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

[Nanami Touko]

Big Plans

"A lot to do, huh?" Chris stuffed her face with burger as she wondered what Kim could have planned... Was this just clothes shopping? The mall was pretty big. Probably getting in the way of some dating plans.

"What've you got planned, Kim? I don't mind going along with whatever it is you want to do, but I didn't have much else in mind except for clothes... Maybe a movie. Chris, do you like movies?"

"Dunno."

"Oh... Well, maybe seeing one will help you figure that out."

"Maybe. Burger now. Talk after..."

"Eheh... You're really different from me, aren't you?"

"Mmm."

Bubble Burst

"Oh. Ohhhh, honey," Avery placed a gentle hand on Aliza's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I thought everyone'd noticed by now... Guess not. But, hey, don't let that get you all down! She's just one girl. There's a whole mall t'wander 'round. Ye should treat yerself. Ain't worth gettin' stuck up in somethin' like that..." Might've been a bit blunt on Avery's part, but that was just how she was. Whichever girl Aliza had her eye on, Avery hoped it wouldn't hurt too much to get over a crush.

I'm Buck!

Buck gasped. It was boss lady! The terrifying Firmia in the flesh, hailing him, but for what-- "Ah-- Huh?" A, thanks? Buck went from terrified to pleased in an instant, jumping down from the Crescent and sliding his way down the lift. "Heya! Yeah, I'm Buck. An' I'll make you a great deal, O' Great Empress of Alkaev works! If you let me see inside the machines, I'll have the repaired before you even get back from lunch. That's a head engineer promise! ... W-Well, 2nd, in command, but-- Avery ain't here, so I'm in charge! What'd'ya say?" This was a pretty good chance, probably... Maaaaaan, he just wanted to see inside the machines, was that so hard to ask? They were probably super cool and full of awesome stuff...

Robotics, Stop

"Sure... Er. Actually..." Hannah paused, just as they'd left the food court, eyes meeting the floor. "Would you prefer I find clothes for myself while you go to the robotics store?" She almost looked up at him, finding herself unable to go all the way up. "I... Eavesdropped on your conversation with Chris. I did not pickup the full details through the crowd, but she mentioned something about, 'feeling dead inside'. And... As she is a TK, I imagine she meant your emotions... Is everything alright?" Now, she finally looked up at him, eyes glowing a faint blue. "If you'd rather not be here... It would be best to go our separate ways, before something terrible happens. I have read that, these emotions, can come to a head. I... Do not wish to 'explode' at you."

Edited March 20, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Ether]

"Well, just... shopping mostly. I know that... my outfits are somewhat... lacking, in areas." Kim affirmed with a light smirk, taking a bite of her burger. If Christina wanted to see a movie, that could also be arranged, though it seemed that her clone was less enthused about that prospect.

[Dandragon]

“It’s Hendrick.” Elaine corrected the XO before letting her continue, nodding at the comment about stress. “Yeah. I can get that. I haven’t been doing well with the captain as a whole, either.” Elaine’s relationship with Jess was no where near as brutal and confrontational as it was with Jess and Roxanna, but she hoped that it would help Roxanna to at least say she wasn’t the only one that had issues with the captain. Maybe? Well, either way, it was yet another stressed out woman part of the Riese crew. But as Brant had only begun to help her, maybe Elaine could help Roxanna? Her interactions with the XO were limited to, in all honesty, just this one meeting they had in the food court, but Elaine felt like there were similarities between the two that couldn’t be denied. It was like a dark mirror of how she was before breaking down to Brant, if only slightly.

”I can’t say I’m good at thinking up solutions to these kinda things...” Great fucking start, Elaine. “...But if you wanna talk about it more, I can listen. Is that alright?” 

[Phoenix]

Firmia scowled faintly. "If you can have them repaired that quickly, why not just-... never mind." There didn't seem to be much point in telling ANF personnel to be more efficient more of the time. Even she was in danger of burning out, these days. More importantly, there was this 'deal' Buck proposed. Firmia didn't want anyone messing around inside the AMS cockpits unsupervised, so either she or Tonya would have to be present.

... or A1?

"If you really want to look inside, that's fine, I guess ... just not by yourself. If you can agree to that, then I have no problem with your deal and happily accept."

---

So Hannah had caught the exchange--some of it, at least. A nagging thought in the back of his mind had been trying to warn him about that, but even now he was too frustrated to be so cautious. Once again, Hannah was giving him an easy out, though instead of a means of evading Chris, it was a means of ending the date before anything unfortunate happened. Brant had lost count of how many opportunities he'd been given to end the date prematurely at this point. Hannah seemed to think he was feeling bad because he didn't want to be here, but really, nothing had changed since last night. Spending time with her would never be a problem for him, regardless of what happened with Jessica. Brant wasn't sure how to get that across to her, though ... and now he felt like he was back in the minefield, again.

"Treading as lightly as I can here ... you already know what's going on with me, Hannah. I can't just forget about everything that happened yesterday ... and not for lack of trying. You and I planned this before my world came crashing down, so don't think how I'm feeling has anything to do with this whatsoever. I want to be here, but trying to keep the bigger situation off of my mind is ... it's like trying to ignore a stab wound." Not to mention the blade was still twisting inside of him every so often.

Brant had a lot more to say, but out in the open and all at once likely wouldn't do either of them any good. "Spending time together is something I want to do, regardless of anything else that's going on. That's why all your tries to cancel on me aren't working," Brant smiled bitterly at her. He couldn't help but sigh, thinking about what he wanted, and how much trouble it was causing. It seemed like no matter where he tried to focus his efforts in any given moment, it was destined to fall apart. Was it even possible to salvage this situation, or was he only kidding himself? "I want to be here with you, right now ... but ... whenever I start deciding things, people start losing their minds ... so I'm ... I'm just going to put that on hold for today. It's up to you, alright? If you think it's better for us to split up here, then we will."

[Nanami Touko]

Lacking

"...In areas?" Christina tilted her head. Kim's clothes had been really nice, what was she talking about?

"She means our chests," Chris blurted out, rather surprised by her template's lack of understanding. Maybe she was just bad at this sort of stuff? How she was going to keep up with someone like Kim was beyond Chris...

"Oh! O-Oh... I, uh... I suppose, yeah. Hah..." Her last nugget disappeared in an embarrassed bite, sitting back in her seat some.

"It's nothing to get embarrassed over... Where first, then?" Chris was almost done as well, having wolfed things back way faster than Christina. It wasn't exactly healthy, but neither was the food they were eating. Only once in a while was fine, right?

Guided Tour

"Well hey, we're only human. If everyone worked as hard as I did when I got fired up, we'd all burn out. Gotta pace ourselves, and let the machines take over when we can't handle it... Of course, the automated systems are slower than some of the mechanics when it comes to automatic repairs, but, that's just how it is... At least I'll have time to rest after going hard on fixing your bots-- But, forget that, seriously!?" Buck jumped in place, he could barely contain his excitement. "Sure! Of course! I'll get to work-- right now!" He didn't even wait, running past her towards the Regalia, first. "I've got a heel to fix!"

Dwindle

And all that confidence was swept under the rug. Hannah was starting to get angry at the captain... Why did this have to happen? Couldn't she have just grown a spine and said what she meant? If she was out with Abigail today, or even if she wasn't, she wasn't here with Brant, and it was, like he'd said, trying to ignore a stab wound. Being here with her... What could she fix, really? She'd just make things worse, pushing him in the other direction. Hannah slowly let go of him, took a step away, almost sighed. "I'll see you back at the ship, then. Hope you can... Find whatever it is that you need." It would just, be best to go. She'd been so gung-ho, how stupid must she have looked? Brant probably knew it, too... He was so focused on that stupid captain, he should've made things clear. "I never had a chance, did I?" She tried to smile, but it quickly twisted into a frown, biting back tears. This is ridiculous. That I was made to feel only to experience these sorts of feelings is a ridiculously cruel test. I should have stayed a machine.

The doors weren't far. She'd just, walk back, or find some sort of transport. Maybe they had shuttles back to Central... Either way, she was off. She couldn't spare a look back. I'm so stupid.

Edited March 20, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Ether]

"Yes, that... you pretty much... only had my larger stuff... as options. So it would be good... to get you some clothes that fit properly." Kim replied, noticing the other two had finished eating already... she'd have to speed up a bit then, taking another bite of her burger.

"According to the map, the mall has... Shears, Orange... theocracy, The Hole and Cold... Topic. You've just been... using mine, so I don't know what style... you would prefer." Kim continued between bites... there was also the mail order she'd have to pick up, but that could wait until the blondes had given their input.

[Phoenix]

Firmia could only gawk as Buck literally jumped for joy at her response. It was the least professional thing she'd seen since Jessica's captaining, but at least it wasn't negatively impacting anything beyond first impressions. She nearly jumped herself when Buck started off toward the Regalia, already preparing to address its crushed heel. "Ugh ... I said not by yourself, dammit ..." She was less annoyed that he'd gotten so far ahead of her and more put off by the fact that his rush to get started meant Firmia was the designated supervisor. She really wanted to go and freshen up, though ...

She went after Buck and pulled up her comm. "A1, come over to the Regalia," she ordered the AI through the device. She would start Buck off and then let A1 stand in for her while she went to change and wash up. That was the plan, anyway.

---

It didn't surprise Brant in the slightest when Hannah decided to call the whole thing off. None of this was surprising, not until the very end. What Hannah said just before starting off struck Brant so hard, he felt himself fall backward half a step. She never had a chance? It was the difference of a few days ... a few words, the same coincidences that set him against Abigail. He'd made his choice before all of the options and obstacles had even been revealed. Brant's feet wouldn't move. It had been her decision this time, not his. He didn't want to honor that any longer, but what could he even say to her, now? If he tried to do something, what would he accomplish? Wouldn't telling her the reason they weren't together just hurt her even more? Every attempt to make the situation even a little bit better just came back to bite them both in the end. The pain wasn't simply 'inevitable,' it was pure, unassailable destiny. Brant couldn't go after her or say anything else without making it all worse. All he could do now was reach out to her as she made her way toward the entrance, his whole body going numb. Please ... Hannah, please don't ... don't leave me here like this ....

... eventually, long after Hannah disappeared, Brant's arm came down. His muscles were exhausted and trembling. The pain from that seemed to creep outward over him, overcoming much of the numbness that had taken him. Brant suddenly remembered where he was, a mall, full of people, on a military base in the middle of ANF territory. He was in a war, between the various governments of the world and Apotheosis. Recalling all of this wasn't enough to get his feet moving again, though. He was still stranded. Fearful ... fearful? "... Firmia is afraid of this ... but I'm not." Brant wasn't afraid of the pain he was enduring, but it was downright paralyzing to know the pain a few words could inflict on someone else.

"I know things can still work out in the end ... somehow." "I dunno ... pain wins in the end, sometimes." Tonya's words came with power, causing Brant to buckle ever so slightly. I have to get through this, he countered, Otherwise there's no point in being human. If this is all I can handle, then I might as well run straight back to Dima and have him finish what he started ... just like Firmia wanted. Brant took a deep breath to try and force himself back into balance. He couldn't match sorrow with joy or gratitude, so he paired it with wrath, instead, the only emotion he could still feel that held any sway at all. Brant tried to keep his expression blank, but there was contempt on his face that was difficult to miss. The rest of his fire was directed inward, at an image of himself he was hoping to put to rest by the end of this. That Brant was one created and fashioned by the Alkaevs. It was the source of all his troubles, a subservient tool of war, incapable of growth and beyond saving. That 'thing' was where the fire belonged. Brant's inward focus wasn't exactly armor that could protect him from the pain, but he could use it to keep going and push past it.

You're on your own. No one's going to support you in this. Just like all of these people. They could care less what's happening as long as everyone else is happy in the moment. If all of this is going to be worth something in the end then you have to move forward. Finally, Brant was able to get his feet moving, again. He didn't know where he was heading, but he couldn't stay on that spot any longer. I guess I'll just have to find a way to get comfortable with being alone. He thought of Jessica and Abigail together, chatting merrily about some trivial thing. Anyone else who saw it would have their opinions, most of them positive ... but Brant saw beyond it, what it had usurped. It was too large and too bright to be hidden behind a pair of smiles. Comfortable ... yeah. With being alone in my fights ... with being the villain ... with being who I need to be.

[TheRoon]

"H.huh? Oh no worries no worries..." She waved her hand a bit. "I've been around the block before a few times, kind of a social butterfly...but uh yeah, thanks for that." She smiled a little. Regretting wearing her heart on her sleeve a bit too much. "But you're right. I won't let it get to me...I'll just grab my favorite ice cream just chill for a bit..." She waved a bit and turned. "Thanks a lot you two. Better to know now than to fall flat on my face. Hehe..." She walked along until she left the store.

Once she was sure she was out of sight a rather big sigh was let out. She took out her handy dandy notebook and started writing. 'Taken...figures. Bombshells like that are always snagged.' She shut it and walked along. 'Time to drown in ice cream to more J pop.' She went off to do just that.

[Phoenix]

"This should be great! I think I'm going to combine the other pilot and the doctor into one character, though ..." Sarah was making artistic edits to Megumi's story and ... essentially putting an idea for her own story together. It was nothing new, but to have something Riese related felt somewhat novel. The doctor also found it amusing that she and Tarquin, a couple of barely social genetic experiments, were being rolled into a single character. That could only mean one thing ... "That way I don't have to pick one or the other as the love interest. Also I think we'll make the doctor slash pilot a male. If I'm going to turn this into a proper romance, I need a good angle on Nikita's injuries, and a woman that's shallow on looks doesn't quite resonate. Better if it's a guy. It'll piss people off at first, but as he starts coming around they'll warm up to him, again~"

"So if I have this right," Megumi placed a hand on her chin, trying to recall what Sarah had come up with so far, "Nikita, a child soldier turned mercenary, helps fight a war down in Southern Africa. She meets a doctor turned pilot and the two open up to one another as the conflict progresses. Eventually Nikita's mobile suit is destroyed with her inside it. Miraculously, she survives. The 'shallow' doctor just happened to be on the verge of finally proposing when that happened. Now she's missing her legs and is covered in burns and he struggles to make his proposal while treating her. Do I have that right?"

"Spot on. Now, I'm not sure if I want to go with one of my usual bad endings," Sarah admitted, emphasizing her words, "or if I should play it safe and give the audience something to be optimistic about. I should probably go with the good ending, otherwise the director will just change it to that if that's the direction the wind's blowing when it gets turned into a movie. Either way, that's more or less the idea. I'll work in other characters and themes as I go, but it's mainly a love story."

"You always do romance plots," Megumi noted dryly, "Every single time. The only time you branch out is when you and Ellen have to come together for a bigger project."

"Well, whatever your focus is, that's what goes into your writing. I can pull off anything, really, but this is my comfort zone and I don't have a reason to leave it, right now. Thanks for giving me such great material though, Megumi. I can make several different versions of this if I come at it from enough angles."

"Heh. You're welcome." Her comfort zone was that sacred, was it? Megumi wondered if her cybernetics research was still close enough to her home turf that she wasn't so much branching out as exploring within the boundaries. Either way, she would have a clearer picture of where she stood on things when she actually had to put all of this knowledge into practice. That said, it was about time to start explaining some technical matters to Sarah, wasn't it?

"Oh, I've got something," the older sister beamed, "I'm going to give Nikita a cybernetic eye~"

Megumi glanced over at Ms. Barnes and winced a little. If anyone would have to perform that sort of operation, it would be Megumi ...

"Since both of her legs are prosthetics after the explosion, I need another way to symbolize her transformation. One natural eye and one mechanical eye is a good way to show how she's now caught between being a machine and being a person, again. It should go great with the child soldier backstory. The faction she and the doctor are working for could even be trying to put implants in her brain to make her a better fighter, too, just like your patient. That'll really drive the point home."

"Well I don't have much implant expertise yet," Megumi began, figuring this was as good a segueing opportunity as any, "but I could explain some of how this works to you. Since you're going with the idea, I should also cover the prosthetic legs."

"Oh do tell! I'm not getting any sleep at this point, and I want some gritty realism for when I start on this."

"Well to start, the actual materials are quite simple depending on what you want to do. It's the man-machine interface that you have to worry about ..."

---

It didn't take long for Sasha to find Cheryl's office. He just hoped she was in, right now. There was that nagging feeling in the back of his mind. What was he going to do if they wound up leaving the Riese? And suddenly it was at the forefront of Sasha's thoughts, again. Obviously, he would have to settle for a long distance relationship or break things off. That wasn't a decision that needed to be made right now, though. If they left, the bigger issue would be survival, not sudden relationship adjustments. Sasha's biggest worry right now was whether or not to bring it up. On the one hand, he would rather spend as much time with the doctor having fun or just getting to know each other as possible. On the other hand, finding out that he was leaving at the last possible second wouldn't win Sasha any points. Cheryl was a shrink, so she was probably better equipped to deal with bad news, anyway. Potential bad news even more so. If he just got it over with, things might progress rather smoothly after that. Probably ...

He knocked on her office door and turned to glance down the hall. Then he pulled up his comm and glanced at the darkened display. That prompted a long sigh, reminding himself Galatea was hanging out in there. She said she'd stay quiet, but in order to brighten Cheryl's day as much as he could, Sasha was going to have to put that to the test.

---

Firmia hadn't made it back to the Regalia with Buck. Her comm nearly stopped her when she saw that Brant was trying to get a hold of her. It was too early for him to be on his way back, so she answered immediately. It was a brief but incredibly stressful call, and she doubted the vodka Brant promised would make her feel any better about it. Only addressing the problem might do that ... or at least part of the problem. Once Brant ended the exchange from his end, Firmia quickly switched to Hannah's frequency.

"Hannah ... whatever you're doing, stop and answer me."

---

Once Brant arrived at a storefront, he stopped and looked up at the signage, no longer content to just waltz into any random establishment. It was that robotics store he'd told Hannah they should go to. Brant wasn't a believer in divine signs, but going with the flow of things didn't always conflict with his goals. In fact, given the situation, the last thing he should have been doing was wandering the mall, aimlessly. That was what a disheartened Brant would do. Eventually, that Brant would run into more teammates and find some way or other to drag down the entire outing for them. If he was going to be anything right now, it was not that Brant.

Pulling up his comm while he stepped into the store, he placed a call to Firmia. She was the one managing 'the Russians' aboard the Riese, so best to ask her these questions. "Brant?" She answered relatively quickly, probably surprised that he'd tried to get in touch with her, right now. "What is it?"

"I'm going to make a few stops while I'm out here at the mall," Brant said, making his way toward an interesting looking aisle. He didn't have to worry about the workers bothering him while he was on a call, thankfully. "I wanted to know if there was anything you wanted me to pick up."

"Vodka," Firmia answered, almost before Brant could finish, "Seriously, the largest bottle you can find that isn't crap. Two bottles, actually."

"Sure. Anything else?" Brant shrugged, stepping over to a display with some fancy gadgetry. He wasn't planning on buying any of it, but he was definitely getting some inspiration from some of them. "I'm at a robotics store right now, and I'm also going to be checking out one or two of the clothing stores before I head back."

"You keep saying 'I.' Where's Hannah? Didn't you two go out there together?"

Brant sighed, immediately putting Firmia on edge. "If she didn't take our ride already, I'll try to find her on my way back, but for right now, she wanted us to go our separate ways. I'm not going to let this day be a complete waste, though. If I can't spend anymore time with her, then I can at least get some supplies."

"Was she ... hurt?"

Brant smiled bitterly. "Yeah. She figured out that I was still messed up from yesterday. It all went downhill from there."

"... three bottles. By the way, you don't sound ... well ... I don't know, it's not something I can pick up on over the radio, at least." Firmia sighed this time. "So you just let her run off on her own? Why didn't you go after her? I understand that she wanted to call things off, but still ..."

Brant quietly fiddled with one of the gadgets with his freehand, thinking on that very question. It wasn't an easy thing to answer in his current state. "... I let her decide what we should do. I couldn't bring myself to stop her after that. I was paralyzed, thinking how I might make things worse, so I let her go. I tried to put Jess out of my mind. I tried as hard as I could, but I still couldn't do it. There's just no helping it, now."

"Dammit, that's why you should just-"

"It wouldn't make a difference, Firmia," Brant said sternly, "Even if Jessica had ripped my heart out last night, I would still be feeling it, today. I still would have gotten outed, Hannah still would have wanted to call the whole thing off ... and I'd still be alone, right now."

There was mostly silence, as Firmia seemed to be trying to come back with something. "You should ... call her."

"Think she'll answer?"

"... I'll call her, then. You two should talk, though. You have to. I ... don't want this affecting us during missions."

"You do that, then. Also let her know that ... you know what, never mind. Two hours in the same vehicle as me is probably too much for her, right now. I'll let you know when I've got the vodka." Brant turned off his comm and stepped away from the display. Time to get those supplies, plus a few other things. He was really irritated now, but the inspiration was still swirling around the upper reaches of his mind, urging him to go just a bit further than he usually would, to be just a bit bolder. Save for perhaps Tonya, Brant doubted anyone would appreciate the idea, but ... in the face of all this heartbreak, the mere thought of it helped put the weary pilot's mind a little more at ease.

Edited March 23, 2018 by Phoenix

[scorri]

Astin watched Aliza walk off with a small frown on their face. "That probably wasn't the best way for her to find out about everything but... Also best for her to know I suppose. Shame for her though." They shook their head. It just seemed unfortunate timing. She'd clearly had something more than friends in mind and just had that dropped on her with no real tact since neither they or Avery had known her interest. "Still, wonder if it might have been better for her to end up with Abby. Feels kind of not right for the Captain to be dating someone in the ranks, you know?" They still weren't sure how right their own relationship was much less one between an officer and a rank and file soldier. Especially with everything being the way it was with Abby.

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

Val continued humming along to the music as she slid the chicken onto her plate, adding on an apple and the tomato and cheese slices from before. Making her way over to the table she set the plate down before heading back towards the fridge. "Hmm, I'm being healthy enough. I can have some pop, right? Right." Grabbing a bottle of cola out of the fridge, she found some silverware too and made her way back to the food. "Wonder if she's coming or not..."

[Nanami Touko]

Shopping Shopping Shopping

"Well... I wouldn't mind The Hole--"

"Cold topic."

"Do you have to look as edgy as you sound, sometimes? Besides, they probably don't even have our size."

"Don't call me edgy! It's good clothes! I know you'd wear it too, I am you..."

"That's... L-Look, maybe, but--"

"Stop trying to hide it, Christina~ You're just as 'edgy' as I am~"

"Mrr... At least it looks like you're finally having fun."

Chris quieted down at that, a small flash of anger sliding over her face, but she looked more annoyed at herself than anything. "Yeah... Not that I would know."

"...O-Oh... Sorry."

"It's fine... Let's go to the hole first, they've probably got a decent selection of things for both of us, and maybe miss idol too."

"I-Is that fine for you, Kim?"

In The Right

Avery shrugged, smiling back at Astin as Aliza walked away. "Whatever makes 'em happy... 'S'long as it ain't hurtin' th'ship, it ain't against regulations... If they're brave enough t'date in th'middle o' war, when one of 'em could topple over any minute... Then come what may. Same fer us, ain't it, Astin?" Avery giggled to herself, happily making her way over to one of the racks... This would be a good place to start. No sleeves, shin length, decently tight, but not like a glove. Seemed to be about Astin's size, but that was just eyeballing things... "Wanna try this on fer me? Black seems like a good place t'start... Ain't nothin' fancy, no frills, jus' basic an' decently cut. I'm sure ye'll look great.~"

Midday Date

"You sure that drinks good for you, Val? And here I thought you were worried about your figure..." Olivia sat down and snarked immediately upon coming into the cafeteria, yawning just a bit. "Did you want to see me for something specific, or do you just like me being around?"

Summer Sun

Hannah was already walking down the highway, when Firmia picked her up. Off the road, of course, if someone was daydreaming and ran into her, they could get seriously hurt... It'd take more than a car to stop her, after all. "I'm just coming back to the ship... Why should I stop?" Had Brant called her? For what reason? It was clear what he wanted, she had no more room there... She'd previously visited anger when fighting Vera, but it was coming back up... it was different this time, though... Bitter, unclear, uncomfortable. Generally... Bad. Not something she wanted. And it wasn't even directed at Brant, it was at herself. "I'm too weak for these sorts of things. I'm... I'm too 'young'. I don't know why I thought getting involved in such strong emotions would be a good thing, when I know so little. I was a fool..."

The Doc is In

Oh? A patient? Really... Someone on the ship had finally decided to come and talk to her. Well, that was a welcome change. "The door's open, come on in... Dr. Hart at your service, for whatever it is you need." The emotion was really not there, today... Probably the lack of cigars-- no, that was definitely it, she was just trying not to feed into it. "I wonder if they do nicotine patches, still... Or if there's a faster method. Ugh..."

Edited March 23, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

Sasha held back a snicker as he stepped into Cheryl's office. "Good afternoon, Doctor," Sasha waved with a big dump grin on his face, "I need some relationship advice, if you've got time for me." While he made his way over, he took the comm off his wrist and pocketed it. Turning it off would be a dick move, so ... "I checked out a weird ad and now my comm's infected with galware, but it's mostly under control," he shrugged helplessly and took a seat.

---

Hannah was hurt alright, and Firmia had mixed feelings about all of this. It sounded like Hannah was unwilling to pursue Brant any further, but now she was traveling alone ... in her mental state? "You're not planning on walking all the way back here, are you? Can't you just find someone else to bring you back? If you really think you're too young for strong emotions, then the last thing you need is to be alone with them, right now. I'll grab the Reign right now and come get you if I have to."

That was a bit more emotionally charged than Firmia would like to admit. Forget how she would even make it over to the mall in a mobile suit without pissing off the ANF and making discussions later even more difficult. She couldn't deal with the Reign's sensitive controls the way Tonya could, and would likely crash from just attempting minor course corrections. All in all, a spectacularly bad idea. It felt nice to be so recklessly reassuring, at any rate. Hannah needed to know that she didn't have to deal with this by herself.

Brant was alone too, come to think of it ... but his demeanor wasn't what Firmia would have expected. He seemed a little on edge, but it wasn't more than she would get from him when she was making big demands, which she had been toward the end ... or at least making a strong suggestion. If Hannah was taking matters worse, then what could she do to help her? That was the problem with friends and trying to protect them. If they started hurting each other, Firmia had no quick and effective actions she could take. Apotheosis? Shoot them, stab them, destroy them. Jessica? Feed her low self esteem until she imploded. Another friend, though? It was almost a paradox in her mind, though she knew full well things weren't even close to that simple. Though, she certainly preferred things that way ....

[Ether]

Giggling a bit at the banter between the two blondes, it seemed they had come to a decision in the end. Starting with The Hole, huh?

"That... seems fine. I do have... an order to pick up, at Shears. We can do that first... or after. Whatever you prefer."

[Nanami Touko]

Cheer up

"Oh, it's you... Heh. Relationship advice isn't really my forte..." A galware? ...Oh, he meant Galatea. "Did you bring the spunky little AI along with you? At least she's amusing. Not going to add anything to the conversation, Galatea?" Silence. Odd... "Seems like you don't have a problem at all. Anything else I can help you with, you poor soul?" This was much better than worrying about anything involving a puff...

Alone in Your Head

"It would not be ideal with your flight data to try and fly the Reign out here to retrieve me... I can return to the ship in two hours on foot, if you're that worried. I'm... I left the car for Brant. It is easier, that way..." She paused, but continued walking, not wanting to leave things waiting any longer. "I know what you mean, but there is nothing else I can do. I either remain with Brant, or I return to the ship... It would be better for me to return to the ship. If you are so worried, you can have Tonya come out for me. I do not know if the ANF will take you flying closer to the non-military zone for something like this in a positive way, but... If you are too worried, then that is about all you can do, right now... My apologies, Firmia." Hopefully she could understand... Hannah wanted to get away from those awkward and upsetting feeling as quickly as she could.

Orders Up

"We can do your order first, Kim. That's fine. Would do me some good to walk a bit... It tastes good going down, but it feels bad staying in."

"That's fast food for you... But, sure. We'll get idol girl's package first." Chris didn't waste any time heading off, back towards the map, causing Christina to flail.

"H-Hey! Kim's not even done yet! Ahhh, wait!" She threw a sorry glance back at Kim, heading after the girl.

Edited March 24, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Ether]

Well, Chris was certainly in a rush, wasn't she? After their course had been decided, the blonde wasted no time in heading off to their first destination, which ended up being Shears. Luckily enough for Kim, while she wasn't entirely finished, she had finished off her fries... the sandwich on it's own was far more mobile, Kim picking it up and following after the blonde duo, countering Christina's concerned glance with a gentle grin.

Of course, if she had just waited for Kim to lead them to Shears instead of going back to the map, they would have gotten there faster, but it was no matter, really. Catching up to Chris and Christina at the mall's map, the ex-idol waited for them to scope it out once again.

[Phoenix]

"See? Mostly under control," Sasha chuckled. He was actually surprised, himself, wondering briefly if he'd cut the power by accident. One could never be too sure. "That aside, I'm sure you can help me out with this one, even if it's just with your opinion ... professional or otherwise."

"Looks like my boss is finally getting that big meeting she wants with the ANF. We're not sure how it's going to go, but you know how stubborn she is. She won't admit it, but we're stuck for now. There's no way we can make it back to our allies in Russia like this, not while Apotheosis has the run of the place." Sasha was less concerned with being shot down in route, now, and more so about being tracked to someplace important, a far worse outcome in his opinion. "They'll either ambush us or hit us and our allies once we meet up with them. Not what I'd call a good homecoming. As for the relationship part, I met this wonderful doctor when I first got here." Sasha glanced down at Cheryl's chest and then her legs. "I think you've seen her: Eyes like a fox, breasts for the cultured man, legs so long they'll wrap all the way around your waist. She's hard to miss. Anyway, we've been getting along great, and so I need to figure out what I'm going to do if the boss lady decides to pull out of here, despite the risks." There were plenty of options, but Sasha was mainly interested in letting Cheryl know what was going on.

---

Firmia bit her lower lip, struggling between the rational choice of letting Hannah come back on her own, and one of her other options. Sending Tonya back out would be a bit tricky, and the Reign no longer had its copilot seat installed; they swapped that out for a makeshift 'living' container in order to make Tonya's upcoming mission a little easier. Dima's advice came to mind again, about only acting when her goals would be served. She wasn't even sure what her goal was in this situation ...

"Okay," Firmia sighed, "you can come back on your own, but don't think about any of this right now. You should talk with someone, first. Listen to a radio broadcast or something to pass the time, okay? And call someone if anything comes up. If you aren't back here in exactly two hours, I'm sending Tonya out to pick you up."

---

Knowing exactly what he was looking for, Brant completed his purchases within a couple of minutes. He hadn't come in looking for some of these materials, but he needed them now. Even the Mini-Throne didn't have such small components inside of it. Fortunately, his idea wouldn't require him to work through the night, like with that project. Brant figured he could probably pull it off in about four hours if he was left uninterrupted, which wasn't too bad.

He left the robotics store, supply bag in hand, and made his way to the mall map, hoping to find the right store so he could pick up Firmia's vodka. Once he had that, he would call her back, see how she was managing with Hannah, and then find out if she wanted anything else. The last time they spoke, the topic changed rather abruptly and they never made it back to why he'd called her in the first place.

[Shin]

"You have a sufficient grasp of the basics, it would be mostly technique and situational planning that we'd need to work on." Tarquin replied, trying to trick his mind into focusing on something else. Helping Makoto would help keep his other friend safe, but it was a reminder of what had happened to Nikolai. Who would be next, perhaps it would be Makoto if he happened to be out of formation? If he tried to train Makoto, he'd be putting him in more danger, but trying to hide him away would leave him completely unprepared in the case he were deployed. It was an unwinnable situation, he would risk losses regardless of his choice. He was glad Makoto was enthusiastic, but Tarquin couldn't quite partake in the excitement.

Tarquin looked up at Makoto, his attempts to produce a pleasant facade falling rather short. The physical connection was there, but Makoto's world was so different from his own. Why did he even want to keep fighting? Tarquin wasn't certain that destroying the Rhea and killing its pilot would actually resolve anything - it was little more than another goal post for him to try and reach.

"I hope you get to go back to school soon. I've always wondered what it would be like, but I wouldn't even know what I would want to study." Tarquin replied, noting how uncertain his own future was. He was overthinking things, but he was sure the ANF would try to get their money's worth out of him. - especially considering how expensive he would have been to design and create. Makoto's next question was slightly left-field, but it was one he could at least provide an answer to. "Sports? The only one I have any experience with is soccer..."

"You're pretty good at this though, considering you've never played. Maybe if you got into it when you were younger, you could've been the next Ronaldo!"

It wasn't that long ago that Mateus had introduced him to the game. He'd never actually played in a match, but he'd found odd hours where he felt like kicking a ball around. He'd seen videos of people playing - a proper game had a lot of people. It was simple enough to mimic the motions, copying the trajectory the ball needed to take, but it was a lonely experience.

"Another member of the crew introduced me to it. Even if I'm not playing, it's relatively interesting to watch." he added, wondering how passionate Mateus must have been about the game. Initially he had dismissed it as a childish waste of time, but his evaluation had proved to be woefully incorrect. He wasn't sure who this Ronaldo was, but he sounded like somebody one could look up to. Hopefully Mateus, as well as Bruno, were far out of danger. He'd spent relatively little time with either of them, but it was amusing how only now he could appreciate the messages they'd imparted onto him.

[Balcerzak]

Ding! The elevator had arrived, and the doors slid open, "Ready to take your first step onto this Peaceful Giant?" Thorvald asked his little girl, who simply nodded her head quickly up and down. The entrance protocol when one was on foot was a little convoluted, having to enter the building the Riese was docked with, take an elevator up several storeys, then travel the connecting bridge and take another, much shorter, elevator to actually get to the top floor of the battleship. Still, there were their reasons for all the extra steps, at least on paper. Holly would probably be riding piggy back on their return, as the big day was sure to tire out her little legs. But that too was perfectly fine.

About to step out of the elevator, the sight of someone apparently waiting to use it themself brought him to a pause for a moment. And it seemed a case of Stranger Danger had kicked in for the little girl, as she'd ducked behind her father and was cautiously peeking her head out from around his back. "Ah... Miss, Haley was it? Talia? Doing well, I hope? Going out for an afternoon on the town?"

 

---

 

Abigail had to cover her mouth to keep gales of laughter from pealing out. The breast fit, really? Well, it didn't take two guesses to figure out where her gaze had first wandered during this swimsuit modelling session.

"Omigod, you should've seen yourself just now, Jess. I'm taking this reaction for the big compliment it is," Abby shook her head, ponytail swaying as she did. Then, reaching out her hand and lightly stroking a finger along the captain's chin she added cooingly, "I hadn't been sure whether to put my breast foot forward, or to save the breast for last, so I'm very happy with how this turned out."

Finally allowing a laugh to sneak out, she turned and grabbed one of the hangars and headed back to the fitting room, giving her hips one final seductive shake before disappearing inside to later reemerge with the the red checked shirt on, top several buttons not done up, quite on purpose.

Edited March 24, 2018 by Balcerzak

[scorri]

Astin didn't see much point in replying to the talk about relationships. Dying or Avery dying wasn't something they wanted to think about, things already uncomfortable enough in their head, so instead they focused on the shopping part of her comments. "Er... Sure. If you think so." Astin awkwardly took the dress from her, before glancing around for the changing rooms. "I'll go... change I guess. Just the one or do you have other options you want me to try? I guess you could bring those with you while I'm changing...." Dress in hand, they made their way back to the rooms, ducking into the first available one. Time to make Avery happy they supposed. Not much else good in all this, but at least there was that....

~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah! Uhm, well, the rest of the meal is healthy! So it's ok to have one treat, gosh." She stuck her tongue out at Olivia, trying to mask how flustered she was. At least she'd come down. That was nice. "Well... I thought you might not have eaten yet and it's getting late for lunch so you should be. Plus I like seeing you... And I got some new clothes! So I thought you might want to see them?" Thoroughly embarrassed now, with how silly everything sounded when she said it out loud, she popped a bite of the chicken into her mouth. Chewing and swallowing, she added quietly, "I... also got a bathing suit. Thought... maybe we could go to the beach tomorrow?"

[Nanami Touko]

I'm a Map

Back at they map, Chris went about ascertaining their next stop, while Christina turned to Kim. "What are you picking up there, anyway? I didn't expect you to make any outside orders... You're pretty all business, most of the time." Must be something she really wanted, then... Hopefully they'd have no issues in getting it.

"Looks like it's this way." Chris wasted no time again, not out of any sense of urgency, just... Because that's how she was.

Christina sighed. "Slow down for the rest of uuuuuuuuus."

Shears was a fairly large store from the looks of things on the outside... What exactly was Kim here to get? Chris and Christina stopped at the entrance, the former stuffing hands into her pockets, the latter looking back at Kim. "Well, we're here now, so you're up for leading us to get your package."

Under Control

Cheryl blushed fairly heavily and hid her face with her hand just a bit, looking away from Sasha with a big smile on her face. Firmia's plans were annoying, but if this was waiting at the end of a long distance relationship, she'd manage. "I think you should make the best of the time you have while you're here. This lady sounds pretty wonderful, doesn't she?" Cheryl almost snickered, looking over at him. "Going home seems like a deathwish, and as much as your little dictator bothers me, watching her go out in a violent burst of flames isn't exactly an appealing idea either. It'd be best for her to work something out with the top brass, and find a way to manage on the ship. Really feels like this barge is the safest place to be..."

It was a bit of a depressing thought, but it was the truth. Even being here at Central, the safest place to be was likely on the Riese, in the base. A flying fortress filled with the most up to date technology. "What else can ol' Dr. Hart do for you, Mr. Pasternak? ...Whew, that's one mouthful of a name. If we last long enough, afraid I'll be keeping my name."

Think About Other Things

"... Should I talk to you? I do not know what we would discuss for two hours, though..." Radio was a good idea. Learning what people were listening to in this day and age was definitely a worthwhile pursuit... Of course, as it was radio broadcast, she couldn't determine the songs coming, and if one were to set off a mine, she could go back to thinking about what Firmia didn't want her to. She started running, anyway... She could do one and a half hours, if she ran fast enough. It'd probably confuse any soldiers driving down the road, but that wasn't any of her concern.

"Have you ever felt like this, Firmia? If not, I suppose it is a good thing that I am a machine. You won't have to deal with anything I am feeling. I suppose that is lucky..."

Eyeful

"Ahhh, stop! Stop and, g-go change into something else!" They were still in a mall, right? Gosh, Abby was aggressive... Jess didn't mind, but it was definitely embarrassing, and she had no resources to deal with the full on assault she was being hit with. "Yeah, you're real funny..." The puns, too, ugh, why'd she have to slip like that? Slip... What if Abby-- NO, that is NOT a line of thinking you're going down, you STOP THAT Ms. Gefalscht! How was she supposed to manage this, again? With a hefty sigh, Jess tried to get her mind in order... Right on cue, Abby steps out in another low cut top-- wait, it wasn't even lowcut, she'd just left it unbuttoned on purpose!

"This is exactly why we need you in a dress, or something else... You're way too powerful without any limiters. I'm gonna get taken out if you keep this up..." It was very, very hard not to stare.

Multiple Choices

"I've got a few other things in mind. Jus' wanna start with th'basics, darlin'. Iffin yer too uncomfortable, too, I can settle with just one dress... Still, I'm sure yer gonna look great." Avery made a mental note of things to grab in the store, following Astin over to the changing room. She was too excited to see, picking out the rest could wait. "An' iffin ye need any help gettin' things on, jus' holler~"

Beach

"Sure, sure... I did eat, though. Just came down to see you, since you asked so nicely." A small smile, Olivia was surprised to hear Val had already gone all the way out and back. She was determined, wasn't she? "I don't mind seeing you model some clothes... A beach, huh? Some ANF contraption out here in the middle of the desert, I shouldn't exactly be surprised. They do seem to have a lot of extra budget for leisure... I guess war isn't the first thing on their mind. Sure, why not? It'll be good to get some proper sun, and stretch my body out. Sitting in the doctor's medbay is getting boring... Less so now that she's actually working on stuff, but I'd rather people didn't have to get hurt for some excitement to spring up there.

Edited March 24, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Ether]

"Well, once I knew we were going to be here, I figured I could do with filling out a hole in the wardrobe, is all." Kim replied to Christina's inquiry, though by the time she had, Chris was off again, like a rocket. She certainly was quick to get going, if nothing else. Giggling at Christina's complaint at her clearly more athletic clone, it didn't take long for them to arrive at Shears.

"Pickups should be... in the back." The Lieutenant replied when Chris passed the baton her way, leading the pair towards the back of the shop, eventually reaching an acquisition desk. Slipping an order form to the clerk and readying her card, she began to speak to the worker.

"Seung-Min Kim, here to pick up an online order."

[scorri]

"Well... This top is one of the new things. Probably the simplest... But I can show you some more of them later, if you want." She thought that was what Olivia had been implying though maybe she just meant in day to day not all at once. The swimsuit was going to wait for tomorrow though. She didn't want to ruin the surprise there... "And good! Oh, though, do you have a swimsuit? I wasn't sure if the rooms had any so I bought one but..." She smiled up at Olivia. "I know the medbay has to be boring at points. It's not like this is what you wanted to be doing with your life. But... I am glad you came on board."

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

Astin fidgeted, staring at their reflection, gathering up the courage to step out of the changing room. The suggestion of having Avery come help had silenced them momentarily but staring at their reflection was just as bad. They hardly recognized the person staring back at them. Ugh, this is just... Weird. It's been ages since I've had to wear one of these. But she just seems so happy...  They stared at the mirror for a long second before realizing they'd gotten their head up in the clouds again worrying about all this. Finally gathering up the courage, they opened the door up, allowing Avery to see their new look.

The dress clung lightly to Astin, following the slight natural curve of their body before flaring out slightly towards the bottom. It wasn't anything crazy, but somehow Astin suspected that wouldn't matter. "Well? What... what do you think?"

[Phoenix]

"Oh come now," Sasha smirked, "It can fit in there just fine." Sasha made a gentle pushing gesture with his fingers, and used it to part two other fingers on his other hand, "You could ease Pasternak in right in the middle~" Galatea must have put herself on a continuous eye rolling loop by this point. "Since you mentioned it though, I do want to make good use of today." He moved in close to Cheryl, close enough to kiss her cheek or whisper into her ear, and gently added, "I wanted to take you out somewhere, but if the mood hit us I wanted to have someplace clean and quiet." Oh how the Reign and its incredibly well sealed cockpit had spoiled him ...

---

"Well ..." Firmia winced. She'd been about to deal with Buck and then go freshen up. She could still do that and call Hannah back in a few minutes, but that felt wrong somehow, like she was too busy despite the crisis. Buck was still a minor security risk, but Firmia was hardly busy, right now ... "Yeah, it's fine. I'll stay on the line with you." At least A1 had just about made its way over there, and if Hannah was going to be thinking about this damnable situation, she wouldn't have to do it in isolation.

Firmia wasn't expecting to get asked about her own experience. Having spent so much time avoiding friendships, the only interest she ever had in men were all superficial, and she could always project the worst traits imaginable onto them to quickly overcome any infatuation she felt. It made her a bit harsher toward them than even her TK senses could justify at times, but it was a fair trade off. She didn't need to do that with Brant since he had always been off limits, and even after they became friends, their time together felt far better spent training and relaxing. Those days seemed to be over and done with. Overall, Firmia had never gone so far down the rabbit hole of love as to actually get hurt ... at least until yesterday.

"I may not feel anything from you, and I may not have experienced it myself exactly, but ... I am a telekinetic ... and I did feel something like it, before. Either way, I am dealing with this. I have to deal with everything happening with you and Brant." Firmia couldn't keep all the frustration out of her voice, but she still managed an unusual softness, given her mood.

---

Slowing his pace a little had saved Brant the headache of running into his fellow TKs. Nothing good could possibly come of a second encounter. Stepping up to the mall map, Brant quickly found the location of a nearby floormart. Hopefully they sold vodka that wasn't crap, otherwise he'd have to head out to the grocery store, instead. Orienting himself, again, Brant headed in that direction. He was somewhat thankful for the layout of the place. The TKs kept on going while he was able to enter the nearby floormart sooner. He went searching for something resembling an alcohol section at a brisk pace, hoping to find the goods, radio the news to Firmia, and then get to his next destination. He'd be there longer than the prior two stores, but for good reason. He would actually have to do more than simply look around, and probably more than once.

[Nanami Touko]

Zero Intention

Shears looked like a department store, from the way things were setup... You could buy everything from a shirt to an SUV in there! Chris seemed mildly in awe, Christina just taking it in stride... She'd been in big stores before, no big deal. They weren't here for anything but Kim's package though, so no detours were made walking to the back of the store. The clerk at the counter seemed pretty bored until the girls walked up, smiling at the request. "Sure thing! One sec-- just set your ID on the counter." The woman took the slip and stepped behind a door at the end of the service desk, coming back with a moderately sized box.

"Big present for your... Twins, huh? I mean, whatever floats your boat--"

"Not me, my sister," Chris pointed at the eyewearless blonde, shaking her head. "I have zero attraction to Kim, don't you worry."

The clerk whistled. "Harsh... But, alright. Just sign here, and you should be all good..." The clerk took Kim's ID and swiped it through the reader, a big green check mark coming up. "ID checks out. Signature and you're fine, Ms. Kim."

Fitting In

Cheryl nearly burst out laughing, how ridiculous could Sasha get? It was tempered a bit when he slid up close, but it was still rather amusing for a grown man to be making these sorts of innuendos. "I'm supposed to be on the clock, but I've been on the clock all day, without a single visitor. Instead of making a mess in my office, if you want to go anywhere, then please, take me away~ Your name still isn't fitting over mine, though. Don't count on it." She snickered and stretched her arms back, obviously for a reason with Sasha so close, then stood up and sighed. "Sitting in a chair all day, really gets to me. Maybe the crew just doesn't like me? You've gotta wonder."

Dealing

"...You're right. You are dealing with it... That's unfair to you. Let's talk about something else." Hannah did her best to close off those subroutines and store her ailing thoughts in the back... It was for Firmia's sake. That made things easier. "What have you gotten done today? I know you have been stressed, but you likely didn't stop working. I'm sure with more resources on hand, now that we're at Central, you've got a few plans in mind." That was a good topic, right? And it got Firmia to talk about herself. That was worth listening to...

Dressed to Impress

Astin came out, Avery smiled... But she didn't lose her mind, perhaps like they were expecting. "I think ye look amazin'... But y'ain't all that comfortable, either. Y'can take it off, but, thanks fer showin' me. Why don't we try'n find ya some other stuff more yer speed here?" That'd probably make the rest of the day better, than stuffing them into more dresses.

Packed

"You look good in sweaters," was Olivia's comment on what Val was wearing, the simple turtleneck looking pretty good on her form. "I have one, don't worry... And don't get too sappy on me. This is just lunch... I mean, I'm... I'm glad too, so... Yeah." She blushed a bit, perhaps not expecting the sudden genuine happiness from Val. "A-Anyway, eat your lunch. I can't leave the ship, the doctor wants me on standby in case anything happens, but... If you want to get anything done while I'm off, I'm all yours."

Edited March 24, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Ether]

"How will I ever survive?" Kim retorted with a light grin, her eyes rolling somewhat dismissively... that sort of ribbing wasn't going to get to her at this point. There wasn't much point in getting bothered if Chris wanted to continue to be hostile towards her... the tag-along wasn't going to ruin this day if Kim could do anything about it... hopefully she could and it wouldn't come to extreme measures. Signing for her package only took a moment, waiting for everything to finish clearing.