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[rekindle.livejournal.com]

It had been exactly a week since she had woken up naked and covered in alien goop she'd rather not think about. Some parts of the past seven days had flown by, and others had dragged on so long that time might as well have been standing still. Eating the mush they were supplied, exploring the ship, spending time in the hangar, being with Kira and the others: it was becoming a routine already.

Despite that, a week wasn't long at all. Things would definitely take some getting used to. Aside from the fact that her home and almost everything she knew was gone, Cagalli was being housed in a living spaceship. She still found herself hesitating when things moved, and, in all honesty, she probably would be for a while.

Now, the young woman sat in a chair, arms rested on the table in front of her. Things were still pretty fresh in her mind, so a little time to reflect was needed. Perhaps a little conversation, too.

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[gunslinging.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Nothing like waking up and finding out that everything you've already done to try and save the world didn't mean scrap in the long run." It was a joke. Sort of. He couldn't quite keep a touch of bitterness from creeping into his tone, and as soon as it was out of his mouth he frowned. "Man, that was gloomy, sorry. I can usually come up with something better than that."

[rekindle.livejournal.com]

Cagalli couldn't help but exhale loudly in a slight huff at his statement. That really wasn't the best thing to say at the moment.

"I really hope you can. If not, it's going to a rough ride here."

[gunslinging.livejournal.com]

"Rough rides I can do. Tact, on the other hand? My eternal nemesis." He shrugged.

"...sorry if I offended you. X is always saying we should get someone to program a subroutine to keep me from opening my mouth until I've taken at least five seconds to think about what's coming out of it."

[rekindle.livejournal.com]

"The thinking thing sounds like a good idea," she said. After a moment of her own to think, she adds an afterthought. "No offense taken. We're all in the same boat after all."

[gunslinging.livejournal.com]

"I dunno, it was kind of nice to know that as long as I kept running my mouth off, I was pretty much immune to getting promoted to anywhere I'd have to actually deal with bureaucracy." It was almost relieving to realize that he was still capable of jokes that actually qualified as such. Even so -- past tense. Past tense. That kind of grated on him. It was kind of nice, and now it wasn't because it wasn't even an issue.

Man, screw that.

"But on the other hand, pissing off people I'm going to end up flying with on day one would be pretty dumb. So I'll work on that." And there he was running his mouth again. "...uh, just let me know if I do piss you off. Or if you're getting sick of listening to me now."

[rekindle.livejournal.com]

You talk a lot, you know that, right?" Cagalli stared at him as she spoke, a look on her face. It was either annoyed or studious, hard to tell at the moment. "And trust me, I'll let you know, too."

[gunslinging.livejournal.com]

"Of course I know. Nobody ever lets me forget it."

[rekindle.livejournal.com]

"I won't stop that tradition, then. It seems like a good one," she replied, a half smile on her face now. "You have a name?"

[gunslinging.livejournal.com]

"Good." He grinned. "Somebody's gotta pick up the slack if the usual suspects aren't around to do it for me." Which sucked. Which sucked a lot. But bad jokes and an upbeat attitude had always been Axl's best coping mechanism, and even if he'd been slipping earlier, at least this conversation was helping him get them firmly back in place.

"I'm Axl, nice to meet you."

[rekindle.livejournal.com]

"I'm used to responsibility, I think I can handle this," Cagalli said. Getting up, she walked over to him and held out her hand for a handshake.

"Representative Cagalli Yula Athha of the Orb Union. I know it doesn't mean much here, but I don't want to fall out of the practice."

[gunslinging.livejournal.com]

He met the handshake. "Politics, huh? You're a braver soul than me."

[rekindle.livejournal.com]

"It's a little more complicated than that," she said, smiling a little. "Though, that does sum it up."