[hr][hr][center][h1][color=0076a3]STEIN[/color][/h1][b]CORRIDORS, NEW ANCHORAGE
[sub]AFTERNOON[/sub][/b][/center]
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The incident with Percy and the new pilot, Alexander, didn’t bother Stein in the slightest. It reminded her back when she was ten— get in line or be put in line. There was no way Percy could’ve expected to keep Ana away from a simple neurological exam to see if she had the latent talent to fly a NC. She didn’t understand his emotions, but she had gotten the same analysis when she was a little younger than his daughter. Sure, the operation that followed was intense and painful, but that would come later. It wasn’t like Graham had spare NC’s even if he did intend to prepare Ana or Vera for the occupation. It felt… paranoid. 

As far as the situation with two of the newer pilots and one of the soldiers Stein had not really paid much attention to it because her eyes were on Graham and Percy the whole time. She did get an impression of what she could hear from the spat though. 

[color=0076a3]“Volkov would’ve shot him. Both of them, probably.”[/color] Stein remarked with an observation as the visage of Jan Van Gent carried himself with a pace next to the blonde-haired pilot as he seemed to be just as unaffected as she was by the [i]incidents[/i] that had happened before them.

"Eh, boss'll probably forget about me being slightly late in all this fracas, so hurray to me, eh?" Jan had regarded the entire chain of events with what looked like mild amusement. "Always funny to see people trying to argue with the CO. The way they rise up and are immediately beaten down... At least with a halfway decent commander." 

He glanced at Percy. "Unfortunately for Moore, it would seem Graham most definitely is a decent commander."

If there was anything Stein could agree on was that Graham was a decent commander, at least in terms of efficiency. Whilst she didn’t understand why he physically antagonized Percy Moore, Graham seemed like a soldier that had a [i]method[/i] to his madness at the very least. She had only spoken with the former Denver-Vegas ace a few times since he signed on but every time they had an exchange or she saw him giving orders it felt appropriate and logical. It was like a mirror of what Stein thought Sophia represented and she still felt some discontent for what she experienced under the woman despite her helping her when she had nothing.

[color=0076a3]“A unflinching one. He gives a different presence than our previous commander, I think.”[/color]

"I wouldn't know, I only knew that lady for maybe a few days before she walked out," Jan reminisced

[color=0076a3]“She lied about statistics for our mission against Red Oni and Fubuki.”[/color] Stein replied, almost as if it was meant as an interjection or counterpoint.

"Eh, math is overrated anyway, the better you plan something, the more it'll just fall apart once something inevitably goes wrong," Jan replied, reflecting his overrall demeanour quite well.

[color=0076a3]“Math can help planning, Van Gent, or did they not teach you that in mercenary school?”[/color] The comment was nearly a quip at her comrades expense— evidence that Stein was feeling more comfortable with Jan since their initial meeting in the hangar when she jarred her knee into his stomach. An odd meeting, but one she believed he had more than earned given she had warned him that she was in a bad mood at the time. Perhaps a thing the former mercenary would notice himself if he was paying attention.

"Well I didn't exactly study to be an NC pilot... That just sort of happened... interesting story actually, maybe I'll tell you when we have some R&R," Jan hadn't missed the slight change in Stein's demeanour. Gears were already turning in his head to formulate a proper verbal riposte. "Of course most of the math I do practice concerns the minimuim distance to safely fire a plasma lance... quite an important bit of rough arithmethic that, unless you want to see what it looks like when that plasma lance overheats."

[color=0076a3]“Heh.”[/color] Stein chuckled— albeit in her own monotonous fashion. 

"So what do you think about the kid? As far as I can see the only thing he's proven so far is that he's got a tough skull." Jan had done nothing but silently laugh when Alexander had tried his 'heroic' attempt to intervene

Stein looked over to Alexander Sky, not caring he was in earshot. [color=0076a3]“Lascivious, Impulsive, and fatuous. I hope his skill in the NC is the opposite of what he has shown today. But I will elaborate after the commander is done with whatever it is he intends to show us.”[/color]

“I hope the same, I only fly the way I do under the assumption the rest of the squad can cover my ass. So a [i]moron[/i] dragging us down is a good way for me to get [i]fried.[/i]" Jan put particular emphasis on the last part of his sentence, loud enough that everyone could hear it.