The Mech Touch

When Ves arrived at the Cloud Estate, Gloriana was calmly chatting with a group of aunties. They chuckled and giggled as they talked without abandon.

Now that Casella had clued him in, Ves realized what Gloriana was doing. She wanted to earn the approval of the Larkinsons.

She didn't have to, of course. The Larkinson Family never really meddled with relationships because they didn't matter. Even if the Larkinsons disapproved, the most they could do was kick the offending Larkinson out of the official family ranks.

Even if the Larkinson Family did not possess that much power, Ves still preferred it if Gloriana was able to live in harmony with his relatives.

From a practical point of view, the Larkinsons made up a key part of his hierarchy. Several of their retainers still occupied the top management positions in the LMC. Melkor and many other Larkinson mech pilots formed a solid and dependable core within the Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels.

If Gloriana had a falling out with the Larkinsons, then Ves would be put in a very difficult position. He wasn't sure whether he would side with the Larkinsons or Gloriana if he was compelled to make a choice.

"It's best if I'm never confronted with this dilemma."

Gloriana must have understood how difficult it was for Ves to choose between her and his family, because she had been socializing a lot with the Larkinsons at the Cloud Estate.

He stepped forward until his girlfriend noticed his presence.

"Let's talk." Ves jerked his head towards his mansion.

He turned around without seeing her reaction. He was sure she would follow.

Once they entered his mansion and sat down on some couches in an opulent living room.

Then, they both faced each other in silence.

Ves studied Gloriana's expression carefully. Unlike what he imagined, she did not show any guilt or apprehension. The tears she shed yesterday were nowhere to be seen.

When Ves attempted to study her emotions through the spiritual fragment stuck in his mind, he could barely make sense of her head. There were so many emotions roiling in her head that a poor man like Ves instantly became lost.

"Women. Why is your kind so complicated?" He muttered under his breath.

"What's that, Ves?"

"Ah, nothing."

The awkward silence stretched for a while. Eventually, Gloriana couldn't take it any longer. She sighed, stood up from her seat and moved over to sit besides him on the couch.

"Ves.." She stretched out her hand and placed it on his chest. "I already told you I'm sorry. I regret making you so upset. I know better now. I'll make sure to get your approval before I post anything on the galactic net. Is that okay?"

Her appeal made it very difficult for Ves to keep up his distance.

"Earlier today, I asked around. Someone suggested to me that you were working to gain social acceptance of our relationship to the people in your state. Is that true?"

Gloriana looked surprised.

"So it's true?"

"Yes."

"You don't have to keep things from me. If we're in this together, then you should be more forthcoming with me. What are you worried about?"

"You're not a Hexer, so you don't know how we think." She reluctantly said. "Do you know how boys like you are treated in our state?"

"Like kids?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. More like.. prize pets or trophies. Your pedigree is of utmost importance in our society. Who you are and what your personality is matters little to the Hexers who make up our ruling class."

What he just heard really did not sit well with him. "I'm not a pet like Lucky for you to parade around."

"I know, Ves. I don't want to treat you like that either. I love you, Ves. I really do. Different Hexers have different ideas on how boys should be treated. For my part, I never wanted a useless ornament. I want a partner who can be my equal and can help me go further in mech design. In my eyes, you are far better than any of the boys I've met back home."

"I've heard that several times. What makes me different from the 'boys' you're used to? Describe them to me, please."

Gloriana sneered. "They're too useless. Many female Hexers think that's a good thing. To them, boys ought to be subservient and devoid of initiative, which is completely unlike you. Collaborating with male Hexer mech designers is a waste of my time. They never make any proactive suggestions and always ask for my approval before implementing something to a mech design."

"That sounds really awful." Ves remarked. "Why would any female Hexer even agree to such a thing?"

"To be honest, many female Hexer mech designers simply use the boys under their control as their subordinates. Even if they're married, the boys are simply relegated to an assisting role in any collaborative projects. As a result, hardly any synergy can be achieved. True synergy only arises if at least two mech designers work from each other's strengths."

That made a lot of sense to Ves. He could see why Gloriana disliked such a working relationship even if it was the norm in the Hegemony.

"If a relationship between a male and female Hexer mech designer is so unproductive, why hasn't the mech industry in your state gone to ruin?"

"Hehe. Real collaborations take place between women. Think of your friend Calabast."

"Ah."

"The women don't have to be intimate to each other to develop a long-term partnership. A lot of recurring collaborations take place among female mech designers. That said, lesbian relationships are very common in our state. Many women even believe that the Hegemony should outlaw male-female relationships entirely because it's obsolete."

"What will happen to the men if that happens?"

"You don't have to worry about that. Only a couple of extreme factions advocate for this policy. I just mentioned it to give you a sample of what certain Hexers think of boys. Any boys they bring along are merely treated as assistants and accessories. If they have any useful specialties, then they're solely added to apply them to a mech design."

"So how does that relate to you, me and your Commbook posts?"

"I think you can guess it now, Ves. I've been trying hard to get my friends to see you as something more than a boy. My mother, my relatives and my friends are all set in their ways, so it will take a long time to make them see you as something more."

"Do all Hexers dismiss men as boys?"

"Some do. Almost every boy from our state is like this. We can be a bit insular, but there are enough Hexers who recognize that foreign men aren't necessarily weaker than them. Only Hexers who live in their own bubble believe that they can impose their standards on everyone else."

"How do they even interact with the men serving in the MTA and CFA?"

She shrugged. "Some Hexers still consider them boys. They just have access to too much power than they can safely wield. They'll inevitably let their juvenile emotions get the better of them and ruin the galaxy somehow. Once that happens, it's time for women to rise up and clean up the messes the boys have made."

That sounded like a horrendously patronizing attitude towards men! Hexers even looked down on the men serving in the Big Two! That took a lot of guts!

Gloriana continued to elaborate on how Hexers viewed men and boys. While Ves had already read up on the topic, hearing Gloriana confirm many of his worst impressions was a real eye opener.

During the conversation, Ves relaxed a bit and took the initiative to cozy up to Gloriana. She was obviously pleased with his actions and melted against his side.

Ves no longer held on to his anger. He simply couldn't. While Gloriana made a mistake, Ves couldn't completely fault her for it considering what she wanted to achieve.

Even as Gloriana continued to describe all of the deplorable ways Hexers treated boys, she frequently reminded him that she would never treat him in this fashion.

"Is your attitude even acceptable to the Hexers back home?" Ves curiously asked.

She shook her head. "Not exactly. That's why I've been working so hard to change people's impressions of us. As long as everyone accepts that we belong together, we have a lot more leeway. Once the Hegemony beats the Coalition, this entire star sector will fall in our hands! By then, it will be important to gain enough approval."

Ves briefly smirked. If the Hegemony really beat the Coalition, then Ves did not intend to return to the Komodo Star Sector. Let the Hexers transform the rest of the star sector into a society where women reigned supreme. Ves would be long gone by then!

He didn't mention his intentions to his girlfriend. Not yet. He could clearly tell that Gloriana was quite attached to the Hegemony. The thought of leaving her home state and the Wodin Dynasty behind to accompany him elsewhere was still a very bold suggestion.

The key to resolving this situation was to deepen his relationship with Gloriana. He needed to make her more attached to him than her home state. Once Ves confronted her with a choice, she would likely choose the lesser of two evils and opt to stay with him rather than to return to her home state.

Ves wouldn't have to live in a society where men were treated like irresponsible boys!

The biggest reason why Ves was still reluctant to raise this topic with Gloriana was that it would be unfair to force a binary choice on her. Ves even considered it outright manipulative.

Yet.. between his own wellbeing and Gloriana's wellbeing, Ves did not feel guilty at all in choosing to advance his own interests.

He was really doing Gloriana a favor, actually. The sooner he pulled her out of the reach of Hexer society, the faster he could change her impression of men and boys.

"Are we okay now, Ves?" Gloriana looked in his eyes.

Ves nodded. "I think so."

Both of them came closer and kissed. The pure love that radiated from their lips caused both of them to sink into each other.

They separated after a short while because Melody was already starting to make some noises.

"We should get back to work." Ves suggested. "William Urbesh will probably wake up soon. We'll have to study his condition and see if he's fit to undergo examinations."

"What did you exactly do to him, anyway? I still don't understand."

"It's not something I can easily explain. It's too fantastical and obscure. I just hope that William has at least reached a state where he can actually fight back when faced with an opponent."

This was not a good place for him to describe what he did to William. He didn't mind sharing some more details, but that would have to wait until he was in a better and more trusting mood.

"Ves?"

"Yes, Gloriana?"

"I'll make up for what I've done."

"You don't have to. I'm already fine as long as you don't repeat your mistakes."

She vigorously shook her head. "That's not enough! I really made you angry. I realize that. Even if you held yourself back, I knew you were about to explode on me yesterday."

"It's fine." Ves caressed her hand. "I don't want to hurt you."

Gloriana sighed. "That just makes me feel more bad about what happened. Just you wait, Ves. I'll be sure to come up with something that will make you happy!"

Ves dismissed her words. She didn't need to do anything special. As long as she adjusted her behavior a bit, that was enough to make him happy.

The two eventually stood up and exited the mansion. This incident had already taken up enough of their time. They had a lot of work to do!