629/Advice of the Belkan Kind

Advice of the Belkan Kind
Date of Scene:	22 October 2023
Location:	Dorms #2
Synopsis:	Hannah seeks advice of Koji, and Koji seeks advice on the state of his Device.
Cast of Characters:	Hannah Steiner, Koji Silvia

---

Hannah Steiner has posed:
It's a quiet evening on the weekend, Hannah finding herself alone - mostly - in her dorm. It's just her and Blauer Greif, what with Lyra off at the animal club for a bit of a free vet checkup. So with her roomie out too?

This leaves the young woman alone with herself and her thoughts, which while the bliss of the Ball has certainly eased some of her emotional ache...it's temporary, and soon she's outright brooding. Bare feet up on that suspicious desk, a strange cube-like Device in her hands. She runs deft fingers over the thing, head 'gazing' at the ceiling as she leans back in her comfy chair.

There's an aura of being far-off somewhere, or perhaps in her own head as again and again she touches, turns, and rubs her fingers over that odd square with a frown on her face.

Memories, recent and by now old, entirely take up her attention.

Koji Silvia has posed:
It's been a bit too long since Koji had checked in with friends and others. First it was the crashed piece of Arthra, then his own stupidity and recovery time, and then it was school and catching up on studies...

And thens tended to pile up when you weren't looking for them, and they were not something that Koji liked having in front of him. And thens get in the way of doing things you really wanted to do.

This lack of those bothersome And Thens finally has allowed him to start doing the things he should be doing, which has lead him to Hannah's dorm door. Before he knocks though, he looks down at the smartwatch on his wrist and asks, "Can you ping and see if Hannah is here?"

    << Sending Request Now, Young Master. >>

A half-second later, he got back:

    << Device Blauer Greif present. User present. >>

With that out of the way, there's a knock on Hannah's door, "Can I come in?"

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Hannah Steiner lets out a light sigh, the knock and associated voice hitting her ears. It takes her a few seconds to actually respond to her dear friend. A familiar voice, and one she hasn't heard in quite a bit. She plasters a smile on her face, grips her cane, and uses the handle to open the door. A kick off the bed? And that chair rolllls all the way back to the desk.

That cube is shoved onto the desk, where she vaguely hopes it'll be seen as some weird curio.

"Koji-kun. Just me today. Come in, mein freund." She tries her usual blunt friendly inflection, but everything's just...muted today. The sound of someone with a lot on her mind.

"Can I get you anything? Recovered well enough?" Concern inches into her voice. It's been A Lot for them both!

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji Watches as the door opens and Hannah rolls back in a smooth motion, and tilts his head curiously at the strange and new desk in the normally cramped space of the dorms. No comment is made at the moment as he steps into the room and leaves the door slightly open behind him... best just in case.

"Me? No I'm fine, Hannah-chan. And besides the light scar I'm going to have for the rest of my life, I think I will be alright. I actually came by to give you a couple things."

He keeps trying to address her directly, even though the girl can't see his eyes trailing off, but the site is just so odd. The strange cube and the big desk. It just sticks there.

Shaking his head, he exhales and then adds more smile back into his tone, "if you're busy, I can come back later."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Hannah Steiner can't help but actually smile as Koji notes he'll be find, and as it turns out? Has things to give her. Alright, curiousity and some of that good old fashioned Royal Merchant Greed lifts her just a little out of the funk she's been drowning in today. She pulls out one of the other rolly chairs for Koji, and shoves it at him!

"Too late, Koji, you already have mein curiosity und frankly we are long overdue in catching up!"

A brow rises. Oh yes, Koji has her undivided attention!

Koji Silvia has posed:
There is a familiar crackle in the air that someone with less attuned senses like a Hannah Steiner might have would miss. It's the dimensional displacement of a device's Storage being accessed. On the desk, the first thing that thumps down is an olive metallic box with the TSAB logo on it, "When the Arthra bit came down to Earth, I got inside of it, and managed to get a few things... most of it I gave to Chrono since it's his people and ship... but I held this back for you."

Patting the top of it so that the sound of his hand carries, "It's a Device field repair kit. Nothing major, but... I've been holding onto this second one for you. Since you're from a place and culture that makes Devices, I thought it might be good in your hands."

For the second thing, he actually takes something out of his pocket, "You're not from Japan. And that's something that I can understand from my mom and dad. So I wanted to bring you something to help you out with that too."

This item is slid across the desk towards Hannah, "It's something we call an MP3 Player here. I rebuilt this one myself for you. And I put in audiobooks. People reading books for people out loud. I put in books about Japan's history and our Samurai culture... something I thought you'd like to hear about. Some stuff on the development of industry here, about what we call World War II and it's impact on Japan, some audio tours of famous places, and some audio dramas that I got translated into Japanese for you. Basically... things I thought you'd want to learn about your new home."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Hannah's head tilts, she starts to roll closer, but then she very nearly falls out of her chair as soon as the words come out of Koji's mouth. She teeters on the edge of it, then manages to right herself juuuust before gravity takes over!

"K...Koji!?" Disbelief fills her. The young woman who has been using /hand tools/ for repairs and maintenance has felt like she's been in her own equivalent of the middle ages. Here in this little backwater? Such a kit, basic though it might be, is practically advanced technology. It /is/, really.

"By the Sankt, have you /any/ idea what value this has to any qualified or...gah, /hobbiest/ Meister on this little dirtball with a karking manual!? I..." For once she's just. Flabbergasted. Out of words.

"Are you certain?" She asks, as though unsure if she should accept!

A close look, and yes, she's absolutely crying.

And then she finds that mp3 player in her hands. She rubs it over. The sheer /effort/ that Koji has put into this whole thing.

"Digital files, yes. I. Ah. Koji." She repeats. Very, very gingerly, as if holding a pair of priceless artifacts, she puts them down on that desk.

Suddenly, she stands up, and walks right over.

If he doesn't get out of the way?

The Belkan is absolutely going to hug the heck out of him!

Koji Silvia has posed:
Hannah's hands find the 'MP3' thing to be old and boxy, but it's one of those cases that's durable enough that being dropped isn't going to break or crack anything. And there are little bumps on each button that can help delineate which ones do what for someone who cannot see. Proof that on this planet they make efforts to accomodate those who do not have all five senses available for them.

That seems to be left to the roadside as Koji is hugged.

A Belkan Hug.

His face is going blue almost immediately and with one arm pinned to his side, he wheezes out, and weakly pats the girl on the back, rasping out, "T-... th-... You're wel-come... Hannah... BREATHE!"

His pats turn to smacks on her shouler and part of her back!

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Hannah Steiner blink. Oh, yes, oxygen. Even Belkan need that. Suddenly....RELEASE! She may not be the center of gravity right now, but she sure is good at causing suddenly drops when the mood takes her even without magic.

Being a jock has its' advantages.

Rollll back over, and she's investigating that mp3 player. She pops one of the earbuds into her ear, squinting a brow as she gets a feel for the thing. Suddenly, she laughs, sounding...well, still tired, but with a wipe of her eyes, she finally returns to the gifts verbally.

"Thank you. Hah! I could well use to learn more of the local /mores/ as it were. Und. Just understand. ...I can draw certain /comparisons/...Acht. Mmm. Nein, best to not risk it. Still, you. Went to all this effort."

A tilt of her head, and she considers something. "Koji. What is your Inheritance Day?" Pause. "Erm, nein...nein...what is this planet's words....name day....?" She tries a little. Frown!

Koji Silvia has posed:
Pondering the word for a moment, Koji then considers, and says, "I think you mean Birthday. Yes... here we celebrate the day we are born... and the days that friends and relatives are born as well. It can be a bit daunting if you have a large family. There's usually a small gathering, food, a cake, some presents."

He kind of trails off on it, and then adds with an exhale, "I turn 16 next month."

Finally, he moves to lean against a part of the wall and crosses his arms over his chest as he puts one foot up as he looks you over and then the DESK once more, "I... look, I'm really sorry about this, but it's bugging me... where did you find that desk and stuff? I don't recognize the style. It doesn't look like anything the school provides."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Hannah Steiner squints her brow a bit. "Mmm. Mid-Childa und many Belkan worlds do the same. Back home it is 'Inheretence Day' for...mmm. Well, generational wealth is a pillar of Tharkadian society. Particularly for mein House." A shrug. But then she gets to the point.

"The Veil, correct?" She all but /spits/ out the word. The entire concept, for one so /used/ to magic in her life, well it grinds her horridly. To rob people of it...

It's why her secondmost goal is finding a way off this rock.

"Obviously. We were both there at the Artha und seeing about proper rites of battlefield salvage." A pause. And she smiles opening both arms with a gesture.

"Und because I know such things are not commonly practiced here, as Sovereign Ally to Mid-Childa und the Time Space Administration Bureau by the Mount Arrarat Decree of X-XXX-XX sub section 378.5, paragraphs eighteen through seventy-six, in order to prevent undue technological proliferation, any member of the Tharkadian Military is allowed salvage rights so long as a TSAB official of at least Enforcer rank is given the proper paperwork." Oh yeah, she's anticipating pushback. She did nick Chrono's mom's desk after all!

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji's mouth opens and then closes as the Veil is suddenly brought up, as if to say that MORE people here are magical and losing it... But before he can add any more rail for that train of thought, he's suddenly hit with a bunch of regulations.

"Hanzo?"

    << User Steiner is correct, Young Master. The regulations are relevant for salvage outside of TSAB-managed territories, or allied space. >>

"Well... okay then..."

But he walks over towards the other side of the desk and begins to examine it, looking closer at it, and then with another breath, he says softly, "Hannah-chan... I... look, this isn't meant to be negative but... it's always been my experience that people who quote regulations or rules tend to do that because they know they did something they know they shouldn't have."

Squatting down, he runs his hand along the side, and then towards where some of the item numbering for the ship's inventory system, he adds, "You and I are from very different societies. For one thing... did you know Japan is barred from having a standing military? Every boy has the option when turning 18 to join the Japanese Self Defense Force. But not many do. Because despite the pride in having a military, there's also an inherent shame to it. We lost a war, and worse... we're the only nation on the planet someone used a nuclear device on. Those scars remain... guilt sticks with us, even if the reason fades over time."

He almost chuckles as his fingers run along some numbers, and he has Hanzo search his database for them, "There's this series of movies we call Kaiju movies... the main ones being Godzilla. Godzilla is a giant reptilian monster who was born of nuclear fire. It comes to Tokyo and stomps on it and destroys it until we drive it off. But after several years... the movies changed... and Godzilla stopped destroying Tokyo and starts protecting it from other monsters. The great threat is now the great defender. What changed? We started using nuclear power."

He then adds, "Sorry... I'm rambling..."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Hannah isn't one to back down in these situations. "...Mein normal counterpoint is to simply say that one exercising one's rights und ensuring no jumped-up wretch of a bureaucrat is going to make a fuss." Pause.

"There is a story to that one. I wanted something of...somewhat close to home. Let us merely say Herr Harlaown und I may have had a slight...Duel of Honor over the desk's contents. One certain piece of it, which I shan't reveal. Word given und all." Okay, there's a liiiiittle shame in her voice over that petty fight. Especially given the Duel's greater circumstances.

There's several nods as she just...well, actually listens for once.

"To let martial tradition rot because of the crimes of ones' ancestors is..." Again, she almost spits out the sentence. But, sympathy too fills her.

"I am of a Great House of Belka. One of the few remaining. Hanzo? How much have you explained of Ancient Belka to your charge?" She asks suddenly, addressing Koji's Device.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Before Koji can speak up for himself, Hanzo replies outloud:

    << Young Master has been given the basic overview of Mildchildan versus Belkan culture. Unfortunately, the educational records are part of corrupted data. >>

For the young man, he looks thoughtful, and then moves to stand and sit on the edge of the desk now, his heel tapping on the leg. Nibbling on one side of his lip for a long moment, Koji adds, "I'm listening... but I think I have something to say to you, Hannah. As a friend... and..."

Shaking his head, he puts up a hand to forestall his further words, even if Hannah can't see it, "No... nevermind for now. Please, go on."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Her smile dies on her lips. "Long, long ago, the Sankt Kaisers, members of the Old Belkan Empire, used the worst of magic und technologies to conquer vast swathes of space. They turned themselves into monsters, wielded things that snuffed out planets und suns. Their greed knew no bounds. Mein House was one that participated in such tragedies. Every member of the House of Steiner has the blood of...so many. Entire planets, before the Holy Sankt Olivie woke us up. A war to stop the fighting. Eventually, we acquiesed to profit und a desire to keep our home planet. Und when She Upon The Cradle passed to Divinity..."

A wave of her hand. "We became allies und merchants for the Mid-Childa, our old 'enemies'. So yes. I know what it is to have shame. But so too can one find pride!" She growls.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Hannah can hear the blade's edge of concern in the young man's tone, "Okay... so... I think I need to say something to you, Hannah. You don't need to reply, you don't need to do anything more than think about it."

Standing up off the desk, he goes and turns to look at her, "You told me your story about how you came here... with nothing but Lyra and Blauer Greif. What happened at home... and... I've been thinking about it a lot. I've been doing some reading. And watching. I saw the aftermath of your fight with hematite. And that you wanted him to go at you full force."

The pause seems to hang for a long moment, "I... it's my..."

He actually struggles with it, "I think you are trying to punish yourself because you weren't there to save your parents. That if you had been, they might be alive. It's a hurt that's enough that it made you run here... run from the things that would've reminded you of that thing that's in your head now and won't go away... and come here to a place to seek revenge. But you're throwing yourself at every conflict you can. Stronger and stronger people... and I think it's because you are trying to... punish yourself. Like maybe... if someone hits YOU hard enough, somehow it'll make the hurt in your heart go away."

His cadence speeds up a little now, "Now, before you get on me about the Sankts and House... I get some of that honor. The japanese have a DEEP sense of honor and obligation. There are some things that HAVE to be done when something happens. If you don't, then everything you lived for is meaningless. And that's a hard mountain to climb. But... is it possible... maybe... that part of the reason you came here... to a world that no Device User has been able to leave... so that you could..."

Again with the pause, "It boils down to a saying. From a great philosopher from neighboring country called China. His name was Confucius, and he was considered one of the great founders of eastern philosophy on our world. He says 'Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves'. If you are out to make someone else suffer, you also suffer... and if can cost you your own life too. And there are people here who wouldn't want that for you."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
She should be angry. But that Duel with Chrono has certainly given her something to think about. And now Koji is similarly laying out truths she's been running from since she came here. All of her attention has been on her Uncle. Particularly since the attempt on her life. If anything her obsession has only grown.

Even Sailor Moon has seen part of it, though a good girl like that can't comprehend the desire. Or maybe just not yet, she's not sure, but certainly she hopes Moon never does.

"Herr Harlaown said something similar when we fought." She finally adds in a voice that is just /exhausted/ and lacking the usual life her words always carry.

"That they would not want me to hurt myself over them."

She admits. Clearly, she's been doing a lot of thinking, and Koji's words just reaffirm that it's not just Chrono. Other people can see it. What she's doing to herself.

More silence. She curls up, legs to her body in her chair.

"I was there in the throne room when mein Uncle stormed in. Shot them down like dogs, just as I was given over the reigns of state. I..." Teeth grit. She can't. She...shouldn't.

"I could not STOP him and his minions! I /FROZE/ like a damned coward! If...mein parents, the retainers, the royal guard they all..." Tension peaks in her voice.

She can't continue. The shame, the memories. Her heart /aches/.

Koji Silvia has posed:
In response to the silence, Koji says, "I've never had anything like that happen to me. I have nothing to compare... and I am so sorry this is what you had to go through... but you want to know something?"

Stepping over, he kneels down in front of Hannah, and puts one of his hands on her free hand, "You're not a coward, Hannah. At the end of the day we're both kids. No one expected us to have to handle this. You might have been raised for it... but it's one thing to except something, and another thing to see it become a reality. And then... have it happen because of this awful thing? I mean..."

He says quietly, "I get it. I get why you'd run. Some things are TOO MUCH. And it's not you being a coward. You are in pain. A pain so deep that it's everywhere."

Standing back up again, "My dad is weird, but sometimes he says stuff that makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Me and my mom were at each other because she lied about being an alien, and then didn't like that I had her magical gift. Anyways... this has been going on for almost a year. He sat us down and told us silence is like a wound. And the only way to heal the wound is words. He also said a lot of other stupid stuff... and then went out to get stuff for dinner and made us work things out."

There's a long sigh from him, "I guess what I'm saying is... you can't blame yourself for the things other people do. You can only do what you can do. Whatever happens because of it is... for better or worse... what happens. But your coming here was maybe a good thing for you. Because I think... back home on Tharkad... you'd have been unhappy."

He then adds, "An unhappy, easy to manipulate child, taken advantage of for her lack of experience. Someone desperate for something to fill the void that was made. By coming here? If what happened was part of someone's bigger plan... you could have made it harder for them. And by being here... you're around people who aren't nobility. Aren't playing games. People who are just... trying to help."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Being forced to address the situation, between Usagi's pleading for mercy, her moral loss of the Duel with Chrono, and now a young man who's practically becoming her older brother? It's hard. She doesn't want to think about her own pain. It's why she chases those fights, even beyond what her own culture would push her to.

It's not even seeking glory. Koji is right. It's trying to dull her own pain. To escape, and not have to think about everything that makes her heart ache and keeps her up at night. Why she's more than once awoken crying from the past that so ties her down.

Her hand grips Koji's. Not enough to hurt, but firmly. She's always been a tactile girl. And now? Her friend is an anchor as the memories try to slide into her fore brain and consume her again.

By the Sankt, he /knows/, or at least has the wisdom and empathy to see it clearly.

There's that silence again. But, after a while, a small little smile broaches the darkness. "During the weeks when we were rooting out the rest of the traitors aligned with mein Uncle...now that I think about it. I felt...nothing. Not heartache. Not even sadness. I...do not even remember the funeral." That last part has her shuddering. She /hates/ it!

"I suppose you have that much correct. Here, at least, I can feel. I can have freunds." A bitter laugh.

"As Father always reminded me, governments und rulers have naught but interests. We are alone even amongst allies und have only House to confide in."

Her eyes close.

"That is why the betrayal stings. Intellectually, mein Name is always a sword above mein neck. But by the Sankt. I would have offered him everything. Ambition is one thing, but Betrayal?"

A shake of her head.

"Koji-kun." She starts. She /never/ uses Japanese honorifics. Except for one other soul.

"I value as you as freund und someone I care for as blood. What. What would you do in mein situation? I have to stop him before he hurts someone other than meinself. But. What then?" She finally asks.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Without hesitation, Koji replies, "Cry. Rage. Throw up a time-space barrier and scream until you can't anymore. Don't hold it inside anymore... because you can't BE whoever it is you either are going to be or want to be... until you make room for it."

And then he adds, "It's kind of like the problem with Hanzo right now. Someone took something that he didn't need and jammed it in there. Now it's causing him problems and he's trying his best to be my partner, but also... he's hurting too. I know that thing will need to be taken out, but I can't replace the things he lost. That would need the kind of tools that aren't here. But we'll do our best. And we'll find new things, better things to fill the space. It'll never be perfect, but it'll be something."

You both swear you can hear an indignant ping from the Device on his wrist.

"Once you know the Hannah you want to be... you'll know whether or not you're stopping him because of House and Saint... or if you're stopping him because it's what needs to be done."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
She finally, actually laughs. "Are you /certain/ there is Mid-Childan blood in your veins? Herr Harlaown would /blush/ at working out his feelings in such a manner!" That's a little more like herself, taking an opportunity to dunk on her favorite Mid-Childan target.

Then she just nods. It all, at least mentally, clicks into place. Is she doing this just for Duty and House, or is there more to it? She's never thought of it like that.

"Everything in mein life has been a path to ascention to the Throne because that is mein Duty. It has never required...pondering the why's. Just. Doing. Working hard, learning, such that I can..." She tenses.

"Make them proud. Be stronger, better than they were. Find a Co-ruler worthy to stand beside me und support me so that Tharkad can reach better heights of prosperity."

"But. Never why." Here. She has a choice, so far away. Even if getting home is possible. She trusts the regent she appointed. There are other branches of the family that, should it be impossible to return?

It's not like the TSAB, for all the rivalries and petty politicking, would abandon such a reliable merchant house and world.

"Acht. Introspection works best in a shower. Und here you are dangling a /project/ in front of me. Hanzo. Requesting Meister access, authorization code Seven-Eight-Berta. You have mein House's licensing details no doubt." She would believe that Hanzo might just collect such a thing, it's not like Blauer Greif is shy about it after she let the truth fly to Koji. Even her certification is still valid!

"Indeed. Emphasis on 'we'. I am not going to let you go digging around without a guiding, expert hand. Acht. Even if it is /Mid-Childan/ technology..." Grumping about that makes her sound...well, maybe a little better.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji hmphs a bit, "Ease off a bit on Chrono, okay? He might be an elite Enforcer, but he's also a kid like us... and don't let it turn into bullying if you can help it. He's going through a lot of the same stuff you are."

However when the access code is received, you both hear...

    << Access Code Acknowledged. Sending Device A-A-aaaaaaaarchitecture and systems st-tatus... now. Now. Nnnnnn.... *fsssst*. Error. Transmission recoded and submitted. Apologies. >>

"Okay... that was different. You okay there, Hanzo?"

    << Yes, Young Master. Code accessed corrupted memories. Device Self-diagnostic and patch was required. >>

Koji sighs and takes off the watch, so he can set it on the desk, "Don't laugh too much... but lately... my best place to think has been when I'm out on patrol or fighting youma. Like last night. Something about it lets me detach that part of my mind to work things out."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Two hands go up in the air! "Worry not. We discussed the matter to ensure he knew intent, und he agreed. It is all a /game/, I assure you. By the Sankt, he won our bout with the purest blade of all." She doesn't seem to miffed about that now.

And then, realizing she should probably spell it out for Koji? "Words und morality. He is an ally und freund." Smile.

The more she thinks on it, she's glad she lost.

Wince. WINCE!

"If we had a proper lab, three weeks und a few sleepless nights...parts...You were not kidding." Right, Hannah. Project. PROJECT!

She can't believe she's about to say this.

"Be. Cautious." She swirls the word around in her mouth like it tastes like sludge.

"Erm. /Measured/." Oh by the Sankt her stomach wants to fall to the floor right now.

Then it's her turn to smirk.

"Mmm. It /does/ offer quiet. But I always find mein mind..." Her own hunts never stay for youma, now do they? Dark Tokyo Project. Her Uncle.

A sigh. "It is so easy to consider a /goal/ while out in the streets. Knowing He lurks out there. So many sources of defilement und Blasphemy under Her Gaze exists!" Her temper is flaring back up, but it's at least better than the funk of depression. She somehow manages to shove it back down.

"Splitting mein mind so has always been...difficult. Either letting go or focusing on one objective..." She ponders.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Sitting back down on the side of the desk again, Koji frowns, "I wish that my skills with our electronics could help Hanzo... but it's like making a potato clock and then trying to use the same skills to make a digital smartwatch. Same principle, VASTLY different levels of tech."

To the rest of it, his eyes flick up, but his voice warms a bit, "So... I'm going to tell you a secret only a couple other people know..."

Looking away for a moment, "I cheat on my tests and homework. Not to give myself a better grade... but to make sure I only get the scores I want. I could be in the top three of my class... easily. But I don't. I want to stay in the underside of the top ten in class because I can get into the school I want. I want to be in that spot where I have good grades, but people don't think I'm special. Be visible but don't be SEEN. That's how I've been since I was... maybe eight or nine? I work harder to make sure I could be in the top, but I don't need to be. It's also like with clubs. Gymnastics... it's a physical sport, but it's not one that's in front of cameras a lot. But being in a sports club looks good for your prospects for a college."

Tapping his fingers on the desk a few times he adds, "I knew what I was going to do before I got to middle school. Kids aren't supposed to do that but I did. All because... I wanted to do something that would let me live how I wanted to live without people paying too much attention to me. It's not that I don't like people... it's just that... until the magic invaded my life and screwed up everything... I just couldn't depend on people. I was always doing things for them, and no one was doing anything for me."

But finally, "Most of that was me. I push people away. I don't know why, but I do. I don't trust them, I deflect them against other people... heck... my roommate knows that I use him to shield me from girls talking to me. So... yeah... there it is."

Hannah Steiner has posed:
Hannah lets out a snicker. "More attempting to build a starship using one of the...acht, 'automobiles' without anti-graviti..." She really needs to stop making technology base comparisons before she starts trampling on a treaty. She's already having to wield the letter of the spess law like a club to not avoid any potential hazards should she get home!

"Close enough." She ends lamely.

Hannah listens, and if there's anything she /can't/ understand, well it's not being seen as special. Special is the default to the ruler of a planet. Particularly one given by birth alone. But she /can/ understand knowing what it's like to know where she'll end up, at least.

"Safe in mein heart und the gaze of Her Upon the Cradle, Koji-kun." Assures Hannah, before she nods.

"It all seems so /simple/ until it all falls apart." She ends, reaching over, and squeezing Koji's arm again. Then she hands Hanzo back over.

She tilts her head. "We might be a pair of messes. Perhaps we, alongside our freunds und loved ones, can sweep us back up into something approximating sane individuals." Now she's just teasing. Kind of. Mostly.

She then proceeds to punch him on the shoulder. Hard.

"Now, und I say this with love, get out! Blauer Greif needs to comb over that data, I need to plan und think if we have /any/ hope to know what we need before we even consider repairs! It is not as simple as just replacing a wire, this is a semi-sentient being on the line! Und by the Sankt, talk to your room mate! Dating is a time honored tradition for those our age! Make mistakes, break hearts, und try love for once!" She's grinning again. So. So much sisterly badgering.

Sorry Koji. Welcome to the House of Steiner.