Aesthetic Motif

“I pulled three straight all-nighters to get her ready! But with the salvaged motivators, I finished her just in time for the Gunbuster Irregular Tourney!”

“Uh-huh,” Lisa yawned following the technician and wannabe robo-jockey across the noisy repair bay.

Lisa slurped coffee. “I hope you’re as good a pilot as you are a mechanic. Vermillion team is going to be hard to beat.”

Kim nodded in stained overalls. “I’m a beginner, but I’ve gone with a simple weapons layout and a neuro-kinetic maneuvering interface.”

“The jump jets are tricky,” the robo-tech continued. “But with more simulator time before the duels, I know I’ll be ready, Team Leader Hayase!”

Lisa looked up as they stopped at the foot of the ten-meter-tall humanoid robot.

“And here she is!” Kim squealed.

Lisa blinked, scrutinizing Kim’s handiwork. “It’s, uh… wow.”

“Isn’t she great?!”

“It’s, um… kind of funny to see a thirty-five ton mech with rabbit ears.”

Kim squinted, turning and pointing with her hydro-spanner. “Oh, come on. Those are heat sinks!”

“Okay,” Lisa said, preparing to chug the last of her double-caff moka as Kim faced her again. “And what’s the purpose of the painted-on nose, and whiskers?”

Kim folded her arms across dirty overalls and a Lola Bunny patch. “That’s for… aesthetic motif.”