RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Aftermath

Tom's body stirred a little, not enough to separate his clasped hands but enough to awaken him.

He was well aware of his present location and the circumstances that brought him there. His sleep had been a light one, little more than a nap to pass the time.

Eyes still closed, he listened. It took a bit of focus, but he heard it, the sound of glutenous rice smacking between teeth.

Then the shifting sound of a glass being picked up, followed by a tiny gulp of water.

Yukari was trying to be quiet, but it seemed that hunger was getting the best of her efforts at being polite.

A single gray eye cracked open to sneak a peak at the neko.

Tuna never tasted so good, Yukari determined, noisily eating another one of the sushi. It was not the easiest fish to chew through, but she was too hungry to not try. She tried to be quiet with the water, at least, but when she was eating entire pieces instead of whittling them down, she needed a lot of water. The sushi were very big.

She did not notice Tom at first. The sushi, she realized, was the first full-sized meal she had partaken in since before Amaya's Gate. Tom's toast was long gone, straight to her leg.

Yukari cleaned the plate of all eight pieces, and downed the last of the water with the crass display of tipping her cup to the ceiling. She let out a happy sigh, covered her mouth to suppress a burp, then smiled to herself and snuggled into the covers of her bed, tummy feeling full and eyes feeling heavy again.

She saw something twinkle. By Tom. Her eyes snapped open.

" ... How long have you been awake?" she questioned, realizing her fiance might have seen her eat like a pig.

Like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, the Raltean tried hiding his guilt through the proverbial throwing of hands behind his back-- in this case, closing his eyes.

But immediately, the fresh images popped into his mind's eyes. He saw the stuffed mouth of Yukari, eyes wide, like some primordial whale devouring fish whole.

She was an angry, hungry beast: the small trails of vinegar on the edges of her lips, the lone grain of rice that desperately clung to her finger, the sole survivor of the carnage... these were the signs of her merciless ferocity.

He imagined the poor grain of rice screaming in a tiny matching voice as Yukari noticed it and brought it to her lips with a smacking noise.

That was the point Tom couldn't hold his act together. The adorableness had killed him.

A knowing smile spread on his lips as his eyes opened again.

"Oh, not too long," he said.

Yukari's expression was pitched between terrified and furious — as much as she ever was those things for Tom. Her lips were flat in the face of his smugness, and her eyes were wide as she looked at him.

Her mind was somewhat relieved by the educated assumption that Tom did not hear her talk with Kana. Of course, that did not help the fact that he either saw, or heard, her gluttonous ways.

It was a moment when she looked more like a cat caught eating a bird than a human.

She burped. Her arm covered her mouth, as if to hide feathers that might have come up with the rude action.

It didn't matter. Tom was very good at imagining things, and enough feathers had exploded out of Yukari's mouth to fill a pillow.

His smile flattened into a line, lips trembling as small bursts of air escaped his nostrils. His torso shook against his effort to hold it in and he started to clench just a little before the damn broke and a burst of giggling laughter filled the room.

"Oh. My. Stars!"

ON> Yukari's Room

Yukari's face twisted into an embarrassed scowl, but Tom could see only her eyes, as her arm kept the rest of her face hidden from sight. "Do not laugh!" she snapped, but it sounded more like a weak, and angry, plea.

Tom raised a hand, the giggling still overtaking him. His open palm was pressed out in front of him, pleading in its own way for her not to react lest he fall apart again. He brought his other hand, in a closed fist, to his chest where he lightly tapped and tried holding his breath.

His vision had teared up a bit, and he was busy trying to blink them away at the same time. His face was reddened--holding his breath just made it worse and, despite trying in earnest, more laughter poured from him.

"Ahaha, I can't help it," he said between bursts. "Too cute!"

Yukari's lips formed a mighty pout at Tom, and she crossed her arms. Her gaze burrowed into him; she hoped that was enough to send him crashing to the floor, injuries and all.

"If you had made me more than toast this morning, perhaps I would not have had to eat in such a manner! It was your fault!" She did not truly believe that, but his laughing was only making her skin hotter. It was not that funny to her!

After a few more breaths, Tom finally managed to get himself under a modicum of control. The laughter wasn't totally averted, but Yukari was spared from the brunt of it, with only the occasional chuckle slipping out. He crossed one leg over the other and brought his hands behind his head, relaxed and in charge.

"Toast was all the nurse let me make, haha," he said. "And don't be angry. I like these things about you!"

Yukari continued to frown at him anyway, though the corners of her lips kept being tugged up every time she looked at the one prominent hair spike that seemed to sway into the path of one of his eyes. It only made him look more mischievous, which she liked too much about him.

"I am not used to people seeing me do that," she said, eyes going back to him. "I eat that way at my cabin, after I have worked all day on some project around it, or have swam a great distance."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you'll soon be in the same position I'm in," he said, brushing a bit of hair from his eyes. His laughter had stopped by now. "No reason to be ashamed around me especially. I'm going to marry you, after all."

"And what things do you have to be embarrassed about?" Yukari knew Tom slept like a log and did not snore, for which she was very grateful. What else did men do that would be so "shameful?"

"Welllll," he said as he pointed to his yellow spikes. "How long do you think I stand in front of a mirror to get my hair looking this way? I'll tell you right now that it's not less than 15 minutes. I also sing to myself while I do it. Stupid songs about being a macho guy and stuff that I'll now have to retire because they're too embarrassing to sing in front of a lady."

The confession was rather abrupt. Perhaps it wasn't the reaction Yukari expected, but Tom seemed comfortable with sharing.

Yukari blinked. But she did not laugh; instead, she wore a very pleased smile. "I like my man to be groomed," she said rather possessively. "And your singing is nice ... even if the songs are foolish."

Flush with this new-found knowledge, she reasoned another confession for herself. If Tom was going to admit to things, she should, too. But she wanted to surprise him, somehow. "I do not please myself," she said matter-of-factly.

Tom raised an eyebrow at the confession, a mischievous smile curling the corners of his lips.

"I may be from a tiny Podunk town, but I'm not that naive," he said. "Everyone..." he paused, searching a moment for the right phrase. "Everyone engages in 'self-stimulus.' EV-ER-Y-ONE."

She snorted at him. "I did not think you were naive," she said, but her brow furrowed as she tried to think of something else. The idea that he engaged in such stimulus — well, she was trying to concentrate on a confession, not his physical — she huffed and focused.

"I brush my teeth three times a day," she said. It sounded weak to her, too.

"You're not really trying, are you," Tom said with a finger wag. "You're over 6 years old now. There's got to be something hidden in there."

" ... " Yukari looked down, not wanting to think of her age. She actually was almost 11. "You will not tell anyone, will you?"

Tom crossed his arms with a huff.

"You'd think you could trust me," he said crossly. "You know, after the whole thing with the slowly building a relationship and reinforcing it through dedicated attention and sacrifice. No, I don't think I can keep a secret."

"I am sorry, I did not mean it like that ... " She sheepishly looked at him, smiling a little. "I trust you, but ... this is not easy for me to say." Yukari took a deep breath, then let it out slow. "I have always wanted tattoos. Real ones, not bar codes or dots referencing control system points of contact. Fish, perhaps ... Such as a salmon across my leg. I would like that."

"Oh really?"

That piqued Tom's interest. Tattoos were beautiful but so dirty too. He didn't imagine his sweet, refined flower having a wild streak like that.

"How interesting. I think I would like that. It would give you a mysterious, exotic flair, my tattooed geisha warrior."

He enjoyed envisioning the fantasy.

Yukari, instead of wilting beneath his gaze, became a little emboldened by it. Her smile was shy, though. "You ... you would? I have thought some about it. ... I would want several. Not only fish, either. I saw in Nepleslian history books how some tattoo patterns were done on the arms, and the stomach, and even near the ears and eyes. They looked so beautiful ... living pieces of art, admired by some and reviled by others, but still art that lived. Nekovalkyrja, they were made that way, to be works of art, but not art like body art."

Her mind was moving faster than her mouth could speak. She stopped herself, taking in a slow breath, then transmitted an image to Tom's mind — one with her with the salmon around her lower right leg, but also with an eel, dark and a little slimy looking, coiled around her right arm, and a length of sushi-like seaweed around her left wrist.

"As a start," she then said, smile still shy.

"Mmmm..." Tom admired the tattoos. They were seductive but also refined, telling more about the user than he expected. His first image of tattoos were more alone the lines of flames and dragons and those kinds of things, located more often than not near erogenous zones.

He caught himself in mid fantasy. No, that's not always the case. He remembered there being a person in Ralt, a Nepleslian who had tribal patterns, strips of black that ran along both his arms to his neck. He remembered him saying something about it making him feel more connected to nature.

Perhaps that was similar to the 'living art' link that Yukari pursued?

He focused his attention to the woman on the bed.

"That's fine. It's your body, after all. But, don't Yamataians dislike tattoos? You may get some strange looks."

Yukari seemed to think about that, her recent experience with the nurses weighing on her mind. She appeared pensive, opening her mouth once to speak, then thinking again, before she splayed her hands on her legs and nodded. "I would cover them with my uniform when outside, or in places where they might offend others. But ... I like them. I like that they are of natural things, but beautiful. They make me feel powerful, or I believe they would."

Her eyes went to her right arm. "It is not possible for me to be tattooed, however, without the tattoos becoming genetic. I would need a new body."

Tom took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Drawing a deep breath, it appeared that he was focusing himself into a zen-like calm. When he opened his eyes with a neutral expression, he simply nodded.

"That is something you must decide then," he said simply.

Yukari was not sure how to read that. Was he upset? Resigned? She brought her arms around herself. "You ... you would help me. You will help me. ... Please?" she asked, looking to him with pleading eyes. "I do not want to go alone. It has been some time, and I ... I want still to be beautiful to you."

"I'll always be by your side, Yukari," he said. "But, it is important for you to find... proper balance in the world. Do not tell me you want to be beautiful. Simply be beautiful, however you like to see that."

He sat up a bit stiffer in his chair.

"Beauty is more than how you look. I wouldn't have fallen in love with you if it had been all up to appearances. But yes, I will be by your side for your transfer."

She was not being straight with him, and she knew it. Yukari hugged herself a little more. "Even if I am missing fingers? And have Nekovalkyrja ears?"

"We have walked through too much fire to have such serious matters as our relationship decided by something as simple as a type of body," he said in earnest, his words coming deliberately. "I know that you want a family, and I do too, but... there is a calling that pulls you, is there not?"

Yukari paused ... then nodded. Firmly, even. "Yes." But her eyes went down again. "I am sorry to test you, and question you, like this. I trust you with my heart, my life, Tom. ... I am scared, though."

"Of what?"

"Seeing myself as I want to be ... being who I want to be."

"And what is this being who you want to be?"

Her arms tensed. "Someone who is not afraid of the feelings of others. Who knows who she was, who she is, and who she wants to be. ... Someone who will love you." She looked at him. "Love you without needing to test you. Trust you without doubting you."

Tom pondered the words a moment.

"The first part, I think is something that everyone has to deal with, not just you. It's just that you're starting to realize how powerful empathy is. It's something you can't turn off, because that would make you nothing more than a machine. As soon as you walked through that door, I think somewhere inside, you realized, with some envy, that there was no going back."

The words brought a pause from Tom, who quickly visualized his own loss of innocence. It was not strong enough to stop his flow of thoughts, however.

"Being 'afraid' of the feelings of others isn't what I call it. The way I see it, it's more like sensitivity... empathy. But Yukari, why do you feel you need to test my feelings or doubt me?"

The question was asked in a harmless tone, without accusation.

Yukari spoke quickly. "Because of Kotori," she said. "Because of how ... how I felt about her. Or thought I did. ... I do not know. She meant so much to me, Tom. She still does, but I worry that I do not know my own feelings. Not until you gave me the other half of the ribbon. Then I knew that I had to try. I had to test you and myself, to be sure we could share a life. But so much of it ... it does not matter any more. It ceased to matter on Melisson's vessel.

"Becoming a true Nekovalkyrja, I feel I have done. More than a weapon, a machine, but a being. A soul. ... But to confront you with a visual reminder of that feels unfair. I want it. ... But I am sensitive to you. I love you."

"I didn't... dislike... Kotori just because of her relationship with you," Tom said. "I disliked her more because I saw in her the things I didn't want to see consume you. She is a princess, destined for greatness. But I believed that, in the pursuit of that greatness, she did not spare a thought about the bodies, the bloodshed, sacrifice and pain that she left in the wake of that pursuit. To see that side of the Nekovalkyrja... it was such a strong disconnect."

His face hardened.

"I now know how much she does care, but there are things that I still struggle to accept, and will probably do so until I die. I am good at killing, Yukari, and I do not want to be. But it is how the war has shaped me. I have this cold edge to me, like a steel dagger. I realize how easy it is to think in terms of statistics instead of lives. I... think through this I have come to understand your struggle, just a little, and it just strengthens the foundation of my commitment to you."

Yukari smiled, a little. She knew that Kotori was not like that, but she also knew she herself especially was not like that. And she never would be.

"I am your sheath," she said simply. "When you feel the edge become too cold, too sharp, I am here for you. A Nekovalkyrja need not be only a weapon for war."

There was a glint in Tom's eyes, and his next words came out rather quickly, as if he was trying to preemptively stop an attack.

"In Melisson's nightmare, you became obsessed with Kotori to the point that you became nothing more than a 'weapon' in that sense. Please... do not become that way with me. I see it in the sprites and I do not want to see it happen to you. Just be... yourself."

Yukari's eyes widened at that. It took her a few heartbeats to nod. "Yes," she said. "I will be myself. No more. No less."

She seemed to pause mid thought, and she bit her lip.

Tom seemed to be lost in thought. In an effort to word his feelings, his two hands formed claws that he slowly twisted in the air in front of him.

"It's a lot to ask you, Yukari. Love itself has a way of twisting in your mind, like tendrils wrapping your brain. There are times when I feel a slave to it and I have to pull back and not lose myself to it. This is how I think the sprites think, just without the awareness of it."

He looked up to her and put his arms down at his side.

"It's... very disturbing to me. I don't like blind idolization. But in ways I'm that way with you, aren't I?"

She thought hard before speaking. "No." She paused again. "You do not ... idolize. If you did, all of my testing, it would not be necessary, for I would not have to think about whether or not you would feel for me, or be willing to support me as I learn to feel more. We are not slaves to each other. ... We are partners. Yes?" She switched to Yamataian. "Companions in life."

A few seconds passed before Tom looked towards Yukari's bed, then slowly up until his eyes met hers.

"Yes," he said finally. "That's what it is. Not blind faith. But a mutual love we've earned. We stand as equals. Thank you."

She shook her head. "We struggle together." Yukari looked at her hands, still on her thighs, then back at Tom. She suddenly had a smile on her face. "Names. We have not yet talked about them."

Tom returned the smile with a wink.

"We haven't gotten married yet," he said. "We can't think of names until then... that is unless you want to get the ceremony started sooner than later."

"I believe your parents would not appreciate that." She pursed her lips for a moment, then produced her own smirk. "Unless they do not have to know, and we have a second ceremony."

"I can keep a secret," Tom said with a hint of playfulness.

Yukari's skin flushed so red she could not look at him. "You are not serious."

"Yes, I am," Tom replied. "I learned many things on Miharu, mainly to treasure every moment that you have and live to the fullest. After all, who knows what the future holds?"

He grinned.

"Besides, I can make space for two cakes. I love cake."

The happiness on Yukari's face, as much as she tried to hide it, exploded. She kept her gaze down, but Tom could see her eyes positively sparking with green. " ... I would need to find Miyoko-san first. She could help me with my body. And a dress. I must have a dress. And you something more than a hospital gown!" The thought of cakes was making her mouth water.

ON
Nyton had just departed from Nimura's room. Whether she replied to this he did not notice. He was tired but at least he had regained composure. If anything he figured he would begin limping his way back to his room to rest.

Before Nyton could reach his room, Miyoko turned the corner. The Yamataian looked surprised to spot a familiar face on the Mokuren, but recovered quickly enough. She smiled and dipped a bow. "Claymere-Taii, good morning. I hope the fact that you're up and about means your injuries are healing well."

Nyton was caught slightly off guard but failed to show it. Instead the exhaustion was visible. "Good morning Saito-Juni. My injuries are fading, although I seem to still suffer a good bit of fatigue. How about yourself?"

"I got off lucky," Miyoko said, while her fingers idly traced the slight, temporary scar that she still had where her stomach had been punctured. "If the Taisa hadn't been there, I would have been dead, but right now all I have is a neck ache."

With a bit of an exhausted sigh Nyton against the wall. It was obvious he was favoring the right leg over the left one. As he looked at Miyoko he could not help but contemplate the miracle of her being alive.

Miyoko shifted from foot to foot as Nyton inspected her, then noticed his discomfort. "If you'd like, we could keep going to your room and continue your conversation there. I didn't mean to keep you standing."

With a bit of chagrin Nyton gave a nod. "Yes, if you do not mind. My knee is healed but still tender. Being tired is just making me more sensitive to the pain it would seem." he replied.

"Of course. I was just heading to visit people anyway, so it's not like it will be out of my way," Miyoko agreed as she turned to follow, hanging back a little in case Nyton ended up needing some help.

"Thank you." Nyton said as he began limping toward his room. He denied himself support and managed to make it back to his room despite what appeared to be a couple near falls. By the time he made it back to his bed and sat down he was breathing somewhat heavily.

Miyoko didn't comment on Nyton's condition, but held pace with him until he was seated. She took her own seat by the side of the bed. "The Hoshi is a little empty with all of you over here. I think it's telling that I had my neck snapped and am still one of the people in the best condition, unfortunately."

Nyton continued breathing heavily for a moment. He was apparently still catching his breath. "We lost a lot of crew this time. I am certain it will be felt for some time." he replied, his breathing slwoly normalizing.

"For the results... I think it was worth it," Miyoko admitted hesitantly. "I might not be fully qualified to judge, since others suffered far worse than I did, but... I think the dead would be proud knowing what we pulled off."

"Yes. It gives.... meaning to the deaths.... of so many." Nyton said as he looked at Miyoko's neck and marvelled at how she was alive. "If you do not mind my asking, just how is it that you were brought back to life? What happened?"

"I'm not sure, myself," Miyoko admitted. " I couldn't watch it happen, for obvious reasons. The Taisa did something... she had immense psychic abilities, and as far as I can tell, she used them to put my body back together again."

Nyton looked down and then at Miyoko again. "Well, it does not matter. The important thing is that you are alive now."

"That we won, really. If I'd died in order to grab us a victory... well, there would have been worse things," Miyoko said, giving a thoughtful smile. "That's part of why I came here today. I know we've had our... differences over my attitude toward combat, but, well. I wanted to thank you for helping me overcome my fear."

Nyton paused for a second. Genuine surprise entered his face for a second before it faded. It was then replaced by a smile. "Differences. You could say that." he said as though the term was fairly amusing.

Miyoko gave a slight chuckle at Nyton's comment, seeming not sure whether it felt more like criticism or some kind of shared joke.

"You really had me worried for a while there. I had feared you would falter again just as before." Nyton began as he held himself up by his arms. "However you really came through and you gave it your all. Once I heard the report that you died protecting the Taisa I felt genuine gratitude. At the same time though it was sorrowful to know that I would not have had a chance to express that gratitude."

Miyoko blushed slightly at the praise, but accepted it graciously. "Well, thank you. Although I shouldn't have died in the first place. I still think my place is on the bridge, but... I've asked Kurohoshi-Juni if I can train with the Black Knights when it doesn't interfere with my duties. If we get into the same situation, I'd just as soon win the day with my spinal column intact the next time around."

With a tired face Nyton smiled at Miyoko. "You earned it, soldier." he replied, the last word emphasizing the respect Miyoko had earned in being called such.

Miyoko's blush deepened, but her expression took on a somber quality, as she recognized the display of honor for what it was. She rose to her feet and lowered herself in a slightly more formal bow to the Taii. "It still means a lot to hear you say it," she admitted before returning to a more conversational tone. "Well. I should probably move on. I think there are significantly more patients over here than we have healthy crew members able to visit them, so I've been doing my best. It leads to a busy schedule."

Nyton chuckled a bit as his strength continued to dwindle. He felt like a battery that just could not hold charge after being over expended. "Perhaps. I fear I will soon be unable to continue this conversation." he said while adjusting himself to lay down on the bed. "Feel free to stop by again." he said.

"Of course. I already warned Kurohoshi-Juni that I expect a party on the Hoshi since we won't be able to have a parade, so you have to rest up for that," Miyoko said, mostly joking. "Get your rest, and I hope that you feel better," she added before she turned to leave.
OFF

ON> GSS Mokuren, Observation Deck

Asher quietly stared off into space, quite literally, while playing with a bit of Kyou's hair. He seemed to be a little spaced out, in fact, quite close to falling asleep at the rate he was going. That was one of the reasons why he was twirling her hair, he needed to do something to keep him from snoozing off. Though, he needed to do something more than just twirl hair, he needed to 'grab something'. Most desirable areas were already in comfortable places, or out of reach, so he settled for something with a more curious value, her cat-like ears.

"Ey', Kyou. Juss' 'ow much a you iss' cat, anyway?" asked the Malifarian, bending her ears back, "I nevah' really botha'd askin' anybody if all a you get jacked up on cat-nip o'somethin' like that."

"Nekovalkyrja metabolism filters out most toxins," Miyoko's voice came unbidden as she approached the pair from across the room. "But I'm sure you could eventually find something that would click." When she was about ten feet from the pair, she stopped in her path as she could see over the couch's back and noticed they were naked, then averted her gaze from the pair, with a blush lighting up her cheeks. "I'm guessing this is a bad time."

"Naw!" Asher waved his hand rather nonchalantly at the woman, as if he weren't naked at all! He leaned his head back a little bit and adjusted his head to get a good look at her. "We juss' finished up." He patted Kyou on the back, with a mischeviously sharky grin. "Kyou's a big-girl now."

"I see," Miyoko said dryly. "I felt clever tracking you two down at first, but I usually make it a rule not to walk in on naked people. I'm just checking in and making sure everybody's recovering," she explained, still staring out the window about a foot above Asher's head.
Kyou blinked sleepily over her shoulder at Miyoko, glanced down at herself, and pretty much just rolled back over. "I'm doing just fine, though I may have ignored my doctor's orders just a bit."

"Keh heh heh." chuckled Asher, before putting his hands on Kyou's sides, and shifting her over a bit so he had room to move on the couch. He looked up at her, lifting his head to get a better look at her.

"Actually, I wass' wantin' talk t'ya 'bout my own injuries." He began to roll off the couch and landed on his hands and knees. He let out a stretching groan as he curled on back, stumbling up to his feet. "Shit... I feel stringy." For all that could see, Asher was amazingly naked. Most of his disfiguring injuries had sealed up, with the except of still-erasing scar below his left arm.

"Aw'right." said the man, stretching himself a little more as he stood.

"Tha' nurses tol' me since I wass' still s'posed t'be doin' Osteotherapy, that I wassn't s'posed t'do nothin' real physical. N'well... As ya cn'see, I pretty much didn' listen to'm." He placed his rough hands on his muscular chest, "Now I cn'sorta feel a lil'pain in m'arm, n'ma ribcage."

"Why am I not surprised that you didn't listen to doctor's orders?" Miyoko asked rhetorically as she turned to inspect Asher, keeping her eyes well above his waist. "I can take a look, but I haven't even been told what happened to you over there. Just a few broken bones, or was it worse? ... and it would probably help if you put on some underpants. I prefer my patients a little less... pendulous."

Kyou blinked, looking back over her shoulder at Miyoko again, then looking over at Asher again before realizing what the other person had meant with that last comment. Kyou started giggling, hand on her collarbone where she'd been stabbed, trying and failing to keep herself from laughing out loud.

"Aw, well." said Asher, looking up towards the ceiling as he placed his index finger on his other index. It seemed he wasn't going to make any more towards putting some pants on. "First, I got blasted in'tha side 'ere." He patted the scarred tissue on his side, "Shook up m'ribcage n'tore up some muscles. Afta' that..." He counted on the next finger, "I got shot some... N'then... Oh yeah! I got stepped on by a mech. It wass', like, pushin' iss' foot down." He turned around, exposing his backside to her, and he pressed down on the center of his back. "Right here, juss' 'bout squished me." He turned back around, counting on the ring finger now. "Afta that, I got shot s'more... Nothin' too serious... Huh..."

The Malfarian began to sway side-to-side in thought, now staring back up at the ceiling.

"Awright, I think afta' that, I got throw inta' tha' Miharu's oven. Twice. By anotha' mech." He was now onto his pinky, "Hurt like shit, but tha' arma took most a' tha' brunt." Still swaying, he nodded his head before moving to his thumb, "Oh yeah! Eve troo' a shuttle at me, n'I tried t'deflect off it wit' m'shield. Shattered m'arm, and sent me straight t'tha'ground."

He looked at his hand, seeing he had counted off the entire hand, and went to the other had, starting back on his index finger.

"Afta' that, I got m'arm kinda' mended up, n'went back out inta' tha field. Nothin' real interestin' happened afta' that." He stopped, swaying and speaking, and looked at Miyoko. "Injury-wise." He began to sway again. "There wass' tha' hole mind-fuck thing where I had t'witness m'dad dyin' again, some weird fantasy, n'then one time when I challenged a Neko at a bar, but that ain't physical." He began tapping his fingers together, somewhat dissappointed he couldn't think of something, until he jumped, coming to a realization. "Oh! Yeah! Mefralfroopral hit me wit' one'a 'er tentacles, n'broke my arm again." Hit went to the middle finger, "N'then, she tried t'eat me, like, tryin' t'bite tha' shit outta' me." He placed his right hand on his chest, and his left on his back, "Right 'ere, I think I fractya'd a rib or somethin', but I ain't sure, mainly juss' tore off tha' breastplate."

With that, he swayed silently, thinking on any further injuries, and when he couldn't think of any further, he decided to leave it at that, holding up seven digits.

"Yeah, so 'bout this many." said the man finally.

Miyoko did her best to not stare incredulously as Asher listed off all the various ways he'd been mangled a few days before. At the end, it took her a few seconds to collect her thoughts, after which she replied, "Well. It sounds like you had plenty of shattered bones... I'm honestly surprised you can be up and about this early, even with your advanced healing. Likely, they wanted you to stay in bed to keep from disrupting the healing process. In a worst-case scenario, you might have jolted one of the fragments out of alignment and had the bone start healing crooked... but unless you developed any pain while, ah, being active, you're likely safe. Still, I'd tell the medic treating you so that they can examine you for any re-fractures."

Kyou put her hand up into the air, as though asking permission to speak in a classroom, and put in her side of things. "I'm not nearly as badly off, I only got gutted once, and turned into a shishkebab once, other then that, nothing. Does that mean I'm fine, or should I check in too?"

"I'd need to know just what sort of gutting it was," Miyoko said carefully as she turned to look at Kyou. "If they haven't told you to stay confined to your bed, you're probably safe. Your body should heal that up given time, but a bone that was refractured could have some serious problems if it heals wrong."

Kyou winced at the 'confined to bed' part, sighed, and grabbed Asher's shirt, using it to keep herself more or less covered as she sat up. "I guess I should go check in then."

"Uh... Heh... Heh heh... Yeah..." Asher bit his lip as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "About checkin' in t'tha med-bay... I uh..." He shrugs, trying to play his next statement off more casual. "Heh... Iss' kinda' funny actually. I'm not allowed back in tha' med-bay unless iss' n'emergency."

"You're probably fine, Gunshin-Hei. Nekovalkyrja bodies deal with soft tissue damage very nicely most of the time," Miyoko said. Her voice took on a rather harder edge when she turned to look at Asher. "I'd ask how that happened, but I'm not sure I want to know. Well, since you've been out of bed, have you felt any significant pain or discomfort that you weren't expecting?"

"Huh... Not since Gunny came in." said Asher, shaking his head, almost somewhat glad he didn't have to explain that last one, as proud of it as he was. He stepped on over to the couch and leaned over the furniture, placing his hands on the back. "I think it wass' when I had Gunny like this, I started feelin' my arm kinda' sting again." He then gestured longways over the couch, "N'then we laid back down, thass' when m'chest started hurtin' again."

Miyoko did her best to maintain a professional attitude about the whole thing, but it was kind of hard with Asher... demonstrating. She averted her eyes to the side again, cheeks lighting up before she responded.

"Well, yes, that's probably not a good thing," she reprimanded Asher. "If they won't treat you in the Mokuren, you could go to the Hoshi. Ashitaka-Heisho is still fit for duty, I believe."

"Yeah, but uh... Ain't there a method or somethin' that involves not goin' to a med-bay? Y'know, away from all them' pokin', prodin' instraments." said Asher, looking like a wounded puppy at that suggestion. He wasn't sure if he ever told Miyoko, but he had a strong aversion to medical bays and doctors within their practice. Right now, they were in a pretty relaxed enviroment, and the orders here felt more over the counter. "Couldn't I juss' drink m'liquids n'stay in bed a'somethin'?"

Kyou couldn't help but start giggling again whe she saw Miyoko's reaction to Asher's descriptions of when things started hurting and what he had been doing when they did. She doubled over in her spot on the couch, laughing hard enough that her sides were starting to hurt again, particularly the one she'd had a large chunk removed from.

Miyoko sighed at Asher's reluctance to get a thorough examination... though at this point, it was probably for the best. She'd be willing to deal with the backlash later in exchange for the chance to tell Sanjuro that she felt Asher's prostate needed a thorough examination. "I'll cut you a deal," the violet-haired Yamataian said. "Put on some pants and I'll take a look at your arm and ribs here. It's not thorough enough to catch everything, but it should be able to tell if you seriously messed something up."

"Aw'right, I cn'do that." said Asher, nodding successfully before turning down at Kyou. He eyed her doubling over and tapped her on the back.

"Ey, babe. Didja' see where m'pants went?" He began to look one way around, trying to spot them amongst the small sprawl of clothes.

Kyou blushed a bit at that, glancing around as she straightened up, holding her side and wiping a few tears out fo her eyes. "I, ah... I wasn't paying that much attention to where things went after they came off, sorry. I was more interested in where they were coming from, at the time."

"Damn right." Asher chuckled through his teeth, his hand shooting down into a pile of clothing and yanking his pants out from under them. While he was bent down, he gave Kyou a kiss on the cheek, before standing back up. Apparently, he had been aware of where they were all along, but said nothing as he pulled up the trousers, and buttoned them. He looked over at Miyoko. "This covered up 'nuff for ya?"

"That will work," Miyoko said. She took a few steps closer to the man and gestured upward. "Raise your arm and show me where the pain was, then relax."

The Malifarian complied, raising his left arm, and laying his finger on spot right in front of the scar on his side. It was just next to the left pectoral muscle. With that, he fell back at rest, putting his hands in his pockets, literally relaxing.

Miyoko barely resisted the urge to facepalm. "I meant relax your muscles. Just raise your arm and keep from tensing up."


"Oh! Why didn' y'say so?" said Asher, rather plainly, in a way that made it seem like he wasn't even joking about that one. His arm went back up and he took a deep breath, relaxing his muscles. "If'n there is damage, who do I blame? Melibutt? Or Kyou? Eh heh heh heh."

"You might consider yourself too, for ignoring the order to stay in bed," Miyoko pointed out. "Let me know if you feel any pain from this." She pressed her fingertips to the spot Asher had indicated, then started kneading gently at the flesh, probing along the length of the bone for any irregularities without putting too much pressure on it.

"Ey, I wass' properly discharged, awright?" Asher shrugged, before letting his shoulder fall back down. He stood there, his eyes shifting a bit with each kneading motion. After a few seconds, he nodded his head side to side, somewhat satisfied with how well he was, until he let out small grunt when she went towards the center more. "Hgk... Okay, I think y'found that one."

"Hmm. That could be a re-fracture," Miyoko said. She started prodding around the area again, though she was at least a little more gentle this time. After a few more moments she straightened up and said, "Well, I think it's still okay. You'd do well to avoid any physical activity for the next day or two, though, or you could make it worse. Now show me where your arm was broken."

Asher touched the spot where the shuttle had split his humerus, only pressing his finger lightly.

"Wass' kinda' freaky, that shuttle split tha' arma' too, so tha' only thing holdin' it all t'getha was tha' synth-insert, an'tha' flesh. Kinda' dangled 'round like a limp noodle." was his grisly description of the injury.

"Did the tell you if it was a clean break or if the bone splintered?" Miyoko asked as she moved on to examine the other spot. She was a little less gentle with this one, since there was both a bit more muscle to deal with and she didn't have to worry about pushing the broken bone down into his ribcage, her fingers working down along it.

"Not really, I just' knew it hurt like n'angry bitch. It kinda' wobbled 'round freely, so I'm guessin' it was probably a clean bre-- Ffuck!" growled Asher as a spike of pain went up his arm and straight to his brain. With that, he had to resist the urge to instinctually retaliate, which he almost didn't. His fist had come up, about to strike her in the face, before he came back to run it's fingers through Asher's hair, making it look more like a suave, flourish move to maintain his already messy hair. "Yeah, dat' one hurt."

Miyoko caught the gesture, but just gave a bit of a smirk as she kept working, though she did ease up on the pressure a little... if Asher didn't know better, he might suspect that the science officer had been deliberately a little rougher than she needed to be. Finally, though, she finished up and stepped back. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say you didn't do yourself any favors... but I don't think you've caused any lasting damage, either. You'd still do well to take it easy for a while while the bones knit back up."

"Thass' all up t'tha' young lady right 'ere." said Asher, his facial expression bordering between grin and frustration. He thumbed back towards Kyou, directing the attention, and some of the blame, onto her. "I'm addicted t'sexy women, y'know. Hard t'fight that."

Miyoko raised her hands helplessly. "I've given you my advice, which is about all I can do if you won't come to the medlab. Use it how you will. Just keep in mind that if you get too vigorous, your new nickname is going to be Lumpy."

"Awright, awright!" said the Malifarian, raising his hands as well in his defense. "I'll go pay Hiko a visit when I'm feelin' less not-goin-t'doctory and less on-tha'-couch-wit'-a-naked-girl, 'aight?"

"Fair enough," Miyoko agreed. "I think I'll leave you two to it then, shall I?"

"Well, awright. Unless well..." Asher looked at Kyou, before turning back to Miyoko with awfully seductive grin. "... y'wanna join in."

"Despite the overwhelming generosity of the offer," Miyoko said, carefully sarcastic, "I think that I'll have to pass. If you have any more health questions, though, I should be on the Hoshi later."

"Gotcha, Yoko. On tha' Hoshi." he repeated, beginning to take his pants off again.

Kyou glanced back at Miyoko, a small grin on her face. "Are you sure you don't want to join in? We might be able to actually break the furniture if we do that, rather then just move it around."

Miyoko's blush returned with a vengeance. In her own mind, this was more than enough revenge for her roughness with Asher's arm. "I'm sure, yes. But you two have fun. ... and maybe consider locking the door once I'm gone."

Asher looked back at Kyou, "But we meet such nice people this way!"

"Don't we? I mean, I got to meet that other medical officer earlier, and now Miyoko too!" Kyou winked at Asher.

Miyoko rolled her eyes a little at the ongoing conversation between the two, but left them in peace as she turned to head out the door, back toward the patient rooms.

The Malifarian turned, watching Miyoko turn to leave, and gave her one of his signature 'Hello/Goodbye' spanks on the bottom. "Thanks f'all y'help, Yoko!"

"You're welcome," Miyoko called back over her shoulder. She kept her eyes carefully ahead of herself as she heard those dual slaps, knowing quite well enough to not turn around. "Just remember to get some rest at some point." With that, she stepped out the door.

As Miyoko took her leave from the room, the once again naked Asher turned his head to look back at Kyou. A sly grin spread on his face as his eyes trailed down to her.

"Well lookit you." he said, grinning further as he strutted back over to the couch, sitting back down on it. "Ms. Smart and Sassy. Who woulda' thought y'd already be comfortable makin' them wirty dords."

Kyou blinked at that, rearranged a few letters in her mind, then blushed and looked down again. "It was... a spur of the moment thing. Not normal for me, at least."

"That so, huh?" The Malifarian placed his arms on her, and overtook her on the couch, grinning all the while, another mischevious hair apparent. "I'm feelin' a lil' spur a'tha' moment m'self. How 'bout we play a game a'forget tha' docta's orda's?"

Kyou blinked again, looking up at his face incredulously. "You do realize that you would be ignoring two different doctors at this point, right? I'm almost certain that can't be healthy, joking aside."

"That's tha' best part. Yoko ain't a doctor." said Asher, his grin reaching maximum width. He brushed back some of her hair. "She's a Science Offica', so iss' all cool. Besides," He tilted his head left to right in mild thought, "Y'worth it. I mean, c'mon. Iss' juss'a couple a'broken bones, ain't like I'm gunna' die or nothin'."

Kyou cocked an eyebrow at Asher's reasoning there, not entirely sure how the man had managed to survive to make it to this point in his life. "If she's not a doctor, then why did you ask her to check you up instead of going to a medbay? And regardless, playing around now may be fun, but if we wait a day or so, we won't have to worry about hurting ourselves anymore. Think long-term here."

Asher came down, kissing her on the lips. "Too late. Bad decision's mo' fun."

Kyou kissed Asher back ardently, only the slightest hesistation in her actions despite her cautionary words. No pain, no gain, I suppose.

ON: Hoshi's medical bay

She sucked in a deep breath first. Then let it out slowly. Her body still felt chilled, all over, but she wanted to talk to her. It. Them. Yukari tried not to think about it. Kotori's power has not faded. I am safe.

The NH-29H rounded the corner into the medical bay. She wasn't flying, but she was not walking, either, trying to give her leg more time to heal. Her body almost locked up at the sight of Melisson, sitting in the chamber, arms around her ankles, chin resting atop her knees ... similar to a bored child, Yukari thought. It did not bemuse her, but she successfuly resisted the second response — raising the pistol in her hand and firing on Melisson until she was very, very dead.

She hung in the air, one of her big toes just a few centimeters off the ground, and spoke. "Melisson?"

Melisson's eyes darted up at the sound of her name. She craned her head up and looked at Yukari. The hurts her body had suffered from the previous battle were all but gone - there was no sign of her burns and her plasma-shortened hair had regrown back to the length it had been when they had first seen her on the observation deck.

Apparently, with sufficient nourishment (such as the Ghost Mishhuvurthyar tentacle Yukari remembered Melisson gnawing on), the colony of 'creatures' that made up Melisson could perpetuate thier own numbers. In this case, to restore the Interpreter body.

Yukari wore her hospital gown, with her hair in a simple ponytail behind her head. The sushi did its job; her skin had color again, her muscles had strength.

Her mind, however, was fumbling. She mustered the courage to approach the demon, but when it came to actually saying something, she was unprepared.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, managing a genuine question with the tone to match.

"If your concern is for my health, then I am as fine as I will get in this limited humanoid form," Melisson frankly answered. "With that in mind... I suppose that I am doing fairly well, considering that I am surviving Mefpralphra."

"That was not expected? Surviving Mefpralphra?" Yukari did not know what to expect, either; she thought at the time that Melisson and Mefpralphra were different enough that one could survive the other, but she knew no better than anyone else — except Melisson.

"Expecting and preparing for an outcome does not mean it is easy to cope with," Melisson sagely replied. "Perhaps Kotori never doubted that somehow she would be able to claw her way to victory - despite the odds stacked against your crew - but it didn't mean the doing was easy, was it?"

Yukari let the question go — it felt rhetorical enough. "Do you know why you survived? Perhaps a biological reason?"

"There's nothing biological in you sparing me so that I may serve as your trophy," Melisson answered, her brow lightly furrowing. "One good turn deserves another, so, I informed you of the timespace's collapse." The interpreter was also silently implying that had she not done so, Miharu's crew would never have had escaped alive.

"I was not referring to that," she said. She looked around the bay, but did not find a chair in any condition to sit in, so she opted to sit on the floor, carefully folding her legs in front of her. "You serve as an interpreter, yes? An option for Mefpralphra. She needed you, but you were not required to accomplish her goals. ... It seems unnecessary to give you a soul, in light of that."

"Your soldiers, your warships... you expect to need them, but you don't expect them all to return," Melisson replied. "Isn't it the same for your people? With that in mind, why give Miharu sentience if you expected her to one day either be destroyed, or decommissioned?"

"But... that's not where your question was really going, was it?" The interpreter lolled her head to one side, her eyes half-closed thoughtfully, before the red irises came back to gaze at Yukari's green ones. "Mefpralphra was once small, few, at a beginning. With me surviving her as I am, things are now much the same as then."

"You can procreate in this form?" she asked. The Neko felt herself to be at a disadvantage solely based on how Melisson communicated — turning questions around back to her, with her only options being to engage her or keep asking questions of her own. It was an interrogation tactic she had not used since training, and she felt rusty and blunt.

Nevermind how Melisson's eyes looked. Too red ... blood red. Like an NH-17R, but ... more.

"With nourishment, yes, I can perpetuate myself," the alien woman answered nonchallantly. "But before you ask, no, Mefpralphra's destruction is nothing I can reverse. Too much of her was lost, forever. Barring my memories, experience and how I was the first Interpreter created from she whom first devised how to spawn them... not much sets me apart from other Interpreters now."

"Except your abilities, yes?" Yukari strived to avoid sounding confrontational. She genuinely was curious, but her questions could be perceived as slights, so she kept her tone firm instead of smug. "You cannot enslave minds as you could before. Not on the same scale. Can you still draw information from your seeds?"

"You could say that the affinities of the progenitor may bleed off on the interpreter spawned," Melisson told Yukari. "Mefpralphra's telepathic prowess was not something all Umbral share to the same extent. So, yes, it is doubtful other Interpreters will be the same as I."

"As for these 'seeds'," Melisson shifted a bit, sitting on her legs now. "They are mental imprints of myself - fingernail-clippings of my own psyche - that I plant in the consciousness of others. If I pay attention to them, I can feel them."

"Will you?" Yukari asked. "Pay attention to them, I mean. Feel them. I saw the materials you kept in your room. How you study your opponents and learn their cultural mores, among other things. Do you plan to continue doing that?"

"Why would I do that?" Melisson appeared genuinely puzzled by Yukari's question. "Even if I somehow knew that you planned to have the tattoo of an eel wrapped around one of your arms, there wouldn't be much point."

Yukari froze. If she felt scared before, she was terrified at that moment. Her eyes lost focus and her arms tensed as she slowly brought them around herself. " ... Me? You seeded me, too?"

"Fret not," Melisson waved one hand dismissively. "I never needed to seed you to learn that much."

Anger rushed to Yukari's limbs, but she grounded herself in the knowledge that, at least as much as Melisson could say in her cryptic speech, she was not seeded. "How?"

Melisson gave her a blank look. "I can read minds."

"Kotori's presence does not stop that?" she asked, her mind finally catching up with her mouth, repeating the information found in Amaya's files about the Infection Queen, including her telepathic powers. "No. It does not, does it. It is a passive power; you need only listen. Yes?"

"Maybe. You ask a lot of questions... and I am suddenly recalling that I was not given anything to eat in the last two days." Melisson wrinkled her nose. "All I got was a threat from your computer to flood the tank with nutrient-rich fluids. I'd drown!"

"The irony was not lost on me," Hoshi noted aloud.

Yukari raised herself up with anti-gravity, frowning. Much as she wanted to let the demon starve, she was not about to be accused of mistreating a prisoner. "What food do you require?"

"A chunk of flesh out of your ship's hemosynthetic conduits should do." The points of Melisson's nekovalkyrja-like ears perked up. She raised her hands, miming something the size of a sandwich. "I'm being fairly sedentary, so, this much should do to sustain me daily."

"You do not like the meat of animals?" Yukari asked.

"Producing hemosynthetic flesh requires the barest of efforts," Melisson replied. "I did not think I had the luxury of live prey."

"Live, no. But we have cooked meat, which likely is more nurishing. Hemosynthetic flesh, produced as you suggest, is artificial. It would lack muscle proteins you probably want."

Melisson giggled, her laughter echoing in the confines of the tank. "It will do for sustenance. After all, you do not want me at my peak, well nourished enough to multiply."

"I do not have to give you much in order for you to be sated for a time," Yukari said, the giggling unnerving her a little, but she tried to appear unfazed. "Consider it a way to learn more about us."

"If you want to expend the effort of cooking for me, I will eat what you make me," Melisson returned.

"No effort. It is pre-prepared goods," Yukari said. "They are used when we do not have time to cook."

"You do not have time to cook?" Melisson asked, giving Yukari a toothy grin.

"I do not wish to cook," she replied simply.

Melisson's mirth faded away. "Ah," she simply noted, then more subdued.

Yukari tilted her head, perplexed. "What is it?"

"When I hosted guests, I cooked for them," Melisson said mildly. "I raised my hopes up at the thought that the favor could be returned. I was mistaken."

"Cooked for them? Or cooked them? Your taste for flesh is established."

The interpreter scowled. "I've always treated my guests well."

"You are not a guest," Yukari said, returning to a measured tone. "Nor are you a trophy, or a prize, or anything of the sort. You are a prisoner and a war criminal. I will not have you eating simulated Nekovalkyrja flesh to maintain your strength, but you will not be treated as a friend."

"Perhaps you need a reminder," Melisson mused aloud. She raised one hand up in the air, as if to allow some imaginary bird to land on it... and with a tearing sound akin to an orange peel being briskly torn off, a slimy bug - one of her individual 'selves' - emerged.

The thing hopped to the bottom of the tank, leaving a raw hole in the top of Melisson's left wrist and hand, and skittered away a few steps before it crumpled, melting into a pool of slime that then dissolved to nothingness in a few heartbeats.

Melisson meaningfully looked at the new depression in her previously unblemished forearm and then eyed Yukari. "I can stay here as long as I want. I want to be your trophy. I do not want to be your prisoner."

"Koto — the Taisa can make that distinction herself, if she desires to do so." The melting bug, however, did bring to mind a stark possibility that Yukari did not consider before. Handing Melisson over to SAINT, or even SARA, was something the demon would allow to happen if she wanted. If not, she would melt away, and any protective capital built between the agencies and Miharu's crew would melt with her. After all, there was no worth in a prize that disappeared at will.

"She is not here. You are, Suzuka-Taisho," Melisson retorted, giving Yukari a hooded look. Melisson was not allowing Yukari to hide behind Kotori's name - especially when the former was practically running a fleet. if someone at this time would acknowledge the relation Melisson insisted to have, Melisson meant for it to be Yukari.

Yukari paused for a couple seconds. "That is not my rank, nor will it likely ever be." Melisson's true point, however, was well taken. Melisson did not need Yukari, or Miharu's crew, or anyone else for that matter. Her creator was gone and she was captured; suicide, such as it was, was honorable enough.

However ... vaaker talkup, Yukari thought. How would that guide her actions here? One to one, her will is superior. Perhaps this is how she exercises it. Calling bluffs of Melisson's did not work very well in the past, she recalled.

"I will not cook for you," she said, going back to the original conflict instead of carrying out the current one. "I will see you are steadily fed, so that you do not weaken."

"The food will not come on its own," Melisson pointed out.

"It will be delivered, by someone if not me," Yukari said. "Notify Hoshi when you are hungry."

"It has been two days. I am hungry," Melisson tolerantly answered.

"I meant in the future," Yukari replied, trying to be soothing thanks to her instincts. "I will get you food now. Meats are preferred, yes? With some fruit and grains?"

"Yes, yes... meat, marrow, sinew, tendons, brains and all the boring no-longer-alive food you omnivores tend to eat," Melisson said in annoyance. "I was made in your image, so, my metabolism can cope about as well with those as you do."

It was hard not to show satisfaction from Melisson's irritation, but Yukari politely bowed without so much as her lips creeping upward. "I will return with enough to satiate you."

The Neko left, then returned a few minutes later with two long sushi rolls — one crab, the other halibut — and a resealable bottle of water. "This should be enough to start," she said, then paused. How was she going to give the items to Melisson without risking herself?

Melisson gave Yukari a level look and, as if divining her dilemma, said: "Don't you think that if I wanted to hurt you, I would have already done so?"

Yukari did not respond at first. Then, she put the packaged food on the floor next to the hemosynth chamber. She floated back a couple meters. "Hoshi, please raise a force field between myself and Melisson, then open her tank enough for her to reach the food."

The summoned barrier fizzled into existence and the HS tank made a pneumatic hiss as it unsealed itself, hinging open. Melisson inched through, palmed the items and scooted back into her confinement.

Then the tank closed, the seal secure once again, and Melisson studied her new acquisitions.

"Thank you Hoshi," Yukari said as the barrier went down. She waited as Melisson examined her food.

Melisson chose the crab sushi roll and brought it up for her to smell, before wrinkling her nose in disgust. She reared her head back, viewed the item doubtfully and then uttered an "Ah," as she took note of the plastic wrapping. She closely studied the wrapping until she noted where she could start getting it undone and then proceeded to peel off the packaging.

The sushi roll itself, once bare of its plastic covering, was unceremoniously tossed whole into Melisson's toothy maw. Jaws snapped closed around the very ambitious bite and the Interpreter laboriously started chewing.

Finally, Melisson appeared capable of swallowing down the last of the sushi roll. "Lobster?" she asked.

"Crab," Yukari said. "Lobster is a delicacy not often found in sushi."

"I ate lobster back at that Pisces space station," Melisson said as she began unwrapping the other sushi roll. "One of the female senators there brought me to this seafood restaurant and let me have two live lobsters before the cook could boil them."

"I ate one, I let the other escape," Melisson continued before musing aloud: "I wonder how that one fared."

Outside of water, not very well, Yukari dryly thought. "Why do you prefer live food?" she asked.

"The prey's life has just ended. It is as fresh as it will ever be, and the warmth of life still suffuses it," Melisson said, holding the halibut roll raised before her eyes. "This meat, it has no life anymore. Through chemical reactions, my body will live on from it, but I did not hunt it. It is not my kill. If it is not my kill, I do not feel entitled to it."

Her crimson eyes glanced up at Yukari's. She lowered the roll, a pensive expression on her face, and tried again. "It is hard to feel entitled to the continued survival such sustenance provides us when there was no competition for it. My Vaaker Takeup was not pitted against anothers, prevailing over it."

Yukari did not have to long consider the explanation to come up with where she had heard about something similar — Raltean hunters specifically, while hunters in general seemed to follow a similar ideal. There was an ethical bent to the reasoning. "Synthetic Nekovalkyrja flesh would have been a preferred alternative?"

"If given after being extracted, it would've been no less alive than one of those NH-27 tentacles," Melisson answered. "I still chose to suggest the hemosynth flesh due to convenience, though."

"I see," Yukari said. "It is no trouble to bring you food from our stores. The Mokuren crew have much left and are sharing it with us. Using our stores to feed you also ensures no Mokuren crew will be exposed to you."

"I am sure they've been very forthcoming to you," Melisson noted as she absently studied the halibut sushi roll, as if in an attempt to identify the morsels inside.

"Halibut," Yukari said after a moment. "It is a fish captured on Yamatai."

Melisson's ears twitched. "That must make your relationship with the Azoreans interesting," she said before she tore off a large bite from the roll. Melisson's jaws seemed better suited to strip flesh from bone and then swallow, than to chewing.

Yukari did not react to the remark; intergalactic politics were not her forte. "What will you do when we arrive on Yamatai?"

Melisson gulped down her bite and answered: "Die in some way or another after Yui will have discovered that making a crater in my face is insufficient to destroy me permanently. Despite your claims about assuring I would not be harmed, between Nyton Claymere and Ketsurui Yui... the odds of you getting your way there do not appear favorable."

"By then, though-" Melisson ammended. "You'll likely have gotten most of the use out of me as a trophy."

"I will not let the Taii harm you," Yukari said. "The Mistress is another matter, one in which I play no part. She overrides my promises whether I wish her to or not, but I still will speak for you to be treated as any other prisoner of war."

Melisson ate the remaining half of the halibut roll. Once swallowed, she picked up the water bottle and said: "You were right. Telepathy is intuitive for me. Most of your short-term memories end up as surface thoughts for me and are relatively easy to pick out if I pay attention to them. I can delve deeper, of course, but your Kotori mostly protects you from that, conscious or not."

Melisson was picking up the conversation from where they had left it after the Interpreter had demanded nourishment.

A valuable point Yukari quickly committed to much longer term memory. "You know about the Juni, then, and my conversation with him."

"Yes, vaguely," Melisson nodded. "I also know of your strange self-destructive tendency to allow your body's energy reserves to deplete to the point where you shut down. You've pushed your limits like that twice during your time as a member of Miharu's crew."

" ... " The Neko blushed along her cheeks, but otherwise did not physically respond. "Do the Umbral have anything similar to marriage?"

"Not your romanticized version, no."

"What do they have?"

"When we vie for territory, we fight to the death. The loser is usually not entirely destroyed, and the winner tends to absorb the better parts that survive and make them his," Melisson explained. "The process also helped us diversify the possible genepool available for our eggs."

Animalistic, Yukari thought — then stopped, her blush returning. Melisson could read thoughts, and she chastized herself to watch her own. "Philosophically, the Umbral seem very base and straightforward. Is that so?"

"I think 'primal' is the better word in your language," Melisson told Yukari. "It isn't like we were always like this. We greatly changed once we had finally become a space traveling race like the Varin and the others we met later. In time we realized what could universally apply to all, and we adhered by it. It was in a way much like how we began... before our ability to communicate had overcomplexified our social relationships."

Melisson frowned, and then offered: "Less is more? Yes, I suppose that expression could apply to the mindset we collectively chose."

Yukari nodded. "I see. There are advantages to that." She imagined Nyton operated that way any time he came near Melisson.

The question that continued to claw inside Yukari was one she did not want to ask, but she believed she had established enough of a rapport to afford asking it.

"Why did you accept being Miharu's trophy?"

"I staged us a venue to compete in. I lost. It seems only fair that I allow you to reap the fruits of that victory," Melisson explained. "If I do not extent such regard, defeating me would not be nearly as valuable and worth the effort it took."

Yukari nodded, but the answer conflicted her. Again Melisson proved to have a simple, honest and warped sense of ethics. In this instance it benefitted the crew, but that did not detract from the oddity of it. A committed enemy, one who saw their attacker as evil itself and reacted accordingly, would not act as Melisson did. In this instance, Yukari was the zealot.

That suited her. Melisson was being treated well, she was being turned over to the authorities and hundreds of thousands of lives were safe. If that meant she was a zealot, so be it.

"Thank you," she said anyway. "It is honorable of you to do so, demon that you are."

"Honorable?" Melisson smirked. "If you say so."

"I do. Qualified, but I stand by it." Yukari's body started to ache from her position on the floor, so she stood up — mostly floated up — and gingerly stretched. "How is your stomach now? Better?"

"My... stomach..." Melisson hung on the word as if it was foreign while she fingered the cap of the water bottle. "I will be well enough for now. Thank you for the food."

Yukari realized — too late — that Melisson had a multitude of stomachs. Or likely did, with all of her bug bodies. "You are welcome. If you require anything else, Hoshi can relay the request to me. I should rest."

"Go then," Melisson nodded, finally managing to uncap the water bottle. "You will be back soon enough."

" ... " Yukari did not doubt her. "Good day, Melisson." She floated away, back toward the Mokuren.

Akiko smiled and set the pitcher of tea down on the table. She gave a slight bow and made a cute pose. "The Shimabumi Sisters Dinner Show is on!" she said happily before a small holographic firecracker popped out from the pitcher and burst into a little shower of bright colors above their heads. "With the help of our lovely assistant, Hoshi!" she added.

Akiko then picked up the holographic chef's hat from her head and turned it over. Two small blue birds flew out and flapped around her before they dropped an egg into each of her hands which she began to juggle. After juggling them for a few seconds she let them drop. The resulting drop created a burst of smoke which concealed her.

The illusionist neko then went invisible and quietly floated near the floor back to the kitchen to give the impression that she had disappeared once the smoke cleared. Shizuka chuckled when Akiko 'reappeared' next to her. "You're being a little flashy today, Akiko-chan." she said amused.

Akiko beamed happily. "I'm just so excited! I want to give Nao-chan a great show!"

"I need you start on the miso soup. The meat will be done simmering soon and I need to prepare the rest of the meal." Shizuka said.

"HAI!" Akiko replied immediately going to work. The smells that came from the kitchen continued to flow out. They did not just fill the dining area where Nao sat but outside even as though tempting anyone who passed by to investigate. After an agonizing wait the meal was soon complete.

Shizuka pushed a small rolling meal tray to Nao's table with Akiko following along. On top of the meal tray was a plate which was concealed by a large metal cover. "I hope we have not kept you waiting long." she said. When the cart stopped Akiko then lifted the cover. Once uncovered a large flame burst out and was almost tall enough to reach the ceiling. No heat emanated from the fire but it was realistic in appearance if not somewhat unreal in that it did not spread further than the plate.

"Onee-chan! I think we burned Nao-chan's food!" Akiko said with a look of concern.

"Don't worry Akiko-chan. Everything will be just fine with the magic of cookery." Shizuka said before she pulled out three polished metal large spoons. She passed one to Akiko and set the other one on the table in front of Nao. "Nao-chan, if you would assist us please. Just pick up your spoon and repeat after me."

Shizuka and Akiko then held up their respective spoon and waved them at the fire. "Fire, fire, burning hot! You cook our food within the pot! The time to eat has now come! Now go back to where you call home!" they chanted.

This was a day of many firsts for Nao. It was the first time she had abandoned her work 'early'. It was the first time someone offered to cook her a meal. The very first time she had, most likely against regulation, ridden a cart like it was an ATV through the halls. It was definitely the very first time Nao had ever seen someone use volumetrics like this! First, first, first, first! Yes, volumetrics were originally designed to do exactly this; entertain and produce mirth and laughter. Not provide camouflage and hide things. That was later. This fact was completely lost to her, but it didn't matter!

It was because this young sprite was giddy with excitement. Nao jumped in her seat when a snap and bang from a firecracker started the show. She let out a little "Eep!" of surprise and finally covered her dropped jaw with a hand as Akiko juggled eggs. The burst of smoke had Nao instinctively holding her breath and waving a hand, only to suddenly stand ramrod straight upon realizing the illusionist had vanished. "A-Akiko?" she asked nervously. Nao's eyes darted around nervously before she could hear the faint wisp of voices in the kitchen. She sighed before sitting down again, sagging in her seat with relief.

'T-this whole time...we can do that?' she wondered. 'I guess I never really bothered to even use it, now that I think about it. This whole time, I pretty much only used it for paperwork and stuff.' Nao paused in her thoughts for a moment. 'I did use it to cover up a soy sauce stain on my uniform once... Her train of thought slowly devolved into something else however. Nao was now aware her mouth was watering, and her stomach pained her with pangs of hunger. And it all smelled delicious! It smelled much better than pre-prepared food or food that was made en-masse to be served hot. This was...it was different. She didn't know what to think; if Nao had heard the phrase, "Made with love" she would have definitely settled with that.

When both Akiko and Shizuka brought out the food, Nao's ears perked with anticipation, her nose twitching as she smelled the freshly prepared food wafting from under the lid. She couldn't help but lean in closer as Akiko reached over to unveil whatever goodness hid und - "GYAHHHHH!" Nao recoiled from the tower of flames as she leaped to stand on a single foot, arms raised in a silly looking attempt at defending herself; even her ears and hair were raised at the surprise. Nao unquestioningly grasped the spoon and chanted loudly with the others, eyes which were wide from shock now closed shut as she went about banishing the flames.

"Fire, Fire, Burning Hot! You Cook Our Food Within The Pot! The Time To Eat Has Now Come! Now Go Back To Where You Call Home!"

@Hoshi, Interior

She turned a corner, and before Kai could round it, he heard a dull 'Thunk' signifying Yuzuki had hit something, before he too rounded the corner and stopped short, looking on as she rubbed her head, seeming dazed.

"Are you alright?" he asked, simply, approaching, not taking his eyes off of the Nekovalkyrja in front of him.

"Yea," the sprite answered, gingerly fingering the bruise, "I'll be fine."

Kai's closeness, his sudden proximity, sent a small thrill down the back of Yuzuki's spine. If she had been given hairs on the back of her neck, they would have probably stood on end. In truth, she wanted nothing more complicated than to simply be held by him, to make the step that would cover those sparse couple of feet, to throw her arms around his neck and to draw comfort from that even if it surprised him, and even if he didn't understand it.

Instead, she drew a breath, and kept on walking until they were in the armor bay.

"It's there, hanging on the rack in the corner," Yuzuki said, indicating a power armor in the corner that had obviously been repaneled. It was set off to the side of the regular armors on the rack by a good yard, and it was unique in that it was the only one that did not appear to have been touched by combat. It nearly glimmered in the pale blue internal lighting

Kai was stalled by the sudden look in Yuzuki's eyes, and nearly did something- but then she drew a breath and walked on, leaving the Yamataian no choice but to follow her. When they arrived, she immediately pointed out his customized Daisy- it looked pristine. No melted-off paint, no plasma burns, the several holes that used to be there from when he blew off his own capacitors were gone. It looked brand-new.

"Y-You did this?" he asked.

“Yea.”

It had only been two days, and in two days all that damage had been erased. That really hit him. Something so small, so unimportant, had been fixed, repaired; all the strife and heartache that it had gone through was no longer there. It still bore the memories, but despite that... This piece of machinery, this power armor - it represented something. It was like hope. If they all pulled together, they could fix everything. Everything would never be the same, and they would bear the memories forever, but what they had left could be fixed. Kai smiled.

"Thank you, Yuzuki."

He grabbed her hands. Yuzuki flushed immediately, bristling without squirming while he continued. "This means quite a lot to me. More than just the armor… it's…" But what it was exactly he did not say with words, but with a look at the sprite before him.

“Fine,” the sprite finished with a smile stemming from feelings so contradictory it seemed sardonic, “I had to. When I found it. I figured you would want it again.”

The look she responded with lasted only so long as the eye contact and that was embarrassed and fleeting. Kai was so close. And maybe, if she just leaned a little against him, it would be fine. Just a couple of inches wouldn’t hurt anything. He was already holding her hands.

Then all of a sudden she was pressed against him, her forehead was on his collarbone, and her arms were locked around his middle. It wasn’t any different than she had remembered it to be. The faint, sour tinge of sweat; the overpowering aura of soap; the warmth of his body and the faint, rhythmic feel of his heart beating; it was all familiar, all comforting.

----

Kai was pushed back slightly as Yuzuki pressed herself into him. He straightened out gently and then relaxed into her embrace after a slight moment of confusion. Yuzuki was glad for his understanding and her nervousness faded in a sudden wash of acceptance. Nothing had really changed at all. Suddenly the sprite was aware of how she must appear. She had not even taken the time for a full shower, had not eaten, had not slept; Yuzuki had simply washed her face and hands and gone to work. Pressed against him like this, the weariness stole over her. It had been two days.

“Sumi,” she apologized, quietly.

"Don't worry.”

Kai returned the embrace, wrapping his own arms around the smaller sprite, taking in the feeling of her being there. His heart pumped just a little harder, his pulse moved just a little faster. It- It felt good. He had no recollection of what happened before, had not even the slightest inkling that there had even been a before, but here and now, this Nekovalkyrja - no, this girl - was in his arms. They were safe. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing else seemed to matter for the moment, despite them having not said anything about it.

He was content to remain silent. So they stood there, in absolute silence, no sound to keep them company except for their own quiet breathing and the far-off noise of the Hoshi’s crew about their business, until Yuzuki said in a voice as small as a dormouse, “I was afraid.”

Kai was somewhat taken aback. It showed plainly upon his face, but Yuzuki, with her face buried, would never see it.

"Of what?" Kai asked, curious.

"Uun, it's silly," Yuzuki confided, her voice quiet. "But I was afraid you weren't going to remember."

Yuzuki caught a bit of the back of Kai's uniform in her hand, just where she had happened to drape her arms, and clinched the fabric between her fingers as if he were going to suddenly disappear.

"I think I should have stayed with the Miharu."

"I wouldn't have liked that." Kai responded, soothingly. "Then I would have nobody to bother with my silly questions and ideas, and we don't want that."

The words didn't exactly flow, but they were all he could think up. Truth be told, Kai was extremely bad at all this, but despite that, he preferred it this way. Hopefully, he could calm down Yuzuki, make her feel better, perhaps even fix whatever it was that was on her mind that was making her feel this way. But what that was, he had no clue. He could only play the cards he was dealt.

He pulled her just a little closer. But Yuzuki resisted and pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at him.

"It doesn't matter. Don't you have some place to go?" she said, thinking in that moment of the pictures that Kai had once shown her - the trees, mountains, flowers, and the happy looking family. "Aren't you going to leave soon?"

"Why would I do that?" he asked, rhetorically. "I'm still a member of this crew, and I'm not going to abandon anyone." He looked down in her eyes, and it was obvious that he was dead serious - there was no deceit visible. He wasn't just spouting words to soothe her at this point. And it was true - most of the crew had survived. The Hoshi was still intact.

Kai backed up and placed his hand over the girl's heart - or, over where a heart would be if she'd had one. "Miharu isn't gone; she's still there. Don't ever forget that."

"I'll never, ever forget," Yuzuki murmured, "It is difficult to think that I am still capable of living with the Miharu gone, and maybe I should have died with her, but that's why I am going to continue fighting. I feel very strongly about it. Since I am left alive, I must carry their memory."

Yuzuki's expression had softened, though not to apathy. Heiki. Calm. Those pretty cerulean eyes of hers glinted faintly with the depth of it. Gently taking Kai's hand, Yuzuki entwined their fingers. Then she leaned forward into him again, placing her cheek over his heart - his real, beating heart - and nuzzling up to him even as they stood.

"I am Miharu Yuzuki," she said, once she was snug up against him, "I will protect the crew of the Miharu, where-ever they go, and what-ever they do for as long as I live. That is what I was created for, and that is what makes me most content. You were born, and you can choose what you do in life, and you can be something different."

"Right now, it seems that I really have no choice," Kai responded, chuckling slightly. "Not that I mind. I think I have something more real to protect, right here."

"It means a lot hearing you say that." Yuzuki played with his fingers as she watched through half-lidded eyes. "But don't laugh as you say it. There will be more fighting, and death. And I'm going to be there for as long as it takes, until there's nothing left."

"Fighting, I can take, that's easy" Kai answered immediately. "I think it would be considerably worse for me to go somewhere where I can not see any of the crew again." Kai squeezed Yuzuki once more, before adding "And I think there's at least one person from this crew I'd like to stay around for a long while."

Yuzuki smiled to herself, but only briefly. Then, she scrunched her nose, and squeezed Kai back, not as hard as she could, but hard enough he'd know. "No. Don't say that. I'm not comfortable with that."

"Are you sure? Or are you afraid that if I don't leave soon, it will hurt too much when I do have to leave?" Kai asked, trying to change the direction of the conversation, slightly. "I'd rather fight and die again and again than be alone in the world, living on forever."

Yuzuki hid her eyes from him by resting her forehead back on his collarbone, falling quiet in the face of Kai's determination. After a few moments, Kai suddenly got a spark of inspiration. He had remembered something from the battle - one of Melisson's dreamworlds that he had been trapped in for a short while. Why couldn't it be like that?

"Hey," he asked, "When we get back, you wanna go somewhere with me?"

"On Yamatai?" Yuzuki managed, not looking up.

"On Yamatai. Or where-ever we find ourselves," Kai answered, leaning his head down. Their foreheads just touched. Yuzuki was tall, but Kai was taller by at least a head and it strained his neck to do it - not that he cared much. To Kai, all the doubt he had felt from just a few minutes before when he wavered on whether or not to come in here had slipped away. He was sure now that he wanted to stay, if only for the sake of the girl in his arms. Even if it meant sacrificing for her, he would be devoted.

But Yuzuki bit her lip as she stared at him. The girl looked torn; hurt; above all, she looked tired and frustrated and confused. Kai put a hand on her cheek, gently brushing the hair away from her eyes, more than a little confused himself. She nuzzled into his hand, her tears hot and damp on his palm.

"'Kay," she murmured, "I'll go anywhere you want to go."

"Good." Kai muttered, before moving those few short inches forward, so their lips touched.

The chanting by all three nekovalkyrja along with the waving of their spoons soon created a miniature whirling tempest. Tiny snow flake shapes emanated from the spoons and gathered together into one spot just above the fire pillar. A small cloud formed from the snow flakes and from the cloud emerged a chibi-neko dressed like a Yuki Onna. She smiled and stomped on the cloud which began to attack the fire with wind and snow. After a few seconds of blowing the fire pillar became weaker and weaker until it puffed away to reveal Nao's meal: Gyudon and Miso Soup!

The Yuki Neko then smiled and waved at Nao before fading away along with the little cloud. Shizuka and Akiko both then put down their spoons and also smiled at her. They then began to set the food on the table for Nao to eat.

The miso was served in a bowl bearing the Miharu logo alongside a spoon with a slightly larger bowl attached to the handle. A bit of steam rose from the soup signifying it was nice and warm. The gyudon was also served on a plate with the Miharu logo ringing the edges. Chopsticks, a fork, and a spoon with an average bowl attached were set alongside the plate. The gyudon had a fine aroma that rose along with the steam that emerged from it.

"Dinner is served!" Shizuka and Akiko announced in unison.

"Sugoi!" the sprite simply exclaimed at the display, jumping in surprise as the Yuki Onna stomped on the cloud. An icy whirlwind descended and smothered the flames, and, as a little corner of her mind pointed out, her food too. It could be said that Nao was in too happy a mood to give it attention, flicking it away with her finger and sending the thoughts flying out of the window like one would with an imperfect morsel.

When all was said and done though, Nao slowly approached the two bowls of Gyudon and Miso as though she were an archaeologist finally discovering a long lost and forgotten ark. "Itadakimasu." she spoke gently, like a prayer uttered before disturbing the untouched relic. It could be said that Nao was utterly crushed by the rolling bolder. She didn't even try to outrun it like the person before her, instead, rooted still in sheer shock.

Miharu

"Its delicious. Th-thank you." Each time Nao partook of the lovingly prepared meal, that symbol flashed again and again in her face, her eyes never darting away from it, as it was present at each spoonful. Every chopstick grasp at the plate of meat. A Logo, Symbol, Crest, Banner, whatever it was called. It was there, and it stood for Miharu...

She was always there, and so was Junko, Mara and so many others. They were always there; Nao could have easily made time for them later. After work was done. After all, they were always there, weren't they? Each time Nao had settled down to eat, the logo was always a reminder of what was there all around her, what was waiting for her. What could afford to wait, be put off for later.

'Not true.' that little figment she flicked away so casually earlier came back to whisper in her ear. Nao slowed down her eating and sniffed. 'The way I did things...there never really would have been a later. Her eyes started to water. 'Why did I do this?!

"Arigatou gozaimasu." Nao spoke to Akiko and Shizuka with a moment of dignity. She then let the sniffling tears flow.

Shizuka and Akiko both sniffed a bit and held their hands together in front of them as they watched Nao eat then sniffle then cry.

"Arigatou gozaimasu."

Click to expand...

Shizuka and Nao both set down their spoons on the table. They then each walked over to both sides of the teary neko and put their hands on her shoulders. They could not say any words to help or even make things better. The ability to make everything alright was not within their abilities despite the magic tricks and illusions they performed.

What they could do was stand with her and stay as long as she wanted.