^^ Teslan Conduit Armor ^^

--- Lillian Cordova ---

I woke up around 8:00 in the afternoon, and smelled food and coffee in the next room.

"Mm... Jacob? Is that pancakes and coffee?"

"I have surpassed even that... I have created BACON PANCAKES!" He cackled theatrically.

"Mm, smells good, Frankenstein..." I mumbled.

"Gimme a minute, they're almost done." He said, and I heard a few pancakes flipping.

I smiled at the sight of him walking in with a plate of oddly misshapen pancakes with pieces of charred bacon sticking out of them, just like I liked them. "And bon apetit!" He grinned.

I kissed his stubble-covered cheek. "Mm, thank you. Now go shave, then come eat, and coffee and kisses will be provided." I poked his nose.

He smiled and kissed my forehead sweetly... then proceeded to rub his scratchy cheek along my neck, making me wiggle. "Eeeek! Stop your nonsense!" I growled playfully, and shooed him away.

I ate my pancakes as he shaved in our little bathroom, and then sat watching him, sipping my coffee.

He smirked in the mirror. "I can feel your eyes on me... I know I'm sexy, darling, but perhaps you should try to love me for my charming personality, not my fine ass and giant-"

I threw a pillow at him, and he caught it casually, and tossed it back.

A inky butterfly slipped into the room, and flew over to him. "The count wants to talk to both of us... that can't be good, right?" He murmured.

"Dunno... maybe we have to renew our marriage license? We haven't had any children, and we've been married two years... maybe we're being told to hurry it along?" I smiled.

"Ooh, wouldn't mind that, huh? Getting approval for children..." he hummed, and opened the message made of black origami paper.

He froze, and set down his razor.

"Luv?" I asked softly, and stood up, slowly walking over, so as not to spook him.

"There's been an attack in the city... we didn't feel it because we're in the Nth dimension... and we're being called in. Right now." He showed me the letter, and then dried his face, turning off the stove, and grabbing his armor.

I growled and stepped into clothes, then grabbed my armor, and followed as we sprinted out into the Atrium, amid a flood of guards.

I hopped into my boots, and then slipped my cuirass over my shirt, and tightened Jacob's straps as he tied his boots skillfully. We switched places, still moving, and eventually got settled, just as we hit the stairs.

The gate was wide open, and we received our orders from the captains.

"The attack was on Monroe! The attackers are headed west towards Corsican! We have wounded on St. Alvis' Street! Healers to St. Alvis, Warriors to Corsican! MOVE IT!" Captain West roared.

I kissed Jacob. "Go on, I'll be fine."

He frowned at leaving me, but nodded, pulled out his Amulet, and darting off with the healers.

I followed the other warriors, and reached for my sword, only to remember I'd left it with Pamela so she could enchant it.

"Shit!" I snapped.

"You're kinda forgetful, you know?"

I looked down, and frowned at Oscar. "Get back inside, it isn't safe-"

He raised an eyebrow slowly.

I repeated myself firmly. "It isn't safe."

He shrugged, and then started jogging with the warriors.

I growled and followed, snagging a piece of metal from a scrap heap, and shaping it into a sword as we ran.

He hummed, impressed, when he saw it as we posted up on Corsican. "Cool."

"My specialty magic." I grinned, and then sniffed. "Do you smell Ozone?"

He raised a hand in front of my face, and Lightning arced off of his hand, into the clouds. "I smell plasma, not ozone. That's Teslan Tech." He frowned.

I growled at the thought of that technology in the hands of a criminal, and looked at the person who had shot the Lightning.

I'd never seen armor quite like his. Small, enclosed Tesla Coils decorated the joints and left forearm of his armor, and his head was covered in a glass helmet. In his right hand was a type of switch.

"HEY, JACKASS!!!" Oscar snapped.

"Seriously, taunting? Does he look like he needs incentive to kill us?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, he looks like a walking Cesium Bomb, so I'd rather him attack us than hit that button." He growled back.

I noticed the tank of white liquid on his back, and gulped slowly. "Okay... good point."

He blocked another arc of lightning, and this time I saw how he did it. Lightning gathered at his chest and shoulders, then traveled into his hand, where the only exposed Coil sat in his palm, directing the Lightning.

"Remind me what Lightning does to Cesium?" I asked softly.

"Chemistry?" Oscar grinned good naturedly.

"Okay that was a dumb question, huh?" I chuckled, and then threw my sword at the attacker savagely.

The sword flew right through him, impaling his heart, to my surprise. "Holy shit... I thought he had some sort of ward up..."

Oscar darted forward, and ripped the trigger out of the man's hand, disconnecting it, and then took the tanks off the man's back, and carried them carefully to another soldier who'd come towards the sound of fighting.

I noticed more of the glowing soldiers, and retrieved my sword, darting towards them.

They yelled in surprise, but my sword cut off their hands before they could hit the switches, and then the other warriors found us, and mobbed them.

We spread out, and ended up at the edge of the city, where part of the wall was gone, and the ground was radioactive, now.

I tsk'ed at the picture. "This will take weeks to clean up..."

"A mere distraction, voman. Und zis is noshing personal, I svear." A deep voice with a Swiss or German accent spoke, and I whirled around, raising my sword.

The foot that would have struck my stomach and pushed me into the pit of radiation was held in the hand of a trembling Oscar, and the owner of the ruined leg was laying on the ground, screaming bloody murder, by the time I completed my turn.

Oscar dropped the leg, and cracked his neck. "I think we need to have talk, Herr Doctore." He growled at the quivering man.

---

"So he spoke to you? You said he sounded... Swiss? Swedish?" The count asked, looking through the glass at the man in the hospital bed, tied down tightly.

"Definitely German or Swiss. Oscar called him 'Herr Doctor', but that is a title, I think, not a name." I hummed.

"Correct. It just means 'Doctor'. Like a medical doctor, or a Scientist." He nodded slowly.

"Scientists still exist? And we allow them to?" I snapped, confused.

He blinked. "Of course they do. We just call them mages, now." He smiled as if he was explaining something to a child. "Of course, the types of scientists you're thinking of, the ones who destroyed the foundations of society with machines, no. They're a dying breed, even the good-natured ones."

I frowned. "Again, we allow them to live?"

"Of course. It is by no means illegal to attain knowledge, after all. It's encouraged. What is a person with no magic supposed to do, be useless? No. They find things to do, to learn. Most become menial laborers or scientists at colleges like ours." He nodded.

"Hmmm... and some apparently become criminal masterminds." I said dryly.

"Indeed..." he sighed. "Well, we'll know more when he wakes up. What did Oscar do to him, by the way? It looks like his right hand was sawed off, unlike his leg, which looks like his ancestral magic ripped it off."

"He had a trigger to more bombs. I cut his hand off with what I had on hand." I chuckled at the pun.

"Hilarious." He frowned.

"Anyway, we tried to interrogate him, but he passed out from blood loss before we could get anything." I sighed.

"I see... alright. I'll post a guard, then, to watch him. You go get some more rest. I have a feeling I'll need you to work, before long." He sighed.

I snapped a crisp salute, and then walked out of the hospital after checking on Pamela, who was working with Jacob and the other healers in the emergency room.

I sighed, and made my way towards home, stopping at what I'd been informed was Oscar's apartment. I knocked, and waited.

The door opened, and a mountain of a man leaned down to see me. "Да? что вам нужно?"

I blinked slowly. "Uhm, I don't know any translation spells, so-"

"I speak Englesh for you, then. What do you need, little one?" He asked slowly.

"I was just coming to thank Oscar, he did a good job today, and he saved my life, so is he in?" I asked.

He blinked slowly. "I am David Atreyu, his father. Yes, he is in. Come in, welcome." He opened the door and stepped aside.

I stepped inside, and grinned at the sight of Oscar being scolded by a tall woman who could only be his mother.

He spotted me, and grinned. "If it isn't Lillian Cordova, come to save me from my mother's wrath!"

I laughed. "I'm here for no such thing, kid. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. I figure we're even now, agreed?"

He hummed, thinking about that question. "Well... I suppose." He answered finally.

"Good. Now I'll be going, good luck with your mother." I smiled.

"No, stay, eat with us! We were in the middle of dinner when this happens." The woman stood, and strode over in a few deceptively short strides, covering more ground than I could in twice as many strides.

I sighed. "I'd love to, but I really need some rest. I haven't been able to get a full nights sleep in almost three days, and for one of those I was kidnapped, so I'm just going to sleep, I think. It smells delicious, though." I apologized and then ducked out, taking off my helmet with a groan of relief. "Gods I hate this thing." I grumbled.

As I entered my apartment, I woodenly placed all my armor on the stand, and then stood in the shower for what felt like forever, but turned out to be about thirty minutes. I fluffed myself with a towel, and then fell into bed.
-
The door closed, and I smiled as Jacob walked in, tired, and stepped into the shower. He did as I'd done, and stood there for almost half an hour, before stepping out and drying off half-heartedly.

When he stepped into the bedroom, and saw my bare skin, he chuckled, and plopped down on top of me. "You're okay?" He sighed.

"Always." I nodded.

He nodded and kissed my neck slowly. "Good..."

"You raised a good point, before... two years and no children is pushing our luck a bit." I hummed.

He chuckled. "Mm. True... and?"

"Did you think I was laying here naked for no reason? You realize how cold it is?" I snapped sarcastically, and rolled us over, trapping him under me.

He smiled and kissed me. "I see..."

"And I also see that you only shaved half your face, and that's adorable." I grinned.

He growled playfully, and rolled us back over. "Well I was a bit distracted... speaking of distractions..."

"Oh my..." I smirked at the look in his eyes, and turned over, offering him my hips.

---

I hopped out of bed, humming a tune, and danced into the kitchen on the cold tiles, finding some soup on the counter, and a note.

'Hope your efforts are not in vain! Eat after a while, to replenish energy!~ Oscar.'

I snorted at the knowledge he'd been in here, and the fact that he was aware of what we were doing.

Jacob stepped out and hugged me. "What's this?" He asked sleepily.

"Our lunch, courtesy of Oscar." I stuck the two ceramic bowls into the oven, and started the fires underneath magically.

He hummed at my bending over. "I can't say I'm not indebted to him. First he saves my wife, now he brings me food and an encouraging note about impregnating her. I like this kid already." He laughed.

I smiled and placed my forearms on the counter. "I suppose he does have some good qualities... now enough about him. I may not be one of those attention whores, but when it's just us... I do like you to pay attention to me." I frowned over my shoulder pettily.

He smiled and braced himself against the counter. "Indeed. My apologies, lover. Ready?"

"Absolu-OH!"

---

It was rather good soup. A touch too much basil.