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

[unbr8kable]

[For once, the damned thing isn't as creaky and shivering as the rusty old metal looks, thank heaven for small favors. And then it's just a quick squeeze past the "Danger! Electrified!" sign covering the kid-sized hole in the (non-electrified) fence, and they're out. Xia breathes out a sigh, the taste of freedom welcome]

...Where to?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Depends. What are you up for?

[He keeps away from street lights as they put distance between themselves and the building. The further they get from Tenno, the more he relaxes. Soon, his gait is just about normal: casual and slightly crooked, and when they pass a brick wall along the walkway, he hops up to walk along the top.]

[unbr8kable]

Whatever.

[She keeps an eye on him but continues to slouch down the street, hands in her jacket pockets, but it's a much less forced casual than back at HQ.]

Something--interesting. After everything else that's happened, no point in going back to the same old same-old now.

[crossmyheartandhope]

I think we can handle interesting.

[And he puts the hand with the reusable bag out, so it dangles just in front of her.]

[unbr8kable]

[She raises an eyebrow, the other rising to meet it when she checks out what's inside the bag.]

...You still have this?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Where was I supposed to ditch it?

[He sure as hell wasn't going to bring it to his mother. He's seen how that goes.]

[unbr8kable]

Yoshioka's tea?

[she only spares a moment for that mental image before looking back at him]

...But yeah, that seems interesting enough. If you're up for it.

[she looks around the street; sporadic monster invasion or not, certain laws haven't changed. better to have some cover]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Quirks a crooked sort of smile at that mental picture, the first that's shown up since this afternoon.]

I brought it, didn't I?

[unbr8kable]

[her expression brightens, voice filled with braggadocio]

Well, I'm game to see if you can even handle it.

[crossmyheartandhope]

You're on.

[He hops down from the wall to cross the street; they're heading out of the Tenno area and into someplace more brightly lit and well-populated.]

[unbr8kable]

[It's a completely different feel here, students grabbing food and ditching cram school at the arcade, college kids meeting up with friends, salarymen heading out for drinks after work. Stuck in the Tenno complex, it's easy to forget that here in Tokyo, life still goes on. It's possible to just be normal, for a little while at least.]

There's a park by the station, right?

[crossmyheartandhope]

[More than the normality, it's all bright lights and passing conversation and music from open doorways. It's shiny and fast and loud, and there are always plenty of distractions.]

Sure, Shinjuku Chuo Koen. Couple of the trees got trashed in that invasion a month ago, but they replanted already. It's still mostly in one piece.

[unbr8kable]

That's more than you can say for a lot of places! Let's do it.

[If nothing else, the government takes pains to keep certain city centers rebuilt and prospering--Tokyo Station, the Imperial Palace, Shibuya and Ueno, and of course, Shinjuku, home of any number of different places to shop, eat, and get into trouble. Compared to the stodgy offices and museums of eastern Tokyo, and ultra-slick Shibuya with its legions of young fashionistas enforcing a certain level of class even during the invasion, Shinjuku is a little more gritty and down-to-earth.

While east of the station still sit department store branches that refuse to shut their doors, west of the station sprawls a warren of tiny offices and electronic shops and food stalls, their proprietors growing towards the shadier side of the law as one travels north.

Shinjuku Chuo Park is nestled roughly in the center of this, in the shadow of the old metropolitan government building and just steps from the cabarets of Kabukicho. The modest homeless encampment maintained during peacetime has grown to a decent-sized tent city since the invasion, though there is still a good-sized patch of lawn for lounging and enjoying the out of doors. Xia and Jacob are able to snag a spot where the park slopes down to the highway, granting a decent view of the bustle of Shinjuku but also enough distance that only the nosiest of passers-by would pay attention to two kids with a rather suspect bottle between them.

Xia flops to the grass, already feeling less keyed up just after walking this far. Still, she raises her eyebrows at Jacob, a vague question of "you alright?"]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Flops down next to her, sitting cross-legged on the grass. He catches sight of that look and huffs a little laugh, gives a little shrug, and digs out the contents of the bag - then hands it over.]

Cheers.

[todorable]

Cheers...

[she takes the bottle and unscrews it, taking a tentative sniff]

--Ugh, what is this stuff??

[crossmyheartandhope]

Gin.

...smells that bad?

[unbr8kable]

[it's a terrible face]

Smells like Pine-Sol.

[..........................................takes a swig]

...Tastes like Pine-Sol.

[crossmyheartandhope]

No way anything smells like Pine-Sol but Pine-Sol.

[Grabby hands for the bottle. He sniffs cautiously, then makes a face.]

I take that back.

[unbr8kable]

Told you.

[makes a face at him

maybe they should've brought some mixers; she isn't gagging at the taste, but she feels justified in retaining the option of doing so. a little hoarse:]

...Well? Don't chicken out now!

[crossmyheartandhope]

I'm drinking, I'm drinking!

[He takes a sip - chokes, coughs, almost spits it out. It takes him a second to actually swallow.]

Oh, gross.

[unbr8kable]

I know, right? I can't believe people do this for fun.

[she can't keep complete mirth from her voice--ha ha, he almost choked--but her words are completely honest. just in case, she tries another sip]

...Mrggh.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Maybe it'll get better once we get used to it?

[Takes the bottle back for another sip. He doesn't almost spray it everywhere, so. Progress???]

[unbr8kable]

I...guess?

[She takes another drink then gives the bottle back, taking a minute to frown at everything about alcohol for a bit, or at least the taste part.]

Maybe we should've brought some candy or something...

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Takes another sip and makes another face, oh god, why is it so terrible.]

It's never too late for candy.

[unbr8kable]

Then maybe it'd taste more like red and less like...this.

[to be fair, the next sip isn't so bad. it's not so good, but it's not worse.]