Snake and Spider 12

“Madam Bai, your appreciation of the product is noted. You may stop now.”

In the depths of her workshop, Bao Qingling crossed her arms and scowled at her client. Who was not taking this seriously enough at all.

“Ah, but is the realism not the most vital aspect of the device,” Bai Meizhen said innocently, tiling her head toward Bao Qingling. Even in the blur of her vision, Bai Meizhen’s eyes stood out in focus, sharp and yellow and slitted, a projection of her aura in Bao Qingling’s senses.

Bao Qingling was not certain how she felt about her companions' efforts in that direction. Especially right now.

The Lacquered Shadow Automata she had developed in tandem with Li Suyin was displayed here position in a padded seat. The prototype, naturally bore her own face and features. It was wholly unnecessary for Bai Meizhen to have all but climbed into the seat one knee between the dolls legs in order to cup its blank face in her hands and inspect its features.

Utterly unnecessary. She knew this. Bai Meizhen’s senses were perfectly adequate at greater range.

She was irritated and nothing else with this frivolity interrupting her presentation. Nothing else.

“I will stop,” Bai Meizhen said, straightening up. Her gown fell all the way back to the floor, where before her ankle and calf had been exposed. “This does impress Qingling. How much of this is illusory, the face felt quite real, if too still and cold.”

“The illusory emitters are hidden in the joints and joins of the body. It is necessary for the devices good function that more articulation and physical shape is applied to the head and face. Experiments with blank faceplates resulted in much reduced accuracy and ease of identification,” Bao Qingling replied, eyes flicking upward.

“That makes sense, so the rest is much less detailed,” Bai Meizhen said sadly, resting her hand on her cheek as she turned toward Qingling.

She felt her eyebrow twitch. Bai Meizhen covered her mouth with her hand and tittered softly. “If you are so bold as that, I am standing right here.”

The words echoed, Bao Qingling felt her expression freeze. Why had she said that? An absurd and insulting invitation in response to oblique teasing. Inappropriate. Utterly inappropriate.

Bai Meizhen’s eyes had gone wide. Her pale cheeks bright pink.

Neither of them met each others eyes for a long, long few moments.

“S-so! The quality of the doll is high. How long may it be deployed, and what level of scrutiny do you expect it to deflect?” Bai Meizhen said.

“It depends on a certain level of environmental context. It is not capable of holding sustained conversation, the programmable functions do not allow for more than a handful of recorded sentences and triggers. In the absence of speech however it may be deployed for up to six hours, projecting the same qi signature as the model. The current model will sustain casual inspection from most third realms,” Bao Qingling replied stiffly.

“And close inspection?” Bai Meizhen said, half turning away, her hands folded back into her voluminous sleeves.

“Against one focused on perceptive arts, perhaps a minute or two of sustained interaction. Against others, perhaps ten or twenty, depending on environmental factors and level of beginning suspicion.”

“Useful, as a body double, that does allow it to fill a significant role in deflecting or confusing ones presence. “Combat ability?”

“Very little. Those functions were sacrificed for more accurate projection of the models at rest state. There is a self destruct option, in case of physical assault. There is a reservoir for liquid toxins in the abdomen, and an air dispersal formation to ensure a wide area effect.”

“Excellent,” Bai Meizhen said. “I did think I scented something. How is storage and deployment?”

“Storage Ring friendly assuming a grade high enough to hold a talisman of its quality.”

Bai Meizhen took a deep breath. “Jesting aside, I will place a commission for two, in addition to the list of security items already provided. One for myself and one for Bai Xiao Fen. Can they be delivered inside the year?”

Bao Qingling felt her eyebrows climb. She had not actually been intending to make a sale, merely impress with a bit of cutting edge craft. She and Li Suyin were still improving the automata. “...Possible though the price would be high, in the hundreds of Green Stones.”

“No discount for your best client?” Bai Meizhen asked lightly.

“Included in my estimation statement,” Bao Qingling replied dryly. She narrowed her eyes at Bai Meizhen. She was tense even beyond the awkwardness of their… verbal missteps. “You are afraid of something. Some threat. What?”

Bai Meizhen’s aura shimmered and warped, a writhing serpent overlaid on her blurry white form. Bao Qingling could feel the vibrations of her agitated qi on her skin. “I believe I shall have to return to Zhengjian, sometime this year.”

Bao Qingling went still, control of her basic internal functions slipped back into automatic, natural states, her vision sharpened painfully, the lights set in the curved silken walls of her lab burning painfully, her own breathing thunderously loud in her ears.

She ruthlessly seized back control of her bodily functions, stopping her own breath, stilling her blood, shutting down all unnecessary function until the brief qi deviation was snuffed out. Externally she merely flinched, her breath briefly hitching.

“Only for a month or two,” Bai Meizhen said.

Shameful, her distress had been noticed. But then, she supposed that her paramour was likely thinking the same. “You’re Aunt will not provide your security?”

“She will, but I am not a child who may hide behind her mothers gown without shame. Not having my own defenses would be shameful indeed,” Bai Meizhen replied, closing her eyes for a moment.

“I see,” Bao Qingling said. “Then I suppose I will have to speed development of the project.”

There were other defensive talismans she was experimenting with, given her travel too and fro from the summit site for this arrangement. What would be of high enough quality to be useful against the Bai clan's own fangs?

“...The Ambassador is hosting a dinner, as a respected contractor and ally, you are invited, she wishes to speak more with you,” Bai Meizhen said quietly, looking upward.

Bao Qingling grimaced. She bit back the reflexive refusal. She understood what was being asked. The youth could not really hide much from their elders when they chose to look. This on top of the rest.

“When?”

“Seven days from now, before I depart for the summit proper.”

“Very well. I will require your assistance to be presentable,” Bao Qingling grunted. If she was to do this, she at least deserved some small comfort.

Bai Meizhen gave a small smile. Approaching her, the smaller girl reached up and brushed her cheek “Of course, thank you Qingling. I have said before that you could do much more with your hair.”

“... I will miss you,” Bao Qingling said stiffly. She paused, her hands twitching at her sides. Useless hesitation.

Bai Meizhen stiffened in surprise as Bao Qingling initiated an embrace, but it melted away a moment later as she returned the embrace.

“And I you. But, we have a long while yet,” Bai Meizhen murmured, whispering into her chest.

Not long enough, she thought.