lucetilogs | Out with the old....

If you like we can go inside somewhere if it'll make you feel better.

[It's not nice to be startled after all, especially given the number and frequency of the fireworks going off.]

We can still watch them just as well from a window as we coudld from outside.

[Daisy takes a moment to decide -- In which another one goes off. Eventually, she lets Fuuko grab her hand.]

Know where we could go to, Fuuko?

One of the shops will probably still be open, so we can stay inside until the display ends.

[Unless everyone is out partying, but even then are those places ever really locked? Time to find out at any rate as Fuuko stands, takes Daisy's hand and starts walking.]

Good idea.

[Even if it's locked, Daisy's quite capable of opening doors either by lockpicking, or by forced entry. Not that she'll use these skills for that.

She quickly spots three possible places: Good Spirits, though Spartans are not allowed to drink, and she'd be court-martialled for corrupting a minor if she entered with Fuuko; Seventh Heaven, a more reasonable choice; or the bakery.

Daisy has a liking towards foods and sweets. But she wonders where Fuuko might take her. ~~And who else might get Fuuko wasted.~~]

[~~Good Spirits it is then, time to get smashed!~~ Opting for the bakery, given she's visited there multiple times in the past with Madoka-san to find and eat stupidly large cakes and other such things. Then again, Good Spirits has some good milkshakes... Eh, bakery it is.

Walking over to the door, which is luckily unlocked at this time, and dragging Daisy inside the shop.]

You can still hear them when they go off, but hopefully this will be a little better for you. Fuuko finds the noise to be much quieter in here.

[Daisy almost gets hit by the lintel of the door as she crosses. Fortunately, in spite of being able to hear the sounds, they do feel diminished - just a little, given her senses.

She looks at the sweets, then at the smaller girl.]

I'm sorry about this... but thank you, Fuuko. [She looks around.] There's big windows here, right?

Don't apologise Daisy-san, Fuuko is glad to have been able to help! We should still be able to watch the fireworks from the shop window here.

[Heading over to the window and ducking her head a little as she looks around outside. Sure enough you can still see the fireworks pretty well from their new position.]

There they are. They might even look more beautiful from this spot!

[Completely oblivious right now to the fact they're in a bakery and they're surrounded by sweets and pastries.]

[Conversely, Daisy is the first to notice. looks at Fuuko for an instant, then walks away...

... And returns with a small table with a lot -and it must be noted, a lot- of sweets. She sits beside Fuuko to watch the fireworks. Once again, legs leaning to her side to compensate for the height chairs will not supply to her.

But by the time she gets comfortable, she looks at the many shapes with awe. With the sounds diminished, she can finally focus more on the shapes than on the sounds: Catherine wheels, balloons, even hearts.]

Yeah... They do.

[For an instant, she feels even younger than Fuuko.]

[A whole table full of sweets? Fuuko is a little surprised at this... But she's not complaining.]

Fuuko can't help but notice you enjoy eating sweets Daisy-san. Are you intending to eat all of these yourself?

[Because if she is, wow, that's actually kind of impressive.]

I thought you'd want to share. I just felt a little hungry.

[A donut she picks up immediately disappears in a few bites. She picks a muffin, half of which she eats that fast, very casually while at it. Her eyes still locked on the fireworks.

To justify herself over most anime characters, she actually needs to eat that much, and she actually works to burn it all.]

That's very kind of you Daisy-san, Fuuko would be more than happy to share something like this with you!

[Fuuko picks up a muffin and starts to eat, though at a much slower pace than Daisy. Huh, it's still kind of impressive how quickly she's putting all those sweets away.]

Fuuko never expected to be enjoying the fireworks whilst eating muffins and sweets like this, from inside the bakery no less. The way we're set up makes it seems like we're eating dinner and watching a show at the same time!

[If dinner were composed only of desserts and sweets.]

[Daisy smiles. It's just Spartan nature to do things like these.

She drinks from a glass of milk.]

It's like being in an officers' room. [Sans whiskey.] I think we'd need more for it to be a dinner.

[She turns her sight back to the window. More fireworks detonate, but Daisy fares far better now.

She sees the face of a teddy bear in them.]

But I like this.

Officers' room? What do you mean?

[Genuinely curious about what she means.] Fuuko knows you have that armour of yours, do that have something to do with this 'officers' room'?

[Taking another bite of her muffin before wiping the sleeve of her clothing across her mouth to get rid of any crumbs and such still on her mouth and face.]

Fuuko is glad you're enjoying it, it's nice to watch fireworks like this with friends.

[Daisy smiles to Fuuko amidst the spectacle. Munch munch munch. She picks a sweet concha.]

It's a place where commisioned officers gather. Most of them have comforts like poker tables, liquors, and entertainment. Luxuries that are hard to get sometimes.

[She rarely explains things like her rank to other people, but she realizes few do understand]

I'm an NCO. A Non-Commissioned Officer. I'm not an officer in the sense of the word. [A comparison...] I'm something like a Sergeant... But not an Ensign, a Lieutenant, or higher.

[An awfully young high-ranking NCO at that that indulges in childish things.]

That sounds like a nice place then. Not that Fuuko enjoys drinking or playing many card games, but Fuuko can see the appeal a room like that could hold.

[Not that Fuuko has ever drank any alcohol or played much of any card game. Plus many of those ranks go right past her, though she is aware of what sergeants, officers and such are in a general sense.]

How did you become a non-commissioned officer then? If you were a proper officer then you could be leader, or command troops, or something similar to that. Is that correct? Fuuko isn't up to date with how a military might work.

[~~LIAR.~~ Daisy puts down a snack for a moment. She drinks from the milk before answering.]

I just did my job. I did everything the best I could, and got promoted on the way. [Far too fast for it... and starting too young.] A lot of us just don't want the commission. Many officers have to work inside starships, away from where we feel are needed.

[The Chief Petty Officer is grateful that Fuuko knows too little to ask how can a twenty-one year old girl become an E-7.]

With time, you stop caring about the medals, the promotions, the commendations... [And this is coming from a group where every single member had their left sides of their chests paved with them.] Getting your team and your friends safe... That ends mattering a lot more.

[Too early did she come to that conclusion.

To easen the atmosphere, she offers a cake that Daisy found someplace else. Now, that objective is turning easier, she is grateful for.]

[~~FUUKO IS NOT A DRUNK HUSH KJSKDF~~ Finishing her muffin in another bite or two before licking her lips. Yum, muffins.]

So by being promoted higher up you're taken further away from where you feel needed and then where you want to be? Fuuko thought promotions would have some sort of benefit to them and not something like being taken away to a starship.

[Speaking of which, starships. By now Fuuko just takes every odd sounding thing as it comes and rolls with it, but still. Starship. Sounds like it came right out of a sci-fi flick.]

It makes Fuuko happy to see you have those sorts of aims Daisy-san, keeping your friends safe. You're a very good person.

[After looking over the cake for a second, Fuuko accepts it and moves it over in front of her. Now how does she even dig into this...]

[Daisy turns to Fuuko. It still feels strange to be labelled "hero", and "good person".]

I do what is necessary... But thank you, Fuuko.

[At the very least, those are traits that remark her humanity.]

Being an officer has benefits. But it doesn't feel right. It's common where I'm from. Many soldiers would refuse to go home if it means their squad would still be out there.

[She grabs a knife and a pair of forks, and slowly cuts through the frosting and the fruits. Upon cutting the first part, she puts a slice over Fuuko's plate -- and a wide portion of Daisy herself.]

This is better... At least for me.

If it's better for you then you should do whatever you need to in order to make sure everything is just right for you.

[Nodding. It's hard to enjoy life when things aren't going your way after all. Picking up her own fork, Fuuko sections off a piece of the cake with a cherry on top and eats it, holding the fork in her mouth for a moment as she enjoys the sweet taste.]

Do you enjoy doing what you do Daisy-san? It seems like a very difficult job to keep up with. [Quickly adding--] Don;t worry if you'd rather not talk about it, Fuuko understands! [She's just being curious.]

[She almost freezes upon being asked if she enjoys what she does. It's not because of the fear it causes her to listen to fireworks and believe battle is near, and the helplessness of being driven towards a fight that is not there.

It's because she likes it. Down to the sight of a dying enemy and the moment of victory. Because fighting was the only thing her life amounted to before Luceti.

Her voice is quiet as she answers.]

It's the challenge. [She pauses, thinking of ways to word it.] Knowing that you think, survive, and go beyond your limits feels great. Sometimes it's too hard. Sometimes you see things you don't want to. Sometimes you're in places that you just want to leave.

[Harvest.]

But the knowledge that you're doing something to help people, that your friends watch over you go through hard times... [And just now, another thing she never expected to have waiting for her.] And that your loved ones are waiting for you to return... It's what drives me to it.

[Daisy notices she hadn't laid a single bite over her cake. Instead, she serves Fuuko some of the milk.]

But sometimes I want a quiet life. Like Nagisa's. Like yours.

[Keeping quiet and nodding her head along to every that's being said. There are feelings and descriptions there that Fuuko can't associate with, such as going beyond your limits and perhaps even surviving. But she understands from the way Daisy talks that she feels a great deal about her job.]

Friends seem to be a pretty strong driving force behind most things people do. [And how. She loves Tomoya and Nagisa and she always will, no matter what. Knowing they were happy and with her in one way or another was always a happy thought.

Grasping her glass with both hands and sipping some of the milk.]

Enjoying a quiet life like Nagisa-san's is very refreshing. [Not so much like her own however.]

[It always is, Daisy thinks. Sometimes, it's the fear of letting your teammates down what keeps together an entire unit.

The Chief doesn't fail to notice that Fuuko did not include herself in that description. Why? Fuuko, Nagisa, Kotomi, and Tomoya were all civilians from the same place and age. There was nothing suggesting there would be something technological or supernatural in them.

Worried, she looks at Fuuko, wondering if she wants to speak about it.]

[Staring off into space for a moment, not taking notice of Daisy's expression until she turns back to her milk.

Shaking her head.]

Fuuko's life is pretty quiet too, but it's not something Fuuko would like other people to enjoy.

[There's no way she could hope for anyone to enjoy a life like hers, that would be like wishing an illness on someone.

Bobbing her head down towards Daisy's cake. Better eat up and enjoy it sooner rather than later.]

[Daisy does not understand what Fuuko may mean by that. then again, few would with what she lived. Whatever may have happened to the girl beside her is something she worries for. It saddens her a little how many of the friends she's met have lives not devoid of tragedy or loneliness.

But for now, there is peace. For this moment, she remains near Fuuko. Eating the sweets shared between them, and watching the fireworks.]

Out with the old....

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