Rewarding patience

The next few days go by and you fall into a pleasant routine. You and Marin get the workshop all set up, and you help Hayley get everything organized as well. Both girls flirt relentlessly, but never take it farther than that.

One morning, you head into the main area, and Hayley grins at you. “Not today, Greg! Helja wants to pick your brain for ideas. And maybe other things!”

Marin walks by, laughing. “Don’t let her chicken out, big guy!”

The red headed dwarf gives you a playful shove towards the office Helja works in. “Don’t have too much fun!”

You chuckle, waving at Sanni as the lamia chuckles at her coworkers antics. She smiles, winking at you as you head into the office. You roll your eyes and close the door behind you.

Helja looks up from the table and gives you a smile. “Ah, you’re here! Wonderful. I wanted to talk to you about ideas you have. People from the new world sometimes have insight into designs that we don’t think of here. Have a seat!”

She indicates a chair beside hers at the table. You sit, noticing immediately how close you are to her. It can’t be an accident that the chairs are so close. “So, what kind of insight are you looking for? I don’t have any experience with catapults or ballista or anything like that.”

She waves away the thought. “No, I don’t expect that, we have that pretty well covered. This is more of brainstorming session. I know the entertainment in your world has fantastical things, some of which we can recreate with magic.”

You nod. “I get it. Crazy ideas that I’ve heard of, or read about?”

She smiles. “Exactly!”

You think. Of course you never thought this sort of idea would be needed, so it’s not really something you pursued before. “Can you give an example of what you’re looking for?”

Helja grins. “I have a prototype I’ve been designing, let me show you.”

You watch the blonde dwarf open a drawer and dig through a stack of drawings. This is the first time you’ve seen her this animated and excited. She’s normally kind of shy and quiet, but seeing her excitedly pulling out blueprints and sketches is rather cute.

Eagerly, she lays out a large sheet of paper with a scrawled design on it. “This is what I really want to try, and I was hoping you could help me finish it.”

You lean over the table, looking at the design. It looks odd, a large wheeled carriage with a metal framework. Suspended within the framework is a large crystal. Looking closer, you see notes scribbled everywhere, suggesting changes and marking tolerances. You run your fingers over the notes as you read.

Helja explains, with a surprising amount of excitement in her voice. “It’s a magical ballista. The crystal focuses spells held within the framework. The effect is remarkable! So much so that the first time we built it, it ripped itself apart before it could fire…”

She excitedly explains revisions, tests, and failures. Helja points out parts of the design that had changed, and problems they still had. At one point, you both reach to point at the same section, and your hands touch. Helja gasps slightly, going quiet immediately. She looks up at you, and you look back into her pale blue eyes.

The moment lingers, and you feel her fingers slowly slide over your hand. Soon, she’s holding your hand lightly, still looking into your eyes. Somehow, she drifts closer to you. You can see warring emotions on her face, nervous and excited.

Deciding to take charge, you reach up with your other hand and gently touch her cheek. Helja sighs softly, closing her eyes and leaning into your touch. Her lips part slightly, and you see her breath coming faster. Taking the risk, you lean in and softly kiss her.

Helja stiffens for just a moment, then turns to face you fully. She throws her arms around your neck and kisses you back. After a while she shivers and steps back breathing hard. “Th-that…I…we…”

You smile, letting her compose herself, and nod. “I hope that wasn’t too much…”

She shakes her head. “N-not at all! It just surprised me!”

Helja blushes and smiles. “I’m glad it happened…can we…can I kiss you again?”

You chuckle. “Of course, I’d be crazy to say no!”

The blushing blonde dwarf eagerly steps back in close, pulling you into another kiss, this one with more passion behind it.