FalloutJack

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

So, when you're a Gunner and your job is to make sure that people in your charge are adequately covered in all operations and don't get picked off by sniper fire, you get plenty of oppurtunities to just start people-watching. You watch as old friends talk and laugh, how new friends forge new bonds, and you also see - most regrettably - all the pains and grievances cutting across their faces.

This was what Britta Hagen had been doing with her time in the 15th Atlantic Rifles.

From the first day to the current one, she had gotten first and lasting impressions of those around her. She watched as Jean went from cautiously optimistic to nervous and under pressure to slowly disintegrating. She watched Michael grow more grimly determined and taller in spirit than he was in physical form. She watched Lucia's emotional state bounce from despair to horror to manically joyous, dependent on the situation. She felt she knew these people, just by glancing at them. Even Franz, for all his inwardness, couldn't help but show to even those that didn't know him that he was under alot of stress. However, out of them all, there was perhaps one person who defied normal description, because he didn't fit the normal venue: Isaac Black.

At first, he looked like some sort of veteran Gunner, but he was about as green as she was. Even his general anger towards the people that recruited him by force didn't account for that look in his eye. It wasn't always there, but there was something about it that offset every other read of who and what he was about. He did what her drill sergeant called 'soldiering on', dealing with situations with a sort of general disapproval, but willingness to approach the situation because he had to. He hated this war, but he fought with the same focus, every time. He never wanted to be here, but he didn't get on anybody's case when they were revealed to have volunteered for various reasons. He worked his ass off to support them, to keep them alive, even though he literally had better things to do.

Learning about him hadn't been a difficult task, though, once she started talking to him. Plenty of chances to do it too, being the company Gunners and having to coordinate alot. He was good in a situation and candid enough when just talking. The way Isaac cared about others was the best part. You could trust him with anything, if it was reasonable enough. He was responsible and protective of those around him, and when she learned of why... Well, let's just say that the whole 'raising of wolves' thing caught her by surprise...both by it having happened at all...and how it explained so much. As much as Isaac had raised his wolves, they had taught him things, as well. That was why he was so hard to place. Isaac didn't act like other people. Isaac was being Isaac, and you could really appreciate that.

So anyway, back to the people-watching.

She had seen how the squad was when wound-up tight. Now, she could see what they were like when there wasn't so much holding them back. Britta felt that it was maybe a bit early for some of them to get drunk. Ines, Luke, Franz, and the Oceanic lot were probably okay for it, but you wouldn't say that it was exactly wise for Jean to have a few in his condition, and you would definitely not want Lucia bouncing off the walls, but...too late there. Sitting at the bar, Britta had watched Luke's antics and the read-aloud of Jean's poetry, then heard cries for 'Mickey'...and knew that it was too late to save Lucia from this place. Hopefully, Michael would be able to help. Britta had been keeping a very careful eye on those two. Everyone worried about how well the Asseni girl was coping with her life in the army, and while she was everyone's friend, it seemed as though Isaac cared a fair deal about her and Michael was growing especially close. It made her think...

Well, really, it made her go to several places, as she had a couple of drinks. She'd been watching Isaac, as well. You could tell that he harbored no ill-will towards the average Imperial, because he had ended up talking to them as he got a few drinks into his system as much as he had Federation soldiers. He made his feelings known on the war, he said not to take it personally that he had to shoot them, and then there was that 'toast' to Captain Middleton, under his assumed name of Captain Grumpus, calling him the ultimate asshole. Honestly, she couldn't hold in her laughter as she raised her glass with a dozen people who didn't even know who he was talking about, plus any that did. It was then that she asked for that bottle of scotch, paid with whatever she had in her pocket to make the ends meet, and got Isaac to follow her to an unoccupied room. They'd already had their armor and normal fatigues off after starting to relax in the White Heart. It was just a matter of hauling them in there so nobody did anything with them OR their weaponry.

"You know, if people could just see places like this, they'd cancel the war and go home."

"You think so?"

"Well, mostly. I dunno. I got into an argument with the one guy with the moustache. He said the way we live is against his way of life. I told him I was a farmer and I raise food. I asked him what he had against food, and he said 'Nothing'. So then I ended up shouting at him about what he was even fighting for, and we got in a shouting match until he blurted out 'Your prices are too high!' and laughed like a loon."

They stepped into the room in question, finding a bed, dresser, chairs, small table, etc. Isaac immediately flopped onto the bed with a relaxing sound and a stretch as Britta opened the bottle with...some effort. She let out a triumphant "Hah-hah!" when she got it. Isaac turned over, curious.

"Oh, you brought something."

"Yeah, I thought you'd want something a little more special than the beer."

"My dad drinks whiskey. I tried that once. Didn't work out, though."

The silver-haired blinked.

"How old were you?"

"...five."

"Five?! Why were you drinking at that age?"

"Oh, my dad just handed me a shot and said 'Here, try this.', and watched the results as I stumbled around and made a mess on the floor. I apologized, then he apologized, then he sent me to bed to sleep off the after-effects. Mom wasn't pleased."

"I can imagine. The way you talk about him, he sounds like a good man, but that's just a bit weird..."

"Nobody's perfect. Gimme a glass."

She poured the two glasses, and they drank from them. Yeah...alot difference from the beer, more of a subtle impact and flavor, and definitely not as strong as whiskey. Also, neither one of them appeared to be getting sick, so Isaac pronounced them as having grown up a little, which made Britta chuckle at him as she sat down on the bed with him. After a moment of silence and reflecting on the loosening of their brains and how the room felt wobbly, Britta spoke up.

"So, there was something bothering you before, something you wanted to ask me?"

"Yeah... D'you...remember the charge? How it felt? Everything?"

"Vividly."

"Well, I almost got shot, and that freaked me out on the short-term, and then I didn't think about it, but...then at the cavalry charge, and the armored car..."

Oh yes, she remembered those quite well. Knowing the consequences of what happens when you foolishly charge those who shared the same training as you did made such actions all the more frightening. She waited for Isaac to continue, not interrupting him.

"Are you starting to see us at the end of your barrel? You, me, the rest of the squad?"

Britta looked down silently for a moment, then admitted that she had had a moment like that, just briefly.

"It was just me, just for an instant. I'd already fired and the soldier was already dead, but...directly after, it made me think a little."

They were finishing their glasses and Isaac got up to refill them now.

"We're here because we have to fight, but if we didn't have to, I don't think we would."

"But we don't have a choice, do we?"

"No, but...these people are just like us, so...let's not think of them any other way."

"Agreed."

They clinked their glasses, drank spirits in the name of the spirits manifesting at the ends of their guns, and settled into the warm buzz of alcohol even further.

"All that said, I'm glad that you're with us, Britta. I remember how that Sergeant, the one that got shot, gave you hell while we were waiting in the trenches. I'm glad he got it instead of you. I don't like the thought of anyone dying in general, but some people really have it coming."

"What, you mean like Captain Grumpus?"

"Him and that recruitment officer. 'I'll show you my natural combat ability!' I kinda' hope they both live so I can punch 'em in the face."

"Thank you for that. I know you watch over everyone in the squad, but I definitely feel more confident knowing that you do."

Britta got up to refill the glasses again and noticed...someone kept moving the room around, especially when she tried to go anywhere. It was like back in the train to Amone, but if it were doing nothing but making right and left turns. She just about managed to pour the drinks again and turned back toward the bed, where Isaac had gotten up to steady her, but things went wrong as he bumped into her, she tipped back, Isaac reached out to pull her in again, and the two of them tripped and fell onto the bed, glasses and drinks toppling onto the covers. Britta was almost on top of the wolf-training farm boy when he suddenly broke out snickering.

"We made a mess on the bed. Mom's gonna be pissed."

She couldn't help it. The two of them busted out laughing, both going red in the face as they lay on the bed, holding onto each other to keep their sides from splitting. When Britta finally realized their proximity, she didn't recoil nervously or anything. It just seemed natural to her. They'd been working closely together, sleeping next to each other... This was normal. Then, she remembered what it was that she wanted to talk about and pulled herself up so that she was effectively eye-level with Isaac, looking down at him in about as serious an expression as she could manage, given the circumstances.

"Isaac, can I ask you something?"

"Mmm?"

"I need you to pay attention for a moment, because It's important to me, okay?"

He blinked up at her, obviously having settled into an alcohol-engaged sort of mirth from the joke he just told, but he seemed to be aware enough to focus on her. He informed her in what sounded like a serious enough voice that he was listening, which was what she hoped for.

"You know that I joined the army willingly for my parent's sake, and that I'm not exactly against fighting in this war. We have to protect our own and stuff. But even still...there is one thing that I'm afraid of, and that's being alone and isolated and waiting to die."

This statement had a noticeable effect on Isaac, who had gone from passably focused to what Britta might have termed as 'Isaac letting the wolf out'. She continued, as he was clearly waiting for her to say her peace.

"I've had nightmares of this, being isolated from the group, wounded and bleeding out, and no one being there to help me or at least stay with me towards the end. There's nothing more frightening to me than dying alone. I don't want to die at all, but that's what worries me the most, being left to die without anybody there for me."

She leaned in closer now to say this last part.

"I want you to promise me, Isaac, because I know that I can trust you to do this: Don't ever leave me behind. If something happens, if I get separated from the group, please come looking for me...and don't give up until I'm found. I know it's selfish of me, but I..."

Britta trailed off as she felt Isaac pulling her in close, so there was nothing separating them at all, that in her moment of vulnerability while confessing her greatest fear, he thought of nothing but comforting her and making her feel safe. It reminded her of the moment he kept Lucia from watching all the caveliers die, that simple gesture to help people remain calm. And then, she heard...

"I absolutely promise. No matter what, I will come for you."

Relief flooded through her, as did the familiar warmth of the two of them being drunk. Or was that just their bodies so close together? It didn't matter, though, because whatever the reason was, they were already starting to react with it, without even thinking about it. Perhaps it was out of graditude or because he was so forthcoming, or just that age-old warning about alcoholic inhibitions, but suddenly Britta felt the need to get even closer to Isaac, even though that wasn't physically possible. Well, not traditionally... Already feeling intoxicated in at least a couple of ways, the two Gunners held each other even tighter as their lips met, their eyes shut, and they were lost to the world outside as far as anybody else was concerned. Whether it was a fit of passion or the start of a beautiful relationship, for now...it was good.

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

Time had passed and developments had not gone well.

Well, her talk with Anna had. It allowed her to get the young woman up to speed, and to get to know each other a little, all while smoothing over a few issues there might have been, getting along with Kxeyun. Potentially, there could have been confusion between the two, since Kxeyun was an escapee from the Reality Games of Denver-Vegas and Anna didn't know that she was a prisoner. Even stranger had been the fact that Anna had wanted to be IN those games. Taking from what she knew about it from Kxeyun, Terra couldn't imagine any reason why Anna would want that, unless she was not being given the full picture of what it was like when she watched them. In the end, Terra was able to clear up confusion regarding Kxeyun's departure from Denver-Vegas and she had entrusted the woman with an important task, though she hoped that it would not become necessary.

When the broadcast from the Red-Star carrier began...THAT was when it all went bad.

Osamu had made contact, and stated that they had caught Alexander Sky spying for Haven. This had seemed like a transparent farce, at first, given what Alex had done. She use to know Alex, a while back, and he was nothing now like he was back then. Then, as the recording started, Terra had to suppress shock as it turned out they had proof, an actual testimony between him and...Kyeyun?! It was hard not to show surprise as her eyes darted from the pilot of Sahaquiel to this display of Alex revealing information he couldn't have gotten unwillingly, and Kxeyun acting very strangely for a moment, before starting to act normal again. It actually hurt a bit to hear that the trauma-sufferer questioned her loyalty at some point. She could understand how most people at Haven would think that she was a potential double-agent, at least at first. When she failed to do anything devious and was go for missions, Terra took that as a vote of confidence. She hadn't even pushed for it. She just figured it would happen eventually and that would close the matter. Apparently not, however. Kxeyun was, perhaps, her first friend outside of any acquaintence in Red-Star. She'd promised to help the Denver-Vegas woman get control of herself. Even after that...

Osamu capitalized on this, but Terra only stared at the floor as he exposed not only one wound...but two that she was trying to conceal. She expected this latter one about her parents, but with the distrust suddenly emerging from Kxeyun or whatever that was, Terra wasn't in the mood for banter at the moment. She'd kept the business of her family or even their real names out of it all, never mentioning them until she had spoken to Anna. She had done so because she suspected that Red-Star would make their move against her, and that it would leave her open, bloody and exposed, to all who watched. She'd asked Anna to do what snipers do best, for her sake, to show where all loyalties lie and make damn certain that nothing more can be done to her that hasn't been done already.

Her suddenly grim composure didn't change when Alex protested Osamu's actions, but...deep inside, she was just slightly-pleased to hear him taking a stand instead of being the domino waiting to fall, as he had been when she first met him. Even still, this wasn't good. Alex wasn't her enemy, but her ally, and now she couldn't kill him for doing what he did to Kxeyun, because...he'd actually tried to straighten her out and he was just a man in a cage now. Had everyone she ever sowed the seeds of descension been put through hell now? Even the boy she'd known when she was ten? It seemed like she was responsible for as much suffering as Red-Star, but in a twisted and backwards sort of way.

Dammit, it wasn't suppose to be this way. I had cut ties, left it all behind so I could dedicate time and effort to those who must succeed. I sabotaged Red-Star in every little way I could think of while they thought I was on their side, destroyed everything I could, but all the people I changed... Did they all turn out thinking as I do, but a mere slave to orders as Hisako was? Alex had to become the enemy just to cover that he was a friend, and now even HE is going to suffer. I wanted to avoid this kind of connection in the wat, but it seems I can't do that at all...

When Osamu then began sabotaging his own apparent sabotage of the trust around her regarding all the defectors, Terra glared at the holo-display of the artificial human with a look that could only be described as 'What the fuck?'. Seriously, what was he playing at, now? If he wanted to inflict maximum pain, he'd already done it, since - like Dread's own scorched earth policy in dealing with Haven - it had done damage that no among of mech combat will fix. It was a severe setback. Now, though...what was he up to? He was revealing Alex's NC, clearly being used by another, and then...and then...

And then, Terra's worst fears were confirmed.

She had always known that if she left Red-Star, the lives of her parents were forfeit. She had spent years coming to terms with that, because she could think of no way to save them that would not endanger her ability to leave. Id had only room in its cockpit for one person, and it was calibrated for her endurance levels, besides. Her escape would never have been able to take place if she had not left them behind, with no attempt to explain and no prior indicators. Red-Star had been watching her like a hawk. Her mother and father had been at the mercy of the people who augmented her shortly after birth, and she had hoped that they had simply killed them, but...that was not the case.

No, because apparently strapping them into a pair of heavily-armored support-fire weapons were a much better fate. It became harder and harder for Terra to retain some semblance of her composure as Osamu offered Alexander in exchange for the life of her parents. He wasn't offering. He was entrapping. He knew that she would still never return to Red-Star, even at the cost of their lives, but he was making them a direct part of the war, and enticing them to kill her parents in order to free Alex...who was valuable and even potentially her friend. This...was an attack. It was a direct assault on her, making her pay for everything. Had they known all along that she had altered those people while she was still theirs? Had they just wanted to see what would happen, then stir up the bee's nest for the same reason? Terra's shoulders slumped. Osamu had indeed made this hurt as much as possible. Even if he didn't know how she and Alex were connected, he had forced her into 'The Deadly Villain Choice', and he already knew which one she would choose.

The people in the room finally reacted now. Anna told the others she was taking out the artillery guns. The way she said it, it sounded like she was doing it not for tactical reasons, but because Terra had asked. That was good, because this was exactly the sort of thing he needed her for. Another pilot was all for killing Osamu directly, which was kind of a sentiment that Terra could get behind, if he was even reachable. In the midst of this, Terra had heard Kxeyun muttering about the whole ordeal. She'd been about as confused as everyone else about the exchange, and the way she spoke at the end of the recording said that something had temporarily hijacked her mind or that even her mental condition was even stranger than imagined. In that moment, Terra was certain that the Kxeyun talking now was not what spoke from Sahaquiel, and that this was the same woman who now seemed to agree that rescue was a secondary...

Rescue?

Terra looked at her. Even though she said 'secondary', Kxeyun even considered it? No, it was impossible... Now, Kxeyun was directly bad-mouthing Osamu. Trying to throw him off of his game? Perhaps. Kxeyun's words felt like an apology. 'I did not mean it.', about how her curious other self had spoken with Alex. She was the same dedicated Denver-Vegas pilot, taking a stand. It made Terra feel a bit better than before. However, things changed after Adam Philips spoke. He publically denounced Osamu - which was fine - but then he turned to Terra directly...with orders. He was the Field Captain, second only to Commander Narra. He said to... No... This time, surprise was on her face, couldn't be hidden, because he blatantly told her to rescue her parents.

She felt happy- NO, THIS IS WRONG! YOU HAVE TO END THEIR SUFFERING! But if he wants them alive, then he trusts- WHAT ABOUT ALEX? THEY TRUSTED HIM TOO! But if her parents were safe- IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! ADAM DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY OPERATE! It's a direct order- HE IS WRONG! LET ANNA TAKE THE SHOT! They were making her choose between two very important lives- ALEX IS MORE IMPORTANT. Can't they take them both, if Adam was telling her to go on this rescue- THEY WILL KILL ALEX ON THE SPOT. They out-numbered them, though. THEY STILL HOLD THE CARDS THAT MATTER. THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THAT.

Terra was about to speak out against the captain's decision, to remind him of why the situation wasn't as simple as he thought, but a hand gripped her shoulder from behind. It was Hisako, who had been cleared for battle, but remained silent up until this time.

"You were about to remind him about on-board triggers, weren't you?"

"Of course I was. The entire thing could blow up in our faces if we so much as scratch the plating. You know how they operate. No, more than that. You know they won't make the same mistake with you or me. They will have made sure the prisoner can't escape."

"It's not a problem. The way we'll be jamming the system, they'll be barely able to aim, much less react to what we're doing."

"Hisako, you know as well as I do that there could be redundant equipment for detecting surges, vibrations, and so forth that are out of line. You would have to know where to cut and how precisely to cut just to keep the detonators from reacting to such an attempt."

At this, the other Red-Star defector smiled.

"Did I ever get around to telling you how Grand Sword Star can scan the entire spectrum in order to map out an enemy's schematics, determine its weaknesses, and outline the best form of attack? Or that my sword can cut through armor and electronics like it's soft butter?"

Terra just stared. It could work.

I may have to give you what you want of me, after all, Hisako.

She hadn't even considered the equipment aboard GSS. The unique sensors could get every detail of the tank machines and disable any part of it, yes even surgically. She will have been trained for similar situations. Terra had saved Hisako Kobayashi from a life of pain and misery...and now she could pay back the favor, yet Terra would still feel as though she were in her debt. Strange... Terra now faced the both off them, pushing back the ambivalant weirdness in her mind to allow herself a smile.

"I'd abandoned hope of getting what I want without supreme sacrifice. Kxeyun, thank you for believing in me. And Hisako, thank you for this. Let's go get all of our equipment set up. We all need wide-range jammers, not just my comm system, and we all need direct-wire communications, just in case. Hisako, you must complete your scan before we engage the armored cannons and begin jamming. I have no idea what effect it has on your equipment. Come on. We have work to do."

NCQuest - A Mecha RP: The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)

I say we extend.

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

Isaac did not wake up well, when he did. Unbeknownst to him, though, it was going to get better.

The reason he did not get up well was because his sleep was fitful, cold, and there'd been one moment he awoke with a start. His dreams had been the kind of disturbing imagery you'd expect: He was opening fire on Hill 58 and gunning down the cavalry that they'd all been around to see and hear shriek its last. In the middle of it all, he thought he'd heard a faint howl and that's where his eyes shot open. He thought he'd heard something, and thought he'd felt something. It was impossible to determine whether anything he'd heard was not a part of his dream, because nothing else seemed to present itself as evidence. As for what he felt, it was like someone jostled him slightly, and as Isaac checked, he discovered that that was exactly what had happened. Britta had been asleep next to him and for whatever reason - cold, nightmares, etc. - she had sought another and wound up leaning against it. No objections, he tried to go back to sleep, found maybe a bit more time of what he assumed was sleep, and then they were all told to get up. The passage of time was truly a mystery to one who is asleep, and so Isaac felt groggy, muggy, and dead.

Things would improve, later on. For now, though, he picked himself up and so did Britta. The silver-haired gunner seemed distracted, as well, and the reason was that her dreams hadn't been any better than Isaac's. Hers...was that she was pinned down in that room without Isaac, Ines, or Gwyn...and that it was the armored car that was doing the pinning. It didn't look to Isaac that now was the time for talking. Neither of them were in any great mental condition, you see, and they needed all the mental strength they had for machine gun overwatch. So, that was what they focused on. Now, you'd probably say that everyone should check their weapon for any sort of problems before heading out, but the two Gunners knew that their weapons were practically new. The only REAL concern was ammo count. Yes, you hope you find the enemy having some ammo for you to use once they're dead, but the truth is that Isaac and Britta's steady stream of kills did not leave them with much in the way of recup'd ammo. There hadn't been all that many Gunners on the streets here. Not unlike the machine guns on Hill 58. Now, fortunately, the point of a Gunner was that they filled you up with ammo so that you don't run into such problems easily. It's just that these two had the most people dead of all the people in the 15th. That still drank a fair chunk of their respective supplies. It would've been pretty bad if they'd wasted much ammo on the armored car.

It was very foggy outside... It reminded Isaac of the most temperate climates of Edinburgh. No city of his area was safe, and even the farm suffered from it, a bit. The fog was always thick in Hadleigh, and when he went into town, you ran the risk of running right into someone. Into...into... Isaac's eyes widened in realization. When he was a kid, he'd gotten lost in the fog and separated from his parents, and instead bumped into Mila Wagner! THAT was where he'd seen her! She was a wealthy socialite in Hadleigh, though at the time, Isaac had just thought of her as a stuck-up kid. It was a foggy day, he'd gottan lost, they bumped into each other, she got indignant on him, he shouted back, and it was after an argument about their given lifestyles and why theirs was the best...that Isaac's parents found him and that they could go home now.

Damn, and I didn't even attempt to make up with her. At least I know WHY she seemed so familiar now.

People began to pay more attention to the day once Jean basically called to attention and explained the plan for the day, which was to keep moving - carefully and quietly - under the concealment of the fog. It was a good idea, of course, but then it also meant their own visibility was going to be shit. Jean...probably shouldn't have mentioned the idea of the machine gun car deciding to take a 'liking' to them, as in a liking to use them all for target practice. Starting the day with 'We have to keep moving and keep ahead of the enemy' is fine, but don't add 'By the way, we might get hit by that armored monstrosity again'. That's what you call a morale no-no. Everybody knows that it could be lurking with intent. They didn't need it in their faces like that.

So! They moved out into the spooky foggy day. Visibility was, of course, very poor...which is why they had to be quiet. With thick enough fog, this was what the enemy would be looking for. Why did Isaac know? Because he was trained for this. There's alot of machine gun drills revolving around finding the best opportunities to spray an area with gunfire. In this particular case, he had been blindfolded and put in a constructed tower, then asked to determine the alligiance from sound along. Footsteps said nothing. Unless your man was sneaking around and the area was controlled strictly by your side, you couldn't tell if a man walking around was disreputable and kill-worthy or not. Even still, you get people who would fire anyway, and who wants to be at the business end of THAT? So, they tell you to be quiet anyway, just in case of trigger-happy fools, AND because it's your chatter that gives you away. Your accent and mode of speech is as damning as a fingerprint. You will marvel at how an Imperial soldier - Nay, any soldier at all - can tell the difference between an Imperial and some farmer from Hadleigh in Edinburgh. Or at least, he'll know it's not an Imperial territory dialect and shoot. They were spared this as they moved along and found indicators of something called a White Heart. Isaac had no idea. He turned to Britta, and the Gunner lady had a good answer for him.

"White Heart?"

"Could be a hospital."

Now, you ask if Isaac, Britta, Reyna, and everyone else noticed Jean's change in general action, and we will say 'Yes' to the two Gunners noticing. Not that Isaac disapproved, per se, of him wanting to look ahead for the safety of others, but his talk with Jean had revealed much, and he had been giving off the kind of talk a suicidal man might have. Asserting yourself is fine, but throwing yourself into something was definitely unhealthy. Isaac kind of hoped that nothing bad was going to happen to him as a result of this turn-of-a-new-leaf. There was...something up ahead, presumably whatever White Heart was. Whatever Jean was hearing from the fog, Everyone else would pick it up a bit fainter, but...that was people, wasn't it?

This was where someone called out, and Jean was approached by a man. They seemed to talk and...wasn't that an Imperial soldier with a bunch of medals? What's going on here? A man that decorated doesn't get that way by openly talking to a high-strung Jean with a rifle. When no promise of violence occurred from either men or anyone out in the fog, Jean lowered his weapon. After that, Gwyn and Luke decided 'The hell with it' and approached. Isaac wanted to, as well, but let's be perfectly honest here: You want him watching your back - and Britta his - instead of sauntering on up to give off the old 'What's all this, then?'. There's no question of it. It was his job, and he had to either be prepared to fire at a moment's notice, or wait for some indication that things were more relieving.

"Thoughts, Britta?"

"If it's a hospital, it's sounding awfully jovial. Wish this fog would clear up. I can't see it clearly."

After a further lack of gunfire or maybe even a sudden stabbing by the man talking to Jean, it became apparent that - for some reason - there wasn't going to be any battle here. Okay...and that left what, then? Well, in Isaac's case, enough was enough. Time to approach the place and see what the hell was going on. Isaac's vision became Jean's as he was able to see the building and...it was an inn! It was a most substantial inn. And yes, they were going IN the inn. Jean appeared to be taking the gracious invitation of...the Green Fox.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The full story of the White Heart Inn became apparent once they'd walked in. Neutral inn, open to everyone and demanding that everyone behave...within reason. Obviously, this place was for the purpose of removing one's frustrations, and that comes in many forms. Now, Isaac and Britta had come in after Ines had finished talking to...someone. Didn't catch who that was. No big deal, though, because after she apparently turned to the bartender and asked for one of what was being served here, those two walked in as the person had their back turn, and then suddenly saw more people in the same uniform and had to get some more. As a result, the two Gunners walked in...and were automatically handed two drinks. They were also informed of {A} beds (though Isaac had heard mention of that by Jean outside) and {B} baths. Holy shit, this place was truly a weighstation of paradise or something. Food, drink, the ability to get clean, and the ability to get rest. He looked at Britta, who had perked up at hearing these things. With a shared gesture of 'Bottoms up', the two tipped their bottles up and began to drink the house brew.

Time passed, and Isaac had used it on various conversations among Feds and Imperials alike, trying to explain situations and learn things. For instance, he had attempted to - while he was still relatively sober - gain information about the armored cars from a very inebriated Imperial soldier.

"How the hell did you get those machine gun cars?"

"We built them of course!"

"No, I mean how'd you get them here and nobody in all the Federation around here knew that?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"

"I don't believe it NOW, and I've seen one of these things!"

...then explain his circumstances to Fed and Imps alike while getting a bit gabby from having a few drinks...

"Look, I get it, alright? You all think you need to trade bullets, but you've got it all wrong. You need to trade money to get what you want. I don't need this war. You guys started it. You're the ones who decided that a simple bloody farmer - a man who makes you the FOOD you put on the table - should be off fighting your war. I was just minding my own business. It isn't fair that I have to deal with this when other people have got to eat. I raise cows and wolves and shit, dammit! What? No, not actually raising shit."

...and then, finally, comparing rotten COs.

"Oh, you think you have it bad? I've only been in this outfit two battles and I hate it, and I hate my commanding officer, of course. Now, I'm not going to name 'im because he'll literally kill people over this, but I have to... I have to... Hold on, I got this."

He stood up near the bar and got people's attention with a combination of knocking on the bar counter and going "Hey!". He then spoke in a manner that was surprisingly solemn and meaningful...which was thoroughly unsuitable for what he was about to say.

"I would like to propose a toast. Out there somewhere, far and away from the ensuing violence...probably...is a man with no morality, no sense of decency at all. He'll have you shot for desertion. He'll have you shot for insubbordination. He'll have you shot if you even call him the wrong name. ...fortunately, he's not HERE."

He'd checked. Isaac now raised his drink.

"To the ultimate asshole, Captain Grumpus."

Isaac snerked and drank his drink. He hoped that Middleton got wind of this, but with no context or details to give it clarity. I mean, look at some of the Imperials and the Feds who all raised their glasses. They don't even know who he's talking about! They just did it to be funny and they'd probably spread rumors or something! At least, he hoped they did, 'cause that would be funny as hell.

Meanwhile, Britta had had a couple of drinks, and then eyed a nice bottle of scotch that the bartender had. She asked to use it, fully intending to have a private word with Isaac. He'd wanted to speak to her about something before and...so did she, actually. Now was as good a time as any. After convincing the 'tender to say yes, she got two glasses and strode over to him.

"Isaac, do you think I could borrow you for a while?"

"It is possible, but I know for a fact that my legs have gone a bit stumbly."

"I can handle it. Follow me, or stumble and let me give you a hand."

"Alrighty. Lead the way."

They would be taking a room for this.

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

This is going to require ALOT of updating from the me part...

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

ISAAC BLACK

Britta Hagen

If it's any consolation to Lucia, the soldier who shot Michael was probably dead, unless he or she was in that monstrous armored machine gun car. Many of the soldiers out there had been gunned down by Isaac and Britta, and those who hadn't made it into buildings...where it was in all likelyhood that Ines, Jean, or anybody else who found such a soldier ended their lives. It would've been ironic if Jean was the very one who killed the one who injured Michael, in fact, or even Franz... It wouldn't sit well if Franz had helped out the one who shot the short sapper, but let's leave that for later. The truth of things was that despite the shock and terror of the attack, they had managed to acquit themselves well, back there, once again shedding human lives at the cost of their sanity. And while some were still in one piece, others were hurting badly.

All he could do was attempt to balance it all, somehow, because the people he worked with cracked themselves to pieces.

His own attempts to talk to Jean were an attempt to reach him, saying 'I'm here and I want to help, hell or high water.'. Nevermind if it was right or smart, for now. It needed to be done. There were already enough times, thus far, that Isaac wanted to take the brunt of Jean's pressures off of him, to soak up some of the pain and leave him just a little more secure in his mind. Isaac's anger towards his situation staved off thoughts of despair, but the thought of others not coping in that kind of perseverence made him feel bad. He should ask Britta about this later, though, as a thought about all this struck him. Well, if she was still up. Anyway, to Jean's predicament, which the Lance-Corporal remained jokingly asleep until the silence was broken.

Broken silence, broken spirits. Jean had tossed over a picture of a young lady in uniform, one that he identified as his sister, deceased. She was a casualty of the war during a fight on the Raloth River, and this among other things was on Jean's fragile mind. And we don't say that to give off the impression that the Corporal was losing his mind, but he was a caring sort, and his cup runneth over with blood and bad memories. He was drowning in 'em. He started to tell him the whole story, or enough of this particular one out of the jumble that may be laying at his feet, taking back the photo. Olivia was gone, and the rest of his family were, as well, and all because of goddamn race hatred. He was angry at Luke for his stupid big mouth and at himself for being just as pissed off that he had one. He had no one left in his life, except for maybe what he had here. And then he made a comment about two in particular that he...well...he didn't exactly say, but in his state...it wouldn't be hard for Isaac to piece together a few things, especially because of the poetry from before.

He isn't just pulling them towards him because he's good. He's in desperate need of their comfort.

Isaac let Jean pour out, just listening for the moment and not interrupting. He had stopped pretending to be asleep after he'd looked upon the photo of Olivia, and had just been looking his way, watching him carefully. The young Corporal wasn't thinking of suicide, but you know that someone who says 'I have nothing to live for!' isn't exactly thinking much for the long life he has ahead of him. That broken, terrified soldier...we back at the beginning of this, before the charge... Good god, to look back at him now... Was he even alive still, or did he buy it on the very day they all went out onto Hill 58? As Isaac was wondering this, Jean started ordering him to go, to leave him be. Dammit, not now, Jean! It's not to say that he had to respect the chain of command, because Jean wasn't really ordering him like a Middleton. He was pleading for him to go, and while Isaac didn't want to...it was a little hard to ignore what he was asking right now. Having already pushed, the Lance had only one recourse if he wanted to keep Jean's friendship and mutual understanding.

"Alright, alright... You win."

He got up to his feet, and then paused.

"I'm gonna process this, for now, but there's one thing you're mistaken about. You DO have friends. Or at least, I am."

He was resonating with everyone, right? That was another word for being friendly, understanding, even caring. It fit well enough. Isaac stepped away from Jean now. He found Britta not yet asleep yet and got down nearby after making sure everyone seemed at least comfortable.

"Well?"

"Everyone is intact, mostly. Lucia is worried about Michael, but I think he'll be okay. Ines looked like she'd been watching me, watching Jean..."

"And how is Jean?"

"Not good, but I think you guessed that as much as I did. I've done what I can, though, hopefully do more later when he can stand it. What about you? What's keeping you up?"

"Franz... He said he was okay, but you know there are people who say they're okay when they're really not?"

Isaac thought about it, and then nodded at her.

"It seems like he's got too much to think about, as well. Maybe it isn't the same impact as Jean, but it's not nothing, despite him insisting so."

"You'd have to be crazy to say there's nothing wrong with you."

"Anything wrong with you?"

"Yup."

"Wanna tell me about it?"

"Later. Been meaning to ask, but...actually tired now. Gonna go to sleep for real now."

He wasn't kidding, either. People like Jean were emotionally draining, to themselves and to others. They were good people hurt bad. It was inevitable. Britta watched Isaac close his eyes and drift off to sleep. She looked around to see if anyone was having any immediate troubles, then turned back to the Lance-Corporal for a moment.

Something he'd been meaning to ask... Yeah, me too.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

RIKES

Dull. Dull, dull, dull...and wet. Smelled wet. Hated the wet. The outside smelled of damp, of wet things putrifying, and he didn't like it. Only reason it wafted in was because of the window open in the upper room for the lookout, but the lookout wasn't looking out because it was so rainy out. The lookout would just get his stuff wet if he did more than look around the immediate area. The downstairs remained warm enough, but the smell of it made him groan. A sympathetic pat on the head answered his call, though, so it wasn't all bad. He remained on the carpet, not too far from the seated others, who did things at low light with the windows blocked so the light couldn't get out.

Time passed.

He dozed.

Then...noise.

Something different, a sound drew his ears up, his body taut as he stood up and growled low in warning. The others got to their feet and the one upstairs hissed down "It's ours!". He was then asked to settle down and he did. Apparently not an enemy, then. The door was unlocked after someone on the outside knock-knock...knock...knock-knock-knocked. The door was opened, briefly, and a wet man came in.

"What're you doing? You know we're in a heavily-contested area, spying on enemy movements. You could blow our cover!"

"I know, I know, but this was too important. Things may or may not change drastically, because of it."

"Well, let's have it."

"Major Willis is dead."

The room fell quiet, felt grim. He didn't know why, exactly. He didn't understand the explanation that followed. It was somehow important to them, and that meant that the wet man was no longer unwelcome, but rather the news he brought. All he knew was that something bad had happened, something important was lost. Maybe that's all that needed to be said.

Shingeki no Kyojin: Cleansing Amongst Man { Jack & Angel }

The thing about calling her by name was about what she was comfortable with...and also sort of a humbling thing. Kate didn't think of herself as important, even though she had knowledge and precision operation in Titan-killing down to a T. She didn't have her mother's talent, exactly, and she didn't want to take over for her, just yet, because the real Dr. Bellows had been, in her eyes, irreplaceable. She had been there too. In fact, she was there for the sudden initial blast that was the Colossal Titan's very first kick. And...you know how that was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The gate had exploded. Several people were instantly killed while others were injured. Everything was in disarray, panic was in the streets already. Among some of that rubble was a brown-haired woman with a pair of broken glasses who'd been hit by a number of rocks while thrown by the shockwave and was lying near a torn-up shop, adbent-mindedly running her head through some calculations to distract herself from the pain. She was still doing such when her teenaged daughter found her.

"...so we must conclude that the ratio of the force indicated by the blast was equal to the mass of a leg several times larger than a creature that size needs to stand up, even though..."

"Mom!"

"Ah... There's my little protege'. How are you, my dear?"

"Mom, we have to go. It isn't safe!"

"I'm broken, sweetheart... Couldn't move if my life depended on it."

"Then, lemme take you somewhere they can fix you!"

The woman narrowed her view and her casually-delirious tone vanished.

"Katherine, you know there isn't time, and that I'd probably die on the way. Leave me now and save yourself."

"But...I..."

"I know, I know, but they're coming...and I won't let them take me."

The Colossal Titan having moved its foot, the entryway was now free for Titans to filter in. Myra Bellows touched Katherine's cheek with a smile.

"You are the best years of my life. Now, go."

She went...and rather weirdly, the last thing she heard from her mother was of her blowing a raspberry at one...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her time trying to engage with others outside of the friends she had was hard, and she had withdrawn into herself for a while, to the point where it might've seemed like she relapsed. This wasn't much worse than others around her, of course. Eren had lost his parents, which were Mikasa's surrogate family, as well. Armin had also lost everything. Really, was there anyone who hadn't lost nearly if not completely all when this tragedy started? Still, it all made authority a bit scary to Kate, taking time to eventually work it all out in her head, especially when her Aunt discovered her. That all rather-neatly landed her in their current situation, where Kate could just about manage to get a seemingly-cold-but-perhaps-not-really Lieutenant warm up a little.

"I'd...rather call you Sara, than Lieutenant Reinhardt, myself. Don't worry, though. I won't be like Aunt Hange..."

So, she won't be overly-dramatic or eliminating personal space without consent? Thank goodness.

Shingeki no Kyojin: Cleansing Amongst Man { Jack & Angel }

Yes, it did seem like she had come over to Sara with this thing because she would be in the know and would not give her hell over it. The Lieutenant - while she had been cold to people in the past - also seemed to have a certain soft side that Kate had been noticing. Eren could have ended up in alot of bad ways, but in her own way, she had shown that she cared for the plight of others as more than just doing the job or following orders. What is it they referred to this as? Going above and beyond the call of duty? Yes, that sounded right. Although, this was more like delving deeper into the heart of humanity, given the situation. In either case, it was a great quality to have, and definitely great to see it in a person like Sara Reinhardt.

In Kate's world of trying to make sense of the world and all the people in it, the people who behaved irrationally toward's Eren's plight seemed less and less human, and more like unthinking animals. The things they said back there... The MPs were a bunch of scared roaches, and it was deplorable. The first real victory, and they were prepared to waste it... Well, that was over now, and in light of that, Kate had indeed been getting a little more proactive with her work, her smile broadening as Sara remarked.

"I'll be demonstrating it at the base."

Plans were in motion, then. Now, while Kate was eating, she actually stopped when she heard Sara curse. She wasn't sure why it was she did that, at least not without noticing after a second that she was apparently rather tired. This seemed a good a time as any to broach a particular subject, something that'd been standing out to her that need not be, at least not with her. So, after a moment...

"You really don't have to be formal with me, you know. Everyone knows that I don't... I really don't think that way, about title and position and stuff. Makes me uncomfortable. Maybe one day I'll be Dr. Bellows...but right now I'm just Kate, or Katherine. Whichever works."

Because someone like Sara, who helped out a friend of hers, deserved to BE a friend, to be someone Kate cared about.

Shingeki no Kyojin: Cleansing Amongst Man { Jack & Angel }

With Eren's situation squared away and the young man himself out of harm's way, there was at least a brief moment of calm, at least until the morning. So, for instance, now...people were taking their evening meal. Speaking of Katherine, though, she hadn't shown up like everybody else, not at the same time. In fact, it would be around the time Sara was finishing her meal that the light-haired lass would hear a telltale rolling sound. It was a distinct sort of noise. It was big, heavy, and wood. It was almost like a log, you might say. It wasn't a bad guess to take, even. In fact, better than bad, it was good, because the real answer was a loaded wooden barrel

In fact, looking over at the source of the sound, one might say that it was a powder keg, except that it was labeled 'Beans'.

The propellor of this rolling container took a steady path to the kitchen to get her food, obtained the night's meal, and then actually headed over in Sara's direction to take a seat nearby, steadying the barrel with using some deft foot control before making use of the salt and pepper on her meal. Kate Bellows treated this odd action like it was nothing. Whether it was actually nothing or not would require some probing, if one was up to it, because instead of explaining this business, the Brunette spoke thusly while enjoying her meal.

"I know the Elites didn't really take to the Titan-Shredders, since it doesn't mesh with their overall technique, but copies will be in circulation by the expedition, and I think they will like the new weapon."

Or was that an explanation? Those probably weren't beans in that keg. It was probably exactly what you think it is in there, and that means that Kate was planning on firing something, blowing something up, or both. The smirk on the girl's face said she was definitely looking forward to this. Despite the length of the day and what they'd had to do, she still had the time and energy for mischief, it seemed.

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard ~

Okay, it was kind of obvious that Jean had suffered another Jean Moment, but he didn't wanna talk about it. For those of you at home, Isaac was starting to call every sort of circumstance that seemingly breaks or close-to-breaks his Darcsen friend a Jean Moment. It's a description fitting for any event that 'Jean wasn't ready to handle, but he had to do it anyway'. This was also something you could call a Lucia Moment, because the Asseni girl wasn't exactly in a different spot than Jean, at times, or even possibly 'Franz will flip his shit', but we won't be saying that one out-loud. Still, Jean didn't really want to talk about it. They'd attacked, something not-great happened, and now they were gone, leaving some hurt and shell-shocked. Michael was hurt. Was it about Michael? Isaac nodded at his thanks, not wanting to leave it at that, but Jean was practically giving him orders to leave it.

With that in mind, he walked off to 'prepare for departure', which is to say 'look around and make sure nobody is about to ambush them' while Britta was engaged in brief conversation with Franz. Yes, we're back to Franz, who also denied that anything was wrong, when it was plenty clear that something was off. It wasn't for lack of experience, as he claimed it, though. As for Britta...

"I'm alright, for the most part. It's just a bit exhausting, watching over everyone, making sure that nobody about to take us unawares. I don't smoke, sorry."

"I'll take one, just in case."

Isaac had seen the offered ciggy and just sort of yoinked it, in passing. Hey, it was freely given, and while he had never really gotten into the habit, his father always said that the occasional break from the healthy wasn't too bad. Britta, meanwhile, felt bad that Franz wasn't really comfortable talking about what was bothering him. Freya was pretty sure there was stuff up with the likes of Jean, Franz, Lucia...and all of this was basically first impressions, and she was right, of course. If a relative newcomer could pick it out, then it was pretty obvious, and yet Franz was sealed up tight. Damn...

After a short while, Jean gathered himself to speak to everybody. Jean was trying to find strength in this moment.

"Well, they DID say it wasn't gonna be easy to get there."

Specifically, the group they met here said that. Didn't they? Weren't they the ones who expressed how difficult it was...and then a new armored weapon killed the lot of them, if not a good chunk of them? As they all got into 'formation' to go - Isaac and Britta naturally positioned to protect the squad with rapid-fire 'Piss off!' - Isaac found himself thinking about that machine. It was kind of freaky, coming up with a device like that. It was secure from next to all the gunfire and perhaps even the grenades. Although, thinking about it...it couldn't do much if you were right next to it. Oh yeah, drive around, but how much room was there to maneuver in these streets, really? Realistically, you could only be there to do your thing or bugger off, unless you had someone there to keep people from crawling all over your armored self. That was where a crazy idea about jumping onto one of these things and using this prybar device he had was coming from in Isaac's head. He kind of had to think about it, because this wouldn't be the last of those they ever saw. They needed to have a plan when they saw one again, and that meant thinking in terms of 'even if we don't have explosives'.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Time passed.

They'd been in and out of buildings, hit by rain or sheltered by the still-intact parts of this massive city. They had been, as per the intent to preserve the squad, meticulous and cautious in their progress towards the target tunnels. Currently, they were out in the rain, which was not altogether pleasant. The only advantage it had was that the noise of it covered (sort of) the noise of their passing. Providing there wasn't some kind of huge splash involved, they were masked, it seemed. Isaac as feeling some of the strain of watching every shadow, and having to simultaneously be sure of whether or not it was an attacker...and having to check himself from making an unwarranted noise that could draw attention. We'll skip the play-by-play of that matter and just simply state 'Mostly no, but a couple times yes'.

Ahead lay a building that could be potential shelter from the weather, and in fact would suffice, as there was nobody inside. It was largely empty, though, and those that were hurt were taking the beds. Fair enough. Jean also announced that he would be taking first watch. That was not out of necessity. That was out of things just bugging the hell out of him, Isaac was sure. As tired as Isaac's own eyes were, he felt that this was kind of a bad idea. It left him uncertain on the matter. Someone had to keep watch when both Gunners were getting eye-strain. And make no mistake, Britta may not have wanted to show it, but she was fatigued in her fatigues, as well. As people were settling in now, he heard Luke call for a match for his cigarette. That actually made Isaac snort with amusement. He forgot to even ask for one, himself. Ah well. He didn't wanna try it on, just now, anyway. He was looking to make sure that everybody else was okay or at least intact, then looked back at Jean before he spoke to Britta.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"'I could sleep anywhere, even the floor'?"

"That too, but I'm not going down just yet."

"Isaac, you need it."

"So do you, but I won't rest easy without saying my peace, at least. Come one, you'd do this too."

"I'd pick a better time."

"If there was one. Just let me. Get some rest."

She did so, at a spot where she thought she could draw her weapon and shot someone coming in, if necessary. Some out-of-the-way spot like that... Isaac nonchalantly slumped down not far from the chair that Jean had not-quite-managed to get into. He just sort of got down on his back, eyes shut, and then after a moment of silence...

"I'm doing as you asked, but I'm talking in my sleep now. I don't actually hear you IN my sleep, so you can't order me silent."

This was all bullshit, of course, but Isaac continued.

"So, are you gonna talk about it, or do I have to talk about how I'm starting to see us in the charge at the end of my machine gun?"