Hunting for Mirage

[Slingshot]

This takes place on the same day as the training threads, and is a direct follow-on to Sulky Spirits of the Air.

Slingshot heads away from Medical towards the great outdoors and the firing range. He's got a pistol to retrieve. Besides, First Aid needed to get out and get some fresh air.

[First Aid]

It actually isn’t as hard to ignore the distressing state of the city as it used to be, First Aid realizes. Does that mean he’s getting used to it? Is that a good thing? Or a disturbing violation of his fundamental being?

Always a question, that.

He decides to worry about it later. In the meantime, fresh air is undeniably good, and so is the exercise, and so is the sense of less-than-urgent purpose. Never mind it’s someone else’s purpose, those are often the best purposes to enjoy.

[Mirage]

Mirage isn't at the firing range. Not quite yet anyway, though he is headed that direction. Word had gotten around that Skyfire and Slingshot were back, and Mirage thought perhaps the Aerialbot might return to the range in hopes of retrieving his carelessly discarded property.

Their paths will likely intersect quite soon.

[Slingshot]

"So... You guys did search and rescue. That mean some of you were fliers?" Slingshot glances around his jet to look back at First Aid.

He's only half paying attention to what's in front of him. Just enough to avoid collisions, even though it doesn't look like it.

[First Aid]

“Yes,” First Aid says, ignoring Slingshot’s use of the past tense, too, “Just the one of us, though. Blades is a helicopter. He always says it’s not fair we make him go up without us. Not that that’s a fair complaint, since we’ve got wheels, not rotors.” First Aid doesn’t seem annoyed at all by the injustice of Blades’ accusation of, well, injustice. Instead he sounds immensely fond and, perhaps a little oddly, proud.

First Aid, it must be admitted, isn’t paying the best attention to their surroundings, either.

[Mirage]

First Aid and Slingshot might be paying more attention to each other than to who might be approaching, but Mirage is not similarly distracted. He spies the pair and alters his course to intersect theirs.

"Well met, Slingshot, First Aid," he calls out once close enough for a polite hail. He looks at Slingshot as he comes to a stop, "I have something of yours."

Mirage's tone is polite, though perhaps a little cool. He never did have patience for those who did not treat weapons with respect.

[Slingshot]

"Yeah, you do." Slingshot holds out his hand expectantly.

[First Aid]

“Afternoon, Mirage!”

[Mirage]

Mirage does not immediately produce Slingshot's pistol. "I checked your pistol over for damage and test fired it. I also took the liberty of giving it a good cleaning."

Now he holds Slingshot's pistol out to him hilt first. "Do you always treat your weapons so carelessly? Nevermind that you could have gotten caught short in field without it," he admonished.

Mirage turns to First Aid, "Nice to see you out and bout for a change."

[Slingshot]

Slingshot's optic-band dims dangerously as he takes his pistol and makes a show of checking it over himself. Arrogant toff. It was just a pistol, not anywhere near as precious as the Aerialbot's rifle.

"No, I couldn't have," he growls.

[First Aid]

“It’s good to be out,” First Aid says, leaving unvoiced all the various embarrassed things he half feels like saying. Dignity’s generally the better option.

[Mirage]

Mirage nods at First Aid, "Yes, staying cooped up in one place overlong can give one a right nasty case of the stir-crazies." Mirage really needs to talks to the doctor at some point regarding that annoying issue with his joints. But it isn't pressing at the moment, and First Aid deserves some time off.

Slingshot's tone garners a look of annoyance from the spy, and Mirage's own voice grows cooler than normal when he addresses the jet, "Yes, you could have. Things happen in the field that often deprive us of our favored weapon or fighting style and having a hold-out can make the difference between staying online or becoming so much scrap."

"A lot of mechs dismiss a pistol as inferior, because it lacks the firepower of more higher powered weaponry. But in close quarters, it can be just as deadly. However," and here Mirage glances back at First Aid, "I think this would not be First Aid's preferred topic of discussion. I trust, Slingshot, that whatever ailed you has been dealt with?"

[Slingshot]

Yeah, like there's anything that can strip him of his flight, render his rifle useless, and not take damage from his fists out there. Oh, and jam his radio.

Yeeaaah.

"Whatever." His pistol's fine, and that's all that matters.

The only answer Slingshot gives to Mirage's second question is an ugly scowl. Anger has a tendency to make the Aerialbot look both older and more violent, but this expression isn't fully at home on Slingshot's face.

[First Aid]

First Aid would never turn down any consideration that his compatriots want to offer. He’s too well aware of just how lucky he is to get acceptance and allowances instead of scorn, obstacles, and disbelief. He’s very fortunate. Most people get the latter, not the former. He knows that.

Sometimes, though, he really wants to point out that there’s a difference between being a pacifist and being made of spun glass.

It’s an unfair impulse, since Mirage was only being courtly, and anyway Slingshot’s clearly upset, so First Aid shoves it aside and says instead, “Of course! Thanks for asking.”

You can pack a lot of sincerity into two sentences if you try.

[Mirage]

"That is good to hear," Mirage says to First Aid. The spy seems unaffected by Slingshot's show of ire. "Several people were worried by his sudden departure earlier." Of course, it might be inferred by that phrasing that Mirage himself was not one of those so worried.

"Well, there's that little chore done. Unless there's something else, I'll let you both get back to your walk."

---

OOC: Not out yet. However, if there's nothing else, Mirage will post out on the next round.