RP The Sound of Fury

At Kyle's request, a single tentacle snaked its way over, took the coupon, tossed it in the garbage, and grabbed a glass. In a display of extraordinary coordination, it held the glass under a soda fountain and simultaneously pulled the lever that dispensed mazrit-flavoured Caalian Springs Soda. Once full, the tentacle deposited the glass gently in front of Kyle, then slithered away, presumably to fulfil another order.

The shark man stood upright and turned around to face Kyle. He was approximately the same height, but much broader shouldered. The shark man drew the fingers of his grey-skinned hand through his pompadour coiffure, before letting it rest at the lapel of his suit jacket. He looked down his broad white nose at the red-haired man as he began to speak.

"Whatchu call me, ya meagre anemic jinja? Ya look like all ya blood left ya body and went inna ya hair!" The shark man's breathing apparatus made a bubbling sound and through the transparent device mounted on his gills, the liquid within visibly sloshed around. The man laughed before continuing, unleashing the stench of something like partially-fermented fish from deep in the back of his throat. "Ya think ya sumthin sumthin jes cuz ya in da ahmee? Gots nuse fo ya, ya rufescent-domed throttle stroker, yous not so tuff when yas not in ya shiny ahma!"

J'dompal finally pulled away from his chatterbox customer and positioned his head to form an equilateral triangle at eye level, the other two points of which were Kyle and the shark man.

"Gentlemen, I kindly ask that you find an amicable conclusion to your dispute. If the possibility of such an option has reached the infinitesimal, please remove yourselves from the premises before you engage in any fisticuffs."

Shakily reaching out, Kyle took the glass of cola that J'dompal had gotten him. Without a second thought, he downed the entire drink before gently settkng it down onto the bar counter. "I may be Human, but I don't need power armor to be strong." His voice trembling as he spoke softly, his accent slowly fading away, although his confidence held firm.Tapping his fingers against the table for a moment, he stood from his stool. Turning his attention to Kwabba-an, "I think I'll take my leave from the bar. It's getting a tad too crowded here. Would you care to join me over there?"

Kyle then pointed over to an open spot a little ways from the bar and just off the dance floor. Aproximately a few feet from the stairwell up to the balcony. "I appreciate the intervension, and the drink." He told J'dompal while his body still shook from the adrenaline that pumped through him. An anxious smile painted his face as he awaited her response.

The shark man didn't react when Kyle stood up, he just watched and continued to grin at him toothily.

"Yaa, das rite yuz betta step offa dis," he sounded so very pleased with himself.

When Kyle looked at Kwabba-an, he would have seen her tenser than ever, staring at the back of the shark man's head with narrowed eyes. She took a moment to breathe, then gave Kyle a quick nod, stood up, picked up her beer and began walking towards where Kyle had indicated.

J'dompal, who had been continuing to serve several customers this entire time, tilted his head forwards slightly at Kyle in something like a nod. Since his body was composed of just a head and tentacles, it also evoked a bow.

"Seez ya layta, toots!" The shark said to Kwabba-an as she walked away, as his smile somehow became more obnoxious.

"Sorry if I only made th-things worse." Kyle admitted to Kwabba-an, accompanied with a nervous laugh. "I j-just wanted to help, b-but as soon a-as he wanted ut to be violent... I-I knew to back off." He stated before peering his gaze back to the obnoxious anthro. His attention being short lived before resuming back to Kwabba-an. Her tense demeanor making him feel empathetic, as he knew the feeling all too well.

"D-do you need a minute t-to calm down?" He asked as he began to make his way to the destination that he had refrenced to her earlier. Making sure to remain within arms reach for her in case something were to happen. Such as another thug coming by and attempting the same shenanigans that the chum bucket had pulled just moments ago.

"No," she responded sharply, which seemed to surprise herself. She exhaled with obvious frustration, then took a few more breaths before repeating herself more calmly. "No. He seeks conflict with those who are weaker. To engage would be to indulge him. You chose wisely. It would not do to dwell."

She took another sip of her beer and looked up at Kyle once they reached their destination. Her pupils were overly dilated and her expression was still one of seething anger, but she held her drink very steadily. She glanced down at the red panel of his uniform.

"You are a technician, are you not? My friend Pidole Henitot is a technician on the Resurgence. She is much smarter than I am, but she never makes me feel dumb." Kwabba-an's expression changed drastically as she started to talk about her friend, turning from unbridled fury to unrestrained love. "Do you enjoy being a technician?"

Meanwhile, J'dompal took the stage again and quietly introduced the two-headed Nepleslian, who emerged into the stage lights wearing a silver dress that sparkled brilliantly. They began to simultaneously beatbox and play a silver flute that caught the light in a similar way to their dress.

Watching her calm down in turn helped him cool his own jets. Deciding to ignore what was going on, on stage, he listened to her talk about her friend before changing to asking about him. The sudden question made him pause as he didn't want to geek out instantly, but he couldn't help but show. "Void, th-that's an easy one. I absolutely love what I do. Hell, I am a bit too overqualified for it-" A genuine laugh errupting from him as he attempted to continue, "Bachelours in AstroNav, as well as s-schooling in Qu-Quantum Physics and Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Software Development, Hardwear De-Development... I could list everything, but we'd be here all night."

His anxiety starting to chip and break once he started talking about his passion. Which reminded him of an event that happened while he was still in the NDC, "Oh, once I even made my own p-prototype power armor. I t-took it out for a s-spin and ended up mopping th-the floor with a squad of S-Section 6 PA... Needless t-to say I g-got in tr-trouble... Nobody d-died at l-least..." His laugh that followed being filled with more embarasdment than the last. As that event was a lot more of a mess than he would like to admit.

Kwabba-an's eyes began to unfocus as he listed more than enough things whose names she didn't even recognize. But when he mentioned power armour, her face lit up again.

"Oh! I like power armour. I would not know how to begin making one. I do not understand even the basics of how they work." She blinked at the enormity of the idea. "But I have made several suggestions that others have made."

She looked down at the space between them.

"I do not see very well. Not compared to most people." Then she looked up. "But I suggested that someone translate the visual input to sound. Apparently, it was easy. They just added a little thing with some wires and suddenly I could hear everything that everyone else could see."

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I could hear everything. And I turned it into music."

Taking a moment to process what she said, Kyle snapped his fingers as he realized what she had meant, "Ah, r-right, your eyesight is poor, makes sense. Ants t-typically h-have poor eye s-sight, but vi-vibrations are what they use to s-see." Analyzing openly before falling silent as he realized that he may make her zone out again. "So, y-you're interested in p-power armor? Wh-what about it i-interest you?"

A weird sensation overcame him as he continued to stand there and talk with her. Some kind of awkward and embarrassing energy settling in, as it had been a while since he spoke openly with a woman. The odd thing for him was that she wasn't as intimidating or as forward as the others he had encountered. Reaching his hand out hesitantly, he placed his hand atop her head and gently pet her, "Th-thank you for b-being e-easy to t-talk to... I'm n-not good at t-talking to p-people outside of w-work..."

Kyle soon fell silent as he realized that what he was doing was probably not normal. However, it was already too late to reverse what he had done and just continued to pet her. Hoping to void that she didn't break his arm.

"Yes. It is so. Sometimes when others see things, I just see shapes. I am confused. Seeing comes so easily for others. Hearing comes easily for me. I hear all and I understand all that I hear." His question about power armour made her tilt her head and blink.

"Are you interested in the glass that holds your...pop?" She said this last word as nearly as she could to how he said it earlier when ordering a drink. She took another sip of her beer and smiled as the fizz tickled her mouth. "I expect not. But it is useful. Without it, to hold such a volume of liquid in your hands would be impossible. So it is with power armour."

She watched with curiosity as he moved his hand towards her head, then both sets of her shoulders tensed up visibly when he touched her. For a moment she appeared shocked, then she closed her eyes and relaxed and nuzzled her head against his pets. Within her mouth, a hidden set of vestigial mandibles clicked audibly.

Then she moved, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from her head with effortless strength. It took her a moment to regain her composure before she looked up at him.

"Your physical affection pleases me, but you will not do this again until I command it." Her voice was different, like when she told her audience not to go anywhere between her sets. It was not an order or imperative. It was a statement of absolute fact. She released his hand, then continued as if nothing had happened, her voice returning to its normal state of being slightly bubbly and slightly distracted. "No one has said that I am easy to talk to before. I am usually as nervous around new people as you seem to be around me. But there is something about your manner that sets me at ease."

Watching her remove his hand and change into a commanding mood was certainly something that surprised him. Her strength was initially shocking but soon changed to him not being surprised at all. As everyone was typically stronger than him physically, he was only human, don't put the blame on him. Looking down at his hand, he stood there as he attempted to come up with a response to her. Eventually coming up with a remark towards her change in attitude, "You ah... Y-you okay there? S-sorry for d-doing that, I won't do it a-again... A-as for the ease... I g-guess it's b-because I come off as n-not threatening? Heh... I'm n-not exactly st-strong... As y-you just p-proved..." Falling silent at his last comment as she essentially just proved to him that he was not as strong as everyone else.

"I try to make up for my ph-physical weakness by being better in other ways... It's why I am a T-technician. H-Have to prove m-my worth someway r-right?" The young Kyle clenching his hand closed as he made his statement. Giving a confident smile to her as he gestured to the stage, "L-Like how y-you show your sk-skills by using m-music. W-wish I had th-those pipes, heh. I don't l-like my attempts at i-it." Laughing off his own self-criticism as he looked back down to Kwabba-an.

"There is no need to apologize. Your action caused me pleasure." She looked puzzled at his reaction, having thought she had been quite clear. "Perhaps I need to explain. The applause of the audience brings me pleasure, yes? If applause happens mid-song, it still brings me pleasure but it is not in accordance with my will. The audience shall applaud when I will it."

She looked pensive for a long few seconds, thinking about the rest of what he had said and drinking her beer quietly. Finally, she nodded to herself.

"I understand. You prove your worth by building power armour. This is a thing I cannot do." She looked up to the stage where she could tell the performer was starting to wrap up her set, before looking to Kyle and uttering a single word before starting to walk up the nearby stairs. "Come."

Following behind Kwabba-an, Kyle waves his hand low dismissively to her previous statement, "I-It was the c-commanding t-tone th-that made me assume o-otherwise." Explaining to her in his soft tone why he was so apologetic. His gaze wandered briefly for a moment, taking an observation of the room again. All the while remaining close to the small anthro woman who had commanded him to follow her. Unsure of where exactly they were going.

"I was home-schooled for most of my life and did not socialize with others aside from my parents until I began studying at the Kyoto Academy for the Arts. I soon learned that my fellow students did not want to follow my lead, nor did they appreciate my unique physiology." The expression on her face betrayed a deep emotional scar as she led him towards the inner door of the entrance airlock, which was sealed for the duration of the performance. "Except when I performed. The context of the stage is one in which the audience submits themselves to feel as the performer wills them to. This comes naturally to me. In all other social situations, I find a dissonance between my natural behaviour and what is accepted by others. Though not with you."

Applause rippled through the crowd as the performance finished. Kwabba-an glanced towards the stage, and then towards the Kodian whose job it was to open the massive metal doorway. He was sitting with his paws on his round tummy, head tilted forward and eyes closed, snoring gently. She carefully balanced her glass on the Kodian, then slapped a button to one side of the doorway that released the vacuum within.

"Music is not the extent of my worth," she stated as she unlatched the door. She slipped off her sandals and pressed the claws of her feet against the concrete floor. Then she grabbed the door by its handle with all four hands and pulled. For a moment, nothing happened except the door handle bending visibly under the strain. Then the massive doorway moved, pulled along by an ant girl who looked tiny by comparison. When it was fully open, she walked back to grab her beer and slip back into her sandals. A gentle breeze of cool air blew in from outside and rustled her hair and skirt. "I can lift ten times my body weight. Not nearly as much as a neko, nor even as much as my mother who is a full arthropod."

"It seems that you and I prove our worths in ways that complement one another. This pleases me."

Hearing her speak more about herself, despite having just met, Kyle felt as if they had a little more in common than he originally thought. Having been paying full attention to her, he noticed her expression not matching what she was saying. Although he knew the tactic all too well, hiding what you truly felt from being shown.Whether it was intentional or not. Although, he wouldn't be able to react, as he witnessed her present her amazing degree of strength. The gentle breeze from the outside world gently ruffling his combed hair and flush between his pure white feathers.

Presenting her with a gentle smile, he told her, "Heh, I try." His soft voice faded as his eyes dilated as they looked down at her. His heart began to thump through his chest. "Y-you look very pretty... I ah... I've been meaning t-to say that all n-night..." Kyle finally admitted to her, feeling his heart sink into his stomach as he stood in anticipation of her response. 'Why did I say that! What was I thinking!? I think she's awesome but Holy Void I've never flirted before!!' His inner thoughts screaming in embarrassment at what he had just said. Yet he continued, "Y-You're an a-absolute pl-pleasure to be w-with... I-I'd like to kn-know more." The inner conscious within him having been shaken to its core as all he could do was watch Kyle flirt for the first time.

Before Kyle had even finished replying, Kwabba-an began to visibly shiver in the cold air.

"Th-th-thank y-you," she managed to utter while her mouth was chattering uncontrollably. She started rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm up and began walking towards a warmer side of the room, assuming he would follow. After a few steps, she remembered something and took a hard turn. She led the way to where a sloth-like anthro was manning a desk in front of a series of coat racks. Since this part of the room was significantly farther from the doorway, there was no cold breeze so Kwabba-an stopped shivering.

"You said you felt overdressed?" She beamed, proud of herself that she had remembered. "This is the coat check if you would like to undress."

She took a sip of her beer, then seemed to realize what he had just said.

"Oh, I enjoy your form also." She smiled at him, then reached out to touch his wings. "Especially your wings. I have always had a fondness for wings. Perhaps one day I will have wings of my own. I believe they would not have feathers, though."

Kwabba-an paused and put on a puzzled look.

"What more would you like to know?"

A wave of relief overcame him as she didn't realize that he was attempting to flirt. Having had followed her over to the coat racks, his peripheral noticing the sloth-like anthro operating the front desk. An amused grin cracking up as he thought that their position may be a bit counterproductive. His train of thought interrupted, tensing up the moment his wings were touched. Both of his feathered appendages spanning suddenly to full length as she touched his fluff. His face turning bright red, "Mmm~!" He moaned boyishly before asking her, "P-Please warn me n-next time... M-my wings are s-sensitive th-there..." His wings twitching ever so subtly under her fingertips.

"Wh-when y-you do, I w-would like to see th-them." Kyle responding after taking a moment to collect himself, his voice trembling softly. His gloved hand going to hers and attempted to slowly pull her hand from his wing. The fluff that she had touched being extremely soft and well kept, it would be obvious that he took care of them. "I-I would like to... Mm, Well I ah..." His voice stammered as he attempted to come up with a response. "Void why is it so difficult to say I like her..." Kyle muttered as he held his brow, thinking aloud, completely unaware of his open thought.

Kwabba-an listened with obvious delight as he moaned in response to her touch. She spent a long time staring at his wings, long after he pulled her hand away. She didn't resist. She hadn't intended to cause such a reaction, but her mind raced as she imagined all the ways she could force such a sound out of him again.

"Who is she that you find it difficult to tell you like her?" She asked awkwardly, obviously more distracted than usual. "The sound of your moaning pleases me deeply. I am curious to see if I can cause you to emit different pitches. It would please me to play you as an instrument. But you seem...flustered? We could go back to my hotel room if you would prefer some privacy."

Upon hearing Kwabba-an offer, Kyle fell silent for a moment before answering, "I'd l-like to." His internal mind losing its collective shit as he was basically given the equivalent to a girl asking him over. The mentioning alone of her wanting to play him like an instrument made him turn a darker shade of red. "Heh, g-guess I won't be needing t-to take off my uniform n-now. I c-can hang i-it up l-later." Laughing nervously as he wanted to say more, but was so caught off guard by her forward question.

Looking down at his boots, Kyle placed his hands behind his lower back. Attempting to hide his embarrassment from her, as she had flustered him severely. "I'm not g-good at expressing my th-thoughts, b-but if I don't then I f-feel like I'll just miss out... I ah... I like you. I th-think you're more than awesome..." Kyle said quietly, almost inaudible to anyone who didn't have enhanced hearing.

"You can hang up your uniform back at my room. The service here is a little slow, anyway." Behind her, the sloth began to react. Kwabba-an thought about what he said. "I am not good at expressing my thoughts in ways that please people. Sometimes when I think I am clear, people misunderstand. Like when it pleased me that you touched me. I told you I was pleased but you thought I was displeased. Such things are not obvious to me. My parents spoke plainly, and so do I."

Kwabba-an put on an almost pained expression. Though she had no trouble hearing what he said, she felt like she was missing something.

"You are having such difficulty telling me you like me. I like you too. But you appear almost displeased." She looked away and closed her eyes. She tuned out her surroundings and recalled everything he had said, her mouth moving rapidly as she imagined herself saying each phrase. When she finished, she looked up at him again.

"I fear you are not speaking plainly. We shall try being more specific with one another. I enjoy your company. If we were to part, I would miss you and look forward to seeing you again. I would also like to..." She searched for the right words and fell back on her study of biology. "Submit you to certain physical stimuli for the purpose of our mutual pleasure."

She nodded, pleased with her specificity. The sloth in the background was finally starting to form the word "hey," only he was doing so at a glacial pace.

"Now you try. Or would you prefer to wait until we are back at my room?"

"It was difficult at first, trying to understand you I mean. However, after having spent the time I have with you, I think I understand." Kyle stated, his voice clear and without any stutter, "I am very happy that I met you, and I would like to be with you more as well." That genuine smile he had given previously returning as he offered out his hand to the small woman. "Should we be on our way then?" A sudden period of silence followed as he had expended every ounce of confidence that he had left. "I th-think I d-did well, y-yes?" The young man asked, his stutter returning.

Scratching the back of his head with his spare hand, Kyle continued, "I-It may n-not look it, b-but I do h-have some experience in d-dating... M-maybe I j-just need m-more practice. P-Perhaps I c-can when w-we get to your hotel r-room?"