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

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Gallant said:
"Okaa-san," she said, referring to the MEGAMI, when she thought she was far enough away not to be heard, "If you don't mind, may I ask, who is cutting?"
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"Cutting? Oh, you mean down in the subdeck?" Miharu replied to Yuzuki's query. "The Chief Engineer along with a team of people he's enlisted for the task."
 
“The same capacity for getting into trouble that brought me here the first time is what is bringing me back now,” Wazu replied as he unwrapped the shirt from his right arm to expose the bruised skin. “The blindfold happened after.”
 

Kyou nodded almost imperceptibly before realizing he might not see it. Upon this realization, she blushed slightly, and voiced her acknowledgment aloud. "Yes, sir."

As she began to move away, and he resumed his work, she winced at the extremely piercing noise. I wonder if Miharu considers earplugs a standard feature for engineering staff? opting to find it out later, she continued with her mission, returning shortly with the items that had been requested.
 
"Actually those injuries would be my fault. I apologize for giving you more work to do." Nyton said as he stepped aside to let the medical personnel have full access to the injured man.
 
((This is a Moony-post, because for some reason he's having difficulty viewing the forums.))

"Ah...I see," Sanjuro answered flatly, lightly dabbing at Wazu's nose with a small, white cloth. It sounded as though Sanjuro somehow already had heard about the incident, and was handling the delicate situation with a surprising (or not so surprising) amount of calmness. "Well. I do hope that your future intimate exchanges are less abrasive than this one. Injuries such as these are minor, but the manner of which he received them leads me to believe that you two should perhaps practice safer methods of expressing your feelings for one another. At least for the time being aboard the Miharu."

Off to the side of the medical bay, Ayumu's eyelids narrowed as she paused for a short moment from her work, her eyes glancing upward and her lips pursing slightly as she silently repeated a few of the doctor's odd choices of words.
 
Rin let out a quiet 'oh' to herself, seeing Tom use the VAW to form a saw. She quickly did the same, forming a saw as Tom had done, as she carefully positioned herself to start cutting. A quick double check of the schematics on where to cut, before the sparks started flying. The saw traveled slowly and carefully, freeing the capacitor from the others.
 
"Cutting? Oh, you mean down in the subdeck?" Miharu replied to Yuzuki's query. "The Chief Engineer along with a team of people he's enlisted for the task."
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"Thank you, Okaa-san."

Yuzuki moved down the passage at a good pace. It wasn't a run, but she was definately riding her toes. She still wasn't sure exactly why. Surely, there were enough new engineers aboard the ship that Juni-san could enlist, so he didn't need her explicitly and so she wasn't obligated to be there. He was smarter than she was, and higher ranking. She trusted him. She hadn't even rubbed elbows with him, before, or watched him work, but he was the Juni. He wasn't responsible to her. She was responsible to him. Practically, he was an officer, and Yuzuki was just a ship sprite; dirty uniform included. Without thinking about it, she wiped her oily hands on her pantlegs again. Then she remembered the rag in her back pocket.

What Freeman-Juni did was up to him. What she did was, technically, up to him. And he told the Shosa, and the Shosa answered to the Taisa, and the Taisa answered to... someone higher up than the Taisa! Whatever was happening, it wasn't bad - but it put her on edge. Like the subverted knowledge in the back of her mind that she had left the armor off the rack (she made a mental note to go back and put it up properly), it clung to her and drove her onwards, like a dog baying at her heels. She wanted to be there. It was her nerves. It was just a feeling.

It was really frustrating.

She stepped into the vertical passageway leading down to the subdecks, still trying to wipe the power armor fluid off of her hands. The door slid closed behind her and she began to descend. She took a breath.

"Okaa-san? What is Freeman-Juni doing to the ship structure?"
 
"I believe he's replacing an entire row of capacitor banks," Miharu returned. "But I don't think it involves 'structure' for the moment. That kind of endeavor is better made in a spacedock."
 
Nyton chuckled a little at the rather dry tone being used in Sanjuro's reply. He couldn't tell for sure whether the man was trying to be funny or not but regardless it seemed that way. "There should not be anymore such incidents in the near future. How long will it take to treat him? Depending on the amount of time I may leave our guest in your care while I see to replacing that cracked view screen of his."
 
"A ship and crew, frozen in time..." Takuma muttered to himself while leaning himself back in his chair. He glanced over as Miyako abrubtly left the room, a hint of confusion popping onto his face. But after a minute, he turned back to the computer and glanced at the armor specs. The armor looked beastly, but other than the few clear numbers on the spec sheet, he was lost by it. Back to what he could read.

"I'm assuming our goal will be to stop the gate," Takuma started, talking to anyone whose ears, or sensors, caught his voice. "I wonder if it would be possible to beat them inside..." Then we may just be carving a path for them, Takuma added in his head.
 
Yukari had never wanted to cry in her life, but she did want to after reading the end of the Gate concept.

Instead, she swallowed hard, gave Miyoko a curt nod to excuse her — not that Miyoko noticed — and sat down in her place.

We are one vessel, Yukari thought, potentially against a thousands-strong fleet.

The stress of the simulation was nothing compared to this. Eve, Amaya and their followers had found the pinnacle among empire-destroying weapons. Enough ships to crush Yamatai's downsized, spread-thin ranks. Enough ships to lay waste to the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia. And enough ships to send the Neo-Mishhuvurthyar back to their Dark Ones.

Yukari held her head in her hands, elbows braced on her crossed legs. She felt tears sting at the corner of her eyes. Hopelessness was accompanied by shame, and the two were the only things sitting on Yukari's mind for what felt like a long time.

We cannot win. Not alone. And we cannot fully trust anyone else.

A part of Yukari's psyche refused to accept that. It was the Nekovalkyrja part, hard-bitten and bloodthirsty, that started to dislodge hopelessness and shame before they settled in.

We should have been eliminated already, that part reminded her. Our fate was sealed at Tsuyosa. Taiie. Bowhordia. We should have been sent to join our sisters, our ancestors, to rest for all time.

Her mind dueled with itself as she tried to break down the plans. While the scale was indeed stunning, the plan's outline was simple. Deceptively so, since it took three years to complete. YE 32 was not too far away.

The Gate was likely finished, as it would need to be tested. So would the Mishhuvurthyar-modified vessel. Yukari theorized it was outfitted with psychic amplifiers; Eve was not likely powerful enough to control so many minds without them. The last things she would install, if it was her, were the alternative power systems and capacitor banks. Putting those in meant taking a ship off the line.

Perhaps the time to strike was not past them, Yukari thought, but if Miharu and her crew wanted to fight, they needed more than a two-in-one ship. Nevermind the odds of success if the lost warfleet full of universe-scarring weapons was brought into the battle; Yukari did not ponder that scenario.

Cutting off the group's funding seemed important, even though they were nearly done with their work. Anything to rob them of advantages. It would signal their mission was compromised and perhaps force them to rush in places they should not, or skip steps that could be crucial.

Timing was still the main concern. Miharu had to catch the Daughters with their pants down.

The original file list Miharu brought up included a study of a Mishhuvurthyar flag ship and details for another project. Yukari made a note to examine them later. She had to get to planning, she thought.

"Taisa," Yukari sent. "Takuma-Hei and Saito-Heisho have decrypted enough of the core to retrieve the Daughters of Eve's plan for Amaya's Gate. May I call a senior officers meeting to discuss it?"
 
"That's good to hear, but Tom is still busy with engineering work, and I would rather have him present for a senior staff conference," Kotori returned. "Until we get underway, please learn all you can from the datacore on related subjects. Even minor details could prove crucial."

Just then, Miharu updated the file listing. The ongoing searches were complete.

 
Yukari didn't protest. She rested her arms on her thighs for a minute, then went on examining.

"Display the Gate Logistics file, Miharu."
 
Sighing heavily, the small Warrant Officer left her quarters and headed towards the Wardroom. "Just a quick stroll to stretch my legs," she murmured to herself as she raised an arm above her head and stabilized it with her other arm behind her head. "Then I should probably aid Freeman-san with repair work," she continued as she walked into the wardroom, only minutes before Miyoko exited Central Passageway.

"Ah, Saito-heisho," Masako called out with a small wave and a cute smile.
 
"Ah."

The doors slid open in front of her. Yuzuki floated forward onto the deck and touched down, then pivoted smartly and headed towards the much-louder grinding sound. She could hear it loud and painfully clear, now. The sound cut across her conciousness like a knife, stripping away the bothersome thoughts that had plagued her only a moment before. It was a distinctly clean sound. It also hurt.

Yuzuki stuffed her fingers in her ears.

She had arrived so that Freeman-Juni's back was to her, but probably he would notice her soon anyway, using the armor. It was good equipment. She wondered, briefly, what cutting through the durandium-plated resiliant mounts was going to do to the armor systems. Yuzu had herself cut away portions of the ship's hull using the "blowtorch" (a term which didn't come close to describing the heavy, metal-eating beast that sat in one of the damage control lockers), but had never seen the same thing done with power-armor weaponry. Yuzuki was far too fascinated to stop them, though. The sparks were very pretty.
 
Miyoko was still a bit stunned-looking as she walked toward the kitchen. Had Masako been directly in front of her, she probably would have walked right into the shorter woman. As it was, it took a moment for the greeting to penetrate Miyoko's mental condition. The Yamataian drifted back to awareness for a moment before looking up and responding a bit flatly, "Ah... good afternoon."
 
The cute smile of the Warrant Officer quickly turned into a frown as she observed the violet-haired woman for a moment before striding up to her. "What's wrong?" Masako asked with concern tinting her tone. "You seem," she began, only to pause as if looking for the right word.

"You seem distracted," she said, only to frown. That didn't seem like the proper word for this.
 
Kai simply watched as the sprite walked away, before standing alone to ponder his next move. He really wasn't too sure what he was doing with his Armor, and Yuzuki had offered to fix it for him, which was probably a better idea anyway. So, he went back into his room, and started putting stuff away. rather than shoving it all back in a duffel, Kai instead found appropriate places around his room for it all to go. Once satisfied, the tall blond Yamataian made his way out of the room, asking Miharu to please keep Sanjuro out, as per usual, and then heading towards the wardroom. He was pretty hungry, and had caught word that there may be new crew members aboard. Figuring the wardroom was the best place to find them and seeing as he was headed there anyway, Kai sniffed his grease and other lubricant covered uniform, and turned around, heading back to change first.

Once satisfied he was fresh, Kai finally made his way to the wardroom, for real. As he entered, he telepathically asked Miharu a question. "Miharu, what food is there available at the moment, that won't take much preparation?"
 
ON

"... something like that." Miyoko rubbed her head--it felt a bit fuzzy, like it was clogged up with the information she'd just read. "We've been reviewing the data core we captured."

Masako pondered what the violet-haired neko had told her before speaking up once more. "So the information from the data core was that disturbing?" the smaller woman asked with concern.

Miyoko hesitated for a moment before responding. Given the sensitive nature of the information, she wasn't sure just how restricted access to it was. Masako would be finding out sooner or later. "... very much so, yes. I just needed to get out and clear my head."

The young Neko grimaced at her taller friend's response before patting Miyoko upon the shoulder. "Why don't you sit down for a moment," she stated as her grimace turned into a sweet smile. "I'll get you something to drink, okay?"

Miyoko relaxed a bit at that, seemingly a little embarrassed at her earlier tension. "If you'd like... maybe we can just split a pot of tea. I can take any leftovers back to the Shosa and Takuma-hei."

Masako paused for a moment and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. She had made sandwiches before, but she had never made tea before. Well, it shouldn't be too hard to do. "Of course, I'll make a pot of tea for both of us." she said with a cute smile. "All you need to do is sit and relax," she stated before heading into the kitchen.

The Yamataian nodded at that, though she did take a moment to glance quizzically at Masako. She wasn't entirely unused to strange behavior along these lines from Yukari... but that was, well, Yukari. Still, she took a seat. "In any case, the new information is... not good. It seems that Eve is on the verge of releasing a fleet of millions of warships."

Once inside the kitchen, Masako began to sift through all of the storage areas in search of tea. It would have been a real challenge for her height, if she hadn't been a Nekovalkyrja. In fact, she was reaching into a top cabinet with aid of her inertial flight when Miyoko mentioned the bit of dark news. "Wait, what?" Masako asked in stunned, disbelief. That bit of distraction was enough for her to pull a box wrong in said cabinet. A loud squeak could be heard from the kitchen as the sound of boxes falling could be heard. While they were small, light boxes that would hurt anyone, the shock had made Masako emit the cute noise. Too bad it also made the Warrant Officer flush in embarrassment. "A fleet, from where?"

Miyoko started to nod glumly, but that was interrupted as Masako showered boxes across the kitchen floor, making her laugh despite herself. She did her best to hide it, shielding her mouth politely behind a hand, but it still was no mystery that she was laughing at the mix-up. Apologetically, she rose and crossed into the kitchen to help Masako put the boxes back up. "A fleet that has been trapped in space-time curvature, as I understand it..."

Masako couldn't help but blush an even darker color of red as Miyoko tried to hide her laughter. Landing upon the deck, the smaller Neko also began to collect the boxes and set them upon a counter top. "So, that fleet must have been around during the wars before the Mishhu, correct?"

"The Second Draconian War." Miyoko shrugged--she wasn't much of a military historian, though she now intended to read up on the conflict in her spare time. "The general gist seems to be that we have months at the most to intercept and stop her before she gains access to a force large enough to conquer the empire in a matter of weeks."

Masako's blushing face seemed to pale almost immediately. The Warrant Officer only knew of the Second Draconian War from the history classes she had in Officer's Training. But she knew what would happen if Eve got her hands upon those ships, and it wasn't good at all. "No wonder you need to clear your head," Masako chuckled weakly as she looked through the boxes. "How about some Green tea?"

"Right..." Now that she was out here, Miyoko was feeling a little silly about retreating out here. Just when she'd been getting accustomed enough to battle to not spend the entire night before one fretting sleeplessly, too. "Green tea will be fine, I think."

"Good," the young Neko said with a more natural smile. That's right, there was no need to worry yet. They should be able to figure out how to stop them. Right now, she needed to help Miyoko calm down and relax. Having a friend getting anxious over this news wasn't something the violet-haired Neko needed. "Thank you," she said in appreciation for the clean up as she grabbed a pot and began to fill it with water. In a few moments, it would be on the stove to warm the water to a boil. "You know, we haven't had a long chat in a while." Masako stated absent-mindedly, trying to divert Miyoko's thoughts.

"Ah... I suppose not." Miyoko stacked the last box onto the small pyramid on the counter and straightened herself up to standing. "It's a little distancing, being on the bridge. I don't get as much contact with the rest of the ship as I did as an armor pilot or in the medical bay." She leaned on the counter and idly watched Masako filling the kettle. "On the other hand, I also don't get shot at nearly as much."

"I'm glad you are on the bridge now," the small Neko replied. "It means I have another person to count on while I'm out there."

"Ah... well, that, and I'm probably more of a threat to my own side on a battlefield than anything else." Judging by the tone of her voice, Miyoko was half-serious, but she still ended the statement with a self-depreciating laugh.

"That's not true," Masako stated vehemently as the pot began to whistle suddenly. Taking it off the stove, the Warrant Officer proceeded to dip some tea bags into the hot water a few times before allowing it to dangle in the water. Part of her wished she knew how to make real tea, but instant had to do for now. "I would have you watching my back any day, but I would prefer that you were safe."

Miyoko blinked a bit at the certainty in Masako's voice, a little polite embarrassment creeping onto her face at the compliment. "Well. Um. Thank you." She suddenly seemed very intent on looking at the floor. "I suppose I feel better knowing that you're all out there protecting the ship, too. I've been a bit less uncomfortable knowing that we're headed for battles, at least."'

Suddenly, the ceiling seemed highly interesting to the Warrant Officer as she chuckled lightly. "Well, it was what I was made for after all," she commented lightly. "But...it's also my selfish desire to protect all of you." she admitted with a bit of embarrassment.

"An interesting form of selfishness... I suppose I'm on the extreme opposite end with my cowardice." Miyoko paused thoughtfully for a few seconds. "Though if I were a true coward, I'd probably be fleeing to the edge of known space right now. I'll have to turn in my license."

Masako sniffed slightly in amusement. "I would have thought you had turned in that license years ago," the small Neko replied before checking on the tea. "After all, with everything that has happened, any coward would have left long ago."

"Oh, I'm still a coward," Miyoko replied. "Just a sensible one. Sensible enough to realize that somebody above me would probably find some way to demote me down so far that I'd have inanimate objects as superiors if I tried running more often."

PAUSE
 
ON

A giggle fit nearly caught up with the poor Warrant Officer, but Masako cut herself off just as it was about to start. She took this moment to check on the tea and fiddle with the tea bags before closing the pot again to allow it more time. "But honestly, Saito-san," Masako said more informally. "I really wouldn't consider you a coward," the raven-hair Neko stated with a smile. "What has it been, two years since we all began serving aboard the Miharu? Sure, you have only been in a few sorties in a Powered Armor, but you've always been someone we could all count on. That isn't the sign of a coward, even a sensible one. You may have been frightened by everything that happened around you, but you did what you could even in those situations. If that isn't bravery, I don't know what is."

The indirect compliment just seemed to gum up Miyoko's mental processes that much more. She pushed herself upright. "Mm, perhaps. It might just be lingering resentment over what happened to Mara. That was entirely thanks to me. Like I said, I have at least been feeling more comfortable heading into battles. It's amazing what a difference just being separated from the enemy by a few AUs can do, even if we're still the ones.” Miyoko paused for a moment before adding, "And I never have to see blood or their faces..."

Masako grimaced at the added commented and nodded. "That would be a plus," she replied and scratched the tip of her ear. "I wouldn't know much about ship to ship combat, so AU seem too large for me to even think of in terms of combat," the Warrant Officer replied. "But...well, all I have to say is that fighting Mishhu is easier in Powered Armor combat than fighting these traitors," the raven-haired Neko stated before chuckling. "Well...in terms of combat difficulty, I guess not..." she began moments before fading off. To distract herself, the Warrant Officer checked on the tea on last time before removing the bags from the pot. A quick search for cups yielded a pair of steel mugs for the smaller woman to pour their tea. A moment later, Masako would be holding one of the mugs out to Miyoko with a warm smile. "Here."

"Thank you." Miyoko returned the smile gratefully, then carefully took the mug and blew on it, not hazarding a sip from the still almost boiling hot tea just yet. She contemplated the tea silently for a few moments before musing out loud, "I'm starting to become convinced that 'bravery' is just another word for being so scared that you could cry, but pressing on because of the consequences if you turn back. It's even economically sound.” Another few seconds of silent musing passed before she added, "... or just being reckless or ignorant enough to ignore the immediate risk to yourself. Probably a delicate balance of the two." She looked to Masako curiously. "You've been in quite a few fights... do you ever resent, well, all of this? Being born and bred for war and expected to sacrifice your life if needed, with nothing so much as a 'please'?"

Taking a seat beside Miyoko, the smaller Neko couldn't help but purse her lips in thought before taking a sip of her green tea. Well, it wasn't first class tea, but it was relaxing none-the-less. "I did resent it once before," she mumbled as she looked out the large windows of the observation deck and the view it held. "Nearly four years ago," she trailed off a bit at the memory.

Miyoko nodded thoughtfully at that. "I used to think that giving us self-awareness was one of the cruelest things the empire could have done. Giving us hopes, dreams, and personalities even when it was practically guaranteed that we'd die horribly. Now," The Yamataian shrugged, a bit of an anticlimax to the whole speech.

Masako snorted and shook her head. "Maybe, but I can't say I regret or resent anything now," the raven-haired neko stated as she turned her void-black eyes to the sensor operator. "Because if I did now, It would mean resenting everything I've gained over the years, including some important people in my life."

Miyoko shrugged again. "I can't say I'd be happier if I were a Nekomachina. I suspect I'd be a rather poor scientist, actually. Of course, I might change my mind if I end up dying slowly on some alien rock." She finally lifted the cup to her face, taking a moment to smell the tea appreciatively before sipping from it. "I think that we generally agree, now. Even if we do die, it's better for the time leading up to it to be filled with curiosity and love and all that than... well, nothing."

Smiling warmly, Masako nodded silently in agreement as she took a sip of tea again. "Though apparently its more curiosity and friendship than love with us," she commented with a snort of amusement.

"Hm?" Miyoko arched an eyebrow quizzically toward Masako, swishing the contents of her mug around a little--a not-so-subtle form of fidgeting. For all of her scientific acumen, Miyoko was well-aware that she wasn't very skilled with people... and Masako's last sentence was a practical minefield of potential misreading.

"Eh?" Masako hummed in question before frowning. "Ah...um...did I say something wrong?" the Warrant Officer asked awkwardly.

Miyoko politely hid her face by taking a rather long drink from her cup... though it was also partially for her own benefit, since she was probably looking a bit too thoughtful for her own good at the moment. "Not at all. I think we practically just founded the YSS Miharu Philosophy Club, so I'm not sure anything is off-limits at the moment."

There was a short pause for a moment before Masako smiled cutely. "Our humble ramblings sure did come to deep philosophical discussion, didn't it?" she replied as she chose the take a long drink from her own cup at that point to hide her confusion.

"Ah, well." Miyoko swished her tea around some more, watching the contents of the cup. "If there were any sort of commendation for navel-gazing and taking the most circumspect route possible, I'd probably be a decorated officer by now."

Masako stayed silent a moment longer staring at her own mug before glancing back at Miyoko. "I guess now would have been the perfect time to have given you those birthday presents I bought you a while back," the Warrant Officer replied with an awkward chuckle, changing the subject rather quickly. "I've been meaning to give them to you for a while, but I've never found the opportunity."

"Oh, well, it really wasn't necessary... but thank you." Miyoko gave a polite laugh. "I couldn't really blame you for holding on to them, anyway. Up until recently, I expected us to get some shore leave soon... given the current circumstances, though, I don't think there will be any of that for the foreseeable future." She tapped at the rim of her glass, still more fidgeting. "Though there's still time now, if you'd like. I don't think it's quite in line with standard birthday protocol, but we've already twisted it near the breaking point, I expect."

Oblivious to Miyoko's fidgeting, Masako stood up quickly with a cute smile. "I'll go get them from my quarters right now," she replied as she set her mug on a nearby table. "Don't go anywhere," the raven-haired Warrant Officer stated before jogging off towards the Port-side corridor.

Miyoko nodded, relaxing a bit in the lull in the conversation. She leaned back and sipped at her tea; managing to drain most of the cup in the time it took Masako to reach her room and return.

And return Masako did; only her expression was a bit more nervous than the one she had left with. Looking at her hands, the Warrant Officer held a pair of hardcover books. Apparently, the smaller Neko had decided to purchase real paper books rather than just digitally stored texts. "Ah, I wasn't quite sure what you would enjoy reading when I was shopping," the raven-haired Neko warned as she slowly held out the books to the enlisted woman. "Happy Belated Birthday," she said with an awkward smile. The titles of both could easily be seen as Masako held them out to Miyoko with on titled Mikiru's Guide: Elysian Society and the other Astrophysics Latest.

Miyoko kept her eyes forward as Masako returned; doing her best to at least look a little disinterested... it wouldn't do to be bouncing around in excitement like a child, after all. When Masako presented the gifts, though, she took them with a genuine smile. "Thank you!" She thumbed through the two books for several moments, reviewing the contents. Her preference for physical books over electronic copies couldn't be hard to puzzle out, thanks to spending hours in the wardroom reading them, but she still felt a bit flattered at having somebody actually pick up on it. "I'm sure they'll be interesting... I've never been to Elysia, so maybe this will open up some options the next time I take a vacation." After a few moments, she added, "I'm going to owe half the ship birthday presents soon enough, and I'll need to work for three months to put half as much care into them as you all have."

A big, cute smile of relief crossed Masako's face as she saw Miyoko's smile. "Don't worry too much about me," she replied. "I've never received a birthday gift, but I love giving them to people special to me."

"Not a single present?" Miyoko frowned, sliding the books into her lap. "I'll have to be the first to give you one, then."

Sitting back down next to the sensor operator, Masako shook her head gently as she kept that cute smile upon her face. "Really, it's fine," she replied with a chuckle. "I don't even know what I want to get for myself most of the time anyway, so I couldn't expect other people frustrating themselves over finding gifts for me."

"I rarely have an idea what to do with my money, myself, but that hasn't stopped everybody else from doing a fairly good job of it." Miyoko mentally added an exception for Sanjuro. "As I understand it, the idea is for people to buy you things you'd enjoy, but would be too embarrassed or unwilling to pay for normally." She had to pause and consider that for a moment. By that strict definition, there were some very odd gift ideas popping into her head.

Masako chuckled at Miyoko's definition and nodded. "I see," she replied before taking a sip to finish her tea. "Well, if I cannot dissuade you, then I'll wait with anticipation for my next birthday," the raven-haired Neko replied with a warm smile.

"Well, in that case, I'll do my best to not have a panic attack and flee the ship for now," Miyoko replied. "I'll have to stay here to make sure that nothing kills you before then."

Masako couldn't help but allow a pinkish hue to tint her cheeks. "Funny, I thought that last bit was my line of work," Masako replied in a teasing manner.

"You have to keep me alive if I'm to buy you a present, you know. Consider it a mutual protection pact." Miyoko grinned at that, extending a hand to Masako for a shake.

Halting herself from nearly giggling like a schoolgirl once more, Masako smiled and took the sensor operator's hand. "Of course," she replied and shook Miyoko's hand.

Miyoko shook the hand... and then shook it some more, the handshake drawing out a bit longer than probably strictly necessary. Finally, she seemed to come back to her senses, withdrawing her hand and clearing her throat, her own cheeks suddenly carrying a bit of a blush. "It's rare that I get to talk to anybody like this recently... a shame, since I'd like to do it more often."

For a moment, Masako was quite curious as to why the taller Neko had drawn the handshake out longer than the usual polite timing. The sensor operator's blush made the Warrant Officer even more curious, but Miyoko's later comment seemed to speak for it. "I guess I could understand it being hard to talk to most people on the bridge, considering everyone there but Hinoto would be significantly higher in rank," Masako replied before scratching the tip of her ear in thought. "But surely you can talk to Hinoto or Mara or maybe even Ashita," Masako halted on that last bit and frowned. "Well, maybe not him," she amended rather quickly.

Miyoko nodded. "Sometimes, yes. The Shosa and I get along fairly well too. I just feel like it leaves me a bit disconnected with the rest of the crew at times." With that, Miyoko abruptly cleared her throat and moved to stand. "I... should probably head back. Do you mind if I take the rest of the pot of tea with me? I'm sure the others would appreciate a drink and a bit of caffeine."

"Of course," Masako replied with a smile as she stood along with the taller Neko. "I should probably help down in Engineering; Freeman-Juni could probably use more hands to make the work move faster."

Miyoko nodded, carefully picking up the pot along with the two books. "Thank you for the talk and the tea. It helped... clear my mind."

"Ah, hold on," Masako replied as she went into the kitchen once more. In moments, the Warrant Officer brought out a tray and two more mugs. "Here, use this. It should help out more."

"Ah, thank you. There are good reasons I'm not a caretaker, it would seem..." Miyoko placed the pot onto the tray and balanced it on one hand.

Masako paused a moment as she watched Miyoko hold the tray with one hand. Giving the taller Neko a pondering expression, the Warrant Officer nodded and smiled. "Good luck."

"Thank you. I expect we'll all be wanting as much of it as we can get." Still balancing the load of the tray and the books--she'd drop them off in her room later, when she wasn't feeling pressed for time--Miyoko headed back toward the data core.

END
 
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