Kelvin had retreated to his workshop the moment recruitment duties released him, grateful for the familiar chaos of scattered components and half-finished projects. KROME sat on the primary workbench in pieces, the left arm actuator disassembled for the third time this week because something about the joint assembly still wasn't sitting right.

He was elbow-deep in servo calibrations when the door opened. Diana walked in carrying two bottles of something that looked like beer but probably wasn't, given Eclipse's supply situation.

"Thought you might need this," she said, setting one bottle beside his workspace.

"You're a saint." Kelvin took a long drink, the carbonation burning pleasantly. "Please tell me you're here to distract me from the fact that I've rebuilt this actuator seventeen times and it's still making a noise that shouldn't exist."

"I'm here because the alternative is running another combat assessment and I've hit my limit for watching people try to punch while completely forgetting they have legs." Diana hopped up onto the secondary workbench, legs swinging. "One recruit today tried to demonstrate chi enhancement and ended up setting his own hair on fire. His HAIR, Kelvin. How do you mess up internal energy flow so badly that external combustion occurs?"

Kelvin laughed despite himself. "Was this the guy who claimed he'd been training for five years?"

"That's the one. Turns out his training consisted of watching archive footage of other people using chi and assuming he could replicate it through sheer confidence." Diana took a drink from her own bottle. "He also kept calling me 'ma'am' like we're in some pre-war military structure. I'm twenty. Stop making me feel ancient."

"At least he didn't try to flirt with you during assessment."

"Oh, three people tried that. I told them I'd nullify their momentum mid-pickup line and watch them fall on their faces." Her smile was sharp. "One guy actually tested me on it. Spoiler: he fell on his face."

Kelvin set down his tools, turning to face her properly. "There was this one recruit during technical evaluations who kept insisting he understood quantum mechanics because he'd watched a documentary once. A DOCUMENTARY. From 2025. Like fifty years ago. And when I asked him to explain particle-wave duality, he started talking about good vibes and manifestation energy."

"No."

"Yes! He literally said 'it's all about the vibes, man' like he was channeling some ancient YouTuber from before the Harbinger War." Kelvin pitched his voice higher, waving his hands vaguely. "The universe responds to your energy signature, bro. Just manifest the quantum state you want to observe."

Diana was laughing now, the sound genuine and unguarded. "Please tell me you rejected him."

"Rejected him so hard Sam asked if I was being too harsh. I showed Sam the interview recording. Sam agreed I was being appropriately harsh." Kelvin stood up, grabbing a wrench and gesticulating with it like a prop. "And then—THEN—this guy asks if I can teach him technopathy because he really vibes with machines. Just teach him. Like it's a skill you learn in a weekend workshop instead of an awakened ability you're born with."

"The confidence of mediocre men remains undefeated across centuries." Diana was grinning now, relaxed in a way Kelvin rarely saw outside the workshop. "I had someone ask if momentum nullification works on emotions. If I could just stop them from feeling anxious during combat."

"What did you tell them?"

"That if I could nullify stupidity, I'd have done it already."

Kelvin nearly choked on his drink. "That's brutal."

"That's accurate." Diana's eyes were bright with amusement. "You know what the worst part is? Half these people are genuinely capable. They just need to stop pretending they know more than they do and actually listen during training. But no, everyone's watched combat footage and assumes that makes them experts."

"Every generation thinks they invented confidence," Kelvin agreed. He set down the wrench, his expression shifting to something more thoughtful. "Speaking of confidence, or my complete lack thereof—I got you something."

"You got me something."

"For our not-date date date. The Italian restaurant. I meant to give it to you then but I chickened out." Kelvin was already rummaging through a drawer in his workbench, pushing aside components and tools. "It's not fancy or anything. Just something I thought you'd appreciate."

He pulled out a small case, roughly the size of his palm, and handed it over.

Diana opened it carefully. Inside was a pendant on a simple chain, the centerpiece a miniature gyroscope made from what looked like damascus steel. Except the patterns weren't just aesthetic—they moved, rotating with impossible smoothness, each ring spinning independently.

"It's a kinetic stabilizer," Kelvin explained, words coming faster as nerves kicked in. "Microscopic internal mechanisms, powered by ambient motion, so it never needs charging. The gyroscope represents momentum—constant, balanced, controlled. Like you. And if you channel chi through it, the rotation speed increases proportionally to the energy input. So you could theoretically use it as a visual indicator of your power levels during combat, or just wear it because it looks cool, which it does, I think, hopefully you agree—"

Diana kissed him.

She just leaned forward from her perch on the workbench, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him close enough to press her lips against his. It wasn't tentative or questioning. Just direct, shutting him up in the most effective way possible.

When she pulled back, her smile was genuine. "You're cute when you ramble."

"I'm cute?" Kelvin's brain was approximately three seconds behind reality.

"Very cute." Diana slid off the workbench, the pendant case still in her hand. "Thank you for this. It's perfect."

She walked toward the door, paused at the threshold, looked back over her shoulder with an expression that carried unmistakable promise. Then she winked and left.

Kelvin stood there for approximately ten seconds, processing. Then he looked down at himself, noted certain biological responses occurring, and grinned.

"The Pithon lineage would be proud of what's happening right now," he said to the empty workshop.

---

Evening settled over Eclipse headquarters with the particular quiet that came after chaotic days. Most people had retreated to their quarters or claimed whatever sleeping space they'd been assigned. The common areas were mostly empty, just a few recruits talking in low voices over late meals.

Noah was in his room reviewing reports when someone knocked. Three precise taps, one that suggested intention rather than uncertainty.

He opened the door to find Seraleth standing there, wearing civilian clothes instead of her usual tactical gear. Simple shirt and pants, nothing fancy, but somehow the change made her seem more approachable. Less warrior, more person.

"I came to play a game," she announced.

Noah blinked. "A game."

"Yes. Diana explained several human social customs to me earlier. One involves asking questions to learn about another person through structured interaction." Seraleth's expression was earnest. "I wish to know you better, and this seemed an appropriate method."

"You want to play truth or dare."

"That is the name Diana used, yes." Seraleth looked past him into his quarters. "May I enter?"

Noah stepped aside, letting her in. His room was sparse—bed, desk, some personal effects that hadn't accumulated much personality yet. Seraleth sat on the floor with casual grace, gesturing for him to join her.

"The rules are straightforward," she said once he'd settled across from her. "One person asks truth or dare. The other chooses. If truth, they must answer honestly. If dare, they must complete the requested action. Then roles reverse."

"I know how truth or dare works."

"Good. Then I will begin." Seraleth's luminous eyes met his directly. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Is it accurate that your parents abandoned you to join the Ark?" The question came without preamble, no gentle lead-in. Just direct inquiry. "I have heard this mentioned among faction members but wished to confirm before assuming."

Noah felt the familiar tightness in his chest that always accompanied thoughts of his parents. "Yeah. They're scientists. Got selected for the Ark's research division when I was eleven. Left me at EDF barracks and told me they'd visit when schedules allowed."

"Did they visit?"

"That's a second question."

"You are correct. My apologies." Seraleth's expression carried something that might have been sympathy. "Your turn."

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Noah considered his options. "Have you ever been in a relationship? Romantic, I mean."

"No." Seraleth's answer was simple, unashamed. "On Lilivil, I was always training or fighting. Believe it or not, my people's war against the Corruption consumed most of my adult life. There were opportunities, other warriors who expressed interest, but I never pursued them. Combat took priority."

"How old are you?" Noah asked before remembering it was her turn.

Seraleth smiled slightly. "That is my question to ask now. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Who was your first kiss, as humans would say?"

"Sophie. At the academy, maybe six minutes after we met. She kissed me first because I was too nervous to make a move." Noah felt heat creeping up his neck. "She was my first everything, actually."

"Everything." Seraleth processed this. "You mean sexual experience as well?"

"That's another question."

"You are correct again." Seraleth looked genuinely pleased by the structured interaction. "I am enjoying this game. Your turn."

They continued like that for maybe twenty minutes, trading questions that ranged from trivial to genuinely personal. Noah learned that Seraleth was one hundred twenty years old, barely considered adult by her species' standards. That she'd killed her first enemy combatant at thirty, had spent ninety years in active warfare before Arthur's actions destroyed her world.

She learned that Noah's parents had never visited after leaving him at the barracks. Not once in eight years. That he'd considered quitting the academy twice before finding his friend group. That his void abilities had awakened when he and Lila were trapped in a cave with a cat three beast during their first expedition, the same place where he'd found Nyx's egg."Truth or dare?" Seraleth asked eventually.

"Truth."

"Do you find me attractive?" The question came out slightly rushed, like she'd been working up courage to ask it. "As a potential romantic partner, I mean. Not merely as a warrior or ally."

Noah met her eyes. "Yes."

"Oh." Seraleth's cheeks darkened slightly, the closest thing to a blush her physiology seemed capable of. "That is good. I was uncertain if human and elf compatibility extended to romantic attraction, or if cultural differences would present obstacles."

"Your turn," Noah said.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Noah surprised himself with the choice.

Seraleth went very still. "Dare."

"Yeah."

She was quiet for a long moment, working through something. Then her expression shifted to determination mixed with nervousness. "I dare you to kiss me."

Noah's heart rate increased noticeably. "You're sure?"

"You chose dare. I am providing the dare. Unless you wish to forfeit?"

"I'm not forfeiting."

Noah moved forward, closing the distance between them. Seraleth held perfectly still, watching him approach with those luminous eyes. When he was close enough to feel her breath, he paused, giving her a chance to back out.

She didn't.

The kiss was gentle at first, testing, both of them figuring out how this worked between human and elf. Her lips were softer than he'd expected, her response uncertain but genuine. It lasted maybe five seconds before Noah pulled back, checking her reaction.

Seraleth's face had gone completely red. Not just cheeks—her entire face carried that darkened flush. "That was my first kiss," she said quietly.

"Was it okay?"

"Very okay." Seraleth touched her lips with her fingers, like confirming the kiss had actually happened. "I understand now why humans value this activity. It creates a sensation that is difficult to describe but pleasant."

Noah was trying to figure out how to respond when Seraleth stood abruptly. "I should return to my quarters. This game has been educational but also emotionally complex. I need time to process."

"Okay."

She walked to the door, opened it, stepped into the hallway. Noah heard her footsteps retreating.

Then they stopped.

The footsteps came back, faster this time. His door opened again and Seraleth was there, moving quickly across the room. She leaned down, kissed him again, brief but genuine, then pulled back with her face completely flushed.

"One more," she said, as if that explained everything.

Then she turned and practically ran from his room, the door closing behind her.

Noah sat there for a long moment, a smile spreading across his face despite himself. He could hear her quick footsteps disappearing down the hallway, almost running, like a kid who'd just done something brave and was now processing the reality of it.

The harem situation was getting increasingly complicated and increasingly real.

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