Abwehran Commander
Inactive Member
It had been an hour since she left the Miharu via shuttle and Masako was now walking through the shopping district of Kyoto with her handbag hanging from from her shoulder. Though it wasn't her first time shopping on Yamatai, she rarely did it enough to feel comfortable walking around without her uniform on. The people of Yamatai always seemed friendly enough to the young neko, but it just felt strange not wearing her military uniform. After all, she had been wearing it most of her life without fail and she had rarely gotten shore leave on a planet.
Masako continued walking through the shopping center, her silk skirt clinging a bit to her legs as she noted a few men glancing at her as she casually looked towards one of the stores. Another thing she couldn't get used to it seemed. She had been in a professional environment most of her two, going on three, years alive and the casual looks from strange men wasn't something normally found in that environment. Sure, the occasional pass by a fellow neko hadn't been uncommon, but with only a small percentage of Star Army personnel being male it was always uncomfortable to be around so many when she was alone. Then again, it was probably her fault for wearing a tank top instead of a normal shirt. But the weather reports had called for a warm, sunny day and she rarely wore her tank tops, let alone her civilian clothing, enough as it was.
The young Warrant Officer could only sigh in exasperation as she moved into the nearest store to escape the looks she was receiving. Luckily for her, she seemed to have escaped to the right store. A women's shoe store, though she forgot to glance at the store's name, with what seemed to be a wide selection of footwear and a rather busty Yamataian woman behind a counter. The feel of the store was rather dark, yet surprisingly cute as black drapes and laces filled Masako's field of vision. "E..eh?" she blinked in surprise as the store employee looked up and smiled broadly, moving from behind the counter.
The employee couldn't have been any taller than 5'6", which was enough to make Masako and her 4'11" body feel small. With a curtain of gold flowing from her head and down to her waist, the employees attire was rather strange to Masako. It, like the store, was decorated with lace and the color of Masako's own hair. A full-dress with embroidery and lace that made Masako think she entered an entirely different world. Querying a random database on fashion via her wrist computer, the young nekovalkyrja identified the style quickly as 'gothic lolita'. Strange term since the woman wearing the dress appeared neither gothic nor a lolita. Hardly lolita with a bust that seemed to surpass even the Miharu's Doctor, Ketsurui Sora. "Welcome to the Lady's Sole, I'm Jessica and how may I help you, sweety?" the employee greeted the obviously shaken Masako.
"Ah...y..yes," Masako stammered before mentally berating herself back into composure. "Would you point me in the direction of your formal wear?" she asked. It was safe to say formal wear without the term being mistaken for dresses, after all...it was a shoe store.
"Of course dear, that would be the back right corner. Are you looking for any particular styles? We're having a sell on stilleto heels today and I think I know what would look great on you." Jessica cooed, causing Masako's ears to droop slightly as she felt even more uncomfortable than before.
"Sure, please lead on," the young neko asked calmly as she could as the employee, whom seemed rather 'friendly', practically drag Masako around back. What did I get myself into!? she thought abysmally. Forced to sit in a surprisingly comfortable recliner, Masako sat there with a surprised look at the blonde went into a back room. "At least the service is...ah..." she paused as she tried to think of a word to describe the rather strange employee.
Jessica came back quickly with a pair of shoe boxes and knelt in front of Masako's recliner. Suddenly grasping Masako's ankle and raising it, causing the neko to squeak in surprise. "So cute too," Jessica giggled, further adding to the uncomfortable embarrassment Masako thought she'd die from. "Hmmm...such a small size. Looks like a size five and a half," she estimated with a grin. I was right," she proclaimed as she first brought out a stilleto, high heel with closed toe. Gently sliding it on after removing the sandal, Jessica applied the same to the other foot. "You can stand up now."
Cautiously, Masako stood up and wobbled a bit with her cheeks red with embarrassment. "Ah, not used to high-heels I see," Jessica teased. "A shame really, you have the perfect behind that would be greatly enhanced by a high heel." The comment caused Masako's entire face to head with embarrassment now rather than merely her cheeks. "We'll try a mid-heel then." Jessica stated as she helped Masako down.
"Something with open-toe please," Masako suggested meekly, her pride being beaten down by the compliments the employee was throwing her way. "I'm almost always in uniform boots so I'd rather..." she began.
"Ah, a military girl," Jessica cooed as Masako seemed to stare blankly at the employee. Didn't the ears give it away? No, that wasn't right, many people on Yamatai liked the cat ear look. That was mainly because of civilized or retired nekovalkyrja who wanted to keep the look. "Well then, we better find something to free those cute little toes," the employee giggled as she walked back towards the supply room with boxes under her arms.
That's it...I want out, Masako thought dismally as she applied her palm to her forehead in both embarrassment and 'culture' shock. It was only a few minutes more before Jessica returned triumphantly with only one box this time.
"This should look perfect one you," the employee boasted as she slipped a pair of black, open-toed, stilleto mid-heels with stirrup back and ankle strap with the same gentle touch as before. This time, she assisted Masako up. Standing there for a moment, the young neko took a short stroll along the back aisle with surprising ease. "I knew it! Your butt is perfect!" Jessica proclaimed as Masako's eyes went wide and her hands flew to guard her behind out of reflex, her ears pulled back and down from her normal position. "Really, you should be proud of it," the employee grinned.
"I..I'll take them," Masako stammered quickly as she sat back down in the recliner.
"Goody," Jessica replied as she returned the shoes to their box and picked it up. "I'll take these up front and await you," she stated as she headed towards the front, leaving a bewildered Masako to pull her sandals back on.
Moments later, the young neko was walking out the door with a rather quick pace and a lovely, black gloss paper bag in hand. Rounding a corner, the young Warrant Officer paused a moment to rest her head on a nearby wall and sigh loudly in an exasperated tone. Nice as she was...I hope we never meet elsewhere, Masako thought before forcing herself to collect her composure once more.
"Now that I have that done," she muttered quietly to herself as she accessed her wrist computer for a map of the shopping center. "I should get presents for Suzuka-Shosa and Saito-Hei." Running a quick search, she noted a weapons store located nearby and a bookstore right across the street from it. "Odd combination, but they should work." she commented as she headed towards her intended destination with a calmer expression.
A five minute walk landed Masako right in front of a primitive looking building with a large wooden sign reading "Smith's Armory and Shop." "Strange," the woman mumbled as she pushed the heavy wooden door and entered another strange theme of shop. "Why me," she mumbled as she felt like crying. Right in front of her stood a brown-haired, Nepleslian man with a height that made her feel like she was a small child. Wearing what appeared to be blue jeans and a flannel shirt with covering vest, the man grinned at the neko and tipped a rather strange hat at her entry. The store itself looked like it was constructed entirely of wood with a rather rustic feel about it. A cursory search from her computer revealed the style was 'western' and the strange hat to be a ten-gallon stetson, both terms still didn't explain things but it didn't matter as the big Nepleslian man spoke.
"Welcome to ma store, little lady," he spoke with a heavy drawl. "Ma name is Greg Smith, but you can call me Greg. You look a bit outta place hear but I'll sell ya a well made boomstick even if you was a bombshell," he spoke before looking her over with a smile.
I'm cursed, Masako thought as she mentally cried tears of sorrow. "Ah, yes. One of my friends has had a birthday recently and she's pretty much a firearms enthusiast of the chemically-propelled kind." the neko said as it took all her willpower to keep composed. "I was wonder if you had any rare weapons that would peak someone of her interest?"
"Rare, eh?" Greg replied as it tipped his hat back and stroked his thick beard in thought. "I might have something for ya, if ya'd wait here a moment," he said as he moved into the back room, leaving a bewildered neko standing in the middle of his store. During this time, Masako decided to have a tour of the store. Walking around, she noted many well-known civilian designs sat locked behind panes of shatter-proof glass ranging from the Little Killer Holdout Pistol to even the old GP-5 MASER from before her time. What caught her attention was a catalog by the front desk. A cursory glance over the digital touch screen drew her initial attention to the word 'Military' listed on a button.
Curiously, she tapped the panel directly on the button. At first, nothing happened, but then the screen faded to reveal another screen. This one seemed to be a log-in screen with a name and password. "Eh?" she mumbled curiously as she looked up to find Greg exiting the supply room with a rather large rifle bag. "Ah...stumbled upon my military catalog. Yes, I provide weaponry to mercenaries. I ain't afraid to say that much little lady, but you shouldn't be looking at that."
"Why not? I'm a member of the Star Army."
"No shit?" he asked incredulously. "A pretty thang like you? Well...I guess it should be common considering the amount of you Nekovalkyrja there are, but I wouldn't expect ya to be one of 'em." he muttered as he set the bag on the counter. "Any ID?"
Masako sighed calmly. She didn't have an ID card exactly, but a few taps of her wrist computer brought up a basic profile...sans any classified information. "Tarnation! Not only a member, but a Warrant at that!" he cried as he turned the catalog to him and tapped a few keys before turning it back. "Don't be afraid to browse if you want after I show ya this baby," he replied as he unzipped the bag to reveal a rather large rifle. "You wanted rare...it doesn't get any rarer than this. Only 2000 models produced by a now defunct Mizuhara Ballistics. This is the MB-901, also known as the Silencer. It's an Heavy Rifle designed to be an Anti-Vehicle rifle. I only have one of these so it's going to fetch a bit of a price, but I'll give you this and two cases of 12.7mm fir about 1700 KS."
Masako looked at the rifle for a moment before holding out her hands. Cautiously, the Nepleslian handed the monster to the neko as she took hold of it. Then with the precision of a soldier, she began looking over the heavy rifle curiously. "I'm not even sure Suzuka-san will like it, but it's at least in her range of likes," she replied hesitantly as she handed it back.
"Well, if she doesn't like it, tell her to come my way and I'll hook her up with any weapon she wants that's close to its price," he said before moving his head closer to Masako's face. "By the way, who is your friend anyway?"
"Um...my Executive Officer." she replied as he whistled.
"Well, I'll treat her right," he stated as he placed the back in the bag and zipped it up. "Alright, I'll place this is a crate fir ya, since it looks like your interested in browsing."
Honestly, Masako didn't really expect to purchase a weapon. But her curiosity got the better of her as she started to browse his military selection. There was nothing that was issued by any of the nations she knew of, but there was quite a selection of weaponry she'd find in paramilitary groups. One manufacturer caught her eye though considering she had never heard of them. The Godwin Armories section was quite small with only two weapons to its name, but the R3 Modular Weapons System seemed to be several weapons in one package.
"Ah...the freaking puzzle for a rifle," Greg commented as he looked at his own screen. "Not that I say its bad, I just never thought it was a good idea to make something so complicated. I had a hell of a time putting one of them things together, but it fires like a dream in any kit. Magnetic-based propulsion so it doesn't have an powder or chems and its muzzle velocity kicks most of its competitors in the bawls." he commented.
"Do you have that one you test fired? I don't want to shoot it, I just want to hold it." Masako asked.
"I've got it set to SAW configuration at the moment, but I'll let you hold it, Juni," he replied as he went into his back room again. He was out again a moment later with another massive monster of a weapon. Masako hefted this one and looked at it again with an inquisitive eye.
"Ammunition?" she asked.
"11x55mm saboted rounds, rumors they had some faulty rounds during testing, but they seemed to have solved that bit." he answered as she handed it back to him.
"I'll take a full package." she ordered as his jaw dropped.
"Damn, Juni. What I wouldn't give to have more customers like you!"
"Ah...I'm sure my Executive Officer would be a much better customer than I," she stated as he cheeks flushed with a tint of pink. Moments later, she had paid for both weapons and had them sent to the Star Army's spaceport nearby, since she didn't want to be carrying a crate around with her. There was just one more place to go and that was the bookstore across the street.
Thankfully, it looked rather ordinary compared to the places she had been to that day. Extremely ordinary for that matter. Thank you, she thought in relief as she entered the store. Not bothering to pay attention to the employees this time, she began browsing through the store. What would Saito-san like? was the main thought on her mind as he searched through areas of Science and History. She ended up picking up a volume of Mikiru's Guide: Elysian Society and Astrophysics Latest. The Elysian Guide seemed like it'd be an interesting read, at least in Masako's opinion, and the Astrophysics book was all about the latest discoveries concerning the area around the fringe of known space. In moments, she was out of the store with her purchases in a small, plain paper bag. "Ah...finally. Time to relax at a cafe," she mumbled as she checked her wrist computer once more before heading off towards relaxation.
Masako continued walking through the shopping center, her silk skirt clinging a bit to her legs as she noted a few men glancing at her as she casually looked towards one of the stores. Another thing she couldn't get used to it seemed. She had been in a professional environment most of her two, going on three, years alive and the casual looks from strange men wasn't something normally found in that environment. Sure, the occasional pass by a fellow neko hadn't been uncommon, but with only a small percentage of Star Army personnel being male it was always uncomfortable to be around so many when she was alone. Then again, it was probably her fault for wearing a tank top instead of a normal shirt. But the weather reports had called for a warm, sunny day and she rarely wore her tank tops, let alone her civilian clothing, enough as it was.
The young Warrant Officer could only sigh in exasperation as she moved into the nearest store to escape the looks she was receiving. Luckily for her, she seemed to have escaped to the right store. A women's shoe store, though she forgot to glance at the store's name, with what seemed to be a wide selection of footwear and a rather busty Yamataian woman behind a counter. The feel of the store was rather dark, yet surprisingly cute as black drapes and laces filled Masako's field of vision. "E..eh?" she blinked in surprise as the store employee looked up and smiled broadly, moving from behind the counter.
The employee couldn't have been any taller than 5'6", which was enough to make Masako and her 4'11" body feel small. With a curtain of gold flowing from her head and down to her waist, the employees attire was rather strange to Masako. It, like the store, was decorated with lace and the color of Masako's own hair. A full-dress with embroidery and lace that made Masako think she entered an entirely different world. Querying a random database on fashion via her wrist computer, the young nekovalkyrja identified the style quickly as 'gothic lolita'. Strange term since the woman wearing the dress appeared neither gothic nor a lolita. Hardly lolita with a bust that seemed to surpass even the Miharu's Doctor, Ketsurui Sora. "Welcome to the Lady's Sole, I'm Jessica and how may I help you, sweety?" the employee greeted the obviously shaken Masako.
"Ah...y..yes," Masako stammered before mentally berating herself back into composure. "Would you point me in the direction of your formal wear?" she asked. It was safe to say formal wear without the term being mistaken for dresses, after all...it was a shoe store.
"Of course dear, that would be the back right corner. Are you looking for any particular styles? We're having a sell on stilleto heels today and I think I know what would look great on you." Jessica cooed, causing Masako's ears to droop slightly as she felt even more uncomfortable than before.
"Sure, please lead on," the young neko asked calmly as she could as the employee, whom seemed rather 'friendly', practically drag Masako around back. What did I get myself into!? she thought abysmally. Forced to sit in a surprisingly comfortable recliner, Masako sat there with a surprised look at the blonde went into a back room. "At least the service is...ah..." she paused as she tried to think of a word to describe the rather strange employee.
Jessica came back quickly with a pair of shoe boxes and knelt in front of Masako's recliner. Suddenly grasping Masako's ankle and raising it, causing the neko to squeak in surprise. "So cute too," Jessica giggled, further adding to the uncomfortable embarrassment Masako thought she'd die from. "Hmmm...such a small size. Looks like a size five and a half," she estimated with a grin. I was right," she proclaimed as she first brought out a stilleto, high heel with closed toe. Gently sliding it on after removing the sandal, Jessica applied the same to the other foot. "You can stand up now."
Cautiously, Masako stood up and wobbled a bit with her cheeks red with embarrassment. "Ah, not used to high-heels I see," Jessica teased. "A shame really, you have the perfect behind that would be greatly enhanced by a high heel." The comment caused Masako's entire face to head with embarrassment now rather than merely her cheeks. "We'll try a mid-heel then." Jessica stated as she helped Masako down.
"Something with open-toe please," Masako suggested meekly, her pride being beaten down by the compliments the employee was throwing her way. "I'm almost always in uniform boots so I'd rather..." she began.
"Ah, a military girl," Jessica cooed as Masako seemed to stare blankly at the employee. Didn't the ears give it away? No, that wasn't right, many people on Yamatai liked the cat ear look. That was mainly because of civilized or retired nekovalkyrja who wanted to keep the look. "Well then, we better find something to free those cute little toes," the employee giggled as she walked back towards the supply room with boxes under her arms.
That's it...I want out, Masako thought dismally as she applied her palm to her forehead in both embarrassment and 'culture' shock. It was only a few minutes more before Jessica returned triumphantly with only one box this time.
"This should look perfect one you," the employee boasted as she slipped a pair of black, open-toed, stilleto mid-heels with stirrup back and ankle strap with the same gentle touch as before. This time, she assisted Masako up. Standing there for a moment, the young neko took a short stroll along the back aisle with surprising ease. "I knew it! Your butt is perfect!" Jessica proclaimed as Masako's eyes went wide and her hands flew to guard her behind out of reflex, her ears pulled back and down from her normal position. "Really, you should be proud of it," the employee grinned.
"I..I'll take them," Masako stammered quickly as she sat back down in the recliner.
"Goody," Jessica replied as she returned the shoes to their box and picked it up. "I'll take these up front and await you," she stated as she headed towards the front, leaving a bewildered Masako to pull her sandals back on.
Moments later, the young neko was walking out the door with a rather quick pace and a lovely, black gloss paper bag in hand. Rounding a corner, the young Warrant Officer paused a moment to rest her head on a nearby wall and sigh loudly in an exasperated tone. Nice as she was...I hope we never meet elsewhere, Masako thought before forcing herself to collect her composure once more.
"Now that I have that done," she muttered quietly to herself as she accessed her wrist computer for a map of the shopping center. "I should get presents for Suzuka-Shosa and Saito-Hei." Running a quick search, she noted a weapons store located nearby and a bookstore right across the street from it. "Odd combination, but they should work." she commented as she headed towards her intended destination with a calmer expression.
A five minute walk landed Masako right in front of a primitive looking building with a large wooden sign reading "Smith's Armory and Shop." "Strange," the woman mumbled as she pushed the heavy wooden door and entered another strange theme of shop. "Why me," she mumbled as she felt like crying. Right in front of her stood a brown-haired, Nepleslian man with a height that made her feel like she was a small child. Wearing what appeared to be blue jeans and a flannel shirt with covering vest, the man grinned at the neko and tipped a rather strange hat at her entry. The store itself looked like it was constructed entirely of wood with a rather rustic feel about it. A cursory search from her computer revealed the style was 'western' and the strange hat to be a ten-gallon stetson, both terms still didn't explain things but it didn't matter as the big Nepleslian man spoke.
"Welcome to ma store, little lady," he spoke with a heavy drawl. "Ma name is Greg Smith, but you can call me Greg. You look a bit outta place hear but I'll sell ya a well made boomstick even if you was a bombshell," he spoke before looking her over with a smile.
I'm cursed, Masako thought as she mentally cried tears of sorrow. "Ah, yes. One of my friends has had a birthday recently and she's pretty much a firearms enthusiast of the chemically-propelled kind." the neko said as it took all her willpower to keep composed. "I was wonder if you had any rare weapons that would peak someone of her interest?"
"Rare, eh?" Greg replied as it tipped his hat back and stroked his thick beard in thought. "I might have something for ya, if ya'd wait here a moment," he said as he moved into the back room, leaving a bewildered neko standing in the middle of his store. During this time, Masako decided to have a tour of the store. Walking around, she noted many well-known civilian designs sat locked behind panes of shatter-proof glass ranging from the Little Killer Holdout Pistol to even the old GP-5 MASER from before her time. What caught her attention was a catalog by the front desk. A cursory glance over the digital touch screen drew her initial attention to the word 'Military' listed on a button.
Curiously, she tapped the panel directly on the button. At first, nothing happened, but then the screen faded to reveal another screen. This one seemed to be a log-in screen with a name and password. "Eh?" she mumbled curiously as she looked up to find Greg exiting the supply room with a rather large rifle bag. "Ah...stumbled upon my military catalog. Yes, I provide weaponry to mercenaries. I ain't afraid to say that much little lady, but you shouldn't be looking at that."
"Why not? I'm a member of the Star Army."
"No shit?" he asked incredulously. "A pretty thang like you? Well...I guess it should be common considering the amount of you Nekovalkyrja there are, but I wouldn't expect ya to be one of 'em." he muttered as he set the bag on the counter. "Any ID?"
Masako sighed calmly. She didn't have an ID card exactly, but a few taps of her wrist computer brought up a basic profile...sans any classified information. "Tarnation! Not only a member, but a Warrant at that!" he cried as he turned the catalog to him and tapped a few keys before turning it back. "Don't be afraid to browse if you want after I show ya this baby," he replied as he unzipped the bag to reveal a rather large rifle. "You wanted rare...it doesn't get any rarer than this. Only 2000 models produced by a now defunct Mizuhara Ballistics. This is the MB-901, also known as the Silencer. It's an Heavy Rifle designed to be an Anti-Vehicle rifle. I only have one of these so it's going to fetch a bit of a price, but I'll give you this and two cases of 12.7mm fir about 1700 KS."
Masako looked at the rifle for a moment before holding out her hands. Cautiously, the Nepleslian handed the monster to the neko as she took hold of it. Then with the precision of a soldier, she began looking over the heavy rifle curiously. "I'm not even sure Suzuka-san will like it, but it's at least in her range of likes," she replied hesitantly as she handed it back.
"Well, if she doesn't like it, tell her to come my way and I'll hook her up with any weapon she wants that's close to its price," he said before moving his head closer to Masako's face. "By the way, who is your friend anyway?"
"Um...my Executive Officer." she replied as he whistled.
"Well, I'll treat her right," he stated as he placed the back in the bag and zipped it up. "Alright, I'll place this is a crate fir ya, since it looks like your interested in browsing."
Honestly, Masako didn't really expect to purchase a weapon. But her curiosity got the better of her as she started to browse his military selection. There was nothing that was issued by any of the nations she knew of, but there was quite a selection of weaponry she'd find in paramilitary groups. One manufacturer caught her eye though considering she had never heard of them. The Godwin Armories section was quite small with only two weapons to its name, but the R3 Modular Weapons System seemed to be several weapons in one package.
"Ah...the freaking puzzle for a rifle," Greg commented as he looked at his own screen. "Not that I say its bad, I just never thought it was a good idea to make something so complicated. I had a hell of a time putting one of them things together, but it fires like a dream in any kit. Magnetic-based propulsion so it doesn't have an powder or chems and its muzzle velocity kicks most of its competitors in the bawls." he commented.
"Do you have that one you test fired? I don't want to shoot it, I just want to hold it." Masako asked.
"I've got it set to SAW configuration at the moment, but I'll let you hold it, Juni," he replied as he went into his back room again. He was out again a moment later with another massive monster of a weapon. Masako hefted this one and looked at it again with an inquisitive eye.
"Ammunition?" she asked.
"11x55mm saboted rounds, rumors they had some faulty rounds during testing, but they seemed to have solved that bit." he answered as she handed it back to him.
"I'll take a full package." she ordered as his jaw dropped.
"Damn, Juni. What I wouldn't give to have more customers like you!"
"Ah...I'm sure my Executive Officer would be a much better customer than I," she stated as he cheeks flushed with a tint of pink. Moments later, she had paid for both weapons and had them sent to the Star Army's spaceport nearby, since she didn't want to be carrying a crate around with her. There was just one more place to go and that was the bookstore across the street.
Thankfully, it looked rather ordinary compared to the places she had been to that day. Extremely ordinary for that matter. Thank you, she thought in relief as she entered the store. Not bothering to pay attention to the employees this time, she began browsing through the store. What would Saito-san like? was the main thought on her mind as he searched through areas of Science and History. She ended up picking up a volume of Mikiru's Guide: Elysian Society and Astrophysics Latest. The Elysian Guide seemed like it'd be an interesting read, at least in Masako's opinion, and the Astrophysics book was all about the latest discoveries concerning the area around the fringe of known space. In moments, she was out of the store with her purchases in a small, plain paper bag. "Ah...finally. Time to relax at a cafe," she mumbled as she checked her wrist computer once more before heading off towards relaxation.
