(2/3) (I swear they're gonna bang in the next part)
"Lieutenant, are you awake?"
"Yes," Seivarden said automatically, blinking. "Uh. Maybe not. What?" Ship was standing over her, looking down inquisitively. The electrodes had been taken off, and it was wearing a Station-issue skirt and shirt in nonstandard colors.
"We've done about all we can for today," the biomedicist said over her shoulder. "Head back to your ship, get some walking practice, try eating something. Keep an eye out, Lieutenant, if it starts bleeding from any orifices we'll want to know."
"I think I can manage that," Seivarden said, hauling herself up. "Okay, Ship, food first?"
Food presented some difficulties. Most of the public eateries were a good deal too public. Neither of them suggested skel. In the end Seivarden picked up a couple of portable protein wraps- apparently they were magenta-flavored, although she suspected she was reading the sign wrong- and they ate while walking. Ship had trouble coordinating both activities at once, or said it did anyway, so they were walking with linked elbows like teenagers. To help it balance. Obviously.
"This," Ship said after chewing for a very long time, "is terrible. -No, Lieutenant, I didn't say I wasn't going to eat it." It took another bite, apparently totally focused on experiencing magenta-flavor to its fullest extent.
"As you like, Ship-" Seivarden had to admit it was awful in an interesting way, "but there are plenty of sensations which *aren't* terrible, if you'd like to try some of them instead?"
"Now that you mention it," it said around another mouthful of whatever-it-was, "I have been meaning to raise the subject- the Gardens are hardly on the way to the docks, are they?"
"Well- no. But you've only seen them through us, so far. And they're very pretty."
"They are." Ship broke away from her and turned in place, face up, scanning the scenery with its own eyes. Seivarden followed its gaze to the waterfall and climbing trellises, and the distant sprinkling of stars beyond the windows. Mercy of Kalr, out there somewhere- no, they were probably on the wrong side. She looked back at Mercy of Kalr, here. It was still looking up, eyes wide, face lit up warm by the glow of the full-spectrum lamps. Seivarden wasn't any too clear on the details of how that face had been designed- someone had probably tried to explain to her at some point, but she had developed a protective ability to zone out when people started talking about genetic encoding by now- but someone somewhere had done a praiseworthy and artistic job. The cheekbones, especially, and the plump soft-looking curve of the lower lip-
"I believe the citizens on the stepped balconette have formed an opinion about the nature of our relationship," Ship said without turning its head. Seivarden followed her eyeline and saw who she meant- a couple of old ladies looking down from the vine-entwined balustrade, with a definite air of "fondly pointing out the adorable young lovers to each other." She caught their eye across the distance. It was hard to tell, that far off, but she was pretty sure the one with the complicated hair had winked at her.
"I ought to have requisitioned better clothes," Ship said thoughtfully. "It hardly reflects well on my crew for my senior lieutenant to be seen with a citizen wearing the station free-issue."
"It would reflect well on me to be seen with you in leftover sacking," Seivarden said, as though Ship didn't know it, "but we could get you something new, too? If you like the idea of clothes shopping."
"Am I to take it that you're offering to buy me clothing, Lieutenant?" It was pretty impressive that it had already fine-tuned its eyebrow-raising to that extent with only a few hours practice. Seivarden ought to let the scientists know about it.
"Well, I was thinking we could put it on Breq's expense account," Seivarden said, and paused. "That didn't actually sound any better, did it."
"Not at all," Ship said, leaning back against her. Seivarden slipped her arm around its waist, to avoid disappointing the aunties. "It's a tempting idea, and I doubt she would mind, but perhaps another time. The rest of the crew will be waiting for updates."
Right, obviously Ship- of course it wanted to see the rest of the crew. Naturally that would be one of its first thoughts, even if Seivarden had gotten distracted thinking of things to show it. She nodded and stepped back. "Right, of course, I can call ahead-"
"It was very thoughtful of you to bring me here, Lieutenant," Ship said as though she wasn't speaking, "I appreciated it very much, and," now leaning forward and speaking directly into Seivarden's ear, "when the Fleet Captain returns, she can take us both out to buy clothes."
Which thought kept Seivarden occupied for the whole shuttle ride.
On board, the Kalrs had clearly been planning to greet their ship with a restrained and appropriate level of enthusiasm, and they lasted a whole nine seconds before Kalr Four said "Oh, Amaat's grace, fuck this," and went for the tackle-hug. Ship disappeared under a pile of delighted soldiers, and Seivarden left them to it. They would have more time together later, and she had things to do. Giving the Amaats leave to go get hugged by Ship too, for starters.
Rearranging the duty roster left her mind running on logistics, and something occurred to her. "Ship," she said silently from the decade room, "I hadn't thought at all about where you're going to sleep."
"The Kalrs would have me," Ship said silently back, "but there's still room in the Fleet Captain's bed. Although that might be improper while she's not with us. So," it continued lightly, "it will have to be yours, it seems." Oh, sure, obviously. Seivarden blushed and bit her lip and considered. Maybe she should get the Amaats to put clean sheets on the bed?
An unexpected incoming call distracted her. Being polite to Hetnys was both distracting and exhausting- Aatr's double-blessed tits, why was she even calling, did she just want an audience to bitch about whatever fucking feud she had on now, wasn't that the sort of thing she had Sword of Atagaris for? And then she had to figure out how to word an message to Breq that said both "please don't kneecap more people than necessary" and "please actually let us know if you need us to show up and be menacing" while still sounding nonoffensive in case of interception... By the time, hours later, that she made it to her quarters, it had almost slipped her mind that she wouldn't be alone there.
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carisma_sensei
Re: Seivarden/Mercy of Kalr: biomech body
Date: 2017-01-05 03:05 am (UTC)(I swear they're gonna bang in the next part)
"Lieutenant, are you awake?"
"Yes," Seivarden said automatically, blinking. "Uh. Maybe not. What?" Ship was standing over her, looking down inquisitively. The electrodes had been taken off, and it was wearing a Station-issue skirt and shirt in nonstandard colors.
"We've done about all we can for today," the biomedicist said over her shoulder. "Head back to your ship, get some walking practice, try eating something. Keep an eye out, Lieutenant, if it starts bleeding from any orifices we'll want to know."
"I think I can manage that," Seivarden said, hauling herself up. "Okay, Ship, food first?"
Food presented some difficulties. Most of the public eateries were a good deal too public. Neither of them suggested skel. In the end Seivarden picked up a couple of portable protein wraps- apparently they were magenta-flavored, although she suspected she was reading the sign wrong- and they ate while walking. Ship had trouble coordinating both activities at once, or said it did anyway, so they were walking with linked elbows like teenagers. To help it balance. Obviously.
"This," Ship said after chewing for a very long time, "is terrible. -No, Lieutenant, I didn't say I wasn't going to eat it." It took another bite, apparently totally focused on experiencing magenta-flavor to its fullest extent.
"As you like, Ship-" Seivarden had to admit it was awful in an interesting way, "but there are plenty of sensations which *aren't* terrible, if you'd like to try some of them instead?"
"Now that you mention it," it said around another mouthful of whatever-it-was, "I have been meaning to raise the subject- the Gardens are hardly on the way to the docks, are they?"
"Well- no. But you've only seen them through us, so far. And they're very pretty."
"They are." Ship broke away from her and turned in place, face up, scanning the scenery with its own eyes. Seivarden followed its gaze to the waterfall and climbing trellises, and the distant sprinkling of stars beyond the windows. Mercy of Kalr, out there somewhere- no, they were probably on the wrong side. She looked back at Mercy of Kalr, here. It was still looking up, eyes wide, face lit up warm by the glow of the full-spectrum lamps. Seivarden wasn't any too clear on the details of how that face had been designed- someone had probably tried to explain to her at some point, but she had developed a protective ability to zone out when people started talking about genetic encoding by now- but someone somewhere had done a praiseworthy and artistic job. The cheekbones, especially, and the plump soft-looking curve of the lower lip-
"I believe the citizens on the stepped balconette have formed an opinion about the nature of our relationship," Ship said without turning its head. Seivarden followed her eyeline and saw who she meant- a couple of old ladies looking down from the vine-entwined balustrade, with a definite air of "fondly pointing out the adorable young lovers to each other." She caught their eye across the distance. It was hard to tell, that far off, but she was pretty sure the one with the complicated hair had winked at her.
"I ought to have requisitioned better clothes," Ship said thoughtfully. "It hardly reflects well on my crew for my senior lieutenant to be seen with a citizen wearing the station free-issue."
"It would reflect well on me to be seen with you in leftover sacking," Seivarden said, as though Ship didn't know it, "but we could get you something new, too? If you like the idea of clothes shopping."
"Am I to take it that you're offering to buy me clothing, Lieutenant?" It was pretty impressive that it had already fine-tuned its eyebrow-raising to that extent with only a few hours practice. Seivarden ought to let the scientists know about it.
"Well, I was thinking we could put it on Breq's expense account," Seivarden said, and paused. "That didn't actually sound any better, did it."
"Not at all," Ship said, leaning back against her. Seivarden slipped her arm around its waist, to avoid disappointing the aunties. "It's a tempting idea, and I doubt she would mind, but perhaps another time. The rest of the crew will be waiting for updates."
Right, obviously Ship- of course it wanted to see the rest of the crew. Naturally that would be one of its first thoughts, even if Seivarden had gotten distracted thinking of things to show it. She nodded and stepped back. "Right, of course, I can call ahead-"
"It was very thoughtful of you to bring me here, Lieutenant," Ship said as though she wasn't speaking, "I appreciated it very much, and," now leaning forward and speaking directly into Seivarden's ear, "when the Fleet Captain returns, she can take us both out to buy clothes."
Which thought kept Seivarden occupied for the whole shuttle ride.
On board, the Kalrs had clearly been planning to greet their ship with a restrained and appropriate level of enthusiasm, and they lasted a whole nine seconds before Kalr Four said "Oh, Amaat's grace, fuck this," and went for the tackle-hug. Ship disappeared under a pile of delighted soldiers, and Seivarden left them to it. They would have more time together later, and she had things to do. Giving the Amaats leave to go get hugged by Ship too, for starters.
Rearranging the duty roster left her mind running on logistics, and something occurred to her. "Ship," she said silently from the decade room, "I hadn't thought at all about where you're going to sleep."
"The Kalrs would have me," Ship said silently back, "but there's still room in the Fleet Captain's bed. Although that might be improper while she's not with us. So," it continued lightly, "it will have to be yours, it seems." Oh, sure, obviously. Seivarden blushed and bit her lip and considered. Maybe she should get the Amaats to put clean sheets on the bed?
An unexpected incoming call distracted her. Being polite to Hetnys was both distracting and exhausting- Aatr's double-blessed tits, why was she even calling, did she just want an audience to bitch about whatever fucking feud she had on now, wasn't that the sort of thing she had Sword of Atagaris for? And then she had to figure out how to word an message to Breq that said both "please don't kneecap more people than necessary" and "please actually let us know if you need us to show up and be menacing" while still sounding nonoffensive in case of interception... By the time, hours later, that she made it to her quarters, it had almost slipped her mind that she wouldn't be alone there.