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]

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.]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Takes another one and pulls another face - then makes an executive decision and closes the bottle.]

Okay, yeah. Candy break. Stat.

[unbr8kable]

Good call.

[she abruptly jumps to her feet and things--shift-- kind of like half of her leaps up like a beat later. which is. different.

she wobbles for a sec before looking down at Jacob]

...Ready?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Let's do this.

[He unfolds himself to stand, shoves the bottle back in the reusable bag, and is on his feet and on his way so fast, there is no unsteadiness there at all. Nope. None.]

[unbr8kable]

[she follows a little more leisurely, for once, looking around loose-limbed and with a slightly flushed grin. conbini would be awesome. or wherever. yeah, wherever.]

Warm night tonight, right?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah. We probly didn't even need the jackets.

[His gait might be a bit more crooked than it usually is, even, relaxed and easy.]

[unbr8kable]

Never hurts to have pockets. If you had a big enough pocket, you wouldn't need a bag.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He frowns down into the bag.]

That'd have to be a pretty big pocket.

[unbr8kable]

Maybe if you had a smaller bag. And bottle. Then it'd be smaller.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Or maybe if the pocket was really big.

[He thinks about this for a second.]

Hey. How come there aren't pockets as long as pants?

[unbr8kable]

There are. If you have short enough pants.

What would you even put in a really long pocket?

[crossmyheartandhope]

A pool cue?

[unbr8kable]

...Mm, that makes sense.

Why don't we have a pool table at HQ? Or like. Bowling alley.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Maybe we could stick one on the roof. There'd be space.

...wait! Wait!

[He grabs at her shoulder, suddenly excited.]

What if we put the ball return on the roof, and lined up the pins on the ground. Then bowled off the roof?

[unbr8kable]

[very, very serious]

That...would be...

...amazing.

Do they sell bowling balls at the 7-11?

[crossmyheartandhope]

We can check. And if they don't, there's gotta be some department store open still, right? Someone's gotta do sporting goods.

[Handwave, handwave.]

[unbr8kable]

[a grave fistpump]

Definitely. Because this is important. For the good of all mankind.

[crossmyheartandhope]

For the good of an achievement that's never been achieved in the history of ever.

[They're nearly to the conbini, but he almost walks right past it. He realizes at the last second, then circles around.]

But candy first.