2022-03-06: Sheryl on Simulator
- Log: 2022-03-06 Sheryl on Simulator
- Cast: Sheryl Nome, Alto Saotome
- Where: Macross Frontier (Earth Orbit)
- OOC - IC Date: March 6, 2022 (0096)
- Summary: Alto attempts to help Sheryl catch up on her course work now that she's freshly transferred into the pilot program at Mihoshi Academy.
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"Ugggh!! Again?! How dare you!"
The clear and impassionate voice of Sheryl Nome, reknowned across the stars as the Galactic Fairy, rings aggravated in the flight simulator room at Mihoshi Academy on the Macross Frontier. Her hands, lily white with nails painted a delicate shade of pink, slam on the simulator controls as the screen informs her that she has crashed yet again.
"How is anyone supposed to get anything done when the controls are so backwards?!" she demands of her companion, who kindly ("kindly") agreed ("agreed") to help ("help"... well, he probably actually is helping, or at least trying to) her catch up on the coursework as a freshly-transferred student of the pilot program. Sheryl Nome has never manipulated a vehicle before in her life, but god help anyone who stands in her way once she's fixed herself on a path.
And she *has* been fixed on this path pretty well so far, considering that this is approximately her seventeenth consecutive crash. But just as Sheryl's not the type to back down on a challenge just because she's had a few setbacks, she's not going to lie about how frustrated it makes her. Case in point: she slaps the controls one more time for good measure, then petulantly swings in her seat away from them, tossing her hair as she thrusts herself out of the simulator's seat. Her single earring sways momentarily from her abrupt motion.
"I'm taking a break! Alto, get me a water," Sheryl demands, scrunching her arms in a hard fold.
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
Alto facepalms.
Once more Alto wonders how he got stuck tutoring the newbie. And a newbie she definitely is. There are so many other things he could be doing right now. But in what is distressingly becoming a trend, he has found himself dragged around by the new school queen. What's her deal!?
Unfortunately, his distress at his situation is outweighed by his distress at seeing Sheryl's poor piloting skills, which has led him to actually trying to help her, "You're being too forceful. While that might work in something that has an AMBAC system, a Valkyrie doesn't. You need to be more delicate!" But it seems that Sheryl wants a break right now, so Alto shrugs and steps away from the simulator.
hen Sheryl proceeds to ORDER him to get her a drink.
Alto's eyebrow twitches for a moment, before he retorts with a somewhat annoyed voice, "Get it yourself. The vending machine is literally RIGHT outside the room!"
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
What *is* her deal? Many have asked that about Sheryl Nome before. Who knows how many have gotten a satisfactory answer! ...Probably a decent amount, considering the number of interviews she's done. Maybe Alto just needs to read more magazines.
Alto's advice *is* good--Sheryl absolutely has been too forceful with the controls, along with consistently mixing up directions (not unfair; it takes a bit of mental rewriting to associate pushing down on the controls with going up)--but at the moment, she's not in a state of mind to hear it. Maybe after she's had a moment to cool down and have a drink...
Which Alto, naturally, refuses to fetch for her. Sheryl lifts her chin to fix Alto with an imperious glare. "Oh, *really*?"
She marches over to the classroom door--opens it--and about a dozen male classmates who'd been huddled at said door slump inside in a heap. It would be a feat, to say the least, to walk over and past them to the vending machine, even if it *is* only a few feet down the hallway.
So Sheryl smiles sweetly at her fans. "Hiii! Could one of you boys be a dear and please fetch me a water?"
"R-right away, Miss Sheryl!!" several of them yelp. Almost all of them scramble to their feet. It's a stampede to the vending machine, where a loud and protracted fight takes place. Eventually, the winner returns with an ice-cold bottle of water and a look of hope shining in his eyes.
"Thanks! I really appreciate it," Sheryl chirps as she accepts the offering. "Now sorry, but I've got to get back to training." She flips her hair and adds, "A few little setbacks won't keep *me* from the top!"
The boys croon as she shuts the door in their faces.
With a faint sigh, Sheryl leans on the wall next to it as she opens her water and takes a long drink. When she pulls it back, it's with a refreshed sigh and a calmer demeanor. This doesn't stop her from giving Alto a meaningful Look and saying loftily, "You should be grateful, you know. I could ask anyone I wanted to help me out with this."
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
Alto's eyes go a little wide at the pile of guys behind the door. Though in retrospect, he realizes he probably shouldn't have been surprised. It's become a common occurrence since Sheryl started attending the school. Still, it's a little sad to see them acting that way. Scrambling to and from the vending machine until a victor finally arrives with Sheryl's drink.
And proceeds to get a door in his face as a reward.
Alto stares at Sheryl for several moments, seeing her basking in the attention which she clearly likes. A spotlight on her... Alto turns his head away for a moment, a flash of rememberance in his eyes as he clenches a fist.
Finally, Alto sighs in resignation, moving over to lean against the same wall as Sheryl. Several steps apart, of course. He smiles a bit at her remark, "Heh. Maybe you should. After all..." He stares intently at one of the simulators in the room. Very similar to the one he'd recently been suffering in over and over during his training at SMS. But thankfully that's over now, "Since I've passed my final test for SMS, I expect they'll be sending me out on missions. Which could take me all over the Earth Sphere."
Alto turns to look at Sheryl and smirks, "You're going to have to find someone else to torment." He snaps a finger, "Maybe Michael! I'm sure he'd LOVE to train you." Actually, as soon as Alto says that, a part of him cringes for some reason. But he doesn't let it show, not willing to back down.
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Sheryl absolutely loves the attention--and she *does* appreciate her fans! That's why she makes sure to ask nicely and say thank you, and even give them an inspirational message, before she shuts the door in their faces. Boundaries are *so* important when you're a celebrity.
Which means it's... nice... when Alto doesn't get *too* close. It'd be awful if their classmates started harassing him for overstepping those boundaries. And if Sheryl's a little disappointed, well, that definitely doesn't mean anything. Other things that definitely mean nothing: how his pointing out that missions with the SMS could take him all over the Earth Sphere sends a needle jabbing through her heart. Alto's suggestion that maybe Michael could train her instead brings a little frown on her glossy lips.
But she's not about to back down either, so she shrugs as she huffs a bit. "Oh, please! As if I won't be traveling all over the Earth Sphere soon too. I've still got my upcoming world tour--or did you forget?" She smirks. "Maybe *you're* the one who's going to be lonely soon?"
(Now who said anything about getting *lonely*, Sheryl?)
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
Alto doesn't make the connection between himself and Sheryl using the word 'lonely'. But it does still catch his attention as he remembers the situation that Sheryl is in. Suddenly finding herself as a refugee on the Frontier Fleet, a strange place for her. The ultimate fate of the Galaxy Fleet unknown.
Maybe he should ease up on her a bit...
... Easier said than done.
Alto snerks, "Forget? How could I forget? It's plastered across half the city! Probably even half the Earth Sphere." He fake sighs, "I can see it now... I finally visit a city on Earth and there's a giant billboard of you in my face."
Mentioning it does get him to think about it a bit more seriously though, "Earth, huh..." He glances at Sheryl, "Have you been to it, before?"
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Sheryl giggles as Alto faux-laments seeing her face. "Oh, so you *won't* be lonely! How lucky for you~" she teases, voice lilting. She flips her hair, lips curving into a smirk, and adds, "After all, wherever you go, I'll be right there with you."
It'd be nice if she could say the same in return. But... he does still have her other earring, at least, and that's its own connection. Imagine if he'd lost it in space or something.
But... the conversation takes a more serious tone. Sheryl's expression turns more reflective. "No... Not yet. I've done research on countries for the tour, but Grace has been handling actually setting everything up. I've heard Frontier's modeled after it, so it shouldn't be too different from--" She gestures all around them with her free hand. "But apparently there are some cities there that're more like Galaxy."
She notably does not say 'what Galaxy was.' There might be a lot of people who assume Galaxy was destroyed by the Vajra, but Sheryl refuses to believe that.
"It's strange to think about," she adds, softer. "That the Earth might be so huge it'd have room for the Frontier *and* the Galaxy. I wonder if that's why the colony fleets are so different... to show off all the different facets that make the motherland the 'motherland.'"
She takes another small drink, then smiles over at him. "I'm excited to finally see it with my own eyes. You must be too, hmm? There'll be a real sky for you to fly through at last."
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
Alto taps his foot softly against the ground as he thinks about the different fleets, "Mmmmm, I'd guess it's more a result of the rush to build them. Not enough time to come up with a standard design, so they all ended up different." He stops, admitting, "But you'd probably know more about the differences than I. You've been to more of them than I." He was also a lot younger during those times, traveling because of...
"A real sky..." At the mention of one, Alto looks up. Although he can't see it from here, he can vividly remember the Island's fake sky. His eyes shine a little with excitement at the thought of the vast open airs, real wind underneat his wings.
But then a bit of concern slips in as his thoughts seem to drift onto something else.
It doens't last long though, as another thought flashes in his eyes. A smile tugs at the corner of his lips as his eyes turn to look at Sheryl, "Ohhhh? I'm surprised you're so eager to visit. After all, the fleets only operate on three quarters of Earth gravity. You're going to gain a lot of weight down there!"
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
"Mmm... Yeah, when you put it like that, it makes sense," Sheryl admits. She'd never thought about the history of the fleets much beyond what she'd heard and of course how it related to the musical greats of the past like Lynn Minmay, being too focused on her own life and her own goals. But she *has* been to a lot of different Macross fleets due to her inter-galactic tour, and they've had different feels too.
She glances at Alto. Has she really been to more than him, though? "You've at least been to Galaxy before, though, haven't you?"
However he answers, because of her attention on him, she sees the excitement shining in his eyes--and then the concern. She lowers her water, turning towards him with her own concern--which quick turns to confusion--and finally, what might look like a grin save for her eyes narrowed dangerously. Which is all the warning he gets before:
STOMP.
That would be Sheryl's heel aiming *directly* for Alto's foot. Despite its merciless speed, it's not so hard that it'd actually crush anything--but it'll certainly make itself felt. "Oh, shut up! What's important is I look good!" she huffs, striding back to the simulator. "Break time's over! Now you'd better make sure to teach me right this time, or I'll get *really* mad!"
At least she's regained her fire. Now hopefully she won't bomb.
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
Any thoughts about how Sheryl might know that he's been to the Galaxy are quickly gone before they can fully form, instead replaced with pain. Alto cries out in some surprise, some pain as the heel comes down on his shoe. It might not be a serious blow, but he still felt it!
Though he grudgingly and silently admits that he probably deserved that one.
As Sheryl demands an end to the break and continuation of the training, Alto relents, "Fine, fine." He has to admit, if anything, Sheryl does have a lot of drive to succeed. It's impressive.
As they return to to the simulator, Alto limping just a tiny bit, he says, "Let's skip the takeoffs for now and go for a in-flight start. At least that way you're less likely to crash into something and we can focus on getting you more familiar with the controls." As they begin again, Alto does wonder out loud, "I don't know why you're so intent on pilot training training though. I figured your transfer into the class was just an excuse to attend the school."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
Of course. She's Sheryl, after all. Sheryl Nome always gives her all to everything she does.
Alto gives his advice and suggests a different start. "Hmph," Sheryl sniffs at his comment about crashing--but nothing more than that. As much as it stings her pride, she *has* been botching the take-off pretty consistently so far.
As she alters the settings, she replies, "If I just wanted an excuse to attend school, I wouldn't need to enter the aeronautics course! I could just go into the fine arts program. Not that there's anything they've got left to teach *me*."
The program starts up, this time already in space. Sheryl grips the controls tight--
'You're being too forceful. While that might work in something that has an AMBAC system, a Valkyrie doesn't. You need to be more delicate!'
"Oh," she whispers to herself, and softens her grip. Doing so lets her remember--down is up, up is down. The initial launch in space thus goes well, as do her rolls towards her targets, a series of rings she needs to fly through. One--two--three she only gets *mostly* in, but it's enough for the simulator to count.
"I hate just sitting back and waiting," she says out loud. "I'm going to find out for myself what happened to Galaxy. And if they really are gone, I'm going to make the Vajra pay. It's as simple as that."
Previously, thinking about her goals--her fear for her hometown, her fury at those who attacked it--had made her tense up, which had messed her up in the simulator. But remembering Alto's advice and keeping it in her heart lets her keep her cool here too. She passes through several more checkpoints successfully, until finally the goal is in sight--and here, finally, she manages to stick the landing.
"I did it!!" Her voice rises in excitement as she shoots Alto an exuberant grin, eyes alight and cheeks flushed with the joy of a hard-won success. "Alto, I finally did it!!"
Of course, she did it after functionally turning down the difficulty level. But a win's a win.
<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.
Alto nods a little at the mention of the fine arts program, "I figured that was why you didn't choose that one." Sheryl could probably TEACH the class. So it'd be fairly redundant, possibly even boring for her to be a student. Even Alto is starting to find that's the case with the piloting program, after his recent extensive training at SMS. But at least he can still get a fair bit of practical training in with the Ex-Gears. Sheryl singing in class would probably put the whole school into chaos.
As Sheryl is making her way through the course and almost misses one, Alto reminds her, "Remember, even in space where there's no aerodynamics, the thruster placement on Valkyries means it's still better to roll into and pitch up for a turn." Not the most efficient design for a space craft, sure. But given the intended use in atmosphere too, it's a decent compromise. At least until you get into GERWALK mode, but that's a bit too advanced for Sheryl at this point. He does make sure to mention though, "Of course, that's not true for all spacecraft, so be mindful of what you're flying."
As Sheryl mentions the Vajra, Alto's own thoughts briefly drift back to the recent attacks against the Frontier Fleet. On the one hand, he can understand her desire to protect the Galaxy and see the Vajra pay for what they did. On the other though... He's not so sure that Sheryl is suited for such a task...
Of course, he's not going to come out and say that right now. Especially as she finally manages to complete the course. Alto can't help but be swept up in her excitement, giving her a smile, "Congratulations. You didn't die." Bit of a jab there, but all in good fun. He continues, "Now let's see if it wasn't a fluke and you can do it again. Maybe even with a better time."
<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.
It's the downside of attending school when you're already an expert in your field. You *have* to find something new to do, or else what's even the point? At least in Alto's case, the extra training with the SMS means he'll graduate with honors. Sheryl may be willful, stubborn, and passionate, but starting a pilot program this late is quite a gamble. As Alto reflects, she might not be suited for being a soldier--not when her song has the potential to make the galaxy itself tremble.
But that's youth. Sheryl has faith in herself as a songstress, but at present, she's got no reason to believe that she could beat the Vajra through her song. And... well. If transferring into Mihoshi Academy for this particular program was *also* an excuse to bring her closer to Alto... well, that's just a bonus. But Alto doesn't need to know that.
"I know," she protests when Alto gives his reminder. Despite saying that, she adjusts her flight and rolls into her turns for the next checkpoints. And when she gushes at her success and he smiles at her...
It really does make her heart soar.
"Of course not. Sheryl Nome will never die!" she boasts--and even with a hint of intentional irony there. Even if the joke's on her, she shares his smile, which grows into a *genuine* grin when he challenges her to do better this time. "*Definitely* with a better time. You'll see!"
She even lives up to her claim. She's not about to fly out with the SMS as an ace pilot anytime soon, but it looks like she's cracked what she needs to do to start seeing improvement.