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

[Phoenix]

"Hey, Firmia," Tonya radioed in after a couple of minutes of testing out the Mantle's handling in MS mode.

They were over a thousand feet above the airstrip, now, and their test wasn't even close to complete, yet. Firmia hoped Tonya hadn't encountered a problem; her feed from the T-Link was extremely hampered from her full G suit, right now, so it was more difficult to perceive the woman's mental state accurately. "What is it? Did you find a problem?" She seemed fine, and even her tone hinted at a bit of playfulness.

"I was just thinking about how you could probably blow off some steam. Since we're testing both suits at the same time, why not some live sim?~"

Handicaps abound, Firmia mused. The AMS units were always ready for live simulations, but Tonya was piloting the Mantle, and Firmia's flight suit was interfering with the T-Link, placing them both out of their comfort zones. Then again, this was Tonya ... she wasn't the Reign's pilot because it was the only mobile suit she could handle. She was the pilot because none of the other Alkaev pilots could bring out its full potential. Firmia didn't like the idea of facing the Mantle's beam smartgun in general, but certainly not when Tonya was wielding it. Hannah always seemed to favor melee, but Tonya wouldn't hesitate to kick things off with a ludicrously big bang.

One thing that might work in the Alkaev's favor was the very nature of live simulations. The suits would go through the motions of attacking each other, but most weapons wouldn't discharge any projectiles or energy. Instead, the cockpits would simulate weapons fire between the machines and track damage through virtual overlays. In addition to not having to worry about doing much more than dinging the suits' armor, certain parameters could be tweaked to balance out matches. Speaking of which ...

"Here, how's this look?" Tonya asked, forwarding some live sim settings to Firmia's monitor. She could only scowl looking them over. Tonya's recommended settings were just downright insulting; the Mantle's 'durability' would be increased by 500%, while the Regalia's would be increased by 5000%. What a joke! Was she that bloody confident Firmia couldn't take her down? Well, the Alkaev had to admit that if she could beat Tonya in the Mantle while it was buffed to five times the normal durability then that would be one hell of an achievement, even if she had technically lost the Regalia a dozen times or more by then. It was ... doable, even without relying on the T-Link or the funnels. As long as that smartgun didn't have unlimited energy stores ...

"One more thing," Firmia said, making some quick adjustments and sending the live sim settings overview back to the Mantle.

"Limited ammo? Sure thing, just don't run out first, okay?" Tonya teased her opponent, "The Mantle's not built for melee, but you're not taking me out with a beam saber."

"Just get ready to fight for your life," Firmia scoffed, "I've got a lot of stress to work out of my system, and today, you're my victim." Tough talk, but Firmia felt herself trembling in her seat. Tonya was her friend and pilot now, but she was also the sharpest tool Dima had ever had at his disposal. That was why she was tasked with training the Abrams brothers and some of the other, more capable company pilots.

---

So Elaine had gone shopping with Aliza? Good to know she was making friends. And trying out new things. There was more to this run-in though. Elaine was apparently looking for someone to hang out with. Aliza may have been busy, today ... plus it was a frustratingly long drive from the Riese to this part of Central, and it was still summer. If you were going to come out all this way, you'd better make sure it was worth your while. As for hanging out with someone, Brant obviously didn't mind, but this was a date, and he couldn't imagine things not turning out a little awkward because of that. Maybe if it was a double date ... but Elaine was by herself right now ...

"I don't mind, but it's Hannah's big day today, so I'll leave it up to her." Brant supposed Elaine sticking with them for a little while and then finding something else to do whenever Hannah decided to bring out the big guns could also work. She might also find some reason to have Elaine along the entire time that Brant hadn't even considered. Either way, there seemed to be better ways of handling it than turning Elaine down outright ... especially with what was on her plate, right now ...

[Balcerzak]

Abigail had had a nightmare. She couldn't remember what it was about when she woke up, and the feeling quickly faded as she found a Jess still wrapped within her arms, so that had pretty much been the end of that. Much like yesterday, the captain was still very much dead to the world, first thing in the morning, so eventually Abby got restless. Appropriating an outfit from Jess's closet, she'd made the short walk back to her room to drop off yesterday's things, then made the slightly longer walk to the cafeteria to put something together. A bowl of cut fruit--two bowls, and some granola. She set Jess's portion down on her bedstand with a note, letting her know what she'd be up to before the captain was free and they could set off on their date. Abigail had a few loose ends of her own she'd not got a chance to take care of last night, finally managing to pop in to the infirmary for a check-up on Nikolai, and a quick chat with Megumi.  

Then, while Jess was wrapped up in some meeting or other, Abby roamed the base's garage, looking for the ride that would get them into town and serve them for the rest of the day--the fun part of it. She'd been given sufficient clearance to check out just about anything, so at this point it was simply circling the lot, looking for something ideal. Abby liked her cars like she liked her women: sleek; well-maintained; quick to get up and running, but good for the long haul; and preferably without a top. Hopefully there'd be something around that would tick most of those boxes.

Sadly, most of the selection was dreadfully boring. While there was a wide array of perfectly functional jeeps, humvees, and the like, they just weren't the sort of thing that would get your heart racing, ya know? Abigail almost completely despaired, making her way toward a boring 4x4 Rover, when she spotted salvation out of the corner of her eye. It hadn't been what she'd originally come to find, no, but it would certainly do just fine in a pinch. In fact, it might even end up being better. As she gave a good long stare at the motorcycle that had piqued her interest, Abby found her mind wandering down a daydream of Jess clinging tightly to her, arms about her waist, as they sped down the highway, wind whipping around them. Yeah, this should do just fine.

Helmets and leather jackets were prepared and waiting by the time Jess showed up, looking a fair bit more chipper than Abigail had expected, given she'd been tied up in some bullshit with the brass, but maybe she'd just been quick to put all that behind her? After all, she'd been looking forward to this, so why wouldn't she be wearing a smile, now that they were finally about to get underway?

Flashing Jess a toothy grin, she pushed a jacket and helmet into her arms. "Suit up, and prepare to hold on tight. We're gonna have a damn fun ride." There was a brief pause, and a thoughtful expression passed over Abby's face, before she gave considerate nod. "I'll let you drive on the way back, if you want."

[Nanami Touko]

Upgrades Working

"Really? That's fantastic!" Buck let himself do one heck of a fistpump, beaming ear to ear. "Really glad to hear they worked out! They were experimental after all... Just figured stuff out at a glance from what I had to work with. A good month with this tech in a proper lab setting and I could probably get all of our suits setup with working V-Drives... Too bad I don't have that kinda free time." He sighed wistfully, wondering if he'd ever have that freedom, with the world in turmoil like this. Even when they were done fighting, win or lose, things weren't going to settle for a long while. That was just how it was, at least from what he'd read poking around in history books. He did more than just mess with machines!

"I don't have a clue how long you guys are hanging with us, but if we get a stretch of time like that, let me poke at things. These machines are too good to be stuck as planes the whole time just to fly properly. Seeing mobile suits in action like Kim's... It gets my heart going. It's really exciting! I wanna get more of them up in the air like that."

Galatea rolled her eyes and reacquainted herself with her cloud. "This is stimulating, but if you aren't going to ferry me about for a bit, then provide me with something to move around in, at least until the lovebirds can stop making eyes long enough to make me my own."

"What's with you AIs and wanting bodies all of a sudden? I saw that little toy Hannah and Brant made. This really is the singularity..."

"Perhaps~"

Third Wheel

"Orange Theocracy? I cannot access wifi from this range... Perhaps inside the mall." How odd it felt to be without information. Whether it wast at the colony or on the Riese, Hannah always had some form of connection to a search engine, to be able to fill in her database... But... With a tiny little smile, she didn't seem bothered by it. "So this is what it's like... I see." Leaving that comment without explanation, she turned to Brant as he laid the burden of choice on her. Being honest, there was no one else Hannah wanted around right now. This was supposed to be attack day, round one. If there was a third party, Brant could deflect, or try to get them involved, lessen the impact... He probably wouldn't, but the option was there.

Still... "If you would like to come along, then you can, Elaine." With how stressed the red head had seemed during battle these last engagements, spending more time with others was likely a good idea... And... "It will be good to show you that my changes are not a bad decision." Her smile got bigger, hopefully Elaine remembered, that lovely first reaction to her initial question.

"Shall we, then?"

Torture Trip

Avery smiled, let it dip some, and then sighed. "If yer really against me stuffin' ye inta a dress, that's fine. Ain't gon' force it... I got ye here, an' that's what matters most t'me." Avery chuckled some leaning back a bit, peeking out at the sun from just under her hat. "Y'all lemme know what the situation is 'fore we get inside... Else I know exactly where I'm draggin' ya. Y'dig?" This was the last hurdle to jump over, so to speak... If Avery could get Astin to make it, it wasn't about to get easier, though. She wasn't about to stop at one outfit...

Food Court

"Well, there's nothing wrong with more asian dishes, but..."

"Wait, I can get anything?"

"Huh?" Christina looked at Chris, wondering what she meant. "Did I miss something?"

"S... Sorr... I didn't, have a wide selection back at their base... Just not used to that sort of, choice." She'd almost bit her lip, but that would've given away too much.

"Oh... Then, you can pick! Over here." Christina ushered her over, the uncomfortable blonde taking a second to close the distance, looking at the map and adjusting her glasses a bit.

"Taco Chime? Lunar Fried... WacDonald's? What... Are these?"

"They're food chains... Check your... My... Whatever, think back to highschool. You'll probably remember some."

The comparison was frustrating, but she did remember a few... "You seemed to enjoy Daisy's the most. Vanilla shakes, huh?"

"Er, I... Well, they were cheap, okay? Look! Just pick one." Christina gave a pout, Kim having more ammo was definitely a bad thing.

"Fine, fine... WacDonald's then. That sounds... Generic enough."

"That's a word for it... Mind leading the way then, Kim? I wanna get a good look at places as we walk past, so I'd appreciate it."

Ticket to Ride

Jess took the time after her meeting and talk to put on some proper casual clothes. She'd probably garner a lot of attention if she showed up in her captain's outfit... She might get an onlooker or two even without it. The captain of the Riese, savior of the ANF. "Just something I'll have to get used to, isn't it?" She snickered at herself, shook her head, and went about changing.

By the time she'd made it off the ship to meet with Abby, the woman had already picked out a ride for them, and the 'appropriate' attire. Jess had shown up in another pair of Abby's jeans, getting pretty used to the feel, her own blouse, and a lazily buttoned cardigan. "Guess I didn't need this... But, I should've seen the motorcycle coming. Just screams Abigail, doesn't it?" She let herself chuckle at that as she slipped arms into the jacket, shaking her head when she reached for the helmet.

"I'm gonna be holding on the entire time, thanks... I can pilot a ship, but driving a bike... I'd like us to make it back in one piece. Maybe if you offered to switch to a car, buuuuut..." The helmet went on, Jess shrugged. "I've got a feeling you want me clinging on."

---

And what a ride it was. Abby didn't let up, didn't she? The road's were fairly empty, so she kept pushing the throttle and the speed at point, Jess letting out some excited yelps, hanging on tight. It was a pretty good rush to get her entirely awake for the rest of the day. They'd finally started to slow down, the area coming into view. Just as impressive as the last time I saw it.

Parking was just as empty, Jess getting off and letting out a big sigh as her head popped out of the helmet. "Well! That was a rush, wasn't it? You're really good at driving. I think I'll enjoy riding in the back just as much as I did coming here..." Jess took a moment to look around, seemed there were a few other groups in the lot... And a few familiar faces. Brant, Elaine... Hannah? What a makeover. Do your best, you crazy android.

Jess smiled over at them, before turning back to Abby. "What's first, then?"

Edited March 9, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Dandragon]

Elaine’s eyes widened ever so slightly at Hannah, and she looked away for a second, a shameful smile on her face. She did have quite the reaction to Hannah, and it was clear Hannah was trying to get Elaine to worry less about her changes. Bringing that up made the situation awkward, but not enough to make her leave. Hannah wanted to prove to her that this wasn’t a ‘bad decision’, and for today, Elaine was willing to let her. All the same...

”I, uh...Guess I should apologize for my little reaction to your question, all that time ago.” It wasn’t as much time as Elaine implied, though at least to her, it felt like it was ages ago. “But, yeah! Let’s get going. I’ll let you two lead the way.”

[Ether]

Huh... offering Chris the chance to input on their food situation seemed to have been enough to introduce a crack, or at least something of the sort. Her hostility had drained for a moment, and she bickered a bit with Christina, though in a less volatile fashion than one might have expected. Well, it was a step in the right direction, and she was getting some useful intel out of this either way. Approaching the pair of blondes with a smile, Kim chimed in with a light giggle.

"Vanilla... milkshakes, huh? Good to know... and WcDonalds is... fine. I normally wouldn't but... one day won't destroy my figure. Follow me." Kim noted before gesturing in the general direction of the food court, beginning to walk towards it.

Edited March 10, 2018 by Ether

[Phoenix]

No free time, was it? Sasha knew that feeling all too well. Hopefully the Riese would pull in some new mechanics while they were here in Central. That might give Buck some more breathing room, which, if the lad was to be believed, would help the war effort quite a bit.

On the Alkaev side of things though, they were quickly running out of time. That was one topic Sasha was hoping wouldn't come up while he was visiting the doctor, even though it was becoming increasingly relevant. "I guess it all comes down to how things go here in Central. Firmia wants to have a meeting with whoever's in charge around here. I'm not a pessimist by nature, but we might just have to pick a pagan god and pray if want to stick around for the whole war."

And Galatea still wasn't happy about her situation. Granted, who would be? "Oh fine," Sasha sighed, linking his comm to the console, "Hop in, but don't say anything when I'm visiting Cheryl, alright? I've got enough explaining to do at this rate."

---

Firmia just narrowly avoided the Mantle's beam smartgun during the opening seconds of their match. While outside observers would have seen the Regalia boost out of the way of ... essentially nothing as the Mantle leveled its long cannon at it, the displays inside the Regalia's cockpit showed an absolutely massive, overcharged beam that would have enveloped the suit entirely if not for Firmia's reaction time. Her return fire was swift, several bursts from the Regalia's hyper beam rifle. The Mantle's cannon rose to take the shots on its shielded underside, and then the hip cannons swiveled up to send off a quick rebuttal.

"It's a bit slow, but I love the options," Tonya smirked.

"I've got options, too," Firmia warned, taking the hip shots on the Regalia's shield so she could focus on getting the funnels into this live sim. All six of them detached from the wings, and like drunken pigeons, they each took a unique and seemingly random path toward the Mantle. They weren't going to be nearly as effective as normal with the T-Link connection this weak, but what Firmia really wanted from them was to help put Tonya on the defensive. If she could just manage that, then the momentum from that, as well as the Regalia's 5000% durability mod, might just carry the Alkaev to victory.

---

It sounded like Hannah and Elaine were alluding to some previous discussion. Come to think of it, Hannah hadn't been too thrilled about the initial reactions to her request for 'skin.' Maybe Elaine was one of the objectors. It wasn't a big deal, though. Just like back then, Brant felt that since she was the one that had to live with the changes, how she felt about them was what really mattered. Even so, Brant certainly didn't mind them. Falling into step with Hannah, Brant got to wondering about the clothes shopping segment of this date. Would that still be going as she planned, or was Hannah going to make adjustments to her strategy with Elaine coming along, as well?

[Nanami Touko]

Praying

"It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Oh yes it can, Buck," Galatea began as she hopped into Sasha's communicator, popping up on his screen. "Firmia's been given orders from the Kremlin to return to Russia. Fun, that."

"What!?" Buck certainly wasn't in the loop. "But, wha... N-No! That's... Can you even safely make it back?"

"Who knows. And sure thing, Romeo, I'll be quiet while you mess around with your Juliette."

Buck ignored that, he was still rather troubled by the Russians leaving, though for mostly selfish reasons. He still wanted to work on those machines more... Then getting shipped back, when it was already so hard to get them here. Wouldn't there be a huge chance of them getting shot down?

Vanilla

"Y-Yeah..."

"You don't have to be so embarrassed, Chrissy," Chris bit out, sticking her tongue out at the flustered girl. "It's not like you're maintaining a figure underneath that dress."

"Well, th-that's... Hmph! You don't know that!"

"Yes I do." Chris almost laughed, rolling her eyes.

"W-Well... Mmmh, fine. I can't help myself. It's the best little sugar kick. Why are you trying to watch your figure anyway, Kim? You're not gonna go back to the idol industry after all this, are you?" She had to have some plans when things were finally over and done with... Maybe she'd go into modeling? She'd do really well if she did...

"Maybe she just likes to take care of herself. You should hit the gym every once in a while."

"Oh, come on! You can't be that much different than me."

"Yeah, I can." Lifting up her shirt was a bit much, but rolling back a sleeve and displaying the gun show was enough to get Christina's jaw dropping.

"Bu-- that's, but, we're... Wha!?"

Chris scoffed, folding her arms again as they walked. "If you think they just copy a template and leave it as is, you're sorely mistaken. All of us get this kind of attention. Makes us more effective soldiers. So... If you want to keep enjoying your milkshakes without worry, I'd suggest hitting the gym. The Riese's is rather extensive." Chris walked ahead, getting herself in line for this fast food place... What a mysterious little establishment.

Christina sighed and got in line behind her, smiling a bit and looking over at Kim. "I guess some weights couldn't hurt, huh? Heh..."

Reactions

"It's fine," Hannah said with a smile, locking her arm around Brant's as they started walking. "I'm not petty enough to hold a grudge over that. But, I'm confident I can show everyone on the Riese that this is a good thing, going forward... I will say, I hope you don't mind me clinging to Brant. You are tagging along on a date, after all." One final giggle and they were off towards the mall, the imposingly tall structure hopefully providing an impressive array of stores...

Stepping through the sliding doors, getting assailed with that ever present fresh mall smell... For some reason they all smelled the same, or at least, according to Hannah's notes they did. She'd prepared well for today, and being in the mall, that gave her access to proper wifi, letting her answer her previous question on what Orange Theocracy was... A clothes store, it seemed. Maybe they'd have something nice for her to wear? First order of of business!

"Are you hungry, hun? You were just sleeping, after all, and stimulant or not, perhaps it would be better to face things with a full stomach? If not, I will download a map of the area and see about where to head to first."

[Ether]

"Hmm? I always... made a point to do it. Keeping myself... fit is just a part of my life... well, when we have downtime... I also take modelling work... on the side." Kim replied as they walked, giggling at the exchange between Christina and her clone. It seemed there were more differences past their personalities and disposition after all. When Chris went to wait in line and Chrissy asked for her own opinion in a way before following, it seemed best not to let the original get too down.

"It couldn't... hurt. Staying in shape is always... a good thing. But I think you're plenty cute... as you are." Seung-Min teased with a light grin.

 

[Dandragon]

"Well, I'm glad." Elaine said in response to the lack of pettiness Hannah had. Another benefit of being an android, maybe? "And...No, I don't really mind you clinging onto him." Okay, maybe she did mind a teeny tiny bit, but signs of affection weren't something that bothered Elaine to the point of being uncomfortable. If anything, she just thought Hannah might be going a little overboard about it, albeit with no experience with loving relationships of her own to go off of.

Elaine followed the lovely couple into the mall, and slightly regretted her decision on short shorts. Slightly. Air conditioning was something she should have accounted for, as she did feel it within the mall last night, but at that point the summer heat wasn't bearing down as hard, and thus temperatures balanced out. Here, the difference felt a little more jarring on her bare legs, not enough to make her shiver or complain, but enough to feel chilly. Though, like diving into cold pool water on a hot day, she would get over it soon enough.

She almost said something about going to their immediate right for the food court, but decided against it. This was a date for Hannah and Brant, as the now blonde haired android said literally seconds ago, and she was able to bring up a map of the place to direct them. So, making her own suggestions on where to go did *not* seem like the wisest move. She just stood back, silently, unless it looked like an okay time to speak up. Is this what a third wheel on a tricycle feels like? Elaine thought to herself, jokingly.

[Phoenix]

Romeo and Juliet? Sasha grimaced. Couldn't she pick a better couple? Maybe one with less grief in their relationship? Sure, the outcome of every 'love story' was the same if you stuck with the characters long enough, but that suicide garbage was just too much. On the bright side, at least she'd agreed ... not that Sasha wanted to do much with the 'quiet' AI observing. He supposed he could stuff his communicator in a drawer or something if anything good happened.

Buck looked positively devastated by the news of their imminent departure. "We don't have a route planned yet, but there aren't any guarantees ..." especially with moles reporting back to Apotheosis. "Don't look so down, though. If the ANF can convince the Kremlin to lay off for a bit, we might be able to at least kick the problem further up the road. Whatever they're calling us back for, it can't just be the extra firepower. Even with our main facility offline, the Alkaev company could have constructed three dozen of these suits by the time we make it back." That made sense to Sasha, though he couldn't help but entertain the idea of the Kremlin being completely blown away by that promotional video he'd posted online a few days ago. While that couldn't have influenced their decision much, it would have been a very amusing way to get bitten in the ass in hindsight.

---

Putting Tonya on defense and keeping her there was a great strategy for Firmia. In theory. In practice, however, bringing the funnels into the equation had led to half of them getting caught in the beam smartgun's line of fire and being 'incinerated,' and Firmia herself had taken an ordinarily fatal hit now and again from dividing her attention. She was still far from defeated, but the Mantle was mitigating damage in all sorts of annoying ways. Much of the time, she was either already out of harms way by the time Firmia got off a charged shot, or took it on the shield.

Calling back her enfeebled funnels, Firmia switched tactics, switching the hyper beam rifle to its 'bayonet' mode. "Five times. I just have to take you down five times," Firmia warned, closing in fast.

"How about once to start?" Tonya teased, compacting the beam smartgun and putting it on her back.

She had just enough time to pull out her beam saber. Unlike the ranged weapons, the melee weapons activated, and the resulting clash was blinding. Leveraging the Regalia's superior reach and position, Firmia forced the Mantle downward meter by precious meter. Firmia knew going in that a blade lock in midair wouldn't work the same way it would on the ground. She could only push her advantage until Tonya broke away. Then she had to strike before the woman got her guard fully back up. The timing was key. Suddenly, just as Firmia was about to let up and allow Tonya to break away, the Mantle's thrusters gave out, causing the suit to fall, and causing the Regalia to lose its balance. For a split second, Firmia feared a malfunction, but that fear left her even before the Mantle's thrusters kicked back in at three times the normal output. There was no surprise or uneasiness coming from Tonya, and she expertly turned the tables, using the Mantle's thruster assisted foot to kick the Regalia's heel so hard, it sent the whole suit tumbling in the opposite direction. The Mantle's beam saber shut down automatically as Tonya drew two perpendicular cuts across the Regalia's back. The saber had deactivated momentarily, but according to Firmia's HUD, the results would have been catastrophic in actual combat.

"Dammit!"

The Mantle's reactivated saber cut off again as the hilt was rammed straight into the Regalia from the front, just as it came back around to face the ground. Pulling back, the Mantle kicked the Regalia just below the cockpit and sent it up and away. Determined to keep fighting, Firmia ignored the damage and switched back to the hyper beam rifle's firing mode. Seeing Tonya's retreat coming, Firmia lined up her shot to catch the Mantle as it transformed. She scored a hit, but once again, it at least partially overlapped the beam smartgun's shielded section. The damage was still better than anything she'd accomplished up to this point, but she had yet to score that first kill she so desperately wanted. Firmia was far from demoralized, though, and lined up another shot as the Mantle sped away.

"This isn't over yet ..."

---

It would definitely be better to handle things on a full stomach, Brant thought, but he wasn't actually hungry, neither this morning, nor right this moment. With everything going on, he was ready to chalk his total loss of appetite up to the mounting stress. Until the inclination to eat made a return, Brant supposed he could force little things down here and there to keep up appearances. "Something light, sure." Best not to mention having skipping breakfast, he mused as they went along.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Phoenix

[Shin]

Tarquin hadn't quite expected company in the simulation suite, most of the crew were probably taking advantage of the peace and enjoying a refresher in civilian life. To be truthful, his objective hadn't been self improvement, instead he had been looking for answers to the questions that had been haunting him. His obsession with defeating the Rhea, his regret in that Nikolai's fate could have been avoidable... he'd previously wished to have a life like a normal teenager but he found himself being more drawn to battle. There was no sense of duty or purpose, simply revenge. It was unhealthy, but when one of the most valuable people in his life had been destroyed so quickly, something had to fill the void - a blatant case of displacement.

"Practice? I suppose it could be called that, there were some aspects of the mission I needed to explore." Tarquin replied, not entirely sure how long Makoto had been watching for. It was best not to probe regarding the matter, it would make Makoto uncomfortable. Whilst the praise of his abilities was appreciated, it felt somewhat hollow. What good was a perfect accuracy record if one tried to explode after taking damage? Or if they had allowed one of their allies to go down? Being perfect meant nothing, and that was if one could even consider themselves perfect. He was the youngest pilot by a reasonable margin, and his flight data put him there with the likes of Brant and Kim... but he'd trade his success in for an able bodied Nikolai.

"Truthfully, being genetically engineered does have its benefits. My biological capabilities and learning capacity give me a somewhat unfair advantage." Tarquin replied, stepping out of the simulation seat. Makoto had a long way to go, but there was something different about his desire to improve, it wasn't an expectation it was his own goal. "Considering your limited combat training and short service, your results are rather decent. You could perhaps benefit from formal training, direct combat requires an appropriate integration of both offensive and defensive tactics."
 

[Balcerzak]

Abigail wouldn't lie. If anyone asked her, she had a hell of a good time, and was almost sad when they ended up pulling into the lot and she had to bring their little ride to an end. There was just something about being clung to that, well... that feeling of being needed, relied upon, desired. It brought that pleasant little tingle to one's scalp. And Jess had certainly seemed to be having a blast as well, judging by the tone of her occasional whoops and hollers. Pure thrill and excitement, no fear there. Hopefully the rest of the date would be just as grand.

Swinging down off the bike and getting everything properly stowed, locked up, and all that, Abby drank in Jess's praise, a big smile forming on her face. A big smile which just as quickly disappeared once she caught a glimpse of some of the other folk from the boat who'd decided a day at the mall would be a good idea for an outing. Brant, Elaine, and murderbot. Three of her very favoritest people right now. Her lips pressed thing, and her fingers curled into balls, but Abigail fought hard to keep just this from ruining things off the bat. That robot though was making things especially difficult. It was one thing at a time, sure, but Abby couldn't help but get the feeling her iterative makeovers were planned in just such a fashion as to rub her entirely the wrong way. It was like a subtle mockery. And fuck all that noise about imitation being flattery, that knife can cut both ways.

She just about thanked her lucky stars when the trio seemed not to notice their arrival, and appeared to head off in the direction of the food court. Letting out a breath Abigail hadn't noticed she'd been holding, she turned to Jess and tried to let the cute captain's face wash away the everything distasteful. It had incredibly positive effect.

"Hmm, why don't you show me around The Hole," she settled on, a slight snicker escaping as she couldn't help but think whoever named that chain had either a dumb sense of humor, or a brilliant one, she couldn't decide which. Abby figured that Orange Theocracy probably wouldn't really suit her style, and she didn't quite feel like stooping to Floormart if she could avoid it, though she'd had to in the past. Actually, um... wait one moment.

"Uh, I guess I'm not very smart and didn't quite think everything through ahead of time. I uh, don't know that I actually have much in the way of money, even assuming I could get them to access my accounts without having any of my cards or anything. That's... not gonna be a big problem, is it? I guess worst case, I window shop."

It felt real bad, inviting her girlfriend out to go shopping and cheer each other up, only to force her to pay for everything. But, well, given the circumstance, Jess probably realized this well before Abby had and had come prepared. She could only hope, at this point.

[Nanami Touko]

Deep Pockets

Jess couldn't help herself from snickering when Abigail did, sighing the laughter away and keeping that bright smile going. Today was going to be great, now. It seemed like Abigail had forgotten a very important thing... Not that it mattered. Jess' laughter came back, fishing in her cardigan's pocket, for a card that one could've sworn was actually plated gold. "Oh no, how will the highest paid captain in the ANF afford all that shopping~ Abby, hun, my pay is more than my entire family would know what to do with. And while my bank balance is so daunting that I don't really check it... I don't think I'll have to worry about taking care of us, okay? Feel free to buy whatever you want. You need the clothes, anyway. We can't keep sharing, I'm just a few sizes too small for you." Jess had meant her height, but the smirk on her face might've given Abby the wrong impression... Which was the point. A bit of teasing never hurt anyone. "Come on, let's get you fitted right."

Air conditioning... Jess was glad she'd kept the jacket from the ride, it was pleasant after the heat, but because it was so hot outside, they'd turned it up to max. While it was probably nearing forty outside, in the mall it was probably a cool fifteen. Definitely chilly for those dressed entirely for the outdoor weather. She'd get used to it all the same, taking a moment to breath in how crisp it really was. "Right, clothes... Store should be around this way." From what Jess remembered, the mall shouldn't have changed much. It had a fairly generic layout, no second floor, but what did exist was definitely fully sized, outlets making great use of all the space. Some stores had stairs up to a makeshift second floor, but that was just their abusing the ceiling's height.

The Hole was... Pretty standard, as far as clothing was concerned. Standard brands, their logos plastered with sometimes flashy colors-- and the clothes themselves almost displayed the rainbow. Plenty of things for Abby to look through, for whatever she liked. Jess smiled back at her and stuffed her hands away, finding a bit more warmth inside the jacket pockets. "Feel free to go after whatever you'd like."

Order Up

"Yeah, I'll take a double bigwac and some fries... Chicken burger, medium drink." Chris went about ordering, not going lightly on the menu. If Christina or Kim was paying, why not?

Christina made a half smile at all of that, before shrinking some at Kim's comments. "The modelling makes sense... A-And of course you do. Maybe I should, then..." Kim would probably think she was cute as long as she didn't get to unhealthy levels... Maybe some treadmill wouldn't... A quick glance down reminded her of why she didn't bother with that. How did Chris manage? A question for later.

"Your turns," glasses girl piped up, taking a step aside.

"Oh, uh, sure... Just some nuggets and a drink for me. Kim?"

Six is a Crowd

"Something light, then." Hannah happily lead the two towards the food court, clinging to Brant's arm the whole time. What was light food, though? To Brant, at least. A salad? Chicken? "Hmmm..." She mused out loud, looking over at Elaine for a moment, then back to Brant. "What does something light consist of?"

Her musing were mildly distracted when she spotted two sets of blonde hair... Familiar blonde hair. A small moment of enhancing and she could tell who they were... Though, one was worrying. "That's Christina and Kim... Why is Chris with them?"

Convincing

"Well... I hope they can! I..." Buck wrestled with a bit of hair poking out from under his cap, an uneasy look on his face. "I'm not, good with this war stuff. I like working on machines. I know what they get used for, but... I don't, really ever see it. I just see data when it comes back. Sometimes I'll engross myself in a camera's recording, like with the Crescent, but... It wears off pretty quick after it's done. That's why I get so caught up in watching. I know the realization's gonna sink in whenever I finish. And... And that one day that camera might not come back."

A hefty sigh, he readjusted his cap some, trying to look at Sasha but ultimately failing. "I just don't wanna see you guys die. You're a pretty nice guy. It's fun to talk to you about this stuff. Firmia's prickly, but she gets along well with Hannah so much. I get to see a lot of it while I'm working, and the android storms in... Having you guys sent back to Russia is practically suicide, isn't it...?" He almost looked ready to cry saying that, finally unable to look up at the man. "I really... Don't want anyone to die."

Edited March 13, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Dandragon]

Why was Chris with them, indeed? She hadn't been on the ship for the past several hours, but there wasn't any notice of Chris being allowed outside of her room for any reason. There had been a meeting for Abigail joining the crew of pilots, last she recalled, so no such announcement for their newest prisoner was concerning. Very concerning. Granted, if Kim's own physical prowess was anything to go by, thinking back to the time where she slammed her onto the table in the Main Meeting's Room, she could probably take down Chris if she tried anything, and from the albeit small interaction she had with Chris, as much as she liked to push buttons, she seemed smart enough to try anything. The keyword being 'seemed.' "I...don't know."

[Ether]

"I am... surprised you didn't know. Hold on... one moment." Kim replied with a somewhat surprised look, before shifting to a slightly mischievous grin, and with a few taps on her communicator, forwarding a copy of one of her latest swimsuit editions to the blonde whilst giggling about the well-endowed girl's unfortunate introspection... that'd make her blush... Teasing aside though, it seemed Chris, and then Christina, were done ordering. Stepping up to the counter, she started to place her order.

"I'll have... the Pico guacamole quarter pound meal, with... medium fries and drink." Seung-Min soon decided on, pulling out her card to pay for the group selections.

[Phoenix]

"Yeah, I'd like to survive this war, too," Sasha grinned, trying to lighten the mood, a little. "It's hard to tell how much Apotheosis cares about this, though. Is it just the Riese they're worried about, or would they really hunt us down if we tried to make it back east? I think Firmia's trying to puzzle that one out, too. I don't know if she's reached any conclusions yet, but Tonya's going to be in trouble if every single AMS prototype is on Apotheosis' to-do list. Whether we have to go back or not, her mission's just as risky."

Sasha stepped closer and placed a hand on Buck's shoulder. "Don't worry so much, though, okay? The situation's dicey for us right now, but we didn't get this far being easy pickings." Honestly, with the training Sasha had endured, he was surprised the news back in Russia wasn't better. The position that skill and strong machines played the biggest part in the outcome of fights with Apotheosis had to be getting put to the test, back home. Then again, while they weren't doing especially well overall, Sasha hadn't heard of anymore Alkaev pilot casualties since Stan blew the main facility off the map. Maybe they weren't involved in the heavy fighting, then? Sasha sorely wished he'd pressed for more details when he had the chance. Now he'd have to wait until later on ...

---

Firmia was at a loss. The Mantle was devastating at any range, and with any weapon, in Tonya's hands. The Regalia on the other hand was down one quarter of its simulated durability. Firmia now had a healthy fear of the Mantle's beam sabers, and knew that once the suit was upgraded for melee combat, Hannah would be something of a nightmare for the enemy at close range. For the time being, the Mantle was a simulated enemy, and the situation for the Regalia's was grim. The weapons situation was arguably a lot worse than the durability situation: Firmia was running low on energy for the hyper beam rifle and the funnels were a liability. Not to mention Firmia only had three left 'alive' at this point. The others had been 'destroyed' in a single burst from the beam smartgun. This live sim was looking quite unwinnable, now. Still, yielding would only make this attempt to relieve her stress a complete waste.

... it was a good performance test, at any rate ....

"Okay if I remember right, the Mantle should be nearly out of energy for the smartgun ... but everything else ..." There were also the missiles the Mantle carried to worry about. It didn't have many of them, but they would do a heap of damage; Firmia had no chance of stopping them without her funnels this far into the battle. Speaking of things she couldn't stop, the Mantle was coming in fast in its flight mode. The Regalia was still hovering in MS mode, and steadily approaching the end of its new perk. "Here she comes," Firmia hissed, taking aim with her rifle and firing a few quick shots. It was no surprise when the Mantle rolled past two of them. The third was a glancing blow, marking the end of the Mantle's 'first life,' in that it was now down to only 400% durability or so. In response, one of its arms unfolded from the body and activated the beam saber it held. Firmia could only gawk as the Mantle prepared to slash her with the saber in flight mode ... flight mode!

"How?!" Firmia knew it was physically possible, but the Mantle's balance should have been completely off with a limb sticking out like that. Tonya was still firmly on course to lop the Regalia's head clean off, though! Taking a page out of Tonya's book, Firmia cut power to the thrusters, allowing the Regalia to fall beneath the near mach speed attack. There was no use letting the woman fly circles around her like this, so Firmia shifted the Regalia into flight mode, and quickly gave chase. "The Regalia's fifteen percent faster than the Mantle, and a lot more maneuverable. As long as I don't let her trick me, I can stay right on her ..."

---

 

"Well, we did the sandwich thing, already," Brant noted, placing his free hand on his chin for a moment. Fast food had never really been his thing, so he was even less motivated to choose something due to that. "Maybe a salad? Don't think I can go wrong, there ..."

Edited March 14, 2018 by Phoenix

[Balcerzak]

Thorvald had greatly enjoyed his evening last night. While Holly had been asleep by the time he'd pulled in and got through the door, that had just meant some time alone with his wife. In the morning however, it seemed like the only way to get the little girl away from her daddy would be to physically pry her off of him. The man took it all in good humor though. Up and until he was about to leave, and Holly was adamant about not letting him out of her sights. Anya just laughed though, as she finished up getting ready to head to her own job for the day, teaching dance at a studio. "Why don't you take her with you, it's just on the base and you're not expecting to leave again, right?"

And so the impromptu Take Your Daughter to Work Day had begun. Thorvald had put together a small bag of things he intended to gift to Tarquin: an old ClickBlox set, one of the more expansive ones with hundreds of pieces, and a handful of novels, ranging from old classics to a few recent ones, chosen from among his and his wife's personal favorites. Tucking that in the back, he made sure Holly was buckled in up front before they started the long drive back to the Riese. His little girl was surprisingly well behaved for the whole trip! Hopefully that would keep up for the rest of the day.

Pulling up and parking, it was impossible to miss the free airshow going on overhead, with the Russian suits doing all sorts of ridiculous feats, loops and rolls, and even it seemed cutting the engines and entering free fall. Clearly somebody wanted to put them through all the stops to make sure their maintenance was up to spec, but Thorvald had to wonder if at a certain point this wasn't all a little excessive. Holly, on the other hand was positively delighted, with cute gasps punctuating some of the more elaborate maneuvers. "Is the one you pilot one of those," the girl asked in awestruck wonder.

"Haha, no. Papa's machine doesn't fly. Those are much newer models, for some of the more special pilots," he tried to explain.

"But you're the specialest?!" Holly excitedly exclaimed. Okay, she got him there, but the title was Specialist, a bit of a difference. "Well, maybe I'll be getting something fancy someday too, but for now my robot has to walk, just like people do. Now come on, let's get over to the lift."

"Yes, Papa," she answered, and grabbed his wrist tightly with both hands as they made their way aboard.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Dandragon]

Well, whatever the reason Chris was here, Brant didn't seem to concerned about it, focused more on the food he wanted, instead. Or, maybe he just didn't hear either of the ladies next to him? No, Elaine didn't think Brant wasn't the type to ignore his surroundings like that. But did that mean he had faith that Chris wasn't going to do anything wrong? Or that he believed that if she did, she would be easily taken care of? So many questions about Brant's apparent apathy towards the situation, yet all of them she didn't want to actually ask. She had trusted his judgement with leaving his AI device, A2, with her in order to monitor her and keep her safe, so she could at least trust his judgement on this, couldn't he? That was, of course, if he had even noticed the three girls to begin with.

Speaking of noticing ones surroundings, out of the corner of Elaine's eye was a certain character with long, light blue hair, sitting in the food court all by her lonesome. If there were people on the Riese that she knew next to nothing about, their XO Roxanna would definitely be one of them. She had heard some things about her distaste for the Captain, but again, her own time of isolation didn't help matters. Hell, the only thing she knew for certain was that her...uncle?...was stationed at the base, and even then, Elaine had forgotten where she had heard that from. Still, as Elaine turned her head to get a better look at the lone XO, the more she started to feel something inside of her. Something telling her, egging her on, to leave Brant and Hannah to their date, and instead spend some time with someone new, someone who looked very lonely. Could she trust Roxanna? Could she say for certain that she wasn't one of the three moles part of the Riese crew? Elaine would have liked to say that it didn't matter, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Still, the little voice in her head kept telling her to go and try to make conversation.

"...You know what, maybe I'll catch up with you two another time. See you later." With a small wave to the couple, Elaine left them to their own devices, and walked over to Roxanna. "Hey." She said, gentler than she would have with a surprising number of people. "Do you mind if I sit here with you?"

[Balcerzak]

Well, her honest worry was met with laughter. Which should have been the best outcome, but for some reason it rankled Abigail a little bit. "Look, I realize you can, and sorta figured you probably would, but..." she sighed, trying not to let it really get to her. "Sometimes it'd be nice to be more independent. Or better yet, to actually treat your girlfriend when it was your idea."

Thankfully Jess had transitioned into a clever joke about sharing clothes, though, and the mood was quick to lighten. "Heh, you say that now, but don't think I haven't seen you trying to get into my pants every opportunity you get, missy." A matching smirk to the captain's own slid across her face as well, before Abby finished up with, "...Not that I mind, of course." A friendly elbow nudge completed the package, and then, almost stumbling with laughter, they made their way into the mall proper.

Jess had a knack for direction, and quickly brought them to The Hole. The initial displays didn't exactly 'wow' Abigail off the bat, but then again they were just getting started. While the store's main focus was their own name brand goods, it wasn't like they didn't also stock a few of the universal standbys as well.

"Mmm, let's slide on in a little deeper," Abby replied. "I guess we can start by looking for some nice tops. Work our way down from there maybe." Spying a sign indicating the women's apparel department, she headed that direction, glancing around at the offerings as they went, before coming to a stop in front of a rack of more palatable options. Some were still a little loud and trying to capitalize on flashy patterns, whereas she tended to prefer more solid and robust designs. Actually, this checkered one wasn't half bad. She reached out for the hanger, and started the process of accumulating a healthy pile before heading to the fitting rooms. "You see anything you'd like to see me in, just pull it off and we'll add it to the stack."

[Nanami Touko]

Wearing Your Clothes

Jess had held onto one of Abby's return quips, until they got deeper into the store, finally thinking to bring it up now that she was talking about clothes she enjoyed seeing Abby in. "You know, speaking of your clothes, these still are your jeans. I fit just fine. The problem is the other way around~" Things she'd want to see her in... Hmmm... "More tanktops wouldn't hurt. You've definitely got the body for them... Just depends on if you wanna wear that around the ship or not. Otherwise, probably just go for some some lighter stuff, yeah? It's summer, and the boat isn't exactly chilly. Colors... Red and white look nice on you, I think." Whatever else Abby picked, that was up to her... Jess almost piped up with shorts, but with a brief blush, she was far too embarrassed to explain why. Abby would probably catch that, though... steel yourself, Jess.

"What about you? What clothes do you like, other'n what I've seen in your room?"

Danger Level Max

"Y-Yeah... Sorry. Guess I'm still a kid after all." It was reassuring, but embarrassing, to be this upset this easily. Buck didn't know how Sasha would take it, but at least he seemed optimistic. "You're right. If we were gonna die... It probably would've happened by now. We'll make it. All of us... Lemme know if those formulas need looked at, at all, okay? I should probably be on standby for anything important, but... If it helps, then it helps. Thanks, Sasha." With as strong a smile as Buck could muster, he headed off towards the Crescent, probably getting ready to do some more repairs and upgrades.

Order Up

"H-Hey, don't laugh at that! Kiiiiiim..." A grumpy sigh was met with a scoff, as Chris came back over, just in time to catch Christina even more red. Something on her communicator? Chris grabbed it and turned it towards her, despite the distressed squeak from Christina.

"Wooowww, she's pretty hot, huh? Bet I look better, though."

"That's, not, I, this is g-getting out of hand," and with that, the communicator went off, Chris actually laughing.

"You should have some more confidence, you know... Girl like her, someone else could just, walk along and pick her up without you even noticing."

"W-We... We've already talked about that. I trust her not to."

"Then I guess she knows about our past, huh? Don't know why you ever bothered with any of that... Maybe it's a good thing I'm so stunted, I've never had that hangup."

"... Yeah. I really shouldn't have bothered. But... I'm okay now. Thanks." Christina smiled, and Chris looked confused.

"Thanks? What? For what?"

"Nothing~"

"Order up!" came the call from the counter. Seemed their things were done, Kim's would take another minute or so.

"Ah, good... Let's go get a seat, Chris. Kim, I'm sure you can find us, right?" Taking the tray, and leading a still bemused Chris along, Christina found a good four seater in the court to sit down at.

Salad

With no answer on Chris, and Elaine heading off, Hannah was left with just a Brant... No complaints. "Nothing to say about Chris?" It was confusing that he hadn't said anything, but he perhaps did not see her as a threat, with Kim around. She could certainly handle things fairly well... And if the girl tried anything ridiculous, this mall was nearly all military personnel. It would be foolish, at least, and a death wish, at worst... Part of that only worried Hannah more, but, for now... "Salad. You choose from where... From what I can tell, nearly every outlet sells some form of salad."

Edited March 16, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

With Nikolai anesthetized, Megumi began one of the more delicate operations on her to-do list. She preferred not to put him under, but maybe he would thank her for not having him awake with a probe in his throat, patching the place up with numerous tiny arms and their accompanying instruments ... maybe. At the very least, he ought to be able to speak normally after this. Shout normally too, unfortunately ... While Megumi wasn't manually controlling all of the tiny arms inside the long tube-like probe, she was directing their general operations from the console, and carefully checking their progress with a CGI overlay of the treatment, displayed through her lenses.

A good number of the crew seemed to be out enjoying themselves. It was kind of unfair that Nikolai had to sit here in this SIEG tank and wait for the doctor to figure out a man-machine interface that would grant him a working set of new legs. It couldn't be helped, though. Sometimes, people were just plain unlucky. Megumi herself couldn't do much more than focus on treating him, right now. In all honesty, she didn't mind. She couldn't think of much to do at the mall without someone to go with, and there weren't any movies she felt like seeing. Spending the day at the shopping center would have left a much older Megumi with a somewhat hazy memory, a vague impression of a good day. Patching up their resident gremlin however, would be a lasting accomplishment, something she would never forget.

---

Sasha seriously doubted every last one of them would live to see the end of the conflict with Apotheosis, but he still liked their overall chances of winning. There was also something about Firmia's desperate over preparedness that actually did some good for the rest of the Alkaev employees. It wasn't exactly fun watching her wrack her brain over whatever the security vulnerability of the hour was, but if she was going to focus all of her attention on those kinds of things, Sasha doing so would be highly redundant. Better to let her worry about the details while the rest of them just focused on their specific jobs.

"No problem. See you around, Buck," Sasha waved goodbye.

Now he just had to wait for Firmia and Tonya to return to the ship and then he could take a break and go visit the good doctor. He considered stepping out immediately, but Firmia was getting more and more strict about leaving the suits unsupervised. That was the real downside of her paranoia, always having to have someone keep an eye on things.

... having someone keep an eye on things ...

"Heheh, I just got a wonderful idea~"

---

It didn't take Firmia long to catch up with Tonya and the Mantle. The latter seemed to be only making modest maneuvers to avoid being easily picked apart, but otherwise seemed to be letting Firmia close in. Not one to wait for whatever trap was coming, Firmia launched the Regalia's virtual missiles, hoping to interrupt Tonya's train of thought, thus interfering with her strategy, as well as get in some good, sorely needed damage. The Mantle's response was oddly tame at first, a simple dispersal of chaff and other standard decoys. Only a couple of the Regalia's missiles bought any of the various ruses. The remaining four closed in aiming to knock out the Mantle's thrusters and slow the suit down. Firmia was sure she was about to score a hit ... and she did, but not before Tonya flipped the Mantle around to give the hip cannons a firing arc for their own. Two missiles were shot down, while the remaining two struck the top of the Mantle, what would be its 'back' in MS mode, but the fire continued, and the Regalia was hit by several shots, as well, being too close to evade any of them in time.

Tonya kept up the pressure by unleashing the Mantle's own missiles, and on instinct, Firmia deployed the three remaining funnels, trying desperately to swat them down as she oriented the Regalia to take the hit on its shield. The flurry of fire destroyed some of the missiles, and some of the shots even struck the Mantle, but the Regalia was still hit, and the Mantle was quickly facing forward and fleeing again by the time Firmia got her wits about her and docked the funnels. "I'm almost at her second life ... 320% durability remaining. I'm not quite halfway down yet ... it's possible. It's statistically possible that I could beat her ..."

Firmia got the Regalia back up to speed, chasing the Mantle from a safer distance this time around. Conserving what little energy the hyper beam rifle had left, Firmia made precise and deliberately timed shots in order to try and slow the Mantle down. The third shot she got off was the one that sent Tonya into action. The more experienced pilot started pulling out maneuvers the Alkaev had no hope of copying without the high G suit she was currently wearing. Even then, the acceleration changes were dizzying, sometimes painful. It was nearly impossible to focus on actually attacking, much less taking aim and opening fire. One second they were upside down, Firmia's stomach trying to find its way out of her body through her throat, the next second, she could feel her organs fighting for room on her right side, as if the left had suddenly evicted them all. Then the reverse happened briefly as the Regalia was rocketed in the other direction.

"I should have put severely limited fuel as one of the settings, too," Firmia grumbled.

---

Elaine hadn't allowed herself to be a third wheel for very long. Brant's internal clock had her at about one minute or so, before she went over to speak to a blue haired woman in the food court. Was that Roxanna? She did look lonely, so Brant couldn't blame her for taking the initiative, there. He waved goodbye as Elaine left and that was around the time Hannah asked about Chris ...

"Mm ... no, not really," Brant eventually said, taking a moment to glance in the clone's direction. Everything seemed to be alright for the most part. All of the Riese's captured pilots got free rein sooner or later, and Chris had been especially helpful in a sense, so it didn't surprise Brant that she was out and about the very next day. It would have been nice if more people had been informed ahead of time, to avert or at least address any concerns, but if there was one thing Jessica was still struggling to get a handle on, it was keeping people informed. Brant supposed he was 'happy' for the recent capture, but beyond that, it wasn't really worth thinking about. Things were progressing more or less like they always had. He had much, much bigger issues to deal with right now, and chief among them was making sure Hannah was able to enjoy herself, despite his own melancholy.

As for the salad, Brant quickly found that his only preference was to avoid the restaurant the other TKs were ordering from. One reason being, he couldn't think of an outcome where the two of them weren't being complimented as a cute couple by the unaware trio and Hannah not taking advantage of that. Unless a look in the mirror suggested otherwise, Brant wouldn't exactly disagree, but there was a lot more going on right now than a simple date, and far more at stake. There was also the problem that they were indeed fellow TKs. Surely one of them would pick up on his silent agony and allude to it with some genuine concern. That would be the only clue Hannah needed to confront him about it. All in all, it was better to avoid them.

"Hmm, Taco Chime?" Brant really didn't have a preference, right now ... "Yeah, let's go," he said, carefully starting off. Hannah had a good enough grip on him that he had to worry less about pulling her off balance and more about getting anchored to the spot, himself.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Phoenix

[Xinnidy]

What the...

The food's court busy atmosphere didn't distract Roxanna from noticing the noteworthy blondes lookalikes from a distance, as well as Kim right with them. These three were hard to miss in a crowd, and it was an awkward realization. Not only was Roxanna not alone in the food court like she'd hoped to be until the end of her meal, but Chris was also out and about this close to her. Roxanna had told the girls she was their responsibility for now, but it still felt... awkward, to know Chris was right there. Should she intervene or try to keep an eye...?

Well, supervising wasn't in the cards as a very unexpected guest greeted Roxanna. Elaine was one of those people the XO didn't have a particularly strong opinion on, aside from the fact she seemed like a mess during meetings. Yet their most erratic pilot was there and was trying to... damned if Roxanna knew. "Uh..." It took a moment to even process a response. What was she to do? 'No, bug off' wasn't exactly a winner response in Roxanna's sorry state, but she'd be lying if it hadn't crossed her mind. "Sure... sure." It was hard to avoid that questioning intonation, "Are you planning to... eat?" That was a dumb question, but Elaine's lack of a plate was a bit striking. Roxanna needed to grasp something like that to avoid being condescending, while still trying to figure out what Elaine was doing.

At least she still had her ravioli.

Prodigy

"Aspects of the mission? So, you're trying out last..." Oh. The image of the burning umbra had been refreshed in Makoto's mind, though he wished it didn't. "I-I see." That was awkward, Tarquin should be the last person trying to relive that mission, there was nothing healthy he could gain from it at that moment, yet here Tarquin was. Would it be impolite to stop him? Maybe. Makoto still felt like it was an awkward necessity, now that he had caught the boy's attention.

"Thanks... I guess for somebody that was never formally trained I still pull my weight, huh?" Makoto felt a bit better, having that point reinforced by a real pilot, even if said pilot was well younger than him. "Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing as much as I could, though. Maybe formal training could help me a bunch. I've already learned a lot from... uh, going through the basics." He didn't really want to talk about Chris right now, it was probably out of left field. No reason to make Tarquin wonder about stuff. "Maybe I could help more if I got better, too." He sighed.

[Dandragon]

“Well, yeah, I’m planning to eat.” Elaine let out a little laugh as she sat down. “But...Well, you looked a little lonely over here, so I just wanted to come over and talk. I mean, if that’s alright.” It was then Elaine noticed Roxanna’s meal of choice for the day. “Oooh, Ravioli. I haven’t had some good pasta in a while. How’s it taste?” Small talk first. That’s what Elaine thought best to do in a situation, and talking about how good the food might be sounded like an excellent starting point. Especially if it was pasta.

[Ether]

Continuing to chuckle at Christina's unfortunate predicament, Kim watched the exchange between the blonde and her clone. Well, Chris and Christina seemed to be getting along better than expected... maybe there was hope for this after all. If she didn't need to pry the clone off of the original and attempt to arrest her on the spot, well... things would already be going better than her worst case scenario. As the two blondes got their food and Christina asked if Kim would be able to find them in the food court, the Lieutenant gave her an affirmative nod.

"I don't think... it'll be a problem. Go ahead."

[TheRoon]

Well it took Aliza a while to wake up. In fact she hadn't yet, she still had her head on her desk, drooling quietly. The Italian girl stayed up all night preparing a surprise gift for one of her favorite girls kept alive on nothing but soda, chips and J pop. She had a certain mecha anime ost on loop for the whole time too, to a point where the music player eventually ran out of power overnight. Only silence came from the ear buds. "...ngh..." She slowly woke up and pulled her head up, taking a good look at the gift she prepared. A finely wrapped box with a letter on it. What did it say? Well we'll find out.

Aliza turned her head to see a clock and...woo boy, someone woke up late. A little past noon. She quickly got up and rushed off to grab a shower and a quick bite to eat. After an hour, she rushed into the garage looking for some kind of car. She was in a zipped up jacket and shorts, and she had her gift in her arm. Looking determined. She took a good while asking around the ship as to where Abby was, someone pointed her to the mall. Aliza deeply regretted not staying there after all. There weren't many jeeps left to drive, but thankfully Aliza found one and swiftly jet out of the garage. The package for her good blond friend rested on shotgun. She realized her music player was dead so she used the jeep's radio instead. She shifted through the channels until she found something that tickled her fancy and rocked that for most of the way. It helped relax her anxiety a bit as she thought a bit to herself. 'What to do...it's 2:30. Real late for lunch, but we can still hang. Maybe we can have dinner later too. On me.' She grinned wide. 'Assuming she's down for the date anyway.' Anxiety turned into excitement the more she thought about it. What could go wrong here I wonder.