>>2493272
> “Maybe we should get everyone together for a study session.”
> “Yeah. Was expecting that.”

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>>2493272
>> “Maybe we should get everyone together for a study session.”

Good to be back

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If they work together, they can be unstoppable! Just like the Boston Red Sox's batting line up!

> “Maybe we should get everyone together for a study session.”

You sigh. “Maybe we should get everyone together for a study session today.” You sit up, then let your legs hang off of your bed. “The last thing I need is for someone on the crew to get kicked off the team due to poor grades.” The school enforces a strict policy of academic excellence when it comes to sports. It’s not enough that you have to be physically fit, you have to be mentally fit as well. At least a C average is required (though for Academyships, C average is more like straight As on landlubber schools). “Go ahead and send a text. We can do planning for it later.”

“Alrighty!” Winona goes back to text everyone. “I’ll even invite JJ too, hmmm?” She smirks, looking at you coyly. You stare at her. “What? I know he’s back on land, doesn’t mean he won’t go flying round here if I promise him a night with you and all the girls. It’s not like we’re going to bully him.” You roll your eyes and step off your bed, moving to get your uniform. “Come on, Ellie!” says Winona.

“He said he’d visit this coming weekend anyway, I don’t want to make him fly all the way out here.” You point to her. “And unlike us, he doesn’t have the option of just skipping school for work or some other good reason. Land schools are pretty strict on attendance.”

“Pfft, landlubbers.” Winona snorts at the thought of it. “Fine. I’ll wait until he comes back. Then the three of us can have a study session together. I can even show you the Azul Academy uniform that you should wear for him.” The what now?

You shake your head. Winona, honestly…

> Embark on a Subquest (Which?)
> “Let’s just do some hanging out today, Winona.”
> Wander around the school, see what’s what.
> Other

>>2493458
>> Wander around the school, see what’s what.

>>2493458
> Wander around the school, see what’s what.
exploration first, subquesting later!

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>>2493458
>> Wander around the school, see what’s what.

>>2493583
We need one of these depicting our crew's little party.

> Wander around the school, see what’s what.

…

…

You decide to wander around the school a little bit on a drive out with Winona and Denise. Denise drives the Kettenkrad while you and Winona sit in the back. It’s a fairly sunny day out thankfully. But the autumn chills are starting to set in now. Winter will be coming soon.

Denise stops at a red light. All of you however feel the rumbling first of something coming behind you. There you see the M26 Pershing roll up next to you all. Standing out of the hatch was Serafina. “Hey, Ellie!” She waves at you, munching on a cheeseburger. “We just went on a lunch run. How are you doing?”

“Doing fine,” you say. “Getting some practice in?”

“A little bit!” Serafina gives a thumbs up. “Gotta be ready for our first match!” Fair, fair.

Winona gasps. “Ellie, I just had the most wonderful idea!” Eh? “Let’s go to the pool!”

“It’s too cold for the pool.” She’s about to open her mouth. “I’m not going to pose in a swimsuit for you.” She hesitates, then goes to open it again. “Or for Jock.” She frowns.

“Lame.” Winona folds her arms.

Serafina points down the street. “What’s all that then?” You all look over and see. A small crowd of girls has gathered outside the gates of the General Studies campus? Oh?

You all park up then walk on over to see what’s what. “Hey.” One of the General studies girls turns around to see you. “What’s going on here?” you ask.

She says, “Gertrude Pool is walking and talking on her phone inside the campus. Rumor is she’s working on getting more funding.”

“What kind of important folk?” asks Winona.

The girl says, “I hear it’s Elon Musk.” She leans over. “The big rumor is that Elon Musk wants to turn LGA into a launch platform for his Mars colony program.”

Another girl says, “It’s probably Obama.”

“Ew.” Another girl shudders at the thought. “Obama… no, it’s gotta be an actor or something like Brad Pitt or Robert DeNiro or somebody important!”

“Why isn’t Obama important?”

“Why do you think he is?”

Serafina raises a hand. “Hold on. You’re all just gathering outside the gates because Gertrude is inside? Don’t you girls have anything better to do?” They all shake their heads. Oh.

> “Wait here, let me go see what it is.”
> “Get moving. Don’t loiter.”
> “I mean, Obama is a pretty important person.”
> Other

>>2493661
>“Wait here, let me go see what it is.”

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>>2493661
>> “Wait here, let me go see what it is.”

>>2493661
>> “Wait here, let me go see what it is.”

> “Wait here, let me go see what it is.”

“Just wait here. Let me go see what it is.” You’d hate to intrude on Gertrude’s privacy. But on the other hand, Gertrude’s private affairs shouldn’t be made a show either. You’ll go in, listen in a little, then go out and explain everything. Hopefully that’ll get things calm once more. Denise, Winona, and Serafina stay behind and allow you to keep on going.

You don’t have to walk very far before you find Gertrude standing in the central courtyard, leaning on the statue of the Marquis de La Fayette. You hide by a bush, watching to see her. Her head is hanging low as she talks on the phone. “Yeah,” she says. “Yeah I know. I guess things are a little chaotic right now. I mean, I have Griselda to deal with, not to mention this tournament coming up too. We got a lot of new girls at least coming in. Not as much as I would’ve liked, Griselda has kinda siphoned some manpower off of us. I’m not gonna complain though, she’s put together a good team. And we’re both really good regardless. Oryola though won’t be participating in this year’s ITL. The NATO tournament is gonna be her last hurrah.”

…

“Yeah.” Gertrude nods at that, biting her lip a bit. “I’ll miss her too. Oryola was pretty nice. I hope she does something cool after she graduates. I was looking forward to one more duel with her though, see if we can settle things but I guess that’ll have to wait. So how are you doing, Bernadette?”

…

“Yeah? Um, listen, Bernadette. I know that we’re kind of… taking a break I guess. I just want you to know that I don’t blame you or anything or that I’m bitter. We’ve both got a lot on our plates. You gotta make it through school, I have things back here on LGA.”

…

“I’m glad you understand. I hope you can come visit in the spring maybe. Me and Kitten can set some time aside for you. I’d love to see you again.”

…

“Yeah. Don’t be a stranger, okay, Bernie?”

…

“Can’t I call you Bernie? Come on.” Gertrude snickers a little. “Alright. See you.” She hangs up, and for a second you can see her gasp a bit. She buries her face in her hands, her shoulders heaving a little.

She’s crying. Oh.

> Go and comfort her. It’ll be awkward explaining what you’re doing here but she needs a hand.
> Go back and get everyone to disperse. Gertrude needs a moment.
> You’re stuck now. Do you go back? Do you go and comfort her? Maybe you should just stay and hide.
> Other

>>2493780
>> Go and comfort her. It’ll be awkward explaining what you’re doing here but she needs a hand.

>>2493780
>Go and comfort her. It’ll be awkward explaining what you’re doing here but she needs a hand.
Just explain that she drew a crowd and we kept them away by coming in.

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>>2493780
>> Go and comfort her. It’ll be awkward explaining what you’re doing here but she needs a hand.
>>2493853
What he says.

> Go and comfort her. It’ll be awkward explaining what you’re doing here but she needs a hand.

You slowly step on over to her, then gently place a hand on her shoulder. She yelps, immediately wiping her tears away before moving to smile at you. “Oh, Elodie, it’s you! Ha! You scared me there! You’re quite stealthy, that was mighty ninja of you. You should invest in uh…” She looks at you curiously. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I saw you crying,” you say. Her smile slowly drops. “You drew a crowd walking in here talking on the phone. I was just keeping the people away, I wanted to see what was going on as well. Is everything okay?”

Gertrude waves it off. “Oh, it’s nothing, it’s nothing! I mean-… it’s just some petty relationship stuff. I don’t really like making myself the star of the show about it. It’s really nothing.” She shakes her head, looking away from you. “I mean it’s not like anyone’s dying or anything.” She folds her arms, frowning at that.

“Well, hey.” You pat her shoulder again. “It’s alright, okay? You don’t need to be so sad.”

“No, no, on the contrary um…” Gertrude presses her lips together, taking a breath as she wipes a few more tears off of her cheek. “I mean, being sad it’s okay. I mean, crying is good. I’m letting it out. I don’t like letting it out in front of people. I mean, I’m the Student Council President, the Senior SCP! I’m the head of the ITL Tankery program! I’m the big sister! THE big sister! Everyone looks up to me! I’d-…” She takes another breath.

“You’re not letting anyone down. You’re still you.” You smile. “And hey, you’ve still got Kitten and your crew and everyone else too. They’re not going to think less of you if you cry.”

“Yeah.” Gertrude again looks away.

“What were you crying about anyway?” you ask.

It takes a minute of silence before she finally admits it. She turns to you then takes another breath. “Girlfriend and I broke up. It wasn’t me or her, it was a mutual thing. There was just too much distance. Couldn’t make enough time. Too many responsibilities.” She shrugs. “It was best for both of us,” she mutters. She sits down and leans back against the statue once more. “Ellie. Can I tell you a secret?”

[1/2]

>>2494026
[2/2]

“What’s that?” you ask.

Gertrude looks up at you, then says, “I’m sometimes jealous of you guys. Of Griselda too.” Really? “When I was coming into LGA, I didn’t even know the difference between a Sherman and a Lee. Now I can tell most tanks just by silhouette. I can rattle off calibers like it’s second nature. But I didn’t come into LGA thinking I’d do Tankery. I came into LGA wanting just to have fun and everything. But there’s so much to do, so many people to impress…” You sit down next to her. “I’d give my left arm to be in Griselda’s shoes for like five minutes. Not have to worry about all that. Just do Tankery, have fun with friends.”

“Just have a normal fun little life?”

“Something like that.” Gertrude shrugs. “Popularity is great. It’s wonderful. But it’s so…” She squeezes her fist before her, glaring at it. “Stifling I guess. That’s something Griselda doesn’t have to worry about.”

> “I think Griselda would like to be in yours for five minutes too.”
> “You ever let Griselda know this? You should.”
> “I guess success isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.”
> Other

>>2494034
>> “I guess success isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.”

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>>2494034
>> “I think Griselda would like to be in yours for five minutes too.”
>> “You ever let Griselda know this? You should.”

>>2494034
> “I think Griselda would like to be in yours for five minutes too.”
> Other
"But I think you're both underestimating how tough the other's got it. She's working her arse off for the team, just finding the cash to keep us running, and with all these accusations the league keeps throwing at us, well, I don't think she's having as much fun as she deserves either."

>>2494137
This. Perhaps something about the size of the shoes that Gris is trying to walk in.

> “I think Griselda would like to be in yours for five minutes too.”

“I think Griselda would like to be in yours for five minutes too,” you say.

Gertrude snorts. “I gotta deal with a lot of bullshit like money, drama, people trying to make a mess of things…”

“So does she,” you say. Gertrude pauses, looking at you. “Maybe you’re just underestimating her a little bit.”

Gertrude stares at you, then looks back at the ground. “Yeah. Maybe I am.”

…

Gertrude looks to you again, smiling. “You know, Ellie. Griselda’s lucky to have a girl like you for a friend.” She slaps your shoulder, grinning. “Not many people have a friend that’s so dedicated. Sometimes we find them and then we squander them. Most times we don’t find them at all. I’m glad you’re with her.” You blush a little at that. Now she’s just flattering you. “You’re right, I guess.” She stands up now, placing her hands on her hips. “Right, I gotta just um… think on this.”

You stand up too. “Feeling better?”

“Much.”

“I hope things go well with Bernadette,” you say. “It’s a shame that’s made you so sad. Must’ve been a good relationship.”

“Oh she’s a freak in bed,” Gertrude remarks. Eh? “But no. I’m not sad that it’s over, Ellie. I’m happy that it happened in the first place.” She smiles once more, brightly. “Trust me, if you and Jock ever separate.” You tilt your head, eh? “Actually, forget I said that, sorry. Just uh… go on. Go do you.”

“Alrighty.” You step back. “Have a good day, see you.” Gertrude waves goodbye, still smiling.

…

…

You told the crowd that Gertrude was just talking with family. And with that, they disperse in a disappointed fashion. Serafina says, “I was expecting more. But Gertrude does deserve some privacy.”

Winona smiles. “What do you wanna do now, Ellie?”

> “Just hang out.”
> Embark on a Subquest (Which?)
> Go back to the dorm and get started on studying.
> Other

>>2494285
>> Embark on a Subquest: Flying Tanks
Get working on Jose's quest while her parents are on the ship.

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>>2494285
>> Embark on a Subquest (flying tanks)

>>2494285
>> Embark on a Subquest (Which?)
Let's rock.

> Embark on a Subquest (Which?)

You, Winona, and Denise find Josephina inspecting Oliver at the Tank Hangar. “Oh, Elodie!” She grins. “How nice to see you three!”

“How are things going with your parents?” you ask.

Josephina’s smile drops immediately. “Errrr… well!” It’s only a few seconds of your judgmental look before she corrects herself. “Okay, not well. I mean, my parents have already made the call to a friend of theirs. They are sending over a UH-1 for me to fly! It’s not going to get here today, but they want me to show my skill for them to show I can still do Helicraft! I mean- I probably can- but still!”

“Relax,” you say. Josephina takes a deep breath, calming down a little. “We’re here to help.”

“Yeah!” Winona pumps her fist. “Anything you need from us, we’ll give it to you.”

Josephina says, “My parents approval of me doing Tankery would be nice.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” you say. “Let’s take this slowly.”

“Right, slowly.” Josephina nods.

> Appeal to Josephina’s Dad.
> Appeal to Josephina’s Mom.
> Best to get them both here to try and get both their minds working.
> Other

>>2494425
>> Appeal to Josephina’s Dad.
He was softened up by the driving experience, we've got an in there.

>>2494425
>> Appeal to Josephina’s Dad.

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>>2494425
>> Appeal to Josephina’s Dad.

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>>2494285
>“Oh she’s a freak in bed,”

>>2494425
>Appeal to Josephina’s Dad.

> Appeal to Josephina’s Dad.

“Well, my Dad seemed moved by the driving experience,” says Josephina. “We can start with him I suppose.”

“Where is he now?” you ask.

Josehpina tilts her head. “Uuuhhh…”

…

…

“Smile!” Mister deGrasse snaps a picture of Regina and the entire Naval Studies rescue crew in front of their helicopter. You weren’t aware that regular civilian types could just walk around on the Rescue flight deck but here you are. He turns around and sees you all approaching him. “Oh, Josephina! Good to see you!” He motions to the helicopter. “Check it out, an HH-60 Pave Hawk! I can’t believe the Navy would actually let students fly these things!”

“They do,” you explain. “Under strict supervision of course.” Strict is more “I’m the advisor and I’ll just be here in the back goofing off.” You actually haven’t seen much of the Navy advisors anywhere now that you think about it. Maybe the Captain knows where they all went to.

Josephina smiles. “Having fun, Daddy?”

“Yeah!” Mister deGrasse grins happily as he looks towards the entire flight deck. “Pave Hawks, even an old PAVE Low too! This Rescue crew is very well equipped I must say!” He looks back at Josephina. “I’m surprised you didn’t go for Rescue. You know their curriculum involves helicopter qualifications. I even read a brochure that says LGA is going to be introducing a jet plane training curriculum in a few years.”

Josephina waves it off. “Ahaha, well I mean… I’m not exactly confident enough to do Rescue work, Daddy. Having so many people rely on me, that would be the worst.”

> Nudge Josephina in the right direction.
> Let them talk, they’ll get to the topic. Eventually.
> “Well, we’ll just be going. You have fun you two.”
> Other

>>2494665
>> Nudge Josephina in the right direction.

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>>2494665
>> Nudge Josephina in the right direction.

>>2494665
>> Let them talk, they’ll get to the topic. Eventually.

> Nudge Josephina in the right direction.

You decide to nudge Josephina a little. “Uh, Josephina, don’t be so modest. We all rely on you in Tankery you know.” Josephina blinks, then smiles nervously at her Dad. Mister deGrasse looks to you, then at Josephina. “You know, driver. I have to rely on her to keep the tank moving. If I didn’t have her, I wouldn’t be the ace commander I am that’s for sure.”

“Oh, stop it,” says Josephina. “I’m not uh…”

Mister deGrasse says, “No, no. It’s fine. Take your praise where you can get it. I’m glad you see my little girl as an important piece to your crew, Elodie.” Mister deGrasse wraps his arm around Josephina on saying that, pulling her close. Josephina blushes intensely, looking down. “My little girl can succeed at anything she puts her mind to. Including Tankery I suppose.”

“Oui, hehe…” She looks at her dad. “Er, you know, Daddy. I’ve been doing Tankery for a while now so I figure I can talk to you more about it. We’re just about to enter the postseason tournament. We could actually take home the gold!”

“Really?” Mister deGrasse looks interested now. “Do tell.” Josephina starts to smile.

Alright, you’re on the right track.

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>>2494929
That's it for tonight. We'll resume tomorrow same time same channel for more. Hope you all enjoyed.

Follow at: https://twitter.com/GermanSchteel
And if you ever feel like shooting the shit with me, you can hit me up in my discord: https://discord.gg/9e9yvfv

See you next time.

>>2494936
Thanks for running Schteel, catch you tomorrow.

>>2494936
Thanks for the fun, boss. Will catch it live tomorrow!

Mister deGrasse and Josephina start talking as they walk next to one of the Pave Hawks. “So, Daddy. I had a pretty interesting thought, you know.” Mister deGrasse looks at her daughter, smiling. “Now see, I uh… in regards to Tankery um… if perhaps-“ She pauses, then looks away. You, Denise, and Winona stand to the side, watching and waiting. She’s hesitating. Oh poor girl. Come on! “I mean- for one thing, Daddy, there’s uh… I really like Tankery.” Okay.

“Clearly,” says Mister deGrasse.

“And uh…” Josephina glances away again, poking and prodding her fingers together. “I would like to keep on doing Tankery.”

Mister deGrasse nods again. “Mhm.”

“… and not Helicraft.”

“Oh!” Mister deGrasse looks shocked at that. Josephina again looks away, slapping her hands on her cheeks in embarrassment. “Oh my, that’s- that’s- that’s actually quite interesting. Wow. Um.” He rubs the back of his neck, grimacing. “My word, Josephina. Really?”

“Oui. It’s not like I don’t like helicopters. I just really want to keep doing Tankery. I mean, maybe I can go back to do Helicraft but right now Tankery is my passion,” she explains. Yes! She’s doing it! She’s doing! You smile happily. “All my friends do it. If I do Helicraft alone, which I will end up having to if I end up starting a program by itself or having to transfer to another school then that would just be horrific. I don’t want to have to abandon my friends just for passion, you know?”

Mister deGrasse nods slowly, looking down at the floor. “Oh, goodness. That’s…” He clasps his hands together. He opens his mouth, then looks at you three. “Can you girls leave us alone for a few minutes?”

“Sure,” you say. You step back, and drag Denise and Winona back with you.

As they start whispering to each other, Winona asks you, “You think that worked?”

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

>>2497488
> Neutral
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Denise, where's the nearest ice cream. Winona, can Unlimited Tankery combine helicopters with tanks to make flying Hell machines?

Also; HaHA Time for tanks.gif

My tower died so I don't have all my GuP images.

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>>2497509
Here, have mine.

>>2497522
Thanks. I don't think I had that one.

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>>2497488
> Neutral
Even if we convince her dad, thats only half the job.
>>2497509
For future use

> Neutral

“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” You shrug. “Just in case though, let’s be ready to get some ice cream.” They look at you, confused. “For celebrating or for comforting.”

“Ah, I see.” Winona nods. You elect to wait a little bit until Josephina and Mister deGrasse are done talking. It’s a pretty long few minutes. But in time, Josephina returns. Mister deGrasse continues to take pictures of helicopters as well, apparently not wanting to carry on socializing right now. Interesting reaction. “How’d it go?!” asks a very curious Winona. “Do we need to break out the ice cream?”

“The ice cream? What, no.” Josehpina shakes her head, confused. She’s not sad or visibly distraught. Maybe he’s understanding. “No, Dad was actually pretty understanding. He uh…” She folds her arms, confused. “He told me about how in middle school, he actually really wanted to do Tankery.”

Eh?

You, Denise, and Winona glance at each other. Josephina nods. “I know,” she says. “But he related. He told me it was very tough for him to even get on the team and by then he just couldn’t take it anymore.” Oh. Poor man. “He never told anybody else, I’m not even sure if I should be telling you girls.”

“Don’t worry, mum’s the word,” says Winona.

“So he’s good with you doing Tankery?” you ask.

Josephina nods. “Oui. He is.” She frowns a little. “Can’t say the same about Mom though.”

> “Let’s go see her then.”
> “Look, we won today. Let’s go get ice cream.”
> “Actually, can I talk with your Dad for a second?”
> Other

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still waiting

>>2497699
>> “Let’s go see her then.”

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>>2497699
> “Let’s go see her then.”

> “Let’s go see her then.”

“Let’s go see her then, maybe she’ll be more receptive if she hears that your Dad supports it,” you say.

Josephina bites her lip. “Erm. I don’t know about that but, I guess we can raise the issue with her.”

…

…

You arrive at the hotel where Josephina’s parents are staying. Same one that Ingrid’s Mom stays at in fact. You can even see Ingrid and her mother playing catch out in the garden. No time for hellos though, it was time to face the big Momma herself. You arrive her floor, then knock on the door.

Josephina knocks on the door. “Mom? C’est moi!” Misses deGrasse opens the door, grinning. “Mom, I think we should talk. Elodie and I and even Dad have been-“

Misses deGrasse makes a shushing motion. “Hold that thought, Josephina.” She goes back to her iPad and starts tapping away. “I know the perfect thing for you. You know, the Helicraft Federation is opening sales on second hand helicopters!”

Josephina pauses, then looks at you. Come on, keep going. “Mom, I think you should know that-“

“Look!” Misses deGrasse presents a picture of a helicopter. “It’s an OH-58 Kiowa! You don’t normally see these for such low prices! And it comes with pods for AGMs too!” Josephina stares at the picture, then at her Mom. “Not interested? There was a Hind available as well! One of the early models with the boxy cockpits, not really my style but maybe yours actually.”

“Mom, I-“

She gasps. “You know what, I’ve been selfish.” Eh? Josephina blinks, confused. “Josephina, you should pick out a helicopter, not me.”

“M-… Mom, this isn’t-“ Misses deGrasse hands off the iPad to her. “I-… This-“ Misses deGrasse looks to her, expectant. Josephina looks back at you, then at her Mom, then back at you.

Oh boy.

> Rip the band-aid off, tell her.
> Eh… it can wait.
> “Oh goodness, look at the time! I have to uh… water my horse. I’ll see you later, Josephina.”
> Other

>>2498012
>Rip the band-aid off, tell her.

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>>2498012
>> Rip the band-aid off, tell her.

>>2498012
>Rip the band-aid off, tell her.

>>2498012
> Rip the band-aid off, tell her.

>>2498096
You too, Ellie. Off with it now

> Rip the band-aid off, tell her.

You nudge Josephina. Come on, if Dad was easy, she’ll be even easier. Josephina takes a breathe then says, “Mom! I don’t want to do Helicraft now! I want to take Tankery!”

…

Misses deGrasse stares at you all. “Eh?” She tilts her head, confused.

“Mom, I’m not saying I’m not ever going to take Helicraft, but I’m saying that right now my friends are all doing Tankery and that’s what I want to do!” Misses deGrasse looks concerned at that. “I mean-… it’s not like I’m being forced or that it’s peer pressure. I really love Tankery! It’s really great, and I want to keep doing it as long as my friends do it!”

Misses deGrasse continues staring at you all. “Josephina.” She folds her arms. “I’m not quite sure where this is coming from. Are you sure no one is pressuring you?”

“Definitely sure,” she says. Mises deGrasse looks at you. Oh boy. Don’t look like you’re pressuring her. She then looks back at her daughter. Josephina says, “I’m serious, Mom. It’s not a bullying thing or anything. Tankery is fun, it’s cool! I wish you could see it! I mean, helicopters are great too but I want to take Tankery now! What do you say?”

Misses deGrasse does not look happy at all. Oh jeez. “Look. Josephina. I indulged you in your desire to want to attend LGA even though it has no Helicraft program. That’s fine. But now you tell me that you want to keep on with Tankery instead of Helicraft?” Josephina looks away. Even you have to cringe from it. Denise and Winona look like they want to be elsewhere too. “Josephina, do you know how expensive helicopters are?”

“Yes, mom,” says Josephina.

“Helicraft is a really popular sport you know. You have talent, you really do. I don’t want you wasting your time on something that doesn’t cultivate that,” says Misses deGrasse. “I mean, I’ve seen you in the VR simulations, you’ve done things that even trained pilots haven’t learned to do. You could be a really great helicopter pilot one day. This Tankery stuff, it’s not gonna help you.” Josephina frowns, looking down. “Look. We’ll uh… discuss this later, okay?”

“But Mom-“

“No, buts.” Misses deGrasse grabs the door. “Think on what I’ve said. I just want what’s best for you, sweetie.” She shuts the door gently.

…

Josephina looks down at the floor, gently prodding her fingers together.

> “Don’t just stand there, go after her!”
> “Let’s go get some ice cream.”
> “Josephina, you okay?”
> Other

>>2498254
>“Don’t just stand there, go after her!”

>>2498254
> “Don’t just stand there, go after her!”

Mom wants to get you a heli with AGM pods?
Right now you're learning about what you're shoot them at!

You've met people who fly planes. Want to share airspace with them in a dangerous situation? Gotta get to know how they see the world.

Josephina's learning how everything works. Force integration!

Important shit is being learned.

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>>2498254
>> “Don’t just stand there, go after her!”

>>2498254
>> “Don’t just stand there, go after her!”

> “Don’t just stand there, go after her!”

“Don’t just stand there, Josephina! You need to press her!” you say.

Josephina looks at you, then steels herself. She quickly knocks on the door. “Mom!” She knocks again. “Mom, open up! I can’t just leave with that! You’ll listen to what I have to say!”

Misses deGrasse opens the door again, her hands on her hips in a stern manner. Just like your Mom actually. “Okay. I’m listening.”

…

Josephina looks back at you again. Misses deGrasse looks to you. “Why does she keep looking at you?”

“No, no!” says Josephina quickly turns back. “It’s not what you think, Mom! She’s my commander! She’s one of my best friends! I mean, she did tell me to talk to you about this. And we did already talk to Dad about it too!”

“You talked to your Father?” asks Misses deGrasse. “What did he say?” Misses deGrasse tilts her head, squinting a little. Oh boy.

Josephina says, “He said he was fine with it.” She’s quiet at that. “I mean, he understood where I was coming from at least. Right? Can’t you?” Misses deGrasse folds her arms.

She sighs. “When’s your next practice, sweetie?”

“Tuesday.”

“I’ll be there to see you practice,” she says. “I want to see how things go.”

Josephina says, “I mean, we could bring the tank around now if you want, Mom.”

“Tuesday,” she says. “I want to see you, and your crews, and your tanks. I want to be immersed.” Oh. Interesting. “Okay?”

“Alright.” Josephina nods, still looking quite concerned. “Alright!”

“And if I find it lacking, we’ll have to have a talk, young lady. Okay?” Josephina freezes stiffly. “Okay?”

“O-… okay, oui.”

Misses deGrasse looks to you. “Don’t disappoint me.”

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

>>2498496
>Neutral

>>2498496
>> Polite

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>>2498496
>> Polite
I think we've pushed as much as we can in one sitting.

>>2498496
>Boast

This is good. We have an opening. We need to make sure her dad is there too.

> Polite

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Misses deGrasse.” She nods, a slight smile on her face. She looks back at Josephina, then gently pets her head. With that, she again shuts the door on all of you.

Josephina takes a breath. “Wow. I can’t believe that actually worked!” She turns to you, then hugs you tight. She even lifts you off the ground. “Thank you, Ellie! Thank you!”

Winona throws her hands up in joy. “We got her Mom to agree to something! This is great!” She hugs Josephina as well. Denise, not wanting to be excluded, also joins in the group hug. Meanwhile, you are struggling to breathe under Josephina’s tight grasp. She finally puts you down when she realizes you’re not saying anything.

You give a thumbs up, smiling to her. “Nice. We just gotta make sure to impress her at practice on Tuesday.”

…

“You were all just smiling,” you say. “You’ve now stopped. Do you seriously not have that much confidence in our team to impress her?”

“To fight in a match, sure,” says Winona. “To impress people with showy formations and skill in the art of Tank operation… no.” You roll your eyes.

Josephina says, “We have time!” She holds your hands. “We have time, Ellie! We can make this work! What should we do now?”

> “Dinner, I’m hungry.”
> “Let me call the teams, see if we can get something together.”
> “Let’s head back to our dorms.”
> Other

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>>2498659
>> “Let’s head back to our dorms.”
Maybe make diner together there.

>>2498659
>“Let me call the teams, see if we can get something together.”

perhaps a commanders discussion over dinner.

>>2498659
>> “Let me call the teams, see if we can get something together.”

> “Let me call the teams, see if we can get something together.”

…

…

All the crew commanders were gathered up in the diner, along with Winona, Josephina, and Denise too. Serafina and Duchess were just destroying their greasy fried chicken meals while everyone else listened to you explain the situation. Iris says, “So we have to perform a show of looking like we’re disciplined and that we’re a tight-knit team. Correct?”

“Correct,” you say.

“I should like to think we are,” Iris says. “Are we not?”

Serina leans back, thinking. “Well what about those times when we went off the rails?” Lots of times actually.

“Not to mention Tankery isn’t even a sport that emphasizes team formations anyway,” says Hadley. She points to Jane Fogerty sitting next to her. “It emphasizes communications. Which means no blasting music over the radio.”

“What, you don’t like atmosphere?” says Jane.

Lyra says, “I think, we all think, that we are good team put together. But we are not actually that well-trained of a team. The reason we’ve gotten so far is because we’re commanded well. Individually we’re not as good as Elodie or Iris or Griselda.”

Regina slams her fists on the table, making everyone flinch. “I won’t have it! We have to show them that Tankery beats Helicraft any day!”

“Don’t you fly helicopters though?” asks Suvorov.

“Only as a job!” Regina mutters.

> “We should start practicing now.”
> “Maybe we can do something tomorrow after you guys get off school.”
> “I’m sure we have it. Let’s on meet on Tuesday.”
> Other

>>2498855
> “We should start practicing now.”

Lyra's right. This is a good excuse for full team training. Working as groups and as one group.

>>2498855
>> “We should start practicing now.”

>>2498855
>We should start practicing now.”

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>>2498855
>> “We should start practicing now.”
No time like the present.

> “We should start practicing now.”

You stand up. “For Josephina’s sake, and for our own. We need to get practicing right now,” you say. “Even if takes us all night, we have to get our driving and formation skills down to a science. If we don’t, Josephina’s future in Tankery is at risk.”

“Um.” Josephina looks down shyly. “You don’t have to go that far…” Serafina immediately grabs Josephina’s shoulder.

“For you!” says Serafina. “Anything! Win together, lose together!”

“We’re family!” says Regina. “We’re a team!”

“Yeah!” Duchess pumps her fist, fried chicken skin crumbs all over her face. “Let’s do this for Josie!” All the girls stand up and grab their bags, yelling and cheering as they storm out of the diner presumably to the Tank Hangar. Well, that was easier than you thought. Iris sits at her seat, not aiming to join the riff-raff it seems. She stands up quietly then politely pays the tip for the waitress.

Iris looks to you. “I have some notion that we’re going to be training well into the night on this one.”

“Of course,” you say. You receive a text however as you start leaving the booth. Eh? It’s from Griselda.

Oh dear.

> GP: Coming back tomorrow morning. Big news.

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>>2499066
I'm done for today. We'll try and be back this weekend for more. I'll let you know on twitter how it goes. Hope you all enjoyed.

Follow at: https://twitter.com/GermanSchteel
And if you ever feel like shooting the shit with me, you can hit me up in my discord: https://discord.gg/9e9yvfv

See you next time.

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>>2499070
Good stuff boss, glad to be back.

>>2499070
Thanks for running Schteel, see you next time.

>>2499070
Thanks for the fun, Boss.