002. ☾ First contact { Action }

[proteusmoon]

Who: Cecil and you!
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Planet, around!
When: October 24th, night

[ After sifting through the changes made to the ship with the disappearance of some of the crew, as well as making sure their newest addition settled in all right, Cecil is a little late making it out to explore the planet they've landed on. That said, she's not sure how it is that she managed to attract such a crowd of natives, much less how they managed to keep her busy with being led around their quaint, dusty home all day. One thing just led to another and she's been sight-seeing and answering an awful lot of questions about herself.

It's now nighttime, she's unwittingly tried enough lighter fluid-flavored liquor to render her a little drunk, and it seems her small following is leading her inside the brothel next. It's unclear whether or not she realizes where they're going, but she's also got a handful of those red stones and she's in a pretty good mood, so she's content to be led along.

Honestly, it's been a trying past couple weeks and she needed this chance to unwind, really. Maybe not quite this much, but beggars can't be choosers. ]

Comments

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil quietly agrees with this assessment as the addressed bartender (whose face is also painted up like a skull) ambles over with a cheery enough disposition and a lot of obvious curiosity to wait on them. Before he gets there though, the younger captain lowers her voice and asks her companion: ]

...You don't really expect it to taste any different than that of the other establishments here, do you?

[aberrant_type]

[Sotto voce:] Not at all. But maybe they'll put some kind of twist on it?

[There are booths. Hange's going to ask for two of the house specialty and then herd Cecil over to one of those, figuring she'll be a little harder to steal again if they're both tucked away.]

[proteusmoon]

[ Just as before, Cecil doesn't fight being moved along at all. She slides into the booth with ease and rests against the wall comfortably, trying not to remember how the alcohol here tastes. Their drinks arrive shortly after they're settled and Cecil pulls her glass over with a wary look directed at it. ]

[aberrant_type]

[It's... colored! Cecil's is bright red, Hange's is purple. Hange raises her glass and swirls the alcohol, studying it.]

Interesting...

[So she takes a gulp of it...

... surprise: it tastes almost exactly the same, except hers has some artificial grape flavoring in there.

Cecil's is cherry.]

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil takes a drink of hers as well after a little bit of careful inspection and immediately blanches at the sharp, hot taste of it. ]

Cherry-flavored liquid offense...

[ It's, needless to say, rather disgusting, and yet, in spite of that, she takes another gulp of it. This time, her expression of distaste afterwards is a bit less severe, but still noticeable. ]

[aberrant_type]

[Hange snorts laughing and some of the drink goes up her nose, whereupon she promptly claps her hand over her face.]

Ghhh--!

[The drink isn't any easier on the nasal passages than it is on the stomach, obviously]

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil knows exactly just what happened and she reacts with concern and surprise that's rather characteristic of her. She was already putting her drink down, so when Hange blanches, she puts her hands on the other woman's head, mostly feeling around her nose as if checking for actual injuries. ]

Oh! Are y-you all right?

[ But then the ridiculousness of what she's doing appears to occur to her and she dissolves into giggles, even if she doesn't take her hands away from Hange's nose. ]

[aberrant_type]

[She starts laughing too, because all of this is very silly, and now Cecil's gentle hands are all over her face, not that there's anything Cecil can actually... do... to help. Hange tips her head back, to escape.]

Right as rain! No lasting harm done - hnk! [And then she snorts to try and clear the last of the brew.]

This isn't so bad!

[proteusmoon]

Either you've had much, much worse or you're getting used to it already.

[ Cecil finally pulls her hands away from Hange's face, instinctively reaching out for her drink again. In spite of the judgement she's passed on the horrid thing, she still goes right back to finishing it off— and grimaces, shuddering too even. ]

Hggghh... I don't think I'll ever get used to this.

[aberrant_type]

Drink more, it'll matter less.

[Hange raises her own glass in a toast.]

At this juncture, it doesn't seem war will be upon us tomorrow, so drink up and enjoy peacetime! Bottoms up!

[proteusmoon]

[ She raises her own again and clinks the side of it against Hange's. ]

Unless it's of course a clever little trap.

[ Then she takes another good swallow of the drink without any note of hesitation. ]

[aberrant_type]

If there's a trap the way out is through, and I've gotten drunk in the middle of a war before. Bottoms up!

[SHE DRINKS TOO.]

[proteusmoon]

[ They are clearly the most responsible of captains. ]

Surely not during battle though, yes?

[aberrant_type]

That sounds like a quick way to cut your life short! Hahahaha!

[proteusmoon]

[ HEY, IT COULD HAPPEN. ]

Some of... of my men... used to drink some right before... Calmed their nerves, they said.

I used to punish them for it. Reckless, I said.

[aberrant_type]

That would be very reckless. I suppose that may or may not... have been an action carried out by my men before expeditions. Since our survival rates aren't so great even when everyone's sober... ha ha...

[proteusmoon]

[ The way she laughs is morbid and Cecil can commiserate. ]

Are those monsters truly so nigh invincible?

[aberrant_type]

Oh yes...

[She just stares off into space a little.]

If... unless you strike certain points, they regenerate... they're always getting back up to come after you again. They don't feel fear and don't seem to feel pain... so nothing slows them down...

[proteusmoon]

[ She doesn't really flinch about the fact that titans have specific weak points. This is a common case for defeating monsters and evil where she's from too. ]

So they're not sentient.

[aberrant_type]

Don't seem to be...

[She swirls her glass... gazing off into space, thinking about shit.]

I try to talk to them every time... I have live specimens... but they've never talked back to me...

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil was just raising her glass and taking a swig from it when Hange admits this surprising matter to her. Caught off guard, the younger woman takes a breath a bit too soon and the vile liquid burns halfway through her nasal passage. She chokes and dissolves into a bit of a coughing fit. ]

Did -- you say -- How d'you... keep them?

[aberrant_type]

[Ah, her eyes flare with fervent energy just a bit. She loves this topic.]

All kinds of ways! Spiked nets! Spear barrels! Nail 'em to the ground and rope 'em up, that's the best. It would be different if it hurt them but it really doesn't seem to!

[proteusmoon]

[ The knight-queen is secretly grateful she can pretend that very embarrassing thing that just happened didn't happen at all. ]

Ah... I see...

[ It does seem a little... barbaric, to be honest, but Hange knows more than she, of course, so she trusts she knows what she's talking about. Even if she didn't, with the way Hange just barrels through everything with her high octane energy and steadfast confidence, Cecil would still not question it much at all. ]

Strange. Are you sure they're... natural beings? They sound like... like someone's mad inventions run amuck.

[ Seriously. Actual mad scientists are scary. Exhibit A: Doctor Lugae. ]

[aberrant_type]

["Mad scientist" wafts off Hange a little bit, to be honest... but in a way she's gone in the other direction and perhaps become a little too sane. That is to say, she manages herself very, very well.

And she would never embarrass Cecil over a drinks mishap! The speculation, however, makes her eyes brighten and her grin widen.]

Ah-ah-ah... ah-ah-ah... you'd better watch what you say, Cecil. That kind of speculation can lead you to quickly being made to disappear, where I'm from.

[proteusmoon]

[ It always surprises her how Hange just says such dark things with a big smile on her face. ]

Just like asking too many questions about the equipment you use can also get you in trouble, eh? It sounds to me like all the secrecy there is the obvious answer.