Timeline: Right after the game "Stepping in it".
Melati: Melati slung the wet towel over her shoulder, before the used uniform landed in the laundry bin. She stepped up to her locker and pulled it open, the first thing she grabbed being her bottle of water.
Mayday: There was a sharp sneeze as Mayday finished drying her hair, already sat in her sweat pants and a 'Wheatley Laboratories' vest top. She looked up at Melati as she entered the otherwise empty locker room, opening her mouth and not saying anything at first.
Mayday: After a moment, Mayday found the words, "H-hey, 'sup?", she smiled awkwardly, trying to be careful in case Melati was too frustrated to be civil.
Melati: While taking some good sized swigs from the plastic bottle, Melati turned her head to gave the other girl a brief look. "Eh, could be better, could be worse," she said after putting down her water. "How about you? Everything still where it's supposed to be?"
Mayday: "Er, y-yeah! Yeah.", Mayday nodded, wincing at a knot in her hair, "M-my girlfr-...", she blushed, "S-Sue! Sue's a little shaken up, but I think she'll be alright. I was erm...wondering if you were ok, actually."
Melati: A strained smirk appeared on her lips. "Oh, you know me," Melati replied. "When have I ever not been okay?" She flopped down on the bench in the middle of the locker room. "Seriously, though, I guess I am. More or less."
Mayday: Mayday stood and approached her, closing the gap between them by sitting a little nearer, "A-are you sure? Because if you wanna talk...a-about anything...", she offered a gentle smile.
Melati: Melati looked at her for a moment, before giving a chuckle. "Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it," she replied. "I guess it's much less my emotional health one should be worried about, no? How's Sue holding up?" She slightly nodded her head. "And you too, by the way."
Mayday: "She really freaked when she thought she'd...", Mayday made a face to fill the gap there, "B-but she's ok! Ish. I erm...I just think she needs a while to calm down: she's so confident about her powers, I guess accidents hit her quite hard.",
Mayday: "As for me..", she continued, "I'm alright. Decided that a hooded outfit is actually pretty dumb - I prefer the mask. And also, I think I'll just modify my tracer darts: carrying around a rifle is a pain in the butt.", she blushed a little, realizing she was rambling, "S-sorry - I ramble sometimes."
Melati: "Nah, that's quite alright," Melati assured her. "It's good you're taking away some kind of lesson from this." She nodded, leaning back on the bench and pulling up one of her feet. "Me, I'm still trying to decide whether to book that as a success or a failure." She gave Mayday a look, slightly squinting. "What would you say?"
Mayday: Mayday smiled, "We captured Rogue...Essex...Ressex?", she stammered, shaking her head, "Anyway, we caught her...him...w-we caught them and we had no medical emergencies, which is more than I can say for most missions with such high-profile opponents.", she explained, "We had no idea what we were facing and we still managed all that: we did a great job!"
Mayday: "I-I mean, I guess we could improve some stuff...", she went on, stopping herself, "S-sorry, there I go again: the mission was a success, bottom line."
Melati: That brought a grin to the green girl's face. "Thanks, it's good to hear that," she told her. "I mean it, really. And don't go easy on me, will you? It's damn hard to hurt my feelings, so just be honest when you believe something didn't work out as it should have." She shrugged. "It's the only way to prevent the same mistake from happening twice, right?"
Mayday: Glad she hadn't offended, Mayday nodded and smiled, "The issue was that our team wasn't balanced for battle of that scale: I'm not a hard-hitter, and only Darren or yourself could forseeably have benefitted from Fabian's amplifying power.", she listed things on her fingers, "We had two people for defence: Sue and Cecilia, but Cecilia hasn't really been in any real fights before.", Mayday paused for a moment, "That's all it was - not the wrong team, just a
Mayday: Mayday paused for a moment, "That's all it was - not the wrong team, just an unexpected foe. We were tight-quarters recon facing a high-risk combat situation."
Melati: "Yeah, I guess no one expected anything more serious than a poor mutant sewer dweller startled in his sleep." Melati angled her leg and wrapped her arms around her knee. "Guess that's part of the reason I got that mission in the first place. Still, prepared or not, I think we kicked plenty ass. Sometimes you just gotta play the hand that's been dealt to you."
Melati: "The new girl handled herself really well, I'd say," she added. "Even though she doesn't seem to see it the same way."
Mayday: "I should talk to her about it sometime...I know how she feels.", Mayday mused, "But I think you're right, and you played that hand well enough to win the game: for all the issues we had during, it was a success.", she gave Melati a thumbs-up and a reassuring smile.
Melati: "Did someone tell you that you make it quite hard to feel upset around you," Melati asked, giving a laugh. "I hope the others see it the same way. Especially Lorna and the spherical hormone factory she's carrying around with herself."
Mayday: Mayday giggled, snorting like she was wont to do and flushing, hoping it would be overlooked, "I-I'm sure that everyone will see it the same as I do.", she nodded, "In any case, I should probably get back to Sue: she needs m-...someone there for her.", she stood up.
Melati: "Yeah, you do that," Melati replied, nodding. She then looked up at Mayday. "Think she'd appreciate if I talked to her later?"
Mayday: "...you know what, yeah.", Mayday nodded back at her, "I really think she would, if you have the time."
Melati: "No worries, I'll simply make time," she said, an uneven smile on her lips. "The way I learned it, seeing to the moral of your troops is one of the most important tasks there is when running any team. Tell her I'll drop by to have a drink with her, will you? In the meantime, I'll go have a little chat with our new girl and see how she's holding up."
Mayday: Mayday nodded, "I'll take care of it.", she waved a little salute, "And thanks again, Boss."
Melati: "What for?" Melati laughed and waved after her. "Just trying to do my job here. So, thank you."