SRWOG Secret Hangar Excellen Browning

TURN.20
"Springtime Cherry Blossoms" ~Blooming Memories~

Featured Character(s):
Excellen Browning: ATX team member and pilot of the Weissritter. She's actually calm and intelligent, but from the goofy way she talks and acts, nobody around her would ever guess it.

"A... flower viewing?" Brooklyn Luckfield asked curiously from his seat in a Langley Base briefing room. "Yes, I'm familiar with them. They're a classic Japanese custom. People eat lunch and have a good time while admiring the cherry blossoms..."

"Yeah, there you go! I bet you see where I'm going with this, huh?" The woman in front of Bullet grinned broadly and gave a firm nod. She was a key member of the ATX team, someone who liked to unabashedly flaunt her status as the lone woman on the team - Excellen Browning. "There's a park near base where they have cherry trees straight out of Japan. They're supposed to be in bloom soon."

"You can't possibly be suggesting we go out for a flower viewing during a time of emergency."

"Oh, I can, all right!"

"Are you crazy?! Our fight with the Aerogators might be over, but that doesn't mean they're no longer a threat! And on top of that, we're supposed to be looking out for remnants of the surrendered DC forces!" Bullet spoke fervently, gesticulating with his clenched hands. Their battle with the extraterrestrial lifeforms known as the Aerogators had come to an end, and at the present, the world was in a rather tenuous state of peace. This peace was threatened by remnants of the Divine Crusaders that lurked in every part of the world, and caution was the ruling trend.

After the L5 Campaign, the Hagane and the Hiryu Custom were both out on their own respective assignments. The Tesla-Reich Institute and Mao Industries on the moon were working at a fever pitch to develop new military assets with which to defend the Earth Sphere.

Indeed, while there may not have been any sounds of gunfire, it was no exaggeration to say that at the present, the world was in a state of emergency.

"We've got more pressing issues than a flower viewing. We need to get stronger... We need to train harder. Don't you agree, Lieutenant Kyosuke?" Bullet sought agreement from the other pilot in the briefing room - Kyosuke Nambu, commander of the ATX team.

"...You have a point." The reply came in a plain, disinterested tone. Any outsider would assume he was unsociable, but it was just the normal way he spoke. "This might not be the best time to get drunk at a flower viewing." Kyosuke gave Excellen a brief glance, one that clearly stated, 'And you should know better than to ask.'

Excellen kept smiling softly, undeterred by the look that she definitely didn't miss.

"I say this is precisely the right time for a flower viewing." Her slow, deliberate words quietly seeped their way into Kyosuke and Bullet's hearts.

"How does that work--"

"Oh, okay then."

"Seriously, Lieutenant Kyosuke?!" Bullet did a double-take, shocked at how abruptly Kyosuke turned around and agreed with Excellen.

"Wow! Okay, tonight it is! Participation is mandatory for all ATX team members. Heck, let's invite the hangar crew while we're at it."

"Bwha?!"

"Now then, with that settled, I'd better procure us some sake."

"Look, the sake part I can deal with. Just please, no crazy bunny suit this time?"

"I thought rabbits were part of the whole flower viewing theme."

"...You're mixing up flower viewings and moon viewings."

That night, the ATX team and others from Langley Base all gathered at the park near base. A pale red stream flowed silently through the moonlit darkness. Flower petals danced in the wind, as though gravity didn't exist for them. They traced erratic courses across people's vision.

"Whoa... That's beautiful!" Bullet murmured in amazement. He couldn't take his eyes off of the pale red stream flowing across the backdrop of the night sky.

"I know, right? Aren't you glad you came, Bullet?"

"...I'm still not totally convinced this is a good idea."

"Says the guy with his jaw hanging open and his eyes glued to the cherry blossoms."

"Grk... Okay, they're pretty, you got me there." Bullet admitted, and Excellen gave a pleased smile.

"This custom is the very thing we're protecting, you know."

"It is?"

"The ability to sit back, take in the sight of cherry blossoms, and admire how beautiful they are. That's happiness. We fight to protect that feeling."

"To protect... a feeling?"

"If we lose, then nobody gets any more flower viewings. Wouldn't that suck?"

Bullet didn't argue. He just gave a slow nod, his eyes still on the cherry blossoms.

"And that's enough sappiness for one night! It's time to par-tay!" Excellen called out, signaling for people to start busting out the sake. "C'mon, Bullet. Have a drink!"

"Er, Lieutenant, I really don't--"

"This isn't just sake. I'll do you one better. I got Kusuha to send me some of her special drinks earlier. I'll just mix it in here..."

"Oh, God... Why is it so dark green and sinister-looking?!"

"Bam! One Flower Viewing Special, ready to go! C'mon, man up and chug it!"

"What did I ever do to you?!"

Two hours later, some people were passed out in a drunken stupor. Others were linking arms around shoulders and grouping up to sing. Freed from their brutal daily work, the Langley Base crew made the most of the brief festivities.

"Ahh, it's nice to see people having a good time." Excellen had drunk more than most people there, but she wasn't drunk in the least; she was still in full control of herself. Next to her sat Kyosuke, holding a sake cup that was still mostly full.

"Do you think the boss and his buddy are off somewhere having a flower viewing, too?"

"...Wouldn't surprise me." Kyosuke briefly pictured an image of Sanger and Elzam, having a drink to the sight of nighttime cherry blossoms. Were they indulging in the same emotions he was? "But it doesn't look to me like you were looking for an excuse to drink."

"Maybe not. That was part of it, sure, but..." Excellen trailed off idly. She took a petal off her shoulder and held it in the palm of her hand. "This is precisely the time when people need mental nourishment."

"Nourishment, huh."

"We've got a job to do, and that job is to make sure we can see these same blossoms again next year, and the year after!"

A warrior's drive is what someone needs to keep fighting. That drive differs from person to person, just like people's reasons to fight. Nonetheless, protecting the powerless and ensuring they live on is a mission shared by many warriors. The beauty of the cherry blossoms Excellen's group saw that night will strengthen them and grant them valiant support. The warriors will go  out again today, to ensure that the beauty of falling cherry blossoms can be passed down to the next generation.

TURN.20 END

<<Terada Memories>>
Ahh, Exxy, that bastion of late 80s anime jokes. She's designed for comedy, deep cut references, and sexiness, but she has a special place in the OG series, where seriousness is also okay. She has a peculiar sense of humor and likes to use a lot of old words that have fallen out of use, which makes her really tricky to write for. I always find myself amazed at how Yuko Mizutani nails her lines perfectly. (Terada)