Disclaimer: I do not own She-Ra or its related characters. All is the property of Noelle Stevenson, Dream Works Animation, Netflix, NBCUniversal Television Distribution, Filmation, Larry DiTillo, and J. Michael Straczynski.

Inconvenient Arrangements

Chapter Fifteen: An Intimate Dinner

Entrapta claimed a cargo bay as her lab aboard Monstron.

Originally, it had been where several kilograms of food were stored. But they were several weeks into their journey from Horde World now and the food stores had been depleted enough that what was left in the cargo hold could be moved to a different one to make space for the Princess.

It was dimly lit when Hec-Tor entered.

She had made a makeshift work table by pushing several empty crates together and threw a metal panel cannibalized from Nordor over it. Entrapta was laying out and cataloguing all of the adaptations she salvaged from the mutants. Tagging each one with a number, and narrating into a recorder the number and a description of the sample. Taking notes for further study later.

When she first crashed through the ceiling on top of him back at the Imperial palace on Horde World, Hec-Tor thought she was objectively insane, and a hazard. But after their success at Nordor, a success that was almost entirely due to her plan, Hec-Tor realized she was not an insane hazard, she was an eccentric genius. When Brother arranged the marriage, he was negotiating for free (or close to free) weapons, did he know how much of an asset Entrapta herself was? She was brilliant!

Hec-Tor was impressed.

But, he wasn't exactly sure how to show his appreciation.

He was about to clear his throat to let her know he was there. It was dark in the lab, and he hadn't made much noise when he came in. But before he could open his mouth, she switched off her recorder and turned to him. Apparently, she already knew he was there.

Entrapta was also much more aware of her surroundings than she let on. She smiled up at him. "Aren't they fascinating!"

He did not have an opinion of the mutants adaptations. "I… confess, it is not an area of study for me."

For a moment, Entrapta looked confused. "Really? Well it should be! Think about how we could improve your prosthetic armor by studying the mutants' adaptive prosthetics! You could change the function of your armor from just holding your body together and concealing your condition, to functioning as a part of your body and letting you thrive!"

That- …did sound appealing to him. Hec-Tor had to admit.

But that wasn't what he came to her lab to ask. He did clear his throat this time, feeling suddenly and inexplicably nervous. "You did well at Nordor." He began. "You preformed calm under fire and completed your task. We would not have been able to take the base so easily were it not for your plan and swift decisive execution of it."

"Thanks." She smiled, then turned back to examining the samples she collected from the mutants.

But that, also, was not what Hec-Tor came to her lab to say. "I-" He began again. Paused. Cleared his throat a second time. Readjusted his posture and pose. Making sure his back was straight, his shoulders were back, his hands were clasped, and his feet were parted slightly. A perfect military parade rest. It was always easier to talk to people when he could speak from a pose of practiced discipline. "I have had the ship's galley staff prepare a meal for us. It will be served in the observation lounge just off of our quarters."

She turned her attention away from her samples to look at him.

"I have instructed the chefs to make the portions as small as possible." He added.

"Thanks." She said. "That's really nice. There are just a few things I still wanna do here." She gestured with her hair to the body parts laid out over her table. "I'll eat when I'm hungry."

Hec-Tor noted back on Horde World before they were even married that Entrapta was the kind of person that could not notice they were hungry and go without eating if they were fully engrossed in a project. So, he added, "I would be pleased if you joined me for dinner."

"Oh, you wanna have dinner with me!" She repeated, as if it hadn't occurred to her that was implied by his first statement.

He gave special instructions to the staff to make a meal for just the two of them. To have it served in a comfortable setting outside the noisy Mess. And took pains to make sure the food would be tiny to cater to her eating habits. But in Entrapta's mind, that did not mean he wanted to have this special dinner tailored to her, with her. Because that was not what he initially said at first. He just said he had it prepared. He needed to be more clear.

Entrapta told him very early on that she wasn't very good with getting along with people. She didn't understand people. Hec-Tor had to be more clear and state what he meant outright.

"Yes, I would like to have dinner with you." He nodded, shoulders slumping a little because he felt some awkward. He never really had to put forth any of the work in a relationship before. Keldor had always just taken him by the hand and lead him through the steps. "That is, assuming you would like to have dinner with me."

"That sounds great!" Entrapta did a mid-air summersault with her hair as a pivot and before Hec-Tor knew it, she was at his side.

…

It was a little more intimately set up than Hec-Tor initially envisioned when he gave orders for the private dinner to be arranged.

The table was smaller than he expected, which would force him and Entrapta to sit closer together. Someone had re-set the lights in the lounge to be dimmer than standard, and had placed a battery powered flameless candle in the center of the table. Just a few details, and small ones. But they came together to turn the setting from 'formal dinner between two successful leaders' to… 'romantic'.

But Entrapta seemed not to notice. Or, if she did notice, then she appeared unaffected by it.

She sat on her side of the table, happily eating the tiny, bite-sized portions, and sipping at her fizzy drink, in between telling him of all the innovations she planned to make using the prosthetics and adaptations she collected from the mutants.

"I can make bots that are so much more articulated and versatile than the simpler spider-legged spheres I've been producing thus far." Using her hair, she selected another tiny morsel from her plate and popped it into her mouth. "Just imagine it! Bots that can use small tools or fine-tuned instruments. Bots that can pilot ships, or dismantle bombs. We might never have to use living soldiers again!"

Brother would love that. Bots that were just as versatile as clones, could be manufactures as quickly, and in bulk like clones. But did not require air to function. Did not require food to function. Did not need to excrete waste. Were not 'alive' and did not require the same level of care as a living being. No wonder Brother wanted Entrapta in the family so much.

"I could improve your armor too." She added.

Entrapta said as much back in her lab, and the idea did appeal to Hec-Tor. But he wasn't sure if he felt comfortable enough around Entrapta to allow her to learn the intricacies of his prosthetics and armor. Even Keldor did not ask about his armor until they had been married a while, and even then, only because he had started accompanying Hec-Tor on some military strikes and felt he would need the information if an emergency ever befell the ship.

That was one of the things that Hec-Tor loved about his first spouse. Keldor respected his privacy and did not push his boundaries. He did not demand intimate details or intimate information that Hec-Tor was not yet ready to share. He was patient, and understanding, and empathetic, and caring. If he did ask about something outright, it was usually something he felt he needed to know.

"When we get back to Dryl, I'll show you my lab and I'll start taking your armor apart!" She smiled at him as if that were the best idea ever.

Entrapta, it seemed, was not like Keldor.

"You will not." He told her. "My armor is sufficient as it is, and if it requires repair or improvement, I am capable of completing it myself."

"But's it's so bulky!" Entrpata argued. "The weight distribution is off balanced and some of the tubes and cabling are visible on the outside and exposed to the elements! It's inefficient and easily susceptible to damage! I already have a few ideas for new designs, I just need a little more time with the Nordor samples, and to take a look at what I have back at my lab, and I can make you new armor."

He frowned at her, suppressing the urge to growl. He told her no.

"I'm thinking thinner cabling, but more of it." She continued, seemingly oblivious to his silent disapproval. "It's be less bulky but still be able to perform the same function, and it could fit under an exterior shell. More like an exoskeleton than armor. That was, the tubes and cabling are just as protected as your physical body. It would also allow for a more streamline design. A smoother plating that lighter or grazing blows could just slide off of."

"Your task is not to play with my own body armor." He reminded her. "My Brother entered into this alliance with you because you promised him weapons for his armies. That is your task. My armor is my own and I shall maintain and update it. You will not allow my projects to distract you from yours."

Entrapta looked down at her plate, visibly disappointed.

Hec-Tor regretted the harshness and the finality of his tone. In truth, the improvements she mentioned did sound interesting to him. But he was uncomfortable allowing himself to be as vulnerable as he would have to be to allow her to take his armor off him, take it apart and trust her to build something new. It was not that he didn't think she could improve his armor and prosthetics. It was that he didn't know her very well and was scared of being hurt.

He cleared his throat. "But perhaps once my staff has settled into Dryl, and some consistency of shipments to Horde World has been established… we can revisit this conversation."

Entrapta perked up. She was not very good at understanding people as a general rule. But, to her, it sounded like he was not saying 'no' to her improving his armor, he was saying 'not yet'. Entrapta could work with that. She understood that some experiments took time. Results did not present themselves right away. A good scientist had to be patient.

"I'd like that." She finally said. Then took a loud sip of her fizzy drink that quickly turned into loud rolling slurps as the beverage was drained.

Hec-Tor ate another tiny morsel of food, then another. The portions were so much smaller than what he was used to. He hadn't yet eaten enough to be able to take his meds. The ceramic ramekin sat next to his plate untouched. Maybe another serving and he would have enough in his stomach to be able to force them down on top of it.

Swallowing his last bite and allowing a clone to collect the now empty plate, Hec-Tor cleared his throat. "But I do not want to argue." He said. "This dinner is actually to celebrate! You did excellent work on Nordor."

"You said that already." She pointed out.

And Hec-Tor remembered he had. In her makeshift lab in the cargo hold when he invited her to dinner. He felt his cheeks color a bit, not quite knowing what else to say. She had done excellent work on Nordor. He was pleased with the results and appreciative of her contributions. She really was a powerful ally. Not just powerful in industry, but powerful in tactics and ingenuity. He just didn't know how else to say it. "Well, you did so well that I needed to say it twice."

"Thanks!" She was suddenly all smiles again. Then burped loudly, because she drained her fizzy drink so fast and the carbonation made her gassy. "Any time you want help like that, just ask. I love solving things! Asking questions and solving problems is one of the reasons I became a scientist. Science is all about finding answers!"

Hec-Tor rested his elbows on the table. "I just might." He told her. "Ask you to consult on military matters again."

Keldor provided him with some interesting military council. So could Entrapta.

They didn't know each other very well, but working together collaboratively could help them to gain a better understanding of each other.

Hec-Tor did not love her, but he could grow to be her friend. Not everyone could fall in love with who they married.

…