not_that_lockon | [RL - Neil, Setsuna - well I feel like they're talking in a language I don't speak]

Current Location: A small park in Belfast, Ireland

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[RL - Neil, Setsuna - well I feel like they're talking in a language I don't speak]

[So after the whole thing with his shadow, he and Neil had arranged a date and time to meet. Neil had seemed pretty intent on not having anyone know he was back in Ireland if possible, and they'd ended up finding a park that Lyle knew would be more or less empty to meet in.

He wondered whether it was a bad thing or not that he wasn't as surprised as he ought to have been about Neil being so secretive. What with the lack of a return address on everything that had been sent, the sudden and abrupt end to what little contact they'd still had, and the bits and pieces that had filtered out through the community - Michael and Nena, for instance, not to mention something that Tieria had let slip - had only really confirmed his nagging suspicion that there was something fishy going on. So he'd kept quiet and nodded and if Neil thought that was strange, he hadn't mentioned it.

So there they were and here he was, standing leaning on the back of a park bench on a cold cloudy day in January, nursing a cigarette and trying not to feel too nervous about actually properly meeting his only remaining family member for the first time in years.]

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[Lyle wasn't the only one nervous about this. In some ways Neil was glad that Setsuna was his backup on this one; he knew the boy wouldn't mind him being quieter than usual as they travelled. That was the only inclination he gave of any disquiet with the situation until they arrived at the designated park, where he took a deep, quiet breath.]

Here goes nothing, right, Setsuna?

[It wasn't a big park, so it didn't take long for Lyle and his bench to come within sight. Neil put on his best slightly-crooked perfectly-fine smile and moved closer.]

...Hey, Lyle.

[Setsuna, on the other hand, wasn't nervous at all, because, well. He had no reason to be. He had been slightly surprised at Lockon's earlier message, requesting he accompany Lockon to Ireland, but figured it was probably about time that Lyle was given some information about his brother's work.

He didn't really see why his attendance was necessary, but far be it from him to question Tieria Erde. Besides, it was nice to see his teammate again. Even though most of the journey had been spent in silence, it was good to see Lockon was well, especially after everything that had happened with the Shadows.

Setsuna followed a few paces behind Lockon, leaving him space to greet his twin.]

Good luck, Lockon Stratos.

[Lyle looked up with a start - even though he had been expecting Neil there, it was still weird to hear his voice after all this time. Even weirder to see him actually standing there in the flesh, and not thanks to some weird alternate-universe-spawning virus. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and smiled a little sheepishly.]

Hey there, Neil.

[And escort, he added in his head as he saw Setsuna standing there, but he didn't question it yet, even if he was a little put out by it. Really, it just confirmed everything else weird about the whole thing that was leading him to... he wasn't sure what yet, but he didn't have much of a good feeling about it.]

That's a bad habit, you know.

[He indicated the cigarette with a nod of his head, automatically falling into mostly-useless small talk. He'd come up with plenty of ways to start the conversation that was the point of this visit, but with Lyle right in front of him they all seemed flimsy and ridiculous. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen Lyle in the flesh even outside of a virus, he should have no excuse, but it had never been face-to-face and always from a distance. All the mental preparation in the world couldn't have made this situation easy.

He noticed Lyle's gaze flick to Setsuna, and his own smile took on a more sheepish bent as well. If it had been up to him, he'd have come alone, but Tieria had refused to budge on the topic of backup. He hadn't wanted to press too hard lest Tieria just send someone else, and Setsuna was hardly the most intrusive person around.]

...And, ah, I think you've met Setsuna already.

[Setsuna nodded once at Lyle in greeting.]

Lyle Dylandy.

[Lyle rolled his eyes good-naturedly.]

Yeah, yeah, I know. I get that a lot. [But he stubbed it out on the ground anyway. It's not as if he wanted to make things more awkward than they already were.

That's not to say he wasn't going to make a flippant comment, though, and he cheerfully waved a little at Setsuna, grinning.] What are you here for, to make sure he behaves?

[Neil just shook his head and let out a chuckle, taking the stubbing out of the cigarette as a gesture of goodwill.]

Hey, hey, you make it sound like I need a babysitter! [Protestation aside, Neil's grin was wry. In a way, wasn't that what Setsuna was here for (thank you very much, Tieria Erde)?]

[Setsuna didn't wave back (wasn't that something you did when someone was far away, not a few feet in front of you?) or smile in return - not because he was being rude, that's just how he was. And if Lyle was making a joke, it was lost on him.]

Not quite.

[Grin grin grin at you, bro.] You mean you don't?

[Mock!frown right back at you, bro, although there's far too much of a grin playing around his mouth for it to even pretend to be serious.] I didn't come here to have my maturity put into question, [-and he nearly said "remind me again who's the older twin!" or something like that, but remembers Lyle's Shadow's words in time to catch himself and move on with a FLAWLESS RECOVERY-] what kind of welcome home is that?

[...yeah. Flawless.]

[Why Lockon, an adult, would need a babysitter was beyond Setsuna, but listening to this banter was fascinating so he kept quiet, a neutral expression hiding his amusement.]

[He smirked, not seeming to notice Neil's almost-slip. It was somehow so much less awkward just to keep bantering with his brother for now, even if they'd eventually have to move on to more sombre topics.] A brotherly one, of course.

[He rolled his eyes, but didn't make any attempt to stop the grin spreading wider, nor the softness tingeing it. He'd take this kind of brotherly banter over the more serious topics of his visit any day.] God save us from brotherly affection.

I'm almost hurt.

Hey, you started it.

[mock-sigh] True, I guess I can give you that.

[ This is all very amusing guys but we are on a bit of a tight schedule :| ]

[clears throat] Lockon Stratos, don't forget that we came here for a reason.

Edited 2010-02-05 21:14 (UTC)

[Oh. Right. Yeah, that. Brotherly joking was sort of a distraction there.]

Yeah, we did. I'm getting there. [And despite the sheepish grin, here come the awkward feelings back again, as he's still at something of a loss as to how to breach the subject. Scratching the back of his head with one hand and grin fading just a bit looking at Lyle now. None of the opening gambit plans he came up with on the way here didn't sound ridiculous to try.]

[Ah, yes. The mysterious reason which Lyle's both hoping and dreading to hear. Hoping because it'll finally answer the question of just where Neil's been all these years, along with a few others about the sorts of people he knows from their own world. Dreading because if it's got to the point where Neil's covering it up, it must be something pretty bad. Or big. Or potentially dangerous.

... Well. One of them's got to broach the subject, whether it's delicately done or not.]

So what was it that you wanted to tell me about anyway, then?

[His hesitation isn't through any sort of mistrust of Lyle. Whatever Tieria's worried about, however long it's been, he's still pretty damn confident that Lyle would sell him out or turn him in. It's just difficult to explain to your estranged brother that the reason you practically disappeared off the face of the earth is because you've been doing something like piloting a Gundam. That's without mentioning the whole eye and near-death-experience-and-subsequent-coma debacles.

Reluctant as he is, that silence doesn't last for long. A barely noticeable swallow, a deep breath, and a decision to just wing it. It's not as though there's any going back now. At least his voice leans more towards 'careful' than 'hesitant'.]

What do you know about Celestial Being, Lyle?

[Quite a bit more than Neil would probably expect him to, actually. Lyle wasn't usually much of a one for following news reports, but the Celestial Being stuff had been so different to the usual sort of thing that Lyle had made a point of actually listening to what he could get ahold of. Granted, near the end, a lot of it had smacked heavily of the sort of propaganda that the Federation was starting to pump out now as well, but...

The surprise and/or slight shock at hearing the name of a supposedly disposed-of terrorist organisation aside, Lyle could kind of see where this conversation was going. He wasn't much sure if he wanted to contemplate it yet.]

What, the so-called terrorist organisation that the UN took out the year before last? As much as anyone else, I guess.

[Neil nodded. He wasn't surprised in the least that the government was saying they'd destroyed Celestial Being. They'd come very close, and it made sense for them to be throwing that around for morale and support. He couldn't complain about being called a terrorist organisation, either, not really, that was how some viewed them and not without reason - but it was somehow kind of heartening to hear "so-called". It meant Lyle might not hate him for this reveal. When he actually came out with it, anyway. How do you break the fact that you're part of a so-called terrorist organisation to someone gently?

With hesitancy, apparently.]

Well. I think you've probably guessed by now that I...haven't exactly been truthful about where I've been these past few years. ['When I actually gave you any information, anyway, vague as it was.']

[Well, for better or worse Lyle had somehow recently ended up as a member of a different so-called terrorist organisation, so really, he didn't have room to judge. But... this conversation was heading right where he'd thought it might be. And... Neil? In Celestial Being...? He wasn't quite sure how to take that. Sure, on the one hand it made a lot of sense, made a whole lot of other things make a whole lot of sense. But... had Neil been piloting one of those Gundams? Seriously?

... don't be an idiot, Lyle. Of course he bloody well was. Lyle was pretty sure that his disbelief, maybe a slight bit of shock - not surprise, though - was painted right across his face. Still, he tried to keep his tone fairly light.]

I might have been putting a few things together, yeah.

[Judging by the lack of surprise on Lyle's face, their secrecy really had been...less than effective. It seemed almost silly to beat around the bush any more at this point. Like ripping off a plaster, Neil.]

Mm. Well, to make a long story short...

[Just a moment's pause, and then he straightened into a facsimile of standing to attention.]

Neil Dylandy; codename: Lockon Stratos. Celestial Being's Gundam Meister, pilot of the GN-002, Gundam Dynames.

...Nice to meet you.

[The somewhat sheepish tight smile that emerged on the last phrase was kind of at odds with the seriousness of the subject matter. In a way, it was sadly true - Neil certainly felt like a different person to who he'd been the last time he'd spoken to Lyle face to face.]

Edited 2010-02-15 00:54 (UTC)

[At first, all Lyle could do was stare a little more. Bloody. Bloody hell, this really was happening, wasn't it? His brother was actually part of Celestial Being. Which, it would seem, hadn't kick the bucket when the UN said it had. And - damn it, there had been a Gundam that specialised in sniping, hadn't there? Of course it had been Neil.

He wasn't sure what to say. What could he say? On the one hand, he was glad that Neil thought he could be trusted to know this sort of thing, especially considering the amount someone could get bribed for turning a suspected member of Celestial Being in. On the other? He was still maybe a little pissed that it had taken this long to find out, as understandable as it was - what had changed to make it okay to tell him now? Back when contact with his brother had been cut off completely last year, had he just been supposed to "figure out" on his own that Neil had died without ever knowing if he had or not?

... In the end, of course, he had to start off with something that downplayed the seriousness of the situation somewhat.]

That's... quite the introduction.

[Neil let out something of a hollow laugh.] I guess I did throw you in at the deep end there, yeah. Sorry about that.

[He turned his head slightly to look at Setsuna, debating whether to go all-out just yet and explain the others' involvement, or let the initial revelation sink in first.

...probably best to let it sink in. Setsuna and the others' explanation could wait.]

At any rate, that's the real reason I've been off the radar for the past few years. Sorry for lying to you; I didn't exactly have much of a choice.

[He sighs. He's really still not sure how to take this. How did Neil even get involved?! Did Celestial Being find him through the army, or something?More to the point - Setsuna, everyone who knew Neil - they were part of it as well. They had to be.]

Right. Security issues and all, right?

[A rueful nod.] We weren't supposed to stay in contact with anyone who knew our real identities. It was a safety measure for everyone involved.

[Then a small sheepish shrug-laugh.] Then, of course, you showed up on the community. Kind of put a wrench in that plan.

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[RL - Neil, Setsuna - well I feel like they're talking in a language I don't speak]

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*WOULDN'T. WOULDN'T, NOT WOULD, GDI TYPO /cries

/pets brobro

/sob also italics hate meeeeee

/shanks the italics 8Db

tyvm brobro ;;

Let's pretend this tag isn't super-late

Only if you pretend this one isn't