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

Cabin 6

Sienna quizzically raised an eyebrow at Chieko's comment, clearly not sure what the Minkan was getting at, and as was made clear by the puzzled, sideways look on her face, not sure how she was supposed to respond either. "Uh... what kind of job were you supposed to do?" she inquired hesitantly. "I mean, I didn't exactly demand a contract when I came aboard." She eyed Chieko's packed belongings, wishing her cabinmate would hurry up and get out the door already, so she could make her quiet exit without being stopped by anyone.

Of course, it was at that moment that the cabin chime sounded, and Sienna had to consciously fight to hold her exasperated sigh hostage. She should have left as soon as she was ready, rather than waiting for everyone to clear out. Now she'd missed her window. Although she was mildly miffed, she stood up with an entirely nonchalant presence, and leaned over to lightly slap the door call button with her fingertips without taking a step. She had already nearly lowered her hind end back onto the bottom bunk when the door whooshed open, revealing the white-haired Natsumi, and Sienna felt her chest tighten slightly.

"Hey," she greeted the Neko indifferently, reclining back onto her palms again. "What's up?"

Cabin 6

"Hey!" Natsumi grinned at her friend. "We're home on Yamatai!" she said, waving her arms. "Thought I could show you the sights!" she grinned at Sienna. "We don't get to come here much, so should be lots of fun."

Cabin 6

"I suppose that doesn't matter now," Chieko smirked as Sienna grabbed the door. Seeing Natsumi enter made her smile; but the offer given to the Nepleslian sounded like a good idea. "You should take the offer," the scientist grinned, "If not for the fancy dresses, then for the food."

"Is the Shoushou still in the wardroom?" She asked the Neko at the door.

Cabin 6

"She was still there when I left" Natsumi replied to Chieko. "I guess she might still be" the neko added with a shrug.

Wardroom

"Thank you ma'am," Takeyu said with a smile. "It'll be an interesting experience, I just hope the Taisho's confidence is well placed. What about you ma'am? I know you had been thinking a bit on what you were going to do, so I'm interested to know what is on your mind," the Taii looked rather concerned as he said this, it was a curiosity of his and part of that was because he worried about what might happen to the ship.

Wardroom

Hanako was slightly frustrated. "Takeyu, I have already said what is on my mind," she told him. "I do not have much more to say right now. Although even though I am considering if I should 'settle down' to a new place, having Eucharis sitting here on the planet fills me with an urge to get back her out there in space where I can make a difference. One could say I have mixed feelings that are difficult for me to express. Goodbye, Takeyu."

After exchanging bows with Takeyu, she descended the carpeted red stairs into the crew lounge and went to see Sienna in Cabin 6 and was surprised to find Chieko and Natsumi were already inside.

"Good morning," she greeted them all. "Sienna, I have been meaning to speak with you about finding a new place to live. As a military ship, we are not an ideal home for you and I cannot continue to host you while we go into danger. I was wondering if you would like to join the Star Army. Your technical background would make it easy to get a technician occupation."

Cabin 6

"Thanks, I should... Shoushou!" Chieko paused as Hanako arrived, bowing with the address. Seeing whom the ship captain was there to address, however, she was quick to move out of the way. For as long as she would need to wait, the scientist was thankful she wouldn't have to go far for the next item on her list.

Cabin 6

The way Natsumi referred to Yamatai as "home" as if it were an all-inclusive term made Sienna's head tilt slightly, and the simultaneous urges to grin and roll her eyes thankfully sort of cancelled one another out, leaving her expression vague and unreadable. Chieko's insistence that she take Natsumi up on her offer compounded the problem, however; she was now both figuratively and quite literally trapped on the matter. She feigned a smile for Natsumi and gave her a slight, noncomittal shrug of her shoulders. "Sure, I guess," she replied. "Just remind me not to try to keep up with a Neko again, if drinking's what you got in mind." Though she accented her second phrase with a humorous smirk, her itch to simply stop responding to the seemingly unending string of pointless chit-chat and walk away was starting to grow. It was strange, now that she thought about it; she didn't so much as blink at lying to anyone else, but for some reason, hiding her intentions from Natsumi made her feel weird and unsettled. Even without Natsumi there making her exit that much more difficult, if she stayed cornered like this for much longer, someone was likely to get curious about the dodgy answers she was giving.

Hanako's sudden appearance made Sienna's jaw tighten, and she had to consciously calm herself before she felt like she was going to hyperventilate. Was the entire crew planning to pile up at the door now, suddenly intent on making conversation with her, after they had been content to let her avoid them for so long? Why did they suddenly care so much? In her mind's eye, she envisioned herself simply shoving through the growing gathering of people standing around her and making a sprint for the door, but she had more sense than that. At least for now.

The Shosho's offer caught her by surprise, and it showed. For a very brief instant, after it sunk in, the idea of having a clear purpose was at least slightly appealing to her, as was the prospect of a steady income and never wondering where her next meal would come from. It didn't take long for reality to set in, however, and in less than two seconds she realized she was grinning, not out of excitement, but rather at the absurd hilarity of the proposal. She was no soldier, and she was especially no patriot. While she knew herself well enough to know that she was certainly not above many an ignoble feat if she could benefit from it, her recent experiences aboard the Eucharis had made one thing clear to her: she was entirely unwilling to die for a cause she didn't believe in. Aside from that, she felt that she was ill-suited to a lifestyle that demanded conformity and blind obedience to another. Sure, part of her was flattered, maybe even a little honored that Hanako would even think to ask her. But although the princess-admiral obviously thought she was doing Sienna a favor, the very idea was laughable. She did, however, hit very close to the mark in stating that the warship was an unsuitable home for her.

"Yeah, I'd have to give that some thought," Sienna replied, still leaning back on the heels of her palms, although her fingers were now clenching fistfuls of the bed sheets and slowly fidding with the wrinkles impatiently. "But thanks for the offer," she continued as courteously as she was able, although still lacking true sincerity.

Cabin 6

Hanako nodded to Sienna, returning the smile. "For now, you are a civilian, so we will have to leave you. After you are packed, I will give you a ride to the civilian side of the Kyoto, or to a spaceport if you like." The Shosho was sweet and polite, but it was also clear that what she was doing was kicking Sienna off the Eucharis. The unpolished technician had, solely by way of time passing rather than her manners, worn out her welcome on the sleek military ship. Perhaps the Eucharis plucking her from the squalid dome city on Urtullan was the best thing that ever happened to her, but it was only a moment in her life and the moment was over. It was time for both Sienna and the ship to move and and continue their journeys.

The Shosho then looked to the soldiers in the room. "We will be staying until we can get a passable new crew and then we will depart. I am not sure how long it will take." They could see Hanako was ready to leave because she had her blue wool cap in her hand. Nekovalkyrja tended to notice details easily.

Cabin 6

Although there was no obvious outward sign of it, on the inside Sienna was sighing in relief. It seemed Hanako wanted her off the ship, and it wasn't something that the young Nepleslian woman was going to even pretend to argue with. "Suits me," she replied with a shrug, and rose from the bed to her full height above the other three Yamataians, adjusting the straps on her backpack. She did, however, avoid direct eye contact with Natsumi. "I'm already packed and ready."

Landing Ramp

The heavy and dismal rainfall made a terrific racket, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere despite the wide open terrain.

Santo Hei Tsuguka Toyoe strode through the small eddies with her head held high regardless, making the effort to walk outward from the personnel unit and then make a ninety-degree turn parallel to the Eucharis, rather than simply walking diagonally across. The type 32 overcoat was officially water proof, as was the NH-33 series Nekovalkyria body, so doctrine and formality simply took precedence in her mind.

Halting into a perfect form of attention despite the duffel bag digging into her left shoulder, Tsuguka then remained just left of the open cargo bay doors, completely stationary and statuesque if it were not for her braided hair loops whipping around in the air behind her. If the sharp eyed, devil-skinned soldier realized Nitô Hei Victory was there at all, she made no acknowledgement, simply starring straight ahead blankly. One could only assume she was waiting for some kind of delegation to exit with the ranking officers, so she could formally ask to be allowed on board.

Internally... Well, she had to admit it looked a lot better back at the training camp, when ten or twenty soldiers lined the deck at the same time. But embarrassment be damned, this was Shosho Hanako's YSS Eucharis, she was going to make a good first impression.

Landing Ramp

Dressed in a blue working uniform with a supply orange panel over her generous bust, Victory was quick to saunter down the ship's cargo ramp to see the red neko standing outside. She had creamy looking skin, big brown eyes, and hair the color of Natarian pine trees."At ease, and good morning" she greeted Toyoe, before launching a long burst of social talk. "Hey there! I am Victory Kuroki, Nito Hei. I manage the Eucharis's cargo bay and fly shuttles. Come out of the rain. The captain will probably be down here shortly. This is a good time to come aboard; we are going through a crew rotation and there are open beds for the first time in a long while. We got another neko coming today too. Though I heard she's a squid girl. What do you think about that? Have you had lunch yet?"

Landing Ramp

As if reality timed it right, said squid girl arrived, trudging through the rain and wind. One hand raised to keep her YSE cap on her head, and the other down to keep her pleated skirt from flapping all over the place. Though she was also wearing the same water proof duty coat, she was far less unencumbered by the weather as the red skinned neko that arrived before her, wet hair splattered all over her face and leaves and bits of foliage sticking to her leggings and gloves. A ruck sack strapped tightly to her back.

Looking up, Hisoka got Victory in a bit of a glare, while also making something of a salute while keeping her hat from flying away. "Jôtô Hei Squid girl requesting permission to get out of this damned weather, ma'am!" She asked over the wind.

Tsuguka just looked confused and narrowed her eyes for a second, wracking her brain for the correct method to proceed. She was apparently outranked by both of the nekos present, and so, fortunately for them, saved her look of disapproval at their lack of formality for later.

"I will advance to be recognized." She finally answered, ad-libing a response that sounded as correct as she could manage. "In regards to former NMX officers, I am afraid I am not qualified to make a correct assessment, ma'am. Lunch was salt plums and rice with green tea, ma'am. I will proceed immediately."

Only after the statement was finished did she make her way onto the deck, and then demonstrated how to make an 'ease' stance look as formal and uncomfortably rigid as possible. "Its... It's an honor to be aboard, ma'am."

Cabin 6

Chieko understood what Hanako was getting at with the military offer, then the request to disembark. It was always taught to her that one never requested a guest to leave; however the Eucharis was a military vessel and was not the best place for a civilian - the incident on the 'Dreamworld' was an example of that. Thankfully, Sienna understood well, despite how unfortunate it was that she had to leave.

The scientist then noticed the cap in the captain's hand and smoothly donned her own. Quickly coming to attention and gave a smart salute to the commanding officer. "Shoushou, I have received orders for transfer," the academic began, "I would like to thank you for the time and experience I have had here, as well as your patient leadership."

Cabin 6

"I wish you the best of luck on your journeys," Hanako said, returning the salute and then giving Chieko a pat on the shoulder. "I am planning on going into town for lunch and shopping, and to drop off Sienna. Would you like to come with us? Two new crew members just arrived and I plan to take them as well after they claim a bunk. I've arranged for a rental van like the last time we were here," the teal-haired ship captain proposed.

Cargo Ramp

Victory frowned for a moment before returning to normal. "Welcome to the Eucharis to you as well. Allow me to guide you to your cabin so you can set your bags down." Victory gestured for the neko new arrivals to follow her into the cargo bay. The Eucharis' cargo bay was two desk high with crane equipment on the ceiling and catwalks running along the sides. At the back end was a giant doorway leading to a fabrication and there were a number of shipping containers present that held most of the ship's inventory in them.

Cargo Bay

Hisoka brushed the debris off her legs after entering the Hanger. "Forgive my earlier attitude, trudging through this weather doesn't make one's mood very bright." She said as popped her hat off a brushed her shoes clean with it, before tapping said cap on her sole and then replacing it.

Cargo Bay

Tsuguka gave a short appreciative nod, then followed Victory closely. Her eyes then made a quick sweep of the cargo area, and then sharply back to Hisoka, as if coming to a sudden astounding realization. Her disapproval of the discarded leaves was pretty clear from her body language.

"Excuse the intrusive question, ma'am..." Taking off her own hat and folding it neatly below one arm, her face took on a rather conflicted expression. "Is your rank actually that of Jôtô Hei, or was that... 'cultured humor'?" The way she said it could easily have been a veiled insult, but nobody bows in apology right after being that snide. "No offense intended, ma'am."

"I-Infact, forget I asked." Her voice stuttered, and she turned away to try and end the conversation before it began. "If room five is free, that number is my preference."

Cargo Bay

Hisoka raised an eyebrow at the Red neko. "My rank when I served my former masters was that of Elite. Which when converted to Yamataian ranks makes me enlisted rank four." She stated as she rolled her head and rubbed her neck, pulling some on the long silver hair braid she has wrapped around it. "And I make it a point not to be 'jokey' around superior officers. Where I last worked that's an easy way to get served a dinner to our shock troops."

Cargo Bay

"I see, Joto Hei. It would be an honor to fight alongside you." She didn't pause to look back, still rather more occupied with following Victory, and examining the interior of the ship. Her apprehension to something as simple as dirt probably made more sense when one considered that if she was Santo Hei, this must have been her first assignment, and it was to a craft in the history books none the less. Unless she was so uptight she got demoted. Or killed someone over a spilled pudding, I guess. Looking at that wolfish face, it was a little hard to be sure. "I dislike inefficiency, and I find it rather efficient that you chose to lend us your skills after defecting, if I may say so. So I hold no ill will."

She took a long, hard look at the cargo elevator as they approached it. Her ears twitched sporadically. Clearly, she was wondering if they counted as cargo.

"I can help you tidy up your appearance in future." Tsuguka bluntly added, still paying more attention to the ship as they traversed it. "In return for your services as a sparing partner, perhaps. I think that is a fair trade."

No bow of apology this time, but she said you could hit her... So I guess that counts as breaking the ice?...