"So anyway, what's new with you? Anything happen while I was away? C'mon, talk to me." She continued, staring into Miharu's eyes more intently then usual.
"Hmmm, not that much," Miharu said. "Though I did get an interesting scar the other day. I swear, it's shaped just like one of those Gunboats the Blood Dragons build! It's right on my thigh, here, I'll show you."
With that Miharu stood, unclipped the holder of her photon gun, and unbuckled the belt she wore (it's always good to have a spot to hold your weapon). But right as she was about to unbutton her pants, a sudden sound came from the entrance to the Tea House. Both she and Naomi quickly turned their attention to see what it was.
Days later.
***
It had been a while since the Aphrodisiac had been discovered and purged from the air supply. Steve took most of the blame, naturally, and was for the next week seen wearing a French Maid outfit over his \CS\ uniform, sweeping the hallways and performing maintnance tasks.
Meanwhile, in the hangar bay, Naomi's Blosssom landed in the hangar, and the young woman got out and lept to the floor. The look on her face told a story, she was not happy. Immedietly, she went over to a nearby shelf, retrived a can of gold spraypaint, and went to her ship and painted over the Kiretsu emblem on the nose of her craft.
One of the technicians, bravely walked over to see what was the matter. "Sister Naomi, might I ask what is the problem..."
Naomi's response was loud and merciless. "THOSE LITTLE (brutal string of explatives) Go out, get drunk, and terrorize commerce. And Hoard all the money and wine, and who in the end gets NO share of it? Take a wild guess!?!?!?"
"Oh... I'm s..." Naomi cut the dock technician off.
"I'm done with Kiretsu! They're all a bunch of self-absorbed... (another impressive string of explatives) ..., and you can tell Zetsumai I said that! And especially that Enya b(even more explatives)"!
With that, Naomi stormed off to her quarters where she lay for several hours.
***
Later that evening, and still quite angry, Naomi went to the Tea house.
"Oh Konnichiwa, Naomi-Chan!" Steve, now back to working the bar, announced. "Anything I can get for you?"
"The Strongest drink you have, a hit of Cardamine, and another thing of these..." Naomi announced, setting an empty bottle of pills on the barstand.
Steve realised immedietly that Naomi was extremely angry and presumably saddened somehow. He spoke with a softer, reassuring tone. "Is everything alright N..."
"GET MY DRINK, YOU DAMNED CYBORG!" She screamed. Steve immedietly went to prepare her order.
Most of the rest of the bar patrons were now staring at Naomi, who simply rested her head on the bar waiting for her drink.
Kyosuke hopped out of his battered Charon heavy fighter. Kiretsu's resident gunboat pilot, Enya
had drank a little too much wine, forcefully removed from an uncooperative liner ship, and had begun
firing on Kyo, thinking he was a Colonial due to his now regrettable ship choice.
As he climbed down the side of the fighter, overlooking the damage, he heard a blood curdling scream emanating from the Tea House. Kyo had never been there, having not wanted to disturb Ainu's inhabitants, what with his being a "man thing". Curiosity got the better of him though, and he walked in to find all eyes aimed at Naomi, and a very shocked Steve...
Naomi looked up and glanced at Kyosuke, before returning to her slumped over position. Steve handed her the glass and went into the pantry, clearly annoyed at Naomi's outburst.
Naomi said nothing and took several of the pills from the jar, drank down the whole glass that Steve had given her, and took some Cardamine. The effect was rapid, and Naomi's senses dulled and she lay half asleep on the bar. Her mind however, was racing. She thought back to Kiretsu, and the conduct of their pilots toward her.
The incedent had begun earlier, with most of the Kiretsu pilots launching a drunken piracy raid on several transport ships. Naomi however, had recived no cut of the proceeds, nor any wine for herself. Several insults later, she threatened to leave Kiretsu squadron given the conduct of it's ranking officers toward her, and to a lesser extent, poor Kyosuke.
Perhaps, however, she had over-reacted toward Kiretsu (save Enya, who was unfortunately past her suicidal tendancies). Most of them had befriended her. Akiko, Evie, and many of the other recruits. Though she had no intention of doing anything within the next several hours.
She simply lay on the bar and listened to the Holovision, still highly angered, and to an extent saddened at the percived lack of Comraderie of much of Kiretsu's ranking structure.
*Lady Shikyo quietly stepped past Kyosuke and into the Tea House. Even she heard Naomi's outraged scream at Steve from two sections away. Today she was dressed much as she usualy does when visitng Ainu and awaiting orders, a full length Kimono with traditional Obi wrap. What stands out unlike most others is she wears a daito, paired sowrds, thrust through the Obi and her hair is still a bit short, although growing out since she'd been spending the last several months in the Ainu Medical Ward*
*She looks around slowly to see who else besides the stranger now behind her at the doorway, Naomi slumped over the bar and Steve standing behind the bar looking a little out of place with that ridiculous maid outfit. She pauses a moment to think, and considering there is no one else she does recognise at all or who seem interested in her (not counting Steve) she walks slowly and with a slight limp to the bar, stopping next to Naomi*
*With a very soft and not muchly used voice she leans slightly closer to Naomi* "Come Sister, this bar is no place to rest ones head upon. I believe Elder Sisters corner booth will suffice, and keep you out of STeve's reach should he try to take advantage of you."
*And with that, she moves to slip one of Naomi's arm over her shoulder to make an attempt to move over to the better cushioned corner booth even though she has not long been out of the Medical Ward, despite the Doctors protests*
Naomi snapped around suddenly upon hearing and feeling her arm being tugged. However, she cared not to be aggressive (especially to someone armed with samurai swords). She grudgingly got up and went along with the woman dragging her.
"Wat do you want...?" She asked as she sat down in the cushiony and padded corner booth, looking at the woman. Her vision was a bit off, but she recognized the woman's face. An infrequent guest in the Tea house. However, not someone Naomi had formally met.
"What is your name?" She asked.
***
Steve watched this happen. He felt somewhat Concerned for Naomi, rarely was she this angry or aggressive in all the time he had known her. His gaze went to Kyosuke.
"You there, Kyo. Could you come here, I'd like to ask you something." He asked, gesturing toward the Pantry sitting off of the Tea House.
Kyosuke was torn between going to help Naomi or Steve, but eventually decided better of the former, after seeing the blades on the woman with Naomi. Grudgingly he walked over towards the Pantry...
"The last person in the world I wanted to see... what is it, Steve?" He groaned. He only knew Steve from a few brief encounters on the Matsuda, none of them pleasant. Still, he had saved his life, so he couldn't be that bad a guy...
*After geeting Naomi settled into the cushions of the corner booth, Shikyo quietly takes her own place on the other side of the table after removing both Swords from her Obi and laying them down to her left withen easy reach. She turns to make an order but can see Steve leaving with the other man whom she does not yet know. A slight frown creases her face for a moment before vanishing again and turns back towards Naomi*
*In a very soft voice she answers Naomi's questions*"I am Lady Shikyo, pleased to make your aquiantence. As to what I want, not much at all, simple company would do for now, some information later perhapes. It seems Mr. Steve is leaving the bar so we will have to get our own drinks I believe."
*She glances around once more, there were others present in the Tea House, including another pair of Sisters, one of whom seems to have been in the process of removing her belt and maybe more for some reason before she walked into the tea house. She ponders it a moment but decides not to interupt them at this time. Perhapes they might even join her and Naomi at their table. Turning back once more she reaches up and loosened her kimmono a bit to allow it to slide just a bit off her shoulders and enough to reach into it. Shikyo pulls out a simple silvery flask and offers it towards Naomi.*
"Perhapes this will help Sister? I aquired it from a passing Samura Freighter some time back. Lady Kurisho seems to have liked it enough when I gave her one of the bottles, says it reminded her of something called Smirnoff."
"Shikyo... I've heard of you. Never met you..." Naomi replied groggily from the Cardamine and Liquor.
She nodded at Shikyo as she was handed the flask of liquid and took a gulp. She sat it down and slumped a bit. "It's nice, you're nice. Unlike some people I have to deal with."
"I swear, if it isn't Angry Farmers, Hogosha trying to rape me, KNF drones, Corsairs, or Bounty Hunters, then it's my own sisters. Not you, though... but you know what I mean?"
***
Steve took Kyosuke into the Pantry, out of sight of the rest of the Tea House, leaning out briefly to make sure nobody was paying attention, before turning and speaking.
"Mind explaining what exactly happened to set Naomi crazy?" He asked.
Despite his cybernetic nature, and womanising demeanour, he considered most of the GC to be his friends. Even without the need for his Conditioning, the time he had spent amongst them had made him quite attached to the sisters.
Kyosuke frowned. "Enya happened. Enya also happened to my fighter, which you can now see if you walk out into the hanger, is missing several guns and a wing! Honestly, I've more reason to be pissed than Naomi! At least she's not a "man-thing", and her ship is intact!" Kyo blurted out louder and more aggressively than he had meant to.
"Kiretsu!" He spat. "Worthless. The worst pilots I've ever seen! They're nothing but rude amateurs who screw around and drink on the job!" He continued, slamming his fist against the wall, probably breaking something, knowing his luck today.
"I... er... that didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I guess... I just felt I won my freedom, but I can see the rest of the GC doesn't see it that way." Kyosuke stammered, lowering his voice now.
Kyosuke looked around the teahouse, many of its inhabitants gazes were now firmly locked on him and Steve. He hated being the center of attention, and the fact that he was a man made it even worse under these circumstances.
"Look... Steve... could I get a drink or something?" He half asked, half sighed.
Kyo wasn't normally the type to drown his problems out with liquor, but this was a special occasion.
He just wanted to blend in and forget about the two million he was going to have to come up with to
get his ship back in the air again...