[ON]
As soon as Yukari and Kyou had left the VR Room, the small Warrant Officer turned to Tsuya with a small frown on her face. "Listen Yamada-hei," Masako began before pausing a second to observe the young Neko's reaction. "I apologize if my rebuke was too much for you," she said in a more motherly tone. "But I had to get the point across that you were getting a little out of line with your remarks to the Shosa."
“I am sorry, Kurohoshi-juni." Tsuya didn't risk saying anything more, or even looking at the wing commander. She just bored a hole into the deck with her eyes.
Masako's frown grew as Tsuya didn't make eye contact. "Yamada-san," the raven-haired Neko spoke to the gray Neko gently, even dropping her rank at the end. "Please look at me," she requested.
Tsuya's head snapped up obediently, and she met Masako's eyes with her own. "Hai, Kurohoshi-juni."
Masako's expression was a warm and gentled one as she looked at the younger Neko. "I think you are taking most of this criticism a bit too personally," she began before giving Tsuya a small smile. "You are young and it is easy to let our emotions get the better of our judgment." the Warrant Officer explained as she took a couple of steps closer to the taller Tsuya to look directly into the enlisted woman's eyes. Space-black voids met with iridescent green as Masako smiled a bit wider to try and comfort her subordinate. "You just need to think before you speak sometimes, okay?"
"...yes. I... I just thought... the sim was supposed to be for
us, and Shosa..." She hurriedly put a hand over her mouth before she said something that would get her chided again.
Masako smiled even more before sighing and placing a hand upon her hip and the wrist of the hand holding her datapad on the other. "Suzuka-shosa requested to join the simulation," Masako explained with a chuckle. "A simulation originally designed for new recruits and while the Shosa hasn't been in armor combat much, she is still much more experienced compared to Nagamira-hei, Gunshin-hei, and you. So in essence, I had to raise the difficulty level as soon as I allowed her to join us," the Warrant Officer admitted.
Tsuya let her hand drop. "Why did she want to join?"
"She had some free time and wanted to be of some assistance. Suzuka-shosa asked me if we were going to do simulations today. I said that we were and I was probably going to do it sooner than I expected because a few of you looked a bit 'bored'," Masako explained.
At that moment, Masako received a message from Kyou.
To: Kurohoshi-Juni
If it's alright with you, I will help Freeman-Juni with his work while I ask my questions. This might make it take longer then expected. Would you prefer I wait until after talking to you to assist him?
Gunshin-Hei
It wouldn’t take long for Masako to think up of a response for the Enlisted woman.
”Don’t worry too much about it, I will be available when you are finished,” she sent to the younger Neko before returning her attention to Tsuya.
The young neko nodded - she still wasn't entirely pleased with the situation, but at least now she had a reason for it. "I am sorry for acting out of line," she mumbled, her eyes briefly darting away from Masako's face. "I was... frustrated."
"How did you think I feel?" Masako asked with a grin. "I was taking the role of the enemy commander near the end and victory was in my sight before Suzuka-shosa order the Miharu's self-destruction," Masako explained in a teasing tone.
Tsuya gave a very small smile, putting her hands on her slim hips. "That is what
you think, Kurohoshi-juni!" Staring at Tsuya for a moment, the young Warrant Officer let out a small giggle before strangling it. She hated it when she giggled. It always sounded like she was a schoolgirl. Clearing her throat, the small-stature Neko tried to regain some composure (and dignity). "Well, we won't find out until the next simulation, now will we?" she asked the enlisted woman before pausing for a moment. "Feeling better now?"
The young pilot's smile threatened to widen for a moment at her superior's giggle before she managed to force the expression off her face. "I... a little," Her ears drooped. "I was... hoping I would impress you, and I did not get the chance. Now you only think I am insubordinate."
"Not true at all," Masako said before pausing for a second. "I believe you're crazy for using a flamethrower against grenade-armed forces," the Warrant Officer stated in a teasing tone.
Tsuya hmphed! "I did not know they had grenades, Kurohoshi-juni! I wanted to eliminate any combatants before they had a chance to attack!" A rather smug little grin crept over her face for a moment. "...and they did not hurt me that badly anyway."
"Only because you got lucky, Yamada-hei," Masako explained a bit more seriously now. "Each of those Nekomachina carried 6 High Explosive Grenades and you were lucky that most of them didn't go off on you. And the eighteen that did were blocked by the ship's corridors when the shockwave propelled you back."
Tsuya winced. "...I... made a mistake, yes... I am sorry…but, Kurohoshi-juni, I am expendable. The officers and the ship are not."
Masako's jaw clinched for a moment before she took a deep breath. "No one is expendable, Yamada-hei," she stated in a distant tone, as if she were thinking about something else for a moment. Taking another deep breath, the Warrant Officer raised the hand without the datapad and waved a scolding finger at the taller neko. "And don't you dare ever think like that again. You should risk your life for a better reason than 'I am more expendable'." the small Neko seemed close to ranting.
The finger-waggle made Tsuya retreat only the slightest bit. "I respect you very much, but... I must disagree. I am only a few months old. There are millions of neko exactly like myself, and more are being grown every day. If I am killed in combat you will have another as soon as you like." Masako seemed to pause again as she took another deep breath. "Yamada-hei, I'm also one of those Nekovalkyrja," the small Warrant Officer stated with a frown. "Have you ever heard of the Xyainbor Campaign?" she suddenly asked the enlisted woman.
"You are -," As the wing commander spoke again, Tsuya stopped. "No, I have not."
"It was during the first war against the Mishhuvurthyar," Masako began without any ceremony. "Over the planet of Xyainbor, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Nekovalkyrja War Fleets were destroyed. At the same time, the 11th, 13th, 16th, and 17th War Fleets were annihilated over Draconis." the Warrant Office explained from memory with a grimace. "In essence, over seven hundred billion Nekovalkyrja died in two battles alone." Masako paused to let the fact weigh on Tsuya mind for a moment. “Two months after that, my sisters and I were created to reinforce key positions."
Tsuya's face contorted just a bit. Her eyes moistened slightly, and her ears flagged further. "...I am sorry, Kurohoshi-juni... such loss of life is... is a tragedy..."
Sighing quietly, the Warrant Officer patted Tsuya on the arm. "What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't take your life for granted," Masako explained quietly. "I've survived since that time. It's been tough though. In a society with Soul Transfer, death is mainly considered a nuisance rather than a fate. Yet I've seen plenty die. Some are killed and resurrected with no memories before their ST. They lose those memories, whether good or bad, and lose something they had gained out of the trade. Then, there are those who never get resurrected." Pausing for a moment, Masako shook her head. "Even if we can be resurrected, our lives are still precious. We must always attempt to stay alive. But if we are to die, we must at least make sure we make a difference with our deaths."
"I would sacrifice myself even if there was no possibility of resurrection. My purpose is to protect others."
"Noble of you," Masako said quietly. "But sometimes, those noble ideas tend to be forgotten on the battlefield. Even for us who are trained only for war, we grow to develop likes, dislikes, and loved ones." Masako explained before pausing. "It used to be that I fought for the Empire, but that changed after my first couple of times in actual combat. Now, I only fight to protect my comrades around me." Masako stated with a determined expression. "I will protect my subordinates, my superiors, my ship, and my crew mates. That is why I fight." she stated before clearing her throat. The young Warrant Officer's cheeks flushed a bit pink in the realization that she went off on a tangent. "Anyway, all I'm say is value your life a bit more, okay?" she stated with her eyes averted off to the side.
"I... will try, if you want me to, Kurohoshi-juni. But it will be hard. I want to do my job as best I can." Tsuya frowned a bit.
"It's always difficult, Yamada-hei," Masako stated before sighing loudly. "Anyway, that’s enough with this." the small Warrant Officer stated as she waved for Tsuya to follow. "Let's just get a drink from the kitchen." older Neko replied to her charge. "And talk about things that are less depressing."
Tsuya nodded, trying to keep the frown off her face as she toddled after her superior officer. "That is a good idea."
After a short jaunt through the Recreation Room and to the Wardroom, Masako led Tsuya to the kitchen for a quick drink. Not wanting to disturb anyone there, she took a peek through the entryway. Apparently, their new Caretaker siblings were elsewhere for the moment. "Let's see if they have anything to drink in Storage," the young Warrant Officer mumbled as she walked into the kitchen. The kitchen itself seemed to be divided up into areas. The area they entered from seemed to be a serving area that led into the galley and scullery. A couple of large, walk-in refrigerators and freezers populated the back area with a few smaller refrigerators to store smaller items.
The young neko just stepped along quietly behind Masako, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. "Kurohoshi-juni, what are we going to drink?"
"Whatever they have available," the smaller Neko replied as she reached for one of the smaller refrigerators. Pulling it open, she revealed mostly a bunch of sauces and condiments. "Hmmm, that's not it," she mumbled before closing that and opening another to find juices. "Ah, here we go," she said with a hint of triumph before glancing over the selection. "Orange, Grapefruit, and Apple," she listed off for the enlisted woman.
"Oh!" Tsuya made a happy little noise. "May I please have some apple juice?"
"Okay then," the Warrant Officer replied as she went seeking for an already opened container. "Try finding some cups for us, Yamada-san," she asked a bit more informally.
"Hai, Kurohoshi-juni." She turned to some cabinets along the sides of the room, opening and rifling through them. Eventually, she produced a couple of delicate china cups. "...are these okay?"
Pulling her head out from the refrigerator, Masako grimaced at the taller Neko's choice. "Could you try to find something more durable than that? I wouldn't want to damage those."
"Oh... okay." She returned them to the cabinet with great care before retrieving two more, just made of ceramic. "Are these better?"
Masako nodded her affirmation as she pulled out the apple juice container and poured some for Tsuya first. She then took the other cup gently from the taller woman's hand and poured herself some juice. Afterwards, it was just closing the container and carrying it with her. "Let's go out to the wardroom now." the raven-haired neko suggested as she took a sip from her cup.
Tsuya wrapped both hands around the cup and sipped from it, surprisingly daintily for a near-berserker power armor pilot. "Hai, Kurohoshi-juni."
Smiling gently, the Warrant Officer led Tsuya out into the wardroom. Taking a seat in a nearby chair, Masako set the juice container upon an end table and motioned for the taller Neko to sit nearby. "I have to say though, even with your bout of pyromania," she began in a teasing tone. "I was very impressed with you in the simulation."
The young neko sat near her superior, but not too close. Masako's words brought a small blush to her cheeks. "...r-really?"
"Of course," Masako replied before taking a sip. "You handled yourself very well in combat versus multiple opponents and executed your orders very well." she explained her logic before leaning back in her chair with a sigh. "All you need is a bit more experience."
Tsuya tried to stop her rather large smile, staring down into her cup of juice. "Thank you, Kurohoshi-juni. It is an honor."
Chuckling lightly, Masako took another sip from her cup. "I can see you paid attention to what they taught you at Ichiban," she replied before pausing for a moment. "I'm still amazed it's been four years since I was there," she mumbled quietly to herself.
"You have become a very good combatant in only four years, Kurohoshi-juni..."
The small Neko grimaced slightly, but tried hiding it behind her cup as she tried to sip some more juice. "I've had to in order to survive," the young Warrant Officer replied mildly.
"...I am sorry. I did not mean it to sound... that way... I was trying to compliment you." Her ears drooped low.
"Don't worry about it, Yamada-san," the smaller Neko replied with a small smile. "Honestly, I sometimes envy people like Saito-hei or Ashitaka-hei. People who can aid rather than harm," Masako admitted to the enlisted woman. "But I don't regret ever being created the way I am. After all, I can protect people with those skills because of it."
Tsuya frowned and reached over to rest a hand on Masako's shoulder, before she paled and quickly withdrew the appendage. "...without us they would have no work."
Masako blinked at Tsuya a moment before shaking her head. "True," she replied with a sigh. "But I was thinking more along the lines of what they can do after their service to the Empire."
"We could always become farmers," Tsuya teased lightly.
Masako nearly giggled again before covering her mouth a bit to stifle it. "I wouldn't have the patience for it," she replied lightly. "I can never imagine myself not being in the Star Army. I know I want to be able to retire a eventually, but I can't think of anything I could do," she explained with a helpless shrug.
"If you do not know what you would do, then why do you want to retire?" She brought the cup to her lips and took another small sip, raising an eyebrow.
Masako paused for a moment as she took a sip from her cup once more. "Killing Mishhu, I can handle," she began before her expression became dark. "Killing other Nekovalkyrja...is another thing entirely."
"...you could request a transfer, Kurohoshi-juni." A cloud of worry passed over Tsuya's face.
"I could never forgive myself if I abandoned the Taisa and my crewmates like that," Masako replied before pausing once more to drain the last of her cup. "I told you before, I fight for them."
Tsuya's cup was still nearly half full. She seemed too troubled to drink much of it. "I worry for you now."
Masako blinked a bit in surprise at Tsuya's comment before chuckling weakly. "Yeah...it's probably why I don't talk about it much," she muttered as she pour herself some more juice. "Honestly, I have no idea why I said those things to you just now. I dislike showing weakness to my subordinates."
"Having feelings is not
weak, Kurohoshi-juni... I would be more upset if you had no emotions at all." She gave the older neko a small smile. "I have even more respect for you now."
The young Warrant Officer couldn't help but blush at Tsuya's words before setting down the juice container and waving in a dismissive manner. "I guess," was all she could say before pausing a moment. "Thanks."
Tsuya bobbed her head happily. "You are welcome. ...maybe you could be a mechanic."
Pondering a bit, Masako looked up at the ceiling for a moment before chuckling. "That's a possibility," she replied with a smile. "I do have a bit of experience in repairs and maintenance."
"I am sure you would be a very good mechanic! You would be the... pride of... mechanics everywhere?" She paused, then took a drink of juice to hide her embarrassment.
Another giggle had to be stifled in order for Masako to maintain her dignity. Tsuya seemed to be a very amusing youngster. "I hardly believe I'm that good," she stated with a sniff before sipping from her cup once more.
"You are already the best armor pilot in Yamatai! I am sure it would not be
that difficult to become a skilled mechanic."
"Flattery won't get you any where with me, Yamada-san," Masako replied with a chuckle.
"It is the truth, not flattery!"
"I think there are plenty of skilled mechanics better than I am," Masako replied before sipping. "And all I am is the luckiest pilot in Yamatai, not the best. There are probably other pilots who have yet to die in a single engagement."
"True, but I do not know them." She nodded sagely, trying again to keep the smile off her face... and failing worse than ever.
The small Warrant Officer snorted in amusement as she took another sip from her cup. "Funny, neither do I," she replied before pausing once more. "Yamada-san, do you have any hobbies?" she asked suddenly. "Ichiban should have encouraged you to develop some."
"I love to cook, especially baking... and I, um, like to drive." She coughed slightly into her hand, red-cheeked.
"Driving? That's an unusual hobby," the Warrant Officer replied. "And while I've always wanted to try and learn cooking, I've always been caught up in other things," she stated before taking a sip of juice. "Currently, I'm studying Navigation and Weapons Development to help the Miharu out a bit." she explained before pursing her lips. "The only hobby I actually have is playing my viola," she mumbled quietly.
"You play the viola?" Tsuya looked somewhat delighted. "I would love to listen!"
"I'm still an amateur at my best," the Warrant Officer was quick to say. "I can't play often, so I normally do it as a stress reliever."
"If you would like an audience..."
Masako chuckled weakly. "I don't have any confidence to play for an audience, but eventually I may." she stated before taking a sip. "What do you do for stress relief, Yamada-san?"
"Cook, drive... combat is also a stress reliever, for me, but that is because I am strange." She blushed.
"You are more like other Nekovalkyrja than I am," Masako replied with a chuckle. "Unlike most Nekovalkyrja, I don't find stress relieve from combat or from the bodies of others. I guess the Nepleslian word for me would be 'virgin' in the latter." she mumbled absent-mindedly.
"I am a virgin as well," Tsuya admitted, her cheeks getting redder. "I have never... kissed anyone, either."
Masako blinked incredulously for a moment before chuckling weakly. "Oh my, look how this conversation turned out. A bit awkward for both of us, isn't it?"
"...y-yes, I think so." The young pilot was suddenly very interested in her feet.
After a moment of silence, Masako drained the last from her second cup and placed it on the end table. "Don't worry about it too much, that little glitch was my fault. Talk about opening my mouth and inserting my foot." she chuckled as she scratched the tip of her left ear.
"Well... it was a natural part of the conversation. I... took it a bit too far, I think."
"How about we just change the subject then," Masako replied as she pursed her lips in thought for a few moments. "Ahhhhh, how do you like the Miharu so far," she asked with a chuckle.
"I have not been here very long, but I like it very much. Everyone is kind, so far." She smiled. "I am very glad I was assigned here."
"Good," Masako replied with a smile. "I'm glad you can at least enjoy your time here when you can," the Warrant Officer said as she looked around the wardroom. "Speaking of which, I should probably talk to Gunshin-hei soon," she stated before looking back at Tsuya with a smile. "It was great chatting with you like this."
The young neko nodded in agreement, returning the smile. "It was. I hope we can do it again sometime, Kurohoshi-juni."
[END]
