RP: YSS Miharu Mission 3 Prelude: Rise; you better shine

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Hai, Taisa-san. My sincerest apologies for troubling you."

The sprite remained bowing, vaugely unsure of what to do if the bow wasn't returned. She had expected a nod. Was there a standing order against it? No, no, she'd know. Yes, she'd have known. Wouldn't she have? Had she made the Taisa angry, or was the Taisa angry already? Was the Taisa angry? Inwardly she winced. Probably she'd done something wrong. Probably she shouldn't have even said anything.

She glanced to the assembled crew, then carefully stood up, poised to bow again, if circumstances demanded it.

She still had this docket. And time was ticking away - she had been given the distinct impression that a signature, any signature, would do, but there was only so much time left they would be connected to the Pelican. Right now, the empty subdeck was looking far more appealing than the room full of superiors did, but it had to be done.

Yuzu remained at attention, though, rather than entering into the wardroom. Still unsure of what to do in relation to the Taisa, who had neither passed her by, nor dismissed her, it was probably best to cover bases.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Kotori seemed to observe the figure of indecision that was Yuzuki for a couple of seconds before and nodded to the sprite's apology and walked away to her quarters.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

" ... Hm."

Yukari shook the feelings weighing on her. Kotori was a planner. It was what she did. Yukari was not.

She looked to Hinoto, who was busily conversing with Mara. "Hinoto-san, Mara-san. Please service the dishes when everyone is ready?" Hinoto turned and nodded; Mara frowned a little, but agreed.

Yukari got up from her seat and walked to Yuzuki, who still appeared folded over in a bow. She returned the sprite's gesture. "Yuzuki-san. Is there something I can do for you?"

* * *

Kôsuka slid her seat out from the table and stood, bowing to it. Kei and Yuri looked up, but hand signals silenced them. When Sumaru looked as well, her signal was clear — "Wait. Pursuing."

She walked away from the table and up the steps, down the hall, past the others' rooms, and to Kotori's door. Miharu "knocked" for her.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Hai, Suzuka-Shosa."

Yuzuki stood up fully, producing a digital stylus from one of the jumpsuit's pockets. She offered both the stylus and the docket.

"This needs to be reviewed and signed before we undock."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Anou.....Kurohoshi-Juni, is Ketsurui-Taisa usually that...distant? Doesn't she want dessert? It sounds like it will be delicious and I'm sure whoever made it did a good job..." Yoroko felt bad for whoever might have made the dessert, like it was almost an insult in just leaving it uneaten.

Yoroko then turned her attention to Yuzuki. Who is that? Yoroko wondered as she looked the sprite over. Why didn't they come to dinner? Maybe they're from the Pelican. Maa, either way they can at least have some dessert. Yoroko looked the sprite of a little more thoroughly before deciding to stand up out of her chair and approach the sprite. "Anou...." Yoroko tried to soften the effect of her intrusion into the conversation "Would you care to join us for some dessert? It will be delicious..." Yoroko stood slightly to the side of Yukari, and slightly behind her as well, so as not to completely destroy whatever it was the pair were talking about previously.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Sumaru leaned a little farther back into his chair, arms crossed one over the other into his wide ended yukata sleeves. 'It seems Kotori is a more close minded individual then I first assumed. I can only hope Yuumi's spirit will watch over me, and lighten my burden as I do best to take my tasks. Even if they must be done with humility. At least hope to keep my soul, my daishô, is in the capable hands of Kôsuka. I should simply wait for the outcome instead of raising any more anxiety over the issue.' Sumaru took this time to silently sort through his thoughts in the situation, his eyes may have been cast down at the table, but his vision never left Sora.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Yukari took the docket and stylus and began to review it. Her facial expression became one of confusion, and her eyes found Yuzuki's after lifting up from the pad.

"There are many more spare parts on this than we require, Yuzuki-san. Do you know why?"

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Yuzu glanced to Yoroko, bowing her head slightly, before turning her attention back to Yukari.

"Those are replacement parts," she offered, "I took a look through the subdeck and some of the power couplings needed refitted." She knew that wasn't everything on the docket, but it was a start, if a small one. "So do a lot of other things, so I was hoping if we had the parts, we could work on them," she added, meekly.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"The Pelican has serviced us ... did they not do a sufficient job, Yuzuki-san?"

Yukari looked back down at the pad. Many of the parts weren't just replacements — they were options for armors, the fighters, the shuttles. Yukari saw the armor parts were especially odd. Some were the smaller, basic components: capacitors, conduits, diodes, linkages, transfer bars, Yarvex mesh pieces. Others were major, if still integral, parts: reinforced skeletal studs for the legs, revamped electronic "nerves" capable of being "overclocked" for faster response times, and even parts to modify the Heavy Fusion Thruster Pack of the Daisy 1B to produce far more thrust when used in space.

She looked back up at Yuzuki. Her expression was more confused instead of skeptical.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

She looked at the Shosa.

She followed the Shosa's gaze to the data pad.

She looked at the Shosa again. Carefully, Yuzuki clasp her hands behind her back, shifting into a more comfortable position. This question had the suspicious intonation of something that meant something else, although she didn't really know what. Her heart sank a little. Probably this wouldn't end well, but she did want those parts.

"No, Suzuka-Shosa."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

The door to Kotori's room unlocked itself and swung open on its own, showing Kotori sitting on her couch, her weapon belt coiled at her right over a broad armrest. Fingers made smooth from the lack of fingernails combed idly a skein of black hair that poured over her right shoulder.

The younger nekovalkyrja eyes raised to meet Kôsuka's. "You have come sooner than I expected, hahaue," she said softly. "You believe me unwise in the matter of Hasegawa Sumaru." It was not a question.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Kôsuka did not nod in reply. She was glad to not have to speak under the pretenses of rank.

"Your wisdom is not in question yet, daughter. I cannot question your wisdom without know its source." Kôsuka spoke in Yamataian, and stood before Kotori.

* * *

Yukari blinked, then looked back down at the manifest. She appeared to stare at it for a few seconds longer, then she used the stylus to add a few things to it.

"I did not see the parts for adding side ASP variable holsters to our Daisy armors," she said simply. "Nor did I see the new capacitors we can equip the Daisy and Mindy armors with. Or the additional three-centimeter-gauge linkages for the elbow joints. I have added those to the the manifest." She handed the pad back and smiled. "That should give you what you require, Yuzuki-san."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Yuzuki accepted the tablet and pen, taking time to glance over the additions. She only took a few moments before pocketing the stylus, and tucking the pad back under her arm. Some inner cog seemed to click into place. Victory.

"Thank you, Shosa-san."

She took another look at Yoroko. The image of cake lingered in the front of her brain, but in the back, vieing for attention, was the impending launch of the Miharu. Sure they could fabricate the parts, but if they were right there, already made, no sense in leaving them. "Please forgive me," she mumbled as a sort of apology to Yoroko, "I should see to this immediately. With your permission, Suzuka-Shosa."

Yuzuki bowed, and waited.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

"Of course, Yuzuki-san," Yukari said, with a small bow. "Thank you for your hard work."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

She smiled. The professionalism nearly melted.

"It's nothing," she said, standing again. "Really."

There was a period of blank awkwardness where her brain struggled to catch up to whatever the hell had just ran ahead of itself. When it realized what exactly it had done, she hurriedly bowed again and turned on her heel, retreating back down the small flight of stairs, towards the main passageway. It was a lot less complicated than staying.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Kotori considered Kôsuka's words a moment; the fingers enmeshed with her hair went still. "I will admit to some bias regarding a Yamataian becoming a Ketsurui Samurai, but that was not the reason for my decision."

Kotori's hand went down to her lap. She seemed a little more sure of herself as she said: "Yui-Taisho allowed him to become a Ketsurui Samurai, but I have overtime lost faith in the Ketsurui Clan's ability to reward judiciously on the level of merit and effort. My own adoption and lightning fast rise in rank is one such example - I was thrust too quickly into such responsability and now need to struggle to not only maintain the prestige and responsabilities of my position, but also look as if I truly earned them, or else disappoint those whom vouched for me - and that is without making mention that my failures could result in harm to the people I have responsability over."

"That Jo Midori sponsored him only makes me feel more justified in this," she continued. "Jo is cunning and fancies herself a philosopher, but I have never been impressed by her intellect and ability to reason."

Kotori frowned. "These arguments would apply to any full-grown nekovalkyrja made into a samurai, it would be mostly a notion of pride and of disappointment in the shallow decision of my clan leaders - but there is more in regard to Hagesawa Sumaru. He was thrust into something I feel was not for him - yamataians are not weapons; they should not debase themselves to being one made pretty by a veil of duty and honor. I spent my life pinning to live as a human and then I see one willing to throw away his humanity... I end up feeling appalled and sad for him."

"Luckily for me, Miharu is my ship. I can play god here just as much as the rest of the Ketsurui enjoy doing with the rest of the Empire - so, I have given Hagesawa Sumaru the likely underated boon of being allowed to be himself and do what he yearned to do, without the trappings of a Ketsurui Samurai - I have seen what being a Ketsurui Samurai watching over a loved one did to Jo Midori and I do not wish for a repeat of that. However, if he comes to truly deserve being a Ketsurui Samurai in my eyes," Kotori's use of the word 'deserve' did not sound so positive, "then I will relent and consign him to the fate he rushes to like a moth seeking out the burning candle; but only once I am convinced there is no saving him."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Nyton did not feel very hungry but ate to what he amounted to be satisfactory in that he would not have to go snacking later. After pushing his plate aside he looked around at the crowd around him, both remaining and dispersing. Given their dismissal and him not having any pressing tasks unless summoned he decided to study an anomaly.

Standing up Nyton stepped over and put a hand on Sumaru's shoulder. "Excuse me, but would you care to walk with me for a bit and talk? Since you are no longer required to be Sora-sama's bodyguard you should be free to move about on your own. Or at the least our two young trainees can cover for you."

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

Kôsuka waited until her daughter was finished. She weighed what Kotori said in her mind over about two minutes, saying nothing, her head looking up and beyond Kotori on the couch.

She had to choose her words carefully, but somehow, she felt the dance would be too delicate. Directness was required; if Kotori was approaching this as a 'god,' then she had to be removed from her pedestal.

"You are a Taisa in the Star Army, and a Ketsurui. Yui is a Taisho of the Star Army, and she is the clan leader. Moreover, Midori-dono is Samurai. You are not."

She paused, for a moment, to let that sink in. "You question Yui-Taisho's promotion of you, yet you have been a model officer. Perhaps she saw your potential. That is for you and her to decide."

No pause now. Kôsuka's tone was not that of a mother. "Midori-dono completed the Samurai training. It was not typical, but it was still enough. Hasegawa-dono completed the Samurai training. It was not typical, but it was still enough. Yui-Taisho gave her blessing, and she above your station as Tsuya-dono is above mine.

"It is not for you to decide if he is worthy. It is not your place to test his resolve. It is your place to abide by a sister and clan member's desire to have a guard, and to respect the Samurai robes he has already earned."

* * *

Kei stood sharply from the table. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. "Sumaru-don — " Her face froze, then she snorted, and sat back down, upset. Yuri said nothing.

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

The young samurai raised his head to look to the man behind him. He nodded once, "of course." Sumaru was just as eager to know more about the Nepleslian, so the prospects of getting to do such was a pleasant surprise to the samurai. He turned to Sora and bowed his head once, mentioning quietly by her ear, "please be sure to call me if you need anything." Then with that he rose up from his chair and with a upturned hand gestured towards the door casually. "Shall we?"

Re: Mission 3: The sound of machina

The sudden outburst by Kei was unusual and annotated by Nyton for further research. Taking the lead he then began to walk towards the exit. Folding his hands behind his back he decided to open things up when they were in the hallway. "So, a male nekovalkyrja. That is definately a unique circumstance. More unique than a Nepleslian on a Yamataian ship, wouldn't you say?" he said with a straight expression.