A Day At The Carnival (Kujo, Open)

[Nemesis]

December 10th
Vermillion Airspace
12:00 PM

"So that's the Vermillion..." Mumbled a face, squished up against a viewport as the dazzling spires of the Earth Sphere's newest arrival twinkled in the distance.

The arrival of the New Macross Class vessel and its accompanying city had been greeted with the traditional mix of jubilation from the general populace, and apprehension from the League's understandably-paranoid ruling class. The money was too good to pass up, and both parties knew it full well - but that didn't detract from the hemming and hawwing and ritualistic griping that took place with these sort of things.

So it was that the Nadesico, busily en route to Mars, had paused to dock at the city's edge, perched like a reclining white tiger in mid stretch. In the hangar, Luceria Exedine clutched a stuffed animal closely, and looked away from the viewport up at the cockpit of the vessel's resident Orbital Frame.

"What do you think it's like? They must have seen all kinds of things..." She said, a little louder this time, trying to be heard over the sound of wrenching and hammering and occasional hissing or burning that was emitting from the opening. When no response was forthcoming, she reached out and jabbed the leg extending from its side with her finger, causing a yelp to go up from within. There was a crackling FWUSH noise, and a cloud of black smoke erupted as Isaac Gaius emerged from the cockpit, coughing and hacking, his features now colored soot black as she shot the ship's navigator a glare.

"...Hey Isaac, don't you care?" She said, innocently batting her eyes.

The young Coordinator wiped his face with a cloth, tossing it aside as he scratched his head, already back to surveying various mechanical components.

"Not really." He muttered.

"I need to bring Jehuty up to spec. That OF, Anubis..." - He shuddered, the thought of its canid features practically laser-burned into his brain,

"...It was something else."

"Oh." Said Luce, sounding disappointed.

"You don't want to see the city?"

"Nope."

"I do." Said Luce, head dipping behind the bear's in thought. Isaac tossed a blackened circuit board aside and sighed.

"Oh, right." He said, finally, "You were shut in for pretty much all your life, right?"

Luce nodded, slowly. In the background, she could see Ms. Blanchefleur already berating her associates as they disembarked into the port. Orders had already been given to the crew - they'd be leaving the next day, and no later. That was the longest they could possibly delay their trip. Isaac moved to return to the cockpit, but paused as Luce spoke once more, this time in a more... casual tone.

"Orbital Frames can equip Subweapons, right?"

Here, he paused and cocked an eyebrow in her direction. Her features were as impassive as ever, but there was a glint of intellect behind her gaze.

"From a Local Server, yeah." He said, a little hesitantly.

"...How do you know that?"

"I collect data. It's my job to know." She said, readily.

"By the way, there's also a Local Server aboard this vessel. But, you won't find it without my help."

Isaac bit his lower lip, two forces coming into conflict behind his furrowed brow: the desire to avoid contact with as many people as possible, and the burning curiosity to see if what she was saying was true. Eventually... the latter won out.

"...Fine." He mumbled, "Let me go get cleaned up."

Luce beamed at him in response before prancing away, saying as she did:

"Good boy. It's a date."

A new rag was tossed into his hands, and he was left holding it, staring after the navigator with a hollow look on his face.

"...date?"

 

[Tackle Jackie]

“Alrighty then- Anyone need anything while I’m heading out?”

Stepping out from tarp behind her mecha, Mak was smoothing down the front of her overalls, flashing an awkward smile to a few of her compatriots in the Hanger. “Plan is to go get some miclone clothes shopping done so I have something to wear, and then I’ll be heading to check out some heavier Vee Effs, if anyone wants to tag along?” The Meltrandi looked positively giddy as she glanced out to the halls that waited beyond, imagining how it would feel to walk in an actual city made for her… It was just incredible to imagine-

“I wouldn’t mind giving some folks a ride if ya need it either-“

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Somewhere else in Vermillion City, a young woman with what could be described as a substantial body was sitting down by a cafe. Underneath the shade, it was harder to make out anything else other than that, but it was clear she was enjoying a nice cup of tea. She looked out onto the streets as cars passed by, moving in and out of her field of view, the hum of their engines serving as a deterrent to what would most likely be just silence.

It would have been her, the cars, and some others there, had it not been for the ringtone coming directly from her smartphone.

She would let the ringtone play for a couple of seconds before answering the unlisted number displayed on her phone. “I’m here at the location. So I’m supposed to wait for him?” She would take a sip from her tea as she waited for a reply.

“Yes. Whether or not they want it, Jehuty will need to be stronger in order for it’s Will to be carried out. Project Aumaan depends on it. This is your best opportunity by far, and the work conditions provided by Nergal are quite envious to say the least. I say you have quite the bargain on your hands.“ Mons would speak from the other side of the line, he sounded pleased with this recent development.

The girl would forcibly chuckle slightly as she leaned forward a bit to look at her surroundings, her tinted aviator shades reflecting the artificial light of Vermillion City as she looked out towards the docks, her blue eyes looking on in a deadpan stare. She would then speak in a monotone voice. “Then I suppose I’ll get to doing what I do best then...” She would smile slightly before continuing with a slightly more enthusiastic sounding voice. “Being the perfect girl for any job.”

Spoiler: The Second Cardinal

 

[Kujo]

Vermillion City, Sector 1
Weather Setting: Wispy Winter, Next Cycle Update in ~40 Minutes

Some form of normalcy and fundamental Culture is required when voyaging across the stars for long periods of time; as such, great pains were taken to keep the premier sector of Vermillion as reasonably "classical" as possible, though the urge to flex artistic and crafting prowess often sprang up suddenly throughout the process. And so it was that Sector 1 became one of the more popular first stops for the sight seers and other Earth Sphere patrons interested in what life is like in a Spacy fleet without necessarily subjecting themselves to any of the experimental Zentran architecture and layout or any subsequent Protoculture inspired, monolithic museum pieces the many architects in the fleet claim to be offices and strip malls.

Nonetheless, a grand arch was erected in a prominent block in the sector. Its shadow loomed over many a highrise and had already confused many newcomers to the ship on what time of day it was while under its penumbra. Unlike its neighbors in the adjacent sectors however, its presence and prominence was more than just for show. Under the structure were a number of official buildings of the fleet administration. Mail centers, logistics boards, license bureaus, and most importantly the official Vermillion commissary. Within the commissary lay the Local Server, important data and info constantly being beamed in and out of it via a framework hooked up within the structure hanging high above.

- - -

Halitai City, Vrlera Central Foundation
Weather Setting: Off, Next Cycle Update in [UNDEFINED]

The hollowed asteroid that the great minds of the Zentraedi fashioned for use as a colony ship was a very sought after sight for many of the more adventurous of the Earth Sphere's people. Whether they were hoping to set eyes on the new Culture of the alien race or were indeed simply interested in seeing more of the Zentrans themselves then there certainly was no better place to find it than in the center of the ship itself. The Vrlerla Central Foundation towered inside the shell of extraterrestrial rock; a grand pillar of trade and Culture where one could scarcely find a Miclone, let alone a pure human among the hustle of the Zentran designed streets and lifts.

This being said, one could find various groups of bewildered humans gawking at the space giants as they went about their days; their presence made known by brightly colored wristbands or badges issued by the fleet to visitors.

 

[Nemesis]

At the sight of Mak, Isaac instinctively tried to veer away - but Luce clapped her hands on her way out, beaming brightly at the older woman.

"We'd love one, thank you Mak!"

Isaac, for his part, mumbled something sounding vaguely akin to "thn'k ye" before slinking off. What had he gotten himself into?

---

A trip tucked into the breast pocket of a Meltradi hadn't been at the forefront of Isaac's mind when he'd thought about his day. The boy hung on for dear life, trying not to look down as beside him, Luce cheered and waved, asking Mak to go faster, further, higher despite her unfortunate date's impassioned protests to the contrary. When the woman had been so kind as to let them down, he'd resisted the urge to kiss the artificial earth - not that he could have anyway, as his arm was locked squarely in Luce's as she had led him away, eyes agleam at the sights and sounds.

And so it was he found himself, two hours later, at the Commissary. Encumbered by a variety of colorful bags, and smelling like perfume from all the shops he'd been dragged through, he stood staring wearily into the sun, hoping it might set him ablaze in a freak accident.

"Isn't it beautiful, Isaac?"
"Uh-huh."
"I heard there's whole sectors, just for Zentradi, Meltradi..."
"Mmhm."
"It must have taken such a long time to build..."
"If you say so-ow!"

He gave out a yell, fumbling with the phone in his grasp, and rubbing the spot on his arm where Luce had elbowed him.

"Hey." Said the Nadesico's navigator, jabbing a finger in his face.

"When you take a girl out, don't spend all your time on your phone!"

He held up the phone in front of him, the screen showing a download in progress, as if it were a shield as he protested.

"I'm downloading the data I need! It's important!" He cried, before lowering his voice to barely a whisper as he groused:

"...and it's not a date."

Luce stared daggers at him a moment more... but eventually sighed, folding her arms. Despite his attitude, the day had been pleasant... and romantic, even. If nothing else, he made a good pack mule. She sat down next to him on a bench, giving a weary sigh as she waited, letting him finally pay attention to the screen he'd missed so badly.

"I guess." She said, folding her arms as she looked out upon the crowds. Maybe there was a familiar face?

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Somewhere out in the crowd, a girl seemed to be looking around with an aloof expression. She seemed… lost so to speak. “Where was I supposed to go again? The ship will leave me at this rate.” She was carrying around an inexpensive tote bag, slung on her left shoulder while her right hand dragged along a small luggage. “Docking bay… which docking bay was it?” She would pull out her phone with her free hand and looked up her schedule again. “Nadesico… docking bay 5. Oh, that’s right!”

She would pull up a map on her phone, causing her face to beam. “Looks like I was right after all, so if I just keep going this way…” She would begin to move slightly faster through the crowd, her face focused directly on her phone as her steps went into a jogging motion. “I’ll eventually run into-“

CRASH

She would end up bumping into the screen glued engineer, causing her to fall backwards and onto her rear. It would cause her luggage to slip and cause a racket, and would also cause her tote bag to slip off the shoulder, causing the contents to spill out of it. Contents which seemed to mainly comprise of cooking tools such as a carving fork, knives, thermometers, spatulas, spoons and a few of the essential seasonings and herbs needed to make a delicious meal.

 

[Tackle Jackie]

Admittedly, Mak’s original intent was to let the two of them ride on her shoulders, but with Luce’s excitable attitude, she figured a more secured ride was a bit safer. Honestly, the younger girls enthusiasm was infectious! If they had wound up spending more of their day together, it would have been hard to resist giving into the girl’s requests for more excitement-

By the time they had gone their own ways, Makurol was positively vibrating with excitement of her own, as she boarded the shuttle for Halitai City…

- - -

The city was overwhelming. Nothing she had ever experienced before felt like it could have prepared her for it. The only thing that felt like it came close was the Clockflower Colony, but even that wasn’t built for someone like her… Mak spent the next two hours wandering the streets as she made her way for the dealership, disappearing into a shop every so often to buy some clothes or an accessory, sending a number of texts and pictures to Miss Blanchefleur or Luce, trying to gauge their opinions on the things she found. Having had little actual experience with other women before, or culture, she couldn’t decide on anything- Arriving at “Hiln’s Deculture Showroom” was a relief, as she adjusted the bag on her arm and entered, genuinely curious about what to expect…

 

[Kujo]

Vermillion City
-

"Oh gosh, are you guys alright?"

The sound of light footsteps followed by a faint tune on an erhu. Two girls had come running in, trailed slowly by a small squad of robots bearing containers or signage. While both wore strikingly non-conventional qipao covered in flapping frills and sporting petit aprons, one girl had a pair of cat ears attached to bun caps put into her hair along with a surprisingly lively fake tail to match.

The imagery trailing behind the girls displayed a little mascot drawn like brushed ink on a scroll holding aloft various Asian dishes. The din of the music drew closer along with the smell of noodles, soy sauce, beef and pork, virtually everything on the advertisements came wafting in.

As one girl stooped down to help the evidently absent-minded girl to her feet, the one bearing cat accoutrements went to pick up the items strewn across the ground but stopped as she registered the cooking tools. "Are you a cook?" She asked. "You should totally get a job with us!"

Nyan Nyan had been on double duty lately trying to effectively indoctrinate the tourists from the Earth Sphere to support the franchise, and so far there had been great success. However, this girl was simply interested in interacting with the people of Earth.
- - -

Halitai City
-

An electronic bell sounded as the visiting Zentran entered the establishment and almost immediately a spread of holographic screens shot up to line the initial path into the showroom. Each display bore a photo of some form of vehicle; Destroids, Battle Pods. Variable Fighters- you name it, Hiln had it. There were even listings for automobiles and autonomous robots. All this was plastered over in brightly colored text bubbles declaring the "deculture deals" you could get each item for in both english and Zentran script.

If one couldn't make out what was on these screens, the solution would be to simply look up. Shining, brightly colored Mobile Weapons stood tall even among the Maclone shoppers gazing at them. Queadluuns and Glaugs lined the walls. Star Mirages and new model Gnerls hung overhead. All the way in the back there was even a Monster, the artillery Destroid looming over its neighbors- though a sign hanging from one of its cannons declared it as "display only".

A Maclone in a slim and trim dark green suit, a classical Zentran color matched by his grayish green skin, spotted Mak come in and confidently strode over. "Welcome to the showroom! I'm Hiln. Now, how can I make your day Deculture?" The salesman enthusiastically spread his arms but quickly pulled up his finger between he and his new customer. "Wait! Don't tell me," he said as he put a finger to his temple, stopping himself as if he didn't want Mak to declare her business. "You've got... a Queadluun and you want a VF-14!" Hiln boldly pointed a finger into the air, confident of his assessment.

 

[Nemesis]

Isaac nodded along, oblivious, until suddenly - impact. Something warm and soft pressed against his face, briefly, and then he was on his back, in a pile of someone else's belongings. In a fashion not unlike Frankenstein's monster, the young man rose from the ground, sitting up almost a full ninety degrees unmovingly as he stared at the newcomer. He gave a sigh, and began to gather the things about him, his fingers closing on something delicate that had landed on his forehead.

"You dropped your, uh..."

He adjusted his glasses, squinting inquisitively at the pair of lacy panties held between his fingers brow furrowed in confusion as his voice died to a low "hmm".

"Isaac!"

Crack!

A stinging smack from Luce sent him tilting back, gurgling miserably as the young girl swiped the undergarments from his hands, her face a neon pink. She looked at his face, eyes glistening like the morning dew.

"How could you?" She said, as though on the verge of tears,

"With an older woman...?"

He held his hands up defensively, stuttering as a crowd had started to gather.

"T-This is why I don't go outside!" He griped, tossing things back into the woman's suitcase as fast as he could on all fours, head buried low like a dog that had been caught chewing on the carpet. Luce, for her part, addressed the stranger, offering her a hand up along with the Nyan-Nyan bun merchant.

"No bruises?" She asked, giving a smile as sweet as strawberries.

"I hope you can forgive Isaac. He's a little awkward."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

As Isaac bumped his face into the woman’s “pads”, she would yelp. As she sat on the ground, she would blush a light crimson as she saw her panties strewn across his face. Even if she wasn’t a true woman, she couldn’t help but be embarrassed by such a sight. She could not say exactly why, other than that it was some of her own very personal items being exposed in public. She would wince slightly at the sight of him getting smacked back onto the ground however, that couldn’t have felt good in the slightest.

“I-I’m alright… but that‘s my fault too, I was looking to head over for my job interview as quick as I could. They said their ship would leave after a short while so I wanted to get it done before they left.“ She spoke with the voice of a tone of awkwardness before slowly standing up with the help of both Luce and the Nyan Nyan employee, she seemed a little dazed and tired. “I am a cook, yes. But I’m very sorry, I’ll think about the offer some time if I get rejected by this job.” She would look at all her belongings laid out across the ground as well as the gathering crowd, this was taking a turn really quickly. She would quickly move over to her luggage and helped Isaac very quickly to pack away her more private belongings. How did that end up busting open in the first place?

“W-Wait… where did it go? My application!” Just as she said that, Isaac would come across a document with a photo of the woman he had come across. It also stated her name, Amelia Egret. The document seemed to have the Nergal logo printed on the top corner, a job application for joining the corporation. But in what capacity?

Her face was filled with worry as she also scrambled to pick up her cooking items, quickly placing them in her tote bag. “Oh no… first it was the Spacy Star restaurant and now this? I’m ruined!” She would go back and forth, looking between her two piles of items to try and find where her application fell out to. Now would likely be a good time for Isaac to redeem himself from being the villain of this little tragedy, probably before she trips over herself stressing over that little piece of paper he managed to come across.

 

[Tackle Jackie]

Maybe the showroom wasn’t as much of a relief as she had expected- the array of Mobile Weapons on display was incredible- More than anything she had seen before, and so many that could actually fit her without having to Miclone. The assortment of Queadluun on her way in almost made her do a double take and then the Monster in back simply stole her breath. One had to imagine that the firepower they packed into that baby could blow through the Distortion Field that the Nadesico threw up.

Hiln’s approach made her jump a bit as she was torn away from her window shopping back to the real deal. Mak smiled at the salesman’s assessment, nodding along enthusiastically. “Hah- Nailed the first half- Its a custom job, was my mom’s old unit before she moved to a more standard model. I’m not… Quite sure if it’s a VF-14 I’m wanting, I’ve actually got a list of units that I’ve been eyeing up-“ Mak leaned in towards Hiln a bit, jokingly covering her mouth. “And don’t tell my boss I told you, but I’ve got a pretty dang flexible budget for this trip-“

 

[Kujo]

Vermillion City
-

The feline fashioned girl pouted as the fellow cook refused the spontaneous offer. "Aww... Well then!" She quickly perked up despite her disappointment. "In case it doesn't work, and so you don't forget about us, here's a special sample from our..." as she spoke she coordinated with her coworker and stepped back together to one of the container robots which opened with a plume and steam and a deep, rich smell wafting forth. They retrieved a pair of red and gold boxes and presented them. "Nyan Nyan shop!" The girls cheerfully said in unison as the containers opened to reveal the contents.

​

Prized Nyan Nyan tuna buns! A best seller for the franchise. As the girls bowed and waited for the food to be taken, the cat eared one peaked to the side to look at her associate and half whispered to her, "Sarah, you made yours too big again!" The buns in the other girl's container were truly far greater than sample size, the supple dumpling dough squeezing together and nearly spilling over the sides of the container. The other girl looked quizzically at the buns as she straightened back up, holding the container closer to her chest as she examined them.

- - -

Halitai City
Hiln's Deculture Showroom
-

"Tch, must be an off week," Hiln said as he snapped his finger in annoyance at his missed guess. Turning his attention back to Mak, the Zentran's eyebrow raised as she spoke and raised higher as she mentioned her budget. "Custom job eh? Well, you must have some... particular taste then," Hiln's voice lowered slightly as he shifted his gaze side to side as if he were doing some illicit act, "follow me and I'll show you the real units." He motioned to Mak and sauntered over to a circular platform and nonchalantly pressed a button on a nearby panel as he leaned against a handrail attached to the platform.

The platform would lower into the floor, taking the pair into another showroom with a more "premium" look to its lighting and presentations- "Deculture" one might even say. As the hole above the elevator closed up and a guardrail in front of it released the two, Hiln would motion to the new displays. "Down here is where we keep the premier, the bleeding edge, anything the Spacy doesn't explicitly forbid us from distributing- oh, excuse me for a second- your Ganom still not out yet, Rou?" The salesman sweeped his arm across the view of machines as he stepped off the platform but cut himself off as he spotted a customer milling about and viewing a display of Maclone scaled ammo boxes flanked by missile launchers and cannons. The Zentran customer turned, his long, wild mane of purple hair tossing itself heavily by the movement. "Yeah," the customer replied casually. "Even with all the tourists coming in a bit of paint work shouldn't take this long." Hiln pointed to him with a showy snap. "I'll finish up here and light a fire under them," he said before practically twirling back to Mak. "Now, let's get started again, eh? We can start with these."

He directed Mak's attention to a line of units clearly of Zentran origin. "I've still got a hunch on that 14, take a look at these Miclone-craft. They're Variable units designed right here in the fleet! Closest thing a civilian can get to a VF-22 if you ask me." The machines were in telltale Zentran colors, their vibrant hues accenting the alien, oblong angles. One display in particular was of note if only by its size; a trio of Zentraedi green units stood in Battroid mode, fighter mode, and a mode unlike any other Variable Fighter's gerwalk. It stood on reverse jointed legs and bore no wings to hover and glide with, bearing just its twin pair of arm integrated cannons. Even a human could see it was a Glaug, and the holo-display underneath its large dais said as much. The "Variable Glaug" had its specifications scrolling along the graphic as well as a number of available loadouts and pricing options- all of which would have scared even those with a military budget.

 

[Nemesis]

Isaac miserably helped the young woman pack, eventually stumbling across her application.

"Nergal, huh?" He said, adjusting his glasses.

Luce peered over to see what he was mumbling about, and plucked the paper from his hands with a yelp. After glancing it over, the platinum haired girl handed it back to Amelia, beaming like a ray of sunshine.

"That's our ship!" She declared, proudly.

"We're looking for a cook too. Why don't you come with us?"

At the offer of the buns, Luce's eyes gleamed, while Isaac suddenly averted his gaze, heat managing to rise even further in his cheeks as he pulled his jacket tighter about his neck. His companion accepted the sample, returning their pose in kind as she gave what approximated to a cutesy, feline salute.

"Thank you! Nyan~! We'll definitely stock up before we leave!"

They smelled heavenly, she thought. This was what she wanted to experience - Colonial cultural cuisine! And here he was, ignoring the best part! Frowning, she tugged on Isaac's arm, holding the buns up to her chest proudly for him to see, mimicking the two girls.

"They look so warm and soft, don't they Isaac?"

The young man glanced desperately to Amelia for help before mumbling his response, trying to retreat even further into his clothing as Luce peered at him with those luminous, innocent eyes.

"...Y-yeah." He mumbled; "T-Thanks. Can we go now?"

"Of course!" Said Luce brightly; "Our day's only just getting started after all..."

Isaac stifled a groan, afraid of the avenging elbow as his arm was seized in a grip as immovable as iron. Luce gave a polite wave to the two maids, and beckoned for Amelia to follow, as Isaac was practically dragged away into the crowds once more. At least he didn't have to worry about lunch, now...

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Oh uh yes, it is for Nergal. I decided that serving on a ship would help me broaden my expertise of cooking in batches and learning a bit more about other foods.“ Her eyes would seemingly reflect Luce’s beaming face as her expression turned to one of joy. “Really? I can come along with you then? That would be wonderful!”

She was really hoping they’d just accept her right out the get go, and things seem to be getting off to a good start. Hopefully their commander was just as receptive of her as well. Before she could get lost even more in her own thoughts of possibly remaining unemployed, she would catch a whiff of the prized tuna bao. The pink mark on top clearly marking it as something very special. She would take one of the samplers before giving it a bite, very savory and saucy. Not to mention the dough was lighter than other bao, meaning it wasn’t too thick and chewy. It was just right.

“These are quite amazing, especially for a food chain. Well done, although you may want to…”

Squeeze Squeeze

“…lessen their size.” Well this was getting awkward, and quite indecent. First her undergarments, now jokes about large chest size. She would return a glance to Isaac, with a face the looked like it was just as ready to leave as he was. Well, at least they shared that much in sentiment. Amelia would follow them, trying not to fall behind and kept close to Isaac.

Reluctantly, she would whisper to Isaac as she dragged her belongings along. “T-Thanks for the help.”

 

[Tackle Jackie]

Mak loosed a whistle as she was introduced to the more exciting craft available to her, down in the lower showroom. "These 14's are gorgeous, I'll give you that- Absolutely love the sihloutte they cut. Stands out from anything I've seen on the ships growing up. But honestly..? The Variable Glaug. I've seen a few things in some zines that made it back, and these just seem so damn... Cool. Like, everything you'd want mixing miclone and Zentradi sensibility. If ah'm not just talking out my ass."

Mak idly started to flick through the options available, whistling a bit as she saw some of the prices. “Beam Weaponry… That is something the crew is a bit lacking on. Mainly gravity based and some physical weaponry… Might be nice to have something that can do some more melting.”