Firebrand
Inactive Member
LSDF Val'ta, Deck 9, Science Lab
This takes place between the prologue and Mission 1
Menelik Berhane, Private, NSMC and erstwhile crew member of the LSDF Val'ta still wasn't sure why he was coming here, to one of the Val'ta's research labs, for a very specific purpose that still made his face color. He actually knew why he was here and who he was looking for, facts that made him even more embarrassed and anxious about his plan. He'd wanted and had tried to talk to her when first meeting her, but things had gotten in his way and he hadn't had a chance sense. So he was taking a bit of advice he had been given, taking matters into his own hands to actually speak to them. And that person was none other than one Aran'ya "Widow" Ly'cosa.
The Nepleslian's information was correct, as the target of his search was indeed in the primary science lab. Aran'ya appeared a little different than when they first met in the bar, though, having donned a white lab coat over her black uniform and wearing some protective gloves and other gear. The L'manel appeared to be doing some busywork, making sure a set of cages were all properly prepared to receive native animal life. Of particular note was the attention she paid to a set of containment vials and petri dishes that were for more hazardous and special materials.
Well, if she was busy, He could just wa- No, that kind of passiveness is just what got him into this problem in the first place! He wanted to talk to her, and damned if he was going to be timid about it! The Nepleslian made his way through the lab, careful to avoid people as he waved through. Once he was close enough to her he waved her down, putting on his best smile.
"H~ey! Aran'ya!"
Widow still had the last vial in her hands when her long ear twitched once at the rather unexpected sound, grumbling a minute at the interruption as a set of muted amber eyes set in an alabaster face stared his way for a second. Her mouth moved side to side as it worked on a piece of mood altering gum, a tiny fang showing as she kicked it back into her cheek. "...what in the Goddess name are you doing here? Take a wrong turn at the gym?"
"I've gotten the ship's layout pretty down pat, actually." Menelik responded back at her, adding a bit of unusual wittiness into his voice mostly for her sake. With all the... sweetness she got on a daily basis from Akemi, it might do her some good to give her something a bit salty?
"I came here to come see you Aran'ya. I wanted to talk, and I had a question. A totally important one." He was uneasy, sure, and maybe a bit worried that he hadn't taken a good enough shower after today's exercise, leaving him smelling a bit. But he didn't hesitate!
"I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out once things are quiet again after the stopover in Tange."
Aran'ya seemed amused a bit by his response. "Is that right? Don't lie, even I use the Data Strip maps from time to time," she replied a bit sarcastically, shifting her weight as she put the vial slowly and carefully back in its spot in the rack as he rattled on about his important question. It didn't take a scientist to realize what he was getting at.
"So.. you came all this way to ask me on a date?" Widow quipped, placing the now empty hand on the tabletop and leaning forward, as if studying a specimen more closely.
Menelik leaned against the table and crossed his arms, not a defensive posture but just a relaxing one. True, he did come all this way to ask her out, but it wasn't a date. Not technically. And he did use the data strips to help navigate, but that still counted as knowing how to get around the ship!
"I wouldn't call it a date, unless you would. I just wanted to get to know you better, ma- err, Aran'ya. It's something that'd be nice to do off duty to relax after whatever happens at Tange. You're attractive and all, but I'm really more interested in-" Mene's eyes glanced down, right at Aran'ya's... quite ample hips and rear. It was only a second, but it was enough to make chocolate cheeks darken.
"Interested in getting to know you better."
The woman's enhanced vision easily caught exactly where his eyes were looking, as she put a hand on said ample hips. The white lab coat draped around her lanky form like a shroud, as Menelik caught a slight wrinkle of her nose. Sure, he had some of the characteristic odors of a workout she noticed right away when he came in, but there was the hint of something else that was also at the bar in the midst of Akemi's antics. Was he still trying to compete with that Neko in some way? Perhaps she should entertain the idea more.
"Alright, then a not-quite-a-date," mused Widow with a slight smirk. "But I doubt I'm all that interesting."
"If you weren't that interesting, I wouldn't be that interesting in you." His expression shifted to meet her smirk. "You've got like, what? 40 years on you? That's around 21 more than I've experienced in my life; if anyone's the person who's boring out of the two of us, it'd be me." Arms unfolded, coming down to rest on the lip of the table.
"Of course I don't believe that. Everyone's got something interesting about them."
"Flattering me, are you?" she stated, Menelik having at least caught her interest when he brought up the age difference between them.
"Maybe, you've got a lot to flatter. But since we're in Lor, shouldn't you be trying to flatter me, or does it not work that way?" Hey, this snarking thing was actually pretty easy when you had someone to do it with!
Aran'ya used the hand she had on the tabletop as leverage and easily propped herself to a sitting position on the side in front of Menelik. "You've been studying after all, haven't you. Looks like you're not all just good looks, boy." Yep, it did definitely work the other way around. "But I hear you've got a lot of good tutors."
"The good looks and brain comes from my family, and clean mountain air. You should see La Hanya sometime, its not what people think of when they go to Nepleslia." Mene leaned in more, just enough to keep the pressure on Aran'ya, but not enough for things to get uncomfortable.
"I wouldn't really call My'ean a tutor... Honestly she treats me like a younger brother; and I think she's collecting lots on my love life. As for studying, it's not hard; when in Kennewes, do what the Kennewesians do."
"Clean fresh air and time for studying biochemistry are two fine distractions for me, at least," replied the L'manel, though what exactly they distracted her from was the question. "And before you ask, Akemi is not on that short list," she added after a moment, shaking her spiky-haired head once for emphasis.
"I wasn't even going to bring him up. It'd be counterproductive." Menelik let go of the table and his smirk disappeared, replaced with a friendly smile. "If we honestly get along this well just snarking at each other, I'm sure we'll get along even better once you've seen my good side."
Aran'ya saw his smile and closed her eyes a moment, folding her arms beneath her chest. "Snarking at each other is my good side... the other one is a lot less gentle." A few of the hairs on her spiky do stiffened visibly for a moment as she said this.
"I think the snarking is just one of your good sides; You've got plenty of them in my opinion." Mene retorted to her, once again slipping back to her level. "Besides, if it was up to me, I'd only ever see any l'manel like you are now, and not in your game face." There was a pause from him as he thought about the words he had used.
"Did I use the right term there? For when you show your aspectations more visibly?"
"Hmm. Game face. I like that term," she began with a bit of a smirk. "But all of L'manel are different with their bonds and how much it manifests."
"Like how Jiji has cute fuzzy ears, or how Ny'za secretly loves meat, or how the Captain is Huge, or how your proportions are sort of similar to a spiders?" He may have blurted a bit too much out there.
"Did Ny'za tell you that?" Widow asked, as she hopped back off the table and stood at her full 6' of height -- not quite as tall as the part ID-SOL. Much was indeed in her legs and arms and a rounder abdomen like an arachnid would possess, as even her black wings hung downwards seeming like the elytra of an insect. "My aspect is a Tarantis, a large forest spider. Long legs, good eyesight, ambush predator..."
"So its like a cross between a tarantula and a jumping spider?" Was his first reaction, before shaking his head. "But I was able to guess your aspectation kinda close! I thought you had aspected with a spider of some kind judging by, uh, things." The Nepleslian looked pleased with himself when it was all said and done.
"... And I guess that she liked meat when she ate all the meat I cooked for my breakfast that I shared for her one time."
"You're pretty observant, I like that," commented Aran'ya as she turned for a moment to adjust one vial that was slightly out of place behind her, before turning back towards Menelik. She titled her head to one side, getting that 'studying' look again, her eyes seeming more bluish now and pupils slightly faceted.
"I can also tell by your body language that this isn't your first time walking into a laboratory environment, is it? Usually people tiptoe on eggshells, afraid of breaking something. But you waltzed into this area without a problem."
Menelik seemed to be a bit on edge, but relented. "Well, It's a bit complicated to explain, but this isn't exactly my first time in a lab. Truth be told, though, this -is- my fourth time being on a starship outside of training: from Nepleslia to Tatiana to see my family, back to Nepleslia, then to here." There's a bit of a shrug from him. "Do you want to go sit down? And that isn't me trying to get you in my lap, by the way."
Aran'ya shrugged once. "Whatever. I was about to head out of here anyway. I can't start my pet project without the samples from Tange." She started walking past Menelik towards the the exit guarded by the triple forcefields, slipping her white lab coat off and depositing it in the decontamination bin. All purely for safety, of course... there was an absurd degree of it engineered into the Val'ta, after all.
He followed her, walking alongside her nonchalantly. "Pet project? Can you tell me what it is, or are you keeping it secret from everyone?"
The Trooper entered the encrypted pass-key of the ARIA controller to deactivate the fields to let them through, stretching once as she led him out into the passageways of deck 9 to the elevator. "Mmm... well, it's not exactly a secret. Though I don't think the Captain is too fond of what I have in mind," Aran'ya explained, as her wings fluttered up one in a bit of excitement at the thought. "But if I could get a hold of some Mishhuvurthyar toxins..."
True to his gender and profession, Menelik wasn't quite able to keep himself from studying the L'manel's body as she stretched, but his eyes never quite lingered long enough on any one part to seem like he was leering. He kept listening though, keeping pace with the scientist best he could; he was taller, but her legs were longer. It might've been better to fall behind her (And not for the obvious reasons), given the look of surprise that crossed his face.
"Huh. You're the second person this year to tell me they wanted to study squid parts.Well, not quite the second because the first person had a research staff with them, and they were looking more for organs and bodily functions and all that." The Marine shrugged and shook his head, looking almost confused. "This biotech business isn't my area of expertise, and it sure isn't my father's either. Why he took that COO job is beyond me."
"One creature's poison can be another man's medicine, so said someone very dear to me once." The way this practiced line rolled off her pale lips belied the deep emotion that was hidden inside of it that Menelik could pickup on.
After other experiences on the Val'ta, Menelik was sure to steer things as far away from wherever Aran'ya was going. The last time he helped someone with their troubles and was nice like that, he ended up with a Helashio holding his hand.
... Okay maybe that wasn't such a bad result, but He'd like to at least get to go on a date with Aran'ya first. Marines may have a reputation as being sex crazed adrenaline junkies, but Mene was a bit more than that. By a bit.
"My mother always said that it doesn't matter how you do it, just helping people is one of the best things someone can do in their life."
"Eh... helping people is about all I have in my life. You could say it's my penance for my past sins." Aran'ya still seemed to have a note of bittersweetness in her tone as they reached the elevator, though his comments seemed to have made a positive impact.
"What's anything bad that you could've done to make you have to give penance for it by helping people?" He asked her, confused a bit. Sure enough, to him, you didn't help people for a reward or for penance, you did it because you wanted to help them, because it was the right thing to do. He followed her into the elevator and crossed his arms, leaning against a corner.
The L'manel gave the command to head to deck 3, recreation, falling silent for a moment as the thing started to rise up. She sighed once, perhaps a bit flustered by the marine's apparent innocence about things. Or was it just contrasting beliefs?
"Menelik," Aran'ya finally spoke up, turning to face him with a serious expression, "I'll answer your question with another one: Do you think that love could ever be something to be punished for?" There was no snark here... it was entirely direct.
"No." The sudden determination and absolute tone of 'I am completely sure about this to the very core of my being' may have been a bit out of place for Menelik, but he still said it that way, glaring at the question's origin.
"Love is love. It's an important thing, and punishing people for it is wrong."
The spider-aspect looked down slightly as her mouth took on that half-smile she frequently wore as he sounded so convincing in that moment. "Yeah, I thought you might say that," she murmured, running a hand through her hair. "Forbidden love is the worst, isn't it? Especially in a caste-driven society." She sighed again deeply, clenching a fist out of sight.
Goddammit, how did this keep happening? Menelik wasn't even sure anymore, but he still... did what seemed right at the time. And hugged Aran'ya as loosely as he could around her shoulders.
"It does suck, but you should honestly do what makes you happy. If you love someone, just love them." He actually probably had no idea what he was talking about, really; caste systems were an alien concept to someone like Mene.
Aran'ya was not exactly expecting the hug from him, the motion causing the chokers and necklaces she wore around her long, green ringed neck to jingle and shake as the colorful stones caught the reflected light of the displays around them.
There was a pause of consideration, before she extended her own long arms up to wrap around his wide shoulders in response, accompanied by another toothy grin. "Believe me, I did, Menelik... Still do, even if he's buried in the rubble of a fallen moon. They say it served me right, though... poetic justice and all that from the Goddess' own hand."
For all that Aran'ya had known Menelik, he rarely ever cursed or said anything worse than "Gosh, Darn, Dangit' or, on occasion ' Damnekos'. Which made his response to that even more alarming.
"Fuck that, and fuck them. I wish that the damn moonfall never happened." He said forcefully, hugging Aran'ya tighter. "I'm sorry for your loss, but fuck the people who say you got what you deserved for that."
Pressing closer to Widow, the Nepleslian could definitely feel the curves of the Lorath under the black and green banded LSDF uniform she still had on. One of the pale hands slid off of his shoulder and passed by his lips after his stream of curses. "Now you're sounding like a real typical Marine," she commented, before dropping the fingertip down slowly. "I don't think it suits you, though."
This was -too- close for Menelik's sake; she felt and smelled nice and with the current conversation it made Mene feel almost dirty for it. So he leg to of her and stepped back, just like that. Sure enough his face was dark with a blush, but he was keeping his composure pretty well all things considered. Must be because of My'ean's training.
"I don't like cursing, ma'am. My mother always said that there were better ways to express myself."
Aran'ya was seemingly satisfied to let go of the impromptu embrace, having gotten a very good whiff of that scent about him for the moment she was still trying to place. It was some kind of flower, definitely... And quite different from the lingering perfume of the spider-woman in his nostrils that seemed faintly like a tropical forest.
"It's always important to listen to your mother." The medic nodded her head, leaning on the side of the lift as it arrived to its destination. He caught a genuine smile for a fleeting moment as the door opened, ending what seemed like a very long minute. "So, how about that date?"
"After Tange, okay?" He grinned back at her, reverting back to being the slightly goofy and good-natured Nepleslian he normally was. "And thank you."
The L'manel's smile turned sarcastic once again as she nodded, and waved him off, "Just watch it with that smile, eh? That amount of positivity in one place could be the most dangerous chemical of all."
"Maybe. I'll see you around" And with that, he went on his own way.
This takes place between the prologue and Mission 1
Menelik Berhane, Private, NSMC and erstwhile crew member of the LSDF Val'ta still wasn't sure why he was coming here, to one of the Val'ta's research labs, for a very specific purpose that still made his face color. He actually knew why he was here and who he was looking for, facts that made him even more embarrassed and anxious about his plan. He'd wanted and had tried to talk to her when first meeting her, but things had gotten in his way and he hadn't had a chance sense. So he was taking a bit of advice he had been given, taking matters into his own hands to actually speak to them. And that person was none other than one Aran'ya "Widow" Ly'cosa.
The Nepleslian's information was correct, as the target of his search was indeed in the primary science lab. Aran'ya appeared a little different than when they first met in the bar, though, having donned a white lab coat over her black uniform and wearing some protective gloves and other gear. The L'manel appeared to be doing some busywork, making sure a set of cages were all properly prepared to receive native animal life. Of particular note was the attention she paid to a set of containment vials and petri dishes that were for more hazardous and special materials.
Well, if she was busy, He could just wa- No, that kind of passiveness is just what got him into this problem in the first place! He wanted to talk to her, and damned if he was going to be timid about it! The Nepleslian made his way through the lab, careful to avoid people as he waved through. Once he was close enough to her he waved her down, putting on his best smile.
"H~ey! Aran'ya!"
Widow still had the last vial in her hands when her long ear twitched once at the rather unexpected sound, grumbling a minute at the interruption as a set of muted amber eyes set in an alabaster face stared his way for a second. Her mouth moved side to side as it worked on a piece of mood altering gum, a tiny fang showing as she kicked it back into her cheek. "...what in the Goddess name are you doing here? Take a wrong turn at the gym?"
"I've gotten the ship's layout pretty down pat, actually." Menelik responded back at her, adding a bit of unusual wittiness into his voice mostly for her sake. With all the... sweetness she got on a daily basis from Akemi, it might do her some good to give her something a bit salty?
"I came here to come see you Aran'ya. I wanted to talk, and I had a question. A totally important one." He was uneasy, sure, and maybe a bit worried that he hadn't taken a good enough shower after today's exercise, leaving him smelling a bit. But he didn't hesitate!
"I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out once things are quiet again after the stopover in Tange."
Aran'ya seemed amused a bit by his response. "Is that right? Don't lie, even I use the Data Strip maps from time to time," she replied a bit sarcastically, shifting her weight as she put the vial slowly and carefully back in its spot in the rack as he rattled on about his important question. It didn't take a scientist to realize what he was getting at.
"So.. you came all this way to ask me on a date?" Widow quipped, placing the now empty hand on the tabletop and leaning forward, as if studying a specimen more closely.
Menelik leaned against the table and crossed his arms, not a defensive posture but just a relaxing one. True, he did come all this way to ask her out, but it wasn't a date. Not technically. And he did use the data strips to help navigate, but that still counted as knowing how to get around the ship!
"I wouldn't call it a date, unless you would. I just wanted to get to know you better, ma- err, Aran'ya. It's something that'd be nice to do off duty to relax after whatever happens at Tange. You're attractive and all, but I'm really more interested in-" Mene's eyes glanced down, right at Aran'ya's... quite ample hips and rear. It was only a second, but it was enough to make chocolate cheeks darken.
"Interested in getting to know you better."
The woman's enhanced vision easily caught exactly where his eyes were looking, as she put a hand on said ample hips. The white lab coat draped around her lanky form like a shroud, as Menelik caught a slight wrinkle of her nose. Sure, he had some of the characteristic odors of a workout she noticed right away when he came in, but there was the hint of something else that was also at the bar in the midst of Akemi's antics. Was he still trying to compete with that Neko in some way? Perhaps she should entertain the idea more.
"Alright, then a not-quite-a-date," mused Widow with a slight smirk. "But I doubt I'm all that interesting."
"If you weren't that interesting, I wouldn't be that interesting in you." His expression shifted to meet her smirk. "You've got like, what? 40 years on you? That's around 21 more than I've experienced in my life; if anyone's the person who's boring out of the two of us, it'd be me." Arms unfolded, coming down to rest on the lip of the table.
"Of course I don't believe that. Everyone's got something interesting about them."
"Flattering me, are you?" she stated, Menelik having at least caught her interest when he brought up the age difference between them.
"Maybe, you've got a lot to flatter. But since we're in Lor, shouldn't you be trying to flatter me, or does it not work that way?" Hey, this snarking thing was actually pretty easy when you had someone to do it with!
Aran'ya used the hand she had on the tabletop as leverage and easily propped herself to a sitting position on the side in front of Menelik. "You've been studying after all, haven't you. Looks like you're not all just good looks, boy." Yep, it did definitely work the other way around. "But I hear you've got a lot of good tutors."
"The good looks and brain comes from my family, and clean mountain air. You should see La Hanya sometime, its not what people think of when they go to Nepleslia." Mene leaned in more, just enough to keep the pressure on Aran'ya, but not enough for things to get uncomfortable.
"I wouldn't really call My'ean a tutor... Honestly she treats me like a younger brother; and I think she's collecting lots on my love life. As for studying, it's not hard; when in Kennewes, do what the Kennewesians do."
"Clean fresh air and time for studying biochemistry are two fine distractions for me, at least," replied the L'manel, though what exactly they distracted her from was the question. "And before you ask, Akemi is not on that short list," she added after a moment, shaking her spiky-haired head once for emphasis.
"I wasn't even going to bring him up. It'd be counterproductive." Menelik let go of the table and his smirk disappeared, replaced with a friendly smile. "If we honestly get along this well just snarking at each other, I'm sure we'll get along even better once you've seen my good side."
Aran'ya saw his smile and closed her eyes a moment, folding her arms beneath her chest. "Snarking at each other is my good side... the other one is a lot less gentle." A few of the hairs on her spiky do stiffened visibly for a moment as she said this.
"I think the snarking is just one of your good sides; You've got plenty of them in my opinion." Mene retorted to her, once again slipping back to her level. "Besides, if it was up to me, I'd only ever see any l'manel like you are now, and not in your game face." There was a pause from him as he thought about the words he had used.
"Did I use the right term there? For when you show your aspectations more visibly?"
"Hmm. Game face. I like that term," she began with a bit of a smirk. "But all of L'manel are different with their bonds and how much it manifests."
"Like how Jiji has cute fuzzy ears, or how Ny'za secretly loves meat, or how the Captain is Huge, or how your proportions are sort of similar to a spiders?" He may have blurted a bit too much out there.
"Did Ny'za tell you that?" Widow asked, as she hopped back off the table and stood at her full 6' of height -- not quite as tall as the part ID-SOL. Much was indeed in her legs and arms and a rounder abdomen like an arachnid would possess, as even her black wings hung downwards seeming like the elytra of an insect. "My aspect is a Tarantis, a large forest spider. Long legs, good eyesight, ambush predator..."
"So its like a cross between a tarantula and a jumping spider?" Was his first reaction, before shaking his head. "But I was able to guess your aspectation kinda close! I thought you had aspected with a spider of some kind judging by, uh, things." The Nepleslian looked pleased with himself when it was all said and done.
"... And I guess that she liked meat when she ate all the meat I cooked for my breakfast that I shared for her one time."
"You're pretty observant, I like that," commented Aran'ya as she turned for a moment to adjust one vial that was slightly out of place behind her, before turning back towards Menelik. She titled her head to one side, getting that 'studying' look again, her eyes seeming more bluish now and pupils slightly faceted.
"I can also tell by your body language that this isn't your first time walking into a laboratory environment, is it? Usually people tiptoe on eggshells, afraid of breaking something. But you waltzed into this area without a problem."
Menelik seemed to be a bit on edge, but relented. "Well, It's a bit complicated to explain, but this isn't exactly my first time in a lab. Truth be told, though, this -is- my fourth time being on a starship outside of training: from Nepleslia to Tatiana to see my family, back to Nepleslia, then to here." There's a bit of a shrug from him. "Do you want to go sit down? And that isn't me trying to get you in my lap, by the way."
Aran'ya shrugged once. "Whatever. I was about to head out of here anyway. I can't start my pet project without the samples from Tange." She started walking past Menelik towards the the exit guarded by the triple forcefields, slipping her white lab coat off and depositing it in the decontamination bin. All purely for safety, of course... there was an absurd degree of it engineered into the Val'ta, after all.
He followed her, walking alongside her nonchalantly. "Pet project? Can you tell me what it is, or are you keeping it secret from everyone?"
The Trooper entered the encrypted pass-key of the ARIA controller to deactivate the fields to let them through, stretching once as she led him out into the passageways of deck 9 to the elevator. "Mmm... well, it's not exactly a secret. Though I don't think the Captain is too fond of what I have in mind," Aran'ya explained, as her wings fluttered up one in a bit of excitement at the thought. "But if I could get a hold of some Mishhuvurthyar toxins..."
True to his gender and profession, Menelik wasn't quite able to keep himself from studying the L'manel's body as she stretched, but his eyes never quite lingered long enough on any one part to seem like he was leering. He kept listening though, keeping pace with the scientist best he could; he was taller, but her legs were longer. It might've been better to fall behind her (And not for the obvious reasons), given the look of surprise that crossed his face.
"Huh. You're the second person this year to tell me they wanted to study squid parts.Well, not quite the second because the first person had a research staff with them, and they were looking more for organs and bodily functions and all that." The Marine shrugged and shook his head, looking almost confused. "This biotech business isn't my area of expertise, and it sure isn't my father's either. Why he took that COO job is beyond me."
"One creature's poison can be another man's medicine, so said someone very dear to me once." The way this practiced line rolled off her pale lips belied the deep emotion that was hidden inside of it that Menelik could pickup on.
After other experiences on the Val'ta, Menelik was sure to steer things as far away from wherever Aran'ya was going. The last time he helped someone with their troubles and was nice like that, he ended up with a Helashio holding his hand.
... Okay maybe that wasn't such a bad result, but He'd like to at least get to go on a date with Aran'ya first. Marines may have a reputation as being sex crazed adrenaline junkies, but Mene was a bit more than that. By a bit.
"My mother always said that it doesn't matter how you do it, just helping people is one of the best things someone can do in their life."
"Eh... helping people is about all I have in my life. You could say it's my penance for my past sins." Aran'ya still seemed to have a note of bittersweetness in her tone as they reached the elevator, though his comments seemed to have made a positive impact.
"What's anything bad that you could've done to make you have to give penance for it by helping people?" He asked her, confused a bit. Sure enough, to him, you didn't help people for a reward or for penance, you did it because you wanted to help them, because it was the right thing to do. He followed her into the elevator and crossed his arms, leaning against a corner.
The L'manel gave the command to head to deck 3, recreation, falling silent for a moment as the thing started to rise up. She sighed once, perhaps a bit flustered by the marine's apparent innocence about things. Or was it just contrasting beliefs?
"Menelik," Aran'ya finally spoke up, turning to face him with a serious expression, "I'll answer your question with another one: Do you think that love could ever be something to be punished for?" There was no snark here... it was entirely direct.
"No." The sudden determination and absolute tone of 'I am completely sure about this to the very core of my being' may have been a bit out of place for Menelik, but he still said it that way, glaring at the question's origin.
"Love is love. It's an important thing, and punishing people for it is wrong."
The spider-aspect looked down slightly as her mouth took on that half-smile she frequently wore as he sounded so convincing in that moment. "Yeah, I thought you might say that," she murmured, running a hand through her hair. "Forbidden love is the worst, isn't it? Especially in a caste-driven society." She sighed again deeply, clenching a fist out of sight.
Goddammit, how did this keep happening? Menelik wasn't even sure anymore, but he still... did what seemed right at the time. And hugged Aran'ya as loosely as he could around her shoulders.
"It does suck, but you should honestly do what makes you happy. If you love someone, just love them." He actually probably had no idea what he was talking about, really; caste systems were an alien concept to someone like Mene.
Aran'ya was not exactly expecting the hug from him, the motion causing the chokers and necklaces she wore around her long, green ringed neck to jingle and shake as the colorful stones caught the reflected light of the displays around them.
There was a pause of consideration, before she extended her own long arms up to wrap around his wide shoulders in response, accompanied by another toothy grin. "Believe me, I did, Menelik... Still do, even if he's buried in the rubble of a fallen moon. They say it served me right, though... poetic justice and all that from the Goddess' own hand."
For all that Aran'ya had known Menelik, he rarely ever cursed or said anything worse than "Gosh, Darn, Dangit' or, on occasion ' Damnekos'. Which made his response to that even more alarming.
"Fuck that, and fuck them. I wish that the damn moonfall never happened." He said forcefully, hugging Aran'ya tighter. "I'm sorry for your loss, but fuck the people who say you got what you deserved for that."
Pressing closer to Widow, the Nepleslian could definitely feel the curves of the Lorath under the black and green banded LSDF uniform she still had on. One of the pale hands slid off of his shoulder and passed by his lips after his stream of curses. "Now you're sounding like a real typical Marine," she commented, before dropping the fingertip down slowly. "I don't think it suits you, though."
This was -too- close for Menelik's sake; she felt and smelled nice and with the current conversation it made Mene feel almost dirty for it. So he leg to of her and stepped back, just like that. Sure enough his face was dark with a blush, but he was keeping his composure pretty well all things considered. Must be because of My'ean's training.
"I don't like cursing, ma'am. My mother always said that there were better ways to express myself."
Aran'ya was seemingly satisfied to let go of the impromptu embrace, having gotten a very good whiff of that scent about him for the moment she was still trying to place. It was some kind of flower, definitely... And quite different from the lingering perfume of the spider-woman in his nostrils that seemed faintly like a tropical forest.
"It's always important to listen to your mother." The medic nodded her head, leaning on the side of the lift as it arrived to its destination. He caught a genuine smile for a fleeting moment as the door opened, ending what seemed like a very long minute. "So, how about that date?"
"After Tange, okay?" He grinned back at her, reverting back to being the slightly goofy and good-natured Nepleslian he normally was. "And thank you."
The L'manel's smile turned sarcastic once again as she nodded, and waved him off, "Just watch it with that smile, eh? That amount of positivity in one place could be the most dangerous chemical of all."
"Maybe. I'll see you around" And with that, he went on his own way.
