Junko smiled at the joke, recognizing the bitter edge of a half-hoped for outcome. But the new NCO seemed to be getting her legs under her, and so she was more than content to let it stand uncontested. She turned, the smiling still on her lips as she looked out of the taxi windows. The scenery became more recognizable as they drew toward the shopping center she had left not long ago.
"Should be close," she said to her companion before leaning forward toward the driver. "Please stay parked when we get there. I'll pay, but we might want to use your car for baggage storage."
"Baggage storage? I.. I was only getting one dress right?" Misato was confused. "Unless I have to get more or something... Or Is there a Weapons shop near by? I could use some boxes of ammunition for my new guns, I have a hundred of them!! Oh and I need a knife to wear under my dress, and maybe a garter holster.. You're right Please park we may need the storage!" Misato smiled
"Always better safe than sorry, Nito Heisho. Mission creep is a pernicious foe," Junko said in her best deadpan.
The taxi slowed as it turned into the shopping center and finally halted next to the pedestrian walk. Junko opened her door and stepped out, stretching as she stood up.
Misato climbed out and adjusted her jacket and her holsters. "I know what I want in the clothing... I don't have to get make up or my hair done do I?" She was worried this heisho would try to girly her up.. then again it might be nice for once to be though of a girl first before a grunt.
"I'm not really an expert on that, I'm afraid," said Junko. She considered her own hair; she kept it washed, cleaned, and cared for, but it primarily rotated between being left loose and unstyled, ponytails, and buns for zero-G work. "I suppose as long as you're satisfied with it and it is in appropriate order there's no necessity to get it 'done up.' It is simply your preference."
"It might be nice... I guess..." she smiled before looking in the windows of the store. "You sure I can't just go like this?" Misato looked down at her bodyglove and jacket. With a surged she opened the door and held it for the Heisho.
Junko raised her right eyebrow as she gave her junior a once over. "We are not on duty and this is not a formal command event, so it is ultimately your choice. But we are guests of the Chusa. I would not like to see any of the crew disappoint his expectations or fall short of the effort he has put in to making us welcome."
She left anything further unsaid and walked through the door.
"i know.." Misato followed Junko into the shop. "I'm sure everyone will be in ball gowns and tuxs... Maybe a tux would look cool!." She said as she stared looking at white kimono, with silver designs on it. It was pricey but it would show off her lovely colorings. But with a shrug She started looking at ball gowns and very fancy dresses.
Junko followed Suzume around the shop, impressed with her companion's taste; she clearly had an eye for all of this that Junko lacked.
"One of those would look very nice, I'm sure," said Junko, looking at the elegant evening wear. "My only suggestion would be to get something you might be able to use more easily in other contexts. We don't have all that much room aboard ship for personal affects. But, these do look very nice..." Her voice trailed off as she reached out to touch the expensive fabric.
"I can always send it off to be stored, with all the good for my Junk Store." Misato smiled as she kept coming back to the white kimono. "I keep a few things there. Like my powered bicycle, and a few other things." She pulled it off the rack and held it up to herself. "What do you think?"
"It's... quite nice." Even to her own ears, Junko's words seemed to do a poor job of describing the outfit. Internally, though, she was more impressed. It had been years since she'd worn a kimono herself; not since her childhood on Yamatai. She supposed her mother still had her things stored away somewhere. For her part, aside from the old issued Star Army yukata, she didn't have any traditional clothing with her on the [i}Eucharis[/i]. The gorgeous item Suzume had picked out was making her think that might be a mistake.
She shook her head, clearing out the bizarre thoughts. Aside from maintaining proper bearing and uniform appearance Junko hardly ever gave a thought to how she looked. Turning back to the task at hand, she stared closer at the fabric, trying to gauge the quality of its manufacture. "You'd better try it on."
Confused for a second Misato looked at the Heisho, "Why?"
"It's true of any uniform or equipment," said Junko, meeting Misato's gaze. "It's important to make sure the item can adapt to any idiosyncrasies necessary for final adoption or installation. One size never truly fits all, at least not well."
"I was never tried on..." Misato retorted. With a grin she made her way off to the changing room. "Ummm.. with short hair what can I do with it? I can't put it up in a bun..." Suzume called out from behind the curtain as she fought with the kimono. The sounds coming out, made it almost seem as if she was wrestling with a Mishu.
"Try... combing it?" offered Junko lamely. As she'd never given her own hair much thought she had little to offer to someone with an entirely different style.
"It is getting long enough to do that, isn't it... Maybe I should crop it again after I get a new knife." She slowly and shyly stepped out from behind the curtain in the tight, but well fitting kimono. With a blush she quietly asked, "H..how does it look?" She looked as if she wanted to hind.
Junko's eyebrows rose as the rest of her face went very still. "Very nice. Very... flattering. It appears to be well made." She was ill equipped to offer advice or commentary, and even more poorly equipped to consider such concepts as beauty. She could see gracefulness in the lines of hull armor, handsomeness in the mathematically efficient tori of EM waveguides, stark, lethal radiance in the targeting gears of a fire control mount. But hips and draping, flattering outlines and hugging curves were utterly beyond her if it was an actual person she was considering. Not that she'd had cause to in years.
Misato would have found this all amusing, since she was in fact the ultimate war machine created by the people of Yamatai. She would have died laughing. Though with out the knowledge of what Junko was thinking all she could do was blush a bit more and feel a bit more self-conscious.
"Maybe I should just go in my uniform, I'm sure it would be better."
"No!... er, rather, as this is an off-duty event, I'm sure uniforms will not be commonly worn." Junko wasn't sure herself what she was trying to say. "Besides you seemed enthused by the concept of wearing something more formal and elegant. This, certainly, well, fits the bill I suppose."
It wasn't that wild horses had to drag a compliment out of her; more that she had trouble conceiving one in the first place. As such, it was fittingly clunky.
"I. uhhh.. O...Ok..." She went back into the changing room and took of the kimono. "What are you going to wear?" Misato asked from behind the curten. the sounds of her jumping around and cussing at the fabric could be heard, but ended with the sound of two pistol slides being worked. With a grace that would ahve been home if she was working with explosives, Misato carried the very nice silk kimono out to the counter.
Junko fidgeted. "Just a simple skirt and blazer."
She was feeling a little ill at ease now about her choice. The clean and regimented lines of the duty uniform were highly pleasing to Junko and the formal business tailoring of the suit had called out to her in kind. Now, though, she was questioning whether it would be all together the right sort of outfit for the Chusa's event. Memories long dormant returned to her; of excitement over dressing up for festivals and events in her youth, of her mother helping her get arranged - while extolling the superior beauty of all Nekovalkyrja, of course. Something of those feelings reached her now, though not enough to force action, just a nostalgic notion of looking in a mirror and thinking herself pretty. Though to be fair, she couldn't recall ever looking quite like
that.
Misato heard what her superior was going to wear. It was not right. Nor did she think it would do. Ball gowns and tuxs! she lied her kimono on the counter and then started looking around the store for a nice dress, she was determinant to find on to buy for Junko.
"What is your favorite color!?" She called from across the store, as she dug through different racks.
"Uh," was all Junko managed to get out for a moment, taken aback by the question. "Red?"
The answer was true, as far as it went. She was so used to wearing red on her uniforms and seeing red on her immediate co-workers; it was the color that seemed the most natural to her. Even as a child, she'd never had a favorite. And so her occupation, which she did indeed love, filled in for any other reason.
Misato's head popped up from behind a rack, "Really? O.. Ok!" She dived back down and started looking and gathering red dresses of all different cuts and styles. She returned and grabbed Junko by the arm dragging her off to the changing room. " Here try these on, and after we pick one of them out I'll find you some shoes!" She smiled, never did the thought that she would need shoes for herself cross her mind. She had combat boots. They was the answer for everything.
Junko had been craning her neck, trying to figure out what her junior was up to, and so was caught totally unawares by the sartorial ambush. As much from inertia as from any willful compliance, she allowed herself to be led to the changing rooms. She paused a moment once inside, considering just what exactly she had gotten herself into. This had started out as a professional counseling, and had now devolved into some sort of shopping spree. She was gratified, though, that Suzume seemed to be warming up a bit and so with no more than a token shrug of confusion - acknowledging once again that she would always have a better grasp on ship subsystems than people - she began pulling on the first dress.
In a moment, after a considerably less violent period of changing than Suzume had managed, she stepped out past the curtain. She couldn't manage to say anything, or to examine herself in the mirror, and so simply looked up expectantly.
Misato looked Junko over and walked around her, as if she was expecting her in a uniform. "i don't know this was makes your hip look like the size of battleships and your breasts look smooshed. Go in and try the next! I'll look around a bit more."
Junko stumbled back past the curtain and numbly pulled off the dress. She was wholly uncertain about what to make of someone considering her body, let alone using such frank language. She could appreciate, intellectually, the value of forthrightness. Indeed, she never hesitated to offer her direct opinion when it came to Engineering problems. Tackling clothes shopping in a similar manner made sense in that way, she supposed. At least she would avoid something that made her hips look like battleships.
Blushing at her mental repetition of Misato's description, she managed to step back out into view with less stumbling.
She came over carrying a few more dresses. "I don't know, your boobs are still smooshed, but that wide drape is very flattering on you... Hides the Command carriers you smuggle around." She smiled and handed over the other dresses. "Maybe... try those on I'll grab on I saw a few minutes ago." She dashed off to the other side of the store and looked through the racks.
Gamely, Junko attempted a smile in return but it came out rather wobbly. She was totally off balance, though she appreciated her companions attempts at using warship analogies. They didn't quite convey the full meaning though, as she lacked the requisite self-concept to understand. Back in the dressing room, she took off the dress, considering her hips as she did. They had always just been there for her; they seemed serviceable enough and the various shop attendants she'd seem for uniform and, on a more limited basis, civilian clothing alterations had always handled things efficiently and without comment on their capacity to smuggle anything at all.
As for her... bust being smooshed, she'd worn AMES enough to be intimately familiar with the physical sensation, without ever realizing the importance of the concept when it came to shopping. If nothing else, this whole affair would give her a whole new set of parameters to approach her next shopping mission.
Temporarily comforted by the practical line of thinking and dressed in the next selection, she stepped past the curtain again.
There stood Misato holding up a red dress. "unless you prefer the one you are wearing this one will do you boobs and your hips justice. You'll get the guys on the crew to turn their heads, and some of the ladies." She smiled holding a red dress that flared at the bottom, it was cut short to just above the bust-line, and down to just above the knees. "All we have to do is find you some shoes that will show off your legs."
"I, I don't know about all of that," Junko said. But something made her reach out and accept the other option. Making anyone, man or woman, turn their head was nowhere near being on Junko's list of priorities, but the idea of doing justice to her hips and... bust was intriguing. At the very least, Suzume seemed to hold confirmed opinions about their influence on the shopping process, and that perhaps warranted her at least trying it on. She pulled it on, slowly and carefully. It fit well; it wasn't binding or overly tight anywhere and was far from restricting. Not suitable for maintenance work, perhaps, but at least it wouldn't impede her mobility. Timidly, she exited for inspection.
Walking around Junko as if expecting her again on a parade field. She poked Junko in the side and hips a few times as she walked around, tugging and playing the dress about. "i.." she poked once more. "I think it is perfect!" She smiled and looked almost like a little girl, opposed to the grunt she normally was.
The frown which had formed on Junko's face as she was poked and prodded disappeared upon the pronouncement. Accepting compliments had never been her forte, whatever the subject. She blushed and looked down, but forced herself to lift her gaze and smile, even if it was rather shy. "Thank you, Misato-Heisho. You certainly have a better grip on this than I do, so I will defer to your judgment."
"Well you have to thank Chusa Klein for that. She took me shopping the first time." She beamed before dragging Junko off to the shoes area, "Heels with maybe a strap or two to hold you in." She grab a few pairs and set them on a bench for the Heisho to try on. "Hurry i still want to hit a gun store for a few things. There i'm sure we can find you a cue red holster or something to go with you dress!" She squeaked.
Junko appreciated Suzume's help and so set about trying on the shoes as fast as she could. She pulled the pairs on as quickly as possible, giving each a spin while trying not to sprain her ankles. Only once was her inertial control ability necessary to prevent a fall, so she considered the walking practice a success. As for appearance, she had a hard time choosing; there were easily as many options for shoes as the dresses. Yet again, Junko found her prior experience wholly inadequate to prepare her to make an informed selection.
She settled, for the moment, on a pair of bone patent platform pumps with a closed toe - not that she really understood what all of that meant. Turning toward her companion, she extended her foot a bit. "What do you think?"
"Well you ain't going to fight in them, but all you need to do is walk, look smashing, and get the boys all drooling." Misato grinned and winked at Junko, realizing maybe hanging around Bors non-stop had caused her to view things in a strange light. "And maybe dance with a few of them. Well you like them, and the dress?"
"I..." Junko's voice trailed off. She didn't have the necessary frame of reference to understand how she looked. The image in the mirror at the moment seemed utterly alien; it certainly wasn't her. As for whether that person looked good in the dress and shoes? She couldn't say, not honestly, but somehow it felt good. The clothes seemed to fit, not just in a purely physical sense, in a way she hadn't felt out of a uniform in a very long time. "I think so."
"Well good, give me the tags i'll pay you go get changed then we will go and get a few things at the gun shop and then get your hair did up!!" She smiled, joy filled her eyes as she thought of buying a few different guns and armaments.
With the subject turning to money, Junko felt on solid footing once again and so was able to fully parse what was being said. "We'll need to pay separately." She frowned. "I don't think they'll allow you to access my credit account without me."
With a exasperated sigh and a roll of her eyes she snagged the tags off the dress and shoes and pointed at the changing room. "Come on!! Bors is out there, and I don't want him buying all the good explosives!" She went up to the counter and pulled her KS chit. "And when she is changed can we get her stuff wrapped up too. Thank you" she answer once the shop lady smiled and said it was possible.
Frown firmly in place and her confidence back along with it, Junko's hands naturally fell to her hips. Arms akimbo, she was for the moment unconscious of the clothes she was wearing; every inch of her being was perfectly in line, the essence of a proper Heisho ready for inspection in her best duty uniform. "Nito Heisho, I cannot possibly allow you to purchase me so extravagant a gift. It is, well..." her frown intensified as she found the price tags already out of her grasp. "... I'm sure it's quite expensive. You're my junior!"
"Too late Boss lady... Plus I can't spend money on myself with out buying stuff for others, and since..." She voice dropped out as she thought for a moment, "Well you're it." She pointed at the changing room again before taking her bag and quickly walking out the store.
Misato had barely made it out there before leaning against a wall and tearing up.
Junko found herself grinding her teeth for a moment. On the one hand, she was Misato's superior and thus rated significantly more respect in how she was addressed than what she had just received. On the other hand, Suzume had just patiently helped her pick out the outfit and then bought it for her as a gift. She blushed slightly too, as she thought about how Suzume had spoken even more plainly as they had gone about comparing the dress options. Still, duty and bearing, friendliness and gratitude warred in her head until, finally, she resigned herself to the inevitable and made for the dressing room. When she emerged, back in uniform and feeling if not better than at least more natural, she presented her new clothing to the clerk for packaging and then followed her companion out onto the street.
Suzume's distress was immediately obvious, and so Junko made a conscious effort to relax her frown. The infantry soldier had already paid for the clothing; she wasn't going to force the issue more and this was hardly the time to try to bring back up their professional discussion. If nothing else, Junko would have felt herself to be hypocritical offering counsel on professional behavior, given the preceding moments in the store. Instead, she offered what she could: a crisp, respectful bow. "Misato-Heisho, thank you. Truly."
Misato turned away to wipe the tears from her eyes. As she looked back she saw the bow. "You are most welcomed. I.. I don't like buying things for myself. I can alway live aboard ship until they kick me out of the service. I don't need the moneys. But I love spending it on others. I.. I'm sorry if I was an jerk there." She bowed herself. She wanted to find something to get her minds of things.
Junko shook her head as she straightened up. "No, it is my fault. I know the bounds of my duty and can execute my responsibilities without conscious thought, but this sort of off-duty socialization is not, I'll admit, my strong suit. In my discomfort I perhaps overreacted. We are not aboard ship or on base; this is a casual environment. I apologize." She bowed again.
With a shrug, Misato waved it off. "Boss, I'm always a pain I know it." She smiled, the grabbed Junko's arm and dragged her off towards the gun shop down the street. "I need to pick up some ammo and a few things. And you need a new side arm to go with that dress right?"
About to feel a little triumph in Suzume yet again showing potential for growth as a leader, Junko once again found herself being physically led by her junior. They might indeed be off duty but she was still in her uniform so for the sake of decorum and with a small frown, she sped up until she could walk beside her companion rather than be dragged behind. "I'm not sure," she replied. She was capable enough with personal weapons and combat, as all soldiers of the Star Army were expected to be. But her preferred battles happened on a greater scale and one step removed: a struggled to get a new capacitor ring in place or a waveguide realigned while the
Eucharis danced through the destructive fury of deep-space combat. She didn't relish personally engaging the enemy and didn't seek to carry weapons if she didn't have to.
There was a certain practicality to the consideration, though, and after the ample demonstration of Suzume's good judgment in clothing she could at least entertain the notion.
"Oh come on! You want a new gun we all do... Nothing is better then the smells of the oils and the lubricants that come off of a new weapon. And of coarse if you prefer I'm sure we can find a rifle to strap to your back." Misato smile as she quicken her pace to the store again dragging the Heisho along. Once in side she started drooling over each of the cases bouncing around the place looking at each type of gun in turn.
"OOHH I didn't know that one came out... Ahh I could get poly-silicon grips for it. That one come in chrome and flat black." Suzume was everywhere.
Junko perused the store's offerings more sedately, though she could appreciate Suzume's enthusiasm. A professional finding joy in their line of work was always laudable, and the infantry soldier certainly seemed to love her weapons. She might have preferred a selection of power flow regulators and capacitor collars herself, but she was not totally immune to the allure of the lethal efficiency of the weapons all around her.
"So what do you like Takeda-chan? Energy or solid projectile?" She pointed at different cases, each containing a few types of guns. "Or Would you like to look at a rifle or bigger?" She smiled almost conspiratorially. Misato was sure that everyone loved guns, why wouldn't they. If they joined the SA they must love guns. Misato logic, a dangerous beast.
Junko was starting to feel some serious whiplash: her jaw worked as she ground her teeth again and her body twitched slightly as she pulled herself up straight and stiff. "Well, Misato-
san," she said, over enunciating the honorific. "Energy, I suppose. And a handgun will suffice."
She clasped her hands behind her back and began engaging in what was becoming a bit of a ritual, wringing one hand in the other, almost like a stress ball. It did little to actually relieve her stress, but did help her sit on her initial temper burst at least.
Ok Taky-chan." Misato dragged her over to the case that held the energy guns, not even seemingly noticing the reaction she got nor the stressed honorific. Asking the shop keep to see a variety she bubbled over with excitement to touch and play with the different guns before her. "I was going to get a solid round gun, but lets look at your stuff first.
Taking a very deep breath, Junko stepped up close next to Suzume and leaned forward, pitching her voice low. "All right, Nito Heisho," she said through gritted teeth. "Time to rein it in."
Attempting to look as innocent as possible, "What do you mean. Gun shopping is all kinds of exciting, don't you feel that way too?" She replied in the same hushed voice, though hers still had a bit of amusement in it.
"I'm glad you're having fun," said Junko, dryly and dangerously. "These guns are all very interesting and I'm sure it is exciting to think about trying them all out. Wouldn't it be a shame if you couldn't because you were put on Temporary Assigned Duty to the personnel clerk's office for the duration of your leave?"
"Well fine Boss..." her shoulders dropped a bit. "Still think you would look stunning with a sniper on your back in that dress." her voice never changed from the hushed voice she first answered in. "But I doubt they'd keep me... I can't count well..." she smiled before pointing at the guns, "I think that one is neat, you can put a scope and a forward barrel extension on it for added accuracy.
"I'm sure they'd be happy to let you go mess-cranking if it didn't work out." There was still an edge to Junko's voice, but it was clear from her tone that she was willing to tolerate some games so long as it didn't push too far into disrespect. "As for guns, anything too large just seems excessive. I prefer to have the ship just swat the target from orbit if necessary."
With a shrug Misato shook her head. "That's nice but here with your feet in the dirt, you need to have something that will end anything before it really gets going. And with the ship parked and shut down who is going to swat stuff for yha now?" She grinned before picking up the pistol in question and handing it off to Junko. "Sometimes you have to play ship."
"That's what we have you for, Nito Heisho," said Junko as she accepted the pistol. She rotated it in her hands, feeling the balance, the intricate lines from its assembly. It was, she could readily admit, a well made piece of weaponry. She was used to the concept on a larger scale, but she could recognize the same aesthetic notes she encountered when performing maintenance on shipborne weapon systems.
With a brief blush Suzume pointed at the gun, "With this you wouldn't even need me..." She wasn't sure what the Heisho meant by needing her, but she figured everyone needed a good side arm beyond their NSP. "With the right side arm and a few back up magazines, you can hold out against quite a few enemy. A one Neko army." With a grin she nodded to her own statement.
"Well, there is a reason why I signed up for the Fleet, and not the Planetary Infantry." Junko wished she could see the internals of the weapon, or at least a design diagram. What she could see though satisfied her and so she looked up and passed the gun back over.
"Seems like an excellent weapon to me. I'll leave it to your greater experience to decide if that's sufficient."
"We are all called to serve the Empress. We should all be ready to serve her in all our abilities." Misato smiled and took the pistol and striped it down to components before Junko. "seems a bit underpowered from the parts here but it would make for a good hold out pistol, what you should look for is something stream line so that you can carry it with out it showing, but still have a goodly amount of knowck down."
She put the gun back together, handing it back she asked to see another one. The shop keep set a
Gp-16 Plasma Pistol on the counter.
"This will do the trick honestly. It's small and light but it will ruin the day for anyone." she smiled and handed the plasma weapon over. "And for you grease monkey types this is fun cause of the tech involved!"
Junko accepted it and hefted in in her hands. "Isn't this fairly big?" she asked. "It seems longer than my NSP."
With a shrug Misato pointed at it, "Yes but with this you can whip it out, out of uniform and not get fingered as SA. Plus it isn't all that bigger."
"Ah, I suppose in civilian dress that might be an important consideration." Junko handed it back. "Well, like I said, I trust your judgment. If you think this one does the best job of meeting the specifications, I'll consider myself content."
"Well you going to try it out?" She pointed at a sign in the back of the shop that lead to the range. "Why don't you go and try it out, i got to get some ammo and a few other things." She grinned as she started looking at the racks of ammo available.
With a shrug, Junko kept the handgun and walked out the back to the range. Under the supervision of another shopkeeper she hung up a target and, once she had donned the slightly superfluous eye-protection, raised the weapon up to the ready. The trigger pull was steady up to the break and she easily kept the barrel on target as the first plasma packet went screaming downrange. It was easy to track the packet's progress - it was just this side of eye-searing - and it's impact on the target. Judging from the energy dissipation it certainly seemed to have the punch her companion was looking for. A few more follow up shots convinced her of its ease of use and relative comfort in her hands. Putting the safety back on, she thanked the attendant and went to retrieve her target.
Misato was standing there for a moment watching the last few shots. her purchase stacked on the counter out front. "You shoot funny... Here put the target back up there and come her I'll show you." She wasn't demanding it was more of advising. The Heisho helped her out turnabout is fair play.
Junko turned in surprise toward Suzume; she hadn't noticed her junior enter the range. At the same time a frown once again formed on her face. She knew that most of her personal combat experience, limited though it was, had been while armored in a Mindy but she had never noted nor been informed of any particular flaw in her abilities before. She left the target in place and grudgingly returned to the firing line.
"Well, Nito Heisho, go ahead and correct me."
"Well stand and asdress yourself to the target." Misato walked over up behind the Itto Heisho."Your stance is off, you are shotting like you are in a PA." She used her foot to kick out Junko's stance a bit befor reaching around and adjusting her grip a little. "Loosen up a bit, tensing up you'll miss quite often."
Unaccustomed to being manhandled in any context, Junko tried to let herself relax and keep the pose she had been placed in. The Nito Heisho was only trying to help, she supposed. "How is this?" she asked, trying not to sound too grumpy.
"Good good," Misato said softly next to Junko's head as she reached forward and helped guide the arms to a slightly bent position. "Remember your shooting not lifting weights." She smiled as she watched the gun get aligned. "the just breath out and squeeze the trigger."
Relaxation was thoroughly impossible; Junko stiffened without any conscious thought at the other neko's proximity. She managed, somehow, to keep the gun from twitching in her hands but despite her previous test of the trigger ended up pulling her first shot high.
"This is working well," she said through gritted teeth.
Sighing Misato reached again holding Junko's hands and helping them back on target. "Like a lover, I have been told, you keep holding it like it is a NMX parasite. Bors always muttered like a lover." She lend in closer trying to keep Junko on target.
Between the physical contact and the words Junko added a deep blush to her clenched jaw. What exactly exactly the exhortation meant, she had neither the experience nor the desire to learn. Instead, she tried to keep her aim steady and get this over as quickly as possible.
Feeling how tense Junko really was Misato did the only thing she could think of. She turned her head and whispered "Fire," right be for planting a kiss on the Heisho's cheek.
It was altogether a good thing that the GP-16 was only semi-automatic. Where the first shot when, Junko had no idea, but her finger kept the trigger depressed as the gun kept tracking way off target. Her eyes were wide as she shrank, contracting her stance as her blush deepened. Managed to relax her death grip on the pistol grip and trigger, she stood there blinking and with absolutely no clue how to react.
"No no no.. Relax not tense." Misato sighed before giving up as a lost cause. "If you can't relax here what's going to happen if a Ripper or a angry jealous wife comes after you." She had spent WAY to much time around Bors.
"Right, well, thank you." Junko was still too stunned to fully react. She only knew she was supremely uncomfortable and completely out of her depth. "I think that's enough for the moment."
"Well just grab enough range time over our R&R so you can fire it if something happens." She went back to the front and payed for the gun, a holster for it and 10 cases of rounds for the new guns she had gotten a few week before.
"Don't want to have to fire into a group of people and try to hit only one..." She forced a smile on her face as she talked. Internally she was sure that she wasn't going to hang around much longer. Everyone was trying to keep a distance from her now.
Junko followed Suzume out to the front quietly. Her blush remained but her frown did not; she was too taken aback to be angry. Indeed, she was largely numb. She supposed, still, that Suzume had only been trying to help her, but the physicality of it was not something she was equipped to handle.
"Thank you," she managed finally.
Misato just nodded as she gathered her belongings and made sure Junko had her new pistol and holster for it. "That should do you." Her voice was stiff and professional like Junko's was the first day they met, in the wardroom.
"I think maybe I should head off, I have a few things I need to take care of before dinner." She never quite looked at the Engineer as she worked her way out the front of the store.
Suzume's attitude snapped Junko out of her confusion. She took in a deep breath of air, letting go of her shock, and turned to squarely face her junior. Suzume's emotions had seemed to be all over the map since they'd met up at the hotel and Junko had been taken on a ride with them. But she it wasn't anger or upset that turned her attention toward her companion now, but rather concern. Of course, this being Junko, concern for her shipmates welfare didn't necessarily entail that a little temper couldn't come along with it.
"All right, Nito Heisho. I've had enough of dodging around this. What is the matter?"
Misato started to turn and walk off ignoring her superior before stopping mid-stride before the door. "Nothing at all... Nothing that will affect me doing my duty." She dang near spit the words out. She reached out to push the door open, to make her escape.
"Lock it up, Heisho!" Junko barked. Her eyes were blazing and locked on to the back of Suzume's head. "I'm not buying it." She pushed past her junior through the door. Outside, she stopped and turned about, falling into a sort of half parade rest with one hand point at the ground in front of her as she waited.
Train kicked in and Misato found herself standing at attention before the Heisho. though her mouth got going before her brain could shut it down. "Not your place to buy it, is it." She knew it was far from what was the right answer at the moment. She eyed Junko and started wondering if she could just walk off with out too much trouble.
"Oh?" Junko fought to keep her temper down; they were in public, so she wasn't yelling, but only because she was controlling the impulse. "Would you prefer, then, to bring this to the Shosho? Is it her place to buy it? At what point do you respect your superiors?"
"How about you Ma'am... You want to tell me about your last relationship? Or last time you were out of uniform. I respect my Superiors quite a bit. Yourself included. But am i to report to you everything happening in my non-uniformed life?" Misato stood there expecting to be hit or something. At least it would be quick and she could get on to her day of drinking and hiding.
"I am not asking you for details," Junko said with exaggerated patience. "I do not want to know the nitty gritty nuts and bolts of what you do on your own time. But you have been insisting to me that nothing is wrong. That everything is handled. That your duty wont be affected. How, exactly, am I supposed to believe that? Apparently, your emotions are in sufficient turmoil so as to preclude you from behaving politely, or even consistently, even in a context as low pressure as this. But I'm just supposed to take your word that when the pressure is on, when it really counts, that none of this will have an effect?"
She paused for a moment, drawing another deep brief. "Believe me, Nito Heisho, I would much rather leave you to handle your problems on your own. But when you refuse to even admit that there is a problem to be solved in the first place, it's rather difficult to relax in idle confidence that everything will be sorted out."
"Cause put a gun in my hand and a target before me, nothing else matters." She answered, as if that was all that mattered. "I was a grunt. Grunts are meant for fighting and dieing. Now I'm not, but I'm still a fighter, I'll lead who ever into the fires and bring them back. If the orders are to do it naked with nothing but a dinner spoon then so be it." She stood there feeling like she clearly defined herself.
"That is not your job anymore,
Heisho," Junko snapped, her eyes icy. "You no longer have the luxury of blindly following orders, of charging off into the fight. Can you still die? Yes. But your duty now is to decide who else has to die. It's your duty to take your orders and make sure the objective is accomplished. If that means you have to sit back in relative safety and send your friends in to die, then so be it. You know well enough that with some of the missions we take on, failure is not an option. The mission must come first."
Behind her back she relaxed her hands, trying to ease the tone if possible. "It's one thing to bottle up your emotions and charge into a fight. It's quite another to try to ignore them while making the tough calls, to hazard not just yourself but others. That's what makes people like the Shosho special. It's not that she's a princess or has a planet or is famous. It's that she can stare into the bleakest possible conditions and issue the orders that need to be made. I'm not asking you to be on her level; I'm not on her level. But it's your job now to try as hard as you can, and that means you can't let anything stand unattended to that might compromise you."
"So it is." She replied simply. "But I don't see how my ended relationship with Mitsuko has anything to do with that." Suzume really didn't realize that she said it even afterwards. "Quite frankly I think I have failed if I have to send others to die. It is my job to be there in front of them making sure they are well led. Not from some comfy seat on ship." She really pointed that last statement at Junko like a saber.
Torn between fury and pity, Junko could only shake her head. "You just don't get it, do you? Do you really think leadership is heading up some death charge? Do you really think the Shosho isn't being a leader when she's sitting on the bridge, taking us into a fight?"
She sighed, still shaking her head. The revelation that Suzume had broken things off with Mitsuko was surprising, and illuminating. Despite not having any experience with such things herself, Junko could well understand how that might be upsetting. But they'd moved on from that discussion now, and it was no excuse for what she'd just heard.
"Of course we want to protect our shipmates, our fellow soldiers. But that is not the job of the Star Army. We are sworn to protect the Empress and all of Yamatai. What happens if your oversight is needed at a command post but you have to send soldiers out to engage the enemy even knowing that they will die? Will you charge out and fight anyways? Will you compromise the entire mission because of your stupid pride? We're in the business of spending lives in the most efficient manner possible. If you've spent any life, including your own, in any way less than that, then you're a failure as a leader."
"then the three of us PA monkeys are screwed." She answered bluntly, there was really only three grunt aboard. "And I never said anything like that about the Shosho, It's her place. Like mine is in the dirt with a rifle. She needs to lead the ship up there and keep an eye on us on the ground. I'm lucky I'm still a mud slogger, yes with a fancy patch."
Misato stood there looking at the Heisho. "As for the command post, yeah I would stay. But sure as hell if a single member of my team is hurt I will bring every amount of fury available down on the enemy. I get I'm going to have to watch my ship mates die. Trust me i know more the most the current crew. Just look at my record." She stood straight and swallowed., "I may have pride, but my pride is in who I serve with not for my self. I have been a failure since my first mission, but my fellow mates have kept me going."
"Oh, so the crack about comfy seats was just meant to disrespect me, then?" Junko's eyes blazed for a moment before she waved the point away. "The problem is when there is nothing available. When there is no fury to bring down, no reinforcements, no time to make a rescue attempt. Pride is fine; caring about your friends and shipmates is fine. But if it gets in the way of your duty, you have a problem. If your emotions, your personal problems get in the way, you have a problem. Are you telling me that right now, you are perfectly equipped to make those calls? That you could look Murakami-Hei in the eyes and order her out to die? That you could make the hard call between saving her and somebody else, without any of this affecting your decision?"
"Yes." it was cold, it was short, it was spit out. She really fought the urge to slug her.
'how dare she ask that.' "She'll just get back to the ship sooner." Misato's stomach revolted against her and she started feeling like she was going to throw up. Every part of her was tired of the rank and the bull it brought.
"Everyone is expendable. I learned that my first day when I saw a fellow neko die in training." She looked over at the street then back at the Heisho. "So what do you want. Me to break down and cry for you? Hell, guess I do have a bit of pride, because I'll slit my throat before that will happen."
Junko gave a snort of derision at the melodramatic response. "No, Nito Heisho. I don't need you to make me your confidant. What I want is for you to be honest about your condition. If what you just said is true, then fine. Excellent. But if so, you need to get your head on straight, because you are not acting like a person who has got her personal emotions squared away. And if not, then admit you have a problem and go take care of it. I don't care what form that takes, but it certainly shouldn't involve running away. I'm not blind; I saw your reaction after the promotion ceremony."
"And per-say were they? Me trying to speak to the Taii? Wanting to catch him before he left for leave? Or the fact I was trying to come up with something nice to do for... for her?" Misato's expression took on one of mild aggression, "Or the fact I had to come back before I really got a chance to do any of that, cause some one I care about, and apparently in charge of now, went and did something childish and stupid. Something I couldn't argree with either professionally or personally."
Suzume gritted her teeth waiting for Junko to tear in to her for something Misato did to offend her after the ceremony.
The younger neko, for all of her protestations about not wanting to reveal the details of her personal life, seemed to be laying everything out in the open for Junko.
"I'm not talking about physically running away, Nito Heisho," she said, her voice almost gentle now. "You could not possibly have spoken more than a few words to Murakami-Hei after the ceremony, and there wasn't a great deal of time between when you and the Taii took her up to the Wardroom and when we met in the hotel, so you couldn't have spoken to her much more since then. It is entirely your choice about who you have a relationship with and when you call it off. But breaking things off abruptly, barely having any time to actually talk things out afterwards, and then insisting, insisting that there are no problems at all while still behaving erratically sounds an awful lot like running away to me."
"She is wrong, and i can't be around someone that can do something like what she did. It's sickening." She frowned. "And not talking to her right after the ceromony... i was afraid. I needed to know if I could stay with her, hence going to talk to the Taii. Funny how things solve themselves." she chuckle darkly. "I guess I don't have to worry about taking to him now."
"Like I said, there's nothing wrong with you deciding to end things, whatever the reason. Nor is there a problem with talking with the Taii, or not talking to Murakami-Hei," said Junko. "But there is also nothing wrong with admitting that it is affecting you. Of acknowledging that, even if you will be fine later, you're not right now. It can take time to wrap your head around some of these things that impact us emotionally."
She smiled bitterly. For her own part, she had only recently become conscious of the dysfunction that had plagued her for years, and of how she was growing and changing from that twisted, unhappy girl.
Misato nodded then shrugged. "Well it's all really doesn't matter does it. I'm just a machine designed to fight and now upgraded to lead." Her whole posture changed to one that was very stiff, as if hydraulics and wires just corrected to a proper stance. "This thing affect me because I failed to understand that a few years ago. Now as things are, it is very clear. there for it'll be easier to keep them from affecting me."
Junko almost laughed, but held it back; she rather doubted that Suzume would appreciate it. Still, the similarity to the driving concept behind her years of dysfunction was almost too much for her to handle given the context.
"Misato-Heisho, if we weren't meant to have emotions or to feel a purpose beyond just fighting, we wouldn't be able to. Period. That ability simply wouldn't have been included in the design. But we can feel those things. We're not one of the old NIWS models. If you try to deny emotions, try to convince yourself there's nothing more to your existence you'll only be doing yourself a disservice. Believe, me. I know." She didn't elaborate further but rather stared intently into Suzume's eyes, willing her to understand.
"By Your Command." She stood there trying to fathom why the Heisho would give a damn, let alone the three or four involved here. Misato was sure she would do her job and duty, just like she had all this time till now. just because she didn't realize she needed to stay hardened towards the ones around her, didn't mean she couldn't learn and apply it now.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Junko sighed. Some things could only be realized on one's own, but she devotedly hoped Suzume would get there faster than she did. For the moment, though, there really wasn't much else she could do. Though tempting, ordering the junior NCO to acknowledge her emotions probably wouldn't work.
"In any event, you either need to acknowledge that you've got some things to straighten out and get to solving them, or, if you're actually fine, you need to act like it. We may be on leave, but that doesn't excuse us from maintaining our bearing as soldiers in the Star Army. As NCOs, we have to set the example, particularly when we're around the whole crew at the party later. We've got a little more time until then for you to get squared away. Can you handle it?"
Misato though about the case of bottles she had in one of the saddle bags of that hoverbike she rented. "Oh Aye... I can."
Junko nodded. She still cherished her doubts and concerns, but those could be left alone for the time being. "Very well. I do, in fact, trust you, Nito Heisho. If you tell me point blank that you've got this handled, I'll take you at your word. But just as friendly, personal advice, please be honest with yourself at least. It's not good to put up a pretense with other people, but its even worse to deny it to yourself. I've said it before, but you have the makings of an excellent NCO. My concern truly is just that you don't let anything sabotage your future."
"I will be ready to handle dinner. As for after that I think... well I'm pretty sure at this moment I'm going to put in a transfer to a combat unit tasked with cleaning up some of the NMX worlds. The
Eucharis seems more set for discovery and exploration." She frowned not even all that sure sounding with that plan.
Frowning, Junko shrugged. "Requesting a transfer is, of course, your prerogative. The
Eucharis is one of the most prestigious billets in the whole Fleet, and I think you could do even more great things if you stay, but that is your choice. Still, there's plenty of time to think things over during leave."
'Or not...' Misato knew she could keep herself so blitzed that she wouldn't remember a single second of leave. Waking up in her bunk...
'Well I need to find somewhere else now.' would be the next real thing she would remember. "Pleanty of time." She even smiled and nodded.
"Well," Junko said, still a little unsure of Suzume's intentions, "shall we get going? I, surprisingly, enjoyed this, or at least most of it." She grinned dryly. "But unless you have anywhere else you need to go, it might be best to get back to the hotel."
"Well I'm glad..." Misato figured it was the yelling Junko like the most the rest was something barely tolerant. "I need to figure out what I'm doing after the dinner. I'm sure my room was a shared one..." She frowned a bit but picked up her bags and gestured towards the taxi.
Hefting her own bags, Junko began walking towards the taxi as well. "We're very important guests. I'm sure the hotel staff will accommodate you if there does happen to be a problem."
"There is also a random spot on the beach where one can kip out between benders and travel. I might even try to get to one of the islands out there." Misato followed Junko off towards the Taxi to the hotel. "Then again I might just go and stay aboard the ship for the time. It'll be quiet."
"I'm not sure if that's allowed," said Junko with a frown. "If its in the hands of the yard technicians, we may not be able to get on board. I'm sure there will be plenty of quiet spots you can find elsewhere."
"There might be." Misato tossed her bags in the back of the Taxi, and thanked the driver for his help. "But I guess I better get through dinner with out any problems first. Maybe still end up in a brig." She said vary sarcastically, but knew if she showed up drunk it might be a possibly. "It might be quiet there."
"It just might be." Grinning, Junko slid over to her seat.
