RP: YSS Eucharis [Post-Mission 21] Kyoto Blues

Restaurant Table

"I was not anything less back then," Hanako frowned for a moment before getting distracted by the arrival of Natsumi and Sienna, which brought a smile to her face. "Ah! Sienna, you made it!" Hanako waved across the restaurant as she spotted the recently-arrived pair by the entrance. Looking back to Tsuguka, the Shosho simply commanded, "be seated." That was the end of it. "In any case, the Splorfin system is a good candidate for a mission. Are there additional suggestions or questions regarding other star systems? I would like us to discover some other options before we decide."

Restaurant Entrance

Sienna was relatively easy to spot in the restaurant, standing nearly a full head taller than most others in the establishment. She pursed her lips and offered a tight little smile across the room in response to Hanako's waving, coupled with one lift of her chin to acknowledge her, but her shoulders fell slightly when she noticed that by all appearances, the entire new crew of the Eucharis was present. On the one hand, it could potentially make it easier for her to remain unnoticed and unbothered, but she wasn't very confident that it would be very likely.

On Natsumi's heels, the slender young Nepleslian woman weaved through the chairs and tables to the far side of the restaurant where the military crew was seated in a private alcove, her hands still firmly clasped around her backpack straps as if she was concerned it might fall off and vanish if she did not remain focused and aware of it at all times. She reached the table right behind her snowy-haired friend, but didn't offer anything in the way of a greeting to anyone present, instead simply electing to pull out an empty seat a few places down from Hanako, close to the corner, her back to the wall and with a clear view to the front entrance. Shooing away a stray lock of her auburn hair that had fallen over her eye with a toss of her head, she gracelessly dropped her backpack at her feet and shoved it under the table, but hooked one of its straps around her ankle as she sat down, leaning back in her chair in a reclined posture that wasn't quite what one would call uncouth, but certainly less than ladylike.

She surveyed the others gathered about, noting the crisp, vibrantly colored uniforms and rigid, formal postures, from the red-faced one in particular. And there she was in stark contrast, almost an affront to their veneer, dressed in dull earth tones, work boots, her short-ish hair finger-brushed in a loose, casual style, and a time-worn canvas backpack stuffed with everything she owned. She didn't recognize more than one or two faces; of course, it didn't matter at that point. She was never going to see any of them again after today, at least if she could help it. But the Shosho's hospitality was still on the table, so to speak, so here she was.

Restaurant

Natsumi smiled as she spotted the others, waving to them and leading Sienna to the table. As Sienna was seating herself she took note of a lot of new faces there, the new crew replacements had arrived. She was sad so many of her long time shipmates were gone, but meeting new people was always exciting.

The white haired neko settled into the chair next to Sienna and made herself comfortable. She noted one of the new people was in a Nepleslian uniform. That was new.

"Hi" she waved at Antonia, then picked up the menue sitting in front of her and flipping it open. "Ohh this all looks good" she commented to Sienna.

Restaurant

Aikiko watched the newcomers join the group at the table. She reached up and pushed her hair back behind her with one hand. She glanced at Tony to see how she would react to having another Nepleslian at the table. But this one was without uniform and looked like a vagabond, but looking a lot cleaner and neater. She wondered what purpose this Nepleslian woman was doing here. Letting her mind come up with all sorts of possibilities, Akiko remained silent taking in the details and actions of the newcomer.

She gave the Nekovalkyrja a quick glance, which turned into a brief stare as she was very unique and stood out from the others she had seen.

Relaxing back in her seat as Aikiko lifted her beverage to take a drink, letting her eyes roam again from her spot at the table. She pushed her empty plate, except for the silverware and used napkin, aside so that the waitress could take it away without interfering with the activity at the table.

Restaurant

Doing as she was told, the regretful Neko just planted herself back into her chair, unamused by the added fact her boots seemed to have remained wet from the second stint of waiting around outside for the day. It felt like she was doing everything by the book, and still falling at every hurdle. Tsuguka wondered if the other new recruits thought she was acting in such a way because she enjoyed it. She wasn't.

The advance of the two older crew members into the area was a welcome diversion. The hard-edged and practical-looking Nepelsian woman wasn't on the manifesto that she had read, leading her to believe it might be some kind of friend to the crew. She didn't feel like the information was worth piping up again over. The battle-hardened NH-33 Joto Hei accompanying her... Well, she was pretty, snowy haired, and had an outwardly cheery, exuberant demeanor. This girl wasn't going to try and be all nice to her was she? Despite the difference of species and the outfits involved, she actually felt like she could empathize with the Nepelsian more than half the people at the table.

She just hoped the tall, rugged woman was joining the crew and not leaving.

Restaurant table

Sitting there as the two new people joined the table, Tony looked up and smiled. It was interesting to see a civy here in the center of the Yamatain empire, though with a shrug she took a sip of her beer with a light raise of it toward Senna before returning to the conversation at hand.

"How about somewhere to the far southeast... Past certain doom?"

Restaurant

Mitsuko tensed up as Hanako announced the new arrival, making a face at her food. The expression was gone by the time she looked up to confirm what she'd heard. The Neko smiled at Natsumi, though, pleased to see one of her closer friends from the Eucharis. Especially now, with the table mostly occupied by unfamiliar faces. It was strange that so many of the others weren't joining them, but they had probably just rushed off to enjoy the leave and been too far out, or too busy, to come back when the captain called. She'd have to ask Suzume what she'd been up to, once they got back.

Catching up to the conversation, she looked at the giant display again. "I don't know...we haven't had much luck with planets that were supposed to be mostly NMX-free before. Should we tempt fate again?" Murakami shook her head at the thought, before adjusting her glasses. "I'm sure we could find plenty of things to help with right here on Yamatai. A tour of the inner planets...um, making appearances...might be good for morale, too." She blushed, remembering the grand welcome they'd received right before that fateful promotion ceremony.

Restaurant

Hanako tiltered her head in thought for a moment before providing her answer to Antonia."With systems that we know nothing about, the only practical, available mission is one of exploration. The area in the deep galactic southeast would need exploring before we could decide what to be doing down there. When it comes to exploration of previously unvisited systems, we should work out way outwards from Yamatai to avoid leaving something passed over; therefore, if we go exploring we should chart a closer area. Additionally, Star Army ships are not normally allowed to leave the 'box' that contains the Kikyo Sector, although special permission could be granted. The furthest to the galactic South that I ever went was to the Veridian system, where we encountered evidence of Jaa'tah remnants and the large, lost fleet that Emperor Uesu commands. It is also probable that there are more Mishhuvurthyar systems out there to the South, requiring a reconnaissance in force."

Restaurant

Aikiko listened politely to Mitsuko and Hanako. Then she spoke softly, "excuse me." She gave a slight bow of respect to the others at the table after she stood up.

Aikiko hurried from the table, heading to the lady's wc. En-route, she paused next to a waitress, whispered as she pointed at Tsuguka. Both smiled at each other as Aikiko resumed her journey.

The waitress went to the buffet table and fixed a plate of food. She carried it to the table and sat the full plate of food before Tsuguka along with a pair of chopsticks and silverware, thus allowing Tsuguka the choice of eating utensils.

Natsumi was skimming through her menue now, mulling over oh so many options of yummy things to eat. She was tempted to go all out, her neko matabolism could easily deal with the extra intake, but she did not want to pig out at a nice sit down meal with her shipmates and friends.

The neko made her choices, ordering sushi, teryaki chicken and some soda to drink.

"Are we deciding where to go next?" She asked. "Maybe somewhere we can work the guns some more" she smiled, having finally had a chance to fire the ships guns in a training mission she wanted to fire them some more, well a lot more.

Restaurant

Leaning back casually in her chair, Sienna folded her arms across her chest, looking around at what everyone else was eating. Some of the meals looked weird and unappealing to her, but then she spotted Hanako's plate of little fried-looking bits of meat that looked like chicken, and it looked appetizing enough, so she took the easy decision to just have whatever she was having. She felt like she needed a stiff drink at that point too, but the relatively fresh memories of her recent hangover made her second-guess herself; as much as she felt like the numbing effects of alcohol would be a boon to her right then, the mere thought of its taste made her stomach roll over. She hoped that was temporary.

As she scanned the restaurant to find where the buffet line was, she happened to notice the mousey Mitsuko sitting across and down the table from her. Still reclined in her seat, she held her gaze on the logistics officer for a few moments until she caught her eye, then gave her a tight-lipped, smug little smirk, nudging her chin forward in a slight upside-down nod of greeting. To anyone else who happened to notice, it would appear that the Nepleslian was simply giving an apathetic greeting to someone she happened to make eye contact with. But to Mitsuko, the jeering look in Sienna's eyes made it was quite obvious that she was baiting, even taunting her with her mere presence.

Restaurant

"From a national security point of view, it's lucky that you did discover such NMX hideouts, Joto Hei Murakami." From anybody else the point of observation could have come across as a sarcastic insult, but to avoid lecturing a superior so soon after sticking her foot in it herself, Tsuguka put effort into making her voice softer and more patient... In other words, she halted her speech in thought so much, that she sounded too much like a pre-recorded message to be offensive. "This is only my humble observation, but it is better for us to bump into them out there, than here at home, comrade."

"As for Cadet Stark's suggestion... Well, my apologies, but personally, I prefer to fight with a full stomach and a full magazine."

The stack of Gyoza dumplings on her plate was steadily declining, but all the salted beef was making her question the wisdom of it. Well, she made her bed, now she'd lie in it. Waste was waste.

Out of nowhere, a waitress suddenly piled up more food infront of her. Some of the glazed chicken, rice, boiled vegetables. Tsuguka was completely blindsided, but found the time to thank her, just the same.

Who would do such a thing? She glanced left and right, her ears twitching agitatedly, but could not spot the perpetrator. Either it was Akiashiro, who was the only person not at the table, or it was somebody completely sinister and unseen. Would an enemy spy attempt such an obvious ruse? Was she even important enough to be poisoned? It could be a warning to those who might suggest going to Splorfin was a good idea... Yes, terror tactics would be good at demoralizing the crew in this specific scenario.

Her larger than average eyebrows arced inwards, as the reddish thing closed her eyes and shrugged deeply. No, such speculation was stupid. She wasn't important enough for such an advanced plot. Creating bio-weapons that worked on the NH-33 body was expensive. The Shosho would be the preferred target.

Still sulking, she just prepared to tackle both plates at once, and put a piece of chicken into her mouth. It was really rather good.

Restaurant

Aikiko returned to the table, refreshed and hair neatly brushed out. She took her seat as she saw Tsuguka determined to finish both plates of food. She smiled softly, her eyes glittering in the ambient light of the alcove.

She focused on the situation around her, taking note that her glass had been refilled with her choice of beverage. She grabbed it and took a drink.

Restaurant

Mitsuko clenched her jaw, eyes narrowing slightly, but she didn't take the bait. She had her orders, after all. Instead, she tried to focus on Tsuguka as she spoke, giving her own opinion. She shook her head. "We'll see how you feel about that..." She'd been tossed into it as soon as she joined the Eucharis, but hopefully the red-skinned Neko - and the other new recruits - would have a bit more time to settle in before running into a Ripper. "I'm glad your training went so well, Yamashiro-Hei." She managed another smile for Natsumi, honestly glad someone had had such a good time during all of that.

Restaurant

"Without being melodramatic, Murakami-Hei..." Tsuguka cut her chicken with surgical precision, but then left it hanging in the air on her fork, too rigidly polite to let herself eat it whilst talking. "I would feel rather pointless here without enemy contact. That is the folly of asking infantry personnel their opinions, but it is also honestly how I feel."

She chewed the piece of chicken quickly but methodically. The next piece she cut was exactly the same size, exactly the same shape. Sombre eyes regarded the remaining food on the pair of plates, thinking about the fragment of a conversation that her and the mousey neko had a short while ago. She gave a fleeting glance to Akiashiro, and could only think of a saying an old instructor had taught her. 'If all you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail.'

"Don't worry, it's my primary concern to serve and protect the crew." Toyoe made an ill-constructed smile all of a sudden, pretty obviously trying to avoid looking like some gung-ho psychopath. "I do not enjoy violence."

Considering her origins, she wasn't exactly sure of how true that last part was. But duty would always come first.

The newer of the two plates was now completely clear. She raised it up towards Murakami, as if allowing her to inspect it. "New experience has been completed. Thank you for the additional sustenance." The logistics officer was telling her to try new things, after all. "I will mentally catalog my findings for future reference."

Restaurant

"Tsuguka," the Shosho interjected. "If Nekovalkyrja were not meant to enjoy life outside of their job occupation, they would not not be given off-duty time, pay, free will, or a clitoris. I certainly would not have transferred my mind into a Nekovalkyrja body if it lacked any of those things," Hanako commented. "What I mean is that being soldiers does not preclude us from being people, or women for that matter. Our occupations can be enjoyable, but so can life in general. We are deliberately built as more than weapons. That said, I appreciate your diligence and devotion to duty. It is likely to serve you well at the promotion board."

Looking over the surprisingly quiet other crew members, Hanako decided it was time to move on. "If there are no further suggestions, Tsuguka's suggestion of checking on the Splorfin system seems to be the best option for the next mission," she noted, waiting to see if any other last-minute ideas bubbled up.

Restaurant

Aikiko couldn't help but give a soft giggle at the Shosho words about enjoying life. She smiled as she spoke up. "I think the Splorfin System sounds like an ideal spot to explore. Even though the Galactic South has it has promise of getting reacquainted with the Poku Saeruo Degonjo."

She gave a soft smile of remembrance of the encounter with them. At first it was a lot of posturing and threats over some ruined ship. A few ship to ship shots were fired and then letting them have the salvage as it came apparent they was just another semi-peaceful race trying to survive the harsh realities after the Mish swepted through the sector.

Aikiko blinked as she took a refreshing drink. She was getting restless from being in one place to long. She placed her empty glass back on the table as she looked over the rest of the crew. It seamed from her point of view that Mitsuko would be better off in some spaceport logistic center.

Restaurant

Sitting there quietly eating and drinking her beer, she was taking a sip of said beer when Hanako started on her explanation of the good things about nekos, Antonia Stark nearly spit her beer out at the mention of the clitoris. She only stopped herself by slapping her hand over her mouth. Swallowing she nodded at the idea of the Splorfin system. "Sounds like a good plan."

Restaurant

Tsuguka just blinked and arced her neck in a confused motion, then slowly nodded in agreement as Hanako finished talking. It was a pretty logical argument.

Too bad she'd accidentally spent most of it with her empty plate still raised, showing the Shosho how she'd finished her dinner like a good girl.

Restaurant:

Aikiko was getting ready to speak when she saw the man from the Mining Consortium . Her eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter as her eyes followed the sharply dressed man. Her comment that she was getting ready to whisper to Tony was completely forgotten….

:Flashblack :
:: Hici'Emi II :: Mining Consortium Mine 57::

Aikiko stood on the ledge of the big gaping tiered hole in the ground, looking down in the sparsely lit open pit mine. The soft rumble of straining engines of the big ore haulers looking like big yellowish bugs with glowing eyes that lit their path as they crawled up the curving switch-back road up to the ore separators and smelting plants that lined the edge of the pit. Every once in awhile a agonizing screech of metal on ore laden rock from the big bucket loaders as their bucket bit into the ore laden rubble to load the big ore haulers. The big klieg lights lit the working area in spots about the open pit mine on various levels where a lot of localized activity was taking place.

She reached up and moved the windblown hair from the front of her face to the back to get it out of her face. Her eyes darted over the scene before her. She was planning her next setting of explosives to rip loose the ore filled rocks from their resting place. She enjoyed the soft caress of the wind on her legs and the gentle softness of the skirt. Ears twitch at the soft sounds of gravel crunching under the tires of a vehicle as her shadow sprung forth as the headlights swept across her back.

Aikiko turned from the view of the open mine pit to face the newcomer and their vehicle. She recognized the vehicle as she stood there barely back lit from the lights below. Just a dark silhouette against the dimly lit horizon as she stood there waiting for the occupant of the vehicle to exit.

She was soon rewards for her patience as the door open to allow the driver to exit. The interior of the car’s light came on, reviling the man, who waved at her to get in the vehicle with him. Hesitating for a brief second, she moved to towards the vehicle as he waited for her to approach, walking through the headlights.

“Damn. I expected to meet elsewhere else, miss!” He spoke as she opened the passenger door and slide in.

“Yeah, digression is wise at this time. It is close to where I need to be.” Aikiko left the door open to catch the slight breeze blowing through the vehicles open doors. “You have what I need?” Aikiko looked at him with expectation.

“Aren’t they treating you well in the pits?” The pale non-descript man asked as he looked over her physique that the dress failed to hide. He licked his lips in the dry slightly dusty air.

“They treat me fine as expected for being employed by them.” Aikiko spoke, relaxing back against the cool seat of the fast warming car to the surrounding nighttime temperature. “You bring what I asked for?” She glanced at him as he shut his door to keep the cool air blowing from the vehicle’s air conditioner.

“Yes.” He simply said turning to face her more directly, reaching out to play with her hair. “But it’s going to cost you,” his eyes roaming over her clothed physique.
Aikiko looked at him. “I’ve the money you requested.” Reaching into the purse she carried. She cringed a bit when he placed her hand on her thigh.

“I think the price will be something different as I know living in the shantytown. Extra money is hard to come by.” He inched his hand higher up her thigh as he spoke. “I didn’t think you would be as pretty as you are.”

She could use the money for better things, but once the word got out about her being easy for getting stuff. She would be plagued by other men who took less care of themselves than this desk jockey.

“We came to agreement on the cost before we agreed to meet. You’re breaking your word?” Aikiko looked at him, studying him to see which way he would jump. “Once the word got out about you being a deal breaker, you’ll be back living on your pittance of pay and living back here in Shantytown.”

He glared at her. “You wouldn’t dare!” He growled at her, noticing that she still kept her door open. “Shut the door. I don’t want anyone seeing me hand the package over to you.”
She simply busted out the light, plunging the car’s interior into darkness. “Better?” She smiled at him. But the smile was wasted on him as his eyes were still adjusting to the sudden change of light.

He grumbled harshly for a few minutes on how he was going to explain this to the Company mechanics and so forth on up the ladder for turning in a damaged company car.

Aikiko said nothing, letting him stew for a few more minutes. She spoke softly, just loud enough to be heard when she got tired of his whining. “At least I didn’t tear out your throat or break your arm. Quit playing around and get the dang package!” her voice taking on a meaner tone.

“Ok, ok,” as he reached under his seat and pulled out the big mailing envelope and watch it disappear from his hand. “Wha?!” Looking over at an empty spot and the door swinging shut with a soft thud against the door frame, he yelled in frustration, as he put the car in gear.

He swung the car around, kicking up gravel and flicking his lights to high-beam in order to catch her to see where she was going. He spotted her moving across the ground away from the road. He gave chase, driving the car that wasn’t designed for cross-country after her. His eyes widen at the pace she was running at. He gunned the vehicle as it bounced and rattled after her, wincing as the rocks hit the undercarriage of the vehicle. It was making him madder as he had to slow a bit or tear the car apart.

He watched her jump a few feet and realized it was a drainage ditch she had jumped over when the car took a nose dive into it. Metal crumpled and the engine died when the vehicle came to a sudden stop in an explosion of dust

Aikiko looked back, slowing down to a walk, after the headlights disappeared. Seeing the tail end of the car sticking up in the air, she smiled warmly as she looked away and continued on her way across the dark open ground, back to Shantytown. She still had the money and now the information that could help her or not. This was better than sending him over the edge of the open mine pit. None to notice the situation till someone used the road she had chosen to use as a meeting place. Or the Company went looking for the car. But then they would be coming after him, not her or would they?