Chapter 56

Cheers and enjoy. Last edited on August 25th, 2017.

Torian panted as he laid on the ground, eyes closed and covered in sweat.

"OYA! Torian! 5 clicks! You did it!"

Kevain shouted and jumped around as Torian continued to catch his breath. After a couple more shouts, he crouched down beside Torian and poked him with his index.

"Hey, dude… You gonna live?"

Torian swatted away Kevain's hand with no force, in fact, his hand kept missing Kevain's as he dodged his weak attempts.

"Stay… Still." Torian muttered.

Kevain snorted. "Nope, you're all gross." Kevain stood. "Actually, don't touch me."

Torian kept trying to swat away Kevain's absent hand, but Kevain took a step away from him.

Kevain rolled his eyes as he pressed his lips into a thin line. "Alright, come on, get up."

Torian groaned, but began to pull himself off the cold ground. He wiped the dust off himself once he stood. Kevain frowned at Torian and then poked his shoulder with minimal force. Torian swayed, eyelids too heavy to keep open and then fell to the ground, limp as he passed out. Kevain stared at him at his friend as he began to snore. He whistled as he scratched his head.

"Wow. I was not expecting that." Kevain looked around, grabbed a blanket and laid it on his friend before leaving him for his nap.

He picked up a datapad that Mako had lent him so that he could fill out reports on Torian's progress. As he put in the day's work, Kevain frowned and mumbled to himself. "He can go the distance, but stamina needs work."

Kevain looked up from the datapad, eyebrows low and close to his eyes as he frowned with a tinge of a smile. "Although…"

Kevain put the datapad under his arm and began to search for the last person to have arrived on the ship just the day before. He went through the Galley, but it was devoid of life except for three mugs and half a pot of caf. Kevain grinned and slinked over to the still warm caf. He poured himself a mug.

"Don't mind if I do."

He took a sip and continued his quest. No sign of life in the common room, so he kept moving until he reached the hangar bay and heard sounds of TIG welding. Kevain walked into the hangar bay and looked down the stairs to find Raidre hard at work on a piece of her chest plate. Kevain lumbered down and walked up to her. He tapped her shoulders and the girl dropped her plate and the welder and let out a shrill screech.

Kevain shrieked back and dropped his mug of caf, which shattered and made a hot mess.

Raidre panted with a hand on her chest. "Are you trying to kill me?!" she whispered.

Kevain panted as well, leaning against the banister of the stairs, he had jumped back as she had shrieked. "Me?! ME?! Lady, are you deaf?! How did you not hear me come up behind you?"

Footsteps approached, both looked up as Torian, still half asleep and the cover Kevain still clinging to one arm, came running towards them. He skidded to a stop as he saw them. Mako poked her head out of the other doorway that lead to the cockpit.

"Kevain, what did you do?" asked Mako as she crossed her arms as she leaned against the door frame.

Kevain sputtered. "Me?!"

Raidre sighed. "Sorry." She said to both Mako and Torian, she looked back to Kevain. "Yes, Kevain, I am partially deaf… In both ears. I didn't hear you at all."

Torian groaned and facepalmed while Mako gasped.

Kevain grinned. "Oh really?"

Raidre blinked, wide-eyed. "What did I just do?" she asked her companions.

Mako sighed. "Shouldn't have told him that." she walked back towards the cockpit.

Torian lumbered away following Mako. "Got any ear plugs?"

Raidre blinked as she looked back at Kevain who looked positively maniacal. "Oh no… You're a prankster, aren't you?"

Kevain laughed. "What gave me away?"

Raidre groaned.

Kevain wound down from laughter and pulled up a stool next to Raidre as she picked up her stuff and went back to work.

"I kinda wanted to talk to you actually."

Raidre stopped welding. "Sure, what's up?"

Kevain looked around and then leaned in so he was close enough to whisper to Raidre, he even cupped a hand round his lips conspiratorially. "Did you and Torian... You know?"

Raidre's cheeks went red, but she kept her features bland and seamless. "Why do you ask?"

Kevain grinned. "Well, you know. I've been helping the blonde wonder recover and I had a pretty good idea of his stamina and strength up until today. I have no idea why he's just- shall we say exhausted and listless? Like all the aggression has been… ejected out of his body." Kevain said as he mimed something being 'ejected' with his hands.

Raidre sputtered and they both laughed out loud. Raidre wound down first. "Wow. ejected. That's a new one."

Kevain sighed. "So, things are good, I guess?"

Raidre frowned. "Dunno why Mako didn't just call you and get you to counsel Torian, poor Chère seems completely at a loss on what to do."

Kevain sighed. "I may have bugged Mako a little too much when I first met her, and she now tries to avoid me. I'm progressing on making amends, but I guess she thought a fresh face might be more helpful."

Raidre snorted. "Yea, for anyone else I would agree."

Kevain leaned back against the workbench, Raidre put her plate and welding apparatus away. Kevain nodded as he looked up at nothing. He looked back at Raidre.

"So, does that mean you're gonna be nice to him, now?"

Raidre sighed. "I've been nice to him for a while now."

Kevain nodded as he pursed his lips. "Yea, but why did it take the guy getting half of his body melted off before you finally started being nice again?"

Raidre sighed and scratched the side of her head with hair. "Because I'm an atin di'kut sometimes, okay?"

Kevain nodded. "Yea, well, you would have to be to wait around for the blonde atin di'kut to get his osik together enough to even bring it up with you. Seriously, this took far longer than it ever should."

Raidre nodded. "Pretty sure we are missing some piece of the puzzle that tells us why Torian has trust issues, but I am banking on trust issues."

Kevain sighed. "Yea, you're probably right." He leaned forward and his entire body language and facial expressions changed to as cold as the thickest ice found on Hoth. "I just hope you understand, that if you hurt him. I will have to kill you."

Raidre swallowed through a throat she found dry and nodded. "Normal vod protocol."

Kevain nodded and the ice left his eyes and features. He smiled. "Good, glad we had this chat!"

Kevain stood and pranced off in search of someone else to bother. Raidre blinked and stared at where he had just been sitting. She wouldn't have taken anyone else's threat seriously, but Kevain, who never managed to be serious about anything until now. His threat she would take to heart.