<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fc/d5/b0/fcd5b04e2458fff93763a1fb265e7967.png)</div><br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">NAME:</span></strong>Malcolm Thomas (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=329085.msg15779733#msg15779733)<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">RACE:</span></strong>Human<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">OCCUPATION:</span></strong>Engineering Gimp<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">DATE:</span></strong>December 20th, 2174 CE<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">WEARING:</span></strong>Black tank top & loose black pants w/ boots.<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">LOCATION:</span></strong>Kalanhai Bottom Deck | Engineering<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">CONTENT:</span></strong>Huh...What?<br/><strong><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial black;">TAG:</span></strong>Flo<br/><br/><div align="center"> ___________________________________________________________</div><div align="center"> ___________________________________________________________</div><br/>His brow furrowed at the use of the word 'desperate', twice no less, and he followed her onto the elevator with a kind of effortlessly easy swagger, the slight sway of his stride a consequence of the damage that had been done to his back, pelvis and left leg, rather than an affectation of arrogance.  Taking up position against the wall of the elevator, he left his meaty man-arm draped across his upper abdomen as he extended the badass cyborg arm slightly, eyes lifting from it to her face as he cocked his head.  "I can't tell who you just insulted more, me or yourself.  Firstly..."  He turned the biometal arm to hold up his index finger.  "...ill or healthy, a body doesn't have to be 'desperate' to want to bunk with you, Florinthia.  Secondly..."  His middle finger rose to join the index.  "...I don't think<em>anyone</em>would call what I'm doing 'sneaking'.  And third..."  He added his ring finger and wiggled all three with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.  "...no.  I am genuinely concerned about your safety...getting to spend more time with you is just a lovely perk."<br/><br/>The levity in his expression and voice faded as the subject returned, inevitably, back to the very species that supposedly had sparked the need for the mission they were on.  He dropped his arm to fold it back over his chest with the other and drew in a deep breath, exhaling as his shoulders crept upward slightly with the tension gathering in them.  "Career soldier.  The only thing I wanted to do since I was about five years old, when I read a story about a soldier in some human war hundreds of years ago who saved a bunch of people from this enemy attack.  I wanted to be like that guy, helping people and risking my life to protect others from harm."<br/><br/>He stopped and lifted the mech hand to rub the back of his neck, absently trying to massage the tension away, but knowing that was just his free gift with purchase when it came to war wounds.  "Anyway, the civilians on Mindoir had it worse...the<em>lucky</em>ones just got brutally slaughtered.  The not so lucky ones..."  He stopped and shifted, the angles of his face seeming to sharpen as he clenched his jaw and pushed off the wall, giving a small shrug.  "After Mindoir, my mother couldn't bear to see me continue.  She didn't want me joining up to begin with, but I guess seeing the mess the military made of her boy really drove the fears home.  That and...failing to help those poor people, well...guess it just seemed like I'd be better off doing something that helps<em>other</em>people do the job I couldn't."<br/><br/>He seemed grateful when the elevator doors opened and he stepped out, heaving a sigh of relief as if having just escaped some sort of gulag.  Glancing back at her, he waited a few steps beyond the lift, letting her take the lead once more.