Once Leon was able to last more than a few hours; he was put to work helping Sinclair learn his own other man having been checked out and by the time Leon was healthy again, Sinclair was ready for training. He usually helped by standing on one of the other's shoulders while the others worked inside their own Holons. His strider left back at the Anvil, but he was far from useless.
Cammie and Bailey had also practically drooled at the chance to understand his abilities to further Gen:Lock. Especially when he had explained how he had used them the second time he'd uploaded himself after Chicago; when he'd been sure he'd been dreaming.
But back to the matter at hand.
Sinclair was having trouble adjusting to his Holon. It frustrated Leon, frustrated everyone, that nothing seemed to work. Sinclair was just not getting it; something felt off in how he interacted with the world. It was like when Cammie had trouble walking, but on a fundamentally different level. Sinclair had trouble just being in the Holon.
So he did what he hadn't had a chance to do in years. Talk it out with Bailey, normally he had to hedge because of how classified a lot of the work he'd done was. Now since she had been Hired to continue the gen:Lock research with the ESU she had almost the same clearance as he did.
"So why not go into your mecha and kick his butt? I haven't seen you in it uh, never but it's cool looking so I guess..." Bailey asked and putting down two cups with hot chocolate in it. He hadn't seen the new 'look' Migas and Cammie were putting together. He almost didn't want to.
He took a sip and nearly choked on one of the mini-marshmellows in it. "You know Hailey is the only one who likes these things right?" He coughed peering into the cup. She snorted and sat down across the table from him. It was late night and they were in the lunch room of RTASA.
"Don't change the subject. What's wrong with your Holon?" She asked taking her own sip and covering her own face swallowing the sweet cardboardy bits of sugar; she grabbed a spoon to fish them out. Neither of them had much of a sweet tooth.
"Nothing's wrong with the Holon." Leon frowned "It's fine." He could tell from here.
"It can't be you then, since after everything... " she smirked at him; He took the spoon as she offered and began fishing out the marshmallows on his own, going quiet to focus as fully as he could on the task and not answering her unspoken question.
Bailey just waited, taking a sip of her now de-marshmellowed drink.
"Ok, come on." Bailey put down her drink; unable to wait long, and reached over to flick him in the forehead. A motion he automatically dodged. She narrowed her eyes and he saw them invert the mismatched colours swapping places with her scalera for a second and he had to dodge the spoon thrown telekinetically at him.
"You. are. being. dumb. Give it a shot. After all if you can hack me a job with RTASA by ASKING on accident. I think you're got the chops to uh mix in with your holon again."
"I fixed it after we realized what I'd done." Leon defended and Bailey merely hummed. "Uh hunh and the ESU job?"
"That wasn't me!" They laughed at each other. Their conversation turning to less dangerous topics.
Leon couldn't sleep, after his talk with Bailey, the last few days played in his head. She had been right; he wasn't pushing himself. Leon remembered his first few times piloting the strider. Had he not pushed himself to learn the systems; then he wouldn't be the strider pilot, now Holon pilot, he was.
Mind made up he got out of bed and marched straight for the hangar bay. He kept his nerve up until he stood in front of his Holon. His Jaw dropped; before it had been simpler, less boxy than the vanguard armor, but still armored. Still useable.
This was very different.
They had kept with a slimmer look; padding the joints and the outside edges of his armor with another layer that went from shoulder to wrist. The helmet was rounded with what looked like a bandana wrapped several times around the face leaving the eyes free. He had what looked slim plates of armor that criss crossed protecting his midsection, legs, anything not covered by the heavier plating. It pouches on either side of his hips and attached to his wrists were what looked like small sleek pistols. One was gold and black, the other was black and green. Each had different details etched into the sides. He stared taking in all the details. It even had his strider decal placed on the left side of the chest, and shoulder.
"Like it man?" Migas asked and Leon gestured at the Holon speechless. Though why Migas was awake at such an ungodly hour he had no idea. Or maybe he did and neither of them really liked talking about it.
"Cammie and I came up with it. I remembered our old DND game and I thought you might enjoy the look. I even made sure you had the bags of holding, though it's less bags of holding and more it being you know dakka dakka." Migas mimed shooting a gun and Leon peeled his eyes away from the Holon to look a the mechanic.
Leon looked at Migas and gestured at the wrists "You even have the...pew." he gestured lamely, the lack of sleep probably wasn't helping but he was honestly speechless. Migas pulled up a screen and pushed it at him, it detailed the changes to the Holon. Including turrets conveniently located like a Strider, on the sides and hidden by the heavier plating.
"You want to download to it? I can get the pod ready." Migas gestured where the pod was stored next to the Holon.
"Uh, I was thinking of." Leon waved his hand and Migas made a small oh with his mouth. "Gotcha dude, c'mon." Migas brought him to the lift where he had them brought up to where the cyberdome was.
Leon placed his hands against the Holon.
He hesitated; looking at Migas who was pointedly looking away whistling next to him. "Really?"
"What you want privacy or something?" Migas asked with a knowing smile.
Leon rolled his eyes and then pitched sideways as he felt a pull from the machine. He put his arms out to catch himself on.. The railing? He looked down and over at Migas from the Holon's eyes.
Migas started cackling, falling over and rolling on the platform he was laughing so hard. "You- just gah!" He mimed what he meant flailing his arms before he was laughing again.
" Well I'm glad one of us is laughing." Leon pouted.
"Ugh this isn't working out." Sinclar snapped at Yasamin who propped her hands on her hips. The others looked at each other; They were all getting to the end of their individual ropes with Sinclair. The ranger was stubborn and didn't really listen to them. Those traits had given him an edge in Union territory but here they grated.
"Maybe I should just-" He gestured at the area around them, as if to say he should just leave.
"Hold on." Leon walked out of the hangar crossing his arms. He couldn't help the shit eating grin on the inside. He was never getting over how amazing the design looked. How awesome he felt having his own custom Holon.
"Why don't we do a round of capture the flag. You vs me." Leon told him slyly with a wink to Chase who narrowed his eyes at him. He could feel the rest of the team's scrutiny.
"What're you planning Leon?" Chase asked; suspicious.
"Just a game; something to break up training. " Leon waved at Chase. Sinclair crossed his arms but then shrugged, his eyes rolling.
"Fine, it can't be worse than what we're already doing." He told them.
"Come on Goony. Are you going to let a Strider Pilot kick your ass? Give it one try." Leon taunted holding up a finger. He hoped he had read Sinclair right-
Sinclair growled took off and Leon shot with the turret on his shoulder; it hit the other Holon square in the chest. Sinclair growled reset, the turret disappearing into his armor; and tried again.
"You can always use the structures as coverage." he offered gesturing at them languidly, after Sinclair's third try at running straight at him.
They started again. And again. And again.
Leon shot and hit again, Sinclair was getting more creative and Leon had broken lout the pistols. Sinclair growled ferally and before hitting the restart line threw himself back at Leon. Leon kept shooting just close enough until He saw what he was looking for. A spark on Sinclair's amor.
Leon smirked, aimed for the center of Sinclair's chest.
Sinclair sparked further and just as Leon had him in his sights he literally turned into a bolt a lightning and raced past Leon. Grabbing the Flag Sinclair stabbed it in the ground at Leon's feet.
"Thought so. How do you feel?" Leon propped his arms on his hips languidly.
"Better- I mean I feel more uh- Wait you wanted that?" Sinclair shoved his face in Leon's squinting at the older pilot. Leon took a step back for some space.
Leon crossed his arms, "I made an educated guess, you spark. All the time. I figured you needed a new perspective. Being in a Holon shouldn't stop you from being all that you could be."
"I do not get it." Kazu told the others and Cammie clapped her hands together. 'I think i do. Leon do you mind?"
Leon shook his head and she continued. "Sinclair didn't totally feel comfortable until he could use his abilities. I mean you see him in the mess. He's not exactly subtle." Cammie explained gesturing at where Sinclair was still sparking a little.
"What does that have to do with it?" Kazu frowned but he could see the gears working. Leon suspected that even with how rare people with powers were it was an even more taboo topic in Japan than he'd suspected originally.
"Kazu, imagine not having a pinky finger." Kazu looked at his hand and folded his fingers till his pinky was the only one standing out. "You don't realize that you don't use it that much but when it's gone you notice. It makes the hand as a whole more, confident? Centered? I think I lost the analogy." Leon offered trying to make it easier to understand, one hand coming up to tap at his chin.
"You're certainly more open about it." Val/entina hummed and Leon nodded as they walked their holons to the Hangar. He kneeled down and waited for them to walk out of the Renegade; where their pods stayed while at RTASA.
"You're right; Not like I could hide it anymore. I mean last week alone was crazy." he got a few laughs, and smiles. Kazu looked more thoughtful but nodded. Leon didn't blame him, it would be a lot to learn for anyone.
Sinclair looked thoughtful too but for different reasons, "So why push me to use mine?"
"You looked like you needed it.' Leon explained, "Like how Cammie needed new legs. You needed to know you could."
Chase put a hand on Sinclair's shoulder it phased a little through. "Remember what he told Kazu? You needed that extra finger, or you were off center."