RP: YSS Miharu Mission 3, Aftermath

"They were just about to get started." Nyton replied simply before scooping up some eggs in his fork. He ate it quickly and checked to be sure he was not about to talk with any food left in his mouth.

"Now then sir. First off when we meet with the Taisa I will introduce you again. When we enter the room go no farther than the doorway. Stop there and bow slightly, not too deep since you are not a member of the military but just a little bit to show respect. I would say move the whole upper body down by a few inches. Then after you bow express a courteous greeting. Something along the lines of 'Thank you for granting me this audience, your highness.' or 'Good morning, it is a pleasure to see you again, your highness.' Usually there is no need to overdo things but in your case you may want to show extra courtesy. I can say that right now you are inside a bit of a hole as it were. That little bit of effort may help you climb your way out." Nyton began. He then paused to see if Heram was absorbing this or not, taking a bite from his food while doing so.

"Hrm..? Oh, no, I'm not busy at all. I just had a little scare" Kai answered, returning the sprite's smile and straightening in his seat and picking up his fork again, tapping the utensil on his tray momentarily. After a couple moments of realizing how nervous the sprite was, Kai ventured "So, How's the ship doing? I heard we got banged up pretty bad during the battle." The Yamataian Power armor pilot poked at a piece of bacon on his plate, picking it up and somewhat unceremoniously inserting an end in his mouth, which he bit off absentmindedly and began chewing.

The samurai greeted Yukari with the same small silent head bow, and then turned back to Tom. Sumaru was curious how much the other juni knew about the empire's samurai, because his question left Sumaru a little perplexed. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked curiously without sounding rude, "I plan to follow Sora-dono and do as she desired done. Now that the mission is over, I simply will train and sharpen myself so I am a better sword for her." He watched the man's reaction, examining his body language as he listened about a samurai's aspirations.

Not to be rude, Sumaru also asked the same question. "And you Freeman-Juni, what are your pursuits and ambitions for the future?" though his voice was peaceful, he did sound genuinely in interested. The male Neko took this time to dip a face cloth into the water and then rang it out and placed the warm fold on top of his head, his body was beginning to become accustomed to the heat, soon he would have to leave. Then with that train of thought, he wondered partly if anyone had seen his flower arrangement sitting in the middle of the wardroom.

Once alone again, Sora found herself deep in thought. she didn't know what to do with Sumaru except keep going as they were right now. She just was not ready for the next step and was terrified of what might happen if she actually let Sumaru catch her.

Sometimes I just think I'm a little bird in a gilded cage to him. He means well to keep me safe but I wonder if he wants to hold me close to hear my heart beating wildly in my chest to just put me away again... to sing alone and wantonly of the world beyond the cage where I am at risk of hawks and other predators but I least I have the chance to be free.

I have never lived as just 'Sora'. First and foremost, I am a Ketsurui and I have known not a place where I have gotten to just be myself. I don't have much of an identity past that of a Ketsurui, beloved and hated for the atrocities of a corporation that no longer exists.

I wish that I could have known the original Chiharu, who she really was before she became a martyr and a legend. Koharu is nice to talk to but she's not the same as the original Chiharu just as I am not the same as the original Sora. We're just strangers living in someone else's dream, we see the images, we understand them but they are not truly ours to claim. We look in the mirror and see the eyes of someone that once was and yearn to be something more than a replacement.

We've lost so much before we even knew we could lose it. But yet, here we are. We live, we breathe, we still bleed but we wonder if we truly exist. The Nepleslians don't believe that we have souls and I wonder sometimes if they are right.

Are we really alive after we are brought back from the abyss? Do our souls truly drift into darkness waiting for the chance to come back or... do they move on into the great void of oblivion? Are these memories and emotions just a complicated AI program feigning life?

She sat sprawled on the floor of her room in front of her mini shrine to her mother unsure of what to do. Sora hugged herself tightly, intentionally digging her fingers into the meat of her deltoids.

The brief sensation of stabbing pain made her feel real again. The warmth that slowly trickled down her arms filled her nostrils with a familiar coppery scent. She pulled her hands away and stared at the blood that stained her hands.

Who's blood are on my hands? Is it my blood or the blood of billions who died for the glory of my clan? Are we the monsters we turned the Mishhu into? Am I a monster like my 'aunt' Eve just trying to live like a sheep that I am destined to gleefully rip apart/ The young Ketsurui shivered despite the warmth of the room at the memory of what she had seen Eve do, what she knew that Eve was capable of. Her eyes were drawn to gleam that her slowly drying, congealing blood had against the skin of her hand.

"Like rubies," she whispered as she observed the way the light bounced off the liquid. No one can truly protect you from your most dangerous enemy... yourself. She wondered as her body started to repair itself from the damage she inflicted on herself, But do I need to be saved?

Wazu simply smiled and nodded where appropriate, letting Nyton handle the introductions and the majority of the conversation, something he seemed quite inclined to be in charge of. He also did not think to much of Nyton blowing in the neko’s ear, after all foreplay and the like was quite common on SAoY ships as far back as he could remember. He also did not quite catch what Nyton mouthed, as lip reading was not one of his strong suits.

He also wondered what the appropriate response was in this situation. ‘I have been in worse situations’ might just come off as arrogant and thanking him for his intimate knowledge of holes would probably not lead to the reaction that Wazu wanted. Instead he merely nodded again and said,

“Alright, what else do I need to know?”

Yuzuki sat down, considering just how to answer Kai's question. She didn't want to tell him the truth - at least not the whole truth. As far as she knew, knowledge of the damage's full extent was still confined to her and a handful of sprites, until she could find Tom or perhaps Yukari. Though, in retrospect, she knew it had to be Tom. Tom would want to know. Yuzuki didn't really understand why, but something in the back of her mind told her that Tom would know what to do. At least she wouldn't have to tell anyone the bad news herself.

"No, not really," Yuzuki admitted, looking away. Even if she hadn't suddenly become remarkably interested in the flower arrangement in the center of the room for no apparent reason, the lie would have been pretty obvious in and of itself. The thought made her wince inwardly. She buried a hand in her hair, propping herself up on the table wearily until she had come up with something that might change the direction of the conversation. She looked back over at Kai, blue eyes hopeful.

"How about you? How was... ah, the fighting?"

She regretted saying it, the moment it was out. Yuzuki flushed slightly. How stupid did she sound right now? What kind of person would ask after something like that? Yuzuki remembered that her conversation with the soldier in front of her had been so easy, the first time. So why was it so hard, now?

Why had she even opened her mouth?

Tom answered Sumaru's reaffirmation of his undying loyalty with a tilted head and a smile.

"Oh? How interesting," he said, his blonde eyebrows then scrunching in thought. "I'm... afraid I have difficulty understanding what exactly drives a samurai's loyalty. We, uh, don't get many of them in Ralt. Actually, you're the first one I've talked to."

He cupped some of the warm water in his hands and poured it over his head. It slid down his face and dripped off his chin, making small circular waves as each drop hit the water of the bath.

"I mean, I want to start my own family and live a simple, happy life. And, although I will share it with the one I love, it is an intensely selfish desire when you think about it carefully. Does the life of a Samurai truly not allow for anything else but the service of others? Dreams... surely everyone has them, yes?"

Tom has answered Sumaru's curiousness with that one sentence, he felt better now that this man wasn't just ignorant. But genuinely did not know of samurai, and how they worked. But the once Yamataian, now Nekovalkyrjan was unsure that he was the best candidate to represent the samurai order as a whole. Never the less, he decided to try and explain it the best he could.

"Well for most samurai, they are born into their lifestyle. They are brought up with duty and honor as their guiding principles. So a life of servitude is normally their desire, and defending the empire's imperial family and it's codes is a very honorable and important duty, so such a service is a very fulfilling thing for a samurai who's whole life has been preparing to fulfill such a very integral duty."

Sumaru's own words, as well as Tom's desire to settle reminded him of what he was brought up to do, what his sisters had taken so much of their time to install into him. He was born and raised to be a devoting and perfect husband (by their standards). It was so surreal that he had so long ago left that life behind, and now here he was sitting as the only remaining male Neko in the empire, and a samurai to a Ketsurui princess. Even though he had left that desire long behind in his training, he still felt somewhere deep within-- that boy who just wanted to have a loving bride to cherish and hold. With that he knew that somehow that must be how samurai must feel, that no matter how hard they would try, they would still long to be a glorious knight in service to the empire.

After snapping out of his internal delving, which took much less time then it took him to take a breath, he smiled slightly. "But that's not to say that each individual does not have their own dreams as well, I'm sure that other samurai have dreams that coincide with their lives. As I've personally met many samurai who have very diverse wishes, one of my teachers still competes to become one of the best flower arrangement artists in the entirety of the empire," Sumaru chuckled lightly, still finding it to be quite amusing.

"As for my dreams, I am sure they are as selfish as yours. I dream to be by Sora-dono's side for as long as I exist, in body or spirit. I also desire to see her grow and live out her dreams and see to it that her goals are met. I might even be more selfish, because I had made up my mind to become her samurai before she had made up hers," he trailed off and paused for a few moments stairing off into the water, "so yes, a samurai's life may seem much different, but it is all relative to who you are and where you come from."

He looked back up at the juni with that slight smile still on his soft features. "You have a beautiful dream Freeman-san, no matter what happens in your days to come. Don't let anything or anyone take it away, do like samurai and defend it with all of your might, okay?" he offered a more friendly smirk as he said that.

"Ah," Tom said reflectively after hearing all Sumaru had said. He spoke with such passion about his mission. It reminded him of his own passion he had for Yukari, but it also left him feeling somewhat empty.

The Samurai, it seemed, had an absolute devotion to their cause and an unshakable will. He could not help but feel a tinge of envy for such simplicity of existence. Serve and be happy. But the envy was twinged with a feeling of sadness as well, as the Raltean considered the intricacies of what Sumaru explained.

'Born' into the life. 'Raised' to do a job of honor. They didn't seem to have a choice in the matter.

Then the mention of his dream, and how he should defend it as a Samurai would his charge. Was it really that simple?

"My dream," he said softly, with his eyes closed.

A grain of dirt in the sandstorm of the universe.

His eyes cracked open and he glanced Sumaru's way.

"...so are you going to marry her?"

"I don't think that's possible," Sumaru said shaking his head, "my devotion is different then yours in that regard. I do all I can for her, and that is enough for me. There are laws, and matters of the heart that will keep that from ever coming to be. But never the less,I have already taken my vows as her guardian, I need no more to follow her though life." He felt so strange hearing his own words, he knew he was okay with it, but still inside he wasn't okay with it. The inner turmoil was endless, but he was sure of one thing-- he was happy being there for Sora.

"...but what if your service to her ends, however that may be. Maybe you're assigned to a new princess or something? I mean, what do you do then?"

Tom seemed to be somewhat flustered by the response. His arms gesticulated underneath the water.

"Your situation is unfair! Surely, you must have more of a say in the matter!"

"I just pray that it never happens, that Sora would not let that happen," Sumaru answered simply. The faith obviously there, but his hope sounded as faded as his smile. "She has a say in the matter, so if she lets me go--" he paused, "then I shall do as she desires and try to do the best I can in her name." The samurai went silent for a few more moments, and placed the cloth on his head on the side of the tub, it was cold now like the feeling edging it self at the tips of his soul. What if he was ordered to leave Sora's side, after all he's accomplished-- would she care enough to fight for him? He really took some time to wonder, but left it alone, deciding that he would let the answer come if ever the situation came.

"Bah," Tom said, waving his hand in front of him with a grimace like an old lady. "They have no right to do that to you."

He sighed and slid down into the water, up to his chin.

"You live your life, I say. If it's with the princess, then make it happen. Don't get pushed around."

Sumaru chuckled at Tom's expression. "You're quite an entertaining person Freeman-san," he said as he was reminded of another engineer he once knew with the same ideals. But that was for another time and place, they had been in the tub for quite some time now.

"Well I know my body being sub-atomically much different won't shrivel up after soaking for a while, but yours might surface as a raisin soon. I think it's time I should eat, maybe you should do the same too, I'll talk to you more in the future Freeman-san. Feel free to ask me any more questions you come up with," he said as he then took his time to exit the pool of water and wrap his solid warrior body in the towel he had beside the bath, also picking up his wakizashi as he exited.

The Male Neko took very little time to don his samurai robes and equip his swords. But what did take some time was the drying and styling of his almost white bangs. Before he was a samurai, he was once a fashionist, such strange twists and turns brought him to where he was. He still could remember applying makeup to his face everyday, but now the idea seemed so strange to him. He was definitely a much different person then he used to be, but still Sumaru retained himself-- after-all, he did take fifteen minutes doing his hair. Mixing old with the new, he worked to perfection, as all things should be in a samurai's life.

Miyoko was content to watch the back-and-forth between Tom and Sumaru, after returning Yukari's greeting. Of course, Sumaru's leaving left her in the tub with Yukari and Tom. ... well. This could be awkward. What she knew of the two suggested that they'd refrain from doing anything... private, with her around, but was it expected of her to leave them alone now? And then Tom wasn't a neko, which just complicated things--if they'd both been neko, well, she would at least know what to expect.

Only thing to do was keep the conversation going. A bit quietly, she offered, "... it is a nice bath." Okay, so Miyoko failed at making small talk.

"I don't think I've ever woken up with this much energy!" Yoroko said before shoveling a little bit of the food into her mouth. It was obvious from her movements and even the way she spoke that she was quite energetic. After eating a few mouthfuls Yoroko turned her head back to Rin, "So...I hear today is going to be rather relaxed, whatcha thinkin' of doin'?"

Nyton did not catch any reaction from Heram in regards to his feint but he continued to watch him carefully "After you have greeted the Taisa, it is likely she will begin asking you questions. She may ask you questions about what we discussed or a different subject. Regardless of how we begin the matter of Eve will eventually be addressed so be patient. I will not have the time to brief her on what you have told me so you will simply have to tell her yourself when it comes to that. Do not hold back any information as she requests it. Be specific in your details but however stick to the facts, not conjecture."

The man then paused, taking a quick bite of food and swallowing it. "Now when I say facts I mean facts not involving your opinions on a person. We do not want to hear that 'person A was an idiot' regardless of whether that person is one or not. Try keeping this as dry as a science report." Nyton continued.

"Most importantly do not presume to know anything better than anyone else. Yes we all know how many ships you have designed and computer systems you developed but that is irrelevant now. Your list of accomplishments are not going to impress anyone here." Nyton added with a bit more tension to his voice as though to drive the point.

"Now whether or not you will be expected to apologize for what you said yesterday may depend on the Taisa's mood. She may ask you directly before you two begin discussing anything else. If you refuse then I can tell you for certain you will be going no farther than that and returning to your room. However if she does not mention any sort of apology then you would do well to offer one towards the end of the interview. It need not be a huge presentation either. Whether she brings it up or not just casually go into it. Something along the lines of 'Your highness, please accept my apologies for the affront I committed yesterday. I meant no offense to you or your crew and ship however I am sorry for causing such.' Something like that, simple and to the point." Nyton then concluded.

With all that said the Nepleslian then looked over to Masako. "I believe that covers a good bit. Can you think of anything else I may have missed, Kurohoshi-Juni?" Nyton asked.

Wazu looked over at Masako from his seat across from Nyton, half expecting her to say something insightful, taking a brief break from the conversation to take a bite out of the rice and eggs on his plate.

In the back of his mind he was wondering how much time they actually spent on this ship tending to formalities. Stopping what was going on to handle an interaction like this, carrying it out, then getting back to work could easily run 4-5 minutes an interaction. Considering the number of chairs and as such crewmembers on the bridge and the likelihood of a nightshift of some sort hours of productivity could be lost every week. Continually dropping lines like ‘Diplomatic Imperium of Nepleslia’ was not helping his mood either. In his mind it was just more inefficiency.

The important thing for him, though, was not to show exactly what he was feeling. If putting up with these wastes of time would get him the information and assets he wanted so be it.

Yukari did not seem to give Tom much mind as her eyes fluttered, then closed, her body slipping a little farther into the bath.

"Any ship I transfer to in the future must have one of these," she said quietly, a smile touching her lips. "If nothing else is preserved with this war, let this bath remain."

Telepathically, however, Miyoko could hear the encrypted buzz of a different story.

"I am sorry for leaving you at night," Yukari blurted to Tom.

Tom nodded to the Samurai as he left. "See you around."

He noticed his own skin was getting very pruney, as the Samurai had mentioned before he left.

"Oh man, I don't usually like hot water, but something about this bath just makes me want to melt!"

Then came Yukari's telepathy, which was answered with his own.

"Hmm? It's not a problem. Is everything ok?"