[ Mako's expression quiets, growing a little more bemused. Surprised isn't a word used amongst jaeger co-pilots when the Drift is strong, but compared to siblings, to husbands and wives, and to fathers and sons, she and Raleigh are practically strangers.
(Seeing the inside of a person's head is no guarantee of understanding them. That's where the compatibility question comes in. That's why trust is so important.) ]
Your subtle still requires work. [ And if she has to eat another bowl of jello she might be a little sick. ]
[ She doesn't say yes. (She doesn't have to.) And maybe part of her doesn't want to entirely give him the satisfaction of hearing the word.
Instead, Mako gives the shortest bow of her head, her chin lowering by an inch before lifting again. Then she's extending one arm to the side, the gesture short, almost military-like.
[ He grins, tucking his hands into his pockets. The gesture isn't boyish, exactly, though there's a kind of unapologetic pride there — satisfaction, 'cause just because you understand somebody (the Drift, the compatibility) doesn't mean you get to make decisions for 'em. With them, yeah.
Again, in Japanese: ]
Can I have two bottles of the strongest alcohol you have? isn't that difficult, Mako.
Can I have two bottles of the strongest alcohol you have. [ she repeats, correcting his pronunciation along the way. To an outside observer, it seems like an uphill battle but Mako isn't really fighting Raleigh on the point and besides—
They have time. ]
I thought this was a dinner invitation.
[ She doesn't move until he does, the both of them walking in tandem once they finally start. His posture is slouched — not completely but at the edges — while hers remains straight-backed, her shoulders square the way she was taught a ranger's ought to be.
(The hard part for civilians to understand is that the Drift doesn't make you and your co-pilot the same person, it just removes the barrier that separates you. Edges bleed and blend but's an overlap more than a bonafide mix. That's what makes compatibility important. You still have to remain yourself while part of you has to be them, too.) ]
[ He studiously parrots the phrase back at her. (His Japanese is getting better, by inches and degrees — the Drift with Mako helps, the bleeding at the edges skittering along the neural synapses with language and processing.
Doesn't mean he says it any better; deliberately butchers it a little worse, the end of his phrase masoo kah rather than mas ka. ]
It'll be a liquid dinner, [ he says easily, though he doesn't mean it. Raleigh's hands curl in his pockets, his shoulders folding in and making his slouch worse. ] I'm gonna teach you the ways of the world.
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Well, it is fitting. In a sense.
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[ It totally was. ]
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No. Not - terrible.
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You would be able to tell.
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[ He's definitely teasing at this point. ]
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Those are risky odds.
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Much more difficult ones.
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No. It is somewhat - disconcerting.
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[ A beat, then he confesses, simply: ] Not sure where, yet, but I'm not goin' without you.
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You?
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The ocean? After everything. That is somewhat - ironic.
Not the city. Somewhere quiet. Peaceful.
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No idea if that place is still there. Was pretty quiet though.
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I did see that. Just for a moment. It looked wonderful.
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Count me in.
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It's kind of funny. Admit it. ]
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[ He wiggles his finger in the air. ]
Don't say anything.
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I do not need to.
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I know you're sneaky, Mako. [ Mayko. ] Don't think I can't see.
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She steps forward, tips her chin a little. The blue ends of her bob bob. ] And what else do you see?
[ It's a trick question. The kind of inside joke jaeger pilots tell one another to fill the spaces that are spent not having to talk. ]
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In (butchered) Japanese: ]
Your favorite restaurant.
I'M DYING I FUCKING LOVE YOU
I'm sorry— [ Now she is smiling, her tone perfectly professional. ] —but were you just speaking Japanese?
[ Mako lifts a hand and taps her ear. Come again? Didn't quite copy that. ]
TAKES A BOW
That was my subtle way of an invitation, but if you don't wanna go, I can just take you to the mess and eat all your jello.
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(Seeing the inside of a person's head is no guarantee of understanding them. That's where the compatibility question comes in. That's why trust is so important.) ]
Your subtle still requires work. [ And if she has to eat another bowl of jello she might be a little sick. ]
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Offer's tickin', co-pilot.
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Instead, Mako gives the shortest bow of her head, her chin lowering by an inch before lifting again. Then she's extending one arm to the side, the gesture short, almost military-like.
After you. ]
You should leave the ordering to me.
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Again, in Japanese: ]
Can I have two bottles of the strongest alcohol you have? isn't that difficult, Mako.
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They have time. ]
I thought this was a dinner invitation.
[ She doesn't move until he does, the both of them walking in tandem once they finally start. His posture is slouched — not completely but at the edges — while hers remains straight-backed, her shoulders square the way she was taught a ranger's ought to be.
(The hard part for civilians to understand is that the Drift doesn't make you and your co-pilot the same person, it just removes the barrier that separates you. Edges bleed and blend but's an overlap more than a bonafide mix. That's what makes compatibility important. You still have to remain yourself while part of you has to be them, too.) ]
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Doesn't mean he says it any better; deliberately butchers it a little worse, the end of his phrase masoo kah rather than mas ka. ]
It'll be a liquid dinner, [ he says easily, though he doesn't mean it. Raleigh's hands curl in his pockets, his shoulders folding in and making his slouch worse. ] I'm gonna teach you the ways of the world.