Always a dawn after the dusk

[empress_without_a_throne]

[So Mizuki's on the phone, talking with someone at home.  And things are pretty standard until-]

... You're kidding.  They actually pulled it off?!  That's- right.  I understand but that's one more hurdle cleared.

I have some things to tie up here, but I'll be heading back to HQ shortly.



And thanks Mom.  This was... the kind of news I'd never think I'd hear.

[1]



[Later...]

So Solaris contacted me a bit ago.  The DawnBird's nearing completion and we've managed to contact an old pilot interested in coming back for "one last ride" as it were.  It won't be long until SolSavior'll be back in action, and living up to its name finally too.

I'll be heading back to accompany them with the finishing touches, and also to "donate" the combination servos on the DuskBird.  And after that... well, we'll have to wait and see.

[2] (locked to people Mizuki has good CR with)



Hey...

[Before it was a big group-wide broadcast.  Now though, it's just the Abyss Empress finding you at some quiet point.]

How're you holding up?

Comments

[empress_without_a_throne]

I doubt it'd be one of them. They're helping out enough as it is.

Though Ken...

[Now... how to go about this?]

I'm hoping you'll be able to stop brooding over this like it's the end of the world.

[tiger_ken]

[So she doesn't know either then...]

Already did.

[The renewed punching might say otherwise. Then again...]

Though I guess this means my suggestion for your replacement didn't go through then.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Probably not.

Who did you have in mind?

[tiger_ken]

...I spoke to Ilinka about it.

[empress_without_a_throne]

[He what.]

You what.

[tiger_ken]

I spoke. To Ilinka.

[He turns to face Mizuki directly, so she can't misread him.]

She's a skilled pilot, and whilst I know what she did was terrible... she only did it because of Loni's influence. I thought maybe that, with him in a cell, and the Lady's Good Men gone, maybe Ilinka could at least try for a second chance. If she squandered the opportunity or whatever, fine, lock her back in and throw away the key. But she's hardly had a taste of a real life. And she seemed to really consider what I said...

[empress_without_a_throne]

[There's a cold hard stare coming Ken's way... but then it gives way to a sigh. A disappointed one.]

Ken, you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. And no matter how you look at the Birmingham incident, Loni didn't force her to do anything. She chose on her own. If you want to give her a second chance, wait until she at least proves herself, don't just hope for the best after what she's done on her own...

Moreover...

[... But should she really go that last step?]

[tiger_ken]

That's not the way she was when I spoke to her. And besides, 'she chose on her own', when she's either lived a life as someone's tool, or... next to those two... is not what I'd call an informed choice.

[He wants to make a certain comparison, but who knows how it'd backfire...]

I dunno, I just... felt I could relate, whilst you...

[empress_without_a_throne]

I can sympathize with her, but I won't go so far as to relate or project onto her. Even if it wasn't an informed choice, it was still a choice. The Crusader team found us before my parents and I did anything wrong, and if we had I'd imagine we would've been treated more like prisoners. She needs to face the consequences of what she did.

[tiger_ken]

And I'm not saying she wouldn't have. But she could have at least...

[Ken sighs, and just shakes his head.]

Nevermind. It's a pointless discussion now anyway. DawnBird has its pilot... whoever they are. I guess I can talk to one of the older generation more directly.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Right, right.

Just a warning though... the choice is probably going to surprise you.

[tiger_ken]

You made it sound like you didn't know who it was... If you actually do, you wouldn't be willing to share, would you?

1/2

[empress_without_a_throne]

That would be impossible, unfortunately.

[Not a lie!]

2/2

[empress_without_a_throne]

Although...

Do you ever think back to that first fight with the Indalph? Against Saturnia?

Re: 2/2

[tiger_ken]

Sometimes. Mostly in a way that you probably don't count.

[Ken's tone probably means he's just teasing.]

[empress_without_a_throne]

[She's not sure what he's getting at, but nevertheless Mizuki continues on.]

Saturnia's powers still applied here, just to a limited degree. Still... it's left me thinking about forces trying to drive something. And how ultimately, going against that often can be difficult, and you can be left wondering if you're actually getting anywhere for a long time. And when that happens, it's not until you actually hit a breakthrough point you get to realize how far you've actually come.

[tiger_ken]

I had that when trying to learn and master my ki. Progress was... slow, so I never particularly felt I must have been close, till, well, it happened.

I imagine there's a reason you're bringing this all up?

[empress_without_a_throne]

A bit of one.

This stuff, with the DawnBird... it's given me a chance to step back and see how far Solaris has come since Sara and I got sent here in the hopes of showing we're still relevant.

[actuallyselfish]

"Tell me about it." Dido ways, walking around the corner and leaning jauntily against a wall.

"If you think about it, from a distant, empirical perspective...we've become quite the group of badasses!"

[actuallyselfish]

She rubs her hair "I did not see that coming...who knew Ken had it in him?"

[tiger_ken]

Certainly a far cry from whe-



What's that supposed to mean?!

[empress_without_a_throne]

Dido's just being stupid. Try not to let it get to you.

[actuallyselfish]

Dido grins shyly. "Yup. Stupid. That's me."

Her grin slips away. "Man...I get you're not gonna ride off into the sunset, or even stop fighting with us...but in a few days, the Sol Savior Team we knew is gonna end. Like one of those big rock and roll band breakups."

She glanced at Mizuki. "Which raises the question: what are you gonna do for your solo career?"

[tiger_ken]

If she's sticking with Unity Group, doesn't seem like there'd be much of a shift beyond the obvious...

...Still...

[actuallyselfish]

"She's gonna be fighting as a single unit." Dido points out. "That means different tactics and styles than when you're in a combiner. It changes how you get upgrades too."

She rubs her chin in thought. "Speaking of which, Mizuki...do you want to undo the transformation mods on Duskbird? It'd simplify repair and toughen the frame back up..."