Far East Branch - Veteran's Floor

The days continued on with Kanon, Brendan, and Lindow nowhere to be found. Tensions were growing high. Tatsumi had made mention of taking on extra missions in order to locate his missing comrades. Even Kota was growing restless, occasionally sneaking out during his required downtime.

Neo had attempted to do the same, but to no avail. Her guardian had been waiting for her in the weapons hangar, heading her off before she could escape and sending her right back in the direction she came from. With her mission-taking off limits, she instead made her way towards the Mess Hall in the hopes of stuffing her anxieties away with a comically large meal. Unfortunately, the cafeteria proved an even worse location as a familiar head of blonde hair caught her attention near the entranceway. He noticed her almost immediately, with her violet hair sticking out against the white walls. Fleeing the scene, she quickly rushed toward the elevator doors.

Frustrated, she gave up on any activities on the lower floors. Unable to leave the Den and now, with Gunter undoubtedly searching for her, she was running out of places to go. They lived in a finite space and sooner or later, he was going to find her. And Neo wasn't quite ready to face him. Not just yet.

Of course, her avoidance of her supposed boyfriend was somewhat counterintuitive, as the New Type was honestly feeling rather lonely. With Ichiro spending countless hours in the laboratory, Alisa currently occupied, and Kota unavailable, she had been spending increasing amounts of time by her lonesome. Even Ren had disappeared in recent days and at the moment, Utsugi was the last person on her radar. She was beginning to grow weary.

'Hmm…'

Neo paused in the hallways, her mind drifting to one remaining member of her unit. She hadn't actually spent any time around the veteran since their dispatching of the Fallen Arda Nova. Outside of the battlefield, Soma had been mysteriously absent, leading her to wonder what her childhood friend was getting up to these days. It was true that he was working on the Remnant Facility, but it was odd to her that she hadn't even seen him in passing.

Resigning herself, she made her way down the hall towards her guardian's room.

. . .

Papers rustled softly in the quiet room. Having returned from another stressful search for fragments, Soma was in the mood to kick back and unwind. Ironically, now that he had found the time, he was doing anything but. His restlessness had returned to him, making any form of relaxation impossible which only added to his building frustration. Unable to remain idle, the veteran had instead taken to organizing his book collection and picking up around his quarters. He was finally falling into a groove when a familiar hiss echoed from the corner of the room.

'You have got to be kidding…'

Grumbling, Soma dropped his current book back on the table, making his way towards the door. It had only been a few days since he had gotten his lock repaired and it seemed that Neo was already determined to destroy it again. With a quiet beep, the door slid open, the New Type strolling inside without a care in the world. She had only made three steps into his room before he appeared in front of her, leveling his fiercest scowl. "Out. Now."

"Wha - why?!" Neo complained, her attempts at socialization rejected before they even began.

"This is the second time you've broken into my room unannounced and uninvited."

"Soma, that was an accident. When are you going to let that go?"

"You can't accidentally break into someone's room."

"I thought it was Ichiro's."

"That isn't the -" Soma was growing frustrated, both by their argument and her complete lack of understanding. It was as though boundaries meant absolutely nothing to her, and she simply did as she pleased… He sighed, softening his expression slightly as he remembered the obvious. Neo didn't have any etiquette. She had never learned any. Resigning himself to deal with the problem another time, he instead crossed his arms. "What do you want?"

"…Here." Neo lifted a large bundle, offering it to him with outstretched arms.

"The hell…?" Soma carefully accepted her gift, examining the material with his fingertips. It looked and felt oddly familiar, a large mass of dark fabric with a smooth texture. It felt like… "You brought back my sheets." He stated, more surprised than upset. After taking off down the hall wrapped around her, he hadn't expected to ever see them again and had simply ordered a new set. He was only mildly irritated that she had jumbled them into a giant ball rather than at least folding them, but this was Neo. Baby steps.

"Yeah." She nodded, lowering her head sheepishly.

The veteran let loose a heavy sigh, his earlier anger fading. She had good intentions, despite her invasive way of going about it. And from the sound of her current speech patterns, it was likely that she was feeling upset. He hadn't heard Neo use her guardian's full name in some time. Perhaps he would set aside her misgivings. For now. "Thanks."

"Sure." Neo muttered, lowering her eyes to the floor.

The two stood in total silence for a few moments, neither one certain what to say. He still wasn't happy with her sudden intrusion, but now he didn't entirely feel right kicking her out. Her nervous fidgeting only further damaged his resolve, a habit she displayed when anxious. It looked like she wanted something more, but was she was apprehensive, likely trying to avoid upsetting him further. It reminded him of their youth when they would sit quietly in front of the Norn terminals, enjoying the other's company.

'…Oh.'

At that moment, Soma realized. She didn't want anything in particular. She just wanted to be near someone. And the thought that she had chosen to come to him was, for some reason, a pleasant feeling. Backing away from the door, he carried his sheets over towards his bed, placing them down. Then, he made his way towards his refrigerator.

Neo did nothing, simply watching his movements as he maneuvered around the room. In truth, she didn't want to leave, but she wasn't entirely sure she should stay either. Soma had seemed pretty irritated with her entrance and up until a few moments ago, was adamant about her exit. But she grew hopeful as he opened his mini fridge door, pulling out a familiar pink can. Reaching out, she gratefully caught the beverage as he tossed it to her before retrieving a cola for himself. Then, he sat back down on his sofa, saying nothing further. It was about as much of an invitation as he was willing to offer.

But it was enough.

Her lips split into a small smile as she stepped further into the room, looking curiously around. This was her first time purposefully entering his living quarters. It was a striking difference from the tidiness that she was used to, with objects strewn in random locations and things tossed carelessly on the floor. The most interesting feature was his irreparably damaged wall screen. It was clearly shattered, likely under the impact of various objects during a blind rage. What had upset him so, she didn't know… but she was about to find out.

"I never got it fixed." Soma muttered, his eyes scanning over his books once more. He had noticed her staring at his broken screen and rightfully assumed her curious.

"How long has it been broken?"

"…Since you left."

A quiet gasp reached his ears, but he kept his eyes downward. While he hadn't said the words directly, he knew she understood his meaning. Since you died. Neo's disappearance had hurt him. Left him deeply wounded beyond any form of repair, much like his wall screen. An oddly fitting allegory for his pain. Never once did he imagine that she would return to him, standing in the very room in which he had learned of her passing.

Neo couldn't stop the smile forming on her face as she slowly opened her canned beverage. Soma was the only person she knew who could say so much in so few words. Turning, she made her way to his sofa, gently lowering herself beside him and taking a large gulp of her fabulous purple drink. With a contented sigh, she turned her head lazily toward him. "What are you doing?"

"Organizing."

True enough, that was precisely what Soma was doing. Stacks of books were sectioned off across different portions of the table, separated by genre and placed in descending alphabetical order. The collection was surprisingly neat, a bit ironic considering the miserable state of his room, but the New Type had certainly had something to do with that.

A quiet intake of breath caught his attention, drawing his gaze from his current pile to her mesmerized face. Her mouth was pulled in a taut line, her eyes scanning over every publication sitting in front of her. Knowing her, she was probably counting them and looking over the titles.

"You have so many…"

"Hmm?" Soma blinked, a bit startled by the astonishment in her voice. His collection was actually rather small in comparison to some others. It was utterly dwarfed by Sakaki's, as the Doctor practically owned an entire library by himself. Yet that didn't seem to matter to Neo. She was impressed so much sometimes by the simplest things, and it baffled him. "Just a few books I've gathered over the years. Nothing substantial."

"Wow…"

"Do you enjoy reading?"

"Of course… It was one of the only things I was able to do back home."

Soma's heart dropped into his stomach at the realization. How had he never seen it until now? The way her eyes gazed longingly at the texts. The way she greedily guzzled First Love Juice as though her life depended on it. The way that she inhaled every single meal like it was her last. For Neo… it possibly was.

Growing up in an underground cell, she had likely never had much in the way of entertainment. What nourishment she did receive was probably just enough to keep her in peak physical condition and outside of training and experimentation, she was doubtlessly bored out of her mind. Following the transfer of her care, her adventures with Ichiro were likely the highlight of her days. It was probably for that reason that Neo was so excited to hear about Soma's, as it was the closest she would ever get to the outside world.

She had grown up with essentially nothing. The only thing she had was the pursuit of power and knowledge.

"You can borrow one… If you want." He murmured, trying to disregard the way she nearly bounced in her seat. Her eyes were on him, he could feel it, round as small moons as her mouth slowly fell open.

"I… you wouldn't mind?"

"No. I know you'll treat them well." He meant his words. He knew that, despite how poorly Neo tended to treat her own belongings, that she was fiercely protective of those given to her by others. It was similar to the way she lived life, often caring for everyone but herself. Neo was strange that way. She confirmed his belief shortly after, her fingers running gingerly over the spines.

Her eyes swept over his collection, scanning each title from every pile. There were mystery novels and educational material, stories of fantasy and adventure. There were even a few romance and illustrative reads sprinkled in among the others. But by far, the largest categories were historical, mathematical, and scientific. It seemed that Soma, despite all appearances, was more similar to his father than she initially realized, sharing his love of research and sciences.

A pair of interesting texts finally caught her attention. A romance novel with a green spine, something to help her further her understanding of interhuman relationships. Her second choice was from the research pile, a blue-cased text regarding Oracle cell technology. The books weighed carefully in her hands, balancing them like glass and placing them to the side. She would lock these in her room for safekeeping.

Beside her, Soma lifted an eyebrow at her chosen texts. The romance novel didn't surprise him, given her ever-growing relationship with his least favorite person. But the Oracle cell text struck him as unusual, given her history with science in general. He would've assumed that she would avoid in that category like the plague.

Thoughtlessly, he voiced that concern. "I didn't think you'd be interested in Oracle cells." He inwardly groaned the moment the words left his mouth. It seemed he still had a habit of saying the wrong thing around her and was fully expecting to watch her storm off again in a huff.

But strangely, Neo didn't seem upset with him. Instead, she agreed. "I can understand that assumption. I imagine you find it strange, given my… background."

Once again, Neo's perceptive capabilities won out, zeroing in immediately on Soma's concern. He pondered for a moment, once more, if the woman could actually read his thoughts. Then, he disregarded it as she slowly shook her head.

"Despite my own experimentation, I am genuinely fascinated by the cellular structure itself. The Oracle cell is a strangely versatile specimen, capable of producing power, weaponry, medicine, even renewable energy. I can't imagine how someone wouldn't find interest in such a multipurposed organism."

Soma blinked, his eyes growing wide following her detailed explanation. It was times like these that he was reminded of Neo's intelligence, despite her frequent engagement in foolish activities. Everything she stated was true, and in fact, the cornerstone of the Hamasakis' research. It seemed that she truly did bear a desire to aid others, no different than the one she possessed so many years ago. Perhaps in a different world, she may not have rejected the idea of using her biology to further humanity's goals. She may have willingly handed over her Bias Factor to produce the world's medicines and cures. She may have even been an enthusiastic participant in the research… had they only given her a choice.

"Soma?"

Neo's voice returned him from his thoughts, a look of concern etching on her features. He had fallen silent following her reasoning, his eyes staring unseeingly into the floor. It wasn't until she shook him from his stupor that he realized his fists were clenched. Such was common whenever he found himself thinking of Neo's shattered innocence. Her stolen youth. But the New Type herself was having none of it.

Soma's hand twitched as the sudden feeling of another enclosed his fingertips. Atop his closed hand was Neo's clawed one, carefully angled to avoid scratching him. Even now, as he thought of her own tortured past, she was trying to comfort him. It was unbearably frustrating. Why was she like this? Sighing, he unclenched his hands, letting the warmth soothe him. How was it that she could have such a calming effect on him, yet lead him to constantly lose his composure? What exactly was it that drew him to her?

"Soma…"

As his mind drifted to the familiar question, it slowly slipped into the darker corners of his mind. The images of his dreamworld Neo standing comfortably in his arms. Just the thought of it brought heat to his face. It was a pleasant feeling, but a foreign one. Was that dream nothing more than a manifestation? Perhaps she only appeared to him that night because the real one was lying in front of him. Had his senses accurately transferred the information into his subconscious mind? And were that the case, he couldn't help but wonder would it be like to actual feel her…

"Ah…?" Neo blinked, startled as Soma tore his hand away as though he'd been burned. Her head tilted, perplexed by his sudden behavior. She knew she hadn't shocked him so why… "Soma?"

"It's nothing." He snapped, a bit more harshly than intended. He mentally cursed his short fuse, once again taking out his frustrations on the people he cared about the most.

But his concerns were unfounded. Just as she had in her youth, Neo disregarded his attitude. Instead, she smiled at him. Harsh tones were never personal when it came to Soma. It was simply his way. Having known this habit since his childhood years, she understood that. Thus, she wasn't bothered by it. She did however, notice the faint color rising to his cheeks, visible from their close proximity.

Growing anxious, Soma quickly grasped for a change in subject. Anything to distract himself from the missing warmth of her hand. The feeling of connecting with her on a physical level. Speaking of connections… "I want to ask you something."

"Go for it." Neo shrugged.

"This mirroring thing that you do. What exactly is it?"

"Eh?" Neo blinked, all curiosity now replaced with utter confusion. "I believe you were present for Sakaki's presentation…"

Soma nodded, averting his eyes slightly as he tried to find the best way to broach the topic. "Yeah. I understand the hypothesis. Communication between Oracle cells, more or less."

"That's effectively all it is, really. As far as I understand it."

"Essentially, a two-way signal."

The New Type frowned slightly, cocking her head as she observed him. "Soma, I'm a bit confused. You clearly have conceptual understanding… what exactly is the problem?"

Her answer was pensive silence. It was true that he understood the concept of the phenomenon. He understood it very well, as he had been observing it firsthand for some time now. Since the performance between Neo and Shio, he had been fascinated by the practice, becoming even more so as he watched them use it in combat. Then, he had watched them chaining, a strange bastardization of follow-the-leader. Now, he was even observing the behavior between Neo and her guardian both on and off the battlefield. Although, those two were always relatively synchronized to begin with. Certainly, he understood what it was. What he couldn't figure out was how it worked. More specifically, he couldn't figure out how to use it.

It had been a source of great frustration to him for some time, although it became less so upon learning of Hamasaki's Oracle infection. With Neo's cells inside of him, it wasn't exactly shocking that they would be able to communicate with their original owner. Shio had been an Aragami in human form and displayed this ability on occasion with others of her species. It was only logical that she would be able to do so with the New Type.

However, Neo was only half Aragami, just as he was. Yet she was capable of using the practice, very well he might add. She was in fact so proficient at using it, that she sometimes did so without even realizing it. He had noticed the woman on occasion following her guardian's motions ever so slightly. A gentle turn of the head or a light stretch, synchronizing their footsteps, or lifting their forks at the same time. It would almost be comical if it wasn't so aggravating. He shared the same Aragami DNA as she did. In fact, they technically shared the same Bias Factor, as the E3 was effectively a mutation of the P73. Surely, he should have the same capability.

"How does it work?" He asked, gazing pointedly at a book on the table.

"You want to know… how to do it?"

"Yeah." Soma refused to meet her gaze. He didn't want to admit that he was peeved by the principle. At being the only one unable to do so.

"I don't really know how to explain it." Neo shrugged.

"Try."

"I can't, Soma. Mirroring isn't something you do. It just… is." Neo paused, taking note of Soma's tense body language. This was really bothering him. "I didn't realize you had such an interest in Oracle cell functionality."

He shook his head, his gaze turning into a hardened glare. "I don't necessarily. But they make up half my DNA, so I want to at least have an understanding."

"Oh… I see." Neo muttered, taking a large gulp of her juice. She couldn't entirely hide the disappointment in her voice. Soma was still opposed to his other half, it would seem, not that she could really blame him. But if he really wanted to understand… "Do you want to learn?"

"If possible."

"Okay." Neo grinned, finishing the rest of her beverage in a single swig. "I can try to teach you."

His mouth twitched at the sly shift to her voice. It was a rare timbre that only appeared when Neo wanted something… and from the way she was slowly swirling her empty can, he had a feeling he already knew her price. The veteran swallowed a groan, aggravated that he hadn't seen this coming.

'Of course…'

"Fine. I'm not using it anyway. You can help yourself to my Juice ration -"

"I'll do it." Neo agreed, a huge grin on her face.

Soma scowled at her before finishing his interrupted sentence. "Within reason." There was no way in hell he was leaving her to raid his refrigerator whenever she pleased. At least, not if he could help it.

The New Type's face fell slightly, a little disappointed with his limitations. Still, it was better than nothing since Ichiro's supply had been going mysteriously missing. She wasn't sure if he was hiding it really well or just throwing it out, but either way, it irritated her. "Okay."

The two nodded at one another in silent agreement. Soma would pay Neo in Juice in exchange for extra training. Which when said out loud was the most ridiculous thing he had heard in some time. But all things involving her were ridiculous, so it wasn't unexpected. Having come to a decision, the two fell into comfortable silence, Neo watching Soma organize his books. He had almost fallen back into his rhythm, when the New Type decided to shatter it once again in the way only Neo could.

"Soma. Why are you wearing glasses?"