2022-02-03: Proper Hug-Receiving Etiquette

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<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

The Sleeves! They are, to put it lightly, kind of not particularly well-liked throughout most of Federally-owned space. Sure, they can sort of slum it by camping out in the back of friendly freighters or occasionally docking with other allied vessels, but...

Officially the Republic of Zeon does not recognize the Sleeves as being a paramilitary force funded by the Republic of Zeon, so actually docking there is a risky prospect. As such, the number of friendly colonies available to them is somewhat... limited.

With the notable exception, that is, of the PLANTS!

And so... They are here. At one of the vaguely hourglass-shaped colonies rotating in space. Which one, exactly? Who knows! It doesn't particularly matter too much as long as it's not one of the more important ones! One of those aforementioned friendly freighters is docked at the local shipyard, ostensibly offloading a shipment of water and other sundry supplies. But they've also been offloading certain Sleeves personnel!

One of whom is... looking very, very interested at the scenery around him, gawking like some kind of tourist who has never been inside a proper Lagrangian colony before. "Jeez, it's all so huge in here!" Trevor chimes energetically, staring up at the... the vast landmass that stretches up to the center of the colony's rotational axis. "I can't believe they fit all this in a gigantic hourglass. Did they grab the water from Earth, or did they pull in ice from the Asteroid Belt...?"

<Pose Tracker> Saraven Vai has posed.

It was once again left to the good civilian transport Ontarian Lyra to shift the Sleeves back and forth in a legitimate manner. The ship has made for a perfect cover for Mars Zeon to both move between colonies unnoticed and drop cells of units in areas to set up future ambushes.

"The PLANTs ae very impressive, yes," says the quiet voice walking to Trevor's right. Her flight jumpsuit and uniform would be utterly inappropriate in a fairly public place, where people not affiliated with ZAFT might feasibly see. Saraven put on something simpler: A cable-knit turtleneck sweater in a very dark but desaturated black-purple colour over a pair of faded charcoal pants (really more like tights) and a set of black, heeled boots that come nearly up to her knees. She's got a large bag slung over her shoulder.

Clasping her hands at waist level, the bored-seeming girl takes a few steps forward before looking up towards the distant landmass. "...I'm not sure how it was built," she admits quietly, "but it would be cheaper to get it from Earth. It's right there."

Her eyes drift towards Trevor. She can feel the energy radiating off of him.

        ...carrion bird... you're full of wonder, aren't you...?

"...The ZAFT people are nice," Saraven says, her voice still as neutral as ever. "There was a pilot I met... Riika. She's a very skilled pilot." 

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        Our friends the Sleeves are here for a visit!

        Serinas is certainly eager to make friends! It's a shame so much of Earth is potentially unfriendly, but at least there are spacers with which ZAFT has common cause as fellow opressed...

        Just another figure in a ZAFT space forces uniform, Serinas waits a moment for some sort of official greeting to happen, like captains meeting eachother or something, but... it doesn't. There's just two people in non-ZAFT normal suits standing looking around. Can... can she just go say hi?

        Serinas pushes off a railing and floats towards the two. "Hiiiii!" She smiles. "I'm Serinas Nikola, ZAFT pilot, but you can just call me Serinas, it's so nice to meet you! Where are you from?? I'm from the belt, I'm still pretty new here myself..."

        She catches herself on some handhold or railing closer to the pair, and looks to Trevor after his comment in particular, "Yeah, it's so HUGE compared to back home, there's an actual 'outdoors' like on Earth! Haha, it's kinda funny that there's so much more room here, and yet it'd be weirder to walk around macronized than back home..."

<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

Well, you can't blame a guy like Trevor for feeling awe and wonder at the magnificence of the PLANT's gorgeous interior. "All the ones back home were way smaller," he explains, turning a full 360 around his heel as he takes in the view of it all. "I remember growing up back on the <<Condor>>, you could barely fit two people shoulder to shoulder in some of the corridors. Even the colonies we visited weren't anywhere near this nice. Here... It's so open. This is what it's like to have an actual sky, huh...?"

"Wouldn't Earth run out of land and water if all of it went to build colonies, though?" he asks, stopping to stare in wonder at... a tree of all things. "We export a lot of water ice to both the inner and outer Solar System, so maybe some of it ended up here, eh? That'd be a small world indeed!"

Maybe he doesn't... grasp how much land Earth actually has. He's never been there, after all.

Trevor is not in fact in a normal suit at all. He's in... Uh. His clothes look like they've been harvested from multiple different wardrobes, at least one of which was apparently 'victorian chique.' The shirt he's wearing under his jacket has distinctly flouncy sleeves and a plunging neckline, with an abundance of glittering chains dangling rough-cut gems over his chest. This person... is weird!!?

But also strangely fashionable.

"Oh?" Someone else's voice...! Someone... in a ZAFT uniform!?!? "Ohoho! Someone else from the belt!? Hah! Where are you from? I'm from back around Vesta myself. How long have you been here? This place is crazy, isn't it?"

Beat.

"Oh! A Meltran? Nice, some of the old geezers aboard the <<Condor>> were old Zenty war vets. Huh, it really IS a small world if two Belters are in one place like this, ahahahaha~"

<Pose Tracker> Saraven Vai has posed.

Saraven had met a few of the more active ZAFT officers. Serinas Nikola's a new one. When the young woman with the blue hair gravitates their way, the darker-haired representative of Mars Zeon lets her heels touch the ground with a steadying click as she clasps her hands once more.

"Hello. I'm Saraven Vai from Mars Zeon. I didn't meet you when I was here last time."

There's a distinct contrast between the pair of Sleeves. Trevor's expressive; Saraven is decidedly not. She carries herself with a flat, neutral expression, and her pitch doesn't vary all that much, her tone overall quiet and somewhat flattened. But she does, at least, give Serinas a thorough look over.

It's an oddly incisive look - like she can read parts of Serinas that shouldn't be readily apparent.

She looks up at Trevor, giving the more expressive man a pensive look. "...I've been on ships like that, but I grew up in Alba City. The sky's... somewhat visible. Through the colony dome, I mean. There aren't many settlements anymore." 

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.


        Earth, run out of land and water? Serinas looks at Trevor with the confused expression of every Coordinator who's just heard a Natural say something so astoundingly nonsensical they'd never think of it themselves. "Earth is huge." she states, plainly. "That's like being concerned that the sun will run out of fuel." She adds something that perhaps people have to be told, "Before the space elevators, it was more economical to move asteroids and comets because of Earth's gravity."

        When Trevor says he's from the belt too, though, her expression brightens again! "No way, you're a belter too?! I'm from" she names some colony known to be primarily populated by Zentradi who decided not to live in the Earth Sphere after the war, and their descendants. "Yeah, that's, wow!" She smiles. "I'm half-zentradi, actually. My mom lives here in the PLANTs. I came here as soon as I was old enough to leave home, but..."

        She looks solemn for a second. "...Well, I wasn't expecting to find a war." Then she smiles, "But still... the PLANTs have been so wonderful! There's so much music I can't listen to all of it! So many stories! And so many different clothes I like yours!"

        She looks to Saraven. "Oh... I was mostly at the Academy until a week ago, I just got to the PLANTs like a couple months ago... It's so nice to meet both of you!" she reaches out a hand to shake with each of them in turn. "Mars... what's it like??" And then realization flashes across her face, and that bright smile becomes apologetic. "Err... what was it like, I mean... I'm so sorry, that's... To have lost your... I don't want to imagine what that's like!" She tries to give Saraven a hug! 

<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

Trevor's handshake is firm and greagarious, but somehow it also involves shaking right up to the wrist with both hands. Some kind of weird Vestan custom, maybe?

"Ah, you've got relatives in the area! That makes sense. Good of you to keep tabs on family like that. Hahaha~" He releases the handshake and hooks his hands into his pockets. "Mm, well, thank you kindly. It's just a little something I threw together, fufu," Trevor sparkles inexplicably. Is this what they call... Ikemen Power...!?

But then the mood turns a little more somber. "Ah. Right. I'd heard about what happened. The Jovian Lizards... We heard about it even out in the Belt. We lost a lot of friends back then. Scrappers who couldn't keep up with the business retired to help with the terraforming effort, and..."

Well. That certainly did a number to the mood.

"...All my family's out in the Belt," he says, trying to steer the conversation back in that direction even a little bit. "But we were pretty well aware that war was brewing. Heck, that's part of why I headed down this way. Heh."

<Pose Tracker> Saraven Vai has posed.

Saraven crosses her arms under the curve of her bust, crossing an ankle in front of the opposite and giving Trevor a considering look. "Earth is enormous," she explains quietly. "And mistreated. There are finite limits to its environment, yes... but the danger isn't running out of land. It's corrupt Earthians destroying and polluting it."

There's a streak of Contolism in how Saraven was brought up. She says these things entirely matter-of-factly.

As Serinas explains her family's history, Saraven cants her head, then nods along. The psychically aware can feel a subtle probing - a curious pressure she directs towards Serinas, not malicious or even all that full of emotion. It's more of an assessment, taking stock of her in a way that seems more than visual. It takes a few seconds before an image flutters through Saraven's thoughts.

        ...Little wren, flying from the nest for the first time...
                ... You can feel the wind, can't you...?

When Serinas asks about the fate of Mars, Saraven cants her head and blinks. "No, it's fine for us," she begins, but then the other woman steps in and does something she isn't expecting. There is no resistance as Serinas gives her a hug.

Saraven stiffens up awkwardly and opens her mouth slightly, her hands twitching as they're caught at her sides. She doesn't return the hug, just standing there wide-eyed, blushing and radiating uncertainty. After a few seconds, she throws a look at Trevor, her usual air of ennui broken by utter bafflement.

        ...Wh-what am I supposed to do...?!

<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

Trevor makes a vaguely circular motion with his arms. Apparently he's trying to mime (and mind-wave) 'hug her back!!'

It takes everything he's got to restrain the first impulse, which would have been 'and also take her wallet' but he's among polite and friendly company, so he contains himself. 

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.


        Serinas may have some psychic potential, but it's never seen conscious use. Her facial expression changes slightly as Saraven prods at her, like she noticed *something*, but she seems to take it as just a passing feeling.

        She hugs juuust long enough to be awkward before letting go, whether the hug is reciprocated or not, but she smiles a little more, and perhaps Saraven can sense slightly more positive feelings, if it is.

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        "It's just my Dad out in the belt. Mom married someone else after, so... here I have two Moms and a little half-brother to protect!" Serinas states, cheerily.

<Pose Tracker> Saraven Vai has posed.

Saraven blinks at Trevor in disbelief a couple of times. She twitches again, her elbows bending a little as if she's trying to make her arms move, but she ends up just stuck there with her hands held forward by a few degrees without reaching anything. By the time Serinas lets her go, her face has turned a brilliant shade of rose, and she plays with the hem of her sweater and looks off to one side, scuffing a heel. Her teeth capture her bottom lip.

When she looks back, it's with an awkward clearing of her throat. "...Um," she begins. "The."

She takes a second to let her thoughts catch up, draws a quick breath, and finishes the sentence: "-Jovian Lizards didn't bother Mars Zeon very much. They attacked most of the cities, though. Federation colonies suffered a great deal."

She folds her arms around her midsection, as if hugging herself, before asking out of nowhere, "What's it like to have a mom?"

<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.

        Talia rounds a corner, turning to make her way towards one of the hangars. She's on her way out, heading for a shuttle to take her back to ZAFT HQ. However, she pauses as she catches sight of a few individuals up ahead. A couple of which she recognises.

        Talia stops by the three, giving a nod to them all before saying, "Lieutenant Vai, Miss Serinas. I didn't expect to run into you here. Do you have plans in the city?"

<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

'What's it like to have a mom?'

Trevor's expression wilts subtly at the query. "It's... hard to explain. Moms are warm, full of love, they'd do anything to protect you, to keep you safe. I had... a few moms, over the years." How many has he had to say goodbye to, over those same years? How many times has he been handed off.....?

"But there's an expert in moms right here, so I'll let her--" Someone else has arrived! "Oh, heya!" Trevor chirps Talia-ward, his gloom apparently dispelled for the time being. "Don't mind us, we're just resupplying and having a nice walk. This is an amazing place you've all got here. Name's Trevor, good to meet you." 

<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

Who are these two visitors? They are members of the Sleeves, coming to resupply at one of the few friendly colonies willing to do business with them! In fact, the PLANTs are ostensibly allies, so it's even better!

The one with the smile is Trevor Teach, some kind of Asteroid Belter in an extremely flouncy shirt with a deep, plunging neckline and a whole lot of bling dangling around his neck. The one with the awkward hug is Saraven, who is a precious cinnamon roll.

They are here to visit and have a walk, because Trevor has never been in a colony this huge before and decided to go ashore to do some gawking and gaping like some kind of doe-eyed tourist. 

<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.

Floating out of a large building emblazoned with the title of the 'Jung Concern', a bright eyed young woman comes out into the mains of the administrative district. She'd remained within the building for longer to greet some more people, but she'd felt a familiar twinge at the edge of her mind which had demanded her departure.

Wearing her casual clothing, including a nice pastel sweater, the young woman begins to float towards Trevor and Saraven, as well as her Captain and Serinas. "Miss Vai!" She waves her arm about while using a tiny little device on her belt to help her move forward more accurately. Using it to politely halt a few feet before colliding into them.

"I didn't think I'd see you here." Her focus is on Saraven Vai at the moment as someone she recognizes and sees most rarely.

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

        > What's it like to have a mom?
        Serinas has to think about this, and when Trevor speaks she looks at him and listens with intense, curious interest. Then she thinks about her own mom. There's a bit of conflicted feeling in her mind; She wishes she had been raised here in the Earth Sphere, and knows it was partially Mom's decision that Dad raised her instead. She came here and found a family made only a few years after she left... considering it this deeply, she's suddenly jealous that she didn't have a Mom in her life a couple of months ago and her little half-brother had two his whole life... She doesn't say this, but maybe the especially psychic can pick up on unvoiced feelings.

        "It's... it's nice! She's busy, but she's really concerned for me, for my little brother, and her wife. She listens sometimes, sometimes she gets distracted." She nods towards Trevor. "She's warm, but... she can't really protect me, with how things are... She's concerned, and worried for me, and keeps trying to give me advice to stay safe, but like, I'm not a little kid... She's eager to spend time with us all. Especially me, but... we barely know eachother... But... she's warm... Having a Mom is nice."

        She kinda has two, though! "My other Mom's... yeah, like he said, she tries to be protective, though she's a bit more distant, we barely know eachother either... She's friendly, she jokes around... whenever talk gets sad, they're both ready with hugs... like that!" She nods towards Saraven, to indicate the hug she just gave.

        And then she looks between Lily and Saraven. "You know eachother?"

<Pose Tracker> Saraven Vai has posed.

Saraven presses her lips together, sensing the way Trevor sags mentally.

        Wh-what did I say...?

She ohs, however, and raises her eyebrows shallowly as Trevor explains. "Oh, that makes sense. I have one of those, then. I think." Fussing with one of her sleeves, she glances off to the side to track a point of pressure approaching - nearing the little gathering out in a docking space near the colony heart, where Trevor, Saraven and Serinas have gathered to chat, with Talia on approach. It's that addition she picks up on.

Saraven turns in the diminished gravity and clasps her hands at her waist again. "Captain Gladys," she greets quietly. "We came to check up on things."

She hesitates a moment. Then: "I'm sorry about what happened at Frontier Seven. I hope you and the others were able to get away. The Federation sent a much larger group than expected."

Eyes drifting towards Serinas, Saraven nods quietly along with her before pressing her lips together pensively. "...Oh. I see. I don't know much about hugs, but I'm glad you have two people who take care of you that way...."

She trails off at the sound of a familiar voice. And a mental pressure.

        ...Flamingo... you're flying again, aren't you...?

"Hello," she says in her usual stoic manner, turning to better face the arriving Lily. "One of our people wanted to see a colony." A short pause, then - "Are you... feeling better?"

Saraven hadn't been able to wade across the battle to help Lily. But she could feel the girl getting sackbeaten by the Sainklaus couplet. 

<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.

        Talia nods to Trevor in greeting, "Captain Talia Gladys. A pleasure to meet you." Judging from the context, she assumes he's with the Sleeves. It seems like she has been running into more of them lately. Perhaps there has been a shift in the war...

        Speaking off, Talia nods solemnly at Saravan's words about Frontier Seven, "It is unfortunate... I don't expect we'll see another chance like that for a while."

        Talia turns as Lily proceeds to join them as well. Talia wasn't aware she was here, but then she's not the type to pry into what her pilots do on their own time. She greets Lily with a nod, "Miss Jung. I hope you're prepared for the trip to Earth. We might be down there for a while." It largely depends on what orders they find themselves with, after all.

<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

What did she say? Nothing, but also everything. Maybe even something that sheds a little light on the Vulture's shrouded heart.

"That's good," he says of Saraven's mother-having status. "Mothers are important, you know? I know a lot of folks grow up without one, but... Mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, weird uncles and aunts, they're all important. Just make sure that you've picked the right ones, heh."

But then Captain Talia Gladys says something of particular interest. A trip... to Earth. "Oh. Oh! Sara, is that the same one we're heading on? Haha! I've always wanted to see what it's like down there! It looks beautiful from all the way out here, doesn't it? That great blue marble floating out in space...!"

Even if it is... supposedly polluted and misused by the people living on it. Well, that's just human nature though, isn't it?

"How are you going to be getting back and forth?" He asks, inquisitively. "Does ZAFT have a mass driver or something on the surface, or is this a one-way trip pending control over part of the Orbital Ring?"

<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.

"Hmm!" Lily answers Serinas Nikola with this bright nod, looking so incredibly happy to broach that particular subject; "We do! Miss Saraven has been an important ally and friend to me."

She then presses a hand to his shoulder, and rolls her arm around a bit. "Yep! All better now! A few stitches is all it took! I'm as good as new!" Her spirited energy seems to have recovered from a few days back when she was in the hospital.

The young woman then turns a bit towards the direction of the hangars. "My Zack isn't doing so well unfortunately. But I'm sure they'll fix it up good!" She considers this, and then makes a heavy and firm single nodding motion. "Hmm!"

Looking back to Saraven, she puts her hands at her hips for a moment and looks to the others she is with. Boosting a bit forward, and trying to grip Trevor's hand in greeting. "Lily Jung! Girl in pink, and a friend to Saraven - official relationship title pending."

She then glances back towards Saraven. Indeed, the flamingo flies. Its wings spread wide. A big smile on her face. That warmth that radiated off of her before is there once again.

To her captain, she bows her head. "Ready steady, Ma'am." She salutes properly, floating at attention for a bit. "The Zack should be repaired before touchdown. And I'm working on getting further acquainted with the simulators. I won't let you down, ma'am!" She won't give up!

Before letting out a sigh of relief as she considers Trevor. "Hmm, this one is better." She tells Saraven. "This one doesn't come off as a slimeball." She sticks her tongue out almost comically and points to them. No doubt referring to that other man Saraven was with the first time they met.

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

> Is that the same one we're heading on?
        "Ooohh, is it gonna be a joint op?" Serinas asks, excitedly.

        She just kind of looks blankly at Lily, whatever she's talking about, but shows curious interest towards Talia when Trevor asks how they'll be returning to space.

<Pose Tracker> Saraven Vai has posed.

"Trevor is a very skilled pilot," Saraven explains with a nod towards the man from the Belt.

The talk of mothers leaves her to look off to one side for a moment. For some reason, she can hear a songbird singing somewhere. She can't place it, though. She just looks back with a slight tilt of her head.

She folds her hands once again, heel tapping the deck beneath her as she shifts in the minimal gravity. "You're going to Earth?" she questions, canting her head and raising her eyebrows. "I hope it goes well. I heard that ZAFT forces were very successful in North Africa. Hopefully that continues." Trevor throws another question into the mix, and she answers with a small frown: "I'm not sure, this time. I know the PLANT leadership doesn't want to have us do everything with them. And we don't have the same resources that a colonial military would."

Yet another reminder that the Zeonic faction is in terminal decline - well-equipped for what it is, but still a band of lost-causers fighting yesterday's war. And for all that there are alignments between ZAFT and the Sleeves, the crossover is imperfect.

"...If you want to go to Earth," she offers, "there are some safe harbours we can get to. If you... like snow. Or sand."

The effusiveness rolling off of Lily meets the typical wall of near-perpetual ennui that is Saraven. She nods as Lily demonstrates that she's fine. "That's good. I'm sorry that you got cornered. I would have helped sooner but I had most of a ship's squadron chasing me, and also some man in a weird mobile unit I didn't recognize." She still has no idea how to describe Weldrizer; Zurvan Zevarist may not have been a formal soldier, but his machine defied her predictive abilities simply by being unorthodox.

Then she blinks, looking up at Trevor, then back at Lily. "...Officer Germi has many good qualities," she says, though even with her lack of emotiveness, it's clearly perfunctory and not all that believed.

To Serinas: "I think... there will be more opportunities for those. But I can't make that decision. Commander Full will have to decide."

<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.

        "Given that the orbital elevators are amongst the highest security locations in Federation territory..." Talia chuckles, "No, no we won't be waiting until we capture one. Thankfully Victoria Base in Africa has a mass driver. And is in ZAFT hands. It's one of our biggest bases on Earth. And likely where we'll be stationed." Hardly confidential information, there's no harm in speaking about it.

        Though on the question about working with the Sleeves, Talia hmms, "I doubt we'll be seeing another joint operation down there. At least, I've not heard any mention of one. Besides, I expect the Sleeves are more comfortable up here in space. Especially given the limited options for getting back up."

<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

"I have no idea what it's like to be anywhere that has sand and an atmosphere, or snow and not the deadly vacuum of space!" Trevor says, cheerful as can be. "Maybe one of these days we can make a trip down there, eh? I think it'd be an eye-opening experience, one way or another! Haha!"

Of course, the question of how they're going to be getting back off-world... is somewhat more difficult to answer.

Lily then... reads something of the Man from the Belt. It is, to her credit, an accurate determination of his feelings. Trevor's pressure is an untamed, wild thing, something that has been utterly and wastefully unhoned and untrained... But the potential there is something remarkable indeed. It blazes like a torch, enfolds the world around him like a the wings of a great-spanned bird, and fills space like a cat would fill a klein bottle.

And yet... There is something odd about it. Something almost... contradictory? Weird.

"Ah, I'm not that great of a pilot," Trevor chuckles sheepishly. "Just a treasure hunter from the belt, here to do a job. I'm sorry I couldn't help out back at that last operation, I was still getting Isadore tuned to deal with all the new parts-- Isadore being my partner. That is, my Mobile Suit."

<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.

Lily considers Saraven as she answers all officially and professionally. In many ways, the difference between Lily Jung and Saraven Vai could not be more stark. Were fates been different, it would be most likely that Lily Jung would have been a smear at the other end of Saraven's path of destruction. Instead, the girl had survived a different kind of battle.

"Hmm! It's okay. It's because I didn't properly hold back my assailants, that one of them managed to get a shot in on you, miss Vai." Lily answers her, trying to sound like she would have been remotely capable of doing as such.

Her survival is a bloody miracle if anything.

The girl tilts her head down a bit and floats down onto the same deck, and brings her hands together in front of her chest. "I have to be able to take care of myself and my crew." She remarks, almost like a prayer, before her gaze returns once more.

At the talk about not seeing the Sleeves again however down below, Lily's sensation shifts a bit. It's likely only Saraven would pick up on it, but it's this wistful sense of loneliness and a tinge of fear. As bold as she may speak, she has come to rely a bit too much on someone like Saraven being around.

"We've got this." She remarks, smiling at Saraven, as if she can hide that feeling. "You'll see. You'll hear tales of the brave Lily Jung!" The girl is clearly exagerating.

She shifts her shoulder back a bit then. Almost as if someone had pushed against it. "Hmm... I'm sure mister Germi has good qualities. But he still..." She lifts her arms a bit half-way, hands down, almost like she was pretending to be a ghost. Fingers spread, tongue out. "Slimy." She's about to comment on this more when...

"Hmm?" She then tilts back towards Trevor Teach. A small blink, looking him over. Catching something else. Something she can't put her finger on. "I bet you're plenty good, mister treasure-hunter! Just do your best - and things will go your way eventually." Lacking his name, this will have to do. 

<Pose Tracker> Saraven Vai has posed.

"I'm sure Commander Full will inform us of any details," Saraven muses with a nod at Talia. "We were successful in our first operation, anyway - the freighter operation. I think Frontier Seven was just a lack of luck."

Arms folding across her midsection, Saraven looks up towards Trevor once more. "...The sandy place is more dangerous," she admits. "If you want, we can go see the snowy place. I saw a picture once. It looks nice. I haven't been on the planet before either."

She can feel the anxiety drifting off of Lily. Looking back to her, Saraven raises her eyebrows slightly, then nods. "...I think you'll do fine," she says, and though her tone's as flat as it always is, there's something in the way she feels that comes off as more of an encouragement.

"Piloting in combat is a skill," she explains. "You can learn a lot of things, but some of it comes down to the right instincts. The instincts keep you alive until you learn the learnable parts. You flew into a very challenging engagement against what seemed like some veterans, and you came back alive despite everything. So you learned something from it." She shrugs. "You'll figure out strategies that work best for you and make the best use of your mobile suit's capabilities. An EWAC unit is very important in some ways. A lot of longer-ranged combat is only possible with EWAC triangulation support."

She may be a bit of a lump emotionally, but if there's one thing Saraven knows how to do, it's fight in a mobile suit.

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

> If you like snow.
        "Snow?????" Serinas echoes, wide-eyed, like someone who's only seen snow in pictures.

> Or sand.
        "Like a beach??" She stares in Saraven's direction as she imagines going to such locales.

> People keep mentioning Frontier Seven
        "You got to see one of the Frontier colony ships? What was it like?"

        She does listen attentively to Saraven's Ace Pilot Advice.

<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.

        Talia muses, "Many of the environments on Earth are dangerous. Some might say even more so than space. At least up here, the dangers are fairly predictable."

        At the question about the Frontier colony ship, Talia shakes her head, "A common mistake. It wasn't the Frontier fleet. It was the Frontier colony cluster over in Side 4. Though Frontier Seven does happen to be one of the old City class colony ships." Yup. Not confusing at all!

        "We didn't really see it though... Spent most of the time engaging the Federation forces in space."

<Pose Tracker> Trevor Teach has posed.

"Ehhhh, depends where you are, really," Trevor says with a shrug. "Sometimes you're out mining an asteroid or salvaging a ship when suddenly a bunch of pirates shows up and decides to make themselves your problem! Or maybe a Federation or Jovian patrol comes by and thinks you're up to no good! Life out on the Belt can get pretty unpredictable, and that's not even counting the occasional mysterious science incident that crops up."

Well, it is what it is.

"Trevor the Treasure Hunter, that's me," he says to Lily, then nods back towards Saraven with a winning smile that reaches all the way to his single(?) unpatched eye. "Sounds like a date then. Snow... I can't even imagine. I bet it's incredible."

Also, it'll probably result in him utterly failing to deal with anything remotely resembling Earth gravity for a little while, but that's fine.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.

Lily appreciates Saraven's offer of support and encouragement. Even though to others, the tone is flat, she can feel the earnesty behind those words. The girl happy to receive what lies beneath it. "I won't let you down. Hmm!" Another one of those heavy and excited nods.

Listening to her information on EWAC support, she agrees; "Yeah. Unfortunately the Captain was already engaged by the enemy before I could support her with the EWAC designation system. Of we might have gotten a few more shots off." She notes, not touching on her own accomplishments... at all. That is, aside from adding; "But I think I learned a bit - yes." She agrees.

To Serinas' question on the colony; "It was enormous! But very obviously earth built. You know? Everything towards a flat plane." She motions a hand out in a straight line. She then adds; "I don't think we'll see snow if we stick around the northern parts of Africa. But it would be super neat to see some snow again!"

She does note; "Just be careful. Earth Gravity can be pretty mean if you're not used to it." To Trevor Teach. Having spent a lot of time amongst Veterans, she has heard the stories far too many times. "Same with the colonies I suppose, beyond the zero-G zones." 

<Pose Tracker> Saraven Vai has posed.

Saraven knits her brows a little. "I think there are some beaches? Not touristy ones. There are parts of a desert where there are Zeon land forces still operating."

She leaves it to Talia to explain the prior op. Saraven cants her head and admits, "They name things confusingly here. Maybe there are only so many names to go around when there are so many people." A shrug, then - "I've heard that a lot of the Earth has been damaged, especially parts of Britannia where many people are left suffering. That's sad. They're mistreated by the Federation, yet the ones they hate more than anything are spacenoids... I don't understand how they can be so spacist."

When Lily answers her encouragement with such vigor, Saraven nods, seemingly satisfied. "I'll be alright. I've trained in Earth-normal gravity situations, and the Varguil was designed to operate on Earth or in space equally well. I don't think it will cause me problems to fly down there."

Then Trevor speaks up -

        'sounds like a date'

"It will when I mark the calendar," she concedes. "We can determine the date and time based on shuttle schedules and gaps in the Britannian surface-to-orbit monitoring network."

Saraven Vai doesn't know what a date is. Saraven Vai doesn't know what a lot of things are. 

<Pose Tracker> Lily Jung has posed.

Lily offers to Saraven; "It's how governments and societies work. Control through media or religion. By painting those in space as the ones at fault for their suffering, it creates a sense of unity and community. Something people can band around. It smoothes over stress and makes it easier to recruit into the military." She pauses for a moment. "It's hard to see what's true, if you are not exposed to the reality, you know? Those people don't live up here." The girl sighs at that particular topic. Government situations like that are hard, yet somehow, hope still burns within her.

"It's why we've resorted to war. The Federation has had so many years to entrench its message into the hearts of its people - diplomacy and signalling has failed already. The diplomats and councilmembers have gotten into a situation where turning back on long set rules of governance, like our food supply, could be considered political suicide. And I am sure they are lining up to support it, so they can improve the lives of Federation members elsewhere."

The girl looks to the Captain for a moment, then to Trevor... and rubs the back of her head. "Sorry. Hear me talking my mouth off as if I know what I'm talking about. Apologies." She feels a bit nervous. "I should probably let you all get on with your day and enjoy the rest of it without my interference. I have a date with the Simulators myself." 

<Pose Tracker> Talia Gladys has posed.

        Talia nods in agreement with Lily about letting the others go, "I don't know about enjoying the rest of the day myself. I have a lot of work I still need to do back at HQ. Which I should get to."

        Talia smiles at Trevor, "Once again, a pleasure to meet you. Enjoy your time in the PLANTs." Talia nods to the others as well, before beginning to head off towards the scheduled shuttle leaving the PLANT.

<Pose Tracker> Serinas Nikola has posed.

> They're mistreated, but they hate spacenoids.
        "Wait... the people who hate us for existing... are also being mistreated by the Federation?" Serinas slumps a bit. "Maybe I really don't understand Earthnoids... I was worried that if humans split themselves up by Natural and Coordinator they might know nothing but war like Zentradi and Meltrandi once did... but... I'm not sure I understand what's going on..."

        As for Earth Gravity, she nods, "I've trained a bit in the simulator... and zentradi are pretty hardy! The Queadluun battlesuits put out a *lot* of Gs of thrust and I can handle that alright with a proper piloting suit..."

> It's how governments and societies work.
        Serinas, whose education had no time for civics lessons, just stares, open-mouthed. "You mean... it's all because of the Federation government?! If we kill them, humans will have no reason to divide themselves anymore?!"

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