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RP: YSS Kaiyō Post-Mission Thirteen: Two Left Feet Join in the Dance

Soban

Convention Veteran
YSS Kaiyo II

Sacre laid on the bed in Medbay. It turned out that pushing yourself with addrealine like that was not a good idea for your health. Especially when a quarter of your tail was paralyzed. However, she had pushed herself and helped to save two fellow crewmembers. Neither of whom she knew well. The Surgury had gone smoothly enough, she would be able to regain function in her tail in a day or two. However, that left Sacre just sitting in the sickbay, bored.

Not for long, however, because the door hissed open, and there was none other than Gravity, holding something behind her back. She wore a small smile on her lips, though not her usual exhuberant beam. Her own healing had been steadily progressing, and the recent mission had brought back a sense of routine that had helped her immensely. Also, Sacre's near death experience had forced the young Neko to... reevaluate her priorities and thoughts. Just a little. That was why she was here.

"How's my favorite noodle today?" asked the pilot sweetly.

Sacre turned to see Gravity and smiled ever so slightly. She gestured at the bandages, "What does it look like? I'm clearly enjoying the onsen." She said, in her deadpan humor. "Someone said something about painting a planet on the Kaiyo's bow. You probably wouldn't know anything about that."

Gravity giggled and shrugged. "They can put it next to the universe."

That painful memory soured her features ever so slightly. She really missed Apollo. None the less, she gently sat on the edge of Sacre's bed and produced a little basket filled with pomegranates and a bottle of some weird, healing oil she'd found. She doubted it worked, but it smelled nice and the bottle itself looked cute.

"I brought you stuff." Gravity muttered, waving the bottle around for Sacre to see. She couldn't help but feel as if they were both just circling around the real topic they wanted to discuss, but were too afraid to start.

Sacre could tell that Gravity still missed the big dragon. She had seen their connection. In the weeks since leaving, she hadn't had any time to sit down and make sure that Gravity was ok. Sacre took the basket and motioned towards the seat next to the bed. "Snake oil?" She asked, taking the bottle and looking at it.

Gravity laughed and proceeded to crack open a pomegranate. "I guess? The shopkeep said it heals 'all ailments' under the skin. Sounds like bullshit, but it smells nice. I even applied some!"

Gravity held out her wrist for Sacre to smell.

Sacre sniffed Gravity's wrist, it did smell good. She nodded approvingly at the smell similar to green apples and set the bottle aside. She picked up a pomegranate and opened it. "You know, after I ascended, the first thing I ate was a pomegranate. I was starving, and it tasted just soo good."

Gravity smiled and dumped some of the seeds into a small bowl, took a handful, then offered it to Sacre.

"Same. Pomegranate seeds were the first food I'd ever had after leaving the birthing tank. My mother had some on her desk and gave them to me to get the taste of nutritional fluid out of my mouth." muttered the pilot, who took a moment to look over Sacre's tail, where it had been injured.

Sacre followed Gravity's eyes. "It's worse then it looks. Turns out my spine was cut, so we had to reseed the nerves. It will take a day or two for them to grow back." Sacre explained. "I didn't know you had a mother, I thought you were tank grown." Sacre said, trying to change the subject from her injuries. That hit too close to the realization she had during the mission. She didn't know exactly what to do with it yet. Gravity picked up on the awkward vibe pretty easily, yet decided to roll with it herself.

"W-Well, not a 'mother' per-say. She was my assigned lab technician. The very first person I saw after opening my eyes. All Neko have that experience, but most forget because the techs are instructed not to grow attached to us or show any sort of emotion before we get shipped to boot camp. But... this old woman did. She taught me how to braid my hair, told me stories about her childhood, took pictures with me to put up on her desk along with the other young girls she'd raised. It's why I don't really act like most other Neko..." Gravity mumbled, starring sadly at the floor, remembering the few short days when she was just a young girl starting a new life in a strange universe, before she was sent to fulfill her purpose as a mass-produced killing machine.

"Sounds like you have a good memories of her. I don't have a good relationship with my own parents. I suppose their back on Essia somewhere. I haven't spoken to them since before I left Essia..." Sacre trailed off, unsure of where to go with it. "Do you think you would make a good parent?" She asked, then realized that question was a bit too close as well.

Sacre shook her head, deciding to just say it. Not that she was really sure what It was. "It doesn't matter. You know, I almost died trying to save Mochi. There was a moment there, trapped between the rocks that I genuinely thought I was going to die. It didn't bother me, the pain would be over with. There was really only one thing that I wished I had done more of, be with you. You are a good friend, but I think... I think my feelings for you might be more then that."

Gravity visibly flinched in her seat, not looking at the medic. After a few long moments of silence, she slowly nodded her head.

"I... I feel the same." she responded, a little shakily. She'd never been in any sort of relationship before, so this was all new territory for her. "I had an experience like that when I got eaten by that slime monster on Ayenee, but I was too scarred to tell you."

Sacre nodded, smiling for the first time in a very long time. "I should probably warn you that I'm kinda a bitch. I'm also not sure if I'm ready for the more intimate bits of being in a relationship. Or the less intimate parts, I've never had a boyfriend or a girlfriend before. I don't know how this dance goes, and well, I don't have the legs for it." Sacre said seriously, but Gravity could hear Sacre's suble shift to humor in the last part. The pilot smirked and blew a little air out of her nose.

"Let's be real- we're both bitches in our own way. Neither of us have been in a relationship, so now we get to learn this dance..." said Gravity, ever so gently sliding her hand over Sacre's. "...Together."

Sacre took Gravity's hand, "Together." Sacre smiled, and giggled a little bit. For the first time in a long time she felt happy. More then happy, joyous peraps? There was a brief silence as Sacre wasn't sure what to say. Wasn't sure what to do. She just held on to Gravity's hand. The warmpth of the Neko flowing into her.

There were a few more seconds. "Your hand is warm." Sacre said lamely.

Gravity starred at her girlfriend- she was going to need a few days to process that- in quiet shock and confusion for several, long moments. Then, she grinned, began giggling quietly, and eventually errupted into hearty laughter, swaying backwards and laying beside the Separa'shan, unable to breathe. She laughed so hard that tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

Sacre gripped Gravity's hand and didn't let it go. With Gravity laughing, she felt herself laughing along. It wasn't that what she had said was particularly funny. It was that the joy she felt inside was forcing it's way out. She pulled Gravity onto the bed with her, scooting over so they could lay side by side. "Have you ever laid back and just looked up at the stars?" She asked.

Gravity resisted the urge to snuggle against her like a cat and simply nodded.

"Once or twice." she replied.

"When I was little, before Yamatai ever landed on Essia, there wasn't all this light you get on theese other planets. Like even on Ayenee, there were the lights of the base or the city to get in the way. You can't see the little stars. However, there wasn't anything like that on Essia. So if you could see the stars, you could see all of them. That was the problem though, seeing all the stars. The jungle would always be blocking it. It could get nearly pitch black down at the bottom at night, even if the moon was out. If it was cloudy, and raining, and there was no moon, which really was actually pretty common, you couldn't see anything at all." Sacre explained.

"However, there was this one field. It was huge, and scary. If we weren't careful, then if a predator like a hawk or something saw you, they could catch you and eat you. So everyone was scared of the clearing. However, I was always attracted to it. I don't know why. In the middle there was this rock. It wasn't that big of a rock in the scheme of things. However, under it, there was this little hole where I could curl up and be safe from the predators. I'd stick out my head just enough so that the whole sky was above me."

Sacre made a motion with her hand, gestuing as if the bulkhead above them was the sky. "I could see all of it. That's where I knew I would go someday, where I would be. It was glorious." Sacre paused thoughtfully. "That's my happyest memory. My happyest moments. Or was until today, until now. I was alone. Now I'm acheing in a sickbay, but I'm not alone and I'm happier then I've ever been."

"I haven't been alive that long, but this is... something new. It's like the first time I watched a ship soar over my head and race into the endless void, heading to worlds unknown. It's different than how I feel towards the rest of the crew. It feels... fuller." Gravity mumbled.

Sacre nodded, agreeing. She knew that Gravity and her would have to have a serious talk at some point. However, she didn't want to have that talk now. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the experiance of being in love. "So I know why I love you, why I think your attractive. Why I want to be with you. There is so much if you that I wish I was like. Your outgoing, friendly, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be a dragon who would think I'm a good person to link up with. Like you see everything in your life as this new adventure to go on. Your like this constant spark of fire. I probably wouldn't have given you the callsign Gravity, I'd probably call you firefly. Did you ever tell me how you got your callsign?" Sacre asked. The Neko glanced over at her and blushed. She didn't particularly like this story, due to the fact that it made her look really lame.

"When I first entered training, my superiors took one at my competitive, agressive nature and assumed that I would make the perfect fighter pilot," she began, brushing her thumb along Sacre's hand. She was hesitant to continue, but figured it was too late now. "...I wasn't the perfect fighter pilot. Not even close- not to say I couldn't fly one!"

She added that last part because she didn't want anyone getting the impression that there was a vehicle she couldn't fly!

"...I-It's just... fighters are so unstable in the air. They have to be to keep their maneuverability at speed. I... wobbled all over the place. I couldn't stay in formation as well as the others. I could get to point A to point B, but I consistently scored in the bottom quarter of my class during combat simulations." Gravity continued.

"But there was more to it. I couldn't stand the isolation. You have your squadron with you when you fly fighters, sure, but in reality it's just you and that ship. Too cramped, too quiet, too lonely when no one's talking on the comms." Gravity explained. "But anyways, about my callsign: I trained on atmospheric fighters in the beginning. One day, we were doing a mock dogfight- a little over a dozen fighters zipping around like flies in a jar. I didn't check my flanks, and nearly collided with another craft. So to avoid a collision, I did the first thing that came to mind: shut off the engine. I was so used to the idea of spacecraft that I forgot that atmospheric fighters can't stop in mid air. Then... gravity happened. I narrowly escaped with my life, and the name stuck."

Gravity sighed and laughed a little. She was over the humiliation by now, and took her name in stride. She looked over to Sacre and gently leaned her head on the Separa'shan's shoulder.

"...And Apollo and his whole clan love you. I told them about you while we were in Ayenee. They think you're the perfect match. A "yin" to my "yang". Someone to keep me balanced. I love you because you're everything I'm not. You're a challenge. I hate the idea of loving someone just like me. I don't want someone who agrees with me on everything and thinks just like me. Things would get boring real fast." Gravity reassured her... girlfriend? Was it too early to use that word?

Sacre laughed with Gravity at the story of her name. "Well, you have certainly captured me into your orbit." Sacre added wryly. When she put her head on her shoulder, Sacre wasn't sure what to do. Even though she knew Gravity didn't mean anything by it, she was trying to be close. Sacre tried to wrap her tail around Gravity so she could act like she was in control, but the paralyzed section of her tail didn't move. Even though this was the exact reason she was in the sickbay, it didn't help the panicy feeling starting to get over her. She was already at the edge of the bed, so she couldn't scoot over more. Running out of options, she tried nudging Gravity, but the panic inside of her made her push perhaps a bit too hard. The pilot yelped as she slid off the edge of the bed and out of sight. There was a dull thud, then silence.

Sacre reached out, trying to catch Gravity when she fell, but gravity was stronger. There was a moment when Sacre was terrified, if this ended the relationship, it would probably be the shortest relationship ever. Gravity would never like her again. She was a horrible person.

"I'm good! I'm good! Sorry, I got swept up in the moment there!" she said sheepishly as a blue hand rose to grip the mattress and pull her off the floor. She slid back into the bed with Sacre, making sure to keep a few inches between them. She looked over at Sacre and smiled. "We'll work on that."

Sacre tried to smile apologeticly, but failed. "I'm sorry, I got panicy when I couldn't move my tail and I didn't mean to push you off the bed..." She took a breath and composed herself. "I'm sorry. I've got a lot of rough edges that need sanding down." She took Gravity's hand in hers. "I do want to be able to be touched by you someday."

"...Likewise." Gravity muttered with a deep blush. She looked over at Sacre. "...Want... Want to try that again? Me putting my head against your shoulder?"

Not much, but progress had to start somewhere, right?

There were so many conflicting emotions in Sacre. She was afraid of hurting Gravity, again. She didn't even really like the thought of Gravity leaning against her like that. However, she wanted to like it. She wanted to not be broken anymore. She nodded, "Lets take it slowly and be ready to move off if I ask." Sacre said, taking a breath.

"Okay. I'm going to move slow. The moment you want me to ease off, let me know. Just try to relax and breath. I won't hurt you." Gravity instructed soothingly. Then, ever so slightly, she leaned her head sideways and pressed it lightly against Sacre's shoulder, but not on it. "Just ride the feeling through."

Sacre swollowed, the previous panic was still there. Memories flooded into her mind. Not doing something, then her masters forcing to do it anyway. Her scars ached. She gripped Gravity's hand, connecting herself to the present. She was doing it because she loved Gravity, not because she was afraid. However, she was afraid, gripped by a irrational terror that she couldn't articulate. She took a breath, feeling like she was drowning. Love, not fear. She froze, trying not to move. "I'm kinda freaking out right now." She admitted, hand tightening again on Gravity's.

"Shhh... It's okay." Gravity whispered, not moving. "See? Just leaning my head on your shoulder. I won't hurt you."

"I know you won't. I'm scared and I know it's irrational, I shouldn't be scared. However, that doesn't make it go away." Sacre said, talking about it seemed to make it a bit easier.

"I understand. It's a learned response. It's hard to get rid of those." assured the pilot. "I know its not the same, but when I was only a month old, I watched 'The Machete-Handed Mishuu'. I was so terrified of going into the woods after that, even though I knew it was just a movie. My friends at the time decided to blindfold me and leave me in the woods for a few hours to force me to get over it."

Sacre nodded, "I hope so, I truely hope so." She took a breath, trying to relax with Gravity's head against her shoulder. Gravity could probably hear her heart racing. The response had been learned over a period of time longer then Gravity's life at this point.

Sacre closed her eyes, trying to will herself to be at peace. However, the emotions and changes of the last hour were still tumbling through her head. Gravity was going to push her out of her comfort zone and that was something she loved about the Neko. Love was something she was going to have to learn how to show.
 
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