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

[Phoenix]

Assuming things didn't get too complicated, Sasha felt he had plenty of time to change her mind on the whole name issue. He hadn't picked out any particular places in advance, though. The Reign, while a wonderful machine, wouldn't be viable this time around. There wasn't a mission ongoing or about to start--hopefully at least, so Firmia would either stop them from entering the suit together, or quickly force them out. It might just be better to help Cheryl tidy up her office a little later.

"You know, this Russia thing's really been distracting me; I didn't even have a place in mind ..." There was no disguising it when Sasha turned and sized up Cheryl's desk, but that was fine by him. It seemed to be about the right height, too. Better to not let Cheryl's musing go unaddressed, though. "Oh I'm sure it's nothing like that. Most people like to confide in someone close to them if they can. Brant would be here regaling you with all sorts of horror stories if he didn't have Tonya and Hannah staying in his room. Just give it some time; once things start getting rockier around here, we'll be looking for that precious couple of hours of freedom."

---

Hannah pivoted quickly, which admittedly did serve Firmia's original purpose. She didn't want Hannah thinking about the situation she was in, after all. The change of subject sent the young Alkaev's mind right over to her mental checklist. Somehow she'd gotten all of the day's crucial work out of the way; the rest, and everything that came tomorrow, hinged on the meeting later on ...

"Well, we just finished testing the upgrades Buck suggested for the Regalia and the Mantle, aaand there weren't any problems ... aside from user error." The live sim had been far from necessary for the test, but it demonstrated the upper limits of the adjustments, as well as the AMS units themselves. Firmia was just thankful that they could afford to be reckless this one day. It hadn't cost them anything but some minor repairs and a lot of sweat. "You should be able to keep the Mantle in the air while in MS mode, now. Not until its fuel runs out, but if you're careful, you shouldn't have to land anywhere but the ship." The melee Hannanigans would only intensify going forward ...

"That was the major project for today, which means I have to now move up a few other things to try and save some time." Firmia had a long list of things she wanted to do, within or without this ANF alliance, but going over all of it ... well, Hannah could feasibly make it back to the ship before she finished explaining all of that. Some things needed to stay under wraps until they resolved the mole situation, as well. She trusted Hannah, but the Alkaev was still in the hangar area, out in the open. There had to be at least one mole planted in here to send information about the mobile suits back to Apotheosis ... and possibly carry out some form of sabotage once they made their move to take the ship in tact. Firmia couldn't help but look around as she started back toward the Regalia. There had to be one around here, somewhere ...

"If the meeting with the ANF higher ups goes well enough ... basically, if they can make it worth staying on this ship while the current command structure is still in place, then I'm probably going to get started on some minor retrofits and a drone prototype. The Mantle needs to be optimized for close range combat, the Regalia's grappling system needs to be overhauled for 'improved larceny,' and I need a prototype drone for ... well, a lot of reasons."

[Xinnidy]

Crawling Out

"Right, Hendrick..." At least that was the name issue sorted. Roxanna couldn't promise she'd remember it for next time, but repetition meant she was more likely to get it right... eventually. Elaine seemed intent in talking with her anyways, though the XO couldn't for the life of her guess why. Unfortunately, it would be rude to ask. "I remember you had some protests to her decisions... Lieutenant Kim had to pin you down that one time, right? It's... I guess I shouldn't be the one calling this out, but try not to act too aggressive in meetings. Challenging is okay, but... we all have some training to kill, with guns or vehicles, so threatening another officer is taken very seriously in the ANF. Failing to act it out, the whole chain of command crumbles. It's a good thing Jess is so inexperienced." In any other situation, Elaine would probably be discharged, and Roxanna would definitely be. Thankfully the XO didn't need to tell Elaine about her bout with slapping a higher ranking officer...

 Elaine wanted to listen to what she had to say, but would there be a point? These matters were so far removed from anything a subordinate could relate... at least Roxanna thought so. Well, they said venting did have some merits... "It's... a bit more than just Jessica. My family fell apart, Sergeant." Roxanna winced a little, it wasn't really a good line to start, either, but she hadn't planned to do any venting on her venture to the mall. "I'm not exactly low-profile... my father is the minister of finance, and you guys know my uncle personally." She sighed slowly,  "...Actually, I should say, my father was the minister of finance. I don't know if you follow the news, but Apotheosis intercepted a bunch of ministers on their way to Australia a few days ago. No survivors." Hopefully, she wouldn't need to spell it out any further. That was as clear as could be. "So on top of not getting along with my Captain, I'm kind of at a loss of what to do... I can't handle all that while we're at war."

Sufficient Grasp

Hearing a compliment on his ability from Tarquin was quite reassuring. Makoto breathed easier, but the boy in front of him still seemed apprehensive over things. "Yeah, we can try working on that, for sure. There's a lot of little things I could be doing better too, apparently." There was so much he could improve in a short time, but every little bit could mean the different between his survival and being trashed inside the Phalanx. "I do want to finish my degree, for sure, but right now... I guess I'm too caught up in this thing to really look elsewhere. If I can help you guys, then I'm going to do it." Makoto concluded, nodding back at Tarquin, trying to keep himself optimist as ever. "I've made a promise to my mother too, that I'm living through this. I can only act on it by getting better from now on." He was certainly determined.

"Oh! Soccer is pretty fine, I used to watch the Japanese league way back on cable... Japan is nothing close to the western teams, though. They've been doing it for so long they're crazy competitive, heheh..." It was easier to get invested when it was regional and on a smaller scale, at least that's how Makoto felt about the sport. "We could try it, but soccer is always more interesting when there's a lot of people... I wonder if there's enough on the Riese to warrant two teams." Probably not, but they could play watered down versions for two, if they ever felt like it.

Edited March 25, 2018 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

Rocky

"Things aren't bad enough for people to be seeing someone? We're at war, and the ship's full of teenagers. If they're holding it together, I'd be amazed. Maybe I should get some outside opinions and start trying to convince people to come up... I can't be making all this money doing nothing. Just doesn't feel right." Maybe she could donate this month's paycheck to some charity cause? As long as it was one that actually did something... Too many scams hanging about, what a world.

Sasha's checking of the desk hadn't gone unnoticed, despite Cheryl focusing on something else, but with that out of the way... "The only problem with here, darling, is that I'm still on the clock as long as I'm in the office... And it's definitely not soundproof. If someone actually did come by, I'd rather they not get an earful of whatever fun you'd be showing me. I really do need to schedule days off, don't I... I should do that right now." Cheryl began to lazily change around her schedule a bit, noting the pay changes for taking two days off in the week schedule. Whatever. She almost laughed, but she did smile. "There~ No work Wednesday and Thursday... So, unless you had a quiet, secluded place in mind, I'm afraid I'll have to tease you until tomorrow." There was a certain pleasure in doing so, much as she'd be happy either way.

Cleared

"You're all good then, Miss Kim. Have a good day!" The clerk went back to processing the rest of the payment after handing Kim her package, Christina finally speaking up.

"Uh... So, it is, something for me?" She was a bit surprised, but when Kim hadn't corrected the clerk's assumption, it had gotten her wondering. What would Kim have bought her, though? "Well... Thanks."

"Don't mind her, Kimmy. She isn't used to getting gifts." Chris slapped Christina on the back hard enough to make her stumble, just light enough to not hurt, and turned to leave. "Guess we're off to the next store, then?"

"Geez... Y-Yeah. Coming... Sorry Kim, er, you can tell me what it is while we walk. Need to push a leash on her, seriously..."

"Think that's what she wants to do with you, not me."

"Sh-Shut up, Chris!" That was a nice shade of red.

Busy Schedule

"It sounds like you've gotten a lot done today. That's good. I'm really proud of you for working so hard, Firmia... Even if I think you could get some more sleep." Thinking about Firmia was a nice distraction. The girl was committed, despite her own issues... How small the android's own seemed, in comparison.

"My apologies, for worrying you, Firmia. I will be alright." She snuck that into conversation, before turning towards the last thing Firmia had said. "And, after your meeting, you're going to speak with the captain, yes? I will still be there to play backup for you, you do not have to worry. You have been there for me plenty... The least I can do is return the favor, when you need it most." She'd almost laughed, was talking to a friend all she needed to cheer up? Perhaps... And being away from the situation. A heavy feeling around her core appeared, as she remembered Brant would be coming back to the ship, but she could manage it. Probably.

"One last thing on the Mantle... My apologies, but since I am to become a permanent member of your team, would it be possible to increase its melee capabilities? As an android, the issues I have with piloting come from being unable to distinguish the machine as an extension of myself. That may sound off to you, but, look at it this way... When I fight hand to hand, for security measures, my arms and legs are weapons, that are an extension of my body. My processor has issues viewing the controls of a machine the same way... So I end up lacking that ingenuity or, instinct, or a regular pilot. especially when it comes to ranged weaponry." Hannah wondered if there was a way to fix all of that, and if so, maybe Avery would know.

"For melee combat, it is easier to create a seamless processes through the cockpit controls. While it may be plenty of work... Re-configuring the Mantle to be an all purpose unit, or specifically melee, would increase my effectiveness in combat."

Edited March 25, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Dandragon]

“I...I’m sorry for your loss.” Now, this was definitely beyond the scope that Elaine first thought. The death of a loved one wasn’t something she knew the feeling of, and her own inexperience, or perhaps ineptitude, left her at a loss as to what to say. It would have possibly been better if she never asked in the first place. ...But she didn’t want to stop. Elaine had through the effort to try and see what was wrong in the first place, and to leave Roxanna alone now seemed just inconsiderate. Even if there was a good chance that she would fail spectacularly, and that she would leave Roxanna in little more than a depressed, crying puddle, Elaine wanted...no, she had to try. That was what being a hero was about: helping people the best you could. Just like Brant had helped her the other day. It had nothing to do with the epic tales people would share, or the crazy stunts she could pull, and now, for the first time, Elaine could finally see that. Even if she failed...to her, it was better to try than to not.

”If it means anything,” She began, anxiety in her chest, “I’m dealing with a lot during this war, too. Not as much as you, but...Well, I’m just trying to say you’re not the only one suffering, I guess. So...that means you’re not alone on the ship. Again, if that means anything to you.” Another moment of silence. Elaine hoped she could get across the feeling behind her words well enough to a grieving Roxanna. “And, I guess regarding what to do...whatever you need to. If you need to take a good, long break, then the base is probably the best place for it. If you need to vent, then vent, cause there will be people out there to listen, even if you don’t think there are. And...if you need to cry, then I think you should. I learned the hard way it’s not good to bottle things up all by yourself. So, whether it’s here, or somewhere else, private or not, you just...you do what you need to.”

[Phoenix]

The place wasn't soundproof ... well Sasha could be quiet when he really needed to, but it wasn't fair to ask Cheryl to do the same. Fun times were supposed to be fun, and while sneaking around could be fun in its own way, it was better if the doctor could focus less on whether or not anyone could hear them and more on seeing how many combos she could pull off. "Let's go for a walk," Sasha suggested, lining up two birds. There weren't a lot of people around the ship right now, unfortunately. "We'll chat, see if anyone's around that might want to make an appointment this week, and then we can look around for someplace nice to de-stress for a bit. Worst case scenario I just invite you to my bland room and see how that goes." It wasn't 'bland' by necessity, but Sasha wasn't used to such large quarters with such extensive customization options. He hadn't come up with any ideas, so the default look was still in place. He was too busy to worry about the bright and boring look until now.

"We can stop for lunch if you're hungry," Sasha offered as an afterthought. He was only feeling a little peckish himself.

---

Hannah was proud of her? "T-thanks ..." Firmia smiled faintly. There were a lot of things she wasn't used to hearing, and someone being proud of her was way up near the top. Her grandfather would compliment or congratulate her for various accomplishments, but it was never a matter of pride, and he was the only one who did that. Her father was too self centered to focus on other people for long, her mother was too distant for any sort of meaningful, positive reinforcement, and her sister didn't give a flip about her unless she was proving more competent at something. Firmia hadn't realized what she'd been missing, in one sense.

The other meeting, though ... that wasn't an easy topic to think about. "I'm already having second thoughts about confronting her," Firmia noted somberly, "I'm more upset with her now than I was five minutes ago." Sparring with Tonya hadn't gotten rid of even a little of the Alkaev's frustration, either. Now she was just learning about Hannah's issues with Brant. The ripples from all of those terrible decisions just kept on going. "I'm not sure what will happen if I actually go through with it ..." Could she stop herself from preying on Jessica's weakness in order to force her to self destruct? Getting revenge for all the meaningless pain that woman had caused was almost too good an opportunity to pass up, even though the goal was supposed to be resolving things. Only act when her goals would be served. Right. But which goal was she going to act in service of? Her priorities were currently neck and neck; she wanted to hurt the Captain as much as possible, and she wanted to do that just as much as she wanted to have an easier time aboard the Riese going forward. It was so hard to think clearly on that front, right now ...

"I'll try it if you still think it's a good idea, but I need to find a way to calm down before then. Right now I just want to force her to feel what I felt and watch her crumble. Nothing's going to get resolved that way ..." Hopefully meeting with the ANF admiralty first and having things go well on that front would be the positive thrust she needed to try and keep the momentum going. Otherwise, she couldn't see herself holding back when finally standing face to face with Jessica.

The Mantle was definitely a preferable topic, so Firmia shifted back to it easily, quickly internalizing the information Hannah had provided. "That's more or less the plan. It still needs to be able to use the beam smartgun effectively, so there's only so much we can do to optimize it for melee combat, but the live sim I ran with Tonya gave me some ideas." All of them required Buck's assistance, for efficiency and overall effect, but whatever. Winning was what mattered. "We have to upgrade the sensor suits on the Regalia and the Mantle anyway, so I'm going to be removing its sniping visor to start, and putting a scope on the smartgun itself. That will let you have better awareness and targeting at close range without you suffering at long range as much. We're also going to need to give you a stronger beam saber, and reinforce the Mantle's arms for hard striking at all angles."

"Besides that," Firmia continued, still drafting up the changes in her head, "I'm also going to change the integrated weapons around. The arms can't be reinforced while the cannons are attached to them, so we're going to move those down to the legs in place of the hip cannons. The missiles can stay unless they get in the way, in which case I'll try to find a way to integrate them into the shield like on the Regalia. If that won't work then there's a little room in the booster on the back if I make a few modifications to it. On that note, there are some other big changes I want to make, but I should probably see if you can handle all of this, first ..."

---

It had taken Brant just long enough to find the alcohol section in the floormart, that his wandering mind had time to take apart the rest of his to-do list. At first, it seemed like a good idea to head to one or two clothing stores, even without Hannah. He didn't know her exact measurements, but he had paid careful attention to her at times, like when he'd first moved her from the stolen Heracles over to the Accensus. Those sensations were forever burned into his mind, so he could easily pick out very close fits. More importantly, Brant was expecting Hannah to reject anything he picked out for her at this point, so whether or not he got the sizes wrong was almost immaterial. Still, he wasn't in a good mood, right now. Trying to pick out clothes for a woman who wasn't even there, without any second opinion or the like, would make him feel worse. Having all of those choices amount to nothing after handing them over would drive a fresh blade even deeper. It really wasn't the best use of his time, at least not in its present form.

Brant tried to radio Firmia again once he got the four bottles--one was for him, but she didn't answer. He rightly assumed she was still on the line with Hannah, and decided to check back a little later. If she needed anything else, Brant didn't mind coming right back here. It was a mall and everything was reasonably close by. That was assuming he didn't head out right now. Brant still had his old plan to consider, but he wasn't making much progress there. Still, the prospect of a poorly executed backup plan felt far better than leaving the mall right here and now. Deciding to settle on that, Brant started musing about ways to improve it as he purchased the spirits.

By the time he was back out in the mall's interconnecting hallways, he had it ... he had something. Brant didn't recall exactly where his fellow TKs had run off to, but he had the general direction. Once they were close enough to sense again, he could just close the gap and have a brief word with them. As much as he didn't want to deal with them right now, the damage had already been done. He could make the best of the situation only if he was willing to enlist some help. Since there was no use risking a wrong turn or just bad timing in general and getting outpaced, he lifted his comm up to just about chin height. "Christina, do you read? Where are you three, right now?"

Edited March 25, 2018 by Phoenix

[Ether]

"Thank you... you have a good day as well... and yes... it is. You can open it now, or wait... until we're done. It's not something you would wear today." Kim replied, first returning the worker's farewell before turning to answer Christina, starting to walk before Chris had bolted off this time, expecting it at this point. And there they went again with another exchange, Chris embarrassing Christina again, giving Kim ever more fodder to work with. Dear oh dear... laughing a bit at the exchange as they walked, Kim certainly made an observation that she would have to affirm later... doing so now might cause things to self-destruct rather abruptly, after all.

[scorri]

"Ah, yeah, it's... I haven't worn a dress in a really long time. I don't really like them and just... They aren't my thing. I'm sorry. We don't have to shop for me though. I have lots of clothes. If there's anything you want to look at for you though, we could do that! I could buy you something. If you wanted..." That was a thing couples did, right? Astin ducked back into the changing room, eager to get out of the dress. "Or we could just go see a movie or something like that. It's up to you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, you think so? Thanks. I got it because it was nice and comfy but also a little cooler than my sweatshirt." She stared down at her lunch as Olivia chided her, though the blow was quickly softened. "I know it's just lunch. I'm just happy. I..." She trailed off, sticking a bite of food in her mouth. She'd almost said something silly, so best to just move on. "I need to stop by one of the mechanics to try and get my communicator fixed. It should just be a cracked screen issue. I hope. But after that I could maybe show you some of the things I bought. There are some cute things in there."

She'd forgotten how much she liked wearing cute outfits. In college it had been so much easier to just wear sweatshirt and jeans all the time. Plus it was easier to hide in them. Olivia had started to help push her out of that comfort zone, but after they had broken up, she'd retreated back to the safety of those clothes. And then it had just been habit, especially since she'd needed to wear scrubs in her job anyways. Maybe she really just needed to have someone to wear the cute outfits for instead of just dressing for herself.

[Nanami Touko]

Walk and Talk

"Psychiatrist on the go?" Cheryl snickered and got up from her desk, stretching just a bit more, and heading for the door. "Wonder how many people are even on the ship right now... Seems like everyone would've gone off to the surrounding facilities, just to get a shot at some normal life. What about you, hun? Firmia wouldn't extend the leash to let you go out any further?" It was a bit unfortunate, going to the mall and seeing a movie with him would've been pretty good... Maybe she'd have time tomorrow, she did just schedule herself a day off.

"Since we've got plans for today, do you think you could convince Firmia to let you go tomorrow? For me? I'd like to take you over there, for that slice of normal life... And it'd give me an excuse to wear something other than doctor standard."

Further Changes

"A way to calm down... Clearly I can just hug you until you are more comfortable. It will be good, for the both of you, to confront things, without running away. Even if it ends up in shouting. Trust me." Hannah felt like one of the few people Firmia did trust. Expanding that circle could only help her, and as much as Jessica was the root of many problems right now, fixing some of them would help those hurt focus on other things. Firmia seemed to be almost happy, focusing on making her machines better. Letting her do that more freely without having something else gnawing at the back of her mind, that'd be for the best.

"I understand... Those sound like good changes. I appreciate you helping to make the machine better for me. I..." Hannah cut that thought off, it would just depress Firmia to mention it out loud. "I can handle anything you need from me, as long as it's for you." That was much better. "I'm about an hour out, now. I've been speeding things up a bit, when I can. Jumping has been helping. I hope I am not alarming too many soldiers... Though I have not seen anyone yet." Maybe she could go just a little bit faster...

Surprise

"Ah, okay! I'll open it later, then-- Bwagh!?" Not expecting to hear Brant out of nowhere, Christina jumped, taking a moment to calm herself. "Wha... Brant?" Oh, right, communicator. "Hey? What's up? ...Weren't you with Hannah? Did you two want to come meet us?" She wondered what was up... "We were gonna go to The Hole to get some clothes. You can meet us there, if you want."

Chris didn't comment, but she was worried something had gone wrong. Why would he want to see all of them all of a sudden?

Sorries

"Quit'cher apologizin', Astin. It was my pushin' that got'chu here, it ain't nonna yer fault. Y'got that? I have lots of clothes too, so let's go see a movie. Wonder iffin they got those two seaters... Wouldn't mind snugglin' up t'ya, no matter what's playin'." Avery smiled a bit wider, thinking about something as quaint as that. This mall deal really was a good thing, wasn't it? Sure, they could sit on a bed on the ship and watch a movie there... But, this just felt better. "That sound fine fer ye?"

Wrist Stop

"Sure... Probably a few of them on duty, you can get your comms fixed. Just don't go throwing it next time you get a casual email, okay?" Olivia took a stab at what she thought broke it the first time, hoping it wouldn't embarrass Val too much. Cute stuff, huh... It's been a while since College. I wonder if her tastes have changed.

Edited March 25, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

Maybe all Cheryl needed was a mobile office and she'd be back in business. It'd be nice to have the shrinkmobile park right beside him in the hangar one day. Sasha's own situation was a little different, though. "I'm not prohibited from leaving the ship, but she likes to keep me busy, preferably with stuff that's too inconvenient to do outside the hangar. With Tonya and Hannah chipping in now, it's getting easier to slip away~ Don't worry though, I finish all my work, first. It's just a matter of disappearing before she finds something else for me to do." One of these days she was going to wise up and give him an actual schedule to follow. Then he'd be in big trouble ...

Tomorrow, though? Maybe. Just maybe things would go so well with the ANF that Firmia would forget that she was trying to keep her people from ever having any fun and let Sasha have that day. Even if she wouldn't be so kind, he could still look for an opportunity to 'slip away'~ "Well I've got two options there: I can convince her using the art of the argument, or I can enlist some help and meet you out by the car, heheheh. Either way is fine by me, Cherie." Having not used a french accent in ages, Sasha was a little surprised by how spot on that had been. That aside, he wondered what the good doctor planned on wearing. Sasha's tastes were all over the place, so he doubted he would be disappointed.

---

Only an hour out, now? Such speed ... It really framed just how powerful Hannah was, and how much she really held back during those hugs ... "I guess the car was just a formality. I'm still worried about this, but I'll try. It can't be worse than what I've been doing ... anyway, about the rest of the upgrades ..."

The visor removal was a big enough cosmetic change to the Mantle, but Firmia didn't plan on stopping there. Having gone over the specs of the Mantle's back booster in her mind, she knew that putting the missiles there was likely her best option for freeing up the arms, but doing so would displace the internal fuel tanks. She had a solution for that, but it wouldn't be worth the effort unless fully exploited ... in her not so humble opinion. That just left the Mantle's main equipment and its legs. That was where things would really start changing.

"Okay listen carefully. This next part is a little more complicated. The beam smartgun won't lose effectiveness with a scope attached, but I still want to separate it from the shield going forward. The normal setup has them combined because the Mantle is meant for very long range engagements. The simulations from development showed that a pilot should always have time to pull up the shield when at optimal ranges. With our fights though, you need to be able to use the shield and the smartgun at the same time, so we'll be splitting them up. That should also let you put the smartgun on the Mantle's back and switch to a saber in the right hand without losing the shield. Next up are the legs. I'm going to be fully upgrading them to the latest version: they'll look more like the Regalia's basically. I can't fit both the 200mm cannons and the beam cannons onto the legs right now, so you'll have to choose one or the other ... but at least we can configure that as needed. And then I guess that just leaves the missiles. I want to put them somewhere else so the arms can handle another melee option, but I doubt I can fit them into the shield properly. That just leave the booster. I can definitely fit the missiles in there, but you would need some small externally mounted tanks to keep the current fuel capacity."

It wasn't nearly as dangerous as it would look, but Firmia was willing to take a chance on a setup that would grant even more longevity. "Honestly though, if we do go that route, I'd suggest larger tanks. Since you close in on the enemy so often, the extra fuel will make it easier to do all of those maneuvers. You can even jettison them if there's trouble or you need a distraction." Firmia's mind began to wander, trying to figure out something Hannah might try with a pair of explosive tanks during a scuffle. She could definitely see the Mantle suddenly ditching both of them, right as an enemy began a melee attack of their own, only to slash one or both tanks as the Mantle pulled back. The damage would probably be negligible, but the Mantle's deadly counterattack would be hidden behind fire and smoke. Fuel tanks weren't meant for that, but the Alkaev was still amused, having no doubt that any extra options she gave Hannah would find some unexpected use, eventually.

---

Brant winced, not surprised by the question about Hannah but wanting to skip it for the time being. There was no telling how they would react before he even caught up to them. There was also the issue of the clothing stores, themselves. One thing that had been nagging at him in the back of his mind was Jessica, not the usual concerns, but where she happened to be. Brant didn't want to run into her while clothes shopping with Hannah, and he sure as hell didn't want to run into her in this situation. Christina seemed to have the impression that he was calling to try and merge their groups temporarily, and have a nice little shopping trip together. That sounded nice, but it was impossible at this point.

"Yeah, I did, actually. You're heading to The Hole, you said?" Brant actually wanted to catch them before they hit the next store, but he could still do that if he figured out exactly where they were, right now. "I just left the floormart though, so if you're nearby, I think it'd be better if I caught you on the way."

[scorri]

"Yeah that sounds nice. I don't know if they have those seats... Maybe they do. Man, I don't even know what's out these days... What sort of movie were you thinking of? Something romantic or more action-y?" They stepped out of the dressing room, back in their usual outfit again. They gestured towards the exit with a small smile. "Well, I suppose the first step would be to see what they're playing, huh? Don't want to get ahead of myself."

Heading out of the store with Avery by their side, they slid their arm around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze in thanks. They would have tried on more dresses or even bathing suits if she'd really wanted them to. She'd seemed so excited about it the night before that it would have been worth it for that alone. But the fact that she'd realized how uncomfortable they were and stopped made things just a little bit better. Even if openly displaying affection for her wasn't exactly in their comfort zone either, it still made them feel good and surely it would make her happy. And that made it worth it as well. After all, it was all about compromising, right?

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

"I, uh, yeah. Won't be doing that anymore. In my defense I was a little hungover and... No. No that really doesn't make it any better, does it?" Val lowered her head to the table, blushing bright red in embarrassment as she realized what a mess she must be seeming like right now. There were really no excuses for her behavior and any explaining was just going to make it seem worse. And at the end of the day, it had been a stupid thing to do.

Sitting back up, cheeks still red, she began to quickly eat the rest of her meal. There wasn't a lot left since it'd been a small piece of chicken, but it was enough to let her shut up for a bit. Once she'd finished everything but the apple, she stood up, grabbing that to take with her. "Well, hopefully one of the mechanics will be able to fix it. If not, I'll need a whole new one which would be awkward... And then you can see what I bought! Oh, not the swimsuit though. That's going to be a surprise, ok? Wouldn't want to ruin that early!" She smiled, wondering if that would bother Olivia or if she would be ok with it. She knew that either way she would likely play it like it didn't bother her but that didn't mean much. Besides, if she did push, Val would probably cave and show it to her. But a little bit of teasing couldn't hurt, right?

[Shin]

Talia's anxiety reached its peak as the elevator doors opened, but Thorvald was thankfully one of the less frightening people she could have come across. He had a small child with him, it was entirely possible that she was his daughter if one took his age into account. Her mind scrambled to create a response, she couldn't just stare back at him blankly, hoping that he were to forget she existed or take pity on her incredibly awkward demeanour. She had a plan or action, she had at least a basic grasp of socialisation. She raised her hand weakly for a timid wave. "Hello... Mister Eriksson, that's me, I'm Talia. I was thinking about getting some fresh air, being indoors all the time makes me a little stir crazy." she replied, trying to convince herself much as she was Thorvald. She flinched, if she told him that she was going out to town, then she might actually have to do it... she couldn't chicken out if she forced herself into a corner. There had to be a happy middle-ground she could take.

"But I was out quite late last night, town might be too far... I might just take a walk outside the ship." she added hastily, knowing too well her plan was going to backfire on her. Thorvald's child had retreated behind her father, could she smell the fear that Talia carried everywhere she went? Could even a child tell how lame and pathetic she was? She'd only met her a couple of seconds ago and she was already being judged, it was just like with everyone else. "I-... is she your daughter? I always wanted a little sister... but I only had brothers... what's her name?"

It was disgusting to even think of T-4 as a sibling, he was a little leech that continued to sap away at her life. He was nothing like T-1, even if they were genetically closer than any siblings, T-4 was the person she wanted to avoid sharing any sort of kinship or proximity with. Thorvald's daughter invoked a nostalgia within her, the researchers used to bring their children to come and play with Talia. With all her toys and designated important, the other children always made a substantial effort to befriend her - either for their own satisfaction or at the request of their scientific parents. She wasn't quite sure when they stopped coming, it had been a gradual process that she only recognised had completed in her teenage years. Would having people around made her life any better? At least she wouldn't have been as lonely. She let out a sigh, trying to force a smile so she could avoid frightening her any further.

[Ether]

It seemed their next destination would be interrupted by Christina receiving a call on her communicator... from Brant? Did this have something to do with what Chris had done earlier? It seemed like the most likely outcome to be certain, Brant asking to meet them on the way to The Hole. His tone suggested he would rather meet them before they got to that particular destination though... how odd. Still, they were in no rush, and it seemed ill-mannered to turn him down for no reason. Stepping over towards Chrissy and gently grabbing her wrist, the Lieutenant gave a response to Brant for the group.

"We'll... head towards the Floormart, Brant. Sounds like you would like to talk... sooner rather than later." Kim noted, before beckoning the two blondes in that direction.

"Come on... you two. Floormart is this way... let's see what... Brant wants." She noted, beginning to walk in that direction. It only took about a minute to reach the entrance to Floormart from where they were, Kim scanning the crowd for Brant.

"

Edited March 26, 2018 by Ether

[Phoenix]

Brant supposed that was true in some sense. "Thanks, Kim. I'll keep an eye out for you."

Spoiler

It was about thirty seconds into his taste testing that Brant found himself feeling a little odd. Not odd in a bad way, of course. Taste test probably wasn't the right term, really. Three massive swigs from his own bottle and a breath mint before sitting it back in the bag and parking himself on a nearby bench had left him feeling less furious with himself and more bitterly amused. "I wonder what this stuff will do to a lightweight like me," Brant mused, glancing at the four bottles in the open bag. His eyes quickly wandered over to the other bag, the one with his new tools, materials, and useful knickknacks, all packed away in their own boxes. It still felt like only Tonya could appreciate his little project in a situation like this, but Brant decided that was just fine. Really, he was starting to feel just a little bit better, thinking of her in particular. She obviously didn't want him to wind up with a 'bad match,' and that was likely the only reason he didn't have her support, right now. Looking at it that way, perhaps patience was the key. Once the shock and pain of his choice wore off, some of the people closest to him might come around. That felt like the alcohol talking, but at least it had something helpful to say. At least it wasn't telling him to give up.

Coming back to the outside world, Brant remembered he should probably decide on how to actually handle the situation he was putting himself and his fellow TKs in. The original plan that formed in his mind was to track them down, and drag Chris off to a different store from the one they were going to. Helping him out would give her something to do besides being a third wheel. There had always been the chance that Chris was a crucial part of their outing though, and not just a third wheel. Even if she wasn't, Seung-Min and Christina would likely care more about his predicament than she would. Brant sighed heavily, knowing it would be extremely rude to lure them over just to grab Chris and vanish, but very little he had to say or do felt appropriate for a group of four. He would probably stop caring about that soon, though.

Brant also had to take his streak of bad luck into account. His actions seemed extremely prone to backfiring, right now. He didn't want to be around the TKs because they might point out his bad mood and make Hannah want to call off the date. Lo and behold, that was exactly what happened, and it felt like nothing short of a natural disaster could have prevented it. Likewise, he didn't want to run into Jessica and Abigail by mistake, today, especially not in the company of the 'wrong girl,' per se. The mall seemed so small right now, and the odds of that happening were so high. It was almost pointless to try to avoid it; indeed, that was what he'd warned Jessica about, before. Somehow, some diabolical ill will would force him right near Jessica and Abigail. Jessica would be bothered, pulling back even further from him, Abigail would be angry, or perhaps she would gloat, and Brant ... he would be backpedaling with the fakest smile he could muster. The only thing he could possibly do to stop it now was to leave. He would have to leave right now ... but fate had already struck back at him. Thanks to his rage addled state, Brant had quickly ingested more than enough alcohol to make driving on the highway dangerous. Another decision had backfired. He could already feel it taking hold of him more and more, trapping him in this god awful place. Best to simply do what he came to do, endure whatever trials were coming, and ride back to the ship with whomever he happened to be in the company of at the time.

Brant stood up from the bench and picked up his two bags in his left hand. He put his focus back on Tonya as he waited for his fellow TKs. It was a fairly effective way to fight off his own pessimism. That was because he knew her so well. Eventually, he would speak with her and clear the air, show her what he was working on, maybe get picked on a little for it ... it would be a respite from all of this. No matter how alone he felt right now, Brant could never fully convince himself that Tonya was against him on anything. Not at all; she would celebrate like crazy if he won Jess over, and cry her eyes out if he failed. She was like an oasis in this damn desert, and the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't wait to get back to her. He wouldn't need any of this loathing of the old, dying self or the alcohol to cope while she was around. He could simply rest, and steel himself for his next move.

 

Edited March 28, 2018 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

Stretch Those Limbs

"Then you'd best finish your work off, mon chère. You can't keep me waiting forever, on the leash of that girl." Cheryl opened her door and got a look at the empty hallways outside... Everyone really was out at the mall, weren't they? Not a peep coming from any of the other rooms... Hmm... On second thought. Closing the door and smiling back at Sasha, Cheryl ran a hand through her hair. "It really does feel like everyone's not here, doesn't it...? How about we find out how strong my desk is, then? I can be quiet enough."

Changing Designs

"I see..." Hannah understood most of the changes to the Mantle, and could illustrate herself a picture of how they looked in her mind. The importance of having a shield for melee fighting wasn't lost on her in any capacity... Could something like the Mantle's shield be used against the Luna, though? To that end, had the mechanics figured anything out about it? She'd have to ask, once she had a moment, and see if they'd cracked into the security of it, or anything like that. As for which cannons to keep on the Mantle... "I would prefer the live ammo, if that is possible. The saber and the smartgun should constitute enough beam weaponry to keep me well armed in those regards. Having something that will pass through barriers and the like, if necessary, sounds like a good idea."

Missiles... Were something she felt were too much, but if Firmia could store them somewhere, then she wouldn't argue. "I don't know if I would have the coordination to perform something that complicated, but considering what I've done with..." She almost went back there, mentioning maneuvers with Brant. Shaking her head and continuing, she tried to shake the feeling crawling out of the back of her mind. "I'll say that it's a possibility." That was a good way to put it, maybe she could work out a routine for it. An unsuspecting foe would likely not see it coming.

"I'll be back in half an hour. I've been gaining speed... Earth's gravity was not as strong as I had been expecting, and jumping has proved effective. See you soon, Firmia." She stayed on the line, but if the girl wanted to go and get something done, she didn't want to keep her held up.

Romancy Action

"I ain't picky. Long as it's a good movie, don't really matter what kinda movie it is. Jus' depends on what ye wanna see... An' don't try'n weasel yer way outta this one, Astin. Clothes was my idea, thas fine, but y'ain't gonna tell me ye can't pick a movie. Not gonna buy that one fer a hot minute." Avery jabbed Astin in the side weakly, as she slipped a hand around their waist to walk closer. The movie theater was at the other end of the mall, it gave them a bit of time to walk.

"'Sides, iffin th'movie's borin', I can just turn t'you an' start makin' out. Easy. There's always a fallback plan~."

Wolfed

"Wow, did you even taste any of that?" Olivia was surprised that Val had gotten that embarrassed... Everyone did stupid things now and again. At least pressing her buttons was just as fun as it used to be. "Alright, alright... Let's get to fixing your communicator, then you can show off what you bought, since you're so desperate to let me see. But not the swimsuit. That has to be a surprise. I got it." Olivia managed a chuckle and shook her head, getting up as well and heading for the door. "No rest for the wicked... Or the device breaker."

One is The Loneliest

"I wonder where Brant... Oh! There he is! Braaaaaant!" Christina and Chris had followed with zero issue after Kim had set them off, looking for Brant in Floormart... He hadn't been hard to spot after he'd sat down. Chris, meanwhile, had her arms folded, scowling him down.

"Alone, huh..." Something had obviously gone wrong. Considering the bags... Well, maybe. it was an assumption, but she was ready to make it. He didn't feel too good, either. She sighed, lessening her glare. Whatever he had to say, she hoped it was important. What are you even doing here today, Brant?

Edited March 28, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

"Not a problem~" Sasha certainly had no intention of letting things pile up at the console, or keeping the good doctor waiting, but he was definitely going to have to keep one step ahead of Firmia to avoid getting buried alive. His assignments--if they could really be called that--were done for the day, or at least until the next time he ran into the boss lady, so he'd definitely earned this.

Firmia was busy in the hangar, so Sasha's leash likely wouldn't snag anytime soon. Cheryl and he had the run of the crews quarters, as well. At least that was how it looked after she checked the hallway and then promptly shut the door. There was something about that particular sound that immediately brought Sasha to the fringes of 'amor.' Cheryl got him the rest of the way there, bringing his attention back to her desk. His imagination was already leaping ahead, putting together all sorts of fun 'stress tests.' Sasha came over to Cheryl with a boyish grin, planning to make their way back to the desk with her only half dressed and making similar progress on him. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

---

"I was leaning toward the 200mm cannons, too," Firmia nodded, figuring the barriers Apotheosis liked to use would make the hip cannons both redundant and inconsistent. That still left the secondary melee option, but Hannah could figure those out herself once the retrofit was completed. She could probably get away with equipping the gun impact lance in the Mantle's left hand, along with the shield, but Firmia preferred integrated weapons whenever possible, preferably on both arms. She wouldn't have an ETA on the changes until she drew up the plans and showed them to Buck. She supposed putting a little more trust in him was for the best. His enthusiasm for the AMS units was definitely working to her advantage, and according to him, he could get a job done more quickly than the other mechanics. It felt somewhat unlikely, but if they could implement all of this before leaving Central ... well ... best to get the plans presented, first.

As far as the external tanks were concerned, Hannah seemed to have some reservations at first, but true to her word, she was willing to take on whatever Firmia needed her to take on. "I mean, they still have to be replaced if they're destroyed, so don't feel like you have to use them as IEDs. It's just an option you can use if you're in trouble. Better to lose those than an arm or a leg." Yes, better to think of it like a salamander losing its tail, potentially two in this case.

Hannah soon noted that she would be back in just half an hour. Absolutely terrifying to think about, but the young Alkaev had heard it straight from her. Did that mean she should get back to what she was doing? Talking about the upcoming project seemed like a good distraction for the both of them, so Firmia had to wonder if Hannah would be alright until she got back. Once she was back on the ship it shouldn't be an issue, really. She had said something that could be interpreted as a goodbye ... "... are you going to be alright?"

---

And here they were. The option to just leave was obviously off the table for now, so Brant stood his ground and met Chris' gaze with a mostly neutral one of his own. "Yeah. She overheard us," he stated outright, "After that, she decided to call it off. I'm alone, but I'm not finished with this damn mall just yet." There was a little part of him that wanted to blame Chris for pulling him aside in the first place, but that would have only been useful to point out if he wanted an apology or something. He couldn't care less if she was sorry, and only wanted some help wrapping up his business before he left the mall. He still couldn't drive back to the ship until he was fully sober, but that shouldn't take too long ...

[Ether]

Christina had been the one to spot Brant first, though it was Chris that made the astute observation that he was alone, Brant himself clearing the air on that rather quickly as he did... Hannah had overheard his conversation with Chris, and that had caused her to call off their outing for the day. Well, getting up close to him it was obvious what had sparked Chris' attention the first time... while his feelings were likely different, possibly even worse than they had been earlier, it was no surprise that she would have noticed something was off about him straight away. What was done was ultimately done, but it seemed that Chris checking in on him had backfired.

"Forgive me if... I'm wrong, but something tells me... this isn't what you wanted to talk to us about, Brant. What's... up?"

[TheRoon]

"Extra sprinkles...yeah, that'll do...how much? Ok." Aliza's line was for the nice clerk at the ice cream stand in the middle of the foot court. She ordered her favorite ice cream. Rocky road with sprinkles, extra sprinkles mind you. Why? Because she's worth it. At least that's what she tells herself. She used her card to pay for the treat and went to a table to feast. As soon as she took her seat she plopped in her ear buds and scrolled through her personal music list on her music player. She quickly selected a track from a robot show that she enjoyed. The name of the show was mostly used for "common" made robots that were grounded in reality, but this particular series was more of a "super robots in disguise" sort of shtick. She liked the twist.

The name of the song? Well one could say it wanted to make her "fly in the sky" if that worked as a hint. By hint I mean total giveaway.

She took a bite into her ice cream with closed eyes, trying to enjoy the very nice flavor. She put out her notebook and started doodling in an open page. This was more or less Aliza's element. Just a lazy day enjoying herself in ice cream, music and her own thoughts. Shame it didn't pull her out of her crush entirely but it was doing something at least. It reminded her that no matter what happens she could at least enjoy her time like this. For as long as she can at least.

[Balcerzak]

Abigail's choice of weaponry had had its intended effect on target, and she certainly enjoyed the compliments she was getting back in return. Nodding a bit, not too enthused about the dress prospect, but not entirely dismissive of it, she replied, "Yeah, yeah." About to reach her arms out back behind her for a refreshing stretch, and just as a general test of settling in to the shirt, Abby stopped herself just in time. With as many buttons undone as she currently had, that had the potential for some unexpected consequences.

Deliberately buttoning up a few more before going through with the stretch, she teased back with a bit of a snicker, "Limiters engaged. This better?" Yeah, no, this shirt was good, had just the right amount of play to it. Definitely a buy, as was the swimsuit. "Haha, just giving you a little shit. You pick out a dress after I'm done trying on these next two, and I'll add it to the pile."

The white, knotted shirt was a good fit, she could tell even before leaving the dressing room, but she figured Jess would appreciate the eyeful, even if she protested verbally, so she didn't go through any theatrics for it. The blue poncho, though--or was it a shawl?--well, she wasn't quite sure what to think, which the slight frown on her face as she came out and modelled the look might have made apparent.  "Hmmm, swing and a miss? What do you think?"

---

Thorvald nodded, pleased both with himself--for remembering her name correctly--and with her explanation itself. A girl her age staying cooped up in the ship the whole time would be somewhat crazy, wouldn't it? Though it sounded like she'd already had an adventure of some sort, right after they'd arrived or thereabouts. Well Talia certainly wasn't one to waste any time then. "Oh, you're still young, I'm sure it'd be fine if..." he began to pooh-pooh her attempt to walk back from whatever she'd had planned but was now having second thoughts on for the afternoon, but the girl almost immediately pre-empted his response with a baited hook that would have been impossible for any father to ignore. His ordinary, everyday smile broadened into an unbearably bright beam.

"Exactly right, you are! Forgive me, I must have forgotten to show you some of my many pictures, how careless of me," Thorvald jovially replied. "Come now, Holly, it's okay. Talia here isn't anybody to be afraid of. She's a good girl, got caught up in a bit of bad business, but Papa and Papa's friends helped her out and she's been staying on the ship with us."

But slightly ahead of her father's urging, the small girl had already begun coming out of hiding. Maybe it was the mention of wanting a little sister, or maybe it was just that Talia's tone of voice was soft and inoffensive enough that any further fear had melted away, leaving behind nothing more than that initial surprise of having run into an unfamiliar person right as soon as she was about to exit the elevator.

Tottering quickly over to the other girl, Holly reached up to tug at Talia's shirt as she excitedly interjected, "If you haven't anywhere to go, maybe you could come live with us! And maybe I could be your sister! I always wanted a sister too!" Then there was a thoughtful pause before she continued, "I always imagined being the big sister though..."

Edited March 29, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

Alright

It seems Firmia agreed with her decisions on what to do with the Mantle, and the extra information on the tanks was appreciated. As for being alright... "I still have you, don't I? You're my best friend. Even if the same can't be said back, I'm still your good friend. And if it will make you happy for me to stay okay... Then I will. I do not want to disappoint two people today." The comms went quiet after that, Hannah having closed her end, sighing against the rush of wind. "I hope Brant is alright..." Only twenty nine more minutes until arrival.

Faults

"Tch... It's not... Whatever." Chris looked away, scowling at the floor. Always something to scowl at. She didn't considering apologizing, and if it was anyone's fault, it was Brant's for being so muddled on what had seemed like a date. What was his problem?

Christina took a moment, trying to smile and stay cheerful. "Y-Yeah. What Kim said. What did you wanna talk about?" Hopefully this didn't get worse.

Good Decisions

"Why am I getting any shit? I'm being super compliant and helpful here... You should just be nice." She was complaining, but inside, she was happy. Abby was obviously trying to get a rise, and even if Jess wasn't completely embarrassed, she'd probably be playing along anyway. Pick a dress, huh? Jess hadn't through Abby would go through with that... Well, red looked good on her, evidently. Something a bit tighter...? Mmmmmaybe not. If she wasn't into wearing dresses normally, then emphasizing it wouldn't help things. Something flowy, simple... Something Abby. Luckily, she hadn't wandered far to find just that, though it was more a burgundy than a red. That'd do, right? Maybe...

She came back in time to see her in something much less revealing, though less happy with the appearance, it seemed. "What? No, that looks great on you. You don't need to be showing skin to look good... It's a great color, it fits perfectly, it's not completely covering or anything like that. Good choice, you should get it. As for a dress, I hope this isn't too dark." She held it out and smiled, wondering how much further Abby could frown.

Edited March 29, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

Her best friend? Firmia was shocked to hear that, not only because she wasn't always on Hannah's side, particularly in the case of Brant, but because Brant himself was far friendlier to her than anyone else on the ship. What the hell had happened in the mall, exactly ...? Well, regardless of all that, it did work to Firmia's advantage in the end. Her relationship with Brant was somewhat strained as well, and she couldn't bring herself to force him to work for her in her new company after the war. He might leave and disappear after all was said and done. Having Hannah stay with her regardless of what he did was a relief. Really, she wanted to keep any and all of her friends as close to her as possible, so that was probably two of the three accounted for ...

"Okay, I'll see you when you get back ..."

Glancing over at the Regalia, Firmia noticed that A1 was already there and simply watching from near the console controlling that dock. She hadn't instructed him to stick to Buck in particular, but that was good enough. Preventing problems was all well and good, but knowing about them was the real goal, and as such, she just needed eyes on the mechanic. Nothing more for now.

"Okay I should change before she gets back," the Alkaev decided, heading for the showers.

---

Well, talking wasn't really what Brant had in mind, but the lieutenant's question definitely caught his interest. "Your English is getting a lot better, Kim," Brant noted. It wasn't the normal usage, but he gave her a thumbs up. The accompanying smile by itself just wouldn't have cut it, being so mild that it only would have let the girls know they weren't talking to a machine.

"Not here to 'talk' much, though. To be honest, I wanted to grab Chris and let you two get back to what you were doing. She seemed like a good pick since she's so ready to run off and poke around. I don't know what you all had planned though, so that's ... kind of up in the air. I just need a second opinion handy while I wrap things up here." No matter what he said or did ... or opted not to say or do, something was going to go wrong here, and likely soon, so Brant decided to just say whatever he was thinking and try to dodge the wrecking ball if he was so fortunate as to see it coming. The alcohol's advice tended to be hit or miss, anyway. No point in trying to overthink things. "After that ... and once the alcohol wears off, I'm just going to head back." Tonya was two hours away ... two inconceivably long hours away ....

Edited March 29, 2018 by Phoenix

[Ether]

"Ah... thank you, Brant." Kim replied somewhat sheepishly... the ever sensitive subject, or so it would seem. Transitioning from that rather quickly as Brant made his request, it was... unexpected, at the very least.

"Chris...?" Kim repeated, looking over at the pair of blondes. Was this a front to get her alone and discuss what had happened earlier? No, it didn't feel like it... it seemed his request was genuine enough... a second opinion on... something.

"I think that... it would be best to let them... decide. Chris seems to... have warmed up to Christina, faster than expected. Maybe I'm the third wheel... after all." Kim replied, joking slightly towards the end as she glanced over at the pair. She herself had managed to avoid letting Chris' feelings towards her worsen the day any further, but really the two of them were the ones with stake in whether she stayed or went with Brant.

[Nanami Touko]

Taking One

"Alcohol?" Seriously? Chris almost rolled her eyes, trying to remain civil, but he seriously went that far just because his date went tits up? How fucking sad was that? Still... "I'll go."

"Wha-- really? And, Kim, come on, you're not a third wheel, but... I mean, I... Aw, geez." Christina seemed to be taking the situation like she'd made some mistake somewhere. She looked at Chris, then Brant, then Kim, sighing and folding her arms. "I mean, I guess if she wants to. And you can keep an eye on her... Drink or not. Still, I... Did I do something, wrong, or...?"

"No, Christina. I... T-Today was, fun. You're..." Chris seemed to be having a lot of trouble talking, looking entirely away from all three of them, having turned around completely. "You're a lot, nicer than I expected. Okay? That's all... Just... Yeah." The next sound to come out of Chris was an 'oof!', not expecting the sudden hug from Christina. "G-Get off me! Who said anything about hugs!?"

"Oh, shut up and let me hug my new sister."

"Urk... Just... F-Fine..." It didn't last long, Chris brighter than a tomato, Christina more than pleased with the situation.

"You can take her. Just make sure to keep an eye on her... We told the XO we'd be responsible for things, so if you trade off, then... Well, you'll have to be instead. That's fine with you, Brant?"

[Phoenix]

Firmia wasn't expecting things to be awkward in the showers, but Tonya hadn't finished by the time she arrived, and the two wound up having a little debriefing. Apparently Tonya had caught on to Firmia's trick, and was now calling her out on it ...

"I couldn't hit the cable with the smartgun or the hip cannons? Really?" Tonya shook her head, smirking as she tried to work the sweat out of her hair.

Nothing to do about that but to be pompous, Firmia decided. "You could, obviously ... but I know that you know that an Alkaev knows her machines like the back of her hand." That was a rather complicated sentence in English ... "You didn't have time to worry about whether or not I was lying. You just took in the info and went with the only option you thought you had left, grabbing the cable. Since it was just a live sim, I didn't have to worry about your freakish combat instincts, either. It was a perfectly legitimate tactic."

"I'll say ... friggin' batman gambits ..."

"And what about you?" Firmia asked, thinking back to how the live sim got started, "Your durability settings were ridiculous. Insulting, even. What were you trying to prove ...?"

"Heh ... right, the settings. If you must know, I wanted you to win, but I couldn't hold back, either ... so I made an estimate and crossed my fingers."

An estimate? That was one insulting estimate, but Firmia supposed Tonya wasn't their best pilot for nothing. If she could beat her fair and square at her current skill level, it would be a very bad sign. Her victory or Tonya's; it was decided in less than half a second. That was ... definitely something. The numbers were still insulting, though ... "Well ... I suppose it's good that you and I understand each other reasonably well, then."

---

Brant grimaced when Kim mentioned being a third wheel, herself. She clearly wasn't being serious, but something about it bothered him. He couldn't try and figure out why and keep listening to them, so he put it out of mind, watching as Christina and Chris had a brief and admittedly amusing exchange. The way they were treating this, Brant felt like he was taking a snippy rescue dog off their hands for a while.

Eventually, Brant nodded at Christina. "That's fine. I'll get her back to you in a bit and be out of your hair after that." He waved goodbye to Seung-Min and Christina, added a quick, "Come on, Chris," and started back toward the info kiosk. He wanted to have a look at the map again and not just wander into any random clothing store. He'd resigned himself to eventually running into Jessica, so this was less about being cautious and more about making sure they were in the right kind of store, one with the right inventory. Maybe he would get lucky there, find everything he needed in one place, and get in and out before anything else happened, but while shopping for three, it was pretty unlikely.

Edited March 29, 2018 by Phoenix

[Shin]

The fact that Makoto had direction was relatively comforting, at least there was someone else who knew what they wanted to do. The talk of soccer and teams felt incredibly civilian, perhaps it was a world he could one day take part in. His mind tended to go in circles in conversations like these, oscilating between striving for his own existence and acceptance of his controlled existence. Sometimes he wished that he'd make up his mind which reality he was going to exist in, but rational thinking wasn't the only factor influencing his thoughts. The human mind was far more complicated than his studies had let on, he'd have to save that question for another day. Keeping Makoto alive would let him achieve his dream, and that was good enough for Tarquin.

"I've watched matches involving Japan's national team, the results were unfortunate. I'm certain there are enough crew members to create a full game, but the number of individuals interested would be another matter. " Tarquin remarked, getting up from the simulator's seat. He'd had enough of trying to prevent a virtual Nikolai's death, Makoto had motivated him to get up and visit the living one. "We can commence training later this afternoon, I'd like to visit Nikolai first, there's some presents from the mall I would like him to have."

Whether not Nikolai would be able to use any of them in the near future was up for debate, but he wanted to at least see him again. He wasn't entirely sure where his future would take him, but his friends were motivation enough to strive for a better future. He took a few steps towards the exit and stopped.

"When the war's over, I want to go see a soccer game. All three of us. Me, you and Nikolai, we'll watch it together." Tarquin declared, turning his head back slightly towards Makoto. "I'm buying three tickets and I don't want to sit next to an empty seat."

[Xinnidy]

Support From Weird Places

This was definitely an awkward situation. Elaine tried her best to be heartfelt and understanding... but it wasn't really helpful to know other people in the ship had their own woes to deal with... well, not right now, when Roxanna was trying not to implode on her own. However, spitting on Elaine's efforts wouldn't amount to anything good either, so Roxanna tried to find it within herself to appreciate the Sergeant's words... it wasn't something she was used to do at all. That was hard. "I... I realize. It's a war, I'm sure there are a lot of others in our crew that are struggling too. Well... I'm just, taking this moment to collect these thoughts... think what I'll do from here onwards." Awkward. Very much so. "But if I need anything else, I'll keep that in mind." It was all advice, alright, but Roxanna'd already cried herself out in private, and took all that time to mourn... she needed to start acting soon.

"...Thanks." Roxanna coughed up. It wasn't like Elaine was doing particularly much, but the XO didn't hate it that a subordinate seemed to care for her well-being in the Riese, for once. "It's really hard to work on that ship sometimes. I'm... glad you at least care a bit, even if it's out of obligation." Damn, when did she become such a pathetic lonely person? She couldn't bring herself to look anywhere other than her plate of food after that.

Hope for the Future

Tarquin seemed to be making some progress. At least the prospect of soccer seemed appealing to him, enough to distract him from the negativity in his prior thoughts. That was a win in Makoto's books. "Yeah, Japan has never been that hot in the international scene, haha." It wasn't particularly frustrating to him, Makoto was neither deeply invested in soccer nor that patriotic towards Japan. Well, maybe just a little, but considering whether he lived for most of his life, it was not the deepest connection. "Probably not a lot of interest around here, you might be right." At least they might still enjoy some 1v1s or silly tricks, if it came to that..

"Right, I'll go grab something to eat and come back later." Makoto saluted, glad that he'd managed to convince Tarquin to help, and got him out of that bad mindset he seemed to be in... at least superficially. He'd watched Tarquin make his way out, impressed by what the boy had to say as he stopped. "I'm sure it'll be worth it. Thanks." He smiled. Makoto never expected Tarquin to be so forward, yet here they were. "I hope Nikolai will get well soon... no, I'm sure he will."