>>2954051
>Go and try to man the grill

>>2954051
>>‘If there’s one thing I know about the nature of humans, it’s that you do not take a man’s grill away from him.’

>>2954051
>Go and try to man the grill
Time to cook!

>>2954051
>>‘If there’s one thing I know about the nature of humans, it’s that you do not take a man’s grill away from him.’

>>2954054
>>2954061
>>2954057
>>2954077
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

>>2954051
>‘If there’s one thing I know about the nature of humans, it’s that you do not take a man’s grill away from him.’

File: Major.png (133 KB, 619x447)

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You’re not an idiot.

I have a—

You’re mostly not an idiot.

And even if you were an idiot of the highest possible achievement, there were two truths to human nature: the first of which was that any car’s stereo was off limits … and the second of which was the firm truth that trying to muscle in on someone’s grill was signing a death warrant and saying goodbye to any semblance of human decency left in your sorry soul. It was non-negotiable.

‘If there’s one thing that I know about human decency, it’s that you do not take a man’s grill away from him,’ you growl back out, feeling the shivers for entertaining such a thought.

From his spot, the soldier manning the grill raises his head, the both of you sharing a brief glance. It’s unconscious, fleeting … and communicated.

A brotherhood.

Instinct wired to your very cells.

‘Then we wait.’

The Major’s word brings you down from your thoughts. You cock your head to the side, suddenly feeling … puzzled by the man’s nonchalant demeanor. He’d never been emotional in your encounters, but he seemed oddly … dismissive tonight. It could have been the cold, of course. The winter blahs coming in and biting at people’s ears and ankles were always enough to get people in a mood. In this case, though …

‘Some place you’d rather be or just company you’d rather not be around?’

He cocks an eyebrow, untucking his hands from his armpits and sparing you a glance.

‘Is that rhetorical or a genuine inquiry?’

‘You don’t look like you want to be here,’ you drawl out, slight amusement dancing at the tip of your tongue. ‘But I couldn’t call myself observant if I wasn’t able to deduce that there’s someplace else you’d rather be … or someone else that you’d rather be spending a cold night on the beach beside.’

The Major shifts slightly, rubbing his lip.

That was a bullseye.

Or close to it, in any case.

‘I was supposed to be back for the weekend,’ he declares. ‘My family’s back inland; it’s my grandmother’s birthday today.’

‘Oh,’ you mutter distantly, unable to follow up on that. ‘You, uh … close?’

‘She’s the only family I have left,’ he mumbles, before breaking into an uncharacteristic chuckle. ‘Although I could do without her trying to set me up with every eligible female that she comes across.’

Your shoulders quake as you try to picture The Major at wedding meeting.

‘She sounds like quite the lady,’ you comment. Your eyes don’t miss the slight twitch the Major sports at the compliment. ‘You really couldn’t make it back?’

‘The Colonel has poisoning,’ he reminds you, his voice stiff as he remembers the cold. ‘I have my responsibilities.’

That he did.

And he would fulfill them, regardless of what called to him.

‘What about you?’

‘Huh?’

‘Your family?’

You weigh his question, hesitant.

>Write-In
>Change the topic
>Leave

>>2954165
>its been a while since i visited them
>i fell out of contact with them before i came here
>i had a fight with them before i left to come here
so many choices we can make here lads

>>2954165
>my family huh? its been a while since i actually visited them really. i fell out of contact with them before i came here. thought they would be dissapointed if their son was just a lowly cook who was just stuck in a rut with no drive to get himself out.
open to suggestions to change things

>>2954172
Sounds good to me. I'll support it.

>>2954165
>>2954172
supporting this

>>2954165
Family? Is that a spice?

>>2954172
This is ok

I pray to God I have time today. Been oddly busy.

>5 days
>2 posts

>>2966620
the mods really dont like Mech
he keeps getting the hammer for other Malaysians shitposting

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It’d been a while since the topic came up … no, since the thought even sprung. You’re not sure how long it’d been since your family even came into your thoughts: a month? Two? Since you’d left your job and risked everything coming to Yokosuka? It’d simply been … irrelevant, if you were being honest. Things had come like a hurricane of punches that you hadn’t had time to even consider, never mind let yourself go astray from the idea of a tomorrow that would be your last … and when it wasn’t, you were cooped up in the thoughts of the surprisingly complex system of well-being that the KanMusu under your command operated on.

Not to mention an incursion on a foreign nation that that almost resulted in your muscles liquified and your bones canned.

Or the fact that you almost found yourself torn apart by a series of encounters by an alien presence time and time again.

So … no, the topic of family really didn’t tug at your thoughts.

‘Been a while since I visited,’ you confess, albeit a little reluctantly. Despite having pried into The Major’s own personal life, you find yourself shifting toe-to-toe on the prospect of unraveling this weave; you hadn’t even talked to Nagato or Takao about this … and speaking to The Major dragged out some considerations that you’d ignored by keeping your eye on the present. ‘Didn’t really bother calling much and they … well, I guess it’s not their fault they didn’t call back. I moved around a lot, trying to get work … residency and all that junk.’

‘Sounds more like an excuse than an actual reason.’

You wince.

You were used to be the one grabbing prompts. Getting caught off guard in such a manner had you scrambling to build the words up.

‘I guess I thought that they wouldn’t want to see me, I guess.’

‘Why?’

You’re not sure if he was being abrasive … or just being as curious as humans could manage.

To your surprise, you’re not inclined to either conclusion.

‘I guess …’

Maybe it was because it was hard to be dishonest when the answer involved looking into the mirror.

‘I thought that they’d be disappointed in me,’ you mumble, shifting slightly … and cursing as to why your tenant hadn’t taken the hint to keep the cold at bay already. You raise your head to keep yourself distracted from the cold … and focused on the now: the line of hungry soldiers hadn’t shrunk nor grown; people were still in line, waving plates and utensils. ‘Not exactly something you want to chat about to your neighbors … my kid’s in a rut and doesn’t want to do anything with his life. Fitting that on a resume’s not exactly endearing.’

‘Family’s not about filling resumes and requirements.’

>‘You’re oddly chatty.’ (Divert)
>‘I guess.’ (Concede)
>‘You haven’t met mine.’ (Challenge)
>Change the topic
>Write-In

>>2975894
>>‘I guess.’ (Concede)
>wouldn't hurt to send them a letter letting them know im alright and what im up to

>>2975894
>>‘You’re oddly chatty.’ (Divert)

>>2975930
>>2975961
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

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‘You’re oddly chatty,’ you mention pointedly, raising an eyebrow for emphasis.

A shadow of a smirk makes flashes across his lips. ‘It’d be rude to not return conversation when it’s given in kind.’

You give a light snort, your exoskeleton whirring slightly as your arms cross over your chest.

‘Your grandmother teach you that, too?’

He wears a small smile, closing his eyes and letting out a breath.

‘Among other things.’

Neither of you talk for a while, taking in the night and watching the bustle of dozens of men and a cut of women shuffle in anticipation at the prospect of lean, grilled meat. You yourself feel a little tug from your gut to go and wait in line … but seeing that rowdy bunch going shoulder-to-shoulder despite the wide berth the beach offered has your rational and calculative recesses deduce that it wasn’t worth the risk: not with the fact that the military had yet to field a healthy appreciation for the Admiralty, barring a few exceptions. It’s a cool two (perhaps even five) minutes of silence that goes by … and with every passing moment, the scent of seasoned, burning meat gets stronger …

‘Relief efforts are going well.’

You turn your head.

‘Huh?’

‘The city’s … more or less back in operating condition, but a lot of the former residents have decided to pack their bags and move inland,’ The Major states, his eyes forward. ‘Not a lot of them are happy about it, but they’re … well, more or less they realize that it’s either dragging themselves through winter under martial law or they can get at least get temporary care while we sort the rest out.’

‘Really? I thought that people were moving back in just fine.’

‘A sizable portion, I suppose … but overall, most of the former residents would rather take their chances away from the frontlines. Transports are pretty much settled … we moved the last of the priority units back. Convincing the clergy to allocate one for the orphanage was a hard sell … and there was the inner township to sort out.’

Your frown deepens. ‘I think there’s at least half a town left,’ you comment, wrinkling your nose. ‘I got the vegetable projectile trauma to prove it.’

‘There’s an estimate of forty percent of the populace that has decided to remain,’ The Major replies, nodding. ‘All, however, are in staunch opposition to The Admiralty’s continued presence.’

You’re unsure if that’s a dig … or just an observation on The Major’s part.

The crowd erupts into cheers.

Your nose tells you why.

‘Food’s up,’ The Major sounds, watching his soldiers organize themselves into a rigid queue. ‘Shall we, Commander?’

>Accept the offer
>Decline the offer
>Leave the beach
>Write-In

>>2976110
>>Accept the offer

>>2976110
>Accept the offer

>>2976110

>Accept the offer

BRB having breakfast

>>2976110
>>Accept the offer

File: __ashen_one_bmo_finn_the_(...).jpg (1.72 MB, 2000x2000)

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It doesn’t take long to get to the front of the line. Five minutes was all it took … and before long, you’re on a long by the bonfires, holding a paper plate and cheap plastic forks as the cold-resistant attendees chat and play like a bunch of college frat kids. The steak holds up, in any case. You were admittedly a little too intimidated to be picky about which piece you wanted … and judging by the impatient look that the designated cooks had on their faces waiting for you to make the choice, you were probably lucky to be here at all.

The Major cuts into his steak as well as he can manage with plastic forks and knives. Hearing the uncomfortable scrape of jagged plastic edges over the juicy surface of beef has you glancing around for a more efficient option … but despite the rowdy nature of the soldiers present, none of them seemed crazy enough to bring a combat knife.

A pity; it could have seen more use here than it had probably experienced in all their careers.

‘How’s the steak?’

You cut off a corner of your moderately-sized slab, sliding it off your fork with your teeth and onto your tongue.

It was all right.

‘It’s all right,’ you comment, frowning at your plate. Potatoes, peas and a shotglass of coleslaw on the side, it wasn’t exactly the hallmark of presentation … but you weren’t about to insult your host. ‘A little heavy on the seasoning … this standard for all brigades?’

‘They’re considered on the upper echelons of supply preferences,’ The Major elaborates, to which you hear the noise of plastic knife against paper plate as the man struggles to cut off another piece. ‘They’re not meant to be gourmet handouts. Practicality still has to be answered.’

‘No, no, I get that. Been a short order cook before; just wondering if the mix is standard. You don’t usually try to try and mix and match flaked chili with extra find pepper when you’re already marinating it. You just make it extra mild doing all that’—you point to one side of your slab, poking it in emphasis—‘or you get it unbalanced. Better the former than the latter, though.’

The both of you take a few more forkfuls. It’s a little better for you on the second and third bite.

‘You know your food.’

‘I’m kind zero or a hundred on food,’ you quip, if a little too cockily. ‘Wouldn’t have taken up a place in the food industry otherwise, yup.’

‘So why’d you leave? Bad prospects?’

‘Some of it was down to that, yeah,’ you concur, licking the roof of your mouth. If nothing else, the coleslaw was expertly made. ‘But thinking about it, I guess … I just didn’t want to stay still anymore than I already did. Same thing anyone else would’ve done, really.’

‘You just woke up and decided that you wanted more?’

>‘What about you?’ (Divert)
>‘Frankly, yeah.’
>‘A lot more complicated than that.’
>‘You got a paper on me, right? Read up.’
>‘Good night, Major.’ (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2976506
>>‘Frankly, yeah.’

>>2976506
>‘Frankly, yeah.’

>>2976506
>‘Frankly, yeah.’

You wish that you had more thought put into it.

At least in retrospect.

Most people probably had epiphanies of epic proportions. How they’d seen signs, wrote notes, recounted their missteps and decided they wanted more. You … you’d just …

You don’t know how you came to the conclusion that you didn’t want to be where you were anymore. Waking up one day and having your whole understanding on yourself toppling down … was what explicitly didn’t happen to you. No, that wouldn’t be until much later. Waking up and realizing that you weren’t who you wanted to be was something that didn’t cross your mind … or rather, it wasn’t the root of why you’d upped and dragged yourself to Yokosuka. Your motives were decidedly selfish, yes, at least in retrospect, but self-realized?

You just got tired of it.

‘Frankly, yeah,’ you answer, chuckling.

The Major eyes you. ‘That easy, huh?’

‘You’d be surprised how the notion for change comes down to practicality and immediacy over actual thought.’

To that … he laughs.

‘I read Lionheart too, Commander,’ he replies, setting down his plate. He appeared to be done. ‘Immediacy begets urgency more than thought and structure. That is the prompt to change.’

‘You caught me,’ you confess, amused. ‘Doesn’t mean that they got it wrong, though.’

‘Bureaucracy does support the notion.’

You grunt in agreement, taking another forkful of vegetables.

‘Commander?’

You look up from your plate, answering, ‘Yeah?’

‘Do you mind if I inquire on a more … sensitive subject?’

>‘Depends on how sensitive you’re going …’ (Open)
>‘If this is about my past …’ (Reluctant)
>‘I’d really rather not.’ (Decline)
>Write-In

>>2976594
>>‘Depends on how sensitive you’re going …’ (Open)

>>2976594
>‘Depends on how sensitive you’re going …’ (Open)
Lionheart quest when Mech?

>>2976594
>>‘Depends on how sensitive you’re going …’ (Open)

>>2976594
>‘Depends on how sensitive you’re going …’ (Open)

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You were already the prying type.

You’d be a hypocrite if you didn’t give someone the occasional glance.

‘Depends on how sensitive you’re going with this,’ you return neutrally, a slight grimace making its way onto your features, ‘but if you’re trying to pry me open on Admiralty secrets, I’m gonna have to tell you in advance’—you nod towards a small brick off to the side—‘that hunk of rock probably knows more about the goings-on than I do.’

‘I respect the boundaries of professionalism enough to know where mine lie,’ The Major replies, his voice as neutral as it had been before. ‘I hope that the topic of your association with the KanMusu, however, doesn’t push it.’

You frown.

It was an odd question for sure.

Or just oddly worded.

‘I … don’t think so,’ you answer, hesitant. You weren’t sure if you even got the context right. ‘You got me to what context of referral you want, though. My command style? Response algorithms?’

‘No, none of that. I just … I don’t mean to be crass, but technically … the KanMusu are superweapons with a biological blueprint equivalent to humans, correct?’

‘Yeah,’ you answer again, frowning. This all felt a little roundabout … even from here. ‘I mean, it’s not all there and there are some differences, but as far as function goes, I could probably shorten it to superhuman, I guess?’

‘Therefore, certain faculties are present,’ he rushes in. Uncharacteristically, if you had to write up an observation of it. ‘Biochemical, physiological—’

‘Some differences are still apparent, yeah,’ you follow up, feeling a little impatient. ‘Structure and internal build’s is about the same to us as a car is to a motorcycle, but … organs, functions, it’s all the same as far as I know.’

‘So they are, essentially, human … or, at least similar enough?’

You try to be patient; you really do. It felt like he was deliberately lagging.

‘Shigure and Iowa can probably pass as normal out of their gear, so I’d say … yes?’

‘So being attracted to KanMusu technically isn’t … wrong.’

His cheeks turns red

‘Of course i—’

Your ears practically freeze.

Everything seems to move in slow motion. Around you, you can make out shapes, noises … the world comes into view and out, triangles and static and the beat of your heartbeat, rumbling and bumping in your ears. The flames that light the beach, the fires lined all along the sand become nothing more than twinkling mounds of dancing yellow goblins, cackling and rising with the din of the frat-boys-turned-professional-soldiers yell out their cries of excess, the harpy-like cries of their female companions ascending in equal volume.

You have to make sure that you’d heard right.

‘What?’

He doesn’t repeat himself. By the white knuckles crushing the rim of his plate … it doesn’t seem like he wishes to, either.

>>2977045
>'So, you like KanMusu, Major.' (You like KanMusu, don't you, Major? :D)
>'It's, love, uh ... not in the way you think.' (Tone it down)
>'I'd be lying if the advertising didn't up that aspect.' (Grounded)
>'Let's pretend you never asked that.' (Deny)
>Get up and leave
>Write-In

>>2977045
As far as I’m concerned there’s literally nothing wrong with that. Then again I make it a point to treat them as people.

>>2977054
Supporting

>>2977048
>>'So, you like KanMusu, Major.' (You like KanMusu, don't you, Major? :D)
ONE OF US
ONE OF US
ONE OF US

>>2977048
>>'So, you like KanMusu, Major.' (You like KanMusu, don't you, Major? :D)

>>2977054
Going for this

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>>2977048
>'So, you like KanMusu, Major.' (You like KanMusu, don't you, Major? :D)

>>2977045
>'So, you like KanMusu, Major.' (You like KanMusu, don't you, Major? :D)
A fellow man of culture.

Op’s psy ops win again

File: I Can Hear You, You Know.jpg (67 KB, 500x683)

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You don’t laugh.

No, this sort of revelation deserved a more … dignified, tentative approach. The Major’s complexion had turned back into it’s normal tint, but the damage had already been done. He doesn’t meet eye contact with you, no … his expression turns into one of troubled second-guessing. He looks as though he’s ready to get up and bolt for a way off stage, but you suspected his pride and adherence to protocol prevented him from doing so. You know that he wants to take that query of his back and replace it with one on the seasoning … or the weather …

But neither of those would result in the definitely much-too-wide smirk that practically split your jaw open.

And for that … you are more than thankful.

‘So …’

He doesn’t bother to follow up.

You don’t hesitate to do it yourself.

‘You like KanMusu, huh, Major?’

That does it.

‘It’s … not like that.’ Even his protest is weak. The pink comes back to his cheeks, dashing across his complexion as you observe holes being bored into the sand by eyes that refused to meet yours. His thumbs rub against the paper edges of his plate, the half-eaten mess that was his meal tipping towards a fall. Bullets of cold sweat seemed to form on his nose … and you take solace in the fact that for at least one instance in your life, you weren’t the one keeling over in embarrassment.

‘It’s okay,’ you assure him, albeit not without an amused chuckle riding shotgun. ‘It’s not an uncommon inclination, if you get my drift.’

He practically whines his disagreement.

Denial was unyielding at the outer crust, as always.

‘It’s not like that at all,’ The Major repeats, hissing his frustration out. ‘There’s … it’s not as if there aren’t any woman that I haven’t been attracted to, but … to that, you don’t think it’s strange at all?’

Your frown in confusion. ‘Eh?’

‘It’s a little too convenient, isn’t it?’ he questions, voice strangely urgent. ‘You don’t have your suspicions about it at all?’

‘You … kinda lost me there,’ you let out honestly, creasing your brows. ‘What?’

‘That every other KanMusu with an … adult configuration looks as though she can pass off as a supermodel. Isn’t that strange to you at all?’

You tilt your head. You could see where he was getting at, but …

‘I’m not the guy in charge of what the girls come out looking like,’ you breathe out, trying your best to remain neutral. ‘It’s kinda a non-issue when the priority’s fighting a war.’

‘I apologize,’ he returns, definitely sounding the part. It seemed to really trouble him. ‘It’s just hard to differentiate that they’re not human but at the same time—’

‘Designed to titillate?’

He groans, rubbing his temple.

‘I must be a closet case of some sort,’ he moans, despair etched into his voice. ‘I’m impressed you’re able to operate with such a high yield of productivity…’

You shrug. ‘Just doing my job, really?’

‘And you’re not … distracted at all by them?’

You pause.

Oh boy.

>‘Let me let you in on … a little secret.’ (Reveal your relations)
>‘No more than you are towards any female personnel under your command.’ (Professional)
>‘They can be a handful … but that’s probably more because there’s a little bit of a gap between KanMusu and Human.’ (Vague)
>‘Are you honestly asking me if I mentally jack it to one of my supermodel-tier sentient bio-weapons?’ (Abrasive)
>‘Nope.’
>Write-In

>>2981388
>>‘They can be a handful … but that’s probably more because there’s a little bit of a gap between KanMusu and Human.’ (Vague)

>>2981390
lets not make the same mistake twice here people
we barely dodged the bullet last time

>>2981388
>>‘They can be a handful … but that’s probably more because there’s a little bit of a gap between KanMusu and Human.’ (Vague)
>>2981398
I agree. We should try to be less of an open book to everyone and their mothers.

File: Say You Love Me.jpg (89 KB, 850x566)

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You didn’t want to give away too much.

No, you didn’t want to give away anything at all. You barely knew the man … and he’d only told you about his grandmother less than an hour ago in what you can only assume to be more of a segue into familiarity than a discussion between two … friends. Still … considering how you acted out of the barracks, there wasn’t much for him to go on until an inconsistency was too hard to ignore. You didn’t feel like lying outright to him and having him swear off anything positive regarding KanMusu.

You could only try your best to be honest without revealing the extent of the depth of your connection.

Gossip traveled fast … and you’d really rather it didn’t at all.

‘They can be a handful,’ you confess, trying to sound as genuine as you can manage. ‘I chalk that down to the gap of needs between us, though. Not that I can’t manage it; it’s my job, you know?’

‘Not as complicated as working with people, I assume.’

You’re not sure if that was an insult … or him confiding in his own difficulties with the role of leadership. You hope it’s the former. It sounded like it.

‘It’s … well, the same weight, different content, I guess,’ you reply, shrugging and popping a large cut of steak into your mouth. A line was forming again; looked like one helping wasn’t enough for most of those present. You don’t blame them; as far as availability went, it wasn’t that bad, really. ‘There’re different issues you have to break through, but, well … I guess you can say a lot of them are more personal when it comes to what they’re trying to communicate?’

‘Personal?’

You tap the side of your head.

‘They’re not … scripted allotments up here; not really,’ you continue tentatively. ‘I won’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but, well, managing KanMusu’s a different ballgame to organizing people. Like you said, I guess. Some aspects, they’re a lot easier to manage, but like I said … but overall, you’re not going to get a lot of dissent when it comes to how you work. There’s no real … adversarial element to it, I guess.’

A lack of a dominant ego to act as impediment. Submission.

You disagree.

And you catch yourself from blurting it out loud.

‘So you’re saying that you don’t feel any sort of sexual—’

‘You don’t have to be so formal about it, you know,’ you cut in, feeling a little embarrassed now, ‘and I’m as male as you are, you know. I wasn’t born castrated.’

‘I didn’t mean to imply as much, but … in this context, I don’t feel like you’ve given me a concrete stance on your position. You’ll forgive me if I find it hard to swallow all at once.’

You almost wince. Your mistake in assuming someone of his position would be so easily misdirected.

You sigh.

‘Well … then I can cut it short that what I feel about the matter is irrelevant to how we do out in the field,’ you let out, trying your best to not sound too frustrated. ‘I think that’s common ground that we can have in regards to our responsibilities in command, won’t you say?’

‘I suppose,’ The Major concedes, almost immediately, much to your relief, ‘but if so … I will have to say I admire your professionalism.’

That makes you laugh. You hear a small tinkle of laughter from the depths of your mind, too.

‘I never said I was professional,’ you retort, smirking. ‘It’s just a different weight that I have to manage compared to you, is all. If I had to describe it, it’s more like playing the man of the house than it is humanity’s last, best hope.’

The Major chortles, if only slightly. ‘A considerable scenario. My sympathies; I can only imagine your trials in realizing that conclusion.’

‘Appreciate it.’

You take another mouthful of potatoes and meat.

>‘So when did you start liking KanMusu?’ (Follow Up)
>‘What’re your future operations looking like?’ (Talk work)
>‘So, to steer the topic away from work, uh …’ (Casual)
>Talk to someone else (Specify)
>Finish your food and leave the cookout
>Write-In

>>2981467
>>‘So when did you start liking KanMusu?’ (Follow Up)

>>2981467
>>‘So when did you start liking KanMusu?’ (Follow Up)

>>2981467
>‘So when did you start liking KanMusu?’ (Follow Up)

>>2981467
>>‘So when did you start liking KanMusu?’ (Follow Up)