RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 5 Prologue] A breath of fresh vacuum

"I'd love to go now...oh my, isn't he eager? I'm beginning to notice the trends keep repeating themselves." The XO commented on the forward from Yaichiro, but her smile was for Hanako and she quickly nodded. "Then I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Shall we?" Their conversation earlier still came to Misaki's mind, and while it was not uncommon to eat with senior officers it meant a lot to the NH-27.

"It feels like it was so long when we were running on a skeleton crew meeting fish-people." She noted, and was glad for both instances, but a proper warship needed a crew. It was the heart that decided much in battle, a lesson that was hard won by the Nekovalkryja. Lingering thoughts of Kim stayed with her, she still wasn't sure if the young solider would understand her feelings towards the Eucharis' CO. All she knew was that if things progressed at least there would not be a large scene made from it.

Kurusu had counseled more than a few such altercations, and was in no rush to be included in something like that as more than a mediator. The Ketsurui and the Empire were everything to her, everything. It made unexpected feelings Hanako stirred in her almost impossible to deny or quell. With her warm smile deepening, the purple eyes of the Eucharis' Executive Officer studied the Princess and her expression, waiting to find if they'd still attempt to make the meal.

If nothing else, she had her professionalism, but even in that moment she recalled the touch of lips...

Nana quietly exited the wardroom, leaving her mass of papers behind, and began a slow trek towards the armor bay, hands balled into fists. She stared forward, her face reflecting her silent resolve. Her mind was on everything and nothing -- though, for once, work was the farthest thing from her thoughts.

Oh, she'd do her job well enough. She would go about her duties as usual that was certainly no issue. But the spirit wasn't there. Not that it would leave too much impact -- a dent missed here, a smudge forgotten there. It was inevitable, and yet, it would be Nana's signature; a signature of what heart she didn't put into her work.

Stepping into the power armor bay, Nana inhaled a deep breath, which she'd release in an exasperated sigh while dragging her fingers through her hair.

Hanako didn't reply to Misaki, but the Taisa's face showed she that Misaki's words had lightened her mood. She smiled lightly, big expressive golden eyes glossy as they looked into Misaki's for a moment. The Taisa then turned and led the way to the wardroom to get breakfast burritos.

After getting a plate and drink for Misaki, Hanako served herself and sat at the small table near the wardroom entrance and the book room.

- - -

Blueberry watched Cherry carefully.

Kumiko sighed, finished up, and headed out. She'd hoped to get a little bit more time before getting to work, but she'd get over it. She sent a quick message back that simply said she had no questions, and headed for the rear end of the ship, unsure of whether or not Valen would already be there. Regardless, she planned on getting straight to work, getting it done, and moving on to the next thing as quickly as possible.

Cherry glanced over to Nana as the Neko entered the room and gave a quick almost forced bit of a smile in greeting before looking away a bit awkwardly. She was kinda... Embarrassed about the smooch she pulled on Nana still, after all. That said, though, she got to work on her work; Cataloging the damage, if any, on the various armors. The shuttles could wait until later.

Her work was slow, however. And fairly poor, to be honest; She wasn't a armorer. Datenshi was, and she always claimed it as her domain rather fiercely... Thus Cherry never really touched them. And then Kessah had the ship itself as her domain so Cherry never really touched that, either.

Theres a reason she was on bridge for the most part. That being; She didn't have any other work.

All of that said, though, she knew how to do these things. It came with the 'training' implented in her mind... Though it came out like some childhood teaching. It was in the back of her mind and hard to actually produce for active thought, but was fairly easy to bring up in a sort of impulsive way. Which was alright when repairing and not good when analyzing.

She didn't notice Blueberry's watchery, either. Nor did she in fact care... They were... Well, child hood friends, really. Family, truthfully... A family that was scattered and brought together. Though there was no reunion.

And that was fine.

"'Live a happy life'? Hmmm, that's a good philosophy. I like the thought of that," replied Hotaru.

"The food I have had so far is good though I am quite new on board myself. I have yet to try the evening meal, though I just know it's all going to taste nice!" she said with a lick of her lips. "I haven't really indulged myself with any confectionery except the odd mint chocolate...mmmm now that is a NICE flavour.....ooops! Sorry about that!" exclaimed Hotaru as she wiped a bit of drool off her chin with an embarrassed grin.

Looking towards the door Hotaru noticed the captain arriving for her breakfast, "Konoka, the Captain has just come in. We should get to work. I'll walk you to the Med Bay if you'd like? We can continue our conversation on the way. Have you been assigned quarters yet? I did have a spare bed but another new crew member beat you. If you haven't we can always ask the XO."

Thanking the other blue-haired officer, the slightly, slightly taller one began to eat. Once Misaki had finished a few bites, she smiled over the sip of her drink at Hanako, and scanned what was left of the crew in the wardroom in full circle, returning her gaze to the CO.

She remembered the look from minutes before, but chose not to say anything about it in the still busy area. "It's a bit more lively this morning, the reports were correct. Most have their required sleep caught up." Misaki observed quietly. It was nice to be eating with some of the crew present, and know there were still others elsewhere.

Despite some of the tensions she worried about based on where several dossiers crossed, Kurusu Chusa had been in worse situations. Pulled into reminiscing on the YSS Ishikawa for a few minutes, the woman worked through more of the breakfast. There was something to be said about the menu on the Eucharis, it was almost always superior to the food she had elsewhere. That was part of the reason she asked Hanako to teach her to cook, the other was tied more closely to her feelings. She sent a message to Kim, reminding her to eat before going on duty then waited to hear the CO's input.

"I had Blueberry watch Cherry. I consider her a flight risk. She asked me to leave the ship earlier. She has been feeling lost since the UOC rebellion left the Asamoya crew in pieces. I am worried she might do something unwise," Hanako shared. "In other matters, our next mission is a tough one that I wish we had more time to prepare for. A scout ship has failed to report and its last position is very out of the way. We may have to make a planetary landing to pick up the survivors, so today I want to make sure we have all the equipment we might need."

- - -

Blueberry came forward and brushed her hand on Cherry's shoulder. "You okay?"

Cherry shrugged her shoulders quickly to shoo away Blueberry's hand, mummering in a slightly disgruntled tone. "I'm fine... Shoo, I need to do this. You aren't a armorer, anyway... Should go look at sensors or something." She was trying to get rid of and avoid Blueberry, obviously...

"If you live a happy life, others will smile and be happy too." smiled Konoka.

"I'm sure all the food will be good. There's no garauntee that ANYTHING will not be good, until it's bad. So how long have you been here? Oh, mint chocolate is good! And cherry chocolate and caramel chocolate and coffee chocolate and toffee chocolate and chocolate ice cream and chocolate cookies and chocolate cake and chocolate pudding...though other flavors are good too, including those I've never tried, though I'm sure they're great. "

"That's quite alright." she said. She started crying tiny little tears of joy. "I'm sorry, there are just so many good things in the world, so much joy to exsperience, so much to try, see, taste, smell, touch, all of it soooo good and waiting to be discovered, and make you smile! It makes me sooo happy!" She wiped her eyes, and smiled sweetly.

"We should get to work. Yes, let's go, that would be very nice. No, I don't have quarters yet. I didn't want to disturb anyone, so i spent the night in the Med Bay. It wasn't so bad. I hit my head getting up, but at least everyone else was happy. And at least I was close to my favorite work! See, not so bad. Do you know anyone who has a spare place.....if it wouldn't disturb them? If it would, I could just live in the Med Bay, camp out, keep all my stuff there, always be there when someone was sick or injured, how convenient...I could pretend i was a marooned sailor! Of course, it would be nice to have a real bed....heh."

"And I thought the psych eval. of the new medic was exaggerated. They didn't add 'manic' in there though." Misaki murmured quietly to Hanako over the remnants of her food.

On the topic of Cherry she was not completely sure, however. "Some of her behaviour while you were gone might indicate that. I do not recommend making her point on an armour team, in that thread. Hopefully Blueberry will be able to watch over her a little easier." Taking a few moments to smile at Hanako against the rim of her mug, Misaki wondered what was in the former sprite's mind that was not in the reports, or behind the Taisa's explanation of what was going on.

"I could speak to her, but I am not sure she would open to an officer like me." On a gunship, having someone for that job beyond a caretaker who had some extra credentials was rare, but she never minded taking care of the other crew members. She was surprised the only person talking to her by that point had been Kim, but assumed some of it had to do with two things: many of them had served together before, and you'd talk to those friends, or: they were new and hadn't experienced enough to even need that kind of support from the XO. In time, it would come. The next time they had a briefing and it was appropriate she reminded herself to let them know the option was available.

Misaki concentrated on the rest of her food, by the end she didn't leave even a speck of it. "I wonder what could have happened?" She already had thoughts on planetary rescues, a lot of equipment they had would be well tested for that exact purpose if they were given the chance. "We need to have all the ground effect vehicles ready. I'm not familiar with using some of those, however it never came up before, apologies." Some faint colour took the officer's cheeks.

She could pilot just about anything, but was sure that if there was something to hit in one of the wheeled vehicles that would about do it. A mental note was set to download instructions later, and maybe sneak in some practice at the next earliest convenience, or full sensory simulation at the very least. "I will try to correct that."

Hanako nodded. "Do you think we should transfer her somewhere to serve the rest of her enlistment, discharge her for mental reasons, or try to integrate her into the crew? As much as I would like her to be a helpful part of the crew again, she seems set on leaving--despite having no destination--and more importantly there is a chance she may through her actions or inaction may put other crew members at risk. If anything, her presence is poor for morale."

The captain sipped her orange juice.

"There is another matter of personnel...Kaede and Kaori are transferring off. They have been offered positions as warrant officers for SARA at Scorpio Star Fortress as part of the development team. I think it is a great opportunity for them and have approved the transfer. So, with Cherry gone, that will mean we are losing three technicians. Luckily, we have plenty. Just a moment..."

Hanako got up and picked up a phone on the wardroom wall, and dialed the ship's intercom. "Please make sure you are prepared for a ground mission. Details will be given at the briefing."

The captain than returned to sitting with Misaki. "I wish we had more time for training."

Yaichiro sent a communication to the Taisa and the Chusa.

Hanako-Taisa, Kurusu-Chusa, have I your permission to deactivate the main gun temporarily so I may inspect and clean it?

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Hanako simply sent "yes" in reply.

Receiving Hanako's message, he made his way to the junction and deactivated the weapon. Then he proceeded into the device and began to clean and maintain it.

This is Kage Yaichiro-Shosa. All technicians and Command Staff note that the Main Gun has been deactivated for maintenance and cleaning. Please do not reactivate it or attempt to use it.

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Hearing Konoka list off a load of sweets consisting mainly of chocolate, Hotaru thought to herself it was no wonder she seemed to be on a sugar high all the time if that is what she eats. Though thinking about the chocolate, she decided to maybe try taking in a few of those chocolate delights. Must check out some of those flavours sometime soon too.

Walking down the corridor towards the Medical Area Hotaru said “I think that the only two rooms that have a free space are Valen’s and Mango’s rooms. I suppose you could pick one and send a message informing them you’d like to be a roomy. If you get no luck then I would suggest seeing the XO but the Eucharis crew are a friendly bunch so I don’t see any problems.”

Thinking some more she continued “Have you any goals? Anything you strive for? I have......”, at that moment the Captain’s voice came over the intercom informing everyone of an upcoming mission. “I wonder what this mission will entail. Might even be a drill. I suppose we'll soon find out eh? On another note, do you know the way to the Med Bay? I downloaded a map of the Eucharis which helps me out a lot, you could do the same. Otherwise just ask the ship for directions. She’s very friendly,” Hotaru said with a smile.

Nana looked up briefly, glancing towards Cherry and Blueberry with slightly narrowed eyes. Her lips pursed and she shook her head before going back to work without a word. She took a moment to tug her goggles from her head and let them rest snug against her face, taking a moment to look around. Nana clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth before turning towards Cherry with a wave.

"......welder....." Nana mumbled, her eyes flicking back and forth as she knelt down, squinting. Of course the armors used on the last mission were banged up. It wasn't as though people didn't get shot. It would be too much to ask that they not get shot, wouldn't it? Just makes Nana's job easier, that. Either way, she started to tap out the damage with a wrench -- that's right, unconventional little imp that she was.

"..Wish I could just--" BANG. "--buy a shop-" BANG. "--and fix--" BANG. "--toasters for a living."

The most damaged armor was Yaichiro's Super PHALANX...it was a complete write-off.

A new applicant stood somewhere near the area where he would be able to board the YSS Eucharis. He was a somewhat pretty Yamataian man, young, strong, and confident. His face however, betrayed little if any emotion, and might have been labeled “serious” by passers-by. He wore the standard uniform of an enlisted man in the military, only where the cloth would have been white his was green, noting he was at least of the medical or scientific variety. He also wore fashionably rectangular framed glasses, enhancing his look as an intellectual and researcher.

He had his communicator in his hand, and went through all of the proper applications to send his message to the Taisa of the Eucharis.

Ketsurui Hanako-Taisa, this is Kanashii Karei requesting permission to board the YSS Eucharis NG-X1-408 for an interview.

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With the message sent, the patient man simply waited for the reply.

Hanako had just finished the last of her breakfast. With a nod to Misaki, she rose from the table. "Pick a team for the planetary rescue mission. Make sure they each have at least three days supplies in their packs, and mental backups. The new medic should be able to help. I will be getting the new crew member settled in. The briefing is in one hour."

With that, Hanako went to the hatch and was standing there to greet Karei in the airlock when it hissed open. "Please come aboard."

Thinking for a moment, Konoka said, "You should know I support healthy nutrition. I eat well-balanced meals. But candy's the best!" She smiled. "I'm just naturally hyperish."

"I've met Valen. He's nice. Mango I don't know very well. Who do you think would be less disturbed in their routine if they had a roomy? I really don't want to bother anyone. I guess I have to bother someone...." She sighed.

"My goal is to help people, especially the sick and wounded."

"Hmm...a new mission, then? Whatever it is, I'm sure there will be an opportunity to do good in the world!" She paused. "Oo, I'd better make some mental backups, and probably do some physicals. I know where I'm going. It's my job to. So....do you need a mental backup, or a physical? Heh. I've got work to do..."

Karei walked towards the airlock as he heard it hiss open, he was not generally presumptuous, but he deduced that since he had not received a reply he would probably be greeted in person by a member of the ship’s personnel. Though he was surprised when Hanako herself had come to greet him; it showed a bit about her character and how she ran things. Of course he wasn’t ready to make a complete analysis of her yet, but from what he had just seen he could guess that she was a hands-on sort of leader, rather than one of those haughty, aloof ones. The blonde man made a brief, but appropriate salute as he came nearer.

“Thank you, Taisa,” he said, boarding the ship entirely. Unlike some new recruits coming for an interview he was not nervous. This would have been apparent in the way he was carrying himself, and the supreme articulation of his words. “I am glad to have the opportunity to work on your ship.”