2023-08-13: The Gift of Family

• Cast: Marida Cruz, Suberoa Zinnerman
• Where: Aboard the Garencieres
• Date: U.C. 0097 08 13
• Summary: During a lull in the search for Laplace's Box, Zinnerman presents a restless Marida with a gift, and both end up getting what they truly want.

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<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         A moment of peace.

         One would say this is what all true warriors strive for.

         But this moment of peace aboard the Garencieres Jr. is tinged with an undercurrent of tension. The fight against the Vist Foundation was not over yet, despite their great victory in rescuing Leina Ashta, and the most they could do now was wait for them to make a move.

         And so the ace pilot of the Garencieres, Marida, found herself feeling somewhat restless in her quarters. She sat at her sparsely-equipped desk, typing out reports as her Haro, Violette, rested in front of her, playing a gentle piece of classical music. She had relinquished herself of her identity as a weapon, but was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the reality of being a human, and the reality of being a daughter.

         So she dove into her work. The familiar work, where she didn't have to focus too much on those thoughts. They still had too much to do before she could fully free herself.

<Pose Tracker> Suberoa Zinnerman has posed.

A hard-fought victory, however small, and a small respite for the Three Ships Alliance, Banagher, and Leina...

Meanwhile on the Garencieres Junior, new frontiers have opened up.

There is a chime at Marida's door. "Are you decent, Marida?" Zinnerman's gruff voice comes through the communicator.

Once invited in, he steps inside carefully, carrying a box under his arm. His normally stern countenance softens at the sight of her at her desk. "Hard at work, I see." He checks his chronometer. "... I suppose you can't sleep, either."

<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         Marida stops typing and turns to the door when she hears Zinnerman. "Yes, sir. You may enter." As the door opens, Violette pauses her music, waving her wings.

         "Father! Father!"

         "Violette, quiet please."

         As Zinnerman enters, Marida's glance moves to the box under his arm, her head craning up slightly to try to get a look inside. "Yes, Captain. I...need to feel at least somewhat productive while we wait for our next step. It's easier than pacing around imagining worst case scenarios."

<Pose Tracker> Suberoa Zinnerman has posed.

Zinnerman grunts in acknowledgment. "I've been making my rounds of the ship." This means, of course, that he's been hovering over the rest of the Garencieres crew as they finish up their tasks and retire for the night. "Tomura had to chase me out of the hangar for getting in the way." He chuckles softly.

He sets the box down on Marida's desk. "So I thought I might as well bring you this gift, if you were still awake."

He frowns as Marida talks about 'worst-case scenarios'. "Well... I think we've already navigated our way through one such situation, now miss Ashta is safe. We've coordinated security operations with Dr. Mass's people... the Vist Foundation shouldn't be able to reach Leina, Banagher or Mineva if we stay vigilant. What are you concerned about?"

<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         Marida sighs softly. "The thing about being a human is that sometimes your mind doesn't work in the most logical way. Anxiety has a tendency to bring forth the most incredible 'what if' scenarios. It's nothing that's an actual concern, it's just..." She gently raps her fingers on the desk. "...I don't like being so idle when the end is in sight."

<Pose Tracker> Suberoa Zinnerman has posed.

"... I suppose it's a new feeling for you, rather than..." He trails off.

"Knowing that they're irrational thoughts is one thing, but perhaps voicing them might help? I value your opinion, Marida, and I want to help you deal with any problems you might be having."

He moves over to her bunk, sitting down and patting the cot next to him. "Come, let me hear your worries."

<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         Marida glances at the spot next to Zinnerman, blinking before walking over and sitting down.

         "I...don't want us to fail. We've all been through so much, come so far. I trust in Banagher, but there's still uncertainty right here at the final stretch. Whether the Vists have some other weapon in reserve, whether they can somehow reactivate Puru-1...and the truth of Laplace's Box. Full Frontal is convinced that it will tip the scales of power to Spacenoids, but nobody knows what's inside it."

         As she rambles on the anxieties in her mind, she hardly even notices herself beginning to lean into Zinnerman's side.

<Pose Tracker> Suberoa Zinnerman has posed.

As Marida leans into him Zinnerman smiles softly. "We've come too far," he agrees, "to fail now. The problem, of course... is that Vist-Carbine believes the same thing. We... just don't know what she has up her sleeve, and that lack of intelligence is... concerning. After all, our work has always thrived off having not just adequate but overwhelming intelligence, and yet the Vists have outmaneuvered us at every turn."

He puts an arm around Marida's waist, hugging her a little closer. "Even so... We have to continue, for Banagher, Leina and Mineva's sake, if nothing else, I think."

He looks down at her. "As for the contents of the box... If the conspiracy it gives rise to is enough for Vist to torture someone and try and turn her into her personal weapon... then it could very well be what Full Frontal wants from it."

"I don't think we have anything to worry about with Leina's conditioning, though. I understand 3G are very good at treating that kind of torture, even despite Murasame's meddling with the process."

<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         Marida closes her eyes and smiles as her captain...her father, pulls her in closer. Touch. It was a sensation she had deprived herself of for so long. She enjoyed it. As a Cyber-Newtype, she had accustomed herself to the coldness of space. She thought that was where she belonged. But here, in the warmth of humanity...

         this was not so bad.

         "You're right, Captain. It's just hard not to worry."

         She looks over to the box that Zinnerman had put down. "...You mentioned something about a gift."

<Pose Tracker> Suberoa Zinnerman has posed.

"I know. I am particularly concerned about Banagher. This has all been... a lot for him."

Marida changes the subject, looking toward the box, and Zinnerman clears his throat, standing up to retrieve it. "A couple of gifts, actually." He hands Marida the box.

Inside: A jacket with a faux-wool lining, coloured the same steel-blue with orange cuff and shoulder stripes as the very ship they're sitting in, with a Rivacona Cargo patch on the left shoulder emblazoned with the ship name. "Gilboa's idea - when we got the new ship, he decided we should all get something to symbolise it." It's cut to Marida's measurements, coming down to just above her waist.

Underneath the jacket, though: A leather-bound book, with real paper, a lock, and a velvet ribbon bookmark, and a 0G pen tucked in a slot on the spine. There is no title, and the pages are empty; but on the inside front cover is a little plaque with embossed golden writing: 'Property of Marida Cruz'.

"A young woman should have a diary, I think... after all, paper is one of the safest ways to store secrets." He gives a fond little chuckle.

<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         She picked up the jacket and looked it over. It was certainly a far cry from the formality of the Sleeves uniform she would typically wear, but it wasn't as if anyone else on the ship wore that uniform. She stands up and tosses the jacket on over her t-shirt, stepping over to her mirror and holding her arms out, slowly twisting her upper body from side to side. The bottom hem of the jacket gently swayed in the air along with her movements, the slight centifugal force causing the bottom of the jacket to fly out a bit.

         "...I like it."

         Sitting back down, she picks up the book. A diary...she had heard about something like this, maybe from Mineva or Leina. She flips the pages along her thumb, looking at the subtle faded lining as it shows through the movement of the paper. The last page gives way to the plaque on the inside.

         Property of Marida Cruz

                  Marida Cruz

                           Cruz

         It was an incredibly thoughtful gift, and a lot of work was put into it. She certainly appreciated it.

         So why was there a pain in her chest?

         Why was there a twinge of sadness?

         For the sake of the Captain, she swallows it down and gives him a smile. "I love it. Thank you, Captain."

<Pose Tracker> Suberoa Zinnerman has posed.

There is a small hesitance in Marida's reaction to the diary and Zinnerman's brow furrows. Something is wrong. He looks down at the book.

"... It's not right, is it?"

He puts his hand on hers. "If you tell me, I'll have it fixed, I promise."

<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         Her hand clenches under Zinnerman's much larger hand. She doesn't want to seem ungrateful, she really doesn't. And...it certainly was true that her name was Marida Cruz. But...did she want it to be?

         "It's okay. I just thought it was misspelled for a second. But it's not."

<Pose Tracker> Suberoa Zinnerman has posed.

Zinnerman grunts, moving his hand up from Marida's waist to her hair and ruffling it. "You're sounding like you used to. The flat affect, where you're putting your thoughts aside for the sake of 'the mission'." He squeezes her hand, feeling it clench.

"I had it commissioned a while ago, in the hopes of giving it to you when you were..." He frowns, considering how to explain it. "... less under the thumb of your conditioning. If you want to change something, or if I've made a mistake... I want to know."

<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         Marida's head shakes just a bit at the force of his hand in her hair as she listens to his explanation. If this had been commissioned some time before...that would explain it, yes. She didn't want to start distrusting him again now.

         You're a human now. Humans say what they want.

         "I was thinking about making a change to the plaque." She runs her thumb across the embossed lettering, reading along. "Property of Marida..."

         Her thumb stops. Her voice stops.

         "...Zinnerman."

<Pose Tracker> Suberoa Zinnerman has posed.

There is silence, for a long moment, as Marida expresses herself... and then Zinnerman draws her into a tight hug, sniffling as his eyes begin to sting.

"Forgive your old fool of a father, Marida. I didn't even catch it as a problem. Of course we can change it - I would, in fact, be honoured to change it."

He looks solemn for a moment. "I never thought someone would want to take my family name ever again."

<Pose Tracker> Marida Cruz has posed.

         Marida drops the diary as she's pulled into a big bear hug. After a second, her arms wrap around Zinnerman, returning the hug in kind. Her vision begins to blur as her own voice begins to waver.

         "I never thought I would have a family."

         She feels the sensation of tears running down her cheeks. Fool of a father, she was a fool of a daughter to doubt him for even a second.

         "...I love you, Father."