YSS Imperator
Captain's Office
5月 20日 YE 39
A few hours after the near-suicidal Kuvexian battle.
There was a polite, rythmic knock upon the door, something Kaede would have become accustomed to representing his chief engineer-Shosa Araena Serphine. Her voice floated into the room, "Taisa?"
The Taisa looked up from a datapad, "Come!"
He was dressed in his duty uniform, the coat unzipped slightly while the room as set to be a slightly lower temperature than the halls. Even Minkans needed exercise, and Kaede was no exception. His hand gracefully pulled up the zipper on his coat as he leaned forward in his seat to look a slight bit more professional.
The tall engineer let herself in at her commanding officer's call, briefly shaking herself in her own, red-paneled uniform. The long skirt swished side to side with inertia as she started to speak, "I have the full compiled damage report... I'm afraid that repairs would be best done at a Star Fortress, rather than in the field. Their assault, while still a victory in our records, is also a victory in theirs-they slowed us down enough to force us to pull back..." She was walking over, slightly energized by the cooled air in the room as a datapad was manipulated to lay on the desk before him, displaying an irritatingly long list of damages, breakdowns, and other losses.
Kaede picked up the engineer's datapad while frowning. "Even though we have a couple of available repair ships, even the fleet command knows we need a proper dock to repair us." He began to read through the report, his eyes moving from one side to the other as he read each line. After a few minutes, he placed the datapad back down on the desk and slid it back towards the front.
"It's good news too, as we are taking a few other ships to a nearby Fortress for repairs while we wait on our new replacements. They replaced the Plumerias with Eikans and gave us two more Sharies. We now are back to what strength and disposition a regular division are."
The Captain gave a sigh, the sigh he always gave when something bothered him, "One thing that does bother me is that we are going to be losing our XO if my orders are correct, and we will be at anchor until we get a new one. 'You have the authority to choose' was also mentioned, but I'd rather choose to keep Hoshi where she is rather than giving her off. This is wartime after all."
The elysian brought her hand to her chin, stroking it slightly with a gentle, inquisitive hum. "Any idea why they'd pull her away? A Chusa isn't an officer to just reassign on the fly..." She sighed, "At least we're going to be more of a proper fleet, this time..."
Kaede shrugged, "I'm upset, but I don't feel like filing counter-offers and all that paperwork nonsense just for the admirals to say 'no, piss off.' We'll have to make due with either me pulling double duty or me selecting someone because I am not sitting at anchor any damn second longer than I have to."
The woman's large, mostly-grey wings twitched a little, sending a small shock through the air. Her eyes lingered around Kaede's face for a few moments as he spoke, her next sentence coming thoughtfully, somewhat slowly, "That is quite the predicament, yes... Pulling double duty, though, is extreme. Running this ship puts enough on you as it is. You'll need to have an executive officer who isn't yourself, for sure. If you'd like, I can help screen potential candidates?" She leaned onto the desk slightly, her hands lowering to support her weight more readily.
"I put our clerk on that job," he hesitated for a second while he watched the Elysian lean on his desk, "She'll probably have a report of the ship-board candidates by the time we arrive. Though your offer is very thoughtful, Araena-Shosa."
A simple, respectful nod. "You are welcome..." She broke off her speech momentarily, eyes lingering on an unfocused point, before she straightened up again with a brief shiver. Her ashen wings rustled behind her as she spoke again, "I apologize... It's quite cool in here, something I'm not as accustomed to in comparison to the engineering areas. It's rather pleasant... Do you normally keep your room this cold, Taisa? Sorry if I am intruding..."
"Not at all, not at all. I have it cool as I just came off of a run around the hanger bay. Something that kinda carried over from my routines when I was a NH-22C and before. I usually keep it slightly cooler in here as it is about this temperature back home on Yamatai this time of year, with the seasons beginning to change." Kaede gave a thoughtful smile, silently thinking how cute she was when she ruffled her feathers...
Wait, did he just think she was cute?
Kaede blushed for a moment before blinking a few times, "What was I saying?"
"Hmmm.... Yamataian seasons, I believe? Yes, why you kept the room so cool. I like it, actually; though I can't say I've ever been on Yamatai around this time of the year unfortunately..." The was another hitch in the conversation, a bit longer as the garnet-like eyes flashed in the light, drifting somewhat lazily across Kaede's face and chest. He really needs to relax more... He's looking more nervous than usual... She gave a slightly playful smirk as the Taisa's lips had curled upwards, speaking in a less prim and pressed way than when she initially had discussed the report, "Well at least you're still able to smile a little. I've heard that helps people relax, smiling."
Kaede still looked a tad awkward as he spoke, "Yeah smiling... Kyoto and Tania are very nice this time of year. The trees are beginning to become a different shade as the fall season reaches near. My Sakura garden is probably almost entirely pink."
Araena's lips relaxed again, briefly losing herself in Kaede's words... She could almost see the garden in her mind, a vibrant, beautiful pink filtering through the air, drifting freely on a breeze and catching the light in such a stunning way. She was in a sort of trance for... Much longer than she should have been, at least a good seven seconds or so before her mind started to clear up. "Incredible... I've only seen a couple at a time... A whole garden, though?"
The Taisa nodded, "Yeah, my family has an estate in the ground outside of Kyoto on the Ketsurui river. It's nothing special as I don't have the time to go home much due to the war and all. There are not many of us around to tend to it, and I am technically the 'master' of it. It's, again, nothing special."
He didn't like talking about how his family was well off. It made him feel like he was entitled and larger than life when in his mind he was just a regular officer from an old military. An old breed.
Araena pondered to herself, speaking her thoughts as they arrived, "They must have been- they must have served for a very, very long time then if you inherited an estate on the river... I can't recall the last time that area has ever had ownership be changed, it must have been several years ago I think... Ahem." Sure, Serphine couldn't say she was very special either. Some people might praise her for being on the spearhead for the Caelisolan Project all those years ago... Was it really that tong ago? Damn... But really, it was just signing a few pieces of paper and going to sleep in an uncomfortable bed, waking up in a different uncomfortable bed. And then her colors started to fade away...
Kaede dodged his eyes for a moment, "Yeah, I know. I can't imagine the feelings some Elysians have towards their benevolent leaders." In an attempt to change the subject he thought of something to add on, "You never told me much about you, I don't think."
A hand reached up, resting on the angel's sternum briefly. "Hm? I can't really say I'm terribly interesting myself but... Well, if you do have questions I'll do my best to answer them... My family isn't really known for anything, actually- we didn't even live on the Heavens, and... Well, I guess that didn't end up as poorly as some people think..." In spite of the rather traumatic recent history for many Elysians, Araena seemed to be surprisingly open with the tall Minkan, be it just a factor of time or trust.
Kaede, being the socially awkward man he is, thought for almost a second before he heard himself talking, "What do you do that makes you happy?" While he was able to hide his embarrassment, it still didn't help his mind think that he had basically done something a little strange.
The pretty elysian thought for a few moments, "The simpler things, I guess. My coffee in the mornings, the safety provided by this beautiful starship, knowing why something is happening or needs to happen... I guess a lot of it comes from the routine of the military..." Her subtle voice gently drifted through the room, its owner starting to relax a little more as they flowed out of her.
Kaede slowly nodded as she spoke about herself, "Do go on and take a seat, you must be tired from a full day's work." His warm smile accenting his further relaxation as he moved a hand to brush aside a stay part of his hair back to where it belonged.
"Ah-thank you, Taisa." Almost by muscled memory alone, a comfortable butt supporter was positioned by the angel, for the angel, and into it she plopped. She lightly pressed on her ankle-length skirt as she resumed, "Knowing that what I do supports a whole city, I guess, is what I like about this... The weight only seems to encourage me, not crush me."
"I always like people with that mindset of knowing what they do is helping the masses, they make good leaders." Kaede brushed at his hair again, this time a bit more aggressively to get it to stay. "I'd offer you a drink, though the last time you ended up spending the night. I'll still offer the drink, but I'll be drinking too."
"I'll do better this time. I can't say I was prepared for something with so much potency the first time around. I just need to measure myself more." Araena smiled courteously, internally chuckling as her captain fought off his hair. He commands an entire battleship, a full city of people... But his hair refuses to listen. Almost out of some psychological effect, the Shosha briefly began to stroke at her own silvery follicles for a few moments. She took a look at her wings, one of the few crimson feathers seemingly catching her eye more than the others.
Kaede stood up from his chair and walked over to where he had his whiskey pitcher, "I forget, do you take it neat or on rocks?" He went ahead and made his neat by pouring the whiskey without any ice into a short glass.
"On the rocks, though for now we'll keep it neat." The birb stood up again, reaching and capturing the glass as Kaede held it out to her. "Thank you..." Now, to not go too far again... A measured sip, the angel letting the flavor of the alcohol rest within her mouth for a bit more before she actually swallwed.
Kaede took a light sip from his, tasting the drink before swallowing of his own accord. "This drink kept me with my wits many a time during the wars that we've been through, and this old girl is a wonderful horse to bet on." The Taisa let his left hand brush at the cabin's wall for a moment, akin to someone petting a horse. He'd been with this ship for a while, it was only right for him to feel attached to it.
"Mhm... She's old, but she isn't going to just sit idly while she can. I've been seeing it myself... I'm surprised we managed to get as far as we did without anything shutting down on us. The Imperator knows what she is and she takes it in stride..." Araena let a small chuckle float around. The ship didn't give up, neither should her crew.
Kaede grinned and sipped at his whiskey. He looked at Araena for a moment, more calmly and warmly than usual before giving a proper smile and looked back the ship's wall. "Look at us, two old officers reminiscing about our old ship."
"Hmmm..." She chuckled thoughtfully, "somebody has to do it, after all. But just because we're old doesn't mean we can't push ahead." Araena gave a pleasant half-smile in return.
Kaede took a light sip as he digested the Elysian's words. He felt a smile creep onto his lips as he looked down to meet Araena's gaze but didn't say anything. His expression was equally pleasant, one that might only be known by the veteran.
Araena passed time with another sip, feeling herself relax a little. Only a couple more, probably. No nonsense like the last time... Her pale skin shone dully in the artificial light, as she gazed at her captain from the corner of her eye. Part of her wanted to ask what the smile was about, yet the majority of her decided to leave the man's reasons shrouded in mystery for the time being.
Kaede took a light sip, leaving his glass mostly empty before he looked back up for a moment. He internally asked himself why he had become more relaxed around her. He felt like he was getting closer to her, step by step. Though, the last time she had been here she had drunk herself under, Kaede somehow felt that it wouldn't be the last if she kept drinking as much as she did.
Why did he think it was going to happen again?
The man's worries, well at least the ones in regard to his chief engineer's toxicity, started to clear away after she leaned forward, placing the glass onto his desk with a satisfying thunk! She rolled her tongue about the inside of her mouth before staring square into the Taisa's eyes, speaking, "You alright? You went a bit quiet there, sorry..."
"Hmm? Oh." The Taisa sipped the rest of his drink before placing it down. He swallowed and looked up to meet Araena's gaze again, "Nothing, just thinking... things." He was obviously having trouble figuring something out, as he usually could say words in sentences well.
The tall female chuckled a little, smiling much more openly. "I've never heard you stumble like that before. Are you sure you're not the one getting a bit loose?" There was a sort of hidden affection for her words. The fact that her captain wasn't literally always perfect... Seemed to make him more of an actual person, rather than just a figure to admire.
Kaede looked up with a legitimate smile, "You'd know if I got loose." His eyes settled on hers, almost like he was admiring them. His warm expression remaining throughout.
The angel couldn't help but blush, she really didn't have a full choice from the strong alcohol. That isn't tosay she was helpless again, though; she was sitting quite steadily still, and didn't seem to be on the verge of another emotional storm. With a smirk, the rosy-faced elysian tossed a replay around the room, "I can't tell if that's asking me for permission or informing me that I'm wrong." A slightly polite laugh filled the space, her eyes glittering like actual gemstones. Were his eyes always that green? They look... Brighter, than normal...
Kaede returned her laugh as he leaned slightly against his desk. His eyes were still gazing into hers with the same warm expression. Were her eyes always this beautiful?
Serphine blinked a bit slowly, her composition slightly firming up once again. Probably best to go, I don't want to put him behind even more that his second-in-command is away... She eased herself to her feet with a polite smile, "Well, I best be going. You have so many things to take care of, Taisa, and I shouldn't be holding you up."
Kaede blinked himself back into reality. "Hmm? Oh, uh... you're not holding me up. I'm waiting on papers, orders, and two other ships so we are on a half-vacation I guess you could say." Now it was the Captain's turn to blush, though it was very obvious that it wasn't the alcohol making him blush.
The woman chuckled, taking a deep breath. "Well... I guess so. Seems I've gotten accustomed to you always being rather occupied from when we were out there, but things are a bit different now, hmm?" Her tone started to drop its gathering formality. Maybe I should get to know more about him then... He's still enigmatic in that way.
"Yep."
Kaede kept his glace with hers, but had begun to drop his own formality to the point that no one had seen. He was beginning to look more like a man than a Taisa despite the uniform and the room.
"Actually, Taisa, what do you normally do in your free time?"
Kaede looked up in thought for a moment before saying simply, "I don't really do much, as uh... I don't really have much to do by myself." He moved an idle right hand to feel around his left hand around his ring finger, massaging the empty finger.
"Hm. You lead thousands, yet you are alone... That's how you feel?" Finger... He rubs it like there was weight there... Was he married, maybe? Lost in the war? The demeanor of the engineer shifted towards being more gentle and less purely relaxed, though she decided to not push into the topic of romance for now-it was difficult to approach, even if it interested her. He WAS her captian, after all.
He seemed to notice he was rubbing at his finger, quickly stopping, "I became divorced during the last war. I am the 'victim' as she dropped the papers on me after I woke up from an ST. I'm over it now, I just don't have very many actual relations on the ship to do certain things with."
"....Oh. That's quite unfortunate, I am sorry..." She slowly reached forward a little bit, her lightly calloused hand slowly reaching for Kaede's. Whether for comfort or other reasons, Araena was reaching for her captain's hand.
Kaede didn't move his hand, letting her take his hand. He blushed again slightly but didn't say anything. He internally wondered why Araena was taking his hand, but kept his thoughts to himself.
"Tais-Kaede?" It was far past the time for formalities. "Are you alright? I mean... are you?"
"Just a little alone up here. I think I'm losing my touch with myself." He didn't look visibly sad, but it wasn't hard to infer what was bouncing around in his mind. His emerald eyes looked deep into Araena's with little obvious emotion or intent.
The elysian pouted in thought. Her eyes unfocused briefly, unsure what could be done in a situation such as this-though there were some solutions, several were simply outrageous, and others required preparation.
The engineer was stumped. She could fix the whole starship by herself, and identify every little hiccup in her sleep, but the emotional weight Kaede carried around with him had surrounded her.
Kaede stayed quiet, confused yet curious on what caused Araena's sudden silence and concern. He cursed himself for bringing up something he swore to bury, but it was too late to go back.
Serphine held her position for some time, before a sound-humming, a song-began to fill the room. The tune, the melody floated between still, sorrowful somberity and hopeful, potent messages, all without the angel parting her lips.
Kaede softly listened, his blinking being his only movement besides his breath. He moved his lips apart to speak, to say something but just stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't formulate the words that he wanted to say. After a moment he gave a silent sigh and continued listening.
After a short while, Kaede's performance drifted into silence, the hummer herself thoughtful for a few more moments. The two officers remained this way for a time, until she spoke again, "Kaede... Thank you for letting me work on board this ship. Thank you..."
His eyes looked to hers, his cheeks beginning to glow a little red. He suddenly was having odd thoughts cross his mind, thoughts that he hadn't had in years. Kaede took a few, slow steps closer to Araena without breaking eye contact, his warm expression still present behind his failing stoical face.
Araena set free a small smile again, holding steady her gaze. Grin expanding, her beautiful silvery hair rippled slightly as she matched the man's footsteps, closing the gap between the two. She had to suppress a giggle herself, realizing at such a distance-only a few decimeters-that she was in fact slightly taller than him. she took his hand once more, this time coloring her own face with blush.
Now having to look slightly up, Kaede's free hand slowly moved up to lightly brush her right cheek. His expression moving from warm to a little warmer in fact. Now close, Kaede's mind was on overdrive trying to figure out what was going on, and whether he was making the right play calls. She seemed to catch the man's hand as it stroked her, gently keeping it still.
The curvy woman blinked slowly, eyes glistening vibrantly as she spoke, "Kaede... I... I think..." She paused for a few moments, before resuming, "Is this too close?"
Kaede closed his hand around Araena's, internally cursing himself for his sudden arrogance. One again, Kaede went to speak but couldn't formulate words, "I... I... Ah..."
Fuck.
"...Yes?"
Kaede looked a slight bit more controlled after a moment, "I-I'm a bit rusty on this topic... I went and right fucked it didn't I."
"Hm? You, erm... You mean romance, I am assuming? Or is there something else that you, uh, 'fucked'?" The angel tilted her head slightly, lips turning into a slight pout.
"Romance..." He was now just about as red as the battle ensign hanging on the wall behind him. He closed his eyes for a moment, internally trying to figure a way to either salvage this or keep it from crashing down too hard.
"I mean... Well, that was a very unfortunate loss, but that... Was also years ago, right...? I... Can't say I'm the most experienced with it either, though. I think some people find the colors off-putting or... Something." She sighed, "What are you thinking, though...? It's like you made the largest mistake in your career!"
"No, Araena, the colors aren't my worry. In fact, I think you look stunning. I'm just..." He stopped for a second as she blushed further in relation to his compliment, a single second in all of time. "I'm not sure where this is going, and as confident as I tell myself I am, I think I just ruined this."
"Ruined... What?" One wing seemed to twitch a little behind the Elysian.
"Ruined what I think was beginning to become a wonderful night, a wonderful night in a sea of stressful ones. One where I thought I was actually doing everything just as I felt was right."
"Mmmm..." The elysian hummed thoughtfully, before speaking in her relaxed way, "I... Don't think the night is ruined. It may have gotten a bit, shaky, but... You are not failing, Kaede. Not to anyone on this ship, not even to me, or even Hoshi."
Kaede's eyes, while still showing that slight defeated tinge, seemed to relax. He stayed quiet for a moment, looking into her eyes as he thought to himself. After a while, he spoke back up.
"So let's get off the shaky, and get back on solid footing."
He was greeted with a warm smile, an excellently healthy expresion. "Let's." She squeezed his held hand for a moment, before relinquishing her command of it if Kaede felt like returning it to his own side.
Kaede let it fall slightly, letting it rest for a moment at his waist. "So what now, my fair-winged angel?"
Serphine giggled loosely at the man's sudden shift to the more relaxed of attitudes. "Well, if you wanted we might be able to grab a small meal in the wardroom, I'm sure nobody would mind too much, or maybe we talk some more, just the two of us here." She continued to list off a few other ideas, including watching a movie or taking a walk across the length of the city.
"We do have a volumetric screen on the wall here..." He moved a hand to gesture to the screen, which was looking eerily like a painted portrait of a Sakura garden at a wonderful looking estate. "What would you like to watch while we have the time?"
"Hmmm... Are you one to watch horror movies? The new one, Distance I think it's called, looked a bit interesting to me." Pulling from her memory, Araena recalled the basics that were described- the movie focused around an unfortunate crew in the second Mishhu War who were attacked, and came with the standard package for its class: jumpscares mixed in to give kick to the overall terror felt within.
"Sure." Kaede looked over to the volumetric window and telepathically started communicating with the KAMI to bring up the film. Silently, the room's lights darkened and the screen began running the opening section of the film.
Kaede moved both of the chairs in front of his desk to sit side by side facing the wall. He beckoned Araena to sit down and took a seat in the far right chair, the birb settling herself down as well.
As the movie's introductory credits began to float about the screen, appearing and disappearing to sponsor various companies, Araena stole another look towards Kaede, poorly attempting to disguise it as an attempt to get more comfortable.
Kaede noticed, turning his head to the left with a smile before looking back towards the screen as the film properly began. The calmness lasted about fifteen minutes before the horror began. The heroes of the film were beginning their trek through the shipwreck to find one of their friends while being chased by the Mishhu.
Araena almost seemed to analyze the movie, taking measure up to occasionally mumbling out phrases regarding locations, positions, and-
She gasped and jumped in her seat, a sudden parasite from behind having caught everyone off guard, pulling the unfortunate woman it had chosen to the ground screaming in terror and pain. As the crewmember's screams were cut off with a BANG when one of her friends spared her such a drawn-out demise, Serphine started again and blushed in a bit of embarassment; at some point during the sequence her hand had drifted close to Kaede's.
The Taisa had laid his hand across the arm of the chair loosely, with his palm halfway topside. Having been around for a while, his only real 'jumps' were a slight and very subtle clutch of his hand and him blinking as he did so.
As such, his hand moved ever so slightly before going relaxed again. Kaede looking over for merely a moment before looking back to the screen.
It took a nice, planned bout of safety to bring the startled birb out of the minor shock she had felt. Throughout essentially the remainder of the movie, her eyes unable to leave the screen as she barely even breathed, her cool demeanor not fully reformed as even the smallest appearances had her gasp quietly. Occasionally, though, Araena did her best to take a look at the man next to her without getting noticed-not the hardest thing due to the movie, but not the easiest because of her easily-noticeable silvery hair.
Kaede grinned ever so slightly as the movie ended, looking over at the obviously on edge engineer and spoke with a soft tone, "Scared yet?" He held out his hand as an opening, an idle gesture.
Serphine blushed in embarassment when he called her out. A nervous chuckle came out, "....Maybe a little, yeah..." Paired with a somewhat awekward smile, the engineer's voice did its best to not be shaky as she spoke, "I was uh, caught a bit by surprise..." Her shining eyes took into account the man's hand, and its seemingly inviting position-she did her best to follow through, one surprisngly not trembling hand covered in slightly roughened skin resting upon the captain's.
The Taisa slowly curled his hand to hold Araena's lightly, looking over with a light smile and a warm and welcome expression. One of her thumbs idly started stroking the back of his hand, a rhythmic and steady action. Araena's breathing slowed as she looked the Taisa-Sutoikku Kaede- in the eyes, the lush greens filling the world around her. The woman's lips stammered about slowly as if she had intended to speak, yet she seemed at a los for words.
Kaede felt something in his mind, though suppressed the blush that he felt rising. He calmly waited to see if she could formulate words, gently beginning to brush the back of her hand as well.
The stuttering lips refused to make plausible sound for a few moments too long before an "A-hem" forced the angel to compose her face again, unable to speak. She seemed to be actually at a loss for words-something normal for an engineer in a situation they are less than experienced in.
Kaede looked over and lightened his expression a little more as he leaned back in his chair. There was probably enough room to move over there if someone wished to, but the lights were still low as the credits continued to roll. As if taunting a non-existing audiance, a small jumpscare found its way into the credits, presumeably to leave the crowd exiting the theatre one last jump.
It seems the jumpscare was... Incredibly, nay terrifyingly effective on the elysian engineer. Driven by a mixture of fright and a base desire for safety in numbers, the woman squealed and lept forward awkwardly, effectively landing face-first into Kaede's cushion with her lower stomach draped over the armrests of the two seats. Kaede could feel the pressure on his hand as the frightened angel clutched to it, trembling awkwardly next to him.
"Woah... steady..."
Kaede, using his Minkan strength, slowly and gently picked the Elysian up off the chair arms with her hand still being held. He blindly pulled her closer, only noticing once she was halfway onto his lap, partially curled up. He couldn't suppress the blush, but gave an awkward smile for a moment before his stoicity returned.
"Are you okay, Araena?"
The silvery locks of the woman's head shited a bit as she shook it, doing her best to clear her mind from the minor panic attack. Turning upwards, the elysian's near-ruby eyes focused slowly. Her voice actually came around this time, softer and much more cautious than usual, "Y-yes, I'm.... I'm okay. How did..." Realizing that she lay curled up in the man's lap with her wings pressed up against his chest and stomach, Araena's face transitioned from the healthy light tan to a pink, a red, and soon it seemed like her head would explode from the embarassment-fueled pressure.
Kaede fell silent, his hand that he had used to pick her up went limp and rolled back to his arm rest with the hand holding hers was too shocked and embarrased to move a single muscle. Kaede was becoming hinomaru red again, and the mighty captain lost his voice.
A gentle hand drifted upwards. It seemed... Softer, less professional, more like an actual person's hand than a soldier's. It brushed past Kaede's cheek, a gentle full stroke before positioning itself behind his neck. The grip on his other hand, once held strong by fear, relaxed itself, but remained attached-her turbulent breath slowed over time, staring into the man's eyes. "Kaede..." It was a single word, yet it could mean so many things. It was spoken softly, with a touch of admiration; she didn't seem to be upset with him, in fact it was likely the opposite.
Kaede, slowly regaining his composure as he calmed himself. His voice was still calm, cool, and low as he spoke up in reply. "Araena..."
"I uh..." Her eyes looked away from him for a moment before reaffixing themselves. "I... Like you. Erm.... Really like you. A lot. It's... Love, would be the best term-" She interrupted herself, unable to go on by her lonesome.
Kaede blushed, his green eyes blinking in surprise. The Taisa brushed his free hand through her silver hair as if to pacify and calm her, with surprising effect. He was entirely surprised, but very content. "Don't worry, Araena, I like you a lot too."
"...I..." Her voice slowed to match the speed of her short-circuiting brain, the words arriving individually; "Was... That, too.... Far?" The two officers held their connected gaze.
He looked into her eyes, his own beginning to sparkle in the low light. "No, Araena, that was just right." As soon as he finished he leaned in to take the kiss.
Araena's eyes widened in surprise when Kaede leaned down, her lips awkwardly molding to meet his before her brain manadge to make sense of what he said. Suddenly, her surprisingly tender lips pulled themselves into shape, returning the man's kiss fully.
It was a long moment until Kaede released from the kiss, keeping his head close due to the heat of the moment. He drew the hand that held hers up between them, gently rubbing the back of her hand before kissing it.
Serphine's face seemed to glow even in the dim room, eyes starting to sparkle underneath his. She smiled, laughed joyfully even, holding tightly onto Kaede as he graced her roughened hand with his lips.
Kaede began to slowly kiss-trace his way past her hand and wrist, slowly making his way up her forearm. His eyes gently meeting the angel's before closing slowly.
As Kaede moved closer, closer to her, Araena's blush started to return, but much healthier; a rosy tint filled in her upper cheeks as he got closer. Near the peak of his ascent of her arm, Arna gently leaned up and pecked the man on his own cheek lightly.
As he slowly kissed past her shoulder, he lightly kissed the side of her neck sensually before snaking back up to kiss her for another moment on her lips. He sent a telepathic message over their touch, and a feeling of sensuality, "I will go as far as you let me, angel."
Araena let free a sigh, pleasurable, relaxed. She could ask him to go farther... Probably not for the best. Things can change so quickly, after all... Kaede recieved his response in the same manner in which he offered himself to Araena, "Perhaps another time, my love."
Kaede broke from the kiss and brushed her cheek with the back of his free hand as a response. He looked content and happy, and looked deeply into the elysian's eyes with a visible happiness present.
The angel's deepened irises were briefly obscured as she blinked slowly. A loose air of professionalism seemed to be glazed on top of them, but it was clear that her feelings for Kaede weren't going to be hidden so easily-they shone underneath the thin mask. "I probably, heh, should be going. The crew got antsy the last time I spent the night after reporting to you, and I'm probably late already." She gently sat herself up, dusting off a bit of her lengthened skirt as she stood, briefly giving Kaede an excellent view of her ashen plumage-and little else before she turned. "Thank... Thank you, Kaede. I love you..." She chuckled a bit, the false professionalism clearing away. "Hmmm.... Dinner in the wardroom tomorrow sounds like a nice time to talk, if you'd like?"
"Yes, that would be nice." Kaede gave a calm and cool response. "Take care, Araena."
"And you, as well, Kaede." The angel walked to the door as her voice floated about, slipping back into the corridor outside. She smiled a last time, before turning to her left. Her shoes clicked quietly on the paneled floor until she disappeared down the zero-g passageway, already powering on her datapad.
Captain's Office
5月 20日 YE 39
A few hours after the near-suicidal Kuvexian battle.
There was a polite, rythmic knock upon the door, something Kaede would have become accustomed to representing his chief engineer-Shosa Araena Serphine. Her voice floated into the room, "Taisa?"
The Taisa looked up from a datapad, "Come!"
He was dressed in his duty uniform, the coat unzipped slightly while the room as set to be a slightly lower temperature than the halls. Even Minkans needed exercise, and Kaede was no exception. His hand gracefully pulled up the zipper on his coat as he leaned forward in his seat to look a slight bit more professional.
The tall engineer let herself in at her commanding officer's call, briefly shaking herself in her own, red-paneled uniform. The long skirt swished side to side with inertia as she started to speak, "I have the full compiled damage report... I'm afraid that repairs would be best done at a Star Fortress, rather than in the field. Their assault, while still a victory in our records, is also a victory in theirs-they slowed us down enough to force us to pull back..." She was walking over, slightly energized by the cooled air in the room as a datapad was manipulated to lay on the desk before him, displaying an irritatingly long list of damages, breakdowns, and other losses.
Kaede picked up the engineer's datapad while frowning. "Even though we have a couple of available repair ships, even the fleet command knows we need a proper dock to repair us." He began to read through the report, his eyes moving from one side to the other as he read each line. After a few minutes, he placed the datapad back down on the desk and slid it back towards the front.
"It's good news too, as we are taking a few other ships to a nearby Fortress for repairs while we wait on our new replacements. They replaced the Plumerias with Eikans and gave us two more Sharies. We now are back to what strength and disposition a regular division are."
The Captain gave a sigh, the sigh he always gave when something bothered him, "One thing that does bother me is that we are going to be losing our XO if my orders are correct, and we will be at anchor until we get a new one. 'You have the authority to choose' was also mentioned, but I'd rather choose to keep Hoshi where she is rather than giving her off. This is wartime after all."
The elysian brought her hand to her chin, stroking it slightly with a gentle, inquisitive hum. "Any idea why they'd pull her away? A Chusa isn't an officer to just reassign on the fly..." She sighed, "At least we're going to be more of a proper fleet, this time..."
Kaede shrugged, "I'm upset, but I don't feel like filing counter-offers and all that paperwork nonsense just for the admirals to say 'no, piss off.' We'll have to make due with either me pulling double duty or me selecting someone because I am not sitting at anchor any damn second longer than I have to."
The woman's large, mostly-grey wings twitched a little, sending a small shock through the air. Her eyes lingered around Kaede's face for a few moments as he spoke, her next sentence coming thoughtfully, somewhat slowly, "That is quite the predicament, yes... Pulling double duty, though, is extreme. Running this ship puts enough on you as it is. You'll need to have an executive officer who isn't yourself, for sure. If you'd like, I can help screen potential candidates?" She leaned onto the desk slightly, her hands lowering to support her weight more readily.
"I put our clerk on that job," he hesitated for a second while he watched the Elysian lean on his desk, "She'll probably have a report of the ship-board candidates by the time we arrive. Though your offer is very thoughtful, Araena-Shosa."
A simple, respectful nod. "You are welcome..." She broke off her speech momentarily, eyes lingering on an unfocused point, before she straightened up again with a brief shiver. Her ashen wings rustled behind her as she spoke again, "I apologize... It's quite cool in here, something I'm not as accustomed to in comparison to the engineering areas. It's rather pleasant... Do you normally keep your room this cold, Taisa? Sorry if I am intruding..."
"Not at all, not at all. I have it cool as I just came off of a run around the hanger bay. Something that kinda carried over from my routines when I was a NH-22C and before. I usually keep it slightly cooler in here as it is about this temperature back home on Yamatai this time of year, with the seasons beginning to change." Kaede gave a thoughtful smile, silently thinking how cute she was when she ruffled her feathers...
Wait, did he just think she was cute?
Kaede blushed for a moment before blinking a few times, "What was I saying?"
"Hmmm.... Yamataian seasons, I believe? Yes, why you kept the room so cool. I like it, actually; though I can't say I've ever been on Yamatai around this time of the year unfortunately..." The was another hitch in the conversation, a bit longer as the garnet-like eyes flashed in the light, drifting somewhat lazily across Kaede's face and chest. He really needs to relax more... He's looking more nervous than usual... She gave a slightly playful smirk as the Taisa's lips had curled upwards, speaking in a less prim and pressed way than when she initially had discussed the report, "Well at least you're still able to smile a little. I've heard that helps people relax, smiling."
Kaede still looked a tad awkward as he spoke, "Yeah smiling... Kyoto and Tania are very nice this time of year. The trees are beginning to become a different shade as the fall season reaches near. My Sakura garden is probably almost entirely pink."
Araena's lips relaxed again, briefly losing herself in Kaede's words... She could almost see the garden in her mind, a vibrant, beautiful pink filtering through the air, drifting freely on a breeze and catching the light in such a stunning way. She was in a sort of trance for... Much longer than she should have been, at least a good seven seconds or so before her mind started to clear up. "Incredible... I've only seen a couple at a time... A whole garden, though?"
The Taisa nodded, "Yeah, my family has an estate in the ground outside of Kyoto on the Ketsurui river. It's nothing special as I don't have the time to go home much due to the war and all. There are not many of us around to tend to it, and I am technically the 'master' of it. It's, again, nothing special."
He didn't like talking about how his family was well off. It made him feel like he was entitled and larger than life when in his mind he was just a regular officer from an old military. An old breed.
Araena pondered to herself, speaking her thoughts as they arrived, "They must have been- they must have served for a very, very long time then if you inherited an estate on the river... I can't recall the last time that area has ever had ownership be changed, it must have been several years ago I think... Ahem." Sure, Serphine couldn't say she was very special either. Some people might praise her for being on the spearhead for the Caelisolan Project all those years ago... Was it really that tong ago? Damn... But really, it was just signing a few pieces of paper and going to sleep in an uncomfortable bed, waking up in a different uncomfortable bed. And then her colors started to fade away...
Kaede dodged his eyes for a moment, "Yeah, I know. I can't imagine the feelings some Elysians have towards their benevolent leaders." In an attempt to change the subject he thought of something to add on, "You never told me much about you, I don't think."
A hand reached up, resting on the angel's sternum briefly. "Hm? I can't really say I'm terribly interesting myself but... Well, if you do have questions I'll do my best to answer them... My family isn't really known for anything, actually- we didn't even live on the Heavens, and... Well, I guess that didn't end up as poorly as some people think..." In spite of the rather traumatic recent history for many Elysians, Araena seemed to be surprisingly open with the tall Minkan, be it just a factor of time or trust.
Kaede, being the socially awkward man he is, thought for almost a second before he heard himself talking, "What do you do that makes you happy?" While he was able to hide his embarrassment, it still didn't help his mind think that he had basically done something a little strange.
The pretty elysian thought for a few moments, "The simpler things, I guess. My coffee in the mornings, the safety provided by this beautiful starship, knowing why something is happening or needs to happen... I guess a lot of it comes from the routine of the military..." Her subtle voice gently drifted through the room, its owner starting to relax a little more as they flowed out of her.
Kaede slowly nodded as she spoke about herself, "Do go on and take a seat, you must be tired from a full day's work." His warm smile accenting his further relaxation as he moved a hand to brush aside a stay part of his hair back to where it belonged.
"Ah-thank you, Taisa." Almost by muscled memory alone, a comfortable butt supporter was positioned by the angel, for the angel, and into it she plopped. She lightly pressed on her ankle-length skirt as she resumed, "Knowing that what I do supports a whole city, I guess, is what I like about this... The weight only seems to encourage me, not crush me."
"I always like people with that mindset of knowing what they do is helping the masses, they make good leaders." Kaede brushed at his hair again, this time a bit more aggressively to get it to stay. "I'd offer you a drink, though the last time you ended up spending the night. I'll still offer the drink, but I'll be drinking too."
"I'll do better this time. I can't say I was prepared for something with so much potency the first time around. I just need to measure myself more." Araena smiled courteously, internally chuckling as her captain fought off his hair. He commands an entire battleship, a full city of people... But his hair refuses to listen. Almost out of some psychological effect, the Shosha briefly began to stroke at her own silvery follicles for a few moments. She took a look at her wings, one of the few crimson feathers seemingly catching her eye more than the others.
Kaede stood up from his chair and walked over to where he had his whiskey pitcher, "I forget, do you take it neat or on rocks?" He went ahead and made his neat by pouring the whiskey without any ice into a short glass.
"On the rocks, though for now we'll keep it neat." The birb stood up again, reaching and capturing the glass as Kaede held it out to her. "Thank you..." Now, to not go too far again... A measured sip, the angel letting the flavor of the alcohol rest within her mouth for a bit more before she actually swallwed.
Kaede took a light sip from his, tasting the drink before swallowing of his own accord. "This drink kept me with my wits many a time during the wars that we've been through, and this old girl is a wonderful horse to bet on." The Taisa let his left hand brush at the cabin's wall for a moment, akin to someone petting a horse. He'd been with this ship for a while, it was only right for him to feel attached to it.
"Mhm... She's old, but she isn't going to just sit idly while she can. I've been seeing it myself... I'm surprised we managed to get as far as we did without anything shutting down on us. The Imperator knows what she is and she takes it in stride..." Araena let a small chuckle float around. The ship didn't give up, neither should her crew.
Kaede grinned and sipped at his whiskey. He looked at Araena for a moment, more calmly and warmly than usual before giving a proper smile and looked back the ship's wall. "Look at us, two old officers reminiscing about our old ship."
"Hmmm..." She chuckled thoughtfully, "somebody has to do it, after all. But just because we're old doesn't mean we can't push ahead." Araena gave a pleasant half-smile in return.
Kaede took a light sip as he digested the Elysian's words. He felt a smile creep onto his lips as he looked down to meet Araena's gaze but didn't say anything. His expression was equally pleasant, one that might only be known by the veteran.
Araena passed time with another sip, feeling herself relax a little. Only a couple more, probably. No nonsense like the last time... Her pale skin shone dully in the artificial light, as she gazed at her captain from the corner of her eye. Part of her wanted to ask what the smile was about, yet the majority of her decided to leave the man's reasons shrouded in mystery for the time being.
Kaede took a light sip, leaving his glass mostly empty before he looked back up for a moment. He internally asked himself why he had become more relaxed around her. He felt like he was getting closer to her, step by step. Though, the last time she had been here she had drunk herself under, Kaede somehow felt that it wouldn't be the last if she kept drinking as much as she did.
Why did he think it was going to happen again?
The man's worries, well at least the ones in regard to his chief engineer's toxicity, started to clear away after she leaned forward, placing the glass onto his desk with a satisfying thunk! She rolled her tongue about the inside of her mouth before staring square into the Taisa's eyes, speaking, "You alright? You went a bit quiet there, sorry..."
"Hmm? Oh." The Taisa sipped the rest of his drink before placing it down. He swallowed and looked up to meet Araena's gaze again, "Nothing, just thinking... things." He was obviously having trouble figuring something out, as he usually could say words in sentences well.
The tall female chuckled a little, smiling much more openly. "I've never heard you stumble like that before. Are you sure you're not the one getting a bit loose?" There was a sort of hidden affection for her words. The fact that her captain wasn't literally always perfect... Seemed to make him more of an actual person, rather than just a figure to admire.
Kaede looked up with a legitimate smile, "You'd know if I got loose." His eyes settled on hers, almost like he was admiring them. His warm expression remaining throughout.
The angel couldn't help but blush, she really didn't have a full choice from the strong alcohol. That isn't tosay she was helpless again, though; she was sitting quite steadily still, and didn't seem to be on the verge of another emotional storm. With a smirk, the rosy-faced elysian tossed a replay around the room, "I can't tell if that's asking me for permission or informing me that I'm wrong." A slightly polite laugh filled the space, her eyes glittering like actual gemstones. Were his eyes always that green? They look... Brighter, than normal...
Kaede returned her laugh as he leaned slightly against his desk. His eyes were still gazing into hers with the same warm expression. Were her eyes always this beautiful?
Serphine blinked a bit slowly, her composition slightly firming up once again. Probably best to go, I don't want to put him behind even more that his second-in-command is away... She eased herself to her feet with a polite smile, "Well, I best be going. You have so many things to take care of, Taisa, and I shouldn't be holding you up."
Kaede blinked himself back into reality. "Hmm? Oh, uh... you're not holding me up. I'm waiting on papers, orders, and two other ships so we are on a half-vacation I guess you could say." Now it was the Captain's turn to blush, though it was very obvious that it wasn't the alcohol making him blush.
The woman chuckled, taking a deep breath. "Well... I guess so. Seems I've gotten accustomed to you always being rather occupied from when we were out there, but things are a bit different now, hmm?" Her tone started to drop its gathering formality. Maybe I should get to know more about him then... He's still enigmatic in that way.
"Yep."
Kaede kept his glace with hers, but had begun to drop his own formality to the point that no one had seen. He was beginning to look more like a man than a Taisa despite the uniform and the room.
"Actually, Taisa, what do you normally do in your free time?"
Kaede looked up in thought for a moment before saying simply, "I don't really do much, as uh... I don't really have much to do by myself." He moved an idle right hand to feel around his left hand around his ring finger, massaging the empty finger.
"Hm. You lead thousands, yet you are alone... That's how you feel?" Finger... He rubs it like there was weight there... Was he married, maybe? Lost in the war? The demeanor of the engineer shifted towards being more gentle and less purely relaxed, though she decided to not push into the topic of romance for now-it was difficult to approach, even if it interested her. He WAS her captian, after all.
He seemed to notice he was rubbing at his finger, quickly stopping, "I became divorced during the last war. I am the 'victim' as she dropped the papers on me after I woke up from an ST. I'm over it now, I just don't have very many actual relations on the ship to do certain things with."
"....Oh. That's quite unfortunate, I am sorry..." She slowly reached forward a little bit, her lightly calloused hand slowly reaching for Kaede's. Whether for comfort or other reasons, Araena was reaching for her captain's hand.
Kaede didn't move his hand, letting her take his hand. He blushed again slightly but didn't say anything. He internally wondered why Araena was taking his hand, but kept his thoughts to himself.
"Tais-Kaede?" It was far past the time for formalities. "Are you alright? I mean... are you?"
"Just a little alone up here. I think I'm losing my touch with myself." He didn't look visibly sad, but it wasn't hard to infer what was bouncing around in his mind. His emerald eyes looked deep into Araena's with little obvious emotion or intent.
The elysian pouted in thought. Her eyes unfocused briefly, unsure what could be done in a situation such as this-though there were some solutions, several were simply outrageous, and others required preparation.
The engineer was stumped. She could fix the whole starship by herself, and identify every little hiccup in her sleep, but the emotional weight Kaede carried around with him had surrounded her.
Kaede stayed quiet, confused yet curious on what caused Araena's sudden silence and concern. He cursed himself for bringing up something he swore to bury, but it was too late to go back.
Serphine held her position for some time, before a sound-humming, a song-began to fill the room. The tune, the melody floated between still, sorrowful somberity and hopeful, potent messages, all without the angel parting her lips.
Kaede softly listened, his blinking being his only movement besides his breath. He moved his lips apart to speak, to say something but just stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't formulate the words that he wanted to say. After a moment he gave a silent sigh and continued listening.
After a short while, Kaede's performance drifted into silence, the hummer herself thoughtful for a few more moments. The two officers remained this way for a time, until she spoke again, "Kaede... Thank you for letting me work on board this ship. Thank you..."
His eyes looked to hers, his cheeks beginning to glow a little red. He suddenly was having odd thoughts cross his mind, thoughts that he hadn't had in years. Kaede took a few, slow steps closer to Araena without breaking eye contact, his warm expression still present behind his failing stoical face.
Araena set free a small smile again, holding steady her gaze. Grin expanding, her beautiful silvery hair rippled slightly as she matched the man's footsteps, closing the gap between the two. She had to suppress a giggle herself, realizing at such a distance-only a few decimeters-that she was in fact slightly taller than him. she took his hand once more, this time coloring her own face with blush.
Now having to look slightly up, Kaede's free hand slowly moved up to lightly brush her right cheek. His expression moving from warm to a little warmer in fact. Now close, Kaede's mind was on overdrive trying to figure out what was going on, and whether he was making the right play calls. She seemed to catch the man's hand as it stroked her, gently keeping it still.
The curvy woman blinked slowly, eyes glistening vibrantly as she spoke, "Kaede... I... I think..." She paused for a few moments, before resuming, "Is this too close?"
Kaede closed his hand around Araena's, internally cursing himself for his sudden arrogance. One again, Kaede went to speak but couldn't formulate words, "I... I... Ah..."
Fuck.
"...Yes?"
Kaede looked a slight bit more controlled after a moment, "I-I'm a bit rusty on this topic... I went and right fucked it didn't I."
"Hm? You, erm... You mean romance, I am assuming? Or is there something else that you, uh, 'fucked'?" The angel tilted her head slightly, lips turning into a slight pout.
"Romance..." He was now just about as red as the battle ensign hanging on the wall behind him. He closed his eyes for a moment, internally trying to figure a way to either salvage this or keep it from crashing down too hard.
"I mean... Well, that was a very unfortunate loss, but that... Was also years ago, right...? I... Can't say I'm the most experienced with it either, though. I think some people find the colors off-putting or... Something." She sighed, "What are you thinking, though...? It's like you made the largest mistake in your career!"
"No, Araena, the colors aren't my worry. In fact, I think you look stunning. I'm just..." He stopped for a second as she blushed further in relation to his compliment, a single second in all of time. "I'm not sure where this is going, and as confident as I tell myself I am, I think I just ruined this."
"Ruined... What?" One wing seemed to twitch a little behind the Elysian.
"Ruined what I think was beginning to become a wonderful night, a wonderful night in a sea of stressful ones. One where I thought I was actually doing everything just as I felt was right."
"Mmmm..." The elysian hummed thoughtfully, before speaking in her relaxed way, "I... Don't think the night is ruined. It may have gotten a bit, shaky, but... You are not failing, Kaede. Not to anyone on this ship, not even to me, or even Hoshi."
Kaede's eyes, while still showing that slight defeated tinge, seemed to relax. He stayed quiet for a moment, looking into her eyes as he thought to himself. After a while, he spoke back up.
"So let's get off the shaky, and get back on solid footing."
He was greeted with a warm smile, an excellently healthy expresion. "Let's." She squeezed his held hand for a moment, before relinquishing her command of it if Kaede felt like returning it to his own side.
Kaede let it fall slightly, letting it rest for a moment at his waist. "So what now, my fair-winged angel?"
Serphine giggled loosely at the man's sudden shift to the more relaxed of attitudes. "Well, if you wanted we might be able to grab a small meal in the wardroom, I'm sure nobody would mind too much, or maybe we talk some more, just the two of us here." She continued to list off a few other ideas, including watching a movie or taking a walk across the length of the city.
"We do have a volumetric screen on the wall here..." He moved a hand to gesture to the screen, which was looking eerily like a painted portrait of a Sakura garden at a wonderful looking estate. "What would you like to watch while we have the time?"
"Hmmm... Are you one to watch horror movies? The new one, Distance I think it's called, looked a bit interesting to me." Pulling from her memory, Araena recalled the basics that were described- the movie focused around an unfortunate crew in the second Mishhu War who were attacked, and came with the standard package for its class: jumpscares mixed in to give kick to the overall terror felt within.
"Sure." Kaede looked over to the volumetric window and telepathically started communicating with the KAMI to bring up the film. Silently, the room's lights darkened and the screen began running the opening section of the film.
Kaede moved both of the chairs in front of his desk to sit side by side facing the wall. He beckoned Araena to sit down and took a seat in the far right chair, the birb settling herself down as well.
As the movie's introductory credits began to float about the screen, appearing and disappearing to sponsor various companies, Araena stole another look towards Kaede, poorly attempting to disguise it as an attempt to get more comfortable.
Kaede noticed, turning his head to the left with a smile before looking back towards the screen as the film properly began. The calmness lasted about fifteen minutes before the horror began. The heroes of the film were beginning their trek through the shipwreck to find one of their friends while being chased by the Mishhu.
Araena almost seemed to analyze the movie, taking measure up to occasionally mumbling out phrases regarding locations, positions, and-
She gasped and jumped in her seat, a sudden parasite from behind having caught everyone off guard, pulling the unfortunate woman it had chosen to the ground screaming in terror and pain. As the crewmember's screams were cut off with a BANG when one of her friends spared her such a drawn-out demise, Serphine started again and blushed in a bit of embarassment; at some point during the sequence her hand had drifted close to Kaede's.
The Taisa had laid his hand across the arm of the chair loosely, with his palm halfway topside. Having been around for a while, his only real 'jumps' were a slight and very subtle clutch of his hand and him blinking as he did so.
As such, his hand moved ever so slightly before going relaxed again. Kaede looking over for merely a moment before looking back to the screen.
It took a nice, planned bout of safety to bring the startled birb out of the minor shock she had felt. Throughout essentially the remainder of the movie, her eyes unable to leave the screen as she barely even breathed, her cool demeanor not fully reformed as even the smallest appearances had her gasp quietly. Occasionally, though, Araena did her best to take a look at the man next to her without getting noticed-not the hardest thing due to the movie, but not the easiest because of her easily-noticeable silvery hair.
Kaede grinned ever so slightly as the movie ended, looking over at the obviously on edge engineer and spoke with a soft tone, "Scared yet?" He held out his hand as an opening, an idle gesture.
Serphine blushed in embarassment when he called her out. A nervous chuckle came out, "....Maybe a little, yeah..." Paired with a somewhat awekward smile, the engineer's voice did its best to not be shaky as she spoke, "I was uh, caught a bit by surprise..." Her shining eyes took into account the man's hand, and its seemingly inviting position-she did her best to follow through, one surprisngly not trembling hand covered in slightly roughened skin resting upon the captain's.
The Taisa slowly curled his hand to hold Araena's lightly, looking over with a light smile and a warm and welcome expression. One of her thumbs idly started stroking the back of his hand, a rhythmic and steady action. Araena's breathing slowed as she looked the Taisa-Sutoikku Kaede- in the eyes, the lush greens filling the world around her. The woman's lips stammered about slowly as if she had intended to speak, yet she seemed at a los for words.
Kaede felt something in his mind, though suppressed the blush that he felt rising. He calmly waited to see if she could formulate words, gently beginning to brush the back of her hand as well.
The stuttering lips refused to make plausible sound for a few moments too long before an "A-hem" forced the angel to compose her face again, unable to speak. She seemed to be actually at a loss for words-something normal for an engineer in a situation they are less than experienced in.
Kaede looked over and lightened his expression a little more as he leaned back in his chair. There was probably enough room to move over there if someone wished to, but the lights were still low as the credits continued to roll. As if taunting a non-existing audiance, a small jumpscare found its way into the credits, presumeably to leave the crowd exiting the theatre one last jump.
It seems the jumpscare was... Incredibly, nay terrifyingly effective on the elysian engineer. Driven by a mixture of fright and a base desire for safety in numbers, the woman squealed and lept forward awkwardly, effectively landing face-first into Kaede's cushion with her lower stomach draped over the armrests of the two seats. Kaede could feel the pressure on his hand as the frightened angel clutched to it, trembling awkwardly next to him.
"Woah... steady..."
Kaede, using his Minkan strength, slowly and gently picked the Elysian up off the chair arms with her hand still being held. He blindly pulled her closer, only noticing once she was halfway onto his lap, partially curled up. He couldn't suppress the blush, but gave an awkward smile for a moment before his stoicity returned.
"Are you okay, Araena?"
The silvery locks of the woman's head shited a bit as she shook it, doing her best to clear her mind from the minor panic attack. Turning upwards, the elysian's near-ruby eyes focused slowly. Her voice actually came around this time, softer and much more cautious than usual, "Y-yes, I'm.... I'm okay. How did..." Realizing that she lay curled up in the man's lap with her wings pressed up against his chest and stomach, Araena's face transitioned from the healthy light tan to a pink, a red, and soon it seemed like her head would explode from the embarassment-fueled pressure.
Kaede fell silent, his hand that he had used to pick her up went limp and rolled back to his arm rest with the hand holding hers was too shocked and embarrased to move a single muscle. Kaede was becoming hinomaru red again, and the mighty captain lost his voice.
A gentle hand drifted upwards. It seemed... Softer, less professional, more like an actual person's hand than a soldier's. It brushed past Kaede's cheek, a gentle full stroke before positioning itself behind his neck. The grip on his other hand, once held strong by fear, relaxed itself, but remained attached-her turbulent breath slowed over time, staring into the man's eyes. "Kaede..." It was a single word, yet it could mean so many things. It was spoken softly, with a touch of admiration; she didn't seem to be upset with him, in fact it was likely the opposite.
Kaede, slowly regaining his composure as he calmed himself. His voice was still calm, cool, and low as he spoke up in reply. "Araena..."
"I uh..." Her eyes looked away from him for a moment before reaffixing themselves. "I... Like you. Erm.... Really like you. A lot. It's... Love, would be the best term-" She interrupted herself, unable to go on by her lonesome.
Kaede blushed, his green eyes blinking in surprise. The Taisa brushed his free hand through her silver hair as if to pacify and calm her, with surprising effect. He was entirely surprised, but very content. "Don't worry, Araena, I like you a lot too."
"...I..." Her voice slowed to match the speed of her short-circuiting brain, the words arriving individually; "Was... That, too.... Far?" The two officers held their connected gaze.
He looked into her eyes, his own beginning to sparkle in the low light. "No, Araena, that was just right." As soon as he finished he leaned in to take the kiss.
Araena's eyes widened in surprise when Kaede leaned down, her lips awkwardly molding to meet his before her brain manadge to make sense of what he said. Suddenly, her surprisingly tender lips pulled themselves into shape, returning the man's kiss fully.
It was a long moment until Kaede released from the kiss, keeping his head close due to the heat of the moment. He drew the hand that held hers up between them, gently rubbing the back of her hand before kissing it.
Serphine's face seemed to glow even in the dim room, eyes starting to sparkle underneath his. She smiled, laughed joyfully even, holding tightly onto Kaede as he graced her roughened hand with his lips.
Kaede began to slowly kiss-trace his way past her hand and wrist, slowly making his way up her forearm. His eyes gently meeting the angel's before closing slowly.
As Kaede moved closer, closer to her, Araena's blush started to return, but much healthier; a rosy tint filled in her upper cheeks as he got closer. Near the peak of his ascent of her arm, Arna gently leaned up and pecked the man on his own cheek lightly.
As he slowly kissed past her shoulder, he lightly kissed the side of her neck sensually before snaking back up to kiss her for another moment on her lips. He sent a telepathic message over their touch, and a feeling of sensuality, "I will go as far as you let me, angel."
Araena let free a sigh, pleasurable, relaxed. She could ask him to go farther... Probably not for the best. Things can change so quickly, after all... Kaede recieved his response in the same manner in which he offered himself to Araena, "Perhaps another time, my love."
Kaede broke from the kiss and brushed her cheek with the back of his free hand as a response. He looked content and happy, and looked deeply into the elysian's eyes with a visible happiness present.
The angel's deepened irises were briefly obscured as she blinked slowly. A loose air of professionalism seemed to be glazed on top of them, but it was clear that her feelings for Kaede weren't going to be hidden so easily-they shone underneath the thin mask. "I probably, heh, should be going. The crew got antsy the last time I spent the night after reporting to you, and I'm probably late already." She gently sat herself up, dusting off a bit of her lengthened skirt as she stood, briefly giving Kaede an excellent view of her ashen plumage-and little else before she turned. "Thank... Thank you, Kaede. I love you..." She chuckled a bit, the false professionalism clearing away. "Hmmm.... Dinner in the wardroom tomorrow sounds like a nice time to talk, if you'd like?"
"Yes, that would be nice." Kaede gave a calm and cool response. "Take care, Araena."
"And you, as well, Kaede." The angel walked to the door as her voice floated about, slipping back into the corridor outside. She smiled a last time, before turning to her left. Her shoes clicked quietly on the paneled floor until she disappeared down the zero-g passageway, already powering on her datapad.
