[ He just so happens to pass by when he notices a girl crouched in the corner, seemingly trying to wedge herself into the gap between the wall and some shelf unit placed in front of it. He stops to watch, curious, wondering just... what it was she must have dropped back there to be so desperate that she'd risk getting herself stuck.
The shelf unit is almost as long as the hall itself, so there's no way she's budging that thing.
And she's not going to make herself any smaller by forcing her way into that gap, either.
The moment passes by, and he finally coughs into a fist to make his presence known. ]
[ She'd heard the whirring, from behind there - a revving engine that didn't seem to be getting anywhere. It only took her one peak to realize what was happening.
Only half way through she realizes she can't do much to help the robot that had gotten stuck. Shoving herself way forward, jammed in as far as she can, on her hands and knees trying to reach for the little guy.
She doesn't hear anyone else come behind - not until she hears him speak and she jumps, trying to yank herself out of there as quickly as possible and -
smack. Head straight in the cupboard side in the effort of seeing whose there. ] Ow.
[ Good job, Angel. ] Uh, hi. I'm, uhm. Yeah. [ her hand lifts to rub the side of her head. A brief brush to make sure to metal plates were fine. ]
[ Oh - she doesn't stop him, nervously sat at odd angles on the floor. Letting him gently reach for her, eyeing his hand nervously. Swallows, sharply - it's not strange really, to be nervous, everyone here was so different - different to Pandora, or even Helios. His concern, wasn't... wasn't a thing she ever really dealt with. ]
I'm okay. Just got... yeah. [ She smiles, faintly, pushing herself up a little bit more. ] Just a bump. Promise. [ She looks up at him, earnestly and all. ]
[ Taking her arm gently, he coaxes her to remain crouched and seated. Don't push yourself up too quickly when you've just hit your head, girl, you'll get vertigo. ]
Let me see. [ He lifts a hand as if asking permission first. ]
Maybe you should sit down for a bit. What were you trying to do; did you drop something behind there?
[ she nods, before she's really thought it through. To let him touch, see if she was okay. A half thought through plan that she still isn't prepared, can't help the shiver of anticipation or fear or something between that the second he does her eyes drop. Fixing on a middle point of his chest, safer, easier than thinking about her face must be turning pink. Heat in her face.
He was gentle, and he cared. And... He looked nice. Clean. Strong. She didn't know why it mattered. ] No. No, I just... I thought I heard something back there. So I went to look and...
[ it's mumbled, still talking at his chest. ] ... There's a robot, it got stuck. I just wanted to help it.
[ it's hard not to be defensive, almost. So used to Jack's snapping words, they're just dumb robots, why do you care? ]
[ Unfortunately, he's made women tremble before, in the days when his fame was at its peak.... So he's all too keen when it comes to the subtle cues of her shyness, the way her pale skin colours pink, how she avoids eye contact and looks away when he gingerly touches the spot on her head where she bumped her skull. It feeds his stupid ego, but he's a better man than someone who would be eager to exploit a woman's timid nature.
He takes note of the strange metal plating adorning the shaved side of her scalp, wondering if it was decorative or something else altogether.
But he's a gentleman and knows better than to call attention to something strange the first time he meets a woman. At least he's capable of being considerate. ]
There's no swelling, so you should be fine. [ He withdraws his hand, placing it back into his lap. ]
Is it one of those droids? Here, I'll help you. [ Getting up to his feet, he reaches over for the shelving unit and pushes it away from the wall with ease. But the robot, due to its malfunctioning, simply keeps going down the length of the wall, getting itself wedged in again.
But now the gap has made room for Angel's tiny frame to fit into. ] See if you can reach, now.
[ She stops moving when he gets up, frozen a moment looking up at him. She's waiting for it - waiting for the inevitable. All this, for some dumb robot? Seriously?
But he doesn't, he just gets up and... helps?
Wide eyed she watches him - it's not that she's never seen someone do something impressive before. She was a siren, after all, that watched Pandora of all places. Brick could probably do twice that. But only if it involved killing someone. He was just... just helping her?
Maybe she shouldn't be surprised. People were nicer, here. ]
Uhm, okay.
[ She scrambles then, all at once, ducking underneath him and does her best to pointedly ignore that she - bets he's warm. Noctis was warm. Or seeing if his hair was really green. If this was home she'd just ask if it was Digistruct. But that would mean putting her fingers in it. That was probably rude.
Which had no place right now. Focus, Angel, the little guy needs your help. A hundred times in her life she's cursed by so little, but right now it makes it easy, wiggling her way to grab the robot with both hands either side. Picking it up and moving slowly backward with it. Its little rollers frantically still working to keep moving. But she holds it fast. ] Hey, stop moving, I'll put you down in a second, I promise. It's okay.
[ Achilles places his arm over the shelf, leaning against it slightly as he watches from the mouth of the gap with an earnest investment. There's no way for her to turn around and start crawling back, so she's going to have to scoot herself backwards. ]
[ And crawls backwards she does, even if it's awkward, having to hold onto the robot. Giving up on any dignity as she gets on her hands and knees and wriggles the rest of the way with the robot tucked in as close as she can. ]
I think so. It looks like his wires might be crossed.
[ And eventually, she gets free with the robot, yanking back the last little bit. To fall flat straight onto her butt again.
But at least this time it wasn't smacking her head. But rather she beams up in victory, holding onto it with both hands. ]
My head - [ what was wrong with her head - oh right - ] - don't worry about that. I'm a fast healer.
[ But as for the little guy, she rolls him where she's sitting fiddling with him in her lap until she's got internal wires exposed to her hands. Looking over - and she's almost immediately taken up in it, completely distracted. ] Most of him looks okay...
Hm? [ it's a pensive little noise, and she gets stuck into it. She hasn't phaseshifted into any of them yet. It just felt rude. But she had done some rudimentary poking around nonetheless. Poking around she continues now. Thankfully at least, now that the machine was on its head, it wasn't wriggling so much. ]
Yeah, yeah I've never met a machine I didn't like - [ as if those two things were inseparable right now, getting her fingers all messy with engine grease. ] - these are kind of new. Haven't worked out all these systems. I'd love too obviously, [ as she talks, she dims and flickers in stop start light under her skin, pulse in and out to the work she does. Intuitive if more than useful. Hardware wasn't exactly her best subject, but... ] but before this I handled all sorts of machinery. Big and small. Simple and complex. Kinda. I mean, it depends on how you count satellites and locking systems, or weapons and the defense suits I was in charge of. Maybe that all just falls collectively under OS. But the diagnostic I was in charge of that definitely required -
[Angel, Angel please stop talking the man has a life, he does not need to be trapped here listening to you.
But talk she does, on and on, until just as she began, she stops with a cheer yanking something out of the robot. Holding it up bold as brass up to him. ]
Got you! [ she's triumphant when she pulls out the offending object. A small bit of plastic. ] I thought the engine sounded wrong.
Couple quick things bc I had to run, I asked Midnighter to watch over the shapers in our place until we can get them somewhere safe bc he doesn't sleep as much. I'm gonna try to save some more.
You didn't take the clothes out of the washer by any chance did you?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
closed.
The shelf unit is almost as long as the hall itself, so there's no way she's budging that thing.
And she's not going to make herself any smaller by forcing her way into that gap, either.
The moment passes by, and he finally coughs into a fist to make his presence known. ]
Need some help, there?
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Only half way through she realizes she can't do much to help the robot that had gotten stuck. Shoving herself way forward, jammed in as far as she can, on her hands and knees trying to reach for the little guy.
She doesn't hear anyone else come behind - not until she hears him speak and she jumps, trying to yank herself out of there as quickly as possible and -
smack. Head straight in the cupboard side in the effort of seeing whose there. ] Ow.
[ Good job, Angel. ] Uh, hi. I'm, uhm. Yeah. [ her hand lifts to rub the side of her head. A brief brush to make sure to metal plates were fine. ]
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Hey, be careful. Are you alright?
[ Okay, maybe he's playing up his concerned expression to get some brownie points. A player knows what he do. ]
Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you.
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I'm okay. Just got... yeah. [ She smiles, faintly, pushing herself up a little bit more. ] Just a bump. Promise. [ She looks up at him, earnestly and all. ]
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Let me see. [ He lifts a hand as if asking permission first. ]
Maybe you should sit down for a bit. What were you trying to do; did you drop something behind there?
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He was gentle, and he cared. And... He looked nice. Clean. Strong. She didn't know why it mattered. ] No. No, I just... I thought I heard something back there. So I went to look and...
[ it's mumbled, still talking at his chest. ] ... There's a robot, it got stuck. I just wanted to help it.
[ it's hard not to be defensive, almost. So used to Jack's snapping words, they're just dumb robots, why do you care? ]
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He takes note of the strange metal plating adorning the shaved side of her scalp, wondering if it was decorative or something else altogether.
But he's a gentleman and knows better than to call attention to something strange the first time he meets a woman. At least he's capable of being considerate. ]
There's no swelling, so you should be fine. [ He withdraws his hand, placing it back into his lap. ]
Is it one of those droids? Here, I'll help you. [ Getting up to his feet, he reaches over for the shelving unit and pushes it away from the wall with ease. But the robot, due to its malfunctioning, simply keeps going down the length of the wall, getting itself wedged in again.
But now the gap has made room for Angel's tiny frame to fit into. ] See if you can reach, now.
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But he doesn't, he just gets up and... helps?
Wide eyed she watches him - it's not that she's never seen someone do something impressive before. She was a siren, after all, that watched Pandora of all places. Brick could probably do twice that. But only if it involved killing someone. He was just... just helping her?
Maybe she shouldn't be surprised. People were nicer, here. ]
Uhm, okay.
[ She scrambles then, all at once, ducking underneath him and does her best to pointedly ignore that she - bets he's warm. Noctis was warm. Or seeing if his hair was really green. If this was home she'd just ask if it was Digistruct. But that would mean putting her fingers in it. That was probably rude.
Which had no place right now. Focus, Angel, the little guy needs your help. A hundred times in her life she's cursed by so little, but right now it makes it easy, wiggling her way to grab the robot with both hands either side. Picking it up and moving slowly backward with it. Its little rollers frantically still working to keep moving. But she holds it fast. ] Hey, stop moving, I'll put you down in a second, I promise. It's okay.
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Think it's broken? [ The robot. ]
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I think so. It looks like his wires might be crossed.
[ And eventually, she gets free with the robot, yanking back the last little bit. To fall flat straight onto her butt again.
But at least this time it wasn't smacking her head. But rather she beams up in victory, holding onto it with both hands. ]
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And once she proves that she's done the job, he reaches down to lift her up by the waist, along with the robot she carries in her arms. ]
He'll have to get fixed.
Maybe you'll have to, too. How's your head?
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[ But as for the little guy, she rolls him where she's sitting fiddling with him in her lap until she's got internal wires exposed to her hands. Looking over - and she's almost immediately taken up in it, completely distracted. ] Most of him looks okay...
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You can fix him, yourself?
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Yeah, yeah I've never met a machine I didn't like - [ as if those two things were inseparable right now, getting her fingers all messy with engine grease. ] - these are kind of new. Haven't worked out all these systems. I'd love too obviously, [ as she talks, she dims and flickers in stop start light under her skin, pulse in and out to the work she does. Intuitive if more than useful. Hardware wasn't exactly her best subject, but... ] but before this I handled all sorts of machinery. Big and small. Simple and complex. Kinda. I mean, it depends on how you count satellites and locking systems, or weapons and the defense suits I was in charge of. Maybe that all just falls collectively under OS. But the diagnostic I was in charge of that definitely required -
[Angel, Angel please stop talking the man has a life, he does not need to be trapped here listening to you.
But talk she does, on and on, until just as she began, she stops with a cheer yanking something out of the robot. Holding it up bold as brass up to him. ]
Got you! [ she's triumphant when she pulls out the offending object. A small bit of plastic. ] I thought the engine sounded wrong.
@NIGHTLIGHT
You didn't take the clothes out of the washer by any chance did you?
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Be careful Noctis. I don't think either of us can stand that much opera again.
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How are you holding up?
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I am fine. The extra sleep probably isn't a bad thing.
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