Mobile Suit Gundam 00N

[Loki]

"Nothing's on fire! It's okay Michael, it'll be fine, everything is okay! Xing Mei, put that fire out, turn it off, turn it off! Do you hear me!?"

Aesur dug his gloved fingers into his helmet, a splitting pain jolting through his brain and side. Pain was coming from all areas of his body- his chest was starting to turn into a jumble of knots, like they did so long ago. The bullet wound was starting to escalate in pain- from the original shock to the heavy throb back to the brain realizing, my god, I've been shot! His head hurt from remembering so many things all at once, and everything was just about ready to fall apart. It felt like... like his side was on fire. He turned and fumbled through the back of his cockpit, looking for something that would numb the pain if only a little. He couldn't see straight though. Everything was blurry, and everything was starting to glow red, orange, and yellow. "Ah!" He yelped, drawing his hand back to see that there was nothing there.

This was it- but... Aesur reached out and slammed his hand down on the CD case he'd acquired. He'd completed the mission, which was something he'd hadn't thought he could do. The point didn't really manage to reach his senses however, as the disk clattered to the floor, bumping off of the edge of the control panel as it fell.

"Aesur!? Are you okay?" Who was that? That voice was vaguely familiar. He could identify it, but it was just out of his reach, and so he was left to ponder who it was, or if they were even saying anything more. He felt like his ears were all plugged up with water. "Wha-..." He began, but someone interuppted him before he could think of a coherant way to inquire after who was talking to him.

"What's going on?!" A familiar voice.

Aesur let his lungs reinflate, breathing hard as if he'd just sprinted a mile.

"Aesur," Quinn's calm voice came over the transmission, "Can you pilot the Theritia?"

He shook his head violently, but only furthered the pain in his head. "-No, not-" His voice stuck in his throat again and he wondered why it was suddenly getting really hot. Was it- fire? He spun around to look at the medic box, and saw nothing. Where was it? The fire- was it creeping up on him again? Oh it felt cold against his cheeks- like that night, where it had been all cold except for the front of him, which was facing the burning mansion, helpless. He began to let out a yell, but blocked it from escaping by trying to say something instead. Nothing came out and he shook his head again.

"Aesur, change in plans. Do you understand?" Quinn inquired slowly, "We'll send coordinates to Theritia, and set it on auto-pilot. Did anything happen other than the problems we've already diagnosed?"

Half of the words filtered out, but Aesur managed to piece together the basic gist.

"I got shot!" He yelled into the microphone, throwing himself back against his seat as the effort of pushing out his voice shot another needle into his side. Catching his breath, Aesur was silent for a moment, calming down enough to speak at a normal volume without his voice catching, "It's not important."

Quinn replied immediately, understanding that to him, the more apparent problem was that he was imagining fire all over his cockpit. "You're fine, Aesur, there's not going to be any fire inside your cockpit at any time, so calm down."

He swallowed and nodded. That had definitely been a lie through her teeth, but it was still reassuring. He was older now, and it was apparent to him that he had better control over himself than he had the last time he'd seen fire or been touched by someone. Back then... was it sometime in elementary school? An absolute nightmare. Coordinates popped up on the side of his screen as he began regaining movement that wasn't simply blank reaction, and he hit autopilot anyway. He didn't want to pilot with the wound in his side anyway- autopilot was slower. He leaned back and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted from all the commotion he'd thrown himself into after successfully escaping his original predicament.

But the back of his eyelids burned red.

 

[parallelzero]

"Celestia will watch over the Theritia until we arrive back at the designated point." Alitaria stated into a transmission to their ship, shortly after receiving the coordinates of it's location. What she had stated was a given, they were returning to the same place after all, but she knew what it felt like to be reassured when things looked rough. Even if it was a new pilot like her, maybe someone would feel a little better. She was concerned for Aesur, but she knew he took up the role of Meister completely aware of what he'd endure. If she showed too much concern, maybe she'd just be insulting him. He had been shot. Pain was something that came of war. Physical pain, she knew from experience, was horrible, but it didn't compare to the pain from losing family and friends. She had cried enough, and that's why she became a Meister. Her reason for fighting was to prevent that pain for many more people in the future, even if she had to accomplish it through means as unconventional as substance abuse, even if she had to create some pain in order to fulfill it; that's why she was with Celestial Being. She knew this, but it didn't make the emotional implications any less difficult. She had kept herself holed up for almost the entirety of the time between this and the last operation in depression, only snapping herself out of it the day before last.

When they were finally out of the way of any possible enemies, the girl set her Gundam to autopilot so that she could rest a little before docking. She moved her right arm so that it rested on her lap, the unnatural sounds the motion produced echoing rather clearly in the quiet cockpit, other than the sound of the GN drive in the back. That arm was some of her pain, an artificial arm that acts ridiculously similar to a real one, as was her artificial eye. She was snapped back to reality as the ocean filled her view. Their little hiding place was on the water, huh? An island? Maybe she'd be able to relax a little for once.

She laughed to herself at the thought. There wasn't much room for relaxation where she was now. Alitaria, however, hoped she'd have a break soon where she could go back to the HRL for a little while. She had business there she still needed to attend to, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to check on the graves of her parents.

Beeping from her console brought to her attention that they had arrived at their base, and it was most definitely an island. It wasn't large but it was large enough to be covered in a small forest of tropical plantation. In response to the Celestia's presence, the sandy shore nearby began to sink away, revealing a tunnel just large enough for a Mobile Suit to slip in through. Deciding there was always the possibility that it was a trap, Alitaria decided to go ahead of Aesur. In the end, it just turned out to be a regular base down below. She docked, similarly to like how she would have on the Ptolmy, and scrambled out of her cockpit in anticipation of Aesur's entrance. Hopefully he'd be okay... She made her way onto the walkway in the hangar, readjusting herself to walking after spending a long time in her Gundam as she made her way to where the Theritia would eventually dock.

 

[Kansas]

Retribution hovered quietly as Alice Gundam's cannon fired its massive blast. The surge of energy roared beneath him as he watched the enemy mobile suits disintegrate into nothing as the blast consumed them. The beam made a slow sweep, clearing the suits that weren't able to escape the radius. Ryder watched through monitors as the smoke cleared around the ruined base, no signs of movement anywhere.

"...This is Ryder. Clean up complete and returning to rendezvous." He said in a low firm tone as he looked over the battlefield, observing his and Alice's handy work. Mobile suit pieces lay strewn across the concrete, the ones lucky enough to stay intact at least. He turned slowly before blasting off into the skies towards the horizon.

He flew in silence, only accompanied by the silent whir of his turbines spinning rapidly. The blue ocean flew beneath him in a blur as he approached his coordinates. The mission had to have gone well, there were no hitches and no reports of failure, another crucial victory for Celestial Being.

"Those ants should start learning how to counter attack us soon enough. The plan is working well and the predictions are flawless. What could possibly stop us... the power of Celestial Being..." Ryder thought silently as a small green island drifted into view slowly and came rapidly into perspective. Retribution Gundam slowed to a hover, looking down on the island and letting its green particles pour from the engine before lowering softly to the ground and down into the safety of tree cover. Docking into the small island base, He immediately let the cockpit slide open, standing and moving to the ground below. He looked around, seeing that Celestia had docked already and was awaiting her mission partner.

"How did I get here before Aesur and Theritia... did something happen?" Ryder thought in a slight bit of concern before removing his helmet and shaking himself out of his dazed thoughts. "Don't be stupid... we're Gundam Meisters." he scolded himself quickly for doubting the abilities of his comrades, proceeding to the already docked Gundam and passed it where the other pilot would soon be landing. Celestia's pilot stood in anticipation already for Aesur's landing. Ryder couldn't help but wonder what happened on the other half of the mission that would cause the mission to stray so far from the operation time. He waited in silent anticipation behind the other meister, Alitaria, for Aesur's much awaited return

 

[Alter Ego]

"Gundam Alice. Mission complete. Returning to rendezvous point."

Kain lowered his hands, pulling the gloves off somewhat reluctantly as he leaned back in his seat, his ecstatic grin slowly fading as he drew a couple of slow, heavy breaths, finally noticing the rivulets of sweat running down his face. In all honesty, he had only gotten started, but Abele had assured him that all the bad guys were gone, and that meant no more fireworks...at least for now.

It was then, leaning back in his seat and watching the scenery flash past, that the blonde finally noticed something odd about the situation.

"Abele?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, "Why aren't we heading upwards?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...repeat, all Gundams, assemble at the emergency rendezvous point immediately."

"Angry Kiel! Angry Kiel!"

"Your capacity for stating the obvious never fails to amaze me, Haro." the tactician grit back as he finally shut the communications link, rising to his feet. He had expected shenanigans like this from the rookie, but Aesur too? The tactician had to constrain himself from punching the nearest wall out of sheer frustration. Pyrophobia. All this time, that brat had been covering up pyrophobia? The more he discovered about this team of 'meisters' he had been handed, the more he began to suspect the possibility that this entire arrangement had been set up to be an abyssmal failure right from the get-go. A half-blind cripple, a mental institution patient with the attention span and memory of an average goldfish, a cripple girl who had to continually drug herself to operate, and now this?!

Content that not even this freak circus that had been put under his command could fail to follow the instructions he had left, the tactician abruptly rose to his feet, finally leaving the sanctity of his personal room with only one target in mind.

A certain medical officer would have a question or two to answer.


OOC: Pointless filler post done. Carry on.

 

[Loki]

OOC: Thank you. :>

IC:

Docking was like a dream. The resolute sound of the Theritia locking in place, Aesur slumped back into his seat, relaxing his tense muscles, feeling much better as the whirr of the engine began to slow. He'd made a gamble, and he'd probably lost. But they didn't know- his ugly face inside the cockpit. At the very least, that wasn't out there yet. At the very least, he was still... generally stationed to the ground. He pulled his helmet on securely, as if almost shamed to meet the other meisters. He wasn't all that he'd hyped himself up to be. What a terrible fall from grace. Opening the cockpit, with a trembling finger, he flinched at the sounds of the moving machinery. Choking up at the sight of Alitaria and Ryder, he pulled his helmet down even further, biting his lower lip as he stumbled out of his seat. He covered his bullet wound the best he could with his right arm and hand, wishing it weren't there, yet glad that it was. It was a perfect excuse, but he didn't want to lie anymore. It was so much harder than he'd anticipated. Awkwardly and cautiously making his way down to the platform, he moved as if he were swimming through honey, dreading facing the others.

He stopped in front of his fellow pilots, counting two missing from the fray. Medical wing, he decided, turning and saying nothing. The mission was a success, but a failure for him. Such a failure. He faltered after a few steps, turning back and reaching into his holster, extracting a disc. Holding it up, as if to present his success, he found that he... really had nothing to say. He hated the shallow relationship that just made everything so awkward and silent between himself and all the other meisters. Of course it was a security issue, but... still, they could never even just talk with each other. It was... kind of sad. But then he realized that suddenly walking around was giving him a headache. Not the pounding, nauseating one from before, but a lightheaded, floating-on-the-clouds kind of headache. Like, maybe he was way drugged up- without any drugs.

A young man dressed in a crisp yet plaintative suit approached, stiff and formal with a blank expression. He carried a soft leather bag, and by the way he spoke, it could be easily deduced that he was Basilio's personal assistant. "Please," He motioned behind him, "step inside. I will tend to your wound there, Mr. Therra. Please use our facilities to your own discretion; they are all available. I've been told to advise you not to leave the premises until later tonight, for security and safety purposes." He bowed and spun around on his heel, moving back towards the door.

Aesur looked up at the open ceiling, wondering where Kain and Abele were. Ryder was already here, so why...? They should've been here by now, at least.

"Please do not dabble sir." The man said briskly, pulling out a pair of spectacles and putting them on while he held the door into the home of sorts that Celestial Being's information agent had made for himself, "It will not do if your wound should become infected."

"Er-..." Aesur clumsily handed the disc over to Ryder, hoping that he knew what to do with it, because Aesur certainly didn't. This detour meant that Kiel, Quinn, and the rest of the crew weren't even around. Yet. If they planned on coming down at all... "Coming..." He glanced over his shoulder at the other two meisters, nodding to show that he was fine. For the most part. At least the attack had done it's job in terms or wearing off, rather than leaving him stricken and frozen like an invalid. And if he really thought about it, he'd done a swell job, considering the circumstances. Sure it wasn't stellar, and it probably wasn't what anyone was... expecting... but he'd gotten things done. And... and that was what mattered the most. He gripped the railing with most of his weight as he limped towards the door. Leaning his weight on his left leg was painful enough, but gravity was definitely working it's magic. "That door, please."

Well, he was definitely glad that the room was so close. Aesur stumbled in, heard the door snap shut behind him. The doors in this place all seemed to be the kind you'd find in some traditional English mansion, but all the rooms that Aesur had seen so far were all... modern. Clean. Very advanced. Two cell regeneration chambers stretched across either wall, with various other medical equipment spread around- probably more in the closets and drawers. It kind of... gave him the creeps. Gingerly sitting down on the cushioned table that was covered securely with plastic, Theritia's pilot wasn't too sure about letting a butler handle removing a bullet... And then he wondered if Basilio himself was here.

Aesur loosened his grip on the wound, checking it's appearance as he thought to himself that the chances of that unlikable man being here were slim, to say the least.

 

[parallelzero]

In the end, nothing was really said to her. Ryder had said not a word while in her presence, and all she received from Aesur was a simple nod before he was taken away. Even though it wasn't her fault directly, at all, she still felt some responsibility for what happened to the man. She was his partner on the mission, so why did only he get hurt? She hung her head slightly as she left the hanger shortly after Aesur was taking to get medical treatment. First thing was first, she needed to get changed into some regular clothing.

The trip to her quarters was a lot easier this time than in the aftermath of the first mission, although she had problems finding them since this wasn't the Ptolmy at all.. The drug really was terrible for creating such exhaustion, but the benefits, at least for her, were worth it in the end. But the fact that she didn't use it this time was likely to cause a bit of a ruckus, especially as far as Kiel was concerned. He would most likely compare her performance this time with last time, and notice some inconsistencies... more specifically that she performed poorly compared to last time. The second she was exposed, she would probably be tossed away like common trash, the drug being confiscated and used with someone that bastard Kiel considered more worthy of it. She wasn't going to let herself get thrown away in that manner, she definitely wanted to keep her role in the interventions.

When Alitaria finally got into her room, she made haste to pick out an outfit to wear out of what had been provided for her in this particular base. In the end, she decided on blue skinny jeans and a white halter top with a black braided trim. She couldn't wear the same thing every day, plus she felt like wearing something especially casual if she was going to go wait for Aesur to finish in the medical wing. With her outfit picked out, she began to peel her pilot uniform off, and eventually the light clothing she wore underneath until she was completely naked.

"Yo, Miss Meister! How goes the fighting?" The voice of Evan Skye, the Ptolemy's gunner sounded in the room, though he quickly bit his own tongue when he realized he had walked in on a naked Alitaria. The girl panicked, beat red, and grabbed the clothing she had laid on her bed before forcing it in front of all of the important places. "Maybe... I'll speak to you from outside..." The average looking man murmured out of embarrassment as he turned around, bring his right hand up to his shoulder length red hair, scratching the back of his head before walking out the door. "All I came to say, is you need to be more careful. You hid the stuff in a safe place, didn't you?" All in the while, Alitaria was putting on her clothing at a rapid rate, tying her hair into a single ponytail, while not forgetting to place the flower ornament in her hair as well.

The girl gave not a word to the young man as she darted out the door, despite how he called to her. "Cold shoulder, huh?" Evan sighed as he out his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Grow up, kid." When he finished his murmuring, he set out for the hanger. Since the Ptolmy had yet to engage in battle personally yet, he'd been pretty bored lately.

It took Alitaria a little while to find the medical wing, considering it was the first time she had been present in such a base. The fact that she wasn't on the Ptolemy was kind of worrisome for her. What if someone searched her room and found her stash? But, Aesur deserved her concern more for now. When she finally found the wing, she decided to sit outside in the waiting area as Aesur was being tended to. She was hungry, and concerned, but she'd bear it for now.

 

[Alter Ego]

It was bright and sparkly, the light refracting and playing around its intricate shape in various way as he turned it around in his hand and held it up towards the bright ceiling lamps.

"...stay here and be careful not to break that, alright Kain?"

The meister offered his partner an enthusiastic nod, beaming as the woman excused herself in the direction of the ladies' room. He was sad to see Abele leave, like always, but there was something about this place that soothed him. The smell of disinfectant, the tidiness, the bright ceiling lamps, the stainless steel and glass...to Kain all of these things spoke of his home away from home, the place he would stay whenever Abele had to take care of things. To part of his mind, the woman leaving was the most natural thing in the world, even though she had assured him that this would really just be for a moment, and more importantly...this place had one thing the usual home away from home didn't have.

The blonde's smile practically reached from ear to ear as he turned his full, undivided attention back to the delicate glass bird in his hands.

This place had a shiny thing, and both Kain and Rosa were now officially occupied for the next hour.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
​

Kiel, meanwhile, had something completely different on his mind, and not just the haro he had sent to probe around a certain meister's living quarters - the only possible benefit that could be derived from this new development. When the door to Dr.Quinn's office slid open, the tactician was already halfway in, bearing his usual expression of quiet contempt.

"Doctor Quinn." he began levelly, "When I asked you whether or not these 'meisters' of mine had any unusual psychological or physiological conditions that I should be aware of, did it occur to you that it may have been out of more than just my infinite curiosity about the messy lives of failed human beings?" his glare intensified a notch, "Specifically, would you care to explain why you did not consider it relevant, at any point of their training period or the time thereafter, to inform me that one of my pilots is pyrophobic?"

 

[Loki]

Now to be perfectly honest, Dr. Scarlett Quinn was normally a very graceful, dainty person. She was a middle-aged woman not yet past her prime, proud and dignified. She wilted for nothing, bent for no-one, and certainly didn't like Kiel as much as she probably should have. Well that last part was a little lie. He was refreshingly professional, but at times, it really did seem like he had a coat hangar stuck up his- well. Setting her communicator back where it belonged, Scarlett was fully prepared for Kiel to burst unceremoniously through her office door without even so much as a "Good afternoon Dr. Quinn." She ignored his entrance, examining herself in a mirror she'd propped up just for his arrival. She adjusted the fake white rose in her hair, re-pinning her bangs as she pretended to have little interest in what the tactician had to say. The doctor did feel just a tad bit sorry for the man, as he'd had a very dysfunctional organization thrust into his care, and all his missions seemed to be running on sheer luck. But what could he expect after years of no battle? It wasn't as if Celestial Being was the only group that was having internal difficulties. Or so was the woman's reasoning for her laid-back attitude. Now, should she say that, or perhaps tick him off even more by dodging the subject?

"… to inform me that one of my pilots is pyrophobic?"

At the end of his miniature tirade, she let out a long, heavy sigh.

"It's not a problem as long as he's inside his Gundam. How was I supposed to know that you'd be sending him into an actual battle so early?" She paused and pulled open a drawer, extracting a tube of lipstick from it, "Anyway Kiel, after I told you that Kain was a regular member of a mental institute before his days as a meister, I thought you might crap out your brain if I told you that Aesur was scared of fire." She reapplied a fresh layer of red on her lips and capped it, tossing it aside, "So since you're here, I might as well tell you that Aesur isn't just pyrophobic, but he's haptephobic as well. Y'know. Freaks out when people touch him." Dr. Quinn leaned back in her seat nonchalantly plowing on, "Everyone here has their secrets, it's not fair if Aesur can't have any just because he's been here the longest. Would you want me telling the world you had a mental disability if you did?" She met his gaze with her chin raised in defiance, "We'd all doubt your ability, and probably get rid of you for a different tactician. Shove you to a backseat position. Same idea."

----------------------------

"Could you please not-"

"I have been informed before your arrival. I will try my best not to touch you Mr. Therra, but you must understand that it may be inevitable." The man pulled on a pair of gloves, slipping on narrow glasses to see his work. Aesur silenced himself as the man gave various commands in a suffering tone that bothered Aesur's pride as a thinking, conscious human. "Please remove your shirt Mr. Therra- I cannot work through a pilot's suit and underarmor. Lie down Mr. Therra, you are embedding the bullet further into your body when you sit." Mr. Therra this, Mr. Therra that-

Ouch! Aesur clenched his fist when a needle sunk into his abdomen, but the pain washed away, replaced by a throbbing numbness. "Please hold still Mr. Therra. I will be removing the bullet."

That was probably the man's way of saying that he was going to touch him now, but Aesur squeezed his eyes shut and felt nothing, really. The numbing was stronger than he'd expected, and though the thought of someone with their hands anywhere on him gave him goosebumps and made him break out in a cold sweat, he stayed still. While he was still trying to get over the fact that someone was… ugh…. He shuddered, but realized that there was no protest from the uptight man. He opened his eyes and noticed that the man had already left his side, a bloody bullet on a tray beside Aesur holding- The meister diverted his eyes, not too keen on seeing what had been sunk into his flesh. It was a much smaller bullet than the one he'd used against the soldier, to his great relief. He sat up gingerly, feeling nothing but thinking to himself that he should probably still be careful.

"In here Mr. Therra." The man motioned to a cell-regenerating chamber, "The wound should close up in about an hour. Please do not leave the chamber until then."

An hour of… just lying there? Aesur let the lid close over him, and he felt… awkward. He'd never really been in one of these things. Just hospital beds. Old fashioned, hospital beds. Being surrounded on all sides by a white arcing wall that kept him tightly enclosed, he was thankful that at the very least, he wasn't claustrophobic…. The thought was mildly amusing, and he felt… better. An hour of sleep didn't sound too bad…

~

"If you would like to rest Mr. Therra, please do so inside your quarters. Your wound is fine for the most part, but please take care not to be too reckless." The voice was blurry, and left as soon as it finished talking. Opening his eyes, still groggy from his quick nap, Aesur lay without moving a few minutes, gathering his attention and wondering whether his wound still hurt or not. The numb feeling was definitely still there, so it wasn't exactly clear to him whether he could walk around like he usually did. …. Well whatever. Aesur sat up slowly, looking down. The skin was a bit warped where it had been trying its best to pull itself back together, but it had thankfully closed up. To what extent, was the question. Swinging his legs around the side of the platform, he looked around, wondering if the assistant had been thoughtful enough to put his under armor somewhere he could find it.

He stood up cautiously, looking around and finding brand new under armor sitting on a tray beside a now clean bullet. He pulled it on, all the while watching the pock scar on the side of his stomach. He left outer shell of his uniform hanging around his Okay. Everything was okay. He'd gotten out of the mission alright. He'd gotten the disc. Despite a few things that had gone wrong, it had turned out much better than he expected. Aesur put on a cheerful smile. He felt good! Much better than an hour ago anyway. He left the medical room, a bit nervous that he wasn't supposed to be leaving. But he spotted Alitaria as soon as he walked out, and his eyes widened in surprise. He wasn't exactly prepared to see her, and his head blanked out for a few minutes in which he said nothing. Now what? Oh that was right, he needed to say something. Like, thanks for worrying about me. Er, was she worried? He didn't want to just assume that, it might be condescending… He brought a hand up to the back of his neck and dragged it around, looking sideways to avoid looking at her. "Um…." He furrowed his brow, trying to dredge up something to talk about. "Sorry I… kind of messed up on this mission. Ah b-but-" He quickly interrupted himself, frantically holding his hands up at his shoulders, "Thanks for the back-up! I'm glad I didn't have to worry about Theritia or anything, so uh- … yeah, thanks I guess." He finished sheepishly, dropping his hands at the lame ending.

 

[parallelzero]

Alitaria ended up waiting on Aesur to come out for a long time. She had entertained herself by reading a fashion magazine at first - not that fashion was much of a priority anymore, she didn't even really have time to shop for, let alone wear nice new clothes - but it wasn't long before she had finished that, and was left to find some other activity to pass the time. She took the time to test her artificial arm, running her biological hand over it. It didn't feel any different than normal. To the touch, one wouldn't be able to notice that under the skin an intricate system of technology replaced blood and bone. Her eye was the same, but only because she wore a special contact lens that covered up the falsities of the robotic eye. She owed a lot to several people for these things, which granted her life after nearly dying. Evan was the one who found her, after all, and Dr. Quinn had been responsible for the surgery, and had been checking up on her since.

By the time Aesur finally came out from his treatment, Alitaria was spread out in a laying position on the waiting couch, half asleep from the long wait. When she finally saw the man, she struggled to sit up, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She smiled slightly as she stood up, before softly saying a short "Hello." It came as a surprise when Aesur apologized to her. "I wasn't thinking it was your fault or anything of the sort! You tried your best, right? So that's good enough. Besides, Kiel is more at fault for drawing up something so dangerous for you in the first place." Yes... Kiel. He seemed more of an enemy than an ally. They way he spoke, the actions he took, they all rubbed the girl the wrong way. "And there's no need to thank me for the back-up, I didn't really do anything special anyways. My Celestia isn't as special as your Theritia when it comes to overall ability, after all, the same could be said when comparing their pilots. When compared to you, who has been piloting for such a long time, I'm more of a hindrance than anything..." She said nothing for a moment, before beginning to walk away. "I'm going to go get something to eat. Since this is an Earth base, I'm hoping there's some real food down here! You're welcome to join me if you'd like~"

 

[Loki]

What a relief. He cheerfully joined Alitaria as they headed down the corridor, also anticipating food that hadn't been flash frozen for weeks. Not only was there real food awaiting, but he'd been invited to join another meister for lunch. Which meant that his openness was getting somewhere, at last. Now if only it would reach the other meisters, who seemed like they might be a little harder to befriend.

"N-No it wasn't Kiel at all," Aesur rubbed his cheek, kind of happy that at least he hadn't caused too much trouble for Alitaria, "I should've been prepared for that kind of combat, and I'm glad that Kiel trusted me with it- but I guess…." He trailed off, but mostly because he wasn't sure how to continue. Ah he hated this slowly developing habit of not completing his sentences. Well, whatever. The meister diverted the direction of the conversation back to something a little more interesting, "No no, the Celestia is amazing! I mean having two forms is like having two mobile suits! The only thing Theritia's got goin' for it is speed. Not that I mind," Aesur pulled his hands behind his hand, looking up at the low ceiling, "I'm glad that I'm piloting it. But really Alitaria, I don't think you give yourself enough credit! Kiel praised you the most post mission last time, and I don't see how you're a hindrance at all. I don't think you're comparing us at the right angle, since it's obvious that I've kind of got a few shortcomings in terms of my resume, and you don't have any- well… None that I can tell." He grinned, thinking to himself that his pyrophobia hadn't exactly been obvious beforehand either. It was reading too far into his statements however, so he left the subject hanging as he opened the door that led into the actual house.

As far as Aesur had been able to tell now that his head was clear, the whole facility was built into the side of a mesa, hidden from prying eyes in the sky. The whole place screamed Basilio however. The glass and stainless steel decorations- in a base for Celestial Being. Only he would go to such trouble. And the furniture, all lacking in color, modern and contemporary in design. Everything was cold and unfriendly- but he couldn't complain. It was kind of classy- the high arched ceiling that opened to a second floor that didn't seem to have any stairs leading to it. Aesur highly preferred living like a business conglomerate manager like he might've once become, rather than in his one-room apartment back in Sydney. The bottom of his red boots squeaked against the glassy black marble tiling, and he spotted Kain, sitting on a couch, staring at one of Basilio's various glass sculptures. Aesur really wondered about that guy at times. It wasn't a big deal to him that Kain was obviously a few cans short of a six pack, but if Kiel was upset about Aesur being afraid of fire and being touched… Where would Kiel even begin with Kain?

"Excuse me Mr. Therra."

Aesur jumped, startled at the sound as he looked over at the butler, moving out of his way.

"Ah, sorry- uh…"

"Baldovino. You may address me as Baldwin, if it is easier for you to pronounce." He addressed the meisters in the room, straightening to announce his news, "My benefactor extends his regrets that he cannot be here today, but this was an unexpected visit, and as such, he cannot change his schedule. That is all. If you should need me, I will be outside. Mr. Therra, your room is down that hall, third door to the left. Mr. Fleetback is across from Mr. Therra; Third door to the right. Mr. Heinlein, fourth door to the left. Ms. Lansfeild, fourth door to the right. And Ms. Sigma, fifth door to the right." Baldwin turned on his heel and briskly walked away.

Aesur waited until the door was safely shut before turning to Alitaria, smiling apologetically as he looked down at his pilot's suit, "I think I'm going to take a quick shower and change before going to eat. You can start without me- I won't be long."

 

[Alter Ego]

"If I had a mental defect that would prevent me from performing my job efficiently," Kiel replied in a tone that spoke of glaciers and northern blizzards, "Then I would obviously have to be removed from this post. And naturally you couldn't have known what I would do; no-one is expecting you to. That is precisely why I asked you for the full, uncensored data. To avoid situations like this!" the tactician had half a mind to commit violence against the nearest suitable object in his vicinity, but he willed the urge aside, "And secrets?" he echoed in disbelief, "Don't kid yourself; these meisters have all had their entire background thoroughly plumbed, right down to the last dirty little secret, before they were admitted here. All of us have. Privacy is what we sacrificed to participate in this operation. For the last time: I have no interest in spreading anyone's personal filth to anyone else. As long as they do their job properly and keep it their own business, I don't care if my meisters strangle puppies and murder little orphan girls in their free time! What I do care about, however, is doing this job properly, something which every last one of you seem intent on keeping me from, all in the name of this vain little quest for 'privacy'."

He slammed his hand down on the desk, more out of instinct than anything else, "The kid was in luck this time." he grit out, "But we are hardly in a position to be relying on luck now, are we? The next time a little slip like this happens, we could end up losing a meister...or worse. Keep that in mind the next time you decide to neglect your duties, doctor Quinn. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to conduct some damage control on this latest mess you have landed us in." the tactician promptly turned again, heading back towards the hallway, "I wish you a good day purely as a matter of form."

And with those parting words, the automatized door slid shut behind him.

 

[parallelzero]

Guilt. Guilt hit the girl like a brick wall when Aesur brought up the mission prior to the one they had just completed. Those results were lies. She knew it, and Kiel clearly knew it, but the other Meisters had no idea. She would have spoken up at that moment, to correct him, to tell him that ultimately she was nothing but useless, but those were words she couldn't yet say. Until the world changed, or at least until she was caught red handed, she would continue to lie - she had little choice. Her train of though, however, was interrupted with the appearance of the butler, whom of which pointed her to the room she had already found earlier. Though, to be fair, she had only known it was hers by finding it was the only one with clothing in her size. The girl had no idea who he was, or who this benefactor was. She hadn't been around long enough to be aware of details like those, but maybe she'd ask Aesur later, since he at least seemed to have some sort of idea.

Alitaria was suddenly posed with the instruction to eat on her own for the meantime, but brushed it off. She hadn't invited him so that she could start without him, after all. "No, no. Go ahead and have your shower. Ever since I was a little kid, my parents were too busy to cook for me, so I learned a thing or two myself. It won't be great, but I'll try and cook a meal for all of us." Well, it had been bugging her, that all of the Meisters didn't really know each other. Maybe if they all sat down and ate together, it would help things?

And thus, half an hour later, spaghetti and meatballs was completed!

 

[Loki]

Hmph. The clothes in Basilio's island hideout base simply weren't up to snuff for a fashionable guy like Michael. Seemed to him that every article of clothing in the sleek gray wood dresser was stiff and boring- most of them formal in cut and classy in design, like the rest of his temporary room. The normal monotonous color of the outside rooms had been replaced by a much more personable touch- beige and rich dark colors accents to break the black and white. The furnishing was spartan in the personal rooms, as though all the attention had been lavished on rooms that outsiders might actually end up seeing. Which didn't make any sense at all to Aesur, since really, nobody but the members of Celestial Being would come here. The purpose of all the luxuries of the more public areas such as the living room was beyond the man standing stark naked save for a towel around his waist. By the time he'd finally resigned himself to a white formal shirt that looked as if it had been sitting at the bottom of the drawer one too many days and a pair of dark gray shorts, a good half hour had passed. But that could almost be considered a record for Aesur, who had forgone blow drying his hair after being unable to find the darned object in the bathroom adjacent to his room. So after vigorous toweling, his hair just slightly damp, he reappeared in the hallway, pushing the sleeves of his shirt back to his elbows. He felt extremely un-fashionable, but he couldn't let something that trivial get in his way after his most recent escapade to freak land.

He didn't know that Alitaria could cook, but he was sure that he certainly couldn't. Unless the top was electric, instead of open gas. But one could never be sure with Basilio, as to whether the range was modern or old fashioned. That man flit from one style to the next. And as such, Aesur avoided the kitchen, relocating to the foyer. He wasn't exactly sure if he was surprised that Kain was still sitting there, or if he had been half expecting it, but Aesur couldn't help but think that out of all the meisters, he wondered the most about Abele and Kain's history. The two were closer than birds of a feather, which was saying something compared to the rest of the meisters- and then… Certainly there was good reason as to why Kain acted the way he did…? Even if it was as boring as "he was born with it". But then…. Aesur shoved all the contradictions out of his head. "Kain, you hungry? Smells like Alitaria made something to eat, so you should join us." He hesitated to continue- and he failed to say anything more as his eyes rested on the glass statuette in Kain's hands for a moment in distraction. It really did catch the light, but…


-----------------


Scarlett Quinn was bristling on the inside, but looked only slightly put off on the outside. Kiel certainly had a way with words that she could never compare with. "Well!" She huffed at the shut door, having had no chance to interject in Kiel's miniature eruption, "Wouldn't you be pleased if we lost a meister!" She crossed her legs and stuck her nose in the air, "Hmph"ing one more time. It was really appreciable that he took the job so seriously, unlike she, who had never really cared much for the state of the world to begin with. But she was quite positive that it wouldn't kill him to be a little more civil and personable. If he didn't want to wish her a good day, better if he hadn't even tried!

Oooh she was mad. And all ready to withhold the whole question on why Alitaria was so exhausted after such a simple mission, just to spite that arrogant man. There was no way the amount of G's taken on the Celestia could cause that much damage- heck, none of the g's on any of the Gundams that day had been enough to warrant that kind of repercussion. Unless it was a problem with her synthetics- which Quinn couldn't imagine the girl concealing. After all, that would hinder performance and daily life and… well, it would hinder a lot of things that would be simple to fix. But Quinn was sure that Kiel was probably sticking his nose into it already- with the way he made everyone else's business his own. Well... it was his business, what with his position, but it wasn't as if he was making it any easier for himself by throwing a wet blanket over the entire crew! She folded her arms, doing absolutely nothing but muse to herself and try to justify to herself as to why Kiel was just a big pain in the butt.

 

[Alter Ego]

At Aesur's words, Kain merely continued staring at the glass statuette in his hands at first, a troubled expression on his face. His mouth went through a number of movements, as if he was going through some form of complicated debate, but none of these words were given sound, not until he finally look up at the man.

"Ali-ta-ria made it..." he repeated, his frown deepening, "...if I say 'no', I might make her sad. But...I promised Abele I'd stay right here. If I say 'yes', I might make her worry." he shuffled uncomfortably on his spot, pausing to bring Rosa closer to his ear for a moment before promptly turning his attention to Aesur, "Do you think..." he began slowly, like someone who was on the verge of solving an extremely complicated dilemma yet wasn't quite ready to believe he had found the solution, "...we could eat here instead?" he shifted a bit again, "That way...I wouldn't have to make Ali-ta-ria sad or Abele worried. That...would be best, right?"