Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo~ [OPEN]

[nohoppityskip]

Characters: Susan Sto Helit, and anyone that shows up [OPEN]
Content: Susan goes for a walk. Which on the Vicky is always interesting.(open mingle log for the Victoria II)
Setting: Anywhere on the Vicker
Time: Mid-afternoon, while in port at Bellcius
Warnings: Oddness. Other than that, not yet.

Comments

[minorbook]

Between her studies, her independent study concerning the communicators, and getting to know the creature she had been granted better, Matilda had had a rather busy couple weeks. to be honest though, this was probably the happiest she had been since joining the ship, which was somewhat ironic considering she had started to think about perhaps leaving. A task that doubtless would not be easy, and required a lot more thinking that she had given it, but it had popped into her head quite a number of times

[nohoppityskip]

Susan turned from the railing she'd been leaning upon, returning an easy smile to her student. "Good afternoon, Matilda."

Though Susan prized learning quite highly, it was far too nice of an early spring day to be stuck inside pouring over papers. So she was glad to see the girl in the open air. "Enjoying a day away from your studies with your small friend?" She asked kindly. The bird was a curious creature, but she didn't want to pry too much.

[minorbook]

"Mmmhmm!" It had been much too long since Matilda had ventured off the ship. It was part of the reason she had come up to the deck, at the very least she could enjoy the open air and the sun on her face.

She held out her arm so that Roald could hop down it, and so that Susan could get a closer look at him.

"His name is Roald Dahl--or just Roald. He was one of the creatures that the ship rescued back when we went to that frozen island. He kind of just started following me around one day, so I asked if I could keep him."

Roald leaned forward a tiny bit, flapping his wings. He seemed just as curious about Susan as she was about him.

[nohoppityskip]

"Good." Everyone needed downtime, every once in a while.

Susan leaned down a bit more to get a closer look at the little bird. It was, she had to admit, rather cute. And she wasn't really a bird person. All Quoth's fault, of course. "Roald, what an interesting name."

"He seems very inquisitive. What have you learned about him so far?" She couldn't always get herself out of teacher mode even when she should be. Slowly, she extended a finger to the bird, hoping it wouldn't bite and would let her stroke its curiously bright feathers.

[karmauberalles]

It was easy to tell by his skin tone that von Karma wasn't exactly the sort of person who liked large amounts of direct sunlight. He wasn't as bad about it as some people, but it was bad enough that certain practitioners of yellow journalism routinely reported about his tragic battle with vampirism. Granted, von Karma never took any... extreme steps to combat this. It added to his image, after all.

Of course, a man had to stretch his legs, and he'd rather not have to run into the crazy bastards from the infirmary if he didn't have to. They were probably useful, which was why he hadn't discreetly offed them yet, but they were such nuisances. So, he'd gone out on deck, and was currently walking in the general direction of Susan.

[nohoppityskip]

Looking up from her book, Susan spotted the (ever-so-slightly) intimidating captain of the ship striding towards her, perfect posture and all. Marking her place with a finger, Susan gave the slightest of curtsies towards the admiral, in case he had noticed her.

Wouldn't want to be impolite, after all. "Good afternoon, captain," she added, once he was in hearing range. She hadn't gotten to talk much with the captain, this would be a fascinating opportunity.

[karmauberalles]

von Karma stopped for a moment after being hailed. Normally, he probably would have just ignored that sort of thing, but he had the vague feeling that he'd met this person before and, strangely, hadn't formed an overwhelmingly negative first impression. Though, she obviously hadn't made enough of an impression for him to remember her name.

"Hello," he said curtly, although the fact that he was still standing there and hadn't walked away immediately meant that he was open for more conversation.

[nohoppityskip]

Ah, he didn't seem to remember her, though he did seem at least amenable to the idea of her continuing to speak. That was alright, she might have been unwittingly making herself less-than-notable the last time they'd met. Or, possibly, they simply hadn't met face to face yet.

"Susan Sto Helit, sir," she reminded him. He couldn't be called onto keep track of everyone, after all. "And, I must say, rather impressed by your leadership skills, these past few weeks." Flattery, that would get her somewhere, right? As long as he didn't ask just what that impression was...

[no_landmasters]

Bellcius was Falco's second home, maybe even his first. Solare was never kind to him, but Bellcius was a different story. It was here that he got his second chance at life, to make something of himself instead of being just another thug running with the gangs.

In the hangar of the Victoria II, he was teaching his creature the finer art of taking care of fighter planes. Falco was about to teach it how to properly inspect the engine when he heard someone come in. Judging by the footsteps, it wasn't any of the other pilots.

"Eh? Oh, it's you, Susan. What brings you here?"

[nohoppityskip]

Susan smiled at the demi-human and his new pet. It seemed many had acquired these creatures on their last adventure. It was really too bad she wasn't much of a pet person.

"Just taking a walk, seeing the parts of the ship I haven't visited often." This hanger, for example. And much cleaner than she'd ever seen it before. Even the floor had been mopped, it seemed. "Spring cleaning seems to have been effective," she remarked.

[no_landmasters]

"That so?" Falco asked. It was rare that anyone would come wandering into the hangar. He couldn't remember the last time they had someone who was just coming in to look. "Then welcome to the Victoria II hangar."

He'd offer a tour, but there actually wasn't very much to see, and Falco didn't think that Susan was very interested in seeing which plane was which and how they were all different.

"Spring cleaning went great," Falco agreed. "I could almost eat off this floor."

Almost.

[nohoppityskip]

She offered an amused smile, though not quite a laugh. "I think that would probably still be inadvisable." It was meant to be a joke, but with Susan's sometimes unsteady sense of humor (a product of both up-bringing and her supernatural genetics, she swore) it might not have come off as a very funny one.

"You seem to have acquired a new friend," she observed. Just because she didn't want one herself didn't mean she wasn't curious about these fascinating creatures.

[shuuyu]

It was a good day; one that truly reminded one of the presence of spring with its bright blue and clear skies and pleasantly cool wind. It was one that, Zhou Yu knew, should not be allowed to pass by without being acknowledged. The Victoria II might be reasonably comfortable, but no matter what kind of engineering, a ship was a ship; the quarters and functions beneath the deck were unavoidably stuffy as a result of being enclosed. It was no place to be enjoying the fresh spring breeze.

"Ah," Zhou Yu breathed as he stepped out into the deck. He was dressed casually; that is to say, without his weapon strapped to his side.

There were people around the deck as well, and while he recognized some faces, Zhou Yu was loathe to admit that he did not recognize some of them. That was certainly no good; by all means, it was his duty to at least be acquainted with his fellow shipmates. He approached one such lady, the one with the book.

"It is a fine day, is it not?" he inquired quietly with a small smile.

[nohoppityskip]

"Quite lovely," she replied with a small smile, having closed her book a while back to simply enjoy such fine weather. "Spring must be here again, I think."

Looking the man over with more leisure, she realized he looked only vaguely familiar. AS she was one to recall faces most of the time, she could only come to one conclusion. "I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Susan," she introduced with a nod of her head.

It was too nice a day for rubbish such as curtsying, after all.

[shuuyu]

Zhou Yu acknowledged the slow nod of the head by bowing himself, albeit in a far more formal way, before stepping closer. "I am Zhou Yu, a Navigator of this ship. I do not think we have met either. It is a pleasure to have your acquaintance."

"Since when have you come, madam?" he asked after a while.

[nohoppityskip]

"A pleasure," she repeated, more out of manners and good(-ish) breeding than anything else.

Susan tilted her chin up, thinking. "A few months, nearing half a year, in fact." She hadn't meant to be aboard the ship such a long time, but... "I'm a schoolteacher and governess, by profession. Though I seem to have gathered a few charges her on the ship," she explained, a hint of surprise at the circumstances of life clear in her voice.

"And yourself?

[bladeof_loyalty]

Sun Jian saw the woman observing the skyline. She seemed to be collecting her thoughts and relaxing. Watching the sky had always been one of the benefits of service that was never mentioned in the recruitment pitches, but to Jian, it was one of the most important.

One one hand, he didn't want to bother someone who was deep in thought. On the other, though, this was a good opportunity to get to know some of his fellow crewmembers and the passengers on the ship. At the very least, he would be able to judge their character from speaking to them. It would be an added benefit, of course, if he made some capable friends along the way.

"...It's days like this that I'm glad I'm not still in the infantry," he remarked, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips as he stepped up beside her. "The view up here is much more magnificent."

[nohoppityskip]

"Quite lovely," She smiled back at him, turning her gaze from the skyline. "Even though I've flown a fair bit." Not all of it had been by airship, of course, but there had been enough diplomatic travel with her parents in her youth that she'd gotten quite used to it.

She took a second look at the man, a bit taller than her. Surely she would have remembered him if they had met before, with that hair.