driftfleet | Heron May mingle

Enjoy that, it cost a lot of credits. [Real tea was ridiculously expensive out here. He pulls his steaming mug out from under the tap, and moves to settle on a kitchen stool.]

But we have plenty of those lately.

I'll pay you back later for it.

[ He pauses briefly before smiling faintly. ] True, but I do think that they're being dealt with . . . sensibly.

[He waves a hand, brushing that off. He wouldn't have put it in the communal space if he didn't want anyone else to use it.]

We're not outliving our means, no. I had a large amount of savings from the cargo run we did before you got here, besides.

Not the kind of paying back that I meant, dear.

[ He blows him a kiss, bemused as he stirs his tea. ] Cargo run?

[Quirking an eyebrow, he doesn't comment further. That's payment he'll accept, for sure.]

While we were docked at the space station, all the ships had crates of cargo we were meant to deliver to another ship. The Maldua. Everyone on Heron got a lump payment once it was completed.

Even if I did break and steal some of their helper machines. [This would explain the collection of gears he keeps in his storage locker.]

[ He glances at Erik. ]

Robots?

[ His voice had a little bit of apprehension. Not because of Erik, but Charles remembers the Sentinels. ]

[The shift in tone doesn't go unnoticed. He shakes his head, no. Not like those. Erik would hardly speak of them so late if they had been anything like the Sentinels that haunt their nightmares.]

They were little more than wind-up brass things, human-sized. Crumpled in a heap if you tried to do anything to them remotely disruptive. I decided to keep the parts.

[ Huh. ]

Anything useful?

[He shrugs loosely, sipping at his tea.] I used the parts to build a prototype for Kitty, and I have some spares. I could make some jewelry, I suppose.

It would be good practice. And I'm sure you would win many favors with that.

[Favours. He chuckles.] Do I want them, though? [He runs a finger around the rim of his mug, idly. Making a set of claws for Kitty was one thing. It had been something to work on when he was here alone, a way to forge some kind of connection, build on a base. Making items for others... he's not so sure. Especially something like jewelry. He favours function over form, even now.]

I'm not adept at pretty things.

It may not hurt to have.

[ And he softens slightly. ]

I don't know about that. I've always found them beautiful.

You're a little biased. [But it's said fondly.]

I have leftover steel as well. It could be useful, sometime. I certainly won't dispose of it, considering how long it took to collect and clean it.

Only a little.

[ He takes a sip, eyeing him. ] I might have a project for you.

[Erik raises his eyebrows over his mug, waiting for Charles to continue.]

Well, maybe projects is a better word.

[ He smiles, waggling his eyebrows. ] I'll be sure to pay you in advance.

[The fact that he's getting sly propositions in the kitchen is too absurd not to be funny. He nearly chokes on his drink for laughing, setting the offending mug aside.]

In installments, please. So, what is it?

I'm going to put myself first and ask if you and Hank can't put your collective brains together and make me a retractable seat for my chair. Something I can raise and lower with a lever or some other device.

Secondly, I might need your help trying to repurpose Alex's suit. There's someone here with a similar problem. The metal work for that needs to be fine and inlaid into the device needed.

[ He hesitates. ] Someone brought up making Cerebro here, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

[Erik nods through Charles's explanation of the first job. It shouldn't be too difficult in terms of materials, just the mechanism. As the one with the engineering augment, he knows he'll have a better time of making that work. Having spent so much time assembling Kitty's claws has also given him a firmer understanding of levers, switches and spring-loading, which he can apply to other things.

The second takes him slightly by surprise, with the mention of Alex.] So you want a conduit like he had? I'm assuming Hank came up with the original, and could explain the design needed. Who would be using it?

...hmm. [Cerebro, in a space like this. It's hard to conceptualise, given the sheer size of the room back home.] That would be incredibly hard to fit anywhere, you realise. Before even getting into the other things.

Another mutant I've met. He can control his powers, but he needs to burn through all that energy. Maybe if I adjusted it for gloves, it would be easier . . . [ Charles' thoughts wander before he shakes himself out of it. ]

He pointed out that because we have access to other technology here, it could be downsized. I'm still not sold on its practicality in the Fleet though.

Whatever shape it is, I can still make it work. I don't think it's someone I've met, though. [Rogue is the only one he's met whose powers he doesn't know, and Charles said it was a man.]

What would you even use it for?

I believe his name is Gambit. He has similar powers.

I'm not sure. To ferret out the Atroma? The idea came from Kurt, and he didn't know much about Cerebro anyway.

[He's still unfamiliar, so just shakes his head once. It doesn't matter much.

He decides not to ask which Kurt he means.] I suppose it could do that. We wouldn't know until we'd spent the time building it, however. Also... do we know how telepathy works in space? [Not that he thinks airborne thoughts work differently to those in a vacuum, but he knows very little about the physics of outer space.]

In theory, it shouldn't make a difference.

[ He pauses. ] Though since it is a vacuum, it may not be safe for me to reach out that far.

Then maybe shelve that idea for a later time. [Or never, if it turns out to be hazardous for no gain.]

The other two, yes. I can do those.

Heron May mingle

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