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+---- Thread: [RFC][SI][Multi-Xover]Being You is Suffering (/showthread.php?tid=8440)
- deadpan29 - 02-09-2014
He has a seed. By what little we know about Juraian trees, he should eventually learn to channel energy from the tree as we have seen Yosho and Ayeka do for shields and forcefields. On the other hand, it could take years for the tree to grow and for him to learn how to do this.
----------
No, I don't believe the world has gone mad. In order for it to go mad it would need to have been sane at some point.
- Black Aeronaut - 02-09-2014
A long time... Probably about fifteen years until Katherine is mature enough. Maybe ten, but that might be pushing it. Although when the shit hits the fan (Garrick getting sling-shot into another reality), I'd imagine Tsunami would throw caution to the wind and give Katherine some extra energy to work with.
- classicdrogn - 02-10-2014
I dunno about that last - rushing along the amount of Vast Cosmic Power a being is handling beyond the rate they gain it on their own rarely ends well for anyone. More likely to my mind would be Kat saying "Gramma, help!" and Tsunami uses that link to send Garrick some extra power, the better to protect the little sprout. She can't follow the link all the way to just grab them back. because godly-type reasons, but answering the personal appeal of an underage descendant by empowering her guardian is allowed, sort'a fing.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 02-10-2014
Hmmm... think the rules of the game would change if other deities got involved? For good or for ill?
- classicdrogn - 02-10-2014
If it makes the story better, yes. Not all that helpful an answer, I know, but honestly, whatever fits the plot best is how it should work, because deities in general seem to run on narrative causality and rule of cool.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 02-10-2014
Hmmm....
How about this... Tsunami can send help from afar, like sending 'magitech' programs for Katherine to run until Garrick can do the magics himself. And the limiting factor on that is that Katherine can't really pull off anything HUGE (or, if you prefer, Godly)... at least, not without some outside help. What that help entails... Is a surprise.
- classicdrogn - 02-10-2014
Sounds reasonable - there's a lot that can be done with just enhanced mental support from Katherine, and a whole galaxy of normal tech he can work with if designs and process information are provided, without having to draw on any notable amount of Juraian power, just a bit of assistance in visualizing their workings and maybe some fine-scale stuff that relies on precision rather than power to get the fiddly bits just right. A galactic-standard inertia canceler that would fit into an early-generation valkyrie would yield a massive performance boost, as just a single example, and there are probably supermaterials and compact enviro gear that would increase pilot survivability if included in the flight suits, for another. Skilled and stable AIs to fly ghost fighter wingmen would also be valuable - the SDF-1 refugees never had trouble fielding more mecha, the bottleneck was pilots to control them. Just remember FFFX's words of wisdom on Artificial Intelligence:
http://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/ ... t-12967644
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 02-11-2014
Hmmm... Not sure about AIs... I mean, Garrick may have some rudimentary knowledge about them after hanging out around Washu (and perhaps especially after the whole Black Crystal fiasco). However, he probably wouldn't be able to tell someone how to make a stable AI.
And Katherine wouldn't really count. She's more in the category of 'Inteligent Non-Human that Has AI-Like Capabilities'.
However, Garrick would be able to clue Dr. Lang in on a lot of nifty ideas. He'd just be doing it anonymously, as the moment they find out the incredible genius behind some of their newest innovations is Garrick they'd yank his wings in a heartbeat.
- Bluemage - 02-12-2014
Hmm... it seems the same, only different. Honestly, I don't know how well that works, since my Tenchi-knowledge is limited in the extreme, but you've written it well as always.
Why do I see you commenting that Minagi's not on 'Lord Tenchi's turf' at some point during that explanation, BA?
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
- ordnance11 - 02-12-2014
I'm in the middle of watching Galaxy GXP. Seina..Murphy's Law avatar. Does your SI really want to be around him?
A question on Jurian politics: How did Seina become number three in the line of succession? I grant you being able to activate Zinv (which was powered by a first generation seed) is a marvel, but it is still just a seed (at the moment).
__________________
Into terror!, Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell
- Black Aeronaut - 02-12-2014
Quote:Bluemage wrote:Lord Tenchi's Turf is any female that shows romantic interest in him. As far as I recall, he doesn't even get a blush out of her.
Why do I see you commenting that Minagi's not on 'Lord Tenchi's turf' at some point during that explanation, BA?
Quote:ordnance11 wrote:Garrick's next step in his journey begins more-or-less right after the dust settles from the ending of OVA3. I don't think he'll be around for Seina's Big Adventure, but if he was...
I'm in the middle of watching Galaxy GXP. Seina..Murphy's Law avatar. Does your SI really want to be around him?
"Hello Seina. I'm you're Uncle Gar. My wives and I are here to teach you everything we can teach you." Garrick's eyes then glint wickedly as he continues in an ominous tone, "Prepare yourself."
- ordnance11 - 02-12-2014
Quote:blackaeronaut wrote:Well, if Garrick departs before the wedding of Noboyuki and Rea, yes.Quote:Bluemage wrote:Lord Tenchi's Turf is any female that shows romantic interest in him. As far as I recall, he doesn't even get a blush out of her.
Why do I see you commenting that Minagi's not on 'Lord Tenchi's turf' at some point during that explanation, BA?Quote:ordnance11 wrote:Garrick's next step in his journey begins more-or-less right after the dust settles from the ending of OVA3. I don't think he'll be around for Seina's Big Adventure, but if he was...
I'm in the middle of watching Galaxy GXP. Seina..Murphy's Law avatar. Does your SI really want to be around him?
"Hello Seina. I'm you're Uncle Gar. My wives and I are here to teach you everything we can teach you." Garrick's eyes then glint wickedly as he continues in an ominous tone, "Prepare yourself."
__________________
Into terror!, Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell
- Cobalt Greywalker - 02-12-2014
BA, just re-read the thread and spotted that your timeline is very out of whack. In the second segment, Garrick mentions that the 1st gen iPods were coming out. This was 2001. Later on in the fifth segment you mention the crew being in Tokyo during the Sarin gas attacks. That was 1995. Which one is it?
Second, how much of Garrick's various media came with him? Books, manga, videos/DVDs, games (plus consoles/PCs)? If he doesn't want to upgrade too much (I can see why, given GP Body Modification is easily detectable by Earth science. It's WAY beyond Captain America levels.), why not use the various media to inspire work on a powered armour for him? Get it right and you could market it to the GP. In Gatrrick's case I'd ask for one of those armour rings like Tenchi has and modify it to pull the armour out instead of a Jurai battle suit (stealing some of said battle suit's functions. Vacuum support without helmet? I'm down with that, but I'd use a helmet anyway).
Plus you could introduce the non-locals to more than that period-detective story from the Bizen/Yume arc.
- Black Aeronaut - 02-13-2014
Quote:Cobalt Greywalker wrote:.... D'OH!!! I had a feeling I'd missed something about the time line. Thanks for catching that for me. I'll change it up so instead he'll remark that the G1 iMacs hadn't even debuted. And those that remember those delightful technicolor monstrosities will get an even better idea of just how messed up that is from a technophile's standpoint. 486DX chips are still floating around as a budget option... and then there's what Garrick has.
BA, just re-read the thread and spotted that your timeline is very out of whack. In the second segment, Garrick mentions that the 1st gen iPods were coming out. This was 2001. Later on in the fifth segment you mention the crew being in Tokyo during the Sarin gas attacks. That was 1995. Which one is it?
Even if Washu got Garrick some sort of untraceable satellite connection to the Internet, I'm not sure any of his software would have that sort of legacy support.
One interesting thing is that it has been shown that Washu finds the old computer tech to be absolutely fascinating from a historical perspective. In fact, I'd hazard to say that the tech is so obsolete to her perspective that for us it would be like watching someone working on an IBM 1401 along with all it's intended peripheries. (And I suspect that if Garrick ever took her to a museum with a functioning 1401, she would absolutely fan-gasm. Especially if they could get it to 'play music' as was the inspiration for one of Jóhann Jóhannsson's symphonies.)
Quote:Cobalt Greywalker wrote:I've actually been giving that some thought, and the Yakage arc could be what spurs them into that direction.
Second, how much of Garrick's various media came with him? Books,
manga, videos/DVDs, games (plus consoles/PCs)? If he doesn't want to
upgrade too much (I can see why, given GP Body Modification is easily
detectable by Earth science. It's WAY beyond
Captain America levels.), why not use the various media to inspire work
on a powered armour for him? Get it right and you could market it to
the GP. In Gatrrick's case I'd ask for one of those armour rings like
Tenchi has and modify it to pull the armour out instead of a Jurai
battle suit (stealing some of said battle suit's functions. Vacuum
support without helmet? I'm down with that, but I'd use a helmet
anyway).
Plus you could introduce the non-locals to more than that period-detective story from the Bizen/Yume arc.
Although Garrick would probably go the same route ATC did with the suit. The bonus would be that Garrick's body is already reinforced to handle the stresses... But I do like the ring idea. That keeps it both out of the way and ready at a moment's notice.
BTW: it would be Garrick's complete collection. When he transitioned he was relocating from San Antonio/Austin to Seattle, and he'd be damned if he was gonna have to go back all that way for anything. We're talking about two institutional-sized book cases full of books, comics, video, and audio media, as well as about four terabytes worth of anime, manga, music, and writing.
I'll be blunt here: going by ATC's definition of temporal mass, this makes Garrick into the equivalent of a three-mile long cargo-container train traveling at 70mph with the legend 'Eat Me' emblazoned on the lead locomotive's nose and each container loaded with Murphy's Law, Pandora's Boxes, and Chemical X.
- ECSNorway - 02-13-2014
What's Garrick carrying in the way of computer gear? Tablet PC of some sort?
Not a huge issue. 802.11b isn't available until 1999, but Washuu should be able to reverse-engineer a suitable antenna from the tab's network protocols.
All that's left is to get a connection out to the net, which isn't hard, even if it'll be slow (by 20-teens standards, at least).
As far as software protocols, TCP/IP is TCP/IP is TCP/IP, and a web browser is the most backwards-compatible thing in the world. Java first debuted in '95, as well, although Flash and the like are still a ways out.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
- Dartz - 02-13-2014
You could always invent Twitter or the like if you're short for cash. Maybe Amazon too....
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
- classicdrogn - 02-13-2014
If he has a respectably recent desktop, it's probably the second most powerful computer on Earth after Washuu's...
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 02-14-2014
Hoooooo...
I am a technophile. Full stop. Therefore, I would have several nice bits of tech lying around by that time frame, especially considering that my aim is to already have a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and working towards a Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering.
Now, this is all approximate as I don't have any of this right now, but I plan on getting it (or it's equivalent) in the future.
Desktop Unit: Home-built
Codename: Heater
CPU: AMD FX-9370 Vishera 4.4GHz Eight-Core
Mobo: Gigabyte MB w/ 2600Mhz Hyper Transport FSB, AMD 990FX North Bridge and AMD SB950 South Bridge
RAM: 32GB DDR3 1866 SDRAM (4x8GB Sticks)
GPU: 2 CrossFire connected ATI FirePro V8800 w/ 256-bit 2GB GDDR5
Portable Unit: Acer
Codename: Pinky
CPU: AMD A10-5757M Richland 2.5GHz Four-Core
Mobo: AMD A76M Fusion chipset
RAM: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 8750M w/ 2GB dedicated DDR3 VRAM
NAS Unit: Home Built
Codename: Dino
12TB Storage
Tablet:
Apple iPad Air
Wifi Only
128GB Storage
Phone:
Apple iPhone 5S
64GB Storage
Music Player:
Apple iPod Nano (G6)
8GB Storage
(Note: replaced by C-Pod.)
The philosophy behind this setup is that Garrick will primarily use Heater to do the big number crunches associated with his engineering projects (though this has kinda fallen by the wayside lately, we'll see more of it later). So that he can dedicate Heater's entire CPU to the job, he has his laptop, Pinky, to handle the smaller stuff.
The iPad is there just for pure pleasure, however it also has it's uses. While Garrick in involved in a project he will be taking down copious notes using the tablet. Otherwise, Garrick will sock away an entire season of anime, several volumes of manga, and a good number of ebooks for casual perusal.
As for the iPhone... I'm afraid there won't be much use for it there. Not only would it be hard to get cell service for it, but the device itself would be WAY too much of an eyecatch in Japan of '95-'96. That will change in Macross, though.
As for networking, Garrick would have a cable modem gateway/wifi router, as well as a small array of Apple AirPort Express units. This would probably be the only real use he'd get out of his iPhone as he would use it as a jukebox that is wifi connected to his AirPorts... which would all be configured for AirPlay.
All stationary devices would be connected with an Ethernet backbone, but there would be a dedicated gigabit connection between Dino and Heater to cut down on latency during large file transfers.
EDIT: With his mechanical and electrical engineering degrees and computing power available to him, Garrick can probably do big number crunches for companies and researchers. This is a normal thing as many places with super computers (especially in this time frame) lease out their computers for set intervals of time.
Garrick can probably say he's got a home-brew setup - not as powerful as, say Cray's latest offerings, but good enough for a budget option. This would provide Garrick with a relatively stable flow of cash, and not a small amount, either.
- robkelk - 02-14-2014
ECSNorway Wrote:...Does IPv6 play well with IPv4, though? This only matters if Garrick has upgraded, of course.
As far as software protocols, TCP/IP is TCP/IP is TCP/IP, ...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
- ECSNorway - 02-14-2014
Quote:robkelk wrote:Any decent OS will handle both.Quote:ECSNorway wrote:Does IPv6 play well with IPv4, though? This only matters if Garrick has upgraded, of course.
...
As far as software protocols, TCP/IP is TCP/IP is TCP/IP, ...
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
- Black Aeronaut - 02-14-2014
Pinky will probably be dual-booting Linux (most likely Ubuntu) and Windows 7, so handling IPv4 shouldn't be too much trouble.
- Rod.H - 02-14-2014
True, IPv4 is still a part of the Windows 7 networking stack and all the other gear will typically have IPv4 as the default. IPv6 as I see it is just an expanded address system, I've got the option to use it but as I'm barely using the full private Class-C and my internet connection's off a ISP's NAT...meh.
I'd be thinking more of the obsolete comms protocols, which probably still exist in Linux - and in my mind were more a local comms thing anyway.
And implementing a wifi hub at the Masaki residence would be a cinch for Washuu - unless the historical galactic version used a different frequency & frame structure. Garrus has Aiport units after all.
Macross, is more of the challenge as some comms standards will be the same, others non-existent or went other ways. As for mobiles, I've still got some that'd fit in, just might not work due to the conflicting standards that were prevalent.
- classicdrogn - 02-14-2014
In Macross, if it was originally created after the ASS-1 crash, it's highly unlikely to be the same - a lot of major cities where corporate headquarters and universities were based got wrecked by the shockwaves as the ship came down and tired to aerobrake, and there was also the influx of new ideas (ALIENS! What wonders and terrors lie in space!?) along with salvaged tech to put the brightest brains on deciphering. Not to mention, the frikkin' Unification War to push military tech and further squeeze material, financial, and human resources.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 02-14-2014
In that respect, I would think that the squeeze from the war and the push from the Robotech would have about equalized. Cell phones in the time frame of Macross at the beginning would be about the same as they are now.
If Garrick can prevent the Rain of Death, a techno-renaissance would take place that would surely make Earth into a techo-industrial juggernaut. Another consequence, though, is that it will probably slow their expansion since they won't quite have the same drive as before.
Anyhow, here's a little bit more.
That evening I sat
outside on the dock by myself with my iPad.
Having that was
both a joy and a sorrow. The tablet computer had more processing
power than most computers on Earth at this time do. But, because it
was so far ahead of its time there was no support available for it.
Anytime anything went wrong with it I was on my own.
Fortunately, it was
an Apple product, so very little went wrong with it anyhow.
Bundled up against
the cold, I was working on a plan of action to take against Yakage
when he would show up tomorrow. Granted, I wasn't laying out some
grand strategy, just some basic scenarios. I sighed as I paused to
stretch and gazed across the lake at Yosho's tree, Funaho.
“I know you like
me, Funaho, but why did you give me a seed to raise?”
“Who are you
talking to?”
I didn't jump –
you get used to people sneaking up on you here.
I turned to see who
it was and found Minagi hovering a few feet over me.
“Oh, hey Minagi.
Couldn't sleep?”
Minagi sighed.
“No. I talked to Sasami. She's real nice, wanting me to stay here
and be part of the family... but...”
“You're uneasy
about it,” I finished for her.
“Yeah. I know
she likes me, but I'm not to sure about everyone else here.”
“Well, like I
said before, we're all pretty friendly here... but sometimes you
gotta beat Ryoko back with a stick. Isn't that right, Ryoko?”
“BWAH!?” I
heard Ryoko shout behind me.
“EEYYYIIIEEE!”
squealed Minagi... who promptly dove... well, to my side, and tried
to make herself as small as possible to hide from Ryoko while
clinging to me for dear life.
I gave Ryoko an
exasperated look – sure enough, there she was with a ridiculously
huge mallet with kanji that read, 'Memory Restoration Hammer'.
“Ryoko, I have
got no idea where the hell you got that thing from, but I want
you to put it back right now!”
“Oh, c'mon
Gar-kun!” pouted Ryoko. “Don't be such a killjoy!”
“I mean it Ryoko.
You know that's not gonna help her and friends don't do that kind of
shit.”
“Oh fine!”
Ryoko grumped. “Did you really have to play the 'Friend' card?”
“Of course I did,
look at this poor girl, she's terrified out of her wits!”
I wrapped an arm
around Minagi as Ryoko came closer to get a better look at Minagi.
At first, Ryoko wore a disdainful expression and Minagi whimpered as
she came closer. Suddenly, Ryoko put on a scary face.
“BOOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA!”
Minagi screamed. I
hate to admit it, but she made it seem cute. Of course, all that
noise summoned help in a hurry.
“What the hell's
gotten into you Ryoko!” yelled Washu as she popped up from nowhere
and grabbed Ryoko by the ear. “You are coming back to the lab with
me and you're gonna explain to me, in detail, why you think hitting
Minagi over the head with that hammer is gonna fix things!”
Ryoko could only
splutter as Washu dragged her away.
I then turned to
Minagi who was still clinging to me, and wearing a face that was torn
between a fervent WTF, and bawling her eyes out. With one armed
coiled around her still, I gave Minagi a comforting hug.
“It'll be okay
Minagi. Ryoko will come around and before you know it you two will
be sisters.”
“But why does she
hate me so much?” whimpered Minagi.
I sighed. “Well,
it's because you knocked out her boyfriend and then nearly killed me
right before you lost your memory.”
“But... I don't
remember! I have no idea why I would do that! I don't understand
why you would even touch me after I did that.”
“Because you were
under programing at that time. And whatever Tenchi did to you wiped
that programming away completely. So, I'm being nice to you because
I see the real and true Minagi right now. And the real Minagi is a
very sweet girl that doesn't like doing mean things to people.”
Minagi gazed at me
for a short moment, then let go of me at last... but she didn't get
up. Instead, she shifted around so she was seated comfortably by me
and leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Thank you for
believing in me, Garrick.”
I said nothing. I
just gave her a squeeze with the arm that was still wrapped around
her. Minagi sighed contently and nothing more.
We watch the night
sky as the clouds scudded by for a few minutes in quiet contentment
until I noticed that my eyes were starting to get heavy.
“Minagi?” I
said with a yawn.
“Hmmm?” she
said, herself sounding sleepy as well.
“I need to get to
bed. And I think you do as well.”
“Ah, Garrick?”
asked Minagi.
“Yes?”
“Would you mind
if I slept with you tonight?”
Well that was
quick, I thought wryly to myself.
“I only have one
bed in my room, Minagi. Don't you have a bed made up in Ayeka and
Sasami's room?”
“There is... but
I feel that I'll be safer in your room instead.”
“You sure?” I
said with a mildly warning tone. “Because sharing a bed with
another person has profound undertones, both here on Earth and on
Jyurai.”
“I don't mind,”
Minagi replied with a nervous smile. “You're... so nice to me.
Sasami is nice, too... and I guess the others are... but you're the
only one that will hold me like this. And... it feels nice.”
I sighed. “Alright
then. You can come with me. I'd be lying anyhow if I said that I
didn't find you attractive.” And then, to her surprise, I pecked
her on the cheek right before I got up.
There'll be hell
to pay in the morning, I thought to myself as Minagi jumped up
and grabbed ahold of me, making it tricky to walk down the boardwalk,
but it just might be worth it.
“WHAT IS THAT!?”
“HUH!?” I cried out, popping up like a pop-tart from the toaster.
And then I registered the sound – that of Megumi Hayashibara's
adorably bubbly voice filling the air with the opening theme from
Love Hina.
On the roof
looking up at the sky, the sunlight is beautiful
Looking up to
the sky, my whole body fills with energy
“That would be my alarm clock,” I said with a sheepish grin to a
wide-eyed Minagi.
That's so
wonderful! Just being alive!
Let's never stop
or give up
“You're kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
Say goodbye to
the confusion of yesterday
These feelings
are bubbling up and boiling over
No matter how
many times they come back, these flowers will bloom
Memories are
always a sweet place to retreat
But if you break
from them, you can live for tomorrow
A blessed time
has arrived, so reach out your hands
“A little bubbly, isn't it?”
“It helps put this place into perspective for me.”
“I guess I can
see that.”
This lovely and
gentle skin, these hands have not yet reached
If I close my
eyes this image expands, a fascinating seed
“Oh, no subtext
there!”
That's so
wonderful! Just being alive!
Let's never
stop, I want to see how it was before
“Oh hush you,”
I said as I smacked the snooze button at last. As much as I liked
hearing that song some mornings, I didn't want to give Minagi too
much ammo – she was feisty when she was firing on all cylinders...
albeit a friendly sort of feisty.
And then Minagi
sniffed at the air. “What's that smell?”
I smiled.
“Coffee.”
“Which is?”
“A brew of
roasted and ground beans that braces you for the day to come. It's
kinda salty and bitter straight-up, so a lot of people experiment
with different roasting styles, flavor infusions, sweeteners and
creamers. Care for a cup?”
“I guess. Ah...
do you have a toilet in here?”
“Through the
curtain, across the common space, and inside that alcove there. Door
is to the right.”
“Thanks,”
Minagi replied as she teleported to the spot I indicated. With a
smile, I scooted over to the foot of the bed and went down the ladder
of my loft bed.
Minagi, it turns
out, isn't much of a coffee person... until you put a good dollop of
amaretto cream in her breakfast blend, then she starts asking for
more.
I had to cut her
off at the second cup for fear that she'd turn into Calvin on a sugar
rush – there are just some things mortal men are not meant to see.
Besides, breakfast
was about ready by then.
“Ready to face
the music?” I asked.
Minagi sighed. “I
hope they don't make too big a deal out of this.”
I scoffed
bemusedly. “I did warn you last night.”
“You did,”
Minagi replied fatalistically. “Alright then... let's get this
over with.”
I opened the
door...
...And was promptly
tackled by Ryo-Ohki, who transformed from Cabbit to Cabbit-girl-form
mid-flight.
“Dooouuuf!” I
said succinctly as I went to the deck.
“Nya?” said
Ryo-Ohki questioningly. She then looked up and saw Minagi. “NYA!”
“OOF!” cried
out Minagi as she was gut-checked by the Cabbit-girl.
“Eeyeah,” I
drawled as I picked myself up. “She's energetic that way.”
“Ah, there you
are, dear brother,” came Ayeka's voice. “And I see you have
Minagi with you, too. Sasami will be glad to hear that – she was
worried when she didn't come back to bed last night.” Ayeka then
leaned over and whispered to my in Old High Jyuraian, “Dear
Brother, you haven't been tending the garden, have you?”
I did mention that
I was learning the language, did I not?
“Of course not,
beloved sister,” I replied in the same tongue. “While we find
each other attractive, we're not quite there yet. Really, she just
didn't want to sleep alone. Like a child after they have a bad
nightmare.”
Ayeka smiled at
that. “So I see.”
“What are you
guys talking about?” asked Minagi.
“Private family
joke,” I replied blithely in Japanese. “Trust me, you would have
had to have been there for it.”
Ayeka got the irony
of that statement right away and dissolved into a fit of
ill-suppressed giggles.
Minagi could only
blink in confusion as she said, “I guess so.”
Needless to say,
that second statement didn't help my sister any, either.
Momentarily, we
managed to get downstairs to the Kitchen with Ayeka back to normal.
“Yaaayyy!
Minagi's here!” creid out Sasami as she ran over and glomped
Minagi. “We're going to have so much fun today, Minagi!”
I grinned and
leaned over to Ayeka's side and whispered, falsetto-toned, in her ear
using Old High Jyuraian once more. Oh yes, I was going to abuse the
hell out of that.
“We're gonna play
dress up dolls, we're gonna paint our nails, and then we'll have a
tea party...”
Ayeka glared at me,
but she could quite keep the grin off her face as she smacked my
shoulder.
God, it felt good
to have a family again.
“So, you and
Minagi, huh?” asked Ryoko as we peeled potatoes together for the
night's dinner. Minagi herself was helping Sasami with preparing the
meat.
I shrugged. “I
like her, and she doesn't have a thing for Tenchi. Besides, I think
this sort of thing is new to her, so it'll probably help that if it
doesn't work out between us I won't let it become messy.”
“Maihty strong
words 'ere, pardner,” Ryoko replied in English with a southern
drawl.
I snorted at her
ribbing me. “I've had at least one relationship end on good
terms.”
“Oh? What
happened?”
I shrugged. “We
were going different directions. I was in the military, going from
one school to another, and then to a ship stationed in Japan, and she
was in college and had family issues. We simply agreed that it
wasn't meant to be and moved on with our lives... I'm still pretty
sure she was absolutely heart broken, though.”
Ryoko chuckled.
“Lady killer, eh?”
I scoffed. “As
if. I hardly ever got the time to go out and date anyone. And just
breaking the ice with a total stranger is the toughest part. It's
always easier if there's a third party to make the introductions.
But, with the few girls I did manage to get my foot in the door
with... Their reactions were the same all around. I was like a storm
that blew into their lives and completely turned everything upside
down.”
Ryoko snickered.
“I can see that, too! Oh man, Ayeka was right! Minagi never stood
a chance! I can't wait until I tell her.”
My eyebrows
levitated as I gave Ryoko a surprised look. “Gleeful admission to
The Princess that she was right about something?”
“Bah,” Ryoko
replied. “This is you we're talking about here. In maters
concerning a certain someone else... well, that's when things get
interesting.”
I rolled my eyes at
that one. “Yeah, in the ancient Chinese sense of the word.”
Ryoko flashed me a
grin. “And don't you forget it, buddy.”
Up next, Garrick drops another Code Pondstrider, but can Washu talk down Yakage?
- classicdrogn - 02-14-2014
Why "pondstrider" for your Shit Just Got Real code word, btw?
Part was cute, and nice to see Garrick moving past (or at least not wallowing in) some of the angst, however justified.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows