RP: YSS Miharu Mission 1 "REAR GUARD", Day 5

Miyoko met Asher's emergence with barely-restrained laughter. Shaving half a foot off of his height meant that his uniform, once a good fit, now hung loosely off of his frame in a manner that she found a bit ridiculous. Averting her eyes, she gave herself a moment to calm down and told him, "Ah, you... might want to requisition a new wardrobe soon." Then, she beckoned Nyton toward the alcove. "Claymere-juni, you're up... if your conversation is done, that is. I wouldn't want to hinder the advancement of philosophy."

Takuma was staring at the ceiling. After sleeping for an hour or two, he woke up, restless. It's too early for bed... He decided to get up and take a quick shower. After downing some clothes, Takuma decided to walk around and see what other people were up to. If nothing else, it will give me something to do.

Once he left the enlisted quarters, he found himself almost lost again. He was wandering, so he just let his feet guide him. He passed several rooms and corridors before things started to look exactly the same as where he started. Puzzled, he called up a map from the MEGAMI. "Oh, I'm now at the port quarters..." he said to himself.

After walking forward a little, he began to hear a conversation. It sounded like he heard Ito Rei's voice. After going a bit further, he saw that she and Masako were talking, and Ito was turning red. Allowing himself a quick chuckle, he decided to go see what they were doing.

When the conversation was looking at its lowest, he decided to jump in. "Hello Masako-Juni and Ito-Hei" he said, giving a quick bow to both. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I was just passing by and figured I'd drop in to say hi."

Nyton was drawn into the conversation but Miyoko's interruption would have to be addressed. He stood up and began to walk to the machine but put forth his answer as he did so. "Not all Nepleslians will choose to suffer through life than die. Some would rather choose to take their chances with death so as to end their suffering. The difference being that they chose to take the path that ended their life rather than having it made for them."

He then sat down in the ST device before he continued. "As for the loss of sensory stimuli I would have to argue that our cybernetics have come so far along that you would almost never know one had a replacement. My arm for example still has the sensation as my original. The only difference is that I can turn off that pain now and endure more damage than the original arm would. So long as we maintain our cybernetics we can keep the same feelings we had before they were replaced. Besides, there are ways much deeper than what is experienced through the flesh to bond and care for each other. Something that goes beyond just knowing the other person is alive and physically present. That is one of the things that make us lean towards the possibility of there being a soul and an afterlife. It is that same thing that pushes us to risk our lives for each other and go beyond just survival. Like I said, a body that is good enough for a Nepleslian is one that is capable of doing what they want to get the most out of life. A heartbeat is not one of them so long as they are still able to find what is most important to them. I never saw my grandfather pine for a normal body and no one in my family ever wished he were any different. He can still feel and be felt regardless of what kind of body he has. The true heart, not the one that beats but the one of his soul, is the one that we share."

With that Nyton laid back and got ready for the ST procedure to begin. "Miharu, I have enjoyed this conversation and while I understand that we are all bound by the laws of the Empire I would hope that my position is clear and that you would do everything you could to preserve my life in my present body rather then take it as an opportunity to force me into one when it is not my time."

He nodded to Miyoko and gestured for her to begin.

Miyoko pulled the head piece of the apparatus down onto Nyton's head and, after adjusting a few settings, switched it on, knocking him out cold. "Miharu, could you ask the next person in need of a backup to come down a few minutes before Claymere-juni's finished?"

Turning to Leutre, she said, "Well, Ve- Leutre." She tried out the name tentatively--it was the first time she could recall calling somebody by their first name, but his continued familiarity with her made her feel like giving it a try. "... do you want to do your checkup now, or are you content to hang out and listen to patients argue with the ceiling?"

"Actually, I don't really talk from the ceiling. I'm in full surround." Miharu quipped. "That's why I prefer using Mara to do the talking for me, but right now she's stuffing her face in the wardroom."

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Back on the bridge Miharu appraised Kotori that the medlab had an opening for the next person to have a ST backup. The Taii quickly relegated most of her tasks to Yukari (and Kotori was actually handling a lot) and left the bridge.

"Say Miyo did you..." Leutre tilted his head and gave Saito a curious look. He stared at her a moment before flashing her a grin, "Well, fair enough I suppose. I've always preferred the name Leutre, you know? It just seems to fit; Leutre the Lucky, Leutre the Looter, Leutre the Lunatic. It just rings right, don't it?"

"Oh, I nearly forgot the checkup. Shall I strip then or some such business? I assure you all my important bits are in all the right places, except for my mind. Whenever I lose it I can never seem to find it anywhere! If you happen to find it, please let me know..." Though Leutre was joking for the most part, he still gave her quite a serious look. He never ceased to find amusement in the reactions he could provoke from others, simply by telling a joke in a sober tone.

"Well anyways, let's hop to it. I suppose it's better than talking to the ceiling. What sort of moron would do that, eh, Miyo?" Leutre looked up at the roof and grinned, "Eh, Lady Luck?" Leutre paused a moment, half-jokingly awaiting a sign from his favorite deity.

"Keep the clothes on. I just need to have a quick look at you and ask a few questions to make sure the concussion didn't rattle anything loose in that head of yours." It seemed that, her manner of address aside, Miyoko was still all business at the moment. "Really, it's mostly stuff you would have probably already complained to me about, so... have you been feeling okay, aside from the sore head? No dizziness, nausea, that sort of thing?"

Yukari found her workload had tripled in mere seconds as Kotori left the bridge. Narrowing her eyes, she began to digest as much of it as she could, the rest of the tasks fended off to Miharu-san to handle. She had already stumbled over a good placement for James Dige; a new wing of power armor was being transfered to the station they would visit once the Tsuyosa area was secure, and there were slots open for Kylie pilots.

The note assumed the station was still there when someone arrived at its coordinates, but it would have to do.

The monitoring of the chibi probes wasn't all Kotori was doing -- there was some kind of simulation work going on as well, and she was mining for more information through the Miharu's memory. Yukari did her best to keep up with both tasks, refining and purifying the searching as best she could while interacting with the simulation ... which appeared to be on a fleet-sized scale. Combined with the smaller things Kotori was digesting, Yukari was able to keep herself more than busy enough.

Asher pulled at the loose uniform on his body, and looked around to see that everyone else in the room was busy. He liked the loosness of his uniform, and the way it hung off of him. It reminded him of the time when he hung with his friends on Malifar. Though, the rules were clear on the dress code, look your best so you can kill like the rest.

"MEGAMI, where do I find a new fitting uniform for my small body?" He looked up only to flinch, thinking about the MEGAMI's previous statement of being surrounding. The Yamataian decided to just keep his face forward, or, in some odd direction...

Man, why can't I juss' have a holla'gram ta' look at?

"Some will be ready for your within the hour," Miharu assured Asher. "I was aware that with most of your belonging left on your previous vessel that you'd need more clothing. I will need time to adjust them to your new size, though."

On that, the medlab's door and Kotori came in. Asher had seen her before at the table... the white-paneled uniform and Taii-rank pin pretty much established her as the highest-ranked officer on the Miharu. Both hadn't really had the chance to speak with each other overmuch.

Kotori's eyes - with irises a strange golden color that seemed more suitable to a raven than a person - studied his loosened uniform before giving him a brief nod as she passed him by to see Miyoko.

"I have not had my backup in some time," she said to the violet-haired yamataian science specialist. "May I be next?"

"Thank you, MEGAMI, I appreci-" The Hei stopped as the door of the Medbay opened.

Asher's red eyes widened as he realized it was the Taii entering the Medbay, with this he attempted to get at a stance of attention. He tried to keep a straight face as she took note of his uniform, feeling that she probably could've arrived at a better time. When she nodded to him he could only find himself to shake his head down, then back up. He relaxed as she passed him and addressed Miyoko.

Ain't that fuckin' shooty, the Taii shows up while I'm in my loose fits.

The Yamataian frowned as he tugged at his loose uniform, feeling he hadn't made the best first face-to-face impression.

"Of course; it will be a few minutes before Claymere-juni's backup is complete, though." Miyoko walked over to Leutre and began tenderly inspecting the healing wound on his head while she awaited his response to her earlier question. "If you'd like, there's a chair in the examination area that you could sit in while you wait."

Kotori nodded to Miyoko. "Thank you." The neko turned and went for the chair. Once she was seated, she idly began caressing some of her long hair as she looked at the installations Miyoko had at her disposal.

Leutre closed his eyes and began singing,

"Sometimes the light will fade,
My world's will turn grey.
I thinks me head was cracked,
And my mind's in disarray.
Oh hells and woe betide,
It brings me such dismay.
Fetch me a jug o' wine,
To drown my pain away.
Other than those wee snags,
I'm faring well today.
I feel like I've tipped by top,
One could even say."

Leutre held the final note for a moment, though noticeably off-key. It was finally cut short with a loud yelp of surprise when he finally noticed Kotori in the room. His demeanor quickly turned to a troubled one as he lowered his head. Not taking his eyes from his worn boots he quiet murmured, "Err, n-no Miyo, I haven't been having any ... well, at least not enough to significantly disrupt my work. A few passing symptoms now and again aren't anything worth quitting over."

Miyoko couldn't help but snicker quietly at Leutre's surprise, but her expression quickly became serious again when he mentioned his problems. She looked him in the eyes and said, "Which is why you tell me, so I can help you and the symptoms don't get worse. What exactly have you been experiencing?"

"Ah! Takuma-sama!" Rei blurted out as her immediate superior showed up as well. "Not interrupting anything at all, sir. Just answering some of Masako-Juni's questions."

Slowly inching back to her door, Rei bows deeply to the pair. "By your leave then, Juni. I'll, ah, be taking my rest, as you suggested."

Slipping quickly into her quarters and closing the door, Rei breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew. Too much brass, too quickly." She muttered to herself as she threw herself onto her bed.

Masako blinked in surprise as the enlisted woman dismissed herself and practically flung herself into her own room. "Ano..." Masako mumbled before sighing and shaking her head. I didn't think a Jôtô Hei and a Santô Juni were so scary, the raven-haired neko thought with a frown before turning back to Takuma and smiling in a friendly manner.

"Hello, Kimura-Hei," Masako replied before realizing that the young man had called her by her first name. "Um, I'd rather you not use my first name so casually," she responded quickly. Though most people probably wouldn't mind it, the fact that someone showed familiarity of her when they hadn't even known each other more than a day felt awkward. It was the same thing when Leutre said her first name or even shortened it.

"Maybe once we come to know each other a bit more, maybe it would be fine," she explained innocently. "But we've only known each other for less than a day, it feels awkward that you would use my first name," she said before scratching the tip of her right ear.

"Anyway, there is something I'd like to discuss with you about the mission," she said. "Would you care to join me for lunch before we do though?"

Takuma winced at his mistake. "Ah, didn't mean any offense by it. I just prefer to call people by their first name. Then people don't seem to act so much like it's purely business and lighten up a little bit more." Conversation is always better when your not nailed to formalities.

"Of course, this is when you not on duty" Takuma added quickly. "Given the fact that you outrank me, I really should have used your last name anyway. Sorry about that." He was annoyed at himself for doing that, but the fact that she outranked him eluded him at that time. "The mistake of a moment lasts tenfold..." he thought to himself. He ignored those thoughts and went back to the matter at hand. "Lunch does sound good right now. Can't work out tactics on an empty stomach, or you'll end up planning on how to steal from their kitchens." Takuma said with a slight laugh.

After looking around the hallways for a bit, he showed a look of confusion on his face. "I am still lost, so could you lead the way?"

"Lunch does sound good right now. Can't work out tactics on an empty stomach, or you'll end up planning on how to steal from their kitchens."

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Masako giggled at the commented and began to lead the taller man towards the wardroom. "I guess that can be true," she replied calmly. "And please, it's alright, you don't have to apologize," Masako said as she scratched the tip of her ear. "I guess I can be a little...stiff...at times," she explained the best she could as they headed down the corridor.

"Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was a priority target list for the Nozomi bridge for when we teleport in."

"I told you, I lose my mind now and again..." Leutre said quietly as he sneaked a sideways glance at the Taii, before turning his attention back to Miyoko. "Metaphorically speaking, of course. We all do in our own way I think, though I tend to do it more passionately than others. Given that I have yet to run into any accidents worse than bruises, burns, and a few lost -- then found -- fingers, I don't think it's all that serious." He looked down at his hand and wriggled his fingers, as if checking to see if they were still there.

"Just ... no worries Miyo. Lady Luck loves me too much to let anything happen. If she didn't I'd already be a bloody smear on some spit of a rock or ship deck." Leutre shrugged and gave her a small smile. "Anyways, my mind is my own ... at least, I think so. I'd rather you not tinker in it regardless since there all sorts of dark and exotic things that would probably scare you. Hell's Bells, it scares me sometimes." He forced a nervous laugh, hoping that she would find his incoherent ramblings harmless enough to ignore them.