[right][sub]Some time before...[/sub][/right] [center][h1]Poison[/h1] [sub][@Ravion the Red][@DarkRecon][@Crusader Lord][@Ariamis][/sub] [/center] [hr] Bug’s thoughts raced upon the strange conversation he just had. No conversation about getting some party supplies off the record was bound to be normal, but the Yatalian command seemed…strange. They had accepted his request without much fuss, and sent a shuttle with the supplies, with one condition. One of their pilots also was dying for some R&R so they had asked him to host her. It was a good thing she was a lady, as he doubted Arrish would mind cooking an extra steak for another female pilot. It all seemed fine and dandy, but he had this…ominous feeling something was way off as he waited patiently for the landing bay to be cleared and the shuttle delivered both the goods and the pilot with the…permission and rather permissiveness of the superior officers. [color=silver]“Something on your mind, Corporal Bugatti?”[/color] Lucius approached the younger man with one hand in a jacket pocket and the other giving a generally warm yet friendly wave, all with himself being as casually dressed as ever in his own off-time like this. All the same, as casual as he was he’d try to stand a respectful distance from the Corporal all the same. Not too far, but not too close. While he had hoped to check out more of the ship for himself, he’d gotten wind of one of the landing bays being cleared up for a shuttle to arrive. Call it a ‘gut instinct’, but he’d had a strong enough feeling to come check it out all the same on a whim. With the action in the kitchen heating up, and the staff finally in play Arrish would have a little moment to himself. A quick little trip down to his quarters to have a little nip of something to calm his nerves reminded him of another little detail that he had quite nearly forgotten. A quick pull of his communicator from his pocket and a dial of a quick few numbers would pull Bugatti up to his ear. [color=red]”It’s Arrish. You said something about drinks, right? Listen, I don’t want any of that cheap booze, do you understand? I am making a meal that is magnifique and will not tolerate bottom shelf beer. I don’t care if Griff wouldn’t know the difference between his reds and whites, its about the importance of the thing.”[/color] Bug would roll his eyes ever so slightly at Lucius' greeting. “Many things, as expected.” He refrained from asking what he was doing here exactly. It was no secret that Lucius was the sort of hyperactive busybody that poked around everything. Team Banana’s monkey. At least the Bunny had some sort… of ingrained cuteness to it. Lucius didn’t fall into that category. “Have you ever heard the expression too good to be true, Sterling?” He began to reply, but was cut short by a call. “Ah yes, Arrish. Don’t worry. I managed to barter with some Yatalian dispatch. You know they like to drink stuff that is as old as us, minimum. It’s just that…well, they asked an odd favour. One of their pilots wants a bit of a mixer and relax. Apparently she's a noblewoman. Care to spare some extra food and charm?” [color=red]”Only one? That’s odd.”[/color] Arrish voice told another story, the idea that Yatalian nobility would be joining their feast didn’t exactly delight him, but at least it wasn’t like he had to deal with royalty. He felt his stomach gurgle from the thought of her showing up.[color red]”Well, I can set up a couple plates if anyone else wants to join. I wouldn’t invite everyone though.”[/color] The brown haired boy didn’t so much as pause or bat an eye at his own reception, instead standing by patiently as the Corporal picked up a call from Arrish. Seemed to be something about….alcohol? Alcohol. There was going to be a party, after all, with steaks and whatever their noble chef would concoct up. Yet given the question he’d been asked before the call came in, and this mention of the odd favor being taking in a guest for dinner, he felt his own gut instinct on something else troubling Bug seemed to be well and enough correct at this venture. Whenever Bug would finally be done on the call, however, and he had a chance to speak once more, Lucius’ brows would mildly furrow in thought for a moment. A hand would even come up to his chin for a second, removed from his jacket pocket for such an occasion. All before said hand returned to said pocket in due course once more and he piped in once more accordingly. [color=silver]“Think the alcohol will be worth taking in a sudden new dinner guest, or perhaps that the former will be needed to well enough deal with the latter?”[/color] Arrish considered going down there himself to greet the arrivals and make sure that the alcohol was serviceable. He had heard rumors that the Yatalian dispatch sometimes liked to play pranks on other ships, but with Astolfo there he felt assured that his squad member could handle such trouble himself. Instead, Arrish troubled himself with a little relaxation before going back to cooking. Maybe he could find himself a date among the ship’s lovely women… Bug rubbed his forehead, as the bay doors began to creak and move open, signaling the exchange of people and goods. “You like to make woeful omens, don’t you.” He quipped back at Lucius, before the cargo was revealed. The fourth prince remained neutral, scanning the sizable and bountiful cargo. A winery fit for royalty. That was…more than he expected, and…a small shiver ran down his spine. People who could pay this in the middle of the conflict were most likely to be depraved hellions. The figure next to the cargo, the would-be guest, waved her hand softly, as she walked towards the duo, with measured catwalk-like steps. She was a rather tall and shapely woman, rivalling Lieutenant Kaname’s looks and ranks. On her shoulders there was not only the Yatalian insignias of Federation troops, but also a distinctive Bug also recognized and seemed only to make his alarm more patent. “Medical Corps.” Bug could only whisper it in half a heartbeat. That was quite the unique and explosive combination. He decided to dial back Arrish. “Yeah, make the rations abundant. She is a medical corps Lieutenant on top of a pilot. Quite the combination.” At the very least, she was pleasing in the eye, even with her factions obscured by the helmet. But…it felt oddly familiar and not in a good way. Arrish grumbled once his communicator has begun alerting him. “What is it now? Surely I can't be required for so trivial a task.” Only after speaking would he pull it up to his ear and accept the call. “Yes, Astolfo? Do you need daddy to come down there and help his little kitten?” Though he spoke with bemused sarcasm his voice had been quite dry. “Like I tried to say early, put on your best show. Medic lady on top of being a pilot.” Bug would then say, before being compelled to make a salute as the figure approached. Was she asking to be patched through the conversation? “It appears the lieutenant wants to speak to you?” Arrish was getting annoyed. He didn't answer to another fleet much less a Yatalian one. “She can wait until after it is concluded then.” And he would hang up immediately. He didn't quite understand what all the trouble was about. While he was comfortable with letting Bug handle the drinks, it wasn't as if the stranger was all that important. Who was Bugatti trying to impress? Then something clicked in his head. “Oh, that rascal. Trying to impress a pretty stranger like that. I wonder if she's really worth all that trouble. . . Hmm, he didn't tell me what she looked like.” Lucius would also properly and formally salute the woman when Corporal Bugatti did, following in kind despite his casual attire at the moment, though what was a medical officer, much less a noblewoman, doing in a place like this off the cuff? Sometimes he silently didn’t bark back after the comment the Corporal had thrown his way….woeful omens indeed. He didn’t like them either. At the same time, however, the shapely and beautiful woman and the way the Lieutenant seemed to carry herself felt catlike to the brown haired younger man. As if she was a predator casually walking up to some fresh meat. She was coming here for the party, yes? Some R&R? That alongside all those drinks. [color=silver]“Welcome aboard, mam’,”[/color] he said to the uniformed figure, tone kept in a respectful and formal even keel, trying to give a warm but formal enough welcome to the new but still-concealed face before continuing. Even so, his back still stiff at attention all the same, [color=silver]“Though if I may have permission to ask, mam’, what led you to want to visit our humble little corner of space?”[/color] “Oh my…” The heavily distorted voice seemed playful as she looked at the young man. “What an eager…[i] puppy[/i] you are, yes. So full of questions.” The woman said, leaning slightly forward. “I guess I should answer your eagerness, cadet.” “I am here to wish for the success of this project, composed of chosen among chosen, by lending the hard-gained spirits that belong in my possession so that it might fortify your souls.” The woman said. “In Vino Veritas as they say.” Bug had gone completely silent, as his eyes widened significantly. “You…How is that you are [i]here[/i]?” He said, visibly startled. Lucius’ eyes flickered to the Corporal and his audible surprise before returning to the woman, a Lieutenant all the same who was leaning slightly forward in front of him on purpose. It certainly showed her….ahem….bounty? He wasn’t sure what word to use in the heat of the moment, really, among other things. Albeit now his feet were ever so slightly fidgeting in their own manner, even as his face kept on a proper mask of being calm and collected enough as it was. And the saying she gave to him? Was it local somewhere, or some old Earth language? And she wasn’t revealing her face as of yet….but her voice, distorted as it was, set off alarm bells in the Corporal’s head enough to get him to speak aloud. [color=silver]“I’ve always heard that a bit of good spirits can fortify one’s courage and ease tensions, as it were, but also that it will drink you up instead if you chase it down the rabbit hole to Wonderland all too eagerly and deeply. Like a rat that imbibes a bit too deeply of a fallen block of cheese from the counter, only to find himself now overly fat, unable to move, and now at the mercy of the grinning Cheshire Cat stepping out from the shadows where it had been watching…”[/color] And at that point? It was too late for the rat to get back out again, because he was already dead from the moment he stepped beyond the point of no return. Even so, his voice trailed off softly at the end of his speaking nonetheless. The lieutenant let out a soft laugh as she brought the underside of her hand right under the chin of her helmet. “So what are you then? A widdle wee bunny, afraid that he is too late? A tiny mouse, eager to sniff behind the wrappings? How…delightfully amusing.” She caressed the straps of her helmet, savouring each moment she was dangling the thread in front of this…eager youth. In a sense, he reminded her of a someone. “Alas, It’s the first time I’ve been called the Cheshire Cat. Most of the time, they just call me the Queen of Hearts.” The Lieutenant took her helmet off, revealing her [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019da2c5-4d9b-76b4-a77f-e68cce76b1eb.webp]visage[/url]. Dark blue hair cascaded through her shoulders, as mismatched eyes pierced Lucius with a bewitching stare. “Long time no see, runt.” Lucrezia smirked, her gaze resting on Bug for the moment. “You look nice for being an extra crispy chicken nugget. Are these your friends, perhaps?” The princess of Yatalia spoke clear. “...friends?” Bug looked at Lucy. “Yes, the one in the helmet. Isn’t he your shadow friend or something? Don’t tell me you didn’t see him. He’s right there.” Lucy cast a glance at the usually stealthy Jake. Bug gritted his teeth. He had to warn Arrish fast! His worst fear, made true. “I’d not do it if I were you. Snitches get stitches, not drinks.” Lucrezia chuckled for a moment.”And I can pull rank on you.” Wait. Wait wait wait. Had Bug not noticed the other pilot standing there this whole time too? Just him and this Lieutenant? Awkward. However, that was besides the point. The ease at which this woman was willing to pull rank and hide her arrival the moment she saw Bugatti’s reaction to her was telling. As was her unveiled appearance…like a poisonous flower that only bloomed under a moonlit sky. Frustration. Perhaps a desire to flee. The face of an enemy of his, perhaps, and more. That was what the unspoken exchange of the Corporal’s actions and her verbal reaction said to him. Set off all kinds of bad in the alarm bells in his head, that did, among other things, and given their similar appearance as Lucius looked slowly back and forth between them for a moment with his eyes alone it was easy enough to tell they were probably related. Siblings? Cousins? It certainly had that sort of energy to it. He hadn’t a sure knowledge of much of this overall, though, but his gut feeling was at least piping in well enough. [color=silver]“Soo…what kind of drinks did you bring?”[/color] Lucius said somewhat matter-of-factly in an attempt to ease the conversation off of the Corporal for a moment, even if the slightest touch of dread had crept in on the fringes of his tone. Still, he overall maintained a stoicism in the heat of the moment….even if he was ALSO glad he had not been the center of attention for a moment on the part of this Lieutenant. Though….a crispy chicken nugget? That was a bit too specific a metaphor for the Corporal, and given the man’s performance after getting out of the pod once he got ejected from the VR sim it felt fitting to associate those things in the brown haired younger man’s mind. But in the void of understanding it at least generated a somewhat mildly amusing mental image in kind for the moment being, though, despite himself. [url=https://i.imgur.com/NmEWkgh.jpeg]Such an image mostly consisted of the corporal’s head bouncing about on the body of a fast food chicken nugget, and it spouting some nonsense about having turned himself into one.[/url] But surely that choice of phrase was just some kind of nonsense or other inside reference to some past shenanigans, yes? “Drinks older than you, in any case. The kind you start a feud for, hm?” Lucrezia replied, her mismatched stare digging deep in Lucius’ eyes. Sizing him up. “I doubt we will get many opportunities to savour these…masterpieces, so why don’t you set your curious little mind aside and help my… vertically challenged brother haul them back? It’ll be worth it… I assure you.” [color=silver]“...Will do,”[/color] he’d respond in kind, eyes flickering over to the Corporal for a moment before returning to meet the woman's gaze once more. Queen of Hearts, she’d said? Still felt like a cat sizing up a mouse to him all the same, especially right now. Given everything….yeah this person felt like all kinds of problems rolled up into one. A predator seeking prey, as it were, just to more formally note what his gut instinct was screaming at him by this point in time anywho. “My, how eager.” Lucy leaned forward, breaching all sorts of personal space boundaries as she moved her face and eyes scarce inches away from Lucius. The young pilot could appreciate the fine neckline and the perfume of the princess in all detail, like those haunting mismatched eyes. “I love eager knights by my side…so very much. A far cry from the crude and rude ones in the Federation.” She added, withdrawing ever so slightly. “Well, what are we waiting for? We must give drinks…to the thirsty.” the princess withdrew, as she skipped merrily along. Bug shook his head. “You and your mouth, grab the cargo and play along. And for Pete’s sake, don’t draw her attention more than you’re doing right now. With a little luck she’ll only hit on Arrish.” He instructed Lucius muttering under his breath. “What a disaster.” Through all this, Jake merely quietly watched. Out of concern, he had been following Bug around. From when he took Cadet Elora to shady parts of the ship all the way up to this point. Then this “situation”...with his ‘awareness’, even Jake felt it…the tension…but also the possible hostility…even blood under the bridge. That’s when Jake finally spoke but perhaps due to his “suicidal behavior” kicking in or perhaps trying to lessen the tension. [color=f7976a]“...Ma’am…while I lack data…I can see the…tension…so I’m merely going to say this…whatever history you have with Corporal Buggati or anyone on board this ship…I recommend you leave it OFF…this ship…”[/color] Jake even tapped the pistol he had in his holster on his right hip and then tapped the combat knife he had on his right shoulder. It’s not often he’d go this far but again…something was telling Jake as he thought earlier that despite being royalty…she was dangerous. For his part, Lucius did just as the Corporal said for him to do. Not that he needed prodding in this instance, perhaps, or a command to go off and do something. He simply nodded, ignored Jake’s comments wholesale, and jotted off to begin moving the cargo and put some distance between him and the situation, and then finally let out a sigh of his own once he was hopefully well out of earshot. Maybe attempting to navigate this Lieutenant was going to be more of a hassle than simply [b]not[/b] interacting with her. Indeed, it seemed as if anything he did was going to make it worse at this venture except for keeping a distance where possible…. Bug facepalmed ever so slightly at Jake’s bravado. He tried to say something, but the Lieutenant raised her hand, indicating to him to shut up with a stare. “A most perfect example of the archetypal Federation grunt. Magnifique.” She said her head tilting so slightly as her joy was still unflappable, as if a new prey had been displayed before a predator. “...but I don’t really get it. Is it worth avenging whatever bro code you have with mine little brother jeopardizing the entire Solaire chain of command. So I’m gonna say, as the earthlings do, wipe my pretty ass with your [i]suggestion[/i] and you will shut up and carry the cargo, because you will not threaten a medical officer and superior pilot in this way and jeopardize this war.” She also did her share of pointing, her delicate finger going to a certain patch. The one of the medical corps of Earth. “Do you see this, cadet? This is only attainable if you have ancestry related to Earth and train with the Earth Defense Force. And those guys hang people by the manly jewels from the tallest ruins of the irradiated wreck of Manhattan for less.” Bug blinked. Earth? So Lucrezia, out of sheer spite, had retraced mother’s steps out of all things? He had written her as a spiteful poisoner, but …having combat skills was not on his playbook at all. He wished he could warn Arrish beforehand on how much more unhinged his sister had become. “I want a yes Ma’am, maggot.” Lucrezia said to Jake, in a commanding tone. Jake immediately stood at attention with a salute on that with the proper [color=f7976a]“Yes Ma’am!”[/color] But Jake knew that he had stepped over lines. He would accept whatever punishment that would come his way. But yet again, despite the lack of intelligence data…there was some bad history here. But now…it sadly wasn’t his problem. Following the other order, he quickly left to help unload the cargo required for the party. On his way, Jake ended up running head first into Lieutenant Ritsu as she suddenly rounded a corner, causing her to raise an eyebrow. “Ah, as silent as ever, huh? I didn’t even hear your footsteps. That might explain how you managed to keep unlicensed weaponry hidden on your person.” She crossed her arms, looking stern. “Solaire is watching, even when you think it isn’t. A Maser was reported missing during our routine automated inventory checks…From your rack.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Now, having read your profile, I understand what may have led you to the decision to keep it after the mission. You always want to be prepared, and stay ready in case of enemy attack.” She adjusted her glasses. “However, there are security protocols that need to be held for weapons possession, and you have breached one of them: pilots are to return their Masers to the rack after training or a mission. There are security personnel patrolling the ship at all hours, and you are not part of them. Only during duty such as firing range practice or emergencies is permission granted to possess them. This would usually constitute a much harsher punishment than usual, up to and even including dishonorable discharge. However, knowing your clean track record for weapons discipline, I can make an exception: return the Maser immediately, and I’ll let you off with an hour in the brig. Am I understood, Cadet?” “Now hold on a second…Kaname.” The figure said, skipping the rank mentioning. “I don’t really want to see brig latecomers in this party, so might I suggest…dressing him as waiter and having him serve drinks, as community service?” [color=f7976a]“...if that is what you order ma’am. I do have a “suit” that I sometimes use for undercover or bodyguard duties in the past if you feel it appropriate. Lieutenant Ritsu…apologies for not leaving my arms in the rack on off duty hours…old habits with my prior division since I had clearance to carry at all times…still adjusting to the rules of the Solaire”[/color], Jake said in a monotone voice while standing at attention and addressing both Ritsu and the medical princess. Jake then proceeded to take off the two holsters that held both his Maser and Combat Knife to hand it to Ritsu… Ritsu greeted the other Lieutenant with a salute once she intervened. “Lieutenant Lucrezia,” she greeted her, emphasizing the rank that the latter failed to mention. “You arrived early, it seems.” She kept a polite smile yet one could see it was not natural, her eyes sharp on the Yatalian royal, fully aware of the political implications. “Your proposal for upholding discipline is unorthodox…But acceptable, considering the circumstances.” She accepted the weaponry respectfully, and placed the Maser in an extra holster she had come equipped with as well as placing the combat knife in her breast pocket. “Thank you, Cadet Twilight,” she then spoke, still tense but showing some relief on her face. “I will leave the community service under your jurisdiction, Lieutenant. Now then, I have to sort the inventory and perform the necessary paperwork.” She gave one last salute, then turned and walked away, leaving Jake with the princess. “Do turn up for the dinner, Kaname. You look like you need to…unwind.” Lucrezia said playfully as she moved as she entered, like a storm. Bug could only feel the situation was dire… but then again…was not this his field of expertise?