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

[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..."

[empress_without_a_throne]

Solaris will take care of that at HQ. Put the old transformation servos in the new machine.


That way at least a part of the DuskBird'll still be in SolSavior.