Carpathia IV: Episode 169 - New Monitor
Cadet Quarters, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
Waiting around for someone from Operations to show up to replace his console display was not the way Darius hoped to spend his time on Polaris Deep. Even if the wait wasn't long, he had to arrange his entire schedule around this important appointment. Sometimes, Darius thought, life on a spaceship wasn't that much different from regular life. All he could do was sit in his chair and play with his tablet, his personal tablet, not the work tablet. At least it gave him time to play around with his model railroad simulator and finally getting around to laying those new tracks he'd been thinking about.
Engrossed in his new mission, Darius quickly lost track of how much time passed. When his door chime rang, his ears twitched and he took a quick glance at the time on his tablet. Not a long wait. Just over 30 minutes.
Darius: Enter!
The door slid open revealing Amenaru with a tool kit in one hand and a new display tucked under his other arm.
Amenaru: I hear you're having a display problem?
Darius nervously rubbed his paws together.
Darius: That's one way of putting it. I forgot it wasn't a laptop for a second and broke the stand.
Amenaru stepped in and looked around, first at Mikado's intact console, and then at Darius's broken one with half a display stand sticking up from behind the keypad.
Amenaru: It would take a lot of force to break a stand like that. You should treat your electronics better. Even if that were a laptop, it wouldn't be good for it.
Amenaru put his toolkit on Darius's chair and set the new display on the console.
Amenaru: This will only take a couple of minutes. These new ones are designed to be modular and easy to replace.
Amenaru pulled a tool from his kit and started to work at detaching the base.
Amenaru: We're having a Stellar Sorcery night in my quarters tonight if you want to come. Have you played before?
Darius: I have played, but it's been a long time. My cards are pretty old now.
Amenaru pulled up the base of the broken display and started detaching the internal connectors.
Amenaru: Some of those might be valuable. You should look into that. Offer still stands.
Darius: Oh... um... will Mikado be there?
Darius wrung his hands together, entirely self-conscious about how he must look right now and grateful that Amenaru's full attention was devoted to positioning the new display on top of its cradle.
Amenaru: Probably. We only just decided to do it and we haven't asked him yet. These things tend to be last-minute.
Darius: I see...
Amenaru finished slipping the cables into the bottom of the display and plopped it back down on the console. He was about to secure it to the base when something caught his eye.
Amenaru: Oh, hey, you forgot to power down your console. No surprise, since...
Amenaru's voice trailed off and, at the same time, Darius's ears became stiff and pert on the top of his head, so much that they were nearly touching each other.
Darius: Don't read!
Too late. Amenaru gave a slow turn away from the display with a fantastically goofy grin on his face, prompting Darius to bury his own face in his paws.
Amenaru: Don't you dare even tell me that you're researching butt stuff for your job.
Without removing his paws from his face, Darius shook his head.
Amenaru: Alright, calm down and sit. Let's talk.
Darius parted his fingers just enough to look through and watch Ameanru sitting down in his desk chair and beckoning Darius to take the lounge chair next to his desk. Amenaru watched him expectantly and he rolled his eyes when Darius did not move.
Amenaru: Come on. I'm not going to do anything. Just a chat. Seems someone has to teach you about the bees and the... well, bees.
Reluctantly, Darius took a step forward. In his mind, he knew he could trust Amenaru, but there was another part of his brain that knew Amenaru's reputation on the ship and with a brain full of sex, the only thing he could think of was that Amenaru was going to pounce on him at any moment.
Step by step, he closed in on the lounge chair, and Amenaru did nothing but wait patiently, giving Darius the confidence to move a little faster with each footfall. Finally, he reached the chair and slowly lowered himself into it.
Amenaru: Mikado mentioned you were acting a bit funny and I think it's clear why. I'm sure you know he's not a mono tokki like Kit, so you can't let yourself get too attached. Easier said than done. On the other hand, Mikado clearly likes you and a tokki friend is always very reliable.
Darius: I know. I've just never met anyone so blasé about their body and I started thinking about things I'd never really thought before.
Amenaru: You've always struck me as a sort of career-oriented type, not making much room in your head for anything else. Would that be right?
Darius opened his mouth and then popped it closed again right away. His instinct was to say no, that was not right, but the gears started turning in his head, particularly the last five years of his life, of study and shadowing his father. Before he even realized what was happening, he started nodding slowly.
Amenaru: Can't say I relate. My head has been full of butts and dicks for as long as I can remember. Still, I have known others who could relate. It was the same with all of them. Once the thoughts of butts and dicks start bubbling to the surface, you can't stop it.
Darius nodded, knowing that Amenaru was right... partially.
Darius: True, but that's not all I've been thinking about. With Mikado around, mostly, but I'm certain I'm not just interested in that.
Amenaru: You're going to have to be more specific. That could either mean you're bisexual or you're looking go get into something extra kinky. Or both.
Darius vigorously shook his head while the insides of his ears turned a deep red.
Darius: No, no, not kinky! Just bi.
Amenaru: Ah, well, I'm afraid I can't help you with girl stuff, but I can help with Mikado stuff. Let's open the floor to questions. You can only learn so much from reading online. Those places just don't capture the nuances.
The insides of Darius's ears went redder as he rubbed his claws together.
Darius: Um... does it hurt?
Amenaru responded with a wide grin, as though Darius had just stumbled across a major secret.
Amenaru: Ha! That's what everyone asks first. The good news is that Mikado is experienced and can help out a lot with that. Let me tell you what to do and what to expect.
And Amenaru did just that, spending nearly two hours sharing his extensive and impressive knowledge and answering Darius's questions in astonishing levels of detail. It was all, embarrassingly so for Darius, very matter-of-fact, without hiding behind any euphemisms or indirect descriptions. Right to the point. On many occasions, Darius ended up with his face in his paws and had to ask Amenaru to repeat his answers, but it was nevertheless a productive session.
Finally, Amenaru stood, indicating that the sesson was over and patted the new display on Darius's console.
Amenaru: Now, be gentle with this from now on. This is your porn funnel after all!
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
Falke2009
