For the storm is coming [open for BKs]

[Yekaterina Tsurugi]

It was quiet in the lobby, quiet in the lounges. The break room was empty, so were the leisure quarters. But it was more than the Secretary General could hope for the moment - as it was, she couldn't have wished for better.

No one was loitering around. No lazy asses hanging around to be kicked back to where they were supposed to be. Since the base, the core of the Black Knights operations underneath the idle living quarters was bustling. The Secretary General was just ending her check-up for the morning duties. Everything was in order, even more likely so as the oh-so-awaited Royal Wedding was getting close. The woman gave out a deep laughter. The Black Knights were doing their best. The opportunity was too good to be just let to pass by.

Ahh, and what it meant to her? Soon, she'd attend a practice flight of the technical division, but first, some more paperwork was waiting at her quarters. Unusual enough, Yekaterina wasn't too grumpy about it. Even more so, she was actually humming walking down the corridor. Actually humming out loud. The tune wasn't too happy, though, some old Russian song, Polyushka Pole. Nonetheless, she was in a better mood than in a while.

Humming. Such didn't happen often.

[Touya Sakamoto]

The way things were moving when it came to actual work did please Touya, and although he expected such work from his men on a regular basis, he knew that not everyone was as zealous about their duties as he was, and as such took his victories where he could. It had been a short amount of time since his promotion, and he was now getting used to his duties and truly coming into his own. While he would never allow himself to show weakness, he had to admit that upon first receiving the promotion he was not as sure of himself as he could have been. Due to his own reservations about violent and chaotic action designed to target the weak and defenseless, he was not sure that he would be able to effectively serve Zero as his Chief of Staff. However, as he did the work and became absorbed in the tactics and strategy of the battlefield, he found it to be somewhat comforting to be dealing with near-abstractions. He'd become so used to the life of an infantry warrior that the bloodshed had seemed constant, and it calmed him to step away from the heat of the battle. Not only did he fear the loss of innocent life, but he also feared that he might become like the ones he despised so completely. If there was one victory he would never allow Britannia to claim, it was claiming his soul as their own.

And so, after spending near constant hours working toward the upcoming event, he took a step away from the work to allow himself a small window of repose. Each and every time he thought of the upcoming battle, he could not help but think of his mother. In his mind's eye, he saw the vision of a small Britannian child, quivering in fear as a battle raged around him, unable to aid and yet completely helpless when it came to his eventual fate. He saw the boy eventually run for his life, run from everything he'd known and loved. Did he have family in the battle? Friends? There was no way to tell, but judging from the horrified look on his face, chances were the answers to such questions would bring no peace to the mind of the watcher. This brought a question to Touya's mind, and he suddenly wondered how many there were who had had a past like him. Although many of the Black Knights liked to believe Britannians were privileged monsters who had never known hardship, logic suggested that they were people just like the Japanese, or any other race. Perhaps many of the warriors fighting for Britannia were fighting for the same reason as Touya, and would rather not be fighting at all. Could it be possible that the royalty was the true source of evil within the Britannian machine, and the military itself was a mere puppet?

He shook his head. Such thinking simplified things far too much. He had seen the brutality of Britannian soldiers far too many times, and although some might be closer to his own mindset in the way they thought, he was sure that there was at least a significant proportion of the military that was really as cold and heartless as his peers believed. His thoughts then turned to those peers themselves, and the thought struck him that perhaps there were more like him within the very ranks of the Black Knights. Surely, others were in his position: wanting to break the status quo, yet regretting that only drastic action can make true change. While his loyalty was to Zero for giving him a home and taking him in after he'd lost his mother, he had to admit that he would rather not be fighting at all in this particular situation. He wanted revenge, that much is true, but at the same time these same Britannian soldiers he was killing were not the ones who had murdered his mother. Nor were the civilians who got caught up in the killing. The weight of many lives rested on his shoulders, he had to admit that much, and he wished very much that there was another way. But this simply was not the case.

As he rounded a corner on his way to the lounge, he spotted another figure approaching him. He was about to inquire as to why they were not at work like the others when he noticed exactly who it was. Yekaterina Tsurugi, his direct superior, was walking down the corridor looking uncharacteristically cheerful. He supposed this was due to the efficiency of the day, and on that he was in complete agreement with her. He did not like this woman or dislike her; it was neither here nor there. He followed Zero, and while she was his superior, her word and opinion paled in comparison with the man himself. In spite of his ability to read people, Yekaterina remained something of an enigma to him, although she seemed rather simple to understand at first. He felt there was something underneath her confident and authoritative mask, and in truth he had little interest in revealing this something. In turn, he cared little for what she thought of him. He did his job, and he did it well. He was the hand of Zero, a direct conveyance of all the charisma and confidence Zero exuded, and while he did not necessarily completely agree with actions that must be taken in any war, due to his own mask, nobody around him would know better.

He did not want to initiate conversation with her. In fact, speaking to such a person at this particular moment seemed to him one of the least appealing prospects of all, but he had a responsibility to check in and confirm information with his superior, and as such he nodded his head to her slightly, slowing his pace to a halt as she neared.

”Are preparations for the wedding going well?”

[Shinichi Hayasei]

“Hai saa, ima sugu ukemi no renshuu wo hajimete kudasai!”[/i]^₍₁₎

As his voice gave the order, the room began to fill with the sound of men and women young and old alike synchronically rolling from the ground and up into a stance. Since he’d been doing what he was told to, things so far had been moderately pleasant for Shinichi since his enlistment into the Black Knights. Presently, he was teaching several of those in his division some basic techniques in jujutsu; he felt it was important that, when they were in a disadvantageous situation, they would know how to easily turn that around. As he observed his “student,” occasionally correcting their rolls by demonstration or simply complimenting them, the man could not help but think back to his own teacher, Matsumoto-sensei. Shinichi was grateful of the man’s teachings, and he knew very well he couldn’t at all compare to him—in the way of learning the art, he realized that there was no middle ground whatsoever; there was only the hierarchy of the strong, wise teacher and the weak, inexperienced student. This was further strengthened by his current—he’d been promoted to Captain of the 3rd division, and was quite pleasantly surprised by this news. At first, he didn’t think he deserved such a rank—after all, he was only doing what he’d been told to, and he knew quite well there were others much more suited for the tasks that Captain of a division were responsible for—but at the very least he would be a little more away from direct confrontation, and it didn’t seem like anyone disliked him for having moved so quickly through the ranks. Plus, he was now able to teach what he knew willingly without negative consequences—certainly not like his elementary and middle school teaching days where he constantly fidgeted under the stony gaze of the school faculty.

A grim note of disapproval escaped him as he both corrected a lower-ranking member’s stance and his thoughts returned to the events that led to his wrongful arrest. After all those years, Shinichi still felt a little bit frustrated that he’d allowed that to happen to him, but decided there was at least a good side to see to it. Had he not experienced his jail and confinement all those years ago, he probably wouldn’t be here, still teaching in a sense, to make sure the same event wouldn’t happen to anyone else. Still, he worried a bit; what if, like his teaching days, there were those of higher rank than him that would hate him enough to frame him for another false accusation? Would he then face not jail, but death? A moment later, he shook his head and then happily complimented the woman on having quickly picked up on his teachings before observing the next “pupil.” No, the people here couldn’t possibly be so childish as to do something like that. So to speak, they were all part of a well-respected “rebel” organization. If there was any hatred between ranks it would certainly cause discord and then they would no sooner break than a man bending a toothpick with two fingers. As he swiftly yet gently demonstrated why one of the soldier’s techniques of break-falling wouldn’t work, he inwardly shuddered at the previous thought—he should hope that the Black Knights would not come to that result when he was one of the few people in charge of Zero’s handful of soldiers.

“Yes, that’s quite enough now,” said the Captain of the 3rd Division—he really was going to have to get used to that—as he flashed a proud grin at his men. Yes, he really wasn’t like Matsumoto-sensei, but he was well-accustomed to that feeling of having passed down meaningful knowledge to someone else. “Please keep these techniques in mind when you find yourself without firearm or weapon or what-have-you.” Not that he immediately presumed that his men would find themselves in that position immediately—Shinichi trusted well that the men in 3rd Division weren’t placed there for poor skill. “Excellent job so far! Please seek Takatomi-san for any questions or demonstrations. Ita you ni zokkoushite kudasai.”^₍₂₎ He offered a curt bow to his “students”, who instead saluted in return, before taking his leave from the room. Shinichi felt he didn’t have to explain where he was going off to. Whether they would make the presumption that he had other matters to attend to or think he was shirking his duties, the so-called Captain didn’t think too much of it; to him, witness proof was much more credible than pure speculation itself.

Besides, there wasn’t anything wrong with taking a walk now, was there? From what he could see as he exited the training facility and began to weave through the halls of the base, everyone seemed to be doing something—it was quite the pleasing sight to see. No doubt that others of his rank and higher would also agree with him on that. Still, he had to wonder what it was exactly that everyone was working on. Shinichi was aware that there was some huge plan bound to happen in the very near future concerning the Royal Britannian wedding, but that was it. His jolly expression then became thoughtful as he made his way to the lounge—he’d have to make it a point to ask someone to brief him on that; hopefully there was someone there who would be able to. He hadn’t been his rank for too long, and before that he’d only been but a lowly foot soldier…

”Are preparations for the wedding going well?”

At the voice, Shinichi withdrew from his light reverie and spotted two people ahead—to be specific, two people who were both his superiors. Tsurugi Yekaterina and Sakamoto Touya. He hadn’t actually met with either face to face—only the occasional side-glance when they issued orders—so he had yet to really make an opinion on them apart from the fact that they were no short of excellent in what they did… and, had the latter just inquired about the wedding? His face relaxed; good—there was no need to go around on a wild goose chase to find someone. Not that he didn’t mind doing that, anyhow. Mayowanai…^₍₃₎[/sup]

”Everything seems to be going pleasantly well today, so I would presume any plans we have today would progress quite well,” Shinichi politely chipped into the conversation as he neared the duo from behind Touya, ”be it for present situations or otherwise.”

---
_{(1)”Now, please begin practicing your break-falls immediately!”
(2) “Please continue as you were.”
(3) Don’t hesitate}

[Yekaterina Tsurugi]

”Are preparations for the wedding going well?”

The Secretary General's head snapped right towards the voice, and immediately she ceased humming. Why, wasn't it the Chief of Staff himself, now. Looking like he actually wasn't there to chat - which was good in a way, at least he couldn't be called a loitering one, either. Although it wasn't something she would have become dispirited about, even if he had caught her humming. Instead, a smile crawled on the corner of her mouth.
"Why, thank you for asking, Sakamoto-san, they are. Although it might be my place to ask this from you." She smiled, a bit impish. Her tone of voice remained cheerful - to mock him, wasn't her intention at all. Although it might have been understood otherwise, if one didn't know the difference.
Strange thing, the cheerfulness. Sure, she was generally good humored, even with her surface of strict authority, and hardly did her behaviour go without a bit of a twist. Impish - always. But cheerful? Noo, didn't really happen too often.

"I might assume you could tell me the same, дорогой сэр(1), hmm?" She continued, deep purple eyes locked at the man.
"You, if anyone, should after all be held responsible for it." She nodded slightly, as if in silent acceptance of something. Truly, the man here hadn't been a foul choice for his post. Far from it. He fulfilled his share of duties to the letter, and had proved himself on both the battlefield and in the office so that even Yekaterina had lately began to almost acknowledge him as someone worthy in her heart also, not in just words anymore. Yet, just almost.

His work was excellent as it was, but if only he would realize that he could do even better. Switching his way of thinking 'safe' to think 'the most efficient'. Yet, he kept balancing somewhere there between, even leaning more to the safe than the other. It was something that did irk her, she who rather fulfilled her deeds to the most effective, yet not always the least fatal way.
Still, her nod hadn't been without a meaning. And the next thing for her to say, even more so when considering the difference of opinion between the two, was an actual compliment.
"So please, do continue this good work of yours, and we shall have us a glorious reception."

”Everything seems to be going pleasantly well today, so I would presume any plans we have today would progress quite well,” a voice then cut in, ”be it for present situations or otherwise.” The purple eyes finally left the Chief of Staff, shifting at the other figure who had joined their presence instead. She didn't immediately recognize him - actually, she didn't recognize him at all first. Imprudent - wait, she slowly started to connect the dots. His face, now that he came closer, was somewhat familiar, yet she couldn't figure out a name for it. For his sake she hoped he'd better have a status to join the conversation so lightly, polite or not.

Ahh now, wasn't this becoming a meeting already - in a corridor, ha.
"Why, how very observant of you." Her voice wasn't exactly harsh, but the look in her eyes had shifted. The smile, on the other hand, kept it's presence under the gaze now definitely sharper.
"Might as well tell me, of whom do I have the honor to receive this report from, офицер(2)?"

***
(1) dear sir
(2) officer

[Touya Sakamoto]

The Secretary General’s response was something along the lines that Touya had expected. He was generally very good at reading people, especially in regards to their opinions on him, and as such he was aware of the many quirks and eccentricities of the way in which this woman always spoke. It had taken him a bit to get used to her constant use of a foreign language, but he did not discriminate in such a way, and as such he hardly even took it into consideration anymore. One could generally make out the meaning based on the tone in which the phrase was said, along with the context surrounding the phrase. Whether it was an exclamation, a title of sorts, or merely a small addition to the already independent meaning of her statement, such was not very difficult. What was difficult was determining exactly to what level she trusted Touya, and to what level she thought him soft. He was very careful about appearances, as has been stated multiple times. He wanted to make sure that none of the other leaders believed him to be anything but a perfect candidate for his position. A tad cautious at times, perhaps, but never timid or afraid to act. He kept this façade up constantly; even while alone he found himself acting as he wanted others to see him. Much as some professional actors claim to live their role, in a way, Touya was living the role of the completely logical and calculating Chief of Staff. And if he were to occasionally try to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, what of it? He was, after all, human.

Because of his skill in conveying the appearance he so wished others to see, he did not believe Yekaterina thought him soft. Of that he was somewhat sure, especially considering she seemed at least more fond of him than of a few other members of the Black Knights. However, he could not precisely place where in her mind he fell. Surely, he was not as trusted as some of the longer standing members such as Sakura. Such a trust would not come unless nurtured over years. Yet at the same time, he felt as if his presence were welcome, if only because of the way in which he performed his duties; that is to say, without flaw. He would have to settle for a somewhat generalized picture of this woman’s opinions, as he doubted very much he would get any deeper into her thought process. Because of these musings, he therefore felt somewhat comfortable in his response as he received an almost joking response from the Secretary General.

”Why, thank you for asking, Sakamoto-san, they are. Although it might be my place to ask this from you.”

The faint trace of a smile flittered across Touya’s features at this response, as it was so very typical of the brash and fiery personality that was in front of him. He continued listening as she turned the question around on him, essentially asking him how his preparations were going. In conversations such as this, there was always the matter of control to take into account. Although they were allies, and although he might even say she trusted him even the faintest bit, even amongst the closest of allies there is always a slight power struggle. Whether it be overt, such as in the case of a rivalry, or covert, as it was in this case. She had turned his words back on him, and placed herself firmly above him in regards to the rank hierarchy by commenting on how he owed her an explanation, and not vice versa. Touya was always one to dutifully follow orders, but he was not necessarily a man who would allow others to get the jump on him in situations such as this.

”Indeed, I suppose it is my duty to inform our uninformed Secretary General of the situation. My apologies, I’d half expected to hear something from you that I hadn’t knowledge of, ma’am.” The faint smile remained on his lips throughout this statement, making it evident that such a response was not insubordination, but rather his own rather deadpan brand of humor. This was about as amused as the Chief of Staff got when it came to his fellow Black Knights, and his joking was often at the expense of others. It was rare for him to pick on one of his fellow soldiers, per se, but rather he often got into such discussions with those around him. They questioned him in a joking manner, and he would respond by making light of their ability and knowledge. That was the way things worked, and he’d remained quite popular with the forces simply because of his down-to-earth way of dealing with such proddings. If anyone in leadership could be called an “everyman”, it was most definitely Touya. Although he stayed aloof and somewhat disinterested in the comings and goings of others, he had a fire within him that truly shone through whenever the troops needed a morale boost. He had all the confidence in his words that a public speaker ought to have, and all the quick-thinking and knowledge that one needs to win over a crowd. It was no wonder that he had risen through the ranks, although it had taken him longer than he might have thought. Closing his eyes and opening his mouth, the matter-of-fact expression never leaving his face, Touya began to speak once more on the subject.

”I suppose I could debrief you as I would a subordinate, if you’d like.”

Just as he was about to start an explanation about what exactly the attack would entail, a voice chipped in to the conversation beside him. ”Everything seems to be going pleasantly well today, so I would presume any plans we have today would progress quite well, be it for present situations or otherwise.” He turned his head to the source of the voice, and found that the Third Division Captain, Shinichi Hayasei, had joined in the conversation as well. Although he hadn’t personally conversed with this man as of yet on anything important, he knew that he worked well with his division and was definitely an asset to the Black Knights. Watching as the Secretary General’s reaction to the young man was one of a slightly more hostile nature than her reaction to Touya, he couldn’t say he hadn’t expected as much from the woman. It was in her nature, from what it seemed.

”Might as well tell me, of whom do I have the honor to receive this report from?”

Touya stuck his hands in his pockets, seeing no reason to leave it to the young man to introduce himself to the woman, but rather seeking to get through pleasantries as quickly as possible. ”This is our new Third Division Captain. Would you like me to give a description of his duties, as well?”

[Zane Burnlight]

Zane's mood was foul to say the least. Doing paperwork had always been one of his most loathed activities, and yet he found himself doing it more and more of late. His current project, a report on the First Squad's state of readiness, was almost done, though so there was a ray of hope that he would actually be able to do something useful today.

What that something might turn out to be, he had no clue. He had already taken his Knightmare for its first test run, and subsequently named her Miranda, his machine gun was as clean as the day it was made, and Zane himself was still rather sore from his workout the previous day. All in all, he had very little to do. He was surprised when, toward the end of the report, he came across inspiration.

The last page of the document contained a tally for all of First Squad's equipment. Everything from Band Aids to Knightmare Frames was present on the list. At the very end were the firearms. Zane saw the count for their pistols and immediately thought of the day that blonde son of a bitch infiltrated the island. He still hadn't forgiven himself for failing the commander as he had.

"Guess I'll go work on my shooting some more, then," he declared to the printer as it hummed and spat out page after page of his report. For its part, the printer kept on going, determined to do its job and nothing more.

Several minutes later, Zane was making his way through the halls, report held safely in a folder under his arm. The first copy had gone to his captain's mail box. The second was destined for Chief of Staff Sakamoto. Zane turned the corner and approached Sakamoto's office. The door was closed and, of course, the mailbox that Zane had hoped to drop the report in was on the other side. With a sigh, equal parts resignation and annoyance, Zane rapped on the door. When no answer can, he ran a hand through his hair. Of course,[/I] he thought as he stalked away from the empty office. "Why would anyone stay where they need to be when playing Hide and Seek is so much more fun?!" he said sarcastically under his breath while lighting a cigarette. He wasn't supposed to smoke inside, but his breaking that rule usually brought higher-ups running. Maybe he would get very unlucky and have to deal with Sakamoto face to face.

Sakamoto was the kind of "soldier" that Zane despised most of all: a paper pusher. The man seemed content to simply sit back at base and file reports while others went out and got the real work done. The way Zane saw it, a true soldier had to go out and get his boots dirty.

He knew he had found his quarry when he heard the man's voice. It was accompanied with two others, one male and the other female. Zane took a final drag on his cigarette and snuffed it out on the sole of his boot before slipping it into his pocket. He came around the corner and found Sakamoto accompanied by the Third Squad's captain and the Secretary General. I gotta get out of here, he thought, nervous at having two of the major big wigs in arm's reach. Counter to his instincts, Zane approached and gave a salute before presenting the folder to Sakamoto. "Here is the report on First Squad you requested, sir. That last shipment from those smugglers really helped us out, as you'll no doubt see at the end," he said, eager to vacate the area as quickly as possible.