2010-04-28 - Semisuperfriends

THE ARGAMA

THE REPAIR DECK OF SAME

NOW

Tanith O'Gasmeter just finished her first shift on the bridge. It wasn't anything incredibly special -- just this guy Torres walking her through the basic procedures. She didn't even really get to do much. Under her arm is a phonebook-like operator's manual for a gigantic spaceship, which she has read four or five pages of. That was while she was in the elevator. She got so lost in 'HOW TO START UP THE ARGAMA'S ENGINE' that she missed her deck entirely and just kind of wandered off at--

--well, here. Looking up and around, the girl with the inexplicably veiled eyes lets out a frown of 'whoops.' She closes the huge book and looks around, walking out onto one of the catwalks overseeing the repairs happening on this, the Repair Deck.

There are a few suits getting patched up here and there, technicians floating up and down their partially-composed bodies. Tanith stops at one, gripping the handrail in between tugs to make sure her hat doesn't float off. The suit she is eyeing is the MVF-M11C Murasame.

In, if the scorched armor pieces being removed are to be believed, what was once pink.

It used to be a very nice pink, too. Now, the armor across the abdomen and left arm is charred or missing, bolts and connection rigs for what was left of the shield are torn off or bent the wrong way. The facemask is cracked in numerous places, and the V-crest on the head unit looks about ready to fall off in one or two places. A hole that Tanith may even be able to crawl into is bored through the right side of the chest, beyond the cockpit bloc. In a heap on the floor, what was left of the shield.

And this is machine was the one that /won/ that little scrape.

She was, before, standing on the oddly designed custom Mobile Suit over yonder, that one that was called... Itz... Itzp...

That one.

Now, with a wave of Astonaige's arm, Rachel Miu Athha is gliding across the hangar to the pink Murasame, wearing coveralls similar to the set yesterday, though actually pulled on fully. The sleeves are rolled up to just below the elbows and the jumpsuit is mostly left unzipped, a pair of welding goggles are pulled up on her forehead, and she has yellow work gloves on. A grease-stained red mechanic's rag sticks out of the back pocket, with another one crammed into her left hand pocket, too.

Hands and feet put forward, she lands on the chest of the Murasame with minimal fuss and impact, letting herself hover within arm's length of the Mobile Suit's chest. As she points at the hole and discusses with the man in charge the damage done to the machine, she's left to nod a few times. After he leaves, she seems to notice Tanith up on the catwalk, hand lifting up.

The wave is small. Polite.

Tanith does not even have her head turned exactly toward Rachel as the Princess examines her suit, but apparently is nonetheless within the blonde's field of vision -- 'apparently' because god only knows what her field of vision is at any given moment. Tanith can't help but feel a pang of -- something as she remembers 1. how sad Rachel seemed yesterday, 2. what a douche she must have looked like getting up and barging out after Amuro Ray said /stressful things/.

So, Tanith reasons, she has to make up for it now. Throwing her hand up -- the one with the book, so she's waving at Rachel with a huge book -- there's an excited wag at the elbow, and a loud, cheerful "Hey!"

Then, Tanith realizes, she has no idea what else to say. Yelling out 'Feeling better?' would probably be a dick move since, you know, people could hear, and the colony-hopping youth has at least /some/ sensitivity within her skull. So she settles on: "So, uh, this one yours?!"

"That's right!"

She's never seen someone before that's seemed so... what was the word? Regardless of this, it takes her a moment to pull those padded work gloves off and cram them into her pockets. Turning toward the Murasame, pulling herself a little closer, she kicks off of the Mobile Suit and glides over to the rail of the catwalk, hands-- one scarred and one unscarred-- extending to catch the rail and bring her to a quick enough stop.

Momentum is still an unforgiving mistress, though, forcing Rachel to hold on a little tighter and kick her legs down a little harder to catch her weight and keep upright instead of flipping right over and onto the catwalk.

Lively! That was the word.

Turning herself around, Rachel brings her legs up a little and scoots to sit on the railing, hands closing around it to hold herself steady. "The transformable MVF-M11C Murasame, from Morgenroete. Two 12.5 millimeter fire-lined CIWS in the head, four on the wing binders, two Type 70J Kai beam sabers, Type 72 beam cannon, anti-air missile launchers, what's left of a shield," she says, indicating to the one on the hangar floor, "... and a lot more power than people would give it credit for."

The corners of the white-haired girl's mouth quirk upward a little bit. It's like she's trying to smile, but she's just not sure how yet. "Of course, I doubt you came down here for that, ... Tanith, right?"

Tanith is pretty lively -- this is true. When Rachel sits on the railing, Tanith leans forward onto it, balancing her book on it and then her arms atop the book, hunching forward and occasionally turning her head from the view of the Murasame, to the teenager next to her, and back. She noticed the scarred hand grabbing hold -- but, in another rare moment of tact, opted to say nothing. Not yet, anyway.

"Well, I mean, to be /fair/," Tanith says, her smile an embarassed (but not /too/ embarassed) little wry curve, "I sorta came down here by accident. But, you know, keep it under your hat, and we can say I came down here for the --" a pause to remember "-- M-V-F-M-one-one-C Murasame, from Morgenroete. Did I get that right? Because you got my name right so I want the score to be one-one."

Tanith turns back toward the mobile suit, and watches it do perfectly nothing for a moment, before asking: "Is that how you messed your hand up? Piloting one of these things?" The question is quieter, and the implication seems to be that it is one that comes out of genuine sympathy. But then, Tanith should know about hand injuries involving mobile suits. She doesn't quite volunteer /that/ bit just yet.

"Correct," she says. "That's all right. I'm pretty sure no one will blame you, all things considered... I mean, you're new, right? I got lost once or twice around here before I managed to get all of the important locations memorized."

Following Tanith's gaze back to the Murasame, looking at it from a distance, it causes Rachel to close her left eye for a moment. Still getting used to the depth perception thing is... difficult. She'll have to put in a call to Tessa about it soon enough.

Then, she frowns a little and looks down at her palm. The lash of scar tissue around the back and palm of her left hand is a little heavier than the marks on her left arm, and the lines around the left side of her head, and cheek. "This was..."

Her left eye opens, but both of them don't go further than half-lidded.

"I had a lot of things happen, before I met up with my sister again. Cagalli gave me the Murasame after I got back."

Tanith lets out a breath. She doesn't /quite/ turn her head toward Rachel, but she starts to. "No, hey, if it's -- if it's a Thing," she says, pronouncing the capital 'T,' "then... you know, I'm sorry for asking, that was really rude of me. It's just..."

Tanith feels herself about to go into an explanation of how when she was working as a courier in Neo Hong Kong all the couriers used to show off their scars to one another because they were signs of badassitude. Tanith's are all covered, one way or another. But it occurs to her like a lightning bolt in one magic instant that this isn't a courier job populated by teenagers fucking around looking for spending money or the odd mob connection. This is, you know.

War.

"...it's just nothing, it was totally rude of me. My bad. I'm sorry." Even her apologies are lively, in a muted, apologetic sort of way. At least she seems to mean it. "So what's it like? I mean, like, having Cagalli Yula Athha for a sister." The name is stressed, as if it has particular importance, possibly of some personal kind. "Like, I remember I used to see her on the news and stuff, and it was always, you know, she's this /Princess/, on /Earth/, and now I'm kind of standing around next to her /sister/, and I dunno. Do you know what I mean?"

Sitting there for a moment, she watches Tanith's reactions, the backpedaling. Briefly, she considers if this is what it's like to be more of a 'normal' teenager; Tanith looks to be around the same age, or... at least, as far as she can tell from her height, her build, and the parts of her face that are actually visible under the veil of bangs and the brim of the cowboy hat.

"You don't have to apologize."

Her head tilts a little bit, and she reaches up to pull the welding goggles down around her neck with a rustle of the heat-resistant rubber and leather straps, shaking her hair out. It isn't done without some thought, considering the weight of Tanith's question and how to word her reply...

"She's ..."

Moments of her lives flash across her vision, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

"... She's a lot nicer than some people take her for. Cagalli's pretty forgiving for a lot of stuff, and... she's really been looking after me for the past couple of months while I got myself back up on my feet. At least, until I came up here for Amuro," she says, gesturing over her shoulder with a thumb. "He arranged for me to come to the Argama. I still get to see Cagalli a lot, even though she has a lot of work to do on Earth, and ... we also stay in touch via commlines and all of that."

The deck warning light comes on. It's a clear-out signal. The mobile suit catapult is in use. In this case, it's the port. The viewing ports are open due to their relatively safe location. Outside, the distinctive Hyaku Shiki slams onto the launcher, crouching as it slides to the end of the deck. The warning light ceases to flash as the experimental mobile suit stands and turns.

On the repair deck, Tanith and Rachel are safe from the pressurization and can watch the great bay door open so the Hyaku Shiki can be drawn inside. The cockpit opens and an obvious red-suited figure glides out toward the floor. He is already attended by at three maintenance officers seeking signatures or orders, but Quattro somehow knows enough to glance upward and wave before taking his administrative entourage off of the launching area.

Tanith, perhaps still chastened by her faux pas, just kind of gives a half-smile to the comment on not needing to apologize, but it's a half-smile that isn't particularly cheery or anything. It's more of a 'yeah, but' look. She doesn't press the point, though. Instead, she simply forgoes interrupting -- as she's usually quite keen on doing -- while Rachel describes Cagalli.

"Wow, because, you kn--" Tanith is cut off again. She looks over just in time -- that is, her head turns just in time -- to see the Hyaku Shiki arrive, and Captain Quattro's wave to the pair. She reflexively waves back, with just enough enthusiasm to suggest that the one she gave Rachel before was no fluke.

Then Tanith doesn't say anything for a second, which is weird, for her. She seems to be watching Quattro disappear -- her white front teeth are glimpsed for just an instant, chewing on her lower lip, the corners of her mouth just barely lifting.

And then Tanith snaps out of it. "I'm -- Sorry, I -- What? I mean, no, sorry, I spaced for a second there." Tanith grins, seeming less penitent for /that/ than she did for the hand thing. "What was I saying? Oh, yeah, your sister -- that's totally cool, that you keep in touch with her and stuff." Tanith doesn't really want to think about Amuro right now. That guy was weird. So he's left uncommented upon. "I'm an only child, so like, I never had that chance, you know? And it's not like I could just invent a sister or something, ha ha. You know, you should totally introduce me to your sister. She seemed cool on TV. I bet we'd get along."

Lights spin and the inner workings of the Argama are on the move. She can feel the vibration through the rail-turned-chair as the Hyaku Shiki arrives, and seeing the Captain emerges to get assaulted by his work already. Briefly, she wonders if that's how it is with Cagalli whenever she makes it back to Onogoro Island every time, minus the zero gravity thing.

Waving to Quattro, it takes her a moment to look back over at Tanith, organizing her thoughts. "I actually spent a few years away from her. Father had some problems with keeping an eye on the both of us, so I spent some time living with my uncle, Homura. We still saw each other over the summers, and during holidays, social occasions and parties..."

She should-- wait, what?

Blinking a few times with a look that speaks of honest confusion, it doesn't take long for Rachel to shrug, then nod. "I don't see why not. I don't know when she's coming back to the ship next, but..."

Scratching the edge of her jaw with her index finger, Rachel folds her arms a little bit in thought, one arm under her chest and the other raised up to her face. "If we're in Orb or if she's on the Argama, I could probably arrange for us to meet her. It depends on if we're busy or not."

"Well, I didn't mean like right away, or something," Tanith says, grinning. She adjusts her posture, still leaning on the rail -- one arm goes across the book, and the other settles its elbow down, bringing her palm up to rest her chin in thoughtfully. She tilts toward Rachel. "Just, you know, if the chance ever comes up." She's not apologizing for this one, so apparently it's okay to impose upon people with regard to family, when you're a 'normal' teenager.

"I just think it'd be cool, is all. I mean, a week ago, I could only say I'd met zero princesses in my life, but, like, now I'm at one, so I figure why not go for two?" She laughs, as if her own comment really amused her. "No, I mean, I dunno, I just -- I've just heard so much about her over the past couple years. And I never really got to meet anyone like that on Neo Hong Kong or any of the other places I've lived, y'know? Even during the Gundam Fight I was too busy going to school and working and stuff, I didn't even get to make it out to any of the matches, and you know they always cut the best parts out when they show them on TV." Tanith's ramble winds down, and there's another pause.

"You know, you don't look that much like her." Tanith shrugs. "Isn't that weird sometimes? Like, which one do you take after, the mom or the dad? Because I guess that means Cagalli takes after the other."

Aside from the scars, there's the natural, dusky tone to her skin. Her hair's white, though cut in a similar style to Cagalli's own. Her eyes... well, they're that same golden color, at least, even if the younger of the surviving Athhas doesn't look that much like her sister. She lets that mull around in her head for a moment, and she shrugs.

The story's been told before. She's gotten somewhat used to it by now, anyway. "I was adopted by Father when I was very young. I'm not entirely sure where I came from before that," she says, looking off at the mostly-stripped pink Murasame in the near distance. "It didn't matter much, though. Father and Uncle Homura looked after me, and Cagalli was always there for me."

Rachel's posture shifts a little bit, gripping the rail again. Her shoulders slope forward while her back arches back; her legs lift up a little and her knees swing back and forth almost as though she doesn't even realize she's doing it. "Anyway, don't worry. I... can understand your enthusiasm. I've met so many people in the last couple of months that I've only read about or seen on television," she says, gesturing slightly. "Amuro Ray, Captain Quattro, the Gundam Meisters of Celestial Being, Zero of the Black Knights, Mithril's Colonel Testarossa..."

The corners of her mouth quirk up again. "I'm still getting used to it."

Tanith's smile dampens slightly. She doesn't know what spurred her on to press about Rachel's parents -- if the same thing had been done to /her/, she'd probably have made another stupid excuse and floated off by now. It's just one of those things -- and being aware of it makes her a little reflective on having pushed it at someone else. "Oh," she says, sounding vaguely sympathetic, in that sort of way that suggests she doesn't really intend to pry further.

Luckily, then the conversation rolls on: to /famous people/. Tanith could be watching Rachel as she shifts. She could also be staring at Rachel's legs swinging. She could also be staring at a blinking light somewhere in the distance. It's... well, anyone's guess, honestly. "Oh my god, I /know/, right?!" she suddenly gushes when Rachel confesses that she's still getting used to it. Her voice becomes louder, more animated -- and so does her smile. "I don't know if I'm /ever/ gonna get used to it, it's so crazy! Like did you see that just now, that was Quattro Bajeena waving at us, and we waved back at him, and, like -- aaah, isn't that just totally nuts?!"

Tanith seems to calm after her little joyous outburst. "I mean, um, of course it's important to be professional about it, too. Ahem."

Though her empathy may not be as powerful as others at a time like this, she's told the story enough that she recognizes the expression. Closing her eyes and shaking her head a little bit, Rachel turns her eyes back toward the young navigator when they open again. "I'm used to it. It isn't... I'm not ashamed of it or anything."

As for the celeberties on their very own spaceship, then directly on to professionalism, Rachel lets out a ... laugh?

It's short, one "hah!" It's still a laugh all the same. Even Rachel looks a little surprised, eyes wide as she blinks and brings a hand up to her mouth as though she's being improper.

Princess, etc. Or maybe something else?

"I got Captain Quattro a little upset with me when we first met. I guess it's okay now, I've ... I've never really stopped to talk to him about it. Commanders have a lot to deal with, and I was never actually punished over it. I was acting a little childish then, anyway."

Though she's still talking, her fingers are still at her mouth. Was that what a laugh feels like? She's seen Tessa, Kurz, Lockon, Cagalli, and Quatre do it-- but is that what it actually feels like? The whole process was surprising, but not untoward or strange-feeling. It actually... it felt kind of good.

She wants to do it again, sometime.

The laugh makes it very clear that Tanith is looking at Rachel. Her head turns up more, necessitating a stronger bend in the way she leans. She herself sports a bemused smile, clearly finding something -- funny? dorky? charming? -- about Rachel's reaction to her own laugh. "Man," Tanith says, laughing, herself -- but talking through it.

"I know you're a Princess and all, but you can laugh around me, y'know? I mean, if it's a state secret, I'm not gonna tell anyone." Tanith thinks it's just a whole prim-and-proper-pomp sort of thing. She laughs again. "Not like I'd ever talk to your finishin' school headmistress anyway, I bet, haha."

Tanith looks away, over toward the Murasame, when talk turns to Quattro. "I dunno, I think he's..." Tanith bobs her head from side to side, like to some imaginary beat, for a moment, a dance of looking for the right word. "He's something, I guess. Like in the mess hall yesterday, he just... sat there, and... you know, usually I'm pretty good at reading people, like, I'm not the best or anything but I think I'm pretty good. But with him it was just like -- what is this dude's deal? He's so -- He's like a mystery or something, you know? Do I sound like a dork? Tell me if I sound like a dork because I really don't want to sound like a dork until at /least/ my first week is over."

'Princess Rachel' looks momentarily embarassed, especially as Tanith points out that she doesn't need to act or seem so formal around her. Her hand lowers from her mouth, and Rachel looks sheepish. "Sorry..."

"You don't sound like a dork."

Of course, it takes her a second to file through her memory for the slang usage of dork. God, this 'normal' thing is hard.

Rachel turns a bit on the railing, hooking her legs over onto Tanith's side of the catwalk. Pushing off a little bit and landing on her feet, the young pilot tucks her hands into the pockets of her mechanics' coveralls, looking back over-- at the Hyaku Shiki.

"He's something," she remarks, mouth falling into a flat line.

"Listen, if I check with Astonaige, I might be able to show you to where you need to go, if you want?"

"Pff, don't apologize," Tanith says, lifting her chin out of her hand so she can wave it at Rachel, as if to dismiss the apology outright. "And haha, thanks, my ego needs it right now."

The look at the Hyaku Shiki is mirrored by Tanith, insofar as where Tanith is really looking can be judged without x-ray goggles. (Of course, no one has yet laid to rest Judau's suspicion that she may not even have /eyes/.) The question is broached -- 'I might be able to show you where you need to go, if you want?'

It's only a second before Tanith responds, but in that second, a lot happens. Her first instinct is bravado -- she can see herself saying 'Psh, naw, I can figure out where I'm going, what kind of navigator would I be if' blah blah blah and then there's a kind of awkward goodbye and then Tanith goes back to her bunk alone and sits in her bed alone and reads her piloting manual alone and waits for the next duty shift. This slice of life flashes before her eyes (if she has them) and something compels her to reject it. "Hey, that'd -- yeah, that'd be really nice," Tanith says. She's not as loud as she usually is. She sounds appreciative of the offer.

Maybe even a little touched. "That'd be really cool. Thanks."

Maybe one day she'll catch Tanith off-guard and flip the girl's bangs up. Whether or not it means she's looking into the Ark of the Covenant or the heart of the TARDIS, she'll have to survive to tell the tale afterward. She has no problem looking at her bangs as though she were seeing eyes, though... lord only knows what people thought while she wore an eyepatch.

"Okay. Let me just check with him, and I'll be right back."

Turning away for a moment, Rachel grips the rails and hops over, squatting down at an angle before launching herself through the hangar toward the floor near the man that keeps everything on this boat running-- shy of what help he can get out of all of the rascaly kids on board.

The talk is only for a few moments. Rachel has no problem working through dinner, as long as she can get something to bring back to the hangar, anyway. In due time, she flings herself back up to the catwalk and catches on, swinging her legs over and landing with no small amount of precision. "All right..."

Gesturing to the door at the end of the catwalk as she leads the way, Rachel tries-- again-- to smile a little bit. "Right this way, Tanith. Just watch out, um."

"... sometimes there's a chicken running around the ship..."