Variance enters the foyer of the base looking quite cross indeed, keeping his rather heavily injured right foot off the ground as he limps further inside. He seems more annoyed than agonized about it, though.

Seikou is sitting at the desk, looking bored as always. However, he looks up as Variance enters, and notices the limp. "Vari-sama? Did something happen to your foot?"

Variance sighs tiredly, propping himself against the nearest wall. "Apparently, a stray Howler thought my ankle looked like good eating."

Seikou climbs out of the chair and gestures towards it. "Sit. You need to rest.:

Variance shakes his head some while idly reaching for a roll of bandaging from the conveniently-placed medical cabinet next to him(which hadn't seen any use beforehand since most injured were too injured for simple first aid to help)...

You say 'I've had worse, I'll be fine.'

Seikou says 'At least sit down, Vari-sama!'

"There's no need to be so worried..." Variance's tone softens to something more reassuring as he begins to wrap the bandage around his relatively light wound. "It won't take that long to heal, you go ahead and take the seat."

You say 'Besides, the sofa's more comfortable.'

Variance looks up from his self-service first aid, pondering the question. He honestly didn't know the difference between the terms, besides what he'd heard from Shima's weekly anime marathons. "I don't see why not."

Seikou looks happy now. "Thank you, Vari-kun!"

Variance nods in confirmance, his mood gradually starting to lighten... before his grip on the bandage slips and he touches his mostly-open injury again. Yeah. 'Ow' works pretty well. As do the several curses he mutters under his breath.

Seikou looks concerned again. "Are you sure you don't want the chair? I'd be happy to help out if you want..."

Variance nods firmly, going about covering his foot at a quicker pace. "-Yes-, I'm fine."

Milo walks in slowly, looking around at random stuff along the way.

Seikou looks up and waves. "Ah, hello!"

Milo says 'Hi... and you are?'

Seikou smiles. "My name is Seikou, of the 14th unit! How can I help you?" ((We are 14th, right?))

Variance gives his dressing a final securing tug just before noticing the door opening. He stands to attention(biting back the urge to curse aloud as he stands on his bad foot to look professional), looking towards the newcomer.

Milo says 'Hey, didn't I see you in Truce? With that robot who insisted on having a duel?'

Milo seems to have pretty much forgotten about Seikou again.

Variance nods, trying his best to ignore complaints from his internal Warning Bells of Doom. "You might have..."

Seikou says 'So, what's the problem, sir?'

Milo continues talking to Variance, though loud enough that Seikou can easily overhear and participate in the duscussion if he wants to.

Milo says 'I'd like to talk about that robot. You see, he seems to hold some sort of grudge against someone called Rockman. No, not X. However,'

Milo says 'when he heard about X who seems to be a newer model based on the original Rockman, he decided that he'd try to defeat X instead. Now,'

Milo says 'I don't think he'll do much harm here in the cleft - he's not Maverick, at most rather selfish. However, if he finds a portal leading to your world, the results could be disastrous.'

Seikou says '...Well, we can't exactly retire a non-Maverick Reploid...'

Milo says 'Of course not. He's not that bad.'

Milo says 'However, I thought I should warn you. You may want to keep track of him and any portals to your dimension.'

Variance finally gives in to his pleading systems and settles against the wall again, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "X... I haven't heard much about him myself, only that he somehow disappeared and hadn't returned, at least not since I fell..."

You say 'I also don't know about any open portals, but I'll keep an eye out.'

Seikou nods. "Thank you for the warning, sir."

Milo says 'I've been trying to convince him to change his mind, but he's not really listening.'

Milo says 'You're welcome.'

Milo says 'Hey, what's with your foot?'

Variance sighs, momentarily looking as cross as he did when he arrived. "Confused lupines in Frosty Forest."

Milo says 'Here, let me help.'

Milo utters the words, 'wunsoe'. ((Mend))

Variance looks a bit startled for a moment, then realizes that the ruckus in his subconscious has completely died down. The bandage falls off as a more obvious sign of what he looks so surprised about, revealing a very much intact right ankle.

You say 'I... didn't know mana could be used like that...'

Seikou blinks at this. A use of mana that Variance didn't know about...? But then a faint headache arises in the back of his mind and replaces the confusion.

Seikou puts one hand to his head, but the headache is already beginning to fade...

Milo turns to Seikou as he puts the hand on his head.

Variance peers around the side of the cabinet to Seikou, a hint of concern evident on his features. "You alright, Seikou?"

Milo says 'You okay...? Seems like everyone is getting hurt.'

Seikou nods, looking up again. "I'm fine. It was just a minor headache. Probably just too much caffine..."

Milo doesn't cast Mend, since it only works on physical wounds anyway and wouldn't help with a headache.

Variance nods in understanding, standing a little straighter now that he doesn't have an injury as an excuse to lean against the wall.

Variance lets the floor catch his gaze for a moment as a thought hits him, then reclaims his focus and looks to Milo. "I don't think you ever mentioned that 'robot's name..."

Milo says 'Umm... I didn't? Sorry. He calls himself Fortissimo, or Forte in short.'

Seikou says '...Forute. Got it.'

Variance nods, committing the name to memory upon hearing it. Forte... He didn't know exactly why, but it sounded oddly familiar. Nothing big or extraordinary, just a mild resemblence to something he'd heard before.

Seikou says 'Alright, sir. Thank you for the information and for healing Vari-kun's leg...'

Milo says 'I guess I'll be going, then.'

Milo waves happily.

Milo starts walking south.

Variance nods and waves in like...

Seikou says '...Forute, huh? Well, unfortunatley, I won't be able to help... I'm still stuck here.'

"Don't worry too much about it, he hasn't done anything worth chasing him for yet." Variance procures one of those magical purple-and-blue cans of happiness from whatever Inventory Black Hole he has installed in his armor, opening it with little effort.

You drink coke from a can of Karma Jolt.

Seikou looks at the Karma Jolt hungrily for a moment, then shake shis head. "Nah... No caffine for me for a while, if it's causing headaches now..."

Variance blinks momentarily and sheepishly lays himself against the wall again, seeming to have forgotten Seikou's earlier headache...

Seikou says '...I need to talk to Signas about getting out of here. I know I'm OK now...'

Variance gains a sardonic little smirk, though it's more amused than anything truly derogatory. "The same thing I offered to do a while back..."

Seikou says 'Well, since Signas never comes out of his office...'

Seikou sighs and leans back. "I think I'm never going to get out of here..."

Seikou says 'And who knows... maybe that's for the best...'

Variance holds back another exasperated sigh, emerging from his place behind the cabinet. "You're going to get released, it just might be a little while longer. And you said you'd be out be the time she got back, didn't you?"

You say 'Don't give it another negative thought, it'll work out in the end.'

Seikou says '...Alright...'

Seikou says '...So, what do you wanna do now?'

Variance shrugs nonchalantly, looking around at nothing in particular. "No idea."

Seikou sighs and turns his attention back to paperwork instead...

((Some time later..))

Seikou is boredly working on paperwork, but eventually he collapses onto the desk. "This is too -boring-..."

Signas pulls up a chair next to the desk Seikou is at, more or less ignoring the presence of Pike. "Lieutenant."

Seikou looks up suddenly and salutes. "Sir!"

Variance stands to attention in record time upon catching sight of Signas, banishing all previous signs of slacking off he might have been showing...

Signas makes direct eye contact with Seikou, looking for, well, anything. "You've been on base, essentially under lock and key, for over a month. That's a fairly long period of quarantine."

Seikou nods, trying to hide the hope from his eyes. "It has been a tad boring, sir. But I understand that it was neccessary..."

Signas nods. "To get to the point, I've decided to put you back on duty." He hands Seikou a small key. "Your armor and weapons are in a locker in the back."

Seikou nods, unable to hide the pure joy from his face as he climbs out of the chair. "Thank you so much, sir!"

Signas turns to Pike. "And I'm sure you're tired of following him around all the time, as well."

Pike says 'Er, yeah. Sir.'

Signas says 'You're back under Commander Variance, on the same patrol as before... I'd like to say something else, though.'

Seikou pauses in his walk towards the back. "Yes, sir?"

Signas says "If, for some reason, you become infected again.." He looks straight at Seikou. "We might have to take more drastic measures. If you think there's even a chance that you haven't recovered, I suggest you don't get your equipment."

Seikou pauses for a moment, then nods in agreement. "...I'll just take the armor. Even if I do... you know... all I could do with my armor is poke someone a little with the spiky bits."

Seikou unlocks the locker and removes his armor, slipping off his pants and shirt (OMG STRIP) to reveal the grey undersuit still underneath.

Pike whistles at the sight of Seikou.

Seikou shakes his head and slips into the armor, presumably involving snapping bits open and stuff but I won't bother to describe it.

Variance peers at Pike oddly for a moment, but goes back to observing and waiting to be addressed.

Pike laughs.

Seikou says 'There... Feels good to be back in armor again, tell truth.'

Signas stands up and adjusts his hat slightly. "Well, unless I'm needed further, I am going back to the wild parties I hold in my secret office."'

((SOME TIME LATER...))

Fortissimo is perched on a rooftop as Sei so often is, practicing kicking at the air, the motions leaving his hair even messier than it was before.

Variance settles into the square in his routine fashion, not really taking notice of anything in his surroundings.

Fortissimo finally finishes his routine and settles on the roof, noticing Vari. "Hey. You're the one who beat me before, aren't you?" he calls down.

Variance looks up and about briefly, taking a moment to find the source of the call and reply in a similar volume. "I'm the one who -subdued- you, yes. I would hardly call it a beating of any sort!"

Fortissimo shrugs. "Whatever you wanna call it... Care to spar again? I'm better equipped this time..." One of his arms morphs into a bright blue buster cannon...

Variance lets a thankfully quiet groan of distaste escape him and rubs at the back of his neck in a completely conditioned and expressionate(is that a word?) manner. "Does it have to be right now?"

You say 'I just got off patrol...'

Fortissimo says ' ...I rather not wait.'

Variance sighs, another conditioned mannerism, and crosses his arms in front of his chest. "Look, if you're that desperate for a fight, take a ferry to the Battle Arena just east(?) of here."

On that note, Variance begins taking an assortment of gold and silver coins from a non-descript compartment in his armor.

You say 'I'll even pay for fare there and back.'

Fortissimo shrugs. "Sure. Will it be with you, or just with some random person?"

Variance lets go with a small, nonchalant shrug of his own as he counts out an appropriate amount of polished gold coins. "I'm sure there's someone there who's eager to fight you."

Fortissimo leaps down from the roof, landing neatly. "...Fine. It's too bad I didn't get to fight you, though... I don't like not taking revenge."

Variance perks a brow in the middle of lightly packaging the hefty handful of coins. "Revenge for what? It was only self-defense."

You give Fortissimo 20 gold.

Fortissimo says ' You beat me. I don't like being beaten... But thanks.'

Variance nods and resumes his routine of sitting himself on a bench in the proximity of the fountain, looking quite relaxed despite having to deal with someone like Forte. At least he wasn't as bad as certain other unsavory characters who will remain nameless*cough*OMEGA*cough*.

Fortissimo heads off east as well, grinning a little.