Yet Another SRWU OC

[rhapsody_ace]

-1-


[Down time! Ava Picasso, Ace Pilot (alleged), is kicking back with her bass, floating idly in and out of various rhythms. She's not bad, but far from being a pro.]

There's something about real music, huh.

...Not like this crap I'm doing, I mean real real music. The stuff where you can hear every year of practice, every heartbreak, every emotion that went into it in every line. It's not just something you listen to and move on. It changes something inside you. Real music is the only thing that makes me feel lke the world can change for the better.

It's not just me, right? I'd feel pretty dumb if I gave that whole ramble and I'm the only person who cares.


-2-


[The Unity Group has just suffered a painful defeat on the fields of battle! The loss left Ava in a sour mood, and she appears to have dealt with it in the best way she knows: Copious amounts of terrible beer.]

We're gonna get 'em next time. Who cares about all th' guns and th' robots, when we got something they'll never... got.

We're TEAM UNITY! 'n we never give up, even when not givin' up is stupid n' suicidal! Hell yeah!

[It's Unity Group, not Team Unity, Ava. Having stood up to make that last point, her glass waving around precariously, she sits down in approximately the same seat as she was in before, resting her head on the table/counter while the room stops spinning. Standing up is hard.]

Okay. Stop me if you've heard this one.

[If the last four jokes she attempted to tell are any indication, someone should really stop her.]


-3-


[On patrol! You and Ava, out making sure that nobody gets the jump on this particular UG base. An important task.]

[On this particular day, it's quiet. Extremely quiet. Downright boring, in fact. After failing to stifle a yawn, Ava speaks up.]

Hey, watch this!

[Without any further explanation, the Rhapsody's thrusters flare as it goes into a barrel roll, before dropping like a rock in a near-suicidal nose dive towards the unrelenting ground below.]

Comments

2

[rhapsody_voice]

Um, Ava? I think we've all heard it. Fifteen minutes ago.

[rhapsody_ace]

You don't even know what joke I was gonna tell.

[The last three all had the same punchline.]

[rhapsody_voice]

Maybe it's a lucky guess. I think everybody's a little too down to have fun, too.

[rhapsody_ace]

I'm tryin' to lighten th' mood! I know everyone's down, why do y'think I got so drunk?

[rhapsody_voice]

I know your heart's in the right place. It's just... upside down and backwards in that place! What we need to do to help everyone is make their hearts happy, even if it's a little hard.

[rhapsody_ace]

[Siiiiiigh.]

I know. You're better at this kinda thing than I am.

It's not like I'm not mad, too. I hate losing as much as th' next guy.

[rhapsody_voice]

I know. But we can do it, can't we?

[rhapsody_ace]

Hell yeah, we can. We can do anything.

[kinaesthete]

[Cathy jumps in her seat.]

Wha- damn it, quit showing off! You know we can't match stunts like that!

[It's true - the Rose has enough thrust and lift to keep up with the Rhapsody on patrol, but it's in no way built for dogfighting. Cathy tracks the jet's movement half with alarm - because Ava is capable of pushing harder than she can actually handle - and half with jealousy.]

[rhapsody_voice]

Then it's settled. All we need to do is unify our hearts.

I always wanted to say that.

[rhapsody_ace]

How do you do that? You say these things, and if anyone but you said them, I'd be making fun of them, but it makes sense coming from you.

[rhapsody_ace]

WOOHOO!

[At the last possible second, the Rhapsody pulls up, practically scraping the ground on the turnaround. It's a good thing you're not flying over a populated area!]

Everyone complains, but I love the boring patrols. Finally a chance to forget all the aliens and terrorists and just fly.

[rhapsody_voice]

Because if you believe in it, then it's true. It's important to believe in this kind of thing nowadays. You never know what's going to happen, after all, but you do know that all of us need to work together on it.

You said it, too. We have something special as a team, right? I know that wasn't just drunken rambling. Or if it was, it was right.

[kinaesthete]

Well, I can't disagree with that. Being able to do more than jump and glide is pretty great!

[Liz executes a careful barrel roll, over Cathy's grumbling protests, to illustrate her point.]

[rhapsody_ace]

Not bad! If you keep at it, my position of Crazy Stunt Ace might be in danger.

[kinaesthete]

Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You know once we're on the ground your whole edge evaporates. And if any bogeys do show up, they won't be chased away by an intimidating midair dance-off.

[rhapsody_ace]

Yes, I acknowledge that I would not be able to run the entire UG operation by myself.

[kinaesthete]

Obviously you've grown and matured a lot since college, then.

[rhapsody_ace]

Like, what if there was a terrorist attack in Hong Kong and an alien invasion in South America at the same time? I'd need somebody to hold the fort in Hong Kong.

[kinaesthete]

Or a faster machine.

[rhapsody_ace]

Ooh, there's an idea. I was feeling like the Rhapsody was getting a bit sluggish, but maybe it's just my reflexes getting too good.