"That's Zee." Doc said, by way of confirmation. "Smart creature. Keeps stealing my pens though, which isn't very nice of her. I'm hoping the armor I'm building her will at least distract her. She'll be the prettiest creature in the city. Besides you, of course." He added with a wink at Kiania, who had just come in.
"Save it for Gage, loverboy." Kiania said, sticking out her tongue. She was now covered in red, in the process of trying to wipe some of it off.
"Nice that she's not terrorizing streets, though." He stood up to look around the room, deciding the doctor probably wouldn't notice.
Doc snorted, shooting a look to Kiania, who had snatched up Zee and was currently rubbing the lizard's belly. "Not anymore, at least."
Dylan nodded and turned to the Doc. "So, about the designs. You think you could work something out soon?" He shifted his weight around slightly, somewhat anxious but hiding it as best he could.
"With the gloves? Sure!" Doc nodded, still digging around. "What kinda gloves you want? Fingerless? Winter gloves, mittens, oven mits, anything and everything."
"I got gloves." Dylan said, stopping him. "Although I could pull off the oven mits, too." He dug out a pair of simple fingerless leather gloves, seemingly well worn but strong. They were brown, but stained a dirty dark green on the palms. "I was thinking some kind of sensor on the palm that I could flick on or off."
"Clap twice and you got yourself a fancy glove," Doc said, sweeping by and grabbing the gloves as he passed, heading for a table.
"Otherwise, you'll accidentally trigger them." Kiania finished for him, spinning in an office chair as she texted someone. "What're they supposed to do?"
"Release an electrical shock that will hopefully render whatever I'm fighting paralyzed for a few minutes. But not unconscious." He watched Doc and Kiania, his eyes flicking back and forth between them.
"You'll have to keep outta the water." Kiania said, patting Zee, who was curled up in her lap, as she texted.
"Ah, yes, she does have a point. Avoid rain best you can, and sprinklers are a definite no-go." Doc sang the last bit, before yelping as he presumably shocked himself.
"Can do." He leaned against a wall, turning his head to watch the lizard. "Are you two married?" He asked out of curiosity.
Kiania choked, looking up from her phone as she stilled her petting of the lizard. "What?" She snorted, bursting into laughter. "He's got a thing for my best friend, man."
"I do not." Doc's usually slightly flighty nature seemed to switch more to embarrassment, a flush creeping up his neck as he visibly grew flustered. "And no, we are not married."
"Too bad." Dylan had had a feeling, but he quite enjoyed getting that sort of reaction from people. Also, good to know there wasn't a love triangle he might get in the middle of.
Kiania raised an eyebrow, cheeks still flushed from the laughter she'd managed to get a hold of. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It could go either way…" He thought for a moment and grinned at her. "But it's nice to know you're single."
She blinked, not at all expecting that, but a smirk played on her lips. "I never said I was single, just that I wasn't married, remember?" Of course, she was single, but if he knew that, it took away the fun of messing with him.
Dylan shook his head slowly. "Right. So you're dating someone?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "It'd better not be anyone I know."
Kiania just winked, and a groan sounded from over by one of the tables. "I'd appreciate if you two wouldn't ruin the sanctity of my science space with your flirting, thank you."
"Flirting? This isn't flirting." Dylan countered, returning the wink with a smirk. "Flirting would include more contact, and a little more backstory so we have something to go on."
"And what exactly does constitutes as 'backstory'?" Kiania asked, raising an eyebrow as she let Zee chew on her finger.
"I dunno. Enough life that I'd have something to tease you with. Like embarrassing childhood photos." He examined one hand, seemingly nonchalant.
"Pick up a tabloid." She muttered, before speaking up again. "Yeah, no. You don't even know my name, why would I give you my childhood photos?"
"I wouldn't be opposed to learning your name, either." He said, raising an eyebrow at her. "You know mine."
"That was your choice." She shot back easily, leaning back in the chair.
"Actually, you already know her last name." Doc pointed out helpfully, from where he was hunched over the gloves. "And her hero name, which, with a little digging, would very quickly lead you to her actual name."
"Then digging it is!" He clapped and turned to face her. "Although I have every intention of annoying you until I find out. Is it Penelope? Or Annie? Or Donna?"
She wrinkled her nose in distaste, shaking her head. "A, it's not any name that's that common. At least not a common white name. B, yuck. Donna? Do I look like a soccer mom?"
Dylan took the opportunity to look her up and down once again. "Well.. I guess not. Maggie? No, Zuri. Kiki? I could call you kiki."
"Nope, nope, and nope." Kiania said, using her feet to spin in the chair as she returned to texting. "Friendly hint, it starts with a K, but is not Kiki."
"I'll call you Kiki anyway. Kelly? Kara? Kendra? Katie? Katherine? Keeley?" He paused in his listing to think for a moment. "Kulu? Is that a name?"
"It's a village in Iran." Kiania said, shaking her head. "All wrong. Sorry, Dylan."
"Why not play hangman for it." Doc suggested offhandedly, pointing to the whiteboard on the wall.
"That is an excellent idea, Doc." Dylan bounced over to the chalkboard and brandished a found stub of chalk. "How many letters?"
