Could we be friends?! (S3E2)

[Atsumari]

Makigisa "Maki" Tahoshi 
Mess Hall; TFS Repulse
November 27th 4566 Morning

Maki had returned to the mess after a good read and a shower. She resumed watching the stars outside as they moved by in a blur. As she sat there, she thought about what she could do to make more friends here; her people skills were not the greatest and neither were her emotional abilities. As she ran about this thought in her mind she thought of those people she felt she had things in common with; specifically those girls in the group whom had magical abilities. At this point she decided to message Sanya to see if she would be interested in hanging out with her and also figuring out this strange place they both had been placed in. Sanya may had been her longer than Maki but Maki thought that since they had similar situations it might be easier to build a friendship with her.

[TAG: Sanya]

 

[Kim]

Morning found Sanya alone in her darkened quarters. She stared up at her hands as she laid half dressed on her bed. The distance between moments had lengthened until they had been render indistinct. She rolled onto her side as she remembered her last morning on the Alethea. The phantom weight of his arms wrapped around her, the warmth of his body, the clean scent of his soap. She closed her eyes and remembered the even sound of his breathing. She let her breathing slow to match his and stayed within the illusion for a little bit longer. 

Her VX pleasantly chimed, pulling her attention to the present. Her digital assistant's voice intruded on her thoughts. His voice soothed her and wrapped around her like velvet, "You have a message from Maki." Her chest tightened and she opened her silver eyes again. The message overlaid her vision, strange squiggles of a foreign alphabet. She blinked a bit and focused, the shapes took on substance to something she could understand. 

An invitation to join Maki? We are both displaced but... 

"You should go spend time among the living," her assistant suggested.

"I know but I don't want to get attached. I could find a way home to you," she whispered. She felt the brush of a hand against her cheek. 

"You need more than ghosts for company. You won't lose the memory if you make friends here. No one deserves to be alone." 

"I miss you." The corner of her mouth twitched as she focused on the message again. Violet letters against the darkness of the room. Sanya sat up with a sigh and sent a short message back to Maki. 

Sure. I can meet you in the Mess Hall in a few minutes. What did you want to do? ~ Sanya

 

[Atsumari]

Makigisa "Maki" Tahoshi 
Mess Hall; TFS Repulse
November 27th 4566 Morning

Maki by this time had gotten herself a rather sweet sugar infused cocoa drink. It was warm, provided comfort and was a good reminder she was alive. She truly did enjoy food especially these foods that tasted in such a way which they were pleasant reminders of life wand the good things that happened. She would see why people in this place liked such drinks. It was a distraction from the stars she couldn't follow too; which was nice; they moved too fast and were starting to give her a headache. 

As she was lost in her hot drink her VX gave her a notice that there was a new message. She read the message from Sanya and simply replied.

"I'll be waiting here. We should just do something less droning... Something fun; what did you do for leisure in your home? Maybe we could do that?"

 

[Kim]

"I'll be waiting here. We should just do something less droning... Something fun; what did you do for leisure in your home? Maybe we could do that?"

Sanya considered the question as she made her way from her quarters towards the cafeteria. Did they have leisure time? She frowned as she sent back her reply. 

"I'm afraid I'm boring. Reading and training were the main sources of entertainment... we didn't have much time for anything else. Experimenting with Earth flavor combinations has been a source of entertainment for me here? Perhaps, your hobbies might be better?

 

[Atsumari]

Makigisa "Maki" Tahoshi 
Mess Hall; TFS Repulse
November 27th 4566 Morning

Maki got the messages in response to her own finding the responses curious. This girl seemed more inept at being normal as she did; at least in the context of this civilization. As Sanya posed her own ideas and asked further what they could do Maki simply replied over the messaging system. 

"Does it really matter if your boring; being alone is more boring than being around someone else. At least attempting to make conversation is better than doing nothing. As for my own hobbies... I stare outside, eat and do reading... mainly of magic and Atsikai related things... That much we seem to have in common... Just come; I can guarantee you it will be better than just sitting where you are stuck in your own head like I am... Being alone is a drag and it makes you go into the darkness... Part of why I hang around Ryu even if he is asleep or meditating; just having someone around is more company than being alone."

 

[Kim]

Sanya considered Maki's latest message as she reached the cafeteria. Her eyes flitted to the view of the expansive darkness beyond the window and she felt a keening pull. Some where... her family might be alive. Her ship might still be whole and not inside of one of those... things. Or this emptiness she felt was real. In her heart she felt like she knew the truth but she didn't want to accept it. She frowned as the rush of oblivion swept over her, her eyes flashed a brilliant violet for a moment before she turned and waved to Maki. 

She forced down the surge of energy and let it roll off her in a scattering of violet mist. "Good morning, Tahoshi." She closed the distance between them and took a seat at the table. She was no longer hungry. "You have a big day of trying to be... normal planned?" A bemused smile played across her face as her eyes settled into their normal hue of silver. 

 

[Atsumari]

Makigisa "Maki" Tahoshi 
Mess Hall; TFS Repulse
November 27th 4566 Morning

Maki sat there and by the time Sanya arrived she had finished her drink. Maki observed the girl finding something in her gaze that reminded her of Ryuji in a way. A sense of loss. She didn't know what that loss was though; for that matter she really didn't know much about Sanya's past to begin with; just there was something about that brief look out into the darkness Maki found similar to her long-time comrade and friend. The man had lost everything though; such was the life of a solider. There was pain and hardship especially in these times; war was not kind... Peace may have been kind to military and federal officers but wartime was not. It changed lives, affected people and broke things none of which was for the better. As Sanya spoke waving to her and taking a seat Maki nodded. "Yes and no... Normalcy is in the eye of the beholder. We all need friends and connection though... Leisure and friendship does not always connote normal... and day; might be more like hour... You know this line of work; having a day to do anything is a miracle. Now an hour; that's much more reasonable." She replied.

 

[Kim]

"Yes, respites are important. So what did you intend to do? My mornings are usually breakfast and training oriented. Did you wish to practice some magic? The web here is different than I am used to but I can still hear the Gods singing out to me," Sanya suggested with a small smile. "I know it's more like work but I'm still learning about Human culture. Learning to read has been interesting with all the languages used. Written inflections change based on regional dialect so it makes it confusing to speak at times... I would prefer to not rely on the chip but it is more convenient if I use the information implanted by the device."

She lightly tapped her chin. "Perhaps, we could practice in the gardens? It'd be nicer than the gym and less intrusive?"