Chapter 28: Fame, Fortune, and Futility
Part 1
Falco peered into the hallway from the concealment of his bedroom, stepping into the corridor the moment he was certain that he was alone, the avian's beak glancing both ways before he was content enough to pick a direction. Taking care to reduce the echo of his footsteps and repeatedly checking corners and hallways, Falco made a slow, but determined effort to reach the Great Fox's arsenal undetected.
With one last careful glance to his surroundings, the avian silently slipped into his sanctuary. The bird leaned against the closest wall and sighed in content at the familiar and welcomed backdrop, plucking a comb from his coat pocket to hastily stylize the mane of feathers atop his head.
Looks like I made it. He thought with a smug grin.
Falco was rather proud that his proficiency for quite moving was just as good as the old days, back when he had been just another street urchin roaming the streets of Velspad, the capital of Macbeth, his homeworld.
"What… are you doing?"
Falco froze at the perplexed voice, turning his head to see the rather bewildered expression on the other occupant at the far end of the rather large chamber.
"Oh hey Six, didn't see you there." The bird answered quickly, a momentary flash of embarrassment causing Falco to rub the back of his head in awkward discomfort as he straightened his back, the prideful puffing of his chest deflating somewhat. Though his efforts at going unnoticed were now compromised, of all the people he had thought to encounter, Six was by far the better option.
So much for stealth.
The spartan offered no immediate response to Falco's declaration, soon returning his attention to a meticulously organized assortment of strange items arranged on a handful of workbenches that the human must have gathered to himself, sheets of dull grey metal and what looked curiously enough like a hefty roll of fabric. What peaked Falco's interest more than that however, was the pair of exotic firearms that rested on the farthest table. They were like nothing he had ever seen before, both wildly different in design from one another, and the rest of the spartan's arsenal.
The dark blue, almost purple metaled look of the shortest rifle was a little flamboyant for Falco's taste, but the overall design of the weapon itself was enough to keep his interest. A rounded grip of solid steel and an obtuse rifle stock made less than half the length of the alien firearm. The remainder of its breadth and width held an elongated, split barrel, like the jaws of a predatory beast. In the place of teeth, a rod-shaped and in all appearances, rotary cylinder lay firmly in the center of the contraption, connecting both the stacked, dual barrels and the oddly designed stock and grip.
His eye and appreciation for ordnance had been peaked by the unusual weapon, and any other day or person would have seen to it that he figured just what kind of gun it was. But a quick look at the spartan studiously overlooking his equipment, seemingly dismissing or ignoring him, and Falco realized that it was for the best if he left Six alone.
It appeared that their association with one other was still on somewhat uneven ground.
Seeing that the spartan had nothing else to say, Falco eventually settled on a casual shrug as he visited a wall locker on the opposite end of the armory, sorting through the disorganized pile of equipment that the avian had accumulated over the years.
Though he would not know it, Six found the haphazard style and planning of Falco's gear to be both an eyesore and disrespectful to the tools themselves. In fact the avians seemingly inherent disregard for his armaments was a relatively infinitesimal but nonetheless irritating nuisance that had troubled the spartan for some time. After the laborious training from his superiors on the vital and intrinsically imperative need to care for ones arms, to see such flagrant neglect was… disconcerting.
As such, Falco did not detect the silent gait of the spartan's approach until he was mere footsteps away. It was easy for the avian to hide the beginnings of a flinch as he turned to find the towering form of Six standing just behind him. After acclimatizing to the chillingly inaudible manner in which the supersoldier conducted himself, these things hardly surprised him anymore. Though that was not to say it would ever stop being disturbing.
Uncertainty and a remembrance of the trouble he had caused both Six, and Krystal, prevented Falco from opening a line of dialogue between himself and the alien supersoldier before him. Though a part of him found it foolish that they might be angry at him for what could easily be considered a harmless question, the avian was smart enough to realize that some things just weren't that simple.
He had seen what Six showed him, and even now, some days later, and he was still coming to grips with it. He didn't like that the short video was capable of reducing the wars they fought in Lylat to the idle silliness of a child's playtime. Corneria and its colonies had bled in the venomian uprisings, thousands, even millions of soldiers had lost their lives in these conflicts. And to see that Six's people had suffered such losses a thousand times over… just felt like a spit in the face of all that they had sacrificed, made their wars look childish and irrational, in comparison.
What did Venom fight for? Independence? Revenge? Perhaps even greed or the sense of a higher purpose?
Six's people had fought simply to survive.
Falco knew what it was like to fight to live. Every day on the streets of Velspad had been a relentless battle for the simplest means of subsistence, food, water, a safe place to rest for the night. That's where he had met Katt, just another dirty street orphan that no one wanted. Not long after they made their gang, what had started off as a small band of kids working together, transformed into a small time crime syndicate once the years passed and the work got serious.
A small part of him missed those days… a small part. This gig with Fox was the best choice he had ever made, though he constantly scrapped with the team, he wouldn't replace them with anybody, though he'd probably die before he would admit that.
Even Six, as intimidating and frictional as he was, was someone Falco considered to be at the very least a dependable teammate. The spartan was the first person he had ever met that's origin was even more depressing than his own. He didn't know what the human's childhood was like, neither the spartan himself, Krystal or Fox had bothered to key him into that and Falco didn't care as it was none of his business. But he knew deep down that the human's past was even more violent than his own.
The kind of disposition and burden the spartan carried is the kind that can only be found in a fucked up past, though he had to be missing something else, another piece of the puzzle. Krystal and even Miyu seemed to have the hots for Six. Sure, the guy was built like a brick shithouse and made professional athletes look like emaciated sticks, and the furless nature of his species did little other than to emphasize that trait, but there had to be something more to it than his impressive physique.
As much as he and Miyu consistently grated against each other, Falco knew there was more to her than appearances. She saw… something in the big bastard, whatever that may be.
Falco wondered on what could have driven Miyu to set her sights on Six as the avian returned his attention to the silent warrior in question. In the handful of quite minutes of thought, Falco realized that the spartan had sidestepped him, and had been rummaging in his locker. A sudden wave of possessiveness washed over the avian as he turned to rebuke the human for digging through his gear when he stopped himself in surprise.
It had been quite a few years since he last saw his equipment locker in such decent shape.
Noble Six had delved into and organized the cluttered and unsystematic jumble of firearms and munitions with all the gusto and proficiency of a veteran quartermaster. More than a dozen firearms systematized, compiled, and stowed by size and variation in the time it took Falco's beak to drop open in open wonder.
Before the avian closed his mouth, his locker clicked shut and the spartan stepped away with a partially satisfied smirk at finally having removed what had been in his eyes an inexcusable eyesore.
"Uh… thanks I guess." Falco offered somewhat uncertainly.
The spartan merely nodded in response, already turning away to return to the workbenches he had left unoccupied. But the avian stopped him with a few words, dredging what would come next.
"Hey wait a second. There's… something I feel I gotta say."
Silently, the human turned to face the avian, his expression as neutral as ever.
Knowing that he was not exactly eloquent or forthcoming with his apologies, Falco just decided to blurt it all out. "Look dude, I'm sorry about what happened during that dinner back before we landed on Fichina. I didn't mean start anything by prodding ya about your past. I guess you could say I was just looking for something to talk about."
Falco paused, slightly unsettled by the blank face that starred back at him. If not for the fact he knew Krystal and few of the others was capable of producing some manner of expression out of him, Falco might have been intimidated by the blatant look of apathy. Instead he continued on, knowing that the visage before him was simply the spartan's state of being.
"I know we don't exactly… get along all that well. That's something any one on the team can see. I also know that we don't particularly see eye to eye on a few things and if I'm not being too rude here, you can be a pretty big ass… not that I'm any different." Falco sighed, rubbing the bridge of his beak in exasperation. "But I guess what I want is say is, despite all of our… dissimilarities, and the fact we don't know each well, that I for one am glad to have you on the team." The avian decided to omit that part of his acceptance stemmed from the realization that most threats would overlook him completely in favor of dealing with the crazy supersoldier, which suited his survivalist nature quite well.
Despite knowing otherwise, Falco waited for some kind of response, even something as simple as an offhanded, hell even dismissive acknowledgment and recognition of his words. Unsurprisingly, such sentimental wonderings found no basis as he watched the spartan turn away towards his work once more, as if the entire conversation had not taken place.
Not disappointed, but not satisfied either, Falco shrugged and returned to what he had been doing as well. He had no other real reason for coming down here than to burn time anyways. He was still dreading talking with Katt. He had no idea what he would say to her, he just knew that somehow by the end of it her fist would be well acquainted with his beak. So... yeah, not really looking forward to that.
There were a few things he could do to postpone that ass kicking and most could be found in the armory. He knew from experience that Katt was never quite as fond of the place as he was, and tended to mostly avoid the room entirely. He would have lounged in his room till they left the ship, but that would have been boring and her arrival at his door would have been inevitable.
This, albeit not the best plan… kind of was.
Falco rummaged in his locker, intending to find something to fiddle with for a little while. It was strange seeing his gear in such pristine condition. Usually after a mission he kind of just tossed the junk he brought with him into the locker and slammed it shut. To see it all neat and orderly was certainly a strange and new experience.
As he debated on whether to mess with one of his many rifles or the handful of blaster pistols he had been able to accumulate over the years, the immediate area around him darkened with what he realized was Six's shadow. Wondering what it was that the spartan could possibly want with him now, Falco turned with a slight frown to address the human, still partially miffed at their corse conversation previous.
Said dour expression instantaneously flattened into nonexistence as his eyes roved from the blank visage of the spartan to the weapon he held out extended in his large hand. Seeing that it was the very alien rifle that he had been eyeing earlier, Falco hesitantly took it into his arms, a slight grunt slipping past his beak at the unexpected heft to it. Not too heavy, but startlingly so compared to its size, the avian ran a feathered thumb across the glossy alloy composing the majority of the strange rifle.
"You once asked about the Sangheili, and I told you they were the Covenant's greatest warriors."
Falco looked away from his mesmerized stare upon the weapon at the sound of the spartan's gruff tone. Though he could be considered hostile, the tone Six used was merely that which he addressed those who were more associate than friend.
"This is the Type-51 Plasma Repeater, the staple and favored tool for most of the Covenant's Elite. It has no safety, clip, or magazine, but a rechargeable battery that holds in approximation one-to-two-hundred plasma bolts per charge. This weapon can melt through all if not most modern infantry armors and the hulls of light vehicles. Utilize it in short, controlled bursts to achieve the most desired effect in combat and beware its proclivity for overheating. I have in my possession only one of these weapons, with access to more being an impossibility. Do not lose this."
If he was to be entirely honest, Falco had nearly tuned everything out after the word plasma was uttered.
This thing shoots fucking plasma?
Holy hell that's bad ass!
Falco forcefully tore his eyes away from the exotic and absolutely amazing weapon to give the spartan what was perhaps the most genuine smile he had rid himself of in quite a few years. What Six had given him was not a simple gift. This kind of weapon did not exist till the spartan explained it to him. He could not even begin to imagine how much it might cost on the black market, or what kind of secrets the CDF R&D division could glean if they cracked it open.
It felt less like a present, and more like a responsibility.
Falco could not help the smile that grew even wider on his beak.
Leave it to Six to turn a gift into a life lesson.
"Damn Six, I… don't know what to say." It had been a long while since he was last stricken speechless.
The spartan shrugged in reply. "Then say nothing, Take good care of that weapon and respect its power. Where I came from, that tool carried a twisted legacy, I expect you to change that. Prove me wrong, prove to me that aliens can be trusted, that what had once been used under malevolent intent can find a new, honorable purpose."
Prove to me that there really is a path to redemption.
Leaving his final words unarticulated, Six departed the armory to pursue another course of action, leaving Falco to his own devices.
Six did not need to spend much time in his search for a particularly irascible feline, he knew Miyu well enough to have an understanding for her retreats, both on the ship and back on Corneria. Though this was perhaps the first time he could remember actively seeking her out, which coincidently led into his reasoning why.
In discovering his profound affection for Krystal, he realized that there was another woman in his life that he had neglected in a way that was reprehensible and unwarranted, one that had been as, if not more persistent in her efforts to understand and befriend him. As he was new to this business of not withholding his reservations and being more forthcoming with his disposition, he was still trying to figure things out. Yet he knew that his continuous, albeit offhanded dismissal of Miyu's attention was an act that now concerned and disturbed him.
She had put her belief in him since near the moment they had met. Where Krystal's initial reaction to him had been cool and distant, the feline had never bothered with such things, and had engaged him with both a familiar and sociable atmosphere despite his past tempers. She was, at his fundamental understanding of her, a woman with an indescribable significance to him. That was to insinuate that he was uncertain of the truth depth of her prominence in his life.
Like Krystal, she appeared to possess some manner of affection for him, though he could not fathom her reasoning. Six had not made any express movements to garner her attention, and had for most part, treated her poorly. The fact that she seemed to be relentlessly enamored with him despite his pitiable treatment of her was a topic of some introspective disgust for the spartan.
She deserved better than to be mistreated and principally cast aside. Coming to terms as he was with the intense nature of Krystal's infatuation with himself, and the ensuing realization that he was just as smitten by the vixen, Six was uncertain how to handle the peculiarity of his situation.
Both vixen and feline appeared to have cast their ballot alongside him, for good or ill, he now understood this reality. Possessing no real or implied understanding of the profundity of romantic relationships, the meaning and significance of this position escaped Six utterly. Though it was difficult for the spartan to wrap his mind around the resultant effects of this comprehension, he absolved to handle this with the customary prudence and pragmatism of his usual deliberations.
As it was implied to him in his limited knowledge, both Krystal and Miyu would have to be placed in proportionately equal positions of influence in regards to any decisions he would make in regards to his, or he now supposed, their, mutual longevity. Although, that did not alter much in the way of the more immediate concerns, he had a shadow of a feeling that this would affect his long term plans, plans he had yet to mark down.
And for once, the thought that his life would be made more difficult did not bother him in the slightest. Any difficulty involving either women or any member of Starfox, was a burden he would gladly bear, for he could hardly call such things an encumbrance, perhaps on his body, but not his soul.
Six stowed his musing as he crossed the final corridor in his path, his journey depositing him before the partition leading towards Miyu's quarters. While not perhaps the first stop he might have made in most situations, the conversation he wished to engage the feline with was rather… personal, so he was hoping it might be conducted in a more private setting.
Eyeing the large, rectangular case in his hands with some uncertainty, Six lifted one away to whack gently on the door. The report of his knuckles resounding off steel only briefly filled the quite of the hall, before he was left standing in silence once more.
Then he waited.
In the silence he could hear the barest traces of some sort of tone in the air, like the faint beat of a military marching drum he heard on the handful of times he had been forced to endure a parade. He knew not what to make of it or where its origin lay. However, as he deemed it non-threatening and therefore not his concern, the spartan banished the notion swiftly.
Several minutes passed, with the spartan patiently standing in wait before the door for it to open. Although, as minutes continued to slip by, his doubts grew more substantial. After ten minutes more, he repeated his earlier action, sound once more occupying the empty corridor around him.
Shifting the box in his grip, Six wondered if perhaps she was away at the moment, perchance lounging about the common room with all the languid proclivities of her ancestry. An unexpected sensation of melancholy bubbled into existence inside him and the spartan withheld a small frown as he turned to walk away.
It had taken many hours of personal convincing, and even a surprising but no less considerable effort on Krystal's part for him to gather the nerve to confront the feline so openly about the meaning and standing of their association with one another. He had been pondering the dilemma the moment he and Krystal had risen from their bed. It was easier for him to do so with Krystal, but Miyu had always been able to put him off his feet in a metaphorical sense. She was a great deal more difficult to understand than Krystal, and her coquettish nature only grew more and more uncomfortable as he dwelt further on what she implied so flirtatiously.
What he had once ignored so effortlessly now had a far greater impact than he could have ever predicted. Previous remarks that would not have even tickled his notice, now stirred an uncomfortable fire in his blood that he could not deduce the purpose of its existence.
Still, in spite of all this, her frustrating nature and aggressive personality, Miyu was important to him, and he would do all in his power to see that she lived a comfortable existence.
As his body twisted in tandem with the course correction his boots had made, the spartan paused, his ears picking up the faint click of the door unlocking behind him. Turning his head back, Six nearly forced another involuntary step backwards as he was barraged with a harsh cacophony of noise that exploded forth from the confines of Miyu's quarters. His highly developed hearing deciphered the sharp thunder of musical instruments within the chaotic symphony cascading in the deafening waves from the room's interior.
Frozen in place with brief shock, Six watched as Miyu stepped out from the confines of her quarters, the feline bedecked in an outfit he had yet to see her wear. Her shapely, muscled legs were secreted beneath a faded pair of blue jeans, exposed gashes in the stitching placed at seemingly random intervals revealing patches of her spotted fur as they poked out from within. The black sleeveless tank top covering her torso was equally washed-out and slashed in places, yet the artistic decal of the skeletal fox centered on her breasts was undamaged, the words Iron Vixen printed out in bright red italics, the bold script written onto the shirt slightly strained by her bosom. As the lynx's eyes looked towards him, Miyu's paw scratched at an itch on her check, the spartan realizing that she wore a pair of fingerless gloves stitched with ballistic plating.
The sight was… unconventional.
Yet the warm smile that appeared on the feline's muzzle was anything but as she regarded him with open affection, the feline using her other paw to key a function on her wrist computer, moments later silencing the deafening racket emanating from her chambers.
"Heya Six, sorry I didn't hear ya knocking. I must have been playing my music too loud." She chuckled apologetically, the truth of her regret laying in the bashful flick of her ear.
"Music?" He inquired with a skeptically raised eyebrow. Six had listened to a wide diversity of composition, albeit most instances conducted through second hand mediators such as particularly boisterous marines or fleet officers. He himself was partial to the classical works of Bach and Beethoven in some of the quieter, contemplative moments that had been few and far between. But what she had been… listening too, was unlike anything he had ever heard before.
At his blatant suspicion the feline's chuckle slid into an amused giggle as she nodded emphatically, her ears bobbing along merrily with her. "You sound just like my dad. You even nailed his expression perfectly." She answered with a fang filled grin, her lithe form easily sashaying to the side as she made a welcoming gesture with her paw. "Come on in, I promise I won't play any music, unless you specifically ask me to."
Nodding his acceptance, the spartan stepped in after her, his eyes subconsciously roving the interior of her room. As this was his first time inside her room onboard the ship, he took a few seconds to study the interior, first noticing the numerous posters plastered across the walls, the vast majority of which, all appeared to be of the same composer, this… Iron Vixen. The room itself seemed to be a corresponding counterpart to its owner, both seeming to carry the same rebellious theme.
Switching his curiosity to inquiry, he scanned the chamber for a place to set the container down, finding a suitable location on the desk the feline had shoved into a far corner. Taking care not to misplace the various figurines of variable design scattered about the desktop, he gingerly set the case down in approximation of the bureau's center.
With his task completed the spartan turned to Miyu, who had already made herself comfortable in the interim. The feline lay sprawled languidly across her bed like a roman emperor, with the confidence and supremacy of Marcus Aurelius himself. Reclining on her side with a leg tucked close to her waist, the lynx's tail flicked inanely, a slothful and capricious manner that seemed far too casual to be unrehearsed. Warm amber eyes, already powerful on their own, were strengthened by a half lidded, smoky glower, regarding him from a smiling muzzle that had propped itself up on an indolent paw, the other tracing small lazy circles in the sheets in front of her.
Unable to steel her shameless, visual examination of his person, Six temporarily removed his gaze from hers, what was in no small part also induced by the current revealing nature of her upper apparel in its current state.
Looking about the room, Six noticed that there was nowhere for himself to sit, and the brief gleam of amusement that flashed in the feline's eyes inferred to him that she had either planned this, or had conducted some other form of mischief.
Letting an audible sigh pass through his lips, the spartan maneuvered towards the bed and set himself down at the foot. Whereas Miyu might have thought he would have stopped their, the feline's smug grin dropped as she watched the spartan lean back and slip into casual repose next to her, the human's arms crossed behind his head as he lounged beside her with the barest trace of a grin.
He watched in amusement as the ruff around the feline's check darkened considerably and much of her confident demeanor vanished, the lynx seemingly stuck halfway between an elated smile and uncertain frown.
This only heightened the spartan's amusement further as he had finally managed to out flirt the flirt.
He studied the female as she seemed to be temporarily displaced in her usual routine, her salvation arriving in the form of the case on her desk as she turned to admire it.
"So… what's in the box?" She asked, her eyes glistening with feline curiosity.
"A gift…" He answered cryptically.
He watched, waited, and admired the woman in front of him, counting down in his head the seconds before her inbred nature would undeniably win out, as he studied the facets of her expression. She truly was beautiful, now that he was willing to be fully forthright with himself. It was not the standardized template of beauty as a human might interpret it, she certainly possessed the more obvious qualities that human's found desirable, but that was not what drew him to her. A normal man might not share the spartan's worldviews and perceptions. He did not look to her and admire that which a regular man might.
One of her paws grabbed his attention, the appendage subconsciously kneading the sheets tucked in her bed as the feline eyed the box intently. Her tail flopped softly against the downy mattress, giving Miyu all the appearance of a feline on the hunt. It was her more… inhuman qualities, which fascinated him.
Utterly magnificent... The spartan mused with an unreadable smile.
Though the feline was civilized, Six had a feeling that certain traits of her heritage still lingered underneath. Unlike typical humans, she was a predator, a hunter by perception and design. The species she stemmed from was different from humanity in that way. Even Krystal, as kindly and reserved as she was, had been born into the same selective and rare category as Miyu. Foxes, lynxes, both species had developed as stalker predators, hunters and foragers.
Anthropomorphized, this process had only been streamlined. Their musculature, while appearing human at first and causal glance, was not entirely so. Their bodies' mimicked humans with an almost anatomical parallel in some instances, but their inherent nature and the way their bodies moved and contorted, made humanity appear gangly and oafish in comparison. Even the simplest of their movements carried an innate grace and fluidity that only a spartan or practiced gymnast could match.
Their hands, or paws, whatever one might call that which separated them from their roots, were the only thing that differed from that inborn elegance. Somewhat shorter and of wider circumference than what he might expect from a human appendage, they still possessed the manipulative capacity of their digits that allowed humanity to rise above its forbearers.
Six had never seen their like before, not even amongst the hierarchy of jumbled alien species that composed the Covenant. Their familiarity to human perception, yet brazen dissimilarity, was something he had not pondered the significance off. The Covenant had been truly alien, but these people possessed human language and even culture in some regard. He found this interesting, and if he had still been with ONI, it might have been cause for investigation, but that was past him.
Six chuckled softly as he watched Miyu literally pounce on the desk, the rolling chair that had once occupied that space sent skidding across the floor in her curiosity fueled haste as the feline violently lifted the case to study it from various angles, like an impatient child with a present.
The sight was… endearing.
"You gonna tell me what's in it?" She looked to him expectantly, tail fluttering with inquisitive agitation.
In answer the spartan offered an unhelpful shrug.
With an amused flick of her ears and phony pout, the feline fumbled for the latches on the container, quickly and diligently popping it open and lifting the top to peer inside.
Six watched as the cat stilled and went silent, slowly reaching inside the long tube-like case to extract what lay within. Dark blue, almost purple metal gleamed under the light of the bedroom as the feline studied the alien weapon in front of her.
Yet she set that aside as she noticed the faint pink glow emanating from within the partially closed case. Curious, she reached inside and pulled out a smaller transparent container stacked with glowing cylindrical cartridges.
Confused and still holding the strange glowing cylinders, she shifted her attention to the smiling human reclined across her bed.
"What exactly am I looking at?"
"That, is the Type-31 Needle Rifle, a weapon of Covenant design."
"So…" She mused with a strange, expressionless air. "It's an alien… alien gun." Not only was it alien to her, but Six as well in some fashion.
"Yes." He nodded. "I retrieved that not long before I left Reach, though I have since declined to use it. The ammunition is unique, even amongst the usual fare for Covenant munitions. Perhaps Slippy will be able to replicate the process. Either way, it still has a substantial allotment that I had been able to scavenge before departing the planet. Think of it like a marksman rifle, one that if, landing more than two shots on an individual target, will create a supercombine explosion that will put down nearly any opposition feasible."
Six watched the feline carefully as he explained the Covenant weapon's traits, a slight sense of doubt lingering in his chest at the unreadable look on her muzzle. He had thought it would make for a good gift to give; something that could spur the reparations he felt was owed to her for his negligence, a win-win scenario as it was, considering he had no use for the device himself. This inclined that the seemingly unimpressed aura about her was not what he had anticipated.
"Do yo-" Six was about to inquire on whether or not it was satisfactory when his vision was swallowed by a wall of dark brown fur and black spots. The increasingly familiar sensation of a female wrapped around his torso was easily recognized as he watched in silent surprise as the feline pressed herself into his arms with a rumbling purr.
On a newly acquired reflex, the spartan held her close and pressed his lips against her brow, planting a kiss between the triangular flaps of her ears, watching the gold loop in her left jangle as it swung from the force of her movements.
He had not expected such a virulent reaction, not that he could possibly disparage her for it. He was… content, to see her so exultant. Such a sight was of great relief and pleasure for him. Considering the substantial grief he had imposed upon her, it was time he gave her something truly worth smiling about. But such a gift alone was not enough to set his mind at ease. He intended to explain himself as well. As Krystal had shown him, it was not considered pitiable to unburden ones thoughts one another, since he discovered this and adapted to such a way of consideration, he found both his mood and outlook on life to have brightened considerably.
"I hope you can forgive me for how horribly I have treated you." Six whispered softly, resting his arms just above the curvature of where her spine met her rear, just above her tail. He learned that Krystal enjoyed being held in such a manner, and hoped it might produce the same effect on Miyu. "It has taken too long for me to realize that I have hurt you… mistreated you. I know that you… care for me… like Krystal." It was a test of the spartan's will to confess his awareness of that truth, something he had not wanted to face and had deliberately ignored the existence of. He did not like the feeling it provoked so forcefully upon his musings, as if he were using them, abusing their affection. It disgusted him, the thought that he was simply toying with their emotions. They meant far more to him than that.
This was the very reason he fought so hard with himself in this moment to address something he considered to be deathly personal. If he was to be there for them both, he had to break away from a lifetime of solitude and despondency. They deserved nothing but his full commitment and conviction. To do anything less than that was to dishonor their faith and trust in him, and he'd rather put himself down like an animal than break that belief.
"It is source of mystification for me why you both seem to care for a man who has been cruel and hateful towards you on numerous occasions. But I swear I shall do my utmost to ensure that your faith was not misplaced."
Maneuvering to put a gap between them so he could look into her eyes and determine if his efforts were succeeding, Six found himself peering into a pair of bright golden orbs that glistened in the light that was unfortunately a visual he had become well acclimatized to. Realizing that she had been crying, Six scolded himself sharply, knowing that he had to have made some manner of error in how he spoke with her. His first attempt at offering warmth and consolation had already ended up in failure.
Opening his lips to offer his sincere apologies, Six was once more caught off guard when the feline lunged forwards with an unexpected but undeniable velocity to close the short distance between them, the spartan virtually reeling back in shock at the foreign tongue that had invaded his mouth without warning, one that was utterly alien to Krystal's with its strange barb-like protrusions. Closely following the connection of awkwardly intertwined lips that had never been intentionally deigned to meet, Six felt pressure on the back of his head, the ravenous lynx clasping her paws through his shortened hair as she forced him backwards till his spine met the cushioned softness of the mattress below him.
He could have easily resisted and subverted the feline's efforts. The spartan far surpassed her in both physical strength and martial prowess so removing her from his personal vicinity would have taken seconds and a minimal expenditure of effort, but something stopped him, something inexplicable within him that informed Six that this was… right, despite the knowledge that his instincts cried out against this familiarity she took with him. Where he would have initially felt a great quantity of aversion and discomfort at finding someone intimately engaged with him at such a personal level, he only found himself intrigued by this unusual development, intrigued and… something else. He could not quite place it, but the sensation was there, just at the precipice of his comprehension.
That however did not mean the lynx's invasion of his person was easy to accept, and it took a large portion of his mental acuity to try and understand the situation he was currently experiencing, but with some some difficulty, the spartan was able to objectively analyze his position, noting the undulating feline atop his chest. In instinct born of his more human nature, Six shifted his hands lower from their previous position to cup the woman's buttocks, enfolding his fingers in the firm softness now in his grasp, testing its strange elasticity with near scientific curiosity. He had never before allowed himself such freedom, not with Krystal or anyone else, but something about this particular instance appeared able to tip him over the edge, to the point where, at least on a subconscious level, he could act out on instincts that had been internally ostracized for numerous long years. It was hard to understand the sensations running through his mind as his hands roved across the feline's slender physique, but the predominate perception in his thoughts was clear and unbidden by past pretense.
He felt… satisfaction.
At his touch, the feline emitted a low whine that felt strange but not unpleasant as it echoed from within her chest into his own. The noise was… desirable, to his ears, far better than that so called music she had been listening to before he arrived. Yet a thought did give him momentary pause, even in with his time with Krystal this could be considered startlingly… intimate. Six felt an uncontrollable grunt escape his body as he affirmed his grip on Miyu's flank, an inexplicable rush of possessiveness and fire coursing through his veins as he held her close. A haze gripped his thoughts, obscuring his high cognitive processes with a cloud of incomprehensible emotions.
A tightening sensation afflicted his lower body, and as the spartan realized what that signified, what it was that had stricken him, he was shaken out of his hazy reverie as the chill of ice ran rampant through his veins. Mortification burned hotly within him and the spartan released his grip on the feline, slowly extracting himself from her lips with a muted gasp that was replicated by a louder, more expressive extent by the woman atop him.
The lynx gasping and panting for breath, Miyu rolled off his torso, though one of her arms lingered across his chest as she sighed softly up into the ceiling.
"That… was pretty great." She informed the steel above their heads, taking a few long moments to compose herself before turning on her side to meet his eyes. It was then the feline noticed the uncertainty and embarrassment that still remained on the spartan's expression and hummed softly as she held his cheek in her paw.
"Hey, hey, don't look like that." She murmured soothingly as she kissed him, this one soft and gentle upon his brow as she spoke in a tone that was bereft of her usual fire and passion. In that moment to Six, with that tender softness and seemingly inherent understanding, she sounded just like Krystal, what was to him a reassuring thought in this moment of perplexity. "What we just shared was nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. It's completely normal, hell… even better than normal. I haven't kissed all that many guys, but I can say you're something else Six. That was just…" She trailed off with a wistful sigh, draping another arm across his chest as she scooted herself into a comfortable position at his side.
No words were said for several moments, Miyu occupied with reminiscing on the first true display of deeper and more profound affection she had ever received from Six, and the spartan was still coming to terms with the knowledge of what he was still capable of.
Six thought that part of his human nature had been thoroughly expunged from him by the augmentations and years of dulling warfare. The realization that it still very much existed was a source of confusion for him.
He felt strange, and yet… content in a way.
In that moment he had felt more alive than he had in years.
"Thank you Six. Not just for the gun… but for everything."
Leaving his thoughts behind, he turned to the feline that held him close, a look of utter adoration and contentment both in her eyes and in her smile.
Knowing that he was still as of yet incapable of speaking exactly what he thought of her, the spartan simply smiled in return, placing a hand in her paw as they lay in the bed for a little while longer.
He knew there were a few things he still had for the day, meeting the newest member of their crew, departing the Great Fox for a social excursion of Fox's design. And yet where he would have once lamented the unnecessary complications offered by this team. Six now found the idea of spending time with his family to be something he looked forwards to. For now he could postpone his concerns at this development and ponder the unusually bright prospects of his way of life instead.
The future that awaited him remained uncertain, yet he felt as if he could face it alongside those that stood beside him.
Six looked into Miyu's soft smile.
I love you.
The words were unspoken, perhaps never to be uttered by a man too frightened of that realization, too afraid to open himself so utterly and completely.
But her expression led him to believe that perhaps she already knew that.
"It was…nice talking with you again, Katt."
"Yeah…"
She replied rather awkwardly as the woman watched Falco leave her room. The feline supposed that it really had been nice, though plenty awkward. She had honestly been surprised when the bird sought her out; she had thought he would have played his childish game of avoidance for at least a little longer. Perhaps he too had grown from their time apart.
Though it had been an uncomfortable and difficult conversation, Katt felt only relief at its conclusion. Words had been aired, truths revealed, and a sense of peace settled over a topic neither had wished to broach in years.
It had been somewhat stinging to hear that he felt more for her like a sibling than a lover, but she had surmounted that hill a while ago. It would be nice to even just have that now. Sure it could only be a terribly rocky start, but she hoped to regain the lost ground that had risen up in their absence from one another.
Sighing, she slung her messenger bag across her shoulder and stepped out into the hall after she was certain that Falco had enough time to walk away. Out in the corridor, she paused upon hearing Miyu's door crack open. The feline glanced down at her wrist device, noting that it was just a few minutes before the team would have to meet Fox at the ramp. The idiot had decided that what they needed was a 'recreational outing to ensure maximum team bonding'; still, she smiled at the memory of that conversation.
The vulpine really was a big doofus at times, and yet he was the best damn leader she had ever come across. However, there were sure to be many awkward moments abound with one bird she kind of sort of wished to avoid and another new team member that had initially scared the pants off her.
She still hadn't seen the guy since he knocked her out with his oppressive field of badassery, as she was going to now call it. After all, the last thing she had expected was to witness from someone Fox selected was a live execution.
Yeah, that had been… traumatic. But after hearing what those bastards had done to Krystal, and seeing it in a brief conversation she shared with the vixen over lunch, she supposed it was the least that should have been done.
Looking up from her wrist device, Katt froze in place as she watched the towering figure that followed Miyu out of her room. At first glance, she did not know what she was looking at. While faintly simian in appearance he was a damn sight handsomer than those ugly apes on Venom. The guy's arms and legs were thicker than a goddamned oak tree, and just positively rippling with muscle. His neck and shoulders, while not obscenely bulging, gave no illusion that he was weak. She knew that if this guy wanted he could easily break her spine across his knee.
Goddamn that was hot.
But his face gave her rampant ogling hesitation. Hard eyes of crimson and sapphire, and a sharp jawline like chiseled stone, turned from their examination of the corridor and centered on her. The fur on her neck, shoulders, and damn near about her entire body bristled under his gaze. There was nothing remotely sociable about that dude's face, scars across the brow and an eye, pale white skin, and peppering of raven black hair across his cheeks and a haircut that utterly howled military.
He was the utter depiction of hostility.
Then… he smiled.
Like a switch had been flipped, his entire outlook changed.
His once opposing eyes were warm and inviting, perhaps even a little alluring, the grimace on his lips and the hard edges of his face softened into the picture perfect representation of a friendly smile. His pallid skin now appeared like the sweetest cream she would probably ever taste and his scars spoke of experience as a soldier who fought on the frontlines with courage and valor.
Damn… now he was even sexier.
The military nature of his apparel and its black and blue accents actually flattered both his build and appearance, and the feline felt a small pang of jealousy that Krystal and Miyu snatched such a hunk away.
It was selfish really.
Despite his unarmored appearance, she could think of no other individual that could fit Six's description if one were to take the suit away.
Seeing as they were all headed for the same place, Katt stood still and waited for the feline and her bodyguard/lover to meet up with her.
"Sup Miyu… and you must be Six." She greeted both the lynx and her companion with a smile.
The lumbering giant nodded graciously with all the airs of a noble or aristocrat at a social function as his welcoming smile widened fractionally. "Correct Miss Monroe, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in detail."
If only to affirm her previous recognition, the voice truly sold it to her that this individual was Six, rough like cheap vodka, but smooth as fine cognac. It sent a shiver down her spine. And his smell, gods! A faint but not overwhelming scent of a pine forest that did not overpower his naturally pleasant odor filled her snout, with the faint whiff of some manner of oils that also lingered, most likely for weapons.
"Please, we're all friends here, just call me Katt." She managed to speak without embarrassing herself with a squeak.
The giant nodded once more with the expected grace and modesty of someone so utterly sophisticated. "Of course, Katt." With that he took a step back from the pair of felines and bowed slightly. "I will leave you girls to gossip as there a few things left I wished to do before we departed."
Swiveling on his heels, the male she knew as Six strode down the hall with a mutability and erudition that left Katt's jaw hinged open. Turning her still open muzzle to Miyu's smirking expression, she scoffed loudly.
"Damn selfish of you two, keeping that to yourselves."
"Finders keepers." The lynx retorted with a giggle and vigorous raspberrying of her tongue as she set the pace for their walk.
"Damn unfair." Katt muttered playfully as she tagged behind.
"Just so you know, I'm gonna flirt my heart out with that guy." The pink feline cautioned her friend.
At that, the lynx actually faltered half a step before carrying on with a focused stare backwards. "Just be a little careful, alright? Six has… been through a lot. All I ask is that you treat him kindly."
At that Katt huffed. "He's more likely to break me in half than anything. Gods, how would you even go about hitting that? I mean, how big do you think his-"
Katt's sentence was never completed as she suddenly found herself eating a mouthful of Miyu's tail, spluttering in disgust as she tried to remove the strands of fur that clung to the barbs on her tongue.
It took several minutes before she was able to speak freely again without the threat of coughing up hair. "Right… no dick jokes, got it." She muttered dourly. "Still though, youprobablycouldn'ttakeit." She rushed out the last part of her sentence to prevent another tail whip, arms already raised to intercept. When no blow landed, Katt lowered her arms to see a violent blush on her fellow feline's muzzle.
"Shut your trap before I make you." It was clear that this was Katt's once chance to be quite. And seeing the look in her friend's eyes was enough to hammer the point home that maybe jokes of that line would not be all that amusing, at least in reference to Six.
Instead of answering, Katt nodded and studiously kept her mouth shut as she followed Miyu the rest of the way to the hanger. Taking the lift by the main entrance, they traveled down to the deck where they could see the rest of the team already assembled, sans Six.
Stepping onto the main floor, she and Miyu traversed the remaining few meters before they stopped amidst the small crowd. Seeing Krystal there, trapped into a wheelchair, sent a brief pang of sadness through Katt's heart. Though she and Miyu were good friends and well known associates for years, Katt didn't know Krystal all too well in comparison, but at the end of the day she was Starfox just like herself, and that meant she was family. Katt vowed to make the venomians pay, in time of course.
"Sup Snowball, Featherhead, Bookworm, Bluebutt, Worrywart, and of course Captain Valorous." Katt addressed all the present members of the crew respectively.
Receiving various reactions of amusement and groaning, she looked Fox with a grin as she upheld her paws grandiosely. "Like I never left, right?"
"Suffice to say, I think we all missed you, Katt." The vulpine replied with a sardonic grin. "So… see Six again did ya?"
She nodded mirthfully. "Yeah, thought the bastard was big in armor, didn't think it was the same out of it. Where the hell did he come from?"
"As I'm sure the others have told you, it's a long story. Hopefully if you ask nicely he'll tell you, maybe even over a few drinks."
"Drinks?' What's the plan?" Slippy wondered. As usual, keeping his head down into his work disconnected him with the happenings of the crew.
"A little while ago I pledged to you guys that I'd take you out for drinks. Now that the whole gangs here I think it's time I returned to that promise."
Fox's answer was met with varying but no less potent levels of excitement. It'd been quite a while since they last spent a night on the town, not since the incident with the shears and a horrifyingly inebriated lynx.
"Speaking of the whole crew, where's the demigod?" Falco asked.
"Six will be here in just a few seconds, apparently there was something he wanted to take with him. Ah, there he is now." Fox looked past the assembled group toward the lift, the rest turning to watch the spartan approach, the human carrying two small packages in one large hand.
"Greetings Six." Peppy looked towards the spartan with a warm smile, the faint tinge of understanding seeming to reflect between them.
"Peppy." The spartan inclined his head in greeting as he continued on to stand behind Krystal.
Katt watched curiously as he laid one hand on her shoulder the other placing one of the parcels in the vixen's lap as she smiled up at him sweetly, the other, he tossed towards Fox who snatched it out of the air with an expression that spoke of his curiosity.
"I will let you know when to open them." The spartan answered the unspoken question.
"Right, mystery gifts aside, let's get rolling." Falco demanded impatiently, receiving irritated looks from Fox, Krystal, and Miyu. "I mean whenever you guys are ready of course." The avian corrected nervously.
"I hate to agree with him, but we should probably get moving." Fay sighed.
"Then let's not waste any further time, daylight's burning people!" Turning to lead the charge, Fox opened the access ramp and put the first leg forwards on their trip.
Rolling her eyes at his over-the-top antics, Katt moved to follow as did the others.
Still, it was damn good to be back.
The small collection of friends made for quite the bizarre sight, even on the streets of the cornerian capital, a place that witnessed more than its fair share of unusual things to see. Or at least, that's what Miyu believed. If anything they made for a motley assortment of peculiar persons of fluctuating interest.
Leading the vanguard for their uncanny menagerie, Fox guided them down streets he had known for near his entire adult life, the vulpine and the rest of Starfox doing well to ignore the various snooping stares gravitating in their direction. Striding beside the already famous tod with a lissome confidence and grace, was an individual that had been growing increasingly prevalent in mainstream cornerian media. Noble Six, the newly recognized affiliate of the Starfox mercenary company, unwittingly had his popularity soar to unforeseen heights as tales of his exploits were deliberately unclassified by the CDF and offered for public perusal, piecemeal. It came as no surprise that after most people heard tale of his extraordinary accomplishments that they hardly bothered to question his unique appearance.
Though conceivably considered a strange and unusual move by the military, it was clear to Miyu that it had been allowed in an effort to boost morale, and for recruiting purposes as well. Passing through the streets, the lynx had already noticed an enlisting poster hanging off the side of an office building that contained an undeniably flattering depiction of the supersoldier in his powered armor. She had to give her accolades to the artist; they had certainly nailed the human warrior to the minute detail, even going so far as to include the visible declinations of his musculature through the strange fiber optics of his inner armor layer.
The spartan cut a fairly striking and heroic pose through the stylized rendition of historically old war propaganda, massive rifle slung across a hulking armored shoulder as he planted a victorious greave atop the smoking wreckage of a venomian assault tank, the words Cornerian Victory, imposed upon the bottom of the print. Even she had to admit that the image filled her with some manner of undeniable patriotism… and a few other emotions she could not articulate in pleasant company. After all, she had seen his prowess for herself, firsthand.
Miyu had plans to snag one of the artworks for her bedroom when she had the free time, for morale purposes she told herself.
Despite this, or perhaps in direct result of his fame, the spartan appeared more uncomfortable than usual with being in the open. His occasional glances towards the civilian masses and slight hesitation in his stride were enough for Miyu to notice.
So if she noticed, it was obvious to the lynx that Krystal did as well. Miyu looked away from the human soldier to the vixen sitting in the chair before her as she rolled them both along. If the female fox herself was embarrassed to be seen in such a vulnerable state she did not show it. Miyu was impressed that despite her current situation, Krystal's disposition remained unchallenged, the vixen still appeared just as proud and regal as she had the day Fox found her on Sauria.
She even has her own servant. Miyu chuckled at the thought, especially as she realized that retainer was herself. Still, she didn't mind wheeling the vixen around, though she did wonder why Krystal had refused Six's offer to do so, answering his unspoken question with a faint allusion for her desire for independence.
That personally baffled Miyu, who would have loved to have the spartan wait on her, paw and foot, the lynx imagining such a scenario with an eager smile. Not that it would ever occur, he was far too… Sixish, to let something like that happen.
Disbanding her wandering thoughts, Miyu returned them to the people with her, particularly the pink feline ambling along with Fay and Slippy, the trio babbling away as if they had never been apart, but clearly eager to make up for lost time. Behind them, Falco brought up the rear with Peppy, the pair seemingly finding a brief kinship in their desires to remain unbothered.
It was impressive that Fox had managed to drag both the avian and the hare out, as they hardly ever left for a group excursion. Peppy never really enjoyed them and Falco always preferred to spend the night out on his own, where he would usually get himself embroiled in all manners of minor mischief that he would without a doubt regale the rest of the crew with once he returned.
Miyu herself commonly found it hard to fit into this dynamic. When the team normally went out like this, they split into little cliques that they unconsciously formed. The techies usually banded together, Falco and Peppy never really offered any serious contribution, and Fox more often than not spent the night with his fiancé, leaving just her and Krystal to fend for themselves.
Though the lynx felt like she wasn't doing her team justice with that generalization, truth of the matter was they stuck together for the most part. But it was always more so in spirit than anything else, and Miyu often found herself at the ass end of a conversation that she felt she was not really a part of.
With such circumstances, it was no wonder she always drank so heavily during these outings.
This time felt different however, there was an air about the team that had never been there before. Everyone felt… closer, more familial, even Falco. She couldn't place what the modifier might be that offered such change, but she was not willing to question a good thing, merely happy that this time might be different.
"You seem to be acting rather pensive today, Miyu."
The lynx was shaken out of her deep musing at the sound of Krystal's voice, looking down to see the coy smile on the vixen's muzzle.
As she had grown used to, Miyu brushed the piercing nature of the other woman's observation with a shrug. "I can do the whole silent brooding act too ya know. Six isn't the only one."
"So I've noticed." Krystal responded with a discerning sparkle in her eye. "What were you brooding about?' The vixen wondered, her curiosity sharpening to a razor's edge.
"Oh you know, a little bit of this and a little bit of that." Miyu answered offhandedly, the lynx somewhat uncomfortable at the pointed nature of the female fox's inquiry.
The vixen, seeming to notice that such was a topic the other female did not want to broach, went silent with a gentle nod of her snout.
Miyu felt a little guilty at being so evasive, it was not like that she really had anything to hide from the other woman. After all, they were both pursing the same guy, which kind of transcended most social obstructions in her mind. It was not entirely unusual for two females to find themselves pining after the same male, or rather to see them come to an agreement over such a thing. It was a prevalent occurrence in cornerian history, from a time where most males had been killed off in the wars that popped into existence every few decades. That had left relatively few in number to be claimed, and it had not been unusual for conflicts to develop as a result. Seeing as their collective species could not afford even more wars, those in charge had created a set of laws to govern such incidences in hopes of restoring peace, reestablishing commandments that had been in place in the time of their ancestors. These guidelines had been called the pack bylaws.
Since then modern times had seen such outdated edicts fade into partial ambiguity. With the inclusion of females into the military and a return of normal preproduction levels, these laws had no longer been needed to be upheld, and were mostly set aside by the general populace.
However, there were still a few occasions in these times that brought about the importance of ancient rules, like their mutual affection for Six. Neither was really comfortable with the situation, which was blatant in the few awkward conversations they had shared on the topic recently.
However, they both agreed that a male like Six was worth the stress and discomfort. It was quite literally impossible to find another like him, he was unique both at a physical and psychological level. And while Miyu had at first possessed doubts about this unique arrangement, when the spartan had arrived at her door earlier that day he had banished those concerns when it became clear that Six would never abandon her.
Yet something about that made her curious.
"So… I can assume that you had something to do with Six stopping by my room today?" Miyu inquired with a keenly interested focus on Krystal. She had a deep enough understanding of the spartan to know that some form of external stimulus must have been utilized to prod him into the right direction.
At her investigation, the vixen offered a weak, and to some extent awkward grin as she momentarily looked to the human in question as he appeared to be in idle discussion with Fox, their words unintelligible from the front of the party. "I… might have had some part in that, yes. Though to be fair to him, he had been thinking of approaching you for some time from what he told me. All I did was give him the nudge he needed."
Miyu stayed silent for a few moments after Krystal's answer, not entirely confident on how to respond to that. On one side, she felt that she should be grateful for the assistance, yet on the other the lynx was trying to justify that impression of appreciativeness given its context. Despite the sense that this new knowledge made hers and the spartan's time together seem forced or demeaning; she knew that was not true. If anything it should have delighted her to know that Krystal was willing to see that they both were regarded equally in Six's discernment.
"I… guess I should thank you for that." Miyu finally relented with a halfway whimsical chuckle, doing well to disguise the insecurity she felt in that moment. "It was nice to finally spend some… quality time with him."
"You're welcome." Krystal offered the lynx an earnest smile, though the shine in her eye flickered ominously. "If I may not sound too forward, what exactly was the extent of your… quality time?"
Miyu felt an unbidden swallow wet her dry throat as she found herself trapped under that inquisitive stare, though void of any trace or readable intent of animosity, the open sense of interest from the vixen was almost just as bad. "Oh… uh… nothing crazy, just well… we kissed. And there may have been a little… groping?" She finished uncertainly, the lynx cringing slightly at her wordage. She was not exactly used to regaling other people with her intimate exploits; though that was the farthest she had ever really gotten with anyone to be fair and honest.
"G-groping?" Krystal stuttered softly, the vixen's cheeks darkening a light rosy color as wide emerald eyes turned away to linger on the back of the spartan walking ahead of them as he watched Fox pantomime excitedly about some story or other he was enthusiastically orating. If not for the human's elusive smile on his otherwise expressionless visage, he would have appeared less than enamored with the conversation. "You actually were able to get that far with him?" The vixen asked, seemingly halfway impressed by the lynx's unknowing accomplishment.
"Well… tch yeah of course." Miyu produced a loud huff halfway stuck somewhere between self-assurance and blustering hesitation. "Are you honestly so surprised?"
"Yes." Krystal nodded with an undeniably elegant poise that was yet still able to come off as somewhat girlish and flighty. "I have… not really quite reached that point with him." The vixen looked up to Miyu expectantly, her expression torn between eager interest and a desire to remain composed and aloof. "Tell me, how were you able to get him to open up to the idea?"
"Oh well…." The lynx took a paw off the wheelchair's handle bar and tentatively scratched at her neck. For all her typical bluster and rather vain whims, she found the idea in confiding herself in Krystal, in explaining what happened between her and Six in any detail, to be… uncomfortable. "I guess just try and be a little more… assertive. He's even denser than other males so you have to be slightly more direct in conveying your needs. After you break the tension, so to speak, he becomes less hesitant towards the idea. In fact, he was rather… forceful himself.
"Really?" A dark flush remained on the vixen's muzzle, and her paw drummed idly on her thigh as she appeared lost in deep contemplation. "More… assertive, be direct." She mumbled to herself, almost as if she was reiterating a summary after a college lecture. The lynx would not have been astonished if she suddenly pulled out a notepad to start jotting down notes.
Miyu smiled at that. It was irrefutably cute, in a helpless schoolgirl kind of way. She doubted Krystal would ever summon up the initiative to take charge in their relationship, boldness had never been the female fox's strength. At the least, she would need help, and perhaps a little bit of advice.
But she'd need a few drinks in her gut before she would be comfortable enough with the topic to offer any kind of guidance.
Thankfully, it looked like that prospect would come around sooner rather than later as the lynx watched Fox stop in front of a large building at the end of the street, the neon sign and bright lights surrounding it shinning bright in the late evening dusk. The crowds had also lessened considerably, which was something they were all grateful for.
This place was near the edge of the megacity's first and primary habitation block, a few zones between the civilian neighborhoods and one of the many military instillations dotted about the colossal capital's expanse. The multitudes that usually frequented this area code were mostly comprised of military personnel and their families. There was even a housing district on the other side of the street that spanned across several little happy suburbia's, stretching on for miles in a wide circumference.
The CDF's willingness to accommodate the relations of their armed forces was a source of respect for the organization in her eyes. She had learned in the history books back in school that the last military administration had not exactly favored the idea. But General Pepper and his predecessor, General O'Neil had changed the rulebook once they had come into power. Most people argued they were the pioneers for the new sense of deference that people had for the military.
Miyu thought of this as she rolled Krystal to a stop just outside the entrance for the "officer's club". While at first the place had traces its roots to such an establishment, after some time the rules had slackened to accept just about anyone that had any sort of connection to the CDF. Last time she was here, she had encountered a grocer that catered to the military families in the neighborhood nearby. Nice kid, a little overwhelmed at the time, but he had been a rather funny guy.
"Alright guys, who's ready to party?" Fox asked excitedly, the vulpine's tail swaying to and fro with all the inherent enthusiasm of its master as he bounced in place. The sight was comical enough to elicit a giggle from both Miyu and Krystal as they took in the severe and somber countenance of the towering spartan standing beside Fox, the exact opposite of the impulsive vulpine as he stood at rigid attention. However the spartan did alleviate his outward antipathy with an exceedingly tiny smile, nothing more than a slight upwards curl to his lips as he took in the bubbling fervor of his comrade.
"Yeah, let's get it on!" Katt was the first to answer as the feline yowled, pumping her fist violently as she all but buzzed with eagerness. 'First round's on me!" She was glad to be back with her friends after a year on her own and could hardly wait to get started. It had been too long since they last had a night like this, and she wanted to ensure no one would forget it.
'Y-yeah, let's do this!" Slippy was able to conceal his stutter behind a front of confidence. Though he was not usually up for the team's exploits, he was feeling particularly bold today. At his side Fay offered her own agreement as she slapped the toad on his back.
Falco unsurprisingly, offered a simple shrug and nothing else.
"Dear me… here we go again. I hope no one brought fur clippers this time around." Peppy sighed in reluctance, his comment causing Miyu to chuckle in embarrassment.
"Come on, that was one time! And I thought we all agreed to never talk about it again?"
"Talk about what? What's this about buzzers?" Katt raised a clueless paw, looking towards the varying expressions of amusement and despair as Fox brushed a protective paw over the strip of cream fur that ran across the top of his head.
"I made sure anything like that was left behind, though I will never understand how she had them in the first place."
"She? Who's she, what the heck are you guys talking about?" Katt's confusion escalated as it seemed everyone except for herself and Six judging by the spartan's blank face, was keyed in to the conversation.
"Don't worry, I'll tell you when we get inside." Krystal whispered with a conspiratorial wink to the pink feline.
"Nope, not on my watch." Miyu declared, grabbing the handles of the vixen's wheelchair and hurriedly speeding her inside before anyone could say anything else.
Chuckling, Fox raced inside after the pair calling out for them to stop, soon followed by the rest of the team, leaving Six standing alone on the sidewalk. The spartan glanced towards the hastily abandoned pavement, then the doors themselves before shrugging and moving to follow with an inaudible muttering.
Can you believe it? Another upload in less than three months? I hope you guys enjoyed this next chapter, I had a particularly fun time writing it, while also getting some experience in writing slightly less family friendly content. As such I'd appreciate feedback, so let me know what ya'll thought! Good... bad? Absolutely terrible? Let me know! Other than that I would like to thank everyone again for their continuous support of my work on this site.
Oh and RisingGods, thanks for the flattery friend! I'm glad that you enjoy my writing and doubly so that it helps you out in tough times. For me personally, it is writing itself that helps me get through the tough times of my own. If you have any input feel free to PM me your idea and i'll see if it fits in the story. Oh and it's mull, not maul, lol.
And GunnyStacker, I hope this chapter fulfilled your Miyu loving ways, you rapscallion!
Keep the Faith! (Looks like I have a catchy new slogan eh?)
