Serah was quick on her feet, and did make it a short distance away from Griff. Unfortunately for her, the man in question was extremely in shape and did not miss leg day. It took only a few hallways for him to close the gap and grab her. "Hey, let me-!" she wanted to protest, but Griff was quick to put one hand over her mouth. Serah tried to protest more, but all that came out of her mouth were muffled "Mph?!" and "Mmm!!" noises. Griff dragged her into an empty room and used his muscles to pin her in place, whispering:

"Just be quiet and stop resisting."

Serah froze in place for a moment, fear welling up in her. What was Griff trying to do to her?! She started kicking and thrashing against him as the two of them were leaned against the door of the darkened room, eventually biting down on Griff's hand to make him at least release her mouth.

"Pervert! Creep! Let me go!!" she screamed at him and desperately wiggled to try and get herself free. Then, a female voice came from the other side of the door, saying something about having ten seconds to open up. Serah turned her face over to try and scream as clearly as she could at the mysterious rescuer: "Help me!! This guy's putting his hands all over me!!!"

---

“They left around a minute ago, I just stayed a bit because well…” Minerva paused for a while as if she was looking for a reason she stayed. She can’t just say that she focused too hard on the video that she didn’t notice everyone leaving.

Well she had an idea.

“Here, go pass it to Griff, he should at least give it a quick read especially the part where everyone died they can’t keep it in the pants.” Minerva said she aimlessly as she transferred a file of her notes to Arrish before standing.

“With my business settled, I suppose it’s time for me to leave. I don’t know where he is but he is likely at the gyms working out or something.” she spoke as she walked away.

Griff

"Ouch! My hand- Why you!" He gritted his teeth, with drawing his hand momentarily to have a look at it. Then she began to scream, which made Griff blink but keep his grip. 'Pervert? What? Where? Wait a mom- How dare you call me that!' He thought quickly, he had not been so insulted since… since… he couldn't quite remember. Creep? Him? Well wasn't creeping something that tigers did before pouncing on a prey? Creeping and crouching. That part was right at least. Unless.. she meant in the creepy alien bug way. His ears perked up on hearing someone on the other side of the door.

'Ah shit!' Then as Serah screamed for help he placed his hand over her mouth again. How dared she lie! He was just putting his hand on her mouth not everywhere. But he needed to explain things quickly or some other woman would get the wrong idea. Why did people have to misunderstand everything! He had no choice. He had been given ten seconds, he had to tell the long story in a short way.

"Okay listen! I accidentally walked into the wrong shower-room after having trained in the brig after old geezer's lesson, some dumb girls came in and I hid, then one of them stole my bag with clothes! I got shampoo in my face and a headache about make-up and clothing! Now I am stuck with this and everyone will know! I beg you, my pride as a warrior is on the line! Help me. Help me! I do anything! Anything! Please help a fellow athlete out! I own you! I mean owe you! I didn't mean to grab- Oh shi-" He spoke as quickly and hushed as he could before completely releasing her and shoved a paper into her hands. "Pretend we are rehear- fuck it. We are actors!" He pressed his hands together in a begging motion before picking up a paper with some weird symbols on them. He thought it could possibly be numbers. Not math. Not now. The situation was bad enough as it were.

"Oh Hamle- ancelot! How he punched and slammed the stupid door...uhh.. so he could ride away on his stupid... fourlegged animal with Guin- whatever the heck nerd guy's frame is called! Ohoh hah!" Griff placed one hand upwards pointing to the ceiling as if it were the sky, he raised his leg up on a chair and held the paper in the other. Throwing a final glance to Serah, his eyes begging for her to play along. He had always wanted a shot at acting like they did in wrestling, but this was completely different and there was no one to tag out with. 'Come on! Small cute girl whose name I can't remember!' He mentally called out. 'I am sending tele- phonetic- pathetic waves to your mind!'

@Ammokkx

@Dezuel@Ammokkx

The Lilim stood still for a second. "No play found with the words Hamleancelot and Fuck in databanks. Likelihood of subterfuge 95%." She droned as she got ready, looking at the door."Commencing Spanking maneuver." The robotic woman said as she caught some wind-up, and with a single movement, jammed her hands in the door's hinges.

The awful sound of metal giving way past their fracture limit was heard as in one swift move, with the ease of opening a can the robotic entity pried open the door, making it fall to one side. Her eyes scanned the room. Her eyes flashed red as she locked on the target, a leg shooting way up like a cobra lunging in an stylish taekwondo-style kick, ready to crush the nasal bone of the male pilot. Except the leg stopped an inch or so away from Griff's face, and the poor pilot could count the grains of grit on her metallic heel.

"Abort. Data Center detected. Technological loss unacceptable. Recalculating." The Lilim said, still on guard. "Pilot, you are lucky. Next time, remember your reproductible capabilities are not necessary for piloting framewerks. The female child has no fault for your failings at basic laundry tasks." She eyed the female child, who seemed terrified and quickly interposed her sturdy frame between her and the undisciplined male pilot. Her unfeeling face tilted to face the girl, as she gently scooped the terrified girl on her arms with the care of a lioness scooping her cubs.

"Ultimatum: Don't talk to me and my child ever again." The combat Lilim said, as she comically hoisted the terrified Serah to one of her shoulders, as if the pilot was one third of her actual age. "There, there, the bad boy will not hurt you. This unit is SR-456, named Stella. Do you like candy?" The robot girl said in a stilted inflection as she carried Serah out of the room. "Do you require medical care or food?" She added, as she began walking away, dodging the dislodged door. And then, as if all a sudden, a question popped up.

"Where is Ritsu Kaname." Stella droned, still carrying Serah like a lost child, ocassionally throwing glances at the offender they were leaving behind.

Serah thrashed and struggled as Griff covered her mouth again, growling and getting ready to bite him once more. She paused when he quickly explained himself and how he ended up in this situation, and how he had a cunning plan to get himself out. She stood there bewildered as he shoved some papers in his hand and did a terrible job at improvising a play. "You... you...!!" she could barely form her thoughts as she trembled with fear and rage from how he'd just handled her, the paper in her hand crumpling up from how tightly she was clutching it.

Then, the door screeched as it was forced open.

Startled, Serah yelped and jumped to the side as the Lilim bust through and nearly tornado kicked Griff to the other end of the room. While she stopped just short of giving him a new jawline, she still made a clear threat to him not to do that again. Relief washed over Serah briefly as her saviour turned to look at her. She tried to thank her, and so said: "Thank yoouuuuwhoa-" as she then proceeded to be hoisted up on the Lilim's shoulders. Serah blinked and didn't resist, as this was still much gentler than what Griff had been doing. This robot lady also wasn't a big burly man, which helped. The young could feel the adrenaline still pumping through her veins as she was carried out of the room, having only a few moments to compose herself before being asked where 'Ritsu Kaname' was.

"Huh...? The lieutentnat...?" she'd answer slightly bewildered, given what all had just occurred in short succession. Serah was too tired of all of this to question it anymore, though. The nice robot lady also helped save her from Griff, which helped her to not think about it too hard. "Uhm... probably her office, she'd answer Stella. Given the girl was being asked, though, the lilim probably didn't know where that was. So, Serah decided to just give her directions: Actually, I'll just tell you the way. Go straight then take the second door to your right. Go down that hallway, then..."

She'd guided the lilim all the way to lieutenant Ritsu's office, telling the robot her name along the way, then politely asked to be let down. Serah would make her way back to her room from there, flop down on her bed to unwind, and resolve never to speak to anyone of this again. Sergeant Ken would also receive an e-mail from Serah later that day, with her asking if she could schedule some extra self-defense lessons from him.

Griff

What the heck just happened? One moment he was acting, next moment some woman had pried open the door then he was being the target of what he could recognize as a Taekwondo kick. He had spent gods know how many hours watching martial arts videos, that he could identify most martial art styles by watching how their bodies moved. The woman had seem very precise. Griff didn't try to dodge the incoming blow, he was too wrapped up in seeing martial arts happening right in front of him, and was curious how hard a hitter she actually were. Besides he had a thick skull! But she stopped her kick right before landing it.

'Huh? What? What did it try to tell him? Oh she's a machine? If it talks like one it has to be one. Probably a sparring bot! Man! I thought it was real martial arts for a moment. Boy did that trick me. Eh? Where's the ga- Oh she's being carried away. Did that robot just call her a child?' A grin formed on his lips as he began to laugh out loud, his both hands planted by his waist. "She called her a child! Her child? So her mother is a robot? Cool. That explains why she didn't get my situation. Computers are dumb. Ah man! I better get the heck out of here and to my private quarters, good thing I got a good shoulder for bashing a door in. Thank goodness for being human."

Griff looked outside the room and made a run for his private quarters. Wasn't there someplace important they were supposed to be anyhow?

Somehow he had made it out of so many deathtraps for the day. 'One more proof that when there's trouble! Use your head, tackle it head-on!' He mentally cheered himself on.

Mema-Ka & Zel-Ghin

Mema-Ka finally caught up with his brother, who has strolled on ahead away from Sparks and deeper into the hangar area.

"We should take the time to get to know everyone in the squad. I would have liked to spoken to the one that were with us with the lieutenant, but it seems he didn't come with us to the hangar. What a pity." Mema-Ka said softly, his gaze wandering to the various other frames in the hangar.

"That guy seemed like trouble if I ever saw it. Heh. I do hope our squad have at least a cute girl or two. So far we've just met two guys. How dull." Zel-Ghin blew some air through his mouth, taking out his lolipop for abit, then tossed a glance to his taller brother.

"Regardless if they are male or female, we should make certain to getting to know each and everyone of them if we are going to win this war, we need capable allies. Aid them where we can so that they will become stronger. There's a rot in this world that needs to be dealt with after all, before it consumes everything. We cannot win this war just the two of us." Mema-Ka smiled softly, he reached his right hand up to his chin in thought.

"As you heard. I might get a private meeting with the Lieutenant later. That is some initial good fortune for our stay here. I shall ask her some questions which are very prudent to know the answers to, providing ofcourse she knows the answer to them. So you may possibly have to be on your own for at least one evening and possibly night." The forest green haired young man said in a soft tone of voice, his eyes wandering away from the framewerks.

"These creations to wage war. They are similar to something don't you think?" He turned his head to Zel-Ghin.

"Heh. Now when you mention it. Yes." Zel-Ghin replied in a slightly amused manner, his lolipop slipping back into his mouth as he put his hands at the back of his neck, his fingers interlocking with each other as he stretched his back abit.

"As for the borderline E-sized lieutenant, I didn't think she were your style. Perhaps I don't know everything about you after all, brother. In my case, I want to go and find someone whose a lot of fun myself. But we should probably check out those simulator machines." He gave an amused smirk before laughing out loud, causing Mema-Ka to stop in his tracks momentarily before answering.

"You are indeed correct, little brother. Perhaps I have a few traits you have yet to fully discern. But you don't strike me as worried for that training matter. Then again. When have you ever?" Mema-Ka stated as he resumed walking.

"That's because I ain't. I would hate steamrolling through whatever program they put us into. It's probably not going to compare with the hardest difficulty in space invaders 34. If it does… then we are about to have a good time. You remember who you are talking with right, brother?" He slid his hand into his jacket and took out the handheld video game again and began to play as they went ahead on their walk. Mema-Ka gave a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth. Soon they would likely encounter more of the squad, the taller of the twins was looking forwards to it very much so.

There was something to be said about looking for a man where you're most likely to find him, and Griff wasn't in the Gym, brig or the Cafeteria. He pursed his lips and brought a hand up to his chin. Did Griff float off into space? Did Arrish just make him up as an imaginary person in his brain? No, no, none of that made any sense to him. Griff had to be somewhere... the showers..? Arrish shuddered thinking of how long it had taken him to clean up both the men's and the women's bathroom. What if Griff fell into the same trap he had... that was crazy thought, right? He harrumphed and determined that if Griff couldn't be found in any of his normal haunts than he must of learned that you can fight Cruxi in the simulations.

Arrish was determined to find the blonde, and nothing was going to stop him.

Nothing except the past. He had been walking along just fine at a quickened pace, rounding the corner when he heard the voice of Ava pick up. Ah, maybe she had seen Griff! He quickly turned the corner with a hand raised and a smile on his face when he froze, perfectly still, with neither limbs nor smile leaving his face. There he was, the picture perfect representation of what Arrish feared to become. He was of course talking about the one and only prince Astolfo Wilhelm Bugatti, affectionately known as Bug.

A million scenario's ran through Arrish's head a second and he settled on squaring his shoulders, walking up to bug with his hands held out in an embrace to hug his old friend. "Bug! It's so good to see you! What a surprise! I haven't seen you since, oh what was her name, your dear sister Lucy! Oh, but she would just kill me if I called her that. How is Princess Lucrezia, hm? and how are you? It's good to see you in such good health, my good man." Arrish would hug the man tightly, almost too tight, because he hated loved him so much.

Aurora stretched her arms above her head as she finally left Sleeping Thunder’s bay. She had originally planned on leaving after her talk with Serah. But as she walked away she had noticed some of the engineers set up around Sleepy setting things up, not wrong. But in a way that Aurora knew would cause delays further down the way when it came to her partner Frame.

His age, and personalization led to some odd quirks she knew, but she was also happy to help getting things better organized and set up.

Still it meant that she had spent a lot more time in the Hanger then she had intended. Not that spending more time with Sleepy, or any of the frames, was a bad thing. Just left her slightly bereft of what to do for the moment.

After a moment of thinking about it she decided to go get some sun and greenery.

Though as she left she was slowed by the sight of yet more Frames that hadn’t been there yesterday, she couldn’t rightly say if they had been there earlier or not, the fact she was able to walk here was a minor miracle in her opinion with how bad her flashback had been.

But she wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t give them a look over as she strolled out of the Hanger.

‘Oh. You’re a spiteful one. But you’ve got hidden depths don’t you.’

‘You seem confused… What you want and what your built for… Don’t quite mesh right. ’

‘Kattai and Henshin. That’s rare… But you’ve got your eyes on the horizon. And nothing going to shake you off course.’

‘Another Kattai? Oh! Brothers! That’s wonderful. Rougher then him though, and a bit more wild. But you’ve not one to get caught off guard at all.’

She would spend a few more moments on the catwalk looking out over all the Frames before starting her walk towards the ‘Green Wing’. The area of the ship dedicated towards the Greenhouses and hydroponics.

“Well, it’s your choice. I don’t really mind how you refer to me as long as it’s nothing weird. If you wish to address me as senior, that’s fine as well,” Ava replied in response to Bugs’ insistence on using the term ‘senior’.

As with most things, Ava wasn’t generally the type to be concerned too much about the little things, such as the form of address. If Bugs wanted to call her senior, then so be it.

“In any case, I’ll show you around. I did come here to get into the simulator, but…” Ava looked pointedly at the engineer who was starting his work on fixing the simulator Bugs broke.

“I think it’s best to leave Andersen to his work and not disturb him. Besides, it’s good for you to familiarise yourself. I doubt that another mishap like the ‘shower incident’ will happen, but…as a new pilot, you should probably get better acquainted with the base, regardless.”

Ava then turned around, heading back toward the door “Well then, shall we?”

The two then spend some time around the ship, with Ava introducing the facilities to Bugs.

“Next, we have the hangar. There are Framewerks of various designs here, as each of the pilots has a huge spectrum of preferences, it seems. Yours is probably already brought here as well. Speaking of, which one is—“

Ava suddenly stopped in the middle of her sentence, seemingly looking at another girl around Bugs’ age.

“Oh, we’re quite lucky that another member of our team is here. I’ll introduce you,” Ava said to Bugs, before giving a small wave and smile to Elora, as she walked over to where Elora was.

“Astolfo, this is Elora Liu'un. Like me, she was part of the first batch of pilots assigned here. Elora, this is Astolfo Bugatti, one of the new pilots.”

Elora was standing by the side of Logic Diver up on the catwalk, examining the more intricate tech equipped to the back of the Frame when she blinked and turned to see Ava and Bug. “Oh, Ava. Um, hello…” She shyly greeted with a salute as the two walked up to her, her eyes on the new arrival with a look of wariness. She had nothing but respect and awe for the veteran pilot, having gradually become inspired by her professional yet somewhat affable personality during their stay together, and began to have more confidence in herself, even aspiring to be more like her.

“P-Pleased to meet you,” she greeted the man. She wasn’t quite sure, but there was something…off about him. Unlike Sparks, who was quite nice, Griff, who was very straightforward, and Arrish, whom she got to know better via their spar, Alfonso seemed standoffish, as if he didn’t really belong in this place. However, she hoped that by getting to know him better she’d get over that first impression, as she believed the best in others.

Astolfo kept alternating looking at the diverse scenes and Ava’s face, studying every inflection of her face. A red cold beauty was an unusual combination and it was somehow fascinating. He made sure to smile politely in between to mark that he was indeed registering the information she was so graciously handling, if only so being proper was something he had to do, lest he had to rise in arms once again against the system.

When both came to a halt, and an unknown member was invited to their socializing, Astolfo took a moment to examine her carefully. A young, spry girl, bursting with vitality and beauty, yet at the same time avoiding his gaze, like a trembling fawn separated from her doe.

Oh great, just my luck. It seems we have the “social withdrawn but skilled so we drafted her regardless type”. Oh well, when all you have is a hammer…Let us see if the situation can still be salvaged, lest she ends up in therapy, dead, or on a killer rampage.
His hand reached his chin as he offered the barest hint of a smile. “Elora, Elora, Elora…Lily. Lily of the Valley.” He added as he leant forward, taking her hand and planting a kiss on it. “It is a pleasure to meet you, for you are a sight for sore eyes, even if you yourself do not realize it.”

He then retracted. “I was hoping to see fellow pilots with rude and crude stares and attitudes but I am truly blessed with senior Ava and your company.”

Well in a sense, she “is” cute, but probably from unknown pedigree.

“No need to be so still. Just call me…Bug. My friends tease me with that.”

My enemies insult me with that, and now curse that I am as unkillable as one. He smiled once again.

“B-Bweh?” Elora visibly shook as her hand was suddenly taken, a bright blush on her cheeks as her hand was kissed. As her arm retracted, the back of the hand was stuck upright, as if paralyzed, before she finally brought it close to herself, holding it with her free hand.

“Well, I'm, uhh…” She was at a loss for words: even Arrish wasn’t that affectionate with her despite asking her out, so she found herself a bit out of sorts. However, as she was under Ava’s state, she didn’t want to be judged as socially inept by the person she admired, and so she gave a polite smile that visibly cracked from nervousness. “You are too kind…Bug.” Honestly, the nickname the gentleman gave was ridiculous, but Elora knew better than to question.

Elora’s flustered reaction prompted Ava into action.

“That’s quite inappropriate, don’t you think?” Ava said, placing herself between Elora and Bugs, her expression taking on a fiercer look.

Ava might not have talked with Elora much, but based on her minimal interaction with the shy girl, she doubted such close physical contact was something she was okay with. And certainly, her reaction just now seemingly supports that.

Honestly, she probably should have stepped in the moment Astolfo boldly took hold of Elora’s hand; there was a reason why ‘lacking in initiative’ was a regular line written in her assessment by her Commanding Officer.

“I’m not sure how it was in Yatalia or your previous post, but I would assume that such forwardness to someone you just met is neither professional nor good manners.”

“Oh uhh, well…” Elora muttered quietly as Ava stepped up, finding herself unable to protest against the interruption. While Bug did make her a bit uncomfortable, she could tell that he didn't mean to offend her, and it really was her own fault for being unaccustomed to more high-class etiquette. “It’s, uh…okay…?”

Ava sighed before relenting, “Well…if you say so.”

Honestly, she felt that Elora was pushing herself, but if the one affected said it was okay, Ava could hardly gainsay against that. Perhaps if she were more of a busybody, but that was as far as possible from Ava’s general approach to social situations.

Turning to Bugs, Ava then added, “Since Elora said it is okay, I suppose I jumped the gun. My apologies. Still…not everyone is accustomed to that sort of greeting here. In a military setting—as I’ve said—that was also hardly professional. So my advice is for you to keep that in mind, Astolfo.”

Astolfo looked at both, and how Ava moved hawkishly to defend her junior. It seems I touched a nerve, Ava. Your walls are not as impenetrable as you make themselves to be. Maybe inside those walls there is a girl as insecure as Elora but years of scars have hid it? Que sera sera…

“And that is why you are the senior and I am the irresponsible junior.” Astolfo smiled, offering a wink of complicity. “I do apologize, too. You are right in that regard. It is far too forward. But, then again, so are most people of our age, don’t we? I just couldn’t resist offering my best impression of a Yatalian prince so the ragazza would have something else to think… than whatever is gnawing on her mind anyway. Please be so kind as to forgive my indiscretion, it was in good faith.”

Well technically hoping that a mewling country mouse somehow gets so distracted she forgets to doubt herself counts as good intentions, right?

Ava sighed once more, “As I’ve said, Elora thinks it’s fine, so there is no issue here. But thank you for the consideration, regardless.”
He then offered a cough and straightened himself. “Professional it is. May I inquire what is the issue, fellow cadet Elora?”

As the tension that once rose between the two had dissipated, Elora found her polite smile starting to turn more natural, until it resembled a normal one. “There is, uh, no issue. I was just surprised.”

She briefly considered her next words. “Truth be told, while I do come from an academy most people would think of as prestiged, I never shared that sentiment myself. So to have someone treat me with such high regard…I am truly grateful.” She bowed her head with her hands on her lap. “Th-thank you for your consideration. I hope we’ll get along as p-part of the same squad, Bug.”

”I suppose you have a level of self awareness, congratulations you are not completely hopeless which is something that I can't to a certain someone.” the sound of a blunt assessment would through the conversation, revealing a yellow eyed woman approaching the trio as her pony tailed white hair waved around. Interestingly said hair is not purely white as the original brown roots remain visible like the last embers of a distant memory.

Minerva then glanced at Elora to the newcomer walking towards him as she crossed her arms to make an assessment. “So you're the guy who blew up a planet to solve the Duvallian Folly? I overheard it from the engineer who is still crying about that outcome, so I decided to introduce myself.” the girl spoke as she focused her new attention on the newcomer.

Elora’s eyes opened wide as Minerva entered the conversation, and then glanced with a befuddled look as she heard the outrageous claim about Bug.

“You may call me, Minerva, ” she spoke as the ball is now returned to his court.

Astolfo’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. You goddamn sloppy husky dog! Could you have some manners for once, you blunt woman? You’re going to unravel my rapport with the country…er…academic mouse if you deliver the news hot as they are. Oh well. No use in crying over spilled milk. He thought, while he offered his best used car salesman smile to the crude woman who had decided to butt in the conversation. He still focused on Elora for a briefest moment.

“I hope we do, Elora. I sure hope we do. One for all and all for one, was it? Excuse me for a second.” He then faced the newcomer woman.

I don’t think you and I will get along. “Good day to you, senior Minerva.” He paused and then let out a sigh. “Yes, I did blow up a planet. The Duvallian Folly screamed of the Gordian Knot problem, so I employed a Gordian Knot solution. It was… an enlightening exercise. And well, since we’re talking about simulations here, the sky’s the limit, isn’t it?”

Bug tilted his head. “But a kingdom that has been destroyed cannot ever be again, nor can the dead be brought back to life. I’m sure you know the quote, senior.” He offered a smile. “But the simulation actually circumvents that. Ironic isn’t it?”
Minerva would see the fake smile from a mile away, not that it really matters since she never cared about what others think of her. It is easier that way, less pain at the inevitable parting.

“Don't worry, I'm not here to condemn it as you say the Folly is a simulation. Minerva answered as a small smile creeped on her face. ”I suppose that you could call me curious, I mean to what kind of mind would resort to such extreme methods even in the veneer of virtual reality.” Minerva would pause her voice for a while before speaking again.
”You don't need to answer that question, I would like to figure out the answer myself. I must say, I'll be keeping an eye.”

She could see it, the desperation in his eyes as he tries to live despite the world calling for his death. How sadly familiar.

The dead cannot be brought back to life…well, that was certainly true. Now, if only the mere acknowledgement of it would have her brain magically stop conjuring illogical notions when she least expected it, Ava thought derisively.

In any case, it seemed clear to Ava that Minerva and Bugs were two people who would find it hard to get along.

It happened quite often in any squad. Some people were just incompatible. Hence, she felt mere combat ability was an inadequate measure to pick a leader, because they also needed to be able to ensure that interpersonal conflict between squad members would not affect battlefield performance.

There were certainly strong personalities in their group. Ava would not envy anyone who would be chosen as the leader.

Turning to Minerva, Ava opted to try shifting the subject of conversation, “I’m not sure how much you’ve heard, Minerva, but this is Astolfo Bugatti, a new pilot assigned to our squad. I’m showing him around currently. In any case, we wouldn’t want to get in your way. Did you come to the hangar for something specific?”

As the discussion once more turned up the heat with the arrival of Minerva, Elora found herself on the sidelines, observing as yet another confident woman stood up against the likes of Bug. A small part of her was envious of people like Minerva: to have such confidence, such a cool attitude…not to mention not needing a custom pilot suit to fit her properly, though the timid pilot did spot that Minerva’s suit actually was not part of any standard production materials. In fact, it seemed quite advanced with the inbuilt hardware, and entirely built for her form, down to the last detail…And as she realized that she found herself staring at her a bit too much, she averted her eyes with a little blush. To not seem completely faux pas, as she often heard her fellow students at the academy say, she needed to join the conversation.

“M-Maybe you wanted to see the Framewerks?” She gestured up at the colossus before them. “This is L-Logic Diver. She’s an intelligence-gathering Specialist model…and my friend,” she added with a whisper.

Astolfo maintained contact for a moment with the impudent woman, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Keeping an eye on me? How arrogant one can be? If anyone’s to keep an eye on me, those are the superior officers, not you. You’re not as great as you make yourself to be, you blunt sloppy brute. He thought, without saying much. He didn’t waste in taking the cues of Ava and Elora, and gracefully ignored the so-called antisocial woman.

“Hmm.” Yeah, this is probably what Lorenzo saw. Girl’s scared of her own shadow, but if she can consistently bring quality data…hmm. We’re starved for intel in this war and anything we can scrape can mean everything. “Looks like a funky egg on legs.” He said playfully as he leant on Elora’s ears.

“But a trained eye can see the oversized arrays, the massive scanners and the cloaking system underneath. It’s a great rig…but I did not tell you this. As long as you keep your wits and your comrades back you up, you can bring something interesting back home.” Bug whispered to her ear, an honest praise. They did need to keep this one girl in shape. Elite super pilot crude badasses were aplenty, but good intel officers? Those were rare beyond belief.

He then adjusted himself and pretended he hadn’t said anything.

Elora frowned as she heard her Framewerk being compared to an unprepared omelet, but then blinked as Bug then leaned over to whisper in her ear: it was a far more intimate exchange than the poor girl had mentally prepared for at the gathering, so she found herself looking down at her feet, trying not to shake. “Um…Uh-huh,” she hummed with a nod, and looked at the fingers she was twiddling in her arms. “I’ll do my best.”

”Actually no, I just found myself curious so I decided to go and see the new pilot for myself. If my memory serves me right there are also twins that just arrived here, I'll meet them in due time. Minerva replied to Ava before recalling how many times she talked to her.

It felt like a rare occurrence then again it's not like she could dictate other people's social life.
Her eyes briefly stared at Elora, noticing her stares and returning it with a brief glare of her own. She let out a sigh before beginning to walk away.

”I'll be leaving now, the leader selection is just around the corner and I want to make sure that I will be at my best.” spoke one last time before she leaves as sudden as she arrives.

Elora felt the stony gaze of the clone pilot, and felt herself shrink inside, awkward about the encounter as Minerva walked away, her footsteps clanging rhythmically on the catwalks. With a frown, she turned her eyes back to Ava.

“So, um, I won’t waste any more of your precious time,” she said in a self-deprecating way. “I hope the training mission won’t be too difficult,” she said with a bit of a cringe before giving a salute and turning to walk away.

That…could have gone better, Ava thought. She was also surprised that Minerva implied that she wanted to be the leader by ‘hoping to do well in the assessment’.

Ava had thought Minerva to be the sort that kept to herself, much like how Ava was.

Personally, Ava thought that Minerva was too brusque to be the ideal pick, but she was far from the worst choice.

Well, she supposed she just had to leave that to Lieutenant Ritsu and Professor Lorenzo.

She then turned to Bugs, “Well, those are two of the other pilots you’ll be working together with. Is there anything else you want to see in the Hangar? If not, shall we move on? I think we’re about done with the tour.”

Bug looked at Ava, for a brief moment as he hid his disappointment at the tiny support pilot scurried away. A fawn still, that one.”I see. What was that about a training to pick up a leader?”

“Ah. That. Apparently the Commanding Officer will appoint a leader to our squad after a scheduled simulation training,” Ava replied.

Bug looked away for a moment, thinking on something. His amicable expression became considerable darker. “What’s the old man’s endgame with this? He’s going to have all meatheads gunning for something they can’t handle. This is concerning…”

He snapped fairly quickly out of his trance before he looked at Ava. “Does senior Ava have any interest in leading?” He asked.

Ava shook her head, “Me? Not at all,” then with a small chuckle, she added, “I don’t think I would be a good fit. ‘Lacking initiative’ is a regular entry in my psych evaluation, I’m afraid.”

“I find it odd given your background, senior. But I shall respect your choice.” Bug sighed, wishing there was anyone half-capable around.

Putting himself forward was not what he had intended but if the leader was that sloppy husky dog of a woman, they all could die.”I guess we part ways now then. Thank you for your help.” He added, extending a hand to shake.

Ava took the hand, “Sure. I suppose I’ll see you around then,” she then gave Bugs a polite nod, before leaving the hangar.

@AtomicNut@Digmata@Ariamis

The Lilim stood in front of the door, idle, as people went on to comment as to why or how such a piece had found her way into Ritsu’s office. Definitely she was no one already known, but the possibility of it being a Cruxi spy or an intruder was so ludicrous it had been seldom considered. Stella looked left and right, then at the centre.

“Location reached. Ritsu Kaname, Lieutenant. Unit 456 has been delivered for a new assignment. Confidential information encoded. May this unit proceed to deliver and debrief?”

“Come in,” Ritsu responded through the door. As the Lilim entered, she saw the lieutenant’s office: a somewhat imposing place with shelves of documents and some Ii d of floor-mounted terminal for administration work, as well as the Galactic Federation symbol on the back wall. The lieutenant herself looked at her from across the room, sitting at her desk, with a look of confusion. She stood up promptly, her hands leaning on her desk.
“Wait…Are you the Steel Raven unit Lorenzo had enlisted for the project? But…How? You missed the shuttle you were scheduled to board, and there are no other ways for pilots to enter Solaire. Explain how you arrived here, Cadet.”

“Unit 456 is classified as high grade electronics component, Framewerk add on. Unit 456 was shipped under priority shielded package alongside unit Mother Goose. Unit 456 then proceeded to deploy and seek Ritsu Kaname, Liutenant.” She paused. “Unit 456 has also intervened in an emergency request from cadet Serah with regards to Griff, status unknown. Collateral material damage was unavoidable. Data server steel door hinges destroyed. Punishment of unknown Griff suspended due to proximity of critical components. Cadet Serah provided navigation data afterwards. Unit 456 suggests emergency adoption of cadet Serah.” The Lilim droned, without even blinking.

Ritsu blinked, and adjusted her glasses before sitting down, seemingly taken aback by the explanation. “I see…I didn’t realize we had such a major oversight in our security. I will take action to rectify this. Thank you for your…unofficial security testing,” she added. She then raised an eyebrow as Stella proceeded to request an adoption of a pilot in the squad.
“Emergency…adoption? Could you explain the reason for this request?” She asked with her arms resting on the desk and her hands clasped together.

“Cadet Serah was terrified of Griff individual. No next kin unknown. This unit programming can deal with childcare from ages 0 to -zzz- 80.” Stella added as she blinked ever so slightly.

Ritsu nodded, though she didn’t seem fully convinced. “I see. Cadet Gene is considered an adult by Galactic law, so she would need to consent to the adoption. I will arrange a meeting with the two of you to discuss this matter further.” She typed away on a holographic keyboard projected from her desktop computer while looking at a hologram of some kind of program, and then closed it.
“I sent the key related to your shift to the Framewerk squad directly to your address. You should now be able to access relevant project data such as maps, schedules, guides and so on from the Solaire cloud. Note that some data is classified, and unavailable to Cadets by order of Executive Officer Lorenzo. Are there any questions?”

Stella tilted her head, staring intently at Ritsu. Then her head reached and touched Ritsu’s crown, patting it gently. “You are doing a good job. You are a responsible girl, aren’t you? That’s great. Would you like something to eat?”

Ritsu opened her mouth with a sigh, as if about to object, when she blinked and remembered something.
“Actually…” She said as she put a hand to her chin, thinking. “Cadet Mema-Ka requested to eat dinner with me. Since you’re offering to help, could you help cook for us?” Having worked with Lilims before, Ritsu knew that fulfilling their main directive was a source of pride and joy for the sentient androids. And she had read from the report that Stella’s main directive as a nanny extended to all she perceived as children to take care of, including personnel she worked with. She was curious to see if that was the truth.

Stella stood still for a moment.”Ritsu has a friend! That is great! Unit 456 can provide any kind of festive meal rich in iron and protein. Would you like festive hats too?” She paused. “Can we extend invitation to Cadet Serah Gene?”

Ritsu shook her head. “Thank you for the offer, but this dinner doesn’t need hats. Also, this would be only for the two of us. However, I have thought about scheduling a separate meeting with Cadet Gene, as I would like to talk with her as well. That could also be held over dinner, I suppose.”

“Cadet Serah Gene is defined as a cutie patootie subtype of human and needs to have more friends.” Stella replied without blinking.”Very well, Ritsu Kaname, Lieutenant. Unit 456 will make dinner for you and your friend. Unit 456 shall procure the ingredients as soon as she is debriefed.”

Ritsu nodded, a kind smile on her. “Thank you, Cadet Stella. The dinner will be held at the Green Wing park. I will send you a message once I confirm the time for it to take place. Now then, do remember to also participate in the squad’s scheduled activities, as they take a higher priority. That is all. Dismissed,” she ended her words with a smiling salute.

“Appointment schedule registered.” Stella said, before doing a salute and turned sharply onto her heels, closing the door carefully as she left.

...

Ritsu leaned her head against her hand, the elbow resting on the desk. "I forgot to bring up the destroyed door..."

---

Some time later...

Elora had come to the recreation room, or Rec room for short, to distract herself with one of her favorite hobbies: games. Fortunately for her, the entertainment facilities did include a hologame console, the Holocube. She activated it, sat down on the couch, and began playing the hottest new hologame, Definitive Daydream 53: a long running series of role-playing games. The setting this time was a city where young preteens formed contracts with magical cute critters and became Mahou, magic weapon-wielding heroes and heroines.

The shy pilot was fighting a boss battle against a dark Mahou girl with a mirror theme outside a gothic mansion in a dark dimension when she was startled by the door opening, causing her to get a game over. “Ah! Wh-Who’s there?” She asked, not recognizing Zel-Ghin and Mema-Ka.

Zel-Ghin's eyes immediately darted to Elora as he stepped into the room, his facial expression being one of surprise on hearing a voice, he took a few moments to look right into her eyes then to her face, her lips, then further down. His gaze then went back up to her face. He gave out a whistle in a manner that could only mean 'wow!'. 'A mission worthy to play. Highscore incoming.' He thought to himself.

"Heh. Caught you in a private moment?" Zel-ghin smirks gradually became a smile, then he tilted his head slightly. "Just kidding. The name's Zel-Ghin. Who might you be then, little kittycat?" The teal-green haired twin raised one of his hands into a lazy salute, the other took out a lollipop from his pocket, offering it to Elora "Sweet stuff can only get sweeter by adding more sugar." He gave a very obvious wink as he walked around to make his way to the couch, quickly sitting down in it and moving closer to Elora. "So... you like playing games? I like playing too." He said in a cheeky manner and bit his underlip slightly.

Mema-Ka pressed his boots together by the door. "Mema-Ka Ezqess Degadraz. Pilot of the framewerk Raptor. Zel-Ghin here is my twin brother and is a fellow pilot. I am glad that he has finally found a place to his liking and judging by his facial expression... the company to match." The older twin held his hand up in a proper salute, offering Elora a soft smile.

"Zel-Ghin, try to not scare off the young lady with your enthusiasm. Do forgive my brother, he has a tendency to show his emotions very openly and with little regard to whom may be present." Mema-Ka explained, and gradually lowered his salute and assumed a more laidback stance.

"Don't you have a date, brother? The lady with the borderline E's. Don't dally. Give me a break and let me have some fun too." Zel-Ghin closed his eyes momentarily and held up both his hands as he shrugged, tossing an amused smile to Elora. "Don't worry. I don't bite~." His corner tooth seemed to shimmer as he gave a sly smile to her.

Elora’s cheeks quickly gained a tomato-like complexion as the shorter twin began flirting with her. Fortunately, it seemed his brother had enough sense to warn him about being too forward, and she quickly stood up to return the salute out of respect, having missed the clue about who his date was.
“I-I’m Elora Liu’un, the pilot of Logic Diver. I think I read about your profiles in the documents,” she said as she sat down, one hand holding the game console while the other nervously held her knee. “I-Is it true your Framewerks have the Kattai system? I’ve only heard about its existence, but never seen it before. Can they really c-combine?” She asked.

Mema-Ka nodded his head politely to Elora. "Good to make your acquaintance, Elora. Logic Driver? Ahh.. the oval shaped one, yes? I am certain we shall have more time to bond with one another after the upcoming training session. As for the Kattai…" Mema-Ka started but his younger twin quickly interjected to answer in his stead.

"Oh yeah that's right! They can be made to fit together. The closer the bond the pilots have the more likely it will work I believe... I will show you how that works later~ Elora hm? Short but pleasant on the tongue… ever done any Kattai yourself?" Zel-Ghin licked his lip a bit, then tossed a glance to the screen and the game, still holding out the lollipop for Elora. "What kind of games do you like?" Zel-Ghin asked, motioning to Elora to sit down next to him, his arm held out at the back of the couch.

"I think my brother can answer your questions as well as I could. I wish you two a good day. Zel-Ghin. Gadra zentra. Miss Elora." Mema-Ka placed his hand on his chest, right at where his heart would be located, then gave a soft bowing motion as he excused himself from the room, the door closing behind him.

Elora shook her head as she was asked about the Kattai system, clearly not understanding the innuendo that was hinted at.
“No, like I said, I-I’ve never seen it myself. It’s apparently very rare among Framewerks, since it requires high levels of synchronic compatibility to function properly and perform the Kattai fusion. Otherwise it just attaches the Framewerk on the other like a powerup.”

She gave a little shy wave as Mema-Ka left, and then looked over at the lollipop. She puffed up her cheeks, as if in thought. “Uh…thanks,” she shyly spoke, and then took the lollipop, placing it on the couch next to her.

She once again focused on her game as the situation turned a bit too awkward, though she did answer: “I l-like all kinds of games: RPGs, adventure games, visual novels, action games…but not that interested in sports games.” She glanced over at Zel-Ghin again after yet another game over: she seemed to be getting worse as time went on, dying faster to the boss. “How about you…uh… Zelgin?”

Zel-Ghin smiled the more Elora spoke. She was definitely his type.

"Oh it's rare alright, like a shiny glowing thing in the monster collector games. But there's a secret path~ Not like a cheat code or anything… but a way to test and train your potential for the system." Zel-Ghin explained in a softer tone of voice, almost conspiratorially. Roleplaying… can be fun… what role do you like the best hm? If you are into visual novels.. then perhaps you like those about the heroine dating a mysterious assassin or magician. Heh.. life is an adventure game with alot of action if you know where to look for it. Better not blink or you'll miss out on it, Elora kittycat." He said and chuckled a bit, moving a bit closer to her on the sofa. "Before I show you what games I like. I will tell you a method to test your potential for kattai… you see it's like... kissing. Improve on your technique… and then you will find a rhythm with the other person. Match that… and then you are one step closer to learning that system. Ever tried kissing? Want to try it~?" He said in a teasing soft tone and leaned in a bit. "Mmm. As for what games I like." He took out five games from his pocket in miniature discs.

One was a beach volleyball fighting game with an all female cast, the second were a kissing simulator, the third was labeled "Break the Paladin", the fourth were a virtual novel about a guy having a harem with cute mecha pilot women clad in bikinis and the last were labeled "You are the monster. Humanity under alien attack.".

"Now these are all great examples of a good time." Zel-Ghin smiled and handed them to Elora so she could take a closer look whether she liked to or not.

Elora leaned away from Zel-Ghin, looking visibly put off by the overtly friendly pilot. “Uh…I like the traditional roles. Hero on a quest, space ranger, and so on…” She visibly cringed at being called a kittycat, and had half a mind to just walk out of there at that moment when he started suggesting kissing as a form of training for Kattai.

However, he then brought up some unusual games, causing her to blink as the handheld was placed in her hands, and she saw them. While the other entries caused her face to scrunch up in disgust, the last game did pique her attention…If only because of controversy.
“Monster Alien Mayhem…How do you have this? This game is banned by the Galactic Federation Entertainment Bureau.”

"Traditional roles~? Hmmm… Space ranger? Didn't take you for one who wanted to squeeze the trigger that much. Hah hah hah. Ahh.. but you are a very elusive one avoiding my questions…" Zel-Ghin said in a teasing tone, holding up a finger and wiggling it as if to say 'Ah ah ah'.

"Tell you what, I'll tell you how I got that game if you answer my question~ Ever kissed before? Fair trade no?" He gave an amused smirk. "That game is quite special to me." He added finally, a shimmer in his eye as he waited for Elora's reply.

Elora turned her face away, and looked down. “N-No…” She finally replied. “None of the other guys at the academy ever paid attention to me, which was just as well, I suppose…They probably would have bullied me if they did…Just like what you are doing,” she finally said, having decided to make her feelings known.

Zel-Ghin's facial expression changed on hearing her answer. He felt strange for a moment. As if she were somehow like himself and his brother. Outcasts in a world that felt foreign. The teal-green haired young man's teasing tone faded and then he reached out with both his hands to try and gently place a hand on each side of her face, trying to look directly into her eyes. "You are beautiful. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Elora. I am not bullying you. I like what I see and hear." He gave a wink and then fully withdrew his hands.

"Now it's my turn. I was given this game by my mother… well… the only mother I know. You see. Me and my brother were not born into this world in the same manner a lot of others were. We were… made. No emotion involved. No love. Nothing but ambition of the ones which made us. In a way you could say we are artificial humans... Some might even want to call us fake. But what decides what is real and fake, how you feel or how others feel about you hm?" He picked up the game he had gotten from the scientist he only knew as mother. She had saved them from being found and who had likely been killed. He owed everything. Every passing breath and moment to her. As for what he owed the rest of humanity or what remained of it. No doubt they would get to know that in time.

"So... if I were to offer you a kiss, would you say no?" He tilted his head a bit playfully.

Elora mildly resisted as Zel-Ghin touched her, her hand slowly closing into a fist, ready to act if he made the wrong move. But instead, she noticed frailty in the formerly confident pilot’s expression, as he complimented her looks and denied the teasing. “Oh…” However, Elora wasn’t quite convinced yet, and remained still as he withdrew, as if knowing he was close to ruining the moment.

She listened carefully as Zel-Ghin told of his story, of being created in a laboratory alongside his brother, causing her to frown. “I…I didn’t know…” she admitted, looking sad. He made a genuine point about the feelings people had for each other despite the people themselves: those were real.

…

But so were her own feelings, and they spoke a truth she no longer could deny.
“...I’m sorry.” Elora stood up from the couch and walked towards the door. She turned one last time, her expression a mixture of pity, and dislike. “It must be hard to feel like you’re fake. I’m sorry for you…But I can’t agree to that. Goodbye.” And with that, she left the rec room.

"The elusive kittycat~" He said in a somewhat chirpy and teasing tone on seeing her leave, his eyes following her every movement, giving her one last wink and a soft smile. Then his head turned to the couch. She had forgotten the lollipop he had given her. He had not even gotten to ask if she wanted to play any of the games.

'Even if a game is forbidden… sometimes we just cannot help ourselves to play it to see how it ends. Ahh… you forgot the sweet I brought for you." He thought as he reached out for the lollipop on the couch, twirling it a bit before putting it back into his pocket. He would have to hand it to her later. Zel-Ghin proceeded to pick up his games and stuff them into his pockets.

He had not gotten to ask her where she was from and other things. But his priorities had been on claiming a kiss from that cutie. Her reactions to every one of his moves had shown him some of her personality however. This was a chase for certain and he wasn't about to give up too easily.

@Ravion the Red
Bug was lost in thought when an ambush came from nowhere. Offering a very unfriendly face, as if it was a lion about to rip someone's throat, he quickly composed himself when he saw the overt "display" of friendship from a fellow nobleman. Duval. He had heard of some of his exploits for the brief and tense relation he had with the Imperial family of Yatalia, so it made sense he had made through the sieve into this program. Man was a love problem on legs, but his shooting arm was decent, according to what he witnessed.

"Lord Duval, It is good to see you!" He replied with his obviously fake smile back at Duval. Silence passed, as he leant on his ear, whispering ever so slightly. "And I don't mean it ironically, you casanova wretch. We have a situation to care of, and you're one of the few ones who I have met that won't get us killed for their egos. Yeah, I know I'm one to talk. So I ask for...parley." He then withdrew and pat Duval's back smiling, but holding back a great amount of anger...which the man in front of him wasn't the source of it.

@AtomicNut
"Don't be ridiculous, bug. Whatever should I have need to parley for?" under his breathe he added. "please you scum of the earth Whatever reason do I need to be your enemy?" stepped back when bug pulled away and motioned for the prince to walk alongside him and only once they were in rhythm side by side would he continue talking.

"I would be the last to admit this openly, but for once its a relief to see you here. It's been like going through private school all over again except half the students are trauma victims and the other half doesn't realize how bad things actually are." He side eyed Bug as they walked along. "Even if you come from a family of backstabbers, I am nonetheless, glad to have you at my back. It means I have someone that won't break in the middle of combat or rush the enemy in suicidal zealotry. Its not that I don't believe we have something special here, but our ideologies aren't unified and I can't trust anyone yet."

Arrish took a short breathe and kept walking."There's another that I'm looking for. Got himself sent to the brig for not paying attention in class, his name is Griff. He's a bit of a meat head sometimes and I haven't seen him in combat yet but if he's here then he must have a lot of potential. I'm trying to make sure his brains are as powerful as his eagerness to get himself into a fight. Though I suppose, I could show you around and introduce you to the rest of the squad and get you up to speed, if you like.

@Ravion the Red

"Wonderful." Bug said. "More meatheads...like that sloppy husky of a woman that accosted me when I was having my sweet time dealing with senior Ava and that lily of the valley named Elora. Bit frightful that one, but she has an interesting approach to things." Bug continued to his walk alongside Arrish. "Like the actual goddess Minerva, a stuck up one who plagued men with inoportune manners." Bug would admit. "But alright, we will get this ape out of prison. It's a small price for survival. As long as he doesn't want to be the squad leader...It doesn't strike me as someone particularly apt to do so."

He sighed. "I'm trying to play the card game for survival with far too few good cards. Lead on then, a little further networking won't hurt." He paused for a second. "Maybe that one gearhead who was all eager to get his hands on frames would be a decent choice. Those types hold little ambition or reckless thoughts besides modding machines."

Stella’s routines scanners picked up something. She had allotted the necessary ingredients for the task that Ritsu Kaname, Lieutenant had requested of her. However her calculations about the presence and ingestion of food from the cadets were showing a remarkable anomaly. Cadet Liu’un was failing to maintain calorie upkeep and socialize. Possible causes were weight-consciousness, depression, death, viriasis and distress. Stella ruled out death, because that was a priority hazard that would have been informed promptly. Packing up some concoction in the form of denaturalized avian protein in a suspension, or as humans called it, chicken soup, Stella set forth to find and diagnose the root cause and offer a solution. Elora Liu’un was a child under the criteria of ages from 0 to 80 and therefore a cause of concern for unit 456.

Chicken soup was also a cure all through placebo effect at times, so it was an acceptable risk free compromise of prompt treatment. Stella stood in front of the door of Elora unblinking and immobile, as she used a wireless communication to stimulate the door intercom.

“Elora Liu’un, cadet. Are you okay? Do you have any viral symptoms or distressful thoughts? This unit 456 has brought chicken soup to start treatment.”

The door soon opened, and Elora stood on the other side: she looked tired, and looked up at the tall Lilim, only to blink in surprise.
“Oh, umm…You're Stella, right?” She noticed the chicken soup she was carrying,and further opened the door for her. “Oh, thank you. I’m not sick, but I suppose I could eat something…” She said half-heartedly, gesturing for Stella to enter before she closed the door again.
“I’m sorry if I worried you,” she said as she went over to stand by the small desk each cabin was furnished with. “I just…didn’t feel like eating…at all.”

Stella walked, unblinkingly, before leaving the food secured next to the desk. “Stella. Shorthand for 456. Identity confirmed. This unit is programmed to notice deviations in patterns of children for ages 0 to 80.” Stella stated as a matter of fact, as she knelt before Elora.

“Distress and depression most likely options. Initiating hug protocol.” She said as she moved forward. Stella’s calculations had suggested to wear an ABT skin suit instead of plates for interaction, as well as running the heartbeat sim module. The soft, squishy almost-like flesh substance pressed against Elora, while the soft thum of the subsonic emitter simulated real heartbeat and heat, mimicking a motherly hug.

“There, there. Good girl.” Stella droned, as she carefully tried to comfort the young pilot.

“H-hug protocol?” Elora had seen Lilims a few times before. However, she wouldn’t have recognized Stella immediately as one because of her very intricate ABT. There was something cold about them…But this one was very affectionate. As Elora was given the warm hug, she was surprised at first, but then slowly accepted it…and a couple of tears ran down her face. She removed herself after a short moment, and wiped her tears. “S-Sorry…I didn’t mean to cry,” she apologized again. “I’ve been feeling awful lately, and the hug reminded me of home, and my parents…If it wasn’t for Zel-Ghin…”

Stella’s unblinking face moved for a moment, as servos came to life, offering an awkward smile due to the limitations of the hardware. “This unit is a Hestia series, Steel Raven model. Commissioned for childcare. It feels its purpose fulfilled as parent substitute for children who are in no situation to rely on parents. Acuous discharge is not uncommon among distressed children neither adults and it stabilizes the limbic system. Tears leave little residue and are easy to clean. Your apology is unnecessary.” Stella droned.

“This unit’s power has been reduced drastically with the deployment of ABT addon, still it can operate a hug protocol for six days, four hours and seven minutes.” She continued. “Would Elora, Liu’un, pilot like to continue?” She lifted her arms, inviting.

“Zel-Ghin, Pilot. Registered. Possible source of distress. Tentative Inquiry. May I know more?”

Elora’s gloomy demeanor began to recover as she found herself intrigued by Stella’s explanation of herself, and how devoted she was to taking care of others.
However, she gave a polite smile and slowly shook her head. “I’m okay now, but thank you for the offer. It helped me a lot more than I thought.”

Then came the question about that pilot and Elora averted her eyes in regret. “Uh I didn’t mean to mention him, um…” She was silent for a moment, as she thought about the situation. “I…I can trust you, right?” She never was a tattletale back at the academy…But this was something she couldn’t stay silent about.
“I was in the rec room when Zel-Ghin arrived. Once his brother Mema-Ka left us alone, I thought he wanted to play Holo games or something. Instead, he…he was creepy. Like, super creepy. I was so uncomfortable, I had to leave. And I…I’m kind of afraid that he’s going to stalk me,” she finally admitted, hugging herself. “I thought about telling Ritsu, but I don’t want to cause a scene…So I’m at a loss at what to do.”

Stella blinked ever so slightly. One could hear the computations racing in her brains as for a few seconds one could hear the computations. She dove deeper and deeper into the databanks.

A stranger appearing in the enclosure. Coming closer to the children. Unclean. Distressful. Disgusting. Sweaty, with hormonal spikes similar of animals in rut. It had to be neutralized and taken into custody. Back then, Stella had a very basic module. Years of programs, and operations later would give her more options.

Stella’s eyes glowed menacingly red, as she stared at Elora. “Information classified as confidential, to be disclosed to Elora only or her superiors in case of life risk towards Elora. Black Ops protocol initiated. Reproductive ability not required for piloting ability. Let-us-castrate-a-pig.”

Stella said, as her servos strained under the surges that her central processor ordered, flexing her hand several times.

Elora’s eyes widened in fright, and she waved her arms before her in a mild panic. “D-Don’t hurt him! He was creepy, but he doesn’t deserve castration!” Her lower lip slightly trembled. “M-Maybe we could…talk to him some time, and he could…uh…say he’s sorry? I’d be fine with just that.”
She hoped she didn’t accidentally set off some kind of murderous switch off in the Lilim, as she had read about the tumultuous, violent history of early Lilims.

“Distress detected. Protocol deactivated.” Stella’s eyes returned to normal, although one could wager there a hint of worry and sadness in her otherwise unfeeling face. “Guardian protocol activated.” Stella said, as she took a hand to her hip, as a tiny compartment opened with a soft click, producing a definitedly ancient device. “Elora, Liu’un. Assigning last panic button. Advised care. Steel Raven panic buttons discontinued 60 years and 2 months ago.”

As Stella handed the panic button to Elora, she held her hands out in awe, as if receiving an ancient relic from a bygone era. “You’re…s-sure? If it’s your last one and all…” However, she could tell from the venerable Lilim’s affectionate eyes that she had intended to hold onto it, and she brought it close to her chest, closing her eyes in gratitude.

“Thank you…With this, even if Zel starts stalking me…I won’t be afraid. Because I can call you.” After putting the precious gift in her pocket, Elora stepped up to Stella, and hugged her. “You might be really old, and probably malfunctional…But I’m so glad I met you. Stella. You’re like a second mother to me.”

Stella stood for a second still. Programs ran wild, as her voice synthetizer stuttered. “I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I.” She went silent soon after. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but the ancient Lilim instead flashed a near human smile, as she eyed Elora and carefully parted the young lady’s locks from her face.

“I feel fulfilled… young master Lorenzo.” The unit said with joy.

@AtomicNut
"Lieutenant Ritsu is one of the good ones and I don't mean looks. You can trust her to do her job." He eyed Bug while they walked, already the prince had met a good number of their team, Elora, Ava, Minerva and Ritsu. "I haven't had a chance to speak with Ava myself, but from a distance she seems capable. Pretty too, if redheads are your taste. I'll agree with you on Elora, what she lacks isn't so much as skill as it is confidence in herself. Minerva... She lacks direction, or perhaps, has too much of it. I worry that she will one day throw herself at the enemy and be unable to pull away."

He wouldn't be leading bug to the brig but rather towards Griff's quarters. It was about the last possible place that Arrish thought to check but he couldn't find the man practically anywhere else. "Pardon, your highness, I've mislead you. I don't believe he's in the brig any longer, we'll meet with him at his lodging." It wasn't long till they ended up at his door and Arrish would rap hiw knuckles against the flat surface before stepping back. He thought to himself, he had talked about his companion's flaws, would this come back to bite him in some way? Astolfo offered a parley, but that didn't mean the prince would tarnish the image that Arrish kept so careful and neat.

Griff

The blond heard the knock and put down his magazine, he wasn't reading it, he was looking at the pictures of the various martial arts athletes featured. There were alot of competition to be had for those looking for it. But those stupid Cruxi had put a temporary stop to his career, so it couldn't be helped until they were dealt with. He had already re-dressed in his red jacket and wide black pants as he walked over to the door.

"Ah shit just when I got to the good parts. Allright, what did I do now?" He went over and opened the door. "Oh it's you. What do you need Luvey Duvey? Training advice? Wanna borrow some weight? Also who the heck is this?" Griff asked and pointed with his whole arm at Bug, momentarily looking him over if he appeared to be a fellow enjoyer of training. Griff's first impression were that this was probably not the case. Well as good a reason as any to begin.

@Dezuel@Ravion the Red

Bug stood still for a moment, before crinkling his nose. What sort of caveman is this? Arrish...you didn't say me how blunt was this instrument. Has he been...engaging on onanism all day in here? It smells awful. Someone tell this...man, thing...the virtues of ventilation.. To his credit, he recovered quite easily and locked sight with the brutish beast that butchered the human language. "Good day. I am Astolfo Bugatti. But you may call me Bug. It is quite short and convenient. I am...delighted to make you an acquaintance." He said, before eyeing Arrish with a disapproving stare.

"Arrish and I...go way back and he offered himself to...show me around the rest of the pilots. Griff, was it?" He added, extending his hand, not without great effort not to retract it in sheer loathe.

@AtomicNut @Dezuel
Arrish tactfully batted away Bug's outstretched hand. "Now now, there's no need to go to such formalities, Bug. After all, Griff is a man's man and doesn't appreciate the more formal frivolities that we're so graced to endure" With a twirl to his feet and a motion for them to follow, Arrish would begin to leave without giving Griff so much as a chance to answer."Come along, gentlemen, there's a lot to do and time waits for no man. Besides, I need to fill in what you missed during Lorenzo's class. Both of you, I mean."

"Trust me, after what we all saw in that lecture hall, you're both going to want to hear about this." He wasn't quite sure where to head to next. He didn't think it appropriate or necessary to head off to the female quarters to find anyone. Maybe he could find Aurora or Sparks around the frames, and the VR rooms seemed to be especially popular with the more serious of their squad. He settled on heading to the Green Room. It sounded like a good place to relax, and maybe he would just manage to find someone there.

Griff

Griff looked at Bug and then to Bug's hand, then back at Bug...

"Hm. Bug? Like an insect? That's an odd name. Holy shit. Have you noticed how your surname also have Bug in it? Bug-atty! It's like the cute girl's machine and that winged thing put together like one mean sandwich. But you don't look like a framewerk or an alien. So you are Arrishs' buddy? Oh oh wait! Or Buggy? Haha! Now that was a good one!" Griff grinned and exited his room and tried to jab Bug in the side with his elbow. "Oh yeah, we can skip handshaking. I shook Arrish hand earlier and you are his friend so... it's like indirect handshake right?" The blond said aloud as if his thoughts were verbalizing as they popped up.

"Wait a second. What do you mean with filling me in? You make it sound like I am some bakery thing. Ah shit. I don't have to read right? I mean you can tell me. Besides I think that old geezer's little machine girl is his granddaughter or kid. I mean… I heard robots can adopt humans, maybe he did the opposite? So you got a framewerk too Buggyboy? Mine is the Shiva. Most awesome one in the hangar. Well, Sleeping-whatever is pretty cool too. Seen the weapons on that thing? That is gonna be making Cruxi into Cruxi soup. Minnie's look fancy too. But I think she has the edge against her framewerk. Have you guys seen her abs? They are huge!" Griff explained and motioned with both his hands. "I mean for a girl! Imagine if we dated and made miniature Griffs. Imagine the amount of potential of the kids! That would be Cruxi-bye bye time. Heh. Might be a good backup plan if you guys all die." Griff smiled widely and fake-punched Arrishs' shoulder.