pawnstorm | (open) if we just breathed in

Entry tags:

(open) if we just breathed in

Who: Allelujah & you!
When: March 18 - 19
Where: Aboard the Airy.
What: Catch-all ship hijinks for the sky obsessed.
Rating: PG, will update in case of Hallelujah, probably.

INNER LAYER, EXPLORING (OPEN)

[ Being aboard a ship honestly feels like coming home. It may not be the Ptolemaios, but it's in the sky and that's already a measure ahead of where he'd been before. Not that Allelujah dislikes land, or gravity's pull, but there was something to be said for familiar earth. What he wasn't expecting was the sheer force of personality the interior has — namely, the entire city rising up from the curved shell of the craft. Taking it in from one vantage point is impossible, so he sets about exploring, finding an odd sense of peace and familiarity in the places he wanders: ]

ONE. SHOPS!
[ Before this, traveling had taken him all over Eurasia, so the sights and sounds of the Airy's thriving marketplaces are actually commonplace to him. Their wares, however... Allelujah inspects some kind of feathery arrangement, dripping in jewels and other things far too ornate for his taste. But his attention is blatantly elsewhere. ]

I'd never thought I'd see so many weapons in a marketplace like this.

[ Even chalking it up to cultural differences, the contrast is stark, to say the least. ]

TWO. FOOD!
[ Wandering towards the restaurants and food stalls carries its own perils. Mostly due to the scent of spice and oil that sets Allelujah's stomach on the warpath. Granted, when he'd gotten the locals' recommendations of fried rice and dumplings, he hadn't expected the portions to be quite so generous. To fellow Heroes who end up sharing his space, he'll offer a pair of chopsticks and a pick of the rice or the dim sum: ]

You're welcome to some, if you'd like. There's too much here for just me.

[ Or, if you have a more adventurous streak, he may offer up a shallow dish of slightly sweet-sour smelling liquid, carrying the faint bite of liquor. ]

It might not look like much, but it's good. I'd compare it to kumis.

[ Does this look like the face of someone who'd steer you wrong? ]

OUTER LAYER, CHILLIN' (SEMI-OPEN)

[ Allelujah is immediately drawn to the sky dome. While the ship itself may be immense, it pales in comparison to the view afforded of the sky and the land below. So many creatures visit this place, circling high on their wings... ]

ONE. BIRBS!
[ Taking a seat beside an outcrop of birdcages with their doors flung wide open, Allelujah enjoys the feeling of having the sky thrown high above him, even if he can't actually venture there himself. Instead, he focuses on the birds who can. Their songs and wingbeats fill the air. His fox Carrier sits at his ankle, eyes trained on the flocks. Allelujah tosses a handful of grain on the ground, looking somewhat melancholy. ]

Free to come and go as you please, is it?

[ Allelujah isn't small-minded enough to blame the birds for their wings, but be does envy them, even if only a little. Hallelujah stirs.

Heh. Feeling betrayed? ]

TWO. POOL PARTY! (CLOSED TO TIERIA)
[ So, Hallelujah Haptism is under strict orders from one, Tieria Erde (royal pain in his ass) to be more active. Whatever that meant. It's true that he could just ignore him like he already does 90% of the time, but even he can't pass up a good opportunity to make him eat those pretty words of his.

Which is why he's meandering up to the poolside, having spotted a familiar shade of purple. ]

Boo.

[ Guess who, princess. ]

UPPER SALOON, TRAINING (OPEN)

[ It's not a normal day for a Gundam Meister without some kind of training regimen. Allelujah visits the training facilities for this reason, having heard rumors of their unique qualities. As he enters one of the rooms, he immediately sees why. ]

This looks like it's meant for acrobats, if anything.

[ Mostly an observation for himself as he notes the odd angles of the wall, the rows of fabric draped from the ceiling, nets, trapeze bars. This must be where the stars and aspiring students of the Airy's circus troupes practice. Allelujah ventures into the room, gaze naturally traveling upwards to one of the bars. Vaguely, he thinks he ought to just head back to the more traditional equipment, and yet.

...well, what's the harm.

Coiling, Allelujah takes a leap to grab onto the trapeze bar. It swings into motion with his momentum, but he quickly brings it back under control. His agility seems to betray his body type as he hauls himself up with his arm strength, measuring the movement of the ropes. It wobbles slightly with the strain in his arms necessary to keep himself upright, but holds. His form is good, lacking his usual timidness and modesty. With his legs together, he teeters momentarily before allowing himself to swing upside down in a smooth arc. Where he proceeds to hang for a moment, eyes wide and hair ruffled around his temples. He's not alone. Now he manages to look embarrassed. ]

Ah. [ This is sure a greeting. ] ...hello.

WILDCARD

[ Leave a blank comment, wildcard him, request Hallelujah somewhere, or pp me at sweaters to set something up! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Arguing down the Airy resident who'd been dubious of her quality as a Hero took longer than she'd liked. Just because they don't send their teenagers randomly into life-threatening scenarios doesn't mean that they couldn't understand, so why was it so hard for some people to get it?

Still, the girl that slips into the training room really does look young enough to have no business being there.

There's a show awaiting her, a man with strikingly good form (in more than one sense of the word) upside down on the ropes! He's certainly talented. Shinoa watches him intently, curiously, until his eyes catch hers and he seems to be a tad unhappy by her presence.]

Don't mind me, you can continue what you're doing! I'm just...looking around.

[Not that she's looked around much, but she does put some effort into examining the rest of the room for the sake of it at this point.]

[ Realizing his surprise may be taken wrongly, Allelujah shakes his head, hair flipping every which way. Which probably looks pretty strange while he's upside down, but it's already a silly predicament. Fellow Heroes weren't all that uncommon of a sight, even if their presence didn't seem to be entirely tolerated aboard the Airy. The natives just far outnumbered them. ]

Ah, no. It's all right.

[ Allelujah sets about righting himself, having to finish the maneuver to do so. Pitching the center of his weight over the bar the rest of the way, he flips over and then pulls himself back up, settling atop the bar. It takes a moment to square himself, and he offers a smile down at her. ]

You caught me off-guard, that's all. Did you come to train too?

[She's about to look elsewhere, she really is, but hoo boy is that a nice flip. Good form is something Shinoa can appreciate a lot. Good form on a person who hasn't even antagonized her yet is something Shinoa can appreciate even more. Her smile broadens slightly, unintentionally, and when he's done moving to a more comfortable position she offers him a few claps of approval.]

You have a very good sense of balance!

Oh, I was actually just checking the place out to see if I could train here. [Her weapon and Carrier are back in her room for the moment. They attract a lot of attention.] They have a lot of specialized equipment here....

[ Allelujah is almost none the wiser, if it weren't for the compliment. Maybe it's all the blood that'd rushed to his head when he was upside down, maybe he actually looks a little flustered at her appraisal. Whatever the cause, his chin tips down, body language now humble as he balances there. ]

Thank you. I guess you can say I've always had a gift for it.

[ Like it being literally built into his blood. That'd probably be in poor taste to say, though. ]

They do. Did you manage to see any of the theater shows? [ Much better topic. ] The inhabitants of this ship are amazing performers. This is where they must train.

[She'd understand, she really would. Since they're discussing this topic on a good note Shinoa decides to dwell on it a little more- who knows when opinions might start to differ, and she's not had the best track record of handling people with different opinions.]

You sell yourself short, most of the time talent alone won't get you that far without training.

Or maybe you're that good. In either case, it's commendable.

[Or maybe it's a whole lot of human intervention, but what hasn't been brought out of wraps stays under wraps.]

I've seen a bit of the shows- [Most of the time she'd been doing more productive things like research, but she doesn't regret taking the time out to watch. Her face brightens as the awe she'd felt is remembered.] Yes, they're really good! I'm surprised we're allowed in here, I'd expect official training premises to be more private.

[ Under the continued compliments, he breathes a noise, almost like a laugh. Allelujah is inclined to be civil, and nods to her. ]

You have a good eye, miss. I do have some training along these lines, too.

[ Giving the bar a gentle swing, he pushes off from his perch and lands on the floor near her. ]

It's also true that I've heard some of us have been having a harder time gaining favor with the locals. I haven't had too much trouble, so far... though that's mostly been in the marketplaces.

[ His gaze rises in thought as he takes another glance about the room. Maybe they weren't supposed to be here, but no one had come at him to tell him otherwise. Allelujah figures that a ship of this size would have security present where relevant, but then again, with the demeanor of a city, maybe not. For better or worse, they're here now. Might as well take advantage, right? ]

Considering there's nothing like this back in Caissa, I wanted to take a look.

Many of them don't trust us where it counts. I don't blame them, most civilians don't know the first thing about military affairs.

[She approaches the bar that Allelujah'd been on and gives it an experimental poke, watching it swing gently.]

Are these similar to something you have back home?

[There's nothing like this back in Cassia indeed- nothing like this from her homeworld, either, which is why Shinoa never even knew such equipment existed until now. Did Allelujah come here knowing about this, hoping to find something like it? He has the look and words of someone not unfamiliar with fighting, and she'd like to know what he had to go up against if it apparently required gymnastics.]

[ Allelujah takes a short moment to parse through her wording, instincts passively running to get a feel for what she's asking. Referring to civilians as if they were separate — was she also military? ]

Even if they were to have the most basic of wartime knowledge, the fact stands that we're all foreign here. Even moreso than just being from a neighboring country. I can't blame them either, for what they must be feeling.

[ Though he's never placed much stock in public opinion, he wouldn't be feeling very confident or patriotic in an army of underpowered novices on the front lines either. Lips pressing together thinly, he tries to force some of his more obvious frustrations down. He looks to the bar again instead. ]

Nothing as flashy as this.

[ Though knowing how to use one came in handy versus hostile alien cars. ]

A chin up bar does wonders, though, if you add some unique environmental factors to the mix. Like gravity, for example.

[Yes, military. A different kind of military, but one similarly lax- or even laxer- when it comes to the ethical standards of employing young adults. Very young, uh, 'adults'. ]

Mmm, that's true.

[A thoughtful look, and a nod as she processes this suggestion. She's somewhat experienced, and sometimes forgets that it's not always the case for the rest of them. Some things she's taken for granted all her youth. At the mention of gravity- a curveball word, for her- she raises a brow in interest.]

Gravity?

[ He wouldn't have room for protest, knowing their youngest had been recruited before he was sixteen. Even those who helmed their ship and deployed their suits were young — children born into war. Allelujah gives the bar an idle swing to temper his thoughts, hoping that the children born into this world won't also suffer that manner of fate.

Though now he's realized he may have backed himself into something of a corner, mentioning gravity. Allelujah pauses. Well, their ranks seemed to be composed of all sorts, with as many backgrounds as he could imagine. Maybe there was no harm... ]

Before this, I spent much of my time in space. Gravity could be altered, depending on how I chose to train.

Space....!

[Shinoa's face is suffused with awe at the idea. Space hadn't been very prominent in her nation's focuses, what with constant mortal peril and all. But she imagines, with some youthful idealism, that a lot of their problems might've been solved had they been able to flee the planet.]

That certainly sounds... interesting! My people didn't make it to space.

[She's about to give higher praise, but she realizes she's not yet sure whether some equivalent of Stars Wars exists there.]

Was your society peaceful? Oh- sorry, I'm Shinoa, by the way. Shinoa Hiiragi.

[ Her sudden excitement at the concept of space actually helps to get him to unwind a little. There was plenty to share there, rather than the details of his training and abilities. So he offers her a smile more freely now, chin tipping in a sort of belated greeting when she introduces herself. ]

Shinoa, then. I'm Allelujah. [ While it's still a little strange for him to hear of places that hadn't made it into space, he's beginning to realize he's actually in the vast minority. ] At home, humans have been capable of space fairing for some time, though it's still a young concept overall.

[ Jupiter being about as far as they'd traveled, keeping human limitations in mind. ]

Peace had been achieved, yes. [ At a prince. ] One that still needed protecting, because that was also young.

Allelujah. [The name rings intriguingly foreign on her tongue. It has a melodic ring to it despite its unfamiliarity; she's struck with a sudden curiosity of what language it's in.] It's nice to meet you!

[There's a lot to ask about of his world. In retrospect, she isn't surprised that human ingenuity turned out these results instead when the threat of imminent extinction was absent. But what was life like beyond the atmosphere? What were their sciences like? Did they research into the same things, mechanics, genetics?

But he's an acquaintance, and her pause is long as she tries to select just one question to start with.]

Peace... between countries? Or did you find another species out there?

[ More often than not, his sense of propriety overrides how perceptive he is. Watching her expression carefully, Allelujah can't help but be a little amused at how she settles on what she's going to ask. He may be limited in how he can answer, but that doesn't mean he can't be genuine in how he responds, all the same. Pausing, he takes a moment to gather up a few of the box steps and scoot them over, turning to take a seat on one. ]

For most of my life, the world didn't have a unified government. It was separated into economic blocs that fought often for resources, like solar energy.

[ Almost delicately, he folds his hands. ]

That changed very recently. [ Through force, but the result is much more important than the cause in this conversation. ] To prepare for the existence of other species, like you said, it was important that humanity didn't take war into space.

[He's sitting down! The option reveals itself to her, and it seems like a pretty good one. Shinoa picks a nearby step to perch on, hands at her side and splayed against the surface.]

Oh. That sounds logical, but did everyone agree to submit to one central power easily at all? I.... it's hard for me to imagine people without some kind of [selfish desire for power is the rough idea of what she's thinking of, but that's hard to put across.].... divided loyalties.

[ Allelujah's attention has a brief lag just as hers does, almost as if he's picked up on the snag in her wording. Really, he empathizes — he's trying to keep things level. Like a spectator might, rather than a participant. So he nods to her assessment, carefully conceding. ]

There were a series of wars, and the price paid was very high.

[ As any revolution's collection of debt might be. ]

You sound as though you have some familiarity with it?

[She nods.]

Yes, I've- experienced wars. Interspecies wars, of a different sort.

[Your planet went to shit, girl.]

Basically my earth took a very bad turn.

[She smiles wrly, without mirth. This is old news to her, but Allelujah is doing a fine job of painting his planet diplomatically. It softens the edge of her usually brash sardonicism on this subject. She feels like she ought to be a better representative.]

Interspecies? [ Allelujah momentarily forgets the grace necessary to not look a little alarmed. Recognition also flashes in his eyes. ] How dire did the situation get?

[ Logically he knows war is a category all its own, but to actually wage war on another species — he and the other Meisters had done everything in their power to prevent that. Realizing that, he amends: ]

I'm sorry. That it came to such a thing.

[The surprised sympathy she senses from him rings unfamiliar, but not welcome. She's in the vast minority when it comes to this thing that she's taken so much for granted, and it's strange to realize that. When she replies it's not with any echo of trauma or horror, just a curious surprise at having to explain for the first time.]

Oh, hm- it.... got pretty messy. Uhm- the other species is a predatory one, you see. We had a lot of natural disasters at one point, and they got aggressive when our populations became disordered.

[That's one way to put it.]

Things happen how they do, I guess! We've been trying to cope.

[ Allelujah can't press the concern out of his expression, despite knowing he can't exactly be surprised at how level she seems either. He'd been the same way from a young age. To live in an extraordinary situation, to thrive in it... sometimes there was little else to do but fight. Hallelujah was always there to remind him, should he ever forget. ]

"Coping" makes it seem as though the battle would be a long one. [ A sad prospect, despite being inevitable. Allelujah doesn't discount her for her age, keeping his tone respectful, legitimately curious. ] Did you understand anything about your enemy?

Enough to get by at the time I left. [A pause.] I'm not sure I'm at liberty to dispense that sort of information though, it's considered fairly important military intel.

[It's nice talking with Allelujah like this. She can't pin her finger on why, but his quiet concern is respectful and almost comforting. Perhaps he understands more than she can tell, from what little she knows of him. Perhaps he understands understands.]

I hope it's not too intrusive to ask about you in return? [She's genuinely curious.] Were you with any official organization, or training for private reasons?

[ Now that's something he's not used to being on the other side of. Military intel, is it... Allelujah shakes his head briefly, sifting his bangs over his brow. Before this, Celestial Being had simply taken what information they wanted. Here, he wants to rely on the truth of those around him. As much as is possible. These people, people like Shinoa, are allies. ]

I understand. [ Mostly because — ] There are things I'm afraid I can't share, also. But I can you my training was private. You could say I was born into it. And... there were many things about our militaries that I couldn't agree with.

Mmm. [She nods. They're on the same wavelength on this, aware of the risks careless disclosure gives. On her wavelength there're many things that can be implied from his words without further imagination; she can imagine the concept of soldiers conceived the the sole purpose of combat. She can guess, that maybe, extenuating demands of the training were required. Human nature can be surprisingly consistent.]

Aha, you too? [A light laugh.] I guess the goals of any military become a little weird to its soldiers after a while. I could tell my most of company switched loyalties to our immediate commander.

[ Despite the subject matter, he smiles a bit. ]

Yes, me too. [ Pressing the flats of this thumbs together, he thinks. Now that she knows he's being deliberately vague due to his position, like hers, he can form the words easier. ] Skewed goals permeate militaristic ranks more easily than those in power might suspect. There's ways to keep it under control, of course.

[ Secrecy, blackmail, betrayal, an iron fist. Such things were what gave birth to his world's A-Laws, and subsequently corrupted it. ]

But a wish for change is also a powerful thing, even at the bottom level.

A wish for change?

[The idea is curious to her. She doesn't think they thought that far themselves; everyone had been too busy worrying over a loved one, desperate to protect what little they could. A wish for change.]

That's a fine ideal. Did you manage to see anything happen from that kind of wish?

I arrived here before anything like that happened in my world. [When she left people were kind of being all. 'Screw the government, praise to the clusterfuck going on now that none of us understand'.]

(open) if we just breathed in

Training!

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spoiler note: mild references to OnS spoilers in this tag!

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