A small burp erupted from Andrea's mouth. The ambient sounds of conversations and instruments being played flowed around the bar. The clinking of glasses, the thuds of footsteps on the ground, and the laughter made this makeshift bar a sort of paradise, a haven for those that wanted to forget the dreariness of the present. The burn of alcohol in her throat flared briefly as yet another shot of liquor. Her glass slammed down on the wooden table, making a satisfying crack sound. The bartender quickly made his way towards her with a bottle but a wave of the hand quickly dispelled him. The warmth in her gut was great, the numbing feeling of the alcohol almost made her feel as if she were dreaming, and the music of one of the few remaining instruments on Sera.<br/><br/>Her dreamlike trance was broken when the strong smell of alcohol filled her nostrils. "How are you doing lady?", a slurred, drunken voice whispered into her ear. An arm snaked its way across the back of her neck and landed on her left shoulder. Her face quickly turned into an acidic scowl. The sober Gear on her left scooted over two chairs, seeing the inevitable situation. "How would'jou like it if you and me went somewhere nice and quiet?", rang the voice in her ear. She turned her head to see a slightly hairy face much to close to hers. Her eyes were throwing daggers at the man but his drunken haze kept him oblivious. "<span style="color: RoyalBlue">Get off'a me ya grunt.</span>", she muttered. She stood up but the drunk was unrelenting. "Oh no. You can't deny my irresistableness.", he murmured, lust in his eyes, alcohol on his breath, and Andrea's shoulder in his hand. He stood up and tried to place his mouth on hers. Instead of her lips, it met a speeding fist.<br/><br/>The man was on the ground groaning and holding his bleeding mouth. Andrea looked down at the pitiful wreck impassively. "<span style="color: RoyalBlue">Someone get'im a cloth for his mouth.</span>", she said before walking out of the tent.<br/><br/>___________________________________<br/><br/>With her weapons hooked to her back and her headpiece held in her hand, Andrea entered the briefing tent. To say she was surprised was an understatement. She felt as if she had just walked into some wacky world where grass was blue and water was dry. She had known there were other female Gears but actually seeing one was a rare occasion akin to seeing a unicorn. To actually be assigned to a squad with two other females was entering a level of improbability similar to that of the sky tearing open and candy coming out. The only signal of this extreme amount of surprise bordering on disbelief was the raising of her eyebrows.<br/><br/>While her ears took in the briefing by the captain her piercing eyes wandered over her new squad, making judgments for later evaluation. The first specimen was their squad leader, Darion if she remembered correctly. He didn't have any visible scars, that meant either that he was lucky, he wore his helmet, or that he was green and they were screwed. Secondly, her eyes darted to the helmeted figure. She mentally groaned. She'd heard of this loverboy from the drunks in the bar. A man who always wore his helmet and always got into the pants of the female Gears. Her eyes hurriedly moved on the the other guy, James. He wasn't as built as many of the others. Andrea would've described him as lanky or wiry, puny if she was feeling spiteful.<br/><br/>After that she moved on to the scarred one, Jessica. At the sight of the massive scarring on the left side of her face, a mix of curiosity and relief rose within her. The source of those slashes were obviously Locust but the story would be one for the campfire. The relief was simple. A green medic was almost as bad for a squad as being surrounded by Boomers. Finally she ended her observation with the pilot, Jeanette. She had heard of her crazy flying, hopefully she could tone it down.<br/><br/>"<span style="color: SandyBrown">...will brief you are the particulars of this mission en-route. Good Luck Gears, Dismissed.</span>" She stood up and gave a silent salute to the captain before heading to the chopper.<br/><br/>___________________________________<br/><br/>The muffled roar of the Raven's blades tearing at the air filled her ears. About a quarter hour before they were supposed to arrive, their squad leader finally spoke. He gave them a secondary briefing that Andrea half-listened to. Her eyes were focused on the beautiful sky outside and the thick fog that was obscuring the ground. Her hands were busy cleaning her Longshot rifle, Maria. A rag ran up and down the barrel, wiping off dust and giving the rifle a dull shine. She looked down at Maria and flipped her over before running the rag up and down the rifle once more. Darion's voice quieted as he finished his part of the briefing.<br/><br/>A sharp clang brought her head swinging around to see a knife on the floor. Her headpiece's radio crackled as James muttered a faint curse. The light chuckle that could be heard over the radio following the dropping was hers surprisingly. The only evidence linking it to Andrea were the curving of her eyes and the small spasm of her shoulders as she chuckled. Andrea quickly resumed her stoic stance after a second and a half of emotional showing. The radio became silent once more, only being disturbed by the occasional quips from the pilot.<br/><br/>Andrea's eyes widened as she felt the helicopter lurch under Jeanette's control. She looked out the front window to see the mountain filling up the whole view. "<i><span style="color: RoyalBlue">Holy crap she's gonna kill us.</span></i>", she thought to herself before the the Raven suddenly pulled up, crushing them with G-forces. Her heart was pounding against her armor trying to break free as the Raven finally settled down.<br/><br/>"<span style="color: DarkOrchid">Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll look out your windows you'll see the abandoned town of Ilinar. Tourist hotspots include casinos, red light districts and five star hotels.</span>"<br/><br/>Following this last remark, Andrea loudly replied, "<span style="color: RoyalBlue">What the hell are ya doin'!? How about next time ya don't try an' kill us!</span>"<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>