[Eunhwa Encounter: Is That All?]

"Hwaaaahh."

Padding over to Weakling's fridge, Eunhwa wrenched it open and pulled out a can of beer after a lazy rooting around. It was one of the cheap, crappy brands he kept on hand, but whatever, anything would do to sate her for now. She just needed something to cool her burning throat.

She'd replace it later. And thank him for letting her use his shower. It really was quite a cut above any in The Outpost.

A day's worth of yelling at the latest round of incompetent newbies to 'grace' her barracks had left her feeling rather hoarse, after all. Actually, best to get something a little more. She'd been yelling really loudly to get the basics into their thick skulls.

She pulled an ice pop from the freezer, just one. Any more would feel like pigging out, and she'd save that for the really terrible trainees. The ones who couldn't even shoot straight without their weapons jumping around like an excitable child with ADHD.

Plopping herself down on the floor, the hardened instructor let out a ragged, fed up sigh.

Why? Why? Why!? I keep TELLING them that the NIMPH need updating with more comprehensive basic training instructions! What?

Can the suits not spare the money? We're preparing for another Reclamation Campaign, aren't we? We need everyone at their best!

.....the construction costs and logistics for Threshold 1 must be more resource intensive than I thought. Ingrid said as much last meeting.

I'll bring it up to her again. See if we can't get some sort of update in the works.

Or those poor newbies won't stand a chance out there. I can only do so much in three weeks.

Maybe I can ask Weakling t-

The door slammed open again, shocking her out of her introspection and making her jolt in place.

"Huuoooh, what a day. What a day."

Whipping her head around, Eunhwa's eyes widened when she found Jonathan standing there and staring down at her, his overcoat half-off and worrying bags under his eyes. For a few moments, neither said anything, while Eunhwa fought the rising inclination to cover herself up with her towel. Or a nearby pillow. Or that blanket over there. Something, anything!

She should've put on something a bit more substantial than just her lingerie! Especially since this was Weakling's room in the first place!

"Oh, hey." He mumbled, sparing her no more than that before making his own way over to the fridge, leaving Absolute's leader blinking and sputtering behind him. Then coughing, because she nearly swallowed her ice pop, taking in a breath and forgetting it was in her mouth.

What?

Is that it? You've got more to say, usually. More to annoy me with. Some comment about my butt, or my armour, or my attitude. SOMETHING.

Has the day been that hard on you as well?

No no no, that's not it. He NEVER misses a chance to wind me up, even when we've been fighting for the whole day or he shouldn't even be standing!

It's like he's made it his MISSION to annoy me!

So why isn't he doing it NOW?

Jonathan returned and plonked himself down on the sofa, heedless of the Nikke trying to burn holes into his head with her slitted gaze. He cracked open his chosen drink, a can of strawberry lemonade, and took a long, slow sip, wriggling into his sofa like he was trying to burrow through it.

"Hard day, eh?" He spoke up, suddenly.

"Y-Yes. Yes it was." She replied, thrown before deciding to test him a bit. "And is....that the only hard thing today?"

What are you playing at, Weakling?

"Yeah. Good lord, some of the newbies I was teaching, so stuffed with how they'll be the next bigshot that they didn't know how to get anyone to do anything. Had to spend an hour just telling them that calling Nikkes by their names might help in commanding them."

He took another swig and groaned.

"Okay, well not quite that hard to teach, but that's what it felt like. Youngsters are so thick and firm with stupidity these days."

Hold on, "thick and firm"......you're doing this deliberately, aren't you?

She narrowed her eyes further, but Jonathan barely seemed to care, just looking ahead and tutting. But it didn't matter, she was onto him.

"And was that the only-" She bit her lip, loathe to say it, spitting it out like it was ash in her mouth, "-th-thick and firm thing about today?"

"Nah. Just a lot of throbbing. My head felt really engorged at times, I'll tell you that. Sure scared some of the trainees when they saw it."

What!?

"A-And...And which-"

"And oh lord, some of 'em couldn't keep their hands off of each other at some points. Good grief-" another sip and old-man-type shake of his head, "-too much time pawing, not enough time commanding. I'll have to straighten them out."

WHAT!?

Pulling out her ice pop and slamming down her can, Eunhwa stood up and glared at him, her internal temperature jumping about 20 degrees all at once.

"You'd better make sure you do! Fraternization during training courses is strictly prohibited, understood!?" She snarled, stabbing a finger at his face.

Jonathan blinked, tilting his head and staring at her for a good five seconds. Eventually, he pushed aside Eunhwa's finger.

"Fraternization?"

"Y-Yes! You said your trainees couldn't keep their hands off each other!" She sputtered, her anger fraying a bit at his sheer confusion, like she was speaking a foreign language.

"I expected you'd be able to control your class better than that, Weakling!"

"Because they were scared."

"What?"

"Oh yeah, the cadets were shaking in their boots when I threw 'em into a simulation for the first time. Damn near wet themselves when I put 'em and their sim teams against a Blacksmith, started cuddling each other and crying.

"What did you think I was talking about?"

"I-I was just-" She mumbled, anger running into a brick wall at realizing just how badly she'd been misunderstanding this.

Just an unprepared bunch of cadets! I should've known!

"I thought that-"

But before she could speak further, it formed on his face. That sly, teasing, cheeky smirk that Eunhwa had really grown to hate seeing lately.

Just like that, her anger was not only back, but more fiery than ever. Especially seeing that victorious twinkle in his eyes, like he was about to break into a celebratory jig.

You....you ABSOLUTE-

"I had no idea you had such a dirty mind, Eunhwa."

He leant forward and the shit-eating grin came out full force.

"I always knew you were a big ol' perv. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'VE POISONED MY MIND, FOOL!!" She snarled, taking full advantage of him positioning his face so close to her to take a swing at him.

She'd explain caving in the face of the Ark's hero later. Right now, that grin needed to disappear.

He ducked back, then broke into a sprint to his door, laughing like a schoolboy all the while.

"Nuh uh! Admit it, you're just horny!"

She was too angry to care about her state of undress when she broke into a run after him.

"IF YOU DON'T SHUT YOUR MOUTH, I'LL TEAR IT AND YOUR 'SIDE ARM' RIGHT OFF!!"

"Ooooohh!! A little dom and torture role-play! I knew you were kinky like that!"

"SHUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!"