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

[scorri]

Astin rubbed a hand over their eyes and shook their head. "No, no, I promised. We're here for a date, and you want to see me in a dress, so that's what we'll do." Astin smiled, trying to not show how nervous all of this was making them. Out of all the things she could have picked, this was probably the worst. And she had no idea. Still, they'd made their decision and that was that.

Entering the mall, they let out a small content sigh at the blast of cool air. They'd made the right choice to dress a little more warmly than the weather called for. Glancing around, they gave a small shrug to Avery. "Alright then. You're in charge. Where are we going to shop?"

[Balcerzak]

Hey now, that was hardly fair. While not especially self-conscious about her weight or anything, it was a perfectly normal reaction to get a little prickly when someone made an insinuation like that. "Oh please, your clothes weren't that tight on me. Probably just enough to accentuate my features," Abigail stuck out her tongue in response to the teasing, before nodding along at Jess's suggestions.

"Sure, I guess some tanks should be fine. Never was that big of fan of long sleeves, and those certainly nip that problem in the bud. In the past I mostly stuck with just, you know, v neck tees and the like, with a couple off shoulder things for when I was feeling fancy. But even then, no floral prints or anything frilly or lacy." Abby's grin was a little lopsided as she turned away from the rack and explained. "Just, haven't been that kind of girl since I ran away. Oh, I guess some vests maybe? Oh, and I had fun in a man's dress shirt once. Funny how that works, right?"

While she caught the blush, Abigail didn't exactly Sherlock her way to the cause. Jess had been talking colors when it happened, but... nothing embarrassing really sprang to mind there. Whatever, she'd just roll with it and invent her own meaning. That was the Abby way. Reaching out and booping the captain on the nose, she chuckled. "Red looks pretty good on you too, you know. What you've got going on with that right now is just about perfect."

Edited March 18, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

Problems

"I know these are really bad for me, but sometimes I just can't help it, y'know?" Christina Happily sunk her teeth into the processed, fried, little chicken piece, but Chris' attention was elsewhere. While all of the people around Christina just felt like white noise, too many emotions being flung about, Chris didn't have her template's problem. While they'd managed to mess up her emotions, the one thing Apotheosis had properly fixed was her telekinetic ability... And having picked up a familiar feeling, mixed with some sadness, her attention was currently drawn to Brant.

"... If you keep an eye on me, do you mind if I take a step away for a second?"

"Huh?" Christina paused from sucking on her straw, confused.

"Brant's over there... Just wanted to talk to him for a second. I'll stay in sight, just... Need to ask him something."

"Oh! Brant? Where's-- Oh, there he is! And... Is that, Hannah?" That was a strikingly familiar set of hair she was sporting... Almost off putting, but, Christina didn't want to make a scene. She'd almost waved, but... Were they on a date? That'd be rude to interrupt, so-- "H-Hey, Chris! Wait!"

The abrasive blonde hadn't waited for Christina's permission, starting off towards the two.

Hannah saw her coming, and while it put her on guard, she didn't want to disturb anything. She was coming right for them, though...

"Heyyyy, Brant, Hannah. Nice seeing you two here. Hey, metalhead, do you mind if I borrow him for, juuuust a second? Need to ask him something."

The nicknamed earned a scowl, but... "If Brant is alright with it." What did she need? Shouldn't they both be worried that she was here, anyway? But, Brant seemed so calm about it. Letting go of her grip on his arm, Hannah took a step away.

Here For a Dress

"Sweet. That's real sweet of ya, Astin." That's all Avery had to say until they'd gotten inside, where Astin gave her the reins. She smiled evily at that, before shaking it off with a small sigh. "First, I was gonna take ye off t'Orange Theocracy. Ain't a real good soundin' name, but th'clothes're nice. Though, seein' as yer sayin' I'm in charge... Then my first act, is puttin' you in charge~" Avery snickered and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jean coat, almost letting the snicker grow into a full on laugh. Seemed she was enjoying herself, despite how simple things were. "So, Astin, what's it gonna be? Where're we goin' first? Choice is yer's~"

Keeping Watch

"I haven't the faintest why they thought letting children onto this ship was a good idea... And what do you mean, Sasha? What idea?" They weren't at Cheryl's office yet. Galatea had no reason to be quiet.

Thinking

"I... Geez, I just started thinking about suggesting shorts. Then you in shorts. Didn't have it in me to say it, started blushing... But if you're gonna tease that I'm matching what I'm wearing, then I guess I don't mind if I do it more." Never been a frills kinda girl, though... Jess stepped over to Abby and wrapped her cardigan covered hands gently around her back, smiling up at her. "I'm been doing some thinking... Maybe we can help each other for that?" She was going somewhere with this, it just took a second to figure out how to say it. "I'm... Not a very brave person. Don't think I'm worth a lot... And you've, tossed away a lot, when you ran away from home. But, you give me a little bit of courage... Maybe I can let you be more of a woman. Or, whatever that entails. You know what I mean?"

Stepping back again, Jess smiled wider. "Brant, got me thinking that, if we are gonna make this work... It'd be good if we helped each other get better at what we're missing, instead of just, being happy and content. Happier's better than just happy, isn't it?" Maybe. It made sense in her head, but whether Abby would see things-- or appreciate Brant being brought up, well, she'd have to see. It might've been a bit soon to bring it all up, but better out in the open early over never. I can take it if she's negative... Probably. It'll be good practice for dealing with meetings.

Edited March 18, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Balcerzak]

Shorts huh? Just picturing Abigail in shorts had been enough to cause the blushing blossom to flower? Twisting her head over her shoulder and giving an appreciating look at her own assets, Abby nodded with a bit of a smug look on her face. "Yeah, I can see what you mean. And when you get your hands on a good pair that sit on you just right, well, you make sure to favorite that brand and cut and never forget it. I've got a couple committed to memory, we'll see if they're in stock after this, how 'bout?"

Apparently that had been encouraging enough for the other woman, as she'd stepped up close and, opening her sweater, wrapped it around the both of them. Abigail wasn't the type to get flustered by public displays of affection, and actually found this showing of intimacy very... enticing. If her own hands hadn't been filling up with hangers of clothes to try on, she probably would have grabbed a hold of Jess, pulled her closer, and taken her lips. Alas for missed opportunities.

With her mind having gone a wandering, it took a bit longer than it should have for what the captain had been saying to fully register, so it was only after she had parted again that Abby began to find her footing in where the conversation had taken a turn to. It was... shaky ground, to say the least.

Slight frown on her face, Abigail voiced her reply. "That's, that's tricky business. Best advice I ever got about relationships was to never go in expecting to change the other person, to mold them into what you wish they were. But... if they're trying to make that change themselves, then... well, there's no reason you shouldn't be as supportive as you can, right? So if you want me to help you come out of your shell, sure, I'm on board. But, me? I'm... not really sure I want to go back to those days, to that way of living. I'm, I mean, you... just look at me. Not a cute bone in my body. Cool, I'd buy it; sexy, sure; wild and tempestuous, even. But not, 'girly'."

Edited March 18, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

Cute!?

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm." Jess was still feeling a bit playful, despite the frown on Abby's face. Her voice could hold onto that jubilant bit of energy she'd managed to scrounge up. "I don't want to change you. At least, I'm perfectly happy seeing you as you are. You're really cool, you can do sexy just as fine as any other girl around here... But, I don't think it's really about changing you to be something else. Just, getting you to a point where you can be comfortable doing either. Not for my benefit, again, I'm fine, but if you put on a dress ever, and all it does it make you uncomfortable, don't you think that's... Iunno, really unfortunate?" Jess shrugged a bit, still smiling.

"Besides, I've seen you cute. Plenty cute... Not that we could show the rest of world that side of you, unless you're into things you haven't told me yet. Still, if you're willing, we could take some of it and work with it. It's all in your face, really." Jess strolled back up to Abby and poked her back, giggling to herself. "Your body might not shout cute, but you've got buckets worth right up here. Trust me."

[Balcerzak]

Comfortable doing either, huh? Like, on paper that didn't sound bad. More options is better than fewer, right? But something still didn't sit quite right, and Abigail couldn't quite place her finger on it. Maybe it had to do with her past. Come to think of it, when and why exactly had she changed. Was it rebellion? Or just something the new set of circumstances on the colony had forced her into? Probably the latter, she didn't remember consciously deciding on it, it just kind of happened, but maybe there was some of the former mixed in there too.

Of course, then Jess had to go and ruin the introspective moment by bringing up the fact that she had certainly shown a side that would by all definitions fit the label of 'cute', hands down. Abby felt a slight burn creep up the back of her neck, as a flush began to spread across her cheeks, and unconsciously she freed a hand and reached back to scratch at the scalp behind her ear, that very instrument of her undoing. "T-That doesn't count," she protested vainly.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

Captured

Jess held her fingers up in front of her face to form a square, looking through it with one eye open. "Gotcha! Right there, that face. That's adorable. Hands down, no question. Even if I had to bring that up to get it, that's cute Abby right there." Jess laughed again, letting her hands sink back into her pockets. "Don't worry about it too much. If you can't bring yourself to show the world that side... At least I get to see it. And that means a lot to me. Thanks, Abigail... Now, let's cut the serious and get you into trying some stuff out!" Jess went about looking at the hangar Abby had picked out, before remembering something likely important.

"Ohhhh right, there's an artificial beach here too... Maybe you should look into some swimwear, while we're here? I'll probably turn into a tomato looking at you, but, better to tackle what we can when we're around... Speaking of tackle, try tackling those shirts first. I wanna see how well they cling." 

[Phoenix]

With the operation finished, Megumi went back to her desk and waited for Nikolai to come to, again. It was back to her studies and back to that agonizingly boring professor. Megumi hated skipping around, but her extra study materials were far more concise when covering the areas this old man was talking about. Furthermore, a bit of extra research was what really crystallized the knowledge for her. Any confidence she found would come primarily from that, not the lectures, themselves.

What was particularly important at this stage was the man-machine interface. The Riese's mechanics had repaired Hannah quite extensively, so designing and building Nikolai a pair of prosthetic legs really wasn't the issue. He needed to be able to interface with them properly, feel them, and control them. Long term maintenance was also a point of concern, as was sanitation. Anything the Professor said on topics like these was either too brief and unhelpful, or so long and filled with stories or personal asides that Megumi wasn't getting much from it.

One idea that struck her was going into teaching mode on occasion. Teaching was an excellent way to learn, since it forced the teacher to not only recall the information themselves, but to relay it in a digestible form for the student. Talking with Nikolai about all of this stuff would probably make the recovery even longer and more obnoxious for him, so it didn't take her long to decide against using him for practice. Her sisters seemed like good choices. They usually didn't have anything important going on. Ellen would beg to differ but video games were not important as far as Megumi was concerned. Besides, it shouldn't be especially difficult talking over the phone while playing. There was the incident from last night, though. It felt like it might be too soon for a casual discussion with either of her sisters, especially Sarah. Then again, in light of that gun fiasco, Megumi had more reason to call them this afternoon than to not call them. She could work her learning exercises into things wherever they best fit.

Yes. That would do nicely. Megumi suspended the lecture and took out her phone.

---

"Simple," Sasha began, scanning the hangar for someone that hadn't been doing much, today. "There he is~" Standing idle atop the console at the Reign's dock was B1A1. Making his way over to the little machine, he got its attention with a small wave. "He's already just standing around here, so why not let A1 here play guard dog for a while? Besides, I don't have a laser if something happens."

Sasha leaned against the console and A1 eyed him cautiously. "Hmm, so Galatea. Want to hitch a ride with A1 here or would you rather endure my jokes in silence while we're out?"

---

Tonya seemed to be trying to lose her--or at least shake her up severely--through these breakneck maneuvers, but Firmia wasn't willing to let the woman gain too much distance. If she did, the hyper beam rifle, which was nearly out of energy, would be her only option, while the Mantle would still have everything but its beam saber to work with. Tonya had been leaning heavily on melee attacks to conserve ammunition and energy, and the results were showing. Only the beam smartgun was running especially low. Firmia had to stay on her, even if it meant taking more damage. As long as she could keep ahead on durability percentage-wise, she could still edge out a win.

The Regalia still had some missiles left, so rather than waiting for Tonya to level out again, Firmia fought hard for a solid lock, and then sent off a whole volley of the virtual ordnance. With no intention of waiting to see the results before following up, Firmia disengaged the Regalia's limiter, a risky but necessary maneuver for gaining the upper hand, and raced up to try and catch the Mantle. Both suits transformed into MS mode at exactly the same moment, and the Mantle's vulcans and hip mounted cannons took out the missiles just ahead of the Regalia's arrival. As Firmia closed in with the Regalia's rifle, its bayonet active, Tonya equipped the Mantle's beam saber in its left hand and prepared to fight. Firmia opened with a feint, then launched the Regalia's grappling hook, catching the outstretched beam saber and ripping it right out of the Mantle's hand.

"... you've been practicing," Tonya grinned. It was sobering to lose her best weapon like that, and she couldn't help but sit and watch as the grappling hook disappeared back into the Regalia's arm, leaving the beam saber held firmly in its own left hand, still ignited and ready to go.

"I'm going to win," Firmia said, more resolute than ever, "Against you, against that insufferable captain, against Apotheosis! Against everyone!" The Regalia charged in, the bayonet and beam saber primed to strike.

---

Metalhead? Was that really called for? On the bright side, Brant could let his facade slip somewhat in response to Chris' quip. It was a little annoying, kind of like Abigail's treatment of Hannah, but here it could provide a brief but subtle release for those other emotions threatening to ruin the entire outing. To Brant's surprise, Hannah was willing to let Chris talk with him for a moment, and signaled as much by releasing her grip on him. She'd given him the out of 'If Brant is alright with it,' but Brant wasn't alright with anything, right now. Just hearing that sent his mind spiraling through his last few conversations, searching for where exactly things had gotten so turned around. He was a stronger person than ever now, and acting with conviction for once in his life, but the reactions of the people around him were extremely heavy burdens to have to carry. He wasn't sure how to cope with knowing that there was absolutely no one on his side, anymore. Those who might support him normally, like Tonya, weren't fans of Jessica, and everyone else had too much to gain from his defeat, like Firmia and Hannah. The most important choice he'd ever made up to this point was steadily moving into the rear view, and no one wanted him to succeed. It almost felt like playing the villain, oddly enough ... and that was the sort of loneliness a person could only suffer in the company of friends and loved ones.

With Chris of all people standing here, Brant couldn't help but wonder if someone might just come along and make a more subservient clone of him. Maybe two. Those clones could give all these people what they needed: A Brant that only does his job and doesn't feel pain, or maybe a Brant that never rocks the boat, one they could look after without any fear of a willful response. Then he, the genuine article, could start all over again someplace else. He was already alone now, so he had to admit to himself that he found the idea unusually attractive. Brant quickly restrained the out pour of those negative thoughts as they began to become a little too strong. Chris was being a little annoying, but she hadn't said anything to justify him looking downright depressed, so Brant had to rein everything back in, again. Hopefully he would be feeling a little better after this aside, not worse ... but with Chris' personality and priorities, he was doubt personified.

"Sure," Brant said, his tone and expression both neutral, "but don't say 'Metalhead.' That nickname's not sticking. Period." And that was no prediction.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Phoenix

[scorri]

Astin groaned and folded their arms, shaking their head. "Nu-uh, no way, not this again. You're the one who cares about this, and you're the one who knows about it. You're not pushing this off on me. I'm doing this for you as a favor, not so you can do this. So come on, where do you want to go?" It wasn't like putting Astin in charge would be useful anyways. They hardly knew anything about dresses or clothing shopping, preferring to do what little shopping they had to do online. And a similar thing with swimsuits. They had one that they'd had for years. Not something they knew a lot about or wanted to spend time learning more about if they were being honest.

[Ether]

Her own food coming up to order shortly after the pair of blondes, Kim turned around to scour the crowd... finding them quickly enough, she walked over... but by the time she had arrived, Chris had walked off to... talk to Brant? And... Hannah? Yes, that seemed about right... but why?

"What is... she doing?" Kim asked Christina, setting her tray down on the table, whilst still keeping an eye on Chris from afar.

[Nanami Touko]

Carry-On

Galatea stared at the tiny little robot and made an indifferent shrug. "The only other intelligence I'll submit to being inside is Hannah. No thank you. If the price is staying quiet while you have sex, I can manage. I'll just turn off my audio receptors..."

What She's up to

Christina didn't turn to look at Kim when she came over, too worried about Chris... A confused shrug left her. "I dunno... But it doesn't seem to be causing problems? Hannah doesn't look very pleased, but, I wouldn't want what seems to be a date interrupted either..." Just don't cause a scene.

As long as Brant was going to stay compliant, she wasn't about to. She smiled, as fake as ever, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him off, leaving Hannah a bit concerned. Once she'd gotten a bit away from the android, she stopped him, folded her arms, and glared him down. "I'll cut the metalhead comments out if you tell me what the fuck is wrong with your head. You're out on a date with a living, probably-sometimes-breathing barbie doll, and you feel like you're dying inside. Maybe a bit of a hyperbole... And you seem better now. That happy to see me? ...Anyway, seriously, what's going on?" Definitely not her place to pry, but she was doing so anyway.

Expression

Avery giggled, chuckled, and sighed. "Yer so much fun t'tease, Astin. Alright, alright, come on, then. Let's get'chu inta somethin' nice." Avery took their hand and dragged them off, luckily not against their will this time, towards Orange Theocracy... It wasn't very deep inside, and the storefront was as typical as always. Some radical clothes display, something normal, something gaudy... It certainly covered all the bases. Avery knew they had better inside, but wew, either management had weird ideas about what was good fashion, or some employee had a weird sense of humor.

"Alright... First thing's first," Avery got started, bringing them over to the women's section. "What's yer favorite color fer clothes?"

[scorri]

Death by Dresses

"Favorite color? Uh..." Astin glanced down at their current outfit, a plain white tshirt, the green jacket wrapped around their waist. "Uh, I guess greens? Darker ones usually. Like my jacket. Either that or greys. Nothing too fancy basically." They glanced around at the clothes surrounding them as they moved through the store. Some of the clothes actually looked nice. Nothing too over the top, but a little bit higher end than the usual stuff Astin wore. The dresses and bathing suits were conveniently located relatively near each other, causing a slight pink tinge to creep into Astin's face at the thought of both things they'd agreed to try on for Avery.

Reaching the dresses, Astin glanced around and shook their head. "I'd guess I'm like... a medium? I don't know how they do sizes here..." This whole thing was uncomfortably foreign to them. They were quickly realizing that they probably should know more about this than they did, but there was nothing they could do about it now. "So... where do we start?"

 

Pushing Comfort

Val had woken up relatively early for herself on a day when she didn't need to be at work urgently. Having a break was nice. Though it hadn't seemed like Olivia was taking advantage of it, given the note she'd left behind. Still, Val had plans for the day that didn't involve it starting in the medbay. A quick message to the Doctor explaining that she would be in later that afternoon, and a quick bite to eat grabbed, and she'd set off for the mall. The quick turn around on the Colony meant that there were several things missing from her wardrobe. Specifically, anything with which she could take advantage of the beach, because knowing Olivia they'd be making their way there at some point, and anything at all nice looking besides a few plain tops like the one she'd worn last night. And now that things had changed between her and Olivia, she was regretting that choice. So shopping had to happen.

A few hours later, she had successfully made it back to the ship. Bags in hand, she made her way to her room, dropping everything onto the bed. She quickly began sorting through them, trying to find something better to wear today than the simple shirt she had on right now. The bathing suit was quickly stored away with a small blush, some part of her still not believing she'd been brave enough to buy it. Still, she knew it would be a hit, so it was worth it. Sorting through the other tops, she finally settled on what had been a compromise for her. A turtleneck sweater, allowing her to have the comforting feel she was so used to with her sweatshirts, but in the style of a tank top more fitting of the warmer weather they were having. Slipping the pale blue fabric on, she looked it over in the mirror and nodded. This was good.

Pulling up the keyboard in her room, she shot out a quick message to Olivia before heading out of the room. Time to get some food and then go talk to one of the mechanics people about getting her personal communicator fixed.

Quote

Hey Olivia. Just got back from some shopping. Want to grab some lunch? I'm headed to the caf right now if you do. Don't bother responding to this, I won't get it until I get my wrist unit fixed. Going to do that after food.

 

[TheRoon]

It took a while but Aliza finally found a good parking space. She took the gift box up and walked out of the jeep. 'Alright. Abby should be here somewhere...kind of a big mall though.' The still eager mcbeaver took a good look around. She wasn't sure where to start. "Hm...." Then her eyes landed upon the shop she and El were at before: Orange Theocracy! She wasn't quite sure if Abby was a fashion hunter or not, but everyone needs clothes at some point. So with that in mind she decided to look there.

She walked into the store as the door slid open and a beep sounded out. With a greeting from the cutie behind the register (focus girl focus) she continued her way to a certain part of the store. Alas Aliza did not find Abby here, however she did find two people from the Riese anyway. "Oh!" She made an audible gasp as she turned a corner into the duo: Avery and Astin. "Heeey!" She waved a bit with a smile and a very sneaky wink. "I've seen you two around, never got formally introduced but nice to run into you both. Name's Aliza Silvavolke." She had a brief glance over at Astin as she spoke as well. 'Hm...?' But with the short intro dispensed she continued with a question. "Say, do either of you know where Abigail is? I'm looking for her."

[Phoenix]

"Such wild assumptions," Sasha said, grinning from ear to ear. Granted, he was definitely spontaneous enough for every encounter to potentially end that way, partner willing ... and his comm was probably going into a drawer or something in that event. Sasha's main priority at the moment was getting in any quality time he could while the chances of Apotheosis getting a word in edgewise were still ... relatively slim? He wasn't certain of the actual odds; hadn't Central been attacked at some point before the Riese arrived? That aside, there was also the chance that Firmia would decide to leave and drag him along with her. Better to assume the worst on that front until some good news reached him ...

Unfortunately for Sasha, Galatea was picky about her rides, at least where other AIs were concerned. She was only willing to get inside Hannah's head, apparently. "Alright, Sasha jokes it is."

Sasha leaned in a little closer to A1, letting his grin recede a little. "Well, looks like she's just not that into you, little guy. Anyway, you're officially on guard duty." Straightening up again, Sasha saluted the sixteen inch robot. To his surprise, A1 actually returned the gesture. "Heh ... see you later, then ..."

---

It looked like Tonya was about to raise up the Mantle's beam smartgun to fire before Firmia closed in, but immediately abandoned the maneuver in favor of the hip cannons. Firmia ignored the damage and swung the hyper beam rifle at the Mantle, scoring significant damage thanks to Tonya's error. She was unable to bring the shield all the way into position in time, and the Mantle's chest was slashed partway as a result. Firmia followed her small victory up by trying to ram her stolen beam saber straight through the Mantle's visor. Tonya was ready for the Alkaev on that front, swinging up with the Mantle's left arm and batting aside the attack. At the same time, she ignited the suit's thrusters and started a backward retreat. Firmia swiftly countered by firing the Regalia's grappling hook. This time it struck and latched onto the Mantle's visor. Tonya was shaken up as her machine was caught on the line.

"Hmph," Firmia scowled at the main monitor, "Only a beam weapon could cut the cable at this range, and the beam smartgun's barrel is too long for you to use it, here. The hip mounted beam cannons don't have a firing angle, either ..." Firmia's scowl quickly morphed into a cruel grin. "You're mine!"

"I'm scared, now," Tonya mockingly fired back, reaching up with her suit's freehand to grab the cable. If she could just dislodge it from the Mantle's visor, she could get back her distance control, something she would need now that she had no viable melee options.

"Funnels!"

"Huh?!" Tonya had just gotten a grip on the cable when the Regalia's three remaining funnels slammed into her at full speed. They hit the Mantle so hard that the computer registered it as simulated damage. Even the actual armor was damaged by the attack. No doubt the funnels themselves had taken a serious beating, as well. They weren't meant to be used like cannonballs. "She must have gotten over the maintenance issue real quick!" With no other options, Tonya swung the beam smartgun to block Firmia's attack. The sickening crash of metal on metal sent a chill up Tonya's spine. Live sims tended to lead to some suit damage on occasion, but they were approaching battlefield numbers, now. The beam smartgun's barrel was visibly damaged and would need extensive repairs before it could be safely used in a real battle, again ...

The funnels raced in for another pass. One of them collided with the Mantle's hand and Tonya lost her grip on the Regalia's grappling hook as a result. The other two slammed into the Mantle's back, forcing her forward in her seat. Firmia kept up the pressure by slashing the Mantle's chest again, all while yanking hard on the cable and pulling her closer. Tonya's only counter as she was hauled in was to raise the beam smartgun right up to the Regalia's cockpit. The muzzle slammed into the Regalia's chest just as Firmia switched the hyper beam rifle back to its firing mode and leveled it at the same target.

"Can't get away ... so it's down to pure attrition!" Tonya aimed all of the Mantle's remaining weapons at the Regalia.

"No, it's an execution!" The funnels held firm in their new positions and ready to open fire.

The durability of both suits dissolved as all weapons were discharged at point blank range ...

---

It was only natural that Chris was curious about the conflicting--and admittedly baffling signals she was picking up from him. Still, Brant wasn't eager to dredge up all of ... that, right now. What good would telling someone like her do, anyway? She'd either give him advice he wouldn't use, or poke and prod him for her own amusement some more. So then, what to tell her ...?

"Dying inside?" Brant sighed, "Close enough ... but does it really matter how I'm feeling? I promised Hannah I'd take her shopping today, and I honor my commitments. I could have had both my arms cut off a few hours ago and I'd still be out here, right now. I'm trying to keep it together so she can have a good time. My feelings are irrelevant for today."

Edited March 19, 2018 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

Try This On For Size

"Green, hmmmm... Ain't that a green dress won't work, just... Hmmm..." Avery began to ponder, if it was their preferred color, things would probably go more smoothly trying to get them into something, but green and purple? The green on Astin's typical attire worked fine, but it wasn't exactly dress color. "Well... We could try black first, an' see how that goes, but..." 

Oh, who was this? One of the pilots? Aliza... "Nice t'meet you an' all... Abigail, though? Think I saw her an' th'captain headin' on inta th'mall 'fore us. Prolly takin' advantage o' our time off t'have themselves a date. I ain't seein' what she's seein' in th'rebel, but, not about t'stop two people from bein' happy... Ain't seen 'em since I got in, though. Did'ya catch any sign of 'em, Astin?"

Permission to Lunch

"Hmmm? Oh... Hey, doc, I know I'm not exactly helping you here, but figure I should ask anyway. Am I free to go get something to eat? You're not gonna set the place on fire without supervision, right?" Olivia pushed up her glasses some. Getting something to eat would probably be a good idea.

"Commitment"

"And what happens if I tell tin can how you're feeling?" Chris furrowed her brow, turning her nose up at what he'd said. "Sounds like obligation to me... And if you're just gonna take a girl out on that, you might as well have gotten those arms chopped off, and held back from all of this... It isnt my place to step into things. I don't even know you past Intel... But, I have all of her memories." A finger pointed itself back at Christina, still looking over at the two with some worry.

"I know how much it hurts to get played around with. So... Just... That's all, I guess. If you're only here to honor some 'commitment' on your end, don't make plans for a second time. She might be metal, but there's still a person in there... Somehow." Chris gave Hannah a glance, but this was more sympathetic, somewhat envious too. Whatever it meant, the robot mattered to her, for a reason.

"Go ahead and get back to your 'date'. Hope you don't run into whatever's causing you turmoil." Chris paused a moment to give Brant a sorrowful stare, before walking back over to Hannah. "He's all yours, terminator! Have fun!" That said, she turned back to her chauffeurs. She had some fast-food to devour.

Edited March 19, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

"Not likely, no," Megumi answered, pausing mid-dial to answer Olivia, "Go ahead and eat, Bennet. Just make sure you're available if an emergency happens."

With that, Megumi dialed up her home phone and waited. Michelle probably wouldn't be the one to answer, thankfully. She rarely was. She was probably still in the hospital anyway, so if anyone answered, it would be either Sarah or Ellen. Megumi was leaning toward Ellen, who answered slightly more often than Sarah, but after that terrible demonstration of trigger discipline on Sarah's part, she felt like her older sister might actually reach the phone, first. She had a habit of placing herself in places where people she had wronged in some way would invariably run into her, giving her an opportunity to apologize. Sarah hadn't directly wronged Megumi, exactly, but the whole household knew that the doctor had something important to prove to Michelle, and that meant the elderly woman needed to stay alive, at least until then. Nearly blowing her head off with a pistol wasn't exactly conducive to Michelle staying alive, obviously. Megumi wasn't even sure if Sarah realized what she was doing, sometimes ...

"Hello? Megumi, is that you?"

So it was Sarah. That was quick too, Megumi noted. She must have been right next to one of the phones ... "Yes, it's me. I take it you're in bed, right now?"

"... yeah. Trying to sleep, but it's not working. They let us take Michelle home this morning. She's in her room resting, too. Unlike me, though, I bet she's actually getting her rest."

Megumi nodded faintly. "That's good. You can't sleep, though? Hmm ..."

"I'm ... sorry."

"I take it you've already beaten yourself up over this enough, so I'm not going to bother. Just be more careful from now on. Also, I think it's better if you stay away from the firearms unless you're going down to the range to practice. You don't need to have them out in your mental state, otherwise. I'd also advise giving Michelle as much space as you can. Have Ellen take care of anything she needs for the time being. I don't know what she said that set you off, but we're not risking another incident like that."

"... heh, who's the older sister, again?"

"Our ages are irrelevant until you get through therapy," Megumi said sternly, "You can play big sister after that if you really want to."

---

The execution could have certainly gone better ... Firmia took off her helmet to let the cool cockpit air evaporate the stress of combat. Her hair was sticking to her face in places thanks to the sweat she'd built up during the fight. It had been so intense ... and so close, too. Firmia's eye twitched as she took in the data from her tablet. The Regalia's durability displayed as 0%, and the representative image was glowing red. The Mantle's durability displayed as 0%, and its image was also giving off a bloody glow. According to the live sim's overview, Firmia had won, reducing the Mantle's durability completely just 0.34 seconds before the Regalia was also taken out. In a real fight, that would have been more like a 'draw,' however, with both suits falling to pieces or exploding one after the other. The young and frustrated Alkaev wasn't sure how to feel about that ... or that constant alert that was now plaguing her. The Regalia's pseudo V-drive was at its limit--past it, actually. Fuel consumption was increasing five-fold to compensate for the overload and keep the suit aloft just a bit longer.

"Ugh," Tonya's voice came in over the radio, "That was a bit much. Feeling better, at least?"

Both AMS units broke away from each other as the Regalia retrieved its grappling hook and funnels, both transforming into flight mode to spare their drives as they flew in formation back to the Heion Riese. Firmia began looking over the live sim details as they approached the ship. "Not really, no."

"... is that because we did a number on the suits or because actually killing something is more cathartic than a live sim?"

"I want to say both, but ... that's not it."

---

If there was one thing to truly appreciate about Hannah, it was that whenever she got upset about something, she could typically be fully reasoned with in under a minute, and with seemingly no lingering grievances. If for no other reason, Brant was at least considering letting her know that he was currently being held together with duct tape and determination. Chris prodding him about telling Hannah herself hadn't gotten any sort of reaction as a result. She didn't stop with just that bit of speculation, though. It wasn't a pleasant rebuttal, but from the sound of things, Brant's explanation had done what he was hoping it would do and sated her curiosity ... or at the very least lowered her interest.

Obligation wasn't really at the heart of why he was out here, right now, but it was something useful to fall back on when his spirits were low. It was more accurate to say that obligation was the reason he was out here right now on this particular day, rather than trying to reschedule, which might not even be possible in the case of a sudden redeployment. Everything just pointed to today being the best and possibly only time, and that Brant just needed to do his best to keep the ongoing war further back in his mind. Apotheosis, too. "It's pretty much inevitable," Brant said, speaking broadly as he thought of how frequently he could encounter the Captain tomorrow and onward. "If that's all then enjoy your day out, Chris."

Brant sighed as he made it back over to Hannah, watching for a moment as Chris returned to her own group. "Well that was a complete waste of time. At least your new look is leaving a good impression on people, though ... everyone I run into today wants to remind me that you're not 'just a machine.' It's like I got dropped into a parallel universe, yesterday." Brant shook his head, thinking back to how Hannah had been treated before. It was insulting to be told this twice now. Between being the only person in his circle that didn't have any hang ups regarding what she was, and taking extreme and unnecessary risks on her behalf, Brant wasn't sure what more they were expecting. He'd never go out of his way on a day like today for a mere machine, or even normal people in most cases. He'd even told Hannah directly how he felt, that she was merely born different. Brant genuinely felt that way, and yet this was looking to become a trend at the rate things were going. Maybe it was more nuanced, perhaps just their way of saying 'ravish her' or something to that effect.

"Anyway, do you mind if we just skip the food for now, Hannah? I feel like someone made off with my appetite, there. A salad's really not going to do me any good after that." To his own surprise, Brant managed to get his smile up and running, again. He wasn't feeling any better, per se, but he did think he might have a better way of handling this date, going forward. Maybe. He would be banking on how reasonable Hannah was compared to most people if he did, though ...

Edited March 20, 2018 by Phoenix

[Ether]

Focusing in on the duo as Christina gave what explanation she could... Brant's head felt like he was in the middle of several mid-life crises' at once. Was that because of Chris, or was that why Chris had gone over? Without noticing him earlier on, there was no way to tell... but things seemed to end quickly, and without anything exploding... Chris coming back their way soon afterwards. As the clone arrived back to her original group, Kim sat down with a sigh and took a fry into her mouth.

"I'm going... to give you the benefit... of the doubt here, and assume his head felt like that before you went over there, not... after. If so, that'd explain why..."

[Shin]

There was an awkward pause after Makoto had replied, the chances were that his answer had concerned him somewhat. Had he figured out that it wasn't a simple training exercise, but more akin to self-inflicted psychological torture? It made Tarquin question why he was really subjecting himself to it over and over. Did he want to try and fool himself into thinking it was inevitable? Finding a solution that saved Nikolai hadn't made him feel better, and destroying the Rhea could only be so therapeutic. No matter how skilled he was or how well he could plan, it couldn't change what had already happened. He gripped the fabric of his trousers, part of him wanted to tell Makoto about all the thoughts swirling in his head... but he couldn't. Makoto saw him as a prodigy, a role model to emulate, he couldn't destroy that image for him. Even if he had to suffer alone, it at least meant that he wouldn't be hurting anyone else. Helping Makoto to be at his best would stop another one of his friends from suffering, it would keep him safe.

"Whilst accelerated, I did complete the entire ANF training program. Many of the missions are present in the database here, and I recall most of the practical lessons I participated in." Tarquin replied, intentionally trying to redirect the conversation, perhaps clumsily so. "There not be much time between missions, but I would be willing to assist you. Effective movement is the first training goal, combat is meaningless if you cannot move to the location you wish to iniate from. "

If Makoto could improve, his chances of death would be less. He wasn't sure if any of the other crew members would want to teach a civilian, but Tarquin's logic benefited almost everyone. He had been meaning to visit Nikolai, but his trip could be deferred for a short while.

-

The outing with Makoto had been Talia's first real social venture in... well, forever. Someone that actually tolerated her existence, shared her interests and had actually invited her out of their own choice! He was a little nerdy and friends with T-4, but he was the first real meaningful social interaction she'd had in over a decade. Could he be her Pantsuit Mask, her Ronaldo 1/2... or her Reasonable Educator Okonomiyaki? It didn't matter, the sense of loneliness had eased somewhat, the soul-destroying state of pathetic solitude was peeling away. She could get her life back on track, all it needed was a little good luck and some help from friends.

She hummed the theme to My Good Samaritan Community College to herself as she walked down the corridor, she'd made an extra effort to look more presentable. She'd washed her hair, put on clean clothes, she was practically a model. She could ignore her crippling anxiety and poor life prospects for one day, it was her time to shine. It was a daunting challenge, but she needed to prove to herself she wasn't a shut in. She was going to attempt the unthinkable.

She was going to go outside. 

It sounded small, but for someone like her, going outside at all, let alone by herself, would have been impossible. Today was the day though, she was on the top deck ready to go down below. Even if it was for a few minutes, she'd have achieved something. However, the elevator appeared to be in use. Was someone else coming back on the ship? Maybe it was Makoto or Mr Eriksson... but it could also be T-4 or Doctor Hart. The uncertainty was making her anxious, surely she'd be OK with just walking past someone?

Edited March 19, 2018 by Shin

[scorri]

Ah good, a distraction. The new pilot, Aliza apparently, showed up asking for Abby. They sure had a lot of A names in the crew now... Right, the question. "I'm Astin, as you might have guessed. I must have missed them. They're probably in one of the other stores though. Or maybe getting food? What did you want from her? We could probably send her a message." She should have a communicator at this point, right? If not, they could always just send it to the Captain since the two of them were together apparently. And also "together" which was news to Astin. Something to think about, that was for sure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arriving in the cafeteria, Val quietly hummed to herself, listening to music through the ear buds she'd popped in on her way over. What to eat... Something healthy sounds good. All the stuff at the mall looked too processed. Pulling out some mozzarella and tomatoes, she started slicing them up and piling on top of each other while considering her other options. Some balsamic would go well with that but I'm missing something a bit more hearty. Well, you could never go wrong with some chicken. Putting a pan on the stove to heat up, she pulled out a chicken breast. Seasoning it with salt, pepper, some of the balsamic, and a few other random things like a bit of lemon juice and the like, she slapped it down onto the pan once it was nice and hot. Now to play the waiting game.

[Balcerzak]

Abigail did her best to push past the whole finger camera stunt Jess had pulled, which honestly was pretty cute in its own way, and if the target of her teasing had been anyone else, she was sure she would have enjoyed it. Thankfully, it seemed the captain wasn't interested in taking things any further either, and conveniently provided an out.

"A beach, huh? In the middle of the desert? S'pose that's actually a mighty fine place to put one. And yeah, definitely gonna wanna be getting something of my own for that, not that I minded borrowing for our pool party and all, and not that it'll top the lieutenant's, but, just you know. Good to have," Abby gave a slightly crooked smile and laughed.

Then it was back to the racks--oh hey, this neat knotted white t-shirt would actually accent her own rack pretty well, adding it to the pile. And uh, hmm... well this was stepping a fair bit outside of her comfort zone, but fuck it why not, maybe it would look okay? A fairly simple blue woven poncho, just thin enough that you could kind of see through it. Along with the checked shirt she'd grabbed earlier, it was a pretty decent selection for a fitting booth trip--once she grabbed a swimsuit, of course. Wanting that one at least to be a surprise, she told Jess, "Hey, mind bringing these to a fitting room while I go wrangle up a suit? Want to keep you on your toes for that one, at least a little." Then, quickly making her way to the swimwear aisle Abigail was almost immediately taken by a stunning red and black halter bikini--so what if it was the same colors as the checked shirt, they were good colors!

Doing her best to sneak her find into the stall that had been prepared for her, Abby slipped out of her clothes and into the bikini. It would be too cruel to torture the captain with waiting until she'd gone through all of the other outfits first. Simply having kept her in the dark for just the selection process was good enough. Running her finger around the waistband and making everything was sitting as it should be, Abby stepped out of the booth and in front of her audience, twisting at the hips and pivoting once back and forth, to give a good view of the suit in motion, before circling around in place, showing off the whole revolution.

"Sorry to keep you in suspense," Abigail apologized, beaming in spite of that. "Well, was it worth the wait?"

[Nanami Touko]

Several Steps Behind

"Uh, yeah, sure..." Abby sure had an expected sense of style when it came to clothing... Ohh, except for that one piece. Maybe the talk was already helping? Jess snickered and brought the selection over, Abby not taking too long to come back... She was hiding something, huh. Probably her swimsuit. Wants it to be a surprise. Well, joke's on her, I've already seen her in the water, this'll be nothing! Jess was getting pretty good at this steeling herself thing, there was no way Abby was catching her off guard.

Fortunately, it was a good thing she'd set the clothes down before all of this. Her guard was not strong, and neither was her ability to stop herself, staring for a good half minute before managing to get her jaw shit. An embarrassed hand on her face, Jess shot out a thumbs up. "Th-That look great! Pr, Probably the breast-- BEST fit, you could find, ahaha..." Holy crap what the fuck that looks way better than before how what, AHHHHH! How was one supposed to learn to deal with these things? Probably just experience, and Jess was lacking. Very lacking.

"You, sh-should try on other stuff, uh, y-yeah. That'd be good too! Totally..." Help!

Lunch Launch

"Sure thing then, Doc... Don't work yourself too hard." Fixing Nikolai was probably the most extensive thing Megumi had to do since she'd gotten on board. This crew didn't run into injury much, did it? At least, the doctor's records seemed to indicate as such. Olivia stretched and shrugged, if she was good at her job, then she'd be able to get it done without pushing herself over any edges.

"Be back, then." Time to see how well Val's doing...

Benefits

"He was," Chris informed, as she sat back down. "That's why I went over... The two of you probably would've caused a scene in front of the robot, asking him why he was feeling upset. He didn't tell me what it was... But I gave him my opinion on things."

"Did you have to?" Christina asked, hiding behind chickeny nuggety goodness.

"Yeah, I did. If you've got a problem with that, speak up."

"...snrk."

"Why are you laughing!?"

"Sorry! Sorry, just... You're trying so hard to be intimidating, but... You look like me. It... It doesn't really work. Heh..."

"Mrrghh... Just, eat your food..."

Reminders

"Perhaps they are simply surprised at the speed at which I am transitioning. I am shocked sometimes when you are so quick to go with the pace." Hannah smiled, Brant was back, and he seemed fine. Whatever it was must've just been a 'complete waste of time', as he'd said. "Where shall we head to, then? I am afraid that, if we are to find me some clothes to wear, you will not wish to get anything else done... So, it would be smarter to tackle anything else beforehand, lest you get stuck staring at me." Confidence was fairly new, but this wasn't easy mode. Hard mode demanded all the stops.

"Did you have anything important to do?"

Edited March 20, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Xinnidy]

Lonely? Me?

"Ah, hmm..." Well, even if she was a pilot, the fact Elaine had just sat down and decided to talk to Roxanna was still tripping her up. Did she really look that miserable? "...That's fine. I don't... mind." She did, but it was besides the point at that time. Roxanna was feeling like garbage and her future was uncertain, it was probably clear as day for this girl that she seemed to be suffering in some way. "It's okay --the Ravioli, I've been craving for some pasta since I left the ship." Pasta and meat, what was not to love for a stressed belly? "You're Hendrick, right? ...Hedrick?" Did her name have an n? Roxanna honestly couldn't remember. "...Well, you know, I don't do that well with Jess, you see it all the time. So it's a bit stressful." No shit, and no thanks to her. "...And I have my own bad news to deal with, too. So taking a break like this is important." All alone by herself because she had no friends... I can talk with them, it's just by choice... She reasoned to herself. Work and personal life, right?

Super Kid Teacher

"Ah! Could you really? I'd appreciate it, Tarquin, really." Makoto was ecstatic to hear the suggestion by the genius boy. Still, his mood didn't seem all that right. Tarquin wasn't just his old calculated self, but seemed a bit... awkward? Conflicted was perhaps the closest word. It was still related to the Umbra incident, right? Of course, he was still young, despite how he could act more mature than adults Makoto knew. Maybe it was bad to keep doing more simulations at that exact moment...

A melancholic smile. Makoto placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to give him some comfort. Physical gestures like that just worked, sometimes. "I think if anyone can teach me, it's probably you. I wanna help everybody too... I'm sure we'll both do better." They had to, from that point on. The cruel world of war was such that any of them could be dead come next skirmish, but maybe not. The Riese seemed pretty special, and if they were careful enough, they could continue to claw out new days. For themselves and friends. "I've gotta get my degree once the war is over, anyways! Haha, though, none of that really matters now." There was no point derailing and walking in circles... war was war. "Hmm, by the way, is there anything you like playing? Some sports? I never really see you out there, aside from..." Oh, best to not poke on the memories of him sticking so close to Nikolai. "...the simulator and all." Awkward save.

[Ether]

"Well... you don't appear to have... caused a scene. I'm sure if he takes issue... with what you did, he'll make that known." Kim reasoned out, continuing to nibble at her meal. What was done was done, security wasn't coming after them, and Chris didn't seem to be overly irritated over the result. 

"Well... either way, sit down and eat. We've got... a lot to do today."

[TheRoon]

Aliza simply listened to Avery talk. That was one heck of an accent. She had a hard time listening. Although a few things did stick out to her...date. Abby. Captain. It sorta hit her. "D...date?" She gawked slightly. It was pretty obvious too, she wasn't good at hiding her emotions. Well that sucks...unless they were into an open relationship. But either way...

"I see...well didn't know they were an item." She rubbed her neck, holding the gift box under her arm. Sort of regretting not keeping that receipt. Then Astin asked to ring her up. "Aaah no no. It's not important. Don't worry about it." She smiled again. "But thanks, appreciate it."

[Phoenix]

Megumi winced as Sarah wrapped up her version of the incident with Michelle. The two had been in a heated argument. Most of the heat was coming from Sarah's end; she was incredibly emotional in general, while Michelle was more like Megumi, virtually always calm and soft spoken. It was more accurate to say Megumi was more like Michelle, the woman whose genetic code she was created from. According to the oldest of the three clones, the argument had been about their creation ... and how Michelle was beginning to question their life choices. The woman didn't spare any of her 'daughters' according to Sarah: Michelle thought Sarah was foolish for desperately seeking love. She thought Ellen was foolish for investing all of her time, energy, and creativity, into a handful of popular video games. She thought Megumi was foolish for attempting to complete her research instead of choosing a real path for herself in life. Megumi couldn't deny that there were major problems associated with their lifestyles. Sarah was the most codependent person one was likely to ever meet. Ellen was a pale skinned shut-in. Megumi was risking her entire future just to 'show her old woman' and prove a point. Never mind that the research would change the world forever; that was assuming someone stopped Megumi from destroying it in the end. She was keeping many things close to her chest because of that ...

All in all, they were a messed up trio of girls with little else going for them besides their looks and unique talents. Megumi was surprised to know that Michelle had actually lashed out at Sarah like that, though. Before Megumi joined the ANF proper, the woman had been disturbingly passive and remorseful. Was she having a change of heart about something? Was Sarah's constant bullying finally coming back to haunt them? Megumi had to admit, she and Ellen could have stopped it, but Sarah was only saying what they were all thinking most of the time. They hadn't really taken stock of their own lives like Michelle might have wanted, either. Was she beginning to resent all of them because of that? Megumi supposed that the woman had a valid reason to be upset with all of them. They were her offspring, and aside from owning their own house and being financially independent ... they weren't making much of themselves. They were merely 'existing' as it were. That might upset any parent with a seriously vested interest.

"Maybe she's finally had it with us and how we conduct ourselves," Megumi sighed, glancing down at her console, briefly. The lecture was minimized, and in its place were some of her personal files, the harder to access ones that detailed her notes on living organisms. This was Michelle's work, but it was also Megumi's work. "Instead of three new Amparos hitting the world stage and leaving their mark on history, we have a hopeless romantic, a hardcore gamer, and a shady doctor. I'd be disappointed, myself."

"Nobody cares what she thinks," Sarah huffed. Megumi could hear her hit the bed as she laid back down. "Hopefully she just dies soon and we can live our lives in peace."

Megumi frowned. Sarah knew why they needed Michelle alive, but she was still frustrated enough to say that, again ... "You know that what I'm doing can redeem us, right?"

"Sure, but you're not going to spread any of that information around. If she's the only one that needs to see it then what's the point?"

"I can admit," Megumi sighed, "it's not the most rational thing I've dedicated myself to. Some days ... most days, I want to just focus on being a better doctor. Speaking of which, that was part of the reason I called."

"Hmm?"

"You're having trouble getting to sleep anyway, aren't you? Well I have a patient here on the ship that needs prosthetic legs. We have the materials and the like, but for the actual interface, there is an awful lot of homework I have to finish before I'll be comfortable performing those operations. I figured I might explain some of the finer points to you and see if I can't make it more interesting than Professor Borington. Are you interested?"

"No but ... well, actually," Sarah paused, "... go ahead. Even if it doesn't help me sleep, I could use the info. If I'm going to have a few more movie scripts ready for next year's summer block, I need to get started on them soon. Tell me about your patient, too. Maybe I can make a story from that. Prosthesis stories are pretty common, but I know how to make things interesting, too."

Megumi grinned, glad her older sister had found a way to make the best of the situation. She'd been worried Sarah would just be enduring things for Megumi's sake, but she was willing and capable of extracting every ounce of value out of this. That was good. "Alright, then. To start ..."

---

Firmia quickly became agitated when she didn't see Sasha down at the Mantle's console. She kept scanning the hangar with her eyes as she maneuvered the Regalia back to its dock. Still no sign of her more outspoken employee. Hopefully the man at least finished everything he'd been working on. Firmia had her own things to work on, and some major confrontations to steel herself for. She had to confront Brant. She had to confront Jessica. She might have to speak to Hannah privately, as well, at least if all went well with Brant. Then after those bridges were repaired or further damaged, she had to speak with the ANF's leadership. She didn't know anything useful about the people she would be dealing with, so it was impossible to tell how difficult it might be to convince them to cut her a deal that would redeem this vessel and its crew. Firmia did spot A1 at the Reign's console as the Regalia's systems began to power down, which was a small relief. The little AI couldn't do much in an emergency, but Firmia only wanted someone in the hangar keeping an eye on the suits, not actually stopping something from happening, necessarily. If there was sabotage underway, just knowing about it ought to be enough in the short term.

The Mantle docked moments after the Regalia, and Firmia opened the latter's cockpit and took the lift down. The situation was almost embarrassing to look at up close. The Regalia had taken worse damage overall in battle, but there were so many scuffs and dents that just didn't happen in real combat. She and Tonya had really done a number on each other, and the AMS units. The pseudo V-drives would also need some looking at. The Regalia's at the very least. It was already near its MS mode limits when she disengaged the limiters and forced Tonya into a point blank barrel biting shootout. As long as everything was finished by today or early tomorrow, things should be fine. The Reign was in perfect shape and ready for its mission, so Tonya could head out then, as well.

Unfortunately, without Sasha around to act as an envoy, Firmia had to find the head mechanic, herself. Or Buck. Either would do, really. All she needed was to ask one of them to put their faster workers on the Regalia and Mantle and undo the damage from the live sim. She spotted Buck first and decided to get him to do it. Since it was Buck, though ... Firmia knew she would have to conjure up something resembling a thank you. Her principles wouldn't let her get away with not showing any gratitude at all. She was just hoping he wasn't especially friendly or chatty. The Epic of Abrams was an ever present reminder that just one meaningless interaction could become the root of monumental amounts of grief.

Running her gloved hand through her bangs to get the stragglers to stop sticking to her forehead and hang normally, Firmia made her way over to Buck and his Crescent project. "You're Buck, right?" That was the best greeting he was getting while she was in such a precarious mental state. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she let it out, again. "The upgrades worked perfectly. Thank you for your contributions ..." Carefully, she just barely opened her left eye to quickly gauge the boy's demeanor, and then made full eye contact. "Our test was thorough, though, and I need some of your people to get them repaired, again. Most of the damage is superficial, but the Regalia's right heel is half crushed and the beam smartgun probably won't fire properly until the barrel is fixed. Some of the Regalia's funnels need new plating, too."

---

Something important to do? Aside from simply being here for Hannah, there was nothing particularly important Brant needed to take care of out here. He wouldn't even have basic thoughts forming if not for the stimulant circulating through his system. They might be busy tomorrow, so it was worth doing whatever he could, though. Visiting that robotics store before clothes shopping was starting to seem like a good idea, given that Hannah seemed hellbent on eradicating Jessica from his thoughts. Brant almost welcomed the possibility; it would be nice to find some way to enjoy this outing, himself, not vicariously through Hannah but actually enjoy it for himself. With this new, awful feeling weighing him down, though, it would be difficult at best.

"There was a robotics store nearby, right? I could use some supplies for my projects," Brant noted, "Let's start there. Actually, I can't even think of anywhere else, so after that we should probably try on your new wardrobe." He didn't plan on being in the robotics store for very long. He just wanted to have a quick look, grab anything useful that he could see, and then subject himself to Hannah's whims. Before, Brant wasn't looking forward to it, but he needed the distraction, now. There was no guarantee Hannah's strategy would have the specific effect he was hoping for, and Brant would still have to deal with this crippling weight on his shoulders during the whole ride back to the ship, but even so ... just a brief moment of numbness, a moment of relief ...

Edited March 20, 2018 by Phoenix