ic Head Case (IC)

[Gizmo]

"Hey, hey, Marbar, it's okay! Calm down!" Ellie assured the horrified girl. She wanted to close the distance between them again, but whatever Mara was so upset about, she obviously needed at least a modicum of space until it was sorted out. "We don't have to talk about it this second if you don't want, alright? I mean... I want to know, especially if it has to do with your health, but if you don't feel ready..." She did a good but not perfect job of keeping a faint note of hurt out of her voice. It wasn't that she didn't think Mara trusted her, after all, but not being able to help still stung.

[Fox]

calm down - oh god - have to tell her eventually - but what if - trust her - but can't - better now than later - not going to be pleasant - phrase - like a bandaid? She was gradually calming back down, but Mara didn't relax much - less panicked, certainly, especially under Ellie's reassurances, but still tense and...concerned. Apparently concerned more about Ellie than herself as the young engineer carefully watched her for a moment before slumping a little and gesturing weakly at a large TV mounted on the far wall. Lights danced behind her eyes as she told her computer to display her medical files.

By the time all the information was loaded and shown she couldn't meet Ellie's gaze anymore, keeping her focus on the images: medical reports describing extreme and generally illegal experiments, treatments on the cutting edge of science, reports filed by empaths on mental molding and reinforcement. And in the center of it all, a brain - her brain, in its clearly mutated glory, uneven here and too dense there, too connected between the hemispheres and containing at least one completely extra lobe, all somehow kept within a normal human skull without starving or collapsing in on itself.

[Gizmo]

Frowning, Ellie shuffled off of the bed and hesitantly stepped closer to screen to get a better look at the information displayed there. It didn't take her long to read the files, nor to comprehend the full extent of what they were describing, thanks to her medical training. The young woman's expression turned perplexed and then aghast. "Why would you even... wait. No, that can't... That's insane!" She began rereading the reports, convinced she must have misunderstood something, her fingers clenching at her sides. One fist began to glow with virulent green light, darker spots in the aura spinning angrily about in a display that did not appear to be entirely voluntary. "I'll kill them. I'll track them down and... no, I'll take them apart one piece at a time and leave them like that, I'll..." She trailed off, shaking with directionless fury. "Oh, Dios, Mara."

[Fox]

"Needed me to be smarter," the girl at the back of the bed quietly replied. "Anything with acceptable risks and that didn't open my skull. Smarter and controlled. So that I could build things." brain's not as bad as - should complete the story - deserves that much She took a deep breath, and lights danced behind her eyes again. The screen blacked out for a moment, and then filled with a long list of schematics, pictures, newspaper clippings, and what looked like a ledger full of sold items - some marked 'recovered', more than a few marked 'destroyed', but a lot just left unlabelled. It was a long, long list. "Mostly lethal. Some not. Preferred those projects. Sabotaged some, toward the end...rarely. Wasn't always capable. Still...still a lot on the street. Or unaccounted for. A few simple enough to be made by people without...insane brains. So still in production. That's a shorter list, fortunately."

She smiled a little, apprehensive but apparently relieved to have told somebody, even if it did end up blowing in her face. "Dads, huh?"

[Gizmo]

It took Ellie a little longer to catch onto Mara's meaning as she looked over the new set of articles, the light fading from her fist as she concentrated. "Build...? Oh!" She turned back around to face her girlfriend, her expression caught between sudden realization and concern. "Then that's why-- Oh, baby, none of that's your fault. You have to know that, right?" She moved swiftly back the bed, kneeling beside it and reaching for the young woman's hands. "Is that why you didn't want to say anything? Oh, corazoncito..."

When Mara made her final, off-hand comment, Ellie practically yelped, "Your Dad?!" Aghast, it took a few beats for the engineer's small smile to reassure her. Finally she managed in a serious deadpan, "Okay, we're not alternating Christmas dinners between our families."

[Fox]

Whatever reaction she'd been expecting or dreading, that apparently wasn't it. The television shut off and Mara finally glanced over at Ellie, blankly blinking at her like she wasn't sure what to do now that her worst fears hadn't been realized. She knew her girlfriend had understood, but there was no fear, or reproach, or veiled disgust. What she'd gotten instead was exactly what she rationally knew was likely but couldn't bring herself to hope for in any of the thousand times she'd run the situation through her head, trying to figure out how to bring it up. It left her feeling like she'd been bracing for a punch that wouldn't - and couldn't - come, and she wasn't sure what to do next.

no - scratch that - know what I want to do next Mara carefully carefully set her face, squared her shoulders, and took Ellie's hands...and pulled, digging her heels into the mattress for better leverage, hauling the younger girl up onto the bed and just about pouncing on top of her for one hell of a kiss.

[Gizmo]

Whatever reaction Ellie had been expecting, that clearly wasn't it. Letting herself be dragged up on to the bed in her surprise, the coltish young woman opened her mouth to say something but found it abruptly covered by Mara's lips. After a startled moment, she melted into the kiss, her toes curling where they hung off the side of the bed. Enjoying the unusually aggressive move from her partner, particularly so soon after the moment of hesitant vulnerability, she wrapped her arms tightly around slighter girl's waist and crossed her ankles to embrace Mara's legs as well.

[Fox]

Mara hummed in approval - at Ellie's enthusiasm and everything else - and came up for air only when she absolutely needed to...and only gave up Ellie's lower lip a couple seconds after that. Even then she backed off as little as she could to breathe, enjoying the heady intimacy of keeping close to Ellie's face. "You know," she quietly noted, shifting position to something at least a little more comfortable than her impromptu pounce. "Can think of better reasons to have to go to sleep exhausted."

[Gizmo]

Even if Mara had wanted to pull further back, it would have proven difficult with Ellie wrapping her limbs around her and craning her neck to follow her lips upward as the inventor paused for air. Her blush had already evolved into a full on flush even before the coy suggestion, at which point it was largely obscured by a broad grin. The evening's emotional roller coaster had left her heart beating quickly and her nerves vibrating, symptoms that only grew more acute as her fingers wandered across the hemline of Mara's jeans to wrap around the bottom of the blonde girl's t-shirt and begin sliding it upward. "Well, since you already got all that other stuff off your chest anyway..." she teased breathlessly.

[Fox]

Mara bit her lip but nodded, turning very red herself as the removal of her shirt left her in jeans and some fairly plain underwear. She very nearly apologized for that - wasn't expecting - might have something nicer somewhere - but quickly decided that there were far better things she could be concentrating on. "Think," she replied, sliding her hands down Ellie's sides and then back up, taking the medic's shirt with her, "that fair's fair. What's the phrase. Show you mine if you show me yours...."

[Gizmo]

Arching her back accommodatingly to facilitate the removal of her top, Ellie forewent a clever reply in favour of drawing Mara back down into a heavy kiss, letting her eyelids flutter closed.

Some time later, she lay on her back, exhausted but with a broad grin she couldn't have suppressed even if she'd wanted to. With a stretch that started at her feet and moved all the way up to her fingers, the athletic young woman shifted to snuggle closer to her girlfriend, draping an arm over her as she adjusted the bedsheets with her free hand. "Mmh... You realize, of course," she murmured, "you're never going to be able to use 'I have a headache tonight' as an excuse now."

[Fox]

Mara, looking awfully content herself, snuggled closer as well and slid an arm under Ellie's head and pillow. She leaned her head over to give her girlfriend a kiss - a soft, happy kiss, in contrast to recent more passionate ones - and managed to keep a wry eyebrow raised for a scant few seconds. "Suppose I'll have to put up with more nights like this, then," she managed before her deadpan broke back into a smile. She had an awful urge to giggle, but that at least she suppressed. "Will just have to suffer. Nobly."

[Gizmo]

Ellie did laugh, a throaty, melodic sound as she finished pulling the sheets up and ran her fingertips through Mara's hair. "You're a real martyr." For a little while she just enjoyed the soft warmth of her partner beside her before biting her lower lip for a moment and noting, "Not that, y'know, we have to wait until you have a headache. I mean, I think it was probably good that we waited a bit, but..." She laughed again, clearly in too good a mood to give into any lingering awkwardness. "Now I kinda feel like making up for lost time."

[Fox]

Now she did giggle, a happy little laugh that escaped before she could swallow it back down and save face. "Was hoping not. This was...special," she admitted, quietly running a hand over Ellie's stomach. "But crippling headaches are...not sexy. And too infrequent. Don't regret waiting, but...am hoping you come over more often than that." She frowned a little, tilting her head. "Should think about installing a teleporter. Save on cab fees for travel and dates."

[Gizmo]

Ellie squirmed pleasurably under Mara's hand, reflexively pulling her waist a little closer as she adjusted her position to get more comfortable with a happy murmur. "Special is right. Have I mentioned how happy I am you don't live up to the stolid supergenius stereotype?" She gave her girlfriend another light kiss, leaving her face close enough so that blue eyes stared into blue eyes. "Some people might call teleportation a little extreme for a booty call, but I like the sentiment."

[Fox]

"Worth it for the quality of the booty," Mara insisted with a teasing poke at Ellie's bellybutton. "Besides. Not a good neighborhood. Safe enough near the warehouse - local threats learned that after the first few tries - but might not be worth walking or paying cabs too often. Teleporting isn't that hard. Just need the time...competition with other projects. Will have to think about it." That list of projects was starting to get kind of long, but she pushed it out of her mind. priorities "Suppose I'd be just as suited with an apartment or something in a better district. Mmh."

[Gizmo]

Laughing at the poke, Ellie swatted playfully at Mara's fingers before entwining them with her own. "I take it the quality is sufficient, then?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow slightly before taking a slightly defensive tone. "What? I'm allowed to be a little insecure sometimes, too, y'know." Even knowing that Mara was similarly inexperienced, the young woman had fostered certain quiet fears that she would prove fundamentally incompetent with regard to the skills involved. Those fears might have been proven pleasantly unfounded, but she wasn't above fishing for a few compliments.

[Fox]

"More than," Mara assured her, laughing a little again. most I've laughed in a while - euphoria? - interesting "Athletic, attentive, attractive, flexible, talented. Suspect your knowledge of anatomy may have been helpful. Also suspect that we'll both only get better with practice." Now there was an idea, though she was a little worn out to do something about it right away. Still, the idea was nice, and oddly comforting, as she settled back into her bed - our bed? - a bit. "Lots of practice."

[Gizmo]

The cheeks around her grin colouring at the wave of compliments, Ellie affected the exaggerated accent of a Southern belle. "Oh, you do go on!" As Mara settled back, the taller girl tucked her chin into the space between her girlfriend's shoulder and neck. "And may I just say," she added, her tone as warm as her breath against Mara's face, "you are gorgeous, clever, focused, enthusiastic and... inventive." She brushed a slow kiss across the other young woman's jawline, largely just because it was there.

[Fox]

Mara blushed, wondering how much sleep they really needed to get after all... "Do try," Mara teased, exploring Ellie's stomach with her hand (and trying awfully hard to keep it there). "And don't know...phrase. The half of it. Own tools for metalworking, plastics, carving...." She was clearly partly joking, but that meant she was...well, only partly joking. "Should remind me to show you the box in my closet."

[Gizmo]

Blinking a few times, Ellie tried to discern whether or not Mara was being serious. The engineer still projected a shyly demure attitude at times, and the more unreserved side of her personality still managed to catch the younger girl off guard - not that she particularly minded. Propping herself up on one elbow, she practically purred, "Oh, baby doll..." Bringing her head down so that dark bangs slightly brushed against blonde locks, she gave Mara a kiss that lingered for a few, long heartbeats. "The things you say and do..."

[Fox]

Yes, somehow sleep wasn't quite as pressing a concern as it seemed a few minutes ago. Mara wrapped her arms up around Ellie's neck, grinning a little impishly. "On the other hand," she said as casually as she could manage, "is technically 'some day' right now. So present's as good a time as any." She pulled her blue-eyed companion closer for another slow kiss, running her fingers through the back of her girlfriend's hair, and added, "Did once offer to help me with inventions, anyway. Rigorous testing is important...."

[Gizmo]

Eventually exhaustion outweighed enthusiasm and a full night's sleep was had. Mara awoke the next morning to the sound of running water from the attached bathroom. After a few minutes there was the telltale squeak of faucets and moments later Ellie emerged wearing one towel and drying off her hair with another. The young woman beamed at her partner, suffused with a more subtle glow than the one her powers provided. "Up and at 'em, cariño. I need you to give me a ride to class."

[Fox]

Mara reflexively checked her computer for the time, making a small grumbling noise at what was, for her, an ungodly hour of the morning. The noise she made when she spotted Ellie coming out of her shower in a towel was considerably less distressed, though, and as the night's events came back to her she briefly regretted not having had such an awful headache on the weekend. or a Friday - maximize time - later maybe "Mmh," she articulated, apparently just taking a moment to enjoy the morning sight. "G'morning."

Eventually, sadly, she had to leave the warm comfort of her sheets behind and dig out some clean clothes...but not before sliding close to Ellie and giving her as soft and long a kiss as she dared without risking their individual plans for the day. "Will get coffee and motorcycle ready," she assured her, sliding into a pair of jeans with a soreness she wouldn't have given up for the world. "No traffic here in the mornings...should arrive with time to spare. Barring distractions."

[Gizmo]

"You are such a teenager sometimes, you know that?" Ellie laughed brightly at Mara's concerns about distractions. To be fair, it wouldn't have taken much to convince her to blow off class for the day, but that would be a slippery slope. "I'll put the coffee on, and something to eat," she corrected the proposed plan with a grin. "You need to take a quick shower." She directed her girlfriend toward the bathroom with a swift pat on the backside. "Still a little sweaty, muñequita."