2011-06-21 - Dinner Conversation

Tina has been working on getting the stove ready, and then she spent the last couple of hours slaving away in the kitchen. A few times she had to make Sinya go running out to pick up some stuff. The woman pops her neck as she pulls out the lobster tails from the oven. She smiles a bit, and looks at the tails as they are puffed out almost perfectly. The Claws seem to have been done better as she looks them over. Tina used what she could of the lobsters and made a small lobster salad with them. She brings the Salmon steaks, and takes a small piece off hers, and takes a quick bite. She nods her head a bit.

"They're ready!", she yells out. The woman brings the food to the table as she looks to see if Sinya brought back some rolls. If so, Tina does a quick 2 minute warming of them. She takes a seat at the table, and looks over the food she cooked. "Should have seen about some Scallops, or the medallions. Medallions would have been great with this. Surf and Turf, via Hawaiian style."

Normally, Sinya wouldn't be seen coming and going from her own Trailer quite so much, but there is a lot to be done in order to make room for a second person. A good number of the boxes that had been taking up the kitchen have been moved into the shed out behind the Trailer - a new addition added only a week or so ago. There is still quite a few boxes and cabinets of parts, but most of them seem to have been cleared off or shoved to the side to give enough walking room for two people. Even so, the trailer is fairly small, with just a tiny eating area with just enough room for two people, or possibly a couple more if they don't mind getting cozy. There is still just the one bed, although Sinya seems to have offered that out already without any qualms about it. Just where she'll sleep... is anyone's guess.

There is a bag of recently aquired food-stuffs. Spices, bread, fruits, vegetables - the sort of things that normally wouldn't have ever found themselves in the catgirl's Trailer if it weren't for her current house guest. After her most recent trip out, Sinya had settled behind her desk, lit by one of those old fashioned plug-in lamps. She's fairly quiet, just the sound of a pencil scratching paper or the occasional tap of her claws on a keyboard. At the very least, she doesn't get in the way by trying to watch what Tina is doing. Although that nose does keep twitching now and again, distracted from her work by the smell of food.

At that announcement, Sinya's ears perk, and she sets the pencil down before hopping off of her stool to make the short walk into the dinning area attached to the kitchen. "Scallops aren't a problem. I can get most seafood from the SuiKyosha without too much trouble. Meat is a different issue." She hops up into one of the chairs, tail moving out a gap in the back and twitching behind her. "Actually, there is this delicious La Gian blue fish I've had a time or two. I should see if they have any fresh caught and bring one home."

Tina smiles a bit. "Oh, That should be interesting.", she says. The woman stretches out. "Though, I've never really cooked anything like that, so I can't make promises.", she says. Tina takes a seat, and stretches out as before she blinks. "Thats right, the butter!", she says. Tina gets up, and grabs some butter, a clove of garlic, and some cloves. A minute later of quick cooking, and pouring into a small dish, Tina comes back. "Try this, and tell me if its too strong for you.", she says. The woman leans back.

"And sorry for being a inconvince. And about yesterday. I should have warned you before the fight about that. I'm usually fine a day or two after a run.", she says. "You shouldn't have worried about it.", she says.

With the meal laid out in front of them, Sinya takes a moment to incline her head, showing her respect for the food, and for the one who had done the cooking. She even waits for Tina to finish with that butter sauce before plucking up a utensil and finally digging in. "It's not so much different than normal fish, really, but it's got this fantastic blue color, and the flavor can't be matched by anything I've eaten top-side." She explains, taking a bit of the lobster and dipping it into the sauce before popping it into her mouth experimentally. Normally, she eats much faster, but there is someone to talk to and this certainly isn't the usual fast-food that she gets from the Arm Pit or one of the local vendors.

"Mmm." The catgirl's ears fold back slightly as a pleased look forms on her face, nose twitching, "Delicious. You really /are/ quite good at this." She starts flaking the salmon, her tail already twitching with interest as she downs a good chunk of the fish in a surprisingly short period of time. Fish don't last long around Sinya. "I should drag you up to the SuiKyosha, actually. I'm betting you'll have never seen anything like it."

She might have continued, but the comment about being an inconvience catches her off guard. "Inconvience?" She asks, head tilting slightly in a cat-like manner. "If you mean staying here... it's not." She shrugs her fuzzy shoulders, moving some fish around her plate as she talks, prepairing it for the next gap in conversation where she can scarf it down. "Like I said, I don't really use the bed much. I usually pass out wherever I happen to have been working when I get tired. I can't remember the last time I actually slept here." Taking the chance, she noms the forkful of food and chews quickly. "Probably was around the last time I had an actual sit-down meal in here. Which you can imagine was a long time ago, I'm sure." Especially with the state the kitchen had been in.

Still, she shakes her head. "I'll admit, I don't know much about piloting the way you do. Even so, you looked like hell and I wasn't going to be responsible for you ending up hurt. I'm... not that type of person." Her ears flick back, showing that moment of unsure thought before shaking her head again. "Besides, it was just a spar. There's no point pushing yourself against me. I'm just a mechanic, not a soldier."

Tina chuckles as she takes a few bites, and takes her time to enjoy the flavor. "Well, my father was against me pilotting. But when he couldn't convince me to do something else, he made me swear that anyone who comes against me, I fight them with everything I got.", she says. The woman leans back in the chair. "He said a fight is more or less a contest of will and skill. That a Mechanic knows where the weaknesses in a machine is, but lacks a certain level of aggersiveness, while a Soldier just thinks of smashing things. He told me to think differently. Think like everything I am is always on the line."

Tina smiles a bit, as she sits there. "Its a price I pay for fighting there. The condition I end up in when I use my machines. You saw how I fought in there. I was almost on the same level as R. And I'm in my twenties. R used to work with my father. So you know how that makes me feel, knowing that if I can push myself to those levels, just how good I might be...", she says. The woman takes a deep breath. "Sorry. Just I always had doubts..."

Sinya's fork stops slightly as Tina talks about her father. It's obvious that something the girl had said struck a chord with the catgirl. "My father..." She starts, and then taps the fork on her plate, thinking of the right way to phrase things. "Wanted me to be free." She sets the fork down and then holds out one arm across the table, showing the golden manacles that still latch almost skin-tight around her wrists. "My village was attacked when I was still a child, and we were enslaved by Zaibach." Her eyes look from her wrist, up to Tina as she draws it back again, tucking her hands underneath the edge of the table. "Working as a mechanic was about the only way we wouldn't end up worked to death in the energist mines."

As she lifts her head again, the catgirl just offers a faint smile, showing that she isn't entirely bothered by talking about such things. She'd been free for almost two and a half years now, even if it had been at the cost of her father's life. "But you're right. I'm not exactly an aggressive fighter." A smirk plays on her lips. "I've had some martial arts training, as you could probably tell, but it's always been just for self-defense. I've only started piloting a few months ago, and Arius... well he's a unique machine."

She takes in what the Armored Core pilot says about herself, and her relationship with Archangel, and then nods. "Right, but keep in mind what it's done to Angel to get as far as he has." She forks another piece of salmon, popping it into her mouth as she considers her words carefully. Afterall, some recent events were not exactly 'public' knowledge. "You do realize he's more machine than man these days... right? And it'd be a shame for that to happen to you." Hesitating, Sinya swollows, patting her chest softly, "Not that there's anything wrong with cyborgs. I'm just more the type to want to keep as many original 'parts' as I can, if you know what I mean."

Tina takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly. "You do know many AC pilots are Cyborgs? They're called PLUS's cause the theory is that they are better then just human pilots. They're Pilots Plus. I never got the logic in it. Anyways, What my machine does is give me the abilities of the PLUS's without taking away my humanity. Though you've seen the cost.", she says. The woman says nothing though. She takes in a deep breath. "I'll die before I do that to myself. No offense, but if I ever have something like what was done to R or some of the other AC pilots, I want you to kill me.", she says. "I can't live like that.", she says. The woman shivers a bit.

Tina shakes her head though. "Anyways, back to better subjects. How is everything?", she asks. "Tomorrow, I'm going to go shopping for some meat and some cast iron skillets, and I'll make a steak good enough that any man who tastes it has to change their pants afterwards.", she says. The woman smiles. "But I need Cast Iron skillets to cook it. I know a secret.", she says.

"I'm aware." Sinya replies, although a bit of the fur on her shoulders stands up at the thought. "I looked into cybernetics a while ago when all the recent nonsense with Crest started. The worst part about it is that most of those with the heavy work done to them don't even know what kind of parts they've got in them. They're ... almost controlled by the corporations, because they're the only ones who can do the maintenance." The idea sends a shiver up the catgirl's spine, although she seems to take care of this by focusing on eating. When she actually /does/ eat, the food disappears quite quickly. The problem is, conversation distracts from it.

She does glance up though, tilting her head once more. "Tina... you never know just how strong your will to survive is, until you're faced with no other option but death." She seems somewhat serious. "I understand how you feel... and if it comes down to it, and you still want that... I'll arrange something." She taps her claws on the table, seeming thoughtful. "As for me, I don't know how I'd feel about it. Right now, I've got too much to live for. I've got people I don't awnt to leave behind..." There is an almost whistful tone to her voice, but then she seems to realize it and latches on to the change of subject.

"Everything's fine. Just finished some design work for a friend of mine. Fiddling with some new designs for a mech I want to build." The catgirl leans across the table, as if she had to whisper, "I've got a Gunman up on the SuiKyosha. Once I manage to get some spare parts, I'm going to see about rigging it up." She laughs, leaning back slightly, rubbing at the back of her neck with a sheepish expression, "Not sure if I'll be able to pilot it, but I can at least give it a shot. I've heard they require a certain 'fighting spirit', otherwise you can't even get them to move. But if Yuan is able to fly the Azure Dream, then I should be able to manage it." Odd. It's the first time she's referred to the Suikyosha's captain as anything other than 'Captain'.

Tina laughs a bit, and ruffles those ears. "Nice. I'm hoping that some day, R would teach me many of his own tricks. Learning from an old man like that? I would instantly improve within minutes.", she says. The woman stretches out a little bit. "So you do have a boy in the background?", she asks.

The catgirl gives a bit of a surprised 'nya' as her ears get played with, drawing her head back sligthtly as she looks at the human girl with a strange expression. She normally didn't let people touch her, except for a rare few individuals, so the sudden affectionate ruffling of those ears seems to bring a smirk to her lips. "Angel's been pretty busy these days, I think. I haven't even seen him since the attack on the 'nest a few weeks back." Although Sinya must have been someone high in his regard, as he had placed her in charge of the Raven's Nest teams involved in the cleanup and repair of the Nest facilities. Although, recently she's gone back to just being a plain old regular mechanic.

"Better watch out on calling him an 'old man' though, he might just be offended. Either that or one of his girlfriends might. There's that strange girl from Paradigm that claims to be his ex-fiance', and Yu Zhi Wu of the SuiKyosha definitely has her eyes on him." She finishes off the last bit of her remaining dinner, and then sits back, perhaps about to make some other comment when the question about a 'boy' catches her off-guard.

Ears perking, Sinya glances up, head tilting slightly. "Hrm." She seems to consider her new housemate for a moment, "A boy in the background?" She asks, sounding not exactly sure what that's supposed to mean.

Tina laughs. "Keep in mind, that I've known R my entire life. He's worked with my father on jobs. He was one of the founding members of the Nest. So to somebody like me. He's an old man. He's like my grandfather.", she says with a heavy laugh. "Guess that makes me immune to his charms. As for a boy in the background, I mean, Somebody you're dating, or flirting with?", she asks. Tina just continues to enjoy the meal, almost done. "Like somebody who you got your eyes on?"

Sinya seems to relax a bit, leaning back in her chair as she stretches her arms back behind her head. "I've only known him a few months, but he doesn't seem that old to me." She admits, but then raises one shoulder in a half-shrug. "One of the perks of being nearly immortal, I suppose." With a laugh, she shakes her head, "Well, I can tell you that /I/ don't really have those kind of feelings for Angel either, trust me. I just owe him for getting me my job here. It's kind of what got me more involved in things, rather than just freelancing."

Her green eyes seem to hold that same cautious, considering nature for a moment before she nods her head slightly, "Yeah, I guess you could say that." She raises one of those hands, licking at it once before brushing it over her forehead in a fashion so many cats use when they are trying to act innocent. "Been seeing someone for a little while, but I can't exactly talk about it." Her ears lift, realizing what it might sound like. "No one bad. I mean, not a Crusader or anything like that, just... it's complicated."

Tina giggles a bit as she stretches out. "Silly Kitty. I don't have anyone special in my life. Mostly cause god only knows when things will go south. So....I just try to live my life as I can.", she says. The woman stretches out in the chair. "Can't talk about it? Must be a secret lover.", she teases. Tina laughs a little bit as she sits there. "Naughty kitty! Must be why you don't sleep in the bed very often.", she teases some more. Just like an older sister. The woman laughs a bit, and starts to collect the plates. "Was he the one who taught you martial arts?", she asks.

A smirk plays on Sinya's lips, her tail twitching slightly, "Well, the pickings are pretty slim among the Trailers, I'll be honest. If you don't like cyborgs or older men, you're probably out of luck." With a laugh, the catgirl shrugs slightly, "Most of the younger guys are taken already. Even some of the creepier ones like Solis." How /anyone/ could date someone from Paradigm is beyond her, but Sinya doesn't question things like love these days. Sometimes, it came out of nowhere and bit you in the ass. "Although, I'm not sure he actually understands the concept. Did you hear him the other day... talking about how procreation is a terrible destructive thing that should never be done without expressed permission blah blah..." Sinya's eyes roll with amusement.

Although that continued teasing about her 'lover' does have her giving a raised-eyebrow look towards Tina. "Actually, I don't sleep in the bed very often because I usually fall asleep wherever I get tired. Usually it's at the desk, or in my guymelef, or across some work table in the Garage, or in my 'den' up on the SuiKyosha." She props her head on her hand, tapping her fingers against her cheeks. "But yes... a 'secret lover' if you want to call it that."

The question about martial arts has her laughing slightly, shaking her head, "No, that was Michael and Mirriam. They... were the humans who took me in after I came through from La Gias. Michael thought it would be a good idea for me to learn how to defend myself. He..." She hesistates slightly, ears flicking backwards, "Was killed at the start of the Balmarian raids."

Tina laughs a bit. She starts to clean. "I'm not too worry about it. And besides, ew...Solis is getting the 50 foot pole treatment! Serioius, did he really say that?", the woman asks. Tina takes a deep breath as she starts to scrub the dishes. She even cleans her own cooking up! Yay! The woman looks back, "Sorry to hear about everything. If you don't want to talk about it."

"I know I took it hard when my father was killed. We did a job up in Northern Europe. Simple warehouse gaurding job. Things weren't so simple, and dad got hit with a ton of missiles. So....Left for Hawaii. Didn't come back until recently, and that was only cause I was made some offers.", she says.

"Yeah, I'm kind of in the same boat as you. He asked to take a look at my guymelef, but I'm kind of afraid he might try to commune with his machine god or mess with it or something." Sinya didn't know much about the beliefs Solis and his siblings, but they certainly seemed to be quite creepy people - if you could even consider them people. The catgirl pushes herself up, deciding to do a bit of tidying herself just to try to make sure the place isn't so much of a mess. Normally she wouldn't have bothered, but figuring that there is someone else there, she at least /tries/.

Some clothes are plucked up from the ground, mostly work stuff - overalls, slacks, sleeveless shirts - the whole mess is tossed into a hamper near the bed. "Yeah. He was apparently researching why if a girl asks a random guy if he wants to see her naked, most will say 'yes', but if a random guy asks it of a girl, most would say 'no'. And he couldn't understand why anyone would /want/ to see someone else naked." She face-palms and groans slightly, settling herself down at her desk, but leaned forward so she can still continue the conversation.

"I'm still a bit unnerved by that whole family, to be honest. They were talking a week or so back about a chemical that could essentially put a feline into a state of euphoria deep enough that they wouldn't care if they were dissected. It... didn't exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy towards them." Even talking about it now seems to set her fur on end, forcing her to rub at her arms to get rid of the goosebumps.

"But yeah, that's kind of how it happened with me, too. I needed to get away, so I went and worked on Mars for a few months. It was Edward and Archangel who got me to come back down to Earth and stop dwelling on it so much."

Tina blinks a little bit. "Remind me that if I come within punching distance of him and his family, to punch them. Just on principal.", she says. The woman smiles a bit as she helps out a bit. "Or see how they like how sharks eat their food. Seen a shark bite through a Zaku before.", she says. Tina looks around, and it may take a bit, but they get the trailer close to being livable once more.

"Do you like water? Sometime, maybe I can take you to the beach, and we could go surfing or something.", she says. "I think I got a couple of spare boards. Or I heard something about these lift boards that are sopposed to be the same thing.",s he says.

"Probably not a good idea. I get the distinct impression that forgiveness isn't something in their vocabulary." The last thing that Sinya wants is to have her new-found friend end up on the bad side of some very powerful people. She seems about to turn back to the sketches laid out on her work table, but then Sinya spots something red shoved into one corner. Blinking, she pulls out a dress that seems to have been just tossed there some time ago. The catgirl stares for a moment, and then shakes her head, "I had wondered where this got off to..." It's one of those tight-fitting numbers, with the slits up the side to show off a full leg view - definitely not the catgirl's usual attire. With a small laugh, she tosses it onto the pile of dirty clothes.

The question about water catches her a little offguard, "Hmm?" Her ears perk, "Well, I take showers if that's what you mean?" Then, it dawns on her just what the pilot might have actually meant. "Oh that..." Scratching at the back of her neck with a somewhat unsure look, the catgirl shrugs. "I don't mind water, but I can't swim. I've had to be around it a lot on the SuiKyosha... the entire ship is like one giant aquarium. But I try to stay away from the open water areas of the ship. The last thing I want is someone finding a drown catgirl in the walls."

Tina smiles a bit. "I can teach you how to swim, and surf. Besides, it'd be fun.", she says. The woman chuckles. "And you can show off to your boyfriend in a bikini.", she says. The woman looks over at the dress. She chuckles a bit. "I hate those dresses...", she says. Tina takes a moment to sit down, and smiles a bit as she relaxes. "Forgivness might not be in the vocabulary yet, but hey, there's always a first. Let idiots have their way, and they'll never learn. Besides, what do I really have to lose?", she says.

Tina looks up a little bit. "This Suikyosha, is it a ship, or a place?", she asks.

"Just don't get yourself in trouble." Sinya notes, taking up a pencil and twirling it between her fingers as if it were a tiny staff. "As for the dress... that's from the recent celebrations in Neo Japan. I was acting as a dignitary, showing around important people, that sort of thing. I kind of had to look the part." The pencil comes down as she starts to work on part of a drawing - something that looks like a headset of some sort - complete with a visor system. She seems to half-focus on that for the time being, not wanting to be too much of a distraction while the other woman cleans up after dinner.

"I've been meaning to learn how. Just never seem to find the the time for it. I keep myself pretty busy." The idea of parading around in a bikini in front of Xiang does bring a smirk to her lips, her mind automatically filling in the Emperor in a pair of swim trunks. The thought passes quickly though, as she shakes her head with amusement, "Do you remember doing that water-landing earlier this week?" She'd caught mention of it over the radio, so it's an easy enough segway into her explination about the La Gian ship. "What you landed on... was the SuiKyosha. It's... hard to describe." She smirks, scratching at her head with the back of the pencil.

"Basically, it's a full sized battleship, made almost entirely out of water. I couldn't explain to you how it works if I tried, but it's La Gian, so there's definitely some magic involved." She does a bit more sketchwork, finishing up part of the design before she continues, "But I guess you could say it's a ship /and/ a place? It's an entire culture. About... three hundred or so people from La Gias who all came aboard under Emperor Xiang. I'm sure you've heard him talk on the radio before. The one with the deep, kind of emotionless voice. That guy."

"You mean to tell me that I crashed into a ship?", she asks. Tina takes a few deep breaths. "La Gias always confuses the living hell out of me, everytime I hear something about it. But I guess its much the same as explaining how a core works to them. So, in the end, I guess it works out.", she says. Tina smiles a bit, and moves over, looking at the headset. "Interesting.", she says. The woman just stands there at the moment. "Well, either way, they're here, so....", she says. TH ewoman smiles. "I just hope I don't have to pay for damages to a battleship. I don't even want to know the expense report on something like that...."

"Technically you crashed into the water the SuiKyosha uses to replenish her hull. So, not into the ship itself." Sinya chuckles, finding some amusement each time that some upper worlder gets floored by the strangeness of things from La Gias. Even the other day, she'd managed to get some guy jaw-dropping at the fact tha she /is/ actually a catgirl. "Besides, it takes more than that to hurt that ship. So I think you're fine." A smile lingers on her features, showing a hint of the fangs behind her lips. "I'll take you up there sometime. I've been contracted to help train the hangar crew up there, and get them up to date on modern technology. But the whole place really is a wonder, like stepping into another world." There is a sort of awe in how she talks about it, but anyone who has stepped foot into the battleshi probably would have much the same.

She looks back down to the sketch, fiddling with something briefly as she erases and re-sketches a part. "It's a mock-up for a control system I'm designing for Edward." Blink. Her ears flick back as she realizes that Tina probably has no idea who she's talking about. "Edward Fawkes. He's one of us. Accountant and pilot and... possibly some reincarnation of someone from La Gias. I haven't quite figured that out yet. Anyways, he's a sweetheart. Huge guy, but nice. He's got this... ancient mech he's unearthing that is connected to his past. He wanted me to rig up some sort of control system for it, but I'm having trouble with the design because I've never even seen the damn thing."

"I see.", Tina says. The woman takes a moment to think about a few things, as she stands there. The woman shakes her head, and sits down. "So, is this Edward the one you talk about so lovingly?", she teases. "Either way, not my business.", she says. The woman focuses a bit, and pulls out the datapad R gave her. She opens it up, and looks at it. The creds are easy enough to spot. Just enough to get her really going without making it obvious that she got it from R. Missions are simple things. But the maps do show quite a lot of the Nest. Apparently R does trust her a bit to give her maps of the Nest.

"Edward?" Sinya smirks, and then shakes her head quickly, "No. He's one of my best friends, but... no." There isn't even a hint of real interest in her voice when it comes to that. "Besides, when I say he's huge, I mean it. He's like seven foot-something and built like a truck." Sinya, herself, is five-foot-six at the most, and possibly a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet. "Even if I did date him, I think being 'lovers' would have been out of the question. And besides, I turned him down when he asked."

She fidgets some more with the design, but then sets it aside, muttering something to herself. The next piece of paper she pulls over is more strait-forward. It looks like a giant skull-dragon with huge teeth, and tiny little arms and legs. If it's a mech, it's certainly a strange looking one at that. She seems about to do /something/ with that drawing when she notices the datapad. "Angel get you fixed up with everything you need?" She peeks forward, curiously, but doesn't actually try to pry into her personal affairs. "I know things have changed a bit, especially after the attack."

Tina nods her head. "He gave me the newest maps. Out of respect for my father. He worked with him a few times, and said he was a good man. I knew my father was good, and had always tried to look out for me. Said I was crazy for becoming a Raven, but hey, a child has to make their own choice on how to live.", she says. THe woman leans back in the chair. "I don't know what R has planned for me yet. He said some time, he'll make a custom operator for me on my ACs. I can't beleive that! My own custom operator, and programed by one of the greatest hackers and Ravens ever?"

"Hmm." Sinya seems thoughtful for a time, then nods her head. "Angel tends to look out for his own people, I've found. I mean, he barely knew me when he got me my job here. It's clever, though. He gets ties to people through the Nest, and we all end up in his debt somehow." In truth, she didn't mind being indebted to the Raven's Nest founder all that much, and she had gone out of her way to repay it a time or two.

"Just be careful with the corporate work. I know, I know it's all part of the deal with flying Armored Cores, but..." She raises her hands, and then sighs slightly, "Crest isn't up to anything good, and I don't trust the rest of them any better." It /is/ a kind of slavery, what the corporations did to their pilots, although she wouldn't say so outloud. "But that is quite something. Better than a live operator, anyways. Although Nell does keep Angel in his place at times, she is a bit of a stick in the mud."

She does tilt her head curiously, "So why /did/ you want to become a Raven? I mean... I had no choice in becoming a mechanic. It was this, or die in the pits. And even after I came here, it really was all I ever knew. But... why would a girl like you want to be a mercenary pilot?"

Tina smiles a bit. "Cause I live here.", she says. "My mother and father were Ravens. My mother was one by marrying one. She was just another woman who lived here, and was a waitress at the Arm Pit. My father was a Raven. I lived here all my life. And where is the most money? Thats in being a pilot.", she points out. The woman sits there. "So, kinda the same thing as you. Its the only thing I really knew.", she tells.

Tina leans forward a bit. "All Corps are bad news, so you pick your evil. Kisiragi isn't a ray of sunshine, but they didn't tool me up with all sorts of things that I have no idea about. Yeah, they messed with the machines, and I have to take a stim to pilot them, but at least I know I'm me.", she says. Tina takes a deep breath. "And its a perference. Most live operators have known their pilots for years. I'm a bit too old to form that type of bond with a operator now, and a computer one is a bit easier to work with in the field with whats going on with my ACs.", she says.

"My mother was a huntress, actually." The smile on Sinya's features shows that she has a bit of pride in that claim. "One of the best. So much all the males of our tribe wanted her attentions, but my father won her over by creating this garden for her, using a little water pump to create this tiny waterfall, so it would grow flowers even in the dry times." It sounds as if the catgirl is retelling some story that had been passed on to her, and her ears draw back slightly, a sigh coming to her lips. "Happier times." She admits, and then hops down off of her chair, leaving the drawing of the strange skeletal mech still lingering there.

"She probably would have trained me as a fighter if she'd lived. Zaibach took care of that." Walking over to one of the closets, Sinya crouches and pulls out a box which appears to be something other than machine parts. There is a set of tattered clothing, a few small objects, a collar with a chain cut off a few links down, and last... a small cylinder. Plucking it up, Sinya flips it in her fingers. "This was hers. My dad made it for her, but I've modified the design to use with Arius." She flexes her wrist, and the motion causes the staff to extend into two glowing ends, lighted by small flecks of green energist on either side.

With another flick of the wrist, it snaps back in, "I don't use this one, obviously. But someday I'd like to learn to fight well enough to do her memory proud. Even if I'm definitely more my father's daughter." She motions around the room, to the remaining boxes of machine parts.

Tina smiles a bit. "Probably. I could show you a few tricks, but they involve stuff like uzis and machine guns.", she says. THe woman looks around. "Sorry that I'm not much to talk with. Just that, its been a long time since I've been able to talk with somebody. I mean actually talk with a person, not at them, or just being saying something for something...", she says. The woman leans back. "It kinda makes conversations a bit hard for me."

"Guns." Sinya smirks, and then shakes her head again, "Not really my strong point. Fixing them, yes. Firing them... not so much." She doesn't return the staff to the closet, tucking it instead into her pocket. Just what use she has for it at the moment, who knows - but perhaps there are better places to hide such an important thing than at the bottom of a box, hidden in a closet. "We don't even have firearms in Gaea. The closest thing is the liquid metal machines that Zaibach uses. Still trying to get a hold of one, myself." Although she does have other reasons for that other than for combat purposes.

When Tina starts to make excuses, Sinya turns back to her and gives a perplexed look. "You didn't do anything wrong, you know?" She folds her arms over her chest for a moment, giving an incredulous look. "You're fine. You're interesting. You don't bore me and you don't bother me, so don't worry about it." She takes a step forward, and actually reaches out a clawed hand, placing it lightly on the other girl's shoulder. "Seriously. I'm better with machines than people half the time, anyways, but I don't mind the company. So don't be so hard on yourself."

Tina nods her head a bit, and yawns. "I see. And guns are really my strong suit. Dispite what you may think, I feel a lot more comfortable in Shikihime then I do in Cyber Breaker. I guess a part of it is that Shikihime just feels like she's me, and Cyber Breaker is my dad. While I'm good at Melee, its sometimes awkward.", she says with a light laugh....

Sinya catches that yawn, even as she steps back, settling herself back onto the workdesk. "I don't think it's strange. I'm far more comfortable piloting Arius than I am any other mech I've ever been in. Even trace-suits don't come quite as naturally as his controls do." She shrugs, and then grabs a few pieces of paper, pulling them over. "You should go to sleep." She notes, and then points the pencil at the bed. "I'll be quiet and just work over here. You get some rest." With a light, teasing tone of voice, the catgirl's tail twitches, "Don't make me have to ask the medics for something to sedate you."