BREAKAGE OF EMPTINESS

[keep_your_dignity]

[After the team returns in haste from the Cardinal Shaft, Kagura's severely damaged armor is brought hurriedly into the Graveyard installation. Kagura is a valuable asset, and panicked pilots demanding a valuable asset is repaired don't get asked as many questions - plus everyone is shook at the report of the mission that they are finally now getting, since Kagura set it up so a message would go off if she went down.

Therefore, half an hour later, the normally grim and quiet Graveyard installation is a boilerplate of activity, with everyone rushing every which way. Graveyard technicians and medics rush around while the Executors are looking somewhere between dazed and in disbelief. The thing that resurrected the PRAYERs is gone. All that is left is cleanup. It can be over. And the Major is down, so nobody is entirely sure who takes over now until Graveyard sends another officer. Her second-in-command is sort of organizing everyone now, but he seems more shocked than anything. He never liked Kagura, but well, it's Kagura - he expected to be dead before he saw her down.

In this chaos, it could be doable for concerned someones to get in and see how Kagura is doing if they're willing to be bold about it. And what such a person would find is... Kagura's huge body left listlessly against a corner, nobody paying it any mind at all. It's opened up while the hole in the gut remains, still vaguely glowing like heated metal - and instead of looking at it, technicians and medics beaver around a center table that looks very much like an operating table staffed with strange, esoteric crystal-y tools. And in a moment when a few of them move away to get some weird flask, what is on the table can be seen.

A tiny, clothesless, fairylike female figure with a semispherical lower half, and an upper half littered with scars that don't look new.

A Mistletoe.

It seems most definitely hurt, its lower half is chinked, but the technicians around it are wiping off their brows. It looks like she's out of danger for now, and resting. Kagura's armor is still laying on the corner, lifeless.

What the hell is going on?]

Comments

[break_the_nine]

Major!

[Leos was quickly rushing over to the armor... empty. He was about to slap his hand onto it to try interface with the systems... but they would probably fry his brain before they told him anything. So he turned to her second in command.]

What happened?! What's wrong?!

[keep_your_dignity]

The man, one sergeant Allensby, is clearly not very into the loop himself.

"I'm... not sure. They say the Major was almost dead, but she's stable now. I guess it's true that bad weeds die hard."

[break_the_nine]

But then why isn't she doing anything? She should be grumbling or not-yelling at people and being all grumpy!

[He still doesn't get the significance of the tiny fairy.]

[keep_your_dignity]

"I'm not sure if she's still conscious. You could go and ask the technicians working on her. Personally, while I wish her recovery and I'm curious why the whole suit thing and all that... I'm all for a week vacation from the major, thank you very much."

[prismphantom]

[With another member of the Unity Group nearly killed, leave it to Team Jelba's remaining members to try to pay their respects and check up on them. Only...]

That's...



She was a Mistletoe the whole time? But I'd thought-



To think something so small would have such a sharp and loud mouth.

[keep_your_dignity]

[The small form of Kagura looks rather defenseless on there, laying naked on the small table that selves as her bed. She does not seem to be aware of the people looking at her, though. She just sort of hazily raises an arm to look at her hand - which is visibly trembling]

[prismphantom]

[Selena looks between the fairy and the lifeless powered armor off to the side. Then back at Kagura's true self.]

I thought Mistletoes worked in conjunction with other Executors.

[keep_your_dignity]

[One of the technician overhears and notices the three people who shouldn't be here]

...I guess there's no point tossing you people out anymore, is there? [The young woman shrugs]

Yeah, they normally do. Kagura doesn't. Don't ask me more than that - she comes in here for a checkup every week, that's all I know about her. You'd have to ask someone higher up to know what's up with the KOG suit.

[keep_your_dignity]

[And it seems Kagura has heard something, or maybe just noticed her name being mentioned. She turns her tiny head towards the people speaking - and notices the three of them. She looks more groggy than anything, honestly]

[herodrawing]

Kagura... Major Kagura...

[Izuru looks over the scene with a look of sadness.]

I can't believe she's really gone.

[He approaches the table.]

Her little fairy friend got hurt too. I didn't know she even had one.

[keep_your_dignity]

[The small figure turns to Izuru for a moment as he approaches. Then a look of surprise and slight panic crosses her face for a split second, waking her up instantly]

[keep_your_dignity]

[It's only an instant, though, before the next second the tiny head turns away, turning her whole towads the side opposite of Izuru as the small figure crosses her arms over her chest while laying down]

[herodrawing]

Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!

Everyone feels horrible about what happened, too. It's good that PRAYERs are gone, but at that cost...

[actuallyselfish]

"Shit!" Dido rushes in. "Where Major Kagura's CPU? Is it intact? What can I do to help?"

[keep_your_dignity]

[The technicians look at you like you were speaking in tongues.]

"Um, who are you and what are you talking about?"

"The major's KOG suit is pretty much out of commission. Most of its processors are shot. It's going to be a pain to rebuild it."

"And I'm not sure if we're not all just out of a job anyway"

[actuallyselfish]

"Don't be so sure." Dido chides. "People thought Solaris was out of a job after the Void's defeat and then BAM! Indalph."

Then she fixates on the terminology the technicians used.

"Wait, suit? I thought the KOG was major Kagura's body!"

She glances around the room. "Does that mean she was...piloting it?"

[cloningblues]

Major... This is what your form really was all along...?

[keep_your_dignity]

[There is no reply from the small fairy on the table. She's not looking at Asagi at all. She's just staring at the ceiling. Which is probably answer enough]

[cloningblues]

Is the major going to be alright? Can she talk in her current state?

[Due to lack of response, Asagi starts to bother one of the technicians passing by.]

[abugslife]

[Without saying anything, Hetepheres puts a fairy-sized blanket over Kagura.]

[keep_your_dignity]

[The little fairy looks at it and tries to pull it away while looking grumpily at the Gebian right in the eye. Kagura doesn't want no pity and no charity.]

[abugslife]

Your operation is done. There is no need for you to lie here naked anymore. Most Earthlings consider that undignified, from my understanding.

[jianai]

[Look who brought get-well flowers.

Ren doesn't say anything, only has that stupid omni present smile on their big stupid face, as usual.]

[keep_your_dignity]

[Kagura turns aside on her bed and looks the opposite way. Maybe if she ignores Ren they'll go away.

Eternal optimist, she is.]

[jianai]

A token of appreciation for all that you have done, Major Kagura.

[Ren puts the bouqet on the closest open surface that is not occupied by important equipment. This may not be an easy task at all...]

Please get better soon. I know you are too strong and stubborn to lie down and do nothing for long. Unity Group just isn't the same without you around.