D8:LM:Windyridge Guest House - Breakfast at Windyridge - Expecting

[Richard Winter]

With a quite mild weather that looked like it would get even better Richard came as announced in jeans, t-shirt and hoodie.
The owners of the inn were extremely surprised when two people suddenly stood in front of their establishment and asked for breakfast. It was unclear whether they were grateful or suspicious that someone had come by.

Nonetheless, the two were served and were served an extremely luxurious breakfast in the garden. The light salty breeze coming from the ocean and the single rays of sunlight that gradually broke through the cloud cover underscored the ambience very much.

"It's very nice here," Richard said as he made himself a bun of something.

[GM Yuusha]

The pair must have been dropped off by APC. The owner had been a somewhat young woman who had left the pair in the hands of staff shortly after their arrival.



"Enjoy your breakfast." She had said.

----

There had been a choice of a full fry up or what they called a continental breakfast, which was more a Lyran affair with fresh bread, cheese and meat. A breakfast with rice could be prepared on request.

[Yori Hakamada]

Snip

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Casual Yori looks back as she cuts her bun into 4 equal squares and start distributing cheese and meat to each in order. She appears...almost relaxed, or at least not visibly tense.

"This is very pleasant."
Another ray briefly breaks through and traces over the table and into the garden.

I feel as though we are away from everything."

[Richard Winter]

"This is very pleasant."
I feel as though we are away from everything."

He nodded.

Richard looked at the ocean, then back at Yori. "Did you know that on Hesperus II the humans live more or less on the South or North Pole? As the highest points at about 3km altitude, they are the only places where people can live, because the pressure there is about 1 bar. The further one approaches the equator, the higher the pressure becomes and the denser the jungle, until one arrives at the maximum of 8 bar."

He looked again at the ocean. "What I want to say is: It's the first time I'm this close to the ocean without an exosuite or in a mech,..... it's beautiful" a warm smile came to his lips.

[Yori Hakamada]

Snip

Yori is of course, equally interested in the geographic information imparted, but she nods at Richard's explanation.

"You can feel the warmth reflected off the water whenever the sun is out. That or it's my body imagining it can feel the warmth which is possibly as likely."
Turning to mirror him as she also gazes out into the water.

"One day you should probably go into it. Although if you cannot swim that day might be a little further into the future."
Carefully taking some of her breakfast and nibbling it.

"Dieron had acceptable seas. The planet was quite tropical at the equator. I would have gone into the water more had I not been studying."

[Richard Winter]

...

"If the weather stays stable and even warmer in the coming days, one might actually be able to go swimming for once."

he looked at his right arm: "It will be interesting in any case, I learned to swim, but that was way before the day I got this."
he ate some of his breakfast "But if it gets warm enough I won't miss it in any case."

"Dieron, Dieron,... that was near Sol, right?" he checked

[Yori Hakamada]

"If the weather stays stable and even warmer in the coming days, one might actually be able to go swimming for once."

he looked at his right arm: "It will be interesting in any case, I learned to swim, but that was way before the day I got this."
he ate some of his breakfast "But if it gets warm enough I won't miss it in any case."

"Dieron, Dieron,... that was near Sol, right?" he checked

"If necessary I will be there to ensure your safety in the water. I am an accredited life guard."
Yori carefully sets her bun square back down and sips some tea with an equally precise movement before nodding.
"Yes, it is very close to Sol. The Dieron prefecture was mostly seized from the hegemony and so has less combine influences than most of the Coordinator's lands. It was an interesting place to be educated."

[Richard Winter]

"If necessary I will be there to ensure your safety in the water. I am an accredited life guard."
Yori carefully sets her bun square back down and sips some tea with an equally precise movement before nodding.
"Yes, it is very close to Sol. The Dieron prefecture was mostly seized from the hegemony and so has less combine influences than most of the Coordinator's lands. It was an interesting place to be educated."

"What was the academy like? Or rather, how can I imagine Dieron? The Hegemony worlds suffered a lot under Amaris, at least that's what we were taught."

He reached for his mug of coffee that was in front of him.

[Yori Hakamada]

"What was the academy like? Or rather, how can I imagine Dieron? The Hegemony worlds suffered a lot under Amaris, at least that's what we were taught."

He reached for his mug of coffee that was in front of him.

"The Academy was pleasant. It is one of the few combine schools which would have trained someone like me as a mechwarrior. For that I will always think be thankful."

Another sip, but slightly slower

"Dieron is an extremely pleasant world. Warm with breathable air, gravity close to the Sol norm, plentiful water. It bore some scars, it was bombarded heavily during the civil war, but as the capital of the prefecture it has recovered. The people there are very proud and they have never fully welcome the Combine."

[Richard Winter]

Learning things about Yori's past was most interesting.
This side note 'somebody like me' made him wonder, he wanted to know more but it reminded him of the first manga discussion they had and a sentence Yori said then: 'Well, it is more accurate to say I do not trust you enough since I do not know you well enough'.
Did she trust him more now?

On the one hand, he wanted to follow up, but he saw how relaxed Yori was and didn't want to ruin the mood of the date. He decided to bring this up later and steered the conversation to a topic in which he thought Yori would flourish in any case.

"Is there a story behind your fish, by the way?" he asked

[Yori Hakamada]

Snip

"There is."
Sip. Pause

When she realises more was required.
"When I was young I had few friends and I was quite lonely. It can be hard not always understanding what people mean or what to say to them. So my mother brought me two fish."
Blinking twice
"They were content just to swim around in their bowl and be fed, very simple pets. But I liked to imagine I knew what they were feeling. That they were happy to see me, happy to be fed, happy to have friends. I have kept fish ever since."

[Richard Winter]

Great Richard, master of conversation, you've really managed to get around the traumatic past, haven't you?

"I'm no expert on the subject, but..." he took a sip of his coffee and looked at Yori "When I saw the two of them, they certainly seemed happy. I admit that at first I wanted to tap against the glass.... " he laughed. "But after I saw them, I thought that they were strangely intelligent and elegant and expressed themselves in their own way. And that was very fascinating to me."

[Yori Hakamada]

Great Richard, master of conversation, you've really managed to get around the traumatic past, haven't you?

"I'm no expert on the subject, but..." he took a sip of his coffee and looked at Yori "When I saw the two of them, they certainly seemed happy. I admit that at first I wanted to tap against the glass.... " he laughed. "But after I saw them, I thought that they were strangely intelligent and elegant and expressed themselves in their own way. And that was very fascinating to me."

She...almost. sorta smiles. Or maybe it's just the light and the food.

"Yes, they are happy. And it makes me very happy. They're smarter than some people I know. It's good you like them too, and better you did not tap on the glass."
There's a happy sigh
"Have you ever had pets?"

[Richard Winter]

...

"Not exactly." he put down his cup. "My parents couldn't afford it, so my siblings and I didn't have pets when we were growing up." he reached for another roll. "There were plenty of strays in our neighborhood, though. My siblings and I would sometimes sneak food outside and feed them, and then get mad trouble from our parents." A slightly sad smile formed on his lips. "If I ever get the chance, though, I'm going to get a dog."

[Yori Hakamada]

"Not exactly." he put down his cup. "My parents couldn't afford it, so my siblings and I didn't have pets when we were growing up." he reached for another roll. "There were plenty of strays in our neighborhood, though. My siblings and I would sometimes sneak food outside and feed them, and then get mad trouble from our parents." A slightly sad smile formed on his lips. "If I ever get the chance, though, I'm going to get a dog."

"You just wanted too help them, despite getting into trouble? Admirable. Dogs are good pets, they are loyal."
Back to nibbling on her breakfast
"Did your family have trouble making ends meet?"

[Richard Winter]

"You just wanted too help them, despite getting into trouble? Admirable. Dogs are good pets, they are loyal."
Back to nibbling on her breakfast
"Did your family have trouble making ends meet?"

"Sometimes. It's been hard for them raising three kids, taking care of their education and everything else." He put some cheese on his roll. "We didn't wallow in luxury, but we weren't destitute either. Some call it lower middle class, so sometimes you just have to put up with it."

"When I graduated from school at 16, my parents arranged for me to go to the Mech factory, and there I tested the fresh and salveged mechs for saleability as a test pilot. That increased our family income visibly and I could start my comic and manga collection."

[Yori Hakamada]

"Sometimes. It's been hard for them raising three kids, taking care of their education and everything else." He put some cheese on his roll. "We didn't wallow in luxury, but we weren't destitute either. Some call it lower middle class, so sometimes you just have to put up with it."

"When I graduated from school at 16, my parents arranged for me to go to the Mech factory, and there I tested the fresh and salveged mechs for saleability as a test pilot. That increased our family income visibly and I could start my comic and manga collection."

"I had a similar upbringing, although with less siblings and therefore a higher concentration of wealth, which led to fish."
as it often does

"So you were the family breadwinner? It sounds like an unorthodox path to becoming a pilot. It is.."
Trying to think of the right word
"Cute that then you were able to start you collection."

[Richard Winter]

He shook his head, "I wasn't the breadwinner, my parents still earned more as MechTechs than a Green Pilot. It was more like, the moment i earned my own money and could use it for myself, my parents had more for them and my siblings." he laughed. "I remember the first time I held my paycheck in my hand and saw all the taxes that were deducted from it. Rarely have I felt so ripped off."

He took a hearty bite of his roll and then drank a sip of coffee.

[Yori Hakamada]

He shook his head, "I wasn't the breadwinner, my parents still earned more as MechTechs than a Green Pilot. It was more like, the moment i earned my own money and could use it for myself, my parents had more for them and my siblings." he laughed. "I remember the first time I held my paycheck in my hand and saw all the taxes that were deducted from it. Rarely have I felt so ripped off."

He took a hearty bite of his roll and then drank a sip of coffee.

"They were mechtechs? That explains a lot."
Yori diligently starts buttering a piece of toast, trying to ensure every part had the exact same coverage.

"Taxation is theft, Richard."
With her breath appropriately buttered she cuts off a square and eats it.

slightly muffled by said toast.
"That was a joke."

[Richard Winter]

"They were mechtechs? That explains a lot."
Yori diligently starts buttering a piece of toast, trying to ensure every part had the exact same coverage.

"Taxation is theft, Richard."
With her breath appropriately buttered she cuts off a square and eats it.

slightly muffled by said toast.
"That was a joke."

Richard laughed. "I wish it was, then I could honestly get worked up about it."But yes my parents were MechTechs, not that that would have been special on Hesperus, the focus of the planet is after all on the Mech factories."

Besides eating, Richard picked up the map of the guesthouse and began to leaf through it, he hadn't looked up the prices beforehand and wanted to have a look.

When he opened the first page and briefly read through he noticed something interesting. "Did you know that there are caves under the guesthouse?"