Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

-=Mecha-Assault-Racing-Versus-League=- Skeith & Saber Arturia

Smiling, Olivia kept close to Kira, giving her a small nod as they were soon sitting down at a table. “I’ll get some tea, and some Kampachi sushi rolls and some Saba sushi.” She liked more traditional sushi when ordering out at something fancy, and simply gave a smile given she wasn’t much of a drinker as it was. And while not as much of an eater as Kira, she still had an appetite and smiled. “You’ll have to share some of that with me, Kira. I’ve never had some of what you’re listing off...” She laughed quietly, briefly looking to Karen. “Hrm? Hey, cheer up. This is a good night, right?” She asked, slightly nudging the woman with her elbow. She knew something was going on, but she didn’t like seeing her teammate or rather, manager looking so… down.
 
Kira seemed completely unaware of what might have been bothering Karen as she simply continued to look over the menu. She was extraordinarily brilliant, but a tad oblivious to what many might consider obvious.

Karen looked back from the window, a little startled as she was shaken back to reality. "Oh, y-yeah. Tonight's great." She smiled a forced sort of smile, but her eyes shone with appreciation for Olivia's obvious concern. She picked up the menu, glancing over it quickly to make up her mind. She set it back down after a few moments of making up her mind. "The kare raisu looks good."

Soon drinks were brought and orders were placed, though not without a little back and forth with Kira about whether or not she actually intended to eat all of the food she was planning to order. Kira was still basically dancing in her seat, with no idea of what to do with all of her constant excess energy. Finally she looked over at Olivia with a wide smile. "So, what attracted you to the league in the first place?" She asked, still very curious about the beautiful pink haired pilot.
 
Olivia offered a brief smile back to Karen, looking concerned but trying not to make it too overly apparent. Something about the confrontation from before had got her set off, and while Olivia was curious she knew well enough to leave some things alone rather than press her luck. “I’ll have some sake too, I don’t drink often but… Special occasion!” Once the drinks were given to them, the pink haired woman then turned to Kira, thinking for a few moments.

“Oh, i’ve always been someone to chase excitement. I thought at first sports could be it, I was always something of a tomboy I guess you could say.” She spoke, despite her rather feminine appearance and not even trying to hide it – as well as her vibrant hair color. “But.” She continued with a smirk. “The more I saw of the racing league, the more I watched the racing and the action, even some of the drama.” She spoke, taking a small sip of her sake. “It all just seemed so amazing. Like, really amazing, every race felt so exciting. I wanted to get into it so bad, you know? I’d beg my family to take me to the amateur races so I could see them live, I tried my best to get in touch with some of the old pilots I really liked. Then, well. I figured if anyone could do it, why not me? My family wasn’t happy I dropped sports, thinking that i’d get into a crash or something awful if I really pursued this. But so far, they’ve been supportive. So I wanted to get into it to ‘live the dream’ basically.” She trailed off, taking another sip.

“Of course it hasn’t been easy.” She added. “I got lucky getting an old mecha at a steep discount and having the engine be in mostly good shape. So I went around some of the amateur leagues and races, and well, I guess that’s how Karen discovered me. Don’t wanna toot my own horn.” Grinning, she continued. “But I could make an old rust heap work, I can certainly make Artemis a force to be reckoned with.”
 
Kira was leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands as she listened to Olivia talk. It was the kind of story she imagined would be true of the rookie pilot, but hearing it from her made it extra special. Olivia's excitement about racing and about realizing a childhood dream was palpable. Kira felt nothing short of honored to be able to play a part in that. "Wow, you really are so cool." Kira nearly whispered, almost dreamily.

By the time Olivia's story ended, the food was brought. Given Kira's monstrous appetite, it required three servers. One to bring Olivia and Karen's dishes, and two to pile the food in front of the hungry hellhound. Kira's wide eyes never left the massive pile of plates as she nearly drooled in excitement. Karen quietly and patiently began eating her own. "You know, Kira's story isn't so different from yours. Isn't that right, Kira?" Karen asked, looking over at the hellhound.

Kira looked up from her food, her mouth clearly full. "Hmph?" She mumbled as she looked at Karen.

"Kira graduated from college while studying robotics at, what was it Kira, fifteen?" Karen asked, enjoying putting the excitable hellhound on the spot.

Kira hastily swallowed her food, coughing lightly. "Sixteen. It was sixteen. And it's not as impressive as it sounds." She said quickly, waving off Karen's praise. "I've been tinkering since I was a kid. Machinery came easy to me. College was a breeze." She looked back over at Olivia with a smile. "I guess you could say I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid too."
 
Kira’s excitability was so damn infectious that even telling the story, Olivia wanted to embellish it and make it sound more grand… But she knew at the same time that such would only lead to heartbreak when the truth came out, and she simply gave a smile and a shrug of her shoulders. “Oh, i’m not that cool. I put my bra on one cup at a time like everyone else. But you...” As Olivia listened, she gave a smile. “Engineering and robots at the age of 15? You’re a damn super genius compared to me. I just know how to make things go fast...” Taking a break in between bites, Olivia closed her eyes and sighed. “You know how to design the things I race with and how to really build them. That’s amazing to me. C’mon, it’s not as impressive as it sounds? Maybe that’s true only because it’s even cooler than it sounds!” She spoke, her tone a little more excited. “Still I am glad you’re on my side, Kira. By the end of the first race, you’re gonna see your baby flying a victory lap and you’ll be making names.” She actually worried a little that such skill could easily get any sort of contract she desired… But right now she really hoped that Kira was more loyal to the people she worked with than a paycheck.
 
Kira shook her head when Olivia expressed her gratitude for being on the same team. "Even with my credentials, it's hard to find work in the field that young. Nobody takes you seriously. Even harder when you aren't human..." She trailed off a little there, her ears flattening a bit as she remembered the racial barriers she encountered. "But, Mecha Musume came looking for me. I would never turn my tails on the company that helped me find my footing." She looked over at Karen with a grateful sort of smile. "I've been working on Artemis for the last couple of years while the company got ready to enter the league. Her sister is almost finished too. That one will be for your partner. Once we find them, that is."

"I already compiled a list of possibles. I'll be conducting interviews soon enough." Karen said, more for Kira than for Olivia, whom she had already promised to include in the process. She continued eating quietly.

Despite having more to eat than the others, Kira nearly finished her mountain of food before the other girls, shoveling it away as if she where eating for five. Karen seemed unimpressed, having definitely eaten with Kira on numerous occasions. She carefully withdrew her company card from her wallet, holding it out to a server. "Thank you for your exemplary service and..." She glanced towards Kira and the pile of empty dishes. "And our apologies for the clean up."

"It's no issue." The server said cheerfully. "I'm quite used to Kira and her appetite." She giggled lightly. After only a moment she produced a receipt for Karen. "Come again soon, ladies!" She turned on her heel, departing for the other tables.

"Best that we head back so you girls can get some rest. It'll be a lot of early mornings and long training sessions before we get to qualifying." Karen's words were professional, but her tone was friendly. She was visibly pleased and confident with the team thus far.
 
“Really?” Olivia had hoped that genius and skill would triumph over the prejudice of species, but admittedly she was a more hopeful woman when it came to natures like that. At the least it seemed to have a happy ending with Musume finding her and helping her with her dream - in that manner they were similar. Olivia wouldn’t admit it, but she knew that if It weren’t for Mecha Musume giving her this opportunity she’d be languishing in rookie circuits with a scrap heap that could very well be holding her back for another decade, given how many wanted extremely experienced and capable pilots.

“Well, we’ll show them that we’re not to be under estimated!” Olivia replied, her tone far more cheery and upbeat. “You, Karen, my teammate – we’ll all show the world just who Mecha Musume is and what we stand for!” She was very easily motivated when it came to personal challenges, and took this as a commitment. Even when she finished her meal however, she was in awe of just how much the hellhound could eat – did they really have bottomless appetites? Did they burn calories that fast?

Regardless of that, it was time for them to head back home. “Yeah, sounds good. I do think some early sleep and another test lap or two in the morning sounds great. Gotta enter business mode and show that I can handle the rigors and demands of working for a professional team! I suppose this means i’ll need a new piloting suit uniform too….” The one she had was decent – but she’d need one in proper team colors, wouldn’t she?
 
Both Kira and Karen were visibly pleased with Olivia' s optimism and motivation. After her practice lap earlier, it was easier to get behind that boundless confidence. "Don't worry. We'll have a new uniform put in your locker as soon as we have your measurements on file." Karen lead the way back out to her car. "I'm sure I don't need to say anything, but don't tell folks too much about Artemis. Trade secrets and all that. Besides, it would probably break Kira's heart to see someone's attempt to copy her baby."

Once again, Kira climbed in the backseat to allow Olivia to ride up front with Karen. "This is going to be so much fun! I already love our little team!" Kira exclaimed as her tails swished back and forth.

"I can agree with that." Karen replied. "Now settle down. You're shedding all over my backseat!"



Days would turn to weeks as training and diagnostics would continue. Kira and Olivia were able to work together in such away that would have implied years of cooperation. Surely their mutual genius playing a role, as well as getting along as well as they did.

Between training sessions, Kira worked with her team to continue constructing the team's second mech. It was virtually identical to Artemis in all ways, save for a few small features that were clearly designed to compliment the Artemis on the track.

Karen had worked her way through her shortlist of potential pilots, having finally found a good fit. Now all that was necessary was to have Olivia sit in for the interview to make sure she would work out. It was to that end that Karen sent her assistant page Olivia and have her come to Karen's office.

The woman sat on a large leather sofa in her office, swirling a glass of wine while she waited. The deadline was drawing nearer to enter the Qualifying. Hopefully, this girl Karen found would meet Olivia's standards.
 
Over the weeks, Olivia proved herself to be as capable in training as she said she’d be. Every practice track she shaved a few seconds off of her previous record. Every flight of Artemis showed she was just that much better at controlling the mecha than she was the last time. And with Kira providing the best diagnostics and repairs she’d ever had on a mecha, the beauty of a mecha sung like it was being flown for the first time, every time. It was an exhilarating rush, and the pink haired woman often left the cockpit in what seemed to be a focused daze, mind swimming with the chance to make the mecha perform at its top level all over again. Still, as time passed, she knew that they’d not just have a co pilot… But their first race. That time felt so far away… And yet there she was that day, dressed in a casual black sweater and matching gray pants as her heels tapped against the floor with every step she took. A fashionable and trendy woman when not in her pilot suit, she hummed as she briefly tapped against the door. “Karen! It’s me, I heard we had our prospective pilot here today! I’m here to interview her personally.” Her tone was cheery as ever, ad she had no need to feel worry or fear. Karen seemed to have a great nose, and with that confidence in mine, Olivia was quite happy to see who she had picked… And to ask a few questions of her own just to make sure it was the right pick.
 
Karen looked up at the sound of Olivia's knocking. "Yes, come in!" She focused on her wine again, swirling it in her hand before setting it down. "Good morning, Olivia. Sorry to call you in on such short notice. I know you and Kira are quite busy." Karen hadn't been able to attend the other practice sessions. She had other responsibilities beyond supervising the team, after all. Not the least of which being keeping her superiors at Mecha Musume happy and confident in her decisions. She stood up, walking over to her liquor cabinet. She set a new wine glass down and filled it for Olivia, setting it down in front of her.

She relaxed onto her sofa again, breathing out a heavy sigh. "I've just spent the morning reviewing the records of the pilot we're meeting today." She brought up the holographic screen, playing race footage. "Charlotte Devereux." Her photo was displayed on screen. "She's been competing at the local level in France, but no international teams have signed her yet." She leaned back in her seat bring her glass up for a sip again. "She's good. Which is why her being a free agent comes as a surprise. There has to be a reason no one has signed her."

"Ms. Montgomery?" A voice interrupted from the door. "You are both decent, yes?" The question drew a sigh from Karen.

"Yes, Sharon." The door opened the rest of the way, her receptionist entering the office part way.

"Sorry to interrupt, ma'am. It's just that, Ms. Devereux just arrived. Should I show her in?" She asked politely.

Karen looked back at Olivia. "I believe that's up to Olivia. Ready to meet her?"
 
“Morning. Oh, it’s fine. I didn’t have anything going on today anyway.” She chirped back with a cheery demeanor. But as she approached and looked to the sofa, she soon sat, taking the offered wine glass and taking a brief sip. “Thank you. So… New pilot, huh? This the one that’s gotten this far?” She knew she had the final say on who would be working with her, so to have one finally get this far… Olivia watched the holograph eagerly, watching the recorded races.

Charlotte wasn’t a name that came to mind, but from both a striking figure and damn good performance, it was one she’d have to remember and fast. “She’s a free agent, huh?That is a shocker. Then again i’m sure me being one was a surprise too...” Trailing off as her finger tapped against her chin, she then heard the voice. “….Have you been indecent in here before with other racers Karen?” Asking with a half teasing, half serious tone, she sought to turn her focus towards the new, french pilot. “I’m ready! Let’s bring her in, and see if she passes my judgement.”
 
Karen offered a cheeky smile at Olivia's comment about indecency. Enough to confirm her less than professional visits without saying anything outloud. Sharon had obviously let herself in at an inopportune time and had sense learned her lesson. She cleared her throat before motioning towards the door. "Very good. Show her in."

A moment later the red haired woman entered. Her big golden eyes looking around the office as she took stock of her surroundings. She wore a very short purple dress and a pair of tall heels, though her steps showed that she wasn't very used to them. As her eyes locked on the other women she stopped in her tracks. "Bonjour... Er... 'Ello. I am Charlotte Devereux. It is a pleasure." She spoke slightly faster than normal, though only just noticible. She approached the couch where the two women were sitting, extending her hand -first to Olivia. "You must be Miss 'Ayden. I'm a big fan of yours." Her accent was thick, most notably in how she dropped H's from her speech. "...And Miss Montgomery." She finally sat down across from the women.

Karen smiled politely. "Thank you for coming. I know it isn't an easy flight to make." She looked over at Olivia, letting her take point on the interview.
 
“Hrmph. How come I didn’t get one of the fun interviews then?” She asked, taking a more teasing approach for just a hint of flirting before she had to get all business-like again. But as the door creaked open, and the redhead took a few unpracticed steps within, the pink haired woman rose, smoothing out her sweater as she smiled with a beaming look in her eyes before grabbing the woman’s hand with a gentle, though confident shake. “Yep! I’m the one. Please, call me Olivia. No need for formalities.” She added, soon moving to sit. The accent was… lovely. Strong and heavy, but still oh so pretty to hear.

“Yes, thank you for coming. I saw some of your races. You’re fantastic. How have you not been approached by another sponsor yet?” Her question was genuine, it was meant to be a compliment rather than something pointed. "I have quite a few questions, but i'll let Karen ask anything she needs to first."
 
Charlotte smiled a nervous sort of smile at Olivia's greeting. "Olivia." She said as if testing the name against her accent. She gave an uneasy chuckle at her compliment. "Oh wow... I am very flattered." She thought about how best to answer her question. "It is... Difficult to race professionally in France. The prerequisites are quite 'igh." She looked over at Karen when Olivia seemed to pass the proverbial baton.

Karen hummed thoughtfully as she watched Charlotte's behavior and listened to her. She wasn't lying, but her answer did seem deliberately vague. "I can't say that expectations won't be equally high here. But we've seen you race and are willing to give you the chance to make your case. The big thing is, we are scouting for our secondary pilot. Olivia is already our primary. We don't need any internal toxic competition. Are you comfortable being in a supporting role?"

The question caused Charlotte to sit up straight, looking back to Olivia for a moment before nodding quickly. "Oui -I mean... Yes."

Karen gave a nod. There was something off about the lovely young French woman. She was so nervous, almost twitchy, even beyond job interview jitters, like she was trying desperately to appear desirable or normal. Despite being a little strange, she didn't seem like any kind of untouchable pilot. Unless... "Well. I think I'm satisfied for now. Anything you'd like to ask, Olivia?" Karen asked, looking over to her pink haired companion.

Charlotte loosed a breath she seemed to be holding before looking to Olivia. She seemed to understand that Olivia had the final say with regards to her potential future at Mecha Musume.
 
“Hrmmm….” Tapping against her chin, Olivia looked to Charlotte for a moment, then back to Karen. “Let me make this clear. While you would be a supportive role...” The pink haired woman spoke. “I have no intention of making you solely second fiddle. We’re a team. That means we do things together. We train together. We work together. We’ll ride together. We’ll even sleep together if that’s necessary.” She spoke, lips curling into a smile as the last few words were probably a joke. “Seriously though. I want you to be my equal in the fame and the glory here, and if we do well, I want everyone to know ti’s not just ‘olivia’, but ‘Olivia and Charlotte’. Of course, that means you don’t get to slack off, and that you don’t get to take things easy. If i’m unable to race for whatever reason or you need to race, that means you need to be just as good as me on the track. Means you have to control your mecha just as well as I would Artemis. That means I don’t intend to go easy on training with you. We’re gonna be busting our asses and we’re gonna make it so we’re the best time. But we don’t do that by slacking.”



Olivia sounded serious, but she hoped she didn’t come across as callous. “But if you can handle all of that, I am here to gladly welcome you aboard the team!” As she rose, one of her hands ran through her hair, keeping it to her back before her other hand extended out in a handshake. “We’ll have a handshake to make it official! I’ve never had a teammate before.” She spoke, once again her more exuberant eagerness and amiable tone shining through now that she was done playing a hardass.
 
Charlotte listened carefully, a red hue tinting her cheeks as she joked about them sleeping together. Her eyes widened some even as the corners of her lips teased the start of a smile. Her eyes flicked down for barely a second to drink Olivia in. Karen, on the other hand, nearly choked on her wine, the joke was so unexpected. Even with her previous flirting.

Charlotte stiffened as she spoke about her expectations for training and performance, nodding fervently. "Oui. I understand. I will not disappoint." She smiled widely as Olivia extended her hand. "Merci! Thank you!" She accepted her hand, shaking it excitedly.

"Congratulations, Ms. Devereux." Karen finally added, shaking her hand as well. "Welcome to Mecha Musume. I suppose all that remains is to introduce you to Kira and show you to your machine." She smiled softly. "If you could just wait for us outside for a moment, I need to finalize some things with Olivia. Then Olivia will take you over to the garage."

Charlotte grew more excited at the prospect of seeing her new machine so soon. She nodded quickly. "Oui. And thank you again for this opportunity." She smiled at Olivia before stepping out of Karen's office.

Once alone, Karen looked over to Olivia. "She seems like she'll do just fine." She began brushing off any immediate concerns. "Still... She seems a little... Off? Keep me informed of how things progress between you three, okay?"
 
Smiling back at Charlotte, Olivia was a striking woman in just a sweater and more casual pants, the sweater clinging to her curves without being overly revealing – a good contrast between sexy but modest. But as Charlotte accepted her hand, she took it warmly and gave a strong shake, her eyes positively lighting up. “Great. I’ll be seeing you in practice soon, partner!” With Charlotte beginning to leave the office, the pink haired woman gave a quiet nod to her before looking back toward Karen as the door closed. Waiting a moment to make sure they had privacy, Olivia thought on Karen’s words. “A little off? I don’t know. I think the best performers are gonna be the slightly unusual ones. Look at Kira. Her methods are certainly unorthodox, but she gets results! Acually, I think even we’re both a bit unusual.” She gave a sly, quick wink, leaning back.


“So what i’s need to be dotted and what t’s need to be crossed for the last few details here?” As she leaned forward, one hand briefly smoothed her sweater out to remove any wrinkling her body leaning forward caused. “Because I’ll be honest. I love the idea of challenging a sexy redhead to a little practice race. Of course, I am definitely eager to see her skills in person too.”
 
Karen hummed softly before nodding. Olivia wasn't wrong, they were an odd bunch to be sure. She smiled then. "Honestly, it's probably nothing. I wouldn't fret over it." She leaned back on the couch, swirling her wine glass for a moment. "I think it's wise to at least let Charlotte acquaint herself with her machine before you two race." She smirked then. "Honestly though, how you girls handle practice is entirely up to you. I just keep the company happy. The actual team is in your hands."

"Keep in mind, we're only a couple weeks from the qualifying run. So, I need you three to be prepared for that." She brought her wine to her lips, sipping at what was left. "Try not to stress about. Just do what you do best." She set her empty wine glass down before standing. "Anyway, that's all I had." She smoothed out her clothes before approaching her desk. "I have to finalize Charlotte's paperwork. I leave introducing Kira and getting our new addition situated to you." She smiled a little, sparing one last adventurous glance over Olivia's frame before sitting down. Now that she knew that Olivia was interested in women it opened new possibilities in her mind.


Outside the office, Charlotte clasped her quaking hands together while talking to another woman who could have been her twin, they looked so similar. The difference was that this other woman was in leg braces and leaning on a cane. Her eyes hidden behind glasses.
 
“Don’t worry.” Olivia spoke, taking a more serious tone. “We’ll be training seriously. I want her to know Artemis just as well as I do. I don’t intend to be a glory hog, nor do I intend to let her slack on training.” Still she deeply appreciated the trust Karen gave her, and as she gave a nod, she rose as well, hand running through her brightly colored hair. “Okay! Leave the fun stuff to me, though don’t get too bored doing all the pencil pushing, feel free to come on down and watch us if you have a chance!” Blowing a light kiss to Karen, Olivia revealed a bit more of her more relaxed and flirty nature as she began to saunter off, not purposefully swaying her hips yet it happened all the same as she began to leave for the door.

Opening it however, showed off a slightly different scene than what she exepcted. Charlotte wasn’t here alone, she had a… Sister? Twin? One of the two for sure. Keeping a little quiet for now as she didn’t want to interrupt the moment, she’d wait for the redheads to notice her, giving a slight wave and smiling before finally stepping forward. “Oh, I didn’t know you had a sister, Charlotte.” She soon offered her hand to the glasses bearing one of the two. “I’m Olivia, Charlottes new partner in racing. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long for her?”
 
Charlotte took a false step when she noticed Olivia. "Oh, Olivia! S-sister? I um..." She looked over at the other woman who smiled at Olivia. She accepted Olivia's hand, shaking it weakly, though not from disrespect, but rather due to the frailty of her body.

"It's okay, Charlotte. Sister is perhaps most accurate." She assuaged the other French woman's concerns before facing Olivia again. "Bonjour, Olivia. I'm Colette Devereux. It's my pleasure." She smiled warmly. "I am in your debt for accepting Charlotte's bid to join your team." She bowed her head slightly before gesturing towards Charlotte slightly. "I'm a researcher at a company in France, called Genetique Resolee. We study genetic engineering for the purpose of correcting conditions like my own. Charlotte is a byproduct of our research using my own genetic sample." As Colette spoke, Charlotte was looking at her feet and fidgeting slightly. "So, Sister? Daughter? Family, in any case."

"I don't 'ave rights in France. But gaining citizenship 'ere is also quite 'ard. I could not be signed to a real team because I wasn't a real 'uman." Charlotte explained. "This way, I can live 'ere and race." She smiled sheepishly at that. "I didn't say anything to you or Ms. Montgomery because I was worried it would change your minds. I am sorry."
 
Well, as the two began to explain their situation a little more, it was clear that it wasn’t what Olivia was expecting, at all. So Charlotte was a clone of Colette? And Charlotte sought to have her own agency in a sense? “Well. If you told me this was what i’d be hearing today, I figured it’d be a bit improbable! But, worry not. You’re part of the team. So are you, Colette.” The pink haired woman spoke, soon breaking into a grin. “That is if you wanna be. You’re both welcomed with open arms, and I am here to gladly say to you both that we won’t shy away from you due to who or what you are. Of course, that still means you gotta work hard with me too. Speaking of, we’re about to head down to the track so you can take stock of Artemis and meet our amazing engineer. Are you both ready? I think she’d be thrilled to meet the two of you.” All smiles, Olivia sought to lead both to the racetracks, making sure not to go too fast and seeking to take a more accessible route for Colette. “It’s my hope that you can both find what you’re looking for , and if there is a way that I can help, I would be happy to. I’m no scientist or nothin’ I admit, I just race good, but I hope that at least such can be a good thing for you both.”
 
Charlotte could not suppress the relieved sigh or grin that came with Olivia's acceptance of Her unique situation. "Merci, Olivia!" Charlotte quickly hugged the pink haired woman without thinking. Just as quickly she pulled away, blushing softly. "S-sorry."

Colette's smile was much softer, but still genuine. "Thank you, Olivia. You're a kind soul. I don't know what benefits a geneticist like myself can provide, but I'll do what I can." Colette turned to Charlotte, gingerly touching her shoulder. "See? I told you that you worry needlessly. Come along. Let's meet the engineer, then we can see the machine you'll be racing."

Charlotte smiled at that. "Oui. Let's do that." She followed after Olivia, but making sure to match Colette's pace. "So, Olivia... What sort of person is our engineer?" Charlotte asked curiously, all while taking in the facility as they walked. She was very excited about all the new friends and opportunities this new position provided her.
 
Returning the hug, Olivia kept it brief as she smiled back at her new partners, looking the two over one last time before she began to lead them on. This was an unusual circumstance and she wasn’t sure how Karen was gonna take it, but as Karen said – she was in charge of the team, so her word was law. Plus, it’s not like Colette would be racing – rather, she’d be there in… some capacity. She wasn’t certain of the details, but it’d work out in the end. “Don’t sweat it. Rule one of working with me? We’re all oddballs, so everyone is accepted.” She spoke, a little more casually. As she lead the two and was asked about their engineer, she chuckled. “She’s nice. Odd like us. Really exciteable. Don’t trust her around food unsupervised.” Speaking more casually about Kira, she smiled as they finally arrived at the engineering bay and where they kept Artemis. “Hey! Kira! We got some guests – Well, my new copilot and her sister! C’mon and say hi!”
 
Charlotte blinked in slight surprise at her description of Kira. Don't trust her around food? "Quelle?" As the door to the engineering bay was opened, she walked in and looked around slack jawed. Her eyes panning up to the head of Artemis. She walked forward and gripped the railing, staring in wonder. "Magnefique..." She mumbled in her awe.

"Charlotte, dear." Colette interrupted her sister's distraction to redirect her attention to the actual people in the space.

Kira's ears perked up and she twirled around from a work bench when she heard Olivia's voice. She was dressed in her typical coveralls, specifically designed to let her twin tails move about freely. She came skipping over. "Olivia! Good morning!" She stopped to take note of the others that Olivia had mentioned. "Hey there! I'm Kira Nakamura, head engineer for our little band of misfits!"

Charlotte simply stared at Kira for a few seconds, having never seen a creature like her. She reached forward with a hesitant hand to touch one of Kira's large ears. "Charlotte." Colette caught her hand with a swift but gentle motion. "Don't be rude."

"S-sorry. Je suis Charlotte Devereux. My um... Sister... Is Colette." Charlotte fumbled slightly at her words, blushing faintly.

Kira's ears twitched at the sound of her accent, nearly sighing at the sound of it. "No worries! I can be a little touchy feel-y too!" She eagerly took both of the women's hands in a shake. "Glad to have you both! Especially if you met Olivia's expectations!" She motioned with her hand towards Artemis, "Shall we?" Her eyes lit up with the invitation.

"Oui. I'm very excited to see it." Charlotte replied, looking over at Colette. Her sister simply nodded with a warm smile.

Kira began leading the trio over, her tails wagging in excitement. "So, here we have the series XII-A. We designated her Artemis. Her twin, should be rolling in any time now." A large truck started to back into the facility as she spoke. A humanoid machine covered by a large tarp was loaded on the back. Kira was quick to pass out ear coverings as the loud machine began to raise the mech into its dock beside the Artemis. "The Series XII-B is virtually the same in all aspects with some subtle design changes to suit your support role. We call her Astraea." The tarp fell away to reveal a mech, nearly indistinguishable from Artemis save for very small changes that only a trained eye would spot. "Well?" Kira looked at her expectantly, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Que c’est beau..." Charlotte's hand raised to glide over the smooth metal, no different than how Olivia had when meeting Artemis.
 
Letting the two ogle Artemis for a while, Olivia looked around for her faithful engineer for a moment, leaning against a nearby pillar as she did so. Of course it didn’t take long for Kira to make herself known as Olivia smiled, soon kicking off the pillar and sauntering her way over to the Hellhound. Smiling briefly at some of the other engineers and giving friendly waves, she then focused on the ashen colored woman and gave a nod. “She’s the best engineer you’ll see. She might play it off as humbleness but don’t let that fool you. She’s dynamite.”


Of course, a second mech was to be expected, and with Astraea looking exactly like her mechas sister, she gave a low whistle. “Told you.” She spoke, soon slapping her hand softly against the leg of her companions mecha. “Now, just because she looks beautiful and pristine, doesn’t mean she’s gotta stay a virgin forever. Don’t stare too long. I’m sure you have a pilot suit waiting for you and we have a racing track to burn up. Karen left me in charge of the team, and like I said. I’m here to make sure we’re both race ready. If I can’t race for whatever reason, you’re the star of the show. And if I can? I still need my backup to be just as good as I am.” Snapping her finger, she leaned in. “I’m sure Colette could stand to take a bit of a rest and watch the two of us go at it too.” As her hand briefly ran over the mech one last time, she smiled. “Hell, we could even make it into a proper race, just a friendly affair or a bet between the two of us.” She smirked. “That’d be a good way to see how competitive you are. I want someone who can match me.”


As the engineers and mechanics looked over Artemis, she turned to her own mech. “We’ll need a good team name for ourselves too. Something catchy but simple. I’m sure we’ll have quite a few people interested in us once we hit the scene. So I just wanna be ready with it all.” While she was acting a little on the cocky side, she felt she had good reason to. A great racer wasn’t made by slacking off and being lackadaisical. And she wanted no one to doubt her own eagerness.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom