Planet Yamatai
Uesureyan Fields
It was a beautiful day and Eden had just gottn up. She had some promotions and wrist slaps to hand out later that day, but for now, she was preparing to step off the ramp of the gunship. She looked behind her to see the phoenix-winged man she had grown to know well during the lucky times that he was on the ship.
The Elysian had put a little more effort into making himself presentable than his usual messy hair and thrown-on clothes, they were going out after all. With a bit of a groan, Sein leaned far over to one side, holding his arms straight above his head as his back made a satisfying 'crack'. Their shoes rang against the hardened metal of the Kaiyo's boarding ramp, the Juni grinning - it was good to go on a bit of an excursion once in a while.
"Where was it we were off to again, Eden-shosa? I pulled another all nighter so it maaaay have slipped my mind." He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his golden locks in embarassment.
Wearing a smile and a fluttering heart-adorned sundress, the tall Nekovalkyrja looked to the Elysian over her shoulder and said, "An Ori-Mart. We have a surprise to order for a crew member. He's been wanting, well, i won't bother with the details, now. But we'll be specal ordering some things. Do you mind the excursion?"
Mochi shook his head vigorously, he couldn't feel anything further from inconvenienced. "Not at all! I've been meaning to get some new parts to start tinkering with something new, I forgot to bring what I had from Elysia after we... Uh.. Bolted." He shrugged a fraction in his olive-green hoodie, the Star Army Hinomaru emblazoned on the back, a pair of dark jeans clutching his legs. "Ore-Ore.." The scientist snickered to himself in Yamataian, apparently amused by how close it sounded to "Ori".
Eden patted him on the shoulder, "Happy to have you alive and well after you 'bolted'. Do you want to take PAINT or a private hovercar?"
The notoriously scatterbrained soldier blinked a few times blankly, not quite befitting of his supposed intelligence. "Whichever you think's best I guess, you know where we're going." He tried to make it sound like an informed decision but for the life of him he couldn't remember what PAINT stood for. Too much time floating around different places and buried in his lab. Mochi nodded, a moment of emotion hitting him as Eden spoke, "I'm glad we're both back here with the Kaiyo and safe, this was always the place I felt most secure and happy."
"I don't enjoy public transport, hovercar it is," Eden said, telepathically reuqesting one as she stood there, eyes looking into the distance momentarily. "We have only to wait half a minute for one. How are your," Eden asked in the interim, "er..."
This time, the doctor could read into what was being asked. "Well, I've been on Prestige for a while, which I probably shouldn't be at my rank.." He began, raising his head to gaze at the other hovercars that zipped by. "I have a little left in my account, most of it I blew on researching the Neo though. I should be fine." Mochi reassured her, smiling pleasantly, "That's a nice dress by the way, I'm not sure I've seen that one before - did you pick it up here?"
"Thinking of your growing family," Eden said. "But thankfully Yamatai cares for its citizens to a degree where you don't have to wo—" Eden realized the comment about her apparel had gone over her head as she worried over finances. Tlilting her head down, she hid a smile. "I was actually given it. Saki and I may not see eachother," Eden said, phrasing it lightly, "much. But that doesn't mean we don't find ways to send each other little reminders..."
"That's really cute, I'm glad to hear it." Mochi grinned, pleased at his friend's happiness. He tapped his thigh a few times in thought about Eden's comment on his family as the hovercar arrived. "You're right.. I'm not very good at planning, I'm going to have to sit down with Arbs one of these days.." The father-to-be muttered, waving down the driver. Popping open the door, he held it open for Eden, a little smirk as he spoke "Ma'am?"
Eden nodded politely, "Thank you, Sir." She got into the hovercar and said, "Nearest Ori-Mart, please. Yes," she redirected her statement to Seinosuke Iemochi, "You should probably do some kind of planning, but I don't see it as especially necessary. I wouldn't have asked if we were any less close. I know I spent everything I had to my name on litle kimono for Kikyō. She grew out of them so fast!" Eden gave a light shake of her hime-cut haired head. "Saki wanted a Minkan that grew up slowly, a white picket fence, the works..." she said. "It's good to talk about it. I still think we might do that, after the war's close, of course."
"Mhm, it's good to talk about these things-" The emerald-eyed man agreed totally, breaking off for a momen as he slipped into his own seat, closing the heavy door with a electronic 'click'. "You've done very well as a mum, Eden, I know Arbs will look up to you when ours come along." The image of Arbs flailing as Eden stood over trying to help brought a smile to his face. "The war, huh. If the Kaiyo is sent home for repairs or something, I guess I'll have to finally confront my blood family. I can't go on like that with children to look after, I'd be an awful dad if I did." These were some tough topics to get off his chest, but Eden was one of the few people in the universe he trusted with his life. "I think you and Saki would be very happy either way, you're a lovely couple. A cottage and barn, no doubt, mhm?"
"A barn, yes. I heard there are 'hoar-zes' on some planets. I have never seen one though. I just know they are a necessity in this future possibility." Eden gave a small laugh but was unwilling to let the tough topics slide away. "Your family," she said telepathically, "is worth your attention, since you are worth so much to them. Do you want me to ask around and find information for you to help in your survival? I know," Eden hesitated, "they are powerful people. Not at powerful as us, though."
That struck a chord on some level, the fact that his friend was willing to go to such lengths flared a flurry of emotions inside him. It had always been him and Arbs against the world, he hadn't dared think anyone else would face such a influential enemy beside them. "A-Are you sure?" Sein began telepathically, then something made him drop the topic, he had to give Eden more time to think on it. "Ahem, I.. Think it's spelled h-o-r-s-e? I might have looked at them as a candidate for some of my genes at some point. Big noses, or was it antlers?" Mochi changed the subject, trying to stop the lump in his throat from persisting, perhaps overcompensating with his pleasant expression.
Letting him not stew in anxiety for a second longer, Eden's hand fell to Mochi's knee and squeezed it reassuringly before returning to her own leg. She had no words to say, just a feeling of comfort to send him telepathically as she made note to look into it quietly for him before Havok Festival in the next few days.
"Horse," she said the word after her hand had found its proper place on her own knee. "Horse it is, I hope they don't have antlers. They would be a little too similar to the Elefirn for my taste if that were the case. It seems they're a slave race to the Kuvexians, we faced them before meeting our counterparts oh so long ago and a smal scout ship has dealt with them, along with Nepleslian forces, on ther homeworld, no less. If you could find more information on their race, just don't worry about their pheromones too much. That's a can of worms," Eden said, nearly laughing, "that I'm sure you would be great at opening!" Staying on topic, she said, "Love Day just wasn't the same without you, this year..."
Mochi swallowed as Eden retracted her hand, appreciating the gesture. There was a reason she was dubbed the 'mother' of the ship, after all, she had a kind, caring heart. "Hmm, a new race?" The biologist cast his mind back, not managing to recall such an event - it must have been during his reassignment. "That sounds right up my alley! Time for L'Kor discovery mark two!" Seinosuke grinned, pushing their last topic aside from his thoughts. "Maybe I could visit their homeworld and survey them in the future.."
"Love Day, huh? I was thinking about that a while ago, most of the couples on the Kaiyo started that day - you and Saki, Arbs and I." He leaned back, running a finger down the seam of the middle seat beside him. "It's funny how little accidents can bring so much joy, huh? It's a strange old world, so many threads running together and interwining. I could have mailed you the rest of that pheromone if you'd asked." He grinned mischeviously, giving her a knowing wink.
"Oh, Heavens!" Eden said, looking overly surprised. "I-I would..."
Just then, they arrived and the driver interrupted her, "Ori-Mart, your destination."
Eden's expression had changed to a smile complimented by her sparkling gilded eyes as she got out of the hovercar and lent a hand to Sein.
Her travelling companion took her hand, needing it to make sure he didn't clip his wings on the roof of the car on the way out. "Thanks, I can pay, you can get the trip back?" Mochi offered to Eden, glancing to the driver. Without allowing her to protest, he leaned towards the open window. "Here, deduct it from this credit chip please." The Juni passed it over, the driver quickly keying in the correct amount, which Mochi watched intensely.
"Have a good day shopping you two, I love seeing couples going on days out. Looking great you two." The Yamataian pulled off, having handed the chip back, leaving a slightly awkward air in his wake. Mochi couldn't help but chuckle, despite his best efforts to the contrary, slipping the chip back into his pocket.
"What did that driver say?" Eden asked quickly, looking between Iemochi and the heavy crowds of Kyoto.
"Well he uh," Mochi couldn't help but chuckle a few more times. "He thought.. Never mind, it's silly. He had the wrong idea." Sein did his best to stifle his amusement from the misunderstanding. The rabble of passers by bustled and weaved through each other like so many worker ants, the two Kaiyoōcrew members some of the very few stationary figures in the writhing mass of people.
"I find a lot of people have the wrong ideas, just in general," Eden said without thinking. "Let's find this Ori-Mart," she added, taking a few steps forward and avoiding the other pedestrians. She led them though the steets to a nearby building with he OI logo for Origin Industries.
Walking through the doors, Eden approached a salesperson and asked, "How would I go about ordering custom weaponry?"
"That would be done by giving us the specifications on the bottom floor for the weaponry you would like to order," said the sales representative.
Eden, realizing something, said, "I completely forgot to get the specs..."
"Well," began the sales rep but Eden spoke out.
"I'll come back with the man that wants to order these. It will be less of a surprise, but at least he will get what he wants. Thank you for your help."
"Please feel free to browse our selecton," said the rep.
"Of course," Eden replied.
Finally done asking about the custom order, Eden looked to the man that had been silent for the most part during the exchange with the sales rep. "Since I'll be wanting to go to Dawn Station, I guess we're done here. Is there something you would like here?"
Having wandered a few meters from the gold-eyed Eden as she discussed the order, Sein had been scoping out the various contraptions and items on offer nearby. While there was quite the array of weaponry, he was looking for something more practical or unique. A small cylinder had caught his eye, the tag stating that it was some sort of telekinetic handheld device. Another was a personal shield generator, definitely something he would want to buy given his current predicament.
However, he was unsure he could splash out too much, especially given their talk in the car. "Hmm, I might take this uhm- Magic Hand? I don't know how useful it is for a lab environment but it might save me getting up every five minutes to find something, if that's something it can do that is." It was a fair sum of money against what he currently could spend, though against what he had spent on his research it was a drop in the ocean. He really needed to take himself off Prestige.
"Okay, it's on me," Eden said with an assuring smile. She asked the sales associate to bring the product down from the shelf and Eden told Sein, "Try it out!"
"On you? I couldn't possibly, if you insist I'll have to pay you back." He was surprised by the gesture, pleasantly so, as the item was taken from its stand and offered to him. The scientist wrapped his hand around the cylinder's handle, testing the feel of the buttons and weight as he held it up. Before the clerk could explain how it worked, Mochi had already got the display screen on and changed it from its impact mode to manipulation.
The poor store attendant only just managed to point out he could try it on another display item of ammo. Giving it one last look over, the warrant officer tugged on the Hand's switches, a glow forming on its tip as the ammo just began to float a few inches from its display.
"Woah," Eden said excitedly. "You have to get that..."
Mochi ever so carefully let the object down once more, powering off the device with a small humming noise. "You know, I think I will at that." He grinned, already scheming of different ways he could use the tech. "Where are we off to once we check out, by the way?" Sein queried, wondering if there was anywhere else the elegant Eden wanted to visit before they returned aboard.
"I am chalking this up to a success, despite not being able to get my enlisted his weaponry. I'll be needing to head to Dawn Station with him tomorrow or the next day, so I would like to rest for that trip," Eden said while they checked out. "Perhaps we can catch a nice dinner at The Silver Pan and head back to the ship afterwards?"
The Elysian looked on as his item was bagged up, switching his emerald occulars to the First Officer. "Awesome, sounds like a plan! It's been a while since I've eaten out." The CSO winked, seeming geniunely excited to have a good meal and a long discussion with his long-time friend. Perhaps they could talk about what had transpired during their time apart and reminisce about old times.
Eden giggled, "Same..." She walked from the store and held her own hands in front of herself, taking long strides as she enjoyed the Summery day in Kyoto beside the scientist. Her golden eyes followed a pair of children as they made their own path through the crowd in order to get a view of the Ketsurui River. Their diminutive hands gripped the red railings that protected them and each of their eyes glittered with joy as they looked on at the water before their caretaker caught up to them. Eden's eyes strayed from them once they were safeguarded by the pair of hands of their caretaker on each of their shoulders, to Seinosuke Iemochi.
"Soon," Eden said as she saw Sein had caught her gaze. "You will be galloping after trotting young ones."
Mochi cracked a hopeful smile, a light in his expression that was deeply paternal as he spotted the curious duo. The warming sun shed its rays upon the shimmering river that wended and wound its way through the city, tiny paper boats and lanterns floating lazily atop its uneven surface. "I'm sure by the end they will outrun me, hobbling with a stick to hold my weight." Sein cast his mind forwards, picturing a day far on the horizon where his beautiful children would fly the nest and become whatever they want to be.
"They say that when you raise children, a part of yourself is always with them." The scientist recited wistfully as the youngsters were shooed by the viewing point, disappearing off into the milling crowds. "I can't say I've had much experience with that.. But I hope it's true." He blinked a few times as they went out of sight, returning his attention to Eden as the two walked together like the comrades they were. "Maybe one day your children and mine might join the Star Army, meet each other without even knowing, hmm?"
"I used to think that was my dream," Eden said as she looked above the heads of the crowd. "To make soldiers. Now that I've tried my hand at that, I don't know if that is what my real purpose is, that perhaps that is just the Empire's purpose."
There was a few moments of companionable silence as the two thought on the future, the lowered murmuring of the crowd ambient around them. Mochi slipped his hands gently into the pockets of his hoodie, casting his gaze up to the clouds as they bounced and swayed far overhead. "They say to look outside and not within when searching for purpose, I wonder how accurate that is. I know my purpose is to protect Arbs and our children, perhaps yours is closer than you'd think?"
Eden broke a smile, "Perhaps it is to protect you." She looked to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, "So that you may protect them."
The expecting father nodded, a warm bubbly feeling swirling inside him, remembering just how much Eden, Hoshi and the others had done for him. If he had a people, these were them. Sein laid his own hand on hers, patting a few times thankfully before returning it to his side. He couldn't find theright words for her, instead finishing with a smirk, "You have a kind heart, Eden. We can protect everyone.. I like that."
Uesureyan Fields
It was a beautiful day and Eden had just gottn up. She had some promotions and wrist slaps to hand out later that day, but for now, she was preparing to step off the ramp of the gunship. She looked behind her to see the phoenix-winged man she had grown to know well during the lucky times that he was on the ship.
The Elysian had put a little more effort into making himself presentable than his usual messy hair and thrown-on clothes, they were going out after all. With a bit of a groan, Sein leaned far over to one side, holding his arms straight above his head as his back made a satisfying 'crack'. Their shoes rang against the hardened metal of the Kaiyo's boarding ramp, the Juni grinning - it was good to go on a bit of an excursion once in a while.
"Where was it we were off to again, Eden-shosa? I pulled another all nighter so it maaaay have slipped my mind." He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his golden locks in embarassment.
Wearing a smile and a fluttering heart-adorned sundress, the tall Nekovalkyrja looked to the Elysian over her shoulder and said, "An Ori-Mart. We have a surprise to order for a crew member. He's been wanting, well, i won't bother with the details, now. But we'll be specal ordering some things. Do you mind the excursion?"
Mochi shook his head vigorously, he couldn't feel anything further from inconvenienced. "Not at all! I've been meaning to get some new parts to start tinkering with something new, I forgot to bring what I had from Elysia after we... Uh.. Bolted." He shrugged a fraction in his olive-green hoodie, the Star Army Hinomaru emblazoned on the back, a pair of dark jeans clutching his legs. "Ore-Ore.." The scientist snickered to himself in Yamataian, apparently amused by how close it sounded to "Ori".
Eden patted him on the shoulder, "Happy to have you alive and well after you 'bolted'. Do you want to take PAINT or a private hovercar?"
The notoriously scatterbrained soldier blinked a few times blankly, not quite befitting of his supposed intelligence. "Whichever you think's best I guess, you know where we're going." He tried to make it sound like an informed decision but for the life of him he couldn't remember what PAINT stood for. Too much time floating around different places and buried in his lab. Mochi nodded, a moment of emotion hitting him as Eden spoke, "I'm glad we're both back here with the Kaiyo and safe, this was always the place I felt most secure and happy."
"I don't enjoy public transport, hovercar it is," Eden said, telepathically reuqesting one as she stood there, eyes looking into the distance momentarily. "We have only to wait half a minute for one. How are your," Eden asked in the interim, "er..."
This time, the doctor could read into what was being asked. "Well, I've been on Prestige for a while, which I probably shouldn't be at my rank.." He began, raising his head to gaze at the other hovercars that zipped by. "I have a little left in my account, most of it I blew on researching the Neo though. I should be fine." Mochi reassured her, smiling pleasantly, "That's a nice dress by the way, I'm not sure I've seen that one before - did you pick it up here?"
"Thinking of your growing family," Eden said. "But thankfully Yamatai cares for its citizens to a degree where you don't have to wo—" Eden realized the comment about her apparel had gone over her head as she worried over finances. Tlilting her head down, she hid a smile. "I was actually given it. Saki and I may not see eachother," Eden said, phrasing it lightly, "much. But that doesn't mean we don't find ways to send each other little reminders..."
"That's really cute, I'm glad to hear it." Mochi grinned, pleased at his friend's happiness. He tapped his thigh a few times in thought about Eden's comment on his family as the hovercar arrived. "You're right.. I'm not very good at planning, I'm going to have to sit down with Arbs one of these days.." The father-to-be muttered, waving down the driver. Popping open the door, he held it open for Eden, a little smirk as he spoke "Ma'am?"
Eden nodded politely, "Thank you, Sir." She got into the hovercar and said, "Nearest Ori-Mart, please. Yes," she redirected her statement to Seinosuke Iemochi, "You should probably do some kind of planning, but I don't see it as especially necessary. I wouldn't have asked if we were any less close. I know I spent everything I had to my name on litle kimono for Kikyō. She grew out of them so fast!" Eden gave a light shake of her hime-cut haired head. "Saki wanted a Minkan that grew up slowly, a white picket fence, the works..." she said. "It's good to talk about it. I still think we might do that, after the war's close, of course."
"Mhm, it's good to talk about these things-" The emerald-eyed man agreed totally, breaking off for a momen as he slipped into his own seat, closing the heavy door with a electronic 'click'. "You've done very well as a mum, Eden, I know Arbs will look up to you when ours come along." The image of Arbs flailing as Eden stood over trying to help brought a smile to his face. "The war, huh. If the Kaiyo is sent home for repairs or something, I guess I'll have to finally confront my blood family. I can't go on like that with children to look after, I'd be an awful dad if I did." These were some tough topics to get off his chest, but Eden was one of the few people in the universe he trusted with his life. "I think you and Saki would be very happy either way, you're a lovely couple. A cottage and barn, no doubt, mhm?"
"A barn, yes. I heard there are 'hoar-zes' on some planets. I have never seen one though. I just know they are a necessity in this future possibility." Eden gave a small laugh but was unwilling to let the tough topics slide away. "Your family," she said telepathically, "is worth your attention, since you are worth so much to them. Do you want me to ask around and find information for you to help in your survival? I know," Eden hesitated, "they are powerful people. Not at powerful as us, though."
That struck a chord on some level, the fact that his friend was willing to go to such lengths flared a flurry of emotions inside him. It had always been him and Arbs against the world, he hadn't dared think anyone else would face such a influential enemy beside them. "A-Are you sure?" Sein began telepathically, then something made him drop the topic, he had to give Eden more time to think on it. "Ahem, I.. Think it's spelled h-o-r-s-e? I might have looked at them as a candidate for some of my genes at some point. Big noses, or was it antlers?" Mochi changed the subject, trying to stop the lump in his throat from persisting, perhaps overcompensating with his pleasant expression.
Letting him not stew in anxiety for a second longer, Eden's hand fell to Mochi's knee and squeezed it reassuringly before returning to her own leg. She had no words to say, just a feeling of comfort to send him telepathically as she made note to look into it quietly for him before Havok Festival in the next few days.
"Horse," she said the word after her hand had found its proper place on her own knee. "Horse it is, I hope they don't have antlers. They would be a little too similar to the Elefirn for my taste if that were the case. It seems they're a slave race to the Kuvexians, we faced them before meeting our counterparts oh so long ago and a smal scout ship has dealt with them, along with Nepleslian forces, on ther homeworld, no less. If you could find more information on their race, just don't worry about their pheromones too much. That's a can of worms," Eden said, nearly laughing, "that I'm sure you would be great at opening!" Staying on topic, she said, "Love Day just wasn't the same without you, this year..."
Mochi swallowed as Eden retracted her hand, appreciating the gesture. There was a reason she was dubbed the 'mother' of the ship, after all, she had a kind, caring heart. "Hmm, a new race?" The biologist cast his mind back, not managing to recall such an event - it must have been during his reassignment. "That sounds right up my alley! Time for L'Kor discovery mark two!" Seinosuke grinned, pushing their last topic aside from his thoughts. "Maybe I could visit their homeworld and survey them in the future.."
"Love Day, huh? I was thinking about that a while ago, most of the couples on the Kaiyo started that day - you and Saki, Arbs and I." He leaned back, running a finger down the seam of the middle seat beside him. "It's funny how little accidents can bring so much joy, huh? It's a strange old world, so many threads running together and interwining. I could have mailed you the rest of that pheromone if you'd asked." He grinned mischeviously, giving her a knowing wink.
"Oh, Heavens!" Eden said, looking overly surprised. "I-I would..."
Just then, they arrived and the driver interrupted her, "Ori-Mart, your destination."
Eden's expression had changed to a smile complimented by her sparkling gilded eyes as she got out of the hovercar and lent a hand to Sein.
Her travelling companion took her hand, needing it to make sure he didn't clip his wings on the roof of the car on the way out. "Thanks, I can pay, you can get the trip back?" Mochi offered to Eden, glancing to the driver. Without allowing her to protest, he leaned towards the open window. "Here, deduct it from this credit chip please." The Juni passed it over, the driver quickly keying in the correct amount, which Mochi watched intensely.
"Have a good day shopping you two, I love seeing couples going on days out. Looking great you two." The Yamataian pulled off, having handed the chip back, leaving a slightly awkward air in his wake. Mochi couldn't help but chuckle, despite his best efforts to the contrary, slipping the chip back into his pocket.
"What did that driver say?" Eden asked quickly, looking between Iemochi and the heavy crowds of Kyoto.
"Well he uh," Mochi couldn't help but chuckle a few more times. "He thought.. Never mind, it's silly. He had the wrong idea." Sein did his best to stifle his amusement from the misunderstanding. The rabble of passers by bustled and weaved through each other like so many worker ants, the two Kaiyoōcrew members some of the very few stationary figures in the writhing mass of people.
"I find a lot of people have the wrong ideas, just in general," Eden said without thinking. "Let's find this Ori-Mart," she added, taking a few steps forward and avoiding the other pedestrians. She led them though the steets to a nearby building with he OI logo for Origin Industries.
Walking through the doors, Eden approached a salesperson and asked, "How would I go about ordering custom weaponry?"
"That would be done by giving us the specifications on the bottom floor for the weaponry you would like to order," said the sales representative.
Eden, realizing something, said, "I completely forgot to get the specs..."
"Well," began the sales rep but Eden spoke out.
"I'll come back with the man that wants to order these. It will be less of a surprise, but at least he will get what he wants. Thank you for your help."
"Please feel free to browse our selecton," said the rep.
"Of course," Eden replied.
Finally done asking about the custom order, Eden looked to the man that had been silent for the most part during the exchange with the sales rep. "Since I'll be wanting to go to Dawn Station, I guess we're done here. Is there something you would like here?"
Having wandered a few meters from the gold-eyed Eden as she discussed the order, Sein had been scoping out the various contraptions and items on offer nearby. While there was quite the array of weaponry, he was looking for something more practical or unique. A small cylinder had caught his eye, the tag stating that it was some sort of telekinetic handheld device. Another was a personal shield generator, definitely something he would want to buy given his current predicament.
However, he was unsure he could splash out too much, especially given their talk in the car. "Hmm, I might take this uhm- Magic Hand? I don't know how useful it is for a lab environment but it might save me getting up every five minutes to find something, if that's something it can do that is." It was a fair sum of money against what he currently could spend, though against what he had spent on his research it was a drop in the ocean. He really needed to take himself off Prestige.
"Okay, it's on me," Eden said with an assuring smile. She asked the sales associate to bring the product down from the shelf and Eden told Sein, "Try it out!"
"On you? I couldn't possibly, if you insist I'll have to pay you back." He was surprised by the gesture, pleasantly so, as the item was taken from its stand and offered to him. The scientist wrapped his hand around the cylinder's handle, testing the feel of the buttons and weight as he held it up. Before the clerk could explain how it worked, Mochi had already got the display screen on and changed it from its impact mode to manipulation.
The poor store attendant only just managed to point out he could try it on another display item of ammo. Giving it one last look over, the warrant officer tugged on the Hand's switches, a glow forming on its tip as the ammo just began to float a few inches from its display.
"Woah," Eden said excitedly. "You have to get that..."
Mochi ever so carefully let the object down once more, powering off the device with a small humming noise. "You know, I think I will at that." He grinned, already scheming of different ways he could use the tech. "Where are we off to once we check out, by the way?" Sein queried, wondering if there was anywhere else the elegant Eden wanted to visit before they returned aboard.
"I am chalking this up to a success, despite not being able to get my enlisted his weaponry. I'll be needing to head to Dawn Station with him tomorrow or the next day, so I would like to rest for that trip," Eden said while they checked out. "Perhaps we can catch a nice dinner at The Silver Pan and head back to the ship afterwards?"
The Elysian looked on as his item was bagged up, switching his emerald occulars to the First Officer. "Awesome, sounds like a plan! It's been a while since I've eaten out." The CSO winked, seeming geniunely excited to have a good meal and a long discussion with his long-time friend. Perhaps they could talk about what had transpired during their time apart and reminisce about old times.
Eden giggled, "Same..." She walked from the store and held her own hands in front of herself, taking long strides as she enjoyed the Summery day in Kyoto beside the scientist. Her golden eyes followed a pair of children as they made their own path through the crowd in order to get a view of the Ketsurui River. Their diminutive hands gripped the red railings that protected them and each of their eyes glittered with joy as they looked on at the water before their caretaker caught up to them. Eden's eyes strayed from them once they were safeguarded by the pair of hands of their caretaker on each of their shoulders, to Seinosuke Iemochi.
"Soon," Eden said as she saw Sein had caught her gaze. "You will be galloping after trotting young ones."
Mochi cracked a hopeful smile, a light in his expression that was deeply paternal as he spotted the curious duo. The warming sun shed its rays upon the shimmering river that wended and wound its way through the city, tiny paper boats and lanterns floating lazily atop its uneven surface. "I'm sure by the end they will outrun me, hobbling with a stick to hold my weight." Sein cast his mind forwards, picturing a day far on the horizon where his beautiful children would fly the nest and become whatever they want to be.
"They say that when you raise children, a part of yourself is always with them." The scientist recited wistfully as the youngsters were shooed by the viewing point, disappearing off into the milling crowds. "I can't say I've had much experience with that.. But I hope it's true." He blinked a few times as they went out of sight, returning his attention to Eden as the two walked together like the comrades they were. "Maybe one day your children and mine might join the Star Army, meet each other without even knowing, hmm?"
"I used to think that was my dream," Eden said as she looked above the heads of the crowd. "To make soldiers. Now that I've tried my hand at that, I don't know if that is what my real purpose is, that perhaps that is just the Empire's purpose."
There was a few moments of companionable silence as the two thought on the future, the lowered murmuring of the crowd ambient around them. Mochi slipped his hands gently into the pockets of his hoodie, casting his gaze up to the clouds as they bounced and swayed far overhead. "They say to look outside and not within when searching for purpose, I wonder how accurate that is. I know my purpose is to protect Arbs and our children, perhaps yours is closer than you'd think?"
Eden broke a smile, "Perhaps it is to protect you." She looked to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, "So that you may protect them."
The expecting father nodded, a warm bubbly feeling swirling inside him, remembering just how much Eden, Hoshi and the others had done for him. If he had a people, these were them. Sein laid his own hand on hers, patting a few times thankfully before returning it to his side. He couldn't find theright words for her, instead finishing with a smirk, "You have a kind heart, Eden. We can protect everyone.. I like that."
