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[chidori]

Kaname Chidori, age 16, has been living on her own ever since her father and younger sister moved back to New York sixteen months ago. Part of her figured she'd live alone in her apartment until she got married or something. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine that she'd be forced to live on a military base.

Say goodbye to sleepovers with Kyoko. This whole moving business was something that she didn't even want to begin to explain to her best friend. She didn't bother to even try and explain it to her father. Instead, she just told him that there were problems with packages being stolen at her apartment complex and provided him with a PO Box to send letters to instead.

It was probably better if he and her young sister, Ayame didn't know what was going on, anyway. If they knew she was in sort of danger, they'd only worry. Her dad would probably move back to the US, and moving to this base was bad enough. She was still trying to come to terms with all of this, herself.

Goodbye, perfectly normal high school life.

Kaname shifts the box in her hands. Most of her things she had shipped off; they should already be in her room. But this box is filled with things that are special to her. Old family photographs -- especially ones of her mom. A few photo albums. Her childhood blanket. The Bonta-kun plush toy she's had ever since she was a baby. The box isn't exactly heavy, perse, but it's certainly large and unwieldy. That's part of the reason why she's having such a rough time carrying it.

Still, she's been walking around this base for ten minutes now, and she's still completely lost. And unfortunately for Kaname, her usual shadow, Sousuke Sagara, wasn't around. Thankfully, though, there's a figure up ahead.

"Hey!" Kaname calls out, as she quickens her pace. "Do you know where the dorms are?"

Comments

[tiger_ken]

Of course.

[The load of the box lightens a bit, and Kaname will likely recognise both the hands upon it, and the source of those hands.]

Moving in already?

[chidori]

"Hey, thanks!" Kaname's not about to complain if someone else is going to do the heavy lifting. "Yeah, they said that I should stay here just in case something else happens."

Kaname visibly wilts. "I really hope that nothing weird happens to me." It was weird enough, having to live here for her own safety. And not normal at all. Was she the only civilian living here? Or was that other girl -- the one she sensed before -- living here too?

"I know I didn't really get to thank you properly, so... thanks for rescuing me the other day." Unfortunately, the second Ken's unit was grounded, Kaname was dragged away by no one other than Sousuke Sagara.

"What's your name, anyway?"

[tiger_ken]

[Ken shifts a bit to properly balance the box, but, once he has, its actually rather easy to manage.]

Don't worry about it. Anybody decent would've done the same.

[Turning to start walking to wherever Kaname's dorm is, he continues to listen to her as she speaks.]

Call me Ken. Should be easy to remember, for a Kaname, right? Or would you get it lost in... whatever happened to you back there?

[a_linear_mind]

Hm? Oh hey you're the damsel in distress that we saved earlier.

[chidori]

Kaname can feel a vein pulse on the side of her head at that particular greeting.

"I'm not a damsel in distress!" she snaps. Kaname hates this feeling. Sure, she had to be rescued, but with giant robots on the loose, what else was she supposed to do?!

[a_linear_mind]

[The man who looks like a teenager is just laughing.]

Well not anymore, you have to admit that you pretty much fit the definition of one back there though.

[fire_dancer]

Good bye normal life, hello insanity and insanity thy name is Raquel Manroa. The Green haired woman looks ocver her shoulder at Kaname and grins turning to face her. Her hair's pretty wild and held back by a headband as she looks her over. She's got a grin on her face still as she looks over to Kaname.

"Hey your lost? I know how that was it was the same way for me. I could lead you there if you like?"

She pauses for a moment and holds out her hand.

"Raquel, Raquel Manora."

Kaname might recall her voice from over the radio,she was the one who was shouting a lot and her mech somehow set some things on fire...

[chidori]

Kaname balances the box into arm to return the handshake, then quickly returns it back to the box. "Kaname Chidori, though I'm pretty sure everybody knows that already." Especially with as many times as Sousuke said her surname over the intercom.

"And yeah, that'd be great. Once I get there, I should be able to find my room. They're numbered, right?"

[fire_dancer]

Raquel looks a bit sheepish.

"Ya we kinda do that was a rather insane rescue operation. Where did a group get that many mobile weapons and Armslaves? Even old machines like that would need a heck of a lot of cash to get one's hands on let alone get pilots. They are but the set up is a bit strange I find. What's your room number?"

[break_the_nine]

Huh? Oh... not really... I don't actually live in this base... But I can help you find it!

[Saying the cheerful guy who should REALLY be LYING DOWN NOW. Seriously, he's still got bandages over some of his bandages yet he still manages to look so damn happy!]

Oh... Oh hey! You're that girl from today! The one that... that...

[Leos falters suddenly. Yeah Kaname managed to have all her friends safe and she was alright. But for some reason it stung because no one ever saved him and everyone he cared about-... No. Shove it down. While he keeps his voice back on his carefree tone, his face was a little different.]



Its good that you're okay. You're living here now? I really hope your family doesn't mind.

[He barely manages to get a smile back up.]

[chidori]

Kaname quickly puts to voice exactly what she's thinking. She's never been one to bite back her thoughts, which was part of the reason why she was well-known at Jindai High School as "The Girl Everybody Likes, But No One Ever Wants to Date".

"Are you sure you should be walking around like that? You look like you belong in a hospital bed, not walking around a military base! You should probably --"

But her words are quickly drawn short when she sees that expression on his face. He looks like he's on the verge of tears. Did her words really hit a nerve? She knew she was never one to mince words, but that didn't mean she wanted to make anyone cry.

"Hey, are you okay?"

[herodrawing]

Me? Not really. But we can look around!

[Izuru notices an unfamiliar face, roughly his age too. He comes to a perfectly sensible conclusion.]

Are you a new pilot?

[chidori]

"Me? A pilot?"

Kaname lets out another long sheepish laugh, as if what the other teen is propositioning is ridiculous. Because of course it is!

"No, I'm just living here for the time being." Kaname has every hope that she'll eventually return to living in that apartment sooner or later. "I was one of the people kidnapped during my high school class trip the other day. They said that I should live on-base for my own safety."

[abugslife]

The dormitories? I believe they are on the ground level, the part of the base that masquarades as a hotel.

[Kaname? If you turn around, you can see a really tall humanoid insect woman towering over you, dressed like an Egyptian.]

Do you need to be shown the way?

[chidori]

Kaname turns around --

-- and then immediately tenses up at the sight of the... the... whatever-it-is in front of her.

Her lips twitch upwards into a practiced smile. She shouldn't judge others by appearances, right?

Her eyes narrow slightly on the woman's horns.

Right?!

"Y-yeah," Kaname finally manages to stammer out. "That would be great, actually."

[cluelesssoldier]

Isn't he there? Sousuke hasn't left Kaname's side. Out of habit, the younger soldier goes back to watching the girl from a distance...although for a different reason. What is he supposed to tell her now? Sorry for dragging you into the world war? He is sure Kurz would make a remark about there not being a card or something for this type of situation.

Whatever that means...

Sousuke keeps to the shadows as he tails Kaname, trying to come up with what to tell her. It would come in time. Everyone else seems to be much more trained in this socialization thing than he is.

[chidori]

Kaname never thought she'd get used to that military maniac following her around. In fact, he wasn't discreet about it in the least.

Which was part of the reason why she believed Sousuke wasn't tailing her.

Still, when the figure rounds the corner without any sort of reaction to her shouts, Kaname finds herself in a rather desperate situation.

She can either continue walking around this place like some sort of loser or...

"Sousuke," she shouts down the hallway. "Are you out there?"

...hope that Sousuke was out there to help her.

[blackhole_sunattack]

The dorms? Oh, not at all honestly! I came here with Banjou to check on things, but, he's not around. Hmmm... I think though he's got a layout of the place though, let me see...

Oh! Sorry, that was totally rude of me. My name's Beauty. Beauty Tachibana.

[[Look, friendly and normal! And out of place too. Kindred spirit much?]]

[chidori]

"Banjou?" Who was he supposed to be? She says the name like she's supposed to know him. Was he some sort of big-wig in this place?

"Oh, Kaname Chidori. Nice to meet you." Kaname's lips quirk up into a smile. Still, Beauty? What kind of name was that?

Still, it was a pretty accurate one. The girl standing before her was actually quite beautiful. Kaname couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Do you know where he might be?" she asks. "I've been wandering around for awhile now, and I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be."

[keep_your_dignity]

[When you approach, though, you will discover that what seemed like a figure near a seemingly deactivated robot was only an uncannily-shaped stack of boxes. Well, nuts.

...and then the robot itself turns towards Kaname. Eight feet plus of vaguely humanoid grey metal without a face and emblazoned with insignias that read GRAVEYARD. So, you know, not creepy at at all, no sir.]

AND YOU ARE?

[A toneless and robotic voice, clearly synthesized, comes out from somewhere around the robotic form's chest. Your day just got even weirder, Kaname]

[chidori]

"Wu-Wu-What?!"

Kaname takes a half-foot step back as the robot -- or whatever-it-is turns towards her, towering way higher than her meager 5'6". That "Graveyard" emblazoned on her lands just within her line of vision -- which doesn't much to help control Kaname's ever-racing heart.

"Ku-Ku-Kaname Chidori, sir." The bluenette is rarely this polite, but the last thing she wants is to have this thing blow her away or something.

[kinaesthete]

Nope!

[The figure, an athletic-looking auburn-haired woman who looks to be in her early twenties, answers cheerfully. She then turns slightly, looking distracted, before pointing.]

Thataway.

[chidori]

"Hey, thanks!" The gratitude in Kaname's voice is evident. Finally, finally, she'd be able to get this stuff put away and begin her mostly-normal life on a military base.

"I don't mean to put you out or anything, but do you think you can show me the way? I don't want to risk getting lost again."

[majestic_keiki]

[The figure turned out to be a tall, rather lanky teenage girl. One who seemed a bit at a loss for how to deal with the rather direct approach taken.]

Ah, no, I was just looking around the other bases myself.

[chidori]

Well, this was great! The one person she finds in this place is the only other person who has about as much of a clue where to go as she does.

Still, that response leaves Kaname with some other questions.

"Are you not from this base?"