[D3, LA, mess] Oh yeah, lunch. Good idea.

[Dorgan Bruun]

At mention of the Wyvern, Bruun's mouth got small, and it was possible to tell me was sucking on his teeth. After a length of silence, the veteran responded in a very controlled voice.

"Our folks needed to get past the hill that Hetzer was trying to occupy. Would have had a great field of fire down on our retreating mechs. Close range. So I jumped over to distract it." He looks down at the table, but keeps talking. "Blondie was already beat up. Nothing critical, but armor getting thin all over. One hit... Well. Figured I could at least keep it occupied a while. Get the rest out." There's a pause, for something that Bruun chooses not to say here.

"Trying to bust through that armor took forever. So long Eklund thought I needed help or something," he says unhappily, though it's not clear if he's madder at her or himself. "Damn thing almost got her coming in, she landed on it and it skidded downhill to almost knock over Blondie, with that AC20 pointed right back at the Wyvern. But I smacked it around some more, she got out of there... It was maybe the closest scrape in a day of close scrapes," he says reflectively. He puts a hand to his head for a moment.

"I told her she ain't doing that again."

[Felicity]

For a few moments Felicity was incredulous once Dorgan got to the detail. She'd finished her soup by then, but she'd been cleaning out the bowl with the end of the bread. She took a slow bite. Then she chewed and processed.

Finally she asks, simply. "So she really tried to jump on it?"

Nobody better do that @£!% again. Yuri, you idiot. She's more reckless than anyone! Felicity nudged the plate away and slid back up against her seat. "Guau... that's insane. Good you kept it busy and then took it out, but..." She rubs her face with both hands. It soon turned into a massage of her forehead.

"Least she's a good enough pilot to have kept control when she got hit. I'd probably have screwed up the landing."

[Dorgan Bruun]

Bruun scratches his beard in thought.

"I dunno." He sighs heavily. "I like to think she was being protective. And I reckon the way I was wailing on that thing after she went down..." He looks uncomfortable, but shares the thought anyway. "I like to think I would've felt just as protective of anyone from the company. It was just that the Wyvern was damaged, and was in the most danger because of the Hetzer." He doesn't look like he's even convinced himself that that explains ripping out the tank's engine and then continuing to smash it as enemies approached.

[Felicity]

She could see him being protective. Wait, did he say she went down? Mierda! Felicity shuffled about in her seat as her ears suddenly flicked about.

The young woman didn't read into Dorgan's words much. She just took them at face value. "You kept it busy when she was down. Maybe saved her life, si? That's something... commendable. Yea." In contrast to her words she sighs. "I'm extra worried about my lance now."

[Dorgan Bruun]

Bruun snorts. "What could go wrong," he says sarcastically. "You've got Snorri. And Abs," he says with a scorn to rival a jealous 17-year-old.

"Gah," he grunts in frustration. "Sorry. That kinda talk ain't helpful." He shakes his head. "Reckon I haven't got all this first sergeant business figured out yet. Seems like it's a lot of worrying without much end." He rubs his forehead, unconsciously mimicking Felicity's move from before. Then he catches himself again.

"Ha," he laughs awkwardly. "And why in hell am I saddling you with all my drama." The head shake. "Sorry. Again. I'll, uh... I'll be sure to knock that off."

[Felicity]

"He really does have abs too." Felicity cheerfully points out, not picking up on Durgan's chagrin.

With a wave of her right hand in the air and a smile, Felicity dismisses the man's concerns. "It's fine. I wouldn't call combat reflection, drama. Know the risks and keep honing yourself, si? That's our lot." Her smile grew. "It keeps things interesting. I'd be bored just escorting scientists and footsloggers each day."

[Dorgan Bruun]

Bruun, unfamiliar with the basis for the Abs nickname except the obviously jealousy-inducing version, glares a little bit, but doesn't say anything.

He does agree about combat and reflection. "We'll probably all be more settled and comfortable with more time working together. Combat's a motivator. Random patrols and science missions... don't really do it for me. Although that Star League dropship that Eklund and I found yesterday was fairly exciting," he recalls with a smile. "Hope they get good stuff out of it."

[Felicity]

What's wrong with abs?a Felicity wondered why Dorgan had glared for a few moments. She had some water, breaking eye contact. Her discomfort fades as the conversation carries on.

"Very exciting, yea. We visited it earlier this afternoon." She grins suddenly. "Guess you still don't know. You ought to check out the mech hangar First Sergeant. There are some new arrivals."

[Dorgan Bruun]

"Wait, are they operable?" Bruun looks amazed. "Damn," he says as the answer sinks in. "That's amazing. I had seen a couple of outlines when I tried to peek in, but I figured at best we'd be able to get some parts off of them." He shakes his head, disbelief shifting toward elation.

"You called me first sergeant again," he says, suddenly veering off topic. "I'd rather people just stick to Bruun. People with titles tend to attract the wrong kind of attention, in my experience." He doesn't look mad, just... on edge?

[Felicity]

"Very operable. I had to help move them out. You really should check them out. They're a big upgrade compared to most of what we have. SLDF too. Can you believe it?" She smiles a bright, big smile. "There was a lot of excitement."

Felicity's ears twitch and she studies Dorgan with surprise as he changes topic. "Eehm, okay. Bruun. Mister Bruun or just Bruun?"