Xinnidy

"True, we just might see her along the way." Agni thought it best to give Taliyah some space then. A moment more to collect herself, after her tears were wiped by Bridgit. Taliyah had posed Bridgit a question if she'd come along. Agni decided not to interject further, with simply a nod to follow her words. To Aithlin however, Agni bid a quick farewell. "Don't get too drunk in case we need you... maybe we should've asked Jade or Lavinia before your experiment." Despite continued formalities, he held a jovial tone matching the subject matter... ah, he nearly missed a perfect opportunity. "Don't lose your head out there." The smirk was warranted.

"Ah... alright." It seemed like Taliyah was already feeling enough. No need to be excessive, especially since this day was meant to soothe her. "There... thirty coins? That'll do." It was a fancy scarf, fair enough... "Well," Agni stopped, speaking to the group in general, "What do you have in mind, now? I suppose we still have gifts to give, but with the recipient out and about... I think I'll be looking for something combat-worthy in the meantime. Anybody interested?"

Seeing Taliyah break the dams was... well, it really spoke for itself. There was no chuckle following that, Agni simply beared an amicable, muted smile. "That's what friends are for, Taliyah. Don't worry about it." Agni reached an arm out, ruffling Taliyah's hair. "This is all fine, you know? Everyone deserves nice things once in a while, including you." It was easy to forget about the fact their next mission involved her father as the target... "There... I almost feel like I should be buying you something fancier, with what Miss Bridgit is bringing onto the table." An attempt at levity wouldn't hurt, though it wasn't quite a lie...

"I'm sure it'll look all the nicer when you don it." Agni smirked, taking another item from the clothes stack he perused. A white shirt not unlike Taliyah's own, but more fitting to her size, and not ruined by the elements. That would be a start to her wardrobe. Another shirt, black in color this time, for good measure. "And a change of clothes, for a woman like you. I trust these are more your style?" She would eventually need clothes for winter, but that wouldn't be for some time yet. "Try them on if you like them. I'll get them paid in the meantime."

"Heh, did you expect to escape your own gifts, Taliyah?" Agni couldn't help a smirk, "It's not like we'd forget easily, you know, and it'd do you good." Content in teasing that much out of Taliyah, Agni turned to the clothings section. "Well, actually, now that you're here, how about you tell us what you'd like best?" He motioned over to his side, picking from an assortment of knitted items, scarfs, to be specific. "You always dress lightly, so I figured..." He picked out from two colors, a burgundy that complimented her scales, and violet with faint criss cross patterns, a slight contrast alternative. "Now-- This is simply one piece, we'll get to the others soon enough, but which would you prefer?"

"For the sake of the planet..." Makoto still felt in a rush, unsure how to gave this upgraded frame's power. "Yeah. Let's get these guys!" Makoto to (13,23)! "H-here we go... I'll be right behind everyone..." Caroline to (15,19)! "Well, this is it, Nina... let's go. Kim already went off ahead." Esther to (14,25)! "Ready to fly, Lieutenant? Let's see how long we last." "Roger... systems are good, Major." Bonner shifts the Mantle into plane mode, moves to (21,21)! "Tch, what a happy trio of pompous cats I've got in my radar..." Carlos to (20,20)!

"Hah... Well, I've got to keep my class, Aithlin." Agni shook his head, sighing as she began patting him. He wasn't that short. "It's part of my job, after all." Regardless, heeding her suggestion and following on his hunch to pick a scarf, Agni took to look for a selection... Ah, that dark blue was a nice shade, it'd compliment Taliyah's natural hues well. ...And speaking of her. "Taliyah? How did it go?" Agni's attention quickly turned, "You didn't spend too much of your own money, did you?" He paused, once more catching himself being overbearing. "...I'm sure it'll be a fine gift. Marina will definitely appreciate it."

"Hmm, there's quite a few accessories there that might interest Marina. Some rings, a necklace... some residual maic power to boot. I'm sure she'd appreciate at least one aspect of the gifts, with how earnest she is. I think Taliyah was on the right track." Agni vouched with decent confidence, another nod in return to the elf. "I'll have to admit I think she's going to take better to the jewels, but clothes are something she needs help with as well, no doubt thanks to her former way of life..." Perhaps a bit crass, Agni thought of it at the end of saying that, lowering his voice a bit more, closer to a whisper. "...Either way. Both are very good gifts." Aithlin followed that up with a rather direct jab at his relationship with Taliyah. Agni wasn't that surprised about it, but... the forwardness of her comments gave him pause. "Offering something such is a bit *too much*, I'm sorry to inform." With a mix of a sigh and a chuckle, Agni confirmed. "I don't mean to take advantage of her, anyways. I do like the thought of clothes for her. Personally, I think a scarf would suit her." Agni was not dense enough to miss the attraction Taliyah had for him. Still, he felt he shouldn't rush forward into it. She had... more issues to heal, complicated ones, and one they'd inflict on her soon.

Belated Birthday Gift - (Heion Riese, roughly an hour before rendezvous) Makoto took a deep breath. They'd managed to get the Phalanx ready in time, adapting the parts onto an existing frame skeleton. It cut off some things, but the frame's new output was something unique alright. Just kicking the guard trooper into gear felt different. It was that whirring from the in-built generator attached. "Makoto Watanabe, ready to fight!" It certainly felt reinvigorating to have that... prospect of helping out more. He didn't know what kind of power the frame was packing now --Buck had a better idea--. Still, it had to be good. His father decided to go through all that trouble... and he was going to show it here. "I'm testing this one out on the fly! Keep watching, Buck! You too, Talia!" The Phalanx (X-Frame) deploys on (13,17)!

"...Yeah, she'll be alright." Esther sighed, leaning back against the pilot seat. Nina was trying her best to reassure at this time, and it let... something sink in Esther. Maybe not a sense of realization, but a fire to her resolve nonetheless. "We're solving this problem, and then we'll figure out the rest later. Thanks." She gripped the controls, whirring the machine to life. "I'm here because I want to." As if speaking to herself, Esther continued, maneuvering outside of the hangar as the thrusters activated. "Metis launching." The Metis deploys at (14,18). Jessica's excitement was still... jarring, especially with her appearance. Roxanna managed a forced smile in response to her captain, before setting her gaze back on her comms. "Yeah, we'll be starting the fight on our own... that's how it's been most operations. So we'll be fine." It certainly felt like the Riese was a 'trump card' that the ANF pushed to the forefront of these operations. She couldn't blame them for adopting the strategy, with their success rate. "...Remember that if you still need to acclimate yourself to the role again, you can ask me for help." It's true that Jessica was quite literally built for the role, but Roxanna figured she could help with communications still, and avoid further gaffes --that was her job, mostly. "S-Specialist, C-C-Caroline! Moving out!" Being able to 'feel' those aliens from so far away was already making Caroline a pile of nerves. They were fighting with their best... and she didn't feel that better equipped than last time. Still... she could help her own way, maybe? Caroline's Legionary Mk-IV deploys at (15,14). "Major Edson, moving out." "What an impressive bunch... never thought I'd be fighting aliens, yet here we are." The Mantle deploys at (22,15). "Hmm... never thought I'd be here, fighting against Apoth." Carlos sighed, the Eidolon had already launched, positioning itself behind the Avalon. "Well, circumstances sure change." The Eidolon deploys at (20,14).

"Mhm, you don't see much of holy protection at all. Not in Coteon, at any rate. The church are the ones most focused in its research and use, but you don't see it at all among the populace. Not even the military." It was... a rare trinket to say the least. Mayhaps it was more common within the realm of monsters. They had more reasons to develop such things, after all. "...Huh?" Taliyah's sudden request did surprise Agni, "Are you okay? You can ask me for some money, you know. These items to look useful." He sighed, crossing his arms after a moment, "...Just think about it, alright?" Perhaps it wasn't good to hawk her over, the poor thing, already feeling overwhelmed so often. Paying heed to her words, Agni turned around, making his way towards the other group. "Hello, Aithlin... Lady Bridgit." That one seemed like the type to care about honorifics, "Did you find some suitable gifts? Taliyah's busy choosing." It'd be nice to be in on the potential gifts.

"Hmm... stay calm, Taliyah. It'll be fine. We'll choose something fine for Marina. I'm certain of it." In the middle of excusing herself, Taliyah got into a tangent that clearly brought her more discomfort. It was best to let it go, at least for now. Agni was about to correct the shopkeeper on mistaking Taliyah's race, but the many trinkets provided dissuaded his train of thought quite confidently. "There's... definitely something there in some of them." He checks some of the rings, touching them to vaguely sense their enhancements... "Two of these... have some notable enhancement. The necklace too. As baffling as holy protection sounds, there *is* some magic here. It could go either way with one of these. Do you have an opinion, Taliyah?" Agni turns to her, quite confident in his assessment."

Bridgit's intrusion was unexpected... but no words flew from her as she met eyes with Agni. She didn't seem to be in the best terms with Marina yet, but that wasn't a time to argue. The more the merrier... besides, it was true that they were getting a gift for Taliyah as well --who seemed very happy that Agni was there, too. "Hah, of course, Taliyah. Why wouldn't I want to help here?" The lithe lizard's excitement was, in no small part, adorable to see. With a smile plastered in his face, Agni followed Aithlin and the others towards the city for an appropriate shop. It didn't take long, at all, and they found a shop managed by one of the beastfolk in here. Interesting. They seemed to be the majority kind around these parts. "Heh..." Agni couldn't deny Aithlin's claim. The way Taliyah was so demure and lost but eager at the same time was something else --welcome after their long journey and brushes with the supernatural, for sure. "Good luck, I'll keep an eye on her." He nodded, and approached Taliyah and the shopkeep promptly. "There, there. Don't forget I'm here. I'm sure we'll find something to Marina's liking." He patted Taliyah's shoulder, hoping to mellow the lizard a little --before she shrunk below the counter, at this rate.

"Right, in one hour, we'll meet with the forces, Captain Miller." Roxanna sighed, taking a look at their... 'entubed' captain before replying to Miller again. "We've had a pressing matter after the Sacarians launched an attack on the bridge, but we're fine. We just have, a lot of repairs to get done." She bit her lip. "I'll get the troops ready within the timeframe. Executive Officer Martinson, over." Another sigh as she closed communications, and a slow lean against the wall. Roxanna considered saying something as her gaze shifted to Jessica again. It took a bit. "Hope that mechanic can work some miracle in one hour..." It was too uncharacteristic to smile at Jessica, especially at a time like this, so Roxanna's expression formed into a mellow, accepting gaze. "You better be up by then... Captain." "Kiir... Heln, ah... understood!" Cat names were indeed hard for Caroline, but at least this one was doing well enough at being a good sport about it. Even Caroline's doubtful self was feeling comfortable around this one. A newcomer cut their conversation short, and greeted Caroline --she waved back at Aliza, before working on getting her ice cream flavors on a table. "Well, either way... this round will be on the house, special occasion!" "Time... I hope so, Nina. It's a bit hard when the wound cuts deep, though." Despite the clone's shallow understanding of things, she still tried her best to cheer Esther up, which wasn't unnoticed. Esther managed a weak smile, thanks to Nina's cheering. "I'll just have to knock her head right later. She's a strong woman. Though... I'm worried about what's going on in her head, no matter what. She was also very stubborn..." That thought was cut off by the scent of waffles... none which were hitting her side of the table yet. Esther looked at Thorvald with a smirk. "I'll accept your tardiness if you make me one more." "Ah... yeah, some of the machines out there are really amazing... I'm glad you think that much of me, Elaine! I've been practicing very hard. Eheheh~" Makoto couldn't help a goofy chuckle, though Elaine's other concerns were very valid in his eyes. His eyes were downcast for a moment, but returned to pay Elaine attention as if it was nothing but a trivial, lost train of thought. "The tech gap is hurting... but I don't know what I can do in less than a day. We'll have to see. I'm ready to give my all regardless... and don't lose faith in your machine! The Oberon is pretty awesome!" His eyes almost sparkled for a moment. Heion Riese, minutes before the skirmish "--Ah, right. That's the saying, Captain. Well, considering our last battles, it was a given..." Roxanna was lost in thought for a moment. The repair job was good enough to get Jessica out of danger and out of the tube... but she still seemed, just a bit mechanical. It was unusual to have that side of Jessica so blatantly in display.... and none of the bridge staff around, save for Tristan. Roxanna bit her lip, trying to escape those grim thoughts. "They're going to bring their strongest out this time. All pilots, get ready. It's going to be our most important fight." At least... it was going to be over soon. Roxanna was getting restless, gripping the hem of her business skirt. "This is..." It had just occured to Esther that she never was assigned a nickname. Understandable. "This is Esther, all ready." She gripped the Metis' control, leaning against her seat. She cast a glance to her co-pilot, gauging her with a somewhat defeated smile. "Are you ready? We're going fast again." Esther was still feeling Vera's turmoil from here... she hesitated to turn on communications with her Velita, but it wasn't leaving her mind. "C-Caroline, ready!" The young woman was a pile of nerves, lightheaded, even. Still, she focused on her breaths, looking at her Legionary's HUD, and awaiting the signal dutifully. "H-here's to, the last one! I'm trusting you, Specialist Eriksson!" Maybe another ice cream party was due after their victory... her nerves would appreciate it. "Understood. Major Edson, on standby." A voice replied to Firmia. "Same here." Carlos' followed. "Heh... just about time we fought their big cheeses. How do you feel, Major? I can feel them from here." Lynx voice, tinged with a bit of anxiety, started small talk with their superior. A means to pass the time during this 'calm before the storm'. "Well... it takes me back. I'll admit I never fought a battle of this scale, but I'm not about to back down." Edson chuckled, "I'm not that old, yet."

Agni was thankful that Tepel seemed to be their last stop. The fortification was much more inviting that the camps the group raised, diligent as they were. It gave Agni ample time to assess the situation, with regards to Ithraxl's actions. The extent of the previous' siege damage was notable, but the civilian were still managing for now. Likewise, the fort was good enough to serve its purposes, as well as the walls surrounding the city. It wouldn't be a bad plan to wait for the fight to be brought to them. ...But mayhaps the citizens had other insights to give. Marina would be one to decide. And Agni would be there to suppo-- Well, maybe not if circumstances called for him. "Oh? Something like that, hmm... that sounds like a good idea, Taliyah. I'm sure we can find something great for Marina." He smiled, returning the gesture with a hand on her shoulder, much like Aithlin, and turned his face to acknowledge the elf with a nod. "So you're all in this? It's nice to be called as well. I don't mind it at all, Aithlin, Lady Vasilia." Ah, there went Marina and Lavinia... well, it was for a good cause.

An answer, finally. Roxanna let out an exasperated sigh, focusing on the device as Miller's voice was relayed. "Thank you..." She leaned over to the device, "This is Executive Officer--" A flinch. Roxanna was cut by a surprisingly cheeky patient of the infirmary, Tycho himself. She blinked in his general direction, before shaking her head and focusing on the transmission again. Different ships, different cultures... "Captain Miller, this is Officer Roxanna. We've suffered a heavy blow from the Sacarian forces, but the ship is still functional. I'm requesting a rendezvous point with our main forces." That should... be enough, right? There was a lot going on in Roxanna's mind, but not all details were worth mentioning right now. Probably. "... Sorry to ask, but we might need some help with repairs. Over." As long as he replied back... "Right, so your memories aren't your own. Figured as much." It was a rather expected response, Esther nodded back. "... Thanks. I could probably use the meal after everything." Esther... seemed appreciative, but her mind was still busy. Waffles were a small, welcome distraction, but she could still sense Vera from there... "...Yeah, I think I'll enjoy them." --- "Ah, y-yeah! Ice cream goes great with hot waffles." Thorvald's encouragement cheered Caroline on, whom carried her goods to the table, laying them on top. "Uhm... oh! You should ask a flavor if you have in mind, I've got a stock." Carolinr caught her words before slipping her mind, looking at the young pilots anticipating their meals. "Ah, and, you don't, probably haven't tried it before, did you? Um, Kiir... kiiiii...." Caroline was afraid she remembered it wrong, but to be fair... Sacarian names were hard.

"Hmm... if both said they didn't know anything... then it's quite a mystery we have here, huh?" Agni paused, perhaps a response to Gabriela's quick surprise at the shoulder contact. He retrieved his hand after a moment. "Certainly. If I find out something, you'll probably be around as well, but in case you aren't, it'll be easy to keep in mind about Sirens." Something that will remind me immediately about the request. He thought. It would be hard to not remember. With Gabriela settling down in her comfort, Agni leaned back in turn, heaving a slow sigh, and closing his eyes. Maybe it'd be time to prepare a meal soon.

"A-ah. If you're going to take her, th-thank you, Thorvald." That seemed to ease up Caroline's worries, but the sheer shift of duty seemed to rattle her once more, as expected. "I... well, if you have room for one more, I could join..." --- "Mmm..." Esther could catch that distress felt by Jess... not in the same way as Kiir'Heln, by far, but it did take her attention for a moment while Jess walked off on her own. If anything, it was a welcome diversion from Vera's quite literally oppressive aura. "Let's go..." The smell of waffles were a welcome distraction. Esther decided to watch beside Thorvald, watching the waffles in the making. "Mmm... I haven't had waffles in forever. I'm actually looking forward to these." Some sweet batter, butter... maybe some maple syrup if they had it in the Riese's cafeteria --they probably had some, somewhere. "How about you, Nina? Do you have... memories? If not, I guess you should try some too." She probably didn't have any, with how far Apotheosis worked on her. ...In that sense, it was a bit creepy to think about how she was just a doll to them before. That certainly wasn't the case anymore. --- Caroline took a detour as the group passed through the dormitories, something coming to her mind. Her tardy arrival, with a insulating box tied to her waist. "I-I thought I could help, so..." She put down the container on the table, opening it to reveal... a modest selection of ice creams. "Does anyone want ice cream on their waffles? S-Some people like it. It's on the house, after what we just went through." She did her best to smile. The infirmary... was now counting the deceased, and Roxanna couldn't help but listen with a heavy weight on her heart. "One of the bridge crew, Ensign Calvin, also survived but already left the infirmary." Best to not let the new hand get it wrong when he'd have no idea. Turning to her communicator once more, Roxanna continued to send a signal in hopes of contact. Come on, Captain Miller... anyone.

"Yes, I was --by all accounts, still am, a noble." Agni nodded in response, "I can't say I spent much time getting acquainted to them, I spent most of my time in our manse preparing for a position in the army. It was... convenient. Not something you have time to think about when on the road, but they really helped our life." Agni listened over Gabriela's surprisingly long story, a few points grabbing his attention, following a nod of his head as he let her finish. "The Siren Village... I assume named such because your kind exclusively inhabited it? If they all moved and left you behind, shouldn't one of the Qu--King's generals know about it? It seems like too big an event for them to miss. They might know something." Assuming she wanted at all to know what drove her village to that odd decision, anyways. "Hmm... your story was fine, Gabriela, no need to apologize." Agni leaned forward, leaning a hand on her shoulder, he shook his head. "To me, it seems their doubts on you sound unfounded. It's good that we spared a moment to talk." He wasn't going to be denying that these connections could be important on the future, with what destiny could throw Marina's way.

"A talk, huh." Agni acknowledge Gabriela, putting his knife away. "It's been a slow week, anyways." He was rather ambivalent, though mindful to sound polite. With the siren sitting down near him, Agni turned his head to meet her. "Curious, huh? I can't say many here want to know much about me, so that's a change of pace." He chuckled. "...Life was fine. I hadn't much to complain once my dad took me home. The house was spacious, we had servants... father tried to be amicable with me, but he's an awkward man, a bit much of an introvert." Agni shrugged, a bit of a faint smile as he recalled events. "He wanted me in the military --that's where our family made its name, after all. I wasn't strongly against it, though I doubted I'd fit in that well." "If I was right, I wouldn't be here though." His smirk widened, "There's more roles to fit than just brawns, and plenty of decent people... well, when we're not beating the drums of war, I suppose." Agni cast his gaze downward, to the wagon floor, a bit self-conscious at the words he'd been weaving. "What about you, Gabriela? What did you do before you got here?"

Agni, for his part, prefferred to stay inside the wagon. A week on the road wasn't much to a trained veteran, but the usual tensions were bothering him some. With a bit of concern in his face, albeit vacant eyes, Agni stared at his dagger, turning it like an artifact to be appraised. "...Hm?" That apparent trance broke the moment the entrance to the wagon was breached by another member. The Siren. "Hello, Gabriela." Agni greeted, expression mellowing to neutrality. "Are clouds gathering again, or did someone forget something?" He took a shot in the dark, the main reasons he'd think to see her come inside --though the latter was probably rare of the independent lady. Still, her presence was not a bother.

The infirmary was suddenly becoming less of an apt spot for a makeshift command center with the need for space for the injured... though, granted, injuries seemed to have stopped with the one pilot. Morale was probably more of a pressing concern. "N-No, I have to contact them yet. Still need to confirm the rendezvous coordinates." Roxanna was sobered up by Megumi's question, raising her head. "If anything, we might need the cover sooner." It was a good start to put her mind off of Jessica's current state... and do something to help. When Thorvald turned his head towards her, Esther could already piece his implications --the awkward mood she was picking up helped. "Better take that one to the superiors and let them be the judge of that." Esther shrugged. Introspectively, it's not like her opinion of ANF could get much worse if they decided to throw a 17 year old in a brig but not a terrorist alien. Dire circumstances or not. Still... that was an odd one, considering what her race often spouted. Not really Esther's business, at the moment --she was far more concerned about a certain samurai cyborg. Esther was learning that standing in the proximity of an alien caused some discomfortable noise in her hearing, though, so that was distracting. "R-right, uh, the XO was the one that told me to pick her up. Now, I'm --I guess taking her to meet the Captain and XO would be a good idea now..." Somewhat left behind once Kiir'Heln started speaking enthusiastically, Caroline started speaking up, a reserved step to posture herself somewhat beside the alien. "Though, you are pretty much the Commander while we're operating, so, it felt appropriate." With a tone that about hinted self doubt, Caroline shook her head. "Are you busy? If so, I can, just take her there myself."

"You don't need to worry about disappointing me, Marina..." It beared repeating, as much as repetition could only help so much with that girl. "Scrutiny comes from those who are harmed and want to find a catalyst to their suffering... don't mind Bladen." Agni shook his head, "But I've said enough. I believe in you. I believe you'll get there through your own methods." It was resolute faith, undaunted in the face of the group's atmosphere... it was nice to see Marina standing up for herself, for once. Between Marina's wavering and Taliyah's incoming tears, it was hard not to show a sympathetic smile. Those two... "We'll find a way, Taliyah." There was still the matter of that one's father... They would deal with that when they got there, but it was wise to give her some solace before things got serious.

Gabriela was sent instead to pick Jade up, which Agni could agree with. Expedience was important, here, considering the matter. However, the bickering related to the wraith was... overbearing, and unnecessary. Whilst the monsters were too concerned over whether or not Marina had reason, the wraith was still there, and jumped at the opportunity the moment Gabriella flew back, with Jade coming close. That... was incredibly disorienting. Agni didn't expect a dying wraith to suddenly move that fast, in his lack of experience with the creatures, and had only drawn his dagger the moment the spirit reached Jade. "Tch." All things considered... it didn't seem like Jade was hurting. It seemed like this person didn't have a negative history with Jade, so maybe it was for the best. Marina's intuition is better than people give her credit for... That had been Agni's motivating force since they'd allied themselves with the monsters, after all. It was disappointing that several others didn't see that as well. He would fault them for it, but now was not a time to add berating words to the pile. Agni had enough tact to see that. "It is as Lavinia said." Agni kept it at that, shaking his head and retreating his dagger. All this bickering had only helped give others headaches and resentment... it made him quite worried for Marina. Agni turned his head to see the Hero being comforted by Taliyah, of all people --not that that was a bad thing, far from it--. Whilst he didn't expect that development, it made his worries lighten. Agni stepped towards the two, a careful, reflexive look as his eyes shifted, observing the pair. He hoped to further console in this situation, rather than add to Marina's worries. "...Marina, you shouldn't blame yourself." He spoke up, "The concern you've shown this group, the villagers... it has been nothing but genuine. Bladen said these things because his wounds have not healed." He'd... best let her get a word in first. Hopefully it wasn't overwhelming Taliyah either.

Marina definitely semeed preoccupied with this wraith, but seemed well enough... sort of? That could wait. This wraith spoke of Jade, over and over, it seemed like too much of a coincidence, but it was a possibility altogether. "If you wish, Marina, I can go call for Jade." Gabriella seemed best for the job, with the forest's layout, but Agni was confident in his abilities after that small detour. Was that wraith truly related to Jade, though? How curious...