RavensDagger

  Chapter Eighty-Six - P Made

  Sometimes a discussion ended before it had truly ehis was one of those moments.

  Aurora insisted that regardless of what they did, being near Uranus was the first thing they should do. That meant preparing the Sappho for an immediate unch. That was, of course, easier said than done.

  They needed permission from the dock, Pixie needed a special coupler ordered in order to be able to link her fighter to the Sappho while in motion, and they needed some travelling supplies for what would be a several day long trip across a good portion of the sor system.

  Uranus wasn't door, exactly. It happeo have an orbit that made it retively close at the moment, but retive wasn't much. Of course, for a ship as small as the Sappho, Ivil could give it a little... boost, to get it moving along a little faster than it ought to. A ship that weighted far less than it should would find its thrust efficy raised quite a bit.

  Pixie ran off to get what she o ect her ship to the Sappho, Aurora started tue with the dog authority while pg several very rushed calls to political figures, notably the representative for Uranus that they'd spoken to and whose name Ivil couldn't be bothered to remember, and Twenty-Six wahe ship, wiping some things , cheg fluid levels in other pces, and generally making sure the ship was in perfect dition. Pepper and Sonic didn't have as much to do, though Pepper bowed out and slipped away. She said that MINT would wao inform them that the Empress was about to start a category five kerfuffle.

  "Are things going acc to how you expected them to?" Sonic asked.

  Ivil shifted the captain's seat left and right, the toe of one shoe toug the ground. "I suppose, a little. I am quite pleased with the didates we have, I'm less pleased with the overall situation." She tio shift from side to side. "Sonic, have you ever dated?"

  Sonic paused for a moment, then she tio off and store her tea-making equipment with janky, stuttering motions. Her cores were healing, Ivil noted. "I have, in the past. Not for very long. I had to make a choice between my career and love, and what I had, I realized, was little more than infatuation."

  "Hmm," Ivil said. "What do you do once you're doh the first part of dating? After you're certain that yoing to be with someone? What's the step?"

  "I believe that depends on the couple."

  "Make some assumptions," Ivil suggested.

  Sonic paused again, then nodded. "From the top, then. For Miss Sterlingworth, officially dating will meaing yourself with her in public pces and being folded into her schemes. It will involve a lot publicity and politics, but I think you'll find that life away from the limelight with her will be far more domestic. Simple things."

  "I see," Ivil said. She liked the sound of that.

  "With Miss Twenty-Six... I believe there might be a real trap there."

  "A trap?" Ivil asked.

  "Yes. Twenty-Six is inexperienced and might end up overly depe on you. I don't think you want a... emotional limpet. She has a bae now, but she's also very influenceable and easy to bend."

  Ivil frowned. She kind of saw what Sonic meant, but she didly enjoy the implication. " you expin further?" she asked.

  "She has no expectations about love. If you want nothing more than a simple domestic life, then she'll give you that, but she will never flourish. Her talents have been honed by difficulty and strife and danger. By coddling her and giving her all she needs, she will never live up to her own talent."

  "Ah," Ivil said. "So, I have to challenge her?"

  "No, you don't have to do anything of the sort. She o want to challenge herself," Sonic said. "Aurora has no such difficulty. Give her everything you have and she'll strive for more. Her issue is being pulled back from her ambitions. Twenty-Six has no ambition because ambition es after you're done w hard to live." Sonic tilted her head a little. "At least, that's what I believe. I don't have a perfect read of the situation or the women iion."

  "And the others?" Ivil asked.

  "Missy seems to be out of the running. She... was not long-term material in any case. Maybe if all your Eminence wanted was a one-night stand. Miss Pixie is iing. She straddles the liweey-Six and Aurora well. She has ambitions that you could only taially assist with. She has a name and a reputation already, so she wouldn't be entirely depe on you."

  "And she's small and cute," Ivil pointed out. Two important facts.

  "Yes, I suppose so," Sonic agreed. She gnced up towards the bridge's entrance as a figure came to stand there. Twenty-Six. The young woman was fidgeting with her hands as she looked across the room to Ivil.

  "Hey," she said.

  "Hello?" Ivil replied.

  "Do you mind if we talk?" she asked. "Um, privately?"

  Sonic stood. "I was finished pag in any case. I o pce this in my room, so I'll leave you two to it. Good evening."

  Ivil nodded her goodbye to Sonic, theured to one of the seats nearby for Twenty-Six. "What did you want to talk to me about? Is something wrong with the Sappho? If you didn't spot it before now, it's hardly your fault."

  "Huh? Oh, no I doubt there's anything wrong with this ship that I didn't notice," she said. "What's wrong is... me."

  "Twenty-Six?" Ivil asked.

  She shifted an arm up, grabbing her own elbow as if trying to make herself look smaller. "I know who you are," she said.

  "Okay," Ivil replied.

  "Okay?" Twenty-Six asked.

  "I'm known for many things. Being subtle isn't one of them," Ivil admitted with a shrug. "That does help when I try to be subtle, because my foes don't expect it, but it does also mean that I 't fault you for putting two and two together."

  "Oh, okay," Twenty-Six said. "Well, uh. I'm me, and you're you."

  "Entirely accurate, yes."

  "No, I mean. Eva... Ivil. I'm just a girl that do basic maintenand read a manual. You're... you. I... I deserve to maybe bee someone w at a ation one day, doing repairs on cargo ships. You're the Empress." Twenty-Six took a deep, deep breath. "I think I'm going to go back to the Held Together. The captain's about to head out in a day or two, once we have clearahere's some cheap cargo we grab here and resell around Ceres food margin. We might even take on a passenger or two. And the captain has friends around Saturn. I might jump off when we make it there again. I think I have the hours worked and the experieo pull off a job at one of the nicer docks. Maybe I'll find someohere? Maybe... one day, it'll--"

  Ivil stood and walked over.

  Twenty-Six stuttered herself to a stop as Ivil stood very, very close. She could feel the younger woman's warmth, her esg breath tickled her lips, and Ivil could look down and lose herself iy-Six's teary eyes. "I wouldn't stop you," Ivil said.

  "Oh."

  It was a sound that meant nothing and everything. "I don't put others in cages, gilded or otherwise, because I wouldn't accept being pced in one myself," she said. She didn't o speak up. A whisper was more than enough for Twenty-Six to hear every sylble. "But.... I've decided that I like you quite a bit. I don't think I've ever dealt with heartbreak before, but it wouldn't end me."

  Ivil reached up. She'd touched Twenty-Six before. The girl was grabby, liked holding hands. But she'd never run her hand over Twenty-Six's hip before, or traced her fingers up the girl's side. Her fiips felt like they were brushing against the surface of the sun.

  Her hand rose, breaking the touch for just a moment before her hand reached bad touched Twenty-Six's neck.

  Twenty-Six's eyes were locked on hers.

  She grabbed the younger woman's between forefinger and thumb. "Before you run away, could I maybe tempt you to not?"

  "Tempt me?" Twenty-Six whispered. Her voice broke.

  Ivil smiled. "Just a little," she murmured before she leaned in.

  As far as kisses went, it wasn't magical. Lips meeting, Twenty-Six's quick, surprised gasp--though why was she surprised at this point?--stealing the air from Ivil's mouth. It was warm, smooth and delicate. It wasn't chaste, but it wasn't the desperate, passionate kiss of lovers.

  This romise of more, a signature at the bottom of a decration of war, the first roar of artillery that annouhe start of something spectacur.

  Ivil stepped back, and Twenty-Six almost stumbled forwards as she thumped back down onto her heels. "If you want to go, then I'll op you. But if you want to stay... I think I'd like that, and I'm sure I find a way to make you enjoy it too."

  Ivil smiled--sad, a little upset, but uanding all the same--as she walked around Twenty-Six and slipped out of the bridge.

  ***

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