Mei’s deep blue gaze finally shifted from the horizon to the pilot when he began to stand. When he stood to his full height, he was around a foot taller than her, forcing her to lean her head back to look up at his face—or rather his helmet—as he turned around. She was a little surprised when he patted her on the shoulder, much like she had done with Emile, although perhaps with a different meaning behind it, before walking away.<br/><br/>She wasn’t really sure how exactly she had expected him to react to her words or presence, but she was quite sure that wasn’t it. It wasn’t as if she hated the gesture or anything. Generally, she wasn’t the biggest fan of being casually touched by strangers, so she had instinctively tensed up for a moment before relaxing again. She hadn’t actually minded it, and there were far worse ways he could have reacted, so she wouldn’t complain.<br/><br/>Her gaze returned to the horizon for a moment longer, enjoying the way the breeze felt blowing through her long brown hair. She turned around about the time that he reached the damaged Kairos and began chatting with the chief mechanic. It was easy enough to decipher what they were discussing, and she tilted her head a bit as she watched the mechanic thump the pilot’s shoulder as if they were suddenly friends. After that, the pilot removed his helmet before they began to work on the Kairos. Well, at least he was easy on the eyes, if nothing else.<br/><br/>Stretching her arms above her head and then side to side to loosen herself up, Mei decided that it was time for her to get busy, too. She wanted to check her own Kairos for damage and make any repairs before she got herself cleaned up and got some food in her. Then later she would need to get her report done. She sighed as she thought of the latter while heading back the way she had come, back towards her Kairos.<br/><br/>Once there, she did a check with the mechanic, finding only minimal damage to the fighter. She was grateful for that, at least, as well as the fact that she herself had made it out unscathed. After discussing things with the mechanic and taking a moment to observe the newly arrived mechanics that had joined the pilot and other mechanics working on the other Kairos. After that, she got to work assisting with the repairs to her own fighter.<br/><br/>She would periodically pop out and observe the crew of mechanics working on the other Kairos with thinly veiled curiosity. She had to hand it to them, they were working very quickly and efficiently to repair the fighter, and in less than an hour, they had finished. She wondered if this group intended to truly side with them and work as their allies, or if they would pack up and leave before long.<br/><br/>It was probably best not to get close to any of them, just to be safe. Still, there were so many things she wanted to know, about them, about the Akula. As she watched them, she couldn’t help but grow more curious, and much like a cat, she wondered if this trait would be the death of her.