Date: 1/9/0075
Location: Zeonic military academy, Side 3
There were 10 minutes left till the bell would ring and signal to everyone in the Calculus class that they could leave for lunch. Many of the cadets tried to show some facade of seriousness, although many had food--and escape--on their mind. But that didn't stop the teacher, who was busy at the chalkboard, rambling on about the end of the equation he had sprawled across the large electronic screen with his 'pen'. As he finished off a trigonometric figure that completed the problem, he shut the pen down, and stepped to his desk. "All right, class, make sure you have this down, as it'll be going down as soon as I pass out the results of your mid-term. I hear a single groan and you'll be holding your desks over your head." With that, he stepped to the side and sat down, picking up the stack and skimming it.
Most of the class mumbled under their collective breath and set to work only hesitantly, but one student in the front row began to record the equation without complaint. Her pencil flew across the paper, copying the numbers, letters, and symbols in small, precise print. Nami Iyoku--for that was the name neatly printed atop the paper she was writing on--was not particularly fond of this class, but she felt obligated to put some practical effort into it; after all, certain aspects of it might prove useful in the long run. Right now, though, even she was somewhat distracted--partly by her empty stomach, and partly by the thought of getting her exam back. She'd been so occupied by her other classes that she'd forgotten to study for this one, and lack of studying combined with lack of sleep were rarely a good combination, in her experience.
It was only about ten minutes before the professor rose and shuffled his papers to get the students' attention, but it had seemed an eternity to Nami. She looked up at the sound, and the smirk on the teacher's face was not particularly reassuring. "Well now," he began, "if this weren't a military academy you were all enrolled in, this would be the part that I laughed and told you two people ruined your chance at a scale. But since it is, their scores merely show that the rest of you have something to learn." Nami saw many students begin to look about, curious about the two students he was referring to; she herself had to admit to wondering who the other might be--she knew that the rest of the class as a whole had neither the talent nor the motivation to do well, save for a few exceptions. Having actual competition might make things a bit more interesting.
Neither she nor anyone else was surprised when she received a hand on the shoulder and a nod to go along with her paper, which was branded with a big red 95 encircled on the front. A rare half-smile crossed her face for a moment as she saw the number marked on the paper. Once the teacher had passed by, she skimmed through the test briefly, noting what mistakes she'd made and mentally filing them away for later review, forgetting entirely about the rest of the class.
Her concentration remained uninterrupted until the teacher returned to the front of the room and began to speak again. "Well, now that you've all seen who will be telling you what to do the rest of your military careers, remember that it would be unwise to ruin your standing with them at such an early time with evil glares and ill thoughts. As a token of my mercy upon you all, I'll let you leave for lunch early. Be ready tomorrow for a new assignment and hopefully, a newfound outlook on passing this course. You're dismissed."
The students began grabbing their bags and rushing out the door, many of them not wanting to waste another moment in the class that just so soundly ruined their GPA. Nami, barely suppressing a self-satisfied smirk, rose to join them, though by that time, only one other student remained in the room: as luck would have it, he was the only other one to actually put effort into the coursework, and she suspected that he was the one who'd received a grade rivaling her own. As she passed by him on her way out the door, she gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment--more recognition than she ever voluntarily offered to the rest of the class. Her pride wasn't quite such that she wouldn't give some small amount of respect where it was due, after all.
A few minutes later, she was at her usual table in the cafeteria--far from everyone else, as always--with her lunch and calculus work spread out in front of her. Absentmindedly munching on a lettuce leaf, she started to work out the first of her errors, the encounter with the older student already far from her mind--which made it all the more surprising when she heard footsteps behind her. They stopped near her chair, and their owner spoke up, his mature voice standing out from the rest of the normal ruckus that was the cafeteria mass. "Excuse me... do you mind if I sit near you? I was sort of curious as to what my mistakes were, and figured between the two of us we might be able to solve each other's problems."
"If you'd like." Had it been almost anyone else, she would have flat-out refused, but she was willing to give this particular student a chance. She cleared her things away from the spot next to her, allowing her new tablemate to sit there if he so chose. It would, at least, be easier to work together that way. Not once did the idea of having an actual conversation cross her mind.
Before long, she heard the scrape of chair legs on the floor and the dull thunk of a full tray hitting the table. The shifting of papers soon followed, as well as a heavier sound that signaled the weighty calculus textbook being set nearby. When Nami looked up, the older student turned to face her, holding out a hand to her. "Ian, Ian Greydon... that other guy who shows half a care in Calculus."
"Nami Iyoku." The comment, so close to her own thoughts on the matter, was enough to provoke another of Nami's half-smiles, and she took the proffered hand. "It's good to see that someone else cares about it. I'd almost given up on them." With the introductions finished, Nami fished around in her bag for her calculator and took a moment to finish working out the problem she'd begun before Ian's arrival. It had just been a minor calculation error--something she could have caught but didn't--and in its own way, that annoyed her more than if it had been something more major.
Beside her, Ian began skimming his own work even while shaking her hand, before unfolding one of the sheets and laying it besides hers so as to make comparison easier. Nami's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise when she saw the 94 emblazoned on the top. There was a brief silence while they both worked, then Nami heard his voice again."So, you must be almost through with all this schooling... what's your plans from here?"
He sounded, as Nami had expected him to, like the young adult he was, rather than an old teenager. The question he asked took Nami somewhat by surprise, however--she'd been so absorbed in the present that she'd given the future little thought. With a small shrug, she answered, "Officer training, I suppose. I can't see myself on the front lines." She paused briefly to take a bite of her as-yet-untouched lunch before speaking up again, more out of a sense of obligation to keep the conversation going than anything. "What about you?"
"I'll be going into vehicle work. Probably Mobile Weapons division." He took her cue to work on his meal as well, taking a short drink before continuing. "I don't really want to do anything frontline, I'd rather learn and spread the knowledge than go blazing into the front. So I hopefully will get into the rear guard. It's a tough position to get though."
"Mobile weapons division, hm?" Nami considered this for a moment, then shook her head and set her sandwich down, picking up her pencil and calculator again instead. She knew little about the new weapons, and wasn't about to display her lack of knowledge. She had too much pride to let herself exhibit such a weakness. "Good luck with that," she said absently. "I've heard about the competition for those positions, although I'm sure you'll do fine, if this is any indication. I suppose," she added, the corner of her lips twitching up again, "that I'll end up helping direct things behind the scenes."
"Well, with grades like that, I'm sure you'll be able to do whatever you damn well please." Ian laughed a bit and continued talking while Nami resumed her work, only half-listening to what was being said. "You should work on that strategy forte then, we might make a good team somewhere down the line. Pilot isn't much without a plan." He smiled, trying to raise her spirits and keep her mind off work. "Just have to do something you enjoy."
"Hm." Nami paused in her work for a moment upon hearing that last comment. Doing something she enjoyed was a possibility that hadn't really been brought up in her family--but then, she had to admit that it wasn't much of a concern either way. After all, she did enjoy what she did; she was one of those with the good fortune to be talented at something she liked as, she was sure, Ian would be. For a brief moment, she smiled--not one of her usual mocking half-smiles, but a genuine one. "Maybe we will."
Before he could respond, the bell rang for everyone to pass to the next class. Ian looked down at his barely touched lunch and laughed a bit to himself. "Some use that was." Getting up, he scooped up all his school supplies, and tossed them in his bag before grabbing his tray in one hand. "Well, see you in class tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." As everyone around her proceeded to class, Nami took her time and neatly returned her books and calculator to their places, thinking as she did about the conversation she'd just had. A half-smile flickered across her features as she stood and shouldered her bag. It appeared that there was finally someone in her class at her level, someone she could associate with without feeling like she was lowering herself by doing so. For once, she left the cafeteria with a bit of a spring in her step.
Notes: Gundam and all related things are copyrighted by their respective owners. Also, part of the credit belongs to my roleplaying partner Enigma, who was kind enough to "play GM", as well as provide the dialogue for all non-Nami characters in the next two chapters.
Location: Zeonic military academy, Side 3
There were 10 minutes left till the bell would ring and signal to everyone in the Calculus class that they could leave for lunch. Many of the cadets tried to show some facade of seriousness, although many had food--and escape--on their mind. But that didn't stop the teacher, who was busy at the chalkboard, rambling on about the end of the equation he had sprawled across the large electronic screen with his 'pen'. As he finished off a trigonometric figure that completed the problem, he shut the pen down, and stepped to his desk. "All right, class, make sure you have this down, as it'll be going down as soon as I pass out the results of your mid-term. I hear a single groan and you'll be holding your desks over your head." With that, he stepped to the side and sat down, picking up the stack and skimming it.
Most of the class mumbled under their collective breath and set to work only hesitantly, but one student in the front row began to record the equation without complaint. Her pencil flew across the paper, copying the numbers, letters, and symbols in small, precise print. Nami Iyoku--for that was the name neatly printed atop the paper she was writing on--was not particularly fond of this class, but she felt obligated to put some practical effort into it; after all, certain aspects of it might prove useful in the long run. Right now, though, even she was somewhat distracted--partly by her empty stomach, and partly by the thought of getting her exam back. She'd been so occupied by her other classes that she'd forgotten to study for this one, and lack of studying combined with lack of sleep were rarely a good combination, in her experience.
It was only about ten minutes before the professor rose and shuffled his papers to get the students' attention, but it had seemed an eternity to Nami. She looked up at the sound, and the smirk on the teacher's face was not particularly reassuring. "Well now," he began, "if this weren't a military academy you were all enrolled in, this would be the part that I laughed and told you two people ruined your chance at a scale. But since it is, their scores merely show that the rest of you have something to learn." Nami saw many students begin to look about, curious about the two students he was referring to; she herself had to admit to wondering who the other might be--she knew that the rest of the class as a whole had neither the talent nor the motivation to do well, save for a few exceptions. Having actual competition might make things a bit more interesting.
Neither she nor anyone else was surprised when she received a hand on the shoulder and a nod to go along with her paper, which was branded with a big red 95 encircled on the front. A rare half-smile crossed her face for a moment as she saw the number marked on the paper. Once the teacher had passed by, she skimmed through the test briefly, noting what mistakes she'd made and mentally filing them away for later review, forgetting entirely about the rest of the class.
Her concentration remained uninterrupted until the teacher returned to the front of the room and began to speak again. "Well, now that you've all seen who will be telling you what to do the rest of your military careers, remember that it would be unwise to ruin your standing with them at such an early time with evil glares and ill thoughts. As a token of my mercy upon you all, I'll let you leave for lunch early. Be ready tomorrow for a new assignment and hopefully, a newfound outlook on passing this course. You're dismissed."
The students began grabbing their bags and rushing out the door, many of them not wanting to waste another moment in the class that just so soundly ruined their GPA. Nami, barely suppressing a self-satisfied smirk, rose to join them, though by that time, only one other student remained in the room: as luck would have it, he was the only other one to actually put effort into the coursework, and she suspected that he was the one who'd received a grade rivaling her own. As she passed by him on her way out the door, she gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment--more recognition than she ever voluntarily offered to the rest of the class. Her pride wasn't quite such that she wouldn't give some small amount of respect where it was due, after all.
A few minutes later, she was at her usual table in the cafeteria--far from everyone else, as always--with her lunch and calculus work spread out in front of her. Absentmindedly munching on a lettuce leaf, she started to work out the first of her errors, the encounter with the older student already far from her mind--which made it all the more surprising when she heard footsteps behind her. They stopped near her chair, and their owner spoke up, his mature voice standing out from the rest of the normal ruckus that was the cafeteria mass. "Excuse me... do you mind if I sit near you? I was sort of curious as to what my mistakes were, and figured between the two of us we might be able to solve each other's problems."
"If you'd like." Had it been almost anyone else, she would have flat-out refused, but she was willing to give this particular student a chance. She cleared her things away from the spot next to her, allowing her new tablemate to sit there if he so chose. It would, at least, be easier to work together that way. Not once did the idea of having an actual conversation cross her mind.
Before long, she heard the scrape of chair legs on the floor and the dull thunk of a full tray hitting the table. The shifting of papers soon followed, as well as a heavier sound that signaled the weighty calculus textbook being set nearby. When Nami looked up, the older student turned to face her, holding out a hand to her. "Ian, Ian Greydon... that other guy who shows half a care in Calculus."
"Nami Iyoku." The comment, so close to her own thoughts on the matter, was enough to provoke another of Nami's half-smiles, and she took the proffered hand. "It's good to see that someone else cares about it. I'd almost given up on them." With the introductions finished, Nami fished around in her bag for her calculator and took a moment to finish working out the problem she'd begun before Ian's arrival. It had just been a minor calculation error--something she could have caught but didn't--and in its own way, that annoyed her more than if it had been something more major.
Beside her, Ian began skimming his own work even while shaking her hand, before unfolding one of the sheets and laying it besides hers so as to make comparison easier. Nami's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise when she saw the 94 emblazoned on the top. There was a brief silence while they both worked, then Nami heard his voice again."So, you must be almost through with all this schooling... what's your plans from here?"
He sounded, as Nami had expected him to, like the young adult he was, rather than an old teenager. The question he asked took Nami somewhat by surprise, however--she'd been so absorbed in the present that she'd given the future little thought. With a small shrug, she answered, "Officer training, I suppose. I can't see myself on the front lines." She paused briefly to take a bite of her as-yet-untouched lunch before speaking up again, more out of a sense of obligation to keep the conversation going than anything. "What about you?"
"I'll be going into vehicle work. Probably Mobile Weapons division." He took her cue to work on his meal as well, taking a short drink before continuing. "I don't really want to do anything frontline, I'd rather learn and spread the knowledge than go blazing into the front. So I hopefully will get into the rear guard. It's a tough position to get though."
"Mobile weapons division, hm?" Nami considered this for a moment, then shook her head and set her sandwich down, picking up her pencil and calculator again instead. She knew little about the new weapons, and wasn't about to display her lack of knowledge. She had too much pride to let herself exhibit such a weakness. "Good luck with that," she said absently. "I've heard about the competition for those positions, although I'm sure you'll do fine, if this is any indication. I suppose," she added, the corner of her lips twitching up again, "that I'll end up helping direct things behind the scenes."
"Well, with grades like that, I'm sure you'll be able to do whatever you damn well please." Ian laughed a bit and continued talking while Nami resumed her work, only half-listening to what was being said. "You should work on that strategy forte then, we might make a good team somewhere down the line. Pilot isn't much without a plan." He smiled, trying to raise her spirits and keep her mind off work. "Just have to do something you enjoy."
"Hm." Nami paused in her work for a moment upon hearing that last comment. Doing something she enjoyed was a possibility that hadn't really been brought up in her family--but then, she had to admit that it wasn't much of a concern either way. After all, she did enjoy what she did; she was one of those with the good fortune to be talented at something she liked as, she was sure, Ian would be. For a brief moment, she smiled--not one of her usual mocking half-smiles, but a genuine one. "Maybe we will."
Before he could respond, the bell rang for everyone to pass to the next class. Ian looked down at his barely touched lunch and laughed a bit to himself. "Some use that was." Getting up, he scooped up all his school supplies, and tossed them in his bag before grabbing his tray in one hand. "Well, see you in class tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." As everyone around her proceeded to class, Nami took her time and neatly returned her books and calculator to their places, thinking as she did about the conversation she'd just had. A half-smile flickered across her features as she stood and shouldered her bag. It appeared that there was finally someone in her class at her level, someone she could associate with without feeling like she was lowering herself by doing so. For once, she left the cafeteria with a bit of a spring in her step.
Notes: Gundam and all related things are copyrighted by their respective owners. Also, part of the credit belongs to my roleplaying partner Enigma, who was kind enough to "play GM", as well as provide the dialogue for all non-Nami characters in the next two chapters.