Army of the Southern Cross

[AldarisLordOfLight]

The pair had been dancing for a time, enjoying each other's company, before hunger got to them. Adrian led Moira back to their area of the festivities and took a moment to collect themselves.

Hearing Marcus call out for some seafood adventure, Adrian perked up and turned to Moira. "Looks like supper time call and seafood sounds so tempting right now. Want to us to head out with the others on a culinary adventure, War Girl?"

 

[Orikanyo]

Heinrich tries his luck with the occasional, slightly embellished war story or three, drawing somewhat of a crowd from a group, war stories and beer tend to mix rather well when it comes down to it. He was just about halfway through his third story (the first being about there daring raid into the Zentraedi warship, the second being the small story of why the two currently acting lovey dovey were called Lovebird and Cheesecake"). One involving a bit of his medical career and why the young woman got nicknamed the Shield, when the others started talking about food. "Well, seems like my squad is hungry, always need me for something. Looks like I'm going to have to end the stories here." he concluded, enjoying the audience for a minute or so.

And almost immediately the group left, cheerful waves, but no questions if they, or one of them, could come! "Well shit..." the doctor crossed his arms, wondering if he was any good at all at this whole type of thing. "...Well... I guess I entertained them for abit.. thats a.. good trait yea? Or.. did I seem like an old man talking about old war stories... Shit, even Eric is chatting away." he paused for a good moment, looking around himself, feeling awefully self conscious all the sudden...

"...Seafood it is..." the good doctor sighed, not feeling this first day of the trip just yet it seems.

 

[ViciousVip3R]

"Ok, then it's decided! Let's follow the coast until we see or smell something good." Taking the lead, Marcus begins to walk along the beach, feeling the sand digging between his toes with each step. Although the sun had long faded from view, the sand remained burning hot, almost like the coals in a fire after it has been put out, steadily glowing, a last defience to the night.

 

[Silanon]

It's nice to be appreciated for something else than killing people - it's been some time since she earnt those kind of looks, and in combination with another glass or two, that seems to let her become even more lively, chatting away with random people who happen to be brave enough to get close. The one who earns most of her attention is the one who's kind enough to get her a hotdog, though. "Thanks, sarge, you're the best", is her response as she takes the offered food with a smile on her lips. "Hotdog is a good start to any story, y'know? Wonder where this one ends though..."

She continues to stand there, sipping at her drink, eyeing her companions in the midst of the excitement - one ear listening to the sarge's stories, the other one focused on the conversations that happen all around her; trying to be part of everything at once, sprinkling a few suggestions here and there to play the ancient game between men and women while making sure that nothing serious will come out of it - for now.

The flow of the conversations takes a turn when Marcus proposes to leave for now, grabbing some seafood to recharge the internal batteries. "Sounds good to me - sorry, y'all, seems like we're on the move, might return later for another round, though." She joins the others, raising her glass to the one squad member who doesn't seem to relax quite yet. "You'll better make sure to never write those stories down, or I'll have to look for another side job." It's not hard to tell that she certainly enjoyed those tales - and given the attention he got, she probably wasn't the only one. "Y'know, you should cheer up a bit, sarge - you only look old when you make that grumpy face as if you'd be on the way to your own execution. It's seafood, not poison."

 

[Sherwood]

Good food is easily found farther up the beach at a beach-side restaurant called Cantina Jim's. Its dress code is lax enough that none of you will stand out in your beachwear, and you are able to quickly get to a table. A busty waitress ways her way over to your table with a smile on her face and takes your orders, and soon you are all dining on a variety of culinary delights. As always, hunger is the best sauce, and the food is delicious.

Even with the sunset, the temperature is still quite pleasant outside, letting you dine on the outside patio in comfort. As the plates are cleared and everyone is ready to go into a food coma, the Hussars are taking a moment to lean back in their seats and look about the place and revel in the thoughts of being on vacation.

It is getting to be more and more clear that New Rio has come to its own as a vacation city, and everywhere you look, you can spot the distinctive mannerisms of a military man or woman. At least there is no signs of anyone losing themselves to the alcohol and getting into trouble. Everyone seems to want to maintain the peace and not ruin a good thing.

By the end of dinner, it is now getting upwards of 9pm. The nightlife is still hopping, so if you are not quite ready to return to your rooms, you can still find something to do.

 

[Psychie]

Moira lets out a contented sigh as she shifts back in the seat. "That was wonderful." She then lets out a yawn. "Oh, my. I am starting to feel tired. All the traveling and the dancing is starting to hit home. Not to mention I'm still half drunk." Moira gives Adrian a sly smile as she eyes him. "Perhaps I might need some assistance getting to bed tonight. Do you think you could be up to the task of helping me, kind sir?"

 

[AldarisLordOfLight]

The seafood dinner was divine. Stuffed fish, sweet and spicy prawns, crabs as big as a man's head, and many other delicacies that watered the mouth of any hungry soul. When it all disappeared, he lets loose a sigh of happiness before shifting back in his own seat to relax and ease the tension developed after eating such a hearty feast. Not long after, he lets out a yawn of his own. "I can safely say that this is a good first day to our vacation. An uneventful journey, fun times, good food and drink, day's been good to us."

Hearing Moira's little suggestion, Adrian smiled just as slyly as her before responding, "Of course, who am I to deny milady's honest request? I am yours to command, milady." He finished off with a small bow, a grin plastered on his face.

 

[Orikanyo]

Dinner was pleasant enough, even if he didn't feel completely hungry, having swallowed a large bitter pill not an hour before. though Fia tried to cheer him up, he figured it was best to find some way to enjoy the evening some way. If he cannot find a couple new... Friends, he may as well spend some time doing something in the night life of the city.

Finishing off his meal, and getting a whole overly sweet desert in the form of Adrian's oddness, the man paid for his portion of the food before standing up once more.

"So then, theres abit more of the night to go through, I for one don't feel ready to give up just yet. While the lovebirds go have fun, theres still swimming yet to do, if people are still up for something."

 

[Silanon]

Good food, great company, and more days like this one to look forward to - what else could you ask for, really? Hard to tell, but Fia certainly intends to find out what New Rio still has to offer. Of course, Moira and Adrian seem to set the bar quite high, but it's not like it'd be a competition who happens to have the most fun on vacation. "Take it easy, both of you - no need to rush things, we're here for a while." That's probably the best advice she can give, everything else will fall into place over time.

"I'm certainly not done yet, sarge. Marcus still owes me a dance, I believe, and I'm pretty sure you know how to shake a leg as well. Not that I'd want to force you into something, just offering if you're up for it." Better to add that last sentence for now, seeing that the doc seems not to be in in the best mood yet - not even offering sarcastic advice to the two young lovers. "Alrighty - swimming in total darkness, dancing till exhaustion, and finding cute girls for the three of you - anything else to add to the list?"

 

[Orikanyo]

heinrich smirked, snorting a little at Fia's words. "Fine fine, if you want to dance with your lieutenant that badly I'll indulge you, perhaps..." he sighed slightly... before scratching his head, suddenly furious once again. Bah, what is this? First day into our vacation and I'm feeling like I'm in a rut? It is TRUE, we Germans are addicted to work. it was the same way in my schooling, no parties just studying, always the work work work. Makes a good lieutenant, but not a good civilian!

Talk big in the uniform, but sandals and comfy shirt?

Nonetheless! To the beach! we still have some light out there, and I want to see some damn fish!" With that, heinrich lead the charge back onto the beach.

"Shutterbug! Newbie! Eric! Come on!"

 

[ViciousVip3R]

"Wow, what a meal," says Marcus with a contented sigh, "man can I get used to this." Picking up a napkin from the table, Marcus proceeds to wipe his mouth clean, before excusing himself to go to the washroom. "I'll be right back, don't have too much fun without me." He says with a wink.

After sliding back into his seat, he looks expectantly at Fia. Hearing her bring up the offer of a dance he made earlier, he moves to take her to the dance floor, but is beat to it by the good Doctor. Ever the gentleman, he courteously agrees to let the Lieutenant have the first dance."I'll defer to my superior, I can dance after." As Heinrich rushes to the beach, Marcus follows suit. "Ah nothing like some exercise to burn off the extra calories." He says to no one in particular.

The beach in question is a smooth, square piece of land, with tables framing the sides. Four torches erect on the four corners give off just enough light to complement the silver luminescence of the moon. As the squad gets there, they see the party already in full swing, with a young mariachi band in the corner playing a slow, soft melody for the couples already on the dance floor. Seeing the rest of the squad occupied, Marcus turns to Eric. "Hey, want to come with me to grab a few drinks? That food was great but I'm thirsting for more than water."

 

[Sherwood]

So it sounds like Moira and Adrian and going to be heading back to the hotel for some alone time, leaving the rest of you to your enjoyment of the sights and sounds of the party on the beach.

Even at this time of night, there is still plenty to do in New Rio. It just depends on how far you want to range away from the beach on your first night here. There is some dancing going on, and with the idea of doing some late night swimming, Eric is all over that. His only word of caution is, "Everyone, stay close to the beach. We've all been drinking, and I would hate to lose a good friend to drowning." At this point, he strips off his cargo shorts and tank top to reveal his finely chiseled form in a swimsuit. "Lets go get wet!"

 

[Silanon]

Trying her best to keep up with the sudden enthusiasm around her - or maybe restlessness, in the sarge's case, hard to tell the difference - Fia follows the others to the beach, soon enough leaving her own choice of outer wear behind in a pile around her flipflops to enter the shadowy waters in her swimsuit. Maybe a bit too happy to feel the water's embrace, she dives under as soon as it's deep enough, and vanishes for a few short moments - before re-emergin a couple of steps further away from the sandy beach, splashing water in all directions. "No fish thus far, and no floaters either."

 

[Orikanyo]

Heinrich had discarded his shirt upon the beach unceremoniously as he made his way into the waters, still slightly warm from the sun, but cool enough to be a welcome relief. "Lovely, " he let out a long sigh, taking his time to swim out to a area he could take a better look. He found some small fish still floating about, nibbling at a rock or piece of coral, a ray simply skating its way across the sand surface.

"Well, fish are about as interesting as ever... Gah! What is wrong with your Lieutenant!" a small flail causing some waves made the small number of fish go into hiding. Finally stopping he floated upon his back, defeated in his boredom. "let the sea take me, maybe I will find my love of fun somewhere beneath the waves."

 

[Psychie]

Having been deep into her drinking and despite her exceptional constitution, Moira is quite certain that she is drunk. But, she really doesn't care. With one arm wrapped around Adrian's shoulders to help keep her on her feet, she alternately stumbles and giggles a bit at the humor of the situation that only a intoxicated person can understand.

She looks up at the somewhat more sober face of her companion and asks, "So, are you planning on taking me up to your room and ravishing my body, now that you know I have feelings for you? That would certainly make for an enjoyable vacation, if what I have heard about sex is true." <giggle>

 

[AldarisLordOfLight]

It was late and they were drunk. He knew it, they knew it, and everyone else knew it. Whatever drinks he consumed this night has almost reached their zenith thus slowly crumbling his mental resistance. He held Moira close, an arm wrapped around her waist, stumbling from time to time all the while keeping themselves vaguely upright.

She really did look so drunk, a happy drunk at that. He was so tempted to do just that when the words came out of her mouth. But the gentleman within him waded through the alcohol and the desire to tell him to stop and think things through. "Oh it is good, I'm sure the old doctor would say as much. Moira, I'm so tempted to do just that darling, I just want to hold you down as I take you again and again; and wake up in the morning with you naked right beside me with my arms wrapped around your beautiful form. Yet, something within me is just holding me back as if waiting for you to say you want me to. To consider what you want."

He turned his head and gave her a deep kiss, savoring the feeling before continuing, "I don't want to do something regrettable for you, the man within me is saying that much; but just say the word and I'll do as you ask, darling."

 

[Psychie]

Moira sighs. "I don't know what to do. I want to be with you, but I want to make sure we are doing things right and not rush into something. Truth to be told, I'm a bit nervous. Like the other Zentraedi that have joined humanity, I have taken the standard biology classes to know about what goes on between a man and a woman. The whole thing is just so . . . different . . . from anything else that I have ever done." She gives Adrian another hug and kiss, enjoying the feeling of his strong arms around her. "Lets take it a little slow. How about seeing what movies are playing on the DVR at the hotel? We can curl up together while watching a show."

 

[AldarisLordOfLight]

Adrian nodded before pulling Moira a little bit closer as they made their way back to the hotel. He understood her position, the strangeness of things, and maybe the cultural differences too. He may not know everything, but he really understood her nervousness and respected her much more for pushing through amidst the uncertainty of a new life.

"Alright, if that's what you want. We can take things slow and steady; and the movie sounds lovely. Let's drop by a corner store first and buy some snacks and sodas, go for something light since we've hit the heavy drinks a couple of hours ago."

After purchasing a couple bags of chips and a few bottles of cola, the pair returns to their hotel and made their way back to their floor. "I just hope it ain't horror. Some cheesy action movie or a bit of romance is fine but I wouldn't touch horror even if I have a twenty meter pole to poke it with. Unless you want me to hold you like a security blanket for the rest of the film..."

 

[Silanon]

"We'd miss you way too much to let that happen." Fia slowly swims closer to him - partially to not let him do anything stupid, partially because there are apparently fish over there that can be observed. Always nice to see the small beings, at least as long as you don't have to stare at them for hours and hours because your boss placed a fish tank right on the other side of your desk... "You're the doc - if something's wrong, you should know best. Maybe you should just try to stop being the Lieutenant for just a few moments, though - instead of running from one place to the next, trying to do something relevant. That's how vacations are supposed to work, anyway; even Moira got the concept."

 

[Psychie]

Heading up to Adrian's room with snacks in one hand and Adrian's arm in the other, Moira does her best to keep stable after the copious amounts of alcohol she drank earlier in the evening. She doesn't make any suggestions for which movie they should watch; she decides to leave that decision up to her companion. All that Moira is interested in right now is to curl up on the couch with her man.

As the film starts up, she tucks herself into place on Adrian's side. "Tell me more about yourself. Where are you from? Do you have any family that lived through the war? Why did you decide on becoming a tanker when you signed up? I hope you don't mind my questions. If there is anything about me that you want to know, feel free to ask."

 

[Sherwood]

Spoiler

Using the awesome power of the Storyteller, we rewind a bit. Because sometimes, the Storyteller is goof. But he will firmly deny that statement to any and all comers.

On the beach, there are several nightclubs and restaurants that have a dance floor, including Cantina Jim's. The strobe lights are flashing and the music is playing, and people are moving to the beat in various stages of dress (or undress, depending on your point of view). There is a bit of room in the press of bodies for you to join the crowd, and soon you find yourselves losing yourselves to the music.

 

[AldarisLordOfLight]

The pair decided to watch a campy soap opera with a convoluted plot and overly strange characters. It was stupidly entertaining in all actuality; and it's light enough that they could relax and unwind from anything too stressful. They were on the couch, a comfortable place to laze around.

As the film progressed, he heard Moira pop a question about himself. He didn't mind the questions at all. "I don't mind the questions darling. Well, to answer them in order...my family's living happily at the Australia Quadrant, specifically at the area around the area of Darwin, I know for a fact that before my parents married my father fought in the war as a young tanker himself before retiring while mom was a field medic at the time before opening up a clinic nowadays, and I signed up to be a tanker just like my father because I believe that I can make a difference just like any other wide eyed youth that joins the military and maybe I also want to go on an adventure even if it means me shooting at someone and they returning fire. It's bloody exciting, scary but exciting. Besides that, I learned a lot of skills in my time from training and going out on missions with you and the others. Now I can safely say I can beat my old man and he'll owe me a pint when we meet back on the range. Despite being a tanker who rarely fired his personal weapons, he's a crack shot with a gun." He responded with a chuckle at the end.

Before long, he pulled her a bit closer while shifting her a bit to make her more comfortable before popping his own question. "How about you, any family? Friends? Ever wanted to do something outside of our military duties? Hobbies? How are you holding up working for the other side? It must have taken a lot of willpower and strength to do what you've done. Eh, sorry about that I sometimes ramble when something interesting comes up or something exciting turns up."

 

[Psychie]

Moira listens to Adrian, focused on his words as the tv show that he's chosen doesn't seem to make much sense to her. "Family? No, I'm a clone, grown to adulthood in a tank. No mother or father, but I guess I could say I have many 'sisters', fellow clones that share some of my DNA. The only real family that I have is . . . well, it may sound silly, but it's the Hussars. You have all accepted me, despite my background as a enemy of humanity." She falls silent for a moment, startled with herself for saying all of that. "Aside from my time in uniform, I've tried different things to acclimate myself to your culture. I've tried to play a saxophone once. Sounded more like a poor animal was screaming out in pain as it was slowly being tortured. Cooking was an interesting exercise, but I ended up throwing away most of what I made so I wouldn't get in trouble for violating the provisions of chemical warfare. It was just that bad. I took a sewing class that tried to teach me how to make a quilt. It was boring, 'cause it just takes too long. I guess that the only thing that I have ever excelled in besides fighting is dancing. It is a very physical thing, dancing all the different styles. Rumba, tango, quick-step, even the waltz. It is a fun thing, moving in concert with the right partner, spinning and twirling like that." Please don't laugh at me for this. Please don't laugh at me for this.

"I like working with humans. As a whole, your entire race is so inventive and exciting, never accepting defeat even in the face of certain defeat. I don't just mean in a hover tank or Valkyrie; I also mean in areas like medicine, and physics. The Robotech Masters are truly intelligent, but in all the years of their empire, they have never come up with a fighting vehicle as wonderful as our Spartas. All they know to do is to make Zentraedi soldiers by the millions and throw us at the enemy, and damn the losses of life in their clone army. To humans, each life is important, even a clone's life, like mine."

 

[AldarisLordOfLight]

Adrian's heart swelled hearing her share a piece of her history to him; and he was damned proud of the woman he fell in love with. 'You're one hell of a gal, War Girl; and I'm bloody proud to be by your side'.

"Despite the rough beginning you have, that's quite an accomplishment. Music? I know how to play the piano since mom usually plays back home. I can only play a few pieces slowly sadly. Even to this day I'm always wide eyed at her speed with and grace with that instrument. Cooking? Simple meals are easy but I always tell dad that cooking something complex must be the work of magic. Sewing? Never picked up a needle in my life. Dancing? Darling, let's find a place where we can dance; tango, swing, waltz, and anything we can try. It's been ages since I last danced with someone." He said wistfully, a pleasant smile on his face as he said the last part.

He then turns to her and plants a kiss on the top of her head before saying, "Really, you've been through a lot; and clone or not, I'll still love you silly my one and only. I'll even march to the depths of hell and journey to the void of space for you. I'm lucky and glad to have met someone as wonderful as you."

 

[Psychie]

Darling, let's find a place where we can dance; tango, swing, waltz, and anything we can try. It's been ages since I last danced with someone." He said wistfully, a pleasant smile on his face as he said the last part.

Moira chuckles, deep in her throat. "When we get back to Monument City, I can take you to the dance studio where I learned my moves. With luck, Ms. Goldman, my teacher, will still be there. I have to warn you, though, she is nearly as picky about being perfect as I am!"

He then turns to her and plants a kiss on the top of her head before saying, "Really, you've been through a lot; and clone or not, I'll still love you silly my one and only. I'll even march to the depths of hell and journey to the void of space for you. I'm lucky and glad to have met someone as wonderful as you."

She sits up, shifting around on the couch to be able to look Adrian in the eye. "Wait. What was that? You . . . love me?" Her voice cracks as she talks. "How can you say that? I'm just a clone, a nobody. All I'm really good for is fighting. No one could really love me."