>>5876208Your healing has been going well. You've heard most severe wounds need weeks in the hospital; you've taken a bite or two defending your town, but the infection was worse than the wound itself. Given it's simply gashes across non-critical flesh, you just need to not get ahead of yourself and it'll be back to normal soon. And thankfully, going to this meeting should be nice low activity.
Returning to the secretary as scheduled, she has a strange guard standing beside her. He wears this odd armor made from full metal, black and gold. The rice farmer's hat made from blackened steel with a gold trim gives it a distinct oriental flair, besides some obvious similarities to a suit of armor you've seen displayed in Nonoka's manor. Besides the obvious swan on his pauldron, there are more runes like the one you saw on the L4 back at the hospital. This man is, somehow, slightly shorter than you, and standing too close would have his hat threaten to jab you in the eye.
He addresses you by nodding his head up and back. "Jarnafeldt," he speaks with a heavy accent. "Under Sumika's command?"
A friend of Sumika's-or at least, one of her fellows from her homeland. The tension melts slightly, and you hope a cheery attitude can help you be completely rid of it. "Yes, I am!"
"I see." He turns to the secretary and say's he'll handle you from here, before leading you down a hall to a separate elevator. You can't recall an elevator in this part of the building on other floors. Must be that this is the only one with basement access. Silently, he pushes a strange combination of buttons before hitting his destination, the door closes, and it begins to descend.
You were eager to strike up conversation, but he seems to start one first. "I apologize for what I'm wearing, but Katriina requested I provide an example of what her projects. This is - <span class="mu-i">was</span> a pneumatic suit... but more of a prototype... on a body of standard proportions, the jets do not give enough thrust where they are. Better for a weapon to be augmented in such a way."
That's frustrating to hear, as a jet powered fist sounded amazing in your heart and mind. For a second, you had thought this to be idle conversation, and almost let it go by, but then you caught on. "So Sumika was a perfect candidate?"
The man in the hat nodded. "<span class="mu-i">Hai.</span> Such a suit couldn't be made here; for all the tools we have, we still want for experts... it would have received modifications here, finishing touches... but it was fully functional besides. If you find it in your expeditions, it will look like this.."
<span class="mu-i">Ding.</span>
