Finally, after walking for a while Blaine saw the huge doors to the port which theatrically opened and closed as people came and went for daily travels, as she got closer she could faintly see the build of Marauder through the doorway, and its massive form stood out like a sore thumb among the hustle and bustle, dwarfing the ships and people surrounding it.
"Welcome back." Marauder greeted as Blain stepped up to the large mechanoid's foot, and with a smooth movement, the large Gundam scooped up Blaine in its hand and brought her up to its line of vision.
"I trust they are treating you a bit better than me." Marauder said in an unimpressed tone of voice as its eyes flashed down to a couple people glaring up at the two of them.
"Don't worry about them, these people aren't used to seeing Gundams anymore Marauder. They're just afraid of what they don't know. That man Sirius Red told me something. He said the people of the colonies now see Gundams as something of an omen of bad luck and misfortune. They're suspicious of strangers, especially ones that have mobile suits. Let's just not give them as reason to hate us, ok?" Blain said before she sat down in Marauders hand and waved that glaring people who turned quickly and walked away.
"Somehow that seems easier said than done, but I will try to control myself and not move too much in stationary mode." Marauder said flatly, and Blaine turned to look up at the Mechanical being's face with a raised brown and a smirk, receiving only a dead gaze in return. However, if it could, Blaine had a feeling Marauder would have the most devious smirk possible on its face at that very moment.
"What I meant was that in order to get these people to trust us enough to become allies we can't go around doing things that would ward them off us and our intentions. That means no blowing things up, terrorizing little children, OR making me look like a jerk." Blaine said with a chuckle, and she saw Marauder roll its optics at her. "I assure you, I would never make you look anything but admirable, unless you gave me a reason to show them you're really a chicken in a human's body."
Blaine scoffed, smirked, and punched the thumb finger of the giant hand she was sitting in before saying "Come on now, I did pretty good so far for being a novice at this whole pilot thing. Be nice, or I just might leave you here, and let them take you away."
"Don't joke about that kind of thing! You know what they'd do if they got a hold of my power! Besides, you'd be completely alone without me, and I without you. We're bound through destiny, and if we're separated, one will die without the other. I made a pact the day I knew you were my pilot; to never let harm come to you, even if it meant risking my own existence. I must ask that you do the same for me." Marauder said flatly, and Blaine's expression turned from joking to seriously interested and she turned to face the Gundam and look it dead in the eyes.
"You.. would risk your life, for me?" she asked and her heart jumped slightly. She had never had such a feeling of comradely in her whole life, but it was frighteningly comforting, even though it came from a machine 20 times bigger than her.
Marauder shifted its head to nod once best it could before it eyes dimmed down to a bit softer gaze than the usual harsh and emotionless one.
"I said we are bound, and as such, my existence is to protect you and the people of Earth and the colonies. Destruction may be in my general line of purpose, but what I really am is a gift. Or so was told." Marauder said softly, and Blaine smiled happily, patted the large thumb finger she had punched playfully only moments before, and said "Then you have my word. My life is your life. My existence is yours as well, we're bound."
"Good to hear. Now, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I do believe a better hiding place for me is necessary. The Revo Corporation is bound to have fleets out searching the colonies by now, and thought they have little to no freedom of law here, it wouldn't be very hard to not mistake me for a new model of star liner." Marauder said factually, and Blaine straightened up and nodded.
"Right. But where on this colony can we hide a huge robot?" Blaine asked as she stood up and looked around seeing no place big enough to harbor Marauder both comfortably and completely.
"Psst!" a voice called out, and Blaine looked around and down until her eyes fell on a young man who was standing at Marauder's massive foot looking up.
Blaine made a gesture with her hands to silently ask what this young man wanted, and having gained her attention the youg man proceeded to say "I know a place you can hide that thing…"
"Marauder is not a thing, it's a Gundam, and where exactly did you have in mind?" Blaine asked as she nodded her head to have Marauder lower its huge hand down to the ground where she stepped down and faced the young man with an accusing look.
"All right then, I know a place you can hide your Gundam." The young man repeated, making sure to put the most inflection on the word 'Gundam'.
"Well all right, where? Tell me first because I'm not sure I trust anyone on this colony yet." Blaine said flatly, crossing her arms across her chest and looking up at the young man with a still uneasy gaze.
"Fine, you win. My name is Nirano Cortalis, and I'm probably the only person here on this colony you can trust." Nirano looked around cautiously before inching a bit closer to Blaine lowering his voice to say "Come on, let's go for a little walk. I'll explain what I mean on the way. Don't worry, your Gundam will be fine here for a while longer, but we don't want to go around talking about what I have to say here in public."
Blaine raised a brow but chose to humor this young man named Nirano Cortalis and motioned for him to start the walking, and Nirano gladly turned around and started to walk, not waiting for Blaine to follow him. Blaine caught up to him with a few steps and asked "So what is it you have to say to me that couldn't be said back in the port bay?"
"Well, for one thing I too am the owner of a secret much like your own; a Gundam, and I too came here looking for a place to hide. I'm the 4th son in my family to carry the secret of the Gundam Templar, and if I'm not being too subtle, I find it odd that a woman was granted the same secret. Even if in a different manner." Nirano said his voice smooth and calm as he walked with his hands folded neatly behind him.
Blaine listened for a moment, and as he spoke she took the time to memorize Nirano's appearance. He was tall, trim, but still well built. The flair of arrogance showed he was a man who had been taught the ways of discipline only the military could bestow, but that arrogance didn't seem to make him standoffish and rude, as he spoke with no hostility, even after he had just said it was odd that a woman was the pilot of a Gundam. Either way, Blaine thought it only reasonable that since he had given her his name free of charge she too would introduce herself formally.
"My name is Blaire Shiro, and I'm the 3rd of 4 daughters in the Shiro family. My father Kitan Shiro was the first to be given the right to guard the secret of the Gundam Marauder. And, though it may be weird and unorthodox, yes, I am the pilot to Marauder Gundam as there are no others of my family left." Blaine spoke and the words came out gingerly, knowing that she had just spilled important information about herself to an almost complete stranger, but somehow she had a gut feeling she really could trust this man called Nirano.