The irony of it all is that the girl, all of fifteen years of age, with whom I was talking right there and then, was likely a better engineer and technician than I could ever hope to become.
So, you're probably wondering how I could keep that from being obvious in conversation. Aside from supreme bullshitting, that is. I did a fair bit of that as well.
The simple answer would be, I cheat. Often. And well.
The more complete one? It goes back to when I was still animating an oversized hunk of steel and metal alloy. Back then, my mind was basically run by and running on an onboard computing network, and it had a lot of excess data stuck in there. Like the schematics of the Battlemover itself, information on actuators, power cells, combat tactics databases, the works. And the things that weren't there, I later added and integrated.
When viewed from my particular perspective, the concept of a modular mind is both awfully neat and potentially very scary. I hadn't dared to consider what the equivalent of a 'format c:/' command would have done to me. Brr.
Back there, back then, this didn't make me an exceptional and innovative engineer ... but with the amount of free time I had on my hands, because really, I was stuck in a freakin' garage for most of the time and without Syl' or Anri, or even Mori-baka and a few others later on, I would have gone insane. And there'd have been no 'slow and quiet' about it, just big explosions.
Still, I had a lot of free time, a lot of raw data and evaluation software, and a CAD shell I could run.
In short, it made me a pretty good hack. A damn corny one too, but I blame my waning mental stability for that.
Especially for the Type-Y optical camouflage. The mesh netting was an integral part of the design, damnit, and not some cheap attempt at ogling the 33-S models. I mean, I didn't even have any glands back then, for crying out loud.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Then I ... left ... and incarnated into this shell. The thing was, and I didn't really catch that bit until the 'me' who'd met Gabriel got roped into doing an actual sync test by the good Doctor Akagi, that the sort of mind I was stuck operating with now wasn't human either. It just pretended really well. The information I'd had access to when still mechanized was still there ... only more difficult to get at. As in, downright impossible to get at without a neural interface.
Hence my involvement in the development of the Direct Link System when on the previous leg of my journey. It was something of literally vital importance to me.
Aheh. Sidetracked. Pardon.
Be that as it may, I was surprised to find that the conversational back and forth the initial question about the navigation system had developed into was actually pretty much the most enjoyable thing I'd done all day.
Not exactly hard, what with the sort of heavy information Yamada had dumped on top of me, but refreshing nonetheless.
And the girl had good insight and an actual understanding of the technology involved that was almost ... instinctual. Haphazardly so, yes, but still ... that was a talent I knew some people would give their left arms for.
In all, it was also a moderately productively spent thirty minutes.
I'd found out the final Coral in the party was none other than Major Sergei Wong's adopted daughter. Amusingly enough, her name was Nina.
I wondered if it was the same Nina that the blond member of this group of Otome had been calling out for in the throes of fever induced dreams when I'd ran across her during my most recent visit to Aries.
It was also her who asked what I did and exactly how it was that Ms. Woods had recognized me. Quick one as well, since she managed to do it in a way that seemed incidential and offhand.
It's always a shame to find minds as sharp as that already on somebody else's payroll.
My reply was relatively honest, fortright, and ended in handing out calling cards, because you never know when and where you can get more business, and for one other reason ... the design of the card had Ms. Ho flinch slightly on seeing them.
Not the most subtle or accurate way of confirming information, but generally? Only a certain group of people flinches on seeing a black rectangle. It seemed rather like Schwarz's trademark at first glance, since the white script on the back wasn't immediately obvious.
The oddity of the day was the fact that Miyu's ... well, ward would be the best word, I think ... seemed uncharacteristically listless. At least, if one were to go by prior information and her friends' general attitude.
I said my goodbyes when I was done with my drink, leaving the Corals to whatever it was they did in their time off. Frankly? Longest time a single coffee ever lasted me that I could remember. Even an iced one.
I grumbled to myself as I walked.
There was a time when I formed an opinion about somebody quickly enough. It usually turned out to be the wrong one. I didn't do that anymore. Or at least wasn't wrong so often anymore. My Field gave me a certain degree of empathic ability.
Everything else aside, what I'd gleaned about Erstin Ho that way from the little snippets of conversation she'd added in here and there suggested that she wasn't simply an extremely good plant hiding her intentions. She seemed ... genuine. Hell, more than that. She seemed like an honest to goodness nice person, through and through.
Nope. I wasn't touching this matter more than I had to. I'd just confirm it to Juliet next time I saw her, and leave her to deal with it.
Looks like I'd have to find another Schwarz field agent to ... ahem ... interrogate.
Little did I know that events would actually give me a chance to do just that fairly soon.
There and then, though, I made my way back to the office without further incident. I was in the mood to tinker with something, so I figured I'd see how Kobayakawa was doing.
Damnit, I'd meant to do the actual conversation, but my dialog muse once again proved her existence by absence alone.
And setting up for the Slave attack of ep13. Also, some other stuff.
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm