Round 124

Halie stepped between Jeane and Silra, her hands raised calmly but firmly. "Threats won't speed repairs," she said evenly. "Silra's right—we need this done properly or we're all trapped here." She turned to face the engineer directly. "How long now if we work together? And be honest—the building's clearly getting worse."

Silra surveyed the last secured plate, weld bead clean and true. The building's groan sounded almost like a whimper now—feminine and pleading. Forty minutes to go by her calculations. "Jeane," she said coolly, turning to face the succubus despite the visible strain on her features, "if you want this done faster, stop trying to will it with your eyes. You're making the pheromones think we're playing instead of working." Her gaze was sharp but not unkind. "Unless that's what you had in mind?"