RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Aftermath (3rd day, afternoon)

Kotori lifted her hands from her bedcovers and a moment later, she folded one corner of the covers to bare her legs, which she swung around to have her feet on the floor.

The yukata-garbed princess moved, with the simple intent of enfolding Miyoko in a hug.

Kotori's movement snapped Miyoko out of her introspection. The violet-haired Yamataian turned to look at her curiously, but was still caught off-guard a little as Kotori leaned in for the hug. She returned it gingerly, treating the Taisa like her body would shatter if she applied just a little pressure... although the last time she'd seen Kotori, that might have been true. "It will be the last time," she repeated, more to herself than to Kotori.

Kotori held Miyoko close, her head in the nook between science officer's neck-and-shoulder. Miyoko felt the furred tip of one of Kotori's black ears brush her temple. The nekovalkyrja's body didn't betray weakness, at least for the moment.

"I've had you since Scorpio," Kotori whispered. "You're closer to Yukari than I, but I've watched you go. You have some failings as a soldier - you know what they are - but as time went by, I saw you grow. Sometimes, I worried about you and how you would fare."

"The woman I saw facing the Ghost Mishhuvurthyar had shown me a greater sense of responsability, a fledgling but promising ability to lead, and she had developed a pluckish sense of bravery." Kotori backed away some, her hands loosening from Miyoko's back to instead come up and instead cradle the yamataian woman's head by the cheeks. "...and I was proud. I was proud of her... but then the Mishhuvurthyar stole her from me."

"It was unfair, not the first and not the last of the lives stolen from me, but I decided to dare to do something about that unfairness. I could not save everyone, but I am very glad I could save you." Kotori's thumbs caressed a bit against Miyoko's cheeks. "So I could tell you how very proud I am of you."

Miyoko's cheeks lit up in a blush, making them burn rather warmly under Kotori's hands. Unreserved praise wasn't something she was used to, and even as she smiled in response, she was running over Kotori's words in her mind to find any traces of criticism to them. It was pretty darn hard to read it as anything but praise, though, even with her slant toward negativity.

"Well... thank you." At the very least, Kotori's speech had erased most of the guilt Miyoko had felt after seeing how much strain saving her had put on the Signaler's body. "Although I'd prefer to just avoid dying entirely next time and save us both some wear and tear on our bodies, so hopefully I won't need to test your pride again."

"I'll agree to that," Kotori leaned closer and briefly brushed her lips against Miyoko's forehead. Then she back away, lowering her hands, and said: "Thank you for everything, Miyoko."

Miyoko nodded again at Kotori's statement. A few moments of silence passed, then she pushed herself to her feet. "Well... I think I've monopolized your time enough, and the Mokuren's medical staff might have me thrown out if I interrupt your rest any longer. For what it's worth, you've put my mind at ease on a few issues, which is no small task these days."

"I am glad," Kotori quirked a smile and sat back on her bed, though, a little too heavily, Miyoko noted. The princess made a brave front but physical activity did prove strenuous on her after all. "Thank you for coming by, Miyoko."

ON> Observation Deck, GSS Mokuren

Rolf sighed rather despairingly as he stared out into the stars. On his head, was a red pair of panties, ill-gotten from some odd place. He hadn't been able to bring out a straight thought since Kotori had revealed the nature of his mother and sister, nor her striking words. For some reason, staring out at the heavens on the observation deck relaxed him. It also helped the fact that lingering around there was what led to the maddening malpractice he and Kyou committed on one of the couches there. So, he may have been hoping for a little of that as well. Still, it was a lot to take in, and hopefully the pair of focusing panties on his head would help him get through it.

Tom's day had already been an eventful one. His mind had been packed full of conflicting emotions brought through all the conversations he had already had. Each had left a strong, distinct impression on his thoughts, each strand fighting for his attention. The engineer needed somewhere to sit down and relax, an area that would allow him to unwind in solitude. When he had stepped onto the observation deck, he had hoped that would be the place, but then his eyes caught a flash of red.

Was it blood? Here? Tom's first reaction had been instinctual, but unfounded. No, it was... panties?

Asher. The thought came instantly. Who else wore lingerie on their head? Either way, it brought another thread of thought into the engineer's mind, one which had him smiling inwardly.

Clearing his throat to announce his presence, the tall blonde-haired Yamataian stepped into the room.

"Hello, Asher."

"Eh...?" Rolf looked over his shoulder at Tom, as if just catching his presence off the old name. "Ah, iss' Rolf now, Free-boss. I can't use 'dat name no more. But uh... Yeah, what's up?" The panty-head-gear wearing Malifarian raised a hand to great the elder, high-ranked man.

Tom returned the salute with a light bow, although his eyebrow was raised the entire time.

"You've changed your name?" he asked. "What brought that about?"

"Well, you know I'm a clone, right?" Rolf tilted his head, mimicking Tom's facial expression. "I ain't tha' original, so I can't keep tha' name."

"No, I suppose not," Tom replied, carefully keeping his voice neutral. "Rolf, you say? I think it has a nice sound to it. Powerful."

Tom approached the newly named Rolf and leaned on the wall to his right, crossing his arms with a smirk.

"Although, if the panties are to stay a part of the new Rolf, I think it kills your chances for a wife."

"A wife?" Rolf leaned his head over, letting it fall to the side as his eyes looked out towards a wall in silence, before looking at the blonde, scruffy man. "You're jokin', right? Me? Married? Man, I don' even got a home, 'dis uniform n'mah pistol iss tha' only possessions I got."

He then pressed his finger on the lacy fabric of the panties.

"And tha' panties, these are mine now, too."

A chuckle escaped Tom, his blonde spikes bobbing as he nodded. "Yes, yes, I guess they are," he said. "But honestly, you don't give yourself enough credit."

He extended an open palm to the Malifarian, a sweeping gesture from one side of him to the other.

"You are a man who acts decisively and with conviction," he added. "That is the type of man a woman would be lucky to have. If they can see through your 'eccentricities,' they will see that. Consider those panties a test of character then!"

"So, uh... Y'tellin' me that if I find a chick who accepts me while I'm wearin' these panties on my head, I'm golden?" Rolf tilted his head at that, trying to make sense of it with his own decadent mind. "Y'don' think Koto-boss'll mind me wearin'm t'tha debriefin', will she?"

"Not golden, but maybe a step in the right direction," Tom answered. "As for wearing those in front of Kotori, don't. You'll never get a promotion if you don't follow protocol."

"Tch, y'make it sound like that shit matta's." groaned Rolf, extending the elastic of the panties with his thumb idly, as he looked back out to the stars. "I don' want promotions. Last I checked? I wass' livin' pretty good as a Santo-Hei. Not much money in it, but people leave ya alone when y'wanna be left alone, yeah? 'Sides, I don' see'm givin' me a promotion any time soon, especially what wit' all tha business a me bein' an illegal clone n'shit? I'm not even sure how thass' even s'pposed t'work past 'dis point, so I'm livin' and let live, yeah?"

Tom crossed his arms as he listened to Rolf speak. He nodded slightly at times, following the conversation carefully--at times the nodding helped him decipher Rolf's thick accent--and observed his counterparts gestures.

"There are advantages and disadvantages to everything. I learned that clawing my way up the ranks over the years. But that's not what I'm getting at. What do you want to do now? We have no ship to go back to... so that means things are going to be different from now on."

"Tom, I don't know." sighed Rolf, "My sistah an' Moms iss' dead, and I got nothin' to my name." He rubs his faced as he hunched over his knees, contemplating just what exactly was at the end of this long dark tunnel. "I kinda juss' wanna go back outside n'kill stuff. Was a lot easia' t'think about things when I wass' barbecuin' squids and Eve's bitches. At this rate, man, I'm juss' wonderin' if I'll be able to live t'see t'mmorow, yeah?"

Tom remained silent for some time. The emotional bombs that had just been dropped made approaching this a delicate task. He focused himself on his role as a caretaker and let that guide him as he spoke.

"Wow, I'm really sorry about your family," he said solemnly. "These last few days have not been kind to us. To hear about this, though... my condolences."

For his part, Tom crouched as well, trying to get closer to the man. He spoke softly but firmly.

"You'll see tomorrow. Kotori, Yukari, all of us. We'll make sure of that."

"Tch. Iss easy t'say shit, man." said the dismayed Malifarian. "But I appreciate it. Iss' nice t'know some people are still lookin' out f'me. Still, doesn't change tha' fact that I don' got no where t'go, man. I mean, we can talk about family, n'helpin' all we want, but once this missions ova', I'm on my own." He leaned back into the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "I ain't one t'get intimidated by life, but I ain't got nothin' t'fall back on 'ere."

"Then find a way, damn it," Tom said as he stood up. "You've got a family right here man, don't tell me you don't have anything to fall back on. After what we've been through, there's no way in hell I'm going to let you of all people think that there's nothing out there to fall back on!"

There was a spark of anger in the Raltean, but he kept himself in check as he walked up to the couch.

"The only reason we have a future at all is that we were out there, together, propping each other up as we walked through hell. Don't just think that means nothing."

"We split up afta' this ova' with, Tom. From there, I ain't sure we even got a choice in this yeah?" Rolf shrugged, holding out his hands with a non-chalant, somewhat hopeless face. "At this point, we're pretty much at tha' mercy a'tha Star Army Logistics. They'll stick us all seperate, like they always do, n'then we end up on our own again." The Malifarian shook his hands, "Don' get me wrong, man, I really appreciate tha' words, and I understand we been troo' a lot, but c'mon! How can we help eachotha' if we ain't even gunna see eachother again on assignment?"

"Tell me something," Tom said as he bent down and forced his eyes to make contact with Rolf's. "Say it straight. What do you want? To live another day? To stay with friends? Look inside yourself and tell me."

"Well... If I had t'say." went the Malifarian looking back at Tom with a curious gaze, "I'd wanna screw this one girl I fought wit' throughout tha' Battle of tha' Blue Rift. Kyoufuu, y'know her? She's mean as nails in battle, and quick learna' in bed. As far as I can think right now, I kinda' wanna tap that again."

Tom learned another new thing about Rolf... and Kyoufuu that maybe he didn't need to know, but it was something to go off of.

"Then you know what, man? You grab that young lady and you have another go at it. You have some mind-blowing sex. As long as she's good with it, who cares? And after that, you think of something else you want to do and you go and do it because that's who you are, Rolf."

Tom moved in just a little closer, gazing into his eyes as if he was challenging the Malifarian.

"That's what makes you you. When you don't know what the fuck to do you just need to trust yourself and act on what you feel is right. You're a man of small steps, Rolf, and there's a great amount of freedom in that. Sure, you may look like a maniac to some people, but fuck them! You keep doing those things and doing them, and when you do them enough, you'll finally look around and find that you found yourself something that's important enough to hold onto."

He pushed off the couch.

"And don't you tell me we're never going to see each other again. You think we can't send mails or something?"

"Y'know what? Yeah. You're right!" said Rolf, rolling back and leaping off the couch, "You're right! Man, fuck all those guys, they can blow me! I'm Rolf fuckin' Eastwood! Baddest sonuvabitch in this' fuckin' galaxy! I stole some fuckin' panties from I don' know who juss' for seconds ago! I screwed a chick on that couch ova' there, twice, and I didn' give a damn!" He points to the ruffled couch on which Kyou and Rolf had spent their time together. "I fuckin' kicked ass all-day three days ago. Hell, I'm two-steps short of fuckin' invincible! And you know the Star Army Logistics guys? Fuck them too! And their sistah's, and their mothers. Maybe their grannies, too, if they're them young lookin' types."

The Malifar stomped his heel on the floor, letting the floor resonate with the force of his kick.

"I ain't gunna' let this shit get me down, 'cause I'm a god. damn. boss.. I'm gunna ride this shit out, n'then you and me are gunna' get piss drunk." He began to pace, back and forth, "Hell, we'll bring Clay-boss along!" At that, he threw his arms up in the air, "Fuck that, we'll bring everyone! Mandatory drinkin' policy, no one leaves wit'out a blood-alcohol lowa' than .5. Yeah!"

Rolf began to bounce back and forth on his toes, all riled up and ready to go. He looked over a Tom and put up his dukes.

"C'mon Tom, less' fuckin' go! I wanna' see whatchu' got, snowman!"

Tom grinned from ear to ear at the sudden explosive reaction from Rolf. That was more like it. He saw flecks of spittle flying from the man's face, saw that insane berserk spark in his eyes.

There you are, Rolf.

"Ok ok ok, FIRST thing!" Tom said as he held up a finger. "Do what you do but you like the military so if you want to stay in the army don't get kicked out, ok? SECOND, the VR room is a much better place to duke it out because I need to look good for my wedding. Yukari would hate to see her husband and one of the guests bruised up, eh?"

"Who said you was gunna' land one on me? Eh?" said the cocky Malifarian, bouncing on his toes still as he seemed ill-convinced to back down. "I'll try t'avoid hitten y'paper face, and if I do hitcha', then it'll be my weddin' gift t'Yuka-boss, showin' she's marryin' a real man. 'Bout time, too! I'm surprised you two don't have a pair a curly haired blondes runnin' around. Heh heh." He slammed his fists together, "I'll just have t'beat'm outta ya."

Another delicate situation. Instead of a mopey Rolf, there was a hyper Rolf now. It was an improvement, for sure, but now he had the potential for physical pain to contend with.

"Psh!" Tom said as he started to back towards the door. "You act like I didn't save your ass multiple times during the mission. And weren't you the one griping at me about my abilities? I have some credit on your ass to cash, and I'm taking that payment in VR."

"Aw, piss. Fiiine. I need t'hit something now, though. I got a buncha energy! N'I need t'fuckin' use it!" growled Rolf as he looked around, his eyes scanning left, and right, for a possible target, before landing his gaze on the couch he sat on. "Yeah, that'll do." He leaped, kicking the back of the couch, and knocking it over on it's back with the immense force he put it down with.

"Yeah!" declared Rolf, standing over a defeated piece of furniture. "Fuck you, couch!"

"It was my pleasure. Like I said... it did a lot to put my mind at ease," Miyoko repeated. "Now," she added in a joking tone, "As a doctor, I must advise you to get some rest, because you're not as good at pretending to feel fine as you think you are." With that bit of slight insubordination out of the way, Miyoko dipped a respectful bow to Kotori and left the room.

On> Some time later, GSS Mokuren, lounge

Once again, Tom found himself walking alone through the corridors of the GSS Mokuren, unable to find anything to do. There was no Miharu for him to go back to, and the Mokuren itself had an endless supply of engineers to care for its every need. Cooking wasn't an option. He wasn't hungry after feeding Cho and Tori, and his efforts to find other mouths to feed had been fruitless.

He owed a fight to Rolf, but decided to get back to that later.

He couldn't cling to Yukari. They had shared a moment in the VR Room earlier that day, and even though he wouldn't have minded spending the next week with her alone, it would have been wrong to do so. The Shosa had responsibilities to attend to, after all.

He had gained all the information he had wanted from Melisson.

Thoughts of visiting Kotori passed his mind, but the Taisa probably needed more time to convalesce before she received visitors.

So he did the most productive thing he could do, given the circumstances: get a bit of exercise.

It happened that the lounge he chose to utilize was not as empty as he had hoped.

The primary attraction of this lounge was the uninterrupted view of space - real space, not cheap, holographic space. There was no lighting to speak of except for the stars themselves; galaxies so far removed as to seem unreachable nevertheless touched the room with their faint luminance. The only solid decks were the floor and the one wall, which opened into the passage beyond. The faint trace of blast shutters, and the slight reflective glimmer on the glass were the only hint that this compartment were not simply open to space. Otherwise it was completely empty - well, almost.

In the middle, sitting cross-legged, shoulders hunched as she stared out into space, was the red-headed sprite Yuzuki.

It seems to be my destiny to run into friends this day. Tom idly shrugged at the thought then observed Yuzuki's still form as it stared out the window. Was she depressed? Thoughtful? Reflective? The message her body language communicated could have been anything, so speculation was worthless.

Tom decided to take the initiative and approach the red-headed Heisho.

"Hello, Yuzuki. How are you?"

The sprite spared him a look, then returned to her sullen contemplation of the vastness.

"Alive," she stated.

"Yeah," came the somber reply from the Chief Engineer. "I suppose... it is the most we could ask for given the circumstances."

Tom found it hard to not to mimic the sprite, but he paid close attention to his posture and made it a point to stand straight.

"Do you want to talk?"

"Yea," Yuzuki said, leaning back on her hands, "But, I'm getting pretty tired of talking, too."

"Well, if you've got something you need to say, it's better to let it out than let it stew in you," Tom said as he took a standing position to the right of Yuzuki. "Nice view."

In response, the sprite nodded. For a little while they both stood - or sat - in silence, and the stars drifted gently by.

"There's no more work to do," Yuzuki eventually proposed, looking back up from her quiet reverie again, her blue eyes lingering on Tom - not his face, but on his chest, or maybe some place behind it. She was apparently perfecting the thousand-yard stare.

Yuzuki heard Tom draw a deep breath, which he let out slowly though pursed lips. He had clasped his hands behind his back, squeezing his left wrist and locking his arms, the motion causing him to shift his weight back and forth slightly.

"No, I suppose not," he said. "It is hard to imagine, isn't it?"

"It's something I never thought would happen." The sprite shrugged lightly. "Now that it has, and the Miharu is gone, everything is quiet. It is difficult to become used to."

"She was taken away from us," Tom said firmly. "Without her, our hands are idle. I understand your feelings."

Folding her hands and resting her elbows on her knees, Yuzuki delicately placed her chin on her thumbs, her index fingers gently against her lips and her attention once again on space. Tom was now able to discern a little of what was eating at the sprite - the slump of her shoulders, the oddly abrupt way she was speaking. The sprite's mind was somewhere far off.

"I'm going with the Shosa, after this."

"Is that so?"

With the question, Tom sank to the ground, folding his legs and placing his hands on his lap. He tilted his head to look at the sprite.

"Does this trouble you?"

"Uh-hu," Yuzuki murmured, "I had to decide, though."

Tom contemplated Yuzuki's response in silence, carefully measuring his own feelings on the matter. Follow Yukari? What exactly did that mean?

"If you don't mind me asking," he began. "Why did you choose Yukari? Certainly the Taisa could also find a home for you, or a purpose, if that is what you're looking for."

The Sprite scrunched her nose in thought. "Ketsurui-hime is too high for somebody like me to touch. I feel like just asking her, would be too much. She's... like a small goddess. Sort of."

In his mind, Tom did not disagree. Everyone's reactions to Kotori would vary, especially after each of them had witnessed incomprehensible feats from her. It was natural to assume some would view her as more than normal... untouchable even.

He decided to let rest any further lines of questioning regarding the Taisa.

"Yukari... her words to me hint at expectations of great danger," Tom said, his voice low. "She must be protected."

"You love her," Yuzuki observed.

"She is to be my wife," Tom stated. "Even though we have been through so much together, I still fear for her safety. One thing I have learned from all this is how fragile life can be... I will not leave her side if I can help it."

"What makes a thing a person?" The question came suddenly, immediately after Tom had finished speaking. Yuzuki hadn't blinked. She hadn't even taken her attention from the stars.

"What do you mean?"

"You said life was fragile." The sprite's brow creased slightly. "I remember the last time we talked like this. I told you how I felt, and you didn't understand. Now, after all of this, I find that I cannot do anything other than devote myself to someone else's safety or their mission. Whether it is Ketsurui-hime, or whether it is for the Shosa, or for the memories of my sisters who have died, I can think of nothing else. I can feel the weight."

"I am just wondering whether, in the end, a person who can only think of that, is considered a person."

Tom was silent for a long time, turning Yuzuki's speech in his mind several times and trying to dissect the many layers it held. After that, he chose his next words carefully.

"The fact that you're saying these things, considering these things, Yuzuki, means that you've begun a journey most Nekovalkyrja never even realize exists," he said. "It's a journey that culminates in something very special, at least that's how Yukari put it."

He looked towards the sprite.

"What do you think that journey entails?"

"I only know what I've been," was Yuzuki's pragmatic reply, "I can't guess at where I'm going. But, I think I want some answers."

"And how will your life be different once you find these answers?"

Yuzuki fixed Tom with a stare - definitely looking at him again, as opposed to through him - and pursed her lips in what could only be described as a sour, almost accusing look.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking."

"No, you wouldn't," Tom conceded unapologetically. "But I can't answer those questions, and you know that. However, what I can tell you is that I understand more about you than you think I do."

It was not a gloating statement that came from the engineer, but a setup to highlight what he was about to explain.

"Before you or any of your sisters start asking these questions, all of you are content to live your lives in the service of those who created you. And why not? It is all you know."

He cleared his throat.

"The same can be said for Yamataians who are born to families. We live many years of our lives oblivious to our surroundings and, therefore rely on those few banal securities we come to understand in our daily interactions. Maybe it's family, maybe it's home, maybe it's something else."

His own gray orbs locked with the sprite's blue ones.

"But, as someone once told me, these securities often become a shield which stoops us low. We fail to open our eyes to the world around us, how we are part of it, and how we can change it. It is only when we discard these shields and venture into the unknown that we, at our most vulnerable, learn to understand ourselves and others better."

"I think, Yuzuki, that you will eventually come to realize your place and will be able to drop that weight from your shoulders. But for now, at least you realize that the weight exists, where before you did not. That is the first step."

The sprite's ears flicked back, then down, as she considered the conversation thus far, picking it apart bit by bit.

"You're right," she eventually decided, then; "Why does that make me angry?"

"You've given up the bliss of your previous life for the freedom of your new one," he said. "And, unfortunately, this reality is often cold and hostile. Your anger is natural. Maybe you feel bitter, too?"

Yuzuki looked like she was turning in on herself. Her head bowed, and she didn't even bother pushing her hair back. Eventually she ceded, "Yea."

"I gave up Ralt..." Tom said, turning his now-glassy eyes out to the window of space. "It is the hardest thing I've ever done, forgoing the dreams of peace and security she offered. Those wounds are still fresh in my mind."

The Raltean pressed his eyes closed, drew a deep breath and opened them again.

"But, had I not been willing to open my eyes, I would have lost sight of what was most important to me. In freeing myself from my past, the choice to follow Yukari has become one I have made, based on my wishes."

His eyes returned to the crumbling Yuzuki, and he offered a reassuring hand on the sprite's back.

"Finding that purpose has given me strength. Yuzuki, I am certain that the purpose you find and the freedom it gives you will be enough to conquer your demons."

The puff of air out of the young sprite's lungs tossed her bangs. If she were trying to move them, it didn't work too well.

"I'm tired of talking about it."

"Very well then," Tom said matter-of-factly, giving the sprite a pat on the back before standing up. "If you'd like to waste some time and blow off some steam, I've found some... interesting distractions. Otherwise, I'll leave you be."

"Hm?"

"For one thing, the virtual reality room is a blast," Tom replied. "You can do just about... ah... anything there, yeah."

The engineer turned away to hide the blush on his cheeks.

"Other than that, this ship has loads of recreational space where all kinds of sports go on, as well as an absolutely massive kitchen where I'm sure you can have just about anything you want made. These ships are really luxurious!"

The sprite shifted around, stretching one leg, pulling the other in to settle her chin on her knee.

"Can you teach me to fight?"

A puzzled expression fell on the face of the Engineer as he turned around.

"What kind of fighting?"

"Like Nimura does. There have to still be recordings of her sessions in the Hoshi, right?"

The Chief Engineer nodded slowly.

"I would assume so," he said. "I'll be happy to teach you what I know, but I am not the same level as Nimura in raw combat ability."

"Good enough," Yuzuki asserted, her voice so low she was almost mumbling and her eyes far distant again, "I just want to learn enough to be infantry."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Tom replied as he took a step towards Yuzuki, arms outstretched. "You-"

Then he saw it: the way the sprite's movements had become stiff and unnatural. He saw the gaze in her eyes... the same he had seen just a few days ago. He felt something twinge inside his chest, a flutter that told him this request of Yuzuki's was very important to the sprite.

"...ok then," he said softly. "If that's what you want."