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Post by MING on Jan 6, 2010 20:03:18 GMT -5
They were still there.
The stray thoughts and feelings were still coming into her head, but she was becoming more used to the interruptions in her own thoughts. In a way, she almost welcomed them. After all, how much worse could they be than her own?
Beside her, the darker complected Diego Cortez strode confidently along. The weather was fairly warm, so he wore a light field uniform, the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, and no hat covering his closely shorn hair.
"You shouldn't feel bad about losing to that SS group. They're battle hardened men, and if half the things I've heard about them are true, you did exceptionally well." the large MAF pilot spoke, his voice soothing to Persephone.
Truthfully, she had barely paid attention to the actual combat portion. She felt a vague sense of familiarity with the SS soldier, Ritter. She'd spent most of the exercise focused on that strange feeling.
"Persephone, is there anything you'd like to do? There's still time before we'll have to ship out to the front again, might as well enjoy it." Diego inquired.
The young newtype froze, literally stopping mid-stride at the question. What would she like to do? This was a question she hadn't been asked... ever. At least, not to her recall. What would she like to do. Maybe if she had an idea of what a soldier was supposed to do, she could answer. Diego had stopped as well and was looking somewhat baffled and concerned at Persephone.
"What do you do?" Persephone asked without inflection.
"Me? Well... go out. Drink, exchange stories, relax...." Diego replied, his gaze turning from Persephone. Something else had crossed his mind, but she couldn't quite tell what. "Most soldiers are just looking for a way to forget what's going on."
"Okay. I will do that." the import from Granada declared. If others did it, it was acceptable for her to as well.
"Uh, right..." Diego replied, obviously unsure if he should do this. "Well, there's a bar that was set up for the enlisted men. Sometimes officers show up too, if they feel like slumming. We'll go there."
Persephone nodded, then resumed walking along, Diego quickly matching step.
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Post by gaplant on Jan 8, 2010 23:24:45 GMT -5
It isn't just a mobile suilt.
The object in question resembled one, sure, and mobile suit was how the logistical officers classified it. It had all the classic traits - it was, in fact, a humanoid mecha with a mono-eye. Such a generalization would ignore the obvious care undertaken in its construction, save perhaps for a small blurb describing it as a customized Zaku II unit. However, such details were occasionally missed by the men who made such lists.
As Ando Shoji gazed upon the Shin Zaku Two's flowing red cape and shining forearm spikes, its true identity was as obvious to him - it was an extension of his own fighting spirit. The specialized weapon featured almost no inherent long-range armament, and much of its effectiveness was based on the ability of the pilot to face his enemies head-on. Shoji adamantly believed that Dr. Saotome had built the Shin Zaku Two with him in mind, and that it would be his courage that would guide Zeon to ultimate victory on the front lines.
Clenching his fist, the young lieutenant clenched a fist as a large conglomerate of technicians and mechanics moved to transfer the Shin Zaku Two onto the renewed flagship of the 9th Combined Operations Fleet, the Gaw known as Dragon. Shoji had only sortied with the mobile suit once, but the sheer exhilaration of battle in it had been the most exciting experience of his short life. Before, he had been restless when out of battle; now, though, there was a very tangible void in his soul which yearned to pilot Shin Zaku Two once more.
Very likely, that chance wouldn't take long to arrive.
"Soon...just a little longer, Zaku."
After what seemed like an eternity, the custom-built mecha disappeared inside of the Dragon's hangars. Turning, Shoji looked back on California Base. Something deep inside his subconscious gnawed at him, a feeling of unease washing over his stone resolve and leaving only a dash of curiosity in its wake. Interested, he began making his way towards a small bar that had been mostly frequented by enlisted men.
It'd be nice to grab a drink.
Officers didn't typically fraternize with their subordinates, but Shoji wasn't very interested in how his actions were perceived by his peers. The men he would be fighting alongside and leading into battle were his most important strength of all. They knew, or if they didn't, they would soon know.
He was Courageous Zaku Fighter Sho.
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Post by MING on Jan 10, 2010 0:46:09 GMT -5
The bar in question was a dive, though it's patronage would probably label it as "lively". Built into the basement of an ancient brick building, the upper half was mostly ruined, most of it riddled with bullet holes and the upper half almost completely torn off. But the lower portions were mostly intact, and found new life as a hangout for the Zeon enlisted man.
On the walls were various pieces of Zeon propoganda and war memorabilia. Photographs at various battles through the war, random souvenirs picked up by patrons who had passed through. A live band played on the "stage", little more than a slightly raised platform. The lighting was poor overall, and flickered occasionally, likely due to a jury rigged system.
Persephone liked it.
"Over here, I see an open table," Diego said, voiced elevated to be heard over the noise the band likely called "music". He dragged the young Newtype to a rickety table with four mismatched chairs surroudning it near the bar.
"What do you want to drink?" The MAF pilot inquired, helping Persephone into her seat.
"Drink?" Persephone replied, perplexed by the question. She was never asked what she would like to drink. She was just given it.
"Yeah, you know.. drink." Diego replied, then paused. "Actually, I'll get you something. Be right back."
As the larger man went to the bar, Persephone looked around the darkened room. A number of men were glancing casually in her direction, a few were blatantly staring. But for the majority of the patrons, it was business as usual as they drank and talked, two small groups gathered around a billiards table and dartboard with the White Devil's picture in the center.
Diego returned, a glass of amber liquid in one hand, a smaller glass with a red one inside. Setting the red colored liquid in front of Persephone, he took a drink from the amber. Persephone picked up the glass and sniffed experimentally at it.
"It's not a strong drink, but I hear it tastes good."
Nodding once, Persephone sipped at the drink, a fruit flavored concoction by the taste. Looking around the bar again.
Was this what other soldiers considered fun?
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Post by on Jan 10, 2010 16:31:18 GMT -5
The lights above flickered for a second, shining uneven light on the panzergrenadier’s drinks as a handful of them manned the bar. Nudging his arm was Ritter’s friend. “That’s her.” All members of the group looked over at the young pilot and her handler. Some stopped the glance and returned to their drinks, the two men did not. The shotty lighting ruined both of their vision slightly and they couldn’t make out the young woman’s face.
Thoughts drifted to the absence of the night vision headwear which they wore more often than not, the paint rounds she unloaded into the pilots ruined most of that equipment’s usability and had discarded it while leaving the battlefield. Armored suits still adorned the backs of the men, which was given a more colorful appearance from the rest of the paint rounds.
“Who?” Ritter questioned as the light glanced over her hair once more. The blonde hair was all he could make out for the moment.
“Her name is Specialist Dawn, our pilot in the spider Zaku earlier.” Aaron reached and took a Pilsner sitting in front of him and brought it around to his lips without breaking his glance.
Shock kicked into Ritter once his sight caught her green eyes. His hands shook for a second as he spoke, “Blonde hair and Green eyes.”
Dropping a hand on his shoulder Aaron responded back. “Relax common combination.” Twisting around, he lifted his hand and waved down the barkeep. “Two shots. Děkuji.”
Novosad turned away from the young pilot waved off his friend’s order. “No, No, make it four.”
“You sure about this?” Aaron questioned to order.
Ritter responded with hesitation, “I can’t think with the devil in the room. Her being here unnerves me. There’s something about her. Just her presence is getting to me.”
“Alright man, if you say so. Just remember it’s not her. You’re overreacting brother.” The shots had arrived and two placed in front of the two men. They both grabbed a glass each.
Touching the glasses together each downed one and slammed it down, grunting “Nazdar” as they did so. Ritter’s gaze moved back to the young pilot as Aaron let out a sigh.
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Post by gaplant on Jan 14, 2010 1:06:48 GMT -5
Ando Shoji finished the short descent down the worn stairs of the building, and turned the corner. Immediately, he was presented with a myriad of sights and voices. Dozens of people inhabited the room, scattered into both small and large groups. A few were playing darts, trying their best to pierce the head of the White Devil. Some were gathered around the very unimpressive stage, trying to guess what division of the ZMF the bands members served in. Most simply sat next to their comrades, slamming shots and sharing vastly-exacerbated war stories. Every one seemed to be having a good time, though, which made Shoji happy. After all, he noticed, he had handpicked many of the patrons to serve on-board the 9th Fleet for the duration of its upcoming mission. They deserved the chance to relax.
Amidst the cacophony of sounds, a slamming of glasses at the bar caught Shoji's attention. Glancing over to the source, Courageous Zaku Fighter Sho found himself looking at a small group of Panzergrenadiers seated at the bar. Most were still clad in half of their terrifying armor - however, without the haunting red eyes and mask, the identities of the SS's special infantry division were exposed. One man, in particular, Shoji thought he recognized.
"Ritter Novosad."
Shoji spoke the words to himself, mostly to convince his own sense of perception. At such a distance, it was difficult to place any face in the flickering light - especially Novosad's. The man had saved his life at the second, successful Battle of Malta. However, it had taken Shoji, an officer, weeks after that event to locate a dossier file possessing a picture of Ritter without his armor. The SS soldier looked normal enough, but one small detail highlighted his mostly-classified entry - the One Week War. Shoji could only imagine the deaths of so many people, murdered by black ghosts with bright red eyes.
You gotta' be kidding me..."Gihren's Finest?" More like "Dogs of the Military."
As he watched, the Panzergrenadier appeared to be distracted and restless. Novosad seemed troubled by the presence of a pair of individuals towards the corner of the building. Shoji couldn't quite make out their identities, but was able to discern that one was a young female with long blond hair. The other was an older, male pilot, who seemed to carry himself with such familiarity and confidence as to suggest the two were good friends who trusted one another. His gaze was drawn again to the girl, though, and the longer the young lieutenant stared, the more magnetizing she was. The weird feeling of unease that had drawn him to this bar in the first place seemed to become audible, buzzing in his mind like the sound of static.
Finally managing to look away, Shoji considered Novosad once again. Was he feeling the same thing? Shoji knew that he was physically okay, and so far the military had not decided he was sufficiently not sane enough to be an officer. Still, something had been bugging him ever since he had arrived at California. Although he attributed it to a general excitement and restlessness over his new dedication to the war, that wasn't really a good description of the feeling. It was as if he had forgotten something, but wasn't sure what - a nagging tug on his very soul that didn't seem to serve a purpose.
A small part of himself quietly contemplated leaving the bar and going back to his quarters, to continue planning the upcoming fleet operation.
Eventually, Shoji made his way over to the bar. He owed Novosad a debt, and if he was any kind of inspirational symbol at all, there were standards to be set. The bright scarlet scarf around his neck whipped furiously behind him, and to the utter shock of a few of the bar's patrons the man who represented Zeon's "courage" pulled a stool up to the bar, taking a seat next to the man who represented Zeon's "terror." Grinning, he greeted Novosad - still keeping his peripheral vision open to the unknown male and female duo.
"I'd buy you a drink, but it seems like you're doing pretty well for yourself already."
Flagging the bartender, Shoji pointed to Novosad.
"I'll have what he's having."
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Post by MING on Jan 14, 2010 16:19:50 GMT -5
There it was again, stronger this time. What was it?
"So the higher ups decided to give me one of the new Goufs. This thing is a dream machine. They replaced the hand with a wrist-mounted unit, and a shield-mountable gatling. But the speed of it, it's night and day from my old Zaku..." Diego continued, on his third glass of the amber liquid. Meanwhile, Persephone had gotten barely halfway through her first.
She couldn't concentrate on what he was saying though. She felt.. uneasy. It felt like when she was finding the "goose" all over again, but this time stronger. Were there two? Or was it like Captain Char?
"And the modifications to the heat whip, it's amazing the kind of things you could do with it now.."
Persephone searched the bar, trying to spot the source of her unease. But all she could find was soldiers going about their normal activities. Laughing, drinking, relaxing. In a way, she almost envied how at ease they all looked. Had she ever had a chance at that kind of life? Or had she been doomed from birth?
Something clicked as she spotted an officer moving toward a group of black, armor clad men seated behind her. Something seemed.. familiar about one of the Panzergrenadiers, a familiarity of feel but not of sight. But it was the unknown officer that gained more of her attention. Something was off about him, something not quite right.
Is he broken like I am?
Now completely ignoring Diego as he drank and chatted about his new ride, she stared at the officer and the Panzergrenadiers over her shoulder.
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Post by on Jan 15, 2010 2:35:54 GMT -5
Ritter waved down the bartender once more, bringing his attention away from Persephone. "No no. I'll take you up on that offer. Two please. Thanks." Ritter turned to the officer and opened his eyes a bit larger. There was an awkward pause before he commented, "Nice scarf."
Downing another shot he had sitting in front of him the soldier pondered why a grown man would wear one in California. The weather had been good there for months. Returning to his unsettled mood he mumbled and continued on. "That bitch is pissing me off. She shouldn't be here. All she does is look around. Hell, she's hardly even touched her drink. Why can't she harass people elsewhere."
His soldier leaned forward from the other side and smiled at Ando. "Hi! Name's Alex. Ignore my friend, he seems to have the miss mistaken for someone else." Aaron chuckled uneasily as he slid back behind Novosad's head. He leaned towards Ritter's ear, "Easy man, he's an Officer."
Ritter replied to both of the men. "What are you talking about Aaron. This Officer can obviously see that woman is stalking us as we speak. We won that match and she seems to have taken it badly perhaps." Ritter spoke on, forgetting about the pressure that had pestered him in the beginning. "What did she expect...What does she expect? Perhaps she wants a rematch."
Aaron leaned back over to his friends ear and give a short piece of advice, "Speak less."
"Arm wrestling..." he contemplated the idea. Ritter turned to Ando and gave the officer a smile, the liquor of his first three shots kicking in. "I like you, and your scarf." The forehead of his companion hit the bar in disbelief.
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Post by gaplant on Jan 15, 2010 4:44:21 GMT -5
Shoji quirked an eyebrow at Novosad, bewildered by his behavior.
"The hell?"
Not waiting for a response, he glanced towards the approaching bartender and accepted an extended glass. Shoji drank it and slammed it to the table in a single fluid motion, using his left hand to wipe his mouth by instinct. As a warmth began to spread through his chest, he looked back to the armored soldier.
Arm wrestle...does he mean me?
Confused, Shoji took a moment to study Novosad. There was no telling how long the man had been at the bar; however, based on the stories Shoji had heard passed around among his forces, no amount of alcohol was capable of breaking the iron discipline of the Schutzstaffel - much less their elite shock troops, the Panzergrenadiers. Still, it was obvious that was disturbing his, and the source was fairly evident as a someone even without Aaron's confirmation.
He can't possibly mean...
Feeling as if holes were being bored into the back of his head, Shoji found himself turning back to the mysterious female in the corner. Surprisingly, she was staring directly towards the duo, and the young Zeon lieutenant found himself unavoidably returning the gaze. Even from such a distance, her emerald eyes haunted the Courageous Zaku Fighter. Several seconds passed before he could blink once, though it felt closer to an eternity. In that short span of time, Shoji was aware of a new, expanded sensation of the restlessness that plagued him. His essence seemed incontrovertibly drawn to the figure in the flickering lights, although he began to suspect that some deep corner of his soul yearned to be pulled in.
Snapping back to reality, Shoji furrowed his brow - he was quickly losing patience. The static in his head had reached a level that was becoming impossible to ignore, and Novosad's behavior had convinced him. He had to know who the girl was.
Turning back to the semi-inebriated Panzergrenader, Shoji asked him, simultaneously raising a hand to signal the bartender for another round.
"Who is she, Novosad?"
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Post by on Jan 15, 2010 5:25:51 GMT -5
Uncertain, Ritter turned his head and confirmed where his comrade was looking. "Her? Specialist Dawn. That handler is Flight Sergeant Cortez. The information officers say she's crazy."
Ritter pushed the glasses in front of himself away, knowing he had enough to drink finally. He continued on, "A psychotic woman. One of Lady Kycillia's broken toys. Broken indeed. She wasn't much of a challenge for me and my men on the battlefield." His speech stopped so he could try to brush of some of the paint that decorated his normally black armor.
He glanced back at the woman for a quick glimpse before pulling the shot glasses from his neighboring patrons to his chest.
He grabbed one and down it, picked up a second shot and passed it off into Ando's hands. "Here Hold this." Ritter lifted himself from the bar and quickly slid into a seat at Persephone's table. He glared at the woman for a second before thrusting his elbow down into the center of the table. "COME ON! What are you waiting for...?” He grinned as he mocked her.
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Post by gaplant on Jan 15, 2010 17:02:54 GMT -5
"Hey, wait!"
Shoji's eyes widened in stunned surprise as Novosad stormed away. By the time he was able to stand, the belligerent Panzergrenadier had already seated himself by Cortez and Dawn. From the looks of it, Novosad had apparently decided an arm-wrestling match would be the best course of action to alleviate his stress; although, at this point, Shoji had no idea what the man was really thinking. Noting the size difference between the two, Courageous Zaku Fighter Sho smacked his forehead out of embarrassment.
Ugh, I guess he's serious.
Shoji glanced down to the shot forced into his hand, pondering its contents for a moment before tipping it down his throat. Fire crept up into his mouth, and he flagged down the bartender as he set the glass on the bar. Pointing at the newly-expanded party of three, the Zeon lieutenant stood to make his way over to the group.
"We're gonna need more over there."
As Shoji paced over to follow Novosad, a spike of resolve clenched his fist for him. Something the Panzer had said echoed in his mind.
Broken toy...
That revelation had piqued his interest, but done little to calm the tension buffeting his thoughts. Shoji quickly decided he had to know more.
Sliding into the last open chair, Shoji grinned at the blond-haired girl as he smacked Novosad on the back.
"Easy, man. We're all friends here."
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Post by MING on Jan 16, 2010 10:17:15 GMT -5
The goose stood up and came walking over toward the table. Was his name "Ritter"? Persephone tried to recall the name on the order sheet. In the time it took her to try and recall the name, the half-armored man had already arrived and dropped himself into a seat opposite her.
"COME ON!! What are you waiting for...??" he inquired, his elbow propped on the table and hand angled towards her.
Persephone stared perplexed at the hand as the second came foward, the officer with the scarf.
"Easy, man. We're all friends here."
Beside her, Diego had tensed up, eyes on the newly arrived duo. He seemed to notice the dried flakes of paint on the armor of the Panzergrenadier, though the officer present made his choice of reactions fairly limited. Persephone, arms folded along her waist, had finished her examination of Ritter's presented hand and was trying to push against the pressure she felt inside of her head. Had it gotten worse when the pair had arrived. Diego apparently noticed the strained look that crossed her face from his peripheral.
"We aren't looking for trouble tonight, Oberscharfuhrer. We were just on our way out for the night." Diego intoned, keeping his eyes on the SS shocktrooper.
Persephone remained quiet, now sitting with her eyes shut, as though the sensation she was experiencing was just an overabundance of light entering her pupils.
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Post by gaplant on Jan 17, 2010 6:19:51 GMT -5
Keeping one arm draped loosely around Novosad just in case, Shoji motioned with his other hand to reassure Diego.
"Ah, no need to worry Flight Sergeant. Our comrade here has just had a little too much to drink, and it would seem that he's formed a special attachment to you two. I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm."
Grinning, Shoji continued.
"I just ordered another around for us all, as well. After all, how often do you get the chance to socialize with a Panzer in such a jovial manner?"
The Zeon lieutenant shot a short stare to Novosad, then returned his attention to Cortez.
"My name is Ando Shoji, but you can call me Sho."
To Shoji, they could have easily been the only patrons present in the bar. Although dozens of people were still scattered across the room, producing a countless array of noises, next to the static popping in his mind they were irrelevant. In fact, Shoji was now only consciously aware of three presences: Dawn's, Novosad's, and his own.
Glancing to the Specialist, Shoji discovered for the first time that the girl had her eyes closed. The look on her face indicated a feeling of distress, although the half-full glass located on her side of the table was clear evidence that alcohol was probably not the primary cause. The noise bracketing his own consciousness continued to grow as he looked at the girl, though as it unfolded it began to feel like a different sensation all together. Dawn's presence was magnetizing - all at once, Shoji's soul was drawn to hers in a fraternal kinship.
Can she feel it too?
Shoji narrowed his eyes, wondering.
What's going on?
"Are you okay, Specialist...Dawn, was it?"
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Post by MING on Jan 19, 2010 1:58:01 GMT -5
Shit... this was a bad idea.
Diego watched as Persephone continued to curl in on herself. He'd witnessed her swings before, but this one was different from the previous ones. It looked like it might also be much, much worse. He quickly threw a salute at Lieutenant Shoji as he stood and moved toward his Newtype charge.
"Sorry, sir. We were only able to stop in briefly, we've got to report back for some..." Diego scrambled mentally for a proper excuse to give to an officer, "Medical evaluations before we're cleared for redeployment."
By the time Diego had reached his arm behind Persephone's back to help her up, she had tears running from her tightly shut eyelids, and was beginning to hyperventilate. It was definately worse than any of her previous swings... and he was going to be in a world of shit for it.
Shooting a final look at the TAF officer and Shutzstaffel Panzergrenadier, Diego scooped the tall but relatively light Newtype up and began half-running for the exit.
Partway out the door, the name finally struck him.
Ando Shoji, the commander of the fleet they were to join upon departure from California Base.
Oh this is just fucking fantastic...
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Post by on Jan 19, 2010 14:08:40 GMT -5
“What the hell was that about?” Ritter looked at Shoji with a hint of questioning behind the look. The two of them had been acting up and the finale just gave the soldier more questions than answers.
Novosad began retracting his arm from the unaccepted arm wrestling challenge when he noticed the bartender coming around with four glasses and set them between the two remaining men. His patient arm slide across the table and retrieved one of them. Holding the glass in his hands for a second before he pressed it to his mouth and tilted the contents down, he shook his body for a second before returning his focus to Shoji.
“Well she’s out. You have the guts?” Ritter dropped the glass on the table among the remaining ones as set his elbow between himself and the TAF Officer. A large grin came across his face he readies himself for a match once more.
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Post by gaplant on Jan 19, 2010 15:46:25 GMT -5
Shoji watched silently as the pair made their escape from the bar - or, more accurately, Cortez made Dawn's escape for her. Novosad's voice seemed very far away, with most of the lieutenant's attention being spent on processing the scene that had just unfolded.
"No idea."
Cortez's explanation for the duo's early departure, "medical evaluations," was rushed. Still, Dawn's condition had deteriorated rapidly after Shoji's arrival to the table. As the bartender approached with a round of drinks, he wondered. Just before she was ushered off, Dawn seemed to be approaching hysterics, and the sight of her tear-stained face still resonated in his mind.
Medical evaluations, huh? It might not be so far from the truth.
Instinctively reaching out to grab a newly-served drink, Shoji returned to reality. As Novosad confidently uttered his challenge, Courageous Zaku Fighter Sho glanced around to find that many of the bar's patrons had taken a keen interest in the confrontation that was presenting itself. Smirking, he gulped the shot down and slammed its container to the table. Flames drifted up his chest, and his fiery eyes found the Panzer's.
"You think I'm scared, Novosad?"
With that, Shoji put his arm on the table to answer his challenger, meeting a roar of approval from the TAF personnel in the room.
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