nuzzling his shoulder and resting her head against him. Mache noticed she hadn’t even brushed her hair yet. “I know I said last night I didn’t care for people, but you’re easy to talk to.”
“That’s good,” he said. He stroked his fingers through her golden locks as gently as he was able, finally giving into the urge he’d had all day. “I like to be here.” He tapped her single goggle, still atop her head. “It’s certainly not boring.”
She tugged on his vest. “You’ll stay? Can you? Don’t you have someone to tell you’re alive?”
“No one who won’t yell at me,” he replied. “Besides, I should be asking you. Won’t someone notice I’m here?”
Valeria paused, her hands sliding off his waist and looking up at him. “Oh.” she said. “Oh dear.” She frowned and sat down.
“Other than the obvious, anything wrong?”
She shook her head. “It’s difficult.” She tapped her hands together. “You see, if the CEO comes up here, she only gives me an hour of warning. We wouldn’t have time to get you to the ground and me back.”
“And you have to learn to land and make a ground take-off before that could happen anyway,” Mache said. “I can teach you, and with the adjuster it’ll be easier. Landings are tricky, though.”
She nodded, now not even offended as she took off her goggle, regarding it thoughtfully. “You’d either have to leave now or hide if she came.”
Mache frowned. “You want me to stay that much?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “You’re my first friend in fifteen years.” She shrugged. “I’d forgotten how nice it is.”
Mache tilted his head. “Okay. I can stay.” He shrugged to himself. What waited for him outside? A crappy boss, a decent-paying job. Certainly no girl. “Maybe I should cook. That way you can still work. At least I can be useful, you know?”
“Would you?” She squeaked and clasped his hands in hers, long fingers wrapping around his wrist and into his palm.
“Can’t promise anything gourmet,” he said.
“Oh, thank you,” she said, and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for everything, Mache.”
“Valeria,” he murmured, and squeezed her hands. “I didn’t do much. You’re welcome.”
Chapter Two
Two weeks passed without much to do but Mache never managed to become bored. Needing little sleep, Valeria woke him for breakfast early in the morning. Mache sat and talked to her, often answering questions she stockpiled in the night, until she went to conduct her experiments and build her prototypes. Once, she came and dragged him away from trying to work out how to cook a carrot to show him something, holding his hand in her natural hand and explaining it to him in rapid fire words, bouncing up and down in excitement. He watched her more than he listened.
Her eye patch was flipped up, her hair streaked with oil and a smudge of some sort of bright red dust on her cheek, her breathing rapid and excited. “You explaining what the auto adjuster was gave me an idea to use a similar system of weights to power joints. It would be a cheap way to get rid of the steam engines I have to attach to the limbs I make for the public now. Look at this prototype!”
She picked up a tangle of wires in the rough shape of an arm.
“Why don’t you make your kind of limbs for the public?” he asked. “Like your hand? You mentioned they were expensive but for something like that surely it would be better to lower the price and get more sales?”
She beamed. “You mean like my hand? It’s a dangerous and long procedure. I didn’t have anything to lose. If you’re going to chop off a hand, you’d need to have a guarantee of the replacement being better, wouldn’t you? Some people will take the risk, but not many.”
He found himself slightly less queasy than usual at the thought, probably because of the smug excitement in her expression. “I see. This will make normal limbs
“That’s good,” he said. He stroked his fingers through her golden locks as gently as he was able, finally giving into the urge he’d had all day. “I like to be here.” He tapped her single goggle, still atop her head. “It’s certainly not boring.”
She tugged on his vest. “You’ll stay? Can you? Don’t you have someone to tell you’re alive?”
“No one who won’t yell at me,” he replied. “Besides, I should be asking you. Won’t someone notice I’m here?”
Valeria paused, her hands sliding off his waist and looking up at him. “Oh.” she said. “Oh dear.” She frowned and sat down.
“Other than the obvious, anything wrong?”
She shook her head. “It’s difficult.” She tapped her hands together. “You see, if the CEO comes up here, she only gives me an hour of warning. We wouldn’t have time to get you to the ground and me back.”
“And you have to learn to land and make a ground take-off before that could happen anyway,” Mache said. “I can teach you, and with the adjuster it’ll be easier. Landings are tricky, though.”
She nodded, now not even offended as she took off her goggle, regarding it thoughtfully. “You’d either have to leave now or hide if she came.”
Mache frowned. “You want me to stay that much?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “You’re my first friend in fifteen years.” She shrugged. “I’d forgotten how nice it is.”
Mache tilted his head. “Okay. I can stay.” He shrugged to himself. What waited for him outside? A crappy boss, a decent-paying job. Certainly no girl. “Maybe I should cook. That way you can still work. At least I can be useful, you know?”
“Would you?” She squeaked and clasped his hands in hers, long fingers wrapping around his wrist and into his palm.
“Can’t promise anything gourmet,” he said.
“Oh, thank you,” she said, and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for everything, Mache.”
“Valeria,” he murmured, and squeezed her hands. “I didn’t do much. You’re welcome.”
Chapter Two
Two weeks passed without much to do but Mache never managed to become bored. Needing little sleep, Valeria woke him for breakfast early in the morning. Mache sat and talked to her, often answering questions she stockpiled in the night, until she went to conduct her experiments and build her prototypes. Once, she came and dragged him away from trying to work out how to cook a carrot to show him something, holding his hand in her natural hand and explaining it to him in rapid fire words, bouncing up and down in excitement. He watched her more than he listened.
Her eye patch was flipped up, her hair streaked with oil and a smudge of some sort of bright red dust on her cheek, her breathing rapid and excited. “You explaining what the auto adjuster was gave me an idea to use a similar system of weights to power joints. It would be a cheap way to get rid of the steam engines I have to attach to the limbs I make for the public now. Look at this prototype!”
She picked up a tangle of wires in the rough shape of an arm.
“Why don’t you make your kind of limbs for the public?” he asked. “Like your hand? You mentioned they were expensive but for something like that surely it would be better to lower the price and get more sales?”
She beamed. “You mean like my hand? It’s a dangerous and long procedure. I didn’t have anything to lose. If you’re going to chop off a hand, you’d need to have a guarantee of the replacement being better, wouldn’t you? Some people will take the risk, but not many.”
He found himself slightly less queasy than usual at the thought, probably because of the smug excitement in her expression. “I see. This will make normal limbs
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