2011-06-02 - Sorrow Beneath The Pacific

After the little 'excursion' of Ascian and Seril's, both of their machines have taken quite the bit of damage. Still stuck on the large submarine however, the two find themselves stuck on board of the ship. In fact, Ascian had basically just stormed off to his private quarters after arriving - before Seril - no matter what the girl had said about wanting to cheer him up.

With the door closed, but not locked, Ascian is currently releasing some more of his frustrations on a boxing bag that hangs down in the room. Who knows where he'd found that thing, let alone how he'd managed to get that thing hung up in the small quarters that had been assigned to him. But he's done so, and he's punching it. Sweat dripping off of his head whilst letting out angry grunts, punching it, harder and harder, faster and faster, until finally fatigue overcomes him and he ends up hugging it and placing his forehead against it... crying.

Thankfully for the occupants of the submarine, the way Seril had landed with Yatagarasu resulted in the machine being not-super-hot by the time the lock had been emptied and the Godmachine stored. Only the interior is hot, the fluid in the cockpit boiling when Seril emerges. And she's actually still damp when she hits the deck between Yatagarasu's feet. She just waves off the technicians, though, "Leave him alone, he'll heal just fine." The girl just darts off into the submarine, "Ascian!"

By the time she reaches his quarters, having not found her big brother in the mess or with the captain (who had helpfully given her a towel), Seril sports both a towel and two steaming cups of hot chocolate. Shifting the cups to one hand, she reaches up to knock, but pauses. It's pretty noisy in there! And then...not?

Steeling her resolve, the La Gian girl slowly pulls the latch and cracks the door, peeking inside. What she sees widens her eyes. Leaning back, the girl closes her eyes and straightens herself up, then reaches up and knocks firmly. .oO( I have to be strong now. )

It is strange sometimes, how emotional uproar like this can leave a person entirely unaware of the world around themselves. That's the state Ascian is in when Seril cracks the door open, completely oblivious to her presence. The young man continues to sob lightly, his grip around the back strengthening for a moment, as if he somehow had the ability to crush it. But really, he doens't. He isn't a super-human. He's not a NewType. He's nothing special. Just a soldier, a Martian one at that.

But when that knock rings, he feels a little 'pull' on his ears, and he quickly gets up. He moves his face against the leather bag quickly, removing his tears, and then turns towards Seril and tries to smile. Of course, his eyes are a slight bit red. "Hey Seril. What's up?" As great as he normally is at acting, this isn't one of those times. There are too many physical tells that even a toddler could read.

The young man leans against the bag for a moment, and then loses his balance and almost falls over. He has to catch himself by the edge of the bed, and like a cat pretending that he'd meant to do that, settles down on the piece of furniture. His gaze then catches Seril's hair, and before she can set the topic to something he doesn't really 'feel' like talking about, he comments; "Yatagarasu changed your hair..." he mutters, suddenly getting a guilty look in his eyes, feeling like somehow - he is responsible for this. And perhaps, he partially was.

"We did good today," Seril states firmly. She steps into the quarters and uses her foot to bump the door shut, pressing on it until it latches. "You seemed upset, so I decided to treat you today. It's just submarine cocoa, so it's not as good." Taking the cup in one hand, she holds it forward, handle out. If he takes it, all is well. If he doesn't, she'll just set it on the endtable. Either way results in the still-damp girl sitting on the bed beside Ascian.

She doesn't drink her own cocoa. She sets it down as well, so she can shed her wet coat and deposit it heavily on the floor, "Something's eating you, big brother. I've confided in you plenty of times." Turning, she settles those pretty violet eyes on his face, "You always worked so hard to make me feel better, and I want to help if I can. I know you're sad, your eyes are all red."

He brings up her hair, which comes as a bit of a shock. Glancing down, the girl pulls a few locks forward to examine her new highlights. It's a pretty red, in her raven-black hair. But rather than acknowledge it any further, she drops the subject and shakes her head, "No, no, no! This isn't about me!" Resting her hands firmly on her knees, the winged girl pouts up at Ascian, "If you don't talk to me, how can I help you, big brother?"

"Yeah... guess we did." Ascian does indeed accept the hot cocoa and just holds onto it, ignoring the fact that the mug is way too hot and is kind of burning his hand onto it. Well, okay, it's not that he can /keep/ ignoring it. In fact, within moments, the mug is on the floor, let go by Ascian - the brown liquid slowly dripping down on the floor. "Ah... sorry." The young man sounds frantic. "The ship wobbled, and I didn't notice." He lies, something he rarely does to Seril, mostly just so he doesn't upset her. He quickly goes down on his legs and grabs a nearby towel and begins to soak it up. Anything to keep himself busy at the moment.

The fact that Seril is taking off her coat, and is still quite damp, is completely lost to the young man. But he does catch the words she speaks. and lets out a few longdrawn sighs as she makes those observations he wished for a moment - she was too young for to catch. "I'm... fine, really..." He tries one more time, rubbing the towel more over the floor and then putting the empty mug onto the nightstand.

Halting for a moment, he then finally gives in as the girl pouts at him behind his back and realizes that he'd been trying to change the subject. "It's... not something that can be helped, Seril." This was more something like Seril's fate. Something that could not be fixed. Something he didn't have the power of altering. The young man pauses, thinking of just how he is supposed to tell her this, let alone /say/ it without breaking down in tears. "I... the A-LAWS... and Katharon. They..." He pauses again, swallowing loudly. Somehow, he doesn't know how, manages not to break down when he shouts; "THEY KILLED MY SISTER!"

Seril is still damp because Yatagarasu was cold when she disembarked. Usually, the machine's heat dries her by the time she hits the ground, but not if she cools the exterior with THE ENTIRE OCEAN first. Ascian drops his drink, which causes Seril to jump to her feet, "Ah..!" She goes for the towel the captain had given her, but it seems Ascian has it well in hand. As such, Seril uses the towel on herself somewhat half-heartedly, watching the Framerunner with a sad look. She knows *something* is bothering him. Something that hurts. She can tell it hurts a lot more than the bad news he had to give to her not too long ago.

'They killed my sister!', he shouts. Seril's wings shoot up, and she flinches both from the volume and the content. His sister. Not her. The real sister, the girl in that photograph he'd shown her when they first met all that time ago. Slowly, Seril's wings droop down against her back, and she sinks to her knees so she can put her thin arms around Ascian's neck.

She doesn't say anything. What *could* she say? As close as she has grown to Ascian, she feels there's no way she could understand the bond he had with his real sister. Her own relationship with her brother was so distant, with no connection at all. All she feels she can do is .. be there.

Ascian just kind of hangs his head. "First me and Hera split up." He is starting to go over recent events. "I find out that I cannot tear you away from your fate with Yatagarasu. And now... my sister is dead." It's actually quite a lot of bad realizations that have come to him. And to him, a lot of /major/ ones at that. Yet somehow, now that Seril is holding him about his neck, he cannot find his tears. All he can sense is this emptiness in his heart, as if a part of it was suddenly... missing now. And as much as the girl who was holding him right now might try, at this moment, it was too big of a hole to fill by herself.

It isn't as if Ascian doesn't appreciate it though. He's trying to dreg up those emotions, but it is almost as if everything is sitting right in front of this very small door, all trying to come out at the same time. There is that burning feeling at his eyes, but things just won't come out. Something within him is preventing him from breaking down right here, right now. And Seril's silence luckily seems to help in this.

So the young man raises a single hand up to his neck and pats Seril's hand. "Thank you Seril." He turns his head and within moments seems to have grown a rather tired look on his face. Tired and sad. Still, he manages the smallest of smiles. "I'll be fine." It's not honest. And she'd be able to tell. She'd spent at least /that/ much time around her 'Big Brother'. "I appreciate it." And that smile falters again as he looks at the girl, straining his eyes a little as he turns his attention to those little wings behind her, then back at her face.

There's this little 'tap' against the back of his mind, that drives some crazy ideas into his mind, but he pushes them aside - each and every one of them. He then... chuckles. "Doesn't seem like I can actually cry at the moment. Hehe... hehehe."

"No you won't," Seril insists in a sad voice. She tightens her arms around Ascian's neck, refusing to let go even as he tries to tell her he'll be fine. "All these things... You're worried about me, you have your own problems too.. I don't want you to do what I did." Ascian might not be able to find the will to cry, but tears do leak from the corners of Seril's eyes, squeezed shut and buried against the side of his neck.

"Please don't laugh like that..!" At last, she lets go, retreating to arm's length with her hands on his shoulders and a terrified look on her face, "When you laugh like that.. It sounds like you're going into a dark place." Shaking her head, she continues, "It's a dark place I already got lost in, big brother." Retracting a hand, she rests it over her heart, "..I can't understand..how you feel.. but I'm here. I'll help you however I can. Whether..." She looks down, "..Whether it's revenge..or just being here.. 'A shoulder to cry on', isn't that what a little sister is for?"

When the framerunner catches those little tears forming from the corners of Seril's eyes, he tips his head about a bit confused. And for a moment, right there, he has a flashback.

Before him sits his sister hugging him tightly, hear head against his. And he is doing the same to her. Both of them holding eachother, whilst they are in the midst of an empty place on the red planet. Alone, afraid, and far away from any civilization. Survival training, for two young people who were in no way truly ready for this.

And this flashback is what leads hims to wrap his arms around Serils' shoulders as she speaks - the words being heard, but the processing being extremely slow as he slowly returns to reality. Tears finally begin to falls down his cheeks as he digs his head against Seril's neck and shoulder and rubs against her - trying to push away the tears. But they just flow easier and easier.

"Why...." he begins to bawl. "Why Seril... why did they have to take my big sister? Whh~hhhyyyy..." Sometimes, it's okay for guys to cry too - right? Not that it matters right now. With the door closed. With just Seril here to support him. He doesn't care about what is supposed to be or not. She wishes to see him cry, she doesn't want him to fall into this dark place. "Please Seril... keep me safe..." Ascian whispers, his hands pulling up to the back of her shoulders from underneath her arms. He isn't letting go anywhere soon.

It tears Seril up to see Ascian like this. Bleakly, she realizes it must've been the same way for him every time she's cried in his arms. When the young man collapses against her, she does her best, closing her eyes and just..holding him. One arm rests about his shoulders, the other hesitantly pets his dishevelled hair down. This ... is just feeling far too familiar. The roles are reversed... but, she imagines... this is an awful lot like how she was after she learned the fate of Helena.

A little frown crosses the girl's lips. At least Ascian doesn't have that... other, extra little bit of guilt that she carries. That's pushed out of her head quickly, and she shakes her head a few times to chase it away. No, no!

Feeling, ultimately, helpless as to what to do, Seril just holds her big brother, petting his hair and making a soft cooing noise. Her little wings flutter, and tears leak down her cheeks. Such a pair, the broken birds of the Divine Crusade. Seril only hopes she can be strong enough to support the one who, for so long, she had relied up to support her.

Yes, this is indeed quite a lot like when Ascian would comfort Seril. And that's just the way he likes it, because it's the same way his true sister had comforted him. He closes his eyes as the girl strokes through his hair, and lets out a shuddering sigh. His body becomes a little slack against her as he continues to lean on her, rubbing his hands over her back, down along her wings, and then places a little kiss against her cheek as he finally finds the strength to let go and pull away from her - slowly.

"Thank you, Seril." He whispers weakly, giving her a sweet look. Sure, there are still tears running from his eyes, and he places his hands on her shoulders. He's trying to look strong for her - so that he doesn't have to 'weigh her down'. After all, wasn't he the one supposed to be the one taking care of her. As much as Seril had said that she was a shoulder to cry on, he didn't want to become someone she couldn't depend on.

She was right. He had to stay away from that dark place. "Thank you." He says again, placing a hand against the girl's cheek and chin, and giving her an almost... loving look for a moment. But he quickly snaps out of this and closes his eyes, his mind and heart too much in turmoil for his psyche to hold one emotion for a long period of time. The young man then slowly stands up, his legs shaking. "I... I should get back to the Amenthes. She needs me. She needs repairs." He's clearly way too tired to do any work. It would probably end up badly for him if he overexcerted himself.

It seems Seril at least understands that the support is not only one way. She's fully willing to reciprocate. It's the only way, she reasons, that two siblings can truly be strong together. At long last, it seems that a good cry has really helped his mood, and she smiles a bit weakly, "It's okay." When her cheek is kissed, the girl bows her head forward a little with a blush touching her cheeks, "...If it'll help... We can find her resting place. I never got to say goodbye... But you still can." When Ascian starts talking about work again, Seril rises to her feet and rests her hands on her hips. She also places herself in front of the door, and puffs her cheeks out in a pouty expression of anger, "You'll do no such thing! The repair guys will be fine with her! They know what they're doing." Removing a hand from her hip, Seril picks up her own (mercifully, much cooler now) cocoa and pushes the cup out to Ascian, "*YOU* are going to sit here and drink your hot chocolate, which you earned today by beating the snot out of that jerk from the Federation!" Her wings flare out too. Everything she does is an attempt to make herself look larger, even though she's still much smaller than Ascian, "You're always working so hard, even when you deserve a break, so I'm not taking my eyes off you this time."

The young man had smiled when she'd blushed in response to the little kiss he'd given her. Sure, it'd been but a smile sign of affection, but the response was still something that... warmed his heart. This was different from last time. This was an actual reaction. Still, he just had to keep telling him that she was his little sister. That is the way it should be. That's the way he'd decided it to be.

After he'd turn around to leave however, he suddenly halts as the shorter one of the two manages to rush past him and get in front of the door. This actually catches him off-guard, and his eyes widen for a moment. Just for a moment - that smallest of moments - there is anger in his eyes. Due to the emotional turmoil, and the connection to Amenthes, for a moment he just sees her as someone in the way between him and the only thing he has left that reminds him of his time with his sister - other than some of the photos.

But then, that anger quickly fades, and he mentally already is beating himself up for even thinking such a way. I, he smiles as the girl begins to get all pouty and spreads her wing outwards. He reaches his hand out, not to the mug however, but to her head - and ruffles her hair. "Alrighty, alright. I'll stay here and drink the cocao." He mutters and takes the mug with his other hand, his hand trembling a bit. So his other hand moves underneath to support the mug. And he just... stands there for a moment, entranced, staring at the mug - as if it held all the answers in the world.

Seril had actually expected Ascian to be a little cross with her decision to get between him and Amenthes. She doesn't connect the Orbital Frame to his sister like he does, but she knows that he's nearly as connected to his machine as she is to hers. What she didn't expect was how quickly the anger leaves his eyes. Her own determined face dissolves in a giggle, her eyes closed as her hair is mussed.

Her cross posture shifts to a more neutral one, her hands tucked together behind her back and her wings settling to a more natural position. Like this, she leans forward a bit, "I just think it'd be best for you to rest right now. We had a battle today, and you're already so sad. Just..take it easy, for me, okay?"

It takes a minute for Seril to realize just how deeply he's staring into that cocoa. With a confused 'Nyu?' she leans back, focusing on Ascian's face again, "...Did you want marshmallows..? I forgot to grab some."

"Hrrm? Ah, ehh, no. That's not it." Ascian mumbles and takes those few steps back to settle back down on the bed again, sitting there, looking at the mug. "I guess I am just feeling.,. listless." He'd taught that word to her one of these recent days, so he figured she'd pick up on that one. "And it is hard to concentrate." The young man explains his momentary 'staring off into space' thing with the mug.

His head then turns back up to Seril. "Could I get some more hugs?" He asks. "Since... you want to comfort me and all that." Her words spoke true, he noticed. He had already battled today, and he was indeed... 'sad'. Very sad. He can feel that pulling sensation underneath his eyes, from his skin as the tears dry up a little. It's weird how they just... came and went.

Yet another sigh. There were going to be many more of those over the coming days. Just sighs for the sake of sighing, to release some of the pain in his heart. His shoulders sag a bit, trying to let himself relax, and begins to slowly sip from the mug bit by bit. "You... are now my only sister remaining. Seril. Please... you're my only family. Please... never leave me."

Listless. Feeling lost, without direction. Seril's felt that way plenty herself in recent times. That's something she can understand. The sadness, the helpless feeling. A vicious one-two punch that hit her first, and then swung around and clocked Ascian right in the most tender place - His family. Flicking her wings a little, the girl steps forward and wraps her arms around the framerunner once more. With him standing, it's a more natural hug for her, eyes closed and letting out a warm 'Hmm~' as she clings to the older man.

"It's okay. I'm here. No matter what, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." Oh, how little she knows about how *true* that is due to the Yatagarasu's meddling, if she isn't killed by something sharp and metallic, Seril will not only outlive him -- but still look the same as she does now.

Assuming she isn't some horrible inhuman mutant in 50 years, anyway

At least, even if she'd turn into a horrible inhuman mutant, Ascian would still love her. And possibly still - in a ways - fancy her. But that's Ascian for you. He's... odd, to say the least. With her hugging him, so close to the bed, whilst standing - it is easier for him to hug the girl as well. He wraps one arm around her, and with the other sets the - now half-empty - mug down on the nightstand right next to the empty one.

He then bends down a little to get to her height and properly gives her a hug, rubbing his cheek lightly against hers - an affectionate gesture. The comforting words that he needed, that promise that she wasn't going anywhere, is important to him right now. "Good... good." He repeats himself, trying to convince himself that just those words were all he needed.

He then pulls his head away a little, still hugging the girl, and looks into her eyes. He puts his nose against hers, and stares deeply into those purples of hers. "Hey Seril?" He whispers. "Your eyes are pretty." Oh Ascian, you silly man. That's not the kind of compliment you give your little sister. Still, he had decided she had to know this. And blaming his off mental state was easy. And there's that... 'closeness' between them.

The whole thing about Ascian being odd is probably part of why the two have such a tight bond now. He accepts Seril for what she is, and what she's gradually becoming. None of this seems to bother him. Her fangs, her wings, even her new highlights have all been taken in stride. To say nothing of his sudden appreciation for her blue eyes turned violet.

She stares blankly into Ascian's eyes like that for a solid minute, her expression blank with just a touch of bewildered confusion. The compliment lands like a hydrogen bomb, pushing a blush into her cheeks and causing the girl to fidget, looking away, "Ah.. You said that before. I was thinking..purple suits me more than blue did." She looks up, then, lifting a hand to hover just over her forehead, "But if Yatagarasu is going to keep changing me... I'd like to be taller. Even just a few centimeters would be great." Shifting to look ahead, she blinks twice in succession, "I wonder if he does requests."

Ascian doesn't let the girl go as she starts fidgetting and looks away from him. This whole reaction just seems to cheer the young man up as she reacts to the little things he does with such pure emotion. As she finally turns to look ahead again and begins to talk, Ascian moves one hand to her forehead, and strokes her hair back, leaving the hand resting at her neck. "Be careful what you ask for. It might just turn you into some nine foot giantess." He muses, then suddenly blinks. He had positioned himself that slightly awkward position before her again, and he bites his lips. A light blush overcomes him, and he quickly looks away. "Oh, reminds me." Ascian is quick to change the topic.

He moves his right leg towards a backpack underneath the nightstand; it has a BAHRAM emblem on it, and is most /clearly/ Ascian's. He pulls it closer to the two and then lifts it up with his foot - picks it up with his other hand, and then proceeds to let go of Seril as he opens it up and reveals... two packages. One a bit thicker than the other. They are wrapped in a standard blue wrapping paper... and don't look too well wrapped. It's clearly that it had been Ascian who'd actually tried to make it look like a gift. They even have a twosome of slightly flawed, but big and pink, ribbons on them.

"Here, I got you these." He explains. If she'd open them, she'd find two sets of clothing. One, a pretty black dress that has a spot to let her wings come out - but also has a set of straps there so she could hide them within -- and are decorated around it so it looks as if her wings might be fake if she didn't move them. The bigger package is a red-and-white, with some purple accents near the sleeves and as lines that seperate the two colors. It's quite stylish looking. The reason the backage was so big was because it does indeed come with a small metalic pack, so she could put it on her back - and her wings would be hidden.

"Nine foot...?" Seril frowns at that, "No, that'd be terrible, I'd bang my head all the time." Reaching up with both hands, she covers her forehead, "I already hit things enough as it is!" Though it seems she reminded the young man of something, and as he goes for his backpack, she lowers her hands to watch...Presents?! Seril clasps her hands together, "Ahh, you mean it?" Two gifts! Well, she did say she liked surprises, didn't she?

Seril rips into the thinner one first, and comes out of it ... completely bewildered. Dumbstruck, even. The concept of a backless dress isn't alien to the La Gian princess, but she has trouble computing how she could wear it without revealing her little secret. She holds it up by the shoulder straps all the same, letting out a soft, "Pretty~... ...Nyu?" Headtilt. She gets a good look at the back now, then glances over her shoulder at her tiny wings, giving them a flex. "..Oh! I see!" The dress is bunched up to her chest, and the girl is all smiles forever, "Thank you~! I love it!"

Laying that across her lap, she descends upon the thicker package. Eyes sparkling, she lifts up the spacesuit in both hands, "Ahhh~. You worked purple into it! It looks great!" Her little wings are flapping all over the place, she's so happy, thankful to have such a thoughtful big brother. Laying the suit across her lap, she picks up the metal 'backpack', turning it over in her hands, "So this..will let me go into space. Okay!"

The framerunner sits back and watches as the girl digs into the packaging and tears out the dress first. He just watches her as she analyses it and gives him a confused look along with that question. But, he's patient. He just gives her a knowing look, and just like he expected, she figures out exactly what he'd done to help her work her wings into the whole design. His gaze is distracted for a moment though, but her wings flapping about in glee.

On to the second package, which has her looking at the spacesuit. "It's a bit like my suit, very tight. But it stretches, and the material actually breathes fairly well. It took a bit to get them to make it - I'm sorry for the wait." She then picks up that metal backpack, and Ascian just nods. "Right. It'll feed oxygen into your body. It's also made to handle extreme heats if need be. It's made from the strongest material they could find. Not to mention." He pokes at the 'front' of it. "You can wear it around the base. It'll keep your wings hidden, and give them at least 'some' freedom. I know how relaxed you always look when you take off your jacket, and you can stretch them."

Ascian continues to sit on the bed, resting his forearms on his legs as he is bent over slightly towards Seril. He continues to watch her poke at the gifts he got her. "Oh... and..." he then pulls his backpack towards himself again and retreives... a flat little package with a much neater wrapping on it. This looked... fancy, and store made! And out comes a second package, this one just a simple box shape. "With a pretty dress, for a pretty and sweet little sister." Ascian says, and lets the girl open the first package first. It's a beautiful red gem within a silver necklace, it almost looked like a sun - and goes great with the new streaks in her hair. The other one, if she wanted to open it immediately, contained a newer datapad - like Ascian had promised to Asuka as well. It doesn't look like he plays favorites when it comes to that. It's set to 'basic' mode, so it's easier for her to understand. And he'd already preloaded some images on it of the two of them - when they'd once posed for a camera at the Earth Cradle. He's also put in some frequency-numbers, like his own and some other important ones.

Seril clucks over her presents, testing the stretch of the framesuit as it's explained to her, "It's alright. It's a present, I shouldn't know when I'll be getting it. But I love it!" Lifting the suit up again, she pokes the material, "So this'll withstand the heat inside Yatagarasu? That'll be great. I don't know how much longer my regular clothes can last if I keep using them inside it." The last radio she burned out had been tested at over 900 degrees, the temperature used to melt steel for forging tools.

The backpack is explained, and she considers its shape again. It certainly is more open than keeping her wings flat under her jacket all day, "That's so thoughtful.. I didn't even think of that!" She reaches for the metal shape again, collecting it in both hands so she can get a better look at the interior, "Compared to my coat.. This will be so roomy. And I won't have to worry about when they move, either!" flapflapflap.

Blink, "Nyu?" More gifts?! Seril briefly looks about the cabin for the calendar. Is it Solstice? No, it's almost summer... And her birthday isn't for a few months still. "Ahh, I don't want to seem greedy. I didn't get you anything at all, big brother." Still, she gently takes both boxes, one in each hand. The smaller one is opened first, and Seril instantly displays the one trait she naturally shares with ravens and crows: Fascination with sparkly things. She stares at the necklace for a solid minute, enraptured by it, tracing a finger over the jewel and setting, "...Pretty~..."

Attention turns to the more boxy of the gifts. Once she figures out what it is, halfway into opening it, she suddenly gets much more careful with the unwrapping, "A pad?" Once it's out, and on, she pokes the screen a few times, "...Big brother, this is much easier than yours was." She smiles, wings fluttering, "I feel a little guilty~. I'll have to surprise you now, you know, or you'll end up spoiling me."

Again, the glee and happiness of Seril is all the young man cares about at the moment. It's almost enough to take away the sadness he feels for the loss of his sister. At least, for just a moment. Let him just enjoy this moment. "Don't worry about it, Seril." Ascian objects when she comments that she didn't get him anything. "You don't need to get me anything. Just being around me is enough of a gift already." He replies, shaking his hand a little to emphasize his words. God, he can be corny sometimes.

The look at that gem amuses him the most. After she is done looking at it in that... fascinated manner, he takes the necklace from her, opens the clasp, and whilst she is still working out the datapad he'd given her, he reaches around her neck - over her shoulders, pushing her hair aside a bit and locks the necklace into place. "The necklace isn't resistant against heat. So you may not want to wear it within the Yatagarasu." Ascian warns. "But since I don't think we'll be deploying anywhere soon..."

He pauses for a moment, looking at the girl - now wearing the little necklace. The gem hangs close against her chest, where one might expect it to hang. It draws the eyes a bit. "Looks good on you." Ascian agrees, then turns his eyes towards the nearby sink. "You can look at it in the mirror of you want." he offers, pointing at the mirror over said sink, before turning back to Seril. "If you want to thank me though..." Spark! That little thing his brain sometimes does. The 'bad idea' thing? "... you can always give me a kiss." On the cheek! Well, okay, he doesn't say that.

Seril barely notices being bejeweled while she's toying with her new datapad, such that when Ascian compliments how it looks on her, she's taken by surprise. Wait, how did it get on her like that!? The girl rests her datapad on the table beside Ascian's cocoa, so she can pick the pendant up lightly between her fingers for a better look, "Alright. It's too pretty to wear in battle anyway, I'd be really mad at myself if I let it get broken."

The invitation to check it out in the mirror is taken, and she stands up to do so, still touching the edges of the filigree with her fingers. Her other hand reaches up as well, twirling her hair a little, "...It's kind of a happy accident, that it matches my hair so well." Getting an idea, she then reaches for her new dress, holding it up to herself, "..Hmm~... Now I can look pretty if there's ever a nice party I should go to!" Which is probably exactly what Ascian had in mind when he got it for her. Something nice and pretty to wear to fancy parties.

She turns her head, glancing over her shoulder, "...Kiss you?" Turning fully, still clutching her dress to her chest, she seems hesitant about the whole idea. Suddenly and quickly, though, Seril leans forward and gives Ascian a little peck on the cheek. Nothing romantic! Totally platonic! Now standing in that awkward way she does, the girl sets her dress down, "...You're so nice to me... I don't think I ever got presents like this, even from my real family..."

No, a peck on the cheek is totally okay with Ascian. There's not even a shred of emotion that would indicate he wanted more. "Teehee." The youngster makes a glad sound when she kisses him, and then nods at her. "That's right. A nice party. When we go to that colony, we may end up in a festival there, so it would be good for you to have something like that. But also, you are more than welcome to wear either of those within the Earth Cradle. I don't think anyone would look at you too oddly." Ascian comments.

He'd caught that hesitant look about her though, before that totally platonic kiss, as well as the awkward standing position for a while. "Hey, you're my family now. You're my little sister. Of course I have to be nice to you. Besides, you're a sweetheart, Seril. Why would I not be sweet to her." He doesn't comment on her 'previous' family in the least. "Besides, am I not now your 'real' family?" Sure, not blood related, but still.

He then leans up for a moment and leaves a peck on her forehead, before he ends up flopping over and laying down on the bunk. That tired look from earlier seems to have returned, and the hot cocoa has done little to truly revitalize him. But he isn't claiming he wishes to sleep yet. "But ehh, Seril. You don't need a dress just to look pretty." Oh gosh, more compliments. "As for that necklace. Well, I figured that with Yatagarasu being a God of the Sun, red would fit you well. And the datapad, well, I loaded some pictures onto it." And he proceeds to tell her what else he put up there.

Seril turns her eyes towards the ceiling when Ascian comments about how she can wear them around the Cradle. He's worn his flight suit around several times. And then there's Lethe and her completely unconventional uniform. No, it would seem that a pretty dress or a flight suit on her wouldn't stand out at all. No more than her long coat and plaid skirt, anyway. "I'll be sure to pack this then!" A festival on a colony? She really will get to experience everything Space has to offer! The kiss to her forehead incites a little laugh out of her.

"Yeah~. I suppose that's true now." They may have, individually lost everything... But they still have each other. Collecting her new datapad, once Ascian flops down on his bed, Seril flops down across him so she can poke at the screen while kicking her feet slowly in the air. Wings fluttering the whole time, the girl picks through the afformentioned photos, "Ahh, I remember these~!" Glancing up, she adds, "We'll have to get some of us in our spacesuits. And maybe all dressed up too." Closing her eyes, she folds her arms and rests her chin on them, settling down, "Nnn.. I was just thinking it was a little lucky that the gem you chose goes with..um, what happened."

"No, I get what you mean." Ascian replies, nodding his head a little whilst placing his hands behind his head and peeking from below at what Seril is doing on the datapad. "Hrrm? Ah yes, that one was just after our second mission." Ascian chuckles as he remembers this... then grows silent again. He'd never even had a 'first' mission with Alina. That thought makes him entirely quiet once more. "Anyhow, I'm going to rest my head for a while. Please, stay with me if you want to." Those are the last words he gives her for now, as he turns around and lays his head on the pillow, closing his eyes and starts trying to sink into lala-land.

"If you think I'm leaving," Seril states in a voice filled with mock authority, "You're crazy." With her arms folded that way, and her body draped across Ascian's middle, the girl rests her cheek on her own folded arms. "The second I get up and leave, you'll just run off to work on Amenthes. So I'm gonna stay here and make sure you rest all night."

And thus, in much the same way as a cat in one's lap prevents them from moving, Ascian has a little sister in place to prevent such an escape. Cracking an eye, she flips off her datapad, then closes it again with a soft yawn. Ahh, naptime~.