RP: 5th Fleet [Fifth Fleet] Pisces in Passing

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

It was now obvious, that after a certain point, Sif simply ceased to hear the Abwehran woman when she was speaking earlier.

"I see," she flatly spoke, the little Neko's face an expressionless veil. "I had misheard you, nothing more, and will accept your offer," Sif added. Once again, her voice was calm, but not unnaturally so as it was earlier. This time, it carried the feeling of relaxation and unconcern. She merely flicked an ear at her subordinate after having addressed Fieke first, rather than her. The way it moved, it was as though a hand had gestured - Silence. When another recruit approached the rapidly growing group however, she had only a pair of simple words to say. "Yet another."

It was obvious that she wasn't pleased with this batch of newcomers. Not in the slightest perhaps.

*****

@Headsman's Alley

As Anzu perused the wares alone in the shop, she came to realize that in general, the store didn't have any larger blades. There were no short swords or the ubiquitous Katana of Yamatai. Perhaps, for the briefest of moments she did worry that what she sought wasn't there, but that was entirely up to speculation. The Nekovalkyrja's eyes eventually settled on a case of several machetes however - they ranged from crafted carbon steel to mass produced stamped and pressed stainless steel. It was obvious which ones were likely made here, or elsewhere.

"Do you vish for one in case?" one of the voices from before asked the Neko from behind.

Behind her stood a dark haired woman roughly a head and a half taller than Anzu. Her height, combined with strong build and black, short cropped hair, made the way she looked down on the Neko rather intimidating. And looking at the way her soot covered apron was closely fastened to her body? Most Neko would merely shrink from envy at this woman's form! But of course, this wasn't her most peculiar feature - a pair of small, almost vestigial wings lazily draped her shoulders.

She looked down on Anzu intently. Before yet another voice spoke up.

"You know, you'd get a better response right away if you walked in front of them and behind the counter they're looking at like this," a young man commented, doing just that. A Nepleslian with neatly combed brown hair and matching eyes was standing in front of her, and as he said, behind the counter Anzu had looked upon. Just as the other woman was, he too was taller than the Nekovalkyrja, though, only by perhaps half a head.

Either way, it felt awkward - until he warmly smiled at her.

"So, what can we help you with?" he asked, hefting an oddly curved knife with heavy head in his hands. "The name's Joshua by the way, and that's Kat'Yusha Lmanel - don't let her scare you. She's still working out the kinks in her Yamataian," he winked. This immediately drew a glare from the young Lorath woman, which he seemed to relish. It was obvious already - the Nepleslian was using Anzu to tease her!

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Headsman's Alley

Anzu had her grubby hands all over the glass case, her nose nearly smushed against it as she peered inside. These were just what she'd been looking for! She noticed someone approaching just before the Lorath spoke up, leaning back from the case and turning to respond. Simo was more than used to looking up at people. Almost everyone was taller than her, even other Neko. It didn't bother her, she just had to work a bit harder to chop down the big trees. The fall was always worth it, though.

Before she could say anything, the second worker appeared. This was more like what she'd been expecting. Anzu grinned at the blade the man displayed, the smirk widening as she realized he was purposefully teasing the woman. "Scare me? Naw, no worries there. She seems kinda outta place here, though." She glanced back at the Lorath for quick moment. "Maybe she could get a job babysittin' Neko fresh out of the tubes? They're a bit jumpy, so they look for the comforting, non-threatening types. Their language skills aren't so sharp then, either...but the newbies could still teach her a thing or two."

Anzu made sure the Lorath couldn't catch the wide grin she was giving Joshua. "Anyway, what you got there looks about right! I run into a lot of brush and vines I need to hack up. Arms and legs too sometimes. Got something like that, just a little heavier? Gotta be tough enough for some harsh treatment."

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

The way Sif spoke felt somewhat familiar to Zozo, yet he could not explain why. It didn't matter though as he had other worries to be concern over at the moment. A fight between the two girls was about to break out and he would of started panicking trying to stop them but thankfully April stepped in and cleared any misunderstandings.

Before Zozo could feel relived over that near miss of a cat fight and safely join the conversation again, Kai's words caught his full attention. To think he had nearly forgotten why he came to this station.

"Ah Um. Yes, I'm ready." The Elysian spoke as he stood up from his seat. "Just..." he added hesitantly, remembering he had yet to touch the drink he had ordered. After quickly guzzling down his drink he doubled checked his things and then hurried over to Aya's side.

"Hello, I'm Zosimos Zoroaster, but Zozo's just fine." He greeted the girl, a bit flustered. In the back of his head he started to wonder how many times he had already introduced himself today.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

The Juni seemed to be the center of attention for the moment, and it didn't exactly suit him. However, nobody would really notice- his face was a mask of impassive observation. He nodded as Damien addressed him, and handed over his orders, the Warrant Officer looked them over and handed them back. "You should join Zoroaster and Miyamoto, they are both about to head down to the nearest branch."

Kai's attention seemed to finally no longer be in demand as the Elysian and the Neko began to introduce themselves to one another. "Perhaps Nishizaki, Jackson and I can get back to our R&R..." The tall Yamataian man muttered to himself, walking back toward the table outside the Cafe where he noticed April standing between Sif and that Abwehran woman from before.

"Did I miss something?" he asked, looking at the three before him. April just waved one of her hands dismissively and took her seat again, grabbing her cup of Coffee.
"Just Sif again" the blonde muttered, shrugging as she took a sip of the caffeinated beverage.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

The young Lorath woman's eyes narrowed at Anzu's words as she remained silent, soon sulking away to lean against one of the larger cases.

Despite this tension, noticed by the Neko or not, the Nepleslian quickly nodded to 'Kat' before smiling at Anzu. "Yeah, I can fab one for you real quick - I just saw one of these not too long ago, and thought I'd give making one of these a go the old fashioned way," he explained to her. The young man laid the forged and hammered weapon onto the counter for her to examine. Though obviously crude in how it was made, with its pounded finish and hastily made wood grip, the quality of its steel and sharpness of its edge was still quite good. "This one's nothing fancy since I was just messing around, but, I'd definitely be willing to make a custom for my first sale of these 'Kukri'," Josh added eagerly.

"If you like the balance and feel, and decide you want one, just look around at the other knives on display - pick out the features you want like grips and finishes, and I'll do the rest." Cracking his knuckles, the charming Nepleslian cracked another smile.

"Ten minutes, tops," he grinned. The Lorath rolled her eyes.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Headsman's Alley

Anzu eagerly hefted up the weapon, weighing it in her hand. She made sure nobody was nearby before giving it a half-hearted test swing. The Neko nodded, still grinning. "Pretty impressive, for doin' it by hand! Most people wouldn't bother...but, uh, I guess most people don't run a knife shop." She giggled, before setting the knife back onto the counter.

"It just needs to be about 20% bigger. You know, heavier..." She rubbed the hand that had held the weapon. "Don't want any splinters. So, you know, a rubbery grip...something that won't get soggy or rot. All black, non-reflective." She nodded, noticing several other weapons in the store that had similar properties, feeling certain this would be easy to accomplish.

Simo didn't want to forget the other thing she'd decided on. "Oh! And one of the trench knives. I uh...that one. Or maybe that one..." She liked how wicked they looked, but didn't want to pick one so impractical that she'd just end up hurting herself. Anzu left the case behind, moving towards the knives she'd pointed out. "Maybe I should handle one or two and see how they feel...unless you've got a suggestion?" She looked back up at Joshua, glancing at his fellow worker where she sulked.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Aya had to contain a giggle as Zozo chugged his drink, though she managed to regain her composure in time to respond to the Elysian's introduction. Though her expression still betrayed a measure of amusement, she nodded and said, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Aya Miyamoto."

He seemed decent enough, at any rate. Hopefully it'd make the process of finding out where she was assigned less painful (not that she was expecting it to be torturous). She tentatively started to move in the direction Kai had indicated, and added, "I guess we'd better get going, right?"

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Damien took his orders back from Kai and looked to the soldiers behind him. Damien figured the two must be the other soldiers he was referring too by seeing their ranks. Damien walked over just as Aya introduced herself.

"Hello, sorry to interrupt, I am Damien Zhang, a new Fifth Fleet recruit. I take it that you are Zoroaster and Miyamoto? The Juni over there directed me to come with you guys to the Fifth Fleet processing station. I hope you don't mind if I tag along..." Damien said with a bit of reservation.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Josh quickly whipped out a notepad and jotted down what Anzu demanded. "Bigger, heavier. 'Bout twenty percent - and something like rubber?" He looked up from his paper pad at her for a brief moment. It was an odd, almost archaic thing to see, but the thing seemed to work well enough. "Something that won't slip or rot. Ok." As he was finishing up, 'Kat' again moved in, this time opening one of the cases.

Out of it, the tall young woman drew a few select trench knives and laid them on the table - it was inherently obvious that she was being particularly picky about which ones she was choosing. Joshua looked up at her in confusion for a moment as she backed off again and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms - he quickly took up the pace though. "Alright, looks like she got us a few interesting ones." He started with a 'normal' looking one. "This one here's got a straight, double edged blade and a sturdy, studded handguard - synthetic leather washers for the grip by the way," he quickly added. "Nice, general purpose, with a small serrated area for wire or rope cutting at the lower back edge. Stab or slash, it can do both."

Reaching over to the next, he felt a finger along the metal rod. "This one's got a brass knuckle style grip, but, you'll notice the 'blade' isn't really a blade at all." He was right about that - it was a triangular metal shaft that came to a sharp point. "This one's all about stabbing, and stabbing fast, again and again - unlike normal knives, chances are, it'll never get stuck, and is even better at the bashing thanks to the knuckle duster style grip." Joshua laid that down, and went to the third and final one his friend had put out.

It was simply best described as a pair of brass knuckles that got an upgrade. A very sharp, pointy upgrade. "A push type trench knife. Just start punching them - nothing's more natural than punching," he smiled at her. "You know what I mean, right? Just like the last one, it's got a pig sticker type business end, but the key with this is that it's even faster and more intuitive for some." He turned to briefly look at Kat, who merely shrugged, one of the small, vestigial wings draping her shoulders flapping ever so slightly.

"She more or less showed you the three archetypes of 'trench knives'," the young Nepleslian explained to Anzu. "But yeah, go ahead and give 'em a go - see what you like." He pointed towards a rather sad, worn, battle scarred looking dummy standing conspicuously in the middle of the shop. "Go ahead, knock yourself out!"

"Not literally," the Lorath darkly added, rolling her eyes.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Anzu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when Joshua resorted to pad and paper to jot down notes. He must really prefer working with his hands, which she could respect, even if it seemed a bit out of place in this day and age. She didn't comment, though, distracted as Kat began removing items for inspection. She listened and nodded as Joshua went over each weapon in detail, admiring the tools and appreciating the variety of alternate takes on one specific theme.

She snorted at the Lorath's comment. "Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doin'. Hmph." Simo gestured to the first knife. "I think this is the kind I'm lookin' for. Simple, multi-purpose, reliable. Not too flashy. I like the brass knuckles and little spike on the end that one's got, though." She pointed to the second one he'd shown off, now. "Got one somewhere in between?" She turned to look at the case, hoping to find a proper example. "I don't wanna send you into the back to make a new one of these, too...can't risk taking something showy into the field and having it rot or rust on me, though."

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

"Ah. Hello, Sir Damien." Zozo spoke, offering his hand to the man. He was glad Damien had already knew his name, since having to say his own name so many times felt a little dumb. "I certain don't mind. The more they merrier they say. Isn't that right, Miss Aya?" the Elysian added, happy to have more company to make this short trip more enjoyable. It certainly would be a good chance for him to learn more about Yamataian life style.

"If you'd please." Zozo requested, politely bowing and gesturing forward, allowing either of the two to take the lead before him. Once under way he would continue the conversation by asking, "If it wouldn't be a bother, may I ask where the two of you are from?"

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Joshua snorted. "We're in a store that sells nothing but knives and handguns - of course we got that!" he replied with an amused grin.

Walking a single glass case down, he opened up the back and pulled out exactly what was asked as the Lorath casually scooped up the notepad from the table and walked into the back. The weapon Josh handed to Anzu was both sleek and brutal all at once. It also happened that the black coating didn't gleam in the light. "Non-reflective coated, full tang pigsticker with a lightweight and sturdy durandium construction so it won't rust," he started to explain.

"The knuckleduster is thick and sturdy for repeated blows, but at the same time is well fitted to your hands - it won't slip either, since the metal has a nice matte finish to it that won't abrade your hands either." As the Nepleslian spoke however, he started searching around the odds and ends on display at the counter top for something. "Oh - the pig-sticker's tip has got a little rubber stop on it right now since it's mono-molecular too, so be careful with that. Touch it and you'll bleed," he hastily added, looking up from under a pile of handgun magazines.

"Now where did put that notepad?" Joshua murmured.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Anzu giggled at his reaction. "Oops. Sorry. I should've guessed." As he moved to pull the latest blade out of the case, her eyes lit up. "That's it! The perfect one!" She happily scooped up the weapon as he described it, wiggling her fingers into the knuckle grip. "Just the right size..." She was suitably impressed, although she had a feeling short Neko were a sizable portion of his client base.

When Joshua pointed out the protected tip, she couldn't help but poke at the rubber stopper. "Just the way I like it. Oh, I guess I'll need sheathes for both of these, too..." She blinked, as the salesman searched for the notepad. "Eh?" Anzu had been distracted by the knife she was currently holding, and hadn't noticed the Lorath swooping in to sweep up the notepad. Glancing around, she did realize the other worker had left at some point.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

"Sure, go right on ahead!" said Aya, trying to reassure the third newcomer. Nodding toward her Elysian companion, she added, "You can say that again, Zozo."

Taking the opportunity offered by her fellow recruit, Aya started walking. Her lips pursed in thought as Zozo asked where she was from. "Well, you see, I'm still very new - I was created in a Star Army facility approximately 110 days ago. Which one? That'd be telling, wouldn't it?" She gave a wink as she finished speaking. "How about you? I'm sure you've got more interesting things to say about your past than I do."

Despite her request, she also kept a listen out for Damien's answer - she was genuinely interested in hearing his response as well.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

"Oh - they're right over there," the Nepleslian pointed.

Several tables were laden with boxes of numerous different holsters for both knife and pistol alike, as well as a myriad of strap types to go with them. Not all were packed neatly into boxes however, and were stored on clothes hangars to more proudly display the wares. "Yeah - go ahead and check them out, I'll be with you in a sec." At that, he futilely continued his search before deciding to ask.

"Hey! Kat! Did you see my notepad anywh - " The sound of screeching metal and flying sparks flooded into the store, and just as quickly was gone, a hatch slamming into place to mark its departure. Rapidly blinking away his surprise, Josh quickly walked back over to Anzu. "You'll have your new Kukri shortly," he smiled sheepishly. "Anyways, we give you a simple polymer one to start with that'll go on your belt, but there's a few others to pick from. This one on here for an example - " he pointed out one of the items on a mannequin dressed up as a Delsaurian Gunslinger to her, " - is all-leather, with an across the chest type harness. So far, I don't think you're into leather though," he playfully grinned. "Still, the harness type is one option to keep in mind."

"Others include having it on your shoulder and bicep, or even across your back," Joshua explained, pointing each out in turn on other displays or boxes.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Anzu moved towards the area that had been pointed out, idly weighing the knife in her hand as she browsed. All of the weapons and baggage she was carrying made trying anything on a bit problematic. She finally shrugged and began unloading, dropping her duffel bag, weapons piling on top of it. She tensed up and looked around, worried at the sudden noise, before she realized what it was. Simo relaxed with a sigh, standing up with her belongings piled nearby as Joshua returned.

"Does she know what she's doin' back there? I thought you'd be making it, since you made the prototype. Hope it turns out alright." She nodded at the explanations, tilting her head as she eyed the harness. "...huh...ya know, I could use one of those for my NSP. Never liked the leg straps, or keeping it stowed in my pack. Even if it is a puny thing." Anzu grinned back. "I dunno, I think I'd look good in leather..."

Laughing, she tried to find one of the harnesses, black, in her size. Then she'd look for a holster for her NSP (she had no doubt there would be several, since this store seemed to know its clients well) that attached. "On the back sounds good for the big one. I can wear my backpack right over it, keep it from bouncing around." She nodded, trying on the harness and holster, turning her back to Joshua, glancing back at him as she worked. "You got one that'll fit what she's makin' back there? Kinda...tilted to the side?" She mimed reaching over her right shoulder.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

"An interesting group." Kai muttered to his colleagues as he watched the trio of green soldiers walk down the wide hallway toward the recruiting and processing station.

"Hopefully, they will find themselves somewhere where their talents can grow, whatever those might be. What do you say, Sif?" the Juni queried his XO, looking back at the diminutive creature that happened to be one of the Empire's fiercest creations, despite the type's size.

Oblivious to her superiors, April had turned to the Civilian that had approached and spoke to them. "So, what brings yah hereabouts again? Yah said something about bein' security fer a representative or somethin' right?" the blonde thought about that for a moment, before responding. "I'm guessin' it has somethin' to do with all the testing we've been doin' with that new equipment, right? SOme of that kit works mighty fine, I must add; I been privy to some of it myself and it's a might different from what I'm used to, but I think it's just so in a good way."


******************

As Damien, Zozo, and Aya walked, they would soon find themselves nearing the center that Kai had pointed out earlier. It wasn't ostentatious, but it wasn't really hidden, either- it was a simple glass-walled section of storefront with a large Hinomaru plastered above the door, and Smaller Hinomaru symbols applied to the glass doors themselves. Inside were a number of desks and stations, most of which had primly dressed Neko by them. The trio could see they weren't the only ones to make their way to this station, and many other new soldiers- mostly Neko themselves- were being attended to by the personnel manning the processing center. Near the door, however, they could see one Neko free and ready to take on a group- a Neko who seemed to be incredibly average excepting for the fact that she had Bubblegum-pink hair and dazzling blue eyes. She bounced from her heels to the balls of her feet, trying her best to not look bored, but obviously failing miserably.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

"Well, I was born on Yamatai but my father recieved a job to help build the colony of Anisha when I was 9, so I mostly grew up there. I have to say that Yamatai is a beautiful place, but its far too busy for my likes. While Anisha is a pretty prominent colony, it still has a hometown feel to it. At least that's how I see it" commented Damien as he walked and talked with his fellow SA Soldiers.

When they reached the station, Damien was slightly shocked by the number of recruits in the station. Damien knew that the war was on and that recruits were in dire need, but this was rather amazing. As he scanned the room, he saw a Neko who looked rather bored. Most everyone else was busy but this Neko seemed like she could use some excitement.

"Hey guys, I think this woman can help us" said Damien motioning to his comrades.

As Damien approached the Neko he smiled, "Hello, Santo Hei Damien Zhang reporting for duty. He said cheerfully handing the Neko his orders before stepping to the side to allow the others to introduce themselves.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

@Headsman's Alley

"Know what she's doing?" the Nepleslian asked incredulously. "Geeze, if I were a Yammie, I'd probably be calling her 'Senpai' with sparkly eyes or something," he spoke with hint of sarcasm. "If you want to really get into killing things with your bare hands? Always try asking a Lorath Fyuunen," He explained. "Or, well, someone that wishes they were in her case," he admitted in more muted tones. Josh was quick shake off the gloom and chuckle at Anzu's own admission in regards to leather however.

"Well, we definitely got something that's in synth-leather and'll work well with the Kukri - just can't have a monomolecular edge on it though, since it only covers a portion of the blade." The shopkeep produced for the Neko a back harness for the up and coming Kukri. As he said however, since the design accommodated many different blades, the sheath only covered the first few inches of the length past the grip. "Best we make something special for it though - might take a little longer I admit. And you wanted that trench knife, and also mentioned hating your leg holster?"

"Hmm..." Stepping back, Joshua framed Anzu in a little window with his fingers, looking the Nekovalkyrja over from toe to head as he made to figure out what would work. "I got it! Here's what I have in mind - a basic framework, with some leather loops that'll go around your sholders, plus another pair of bands one over and one under your bust," he started enthusiastically. "With it, I can have a chest holster for the trench knife, an armpit holster on your left side for your NSP, and the Kukri's holster on your back - hell, I think I can toss in a magazine holder under your right armpi - "

THWACK!

A newly crafted Kukri with a dark, non-slip tacky grip and matte black paint had embedded itself tip first into the wooden display table. "Very nice, da? He gets carried avay vith hees leather and straps by the vay," the Lorath smiled at Anzu, displaying a bright set of teeth. "I am one good at knives - he does holsters and harnesses and such," She went on to explain. "Still need gun person, zen cycle compleete," the Lorath offhandedly noted, looking up to the ceiling as though in thought.

"So. Yeah...if you're shipping out soon? I can put priority on your holsters, whatever you decide on that is," Josh added sheepishly with a blush.

@Burnt Bean

With a slow grace, Sif's head turned her eyes away from the Abwehran woman to settle her gaze on Kai, letting it rest on the man for a palpable moment. "I am not impressed," she flatly stated. Knocking back her half-and-half container-turned-cup, Sif finished the rest of her milk before patting away the white mustachio she briefly wore with a scrap of paper napkin. It was only then that she addressed him again.

"Cookie?" the Mini-Neko blandly offered, directing his attention to the offending pastry with an upturned hand.

Re: [Fifth Fleet]Pisces in Passing.

Headsman's Alley

"Fyuunen? Sounds kinda familiar..." She nodded as Joshua spoke. "I haven't run into many Lorath...or had much reason to do that kinda research." Anzu shrugged. "She's uh...definitely a big girl, though." She wouldn't admit it out loud, but the Lorath would probably put up a pretty good fight. That one would get ugly.

Simo began peeling off the stock harness and accessories as Joshua looked her over, blinking as he jabbered a mile a minute, obviously nearly finished designing this in his head already. It did sound handy, though...and what else was she going to spend her pay on, anyway?

Anzu let out a very unsoldierly yelp as the knife thudded into place. She immediately blushed, then scowled, trying to recover her cool. "...y-yeah, uh...it..." She rubbed at her cheek, buying some time examining the giant knife. "...it looks great...!" Her embarassment was already forgotten, as she reached out to feel the handle of the oversized weapon.

"Shipping out? Oh, crud, right." She began gathering up her pile of stuff again, scooping up her duffel bag. Anzu managed to produce her KS card with her free hand. "I don't think we're leaving too soon, but I guess I should report before it gets too late. Think you could drop the whole mess off at the processing center when it's done? I'd appreciate it!"