2011-03-11 - The Motionless Emperor

It had been a long night for Ed. First the flight to Europe, the fight with the giant stone Thing.... flight back. Try organizing things between there and here. Oh and he hasn't had any sleep. While diferent techs were working on his suit he was nearby, but out of the way, working on a laptop.

It wasn't nearly as long an evening for Sinya. While she'd worked well into the early hours of morning, the other techs had eventually shuffled her off to bed. All it took was one time of passing out leaned against the work table for them to be convinced that she was done for the day. She hadn't even had time to go looking for the command staff of that battleship crew she is supposed to play tour-guide to. For the most part, she hadn't even been outside of the hangar except to wander in a zombie-like state to bed the previous night.

Thus, after a good night's sleep, the catgirl is certainly more bright-eyed and bushy tailed. She's had a shower, put on a clean jumpsuit, and comes walking in to the garage ready to face the day. Well, after she has breakfast that is. In one hand is a clear bag, probably food from the 'pit, and in her other is a carry-all that smells blissfully of coffee. Like a feeding frenzy, most of the coffees are taken before the container can even be set down. "Jeeze, almost lost a hand there." She teases, and then places out a box of doughnuts before claiming the rest of the bag for herself.

With the only two remaining coffees, she wonders over towards Edward, offering one of them out to him before juggling the rest of her breakfast, setting it down on a nearby table. "Can't leave you alone for one evening, you go and get yourself banged up again."

Edward Fawkes grunts, but brightens considerably at the smell of coffee. "You, lady, are an angel.." He takes the cup, gratefully and sets his computer aside. "Long night. Running commentary's loading on my 'tube channel now."

"An angel?" The catgirl smirks, showing a hint of fangs beneath her lips before she shakes her head. "Hardly." She motions towards the group of techs now devouring the doughnuts and coffee greedily, "I grew up around techs. You pick up on a things after a while." A while? Just how many years /had/ she been working along side various crews. There is a moment where she seems to actually try to figure it out, but then she dismisses the thought, digging out a container that seems to be a pre-packaged breakfast and smells of bacon. "Hungry?" She asks, plucking a smaller box of doughnuts, nudging it towards him before she pulls up a chair, spinning it on one leg and then straddling it backwards as she cracks open the food.

Steam rises off of a platter of bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, hashbrowns, and what looks suspiciously like a piece of raw, sushi-grade tuna. "So what kind of trouble did you get yourself into last night?" She asks, pulling out fork and starting in on the huge plate of food that looks like far too much for the catgirl alone to eat.

Edward Fawkes sets the coffee down and considers his words, and his stomach, before speaking. "I got a quickie from some dig site in Europe. Loked pretty nice during the flyover.. Anyway they wanted me to shoo away people that were wanting to give them a shakedown for the stuff they were digging up." He snorted before taking a doughnut, biting it in half, and washing it down with coffee.

He seemed to have trouble for a moment, opening and closing his mouth several times before words came out. "Stone giant... Huge. Pilot claimed to be a God." He shook his head then finished the rest of the doughnut before starting another, this time with smaller bites. "A couple... I dunno who built 'em but they were transforming mechs. One Gold the other white red and blue. Very large. Very fast, and apparently at least one of 'em is with the trailers. Don't recognize the voice. Grateful for the help and since they weren't on contract, or at least not that anyone would admit to, if they want a share of my earnings they're welcome to it."

"Hrm." Sinya nods to herself, mouth full. At least she's polite enough not to go talking while she's chowing down. Washing down the food with a drink from her mug, she takes a breath before replying. "A giant? You mean the one that seems to be allied with the Crusaders?" She'd heard a report over the radio about an earlier encounter with it, which comes to mind easily enough. "Macua ran into it a few days ago, I think." She points in his direction with her fork, and then goes back to scooping food together.

"The Crusaders here are certainly different from the ones up on the Red Moon." Afterall, she'd had her life saved not once, but twice by the Crusaders during her time on Mars. Coming here, and it seemed more like they were terrorists. It's a strange and confusing dynamic. "There was a girl on the radio not long after that who was asking if maybe some ancient mechs were mistaken for being gods. I didn't catch the name, though." Then, her conversation is again halted for a time as more food is shoveled in at a surprising pace. Damn the girl can certainly eat.

Edward Fawkes hrmed thoughtfully. "Was kindof in the middle of securing the dig site and working on contract details so kinda missed out." He took a third doughnut. "It could be inter-departmental politics. It could just be group policy to be nicer the further away from work... or..." He sighed. "I've been involved, one way or another, for the past decade. It isn' any easier for me to understand so don't feel bad for being lost."

"There's a reason that I'm with the Trailers, and it isn't just the paychecks." She laughs, piling food one atop the other in such a way that it's a surprise if she even tastes it. "The factions, the different beliefs, they all get so mixed up in politics and military tactics that it ends up losing all point after a while. At least here, I'm free to make my own decisions." And freedom is something that she values the way others would place their value solely on credits.

She stops the relentless shoveling of food to slather some jelly on a few peices of toast, looking up when he mentions 'decade'. "Just how old are you, anyways?" She has to ask, finding that sometimes people fooled you in these days of cyborgs and giant war machines.

Edward Fawkes sipped his coffee and considered the question. New memories and or possibly going crazy aside it was a straightforward question. "I'll be twenty six next month. A few people younger than me in the War," You could hear the capitalization there, "But not by much." He had somehwow managed to get a fourth doughnut in before the coffee had given out. "Some days I feel older. Otheres... not so much." He grinned. "Grownups arne't supposed to like the arcades, and I can't get in any wraparound cabinets, but it just feels.... good y'know. Just let it all drop away for a few hours."

"I'm not even sure how old I am." Sinya replies, hesitating as she seems about to bite through a piece of the toast. "I was pretty young when Zaibach invaded. Five, maybe six. After that, we didn't really celebrate birthdays. You lose track of time when every day is just the same as the last." She shrugs, and then returns to devouring her meal, which actually seems to be gone in quite short order. The only thing left is the piece of tuna, which she'd saved for last. Where she manages to put so much food is anyone's guess, but as with most techs, meals do tend to come secondary to work.

"Arcades?" She asks, slicing the tuna into neat little squares. "Like, video games, you mean?" Sin had seen such things, of course, but not recently. "I don't play much in the way of games, myself. Other than karaoke or drink-the-tech-under-the-table." Her mouth quirks up into a half-grin as she pops a square of tuna into her mouth, savoring the flavor. "Bet you'd make good money if you set one up here, though. Plenty of flyboys, traders, conmen, all kinds through here all the time. Look at how much business the 'pit gets on a regular basis."

Edward Fawkes handwobbles. "Yes and no. High traffic but also a high mantinance location. People get punchy here, epecially if they're either already angry or drunk and I'm out expensive equipment." He did file the idea for further consideration though. "I like it, might ask R about it once he's not pelted on all sides." He grinned at Sinya. "I'd wanted to actually buy an old shopping mall. One of those huge run down places, build it up into a bit of something for everyone. Too much tension and stress in the world. Have fun for all ages and interests."

Sinya's eyes scan over towards where the techs signed on under Crest are still being put to work, only lingering there briefly as she chews another bit of tuna. Even if saved for last, the piece of raw meat is quickly disappearing. "I think it may be a while before that happens. Between becoming a more robot than man and all this corporation nonsense, I'd say he's got his plate pretty full." She'd picked up some bits of the story just from listening to the radio frequencies for the Trailers, but there is still so much she simply doesn't know.

"You'll probably need a load of credits to buy a place like that, though. I mean, it took most of the money I had leftover after outfitting Arius to afford that whole in the wall I have on Mars." She thumbs skyward, and then quickly devours the last bit of fish. Her eyes scan the empty platter, almost seeming as if she were still hungry. Then, she just collects the bits crumpling them together in her hand and givin it a lob towards one of the nearby recycling bins. "So. What kind of work you going to take in the mean time before becoming an arcade tycoon? You don't seem like the tech type, so guard or mercenary probably."

Edward Fawkes handwobbled, "My family's fairly we off as things go. Granted not so well off they can just underwrite a long term expense that might not pay off like that. Huge chunk of change." He leaned forward. "However I'm quite good with numbers and better than most at it. Still, it's more a long term plan than anything else. I mean... it's not trying to bring world peace or end suffering... but I figure why not? Sems to be too few places out there." Could just be a fools errend. Corperations get involved it's over. You'd end up with something nice and shiny and slick, but he wants... more there than just a fancey money sive. "But that's later. For now I have Shelly and a few personal mysteries to pick through."

"Lucky." The catgirl's eyes roll upward as she aims another crumpled bit of breakfast carton into the bin. "I came here with nothing but the clothes on my back and Arius. After that, it was pretty much paycheck to paycheck after the Lelands took me in." The shot rims around the top of the bin and eventually spirals in, earning a fist-pump from the cat-girl who seems quite impressed with herself. "I mean, my big contract on the Red Moon was the longest I'd stayed in one place since I got here. It's hard to set down roots, much less make a decent living, but it's enough to keep Arius running and me fed." It was, afterall, that constant flux in her life that had kept her from accepting his invitation for a date.

"It does sound like a nice plan, though. Something to work towards. Can't say I have much in mind, myself." Rocking the chair back forward, she lets it settle to the ground with a click of the legs, panning her gaze towards Arius. "I keep meaning to train more with Arius, or work on my own designs, or settle down somewhere and work steady for a while. It just never seems to happen." Her ears twitch back, but she still smiles, taking a long drink of her coffee.

Edward Fawkes hmmed thoughtfully at that. "Well we're both young, or at least you don't seem bent over complaining about loud music and kids on the lawn... Who knows what the future will bring."

Sin can't help but laugh at the idea of her ever being some sort of old lady shooing kids away from her yard. "Well, it would certainly put a new spin on the idea of the old cat lady." Her ears perk back up, followed by a true smile of actual enjoyment. Her tail swishes as she pushes to her feet, though, walking to one of the nearby consoles to bring up the list of units on today's roster. "Right now, the future just has a whole lot of mechs needing repairs. That, and having to track down the command staff of that battleship with no more information than they 'dress strange' and are 'oriental'. I mean, a good chunk of the pilots here are from Japan. That's not really helpful." She taps her claw on the the screen. "So, who is Shelly, anyways?"

Edward Fawkes gestures to the being-worked-on Jenice behind him. "Shelly... Shes been with me in one form or another for," He sighs, "I named her after my old squad leader. Lady treated me fair, treated all of us like we were valued. Needed... not just a bunch of scared kids thinking the Feds were gonna burn everything if we couldn't hold the line. She took a bullet for me." His eyes refocused. "She's been my shield and my armor ever since."

As her eyes move away from the console, moving up across the Janice with the usual apraising stare that comes from anyone who works often with machines. "You can certainly tell she's seen with you a while." She clicks a few more keys on the console, which causes a blueprint of the mech to be displayed across the back wall. She opens her mouth, about to suggest something, when his story has her ears folding back. "She must have meant a lot to you." It's hard to tell if this is just someone he respected, or someone he actually cared for. Rather than press the issue, she walks towards the wall and taps on one of the legs, causing a close up blueprint to display.

"It looks like you've still got original parts in some places. They really should have been replaced ages ago. Especially these servo joints." Her finger taps a place on the blueprint, that probably isn't identifiable to anyone but a tech. "You should probably upgrade to the new alloy housings. They've got better shock resistance."

Edward Fawkes quirked an eyebrow at this. "Damn... Always thought Lenny was shivving on costs. Kept telling me I was still good on those," He pointed out a few other things. "Might wanna look at the left leg a little more if anyone gets a chance. I got some pretty gnarly feedback. Had to do a bit of a bash between seconary and tertiary backups to keep it moving"

"Well, if you wanted to save some credits, you could leave them. They're still usable, just well over the age we normally would tell people to get replacements." She taps the wall again, then draws her hand back, looking over towards Edward. "My only fear with ones this old is that they'll wear out mid-battle, and the last thing you want is to lose leg control." Double-tapping the wall, Sinya steps back to look at the entire design, which is overlayed with the scan from the partially dismantled Janice.

"That's the problem with techs sometimes. There's a bunch of disreputable ones who'll try to sell you things you don't need, or pretend to sell you something and never replace it." As she brings up the indicated leg, the catgirl's tail twitches. "Jeeze, look at that." She whistles lowly, and then stalks away from the wall, heading towards the mech itself. "I need a closer look, something is definitely wonky."

Edward Fawkes was... actually he was somewhere between pissed an betrayed feeling. Lenny had been a friend. They'd actually been in the same unit. Guy's mom had to have a lung taken out Ed and his family was there to help. He sat there. Twitching. Mind not able to coherently even think of what this meant.

If I were Lenny I would be running.

Then suddenly, a voice. A man had appeared out of, what appeared to be nothing. Of course, this was actually an impossibility. People didn't just appear out of thin air. Yet somehow, this particular person had managed to remain entirely silent, and almost unnoticed, until he spoke. "Excuse me." This particular man, his actual age somewhat hard to derive from a simple first look, asks for their attention with a tone that lingers between a request and a demand. His eyes are trained directly upon Sinya. With that single look, outsiders might believe that it seemed like he'd seen right through everything that was her. "I am looking for one 'Sinya Leland'. This would be you, I presume?" He patiently waits for an answer

And whilst he waits, he turns his head towards Edward, and gives him an examining stare. He catches that something is wrong with this particular individual who, to him, looked a tad strange. Xiang simply nods his head however, not wishing to engage this person until he's confirmed his suspicion that Sinya was the 'female beastman from La Gias' he was looking for. Admittedly, it wasn't as if there were that many other ones running around.

In many ways, Sinya is a bit singleminded when it comes to mechs, which means she ends up totally oblivious to Edward fuming behind her. Even though she's off-duty for the time being, helping a friend takes priority over utilizing break-time. "He may have just been trying to save you money, who knows." Grabbing a wrench from one of the nearby techs, who gives a small shout of surprise, she sets to unlatching the outer armor case around the gundam's leg. "When was the last time you ran into a unit firing bullets?" She asks, almost sounding as if it were a random comment.

She hands the armor plate to the still flabbergasted fellow tech, who accepts it reluctantly. While new to the 'nest, she already outranked many of them if only by the grace of her skill. Her ear twitches in the direction of the new voice, but she's already most of the way through her inspection. "Just a second." Pulling a casing off of one of the leg's servo motors, she reveals what is most obviously a bullet casing lodged in the back wall of the joint - a very large bullet casing. "This is just ridiculous."

Clapping a hand to her forehead, the catgirl motions for the other techs, who standa round to gawk for a moment at the insanity of someone sealing up a control joint that was that badly damaged and just leaving it that way. "If you ever paid to get this repaired, I suggest you get your money back. Can you guys take care of this?" The two other mechanics nod, setting to work while they murmur to each other. With that taken care of, Sinya wipes off her hand, making sure it is clean before she turns towards Xiang. "Sinya." She pointedly doesn't use the human surname even as she offers her hand out. "Oriental, and oddly dressed. You must be the ship captain I needed to find." She hesitates, her ears drawing back a little under his gaze, "I'm afraid I wasn't given your name."

Edward Fawkes headscratches at the shell casing. last time something shot physical shells at him was during that pirate rade on the way in but he'd just had it serviced on ship to save Nest staff hassle. "Actually the shell casing's my fault. Thought Id save everyone here trouble getting it worked on en route. As for the dents and dings.... Also my fault. I get in too close for sabre range if i can help it. I know the suit's not meant for hand to hand and i should at least try a trace suystem as a replacement cockpit but..." Babbling much? He glanced over at Xian and nodded. "Hello."

Xiang patiently watches Sinya do her thing with slight interest. The SuiKyosha had a large group of 'engineers' on it. Although engineers wasn't really a good name for them. More like 'people who managed to tinker a Gunmen together from spare parts' and 'who can do some basic repairs'. With other words, it was rare for him to watch someone like that feline beastwoman, who knew exactly what she was doing. "Correct." His both arms are behind his back, one hand in the other, as he turns his attention towards Sinya once more. "I am the captain of the SuiKyosha." He introduces himself and his XO - who isn't present at the moment, "My name is Xiang Yuan. The one who asked for the guide was my XO, Yu Zhi Wu."

His head turns towards Edward again, and the man nods at him. "Greetings. May I know your name?" He once again gives Edward a strange look, looking him in the eyes, trying to seek if he could sense that disturbed emotion within him once again, before turning back to Sinya. "I see you are quite the skilled engineer. And one from La Gias for that. I hear this is quite a rarity."

Edward Fawkes felt irritated now more than that moment of rage/betrayal. He was always big so keeping a lid on things has always been a priority. When he spoke it had a very formal tone to it. "My name is Edward Fawkes Xian Yuan." He offers the man a hand as he looked him over. Nothing... Something. Something BIG. Frustration. outrage. Pain... His body went ridged as his eyes contracted to pinpricks.

A moment later and he was fine. At least outwardly he seemed back to normal. Internally though he felt like he'd been hammersmacked. Though a single image floated to the forefront of his mind. Same asian features. Well to do maners. Soft spoken... a scholar holding a shining sword against a backdrop of Burning....

It's hard to focus on Xiang when Edward just so happens to say things to draw her attention. "Wait, you what?" She turns towards him, and does another of those face-palms. "Ed, at least log it in with the techs when you've got existing damage you /know/ about." Her tail lashes, showing a moment of brief irritation. Sometimes, dealing with pilots was irksome, although she can't really blame him. Not everyone in the world has had years of training in maintenance. Taking a deep breath, she lets it out slowly, the fur on her tail seeming to calm down once more. She seems about to apologise to him, but instead she simply watches the strange shift in his body posture before glancing back at Xiang with a raised eyebrow and a 'what the hell did you do?' expression on her face.

Looking briefly between the two, she just licks at the back of one hand and the rubs it over one ear, grooming to dissipate the unsure feeling that is lingering right now. "Sorry." She murmurs quickly, "Yuan." The name doesn't flow quite as naturally as someone who has spoken Chinese, but she manages fairly well with it. "Captain Xiang." She corrects herself, realizing that he is someone of some rank or clout, so calling him by his given name might not be the smartest of ideas. Her ears stay somewhat slicked back, seeming more shy when dealing with this stranger than she had been with either Edward or the other techs. "Mm. They say I'm one of the best." The words aren't boasting, simply a statement. "But you're right, there aren't many of us. The only others I know are all females and working on Havelock's ship."

With a motion of her hand, she invites Xiang to the small work table nearby, "Archangel asked if I wouldn't mind giving your people a run down on technology, but I wanted to talk to you and find out just what level your people are at so I can bring everyone up to speed." She grabs her own chair, straddling it backwards and settles down, not seeming quite comfortable, at least as far as her twitching tail is showing.

Edward Fawkes shook himself to make sure he was actually awake and everything where it was supposed to be. "Apologies Captain." Again formal tone. "Many questions... yes..." He stood, straightening his suit in the process. "However it woul be rude to impose while you're still not sure what's where."

Xiang catches the momentary alteration within Edward once more, and slowly turns his head towards him. Edward's given a dry look, even as that hand is still extended. He doesn't take it until the man is fine again. "Mister Edward." He takes the hand, shakes it once, then legs go again and returns his hand into his other behind his back. "You seem to be withholding a lot of pain and anguish." The man states firmly, raising his head slightly to look 'bigger'. "Have you ever concidered taking up an outlet like Yoga, or martial arts?" Xiang inquires.

He then turns towards Sinya, who is explaining that she is the one of the best engineer around here, and fumbles to properly name him. He just nods at her, to show that he doesn't mind her naming him by his first name. If he didn't want her to use it, he would not have given it to her: it was that simple. "I see." He finally states, before she has invited him to that work table, and he wanders along. He doesn't sit down however, instead, he remains standing the same way he had before, but now with a table between him and Sinya. "The technological understanding of my peoeple would be one of those on par of whom have lived within the Zaibach empire or Byston Well." He states with certainty. "They have done some tinkering with Gunmen - as they come from the Spiral King's plains. So you must excuse them if they stare too much - And I appologize for that in advance. However, they are good people."

"You'll have to excuse Edward." The catgirl begins, glancing at him with a more cautious look now that the strange episode has ended. "From what I understand, he's missing some memories, and they seem somewhat tied to La Gias." It might be a bit of a leap to say as much, but figuring every time one of the 'episodes' had happened, it revolved somehow around people or things from the inner world, she can't help but make that connection. She doesn't have time to say anything in his direction as one of Yuan's words catches her ears. First, they perk, but then swivel back to slick along her head. Her hand instinctively goes to her wrists, which had up until now been covered by the jumpsuit, running her fingers along the golden metal. "Zaibach." She whispers to herself.

It would be all too easy to get lost in her own thoughts, but she shakes her head to clear her mind, even if her hand still lingers over her opposite wrist. "I guess I've got a good idea of just what level your people are at, then. I came originally from Gaea." Her tail tucks between her legs, a more evident sign of her emotions than her face or voice, which seem trained calm. It's a little disconcerting how he continues to stand that way, especially to someone who is far more laid back. "I'll probably start by preparing a video to try to get them up to speed, but you should review it so I don't miss out on anything, or cover something you already know."

Yoga, Tai-Chi. Hobbies to keep his mind from eating itself. "I am taking what steps I can Sir and have my methods of keeping things in order. However between finding out a very old friend, who I used to think I could trust with my life, has been doing slip-shod work on the machin I take into combat and... and...." He takes a breath."And other things I'm investigating I have had a great deal on my mind. Your concern is appreciated."

No that's too much a whitewashing. "I wil give you what I know, since you, or at least your appearance has been a partial trigger, but here is a bad place. Plus it halfway sounds like i"m losing my mind if you wish to deny other possibilities." He noted Sinya's overal posture but made no comment. They were only friends in passing so far as he knew, but 'home' was an obvious sore subject.

"I see." Xiang already said when he caught the first signs of discomfort from the feline. Though he himself had not visitted the place, his XO had - and she'd told him more than enough to catch on to what kind of situation she might have been in. This is only proven to be correct when she rubs those golden braces and slinks her tail between her legs. "I appologize for having raised a difficult subject, my appologies." But he remains in place. However, if she was good at reading facial expressions, she might notice that his general demeanor had... softened up a bit. Though it was hard to read, and his voice seemed to show he appologized because it was appropiate, his face expressed more than that. He starkens up quickly again though, and he raises his head slightly again to correct his posture. "That would be very much welcomed. Though I have trust in your ability to do such a thing without my interference."

He then turns towards Edward again. "It sounds like you have quite the troubled past - and present - in that case. Though you may want to simply speak to your friend about your situation. There is always the possibility of a miscommunication. True friendship must be valued. As for my appearance being a trigger and wishing to talk - you can always visit me on the SuiKyosha, if she is around - or anchored here. Simply ask to speak to the 'emperor', and they will let you on board." Well, if Sinya didn't first think he might have some rank...

Sinya doesn't comment further about the maintenance done on Edward's gundam, not wanting to make matters worse. It was bad enough to see something shoddily kept, but when friendship is involved, it just changes from business into drama. "I don't think you're insane, Edward. You just need to figure out what's going on up here." She taps at her own head with one clawed finger, and then hunches forward, folding her arms beneath her.

The apology catches her a bit off-guard, causing those fluffy ears to perk as her green eyes scan back to Yuan. "No reason to be sorry. Everyone who's lived at all has some bad memories." It may not be famous words of wisdom, but they are true enough in their own right. She watches the shifting of his facial expressions, confusion showing on her own as her head tilts ever so slightly. "Emp... emperor?" She can't help but stare, tail twitching at her ankle. "So is it 'Captain' or 'Your highness' or ..." Trailing off, she seems completely unsure of how to handle someone who apparently is no common pilot. "The key thing is that your people understand that everything here costs money. Finding good, steady work, and a way of supporting yourself is the biggest hurtle. Then again, since you're here, I'd assume you already have signed on with the Trailers?"

"Wise words." Xiang almost sounds impressed as Sinya states such a simple, but true, statement about life. A slight smile forms on his face then, but quickly falters. "You may call me Captain, or Emperror, or Xiang - or, if you feel so inclined, you may call me by my first name. But know, I am rather called by my name, than a title that has been given to me for my mere deeds of the past." Although the crew of the SuiKyosha never listened to those words, and kept refering to him as the Emperor.

"And you are again right - I have indeed signed on with the trailers. We do Mercenary work, although /I/ pick and choose which contracts to take. In addition, me and my crew are part of the Trailer Dissuasion Force." He assumed she knew that term by its reputation, if not - at least by the note that had been released. "So, money will not be an issue. Our issue is more the level of training of those on board, and their knowedge of the outside world.."

Edward Fawkes bowed to Xian and spoke softly, "Perhaps I have finally lived long enough to face a ruler I can feel deserves the position." Soft words in that half-familiar language. Xian might understand it or not. Edward's mind seems calm, focused. Right somehow. "If there is anything we can do to speed your transition..."

Lifting one shoulder in a half-shrug, Sinya seems to accept the compliment about her words as if it were no great thing. Sometimes, life allows you to have a bit of your own wisdom. However, the issue of what to call him is certainly much harder. "I guess Captain Xiang will do for now." She hesitates, catching that brief smile but watching it vanish just as quickly. Strange man. "Archangel asked me to lend you a hand since I've been though this myself, and he's paying me well for it." Without being harsh, she's certainly trying to make it clear that she didn't exactly volunteer to play tour-guide. "So, for now, keeping things at a business level would probably be best." Even so, her voice is hesitant, unsure.

Usually, as a tech, she had limited social exposure to others. She dealt better with machines than with people - with the exception of other tech-minded people like herself. Thus, no matter how well paid this position is, it isn't exactly a comfortable one. "What you do to earn your money isn't my business, but I'll do my best to get your people up to speed when it comes to tech." She pushes herself up from the chair, unable to sit still with him standing like that any longer, and then walks over to one of the panels. "I'd suggest hiring a few of the mercenaries to help train your people on fighting. That's kind of beyond what I can do. But here's a start..." She prints off a list of common hangar items, things that would be needed by any battleship: tools, cranes, industrial exo-frames. "I can't sell you anything directly, but I'm sure the 'nest could give you a good deal on it. I'd need a walk around of your ship to see what else you'll require."

"A worthy ruler cannot be known by knowing only him. It is the people you must know, to judge their emperor." Xiang replies, catching onto what Edward said, even as he bowed. "Until that time, there is no need to bow before me." And it doesn't really seem like he believes that he needs to be bowed before, if such a thing occurred. The chinese captain turns his head away again, as Sinya gets up and wanders off. He takes a few steps from behind the table, to ensure that his words would be heard - since she was wandering away. "Business level it is." He caught that hesitation, one he presumed to be caused by the warning he'd given about those on his ship.

"And I will take up on that suggestion. A few hired arms would perhaps not be bad to expose my people to. They've had some combat experience. But this world is quite different from what they are used to." With Sinya's past, he assumed that she could relate to that. He then takes the piece of paper and looks at it. "Tools... cranes... Exo-frames." He didn't know what exo-frames were, but he didn't want to give that away. He'd look it up later. "I will see about what I can do."

Edward Fawkes gets up, pulling the wrinkles out of his clothing. "If you have need ofa good accountaint Captain." English this time, Words cleanly enunciated, almost like he's afraid of backsliding, "I have credentials and referrences should you wish to review them. I can also referrence several collouges if you would like to know your options. That or I could get Spectre or Archangel to give you a more detailed list." He nodded to Sinya. "Thank you for the breakfast, and the quick once over on Shelly." And with that he started to walk away. Calm, slight worry but overal positive feeling of the day.

While Edward speaks again in that strange language, Sinya is only able to pick up one or two of the words, which just leaves her with a quizzical tilt to her head as she looks between the two. Luckily, she somewhat gets the jist of it from Xiang's response, ear twitching. "This is just basic supplies for a hangar crew. Depending on what kind of units you fly, you'll probably want to stock whatever parts are most commonly needed." She motions towards the line of Armored Cores in the garage at the moment, "As you can tell, the 'nest gets a lot of ACs, but there are all kinds that come through." All kinds, including her own guymelef, which is far smaller than the other units and stands out amongst a group of other foreign mechs.

As Ed turns to leave, she drags her attention away from Yuan for a moment to call out, "I'll make sure Shelly gets fixed up and you don't get gouged on the prices!" Cupping her hand around her mouth so her voice carries over the din of the garage. Then, sheepishly, she looks back at the ship captain. "So, I'll schedule a tour of your ship for tomorrow, and we can go over the 'life this side of La Gias' guide I'll have set up. Sound like a plan?"

When the catgirl speaks of the units present, Xiang takes a momentary glance of those machines that are present. And he does catch note of the Guymelef. He simply doesn't comment on it however, as he's never seen one with his own eyes. Perhaps his XO will comment next time. "I see." He states simply, nodding his head sagely. One almost would expect him to sprout a goatee and start stroking it. That's the way he sounded right now. He pauses when Sinya then shouts at Ed, and simply waits for her to be done. And when she turns back to him, it almost seems like he hasn't even been touched by time; that's just how still he stood. Almost like a statue. So it's somewhat unnerving when he speaks again, his eyes opening from a previously closed state. "That would be excellent, miss Leland." He turns his attention on the man who'd just left, then back to her. Xiang proceeds to make an off comment; "It is a shame we already have a treasurer. Perhaps I should inquire into that man's potential other skills at a later time."

There is certainly something unnerving of the 'too-calm' way that Xiang tends to act. For someone who is usually constantly in motion, it's strange to see someone so still. With a twitch of her tail, Sinya nods once. "Alright. I'll send a radio to your crew when I'm ready to dock." From what she'd heard, their ship is pretty obvious, so there won't be too much trouble finding it. It takes quite an effort to draw her eyes away from him, as if she were looking for some crack in that hard outer shell - as if it were almost a challenge.

Luckily, she has plenty of excuses for removing herself from the situation, especially as she has to create some sort of guide or presentation for his people. "Tomorrow then, Captain." She inclines her head. Not quite a bow, but it seems unlikely that the ex-slave will ever bow her head completely to anyone. As she starts to head off, herself, she pauses slightly, looking back over her shoulder. "I'm honestly not sure. I do know he flew guard duty for some excavation site yesterday. Seems like most of us Trailers tend to pull some kind of double duty." Mercenary mechanic? Well, at the moment, the services of her mech certainly aren't for sale, although her skills definitely are. "Good day." Overly polite, she walks off towards the garage exit, tail lashing out behind her.