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MPC 49A "World of Steel Titans"
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 11, 2018 1:39:48 GMT
((MPC Prompt is "And now for something completely different". Once completed, I will be requesting bits))
She never imagined waking up into a situation stranger than being some kind of draconic warrior of an entire alternate world filled with digital life forms. Let alone winding up as some kind of hybridized mutant with a foot firmly lodged in both worlds. By that point Alicia thought she’d seen everything for the most part and that nothing could throw her for a loop. Today, though, she would find that the world could still shock her here and there.
Or rather, a third world could.
“... This is not my room...” was the ‘eloquent’ observation she made upon snapping fully to wakefulness. In fact, she seemed like where she woke up was an entire group on the move. The ‘house’ looked more like a large and elaborate tent that could be packed up in a hurry. “Sol...?”
At first, with the soft call, there was no response. The bearer of Steel’s eyes widened a bit, as she shot up quickly, taking a breath. If this was like-...!
”Calm yourself, I’m here.” Unlike before, his voice didn’t come as some kind of echo. When did he manifest himself? ”Look over here.”
Obliging, Alicia turned her gaze... and blinked as she saw what looked to be sizable machine saurian with its plates coated in Sol’s signature emerald hue. “Sol...?” It was quite the big difference, considering the last time she saw him he was more spiritual than physical.
”Indeed... and I just have this to say about our predicament: Oh dear...” Alicia winced as he said that. Anything that could make Sol utter words of concern like that meant that she was very far outside of her comfort zone, whether she realized it or not. ”Also, I’m not sure where Kisara is as of right now. We’ll have to locate her once you’re ready to go. Hopefully she’s nearby... I’ll be waiting just outside.”
Nodding to her, the mechanized dragon got up and lumbered out the front of the tent, curling up and rumbling softly. Alicia sighed to herself and got herself freshened up a bit, with what was available to her, and would make her way out, running a hand through her hair when she was done.
It seemed like she underestimated just how far this went. Had she woken up in the midst of some company of an army or something!? “... We’re not in Shibuya or the Digital World, are we...?” Alicia whispered.
”Truly. Welcome to the realm where giant mechanized beasts are the focus of civilization. These titans of steel are known collectively as Zoids. It appears we’re in some kind of warring period, and that your counterpart here had reasons to get involved personally. Which means you likely have a Zoid of your own in the hangar somewhere.” Matching her forethought, Sol kept his voice low as he explained the basics of what had occurred to her.
“... Lovely... and I personally don’t know the first thing about piloting a mech...” She was in big trouble if she had to fight like this, hopefully she’d get to fake something to get herself familiarized with the controls. And that no one who knew her counterpart would find her yet...
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Post by Hiroyo Oda on Apr 13, 2018 4:41:35 GMT
(I'll take bits please~) There was a bug and a girl waiting for her. The good news was that the two of them were far enough away that the girl, woman really, probably had not overheard any of the conversation in the tent. If the giant mechanical caterpillar had heard something it wasn't saying anything.
The caterpillar had a beak that had been carefully duct taped shut, the tape carefully weaved between the two tusks that jutted out from the sides of his face. His chassis was colored black with yellow highlights that suggested lightning bolts. The upper curve of his shell reached her hip and woman rested her hand on it. He was long and wide too, stretching a good six feet back and at least three feet wide at his thickest, he almost looked like a prototype zoid himself!
The woman turned her head towards Alicia and straightened her spine. She approached with quick, confident steps: her face carefully neutral until she got within a couple feet of her. A smile broke out across Hiroyo's face, one hand reaching up to push the bill of her cap out of her face. While she still had the disciplined set to her back and shoulders, her face was noticeably more relaxed. She did snap a quick salute to Alicia, her hand resting over the emblem of a red gem with a stylized black snake on her hat before it was dropped to her side again.
There was a sparkle in her eyes, and the smile on her face suggested she was sharing an inside joke with Alicia.
"Independent Pilot Alicia Westfield! I am Pilot Hiroyo Oda with the Electronic Warfare Division. While Pilot Isao was originally intended to be your partner for tonight's sortie against the Alliance he has unfortunately been called away for other duties." Here her smile grew a little wider and it looked for a moment as if her not-really stoic expression would break. She recovered quickly enough to keep going, her face even smoothing back into a more neutral expression. "On behalf of the Zenebas Empire, I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your understanding."
She bowed, both hands in front of her as she bent at the waist. Behind her the caterpillar organoid managed to give a toss of its head that indicated he was rolling without having any. Truly, it was an impressive bit of sass. Alicia's attention would probably be captured by the soldier girl had to say when she straightened up again.
"Do you wish to visit the hanger first or get breakfast? I believe the mechanics have finished the fine adjustments that you requested."
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 13, 2018 10:41:42 GMT
She just had to think it, didn’t she? She just had to give Murphy’s Law the gas it needed to start rolling. Alicia had to quickly ‘get into character’ with the distressing fact of not knowing what her ‘character’ was supposed to be. And great, it looked like this person knew her counterpart too if the expression she had was any indication.
A sortie was going to happen tonight? And she was involved? Great, this couldn’t be any worse... At the very least, Hiroyo noted that she was an ‘independent’ pilot. So there was the chance that she wouldn’t be held to regulations she should know but didn’t. But what to say? Was she easy going in this life? Or had war hardened her counterpart into a no nonsense kind of woman? The other woman wasn’t helping matters at all. She was both stiff in some ways like an officer addressing her superior and relaxed in others like she was, well, playing a joke.
Well, she had to say something soon to not look like a deer in headlights. So she went with the first thing that came to mind. “Is that so? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time last minute changes happened. And I doubt it’ll be the last either. I can handle it however things pan out. A soldier has to do what a soldier has to do. If Isao was needed elsewhere then that’s all there is to it.”
Alicia flashed a smile in turn, and managed to keep the surprise out of her expression at being bowed to. And the caterpillar mech was managing to be sassy without uttering a single noise... Some how that just felt right, really. Of course, there was another hard response to make right after. Hangar or breakfast? What fit her more? If her counterpart requested the adjustments herself, she probably placed the upkeep of her Zoid quite high. Which made sense, seeing as in a war zone something experiencing a glitch could easily get someone killed.
“I think I’ll go to the hangar first. The mechanics have their job for a reason of course, but I want to be sure everything is up to spec.” And the sooner she got a look at what she was working with, the better off she’d be. At least that was her hope. But where was the hangar? She turned a bit, trying to hide a glance down to Sol. She couldn’t ask anything of him like this, so she prayed he’d get the hint just from a look...! “Just need to get this guy moving again...” Maybe a prompt would help, as she nudged him with her foot.
Fortunately, the dragon Organoid got the message. His tail uncurled and pointed in the direction of the hangar before swaying in a circle to shake suspicion. To seal the deal, he uncurled and looked to stretch out, groaning softly and acting almost cat-like with the motion. All of that movement was a smokescreen though, to let him wink to her and let her know he was pointing out where she wanted to go to her. She chuckled a bit to try and hide things as well.
“There we go.” She commented as Sol was up and about again, leaning close to him. “I’m sorry.” she whispered as quietly as she could to him.
”Don’t be. Do what you think you must.” he whispered back. Best non-human partner ever, of that there was no doubt in Alicia’s mind.
“Well then, I’ll be off to the hangar now. Will you be accompanying me, Hiroyo? Or going to secure some food for yourself?” Maybe she should’ve tacked ‘Pilot’ onto that... but she just didn’t feel right being so stiff with people. Maybe that was the inside joke the Zenebasian pilot had? She could only hope she wasn’t sticking out like a sore thumb.
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Post by Hiroyo Oda on Apr 13, 2018 21:25:11 GMT
"'Somewhere to be' indeed." Hiroyo was obviously amused by Alice's word choice. There was still that odd struggle as the enlisted woman bounced between the detached professionalism that was expected from one military professional to another and the familiarity one would expect to find between acquaintance. Still, no matter how Hiroyo's professionalism slipped, it was clear Alice's counterpart in this world was well respected by the other red head.
"That is a rather diplomatic way of saying you lit his pants on fight and called down nine kinds of Bras induced hell on him." She didn't seem too concerned with the apparant plight of her fellow pilot so either it wasn't as bad as she was making it sound worse than it was or she agreed. Or she was just hiding it. Hiroyo really didn't seem the type though. Too blunt to hide a large grievance like that.
"I will say there are a few of the air jocks who are none too happy, but Pilot Isao himself seemed most contrite." Maybe that was meant to reassure Alicia that whatever she had done had been well deserved. Either she or Sol might pickup on the fact that apparently a few people weren't too happy with her right now!
"I wouldnt mind joining you for the hangers and then food. I need to drop Roger off for the last of his jaw repairs too." The military woman gave Alicia an approving nod. She was quick to catch up to the other pilot and didnt seem surprised by their direction so evidentally Sol had been correct. "Smart choice, by the way. I heard the 28th Aerial came in about three hours ago, they're probably eating straight from the buffet table. The 12th should be there soon too, so I'm sure they will have heard about your 'Black Tongue' before long."
Hiroyo said the nickname like it was a title of honor even though it that clearly was not the spirit it had been given in! Considering what Hiroyo had said about unhappy flyboys and the nickname it was probably a good thing Alicia wasn't walking into that before she had orientated herself better.
The other red head reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a plastic ID that she left hanging out of her pocket. It swung and bounced a little as they walked. The sun was already high in the sky but many of the tents they passed were empty except for a few folks who were probably just coming off of night duty. Roger followed behind Hiroyo quietly enough, assuming the occasional noisy rattling of his segmented plates.
From the way Hiroyo's lips twitched each time he did it, it was probably deliberate. If Alicia wanted to ask any questions along the way then her annoyance with Roger would be quickly ignored in favor of answering.
When they finally reached the hangar Hiroyo would put on her 'disciplined on-duty soldier' act again and happily do the talking to get them inside.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 14, 2018 2:06:02 GMT
Oh great. It looked like her counterpart could be just as vicious verbally as she was when truly angered. Alicia would have to prep herself to catch some heat then. Isao himself might not be out to take revenge, but she wouldn’t be surprised if his buddies tried anything. Plus, being an independent ally might have earned her some scorn from actual Zenebas soldiers. Man, her counterpart sounded like she was even more gutsy in general. And now she’s known for having a “Black Tongue”... Oh well...
Well, at least she knew what to expect if she came across the noted parties. “Well, can’t be verbally ripping people apart all the time. I’d have way too many gray hairs if I did that. Besides, I imagine even I would run out of good will in that scenario. Some people can only tolerate so much, am I right?” It... seemed a safe enough response? If her counterpart was anything like her, she only bared her metaphorical fangs when sufficiently upset at someone, and they almost always had it coming to them. Again though... maybe her counterpart flipped out on people more often. She did get a title for verbal evisceration after all...
There was a bit of a lull in things though as they made their way to the hangar... and the displaced redhead decided she’d take a chance on trying to figure out what she was expected to do this evening. “I’d hate to ask, but could we go over what the operation’s specifics are one last time? I don’t think I could live with myself if I got out there and forgot something important, putting a comrade at risk in the process.” Again, it seemed a safe enough thing to say. With any luck the explanation would reduce any possible suspicion the question would other wise make.
Sol winced a bit behind them, worried, but she couldn’t go in blind either. That would’ve been suicide. Still this had the potential to backfire terribly. What would happen if they realized there was an “imposter” in their midsts? Still, once they were inside the hangar, the mecha dragon pulled up on Alicia’s free side and leaned in to whisper into her ear.
”Four stations ahead on the left. My new memory banks say the Zoid is called ‘Geno Ritter’. Large dinosaur with a helmet and head blade, along with a pair of swords crossed on its back. As for how to get into it...” Sol kept his voice low as he explained how to board the saurian Zoid so that she wouldn’t be completely clueless when they finally came across it.
She really needed every scrap of information she could get if she was going to even survive this day...
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Post by Hiroyo Oda on Apr 14, 2018 22:52:22 GMT
Hiroyo chuckled at Alicia's comment about not chewing out everyone. "That wouldn't win you any friends, especially among the Brass." She remarked, her eyes twinkling in amusement at the thought anyways. At least nothing Alicia said seemed too out of character yet. "It's a good thing that you use that talent so sparingly, this close to the front tempers tend to run unreasonably hot at times." She flapped a hand after her statement as if to fan the tempers she had mentioned. "You wait long enough and someone else will have done something more noteworthy."
There was a noticeable pause when Alicia asked about the plan. Hiroyo's pace slowed for a beat before she began walking again with her face turned strictly in front of them. She was looking at Alicia from the side of her eye though. It was a moment before Hiroyo spoke again, but when she did it was in the neutral, bland tone she seemed to used for official situations. There was an undercurrent of weariness to her body language. Mixed with her Official Voice was a small bit of disbelief that bled through at the very edges of her words that turned defensive with her last words.
“We proceed South-Southeast for ten clicks before altering our course to East-Southeast. At that point we will get an update on current location of the target from our aerial support. Our aerial support will then return to the main army. We will wait twenty minutes while the main army begins their assault. I was there for the briefing and I do take my duty very seriously.”
In contrast to Hiroyo’s now rather chilly demeanor, her organoid seemed downright amused. Roger rattled his plates in a way that seemed a lot like he was laughing at the two of them. About what wasn’t exactly cleary but something was off. There was something almost mischievous about the way he was he was swaying his head back and forth. It was probably for the best that his beak was taped shut.
Still, despite the chilliness Hiroyo seemed to shake it off once the made it past guard station. Her voice was a little chilly. “I know you wanted to get to your Zoid, but since you’re having doubts about my capabilities it might put your mind at ease if you see my ride after. You do remember what I’m suppose to bring, right?” Hiroyo asked over her shoulder as she headed the way Sol had indicated.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 15, 2018 4:59:07 GMT
For a moment, it has looked like she was staying true to her other self’s character. Hiroyo seemed to be none the wiser so far. Perhaps she would be able to slide through without anyone being any wiser.
That hope was promptly dashed in her heart as the other redhead seemed to clam up pretty badly. Oh dear, what had done it? Just asking about the plan? Her attempt at shaking suspicion with her little story? Little things compounding together!? Backtrack needs to be done! But not too quickly or things will get worse!
And why was that blasted bug laughing it’s metaphorical head off!? Was there something else she was missing!? Oh what she wouldn’t give for some stroke of luck that could save her from this desperate balancing act! Hey, other Alicia! Any chance her counter part was hiding in the back of her mind like Sol and Kisara did!? Alas, that was not the case as no counterpart voice made itself known.
“Hey, wait...” Alicia began, looking down a bit. “I’m not doubting you at all, Hiroyo... You wouldn’t be here if you were bad at your job. It’s war though. As good as anyone is, if someone isn’t pulling their whole weight then it heaps unnecessary stress on everyone else. And that could be the difference between coming home alive or not. I know you get that.”
Agh, working on assumptions like this was terrible on her conscious! What was safe to say and what wasn’t!? She was a soldier so it seemed safe to think she knows just how easy it is to die in a war...
Fortunately, Sol’s foresight was incredible, a boon afford to him by his incredibly long life. A question that should’ve spelled disaster for her was instead pre-empted right after the instruction on how to board her Zoid.
“A Dark Spiner if I recall correctly.” She answered, smiling softly. “Best of the best in its specialty, and capable of outright shutting down unprotected Zoids, and strong enough to hold its own in a fight if caught out.” The former bearer of Steel mentally sighed and thanked Sol for his insight. She still obliged and followed Hiroyo’s lead so they could see her Dark Spiner.
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Post by Hiroyo Oda on Apr 16, 2018 1:07:44 GMT
Hiroyo was frustrated, both with herself and with Alicia. She'd come to respect the other female - who wouldn't after hearing about how she took out a squad solo?- and had thought that maybe she understood what it was like to be a female in the military. Sure the Zenebas Army didn't discriminate based on gender officially, but unofficially was an entirely separate matter. It was even worse when some of the criticism was of the personal habits of a pilot.
Hiroyo understood! Really she did! She should have signed up with a mercenary outfit long before the military came knocking on her door because she just wasn't cut out for the rigid discipline and adherence to the chain of command that being an enlisted pilot required. It meant she was looked down on in ways that were annoying at best and maddening at worst. Constant questioning if she was capable of fulfilling her duties, unneeded reminders of what her duties in a particular mission were. Her squad knew she was capable, and so did her direct commanders as well.
Alicia apologized and Hiroyo listened. She felt her lip upper curl a little because this all was a very pretty way of saying Alicia didn't believe her, right?
Except maybe not. Something in Hiroyo softened without her permission. She had been on edge these past few weeks as the war raged on and casualties on both sides mounted. At first she had told herself she was okay with dying as long as it was in the cockpit, but then Isao had been pulled from this particularly daring mission and she had been assigned instead.
A mission that involved sneaking behind enemy lies while holding to strict long-range radio silence while the main army engaged in yet another sortie with the opponent? The responsibility to complete this task on an Indie pilot the brass wasn't particularly fond of and a female pilot that had a list of minor infractions as tall as she was? Yeah, even Hiroyo could read behind the lines on that one. If they succeeded then great! They'd be welcomed back and told that 'we knew you could do it'. If they failed, well, 'it's war though'.
The worst part was the thought the pilot she looked up to the most seemed to think she was unreliable, and her own unprofessional attitude was probably the cause.
Hiroyo closed her eyes and took a deep breath after Alicia spoke. She counted to ten in her mind and then slowly released it, her eyes snapping open again once she was done. The smile on her face was a little forced but it was clear she was making an effort. "I apologize, I can get a little snappy before combat operations and the last minute assignment left me inadequate time to prepare." She lied. The best way to maintain a professional working attitude was to sweep it all under the rug where it could fester until they were done with the job.
"Correct. There has been some issue with the newer Gorhecks that has been fielded against us but I suspect that it is only a small matter of tuning the Jamming Fins' range to include them as well." Her voice was chillier than she wanted, but that was better than giving voice to the anger in her chest. Something was bothering her beyond the perceived slight, but she couldn't imagine else could be the matter. "I will be providing electronic warfare support as well as direct battle assistance." When the soldier girl stopped walking it would not be in front of her Dark Spiner but instead in front of the indie pilot's own machine.
"Of course, I have been briefed on the specifications of your ride as well. The impressive melee capabilities should come in handy for the close quarters we will be fighting in." She came to a stop by one of the legs of the temporary scaffolding that surrounded the saurian-type zoid. Her pose was once again soldier-quality. "I shall remain here while you perform your inspections."
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 16, 2018 3:48:55 GMT
This time, it became a bit more obvious what was going on in her mission partner’s head. It wasn’t so much that it was reading on her expression but it cracked the odd “friendly professionalism” that Hiroyo had so far. Then the deep breath that was held sealed the deal. At that point Alicia knew for sure that she had caused some kind of rift in the other redhead’s feelings. What, exactly, she wasn’t sure.
“Feeling like you’re being treated as disposable by people who don’t know you can drive anyone too snapping and frustration.” There was one thing she did know though. Gender discrimination was a very real thing, regardless of the world and profession. She knew some of it from being a mechanic. Something so much more serious, like being a soldier? She could imagine just how severe it is. And Hiroyo seemed to be the type to chaff under extreme discipline. Meaning she would come under even more scrutiny and anybody she irritated among the brass might look for ways to get her killed in battle...
So there was something she decided needed to be done. When they stopped in front of ‘her’ Geno Ritter and Hiroyo prompted her to go perform her inspections, she didn’t go right away. What she did was, out of nowhere, come close and wrap the shorter girl up in her arms in a firm hug. Which was probably about as unprofessional as one could get. Maybe that would help the poor girl ease up around her. Of course, there was the chance that her counterpart would never do this but... to hell with that for the moment.
“We should talk a bit more when I’m done, okay?” Letting things fester was a prime way of getting distracted. And she knew all too well a distraction in a battle could be fatal. So... if Hiroyo didn’t figure it out, she’d spill the beans herself. If she did figure it out, well, that would make her fessing up a little bit shorter.
With that said, she stepped back and went to handle her inspections, getting up into the cockpit in the chest of the Zoid. “Alright...” the indie pilot bit her lower lip as she tried to puzzle things out in her head. When a slight whisper just gently tickled her ear.
“Huh...? Sol?” She asked softly, wondering if the mecha dragon had restablished the link they usually had.
”I haven’t said anything...?” Sol answered back with confusion, his voice coming solely from the internal speaker so no one else could hear him. Which confused Alicia even more, especially when it happened again. Almost on instinct, her hands started to flick switches, and soon enough the machine was up in a diagnostic mode.
“Well... not entirely sure how I knew what to do there...” Alicia couldn’t help but muse to herself. Sol was silent as well as he tried to figure it out himself, but anything that helped her along was a welcome change.
”The question remains though, what are you supposed to be looking for? It’s not like you’re able to read your counterparts mind.” Sol had a point there, but Alicia stayed quiet, seemingly guided along in her checks. Whatever was holding her hand through this probably wouldn’t take too long to finalize everything, but that was time in which Hiroyo was left to deal with what Alicia had done and said.
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Post by Hiroyo Oda on Apr 16, 2018 17:16:35 GMT
The hug was unexpected. Hiroyo shot a confused look at Roger as she awkwardly patted Alicia's back. Keeping her face turned away turned out to be the easiest way to keep her composure as Alicia spoke.
"Ah, yes. Let's do that ." A smile appeared on her face and she turned her head back to face Alicia. Some of the tension and seeped out of her back and she leaned more naturally against the base of the scaffolding. "Go on, I promise to be here when your done. Take as long as you need."
Roger shuffled over to Hiroyo as Alicia climbed into her ride, rattling his plates again as he turned one side of his head up towards her. Her smile didn't falter, but she did give the worm Organoid a friendly tap on the side with her boot.
" Hush you, both of you were right and wrong." She told him, reaching up with both hands to readjust her hat. Her cheeks were suspiciously warm when she remembered the hug but that wasn't much of a surprise. She had been embarrassing herself all morning, now she had to live with the memory of someone with more battle experience and skill than all of the records of Hiroyo's squad combined treating the red head like a friend.
The way she only treated that rogue aerial pilot. The only person any if the rumor-mongers had seen her really touch in an unprofessional way.
The smile faltered on Hiroyo's face as her brain caught on this piece of information and chewed it.
At first she thought it was because of the woman that half the camp thought was Alicia's special squeeze. Hiroyo knew how the rumor mill worked: partial information with context optional went in one end and speculation ranging from wild to downright ridiculous came out the other end. She lifted her head to scan the area around this particular bay and caught no less than four mechanics abruptly turning away from her lavender eyes.
Her smile twitched unpleasantly as she considered the eventual rumor that might make it to that other woman and found herself snorting at the thought. For a moment she settled, because that seemed an easy answer to the worry that was haunting her.
But that unease had been there since before the hug, and she was the type to mistrust her intuition but it had saved her life twice so far and so she hard learned to give it a listen.
Alicia had hugged her. Black Tongue Alicia who had no patience for people who could jeopardize a mission, who had never been reported touching someone in a way that was not called for professionally, the woman indie pilot who had stared down the field commander for this outpost last night to argue the addition of a different Electronic Warfare specialist be added to her team when Isao was removed.
Hiroyo bit her lower lip and began working it with her teeth. The Organoid though, the Organoid was with Alicia (Or the person pretending to be her) and everyone knew how loyal they could be to their masters. Hiroyo's eyes fell on Roger's back as he not-so-subtly bumped against the scaffolding to make it shake. Roger was only with her because Isao had ordered him too. Isao and the Organoid experts could pretend as much as they wanted that the worm was following her willingly after she wrestled with it, but she had heard the request asked and the answering groan-like rumble in Rogers plating.
"Dammit." Hiroyo hissed, the smile completely gone now. She had led the other red head confidently into the hangar without bothering to even check her ID, had been so sure the person crawling out of the tent had been her role model that she had spilled mission details without bothering to wonder why "Alicia" was asking beyond assuming it was a personal attack on herself.
If Hiroyo was right, then she had been aiding and abetting someone who wasn't who they said they were. If she was wrong though -
-if she was wrong she would be accusing an innocent woman who she knew of only through the rumor of treason and delaying a critical mission.
Hiroyo swore softly to herself and kicked at Roger's shell. She needed more evidence.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 16, 2018 18:39:38 GMT
The poor redhead waiting on the floor was having a hard time, that much was obvious. Poor thing had started brightening up from the embrace. But now she’d steadily spiraled downward and now was doubting her role model’s identity. Such a troubling scenario for both of them.
”Morning, Hiroyo-chan.” the voice suddenly came from directly behind the scaffolding Hiroyo was leaning against. Kisara smiles brightly as she stepped out into view, having seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Or at least she’d somehow escaped all notice until just now. Regardless, the older woman, slightly taller than Alicia herself, would almost evoke the feeling of being summoned by the stray thoughts of her.
To his credit, Sol, who remained outside the Ritter, had restricted his response to a surprised chirp and looking over to the rogue in question. Organoids shouldn’t be able to speak, after all. Of course, Kisara ignored that for leaning against the scaffolding with the Electronic Warfare pilot, getting quiet close with zero regard for personal space at first glance.
”What’s got you all frustrated sweetheart? Worried your adorably tender moment would find its way to my ears? That I might actually be upset or something? Ha! I’m just happy she’s comfortable enough around someone to loosen up a bit. She needs it, and I can only do so much. Of course, it’s also something she does if she feels she’s wronged you somehow.” Kisara pauses a bit to run a hand through her purple locks, sighing softly as she did. For all her teasing, she suddenly took a turn for the serious, her expression forming up as she did.
”Poor thing, I’m surprised she didn’t actually kill the poor guy for his blunder. She doesn’t look it, but she’s chaffing under all this army stuff too. It’s why I go poof so often, the less army drama, the better. So to know there’s someone else she feels she can let her walls down around puts me at ease. But I can tell something else is bugging you too. Approach her with it calmly and she’ll answer as best as she can, or try to fix it if it’s within her power. Who knows what you might learn though.”
The Geno Ritter’s cockpit suddenly opened up once Kisara finished speaking, and Alicia hopped out and onto the floor. “Alright, everything appears to be in ord- Ah, hello Kisara. Terrorizing my partner for our sortie tonight?” Alicia sighed at the sight of the once ice maiden, shaking her head as she fired off the joking barb almost on reflex.
”Awwww! Alicia, you wound me so!” Kisara gasped out, leaning back a bit and raising one hand to put the back of it against her forehead. ”Why must everything be presumed terrorism? Can’t I get the benefit of the doubt? I came with good intentions this time!”
“Because you are an unrepentant troll at the end of the day.” Alicia dryly shot, smiling. It was just so natural to banter with her and fortunately it was almost guaranteed to be how their counterparts acted when they weren’t being overly friendly towards one another since there were rumors about their relationship. Rumors that Kisara would’ve been all to happy to play with, or may have even started herself secretly.
Regardless, all three of them were in the area now. And Alicia said she wanted to talk when she was done.
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Post by Hiroyo Oda on Apr 18, 2018 4:49:59 GMT
Fate was having a grand day. First the displaced woman had tempted it, and now the native had as well. Humans considered it rude to ignore those who invited others, how could it ignore something like that?
Hiroyo really, really wanted the stealth shield that Helcats had. Ideally miniaturized and easy to use for herself so she could sneak away from this terrible mess. Her posture immediately slid back to military standard and she could feel sweat at the base of her neck. She was going to die, horribly and hideously out in the desert after being dropped from a million miles up with no parachute because she didn't know how to be professional.
Or, or maybe not.
When the red head snapped out of her self-pity it was just in time to hear Kisara to not immediately flay her hide with words alone. In fact the flier actually seemed happy that Alicia was opening up to her! Hiroyo hadn't seen that coming, especially since her face had just been barely not-touching from Alicia's chest. Not exactly how Hiroyo had wanted to make first impressions, but at least Kisara had made a few things a bit clearer.
"Well I guess I'm glad she feels that way." Hiroyo said stiffly as she wished for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Or maybe Alicia would prove to be traitor after all and her Zoid would put a mercifully swift end to the awkwardness the soldier girl currently felt. Right now being squished under many tons of metal and electronics was probably better than continuing to breath. "I, uh, don't know what she would feel she owes me for. I'm the one who has been stepping over the line of propriety rather often."
Roger had stopped headbutting the scaffolding in what had probably been an attempt to knock it down and strand Alicia in the cockpit. Again he rattled his plating in that eerie laughter-like clatter of his. He had turned his head towards the two women and lifted it slightly off the ground and was swaying back and forth.
Of course then things turned serious and the discussion turned to Isao, which was a topic that was awkward for slightly less awful reasons! It was really weird being the friend of the pilot who had caused an incident with the independent pilot who was both the Brass's biggest hope and their biggest headache. Hiroyo had thought nothing of it at first, but that fact was rather important now.
A sardonic grin crossed her lips because she could certainly agree with other parts. "Well ma'am, army life certainly isn't for everyone." Herself included, she wanted to add! Still her body unwound a little, her muscles complaining about how many times they had been jumped to readiness again and again. Maybe she should hit the gym more. Kisara had good advice, but Hiroyo didn't think that would necessarily be the best route to take when asking the aerial pilot's possible girlfriend if she was planning to betray or desert the army.
Of course then the woman in question made her appearance from the depth of the Geno Ritter.
Hiroyo's mouth twitched as she watched the other two greet each other. This was how she had heard the two talked to each other, her knowledge of their relationship cobbled from the great grapevine that found its way to every mess tent and bedroll in the Empire. There was nothing here that was out of the ordinary, at least not that she had the knowledge to see.
Still, the only thing she could do was galvanize her self and get to it.
"Did you find everything satisfactory then?" She asked politely, her eyes trained on the other red head's face. Her lips twitched a little as if she was fighting a smile or maybe a frown as she stepped away from her lean-post towards the main thoroughfare of the hanger. "If you're done then, would you mind walking with me to see my Dark Spiner?" When Roger made a move to follow her, Hiroyo stuck her foot out so he gently bumped into it with his beak. She shook her head minutely, knowing he could 'see' the movement and then glance at Kisara's face before returning her gaze back to Alicia's face. "Alone, perhaps? I think we have things to talk about."
She'd lead the way down the alley if Alicia agreed, walking just a hair ahead of the other girl. She was quiet at first. The look on her face suggested that she was trying to piece together the words she wanted to say into the best order possible. The bay she was headed for was a good three bays past where the Geno-Ritter was kept.
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 18, 2018 13:13:45 GMT
”Who knows. Not even I can read her mind. All the time at least. Usually I have an idea what’s going on but right now it’s all her secret to reveal or not as she chooses.” Kisara noted to Hiroyo, before nodding to her rumored ‘girlfriend’ as a sign to let her take it away. Something the taller red head did fairly readily when prompted
“Yeah, I did. The mechanics know what they’re doing, thankfully. The Geno Ritter will be ready to roll when our sortie comes around.” Alicia answered back with a nod. Honestly, it was a miracle she knew what in blazes she’d been looking at. Being a mechanic in a ‘normal’ human world only went so far, you know! But some kind of ‘gut instinct’ of sorts was saying everything was in proper order. Perhaps she got a bit of her counterpart’s sense for how her machine was supposed to work? Who knew, she was thankful for the handholding, really.
Following Hiroyo to her Dark Spiner? That was certainly reasonable. She was about to turn and call for Sol and Kisara, when she spotted Hiroyo interrupting the caterpillar’s own move to follow her. And then the added stipulation of her being ‘alone’ was added. Well... it seemed Hiroyo suspected something was up, so it was a good thing she was planning on coming clean during this chat already...
”Till next time then.” Kisara noted with a nod of her head. She’d probably vanish again as soon as their eyes were off of her. Sol, meanwhile, tilted his head, wondering what the indie pilot planned to do.
“Well, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” She decided, nodding to herself. With that said and done, she’d step out with Hiroyo and follow the shorter red head. Seemed the Dark Spiner was held a fair bit farther away then ‘her’ Geno Ritter... Which meant she’d be a far distance from Sol or Kisara’s support... Oh well. It’d be time to face the music whenever Hiroyo decided to confront her...
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Post by Hiroyo Oda on Apr 19, 2018 3:03:03 GMT
Hiroyo nodded in acknowledgement when Alicia said the mechanics had done their work well. She would expect nothing less from the mechanics, sure when there were so many you had an idiot or two slip in but that there was still base level of competence that a pilot could expect from their mechanics. Which was great since the giant metal machines were the main form of avoiding and dishing out death.
The path to Hiroyo's Zoid had quite a few people milling about: mostly mechanics rushing here and there to carry out last minute checks, a few pilots could be seen scattered through out. There were few looks cast the way of the red heads. The looming fight meant everyone was busy with their own checks and tasks. A few cots had been set up along very edge of the walkway and a few mechanics had taken advantage of their breaks to rest their eyes.
"After this we can get breakfast." Hiroyo offered blandly as she stepped around one of the empty cots. The area directly around the bay with her Dark Spiner was quiet for the moment. The Zoid itself appeared in shape to look like many others of it's kind. The paint was the typical colors with a camouflage pattern overlaying it.
Hiroyo would make a show of leading Alicia around the mechanical beast in a circle around the legs close enough she could reach out and fondly run her hands over it. She would step away and gesture towards the joint at the back of one of the feet. "Come, take a look. As you can see the wear and tear is well within allowances and has been cared for to the best ability of the Empire's mechanical engineering corps."
She stepped back and smiled politely. She put her hands behind her back and waited. Waited for Alicia to accept her invitation and step forward. If the other red head did as she was invited to, she would rather quickly find Hiroyo popping her personal bubble by planting her hands on either side of Alicia's body, the shorter woman leaning in and then abruptly jerking her head up to look at Alicia's face instead of where the height difference had left her staring. The sternness in her face was sapped by the bright vibrant flush that had sprung up on the entirety of her face.
"You claim to be Alicia, and I'll admit you have her face. That Sol and Kisara also talk to to you is another point in the favor of you being who you say you are, but you've been acting contrary to what I've heard about you, from who I met at the briefing last night." Her expression still stern despite the blush. "But you're not, are you? You're not the Alicia I met last night."
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Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 19, 2018 11:51:09 GMT
Alicia hummed thoughtfully and followed along. Breakfast would likely sound really good after all of this blows over... And indeed, the machine looked really well taken care of. Certainly used hard and thoroughly from her professional opinion, but well taken care of regardless. A once over of her own machine had revealed much the same, both of these Zoids have been heavily used. It spoke either volumes of their pilots’ abilities or of how much the brass wanted to keep them in the line of fire, depending on who you were asking.
Of course, she only had a few moments to consider all of that. The next instant she was pinned to a metaphorical wall with a stern, if embarrassed, young woman staring her down. The taller redhead listened to everything Hiroyo leveled with her calmly, without much change in her emotional expression, at least until the final accusation.
With that, she sighed softly, meeting Hiroyo’s gaze. “Okay... Good thing I planned on fessing up as soon as I could reasonably get you alone.” That... was almost certainly not what the Empire pilot was expecting to hear. “First, the easy answer... You’re right. I’m not the same Alicia Westfield, though we do share the same name. Here’s where it gets complicated, and I really need you to have an open mind on this one...”
Taking a breath, she centered her thoughts and continued. “I am Alicia Westfield, of what I can only assume is another reality, and today is the first day I’ve ever seen anything in this world. My... home reality if you will is one in which Zoids and all related technologies and phenomenon don’t exist at all. So I am very much a fish out of water here, limping by on a hope and a prayer. Further more, with how tense the atmosphere is across the whole camp, I could immediately tell that things were about to heat up into a planned fight. So I needed to find out what my counterpart was supposed to be doing as soon as possible. A ‘why’ would’ve also been nice so I could understand my counterpart’s reasoning, but I knew that was likely too much to hope for. Regardless, I needed information so I could better fill in for her. That’s... why I asked about the sortie you’d mentioned.”
Of course, there would probably be a question of where the other Alicia had gotten to... “Before you ask... I don’t know where my counterpart is. She could be where I should be right now for all I know, or somewhere else entirely. I can’t even begin to guess specifics. I’m sorry I can’t do more on that front. I don’t know if this is a temporary thing or something permanent. All I know is that Sol and Kisara are affected too, but apparently they’re a lot better at blending into their counterpart’s roles...” It was a risk to expose Sol and Kisara as well, but she hoped full disclosure would earn at least some kind of benefit with this poor girl.
“At the end of the day? We’re stuck in some bad circumstances, and I’m trying to make sure I’m not dead weight. I have a bad feeling the brass made our sortie so small because my counterpart didn’t need much support, on top of your own abilities.” And that was all there was to it. All she could do now is hope Hiroyo somehow managed to take all of this well.
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