trans_9 | Get up, get back on your feet [OPEN]

The Bleed looked a lot the same whether you were looking at it upside down or right side up. Good to know.

Steve was sitting on one of the chairs in the obs deck... slouching, really, a typical teenage slouch, his head tilted off to the side and his hair hanging in his face as he stared out the window. He was fighting off the end of one of his dizzy spells, the ones that always hit about an hour after his weekly treatments in medbay. He looked a little more pale than usual, and a close inspection would notice the greenish veins trailing up his left arm towards his tattoo, but the spell was finally passing and he'd be back on his feet in a little bit.

He already knew from past experience that there was little point in trying to exert himself until it was over... otherwise they might find him unconscious in the middle of the mess hall again. That had stirred up a few conspiracies about what was really in the food, and was really more trouble than it was worth. He didn't want to freak out Kaylee, either, particularly when she'd been so nice in helping get him situated in the Engineering department.

Yes... for once, Steve didn't have a whole lot to be cynical about.

Hell, it might even be safe to make some small talk with him.

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Well, if Steve insisted. Zouichi thought he looked a little old for his voice to still be cracking.

"Yeah, it kind of did. Have you ever been on one of those? The ship gives us maybe five sentences about the whole deal, then it turns out the government we're supposed to be negotiating with runs everything on slave labor. And of course they wanted our help crushing the local rebellion before handing over the medical technology we were supposed to be getting."

"Long story short, there were two group kidnappings, a whole bunch of arguing about taking sides, and a clone army we had to fight our way through before we could get back. And this other guy lost his hand."

He shook his head. "Everyone came back alive, though. I guess that's something."

"Oh."

Steve twiddled his thumbs nervously, glancing up at the ceiling. "I've never really been on an official mission. I don't get picked for them very often." Likely because he was, until recently, a tremendous liability... and even now that that had been remedied somewhat, he still wasn't good for much.

He mentally reminded himself that he was fixing that too.

"Sorry that happened, then. It must have been hard."

"You want to trade places?" It wasn't a serious question; the ship decided whether you were going to go or not, after all.

Then he shrugged. "It's not like it was anyone's fault."

"So what do you do to fill the time here?"

"I think there's probably a reason why I don't get picked and you do," Steve muttered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I just find ways to keep myself busy. I hang out with my girlfriend, or go to the sensoriums..." or medical! "I've been in engineering a lot lately but that's... pretty much it."

Zouichi shrugged. "Maybe. But Howard and Anwei get sent on a bunch of them, too, and they're an apprentice medic and an accountant, respectively."

"There are some good people in Engineering; my roommate works there." He wondered if it would be too rude to who Steve's girlfriend was. He knew a few crew members around that age, but he didn't think any of them were dating. Hmm. "Are you planning on going to Starfire's prom?"

"Oh. Well... I'm just a kid." With a mutant virus ripping through his system, but a kid nonetheless.

The way his eyes lit up at the mention of prom might have been just a bit noticeable, despite how he tried to act casual about it. "Oh, well... I was thinking about it. I mean, prom's supposed to be a big deal for people my age, you know? So I'll probably just go to say I went." And not at all because he was thrilled by the idea. Nope.

"If Miku wants to go, I mean."

Wow. Well, that was a sudden change in attitude. Zouichi went on as if he didn't notice. "Yeah, I can see that. It's something to do, anyway."

"Miku? Is that your girlfriend? Why wouldn't she?"

Thanks, Zouichi. You're a bro.

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend. I think she might like to go, but they don't have such thing as prom in Japan, where she's from... and she can be kind of shy sometimes."

>Japanese
>Shy

omg what was that like?

"Well, they don't really have prom, but they do have school events. And dances." He thought for a moment. "You're already going out, so odds are she'd want to go already. But if you're worried about making her feel embarrassed, why not treat it like any other date? If you just ask her casually, it'll give her less opportunity to think about it too hard."

Hopefully with no teasing included. Which he'd really sort of appreciate people going a little lighter on.

Poor Miku was shy even for a Japanese girl. From what Steve knew about Japanese girls anyway.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," he said. Thinking about going to prom got him in such a good mood he didn't even mind talking about his relationship with his girlfriend with a relative stranger. Write the date down.

"I'm sure she'll go if I ask her. It'll mean she gets a dress, and she does like cute clothes..."

You have a long, hard road ahead of you, Steve.

Zouichi nodded. "I heard Reinforce got some extra help lately, too. I'm sure between her and the unicorn, they'll be able to come up with something she likes."

Then he leaned back slightly, glancing back out at the Bleed. "So what is Miku like? I don't think I've ever talked to her."

"She's really sweet and nice," he sighed, unable to conceal the affection in his voice. "She wouldn't hurt a fly, and she has a big heart for being such a short girl. And she's really cute... and she cooks better than anyone else I've ever met."

Yeah. He's pretty far gone on her.

Wow, that was pretty far gone. "And you met her here? Talk about luck."

He smiled a little. "With a description like that, she should be easy to pick out of a crowd. If I meet her, should I pass along your compliments?"

"I know, right?" Miku was just about the only good thing about this place. Well, along with Claire, and being alive again.

Steve turned somewhere around the same shade as his hair at the question. "Oh, uh... well, if you feel like it. She's not hard to spot. She's tiny and Japanese. And usually wearing pink."

Hey, there were other good things! Like not being eaten by Reavers. And not being stranded on Galilee. And... uh. At any rate, it looked like Miku wasn't the only one who was a little shy. "Got it. I'll keep a look out for her at the prom."

Zouichi straightened, dusting himself off. It looked like Steve was more or less all right, which meant he should be getting back to patrol. "Anyway, I should be going. It was nice meeting you. Oh, and if you need any flowers for a corsage or anything, please let me know."

He was pretty sure Eva or Alastirra would be willing to donate some plants for a worthy cause.

Steve gave him a kind of sideways smile. "That's nice of you. Thanks. And, uh... nice to meet you too."

Get up, get back on your feet [OPEN]

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