5tar
Active Member
ON: YSS Senbu
By this time, the members of the Pride Wing were in their second rounds. A lot of the others retired for the evening, some because they had other things they wanted to attend to, others because they had a large amount of pride to swallow in defeat. This left very few in the bar, it was down to Kuriko, Hiroko, and Masako. They of course had their Gold Wing companions, who seemed to not gloat in the victory, but took it rather plainly. "So, tell me Kuriko-heisho," a slightly inebriated Jack started, leaning close to the Neko, "what's your secret, why did the Shosa put you in charge?"
Kuriko wasn't quite sure if she should take Jack's question as an insult or a genuine desire to know. "Actually, I don't really know my self," Kuriko responded. It wasn't clear if her cheeks were slightly red because she was embarrassed or if it was because of the alcohol that she had been drinking. "I'm not even an infantry trained Neko, I'm a caretaker," Kuriko replied. Lately, Kuriko had been noticing something about her own self. She had been using the fact that she wasn't originally a member of the infantry as a sort of defense. Kuriko mentally chuckled as she realized that it didn't matter anymore what she used to be. She was a caretaker but now, in spite of almost every word from her mouth, she was the leader of Pride Wing.
"What about you, Aisano-heisho. How'd you end up in Gold Wing under Akira-shoi?" Kuriko asked, trying to shift the subject. As usual, use your former occupation as a shield.. .and deflect, the Heisho thought. The sake must be getting to me, Kuriko thought as she realized that she was being more cynical than usual.
Hiroko meanwhile was... sitting there, boredly drinking a very light type of sake, pretending to not exist. Though in some senses she was actually trying to conceive of what it's like to not be. The simulated death had made her wonder... but it's also possible the slight buzz was taking her mind in strange directions. Wretched social expectations. Wretched booze.
"So you were the one who literally tore through the ship?" the Yamataian from the Gold Wing with the red spiky hair asked Hiroko, leaning across the table pointing at her with his drink and staring at her with some disbelief. By now they'd have been introduced, the young Yamataian was Ittô Hei Sasahara Kaito. But he also gave a nickname to be called by – it was Phoenix. It seemed the whole team had call signs and they seemed pretty fitting, considering that the fire-head had been the guy piloting the Death Blossom configured Mindy.
Masako was probably the only one not drinking alcohol, instead favoring water, but kept herself a table apart from the Gold Wing guys and Kuriko out of a sense of social awkwardness. Then she noticed Hiroko kind of sitting there nursing her drink and looking a bit spaced out and reached over to her and nudged her gently. "Hey Hiroko... are you ok?" she asked, concerned for her wing mate.
Hiroko turned suddenly, after imagining what it was like to see yet not see, and blinked at the spiky-haired man... "Aah? Oh... Yes, I was. It was... It was a decision. A fast one. A... a choice of... of..." She blinked again – an unfamiliar voice, something nearby. Something far. Something... No. Masako. That one. "...Oh, yes. I... I am."
"You looked a bit spaced out there for a moment." the blonde Neko said to her friend, examining her with those innocent blue hues. "That's good... that simulation is bothering you still, isn't it?" she asked, taking a shot in the dark. "Don't let it get to you, don't let it get your mind into dark places either; it won't help you in the long run."
Hiroko shook her head. "Maybe it's the sake. It... was an obligation. And I'm not going to stop being upset just... because... ...What's... because I want to, yes."
"So, which pilot were you?" The redhead Yamataian asked as he turned his eyes from Hiroko up to Masako. Of course, it was obvious that his glance paused a moment at her chest, but his eyes did eventually stop on hers. This whole time, though, the other pilot on the team sat quietly beside Phoenix, enjoying a glass of wine and keeping her lips sealed as she observed the conversations.
"Hmm?" Masako looked over at the redhead and blushed in passing, surprised one would even address her. She was used to guys insulting her or putting her down, not being curious. "Oh I was the moron with the giant sword." She sighed. "It was a mistake on my part," Masako said after a moment.
"Heeeee," Kuriko said encouragingly to the Heisho. "He's a really nice guy isn't he?" Kuriko glanced down at the table as she spoke. An uneasy silence fell on the Heisho as she tried to find some way to keep the conversation alive, but in the end she admitted defeat by saying nothing. She heard Hiroko mention she was angry about the simulation, but decided that maybe she'd let the Hei cool for a little bit before talking to he. At least if Kuriko was done being upset with herself by that point, anyway.
"You could say that," Jack said with a sigh as he finished off his Nepleslian whisky before continuing. "To tell you the truth, soldier boy is one of the best COs I've ever seen, no one really knows his reasons. Well... no one except me. But he's a damn good man, a hard to come by sort in this day and age. I'd follow him through hell and high water." Jack flagged the bartender for another drink, placing his glass down on the bar top.
Kuriko lifted her glass and bottomed the remaining 1/3 in several gulps before putting it up on the counter for a refill as well. What attracts people to do something like that? What creates that kind of loyalty? Kuriko wondered silently. Kuriko sat for a few seconds, still thinking before looking back to Jack. "So how lo-" Kuriko's facial expression became contorted right before the Neko spun around to the nearest space that wasn't occupied by anyone and emptied her stomach of just about all that she had eaten, which was very little. The Heisho looked like she might throw up again soon, though it didn't look like there was much else to throw up.
The Yamataian youth pilot nearly dropped his drink as he pulled back in his seat when he heard Masako’s answer. "Eeeeeh!?" he exclaimed as he looked Masako up and down. "You’re the crazy one?!" Phoenix said in surprise as he settled back into his seat and again looked her over once more in disbelief. "You’re relentless!" he said. It was meant to be a complement but it could be taken any way really.
Masako just blushed darker for a moment and smiled at him, flattered a bit. "Well, I was seeking to impress you Gold Wingers and the Shosa," she admitted casually. "I was wondering if I managed to get you and your dragonfly friend with that last little attack I got off on ya before making the mistake of checking out the Yui," she said with a pretty smile, glad that someone appreciated it.
"...you'd do well to heed the Shosa's suggestion, leave those feelings for combat and training," the quiet blue haired Neko pilot commented to Hiroko as she turned her exposed eye to glance back to her drink on the table. Then with the mention of her own part in the combat, Jôtô Hei Miyamoto Aiko, or Ice, as they called her, turned her cold expressionless gaze to Masako. "You were close..."
Hiroko shook her head. Shook it to relieve something. Whatever it was. But then she looked up, speaking unusually candidly for herself. "It's more that it doesn't leave when bidden. I'd rather not feel that way myself. Hrm... I... I must ask, though. What did you... really think of what I had attempted? Ignoring the whole trap business."
Masako glanced over at the Neko pilot and studied her for a moment calmly. "You must've been the one in the dragonfly, right?" she asked after a moment, not wanting to come off as an idiot. The blonde would sip from her glass of water again and tried to force her blush to subside, lest she look dumb again.
"Correct," Aiko responded simply to Masako, her tone naturally curt and cold. But even with all of her frosty exterior, she was one of the most flawless and beautiful Neko on the ship. It was as if she was a special project taken aside by some sort of deity or an artist when she was being created, from her pale soft complexion to her frozen sapphire-like eyes. Nothing was amiss about her, except for her attitude; it was easy to see why she also carried the title of Heart Breaker amongst the powered armor corps on the ship.
Masako nodded to her and brushed her bangs out of her eyes and sighed some, noticing Aiko's seeming loveliness; feeling a little… less-than-herself. "Your timing with the covering fire for your buddy there was flawless," she said. "I'd have had him too if you didn't show when you did."
"It was a good plan, in my opinion!" the Yamataian youth said with a nod to Hiroko, it was obvious he was also a fan of the direct approach, as he was the one who piloted the most heavily-armed armor in the team they’d faced. "But next time, I seriously suggest doing it from the outside. I mean there was nothing inside that you guys needed right? So just blow the whole thing up with the sniper inside!" he stated rather frankly, Phoenix’s volume control seemed to be slipping with each drink, but even with his obnoxiousness, he meant himself in good spirits.
Hiroko slowly nodded at the comment. "Yes... I would have probably done that. Though I'd prefer something better than Aether for destroying an entire ship. But, you should try thinking to be strange some time." She seemed to still have a sort of flat, low tone, but was starting to sound like she felt better. "Cutting new holes rather than going through the ones there, sighting a location through walls for sniping. Be crazy and insane and nobody but your team will know what you're up to."
"You mean like cluster bombing the whole battle field?" Phoenix responded with a wide toothy grin as he crossed his arms over his proud chest. The missile-happy pilot was proud of his handy work, and found that it added a wonderful spice to the situation.
Hiroko tilted her head to the side, and somewhat shrugged. "Maybe, but I was thinking something more along the lines of dropping starship antimatter munitions on strategic points then bathing the rest in PEB fire or something like that."
"Yeah, that's all nice and dandy. But you gotta use with what you got!" Phoenix retorted, feeling a little glory stolen from his idea, like Hiroko wasn't really impressed by him, and it showed plainly on his face. He waved an arm up at one of the waiters and ordered up another pint by making gestures to his empty glass.
Hiroko shook her head, wondering just what the man was going for... She wasn't even really thinking that he was trying to impress her! She knew it would happen, but couldn't see it. In this case, it seemed she had just thought he was very enthusiastic... So with the same tone, she replied, standing up. "I guess. We do what we do because we are good at it... That mission could have been done cleanly... Hrrrm. Nice to meet you, but I'm tired now..." And just like that, she walked off – not much for anything else of a send-off. It didn't help that she got even more muted when she was drunk, but... she seemed to not be very expressive around him – or her wing mates. She herself was beginning to find this strange...
"Alright miss, I think it's time you get back to your quarters. You had a little too much for one night," the sandy blonde haired Heisho said to Kuriko as he went about picking up the smaller, sickly Heisho under the legs and back. He was quite strong – it was evident as he seemed to have easily slipped her into his arms with little effort. "Just attach the drinks to my tab; I'll pick it up later," Jack said to the bartender as he made his way out with the half naked Neko still wrapped in his jacket.
Way to go. Kuriko thought cynically again, still affected by the alcohol a little. The Heisho just decided to lay there in Jack's coat and let him do the walking since she wasn't really in much of a position to do so herself. "Arigatou," Kuriko said to the other Heisho as he carried her. Kuriko had found her current situation to be a little... awkward, but there wasn't much she could do about it now. For a little bit the Heisho buried herself with the task of watching the ceiling tiles fly by, or rather slide slowly by. They weren't particularly interesting either. They were all gray, the same dimensions, and all of them were identical. Kuriko pondered counting the tiles, but decided that if she wanted to get to sleep that would be a good idea, but sleeping would only add further to her embarrassment now. "How long has Gold Wing been together?" Kuriko asked.
The flawless, icy Aiko stared at Masako a moment, evaluating her statement for it's worth. Then she responded to her in the same simple tone. "It was the Shosa's strategy; I simply followed my orders to the best of my ability." Then she turned back to glance out into the room, her eyes catching on the two Heisho leaving the lounge. The pilot's expression showed a tinge of interest, only because she was intrigued to where the situation would lead the two NCOs.
Masako just thought about it for a moment and sipped her drink again, her blue eyes watching Aiko for a moment. "I see, well it paid off," she said and glanced over her shoulder at the departing duo. "Maybe next time I'll get ya," she said. She's so pretty... much more so then me... Masako thought as she continued to drink the clear beverage. She didn't care too much what Kuriko and the blonde did, that was between them; not like she'd ever know that.
Aiko's exposed eye would stay locked on to the two Heisho until they left, then her gaze would return to Masako. "After adequate training, battle experience and better utilization of your weaponry, I'm sure you'll be able to. We may be experienced, but we are mortals just like you..." Ice's comment came out as a complement, and it seemed that she meant it. There must have been some sort of inner turmoil for her philosophy though. After all, the tail end of her sentence seemed almost grim.
Masako shook herself out of her self-doubt and looked at Aiko again and perked a brow. "Well you're right. I've just been stationed on planetary bases for a while, so fighting in the 360 sphere of space still throws me for a loop," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "But thanks. It helps." Masako grinned at her a bit. She picked up on the odd tail end of that last sentence, and it made her perk her brow at that, giving it some thought.
Jack wandered the halls towards Kuriko's quarters, nodding a hello and countering any awkward glances with unimpressed ones. He was a rather gentlemanly character even for one with such roguish features and charm "Well, as far as I know, the squadron has been in service for about five years now and seen its fair share of wars and whatnot. I got joined up when the rains were handed over to the Shoi. I didn't become his second until we got the promotions and transfer to this ship. Though, there's not many of us left, the entire squad has been replaced thanks to the squiddies’ attack on the Teppen." The Heisho didn't seem too beat-up over the subject; it was to show that it was strictly business with him. To him, that was the best way of getting by.
Kuriko liked the sound of Jack's voice. She could feel his chest vibrate as he spoke, and for some reason, it made her feel happier, safer even. Between the Heisho's voice, and the passing ceiling tiles above her there was a kind of hypnotic effect that the slightly drunken Kuriko felt weighing down on her. By the time Jack even reached deck 19, Kuriko had fallen asleep in his arms, peacefully resting.
With a small nod, Aiko confirmed what Masako was saying. "Indeed, the dynamics of space combat are a little harder to grasp once you've trained yourself to fight on land," the icey-blue haired pilot said rather plainly, not really adding much to the conversation. The Neko picked up her glass of wine and took a sip, savoring the flavor of it and placed it back down. There was no blush evident or any signs that the alcohol was having any effect on her.
Masako nodded to Aiko and sat back in her seat, quietly finishing her drink, and would request a refill with orange juice instead of more water and just looked over the remaining Gold Wing members. It seemed like things were starting to wind down here, everyone was quiet so far while she waited for the drink to come back to her. "Mmm..."
At this time, the Geshrin first officer had just finished with a quick shower and dressed back into his uniform, coming out the training bay to join the Shosa. "Well, how about that drink? I guess its Senbu tradition for the winners to buy now, so it's on me," Shizuka offered with a pleased little smile on her face as her amber eyes drifted down to the small burse on his neck, it seemed her bite left behind a little evidence.
“That would be excellent,” Nicholas replied, some agitation still marking his voice, though far less than before. The captain’s plan to “go over the battle in a little more detail” wasn’t what he’d expected it to be, but it had eased his nerves some, letting him relieve some of his frustration. More importantly what had happened in the simulation bay’s observation room let the Taii know more about Shizuka. For the first time, he was truly able to understand that for all of the naivety that he regularly displayed, the Nekovalkyrja Shosa had just as much that she didn’t allow to enter the public eye. “After you, Shizuka,” he offered, smiling as he gestured for her to take the right of way.
END
By this time, the members of the Pride Wing were in their second rounds. A lot of the others retired for the evening, some because they had other things they wanted to attend to, others because they had a large amount of pride to swallow in defeat. This left very few in the bar, it was down to Kuriko, Hiroko, and Masako. They of course had their Gold Wing companions, who seemed to not gloat in the victory, but took it rather plainly. "So, tell me Kuriko-heisho," a slightly inebriated Jack started, leaning close to the Neko, "what's your secret, why did the Shosa put you in charge?"
Kuriko wasn't quite sure if she should take Jack's question as an insult or a genuine desire to know. "Actually, I don't really know my self," Kuriko responded. It wasn't clear if her cheeks were slightly red because she was embarrassed or if it was because of the alcohol that she had been drinking. "I'm not even an infantry trained Neko, I'm a caretaker," Kuriko replied. Lately, Kuriko had been noticing something about her own self. She had been using the fact that she wasn't originally a member of the infantry as a sort of defense. Kuriko mentally chuckled as she realized that it didn't matter anymore what she used to be. She was a caretaker but now, in spite of almost every word from her mouth, she was the leader of Pride Wing.
"What about you, Aisano-heisho. How'd you end up in Gold Wing under Akira-shoi?" Kuriko asked, trying to shift the subject. As usual, use your former occupation as a shield.. .and deflect, the Heisho thought. The sake must be getting to me, Kuriko thought as she realized that she was being more cynical than usual.
Hiroko meanwhile was... sitting there, boredly drinking a very light type of sake, pretending to not exist. Though in some senses she was actually trying to conceive of what it's like to not be. The simulated death had made her wonder... but it's also possible the slight buzz was taking her mind in strange directions. Wretched social expectations. Wretched booze.
"So you were the one who literally tore through the ship?" the Yamataian from the Gold Wing with the red spiky hair asked Hiroko, leaning across the table pointing at her with his drink and staring at her with some disbelief. By now they'd have been introduced, the young Yamataian was Ittô Hei Sasahara Kaito. But he also gave a nickname to be called by – it was Phoenix. It seemed the whole team had call signs and they seemed pretty fitting, considering that the fire-head had been the guy piloting the Death Blossom configured Mindy.
Masako was probably the only one not drinking alcohol, instead favoring water, but kept herself a table apart from the Gold Wing guys and Kuriko out of a sense of social awkwardness. Then she noticed Hiroko kind of sitting there nursing her drink and looking a bit spaced out and reached over to her and nudged her gently. "Hey Hiroko... are you ok?" she asked, concerned for her wing mate.
Hiroko turned suddenly, after imagining what it was like to see yet not see, and blinked at the spiky-haired man... "Aah? Oh... Yes, I was. It was... It was a decision. A fast one. A... a choice of... of..." She blinked again – an unfamiliar voice, something nearby. Something far. Something... No. Masako. That one. "...Oh, yes. I... I am."
"You looked a bit spaced out there for a moment." the blonde Neko said to her friend, examining her with those innocent blue hues. "That's good... that simulation is bothering you still, isn't it?" she asked, taking a shot in the dark. "Don't let it get to you, don't let it get your mind into dark places either; it won't help you in the long run."
Hiroko shook her head. "Maybe it's the sake. It... was an obligation. And I'm not going to stop being upset just... because... ...What's... because I want to, yes."
"So, which pilot were you?" The redhead Yamataian asked as he turned his eyes from Hiroko up to Masako. Of course, it was obvious that his glance paused a moment at her chest, but his eyes did eventually stop on hers. This whole time, though, the other pilot on the team sat quietly beside Phoenix, enjoying a glass of wine and keeping her lips sealed as she observed the conversations.
"Hmm?" Masako looked over at the redhead and blushed in passing, surprised one would even address her. She was used to guys insulting her or putting her down, not being curious. "Oh I was the moron with the giant sword." She sighed. "It was a mistake on my part," Masako said after a moment.
"Heeeee," Kuriko said encouragingly to the Heisho. "He's a really nice guy isn't he?" Kuriko glanced down at the table as she spoke. An uneasy silence fell on the Heisho as she tried to find some way to keep the conversation alive, but in the end she admitted defeat by saying nothing. She heard Hiroko mention she was angry about the simulation, but decided that maybe she'd let the Hei cool for a little bit before talking to he. At least if Kuriko was done being upset with herself by that point, anyway.
"You could say that," Jack said with a sigh as he finished off his Nepleslian whisky before continuing. "To tell you the truth, soldier boy is one of the best COs I've ever seen, no one really knows his reasons. Well... no one except me. But he's a damn good man, a hard to come by sort in this day and age. I'd follow him through hell and high water." Jack flagged the bartender for another drink, placing his glass down on the bar top.
Kuriko lifted her glass and bottomed the remaining 1/3 in several gulps before putting it up on the counter for a refill as well. What attracts people to do something like that? What creates that kind of loyalty? Kuriko wondered silently. Kuriko sat for a few seconds, still thinking before looking back to Jack. "So how lo-" Kuriko's facial expression became contorted right before the Neko spun around to the nearest space that wasn't occupied by anyone and emptied her stomach of just about all that she had eaten, which was very little. The Heisho looked like she might throw up again soon, though it didn't look like there was much else to throw up.
The Yamataian youth pilot nearly dropped his drink as he pulled back in his seat when he heard Masako’s answer. "Eeeeeh!?" he exclaimed as he looked Masako up and down. "You’re the crazy one?!" Phoenix said in surprise as he settled back into his seat and again looked her over once more in disbelief. "You’re relentless!" he said. It was meant to be a complement but it could be taken any way really.
Masako just blushed darker for a moment and smiled at him, flattered a bit. "Well, I was seeking to impress you Gold Wingers and the Shosa," she admitted casually. "I was wondering if I managed to get you and your dragonfly friend with that last little attack I got off on ya before making the mistake of checking out the Yui," she said with a pretty smile, glad that someone appreciated it.
"...you'd do well to heed the Shosa's suggestion, leave those feelings for combat and training," the quiet blue haired Neko pilot commented to Hiroko as she turned her exposed eye to glance back to her drink on the table. Then with the mention of her own part in the combat, Jôtô Hei Miyamoto Aiko, or Ice, as they called her, turned her cold expressionless gaze to Masako. "You were close..."
Hiroko shook her head. Shook it to relieve something. Whatever it was. But then she looked up, speaking unusually candidly for herself. "It's more that it doesn't leave when bidden. I'd rather not feel that way myself. Hrm... I... I must ask, though. What did you... really think of what I had attempted? Ignoring the whole trap business."
Masako glanced over at the Neko pilot and studied her for a moment calmly. "You must've been the one in the dragonfly, right?" she asked after a moment, not wanting to come off as an idiot. The blonde would sip from her glass of water again and tried to force her blush to subside, lest she look dumb again.
"Correct," Aiko responded simply to Masako, her tone naturally curt and cold. But even with all of her frosty exterior, she was one of the most flawless and beautiful Neko on the ship. It was as if she was a special project taken aside by some sort of deity or an artist when she was being created, from her pale soft complexion to her frozen sapphire-like eyes. Nothing was amiss about her, except for her attitude; it was easy to see why she also carried the title of Heart Breaker amongst the powered armor corps on the ship.
Masako nodded to her and brushed her bangs out of her eyes and sighed some, noticing Aiko's seeming loveliness; feeling a little… less-than-herself. "Your timing with the covering fire for your buddy there was flawless," she said. "I'd have had him too if you didn't show when you did."
"It was a good plan, in my opinion!" the Yamataian youth said with a nod to Hiroko, it was obvious he was also a fan of the direct approach, as he was the one who piloted the most heavily-armed armor in the team they’d faced. "But next time, I seriously suggest doing it from the outside. I mean there was nothing inside that you guys needed right? So just blow the whole thing up with the sniper inside!" he stated rather frankly, Phoenix’s volume control seemed to be slipping with each drink, but even with his obnoxiousness, he meant himself in good spirits.
Hiroko slowly nodded at the comment. "Yes... I would have probably done that. Though I'd prefer something better than Aether for destroying an entire ship. But, you should try thinking to be strange some time." She seemed to still have a sort of flat, low tone, but was starting to sound like she felt better. "Cutting new holes rather than going through the ones there, sighting a location through walls for sniping. Be crazy and insane and nobody but your team will know what you're up to."
"You mean like cluster bombing the whole battle field?" Phoenix responded with a wide toothy grin as he crossed his arms over his proud chest. The missile-happy pilot was proud of his handy work, and found that it added a wonderful spice to the situation.
Hiroko tilted her head to the side, and somewhat shrugged. "Maybe, but I was thinking something more along the lines of dropping starship antimatter munitions on strategic points then bathing the rest in PEB fire or something like that."
"Yeah, that's all nice and dandy. But you gotta use with what you got!" Phoenix retorted, feeling a little glory stolen from his idea, like Hiroko wasn't really impressed by him, and it showed plainly on his face. He waved an arm up at one of the waiters and ordered up another pint by making gestures to his empty glass.
Hiroko shook her head, wondering just what the man was going for... She wasn't even really thinking that he was trying to impress her! She knew it would happen, but couldn't see it. In this case, it seemed she had just thought he was very enthusiastic... So with the same tone, she replied, standing up. "I guess. We do what we do because we are good at it... That mission could have been done cleanly... Hrrrm. Nice to meet you, but I'm tired now..." And just like that, she walked off – not much for anything else of a send-off. It didn't help that she got even more muted when she was drunk, but... she seemed to not be very expressive around him – or her wing mates. She herself was beginning to find this strange...
"Alright miss, I think it's time you get back to your quarters. You had a little too much for one night," the sandy blonde haired Heisho said to Kuriko as he went about picking up the smaller, sickly Heisho under the legs and back. He was quite strong – it was evident as he seemed to have easily slipped her into his arms with little effort. "Just attach the drinks to my tab; I'll pick it up later," Jack said to the bartender as he made his way out with the half naked Neko still wrapped in his jacket.
Way to go. Kuriko thought cynically again, still affected by the alcohol a little. The Heisho just decided to lay there in Jack's coat and let him do the walking since she wasn't really in much of a position to do so herself. "Arigatou," Kuriko said to the other Heisho as he carried her. Kuriko had found her current situation to be a little... awkward, but there wasn't much she could do about it now. For a little bit the Heisho buried herself with the task of watching the ceiling tiles fly by, or rather slide slowly by. They weren't particularly interesting either. They were all gray, the same dimensions, and all of them were identical. Kuriko pondered counting the tiles, but decided that if she wanted to get to sleep that would be a good idea, but sleeping would only add further to her embarrassment now. "How long has Gold Wing been together?" Kuriko asked.
The flawless, icy Aiko stared at Masako a moment, evaluating her statement for it's worth. Then she responded to her in the same simple tone. "It was the Shosa's strategy; I simply followed my orders to the best of my ability." Then she turned back to glance out into the room, her eyes catching on the two Heisho leaving the lounge. The pilot's expression showed a tinge of interest, only because she was intrigued to where the situation would lead the two NCOs.
Masako just thought about it for a moment and sipped her drink again, her blue eyes watching Aiko for a moment. "I see, well it paid off," she said and glanced over her shoulder at the departing duo. "Maybe next time I'll get ya," she said. She's so pretty... much more so then me... Masako thought as she continued to drink the clear beverage. She didn't care too much what Kuriko and the blonde did, that was between them; not like she'd ever know that.
Aiko's exposed eye would stay locked on to the two Heisho until they left, then her gaze would return to Masako. "After adequate training, battle experience and better utilization of your weaponry, I'm sure you'll be able to. We may be experienced, but we are mortals just like you..." Ice's comment came out as a complement, and it seemed that she meant it. There must have been some sort of inner turmoil for her philosophy though. After all, the tail end of her sentence seemed almost grim.
Masako shook herself out of her self-doubt and looked at Aiko again and perked a brow. "Well you're right. I've just been stationed on planetary bases for a while, so fighting in the 360 sphere of space still throws me for a loop," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "But thanks. It helps." Masako grinned at her a bit. She picked up on the odd tail end of that last sentence, and it made her perk her brow at that, giving it some thought.
Jack wandered the halls towards Kuriko's quarters, nodding a hello and countering any awkward glances with unimpressed ones. He was a rather gentlemanly character even for one with such roguish features and charm "Well, as far as I know, the squadron has been in service for about five years now and seen its fair share of wars and whatnot. I got joined up when the rains were handed over to the Shoi. I didn't become his second until we got the promotions and transfer to this ship. Though, there's not many of us left, the entire squad has been replaced thanks to the squiddies’ attack on the Teppen." The Heisho didn't seem too beat-up over the subject; it was to show that it was strictly business with him. To him, that was the best way of getting by.
Kuriko liked the sound of Jack's voice. She could feel his chest vibrate as he spoke, and for some reason, it made her feel happier, safer even. Between the Heisho's voice, and the passing ceiling tiles above her there was a kind of hypnotic effect that the slightly drunken Kuriko felt weighing down on her. By the time Jack even reached deck 19, Kuriko had fallen asleep in his arms, peacefully resting.
With a small nod, Aiko confirmed what Masako was saying. "Indeed, the dynamics of space combat are a little harder to grasp once you've trained yourself to fight on land," the icey-blue haired pilot said rather plainly, not really adding much to the conversation. The Neko picked up her glass of wine and took a sip, savoring the flavor of it and placed it back down. There was no blush evident or any signs that the alcohol was having any effect on her.
Masako nodded to Aiko and sat back in her seat, quietly finishing her drink, and would request a refill with orange juice instead of more water and just looked over the remaining Gold Wing members. It seemed like things were starting to wind down here, everyone was quiet so far while she waited for the drink to come back to her. "Mmm..."
At this time, the Geshrin first officer had just finished with a quick shower and dressed back into his uniform, coming out the training bay to join the Shosa. "Well, how about that drink? I guess its Senbu tradition for the winners to buy now, so it's on me," Shizuka offered with a pleased little smile on her face as her amber eyes drifted down to the small burse on his neck, it seemed her bite left behind a little evidence.
“That would be excellent,” Nicholas replied, some agitation still marking his voice, though far less than before. The captain’s plan to “go over the battle in a little more detail” wasn’t what he’d expected it to be, but it had eased his nerves some, letting him relieve some of his frustration. More importantly what had happened in the simulation bay’s observation room let the Taii know more about Shizuka. For the first time, he was truly able to understand that for all of the naivety that he regularly displayed, the Nekovalkyrja Shosa had just as much that she didn’t allow to enter the public eye. “After you, Shizuka,” he offered, smiling as he gestured for her to take the right of way.
END
