Joining the fleet (Pregame 2 EE Cafeteria)

[John Slaktare]

"Sixty centimeters. Around seven and a half mens hat size," he says. Because of course someone that pays that much attention to physical conditioning knows all their sizes.

"Only one i can't change the size of."

He shrugs. "Unless you were looking for a reason to measure my head. Lots of folks probably wouldn't mind knowing for making silhouettes for target practice."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Not particularly LOOKING to measure your head and what the fuck why would I want to make targets out of you, we're on the same side."

[John Slaktare]

"Like I said, short temper. Nothing wrong with a bit of stress relief and Imaginary wish fulfillment for folks I've pissed off," he replies.

"Gimme time. You'll eventually want to throw a punch I'm sure."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"That would be an impressive feat, I can't think of the last time I wanted to punch a coworker. More likely you will get angry with me first but I suppose when that happens I will just get hit." She said, not really bothered by the idea.

"I'll probably deserve it, I know I'm not everyone's cup of tea; an acquired taste so to speak. I've been called plenty of things since leaving the CC so it doesn't bother me if someone doesn't like me though it's nice to know if that is the case."

[John Slaktare]

"Well, I don't dislike people. I disagree strongly with things people say. And those disagreements become heated. Some fists start swinging around. And then I eventually feel better about it. Next day I don't won't even remember why. Usually they do," he says with a shrug.

"So it's never the person. Always the topic of conversation."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Well, I don't dislike people. I disagree strongly with things people say. And those disagreements become heated. Some fists start swinging around. And then I eventually feel better about it. Next day I don't won't even remember why. Usually they do," he says with a shrug.

"So it's never the person. Always the topic of conversation."

"OK, well what are some topics to avoid with you then?"

She hoped in that moment that the topic of topics that make him angry didn't make him angry.

[John Slaktare]

"For the most part, my family or calling me dumb. Or any attempt to provoke me intentionally," he says with a shrug.

"I'll almost always react very poorly. But anything can set me off on a bad day. Almost swung on a lieutenant earlier. Flirtation is for personal time. I don't like my work being held up cause someone else is trying to get laid. Not the time or place, and completely unprofessional," he explains.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Your a pretty serious man and you take on a lot of extra work, when is personal time for you?"

She asked in a way that suggested she was willfully misinterpreting the comments about flirtation.

[John Slaktare]

"Food... hygiene..." he seems to have difficulty thinking of any other time he might use for such things.

"Other folks probably have more personal time than me. Mostly by choice I guess."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"That's usually where things like Cards or music or sex come in, you should try some of them." She said playfully. "Video games maybe? Fighting games or shooters seem like they would be right up your alley."

[John Slaktare]

"Sex happens, I can listen to music anywhere, and the closest thing I get to video games is the simulators. But violence is my vice of choice. I've taken part in unofficial bare knuckle boxing on leave days. Lots of fun to be had."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Huh. Well you should try fighting games some time they can be very cathartic and honestly a good way to train you brain. Lot's of thinking on the fly and junk, if you get good at it. I'm garbage at it but some of the guys on my last boat were REALLY into that stuff and swore it made them better mechwarriors tangentially."

[John Slaktare]

"I can spend that same time boxing though. And you learn to think on the fly during that too," he points out. "Why pretend to fight when you can really fight and enjoy it? I guess I prefer doing the real thing over pretending. Imagination ain't a strength of mine."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Because in real life if you rip someone's spine out and feed it to them you generally get in trouble for it." She said with a grin.

[John Slaktare]

"I'm ok with that. I'd gladly spend life in jail if I had a story like that. But it basically sounds like fight porn. And I don't do that either. Like all other imagination based hobbies, that is better in real life too," he says with a shrug.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Your a difficult man to work out you know that? Most people who seem uncomplicated are far from it but you may be the genuine article I think." She said rather mirthfully. "That makes you a very unique person in my book, not that that means much to you."

[John Slaktare]

"Everyone is more complicated than they seem. I just like the analog and physical world. Why pretend to be in a fantasy when you can make it your reality. No matter how much I pretend, the bad shit happens. Don't let the bad shit be the only shit that actually happens. Make the good shit happen too."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"So The Butcher isn't all doom and gloom. You probably don't know it but when they play fights from outside the CC on tv back home they redub everything and they change shit. They invent storylines and everything just like they did with my parents. You were a cold bloodthirsty killing machine, a real villain. Do you remember that match where you vivisected a firefly? Yeah that gal piloting, I can't remember her name but i KNOW she wasn't Capellan, she was a brave and noble hero of the state until that day. Then it came out she was a traitor to the Confederation suddenly and it was karma that she lost and for a moment you were a hero. Until your next fight I think."

[John Slaktare]

"Oh, Theresa Mai-Gao, went by Witch. Yeah, she actually started in the same stable but didn't make a name for herself until she left," he said. He had some stories about her, but they were locked away in his memory.

"She eventually forgave me for embarrassing her there. Shortly before the Confederation stuff sent her life into a spiral. Ended up joining a merc outfit that fights against them just for top cover."

"But the truth is, I was on a rampage for those couple of months. Bad news had me set off and I didn't care who I was hurting."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"I understand you probably don't want to but if you EVER feel like talking about your arena days I would love to hear them, as I would eagerly listen to any advice you had for me about being an arena fighter."