Chapter Text
Evie, the Elmo's auxiliary technician, lay sprawled on her back on an inner tube, her small frame covered by a white shirt and black swim shorts. Her eyes were closed and her light brown hair tied back in a pony tail that draped over the tube and touched the water.
Commander Sakura lay on a raft, complete with drink holders and a small cooler for limited storage. She flipped through the pages of a datapad, idly checking reports and weather in preparation to return to the Ops Room. She sighed when she glanced to the left, towards the Rec Room, "We have an audience."
"'Course we do." Evie said dryly, not even opening her eyes, "You're here."
Sakura rolled her eyes, "They're not all for me…" Even as she spoke though, doubt clawed at her mind.
Springfield, perched on the edge of the pool, smirked and slipped under the water to swim a lap, rising only to gently tug Evie by the ponytail before diving back under. "Ah! Hey!" The technician yelped, scrambling in surprise and nearly falling over her float, "You fuckin'…" There was a light chorus of laughter from the dolls in the Rec Room. About twelve to fifteen in total from what they could see.
In addition to Springfield, Florence and Klukai were out on the terrace with them, both dolls sat at the table area that jutted out into the water. Florence was outright watching them, occasionally jumping in with quips of her own.
"Ooohhhh!" The medical doll purred, "She got you, sweetie!"
"Fuck you." Evie growled, resettling on her inner tube.
"Oh, I love when patients talk dirty."
Klukai shook her head, closing the bottle of protective coating for her frame as she finished applying the substance to herself and rising to get into the water herself. Evie simply sighed and stared up at the false sky. She had been trying to ignore the watching eyes, but now that she had been made to open them she had seen all the dolls watching from the Rec Room. Most of the others were scattered around, many of them clearly attempted to act as if they were not watching the pool area. Some more successfully than others.
Krolik was at the arcade, eyes focused on the game in front of her and lips tight in a frown.
Makiatto sat at the couch, arms folded, acting as if she was watching a movie. It would have been believable…if Makiatto ever watched movies on her own time. Centaureissi sat next to her, sipping a cup of tea and reading a book perched on her lap, likely there to support Maki. Alva sat next to Reissi with her own book, though she had not turned a page in several minutes. Lenna and Leva were at the other arcade machine, the former playing and the latter watching. Though, neither were really focused on the game. Lenna was the most obvious, her face turning from screen to pool periodically. Leva was a bit more sly, only shooting small looks or positioning herself to have both machine and terrace in her line of sight.
Groza was on the second floor, reading her own datapad, likely going over reports in time with her commander before both returned to the ops Room. Nemesis sat beside her, toying with a crystal in her hands. Peritya was in a chair that was facing the opposite way of the window, but she sat with her knees in the seat and her arms on the back of the chair, peering out at them like a true cat. Mosin Nagant sat next to her with a drink in hand, waving when she caught the commander's eye.
Lind was out cold on the upstairs couch. It was a preferred spot of hers, so her presence there was very normal.
The technician lay back and huffed, "Just trying to get some quiet and now we're a zoo exhibit."
"Into pet play are we?" Florence trilled, ducking when an irritated splash came her way.
"Hey!" Sakura called, "Watch the seats, lets not get those too wet."
"Too late~" Florence chirped again, prompting Evie to lay back with a huff.
"I'm going to disconnect your internet." The short technician mumbled.
"No disconnections without my approval." Sakura said, "Though you should behave better, Florence."
The medical doll pouted, "But I'm sooooo boooorrrrreeeddd!"
"Tough." Sakura said flatly, "You are more than capable of entertaining yourself."
"You know what happens when you make me play alone~"
There was a small beep and Florence gave a yelp and then fell back onto the couch, writhing, "Oh….yessss~"
Evie perked her head up, looking at Sakura who held a remote in her right hand, "You didn't…"
"She was going to keep being insufferable otherwise."
"Fair." There was a sudden jolt of Evie's inner tube and she quickly put her arms out to steady herself. In her moment of unsteadiness, a hand shot out to grab her by the left arm and pull her down with a stifled, "Ack!" The technician disappeared into the water and Springfield popped up next to the tube, chuckling, Klukai on the opposite side.
"That's one for me." Springfield said, smiling.
"Lucky start." Klukai hissed, and they both vanished again.
Evie came up sputtering and cursing. "What the-…" She grabbed back onto her float, casting her eyes down to the clear water, "Who…fuckin'…"
Sakura was chuckling to herself, covering half her face with the datapad as she waited for the next strike on her poor technician. "I think you're the target of a competition."
"Fantastic..." Evie spat, trying to work her way back onto the tube, only to be pulled under again.
This time, Klukai popped up where Evie vanished, Springfield appearing nearby still smiling.
"Clever."
"Hmph."
They went off again. Evie breached the water, coughing and all but scrambling onto the tube in her bid to escape the two dolls turned sharks. "God…fucking…dammit…" She gasped, eyes flicking about as she tried to make herself as small of a target as possible.
"They're going to flip the tube." Sakura pointed out.
"I know what they're gonna do!" Evie snapped, watching the shadows under the water.
"I feel less bored now~" Florence chimed from the couch.
"No one asked you."
The "game" went on for ten or so minutes, both Klukai and Springfield apparently racing to see who could reach and then pull Evie into the water the quickest.
Final Score; Klukai: 6, Springfield: 5
The Zucchero squad leader gave a sigh and a wink as she slipped from the water, tossing the smirking Klukai a small bag of Sardis gold in payment for her loss.
"Well played, a fun game Ms. Klukai!"
"Same to you." Said the 404 leader, who was now perched on the edge of the pool nearest the door to the Rec Room.
Springfield wrapped herself in a towel, gathering her things as she went back inside. She chatted with several dolls as she left, ever an anchor for the girls aboard the Elmo.
"See?" Florence chirped, "Not everyone is stuck to the commander~"
Evie, pouting on her inner tube and soaking, huffed, "Please, they're all here for her."
"Sound like someone's jealous~" Florence quipped.
Evie sighed, "I just want some quiet…"
"Well, my shift is starting so you should get some." Sakura said, closing her datapad. She made her way to the edge of the pool, crawling off the raft and pulling the float out of the water with some aid from Klukai and then marching back inside.
Florence hopped from her seat on the couch, "Well, I was here for her so, toodaloo~"
"Whatever." Evie groaned, laying back on the float and letting the warmth dry her skin and clothes. A nap…that was what she needed. Just to pass out for a bit.
With the commander now back on duty, the sound in the Rec Room steadily faded as dolls dispersed. Typical. Most were there for Commander Sakura. Evie wasn't jealous as much as exasperated, the technician preferred quiet most days and Sakura's presence tended to draw the girls in and make things less quiet. Maybe now she could just…
There was a small splash, the sound of a body sliding into the water, and Evie perked up. All she saw was a patch of ripples where a body had slid under. She glanced to the side. Klukai was not at her perch on the edge, and Evie realized she had not heard the Elite doll leave. She felt the tube shift just as she began to move and she frantically began to adjust her position to prevent yet another attack, but one never came. Instead, Klukai simply swam to one end and back, popping up and wiping the water from her face before turning to glare at Evie.
"Is there a problem?" Klukai said, her tone short and clipped.
"Ah-" Evie sputtered, caught completely off guard. She glanced to her right and found that, as expected, all dolls save for Lind had vanished from the rec room. She turned back to Klukai and readjusted, "N-no…no problem here."
Klukai huffed and slipped back under, swimming another lap. Evie tried to lay back and settle but found herself struggling. Klukai was as obsessed with and loyal to Commander Sakura as any of them, if not one of the most obsessed. And she had chosen to stay here? It wasn't exactly, a weird course of action. More that just…it was uncharacteristic.
Klukai and Evie…did not exactly get along.
Evie was a fairly new addition to the Elmo's crew, having only been picked up some weeks past following the most recent mission involving Task Force DEFY and Paradeus in Lviv. The explosion had rocked the city hard and keeping the secrets had been all but impossible given the scale of the disaster. The powers that be, Sakura's former superiors included, had done their best to mold the narrative to fit their needs. But not everyone had bought the lie. Evelyn, often shorted to Evie, had been one of them.
She was a small thing. Brown haired, green eyed, standing at about five foot six. A networking tech for the Girard Group, she had been caught in the crossfire of operations in Lviv, and had witnessed firsthand what the Group was involved in. She had turned immediately, doing what little she could to disrupt communications and muck up connections. And so, she had proved to be a small, but annoyingly persistent, thorn in Girard's side. It had painted a target on her back. Fleeing had been her only option. Flee or die. And she was not about to give Girard and Griffon, the bastard, the satisfaction of her death. She had run, using the chaos to what advantage she could muster and thankfully luck had been with her.
Kels, a courier who had worked for Poludnitsa and had run gear to the Elmo a few times, had been in the city once the catastrophe had struck and Evie had all but collapsed near his humvee. He had taken her in without a word, spiriting her out of Lviv as quick as his ragged vehicle would allow, dodging fleeing civilians and military barricades and crushing ELIDs under tire and steel. For weeks, she stayed with Kels in the yellow zones, following him as he did his supply runs, learning to survive, if only barely. She had been introduced to the commander by Kels on his next run to deliver supplies to the Elmo and Sakura had been kind enough to offer her work, if only to take pressure of off Mayling and to prevent either Girard or Varjagers from capturing and then killing her. And so, the Elmo acquired a new technician.
Onboard the Elmo, Evie generally managed internal networks and connections, and did a very small bit of maintenance work on some of the dolls if Mayling was overwhelmed (which was often these days). Generally though, she just made sure dorm connections and terminals were up to date and communicating. She would replace cables, troubleshoot connection issues and modify routes for more efficiency or reduce power consumption. A boring but necessary job that took just a bit of the pressure off Mayling. For the most part, she kept to herself and did her job. She would be seen flitting about, checking systems and assisting Mayling when needed or when nothing needed to be replaced or repaired. And somehow…she had drawn Klukai's attention.
It had started small enough, Klukai had needed a terminal repaired in the 404 common room and Evie went there to fix it. The only issue, Klukai was using the chance to test Evie's usefulness aboard the Elmo and found her wanting. Apparently, as Sakura later learned, Evie did not work fast enough for Klukai's liking and had made her opinion clear. Secondly, Evie had been "too familiar" with her in regards to how she addressed the Elite doll.
Klukai did not let up, criticizing and judging the girl's efforts whenever they crossed paths. Evie had taken it in stride at first, but as the days wore on, her already thin patience began to wear. She started firing back, from curses and insults to outright challenges, telling the doll that, if Evie was truly so worthless, then she'd have no problem getting rid of her right? Surely, the commander could be persuaded? Evie, for what she lacked in size and combat skill, made up for it in sheer spite. She was nothing if not determined to ensure the other person never got the satisfaction of winning. She would keep working for days if it meant pissing off someone she hated just a bit more.
Klukai…did not handle backtalk (which she called insubordination) particularly well. Members of her squad and even those outside of it had received harsh punishments for disrespect or even small perceived slights. Mechty, of course, received the bulk of Klukai's wrath but her discipline extended to anyone and everyone. Except for Evie, apparently.
The technician simply refused to bend to the doll's iron-clad rage and, much to Klukai's chagrin, Commander Sakura found Evie's stubbornness amusing. She never insulted Klukai's ability, never directly challenged her command, and only ever defended herself. And it drove the Elite doll mad. Despite the conflict between them, the two generally learned to avoid one another, their interactions reduced to glares and quiet scoffs and rolled eyes. Klukai never passed up an opportunity to test the young technician, and hence her little game with Springfield. And here she was…in the pool…with Evie…alone.
After weeks of glares and curses. It…was…odd. Klukai, for her part, just swam her laps. She moved through the water with fluid grace, her body gliding with an ease that was almost unreal. It was actually somewhat mesmerizing. Evie turned her eyes away and laid back on her tube, her face skyward.
Best not to get caught looking at her again. Several minutes passed, and Evie slowly felt herself drifting into a light doze. Only the occasional disturbance of the water indicated Klukai's presence and it was so rhythmic and repetitive, swim surface swim repeat, that it was lulling Evie to sleep.
Klukai slipped out of the water, rising to her full height as she glared the girl down. Evie…she still didn't trust the technician, not after everything that had gone down in Lviv with Girard and Paradeus. Evie had been way too close to it all for comfort and the Commander had…a tendency to err on the side of mercy. Some dolls, Klukai included, simply did not trust any outsiders at this point. But taking rash action was not Klukai's way. She would observe and analyze and the Elmo would be safer for it.
"Oi," She said sharply, "Don't drift out here all day. There's still work to do."
Evie cracked an eye open, "Yeah? I know. Some of us need some R&R to get things done, not more training and drills."
Klukai scoffed, "Perhaps you should undertake more training. It might make you more useful. Or useful at all."
"Eat shit, Klukai."
The doll's eye twitched, "Insubordination," Klukai retorted, "Calls for punishment."
"I'm not part of your squad. Anything you do to me has to go by the commander, who, by the way, was right here watching you use me as training dummy. Go ahead and whine to her about it and see what happens."
"You little…" Klukai hissed, her temper flaring. None of the 404 talked back to Klukai like this, even Leva kept her own jabs light enough to warrant restraint. But Evie… "Watch your step, crewman."
"Whatever." Evie scoffed, "Go away."
Klukai sucked in a breath, her eye twitching. Unfortunately, Evie was right. She could do nothing about the girl's attitude at the moment. "Tch."
With a click of her teeth, the doll stormed off, back into the Rec Room, leaving the technician alone at last.
All was quiet in the Rec Room, at least until Klukai finally finished drying herself and marching out.
Then, a small voice spoke up. "Holy shit…I think you're right."
Commander Sakura poked her head up from where she was hiding on the second floor landing, peering over at the now lone Evie drifting in her inner tube with her arms folded. Clearly the tech was trying to relax though her expression was still angry.
"There is something there." The Commander said, smiling.
Beside her, Springfield chuckled. "As I said, according to Leva, they've been dancing around each other for a while."
"Really now?" Sakura said, shaking her head, "Well, I'll be damned. I had wondered why Klukai had suddenly let off me a bit."
Makiatto, hiding with them, scoffed. "Please, she gets too easily distracted. If that's all it takes to draw her attention, then I hope her performance doesn't suffer for it."
"Ohhh, Maki you're so cute~" Springfield chimed, poking the sniper in the nose.
"H-hey! Don't do things like that so suddenly!"