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Stepping out of the relatively cramped confines of the VTOL into the dark expanse of the army encampment, Louisa was now roughly 75% certain she hadn't third wheel'd her way into a date between [b]Lang [/b]and [b]Elise[/b]. [color=82ca9d][i]Although, either way, [/i][/color]she thought, [color=82ca9d][i]with [b]Hoshiko [/b]there, that would make a fourth wheel. Wouldn't that make our social vehicle that much more stable? Maybe that isn't how the analogy is supposed to work. Wait, what am I doing...[/i][/color]

Snapping out of it, Louisa realised someone had received them, and turned her attention towards the conversation as [b]Akio [/b]began speaking. She smiled faintly as he spoke, feeling slightly overwhelmed and disappointed that her hope of relaxing with an after-work drinking sesh had manifested into... uh... more work. Still, it was interesting to return to something resembling reality, after what felt like far too long pinging between the two extremes that were the gratuitous luxury of the Horizon and the adrenaline-numbed madness of combat. Looking around, she felt strangely nostalgic, as the features of the evacuation camps she had spent most of her post-warped life in were recognisable all around her. The smell, the sounds, the constant juxtaposition people trying to feel at home and remain human in an environment that was by its nature transient and alienating. It had a certain 'soul' to it that was absent abord the Horizon.

On the other hand, the fact that a spartan military encampment on the frontlines reminded her of the evacuation camps - where thousands of civilians and their families spent years living - highlighted just how awful the situation had been for her back then, and how awful it continued to be for most people, and how absurdly fortunate she had been to randomly stumble into the precious security of the chi-mechframe programme.

As [b]Xuan-yu[/b] finished speaking, despite feeling somewhat awkward about being associated with his very much no-nonsense introduction, she found herself agreeing - the least they could do for these people was hand out some god-damned fried chicken.

She bowed slightly - [color=82ca9d][i]that's what you did, right?[/i][/color] - and held out her hand to [b]Aiko[/b] to shake it.

[color=82ca9d]"I'm Louisa. Pleased to meet you, um, Kougami-san. Is it okay for us to be here?"[/color]