I guess I oughta pour a little more fuel on the fire...
Keep in mind, still very much a work in progress, and I intend to fill it out a bit here and there.
Suggestions, as always, welcome.
Macross City.
The city inside the Super Dimensional Fortress.
It was quickly starting to take on all the aspects of a military town.
What homes could not be salvaged from the ruins of the original city were rebuilt. Minmei's family had been lucky in that their home, complete with the restaurant, had been salvaged. Reclamation had been a simple matter of producing the homeowner's deed which had been locked in a fireproof safe.
Hikaru and I had no homes to call our own in Macross City, so we stayed at Minmei's house for the time being. Her Aunt and Uncle were more than happy to host us because we had taken care of Minmei. The fact that we insisted on paying a regular rent only helped.
This wasn't a problem at first. Hikaru wasn't sulking too badly because I had effectively derailed any romantic interest between the two. With any luck that would make things a lot simpler for the poor guy once Misa Hayase started noticing him in that special way.
However, there was one thing that he was still moody about, and I honestly couldn't blame the guy.
"Damn," I grunted as I pushed myself out from under the racer. "I'm sorry Hikaru, but I think your girl here is a total loss."
"I know," moaned Hikaru. "The entire frame got warped. It's easier to list what isn't broken."
"Hey Hikaru!" called out a voice. "Now, where’s this junk pile you wanted to show me?"
"What junk pile?!" snapped Hikaru. "Listen, buddy. This is the racer that I won eight international championships in and you call it junk? I oughta knock your block off."
Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Roy Fokker.
When he and I met the first time we began to size each other up. Roy treated Hikaru like his little kid brother, and I was just now starting to look at the poor guy like that myself. But then I opened my big mouth and kicked off the snark-off to end all snark-offs. I only wish I had recorded the whole damn spiel because it was the stuff that legends were made of. Poor Hikaru and Minmei couldn’t stop gawking. The only reason Roy and I stopped was because we were worried that flies would start flying into their mouths.
"My eternal rival returns," I intoned. "Hey, Roy, lay off the kid, will ya? He's distraught enough as it is."
Roy rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. Look, you two guys are getting stressed out over something you can't do anything about. Why don't we go for a walk? The exercise will be good for you."
I knew what was coming, but I made a show of looking to Hikaru. He simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders at me.
"Whatever," I said. "Can't hurt at this point."
##
About twenty minutes later, we found ourselves at the Grand Observation Deck. I went ahead and broke the ice first.
"Well, I'd heard about this, but seeing it is something else altogether. DAYUM, that is one big mother of a carrier!" Seriously, it was. The carriers that I was more familiar with can only fit two aircraft abreast at the forecastle. This one looked like it could accommodate six, but only had catapults for four.
We watched as a pair of Valkyries were brought up to the flight deck, moved into position, and then launched out into the wild black yonder, their engines flaring star-bright.
"Hey, those fighters!" said Hikaru, excitement and wonder creeping back into his voice at last. "How can they fly in deep space?"
"Those Valkyrie fighter engines are built on an Overtechnology reactor design," said Roy with a salesman's persona. "With that kind of propulsion, believe me, you can go anywhere!"
"Wow, terrific!" said Hikaru, completely in awe.
Roy grinned and placed his hands on Hikaru's shoulders, saying, "How'd you like to fly one again?"
"Huh?" said Hikaru.
I just snorted. "So that's what you're up to! Surely that offer isn't open to just Hikaru."
"You wound me," replied Roy blithely. "Of course they'd be interested in you, having prior service and all." That had taken me by surprise. Apparently Roy had looked into my background, just because he was concerned about where the hell I'd come from and why I was hanging around his brother.
Katherine, did you do something with the computers?
Uhn! I went ahead and made a facsimile of your military service record. I think it’s really cool that Gar-kun was in the US Navy. Especially the stuff you did! Guns, Mount 5-1 - bore clear, five rounds expended, no apparent casualties. SO COOOOOLLLL!!!
I had to fight to keep a straight face at that.
So Roy found my old military records... from when I was in the US Navy... But how accurate was Katherine’s facsimile? Time to test the waters.
"Even though I was just a technician that fixed a gun?" I asked archly, referring to my old posting.
"A technician whose scores were top ranked and whose performance was nothing short of spectacular," countered Roy, referencing my test scores back at gun school. But that wasn't all he had. "Not to mention a perfect score for your workcenter on INSERV when you were the only maintenance tech? I've seen how they do business. That is beyond impressive."
"Maybe, but you conveniently forgot that the US Navy didn't want me back afterward." I had... issues... dealing with the politically charged environment.
"This is UN Spacey. We could hardly care less what that bureaucratic mess that is the US Navy thinks."
Hikaru looked a little lost. "What are you guys talking about!?"
"Your friend here's been omitting details,” replied Roy blithely. “He's prior enlisted."
"So, I did my four years and then got out of that political rat race. And it turned out that the feeling was mutual. What if I don't want to deal with that again?"
"Hah! Kid, this is entirely different. For one thing, you're going to be a pilot, which means you'll get a little more leeway around here. Of course, rank does help, but around here people tend to advance fast."
He sure as hell didn't mention why.
This would be funny if it weren't real. Here he was, probably expecting Hikaru to be the hard sell, but it was me that was giving him the shyster treatment. But it was tempting. Oh so very tempting. Valkyries. Wonderful Overtech goodness.
But then.... I'm living here now, aren't I? If I'm gonna be living here I might as well fight for it. Only Tsunami knows when I'll jump again.
"I'll give it a shot," I said. I then held up a hand to stop him from going off on congratulating me. "But if I'm not jiving with the UN Spacey, then I'll put in my time and get out."
"Fair enough," said Roy. He then turned to Hikaru. "What about you? You gonna let action man here have all the fun?"
Hikaru looked a bit uncertain though. So much for me being the hard sell.
"I... just need a bit of time to think about it," Hikaru finally got out.
Roy sighed. "Okay, I guess that's all I'm gonna get out of you for now. But really Hikaru, think about it. Even if you do fix your racer it's not like you'll be able to fly it around out here."
"Ugh, don't remind me," replied Hikaru as we all sauntered off together.
##
"Hey, Hikaru?" I said as we made it to the outskirts of the city.
"Hmm?" replied the airshow pilot noncommittally.
"I'm gonna walk around on my own for a for a spell. Are you heading back home?"
"Yeah, why?" asked Hikaru, perking up a bit.
"Let them know not to worry about me."
"Oh, sure thing."
Hikaru went on his way. He had a lot on his mind for certain, but he wasn't being as apathetic as he had been in the original timeline. Thank God for small miracles. Maybe that way Minmei won't wind up fawning over him so much.
I wandered aimlessly for awhile, not really caring where I was going.
A Valkyrie pilot in the UN Spacy? Should I really do it? Would I be any good at it? And would I really have to deal with the same political merry-go-round I had to face in the Navy?
It really weighed heavily on my mind. I knew that I'd probably make for at least a decent pilot. My vision, while nothing spectacular, was slightly better than average and I had better night vision than most people. That, and I had an eye for detail - I knew, almost on an instinctive level, when something was out of place. And my spatial awareness was pretty good, too. At least, as long as I was paying attention.
Then there was the bonus factor in that I knew what was coming. For sure, there was the butterfly affect and temporal momentum, but I wasn't going to give it too much thought. So much of this timeline depended on the reactions of the Zentraedi that I didn't see my actions diverting things too much until we got to Earth.
But there was still the politics to consider.
I hate politics because it means picking your battles wisely... and I've never been the best at that, let me tell you. When confronted I'm a hot-head at worst and litigious at best, as we've already seen. But for some reason... I don't know why, but Captain Global, for some reason, let's shit like that slide. Maybe he's just that much more understanding of the situation we find ourselves in. He certainly seems unhappy about it all, that's for certain, though he does tend to keep a somewhat cooler head about it.
Or maybe the guy secretly finds it all amusing.
... Naaaaaah.
Before I knew it I found myself on some sort of engineered bluff that overlooked a good portion of the newly reconstituted Macross City. I just sat there and stared out into space for a while, kinda admiring the view. But then there was something at the back of my mind trying to warn me about something.
I didn't get to think on it too hard because I heard Minmei's voice coming up from behind me.
"GARRICK!" she yelled as she ran up the backside of the bluff. "There *pant* you are *pant*."
"Minmei," I said in surprise. I don't think I'd ever seen her really exert herself like that before. "Is something wrong?"
Minmei waited a short moment to catch her breath, then said, "I just wanted to find you. With everything that's been going on we haven't had a quiet moment alone."
Uh-oh. Danger Will Robinson! Okay, Garrick, stay calm. This may be nothing.
"Okay, so there's something you wanted to tell me that you didn't want others hearing?"
Minmei gave me a look as though to say, 'Well DUUUUH!'
Instead, she said, "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did back there. If it had been only Hikaru and myself I don't know for sure what would have happened. But you thought of things to get us out of that situation. That thing with the airlock was brilliant."
"Well yeah," I said, "we already went over all this. With the SAR teams, the debriefing teams, and your aunt and uncle until we were all blue in the face. What's different now?"
Minmei gave me a glare. "Are you really that dumb when it comes to girls? I guess I oughta spell it out for you."
I didn't really have much of a chance to react without hurting her. She suddenly grabbed me by the lapels and pulled me into a very spirited kiss.
Sweet Tsunami, I'm kissing Minmei!
Whoah what!? came Katherine’s voice in my head. Okay, this was NOT in the script I read!
Quickly but gently, I pushed her away. She was still giving me an indignant expression, as though she were an impatient student demanding that the professor tell her, right now, where her grade stood in the rankings.
"Okay," I began, "first off I didn't know you had a thing for me because I wasn't even looking for the signs. I'm old enough to be your father!"
"Only if you started having kids, like, right in the middle of college," said Minmei piously. "Besides, there’s plenty of couples around with large age gaps."
Granted, some people teased my original mother by calling her a cradle robber. That was because the age difference between her and my step-father when they were married. But that was that and this is this. Besides, I already went through this whole song and dance with Yuki!
"Minmei, even if you did wait it's not gonna be some difference of a few years. This is gonna be twenty years! People are gonna ask some really uncomfortable questions!"
"Ask me if I care!" she dared me.
"I'm not asking you, I'm asking myself," I shot back. "And the answer is 'Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot shipmate! What are you thinking!?'"
Minmei suddenly smiled suggestively. "I dunno. What are you thinking?" She was so good at that that it was scary. It was no small wonder she was bound to become a pop idol sensation.
I blinked, then recollected myself. "I am thinking you are a very pretty, very talented, and very YOUNG girl who should be dating boys and not grown men that are considering military service."
That made her pause. "You're joining the Spacy?"
I nodded. "You know I've always wanted to fly a fighter jet. The Spacy seems to be taking just about anyone that'll pass the preliminary exams, so this is my chance."
"That's great though! You'll have a good job and prestige and being married to me will look great because when we get back to Earth I'm gonna be a famous singer!"
Oh boy. I was starting to think I knew where all this was coming from. For better or worse, Minmei spent a good part of her young life in Japan, and what was worse her family is mostly Chinese nationals. In Asian cultures, especially Chinese, it wasn't unheard of for a pretty girl like her to get married off to a man my age because he had a position of prestige. It wasn't even so much that the family was trying to climb the social ladder, they just wanted the best for their little girl - the best being a husband with a guaranteed salary that could cover her expenses and that of the children that would come later. And, during the time we were missing, Minmei did say that one of her dreams was to be a bride.
Shit.
This girl was absolutely determined to get herself married and she saw me as the best man for the job - nevermind that she would have to wait a few years. I'd hate to break her heart, but then again she just wasn't taking no for an answer. This was Yuki-chan all over again! Maybe I can weaken her resolve by stalling her a bit.
"Look, Minmei..." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, pushing loose strands that were tickling my face back into place. "I don't know about this. I really don't. Let's just take some time to think on it. And I mean really think on it. If anything happens to me out there would you want to be the widow of a fighter pilot?" At that she grabbed me by the lapels once more, hauling me down to her level.
"Don't even think about it, flyboy, or else when I come to heaven I'm gonna kick your butt so hard that your ancestors will wince in sympathy."
... Okay, that DEFINITELY wasn’t in the script. What did you do Gar-kun!?
... I went out and acted like a man.
Really? she replied in the same deadpan reserved the the flat what trope.
Really.
I knew Minmei had a fire all her own, but this was something else entirely. Where was this coming from?
At the moment, a siren began to wail in the distance, accompanied by the words, "Air raid warning!"
Oh SHIT!
"What's that?" asked Minmei.
"I'm not sure," I said, playing up the clueless factor, "but I think it might be a good idea to get back home, and fast!"
She didn't argue the point with me. We just took off at a jog. However, before we left the bluff entirely, she turned and said,
"This isn't over."
I decided to let that go for now. Hopefully with all the excitement we were about to have she'd forget about this... for a little bit.
Poor bastard. :p
Keep in mind, still very much a work in progress, and I intend to fill it out a bit here and there.
Suggestions, as always, welcome.
Macross City.
The city inside the Super Dimensional Fortress.
It was quickly starting to take on all the aspects of a military town.
What homes could not be salvaged from the ruins of the original city were rebuilt. Minmei's family had been lucky in that their home, complete with the restaurant, had been salvaged. Reclamation had been a simple matter of producing the homeowner's deed which had been locked in a fireproof safe.
Hikaru and I had no homes to call our own in Macross City, so we stayed at Minmei's house for the time being. Her Aunt and Uncle were more than happy to host us because we had taken care of Minmei. The fact that we insisted on paying a regular rent only helped.
This wasn't a problem at first. Hikaru wasn't sulking too badly because I had effectively derailed any romantic interest between the two. With any luck that would make things a lot simpler for the poor guy once Misa Hayase started noticing him in that special way.
However, there was one thing that he was still moody about, and I honestly couldn't blame the guy.
"Damn," I grunted as I pushed myself out from under the racer. "I'm sorry Hikaru, but I think your girl here is a total loss."
"I know," moaned Hikaru. "The entire frame got warped. It's easier to list what isn't broken."
"Hey Hikaru!" called out a voice. "Now, where’s this junk pile you wanted to show me?"
"What junk pile?!" snapped Hikaru. "Listen, buddy. This is the racer that I won eight international championships in and you call it junk? I oughta knock your block off."
Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Roy Fokker.
When he and I met the first time we began to size each other up. Roy treated Hikaru like his little kid brother, and I was just now starting to look at the poor guy like that myself. But then I opened my big mouth and kicked off the snark-off to end all snark-offs. I only wish I had recorded the whole damn spiel because it was the stuff that legends were made of. Poor Hikaru and Minmei couldn’t stop gawking. The only reason Roy and I stopped was because we were worried that flies would start flying into their mouths.
"My eternal rival returns," I intoned. "Hey, Roy, lay off the kid, will ya? He's distraught enough as it is."
Roy rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. Look, you two guys are getting stressed out over something you can't do anything about. Why don't we go for a walk? The exercise will be good for you."
I knew what was coming, but I made a show of looking to Hikaru. He simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders at me.
"Whatever," I said. "Can't hurt at this point."
##
About twenty minutes later, we found ourselves at the Grand Observation Deck. I went ahead and broke the ice first.
"Well, I'd heard about this, but seeing it is something else altogether. DAYUM, that is one big mother of a carrier!" Seriously, it was. The carriers that I was more familiar with can only fit two aircraft abreast at the forecastle. This one looked like it could accommodate six, but only had catapults for four.
We watched as a pair of Valkyries were brought up to the flight deck, moved into position, and then launched out into the wild black yonder, their engines flaring star-bright.
"Hey, those fighters!" said Hikaru, excitement and wonder creeping back into his voice at last. "How can they fly in deep space?"
"Those Valkyrie fighter engines are built on an Overtechnology reactor design," said Roy with a salesman's persona. "With that kind of propulsion, believe me, you can go anywhere!"
"Wow, terrific!" said Hikaru, completely in awe.
Roy grinned and placed his hands on Hikaru's shoulders, saying, "How'd you like to fly one again?"
"Huh?" said Hikaru.
I just snorted. "So that's what you're up to! Surely that offer isn't open to just Hikaru."
"You wound me," replied Roy blithely. "Of course they'd be interested in you, having prior service and all." That had taken me by surprise. Apparently Roy had looked into my background, just because he was concerned about where the hell I'd come from and why I was hanging around his brother.
Katherine, did you do something with the computers?
Uhn! I went ahead and made a facsimile of your military service record. I think it’s really cool that Gar-kun was in the US Navy. Especially the stuff you did! Guns, Mount 5-1 - bore clear, five rounds expended, no apparent casualties. SO COOOOOLLLL!!!
I had to fight to keep a straight face at that.
So Roy found my old military records... from when I was in the US Navy... But how accurate was Katherine’s facsimile? Time to test the waters.
"Even though I was just a technician that fixed a gun?" I asked archly, referring to my old posting.
"A technician whose scores were top ranked and whose performance was nothing short of spectacular," countered Roy, referencing my test scores back at gun school. But that wasn't all he had. "Not to mention a perfect score for your workcenter on INSERV when you were the only maintenance tech? I've seen how they do business. That is beyond impressive."
"Maybe, but you conveniently forgot that the US Navy didn't want me back afterward." I had... issues... dealing with the politically charged environment.
"This is UN Spacey. We could hardly care less what that bureaucratic mess that is the US Navy thinks."
Hikaru looked a little lost. "What are you guys talking about!?"
"Your friend here's been omitting details,” replied Roy blithely. “He's prior enlisted."
"So, I did my four years and then got out of that political rat race. And it turned out that the feeling was mutual. What if I don't want to deal with that again?"
"Hah! Kid, this is entirely different. For one thing, you're going to be a pilot, which means you'll get a little more leeway around here. Of course, rank does help, but around here people tend to advance fast."
He sure as hell didn't mention why.
This would be funny if it weren't real. Here he was, probably expecting Hikaru to be the hard sell, but it was me that was giving him the shyster treatment. But it was tempting. Oh so very tempting. Valkyries. Wonderful Overtech goodness.
But then.... I'm living here now, aren't I? If I'm gonna be living here I might as well fight for it. Only Tsunami knows when I'll jump again.
"I'll give it a shot," I said. I then held up a hand to stop him from going off on congratulating me. "But if I'm not jiving with the UN Spacey, then I'll put in my time and get out."
"Fair enough," said Roy. He then turned to Hikaru. "What about you? You gonna let action man here have all the fun?"
Hikaru looked a bit uncertain though. So much for me being the hard sell.
"I... just need a bit of time to think about it," Hikaru finally got out.
Roy sighed. "Okay, I guess that's all I'm gonna get out of you for now. But really Hikaru, think about it. Even if you do fix your racer it's not like you'll be able to fly it around out here."
"Ugh, don't remind me," replied Hikaru as we all sauntered off together.
##
"Hey, Hikaru?" I said as we made it to the outskirts of the city.
"Hmm?" replied the airshow pilot noncommittally.
"I'm gonna walk around on my own for a for a spell. Are you heading back home?"
"Yeah, why?" asked Hikaru, perking up a bit.
"Let them know not to worry about me."
"Oh, sure thing."
Hikaru went on his way. He had a lot on his mind for certain, but he wasn't being as apathetic as he had been in the original timeline. Thank God for small miracles. Maybe that way Minmei won't wind up fawning over him so much.
I wandered aimlessly for awhile, not really caring where I was going.
A Valkyrie pilot in the UN Spacy? Should I really do it? Would I be any good at it? And would I really have to deal with the same political merry-go-round I had to face in the Navy?
It really weighed heavily on my mind. I knew that I'd probably make for at least a decent pilot. My vision, while nothing spectacular, was slightly better than average and I had better night vision than most people. That, and I had an eye for detail - I knew, almost on an instinctive level, when something was out of place. And my spatial awareness was pretty good, too. At least, as long as I was paying attention.
Then there was the bonus factor in that I knew what was coming. For sure, there was the butterfly affect and temporal momentum, but I wasn't going to give it too much thought. So much of this timeline depended on the reactions of the Zentraedi that I didn't see my actions diverting things too much until we got to Earth.
But there was still the politics to consider.
I hate politics because it means picking your battles wisely... and I've never been the best at that, let me tell you. When confronted I'm a hot-head at worst and litigious at best, as we've already seen. But for some reason... I don't know why, but Captain Global, for some reason, let's shit like that slide. Maybe he's just that much more understanding of the situation we find ourselves in. He certainly seems unhappy about it all, that's for certain, though he does tend to keep a somewhat cooler head about it.
Or maybe the guy secretly finds it all amusing.
... Naaaaaah.
Before I knew it I found myself on some sort of engineered bluff that overlooked a good portion of the newly reconstituted Macross City. I just sat there and stared out into space for a while, kinda admiring the view. But then there was something at the back of my mind trying to warn me about something.
I didn't get to think on it too hard because I heard Minmei's voice coming up from behind me.
"GARRICK!" she yelled as she ran up the backside of the bluff. "There *pant* you are *pant*."
"Minmei," I said in surprise. I don't think I'd ever seen her really exert herself like that before. "Is something wrong?"
Minmei waited a short moment to catch her breath, then said, "I just wanted to find you. With everything that's been going on we haven't had a quiet moment alone."
Uh-oh. Danger Will Robinson! Okay, Garrick, stay calm. This may be nothing.
"Okay, so there's something you wanted to tell me that you didn't want others hearing?"
Minmei gave me a look as though to say, 'Well DUUUUH!'
Instead, she said, "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did back there. If it had been only Hikaru and myself I don't know for sure what would have happened. But you thought of things to get us out of that situation. That thing with the airlock was brilliant."
"Well yeah," I said, "we already went over all this. With the SAR teams, the debriefing teams, and your aunt and uncle until we were all blue in the face. What's different now?"
Minmei gave me a glare. "Are you really that dumb when it comes to girls? I guess I oughta spell it out for you."
I didn't really have much of a chance to react without hurting her. She suddenly grabbed me by the lapels and pulled me into a very spirited kiss.
Sweet Tsunami, I'm kissing Minmei!
Whoah what!? came Katherine’s voice in my head. Okay, this was NOT in the script I read!
Quickly but gently, I pushed her away. She was still giving me an indignant expression, as though she were an impatient student demanding that the professor tell her, right now, where her grade stood in the rankings.
"Okay," I began, "first off I didn't know you had a thing for me because I wasn't even looking for the signs. I'm old enough to be your father!"
"Only if you started having kids, like, right in the middle of college," said Minmei piously. "Besides, there’s plenty of couples around with large age gaps."
Granted, some people teased my original mother by calling her a cradle robber. That was because the age difference between her and my step-father when they were married. But that was that and this is this. Besides, I already went through this whole song and dance with Yuki!
"Minmei, even if you did wait it's not gonna be some difference of a few years. This is gonna be twenty years! People are gonna ask some really uncomfortable questions!"
"Ask me if I care!" she dared me.
"I'm not asking you, I'm asking myself," I shot back. "And the answer is 'Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot shipmate! What are you thinking!?'"
Minmei suddenly smiled suggestively. "I dunno. What are you thinking?" She was so good at that that it was scary. It was no small wonder she was bound to become a pop idol sensation.
I blinked, then recollected myself. "I am thinking you are a very pretty, very talented, and very YOUNG girl who should be dating boys and not grown men that are considering military service."
That made her pause. "You're joining the Spacy?"
I nodded. "You know I've always wanted to fly a fighter jet. The Spacy seems to be taking just about anyone that'll pass the preliminary exams, so this is my chance."
"That's great though! You'll have a good job and prestige and being married to me will look great because when we get back to Earth I'm gonna be a famous singer!"
Oh boy. I was starting to think I knew where all this was coming from. For better or worse, Minmei spent a good part of her young life in Japan, and what was worse her family is mostly Chinese nationals. In Asian cultures, especially Chinese, it wasn't unheard of for a pretty girl like her to get married off to a man my age because he had a position of prestige. It wasn't even so much that the family was trying to climb the social ladder, they just wanted the best for their little girl - the best being a husband with a guaranteed salary that could cover her expenses and that of the children that would come later. And, during the time we were missing, Minmei did say that one of her dreams was to be a bride.
Shit.
This girl was absolutely determined to get herself married and she saw me as the best man for the job - nevermind that she would have to wait a few years. I'd hate to break her heart, but then again she just wasn't taking no for an answer. This was Yuki-chan all over again! Maybe I can weaken her resolve by stalling her a bit.
"Look, Minmei..." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, pushing loose strands that were tickling my face back into place. "I don't know about this. I really don't. Let's just take some time to think on it. And I mean really think on it. If anything happens to me out there would you want to be the widow of a fighter pilot?" At that she grabbed me by the lapels once more, hauling me down to her level.
"Don't even think about it, flyboy, or else when I come to heaven I'm gonna kick your butt so hard that your ancestors will wince in sympathy."
... Okay, that DEFINITELY wasn’t in the script. What did you do Gar-kun!?
... I went out and acted like a man.
Really? she replied in the same deadpan reserved the the flat what trope.
Really.
I knew Minmei had a fire all her own, but this was something else entirely. Where was this coming from?
At the moment, a siren began to wail in the distance, accompanied by the words, "Air raid warning!"
Oh SHIT!
"What's that?" asked Minmei.
"I'm not sure," I said, playing up the clueless factor, "but I think it might be a good idea to get back home, and fast!"
She didn't argue the point with me. We just took off at a jog. However, before we left the bluff entirely, she turned and said,
"This isn't over."
I decided to let that go for now. Hopefully with all the excitement we were about to have she'd forget about this... for a little bit.
Poor bastard. :p