[DP2, EE, officer lounge, expecting] The burden of command

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna wanders into the officers lounge almost without thinking. Managing Princess and her own lance is one thing, but getting ready to drop as acting commander of a company?

"Mes dieux and merde don't cover it," she mutters to herself as she heads toward the bar. "Technically everything is in order and I'm off duty... Aside from being Blair's mom," she jokes - and then sighs at how true and complicated that is.

[Richard Winter]

Richard sought similar comfort in the bar, it didn't look like Captain Alyiu would be suddenly released from the med bay. Not only did he now have to command a lance, but the scout company was now his domain.

He went to the bar, sat down and was about to light a cigarette when he noticed Gianna. "First Lieutenant Rains, good evening," he greeted with a casual salute. "Um,..." he thought about what to say, "Would you like one?" he held the pack of cigarettes in her direction.

[Gianna Rains]

She nods respectfully. "Good evening, Lieutenant Winter. At least in here I think you can call me Gianna. And no, thank you," she says, briefly raising a hand. "I stopped after... Um. I haven't smoked in a while," she quickly sidesteps, and steps behind the unattended bar. She starts to throw together equal parts of the perhaps unlikely -seeming combination of peach schnapps, jagermeister and cranberry juice - some of them only guaranteed to be there by a small diversion from her monthly pay. As she mixes, she asks brightly, eyebrows raised, "Whatcha drinking, lieutenant?"

[Richard Winter]

He shrugged when she declined and lit the cigarette andd watched what she was mixing, "Pretty bold combo you're brewing, Gianna." He said with curiosity, "Did you gain experience behind the counter in an early job? But to come back to the question, usually beer or whiskey,... but if it's the age for new things anyway, I'd try your mix."

[Gianna Rains]

"Night before a drop, you want something strong and safe. An old master sergeant taught me that."

Her own drink made, she pauses, grabs a bottle of respectable whiskey, and pours a double for Richard. Setting the two drinks on the counter between them, she looks at him and suggests, "Let's land everyone safely, then we'll talk about bold. What shall we drink to?"

[Richard Winter]

He pondered before suggesting, "Here's to making good decisions, having as few losses as possible, and getting most of them out in one piece." Admittedly, this was a bit grim, but it expressed roughly what Richard was afraid of: failing as a commander and losing his lance or the lances under him in command.

[Gianna Rains]

He pondered before suggesting, "Here's to making good decisions, having as few losses as possible, and getting most of them out in one piece." Admittedly, this was a bit grim, but it expressed roughly what Richard was afraid of: failing as a commander and losing his lance or the lances under him in command.

Without a hesitation, Gianna raises her glass. "Cheers." After he clinks his glass against hers, she takes a drink that's between a sip and half of the glass.

"That's about what I was thinking. 'First and foremost, don't screw anything up,'" she says in a voice that suggests she's quoting someone. "Your company is mostly all professionals though, right? They'll be fine out there," Gianna says, looking like she maybe isn't so sure about her own company.

[Richard Winter]

...

"One lucky hit will kill any professional" he replied flippantly "But there are some with experience in the Scout Company, good and bad" he thought of the pitiful remnants of the Starlight Knights and how quickly a mercenary company could be history. "Are you concerned about the troopers?" he asked empathically

[Gianna Rains]

"We've got a couple green ones, but I figure they'll be alright. It's, uh... Getting new people integrated is tough, regardless of experience." Gianna looks seriously at her glass, then lets it stay on the bar for now.

"This invasion seems pretty straightforward. For a big contract, it doesn't seem so complicated that new people will have much trouble learning their roles as we go." She looks at Richard, clearly wondering if he agrees or if she's wishful thinking.

[Richard Winter]

"Pretty much, as long as there are no nasty surprises." he took a sip of his whiskey and a drag of his cigarette. " Breaking up a bunch of bandits is pretty straightforward, too, until they finish you off by using unusual tactics."

He let out a sigh, "The thing is, you've got some new guys on the force and that can cause problems, but luckily for you, you've got as much information as you can get if my company does everything right. We scout ahead, then we run from the big mechs and then the Crusader squad rides in on the wings of the Obsidian Angels and stomps them." he said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than Gianna

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna smirks, putting both hands on the bar.

"Wings of the Angels or no, Crusader Command is always ready for you to hide behind us," she says, sounding much more confident now. "Did a bit of that on Kelenfold, actually - My lance and Yori's rescuing some folks from our then-Scout Company." She's practically beaming at the memory. She picks up her glass and takes just a sip. "But you and Mei won't need so much help," she says encouragingly, still grinning.

[Richard Winter]

"We will see how it goes. Mei's lance is all about hitting on you and then running as fast as you can, while my lance is focused on sparking as much fire and heat as possible,..." He took another small sip and looked deep into Gianna's eyes. "But if I ever find myself in a predicament, I'm always ready to hide behind the Crusader's well-armored legs." He held his gaze for a moment before laughing. "Sorry" he said and chuckled some more, "The opportunity was too good".

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna gives him an Oh brother look, but she grins in amusement too.

"Hm. Seems like you worked pretty hard on that one," she says dryly, though there is a little smile at his effort. "Crusader Command does have... strong legs... But we're also in it for the long haul. 'Shoot and scoot' isn't what we do," Gianna says, arching an eyebrow. Within the double meanings is a serious message she's going to make sure he gets.

[Richard Winter]

A mischievous smile settled on his lips and he kept eye contact "I wasn't necessarily thinking about to shoot and scoot, more about scouting the situation first, analyzing my opponent's strengths and weaknesses, coming up with a strategy and then, slowly but surely, conquering my target."
He waved his glass in his hand. "Afer all It's long-term goals that keep you alive in this business." he he said with a mixture of seriousness and playfulness.

[Gianna Rains]

Gianna grins at the metaphor/flirting.

"Is it long term goals that keep us alive," she asks, voice very skeptical but playing along. "Should be good life insurance for you, then. After all, certain conquering would require a very, very long-term plan to have a chance of success." She smirks at him, finishes her glass in one gulp, and then starts for the door.

"Almost time for my next meeting," she says, sounding slightly regretful. "Guess we'll have to talk strategy another time," she says over her shoulder.

[Richard Winter]

"Well, without long-term goals, you're just drifting along with the universe, and that's not for me," he replied confidently.

"You are busy one, aren't you? I look forward to our next strategy meeting" he said with a smile to her as she left

[Gianna Rains]

She waves a hand to show she heard him but offers no commitment as she heads out the door.

/exit

[GM Yuusha]

Steffen stepped in a moment later, glancing back to Gianna before the door closed. He lifts a hand to greet Richard as he walks past him and over to the bar.

What was that about?

He ducks down to find some bottles.

[Richard Winter]

Richard's head hit the counter.

"Damn, I think I fucked that up". he mumbled

[GM Yuusha]

"Need a salvage crew or can you restart?" Steffen calls out, popping back up behind the counter. He sets the two bottles down. His body then turns so he can get some things from the shelves.