( #003 )

[brainiest]

Who: Hermione Granger and you!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: On the Vanquish
When: 30/11 onwards

I think it might be time for me to ask for a little bit of advice.

I've been here a while, now, and I'm normally very good at not missing people. I used to give people tips on how to feel better about it, and it used to work for me, too, back when I was in the Drabwurld and there was a war to focus on. I would go and look in the library, but I can't imagine there's much of a help section there - dreadful, honestly - so.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to cheer yourself up, I'd be glad to hear it.

(Also: I have potions for all the ships on the fleet, now. If you'd like a set for your Lab, please let me know and I can bring them over!)

Comments

[bluediligence]

Nice to meet you as well, Hermione! [ Now that she's assured she had the right person, Aoko wastes no time in hopping to her feet, neatly avoiding treading on the bits and pieces strewn around her. Two half-built robotic lions are there, as promised, along with a few books on basic robotics and AI development that she's been working from. ]

[ She offers Hermione her hand for a shake. ]

Thanks for coming.

[brainiest]

[ She takes the hand happily, even if she is a little distracted by everything that's going on around her. Stepping into the light, she knows, makes the scarring on her face all the more obvious, but all she does is smile. ]

Thank you for inviting me! I've never seen anyone build anything like this before - science wasn't really a big thing in the worlds I've been to before. This is absolutely fascinating.

[bluediligence]

[ If there's one thing Aoko's not bothered by, it's other people's scars; she's got so many of her own that it'd be hypocritical to be taken by surprise. (There are some on her hand, too, along with calluses.) She barely seems to notice, smiling brightly in return. ]

[ When the handshake drops, she gestures invitingly for Hermione to take a seat with her. ] Is the floor okay? We could move to a table if that'd be more comfortable for you.

But, well. [ She laughs, softly. ] I've got my brother to thank for getting me interested and giving me ideas. And the augment, too. He's a space marine – he was always surrounded by fancy technology, from ships and robots, to AI that are just as sentient as either of us.

[brainiest]

[ Softening, she moves forward and shifts to look down at all the robotics in front of her before she huffs a noise, shaking her head and fighting back the urge to smile. ]

The floor is fine. I'm used to working wherever there's space to put something down so it doesn't bother me at all. [ Leaning over, she bows her head, glancing at everything in front of her before she huffs a small noise, a happy little sigh. ]

My adoptive father was a space marine. He never told me anything about ships or robots, though, especially anything like this. This is amazing.

[bluediligence]

[ There's all sorts of stuff, from various tools to nuts, bolts, and screws organised into neat plastic wallets for safe keeping; an open notebook filled with notes and sketches sits just off to one side. The cats themselves are very obviously a work in progress – the basic framework is all there, but not all of the joints have been properly articulated yet. ]

[ Sometimes she thinks she might've bitten off more than she could chew, for her first real foray into the world of robotics. But she's doing her best and she's having fun, and with the help of her augment – much as she hates the damn thing on principle – she's learning a lot. ]

Your … ah … [ Now there's definitely something soft in Aoko's expression, her energy simmering down into something warm. ] You too, huh. Who'd have thought that space marines would be so adoptable?

[brainiest]

[ There's a gentleness that overcomes Hermione as she makes herself comfortable, tilting her head up to look over at the other woman. Between them they've probably seen a lot, and with the understanding of adoption and families... It makes her feel more comfortable, a little more at ease, as though she can breathe again. It helps with the heavy feeling on her heart, especially when said space marine is someone she's been missing for so long.

Smiling, she nods her head, trying to ignore how curious she is and how excited she would be to dive head first into all the notebooks and bits and pieces around them; she can wait and be polite. It's not the first time, after all. ]

They must make a habit out of it. [ Her smile brightens and she nods her head. ] It didn't stop him from being a pain, of course.

[bluediligence]

It never does. [ Never ever. She laughs again, brighter this time but no less fond. ] My brother gets so fussy! And overly protective. I could always count on him to sling me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes if he thought I was in trouble.

[ No matter how far apart they'd been, or what he'd had to do to find her. Back in Kyriakos, it had become one of her universal constants – if she needed him, he'd be there for her … most of the time. Even if she'd sometimes chafed against how desperately he'd wanted to keep her safe, she'd appreciated it more than words could say. ]

[ She makes a face, nose wrinkling, but she's smiling, too. ]