[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/a6RYmyh.png[/img]
[@Plank Sinatra][/center]

I snorted.

The saying went "tit-for-tat", so if we really wanted to debate semanti--

[b]"Wait, me?! Why me?"[/b]

Back up, Lauren! Hadn't we just had a conversation about how woefully underequipped you were on Friday? What happened to that?! We'd both agreed that a fire axe wouldn't hack it against things like that Manticore...

Heck, even I myself was investing in more powerful weaponry than what I'd gone into that mission with, and I had far better equipment than she did. For her to be spending her time on making something for me without obligation to was charitable enough already. But to postpone her own rearmament?

[b]"I..."[/b]

I searched for my words after getting over the initial shock, swallowing whatever nonsensical retorts had naturally wormed their way to the tip of my tongue.

[b]"I appreciate the gesture, but you should really be focused on yourself fir-- [i]Hey![/i]"[/b]

I had been looking down upon the honestly well-rendered, if animesque and disconcertingly familiar, drawing of myself as I spoke, and thusly hadn't paid attention to what the artist was doing.

Big mistake.

I was now staring the hafts of two very familiar tonfa, which I also intellectually knew to be the [i]barrels[/i] of two very familiar [i]shotguns[/i].

So, not only was that momentarily terrifying, but--

She had plans for her arsenal after all! The BaSTEELs were just a ruse to lure me in, and get me thinking that I was going to owe her, even more than I already do! Aaaaaargh!

[b]"Point those somewhere else— and give me my concern back right now!" [/b]

I want it in writing. 

But, still.

Good thing for the both of us that she wasn't just trying to foist this whole period onto a project for me. I really would have felt bad, and the sooner she was up to her full potential capability, the better. The next missions we went on weren't likely going to involve two teams co-operating again— with only three other people instead of six that could potentially watch her back, Lauren really didn't need anything shackling her prowess.

[b]"So,"[/b] I refocused. [b]"Is Ben just loaning you those, or are they yours for keeps? I didn't get much chance to talk to him about it yesterday or today, but he's got [i]something[/i] huge now, right? A greatshield, I think?"[/b]

I just knew he had been lugging around something heavy, metallic, and probably heavier than his entire team all morning.

Made it look easy, though...