spellbinders | [JANUARY INTRO LOG

[And here's Orga, the freeloader, still without any kind of job detail or assignment. He's... sorting through his (incredibly lackluster) options, and he'll probably settle on something menial to do for a few hours every couple of days soon, but for now he's taken to acclimating himself both to the city and to the building they were to be living in for the next few weeks.

It'd been a pleasant surprise to find the young woman he'd spoken to on his first day here to be a flatmate of his. There was a kind of clipped nature to her speech that felt a little odd at first, but he found out soon enough that it was attributed more to her mien than her disposition towards him.

That, and she's the kind of person who would bring food back enough for the two of them? Oh, Juli, you know the fastest way to any young Martian man's heart is through his stomach. As soon as it's offered, a gigantic grin spreads across his face, infecting him with a loose positive energy.] Juli! You're a lifesaver. Thanks.

[Literally. Orga can't really cook at all. There's a reason he hired Atra to do it for him.

He grabs a plate and is fixing a... moderate portion. She said some, and he would respect that.]

Hey, [he continues, remembering something,] I got someone coming by to visit later this evening. That alright?

[ And she will take the rest. She'll get on his case if he doesn't pull his weight eventually but for now she'll let him get settled. She learned years ago that providing food was a good way to make herself useful. Since she knows him, she doesn't mind. It was a nice surprise to have him here after they met earlier. Saves her the trouble of introductions. ]

No problem. Just the one right?

[Don't worry, Juli... Orga's the kind of guy who would be driven mad if he remained idle for too long anyway. He's just been taking his time getting his bearings before he decides on whatever menial busywork to start dedicating long hours of his days to.

And he'll be sure to get some take-out for the two of them with his first paycheck, to pay her back.

He feels as though the bounty of different food that Shehui offered was going to hopelessly spoil him. It's not that what Atra made wasn't good or anything - it was - but there was just so much choice. It seemed excessive.

He's got a mouthful of food when she asks the question, so he answers with a wordless, ] mhm, [hovering near the corner between the kitchen and the living room area. He didn't think there was much reason to sitting again, since he's pretty sure Mika should be here soon.

Mouth clear of food, he clarifies.] Someone from back home. I managed to find him a little while after meeting up with you.

[A beat.] You find anyone from where you're from around here?

[Taking another bite of dinner, blissfully unaware of the irony thick in the air...]

That's nice. I've found a few myself.

[ Not all of them nice though. Really she only cares for one of them. Yet she's been able to avoid conflict since the last incident and isn't too concerned that she might run into them again any time soon. Certainly not here in her own apartment. He seems alright so his friends must be acceptable too. If she doesn't like it she'll just finish her meal in her own room. ]

Good.

[He means it, though if he knew what types of people they were, he might be a little more concerned.] It's good to have an anchor in places like this, with all that's going on.

[Because, to him, that's what Mika represented. Their lives had been nothing but turbulent seas for years, but he'd always been able to steer them as best he could because he knew he had a fixed point he could always rely on.

He hears a noise at the door.] Oh. There he is. [He leaves his half-eaten plate of food on the table as he goes to get the door.

Unknowing... unwitting...]

[ Floor nine, room two. This must be the right place — after the little run-in with one of his roommates, things have felt a little awkward, perhaps, for Orga. Things like that didn't matter much to him — they have always been this way for as long as he could remember, and there was no reason for then to change anything about how they acted for the sake of others, if it wasn't necessarily harmful.

But then, whether it was at his assigned space or Orga's, as long as they can be near each other it didn't matter much to Mika. An anchor, a point of stability that he knew to be constant, all the more so now from the brief lack of it that spanned the month beforehand.

He reaches for the door but it's opened from the inside before he could get the handle, and Mika tilts his head up, his good eye angled towards the taller boy. ]

Hey, Orga.

[ The greeting cuts off, his expression frozen between split second of surprise and disbelief, so rare to him. The next second he is in the room, pushing his body between that of Orga and Julieta; a shoulder pressed back against Orga's side, the barrel of the gun aimed steadily, unerringly at the girl. ]

Orga. [ his voice is as quiet and as steady as his aim, scarcely louder than the click of the safety going off. ] What is she doing here?

[ At first she's interested to meet Orga's friend. That's when she realizes they've already met. It's him. And they're right back to where they left off. Keeping her eyes on him, she puts her food down and shows him her hands. The plastic takeout utensils she was using won't do her any good, but the gun he's holding can be manipulated and disarmed. But first she'd like an explanation from Orga. ]

Wait, who are you?

[Everything happens very quickly.

But he's used to that, and there's a part of his brain that adapts to it, slowing events down and beginning to leap into a rapid pace. In one moment he's beaming at his friend, prepared to greet him in return, and then he watches the expression of ease and contentedness freeze on Mika's face and then turn sharp, cold, wild.] Wh — [catches in his throat as he's bodily pushed aside, Mika placing himself between him and his roommate, the gun already drawn and trained on her.

What the fuck?]

Oi, oi, oi oi oi, [he's stepping to Mika's side, carefully reaching out to his hand, trying to push his arm up so that the gun would point (not really all that) harmlessly to the ceiling.] Mika. [His voice was rough, gravel in the pit of his throat, scarcely above a growl. Somewhere in his mind he acknowledges that Mika thought this necessary, so it was worth approaching with caution, but...] I have not given you an order. Stand down.

[He slowly removes his hand from Mika's wrist, staring him down, steely gaze expecting compliance.

He has questions piled up at his feet, both those levied at him and those that he wanted answered, now. He works through them one at a time.] She's my roommate. [Towards Mika, his tone taking a slow step back towards normalcy, but still rather strained.] And I'm Orga Itsuka. Leader of Tekkadan.

[He feels that might clear up some confusion. He's going to step out on a limb here and assume whatever bad blood between these two hand't accumulated over a few short weeks. It took something a lot more grave to get Mika into a mode like this.

Now he's the one to carefully place himself between the two.]

Listen up. While I'm here, we're going to talk, and we're going to do it peaceably. So, with that in mind, will one of you please tell me what the hell is going on?

[ the arm underneath Orga's grip is tense, almost rigid in its single-minded focus — but only for a moment. Mika has never refused Orga anything in all the time they've known each other, and while he knows, his whole body thrumming with the thrill and tension of this unexpected encounter, it's no exception.

without anybody else from Tekkadan here, the job of protecting the centrepiece of them all — Orga — it falls naturally on Mika. He understands that he is the person holding them all together; he holds Mika in his place, after all, and Mika understands that there is nobody else better suited, better adapted for the role that he's stepped into than Orga himself. That is why. ]

—Alright.

[ finally, he relents, let's Orga take the centre stage once more, between him and Julieta. he drops his arm, the point of it trained away from the both of them, but especially Orga — yes, he hasn't forgotten about that last time at all, Juli. His gaze is unwavering from her hands, catching every movement. ]

She's Gjallarhorn.

[ The way she understands it is that she's been housed with the enemy. There must be some mistake. That or someone's out for her. Either way she doesn't like it. That was close. She almost befriended the leader of Tekkadan. It's such a betrayal to her expectations that she's completely thrown off by it. Her heart is still pounding from the more familiar threat of Mikazuki. Even with the gun not actively pointing at her, its presence is still just as unwelcome as its owner. She nods to Orga, agreeable to his desire to keep this from escalating and also in confirmation of what was said. ]

It's true. I serve with the Arianrhod Fleet.

[As long as Mika holds the gun with intent to shoot, Orga's grip is like iron around his wrist, his gaze as sharp and cutting as the edge of a finely-honed knife. He waits, presence brokering no room for leeway or disagreement, until Mika concedes. He releases him when he finally accepts the command, still standing nearby long enough to watch the gun's trajectory fall to the floor. Before he steps away, Orga gives the younger boy another pointed gaze, as if to say, put it away.

There were times he wanted Mika holding a gun to "help" along certain deliberations and agreements. This was not one of those times.

Gjallarhorn. Well, it certainly checked out, with how Mika had reacted. He looks to Julieta, waiting for further explanation, and what he's given is even worse than what he feared. He has to stifle a groan. Arianrhod. Fuck, this would've been so much simpler if she was simply one of McGillis' cronies...

His hand drags down his face, pausing to pinch at the bridge of his nose.

What a headache.]

Okay. [Said after a long moment's thought. He lowers his hand, looking to Juli.] Here's how I see it. While we're here, we're not Tekkadan. Not as far as what it would mean in your eyes, anyway. They're back home, with Gjallarhorn and all the rest of it. If we let that come between us, it'll only fuck with us in the long run of whatever we have to do here.

[He's looking to Mika now, gaze still cautioning.] We've got enough enemies outside of our number to deal with them among us, as well.

[Now back to Juli. There's a pang of disappointment to it, looking at the total change in the way she regarded him. He still doesn't really know what the fuck the Arianhrod Fleet's deal is with Tekkadan, but he suspects something to do with McGillis. He really doesn't want to have to eat that dude's flack right now, but, well, here they were.]

Do you agree to this, Julieta?

[ Mika doesn't understand all of the things that are happening to them — rather, it's more specifically to say that he does understand each situation as they occur, enough to be able to make instant judgements on obviously time-sensitive matters — but he doesn't necessarily understand the bigger picture that they all make together when gathered in a group as a whole.

Their roles in Tekkadan have clearly divided, something that Mika has had no objections with before. This situation with Julieta and the Arianhrod is one of those things; pieces of the whole, and they don't even hold all the pieces, yet.

In the long run of whatever we have to do here — We've got enough enemies outside our number. Mika holds the gaze for a moment, for as long as Orga keeps his eyes on him. There are still edges, the sharpness of his eyes not quite gone yet, before Mika wordlessly shifts to eject the magazine, unloading the gun with a quick, practiced flick of the wrist (a sharp snap that slides the lock open and sends the bullet falling to the floor. Catches it underfoot, with intention to pick it up later. The gun, emptied of everything, coming to rest on his side.

He doesn't understand it all yet, nor is Mika attempting to; this doesn't mean that he's had a sudden change of heart about the girl — he'd trust her less than he could throw her. But he trusts Orga. ]

... Alright.

[ Normally if she was involved in solving a problem, violence would be necessary. However, negotiation is less unfamiliar territory for her now than it was when she first arrived. She's learned a thing or two since that fight they had and won't be immediately jumping to that again. She's willing to talk and as he empties his gun that removes another barrier to her cooperation. Her hands as well as her shoulders drop from their stiff posture. It leaves a sick feeling that she shared food and enjoyed his company only to have it turn out like this. ]

I get what you're saying. It was the same with Fareed when we agreed on a truce with him.

[Orga doesn't even have anything close to the whole picture. When McGillis had lent help to deal with the Dawn Horizon Corps, he had given Orga the impression that it was on behalf of Gjallarhorn as a larger, singular entity. That had apparently not been the entire truth, as the Arianhrod Fleet had saw fit to harry them as soon as they had arrived on the scene.

He'd been rushing them along at the beginning regardless... Tch. Orga should've suspected something like that.

Fareed's scheme was more transparent to him now, as was the reasons why the most powerful fleet in Gjallarhorn's number would oppose it. But as far as they were concerned, Tekkadan had been a one-time ally; it's not as though he had made his agreement public. Their further interference, then, was nothing but a confusion to him. And a vast frustration.

Mika concedes further, unloading the gun. Orga, satisfied, looks away from him, knowing he would bare fangs no further. That's one thing dealt with, at least for now. He's going to have to talk with Mika about it more later, to make sure he understood.

His gaze sharpens a bit as the name is mentioned.] He's here? [That would complicate things. Does their agreement even persist here? Orga's gut instinct is no, not when either aspect of it was so far out of reach, not when they had the work of this witch to be doing instead. But the fact that lines and divisions could be drawn so easily and dangerously between them would simply be a wound left to fester if not dealt with promptly.]

Well, that's the long of short of it. We're going to need to figure out some kinda truce. The reasons we were fighting back home don't exist here. [Whatever reasons they were... Orga's still not exactly clear on those? Rustal's never bothered to contact him.]

So, Juli, [he says, leaning a shoulder against the corner he had been at a short while ago, chin lifted a bit as he asks,] am I welcome here, or not?

[ Mika stands just to one side of the other boy, his gaze fixed unerringly on that of Julieta; he's too used to every little inflection and motion of orga's that he would know instantly on what he wants him to do — with the orders to stand down in place, the only thing he could do is watch, to see what the girl would do.

She had done... something funny to his gun, the last time. It felt like some kind of whiplash of electricity, some force of power that wasn't familiar to him, and he'd be damned if he'd let her do anything of the sort to Orga. ]

He was here.

[ Her voice trails off when she recals Gaelio and how he's taking his disappearance. It's hard enough seeing him that way that she wouldn't bring up the subject unless it's necessary. Now that he's out of the picture they wouldn't have to deal with the complications he brought with him. He deserved credit too for the seeds of the truce they speak of now. Had he not reached out to her she might not be so willing to consider it. There's no hostility in her thoughts towards either of them. One more wary glance at Mikazuki before her gaze returns to the one he's so intent on protecting. Orga continuing to call her by that name even now catches her off guard. It's odd to her that he would want to be that familiar with her, knowing who she is, that he wouldn't walk out on his own. If she approaches this with a clear head, they could possibly find a solution together. ]

It's fine by me. We can talk about it.

[Was.

Orga's expression resolves a little more into a frown. He's not sure what's more complicated, either having McGillis here or being without him as a linchpin between himself and Gjallarhorn. Though it might not even work out that well, considering the discord he'd seen between the two factions in the last few months, and not to mention what the man had outlined to him as his plan. As much as a primary instinct of Orga's tells him not to get himself into the middle of an internal conflict between Gjallarhorn fleets, but, well. He's already in it, unfortunately.

He can sense Mika's threatening presence at his elbow, though his own expression is a little more reserved. To continue to worry at differences carried from back home would only prove to be a strategical error here. He watches her carefully, waiting for her decision.

The one she gives is probably the best that he could've asked for. He gives a nod, accompanied with a short sigh that was actually half-breath of relief.]

Alright. Good.

[He glances to Mika for a moment, sharing a wordless exchange with him, before looking back to his Gjallarhorn roommate.] We'll give you some space. When I come back tomorrow, we can hammer something out. Sound fair?

[ Perhaps the heart of the problem was that Julieta and Mikazuki simply got off on the very wrong foot altogether from the beginning. Even with McGillis' initial presence it wasn't enough to stave off the open hostility from either side nor was whatever agreement that had been established enough to dissipate it -- Mikazuki might have been McGillis' ally, yes, and acted accordingly to it, but the orders and the decision to do so ultimately all came down from Orga.

So he'll follow along with whatever he decides here and now, again, as always.

Their eyes meet, and Mikazuki gives a slightest tilt of his chin, a nod, before his gaze too returns to the girl. ]

I'll talk to Gaelio and let you know what we come up with.

[ She takes notice of how he is around Orga. His presence is a necessity if they are to move beyond fighting with each other. This is her first time encountering him in person without coming to blows. So far it's been successful. They might even be able to talk about this the way they were talking so casually earlier, instead of like some wartime negotiations. As for Mikazuki, she'll watch him until he leaves, but more out of interest than caution. ]

[It certainly wouldn't be the first time they'd end up working on at least somewhat friendly terms with people who had tried to kill them in the past. Not just McGillis and his branch of Gjallarhorn, but, hell, even the Turbines had turned their guns and suits against them at first. So little was set in stone, instead drifting until alliances set them into temporary alignment.

As they set into a temporary truce, as of now.]

Alright. Just let me know.

[Gaelio... The name is ringing a bell, but he's going to have to think on it a little bit more.

Until then, though, they should take their leave. He gives Mika a short look, then regards Juli for a moment before lifting one hand in a half-wave. Then he turns and makes for the door, knowing Mika would do the same and follow.]

[JANUARY INTRO LOG | WORLD TWO]

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slams in here like a kool-aid man

OH NO

troy walking in with pizza.gif

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