Charlie Morningstar would never turn down an invitation from a friend.

Even if that invitation was a little dangerous.

Baxter had asked her if she would help him do some trial tests on a new gadget of his. Well, "gadget" isn't the word he used (and he grimaced at her calling it that), but she thought it made it sound fun.

He didn't give very much detail as to what he was working on, but it's not like that really mattered to Charlie. She was just happy to be included in his inner circle. He seemed to be the anti-social type, which she respected. Maybe not understood, but respected. He had declared them best friends when they formulated the heist against Vox, which was more than Charlie had ever expected. And she was thrilled.

When Charlie made her way down to the basement, Baxter was there waiting for her.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering when you were going to show up. I did say 3:30, didn't I?" he said.

Charlie blushed. "Oh! Well, I didn't know you meant like... on the dot. Sorry about that."

"It's inconsequential, anyway. We're lucky this isn't a time sensitive project" He shrugged nonchalantly. Had she not already known him decently, Charlie might have considered his flat affect a sign of annoyance. But Baxter communicated in an entirely different way; the fact that he dismissed her mistake was actually a sign that he acknowledged her guilt and said that to ease it.

"Now, come with me" he commanded.

Charlie followed him across his room and sat in the chair he gestured to.

"So! What exactly are we doing?" she asked excitedly.

"Well, I have just recently engineered a neuro-conduction device that has the ability to incapacitate potential threats using bioelectric signaling..." He explained, looking to her for confirmation that she was following. He never knew where exactly the line was between what he considered basic knowledge and what other people considered basic knowledge.

Charlie smiled and nodded. "Mhmm, mhmm."

The pleading look in Charlie's eyes was not lost on the scientist.

He sighed. "I made a wristband that can electrocute people."

"What?"

"Oh my God, I ma-de a bra-ce-let that-"

"No, no, no, I know what you said, but... why?"

Baxter raised a brow at her skeptically. "You've seen firsthand the dangers that can be brought to our doorstep. It would be a good idea to develop some self-defense. Better safe than sorry, as they say."

"I guess..." Charlie said. She wasn't too keen on the whole weapon idea, but she supposed if it was just for self-defense, then it was okay.

"Which is where you come in. I need to calibrate the voltage and make sure it actually works. I thought you would be the perfect test subject, seeing as how you are half-Angel and far above the rest of us. It shouldn't cause you any harm... probably."

Charlie wasn't too keen about that "probably", but she didn't want to turn back now.

"Okay, I'm in! What do you need me to do?"

Baxter held her wrist and clicked a small metallic bracelet onto it. "Just sit there and tell me when it hurts enough to stop."

The idea made Charlie a little nervous. "Okay..."

"I also have a heart monitor hooked up to you so I can monitor your vitals."

"Sounds good."

"Just gotta set the conductor annnd-" Baxter glanced up at Charlie then, and she nodded her head once (a go-ahead signal). "Here, we, go!"

Charlie felt it immediately. There were little shocks running all along her nervous system. She thought she would only feel it in her wrist, but it was everywhere.

And it... tickled?

She squealed at the startle of sensation, and then fell into a giggle fit as she fruitlessly tried to cover her sides and protect them from the tickles, but there was nothing there to block.

Baxter, who had been watching intently, waiting for a cry of pain or a curse word or a gasp, was completely dumbfounded to see that she was laughing.

He said nothing for a moment, scanning her up and down, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Charlie caught a breath amidst laughter. "It tihihickles!"

Huh. That would explain such a reaction, Baxter thought. A reaction he was not exactly looking for.

"Ah, my apologies. I must have set the voltage too low. Let's see here." Baxter fiddled with the remote he used to operate it. "How about now?"

The shocks changed from a dull wave to tiny, tiny bristles that felt like a feather coursing through her veins, tickling each and every nerve ending.

Charlie tittered. "Hehehehe! This feels funny!"

Baxter looked frustrated. "Agh! The blasted gauge must be miscalibrated. I'll need to pinpoint some voltage levels in order to fix it."

He looked up at the princess again, who was still squirming in her seat and giggling like a schoolgirl.

"I'm going to try a different voltage now. Tell me how this one feels."

Baxter jumped back as Charlie jerked with a shriek and started laughing harder and harder than before.

Charlie thought tickles in general were fun. They got people laughing, made things silly, and were a good way for people to bond. But this was a little ridiculous.

"Hmm," Baxter murmured to himself as he scribbled notes onto a pad. "Subject is more ticklish at level 32 than at level 22."

"Are yohohou tahahaking nohohotes?!" Charlie gasped.

"Well of course! I'm a scientist, and it is my responsibility to gather data, and I need data if I am to fix this malfunction."

He was speaking to her as if she weren't in hysterics right now. Like this was the most normal thing he had seen in his lab. Upon reconsideration, it probably was.

The scientist considered her for a moment before scribbling something else. "Subject's heart rate increases when her ticklishness is noted."

"Would you stohohop thahahat?" Charlie cried, a blush rising in her already-rosy cheeks.

"Why?"

"Because it's embarrassing!"

"Fascinating. The word 'ticklish' seems to trigger your heart rate to spike every time I say it. I wonder what other words have that effect-"

"Baxter!"

The scientist chuckled good-naturedly. "Alright, alright, we'll save that one for another time. But seriously, we need to get this calibration corrected."

Baxter adjusted the voltage once again.

The tickles lessened a little (thankfully), but they also focused all the sensation on her left half and ignored her right.

Charlie arched herself away from the shocks, her laughter having settled a little.

"Interesting! The shocks can be directed to specific regions, how useful" Baxter grinned darkly. He wasn't planning on tickling his enemies to death, but this was a good start.

The princess then felt the shocks move to focus up to her armpits, which had her howling with fervor. Her brain was a sloshy cocktail of happy chemicals and silly thoughts.

She tried to say something, but what came out were only half-sentences and garbled syllables. She finally managed to get just enough braincells firing to finish a thought.

"I thohohought thihihihs wahahahs suppos-supposed to hurt!" she slurred drunkenly.

Even Baxter couldn't help but laugh along with her. It was contagious.

The lab was filled with raucous laughter as the pair each tried to steady themselves.

Baxter wiped a tear from his eye. "It is! It just isn't finished yet. Ahahat this rate, I might as well just sehehell it as a children's toy," he wheezed.

"Or, or! One ohohof thohohose prank buzzers!" Charlie added.

"HA! I hahate thohose things!" Baxter guffawed, throwing his head back with the force of it.

It was lucky the delirious duo were all the way down in the basement so no one could hear them going crazy.

"Hey Bahaxter?"

"Ye-Yes?"

"Can you turn this thing off now?"

Baxter sobered instantly, his brain booting itself back into gear. "Oh. Yes, right." He cleared his throat, eyes darting around to check again that they were, in fact, alone.

He powered off the device, and the tickles slowly subsided.

Charlie melted to the floor as she caught her breath. That had been the hardest she laughed since... well, since a long time. The threat of heavenly war had taken up so much of her mental capacity that she hadn't had the time or space to really unwind like this. It felt good! Exhausting, but good!

She heard a click and watched Baxter slip the device off her wrist.

"Well, I suppose this will need re-examining before the next test. That is enough for today," he said with his typical flat affect. His tone then warmed as he addressed her. "Thank you, Charlie. You have been very cooperative."

Charlie smiled goofily and held up a thumbs-up. "No problem," she said weakly.

She stayed where she was.

Baxter leaned over her. "Do you need assistance getting back upstairs?"

"Yes please."

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