dramadramaduck | 002 ♣ video

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alice yotsuba [cure rosetta]

002 ♣ video | canon start

[Ducks, on the screen is a girl that's been a little quiet since she first appeared some time ago. There's a much more serious expression on her face than the last time she was here, too; it's stretching into the evening where she is, if the huge windows behind her are any indication. The room's lavishly appointed, and it seems she's hard at work on something, considering the papers strewn everywhere. It's hard to tell from this angle, but it looks like... security camera footage? A cup of tea sits on a saucer next to her, having grown cold from neglect.]

Good evening... I apologize for the late hour, but I seem to be in need of some advice, and it seemed there were a number of worldly beings here. I... have a bit of a dilemma. Earlier today, I was at one of our facilities, the Clover Tower, for a visit - I wanted to ensure everything was running smoothly, and it is always good to peek in and ensure people enjoy the things you do. A corporation exists to serve its customers, after all... ah, but I am getting sidetracked. There was an incident today, during my visit. I am not entirely sure what happened, which is why I am reviewing security footage at the moment, but thankfully none of the visitors were injured.

That said... I have some information that is slightly troubling to consider. It seems one of my friends has gotten involved in today's events, and I am unsure what to do... she seems to be hiding it from me. I am sure I could call her and ask, but the chances are good that she will simply try to laugh and tell me nothing of note happened, which I know is patently false. It is not because she is trying to be secretive, however... I believe that she is probably trying to protect me from something. However, without knowing what she is trying to protect me from, there is little I can do... so I am at a crossroads.

Should I ask her to reveal what happened, using the camera footage from the Clover Tower as leverage? Or would it be better to wait until she is ready to tell me, and if she notices I am being sensitive to the issue, assure her I will give her as long as she needs?

...Ah. As an addition, if there is anyone present from my world here, please be aware that the Clover Tower will be closed tomorrow; we will be completing an investigation into the day's events, and until we are certain the building is safe to reopen, I am unwilling to possibly put visitors in danger. I apologize for the inconvenience. [She bows faintly, before nodding.]

I hope the evening finds you well, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your attention. [With a slight smile, she kills the feed.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If it threatens something, it is best to confront. But if you lie to protect, then there is a gray margin of error.

At this moment, there is no threat. Or at least, what seemed to be a threat has been contained. It is... regrettable, but I believe it may be necessary to let her keep her secret for now.

...Although it still saddens me, that she believes she needs to protect me. I can take care of myself. [A sigh, and a brief sip of her tea; she grimaces slightly when she realizes it's cold.]

People lie to protect those they love. It seems to be a common human nature thing I am unfamiliar with.

I agree, that is very like her. It would be better not to ask, then. I will have to trust her. She was always very bad at being able to hold her tongue, so I do not believe it will be long before she tells me the truth.

When the time comes, ask her. There will be no doubting the truth once it requires to happen.

Yes, I am confident a time will come when she will be able to provide me an answer. Until then... I must solve this mystery alone.

[Alice's expression seems to change; she's been worrying over what happened today, but now that she's resolved on how to handle it, she seems to relax a little.]

I fear I have missed quite a bit since I was last able to spare time to make an appearance here... to start with, what is your name, sir?

Good luck to you.

And I am Beet J Stag. The J stands for Juice. And I am an egotist.

[Silence. Congratulations, J, you broke her.]

I... well. Um. [She clears her throat.] Nice to meet you. I apologize, that was... not quite what I was expecting.

There are many people, but only one me. I am not surprised you are surprised.

I suppose so... [Wow, he really is one of a kind. And arrogant... wait, he said he was an egotist? Okay, that checks out.] It is difficult to follow an introduction like that, particularly when it would be... quite a bit less significant.

I am a member of a Sentai after all.

[...The Sentai? Well, that was big.]

That may explain a lot. One expects such storied heroes to have attention-grabbing introductions. An uninteresting introduction precedes a bland character.

I am nothing but direct. I am a part of 2012's Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. My creator is Jin Masato.

[A search on Jin would reveal the usual; robotics genius, prolific inventor, crazy, and presumed missing 13 years ago.]

[Your maker and, now that you've identified yourself, history precede you.]

I fear our worlds are quite different, then. A construct of your level is beyond our present technology, though I would be excited to see if when it becomes more common.

It is possible we are from different eras. It has been established that the worlds can be similar to one another. I do not see Enetron plugs in your home either.

That would be the most sensible explanation... though it still leaves much to be explained. [How far in the future? Were humans still on Earth? Did the Yotsuba Group still exist?]

The field of robotics is best utilized through the Enetron Management Center, although we have been operating for some time since the original center vanished. [It wasn't far at all, and if she would press further into the subject, the EMC was actually noteworthy a year ago.]

That... that kinda depends on what type of incident happened, I guess. What happened?

I cannot share details, as I am not entirely sure what happened myself - that is why I am still reviewing the camera footage from the Clover Tower's elevator lobby, observation deck, and roof; they represent more than a dozen feeds, so it is slow work - but what I know is...

[Alice picks up a small notepad, reading from it as she explains:] ...that there were multiple attacks on visitors, significant damage occurred to the structure of the Tower including a cut elevator cable, and some kind of incident took place on the roof. I have assembled a relatively complete image of the events elsewhere, but the cameras on the roof are... insufficient, to understand what happened. I am still attempting to discover the truth of that. I do, however, know my friend was involved - footage from the staircase shows her running up after the elevator cable was cut, and well after evacuation began.

... Attacks on visitors? And you're friend is getting involved with this.

[ It couldn't be what she was thinking of, right... Oh. Who was she kidding, it was probably exactly what she was thinking off. ]

Do you have any clear shoots of the attackers? Maybe some of us here can help you figure out what's going on?

She is quite responsible for things in general; I believe I saw her teacher sleeping on their bus as I arrived, so that should be a sign of how much he trusts her to handle things. I, too, trust her with my life; if it were anyone else, I would be demanding answers, but as it stands I will give her the benefit of the doubt.

As for the attackers... I am sorry, but I do not have clear images, and cannot present them even if I did. This is currently an internal investigation, and if I were to release those pictures, even to sources on other worlds, there is a chance they would go public - I am unprepared to start the damage control that could cause. Security at Yotsuba Group facilities is quite good, and I am unwilling to compromise that for any reason. [Sheesh, stingy.]

Alright. I guess I can understand that. Not wanting this to get out, I mean.

Anyway, to answer your question from before, it might be best to wait until she tells you herself. Or until you actually figure out what's going on with that footage, if what she's involved in is dangerous enough that you think that you're not going to be able to wait for her to tell you.

I have no choice but to monitor the situation, I think. Should something happen, I will find her and ask what is happening, but for the moment, I do not believe I need to intervene. As it stands, though, I do not believe she will be able to hide things from me for long; cameras in various locations aside, she is a terrible liar most of the time, and when I am ready to confront her, she will likely tell me everything I wish to know.

Oh. In that case, I guess you really don't have anything to worry about then, at least as far as her telling you is concerned. If... well, if she's as bad of a liar as you say, she probably doesn't even want to lie in the first place so if she's your friend she'll probably let you know sooner or later anyway.

I believe you are right. She tends to be very open with her feelings, and she is a large part of the reason I am the young woman I am today. She will put her trust in me eventually. I need only wait.

...Still, though... this bothers me. There is no sensible reason to attack a structure like this. Nothing stands to be gained, except fear.

Fear... might just be what whoever was behind this was aiming for though. It's probably going to be difficult to figure out what they wanted unless you find clearer shots of the attackers.

That is true enough. When I can find that information and it is safe to reveal, I will see what I can do. Until then... all I can do is tighten security and hope nothing more occurs.

Well, good luck on figuring out what's going on, Yotsuba-san.

And if it's something that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, feel free to let the rest of us on the community know about it. We might be able to help you figure it out, considering the different backgrounds of everyone here.

Thank you... I am hoping luck does not come into play, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same.

I will try to keep the community in mind if something else happens... but as the saying goes, I do not intend to go looking for trouble where there is none.

[ Well, it didn't mean that she actually thought that Alice would need to be lucky... but whatever. ]

I know, but I just wanted to remind you that we were all here if whatever you find out doesn't seem to make much sense. A lot of us here are from worlds where things that aren't exactly considered normal are commonplace, after all.

I will keep it in mind. One way or another, we will resolve this incident, and ideally peaceful days will return.

[Ha. Ha, ha, no.]

Alright then. I'll talk to you later, Yotsuba-san.

Hopefully about something a lot more pleasant though.

If you think someone's protecting you, they probably have good reasons for not mentioning it.

That is probably a reasonable conclusion, particularly in this case - the person in question is known for getting in over her head to protect others. I simply hope she knows when to stop and search for aid, rather than continuing in a situation she does not understand.

Do you think she'd get into a situation she didn't understand?

I suppose it all really depends on the nature of the incident and of her involvement.

The Yotsuba Group does not comment on rumors and speculation. [Automatically, not even looking at the computer. After a moment, she catches herself.] Ah, I apologize - the response is habit, after a while. In any event, I am not entirely sure on the details of the incident, but suffice to say there was an attack on a building we own, the Clover Tower, and while damage was extensive, it somehow was repaired in the blink of an eye, and the assailant disappeared. My friend was involved in an unknown fashion; camera footage caught her running to the observation platform via an emergency staircase after the elevator cable was cut. I have glimpses proving she was on the observation deck and the roof during the following altercation, but nothing concrete enough to present.

Frankly, the entire case is puzzling, but I am determined to find answers, even if they are not strong arguments as of yet.

[Wow, that's quite a verbal wall of text. One details stands out among the rest to Karen, though. It's the same detail that stood out two years ago. Or six years ago, or one year ago, or a few months from now. Whatever. Fuck this comic book time shit.]

You said the damage was suddenly repaired?

Yes... That is one of the more puzzling aspects of the case. [She picks up a notepad sitting next to her, flipping through pages before she finds the one she wants, beginning to summarize from notes.]

There was damage to the elevator shaft, the cable to the elevator car was cut - thankfully it was empty - damage occurred both in the elevator lobby and on the observation deck, and a hole was smashed through the deck's ceiling. There was additional damage on the roof we were not able to catalog entirely, but... what we know is consistent with an incident that started in the lobby, somehow climbed the elevator shaft to the observation deck, burst through a hole in the ceiling onto the roof, continued there for a time, and then continued off the side of the building before being contained somehow.

[Putting the pad back down, she sighs lightly.] It makes no sense, which is why we are investigating, but we will probably abandon it as a lost cause in short order and reopen the Tower in a few days.

I see. There were a few similar incidents at my school some time ago. The sort of damage you describe seems consistent, but it's the disappearing damage that has me certain of a connection.

[Karen takes a deep breath.]

This will sound crazy, but... are you familiar with the idea of magical girls?

I have heard of the concept, but... they cannot be real. Science does not allow for such things, no matter how much we may want them.

That's very true. And yet, here I am.

Maybe you could let her know that you're worried and ready to listen?

I will have to do that, I suspect. Although, I am not certain she will react positively - if she is hiding things from me, my letting her know that I know something is wrong will only worry her further. So it is a little bit of a double-edged sword.

Mm. I guess it is. I just thinking being honest with people you care about is important.

I completely agree. I will ask her when the time is right... which will probably be soon, I would imagine. Our information network is fairly adept at putting together an accurate picture of an incident, but it takes a little time. By the time everything is ready, I will be able to present a complete case and find out the truth.

A whole information network...? Wow, impressive!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

002 ♣ video | canon start

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