-“A consciousness melding interface? Wow! I didn't know SERVE had developed that kind of technology. That sounds incredibly awesome!”
Despite her voice being worse for wear after having spoken too much so far, the last part of Loke's speech made Celeste's tone turn more lively, and energetic...
-“GeneSys' mechs are equipped with something that the pilots dub as 'brain-wave amplifying capacitor', it creates a neural-link with the user that strengthens itself the more they fight together. It's not a true 'consciousness melding', but in a certain way, the more you use your mech, the more it turns into a second part of you. So yeah! I understand perfectly what you mean! And it doesn't sound crazy at all!”
Celeste stated with great enthusiasm and a hint of genuine joy. The more she talked to Loke, the more she grew to like her. They definitely shared more in common than she could tell from the cold and clinical GeneSys' reports, which were usually highly technical and far too impersonal. Knowing the real person behind those lifeless data archives was far more fulfilling and enlightening to her.
Seeing Loke and Celeste indulging into such lengthy and engaging conversation, made Sarah feel a strange kind of warmth. This new pilot had only recently arrived, and she already seemed to get along pretty well with the GeneSys' girl. Despite her obvious eccentricities, it was fairly obvious to her that this new pilot was a really nice person, and a valuable asset to the team.
And regardless of the recent hardships and all the nasty surprises of yesterday, most of the pilots seemed to be trying their best to stay positive and strong. That kind pluck motivated her even more to work even harder, to help all these great people to deal with the terrible challenges that laid ahead of them. Having finished her train-of-thought, she addressed to Summer.
-“I think we should give Celeste and Loke some time to talk alone. What do you say, my friend?”
edited 29th Jun '13 1:12:09 AM by VPhantom
"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"Loke looked at her,
"Trust me, you'll think it's odd when you see my piloting suit...Also, mine's one of those...Berserk Mechs, like your partner, I kind of go...off, when I'm in it...Hey, Your voice is getting a bit Hoarse. Should I get you some water?"
edited 29th Jun '13 1:16:04 AM by TroyandHawk
Good to be backSummer looked towards Sarah replying "Why not? We can visit the hangar and see the progress on my mecha."
"That sounds like a great idea, maybe I can install that weapon you mentioned earlier while there's still some time?" Sarah mentioned as Summer replied "That would be nice."
The two women walk off happily leaving Celeste and Loke to talk.
-“Now that you mention it, I could definitely use some water... That would be really appreciated, Ms. Loke.”
Celeste said as Loke stood up to reach out for a drink, while she continued talking...
-“...I've seen my fair share of weird prototype pilot suits while working for GeneSys, so I doubt your interface suit would be weirder than any of the stuff I've seen... There was even this seriously messed up... 'leotard-thing'... Which looked like something only a sadomasochist would wear. No one wanted to test the darn thing, and in the end its designer was publicly reprimanded, and then fired... The rumors said that he designed that weird attire on purpose, as weird kind of joke which he crafted to quit his job in the most extravagant way possible, because he was smiling after everything ended.”
Celeste laughed a little bit after remembering that goofy incident. Despite all the strict norms, the harsh challenges, and the most unpleasant moments, working for GeneSys usually was quite pleasant and gratifying to her. She'd never change those memories for anything in the world.
edited 29th Jun '13 1:39:20 AM by VPhantom
"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"-“What am I into? Hmmmm... I spend so much time tending to work related stuff, that I rarely get enough leisure time to indulge into any hobbies or past-times... But, I like listening to music! I usually appreciate melodies on a case-by-case basis, and sometimes I find songs that I really enjoy despite not being a big fan of a band's other works.”
Celeste took a break to take a sip from the cup that Loke brought to her...
-“Therefor, one could say that I don't have a favorite band per se... But, if I had to choose some of the ones I like the most... Maybe I'd go with Queen! Freddy Mercury was such a passionate and optimistic man, you can tell its band cheerful tunes and extremely fun lyrics. I also really enjoy Weird Al Yankovic's outlandish sense of humor, there's something about his songs that always makes me smile. And then there's this awesome Japanese band called JAM Project, which has written a lot of theme songs for giant robot animes... Who would have guessed those fantasies would turn into reality some day? And each of its members has created a lot of awesome songs by their own account, too!”
As she laid on her bed, talking with Loke about so many miscellaneous tidbits, Celeste noticed this was the second time since she arrived to the base that she had a completely mundane conversation with one of her fellow pilots, the first one being her initial encounter with Faith, which was unfortunately interrupted by the invaders' assault. These kind of peaceful moments, were some of the things she appreciated the most, because she always enjoyed learning more about people's dreams, ideas and feelings.
edited 29th Jun '13 2:27:37 AM by VPhantom
"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"Celeste felt a bit hesitant to state her concern, because she didn't want to ostracize her new comrade on basis to her artistic sensibilities... However, since she had been so open and nice to her, she felt the need to be honest to her...
-“Well... The thing is, I've never been too good when it comes to blood and guts... I even get a bit squeamish when it comes to cooked meat, so I prefer to avoid it if I have the chance. Needless to say, 'Gore' always makes me a bit uneasy.”
She felt a bit ashamed after saying that, turning slightly red in the process. How someone who's so afraid of blood turned into a “monster slayer” who has to deal with so many grotesque creatures, in almost daily basis, on the first place?! It goes to show, that Celeste's commitment to her mission was so intense, that she was willing to cast away her doubts and fears in order to protect those she cares about.
edited 29th Jun '13 2:51:28 AM by VPhantom
"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"Loke laughed,
"It's fine Keiki. Give me a minute."
She switched it around so the disturbing image was on her back, the back of the shirt simply had a list of where they'd be touring at. she noticed the look on Celeste's face.
"I used to be scared of blood too, Don't be so hard on yourself, alright? Ipo?"
edited 29th Jun '13 3:02:16 AM by TroyandHawk
Good to be backEmil didn't react much to the part about Hans, having seen and heard his last actions on this planet; but the part about making the Grey Wolf bite down on the marine's weapon got the Frenchman cocking an eyebrow in macabre interest.
"Wait, you let the beast bite down on your own weapon?"
It was just then that he noticed that his bedside companion had awoken, surprised at how little of a presence the boy has; Emil nonetheless gives him a warm, friendly smile.
"Looks like you're up."
edited 29th Jun '13 4:19:43 AM by Strigon
Shameless Self-promotion ho!Celeste found Loke's “t-shirt reversing maneuver” to be kinda funny, a goofy but strangely elegant solution to the issue at hand. Also, she was glad that she did it that way, because for a moment she was afraid she'd take off her shirt, and that would have been more awkward than staring at the gruesome cover-art.
-“I-I'll try to, Ms. Loke! I don't like being nuisance to people, that's all... But it looks like I end up being a nuisance while trying to avoid being a nuisance... I'm sorry, I guess I'm kind of a mess.”
She said while getting redder than she was before...
-“But, I'm glad to be along with you right now! Even though we've only met a few moments ago, I feel really comfortable with you, and I can clearly tell you're a really nice person! People usually get tired quickly of my rambling and my awkward behavior, but you have endured all that and you don't to seem to be worse for wear. I know it looks like a small detail, but it really means a lot to me.”
Celeste said while watching Loke with genuine tenderness in her eyes. Despite her best attempts to be polite and helpful to everyone, the truth is that she has never had too much in the side of friends. She even had troubles to deal with her closer team-mates from the 4th Anti-Eldritchian Extermination Team. She missed her friends Becky and Alma, which were the ones she spent the most time with, back at Neo-Asgard... However, as she laid there on her bed, talking to Loke, she felt a familiar kind of warmth in her... Could it be that she'd become a good friend of her?
edited 29th Jun '13 9:31:17 AM by VPhantom
"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"Leo stopped as Emil and George spoke, hiding behind his hair.
Shifting about in bed, Leo wakes up to find Uncle and cousin June were here. Ruffling Leo's hair, Uncle spoke "Looks like you're up, ready for your birthday?" Eyes filled with excitement, Leo hugged Uncle while June looked away bored. "Uncle, uncle uncle uncle! I got you a present! Father helped me pick it out and I felt really bad that you lost your eye during work, so um..." Uncle just chuckled lightly, and spoke "Leo, you didn't need to get me anything. I still got my left eye and one is all I need, right June?" June looked over to Leo and Uncle, sighing annoyed. "Whatever, can we go now? I don't like it here, and uncle is weird..." With that a voice befitting a twenty-five year old man shouted "Don't call me weird in front of Leo, got it!?" With that Leo and Uncle laughed, while June scowled. Uncle suddenly held Leo's hand in his, speaking "Making my brother happy is all I want from you Leo, okay?" Rubbing the back of his head nervously, Uncle picked Leo up from bed and spoke much more happily "Now come on, let's see what you got! Bet your auntie sent you something ya?" Leo squealed happily as they advanced down the stairs, eyes resting on Father as he finished placing the fifth car on the cake. Today... It was such a good day...
To those on the outside, Leo had began shedding tears. Wiping them away, Leo found the iPhone and wrote out for them to see "~Hello, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything. Yesterday was horrible, and I didn't mean to fall asleep here. I just wanted to make sure Emil was okay... I always felt more comfortable sleeping with father, so I thought Emil would be happier if I stayed by him. I'll just go if I'm being a nuisance.~"
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."Emil was bewildered by Leo's tears and even more by his justification, he didn't realize that the child's problems were much deeper than he had assumed since people don't just cry from out of the blue; so without warning, Emil gently placed his hand on Leo's shoulder reassuringly.
"It's fine, no really. You coming all the way to visit me even though you were very tired, I truly appreciate what you've done for me, even if you think otherwise."
edited 29th Jun '13 12:24:22 PM by Strigon
Shameless Self-promotion ho!Somewhere inside the dank and wet bowels Peaceful Dominion, the living ship responsible for housing and sending the Eldritchian threat that has plagued Earth for the last 20 years; a lone bipedal figure clad in heavy armor watched the stars in complete silence from one of the many observation decks of the living ship. It remained motionless and inert up until it watched a comet, one of many orbiting the local yellow star streak past it's field of vision; in where it sighed contentedly in apparent appreciation even though it had already seen such a sight several hundreds of times in it's long but difficult life.
All the little things in this universe... I am glad that I never grow tired of them...
edited 29th Jun '13 12:05:42 PM by Strigon
Shameless Self-promotion ho!Loke started to burst into laughter,
"Ipo,Did anyone ever tell you how cute you look when you're flustered?"
She smiled,
"And just Loke. Not Ms. Loke, alright? I'm the same age you are, alright? And trust me, you're not odd at all. Besides, what's a few weird quirks compared to getting in a giant mech and fighting monsters, I've gotten used to weirdness."
edited 29th Jun '13 1:34:32 PM by TroyandHawk
Good to be backStrangely enough, Loke's laugh fit made Celeste feel calmer and less apprehensive. Over the course of her life, she had heard the sound of cruel mocking laugh at her expense several times... It was a sound she genuinely despised. But her fellow pilot's laugh was completely different, she could tell she wasn't being condescending with her... She sounded genuinely happy to be having this conversation with her, just like she was.
-“All right M- Erh, I mean Loke! Loke, is OK, right? ...I like the sound of it! Anyway, thanks for being so understanding... Even after becoming a pilot, and fighting against those horrible monsters, the little things in life are what actually causes me the most troubles.”
Celeste took a brief pause to think about the other thing she said...
-“Also, did you just used the word 'cute'?”, Celeste left out a hearty laugh after saying that,“Thanks for the compliment, but don't say it too often or my ego will overload! You're also quite good looking, Loke! You seem far healthier and more athletic than me... I've never been a strong person, so I greatly admire people who have those kind of qualities.”
"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!""Personally, I think the name Celeste is quite Beautiful. Thanks, I actually used to be kind of fat. So, thank you, it means a lot to hear that I look athletic. But yeah, inside the mech, you feel so...Powerful, like you can do something, then you get out and the little things hit you harder."
She scratched the back of her shin,
"But, that's enough of that, what sort of things are you into? Dancing? Singing? Video Games? Art?"
edited 29th Jun '13 3:48:39 PM by TroyandHawk
Good to be back((This is going to be a different sort of post. Just a fair warning.))
After Magnus had failed to report in, a someone had sent a grunt to post a notice on his mech. The only problem was, said mech was nowhere to be found. No registration logs, no path data, not even the repair data. Even Magnus' own profile was missing. It was as if he never even existed...
"The Stick has sentimental value. It's like an enormous, hideous teddy bear we can kill things with." -rikalous-“I'm glad you like my name... I've got some mixed feelings about it, though. When put together with my last name, it forms the phrase “Caballero Celeste”, which is Spanish for “Heavenly Knight”. I've always thought that was a really awe-inspiring moniker... But, there's just no way I can live up to a name like that. I'm not a saint nor a warrior, I'm just an ordinary girl who tries to do her best in order to get through this crazy era of ours.”
Celeste sighed after thinking about that, before quickly regaining her smile...
-“Anyway... What do I do when not fighting monsters or doing paperwork? Hmmmm... Let me think about it... Well, I like watching old series about giant robots! I know it sound extremely silly, and one would think that the last thing a pilot would want to watch is something so similar to their job.”
Her expression turned strangely cheerful before stating the next part...
-“But, those old animated series have always been so inspiring to me, because no matter how bad things ever got for the heroes, they always managed to snatch victory through hard-work, guile and courage. I've always wanted to be as strong and brave as those characters... I know it's incredibly silly, but those stories always made me smile.”
Celeste took a brief moment to think about what'd she say next...
-“Besides that, I think I'm a rather boring person... I like listening to music, as I've already told you. I like reading books, too, because knowledge is power as they say, so I want to acquire more knowledge to become a strong person! I like writing letters, specially for my friends back at GeneSys, and for my mom and my brother. And when I have lots of free time, I just like to roam around to see what kind of surprises I might find... Yesterday, I actually played soccer for the first time in my life! I was terrible at it, but it was really fun!”
edited 29th Jun '13 5:37:52 PM by VPhantom
"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!"Loke looked at her,
"Heavenly Warrior..."
It was clear she was picturing something, though it was unknown. She blinked, looking back down at Celeste.
"Cool. My first name means Flower Wave, not all that cool."
She listened, again.
"I'm into all those gory, messed up Anime from the Nineties, haven't really gotten into Mecha yet, though I hear something called Evangelion would suit me well. A Ny reccomendations on how to get in to the whole "Giant Robot" Genre?"
At hearing about Celeste's interests, she traced her scar again,
"I'm horrible at Soccer, I only really was good at dancing and swimming."
Good to be back-“I think your name is actually charming! I've always liked flowers and plants, and my grandpa said grandma liked them too. He said they even had a big garden, before the war against the Eldritchians happened. Someday, I'd like to cultivate my own garden... With my very own apple tree in it.”
Celeste said, as fond memories of her beloved grandpa flashed through her mind... Yellow-apples always reminded her of him, and of all the good moments they spent together. Maybe some day, they'll find each other once again... But not before she finished her mission on this life. Speaking once again to Loke in order to answer he question...
-“Hmmmm... Yeah, I've watched Evangelion... It's all-right, but it's nowhere as awesome nor original as everyone claims; it's mostly based on these two series called Mobile Suit Gundam and Space Runaway Ideon, and I liked those two better despite being kinda old and not some of my favorites. If you want something kinda gory, but also awe-inspiring, I'd highly recommend you Shin Getter Robo: Armageddon or New Getter Robo! They have a lot of gruesome moments, but they're also full of energy and emotion. If you are interested in horror, I'd recommend you a series called Betterman. I haven't been able to watch it yet, but they say is rather unnerving. And, if you want something extremely old-school, but awesome nonetheless, Mazinkaiser is always a sure bet! It's short, but so memorable and awesome!”
She took a moment to catch her breath, before reacting to her last statement...
-“Wow! Are you a dancer? Now you've made me kinda jealous! I've always liked to watch people dancing in the movies... They always looked so skillful, so lively, so free... I wish I knew how to dance, but I've never got the chance to learn. I've never learned how to swim well, either; I know how to avoid drowning, but I've got no grace nor talent when I'm on water... It's a cringe worthy sight to behold, that's for sure.”
edited 29th Jun '13 7:47:56 PM by VPhantom
"It's better to burn out... THAN TO FADE AWAY!""Well, we'd best get out of your hair," George and the gang filed out of the room, "take care you two." George and Walter went down the hall to the mech hangar, while Jack said he'd catch up after he took care of something. He checked the pouch on his left hip, making sure what he had was good to go. When he got to Celeste's door, he knocked, and waited to be called in.
The flesh is weak!

Nolan began making arrangements for Hans' funeral, sending around calls to anyone associated with him including the Delta Squad.
He decided not to invite any of the Long family considering how little they know or think of Hans.
Hoping for it to be a nice occasion, Nolan had the funeral set to be a hero's burial, publicly. Hopefully no protestors would show up and be disrespectful.
edited 29th Jun '13 12:40:09 AM by JRPictures