"Did Nin properly understand me when I..." I began to say as I leaned against my raised and open palm. A long dreamy sigh leaving me as I looked down the deck of the airship and at Nin. My smile consistently changing as he did something minor or greater. He wasn't even doing much yet here I was, just happy to watch him.
"Did Ninno understand what?" someone then suddenly asked into my ear, causing me to jump. Sparks flying off of my body as I wobbled about while clutching my chest. The laughter that followed it all clarifying to me that it was Ayi-chira. My smile quickly being done away with in favour of an annoyed frown.
"W-Why were you watching me!?" I demanded from her as I took on a straighter posture. Moving closer to her with flaring nostrils. Increasingly annoyed by her laughter.
"So I'm not allowed to watch you but you can watch," she began to say before she forced me into looking at Nin again, "Ninno here?" she finished off with. A smile somewhat coming back to my face as my face also heated up.
"I... I wasn't..." I tried to say but I just could not finish the sentence. The fact I was caught red-handed in the act was just too embarrassing!
"Yeah, you were!" Ayi-chira teased in a drawn-out manner. Her hands prodding at my cheeks before I swatted them away. Her giggles keeping my attention on her as I glared at her. But, my trembling lip and red face made it hard to be intimidating.
"What do you want anyway!? Surely you have something better to do!"
"Nope! The slavers... Are doing all the hard work so I am just left alone to wander! But, there just isn't much to do here." she said, going from contempt at first to a more cheerful tone and ending it with a shrug.
"So why does that mean you have to bother me!?" I asked of her before slowly crossing my arms. Looking away while still looking at her.
"Beeeee-cause! I want to know about what you," she said while pointing and poking me, "and him," her finger quickly moving over to Nin, "were doing after I saw you enter the bathroom!"
"It was a bathroom... What else could we have been doing!?" I let out quickly and in a higher pitch than usual. My face becoming a very bright red by the end of it all.
"Going by how you are looking at him, quite a bit." she suggestively said as her finger went down the front of my clothes.
"N-Nothing happened!" I said to her before stropping off. Stamping my feet down hard and letting sparks fly off of me as I did so.
"Did he say something to you? Did you say something to him? C'mon! Tell me!" I was asked by the persistent Ibenorrocon. A frustrated growl leaving me just before I stopped inside the airship's kitchen. A kettle being put on once I was still.
"Fine, you want to know so badly!? Fine!" I nearly yelled out before slamming the door shut as hard as I could. It having to be slammed again when the prior just made it bounce. Ayi-chira even jumped a little when it banged close.
"I do!"
"When we were in there, I was washing his back and I asked him what sort of women he liked and then I just blurted out what kind of men I liked and I confessed to him!" I said to her while making her back up towards the door. Yet, even as I did so, she kept that Aahtha-blessed smile and stayed joyful.
"And what did he say afterwards? Did he accept them and say he felt the same?" her smile widening as she began to push back. Her actions soon leading to me nearly stumbling over a stool when I was moving back.
But, I looked down in frustration before I answered, "No..."
"He does not feel the same way?" her smile disappearing when she asked that.
"No... No, he just didn't answer!" I said slowly at first before speeding out an answer to make sure it wasn't misunderstood. I did not want my slow answer causing Nin unnecessary suffering because I was too stuttery to clarify!
"Were you very direct with it? Like, did you specifically say you wanted to do romantic things with him?" she asked me after sitting down. Any joking tones and behaviour having completely gone away.
"Admittedly... I have been wondering if I was being too subtle..."
"That might be the case, but, trust me, Einervaene," Ayi-chira said to me before leaning closer, "sometimes they need it to be more blunt and confrontational." she said as if she had experience in the manner.
"You have asked men out before...?"
She then went quiet and looked away, "Yeah..." her behaviour clearly nervous, "Yeah, I did it a few times back in my homeland."
"I see, how blunt are we talking? Like... A very direct saying of it...?" I asked her as shades of bright red returned to my face. My mind quickly filling up with scenarios of where I directly admitted it to Nin. Some even being rather dramatised like it being in a battle or something. Like it all just came to a stop just so I could tell him and then kiss him deeply...
"Sometimes, yes, sometimes indeed. In fact! Why not even give it another go? Repeat it to him!"
"I... Don't think I could. It took everything to say what I did yesterday and I just couldn't say it again more clearly even after I said it. We just ended up talking about other things." I say to her before slowly slanting over and cupping my face. A long breath leaving my mouth as I tried to bottle up this embarrassment I was feeling.
"Then I'll help! I'll get his attention and then guide him into a place where it is just you and him and you can just go at it!" Ayi-chira said to me just before she hopped up onto her feet. Arms stretched out wide as she hopped up and down in excitement. Yet, here I was, glaring at her with suspicion.
"Just me and him? You not watching or listening in the slightest...?" I probed her with, my worries confirmed when she began to panic a little.
"No..." she blatantly lied while looking away and balancing on her heels.
"You better not!" I then told her firmly. Some of my magic crackling about the copper frame in my clothes to emphasise it. But, I wasn't sure if that would work, honestly. Ayi-chira was much, much more powerful than me...
"I swear I won't! I'll hide my soul and everything just in case!" Ayi-chira responded with, her hands making the gesture for her statement. Her claim that should she break this promise that she shall hide her soul from the God of Death... So that she is cursed to walk alone in the misty world forever.
"You better..." I grumbled before I began to leave the kitchen. Not bothering to do what I had originally intended just so I could escape the advance I was getting. Those verbal spears urging me on...
Shortly after we went topside again, I could hear him, I could hear Nin, "Swear she was... Ah!"
"N-Nin I w-want to talk t-"
"It'll have to wait, sorry, have you seen Lari?" he asked me while looking about, his eyes clearly not lingering on me. Something that only contributed to the anger I was feeling. He just wanted to see Ayi-chira... That should have told me all I needed to know but I wanted a clear answer.
"No, it's important!" I challenged back with as I tried to step forward.
"It can wait, now, Lari, come on. You two Einervaene." he told us while gesturing to Ayi-chira who had apparently been hiding behind me. So, as we were walking with Nin to where ever he wanted to take us to, I glared at her. I glared the finest daggers I could at her as she had gone back on her word!
But, that gaze she was giving me reeked of technicalities, "You never said it!" she whispered before quietly giggling. Giggling that soon stopped when Nin came to a stop with us just outside the control room. Vadei was here too, so it must have been important as it was clear she was waiting to listen.
"What is this all about?" I then asked once I had swallowed down the topic I wanted to bring up just before.
"It's about the two in there. I believe it should be in our best interests to at least elevate some of their work." he explained before he opened the door slightly. Letting us all have a look at the pair of slavers as they jumped up and started working again.
"It was your idea to work them like this, to begin with!" Vadei told him with a hiss.
"I know, but, they are the only two here who know how to pilot this thing. If we overwork them to the point of collapsing then we are just going to suffer severe problems."
"So you want us to learn how to fly this airship just in case?" Ayi-chira asked him.
"Yes, should worse come to pass, we can at least fly this thing ourselves. We might not know the way, but, if we know how to fly it we can bring it to a town or something. Get directions or something."
"I don't even think we can learn to fly this, you just don't learn details like that in so short a time." Vadei tried to point out to him.
Nin's hand raised itself at her in a non-threatening manner, "I know, I have worked on heavy vehicles before. We just need them to 'hold our hands' as it were. Nothing big, maybe switch in and out regarding who does what but just be there to interact with the two."
"It will also help us keep an eye on them, too. I don't trust them to not cause us issues..." Vadei said to Nin who nodded along.
"They're slavers, they will likely be making plans this very moment. Trading lives is, thankfully, not an easy profession so they will have experience in getting out of bad situations." Ayi-chira then said in an uncharacteristically annoyed tone. Nin and Vadei nodding along when she said it while I kept still.
"Right, are we all in agreement then?" Nin then asked as he put his hands together with a modest clap.
"I have no problems with it, Nin." I said with a nod while Ayi-chira pouted before slowly nodding. The only one who did not have a response yet was Vadei so everyone was now looking at her.
"Don't give me those looks... Not like my vote matters now." she mumbled in agitation before entering the control room.
"I guess she is taking the first shift or whatever." Nin said with a shrug before he started to walk away. My hand rising to try and stop him while my mouth opened up even if I did not speak. Thankfully, he stopped and looked at me.
"I'll leave you two to it then!" Ayi-chira commented before dancing off with returned cheer. A red tint coming to my face as I stared up at Nin's masked face. Gulping my nervousness down as I watched him.
"Not sure what that was about, but, Einervaene, a word if I can?" he said in Ayi-chira's direction before he gestured me to follow.
"What would you like to talk about?" I asked him as we started to walk. Surprising myself by not tripping on my words as we became isolated from the rest.
"Now, you were brought on board to help fix something, yes?" he then asked me. A sudden surge of disappointment filling me up as a result of it not being what I was hoping for.
"Yes, a small item. I don't know what it was but they just needed someone to conduct lightning through it and to fuse a few pieces together." I clarified to him before he then tapped his hand on a wall.
"Right, now, I may not have the training to be a mechanic of any kind. But, if I was to guide you through the process, would I be able to rely on you to maintain this airship should the worse come to pass? You are the only one with the skills to maintain this thing should on-board tools not suffice." he explained, a wide smile coming to my face when he mentioned how important I would be. He would be relying on me because of something only I could provide!
"That's f-fine!" I told him while nodding happily. A quick laugh leaving him before he then left. Something that made my smile go as I still needed to speak to him about... But, I guess it can wait. He has just explained that we had a lot to sort out.