RP: YSS Miharu Mission 1 "REAR GUARD", Day 4

FOOD. Miyoko had been considering sneaking off for a bite to eat anyway. With the Taii encouraging the crew to take an hour off, the suggestion became an imperative. Besides, maybe she'd run into one of the other people she had business with and get a chance to kill two birds with one stone. After requesting that the Miharu alert her to any changes in Mizuho's condition, she quickly took off for the kitchen on the upper deck.

A bath would be nice too. And all this combat was really cutting into her reading, free research, and scheming time... She had to make this hour count.

Nyton watched as Yukari entered and gave her a slight grin in return. "Oh so do I hear you volunteering to keep watch first so Kotori and I can go refresh ourselves? That sounds awfully generous of you." he said jokingly. He then resumed his ordinary demeanor. "I would appreciate some time to clean up and eat. If you want to take first shift I'll try to move quickly enough so that you don't miss out, Yukari. I'm sure you have somethings you would like to do as well."

"No," Yukari said politely. "I am not hungry ... this Nekovalkyrja body has its advantages."

She took her seat at the front of the bridge after a quick bow to Kotori, then took over the piloting of the Miharu.

Kotori had been leaning back on her command seat, feeling both relieved and mentally drained by the whole mess they had gone into. She heard her bridge staff argue over whom would remain to keep watch and then it seemed to be decided: Yukari would stay.

Kotori didn't agree. She straightened up from her lounging position. "Yukari and Nyton, you both are taking a break. Mara can handle things here." The Taii settled her eyes on Mara. "Will that be okay?"

Mara nodded. "Sure. Just ask Tom to bring me something to eat and I'll be fine."

"Good." Kotori stood up and pushed her arms up and arced her back slightly as she artlessly stretched with a light grunt. The dried blood on her had turned itchy; she couldn't wait to wash it off. "Nyton, go wash, shave and eat. Yukari, go help Tom, give him a massage or something. You both are dismissed."

Nyton gave Kotori a sly smile and bowed slightly. "As you wish Taii. Let's go Yukari, before she changes her mind." he said half joking before he began to walk out from the bridge. Give Tom a massage she said? Looks those two are closer than I thought. Nyton thought with an internal chuckle. He did not pursue the train since that was their business and assembled his mental checklist of things to do. Shave. Bath. Get dressed into a new uniform. Arm myself and ensure my room is in order. Eat. A lot.

Yukari had turned at Kotori's first statement, then frowned at her at the second. She was not some "comfort girl;" though Tom had repeatedly been on her mind as she was down with Saito-Hei, and out in the armor, and while she had watched over the Shikaku ... her frown deepened. Kotori knew too much.

"Yes, Taii-san." She got up, bowed, and left.

Tom had heard the ship-wide communication from Kotori, although a lot of it was dulled by the labored breathing he made through his suit.

With an angry roar, he stood up and threw his wrench aside, where it clanged against the metal of the floor and the nearby wall. He ripped his helmet off and breathed deeply of the air in the engineering bay. For what is was worth, mixed with the scents of oil and metal, the air was much fresher than what he had been breathing for the last few hours.

"I need a damn shower..."

Yukari was one step ahead of Tom. Within minutes, she was underneath the showerhead again, finishing her shower in a proper fashion -- by sitting on the sterile floor and letting the water soak her as she somewhat miserably reviewed her performance across the past ... her internal clock couldn't come up with the right number of hours. It didn't matter. She hadn't eaten much before the battle had begun, she had caused incredible damage to the Miharu with her subpar piloting, could have killed crewmembers. Kotori had made her somewhat upset by her flippant comment ...

And she wanted Tom. Dammit all, she wanted Tom.

Aiyaa, she sighed mentally, hanging her head. The water fell on her neck.

(Double post sorry!)

ON

Tom Freeman muttered under his breath as he stomped into the shower facilities, fully bent on decontaminating the hell out of his body. Every follicle of hair on his head felt slimy and dirty, every fleck of skin unclean and itchy. He simply felt... grimy.

Yukari did not look up. Whoever it was, it probably was not Tom, and she was deep enough in her own funk as to not want to come out yet.

Tom had heard the sound of running water and figured it was some random member of the crew, perhaps a sprite. Who cared anyway? Everything sucked right now. With nary a thought, Tom discarded his suit onto the ground, where it crumbled to the floor with a padded thud. He groped around for an open stall.

Yukari put her head down deeper into her knees; the other person was being rather loud. Must be Chigusa.

The water sprouted from the showerhead as Tom turned the knob. Unfortunately, in his mental stupor, the Yamataian had twisted the cold water knob. A stream of cold water slammed into his head before he managed a yelp of misery and quickly turned the hot water knob. "Dammit!"

Yukari's head popped up. " ... Freeman-Heisho?" she said with uncertainty, not seeing him. Had he gone to a stall behind her?

"Ma'am?" Tom turned around slowly. "You're here too?"

Rising to her feet, Yukari peered around the corner of her shower "stall," then quickly brought her head back, frozen in terror -- she was completely naked, and everything felt different. He was completely naked too, and she had made sure not to see much. "Y-yes!"

"Ah, I see!" Tom bowed deeply, although he was certain she couldn't see it. "I mean, I don't see! It's a pleasure to see you again!"

Yukari managed to laugh awkwardly at the scrambling for words. At least he found some. "Y-yes, a pleasure to see you as well!" The brief image she had of him was quickly banned from her immediate memory.

Laughing as he grabbed the soap and began washing himself, Tom spoke. "So! Come here often!?"

"Yes! -- No!" Yukari stopped herself. "I ... desired some peace."

"I guess finding peace in a time like this is welcome, no matter where you find it," Tom said, "The shower is a good choice, I think."

"Mmm," Yukari responded quietly. She leaned against one of the walls of her stall, the water splashing over her front, which she still covered with her arms.

"A KS for your thoughts, ma'am," Tom replied with delicate measure. "You've seen much these last few hours, I'm sure."

" ... " Yukari shook her head, her thick, wavy hair gently slapping the wall. "No. I do not want to think of those things ... it is too much." She weakly tried to change the subject. "Are the repairs going well?"

"As well as they could be, for a disaster," Tom groaned. "Everything sucks right now."

"Mmm ... " Yukari looked down at herself, her arms, her breasts, her feet ... absorbing what she was. Not like Kotori, she thought sourly.

"You go and try to fix a CDD and then WHIZ, BAMMO, Fold engine is fried!" Tom slid his hands together in a clap. "Oh man, I'm going to be working all night on this."

Yukari jumped a little at the clap. She shook her head, settling back down into the wall. "You should eat and rest then, before you must go back to work."

"Who has time to eat or rest when you've also got to make the crew's food," Tom said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, which wasn' t much. "But every little big helps, you know? Whatever I can do to help..."

"I can help you with the food ... " Yukari said sheepishly. Her thoughts were quickly spiralling downward.

Tom cracked his neck with a grunt, then rotated the sockets in his shoulders, which make an audible popping noise as well. He had been hunched over machinery for hours, and he was rather stiff. "You don't have to, ma'am, you've probably been through a lot more than me up there on the bridge. You probably need this rest far more than I do."

"No, I want to," she said quickly. A little too quickly, perhaps. "I ... need something. So I do not think about the bridge."

"I see," Tom said quietly. He let the water run on his hair and picked his voice up. "Ok then, but I'm going to need some time here. I'm cramping up pretty badly."

"Yukari, go help Tom, give him a massage or something." Kotori's words rang out in her mind ... she looked away from herself to the stall's door, angry that Kotori had even suggested it, no matter how badly she wanted to. Surely Tom did not ... need her that way. She was not a comfort girl! But ... did she want him, that way? Do not let your emotions best you, she thought, trying to resist.

Tom gripped his left shoulder with his right hand, trying to rub out the knot that had developed in it. He huffed in pain as it proved rather resistant to his efforts.

"Are you ... in pain, Heisho?" Yukari could scarcely come to grips with what she was insinuating. I am not a slave to my emotions, nor to his needs.

"N-no, it's nothing, ma'am," came the reply from Tom. "It's just this damn knot won't come out.. what I deserve for hunching over that fold engine."

I might be able to help him, she thought quietly. No! He is a man, he is fine. Yukari smiled a little. "Would you ... like help?"

Tom raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. "Who am I to turn down such a nice offer?" He tried to play it cool, although his heart was pounding.

I am not a comfort girl! I am not his comfort girl! Barely able to contain herself, Yukari left her stall, without her towel, and went to the stall Tom was in. "Face the shower wall," she said shyly, the small, giddy smile on her face betraying everything in her head.

"Already am, ma'am." Tom was washing his hair with shampoo, lathering it so hard that it dripped down his face. His hair, which was yellow and poofy when combed, had now decended in a golden river down to his shoulders.

Tom could hear the door of his stall open ... then a pause ... then close gently. He soon felt small, dainty hands touching his shoulders, rubbing them a little. It wasn't enough pressure to get the kinks out. From her end, Yukari was just trying to focus on his hair and his shoulders. She was already locked in a full-body blush, and she realized (too late) that it was cold without the water.

Tom purred when Yukari touched his body, more from the feeling of finally having her touch his naked form than the actual work of her hands. "That's good, ma'am, but dig in a little harder. Put those Neko muscles to work." His hands dropped and he began to rinse the shampoo out of his hair.

Yukari gulped -- her mind was screaming at her not to take orders from this man! -- but she didn't listen, and she floated up a little so she could dig into Tom's sinewy muscles, her small, long fingers getting the muscles better than she imagined they would. She was struck by how long his hair really was.

Tom moaned. "I didn't know you were THIS strong, ma'am." He instinctively moved forward a little, the sensation of her hands pushing him as he relaxed completely.

"We are all strong, in our many ways ... " Yukari groaned internally; half of her wanted to shove him into the wall and proclaim her independence from all influence ... but the other was interested in maneuvers far more intimate. She struggled and kept massaging.

Tom melted from Yukari's steady hands until he felt like hot mush. "You are right, ma'am, but we also find strength in each other..."

"Mm." Yukari's hands unsteadily went lower, digging into Tom's back a little more. She found herself enjoying this against her will -- it was her work that was making this tall, strong man relaxed and vulnerable in her hands. "We are a crew. Our strength must come from that."

"Mm-hm" was all Tom could manage as Yukari's hands found their way downward. His head plopped against the shower wall now, and Yukari soon found herself gently being sprayed with water from the shower. So far had Tom moved forward from her work.

Yukari giggled a little, a sweet, happy giggle. She was doing well, or so it seemed. "Heisho?" she asked with a smile, her eyes wandering, just a little, to drink in the finer details of Tom's backside. How ... cultivated he was. It confirmed her suspicions from their dancing dinner date. She dug harder.

"Nnngahhh," Tom replied, trying not to drool against the wall. "Y-yes ma'am?" His knees quivered a fraction from each prod.

Yukari could not hide her enjoyment any longer. The realization made her blush fade some -- she was in control. "You are well, Heisho?" She was not covering herself any longer, she did not fear his nakedness nor hers. She was caught in the moment.

"Better than ever, ma'am." Feebly, Tom reached for the knobs to the shower to try to turn the water off, but couldn't find the grip to turn them. In fact, he had become like putty in Yukari's hands, so much so that he instead found himself using the handles to keep steady. "I, I think that's all of them..."

Yukari grinned -- really grinned -- and removed her hands from Tom's back. She then stepped out of the stall, to let him twist and recooperate as needed. "I am glad you feel better," she said, a bit of smug pleasure dripping in her tone.

As the sensation of control slowly returned to Tom's body, he grinned as well. "Haha, amazing. I never knew you had this in you, Yukari." Using the wall as a brace, he turned around to face her naked form. "So, we finally meet."

"Neither did -- " She suddenly realized what he meant. She had not covered herself, and the door to the stall was still open.

The. Door. Was. Still. Open.

The blush returned full-blown on her body as she slowly covered herself. "Ai--yaa," she said meekly. Her confidence had quickly somersaulted.

"So, Yukari, you have two choices," Tom murmured seductively with a wink. "My legs are regaining their strength quickly, but you still have time to run away..."

I am done for. It was the only thought that crossed Yukari's mind as she backed into the wall behind her. Running? She could not run! Her eyes honed in on Tom -- no! She shoved her eyes elsewhere, not wanting to think about his body, what it made her feel, what it was built for, designed for, looked very capable of doing -- her eyes darted again, arms inadequate cover. "Shimatta," she murmured under her breath.

"Ho ho ho, you still have time to run, Yukari," Tom said as he took a step towards his prey. "Or, dare I say, you don't want to run away?" His small frame was hardly intimidating, but the Yamataian put his best effort into being as macho as possible. What he lacked in bulk he made up in muscle tone.

She didn't want to run. Damn Tom and his perception. Damn him! Yukari swallowed and kept looking away, eyes hooded ... but now she was shivering. It was cold, and she was also struggling with herself. Chikushou, she snarled mentally. I am done for.

As Yukari looked away, seemingly dreading her approaching demise, Tom continued his methodical approach. Would Yukari's shivering form be embraced? Groped? Violated? Tom was so close now, she could feel his warm breath on her nape. But what came next was not the smooth, silky caress of his hands, but the rough edges of a white towel brushing the water off her body.

The breath on her neck made her shiver even more. But her doom did not come. Yukari's naked form was lightly scratched by a standard-issue towel, which was drying her and making her less cold, though the wet mass of thick hair flowing down her back was unreachable in her current position. She looked at Tom's face, into his eyes. "You are mean," she said, almost pouting.

"You know I'm not a Saint." Without hesitation, Tom took Yukari's chin in his hand and tilted her lips to meet his. His towel fell to the floor as he kissed her passionately, deeply, the two nude forms becoming one between the stalls of the showers.

"But -- " She didn't finish, as her eyes glazed over from the kiss that quickly silenced her. Her eyelids slowly fell as she deeped the kiss with him, reaching to put her arms around his neck. His taste -- it was the same, yet better. Her brain failed to compute why, but she didn't care, as she pressed the kiss to have more of it.

"No 'buts,' Yukari," Tom said quickly between kisses. Another. "Say it. Don't hold back."

"I -- " A kiss. "Don't know -- " Another. "Ahmph!" Another. She pulled away for a moment, her relatively small frame dwarfed by his height. She pouted without considering how she looked, then, with only slow hesitation, she brought her arms around his chest, pulling him close to her naked form. Her breasts pressed into his abdomen, her hands into his back. "I do not know what I should say," she said, words muffled into his chest. Each kiss was another slip of sweet, sweet poison into her brain; all she wanted was more of it, more of that feeling that she was desireable because of what she was.

Another kiss. "Actually, I don't really know where I was going with that. I saw it in a movie once." In his passion, he had picked Yukari up and moved her into the stall behind her, carrying her until she rested against the wall. Painfully, he pried his lips away from hers and gently move down, brushing against her neckline.

"Idiot," she said softly, with no sting at all. Yukari had been picked up so uncerimoniously -- she loved it when Tom did that. Loved it too much. She felt safe, she felt comfortable, she felt loved ... she felt horribly aroused. She should not have pressed her breasts into him; that made it worse. And now Tom was making it much worse by not kissing her in the one area she could control. Now she was pressed against a warm wall with him kissing her neck, sending shivers of pleasure through her. "You do this to me ... so easily," she breathed.

"All in a day's work..." Tom moved his body harder against Yukari's, using the added pressure to keep her in place as he used his right hand to gently move her face to the side. "You're beautiful. The most beautiful woman I've ever set my eyes on..." his throaty words faded as he traced a line up the side of her neck with his tongue, running the tip along her jugular on a path to her ear.

She shivered a little more violently from his minstrations, though his words pierced her mind. He was pressed against her; she was trapped and she was happy about it and wanted him always that way. She tried to ignore another part of him pressed into her, but that was also difficult. "You lie," she said, again with no malice. She was almost trying to make herself believe it. "A handsome man ... like you ... has seen women more attractive ... than me ... " He was certainly the most beautiful man she had visuals on. Had anything on. Her brain seemed to be melting.

His tongue stopped at the base of her ear, just for a moment, for the Yamataian to whisper. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever set my eyes on... I will say it until you believe me... even if it takes an eternity..." He followed his statement with a sigh of hot air before he began to nibble gently on her earlobe.

Yukari's brain had melted. She was sure now. She wondered if Tom could taste it flowing out of her ears. It was hard to care because his little movements, his breath, his words ... she swallowed and breathed harder. "I believe it now," she managed. "I believe you are the most handsome man I will ever know ... " She wanted to kiss him in response, do something to give him pleasure, but she felt paralyzed.

Tom smiled and he backed away slowly from her body, guiding her softly to her feet. "Thank you, Yukari. Thank you..." His eyes did not shimmer with tears, but his entire face radiated an inviting, loving glow.

The same hazy glow encompassed Yukari, who smiled a slightly dreamy smile, but she instead took the initiative, taking Tom back into her arms and giving him a deep, wet kiss, full of everything she had felt for the past few minutes. They had taken up so much of their precious little time together. She did not care. She held him close, gently rubbing herself against him before pulling back herself. Her breath was hot and heavy. She ... had been close.

The kiss almost overwhelmed Tom right there. Only his surprise at her initiative kept him at bay. "As much as I want to throw you down right here, we'll have to save it for another time..." He whimpered as he looked over Yukari's perfect, nude body. "...I hope a time very soon."

"Assuredly," Yukari said, for the first time drinking in every minute detail she could capture of Tom's lithe form. "Though, I must admit a preference of you picking me up before throwing me down." She blushed but maintained against him. By Chiharu's very soul, she was out of her mind. "My room, when we are next at leave ... let Mara cook ... "

"Agreed," Tom said as he tore his gaze away from her and wrapped a towel around his form. He stopped at the door to the stall. "Just... make sure you live until then... I will..."

"... We all will."

Yukari nodded, and he left her. She remained under the shower for a moment more, then left. The look clouding her face was one she'd never tried before -- unbridled happiness.

END

I can't help but feel that I'm trespassing... Just as the medical lab, despite technically just being another room in the Miharu, was her domain, Miyoko was well aware that the kitchen was Tom's. But, she was damn hungry and there didn't seem to be anybody on duty in the kitchen; if she had to serve herself, serve herself she would.

She'd managed to scavenge up a decent pile of food for somebody who was only vaguely aware of kitchens in the same way that most people were only vaguely aware of, say, the gall bladder. Sticking with things that she could eat cold- she had horrible images of ship-wide fires in her mind warning her away from trying to use an oven- she'd put together a respectable feast of raw fruits, vegetables, and, okay, a dessert or two.

A few minutes later, she was to be found enjoying this bounty, sprawled across a sofa in the wardroom, with a thick book on biochemistry in her lap. All she needed now were maybe a few thralls fanning her with palm leaves... but she hadn't worked up the resolve to ask the Miharu to make some sprites for the purpose just yet.

Asher put his arms behind his head as he entered the wide wardroom. It looked a lot better than the eating area back on the Shikaku. Though, his main concern was getting his belly back up to carrying capacity. The current events had left him famished, something he seemed to constantly remind himself. He walked into the kitchen and into the serving area and looked around.

Where's the food...?

He looked at a sign showing the eating hours, he took a look at a clock nearby.

...Dammit, that ain't shooty.

The clock was past the breakfast times set on the sign. He scratched his head and wondered how he was going to eat. It was not long when Asher's eyes fell on a glass booth loaded with snacks and treats, his mouth began to water. Figuring that would hold him until the lunch hours came to pass, he loaded a few snacks on a tray and walked back into the Wardroom, his mouth doning a wide grin.

Next task, finding a seat. Asher eyes scanned the wardroom, looking for a seat. He noticed it wasn't much filled, most of the crew were likely busy recovering from the recent events. The wide-shouldered yamataian did spot, however, a rather content looking Neko with a large book. He knew he was going to be here awhile, and it'd probably be best to get to know some of the crew. He strolled over and sat in a chair across from the sofa the Neko was on.

"Hello there, hope you don't mind." Asher said with his still wide grin, and his hands on one of the snacks.

Nyton finished up shaving and put away his razor. He took a moment to appreciate the sensation of freshly shaved skin after so much itching. "Ah, blessed relief." he muttered to himself. He then got out his soap and bath items but paused. The showers sounded to be occupied so Nyton made his way to the baths instead. He rarely indulged in such but found that he could use a change of pace. Everything had been so fast all day that perhaps a little slow down would help.

Upon entering the bath area he immediately soaped himself and rinsed. He intended to make the most out his time in the tub itself. He settled down into the warm water and allowed himself time to relax. As the water came into contact with his skin the relaxation seeped in and his mind began to wander.

My first time at the tactical console. Overall not bad. But I have a ways to go. My command of the weapons console still needs work. Nyton thought as he reviewed his performance. He quit though and decided instead to focus on relaxing.

"Mm, not at all." Miyoko raised a half-eaten apple to the interloper in a mock toast. "I'm the one responsible for fixing you up if you neglect that body, so by all means, put some food into it."

While she could have had used the shower in her room to wash off, Kotori felt she deserved something more for her troubles. After making a stop to dump her red-stained bathrobe in the laundry, she masked her presence with her skin camouflage and went to the public baths in the nude.

She passed in the wardroom, unnoticed by Miyoko and one of the Shikaku's former crewmembers before making her entry in the dressing room, where she acquired a woven basket, deposited a drying towel in it, and made her entry through the sliding panel. She quickly spied Nyton lounging in one of the baths and unstealthed, not wanting to alarm him with visions of a basket floating in the room on its own.

Silently, the black-haired nekovalkyrja's feet padded over the tiling on the floor and she knelt under one of the low showerheads before twisting the cold water faucet until a spray of accordingly frigid water jetted out, quickly weightening Kotori's hair with moisture; slowly coaxing the blood in her hair and on her skin to slide down in ruby droplets to become fleeting red lines as they joined the water puddling around the drain and disappeared.

Asher scratched the back of his head, and raised one of his own snacks before taking a bite out of it. So she was medical officer, yet she sounded familiar.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to have been that medic on the rescue team on the Shikaku, would you?" Asher queried, putting the rest of the snack in his mouth.

Nyton was broken from his meditations by the sound of the water from the showerhead. With a quick glance behind him he took note of Kotori washing the blood off of her. He settled back in but called out as soon as he did. "Need any help washing that blood off, Kotori-sama?" he asked casually.

"That'd be the one, yes. Saito Miyoko, ship science specialist, medic, and all-around intellectual errand girl." She awkwardly twisted to sit the book face-down on her thigh without upsetting her apple and extended a hand to Asher. "Yoroshiku."

Kotori quickly turned the faucets so that the water would be warmer than the frigid cold she had initially opted for. "Please," she replied as she moved her head from under the pouring water to look at Nyton. Water droplets slid from her cheeks, down to her jawline until they dribbled from her chin.

Asher put down his snack and rubbed his right hand clean on the tray. With food still in his cheeks he shook her hand with good grip.

"The name's Asher Orkin Westwood, the pleasure's all mine." Asher said, putting a napkin across his face. "I 'was' the tactical specialist's assistant back on the Shikaku. Other than that, I'm your plain Power Arms."

"That reminds me, I never properly thanked you guys for dragging us out of that wreck." Asher said, he rubbed his spike goatee, remembering how they came in to help them out.

Yukari did not see Tom on her way back to her room. She did not stop to look at anyone as she slid around the edge of the wardroom, spiraling in flight as she wore a large, happy smile on her face. The comfort, the assurance she found in Tom's voice helped her weather a storm of evil and pain and anguish ... but she scolded herself as the door opened. She was strong on her own.

She always would be, she knew as she stripped out of her weapons, uniform and undergarments. He needed her as much as she needed him. But finding strength in those around you was what made Yamatai strong -- comrades in arms, not just mindless monsters without moral character.

Wrapped in a fresh skirt uniform and leggings, Yukari picked up her belt and checked her GSP. She cycled the action once, snatched the cartridge from the air, dumped the magazine with the same hand, and slipped the cartridge back into it. She slid the magazine back in, racked the slide, and decocked the hammer -- the pistol was ready to fire with a single pull of the trigger. She stuffed the weapon back in its holster, feeling a little better about herself.

When she slowly walked back into the wardroom, she smiled at the two crew she saw there. "Saito-Hei ... Westwood-Hei, yes?" Yukari bowed a little.