Announcement Box

[Seraph]

Terra had been trying to find Anubis all day, but the jackal had proven elusive; she was convinced, by now, that he knew how all the ductwork connected and was using them to avoid her.

Between the incident the other day between himself and one Class-S burglar, and the increasingly isolationist mindset he'd been in since, she figured something was up, and (awkward as it might be at times) it was her job to make sure their morale stayed off the decks.

She walked into the hangar bay, and sniffed at the sight of the Barkule suited up for flight, a small duffel laying next to the Black Jackal. She cleared her throat loudly, to get the younger man's attention without approaching him, and stopped about six feet clear of him, crossing her arms impatiently.

"Going somewhere?" Her voice was clear even in the noise of the Jackal's preflight. "It'd be nice if you'd let someone know first."

[Lunar]

Danut.

The jackal in question froze. And he'd been doing such a good job of avoiding the wolf, too. The ship quieted, going into 'silent' mood as Kuludand also noticed the woman's presence. Anubis looked up at the mechanical rat, sitting on the edge of the cockpit, and the AI robot appeared to shrug helplessly. Deciding he might as well face the problem head on, or at least make a distraction, Anubis turned to face his boss.

As he turned he straightened up, letting his arms fall to his sides and his ears lower just a tad- but not too much. Never too much. With Terra there was a fine line between just how submissive you could be without losing her respect, and just how assertive you could be without getting a stun shot to the face.

Anubis knew the line well, but it blurred, and by the look in the shewolf's eyes he could tell it was going to be one of those talks. The kind of talk she'd wrestle them into when she thought something was up, and was generally right. But, determined to keep his cool, the Barkule offered her a shrug. "Everyone seemed busy with their own business. It's just a short little trip, I mean. Didn't wanna cause a fuss." A pause, and, as though realizing that wouldn't quite cut it, he added hurriedly, "I left a note. I mean, well, Marcel knew I was going."

Breaking eye contact his eyes shifted to the far wall behind Terra, where a large military standard digital clock was set into the wall. A momentary glance and Anubis was quick to draw his gaze back to the huntress before him.

[Seraph]

Terra frowned as Anubis stammered through his explanation. Her eyes, while not what they used to be at a computer, were still sharp when it came to details of a person, and Anubis was hiding something; not a typical Barkule trait.

Heh. He's learned well, I guess.

"Why so worried about the time? Gonna be late for something?" She paused, and started walking towards the Black Jackal, slow steps carrying her through the spot her own fighter had taken up once.

"Marcel knew, huh? That little so-and-so must have been covering for you then, telling me he didn't know where you were." She chuckled. "Either that or for himself. He's a smart birdie; remind him to earn a raise or something."

She turned around, her demeanor softening slightly. "I don't blame you wanting to get out for a while. Just let me know. I always told you I was leaving." She paused, and looked...guilty? "Even if I did curse at you in the process."

She looked back up to Anubis' eyes, and opened her mouth, when a roar sounded through the hangar that cut her off and forced her attention to the bay door. Through the blue-hued magnetic field, she could see an Arwing, white trimmed with red, hovering at station.

The general comm on the Firestorm beeped, and Terra and Anubis both heard the light voice over their earpieces.

"Hey, um, can Anubis come out and play?"

[Lunar]

Ears darkened to a brownish-orange, a Barkule blush. Offering a sheepish smile Anubis found himself repeating old nervous habits as his hand ran through his thick black mane and his tail twitched. "Well, um, you see..." He took a step back, towards his ship.

"Listen it's been... really tense around here. And I mean I know I haven't helped that, and I know- well, I know I'm supposed to." A few more small steps towards his ship. "I'm the smoother-outer, the fix-it guy, right, I get that. It's just..." He had reached his ship now, the cockpit right above him. A hand grabbed one of the rungs on the boarding ladder. "Well, you know." Looking to the ship behind the magnetic field he smiled and waved with his free hand before turning back to Terra. "I need to get out. You understand that, right? Right."

He had begun climbing the ladder (bag over his shoulder) in full now, still looking at Terra. "Sorry I didn't say anything to you specifically." He was half way in his seat. "We just... kept missing each other, I guess." The cockpit closed and the Black Jackal rolled out onto the launch strip, a safe distance from Bartley. Speaking into his comm. he bid her farewell.

"I'll be back in a few hours, Boss. Go sleep, or something. Whatever you do when I'm not around to hassle you." And with that his ship blasted off and through the magnetic field separating space from controlled atmosphere. He came to a hover alongside the white and red Arwing, anf gave a thumbs up, the tint on his window turned off. Switching to private comm. the jackal spoke to the pilot.

"Told you I'd make it out alright. And you were worried." A cheeky grin accented his playful remark.

[Seraph]

Terra only stood and watched as Anubis made his exit, stammering his way through getting in his fighter and taking off.

Still need to teach him how to make an exit, I think.

She sighed, and shook her head, a smile playing at her lips, as she spoke into the comm, to both Anubis and his 'mysterious' friend.

"Everyone needs time off. Go, kid, have fun, play games, dance, get laid, whatever it is you do to unwind. You've taken care of me, now take care of yourself."

She thought for a second, then said, "Get her a drink on me. 's payday anyway."

Terra switched off her earpiece, and sighed, turning to walk out of the hangar. Something was playing at her emotions, some twinge she wasn't sure she wanted to understand...

Maybe I'll get Briar, and we'll do some shooting...yeah, that'd help...

----------------

Lynn had been on the cusp of a snarky reply to Anubis when Terra's voice had cut in and delivered it's message. Now, she was preoccupied with blushing furiously, and fighting the urge to sink in her seat.

When Terra clicked off, she spoke up at last. "She's...ah...quite ladylike, isn't she?" A nervous giggle, barely audible, then a clearing of the throat.

"So, this date was your idea," Lynn said, all appropriate emphasis on the word that made this night different from just hanging out at the arcade or something. "What's our course?"

[Lunar]

She's something alright..., replied the Barkule to himself before sighing at Lynn's next choice of words. Right, the date. He'd been thinking about it since before the messed up mission even, and it had left him nervous and tense. But now it was happening, and all his ideas had left him swiftly.

He began moving, though, if only to get out of the light of sight of the Firestorm. "Well, we're going to that nice little town around the base." He began turning the ship to do just that. "I heard about a lovely little cafe, you know. " He also decided to make use of the Arwing obstacle courses on the GB base (remembering having gotten one reserved thanks to some old hook ups in the form of Gene and the other mechanics), and knew of a lovely little spot to relax for awhile afterward. If all went well, the night would be beautifully.

At least, well, he hoped.

"We can land in the small public Space Station just off of town, yeah? It's just a short walk from there, real nice route, too." The two ships began entering atmosphere now, headed for the now determined location.

[Seraph]

Lynn smiled to herself as Anubis spoke, following his ship even as she watched his face on her screens. The orange hue to his ears, the awkward grin, the shifting of his eyes...

He was cute, when he was awkward like this; it was one of the things she liked about him. Despite being a big, tough bounty hunter, he still had normal, geeky-boy moments. It was a wonderful change from the big, tough military men she worked with.

"That sounds awesome, except..." Her face contorted as she realized something she hadn't thought of before. "I'm kinda...recognizable. It's hard to mistake the Ivory Comet if you're even halfway a CA fan."

She smiled. "I mean, I'll still go and deal with it; I just...fair warning, I guess. We might get mobbed." Her smile shifted, and her eyes took on a teasing spark. "I mean, I am famous and all."

[Lunar]

"Ditch your Arwing and my ship and we hit the hoverbikes? Come on, we can race all the way there even." He smirked, playing up her competitive nature. With the question hanging in there air Anubis had slowed down, making lazy circles high above the base and the town around it.

As her face stared back at him via the holoscreen he couldn't help but think of how adorable she looked. Not little kid adorable, though. Grown, beautiful woman adorable. Lynn somehow pulled it off, and he guesses that was one of the reasons she had claimed his eyes. She was normal, after all. He worked with Terra and Briar, dealt with people like that crazy thief or that insane fox woman. Even Sekhmet had some mental issues, he imagined.

But not Lynn. Lynn was a hardcore military medic and nurse, and a CA racer to boot- but she was still full fledged woman. The way she blushed, or shied away at times, made him smile.

"Come on, you want to. I can tell. It would give us a chance to test out those hoverbikes we fixed up at your place, anyway, right?" Because little meaningless projects were good for keeping sane.

[Seraph]

Lynn listened to Anubis' idea, and her face lit up at the prospect. "Oooh, I've been dying to test them out, but..." Her smile changed, from a broad excited grin to something a little more...personal. "I mean, I wanted to wait for you. We did work on them together."

The slight awkwardness of the situation made her cheeks flush, and she busied herself with setting in a course. "Alright, so...down to the Hangar it is. And then we race for the city." She grinned, channeling her racing 'persona' a little to get the challenging look she was giving Anubis just right. "Assuming you don't mind having your butt handed to you."

It was all play, of course, but Lynn had a competitive side to her that she couldn't deny and be at ease. Being with Anubis, she tended to let it out more. He didn't seem to mind at all.

"After you, Mr. Brave Mercenary. My ship doesn't have any guns on it, after all." She pulled a face at him, and sent him the course, just in case he'd forgotten it.

[Lunar]

Good thing Anubis never forgot important things.

With a smirk, his own normally repressed competitive nature showing through, the jackal laughed and boosted the Black Jackal up to speed. He surged forward, careful not to go too fast lest the resounding boom of the breaking sound barrier raise alarm, but the speed they set to themselves would get them to their destination in well under 10 minutes.


And, in just about that amount of time, they had reached the Hangar. Automatic doors shifted open and the two crafts landed smoothly, Anubis hopping out first and making his way over to Lynn's ship. Before she had left her cockpit he was up on her wing and offering her his hand, a charming smile on his features.

"Shall we make our way to our grand steeds, good Lynn?" His nature was playful, even charming. But both knew that the moment they hit the hoverbikes it would back down to their roots. She was a CA Racer, he had once been a rather good (and I do mean rather good) Rah-Kartum racer. Racing was in their blood it seemed. Maybe that;s just another thing I like about her.

[Seraph]

"'Grand steeds'?" Lynn eyed Anubis with a grin, even as she accepted his hand up and out of the cockpit. "That's a bit of an overstatement, when you're talking about those..."

She gestured over to the hoverbikes, parked on one side of what had slowly become her personal hangar. The bikes looked like they'd seen better days; if she didn't know better, she'd swear they wouldn't run at all.

Lynn jumped down from the wing of her fighter, and pulled off her flight helmet; blonde hair fluttered down to her shoulders, free of the protective headwear, and she shook her head once to get a few stray strands out of her face.

She started to unzip her flight suit - revealing bare shades of civilian clothes underneath, along with more fur than was her norm - then stopped, flushing. "Oh, yeah, kinda...not alone, huh?" She chuckled nervously, then trotted quickly over to the privacy screen she'd set up recently to change behind. "I'll be just a second!"

[Lunar]

Of course the moment she had begun unzipping the flight suit his ears had started going dark orange and he was quick to turn around, his back to her. Oh dear Sarku... When she stopped he coughed a bit at her comment and walked over to the hoverbikes as she went to get fully dressed. Anubis, not one to actually wear a flight suit (despite the obvious risks), was already in his regular clothing.

The jackal wore dark blue jeans, a nice black dress shirt, and even the dyed gel in his hair had been washed out for regular hair gel. He was casual, but the kind of casual one will attempt to pull off when they're going somewhere important to them personally. Of course, though, he still wore his belt (no weapons but a few gadgets onhand) and his red tinted specs.

As he adjusted said specs Anubis did a final once-over of the hoverbikes. The shells left much to be wished for, but he knew better. They'd upgraded the guts of the bikes through and through, and Anubis was positive they would run a Kartums in their prime. If the tests went well, a new shell and paint jobs were next.
Deciding everything was in order, he turned to the screen Lynn was behind. "Almost done, Lynn? These bikes look ready to race."

[Seraph]

Lynn stepped out from behind the screen a mere moment after walking behind it, running fingers through her hair as she walked over to Anubis.

The outfit wasn't a terrible departure from the norm for her; a comfortable, worn pair of jeans, along with a fairly basic blue t-shirt (the choice of color, she told herself, had nothing to do with Anubis) weren't anything new to her. The addition, though, of bike armor was - a tough leather jacket with padding in the right places, and a set of leg-guards, along with a still-uncomfortable pair of boots - and it made her feel strange.

She flexed her arms and rotated them in the jacket as she walked over to Anubis, and as she looked herself over, she commented, "Y'know, I feel tougher somehow in this stuff. Like a real biker chick."

She nudged Anubis in the ribs, and added, "Not that you match that, of course." She eyed him. "Too exotic. Not that that's a bad thing, of course," she finished with a wink in his direction.

She sighed, and walked to the bike she'd decided was hers, and after placing a small bag in the underseat compartment, swung a leg over it, settling into the worn, tough seat. "Mm. Gotta fix these next." She flipped a couple of switches, and checked the readouts. "Looks gold on this one. No problems."

She glanced at Anubis out of the corner of her eye. "Whatcha waiting for?" A playful grin took her face. "Scared?"

[Lunar]

Anubis raised a brow, then shrugged. Who was he to argue with what she wore? "Well if we're really going that casual give me a moment." he jogged back to his ship, opened the cockpit, and removed his shirt. From his dufflebag he took out his spare shirt (a black t-shirt old worn a couple of times) and his own jacket. It wasn't leather, but made of tough material either way. And it was black, so he figured it was good enough.

Making his way back to the bikes Anubis straightened his jacket, slipped on his leather gloves (normally used for on-field work but whatever), and grabbed the helmet off the seat. "Helmet up and here we go." The helmet clicked on, the visor was down, and the two rolled up to the garage entrance. Anubis revved his engine, pleased with the roar it made, and, in a very Anubis-like way, proclaimed,

"Right. 3-2-1-we're off!" without warning, and blasted out of the hangar.

[Seraph]

Lynn smiled apologetically as Anubis came back. "Sorry. I dressed for riding; normally, I'd have worn something a little...nicer."

Ah, the self-consciousness at last. She put her helmet on quickly to cover the blush; her fur didn't do much to hide it, after all. I really would have, too. Stupid, stupid Lynn...

She cleared her throat as Anubis started his bike, and started her own. The engine droned satisfyingly, and roared when she revved it, sending chills down her spine. This was going to be a fast ride; the adrenaline was already pumping into her system--

And Anubis was gone. Reflexes fired, and she took off after him, finding her balance quickly on the vehicle beneath her. She spoke over the helmet comm, her voice raised slightly over the engine noise. "Hey, that's cheating! You dirty mercenary!"