[center][h1][color=00aeef]Serah[/color], [color=c7c7c7]Harold[/color] and [color=fff79a]Ariin[/color].[/h1][/center]

Serah felt a shock through her body as she suddenly woke again, only about a minute or two after blacking out. A terrible headache still remained, but her body didn't sting as much as before and she could at least make out where everything was this time around. A forced message came over from Lorenzo, informing everyone of their quite frankly TERRIBLE display and the fact they needed to basically get out of their frames. Not like they had any choice, with everyone's machine having been shut down. Serah wasn't thinking clearly enough to comprehend everything just yet, so she sat there for a little while trying to recall things. Then she realized. [color=00aeef]"Wait, what happened to everyone?!"[/color] the girl nearly panicked, feeling a surge of energy shoot throughout their body. Quickly, without any care for grace, she forced open the exit to her framewerk and made the climb down to the battlefield. Now that Serah had a bit of time to take it in... Wow. Everything was in ruins. Black craters and rubble filling it as far as the eye could see, bits of scrap and bullet cases scattered all over the place...

And worst of all, completely wrecked frames scattered the field. Serah had to really take a few moments to comprehend the sight. Rostosov, barely held upright in the distance even through the shutdown. Paladin... Complete wreck, honestly, alongside Caretaker's missing leg. Dynasty had gone off somewhere, and in the very distance lay Sköll. [color=00aeef]"We... Got her...?"[/color] Serah muttered in disbelief. It didn't look at all like the beam Atty swung was the thing that hit her, though. And then she noticed Rostosov's missile remains scattered all around there. Realization dawned upon her. [i]Harold[/i] did that. Wasting no time, she sprinted over using the mini-rockets in the suit. Within only a few moments she was near Rostosov, shouting [color=00aeef]"Harold?! Harold, are you in there?!"[/color] worridly. What the hell happened when Serah blacked out?

As if in immediate reply, a hatch opened in the back of the Rostosov. Climbing out of it was a Harold who looked worse for wear - not injured, but thoroughly exhausted. It seemed that he was muttering curses the entire time he was crawling out of the hatch. Only noticing the girl too late to mind his language early enough, he looked down at her, paused, and said,

[color=c7c7c7]"Hey."[/color]

Then he cleared the small opening and stood upon a small platform where in the hangar, it would have lead neatly into a lift's doorway. He looked around, taking in the sights of charred land and strewn, rent metal about. He exhaled deeply as the breeze met his skin. It was a good feeling to be outside after being confined to such a small space for some time. As he examined his environs, the extent of the carnage slowly became known to him.

[color=c7c7c7]"God Almighty,"[/color] he muttered. [color=c7c7c7]"All of this happened in... how short?"[/color] His eyes then came upon Paladin's mutilated corpse. [color=c7c7c7]"Shit."[/color]

Another realization came to him shortly after: he was 100 meters off the ground, and there clearly was no elevator around.

He peered over the platform's edge, looking towards Serah again.

[color=c7c7c7]"Hey, Serah! How am I supposed to get down?"[/color]

Serah blinked a few times when al Harold had to say was 'Hey'. What was that even supposed to be? Was he THAT indifferent to everything? Though, the girl would be lying if she said she wasn't glad to see the veteran alive. And speaking of the veteran, his common sense and emotions slowly seemed to return when he actually took in the sight of what actually conspired here. Then he asked to get down... Wasn't it obvious? Couldn't he just climb Rostosov's side? Serah could, anyway... It wasn't that hard. Even if the frame was a little smooth. [color=00aeef]"Uhm... Just climb?"[/color] she bounced back with a question, visibly shrugging from Harold's point of view. She fixed her ribbon which had gotten a little loose from all the action, then bonked her head once to fix some of the fog still stuck inside of it. 

[color=00aeef]"Anyway, that's not important... I'm... Just glad to see someone's okay..."[/color] Serah yelled over. Then something popped into her head. [color=00aeef]"Oh! If you're having troubles, there's some kinda rockets built into the suits. You could use those to slow your fall?"[/color] she informed and questioned, quickly whiplashing the mood back to something a little casual. Maybe [i]she[/i] didn't have very much common sense.

Harold frowned slightly at the suggestion, more out of confusion than disapproval. Hey, whatever method of getting down he took, there was always going to the possibility that he was going to fall and break a bone or two.

[color=c7c7c7]"Uh,"[/color] he yelled back, [color=c7c7c7]"I think I'll just climb down."[/color]

And he began to do so, carefully lowering himself from the platform and grabbing the nearest nook or other handhold on the Rostosov's back. While it seemed at first that he was doing alright as his movements were smooth, he began to strain as the surface curved down in fixed slopes towards the legs. Serah could hear him muttering again, and was able to particularly note the word "mother."

Harold had reached the hip assembly and was about to latch onto the mech's left thigh when, for a moment, he failed to make the grip. He had also shifted his weight too early. His feet came away from their holds and he began to dangle from just one arm.

Serah winced as Harold nearly broke something by nearly falling from Rostosov's leg, and was now questioning how in shape the man actually was.

[color=c7c7c7]"Oh, shi- nah, nah, it's alright, I got it!"[/color]

He managed to right himself again and begin traveling down the Rostosov's leg. About ten meters off of the ground, he thought of whether to jump and see whether his suit's mini-rockets were really powerful enough to break his fall, but he wisely decided against it. Taking the long way down took a couple of minutes more of intense effort, but Harold reminded himself that he was pushing his luck far too many times in the last six months.

He jumped a short distance off the ground landed on his feet with a triumphant thump. Dusting himself off and sorting out imaginary creases from his plugsuit, he whistled at his exhaustion but managed to smile at Serah.

[color=c7c7c7]"You alright?"[/color] he asked. Then his smile turned into a frown almost immediately. [color=c7c7c7]"Wait, no. Not one of us is alright. Have you seen the Paladin? We have to check up on Ariin immediately, and on the others, too."[/color]

[color=00aeef]"What?"[/color] Serah blinked in surprise. But it seemed the thing she was confused about was quickly backpedalled. [color=00aeef]"A-Ariin? They're okay...?"[/color] Serah asked, hopefully. Her face was twisted in a way that conveyed both relief and fear of the answer. She nodded, though. [color=00aeef]"Uhm, sure! If you think he's okay, we probably should..."[/color]

Harold blinked, and paused. There was a palpable silence before his reply. He'd seen faces like the one Serah made just now - the fear of someone who was unused to death. Hell, he'd even made the same expression once. Right then and there, he was reminded that Serah was still a girl. He wanted to grimace, but forced himself not to. Until that point, he was seeing her as a comrade, first and foremost, hence his brusque mannerisms.

[color=c7c7c7]"Ah,"[/color] he said, his face impassive. [color=c7c7c7]"Yeah. That mech's split in two."[/color] He looked around, and clicked his tongue, scowling. [color=c7c7c7]"Damn it, this place is a mess. The egghead- the scientist, Lorenzo said choppers, right? The question is - when? That was easily the most insane wargame I've ever participated in and some of our guys might be injured. Hell, they might even be..."[/color]

Then his veterancy kicked in, like instinct. His smile was swift and foreign as he extended his arms in a shrug. [color=c7c7c7]"But hey, it's not like we didn't sign up for this, right?"[/color]

Serah listened carefully and wondered why the other guy hadn't yet ran off to check. The teenager honestly wanted to run over and check on Paladin, but before she got the chance to mention it Harold had said his last line. And Serah froze up.  [color=00aeef]"...i... i actually didn't get a choice..."[/color] she muttered in an eerily silent tone, barely even audible for Harold. The girl shook her head, banishing away those negative thoughts immediately. She didn't need to make the other feel worse than he actually is.  [color=00aeef]"...Erm, anyway, they said shortly, right? Considering how we deployed, it might not take much more than another few minutes."[/color] Serah chimed in, scratching her elbow. The plugsuit made it a little hard, but she managed. She also forced out a smile, trying not to make Harold feel too bad for her obvious nervous posture.

[i]Awkward[/i] was how best to describe the situation at hand. He could tell that Serah was nervous, but he just didn't know why. Perhaps it was his still brusque mannerisms or hell - maybe she thought he was the reason Team Sigma got beaten this hard in the first place. After all, wasn't he the one who proposed that ridiculous defense in depth tactic?

[color=c7c7c7]"Yeah, hopefully,"[/color] he said quickly. The current atmosphere was quite uncomfortable for him. [color=c7c7c7]"Anyway, we should get running to the Paladin now. That black mech was really insane..." [/color]

Harold started walking. Serah followed suit. They didn't say anything much on their way to the shattered mech, but their worries grew as the debris from the Paladin began to shadow their comparatively diminutive forms.

The former lieutenant cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, [color=c7c7c7]"Hey! Ariin, are you around? Come on, you still have strawberry cake to make!"[/color]

Ariin groaned in pain as he looked to his left and then his right, he could see sunlight wasn't  inside the... Oh right, he got cut to ribbons. [color=fff79a]"I'm alive... I think!"[/color] He said as rolled out of the now open side of his Frame and then jumped down gracfully rolling as he landed and standing. [color=fff79a]"So... I guess I didn't get her huh? So win or lose? I was kind of knocked out when she decided to remove all my Frame's limbs."[/color] He answered, in truth he remembered the pain and such, he sat down laying on the grass. [color=fff79a]"Still I think with a little practice and time to adjust to working together we could be a decent squad even if they don't name a leader."[/color]

He hummed as looked between them. [color=fff79a]"Anyway, how are we getting back? They book us a ride or do I get to steal something to get us back to base?"[/color] He asked, his electronic eye and real eye grew wider at the thought of theft. [color=fff79a]"Also... One other question... How bad is my eye?"[/color] The glass was cracked, wires stuck out and the flickered on and off occasionally. [color=fff79a]"Doctors warned me to much damage could cause my other eye to as well."[/color] He said as if he didn't care that he could go blind. Ariins face had stains of blood as did his hair from the implant moving around some breaking. Other than that he seemed to be fine if a bit out of it at the moment. 

Harold grinned. He approved of Ariin's more or less nonchalant reaction about the whole thing. [color=c7c7c7]"It's pretty beat up. Might wanna get that thing checked out."[/color]

The former lieutenant particularly examined Ariin's errant, drying blood. He gave him a thumbs up. [color=c7c7c7]"You look good. Have you fought like this before?"[/color]

[color=fff79a]"Well I trained under this Colonel, he brought me into the program. I ran simulations day and night, they even wrote A.I. squadmates for it. He was trying to groom me into being his successor I think."[/color] The boy answered with a yawn. [color=fff79a]"Of course I don't really care if I lead. The team and the people on it come first in my mind."[/color]

Serah visibly puffed up her cheeks from behind Harold, her not tolerating this casual danger-chatting whilst Ariin looked like [i]that[/i]. [color=00aeef]"Wait, wait, hold up for a moment!"[/color] she interjected before the conversation could proceed any further, walking in between the two older men. [color=00aeef]"Ariin, you're not fine at all! And don't you,"[/color] she pointed at Harold. [color=00aeef]"imply that he is. I don't care what you say, but that needs to be treated!"[/color] Serah boldly exclaimed. Though, even if she did say that, it's not like the girl had any medical knowledge. [color=00aeef]"...Muuu..."[/color] she softly whined at the realization.

[color=00aeef]"A-Anyway... We shouldn't be worrying about that team leader right now, anyway! It's bad enough that I thought you-"[/color] Serah cut herself off, not wanting to finish that stament. Boucing back a bit, she shook her head and changed subject. [color=00aeef]"N-Nevermind, we should just get you to the medical office once the helicopters arrive, Ariin!"[/color] she quite forcibly ordered, and didn't look like she was going to give up on that point.

[color=fff79a]"Serah were you worried about me?"[/color] He got up smiling like a proud older brother patting her head. [color=fff79a]"Don't worry it takes more than PMSing psycho in a killing machine to end my life."[/color] He told her grinning like an idiot. He gave her a one armed hug. [color=fff79a]"Now when's that's chopper getting here? Since your worried I'll have a replacement eye put in just encase their was extra damage."[/color]

Serah yelped as Ariin suddenly wrapped his arm around her for a sudden hug, the girl feeling actually quite uncomfortable by the sudden yank. [color=00aeef]"Please... Don't..."[/color] she choked out and wormed her way out of his arms, taking a step back. Serah did not like getting touched out of nowhere like that. Still, it seemed the boy was ready to undergo at least some treatement. [color=00aeef]"They, uhm, didn't give an estimated time of arrival..."[/color] Serah muttered, looking away. Right back towards the destroyed ruins. That caused her to bite her lip, becasue she still wasn't quite used to the carnage. But she forced herself to deal with it, to not drag others down with her.

[color=fff79a]"So Serah what's your story?"[/color] Ariin asked as he watched the sky. [color=fff79a]"I've come to the conclusion that all of us are hurting inside. Loss is the one thing we share, people don't fight like we do unless they know the pain of losing something important."[/color] Ariin said, the smile gone as he stared up at the sky. [color=fff79a]"I can point to you Gaius-four right now, it's the lifeless rock I was born on... Cruxi burned the land and boiled the sea. I lost my mother and father their... I basically raised three girls and my baby brother on Mars."[/color] He said. He didn't cry but their was a sad tone in his voice. 

[color=fff79a]"Back on Gaius we had these whales... Huge beasts, needed fleets of boats to haul one. They were full of Helium three, they could float in the sky when they were full. It was amazing to watch."[/color] He said, shutting his good eye as the broken sparked a little. [color=fff79a]"I'm sure Harold, Elora, and everyone else has something they lost. Memories and pictures they will never see again. It's why I fight, so kids like you and my sisters can live in a world where you never have to remember stuff like that." [/color]

Harold, meanwhile, had been observing closely and listening intently. Sure, Ariin appeared to have the right stuff for fighting, but it seemed to the former lieutenant that the guy was really touchy-feely. Bleeding and dishevelled, he had tried to put his arm over Serah, and the girl wormed away, looking uncomfortable. Then he was telling his life story, and his purpose for fighting.

Harold found it strange, but said nothing. Instead, he uncomfortably shifted his feet around, looking over the vast expanse of charred landscape and destroyed mechs, before sitting down, and sighing tiredly.

[color=c7c7c7]"I wonder if we'll get some hazard pay for this,"[/color] he thought aloud.

Serah looked back at Ariin when he asked the girl for her story, though she wouldn't get the chance to answer before he droned off about something else. And maybe that was a good thing, since Serah didn't feel like sharing it either way. The thing Ariin droned off about was his own past, which made him out to look like some kind of rebel fighting type. Going on about how the Cruxi scum basically wiped out his home planet. Serah winced at the thought, knowing full well what a well-executed Cruxi attack is like. She felt really uneasy, even when Ariin tried to be convincing with that last line of him fighting for the smiles of others. In a way, they were like Serah... But in another, they're doing the same thing for different reasons. 

[color=00aeef]"Is that so..."[/color] she replied, honestly not knowing what to say. Serah noticed Harold asking for hazard pay, which the girl tried her best to smile in reply to. [color=00aeef]"I'd much more prefer some rest, and it's not like we get paid at all right?"[/color] she giggled, if a little forced. Serah crossed her arms underneath her nonexistant chest, looking back to Ariin. [color=00aeef]"I'm not really anything special, honestly... I studied as a mechanic, until they found I had a knack for synchronizing with framewerks... So I guess I 'volunteered' to be here..."[/color] she spoke, omitting a lot of details and even lying slightly. It was probably best if the teen kept everyone's spirits up whilst she still had the chance.

[color=c7c7c7]"Oh,"[/color] Harold perked up, looking towards Serah. [color=c7c7c7]"They drafted you? Huh. It was a piece of paper and my willing signature that got me here, so I assumed it was the same for everybody else. Volunteers, I mean."[/color]

Serah tensed up when Harold figured out she didn't volunteer at all. [color=00aeef]"It's not like I mind, honestly..."[/color] she tried to reassure him, though inside the girl knew it was a lie. Honestly, she was starting to get very uncomfortable with this whole thing. [color=00aeef]"I-I think I'm going to rest up by Atty, okay? I'll be back to my usual, peppy self in no time after I get some, alright?"[/color] she promised, putting as much gusto as she could behind it. Then Serah didn't bother to waste any time waiting on replies, simply walking off to go and be with her framewerk.

[color=c7c7c7]"Alright,"[/color] Harold said, giving her a smile. Serah was acting strange, but he didn't know her well enough to make any judgments. [color=c7c7c7]"You rest up good. There'll be strawberry cake or some such later."[/color]

Ariin watched the two talk, keeping his eyes shut he decided not to but in to the conversation. Soon he heard Serah walk, mentioning that she was going to rest that sounded like a good idea. Blocking out the occasionally phantom pain from his eye Ariin was soon asleep, his back against the warm half melted railgun that used to be attached to Paladin.