gipsy_danger | for striker

((starting here))

True to her word, Gipsy waits.

Of course, she can't do much other than that -- she's fairly constrained by previous injuries, and though her arm has been reattached and repaired she still can't quite walk on her own. This, Gipsy makes abundantly clear in beeps and grumbles, but it's mostly ignored because there's nothing they can do about it quite yet. Progress is being made, but it's not nearly fast enough for her satisfaction.

It's why she's grumpy as hell when he comes the next day; beeps decidedly irritated and far too loud for someone that had been drifting solo with a jaeger the previous day.

(( other conclusions Here. ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

striker_eureka

Back in the beginning, Jaegers were just machines and so no real thought was given to whether or not they felt the damage that was being done to them. And then they were fitted with AIs to help them maneuver, and then those AIs started developing personalities of their own, but Herc is pretty sure people still don't think about how they survive the damage done to them. Just thinking about it makes him ache in sympathy.

Me too, love. He would like to be able to experience what it's like fully, to see life through her "eyes" but he knows he would never be able to handle it. Sadly.

So instead he focuses on this right now, on helping her steer her way around the 'dome as she stretches her legs after five long years in stasis.

How are you doing? Everything okay still?

From:

gipsy_danger

Yes. Very well.

She's enjoying herself despite it all; walking around the Shatterdome gives her a sense of freedom that she hasn't felt in several very long years.

And you? Is this too much?

From:

striker_eureka

Naw, I'm alright.

He says that all the time, though, claims to be fine when he isn't. But she can feel the truth in his words now, which is why he doesn't bother elaborating past that, just lets her do her thing as he helps her steer and monitors her from the inside.

From:

gipsy_danger

Suspicion hovers, but then the truth in what he’s saying seeps through the Drift and she’s satisfied with that, and presses the issue no further.

Instead, she takes her time on their ‘walk’, and allows him to revel in her joy at being able to move around again and regain her functionality and maneuverability. It’s been a long time since she’s been able to achieve this moderation of freedom, so now she’s reveling in it, and taking her sweet time at reacquainting herself with her own body.

It’s a challenge, though; holding back to protect him, protocols chirping at her when she goes to far from her ‘allowed’ space, and the occasional human darting between her legs – it’s exhausting.

From:

striker_eureka

While Gipsy is the one doing most of the work, Herc is still walking inside her, moving his limbs in tandem with hers; he's not sure if it's helping her at all or if it's just annoying, but it's become such a deeply-ingrained habit that he can't help himself. He'll just keep on keeping on, as it were, until she tells him to stop.

He's reluctant to stop, actually, since Gipsy is enjoying herself so much, but eventually he knows he has to call it off.

Gipsy, love, I think it's time we head back. He can sense how tired she is now, how difficult it is for her to hold so much back and do most of the work herself, especially since she's not fully recovered yet. He doesn't want her to push herself too far and end up doing irreversible damage to her internal systems.

From:

gipsy_danger

It's helping; not in so much that he's assisting with moving, but it helps to know that he's there as a sort of support network - -that even if it's habit, it's also done because he does want to help.

But her own exhaustion starts to bleed over, and she knows he's right, even if she's reluctant to stop.

Alright.

She turns, and she starts back towards her designated docking bay, though she's practically dragging her feet -- mostly with reluctance.

From:

striker_eureka

Her reluctance makes him smile a little, and he pats her control panel again.

We'll try this again tomorrow, alright? He's just as reluctant to end this as she is, really, and the prospect of walking with her again is exciting.

From:

gipsy_danger

You should take a day off, you know.

As much as that excites her, she's actually scolding him, just a little.

This is not good for you, doing this alone.

From:

striker_eureka

He chuckles softly, a wry smile on his face.

Aw, but then I'd miss you, darling. There's not much for me to do in this joint when we're not battling Kaijus.

From:

gipsy_danger

Oh, this little human. She rather likes him.

It's because I'm pretty, isn't it.

From:

striker_eureka

Prettiest girl in this 'dome.

Hercules Hansen, you incorrigible flirt.

From:

gipsy_danger

Flatterer. It's said with a sort of choked laugh as she settles back into her bay, leaning against the wall as the supports take over and hold her steady.

It isn't getting you out of trouble, though. Take a day. You shouldn't be doing this, let alone doing it so frequently.

From:

striker_eureka

He sighs, like she's being totally unreasonable.

Alright, alright. If you insist, I guess I can wait another day before coming to visit you.

Like it's a huge imposition, really. Honestly, Herc, what are you doing with yourself.

From:

gipsy_danger

Your attempts to guilt trip me have failed. Though you can still visit.

She just won't let him Drift with her.

From:

striker_eureka

Yeah, I was never really good at that.

He smiles a lot when he's in Gipsy. He'll look back at that later and realize it's significant, but right now he just enjoys it.

I'll try not to drop crumbs on you when I eat lunch on your shoulder.

From:

gipsy_danger

She enjoys feeling that smile, even if she can't 'see' it. Oh, what it would be like to look entirely through his eyes.

I would appreciate that effort. They itch.

It's impossible to tell if she's joking or not.

From:

striker_eureka

Well, we can't have that, can we?

He's already thinking of what he can do with her tomorrow, even if she won't let him drift. Maybe he can bring some music, give her something else to focus on that isn't her repairs.

From:

gipsy_danger

Not at all. Goodbye, Hercules Hansen.

She's gently nudging him out of the drift herself -- pushy thing. Wonder where she gets it from.

From:

striker_eureka

Okay, okay. Bye, Gipsy.

He lets her end the neural handshake, even if he's a little disappointed to see her go.

Unhooking himself takes a little time, but pretty soon he's climbing out of her helmet. "I'll see you tomorrow, love," he says as he emerges from the cockpit, patting her helmet fondly before heading off to the gangway above her.

From:

gipsy_danger

He can't possibly be nearly as disappointed as her -- though she supposed it was possible.

Hardly likely.

She waits for him the next day chirping quietly at his approach. She won't let him link with her, but his presence is a comfort.

From:

striker_eureka

Well, he enjoyed her company, was that so wrong? He wanted to keep spending time with her.

Which is exactly why he convinces the cooks in the mess to make him a sandwich lunch the next day, and why she'll find him climbing up to settle precariously on her shoulder, leaning against the gentle curve of her helmet.

"I'd offer you some of my lunch" he says in response to her chirping, charmed despite himself. "But I don't think you'd like it."

From:

gipsy_danger

Sensors tell her there is weight on her shoulder, but it's so light that he might as well be a feather to her.

A low groan will confirm that he's right -- no, there is nothing about that lunch that seems appealing to Gipsy. Not really, anyway. There's curiosity at the concept of consuming anything except fuel, but not enough to make any queries about it.

Instead she hums softly, engines purring quietly in the interim.

From:

striker_eureka

Sometimes Herc wonders what Gipsy sees in humans. Sure, he knows that her programing is to protect them, and she's shown him a little of what it's like to be on her side of the equation, but still. She's a giant behemoth and he's barely considered tall by human standards. It must be very odd to be her.

He chuckles when she seems not to be interested in his lunch, and so happily tucks in himself — oh man, bread is so good — nattering away to her in between bites.

He doesn't really expect this visit to reveal very much, but it's nice to spend a little time together anyway.

From:

gipsy_danger

Quite the contrary; she learns quite a bit about him while he chatters to her between bites. It's a good opportunity for him to talk without her pestering him in any way shape or form -- though she can't really answer save for a few beeps here and there and maybe an electronic whistle or whirr.

She's a great listener, at least. Anything he tells her, she absorbs like a sponge.

From:

striker_eureka

For some reason, Herc gets onto the subject of what his life was like before the Jaeger program, when he was still married, when Chuck was just a little thing. They had been happy, back before his wife got breast cancer and wasted away before his eyes, leaving him alone with a hyperactive little kid who grew up to be a stranger.

He doesn't really get into that part, though, focusing more on the happier moments of his life, which segues into concerts he went to with his wife, which segues into the music he listens to. That's a fairly safe topic of conversation.