After Coffee
By the time the sun had finally set, beginning Ake's depressingly short night time, Niel and Yori had Mako's Sylph and Akemi's Impulse cracked open like a can of sardines or 'meat byproduct product'. Not that there was a pull tab on the powered armor, or anything, just that there were PA guts strewn all over the work bench and a cable leading from the pair of exposed processing units to a diagnostic display on one corner of the wide, smooth steel expanse. Niel had his wheelchair right up against the table, some sort of magnifying lense strapped over one eye as he stuck a needle-like instrument into the circuit board of the Impulse. Sighing, he dropped the thin impliment and raised a hand, which Sylphie floated up and immediately filled with another needle-like device of some sort, perhaps this one with a few more shining LEDs or a tiny humming noise. You know, sci-fi stuff.
"Whoever designed this thing did not want technicians inside it." Mused the shipwright, "Probably intended for replacement parts to do most of the work."
Yori had her attention on the interior of the Sylph, using a pair of magnifying goggles to examin some parts, while hooking others upto a hand held diagnostic to see what was wrong with them. She looked over to Niel when he spoke up and smiled.
"The Impulse? Yeah it's that 'user friendly' policy Origin has, just use replacement parts ot make things easier for the consumer." She leaned closer to the armor she was examining and used a pair of tweezers to pick out something and look closely. "Oh just a pebble, not a nanochip."
"You sure?" Asked Niel, turning to look at the pebble, "Because I can hardly tell the difference sometimes. This is my first time seeing some of this stuff outside of a drafting program."
Yori thought a moment and then handed it to Sylphie so she coudl examin it. "I've seen the Impulse before, but I almost feel like SAINT operatives are going to walk in any minute now while we're looking over ths Sylph."
"That old thing?" Asked Niel incredulously. Sylphie zipped around and took the pebble into her tiny hands, then sat on one edge of the desk, looking over it with wide eyes. Niel leaned over and took a closer look himself, then sighed. It really was just a pebble. He looked back up at Yori and said, "I doubt there's any part of that which hasn't been reversed-engineered by somebody, yet. Hell, they had those when I was a young man, and Elysians were all supposed to be bad guys."
There was a pause, and then suddenly, as if inspired, Niel added jokingly, "Though I think we could use some SAINT operatives right about now."
"One or two operatives? Yeah I would like that right now." She let out a soft sigh. "I'm glad my suit was brought along, but I didn't think it was going to be used in combat you know?"
Niel shook his head with that 'tsk-tsk' look that he rarely used. "Come now, Kataoka, you can't possibly think of it like that. You're thinking like a technician. You gotta think like a designer. You're in R&D, kid. 'Combat' is just another type of field work." With a haughty look, the shipwright removed his magnifying eyepiece and leaned back in the wheelchair, angling it towards Yori to lecture, "Think of it the same way you'd think of heavy lifting or mining applications. The suit has to be resistant to what? Bullets? Scalar pulses? Durandium or Yamatainium plates will more than suffice. You have to think about output, too. You need something that penetrates-- what is it combat armor likes these days-- thirty milimeteres of durandium trauma plating?"
Yori nodded softly at the advice on how ot loo at the situation differently. "I'll try, but it's a whole lot different than stress testing when you're inside it, and it might fail." She tweaked a few pieces inside the armor before looking up at Niel with an expression showing her lack of confidence in the matter. "I kind of want to just have Spencer wear my suit..but he wouldn't fit..and I don't want to see him try."
"So, impliment redundancies to protect the intended operator. Failsafes are for the user. You're still thinking like a technician." Niel quickly retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "We can do it together. Or did you get your fancy title just from being pretty?"
Yori paused a moment after hearing the last part of his statement and then nodded. "You're right, I want to build power suits to be used in this exact kind of situation. I probably wont get a better chance to get data than this."
She looked more confident after coming to that realization and began pressing keys on the digital tester. "Low level shields would probably be the first upgrade...But I want too make a hand held energy shield so at least some of the group can get behind it for protection if another battle starts."
"And how is your power source going to handle this new drain on energy?" Asked Niel, a probing tone creeping into his voice.
"That will be a problem...normally I'd redo the power supply...but we don't have time for that." She tapped her chin with a finger as she thought the problem over for a moment "Maybe I'll make it so when I have the shield on, the inertia enhancement system that works with flight will only work at half power."
Her glance wandered over to the Sylph's shield generators now that she was thinking about it, wondering just how much power they consumed.
Niel pushed away from the work bench and wheeled himself up behind Yori, peering over her shoulder and into the Sylph. "Looking at what my generation thought to do about it?" He asked, reached past her with arms on either side of the younger designer and prying open the maintenance shutter on the little alcove where the shield generators rested on the Sylph. With his chin next to her ear, Niel said in an courteously hushed tone, "Now you're thinking like a designer."
Yori did not notice Niel's approach at first, but she quickly became aware of it when his arms went around her on both sides. She was thank ful that she was facing away and her hair made her face more difficult to see, otherwise he might have been aware just how much she was blushing at the moment. "It was your generation that inspired me and made me want to make my life what it is now. THe M5 Harpy tech demo was really something else. I wish I could make something at that level."
"It was easier back then." Admitted Niel, retreiving a bolt ratchet and sliding it onto the shield assembly, his arms just barely brushing against Yori's sleeves while he worked, "Everything was Yamatai, and it was the golden age of Imperial technology. These days, everyone's split up, got their own ideas. But it looks like we made some nice stuff, doesn't it? I don't know if you realize it, but..." With a pained heave, Niel pulled the shield generator free and set it up on the edge of the table, very close to Yori, before settling back into his wheelchair with a wince and an almost moaning, "You are making something at that level. You're doing it right now, a little at a time. That's how the Harpy was made, how this Sylph was made, hell-- That's how just about everything worth mentioning was made."
Yori totally froze when his arms brushed against her's, recovering only mid way through his speech when he sat back with a groan. She turned her attention to him to check and make sure her was alright. "You shouldn't strain yourself Strellan-san, you might reopen a wound."
Realizing her face was still flush though she looked to the side once more. "I know every thing is built one step at a time, but when I look at what I've done, and what others have done, it feels like I haven't made much progress." She fiddled with the shield assembly to make sure it was intact and checking the energy supply routes.
Niel suddenly seemed to lose a bit of his patience. The middle-aged engineer frowned at her and laid a hand across the armrest of her chair. A barrage of questions came at her, the engineer probably trying to cover some of his pain with prideful vigour. From where she sat, still counting the molecules of the pebble that'd been handed to her, Sylphie perked up at this, tilting her conical hat back a little for a better view of the show. "So you have their design diaries? You know how much work went into this stuff? You think we sat down over two weeks and just-- I dunno, popped out a military-grade power armor? And just why are you blushing?"
Yori was rather startled by the sudden placement of his arm, feeling cornered she scooted back as much she could in the hair. "N-No I didn't mean to say it all just happened." THe questions were easy enough to answer, but the pressure was too much for the socially inept engineer. "I just...well I mean I wanted to..." After a few more tries and failures she simply looked down at her lap in defeat "I'm sorry."
"Look at me, Kataoka." Said Niel, putting a hand against Yori's face to turn her towards him. Whether she met his gaze or not, he went on as if she had. "We are in deep shit out here right now. We are under-equipped, outgunned, and probably at risk of being trampled over any minute. But Daziel thinks we can make it, and he's a smart guy. So he must be full of confidence in you. I'm full of confidence in you. Everyone who matters is, except one person. Guess who."
Yori's face only grew more red at she was turned to look in Niel's direction. She did not know what to do at this point and just nodded her head at Niel's remarks till the end. "This is all new to me...I don't really know what to do...I can make a tool or a piece of equipment, but what if I make the wrong thing? Or what iff it doesn't work as it shoulkd?" She still showed a noticiable lack of confidence in her own ability and familiarity with combat, her gaze constantly avoiding Niel's
Grunting, the designer put a hand on the other side of Yori's face, and leaned in close on the edge of his seat. "Then it will break, or it will stop working. And you will go back to your drafting table and make it better. Over. And over. And over again." He whispered, his face tight, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
By this point, Sylphie had moved to get a better view of everything and from where she was standing, the tiny sorceress held up two hands in a pair of pinched triangular shapes and brought them together while she said, mischeviously, as if she had been orchestrating this entire event, "And now... kiss."
Yori had looked like she was going to speak up after Niel spoke, but Sylphie was faster to reply. It was something that Yori did not have words for, not anything she could say publicly at least, maybe not even admit ot herself. She turned herself back around to her desk after that outburst and let out a sigh to calm herself down before turning Sylphie's direction. "We're not having fun Sylphie, we're working."
"Fine." Sylphie replied, crossing her arms and turning her head. Niel released his hold on Yori and sighed out some of the tension in his features as the tiny witch disappeared in a puff of cartoonish projected smoke and then reappeared as a full-sized woman behind Niel, reaching down with arms made of tangible light to softly stroke the shipwright's shoulders. Niel made no response to this, just tried to concentrate on Yori some more. Finally, Sylphie said, still playful, "So you won't mind if Mister Strellan takes a five second break to just kiss me instead, right? You've wasted more than six minutes of 'work time' with your pitiful organic emotions. I bet this guy right here could use a good kiss right now to ease his pitiful organic nerves."
Niel kept his eyes focused straight ahead in light of this, steadfastly ignoring the suddenly not very helpful assistant program.
Yori was picking up a wrench when Sylphie spoke again, however that wrench soon feel out of her hand as she was struck with surprise.She turned aroudn quickly and looked striaght at Sylphie "You can't kiss him. It's...not good for his health right now...yeah. His lips had to be sewn back on so you can't kiss him till they're healed." As she uttered those words she was fully aware how totally ridiculous they sounded, but she couldn't just un say them.
While Niel cocked an amused eyebrow at the younger designer, Sylphie took on a look of false surprise. "Is that true? You really think so?" She asked, removing her conical hat. It would've been too small to do what she wanted, but the volumetric projectors of Sister Sara adjusted its size in minute, almost undetectable ways as she perched it over Yori's head and it canted slightly to one side. "So, when he gets better, are you going to be first in line to kiss him, then? Or are you gonna let me take care of it? Or maybe the doctor should do it. She's pretty. And she's closer to his age."
Yori pulled the hat down over her face a bit to hide her eyes, hoping it would make her feel more confident, but it only made it easier for her to run away from what directly answering anything. "Why are you so concerned about people kissing him? I'm sure if he wants a kiss from someone he can just ask for one."
Now it was Niel's turn to be playful. He smiled at Yori with the hat pulled low over her face and leaned forward again, planting his elbows on his knees. "Oh, I can just ask for a kiss then? Even thought I'm what, almost as old as your dad probably is? That's all it takes? How about a kiss, then, eh, Kataoka?"
You see, the problem with Yori's response was that it failed to take into account the fact that, despite being a professional, Niel was still a man. A Raltean man. With thick, snow-covered blood. Besides, Sylphie had been egging them on so much, Niel figured she'd at least give up if he brought it out in the open. As predicted, the tiny witch snatched her hat away from Yori with a snap of her fingers and hopped back, watching with great interest.
Yori was cherry red when the hat was taken from her, she had never expected Niel to play along with Sylphie and actually ask for a kiss. She looked down, playing with her fingers a moment, and then looked back up, entirely unsure what to do. "I...well I'm sure you wouldn't want ot kiss someone like me...I don't know the first thing about kissing, even those kissing test machines give me zero points...and my lips are probably chapped.." She just began to rant, putting herself down more and more in her panic.
"Oh yeah, I totally don't spend any time wishing I could get the attention of someone as young and pretty as you." Niel panned sarcastically, moving even closer. "You think you're ever gonna learn by kissing a machine?" A chuckle escaped his lips now, and Niel's smile turned sinister, using an archaic Nepleslian euphamism for cowardice, "I think you're just chicken. Too disgusted that you might get caught kissing an old guy and have to explain it to all your pretty friends."
"I'm...not scared it's just a kiss after all there's nothing to be afraid of." She tried to put on a more composed expression, looking mildly more convincing now."Yeah, no one will be bothered by me kissing someone so there's nothing to worry about." Despite her words she was still avoiding direct eye contact.
"Oh, good, then we can kiss?" Niel asked again, his face almost completely and shamelessly predatory.
Yori nervously looked around once more, making sure the room was clear, of course Sylphie was there though. "You can't...kissing infront of other's is kind of rude isn't it?" She said shyly, still fighting with herself over what to do.
Niel shook his head again, still very much the cheshire. Sylphie started to say, "I don't mind at--"
"Sister Sara, disable Sylph for..." Niel glanced over to the workbench to survey his remaining work for a moment white Sylphie placed both hands over her mouth in shock, "... Twenty minues? Yeah, Twenty minutes sounds good."
Immediately, Sylhpie vanished. There was no puff of cartoonish smoke, no sparkling broom to ride off into one of the walls and vaporize away on. The tiny witch simply disappeared, leaving behind a soft 'whoosh' noise as the air filled the space she once occupied and Niel leaned back in his wheelchair looking proud of himself with a haughty, "Well, the ball's in your court now, isn't it? What're you going to do about it?"
Yori was out of escape routes now, and she was too busy being nervous and frantic to have realized it was all a joke. With Sylphie gone her only options were run, try to play it off, possibly pass out right before she kisses him or just kiss him. The first two were do able but they'd be really rude and she'd lose respect, not to mention would it make her look like a chicken. The thrid one was something she had no real control over so it was out. So with a moment of thought she leaned in towards Niel and puckered up, but at the last moment getting cold feet and kissing him on the cheek. Niel blushed a little at her proximity, despite his previous encouragement, but when she tried to get away with just kissing him on the cheek, the older man smiled again and reached for her-- moving her hair aside and putting both hands on her face for the second time that night as he pulled her close again and gave her a real, bonified, lover's kiss.
Yori was caught in the kiss and once more petrefied in surprise, she did not expect Niel to do anything, much less something like that. Once the kiss was over though she pulled away and gave him a look somewhere between a glare and a confused gaze. When she opened her mouth to speak words didn't come out. She put her fingers to her lips and eyed down slowly as she turned around muttering something in a low voice. "That..was my first."
If he was surprised, Niel didn't show it. Perhaps some remorse, but not surprise. He studied her carefully at first, sucking in his lower lip. Finally, he asked softly, "So, then, was it... terrible? Did I ruin your first kiss?"
Yori shook her head softly at his question. "It wasn't bad..." She couldn't bring herself to talk to him while looking at him right now and began fiddling with the armor once more.
"You just wish your first kiss was someone you actually had a crush on?" Niel asked, this time a little more volume in his voice as he wheeled himself back to the table, "Maybe someone specific you actually have in mind?"
Yori shook her head once more at his question "No...I didn't really have anyone different in mind." She made a few quick adjustments to some of the interior parts, not wanting to really change anything incase that was the way the Mako liked it, but there were some electrical issues that bothered her.
"Sooo..." Niel cleared his throat and pressed again, putting a hand on her shoulder sorrowfully, "You really just didn't want to kiss anyone? You were saving it for some one special, and I ruined that?"
She glanced over her shoulder a moment at him, but looked away once more when speaking. "I wasn't really saving it..I just never really thought about it..you didn't ruin anything." Her voice was still soft but it did not sound like she was pressured into answering that way.
"Well, since you're worried your stuff won't work..." Niel leaned in to whisper just for her even though they were all alone in the component strewn bay. "If you ever do meet someone special, you don't have to worry about your kiss design not working right. It was really nice, Yori."
Yori covered her face with her hands at hearing that, it was much more embartassing to hear than she would've ever thought. "Don't say that...it's embarassing. .and don't tell anyone about the kissing machines.."
"Would you kiss me again to buy my silence?" Niel asked, reaching for her shoulders, his tone just ever-so-slightly playful.
"If you don't tell anyone..I suppose I would yes." She spoke meekly, moving her hands from her face slowly. "But you can't tell anyone."
"Would you enjoy it?" Niel asked, his hands running down her arms, pressing the side of his face against one of her shoulders, "Your secret would be safe with me, but you have to want to kiss me or the deal's off."
Yori poked her fingers together and nodded softly at his question "I think I would enjoy it." She seemed too embarassed by her own reply to have been faking, but her response was rather quick.
"How do you want to do this, then?" Niel just wouldn't stop asking questions, but now at least he was leaning back away from Yori and giving her some space. "Since I kind of took charge last time, maybe you just tell me what to do this time. So you might enjoy it more."
"It was...really nice the way it was before. I don't mind it like that." She turned herself aroudn completly now and blushed. "But...you don't have to hold my face so firmly this time." She had a weird measure of confidence at the moment, wanting to continue, but still somewhat skittish.
"So you've thought of some improvements to our earlier kiss?" Niel asked playfully, rising from his wheelchair. Truly, he didn't need it. Sure, walking was painful, but it was his ribs that hurt, not his legs. Besides, this was worth any pain it might cause him. Gently, the shipwright reached down and ran a hand through Yori's hair before resting it at the nape of her neck and whispering just before their lips met once more, "Now you're thinking like a designer."
