A Bit(e) of Hope (Private)

Sugary looked at the hooflet curiously, humming softly as he then grabbed and examined with great care at the crafting, its condition, and made very minute pulses of his own magic onto it to test where the conduits were and weren't flowing right. "... This isn't quite my forte, but I have dabbled in restoring my airship's conduits when needed and general maintenance. I might be able to... well, not fully restore it, but I can at least attempt a patchwork on it if you'll let me. I'd like to take a crack at Lightning's own creation, especially if it'll help you do some work while we're at it."

"Sure, I cant see why not, I mean it wont let me do any fancy teleporting or transmutation, but just being able to pick up and move items is a big plus, especially if it means I can help without accidently breaking your kit, it would also help me maintain my wings heh" she sat there for a moment before deciding to unfurl her large wings.

His eyes stare rather intently at her wings when shown, making him smile a bit more. "... You mean preening? I can just do that myself while I try to repair the hooflet if you need help with that. I learned it doing it for my younger sister and grandparents." As it were, he was already using his magic to multi-task between the ship maintenance, and trying to find compatible components and materials he owned to which he could reconnect and re-enchant the magi-tech of it with his own moderate knowledge of alchemy and spellcrafting.

The large mare blushed a tad, "I mean,, I wont stop you, it would be very welcome, b-but letting someone else do your feathers,, I guess its just,, its something you do with family ore your partner,, its just, you know, kinda intimate, it would be like me,, what's the comparison" she paused a second scratching her chin before pointing at him "like polishing your horn or something,, not that I'm saying no to your offer,, I guess its just" she stopped herself quite clearly just talking to hide how flustered she was her blush rather noticeable.

Sugary chuckles heartily, noting Sky's hesitation on the matter. He hummed in thought as he scooched closer to her. "... I understand I might be asking too much of you with this. All I need is a little trust, and a bit of time to tend to your feathers. If you think I'm no good, then that'll be the end of it, okay? Besides, I'm still trying to fix your device. Might as well fix you up along with it and the airship while I'm at it. Now, let me see..." Multitasking really wasn't an issue yet, his magic tending to the nearby parts, and now his own hoof slowly but firmly stroking her feathers outward as it vibrated with magic. It was meant to be a soothing sensation, as well as to start shaking up loose feathers out of the way gradually.

her large wing out stretched all she could do was look to the side and blush, "its not that i don't think you can do it, nor a lack of trust,, its just,, very intermate, and i suppose,, it wouldn't be so wrong,, to say,, well i don't have many, intermate relations." she almost lost train of thought several times as he did his part, the sensation being some what special.

A light snort left his nostrils. "I'm not trying to seduce you here, but I am trying for you to feel comfortable and enjoy yourself." He kept quiet about it a bit as the shaking eventually became more focused, more about meticulous strokes and brushes that were steady and warm to preen her. "But if you think this is intimate... I had to learn how to do this first with my own lips. Would you rather I do it the old fashioned way~?" He did tease a little, but perhaps Sky could tell what had drawn him and Lightning together when each of them had a spark of passion that seemed to click with each other, and his never seemed to solely spread towards one other being.

"No no magic is fine, it's just,, odd for me is all" she kept looking away and circling her hoof on the ground,, "but still, thanks" she adds, a small smile on her face.

With that answer, the stallion kept it simple with magic then. The eventual results would speak for themselves to be sure, as what many or few feathers that were coming loose or in need of grooming were tended to quite comfortably and competently. He was a stallion of many talents, but this one really did come from home very easily as Sky's wings were good as new. "... Annnd done. That wasn't a bother, was it? Try flapping them a bit. And when you get the chance, test out the hooflet; It might not manage as much of an output without Lightning's specifications, but I think I got it to connect right with secondary spare pieces to at least be functional again."

She outstretched her enormous wings, as snow white as she was and gave them a single flap and flurry, of which the resulting air blast hit fairly hard, she seemed to have mobility in them comparable to a much smaller and swift Pegasus despite her grand scale. "Thank you Sugary, not just for the hooflet that should allow me to help you better, but the wings too, I owe you a drink or 2 after everything" she honestly and somewhat softly

Sugary gleefully stared at Sky's wings and satisfied demeanor. "Wonderful to hear. I'll pass on drinks, but a meal instead on you would be just as swell. And... Good work there so far by the way. I think you're more careful than you claim to be. The Black Mambo will be good as new in no time at this rate~!"

She waved her hoof at the brush and a coil, a gold glow emanated from her hoof and enclosed the items, it wasn't complicated as she lifter the spring and started brushing down the coil, "I won't lie and say it's working as good as it used to but I'm really thankful that it works at all, thanks again, truely" she remembered he was a straight to the point individual, and herself recognised and appreciated being streight with.

Even if the praise was faint, it was enough to get the stallion looking endearingly giddy as he chuckled with glee at the results. "You're welcome~! I knew those alchemy and magitek lessons would come in handy for more than just handling tools and my airship. Lightning's crafts are a work of art though. Trying to competently replicate the complex matrix of her design from scratch would take dedicated study out of her to keep up... Still, it brings me no small glee that you're content with your 'Sugary Custom' hooflet. And the preening I just gave you for that matter!" The friendly and talented companion that Sky was with seemed to renew his vigor and got to work much more smoothly and focused, even more at ease in her company.

and with that sky whisked along, getting component and core cleaned and then re-applied. finding a few things broken frazzled or cracked from the strain, she found solace working along side the steadfast stallion as they fixed what they could and noted the rest, after only a few hours they had near completely inspected the totality of the ship. as she realised the task was done she turned to the stallion, looking down somewhat, "I think that's most of what we can to with what we have, at least with a brush. but like lightning said we should probably set up some defences, if this place is like the Everfree then we will have a lot of visitors and most if not all wont be friendly,, not that you didn't know that I suppose, I guess I'm just very aware of the encroaching darkness" she said looking out a window.

Sugary in contrast did gently tap on Sky's shoulder with a little more pep. "I think you underestimate how important such maintenance can be. This will ensure future tests will be consistent as we finish up the repairs. We got more than enough done today, tomorrow we make use of spares to get it all going smoothly again; You made this really easy too, so I'm grateful... However, I do see your point. I set up basic runes, but I'll be sure to temper them for good measure. I've got an old but reliable defense system to test out for such a situation." Afterwards, he'd proceed to gather up and refine some crystals he had made himself that he called Magicite, quite literally alchemic concentrated essence of elements, solidified magic, and crystalized minerals being primarily sand for stable pliability in its construction; They should have largely endured wild magic given their isolated states. He'd place multiple of them around the airship railing, both to provide gentle lighting, and give a decent 'shock' and 'awe' to would-be intruders.

"I think you may be mistaken, I'm very aware of how important these repair are, but if we get eaten before we can leave there's not much point in getting the ship running don't you think". sky retrieved her gun and stood on deck watching Sugary as he prepped his defences and surveying the wild foliage just beyond him.

Sugary let out a short but hearty laugh. "Oh, I didn't mean it that way. The maintenance we did will be of great use to us is all, more than your words seemed to imply, but I apologize for assuming and giving the wrong impression." He would be very thorough about their surroundings. Even if it was a new place, his keen eyes did scout their surroundings for the best possible placements of the runes and crystals. "... And that should do it. Anything getting past that easily would put into question whether the locals are insane to live here, or the wildlife is undergoing a rapid evolution... Otherwise, issues should be minor here in home base."

"You are probably right, I assume they will make enough noise for us to hear right? Either way I'm heading down to the living quarters if you want to meet me there, have a chance to unwind you know." She said slinging her gun onto her back and disappear below deck. Shed make her way to the living quarters lightning installed on there first day and waited for the stallion to join her.

Sugary remained out for just a little while longer, staring to the horizon and wishing Lightning and Menacy well... He also let his cheeks blush a bit at the thought that his lover would not be beckoning him to indulge her intimately that night, shaking his head at the thought as he went in and closed the door.

Downstairs, he would come by Sky with a subdued flushed smile, trying to get his mind off how passionate the scientist had been with him. "Ya know, we went on a good while today without eating much. You must be hungry and want a shower too, eh?"

She looked to him, and stretched. "A shower would go a long way but,," she patted her slightly plusher belly "anything I eat goes straight to fat, the ambient magic is plenty enough to keep me sated. Especially as I don't really have a way to burn any of this off ahah" she joked a tad and rubbed her shoulder which seemed to be stiff. "No if anything what I need is a drink, something to calm the nerves you know"

The stallion hummed a little at the request, wondering what kind of drink would suit her best until he clapped his hooves and smiled. "I think I got just the thing to help quench your thirst. Be right back..." He moved about the storage area, unlocking a small cool chest and from it drawing out a white bottle and some glasses to go with it with his magic. Once he came back, it turned out to be mild sweet wine. "... How 'bout this? It's coconut wine. Mild and sweet, of course. My kind of lifestyle isn't one I'd wanna make myself silly over, nevermind liking any hard stuff. It'll quench ya~!"

"sure, I'm partial to trying new things, tho I'm more used to coconut rum, bust sure thing" she says sitting up ready to receive her glass

"Rum is just too much for me, but this might just tickle your gullet well enough. Here you go." The stallion gleefully pours her a glass and then serves some for himself while he sat by her, saying 'cheers' shortly after and clanking the glass gently with her before he takes his sips with a soft sigh. The flavor once she got to drink it herself was as he described, though no doubt coconut water was the main ingredient; An invigorating drink to be sure, and one to maybe ease her mind to get her talking if there was something she wanted to share with him in peace.

she swirled it in her glass, looking at the viscosity and giving it a smell before taking a sip. it was refreshing and some what soft. she softened in her seat leaning back a bit and got a tad more comfortable, "its not my standard sort of affair, but its pleasant enough, thank you Sugary"

Sugary is delighted with this, and for the time being just enjoys the conclusion to a job well done with a nice breather and pleasant company. He wasn't sure Sky wanted to talk much as time went by, and he wasn't sure how to prod delicately for a small chat to pass the time, so he gave it one more shot casually. "... Say, I kinda asked Lightning about her current projects and she's told me about her past, but I don't think I ever asked it this way. Can you tell me what it's been like working with her on projects related to this one so far? I can only imagine how long she's been planning for something this big."