first sortie.

[unbr8kable]

[Six hours previous, everything had been so much simpler. The Eta cohort had made it to live combat training, out in one of the few areas the Tenno had claimed back from the invaders. Xia had been vibrating the whole day, grinning wide as she suited up in the boring steel training mech (hers would be blue, she decided, or maybe black, with bold red stripes on the limbs) and deployed to the field, not even cracking on Wimperson, the Support (not his real name, but it may as well have been).

The Heralds didn't come up on radar until they were practically on top of the trainees. Maybe if there'd been more lead time, it would've been less of a shitshow, but who the hell knows.

The grimy details aren't important, but they aren't great. Damage to all suits, with two damaged beyond repair; the Leader froze under pressure, the Shadow couldn't keep up with the speedy Heralds. Wimperson actually came through. Johnson the Medic went down right there, in front of them.

Xia and Jacob have only just gotten out of their debriefing, another unexpected first for the day.

She and Jacob did good, Xia knows. They kept their heads, were barely hurt, they moved together well. "You'll make a good team," Corporal Kuwahara tells them before turning towards the medical ward to check on Johnson's surgery. "Go get some rest."

But no, rest is pretty much the opposite of what they need right now, Xia thinks. She turns to Jacob, giving her best attempt at a normal expression.]

Wanna get out of here?

Comments

[crossmyheartandhope]

We'll get trophies made.

[One final scritch and he is turning to go.]

[unbr8kable]

Like, a giant bone? Or a golden dog bowl?

[crossmyheartandhope]

A giant gold bone in a dog bowl.

[unbr8kable]

--A giant bone in a giant bowl? or giant bone in a normal-sized bowl?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Normal-sized bowl would be way better.

[unbr8kable]

Put that on your coat of arms!

[crossmyheartandhope]

There's gonna be too many swords and stuff for it to fit.

[unbr8kable]

I guess if that's what you wanna spend your space on... Swords and stuff... That's your choice...

[crossmyheartandhope]

Hey, you don't need my permission. You can dog bowl all you want on yours.

[unbr8kable]

...That sounds like I should be bowling for dogs.

[considers the logistics for a bit]

[crossmyheartandhope]

Or bowling with them

[unbr8kable]

...Wonder if dogs are good at bowling. Maybe we could set up a league.

[crossmyheartandhope]

They'd need special bowling balls. They'd have to be like -

[Draws up short all of a sudden.]

Aww, man.

[unbr8kable]

[turns to look back at him]

What?

[crossmyheartandhope]

We were gonna go get bowling balls. For roof bowling!

I totally forgot.

[unbr8kable]

Oh! We were gonna do that!

[she frowns at the sky, since watches that actually work are for chumps]

...Guess it doesn't hurt to have a to-do list for later.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah... Guess it's gonna have to wait.

[Gets moving again. It's got to be,pretty close to dawn, right?]

[unbr8kable]

[looks like it. they should be able to make it before fielding is up and out...hopefully???]

Just means we can finish working out the logistics before buying in. Someone's got to have something that'll work as a ball.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Back through the streets of Tokyo, which are a lot less lively this close to the start of day. He flaps one hand, dismissively.]

We'll come up with something. We always do, right?

[unbr8kable]

Hell yeah.

[she dodges some salarymen passed out in the middle of the street, so close to their first train. at least some things never change.]

Some of the suits've gotta have something we can borrow.

[crossmyheartandhope]

I bet we could get an old mattress to stick on the ground, too, so the ball's got something to land on.

Or you think that'd ruin the - [Makes a rolling motion with one hand.] - the whasit. Momentum.

[unbr8kable]

Isn't ending the momentum the point? If it keeps rolling once it hits, we have to run too far to catch it.

[crossmyheartandhope]

It's gotta keep going a little at least, or it won't knock the pins down.

[Thinking about it.]

What if we just covered the mattress in pins? And the winner's whoever knocks the most off.

[unbr8kable]

Off the mattress? Or off the roof?

[stretching while considering this]

...Maybe both get points?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Works for me.