2011-03-28 - Beastmen on the Beach

Much like the world of La Gias, Earth was far different. And much like the different continents, Australia was far different! The animals and landscape within Australia had seemed so different!

So Nia had to go!

She had decided to start along the beach, although she wore no swimsuit. She had not been planning to go out into the water, but all the same, she would not mind wet clothing! The feeling was far different and somewhat enjoyable. Much like she had found the cold mud on bare feet on her first steps from the palace.

Walking on the beach edge of the seperation between city and beach, Nia finds the stark contrast quite amazing! She stands a bit out, however, with cotten candy hair, clover eyes and even some golden bands. She does not even know where she is going, really! It is a small adventure.

A short ways down the beach is something that most certainly doesn't belong there. The light glints off of the metal of what appears to be a giant robotic knight. It's the sort of thing that might draw attention, if mechs weren't quite so common these days. Still, the design is distinctly foreign - the type of thing that might only come from the inner world.

Sprawled out upon one of the guymelef's hands is a young woman. Well, woman wouldn't be the right word for it. With brown ears, a long fluffy tail, and a pattern of white, orange, and stripes covering her skin, Sinya is easy to identify as something totally inhuman. Still, she's wearing a bathing suit, a two-piece number, sprawled out on her back with sunglasses on, seemingly enjoying the day.

Of course, she had other reasons for being here in Australia. She'd gotten a tip from the Trailers that a certain renegade smuggler was hiding out down here. Found out, she fully expects the beastman to show up ay time now.%r%rAny time now...%r%rAnd there he is. The cloaked, hunched figure of a wolf-like beastman appears at the edge of the beach, looking this way and that to make sure he isn't followed. Then, moving along the sands, he nearly runs right into Nia, grunting a, "Out of the way, Princess." As he heads by, his tail clearly visible, a snarl in his voice. He appears to be heading in the direction of the sunbather and her machine.

The first sight of the robot brings an interested look from the Spiral princess! A machine like that, she had never seen before! Certainly she had seen many robots, but none that looked quite like a knight! Her interest peaked, the princess begins to walk, sandal-less, through the sand.

She liked the way the grains felt between her feet, the way the sun warmed the sand, and the way the lower levels were so cold to the touch, while the top was nearly aflame! How she had ever lived without such amazing and wonderful sensations, she would never have known.

But it is all suddenly interrupted when a cloaked and obvious beastman pushes her aside, causing Nia to stumble. "That is not very kind of you." She chastises, pausing to think to herself momentarily. "But then they have never been, have they?" Except when speaking to her when she was his doll.

Her gaze rises, focusing on the path he's taking - aha! Another beastman! She does not know why a beastman has a machine of that sort, however. It is quite ponderous! Wether the wolf likes it or not, the princess follows the beastman!

"May I ask why, sir Wolf, why you are in such a rush? Does it involve father?" She doesn't give up easily! She also lacks any ability to be sneaky.

The beastman barrels on across the sand, not really expecting anything from the girl he'd just come past. When she gives chase, he stops, looking at her with a distinctly puzzled expression. "What?" There is a growl in his voice, nose curling to show a hint of white teeth. "I have no idea who you are, or who your father is. So take off before my fangs find you." The threat is left to linger as he grunts and continues on towards the guymelef.

The growls are enough to cause Sinya's ears to perk, the catgirl lifting her sunglasses as she sits up just in time to see the confrontation between the wolf and the pale-haired girl. With an agile motion, she dismounts from the guymelef's hand, landing in a crouch on the sand before moving to intercept his path. "That's no way to be treating someone, Kai, and you know it." Her tail puffs up, claws extended. While the wolf is certainly larger, and probably stronger than the catgirl standing before him, somehow her words seem to cause him to straiten.

With another growl, the wolf glances over his shoulder and mutters a, "Sorry." Although he doesn't sound particularly sorry. Sinya, on the other hand, folds her arms across her chest. There is a small cut visible on one of her shoulders, obviously still healing. "Do you have it, or not? Because I'm not chasing you halfway around upper world anymore." With a twitch of his nose, Kai glances first at the girl nearby, and then reaches into his jacket, pulling out a small bag and giving it a toss towards Sinya, who catches it neatly.

So, he does not know? "But you had called me princess?" She protests! Why, after all, would someone call you princess if they did not know you? But she is very familiar with such threats! "How cruel!"

But she is not moved to stop following the wolf! The catgirl that had been sunning herself is quick to her feet, and quite agile! The puffed up tail is quite /cute/ as well, though probably meant to be the opposite. It makes her so much like a normal cat, which is also quite weird. Nia's head tilts as this crosses her mind.

"I had just told him before the same thing. That is is quite rude! But I am very happy that he is kind enough to apologize." She still takes the apology! Either too dense or too naive!

The bag that changes hands between the two doesn't even seem to get her attention. Perhaps it is lunch, or something else! A ribbon? A letter? A note? They seem to know each other! It must be /very/ important to literately chase someone across the world!

"You must be very tired then!" She pipes up, eyeing the small cut on her shoulders. Perhaps it was a very action-packed chase! But then, why would he come to her? Maybe it was an award?

As Sinya tips the bag, a wrapped package falls out into her hands. It takes her only a moment to cut the bindings of it with her clawed fingers and reveal a blue crystal - about five inches in length. Holding it up to the light, it has an almost prysmatic effect, casting little blue reflections onto the sand. "Perfect." She murmurs to herself, and then lowers the crystal again, looking towards the beastman and the girl. "Payment in full, as promised." She reaches to her side, plucking a small key card from the hem of her bathing suit, giving it a toss.

Kai, ignoring the girl completely, leaps for the card, catching it in his teeth. There is a snarl as he looks towards Sinya, plucking it out and quikly stashing it into his pocket. "I won't go through that kind of crap again for such little coin." Sinya's head tilts, showing a flash of fang. "You won't go through it again period. You're fired. I don't want to see you around the 'nest again."

With a loud snarl of frustration, the beastman turns and seems about to stalk away when he catches Nia's question. "Stupid little /girl/." He huffs, and then stalks off.

As soon as the wolf is out of sight, Sinya seems to relax, shifting from the stern act to one more relaxed. "Sorry about him. Sometimes getting things from La Gias requires employing some of the worse types of people." With a little incline of her head, the catgirl's tail twitches. "I'm Sinya." She offers, before her eyes are drawn back to the crystal.

Oh! How pretty! Especially the reflections in the sand! Nia's eyes almost seems to sparkle from the beautiful sight! "It was a plesaure to meet you, sir Kai!" Nia responds to the wolf as he turns about and stalks off, even giving a wave to him! She certainly was little, but stupid? "I am working on learning more of their customs, so I will not be!"

Turning to face Sinya, a rather pretty catgirl wearing a two piece, the rather over-dressed Nia looks out of place almost. "Do not worry, I have dealt many times with my father's men!" She answers, still quite cheery despite the threatening gaze and actions of the wolf!

Introductions! "Well met, Lady Sinya! I am princess Nia of Teppelin, it is quite a pleasure to meet you!" She offers in response, bowing, looking back down to the crystal too as she stands, and then the tail.

"Are you not one of my father's women? You do not seem to be with the wolf man, nor do you own a gunman." Nia eyes the machine behind her! She also has quite the eye for the obvious. Finally! "That is quite beautiful... I can understand why you had chased him for so long to get it! You must be very tired."

"Don't... call him 'sir'." Sinya suggests, lifting her head with the faintest of a wince evident there. "There is no honor in people like him. He's a low-life smuggler who was trying to sell this out from under me even though I contracted him to fetch it. He figured he could get a better price." Her tail twitches, showing the mild irritation that she tries very hard to keep from reaching her voice. Afterall, she isn't irritated at the girl, but at the retreating beastman.

She seems about to turn back towards her machine when something in Nia's words catches her. Her father? "Excuse me if this is a stupid question, but... who exactly /is/ your father?" Her ears twitch backwards, mouth forming into a thin line when the comment about the gunman gets made. Why? Why is it that everywhere she goes he gets mistaken for one of Lord Genome's beastmen?

Placing her hand on her nose bridge, she takes a deep breath, shaking her head. "Wrong kind of beastman, I'm afraid." As she lifts her eyes again, Sinya holds one hand out, palm up. "I'm from Gaea. So is Kai. My people, going back generations, were born like this. No one /made/ us." She tries to emphasize the point, knowing full well that people still often confuse the two.

"But no, I don't own a gunman. I work on them sometimes." This time, she walks towards her guymelef, clambering onto one of the knight's legs. "And I tracked him down because I need it to run Arius." With a tap of her claws onto the knight's frame, she leaps and ends up back up on the guymelef's chest, within easy reaching distance of one of the two eyes in the gryphon chestpiece.

"Even after you paid for it? That is very rude of him. But he was not a Miss..." Nia agrees! And sort of doesn't. "He certainly looked low-life! he must be very old!" There may be a slight disconnect in the understanding.

"You, however, look very highlife!" She beams, trying to understand and use the turn of a phrase that she had heard all of once before. "Oh, no! It is not a stupid question at all!" Clover eyes focus on the cat-girl! "He is Lord Genome, the Spiral King!" Having been with beastmen so long, she is a slight bit biased. Or more particularly...

The girl gasps! "Oh! I am oh so very sorry! I had not known there were other kinds of beastmen!" She apologizes, hands clasped before her! "I did not know... but that is still no excuse. Oh I do hope I have not bothered you with such an assumption." Pause, "But that means you must be a kind and caring person!"

Nia follows Sinya up to her machine, before standing before the Guymelef, raising her head to look up to the catgirl! "Arius? ...Oh, your machine!" She pipes out. "Perhaps I can ask Simon to mine some for you when you need them! He is very good at digging! That is why is called Simon the digger! Oh but there are many other things he is good at as well ...." She trails off until Sinya interrupts her.

From somewhere in hammerspace, Sinya manages to find a tiny tool, prying the outer casing off of the gryphon's eye. "Usually you reserve titles for people who deserve them. High ranking officers, dignitaries, politicians." She explains, fidgeting with the machine while her legs dangle down off of the guymelef's hand. Not all that long ago, Sinya had been new to this world - although perhaps not quite so naive.

"And low-life means a bad person. Someone who hurts or cheats others for their own gain." Once the casing is pulled free, Sinya plucks up the crystal and holds it out in her hand. As she moves towards the eye, it seems to shift as if it were liquid, allowing her to pass her hand into it, crystal in grasp. There is a flash of something within, that passes up along the knight's body, and then her hand is withdrawn again, perfectly dry.

When she reaches to touch the eye again, it is solid, making a clinking sound as her claw touches it. "That should do it." The casing is closed again over the eye, and Sinya peeks downward over Arius's fingers. "And don't worry. I'm used to it." There is a pause, and then she leaps down, as if climbing the unit is as simple as most people take the stairs. "You seem... quite nice for someone who's father is supposedly some great evil in the world." Curiousity shows as she tilts her head. "As for your friend... I'm not sure I'd suggest anyone going to Gaea these days, not even for my sake. They probably wouldn't take nicely to visitors from other worlds."

Nia sits down before Arius, and then leans back a bit to more easily see Sinya as she talks to her! Sand all over the dress and her hair doesn't seem to bother her, at least! She nods her head as Sinya gives her a lesson. Titles are for important people! Who deserve them! But there is a problem, she feels people are oft important over not.

"Ah! I am so grateful for your explanation Sinya." The definition of low-life, laid bare before her as well! "Oh? Then you certainly must be a high-life. And he a low-life." She .. half gets it, her head bobbing up and down as she takes in Sinya's information like a very well dressed and bright colored sponge.

But her head tilts at the peculiar sight. "How amazing! Is Arius magical?" Oh she so likes to hear of magical things!

But it is closed off to the world shortly after, Sinya peeking down to see Nia peeking upwards, entirely on her back now. "Now I see why you were doing this!" She admits, "The sun is so very warm, it is like day-sleeping!" At least she is used to it! Nia nods, before Sinya leaps down, Nia twisting around to lay against the sand on her front, and to look up at Sinya in a less weird way!

"I do not understand my father's action, but I believe him to have his reasons. Even for tossing me away." She still wears a smile, though it is notably dampered as she mentions it. "No? That is unfortunate. I would think they would be happy to meet someone new! Especially Simon."

Sinya's mouth opens, trying to think of a way to sort out the strange use of vocabulary by the younger girl. "High-life means... something else. It's not opposite of low-life, it's like... celebration, living life to it's fullest, enjoying yourself." She scratches at the side of her cheek, not sure if it quite explains properly. Oh well.

As her bare feet come to land on the sand again, Sinya licks at the back of her hand and then rubs it over one ear in a distinctly cute gesture, then seems to take a closer look at Nia. Her comments do bring a half-smile to the catgirl's face, bemused if nothing else. "I suppose you could say he's part robot, part magic. The crystal I had is the magic part." At least, that's the best way to explain an energist to someone who had no idea what one was.

"You haven't gotten out much, have you?" She asks, flopping herself down in the sand near by, sprawling out on her stomach to soak up the warm sun. "You remind me a little of some of the people on the SuiKyosha. They're from the Spiral Plains as well, and just much in wonder of the world up here." Her tail swishes back and forth behind her, even as she sets her head down on her arms.

"Then I am high-life!" She beams, still looking up to Sinya - as well as looking up to her! Oh that is so /cute/. Nia grins and giggles! She did not remember the last time her father's beastmen were cute. Perhaps that all went to her when she was 'born'? "I believe I understand." Nia claims, "Where the metal is the robot and the magic is the crystal!" She may just repeat in a way, but she certainly understands.

As Sinya plops down, Nia makes no complaints! She actually enjoys the company. "Oh, I have been out for a while now, but there is so much to learn! They way the people here act and the things they say are all so very refreshing... and I have learned so many things as well!" Or at least heard of them.

"I am glad I am not the only one to see this world." Nia happily exclaims, her legs moving slowly up and down behind her, but then stopping as she looks over to Sinya as she lays down. Nia presses a bit against Sinya's arm.

What is personal space? "Your fur is so very soft, Sinya. It must be very comfortable!" For Sinya, that is. Nia is, if nothing, a very sociable person.

"I guess you are." Sinya chuckles to herself, giving up on the idea of trying to explain that particular word. "Arius is a guymelef. They were made by the decendants of the lost Atlanteans, or so the stories go. In my world, they're called Ispano. So maybe that's where the magic comes from." There is certainly some relief on Sinya's features, glad to finally have the crystal replaced.

"But I know of gunmen, too. The humans of the SuiKyosha pilot them. It's... one of the places I work. Sort of, anyways." With a laugh, the catgirl shrugs her fuzzy shoulders. "Helping them understand this world. It's a big task." Her head tilts towards Nia, who might be one of the few others she's met who would know how daunting such a thing would be.

She might have said something more, but that's when the girl ends up leaning against her arm. Sinya freezes, pressing her lips together slightly. It's quite a feat of will not to just pull away. Physical contact is something that she is still trying to open herself up to, and certainly most don't jump into it quite so quickly. "Uh... thanks." Her ears slick back, a blush rising on her mutli-colored cheeks. "Sometimes I'd kind of like to trade it in for being a normal human. Like when people mistake me for a beastman." She smirks slightly at Nia, and then shakes her head. "But there's plenty of things I can do humans can't." Her eyes seem to look out towards the water, as if considering something.

"Mhmm!" Nia agrees with herself and Sinya, giggling. She always tries to live the high-life!

The story that Sinya gives Nia is a very important on to her. A Guymelef? Made by the people of Atlanta! Also called Ispano? "Maybe. It would be hard to ask them if they no longer exist." She states, hmm.. "But perhaps Father would know! ... Oh, but he does not answer my questions." The last one got her thrown in a death box!

"Oh, they pilot gunmen as well? And if you have worked on Gunmen before then you must be like Leeron!" Nia nods once, but not against Sinya. "He is very skilled, and that means you must be as well!" She looks out over to the water as she nods, "I was lucky to have met Simon, and he's taught me so much about the world, as well as many of the other people on the Dai-Gurren. We were even Trailers for a little!" But she still has so much to learn, so very much.

Sinya's reaction actually saves her from any more affection, as Nia notices the blush and slicked back ears, giggling! "I am just so sorry Sinya! I do not mean to offend you, but you are one of the cutest beings I have laid my eyes upon!" She does not giggle at Sinya either, but with her! ... At would be terrible! "Oh?" Sinya's relavation gets Nia to thinking. "You can jump really high, too." She adds, stretching out. "What else?"

As she stretches out, Nia's intrinsic lack of shame shows it's face again as she yawns, a cute little yawn followed by, "I wonder how good it would feel to have the sun warm my entire back..." Her eyes are half closed as she mulls over it.

"Yeah, might not be a good idea to go discussing such things with your father." The last thing Sinya needs is for the power-source of her guyemelf to end up falling into the hands of Lord Genome. "It's a special kind of magic from my world, anyways." Great, now she's claiming she has magic - her mind doing a quick flash-back to a set of chopsticks appearing and snatching away one of her shrimps.

Shaking her head to clear the vision, Sinya hrms, considering the association. "Leeron?" The name doesn't strike any bells, but as her mind is already in that direction, it seems to latch on to the name 'Simon'. "Wait, you mean the one who travels with Lord Kamina? Captain Xiang was telling me about them. Great warriors of the Spiral lands. We ran into Kamina at the ball up in Neo Japan."

Things start to fall into place in her mind, making the connections between the various names that Nia seems to be bringing up. "But yeah, I'm a mechanic. I usually get along better with machines than with people." There is another of those laughs, although it seems that lately her words are getting further from the truth. She does have friends now - for once.

The giggling just brings a smile to the catgirl's face, "Don't be. Nothing to be sorry about." She shrugs, still looking a little bit shy at the compliment. "But other than being 'cute' and jumping high... I can track scents, and hear little sounds." She doesn't mention the claws, trying not to frighten the girl at least. "Like, I can hear your heartbeat." Her ears twitch, perking upward again. Setting her head down on her arms, Sinya seems to enjoy the sunlight, herself.

"Yes, perhaps that would be wise." She remarks. A special kind of magic, as well? Yes. She cannot tell father! She nods in understanding. "Yes, Leeron! And Simon and his bro Kamina! Oh, you do know!" She beams, "I have traveled with them on the Dai-Gurren ever since they had found me. They are very brave." She comments, but does not add quite much else! "Oh? I was fashionably late to that ball." She comments. "But I did not feel fashionable, only late." Nia did not understand! She was also very, very late.

While Sinya laughs at her comment, Nia tilts her head, less lazily now, eyes opening wide. "Then you must be truly experienced with machines, for I believe you to be a very kind and smart person, Sinya." It's quite a compliment! "You are even working with me to understand more of this world, and we have just met!" She beams to her, giggling. "I am so very gracious."

The smile from Sinya only brightens Nia's mood. Then, to a look of amazement! "You can do all that?" She even sits up, onto her knees! "That is quite amazing! And you are capable of piloting your Guymelef!" Which to her is amazing. She cannot pilot... anything! Well, there is Simon, but it is less piloting and more getting him to do what she asks! There was a word for that!

Once up on her knees, Nia begins to fumble with the front of her clothing - apparently beginning to act on her whims before. Not that it may matter, she does certainly seem to be wearing a surreal amount of clothing for the circumstance. perhaps she's just wearing something under it, like the forwards thinker she is! "Now I understand why so many enjoy beaches." She notes, looking across the water! "I shall have to visit more often!" She decides.

"I know a little of the stories, but not as much as some others. The Gurren Brigade certainly has quite a name for themselves among the peoples of La Gias." Her mind does another of those quick thought, remembering the manly handshake contest between Kamina and Captain Xiang. The testosterone of that moment had been overwhelming. "Was Lord Kamina's hand alright? He and Captain Xiang decided to get into a handshake battle of wills. I'm still not sure who won."

With a smurk on her features, she shakes her head, obviously not understanding that sort of male behavior. Sure, her own kind had their own displays of prowess, but that was usually to impress a female. "It's a shame, though. I went off to get drinks and never did find my way back to through the crowds." She ended up spending time with a bottle of good wine before Xiang dragged her out of there.

The compliments have her blushing again, ears twitching back a second time. "Really, I'm just a hangar jockey. I love machines. There's not much else to it." With a shrug, her eyes look up towards the guymelef, nodding her head. "Arius is pretty simple to fly, but I've heard gunmen are even easier. There's... a sort of magic with them, as well." Afterall, she knew of one that seemed to repair itself - or so it seemed.

Still, when Nia begins to fumble with her clothing, Sinya pointedly looks away. She'd fallen face-first into another woman's chest only a day or two earlier and is thus causing more shyness around girls as of late. "I don't come to the beach too often, really. I can't swim."

"I am sure bro's hand is alright!" She beams, "But I am unsure who had won as well. Perhaps it was a draw!" On the flip side, this is something Nia does understand! Having been with men so long, Nia understands the code that goes between them! Especially since Simon talked so often about it. She doesn't know, or believe, it was to impress her though. That might be more Kamina's thing! "Yes, that sounds like a shame. We could have met earlier! Then we would have been friends earlier as well!"

"A hangar jockey?" Confusion! "It is nice to love what you do, because then you do your best! I am sure if the machines could, they would thank you." A bit of a naive approach, but then, that's just Nia. "I find them all so difficult to use." She adds, pausing to twist about slightly.

"Oh, Spiral power! That is the magic you must speak of. It is an energy from the courageous soul of a man!" Or woman? Perhaps, but hu-man is more like it! "I do not know much about it, though Kamina or Simon would definitely know!" After all, they are spiral warriors! That's, at least, what she had heard.

In comparison to Sinya, Nia has exactly no shame about her body. A pure an innocent girl, she ... just never learned such things! The hotsprings experience a few days ago didn't change that, though it did show her many women /are/. She simply does not understand. Laying back down after all that fumbling, Nia is far less clothed. "Ah.. it feels as good as I had hoped!" Thankfully, Sinya will not see anything unless she looks too close, either pressed against sand or hidden underneath cloth perfectly placed for gainax censoring.

They're quite good about it.

"Oh? I have found swimming to be enjoyable! ... Maybe if you had a tube!" She beams!

"Probably best to call it a draw." She certainly doesn't want to start an argument over who was more manly, the Captain of the SuiKyosha or the leader of the Gurren Brigade. "I'm sure there will be other chances, for everyone to get together, though. The Captain has a high regard for the Gurren Brigade, so I'm sure he won't be a stranger." What does that have to do with her, though? She isn't actually part of the battleship's crew, but... things were going strangely there lately.

"They aren't that hard to learn, if you've got a good teacher. My father taught me how to pilot guymelefs." She motions towards her own machine, pushing herself up onto her knees as she dusts some of the sand off. "And taking jobs with the Trailers taught me about other mechs. I've just avoided gunmen myself. Mostly because of the stereotype. Beastmen and gunmen." She shakes her head, her tail curling around her legs as she stretches out.

"Courageous soul of a man, huh?" Her head tilts, giving her own expression of confusion. Sinya is no expert on Spiral power, and thus she refrains from making any other comment. She'd seen Xiang in action in his unit, but courageous? The enigmatic and stone-faced captain? Hrm.

There is a squack of something far too close, causing Sinya to wince. She pulls an earpiece out of one ear and glares at it.%r%r"Where are you?"

"I'm /off duty/ today Ling."

There is silence for a moment, then a young man's voice booms again. "We need you back. Chang messed up one of the gunmen and I can't fix it."

With a growl, Sinya scowls at the earpiece. "Fine, I'll be there in a few hours. And turn your freaking volume down." She hisses, and then tucks it back into her ear.

Sighing, she gets to her feet, looking apologetic. "I'm afraid that's my queue. A mechanic is always needed." On her feet, she gives a small shake to rid herself of the last of the sand. "Maybe next time we can try the water. Or you could extend an invitation for your friends to visit the SuiKyosha." Sure, she doesn't /actually/ have the right to do so, but she doubts Xiang will really mind. "It's like nothing you've ever seen. A type of magic that puts Arius to shame."

Leaving the invitation open, she bounds up the guymelef, which opens with a hissing sound. Still in her bathing suit, the catgirl disappears within as the cockpit closes, the guymelef slowly rising to his feet. Carefully, as to not disturb or drip sand onto Nia, Arius takes a few steps backwards, then leaping skyward, he shifts form slightly and thrusters engage, sending the unit racing out over the ocean.