ON> Hanami Festival
Wazu stood by the waterfront area, watching the festivities from out in front the Sushi place he had visited with Aikiko not to long before. It felt great just being sloshed again, that pleasant buzz from the alcohol warming his body and leaving him with a happy tingle all over. He had promised himself that earlier was just a one time thing, Aikiko was leaving, he wanted to show her a good time, a few drinks would be ok... but this week had been crap, and no amount of tingle would help plaster over that. Maybe another drink or two wouldn't be such a bad idea...
"There he is!" a familiar voice said in the distance and some movement tugged at the corner of Wazu's vision, moving closer to the man. "What are you doing loitering about all by yourself?" asked Yamashiro Natsumi as she approached. She was wearing a kimono of red satin rather than her uniform, and she was not alone. To the left of the snowy haired neko was another woman with ultramarine blue hair, cropped short to her jawline and brilliant violet eyes and an infantry uniform. Aside from these differences, the shape and features of her face and build were almost identical to those of Natsumi. And on her other side was a red headed Nepleslian woman, who she had dragged out of the ship with direct orders to have a good time and stop sulking over having been left behind during the last mission.
The power of the red head's sulk was cranked up to eleven. Tony was still pissed, but at least she was out of her cabin, and she had time to recharge and reload her pistol. It had been a long trip to catch up and she needed a drink... or thirty. But her neko friend had dragged her away from her stock pile of rashion booze. Little then Nat's knew but the neko was going to be paying for all of the Nepleasian's drinks for the festival. Looking out from under the brim of her gifted Marine's cap she had caught Wazu by one of those fishy joints the cat's liked so much.
"Brooding mostly," Wazu said, he still hadn't had an opportunity to get some better clothes, and was still in a green t-shirt and some baggy gray pants. His eyes would go to Natsumi first, traveling up her red Kimono before sliding over to the blue one... then to Tony, before giving them all a smile.
After all, it was supposed to be a festival...
"You and your... friends certainly look mostly-ready. I do not think we have met..." He said, turning his attention to the Ultramarine hair'd woman.
"This is my sister, Sakura" Natsumi said, introducing the infantry neko, who bowed politely.
"Nice to meet you" she said.
"And this is Tony" Natsumi turned to Antonia, nodding to the redhead. "She is part of the Eucharis crew as well, but was lucky enough to miss out on the ordeal of our last mission.
"I do remember Tony," Wazu said, "Though I am impressed she has kept up with your crew for this long... Not having gravity manipulation can be exhausting."
"I keep up..." Tony grumbled as she looked around for a bar or maybe one of those fancy boose despising machines. "What do you mean ordeal?" She asked Nats as her eyes shifted around hunting for the one liquid cure for her mood.
"Oh, I'll tell you later" the snowy haired neko replied. "Right now is not the time to talk about hard times, it's time to have a good time" she said and glanced at her sister, who nodded in agreement.
"Fine," She growled out finding a machine that would give her the life giving booze, "Can I borrow your credit chit.. I seemed to have left mine back on the ship.... And I could use a sippy cup."
Natsumi raised a white eyebrow. "What do you want to get?" she asked.
"There is a plenty-decent bar behind us too... it is not just sushi." Wazu offered.
"Boozamahol..." The red head got out as Wazu's comment made her head snap around and start her towards the mythical bar of largerness. "Come on... Its not going to drink itself!"
Natsumi and Sakura glanced at each other and shrugged, then looked at Wazu. "Shall we, then?" Sakura asked him, since there seemed little stopping their nepleslian companion.
"She seems to know what she wants," Wazu replied, placing himself beside Natsumi and offering to walk with her into the Sushi bar.
The place itself was not that large. There was a bar area in front, several stools lined up one after another. A fair skinned neko was standing behind that bar, dressed in a white robe, with a little white hat completely covering her hair and a trio of knives attached at her hip like tiny Samurai swords still in their scabbards. "Please sit!" She offered, her steely gaze looking over at them intently.
Of course, a much warmer looking hostess was running around in the back, areas, bringing patrons beer and wine as well as helping the few curious patrons that dared try their hand at the karaoke machine in back.
The bar was far fancier then she were ever had been in before and probably far more expensive then she was planning on. "Uhh... we can find somewhere else.." Tony said worriedly as she turned back to Nats. "I could run back to the ship for my card..."
"Don't worry about the bill" Natsumi replied. She did not feel like going to anywhere less fancy or back to the ship at this point. "We're here, let's enjoy it" she said and picked out a seat, settling herself into it.
"Yeah, it'll be fun" Sakura added as she sat in the next seat over and stretched herself out.
The sushi chef would watch them intently, waiting quietly for them to place an order... but it wasn't too much longer before the hostess would stop by, leaning over Tony's shoulder to place a small menu card in front of her, "What can I help you with?!" She asked, full of cheer!, "We've got a large selection of drinks if you four would like to start off with a warm Saki... and our chef would be happy to make you any Sushi type you desire!"
"Maybe just a water for now..." Wazu replied, taking a seat in between Tony and Natsumi.
"I'll take a beer..." Tony asked as she looked down at the menu card. She wasn't pleased that she wasn't in her normal scuzzy surroundings, but if they had the booze here, then she would be just fine. "I wouldn't know anything about sushi..."
Sakura leaned in and smiled, "Don't worry, we'll choose something you will like" she said and looked up at the hostess and rattled off an order for multiple different types of sushi rolls, some more adventures than others, and some very tame, in case Tony and Wazu ended up not wanting to try the more fun stuff.
"We'll also take some sake" added Natsumi once her sister was done ordering food.
"Aye," The chef said, swiftly going to the back to gather the required materials for the rolls as the Hostess too dissappeared into a side room.
"Sakura was one of the more famous gunships right?" Wazu asked, looking over Natsumi's shoulder at her sister, "Any relation?"
It would only take a moment before the Hostess had returned, dropping off a rather large beer for Tony, still in a large green glass bottle. With a well practiced twist she'd take the top off with one hand, and then use her other to set down a warm ceramic pouring bottle of Sake for the other two, followed by two small cups. The Hostess effortlessly sliding over to the next patron as the Chef returned from the back, an array of fruits, fish, and less determinable items on a tray in front of her.
"I serve aboard the Sakura II, which is landed beside Natsumi's ship right now" answered the blue haired neko. "Though my name is just a coincidence. This is my second posting. Before this I was part of the legion that assaulted Kozan during the end of the last war" she explained.
Listening, Tony smiled at the Hostess before taking a sip of her beer. Wasn't terrible at all. Bit better then anything she had drank before. On hearing the bit about the legioneer, Tony was impressed, she didn't know Nat's had such a badass sister.
Sakura picked up her glass of sake and took a sip. The mention of Kozan brought back some memories she did not like to dwell on and she forced the images of her hand to hand fight with an advanced type Mishhu, where she had rammed a frag grenade down the thing's throat at the cost of her arm, out of her mind.
"So, have you had a chance to see much of the festival yet?" Natsumi asked Wazu as she picked up her own drink and sipped at it too, before attacking a piece of eel sushi
"No... I have been preoccupied." He replied, looking at the water in front of him with disappointment, then looking over at Tony and watching her drink the beer.
The chef would continue cutting away at the material in front of her, slicing up some fish, balling up rice, and making very precise cuts into a green fruit before rolling it all up in seaweed. She'd then take out a second knife after setting the first down, making a series of rapid chops to cut the roll into several thin pieces When the small plates of sushi arrived in front of them, they were treated to a small Yui-face made from fish, rice, and alvacado!
"Oh, I see" Natsumi replied and gave Wazu a sidelong glance, a hint of concern in her expression. She wondered what was eating at him, though this was not the time or place to press him on personal matters. Not with her sister and friend there, both pretty much strangers to the scientist.
Looking at the plate before her, Tony's nose scrunched up as she poked at the rice face before her. "Who didn't sleep with you?" She asked before she took a large swig of her beer. "You could get one of those fancy Yammie hookers..." She shrugged before pulling a bit of the avocado out of the face roll.
"The last thing I need to worry about is another woman to please," Wazu said, smiling a bit, "It has just been a hard week... I mean, sure Aikiko leaving is not thrilling for me but I am not going to mope about it."
As Wazu spoke the Chef would start arranging another bit of eel onto of a small ball of white rice before cracking a small quail egg over the whole thing... moving one piece in front of each of the patrons before her.
"What about you? Is it just the last mission that has you down?" He asked, eager to change the subject.
"How could it be.. I was left behind." The red head said as she lifted her cap off her face and rand a finger through her hair. "I think there might be some boy hookers if that's your thing..." She giggled before eyeing the egg mess on the second plate before her.
Natsumi rolled her eyes at her shipmates crude remarks, but otherwise did not respond to them. She instead worked on her next piece of sushi and made a note to catch Wazu alone later and see what was up with him. He had not been down like this before.
Sakura eyed Tony and finished her own first piece of sushi. "So, how do you like being in the exchange program, the star army has to be pretty different than your own military?" she asked.
"Not bad I guess.. your cabins are far nicer but past that it's differently a bit strange. You guys don't even have drink rations handed out.." Tony shrugged and took another drink of her beer. "But I figure that isn't to terrible."
"Well if it makes you feel any better, I went along on the last mission and did not contribute much. I think I just slowed everyone down... I should probably look into renewing my power-armor flight skills." Wazu said, reaching for one of the pairs of chopsticks nearby and breaking it apart for use, folding his fingers around the two pieces of wood and snatching up the quail-egg covered piece for consumption. Chewing and swallowing the runny, squishy, eel and egg.
"You helped a lot more than you realize" Natsumi replied. "It was a rough situation and you, like everyone else, did everything you could to help out" she said and looked him in the eyes with her red eyes. "Don't think otherwise" she added.
"Did I? I could have saved Cherry if I just had a radio and..." Wazu stopped himself, and grabbed the Yui-roll with the chopsticks, giving himself some time to chew the problem over.
Quietly, the Chef would continue her work... this time slicing into some fatty tuna, the nearly white meat being placed on plates for each of them... no rice, no toppings. Each piece of fish was so fatty, the taste would be like having a bit of butter in your mouth as the flesh disintegrated against the tongue!
Natsumi raised an eyebrow again, There was a hint to what was eating at him. Though, Cherry would be just fine and re-cloned, she understood his frustration and pain at her loss.
Wazu was starting to regret his seat choice, shifting a bit uncomfortably like he was under the microscope, "How about you Natsumi? It must be great to see your sister again?"
Natsumi smiled, glad of the sudden change in subject. "Yes, it is!" she said, cheerfully. "Sakura and I have not seen each other in many years" she said and smiled, throwing an arm around her sister.
"That's because you don't ever leave that ship of yours" Sakura replied wryly and hugged her sister back. "It is nice to be together again"
"So what do you two do for fun? Can Sakura sing?" He asked.
Sakura blinked. "Me? Sing?" she gasped. "Hell no. That's Natsumi, I break glass when I try!" she laughed. "She's been hassling people with that karaoke machine of hers again, hasn't she?" the blue haired neko eyed her snowy sister with some suspicion
"Well, I know which machine you are talking about. And if you are not into singing, then there must be some other passion inside of you? Maybe you love knitting?" Wazu pried. "I am guessing Tony here loves the finer alcohols..."
"I like listening to music" Sakura replied. She shrugged," As for hobbies, I dunno, swimming" she shrugged again
"Oh you have to like something... some activity you gravitate toward when you are not on duty... or is that your passion? You enjoy work?" Wazu asked.
Silently Tony rolled her eyes at the old man's crappy attempts at flirting with the cat girls. As she continued to poke at her sushi and drink her beer the red head looked across the table at Nat's sister Sakara. She didn't have to looks of a snow daemon like Nat's did. It was strange. Were the Nekos blood siblings or were they just from the same batch. Tony cursed herself for never asking about Nat's past.
"Well" Sakara shrugged." I do like piloting my DAISY 2" she said, referring to the ground attack power armor she had used since her first posting."Does that count? " she offered a smile.
"I suppose so. Why do you prefer the Daisy over the Mindy?" Wazu asked.
"It's what I started in" she replied."I've had the most experience with the Daisy and the one I have has always been good time" she shrugged.
"Hmm..." Wazu was struggling to find a conversation to get started on, looking from Sakura to Natsumi, "Well, ... How much of the festival have you two seen?"
"Probably less than you have" Natsumi replied. "We just got here when we stumbled across you" she smiled and sipped at her drink, while Sakura busied herself with a piece of sushi. "Anything interesting that you've seen yet?" she asked as she set her cup down. "I think after this, we should go explore a bit" she added and glanced at Tony as well.
"Well, I kinda like this sushi place... but I have not gotten a chance to walk around much either." He replied, looking over at their Nepleslian friend, "How about you Tony?"
Setting the empty bottle down, the red head turned to look at the man sitting next to her. "What do you mean? The beer isn't half bad, but I have never really cared for the fishy rolls... Not that I don't appreciate it." She quickly said trying not to sound like an ungrateful ass. "But it isn't like I can live off of beer and burgers and keep this figure." She shrugged and looked over at Sakura and winked at her.
Sakura raised a questioning eyebrow in response to Tony's wink.
"Well, I think we should decide what we want to do next" Natsumi interjected, oblivious to the silent communication happening between her sister and the nepleslian woman.
With a smirk she winked again before raising her hand up at an passing waitress, "Can I get another one of theses?" Tony lifted the almost dead beer up to show what she was meaning.
"Maybe we should go join the others?" Wazu asked, as the hostess glided by, setting down a coaster along with another beer for tony without so much as a word.
"That sounds good to me" Natsumi replied to the suggestion with a smile.
