A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands [F/SN / Infinite Stratos / ???]

[Selias]

[X] Ask her to wait for a moment, you still need to heck up on Laura

 

[EnderofWorlds]

[X] Ask her to wait for a moment, you still need to heck up on Laura

Click to shrink...

Lol, so zetta slow.

 

[Selias]

Lol, so zetta slow.

Click to shrink...

What?

 

[EnderofWorlds]

What?

Click to shrink...

*Re-reads quote*
...Huh, could've sworn you had put down: [X] "Let's start the fight for real now" (Enter Black Knight, go all out). Then again it's three in the morning where I'm at...

 

[Selias]

*Re-reads quote*
...Huh, could've sworn you had put down: [X] "Let's start the fight for real now" (Enter Black Knight, go all out). Then again it's three in the morning where I'm at...

Click to shrink...

I did. I had been saving reading it for after I finished an Avatar fic. Changed it after I saw the new update.

 

[Merior]

My vote is:

[X] Ask her to wait for a moment, you still need to heck up on Laura

I do hope that is just a typo there and you mean 'check' because otherwise it sounds like a form of trolling... but I'm fine either way.

 

[Fellgar]

[X] Ask her to wait for a moment, you still need to check up on Laura

 

[EnderofWorlds]

[X] Ask her to wait a moment, you still need to check up on Laura

"Actually ma'am," you tell her, "I'd like to check up on Bodewig; I hit her harder than the others to compensate for the forcefield her IS uses and may have overshot it a bit. I at least wanna make sure that she doesn't need intense medical care."

"Well, Dr. Shinonono wanted to analyze Lieutenant Bodewig at some point; might as well kill two birds with one stone. Lead the way, major." With the general's go ahead, you begin to head to where you sent Laura crashing during the examination; General Aderman following your lead.

When you arrive at the crash site, you see the damage caused by your attack: the wall Bodewig crashed into barely intact; a stiff breeze would likely make it topple over. You see the super soldier sprawled out on the ground, just now stirring to consciousness. Her IS was completely trashed; the arms shattered by the force of your surger-empowered punch and both the right shoulder 'wing' and left greave cut through by your sword slash. Fortunately, it seemed like you didn't actually cut her leg or do any other lasting damage to her.

As she was starting to get up, you reach out and grab her hand; "Here, let me help you out there."

With a firm grasp of her arm, you lift her up and help her steady herself as her IS deactivates and enters it's closed form. Once she regains balance, she stands at attention and salutes both you and the general, "Sir, Ma'am."

General Aderman returns the salute, "At ease soldier; the major simply wanted to see if you needed medical attention. By the look of things, you seem to be ok, albeit battered and bruised. Now with that out of the way; both of you follow me. The doctor is waiting for you."

With that, you and Bodewig dutifully follow the general through the base and to the designated lab and workshop they were providing Houki for her services. As you ventured deeper into the base, you began to hear noises coming from the direction you were heading. As you got closer, the sounds became clearer; it was the sound of yelling and screaming. The three of you began to pick up the pace and run towards the source of it. You arrive at your destination just to see someone, a scientist by the looks of it, being flung through the door and slam right into the wall.

You rush into the lab and see the rest of the scientist huddled into the corner while Houki has one of them in a chokehold; her eyes brimming with fury and her breath uneven from her anger. When she see you enter, she tosses the scientist aside and begins marching furiously towards General Aderman.

She points her finger at the general, "You and your superiors promised me the best and brightest minds in the country as my assistants while I was here!"

Put under the spot, the general replies, "W-we did; we gathered the top scientists of the country and-"

"Bullshit you did! These incompetent fuckwits wouldn't know a bachelor's degree even if it bit them in the ass! Those dumbasses couldn't even figure out nanorobotics even if you gave them a how-to manual! I wouldn't trust them to find their own ass even if I shoved it into their faces!"

She notices Bodewig standing next to you, and points to her, "Is that her; your 'super-soldier'?"

She then walks up to Laura and looks her right in the eye, "What's your name?"

"Laura Bodewig, ma'am!" Standing at attention and giving off a salute, Laura answers Houki with all the promptness and discipline a soldier like her is expected to.

"Good. Now; hold still..." Laura obeys the order, and Houki moves behind her and jabs a syringe into her neck, injecting its contents into Bodewig. This causes Laura's eyes to roll into their sockets as she's knocked out. With the lieutenant unconscious, Houki picks her up and moves her onto an operating table.

Then she turns to the gibbering scientists in the corner and barks out orders at them, "You!" She points at one of them, "Get me coffee." The man immediately stands up and dashes through the door.

Then she points to another, "You! Food; anything that's loaded with sugar and caffeine." This one does the same thing as the first; getting out of the room as fast as possible.

Then she calls out a third, "You! Beer."

The poor sap actually speaks up, "But...you're a minor..."

"GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yelping and whimpering in fear, the frightened scientist scrambles to his feet and runs as if Hell itself was biting at his heels. Which...wasn't too far off considering how angry Houki was right now.

She then addresses the remaining scientists, "As for the rest of you; GET OUT!!!" They quickly obliged her.

Then she turns to the general, who was looking really nervous right now, "You are going to call your superiors and tell them that I'm going to figure out how much fixing this fuck-up is going to cost them, because it sure as hell isn't going to be free. Do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am! Right away, ma'am!" General Aderman belts out, almost quivering in her boots as she answers your enraged friend.

"Don't just stand there spouting bullshit; DO IT!" The general sprints off, partly to do as Houki demanded her to and partly out of fear like the rest.

Houki then walks to an open chair and slumps into it, hands cradling her head and groaning. She rubs her face and runs her fingers through her hair, "Why am I surrounded by incompetent idiots..."

Seeing that she's calmed down, you speak up, "Do you want me to get you some Advil?"

"Please do..." Seeing Houki so drained and tired, you head to where the general had shown you your quarters to get something to soothe her growing headache.

​

With the 501st out of commission for the rest of the day, you familiarize yourself with the layout of the base; committing to memory everything the general had pointed out and making sure you wouldn't get lost during your stay. When nighttime came, you headed back to your quarters and laid down on the bed provided.​

Shortly afterwards, Houki barged in; dragging herself to the desk inside and draping herself on it, her head down in resignation and exhaustion.​

Worried, you ask her, "Everything ok?"​

She groans and tells you, "The 'best and brightest' of Germany are all apparently as competent as three year olds; with the common sense of one to boot. The number of fuck-ups they made when it came to that poor girl were too many to count. And their solution? Make more fuck-ups! Because that make perfect fucking sense, right?"​

Hearing that made you worry; Laura was one of your soldiers now, under your command and care. You ask Houki, "What did they do?"​

"Don't...please don't ask; I can't bring myself to even think about their idiocy right now. I just want to put it all behind me, and pray that they don't get any smart ideas." Houki then begins to stretch, trying to get some kinks out of her back.​

Seeing her so worn down, you get up and walk over to her; then pull up a chair and start giving her a back rub, "This feel better?"​

Houki practically melts onto the desk as you massage her back, "Yes, much. Can you get a little lower?"​

You move your hands lower and rub there, "Mm...lower..."​

Again you move slightly lower, "Mn...little lower..."​

You move slightly lower and begin kneading there, which causes Houki to moan, "Oh yes, that's the spot..." As you continue your ministrations, she speaks up, "You know, you're pretty good at this."​

You shrug and tell her, "Nee-san would complain about her back, so one day I offered her a back rub. After that it kinda became routine; when she got back from work, she draped herself on the couch and I got to work. Enough practice made me good at it, I guess."​

You don't hear Houki say anything, so you stop for a moment and walk up next to her; only to see that she fell asleep. You smile and shake your head, then pick her up and move her to her bed, tucking her in. Then, you head to your own bed and follow suit.​

The next day, Laura was up and about with the rest of the company; looking no worse for wear. As the week passed and you drilled and trained them all, you noticed that she also seemed...better than she was during the examination; faster, stronger, better reactions, improved situation awareness. You guess that was the result of Houki 'fixing their fuck-ups', whatever they were.​

However, even if she was better physically; you could see that there was something troubling her. While she didn't show it during training, when training ended you could see that she had an inner turmoil of some sort bubbling inside her. Uncertain as to what it was, you decide to...​

[X] Confront her; take her aside and ask her what's troubling her, it's your duty as her leader​

[X] Leave her be, for now it's not affecting her progress and it's not your place to try​

[X] Write-in​

 

[Selias]

[X] Confront her; take her aside and ask her what's troubling her, it's your duty as her leader

 

[nick012000]

[X] Confront her; take her aside and ask her what's troubling her, it's your duty as her leader

 

[Happerry]

[X] Leave her be, for now it's not affecting her progress and it's not your place to try

 

[Robotninja]

[X]Not our place to pry.

 

[EnderofWorlds]

[X] Confront her; take her aside and ask her what's troubling her, it's your duty as her leader

As today's practice session with the 501st ends and the soldiers return to the barracks, you call out to Laura; "Bodewig, get over here."

Hearing you, she jogs over to you, salutes and asks, "Yes, sir?"

"Walk with me," you begin walking with the lieutenant in tow to a more secluded area. Once you arrive, you start to confront her; planing to ease into the the problem, "I've noticed your performance has improved quite a bit; I'm assuming that Houki has something to do with it. Is that correct, lieutenant?"

"Yes sir, Dr. Shinonono explained the situation to me after she finished the operation. According to her, the method the scientists used for my...conception was a flawed imitation of another geneticist's work. In their attempt to 'improve' the end results, they had ended up making the genome too unstable. As I would age, I would end up gradually degrading; both physically and mentally."

"Dr. Shinonono calculated that I would be crippled by my early twenties, and dead by my mid thirties. Unfortunately, when she discovered the additional modifications meant to improve my performance as an IS pilot...the end results were far worse. I...had already shown signs of mental degradation and instability; without her intervening, I would've likely died within the decade."

That was...incredibly grim; it definitely put Houki's anger in perspective. Making someone only to have them gradually fade away; losing their sanity and health all the while...

You had to stifle a shudder; not only was the though of such a thing horrifying to imagine, it was also very similar to what happened to you when you fell from grace. To lose one's self in madness is truly a horror; one you had chosen as punishment for your crimes. Even then, it is not something you would wish upon anyone; much less someone who's only 'crime' was simply being born wrong.

"I see," you say to her, "So that's what's been on your mind lately; something like that weighing heavily on your mind is understandable..."

"Sir?" Hearing her confusion, you turn to Laura and see that she has a baffled look on her face.

Now equally confused, you ask, "That...is what's been troubling you internally, right? Dwelling on Houki's discovery?"

"No sir, I haven't thought about it any further until you asked...What are you talking about?" Well, it looks like you're back to square one here.

Guess you have to be upfront about it, "Laura," you address her; using her first name, "I can see that you've been dwelling on something, and it's causing an inner turmoil inside of you. As your superior officer, your instructor, your leader; it's my duty to help you deal with these problems, before they grow and fester; affecting your performance on the field."

"Sir; I haven't let my performance drop in the slightest! I assure you, it's no-"

You hold up your hand and interrupt her, "I know you haven't let it get to you; yet. But leave it be, and it will." You grip Laura's shoulder, look her in the eye, and give a comforting smile, "So, tell me Laura; what's on your mind?"

Laura's head drops, and you can hear her mumbling, "How...why...I don't...it doesn't..."

Finally, she erupts, "It doesn't make any sense! The instructor is strong; stronger than anyone I had ever met, and yet when she talked about you...she was weak. Soft; the complete opposite of what she was, of the strength she showed me, showed all of us."

"Then you came; the source of Instructor's weakness. But...you're even stronger than she is; dwarfing anything that dared to stand against you, the blazing sun to the Instructor's raging inferno, unbreakable titanium over unyielding steel. Yet...you show that same weakness, that same softness; but you aren't weak. You can't be weak; someone that strong can't be weak. I...I don't understand...how can you be weak, but also strong?"

Now you've heard what's plaguing the lieutenant; having been raised to be nothing but a soldier since birth, she perceived your caring as a 'weakness'. When you are not stern or harsh; when you are not like what she was raised to perceive as 'strong', you confuse her. Having never experienced any tender emotions; she associates them with the closest equivalent she can think of: weakness.

Now, you have to show Laura that what she sees as weakness, but how?

[X] Through actions and fists; she's a soldier, combat is what raised her. It's what she truly understands
[X] Though words and speeches; such things are hard to explain in words, but there is no other real alternative...
[X] With the help of someone else; maybe get Houki in on this?
[X] Write-in

 

[EnderofWorlds]

[X] Through actions and fists; she's a soldier, combat is what raised her. It's what she truly understands.

Suddenly, you hear a beep from your wrist communicator. On it, you find a message from Houki, 'Get to the lab, bring Bodewig. Upgrades and shiny toys for everyone! '

You couldn't help but chuckle; right on time, eh Houki? You knew that words wouldn't be enough to explain to Laura why she's wrong, what she didn't understand. No, it would take action; it would take the heat of battle to etch this lesson into her mind, and more importantly; her heart.

You motion for Laura to follow you, "Come on lieutenant, Houki has some upgrades for our ISes. Follow me."

Laura salutes you and says, "Yes sir!"

Heading to the lab with Laura in tow, you take the time to say one last thing to her, "Tell me Laura; what happens when you use a weapon constantly? When you have it drawn and at the ready at all times, firing it or swinging it non-stop?"

Confused, Laura asks, "Sir?"

"Just...indulge me, and answer the question please."

The lieutenant takes a moment to take in the question, before replying, "Well...it would break; unless you took time to properly care and maintain it. The wear and tear would eventually cause the more fragile parts to break down and render it inoperable."

Hearing her explanation, you continue by saying, "Indeed; and what are soldiers and warriors, but weapons of a different sort? Just as one needs to take apart a rifle to properly care for the smaller and more fragile parts, so too do such fighters need moments of rest and vulnerability; lest they break. The same applies to the human body; you're a trained soldier, you know that you can only do so much training and conditioning before having to take a break and let the muscles rest."

You chuckle, "You're quite lucky; it looks like nee-san likes you, or at some level has some common ground with you, to feel comfortable enough to show that side of her. To let you see the purpose behind the warrior."

Before Laura can say anything else, the two of you have reached Houki's lab. When you enter, you see Houki working on an IS frame; what looks like the successor to Laura's old one. As you walk in, Houki looks up from the IS she's working on and smiles, "Right on time," she turns to Laura and tells her, "Bodewig, front and center; and take out your IS."

"Yes ma'am." Laura dutifully obeys and heads over the the newly finished IS; entering it while Houki transplas the core from the old one and begins adjusting it properly for Laura's use. When she's finished, all the wires and computers that were hooked onto it were disconnected and the IS entered it's closed form; a garter belt.

Houki then goes on to explain the new properties of the IS, "I got lazy with the name so it has the same as your old one; Schwarzer Regen. The AIC's been replaced with something new I made: the Absolute Defense System. The shields'll be far stronger and have a much farther range, and since I've actually fixed that eye of yours, you can use it in places besides right in front of you. The railgun's been upgraded and I've added another on on the other side; along with allowing them to combine to make a Hadron Cannon. Its output is enough to destroy an average size mountain with ease."

"But the real kicker is the advanced tactical system I've created and installed; for yours I went with the commander variant over the personal variant. The Druid System utilizes the Valkyrie Trace system your scientists botched up; using it as the foundation for it's own function: scanning and predicting enemy movement and tactics. The longer the battle goes on, the more accurate the system can predict what the enemy will do. Rematches only help it out more; the more data it gets, the better it works. It'll also suggest the best tactical movements of your own forces utilizing the data it's accumulated from the company's training sessions and missions."

"In other words, it is the first 7th Generation IS that I've made; and will definitely live up to whatever expectations your superiors are looking for." Trust Houki to make something revolutionary in a matter of weeks.

You remove your own IS from you hand and toss it to Houki, "Hey, catch."

Houki catches the IS and already moves it onto the workbench, "I'll have the Black Knight finished by tomorrow; so for now don't do anything stupid like you did at that little 'examination' of yours."

You sheepishly rub the back of your neck, "Well, actually..." Houki stops working on the IS and sighs.

She then turns to you and asks, "Alright; what are you doing and how worried do I need to be?"

"I just need to teach Laura a lesson, it'll be quick and I'll be fine; just like my first day here."

Houki simply shakes her head, "Fine, just so you know; you won't be able to manhandle her IS like you did before, that only works on the older ones. 3rd Generation and earlier. So don't come crying to me if you end up getting beaten six ways to Sunday..."

You only grin and say, "Good, then it'll be a challenge," you then notice an IS katana and pick it up; slinging it on your shoulder. You then gesture to Laura, "Come on, lieutenant; I still have that lesson to teach you."

Just as you leave the lab though, you say one last thing to Houki; "Besides, what kind of knight would I be if I couldn't handle teaching a simple lesson?" Even though your back was facing her, you could tell that Houki was smiling at you as you left.


You were facing off against Laura in her new IS, yourself unarmed save for a single katana. She looked nervously at you, likely worried about what Houki said earlier. You smile at her and tell her, "Don't worry about what Houki said; I can handle whatever you throw at me. Advanced IS or not."

"Yes sir," she replied back; no longer looking nervous, though you can tell that she's still not positive that this is a good idea. Still, this is a lesson you need to teach.

"Before we start, I have a question to ask," you say to the lieutenant, "Tell me, Laura; where does true strength come from?"

"Sir?" Laura asks, confused by the question. You shake you head at her confusion.

"As I thought; this is a lesson you're long overdue for. Now, prepare yourself!" With that you dash straight at Laura and unleash a horizontal slash at her waist.

However, she blocks using her Absolute Defense; and unlike with the AIC of her old IS, you can't cut through it. She rears back a fist and punches at you, but you block with your katana. The blow still sends you flying though, but you didn't let it catch you off balance and landed back into a stance.

Laura then rushed in and tried to strike you down with twin energy spears generated by the palms of her IS. As she lunged, you just barely manage to dodge as she continues unleashing a flurry of jabs and swipes at you; wielding both lances with masterful skill and grace. You fend off each and every blow, unable to counter because of the range the lances give her.

You can't help but feel some measure of pride; compared to when you first tested her, Laura's improved in leaps and bounds. However; as you finally find an opening from ducking under a sweeping blow, it isn't enough. You take advantage of the opening, dashing in and feinting to the right; waiting for the Absolute Defense to trigger. Once it does, you immediately try an diagonal slash from the lower left, only to see the Absolute Defense trigger again. Realizing that you're now vulnerable, you disengage and manage to dodge a roundhouse kick from the lieutenant.

You begin circling Laura, as she does the same; the both of you evaluating what to do from here. You can't cut through the Absolute Defense, and it seems you can't outspeed it either. However, you still had to win; still had to impart this lesson to her. You call out to Laura, "Now Laura; tell me...where does true strength come from!"

You dash in for another slash, this time blocked by Laura's spears. While your weapons are locked, the lieutenant answers your question, "It comes from power; from the overwhelming force you use to crush the enemy!"

"Wrong," you declare, shifting your blade to break the clash and create an opening; slashing with a frenzy against the defense of Schwarzer Regen. Your blows still do nothing to the Absolute Defense, so again you fall back, "If that were true, you would have won already. The power of your IS outclasses myself and my simple blade a hundredfold; yet still we fight."

You tilt your head, dodging a dagger that would've cleaved out your left eye had you not caught it in time. You begin dodging the other daggers as well, making sure to not get caught in their wires. You try to cut at the wires yourself, but your katana does nothing to them; it looks like Houki upgraded those too. After failing to disarm Laura of her knives, you immediately dodge to the right as she charges in once more with her lances; this time grazing your left side. You ignore the pain and begin blocking against her offensive; it isn't a debilitating blow, so you can still fight on.

Again, you manage to find an opening, and again you cannot break through the Absolute Defense. As you continue to fend off Laura's multiple assaults, you realize that the IS is making her as strong as you are; either that or Houki fixing her managed to make her stronger and faster. Still; you will not lose this fight, as again you cry out, "Tell me Laura...where does true strength come from!"

"From training and diligence; from the sweat, blood, and tears a soldier devotes to improving themselves!" She yells as she lunges at you once more.

You manage to deflect the lances aside, and create yet another opening; only this time, Laura was waiting for you: having charged the railguns to fire right at you. You barely manage to jump over her and dodge them; taking advantage of her vulnerable back to land several blows before she activated the Absolute Defense. You smirk at finding a potential weakness, then tell her, "Wrong; because you were bred and put through training far longer than I have, yet still you haven't bested me."

While you could continue this fight, you decide that enough is enough; letting prana infuse into the katana, you enter a stance and begin charging at her once again. You don't intend to turn the Katana into a Noble Phantasm through Knight of Honor, but you want to infuse it with enough prana to break through the Absolute Defense. As Laura charges as well, you cut through both lances then engage the Absolute Defense once more.

Like before, it blocks your blows; but this time, it begins to falter under the relentless assault. Finally, you break through and manage to land enough blows to trigger the Absolute Shielding; winning you the battle. You level your blade at her, solidifying your triumph. One last time, you ask Laura; "Tell me, Laura Bodewig...where does true strength come from?"

"I...I..." She stutters, unable to answer your question this time. Hearing her fumble, you lower your blade and plant it into the ground.

Then you answer her, "True strength comes from our convictions, our purpose, our ideals; just as it is our will and determination that truly wield our blades, it is our ideals and ambitions that wield us. My sister chose me as her purpose; chose protecting what he holds closest to her heart as her cause. I chose the path of a knight as my ideal; fighting for justice, to protect those who can't protect themselves. To save those in danger when they need it most, that is my path; it is what fuels my determination and will."

"It takes a soldier to hold a weapon and make it more than simple metal, and it takes a cause to make a soldier more than just a living tool."

You hold out your hand to her, "Tell me Laura...what do you fight for?"

Laura tells you, "I...I was born to be a soldier, I fight because I was-"

You shake your head, "No Laura, don't tell me what you were made for; tell me what you fight for."

"I...don't know. I don't understand..." You grab her and pull her up, seeing a mix of understanding and confusion on her face.

You console her, "I can see it in your eyes; you understand what I'm saying, but can't find it in yourself. Don't worry, you'll find your ideal and cause soon enough. And when you do, you'll be able to fight me on equal ground."

Laura looks up to you and asks, "How will I know when I've found it, sir?"

You smile and tell her, "You'll know; you'll feel it. Trust me."

With that, the two of you head back to base; the battle bringing your day to a close.


A month has passed, and it seems like your lesson reached Laura; no longer do you see inner turmoil or doubt, but simple determination and focus. You know now that Laura is searching for her ideal, for her cause to fight for, and at the end of every day you look each other in the eye.

With your gaze you ask, 'Have you found it yet?'

To which she replies, 'Not yet, sir.'

And every time you simply smile, knowing that even though she hasn't found it yet; she will. You had faith in her.

But now, you had something else to deal with...

(Pick 2)
[X] Houki wants you with her for her negotiation with Germany; specifically what their 'fuck-up' will cost them
[X] It was time for another Phantom Task raid, even with your new job; the Black Knight won't rest
[X] A mysterious organization has contacted you and Houki; who could it be?

 

[Selias]

[X] It was time for another Phantom Task raid, even with your new job; the Black Knight won't rest
[X] A mysterious organization has contacted you and Houki; who could it be?

 

[nick012000]

[X] Houki wants you with her for her negotiation with Germany; specifically what their 'fuck-up' will cost them
[X] A mysterious organization has contacted you and Houki; who could it be?

 

[Biigoh]

[X] It was time for another Phantom Task raid, even with your new job; the Black Knight won't rest.
[X] A mysterious organization has contacted you and Houki; who could it be?

 

[Happerry]

[X] It was time for another Phantom Task raid, even with your new job; the Black Knight won't rest
[X] A mysterious organization has contacted you and Houki; who could it be?

 

[EnderofWorlds]

[X] Houki wants you with her for her negotiation with Germany; specifically what their 'fuck-up' will cost them
[X] A mysterious organization has contacted you and Houki; who could it be? (Will get at soon)

You were now currently in a meeting room, sitting next to Houki and opposite to a group of several German officials and politicians. Judging by the looks of it, they were all incredibly high ranking; several were generals with multiple medals of honor on their dress uniforms, and the politicians were wearing the most expensive and exquisite suits on the market.

Neither side showed any emotion, both looking neutrally at each other; likely to hide any signs of nervousness or anything else that could be used as a tool against one another. The silence was deafening, the sound of a pin dropping would be as loud as a lion's roar here. You were slightly worried, with things as tense as they are now; was trouble brewing for you and Houki?

Finally, Houki broke the silence; "Gentlemen, I think we all know why we're here..."

"Indeed," the head of the German military replied, "As we have stated earlier in arranging this meeting; we sincerely apologize on the half of our scientific research and development department, had we known that their work wasn't...up to par with your standards, we would have offered something else in exchange. As such, we are now here to renegotiate the terms of our arrangement."

"Right then, but before we start; I would like to reaffirm one of the terms of our deal," Houki tells the man in front of her, "As we had decided earlier; everyone involved with this arrangement was to be vetted to ensure that the identity of the Black Knight was to be kept from the public, or Phantom Task for that matter. Seeing as how the R&D department didn't live up to expectations; I would like to double check the security of this base, the soldiers, and everyone here."

"Understandable; and already done," one of the generals to the head's right slides over a file to Houki, "This file is one of many that has the documentation and surveillance of everyone here for the entirety of your duration here; that one being the first week specifically. The rest are here and being delivered to your lab as we speak, being under constant guard until you return."

Houki take the file and give it a look over, then nods her head, "Good. Now as for my terms; I have only one: The 501st. As of now, they're mine."

The Germans reel back in shock, as if they were sucker punched right in the gut. In a sense; you suppose they were. Still dazed, their head speaker asked, "P-pardon?"

"You heard me," Houki retorts back, "I want you to give me the 501st Company; by all means they'll be a part of your military and perform whatever duties you need them to, but in they end they'll be my troops. Who will follow my orders above all else when I call on them for whatever I require their services. I believe that is a fair arrangement; is it not gentlemen?"

One of the politicians at the table slams his fists on the table and stands up, leveling a finger at Houki, "What you're asking for is outrageous! Those terms ridiculous; there's no way we'll agree to them."

"Oh?" Houki replies; eyebrow raised and leaning back on her chair, legs resting on the table, "Considering I fixed your super soldier, turned you faulty Valkyrie Trace system into something actually useful, and am now bereft of a actually reliable team of assistants; I thing that this is more than fair, wouldn't you say?"

The head representative pipes in; resting a hand on the politician's shoulder and easing him back into his seat, "While my associate was rather...spirited in his retort; his point isn't without merit: our deal has already ceded you a fair amount of our industry and the majority of our military's budget. To see what that all was paying for leave our hands...doesn't exactly strike us as fair."

"As I recall, you were the ones who wanted to outfit an entire company with ISes; full well knowing the prices of IS cores and my additional services. Now that one of the terms of our arrangement has been considered null, and I have been required to perform additional services; I need something for compensation." Houki tells them, no longer leaning back on her chair, but now leaning on the table; hands locked together and at her eye level.

"We understand, Dr. Shinonono; but still..." the representative hesitates, "Is there something else we can offer you instead? Anything at all?"

"Well..." Houki holds her chin, finger tapping while in thought, "I suppose there is; the rest of your industry. Give me the other half and I'll change my mind about the 501st."

"That...that would put every manufacturer in Germany under you control! You'd monopolize our entire economy! We can't possibly agree to those terms!" The man retorts, he colleagues agreeing with him vehemently.

Then, an assistant entered the room; handing a file to head of the German military. He opens the file, reading its contents; as he continues reading, his face pales. Finally, ashen faced, he looks at Houki and asks her, "What have you done?"

"Me?" Houki asks, pointing to herself; her eyes wide with surprise, "Why, I've been here all day. Not to mention you have surveillance on everything I do 24/7. If I had cracked your systems, you'd have noticed it by now. Especially since I'd have to do it from within, using the equipment you provided to-"

"ENOUGH!" the man yells, slamming his hands on the table. He tosses the file across the table, spreading its contents wide open for everyone to see, "Just now, one of our own research facilities have been bombed; no one was hurt due to how the bombs had been arranged. But if the slightest thing had gone wrong, dozens would be dead right now. So tell me: What. Did. You. Do?"

"I did nothing; you can be sure of that. My sister on the other hand....well, we all know by now she's a loose cannon." Houki shrugs, "Who knows what's going through that chaotic brain of hers. I mean, I can ask her to make up for it, build you a new one, and give you an apology; not public because we wouldn't want this little mishap being heard by anyone. She'd probably do it too; just have to flutter my eyelashes and pout and she'd go along with it. Would probably give me a gift too while she's at it..."

Hearing this, the spokesman simply slumps into his chair; along with the rest of the German committee. He rests his face in his open palms, arms on the table. Taking a deep breath and sighing, he utters out; "Deal. Just...just take it already."

"Pardon?" Houki asks, as if she didn't hear.

"The 501st; they're yours now. Just call her off; please. Before anyone gets hurt." The man, near broken, pleads with Houki.

Houki simply smiles, stands up, and says, "Well gentlemen, I'm glad we were able to settle this quickly and without any complications. I'll call my sister and make sure she give you that apology and a new compound; along with some extra compensation."

She then tells them, "Oh, and if anyone would like to discuss the 501st training progress under Major Orimura; I brought him here for your convenience. Any questions?" Nothing but silence greets her, so she shrugs and turns to you, "Oh well, c'mon Ichika; we have other things to work on today."

And so the two of you leave the room; leaving behind an broken down committee of the most powerful men in Germany.


Once you exit the room, you ask Houki, "Houki...was that all really necessary? I mean, blackmailing them with your sister...that's just wrong...."

Houki sighs and looks you in the eye, "I didn't Ichika; I didn't know what nee-san did or why she did it. I know that by now she should know about me allying with Germany; but the terms of the deal and their details are secured under security programs made by myself: she couldn't have cracked them without me noticing."

She runs her hand through her hair, "My best guess is that she found out about the faulty experiments of Germany's R&D and put two and two together, then ran with it: doing what she thought was a good idea. The fact that nobody died was probably because I'd be upset if anyone was. Once I saw the file; I just ran with it, using it to end negotiations as soon as possible."

You also sigh and shake your head; once again, you are reminded that Tabane doesn't see the world like everyone else does: for better or for worse. You look back at Houki and tell her, "This isn't your fault, you know. Just in case you were thinking..."

"In case I was thinking it was?" Houki sardonically asks. "I know it isn't; but since I'm the only one who can make her clean up after herself, I might as well." You can only sigh in agreement, as the two of you enter the mess hall for something to eat.

Once inside; you actually find some open seats, next to Laura coincidentally. You head over and take the open seats, smiling at Laura and greeting her, "Hello, lieutenant."

Surprised, she give the two of you a salute, "Sir, ma'am. What are you doing here?"

"Getting something to eat; away from the higher ups considering that they've probably had more than enough of dealing with me for today," Houki tells her. She then pauses for a moment, paying attention to Laura's eyepatch; asking, "Bodewig, why haven't you taken that thing off yet?"

"Ma'am?" Laura asks, confused by what Houki was asking.

"You don't need that silly thing anymore; I fixed your eye after all. You should be able to control and handle the perception without wearing something to cover it, so take it off."

"I...I'd rather not, ma'am. If that's ok." Laura replies, looking rather nervous. Which was rather confusing, considering what Houki just said.

You also join in the conversation, "Laura, if you don't need to wear it; then why do you want to keep it on? Is there something wrong with your eye? Because if there is, then Houki needs to take a look at it and see what's wrong."

"Yeah, I'm doing all those checkups to make sure you're ok and not suffering the projected aftereffects that my operation was supposed to fix. So if there's something wrong with your eye, I need to check it; now."

"No, no; everything's fine. I just...like it for...sentimental value?" Yeah, neither you or Houki were buying it; especially since Laura only looks even more nervous, like a cornered rat.

"Bodewig, remove the eyepatch. That's an order." As expected of Houki; she cuts right to the heart of the matter to bring it to a close. She also stands up and walks up to Laura, standing right behind her.

"Um...wouldn't it be a better idea to do this... in the lab? Yeah, the lab; the very secluded, and far away from everyone lab?" Wow, you didn't think Laura was the time to quail under pressure and shiver like that. Or have her eye frantically dart back and forth for that matter.

"Nope; doing it now. Ichika!" Laura's head immediately turns around to look at you, which is right when Houki uses that as an opening to pull off her eyepatch.

Huh...apparently her other eye is yellow; who knew? Immediately, though; you felt as if you were being watched, like prey being stalked by a predator. You look back, wary for any danger; looking for what caused it. But what you found was...rather strange...

Every woman in the mess hall had stopped what they were doing; some even dropping their plates as they were heading back to return them, everyone as still as a statue. Their eyes focused on you, like a hawk; or like a starving wolf eyeing a ribeye steak. Then, you realize that their eyes weren't on you at all...

They were on Laura.

Immediately, one of them made a move; Laura's subordinate Clarissa, "Laura! I've just realized that we desperately need to hold a personal strategy session with Die Hasen des Todes. For the good of the squad, of course!"

Then, a lieutenant shoved Clarissa aside and told Laura, "Bodewig; I think that I've been having some trouble with the latest drill the major had us doing. Since you're so good at piloting the IS, maybe we can have a...private workout session? Or ten? So I don't hold back the rest of the company, obviously..."

Clarissa then decks the lieutenant across the face and yells at her, "Laura doesn't need to bother with your inferior and pathetic IS skills; she has Die Hasen des Todes. We're the superior fighting force and won't drag her down by being weak like you."

"Why you?!" It was like the floodgates had opened; as the soldiers swarmed your table, swarmed Laura like locusts to fresh crops. It was like watching jackals and vultures fighting over which one got to pick at a carcass, as each soldier was pushing and shoving the others aside just to get closer to her. Each one coming up with excuses or compliments; like they were nothing more than air-headed schoolgirls instead of the hardened veterans they were.

"Laura! Your hair is so soft and luxurious, how do you do it?"

"Laura! I've noticed that you don't utilize your shooting skills as much as you should; since I'm the best sniper on the company I can-"

"Don't listen to her! I'm the best sniper in the company and I say you're more than good enough; you have eyes like a hawk: piercing, yet beautiful..."

"Lieutenant Bodewig; I think I'm starting to fall behind in my CQC, and since you're the best at that maybe you can-"

"No, pick me Laura!"

"Don't choose her; I'm better for you Laura!"

"Laura!"

"Laura!"

As the horde of women continuously closed in, Laura could only curl in on herself and plead for her life; [size=6pt]"Help me..." [/SIZE]

You and Houki were watching; awestruck at how the 501st had devolved from trained, professional soldiers...to mindless fangirls...

What do you even do?

[X] Help her! Somehow...(Write-in)
-- [X] Have Houki come up with an idea
[X] Yeah...Laura's a trained soldier; she's got this. Not to mention you have no idea what to do here
[X] Write-in?

Author's note: Jesus Christ this got long; so long I had to cut the original update in half and leave the segue part in the first half.

 

[Biigoh]

....

Fangirls!

 

[Biigoh]

[X] Help her! Somehow...
- - [X] Swiftly! Carry the objective away! Clearly, that eye of hers hold much power to render trained professionals into fangirls! You can't trust Houki with such power! Only you can withstand such charismatic might such as this!
- - [X] Try not to laugh maniacally when carrying Laura away!

^_^

 

[EnderofWorlds]

[X] Help her! Somehow...
-[X] Put her eyepatch back on now now nownownow!!!
-[X] If that proves impossible, grab her and run. Watch out for IS pursuit.

Right; you weren't going to leave the poor lieutenant to suffer at the hands of ravenous fangirls, it was simply against your character. You look to Houki and call out to her, "Houki! The eyepatch!"

Seeing where you were going with this, Houki tosses you the eyepatch. Unfortunately, the crowd of mesmerized soldiers saw it too and began a mad dash to try to take it for themselves. You jump and grab the eyepatch in midair before the horde can take it for themselves, then crash into the swarm of lovestruck women. Fending them off as they swarm around you, making sure that you don't do any permanent harm; you try to get closer to Laura. However, it seems that for every one that you push aside, three more replace her.

Finally, you hear a loud thumping sound and see Houki on top of the table; a fork in her hand. She yells as loud as she can to the horde, "ATTENTION EVERYONE! For the one in a lifetime opportunity to land an all expense paid trip to the Bahamas with Lieutenant Bodewig for the duration of a month; all you have to do is find this fork out in the training grounds and return it to me in...two hours. Ready...GO!"

Then, she tosses the fork into the air; which then vanishes in a flash as it starts to drop back down. The swarm of fangirls, paying devout attention to every work; immediately storm out of the mess hall, eager to win the 'prize'. Once the dust settles, Houki jumps down from the table and helps Laura up while you head over to them and hand Laura back her eyepatch. She immediately grabs it and hurriedly puts it back on, still trembling and out of sorts from the impromptu crowding.

Houki immediately asks what's on both of your minds, "What the hell was that all about?"

Taking a minute to compose herself and stop shaking, Laura answers; "I...I don't know, it happened the first time I took off the eyepatch after you did your operation: Clarissa and everyone in the platoon swarmed me, I barely had the chance to get the eyepatch on before it got...worse..." Saying that, Laura started to shiver all over again.

"I see," Houki replies, "And this happened only after I fixed you up, right?"

"Yes ma'am"

"Hmm...well, it looks like we're going to have to arrange for more check-ups; need to figure out just what is causing all of this. Which means testing what exactly the stimuli causing all of this is."

Laura feebly tells Houki, "Can...can we not, but say we did?"

Houki looks at Laura and frowns, "No; because if this is my fault then I'm going to fix it, and that means knowing what went wrong. Besides, in a controlled environment; it can't be that bad, right?"

Laura then grabs Houki by the collar of her shirt and pulls her down to eye level, "I am still trying to wash away the shame!"

Shocked by the rebuttal, Houki squeaks out, "W-Well, I can personally assure you that it'll be very controlled tests and that absolutely nothing will go wrong. So...can you let go, please?"

Laura then realizes what she's doing and lets go, "Sorry, ma'am. It's just...really stressful and not a pleasant thing to deal with."

Houki simply waves her off, "It's fine; no harm done. Now, go take five; you could use a break after having to deal with all of that."

Laura simply slautes and heads off while you and Houki finish off what's left of your lunch. Once you finish, you ask Houki; "So, any ideas about what caused all of that?"

"Phermones possibly, definitely has something to do with the eye; like I said, I need to do some testing to figure out just what is happening before I can fix it."

You simply nod in understanding, then look at the mess hall and the damage the soldiers left in their wake, "And the mess hall?"

Houki shrugs, "Eh, let them deal with it; if worst comes to worst I'll make something to clean this mess up. C'mon, there's one last thing we need to do today."

Houki stands up and starts to leave, you following shortly thereafter. You've sat in on negotiations with the German government and fended off a horde of fangirls; what's next on the agenda?


It turned out what's next was Houki setting up some sort of machine in her lab, pressing a sequence of buttons on it and typing in numbers in its imput. After several mintues of tinkering, she turns to you and says, "Put on your IS, we're dealing with an unknown here."

You nod and put on the Black Knight; apparently it was time for further negotiations. Curious about who you were dealing with, you ask Houki, "So, which country is this for?"

"No country," Houki replies back, "A 'mysterious organization' sent me a message two weeks ago about us 'having a common foe'; left me a number to call them an nothing else. I was able to trace back where the message came from and sent them a holographic projector: that way I can look at them face to face before I agree to any deal of theirs. It makes me feel more comfortable that way, and more in control."

Before you could say anything back, the projector sprang to live and showed the image of a figure shrouded in shadows surrounded by several others. The figure in the middle, the one you assume to be the leader, speaks. Voice distorted, they say; "Hello, Dr. Shinonono; we're glad you have responded to our message. Though we are surprised that you've set up such an...elaborate method of doing so."

Houki pulls out a chair and sits down on it, then answers, "Well, let's just say I prefer talking to people face to face; helps you get a good feel for the person on the other side. Don't you agree....Sarashiki?"

"H-how did you?!" The figure demands in shock, as Houki simply gives them a smug smirk and leans comfortably back on her chair.

"Come now, did you really think I sent that projector for nothing? Deciphering the image and filtering through the shadows and voice modulation is child's play for someone of my caliber" Houki boasts to them. She then becomes serious and cuts to the heart of the matter, "Now that we've gotten the cloak and dagger bullshit out of the way; what do you want?"

The leader simply chuckles, then replies back, "I should have expected as such from the brilliant Houki Shinonono; after all, our surveillance shows that of the two sisters, you are the one far more capable in the field of negotiations and politics."

Raising their hand and snapping their fingers; the leader dispells their disguise: showing a girl only a year or so older than you. With blue hair and red eyes, she gave off an presence that you couldn't help but find similar to your liege's in your past life. However, in comparison to the grace and majesty of King Arthur; this girl was simply a child playing pretend: all of it forced and unnatural, as if trained to appear as such. Forced grace will never compare to that which comes naturally, after all.

Houki raises an eyebrow and asks, "Katana? This is a surprise; where's your father?"

The girl, Katana, simply replies, "It's Tatenashi now; doctor."

With only a slight twitch of the mouth as a sigh of surprise; Houki's face become neutral as she tells the girl, "Ah...I see, I'm sorry for your loss. Well then, Tatenashi; what exactly is this all about? As I recall I've already finished whatever business I have with both Japan and Russia."

"This isn't about your dealings with world governments, Dr. Shinonono; this is about our common foe: Phantom Task." Tatenashi tells Houki, not responding to the condolences; focusing solely for the reasons for this meeting.

"Our foe? As far as I know, I'm the only one taking overt action against them; would you care to elaborate on that?" Houki asks; a question that was on your mind as well. Seeing that the only other force damaging Phantom Task was your sister, you'd think that another organization fighting against Phantom Task would be much more noticeable.

"This organization was founded by my family shortly after the insurgence of Phantom Task; under the guise of an ancient and well-respect clan, we have gather resources and done what we could to hamper Phantom Task and whatever nefarious goals they have. With the recent activities of your friend there," she gestures at you, "We've decided that it's time we begin to expand our sights and attain allies to help in the fight."

Houki listens to the explanation, then bluntly says to Tatenashi, "Yes, that's all well and good; now tell me exactly how you fight Phantom Task. Like I said before, it seems that I'm the only one taking overt action against them."

"We've been fighting them from the shadows; denying them resources and dealings on the black market. We've been fighting them by doing our best to cut off what connections and contacts they have that we can find. Tatenashi explains to Houki, "We don't have the resources available on had to take overt action, not yet. That's one of the main reasons we've gone out and-"

"Do you take me for a fool Tatenashi?" Houki asks, cutting off the blue-haired girl's explanation.

"P-pardon, Dr. Shinonono?" Tatenashi asks, disoriented by being cut off and asked that.

"I said, 'Do you take me for a gullible dumbass, you moron?'" Houki bites back, "I know full well what resources you have on hand, I have to because you're on of the most influential families and companies in both Japan and Russia. What you really meant was, 'We don't have the resources to take overt action, without revealing ourselves'. Fighting Phantom Task; you're barely slapping them across the wrist, at most. Hell, even the raids that I-no, that both me and my sister have been pulling with the White and Black Knights haven't been doing more than giving them minor setbacks!"

Houki continues to chew them out, "By 'alliance' you mean that you're going to use me and the Black Knight to do your dirty work; the same dirty work that you've refused to do for decades. I'm not in the mood to deal with bullshit and false platitudes; tell me what you want so I know how loudly and violently I have to say 'no'."

Tatenashi protest Houki accusation, "That's not at all what we're trying to do here, doctor! We simply want to help in whatever way we can to take down Phantom Task; we would never try to use you like that. I assure you, as head of the Sarashiki clan; that we will not abuse any alliance between us."

Houki simply scoffs and replies, "Then I guess it's Option B then, huh? Alright then, how many men are you willing to offer?"

The head of the Sarashiki clan smiles and says, "We have hundreds of informants and spies that are more than willing to-"

"I don't want spies; I want soldiers." Houki cuts her off again, once more surprising Tatenashi.

"W-what?"

"You heard me; my actions should be more that clear as to how I'm dealing with Phantom Task: I'm waging a war here, and if you can't provide me with what I need then I see no reason to continue this charade." Houki proclaims, cutting to the heart of the matter and setting her terms.

"I...I'm afraid that in terms of martial forces, we can't exactly help you wi-" Again Houki cuts Tatenashi off.

"Can't? Or won't? I can already see where this is going; you won't be able to offer up much of anything in this so called 'alliance' for fear of revealing yourselves to Phantom Task. Meanwhile, I, who has already shown myself to be their enemy; is going to be doing the lion's share of the work for the two of us. Is that correct?"

Tatenashi goes red with anger and grits out, "We have fought against Phantom Task for over fifty years, doing our best to limit their power. We have done more than enough damage to-"

"You're done nothing!" Houki yells, "Your so called 'fights' are nothing more than playing keep away with the most useless things, things that Phantom Task cares absolutely nothing about in the end. You haven't slowed them down; you've haven't even gotten their attention! They don't know you exist, because you haven't done anything to them to make them care!"

Tatenashi, unwilling to takes this, rants, "Nothing? You think we have done nothing?! Every contact that they lose, every deal that is broken, every piece of information we get on them is-"

"Absolutely worthless; unless you have anything on their inner circle. So long as that is still intact; Phantom Task will easily recoup what is done to them. I don't know how, but they will. As for your attempts 'doing nothing': tell me, what do you think is Phantom Task's most sought out commodity?"

Tatenashi calms down, then answers, "According to what we can find from our network; likely a tie between ICBMs and-"

"People," you cut in, "Phantom Task takes people; it's what in almost all of their storehouses: live people they've kidnapped or bought. You've 'fought' them for fifty years, and you didn't know this?"

Shocked by your answer, Tatenashi replies, "That...none of our findings have shown-"

Houki scoffs, "Of course they wouldn't; Phantom Task does things under the table, even if you think you're in that deep, Phantom Task is in deeper. That's why I haven't bother doing any of the things you're doing and decided to just beat them in the face until they break. So let me make this real simple for you, Tatenashi..."

"Unless you can give me information on Phantom Task's inner circle, or are willing to give me people and weapons to fight on the front lines; you're as useful to me as a rash. Are we clear?"

Tatenashi takes some time to compose herself; trying several time to respond, but faltering before she talks. Eventually, she turns to you and asks, "You're her partner; surely you can see that an alliance can only benefit the both of us, right? We can't take overt action, not now; but we can still help: we can provide resources or information! Please, talk some sense into the doctor; get to look at this reasonably."

Houki rolls her eyes, "Wow that's sad; you're literally trying to pit my closest comrade here, the person I trusted with the latest, state of the art, IS to fight Phantom Task to try and guilt me into agreeing. But alright, I'll bite;" Houki turns to you, "Whaddya think?"

[X] Write-in

 

[nick012000]

[X] More money's always useful, even if you've got shitloads of it already.

 

[Selias]

[X] More money's always useful, even if you've got shitloads of it already.

Click to shrink...

It's really not. Houki is one of the two most powerful people in the world.

 

[Vauron]

[X] She came to us. If she wants to sit at the table with the people who get things done, she needs to actually get things done.

 

[Redon]

Ender, you know you've pretty much ensured it's going to be the PT raid by making that statement, and knowing you... made it so the introduction is more important... ah sheep... Not even going to bother trying to change their minds, it'll just be an exercise in futility.

 

[EnderofWorlds]

[X] Alectai

"You've fought Phantom Task for fifty years, devoting everything you could to stopping them and halting their plans. At least, that's what you say. But your actions and your words today seem to say otherwise."

Before Tatenashi can give a rebuttal, you continue, "In fifty years, the damage you have done looks to be as much as what Houki and I have done. In a single year. You say you have information on them, yet you didn't know what their most sought after 'commodity' was. You talk of uniting together to fight a common foe, yet you hesitate when it comes to the actual fight."

"Frankly, before any talk of alliances can be made; it looks like you have to clean up your act here. It sounds to me like your organization is either lacking when it comes to getting results, or is intentionally being sabotaged. We know Phantom Task is a highly competent organization, and by the sounds of it you aren't morons; so the fact that you've gotten so little done is rather baffling. Unless your withholding information from us, which could also be the case."

"Suffice to say, right now you don't seem to be the sort of organization we want to form such a long term and binding alliance with; while you're right on us having a common foe, it doesn't seem like our working together is going to improve our chances against them by a whole lot. Maybe if things change, or if your organization changes its methods or terms, but not right now."

Houki nods then turns to Tatenashi, "Well, looks like your desperate little gamble failed. But I'll tell you what; since my partner here has some faith in your abilities, I'll give you this," she holds up three fingers and waggles them, "You get three chances; three chances to make an offer, give a good showing and try and woo me over to your side. Spend all the time you need, use whatever methods you like; just know that you only get three shots. After the third strike, don't bother me ever again. Or else. Deal?"

Tatenashi looks upset by the ultimatum, but grudgingly agrees, "...Deal. We'll notify you when we've come up with the terms and are ready to negotiate."

"Take your time; there's no rush. After all, this is a rather important matter; best to take it slow and steady to get it right, ne?" Houki retorts back, leaning back on her chair and looking rather content with herself.

"Right..." Tatenashi simply accepts the comment, apparently not offended by it. Your guess was that, given the lack of results and lasting damage on Phantom Task in comparison to your own deeds; they needed Houki and you more than you guys needed them.

"Well, if this meeting is over we will-" Before Tatenashi can finish, Houki interrupts her.

"Actually, how's your sister? She doing alright? Last I remember she seemed to be doing rather well in school, especially in science and mathematics..." Houki asks, surprising Tatenashi; who jumps back slightly with eyes widening in shock by the impromptu question.

"She's...fine, and you're correct about that. Why?" Houki simply grins like the cat who just caught the canary.

She then tells Tatenashi, "Oh, well it's just that...since things haven't gone so smoothly; and have definitely shaken my trust in the Sarashiki clan in terms of their reliability and competency, perhaps it might be for the best to send someone over to be a reliable representative and assistant. You know, give you guys a good image to help smooth over the rather poor showing you've given today. And since your sister doesn't seem too preoccupied with any important matters..."

"No, absolutely not," Tatenashi tells her, "There is no way in hell I am giving you my sister. Nothing can-"

"Oh really? And what will the clan think? About how you threw away the opportunity to get Houki Shinonono and the Black Knight on your side, solely because you were unwilling to simply send your sister over for the honor of being the said doctor's assistant. Let's face it; you've only just recently stepped into becoming clan head, this negotiation falling through isn't going to do your reputation and position any wonders. Refusing might just tank it enough for you to lose your position, make your clan hold a vote of no-confidence and have someone else take the reigns. Clan council will go through with it; they'd already throw a fit at your failure, and this'd give them everything they'd need to 'fix the problem', so to speak."

"Heartless as it is to say; your sister has little value or purpose within your clan, especially because you're still alive. Send her to me, and that all changes; not to mention the gains of having someone constantly trying to convince me to change my mind about you guys. Besides, it's not like she even likes you or anything; you know that. Send her to me, and I'll make her into something more than just your inferior little sister, living in your shadow."

"I...I..." Tatenashi hesitates; Houki's speech was like a sucker punch to her soul, her eyes shadowed with regret and tears brimming in her eyes, "...Fine. I'll send her over when most convenient for you."

"Great; I'll make sure you can contact her on a weekly basis, and I'll call to let you know when the best time to send her over will be. Goodbye, Tate-chan." Houki smiles and waves, then shuts down the projectors. She then sighs and slumps down on her chair.

She turns to you and asks, "Can you go to the fridge and toss me a beer? It should be to the right, can't miss it. Today has not been easy..."

You nod and say, "Sure." Walking to the right, you find it and grab a beer from it; tossing it to Houki. She catches it, grabs a screwdriver from the nearest workbench, pokes a hole in the bottom, and shotguns the entire thing.

She give a small burp, then holds her hand up and asks, "Another, please. Oh, and if you want one help yourself. It's shipped over her on Germany's payroll."

"Ah, no thanks; I'm good." You tell her. Pulling up a seat and sitting next to her, you ask, "You alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah; it's just been a long day. Give me working in the labs over this sorta stuff any day of the week. Besides, the alcohol helps me sleep." Houki tells you, running her hand through her hair and sighing.

Hearing that bit about sleeping didn't ease your worries though, "Sleep? I thought your meds handled that; is something wrong with them?"

Houki holds her hands up and quickly reassures you, "No, no; nothing like that. I mean, they work and knock me out; they just don't make me feel rested, you know? Like instead of getting a proper eight hour sleep, it feels like I was only knocked out for an hour or so. And sometimes I get the nightmares, but because of the meds I'm...detached; like instead of being there in person, I'm watching it from a tv or something. It...makes it easier to deal with, like a regular nightmare instead of...you know..."

"I see," you say, then ask, "And the therapy, how's that going?"

Houki snorts and says, "Pretty useless; they can't do much because they don't know my 'issues': I have loving parents, a doting sister, and a nice and caring home; nothing at all to cause or stimulate these sort of nightmares. They've fallen back on 'stress and intense activity' as the reason and suggest a hobby for me to try. Kendo doesn't count; to 'violent' and stirs up 'negative emotions' too easily. I think the current one I'm trying is...music, I think? Yeah, that sounds about right; I mean I did just get that Stradivarius..."

Hearing that, you think back on Houki's room at your home, "Is that why you started keeping plants in the guest room?"

Houki nods, "Yeah, one week they suggested gardening; it sorta helped, I mean it was kinda soothing and all, but it didn't stop the nightmares. So they wrote it off as a failure and suggested trying something else to go along with it. That reminds me, I need to check to see if they finally arrived!" She chugs the rest of her beer and grabs you by the arm, dragging you with her back to your room.

Once there, you notice a package waiting outside, Houki rushes over to it and exclaims with glee, "It's here! Finally! I was wondering what took them so long."

She dashes into the room with the package and you follow shortly after; once inside, you see her opening the package and taking out several gardening tools: small ones, and none that would be meant for anything really unique like a bonsai tree. Then, you see her carefully pull out the real treasure held within; three lotuses, all floating on a small basin. You walk over to the package that held it, and saw inside belts and a plastic container to make sure that the basin was held in place and didn't spill over.

Looking at the lotuses, you notice that two seemed to have just flowered while one was already in full bloom. All three of them were black. You ask Houki, "I didn't know they came in black, where did you get them?"

"India," she tells you, "It was a gift of goodwill from the government; apparently it was a part of a spiritual landmark that was beginning to run dry, they couldn't find a way to install a water system without disturbing the rest of the site, so they ended up giving it to me. It helped that I gave them a rather good deal, and that a majority of the people we saved in your big debut were Indian. Caretakers said that for as long as they can remember the lotus was there; never dying, never growing any new ones. They said it was holy and sacred; they were furious that it was being given away. I don't know how the government got them to fork it over; I didn't even ask for it, but they gave it as a gift and refusing would be rude."

Houki then smirks, "Two weeks later I show them the new ones growing; now the caretakers are convinced that I'm some 'holy woman' and are trying to get me enshrined as an avatar of Lakshmi or Vishnu, I don't remember which. Those guys are really fanatical when it comes to that flower..."

"Well, they're really pretty; guess you just wanted them here?" You ask, curious about why Houki would have such delicate flowers sent over.

"Yeah, had to pay a fortune to have them sent over as carefully as possible. But; they're really soothing, make me feel relaxed and calm. Plus, I was worried that a year away from them would end up killing them; then I've have to deal with the fanatics." Houki tells you, chuckling at the end.

After Houki sets up the basin on the desk, you give her another back rub at her request followed by the two of you calling it a night. Before she goes to sleep, you see Houki pop a pill of her medication to her mouth then crash to the bed, you following shortly thereafter.


Several days have passed, and you were preparing for an important event:

[X] A PT Raid, this time on something more than a supply base. You and Houki don't know what it is, but it's important.
[X] An jeep driving towards the base; Houki's assistant was coming

 

[Selias]

[X] A PT Raid, this time on something more than a supply base. You and Houki don't know what it is, but it's important.

 

[nick012000]

[X] Tell Houki to rip the mana from the Black Lotus and use it to power a Dark Ritual.

 

[Biigoh]

[X] A PT Raid, this time on something more than a supply base. You and Houki don't know what it is, but it's important.