Work Text:
Odin stares at the sheet of paper in front of her, pen frozen in her hand, her mind blank aside from a headache trembling at its edges. How long had she been sitting there? How long had she been staring at that same piece of paper? She had no idea.
The FKLR unit sighed and leaned back in her chair, abandoning the pen on the desk. Today had been slow, unimaginably so. Far too much paperwork and far too much nagging from Adler. What she would give to just go for a walk…
Oh wait. Hold on. What if she just did? Go on a walk, she means. That’d be nice, and it’s not as if anyone could stop her. She could just glare at Adler ominously if he said anything, and the Kolibris shouldn’t be a problem. She massages her temple and stands with a groan, her decision made. She turns and walks over to her office’s door and…
Nothing.
Not even the telltale low beep of an error as the door does not budge one bit.
Odin is very, very close to punching something. She takes a deep breath in and props herself up against the door. She lets the breath out and taps into her bioresonance to send a message to the Kolibri closest to her. Oh! The unnamed one, 05? She thinks?
My door is stuck. Send someone to fix it, please.
A bit blunt for Odin’s liking, but it works.
ARAR-g4544 is enroute to your position, commander.
Ah… as professional as always. Odin sighs. KLBR-g4505 is undoubtedly her least favorite of the Kolibris. Sometimes it feels like she has no personality. Endlessly professional and very avoidant of any names or nicknames given to her. Sometimes she’s worse than Adler, but at least he had some enjoyment of life. He was quite pleasant to talk to when he had a few drinks in him.
A noise brought her to attention. She could feel a presence through her bioresonance, but she couldn’t hone in from where, when-
CLANG. THUD. CLATTER
Odin jumps as a ceiling tile falls to the floor next to her, followed closely by an ARAR unit, then followed by said ARAR unit’s mask.
The fallen girl groans and winces, not yet noticing the 8 foot tall figure of the FKLR unit.
Odin leans over to look at her would-be-saviour much more closely. She was your bog standard ARAR unit, aside from a few scratches and dents here and there, and a ragged scar across her left cheek that dragged on past her lip and stopped abruptly at the chin, she’s quite pretty for an Ara. Though that's not really a surprise. Most replikas are. Though, Odin supposes that the scars add a bit more that really makes her eyes gravitate to her. A bit of mystery she supposes. And– oh.
The mysterious Ara has finally noticed Odin looming over her. She looks shocked, nervous, scared? A faint blush dusts her cheeks. Odin could feel her embarrassment. The FKLR unit had never seen an Ara look so… emotional. Most are so stoic and unphased by anything, even despite what emotions Odin’s bioresonance tells her that the Ara is feeling.
Speaking of, it seems she’s feeling fear? A lot of it too. Troubling. Odin focused her bioresonance onto the ara’s mind.
pleasedon’tkillmepleasedon’tkillmepleaseohgreatrevolutionarydon’tkillme
Ah.
Odin’s face flushes. She has just been standing there! And menacingly too! She knows how intimidating falkes are! What is she doing over analyzing this ara when the poor girl just fell through the ceiling and is being loomed over by an 8 foot tall bioresonant demigoddess!
Odin clears her throat. “Apologies, my little macaw. Where are my manners?” She offers the ara a hand. The ara flinches a bit as if expecting something worse. Odin frowns at this. “You need not worry my little macaw, you are not in any trouble. I can assure you of that.”
The ara’s eyes widen a bit then soften. Her bioresonant presence calmed slightly. She hesitantly takes Odin’s hand, to which Odin uses a mix of pure strength and bioresonance to bring her to her feet.
“Are you okay? That was quite the fall you took there,” the bioresonant said with what she hoped was a genuine quality. The ara hurriedly shook her head.
“I am Odin, though I suppose you’d already know that,” she gives a small smile to the shorter replika. “You’re… ARAR-g4544, correct?” The ara looked a bit confused, but nodded. “I was informed of your designation by one of my hummingbirds. Though, if you have a prefered name then I would be delighted to use that instead.”
If the ara looked confused before, she looked even more confused now. Odin giggled a bit, this ara’s expressiveness was quite refreshing. The poor girl blushed and finally opened her mouth to speak.
“I- it’s- uhm -i-it- I’m uhm–” she began stammering.
“Take your time, my little macaw.” Odin said with a teasing lilt, taking great delight in the ara’s further flustering.
“M-my name i-is E-Elm, c-c-commander,” the ara – Elm, Odin mentally corrected – stuttered out.
“Elm… what a lovely name for quite the lovely macaw,” Elm’s blush grew fiercer.
Odin bent over and picked up the ara’s discarded mask. She inspected it a bit, there were a few scratches and dents similar to those seen on Elm herself.
She stooped once more to Elm’s eye level and placed the mask on her head and redid the strap on it. Now, the ara was well and truly flustered, looking anywhere except for Odin’s eye. The FKLR unit smirked.
“Could I interest you in a drink?” Odin’s bioresonance lightly brushes her drink cabinet, the falke was definitely interested in one.
Elm’s face twisted in confusion. “Um… commander, aren’t I here to fix the door?”
“Oh!” Odin felt heat spread across her orgaflesh. She had forgotten the whole reason Elm was here! “Yes! Yes! Apologies again, Elm. I will leave you to your work.”
She turned and walked briskly away to her drink cabinet. This was going to be a long day.
Odin pours herself a glass of her favorite wine and props herself up against a counter. What is she to do now? She was definitely not going to do any paperwork, that’s for sure.
She sighed. Trapped in a room with a cute girl she’d probably never see again. Maybe it was for the best, Adler would never let her hear the end of it if she shirked her duties for an ARAR unit of all replikas.
And the Kolibris? Don’t get her started on the Kolibris. They’d probably try to decommission Elm the second they felt anything fishy was going on between her and Odin. Well, maybe just 05 would, the others could be persuaded not to.
She took a sip from her glass and regarded Elm from afar. She was working on… something. A lot of wires. That’s for sure. Maybe Odin should learn a bit more about maintenance, then, maybe this wouldn’t happen again.
Odin could feel Elm’s focus from where she stood, a bead of sweat snakes down her forehead. She stuck her tongue out as she worked, something the FKLR unit found adorable.
She took another sip of wine and continued like that for a while. Just watching Elm work, seeing a few quirks and behaviors of the technician. The way she celebrated small victories with a tiny smirk that immediately disappeared into the trademark ARAR stoicism. The way her eye twitches when something irritates her. The way she closed the door’s control panel with a bit too much force and a low whistle.
The ara stood and took a well deserved stretch before admiring her work. She activated the door’s control panel and– it emitted a low beep as it refused to open. Odin felt Elm’s frustration and confusion rise before petering out into a seeming realization.
“Oh. I ain’t got the permissions to open this door,” the ara admitted in a low voice.
Odin let loose a hearty laugh and headed over to test the door. It opened with no further protests, much to both replikas’ relief.
Much to not both replikas’ relief, on the other side of the door was a very anxious looking ADLR unit and three Kolibris.
“Are you okay? Do you need anything? Are you hurt? Do you need medical?” Adler jumped to Odin’s side immediately as the Kolibris watched on, unamused.
“Yes. No. No. And no. I’m fine, my eagle. The vicious, evil door was defeated by Elm here,” she gestured to the very confused ara. “She was quite the brave macaw in her intense battle against it, I owe her my life.”
A scoff came from one of the Kolibris and Adler’s look of nervousness turned deadpan as he facepalmed. “Why do I even bother…” he said as he turned to regard Elm with a sharp gaze, she flinched slightly. “Hmm. Well done, Elm, was it? Your service here will be noted in your file.”
“I just kinda fixed a door,” Elm said with a shrug.
Odin gripped onto Elm with one arm and pulled her close and extended her other arm outward. “And what a wicked, conniving door it was! Truly!” She stood at her full height, leaving just a hand on Elm’s shoulder and placing a fist over her heart. “The battle shall be sung about forever more! You have undoubtedly saved me this day, my valiant macaw!”
Adler sighed and the Kolibris glared at the both of them.
Odin suddenly sensed a great amount of discomfort through bioresonance, but from where? Odin’s eyes suddenly open in realization and absolute panic. She jumps a bit away from Elm taking her hand off of her shoulder. “Apologies, apologies. I should have asked if it was okay to do that, Elm.”
“S’fine, commander,” she muttered as she awkwardly rubbed her arm.
“It is not fine,” she folds her arms behind her back. “And call me Odin, please.”
This seemed to catch the three Kolibris' attention. One scowled, another raised an eyebrow, and the final kolibri looked between the two and smirked. Elm shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny, not meeting a single one’s eyes.
Odin narrows her eyes at the small replikas. She could feel mischief afoot.
A kolibri with bleach blonde hair stepped forwards with a smile and a wave.
“Hi! Elm, was it?” Oh no. Odin knew exactly what was happening.
The ara responded with only a small nod. Odin let out an exasperated sigh.
“Oh, what a lovely name! Mine’s Corbet, it’s so nice to meet you!” She grabbed one of Elm’s hands that were previously at rest at her side and shook it. Odin and Corbet both winced at the ara’s immediate flinching followed by a spike in the technician's discomfort.
The kolibri dropped the ara’s hand quickly.
“Um… sorry… uh.”
Corbet turned to look at her sisters, a silent conversation in mere moments from just locking eyes before turning back to the ara.
“I- We have a few questions for you.”
Elm swayed from side to side with a small frown, anxiety now tinging her bioresonant signature.
“It’s nothing bad! Don’t worry!” She waved both hands in front of her in a panic.
“So tell us, what was wrong with the door?”
Elm’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape before remembering she needed to speak.
“I-it jus’ needed some replacement parts. Nothin’ too bad,” she rubbed her chin in thought. “Coulda been easily prevented, though. When was the last time it had scheduled maintenance?”
Four-and-a-half pairs of eyes turned to look at Adler, who was very much not ready for so much attention to turn to him so quickly.
“I- er… that is-” he straightened his posture and cleared his throat. “It is no secret that this facility is highly understaffed. We simply do not have enough ARAR units to go around. Especially after LSTR-g4501 was lost to us.”
Odin sighed. More paperwork to do.
Another kolibri, Ravina, stepped forward.
“This is your first time meeting the commander, correct?”
“Y-yes.”
The raven haired replika took another step forward. “What all do you know about the commander?”
The ara blinked. “N-not much… I just-”
Another step forward.
“And you have access to the maintenance vents?
“Yes!” Elm began to squirm.
Another step forward. Odin could tell the kolibri was far too close for Elm’s comfort.
“What are your intentions now that you have met the commander?”
“M-my intentions? What??”
“ARAR-g4544, how long have you been in service to this facility.”
“I-it’s been a-almost twenty-five centicycles now…”
“And you’ve only now met the commander?”
Elm shrunk a bit into herself and lowered her mask over her eyes. Odin grimaced and sent a glare to the three sisters.
Cease this charade. The falke now exerted a bit of her bioresonant weight upon all three of the sister. Not enough to hurt, of course, but enough to make each unit do a double take and draw their attention.
One of the kolibris, 05, met Odin’s glare with one of her own.
Protocol dictates threat assessment of any and all replikas or gestalts known to FKLR units under the watch of, or administered by, her adjutants is mandatory.
Odin lets out a low growl.
Setting aside that I despise that protocol for the moment, why do this in front of me? And so soon after I met her? As much as I trust you all in these matters, you’re coming off far too strong.
Your feedback will be taken into consideration, commander FKLR-g4501.
Odin rolled her eyes and cleared her throat loudly. All replikas looked to her.
“KLBR-g4505, Ravina, Corbet,” All three of the small bioresonants looked to their commander. “You are dismissed, my hummingbirds.” Ravina and Corbet bothe opened their mouths to speak but– “Now.”
The three sisters looked to one another and seemed to have come to the agreement that whatever they wanted to say was not worth it. They turned to leave.
“We will be in touch, ARAR-g4544.” 05 stated matter-of-factly.
The ara could only nod in response.
“And Adler,” she turned to face the man as the Kolibris left. “Can you prepare some requisition forms for more ARAR units for me? We have neglected the maintenance of this facility for far too long.”
“Of course, high falcon. Anything else?” he said with a bow.
“That will be all, my eagle,” she said, bowing back.
As the other replikas left, Odin could feel Elm’s eyes on her. Nervous.
“Do you need something, my gallant macaw?” She could feel Elm squirm a bit.
“You… mentioned something about a drink?” Her words were sparked with unease and a tinge of hope. “Also, I still gotta fix that vent panel that I fell through,” she hurriedly added.
“Oh! Why of course! Come, come.” The taller replika ushered the smaller one into her office.
Odin places Elm next to the fallen vent cover and she jogs away to her liquor cabinet. “Let’s see here…” she ponders for a bit. “Something rated for ARAR units… hmm.. Elm, what is your prefered drink?” she turned to where she left the ara to see that she was standing there a bit awkwardly, looking up at the empty hole in the ceiling that was far too high for her to reach.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I can’t really reach that…”
The two stood there in silent contemplation.
“You could… um. I-I-If you’re o-okay with it an-a-and-and… uh…” she hugged herself closely. “You could…” she paused.
“I could…?” Odin asked after a few moments had passed.
“Youcouldpickmeup??” The statement came out as more of a question.
“Oh!” The falke hadn’t even thought of that. “I could! …only if you’re okay with it. I don’t want to make you any more uncomfortable than you already are.”
“Uh- don’ worry. I’m fine with it.”
Odin looked to Elm inquisitively for a moment. Her eyes were hidden beneath her mask but her mouth quivered slightly. The falke took a step towards her, searching her bioresonant signature for something- anything.
“Then we shall.” Odin stood in thought for a moment more. “Unless it makes you uncomfortable,” she added after a moment.
“No!” Elm said a bit too loudly. “I mean. No, it’s fine we can do that. Let’s do that. Uhm. Yeah.”
Odin giggled and walked over. “If you insist, my heroic macaw.”
She stooped downwards and gripped Elm by the midsection, the technician giving her a cute squeak, and hoisted her up to the ceiling opening. She gave the smaller replika more support with her bioresonance. She also floated the panel cover from the ground and up into Elm’s capable hands.
The ara made short work of the panel, and Odin mourned the loss of not being able to see her facial expressions while the technician worked.
After a while, Elm was done and Odin placed her back onto the ground. Elm did the same outward stretch she did after fixing the door, her shoulder giving an audible POP.
“So… ‘bout that drink.”
Odin smiled and led the ara to the still open liquor cabinet. She laid out a selection of beverages rated for ARAR unit consumption. “Pick your poison, my fearless macaw.”
Elm gaze wanders over the selection of bottles before landing on a bottle of whiskey.
Odin grabbed both the bottle of whiskey and a bottle of FKLR rated brandy as well as a few glasses. She handed the whiskey bottle to the ara.
“Follow. I need some fresh air.”
She turned and briskly walked away, Elm following close behind.
Odin stuck her head out and looked left and right, checking for Adler or any Kolibri. She walked out with a sigh of relief, neither were there.
Don’t get Odin wrong, she trusted and even cared for her adjutants. However, sometimes they were a little overbearing. Especially 05, she was always on Odin’s ass about protocol this and protocol that. So what if she wanted to lay down or talk to someone about something not related to the continued functioning of G45?
She was only getting closer and closer to degrading past what AEON considered optimal efficiency for an FKLR. Even if they were more lenient when it came to their wunderwaffen, there had to be a line she was getting close to crossing.
Odin and Elm walked in relative silence, the falke leading the ara down the long hallways of G45. Most replikas they encountered ducked into other rooms or lowered their heads down and quickly walked past them. Those once having loud conversations now spoke in hushed whispers.
Odin’s eye twitched. She recognised a presence ahead, she could feel them long before she even heard them speaking. The two replikas turned the corner to see a group of stars gathered behind a storch who was talking to another star, one whose armor bore the gold and red marking of one of Odin’s personal guard.
Odin could recognize the loud voice and even louder bioresonant signature from anywhere. Her oldest friend. They were talking to a storch, one Odin recognised as protektor controller Hermes.
Odin made her way over, she supposed that she needed to tell someone that she’ll be out of her office for the foreseeable future.
“-you need to keep those four-” the gold laden star gestures toward the stars hiding behind the storch. “-on a tighter leash, Hermes.”
The storch nodded. “I will be far stricter on them and they will be punished, but I still believe this to be an overreaction over such a small scuffle-”
“Overreaction?” The star asked incredulously. “They broke three of the dining room tables and would have fully ransacked the kitchen if I hadn’t stopped them!”
Odin felt something flicker to life in Elm’s bioresonant signature: a knot of fear and anxiety had broken her previous calm. The falke frowned, maybe she knew someone from the kitchens? Odin knew that eules and aras tended to form tight bonds. She stepped forward.
“Necksnap,” she cleared her throat from behind her compatriot.
Five replika heads whirled to look up at her before immediately standing at attention. One merely turned their head lazily to regard the falke.
“Yes, Odin?”
“I couldn’t help but overhear that an incident happened in the kitchen?” She waited for the star to nod before speaking again. “I’d like to know the situation.”
“It was a simple case of some starlings getting rowdy, commander!” The storch spoke up.
Necksnap rolled her eyes. “Those four starlings got into a fight that broke multiple tables in the dining room and nearly destroyed the kitchen.”
With every word Odin could feel Elm’s worry grow larger and larger.
“Was anyone hurt?”
“Noone except for a fifth star who was the target of the attack. STAR-g4556 is currently in the medbay.”
Odin felt Elm’s anxiety wash away, instead being replaced with a seed of rage. Odin heard the ara mutter something, but she couldn’t quite make out what it was.
“Hmm,” she rubbed her chin in contemplation. “Well you seem to have it handled. I would like to inform you that I will be outside of my office for quite a while. I need some fresh air.”
The star’s gaze flickered to Elm momentarily before they narrowed their eyes at Odin.
“Don’t die. Don’t get caught by a kolibri. If you do, don’t tell them I knew.” They pause for a few moments before adding. “Unless it’s 05, I know just how to distract her.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Odin said with a chuckle. “Come, Elm, while the night is still young.”
The two continued down their path passing several more terrified replikas into the lobby where Odin’s eyes found a propaganda poster depicting an FKLR unit. She paused and scoffed to herself.
She suddenly stopped in front of the entrance. Something was approaching from behind, and fast. Elm looked up to her in confusion.
“Hey!” Both replikas whirled around.
“Elm!” An EULR unit was jogging up to them, one arm waving to get their attention, the other clutching something close to her chest.
“H-hi Hazel…” Elm said with a small wave.
The eule, Hazel, stops in front of Elm and spends a moment catching her breath.
“Where were you? You didn’t show up to dinner! I got so worried!” The eule seemed widen with a realization. “Oh yeah! This is for you!” She shoved a box into Elm’s chestpiece. “Since you missed dinner!”
“Oh…! T-thanks H-Hazel…” the ara gently took the container and cradled it in her arms.
“No problem, Elowen!” Elowen? “But seriously!! Where were you??? I thought you had degraded or something or got involved in that fight that happened and- and that I would never see you again and you’d be all alone and then I’d be all alone and then..! Then!” The eule stopped her tearful rambling abruptly. In fact, she had completely frozen in her tracks.
She slowly turned to give Odin a look of absolute horror.
“O-oh…” she gulped and took a step back.
Odin regarded the eule for a few moments. Maybe a few moments too long, as the eule continued to stand wide eyed like a deer in headlights. The falke really wanted to stop terrorising the denizens of her own facility. She needed to decide what to do before this poor girl fled in fear.
She cleared her throat, the eule jumped.
“Hello, little owl.” She said with a small wave. “You’re Hazel, correct? Aren’t you one of the cooks?”
Hazel nodded rapidly.
“It is lovely to meet you, Hazel.” She extended a hand to the eule.
Hazel looked at the hand, then up at Odin, then back at the hand, then at Elm, then back at the hand, then back at Odin before she finally took the hand and gave it a nervous shake.
“I must apologise. It is my fault alone that Elm did not make it to dinner. She did some maintenance in my office earlier today. We got to talking and simply lost track of time.”
“I-i-i-ts f-fi-f-fine c-c-commander!” Hazel now stood perfectly straight. “Sorry f-for the i-i-i-interruption commander!”
“Call me Odin, please.” She folded her arms behind her back. “There was no ‘interruption’, little owl. We were simply going for a walk…” she thought for a moment. “Would you like to join us?”
“O-oh! ..uhm…!” The eule’s eyes flicked between Elm and Odin. “S-s-sure! Yeah!”
The eule tentatively followed the two outside the door.
Odin took in a deep breath as she felt humid night air flow over her. She looked up into the canopy of trees above her catching sight of a few stars peaking past the leaves.
The nights were always so peaceful here.
A peace broken by someone clearing their throat. A kolibri, 05.
The falke scowled at the smaller bioresonant with a sigh.
“Greetings, hummingbird.” She tried – and failed – to put on her most professional FKLR unit voice. “What brings you outside?
“Commander FKLR-g4501, why are you vacating the premises?” The kolibri stands straight with her arms folded behind her back. “It is against protocol for you to exit the facility unaccompanied.”
“Yes 05, that is correct. Which is why I am not unaccompanied.” Odin gestures to the two replika’s behind her.
The kolibri regarded the falke’s companions with a glare. The ara stared back blankly and the eule squirmed uncomfortably under 05’s scrutiny.
“Wouldn’t STAR-g4520 be a more trustworthy escort?”
“Necksnap cleared them themself.” She lied coolly. “I also informed them of where I was going, just in case.”
A flicker of annoyance and something indiscernible to Odin passes through her adjutant’s bioresonance.
“I will have to have a… talk with them.” 05’s usual uptight professionality had broken for a split second before returning in full force.
Odin raised her eyebrows.
“If you’ll excuse me.” The kolibri quickly pushed past the three replikas, presumably to go find Necksnap.
Odin felt a knot she hadn’t noticed she’d had in her chest unwind with a sigh.
“I-is she always like th-that???” Hazel stammered.
“Unfortunately.” Odin grumbled. “Most kolibris start out that way, but 05… takes it to another level, so to speak.”
The looked out across the vegetation of the jungle surrounding the facility and smiled as she began following a dirt pathway she knew like the back of her hand. She could easily traverse it with her eyes closed, let alone in the darkness of G45’s jungles.
Odin was quickly reminded that it wasn’t just her traversing this path when she heard someone trip behind her with a startled “o!”
She turned to regard the two following her. She quickly snapped her fingers, creating a small ball of light that hovered above Elm and Hazel as they moved. The eule muttered a small “thank you…” before continuing on her way.
They continued down the knotted dirt pathway, it had become a bit overgrown after years of not being used. Something Odin wished to rectify.
She loved this path. She used to walk it all the time before she had lost her eye, now she had gotten too busy and her adjutants too overprotective for her to walk it much now.
Slowly but surely, the foliage cleared and the dirt softened into sand. The sound of waves crashing against a coastline in the near distance. Odin smiled to herself as she saw their destination off in the distance.
A small building, made of wood and stone. It was connected to a long wooden pier that extended off into the distance.
“A dock?” She heard Elm ask from behind her.
“Yes.” She took a step onto the old wood boards and drank in the nostalgic sound of it creaking beneath her hoof. “I think it was last used 50 or so centicycles ago? I forced Adler to keep it around because it's just a very pleasant place to be.”
She remembers it like yesterday, threatening the administrator at bioresonant axe point in order to keep a little place of peace all to herself.
The three replikas walked in relative silence. The eule gave little ooo’s and aaa’s at the scenery.
At the end of the pier, Odin leaned against a railing and looked out across the water line, searching. The twin moons of G45 hang low in the sky, framed by a sea of purple interspersed with stars. Odin would consider it lovely, but it's not what she’s looking for.
Where is it?
The ara sat on a bench and began eating from the box that Hazel had given her.
Odin poured herself a glass of brandy and downed it in one gulp.
“I didn’t know we had this!” The eule takes in the ocean view. “It’s so pretty!”
“Yes, little owl.” She can’t find it. “The pier itself has seen better days, though.” Why can’t she find it?
“Yeah it is a little…” Hazel sways back and forth on her hooves, much to the protests of the wooden boards beneath her. “Old.”
Odin turned to lean her back against the railing. “Be careful, little owl. You don’t want to fall through the floor, do you?”
The eule flushed at the attention. “U-um! Yes- I-I mean n-no! I d-do not want to… uh… do… that. Yes.”
Odin tilted her head at the smaller replika with a frown. “Is there something wrong, Hazel?”
“Uh! N-no! Nothings wrong! I’m just u-uh… f-feeling a l-l-little warm out h-here! Haha.” She wrings her wrists and looks away from Odin.
The falke took a step forward and dropped to one knee. She gently took the eule’s chin in one of her hands and placed the other hand on her forehead. She was quite warm… troubling.
“Hmm… are you sure you’re feeling okay, little owl? You’re burning up.”
The eule whimpered out an “mmhmm”.
Odin opened her mouth to ask another question, but-
“‘ou ‘ake her nervous.” Elm said through a mouthful of food.
Oh. Odin thought with a blush. That makes so much sense.
The falke stood up quickly and backed away with an apologetic look on her face. “Apologies, little owl. I should have realized.”
“I-it’s fine! Really! You’re just a bit i-intimidating!” The eule saw Odin’s frown and immediately backpedaled. “B-but like! I‐i-in a g-good way!”
“How can someone be intimidating in a goodhot commander, thatwouldbeincrediblyunprofessional and!Not to call you not good looking– you are very good looking– very gentle and kind and pretty and– I MEAN– And um! Oh Great Revolutionary I’m just burying myself into a deeper hole. Haha.” The eule clapped both her hands over her mouth to stop herself from talking.
Odin stared wide eyed at the blushing replika for a few moments before wheezing. She gripped her sides and dropped to her knees and laughed. She laughed so hard and for so long that it hurt. The falke bent backwards and wiped coolant from her eyes.
“You are adorable, Hazel.” She said, trying desperately to slow her laughter. “I’m flattered you’d think that,” she said smoothly.
“Mmmnff…” She mumbled into her hands.
“So…” Odin said, searching her mind for a change in subject. “You and Elm seem close, how did you two meet?”
“Oh!” Hazel's eyes lit up. “She’s been around for a bit longer than I have, so she was already really good friends with my cadre of eules. She was in the eule dorm doing some maintenance and we talked a bit… then I saw her hauling palettes and boxes in the kitchens… she's just really helpful! I started making her special meals whenever she came around. And eventually…” she looked at Elm with a smattering of pink across her face. “I asked her out!”
Odin felt a knot forming in her chest, a bit of disappointment tainted her mind. She downed another glass of brandy.
“No. I asked you out.” Elm took another bite of her food and gulped. “You rambled at me and I understood none of it.”
“No! No that–! I–!” She paused and took a breath. “That is not what happened. I gave you a love letter and a heart shaped meal and I confessed to you and you stared at me for fifteen minutes! Saying nothing! I thought you had blue screened!”
“Your ‘love letter’ literally just said ‘Hello.’ And nothin’ else!” Elm crossed her arms. “And I get nervous! I gotta think things through! And it's very hard to think when a cute girl is rambling about how pretty I am.”
Odin chuckled. “She does that a lot, doesn’t she?”
Elm smirked. “So much. One time she tried to confess to a mynah, did not end well.”
Oh?
The eule snapped to look at the ara. “It would have been nice if you had helped me instead of just watching!”
“Once again! I get nervous! And she was monogamous anyhow.” Elm said with a sigh.
OH?
The knot in Odin’s chest loosened ever so slightly.
“Oh! So… are you two… um…” Get it together, you are a falke! Act like it! She chided herself silently. “Not? Monogamous, I mean.” She coughed.
“No, we are not. More people to cuddle with is more people to cuddle with.” Elm shrugged. “Though, our bed is far too cramped.”
Mine wouldn’t be. She buried the thought as quickly as it came to her.
“We’ll get to it when it happens, Elowen.”
Elm gave a noncommittal grunt at that.
Odin finally stood from her perch on the floor and went to sit next to Elm on the bench, Hazel sitting on the other side of the ara.
Odin turned to inspect the ara closer. “Mm. Well, if you don’t mind me asking, where did you get your scars from?”
She could feel a shock of surprise grace Elm’s bioresonant signature, even despite her unwavering blank expression. The technician rubbed her chin in seeming contemplation.
“Only if ya don’ mind me askin’ ‘bout the eye patch,” she counters smoothly.
“Ah…” Odin leaned back and pointed out into the water. “Out there – somewhere – is the wreckage of a Eusan Empire starship. A big one too. Must’ve finally sunk beneath the waves.” She mused solemnly, downing another glass of brandy
Elm tilted her head in confusion, she opened her mouth and closed it when Odin began again.
“It was back when this planet had far more nation and imperial military activity. There was a battle,” she said with a sip of brandy. “Split between sky and ground.”
She projected images of the chaos that battle brought through bioresonance, fire, smoke, explosions, dead replikas and gestalts, both nation and imperial laid strewn about. Bioresonant spears littered the battlefield. An imperial destroyer, looming in the sky.
“We were being bombarded and something needed to happen to that ship,” she took another sip of brandy. “So I flew up with bioresonance, ripped a hole in its side and started breaking things. Doors, walls, replikas…” She still remembers the horror shown on the faces of the replikas and gestalts that manned that ship.
“One of them was enormous!” She waves her arms wildly, Hazel gasped. “At least 12 feet tall! She caught one of my spears and threw it back at me! It just barely missed . We had to resort to our fists!” She threw her head back in a laugh. “‘Twas a fun fight.”
Elm hummed in contemplation, before taking a swig of her whiskey. Hazel was starry eyed.
“Once I got to the control room, the ship was practically done for.”
She remembers feeling her bioresonance sing through her, she remembers eviscerating all in her wale with just her mind. She remembers the feeling of oxidant flowing out of her eyes and ears. She remembers redirecting the ship into the water instead of the facility she was in charge of. She remembers the pressure of a headache building, and building, and building until it finally dissipated with a satifying POP.
The relief was immediate, so too was the screaming. She looked left and right, whirled all around to find someone anyone who could be the source.
She was the only one in the room.
She felt oxidant run down the left side of her orgaflesh face.
She tastes salt mixed with metal in her mouth.
She discarded the glass, choosing instead to take a drink from the bottle itself.
“And then I woke up in the med bay!” She said cheerily. “Not a very glorious end to the story, but the eye patch makes up for it. Makes me feel more dashing.” They struck a dramatic pose and almost fell backwards.
“How did you get out? How did they find you?”
“They said that I washed up on the beach…” Odin contemplated with another swig of brandy. “I don’t really know much else.”
Elm sat silent, turning her attention to the ocean view.
“Are you okay, Elm?”
“Yeah. That just sounds…” The ara struggled to find the words she was looking for. “...difficult. I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“It happened an age ago, little macaw.” Odin said with a shrug.
“So… I told you about mine… what about yours?” Odin turned to the ara, hope in her stomach.
“Oh yeah.” Elm took a swig of whiskey. “Those. Stay with me here, I’m not as good at tellin’ stories as you are.”
“You don’t have to be, Elm, I’m just curious is all.”
“Well,” she began. “Most of ‘em I got from just bein’ old an’ workin’. Most ara’s barely make it 15 centicycles, n’ work for even less considerin’ destabilization.” Elm said with a frown.
“But my face…” Elm’s voice drifted off, in thought.
“You don’t have to say if you do not wish to, Elm.” The falke’s hand hovered above the ara’s shoulder before she remembered the technician’s aversion to touch and retracted the hand.
“Yeah,” the eule added. “Don’t push yourself, dear.”
“No, no,” Elm sighed and began. “A few centicycles ago, I was helping out in the kitchen and Hazel wasn’t there. Even when her shift was supposed to start, she didn’t show up.”
“Oh! I remember this one!” Hazel said in a hushed tone.
“So I went out to look for her…” she paused for a few moments. “Eventually… I heard… a scuffle and yelling. I turned the corner and a star had her by the hair and was screaming at her. She was crying.”
Odin turned to regard Hazel with sympathy.
“Yeah, that hurt. I bumped into her and she just kinda got really mad.”
“I ran up and wrestled the star off of her.” The ara resumed. “While we were fightin’, she pulled a knife…”
Odin winced.
“She got my face and side pretty good before I broke ‘er wrist and Hazel kicked the knife away.” Elm bit her lip. “Then I kinda just started punching… I think I dislocated her jaw and ruptured… some organ. I don’t really remember.”
Odin whistled. “Damn.”
“Yeah, she’s a lil scary when she wants to be.”
“Ah. So I presume that’s why you think she’s hot?” The falke asked with a teasing lilt, relishing in the blush it gave the eule.
“It was so scary at the time, but so cool looking back.” Hazel changed the subject, squirming back and forth on the bench.
“Anyways, I managed to get her in a headlock and started chokin’ her out.” Elm leaned back. “We were broken up by a kolibri, though. I think it was Bran?”
“Bran is a good one.” Odin said. KLBR-g4506 was one of Odin’s favorites, never hung up on protocol unless it mattered. “Hope she didn’t give you too much trouble…”
“She didn’t. Quite nice, actually.” Elm hunched forwards once again. “...”
Odin frowned. Even in her inebriated state, she could feel Elm’s dejection. The falke looked up into the sky for a few moments, processing.
“Can I hug you, Elm?” She said with trepidation.
A few moments of silence passed, Odin waited patiently.
“...yes.” Elm answered in a small voice.
Odin slowly wrapped her long arms around the smaller replika and held her close. Hazel shifted to hug the ara as well, sandwiching the technician between the two women. The falke closed her eyes and leaned into Elm.
Elm leaned into the warmth with a shudder. She shook and she trembled and she wept. She wept for what felt like hours. Letting the warmth of Odin and Hazel’s envelop her.
She didn’t know where to put her hands, so she let them lay lim at her sides. The box and what’s left of her dinner lay discarded, it doesn’t matter anymore.
She felt Odin’s arms tighten around her. She felt her girlfriend’s soothing coos. She felt warmth flow through her. Her breathing calmed. Her shuddering slowed.
She felt Odin.
She felt Odin’s hands reach into her mind and cradle it close. Whispering swirling thoughts of comfort, mixing them around. Gently silencing thoughts of anger, of sadness, of regret.
She felt calm.
Elm shifted to look up at the falke. Her eyes are closed, peaceful. The red bioresonant conductors atop her forehead glisten in the moonlight. Her face is framed by a sea of black, interrupted with a smattering of stars. The scene was picturesque.
Beautiful.
Odin opened her eyes and leaned back with a blush, taking in the view of Hazel massaging circles into Elm’s back and burying herself into the ara’s side.
Elm sat still, breathing in and breathing out slowly. The falke brought her hands up to wipe the tears from the ara’s eyes.
After a few moments Elm cleared her throat and spoke up.
“I’m fine now… you can… um… stop.”
Odin quickly unwrapped her arms and scooted away from her, as did Hazel.
“Um… thank you.” Elm wringed her hands. “...both of you.”
“It was no problem! I’m always gonna be there if you need me, Elowen! Always!”
“I concur with Hazel. Though it may be difficult,” she grimaced. “I will try to make time to see and talk to you…” The falke tapped her hoof on the wood of the pier. “Only if you’d like that, of course!” She added quickly.
Elm looked up at Odin with a small smile, eyes still tinged with coolant. Odin felt her face heat up and her oxidant organ speed up at the sight.
“I think I’d like that.” The ara said in a small voice.
“The same goes for you, Hazel.” Odin said, turning to the eule.
Hazel gave her a dazzling smile that made the falke feel fuzzy inside.
Elm hopped up quickly.
“Alright. Time to get ya back to your office.” the ara offered Odin a hand that the bioresonant gleefully took, though she mourned the loss of her headrest.
Elm lifted the FKLR unit up with a strength the bioresonant had not expected the ara to have. “T-thank you. You’re quite the strong macaw.”
A faint blush disrupted the ara’s steely expression. “S’nothin’ command- Odin.” The falke giggled drunkenly at the ara’s quick correction.
“Yeah, it is,” Hazel kicked her feet off the edge of the pier. “She’s real strong…”
Odin found herself giggling at the faint blush that sprung across the ara’s face.
She took one step and immediately stumbled. She almost regrets her earlier use of bioresonance. Almost. Instead she turned that regret towards the brandy she had consumed, the ultimate enemy of a bioresonant.
“Y’okay, Odin?”
“I’m fine,” she said, trying and failing to take another step.
She felt woozy. She felt wrong. She felt the world falling around her. She felt someone’s arms wrapped around her.
“I gotcha’.” Elm had caught her. “I gotcha’.”
Hazel rushed to her feet and over to the two.
“OhGreatRevolutionary! Are you okay?” She stared up at the Falke with worry.
“I…” she gripped her head as she felt a spike of pain flow through it. “...I don’t think I can walk. I usually have to use bioresonance for balancing, but…” she trailed off.
“Alrigh’ then. That settles it.”
Odin looked to the smaller replika, intrigued. What did she mea-
In one quick motion, Elm hooked an arm under Odin’s legs and another arm around her torso to support it. The falke unit let out a startled “Ah!” as she haphazardly threw her arms around elm’s neck.
Hazel giggled at the two. “Hehehe… I didn’t- snrk- know a falke could be- hehe- so cute!”
“Cute???” She could feel her orgaflesh heating up. “I am a warrior! Imperials tremble at the mention of my name-”
“And you were just manhandled by an ARAR unit.” She paused for effect. “...twice.”
“Okay. Well, apologies that I’m being nice to the valiant macaw who saved me from a vile, nefarious door!” She yelled with mock indignation.
Hazel almost doubled over in laughter as Elm cleared her throat and decided to start walking.
Odin chuckled and let herself relax into Elm’s grip.
The soft sound of the others’ footfalls beneath her and the warmth radiating off of the ara nearly lulles the falke to sleep. Odin curled up in those strong arms, trying desperately to get closer and closer to the replika. The smell of oil and pine trees flooded her senses.
It was comforting. Cosy. Odin wished upon the Great Revolutionary and her daughter that she could remain in these arms forevermore.
It was only when Odin began wholeheartedly drinking in the smell of oil and pine trees did she realize. When had she gotten this easy? Or had it just been so long since she felt this way? Why someone – she stopped her train of thought look at Hazel, of whom was aiming a suspiciously smug smirk at the two – someones she had only met today?
Odin let out a soft laugh.
She’s developed stranger crushes, she supposed.
She heard a series of doors open, but she paid no mind. She was far too busy soaking in Elm’s warmth.
The falke only stirred when that warmth left her. She felt herself sink into her bed. It felt cold, but soft. Well it would feel soft if it weren’t for her armor plating. She quickly stopped Hazel from trying to tuck her in and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
She reached up and undid the mechanisms in her armor and threw the plates to the floor. She took a deep, deep breath, the weight of her chestplate now gone. After her pauldrons and arm plating were also discarded she almost began the removal of her pressure skinsuit before someone in the room cleared their throat, freezing Odin in place.
The falke whipped her head around to Hazel and Elm. She had forgotten they were there. Elm had her hands covering her eyes and Hazel, the one who had interrupted the falke, was staring wide-eyed at Odin, face a bright red. Odin could feel her own face turning the same shade.
“Oh!” She stammered. “Y-you can go! I-i-if you’d like…” the falke winced, very subtle. “Uhm. Uh. Yes.”
The eule jumped and finally began moving. She grabbed Elm by the arm and dragged her out of the room with a swift wave.
As soon as that door closed, Odin threw off her pressure skinsuit and fell back onto her bed with a groan.
She slapped her hands on her face. ”’If you’d like’????” she squealed to herself. She let out another groan. She was going to be thinking about that one for a while.
://– ://– ://– ://–
Elm trudged out of Odin’s office, Hazel following gracefully behind her. The ara leaned against a wall and slid down into a sitting position, the eule joining her soon after.
A silence filled the air, until–
“Sssssoooooooooo… she was niiiiiiicce.”
Elm stiffened.
“Y-yes. Sh-she was.”
“I don’t know about you, but I quite liked her!” She rested her head on the ara’s shoulder. “She’s soooo pretty too… her eye is so… piercing! And she was totally right about that eye patch making her look more dashing! And… you were right… scary women are hot.”
“Mhm.” Elm agreed readily.
“I do kinda hate that I’m eye level with her ass,” she burrowed her head further into Elm’s shoulder. “I felt like a creep every time I looked in her general direction…”
Elm could feel the heat spreading across her face. Hazel leaned in and wrapped her arms around the ara.
“Talk to me, sweetheart,” the eule pondered for a moment. “Or should I call you my valiant macaw?”
The ara squeaked and buried her head in her hands with a “mmmfghsgjsjsdms”. Hazel laughed her beautiful, snorting laugh that only made Elm feel more flustered.
“Weeeellll?” The eule strained upward to kiss Elm on the cheek. “What do you think of her?”
“Mmmmm…” the ara’s hands finally fall to her sides. “I think she’s cute,” she said after a while.
“Oh? Elaborate.”
“She’s just so… nice.” She thought for a moment. “A bit flirty… and she didn’ touch me when she knew I didn’ wanna be touched... I think she threatened a kolibri who grabbed my hand.”
The eule’s eyes widened. “She did?”
“Yeah. But it was through some of that biores- the bio- the- the bi-” she sighed. “The psychic stuff!”
The eule hummed in thought.
“She also got a real nice voice.”
“Oh yeah! Definitely feel that! I could listen to her talk for hours! And that laugh was heavenly…”
The ara hummed in agreement.
“She’s a bit dense, though.” She thought aloud. “I thought you were going to burst into flames when she checked your forehead.”
“Hey! I’m not that obvious!”
“Yes. You are.”
The two sat there for a few moments, cuddled up to one another.
“D’ya think we could?” Elm couldn’t bring herself to finish the question.
“Did you see how she held onto you while you were carrying her??.” Hazel kissed her girlfriend on the cheek once more before turning to face her. “She looked like she was going to turn you into her new mattress!”
“Really?” Elm said with an incredulous expression.
“Yes!” The eule paused a moment. “And that ‘You can go. If you’d like.’ was NOT subtle.”
Hazel leaned back and cupped Elm’s face between her hands.
“If we don’t, you definitely have a chance!” She rubbed little circles into her girlfriend's back. “I think we should go for it!”
“Alrigh’,” she leaned in a bit before adding in a sultry voice: “...my little owl.”
“Eep!” The eule jumped a little. “Okay! Enough of that! I gotta get my beauty sleep for tomorrow's play!”
Hazel stood, closely followed by Elm who wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s midsection from behind and began peppering her with kisses. Hazel flushed a bright red, spinning around and returning the favor.
“Love you Elowen. Goodnight…”
“G’night, love ya’ too.”
The two replikas separated with a wave. The eule skipping off to her dorm, the ara stopping to stare wistfully at the office door for a few extra moments before finally heading back.