club24
Everything Is Magical
YSS Kaiyō II
Cabins
18日 8月 YE 39
0830 Hours
Shasse had finished unpacking the small amount of belongings she had with her which consisted mostly of clothing anyway and looked around the room she would now be living in for quite some time. Brushing her hair to the side and showing off the crimson tears Shasse flung herself onto the bed and stretched out, "First thing I have to do is figure out my way around this place, I wonder if Miles is around, he is supposed to be bunking in this room as well from memory with his younger brother, what was his name?"
Walter had come back from the Galley to grab a fruit to eat; he chose a red apple. He munched on the red apple, deep in his deep, deep, deep thoughts. Walter was so distracted that he had been sort of meandering throughout the ship, despite how he wanted to get back to his cabin. He had quite a few ideas in his mind, like stories, self-realization, analysis of those around him... That sort of thing. The sound of Walter's footsteps reverberated off the walls, making them easy to hear.
Hearing the sounds of footsteps, Shasse's ears twitched and she turned her head to the doorway, walking out into the hall she had a big goofy grin on her face as she knew first impressions were everything. "Hello there-" Doing a quick scan of his uniform and appearance she knew he must be an engineer and from memory he was Walter Hyde. "-I want to say, Hyde-hei?" Keeping the smile the whole time Shasse approached him.
The engineer towered over Shasse, looking at her with an expression of indifference. "That is my name, yes." If there was one thing Walter can admit to himself, is that this Neko looks very wild, and that is from looks alone. "You are new here, correct?", he asked, his half-lidded eyes looking down at her.
"That's right just got here, so what are you up to? I could use some help to find my way around if you have the time." Shasse said excitedly in her slightly higher pitched voice, she hoped he'd be able to help her otherwise it could take her some time and a few times getting lost before she figured it out. Grabbing a hair lackey she tied it back into a simple pony tail and brushed the few remaining strands behind her ears.
Walter shrugged, looking as indifferent as ever. "Me? Nothing better to do, as usual.", he said, shrugging off the desire to write philosophy and story ideas. "I suppose I can be of service to you after all." He motioned Shasse to come with him, letting a soft smile form. "Come, I will try and be your thorough guide for the day." Walter began walking down the hall, hands in his pockets.
"Yay, thank you!" Shasse did a little clap before stretching her arms above her head with a little yawn. "Sorry I'm still a bit tired from the trip here, now, where to first?" Shasse asked looking up at Walter with her head to one side and an inquisitive look on her face. She knew that the ship was not the biggest by far but to her it felt massive anyway and she was glad for the company.
She only got a nod from Walter. "As you probably know, this is the fourth deck. This is the area where most of the crew resides, as well as the Fabrication Room, the Medical Bay, and some of Engineering.", he began. "Just for clarification, Engineering is a big room, and obviously the Shosa does not reside on this floor.", Walter clarified. Upon seeing a flight of stairs, he paused to ask, "Did you tell me your name...?"
"No I don't think I did, I'm Shasse Emiko but you can call me Shay, or Emi, or whatever you find easiest!" She replied as her head swiveled to look at the different rooms they passed taking in locations and names. "You work in engineering correct? I just assumed you must from your uniform." Shasse asked, poking her head into another cabin to see that it was identical to her own.
Aside from some some belongings here and there, the crew cabins were exactly the same as hers. "That I do, I conduct routine maintenance, analyze structural integrity, manage the supply units, and all sorts of tasks. However I get pulled out to do infantry work... Apparently they don't have enough people to throw at a wall to fix their problems." Walter displayed a degree of dissatisfaction that he made quite obvious. "Think of fixing the ship as my career, and killing the enemy as a job.", he said with the wave of his hand. The engineer climbed down the stairs. "Right this way to Deck Five, please!"
Shasse hurried down the stairs after him trying to keep herself from tripping. "Well I'm here to fill the infantry ranks so maybe you won't have to go and fight anymore if I take your place, or is there still not enough of us?" She asked as she walked on behind the tall Minkan smiling like a school-boy on a field-trip "And what do we have on this deck my rather tall new friend?"
Walter chuckled, "The thought is appreciated, Shay, but I think they just want me to fight on the field for the sake of it... Anyways, here on the Fifth Deck," he continued as they arrived in Deck 5, "is a deck that we only go to for two reasons: for leaving ship on the approaching hour of our mission, or to get some food. It is here we have the Shuttle and Power Armor Bays, storage for cargo, the Armory, the Wardroom, and the Galley. You will probably like this area more, but I can't vouch for your feelings.", he said with a calm, happy demeanor.
"I'm sure it will be great, I do need to make sure they got my load-out right later as well, as for food I'm starving maybe at the end of this tour we could finish it off with some lunch." Shasse spoke thoughtfully and put a hand on her chin as if contemplating something, her tail flicking around aimlessly before stopping suddenly. "Wait doesn't Miles' bro Miko work in the galley? I haven't met him yet but Miles told me about him during training."
"Hm? You know Miles as well?" One can say that this is a small world after all... Who would have known?, he thought to himself. Getting back to the topic at hand, "Mikodimus does work as one of our cooks, yes. I haven't met him myself, although from what I have seen he is a upfront, charming fellow. Judging from how he gets along with people, of course." He turns around, and presumes walking to the nearest set of stairs. "Come on, I promised you a tour, not a in-depth description of your dreamy cook.", Walter teased Shasse, his look of complacency betraying the glint of mischief.
Shasse's blue skin took on a rather deep shade of red as her eyes widened in embarrassment. "Teasing a girl on her first day, shame on you sir." She said with her sly grin returning. "Besides who's not to say I don't have a thing for you instead my big tall Minkan?" Sliding up next to him and wrapping herself around his arm while putting on her best in-love act. "You must get awfully lonely working down in the engineering area by yourself, maybe I can help you with that." Shasse laughed as she released his arm and gave him a soft punch.
Walter didn't react to her cute charade. He looked down at the Neko, his smile growing just a little bigger. "Fun fact; if I'm teasing you, it means I'm interested in you. I have a thing for colorful personas." He shrugged, continuing on his way to the stairs. "Wasn't even hard to figure out that you'd get flustered from that joke, but..." He turned his head to his cute friend, and said, "I applaud you for being so forward with those feelings of yours!" With some swagger, Walter Hyde climbs the stairs. "Next up, Deck 3!"
Shasse was stunned into silence, this man had just beat her at her own game, not only that but she now had no idea if he was being serious or not. "Yeah, deck 3 sounds good." She managed to say with strange look on her face, did he actually like her? Could she actually have something for him? Her thoughts swirled as she continued to follow Walter through the ship.
Her guide covered his true feelings, putting the facade of a calm, complacent crew-mate. They arrive onto Deck 3 after some time climbing stairs. "This area of the ship isn't as busy as the other floors, but this is generally where the more ship-focused crew lingers about. You have the Bridge, the Suites, the baths, and the main bulk of Engineering, all on this deck.", Walter explained briefly. "The baths are very nice, too; Onsen-style. I would definitely recommend a trip there after one of those long, distasteful days."
"That does sound rather inviting, and you said the suites are here I assume they are for officers and the captain?" Shasse had managed to regain some of her original bouncy personality as she listened to what Walter was saying and looking where he pointed. She followed along behind him and couldn't help but wonder what thoughts ran through this man's mind, usually people were slightly put off by her appearance with the crimson eyes and the tears. Putting a finger to her face and tracing where she knew the tear-drops were imprinted on her, the only other person she'd met who hadn't cared about her interesting appearance was Miles, the shy Minkan medical student that she had become friends with while in training. "You mentioned earlier you knew Miles. What is he like on the ship? I only saw him during training and he was super shy and by the books."
"Actually, they're also for select VIP guests, too. Though yes, the captain and her officers do sleep on this floor. Now, as for Miles..." Walter turned to look at Shassa again, friendly as ever. "From that alone, you can say he hasn't changed much. Shy, respectful, seemed to desire conservative interactions. Though, it didn't take much for us to grow onto each other, I think." The Minkan chuckled, and moved on. "Let's get a move on, Shay. We still have two decks left to see." With that, Walter made a left, and made the first steps on another flight of stairs.
"Coming Walter!" She exclaimed hurrying after him eager to continue the tour, knowing that Miles hadn't changed much was comforting but she also felt slightly annoyed at him as she had told him he needed to work on his social skills more, with this in mind she made a mental note to speak to him about it at some point. "So my illustrious guide, where are we off to now?"
The engineer, deep, deep, deep down, groaned at her use of the word "illustrious". He didn't do anything noteworthy yet, after all. After a moment, they arrive at Deck 2. "This is Deck 2, obviously. We have the Virtual Reality Room, Life Support, the Dojo, the Monitoring Room, and the MEGAMI core housing room.", Walter began. "Most of the time, members of the infantry come up here to train and practice, and you get the occasional technician here to make sure that the ship still has a brain, and some air to spare for the rest of us. The Monitoring Room is barely used, since it is considered a back-up bridge, essentially." Walter suddenly had a question for Shasse, but... Perhaps the Observation Deck would be a good spot to pop that question.
"Train here huh? Sounds like this is one of my go-to decks then, does that mean you also do training since you get sent into battle with the rest of us?" Shasse looked around at the various rooms taking note of where they were for later reference, flicking a few strands of hair back that had come loose again she went over the decks in her mind and what rooms were on each. Deck 5 had the PA bay, Galley, Storage, Armory and Wardroom. Deck 4 had the crew quarters, Med-bay, fabrication room and some Engineering. Deck 3 had Suites, Baths, Bridge and the main Engineering area and Deck 2 had VR, Dojo, Life support, Monitoring and the MEGAMI core housing. "So what is on Deck 1 then, it seems like we've already covered everything that would be on a ship, although in saying that you know the ship not me." Shasse looked towards the floor playing with a strand of her hair as she realized she must sound silly making assumptions about things she didn't have any knowledge on.
Hm... I could use some training, but it is hard to tell if I need it or not. I suppose the next mission will determine that, Walter thought to himself. Instead of answering that, Walter said, "No, that isn't everything. There's still more than one room within the confines of Deck 1, after all. Come." The engineer gestured his tourist up the last set of stairs. Hm... Nah, this ship doesn't need a elevator. That's just lazy design.
Shasse continued to follow along behind Walter upwards to the top deck of the ship, she'd managed to retain the locations of the rooms she would be visiting most often. "So are you going to tell me what's up here or are you the type to keep a girl waiting?" She asked teasingly as Walter motioned for her to climb the stairs first. Shasse wondered what more a ship would need, then again maybe it wasn't a case of need and perhaps was just a case of want, her mind thought up endless possibilities from luxury rooms to an on-board pool and as a result she became slightly restless on the journey up and began to hop up the stairs with excitement.
They had both arrived to the top deck; unlike the other decks, the hallways were larger, and seemingly only connect to only two rooms. Without further ado, Walter gave insight to the layout of Deck 1. "Deck 1 houses the Observation Deck, the Sensor Dome, and the Science Lab. The Observation area is a good place to spend time off-duty, and is usually the most quiet room on the whole ship. Personally, I spend a lot of my time in Engineering, but I can understand the need to have some peace; Engineering is no place for that.", he said with a chuckle. He motioned to the other door, which was across from where the Observation Deck was. "That Sensor Dome and the Science Lab, for the sake of space and convenience, are merged together. As one could assume, it is a haven for a scientist.", the Minkan explained. Walter turned on his heels, and walked to the Observation Deck.
Shasse looked around the observation Deck with wide eyes before rushing to the large window and staring out with an expression of awe. "Walter, th-this is amazing, and we are really allowed to come here when we are off duty?" She turned to him with a starstruck look in her eyes. "It's so calming and quiet. Can we stay here for a little while?" Shasse turned back to the window with a dazed expression.
Walter turned his gaze from the wall to Shay's eyes. We aren't going to do anything anytime soon, may as well. The stars do look beautiful, as usual., he thought to himself, grinning. "Sure, I can join you for some real stargazing.", he responded. His half-lidded orange eyes looked beyond the huge, thick glass, the dark void contrasting with the stars and nebulas that the Kaiyo II was passing by. Walter liked this view, quite a lot.
Shasse's face lit up when Walter agreed to watch the stars with her, pulling up a chair she stared out at the many passing stars and nebulas with wide shining eyes. "I could stay like this for ages, just watching the universe go by. You know it's quite romantic up here, I can see why people would come up here to relax." Shasse seemed to go into a calm state as she sat and watched the view through the window. "Have you ever spent time up here with someone you, you like?" Shasse ran a hand through her hair and turned to Walter as she spoke.
... Now that he thought about it, Walter realized that he didn't have someone he liked before. He admitted to himself that his insistence of looking into himself, rather than looking outwards, has left him in a bad spot socially. "... Between you and me, I had been more interested in getting by than having relationships. I have put my own happiness aside in search for bigger meanings that I don't even know are real to begin with; so much so that instead of living my life, I just endured a existence of mediocrity." Walter stood before the glass, hands in his pockets. "Never had a friend by my side, a lover to devout my being to, or a sibling to support. The only people I have grown around were figures of authority. Parents, trainers, captains...", he answered. Walter wanted to say more, but for the life of him he can't find the words.
Shasse gave him a thin smile as she turned back to the view outside the glass which separated them from the cold vacuum of space and its unforgiving environment where nothing could live. "You know, I haven't even had the chance to really connect with anyone, I was made in a tube to be a soldier and the most freedom of character I was given was these tears." Shasse brushed back her hair to reveal the crimson tear drops running down her cheek, letting her icy hair cascade back across her face she turned to Walter and stood from her seat. "But I think I understand where you're coming from, we weren't taught to look for purpose in living but to follow orders and complete our duties. I decided to get these tears as a symbol." She trailed off staring blankly before seeming to snap out of it and return back to her usual bouncy self. "But you don't want to hear about the ramblings of a vat soldier, and I want to know more about you, what was your early life like?"
Walter Hyde listened to her as he watched the stars, seeing her reflection mimicking her every movement. It was when she shifted her tone that he looked right back at Shasse, with a little bit of surprise. Judging from her wording, Walter thought that the tears were a symbol of individuality, though he might just ask her another time. Shay might not appreciate an abrupt shift in the conversation, after all. Under his calm demeanor, he obliged. "Alright, I could tell you about my uneventful life. I'll warn you, it's very boring.", Walter joked. Under the light of the stars, Walter nabbed a seat for himself, and gestured to Shasse. "You can sit down, too. My feet are just in a world of hurt from the standing and walking."
Shasse let out a small giggle and covered her mouth, crimson eyes shining against her blue skin and white hair. "Well if I'd known how boring your life was I wouldn't have asked. Of course I'm just poking fun at you here Walter but I do want to know, mundane or not I just want... I just want to try and understand what a normal, early life was like." Without even realizing she had begun to float herself in a lying down position just above one of the seats before she rolled over and found herself staring down at the chair below her. "Well, it's still better than standing right?" Shasse burst out in full blown laughter and clutched her sides as she rolled in the air before calming herself and wiping the slight tears from her eyes.
The only reaction Shasse received was a eye-roll from Walter. After.... That, he leaned in his chair, relaxed, and began his lackluster story. "My mother and father were both soldiers who participated in the Elysian Wars. Their stories inspired me to take up service in the Army, even though they preferred me to stay away from it. I've gotten a standard education from normal schools, and I excelled in the Literature courses they provided. That was-", Walter blushed, "- when I began writing fanfictions..." If he were to be perfectly honest, this was something he didn't mention to his parents. Fanfiction writing was a guilty pleasure for him... By the stars above, they were a cringe fest. "To hone my writing skills, o-of course.", the Minkan added.
Shasse tapped her chin thoughtfully as she continued to slowly roll over in mid air thinking about what the tall Minkan had just shared with her. "So you like writing fan-fiction huh? And you claim you did it to hone your skills, something about this seems slightly strange to me." She moved into a cross-legged sitting position while floating and pretended to have a cigar she was puffing on before putting on a terrible detective voice."This is most peculiar indeed." Giggling at her own silly antics she landed gracefully on the floor and moved next to him bringing her face close to his, her crimson eyes shining. "So have you ever shown anyone? I'm interested to see now." Shasse smiled at him and spun on her heel before flopping down into a chair and staring at him intently.
"No, not really...", answered the sheepish Walter. "They're all on my mother's desktop at home within layers of folders to throw her off. I don't share them with other people, because... Well, they're all bad reads; some worse than others." His heart fluttered with some anxiety. At least, he thinks it is; it's a mixed bag of emotions that he can't decipher with those big crimson eyes digging into his head. "I-I promise I've gotten a lot better at writing! In fact, I came up here to find good ideas for a novel I want to write one day. After hearing the stories my mother and father told me time to time, I thought joining the Army, and seeing what small part of the galaxy I could see, would help me. Yamatai is a big world, but it is only one world among millions, Shasse..." This would be a good time for Walter to turn his head to the stars, for the added effect in his words. However, the engineer just looked into the Neko's crimson eyes, which were deeper than any void...
Shasse realized her stare may be making him feel slightly uncomfortable and quickly looked away blushing slightly from the embarrassment she felt as he said her name in his very emotional speech. "S-so you looked for inspiration in the stars, that sounds like a good idea not that I'd know how it works I just point and shoot at things." She said performing a mock combat situation holding an imaginary gun in her hands and making little sounds as she looked around the room. Turning back to Walter her gaze matched with his and she seemed to stop in place as she too looked into his eyes, a seemingly hypnotic spell that kept her from moving or breaking eye contact. "Walter I... what is this?" The small neko had turned bright red as they stared into each other's eyes.
His heart gradually picked up in tempo, a small fire bursting from the tinders of his soul. The silence, a patient spectator that lingered in the air, waited for one of them to make their move. It was then, when Walter Hyde moved first. He moved closer to Shasse, close enough to be within a mere inch from the Neko, and put his hands around her waist. His orange eyes were bright like the suns, bright with desires that he had bottled up within him. "It has more meaning when shared silently between a certain few, then it does when spoken in tongue.", he said softly. "Keeping it between the certain few makes it feel... Amazing. Does it not feel that way?", he asked.
Deeper within Walter Hyde's mind, a voice of reason is yelling at the top of it's lungs, pleading for him to just pump the brakes already!
Shasse's heart had also begun to beat faster as she was held gently by the tall Minkan as she looked into his eyes and felt that in his embrace she was safe from the world. "I, I think I understand." She said softly as her head became a mix of emotions and her own desires in life, she'd never experienced the love of parents and had never thought of anyone else in such a way before but in their short time she had grown to enjoy Walters company. "Please don't let me go Walter, I just want to stay like this for a bit longer." She said as she softly lowered her head to rest it on his body feeling that in this moment, she was complete.
"... As you wish, Shasse.", Walter spoke soothingly, his heart thumping in sync with the smaller Neko. The Minkan and the Neko, despite the physical contrasts, complimented each other in the end. Her head against his chest, they stood together, and became two halves to a new whole. Walter felt at one with the moment, rather than drifting into another time, another place. Walter felt so lively and happy on the inside, that he couldn't help but smile.
Shasse suddenly pulled away from the embrace without looking at Walter, he couldn't see it from where he stood but she was trying not to cry as her thoughts intruded on her peaceful moment. "Walter I... Do you, can you even love someone like me? I mean, I was created in a lab, I don't have a story I'm just a soldier." She turned back to him with a sad expression. "This has been really fun but, I'm sure someone else would be better for you than me." Shasse moved towards the door with her shoulders low and spirits lower, she had only just arrived on the ship and here she was getting into someone's life who just offered to show her around.
Walter didn't know what to do, not at first. He won't lie to himself, he liked Shasse, but they are both just new faces who just met. Next thing you know, they got intimate in the heat of the moment... How can Walter fix something like this? He looked to the floor for answers; and the only way out is sheer honesty. "... Maybe.", he said aloud, "Maybe we got... Invested in the moment. Perhaps it wasn't love at all, but the need for something we lack. But we're both too young to know what it is." The engineer looked up, solemn, but smiling away. "It's why many people go slow. Everyone is lucky to have sex so freely, but it's hard to find their true half out there as a repercussion of the mentality." With that speech aside, he recalls that question he was going to ask her. "So how about us being friends, and go from there?" Walter's question isn't that flashy or poetic, but it had sincerity to it.
Stopping her bee-line for the door Shasse turns and looks at him with a small smile on her ice white lips. "Yeah, that sounds good to me. So lets do it again next Sunday right." Cracking a huge grin Shasse waved to him and continued out the door back towards her room. She really liked Walter but wasn't sure if she was ready to make the sort of commitment that a relationship required and so until then. "Friends is good to me." She spoke to herself as she pushed through the door and danced down the hall towards the stairs in better spirits than just moments before.
Cabins
18日 8月 YE 39
0830 Hours
Shasse had finished unpacking the small amount of belongings she had with her which consisted mostly of clothing anyway and looked around the room she would now be living in for quite some time. Brushing her hair to the side and showing off the crimson tears Shasse flung herself onto the bed and stretched out, "First thing I have to do is figure out my way around this place, I wonder if Miles is around, he is supposed to be bunking in this room as well from memory with his younger brother, what was his name?"
Walter had come back from the Galley to grab a fruit to eat; he chose a red apple. He munched on the red apple, deep in his deep, deep, deep thoughts. Walter was so distracted that he had been sort of meandering throughout the ship, despite how he wanted to get back to his cabin. He had quite a few ideas in his mind, like stories, self-realization, analysis of those around him... That sort of thing. The sound of Walter's footsteps reverberated off the walls, making them easy to hear.
Hearing the sounds of footsteps, Shasse's ears twitched and she turned her head to the doorway, walking out into the hall she had a big goofy grin on her face as she knew first impressions were everything. "Hello there-" Doing a quick scan of his uniform and appearance she knew he must be an engineer and from memory he was Walter Hyde. "-I want to say, Hyde-hei?" Keeping the smile the whole time Shasse approached him.
The engineer towered over Shasse, looking at her with an expression of indifference. "That is my name, yes." If there was one thing Walter can admit to himself, is that this Neko looks very wild, and that is from looks alone. "You are new here, correct?", he asked, his half-lidded eyes looking down at her.
"That's right just got here, so what are you up to? I could use some help to find my way around if you have the time." Shasse said excitedly in her slightly higher pitched voice, she hoped he'd be able to help her otherwise it could take her some time and a few times getting lost before she figured it out. Grabbing a hair lackey she tied it back into a simple pony tail and brushed the few remaining strands behind her ears.
Walter shrugged, looking as indifferent as ever. "Me? Nothing better to do, as usual.", he said, shrugging off the desire to write philosophy and story ideas. "I suppose I can be of service to you after all." He motioned Shasse to come with him, letting a soft smile form. "Come, I will try and be your thorough guide for the day." Walter began walking down the hall, hands in his pockets.
"Yay, thank you!" Shasse did a little clap before stretching her arms above her head with a little yawn. "Sorry I'm still a bit tired from the trip here, now, where to first?" Shasse asked looking up at Walter with her head to one side and an inquisitive look on her face. She knew that the ship was not the biggest by far but to her it felt massive anyway and she was glad for the company.
She only got a nod from Walter. "As you probably know, this is the fourth deck. This is the area where most of the crew resides, as well as the Fabrication Room, the Medical Bay, and some of Engineering.", he began. "Just for clarification, Engineering is a big room, and obviously the Shosa does not reside on this floor.", Walter clarified. Upon seeing a flight of stairs, he paused to ask, "Did you tell me your name...?"
"No I don't think I did, I'm Shasse Emiko but you can call me Shay, or Emi, or whatever you find easiest!" She replied as her head swiveled to look at the different rooms they passed taking in locations and names. "You work in engineering correct? I just assumed you must from your uniform." Shasse asked, poking her head into another cabin to see that it was identical to her own.
Aside from some some belongings here and there, the crew cabins were exactly the same as hers. "That I do, I conduct routine maintenance, analyze structural integrity, manage the supply units, and all sorts of tasks. However I get pulled out to do infantry work... Apparently they don't have enough people to throw at a wall to fix their problems." Walter displayed a degree of dissatisfaction that he made quite obvious. "Think of fixing the ship as my career, and killing the enemy as a job.", he said with the wave of his hand. The engineer climbed down the stairs. "Right this way to Deck Five, please!"
Shasse hurried down the stairs after him trying to keep herself from tripping. "Well I'm here to fill the infantry ranks so maybe you won't have to go and fight anymore if I take your place, or is there still not enough of us?" She asked as she walked on behind the tall Minkan smiling like a school-boy on a field-trip "And what do we have on this deck my rather tall new friend?"
Walter chuckled, "The thought is appreciated, Shay, but I think they just want me to fight on the field for the sake of it... Anyways, here on the Fifth Deck," he continued as they arrived in Deck 5, "is a deck that we only go to for two reasons: for leaving ship on the approaching hour of our mission, or to get some food. It is here we have the Shuttle and Power Armor Bays, storage for cargo, the Armory, the Wardroom, and the Galley. You will probably like this area more, but I can't vouch for your feelings.", he said with a calm, happy demeanor.
"I'm sure it will be great, I do need to make sure they got my load-out right later as well, as for food I'm starving maybe at the end of this tour we could finish it off with some lunch." Shasse spoke thoughtfully and put a hand on her chin as if contemplating something, her tail flicking around aimlessly before stopping suddenly. "Wait doesn't Miles' bro Miko work in the galley? I haven't met him yet but Miles told me about him during training."
"Hm? You know Miles as well?" One can say that this is a small world after all... Who would have known?, he thought to himself. Getting back to the topic at hand, "Mikodimus does work as one of our cooks, yes. I haven't met him myself, although from what I have seen he is a upfront, charming fellow. Judging from how he gets along with people, of course." He turns around, and presumes walking to the nearest set of stairs. "Come on, I promised you a tour, not a in-depth description of your dreamy cook.", Walter teased Shasse, his look of complacency betraying the glint of mischief.
Shasse's blue skin took on a rather deep shade of red as her eyes widened in embarrassment. "Teasing a girl on her first day, shame on you sir." She said with her sly grin returning. "Besides who's not to say I don't have a thing for you instead my big tall Minkan?" Sliding up next to him and wrapping herself around his arm while putting on her best in-love act. "You must get awfully lonely working down in the engineering area by yourself, maybe I can help you with that." Shasse laughed as she released his arm and gave him a soft punch.
Walter didn't react to her cute charade. He looked down at the Neko, his smile growing just a little bigger. "Fun fact; if I'm teasing you, it means I'm interested in you. I have a thing for colorful personas." He shrugged, continuing on his way to the stairs. "Wasn't even hard to figure out that you'd get flustered from that joke, but..." He turned his head to his cute friend, and said, "I applaud you for being so forward with those feelings of yours!" With some swagger, Walter Hyde climbs the stairs. "Next up, Deck 3!"
Shasse was stunned into silence, this man had just beat her at her own game, not only that but she now had no idea if he was being serious or not. "Yeah, deck 3 sounds good." She managed to say with strange look on her face, did he actually like her? Could she actually have something for him? Her thoughts swirled as she continued to follow Walter through the ship.
Her guide covered his true feelings, putting the facade of a calm, complacent crew-mate. They arrive onto Deck 3 after some time climbing stairs. "This area of the ship isn't as busy as the other floors, but this is generally where the more ship-focused crew lingers about. You have the Bridge, the Suites, the baths, and the main bulk of Engineering, all on this deck.", Walter explained briefly. "The baths are very nice, too; Onsen-style. I would definitely recommend a trip there after one of those long, distasteful days."
"That does sound rather inviting, and you said the suites are here I assume they are for officers and the captain?" Shasse had managed to regain some of her original bouncy personality as she listened to what Walter was saying and looking where he pointed. She followed along behind him and couldn't help but wonder what thoughts ran through this man's mind, usually people were slightly put off by her appearance with the crimson eyes and the tears. Putting a finger to her face and tracing where she knew the tear-drops were imprinted on her, the only other person she'd met who hadn't cared about her interesting appearance was Miles, the shy Minkan medical student that she had become friends with while in training. "You mentioned earlier you knew Miles. What is he like on the ship? I only saw him during training and he was super shy and by the books."
"Actually, they're also for select VIP guests, too. Though yes, the captain and her officers do sleep on this floor. Now, as for Miles..." Walter turned to look at Shassa again, friendly as ever. "From that alone, you can say he hasn't changed much. Shy, respectful, seemed to desire conservative interactions. Though, it didn't take much for us to grow onto each other, I think." The Minkan chuckled, and moved on. "Let's get a move on, Shay. We still have two decks left to see." With that, Walter made a left, and made the first steps on another flight of stairs.
"Coming Walter!" She exclaimed hurrying after him eager to continue the tour, knowing that Miles hadn't changed much was comforting but she also felt slightly annoyed at him as she had told him he needed to work on his social skills more, with this in mind she made a mental note to speak to him about it at some point. "So my illustrious guide, where are we off to now?"
The engineer, deep, deep, deep down, groaned at her use of the word "illustrious". He didn't do anything noteworthy yet, after all. After a moment, they arrive at Deck 2. "This is Deck 2, obviously. We have the Virtual Reality Room, Life Support, the Dojo, the Monitoring Room, and the MEGAMI core housing room.", Walter began. "Most of the time, members of the infantry come up here to train and practice, and you get the occasional technician here to make sure that the ship still has a brain, and some air to spare for the rest of us. The Monitoring Room is barely used, since it is considered a back-up bridge, essentially." Walter suddenly had a question for Shasse, but... Perhaps the Observation Deck would be a good spot to pop that question.
"Train here huh? Sounds like this is one of my go-to decks then, does that mean you also do training since you get sent into battle with the rest of us?" Shasse looked around at the various rooms taking note of where they were for later reference, flicking a few strands of hair back that had come loose again she went over the decks in her mind and what rooms were on each. Deck 5 had the PA bay, Galley, Storage, Armory and Wardroom. Deck 4 had the crew quarters, Med-bay, fabrication room and some Engineering. Deck 3 had Suites, Baths, Bridge and the main Engineering area and Deck 2 had VR, Dojo, Life support, Monitoring and the MEGAMI core housing. "So what is on Deck 1 then, it seems like we've already covered everything that would be on a ship, although in saying that you know the ship not me." Shasse looked towards the floor playing with a strand of her hair as she realized she must sound silly making assumptions about things she didn't have any knowledge on.
Hm... I could use some training, but it is hard to tell if I need it or not. I suppose the next mission will determine that, Walter thought to himself. Instead of answering that, Walter said, "No, that isn't everything. There's still more than one room within the confines of Deck 1, after all. Come." The engineer gestured his tourist up the last set of stairs. Hm... Nah, this ship doesn't need a elevator. That's just lazy design.
Shasse continued to follow along behind Walter upwards to the top deck of the ship, she'd managed to retain the locations of the rooms she would be visiting most often. "So are you going to tell me what's up here or are you the type to keep a girl waiting?" She asked teasingly as Walter motioned for her to climb the stairs first. Shasse wondered what more a ship would need, then again maybe it wasn't a case of need and perhaps was just a case of want, her mind thought up endless possibilities from luxury rooms to an on-board pool and as a result she became slightly restless on the journey up and began to hop up the stairs with excitement.
They had both arrived to the top deck; unlike the other decks, the hallways were larger, and seemingly only connect to only two rooms. Without further ado, Walter gave insight to the layout of Deck 1. "Deck 1 houses the Observation Deck, the Sensor Dome, and the Science Lab. The Observation area is a good place to spend time off-duty, and is usually the most quiet room on the whole ship. Personally, I spend a lot of my time in Engineering, but I can understand the need to have some peace; Engineering is no place for that.", he said with a chuckle. He motioned to the other door, which was across from where the Observation Deck was. "That Sensor Dome and the Science Lab, for the sake of space and convenience, are merged together. As one could assume, it is a haven for a scientist.", the Minkan explained. Walter turned on his heels, and walked to the Observation Deck.
Shasse looked around the observation Deck with wide eyes before rushing to the large window and staring out with an expression of awe. "Walter, th-this is amazing, and we are really allowed to come here when we are off duty?" She turned to him with a starstruck look in her eyes. "It's so calming and quiet. Can we stay here for a little while?" Shasse turned back to the window with a dazed expression.
Walter turned his gaze from the wall to Shay's eyes. We aren't going to do anything anytime soon, may as well. The stars do look beautiful, as usual., he thought to himself, grinning. "Sure, I can join you for some real stargazing.", he responded. His half-lidded orange eyes looked beyond the huge, thick glass, the dark void contrasting with the stars and nebulas that the Kaiyo II was passing by. Walter liked this view, quite a lot.
Shasse's face lit up when Walter agreed to watch the stars with her, pulling up a chair she stared out at the many passing stars and nebulas with wide shining eyes. "I could stay like this for ages, just watching the universe go by. You know it's quite romantic up here, I can see why people would come up here to relax." Shasse seemed to go into a calm state as she sat and watched the view through the window. "Have you ever spent time up here with someone you, you like?" Shasse ran a hand through her hair and turned to Walter as she spoke.
... Now that he thought about it, Walter realized that he didn't have someone he liked before. He admitted to himself that his insistence of looking into himself, rather than looking outwards, has left him in a bad spot socially. "... Between you and me, I had been more interested in getting by than having relationships. I have put my own happiness aside in search for bigger meanings that I don't even know are real to begin with; so much so that instead of living my life, I just endured a existence of mediocrity." Walter stood before the glass, hands in his pockets. "Never had a friend by my side, a lover to devout my being to, or a sibling to support. The only people I have grown around were figures of authority. Parents, trainers, captains...", he answered. Walter wanted to say more, but for the life of him he can't find the words.
Shasse gave him a thin smile as she turned back to the view outside the glass which separated them from the cold vacuum of space and its unforgiving environment where nothing could live. "You know, I haven't even had the chance to really connect with anyone, I was made in a tube to be a soldier and the most freedom of character I was given was these tears." Shasse brushed back her hair to reveal the crimson tear drops running down her cheek, letting her icy hair cascade back across her face she turned to Walter and stood from her seat. "But I think I understand where you're coming from, we weren't taught to look for purpose in living but to follow orders and complete our duties. I decided to get these tears as a symbol." She trailed off staring blankly before seeming to snap out of it and return back to her usual bouncy self. "But you don't want to hear about the ramblings of a vat soldier, and I want to know more about you, what was your early life like?"
Walter Hyde listened to her as he watched the stars, seeing her reflection mimicking her every movement. It was when she shifted her tone that he looked right back at Shasse, with a little bit of surprise. Judging from her wording, Walter thought that the tears were a symbol of individuality, though he might just ask her another time. Shay might not appreciate an abrupt shift in the conversation, after all. Under his calm demeanor, he obliged. "Alright, I could tell you about my uneventful life. I'll warn you, it's very boring.", Walter joked. Under the light of the stars, Walter nabbed a seat for himself, and gestured to Shasse. "You can sit down, too. My feet are just in a world of hurt from the standing and walking."
Shasse let out a small giggle and covered her mouth, crimson eyes shining against her blue skin and white hair. "Well if I'd known how boring your life was I wouldn't have asked. Of course I'm just poking fun at you here Walter but I do want to know, mundane or not I just want... I just want to try and understand what a normal, early life was like." Without even realizing she had begun to float herself in a lying down position just above one of the seats before she rolled over and found herself staring down at the chair below her. "Well, it's still better than standing right?" Shasse burst out in full blown laughter and clutched her sides as she rolled in the air before calming herself and wiping the slight tears from her eyes.
The only reaction Shasse received was a eye-roll from Walter. After.... That, he leaned in his chair, relaxed, and began his lackluster story. "My mother and father were both soldiers who participated in the Elysian Wars. Their stories inspired me to take up service in the Army, even though they preferred me to stay away from it. I've gotten a standard education from normal schools, and I excelled in the Literature courses they provided. That was-", Walter blushed, "- when I began writing fanfictions..." If he were to be perfectly honest, this was something he didn't mention to his parents. Fanfiction writing was a guilty pleasure for him... By the stars above, they were a cringe fest. "To hone my writing skills, o-of course.", the Minkan added.
Shasse tapped her chin thoughtfully as she continued to slowly roll over in mid air thinking about what the tall Minkan had just shared with her. "So you like writing fan-fiction huh? And you claim you did it to hone your skills, something about this seems slightly strange to me." She moved into a cross-legged sitting position while floating and pretended to have a cigar she was puffing on before putting on a terrible detective voice."This is most peculiar indeed." Giggling at her own silly antics she landed gracefully on the floor and moved next to him bringing her face close to his, her crimson eyes shining. "So have you ever shown anyone? I'm interested to see now." Shasse smiled at him and spun on her heel before flopping down into a chair and staring at him intently.
"No, not really...", answered the sheepish Walter. "They're all on my mother's desktop at home within layers of folders to throw her off. I don't share them with other people, because... Well, they're all bad reads; some worse than others." His heart fluttered with some anxiety. At least, he thinks it is; it's a mixed bag of emotions that he can't decipher with those big crimson eyes digging into his head. "I-I promise I've gotten a lot better at writing! In fact, I came up here to find good ideas for a novel I want to write one day. After hearing the stories my mother and father told me time to time, I thought joining the Army, and seeing what small part of the galaxy I could see, would help me. Yamatai is a big world, but it is only one world among millions, Shasse..." This would be a good time for Walter to turn his head to the stars, for the added effect in his words. However, the engineer just looked into the Neko's crimson eyes, which were deeper than any void...
Shasse realized her stare may be making him feel slightly uncomfortable and quickly looked away blushing slightly from the embarrassment she felt as he said her name in his very emotional speech. "S-so you looked for inspiration in the stars, that sounds like a good idea not that I'd know how it works I just point and shoot at things." She said performing a mock combat situation holding an imaginary gun in her hands and making little sounds as she looked around the room. Turning back to Walter her gaze matched with his and she seemed to stop in place as she too looked into his eyes, a seemingly hypnotic spell that kept her from moving or breaking eye contact. "Walter I... what is this?" The small neko had turned bright red as they stared into each other's eyes.
His heart gradually picked up in tempo, a small fire bursting from the tinders of his soul. The silence, a patient spectator that lingered in the air, waited for one of them to make their move. It was then, when Walter Hyde moved first. He moved closer to Shasse, close enough to be within a mere inch from the Neko, and put his hands around her waist. His orange eyes were bright like the suns, bright with desires that he had bottled up within him. "It has more meaning when shared silently between a certain few, then it does when spoken in tongue.", he said softly. "Keeping it between the certain few makes it feel... Amazing. Does it not feel that way?", he asked.
Deeper within Walter Hyde's mind, a voice of reason is yelling at the top of it's lungs, pleading for him to just pump the brakes already!
Shasse's heart had also begun to beat faster as she was held gently by the tall Minkan as she looked into his eyes and felt that in his embrace she was safe from the world. "I, I think I understand." She said softly as her head became a mix of emotions and her own desires in life, she'd never experienced the love of parents and had never thought of anyone else in such a way before but in their short time she had grown to enjoy Walters company. "Please don't let me go Walter, I just want to stay like this for a bit longer." She said as she softly lowered her head to rest it on his body feeling that in this moment, she was complete.
"... As you wish, Shasse.", Walter spoke soothingly, his heart thumping in sync with the smaller Neko. The Minkan and the Neko, despite the physical contrasts, complimented each other in the end. Her head against his chest, they stood together, and became two halves to a new whole. Walter felt at one with the moment, rather than drifting into another time, another place. Walter felt so lively and happy on the inside, that he couldn't help but smile.
Shasse suddenly pulled away from the embrace without looking at Walter, he couldn't see it from where he stood but she was trying not to cry as her thoughts intruded on her peaceful moment. "Walter I... Do you, can you even love someone like me? I mean, I was created in a lab, I don't have a story I'm just a soldier." She turned back to him with a sad expression. "This has been really fun but, I'm sure someone else would be better for you than me." Shasse moved towards the door with her shoulders low and spirits lower, she had only just arrived on the ship and here she was getting into someone's life who just offered to show her around.
Walter didn't know what to do, not at first. He won't lie to himself, he liked Shasse, but they are both just new faces who just met. Next thing you know, they got intimate in the heat of the moment... How can Walter fix something like this? He looked to the floor for answers; and the only way out is sheer honesty. "... Maybe.", he said aloud, "Maybe we got... Invested in the moment. Perhaps it wasn't love at all, but the need for something we lack. But we're both too young to know what it is." The engineer looked up, solemn, but smiling away. "It's why many people go slow. Everyone is lucky to have sex so freely, but it's hard to find their true half out there as a repercussion of the mentality." With that speech aside, he recalls that question he was going to ask her. "So how about us being friends, and go from there?" Walter's question isn't that flashy or poetic, but it had sincerity to it.
Stopping her bee-line for the door Shasse turns and looks at him with a small smile on her ice white lips. "Yeah, that sounds good to me. So lets do it again next Sunday right." Cracking a huge grin Shasse waved to him and continued out the door back towards her room. She really liked Walter but wasn't sure if she was ready to make the sort of commitment that a relationship required and so until then. "Friends is good to me." She spoke to herself as she pushed through the door and danced down the hall towards the stairs in better spirits than just moments before.
