RP: YSS Eucharis [Post Mission 20] Back on Hanako's World

Natsumi nodded and stepped off the ramp onto the landing field tarmac. She understood Sienna had a tough skin, but still did not like how she had been treated despite her assurances she could manage it.

"I'll call us a cab" she said and sent a signal into the network, summoning a taxi to come pick them up and take them to the hotel. She did not want there to be any more difficulties and figured this be the best way to travel rather than waiting for a shuttle bus.

"Sienna," she said after a moment as they waited. "You know you can talk to me about anything whenever you need to. I may not understand everything that you have been through or are going through but I can listen and I do care" she said truthfully.

Tarmac - Outside the Eucharis

Sienna nodded when Natsumi suggested calling a taxi, and walked down the ramp out onto the landing field, reveling again in the sensation of the cool sea breeze lightly waving her hair and brushing her skin amid the warm sunbeams. She said nothing further on the matter, waiting in silence next to the snowy-haired pilot and taking in the gorgeous panorama.

When Natsumi spoke up, she looked over at her with mild curiosity. She didn't reply immediately, instead simply staring, idly pensive, at her for a moment with her lips parted and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She wasn't sure what the Neko might be suggesting she would want to talk about, but if it was about the silly little tiff aboard the ship, then she must think her as emotionally fragile as the rest of the Eucharis crew. In all honesty, she wouldn't be surprised, nor could she really be offended by it. She was surrounded by thin-skins, and so it was only natural that she'd assume everyone was that way.

Finally she gave her a half-smile with one end of her mouth. "Don't think I don't appreciate you trying," she replied, her voice a bit gentler. "But I'm good. Really."

Passageway

Mitsuko's body language caused the scientist to suspect that the quartermaster had not been entirely truthful, but Kale's statement caused her to have an external reaction. "Wait, she's chasing after Sienna?" Chieko was soon less surprised in one way, but more in another.

She queried Charisma for video of while she had been waiting, soon seeing that their civilian passenger had walked by her just as she was coming out of her searching on SYNC. This caused the academic to sigh then allowed her suspicion of her senpai to only lightly show on her face before she complied a text.


Chieko then sent it to Natsumi via Charisma; looking between Kale and Mitsuko one more time before sighing again. The young Minkan couldn't really do much in regards to a superior enlisted and knew that even the drama would not be worth her time. "This may hold things up a little," she remarked to the technician, then grabbed her bag and floated down the passageway.

Natsumi smiled a little. "Alright then" she replied. "But if you ever need to, about anything" she added, then went back to waiting. she knew her companion was tough, she had to be.

The white haired neko let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of the cool sea breeze on her skin. "I'm glad you're here" she said.
she replied via wireless to Chieko

On the road

Takeyu moved in-between traffic, doing so safely naturally and within the law and stopped when they got a few lights down. "Don't beat yourself up over it," he said and glanced at a nearby police car where the officer was presently handling a traffic stop. "Sometimes we don't always think that something could become a problem later on, and other times we just don't want to risk getting those we care about in trouble, its natural," he looked over his shoulder at Misato and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm pretty sure this can be sorted out." When he saw the light change he sped off, and could see the base in the distance.

On The Road

"I know.... but it just seems like I should have seen it coming. Quite frankly I don't see the two of us staying together if she can do something like this. Sienna was welcomed on to the ship, so she was one of us. To do something like this. I can't imagine. I don't like Sienna, it seems she is always judging us, but that isn't something to condemn her for? is it?" The way Misato was talking it was more that she was trying to find her own true stance on the whole situation. She knew the act was wrong from the very get go, but was the motives wrong? She wasn't sure she could answer that.

Tarmac - Outside the Eucharis

Sienna's half-smile grew a little bit at Natsumi's last comment, and her eyebrows inched upwards. "Here, as in right here, now, or here, as in with y'all?" she asked.

"Both" Natsumi replied. She smiled. "I mean it" she looked over at Sienna, looking her right in the eyes. "Don't care what others think, I know you are a good person and just need a chance for something better"

Tarmac - Outside the Eucharis

Sienna peered back at Natsumi's big red eyes, knowing it was written all over her face that she was feeling particularly vulnerable at that moment. She hadn't heard anyone tell her anything like that before, at least not since she left home. The Neko's insistence on reaching out to her had made her suspicious at first, but for some reason she really wanted to believe that Natsumi was sincere. And the fact that she felt compelled to violate one of the cardinal rules of what had kept her alive this long combined with the way Natsumi's unexpected advance had blindsided her was both deeply troubling and incredibly infuriating. Stubbornly she looked away and cleared her throat, feigning interest in looking at the skyline of the nearby city away from the afternoon sun.

"Listen," she said softly, refusing to meet Natsumi's eyes. "I know what you're trying to do, and I don't wanna sound like a bitch. But you don't know the first thing about me." She ran the fingers of her right hand through her hair, and let them come to rest hanging off of the back of her neck as she turned her head slightly further away, her eyes focused on an arbitrary spot on the horizon. "Y'all did me a big favor getting me out of Urtullan, and I'm grateful. I needed y'all's ship. But I don't need your pity." Finally she turned and looked back at the Neko, steadying her gaze and forcing a tight-lipped smile, making sure she looked as reassuringly at peace as possible. But her eyes were set like green-hued steel. "You call me a friend, and I'll admit, I guess I'd like that," she added. "But don't go digging where you don't belong."

Natsumi could see the inner turmoil in Siennas face as she thought before speaking. "I don't pity you or want to poke around where I don't belong" she replied, there was no frustration or anything of the like in her voice. She understood her more and more each time they talked and knew Sienna was so used to not trusting anyone and not believing anyone or anything. "But you are right, I do think of you as my friend now and like it or not you're just gonna have to get used to the fact that there's someone who cares about your wellbeing and that wants to help see that you're happy" she smiled.

Tarmac - Outside the Eucharis

Sienna's face didn't move or change expressions for a beat, and she held Natsumi's eyes before the smirk came back. "Then put a beer in my hand and show me this water beach you're so keen on," she replied wryly.

Natsumi grinned. "That sounds like a plan to me!" she said. As if on cue the taxi arrived. It was a yellow And black checkered hover car that glided to a stop before them.

Natsumi grabbed the door handle as soon as the vehicle stopped, opening the back passenger door. "After you" she motioned for Sienna to get in.

Tarmac

Sienna watched the taxi approach, inspecting it out of habit as it floated to a stop in front of them. She recognized most of the visible and audible parts, or at least recognized them as newer versions of machinery she was familiar with. As Natsumi opened the door for her, she hesitated briefly, then slipped her backpack off of her shoulders and held it in front of her, ducking her head down as she stepped into the back seat of the cab.

She slid across the rear bench seat and took a seat against the opposite door, hugging her backpack to her abdomen as it sat in her lap, and surveyed the interior. It wasn't as impeccably clean as the Eucharis, but it was still far cleaner than anything she was accustomed to traveling in otherwise. She ran her fingertips admiringly along the supple, leatherlike material that upholstered the seats and doors, and looked up at the driver who was watching the women enter. He looked vaguely Yamataian, black hair and a slender, smallish build with moderately almond-shaped brown eyes and no beard. Different from Natsumi and the other Eucharis crew, but still recognizably similar.

When he inquired about their destination, Sienna simply raised her eyebrows and looked questioningly over at her travel companion.

Tarmac

Natsumi followed Sienna, slipping into the cab and setting her rolling case on the cab floor between her legs. She was glad the taxi was roomy and that she was not that big, so all fit well. She gave the driver the name of the hotel that they all had rooms at and the vehicle took off at a brisk pace. Even on a resort world such as this, the cabbies were always in a hurry to get the next fare. The neko relaxed into the soft bench seat and let out a sigh. Vacation. No ship, no duty, no orders, for a little while, freedom. She smiled.

"You're going to love this place" she commented as the cab sped along, leaving the space port and entering a coastal highway, bound for the city. "Last time here we went to a bar that had these drinks..um forgot what they were. Something with fruit and alcohol that were good, then the beaches, they are amazing" she said and glanced over at Sienna. "After we drop our stuff off at our hotel rooms, want to get that beer, then we can go shopping and get you something to wear to the beach?"

Taxi En Route to Hotel

Sienna was barely listening to Natsumi's story, she was so engrossed in looking out the window at the vibrant colors and scenic vistas outside the taxi's window. The deep electric blue of the oceans reflecting a soft blue sky dotted with wispy white clouds, verdant green plant life swaying in the breeze, and accented by brilliant whites and tans of the silicate deposits lining the beaches that whizzed by her field of view as the cab sped along, it all looked too perfect and colorful to be real. She found herself blinking repeatedly, just to be certain that her eyes were in fact telling her the truth, and at one point she even tapped the window with her fingertip to see if it was really just glass, or an elaborate video screen displaying high-resolution images of an idyllic vacation spot.

An awkwardly long pause in Natsumi's talking caught her attention, and she looked back across the cab at the Neko with an overstimulated and near bewildered expression. "Hm? What?" she asked, obviously knowing she had been asked a question, but having been too distracted to know what it was.

Taxi

Natsumi giggled as she saw Sienna's expression. "Yep, you are going to love it here" she grinned. "That's about how my face looked the first time I came here" she said and stretched out. "Yeah, get drinks, then get you a bathing suit, then hit the beach and have fun!"

Taxi

Sienna arched an eyebrow at Natsumi and grinned slyly as she settled back into her seat and closed her eyes, letting the scenery and the new topic of discussion distract her. "Beers for sure," she replied. "But damned if you're gonna get me to parade around in public in my underwear."

Taxi

Natsumi laughed. "Oh it's not underwear!" she responded. "A bikini, or if you don't like that we can get you a nice once piece swimsuit" she commented and grinned.

Eucharis Passageway

Mitsuko frowned at Kale's question. "She ran off before? And Yamashiro-Hei went after her then, too? What happened?" She watched Chieko float on, mulling over this new information. Murakami had to assume this earlier incident happened on that horrible planet. She had been busy with Bors and Misato then, so she wouldn't have noticed. Sienna would been affected even worse than the others, of course.

On the road

Takeyu continued to drive until they got to the front gates, where he presented his ID to the guard and then drove onto the base and parked the bike. "Motives can be both sincere and evil," he said as he was about to get off, but stopped halfway to just sit on the bikes seat. "And people are always judging us, that's part of life for us military folks, every day the citizenry watches us even when we think they are not; that's why we gotta becareful with our actions when we are in public or around a citizen."

He looked in the direction of the Eucharis.