Flea

Chapter Twenty Four

The woman was still struggling. Maeve just smiled serenely while Kaminari's stomach tried to tango and waltz at the same time. 

"I sent it to the email address 'lizzcattastic642@burble.com' at 4:23 pm, if that helps." 

Kaminari could sense the woman's vibe change. She gulped. 

"Ah, that would be why I can't find it on my work account. Thank you, dear."

Things went relatively smoothly from there on out. Maeve unpacked her suitcase full of equipment, got acquainted with the single nurse floating around, and let Kaminari take as many trips to the bathroom beforehand as he needed. There were considerable. 

The surgery went like albeit complex clockwork. Maeve hadn't worked in such relaxed conditions in quite a while, actually. No nurses badgering her, or doctors drilling for information on patients. She'd spent yesterday off work so had more stamina than usual and there was a strange lack of palpable time pressure. All in all, she was quite pleased with the results. 

***

"Ehrm... The popey one, religious dude... Oh yeah. Bishop to A6." 

Kaminari gave a goofy grin and itched the bandage around his head with one hand while the other dragged a bishop across the chessboard. Maeve didn't bother to look up. She hadn't actually checked the game since they started, instead sketching his reconstructed brain from different angles with the accuracy of a photocopier. 

"Tensei, you better be doing physio instead of terrorizing Shroedinger," Maeve called at a closed door. There was a grumbled reply on the other side and the cat in question was ejected with a sad meow.

"Knight to A4," she added to Kaminari. Maeve was relying purely on memory and his ability to move the pieces for her. Which could be problematic. 

"What's a knight, again?" Denki asked, rubbing his head for the third time in five minutes. 

"The 'my little killer pony' one. Are you sure you don't want to just take off the bandage? You don't need it." 

Kaminari gave a charming smile. 

"Nah, the girls'll be arriving soon. I need to make the most of this, nothing's sexier than an injured guy being stoic." 

"A shame. Your hair is your best feature," Maeve muttered, hunkering down over the sketches with a determined expression. Apparently some important researchers from the states wanted them by the end of the evening. And others from China. And Belgium. And the UK. 

After consideration, Kaminari removed the bandage and dutifully shifted the horse figurine. Maeve taught him the rules for the game 10 minutes ago, nobody had bothered before then because they assumed he'd suck at it. Up until today, they'd been right. 

"You know, you don't have to let me win to make me feel better about myself," the lightning user said, examining the new set up. Surprised, Maeve took a glance at the board for the first time since the start of the game. Surely not. But so it was. Her focus had been so fixed elsewhere that the kid actually...

"What is it you say again? Check?" 

Maeve's expression alone told Kaminari she was just as surprised as he was. 

"Um, no that's actually checkmate," she coughed, replaying the match in her mind. The only other person who had ever beaten her at chess was Dr Shinso. He had the added bonus of knowing her every move before she made it. Kaminari just had his own mind and this was his first-ever game. He'd discretely set up an inescapable trap for her king, probably knowing Maeve was distracted and would walk blindly into it. It was frustratingly impressive.