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GENERATOR BUILDING - AFTERNOON
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Louma enjoys the sun on her tail as she glides through the air, watching her shadow leaping from street to rooftop and back in pursuit. She's simply enjoying a warm day off, sporting a spotless cotton shirt cinched at the waist with a simple belt instead of her usual guard attire. She spots the generator building from the corner of her eye, tilting in that direction after a brief hesitation. Within a minute she is swooping low to the ground, spread wings arresting her like a parachute some distance from the large door as she sets down with a gentle scuffling of her tail.
Maybelline is currently lying on her back atop her mechanic's creeper in the main building, holding a socket wrench over her head, she's currently locking some lugnuts into place along the underside of the framework she and Brun have managed to build this far. With just some fine tuning needed and all the heavy pieces confidently set into place for now, it just leaves the smaller details for May to fit into place. The door to the generator is opened, in part to air out the last remnants of the smell of Strix's work, and in part just because it's a nice day out.
Louma casually slithers up to the doorway, looking around outside the building before poking her head inside. She's about to just call out when she spots May's feet poking out from under the generator, opting to knock softly on the ajar door beforehand. "Hello~o?"
Maybelline hears the call, and responds with a slight grunt of effort, "Hey! Uh, just a moment!" She takes a moment to finish tightening up the final bolt before rolling the creeper out from beneath the metal framing. She's in her full get-up today, her mechanics, various tools strapped into place across the belt, reinforced boots, and goggles covering her eyes.
Louma looks over May's outfit from the doorway as she pushes out from under the machine, smiling to herself before she averts her eyes to what she was working on. "Well, it looks like you two have already made quite a bit of progress! Or not, perhaps. This is outside of my experience, after all."
Maybelline holsters her socket wrench in a practiced manuever, sitting up on the creeper carefully to not unbalance it. She reaches up to lift her goggles, a hint of a blush creeping onto her face as she recognizes the Captain. "Oh uh, Louma. Yeah uh, goes quick with two of us. Framework's all in place and secured, and we'll be starting the actual hard part today." She points towards a carefully laid out array of parts nearby. She stares at it too, pointedly not looking at Louma for a moment, and unsure what to say.
Louma nods, still hanging back at the doorway. The end half of her tail, hidden from May's line of sight as it's curled off to the side of the door, is twitching nervously. "I'm glad to hear that, Brunilda seems very happy to be working with you on all of this." She waves her hand idly towards the machinery and parts, looking everywhere but at May. "You've been very good for her, I suppose."
Maybelline nods slowly, "So uh, so I've been hearing. She's been good for me too... a good friend." She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes tight like she's preparing to take a punch, "And you are too, so uh, it's okay, Louma, you can just say what you gotta say, alright? I'm an adult. I get it, and you're not gonna hurt my feelings, alright?"
Louma pauses, sighing quietly as she stares at a portion of floor between her and May. "I want to apologize for the other night. What I said... It was inappropriate. Part of me wants to say it was just the wine, but I know that isn't an excuse." She looks up toward May, frowning. "You were being patient and kind to me up to the end of the whole thing, and I'm sorry you had to deal with me at all."
Maybelline seems rather invested in that same patch of floor between them, slumping slightly at Louma's words. "Well, wasn't any problem. I've been there. Drunk, saying things I don't believe, that I always end up regretting in the morning. So uh, yeah. Don't worry about it." She does an admirable job of keeping the hurt out of her voice.
Louma blinks at the stoat, shaking her head slightly. "I don't... I didn't say anything about not meaning the things I said." She blushes behind her beak, though the feathers do a pretty good job of hiding it. "I just said way too much, and very crudely at that."
Brunilda walks back into the generator room's doorway: "I come bearing lunch! Huge salad for me, a thing that's probably meat by Minnow standards for you-uh." She pauses a few steps behind Louma, considering for a second: "Oh hi Cap'n."
Louma starts at Brun's voice, turning to her quickly with a hand over her chest. "Ah, Brunilda, there you are! Here, right now! Yes, of course. Hello!"
Maybelline stares at Louma, blush growing upon her face as well, "You... actually meant..." She blinks, spotting the elephant approaching from behind, "B-Brun! Ah! Uh... err... Y-yes..."
Brunilda raises an eyebrow at her Captain: "Where else would I be?" She then turns to Maybelline, back to Louma and frowns a bit: "...did I come at a bad time?"
Louma chuckles nervously, glancing towards May. "No no, not at all, always a pleasure to see you!"
Maybelline shakes her head at Brun with a sigh, "No, not... just..." She glances at Louma and drops her head, "Ugh, why am I so bad at this?"
Brunilda looks between the two again: "...I have a hunch I did come at a bad time. I'll take my lunch and eat outside so you can sort out..." She waves a hand: "-Well, whatever it is that's inbetween you two."
Louma manages to calm down, though her heart still beats rather quickly. "Ah... Well... Yes, actually, I would appreciate that, Brunilda. Thank you." She gives a slight bow to Brun, turning back towards May.
Maybelline flinches, feeling all the worse making her friend feel like she has to leave.
Brunilda looks at May, then at Louma, then nods. "Take care of it before I'm done with this." She hefts her salad as she leaves May's lunch on the table, then turns around to head out.
Louma sighs softly after Brun walks out, pausing to find her train of thought. "As... As I was saying. Yes, I meant what I said about you. I don't know if it's my title, some fear of repercussion that made you agree to... Trying, but you don't have anything to worry about." She bows her head, "You don't have any reason to do something you don't want to."
Maybelline blinks, looking up at Louma after Brun leaves, "H-hey now, I meant what I said too! I don't give a flip about titles, and there's nothing you could threaten to do that I didn't make peace with already, so good luck with that." She snorts, crossing her arms as she sits on the creeper. "I agreed cause... I do. I do want to try. But feels like every time I do, I screw it up. Figured this was just another false start." She glances up at Louma and smiles softly. "So uh... I don't know? We could forget this all happened and... try it for real?"
Louma blinks, clearly struggling to hold something back for half a second before breaking out into a wide grin, unable to find something to do with her hands as she bobs excitedly. "Really? Oh I am so relieved! Yes, absolutely, I- Sorry!" She gathers herself, glancing toward where Brun had gone, taking a deep breath. "Mmh, yes. Um, wh-where would you like to go? And when?"
Maybelline leans back on the creeper, laughing in relief, "Ahh, haha... I mean, you want to date a stoat, that's on you..." She blushes, smiling a little wider. "Oh, I have no idea. I'm free whenever you are I guess, I'm just working on the generator in the meantime but uh, I kind of make my own hours? So long as it's getting built. And where... I don't even know anyplace in Respite beyond the Minnow and the bakery."
Louma nods. "If it's the one I think you're talking about, they were setting out a fresh batch of raspberry jam cookies this morning. There's a couple smaller places around the East side of the market, a little hidden, too. We'll figure it out." She has to stop for a breath, not realizing how quickly she was trying to talk until now.
Maybelline nods, ears perking up at mention of cookies, but she seems just as eager as she responds, "Yeah! Yeah, we'll figure it out. I mean, I trust you to pick somewhere great, and..." her ears drop, "Oh uh, maybe on a bit of a budget though. I agreed to take a bit of a pay cut to fast track paying off the generator parts and such. But uh, we can figure that out too, I hope!"
Louma chuckles slightly, "Oh, um... If money is going to be a bit of an issue, I'll take care of the first date." She stops, smiling at the word. "Sorry, yes, don't worry about it for now."
Maybelline blushes, "Doesn't quite seem far, but if you say so, Louma." She stands shakily from the creeper and limps towards Louma. "A... date. A date."
Louma shrugs, smiling. She moves forward to help in case May stumbles, nodding and blushing a bit more each time she repeats that word.
Maybelline comes in closer and extends out her arms to give Louma a hug, a little timidly, this isn't a gesture she's used to giving. "Well, what else to say but... thank you."
Louma blinks, realizing what May wants, She dips down, closing the last bit of distance and hugging the stoat carefully, speaking softly. "Yes, thank you, Maybelline, for giving me the chance."
Maybelline hugs Louma. "Least I can do, if I'm the one getting you all turned on." She chuckles playfully, grinning as she carefully lets go of the hug and regains her balance.
Louma is blushing scarlet under her feathers, a nervous laugh turning to clearing her throat as the hug parts. "Uhm yes, that." She straightens up, looking away from May while her embarrassment subsides. "I look forward to our date, then. Uhm... Is tomorrow night too soon?"
Maybelline is blushing a bit as well, despite being the one to initiate the teasing. She shakes her head, "I don't think so? Not for me at least."
Louma smiles warmly at May, nodding. "I'll meet you here, then." Her tail betrays her actual excitement, wriggling back and forth as she clearly tries to not freak May out with another outburst. "A date~"
Maybelline grins, "I'll be here with bells on!" She glances down at her work overalls, "Not uh, actual bells. Not even... oh heck I don't even own any kind of outfit or... crap. Uh... I'll figure something out." She laughs nervously, "A date!"
Louma cools off a bit, unable to resist a late return for May's earlier tease. "I'm sure you'll make anything look great, Maybelline~." She looks over May's overalls, though everything about the situation makes her blush. "Enjoy the rest of your day!" She turns with a wave, slithering towards the big door.
Maybelline blinks, blushing at the comment and Louma's tone, but she manages to raise a hand to wave, "Y-you too, Louma! Uh... see you... tomorrow? Tommorrow!" She flops back onto her rear on the creeper and processes it all, but unlike the uncertainty of the night after their run-in at the bar, she just feels entirely giddy, with the meat-esque food Brunilda brought from the Minnow getting cold nearby.
Louma waves over her shoulder, saying in a singsong voice, "Tomorrow~ Date!" As she exits the building, barely able to contain her excitement. As soon as the open sky is overhead, Louma's wings spread and she takes off into the air with extra gusto, leaving behind a small cloud of dust and white down. She giggles nervously to herself as the swan makes her way home to prepare and plan.