the dorm, as well as a kitchen should
one dare to show off their skills to their fellow students.
There are two winding staircases on either side. The one on the left simply says
'Boys' while the other on the right states 'No Boys Except By Invitation.' The
implicit threat of execution need not be written down for those who violate
these rules. The second and third stories are living spaces divided by gender
with common spaces that have study areas and bookshelves available.
The fourth story is the command center with surveillance capabilities for not
just different parts of the city but each room within the dorms. The Chairman
has assured all who live here that this capability is strictly necessary.
BGM - Dormitory Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-FrFI0qnM
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
Iwatodai dorm
9:51 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRG3wHaQVR4
(don't worry its just mood music)
Hitomi Mandai sits on the roof and she looks out towards the ocean.
Hitomi didn't just appear here, of course, as if produced by spontaneous generation or dropped by an aerial assault. While she can fairly and truly claim that she is no longer innocent of the pleasures of leaping out of a high-flying aircraft fixing to crash, it was not something about which she intends to make a habit.
It's still midterm season so you ought to study. Hitomi has studied and she had her worst exam (self-estimated) today and so she is reasonably calm. For her, tomorrow is math, she's pretty sure, and if she got it wrong it's probably history, which she's also good at. She's read all her notes. She's taken new notes. Hell, she's only missed like two classes and one of them was because she got stabbed. Her memory is good.
Her biggest concern, really, is being killed by Shadows before she can take the exam. Better by far to die *after* finishing your exams. That way you'd have something to show for all the hard work.
Hitomi is not really tending the gardens, though she did look at them in passing when she came up here. Around 9:38 she had found one of the chairs and set it here, so she can face the school, far away. At this hour there isn't much in the way of lights over there - just a few things, perimeter markings, boundaries against the surly darkness that threatens to encompass them all.
The wind's turning those turbines. Hitomi's mostly watching those.
There is not a lot of light, though the moon is waxing, a thin fingernail of brightness. If it wasn't for the leaking of the light of the Port Island settlement, it'd probably be easy to see a lot of stars. You can still make out a few, if you want.
Hitomi is sitting in the chair, slouched a little, legs splayed. It's a very relaxed kind of posture. Or a slack and loose one. It's a little hard to tell the difference.
The wind picks up a bit, plucking at her hair. Hitomi's eyes turn from where she'd been gazing, upwards for a moment, then over to the turbines. Watching. Will that gust she just felt reach the turbines - will they speed up, or perhaps slow down, a little? It's a subtle kind of thing, but it's relaxing. Borderline hypnotic, if you're tired enough.
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Under certain definitions of 'creature', Aigis is a creature of habit. Like clockwork, she adheres to a strictly regimented schedule.
Wake the Arisato siblings up precisely 10 minutes before their respective alarm clocks go off. Get dressed. Walk to the train station, ride the train, walk to school. Attend classes. On days where the art club is in session, attend club activities. Walk to the train station, ride the train, return to the dorm. Study for several hours. Make progress through reading a novel or playing Drake Adventure. If someone isn't tending to Koromaru, take him for a walk. If someone is, tend to the plants up on the roof. Keep watch during the Dark Hour. Finally, recharge in her room.
Midterms are a rare source of difficulty and uncertainty for her. While she excels in memory-based or computational subjects such as mathematics or portions of history, she struggles when it comes to more abstract reasoning. Literature is her biggest weakness by far, and the parts of history which require her to form an argument are a close second-worst. She's catching up on at least ten years of study that her peers have ahead of her.
Her artistic pursuits during her club activities are similarly basic. While she has the immense control and observation skills necessary to copy what she sees for photorealistic works, she cannot greatly deviate from what she captures visually. She can transcribe, but she currently lacks the means to express herself.
The garden is often a source of interest for her. Inert as they are, the plants possess one thing that Aigis appears to lack: life. Non-artificial, biological life. As a larger entity which has fewer needs, she sees it as her duty to take care of the more fragile crops of tomatoes and carrots.
She feels similarly about non-plant-based lifeforms as well.
Speaking of. At 9:45:00:11 PM, nearly right on the dot if not for those pesky milliseconds, Aigis opens the door to the rooftop. "Good evening, Mandai-san. You should take care to not fall asleep up here. You may catch a cold this late in the fall."
After a whisper directed at the plants -- which Hitomi might overhear as "Lettuce take care of you," -- Aigis sets to work tending the garden. Soil conditions, water, fertilizer, talking to them ... there are a number of variables to keep track of in order to pay them proper care.
Her own state of wakefulness is binary -- unless there is some major malfunction, she is either on or off. She doesn't sleep until she's recharging, or worse, her energy reserves have run out before she could return to her own room. While her attention primarily remains on the garden, she asks Hitomi, "Are you observing something specific out on the horizon, or are you simply enjoying the view?"
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
"Hey," Hitomi had answered Aigis. Ironically enough, she said it on automatic pilot.
(Hitomi has noticed that Aigis is a bit of a creature of habit. Other than the usual greetings, she has not made many impositions, though they have been friendly greetings.)
After that, silence reigned.
Aigis's quiet soft words to the hard-working plant striving to grow despite the gradually shortening daylengths and the desperate struggle to survive in an economy that's steadily contracting for reasons beyond the ken of a mere plant...
... Hitomi 'heard' them, but she didn't 'listen.'
Something sneaks into her mindset, though. Aigis, of course, can time it, and it takes her about eight seconds to turn her head and say, finally, "Huh?"
At this point Hitomi plays back the tape in her head a little. She blinks once, and takes off her glasses, getting out a scrap of cloth from her pocket to clean them off, again. "Oh. No. I was just staring into space. My room doesn't have a good view and I kind of didn't want to be inside. It was kind of messing with me."
A beat or so passes.
Hitomi shifts in the chair. Turning about ninety degrees, so she can face Aigis without turning herself all the way around. "How're they doing?"
The pronoun is left ambiguous, although Hitomi's eyeline is currently resting on the vegetation under care.
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
At this point, Aigis is well aware of the discontinuity between what a person says and does as opposed to what their focus actually remains on. This is not something unique to Hitomi, as far as she's observed.
Eight seconds of conversational dead time pass. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.
If she were not unfailingly patient and polite, she would have labelled the duration of time as 'agonizing.' It is still nothing compared to the daily 24-hour wait between Dark Hours, the period of time in which she can fulfill her true function as an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon.
School -- and any other daytime activity -- is just something to occupy herself with in the meantime. ... or at least that was her outlook when she first began attending. Slowly, but surely, she is developing a zeal for the full portion of the day.
She tilts her head at Hitomi's response. "Why did you not want to be inside? May I ask how, precisely, it was 'messing with you'?"
It hasn't escaped Aigis' notice that Hitomi was staring out at the ocean. "... are you troubled by thoughts about the events at the museum and on the Zeppelin?" She certainly is, but she isn't letting that slip if she can help it.
As for Hitomi's question about the plants, Aigis stands up and stares down at the modest garden. "I anticipate that this yield will be below-average. They were planted a little bit too late in the season. These are, perhaps, the last batch of carrots we may be able to harvest until a warmer season comes around. Leafy greens will be next. Do you have a preference between lettuce, kale, or spinach? I can ask Aragaki-san for his input, as well -- "
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
Two good questions. Hitomi's lips pooch for a moment. She finishes cleaning her glasses; she raises them up to inspect them. As she does, Aigis brings out a third question.
"Pretty much," Hitomi says, "but I don't feel like it's the ordinary kind of feelings. I mean, it was scary, but... I guess I'm getting kind of used to stuff like that." From her voice, she sounds doubtful. Raising up the glances, she peers through the lenses; turns them around to see from the front.
Hitomi grimaces, breathes on them to get a little condensation, and wipes them off again.
"I was feeling claustrophobic, I suppose," she says. "The walls were too close. It felt like I couldn't breathe. I could hear all the little sounds out there, and I didn't want to turn on the radio or play a game or something, so... I just kept jumping, and I thought I might as well come out here. If someone's... car backfired or whatever, at least I could see the car, right?"
Nobody's car has backfired. But the sound is rather akin to a gunshot.
"I grew up near that museum," Hitomi says, and she finally puts her glasses back on, and looks towards Aigis. Her expression remains disconsolate.
"... Spinach," Hitomi says. "But don't make -- I mean, I'm not going to be the only one eating it, right?"
She smiles, again.
"How did you take the entire situation? With the... zeppellin, I mean, and the museum. I ran into one of the people there, the... local people. I guess if I"d stayed there I'd probably know them better. Do you know them, at all? This was the, you know, the really pretty guy. With the," Hitomi gestures at her left breast, "flower? Jun Kashihara."
"... does spinach grow during the winter? I mean, I suppose it doesn't get *that* cold."
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Aigis has to forcibly prevent herself from going on about the minutiae of gardening. She had asked Hitomi a few questions, then went on at-length in her own reply. Verbal communication isn't exactly information-dense, at least not in relation to other possible forms of relaying data.
After a polite bow, she gestures towards Hitomi. " -- I apologize. I believe that should suffice for an answer to your question. I did not mean to deprive you of an opportunity to respond."
Then Hitomi explains. The cause is just about what Aigis had expected: the museum and the Zeppelin. The symptoms, on the other hand ... the symptoms, she can only understand from a distance. She will, in fact, simply sit in place for hours on end if she has nothing better to do.
At the mention of a car backfiring, Aigis glances down at her own hands, which she knows have retractable fingertips which have had trails of gunsmoke rising up from their apertures -- then places them behind herself in some vain attempt to obscure them from Hitomi, perhaps vastly underestimating her sense of object permanence. "... Right," she finally comments.
"... It must have been difficult for you to witness such an event so close to your home. Perhaps moreso than the incursion on the dormitory."
Luckily, Hitomi provides a change in topics. "Spinach for Mandai-san. Do not worry; I am taking note of everyone's preferences. The aggregate data will inform the proper ratio of which crops to plant."
She answers Hitomi's question about simple recall first: does she know any of them? "Of those present, excluding the members of SEES and the Joker Killer himself, I believe I am only acquainted with Suzuki-san and Akabane-san." Hyousuke and Umie. "Akechi-san is a well-known personality, but we have not met. I recognized a few other faces," such as Phoenix's, "but we did not have time to exchange pleasantries in the heat of the moment."
"I have found that Suzuki-san and I share some common traits," she adds.
Jun, though. Jun was a new face to her. She starts to shake her head and say as much, but a burst of static briefly cuts through her senses. She visibly winces. Less confidently, she responds, "I don't ... believe I have met Kashihara-san before, though."
She more firmly stretches her arms behind her back.
As for how Aigis took the situation, it takes a moment for her to compose her response. "It is fortunate that most of us were able to escape intact. I will be fine if I am damaged, but it is difficult to watch for everyone's well-being at once. I felt compelled to remain by Arisato-san's side, first and foremost, and to protect the children second." She casts her gaze downwards. "I regret that I could not do more."
Whatever ammunition that man in the black mask used ... Aigis dreads the possibility that she could one day be fit and loaded with such a bullet.
Aigis knows just the answer to satisfy Hitomi's curiosity. She holds up a finger and slightly smiles as she explains: "In fact, spinach is quite well-suited to growing during the winter. The cold is even said to increase how sweet it tastes."
Not that she's speaking from experience. Realizing this, doubt creeps onto her face. "Or so I have read. This is the first time that I have been operational during this time of year."
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
"No, no," Hitomi says. "Talk all you want... you've earned it. I just... don't really know how to do friendly chats? So I'm kind of faking it too," Hitomi says as she heaves herself partway up to turn the chair around so now, instead of the distant shape of the school (above which Tartarus looms) and the Pacific beyond, she is looking at Aigis.
The Pacific has been there for quite some time. Aigis has not.
When Aigis hides her hands, though, Hitomi smiles, very faintly.
"Mm," she says. "I went to that museum four times growing up. Once in elementary school... not as young as those kids, so I guess maybe they were making the curriculum spicier. Twice in middle school. And once in high school, but I was only in that class for a year."
"It's an easy place to go, you know?" Hitomi says. "Well."
The smile fades. "It was, at least."
Her eyes turn back to Aigis though as she speaks. She nods along. "Yeah... that Akechi guy... that was such a surprise, even if I guess he wasn't any help."
Her expression firms at that momentary -- what was it? Flinch? -- but she lets it sit. But she is watching more closely. "I didn't think about your situation," Hitomi continues. "Were you able to swim to shore? I guess Arisato'd look out for you, but --" Did she have to walk to shore??
"Those brats'll be fine," Hitomi says, more warmly. "That kid hustled me. I'm kind of proud of him." What??
"Oho," Hitomi continues, lifting her eyebrows. "I did notice it came up a lot that time of year... you can get most stuff year-round if you shop around, but it's best when it's in season. I always kinda liked this time of year best of all," and here Hitomi sits herself up a little more straight, "getting in from here until about New Year's... That's just great."
"You weren't... awake for this? I can try to give you tips... but most of 'em are about keeping warm." Hitomi's lips quirk up again.
"... That guy at the end of it, though," Hitomi says.
"Just... all of it, hah. I mean... I guess it's not a surprise, there were like twenty of us. It's like we're a community! We're going to have to organize a convention so everyone can meet each other..." The threat of PersonaCon hangs in the haze, a potentiality as yet unrealized, as Hitomi keeps on going. "And then that guy showed up..."
Hitomi brings up a hand and bites on the tip of her thumb for a moment. Not looking at Aigis. Not at anything in particular. Her eyes turn, though, towards her. "That 'thing' in me was really acting weird there. I had to stop myself. I had this feeling that I was going to say something and it was going to be the last thing I ever said. Does that sound strange? Like... it was already my 'fate' that those were going to be my last words."
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Faking it? Facsimile that she is, Aigis is faking it, sure, but she can't fathom the notion that a person could be faking it. "As you say, Mandai-san."
While Aigis is newer than the Pacific Ocean, and while she may not last quite as long as it will, she will be here for some time yet.
On the museum, she comments, "I couldn't help but notice that many of the aircraft vehicles were made for the purpose of war. I can understand wanting to defend ourselves from Shadows, but ... I cannot imagine willingly turning my arsenal against another person's body. I have always limited it to their Persona."
Yes, she can, actually. She winces again as another wave of static comes through, this time 'reading' something like TA6qE# ID+Ni%3YED.
Quietly, Aigis queries her systems for the source of that strange static sensation. For her efforts, an error message coalesces in what serves as her consciousness:
>> [! DISK READ ERROR !] >> 54 MB in bad sectors.
She looks downward and narrows her eyes as she tries to puzzle out what that could possibly mean. Everything else seems to be in order. This, though -- it's as if some other data were overlaid on top of her extant memories. If she's reading this entry right, the date makes no sense; she wasn't even operational at that point in time.
Oh well. It's nothing that a simple diagnostic run won't fix. It's nothing of too great concern, she reassures herself. Meaningless junk data.
Even so, she's keeping her hands tucked firmly behind her back.
She didn't have to swim or walk to shore, no. She matter-of-factly explains, "Palladion is capable of propulsion. Normally, I would not recommend it as a safe form of transport -- it is about as capable of flight as a missile is." After a beat, she clarifies, "The landing is rough."
Aigis calmly listens as Hitomi extols the virtues of the latter part of the year. She makes mental note that availability isn't a concern, but freshness is; this reinforces what she had only heard elsewhere. She shakes her head to confirm that no, she wasn't 'awake' during this time of the year. "Not this late. Very briefly, early in September, once. Then earlier this summer, on that island, up until now."
On said tips: "I do not believe remaining warm is of much concern to me personally. I ... do not share your physiology." Her own expression brightens before she continues, "That said, I am interested in hearing them -- perhaps I can still put the knowledge to good use, regardless."
A community ... it's just now hitting Aigis that the world is much, much larger than the small corner of it that her purpose has allowed herself to traverse. She knew it on some logical level, this isn't new information, but she starts to form a better understanding of just what that entails.
Aigis is eerily silent as Hitomi recounts how that 'thing' in Hitomi was acting weird. 'Like... it was already my 'fate' that those were going to be my last words.' Does Aigis understand that?
Does she understand how something can feel predetermined? Does she feel like she's only marching to the tune of a song composed long ago? Does she know what it's like to be unable to deviate from the path that's been set before her?
Aigis curiously regards Hitomi with her crystal blue cameras-in-lieu-of-eyes. "I do not think that sounds strange at all."
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
"Mm," Hitomi says. "Yeah."
"I guess war is one of those games that's deep inside of us, huh? I suppose you've got a different perspective. I don't like that part of all of this," Hitomi says, turning her eyes downwards. "It's one thing if it to be Shadows."
Another, perhaps, for it to be human.
"Heh... listen to me, it's like I'm saying something nice about Shadows! But that's why you weren't just doing that," shooting people with those guns in her fingers, "during the attack, huh? I mean," Hitomi looks up, "leaving aside absolutely anything else, it'd totally blow your cover."
Then there's another wince on Aigis's part.
Hitomi's brow furrows with concern, which mixes with curiosity to her to lean forwards in the chair. She doesn't, quite, get up yet. Maybe she's not wanting to spoil the mood with an abrupt look of concern. What DOES it mean? Hitomi thinks. I can't assume anything - she could literally have a loose wire. Nothing wrong with that.
"Ahhh," Hitomi says. "So you got there faster than us. Well, you didn't miss much. Ocean's a lot nicer in July, but we were pretty far out..." She settles back. "... I still can't quite believe we did that."
Coming back up, then. "You'll have to be prepared for slushy conditions, but not yet. Hmm... Even if you're not a human, I think some of these ideas could work for you," Hitomi says as her arms fold. "The key one is layers, but it's not the one that everyone thinks it means. It doesn't just mean wear three thin things," Hitomi says, holding up three fingers. "It means... prepare for what you'll actually 'experience.'"
"Maybe you can't know everything that could happen, but you can make a good guess," Hitomi continues. "Imagine if it's 2 degrees outside and it's raining and I have to walk to the station. I'd have an umbrella, of course, to keep myself from getting soaked. I'm not a kid who needs a raincoat, even if I suppose it's got its virtues for some people." She contemplates for a moment.
"What I'd do, though," Hitomi says, "is I'd have something warm over my uniform (cuz I'm going to school - the winter uniform's thicker, which helps, but it's not going to do it on its own) and I'd have a thin layer over that. Then when I get inside I can just take that thin layer off. Boom -- no water-evaporation cooling effect!"
"But I still have two layers," she continues, "and this is where people get tripped up, because they start thinking 'that was such a pain in the ass, I had to carry around the coat, I'll just wear a jacket,' and then they freeze to death and die!" Dying to death? A great peril indeed!
"Oh... and wear fluffy socks. That's about what I've got."
The rest, presumably, is more clearly about human physiology. But...
Aigis seems to know what she's talking about.
Hitomi's eyes meet Aigis's. She has brown eyes, mostly, although it's kind of a rich deep brown, and the reason for that is that it's a pretty red-forward brown, and in this light, the red is what's standing out a little more clearly. That or it's some thin film on her glasses.
"It was kind of weird," Hitomi says. "Since I was sort of... beside myself. But I remember what happened during those times really well, I just try not to think about them... and I remember thinking something like, oh wow, I have to say it, I *have* to say it. I have to try to say this," Hitomi says, raising up her hands, "this is just like the natural state of things, it's an inevitability. I say this and then I die. Like."
Hitomi turns her eyes down.
Her hands close.
Her eyes lift back up to Aigis's. "Then I just didn't say it. Now he's dead. He's, like, one of those weird ocean worms or caterpillars now. Or on an alien planet."
"How about that one? Strange, do you think?"
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Aigis does have a different perspective. "Your kind wield weapons. I am one, through and through." There are myriad reasons why Aigis didn't just start blasting with wild abandon. Keeping her cover in front of the public is one of them, and she quietly nods to confirm that.
She listens with rapt attention as Hitomi recites a list of cold-weather tips. She doesn't have to worry about temperature -- not to the extent that weather can affect her, at least. It's all still useful for the purposes of blending in. Had she heard none of this, she may have very well only worn her school winter uniform all throughout the season.
At her final note to wear fluffy socks, Aigis looks down to inspect her own 'feet' -- stubs that end at the shins, consisting only of the calcaneus, but no sole or ball or toes. "What purpose do the socks serve?"
No doubt she's going to apply all of this knowledge in ensuring that Minato and Minako are appropriately dressed for the cold weather. Thanks, Hitomi!
Hitomi's further explanation mostly makes sense -- not the 'and then I die' part specifically, just the structured nature of it all -- right up until the last-second swerve of 'Then I just didn't say it.' Not once has Aigis failed to follow her directives. The notion that Hitomi simply dodged inevitability itself baffles her.
At first, she also discounts the mention of feeling 'beside herself.' She didn't experience that -- not so directly. She can't help but feel that there may be some relation to the junk data that overlaid her memory which she had detected moments ago.
"Perhaps I do not understand as well as I had initially thought. Do you mean to say that you witnessed a premonition of some sort, then? You saw the outcome of a path, then you opted to go a different route." She nods, confident in her new understanding. "I would liken it to a simulation. An exploration of one such possibility, like a branching path in a game like Drake Adventure."
'Now he's dead.' The protection granted by a Persona be damned. While Aigis has a preference for targeting a person's Persona, it's only to cause temporary Persona Breaks, to exhaust and dissuade a person from fighting for the time being. (And, through some technicality, she isn't deviating from her directives.) Almost never to kill, not intentionally, and only when absolutely necessary.
Ocean worms, caterpillars ... aliens. "... You are speaking of reincarnation, correct?" Aigis pauses to consider this. "I have no basis on which to judge that as strange or not. Given his deeds, it is easy to imagine that he would have descended to a lower tier of creature. It sounds correct to me."
"Mandai-san." Aigis stares back at her again. "Apropos of nothing, I have my first guess for the question you had posed to me in exchange for a favor. If I am incorrect, then I would like to owe you a favor -- one for each wrong answer. I believe this will make the stakes more equitable."
Putting all of what she's observed to what she thinks is good use, and remembering Hitomi's expression as Minato checked on her, Aigis concludes: "Arisato-san. The brother."
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
'I am one, through and through.'
"Mm," Hitomi says. It is something to consider.
Hitomi then looks down to see Aigis's feet.
"Yeah... I suppose it wouldn't make sense. But, you've probably seen people's feet, right? Just kind of in passing, or like, anatomical diagrams...? Basically they're really complicated and have a lot of blood vessels," Hitomi continues. "But it's like the furthest part of your body from your heart, right? So they get cold. And feel cold. Basically my feet feel cold most of the time, but the fluffy socks takes the edge off until they get sweaty!"
Hitomi considers.
"So I guess if you do wear them, they won't get sweaty. Efficient..."
After that her lips purse for a moment at the remainder of the topic. Aigis echoes some of what she said. "Hmm. I suppose. It felt more like a memory, but maybe that's what premonitions feel like? I get hunches, but that's different. That's in your belly."
"Rebirth," Hitomi says, "though, like, it's nearly the same idea. Basically, when the components of 'you' dissolve at your death, they're reborn, right? And some of it's metaphorical for chemicals, but like... even if the 'you' isn't really eternal, it's pretty durable. So there's still a 'being' that was Tatsuya Sudou out there somewhere."
"Though," Hitomi's head rocks to the side, "Maybe he was burning off bad karmas here...? But he was killing people a lot, which is a pretty bad karma. If you want the rest... I'll introduce you to my brother sometime. He's the guy with the priest studies."
But then. A stare. Returned with Hitomi's slightly-sleepy eyes. She looks like she needs either more sleep or a better idea of how to use concealer. Her eyes brighten and her head tilts up a bit at the question. "Is that right...? That's a really interesting proposal."
"I accept," Hitomi says, and she grins, and elaborates:
"You might not of thought of this exactly, but you're putting a lot of trust in me, right? I could just lie when you ask... what's in my heart's not something you can detect." It is entirely possible that Hitomi's subtle blood pressureheart ratestress readings are entirely perceptible to those cold blue eyes -- for Hitomi sees them as eyes -- but maybe that's why she's smiling.
"But I'll strive to be worthy of your trust."
so she won't bullshit. And then comes the choice.
A R I S A T O (minato)
Hitomi looks surprised. Her eyes widen all the way but she doesn't startle. It's a wide open look as she takes the stab, and Hitomi nods along - once or twice, slowly, then several times with more vigor. "I see where you're coming from on that one. I guess we've been on the same squad a few times, right? He's not bad..."
"... but I think he burned that bridge," Hitomi says, "over Yamagishi. That was before your time. Don't worry." Hitomi sweeps with a hand. "It's just something that made it so... I don't think I could accept him that way. If I tried."
"Which I won't," Hitomi says.
Her head tilts forward. "Because... it isn't Minato Arisato."
AS: Card Sukukaja added to your list for form 1. List now includes Rebellion and Sukukaja. <Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Hitomi's right; human feet aren't an alien concept to Aigis. She knows of them, even if she doesn't have them herself because Kirijo Ergonomics felt it was more cost-efficient to give her little hoof-like stubs. Science is one of her stronger subjects, after all.
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BsFGfoRaFo Astro Boy: Omega Factor OST - Doctor Tenma's Theme)
'They're really complicated and have a lot of blood vessels' is a phrase that she feels extends to human bodies in general, not just their feet. They all seem so fragile compared to her.
Everyone, not just Minato and Minako. Ikutsuki. Dr. Aomori. Reiya. Ririka. Moriko. Junpei. Koromaru. Ken. Shizuka. Shinjiro. Yukari. Fuuka. Koh. Tyler. Suzume. Mitsuru. Akihiko.
Even Noriaki and Takaya. Tatsuya Sudou's own fragility has been empirically proven for all present to plainly see.
Everyone, including Hitomi, who sits before her now.
In all likelihood, Aigis will outlive them all. That's why she views her capacity as humanity's protector not unlike how she serves her role to the vegetables in the rooftop garden. She'll fend for them in the ways they can't, so that they can grow like she believes that she can't.
After Hitomi finishes explaining, Aigis gives her a polite nod. "Thank you for confirming which purpose you meant. That narrows it down from the list I had compiled with your directive absent your intended goal. I could not disambiguate between whether you had meant insulation, as you say, or other possibilities which include but are not limited to: if you find the texture and/or the pressure pleasant, if they were less slippery than regular socks might be for the purposes of walking on smooth floors, or if it was simply a fashionable aesthetic preference for many during the colder seasons."
Her tendency to come up with such a breadth of imagined scenarios is largely why she doesn't do so well in, say, her Japanese Literature course. Her usual failure mode isn't that she cannot possibly fathom any reason motivating someone's words or actions when left unstated. She can come up with any number of things; the trick is narrowing them down to the one which best fits what another person may be looking for. That's an aspect where she's aware she needs to grow in.
Aigis awkwardly glances to the side for a beat, then back to Hitomi. "... I believe the only applicable purpose in my case is for fashion. I do not sweat, no, and both titanium and aramid retain their usual ductility even when temperatures reach as low as negative 196 degrees Celsius."
Highly 'efficient' as Aigis has been designed to be, she is yet still insufficient.
'Memory.' Her expression grows downcast in recognition. "Then yes, I do believe I have experienced something analogous. I do not know what to make of it, however."
'Rebirth.' A rare frown finds its way to Aigis' face. "That may be the case for biological entities such as yourself, but ... even if I one day cease to function, my remains will not undergo decay in the same manner you will. Never mind the uncertain spiritual implications of someone such as myself." Aigis does possess such a spark, even if certain people and her overall circumstances have convinced her otherwise. She remains silent while Hitomi muses on Sudou's karmic trajectory, but smiles at the end. "I would like to one day meet your brother and discuss this in further detail, then."
Discussion turns to the game which Hitomi has proposed, along with Aigis' first -- and ultimately incorrect -- answer. She blankly stares at the ground to contemplate what could have possibly led to this outcome, she was so sure --
Once again, she has proven insufficient.
That said, that relates to Aigis' own purpose for participating in Hitomi's game, as well as her own introduction of a penalty to disincentive simple brute force. Indeed, her pathfinding algorithms only operate as well as they do because they quickly rule out less viable paths by assigning penalty weights to more difficult terrain to traverse. (That, and ... if she just iterates through the entire list, she'll come across the right answer eventually, but ... what would she have actually learned, then?)
So Aigis, a being who has thus far been driven by logic and order and purely deterministic functions, has thus gleaned that in order to surpass her inadequate specifications, she needs to inject a little bit of risk and danger into matters. She has Hitomi to thank for the inspiration.
Hitomi is correct in that while Aigis can detect the fluctations in her physiological responses, she can't ascribe meaning to them or interpet them with any measure of confidence in her conclusion's accuracy. "I had thought of that, yes. I would still like to add this condition, all the same." Even if Hitomi does lie, then that's all the more opportunity for her to learn how to detect someone being less than truthful.
It was with such physiological data that led to her initial guess of Minato, reinforced by Hitomi's words and expression after Minato praised her in the aftermath of the Strega attack on the SEES dorms. As Hitomi points out, there's a history there that Aigis isn't aware of -- she couldn't be.
Furthermore, given how closely she sticks to Minato and Minako, they comprise most of the data set currently available to her. Her samples are heavily biased. It's no surprise that her initial answer was one of those two, and given what she had observed of Hitomi in the post-Strega raid aftermath, the tie broke in the brother's favor. He takes up so much room in her own thoughts -- wouldn't that just naturally be the same for everyone else?
Apparently not.
Aigis formulates a plan to ask Yukari more about how to discern who someone else likes. Surely this will be a straightforward exchange with no awkward misunderstandings at all, she thinks. This plan is as bulletproof as she is.
In spite of her loss, Aigis brings a closed fist beside her face and pleasantly smiles at Hitomi, appearing as if she's trying to contain her mirth. "I see. That is my only attempt for the time bein. What favor would you like, then, Mandai-san? Perhaps a greater share of spinach in the garden than the other crops? Or would you prefer something else?"
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
The question of how long one's lifespan is hasn't occured to Hitomi much. Then again, she was at least familiar with the premise of death from a very young age, even if - so far - it has not intruded close upon her own personal sphere. Not yet.
Close, sure, but not yet.
Nobody in SEES has died. Yet.
Hitomi, sitting in a chair with the fall night's wind in her hair, regards Aigis. Her expression becomes curious, a thinking-frown with a pooching-out of the lower lip. "Those are all good reasons," she says. "You understand more about socks than you let on..."
Titanium *and* aramid. Hitomi files that one away, along with a clear question for later investigating: what the fudge is aramid, is it like, a metal? Her science grades are good enough that she's confident it's not a chemical element, at least.
She smiles, about her brother, but doesn't confirm it with her lips.
But what makes Hitomi really brighten is Aigis's last words. Her look makes Hitomi smile; the words, though, make the smile crack into a grin, showing her teeth if with no sign of tension of fury. Genuine delight. In fact she brings her hands up, clasping them together; there's a brief 'pap' as they unite.
"Oh! You're really putting me on the spot here, Aigis~. Hmmm." And now, at last, Hitomi gets up.
She was probably going to anyway, but now she seems more invigorated. The conversation was brightening a gloomy mood but this has put some real pep in her step; the muscular tension and slight elevation of heart-rate might be perceptible, even as she says, "I had no idea, you know, that you'd make an offer like that. It's tremendously generous of you to begin with -- I'm not sure it would have ever occured to me."
She parts her hands. One fingertip rests on her pursed lips. Her expression grows superficially more innocent.
"Would you mind if I held onto it? The favor, I mean."
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
There's a break somewhere in Aigis' continuum of consciousness. Someone close to her did die, but she has no memory of it. No one in SEES will die if she can help it.
... unfortunately, that's a big 'if.'
Aigis stares at Hitomi like a deer in headlights. "I apologize, I did not mean to deceive you. I did not intentionally hide my knowledge." Hesitant in her confusion, she asks, "Is there ... something which led you to believe that I did not know about the various applications for fuzzy socks?"
Should Hitomi later indulge her curiosity on what 'aramid' is, exactly: it's a class of very durable synthetic fibers, short for 'aromatic polyamide'; well-known examples of them include Kevlar, Nomex, and New Star. The outermost white layer of Aigis' chassis covering her neck and torso consists of such a fiber -- probably not one of the big brand names, but something proprietary to the Kirijo Group.
This isn't the first time Aigis has managed to surprise her fellow SEES members by doing something of her own volition. As placid as ever, Aigis returns Hitomi's smile with her own. "I realize that it must have come as a surprise, yes. I am at least glad to see that it does not appear to be an unpleasant one."
Completely guilelessly, Aigis nods at Hitomi. "That you may. I asked in case you happened to have something in mind from the onset, but as you say, I did put you on the spot."
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
Hitomi is, in fact, going to look that up later, although a critical mishearing will lead to her learning a great deal about the Alawites of Syria. This may be important later.
Even so.
"It was my own oversight that led me to make that assumption," Hitomi says, gesturing a little with one hand. "I assumed that you would know a great deal of things, because you're very well informed and well spoken. However, the particular pleasures of fuzzy socks are an emergent property... I hope you'll forgive me for underestimating you!~"
Yeah.
That was a tilde. Rather: That was a lilt that Hitomi often doesn't have. Somehow this has *infused* her with new energy, though it is a little low key - it's late in the day.
"If you want to give me a deadline," Hitomi continues, "I'll be sure to honor it. The spinach idea is a good one, but I'm going to have to rethink my entire approach to spinach. I almost always eat it cooked, you know? With a little oil and some garlic and soy sauce, too... I'll have to find and eat it raw for a change."
Her hands clap together a couple of times.
"Th-ough - you mentioned Drake Adventure earlier. How did you get interested in that?"
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Her startled expression shifts to a relaxed and self-satisfied smile. "You are forgiven, Mandai-san. In fact, you did nothing wrong."
Even Aigis can tell that tilde of a lilt is mildly unusual for Hitomi's typical cadence. But, as before, while she can make this observation and can conceive of myriad possibilities, she can't quite narrow down the range to a smaller subset.
A deadline ... "Before the end of the month, perhaps? That gives you a little under two weeks. Is that sufficient?"
She gives the garden planters a quiet meaningful glance when Hitomi ponders about eating spinach raw instead of cooked. "I am interested in hearing how your approach changes in the coming days and weeks."
The answer behind Aigis' interest in Drake Adventure may be utterly unsurprising. Perhaps out of mild embarrassment, she glances to the side. "Arisato-san showed it to me when I went to check up on him one day. I saw the value in being able to experiment with choices in a safe, low-stakes environment."
"That was how it started. It has since evolved to a genuine enthusiasm for the series and medium in its own right, as well as similar works. My apologies, I still have yet to visit the Game Club after you had brought it up earlier, though ..."
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
A deadline is proposed - two weeks or less. "That's quite agreeable terms," Hitomi says, and then she --
Extends a hand out?!
A handshake deal!? Her fingers wiggle invitingly. Middle and ring crook in. There you go. *CLASP*
Hitomi's grasp is firm if with a certain playful exaggeration to it.
As for the rest: "Mmmmm -- we're more pen and paper, cards, stuff like that -- but I have been getting itchy to run more Blade World... It's a little bit like Drake Adventure, you know?"
Hitomi was already smiling, but this time it's less performative.
"This really cheered me up. Thanks. I'll be ready to hear your next guess, whenever you're ready.~"
("Though! Unsolicited advice," Hitomi adds. "Wait until I cashed in the first one, or I'll have a completely unfair advantage!")
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Aigis blankly stares down at Hitomi's outstretched hand for a moment longer than what may be comfortable, but she has heard of handshakes. She returns the gesture in earnest. "It is agreed, then."
Her own grip is stiff and uncertain. She's not yet used to actually doing this. It occurs to her that she doesn't know when to let go.
She nods when Hitomi explains about the Games Club. "I understand. It is not so much the digital nature of the medium of video games that appeals, but the ... simulative aspect. From what I have been able to gather in my research, tabletop games still involve that same sense of immersion and role playing."
Warmth permeates her voice. "I am sincerely glad to hear that. I will take my time and consider well my next answer." She turns her head to the doorway leading back to inside the dorms. "Shall we head back inside?"
(A grateful nod. "I appreciate your tip and your effort to keep things equitable.")
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
"Let's," Hitomi says. "I'm not going out tonight... I should probably get to sleep." As they walk...
"Is that so? Hmmm...~ I get what you mean, though," Hitomi says, "even if I like the sort of... hm... I don't know how to put it... you can make the numbers play for you? It's a funny feeling..."
But she pauses just at the doorway. "Wait. I know the favor I want to ask of you."
"See, that was quick, right?" Hitomi continues. "Here it is... I need to know the favorite dessert of..."
"... every member of SEES."
An index finger is raised.
"Including Koromaru."
<Pose Tracker> Aigis has posed.
Everyone's favorite dessert, is it? "Mission received and acknowledged."
Including Koromaru. Well! "That goes without saying. I am in the best position to determine his."