god, he called for rain

[shooteverything]

[ the shatterdome is too loud, smells of seawater and sweat, and half the time k-science won't even let him stay in the lab, one of the few quiet places in the entire base. but it's home, in some ways, because heine has lived here for more than half of his life.

and that reason is also the reason why he's doing the introductions for the new pilot arriving today. she's not new new, but new to this shatterdome. heine has read her file.

now he's in his fatigues, arms crossed as he waits on the tarmac for her to arrive. there's a lot to go through before her jaeger even arrives. ]

Comments

[antisheep]

[She stuck another one of the TV dinners into the microwave, looking through the drawers for silverware. For a moment, she was tempted to ignore the remark on the clothing, but felt like she should offer some explanation for it.]

It was a gift.

[Apparently she was a much more light hearted girl than she appeared to be, whatever that had meant exactly.]

The buses seem to leave every half hour for the airport. We can catch the next one after we're done eating.

[shooteverything]

[ a gift. right. ]

Sure. [ he doesn't protest either suggestion, just takes the utensils and idles until the microwave beeps. heine takes the microwave dinner and leans against the couch arm to eat. it tastes basically like salt and artificial flavoring, but it's fine. no worse than cafetera food at the shatterdome.

once he's done, he tosses the trash and starts picking up his things, ready to leave without any more fuss. ]

[antisheep]

[Don't make her comment on your hair Rammsteiner, because she will.

Once Rammsteiner seemed ready, she offered him a pair of sunglasses as she pulled a hat on her head. She headed out the door, tilting her head slightly to the side.]

Where to next?

[Getting to the airport shouldn't be difficult, but after that...]

[shooteverything]

[ look, whose fault was that? ]

You wanted to visit your old base, right?

[ after that... heine shrugs. ] Could just travel. I haven't been to a lot of places.

[antisheep]

[Hey she did the best she could. She's a jaeger pilot not a hairstylist.]

Yes.

[She's a bit surprised that Rammsteiner was willing to humor her in that, tensing as she walked in apprehension.]

But perhaps we should travel first. Going to another shatterdome so soon after leaving...

[Not to mention she was wary about returning home. Even though Rammsteiner knew of Magato and his mannerisms, in a way he was the one who troubled her the least. Magato was at least honest and predictable. Her father and sister not so much.]

[shooteverything]

[ heine acknowledges the suggestion with a low hum of consideration. that's certainly a valid worry; he can't think of where else he'd like to go, though. ]

We could go around the area, and just stay away from the Shatterdome.

[antisheep]

[Naoto quieted at that suggestion as they neared the bus stop, turning that idea over in her mind thoughtfully. It wasn't a bad suggestion, and she did really want to see all the friends and family she had left behind.

She didn't bother to speak until they were on the bus, glancing over at Rammsteiner curiously.]

You wouldn't mind?

[It had been mostly his plan to escape after all.]

[shooteverything]

[ heine just shrugs, shifting the bag slung over his shoulder. ]

I've got nothing better to do.

[ flippant words aside, his tone remains indifferent at worst. ]

[antisheep]

[It sounded more like there wasn't a set direction, so Naoto decided there were worse places to go first. At least this one she would know what she was getting into. She settled into her seat, pensive.]

I'll call them when we land.

[The less notice they got, the less likely they would walk into a trap.]

[shooteverything]

All right.

[ this seems oddly like being on the run because of a crime. considering that they really just saved the world, it's a bit weird. ah, well. heine doesn't want to talk people anyway.

fuyumine just doesn't talk much, which is nice.

as they settle into their plane seats, heine's put his bag away, and simply slumps back in his seat with his earbuds in, ready to just try and sleep. ]

[antisheep]

[Given that she didn't sleep that much earlier, the plane ride lulled her quickly to sleep. It wasn't until there was the turbulence of their landing that she woke, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she shuffled off the plane with the rest of the passengers.

She called as soon as they touched down, holding the pay phone receiver away from her ear at the loud enthusiasm on the other line. After setting a meeting location, she picked up her bag, heading back over to Ramsteiner.]

We're meeting up in two hours. We can get a hotel room if you like.

[shooteverything]

[ heine's just as quiet; sleep deprivation isn't anything new, and it doesn't bother him. he lugs his bag along, waiting by the side of the pay phone until she's done. ]

I'm not going to sleep any more. [ since he'd been unconscious for most of the plane ride. ] We could find a cafe, stay there for a while.

[antisheep]

[That's a thought that Naoto turned over for a few moments, before tilting her head to the side thoughtfully.]

Did you want to do some sight seeing? The harbor isn't too far from here and there's museums if you're interested.

[She had rarely had time to explore the city when she was here, but she'd retained information from the people who had. What places to eat, tours to take, and places to visit. It seemed like it could be more invigorating than sitting around.]

[shooteverything]

[ sight-seeing? heine can't resist wrinkling his nose a little. ] Tourist stuff?

[ it's gotta be more interesting than just sitting around, though, so he relents. ]

...all right, I guess. Where to?

[antisheep]

[Naoto shrugged her shoulders noncommittally, not overly invested in the idea, but it had sounded like a better way to kill time than to sit around. It had just seemed like a bit of a waste, to have been housed near this city all this time and never really given room to explore it.

Still, she was pleasantly surprised when Rammsteiner agreed to it, starting towards the exit and picking up a guidebook on the way out.]

The harbor is very beautiful. I could do without the museums.

[shooteverything]

Harbor, then. [ he watches the guidebook in her hand, but with only a passing curiosity. ] And we can get something to eat there.

[ after the plane trip, he's hungry. ]

[antisheep]

I know a restaurant with good German food.

[It was one of the few places Naoto had been to personally, and their sauerbraten was the sort of food she had envisioned when she was stuck with whatever questionable food was served in the canteen.

She hailed a taxi, wrapping her scarf tighter around herself. She hadn't missed the cold, though.]

[shooteverything]

Yeah? [ it's quite a change from hong kong, almost too much of a change. heine's not dressed for the weather, but he's trying not to show it. ]

I'll take your word for it. Not that I care much what we eat.

[antisheep]

The canteen's gotten to you.

[Not that she can speak much either, considering that's been most of her experience with food, but she does shoot him an almost pitying look.

Thankfully it's warmer in the cab, though she does glance over at Rammsteiner thoughtfully.]

Should we get you winter clothes first?

[shooteverything]

Maybe. [ heine's less concerned about the death of his tastebuds than she is, apparently. ]

It's not that cold. [ ... ] Let's just go eat.

[antisheep]

[She hoped Rammsteiner could read the amount of disbelief she has at that simple statement, and how much she was unconvinced he was even remotely warm. Still, eating in a nice restaurant was a lot different than walking around the windy snowy harbor, and she supposed the weather would win out over his stubbornness.

After a few beats, she shrugged her shoulders.]

Do you have a favorite kind of food?

[It occurred to her, not for the first time, that she didn't know too much about Rammsteiner's preferences and tastes.]

[shooteverything]

Uh... not really. Like you said, the canteen got to me.

[ heine shrugs, unconcerned. ] You're picking where to eat—do you even like German food?

[antisheep]

I do.

[She hasn't had too much different cuisine, but there's something homey and hearty about German food.]

It's very filling and they're generous with their portions.

[Plus she had some good memories associated with it, so she might be biased.

She paid the driver when they got to the restaurant, stepping out into the brisk air, turning back to Rammsteiner.]

But if you don't like it there's a lot of other options.

[shooteverything]

[ well, those are all good points for a food. heine can't help shivering a little when they get out of the car, shoulders hunching. ]

It's fine. Let's go.

[ the maitre d' seats them at a two-person table in a private little nook. as badly as the kaiju hit the world, there are still places like this with real waiters and real food.

heine's impressed, despite himself. he reads the menu he's given. ]

Any recommendations on what to get?

[antisheep]

[She almost asked what sort of food Rammsteiner enjoyed, before stopping herself as she recalled the poor state of his taste buds.

She pointed to the pictures of the menu, one elbow leaning onto the table top.]

Their sauerbraten is my favorite, but many people seem to enjoy schweinshaxe.

[She paused, eyeing Rammsteiner thoughtfully.]

Gaisburger marsch is good if you want to get warmed up.