I’m spinning the handle//and I've Tricked the machine

[themomentoftherose]

The recent announcement that Char Aznable and Haman Karn were to be summarily exiled had made Doctor Zero rather nervous. The Green Storm's rhetoric was even less restrained in its calls for a world "made green again" by any means necessary and the absolute destruction of all mobile cities. General Naga had been pushing a kinder, gentler Storm but fifteen years of warfare, including Stalker Fang's use of terrorism, wasn't erased so easily from the public consciousness.

With that in mind, she took several steps:

1: Turning Shortening Of The Way butt-first in its parking spot so the green lightning bolt symbols weren't immediately visible. She climbs back out and looks from various angles to be sure.

2: Packing her possessions so she was ready to leave at a moment's notice. It wasn't difficult. She had little in the way of personal effects, and her lab equipment all fit on the airship.

3: Nervously eavesdropping on any conversation that turned towards the subject. Where she couldn't be present, her Stalker ravens could, whirring and clicking, innocuously begging for snacksies.

4: Receiving a transmission from General Naga about the hunt for the (double) revived Stalker Fang.

He compliments her on the idea to try to draw her out by spreading fake rumors of his power base weakening. She humbly thanks him for his help and protection and asks him to keep the Fang Loyalists from trying to get to her by harming Kensuke. He enquires much less discretely than he thinks about their relationship and is reassured that she thinks of him as somewhat like a lost child she's chosen to guide. He zones out for a moment imagining her holding a small hand...

Comments

[Gonna catch you in the middle of two.]

[zetahatsudo]

Yo. [Kamille's leaning against the doorway to your room, Dr. Zero.] Planning for a trip, doc?

learn2personalboundaries kamille

[themomentoftherose]

Oenone practically jumps, but gives him a hesitant nod. "More preparing for a possibility. If we're exiling those involved in organizations with...checkered pasts, I could be the next on the chopping block."

[lolwhatarethose?]

[zetahatsudo]

[Kamille grimaces at having startled her, but the frown that settles on his face refuses to leave as he listens to her.]

I highly doubt it would come to that, Doctor. You're a big help to us, and while you have a lot of clout with the organization, you also are a good person. There wouldn't be any precedence for it.

[themomentoftherose]

She tries to cheer him up by smiling, also hesitantly. "Thank you, Kamille. For what it's worth, i'm glad you got to stay as well. Still, the Green Storm hasn't been less vicious in our rhetoric than Zeon. I have to be ready to go to ground if it comes to that." She didn't want to, not least because Kensuke would never forgive her, but it was her first instinct when presented with trouble.

[zetahatsudo]

[Kamille sees that hesitation, and it bothers him.] Look, I know it seems scary, but I won't let it come to that. None of us will. You guys have been actively pushing reform, and once we put down Stalker Fang, you can turn the Green Storm into something better than it once was.

now you know how it feels

[themomentoftherose]

She shut the suitcase, walked over and hugged him. Her forehead came just about to his shoulder.

"You've been so helpful. I hope I can live up to the faith you have in me."

And now we delve into the silly

[zetahatsudo]

Doctor... [he relaxes into the hug, only to blink.] ... How did I not notice you were shorter than me?

[themomentoftherose]

She let him go and looked up at him, half amused, half indignant.

"That's quite the thing to miss. But I was hoping you'd continue to not notice. They all called me 'little sister' on the Spitzberg Front..."

[zetahatsudo]

[An eyebrow raised.]That is adorable.[What-] I guess whenever we talked I was more preoccupied by other things. [Like Kensuke.]

[themomentoftherose]

"That just means you're more concerned with a person's character than what they look like." She said, that having gone right over her head, which was just as well. She was still mostly unaware of what might have gone on between them. "Would you like to get something to eat?"

[zetahatsudo]

[Asking the chef of the mess hall about getting something to eat. classy.] Well, so long as you're asking, Doctor, but only if you're willing to accompany me.

[themomentoftherose]

It took her a few moments to remember that as she walked with him. "Oh, right, you're the chef too. What's your specialty?"

[zetahatsudo]

Sweets, if you can believe it. [and so they walked.] It happened when I first came aboard and I was still kind of shell-shocked by what happened in Rauha. [Kamille gains a look of nostalgia about him] One of the Strike Witches nearly got killed because I was reckless. Since she saved my hide, she asked in return how good I was with making sweet stuff. That was pretty much the start of my cooking career on the chalice... [He chuckles.] God, I did such stupid things back then.

C-C-CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?

[themomentoftherose]

Ah, now that's an expression Oenone knows well.

"But you can't eat just dessert all the time." Don't make her get all maternal on you. "It's because there's so many different types of people, from different cultures on board. It forces everyone to learn how to be diplomatic."

SURPRISE, BITCHES!

[zetahatsudo]

Oh, of course not, that goes without saying. I learned how to make other stuff, of course. Tsukasa was a great help in that. Now that everyone on chef duty's left, I'm pretty much all we have left.

[themomentoftherose]

OK, quite aside from the pain of having people leave you, she was aghast at that. "It's only you? And here I was going to just ask to try your special!" She burned with shame. "I'll come and help you."

[zetahatsudo]

[Huh?!] Ah, that's fine, really. I enjoy it-! [And yet he finds they're already in the kitchen.] No, seriously, you don't need to do this, Doctor, I was going to treat you, after all.

[themomentoftherose]

"Well alright, but you have to let me do something nice for you sometime then. Tell me if you want help with something." She said, still oblivious, as they reached the kitchen.

[zetahatsudo]

Doctor, you've already done so much for Kensuke, I couldn't possibly ask anything of you. It would be selfish of me.

[saikyocivrobo]

[Dr Zero might notice a small white robot watching her sometimes while she does those things. Only after she's done Prometheus approaches her overtly, though. Well, Werter does, the robot just tags along.]

What are you doing?

[themomentoftherose]

She should have known what was up when that little robot kept following her.

"What do you mean?" She said, deciding that playing a little dumb might be the best strategy at first.

[saikyocivrobo]

You've been acting very nervous lately... Well, even more nervous than usual. As well as packing your stuff, as if expecting to leave the ship at any moment.

It's obvious something is up.

[themomentoftherose]

Damn his quick mind. She closed the suitcase.

"Well, to tell the truth the exile of Regent Karn and Lieutenant Aznable has made me wonder if it'll be my turn next. The Green Storm hasn't been any less vicious in its rhetoric than Zeon." And a resurrector of corpses would make an easy scapegoat if it came to that.

[saikyocivrobo]

That's all? And here I thought you have a secret order, or something along these lines!

You really don't have to worry. I could produce a whole list of reasons why you won't be next.

[themomentoftherose]

"Such as?" She said with a raised eyebrow. Perhaps he could sooth her paranoia. Something popped and she had to stuff the whole thing closed again.

[saikyocivrobo]

Let's see... How about the fact that some Zeon soldiers stayed? Only the leaders got the boot, and you're not exactly a leader of Green Storm, are you? Furthermore, Green Storm has not made any recent announcements that it's going to attack our allies, unlike a certain other place. Since General Naga took over, he's doing good at turning the Storm into a positive force.

[themomentoftherose]

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Growing up with purges had ingrained certain habits. "...I suppose you're right." The idea still made her nervous.

[saikyocivrobo]

See? Besides, the real reason Char and Haman were told to leave was because Zeon made plans to "annex" other colonies, which is a nice way to say "conquer". Green Storm is not going to do that, is it? It's just keeping the Mobile Cities in check, and these aren't exactly our friends.