Depth.
@Avalanche the MC's frame name hasn't been updated in the stats list, but we know what it is IC. Is there some deep meaning behind this? Or have you just not updated that part yet?
"Just come in already cadet. You do know you could have knocked right?" Instructor Parks says from the screen, frowning slightly, "Just make sure you don't emit any rads in here, alright? Highly sensitive equipment is lying around inside. I suppose you're here to visit Cadet Rokusabe, the First Year?"
"Yes. Yes," you agree and confirm, noting to yourself that you needed to maintain passive stealth inside the infirmary.
So we have active stealth systems? Did we lose them? Are we normally running higher levels of stealth as we move around campus? Is passive stealth why we surprised him so easily?
The door slides open and you step into a corridor, several meters long, with blank walls of cold, black metal lit by sterile white lights. In fact, they only emitted visible light and lower wavelengths.
Anna, seeing all the colors, in fact seeing most of the wave spectrum. Because she can.
"He's in room zero zero one three. Recovered completely. Already awake too."
Are there at least 12 other cadets currently injured enough to be here? How does the room # system work here?
You pause slightly at the news, a warmth filling your stomach.
"Already awake? Fully recovered?"
"Yep. Surprised me a lot too. Just make sure you don't emit. He's still purging the nanomachines and the last thing he needs now is goo cancer."
Ah. You had been warned about 'Goo Cancer' in Alaska. Nanomachines were rapidly degraded by radiation, but there was a possibility that the radiation could instead damage the tiny machines in a way that only their replication restrictions were removed. The results were short lived and nasty, but even that thought doesn't diminish your improved mood.
So did his frame help boost his recovery? I mean the "Surprised me a lot too" bit but they aren't treating as that big of a deal. So I guess it's more the mental recovery + wake up speed and less the "Heal HP" part.
Parks cracks open an eye and stares at you speculatively for a moment, "Anna, will you be getting a scan here before you leave? Valks occasionally do let injuries go unnoticed."
You think it over for a moment. You didn't really feel suspicious of the UN any longer and you were trusting your friends to their care, but even so…
"Not this time, perhaps later."
Even so, we're still a little worried about letting our impeller field down while things hit our body that aren't pillows.
-Are you here to make friends?-
…It was fine. Even if Koujirou hated you now, it wouldn't matter. You're just here to make sure he was okay. Even if everyone else hated you, it wouldn't matter. As long as they lived.
No matter the cost.
NANOHA GUIDE TO HELPING PEOPLE INSTEAD OF BEFRIENDING THEM.
Koujirou shifts, and you gulp slightly, but he only raises his arms. A soft white glow announces something materialising from his storage, and a few minutes later, his melee halberd floats above his hands. Individual component manifestation? Impressive. It wasn't easy to express a individual component that was synchronised with the Valkyrie Frame without bringing the rest of the frame with it.
Koujirou leveled up! *Play FF level up music.*
Small flickers of white light play across the length of the sword. It looks different from yesterday, broader and slightly longer. With a strangely heavy click, another section of blade extends from the handle, making the weapon much longer than what it had been yesterday. A flare of white light washes over the blade, and a series of mechanical components materialise over the back of the sword, most likely thrusters you guess.
I'm thinking this was a tier unlock?
You fall silent, resigned. If he won't accept your apology, then there was nothing more that you could do.
Suspicion. Condemnation. Blame. Attacks.
Retaliation?
Recall back when that one chick was sounding ok about killing people as 'acceptable' friendly fire causalities? And then we had a new 'target' to acquire for a moment? I'm thinking Anna's negative feelings of being hated have been taken in by Durga. Anna won't fight humans. But Durga will fight them for her.
"I should have refused. I knew that nothing good would come from fighting against humans, but I…"
Koujirou huffs slightly, looking exasperated.
"Hey, c'mon now. I learned my Frame's name and unlocked one of my weapon configurations. With how things are, I might even get another one of my Frame systems next time we practice against each other."
I kinda find it odd, how we call other people, humans. It's not "Fight other people" it's "Fight other humans". Does it mean something or is it a British thing?
"Look Anna, we are all told to treat the scenarios in the simulators like real life. If I needed to hit an Antagonist as fast as you on the battlefield, I would have to push myself just as far," he says quietly, "This is practice for the real thing, are you going to tell me that's wrong? "
…He was right.
"I… no, but- I still don't want to hurt you- or anyone."
...Durga also said that just having them fight Antagonists and getting hurt would be best training. Even through it'd be more dangerous.
"I won't do what?"
"Hurt me. You won't."
A startled laugh escapes you at the ironic echo and Koujirou makes a small fist pumping motion at that.
Kouji is already cribbing our lines. As long as he does it well I don't mind.
You stare at Koujirou, somewhat suspicious.
"Really! I won't be screwing with my safety settings when practicing with you. I promise."
You nod slightly at that. It was… nice that Koujirou didn't blame you for his injury, that he was still kind to you. Nice but… strange.
…You felt light. Almost floaty.
"Then I will hold us both to that."
Anna's been hurting from her fellow townsmen blaming her for so long, and she accepted it because she believed she failed them and deserved it. Having someone she perceives to have failed not blame her, and still like her is... new for Anna.
On the subject of safeties…
"What… are Frame safeties like? Surely they shouldn't be easy to override."
Did... did Anna never encounter any safeties? Did she never had those restrictions from going too fast and all that?
Koujirou shrugs slightly at that, "Kandakara always had a closer margin setting than other frames, but I dunno, it wasn't hard or anything, I just kinda wanted to? I mean, I'd need to go through all the menus and stuff usually, this time, I didn't need that though."
"Go through the menus usually? Koujirou, how often-"
Koujirou chokes and cuts you off before you finish your question, "Gah- Uh, I mean, I figured it out from the tutorial during my first time synching. So, you know, it isn't really-" he cuts himself off, takes a bit of a breath, then continues, meeting your eyes. "Anna, don't get the wrong idea, this is the first time I've actually pushed past the safeties, but I made sure I knew how to, just in case you know?"
Suspicious! But uh closer margin setting mean the safeties are closer to where it's dangerous or closer to where it's safe? I'm not quite sure which.
You nod slightly in acceptance of the explanation, but it still strikes you as strange that he had the option at all outside of High Alert Conditions.
Maybe it was a… 'feature' of his frame? Perhaps you could try ask it directly? Durga rarely returned more than vague emotions the various times when you tried talking to her as far as you remembered, but maybe Kandakara was different.
Did Durga cause us to forget while healing us? Is some of our past neuro damage result a pseudo alternate personality that inhabits Durga but wishes to remain unknown?
It was just past six in the morning, what else was there to do?
…Maybe you should just go wait in the classroom-
Durga chimes in, alerting you to another one of those mysterious messages suddenly arriving. You sigh and open it and your voice whispers out, "Reminder to Anna Sanchez. Sleep. Eat breakfast. Do other normal things. End message."
Ah, sleep, that's right.
Oh yeah, that's a thing that exists. Man if that doesn't show how busy(?) how often she was fighting... yikes.
Speaking of Sandra and Shuri, you glance over at their Flight.
All three neophytes had already left, and the remaining original member, Catherine Han, was snoring into Shuri's shoulder, somehow managing to shuffle into class and immediately fall asleep leaning against the other Valkyrie. The ace didn't seem too bothered by it, gently poking the other girl awake as Instructor Meyer steps up to the podium.
Aww cute. I guess they've got a squad of three now?
You frown at the false praise and continue monitoring the situation. Setsuna stares at her screen in bewilderment and starts angrily typing. You read her message through the camera even before she sends it but you decide to wait until your receive it to give it consideration.
I guess we're ok with watching people, but we're also ok with waiting to see if they actually send it to us or not before replying.
Yukari saves you by shaking her head minutely and speaking up, "Koujirou might appear absentminded, but he's actually fairly perceptive of the people around him, I don't think we will need to worry too much about him trying that again."
"Speaking of yesterday, you were totally amazing Anna," Setsuna suddenly chirps with a grin, "When can we do that again?"
"I agree," says Yukari with a slight shake of her head, "I understood that you were skilled, but that was beyond all my expectations."
Setsuna and Yukari confirmed for Dark Souls players. "Man we got totally owned..."
.... "LETS DO IT AGAIN! WAHOOOO".
You lean back in your seat, slightly alarmed at Setsuna's eagerness. It was comforting that neither hated you after yesterday, but to wish to fight against you again… Yukari was not objecting against the idea either. Rather, she was looking over with an expression of obvious interest.
Were both of them like Koujirou, actually looking forward to matching against you again?
Ugh.
I wonder, is the disgust from a fear of hurting them, or the fact that we have to constantly repress the urge to destroy them and that they're just no where near us in skill?
Setsuna frowns in contemplation at that but Yukari waves her hand dismissively, "Last night was practically a Missile Defence or Zero Suppression scenario, I can afford to take a few hits if it means it's more likely the main target is hit."
…You're not sure if you'd be okay with that.
I'm assuming she refers to taking damage if it's more likely to hit the main target. Anna thinks this is kinda low class and they should be able to hit the target without hitting each other. Get good scrubs. We're not ok with friendly fire because you can't be accurate enough!
Also 'was practically a Missile Defense or Zero Suppression scenario." And combined with the earlier bit about "I understood that you were skilled, but that was beyond all my expectations." seems to hint that she doesn't know of our full activities in Alaska. I.E slaying a Zero solo, and soloing a minor breach + sealing it as well. It appears to be that all she knows is that we were a skilled elite that was part of the Alaska Offensive.
"I dumped the charge that you built up in my Impeller as you fired."
She stares for a second and sardonically asks, "You dumped the charge? Just like that?"
Uh.
"Yes?"
Yukari rubs her face with her hands and sighs slightly, "Okay. I should diversify I guess and I do need take some new systems to replace the ones I lost."
Yukari's response to being told that her charge up attack is no sell-able is to go... "Welp I guess I need different guns then."
At that, conversation changes to other more casual topics and you busy yourself with food, ignoring Yukari's still present and obvious amusement whenever she looks your way.
Yukari enjoys our discomfort at being forced into teaching them.