Breakfast of Champions (D9 EM Cafeteria Expecting)

[John Slaktare]

Butcher entered the cafeteria, his hair still slightly damp from a shower. He stretched his arms over his head to relieve soreness and stiffness before looking around.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

Mei stomped into the room looking tired and a bit angry. She grabbed a plate and filled it with her normal meal of oatmeal and fruit before sitting down and planting her forehead onto the table.

"Good morning." She said to the room.

[John Slaktare]

John grabs some fruit and eggs before sitting next to her. "Good morning, beautiful. You look like you want a bit more sleep."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

Mei rolled her head on the table to look at him.

"IT came. Just after showering IT came." She picked her head up but remained hunched over, looking and sounding defeated. "So I get to go into battle with a shit ton of cramps and a general feeling of disappointment. I have a bad feeling about today John."

[John Slaktare]

"Well... that sucks," he replies, looking at her. "You taken anything for it? Anything I can get for you?"

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"A new uterus would be nice but no, thank you nut I will be alright. I don't always get them, it's been three months but here we are. They say they aren't as bad when you have an IUD but I've had one so long I can't really remember. A real would would probably cripple me."

She stirred her oatmeal but didn't eat it.

"I was just kinda hoping...you know? I mean I said myself now is probably a bad time for us to have to deal with all that but still..."

[John Slaktare]

Butcher nods, "Ah. Well, I'll just need to try harder then, eh?"

He brushes hair behind her ear.

"Not a whole lot I can do about the pain and cramps. Unless there's something you know helps that I can do. If so, let me know."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Nothing I can think of thanks you." She said smiling at him.

"I do have a bad feeling about today though, are expecting to be deployed? I am, even arranged for a last minute swap of Turtle's mech that I don't expect to go over well with everyone. We all want bigger mechs but we can't all get them at the same time. Hoops is going to be mad, I took away her jump jets."

[John Slaktare]

"Not deploying today, no. Just moved Spider from a Locust to a Griffin. That's a recipe for disaster to throw him into the fight without lettin him at least learn to walk the bigger mech around. Two completely different machines and styles. And taking away the jump jets? Don't know what I'd do without jump jets."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Good, at least I don't have to worry about you. Pretty sure I will be going out considering how they have been deploying us." She put down her spoon and picked up a banana. "Part of me wants to get out there and is hoping to run into some mechs but part of me just wants to go back to bed and I know that's a bad mindset to have before a battle."

[John Slaktare]

"I got faith in your strength. You're gonna kick ass, then you're gonna come back to me and we're gonna celebrate," John says confidently.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Oh about that, I passed Yoko in the hall earlier and she want's to hang and do girl talk when I get back. Not all night or anything but I'm gonna check in with her when I get back before finding you...unless it ends up being a night deployment which just gets in the way of everything but would finally put my lance back where it excels."

Mei thought about that for a moment.

"You know I never considered that before, maybe that's why my lance is struggling right now. We got really used to do night ops with the Starlit Knights, we were good at it." She suddenly looked resolute. "Right, regardless of what happens with the deployment today my lance needs to get it's ass in the simulator and start doing day missions DURING the day. Gotta drill the lifestyle into us."

[John Slaktare]

"I... you can just start staying in my room... if you want. I got a shower now," he invites / suggests.

"And its good to catch up with friends. I get along with LT Hakamada. Enjoy your time with her."

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

Mei had to fight back tears and gave him a little kiss.

"Thanks babe, that means a lot to me for a bunch of reasons. It will make mornings a lot less awkward, especially with a shower in the room. It means I can get a real drum kit and just store it in my room. My old room." She said with a smile and then sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Ugh, sorry, stupid hormones."

[John Slaktare]

"You don't ever gotta apologize to me for being you. I ain't gonna like you any less just cause you feel stuff. Makes me wanna spend more time with you actually," he replies. He takes an apple with one hand and starts scratching her back with the other.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"I'm glad you said that because I am itching to get out of here. I want to try and find a decent club or bar to go out to on Saturday night. There must be something decent in town, one of the things I want to ask Yoko about as I'm sure she's been to town. Do you think you would be up for a little group activities tomorrow night? You don't have to come, it would probably be just a couple people."

[John Slaktare]

"You're gonna be there, I'm gonna be there. Wouldn't miss it. Started some wrestling lessons with Yoko," he says before taking a bite of the apple. His other hand continues its scratching.

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Wrestling lessons?" Her mischievous smile returned. "Isn't that how our thing got started? She is a big wrestling fan so it makes total sense to ask you, didn't know you two were close though."

[John Slaktare]

"I didn't know she was a wrestling fan. And I'm teaching the college style wrestling, not the entertainment style. And I wouldn't say we're particularly close. Helped her when she needed some maintenance on a weapon, she was interested in learning how to twist an arm, so I invited her to learn. So, maybe we're becoming friends?"

[Mei-Ling Zhou]

"Friends are good, not counting me you already have Ducky as a friend, anyone else?"