Paying Back Potion Debt [Bell]

Critical

Critical

Well-Known Member
Inactive
Jan 30, 2014
1,326
Orion looked pensive for a moment, looked at the various instrument on the main car panel, then looked back at Bell with a little nod and a smile.

"We can go a little higher. But not for long. But before that."

There was no way to not know that it was time for Orion to be a little sappy. Even he was well aware of how everything seemed as he took Bell's hand in both of his, squeezing it between his closed fingers as he looked into her eyes and even turned a little red. His mind was telling him to not be so melodramatic with the moment, as Bell was not the kind of woman to seriously enjoy that kind of stuff nor partake in it. But his gut wanted him to do it anyway. The moment seemed right and being a little sappy felt like the honestly best way to go.

"Bell, I want you to know that I'm genuinely happy to have met you, and to have become as close as I am to you...

Despite my weirdness, everything that I'm supposed to do with my mission, and everything demanded of me by the brass... I really do feel something for you.

I know that you're probably scoffing at this speech, but it's true. I-I've never had the opportunity to get so close to someone and I almost feel tempted to say, y'know, I love you."

Out of all the social moments Orion had missed out on as a fake Human, he was no more ill prepared than for the moment he was trying to have with Bell while in low orbit. Everything else he could skirt through mostly alright. It was easy playing the "eccentric weird guy" to get out of most awkward situation. But expressing his affection for Bell was something he was in no way prepared for.

He looked away for a moment, feeling embarrassed, as if he was wasting Bell's time. Then he turned back, looking a little expectantly for her reaction.

"Well, I guess I already said it, huh?"
 
A

Apple Magpie

Well-Known Member
Inactive
May 6, 2014
291
Bell didn’t really do sappy. She tended to wave it off, move on being loud and up-front and acting like it never happened — but well, if she interrupted Orion now, she felt like it would somehow jeopardize… all this. The talking and the being vaguely open with one another and the well, the friendship? The relationship. Whatever that entailed, exactly.

So she probably looked awkward as hell as Orion took her hand in his, all earnest and red and whatnot. She couldn’t laugh it off like she could if it was just some kid off the street. This was, well, this was Orion they were talking about.

Maybe more than awkward, her expression was more ‘deer in headlights’. She wouldn’t know, she couldn’t see it. But she was certainly feeling it.

When those three words came out of his mouth she couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh. Well, what the hell was she supposed to say to that? Did she feel the same way? Definitely not – Orion’s presence in Bell’s life could never be as profound as hers in his. She, well, she had friends, family. He had neither.

She definitely cared for him. Love? It was just too early to say.

She cleared her throat. “Well, yeah, I guess you have said it, haven’t you.” Heck, she was probably a little red herself. “And I’ve glad you have. I mean. Can’t keep that sort of thing bottled up too long, can you! Probably bad for your health. I uh, yes. Yes, definitely good to say it.”

They were in a confined space, she was being led by him, and she wouldn’t have a moment’s peace to think about what this all meant for a while, which meant she was left with a bunch of mush she had to sort out and really couldn’t, just yet. “So, uh… thanks? I don’t think I did anything much special, but if it meant something to you, it’s gotta be a good thing…”
 
Critical

Critical

Well-Known Member
Inactive
Jan 30, 2014
1,326
Normal young men may have acted despondently, perhaps even angrily or saddened, to Bell's rather non committal reply. It was very apparent that Orion's confession had hit her out of nowhere, and that she was more or less at a loss as to what to say. Though it seemed pretty obvious that she knew what NOT to say.

But Orion was no normal young man, as Bell was well aware at that point. Her reply might not have been romantic or even a real affirmation of his feelings, but to him her reply meant that she had A.) actually heard him and understood what he meant and B.) that she was not fully rejecting him. Perhaps it was his total lacking in social knowledge regarding the confession and its expectation, but Bell at least acknowledging his feelings was a victory. And he was smart to know that she would need time to think about things and give him a real answer, and he was patient enough to wait for that.

Orion's expectant look turned into a bright, happy smile as he squeezed her hands.

"You do mean something to me, and I kinda hope that I mean something to you too."

H gave her hands a kiss then turned to put his hands back on the wheel, positively bouncing with elation. He pushed on the pedal and the car began to rise slowly. At this point, bits of frost were beginning to form on the outside edges of the windows, but the interior was otherwise fine.

The view, however, kept getting better. The Earth was beautiful, but so was the infinite blackness of space and the many many stars that sparkled within it. The sun shone bright and the moon was cresting over the horizon.

"It feels to have said that out loud, y'know? I can understand if you need time or... even if you don't feel the same way. Just knowing that I admitted it to you, and that you know, feels like I've done something special..."
 
A

Apple Magpie

Well-Known Member
Inactive
May 6, 2014
291
Damn, she was expecting a breakdown or something, or an awkward smile and a turn away. She kind of just stared as instead, he lit up as bright as a bonfire. As always, it seemed like she’d underestimated Orion’s powers of… being himself. “Yeah, I can give you that,” she managed. “Things’ve certainly been different since you showed up.” In a good way, but she was a bit nervous about giving him too much to work with.

Then it seemed almost as if the moment had been forgotten. Orion drove – flew – upwards, up into the coldness of space to the point where even the windows were reacting. She touched her fingers to the glass, but felt nothing.

“So this is what’s out there, huh.” She turned back to the windshield – or rather, to the infinity beyond it. “I missed stars, coming into the city. They just don’t shine as bright next to all the other lights.”

But it seemed that moment had not been forgotten after all, and a bit of awkwardness came back into their confined space. “Yeah, time will do. Gotta work some things out, y’know. But you’ve come a long way from the crazy future-guy who showed up at my doorstep, I can say that much.”
 
Critical

Critical

Well-Known Member
Inactive
Jan 30, 2014
1,326
"I'm glad that you're still amazed by the stars. Space travel is making some big steps lately, but no one seems to really care... It almost made me want to abuse my time travel access to go back to when humans first landed on the moon. If only to see the wonder in everyone's eyes back then."

And just as he said that, a very large craft floated past them silently, going from the surface of Earth upwards. It was difficult to say how far away, or how close, it really was. Without the usual terrestrial indicators of distance and size, the craft could have easily been miles away and just really really big; or it could have been passing relatively close and only been kinda huge. It was very angular and rigid in shape, like a skyscraper on its side. In space, with no air resistance, there was no need for aerodynamics. Looking "upwards", Bell would be able to see its destination: a large wheel-shaped space station.

Between the size of the craft and the utter silence of it passing by, there was an eeriness that was only found after leaving the atmosphere. In space, everything worked differently and newcomers had a lot of adjusting to do.

"I can honestly say that you had something to do with my transformation. Finding someone to talk to on, more or less, equal intellectual footing while also having different expertise. I felt like I finally had someone to talk to without any tricks or facades."

As the craft pulled away to higher orbit, and as the frost began to creep farther toward the center of their windows, Orion pushed the car downwards into a gentle descent through the atmosphere. He tapped a few buttons on the dash and a series of interlocking hexagons flashed across the windshield and hood. They seemed to react as they began the process of re-entry. They were small enough and going slow enough to not cause a huge burn, but there was some. The hexagonal "skin" was protecting them.

Orion kept glancing over at Bell whenever he was not looking out for where they were going. He store the same smile, only slightly faded since it wore on his cheeks.

"So whatchay planning on handing over to the scientists so they'll let you back? Invisibility potions? Maybe a healing potion?"
 
A

Apple Magpie

Well-Known Member
Inactive
May 6, 2014
291
“Well, if you ever find a way to do it without being caught, I say go for it. What’s the fun in time travel if you can’t screw around a little?”

Bell was lucky, too. She barely had to watch herself around here, definitely not in the same way Orion did. But she got to see things her family wouldn’t believe, let alone understand. A lot of them would have shunned this spacecraft’s shape as unnatural, but, well… just because something was made by man didn’t mean it couldn’t be amazing.

She wouldn’t have described as “eerie”, though it definitely fell under “mysterious”.

“Ah, well – I don’t know about a transformation – you’re still the same guy I met on the first day, y’know. Just hiding less. I think some of the other folks back home would like you too – though if you showed up in that outfit you’d get shot in the face before you had the chance to say ‘I come in peace’.” She laughed easily. The shots she was talking about were non-lethal, magical things, and in fact the connection to guns didn’t even cross her mind.

She’d never been so glad for glass windows in her life. Not all of the houses back in her village had them, and she’d never thought it was a big deal, but without them she’d either be dead by now or miss this fantastic view. “What is that, some sort of energy shield? Why’s it all hexagony – uh actually, if I’m distracting you, don’t answer that. Not dying is the priority and all.” Really though, why hexagons and not, like squares?

Gods, he kept smiling at her. She was happy, but like – should she be smiling more? Was her smile not good enough? What was he looking for, anyways?

She was relieved when he finally spoke. “I’d really rather not give them an invisibility potion, those things are expensive. Healing should do well enough. Just so long as they don’t overdose…”
 
Critical

Critical

Well-Known Member
Inactive
Jan 30, 2014
1,326
"Unfortunately it's not that easy. I can only travel using the machine on my Ship, and that only comes out in that original machine we stepped out of. It's not a teleporter. The only way they got my Ship to your time originally was ending the entire thing, including the other 'end' of the portal, through the first machine."

Unlike some of the time travel devices seen in science fiction of Bell's time, Orion's time travel machine only worked when two functioning ends were linked. Otherwise, any trip was only one way. Unsurprisingly, the technology for time travel was rather primitive on its own, even if it was hyper-advanced compared to anything else.

The shield that Bell was asking about had reached peaked usage as they descended through the final layers of atmosphere, and the hexagonal pattern was at its most clear. The field itself rippled and waved as heat moved across it and away from them. Judging by his calm tone, there was no danger from explaining the field while he drove.

"Yeah. It's basically an energy shield. Aftermarket installation by me. I can tune the density and type of particles to suit most situations. As for the hexagons, it's the most efficient way for the shield projectors to interlock their respective fields. Squares are just... less efficient in terms of getting them to fit together in consistent way over an odd shape. Like a car."

As they broke through the upper clouds and the shield faded, signaling their completed descent, they would find themselves on a bee line for the Company building from whence they had first arrived.

"Yeah. I think a couple of healing potions should satisfy them. Maybe throw in a cheap gimmick potion if you got one. I've certainly cost you enough already and this whole trip was supposed to be a repayment, so I won't force you to give up anything too expensive."

They pulled into a parking area in the side of the buildings and, after gathering up all of Bell's stuff, they got into an elevator and started their descent back into the lab area, which required Orion to scan his glove again for security clearance. Turning to Bell, he took her hand again, softly.

"So? Whaddya think? The future still interesting to you? Enough to pay back a bit of my debt to you?"
 
A

Apple Magpie

Well-Known Member
Inactive
May 6, 2014
291
“…Huh. That sucks. Well, if the research goes any farther, maybe future-you can sneak you a peek at some point, eh?” She grinned. It was a fanciful idea, but she was a fanciful person.

She’d been spending a lot of the time just staring out the window, and this was no exception. There was something fascinating about listening to Orion’s explanations while seeing them in action. He didn’t speak all that much about himself or his life back in her time, and even when he did there was nothing to really help her visualize it… if she’d had a phone or a camera, she’d probably have been taking pictures non-stop (if Orion would let her).

The windows went white for a few moments, and then they were back. It was a strange feeling, knowing she’d left the Earth’s atmosphere… even if it wasn’t “her” Earth per se. “Echh. I’ll think about it. I’d really rather give them something that would blow up in their faces, but…” No need to get Orion in trouble. Again.

She didn’t dwell on it, just getting out of the car and following Orion quietly. When he turned to her she straightened up, expecting some other weird and sappy comment, but it was a question instead.

She thought about it for a while. The future… it was amazing. There were a lot of things she wasn’t sure about, but the good outweighed the bad by far, and more importantly the interesting outnumbered the boring. She was pretty damn flattered Orion had brought her all this way, too. There was a value to this that went far beyond money. “It’s pretty great,” she said finally, smiling softly. “I guess I can knock off a bit of that debt for you.”
 
Critical

Critical

Well-Known Member
Inactive
Jan 30, 2014
1,326
"Thank you for the reprieve then, hon. I'll see about paying the rest back with actual money."

Orion shared a quiet, smiley moment with Bell holding her hand. The ding of elevator signaled that they had arrived and the doors slid open with a quiet woosh. Letting go of her hand, he picked up her stuff again and exited. They had arrived in a short hallway that had two other elevator doors, for other elevators obviously. The hallway itself lead to a larger office area with desks and computers. There were a few people working away at their jobs while Orion lead Bell to a rear area. For once, the people didn't pay much attention to either of them.

Arriving at a clear glass door, Orion waved his glove again and opened the lock. They entered into an empty room with a window on one side that showed a security room of some kind. The door shut and a red light blinked over the opposite door that lead out, then turned green as the door opened. Even before the door closed behind them there were a group of scientists approaching the pair, instruments and writing tablets in hand.

"Security must have told them I arrived. Just play along like before."

He waved them down and gave them a salute with his free hand.

"Well, we're here and I think Bell is ready to hand over a sample or two. Hopefully it'll be enough to satisfy you guys' curiosities."

The scientists almost immediately started questioning Bell about the nature of her potions and magic in general, while leading the pair to a proper lab further down the hall. They inquired about the ingredients of her potions, how they interacted to make magic, or if they needed to inject magic as a separate ingredient. If so, how did they GET magic? Was is a resource that could be harnessed or generated? And so on.

Somewhere amid the clamor and questioning, Orion had disappeared. Her stuff was still safe against the wall, but he had gone.
 
A

Apple Magpie

Well-Known Member
Inactive
May 6, 2014
291
“I don’t know if money is enough at this point. It might have to be money and favours.” And she was grinning again.

It seemed this was more of a quiet moment, though. She didn’t make any more quips as they made their way back, choosing instead to appreciate the fact that people weren’t staring at them, for once. Now that she’d gotten a little used to the place, she didn’t have to spend her time fawning over every little thing, and to be honest, it let her appreciate the whole thing a bit more.

“Uh, what’s this – “ Even as she said it, the door in front of them opened. That was one thing she’d probably never get used to. Sterility and screening were not her thing. She’d clean her hands when she had to, but… “Ugh.” Well, there went her mood. It hadn’t ruined her day completely, but she still wasn’t happy with it.

Wait, where were they going? She thought she’d be able to toss a few potions their way and be off. “Look, magic isn’t a thing, it’s an essence, like air – yes, I know air is made of nitrogen and such, I – will you shut up for one second!” She didn’t mind talking about this sort of thing, but not when people were being this obnoxious.

She stepped back and pushed the clingy scientists off of her. “Hey, look. I know you’re all excited, but I’m not going anywhere without Orion. I don’t know what tranqs you’ve got hidden in your pockets, and I’m not doing any weird experiments without someone I can trust.”
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom