[Pre game D2: LE Hangar:open] Hanging around

[Alex Kovac]

The knight kisses Princess hand. "As you wish my lady." Alex goes down the ladder. The Penguin looked at Gianna and smiled. "Lady Blair says that she will be all right." Alex turns to look up the mech. "She is just worried that it will be too different from what she trained." The warrior explained. "But I know she will be fine like you also know. You chose this for her... um... I am sorry I sounded kind of rough... It is not watch meant...I mean..." Alex said idiot in Russian to self deprecation. "I... I mean it is something you decided that was for the best of your lance."

[Gianna Rains]

While Princess takes deep breaths in the mech, out of sight from the ground, her older sister looks at Alex critically.

"I," Gianna starts, then stops. More quietly she says, "You know the specs on a Locust. It wouldn't fit with the rest of the lance. We couldn't..." Even quieter, she continues, "If we needed to rescue her, we couldn't, and the armor... One lucky shot..." She trails off and looks in Alex's eyes. There's an anxiety that looks very much like Blair's.

"I have to worry about the whole lance - about the whole company now - so I couldn't... At least in a Wyvern I can worry about Blair a little less," she says, confiding in Alex what no one else will hear her say out loud.

[Alex Kovac]

"I do... I believe you made a good choice. It is better to have an eased mind than be worry about what ifs." Alex nodded. "Lady Blair may appear weak but deep down she is a strong woman. She just like the attention and I enable her." Alex chuckled. "I think she is a bit intimidated by you. So I hope you don't mind if I take her to the Sims to practice a bit."

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna smiles, pleased and relieved.

"I appreciate that, Alex. Very much. But if you keep calling her Lady Blair... Look, Lights Out thinks you're cute, but any attitude from Blair and Lights Out is gonna be looking to put a three inch boot heel in your butt," Gianna says, joking although her eyes suggest it's based on true events.

[Alex Kovac]

"Don't worry... I will keep that between us." Alex winked at Gianna. "I don't want her to feel jealous of Lady Blair and I. I'll keep my distance." The warrior smiled. "Do you think we can build good relationship with The locals?" Alex wonder if even when they would be firing and making a mess around they could establish some semblance of friendship.

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna's eyes narrow a little. "Lady Blair and you," she mutters, then lets go of that for now. May have to watch him closer than I thought.

"We'll keep the locals as safe as we can. As little collateral damage as possible and... Well, at least hopefully our marketing and PR people can make this all seem like a very gentle invasion," she says with a smile. "Most folks don't have time to worry about who the planetary governor reports to, so long as they aren't worried about their lives getting endangered or complicated. They may be happy to have us as long as we don't stomp on the wrong shoe store or whatever."

[Alex Kovac]

Alex laughed at that glare. "You shouldn't worry." Alex knows no matter what people will worry about the overly friendly mech pilot.

"I guess that is true. Would be nice to walk out with out any weird glares." The pilot chuckled wondering if Princess still distressed or had calmed. "So you think Lights will kick my was if I worry about a friend?"

[Gianna Rains]

"I think there's a few reasons Lights might kick your ass, Alex," Gianna says honestly. She glances up toward the mech cockpit, perhaps having had the same internal curiosity as he had.

Glancing back to Alex, she adds, "But Lights also thinks you're cute. She... Well, I shouldn't say. Let's just say she doesn't want to kick your ass. But if you're a bad influence on," her eyes flicker upward again, "on Blair, that would do it. So don't stroke Blair's ego too much or..." GIanna giggles. "Well, you'll have to do some making up with Lights Out afterward is all I'm saying."

[Alex Kovac]

Alex blushed lightly and looked a bit abashed. The Penguin grew quiet for a moment might have been awkward. "Umm... oh... um... okay...."

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna smiles and pats Alex's shoulder gently twice. "Ok, and that's why we don't worry about you being a bad influence, and also why all the girls think you're cute."

"Gianna!" Princess hollers, then starts down the long ladder. "Are you being mean to Alex?" She's too far away to really see or hear them on the ground, but she knows her big sister well enough.

Gianna rolls her eyes, then looks mischievously at Alex. "Actually, I was reminding him that all the girls think he's cute and he could have his choice," she calls upward, winking at Alex as she does so. "Your competition might be fierce."

"My comp--Gianna!" Princess yells in embarrassment as she drops the last few feet to the deck, landing more cat-like than they may have expected. "Don't tell him... I mean... Ooooooh!" She grumbles in archetypal little sister frustration. "If I want to spend time with Alex then nobody gets to tell me no!" She says petulantly. And a little awkwardly, as he's standing right there.

[Alex Kovac]

"I... I am?"Alex was somewhat baffled. "I... I..." The Penguin was beet red. "I... I am flattered."

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna and Princess look at Alex and realize he's stuck in a befuddled state. Turning heads toward each other, their eyes flash.

"You broke Alex!" both Rains girls shout. As Gianna raises a hand to her head in frustration, Princess hops over beside him and takes one of his hands in both of hers.

"You're ok, right sweetie?" she coos, squeezing his hand gently.

[Alex Kovac]

Alex blinked a few times clearing the head of what just happened. "I am fine la... Princess." The Penguin smiled. "It is information that I will always keep in mind." The young warrior nodded. "Did you find the name for your Mech?" Alex turned to Gianna and nodded. "She was wondering what name she could use for it. Want to help her out, Gianna?" Alex asked politely

[Gianna Rains]

Princess, true to her word, smiles at the way Alex says it. She squeezes his hand again, then lets it go a little regretfully. She looks at him a little sheepishly. "I, um... I had an idea, but Gianna's gonna say it's stupid," she says nervously, looking sideways at her sister.

"You..." Gianna starts, voice frustrated, then stupid and just shakes her head. "Blair," she says patiently, trying to be nice. "If you have a feeling, you should go with it."

Princess doesn't look convinced, and turns pleading eyes on Alex. What do I do?

[Alex Kovac]

Alex glared at Gianna as she may have forgotten what they talked about a few minutes ago, then nodded. "Always follow your gut... Don't worry... Lady Gianna won't be saying what she thinks. Right?" Alex looked at Gianna again. "Right?"

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna's eyes narrow at Alex, sensing something amiss, but letting it go for now. "Right, right," she says, a little grudgingly, but she warms up. "I'm sure it'll be perfect, B."

Hesitantly, Princess says, "Ok... Well, she kinda... She actually made me feel pretty safe. Like Nanna. So I thought..." She turns hopeful eyes on Gianna, using sisterly telepathy to hint at what she means without saying it.

Gianna looks a little puzzled, but tries to help. "Like Nanna... Ok... Like you'd call her Nanna? Or Maggie?" She doesn't sound judgey, just confused.

[Alex Kovac]

Alex pursed the lips and nodded. "Maggie sounds like a good name." The pilot looked at the Wyvern and nodded. "Good name indeed."

[Gianna Rains]

"I agree, B," Gianna says warmly. "Naming it for someone, based on... feelings..." She gets quiet and looks down for a moment. "That's, uh... That's how I named mine," she says, then leaves it at that.

Princess beams at the approval from her two favorite people in the universe. "Ohhh, good!" She smiles wide. "It just... She really gave me that kind of feeling! I mean... When I really stopped and listened to her." Noticing Gianna closing her eyes for a deep breath, Princess winks at Alex and mouths Thank you.

[Alex Kovac]

Alex nodded and smiled. "I am just glad that you feel confortable." The Penguin looked at Gianna. "You see nothing to worry about. No worries... If we are together in the field I will always be there to help."

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna has gotten stuck in her thoughts, only half realizing that Alex is talking to her.

"Oh, uh. Yes. Thank you, Alex," she says, sounding absent-minded. "I, um... I think I'm going to call it a night," she says, looking at the ground and nodding. "I'll, uh... See you both tomorrow," the blue haired girl says and then starts to depart without even getting a response from the others.

Her departure is awkward, but once she's a short distance away, Princess says softly, "Ok. That was weird. Right?" She asks, turning to Alex. She doesn't really wait for an answer, though, seeming excited at her mech's new name.

"I'm, uh... I'm going to go spend a little more time with Maggie," she says, nervous but clearly pleased. "You, um..." Her pretty face creases as she realizes she has no idea what the protocol is here. Quietly, eyes downcast as she speaks, Princess asks, "Is it... weird to invite someone to your cockpit?" Her manner is entirely innocent; she's clearly very concerned about violating some mechwarrior taboo she doesn't know.