A Troubled Soldier 01

[theriflespiral]

I: Delivery to Elysium
Elysium-the-city was far larger than Natalia had first assumed. Not that this was a problem for her-- a day or two among the rooftops, and she would know this place as well as anyone who lived here.

For now, though, she was momentarily relying on a map she kept carefully tucked away, and an address on a box with a memorized order form (and countersign, and counter-countersign, easily handwaved).

Being a delivery girl was hardly a novel cover, but it was precisely because such things were ubiquitous that it was easy to slip into the role as she came around the service entrance. Add perhaps a touch of bitter expression at the cold-- she didn't even have to try for that one-- and things would, hopefully, work just fine.


II: Blames Her Tools (Vault)
Natalia, after spending the better part of a day hitting targets from as extreme a range as the Vault could afford, was now overhauling her rifle, first cleaning the inside of the barrel with a cloth and a cleaning rod, and then disassembling it, screw by painstaking screw.

The casings were drying on a separate cloth nearby, with the scent of soap and water, waiting for an oven to finish getting up to the proper temperature.

It took up an entire gunsmith's bench, between the disassembly and the casings waiting for annealing and rolling and fitting and loading, but there was something to it. A peace, in an artisan's craft.

She looked at the tool rack above her and clicked her tongue.

She would have to go hunting for that particular tool.

Okay. Smooth hair. Stand properly. Act like you're supposed to be here.

Time to go among the other workbenches. Or workshops, if she had to.


III: Wildcard
Bug Natalia because she looks suspicious or because you need something.

Comments

[edaciousness]

"May I?" He doesn't wait for permission before stepping beside her, his motions almost birdlike, quick and striking, the motions of a trained assassin or, more accurately, a bird of prey. He takes both, one in each hand, inspecting them intensely. He noted the traits each possessed as she'd described and nodded, pocketing the spend cartridge and the fresh round of ammunition and nodded toward the target again.

"Would you care to demonstrate a second time?" While to was praised as a question, there was a note a bit like command in his tone. "Please?" And the latter seemed genuine.

[theriflespiral]

She nods with a faint noise, only now picking up the rifle and closing the chamber. "Live."

She sets the stock against her shoulder, raises the rifle, looks down the scope, adjusts the angle, fires, and cycles the next round in one smooth motion.

Then again.

And again.

[edaciousness]

He moved behind her, bending so his gaze sights along the shaft from which this bullet was being propelled.

"A truly effective means of murder." His ice blue eyes flick to her. "How do you enjoy it?"

[theriflespiral]

"The rifle, or the murder?" Natalia asked, cold as ever. "As to the rifle, a bolt-action is hardly my favorite piece of weaponry, and the barrel length means that it's difficult to use in close quarters when discovered, requiring a holdout weapon, of which I have several.

"As to the murder..." Natalia sighed. "It is something that, unfortunately, gets easier as it is done, and there is a temptation to hate those on the other end of the barrel. We are both far from home, yes?"

She lines up her next shot. Fires. "A cold comfort to know that their leaders and commanders are the ones responsible for our state. I would much prefer to have them in my sights."

Re: I

[lightnovelexperiences]

“Hmn.”

She considers this. Old English, huh?

“I was more asking if I should translate while you look, but it’s good to know. Took me a month to get my vocabulary up to speed,” she says.

“First thing is a bottle of violet essential oil…”

Re: I

[theriflespiral]

Natalia pauses, tilts her head in conusion. "The... color...? or the-- The flower, what am I saying?"

And so she sets to work. She's calm, cool, efficient; she seems to pick up Deedee's method of organizing the back room fairly quickly. When she moves the glasses, they barely rattle, like she's used to searching for things silently.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods. And then while she's slowly making her way through the paella, practically wolfs down the rest of his apple pie.

When it comes to food, Link is not one to take his time.

As for her assumption that she'll find a way around his rush...Link just shrugs. "It's for enemies." She could try and counter it if she liked, but it wasn't something he really intended to use against her, outside of a little friendly demonstration.

[theriflespiral]

"Someone will have something similar, I am sure. Besides, it is an interesting puzzle to solve. I haven't had a challenge like this in some time." Famous last words.

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[harlequinchimera]

Oki's response was to chuckle. "Oh, don't worry about belaboring it in the slightest, not with me. Just getting the sights zeroed on new hardware is the biggest chore, then doing a full set so you can get your dope book started. Then, it's getting used to the action - no two bolts really work the same way."

She was keeping a relaxed pace, but there was a definite swish to her tail.

"But then as you say, let's not belabor that too much," she said, a marked twinkle in her eye as she followed to the commissary, collecting a platter and accumulating an amount of what was very obviously meat.

It would take her a moment to find a place to perch herself - she was far from small, after all.

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[theriflespiral]

"Ugh, tell me about it. This damn thing's travel... I almost miss my Chuka." She pauses, and remembers how it couldn't hold a pattern to save its life. "Almost."

She also doesn't quite pile as high as Oki does, but is mostly letting her hunger guide her-- vegetables, fresh and pickled, and seafood, especially. "-- Obligate?"

She will sit across from Oki.

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[harlequinchimera]

"It's better than the Mosin or that block of wood with metal in it, the KAR, but I miss my own tools. And my damn armor. Love to get my M82A1 back or the Lynx. Damn." She snorts.

Oki was neither thin nor small, but her manners at table were remarkably modest. Hearing Natalia's question, she smiled and showed off a set of teeth, conical and needles alike, just for a moment. "Mercifully not 100%, but enough that it's the majority of my diet, and the epaulettes liked feeding me bread and foul water."

She relaxed a measure and smiled, more warmly this time. "Enjoy your food."

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[theriflespiral]

Natalia winced. "We were farmers; we could skim at least. Let's both."

She set to the meal with exquisite manners, but also a tendency to go after it in quantities you wouldn't expect someone to be able to swallow as neatly and quietly as she does. It had definitely been far too long since she last ate.

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[harlequinchimera]

Oki too, set to her food with relish, once she was eating - she even had a tendency to take a large piece of meat in her teeth and give it a sharp tug, sharply enough to tear the meat - and she made a soft sound that sounded halfway between a growl and a purr, but the look in her eyes was clear, she was looking absolutely delighted, for it had also been a time since she'd had meat in her teeth.

She did not stop until upwards of three quarters of the way through and she paused, taking a moment to dab her face with a napkin and her fingers as well, and take things more slowly. "Whomever prepares thee meat here knows what they are doing," and she could not suppress a soft laugh as she continued, much more slowly.

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[theriflespiral]

Natalia nods. She takes the time to taste each thing on its own, but seems to prefer mashing them together into a slightly undifferentiated mess once she's done that. "-- There's a certain dwarf I could recommend as well, if you are ever out among Flotsam."

She didn't forget the advice Senshi gave about the gifts, and she wouldn't forget about him, either. "The Milk Run does excellent work. Perhaps it is just the cold and the hunger talking, but for a certainty, it was a meal I wished to linger over."

Re: I

[lightnovelexperiences]

And here's a funny thing: the things that she's picking up are arbitrary... in the imperial language.

But in English, in the order that Deedee is asking for them, they spell V - I - N - D - E - S - S.

Re: I

[theriflespiral]

Natalia pauses, blinks, clearly has recognized the signal, and after a split second of hesitation, picks it up anyway, placing it in its proper order.

If she understands the significance, she says nothing about it, save, "I take it this is to be an expedited delivery?"

Re: I

[lightnovelexperiences]

"Please," she says. "And thank you, this was quick work with your help. Feel free to drop by up to two hours after we close if you want any treatment or to use the baths yourself - perk of working for me."

For the Corsairs?

[newmemorywhodis]

Link hums. He can understand the desire to solve puzzles; he had that same drive.

(Sometimes, he wondered if it was more his aptitude for puzzles than his skill with a sword that made him the one who could wield the Sword that Seals the Darkness. Otherwise, why else would the Sheikah and Light shrines offer him so many tests that were puzzles?)

"...You liked the paella?" He asks. Because even after all their discussion...he still wanted to know.

Re: I

[theriflespiral]

"It was good to have a moment in from the cold, and I will keep your offer in mind in the future." She takes a moment to secure the bottles, and then latches the package. "Thank you for keeping our company in mind."

She decided to visit later, regardless of her injuries, if only to be able to talk openly. "We shall send you the bill later, after delivery is confirmed."

[theriflespiral]

"It... is not exactly like back home at Russia; we tended towards millet, potatoes, and wheat-- it was too cold for rice-- but everything you could ask for from a fish porridge, it was; warm, spiced generously, filling." There's a hint of nostalgia in her voice as she says that, and her hands start to shake slightly.

"You have learned the craft well."

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[harlequinchimera]

Oki was smiling, but looking a bit less serious and more thoughtful. "A certain dwarf, eh? I think I know who you mean, a gentleman who appreciates fresh fish, as it turns out." A soft, but quite warm chuckle.

"Cold and hunger can make hardtack and salted meat seem like a feast, it's true. Though the cold does not affect me in quite the same way, but hunger, oh yes." She laughs softly, leans back a bit. "Very much yes. Be it after a long op spent in the nest or a march and swim, or even just after a long night of listening, Natalia-san... The meal that follows is what begins restoring our strength, I'd say."

She looked fully towards Natalia then, both eyes, very different as they were, and she gave a slight characteristic flap of both wings.

"We are a very different pair in a very many ways, you and I. But I am beginning to see a kindred spirit in you, I think. And if this is so," she pointedly tapped a nail on the table before continuing, "then I am glad that both of us are here, on this side of the range."

She quietly resumed her meal, having said her piece.

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[theriflespiral]

"Agreed. To have you on the other end of the scope, Oki..." She shook her head. "The thought already feels strange."

On the one hand, to meet someone who understands is a powerful thing.

On the other hand-- she desires to test her skills, even against someone as self-assured and strong in her craft as Oki. Why?

She struggled to remember what it was she was trying to prove.

Something... Important.

But buried under ice and snow.

She continued her meal in silence.

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[harlequinchimera]

She tilts her head and sighs, "It does feel strange - and I... am not in any great hurry to be running counter against you, Natalia, truly. No. I... do not want it on my mind." She rubbed one of her cheeks, eyes closed, and spoke again, softly. "Tis a cold place."

She did not plan to make enemies out of allies, not again, not like this. She ate more of her food, chewing thoughtfully.

She kept it hidden, but the thought did stay on her mind long enough for her to speak.

"We are predators," she said softly. "I think we take the measure of each other, as befits each of our natures, for our natures have sustained us. understanding that instrument within is important and for people like us..." She paused long, looking at a wall sidelong for many long, silent moments.

When she looked back, her eyes were very bright and focused on Natalia and she gave a small smile, her tone soft, understated but clear, and she nodded a little for emphasis.

"It's unavoidable."

She tilted her head, resting her head on her left fist, looking towards the other sniper while she thoughtfully chewed.

"I would raise a toast to that, if I had the sense to bring something along to drink, honestly."

Re: II: Vault and Tools

[theriflespiral]

"Fuck it, I'll spring for the grog to this." The emphasis on 'fuck it' is the most emotion she's shown the entire conversation. It shows in how she rubs her arms after she says it, and continues, "What'll you have?"

And while Oki responds to this, Natalia will think a little harder about what she said.

[edaciousness]

"Both, I think." He had to admit, the 'barrel' length did look unwieldy in close quarters, which the weapon he supposed, was designed to kill efficiently at long range. Remarkable, really.

"Is it really unfortunate? Would you rather be weighed down by the loss of every stranger's life at your hands?"

He hummed an acknowledgement of her observation. He was indeed far from home. Too far, and without his towy dzymika, his little bird. He found sleep elusive at best.

"The Empire's leaders, perhaps. When one is built on oppression and conquest, it's usually the wedges that most feel the push."