smugglingscavanger:
techiehux:
smugglingscavanger:
techiehux:
“B-Billiam?” Techie couldn’t stop the helpless laugh that slipped past his lips. That nickname was a first! He took in the woman’s appearance and scrunched up his brows in thought once the giggles dissolved. Hardly anyone approached him unless they knew Matt or wanted him to do their shift. She didn’t look like a tech, at least. “Are you… Matt’s f-friend?” Putting his toolbox aside to clear space on the workbench for her, Techie gave her a small, lopsided smile.
“Yeah, I know Mattie,” She replied with a chuckle, her eyes meeting his. She studied his gaze with admiration. She heard rumors about suffering he endured, and it was only confirmed by the technology in his stare. Techie had been through hell, and here he was giggling at her nickname for him. She liked that about him.
“You have a nice laugh, it compliments your smile.” Kess offered a smile of her own. “Hey, I was wondering if you could help me with my datapad. …Not that I came here just for that by the way. I had to meet you! Matt says you’re very sweet.”
Techie turned as red as his hair. Obviously, he can’t hide his emotions very well. His face gives him away each and every time. “He’s exaggerat-ting, that’s for sure… but okay! L-Let me take a look at it.”
Once he realizes that she has yet to introduce herself, Techie asks shyly, “Um, wh-what’s your name? Matt talks about a “K-Kess” a lot. Is that you?“
“My name gets around, I’m just glad you’ve heart the positive connotations with it,” she replied with a wink, “I am the legendary Kess.”
There was something genuine about Techie that she found to be so rare in people these days. She slid over her datapad and began fixing the laces on one of her boots.
“Are you all self-taught?” she asked, gesturing to him working away on her datapad. She was impressed– he knew his way around technology the same way she knew her way around the shadiest trade posts. They were both an artist at their craft, and she could respect that about him. She thought for a moment, thinking about the crate of semi-functional datapads back on her ship. If Techie was as good as she heard, she could be raking in credits for them both.
“Techster, can I ask you something? Do you enjoy working on things like this? Do you like being a ‘fixer’ for everyone?”
Techie only briefly glanced up from his work. He had the pad opened to the locked developer settings and flicked his fingers back and forth quickly, switching between screens like a pro. Because, well… He was one. It took him a minute to unglue his attention from the datapad, and when he became aware of Kess once again, he said, “You didn’t t-tell me what the problem was, but I found and fixed a few glitches. Extended the discharge cycle too.” Techie seemed more comfortable tinkering than talking.
“Oh, uh. Yeah, I’m s-self taught. It’s what I’ve been doing my entire l-life!” Techie smiled in the direction of the datapad as though it were a friend. “Not always of my own free w-will, but I never stopped liking it.”
Even now, the familiar weight of a datapad or the soft click-clack of a keyboard under his flying fingers brought comfort. He would happily repair technology for the rest of his life.
TechieHux 