Match of the Millennium

Description: Noel continues to follow orders in Southtown, combing the area for the lost Command Gear for the UN under NOL orders. While she doesn't find anything, she is found by Leona! In a mostly one sided questioning, Noel and Leona talk.

[NOEL]
South Town Outskirts - Day
<<-A single missing gear may be more important than the machine it is in.->>

Sent to search for Alma, Noel had found herself in combat that she had anything but anticipated. A man and the rage of blood, a monster and the roar of the earth. What had started as a recon, search, and rescue had become something more. Recovery from the very last assault had long been over - yet the woman clad in the blue, white, and gold outfit remained within the area.

It was now part of the mission.

A Gear, missing, had been identified as lost in Japan. The destruction of the town, of the lives she had hoped to protect, yet possible even after she had fought to protect them - promised some they would be alright. Orders, however, were orders. To not follow them... NOL would not look kindly upon such reckless actions and such blatent disregard. It would be an anything but kind retaliation. Now, the form within the bulky coat would simply stride through. There were little chances of retaliation for now. It wasn't clear which side she was on, it seemed, for many of those in the towns.

It would be good if that remained the case. If that did not change.

[LEONA]
The blood will flow. Leona hated the fact as much as she knew it to be true.

Returned to Japan with steeled resolve and a stronger sense of purpose, the mission was simple in its horrific difficulty - Stop Justice. Stop anyone from using Justice. But Leona Heidern had an additional motivation than just orders and the Ikari, something was in her blood and she needed to understand it. So she returns to where it first stirred. To Japan. To find out more about the man that attacked that day.

Staking the points she has intel on, she has hopes of finding others, and one in particular. Imagine her luck to see the bulky coated blonde walking not far from where she's been sitting and watching and waiting. Luck in that the blonde girl should show up, not luck in noticing the very obviously dressed woman at all. It was a very large amount of blue to miss it.

Leona rolled questions in her head, thoughts on what had happened. She pushes from her spying post and moves quickly, boots accounted for in her slipping stride to cut down on noise. Skulking up like an assassin ready to strike. She stops about ten feet away and coughs a single word, "Noel. I want to talk."

[NOEL]
Step after step through the urban sprawl in the city, the NOL operative would still have her wits about her. Yet she could not help her mind from wandering. Would this city, this town, exist come a few weeks more? Would the people yet live within it? If she could find the Gear, the command Gear, it could be avoided. Her mission complete. The people would be spared. They would be, right? Thought jumped to thought as she stopped at a cross-walk, the light going green as she still stood on the side.

There isn't a sound that is made, that commands her attention, as Leona moves in to strike.

The word elicits more of a surprise than a strike would. Physically, she has prepared herself to be struck - operatives and other forces rallying to the location with the promise of Gears, of other goals, and perhaps general mayhem. Her name was not something that she expected to hear in the town. "Hu-..wha? Ah!" Eyes widen, "O-of course..." Only then does she turn, "Leona...?"

A surprise to meet the woman again, though it is likely that she has some purpose in the area as well. That she has some goal unlike her own. "What do you need to talk about...?" Hesistant - certainly, due to the situation, but willing to speak, Noel bobs her head. Perhaps not identifying about what, or how serious it might be!

[LEONA]
Leona stands squared, as if just talking is something to be approached like a fight. As if there weren't people trying to get places around her. She looks Noel over, realizes quietly that she hasn't fully prepared for the actual conversation part of the conversation. Everything went into biding and skulking. She stares at Noel, eyes set fierce and her lips pursed thin. Ever the serious moment.

And then she looks downward and forces herself to a more level appearance. "I want to talk about what happened. And what you might know." She speaks without the stern sharpness she had a moment earlier, her voice falling to a monotone as she approaches Noel to be within a more reasonable speaking range. "It doesn't have to be here," she adds, "But I need to know."

[NOEL]
"About what happened..." Memories, fleeting as they are, return to her. The ones that were kept without her blacking out. Much of it, thankfully, remains. Except those that were during the drill incident. She remains blissfully unaware of the pure pain that she had swallowed like a poison pill. Afterwards, it had hurt. Remarkably so. It was just less than the act that caused it.

Not that Noel would share.

Unlike Leona, Noel was more than willing and welcome to talk. A mission is a mission, but this has some feet as well. Friendly she may be - Noel even gets a slight smile out for Leona. She was approached first, after all! "Okay. I can tell you all about what you might want to know - or anything that I can remember, or have been told. Ah? Well," Noel glanced about, peeking this way and that, "I'm sure there's a park nearby... or if necessary, a hotel room of some kind..."

Bugged, likely for NOL, in a specific hotel. Yet Noel is playing dumb in this case. She doesn't mean to lie... she really does not.

[LEONA]
"No hotels," Leona states flatly. "Outside." She's not snapping, merely being succinct in her word choice. She looks at the crosswalk and just waits. "Walking then. Better." She's buying time with her muttering and fussing about the location and method of conversation. Trying to avoid the meat of it.

However, some band-aids need to be pulled off quickly and after putting her hands on her hips, and giving Noel a sidelong look to size up the smaller woman, finally asks, "Did you ever find out who he is?

[NOEL]
Clear. Concise. Quick. Responses that show Leona is a pro and Noel was almost considered inelligable for NOL service. She was still learning. It was quite a climb yet.

"Oh of course! R-right..." Noel agrees, cheerfully, stumbling still over her words despite them being so obvious and simple. The crosswalk would turn green again shortly, the red beacon staring bright after the yellow had faded. Leona's not talking as much as Noel had expected, for wanting to talk! "I jus... huh?" The woman nearly interrupts Leona as the sudden full question comes. "I had an idea before hand as he was high on the wanted list... I believe his name was Yamazaki." She pauses, thinking back. "Our records indicated he's an assassin, but we haven't indicated to who..." It is not clear about the blood. It is not clear about the bodies and the blood and the mountains all pouring down.

The Sacred Order, and NOL, focus less on inhuman monsters beyond humans that are monsters. An assassin, however, would know other assassins. Noel, both that and more, is tasked with knowing such things... somewhat. Especially when they leave gaping holes. Especially when the Major you report to requests a formal report.

"...I don't really know more than that. It's possible he never let anyone survive who did find out." She laments, shaking her beret clad head and sliding a hand from inbetween the coat out, scratching her cheek.

[LEONA]
Yamazaki. The name is committed to memory. "Yamazaki," Leona repeats just above her breath to forge it deeper. She watches the light, arms crossing in front of her, fingers tapping at her bicep for something to keep them occupied. Just the name brought ghosts of the itching running along her body. She hums.

The light turns green, Leona steps out, she expects Noel to walk with her. It's time again to talk. "Your records. You're an officer of sorts. With who? I want to know who helped me." By talking, she has clearly meant for Noel to do most of it by this point. She waits a hair of a moment before squaring her jaw.

"Things are dangerous. A lot of movement. Battle is coming and a lot of people will bleed. You seem," a pause, "Nice. You're willing to jump at danger stronger than you."

[NOEL]
In no surprise, Noel does follow Leona, but only after she looks away for a moment. Then Leona is gone and Noel catches up, flustered a bit, jogging to her side. "Ah! Right..." Of course, with Leona asking her such a question, Noel almost freezes. Almost. It's not enough to deter her, and a request was made for the name of whom she belongs to. It's a simple enough question.

Noel doesn't really know where Noel is from, or what she is from, yet she strides along with her and answers, glancing away for a moment to think - and then nods, looking back to Leona. "Well, yeah... a Lieutanant." The smaller woman proclaims, "I'm a functionary in the Novus Orbis Librarium, a sect within the Sacred Order of Holy Knights." With that phrase coughed up, Leona would know that yes, she was indeed just as Leona expected! An officer of 'some sorts'. A group within, or potentially within, the UN. Alma may have been attempted to be killed - but Noel would likely have been left alone for very specific reasons.

Unnecessary to include in conversation, of course.

"I wish it wouldn't..." Noel laments, sighing as her hand slides back into the coat, finding a foot on the other side of the street, signs staring at her that show sales. "Oh... thank you! I really appreciate it but I ... can't just stand by." It wasn't her, though, that moved her body. It wasn't her that fired the weaponry. Green eyes, instead of the azure ones with Yamazaki, rest upon Leona.

[LEONA]
An officer, and an officer officer. Leona nods when she hears the information. Her arms uncross and cross again and she makes a noncommittal grunt on the matter. Quiet as she looks at the sales signs, considering not the things being sold, but rather that it would be more practical to get something on sale. That and if the sale was relevant compared to other prices. She would have to ask Argent. He knew money, and would also give her a time to gauge his loyalty to the Ikari.

Focus, she thinks to herself and looks back down to Noel. Leona's eyes are blue, though not just when fighting. She scratches her arm and looks back forward. She would ask Heidern about the Sacred Order and their involvement with things. Seeing as complications could arise from this. But she has other pressing questions to ask, and passing the clothing store brings them up.

"Coat looks bulky. Why do you wear it?"

[NOEL]
Noel's eyes were blue, that is, when Leona had seen them. They are now certainly green. Yet the woman seems to be the same.

What could be different? Could there be one? Noel certainly might know. She does not seem to speak up about it, however. No, her brainpower was placed elsewhere... 'Is it considered wasting time if I was to pick up something cute on sale here...? Would any of it be possible to bring back then, without them questioning? But if I waste time not finding Alma, or the ... Command Gear, was it? ...The woman shakes her head, Leona speaking!

"Ah.." A rather direct question, Noel's head tilting, "Well.. it's part of NOL's dress-code..." Not to mention it is cold. Not to mention it covers up her washboard level insecurities. Nevermind that half of the members in NOL fight heavily on movement, and so the coats act almost as a 'restraining device'. So she goes along with it.

"It's a bit cold this time of year anyhow, so I don't have to worry about that." It couldn't be that it was somewhat armored also, to protect any attempts on her life that weren't directly to the head, could it? Clearly not.

[LEONA]
"I'm not cold," Leona states, not that she would show it anyways. She looks up at the sky for a moment. She doesn't recall what Noel's eyes looked that day. Not precisely. There were too many other things going on and a red mist descending over her for her to keep all the nuanced details straight. "Your officers will be easy to notice," she says. "I will keep an eye out for them."

She has a name, she has an organization, and she has a reason why Noel would wear a giant cloak. She thinks on things, puzzles them over, and notes that Noel isn't asking any questions herself. Leona's eyes narrow a moment, but settle back to their indifferent baseline. "Thank you for your cooperation, Noel," she says, looking back at the girl. "I hope we don't meet at an impasse. You're helpful."

[NOEL]
It may be clearer if Noel was the focus of Leona's assault - or vice-versa. Yet Bolverk would never be summoned for such a fight, not one for this day, at least. "No? You must be pretty durable then..." Or those are spare heaters on her ch- no, Leona's a nice person. Noel only would have spared a half glance at least. Nice, but cold - in the personality sense. Noel could be that way too, but often, it is due to being shy.

"Ah? Thank you. I'm not sure how many might be around here..." Or she does and simply cannot say. It is the same as not knowing in the end. "Leona, it was a pleasure to meet you again as well! I .. I hope we do not either." It's true. Noel hasn't asked her that much, but it is all a very particular reason. "Maybe another time, we can catch up on girl-talk." She asides, smiling. The less she knows, the less she would have to report. The less she knew, the less intelligence on .. the Ikari warriors, was it? That the UN could ask for.

As she waved from the heavy coat, smiling towards Leona, she parted paths with a gentle burning flame in her heart. Of hate. That such things became so common place in this world.

Log created on 10:30:31 10/29/2017 by Noel, and last modified on 18:33:51 10/29/2017.