auroraexpress | (no subject)

Who: 80H
When: Day 7, noon
Where: Jasmine Carriage

[There are plates of food left on high, elegant tables, the sort you might find at stand-and-eat restaurants, but classy af. They are clear and crystalline and...oddly cool to the touch, if you touch them.

She was told there was a child on the team, so one table is set much lower.

"""""Cael"""" has a lot of fare she thinks he'll enjoy--or knows he will, if he's developed a taste for the same things Kuuha's had to eat. Whatever, in the end, she's sure he'll be satisfied to have food, period. Is that not right? For a moment she thinks of chestnuts (not remotely enough of them) in the wintertime shared between too many people.

For goodness sake. She shuts her eyes to it and moves on.

Randy's fare is a very neat and presentable platter of different things. She has no idea what he likes, so she's made a little bit of everything. An egg here, a little miso soup there, bacon, sausage, a small waffle with fruit on the side, etc.

To Randy, there is a neatly folded note: "I was not certain what you enjoyed. I apologise in advance if I offend your tastes. -80H"

There's a knock on everyone's door if they're in, but 80H is nowhere to be seen.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nah, I like pretty much everything!

Ah...that is good to know. I will be certain to file that away.

[She waits for a moment before she bows low, entirely at the waist.]

I must apologise for my behaviour.

Ah...

You don't-- need to bow like that.

I really do.

[She is absolutely miserable, uncertain, and wants to wake up from this nightmare, that hasn't changed at all, but that isn't randy's or anyone's fault.

This, also, is not anything new. She has simply gotten used to dealing with it with someone who is no longer here. She needs to go back, to before that, but the idea is--]

I have been behaving in a most unbecoming manner.

...I can't exactly deny it. You've been pretty frustrating. But it's not like it isn't understandable, after being left alone.

[She stiffens with the urge to deny it. She likes to play with her cards grafted to her chest. That she let something so personal slip to someone she does not know is unacceptable. She hates that. Hates it.

But arguing is unproductive.]

...I will be fine.

[It's a compromise, a microscopic one. She just needs to get back. That is all, isn't it?]

[watching her, he bites his lip. he can tell he's said the wrong thing.]

...Okay.

Then. I don't intend on holding a grudge or anything. We had a rough start, but I'd like to make it work.

[She straightens slowly, smoothly.]

And what is it you want, exactly?

To coexist comfortably? I'd like to get along, but I don't know if you want to get close to anyone.

[read: he knows she doesn't want to.]

So if it's just... being able to cohabitate without either of us losing our temper in more than half our conversations, I'd consider that a good start.

[we could just never tal]

I do not get along with anyone, really. It is better to utilise my skills elsewhere. Combat, for example. However, I am aware of the situation and will act accordingly.

[fuck it maybe we'll bond on the battlefield,,]

All right. Thanks for giving it a shot.

You do not need to thank me for that, either. It is a very basic commitment.

[one she should have been making from the start, perhaps. That's her failure. She isn't adapting like she should be, maybe.

She wants more mutant dolphins to fight. Fighting makes sense. It always makes sense. Kill something before kills you. Kill things that are inconvenient or will hinder objectives. Navigating whatever this is--again--in an entirely different setting with entirely different circumstances. It's like she's taken two steps forward and twenty steps back.

She does not want to start over, not where there is somewhere else she needs to be, with one person (more than one, perhaps) that not only tolerates her but enjoys her company and understands her, but she cannot allow herself to be entirely ignorant either. It is unacceptable for strategic purposes.]

Please tell me about yourself.

Uh... what sort of thing do you want to know?

[~~what's your favourite colour~~ Think clinically. Practically. Rationally.

Oh, there is something else. She will get to that after.]

We have encountered and are likely to continue encountering hostile entities. I am curious if you are equipped to deal with that and how.

My last job was actually teaching combat at a military academy.

[he shrugs]

I mostly fight with a stunhalberd, but I also favor a rifle. I know my way around Arts and Soldats, too.

O-oh.

[Her posture was already perfect, but she stands straighter, less elegant, and more disciplined, surprised and interested despite herself.]

What are Arts and Soldat.

[She says the latter with a French accent, it just comes out automatically. It's not the only language that uses it, but it's the one she knows.]

[oh that's interesting, a Liberlan accent...?]

Soldat are big mechanical suits, so my skills with them probably won't be relevant here, but Arts...

[he tugs out... an arcus!]

Arts are pretty much just using this device to channel orbal power.

Ah.

[So it was on arcus unit too, after all. Just what are these? She understands, but she would love to take it apart.]

I see. What sorts of Arts can you use?

Fire Arts, mostly, though I do run enough water quartz to have at least Tear for healing.

[fire. lamebutts.

but she doesn't say anything.]

I should have guessed. But it is "Tear", is it...?

[She sounds just slightly wistful, but the moment quickly passes.]

How powerful are they?

Mm, acceptable I guess? My ATS isn't great, but I'm competent enough. And stacking Fire quartz at least means they're decently concentrated.

That is entirely subjective, would it be possible to observe them, sometime? Further, what is that unit of measurement?