Cinder

9 - Love and War

Tobias grinned as he glanced over at Kay, the latter completely mesmerized by the sight before her.

They sat on the ledge of a cliff, fields of grass and meadow extending below them, far beyond into the horizon. Shadow began to blanket the landscape as day turned to night, red and orange mingling with purple in a blend of vibrance that stretched across the sky. Slowly, the sun disappeared and gave way to starlight which blanketed the land and illuminated the two of them.

The light created a sheen over Kay's chassis, almost enveloping her in an aura of white brilliance. She did not notice of course, her attention completely devoted to the awe-inspiring view they'd ventured out here to see.

"I've seen space so many times," she muttered, her voice a whisper of wonder. "From within the walls of frigates, or from the brief glimpses of my pod in a titanfall. I've seen many worlds, all decimated from the war I was built for ..."

Silently, she turned to face him. Her eye was a blue glow in the darkness, wide and innocent. "Never have I been able to see them this way ... untouched, peaceful ... beautiful."

He pretended to carry an attitude of nonchalance. "Yeah, sights like these are pretty cool ... but beautiful?" He gave her a small pat on her metallic leg, and allowed his voice to take on an obnoxiously silky tone. "I have more than I could ever need right next to me."

She gave a derisive snort, and turned away again. If Titans could roll their eyes, hers would have done a full revolution. "That was one of the tackiest things you've ever said."

He laughed loudly, falling backwards onto the grass as he did so. Beside him, he could hear her relent and give a mild chuckle before reaching over with a large hand and picking up. Bringing him over, she set him on top of her back and allowed him to sit there while she continued to watch the sky.

"Thank you," she whispered again, and he knew she was referring to his taking her here. Just from those two words, she'd expressed quite clearly just how much this meant to her.

He'd broken a few of his promises in the past, but taking her to see the stars was not one he was willing to give up on.

Instead of replying, he simply smiled and rubbed the top of her optic affectionately before looking up again at the display in front of them. Silently, they willingly became lost in the celestial spectacle and one another's company.

...

No one had believed Gates when she'd told them of who was with her. Of course, it was hard to deny it when they saw him standing right in front of them.

When they'd first come aboard this frigate, gawking eyes and hushed voices had awaited Tobias. It was to be expected, considering that everyone had believed him dead for years. They spoke amongst one another quietly, as though he'd disappear just as suddenly as he'd arrived if he heard them.

Gates had seen to it that they all left him alone for the most part, giving him time to do what he needed before meeting with the higher-ups about the usual circumstances surrounding his unexpected resurface. With that peace, he only cared about one thing to spend his time on.

And so it happened that he was standing in this interrogation room of sorts, scientific instruments and tech having been rushed in here to see if they could understand what exactly had happened to Kay.

Her body was strapped down to a table with restraints, as well as the magnetized cable he'd provided them with. Her visor remained dark in its inactive state, waiting for the burden on its systems to be lifted again. The stickies had all been removed, there was just one last obstacle left. Researchers stood behind him, ready to analyze the following interaction before continuing on with more in-depth tests.