Return of an OC after some very heavy changes! (for SRW Uni)

[whats_a_good_end]

[1]

[It's early morning.  The period of the day that Ana likes to sleep through until at least 10 AM when she's not on-duty.  And unfortunately, something loud just... isn't letting that be how things are today.]

How... how can anyone put up with this?!?  You'd think there'd be some kind of 'quiet hours' in place here!

[2]



... Alright!  Some red there, a streak of green there and-

[Later in the day though, Ana's in much brighter spirits.  She has some classical music playing from a speaker outside as the cold, metallic fingers on her right hand running across a canvas.  She's fingerpainting.  Fingerpainting with her cybernetics, and enjoying it greatly.  And finally she adds one upturned curvey line to the bottom of it and then turns around and shows it to you.]

What do you think?  Does it remind you of anything?

[3]



[Not long ago, bad things happened during a mission.  Things that wouldn't sit well with many people, Ana included.  She tried to power through it and continue her dexterity training by playing a melancholy little song on her guitar, but one mis-strummed string too many and she has to stop.]

... Why...

[She puts the instrument aside, hands balled up into fists on her lap.]

Why would anyone or anything think that what happened out there would benefit anyone in the long run?  Maybe I don't see it, I'm still new at this combat piloting thing, but... I'm just not seeing it.

Comments

[whats_a_good_end]

Don't worry about it. I'll... fix it later today after I get some thread and a sewing needle.

But yeah... this really wasn't what I intended to really do with my time in the ESUN. I mean, I knew the risks that I'd be taking as a test pilot-

[And her cybernetic right hand and left middle and index fingers were proof of that.]

But being part of the Unity Group's different from even that. I mean, this place even has a lower casualty count than the Breaker Program did. And that place was just testing the machine... the Unity Group's a dedicated combat group.

[signalsfromspace]

"Really? But you just said it yourself it's testing! Just driving robots around, right? Are aliens trying to eat you?!"

Sumika's hair antenna stands upright like if she too was an alien.

[whats_a_good_end]

Nothing quite like that, no. But there's a lot of data that needs to be replaced, and mine is the only Breaker left. Stress tests for pretty much everything are the order of most days.

Mundane, but dangerous. Even in this day and age test pilots still have to risk their life when trying to help develop new technology.

[signalsfromspace]

"Why does it have to be so dangerous? Promise me you won't die in a freaky accident, okay?"

[whats_a_good_end]

No promises. I've been lucky so far, but I'm walking around with reminders of what can happen on me as it is.

[signalsfromspace]

"Geez. Now I have no choice but to spend the whole day worrying, you know that!"

Sumika's cheeks puff up.

"You could've at least said 'It's a promise!', even if it was a lie."

[whats_a_good_end]

I'm sorry, but I can't. It's dangerous work but someone has to do it... and with all the crashes I've been in, those I've lost friends in, I've made my peace with it a long while back.

But, like I've said, I have today off. So there's at least that.

[signalsfromspace]

Sumika looks like if a light bulb just flashed over her head.

"That's right! I'll have to make eeeextra sure that no one is bothering you while you're sleeping, Ana. Leave it to me."

[whats_a_good_end]

The way you're making it sound I'd rather not leave it to you!

[signalsfromspace]

"Come ooon, please! No one will even think about interrupting your sweet dreams while I'm guarding the gates~!"

[whats_a_good_end]

You're the one in the greatest danger of doing that in the first place!

[signalsfromspace]

"No I'm not. You're being mean!"