Netfrica Camp Under Construction (and Siege)

As Aera feared, Roc didn't care if their show became a public display, but as she adjusted the output of her EM Lev drives Aera realized she was in fact the one controlling their position. They eased past the ruins of one of the taller walls, putting the pile of rubble between them and Boss Oni, to which he loudly protested. With her top pulled up nearly to the point of fully exposing her chest, and her briefs under duress, Aera was feeling even more exposed even while having the relative privacy provided by the rubble. She attempted to press together/cross her thighs to keep her briefs from being pulled all the way down; though she admittedly enjoyed this feeling of closeness, stripping all the way down was a step too far. "Oh? And I thought you didn't like me much..." Aera teased, trying to downplay how possessive Roc was becoming of her.

Unfortunately the action came to a boiling point, with the near disrobing and Roc attempting to "claim" her, so Aera put a dampener on things with her "unintentional" injury. Data trickled down her fingers, and she tried to keep her hand away, so it wouldn't drip on herself or Roc. Thankfully it caused Roc to disengage without immediately turning hostile, instead she seemed slightly apologetic. As her recovery programs primed, she received word from Mach that they were on their way back. Finally! "It's okay, it was clumsy of me... You think I'm tough?" she asked with a bashful smile, and looked up from her fingers as tiny green sparks started to crackle over the gashes in her fingers. After giving Roc a moment to respond, she examined her fingers as the recovery programs did their work and hopefully closed up her fingers without so much as a seam. "I think I have this handled, and it sounds like Mach is on his way back, so I think we should get dressed and clean up..." she suggested, before looking at the now stagnant streams of data on her hand, then down to what remained of her clothing. She quickly realized there wasn't any appropriate place to wipe away the "blood," so she decided it best to lick the tips of her fingers, to at least get rid of the majority of the data. She was almost expecting the sight of "blood" to draw Roc's interest due to her predatory tendencies, but it seemed it was a common sight, therefore not worth attention.

((From Blesser's Court))
Mach beamed down a short distance on the same side of the rubble as Boss Oni, and as the cyan light died down it was revealed he'd changed his .GMO back to his Yasu-issued uniform. He saw both Pest and Skywriter there with Boss Oni, and he gave the first two a polite nod, while not really giving much more than a glance to the last. However, he did notice Oni was sitting alone on this throne, and seemingly upset about that arrangement. A quick glance around the room also showed Roc, Aera, and Vector as MIA, but a quick check of their locations showed Aera just behind the rubble pile... for some reason... and Vector out in the camp.

Quote (Mach)

Everything alright, Aera?

Quote (Aera)

Yep, just a "girl talk" with Roc, be with you in a second!

Mach was surprised by the speed of the response, and wondered why Aera would be with Roc behind a rubble pile, but she seemed alright and Mach assumed Boss Oni would now direct his anger on him.

To head that off, Mach turned to Boss Oni. "I've resolved the issue, the honorable Shogun will be here shortly. Apologies for the wait," Mach declared and ended in a polite apology, but purposefully left out the details. He suspected any interaction with the Blessers, even one as zero-sum as that "trial," could rouse suspicion from the Mafia. He hoped the Shogun would make his appearance as well, as Mach didn't exactly in the mood to "chit chat" with Boss Oni. That said, he was a bit curious how Roc and Aera managed to keep him from storming off or going ballistic; it didn't appear the ruined meditation hall was more damaged now compared to how he left it, and the ambient noise suggested the camp wasn't under attack.


-----------------------------------


Vector listened quietly as usual, but was slightly taken aback with the selection of merchandise. [[b]I had no idea such clubs existed, especially within the Shogunate itself... Why have we not seen this earlier? Maybe this is something the soldiers actively keep hidden from their superiors? Seems benign enough...[/b]] Vector pondered to himself, and started to think of how much dedication and energy would go into going so far as to creating comics and videogames based around the subject of their adoration. He was also about to ask what a "dakimakura" was, but the pipe-smoking soldier interjected and asked what goods Vector would like.

"Hm..." Vector murmured as he put an armored finger to the chin of his masked helmet, mulling it over. "I think an Aera banner or flag would be appropriate..." He explained, trailing off before his head tilted up slightly in realization. "Oh, there was talk of a "Point System," what are the particulars, and the use for said points?" Vector asked curiously, his voice almost sounding excited at the prospect.

"If you're not scared of me, you're either stupid or you're tough. And you don't seem real scared of me. So maybe you're a little bit of both," Roc joked, going from sentimental to rude on the turn of a dime. She seemed less pleased when Aera mentioned MachMan coming and also calling their fling off. "Rrrrgh... I don't mind if he wants to watch or join in or whatever," she added. "C'mon, it's just a scratch, we can get back to it!" Her complaining was getting louder and her old temper flaring up. That said, Aera had seen Roc's anger get a lot worse than this...

She narrowed her eyes and turned her head as she heard other girls arrive first, then MachMan soon after. "Rrr, the whole gang's getting back together. Screw it... But if you ever get tired of you and fly-boy passing notes back and forth like a couple of kids, you know where to find me," she finished, heading back out despite her state of dress. Given the speed of her jump, there wasn't much chance to stop her.

---------------------------------

MachMan's hunch was proven correct, as Oni's snarling mask seemed to reflect his mood. His puppets had slowly turned his chair around to face the group again. "This whole ridiculous farce is very unbecoming of navis who I only wish to treat as respected allies! First I was deprived of my meeting with the Shogun, then I was deprived of any entertainment or companionship, left to wait with these ROT scum! I won't-!" he roared in a long string of indignation, before MachMan finally explained that the leader was on his way. Slowly, the mafioso managed to correct his sagging frown into a grim. "Well... excellent then. It befits us both not to have to reschedule. It's a shame that he can't meet me at the bathhouse, where I'd originally prepared a fine feast and many beautiful women, but so long as he's coming..."

Unfortunately, the next person to show up was Roc, not Neo-ShogunMan, and she'd come back without redressing at all. Sensing the others staring, she seemed to realize that for the first time, but just bared her teeth and shrugged. "What? You've all seen it before. Damn, I swear, we all know you all have looked at a lot of tits," she greeted them all.

Boss Oni glared at her without amusement, then focused his eyes back on MachMan. "This is not the Shogun. Where is he?" he boomed again. Thankfully, the Shogun made his appearance shortly after, beaming down in a red laser.

There was no sign of Hime; presumably she'd had something else to take care of, or perhaps just didn't want to get caught having to deal with Boss Oni. "It's good to finally meet you. I'm Neo-ShogunMan..." the armored navi began, before casting his eyes over to Roc. "Is this your work?" he asked, disapprovingly. "We are under no obligation to allow you to do whatever you-"

"Bah! Not my work," Oni complained, waving the knuckles of one hand dismissively, before resting his fat chin on his fist. "The girl tore her own clothes off to amuse me, am I at fault for that? For one so lacking in culture, that's all she can hope to provide me," he chuckled, turning the situation around with a quick lie. If anyone wanted to debate that point (and Roc didn't seem to care, further than just snarling), he'd cut in quick, so as not to let them. "Let's get back to what's important: our terms. You want our resources and cooperation... we have wants as well. Certainly there's somewhere more fitting to speak than this? In front of these ROT scum, small fry, and that plucked chicken," he grumbled, returning Roc's distasteful sneer.

"While I agree these accommodations are not suited," Neo-ShogunMan nodded. "Our main camp is not currently fitting either. We have another Sharo base, but... it's little better."

"Then to my bathhouse, where we should have been all along!" Oni laughed, slapping one hand down onto the arm of his chair. "Trust me, we'll both operate better in a place free of care or conflict, with my wonderful ladies to server our every need... Hahaha... MachMan there," he murmured, tilting his head to point towards MachMan with one large finger around Neo-ShogunMan. "He said he never samples the girls. I'll bet you're the same. Don't worry... in private, with me, you'll find my girls are not so stingy as these. Carrying around all this heavy armor is bad for men like us! We need someone to relax us and... get the knots out! Hm hm hm..."

Neo-ShogunMan seemed neither appreciative or amused, but didn't seem like he was unwilling to relocate either. "Very well, then. We'll meet there. You'll forgive me if I don't soak... I don't go anywhere without my armor," the Shogun responded.

"... Is that so? You sure turn away a lot of gifts. I'm living proof that a little self-indulgence leads to greatness," Oni cackled, seeming somehow as though he believed what he said. If he was joking right now, he might have patted the belly of his armor. "But let's be off. You still have the coordinates, I take it?"

"I do," the Shogun concurred, then allowed Oni to leave the net first. He looked to the others, understanding they might be worried, but addressed them quietly. "I will have to go alone. I believe Oni will only act out against those he believes to be beneath him, but acts subservient in the face of authority. For that reason, I'm not fearing that I'll be attacked. For now... Roc and Pest, I'm leaving transport of the prisoners to you. Take them back to the main camp and don't get involved with the Watchtower business for now. Skywriter, you find Yasu and verify her situation... I've not been able to contact her. She should be at these coordinates... And MachMan, we have you to thank for pulling us out of another situation. I'll pay you now, lest I forget," he finished. "Hopefully this will suffice." He handed over the data packet first, understanding he couldn't afford to be too late to the meeting.

**MachMan received...
1) Captives interrogated- 1000z
2) BlessMan pacified- 6000z + 100 bugfrags + ShootingStar3 + 10 faction points
BONUS) Boss Oni pacified- 4000z + 50 bugfrags + 5 faction points

Total: 11000z + 150 bugfrags + ShootingStar3 + 15 faction points**

The Shogun gave a quick nod, then vanished. This left MachMan with Roc, Pest, and Skywriter. The former two were already moving to deal with the three captives (Roc apparently not caring that she'd exposed the back of her thong to MachMan), while Skywriter stood by MachMan a bit longer. "I hope Aera didn't have to do anything too degrading for Boss Oni... o-or maybe Roc handled that all herself? I don't see Aera around anyway. Well, at least I wasn't the only one who had to strip down today," she chuckled, then gradually became very red, perhaps wishing she'd kept her mouth shut. "Look, I... I don't want you to get the wrong idea... maybe I should tell you this while Aera's not around," she murmured, looking back and forth and keeping her voice quiet.

Of course, MachMan knew that Aera was really present, behind the wall MachMan had his back to. He'd have to decide if it was less awkward to hear her out and then let Aera play dumb or to tell her Aera was right there, which might let Skywriter know she'd already let the cat out of the bag by trying to exclude her.

------------------------------------

"A banner, eh? Good answer! We soldiers appreciate banners! Wanting to wave a banner showin' your favorite girl shows you are one of us!" the pipe-smoking soldier beamed. He kept his smile for the next question, then grinned around his pipe. "The points? Well, sure! You get points for doing two things: making merchandise or providing information. Things everyone will want to know, like what her favorite food is."

"Or especially valuable information," the head-wrapped one added. "Things like what type of guy she likes... or maybe her measurements or what color-"

"Needless to say any type information is good! You can get points if others agree it's useful," the other butted back in, talking over his ally. "Every now and then we hold a market! We always do it out of the sight of the girls, but that's not hard... most of them just ignore us, so it's easy to get away. Basically, if you ever want to try to gain some extra points or cash in what you've got, just sneak off where you see us soldiers. A few of us play lookout while the others sell and buy! It sounds kinda shady, I know, but you gotta understand... Yasu particularly, she'd kick all of our asses if she found out we were doing this for fun. I doubt she'd be flattered to see her face on t-shirts..."

"Unfortunately, that includes Aera too. None of the girls can know, that's another of our rules," the head-wrap soldier added, frowning seriously. "Aera seems fun-loving and caring... She might be happy to let us go on operating. But if Yasu ever got a whiff of it, we'd be shut down for sure."

Aera quickly felt Roc's mood become more abrasive from the pause in the action due to her injury, and even more so when the suggestion was made to put the fling on hold. It wasn't unexpected, but Aera wasn't happy with this either; she didn't want her foolish actions to drive a wedge between Roc and her (and Mach as a result). "W-wait," she objected and tried to stop her from jumping away, but Roc got the jump on her, leaving her by herself behind the rubble pile. Aera opened a private channel with Roc, but the avian Navi's last remark caused her to pause, then eventually close the channel. She felt confused, frustrated, and helpless, which didn't combine well with her arousal, even when said arousal was waning quickly. She wanted to run out after her, to explain herself, but she couldn't immediately think of what she would say...

She had a flustered expression as she adjusted her top and briefs, then refreshed her NS uniform over them. She then looked down to the rubble pile, searching for a plank, flat bit of stone, or something else suitable. Once she found one, she turned around and sat down (otherwise she'd just sit on the floor). A few moments after sitting down, she put her head in her hands, and let out a frustrated sigh. However, this quiet moment of solitude seemed to help her put her mind and emotions back together. She kept her head in her hands, but her expression eased to one of contemplation as she gathered her thoughts.


---------------------------------


Mach was pleased to see Boss Oni placated by the news of the Shogun's imminent arrival; from the mobster's previous comments, Mach feared he'd call the whole thing off out of principle. Mach noticed Boss Oni again described the feast and the group of beautiful women he had prepared, and this time it felt more obvious he was giving those details just to gloat, instead of explaining the importance by detailing the "effort" he put into preparing the meeting.

Speaking of beautiful women, Roc made her re-appearance, while wearing next to nothing. Her ensuing comments weren't exactly wrong, Mach had recently seen her stark naked during the Mafia airship fiasco. She was unconscious at the time, so she probably didn't know Mach saw, a fact Mach continued to keep close hold. Like with Guillotine, Mach preferred having his limbs remain attached to his torso, so he simply shrugged. Thankfully the exchange was cut short by the Shogun's arrival, so Mach took a few steps back towards the rest of his squad to let the two armored Navis discuss their meeting. His reaction was similar to the Shogun's at the jab from Boss Oni, as well as the situation having no other option but to have the Shogun relocate to Boss Oni's bath house.

However, the mobster seemed fine with the Shogun not partaking in removing his armor, and left. Mach's attention focused on the Shogun, and he stood more formally as the Shogun addressed him and the rest of the group. He took the data packet presented by the Shogun without protest, sensing the Shogun's haste in not leaving Boss Oni waiting again. "Thank you, sir. Happy to be of service. Best of luck with your meeting," he said with a bow before the Shogun departed. Still holding the data packet, Mach looked over to Skywriter spoke, and raised an eyebrow at her cryptic, flushed speech. He kept his voice down as well, to not purposefully embarrass the Navi further. "If you think it's important, spit it out then, or send it in a private channel if you prefer."

He then saw a familiar figure walk out from the behind the rubble pile, and noticed her uniform was back to its default form. Aera had a determined look on her face, but she shot Mach a glance and a reassuring smile before angling over to Roc, who was over by the prisoners. "Roc, can I talk to you in private, please? The prisoners aren't going anywhere," Aera asked, hoping to get her attention. If she got it, she'd gesture to one of the holes leading outside. She knew Mach wouldn't intentionally snoop, so all she wanted was a space where a quiet conversation could be had without anyone eavesdropping. If Roc humored her and followed her outside, she'd find an appropriate spot and stop with her back still facing Roc. Her shoulders rose slowly then dropped as she sighed. "I guess I am stupid..." she quietly admitted. She crossed her arms and hugged herself, so Roc could see her hands wrapped over her ribs. She looked back and over her shoulder, and looked to speak, but she couldn't find her voice. She shook her head and let her arms hang at her sides before turning back to Roc.

"You're ... the first person I've ever gotten so... close with, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it..." she trailed off as a familiar blush grew on her face, but her expression looked more frustrated at herself than meek, which she would partially explain as she continued. "But I should've made it clear what we should or shouldn't have done, and not let my curiosity take over. I'm sorry, I was foolish and feel like I strung you along, which isn't fair to you. Take it as you will, I just wanted to try to set the record straight," she concluded with an apologetic tone, she didn't feel any ill will towards Roc, and didn't want the Navi to misinterpret this as contempt, or patronizing. Though she was apologizing, she tried to stand confidently in front of Roc, and waited for her response. She didn't expect to be forgiven nor reassured by Roc, she would probably either shrug it off as "no big deal," or continue to prod her for bringing too much drama into it.


------------------------------------


Vector listened quietly as the two explained the point system, while thinking of what an "Aera banner" would look like in the back of his mind. The point system seemed quite simple, and it made sense that some of the "fans" would produce merchandise themselves, since there didn't seem to be much infrastructure. Having such a fluid system made an equal amount of sense, since their operations needed to be clandestine, or else they'd be violently stricken down (by Yasu in particular). He didn't like keeping secrets from Aera, and trusted she too wouldn't made it apparent to the rest of the subordinates/generals, but he didn't want to spoil the soldier's benign fun.

"I understand, my lips are sealed... figuratively speaking," Vector said with a nod, before continuing in an attempt to get some quick points. "As for information, I believe her favorite color is Blue. I don't know her favorite food, but she's apparently a fan of the "Freckled Lemonade" from the NetCafe," he explained contemplatively, reaching back to his rapidly increasing library of memories with her. "I don't know what you mean by "measurements," but since she seems very attached to MachMan, I believe his qualities would exemplify her "type," if that helps narrow things down."

"Oh, uh, I wouldn't say 'important,' but um, a little private," Skywriter responded, pushing two fingers together in a gesture of indecisiveness. Rather than coming right out with it, she jumped with a sudden gasp, upon seeing Aera emerge from behind the building. She clasped both hands over her mouth and watched nervously as Aera... walked around her, seemingly going to talk to Roc instead.

The half-naked bird woman raised an eyebrow and stepped away from the prisoners, while Pest watched with a low buzzing... she seemed a bit out of place, with nobody to converse with. Not counting the prisoners, who wanted no part of her after watching her drain the life out of the heavy-set woman in the middle of them earlier.

After seeing that Aera and Roc had stepped away, Skywriter seemed to take the sudden silence as an omen that this was the best chance she was going to get. "Okay, so, you're probably wondering why I act kind of weird sometimes and... dress the way I... sometimes do," she gulped, staring from her feet back to his face in alternation, curious to see how he'd react. "I just wanted you to know... it's not like I'm trying to get you to, you know, do anything crazy or serious! The only way I dress that way is, well, when I started out with the Neo-Shogun Army, I meant to be here for a long time. Kind of branching out, learning something new... some excitement to balance out the skywriting job, which gets a lot more tedious than you'd think. Anyways, I just thought I might... you know, meet a guy here," she continued, her eyes shooting upward again before promptly drifting to the side. She adjusted the hem of her tunic before continuing. "And I knew the reputation of the Neo-Shogun Empire. Full of women... a lot of guys were interested in joining just to meet women, or so I hear, but Yasu usually puts an end to that, or them, whichever. But the point is this! I got some outfits like those ready just in case... I don't think I can stand out just dressing the same way everyone else here does. So I dress in a way that... you know... shows off. But it's not going to affect my work or anything! So don't let it bother you..."

Clasping her hands together at her chest, she took a quick look from side to side, then asked another question. "So! That said... does it bother you when I dress like that? Or d-do you l... er, is it okay? Do you have a way you want me o-or other people in the squadron to dress?" she asked, seeming increasingly jittery, but also smiling expectantly.

--------------------------

Once again hidden behind the rubble pile, Roc, crossed her arms and smirked. "Ready for another round, huh? I was feelin' the same-" she started, before Aera got a word in. She remained quiet while Aera talked, save for the guttural throat-growl Aera recognized sometimes seemed to come unconsciously from her. "You don't have to cry about it, I just got angry cause I wanted to have sex," she spoke very straight-forwardly, narrowing her eyes as if she was struggling to understand Aera's feelings. "We can just do it whenever you feel like it. If now's not good, we'll do it later." If Aera was trying to get the message across that she didn't want to do it at all, that didn't seem to be registering. "Or... ask fly-boy and see what he says, if you need permission or something. This is my first time doing it with an SP, so I don't know if there are rules or something."

Figuring the matter was closed, she turned and walked back out from behind the rubble pile. "Anyway, I gotta move these prisoners, so I'll talk to you later. Not like Bug-Eyes can move them by herself, heh..." she chuckled, although there was a chance Pest might could do just that, given how much strength she'd drained earlier. The little girl's wings flapped too fast for the eye to see as she turned her head to an unnatural angle, watching Aera and Roc with bug-like motions. She didn't seem interested in MachMan and Skywriter right now... or maybe they were just too awkward to watch.

--------------------------

"Woah, you've got some good stuff, buddy!" the older of the two soldiers applauded, taking his pipe out of his mouth for a moment to empty out the ashes. "Good, good!"

"I'll write it down," the head-wrapped one commented, grabbing what appeared to be a bandage and also a brush out of his tunic. "Blue... Freckled lemonade... likes guys like MachMan," he murmured. His eyebrows seemed to set into an annoyed furrow at the last part, which might make sense, given there was a pretty night-and-day difference between himself and MachMan, at least visually.

"Great! That's gotta be worth like... what..."

"I'd say 40 points," the ringleader concluded, placing the bandage back inside his tunic. "Easily 40. With that, you'll be able to buy an Aera drink coozie for sure, once we produce some," he recommended, before taking another look at Vector and remembering the lips joke. "Or something else, like perhaps a headband or armband. But perhaps you'll save up for the banner instead. If you know any other good Aera factoids, be sure to share. Now's the best time, since the club's just starting..."

Mach's eyes narrowed in response to Skywriter's reaction to Aera's appearance. [[i]Hm. I think I know where this is going... this could be... problematic.[/i]] Mach pondered, taking a guess as to what Skywriter would say next. His expression became less leering once Aera and Roc made their way out, noting Pest sitting more or less by herself. He looked to Skywriter as she continued, guess she thought the coast was clear. He briefly raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side at Skywriter's remark, non-verbally telling her he was aware and wondered what method she had to her madness.

As she continued, it became clear wanted to find a male counterpart in the NS, but because she also planned to remain loyal to the Shogunate for a "long time." It could explain her somewhat sudden shift to more overt "showing off," but not to the point of intentionally compromising the mission, etc. Mach had crossed his arms across his chest, but didn't show any other signs of potential disinterest; his eyes were mostly tracing Skywriter's own, but overall focused on her. "I see," Mach commented in a plain, non-judgemental tone. In his mind, he felt a bit of relief. [[i]Whew, was afraid she was going to confess something... with a specific target. That said, she might be dancing around the issue,[/i]] he pondered, hence only the "bit" of relief.

She concluded by asking his input on whether or not her dress was appropriate for the squadron. It wasn't entirely known if she was asking her commanding officer, or her potential target of affection, but it warranted a response regardless. "It doesn't bother me, personally. It hasn't prevented you from doing good work, which I appreciate, by the way," he started, punctuating his comment with a smile and a nod. He then pinched his chin between the side of his index finger and thumb in a contemplative posture. "I think the only one who's shown disapproval was Yasu, but our mission successes have eclipsed any "deviations" to the uniform," he said with a smirk, and a wink for good measure (and to gauge her reaction). "So, as long as it doesn't keep you from doing your job, I honestly don't care what you wear... within reason, of course."

Mach looked from side to side, then leaned in slightly. He aimed to give her some useful (but possibly obvious) information, and also to further see if her "hunt" was more specific than just "a guy." The hand that was previously pinching his chin cupped to the side of his mouth like he was whispering. "As for guys, I'd be wary of Drago, he's got a bit of a temper. And "Sideburns" heart seems dead-set on Yasu."

--------------------------

As Aera suspected, Roc's reaction was casual yet upfront. Aera's face went beet red at Roc's boldfaced intention to have sex with her; though she knew relatively little about the act itself, it still seemed so personal that it wouldn't normally be so casually declared. While she struggled to find a coherent response, Roc dished out another bluntly open invitation to do it at any time. It quickly proved both parties were equally clueless of eachother, but only one party was nearly to the point of having steam shoot out from her ears. "Okay, have fun," Aera absentmindedly responded as Roc departed, then clasped her hands over her face as she finally realized what she said. [[i]Wow, way to not be stupidly embarrassing or awkward, Aera.[/i]]

She stood there a moment to deal with her own self-inflicted embarrassment, then could finally appreciate Roc's casual response. It didn't appear she was going to hold a grudge; in fact, this might be a net gain in relations with Roc. The way said gains were obtained would remain unknown to Mach, of course... Aera took a deep breath, then exhaled before she tried to shake off the blush and started to head back into the meditation hall.

--------------------------

Vector was pleased to see his information was deemed as "good stuff" by his new compatriots/conspirators, though his external expression was obviously muted. He initially didn't have a scale with which to compare the value of his information, until they mentioned it was approximately worth a "coozie" (which Vector soon figured out with a quick info search) or a headband/armband, which would be marginally useful at best with his frame.

The two opened the door for additional information, suggesting this was an opportune time since the club was just starting. Vector pondered what appropriate/respectful information would be useful to the group. After a few moments, he gave additional suggestions. "If this is at all valuable or not already known, she specializes in recovery and electrical programs for both offense and defense, and is no stranger to high speed flight. In addition, she's good friends with Miss Sylk, as am I, and thinks highly of the other generals and subordinates, especially Miss Escort. During our introductory recruitment mission with the Shogunate, Lady Aera wore a stunning teal cocktail dress, which she kept from the mission, if I remember correctly."

Skywriter seemed heartily encouraged by MachMan's response, perhaps a bit too much so at first, but the "I honestly don't care" and "within reason" seemed to take some of the wind out of those sails. "S-So... I'll continue to wear what I think is best. Roger that," she laughed awkwardly. She couldn't help a look of stupid surprise when MachMan mentioned DragonierMan or the soldier known for his sideburns as potential guys she might go after. "Um... Sure, I know about DragonierMan. And if either of them wants to go after Yasu, then more power to them... that seems like an uphill fight. I'm not really interested in either of them, though," she laughed, then began pressing her fingers together awkwardly and watching his face again, perhaps wondering if she'd given away too much by process of elimination just now.

Going any further down that road was soon closed to her, however, as Roc returned. The bird lady looked much the same as she had before she left: still mildly miffed about some opportunity she'd lost or perhaps the task assigned, still bikini-clad. "I'm taking these prisoners. Doesn't look like anybody else is using them," she grunted to MachMan.

"Bzzz," Pest nodded, helping her with the other side of the roped group. "We'll have to get them to the warp-pad. It's near the front of the camp, bzz... Aren't you going to put some clothes on? Or maybe you ought to ask MachMan his opinion on your underwear before you do, bzzzz..."

Roc returned a cross-eyed glare that showed the joke was lost on her. "Rrrrgh... No thanks," she grumbled. "I'll refresh my armor later when I'm good and ready. My op doesn't know crap about crap and probably isn't paying any attention. I can't refresh it without him... I think." Perhaps she just didn't know how. At any rate, the two took off with their bundle, lifting the random henchmen and Trebuchet into air with ease.

This left just Skywriter, who had either forgotten her mission or thought clearing the air with MachMan was more important. "Oh, and about what you said... I think that Roc, Pest, and I all owe the success on our missions to you, Aera, and Vector. It's no secret we all came in pretty ragtag... Roc not listening to orders, Pest being a little wimpy, and me being... well... really wimpy. In fact, I don't think I'd have a place at all in the Neo-Shogun Empire if it wasn't for you..." she spoke quietly, keeping a grateful smile. "So... thanks for that."

MachMan would probably have to leave if he wanted to get anything else accomplished, or perhaps recommend that Skywriter attend to finding Yasu... or possibly even go with her to find Yasu. Whatever the case, she clearly wasn't going to leave as long as MachMan was standing here and willing to shoot the breeze.

----------------------------------------

"The fact that she can fly fast is well documented and we just learned her recovery abilities firsthand, true. You say she's good friends with Sylk and Escort, though? That sort of information could come in useful," the head-wrapped soldier responded, before receiving a piece of info that seemed far more important to him. "A dress? That's vital intel. And she still has it?! It's crucial that we see that dress, Vector." He approached Vector and placed a hand upon the robotic SP's shoulder, looking into his face seriously. "It's a considerably rare opportunity, highly sought after by any of us fan club members, to see our chosen girl in anything other than her uniform. We're all thankful for everything General Yasu does, of course, but... the uniforms are a curse. As a fellow Aera Fan Club member, you must understand our desire to see Aera wear all kinds of things."

"This is key, friend. This is a golden ticket! If you wanna make big time points, the kind that can get you treasures like limited edition, single print Aera wall-scrolls or one-of-a-kind statuettes, maybe even special commissions! This is the big time!" the pipe-smoking one murmured, having removed the implement from his mouth to speak more clearly. He sat forgotten in a clenched fist while he spoke. "Wait, we're missing the forest for the trees..."

"What? What are you talking about..?!" the head-wrapped one snapped.

"Think about it, man! If she held onto that dress, think about it... she must have other clothes too! Things like, who knows...!" the formerly pipe-smoking one surmised. The two had huddled close together, but both turned their heads now to look at Vector.

"Pajamas... no... beachwear...!" his ally gasped, his eyes flashing with excitement. "Vector, you're our key in all of this. If you're a true brother of our fanclub, we need to see those extra outfits! However you do it... preserving the sanctity of our Fan Club's clause, 'do-no-harm,' of course... you've got to get us a look at those clothes!" This was all a bit ironic consider Aera had almost been stripped naked moments ago, but no one was wise to that fact. "Heck, I'm not picky! Even winter clothes are good!"

"A white t-shirt and jean shorts?!" the pipe-smoker gasped, his eyes spinning. The other one slapped him back into his senses, then shook him by the shoulders. "You're right... I lost my head for a moment there! Got a little crazy! Forgive me, Vector, we'll take whatever you got!"

As Mach feared, Skywriter's comments and expression seemed to further hint she had her cross-hairs specifically on Mach himself. "Hm," he replied, his eyebrows raised as his gaze remained fixed on Skywriter. If he could safely assume she was after him specifically, that would bring up a dilemma: let her continue her "pursuit" under false pretenses, or shut her down then and there. She hadn't said it outright, Mach pondered, and so far his assumptions have a poor "batting average." "Well then, happy hunting," he said with a wink and a smile, before his expression became more stone-faced and he leaned in closer. "But I caution you, some of your targets might already be claimed..." he trailed off, matching Skywriter's vagueness with some of his own.

His focus shifted to Roc as she and Pest gathered up the prisoners before carting them off to the main camp. He chose to not add any comments regarding Roc's choice of outfit, but her comment did bring a bit of self-awareness to the situation; they, like him, are operated Navis. It seemed to add a whole other layer of weird when one considered the odd and compromising situations he'd seen: there was a human behind the scenes, whether they were aware of it or not. In fact, he hadn't heard a peep from Mazer in a while. A quick check from the PET's external camera showed his NetOp was still there, but ungracefully slumped back in his chair, with his head at an uncomfortable-looking angle over the back said chair, fast asleep. Probably for the best.

Whith Roc and Pest were gradually going out of sight, this left Mach and Skywriter alone in the meditation hall. "It's been my pleasure," Mach said with a grin before placing a hand gently on Skywriter's shoulder. "We've had our challenges, but y'all are a great crew, and look forward to the next adventure. Keep up the good work, I have high hopes for you." Mach concluded with a nod and a smirk, his eyes still locked with Skywriter's and his hand still on her shoulder.

A minute or two later, Aera finally made her way back into the meditation hall, looking much more composed than a few minutes prior. It was only then she realized Boss Oni had departed, and it was just Skywriter and Mach left in the meditation hall. "Sorry about that, had to tie up some loose ends," she commented. Mach turned back to Aera as she made her way to his side. "No worries, thanks for holding the fort while we were away. Learned some interesting things about the Blessers, I'll fill you in when we get some downtime," Mach exclaimed with a smile. Aera smiled in kind, appreciative of Mach's praise (as well as the apparent lack of suspicion of what she was doing). However, as Mach alluded to the absence of downtime, he turned back to Skywriter. "The Shogun requested you to report back to the main camp to restore comms with General Yasu, we can accompany you if you'd like."

----------------------------------------

Vector had assumed the first few nuggets of information would be relatively well known, but he didn't expect the last detail to generate such a fervor from his two compatriots. He canted his head to the side as they mentioned terms like "golden ticket," "limited edition," and "special commissions," as these terms were entirely new to him. Regardless of the points gained, this was quite the enlightening experience for him. What he did understand; however, was their need to see the teal dress he previously described. While they continued to babble on about the other wardrobe possibilities, Vector dove into his visual memory files, and found one memorable one that he believed would be quite appropriate.

As he tried to format the visual data into a format capable of display, the two soldiers appeared to confide in him as their sole source of Aera's extra outfits. He didn't realize this until a few moments after he opened a small data file for the group to see. Said data file contained a still image of Aera first donning the cocktail dress.

Quote (Image File)

She decided to lose the short ponytail and had somehow accessed and edited her appearance program; she had one large bang hang diagonally down the left side of her face, while the rest of her short hair hung just above her shoulders, and splayed slightly outwards. Her left eye was almost completely covered by her bangs, but her sapphire eyes still seemed to shine through. She had just a little hint of blue eye shadow, and a light application of crimson red lipstick. Her neck and shoulders were bare, the straps of her dress hung just below her shoulders, and crossed in front of her chest in a rather low cut, showing a modest, but eye-catching amount of cleavage.

The dress hugged Aera's smooth, toned abdomen, waist, and even down to the top of her thighs, showing some of the contours of her butt. The dress had a split running up the right side all the way up to her mid thigh, allowing excellent freedom of movement in her legs. She was wearing a pair of teal stiletto heels, with little gold straps which wrapped around her ankles and partially up her lower legs. She also wore a pair of very long teal silk gloves that stretched just a few inches below the straps of her dress. The gloves were altered slightly to allow the ruby crystals on the backs of her hands to be seen, and she had a thin gold bracelet around each of her wrists.

Skywriter's eyes lit up at "happy hunting" then promptly faded at "already be claimed." If he was hoping that would cut her off cold turkey, however, he'd be disappointed... the fire seemed to come back into her eyes just as quick as it had died. "Maybe... maybe if they're already claimed... then I'll just have to win them over!" she resolved, smiling with affected confidence. It seemed that the hunt would continue.

Despite possible awkwardness from that, MachMan gave her some more encouragement; her skin was warm underneath his palm, probably her whole body was at this point. She kept a friendly smile on, though her eyes seemed to be regarding Aera in a peculiar way... she had a tendency to get a little skittish and not make a lot of eye contact, but she seemed determined to keep her eyes locked with her ally. The battle between the two of them fell to the wayside as MachMan proposed that he accompany her on the report. "Oh, um... yeah, you two can come along if you want. Hopefully Yasu's back at the main camp. If she's not, I'll ask Survey or someone where she is. I hope Yasu didn't run into those enemy combatants who were after her... assuming those ROT guys weren't just lying. We'll know soon enough, I figure. Yeah, let's go back to the main camp, if that's alright with you," she finished up.

--------------------------------------------------

The guys were easily excited and gathered around to view Vector's data, which contained video evidence of Aera's sexy dress. The two gasped loudly and looked between one another; the pipe fell from one soldier's mouth, forgotten in the dirt. "This is good! It makes her look more mature, which I appreciate, bein' an old fart," the older man testified, nodding sagely.

The other one rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then shook his head. "It's good... 100 points by itself good. But it's not what quite what I had in mind. Vector, you're our only hope here. We have to see her actually wear the outfit, if she still has it available," he stressed.

The pipe-smoking one dusted off his pipe, sighed, then nodded agreement. "He's got a point, I think. I imagine this is a little how operators feel about their navis, not to put anybody in an existential crisis or anything. Kinda like... 'this is nice to look out, but damn, I wish it was right here next to me.' At least, I assume that's what most operators think about their navis, since so many navis are admirable ladies," he mused. "I guess what we're sayin' is, this is great, but it's no substitute for the real deal. Can you get Aera to show us some of her other costumes? Forget points, we soldiers would be in your debt for real!"

"I'd let you use me as a footstool like the original soldiers were used back when Dee toyed around with them all the time," the head-wrapped one added in deadpan more monotone than seemed possible for such a statement.

"I'd give up smokin'!" the other added, which seemed as though it could be a positive outcome.

((Topic opening soon in Neo-Shogun Headquarters))

Though Skywriter didn't seem deterred by the vague warning, at least in the future she couldn't say he didn't warn her. That would have to be addressed later, as she accepted their offer to accompany her in locating Yasu back at the main camp. "Alright then, we'll fill Vector in and head over. Keep your eyes peeled, in case the encampment is under ROT attack," Mach replied with a nod. Aera watched Mach and appeared ready as well, the only one left to address was Vector.

Quote (MachMan)

Vector, we're heading to the main camp to assist Skywriter in locating General Yasu. Wrap things up out there and meet in the meditation hall when ready.

--------------------------------------------------


Vector's posture stiffened in attention after receiving notification from Mach, then immediately shot a reply back.

Quote (Vector)

Of course, sir. I'm on my way.

His image file unsurprisingly prompted a significant reaction from the pair of soldiers, but it seemed the real prize was to see Aera and her outfits "in the flesh," as it were. Said prize appeared so highly treasured, the soldiers would be severely indebted to him. The description of Dee's treatment of the soldiers didn't sit well with him, it seemed inappropriately pompous and manipulative. He'd rather have a cadre of loyal soldiers to lead into battle, to further aid Mach's duty to the shogunate.

"Though Lady Aera has shown a liking for this dress, she dresses for the mission. She may be willing to exhibit her assorted outfits on request, but a better chance to see them would be to accompany her on missions, as I do," Vector honestly explained; if Aera would show off to anyone, it would be to Mach and to him alone, unless it was required for a mission. He closed the image file, causing it to flicker and retreat into his hand. He expected an unfavorable reaction from the soldiers, but he had higher priorities.

"Speaking of which, I must depart; Sir MachMan has another mission for us. I appreciate the conversation and the inclusion to the "Aera Fan Club," which I will keep secret as agreed. On that subject, unless I've assumed incorrectly, I now stand with 140 points. Best of luck to you all, I look forward to our next meeting," Vector concluded and punctuated with a polite bow before his eerily quiet propulsion systems made him rise in the air. He turned away and accelerated as he vectored towards the meditation hall.

Upon meeting up with the rest of his group, the trio would then transfer to the main encampment, with their goal to locate General Yasu and figure out why she's been out of contact.

((To NS Main Camp))

((MachMan received the below FXP from this and the Blesser's Court thread:

Pest: 13
Skywriter: 18
Neo-ShogunMan (Hime): 10 FXP
Roc: 21
Boss Oni: 7
BlessMan: 8
Guillotine: 4))