Twenty-somethings gotta twenty-something

[mikangirl]

Who: Everyone invited, everyone gatecrashing (technically you're all invited, so...)
Broadcast: Who knows, maybe some drunken texting later on
Action: Iskaulit Pool!
When: 3 July

[It's a party for a narcissistic redhead who likes to be reminded she's alive.  Come celebrate!  Alternately, come sneak in and steal the food!  There's a bar set up for drinks drastically lowered to cost-price or to-be-paid-later-tab, a non-alcoholic punch in case of wandering minors (spike it and Nami will end you) and random snacks.

Oh, and a pool.  Which is heated.  Kind of important, that part.

Step right up, I'm reliably informed we'll have Thor with his shirt off, take pictures while you can.]

Comments

[axi]

[Good lord, man. Not everything is about your shattered personal problems!!

Luckily for him, Kaname's used to awkward and can manage easily enough.]

Hm... like a favorite snack, right? Changing pudding from one flavor to another.

[candothat]

[HE IS DISTRACTED.]

Right, yes, that. [Thank you Kaname.] Just like that, or like deciding to drink bourbon regularly again instead of vodka. [Wodka.]

[axi]

[Kaname laughs at the example (and slightly at wodka).]

That could be one as well.

[In the corner of her vision, she notices a pool noodle floating over and grabs it. Now she leans back with it curved around so she's floating idly in the water.]

You know, last month Messer made me a really nice Ragnan meal from ingredients in the last system. That could apply, too. [Maybe if they squint. The original point is gone anyhow.]

[candothat]

[He always aims to amuse.

The pool noodle gets a somewhat skeptical glance. What is that? How is it a flotation device?]

I did not know. [He doesn't even remember where they started, it's fine.] What is the food like on Ragna?

[axi]

Hm, there's a lot of fish and seafood... Jellyfish is a big staple there. It's a tropical climate, so you've got fruit and sauces and some spices. I've really missed it.

[She smiles just thinking about it again.]

Another of the pilots, Chuck, runs a restaurant with his family. We'd always go there to eat.

[candothat]

You will get to go back. [A decisive nod. He's quite sure of this.] And I'm certain that, eventually, we will find a planet with seafood. You can try it and then, after you go home, you can tell Chuck that you ate jellyfish on another planet and that it wasn't as good as what his restaurant serves.

...Or, if you don't like Chuck as much, you can tell him that the alien jellyfish was better.

[axi]

I know I will. [It's a very peaceful sounding statement. They'd just gotten their home back before she arrived in the Fleet. She's not going to let something like inter-dimensional kidnapping keep her from believing she'd see it again.]

I'd be sure to tell him that I met Messer again, and he did the dish credit. [Her smile's a little nostalgic for a moment before grinning at Pavel.]

Thank you, but I like Chuck very much.

[candothat]

[Her easy acceptance of that surprises him a little, although he chooses not to comment. Most people he talks to don't share his certainty.]

Oh, well. Then of course don't do the second thing that I suggested, even if it turns out to be true.

[He notices that slight shift in mood and can't help but pry. Just a tiny bit.] Messer is somewhere else when you're from?

[axi]

It's hard to be true, when it's all alien jellyfish to me. [She was born on a different planet, after all.

But Pavel's next question has her smile wavering slightly.]

It's... [Kaname pauses, choosing her words carefully.] It happens, with soldiers. None of us expect to see him again. We'd said our farewells to him as best we could.

[He dead, son.]

[candothat]

[Oh.

Prying was probably a tactical error.

His usual response to things like this is a hug, but he and Kaname have not reached a friendship level where hugging in a swimming pool is appropriate. As such, he settles for putting a hand on her shoulder.]

Even so, I'm sorry.

[axi]

[She shakes her head at his apology, but does appreciate the comfort.]

It's all right. We're both aware being here is borrowed time, but we try to make the most of it. [Her smile's steadier now.]

At some point, I think I'd like to introduce the two of you.

[candothat]

That is all that anyone here can do, I suppose. [Since most of them aren't going to be seeing each other again once they leave the fleet.

His hand falls away.]

I would be happy to meet anyone that you think highly of.

[axi]

There's few options other than that one. [She exhales a little in amusement, lightly pushing some water his way.]

You might be overestimating that, but thank you anyway.

[candothat]

Okay, no better options. [She gets a small, lazy splash in reply. Anything more enthusiastic seems rather tasteless considering the recent topic of conversation.]

I don't think so, but thank you for accepting the compliment regardless.