lusi | (no subject)

They sure kept us busy. What do you do with all this free time? Besides card-related activities...

[ She agrees about the spice but keeps an eye on him to make sure he's not adding in too much. It's all too easy to cross the line into inedible territory. They can go ahead and serve it up now. She grabs a bowl and helps herself. There wasn't much effort involved but she still managed to work up an appetite. ]

There's not much else to do, is there? I've been running maintenance on my Gundam, just to make sure it's all ready to go whenever.

[ although -- ]

I'm not quite confident on that 'whenever', though.

Do you think something might happen here that we'd need them for?

[ And some for him as well. She thrusts the bowl at his chest. It might be a little hot but she's already starting to eat hers like it's a race to the bottom. He ought to be able to make it himself now. Next time she comes over she can cook something with meat. ]

When we leave, of course. I doubt they'd make it easy for us to do so.

[ goodness, he nearly drops the bowl at that. at least he manages to put it on the counter before he actually does. he grabs a spoon and fork and starts digging in to his food. ]

Thank you.

[ She stops eating long enough to nod in acknowledgment. It's definitely better to think of when and not if they'll go home. They still have so much to do. She wants to be ready for it. That means keeping herself in top condition as much as her mobile suit. A good meal is part of that. ]

One of my partners was asking why there aren't more women in the fleet. Apparently it's not like that where she's from.

Who knows?

The further up you go in Gjallarhorn the more you can say it's tradition. The Seven Stars are bound by convention and a lot of their relationships are arranged, by design.

[ to preserve bloodlines, to legitimize claims. ] But I'm sure the more other women see you as a capable pilot, the more they'll be enticed to join us.

I guess that makes sense. Things are changing, aren't they? I hope that I'm seen as a capable pilot.

[ When he puts it like that, it seems like a lot of responsibility. She never had any ambition of anyone looking up to her. If that's what happens as a result of the work she does anyway she isn't against it. She looks into her empty bowl, considering the kind of culture she was thrust into and how much she still has to learn about it. ]

You're young. And in your youth, you already work with one of the best commanders in the fleet you could ask for, who has an interest in developing such talent under his command.

[ vidar pauses, and then he adds, ] The only other person who I can think of with that kind of interest would be the Brigadier General. You are very capable, Julieta.

I needed to hear that.

[ It's hard anymore to tell if she's still on the right path. Without his presence, it would be so much harder. Steadily she's figuring it out so that she won't be dependent. ]

There's enough left that you can have some later. What did you think?

Thank you. I'll save it.

[ as for julieta's statement -- ]

Listen, it's hard to find any sense of purpose here considering we're away from the fleet.

But it's not bad, I think, to take care of yourself and to remember that you were capable before and still are. And being here doesn't change that. It's a very .... long pause from where we're supposed to be and what we're supposed to be doing. That's all.

You mean more than just surviving right?

[ That much she has down pretty well. She's made it this far. If only searching for a purpose here didn't feel so much like a betrayal to the fleet. It's hard to accept something so out of her control. ]

Yes, more than just that.

There's nothing we can do about being here. They wouldn't even let me go past air space, last time I checked.

[ a sigh. ] Biding our time and figuring out ways to make it meaningful .... that's all we can do for now.

I would say it has been. I've had a chance to see a side of you I never knew about.

[ This right here? Not the same Vidar she saw on the battlefield. Maybe she was idealizing him a little bit. The mask made that all too easy. Now she sees him as a good friend and that means something to her. ]

Well, there isn't much use of having a mask here, plus it can get stifling. In space, at least, it's not so much of a bother.

[ he's also not constrained by a lot of things in here, which helps. ]

Do you like me better when I was in space?

I liked fighting beside you and now that I don't have that I don't know where I stand.

[ Maybe like wasn't the right word with regards to fighting. That was just something she had to do. But in reference to him it was still appropriate. ]

With me, of course.

[ where else would she be?

vidar pats her on the shoulder. ] Take it as an order from me, then, if you're not so sure: take care of yourself. And do whatever you can to survive.

[ He had her concerned for all of a moment that he might do something crazy and abandon her. But that's silly. She knows she can trust him. And she hopes that she can learn to be someone that can support him the way he does for her. ]

Right. I will. And what about you?

I'll be doing the same.

It's nothing new, at least; just adjusted to this strange place.

[ Is he though? She has her doubts considering how close he is to McGillis. All she can hope for is that he doesn't end up in a bad situation. She's not responsible for him but she'll be where she's needed. ]

It's frustrating though. Just when I'm getting used to one thing I'm thrown into another.

[ certainly. he's trying hard to avoid that.

if anything else it's skewed against mcgillis anyway. only one of them can still formally claim to be a member of the seven stars. ]

Yes, but I'd argue you're now a lot better equipped to be in more stressful situations because you can handle this.

It's a matter of endurance. And if nothing else, we're good at that.

I know it's selfish of me to want you here but I want you to know how grateful I am that you are.

[ It is what it is. They both have to deal with this the best they can whether that means cooking a meal together or filling out that card. ]