Hojicha Tea

Mako Mori contemplates her disasterous first Drift with Raleigh Becket and coaxes an old friend out for tea.
==Meta==
For pickleplum, knightphoenix2, artificiallifecreator.
Okay, so Mako decided she wanted in on the action. She wanted this told for some reason and I'm starting to see why. 
... It doesn't help that the PacRim fanmix is Mako-related either but what can I do?
Enjoy!
-January 4, 2025; 0900-
==Text==
Mako slides down her door, safely inside her quarters, heart aching from the disappointment in Sensei's eyes.
She should've been stronger, more in control, not followed that R.A.B.I.T. but Raleigh's—she cannot call him anything else now—memory was sharp and it hurt and it was much too familiar.
Mako has no idea how he deals with the pain, still so fresh, and finds the strength to speak after years of the painful ... absence in his mind. Raleigh is stronger than he lets on. Despite herself, she admires his steady touch and sweet smile.
She blushes and shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
Mako knows only one person in Hong Kong she can talk to who won't laugh at her or call her a silly girl. Gottlieb-hakase will let her speak to her heart's content before he offers very wise, if somewhat tempered, advice.
.
To: Dr. Gottlieb [(S-HGOT_471.120-V@ppdc.mil)]
From: Mako Mori [(J-MMOR_204.19-V@ppdc.mil)]
Subject: Tea in the Dome? NTT
My apologies, Gottlieb-hakase, but I find myself in need of bracing air and a good friend. Would you have a moment to accompany me to Shatterbucks?
M. Mori
.
She fidgets with her sleeve as she waits, something she has never done before. Mako primly folds her hands into her lap. She will not succumb to the rumored effects of Ghost Drift. More is expected of her than that.
.
To: [Ofc M Mori (J-MMOR_204.19-V@ppdc.mil)]
From: [Dr H Gottlieb (S-HGOT_471.120-V@ppdc.mil)]
[Subject: RE:] Tea in the Dome? NTT
It would be my pleasure, Miss Mori. I also find myself in need of a good friend. I shall meet you at Shatterbucks in fifteen minutes.
H Gottlieb
.
Mako blows out a relieved breath. She combs her hair carefully as she makes sure the blue streaks do not get lost. Tamsin had so carefully put in the first streaks and she wanted to honor the memory of the fierce woman who loved her. Wrapping her knitted cardigan around her lithe frame, she pulls on her socks and boots and heads out.
She stops short at the sight of the folded bomber jacket with thick patches resting on her doorstep. A memory flickers and she knows it's his, the presence she felt briefly in the Drift before Raleigh snapped out of his R.A.B.I.T. to try to calm her.
In Raleigh's surprisingly good kanji, the simple note attached reads:
-For the lady who repaired our Danger; can't have you being cold. -R-
With chagrin at the sense of belonging creeping over her, Mako tucks the note into the jacket's large pocket and shrugs it on.
Now she's ready to talk with Gottlieb-hakase.
.
She orders a cup of the tea sent from Japan just for her. Mako protested the special treatment once and the Shatterbucks staff told her frankly the Japanese government shipped a lot of things to the Shatterdome because of her presence.
Hojicha brings back fond memories of drinking with her Kaa-san and Otou-san before the Kaiju. The smokey, slight caramel taste is a solid part of her childhood.
Gottlieb-hakase orders English Breakfast with lemon and they take their tea to an empty stretch of beach. The driftwood bench is cold so Mako lifts the bomber jacket and wraps half around Gottlieb-hakase.
He sinks down gratefully next to her, careful to keep a slight distance between their shoulders.
Mako has long understood he's none too keen about touch; she sips her tea as she contemplates her dilemma.
"May I assume you are troubled by this morning's Drift test?" Gottlieb-hakase asks after several moments pass. The man has always had uncanny timing when it came to such talks.
Mako watches the steam curl from her tea. "Hai."
「I see,」 Gottlieb-hakase hums in Japanese as he runs his thumb around the thick ceramic edge of the tea cup. 「Have you spoken with Mister Becket?」
She shakes her head. 「Not since … not since the Marshal grounded me.」
「Oh.」 The doctor's response is quiet. He pats her hand with reassuring awkwardness. 「I know a little of how much piloting means to you. I know how long you waited for this chance.」
「The Marshal did what was correct. He chastised me for my need for revenge …. He is right. I am not ready,」 Mako says quietly as she swipes at the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
Gottlieb-hakase offers her his shoulder and she sniffles into it, ashamed she has broken down.
「Mori-san, first Drifts are not always easy. As a matter of fact, Mister Becket's first Drift with his brother left the two of them quite shaken. I understand Drifting to be emotional and in no way completely rational,」 Gottlieb-hakase soothes as he retrieves a square of cloth from his pocket.
She takes the proffered handkerchief and wipes away evidence of her tears. 「Thank you,」 Mako murmurs and takes a long drink of her tea.
He does the same, keeping a watchful eye out for any passers-by.
「How do you know about Ral-Mister Becket's first Drift?」
The sigh which escapes Gottlieb-hakase is weary. 「Mister Becket and I were good friends at the Icebox and for quite a while after my time there ended.」
Another memory, this one laced with what could only be called familial love, washes over her as she sees Gottlieb-hakase—a voice insists he's 'Hermann'—next to a tiny Christmas tree laughing brightly.
「You were very close,」 Mako remarks as she stares out at the waves crashing against the beach.
「Mister Becket was nearly a brother to me. I suggest you speak with him as honestly as you have with me,」 Gottlieb-hakase answers as he joins her in looking at the gray waves slapping against the shore. 「He is more perceptive and understanding than many expect him to be.」 He chuckles.
Mako raises a manicured eyebrow.
「Ah, it simply struck me how different Mister Becket is from young Mister Hansen in that regard.」 Gottlieb-hakase sips his tea. 「Yet time has shown them to be equals in combat.」
Mako can't help the laugh that escapes at that particular assessment.
Gottlieb-hakase raises an eloquent eyebrow.
「Perhaps not quite equal, Doctor,」 she says with a sly smile. 「I did not react well to Chu-Mister Hansen's assertion Raleigh is unworthy to pilot and when Mister Hansen insulted me, he stepped in.」 Mako giggles again. 「I believe Raleigh broke his nose.」
Gottlieb-hakase sighs again. 「While I'm sure that was satisfying for many reasons, you and Mister Becket will need to continue working closely with Mister Hansen. I suspect he will take his beating with good grace, but it may be wise to … ah, re-establish good relations with him, 」 he chides.
Mako lowers her eyes. 「I will mend what I can,」 she quietly assures her old friend.
「Do be careful, 」 he says, 「and speak to Mister Becket. 」 His eyes crinkle in a small smile.
「Hai, Gottlieb-hakase. 」Mako gives him a nod in place of a respectful bow as she shifts her feet to stand. She offers a hand.
He accepts, lets Mako help him to his feet. "I should return to my models, but they only repeat things I would rather not contemplate," comes the weary reply. The switch to English is understandable, since Mako's Cantonese is limited and she cannot expect Gottlieb-hakase to continue in Japanese.
"Perhaps talking with the Shatterbucks staff may provide a welcome distraction?" Mako suggests lightly. "You could carry your tablet in case a variable changes."
"A wonderful idea, Mori-san. Perhaps we should retreat to the warmth of the 'Dome for now?" Gottlieb-hakase murmurs as he finishes his tea.
Mako does the same and they set out, both of them huddling under the bomber jacket, sharing body heat all the way back to the Shatterdome.
.
Mako stands in front of Raleigh's quarters after leaving Gottlieb-hakase in the care of Shatterbucks staff. Part of her wants to strike the door with a fist while another part wants to politely knock and wait. She does neither.
Because Raleigh opens the door with a bomber jacket matching hers tucked under his arm. "Hey, you're wearin' it."
The muted hope in his steel blue eyes is something Mako wants to keep in her heart.
"Yes. It would be disrespectful if I did not," she replies carefully.
"You felt him too." The hope flares and Raleigh's entire expression brightens with a wide smile.
Mako can barely keep her blush down as her heart flutters at inspiring such a genuine smile.
"I knew it. Did, uh, did you wanna come in?"
"If that is your wish, Mister Becket," she states as she tilts her head back to meet his eyes.
"Raleigh, please. Mister Becket is not someone I wanna be."
The burst of resentment which accompanies the name is not something she wants to explore. This 'Mister Becket' treated her copilot as disposable and Raleigh clearly deserved better.
"Can I call you by your first name or have I been too familiar already?" Raleigh's soft, self-depreciating smile makes her ache at the knowledge such smiles were not constant in his life.
"You may. We have already been inside each other's minds." She toes off her boots and sets them at the entrance, looking over to see Raleigh set the jacket on the bed.
He pats the blanket next to him and she sits with her feet folded under her legs.
"I'm sorry—" They start at the same time and Raleigh smiles while shaking his head.
"You first," she encourages, emboldened by Gottlieb-hakase's advice.
"I'm sorry I made you R.A.B.I.T.," he blurts out, sheepishly scrubbing at the back of his head like he had when he was ten and learning Czech from the local schoolteacher.
The memory isn't hers or Raleigh's so it must be Yancy's. The brother no one will name in front of Raleigh.
"It was not just you. My stability rating is only a 'V.' I assume yours dropped due to the trauma of Knifehead." Mako refuses to tiptoe around the Kaiju's name.
Raleigh's wry grin assures her she has made the right choice in naming the beast. "Yeah, Drift Science downgraded me to a D this week." He studies the ceiling. "Y'know, you're the first to call Knifehead by name around me in a long time. Everyone else avoids it like it'll trigger somethin'. I know that goddamn Kaiju like the back of my hand. It's burned in and I hate … I hate that they're treating me like I'll crack." He catches her eye and smiles. "You get it."
Mako gives a sharp nod."I was treated much the same way after Onibaba. Sensei was the only one who did not act differently around me. Although, there was a Ranger who helped me a few times. He was—oh." Mako's smile crinkles the corners of her eyes. "You were that pilot."
"The girl who was looking for—Oh! The Marshal's daughter! That was you?! Man, things sure do have a way of coming around …." Raleigh chuckles, then sobers as he reaches for her hands. "There's some stuff you gotta know."
"Such as?" Mako inquires even as she allows him to engulf her hand in both of his own. The warmth is reminiscent of the Drift before their R.A.B.I.T.s took hold.
"I'm not … normal," he says quietly as he traces his fingertips over the webbing between her fingers. "It's called Asperger's Syndrome an' it's not fun to live with. When an' if we Drift again, you're gonna be, uh, linked to me—to my mind. The connection made Yan bleed when I had bad nights. I think too much and way too fast; I like touch so I can ground myself in reality. I've lived alone with it for so long I didn't think anyone else could handle it, y'know? 'S'why I kept throwing those matches: t' make you mad enough to challenge me. Cheap trick but it worked." He grins.
Mako lets the information sink in and suddenly understands many of Yancy's memories. He'd shielded Raleigh from those who would use the sweet man for their own ends.
Now, Raleigh wants someone who can handle all of him, even the aspects he had only shown his brother.
"I understand. You [want an equal, a partner; someone not easily distracted," she murmurs as he slides his fingers up her wrist to tap the veins gently.
"Yeah. Besides, when th' Marshal said you were one of the brightest, I wanted t' give you a chance," he concedes as he removes his hands and lays down next to her. His body language is completely open as he tilts his head back, exposing his throat as he stretches.
Mako reaches out and cards her fingers through his hair like she's wanted to do since he stepped out of the helicopter onto the Hong Kong tarmac. "Thank you for that chance," she murmurs as she scratches gently and Raleigh presses eagerly into her touch. Mako hovers over Raleigh's cheek, makes a decision, and strokes around the scratches Chuck left there as if to apologize for them. "Raleigh?"
"Hmm."
"If we Drift again, will you show me …." Mako hesitates.
"Everything? I'd like nothing more, Mako," Raleigh finishes and she's glad for the warmth lacing his voice. "We're part of one another." His blue eyes gaze up at her like she's everything to him.
Mako smiles as they rest together in a very comforting silence.
.
Mako knocks on the Hansens' door using the pattern she and Chuck reserved for silly childhood meetings. She hopes he'll answer but doubts it after his latest outburst and subsequent thrashing.
The strip of medical tape on his nose is no surprise.
"What d’ye want?"
Neither is the anger in his voice.
She tightens her grip on the sleeve of Yancy's—her—jacket and stands her ground as Chuck scrutinizes her attire.
A flash of recognition crosses his face, replaced quickly by a scowl.
"We need to talk," she states with the authority that became second nature while leading the restoration of Gipsy Danger.
"Yer serious," Chuck mumbles as he sticks out his bare foot to block a wriggling Max. "Lemme get his leash."
Less than a minute later Chuck comes out in his Striker Eureka bomber with Max on a lead, the bulldog panting happily as he waddles up to Mako.
They stride through back halls and onto the stretch of beach on the west side of the Shatterdome. They stand side-by-side, watching the waves, as Max snuffles around their feet.
"Well?" Chuck prompts after cleaning up after Max.
"Did you mean it?" she asks. "What you said about Raleigh and I?"
Chuck shuffles uncomfortably, his shoulders hunched as he gnaws his bottom lip. "I mighta gone off onya," he replies reluctantly.
Max plays with a lonely crab.
"You did."
"Look, I don' like how that wanker strolled up here with that stupid fuckin' jumper—," Chuck growls sourly as he kicks the sand.
"Did it occur to you the Marshal may have good reasons to choose him?" Mako fires back as Max sits near her boots and wuffs.
"But he—" Chuck's mouth closes with a snap and his eyes glaze over for a moment.
Mako recognizes the strange tic from the other Rangers who remain at the last Shatterdome.
"He's th' only pilot to survive solo combat aside from th' Marshal," Chuck recites with a heavy sigh. "The boss knows what he's doin', I guess." He shrugs, then pulls his shoulders back. "Still don' have ta like th' bastard."
"No, you don't have to like him," Mako agrees with a shrug as she crouches to pet Max. The dog's entire butt wags with enthusiasm and his wet kisses make her laugh. "Though our duties would be easier if you were at least civil towards him." She speaks to Max but they all know it's meant for Chuck.
"... Did ye hafta say it like that?" Chuck complains as Max leaves her to put sandy paws on Chuck's knees. Max barks and bows, trying to get Chuck to pay attention to him. Mako's companion smiles at the bulldog as he kneels to give Max belly rubs.
She leaves them to play, her stride confident as she makes her way back to her co-pilot and her future.
Category:Shatterbucks
Category:Ficlet
Category:Pages in need of tags
Category:Pentecost (mention)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Mako
Category:Mako (ficlet)
Category:Tea Lovers Association storyline
Category:Chuck H
Category:Chuck H (ficlet)
Category:Max
Category:Max (ficlet)
Category:Hong Kong Shatterdome (setting)