- RP Date
- Ye 41
- RP Location
- FR-3 system 'Garden of thorns'
(Set during the last moments of the hour before takeoff in A Red Death)
Well they had a way off the planet, reportedly, or at least that is what the spooks were telling them and by now Lupin had his mind set on the fact that you listen to the underlying message one of the black-clad IPG operators say to him rather than the specifics of what they were saying... hell he knew if it were a lie he'd end up with the chip in his brain crushed before ever realizing what was going on.
It was a bit of a chilling thought and made the adolescent marksman rub at the back of his head, digging his nails into where the nonexistent seam was even before reminding himself it'd all been sealed up before his anesthetic even wore off - still, he supposed the IPG's reputation continued to speak for them as Lou entered the armoury in the belly of their cobra-class gunship, poor posture and some fatigue from the night prior causing this particular marine to slouch a little as he retrieved a grey rifle-bag from the grip of a junker drone, about to thank the multi-limbed thing before reminding himself it was just a machine.
As the marksman turned he found himself somewhat unused to the cramped confines of this armoury and as such, one end of the bag he was now toting managed to gently bump into something, his sunset-coloured eyes trailing up its length only to quickly connect it with the thigh-plating of the team's long, dark haired medic - causing the lad to frown a little.
"Oh uh apologies~" he spoke down to her, only because of the half-a-foot he had over her rather than any disrespect towards who he may as well consider a stranger, Lupin swallowing thickly as he moved himself and his bag out of the way.
"Didn't see you there, I'll get out of your way~"
To say the trip on the Cobra-class gunship was a little nerve-racking was an understatement. At least for Carina. This would be her real first mission. What had happened before, the Rixxikor attacking and now their team being sent out had jarred her a little. The young woman had decided to pass her time using her butterfly knife, 'Fukov' to perform tricks. It had been a comfort as she flipped and flicked the knife in such ways it seemed she was liable to cut herself. But, she never did. The knife had danced about her hand to an invisible tune only she knew. After, and much later, she made her way to the small armory of the gunship. Her rifle was there, but the large-caliber revolver had remained faithfully on her thigh on a maglock.
Standing there, Carina saw a young man, bulging bag in hand begin to make his way from the cramped and small arms hold. So cramped in fact that his bag bumped into her thigh. It made her sway a little, but afterward, she stood firm. She broke out into a big'ol smile as he seemed intent on getting out of her way in just more than his statement.
"Naw y'fine man. I'm'jus here t'get my rifle." her Los Apagos accent shining through. She'd adopted it living with her father's family about half of her young life, the other half she'd spent with her family on Kennewes. After speaking, she stared up into his eyes, leaning forward just a little.
"Jeez, man, y'look like someone killed'ya fuckin' dog." It seemed she wasn't too concerned with her language as she spoke. "Y'alrigh?" concern beginning to drip into her tone of voice. She was the medic of this merry band, and it didn't sit well to see anyone under her care having any issues that would affect them.
"Or are'ya th'moody, silent'n sullen type?"
Lupin's frown only deepened as he was accused of such things, it was nothing new... he did give off that sort of vibe even if unintentionally and similarly it wasn't the first time he had been called out on it.
"I'm fine," he began with a thoughtful shrug, adam's apple bouncing up and down his neck as the sniper swallowed thickly before continuing his blunt admission, "Just tired after last night is all, understandably I suppose~"
Lupin trailed off a little as his eyes tipped to Carina's side, not so much gawking at what may lay beneath the uniform as he was eyeing up the shiny break-action hand-cannon hanging from one thigh, his orange eyes widening a little as he was shouldered a little further out of the way by marines scrambling for their various armaments.
His eyes continued to wander though, right up to the skull and bone-saws adorning her armour that made him realize why exactly she might be checking in on his welfare, which made his forehead smooth out once more at least.
"Nice revolver, you're our medic right? I should probably learn your name - I'm Private Lupin Kennedy," the lad offered with a faint though friendly smile before using his somewhat tall nature to gaze around for a nearby bench to throw his rifle bag on.
The smile had turned to one of concern at the mention of his being tired. Tired could get you killed, it dulled the wits, reactions, and overall judgment of the poor soul. Though she didn't know if he meant physically tired, or simply mentally. So she opted for the more physically identifiable and easily treatable variant. Reaching into a pouch on her armor, her hazel eyes, the lighting set off the green and gold were not taken off of the young sniper. "Tired eh?" she said, the sound of crinkling plastic wrapping echoing as she continued her search. When the other marines began to shoulder past, Carina scooted a little off to the side but was still in the way somewhat. As a medic, she carried a variety of drugs and medical supplies on her person. What she brought forth were what looked like candies. A marine shouldered past her to which she promptly kicked them in their shin. The large man just snorted and moved on.
Each had an insignia of the NSMC on them, followed by a smaller NAM logo along with a corresponding icon of what flavor they were. Orange, Cinnamon, Mint, Lemon, Peach, Melon, and one with a question mark. "One'a these ought t'help yah with that. I'd avoid the mark'n mint ones unless you're in'ta that sort of risk. Saw a guy puke his guts up 'an go into seizures when he tried tha' mark one. 'an the mint? Well, god help'ya if you're that daring. But they got a bit of a stimulant in'em." she held the small handful out to him so he could pick and choose as he may. Though she did spare a moment's glance down to her hand cannon.
"Aw'thanks man! I love'er tha's for sure. She's a genuine Galactic Horizon revolver, shoots ah..." her face scrunched up a moment in thought, "Ah yeah!" the fingers of her other hand snapped as she recalled just what it fired, "7.7x30mm. Kinna' chunky, but it'll fuck up someone's day." with her free hand, she stuck it out for a handshake even though the other held the candies.
"Nice'ta meet ya, I'm Private Sanroma, Carina Sanroma." her concern seemed to disappear as a friendly little smile tugged at the corners of her lips as if in response to his own smile. "And yeah, I'm tha' medic. Still got a lot'ta learn 'course. But I can patch'ya up jus' fine."
He debated being stubborn for a moment and refusing her offer of help... though instincts of self preservation won out over any form of pride and caused Lupin to pluck the peach-flavoured candy from the medic's hand with an appreciative nod before plopping it in his mouth, keeping the sweet thing stored in his cheek as the sniper began sucking on it while speaking.
"Nice to meet you too, and yeah, I certainly wouldn't want something like that fired at me~" Lupin retorted as his light-mocha features curled into a small chuckle, a little awkward but not enough to actually make their little conversation anything but pleasant as Lupin shook her hand with a firm grip - though his eyes still darted around a moment longer before refocusing on Carina with a bit of a thoughtful squint.
"Wanna talk at one of the benches outside once you grab whatever you came here to get?" he proposed briefly, pointing a thumb back the way they came, "I need to put my DSR Model 1 together, and it's getting hard to hear you in here, that okay?"
Hand shook, Carina stuffed the other candies back in the pouch. Even so, Carina couldn't help but agree with Lupin. It was getting a little too close for comfort in this dinky armory. Thoughts of her birth mother's tiny studio apartment back on Fortuna flashed through her mind. With it, Carina couldn't help but feel a deep pang of longing, guilt, and sadness. No. It wouldn't do to feel such melancholy now. "Yeah Lulu, we aught t'get outta here." seemed the young, creamed coffee skinned marine had made a good suggestion and earned himself a nickname in the process. Reaching past him, her hand found one of the M3's. Still reaching, Carina pulled out several magazines free. One of the other marines made a sound of displeasure at that. He looked like he was going to grab them and was promptly met with the middle finger from the cheerfully crass medic. Both father and mother had taught her to take shit from no one.
Leaving the armory allowed her to breathe a little easier. With a touch of claustrophobia hadn't helped matters in there. Her behind found its intended seat with an audible sigh. The helmet came off in a cascade of raven-black hair that reached the middle of her back. Sucking her teeth in vexation, Carina began to braid it as it had come loose.
"So uh, yeah, Lulu, what'cha wanna talk about?" using the nickname still, her fingers moved deftly forming the braid.
"Lulu~" the sniper repeated after having sat his bag down on a bench, initially having thought he misheard Carina due to how bloody loud everything had been in the armoury, only for her to confirm he'd heard correctly.
"Usually people just call me Lou... but I don't hate that," he smirked with one raised eyebrow before looking back to his bag, unzipping it to reveal a large bolt-action rifle with its bolt stored next to it, three magazines in spots designed for them and the fourth pouch containing a very modest looking black revolver - Lupin wasted little time sitting the rifle up on its bipod before checking it over, continuing to speak to her in the meantime.
"Well you may have heard one of your squad mates will give odd readings when their vitals are taken? or maybe they skipped that I dunno but regardless that's me~" Lupin admitted, offering Carina an apologetic sidelong glance as the lanky adolescent Nep leant forwards over his rifle.
Seating herself, Carina shifted the holster for her hand cannon into a more comfortable position. As Lupin spoke, Carina watched the young Kennedy unzip his bag and begin going through it. Curiosity piqued, the new medic took note of the large rifle but didn't get to see most of what he had squirreled away. Fearing to crane her neck any further, she instead leaned back against the bench and bulkhead. It was at the tail end of what he'd said that caused her to snap her fingers and dig for her datajockey.
"I rememba seein' somethin about that..." she said distractedly whilst her finger scrolled down to his file. It took a handful of seconds before she looked up at him. Then back down to the scre- and up again to him. Leaning a little toward Lupin, Carina squinted at him a moment before a look of satisfaction crossed her face.
"Don' worry none, Lulu! I got'ya medical history memorized. 'an I keep the special cases on hand jus' in case I need ta look'em up." Carina put the olive-drab colored portable mini-computer away.
"I'm gonna venture a guess, 'an say you're tha'sniper." she stated matter of factly.
"Ah fuck, didn't I say that?" he cursed, turning to face Carina briefly with an apologetic frown of those big orange puppy-dog eyes, mouthing some unheard vulgarity to himself before returning to his rifle.
"Yeah I am a sniper, eh~ sorry... anyway most of the stuff on that list you can generally disregard... I guess just maybe keep in mind my pulse is a little slower and my blood a little more rich in oxygen? I'll leave it up to you," he mused with a huff of self-annoyance, it was maybe the most Lupin had spoken to her thus far as his hands carefully seated the bolt into his rifle's chamber, unknowingly offering the medic a nice view of his armoured-but-still-noticably-shapely butt as he leant away from her.
It made sense, he seemed fairly spry and athletic even if not nearly as hulking as some of the others... maybe Lulu wasn't quite as boring as most thought the quiet half-Hanyan was...
"Naw, don' beat y'self up on all that shit man," Carina stated with a shoulder bump for good measure. "I'll keep that stuff in mind 'tho. Les just hope we ain't gotta put any'a that stuff in practice yeah?" the young medic chortled at that as she slipped the datajockey back into its holster. "Say, why did'ya wanna be a snipah? Kinna a lonely type thing t'do y'know?"
Lulu swayed a little when he was struck but simply offered his attacker a small smirk and a little nod of agreeance before turning back to his bag, opting to retrieve the revolver from within and crack open its empty 5-shot cylinder.
"Not exactly a socialite as I'm sure you can tell, but why does anyone pick their occupation and why did you pick yours? it's usually something they're decent at or interested in prior to enlistment," the taller of the two adolescents shrugged as he looked down towards Carina thoughtfully, retrieving a handful of big old .45 Kendo Express rounds from a pocket that he began absentmindedly thumbing into the cylinder.
"My step-Dad, well technically at the time he was my adoptive Mother's boyfriend but semantics, anyway he took me hunting a few times to try and win me over... I found out I was decent at it so a year ago I started sniper school and now I am here," Lupin smirked again, gently closing his revolver's frame and indexing the cylinder as the lad let out a thoughtful little sound.
"...I was siezed from an illegal shipment of frozen embryos so never knew my biological parents or even if I have any, I don't mind talking about it. Fuck them, right?" he admitted rather non-chalantly with another shrug.
As Carina listened, the young medic watched as Lupin seemed to casually load and flick his revolver closed with practiced ease. Though she felt a pang of longing, guilt, and sadness at the mention of parents. Her mother, well, her birth mother had been a single parent. Her then-unknown father out of the picture. She'd tried to raise her wild-child daughter right. Teach her, her rights and wrongs. But the woman had been shot and killed in cold blood. By who, Carina hadn't known. But inquiries into the case later on in life had also turned up dead ends. All she had left of her mother was a picture, and a frayed, but stuffed rabbit she'd named "Schmoopy". With a little grimace at the memory, her throat cleared as she tried one of her coping skills.
A few seconds later, the plucky young Sanroma seemed to break out of her reverie. Reaching into her armor, she pulled a folded photograph out. Unfolding it, Carina showed it to the strapping young sniper.
"That's my mama," she pointed to the green-haired, purple-eyed woman. Even though she wore a beatific smile, there was an air of not being fucked with about her person. "'an the guy beside her is my papi." the suave, middle-aged man who looked like he could break hearts with ease. And between them, younger than she was now was Carina. She seemed happy as she stood between them, a cap on her head, a very distinctive cap only handed out to those in charge of the DION. A sky marshall's cap. The very same one she had gotten from the then Sky Marshall Robert Davis.
"Mama's name is Suku Matsobuki, she's uh, my adopted mama. 'an my papi is Rico. Rico Sanroma." both were a bit of an urban legend. Suku, feared by every naval person on the various ships she'd served aboard, legend had it that she was the devil itself in a medbay. Even to this day people whispered her name if they were unlucky bastards who served aboard the same ship. And well... Rico, he'd served aboard the legendary NSS Alliance back in the day. Not to mention he'd left a mile-long stretch of broken hearts in his wake.
"Mama's a doctah in the Navy, 'an papi's Sergeant in the Marines." she went on to explain before folding the photograph and putting it back into her armor. Right by her heart. "I used t'help mama out in the medbay on'tha NSS Acadia. 'an I uh... had a lotta uncles on tha' ship. So I guess y'could say I'm a marine brat." the young lady chuckled a little, a hand coming up to cover her lips.
"But yeah, mama wanted me t'be a doctah, go t'school, college'n medschool. I decided I wanna be a medic in SAW. They'll pay my way through school'n shit. Plus it'll look good on me when I retirah." with a shrug, her large, hazel eyes locked on to Lupin, an impish smile creasing her lips.
"Mama's pissed I enlisted." a haunted look crossed her face at that. With a shake, she seemed to pull herself out of it though.
He'd seen the dark cloud wash over Carina's head but tried to not let on too much, offering the medic a few nods and raised eyebrows as her own familial situation was explained. At least now he knew she was one of those Sanromas, and while questions came to mind he imagined walking in the footsteps of such giants couldn't have been easy, and so refrained for now.
"You guys look close~" Lupin admitted, kicking himself mentally for not really having too many good photos saved but he could always get his Mum to send them over later~
Fuck, he really hoped he'd make it out of this whole shitshow in one piece. Carina too, she seemed nice.
"Yeah I'm in the same sort of mind, bit of time as a sharp-shooter can't hurt when I eventually figure out what I want to do. Mum's a detective, nothing as legendary as your folks but I might be able to get a boot in the door there if I want," he explained but she'd be able to hear in Lulu's voice he was holding back a bit, bared teeth digging into his lower lip thoughtfully.
"Hey uh, Carina?" the lad spoke, turning to better face the other Marine with an awkward little huff.
"Sorry if what I said just now dredged something up... I~ I can tell you have your own shit to deal with and that's just how my situation sits with me, hope I didn't come off as an ass~" Lupin finished. An apologetic little grin on his youthful, barely handsome features.
With a wave of her hand to clear the air, Carina's once cloudy countenance returned to normal. With the photo in hand, she slipped it back under her armor. Close to her heart. "Eh, it ain't so bad. Papi knows I gotta go my own way. Mama's just real protective'n not wanting me to have enlisted. But yah, gonna ride this shitshow out'n get a doctorate, yeah?" patting the chest of her armor, Carina could feel the photo crinkle a little against her uniform... next to the jar of highly flammable moonshine.
"But naw, I don' mind th'questions. An' y'didn't make yourself out to be an ass, Lulu." she nudged his armor with an elbow, right where the ribs would be. "We all got our skeletons in'th closet, hey?" with a warm chuckle, she broke out the jar of 'shine, and took a tentative sip. As soon as the distilled spirit hit her throat, Carina made a hoarse growl. "Smooth..." she managed before replacing the lid and hiding it once more. It wasn't her first encounter with alcohol. She'd snuck a beer here and there, or a shot or two of the sterner stuff. But this shit was like drinking straight paint thinner. And it brought to mind the story her father had once told her of his encounter with industrial-grade cleaning alcohol.
With a throat-clearing growl, her hypolathe came up in one hand while the other rummaged in the webbing of her belt. Her search rewarded her with a small injector vial which she added to the medical device's alternate hypo-injector assembly. "Velserine," she explained while the little vial of badassery clicked into place.
"For tha'fuckers that talk shit'n try t'get handsy and fighty. Knock'em out for a few hours in larger doses... might cause a seizure. And possibly crap'yself." then with a cheery little grin, Carina eyed Lupin up and down. "I doubt I'mma hafta use it on ya, Lulu. You're a good sort'a guy." well, so far at least.
"What, not tall, dark and brooding enough to be an immediate threat?" he chuckled back in kind, absentmindedly rubbing a hand over the site of Carina's latest assault on his person, it wasn't like it hurt... Lupin was just thinking about how he'd need to get used to the feeling of his armour smacking into his body, just a lil harder.
There was a shine of understanding behind the little jewels in Lupin's eyesockets, one that he admitted with a small, wordless nod that conveyed he had a pretty good idea the kind of stuff that might be flowing through the medic's head right about now.
Snapping back to the present, Lupin's less-armoured hand moved to the various pouches and pockets that were rigged up to the lad's particular Golem suit, the rounds stored on his forearm reflecting some of the nearby light as he presented a fistful of what looked like two energy bars.
"Take them, last person we need feeling flat if shit hits the fan is our Medic, right?" Lupin spoke as he offered them up to Carina, other hand rubbing at the back of his neck as her grin was met with an awkward little smirk.
"That and...I like you too, you seem alright~" Lupin blushed ever so faintly, realizing how that might sound but opted to let it fade from his mind with a stern little huff, he was probably overthinking things.
"Don't go getting a big head over it now~"
At Lupin's insistence of taking the energy bars, Carina beamed in just the right way Auntie Esma had taught her when dealing with a good man. The young medic took them gratefully before returning the favor with more of the combat candies. Mint excluded of course. The last thing she wanted the sniper to do was go into a fit of seizures and shock. "Thank'ya, Lulu!" she stated while making them disappear in a belt pouch. Though she couldn't help but snicker at the tail end of his words.
"Naw, naw, only big head in my family is my Papi. Used t'think he was a god's gift t'women. Until Mama set his ass straight. Poor bastard." though he had passed on some of his 'tricks' of the trade to his daughter when handling certain people she fancied. " 'sides," she hefted the medical kit beside her into her narrow lap. Unlocking it, she swung out the trays, spreading a hand at the glorious assortment of instruments and arguably a pharmacy-grade number of pill bottles and vials.
"I got'ya covered if anythin' happens." closing it, she sat it beside her again with the Stonethread sling over a shoulder. Looking back, the young lady frowned as her eyes crept skyward. Well, more toward Lupin's hair. Opening a velcro-pocket, she pulled out a length of black cord; handing it to him. "For ya'hair cuz y'know. It's almost as long as mine. Wouldn't want'ya to miss ya shot on account of them flowin' locks, yeah?"
"Shit, it's not that bad is it?" Lupin retorted with one raised eyebrow... right before remembering that his mottled black/brown hair did in fact partially obscure his vision when not held back by his helmet, so with a huff and a smirk he finished stuffing Carina's candies into his vest then reached for the offered cordage.
"Last time I got it cut was sniper school so cheers... but we should probably get on the shuttle yeah?" the half-Hanyan spoke as some of his hair was quickly pulled back into a messy half-up half-down ponytail that'd sit nice and flat.
"It's been nice getting to know you, can make sure they don't leave without me? I need to put my shit back in its bag~"
Pleased, Carina handed off the bit of cording to Lupin. She'd learned right quick to keep her hair tied back, or up while wearing the heavy GOLEM suit of armor. Didn't pay to have either helmet hair or hair in the eyes. Though as she watched, Carina could only frown at his choice of hairstyle. Sliding off the bench and to her feet, the young medic hefted her medical kit. The thing had mag-strips embedded in it and made it so damn easy as she clamped it to her back. Bulletproof... well, almost anyways.
"Yeah, yeah, that shuttle." she rubbed at her chin. "Was nice gettin t'know you too, Lulu. I'll see if'in they can't hold up a quick minute." with a bit of hustle, Carina, hand on her flattering rifle took off toward their waiting conveyance.
"Cheers, I'll uh, be right there!" the young lad assured her as the medic sauntered off, a dumb little happy smirk sticking around on his clean-shaven features as the sniper moved to pack his shit back into its bag.
First mission after all, he wouldn't want to keep the others waiting~
Well they had a way off the planet, reportedly, or at least that is what the spooks were telling them and by now Lupin had his mind set on the fact that you listen to the underlying message one of the black-clad IPG operators say to him rather than the specifics of what they were saying... hell he knew if it were a lie he'd end up with the chip in his brain crushed before ever realizing what was going on.
It was a bit of a chilling thought and made the adolescent marksman rub at the back of his head, digging his nails into where the nonexistent seam was even before reminding himself it'd all been sealed up before his anesthetic even wore off - still, he supposed the IPG's reputation continued to speak for them as Lou entered the armoury in the belly of their cobra-class gunship, poor posture and some fatigue from the night prior causing this particular marine to slouch a little as he retrieved a grey rifle-bag from the grip of a junker drone, about to thank the multi-limbed thing before reminding himself it was just a machine.
As the marksman turned he found himself somewhat unused to the cramped confines of this armoury and as such, one end of the bag he was now toting managed to gently bump into something, his sunset-coloured eyes trailing up its length only to quickly connect it with the thigh-plating of the team's long, dark haired medic - causing the lad to frown a little.
"Oh uh apologies~" he spoke down to her, only because of the half-a-foot he had over her rather than any disrespect towards who he may as well consider a stranger, Lupin swallowing thickly as he moved himself and his bag out of the way.
"Didn't see you there, I'll get out of your way~"
To say the trip on the Cobra-class gunship was a little nerve-racking was an understatement. At least for Carina. This would be her real first mission. What had happened before, the Rixxikor attacking and now their team being sent out had jarred her a little. The young woman had decided to pass her time using her butterfly knife, 'Fukov' to perform tricks. It had been a comfort as she flipped and flicked the knife in such ways it seemed she was liable to cut herself. But, she never did. The knife had danced about her hand to an invisible tune only she knew. After, and much later, she made her way to the small armory of the gunship. Her rifle was there, but the large-caliber revolver had remained faithfully on her thigh on a maglock.
Standing there, Carina saw a young man, bulging bag in hand begin to make his way from the cramped and small arms hold. So cramped in fact that his bag bumped into her thigh. It made her sway a little, but afterward, she stood firm. She broke out into a big'ol smile as he seemed intent on getting out of her way in just more than his statement.
"Naw y'fine man. I'm'jus here t'get my rifle." her Los Apagos accent shining through. She'd adopted it living with her father's family about half of her young life, the other half she'd spent with her family on Kennewes. After speaking, she stared up into his eyes, leaning forward just a little.
"Jeez, man, y'look like someone killed'ya fuckin' dog." It seemed she wasn't too concerned with her language as she spoke. "Y'alrigh?" concern beginning to drip into her tone of voice. She was the medic of this merry band, and it didn't sit well to see anyone under her care having any issues that would affect them.
"Or are'ya th'moody, silent'n sullen type?"
Lupin's frown only deepened as he was accused of such things, it was nothing new... he did give off that sort of vibe even if unintentionally and similarly it wasn't the first time he had been called out on it.
"I'm fine," he began with a thoughtful shrug, adam's apple bouncing up and down his neck as the sniper swallowed thickly before continuing his blunt admission, "Just tired after last night is all, understandably I suppose~"
Lupin trailed off a little as his eyes tipped to Carina's side, not so much gawking at what may lay beneath the uniform as he was eyeing up the shiny break-action hand-cannon hanging from one thigh, his orange eyes widening a little as he was shouldered a little further out of the way by marines scrambling for their various armaments.
His eyes continued to wander though, right up to the skull and bone-saws adorning her armour that made him realize why exactly she might be checking in on his welfare, which made his forehead smooth out once more at least.
"Nice revolver, you're our medic right? I should probably learn your name - I'm Private Lupin Kennedy," the lad offered with a faint though friendly smile before using his somewhat tall nature to gaze around for a nearby bench to throw his rifle bag on.
The smile had turned to one of concern at the mention of his being tired. Tired could get you killed, it dulled the wits, reactions, and overall judgment of the poor soul. Though she didn't know if he meant physically tired, or simply mentally. So she opted for the more physically identifiable and easily treatable variant. Reaching into a pouch on her armor, her hazel eyes, the lighting set off the green and gold were not taken off of the young sniper. "Tired eh?" she said, the sound of crinkling plastic wrapping echoing as she continued her search. When the other marines began to shoulder past, Carina scooted a little off to the side but was still in the way somewhat. As a medic, she carried a variety of drugs and medical supplies on her person. What she brought forth were what looked like candies. A marine shouldered past her to which she promptly kicked them in their shin. The large man just snorted and moved on.
Each had an insignia of the NSMC on them, followed by a smaller NAM logo along with a corresponding icon of what flavor they were. Orange, Cinnamon, Mint, Lemon, Peach, Melon, and one with a question mark. "One'a these ought t'help yah with that. I'd avoid the mark'n mint ones unless you're in'ta that sort of risk. Saw a guy puke his guts up 'an go into seizures when he tried tha' mark one. 'an the mint? Well, god help'ya if you're that daring. But they got a bit of a stimulant in'em." she held the small handful out to him so he could pick and choose as he may. Though she did spare a moment's glance down to her hand cannon.
"Aw'thanks man! I love'er tha's for sure. She's a genuine Galactic Horizon revolver, shoots ah..." her face scrunched up a moment in thought, "Ah yeah!" the fingers of her other hand snapped as she recalled just what it fired, "7.7x30mm. Kinna' chunky, but it'll fuck up someone's day." with her free hand, she stuck it out for a handshake even though the other held the candies.
"Nice'ta meet ya, I'm Private Sanroma, Carina Sanroma." her concern seemed to disappear as a friendly little smile tugged at the corners of her lips as if in response to his own smile. "And yeah, I'm tha' medic. Still got a lot'ta learn 'course. But I can patch'ya up jus' fine."
He debated being stubborn for a moment and refusing her offer of help... though instincts of self preservation won out over any form of pride and caused Lupin to pluck the peach-flavoured candy from the medic's hand with an appreciative nod before plopping it in his mouth, keeping the sweet thing stored in his cheek as the sniper began sucking on it while speaking.
"Nice to meet you too, and yeah, I certainly wouldn't want something like that fired at me~" Lupin retorted as his light-mocha features curled into a small chuckle, a little awkward but not enough to actually make their little conversation anything but pleasant as Lupin shook her hand with a firm grip - though his eyes still darted around a moment longer before refocusing on Carina with a bit of a thoughtful squint.
"Wanna talk at one of the benches outside once you grab whatever you came here to get?" he proposed briefly, pointing a thumb back the way they came, "I need to put my DSR Model 1 together, and it's getting hard to hear you in here, that okay?"
Hand shook, Carina stuffed the other candies back in the pouch. Even so, Carina couldn't help but agree with Lupin. It was getting a little too close for comfort in this dinky armory. Thoughts of her birth mother's tiny studio apartment back on Fortuna flashed through her mind. With it, Carina couldn't help but feel a deep pang of longing, guilt, and sadness. No. It wouldn't do to feel such melancholy now. "Yeah Lulu, we aught t'get outta here." seemed the young, creamed coffee skinned marine had made a good suggestion and earned himself a nickname in the process. Reaching past him, her hand found one of the M3's. Still reaching, Carina pulled out several magazines free. One of the other marines made a sound of displeasure at that. He looked like he was going to grab them and was promptly met with the middle finger from the cheerfully crass medic. Both father and mother had taught her to take shit from no one.
Leaving the armory allowed her to breathe a little easier. With a touch of claustrophobia hadn't helped matters in there. Her behind found its intended seat with an audible sigh. The helmet came off in a cascade of raven-black hair that reached the middle of her back. Sucking her teeth in vexation, Carina began to braid it as it had come loose.
"So uh, yeah, Lulu, what'cha wanna talk about?" using the nickname still, her fingers moved deftly forming the braid.
"Lulu~" the sniper repeated after having sat his bag down on a bench, initially having thought he misheard Carina due to how bloody loud everything had been in the armoury, only for her to confirm he'd heard correctly.
"Usually people just call me Lou... but I don't hate that," he smirked with one raised eyebrow before looking back to his bag, unzipping it to reveal a large bolt-action rifle with its bolt stored next to it, three magazines in spots designed for them and the fourth pouch containing a very modest looking black revolver - Lupin wasted little time sitting the rifle up on its bipod before checking it over, continuing to speak to her in the meantime.
"Well you may have heard one of your squad mates will give odd readings when their vitals are taken? or maybe they skipped that I dunno but regardless that's me~" Lupin admitted, offering Carina an apologetic sidelong glance as the lanky adolescent Nep leant forwards over his rifle.
Seating herself, Carina shifted the holster for her hand cannon into a more comfortable position. As Lupin spoke, Carina watched the young Kennedy unzip his bag and begin going through it. Curiosity piqued, the new medic took note of the large rifle but didn't get to see most of what he had squirreled away. Fearing to crane her neck any further, she instead leaned back against the bench and bulkhead. It was at the tail end of what he'd said that caused her to snap her fingers and dig for her datajockey.
"I rememba seein' somethin about that..." she said distractedly whilst her finger scrolled down to his file. It took a handful of seconds before she looked up at him. Then back down to the scre- and up again to him. Leaning a little toward Lupin, Carina squinted at him a moment before a look of satisfaction crossed her face.
"Don' worry none, Lulu! I got'ya medical history memorized. 'an I keep the special cases on hand jus' in case I need ta look'em up." Carina put the olive-drab colored portable mini-computer away.
"I'm gonna venture a guess, 'an say you're tha'sniper." she stated matter of factly.
"Ah fuck, didn't I say that?" he cursed, turning to face Carina briefly with an apologetic frown of those big orange puppy-dog eyes, mouthing some unheard vulgarity to himself before returning to his rifle.
"Yeah I am a sniper, eh~ sorry... anyway most of the stuff on that list you can generally disregard... I guess just maybe keep in mind my pulse is a little slower and my blood a little more rich in oxygen? I'll leave it up to you," he mused with a huff of self-annoyance, it was maybe the most Lupin had spoken to her thus far as his hands carefully seated the bolt into his rifle's chamber, unknowingly offering the medic a nice view of his armoured-but-still-noticably-shapely butt as he leant away from her.
It made sense, he seemed fairly spry and athletic even if not nearly as hulking as some of the others... maybe Lulu wasn't quite as boring as most thought the quiet half-Hanyan was...
"Naw, don' beat y'self up on all that shit man," Carina stated with a shoulder bump for good measure. "I'll keep that stuff in mind 'tho. Les just hope we ain't gotta put any'a that stuff in practice yeah?" the young medic chortled at that as she slipped the datajockey back into its holster. "Say, why did'ya wanna be a snipah? Kinna a lonely type thing t'do y'know?"
Lulu swayed a little when he was struck but simply offered his attacker a small smirk and a little nod of agreeance before turning back to his bag, opting to retrieve the revolver from within and crack open its empty 5-shot cylinder.
"Not exactly a socialite as I'm sure you can tell, but why does anyone pick their occupation and why did you pick yours? it's usually something they're decent at or interested in prior to enlistment," the taller of the two adolescents shrugged as he looked down towards Carina thoughtfully, retrieving a handful of big old .45 Kendo Express rounds from a pocket that he began absentmindedly thumbing into the cylinder.
"My step-Dad, well technically at the time he was my adoptive Mother's boyfriend but semantics, anyway he took me hunting a few times to try and win me over... I found out I was decent at it so a year ago I started sniper school and now I am here," Lupin smirked again, gently closing his revolver's frame and indexing the cylinder as the lad let out a thoughtful little sound.
"...I was siezed from an illegal shipment of frozen embryos so never knew my biological parents or even if I have any, I don't mind talking about it. Fuck them, right?" he admitted rather non-chalantly with another shrug.
As Carina listened, the young medic watched as Lupin seemed to casually load and flick his revolver closed with practiced ease. Though she felt a pang of longing, guilt, and sadness at the mention of parents. Her mother, well, her birth mother had been a single parent. Her then-unknown father out of the picture. She'd tried to raise her wild-child daughter right. Teach her, her rights and wrongs. But the woman had been shot and killed in cold blood. By who, Carina hadn't known. But inquiries into the case later on in life had also turned up dead ends. All she had left of her mother was a picture, and a frayed, but stuffed rabbit she'd named "Schmoopy". With a little grimace at the memory, her throat cleared as she tried one of her coping skills.
A few seconds later, the plucky young Sanroma seemed to break out of her reverie. Reaching into her armor, she pulled a folded photograph out. Unfolding it, Carina showed it to the strapping young sniper.
"That's my mama," she pointed to the green-haired, purple-eyed woman. Even though she wore a beatific smile, there was an air of not being fucked with about her person. "'an the guy beside her is my papi." the suave, middle-aged man who looked like he could break hearts with ease. And between them, younger than she was now was Carina. She seemed happy as she stood between them, a cap on her head, a very distinctive cap only handed out to those in charge of the DION. A sky marshall's cap. The very same one she had gotten from the then Sky Marshall Robert Davis.
"Mama's name is Suku Matsobuki, she's uh, my adopted mama. 'an my papi is Rico. Rico Sanroma." both were a bit of an urban legend. Suku, feared by every naval person on the various ships she'd served aboard, legend had it that she was the devil itself in a medbay. Even to this day people whispered her name if they were unlucky bastards who served aboard the same ship. And well... Rico, he'd served aboard the legendary NSS Alliance back in the day. Not to mention he'd left a mile-long stretch of broken hearts in his wake.
"Mama's a doctah in the Navy, 'an papi's Sergeant in the Marines." she went on to explain before folding the photograph and putting it back into her armor. Right by her heart. "I used t'help mama out in the medbay on'tha NSS Acadia. 'an I uh... had a lotta uncles on tha' ship. So I guess y'could say I'm a marine brat." the young lady chuckled a little, a hand coming up to cover her lips.
"But yeah, mama wanted me t'be a doctah, go t'school, college'n medschool. I decided I wanna be a medic in SAW. They'll pay my way through school'n shit. Plus it'll look good on me when I retirah." with a shrug, her large, hazel eyes locked on to Lupin, an impish smile creasing her lips.
"Mama's pissed I enlisted." a haunted look crossed her face at that. With a shake, she seemed to pull herself out of it though.
He'd seen the dark cloud wash over Carina's head but tried to not let on too much, offering the medic a few nods and raised eyebrows as her own familial situation was explained. At least now he knew she was one of those Sanromas, and while questions came to mind he imagined walking in the footsteps of such giants couldn't have been easy, and so refrained for now.
"You guys look close~" Lupin admitted, kicking himself mentally for not really having too many good photos saved but he could always get his Mum to send them over later~
Fuck, he really hoped he'd make it out of this whole shitshow in one piece. Carina too, she seemed nice.
"Yeah I'm in the same sort of mind, bit of time as a sharp-shooter can't hurt when I eventually figure out what I want to do. Mum's a detective, nothing as legendary as your folks but I might be able to get a boot in the door there if I want," he explained but she'd be able to hear in Lulu's voice he was holding back a bit, bared teeth digging into his lower lip thoughtfully.
"Hey uh, Carina?" the lad spoke, turning to better face the other Marine with an awkward little huff.
"Sorry if what I said just now dredged something up... I~ I can tell you have your own shit to deal with and that's just how my situation sits with me, hope I didn't come off as an ass~" Lupin finished. An apologetic little grin on his youthful, barely handsome features.
With a wave of her hand to clear the air, Carina's once cloudy countenance returned to normal. With the photo in hand, she slipped it back under her armor. Close to her heart. "Eh, it ain't so bad. Papi knows I gotta go my own way. Mama's just real protective'n not wanting me to have enlisted. But yah, gonna ride this shitshow out'n get a doctorate, yeah?" patting the chest of her armor, Carina could feel the photo crinkle a little against her uniform... next to the jar of highly flammable moonshine.
"But naw, I don' mind th'questions. An' y'didn't make yourself out to be an ass, Lulu." she nudged his armor with an elbow, right where the ribs would be. "We all got our skeletons in'th closet, hey?" with a warm chuckle, she broke out the jar of 'shine, and took a tentative sip. As soon as the distilled spirit hit her throat, Carina made a hoarse growl. "Smooth..." she managed before replacing the lid and hiding it once more. It wasn't her first encounter with alcohol. She'd snuck a beer here and there, or a shot or two of the sterner stuff. But this shit was like drinking straight paint thinner. And it brought to mind the story her father had once told her of his encounter with industrial-grade cleaning alcohol.
With a throat-clearing growl, her hypolathe came up in one hand while the other rummaged in the webbing of her belt. Her search rewarded her with a small injector vial which she added to the medical device's alternate hypo-injector assembly. "Velserine," she explained while the little vial of badassery clicked into place.
"For tha'fuckers that talk shit'n try t'get handsy and fighty. Knock'em out for a few hours in larger doses... might cause a seizure. And possibly crap'yself." then with a cheery little grin, Carina eyed Lupin up and down. "I doubt I'mma hafta use it on ya, Lulu. You're a good sort'a guy." well, so far at least.
"What, not tall, dark and brooding enough to be an immediate threat?" he chuckled back in kind, absentmindedly rubbing a hand over the site of Carina's latest assault on his person, it wasn't like it hurt... Lupin was just thinking about how he'd need to get used to the feeling of his armour smacking into his body, just a lil harder.
There was a shine of understanding behind the little jewels in Lupin's eyesockets, one that he admitted with a small, wordless nod that conveyed he had a pretty good idea the kind of stuff that might be flowing through the medic's head right about now.
Snapping back to the present, Lupin's less-armoured hand moved to the various pouches and pockets that were rigged up to the lad's particular Golem suit, the rounds stored on his forearm reflecting some of the nearby light as he presented a fistful of what looked like two energy bars.
"Take them, last person we need feeling flat if shit hits the fan is our Medic, right?" Lupin spoke as he offered them up to Carina, other hand rubbing at the back of his neck as her grin was met with an awkward little smirk.
"That and...I like you too, you seem alright~" Lupin blushed ever so faintly, realizing how that might sound but opted to let it fade from his mind with a stern little huff, he was probably overthinking things.
"Don't go getting a big head over it now~"
At Lupin's insistence of taking the energy bars, Carina beamed in just the right way Auntie Esma had taught her when dealing with a good man. The young medic took them gratefully before returning the favor with more of the combat candies. Mint excluded of course. The last thing she wanted the sniper to do was go into a fit of seizures and shock. "Thank'ya, Lulu!" she stated while making them disappear in a belt pouch. Though she couldn't help but snicker at the tail end of his words.
"Naw, naw, only big head in my family is my Papi. Used t'think he was a god's gift t'women. Until Mama set his ass straight. Poor bastard." though he had passed on some of his 'tricks' of the trade to his daughter when handling certain people she fancied. " 'sides," she hefted the medical kit beside her into her narrow lap. Unlocking it, she swung out the trays, spreading a hand at the glorious assortment of instruments and arguably a pharmacy-grade number of pill bottles and vials.
"I got'ya covered if anythin' happens." closing it, she sat it beside her again with the Stonethread sling over a shoulder. Looking back, the young lady frowned as her eyes crept skyward. Well, more toward Lupin's hair. Opening a velcro-pocket, she pulled out a length of black cord; handing it to him. "For ya'hair cuz y'know. It's almost as long as mine. Wouldn't want'ya to miss ya shot on account of them flowin' locks, yeah?"
"Shit, it's not that bad is it?" Lupin retorted with one raised eyebrow... right before remembering that his mottled black/brown hair did in fact partially obscure his vision when not held back by his helmet, so with a huff and a smirk he finished stuffing Carina's candies into his vest then reached for the offered cordage.
"Last time I got it cut was sniper school so cheers... but we should probably get on the shuttle yeah?" the half-Hanyan spoke as some of his hair was quickly pulled back into a messy half-up half-down ponytail that'd sit nice and flat.
"It's been nice getting to know you, can make sure they don't leave without me? I need to put my shit back in its bag~"
Pleased, Carina handed off the bit of cording to Lupin. She'd learned right quick to keep her hair tied back, or up while wearing the heavy GOLEM suit of armor. Didn't pay to have either helmet hair or hair in the eyes. Though as she watched, Carina could only frown at his choice of hairstyle. Sliding off the bench and to her feet, the young medic hefted her medical kit. The thing had mag-strips embedded in it and made it so damn easy as she clamped it to her back. Bulletproof... well, almost anyways.
"Yeah, yeah, that shuttle." she rubbed at her chin. "Was nice gettin t'know you too, Lulu. I'll see if'in they can't hold up a quick minute." with a bit of hustle, Carina, hand on her flattering rifle took off toward their waiting conveyance.
"Cheers, I'll uh, be right there!" the young lad assured her as the medic sauntered off, a dumb little happy smirk sticking around on his clean-shaven features as the sniper moved to pack his shit back into its bag.
First mission after all, he wouldn't want to keep the others waiting~
