私の家族のために !

sunlight sparks from her eyes the minute she spies a familiar friend   ,   turning with arms outstretched in preparation to greet them. hands collide on either side of their visage   ,   bringing in her own nose to rub against theirs. it has been quite sometime since she’s seen max walking out   &   about since the breach’s closing   ,   but it lifted her heart to see him waddling about like he once did before. it also meant that the newly appointed marshal was on deck   ,   eyes lifting up to greet her oldest friend with a polite nod.   ❝   hello ranger   ,   i mean   ,   marshal hansen   ,   ❞   mako begins slow   ,   hands still petting his dog with such adoration.   ❝   it feels like ages since we spoke last. how are you fairing   ?   ❞

          𝑺𝒉𝒆  𝒊𝒔  𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏-𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅  ,  𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒔  𝒐𝒇  𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕  𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔  𝒉𝒆𝒓  𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏  !  the  rise  and  fall  of  her  chest  rapid  ,  adrenaline  still  holding  her  body  hostage  .  this  is  a  constraint  she  welcomes  ;  her  limbs  aching  and  her  throat  raw  .  SOLDIER  /  PILOT  .  zoya  was  nothing  if  not  the  coalescence  of  all  the  battles  she  had  endured           those  she  had  lost  and  the  wounds  she  wore  as  a  testament  to  her  shortcomings  .  ‘  𝒊  𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆  𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅  ’  ,  𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉  𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓  𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔  𝒕𝒐  𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒖𝒔  .   now  ,  she  is  here  in  this  room  fatigued  yet  her  eyes  remained  charged   with  certain  exhilaration  .  the  soft-spoken  compliment  reaches  her  ears  as  a  towel  is  dabbed  across  her  damp  forehead  .  ❛  that’s  kind  of  you  to  say  ,  miss  mori  .  ❜  pentecost’s  daughter  ,  blue-streaked  brimming  with  a  quiet  strength  .  the  praise  is  received  without  humility  but  not  entirely  devoid  of  respect  .  ❛  i  think  i  can  spare  a  moment  or  two  .  ❜  really  ,  she  was  in  no  rush  but  there  was  amusement  found  in  the  other  girl’s  overly  formal  approach  .  ❛          you  should  join  us  some  time  ,  though  .  ❜  a  dicey  suggestion  and  the  pilot  knew  it  to be  as  such  .  ❛  it  would  be  a  welcomed  change  to  see  you  out  of  your  room  more  .  ❜

cheeks seem to glow from the pilot’s casual invitation   ,   almond gaze cast down for a moment as rampant thoughts swirled in her mind. it never occurred to the would be warrior that anyone noticed her lack of participation in training   ------   a perfect simulator score   &   a body with strength to fight   ,   yet marked unfit to pilot a jaeger by the marshal himself. the only muscle she could afford to work without disappointing her superior was her mind   ,   using it to help progress the restoration program   ,   their last hope to survive this ongoing war. this wasn’t the future she had planned for herself   ,   but it was the one stacker had placed upon her. she was meant to fight   &   train among the rest   ,   but she wouldn’t argue with the man who saved her life. he made her a promise   ,   &   stacker was always a man of his word. in due time   ,   her moment would come   ,   but today was not that day. 

                   “NORMALLY,    about    this    time,    I’d    make    a   witty    one-liner,    but…     Honestly,    I’ve    exhausted    all    my    shit     at    this    point,   so    fill    in    the    proverbial    blank     and     pretend    I    said    something    both    witty    and    amusing.”            A    vague    gesture    in    the   general    area.             “Or    don’t.    Fuck    it,    y’know?”

                                                 @sworduser               ♡.

nothing in his expression wavers     ,    only movement of his hands going into the pockets of his dark-blue overall as he watches her .  how did he remain so positive    ,    she asked    ;    the answer is simple  :  if he’d not be   ,   no one else would .  if he’d be anything else   ,   he’d break down    ,    he’d be back in that jaeger   ,   he’d be consumed by the terrors trashing through him at night .  he’d be one half of a whole . this is what he found himself to live for again    ,    and he would not take chances .  he would not waver on the hope that found its way back into his heart    ,    instead fanning the flame with encouragement towards himself and everyone surrounding him in his orbit . it is a simple safety insurance    ,    the fox’s smile as much a light cast for himself and for everyone else .  and it proves to be efficient enough .  it keeps him working .  hope   ,  he learned    ,    could bring even the most wrecked ships home and into harbour . “if we don’t stay positive   ,   how are we going to see this through?” asked in return   ,   one eyebrow raising along with it .  this is another easy equation   :   anything else would be far too dooming to think about.  “and i don’t think you’d want to read my mind    ,    officer .   it does not always fit the face accompanying it .”

grin stretches    ,    legs bouncing up and down as she puts the clipboard away and answers him with a similar kind of mischief he usually laced his own words with .  officer mori might not believe it if he’d say it   ,   but she is easily one of his favourite people around here    ,     one of his favourite colleagues as well .  her presence always delights him    ,    and every challenge she’d pinned on him   ,   he’d met and passed with flying colors as well .  it is why the fox likes her work so much    ,    her clocks ticked like his when it came to this .  and it is rare enough to find someone as ambitious and as burning as him    -    it makes life and work around the dome better to handle .   “ah   ,    i certainly know i am not on your level .”  reply coming in a breezy tone   ,    waves over the gravel as he answers her and leans a little into his stance   ,   shoulders dropping .  “it’s half the fun .  but i understand that today or this week might not be the time for it    ;   work always takes priority .”  smirk sparking something behind his eyes    ,    looking as enticed as only the ravkan could by such mild-mannered shoot-downs .  “my mind’s right on the program  ,  nowhere else   ,   i promise . crossing my heart and all   ,    or how people say in this language .  though   ,   if you’d ever like to have a sparing partner who does not cry …. wolf every time you’ve beaten them  ,  the offer stands .  jogging in the freezing halls of the dome only gets one so far and gets boring fast.”

despite not quite knowing the other j - tech officer on a more personal level   ,   mako managed to learn a bit from what she found in his file. a former pilot   &   a good one too   ,   his co - pilot long deceased which no doubt led to him retiring   &   assuming this new position under her program. head tilts to the side as she listens to him intently   ,   wondering what sort of connection his co - pilot had to him. best friend   ?   lover   ?   adopted family   ?   whatever it was   ,   it had to have gotten to him in some way or form   ,   loss perhaps one of the harder things to endure. she should know   ------   she’s experienced countless time on her end   ,   forever haunted by the ghosts of her past   ,   of the people whom she just could not save. it made it difficult to paint on a smile   &   carry on as business as usual  ,   but nikolai seemed to do it with ease. as frustrating as it was at times   ,   it was incredibly impressive   &   secretly   ,   mako can’t help but be a bit envious of the ravkan soldier. of course she herself had moments where she could indulge in a smile or two   ,   but they became so seldom rare as the looming threat of the kaiju drew closer   &   closer   ,   their efforts sometimes seeming fruitless as their funding is slashed more with every pasisng day. of course   ,   she would never dare say that aloud. mako promised danger’s completion   &   she’d be damned if she failed. she didn’t know the meaning of the word.   ❝   you’re right   ,   ❞   her response is quiet   ,   a nod following as she leans her body against the closest pillar.   ❝   perhaps you could teach me your ways if you’d be so kind to divulge your secrets.   &   not to worry   ,   i wouldn’t want to actually read your mind. i have a feeling your thoughts might mirror some of my own.   ❞

barry berkman from hbo’s barry   /   @actssassin   /   main

mako mori from pacific rim   /   @sworduser   /   secondary

as if she can sense his presence from a few feet behind her    ,     turning around to him before he could say a word himself .  but it is alright like that    ,    is it not? easier than to stop his own work and walk over to her    ,    gaining her attention while every other engineer tried the same for one work-related reason or another   ,    or not work-related reasons at all .  smile already painted over scarred skin    ,    usual air of sunny politeness clinging to him even when he has not yet spoken    ,    and knowing full-well that whatever will follow will not amuse officer mori in any way .   (   but that is his favourite part about most anything away from his work    ,     to leave the norm .   )  now leaving his work on some finer mechanics of the firing protocol to shoot back to his feet again and a more professional stance    ,   but the tilt of his mouth could not be further from that     ;     all crinkling upwards and warm gaze delighted by the attention gathered .   “you foul me    ,    officer .  i would never be distracted from my very important work .  i am always on my best behaviour .”  he answers   .   amused    ,    amused     ,    amused .   “and your plans for the charge delay seem to work    ,    so far .  not through with the adjustments yet   ,    but the calculations seem correct  .  i checked them myself as well  . ”  ticking off the work of the past few weeks that’d finally found an end   ,   then only to finish the rest of the damaged system in the weapon arm .  oh  ,  joy!   “though now you are here   ,   i thought i’d ask if you’d be up for some combat training after work . or the weekend .  it’s been a few weeks   ,   and getting rusty around here shouldn’t happen to human or machine either .”

best behavior   ?   the would be warrior has to hold back a laugh   ,   the young girl she kept hidden deep inside wanting so much to just let loose. oh   ,   if only she could allow herself to indulge   &   laugh at the former pilot’s antics   ------   enjoy her youth for as long as she is granted it. but they were at war  ,   were they not  ?   pentecost had put this project in her hands   ,   expecting nothing more than perfection   &  it’s completion   &   she would deliver with no hesitation or questions asked. forever indebted to him for saving her life   ,   the survivor would remain loyal   &   do as he says. mako had to keep her composure   ,   throat cleared as stern expression remains  ,   brows raised in response to that winning smile.   ❝   i’m not so certain   ,   mister lantsov   ,   ❞   she replies flatly   ,   glancing down at her clipboard before returning her attention to the former pilot again. he seemed so excited   &   by what she wasn’t certain. nikolai always seemed so pleasantly sunny every time they had to interact   &   while she can appreciate the positivity he exudes in such a trying time   ,   it can sometimes grate on her.   ❝   if only i could read your mind   ,   then perhaps i can finally understand what makes you tick. you are quite the puzzle   ,   you know. it amazes me how someone like you could remain so positive in such trying times. what is your secret   ,   hmm   ?   ❞

❝   i admire your form   ,   miss  nazyalensky.   ❞   voice is quiet as mako approaches from the shadows   ,   a nervous air about her as she offers the fierce woman the smallest of smiles. the war has forced everyone to ban together in an effort to stop the impending threat   ,   leaving no time for gender appointed titles. everyone had to fight   &   it was those women who did so without fear or hesitation that gained the survivor’s respect. as the kwoon empties   ,   she finds her confidence   ------   head raised high as she takes a few more steps into the fighting circle   ,   calm almond gaze meeting the fiercest pair of eyes she’s ever seen   ------   like a never ending storm   ,   swirling with no prediction of when it would strike.   ❝   i understand you must be busy   ,   but i only wanted to tell you.   ❞   the faintest stutter is evident   ,   hand reaching up to tuck a lock of raven hair behind her ear.   ❝   very few fight like you do.   ❞

mako would receive training from not only stacker pentecost during her time at the jaeger academy   ,   but also from his drift partner   ,   tamsin sevier. when mako first met tamsin   ,   she was undergoing chemo from the cancer she contracted from being exposed to coyote tango’s nuclear reactor. stacker introduced her as the woman who helped save her   ,   to which mako immediately thanked her for   ,   completed indebted. when tamsin’s cancer went into remission   ,   she helped mako train in the kwoon room   ,   as well as sharing her experiences in working with the PPDC. the two were like sisters   ,   often seen hanging out with one another frequently. it was tamsin who helped inspire mako to dye the front strands of her hair   ,   the color blue   (   unbeknownst to mako   )   chosen representing the lingering trauma that continues to haunt her from the onibaba attack . 

❝   even dr. caitlin lightcap rested every once in a while.   ❞   soft tone echoes in the empty room as she approaches the young man slumped over   ,   petite   ,   yet calloused fingers gently pressing against his back in a friendly gesture. while they were in a constant war with the kaiju   &  the clock   ,   it didn’t mean that the would be warrior would allow their personnel to burn themselves out in the process. rest was needed to keep up with their standards   &   morale high   ,   &   mako wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfect work. the kaiju numbers could grow at any moment per hermann gottlieb’s findings   &   there was no room for mistakes that could be easily avoidable. still   ,   gentle like a calm wind   ,   she leans over the poor man who seemed so exhausted   ,  lips hovering by his ear   ,   hoping not to startle him.   ❝   ben   ,   ❞   she whispers   ,   patting his back   ,   ❝   perhaps you’ve done enough today. have you been sleeping enough lately   ?   ❞

heavy booted footsteps attempt to slowly approach the woman sitting alone in the mess hall   ,   lunch tray balanced in one hand with her clipboard in the other. in her studies   ,   the name   ‘   hargreeves   ‘   had become one of legend   ------   a rather dark beginning for these once child soldiers quickly becoming one of hope   ,   with all involved turning into some of the best pilots documented in their ever expanding history.   despite all her knowledge   ,   mako doesn’t recall the mention of a seventh sibling. vanya hargreeves   ------   bearing the infamous name   ,   yet none of the glory. she had only joined their ranks not too long ago. was she here for shelter or to help in the fight   ?   mako would make it her mission today to find out.   ❝   miss hargreeves   ?   ❞   the would be warrior would speak loud enough to hopefully catch vanya’s attention   ,   ruby lips pulled into a soft smile.   ❝   would it be alright if i joined you   ?   ❞