Nikki couldn't help but pick up on her bittersweetness, changing the topic to help from letting any down-ness from dragging down the good lunch. "It's been alittle bit, I know, but what are your thoughts on the Lich? Haven't seen many of them before, so I've not seen much of them, even less so talking with the pilots of them. I hear they can be a little more reliable than a Sabre in the engine area." She was curious. As much as she knew about people, she didn't know much about the ships of the edge and border worlds. How the ships were out there she wondered alot of, and couldn't help but ask since she always enjoyed working on her own fighters.
Satsumi sat, content, happy to see her older sister socialize as opposed to the typical silent girl she usually is at home. It was nice seeing her do something more than watch TV or read quietly.
The mercenary appreciated the well-timed change in conversation, even if it came at the expense of thinking about her old ship's destruction.
"I've only flown the Lich in combat once so far, and that's where you really get to know a fighter. But, so far, I can't complain. Handling's a lot different from my old Sutinga, especially do to the space frame's design. But it's rugged, doesn't mind getting doused in radiation. It's a bit heavy and sluggish, despite the auxiliary engines strapped under its stabilizers, but at least you don't have to worry about your engines getting disabled as easily. Primary, secondary, and auxiliaries all run on redundant lines."
Talking about something technical, tangible felt good, a pleasant change from the last few days' constant conversations about her condition and recent history. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she went on about her ship's firepower, armor rating, and interior comfort.
"Only real issue I have with it so far," she concluded, "is the power distribution. Those extra engines really tug at the reactor, and I don't feel like it's really powerful enough to handle them and the armament." She shrugged. "Something I'll have to get used to, I guess."
"I used to have the same problem in the Talon too. I learned alot about working on fighters from my dad, taught me as much as he could before he passed. The ship used to be his, he got it when the model first came out. As it got older, the power distributor and coupling has gotten more and more worn out. At some point I got a ship from a Junker that had a really good one, so I pulled it out of the heavy fighter and rigged up a proper fitting in the engine. Replacing a reactor might be a bit more tricky. Perhaps some upgrades might be in order~" Nikki couldn't help but have her eyes light up like stars at going into technical details of a ship.
"Big sis was originally going to be a ship mechanic until Dad passed. She wanted revenge more than she wanted to work on ships. She can't help but tinker on her old ships, especially now that the Taiho is a giant fighter workshop. Honestly, sis, you really should retire and work on ships for a living." Satsumi couldn't help but poke fun at her hobby. "Maybe, but I'd need to get someone stronger than me. You know I have trouble lifting much. Even with a cybernetic arm, it's mostly in the back. I'm not that strong."
"I'm not really looking into messing with the Lich too much, at least not now. Besides, it's been years since I had the opportunity to learn how to fly a new ship. Might as well make the most of it."
She glanced at Nicole's arms, suddenly feeling very lucky that it had only been her skin that needed replacement after her near-death experience. Then she looked back up at the woman and smirked.
"If you can afford to run a carrier, surely you can afford some big guys to do the heavy lifting."
"I suppose so, but I don't know random guys. I prefer to do my hobby with people I trust. Besides, it's not like I'm in much danger anymore in the Navy, as much as my family worries." She snickers. In all reality she was pretty comfortable simply tinkering with her ships. "If you ever do wanna work on it, you can always ask and I'm sure there'll be space on Taiho for it. All the same, I'm glad you like the ship, even with it's minor flaw."
She smiled as the waitress approached, setting down each girls plates infront of them. Satsumi was a bit giddy, getting right to eat while her older sister looked on, smiling at her excitement. It wasn't often Satsumi got out, so she was happy to share these moments with her and Olivia. Right after, Nicole got to eating aswell. "Hope you enjoy, Olivia~"
Olivia nodded her agreement and appreciation for Nicole's remarks. She inspected the plate of ribs before her, not entirely certain how to go at it. Raising her eyes to Nicole's plate, she observed her for a moment, before shrugging to herself and picking a bone up with her fingers. The meat peeled off easily and, drenched in a thick sauce, tasted delicious. The mercenary couldn't help but let out a satisfied moan, her expectations of the dish far exceeded. Her usual pilot's rations and the easy-cook meals she usually relied on tasted like ash and dust by comparison.
Enjoying the food, the mercenary tried to think back to the last time she had simply hung out and relaxed with someone. It had to have been months, before she left Liberty and got lost. And before that... She wasn't sure. It had been years since she had allowed herself to make close acquaintances, much less friends. Most of her time prior to settling in Liberty had been spent in solitude, whenever possible.
Finding herself in an unusually good mood, she glanced over to the younger Prower sister and smiled.
The short haired girl was happy that Olivia asked. "I am. It's not often I get to spend the day with my sister, much less one of her cool friends~" She was enjoying the day almost as much as Nikki was. Indeed, they rarely got to do much, hence why Nikki was intent on having a short vacation to spend with her family and friends. She was happy aswell, since aside from being home on New Tokyo, Satsumi also spent the vast majority of her time in space and on stations. "It's not often I get to spend time away from space, so it's nice. I like being able to spend time with my sister and it's nice to meet one of her friends. She enjoys the time she gets to spend with you~"
Nikki seemed a bit embarrassed at her sister saying it so casually.
Not being able to help but smile, Olivia looked from Satsumi to Nicole.
"Your sister's a good person," she said, still addressing the younger sister. "She helped me with some trouble recently."
In the back of Olivia's mind, a small voice was whispering to her, cautioning her against getting too comfortable with the two sisters; against letting herself get too attached to them and risk the pain of loss later on down the line. At the same time, a second voice chided her, telling her to finally let go of the past and move on; make new friends and end the life of solitude she had made such great strides to escape over the past year.
"I like spending time with her, too, even if it's only occasionally."
The two voices faded away, each seemingly satisfied with her response. Olivia glanced down at her plate, surprised to find it already almost empty. She chuckled quietly to herself as she realized that the doctor's warning that her dietary meds might overstimulate her appetite had not been exaggerated.
Soon enough, Nikki had finished off her plate of ribs aswell, with Satsumi taking her time to eat and finishing last. She didn't wish to rush as she was quite enjoying the friendly atmosphere and lunch. Nikki couldn't help but smile at Olivia's compliment, happy that she was being a good friend. The two sister relaxed a bit, letting their food settle after eating while the waitress brought Nikki the check. "Thank you for coming, I hope you enjoyed." The waitress was happy, taking away the emptied plates and salad bowls.
"What'd you think of it, Olivia? You did say you never had ribs before, what do you think of them now?" Nikki seemed curious, wanting to make sure it was something she liked. Satsumi simply relaxed in her seat, enjoying the comfortable moment and watching the two.
"To be fair, anything's better than the food paste and instant-meals I'm used to." She smiled broadly at Nicole. "Glad I took your recommendation, though. Ribs were great."
The mercenary leaned back in her seat, throwing an arm up onto the backrest, and glanced back and forth between the Prower sisters.
"Good to see yesterday's little... kerfuffle in Manhattan orbit did nothing to sour your mood," she observed.
