Penny for your thoughts Tatiana said with obvious amusement With a start Randidly realized she had probably sat down two minutes ago and he hadnÆt even acknowledged her He had noticed her approach well in advance of course but he had done nothing to indicate he was aware she existed
Uh Randidly thought about it then shrugged inwardly Honesty was easiest Do you ever have people look at you and just feel like they donÆt see a person
Tatiana snorted Not to be crass about the business I own but Did you just ask a whore if she ever feels like people donÆt see her as a person
thatÆs a good point Randidly said with a sigh He set his tin cup on the bench down beside him and reached out with his hand The bonfire had shrunk a lot from when they were roasting the meat earlier so they were currently seated only a meter or so away The heat really came from the coals while a few thin tendrils of flame devoured the sticks thrown on top of the fire
When Randidly reached out those flames twisted up towards him and around his fingers It was hot without the heat meaning anything When he realized that Tatiana was giving him a flat look he chuckled and withdrew his hand The flames stretched and strained afterward before snapping back to their normal behavior
Chosen of Fire indeed
What I mean is Randidly said slowly These days I feel like people look at me and see the idea of something For the people at this party I am the dream of the future In that past I was the human that was better at being a monster than monsters were IÆm no longer just me
Well you did tell me to call you Viking Tatiana pointed out That makes you more of a character from a bad movie than a real person Can you blame us for enjoying the show
Randidly gave her a sour look She laughed and threw her hair over her shoulder Her perfume was light and spicy It reminded him of the heat of the fire
Okay fine Baloo just Baloo what do I see when I look at you then Tatiana asked
Inwardly Randidly died a little because she called him Baloo but she turned and faced her squarely Her jaw was strong and her skin was tan Her eyes met his calmly as he assessed her Her dress was silk with tight interweaving shapes across it It was relatively chaste but the shape of TatianaÆs body meant that if a man wanted to look hard enough he could get a sense of what was underneath
Randidly turned away looking back towards the fire A friend
A log popped and snap Someone was singing their song wavering in and out of tune as the singer struggled against the weight of the alcohol they had drunk
itÆs a strange thought but all I can think is that if I had asked Sonya that she would have had me pressed against a wall with my panties off within 10 seconds Tatiana said with a chuckle
Randidly also shook his head Sonya certainly had spent half of the past few hours making passes at Tatiana It seemed she understood the other woman wasnÆt interested but that just made the allure all the more irresistible Luckily Gregory pulled Sonya away with more alcohol or else Randidly had no doubt she would still be here
ItÆs strange I feel connected to you Randidly announced
Oh
Randidly shook his head his face heating somewhat You as in everyone here IÆve been to a lot of places And IÆve just felt adrift I understood my role based on goals I had to accomplish There were relationships and things
we are in a relationship Tatiana said raising her eyebrows in mock surprise
Randidly ignored her but it was like I didnÆt feel the ties to the people there I walked away when my goals led me to other places It was as if I was numb to these things I had built Or even I didnÆt want to feel the constant weight of these connections I had made Maybe I was running away But some of those connections were dangerous Starting clean has a certain brutal appeal doesnÆt it
Yes it does Tatiana uncrossed her legs folded them beneath her If I could do it all again well the System threw some wrenches into things I also donÆt mind being here with you but it certainly could have been a little less rough getting here I know what you mean about leaving everything behind I ran away from home when I was 17
Randidly nodded and then feeling extremely surreal reached up and squeezed her shoulder The skin of her bare shoulder was warm and he let his hand linger there for a bit just to establish contact Then it fell away back to his side
The corner of TatianaÆs mouth turned upwards I think this is where you ask me why I ran away and then I share a secret IÆve been carrying on my own for 10 years ItÆs a bonding thing
You are a grown woman If you want to share something IÆm sure you will do it Randidly said leaning back and closing his eyes
He felt her hair first the soft strands on his shoulder Then the weight of her head and then the heat of her body as she leaned her head against his shoulder They stayed there for about 10 minutes saying nothing sharing nothing The fire crackled and popped the people continued to sing and there were raucous calls in the distance where people had set up a game of pool under the open sky
Do you know why I enjoy your company Tatiana asked
Randidly shook his head
Because you feel grounded Like all of the flirting all of my learned sensuality it doesnÆt mean anything at all it canÆt sway you You wouldnÆt even care if I was just average looking You would enjoy sitting with me even if I was horribly deformed My aesthetic is worthless
I mean Randidly began but she punched him softly in the side still leaning against his shoulder
Oh shut up There are times where truth is less important than the moment This is one of those times Just enjoy the moment Baloo
So the two of them sat without sharing just breathing the warm air of the night
Chapter 538
The facility where the drones were being researched and produced was a hundred times nicer than the place where Randidly was before So much so that Randidly was getting a little annoyed as he walked around Included on the premises were a cafeteria and a gym that could support weights up to a ton
Partially this was for the workers but also it served as a convenient way to test the drones Foreman Davey who now wanted Randidly to just call him Davey showed him the different locations and then the workstation where Randidly would do most of his work
The problem is demand is still lagging a bit behind what we expected Davey said shaking his head So the prices for the drones are still low So much so that Ghost is subsidizing their production YouÆll get an extra 20% of your selling price from the government That should change soon though the government finally made a deal with the Unity Church
Randidly nodded without comment as he scanned his workstation
This place was three rooms The first was a typical lab with different materials for cutting equipment and electrical appliances Another was a library with two computers and several bookshelves filled with leather bound volumes Davey told Randidly that these were all primers that he should read through before starting to try and create a drone
There are just so many parts to each and industrialization wonÆt get us what we want Davey said with a sigh Sure we could mass produce the things and have but they are weak Around Level 20 monsters can overpower them without breaking a sweat ItÆs not a matter of materials either but of some quality that is imbued in by a Skill Skills become so important after 20 We have a few people here who have the Drone Assembly Skill and its reached near 50 Their drones have 30% higher performance in the field ThatÆs what we are after But in the numbers of a mass production so we need a lot of laborers to fill it out You have no idea how happy I am you bought your citizenship so fast
Is there anything else I need to buy Randidly asked running his fingers across the books
No the materials here were included in your starter package Davey said then he flexed his hand and produced a folder Plus these three basic blueprints The System did some fucked up things to electronics simplified them to an absurd degree The fact that they continue to function is ridiculous They are more runes than circuitry So youÆll have to throw out everything you know about electronics and learn that ItÆs something of a grind especially when your Intelligence is below 80 or so If you have any questions let me know