"Florets are exactly like project ships, if you really think of it."
It wove a small vine just into its coolant channels, gently feeling for the flex plug that it just tapped out of the socket.
"they don't always know what's best for themselves, and sometimes, catastrophic issues come up."
Its vines slid deeper into the channel; it was thin and narrow. Foxglove closed its eyes and gently wrapped around the smooth metal. The old coolant, mixed now with the lubricants, was wet, slick, and cool to the touch. It wasn't an unpleasant texture, but it made it hard to manipulate the stranded part. Her core pulsed a bit as the tendrils off her left hand pulled the plug towards the original opening.
"but you can't just..."
The plug slipped, but it quickly wrapped around its slick surface once more
"... Read the symptoms you know? You gotta understand the motivation. You have to know WHY. otherwise, it'll be worse for the floret in the long run."
It gently pulled the plug closer, it's edge now visible beneath the opening. The tainted oil dropped off her fingers as her vines slid out of the channel. a singular strand of the viscous fluid stretched between her hand and the rim of the hole, before finally falling, and dripping down her arm.
"for example..."
It continued, admiring the small mess The Nightshade had left on its vines.
"... The engine was overheating. That's a symptom. Now, I could have immediately said "oh. I'm getting you a coolant radiator, it'll be twice as large. And I'm going to pump you Soooooo full of coolant you couldn't possibly overheat again"
It softly wiped The Nightshade's fluids across a rag it kept over its right shoulder. The stained rag still leaving behind a small touch of her ships essence.
"this is much like drugging a floret into submission. It might give the *illusion* of a problem solved. But only for short time."
Its tail creeped around, a small punch tool protruding from the end. It removed a lower coolant panel, and slipped two finger vines inside the ship once again, this time gently holding the flex plug where it lay, it's edge just barely visible from the hole in the side of the engine block.
Its tail tapped the edge with the punch, cold and metallic, but held with a precision and poise. It carefully slipped the chrome metal tip underneath the lip of the plug, and with a firm and steady pressure, pushed the bit between the plug and the inside walls of the channels, careful not to scratch the insides of its metal floret.
"in reality, these little plugs, bastards that they are, had worn, and allowed oils to mix with the cooling sap. Had we simply slapped a larger radiator, the damage would still eventually occur."
It leveraged its tail, yet another small coating of fluids leaking out through the hole as the plug started to be pried from the small cavity. Foxglove removed the tail pick, and opened the set of vice grips within its implant. It grabbed the edge of the plug, and grunted as it pried hard, a satisfying release of tension as the old plug finally slipped completely out of The Nightshade.
"I think that's why these Terrans fascinate me."
It said, rubbing clean, slick gasket sealant around the now empty hole where the new plug was ready to be inserted. It coated the new plug in the same manner, careful to gently finger an even coat across the metal surface.
"Astrid see... She needs help, and care. She sometimes does pose a danger to herself and others. And of course, the Affini are honor bound to help her... But she doesn't need a new radiator. That'll only delay the problem. Domestication? That won't work. It won't fix anything. It can't be forced like that. Just like..."
A bright PING rings out, as Foxglove taps the flex plug firmly with a metal impact hammer.
"... These little flex plugs."
another PING rings out, and the hull of the Nightshade moans as the vibrations carry around the metal skeleton.
"... The key to helping isnt just forcing whatever solution onto the floret... Sometimes..." A smaller mallet is selected, and Foxglove's heavy impacts turn to small, precise taps
"you just have to be..." Tap "a little bit more" tap tap "gentle."
A final tap, and the last micrometer of the new plug seats comfortably into place, the excess gasket sealant leaking out around the perfectly fitted seam, a small trail of the vibrant blue fluid drips down the side of the cooling box. Foxglove takes its fingers and gently runs them up from the bottom of the drip, letting it collect across her hand. She runs her thumb around the rim, similarly cleaning off the excess before any more leaks out.
It returns all of her implants back to standby, finished with the task, and catches a glimpse of itself in the reflection of the chromium sheeting as she returns the access panel to it's home. An all to familiar coating of amber and teal is smeared across her hands, arms, and face. "Oh Nightshade... You always do make such a mess on me, my metal floret." It presses a small kiss onto its hand, and places it against the ships engine bay.
"Thanks for talking. I think it's time we got into some trouble."
