Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 2: Of Dire Tides

[scorri]

A pawn, huh? Maybe she's right. I always want to see myself as a knight, but at the end of the day know that I'm more like a pawn, getting moved to the whims of those with more power than me. But a pawn isn't weak forever either. Maybe it's ok to follow orders to achieve a goal... Just remembering that's not who I am, like she said. Maybe... They snapped out of their thoughts, realizing that Cheryl had stopped talking and was holding out a piece of paper for them. "Oh, uhm, yeah. Thank you. I'll... I'll wait a bit on those. Just... to see if this helped. But I appreciate it."

Taking the piece of paper, they tucked it into a pocket, standing up as they did so. "I think I need... something. I don't know. Quiet, maybe. But I'll consider coming and seeing you again some time." They gave her a small smile, and headed out the door. Turning down one of the hallways without really thinking about it, they made their way past countless doors until they stopped. Instead of heading down the hallway of pilot rooms, they'd unconsciously headed down the emptier hallway and were now right outside Avery's door. Staring at it, they started to reach out to knock, and then stopped. It was barely afternoon. Would she really want to see them already? She'd asked about stopping by that night. Not two in the afternoon... Ugh....

[Nanami Touko]

Pleased

Jess' hard, sad stare turned into a calm smile, as Abby relented on her dying any time soon. A sigh escaped her, and she rested back against the hot tub. "Good... Thank you. Sorry, again, I just... We're a really small group, and... I don't want anyone here to die. Is that selfish? It doesn't feel selfish..." Jess furrowed her brow. "I care about everyone here, and not just because I'm the captain. It's only been a few weeks, but we're like a small family. And when we're facing down this sort of threat, anyone in the family dying... It'd cause a lot of problems and sadness and... I'm being really stupid, aren't I? This is the military, this is a war, this... Anyone could die at any point." Jess sighed and sunk under the water for a second, blowing some bubbles of frustration.

When she popped back up, she shook her head. "No, it's... It's just all selfish. I like everyone on this ship. I like you. A lot. I like Brant, I like Thorvald, Kim, Tarquin-- even Elaine... And I don't want to see any of you get hurt, or killed. Is that wrong of me? What do you think?" Things had gotten rather heavy, but Jess wasn't getting too melodramatic about it, not in her expression, anyway. She more just looked at Abigail confused, wondering what she thought. She'd been pretty gung ho about dying trying, but... Surely she felt the same way Jess did about her own rebel soldiers, didn't she? Jess wasn't about to bring that up verbally, it would just be salt in a still fresh wound, but it was on her mind.

Needing Something

Cheryl nodded along with Astin as they spoke their thanks and of needing something else right now, but they seemed alright. It was just a first visit, so if the nightmares continued, Astin could go into more detail the next time they spoke. Speaking of needing things... Cheryl's hand had already grabbed a cigar sitting in her pocked, and she was going about lighting it without thinking. Luckily she caught herself before she flicked her lighter open, sighing at the mechanical nature of the habit. "Just... Gotta put my brain to something else."

And there was definitely something else to check on. Cheryl left a moment after Astin did, locking her office, and went up to the top deck. She wanted to talk to Megumi about this... And probably get laughed at. That was fine, even she felt a bit silly about this decision. It probably wouldn't amount to anything, anyway. When Tarquin was done his time on the Riese, he'd get shipped back to whatever facility he came from. Still... She sighed as the elevators opened, marching to Megumi's office, and--

"Oh, great. Bill's here too. Well, he'll be happy to hear this." Taking the walk up to Megumi with less determination than normal, she paused and finally tried to say, "I wanna... Maybe... K-Kinda stop, smoking." The sheepish smile that followed was very unlike her, but she didn't know how else to put it.

Olivia piped up to Bill with, "Olivia," as their therapist came in, almost snorting at the statement. Guess Megumi was the best person to ask for help with that...

Assistance Required

Astin hadn't knocked, but their timing had been pretty good. The sound of a bottle clanging against the floor and Avery whining after it came out of her room, some angry grunts of "dammit, jus' keep yerself still, fuckin'... Stupid bottle... Gonna have t'clean that... Stupid..."

Edited October 7, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

Astin had been about to turn away when they heard noise from inside, accompanied by the grumblings from Avery. ... Is she drunk? Ughhhhh, come on Astin. Do what's right. A small sigh escaped their lips, having not been expecting to do this now nor to be dealing with a drunk Avery, but still. Stepping up to the door, they lightly knocked twice and called out, "Avery? Are you in there? It's... Astin. Is everything ok?"

[Nanami Touko]

Astin?

"Huh? Whozzaa..." Avery's door opened, the woman leaning against the doorway, jumpsuit half off, hanging around her waist, bra the only thing keeping her chest from hanging out. "Heyyyy, i's Astin... Yer early, hot stuff~ Don' tell me y'wanna spend th'whole day wi' me... That makes me real happy~" One arm still clutching the whiskey bottle, half empty, the other threw itself around Astin's neck, trying to kiss them, but stumbling forward into their chest. "Whoops~ Sssssorry... 'S kinda hard t'walk... Should'na drank this tha' fas'..."

Edited October 8, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

"Wha--Avery!" She was half naked, clearly drunk, and very interested in them. Trying not to touch anywhere that might encourage her, they gently took her by the shoulder with one hand and did their best to snag the whiskey bottle with the other. "Where did you get this? I don't remember seeing it when I left you... Come on, lets go back inside." Steering her as best they could back into her room, they quickly shut the door behind them before anyone else could see Avery in this state.

"Alright, first off, nothing's happening while you're drunk, so don't try to kiss me or anything." They'd missed the bottle the first time, having been more concerned with getting her inside her room, but managed to easily snag it this time, setting it down on the nearby desk and trying to steer Avery towards the bed to get her to sit down. "Why did you drink so much? I mean... I know you were upset but still..." It seems like a really bad idea to be getting drunk at 2 in the afternoon right after a battle...

[Balcerzak]

Wow, okay, so... Either Elaine didn't think Roxanna could catch a ball, or she was too competitive to let the XO have a stab at it. When she started in after it, like a bull after a red cape, rather than avoid a collision, the older lady graciously yielded, opting not to contest this one, at least. Given how everything had unfolded, Thorvald probably should have expected the retaliation that followed. It was a high lob, but not a light drifty one caused by an accidental biff; it clearly designed to go over his head deliberately. He started out trying to just sweep himself backward while still staying forward facing, but it quickly became apparent that would not be enough to close the distance. Finally, resigned to the fact that if he wanted any chance, he'd have to turn around and swim all out. He came close, it landed on the surface of the pool maybe an arm's length away from his outstretched palm, but still in the water, so technically good, despite the fact that it bounced of the surface and out of the pool. "Okay, you got me," he called back over his shoulder, climbing up and out of the pool to retrieve the ball. Then it was back in, and time to turn the tables. Maneuvering back out away from the edge, he lofted the ball, jumped, and aimed a spike shot directly at Elaine.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Balcerzak

[Xinnidy]

Interception

Well, Roxanna had only raised her arms for a moment, but as the redhead devil made her way to almost her exact location in a blind charge, the XO had to step back to give herself room, which Elaine took to throw the ball so far from them that it basically got thrown off the pool. Oh, so she's one of those players... Wasn't that the kind of things kid did? It was fine to get some exercise by playing catch or pass, but doing all these exaggerated moves and trying to make the ball as inconvenient as possible to the other players?

At least Thorvald was taking it in stride, the gentleman he was, deciding to strike Elaine with his best spike shot. Roxanna quickly sidestepped in the case Elaine ducked --that wouldn't be very nice--, and had her arms raised in case Elaine was going to throw one of those dumb balls her way. "So we're playing hard already? Gee..." Elaine did instigate it, after all, so she would be getting the fast balls back if the XO could help it.

Official Request

Tarquin seemed far less hesitant than Nikolai about this enlisting idea, which was a bit curious. Did Tarquin not feel it harmed a person' life as much to sign up for things like these? I guess he's been a soldier from this young... so he wouldn't know the other side of the story. Or maybe he wasn't experienced enough to have felt the things Nikolai did? Hmm... "Well... I suppose talking to the captain is worth a shot..." And then there was an announcement. On the pool? Was he allowed there? I guess I wasn't even supposed to be here, so the point is moot.

"Ah, let's go. We'll just be going to talk to her about this, so it can't be that long, anyways." That's right, Makoto remembered, the captain was a rather young girl... what was up with this ship?! In a sense, that made things a bit more in favor for him to enlist, perhaps it wasn't that bad a life choice if all these youngsters were hopping onto it fresh off of high school.... or middle school. "Uh... so where's the pool? I don't really know where things are in this ship. It's so big, I really should've seen about a map." Maybe that was a worthwhile investment for the future.

[Balcerzak]

The way Jess was talking now, about not letting anyone die, reminded Abigail of a conversation she'd once had with Calina. This was before she'd been promoted to company leader, before they'd even hooked up, way back when she was just a young girl in the group being mentored by a slightly older one. How had it gone again exactly? Abby had said something nearly the same as Jess just had, probably along the lines of how she was going to work hard, and do everything she could to make sure everyone always made it back from every mission. Calina said that kind of bright and cheerful optimism was somehow both annoying and refreshing. At the time, she'd not exactly taken it well, who likes to be called annoying, after all? Now she was starting to understand. But when had she changed? When had it gone from wanting to save everyone, to just focusing on the closest friends, the ones that had made it through thick and thin together for the longest? While she still absolutely refused to let Calina, or Hilling, or Sena go--not if she could do anything, even the slightest of things within her power to alter it--she had to admit, some of the others' lives she'd been willing to gamble with. She'd gambled... and lost. When had her bright cheery outlook lost its luster? How had she become so tarnished?

Was it better this way? Should she let Jess settle, the same way she'd settled in the end? Or should she try to protect that certain spark while it still existed? Abigail hadn't come here for this, she wasn't cut out for this sort of deep thinking.

"What you're feeling... isn't wrong. It'll make things harder for you, but if you're willing to suffer for the sake of others, who is there to tell you otherwise?" She sighed and shrugged. It was a non-answer, it wouldn't help any. It was a longer form version of 'I don't know', it advocated for the status quo. Why? Was she curious if Jess would find a different answer? Was she selfishly choosing to watch and see? If she was taking an inch, maybe she should try for a mile. "You said, at the meeting, that if anybody had... any suggestions, of places to go, things to do... you'd listen. And it was for everyone, so it wouldn't be just a special favor to me," Abigail danced circles around what she really wanted to ask a couple of times before diving in. "If... If somehow I managed to find out where the rest of my team have gotten to... If they're still doing alright... If it was possible... I mean, you're still looking for soldiers, for machines. You'd pardon them too, right?"

Abby had been staring at the water, unable to look at the captain for awhile, but she felt she owed it to meet her gaze at the end of her absurd request. When she raised her face to do so though, she caught sight of incoming trouble. Well, not necessarily, but there was more of a chance than not. Gently prodding Jess in the shin with her big toe, trying to cue her in on the next bits of nonverbal communication, Abby jerked her head slightly to the side, cast her glance in the direction of the approaching ice queen from the north, and silently mouthed the words "Red Alert". Hopefully that would provide at least a little warning to the captain.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

Pardon Me

It seemed like Abigail was taking it seriously. She'd stopped to think for a moment... About what, exactly? Not that Jess thought her thinking was absolute, but... What was going through the woman's head? She was a rebel, she wasn't an ANF soldier, from her file-- what they'd been able to find --she was never a soldier for any army. So what did that sort of tight knit group mentality bring about? When she started to answer, she spoke about suffering. Jess understood that. If she wanted to keep everyone alive, when the day came, if it ever did... It would be crushing. Not just to her-- if she wanted this crew to be like a family, while it might not hit everyone the same if, say, Brant croaked... It would definitely sting everyone in some fashion.

Jess could live with that. It was a burden, but it was one she wanted to bear. Keeping everyone alive would be her goal, then. Even if it ended in pain... And then Abigail brought up Jess' question from the meeting. Did she want something too? Only Tarquin had mentioned anything, but when the subject finally spilled, Jess understood why.

She couldn't answer immediately. Pardon an entire group of rebels? Who knew what they were doing now? How many had escaped, and how many sought revenge for those killed? Not everyone would be like Abigail. Not everyone would manage to shut away those feelings of anger and regret and fight for something else. Abigail... She was really strong. Even now, doing her best, not knowing who had died, not knowing if those she cared about most were still around.

But what sort of idealist was Jess, to pick and choose who lived? When Abby kicked her shin and motioned her head, Jess noticed Firmia, getting closed. That meant she had to act fast. It was a bit embarrassing, but Jess quickly shifted over to Abigail's side, and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. She had an answer. Hopefully Abigail didn't mind it whispered. "If... If they're willing to join us-- not the ANF... Just, us. And fight with us to help save those that have nothing to do with this mess... Then I can't see why I wouldn't." Jess smiled. Would that be enough? Hopefully it was nice to hear, and she did mean it. In this situation, the past was the past. If someone proved they could help fight for the greater good...

Not enough time to keep thinking about it. Jess swam away from Abigail and up to the edge Firmia was approaching. "Heyyyy! I hope you don't mind the tiny party. Everyone needs a break now and again."

Not Playing Fair

Avery whined as Astin pulled them back in without a welcome kiss, whining louder when her bottle was taken. "Thorvy gave it t'me... Tol' me ta take two an' see 'im later... Sssso, I jus' figured, nothin' wrong with an overdose~" As they were walked over towards the bed, Avery grinned, quickly spinning Astin into sitting on it instead, and slowly climbing onto their lap. Almost stealing a kiss, she stopped herself, pressing her forehead against their's.

"Listen... Mmnn, I know yer... Worried 'bout doin' stuff with a drunk girl... An', I don' blame ya. Ssstuff could get real messy with someone like me, an'... I ain't, gonna push ye fer sex. I know I'm, hic..." She giggled at that, shaking her head some. "I know I'm, kinda wasted. So, jus'... Jus', kiss me... Nothin' more. Promise. I think yer real hot, 'n... What if, we started datin'?" She smiled wide, leaning back on their lap some, chuckling quietly.

"I ain't never gone steady with anyone... But, yer jus'... Yer so cute, Astin. Yer, jus', so innocen', an' pure... I ain't ever been with someone like you. An' yer interested in my robotics, an' engineerin'. I know I jus', hic... P-Pushed you inta this, but... Mmnn, it could be fun. Wha'd'ya say?" It was too tempting not to do anything, gently nuzzling in against their neck and planting a small kiss.

Edited October 8, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Dandragon]

Well that was...a sight. Elaine was holding back laughter at Thorvald's choice of swimwear in a fucking speedo. She had to shake it off to not burst out in subdued chuckles. And by then, the ball was coming straight at her!

"Oh shit!" She yelled as she tried to hold her hands out and catch the ball. Her timing was off, however, and the ball 'bapped' her straight in the face. Again. I probably deserved that, She thought. The ball landed in the water right in front of her, and Elaine picked it up, ready to throw it back at Thorvald, before noticing Roxanna, waiting there, expectantly. Well, the more the merrier, right? Elaine soon backed herself off so that she could easily see both Thorvald and Roxanna, then tossed the ball back into the air before hitting it towards the XO, less fiercely than before. The entire time, there was a smile plastered all over Elaine's face.

[scorri]

So it was Thorvald who had given her the whiskey. Astin was going to need to talk to him at some point. About not giving people the ability to make bad decisions when they were emotionally--"Wha?" All of a sudden, they were on the bed instead of Avery and she was on their lap instead of the bed. "Ah, Avery, it's not just..." Then she went tossing around words like innocent and dating and... They shivered slightly as she kissed their neck. She was making it very hard to focus on anything. It was probably unfair to accuse her of doing it on purpose given how drunk she seemed to be, it certainly felt like she was doing that.

"Avery I... I don't know if this is a good idea and you're drunk and... Look, here, focus on me for a second, ok?" They gently pushed her head back so that they were looking her in the eyes, hopefully keeping her focus for a little while at least. "Here, I'll promise you this, ok? I'll go get you some coffee, you take a shower and maybe get a bit cleaned up, and if, when you're sober, you still want to ask me out, I'll... I'll say yes. Because I do like you and... I do think it's a bad idea, but it's also nice. And if you still want this when you're sober, then we can talk." Hopefully that would convince her and not just encourage her to take the future yes as a yes right now.

[Phoenix]

"I don't want to lessen your transformation," Megumi began, clearly unsettled, "but ... what?" It was all she could do not to reach for the nearest scanner and sweep Cheryl for ... something. The medical doctor had all sorts of theories coming to mind, with no effort on her part. The chief among them came out almost involuntarily. "Are you pregnant?" Was Bill the father ...? That one didn't need asking aloud, really. That didn't stop Megumi from glancing in the head janitor's direction momentarily. The doctor knew she was probably way off base, but there was still something going on that was out of the ordinary. There had to be a new factor in play for Cheryl to suddenly want to quit smoking, 'kinda' and 'maybe' aside.

---

Sasha glanced down at his own outfit and shrugged in amusement. He certainly didn't plan to go swimming in this getup. "Nyet, I'm actually on the clock, right now." With his palm held upward, and his other fingers folded back, Sasha indicated his current employer with his index finger. "It won't do us much good to get familiar with the ship if she can't find some way to trust you people." Knowing how the Alkaevs operated, at least out in the open, Sasha was certain Firmia was going to try to get off the ship as soon as possible if the captain couldn't win her over. If that was what she wound up deciding on, the news would indeed not be as good. Sasha didn't like their chances with just three, more likely two mobile suits, two fully capable pilots, and a TK with no T-Link to utilize. More importantly, Sasha didn't want to go back to Russia, dodging every flavor of death, just to be plucked from the Mantle, dropped into a Volkov, and tossed at whatever Apotheosis group showed up next in their territory.

"I'm just here for moral support." The same could be said of Tonya, somewhat, Sasha noted as he glanced over at teacher and student. They seemed to have found a good spot for their things and were now coming over, as well.

Meanwhile, over yonder ...

"Heyyyy! I hope you don't mind the tiny party. Everyone needs a break now and again."

Firmia minded, alright, but this pool party wasn't actually very high on her growing list of concerns. At the end of the day, Apotheosis was just too complacent to deal with serious threats like the Riese, effectively. If they weren't, if they really knew how to fight a war, the Heion Rise would be scattered for miles around Great Lake Base. It was no excuse for this sort of behavior, but this crew wasn't normal, either. Not only were they not normal, but Firmia doubted they had a personal stake in this fight, or longed for revenge for what those terrorists had done. How could she expect them to be ruthless toward their enemies until they'd suffered like she had? ... Firmia supposed she just couldn't, really. Sooner or later, Apotheosis was going to get lucky, destroy something incredibly important or kill someone they cherished. Maybe then the captain and her people would get their act together. Firmia decided she wouldn't say anything when that happened, no 'I told you so's or other fire stoking words of ridicule, just quiet observation, and a readiness to help. Maybe then this crew would be ready to burn Apotheosis to the last pilot. For now, Firmia had to make sure she wasn't shoved aside, forced to watch her people and her mobile suits be exploited by this anomalous ANF detachment.

"As long as you're aware of, and accept the consequences of your actions," Firmia returned a greeting that was almost neutral and oddly formal. She stopped a couple of feet from the hot tub and crossed her arms, looking even more uncomfortable than she felt on the inside. "I came here to speak with you about--" one thing at a time, Firmia quickly reminded herself, "us ... working together." That just didn't sound right in her ears, but how else could she word it without being discourteous?

Edited October 8, 2017 by Phoenix
shot a comma

[Shin]

Bill was perhaps a little surprised by the presence of Cheryl, but he was overjoyed with her proclamation. "Good on 'ya, Doctor Hart. With so many little anklebiters running around, it'd be a real shame to give them a second hand smoko. Who knows, maybe we'll even have a few more about... it'll be good oil for them all. And for you too, some fresh air does the body some good." he replied, trying to contain his excitement. The most menacing source of mess was ready to throw in the towel, it would have almost been worth a few scars from suturing. No more ash coating the carpets, butts blighting the desk... it was a wonderful day indeed. He couldn't quite hear Megumi's question, but he gave her a polite smile back - he was lucky to have so many well trained medics around him.

"Something bonza, isn't it, Dr Amparo?" Bill laughed, trying to keep his head still. "I'm almost as surprised as you are. Still, when she smokes, it's not only herself she's hurting, but I think she knows that already."

[Nanami Touko]

Cold Shower

"Mmnnn?" Avery groggily centered their vision on Astin, hearing them out, inevitably smiling and giggling. "I've got a boyfriend~ ...Girlfriend? Astinfriend~" She didn't really know what the right term was at the moment, if Astin corrected her, she'd take it and use it. Reluctant as she was, Avery slowly slipped off of Astin and stumbled towards her washroom, catching herself against the door frame. "Mmmmm... It better be real good coffee... Double double. Ye should know what tha' means..." With a hefty sigh, that a giggle followed, Avery closed to door to her washroom. The shower was heard starting quickly after, Avery singing some old song to herself.

On the Clock

"Oh... Is it serious?" Christina watched Firmia walk over with a rather determined gate, hoping it wasn't too bad. "The captain's in a good mood, so... I hope it goes well. Just dunno how much she'll be able to stand that cold shoulder... Something really bad happened to her recently, huh?" Christina hadn't heard the mess in the meeting room, but she'd gotten Firmia's feelings from the battle. They were hard to forget.

As Brant and Tonya walked over, she noticed more things she'd be having a hard time forgetting. Mostly, Tonya's... Everything. "I-Isn't she embarrassed?" The coat wasn't exactly hiding much. Christina thought about herself for a moment... And blushed harder. Having the confidence to walk around like that without hiding herself, what would that take?

Accept it

"Accept the consequences?" Jess didn't quite understand what she meant, but it was perhaps related to having so many people not on standby. Considering what they knew of Apotheosis though, they wouldn't be coming back any time soon. The group specialized in guerilla tactics. If they could resupply and be back within the hour, the entirety of the ANF would have fallen by now. I suppose there's always the lieutenants to worry about... But one machine isn't going to do us in before we can get back to posts

"Sure. Hop in. I hope you don't mind Abigail listening in; I'd rather not kick her out of the hot tub just for this." Firmia had been pretty challenging in the meeting room... Jess hoped she could be confident enough to not get into a shouting match with her over this discussion. I don't want to ruin this for anyone else here.

Bill!?

"Pregnant. Me? And..." Cheryl turned around at Megumi's glance, then started howling, clutching her stomach. "Hah! Hahah! Wow! No, NO, not on my life! Ahhhh..." A few more laughs and some coughs to try and stabilize herself, Cheryl placed a hand up against her head. "Uuuuugh... It's that Tarquin kid. I can't help but want to play mom. Isn't that silly of me?" She cocked a curious eyebrow at Megumi and sighed, running her hand through her hair. "It's like Bill says... Don't want to put anything near him that could cause problems later. Probably already done a number talking to him twice already, with how much I light up... You have any suggestions, Megumi? I could just start with the replacement gum or patches, but... I feel like a stronger cold turkey approach would quell it quicker. Much as that would probably turn me into queen bitch. Already hankering for a smoke, and it's only been a few hours."

[scorri]

Astin watched her walk away to the bathroom and then sighed. This was not a good idea, but they suspected they'd be fighting a losing battle to try and convince Avery of that. Still... It was also nice. A small smile crept onto their face as they stood up with a stretch and made their way out of her room. "A double double, huh? Geeze, do they even have Jim Horton's down... wherever Avery's from?" That gave them a slight pause as they realized just how little they knew about their new girlfriend. Still, it wasn't like she knew much more about them. They'd just have to learn more as they went on.

They'd made their way into the cafeteria by now, and started to hum a quiet tune as they inspected the different coffee options. There were some of the most obvious ones that were quick and easy but tended to be tasteless, so they ignored those, rooting around in cabinets for a bit. Finally, they discovered a treasure trove. A bunch of the small cups for making coffee had been shoved back behind a handful of other packed goods and one of them was a deluxe Jimmy's brand. Grabbing it, some creamer and some sugar, they made their way over to the machine. Putting everything down by it, they filled it with water and turned it on. While the water was heating, they dug through the various coffee mugs before finding one that said "I <3 Robots" on it. Figuring it might give her a chuckle, they rinsed it out just in case and then made their way back to the coffee.

The water had just finished heating up, so they stuck the pod in, put the mug in place and set things off. The mug was soon full of the rich coffee to which they added the two creams and two sugars Avery had ordered. Figuring some coffee couldn't hurt things, they quickly popped in a second pod, this time just grabbing a random mug for themself without really looking at it, and made up their own cup, though they added half as much cream and an extra sugar to theirs. Carefully taking both mugs, they slowly made their way back to Avery's room doing their best to not spill. Thankfully the door wasn't set to automatically lock, so they were able to get in easily. Setting the two mugs down, they smiled, listening to Avery still quietly singing in the shower. They didn't recognize the song, but they did enjoy the sound.

[riariadne]

Dwight's quiet pondering turned to a smile of amusement at the announcement of a poolside gathering. He wouldn't be joining, of course, as that would be far too awkward- there was no point interrupting the younger crew member's festivities. Much of the bridge crew was now absent, even the ever hard-working Tristan was nowhere to be found. If even he was on break, Dwight took it upon himself to follow suit.

Heading down the elevator, he went towards the gymnasium- he hadn't had much time to visit, and avoiding truancy would keep him healthier, though it was more occupied than he expected. Ah, I'd forgotten the training machines. It seemed that even Tristan's breaks were spent hard at practice, but he was more surprise to see Juria behind the controls of one of them, starting over and over. "I see you've taken what you said about practice to heart right away," he remarked. "Training with weapons, then? Is that something you plan on doing more in the field, more so than just usual co-pilot duties?"

[Balcerzak]

Jess had seemed to freeze up after Abigail had asked her question. She supposed that was the natural response, after asking for the world like that. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? She closed her eyes and breathed in a lungful of hot steam, preparing herself for the inevitable, 'As much as I would like to,' to which she'd have to reply, 'Of course, I understand, you've done so much already.' Hopefully they'd get it all out of the way before Firmia was close enough to overhear and maybe try to demand answers to the questions she'd be bound to have about the exchange.

The captain's soft hands squeezing around her own right, thus caught Abigail by complete surprise. Opening her eyes to find Jess had disappeared from her previous location, Abby had been just on the cusp of turning her head to the side to reestablish contact when the second assault hit. The warm breaths of air that accompanied the captain's words tickled something fierce, sending shivers up and down her spine, raising gooseflesh along the back of her neck, and even somewhat down along her arms. Well, it may not have been just the physical sensations from those whispers that were responsible for her reaction, though the ears always had been a weak point of hers. The psychological impact of what had been said was also huge.

Abigail's heart caught in her throat, and she knew better than to even try and choke out a response. Thankfully there were more than enough sources of water around that any tears of joy that may or may not have been forming in the corners of her eyes could also be easily explained away. Jess quickly parted from her, and sloshed her way back to the far side of the hot tub, to extend a welcome to the pushy Russian, leaving Abigail some preciously needed moments to try to sort through a swirl of chaotic thoughts, and to try and figure out where to go from here. She had a new path forward, a good chance to save what was left of her old life. Something more than just revenge. But there was also a nugget of new worry forming. The amount of attention Jess was paying her, constant favors either granted or only denied because they would simply stretch things beyond the pale, and now this latest intimacy. The captain was clearly sending her signals, and not just subtle ones. I like you. A lot. How should she possibly respond that wouldn't endanger her already precarious situation? Pretend not to notice as long as possible? Play along and hope Calina would understand the situation?

Abby was so lost in her own world, she barely registered the conversation, only nodding along when she heard her name mentioned, before sinking a little deeper into the jacuzzi.

Edited October 9, 2017 by Balcerzak

[Ether]

"Bounce quick, huh. When first meet up you guys, seem Firmia barely function. Understand if want revenge, but work a bit fast. think? Only overload that way." Kim replied as Sasha noted the true reason the Russians had come to the pool, Firmia was on business. Hopefully this wouldn't turn out too explosive... at least a spike of embarrassment from Christina offered something else to focus on, the girl staring at another of the Russians, Tonya... specifically her choice of attire with incredulity. 

"Why embarrass? At pool swimsuit normal. All take bit confidence, Chrissy."

[Xinnidy]

Rebound

Ah, so Elaine had reaped her reward with a ball back to her face. Roxanna couldn't help a brief smile at that, but it seemed all in good fun, nobody was hurt, and both players seemed in good spirits. Perhaps it wouldn't be a waste to enjoy herself as well... It was still a jarring time for Jessica to decide they needed the break, but as long as they made the most, it wouldn't hurt to abide the captain's decision. Just this once.

Furthermore, the Russians seemed to have joined them quite readily. Interesting. They weren't just rushing and diving, though, they certainly gravitated towards Jessica. It made sense, they had to sort things out completely, but the swimsuits probably hinted that they would stay after that. What was with the other woman's swimsuit, anyways? Wasn't that a bit small? Russians... Sure, they had a father in speedos, but at least it fit his size. Before getting too in-depth thinking about the Russians and what they wanted to do or wear, Roxanna had to remind herself she was supposed to be playing catch. Elaine picked up the ball from the water and was aiming at her. Quickly enough, she seemed to strike at her direction, aggressive, but not as much as Thorvald.

Roxanna had raised her arms in advance preparing a quiet heave, stepping back as she caught the speeding ball, throwing it in an arc above with a target already in mind-- Thorvald! The ball veered a bit more to the right than she wished, but it's not like it was going to fall out of the pool, was it?

[Nanami Touko]

Different Kinda Drink

Avery's singing only lasted a few more minutes, coming out of the bathroom in a bathrobe. Astin was already back, so she'd save changing until they left. She was shivering a little bit, having taken a cold shower to shock herself out of everything she'd been thinking of... Not that it was all gone from her mind, and it wouldn't cure her tipsy, but she was thinking a bit better. "World's Num'er one Plumber... Huh? Didn't take ye fer someone who works on pipes... Thanks fer mine, though." She took her coffee and took a sip, a small smile forming. "Lived in Canada fer a few years 'fore movin' back t'Texas... Nice start t'the mornin', havin' somethin' like this. Thanks..." She took a seat on the edge of her bed, drinking more of the bittersweet mixture.

"Sit down, Astin... An'... I'll try an' talk 'bout it... Figure iffin talkin' t'anyone 'bout what happened, talkin' t'you'll make it easier." She was already tensing up, despite the liquor, holding that hot cup tight, wet hair dragging itself down her robes.

Takes Confidence

Did they sell confidence anywhere? She sure could use some, thinking about doing this at all. But... Kim was, right. In a sense. So it wasn't like she was being singled out, or anything like that. Everyone else was dressed like this, or worse. Christina glanced at Kim for a moment, wondering how she felt walking around in that getup. Did it make her feel good? She she appreciate the attention? Surely some of the crew had stared at Kim for a moment... She surely had.

Christina bit her lip. Gently swinging her legs over the side of the resting chair, she fiddled the shirt up her legs and slowly took it off. Her suit wasn't anything special, just a gentle blue top and bottom, properly sized. When the shirt finally popped off of her head, she crumpled it some and hugged it close, sitting back against the chair. "D-Don't stare..."

Edited October 10, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

Astin was doing their best to concentrate on most things but the fact that Avery was in a bathrobe so the comment about the cup startled them, "Huh? Oh, I just... grabbed a random one I guess. Better make sure that gets back..." The reveal about Canada was surprising, but made sense. "Canada, eh? Where about were you living? Never was one for the double double myself. Too much cream, not enough sugar." They were rambling slightly, trying to help distract her a bit, something that seemed to have failed given her next sentence.

Sitting down on the bed, leaving their mug on the desk nearby, they nodded. "I... Yeah, I can listen. But... are you sure you want to? I mean... All of this is clearly an issue and I don't..." Don't think I'm the best qualified. She'd be better off talking to Doctor Hart. But if she wanted to do that, she would have already. You can do this. She needs you. They sighed quietly and nodded again. "Sorry. I just don't think I'm the best person to talk to about issues from the past but I can't say no to you either. I want to help and if this is how I can help, then I'm here for you." Pulling their legs up against their chest, they rested their chin on their knees, watching her. "I'll listen as long as you want to talk."

[Nanami Touko]

The Best

"Yer the only one, I wanna talk 'bout this with, right now... So... Okay." As hot as the coffee was, Avery took a big gulp of it, setting the mug down on her nightstand. The near burning sensation made her shiver, but she needed something to shock her a bit, if she was going to talk about this at all. "I... I used t'work on another ship. ANFSF Seahorse, K-Kraken class." A hand made its way onto Astin's thigh, gently gripping them. "And... I, I worked with my brother... Shit, it's already comin' back. Geez..." She let go of Astin and held herself, almost shrinking in from the pressure.

Cutting to the chase would make this less painful than suffering the build up. "We got attacked, one day. Rebels, t, terrorists, Iunno... They s... Shit... Stormed into the hangar," she choked out, starting to cry, closing her eyes to try and escape from whatever she was seeing. "I couldn', get out in time. Had t'barricade, m-myself away from 'em... Then..." she coughed, a sob escaping, as the crying got worse. "An' a grenade, flies over the barricade... I'm there, with my brother, an'... An' he... Hhhhh..." More sobs, cracking her wet eyes open to stare at Astin.

"He jumps on it." She'd barely managed a whisper. "Saved my life. Grenade goes off... Hic... He's gone. R, Red stain... M'leg's gone, too. Ahh..." It was at that point she couldn't stop herself anymore. Openly weeping and collapsing against Astin's shoulder, her arms struggled to get around them in a hug.

[scorri]

The story started off normally. It made sense that Avery had been on another ship before and even that her brother had been there, though that was slightly less common. But there wasn't going to be a happy ending to this story and they had a sinking suspicion as to how it would be ending.

Terrorist attack... And her brother dying to save her. No wonder it was so hard to talk about. Astin didn't have any words, so instead they just wrapped Avery up in a tight hug, gently stroking her hair. Sitting there in silence for a few long moments just holding her, they tried to process everything they'd just heard.

Finally, they quietly spoke up. "Hey, I'm not going to say it's ok because it's clearly not. But I'm here and I... I'll listen or whatever as long as you need me. So don't worry. Cry as long as you need."

Edited October 10, 2017 by scorri

[Phoenix]

Bill was indeed excited about the news, but it wasn't the kind of excitement that hinted at his direct involvement. It would have been interesting--and funny--if he didn't know, but that likely wasn't it. In fact, Bill had brought up an interesting point: there were young people all over the ship. Some were still minors. Maybe Cheryl was hoping to quit for their sake. "Erm ... bonza, sure," Megumi stammered out a reply after some thought. As it turned out, there was one minor in particular at the heart of Cheryl's request. Tarquin. How the little sniper managed to trigger Cheryl's maternal instincts at this point was up for speculation, but Megumi supposed she was fine with helping, assuming her colleague was committed. Bitchiness was fine, really; she could handle that. What was she going to do, blow smoke in their faces? Nope~

"Gum and patches will only get you through withdrawal for the most part," Megumi prefaced her own suggestion, "My main suggestion would be to get rid of any cigars you still have. It's easier not to smoke and keep yourself busy if you can't get a hold of one to begin with. Being stuck on the ship could be a blessing if there isn't a supply of them." The ship tended to have a bit of everything, so Megumi wouldn't be surprised one way or the other. There was the question of whether others aboard smoked, and what their stashes looked like, but Megumi saw no issue with bringing them into the loop and making sure they didn't cooperate with the therapist on her inevitable bad days. There were half a dozen other suggestions the doctor had in mind, but it was good to gauge Cheryl's initial reaction.

---

"Firmia's just feeling really vulnerable right now," Sasha explained, "Alkaevs get that way with only a handful of aids and a few million credits to their name," he chuckled. In all seriousness, that was a relatively horrible state for Firmia to be in. She'd had a ton of support, and virtually unlimited funds until today. Now she was on the other side of the world, with just Sasha himself and Tonya to rely on ... maybe Brant in certain instances, and just the right amount of money to make the poor shake their fists at her, and make the wealthy point and laugh.

"Yeah," Sasha nodded when Christina suggested Firmia had gone through some things. "We all have, but she's still a kid. Don't expect moderate reactions." He immediately followed up on Seung Min's point about the young Alkaev overloading herself. "It's probably going to happen, but it'll be worse if we try to stop her. Just let her burn herself out once, then she'll figure out the right way to handle this."

Sasha didn't really have a quip with regard to Tonya. He was just glad she'd gotten all of her scars removed. She didn't really care, but a lot of her fellow pilots had insisted. Peer pressure wasn't always a bad thing ...

Just before Brant and Tonya arrived, Christina got the courage to take off her shirt, revealing a fitting blue bathing suit. Sasha rubbed his chin mischievously and smirked. 'Don't stare,' she said. "Hahah, yeah, sorry," Sasha said, "the less you wear, the more I'll stare."

"Careful, Sasha," Tonya chimed in, "she might still be a minor."

"So what are you talking about?" Brant asked, though he was admittedly at little distracted. Whatever Firmia was doing, it was making her extremely uncomfortable. If he didn't see her nearby, fully clothed and standing normally, he'd have assumed she was standing naked in a large crowd.

...

The invitation to the hot tub had been friendly enough, but between wanting to keep her coat on and not wanting to have to awkwardly exit again in a few minutes if the discussion didn't go anywhere, Firmia was pretty much set on having her end of the discussion out here. As for the woman in red 'listening in,' Firmia didn't really care as long as she didn't make this anymore difficult. "It's fine, but I'm staying out here. I just want to get this over with and let the others know what's going on ..."

With that part out of the way, Firmia decided to 'start things off.' "Now then ... since we both have the same goal of defeating Apotheosis," for the most part, "I think it would be better if we worked together." While she meant that in the most literal way possible, there was this persistent feeling that Jessica and the others had a completely different idea of what that would look like. It was pissing her off and she didn't even know for certain if this pessimism was warranted, yet. Even taking that into consideration didn't help Firmia fully suppress her feelings, though.

"When I say work together, I don't mean sitting in my room, studying and waiting for you to beat Apotheosis." Firmia knew she had skills that went far beyond simply shooting things, and she had to make that clear, among other things, even if doing so brought that negative feeling more to the surface. "I'm not just the current owner of the suits we brought in. Brant and I went through a lot of the same training, but I'm capable of designing whole systems and upgrades, just like my father. I want to fight Apotheosis, but I can't trust the ANF not to ..." There it was, that overwhelming sense that, in throwing her lot in with the ANF, she was doing little more than handing over her meaningful possessions to foreigners, and condemning herself to the hopeless and insulting treatment of a civilian for the duration of the conflict. "... I can't trust the ANF ... that's all, really. There's no specific area where I think we would be working against each other, I just can't trust an organization this large, not during a war, and not with my livelihood. That's why I need to hear it from you."

Firmia reached out through the intense discomfort and pointed hard at the tip of Jessica's nose. Fortunately, she was a little out of reach. "I need to hear it from you, specifically, 'Captain.' If I agree to stay here and help you fight Apotheosis, you won't just have me tossed into a room and then start plastering your ANF logos all over my machines. I don't want anyone tampering with them without my permission or unsupervised. No activity of any kind that could hurt us later. As soon as Apotheosis is wiped out, we're probably going to leave here for good, so it's not an unreasonable request. In return, I won't talk to your pilots or anyone else I don't have business with, and if I have something I need to say, I'll just say it to you in private. No one will ever be in anyone else's way." It sounded reasonable to her, but with a captain this fresh out of the academy, who knew? It was so difficult to judge where the inclinations of a proper military organization would end and where the 'unique' inclinations of this crew would begin in general ... especially while she felt this way.

[Nanami Touko]

It's Okay

"I's not okay... It's, not..." Avery quietly moan into Astin's shoulder, sniffling and sobbing as they tried to quiet the attack. "So I jus'... Every time, I see somethin'... Like what happened, t' t'Hannah... I freak out. It brings me, right back... I'm sorry..." Clinging ever tighter to Astin, she could feel herself shivering, shaking. It was one thing to remember what had happened... And another entirely to talk about it.

A Minor problem

"Please don't," was all she could add to Sasha's commentary, hoping that he was just joking. If he wanted to stare at someone, Tonya was right there. "Oh... I'm not a minor," she corrected, wondering if she should have. "I'm nineteen. Kim is, though... Despite her, uh... Ensemble." Christina forgot that Kim was younger than her, almost all the time, with how cool and collected she tended to be.

Working Together

Jess was wondering why Firmia looked so out of her element. Wasn't she this headstrong girl? Or had that been a front in the face of her awful mother? She didn't know, but when Firmia explained herself, Jess could only smile. "Is that all?" Probably not the right question with how much this looked to be troubling her, but it was all that came to Jess' mind. "Firmia, I don't know what you were expecting when you came aboard the ship, and I know that in the meeting, I was throwing my authority around... But we're in a very peculiar situation, right now."

Jess pulled herself out, sitting on the edge, to make this easier to talk about. "We're at war with a terrorist group. This isn't normal ANF patrols or missions. We have limited contact to Central, not much in the way of orders... So things fall to me. And, look around." Jess gestured to the pool, watching a beach ball fly up high, making her giggle. "I know it's not professional... But when it isn't about a meeting, a briefing or a debriefing, I'd rather we all just be friends, then colleagues. Sure, that means it's going to hurt more if any of us don't make it through the fights... But it means we get along better. So I don't need you to trust the ANF, and I won't do anything to your machines without your permission." She shot a sorry glance to Abby behind her, hoping that if she was listening, she'd understand the circumstantial differences in situations.

"Just trust us. Or try to. And try to trust me. I like Brant, and I hope I can get to liking the rest of you. So... If you want to work together, then let's work together. Okay?" Jess put her hand out and waited to shake, hoping her smile was good enough reassurance. "Oh, and come relax with us, or take a swim. Get to know the crew! They're all pretty nice people. We even have an idol on board. Isn't that crazy?"

Remove Temptation

Cheryl nodded along, but then sighed. "Yeah, I could get rid of my own stash... Dunno if any of our new friends smoke yet, but I was making eyes at one of them, so I guess I'll find out soon enough. Sorry to say Megumi, but you're the one I'm coming to first if I'm having a particularly bad day. Is that fine?" She closed her eyes and scratched at her hair, peeking one open at Megumi.

Edited October 10, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa