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RP: Cirrus Station [Episode 9] The Silver Lining

"That, Morris, is the culmination of drawing of myself, and a representational capture of Tweak's dance. All was done while you were under the influence of multiple substances." reported the Doctor to satisfy that part of Blale's curiosity. He gestured him over towards the wall and had the both of them take up less space in the walk-way. "As for the story, we're going back to Squad 35's first encounter with Yu-Cranker. Originally it was supposed to be a business deal between Cassefin and the resource company. But, that was just a set-up. Yu-Cranker staged a pirate attack on the facility and used their Uniques to gun anyone deemed a threat down. Captain Bell did not discriminate. A lot of civilians died by the guns of the Uniques, and we nearly lost our lives in turn. The tragedy left a deep scar in a lot of the people who were there that day, a lot don't want to recall the details."

Kokuten leaned forward a little closer, providing more of a whisper this time.

"Do not breath a word of this to anyone, and especially do not speak to the rest of the squad about it. This story is for your benefit only. Cassefin took an official report instead of the true story, so anyone else who hears this will consider it untrue. And, like I said, The rest of squad just wants to forget what happened." The Captain tilted his head, rolling his chin on his collarbone as he gave Blake an expecting eye. "Is there anything else you want to know? Our vacation is supposed to stay off work, so I wouldn't mind clearing up any more work-related concerns."
 
"Well. About that." Max sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't actually know any of them all that well. We just met because they recognized my uniform, so..." That said, he stepped forward, since he was already here. "I'm sorry, but I didn't happen to catch your name earlier. Would you mind telling me what it is?" He wasn't quite sure why the barista had needed him in here at all, to be honest, but he might as well help, since the other squad's leader had asked him to.
 
Oh yeah. While Tweak had a feeling her name had been mentioned earlier, formal introductions hadn't taken place. She took a breath -- one that was not a sigh -- and then looked up at the two in the doorway to the restroom while trying to smile.

"I'm Tweak."
 
"Oh, that's cool!" said the barista getting a sudden grip on the situation now that she knew Tweak's name. She stepped up next to Max and nodded her head at the Freespacer. "Alright, whats-his-face-the-bald-guy walked out of the coffee shop, so you can come out of here now. Oh! I don't think you're a dirty ho anymore." said the coffee girl with a pair of apologetic hands up in the air. "Your buddy here, and apparently your boss, don't think you're a dirty ho either! So everything is fine!"

With that hanging air, she looked up at Max and then back at Tweak.

"Right?"
 
"I never even realized there was a problem, to be honest. Your captain said it was all just a misunderstanding though, Tweak, so I'd guess that the problem was in perception, not meaning." Max shrugged, glancing back at the barista. "Either way though, he intends to leave right about now, I believe, and he wanted me to make sure we kept up with him."
 
There was nothing to say to that. The barista was trying to be nice (at least, Tweak was trying to believe that she was) while possibly being nervous about something. Even so, Tweak had managed to calm down before the barista and Max arrived and what the coffee lady said threatened to break that achievement.

Strike that. Achievement broken.

The blood rushed back to Tweak's face and she crouched on the floor, still leaning against the wall as she hugged her knees without balancing on her toes to avoid sitting down.

Why did she have to be so blunt about it?!

Great. Not only was her face burning, but her hidden ears were heating up as well and the heat was being contained by her knit cap and the hoodie's hood. Tweak felt some of the hidden vents featured by her particular variation of the neko species open a little more than normal as her body attempted to release the excess heat via its passive heat sink arrangement, something that was very unlikely to be noticed. The ambient temperature did, however, rise a degree or two over the next couple seconds, but thankfully not much higher.

"I-I-I'll be fine. Just give me a minute," the 'Spacer neko managed to get out before withdrawing her attention to try calming down again. "One minute."

((OOC: See this link. The heat sinks being used are the diagonal lines seen on the outer surface of the thighs.))
 
"See? She's gunna come out soon." said the barista, looking up at Max questioningly. The Coffee girl fiddled with her fingers for a moment before letting out a sharp exhale. "I think we're good here, right? She looks like she'll be fine... If looking like she's on a mental breakdown is fine." Her eyes shifted towards Tweak, before she fanned her face. "Do all Spacer's act so--... Did someone touch the thermostat?"
 
Blake regarded Kokuten briefly over his painting. He spent most of the exposition looking at it. He was not really sure how to take it. After all, he was sure that Kokuten was not keen to share this with him before. Yet he still felt bothered by something. "Captain, do you have any orders for me at this moment, from uh, a professional point-of-view?" He'd made a fool of himself more than once, and failure seemed to be coming more naturally than usual to him. He wasn't really sure what to do next.

"It's just that... I'm not really sure what to do next." He added, a weak smile drawing across his features.
 
As Kokuten and Blake stood off to the side of the swirling crowds amidst oceanic scenery near the stairwell, two figures emerged and began to thin out, away from the hustling masses. Cassefin Montreal, still clad in her impressively gussied get-up, approached the two gentlemen while being escorted by the elderly attendant, Wilburt Weathersby. Upon taking notice of both Kokuten and Blake, Cassefin turned to the butler and nodded in thanks.

"Here they are ma'am. The others are still in the coffee shop and I've informed the rest around the establishment of your request. Will there be anything else, ma'am?" Mr. Weathersby asked, accompanied by a short bow. "No thank you," Cassefin replied in gratitude. Weathersby nodded once more before striding, head high, back into the crowds.

Once the elderly gentleman had left, the red-haired administrator turned back to her two subordinates and gave them a passive stare. Her cheeks were a little red, upon closer inspection... a common occurrence when she was angry or frustrated, but at the moment seemed to be neither. Cassefin cleared her throat and drew in a breath, signifying her act of addressing them, however she stalled her speech for a moment or two, instead letting the drawn air in her lungs sluggishly roll out into a sigh. Exchanging glances between the two, Cassefin idly rubbed her forearms for another silent moment.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Cassefin stated flatly, not sounding sorry, per say, but rather placid in tone. Upon speaking, however, the woman raised a hand to her face and rubbed at her eyes in a state of slight agitation. It was apparently unknown as to just what about the conversation was bothering her.

"Would you two mind directing me to this coffee place you all were previously in? I would like to talk to everyone, if at all possible."
 
"Ah, Administrator Montreal." said Kokuten, nodding his head in Cassefin's direction. He gave her a smile as she came up. The Captain patted Blake on the shoulder, turning his attention to him before he spoke, "Morris, you do what you want, but I'd suggest getting comfortable on the couch. I'm going to go fetch Tweak and our new friend." Before walking off, he gave Morris another pat and pointed towards the BADASS BEANS coffee shop, giving his attention back to Cassefin. "Just this way, we were having a little coffee break before you came along. If you'll excuse me, I'll gather the rest."

He hustled ahead, side-stepping one of the Boonesque baristae and walking over to the women's bathroom. He gave a firm knock before cracking the door open and sounding an authoritative voice into the restroom. "Tweak, Cassefin needs you out here."

The coffee girl spun around towards the door just in time to see it close back when Kokuten finished. "Eh... Who's Cassefin?" she said in a questioning tone.
 
Max spun around at Kokuten's statement, a bit of fear on his face. FFFFFFFFFFF. He put his hand over his face, and slowed his breathing slowly, really not sure what to do. He said she wants to see Tweak, not me, so does that mean she doesn't know I'm here yet? Or does it just mean that she is assuming I'll come with? He put his hand down, face clear again. "Cassefin is... the head Administrator of the facility the group of us work at. And pretty much their group's direct boss." He turned to Tweak, offering her his arm. "And if she wants something out of us, she gets it, so we might as well get it over with."
 
Blake nodded to Kokuten and followed him into the coffee shop, as far as the leather couch where he'd been seated before. He took his former spot and replaced Evan on his lap. Hotohori was nowhere in sight.

He continued smoking his cigarette as he watched Cassefin from afar. She looked troubled, and she didn't have the confident bitchiness that usually floated around her in the air. This bothered the young artist. He stamped out his cigarette with a sideways frown as he contemplated what Kokuten had just told him, thoughts bubbling into worries bubbling into tiny little fears that eroded his confidence. He felt that he'd ruined his vacation, not only for himself, but for Tweak and the Captain as well. And now Administrator Montreal was here, and she was going to snatch them up and make them do something important, and probably scary.

And it was all his fault... somehow.
 
Just thirty more seconds. It wouldn't be a full minute, but...

Oh, nevermind. With two people standing around waiting for her, Tweak couldn't get back to "calm" if she had a roadmap now, so replacing one worry with another would have to do. The team hadn't had a chance to find something for the Administrator to explain Max's presence, so the most they might hope for now was that she would go easy on him.

The 'Spacer neko's temperature returned to merely slightly-above-normal and the vents closed, but the heat lingered in the room. Sighing, Tweak looked up and saw Max offering his arm. She hesitated, unsure what he expected. The gesture seemed overly-familiar too, so she stood on her own then looked over at the barista, then gave a brief bow of her head.

"Thank you." Their attempts may have been more sabotage than aid, but Tweak knew they had meant well and neither the barista or Max really had to try talking her out, so the thanks felt appropriate. Tweak then looked from Max to the restroom door and back; the room was too narrow for her to slip by both Max and the barista without being uncomfortably near one or both of them. Speaking of close, if Cassefin was there maybe Claire was with her...it already felt like ages since Tweak had left the clothing store and she was curious what had gone on between Cass, Popjoy, Claire, and the Yu-Cranker trio.
 
THUD.

The sound of something heavy landing on the floor of the stairway echoed through the level. Swiftly following it strode an ID-Sol, his suit from before seeming slightly dustier and topped off with a floor length leather jacket and a cowboy-style hat. He moved the cigar in his mouth to the other side of his jaw and puffed out a ring of smoke, taking in the lay of the land.

Or, at least, that's what it seemed at first. When Stovaa took a step forward and visibly wobbled, it became obvious he was being badass and mysterious, he was just drunk. He'd spent his time in bars, casinos and women and had decided the last two flights of stairs where too boring for him, so had vaulted the railing and dropped down. He nodded to the rest of the team when he saw them before sauntering up and sitting down on a neighbouring table, tried to flag down a barista and leant back so he could talk to the team. He was wearing sunglasses with the pricetag still attached to the frames and his words were slightly slurred.

"Sorry i'm a bit late, had an appointment with hedonism. Killed my liver, got a few phone numbers and I'm up a bit of money. When I sober up enough to count, I'll know how much" he paused and tried to wave a barista down again. "What's Cassie got for us this time?"
 
When Blake and Kokuten trailed off after entering the establishment, Cassefin stood in the entryway and glanced around for a moment, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it slowly through her lips. She watched as Kokuten went to gather Tweak, and witnessed Stovaa walk past her as she stepped out of the doorway. A quick glance around the coffee shop also made it quite clear that she knew of Maximilian's presence as her eyes lingered on him quite intently for several seconds before looking off to the rest. Although there were a small handful of other patrons in the establishment, Cassefin didn't seem to mind them too much.

After she was sure that no one else was going to arrive, Cassefin cleared her throat loudly to garner the attention of her subordinates. "If we all could, ah, have a seat over here with Noboru..." Cassefin motioned over to where Maximilian was cowering, despite Noboru himself being nowhere in sight. The mistake of identity seemed somewhat misplaced on the normally perceptive Head Administrator, as was her unceremonious stumble on her stylish red heel as she made her way to the table. Ms. Montreal composed herself quickly, of course, tugging at her red cocktail dress and regaining her composure before taking a seat at Max's table.
 
Kokuten brought himself back towards the table they had sat at last. The Captain took a seat, right next to Cassefin. He looked towards Noboru, eying Max closely before he looked back at his boss. The Doctor drummed his fingers on his knees a bit before finally asking a question.

"Are you alright, Administrator Montreal? You seem unsettled." asked the Captain, a little concern flashing over his face. Though, he came to a realization that he was surprised he had not realized before. "Where are Administrator Popjoy and Claire? They didn't lose you, did they? Or were they too much?" He tried to play that one off with a light chuckle, hoping to revert the strangely dour atmosphere here. Though, he knew from experience that Cassefin was too serious a woman to let anything make her mood turn positive... Unless one was flattering her, then that depended on just how unsettled and serious the situation was.

And what in the name of Robert Davis happened to Stovaa? Kokuten thought, catching a glimpse of the drunk, cowboy-behemoth. His eyes widened at the mans amazing entrance.
 
It took a little maneuvering, but Tweak had gotten by Max and the barista with a minimum of discomfort, walking back out to the lobby and the table they had been gathered at to start with.

Tweak did a mental double-take. A quick query confirmed that not only was this "Noboru" not there in the room, but, according to Tweak's files, he was three inches shorter than Mr. Keno, twenty-nine pounds heavier, and had a marked difference between their hair colors and styles. As her captain voiced his concerns about Cassefin's behavior, Tweak made her way back to the seat she had occupied at the start of their time in the cafe.

The 'Spacer neko kept from frowning as she glanced around, looking for Administrator Popjoy and Claire who were both notably absent from the gathering. Stovaa, however, arrived and appeared none the worse for wear. It seemed that he had made the most of the alcohol supply and his funds over the past forty-five minutes or so since the group had left their shuttle. As she observed her squadmates' behavior and listened to Kokuten and Montreal, Tweak felt a growing unease in her gut. Morris' recent mishap aside, something was wrong. Given what she knew of what it would take to disturb the usually forceful and accurate station administrator to the point of making her inattentive to who was around her, Tweak felt she had reason to worry.
 
Finding a small bit of triumph having planted herself onto her seat, Cassefin gave a short indignant huff at Kokuten's questions, puffing out her reddened cheeks. "What's wrong, already missing your lovely friends Purina and Claire? I've already talked to the both of them," Cassefin explained, her regular attitude peeking out from behind the haze of her previous soured mood. The young scientist turned her head and thrust her chin upward. "And for your information, Chiaki, I have not had a drink for several months, so my unsettled appearance is quite normal," the fiery red-head snapped, revealed a reason for her flushed face beyond the usual inappropriately volatile attitude.
 
There we go, the biting tongue of Cassefin Montreal surfaced to strike. That was a quick snap, too. He felt the tension rise between them, and made another inch between them as a result, but this time turned more attentively to the woman. His usually green eyes turned a more darkened green, before lighting up. No wonder she seemed so... off. The Captain simply smiled and raised his hands.

"Ah, excuse me, Administrator, I didn't mean to sour your mood." he said gently, with a hint of apology. His eyes then turned and orange color, giving a warmer color to his face. He felt a little mirth, likely brought by the offset of personalities, a chuckle escaping his lips, "Does this mean I can't count you as one of my precious friends, too?"
 
"Tch! Friend..." Cassefin mumbled, starting to give the notion of another one of her classic biting remarks before unceremoniously halting herself mid-sentence. She glanced around the table at the small group of employees, brow furrowed furiously. However, as her vibrant red eyes circled the table, Cassefin uncrossed her arms and heaved a sigh as she entwined her hands together and rested her elbows on the table. "Alright... I didn't come here to argue with you all, I came to... ask for a favor," Cassefin admitted, her demeanor softening back into a peaceful, slightly stressed expression. She drew in another breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she released it, slowly and quietly, glancing down at the table as she began to speak again.

"But before I ask, I just want to say something to... well, to everyone," Cassefin continued on. What she wanted to talk about must have been somewhat troubling, as she could not seem to really match the gaze of anyone else around the table, instead apparently finding the empty space around the cafe to be a more comfortable target for her. Her uncomfortable pauses and stutters between sentences made it quite apparent of either her incoherency due to alcohol, or perhaps the slight nervousness the words themselves garnered.

"I... ah... I realize that sometimes you all may not think that I or the other administrators take notice to your work on the Cirrus, or appreciate your efforts. I mean, I know Popjoy is on very good terms with all of you... and Peke... and Colonel Vanderhuge... most of the Savtechs seem to like you all as well," Cassefin started to list, clearing her throat after she herself realized how long the actual list would be if she took the time to name them all. "But, I want you all to know that we... that I do notice, and I do appreciate all that you do for the Cirrus. I know that your job is not easy all the time, and I know that I... usually do not go out of my way to make it any simpler a task... and I, umm, I don't try to make things difficult for you. In fact, I try very hard to... well..."

"I just want to... thank you all for what you've done so far for the Cirrus, and for me," Cassefin managed to push to the point of her rather awkward speech, removing her elbows from the table top and leaning back into her chair, wrists resting on the table's edge. "If it were not for your efforts, I'm certain I would not be sitting here. You all may not realize just how helpful your dedication is to the Cirrus and the people aboard, a-and you should! Because the Cirrus is very... important to me, and means a lot to me, and you all are doing a great service to me by keeping it safe," Cassefin's eyes softened upon speaking the last sentence. It appeared to be very sincere; the Cirrus did mean a lot to Cassefin, judging from her demeanor in mentioning the station itself.

"Each of you, in your own ways, has done something the help the Cirrus," the red-haired Administrator turned her head, giving her first glances to each person around the table. "And I owe each of you a great many thanks, as well as the others who are no longer with Squad 35. Tweak... I owe you a more personal thanks as well," Cassefin called on Tweak, looking over to her from across the table. "If you and Deacon had not intervened, I'm sure the fiasco on Prilisa IV would have left me with more than a slight arm fracture," she mused grimly, rubbing her left forearm as though the memory of her injury was still fresh in her head, despite the months that had passed since the event. "Not only that, but your skill and determination in your work has me indebted to you... I don't mean to single you out, and I do not wish to have favorites for the sake of the rest of the CSS, but you have been a very important asset to me and the Cirrus. And... well... I just hope you continue to do your best."

"I want you all to know all of this, and continue to do your best," Cassefin turned back to everyone else. "Because I'm not the only one relying on you to keep everyone safe... but I am the one who values the safety of everyone on the Cirrus the most. Even if it... doesn't seem like it all the time..."
 
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