co_pilot | (no subject)

The next leg of their tour is the European section - there aren't as many cities that were directly affected by the kaiju here, though the people seem no less effusive in their enthusiasm. Mako is at an equal disadvantage when it comes to the talk shows - her languages are better, perhaps, than Raleigh's, but she doesn't possess complete fluency in this particular part of the world.

The interviews are fairly easy to get through, though they always manage to end up fielding some question about the two of them.

("Mr. Becket, Ms. Mori, can you talk to me about the status of your relationship?")

Too many shared glances, too many moments alone; people don't want to talk about the losses of the past. They want gossip, sensational news. It's enough to make her want to scream, or tear her hair out in frustration.

She settles for the next best thing - the exercise room of the hotel they're staying in is empty at night, and there's enough space for her to wind through the movements that calm her.

She doesn't need to watch her form in the mirrors around the room; she merely closes her eyes, focuses on her breathing - and lets the stress slip away.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Maybe more than slightly."

There are flashes in her memory, brief flickers of awareness - but she hadn't completely realized what had happened until the brightness of daylight had blinded her - and she'd waited for him to surface, for any sign of life.

"It seems you gave me no choice in the matter."

"I wasn't about to lose another partner. Especially you."

"And if I had lost you?"

There's a sudden spark in her voice, a brief spike of emotion.

"I..."

Definitely don't have an appropriate response.

"You and Tendo would've thrown me the best of memorials."

She smacks his arm, gently, and then steals the bottle from him, discreetly sipping.

"I mean it! You would've read some sort of poetry about my biceps and everyone would miss me."

She scoffs quietly around a swig from the bottle, thumbing the edge of her mouth.

"It would be a short poem. A haiku."

"Brevity is the soul of wit, said...somebody I don't remember."

"Are you drunk, Mr. Becket?"

"Possibly." Enunciated awkwardly.

"Feels nice to be drunk on something I didn't have to beat a guy up for. Working on the Wall wasn't fun."

"If it wasn't fun - what was it like?"

"...A hustle. Jobs were fought for hours after the last guy that had them fell off the Wall or burned himself or anything. Always only half-full.

"Some of the things were fun. Building was something to work on, 'specially..."

Especially after the last ride with his brother.

"And Stacker pulled you out," she murmurs quietly.

(In truth, it'd been her who had told him where to likely find Raleigh; she'd had the impression he wouldn't stay too far from where the Jaeger had fallen.)

"He had a point."

("Where would you rather die?")

"And now...I'm here."

"And now you're here."

She passes the bottle back to him, quietly, her arm draped over his shoulder.

"Is it what you expected it to feel like?"

"No. Well. Yes. Maybe. I expected whatever happened to be very loud, very fast, then very quiet."

And in an empty Shatterdome is about as quiet as it gets.

"Wasn't expecting you though," Raleigh says, looking up at Mako's face above him.

There's a peace in this. And she's relaxed around him, in a way she hasn't been (or hasn't allowed herself to be) in a long time.

She smiles warmly, hiding her face against her arm.

"You surprised me too."

"[Better or worse?]" Raleigh asks in Japanese, old jokes resurfacing.

She leans in, resting her forehead against his, her eyes slowly slipping shut.

Almost too loudly for how close together they are: "I'm going to go with 'better'."

She scrunches up her nose and then leans back, one hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

"You are drunk."

"At least I'm a funny drunk."

More like a chatty one, Yancy always said, but he's not here right now, so.

"And I can still walk straight." Says the man sitting down.

"Ah."

She nods knowingly, though her head lolls a little to one side when she rests her elbow on her knee, cheek nudging her palm.

"We'll test that theory."

"Just don't let me fall over on you."

Raleigh instead leans back against Mako behind him.

"You know I'm going to follow you. Wherever you decide to go from here."

"Tahoe?"

She slowly draws one arm around him, her head nestling close to his when she hunches forward.

"I want to see the mountains."

(no subject)

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:02 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 20:10 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:11 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 20:13 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:16 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 20:19 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:23 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 20:28 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:29 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 20:30 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:34 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 20:37 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:38 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 20:39 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:45 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 20:48 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 20:53 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 21:00 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 21:01 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 21:05 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 21:11 (UTC) - Expand

co_pilot - 2013-07-16 21:19 (UTC) - Expand

dontchaserabbits - 2013-07-16 21:29 (UTC) - Expand