(Expecting) Ride Out With Me [Day 6, LM]

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

Suh-Hyun laughed and secured her own gear and bike. She swaggered over to the Mantis, smiling, "Ah hadn't had a chance to cut loose in awhile. Took my back to my teenage years."

"Look on the bright side, you don't have to try kumis today!" She chuckled, "Thank you for the invitation again."

Ochiba shakes her own head with a grin, then shafts fussing with her thoroughly wrecked hair.

“Always nice to cut loose every once in a while. Even at the risk of kumis. I only ever had it once, but my body remembers.”
She shudders before shrugging at the thanks.

“Figured you’d be good for it. Besides, you seem pretty chill as far as samurai go. And you got some stones too. And this way we can have a bit of fun before we look at the priests later.”

Leading the way she slides open the door to the cafe, relatively quite this time of day, and heads for a table on the deck under an awning with a view of the waters and the distant city.
“Not that I haven’t been having a lot of fun anyway.”

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

"Ah well, no use in being tense all the time," Suh-Hyun shrugged, "My duties are the sort that discourages the overly cautious. Both as a test pilot and a fighter pilot." She smiles a little weakly at that.

Looking around she continues, "Quaint little place. How long were you on the planet before you found it?"

"That's a lovely view!" The Unicorn walks past the table to look out from the deck, "Don't often get to see the ocean unless its from orbit. I tell myself its just a big lake but, yeah it is different. I wonder if we could build a dome big enough for one." She snaps out of her musing and returns to the table. "Glad you had fun. I might suggest that you get a little more sure in your balance, you were overcorrecting a few times."

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

"Ah well, no use in being tense all the time," Suh-Hyun shrugged, "My duties are the sort that discourages the overly cautious. Both as a test pilot and a fighter pilot." She smiles a little weakly at that.

Looking around she continues, "Quaint little place. How long were you on the planet before you found it?"

"That's a lovely view!" The Unicorn walks past the table to look out from the deck, "Don't often get to see the ocean unless its from orbit. I tell myself its just a big lake but, yeah it is different. I wonder if we could build a dome big enough for one." She snaps out of her musing and returns to the table. "Glad you had fun. I might suggest that you get a little more sure in your balance, you were overcorrecting a few times."

"A test pilot? Isn't that super dangerous?"
Ochiba waves over a waiter as she scans the menu.

"Very cool, I'm impressed! You pick first."
She follows Suh-hyun's gaze out over the water.

"Love me an ocean...see that's why riding a bike is so hard, I've got my sea legs. Too busy compensating for the waves."

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

"I can't talk too much about it, but yes it can be." Suh-Hyun browsed through the menu, "I mean I have had a fighter disintegrate around me." Her calm tone of voice, like someone describing a minor inconvenience, would probably have been disconcerting to anyone not an adrenaline junky Mantis.

"Oh that one." She points at an item on the menu. It sounded exotic.

Her eyes look back out to the waters, "Void born myself. I've never really sailed on an old fashioned boat." She leaned onto her palm, "They say back on the old world that the first carriers were just airstrips on boats. I wonder what it would be like to take off from something like that or land or that matter. With the ship bobbing up and down in the waves."

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

"I can't talk too much about it, but yes it can be." Suh-Hyun browsed through the menu, "I mean I have had a fighter disintegrate around me." Her calm tone of voice, like someone describing a minor inconvenience, would probably have been disconcerting to anyone not an adrenaline junky Mantis.

"Oh that one." She points at an item on the menu. It sounded exotic.

Her eyes look back out to the waters, "Void born myself. I've never really sailed on an old fashioned boat." She leaned onto her palm, "They say back on the old world that the first carriers were just airstrips on boats. I wonder what it would be like to take off from something like that or land or that matter. With the ship bobbing up and down in the waves."

"Man, it must suuuck to do all that cool stuff, but then not be able to talk about it. Condolences."
Nodding at the Shinjo's selection and pointing at the menu as she addresses the waiter.
"So a jug of the Nakahammer naildriver, and then I'll have...let's do a jug of the Blood Orange Blood Bold. And then some flatbread and dips...yeah we can do the Senpet style, she can handle dairy."

With a nod the water retreats.

"Void is great and all, but you don't really feel it. If there was any money in water based salvaging I'd be all about it, but..." shrugging. "Captaining a boat with planes on it would be sick though, maybe one day...bet they were expensive?"

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

"Not really, I enjoy the experience." She smiled, remembering some of the tests flights, "And I actually talk about it a lot with the crew and engineers."

Suh-Hyun leans back and looks up, "Don't feel it? Ochiba-san, have you ever just let yourself drift in space. Nothing but a suit between you and the void." She closes her eyes, "Just floating out there bathed in starlight, unconstrained by gravity. A graceful sort of dance where every movement can alter how you twist and turn."

Her eyes flutter back open and she sighs, "Then the rescue ship comes and plucks you out of the void."

"Hmm? Oh sea carriers were probably like the space ones we have. Extremely expensive and the center piece of strike fleets. I think they were just flat air strips with a control tower sticking up on one side. Might have also been the bridge. I don't know for sure. I tell you what, you buy one and I'll try to take off and land on it."

She laughed at that and then suddenly went silent, her eyes widening a fraction, "Did...did you jugs? How much is drink is that?"

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

Suh-Hyun leans back and looks up, "Don't feel it? Ochiba-san, have you ever just let yourself drift in space. Nothing but a suit between you and the void." She closes her eyes, "Just floating out there bathed in starlight, unconstrained by gravity. A graceful sort of dance where every movement can alter how you twist and turn."

Her eyes flutter back open and she sighs, "Then the rescue ship comes and plucks you out of the void."

"Uhhhh." Ochiba looks completely no-plussed. "...No? I mean, I've done my share of hull work and this one time we salvaged a ship by boarding it from a crushed exterior airlock. Explosive decompression is not pretty. But space is just a whole lot of cold nothing try to kill me."

Shaking her head.
"Seems nicer the way you describe it though. Less work, more mystery."

She laughed at that and then suddenly went silent, her eyes widening a fraction, "Did...did you jugs? How much is drink is that?"

"Hmmm? Why order anything less than a jug? What if we want more? They're non-alcoholic which means we can drink as much as we want and if it's good I'll just buy some more jugs to go."
Grinning.
"I'm a jug buying samurai these days, no need to worry about cups of anything. One day I'll buy like...vats or something, dunno what the biggest container is in these places."

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

Suh-Hyun laughed at the comment on the jugs, "Ochiba-san doesn't believe in half measures anywhere in life. I can respect that."

Her expression grew more pensive at the first comment, "I've seen the effects of decompression." The Shinjo's eyes grew distant, clearly contemplating something unpleasant before returning her attention to the Mantis. "Mmm they say the void is in my blood, my families blood really. We've always been eager to leap out into the stars from the first rockets that sent people past the sky. I guess it just feels familiar and in that sense safe."

A sort of self-depreciating smile makes an appearance on her features, "Pretty weird to feel safe in one of the most dangerous places one can be."

"But what about you, Ochiba-san?" Her eyes turned out to the say, "I've heard the waters can be as treacherous as the void. There are few storms in space after all."

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

Suh-Hyun laughed at the comment on the jugs, "Ochiba-san doesn't believe in half measures anywhere in life. I can respect that."

Her expression grew more pensive at the first comment, "I've seen the effects of decompression." The Shinjo's eyes grew distant, clearly contemplating something unpleasant before returning her attention to the Mantis. "Mmm they say the void is in my blood, my families blood really. We've always been eager to leap out into the stars from the first rockets that sent people past the sky. I guess it just feels familiar and in that sense safe."

A sort of self-depreciating smile makes an appearance on her features, "Pretty weird to feel safe in one of the most dangerous places one can be."

"But what about you, Ochiba-san?" Her eyes turned out to the say, "I've heard the waters can be as treacherous as the void. There are few storms in space after all."

"What can I say-" she starts sniggering at her joke before it lands. "-I love a nice pair of jugs."
And then the Mantis starts snorting loudly, loud enough the approaching waiter does another half circuit before bringing the drinks.

"Yeah, you guys are always pioneers. In the old days it was us on the seas and you on the plains. Not we're still on the ships and you're on planes. Still, if I had to look outside the Clan a Shinjo or an Utaku would be my first stops for a pilot who knew their shit."

She shrugs at the talk of the vacuum, operating in space in the military meant some nastiness from time to time.
"Sailing is more of a hobby for me, something I actually did well in at the Dojo so I've kept it up. But I actually sailed through that sick storm yesterday, now that was fun! Osano-Wo was raining his blessing down on us, and we took it all with a smile!"
Fist pump! Hell yeah!

"A big storm is just a challenge telling me I can't do something. And I refuse to listen to that voice."
Waving a hand.
"You're a pilot, you know what I mean."

Finally the waiter sits down two jugs with ice, one clear and carbonated the other a vibrant blue and flat.

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

"Jugs? Good one!" Suh-Hyun it seemed was easily entertained by puns, but everyone has their flaws. "I'll have to remember it for when II get back to base."

"I know that feeling," She leaned back, "Pulling a High-G burn and your body feels 9 times heavier, your heart is pounding to push blood to your brain, the inertia warning is lit up warning that the dampners are at their limit. The whole world slowly turning black and white as your vision tunnels. Then boom you're out and one some bogeys tail and bang..." The joy left her voice as some realization seemed to over take her and she frowned, "their dead."

Her eyes went to the jugs, a somewhat fake smile on her lips, "Oh which is which?"

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

"Jugs? Good one!" Suh-Hyun it seemed was easily entertained by puns, but everyone has their flaws. "I'll have to remember it for when II get back to base."

"I know that feeling," She leaned back, "Pulling a High-G burn and your body feels 9 times heavier, your heart is pounding to push blood to your brain, the inertia warning is lit up warning that the dampners are at their limit. The whole world slowly turning black and white as your vision tunnels. Then boom you're out and one some bogeys tail and bang..." The joy left her voice as some realization seemed to over take her and she frowned, "their dead."

Her eyes went to the jugs, a somewhat fake smile on her lips, "Oh which is which?"

"Trust me, you're gonna be the talk of the town."
Checking the menu.
"I think the pile driver is the clear one, and the blood orange is...blue? I'm actually kind concerned now. But after all this talk of boldness..."
She pours them both a glass of the blue blood orange, noticing the change in the Shinjo's demeanor.

"Shit in your past?"

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

Suh-Hyun smiled wearily, "Something like that yeah."

Her eyes went to the drinks, "Well I guess there is enough to try both?" She picked up a glass and eyed the liquid inside, "This has the consistency of coolant. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing." Despite her attempt at humor it's clear she was trying to sweep past further discussion of her past.

"Is this a toast situation or just a down the hatch one?"

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

Suh-Hyun smiled wearily, "Something like that yeah."

Her eyes went to the drinks, "Well I guess there is enough to try both?" She picked up a glass and eyed the liquid inside, "This has the consistency of coolant. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing." Despite her attempt at humor it's clear she was trying to sweep past further discussion of her past.

"Is this a toast situation or just a down the hatch one?"

"Well...you won, so by race law I am legally required to offer you the opportunity to toast."
Ochiba grins, swirling her glass with a similar look of mild concern.

"And if you don't pick something interesting I'm gonna keep poking at that dour expression, so, no pressure of anything."

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

"Sorry, bad memories," Her smile falters but she manages to bring it back, "To lost friends, may they find their way back to the stars in the next life."

She raises the glass toward the Mantis.

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

"Sorry, bad memories," Her smile falters but she manages to bring it back, "To lost friends, may they find their way back to the stars in the next life."

She raises the glass toward the Mantis.

"And to good friends past, current and to come. Kanpai!"
Ochiba enthusiastically 'tinks' their glasses before quaffing her drink and then making a face.
"Ugggh, it's sweet, so sweet, bleeurgh!"

The jug is given a dirt look.
"Don't worry, I got a certified conversation starter and thought terminator!"
Leaning across the table and then winking exaggeratedly.
"You found anyone cute yet?"

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

Glasses klink, drinks are downed.

Suh-Hyun sits the glass back down, "Are you sure you don't want kumis?" She casually pushes the glass away. The Mantis's reaction had gotten a real smile back out of the Unicorn.

"I mean lot's of people are cute, the Dragon's little dog was also really cute." She shrugged, then Ochiba got to watch the gears turn and pieces click into place in real time. "Oh. Oh. OOOOOHHH." Her cheeks reddened at that and she looked out to the sea. "Um yeah like I said lots of cute people. Ha ha."

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

Glasses klink, drinks are downed.

Suh-Hyun sits the glass back down, "Are you sure you don't want kumis?" She casually pushes the glass away. The Mantis's reaction had gotten a real smile back out of the Unicorn.

"I mean lot's of people are cute, the Dragon's little dog was also really cute." She shrugged, then Ochiba got to watch the gears turn and pieces click into place in real time. "Oh. Oh. OOOOOHHH." Her cheeks reddened at that and she looked out to the sea. "Um yeah like I said lots of cute people. Ha ha."

"OoooHooooHoooHooo!"
The pirate senses blood in the water.

"Oh I bet, lots of cute people. But it sounds like there might even be a cute person, am I wrooooong?"
Ochiba is so engaged she automatically drinks from her cup again and Suh-Hyun is treated to the Mantis' 'ugggh!' face again up close and personal.

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

In the fighter cockpit this would be the point her system was screeching about missile locks. But there wasn't a chaff/flare button to help her evade here. Or was there.

She drank the rest of her glass, the sickly sweet taste nearly causing her to throw up. Nearly but not actually. Ah well.

"I mean that dog is really cute." Evasion failed.

[Yoritomo Ochiba]

In the fighter cockpit this would be the point her system was screeching about missile locks. But there wasn't a chaff/flare button to help her evade here. Or was there.

She drank the rest of her glass, the sickly sweet taste nearly causing her to throw up. Nearly but not actually. Ah well.

"I mean that dog is really cute." Evasion failed.

"Nice try."
Ochiba does actually glance back.
"...And it totally is. But professionally speaking I know an ailing ship when I see one!"
Grinning.
"And I promise, honour as a biker, I won't breathe a word of it to anyone else. Now cmoooon, you'll feel better talking about it?"

[Shinjo Suh-Hyun]

Snip

Suh-Hyun felt silly, this was some real teenager stuff. And she was not that long past some pretty nasty memories surfacing. But that inner child that kept pushing her to go faster, make that turn harder, and all the other crazy stunts she had pulled was absolutely loving this.

"Alright but on if you answer in turn." She looked back to the Mantis, then out to sea, then back to the Mantis. "It's this Hiruma marine. Akito. Scruffy fellow, thinks he's hot shit in that sort of endearing way. Good dancer too. Met him at your party actually."