The ship docked safely into the deep port within the armored harbor. Junna would press a hand to her heart for a moment as the deck rocked ever slightly to the full stop. The hanger started opening first, as the mechanics worked on retrieving the Empty Angel as quickly as possible. Most of the crew around Junna were content to make the small hop across the gap in the ship and the dock as things sorted out, passing the girl wordlessly. It was no different to any other mission in that regard. Even aboard her own transport ship, most of the crew seemed like they would rather not endanger themselves with any kind of extended association with the girl. She waited until the small bridge connected to the ship before bothering to leave it, and she wouldn't make it two steps off until she saw him. A man wearing a simple suit, looking like an average salaryman, thin rimmed glasses and a simple short cut of black hair made him almost blend into the scenery to most people. To Junna, he had a presence about him that made him unmistakable. He was the most important person in her life, Toreshi Shin. As she crossed, he offered a hand out to her, though there wasn't any chance she needed the help. Junna took the hand, as she was somewhat quickly brought to stable land with a light laugh.
"We will need to review what happened out there." His voice was soft, authoritative and kind.... at least to Junna's ears. As he spoke, the girl felt all of her focus go to him, in a way that hadn't been possible while she was piloting her Divine Arm.
"I encountered the target, eliminated a number of them. They revealed to have access to prohibited items."
"They had an aircraft as well as a Mortal Frame. Do you think either of these were simply taken from a local base? Mortal Frames are only just now getting their mass production orders."
"Is that important?"
"Very. I'll need your help diving into the data. I want to know everything we can about both of those items, Junna."
The girl paused, before nodding her head. Toreshi was a good man, the best kind of man. He was the only person in the Holy Site to call her by her project title, rather than her project number. To her, it would seem inefficient and confusing.... but he called her sisters by their numbers. She wasn't certain to his reasoning. Perhaps it was a sign of maturity. Junna's records were simply not as impressive as her sisters. Maybe when she got good enough she'd be a true Sixth member of the project to Toreshi.
Releasing her hand, Toreshi would lead Junna through the facility. The pair walked a little ways, as they boarded an elevator, Toreshi placing a finger on the Dive Pad, taking them down a ways. Junna couldn't see where he'd selected, but given the time it took she was certain she was on the residential level of the Holy Site. Being led a bit further in, Toreshi would speak again.
"Why don't you get changed? No reason to hang around in uniform when you don't have to. I'll grab something for you to eat and meet you in your room."
Another simple nod from Junna, as she looked at herself briefly. The thick bodysuit she wore cave sizable protection to her torso, while allowing her to have freely exposed limbs, perfect for a diver. For whatever reason, Toreshi always seemed to hate them, though. Her sisters teased her quite a bit on this. It wasn't uncommon for a handler to give things to one of them, but it was a bit embarrassing for Junna. She'd split off at her own door, placing a hand on the pad, as the door would unlock and slide open. It was a timed puzzle for her, with a different iteration each time. When she was younger, she had to stand outside, making attempt after attempt to get in. Only a High Diver would be able to complete it quickly enough, and only one who was capable of thinking critically.
Leaving Toreshi behind, the room opened up into a nice common area. The opposite side had a small room for the stairs, as the next level existed as a balcony over the entrance room. Three doors on the first level were marked with ascending numbers, 1, 2, and the 3. The top levels contained the 4, 5, and 6. To the left on each level was a bathing and first aid area, while the right area on the first level held a kitchen and dining area, the equal space above it was a matted dojo and gymnasium. Even in their off time, the girls were expected to maintain a level of performance.
While Junna had simply intended to move to the stairs, she had no chance of being allowed this.... as she saw her eldest sister waiting for her. An adult woman, standing in the doorway to her room, Junna One acted as a place of softness for most of the others. She was kind and informative, but she was also a crutch. Her performance was much higher than that of her youngest sister, and she didn't even seem to mind her sister's weakness. The elder girl moved over to quickly embrace and squeeze her younger sister so tightly that it hurt a bit.
"Six~ I heard you got to be so cool in your mission. Only you would both get the terrible luck of such a boring mission, and then make it interesting by discovering something so dangerous."
"You have been reading the mission logs again."
"Of course~ Cute little Junna Six versus the Mortal Frame... what did you think? If one can get into enemy hands already, I'm sure more will. Do they compare to a Divine Arm at all?"
"...the specifications indicate they could-"
"Who cares about the specifications?" The girl pushed Junna back a bit with her longer arms, looking down at her with a smile. She was so much more energetic than her little sister, it was hard to believe that she'd shared the same face as Junna Six. "It is about the feel. Did it feel like you were facing a threat, and equal?"
The younger sister paused for a moment, contemplating before shaking her head. "No. The Mortal Frame is likely limited to projectile weaponry, and their response time is noticably slower. I could react quicker and better against it, and force it into a position where the Empty Angel excelled. However, if the Mortal Frame was larger and more physically imposing, it could be a threat. My abilities wouldn't matter as much if their weaponry was more advanced."
"You sound so bookish when you really analyze something."
"Toreshi says the same. He wants me to lighten up."
"Koboyashi tells me I'm far too light. He thinks I don't take anything seriously."
"If he thought that, you'd be scolded more harshly." Junna pointed into the girl's room. She didn't need to specify. Junna One's personal accomodations were filled with shelves upon shelves. In neat order, stuffed bears were sat upon them, each wearing a different outfit, or having a different fur, or style.... no repeats. It was well known that the elder sister recieved a bear after each successful mission, each birthday, and each time she bested the other five girls in any event. Junna One was the best of their Project, which was likely why she got to have such a different approach to how she looked at things. "Anyways, I am supposed to change. I still have work to do."
"I see, I see. You are truly dedicated, Six. I don't know if Koboyashi loves me as much as Toreshi loves you."
"Loves?"
"I adore those bears, it reminds me that I am useful. That I do well. But they are more like tradition at this point. I can't go out and use them, and they don't improve my life. They are trophies. Toreshi gets you clothes to wear, music to listen to, books to read. You use those things, right?"
"Of course, I was instructed to."
"Doesn't part of you want to use them? They are things given to you by a precious person."
"I don't know if being in a dress is effective for my job or what the purpose of the music is. The books are helping in my vocabulary, but I could get as much benefit from tighter materials. I don't think this is an ideal use of my time." Junna sighed a bit as she ran a hand through her short hair. "I also don't know why I seem attracted to them. I've been thinking about it a lot. I-"
Junna's sentiments would be silenced, as the door opened, and another sister of hers stepped in. A girl with a much closer appearance to that of Six, being less than a year older herself. Junna Five wandered in, seeing the pair and shooting them a somewhat smug look of her own. While the entire project had always had a loose kinship, Five and Six never seemed comfortable around the other. Both grew stiff as the other came near, and while Five would choose to be more aggressive and haughty, her younger sister would grow more reserved and careful. As she approached, Five's voice would take on a somewhat mocking song of a tone.
"I hope you are making her feel better. She needs the extra attention, after all. I heard she had difficulty with infantrymen. While you were part of the imperial procession, and I was guiding the Bound Relic."
"Six handled her own mission just fine. What of you, Five? Your own mission shows a lack of composure. Our role is not to hate our enemies, that leads to errors."
Before Five could retort, Junna Six dislodged herself from her eldest sister, moving towards the stairs without adding to the discussion. She'd yet to win at any duel of words with the girl, it was unlikely to start now. Instead she'd enter her own room. A simple, unused space for the most part. The gifts she'd received from Toreshi carefully placed in the most sensible locations. Unlike her eldest sister, she hadn't taken the time to decorate. Slipping out of the bodysuit she wore for her missions, she'd once again try on the clothes Toreshi gave her. Looking at herself in the mirror, she simply couldn't understand what the point of it all was.
The dress was a simple pastel blue and pink, and it was likely quite fashionable among the civilians that lives among the islands. Thin and loose, perfect for the warmer climate, as the material flowed with her moments, it was very soft... all the clothes Toreshi gave her were soft. They felt nice along the skin, very different from the uniform bodysuit, which was much more rigid and designed to be able to quickly dress and undress. As a Divine Arm's pilot, she was pushed into a tight chamber without anything as all. It was a bit uncomfortable, but the gel allowed her entire body to connect to the control matrix of the massive machine. She became a part of the machine, really, using the mechanisms of the Empty Angel to keep her alive and well as her dive no longer required her to feel the discomfort of her body. This didn't change how she felt afterwards, sore and tired mostly. It was embarrassing to dress around soldiers that didn't understand High Divers as well.
But that embarrassment was strange. Junna paused as she stared into the mirror. Why was she feeling something so unimportant? Did her sisters also feel something? Junna One never said anything about it, and none of them seemed to feel it when they worked together. Not that they really talked about it too much, it was inconvenient to talk about things like that. Her nearest counterpart, Junna Five.... she was difficult to be around. Maybe she felt a desire to prove herself, or maybe she just saw Six as weak. They were often pit against one another for their training exercises, and she held a dominant place above Six's own. The Empty Angel was enhanced to help Junna in melee combat, but ideally a Divine Arm would never need for that. The fact that Junna relied on being so close to be effective was a serious problem, and she performed worse overall because of it. Is that why she felt so insecure? Is that why she could feel so embarrassed? Was she just inferior?
Junna glared at the soft looking girl in her mirror, before turning away. The little bookshelf Toreshi gave her was about half full. That meant he planned on giving her more books, most likely. The girl picked up one of them. It was a novel talking about some ancient hero, a complete fabrication. It wasn't realistic, the hero fought magical creatures and sorcerers without fear. Without the protection that Junna's Empty Angel offered. Toreshi always said that reading a book page by page was better than just Diving and absorbing the feed, but it was so slow.... Junna wasn't even half way through, but she knew how the story had to end. This much exposure to magic would end up being his downfall, the hero would die. Did she need to spend hours to find out something so obvious?
The girl would sigh again, before deciding to head back out. Her sisters weren't in the common area. Whatever yelling had occurred wasn't ever going to breach the solitude of their individual rooms either. It was better this way, she didn't want her sisters seeing her in such a colorful dress. Junna's feet led her away, to quickly meet with Toreshi.
Junna waited for Toreshi to catch up with her. They were both sitting at a terminal, a hand resting inside the wide slot designed for divers. Junna had already moved to the records that the Empty Angel had kept of her battle. Toreshi was going to be slower than her, but it was taking longer than expected. Junna refrained from voicing her annoyance, but even as she wanted to, she felt a firm hand on her free one, as Toreshi laughed lightly.
"We are looking at different things. I'm not interested in your performance, Junna."
The girl felt a warmth run through her, before quickly scouring to find where her mentor was in the logs. Quickly flying through, as she'd locate him within the ship's security footage. The man's Avatar was that of a shadowy suit, his face obscured by perpetual darkness, with a somewhat bright red tie being the only real personality to it. It clashed with Junna's own, being that of just herself in a bodysuit of her own design, a sleek black outfit with purple highlights along the side and belly. Avatars were forces of will and imagination, something the pair would appear to lack in their chosen designs.
Toreshi was scaling through the footage, watching Junna with one screen, and looking over the rest of the screw in a multitude of others. They didn't appear to be doing anything too out of the ordinary. The Junna they watched simply sat in the room provided to her, uninterested with mingling. Toreshi shrank her window a bit, but kept it at a central focus, as he added manifests and other documentations to display next. He was fairly capable for a normal diver, but even Junna would have a hard time doing it more efficiently. Accessing and utilizing functions were like second nature to her, but actually comprehending the data was no easier for her than any other. After waiting some time, Junna finally spoke up.
"You are not asking questions."
"Is that what you want?"
"I thought we were reviewing my handling of the mission."
"Oh, I'll give you 82% on that. You did fine, nothing special. You handled the Mortal Frame rather well. Why did you opt to isolate yourself? The crew didn't dislike you, and you could have learned something.... gained something."
"I didn't find any use in them. Their job was to transport me and the Empty Angel, then provide support and evacuation."
"That's why you don't get higher marks, Junna. You are capable, endlessly skilled. You operate with ruthlessness and a passion for your mission. But that passion evaporates once you leave your Divine Arm. You aren't just a piece to make the machine function, you are a person who can grow from experiences."
"...so I should talk to sailors more."
"Not just talk, and not just sailors." Toreshi laughed as he gently moved to place a hand on Junna's head, rather than holding her hand. Doing real-world actions like that while diving was no easy feat. Toreshi might not be part of the Project, but his skills as a diver weren't a joke either. "Open yourself up a bit, learn from others and let others learn about you. Not about the Project, but about who you decide you want to be. To help facilitate this, I've entered you into another mission, this one is a bit long term."
Junna frowned somewhat at that. Her missions had been fairly simple until this point. She went to a point, completed an objective, and then returned. Still, she wouldn't hesitate to accept it. "Of course, Toreshi. What are the details, what sort of preperations can I make?"
The man would change the feeds, showing instead a girl about the same age as Junna herself. Quite the contrast from the small and darker colored Junna, this girl seemed tall and pretty. She had long, lightly colored red-brown hair, with almost penetrating off-brown eyes. The uniform looked to be of a prestigious school, non-military. A large, genuine smile completely overtook everything else about the picture, setting the tone for the girl's peaceful and happy nature.
"Her name is Yukari Aoishii, we have reason to believe a group is targeting her for a kidnapping or assassination. Your mission is to keep her safe from any would be assailant without revealing the nature of your relationship or her danger. To serve this purpose, you will be entering the Rinkai Elite Academy as a transfer student from the mainland. In order to support this mission, Class-C equipment is granted."
"Light weaponry, no grenades. What about my Divine Arm?"
"You are currently being outfitted with a Sìthiche, a submersible ship. The Empty Angel is already being loaded onboard. Due to the nature of the mission, use of it is restricted to emergencies only. You are expected to perform without your Divine Arm in general safeguarding. Go to requisitions to obtain your equipment, you have one hour."
The sun felt quite nice, as it bled through the curtains of Yukari Aoishii's room. The orange light was accompanied with the soft sounds of water flowing, and nearby cries of the birds that served as the usual alarm for the lady of the house. Aoishii rose, as as she moved towards the window, parting the curtains and pushing out the glass doors. The smell of the sea wafted in as she felt herself slowly revived, seeing the endless expanse of the ocean before her. She could say a lot about the city of Rinkai, but it was quite beautiful. Coming to the Archipelago had been a little hard on her, if she didn't have something so nice to wake to, it might have been too much.
Running a hand through her hair, she moved over to look at herself in the mirror. She looked a mess, her auburn hair was long and unkept from the pillows and her sleepy eyes could only manage to stay half open. Aoishii's slender, pale hands would slap her cheeks softly, enough to jostle herself a bit, as the girl took another moment to stare into the mirror. Her attention shifted for a moment as she would focus more on her mindspace. Her alarm was set for another half hour. She was already awake, as per the norm, so the girl would drift away from the soft pinks and yellows of her bedroom, and head towards the bath.
"No point in fussing about things now."
A bath and discarded alarm later, Aoishii would finish dressing in the sleek and decorated uniform of the Rinkai Elite's prestige. A black base, with pink and gold highlights for girls, white stockings and black shoes with a slight heel to them. Just wearing the uniform accommodated some respect from the usual town folk. It was an expensive, difficult academy to get into. Even Aoishii with her talent wouldn't be attending if not for the connections of her father. As she moved to leave her room again, she'd glance at the picture sitting by her bedside. A tiny Aoishii standing a step in front of her father and mother. The girl would utter a small prayer and wave at the beautiful young mother, before leaving.
Racing out of the room, bustling past the maid seeking her out, Aoishii would escape her seaside home. The massive, grassy hill led to an overlook, with a rock face and nothing but ocean below. At low tide, a little sand could be seen, and Aoishii had certainly explored. A little cavern was only really accessible when the water receded. The path up the hill was aa cobblestone walk, too small and delicate for vehicles. The gardens were well maintained, and the security gate to thge Yukari property was a special reinforced white metal.
Aoishii would place her hand on the control plate, as the gate moved free, and she'd hurry out, letting just enough froom for herself as it closed behind her. She could be seen as difficult or ungrateful for all the things she'd been given, but Aoishi believed that she just needed someone that would talk to her like a real person. There was one place she could go each morning to get a little splash of reality in her face.
The streets of Rinkai weren't too busy this early in the morning, she saw a few regulars as she walked down to the city proper. The simple break streets occasionally had a car come by, it really caused the girl to pause as she watched them. A splicing of the old and new... Rinkai, like much of the archipelago, was pretty old-fashioned. It was a place of nature and luxury coated in a strange simplicity. But, even this place couldn't ignore the advances of the mainland, with their ships and their cars, and most critically: the Divers. Everyone had a Dive Implant now, it was how they used any of this mainland technology, but the city still worked hard to keep that rustic charm and appeal. It had resisted modernization for decades, slipping in diving plates and supercomputers where they'd be more out of sight. It was a small was of allowing the people here to feel like they still had some kind of independent culture.
The schoolgirl entered a nice little cafe on the corner. Hyakyi's was well known in the city for having some of the best food in the whole city. It wasn't the food that interested Aoishii, but the matron. Hyakyi, herself, was a woman who's loyalty and care could never come to question. She wasn't a paid servant, either. She'd be straight forward and offer wisdom to those who wished for it.
Looking about the place, nobody else was here. It was only technically open, the breakfast rush would be in another hour, only silly girls like Aoishii would ever bother Hyakyi this early. Like always though, the woman was there... a proud, graceful woman wearing a maid's attrite for her customers. She stood near the back of the place, setting up the final touches on a table. She'd not bother look over immediately, as she finished what she was doing. A tall woman, with slender build... shoulder length blonde hair, and a matching cat's tail that swept the air once at Aoishi. Turning to face the girl, the feline slits were obvious in bright blue eyes.
"Miss Yukari, welcome. Please, take whatever seat you'd like."
To plenty within the town, they'd worry over Hyakyi's appearance. She was Enchanted. Magic had ripped into her and stolen some measure of her humanity. So most people, this was a pretty big deal. On the mainland, Aoishii had seen very few of such people too openly. The archipelago was a bit more diverse with it.
Aoishii took her seat, as she waited for the cat woman to take her order, returning with the hot chocolate as described. The best in town for certain, it made Aoishii melt a bit just drinking it. As she had some, she'd look over to the matron, a little flushed up. The woman spoke again, taking a seat across from the girl.
"Another dream?"
"Mm. It's the same thing... a huge battle. It feels like it gets more real each time it comes."
"Perhaps, you are only remembering more details, or conflating different dreams together?"
"Maybe... but... it feels so harsh. Unfair, really. A whole ocean leaping p to attack a girl. She's not even scared or anything... it just swallows her up. If that is supposed to be dream-me, that is super uncalled for."
"Dreams often speak in metaphor, Miss Yukari. Perhaps some hidden fears or concerns."
"It doesn't feel like a nightmare, though." Aoishii would sigh a bit as she folded her arms under her chest, looking to the drink a little bitterly. "It feels like... I don't know. Like something needs to happen for it. Like I should know something for it."
"Ah, prophetic dreams then? Perhaps you are the universal key, upon which all our fates depend." The cat woman smiled as the girl across from her burst into a little fit of giggles, clasping her hands around the cup she'd been drinking from. "Or, perhaps, it feels more real as it processes through your Implant?"
"Oh. I didn't think about that."
"My dear, you have a mental subversion device in your head. Nobody really, truly, understand dreams. But when you image something it activates the Implant. I can only imagine what a powerful dream could do, especially if you feel lucid."
Aoishii nodded at that. A simple explanation, reasonable. It didn't feel terribly right, but Hyakyi also didn't really try to dismiss her concerns. She was only offering a casual's explanation. Maybe she was right, and Aoishii was overly concerned. That'd be better.
Junna didn't have time to get back to her room and get into something more official. Requisitions could take some time, and she'd want to inspect the equipment herself. She didn't often get defective gear, but she was going to be relying on it. While many of the mercenaries that composed Aeril didn't understand the full nature of the Project, they respected Junna enough to not treat her like a mere child. When she made her requests, they were taken seriously. Rifles, sidearms, infiltration gear, surveillance gear, computers, and light armor fit for smaller female builds were all placed into small containers and put aboard the ship
The ship itself was a Sìthiche-class, sleek and black, with a small extension on the top front of the vessel, dotted with different receivers and probes. Junna would note the anti-infantry gun mounted on the side, safe to assume a twin existed opposite of it. Junna hadn't had the time to change clothing yet again, as she felt herself feeling a bit out of uniform as she ran for the deck of the ship. One of the soldiers standing by tried to object, but Junna wouldn't halt. Racing until she was firmly on the ship, the teenager would huff lightly and press her deck, as the ship started it's final call for any missing crewmembers. They would have likely sent out a Pulse beforehand, but Junna was not yet on their personnel channel. As would be natural a few stragglers made their way, as Junna opened the entry port and slid down the ladder. The soldier at the entry walk clearly identified her, as he made no further attempt to stop her.
"Can't turn away a cute sight like that."
A young man's voice came from below her as she dropped down, and Junna stared at him in a rarer fit of annoyance. The man was rather generically attractive. He had longer, wild blonde hair and a certain fashionably roguish loook in his brown eyes. He was taller than average, and certainly muscular. The uniform he was wearing made him look a bit out of place, as such a pretty boy was wearing military fatigues. It only made Junna remember she was wearing a civillian's dress, and a hint of embarrassment as she had been running around in it so wildly. Her tone shifted to one of a quiet and reserved accusation.
"A pervert?"
"Oi! That's the first thing you say, when I've been waiting for you?"
"Waiting...?"
The man groaned lightly as he rubbed the side of his head. "Yes, waiting. I am Sergeant Nakamiri Shiro, your new wingman. Welcome to the Alfin Heavy Response Team." The man's words almost twinkled as he declared the squad he was a part of. Junna's own response was one of analysis. She'd finally nod her head as she moved to approach him, dropping the heavy bag she had to the floor to give the man a full Imperial salute, her left arm across her chest, fingers formed into a knife shape, as the right arm pointed directly out and down as an angle with the same posture.
"Specialist Junna Six, reporting, sir. I apologize for the disrespectful insinuation."
The response Junna recieves was a much more relaxed salute back to her, as Shiro picked up her bag, grunting a bit in surprise, as he hefted it over his own shoulder. "At ease, Six. I wasn't pulling rank, and you might not even be a Specialist anymore." The man moved down the walkway of the Sìthiche, as Junna quickly followed. Her eyes darted to the sides, a bit surpised at how much room there was to move, easily enough to for 2 people to walk, another could probably squeeze past.
"I was not aware of being awarded any changes in my rank."
"Like I said, you've been moved to the Heavy Response Team, you know what that is, right?"
"Of course." Though it was a bit of a newer concept. Heavy Response was dedicated to those divers who could handle Mortal Frames efficiently. While not every mission called for them, being a part of such a team automatically made them part of a special forces unit. Junna had never needed to team with others, but she'd always been regarded as something separate on her own missions. If it was official, entering such a unit could come with a promotion. Junna didn't really think she'd done anything to earn such a promotion, but it wasn't impossible.
Nakamiri didn't seem to want to say much more on the subject, instead letting Junna contemplate on the matter herself. Before long, they reached a room, where the man pressed a finger to the dive port, opening it and revealing a small room with a single bed. The man set her hefty bag at the foot of the bed and looked back to her with a smile. Junna walked in herself, finding the room to be about what she'd expect, though she hadn't considered the idea of having her own room. It was a luxury on any combat vessel. A small pad next to the bed would control the room's various environmentals, lighting and tempurature mostly. She could likely edit the approved user list for the door from there as well. If her rank did increase, she'd have to remove Nakamiri... Finishing her glance at the room, Junna's eyes fell onto the Sergeant, inclinging her head slightly.
