Her Masterpiece (Ruan Mei X F.OC)

Vote & Arrival

(Luofu is coming next chapter and we are flying blind baby as I have not a once of story worked out ever so this will be magnificent!)

"What do you think?"

Nihl might actually develop the ability to give a shit if this goes on.

A stelleron hunter woman called Kafka had just come on board as a hologram and basically dumbed out a weeks worth of sidequest in their laps, more like the express' laps.

There was a stelleron disaster happening on the Xianzhou Luofu at this exact moment but they had caught a guy called Bladie by the woman and she wanted the express to help the Luofu because it had nothing to do with the stelleron hunters, she then left them with coordinates.

Since this would change the way the express would be going it was said all would vote if yes or no they would trust this woman and everyone was given time to think.

Nihl had thought it over in many shapes and sizes, just how it would benefit them only to come to the answer, in no way would it.

That's just another thing she lacks she thinks, everything has a price that can be paid... She doesn't believe she can truly be selfless.

But then she would contradict herself as even back then, with the living stelleron and Ruan Mei, knowing none would survive the emanator of propagation blasting them, she still stood in front of them.

Was that truly selfless or was it just because of her creator? Even for her it, in a way, felt a cold answer to say she wouldn't help them. She came to that conclusion with the belief that even she thought they didn't deserve to deal with a stelleron, even if she couldn't attach emotional weight to such a choice.

She picked up her head, having been staring deeply into Eye-X's back as it sat all pretty in her lap, little stowaway he is.

Taking a moment to register her creators question before looking at her.

"They deserve help even tho I don't it would bring us any good to help, just delay and waste of time."

"As blunt as ever." She was offered a small smile, almost as if Ruan Mei had hoped for such an answer. "Vote how you believe you should."

"How will you?"

"I won't tell you, you'll cater to my choice. Vote in the way you feel, in your way, that you should." *bumping their shoulders together as a first little step to be closer... She's gone and she decided to try it like this with her, so this is a small little step.

Nihl reached out, waiting a moment until she got a nod before grabbing her near her knee and gently squeezing.

Hmm... Firm and healthy heartbeat, relaxed muscles, youthful skin... She cannot identify any stress or reluctance in her creator no matter how she 'looks' at it, be it with her eyes of through touch alone, there was even a hint of hidden amusement from what she felt from picking up Asta's signals.

Ruan Mei just let her, she could do much with a touch herself but Nihl's was much more... Like a computer program, able to do far more then her ability since she lacked the senses she herself had. Confident enough in her own ability to understand her body that she wouldn't give away anything to her creation.

"But Nihl." Her voice made the mentioned woman look up, eyes once again meeting. "No matter what you vote, I have a request from you if we end up taking a detour to the Luofu."

"Yes?"

Taking a deep breath, this would be her only chance.

She said she'd move on... She promised herself to not hold Nihl to that past anymore... But this was a golden opportunity if they were careful..

"Listen well--"

-------------------------------------------------------------

"All for going to the Luofu?" Himeko asked.

She, Welt, March and Stelle held out their hand while Dan Heng and Ruan Mei didn't.

No one pointed out how Nihl's was half out, closer to a 'no' until the votes were put out when she chose to fully put out her hand as it wouldn't change anything if she didn't.

"But I won't join you." Nihl said. "I agree that they deserve help if that stelleron hunter told the truth but it is not what I want to do."

"And we appreciate your honesty." Welt, as nice as ever, said. "You are not forced to come on a trailblaze but your belief is welcome."

"In some way, she's acting upon feelings she cannot hope to understand." Nihl looked at Ruan Mei who was already looking at her.

"Then it is decided, let's move out."

Most had sat down, Nihl leaning against the wall at the back of the parlor car since that way she wouldn't fall over, March for some reason in the middle of the car.

"Get ready for the jump dear Nameless and guest! The Astral Express is now departing!"

She instantly felt the forces and energy around the space train warp, making her hair stand on edge, it felt like the truth of the world and physics melted and folding inside out to an ugly monster of distortion.

It was but a second but she decided she liked it way less then a living stelleron's energy.

Surging forwards in a lunge, a hand on the ground in an almost planking position while other arm out to catch the pinky that had been catapulted across the car by the warp, slidding hard against the floor, so much so that the heel on the foot that was the most backwards touched the wall she had been leaning against all over again.

She ignored March's rambling of aw or complaints about falling again, simply looking through the window and up at the hug ship to their left.

Ready to fulfill her creator's simple yet deceptively hard ask.