Week 79: directly after the mission

The mission had been...successful. Hopefully, a facility full of dead Ai-Jinn should be enough to convince the Resistance that they were on their side. But in the meantime, there was a spot for the Agents to catch their breath in the ruins of a building of some sort, and Silvia was (unsurprisingly) taking the opportunity to talk to Hugo, away from the rest of the team.

"...Hey," she tried awkwardly, glancing around to make sure they weren't going to be interrupted. "Hugo, it...it's good to see you. Really...really good." It was quite obvious that she had no idea how to express exactly what it felt like to see him again. "I...it's been a difficult few weeks. Well, I mean, not that bad...I've dealt with worse...kind of, but it...this stuff is never...easy. And Tansai...this kind of thing doesn't really suit her which makes it...harder. But...you're here now. So that...things are better." She sighed, a little frustrated at her inability to articulate herself and tried again.

"I...I'm glad you're here. You and the others, but...it's good to see you again."

Hugo was not hard to get alone. He was following Silvia like a puppy, attentive, cautious, excited. He hovered over her, as if to provide as much protection as possible--he didn't even seem to notice that she might not be fond of it. It was hard enough to to touch her and hold her and... He gently brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers, and bent to kiss her forehead. It was hard, seeing her so.. hunted, almost. Awkward. She shouldn't be awkward around him. He put his arms tenderly around her. "And you, picara. I... missed you. And I am I here now. And I'll stay for as long as you do." Sure, he was concerned about Taiwan, and how poorly he fit in, and moreso about the tunnels that he would need to climb in--he shivered a little there, and pulled her closer--but those things were not important. Silvia was important. "I missed you a lot."

Silvia sighed and relaxed slightly, letting Hugo hold her. "It...I missed you too," she said, softly. She didn't say any more than that, just putting her arms around Hugo and feeling his massive, comforting presence. For the moment, she was content to just let go of the tension that had been a constant companion for the last four weeks.

Hugo seemed content with silence too, resting his head against hers. He inhaled, hands reaching around her sides as he pulled her closer, smelling her, touching her, happy to have her here. "It's hard not to worry, when you're.. you.. you're not around." He kissed her neck, sighing. He too seemed to be relaxing, resting some, but not much, of his weight on her. "When you didn't, couldn't text me, right before you told us to come..." He had obviously been distraught, though he sounded almost content now. He lapsed into silence for a moment before adding, "Oh, and Shinobu is having a baby."

"Yeah, I'm...I'm sorry I couldn't keep in better contact..." Silvia began, before fully registering what Hugo was saying and cutting herself off as the conversation shifted.

"I...I got the text, but...I didn't quite...I thought it must be wrong," she said, slowly. "That it must have got...scrambled in the jamming or something. I mean...a baby? Shinobu?" She seemed...not quite speechless, seeing as there had been some forewarning, but certainly at a loss. "I mean...who with? And...where? In 6768? Is...is she retiring? Going away?"

"Retiring, yeah. For now. That why he's not here, cuz.. You know, getting ready and everything. But no, she's not leaving. I mean, we do live in her house. And.. er.. She's having it artificially, you know, one of those sped up lab babies? Where they mix your DNA and stuff?" Hugo was warming up as they spoke, obviously entertained. Delighted. "The other parent DNA was from a donor, some European guy. The baby will be at 6768 at any time now." Hugo grinned, looking down at Silvia. He began to rub one of her shoulders, gently, trying to massage some of the tension out of it. "I mean, I just found out before I texted you."

Silvia nodded as Hugo explained, giving her a better handle on the exact context. "Okay, that...that all makes sense." She sighed as Hugo began to massage her shoulder, a bit of the tension releasing, then frowned as something clicked in her mind. "So...there's going to be a baby around at 6768? With...the rest of us all there? Is...is this going to be a permanent thing?"

Hugo chuckled a pulled back slightly, undoing the clasps that kept his armor on. "No no. Not permanently. After a couple years, there will be a toddler at home." He laughed, low and dumb in his throat, unzipping the armor. He continued, teasing, "And after that, a little kid, then a big kid, then a teenager... And I think Shinobu is gonna keep his kid then too, probably." He smirked at her, peeling off his jacket. Underneath, he was wearing a gray sweater. It almost appeared.. fuzzy. He reached down and began to undo Silvia's combat armor.

Silvia did chuckle in reply to Hugo's comment, but it was very much half-hearted and petered out after only a moment. She shifted a little to allow Hugo easier access to her armour, but it was nervous shifting - she quite evidently wasn't comfortable with this idea. "Okay...so...there's going to be a kid around. That's...okay, that's fine. It'll be fine, I'm sure." Unfortunately, it was quite obvious that there was no conviction whatsoever in her words. "Fine," she added, unnecessarily.

Hugo frowned a little as he took off her armor, concern passing over his features. "Do you.. don't like kids?" He had never really considered Silvia one of those people who didn't like children. It seemed weird. He didn't seem to notice her discomfort beyond that. "I mean, my room is sound proofed. It's not like we'll hear him cry." He threw her armor over his shoulder, and draped his massive combat jacket over her shoulders, before reaching to his waist and pulling out a tac shield, which he flipped on.

"Not...really, no," Silvia replied, somewhat apologetically, settling into Hugo's jacket. "I mean...they're okay, I guess. From a distance. If I...don't actually have to have anything to do with them." She glanced down, embarrassed. "That...probably sounds really bad. But I mean...I find it hard enough being around most people. Kids are just so...intrusive. But, I mean, I'm sure it'll be okay," she hastily added, trying to convince herself as much as Hugo. "I mean, like you say, I'm sure we can avoid the worst of it."

"Oh." Hugo frowned, momentarily speechless. He bent slightly, not making eye contact, clipping the tac assault shield to Silvia's belt. He looked concerned, and then shook his head. He looked down at his own waist, turning on a tac shield of his own. "It.. it won't be bad." He met her eyes again, a complicated expression on his face. "It'll be fun. Kids are.. fun. Once they stop just being bags of throw-up and crap." He smiled a touch sadly, and reached down to take Silvia's hand. The room was nothing more than a bunch of rubble, the rest of the team no more than a wall away. He sighed and moved toward the wall, bringing Silvia with him. "You'll see."

"Yeah, I...I hope so," Silvia said, following Hugo towards the wall. "I'm...I'm sure it'll be fine." There was a moment of awkward silence and then she sighed and spoke again, shaking her head. "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...to be so depressing." She pulled the jacket a little tighter around herself - one might think it was for warmth, except for her thermal regulators. The sturdy, sleeveless top underneath might conceivably have been white when she had put it on, but four weeks of Taiwan had taken care of that - it was now almost as dirty and grime-streaked as Silvia herself.

"I mean...I should be happy," she continued. "And I...I am, really. For Shinobu. She wants a kid, good for her. But I...I wasn't expecting to have to share a house with one, is all." She sounded...tired. More tired than she had when facing down the Resistance representatives, by quite a long way.

Hugo nodded, a little. He leaned against the wall and slid down it, looking up at Silvia. He smiled a little in a distant way. "I worry. I worry about us. We're still a target, with all the other corps hating us, and with a little baby around... Something could happen to it. Something could happen to Shinobu, and then the baby wouldn't have.. wouldn't have anyone." He looked down, and adjusted his sweater and got more comfortable on the floor. He used Silvia's armor for padding behind his head, spreading his legs out in front of him. "Hey, come here. Come sit on me."

Silvia came and sat, resting her head on Hugo's shoulder with relief and reaching around him with one arm. "Nothing will happen to it," she said, carefully. "I mean...we won't let it. None of us will. 6768 is...it's one of the best-defended places I've ever seen, and that's before taking us into account. And if...if anything did happen - to Shinobu - then...they would have someone. They'd have us. You, me, Fenris, Tansai, Coraline...all of us. Oracle. We...that's still a better family than many." There was an undercurrent of...something there, but it was hard to tell what. Disappointment, maybe?

"But it won't," she added. "Shinobu can take care of herself, just as well as any of us. She'll be...fine." She hesitated a little on the last word, a mental image of Positron's final moments rising unbidden into her mind.

Hugo wrapped his arms around Silvia, resting his head on hers and snuggling her against his body. It was obvious he intended to protect his girlfriend as well as let her sleep on him. He was big enough, wide enough, strong enough, warm enough, to easily serve all these jobs as once. He knew more than anyone that she didn't technically need to worry about warmth, but he was comfortable and smelled.. A little like the sea, but he was a cleaner than Silvia. And Una was strapped to his thigh, her uneven shape comforting to Hugo, at least.

"I.. I know. But it seems like such a risk. For any child." He kissed the top of Silvia's head. She smelled like.. she'd been in a warzone for four weeks. Poor Silvia. He sighed, moving his body so Silvia could lean more, so she could get more comfortable on him. "Don't.. Don't worry. We'll see your brother soon. After you rest."

Silvia leaned in, Hugo's presence a definite comfort. "Rest, yes. Rest sounds like a good idea. It's...it's been a while since I could...rest safely. And then...then we'll see him, yes." She sighed again, worry etched on her features. "It's...it's been so long. Since I saw him. And it...it's not even like we got on all that well."

Hugo smiled. It was tired, amused... This is the same conversation that he and his picara had been having for weeks. He chuckled slightly, holding her close, as he crooned comforting words. "He is your brother. He can't doubt that you would help him now. That you are his sister." He squeezed her slightly. "He will love you as he always has. It's hard not to." With that, he kissed her brow again, voice confident and relaxed.

"I...I hope so. I do." With that, Silvia sighed and closed her eyes, intending to rest. Then another thought struck her and she opened them again. "The new nuke...Dani, was it? She sounded...Federation?" There was a wary note in her voice. "What...what exactly's the story with her?"

"Oh no no, she's Ai Jinn. Born and raised in Fed territory, but part of some Ai Jinn builder family. Didn't like it... Being stuck in Fed territory, doing stuff for people who didn't respect her, you know, like me. She wanted more, and Oracle found her, like it found all of us." He nuzzled into her hair, arms cradling her body. "I like her. She's aggressive. Knows what she wants. Fun." He sighed. He hadn't been sleeping too well since he had Silvia's text, a ten hour of being pummeled by water and the climbing across Taiwan had been.. pretty tiring. And despite the fact she was using him as seating, it was.. nice to be close to Silvia. To feel she was safe and know he could protect her. "Mmm. There's a new telepath too. Dresses like an old fashioned magician. Top hat, cards 'n' a cape and stuff. Weird guy."

"Huh. That sounds...weird." Silvia's brow furrowed as she tried to imagine this telepath and stayed furrowed as she began to turn over Hugo's words about the nuke. "She's...Ai-Jinn? Well...fair enough, I guess, if the CEO let her in." Her tone was a little doubtful, but not too strong. "I...how are other people taking that? Considering...you know...what they did. How much they hate Oracle. And vice versa." The question was...cautious, but almost hopeful.

"Oh, Fenris freaked out at her, but they seem to be okay, now." Hugo relaxed under her, obviously getting closer to sleep. Silvia was observant, and could pick up the signs... His breathing changing, the arms around her loosening. "'Sides, she was in Fed territory, melting paint, and.. I killed all of 'em, picarita. All the people who hurt you are dead."

"I...I know," Silvia said, with a small smile of gratitude. "I know you did." Hugo was near sleep, and she wanted to sleep herself, so she wouldn't mention how the Ai-Jinn undoubtedly had more than that one space station. How much torture they still undoubtedly perpetrated, regardless of who Hugo had killed. Or how there must have been people ordering the torture, planning things like that - how the Ai-Jinn as an entire corporation was culpable, not just the few people who had been on the station. No...Hugo didn't need to hear about that. Not now, anyway, when things were peaceful, like this.

"I'm going to...to try and sleep," she said instead, closing her eyes. "Just...wake me if something happens, okay? Or at least get someone else to." And she would try NOT to think about what had happened there, which was at least easier with Hugo here. Or about the new, American nuke who Hugo thought was "aggressive" and "fun".

Hugo nodded, obviously content. Everyone else was around, and it would only be a few hours. He smeakered briefly to Stephen, to let him know where they were, why they were, even if he was only a few yards away... And pulled his jacket tighter around Silvia, doing his best to tuck her in despite the lack of bed and comfort and blankets. "I'll look after you, even while I'm asleep." He smiled, which turned into a yawn. "Hell, between me and my jacket, you are more armored now than you'd be in a cyberframe." He made a contented noise before sighing again, already dozing slightly.

"Mmmm." That was the only reply from Silvia, who was also dozing already, the fatigue of the last few weeks taking its toll. She simply wriggled slightly, getting as comfortable as possible, before settling down to fully sleep.