drear | god, he called for rain

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god, he called for rain

[ 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. ]

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[She had dressed in lighter clothing because any place compared to Vladivostok would be warmer, but she hadn't taken into consideration humidity. It felt like her clothing was all stifling and uncomfortable, though just out of sheer stubbornness she keep her scarf wound tightly around her neck. It had been a going away present, and it seemed rude to pack it away just because of some unreasonable weather and because the gift giver was miles away.

Her steps slowed as she spotted one of the shatterdome's pilots lounging around. From what she had gleaned from his files, he was one of the most battle hardened veterans here, and he had started at a young age. Naoto stopped a few feet in front of him, a duffel bag slung over one shoulder, her free arm loose and relaxed near her side. She inclined her head respectfully, since it seemed he would be the welcoming party.]

Naoto Fuyumine, reporting in.

[It had taken her longer to find Rammsteiner again than she would have liked, considering it had become apparent rather quickly that he was the pilot to beat around here. Even Mihai hadn't argued that he deserved his reputation, and Naoto was truthfully a bit angry to learn of this. Why had Rammsteiner not said anything? Maybe he had already written her off as one of those people who was just going to boast then die an unremarkable death. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to waste his time with someone as undistinguished as her and had sent her out on a goose chase.

It hadn't helped her mood in the least that Magato had pounced on her fairly quickly, and that his idea of a family reunion was to recreate their last fight, right down to the knives. To add insult to injury, when they had been caught, Magato had taken the blame for the whole ordeal. Now she was indebted to him, and that thought did little to quell her temper.]

Rammsteiner.

[It was fortuitous that she would find him in the training hall. Her bare feet padded against the mats, her expression grim and tension radiating from her squared shoulders, her fists clenched.]

Fight me.

[ the fight had been a fucking disaster. they'd needed artillery support after he'd lost use of the left arm of his jaeger—the machinery is jammed, or something like that, and it'll take weeks to fix. his own, physical arm feels numb from the half hour of agony he'd fought through to finally take down the kaiju.

heine's plastered with sweat when he finally stumbles out of the cockpit and takes off his helmet, left arm hanging at his side. it's not seriously injured, probably only sprained, but the feeling of his jaeger's arm, sent to him through the neural link, being nearly torn off by the kaiju's massive jaws is the kind of thing to stick in someone's mind. things aren't as awful as they could have been, at least. the kaiju, aegaeon, is dead and bleeding on the shore, and damage to the waterfront is actually in the midrange of his long and colorful record, according to mission control.

but there's still a clusterfuck to deal with. the main problem here is the pilot he'd been deployed with. jaw tight, he stalks towards her station. people get out of his way. ]

[It's been quite a few weeks since Naoto's last terrible showing, and after that eye opening debut, she'd thrown herself back into training. She ran simulations until they kicked her out, had fought with Magato incessantly, and had even sought advice from some of the other Jaeger pilots. Mostly their advice had consisted of something along the lines of being bucked off a horse. It was either get back on or quit.

And while most of them were understanding and some even kind, there were few who were willing to risk going out with her. It was frustrating, more than words could convey, to know that this was her own doing.

Whether it was because he had an unshakable faith in his own abilities or if he just pitied her, Mihai was the first to agree to accompany her back into the field. When that familiar terror had hit her when facing down one of those monsters, she had squashed it through sheer willpower, and while the fight wasn't anything to be particularly proud of, it filled her with a sense of exhilaration. She could do this. She was capable of doing this, and she would continue until her disastrous start would be forgiven, or if not, forgotten.

It was with trepidation however that she suited up this time, her anxiousness having little to do with the kaiju she was soon to be facing. Rammsteiner had avoided her, and his anger towards her made her both wary and determined to prove she wasn't all talk.

As her jaeger was launched into the churning water, Naoto steeled herself, sword at the ready.]

I can take point.

[She's nervous, her hands trembling involuntarily as she goes through the motions of piloting, trying to keep her breathing deep and even. It feels like talking about closing the rift had been ages ago, some distant dream.

Yet she's faced more kaiju in the past few weeks than she had known what to do with. Stronger and faster had been an understatement, and her boasting about becoming one of the best was what had gotten her here. No one was calling it a suicide mission, but that didn't mean it wasn't one.]

Rammsteiner.

[Her voice sounded a lot less shaky than her hands, and for that she was pleased.]

Have you given any thought to what you'll do after this?

[Because that sounded like a dream too or a bad joke.]

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thanks for setting this all up. /o/

sparring scene. let me know if i need to edit o/

and she's been living on the highest shelf.

feel like a stone in deep water

i will be a gun and it's you I'll come for