Chapter 73: On The Other Foot
Joseph flipped through the latest batch of tablets, some experimenting allowing them to become quite thin once Violet had taken to the task when Mama was too busy. The sun peered over the walls of the meeting area, his ‘secret sanctum’ being occupied by Pan and his daughter near the centre, basking in the sunlight while he took shelter in the shade to flip through the Atmo’s latest contribution. He had worried that they would flex or break with the diminishing strength, but a full swap to oak meant that they managed to reliably come out in a usable state.
He looked up from the reports, smiling as the white-furred female ran her claws over the child soothingly, the two just enjoying a moment together as a family—as odd as it was. They managed some time together where nothing big was happening, most of the more urgent constructions and work-orders caught up on. The seamstress found herself with no pressing tasks, Violet wanted to take a break that no one was going to argue with, and all he really needed to do was confirm that everything was well.
“As requested, sir.”
He glanced over at Scarlet, the female doing an almost perfect job at seeming right at home in the service industry that her uniform suggested she was a part of. He accepted the steaming mug from her, the scent of peppermint wafting through the air in a way that seemed sweeter than that which was usually emitted by the girls.
He took a drink, closing his eyes to enjoy the only bit of variety he had in beverage selection. “You are getting really good at this,” he commented with a smile in her direction, an eye cracked to see the pleased expression at his compliment. “Thank you.”
Scarlet took a small bow. “It is my purpose, sir.”
He rolled his eyes, learning her character enough to know that she was acting closer to Jax than the Blade she arrived as. If she could poke at him, she would. He took another sip before laying it to the side, glancing at his girlfriend before returning to his ‘paperwork.’ “How are the girls doing?”
“They are acceptable, though they wish to be added into those whom serve you.”
He raised a brow as he read, a mirthful smirk donned on his face. “’Serve’ me, eh? I figured they would still be complaining about what I had them do.”
He heard a suppressed chuckle from the female. “They have seen the benefits of submitting to your ways and have embraced the changes imparted upon them.”
He shook his head playfully, not really seeing how him making them take on odd-jobs and act like maids would do more than make them less off-putting to be around. “Think they’re genuine? I don’t really like having people I can’t trust over my shoulder.”
“I’m honoured, sir,” she replied cheekily, the smile tinting her voice. He waved her off before flipping to the next tablet. “I believe them loyal, yes. As per the mistress’ orders, they would be removed if such were not the case.”
“Glad I’m not going to be stabbed, I guess.”
Scarlet bowed. “Only by request, sir.”
The Grand Hunter snorted, losing his place in the rapidly improving text of Violet’s translations and laying it on the table. “I’ll pass, but kind of you to offer.” He flipped the stack back to the beginning, finding that another read would be required in case he missed anything. “Any word of the Atmo from the new members?”
“Rumours, but no personal accounts, I’m afraid.” She replied, a genuine sadness behind her words at the insubstantial report. “Few mentions of them being suspected to exist within the ranks of Grand Hunters, but most reference them being a whispered entity to be seen in isolation or times of peril.”
He stared into his mug for a moment, pursing his lips before taking a drink. “Figures. I’ll want to look into it at some point. They’re a friendly people, but I can understand not wanting to throw themselves at others if they can help it. I guess they know how scary they can be without proper introductions.”
A rolling click of protest originated from Pan’s lap, his girlfriend sitting on her ankles to allow the young one a place to rest. He huffed a laugh as his mate doubled down on her amused scratching.
“Not you Violet, you’re only adorable.”
The Atmo preened a little, wiggling back into Pan’s lap to enjoy the attention. The pseudo-mother looked up at him, fondness in her gaze not shifting a single iota. “Will Tel be joining us?”
“Cooking classes,” he replied flatly, his smile faltering slightly. “She’s been pretty busy trying to free up her schedule for the trip. I might see how things are going later, though.”
Pan nodded, her own enthusiasm wilting a bit in response to the bond. “I’m glad there will be expansions to our operations.”
He took another drink while gesturing to Scarlet that she was free to go do whatever, the Blade bowing before making her silent exit. “Need to. Jax and Sahari can only cover so much ground without a way-station.”
She tilted her head, only having heard about his plans in a group setting and was unable to ask her questions at the time. “Why select the shuttle instead of constructing one?”
“Time,” he offered after a breath, taking a second to adjust his posture. “It would take a while to build anything so far out, and the Atmo would be needed for any reasonable speed in construction. We’ll probably do that kind of thing later, but the pod’s right there, so.”
“And Heralt’s tools are still inferior to them,” she added, a giggle accompanying it. He shrugged, not wanting to bad-mouth the guy’s work. He was actually doing really well, all things considered, but it was pretty obvious that the metals they had to work with were a bit weird for him, even with the thruster acting as his forge.
The new set-up did mean that they had more tools, though. Most of the pack now sported at least a knife to help with their tasks and to act as a back-up to their bows. Harrow was all but bouncing off the walls to start making more things now that the metal was usable, but Joseph had tempered her expectations by pointing out that it was better that they focus on utility for now.
It had led to a pretty substantial streamlining of their expansion efforts, three dens being completed along with two more water-towers that were dedicated to the bathhouse and forge, as well as a few new outhouses. Only some of the new members needed help in the barracks-turned-clinic, so soon enough they would be able to either transform the building to properly accommodate that need in future, or they’d build a proper treatment centre. Either way, pretty much everyone had a place to sleep and a place to do their business.
The Hall had a small expansion as well; an added portion on the ground floor slated to be a temple room or the like. It was basically just an empty space with some seating for now, but Atrox was asked to work on it when he had time, so it would look the part eventually.
Joseph got out of his chair, taking advantage of Pan cooing at their daughter to sneak up on her as best he could, though her tilted ear told him he was doing a pretty shit job of it. Regardless, she allowed him to approach her from behind, only tilting her head up when he leaned down to receive a kiss that threatened to stick her face into a permanent smile.
“Who will be joining you two?” she asked passively, her eyes seeming to soak in his face as if it was the most pleasant thing she had ever seen. He snorted at his own internal monologue suggesting she should see an optometrist, her patting him with her tail when she noticed the sly grin.
“Maybe one of the girls, but I’ll leave it to Tel to decide. She’s pretty uppity about security on the trip.”
She reached up to pull him in again, parting with a nod. “She has my blessing to be as such.”
He scoffed, taking a seat next to her and being tackled by Violet, now that it was clear he had put down his work for the moment. He didn’t resist, simply allowing his daughter to snuggle into him as he laid forcefully on his back with Pan flopping to his side to steal his shoulder as a pillow. “Well, I doubt we’ll have any more Voltas, but it’ll be nice to make sure that only we can get in from now on. Should be able to set the physical lock in a way that you’d either need to know how to undo it or would require a tool to get access.”
His mate giggled from his side, scooting herself in to wrap an arm around Violet and maximize their bodily contact. He raised a brow at her, but she simply shook her head with closed eyes as she buried her muzzle into his neck. It didn’t take long until the rhythmic purring of Violet matched up with her adoptive mother’s, the two dozing off while using him as a bed.
He smiled, watching the clouds roll by as he prepared himself for his arm to fall asleep.
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“You have prepared your weapons?”
Tel resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she fetched the pots needed to cook from a high shelf, Sahari hovering around nearby with a nervous twitch possessing her tail. “Have you known me to be without?”
The ex-Grand Huntress stayed silent for a moment, her eyes following the Blade as the latter set aside small bowls of spices, the dust floating just beyond the confines of the container before settling inside. “You have sufficient rations for if you are caught out longer than anticipated?”
The metallic thunk of a mixing bowl hitting the counter-top punctuated Tel’s flat stare. “One would assume you are worried of your kit, Sahari, not your Grand Hunter.”
She frowned in return, a flicker of black behind her displaying her unease. “I merely wish you prepared in the event of the unexpected.”
The grey-furred female drew breath, exhaling it slowly as a part of her mentally ticked off boxes for what she would need to teach the less culinary-inclined. “And it has nothing to do with this being the first moon you will have spent separated from him since your bonding?”
The paused tail told of words striking true. Tel sighed as she turned to grab the meats they would need, clicking her tongue when she became aware of the lacking of avian she had allotted. Reaching for additional ‘hedgehog,’ an errant thought reminded her that the Paw found this particular meat rather enjoyable. She discarded the irrelevant consideration, spinning again to see Sahari’s ears drooped low.
“I only wish him safe,” she replied softly, her gaze refusing to rise from the floor. Tel laid down her collections and silently glared at the female until her eyes were met.
“I assure you that he will only pass if I have breathed my last. It is on my honour as well as my vow. I would sooner seal him within the confines of the den than accommodate this task, but I believe we both know how he would feel about that.”
Sahari allowed a small smirk to play at her lips. “Perhaps his complaints would annoy the doors enough to open.”
“Assuming he did not simply kick them down, yes,” Tel chuckled, the image of her male throwing his foot through the blockage with an annoyed expression tickling at some part of her before she paused to consider if he could.
“And whom is to accompany you?”
The cook blinked, a possibly dangerous line of thought interrupted. “That will be quite evident. Few could offer him satisfactory protections.”
Sahari shrugged, some ease working into her shoulders as she let them drop. “I know not the depths you would strive for him.”
The cold ring of the iron knife being pulled from its block pierced the air before it was laid unceremoniously next to the other prepared items. “Should he wish it, none in this settlement would see the moon.” Tel inspected the edge of another blade, frowning at its need for sharpening, but deciding it would be sufficient for now. The lazy wanderings of her gaze flickered to her company, the female staring at her with a hardened expression.
“None?”
The question gave her pause. Partially because it should have been rather obvious that, as a Blade, her Sheath’s orders were absolute. The other fraction was because she honestly didn’t include those within the den in her consideration. She fought back the uncertainty in its attempts to display on her expression, coolly replying while returning to her inspections. “None.”
“I see,” was the neutral reply, the black-furred female merely nodding a single time with an unreadable expression. She cycled a breath, a slight shake of her head clearing whatever thought had crossed her mind. “Keep him safe.”
“I will,” Tel returned softly, a burning conviction simmering under the casual tone. Sahari left without much in the way of a farewell, the female likely off to lead another hunting party after quelling her concerns.
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Lacking much to do until the few who were interested in assisting with the preparations of the food arrived, Tel found herself with time and wandering feet, a small anxiety wearing at the back of her mind as she consciously felt her quills hidden within her short fur. The loud chuckling of Jax was almost drowned out by Harrow squealing in what sounded to be a mix of frustration and amusement. Thinking of little else that may distract from the gnawing feeling, she set about interacting with the pair that had seemed to have grown so close to her male.
“Jax, don-Ah!”
Tel blinked, the orange-furred female wheezing as she tried to gather breath on the furniture in the hub, her mate sat next to her and in the process of forbidding her possession of her own feet while his claws lightly pressed into the pads. Were it not for the tears and laughter, Tel might have thought it a fairly public prelude to bedding one another. As it was, Jax seemed to be rather mirthful in his activity of arresting Harrow’s flailing and teasing sobbed laughs out of his bond.
“Jax, please, I give up, you win!”
“But then I would not be so blessed as to hear you make such noise.”
“You are such an ass!”
Tel leaned on the table, her chin resting on a paw as she watched, her tail spinning loops lazily. Jax noticed her after Harrow managed to free herself, her ragged breaths dulling the scathing look she attempted before following the male’s gaze.
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“H-... Oh, Hunt Mother... Hi, Tel,” she offered weakly, wiping her eyes with her paw. “Need something?”
Tel smirked. “An explanation?”
Jax gave his mate a playful side-eye, quite a feat considering she was to his blind side, and offered what was requested. “Joseph mentioned that he was not...”
“Ticklish,” Harrow supplied when her mate seemed to have forgotten the word. The Head of Security tilted his head in thanks.
“Not ticklish when I caught him unaware. I was confused, but he explained that many of his kind find subtle simulations to elicit bouts of laughter.”
“I asked him if he figured we could be tickled, but he just kinda...” Harrow wiggled her claws erratically. “Did this, to a few parts of us.”
“And upon attempting such on her pads,” Jax gestured to the lopsided female, “it was as you see.”
Tel nodded, a curious brow raised. “And you were ‘tickling’ her because?”
“A bet,” they replied in unison. Harrow raised a claw. “Specifically, who would double their previous wager.”
Tel blinked slowly, taking a long breath before deciding to humour the two. “The previous arrangement being?”
“If you woul-” Jax was stopped by the orange-furred female scrambling to cover his muzzle with her paw.
“It’s a secret,” she insisted with a glare to her mate. “Something that Jax should know.”
The muffled chuckle did nothing to improve the scowl on Harrow’s face, but the lightly flicking tail reacted to his amusement regardless of the owner’s annoyance. Tel shook her head softly, knowing where the male’s head was likely taking that reveal. “May I try?”
The two exchanged a glance, Harrow slowly removing her paw from Jax as she tilted her head. “Try what?”
“What you were doing. I am curious if it may be something I could use against my male.” She felt her tail flick as the thought of rendering him into such a state drew a grin. Harrow instantly backed away when Jax raised a brow at her, leaving the male to shrug and raise his leg for Tel to grab.
She did so, extending a claw and attempting the same motions she had seen him do, though it didn’t seem to have much effect. Frustrated, she tried a few variations before frowning at Harrow’s giggling.
“You need to be gentle,” the Head of Technology offered, Tel huffing in response.
“I am.”
“You being ‘gentle’ is not breaking things.”
She frowned again, releasing Jax’s foot to thud on the floor before spinning a chair to take a seat, offering her own towards the female. “Care to demonstrate?”
Harrow grinned as she accepted the challenge, deftly replicating the touch that had caused her to be a screaming mess of laughter. To her dismay, however, Tel had neglected to mention the slight nerve damage she had to that leg. It wasn’t enough to hinder her in any appreciable fashion, but it meant that such touch would elicit no response.
Tel leaned forward as she pulled her leg free, a smug expression on her face as she was able to set up a perfect opportunity to tease the female. “Some like it rough.”
Harrow’s ear flicked as her jaw slackened, Tel sauntering off towards the dorms to lay back for a while and leave the blushing female to sneak glances at her mate.
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Volta entered the Grand Hunter’s room, her arms carrying the clothing items that Huntress Pan had set aside to be washed before she was called away to attend to something. The cleaner had taken it upon herself to complete the task, if only in some vain hopes to speak with the female beyond passing remarks regarding the Blades whom have started taking to calling her ‘mistress Volta’.
That was something she had begrudgingly gotten used to, after the initial round of complaints had passed, that is. Once the females had noticed that their change in attire, in addition to their taught mannerisms, meant that the new servants no longer questioned their origins, they began taking whatever was asked of them far more studiously. It meant that they had all become much more proficient in whichever mundane tasks they were assigned, but it also meant that Volta was asked to teach them more of her craft.
“Intruding, are we?”
The blue-furred female stiffened as the true ‘mistress’ of the Blades spoke from the bed, the female laying on her stomach, her jaw resting on crossed arms. A single amber eye was lazily piercing the air in Volta’s direction, but it felt like the Void itself was debating taking her with all the casual disregard one might hold if they were to wonder if it were worth the trouble to asking such a benign question to begin with.
The cleaner swallowed her initial fear, memory of the same female holding her at the point of a knife flashing through her mind. “No, Head Tel. I am returning garments I have washed.”
Tel hummed questioningly, but her eye closing shortly after showed she accepted the answer. The tail snaking its way to her daggers showed that she had no compunctions removing her should the claim prove to be false, however.
Not wanting to give the female reason to make good on the silent threat, Volta placed the clothing on the table, sorting it as best she could with shaky paws. The largest items belonged to the Grand Hunter, so those were placed next to the others that the Paw had crafted for him. The smallest were for Huntress Pan herself, so those went in their own pile. There was an item of much smaller garment that Volta couldn’t quite recall seeing being worn on either of them, so she took a moment to unfold them, examining the dimensions in hopes of guessing whom they would be meant for so that she might bring them to the proper owners.
A paw reached over her shoulder and grabbed them from her claws, the voice suddenly close enough for the breath to reach her ear sending a terrified shiver down her spine at the unannounced evaporation of distance.
“Ah, she completed it,” Tel remarked with mild interest, the upper-wear being flipped a few times in her grasp as she inspected the quality. Volta remembered to breathe after a few moments, cursing her eyes for following the form of the female out of habit. Not an honourable trait to have, mind you, but one that she had developed at some point nonetheless. The reason she felt so betrayed by it was that the grey-furred female had looked over and noticed.
Head Tel regarded her with half-lidded eyes, a placid expression somehow still feeling critical and predatory. “Waiting to see if I would disrobe to try it on?”
“Ah- I mean- um- N-no, Head Tel,” she fumbled, a flash of grey ending with her muzzle steadied by a paw, the female leaning in to observe her more closely as the garment was discarded on the bed.
“Fearful?” Tel gazed into her with tired eyes. “Have you reason?”
Volta met the stare with her own, too unsettled to risk moving it. “I- I do not believe so.”
“And yet you still quiver.” A huff of amusement preceded an idle curiosity. “Tell me, is one such as yourself relieved that the Grand Hunter will be leaving for a moon?”
Caught off guard by the question, Volta actually considered it.
The ‘Human’ seemed complacent enough, his actions rarely more than jovial interactions with all whom approach him, but he also had little to do with the cleaner. If that was due to herself avoiding him, or if he genuinely had little to say to her, she couldn't speculate, but the male was less of a concern in her mind that danced around the thoughts of whisking away the captivating Paw in idle fantasies.
“I have no notable opinions on such,” she managed to reply without stuttering.
“Do you fear him?” The second question struck as sudden as the first.
“No.”
“Yet you fear me?” A rolling giggle escaped the Blade, the grip on Volta’s jaw tightening. “You have an interesting definition of danger, low one. Perhaps I could show you the difference between us.”
A white blur patted the female across the shoulder. “Stop scaring the poor female,” Huntress Pan chided Tel as she removed her tail with an adorable pout donned on her muzzle, her having apparently entered while Volta’s thoughts were elsewhere. The grey-furred female released the cleaner, the annoyance mixed with amusement on her muzzle doing little to quell the lingering unease.
“Merely pondering why myself would be more of a concern than my male.”
The Paw frowned at her, turning her attention to Volta. “Worry not, her boredom is far more dangerous than she is.”
Tel draped her arms over the white-furred female, a chin resting upon her head from behind. “Offering to sate it, Pan?”
Volta watched as the Huntress blushed slightly in reaction to the claw dragging up her stomach, the fur parting like sand for a trowel as the digit neared her leather top that pressed her form. A swallow was the only thing the cleaner could hear from herself as her breath caught in her throat, her eyes following the motions before her with rapt attention. The claw lazily skimmed the clothing, pausing at the base of the female’s throat, the edge of Volta’s vision caught the amused grin of Tel.
“Ah, that would do it.”
Huntress Pan shifted slightly, but made no efforts to extradite herself from the situation. “What would?”
The grey-furred female chuckled, Pan’s ear flicking from the disturbance. “This one seems rather interested in you.” Her claw continued its journey, tracing up to the jaw of the diminutive female and pulling her muzzle upwards lightly. Tel laid her own on the shoulder of the Paw, an eye kept on Volta as she teasingly nipped at the throat, Volta unable to remove her gaze. “I believe she would like nothing more than to see you bare. Care to give her what she seeks?”
Pan used a paw to lightly remove the female, rolling her eyes in the process. “I believe you have those you are required to teach?”
“But you smell of him.”
“As will you, once you complete your duties,” the Huntress returned with a small smile. “Go. They will arrive soon and Joseph mentioned that he may join.”
Tel’s eyes shifted from an exhausted visage to a brighter one, the female glancing one last time at Volta before making a show of seeming reluctant to leave, dragging her feet as she exited the room. The Paw’s gaze followed her warmly, an amused shake of her head given before she bowed it towards the cleaner.
“Apologies for her actions. She has been rather busy recently and has had little in the way of opportunity to truly relax.” Pan smiled brightly. “She is rather fond of mischief.”
Volta blinked to work off the haze, tearing her eyes away as she chastised herself. “It was no trouble, Huntress Pan.”
The Paw nodded in satisfaction, seeming to have found the resolution of the matter sufficient. Her eyes noticed the freshly washed garments. “Thank you for attending to the clothing, but you need not concern yourself with such.”
“I only wished to be of assistance,” Volta replied, thankful that her fur hid her blush. She watched as Huntress Pan finalized the sorting process, an errant curiosity leaving her muzzle. “You seem to be rather fond of that female.”
The words had barely been voiced when she started cursing herself for broaching the matter, the thoughts paused as the white-furred female chuckled.
“Although she has her own complexities, she is still one whom my bond is taken with, and has done much to ensure his safety in my stead. I would be a poor mate to not reciprocate the appreciation.”
“Would it not just be the result of your bond?”
Pan glanced over her shoulder, an ear flicked as she considered it. “Would it matter if it was?”
Volta closed her open muzzle, unsure of how to take the response. “You find your heart yearning as his does?”
The female smiled, returning to her task as her tail swayed happily behind her. “I find myself thankful for her impact within him. She is more than what she displays for others, and I am of those who sees beyond such. If that is because of my bond, then I would be a fool to reject it.”
“I see,” Volta replied, more accepting that nothing much of value would be gained by pressing the issue than communicating understanding.
“Regardless, she is still troublesome at times, though I hope this trip will ease her worries,” Huntress Pan remarked absently as she finished placing clothing in the appropriate piles.
“May I inquire as to the issue?” the blue-furred female pressed, hoping to glean some insight to the relationship between the two.
The Paw turned, a frustrated sigh lightly exhaled. “Should all go well, there will not be one to divulge. I have some lesser matters to attend, so do forgive me for not properly accommodating. I pray the remainder of the sun treats you well, Volta.”
The cleaner watched as the small female exited the room, waiting until she was out of sight before allowing the scene she had witnessed replay in her mind.
She wondered how it would feel to be the one to act so brashly before shaking her head. She had some more cleaning to do besides, and—assuming memory served—Scarlet would be the one whom would be assisting her.
She shuddered, unsure which of the two Blades made her more nervous.
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Joseph watched idly as the small group listened to Tel, each being shown what the spices in front of them were made from and how they impacted the various foods. Though his Lilhun was still pretty damn rough, he was starting to follow some of the conversation. Enough to notice that his grey-furred girlfriend was taking the matter more seriously than he would have expected from her. Looks like, when it came to cooking at least, she acted like a professional.
It could have also been the fact that he was in the room, but he didn’t see why that would matter much.
They went over hedgehog, rock-worm, wolf, and the weird squirrel thing, as each was held up for her to explain the characteristic of them. It was nice to have the context for which she was talking about, the last apparently usually being prepared with more salt than the rest. Or it was saltier... Yeah, still a bit rough.
Tel bent over to grab something from a cupboard that she apparently forgot about during earlier set-up, an idle mention of another mixing bowl from above being required in English had him reaching above her to fetch it so that he was doing more than just listening to her talk, not that he minded. Her voice was in the top few things he enjoyed hearing, as sappy as the notion sounded.
The alignment of the two locations meant that she was in the way when he moved to grab the bowl, leaving him to absently place a hand on her back as he leaned in to grab it. Though it didn’t cross his mind when he decided to do it, he ended up pressing himself into her fairly firmly during his acquisition of the required item, his balancing hand using her for support preventing her from doing more than dealing with the intimate mistake.
Normally, he would have immediately backed off and apologized with his face flushed to high hell. Now though, he just pressed into it more with a slight grin, far from oblivious to the tail that wrapped around his thigh that seemed to want to trap him in the position. He made sure to bump the bowl when he removed it to sound out his actual intention, casually stepping back and raising a brow at the look she gave him as she righted herself.
The familiar look of Tel wanting to pounce him was only slightly hidden behind the disapproving frown she put on, the eyes he remembered back at Loptr’s settlement still very much alive within her. He kept his face neutral, if a bit confused, and offered her the item, having it taken after a second of hesitation paired with annoyance when the observers laughed at the display.
Though he couldn’t quite catch some of the words—them being either too specific or perhaps slang—he did catch them goading her to do something back. It took all his willpower to keep his amusement as low as possible so that she wouldn’t be tipped off that he was purposely screwing with her as revenge, and doubly so that she wouldn’t find out he had been studying.
Speaking of studying, Harrow had reached a proficiency that she could operate the terminal without his assistance. It had led to a bit of a jolt for him when she mentioned finding videos, and general confusion for everyone else when he had made haste to check what exactly she had found, but luckily she had only come across random workplace materials he was too lazy to remove when he transferred his data to the cruise terminal.
It did cause him to find and lock a particular collection, however. Or several.
Minor horrors aside, the orange-furred female had started her small journey into trying to set the software up to access the rest of the speakers around the base after Nalah asked her for something, though it seemed to be a bigger task than she initially thought. It was something that distracted her from bothering Heralt, so Joseph was more than happy to leave the work to her.
Mama was a bit of a slow learner with the language once the mechanical execution was out of the way, but he had seen her practising with Violet on occasion, and that seemed to be something they were happy to work on together. She was able to greet him and ask more basic questions, but nothing that would facilitate any meaningful conversations yet. That was fine, he was just excited to have conversations with her that didn’t consist of him talking so one-sidedly.
Violet had gotten to the point where she could actively speak with him, but her voluntary inclusion with...well, everything, meant that she spent most of her time helping out wherever there happened to be work to be done. The odd occasion that she chose to take a break was usually the result of him and Pan finding time to be together, so she was typically more interested in skinship and cuddles than speaking at length—not that he blamed her.
Jax, for his part, was rather enjoying the task of teaching the both of them his language, occasionally slipping in curse words and dirty jokes as casual remarks and only clarifying when Harrow caught him. It started a habit of catching her alone so that she could verify that he wasn’t going to start telling people to go fuck themselves when he didn’t mean to, but it was nice that he could do so intentionally when the mood struck.
His thoughts were brought back to the present when the members left the kitchen, Tel having sent them off to go prepare the next meal once they had shown sufficient understanding of the materials. She walked over to him with a chipper mood thinly veiled by annoyance.
“Must you make such mistakes while I am busy?”
He allowed his smirk to show. “Mistake?”
She blinked, obviously not expecting him to return the banter. Her facade of irritation faded to be replaced by a sultry smile, her claws tracing up his neck as she leaned in. “I wouldn’t expect you to be so overcome so as to make your advances with an audience.”
He got up from his seat, forcing her to step back slightly to accommodate it. He used the height disparity caused by her relaxed legs to whisper into her ear, the grin colouring his words. “You won’t follow through with yours, so I figured you’d like to know what you’re missing.”
He turned to leave, only catching a glimpse of the effect his taunting had.
Her eyes widened before locking onto him with an expression that seemed somewhere between astonishment, and what could only be described as distilled desire, her tail thrashing behind her as she flexed her claws like a stress ball. He decided it was a good thing he had gotten out of there, because he may have pressed a button he shouldn’t have.
It was worrying that he was so excited to find out which one.
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“Go to the pod, get there in the evening sometime, get something to eat, crash, survey the area and shit in the morning, then come back before night,” he summarized, Sahari fussing over his equipment in the hub like a disquieted mother. He recalled doing the same when they left for Trill’s, but it was actually pretty amusing to have her worry so much. It was doubly amusing to have Nalah seem so bothered by his small excursion due to her bond, but she was a bit more relaxed about it.
Pan handed him an extra change of clothes in case it started raining heavily, her paw checking the seam of his trench coat to ensure it would stay water-tight. She gave him a small kiss before nodding her approval and turning to Tel to do the same inspection.
“Where’s Jax and Harrow?” he asked absently, allowing the black-furred female to personally check his supplies since refusing would only prolong the process. Nalah answered, a slight amusement showing on her muzzle as she watched her mate remove and replace various items.
“Jax is out hunting and Harrow was requested to help arrange a kiln with Heralt.”
“Kiln?” He raised a brow, thinking for a moment before placing the word. “Someone interested in making pottery?”
“Seems so,” she replied with a shrug. “Harrow suggested using the excess heat from the thruster to facilitate it.”
He reciprocated the gesture. “If she wants to. I’ll leave the specifics to you guys, that’s beyond me.”
Nalah grinned, crossing her arms over her chest casually. “I figured.”
“Hey, at least I know when I’m stupid.”
“All the time?”
He snorted, rolling his eyes at her. “Yes, but at least I know.”
Tel waved off Pan, growing restless with the delays. “Which is why it is my duty to ensure you do not find that cliff you mentioned throwing yourself off of.”
He feigned offence, covering his mouth and wincing dramatically. “Tel! I’ll have you know that I had no intention of going diving that day.”
“That makes it worse,” she commented dryly, her smirk disarming any hostile tone.
“Yeah, yeah.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Fine, I guess you’ll have to tie me up or something so I don’t go hiking for half a day towards my doom.”
“I could do that,” she purred, bumping his shoulder with her own, her lilt sending a small shiver down his spine. “Then you wouldn’t be able to run from me.”
“Anyway,” he redirected the conversation, Sahari giving him an odd look. It was only when he glanced to Pan that he had to acknowledge that Tel had a bit of a talent for making him worryingly interested in things he really shouldn’t be. “We should get going, we’re burning daylight. Hit the pod, set the locks, make sure everything is still up-and-running, then come back. Sound good?”
Tel returned the nod he gave, Pan smiling at the exchange for some reason. Sahari laid a paw to his shoulder, a weak smile given as she spoke.
“Do try to fend off the Void.”
He patted her arm, shaking his head. “I’ll see what I can do.”
He heard Tel sigh, grabbing him by the arm to drag him towards the doors, himself laughing at the amused expressions of those who were free to see him off. “Tell Violet that I love her!”
The words barely finished before the door closed, him letting himself be hauled along by the impatient female. “As you said, we will be travelling by the moon if you were to keep humouring them.”
He shook his arm free, righting himself before grabbing her paw casually, Tel’s expression softening in return. “Bah, you have me to yourself now.”
A stifled laugh came from his side.
“I suppose I do.”