Characters involved are: Melaine (RED), Rico (ORANGE),
Logged by Rico

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Stier> Sky Above Nortune
Stier> Nortune's skies are dank and dark. It almost seems like an eternal night in the skies above the large industrial city, for the smoke and the steam generated from its multiple steam engines and coal power plants obscure your vision. You may land outside <Nortune>, or you can fly higher into the <high atmosphere>.
Stier> Contents:
Stier> Shevat the floating city


The engines strain, and almost rattle a little as the massive hulk of the Stier boosts its way into the lower atmosphere. Stil keeping well away from the floating city for now, Rico does not push his luck at Shevat's defences, and remains fairly low over the north gate of the city. Just...well, just out for a drive for now. He takes a look back at his passenger, seated behind him, and over his head, where the ample cockpit makes for a little less then a comfortable seat, but bearable. "You all right?"
in awe enough of the floating city, Shevat, Melaine stares in wonder at just about everything viewable from the cockpit. "Holy! Jeeze, what -is- that thing?" She asks, pointing to the city. Then, her eyes torn away to the rather pleasing sight of the clouds, she points at those instead. "Whoah! I never knew how beautiful it looks from up here.." Is she alright, of course she's alright! Melaine's jsut having a ball! "Alright? Yeah! This is awesome!" She says, finding the less-than-comfortable seating arrangements quite pleasing enough for her.
Rico smiles, then, at least she weathers it better then most people who'd never been in a flying gear. Which he had guessed Melaine had not. "Yeah, it's a pretty sight. You get used to it, though." Perhaps, after a while of staring, and flying up here just for the sake of it. He peers up at the city above them, just a little wary. "That's Shevat. It's been there since the Solaveh treaty. I guess Shevat and Kislev need an ally, both. I've been there, once. It's an impressive place.". Impressive enough to utterly gobsmack him? Why, yes.
takes another look at the city of Shevat. "It looks beautiful...though I bet there's nowhere to run to..." And of course, a thief -always- needs a good escape route. " "Well..I imagine you're uysed to it..so, please excuse me, I've never been in a flying gear, or even -any- gear at all.." she says jokingly, flashing him a grin. "So, when do we start the lesson, teach?"
Rico takes another look back at his passenger, ensuring she's sitting comfortably. Good. "Now.". On cue, the Stier roars into life, and begins to plummet toward the ground. Well, at this rate, it probably has about 20 seconds before it hits the vividly green Kislev countryside. Rico chuckles, a low rumble that is barely audible. "The first thing you need to get used to...", he says with a grin, "Is G-forces. Falling Climbing, and...".
Melaine has connected.
Melaine squeals as the ground begins to quite callously hurtl itself towards them. " "Eek! That is -not- good!" She says as that vividly green countryside threatens to squash her tiny body into quite a mess. Trying to catch her breath, Melaine turns, wide-eyed, to Rico, "Was that -really- neccesary?"
As it reaches the ground, the Stier swoops up, and an opressive amount of G-force beats down on the occupants, and Stier takes to the sky again. As it slows its descent, Rico shakes his head a little. "Nope, probably wasn't at all necessary. Just wanted to see how you handle it.". A quick grin, and glance backwards. "Don't worry. I've had grown men squeal loder then that.". Aha! So, this brash little girl wasn't unshakable, after all. Good to know, Rico thinks, as they clear the clouds again, to their former position.
PLacing a hand over her heaving chest..or, in her case..perhaps they'd be better to be called paws? Nah..hands.. ANyway, with a hand on her heaving chest, Melaine tries to catch her breath. "Well... I'm glad I take it better than 'some grown men'.." She says, forcing a small grin out. "Whew...gee, and here I was hoping to learn the controls first, rather than be squashed any smaller than I am by g-force.." Oh well. She's not really all -that- unhappy wit it. It was exctingly fun, in a way.
Rico grins again, and sits back in his seat to allow Melaine to see what he is doing. "Well, your basics operations are quite simple....". His hands disappear into solid metal tubes in the dashboard, and his feet do likewise below. "You just move your hands and feet the way you want the gear to. Some special hand gestures control stuff like thrusters, weapons, and whatever, depending on what kind of gear you're using. Extending my two index fingers and pointing down..."...the Stier takes a downward lurch..."...decreases the thrust, and upwards the opposite. "Other gestures do other things. Like, doing a 'trigger-pulling' motion does this...". A few second later, two great shoulder-mounted cylinders whirr into life, rotating slowly, until they burst into a deafening roar, and tracer fire streams out in front of Rico to a point a few hundred feet in front of them. "I don't use that much. Tends to make it less fair. Those are the basics, anyway".
What do you want to whisper?
Melaine leans over his shouler, leaning on two hands placed on the seat. "Mm-hmm..I see..." she says, as the explanation for the thrust comes to her. Then, she raises an eyebrow as he explains the motion for activating his shoulder-mounted guns, 4exxpecting just a few pops and bangs.. As the roar of the guns washes over her, she cringes, her large feline-ears falling squat against her head. "Ack! Fooh..that's a loud gun..." it might've been worse for her though, considering her sensitive ears. She pats each side of her head lightly, 'banging out the cobwebs', as they say. "Alright...this is alot simpler than I thought it was...seems easier than even driving a land-rover.." she says, concentrating on watching the tubes his hands have dissapeared into..as if she could see anything through them. Feh, silly girl.
Rico would tend to disagree. But, she will learn. "Well, it's not, really. Your balance has to be perfect, and the gestures have to be pulled off perfectly, every time. That stunt I pulled back there? If I'd leaned the wronf way, or done the gesture wrong, we'd be pancakes." . It is so easy to forget just how maortal you are in one of these things, he thinks. That's the first mistake of a lot of amateurish pilots. "Just thought I'd take you up to see the sights, look at the basics. Later, you can do some simple walking, get the hang of that. That's one of the hard parts, but once you have it down, you're just fine.". Stier begins to slowly descend. as if gliding on invisible sails. As the gun barrels spin down and stop, there is a complete silence, and Rico stares thoughtfully out at the sky. He never got tired of this wiew. It was perhaps not the most efficient way of descending, but hey, they had time.
Melaine has disconnected.
Melaine looks out from the cockpit. "Well..they really are some terrific sights..." She says, staring o0ut of the cockpit. She does take one little peek at Rico though, the handsome guy. ^^ HOwever, it is only one, tiny peek, and one he'd be unlikely to notice. Then she turns right back towards the window, looking at the sky around them. " "Well.,..whatever else you've got, walking, running, flying, combat...I'll try to learn whatever it is, as best I can.." See? She can be a good little girls oemtimes too!
Rico nods. "Good. Once you keep at it, it should work out okay.". He continues to stare out at the sky, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. "Y'know, I never get tired of this view...". And, that is as conversational as Rico gets in these instances. He's all business now. In a gear, you can't really afford not to be.
Melaine grins. "Yeah, I can imagine..." Melaine leans over, leaning on the side of the seat again, shifting her eyes between the tubes hiding his hands and feet, and the view outside. Her ears twitch occasionally, sometimes followed by a quick motion of her tail. "It's a geat feeling...being off the ground for once.."
"Yeah, I guess.". Don't make Rico be anything more than terse at the moment. Perhaps when the ground is reached, which will happen quite soon. Rico remains perfeclty still, as is required to make the gear not spin out of control. His eyes remain on the outside, not needing to know anything more then the orientation, the ground below being nothing more then open grassland. Nothing important to accidentally land on, as far as he knew, as the ground gently drifted into view through the gentle mist, barely clearing from the morning, and gently drifted closer and closer to ground.
Melaine has connected.
"Yeah, I guess.". Don't make Rico be anything more than terse at the moment. Perhaps when the ground is reached, which will happen quite soon. Rico remains perfeclty still, as is required to make the gear not spin out of control. His eyes remain on the outside, not needing to know anything more then the orientation, the ground below being nothing more then open grassland. Nothing important to accidentally land on, as far as he knew, as the ground gently drifted into view through the gentle mist, barely clearing from the morning, and gently drifted closer and closer to ground.
Melaine remains quiet. She really doesn't have anything else to say..he's quiet, and she sense he needs to concentrate anyway. So, no more words from her. Melaine is quite content in enjoying the scenery anyway.
Clomp. The gear touches down, and there is the barest of shudders, as the pilot adjusts the orientation of the legs, to level out the cockpit on the uneven soil. There is a hiss of escaping steam, and the legs squat down, leaving the cockpit at a level where jumping to the ground would not be suicidal. The cockpit then cracks open, and swings out, leaving the sweet morning air seeping in, the cockpit temperature decreasing to suit the outside. The control tubes around Rico's hands and feet split in two, and he removes himself from the gear's controls, standing up. "Hm. Can't really stretch in here. Hang on a sec.". He steps out onto the hand of the gear, which is now conveniently placed in front of the cockpit, and stretches out his legs, stomping his feet a bit to get the circulation going again. Yes, even with modifications, the gear was a little cramped.
Melaine smiles, taking a good breath of the morning air. "Mmmmm...well, -that- was fun!" She exclaims, watching Rico stretch out. She wouldn't mind a good stretch herself, though it's much easier for her to deal with a small space than him, being thinner, and a good two feet shorter. o.o Still,s he'll let him have the hand of the gear all to himself for now. Always remember your manners, Melaine!
Rico takes a deep breath, the cold morning mist leaving a trail of clouds from his mouth as he exhales, and swings his arms at his sides. He turns, and looks back into the cockpit. "Sorry. It just gets a little cramped in there.". He looks down at the large cockpit area, checking everything was in roder, then looks back at Melaine, still less then cramped behind the seat. "Hm...", he thinks, considering what to do next. He wasn't sure what effect it would have, and what way she'd take it. Hmmm. Realising he is staring, he blinks, and snaps out of it. oh well. Here goes nothing. "Okay. Now you try. For walking, just keep your hands in tight fists, and don't move 'em. Just walking. I'll be right here.". He nods down the the cockpit, and wraps a strap sticking out the side of his cockpit around his shoulder, should there be any sudden jolting. And boy, there will be.
Rico takes a deep breath, the cold morning mist leaving a trail of clouds from his mouth as he exhales, and swings his arms at his sides. He turns, and looks back into the cockpit. "Sorry. It just gets a little cramped in there.". He looks down at the large cockpit area, checking everything was in roder, then looks back at Melaine, still less then cramped behind the seat. "Hm...", he thinks, considering what to do next. He wasn't sure what effect it would have, and what way she'd take it. Hmmm. Realising he is staring, he blinks, and snaps out of it. oh well. Here goes nothing. "Okay. Now you try. For walking, just keep your hands in tight fists, and don't move 'em. Just walking. I'll be right here.". He nods down the the cockpit, and wraps a strap sticking out the side of his cockpit around his shoulder, should there be any sudden jolting. And boy, there will be.
Melaine blinks. "Erm..me? Walking? By..-myself-?" she asks, staring at him wide-eyed. He must be joking. "Wouldn't it be better if you came back in here? I know it'd be cramped with the two of us..but.. this -is- my first time in a gear." She explains, "I think it'd be safer all around if you were here to ensure I didn't mess things up? I could..sit on your lap, or something?"
Rico thinks about that, and to be quite honest, the thought had not occurred to him, believing it to be too much of an impostition to suggest it. "Hm, well, if you don't mind, I guess that would probably work out better.", he thinks out loud. "Yeah, Sure, if it makes you feel better.". With a practiced movement, he vaults back into the cockpit, sitting well back in the seat, and placing his hands inthe control tubes. "Here, put your feet in those clamps, and just make as if you were walking normally, except raise your feet a bit more.". He pushes back in the seat, and clears his feet from the clamps, waiting.
Melaine has connected.
Rico thinks about that, and to be quite honest, the thought had not occurred to him, believing it to be too much of an impostition to suggest it. "Hm, well, if you don't mind, I guess that would probably work out better.", he thinks out loud. "Yeah, Sure, if it makes you feel better.". With a practiced movement, he vaults back into the cockpit, sitting well back in the seat, and placing his hands inthe control tubes. "Here, put your feet in those clamps, and just make as if you were walking normally, except raise your feet a bit more.". He pushes back in the seat, and clears his feet from the clamps, waiting.
Melaine smiles. Now that she thinks about this, this might be just a little bit of a bonus for her too! She clambers over the seat, and nestles her bottom nicely into his lap. "Alright, here, and...here..." Shesays, each 'here' coming as she slides first her hands, then her feet, into the control tubes. "Okay. Now, I move my feet in walking motions, and I just keep my hands in fists?" She asks, making sure she's heard the right thing.
Rico flicks a switch over his head, and the cockpit slams shut again. The enitre gear whirrs into life, and the legs straighten, remaining still for now, swaying gently. "Yeah, that it. Now. You're in control of the gear. Just take it real slow. Take a small step at first, and see how it relates to the gear itself. The trick is knowing how much the gear moves in relation to how you move yourself. Lacking anywhere to put his hands without feeling terribly embarrased about it, Rico rests his hands behind his head, and peers out of the cockpit over Melaine's head, being able to quite easily see over it. it wasn't so bad, and se was lght as a feather, anyway. Just...watch where you put your hands, Rico. "Now, take a small, step...".
Melaine nods. "Alright, one, small, step..." She says slowly, taking a deep breath in. Here we go, Melaine, you can do this... She lifts her foot just a little off the floor of the cockpit, and starts as the Gear moves as she does. Not that it was just that much of a surprise, but..she made that happen! She lifts her foot a little more, and sets it down again, taking the actions of a step. Outside, the Gear follows her motions. "Whoo! I did it! i took my first steps!" She says happily, turning her head to beam proudly at Rico.
% You have new mail in /home/associat/d/doc/.mailspool
Rico smiles, a pleased smile on one side of hs face, making it almost a wry grin. "Yeah, you're almost there.". Not -too- bad, for a very first try in an outsized gear. "just one small thing. Try moving the foot -forward- next time. Just try it again, and push forward before setting down...". It's often a little sticking point. Lifting the foot and setting it down again before the gear topples is just fine. moving it forward enough that it moves, but not too much that it becomes unstable, is the next step. Rico finds two handrests either side of his knees, and rests his hands there, a little more relaxed, now.
Melaine grins abashedly. "Erm..right...sorry.." She says, stuttring a little. A small blush comes, and then fades from her cheeks as she sets to it again. Alright, you can do this... She lifts her foot, and the Stier's foot similarly raises. Then, she sets her foot forward, the length of an average step. The Gear follows suit, and takes a small step forward. She did it! A rather nice, if short step. The gear doesn't topple, no villages are crushed underneath, the planets don't collide, and the entire solar system doesn't come to a horrible, fiery end. The only casualties, are perhaps a few small insecets squashed under the heavy metal foot of Stier. "Alright! One small step for me, one, slightly larger step for Stier!" She quips. not that' she's ever heard the quote of course, being in the wrong universe, but still...this comes from her own imagination!
Rico chuckles, pleased at this progress. "Yeah, that's it. You're doing fine.". Considering all the factors, she was doing exceptionally well. "Now, here's the hardest part. Lift the other foot, lean forward with your hands a little, and step in front of this foot. After that, you'll just be repeating this with each foot in turn.". All business now, he moves his feet clear of the clamps a little more, and takes note of the position of the Stier's feet.
What a night! Getting to sit on Rico's lap, -and- learning to pilot a gear! Whoo! Beaming with pride, Melaine does as she's told. She leans forward with her hands, as she lifts her other foot, and the Stier takes another step forward. Deciding to go on with this little victory of hers, Melaine orders with hands and feet for the Gear to take a few more steps. She does well too! All until the last step, when she leans just a bit to much, and the gear wavers slightly. Luckily, she catches hers, and subsequently, the gears balance in the same motion. :Whoah! Alright...I got it..all squared up now..." She says through heavy breaths. Well, that scared her a bit. o.o
Rico smiles at the little ball of tenseness in his lap, as she oversteps his expectations once again. "Woah...", he grunts, as the gear teeters forward slightly, and smiles in satisfaction as Melaine rights it, and the gear returns to readiness. "Wow. You're sure getting the hang of this. Wanna try something else? It's a little trickier, but I can always take over if you start losing it...". Cajoling usually works with his new recruits, who would usually use a dual-cockpit training gear. Not everyone got the special lap treatment. "You ready?".
Melaine has connected.
Rico smiles at the little ball of tenseness in his lap, as she oversteps his expectations once again. "Woah...", he grunts, as the gear teeters forward slightly, and smiles in satisfaction as Melaine rights it, and the gear returns to readiness. "Wow. You're sure getting the hang of this. Wanna try something else? It's a little trickier, but I can always take over if you start losing it...". Cajoling usually works with his new recruits, who would usually use a dual-cockpit training gear. Not everyone got the special lap treatment. "You ready?".
Melaine nods, wriggling a little with excitement in his lap. "You bet! C'mon, just set me against some rogue gear, or Renkar! I can take 'em both on! At once!" She says, laughing. "Let's do this!" She turns to smile ahppily at her instructor. She'd be a lot more nervous if he had decided to sty out on Stier's hand, but as long as he's right there, and able to take over at any second, she's pretty confident/
Now it's a wriggling ball on his lap. He tries to take no notice, and guides her elbows in toward each other. "Try to keep your elbows behind your wrists. Now, next thing we do, is hover, and move. This is better then running on rough ground, so it;s useful. It's also easier to do than running.". He points over her shoulder at a tree in the distance. "See that tree? When I say 'go', point both index fingers directly at the tree. Try to keep them level, and pointed straight ahead, converging at a point well in front of you. Then lean forward or back to move. Take it slowly.". He rest his hand on her shoulders, steadying them straight behind her elbows and wrists. "Ready? Go.".
Melaine takes another good breath in. "Alright, that tree? I can do it." Following orders, she extends both fuzzy fingers, and points them to the tree. She leans forward, just slightly, and Stier begins to move at a snails pace towards the tree. Getting more comfortable with this motion, she leans forward more, and more, until the gear cruises along nicely. She watches out the window as the countryside floats by, until she reaches the tree. She stops a bit late though, and Stier's left knee ends up caught in the ends of its branches. Well, that wasnt -too- bad...
"Heh.", Rico chuckles, as Stier gets a little entangled. "Not bad. Not bad at all. Make sure your feet are in a good position to land before you stop pointing.". Stier drops gracefully to the ground, with a dull thunk, and stays a bit lopsided, one foot still entangled. "Next lesson. If your gear gets caught in something, chances are the something isn't as strong. You can try getting out of it if you like, or through it.". He replaces his hands on the handrests, and rests his head back agains the headrest, trusting Melaine's judegement on the matter. Around, or through. Door A, Door B. You choose.
Melaine nods. "Okay..well, the easy thing to do would be to go through, but I'll learn more about it's handling if I go around..so..!
So, wiht her index fingers still pointed, Melaine leans backward, and the Gear hovers backwards slowly, until it clears itself by at least twenty yards of the tree. Then, she points her fingers slightly left of the tree, and leans forward, and okeeps moving her fingers, to steer a half-circle around the tree, ending up nicely on the other side. "There we go!"
Stier grinds into motion, and only a minor amount of damage is done to the tree, as stier goes around, leaving only open plains in front of it now. "Good choice. Not only was it unnecessary, you could've scratched my paintwork.". He grins at that. "Lemme show ya some running, then we'll see how you do. This place looks pretty flat.". He opens the control tubes on her hands, and nudges her feet. "Stay where you are if you like, just watch what I do, and see how it's done.".
Melaine nods, and slides her hands out from the tubes, leaving them fee for his larger ones. "Alright, all yours." She says, and leans back against him, andslide down a bit, making sure he can see clear over her head..not that he'd have much trouble in the first place, but...she might as well make sure. "How'm I doing, for a beginner?" She asks of Rico, finally coming down from her high and mighty seat of confidence, and realizing she may have been goofing up.
Rico looks down at her face, upside-down below his. "You did good. Seriously. Better then some of the guys we get as recruits in the army.". He places his hands and feet precisely in the controls, and Stier begins to power up, becoming just a little louder then before. "Here we go...", Rico murmurs, as Stier leans forward, then with a mighty whirr, the legs and arms move into a precise harmonic motion, and Stier is running headlong across a massive plain, Rico straining at the controls precisely, as the cockpit jolts around a bit, and settles into simple harmonic motion. The cockpit moves horizontally, though, the ground beneath it moving past at dizzying speed as the entire gear rushes at an invisible foe.
Melaine holds herself tightly against Rico. It's one thing to move quickly in the air, but, down here on the ground..there's a lot more scenery to let you know exactly how fast you're moving. Clinging tightly to the larger man, she stares out the windows, helpd in fascination by the quick zooming of the plainspast them. "Wow....It's..fast.."
The running continues, the speed not decreasing as they quickly begin to run out of plain. Rico nonchalantly checks a dial on the dashboard, and grunts. As suddenly as it had started running, the Stier then lifts off from the surface of the field, its momentum giving it a shallow, lazy arc as it ascends into the air. "Gotta be headin' back. More drills in half an hour.". Within a few seconds, they are above cloud level once more, heading toward the floating city, and the non-floating one beneath. "We'll do some running next time, I guess. Time flew...". Hm, it had. Rico was surprised, even at this. Guess it -was- pretty fun.
Melaine has disconnected.
Melaine has connected.
The running continues, the speed not decreasing as they quickly begin to run out of plain. Rico nonchalantly checks a dial on the dashboard, and grunts. As suddenly as it had started running, the Stier then lifts off from the surface of the field, its momentum giving it a shallow, lazy arc as it ascends into the air. "Gotta be headin' back. More drills in half an hour.". Within a few seconds, they are above cloud level once more, heading toward the floating city, and the non-floating one beneath. "We'll do some running next time, I guess. Time flew...". Hm, it had. Rico was surprised, even at this. Guess it -was- pretty fun.
Melaine let's out a sigh, her chest rising as she breaths in, then quickl dropping as she let's it loose. "Arrgh... Over -already-?" Shrugging, she leans herself comfortably against Rico's lager body. "Oh well..I guess I got myself a comfy ride home!" She grins, quite comfortably watching the countryside whiz by the cockpit. Sitting on the lap of a handsome guy, in a fairly nice gear.... This has been a worthwhile day.
Rico continues toward the city, noticing Melaine's closenes, and trying to concentrate on flying. Of all the distractions to flying he's ever had to deal with, this wins hands down. As they near Shevat, the gear breaks the clouds, and descends toward the gear battling paddocks, coming in for a smooth landing, and the short walk to a landing bay. As they draw to a halt, the cockpit springs open, and Rico's hands and feet are released from the clamps. He leans back, and stretches his arms a bit, over his head. "That'll do, then. Don't worry about fuel or anything, you were only using it for a while.". He shifts himself to be more comfortable in the chair, and waits for Melaine to let him out of the cockpit.
Hmm...comfy seat...versus getting out of the gear...hmm. Now this is a problem.. She's quite content wth her seating arrangements now. Still, don't want the guy to get upset. So, reluctantly, Melaine steps out of the cockpit, leaving him free to get out himself. She takes thi oppurtunity for a quick stretch, and scratch of the sides.. Ahhh, that feels better. "That was a very good lesson, teach!" She says to Rico, grinning. Seems this girl always grins, doesn't it?
Rico stand up in the cockpit, his head sticking out of the cockpit to where Melaine is standing. "Thanks. Well, I guess we can do it again sometime.". A cursory wink, and the hand begins to slowly descend toward the ground, as Rico cranes his head out. "See you 'round.".
Flag set.
Stier> Sky Above Nortune
Stier> Nortune's skies are dank and dark. It almost seems like an eternal night in the skies above the large industrial city, for the smoke and the steam generated from its multiple steam engines and coal power plants obscure your vision. You may land outside <Nortune>, or you can fly higher into the <high atmosphere>.
Stier> Contents:
Stier> Shevat the floating city
Stier> You touch down by Nortune's North Gate.
Stier> Nortune, North Gate
Stier> This is the beginning of the long stretch of road which winds its way around the center of Kislev's Capital of Nortune. The faintest cries of machinary echo throughout the area, the smell of oil and smoke is faint but noticeable. The whole town seems to have such a cloud, such an aura, hanging above it, thick and ringing of all the consequences of technology. The town lies to the <south>, but to the <north> stands the northern exit of this town to the greenary that lies about it, and off a side path on the north is the <ferry>.
Stier> Contents:
Stier> Daphens (Gear)
Stier> Melaine (OOC) Oh yeah..heh. Ground..forgot all about that. ^^
Stier> Rico (OOC) says, "Right. 'exit' will let you leave. ^^."
Stier> Melaine has disconnected.
Melaine has disconnected.