I'm going to admit that I had a bit of fun formulating this one to the point that it went crazy in my imagination, but I managed to put the reins on it enough to make this satisfactory. This might feel a bit more of a group interaction than the expected one-on-one, but regardless, enjoy!
"Teriaaa!"
The battle cry heard around the Outfitters Test Hangar, the flying strike missed. Gwin should've figured that his opponent was smarter against such an unguarded tactic. As classic as a flying kick was, there was no room for theatrics in a real fight.
Enforcing his traction by falling onto a knee, he turned heel as quickly as he could in order to catch his sparring partner off guard. He had yet to full turn around to face the eager Interceptor as Gwin charged in to take him down.
"Hyah!"
Gwin was denied the chance as his opponent turned his own strength against him, throwing him along the cold steely floor. He was not fazed by the attempted sneak attack.
"Ugh, you got me, Cross," Gwin relented.
Cross walked over and extended a hand out to help him up. Gwin quickly took it and stood back up. Sliding along the floor without wearing anything from the waist up would leave some unsightly scratches, even if their bodies were just mimeosomes. Cross still wondered why Gwin insisted on having these shirtless one-on-one hand-to-hand spars, especially considering that fists alone could not handle even the smallest hostile indigen.
Though CQC could handle rogue BLADE agents without the excessive violence of melee and ranged weaponry, as well as the overwhelming usage of Skells in fights, it was still interesting to consider what the purpose of having these exercises was.
One would suppose that all of this effort was geared towards building up strength and stamina.
"Feeling the burn?" Cross quipped.
"I'm really feeling… something," Gwin replied, slightly rubbing a pained side of his torso.
"Two buff guys, well one buff and the other not as much, ripe for the picking," a tough feminine voice remarked.
"Irina, you know both of them are in really great shape," a younger voice reasoned.
"All the more of a reason to 'recruit' them," a third, mature voice added.
"Tatsu thought Elma would bring friend Cross along anyway," the unmistakable voice of the Nopon companion interjected.
Cross and Gwin soon found themselves being approached by the company of Elma, Lin, Irina, and Tatsu. The three BLADE women were dressed in more casual clothing in place of their typical armor and work-related uniform.
"Hey, ladies," Gwin greeted, grinning rather bashfully as he had no shirt on in front of them. "How goes it?"
"It goes well, Gwin," Lin replied. "You two look like you worked up a sweat."
"At least these guys know how to use their down time productively," Irina commented.
"I suppose that would be why Cross seems to be more appealing than ever," Elma said with a sly smile. "A man of action as always."
"And here I thought you like the sight of him drenched," Lin teased.
"I really don't know what you mean, Ms. Koo," Elma responded, nonchalantly looking at the ceiling.
"Hah! You're just as a terrible liar as Secretary Nagi," Lin commented, placing her hands on her hips. "And 'Ms. Koo'? Seriously?"
"Give the Colonel a break, Lin," Irina intervened, taking another chance to ogle Cross and Gwin with interest, her sight lingering slightly longer on the latter. "I really don't blame her for this."
"Like what you see, lieutenant?" Gwin provoked, holding his arms behind his head to show off his chest and abdominal areas.
"A-As if!" Irina rebutted, swiftly turning her head away while her face bore a luminescent blush. "I was only admiring Cross's physique. T-That's all!"
Gwin turned to see Cross giving her a skeptic look that practically expressed, '… Really?' The usually silent BLADE then looked Gwin in the eye, giving him a thumbs-up and mouthed that he got this, much to the youthful BLADE's appreciation.
"Moving on to business, we have a mission for you two," Elma announced in her authoritative stance. "It is of utmost importance that you consider this seriously."
"What's the trouble?" Gwin asked.
"Basically, we girls are going shopping and we need a couple of strong guys bent to our will to carry our shopping bags," Irina surmised wryly, inciting a look of horrific shock from her subordinate.
"You can't be serious!" Gwin exclaimed in outrage. "THAT'S your big emergency?!"
"We may not be serious, but Elma's orders are for the both of you to be serious," Lin answered cheekily.
Gwin stumbled to get out a good counter response, but ultimately fell into speechlessness. Cross was a little harder to read, but if there was any indication with that blank stare he would give when exasperated, then it would seem that he was not fond of his newest assignment. Of course, he had experience dealing with this when he was on a few shopping dates with Elma, but that did not necessarily mean he liked the job. He simply tolerated the prospect for her sake only, if nothing else.
"We were also going to throw Doug into the mix because he's a big, strong Harrier and all, but he got lucky and was assigned a mission to exterminate a Tyrant," Irina added.
"L, too," Lin mentioned. "But he wasn't at his shop when we stopped by. Giogion told us that he went off on his own to collect materials for some new products he came up with."
"Which is actually going to be a bit bad for you guys as we took the liberty to invite more girls to join us on our not-so-little shopping spree," Irina continued with a scheming smirk.
"Damn their convenient excuses," Cross muttered under his breath.
"… Tell me she's joking," Gwin whimpered, facing Cross before suddenly grabbing him by the shoulders and hysterically shaking him. "TELL me she's joking!"
"No jokes about it, lover boy," Irina spoke up, placing a hand up to one of her ears to listen for approaching footsteps. "In fact, here they come right now. Perfectly timed!"
Cross and Gwin looked over Irina to see three familiar female figures entering into the Outfitters Test Hangar. Closer inspection revealed them to be Murderess, Hope, and Celica.
"Why…?" Gwin sighed.
"It could be worse," Lin shrugged. "We attempted to invite some more ladies on the trip. Mia decided to wander off, but recommended I get that special Ma-non oil shampoo. And Alexa has got some more projects to work on. However, she did tell me to pick up the latest Excavator Skell figure for her at the shop."
"Wait, there are actually collectible Skell figures being sold?" Gwin inquired.
"It's like a form of the Miralife trading cards for the New LA citizens, but geared towards diehard Skell enthusiasts," Elma explained. "Lin has collected some already."
"But there aren't many Skell models to even make it worth collecting," Gwin mused.
"That is why the main objective is to collect different weapons to equip the Skell figure for battle," Lin clarified. "Its demographic audience is for those that either can't pilot a real Skell or just love Skells in general."
"To each their own," Irina shrugged.
"I still don't like being your shopping pack mule," Gwin grumbled.
"Think of it as a good bonding activity outside of our BLADE duties," Elma offered. "Plus, we're treating it as a mission, so there will be a good reward for making it to the end."
"And I'm guessing that 'reward' is something special for Cross?" Gwin countered.
"Don't worry, Irina said that she'll compensate for your efforts," Elma explained, ignoring his last remark. "I think she mentioned that she'll cook you dinner later."
"… Oh," Gwin grunted, becoming pale and sullen as though he was next on death row.
If there was any indication of Irina's cooking skill, then Gwin's rather lackluster enthusiasm and fearful quivering would be good indicators. He quickly sidestepped to hide behind Cross as to not have Irina catch his reaction to his 'reward.' He didn't have the heart to tell her the truth and he was sure that he would soon lack one as a result of Irina ripping it out herself if he did tell, artificial mimeosome heart or not.
"Cheers!" Celica called out.
"Hey, girls!" Hope greeted, waving over as she and her company reunited with them. "I hope we weren't too late. We were talking about−Aah! Cross!" Catching the former amnesiac without a shirt caused her face to heat up. She bashfully looked away as a result of not being used to seeing half-naked men. "I-I'm sorry! Did we interrupt something?"
"Mmm, what a man," Murderess purred, taking several bold steps to circle him like a vulture to a carcass. "Oh! And Gwin too? Not bad for just a mim."
"They were just training, so don't get any funny ideas, Murderess," Irina advised.
"Lighten up, I'm really a good girl once you get to know me," Murderess winked, holding her hands up in the air. "I'm not touching, see? If anything, it's their fault for teasing me like this. Any longer and I might not help myself. I have urges too, you know."
"Cross, please put on your jacket," Elma ordered neutrally.
"You too, Gwin," Irina said sternly.
"Aww, why end the fun so soon?" Murderess taunted while Cross and Gwin went to retrieve their upper wear before more trouble could've erupted. "I haven't even finished taking a clear mental picture of them abs. And that ass…" She then pulled out her comm device. "Just kidding! Good thing these things come with the additional camera functionality."
"Take a picture and you lose your device and everything stored on it," Elma warned, holding her pistol up and ready.
Murderess was thinking about going through with it regardless as with the technological level humanity being where it was now, she was sure all of her data was backed up and saved somewhere within the BLADE communications mainframe. But then, she realized that Elma would have easier access than her in tapping into the data due to her high position and would deleted all of it if she wanted to before she could've done something about it.
She ultimately relented and placed her comm device back into her pocket. Elma mimicked her and put away her pistol.
"You're no fun," Murderess scoffed.
"Just protecting my teammate's integrity from future exploitation," Elma stated, bearing a triumphant smirk.
"If you didn't want to share him, why not say so?" Murderess questioned casually. "I mean, I'm a woman of honor."
"You really think your nickname brings confidence for anyone?" Irina shot back sardonically. "You ought to know by now, Sharon."
"Not yet, Irina, not just yet," Murderess answered, glancing to the side. "I've been getting close to my dream, so the need to supposedly 'backstab' team members has been shrinking away. Not since Cross here saw me for what I truly am… Oh, look, speak of the handsome devil, he and Gwin are back."
True to the white-haired Curator's word, the sole BLADE males of the company returned fully clothed with their usual wear. They had not expected to be pulled into this kind of mission, which was why they were at a lack of more casual outfits.
"Good, you both suited up appropriately," Elma said, scrutinizing the both of them, more particularly on Cross before smiling to herself. "Ready to move out?"
"Still not fond of the idea," Gwin muttered before sharing a look with Cross. He gave him a firm nod back. "But I'm doing it as a man."
"There, not so bad, is it?" Irina asked, brushing a hand on his shoulder while Gwin looked away to hide his blush.
"Still, two guys for six girls?" Cross pointed out.
"Which is why Tatsu will be helping you two out to even some things out," Lin immediately proposed, much to the Nopon's sudden discomfort.
"Meh-meh?!" Tatsu coughed. "Tatsu can't lift heavy shopping bags!"
"Tatsu, you carry around that huge backpack of yours filled with tons of lunchboxes and those weird biter things on the side," Lin pointed out. "At most, you should at least handle mine."
"B-But…"
"Listen, Tatsu, if you do this for me, I'll whip you up your favorite Nopon dish tonight."
"Really? Then Captain Tatsu is on case! Linly can depend on Tatsu and strong arms to carry shopping bags."
"That leaves Cross to help me with my purchases," Elma declared.
"Oh, and mine~," Murderess added seductively. "I don't mind if you 'happen' to take a peek at some of the special garments I'm gonna buy with my shoebox money."
While she didn't want to oppose having Cross carry Murderess's things, Elma did send a warning look over his direction that explicitly stated no funny business. Cross gave a slight nod before looking away. Murderess was simply having the time of her life getting in the way of these two. It just gave her more of a thrill than shooting teammates in the back for additional credits.
"I guess that leaves me in carrying your backs, Irina," Gwin said.
"Mine, Hope's, and Celica's," Irina clarified.
"Wait, why do I get three?!" Gwin complained.
"I feel squeamish burdening him with my belongings," Celica added in sympathy. "I can carry my own bags."
"Me too," Hope spoke up.
"Nonsense, that's what the guys are here for," Irina reassured. "How about this? Celica, if you're comfortable with this, split your shopping bags between Gwin and Cross. That way, they'll be carrying even amounts. Cross has the Colonel and Murderess taken cared of while Gwin has me and Hope."
"If it's alright with him, then I'm willing to oblige to the conditions," Celica replied with a smile.
"Glad to hear the arrangements have been settled," Elma announced. "So girls, ready to hit up the sales in Mall Cruz?"
"Yeah!" all the females cheered.
"And from the guys?" Irina prompted.
"Uhh," Gwin, Cross, and Tatsu grunted halfheartedly.
Regardless of how the males felt, they accompanied the women out of the Outfitters Test Hangar and traveled together towards the commercial district after passing the local Repenta Diner. It looked like nothing more than a sizeable group of friends just hanging out and having fun for once.
With the dangers of humanity practically averted, the Lifehold Core secured, and the Ganglion forces dispersed far enough to even barely register as a threat, these BLADE soldiers had pretty much earned this right for some relaxation time.
Of course, the mood changed once the whole gang reached the heart of the commercial district. The women had pretty much scattered about to different stores to make their desired purchases while Cross, Gwin, and Tatsu were left in their wake. They stood about awkwardly at the south end of Barista Court.
It was difficult to keep track on who went where, but predictably enough, Elma and Irina did visit Mall Cruz first. Murderess and Hope went to a different clothing shop together before agreeing to get fresh cups of tea later. Celica was still window browsing while mumbling aloud to herself on what to get for Rock. And Lin was nowhere to be found.
"Tatsu not like all this confusion," Tatsu whined, hopping anxiously. "Tatsu can't even find Linly anywhere. Girls hunt for bargains like pack of hungry caros!"
"You said it," Gwin agreed, facing Cross. "I'm impressed on how you're dealing with this. At this point, I'd rather be scrubbing the toilets with a toothbrush than join the girls on their shopping sprees."
"You said you want to be there for Irina, right?" Cross brought up.
"Well… yeah, but isn't there any other way I could prove myself useful to her than this?" Gwin reasoned. "I mean, I could have Alexa train me in using her new powerful Skell weapons to impress her. This just seems menial. I feel like I'm not getting anywhere at this rate."
"You've known her for how long now?" Cross decided to ask.
"A long time now," Gwin replied.
"Then you should understand her by now why she's the way she is," Cross explained.
"She's been through a lot, that much I know," Gwin pondered. "But even she stated that she won't do anything that transcends our professional relationship."
"There isn't much left for BLADE to do now that we're entering a time of peace," Cross pointed out. "And you may not see, but Irina does appreciate every little thing you do for her, every sacrifice you make to make her happy. This 'mission' is no exception."
"How do you know this?" Gwin asked skeptically.
"Take it from someone who's finally gotten a better understanding of the opposite sex," Cross answered with a cool smirk. "If you really do care for her, if you really do love her, then you would do what it takes to keep them safe and happy… even if it means having to break their heart to do so."
"Wait… Where did THAT come from all of a sudden?!" Gwin responded, caught off guard by the last comment. "Why would I want to break Irina's heart to keep her safe and happy? I thought the point was to mend her heart after losing Leon?"
"Gwin speaks of truth," Tatsu interjected. "Tatsu no understand either. What does friend mean?"
"The world isn't as black and white as we would want it to be," Cross sighed, taking a glimpse of the Mall Cruz entrance and catching Elma and Irina chat animatedly along the way with bags hanging off their arms. "You should know by now, Gwin, that as soldiers, we were doomed to make grim decisions at some point or another that would decide who lives and who dies."
"Oh," Gwin coughed, realizing what his friend meant.
"I don't know everything that is right, nor did I know if my actions would have future consequences that would be regrettable," Cross continued. "One of these situations included abandoning a greedy scumbag BLADE to his fate to a petramand after he and his teammates ate its children for breakfast."
"What?!" Gwin yelped in surprise.
"The guy, unlike Murderess, was an irredeemable bastard and attempted to ambush me on a prior mission to collect the reward," Cross shared, ignoring Gwin's earlier outburst. "I had long decided the moment a BLADE decided to raise their weapons against me for no reason at all, they can no longer call themselves BLADEs."
"But then, what made Murderess different?" Gwin inquired. "Irina told me about how she sent a bunch of BLADEs against you and her on a mission together."
"I honestly don't know how to explain," Cross shrugged. "There was just something unsettling behind those pretty eyes of hers that there was more than meets the eye with her. I took a chance in forgiving her and as a result, she really is a loyal ally with misunderstood implications."
"In spite all you heard about her, you still gave her a chance and it turned out for the better," Gwin surmised. "Man, I wish I was as decisive as you. Your wisdom even reminds me of what Leon taught me. You know what? I really need to push myself out of my comfort zone even more if I'm to stand a chance with Irina."
"You're getting there," Cross assured. "I know she's bound to give you a chance just as soon as you make it clear you'll give her one. She's changed a lot since I first met you two. She did look at you longer when she found us training at the Test Hangar."
"Oh, yeah, good point," Gwin chuckled.
"Hey, boys, did ya miss us?" Irina jived, holding up her shopping bags and handing them off to Gwin.
"This will be the first of many, so be prepared," Elma advised, handing hers over to Cross. "Take a seat if you have to. We're not sadists, even if we do push you during combat practice."
"Yeah, you guys should enjoy yourselves at least," Irina added.
"Wait, lieutenant," Gwin called out before she left. "Let's grab a bite to eat some time. It's on me."
Irina blinked a few times before a small warm smile gradually formed on her face.
"Gwin, I appreciate it, but I'm sure the Colonel already told you that I'll be cooking for you tonight as thanks for helping out," Irina explained. "I'm doing a new recipe that's to die for."
"That might be the case," Gwin whispered worriedly under his breath. "Water won't save me now."
"Maybe tomorrow or something when we don't have missions to wear us out," Irina suggested.
"I know, but… I just want to show my appreciation for you," Gwin replied with a fond smile.
Irina felt her face warming up and started to fidget in place. Elma had placed a hand on her shoulder, assuring her that it was okay. Without any words, she gestured Cross to join her, providing her a decent example by laying her tender head on his shoulder. Even with Elma's shopping bags weighing down on his arms, Cross was more than willing to reciprocate the affection.
"It's a date," Irina simply said, facing Gwin again with more confidence than before.
Gwin couldn't help but grin like the goofball he was, eliciting many lighthearted chuckled from present company. The weight of Irina's shopping bags on his arms was practically nonexistent. It was as though he was walking on the ninth cloud of seventh heaven… Okay, he needs to fix L's attempt at human metaphors or stop hanging around him altogether.
Cross managed a thumbs-up for him while Elma gave a pleased smile for his efforts. Tatsu did a dance of successful courting in celebration.
Gwin was happy with all of the support of his friends. Cross had been a true bro to him.
Even by taking a chance on the littlest things that can produce huge results in the end.
My thanks to an anonymous reader that went by the name of Guest gave the premise of Cross and Gwin sparring at the beginning. However, I did not involve new Prog Ares models to use, so sorry about that. I was geared more into developing a bit of Gwin and Irina's relationship.
And I'll admit that bringing up more character interactions is a lot of fun, but if I were to start something similar to this, but as interactions between all playable and recruitable teammates, then it'll be quite time consuming with the nearly endless combinations. I'll just throw in references to affinity links and post-battle dialogue from time to time, even though it seems that affinities like that of Lin and Alexa are very popular due to common interests and liked personalities.
Next on deck is Doug, who I will admit I don't know too much outside of his history with Lao and his desire of taking high paying bounty missions. Still, I'll give it a go and improvise.
Please let me know what you think via review or otherwise!