RP: YSS Miharu Mission 4: The Fame and the Fury

"We're going to be up to our elbows in psychics before long," Miyoko remarked dryly as she read the second document. To the side, she retrieved what information the Miharu could give her on Ashigari Kai and skimmed that before she finished reading. Upon reaching the end of the file on Amaya, she leaned back thoughtfully. "Project Scorpion? That's a new one to me. Do we know anything about that, Miharu?"

"Not so far. I'll start a keyword search on it right away," Miharu answered Miyoko.

Wazu would roll towards the table slightly as Nyton moved to jump onto his legs, the attacking feet sliding along the sides of his pants, scraping off some of the skin underneath and leaving his legs in-between Nyton’s. Wazu would immediately begin pulling his legs in towards his chest so he could unleash a powerful kick upwards towards Nyton.

As Wazu was pulling his arm out from under the upturned table Nyton was already grabbing his shoulders, keeping upper body in place as the series of head butts began. Wazu would do his best to move his head side to side to avoid the attacks, buying some time until one finally connected with a loud ‘crack!’, blood appearing from broken skin along his nose.

The door to Wazu's suite slammed open and a shadow fell upon Nyton and Wazu's struggling forms.

"That's enough!" Kotori yelled, glaring fiercely at them.

The brighter light of the corridor outside silhouetted her slightly by contrast with the dimmer light inside, but the play of light could not mask the anger in her stiff posture. She was also not groomed for duty; her hair being worn in a ponytail, her garment a white T-shirt with girl shorts and her feet adorned with running shoes.

At the sound of Kotori's voice Nyton immediately released his grip on Heram. In an efficiently graceful move he pushed off from his legs to return to his feet. As soon as his feet were in place he hopped away from his opponent and stood aside the fallen man.

Nyton took a few steps back away from Heram before he bowed to Kotori. "As you wish, your highness." he said evenly.

Not relenting on the glare, Kotori placed her hands to her hips and once akimbo asked: "What explanation do you have for... this?" and as an afterthought after considering how verbose Nyton could sometimes be she added: "Ten words or less."

Ten words or less?

"Our guest requested entertainment and agreed to a brawl." Nyton quickly replied. He stood stock still and ramrod straight at attention now, a calm but respectful visage.

Kotori's hands dropped. She looked at Nyton wide-eyed, apparently stunned by his answer.

"Would you like me to elaborate further, your highness?" Nyton asked, still held by the ten word limit crutch.

"No," Kotori recovered her composure and with a sour face she walked up to Wazu before bending down, hands going to her knees, as she examined him more closely.

"Are you alright?" the nekovalkyrja asked. Her concern seemed genuine.

Quickly getting a hold of and into a suit, Kyou stepped out into the are that Tom was in, and made her way over, making use of Miharu's new-found tricks to point the way. "Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to remember that for future reference. Now, how would you like me to help?"

The discussion between Nyton and Kotori went on faster than Wazu could respond, his head still spinning from the earlier impact. His nose was bloody, his back cut open, his left arm below the elbow swollen, and the bruises on his right arm were covered by the shirt he had been given that was still wrapped around that arm.

He would look at Kotori, then Nyton, “I am sorry if I got you in trouble.” He said, the rush of the fight draining from him and leaving just the stinging pain as he sat up, using his right arm to help bring his body into a standing position.

“I am alright,” He told Kotori, doing his best not to bleed on her. The last time he had been with a nekovalkyrja she had made it known she didn’t like how the dead skin flaked off his body into her nest. He could only imagine how much worse blood would be.

“Its only physical damage and can easily be repaired.”

Kotori sighed in exasperation as she stood. "I granted you hospitality aboard my vessel and a discourtesy was paid to you." The black haired neko bowed slightly, her hands joined together. "I apologize for the ill treatment you've suffered at the hands of my officer. Allow me to make amends."

She turned to Nyton. "Claymere-Taii, escort our guest to our medical facilities and have Ashitaka-Heisho meet his medical needs. While we are at it, fetch him a proper replacement for that datapad of his."

“Hardly,” Wazu replied, “I appreciate that your officer was willing to put forth the effort to keep me entertained. I would appreciate it if he were not punished for it and I assure you that no apologies are necessary from you.”

ON

Tsuya was standing outside Masako's quarters, a platter held carefully in her hands, heaped with huge cupcakes covered liberally in chocolate icing. The smell of the baked treats was filling the entire hall, more so since Tsuya hadn't moved from her current spot for a good five minutes. She simply stared at the quarters' door, occasionally moving from foot to foot.

Tsuya was in luck that Masako was in her quarters at that time, but the lack of a chime had kept her at her desk. It was even more unfortunate for Tsuya that starship doors didn't allow smells to permeate into the room very well. Typing up personnel reports and starting new records for her new recruits, the young Warrant Officer sighed as she stretched her back a bit and leaned back into her chair. Checking her wrist computer for the time, the raven-haired Neko decided a little break was in order. Maybe a walk through the ship to stretch her legs would relax her a bit.

Standing up, she moved towards the door and pressed a button to open it, which allowed the Warrant Officer to come face to chin with Tsuya. "Ah, Yamada-hei," Masako spoke quickly with a start.

"Oh!" The younger neko jumped slightly, one of the cupcakes coming frighteningly close to teetering off the plate. Tsuya was able to catch it, though, before it fell and created a horrible mess. "Hi, Kurohoshi-juni." She brandished the platter. "I... baked you cupcakes."

Masako blinked in surprise as she looked at the platter. The scent of chocolate and cupcake hit her nose like a smack to the face. Staring at the platter for a moment, the young woman couldn't help but swallow hard to keep herself from drooling. "Ffor me? Yyou shouldn't have," the Warrant Officer replied as she tried to maintain some dignity and not be rude. Honestly, she wanted to grab one of them right there and eat it.

"We were talking about my baking, and I thought you might like an example," Tsuya explained, gesturing with the plate. Up close, Masako could nearly see the steam rising from the fresh pastries, and the warmth of the cake was making the icing drip a bit. "...would you like one?"

Swallowing again, Masako had to resist immediately grabbing one of them. Instead, the smaller Neko smiled cutely. "I definitely would," answered the Warrant Officer as she gently took one of the warm cupcakes from the platter, but not too quickly since she didn't want to seem...strange. It was only moments until the smaller Neko's lush lips wrapped around a piece of cupcake to allow herteeth to sink into the deliciously, sugary warmth of Tsuya's cupcake. Poor Masako shivered slightly in delight as her taste buds began to crackle with signals to her digital brain. Signals translated into data on the taste and composition of said cupcake, but all that did was ignite the pleasure Masako felt over tasting something this good. "Oh," she moaned happily before licking her lips and closing her eyes, reveling in the pleasure of its taste.

Tsuya could only stare. Her jaw dropped slightly; she'd never seen anyone enjoy her cooking so much. And her mouth was feeling strangely dry, too, as a blush spread over her cheeks. It took a moment for her to formulate a response, and even then her voice was raspy. "...you... l-like it, then?"

"Yes," Masako said in a dreamy tone before realizing what she was doing. Her cream-toned cheeks turned crimson as she cleared her throat of the embarrassment she was feeling at that moment. "Yes, I like them a lot," the small Neko replied meekly as she held the cupcake with both hands and up to her face. This time, her lips and teeth worked in unison as she took small nibbles of the chocolate delight. Of course, eating the dessert in the manner only caused a dab of chocolate to appear on her nose.

"...K-kurohoshi-juni, there is... you got c-chocolate on your nose," Tsuya croaked. The blush had spread so far it was now partially hidden under the silky fur of her ears.

Finishing said cupcake, Masako wiped the tip of her nose off with an index finger and took the dollop of chocolate to her tongue. Consuming the last remnants of her cupcake, Masako chuckled weakly out of embarrassment over it all. Unfortunately, a quick glance at the platter again silenced the chuckle as a meek and pleading look crossed her expression. "Could...could I have another one?" she asked softly.

Tsuya simply shoved the platter towards her superior officer. "...you can have all of them. But... um... we are standing in the hall," she mumbled. "Eating cupcakes. In the hall. Could we... go inside?" By this point the young neko's eyes were locked on Masako's lips.

Something about Tsuya's comment made the poor Warrant Officer blush all the way across her nose as she stepped back inside and motioned for the enlisted woman. "Of...of course, please come in." Masako's quarters were standard enlisted quarters for the most part with its twin-sized bed in the fore area of the room placed perpendicular against the bulkhead. The room's small white desk and chair was against the port-side wall and the storage area's aft-ward. Masako's bed linens, on the other hand, were not standard at all. The bed sheets looked to be a standard set of white, though their texture seemed different from linen. The main eye catchers were the four pillows, two green and two blue, that seemed to be half the size of Masako and extremely fluffy. "Sit where ever you like," the Warrant Officer offered.

Tsuya was glad for the small distraction, and her blush lessened a bit as she looked around. "Your room is very nice... but before I sit, um, where should I put these?" She waggled the cupcake-platter.

"The desk should be fine," Masako replied as she stepped further in to allow the door to automatically shut behind them.

The young pilot put the treats down on Masako's desk, nodding, before she took a seat on one of the blue pillows. "Oof... oh, these are very comfortable, Kurohoshi-juni! I like them." She wiggled her small bottom about to get comfortable.

Taking a seat at her desk, Masako chuckled softly as she sat with her legs straddling the back of her chair. "They're down-feather pillows, I bought them when I was an enlisted woman," she explained before scratching the tip of her left ear. Tsuya would note that the sheets were actually softer and smoother than any standard sheets the Star Army used, in fact...she could probably tell that they were made of satin rather than the standard material.

Tsuya wiggled around some more, running her hands over the sheets. "...your... bed is... um, nice." She paused. "That... came out badly. I meant to say that I like touching your sheets." ...her face scrunched up, and then reddened again.

Masako couldn't help but giggle at Tsuya's poor choice of words. "Gah...damn it, I hate when I do that," she muttered as she forced herself to stop giggling like a schoolgirl. "Sorry, Yamada-san. I know what you meant to say though and I like it too," the Warrant Officer replied with a cute smile. "I have a hard time sleeping in 'normal' bedding."

"Why?" She tilted her head curiously. "...and why do you always make yourself stop laughing?" She sat cross-legged, her hands resting on her knees.

"I don't mind laughing," the smaller Neko explain before reaching back for another cupcake. "I just hate it when I giggle. It makes me sound like a Yamataian school girl." she stated before taking a big bite of cupcake. Chewing thoroughly before swallowing, the elder soldier frowned a bit. "And it doesn't help that my height adds to that effect."

"But, Kurohoshi-juni, it sounds so... so..." Tsuya waved her hands a bit, trying to articulate herself. "...adorable! I like it."

The blush returned in a lighter form of pink as Masako waved the comment off. "If...if you say so," she replied as she finished her second cupcake on the second bite, a bit too preoccupied with embarrassment to enjoy the tasty delight.

Tsuya just nodded; satisfied that she'd managed to make sense out of what she was trying to say. "...do you have any suggestions about my, um, cooking?"

Blinking for a moment, Masako grabbed another cupcake. "How can I make a suggestion when the only thing I know how to make is a sandwich," the smaller Neko replied with a chuckle.

"Well... um... you could tell me if I could improve the taste any? You do not have to be a cook to like food..."

The Warrant Officer pursed her lips in thought as she seemed to seriously ponder this question. Taking a small bite of her third cupcake, she mulled over the taste. It was quite hard to be unbiased considering the look on her face seemed to border on ecstasy once more. "They're perfect," she mumbled dreamily as she licked her lush lips again. Once more, the elder Neko was forced to regain her composure by clearing her throat. "I mean, I have no idea how you could improve upon the taste when they already taste so good."

This time, Tsuya began to cough uncontrollably as she caught sight of Masako's expression, the hacking only getting worse when she licked her lips.

"Are you all right, Yamada-san?" the small Neko asked with concern coloring her voice. Masako stood up and finished the cupcake in a couple of quick bites before walking over to sit beside Tsuya on the bed. "I didn't think Neko could choke at all." the Warrant Officer mumbled as she placed a hand upon the taller Neko's back.

It took the young neko a moment to recover before she sat up again, dabbing at her mouth with her fingers. "...n-neither did I... oh goodness... I am s-sorry, Kurohoshi-juni..."

"What are you sorry for?" Masako asked curiously. "I mean, you didn't do anything wrong."

The blush reappeared with a vengeance. "...I s-saw you... um... your... your face..."

"My face," Masako asked densely. Since she couldn't have seen her own face, she really wouldn't know what had caused Tsuya's little choking fit.

"...when you tasted the cupcake... you looked... very pleased," she mumbled rather lamely.

A confused look crossed Masako's face for a moment. "Of course I was pleased, they were very...oh," Masako paused for a moment as she realized what the younger Neko meant. This only caused the smaller woman's face to light up a deep crimson as she looked away from Tsuya uncomfortably. "Well then, you have nothing to be sorry about. It's my fault for looking indecent."

"...n-no, it was... not indecent, Kurohoshi-juni!" Tsuya buried her face in her hands. "...this is coming out all wrong..."

Frowning, Masako shook her head and pat the taller Neko upon the shoulder. "Now now, don't act like that. Just calm down and clear your mind," the elder Neko instructed. "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly."

The young neko took Masako's advice, pausing in her wibbling to breathe in deeply, then exhale. "...okay.. I feel better, now."

"Good," Masako replied with a grin. "I was getting worried there for a moment."

"...I meant to say, you looked very pretty." She offered the wing commander a small, embarrassed smile.

"Uh...oh..." the smaller Neko replied with an embarrassed expression upon her face. "Why...thank you," Masako said with a weak, nervous chuckle. Idly scratching her left ear again, the young woman looked away and back the desk with the cupcakes.

"You are welcome... sorry," she added after a small pause.

"Don't apologize," the smaller Neko stated as she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "You're quite pretty as well," the Warrant Officer returned the compliment with a cute smile.

It was as though someone had flipped a switch - Tsuya's face got so red it looked as though she was about to explode.

This time, Masako only giggled and released her legs to hop off the bed. "Fair is fair, Yamada-san," the smaller woman replied before sitting back down on her chair and grabbing another cupcake. Holding it out to the other Neko, Masako smiled once more. "How about you try your handy work?"

"I tasted the batter, but very well." She carefully took the pastry and began to systematically lick all of the icing off the top.

Grabbing another cupcake for herself, Masako began to take small bites of the pastry and sigh in delight. Taking time to observe Tsuya eat, the elder Neko couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as the gray-skinned enlisted woman just began to lick frosting off the cupcake.

Once all the frosting had been successfully eliminated, Tsuya began to nibble around the top edge, eliminating the muffin-top where the cake had risen above the pan cups.

Giggling lightly, Masako continued with her small bites of cupcake. While Tsuya methodically eliminated her pastry, Masako seemed to eat it quite normally. Well, normal except for the few times she paused to savor the sugary delight much more than she should have.

The muffin-rim didn't last long, and immediately afterward Tsuya chomped off the remainder of the top, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. Once that was done she ate the remainder of the cupcake more normally, watching Masako as well. Her cheeks reddened again at the woman's obvious pastry-induced joy.

Aware of Tsuya's embarrassing stares, Masako tried her best to tone down whatever facial expressions she was making. Quite hard for to do for an involuntary reaction, but she seemed to have at least some limited success as she finished her pastry and reached for another one. Only, there were no more. "Oh my," the Warrant Officer mumbled in surprise before chuckling. "I'm glad Nekovalkyrja can't get fat," she joked in amusement as she held up the empty platter. "I finished off your delightful treats."

"I should have made more," the young neko sad regretfully. "Maybe I will bake again soon. Thank you for enjoying them, though!"

"No no, it's all right, Yamada-san," Masako replied with a smile. "Good things should always be done in moderation or they lose their charm." she stated sagely as she handed the platter over to the taller Neko.

Tsuya took the platter before standing, bowing deeply to Masako. "Thank you for allowing me to spend time with you again, Kurohoshi-juni."

“How could I refuse someone bearing gifts," Masako stated teasingly with a huge grin on her face.

The young armor pilot let out a small laugh, bowing again. "I hope we will see each other again soon!" Leaning forward upon the back of her chair, Masako smiled cutely and waved farewell to her adorable subordinate.

END

Kotori joined her hands together, regarding Wazu coldly. "I beg to differ, Mister Wazu. I am quite aware of your questionable conduct; I simply do not expect my subordinates to follow along with ill adviced requests such as this one."

She glanced at Nyton from the corner of her eyes, her irises catching some of the light streaming in from the corridor. "You have your orders, Taii."

"Understood, your highness." Nyton replied evenly and without any disdain. "Please, if you will follow me sir." he said, turning to Heram and nodding respectfully before beginning to move towards the door.

Wazu was suppressing a grin at the moment, after all things had going better than he had expected was a rare occurrence. He was getting to leave his confinement in this room, getting his datapad fixed, and going to their medbay where fun chemical compounds could be located. He knew pushing his luck any further would be irresponsible, even wreckless! However, Phalanx Philip would definitely do it in his situation and who was he to argue the wisdom of Nepleslian morning cartoon shows.

“Perhaps you should give more thought to crew automation.” Wazu suggested, mimicking Nyton’s bow before following him towards the door.

Wazu's parting shot left Kotori reeling from a flurry of emotions. The young nekovalkyrja Taisa clenched her fists and closed her eyes a moment to reign in her temper.

She was trying to play the gracious host, and the man again insulted her and flung it back to her face. It was fortunate she hadn't been armed, or else she might have quickdrawn one of her pistol to finish Wazu off. It'd have saved them the trip to Nepleslia.

Kotori very nearly ordered Nyton to do it instead. What held her tongue was the memory of Rufus Sydney executing the Lorath male named Cole in reaction to a clash of culture, one that could've been brushed by with a little more tolerance and understanding.

Grace under pressure. It was the motto she had given to her ship, one given in the hope that she and her crew would work to retain a level of nobility and dignity she felt the rest of the Empire lacked... and now she had to live it. Like now.

It's a pity you'll never have the wisdom to appreciate the differences between you and I, Heram Wazu, and how fortunate you were that this saved your life. Kotori opened her eyes, alone in the dimmed lighting of Wazu's quarters, and silently walked out to return to her quarters.

After ensuring that Heram was following him Nyton stepped down the hall a little bit before stopping. "Sir, if you will please stop for a second." he said pleasantly.

"Miharu, could you please fit our guest with a blindfold. I would hate for him to see anything disturbing in our medical center." Nyton said to the ship. As soon as the holographic yet solidly blinding wrap concealed Heram's eyes Nyton guided the man's hand to his own shoulder. "Feel free to use my shoulder for guidance. No sense accumulating further injury enroute to see the doctor now."