Play with fire and you'll get burnt (More Lavahorse)

>Day [REDACTED] at the Thunderponedome
>Another day, another session
>Which is to say it'll be your next session with Calamity
>After each one you needed to be debriefed, decontaminated, de-everything
>It took almost a whole week to cut through the paperwork and red tape
>Still, you were the hero around the office
>The eggheads were hammering away at that lump of material she produced
>Literally
>It was hard enough that they needed to get diamond tipped drills just to try to chip away at it
>You couldn't help but chuckle when you overhead one of the science guys quip when a drillbit broke, 'Why don't we just use a spoon?'
>You joked about that a lot, and had a fair few laughs with your peers
>You reflected on the past few days with fondness as you once again descended into the depths of the facility
>You brought a big bookbag with you this time along with the folder
>The transition from light to dark always made you feel uneasy, but that was compounded this time
>Strange, whale like cries were heard, but distorted and...alien sounding
>They were faint and distant, and all at once close
>Your anxiety began to mount before you realized their source
>They seemed to be coming from the speaker in the elevator, and from Calamity's tank proper, as you could tell when the elevator stopped
>Your request seemed to be fulfilled, though the sounds from the speaker were odd
>You chalked it up to a wiring error and left it at that
>You gathered your wits as the doors open to the dark domed chamber

>Peering down into the inky dark waters, you can see the tell tale signs of Calamity down there
>Rather than the static glowing lines and shapes before, they're in motion
>She seems much more active this time around, swimming along on the bottom of the tank with what you hope is happiness
>You smile and slip off the book bag, opening the folder to make some notes
>That action alone makes her eyes fixate upward, and she seems to see you
>Rapidly she ascends, the fans kicking in to vent the steam
>You step back from the edge, snatching the book bag
>She breaks the surface, warm, salty water spraying the room, soaking your clothes
>She smiles upon seeing you, looking at you with those large, orange eyes. "Hello!"
>You smile weakly, wiping your hands off on your already soggy clothes.
"Heyo. It's nice to see you again. Sorry I took so long...had to do some things with my fellows."
>She shakes her head some. "It's no problem. I have been listening to the sounds of the deep again, thanks to you."
>"But...I must say, your sounds are much nicer and more unique."
>It's an unusual compliment, but you'll take what you can get
"Ah...thanks. Well, then. I've got something for you today."
>She looks at you intently, lowering her head a bit to get a closer look as you open up the bookbag
>You pull out a few books of all sorts
>Childrens learning things, dictionaries, that sort of thing
>She tilts her head cutely, looking at them with a burning curiosity
"You seemed quite inquisitive and curious, and you're telling me so much about yourself, why not teach you about my kind?"
>Her eyes widen and she nods rapidly, sending waves splashing through the tank
>You smile and pick up one of the books, flicking it open and beginning to read

>You started with some of the simple stuff
>Teaching her shapes, colors, plants and animals, some geology, a bit of everything
>She was quite happy to see the color orange, and was a bit confused when she saw a horse
>"You have your own workers here? But they are so small and lack armor! How do they survive?"  She said when you showed her one
>To help demonstrate how animals look, you made use of the light she produced to make shadow puppets on the walls of the animals
>They were crude, but they gave her a better picture, and she watched with awe as you manipulated your hands to make the shapes
>Though, her confusion returned when you taught her of volcanoes and deep sea thermal vents
>She compared the latter to tiny, tiny Breaches. "I could never squeeze through there..." she would say, pouting a bit
>You were able to calm her down easily, using your beefy brain to dispel her worries
>She would sometimes compare something you showed her to something beyond the Breach, and you were careful to get notes of that
>The eggheads would eat this up
>She seemed to pick up on what you laid out quite easily
>She was like a blank slate, and you could teach her whatever you wished
>You looked at her, smiling as she sort of crosses her eyes to look at you in a cute way
>She was closer than before, her snout nearly pressed upon the metal platform
>Likely to better see what you were reading to her
>You cursed yourself for not bringing a projector, making a mental note to bring some next time
>In the midst of your teaching, though, you realized something

>The sheer...size of her body
>You could easily sit on the bridge of her muzzle, the smooth plates there looking like an ideal seat
>Steam flowed from her nostrils even when she didn't exhale, and even from this distance you could tell her skin was quite hot
>Convection was still a thing
>You didn't realize how much you were sweating, chalking up the dampness of the clothes to eariler saltwater drenching
>She perks a stony brow, looking at you. "Are you well?"
"Ah...yes, just a bit hot is all. But don't worry, I'm just kinda sweaty is all. Nothing too dangerous."
>Aside from possible dehydration, but you didn't worry her any."
>She skews her mouth a bit, as if mulling something over
>She closes her eyes and exhales, a large gout of steam
>You had to cover your eyes, stepping back
>Seemed like you were going to get a steam treatment every session...
>Good for your pores, at least
>The steam cleared, and you looked upon the molten kaiju cone more, treated to yet another surprise

>The water below was bubbling with more intensity, heated up by her more intensely
>Her face, however, seemed to lose some of it's glow
>Her eyes, fangs and some of the lines of luminescence had faded, only a dull, faint orange visible in all of them
>It was like only embers were left from a great fire
>Steam no longer flowed from her mouth, and she smiled
>"I...made my head not so hot. The rest of my body is, though. But it's underwater, so it isn't going to hurt you, right?"
>She smiled and got closer again, her snout pressing against the metal
>You couldn't feel any heat from her this time
>Curiosity got the better of you as you approached her
"Huh...you can control how hot specific body parts are? That's...amazing."
>She grinned widely, showing off her dully glowing fangs
>Her eyes continued to cross as her approached and did something quite foolish
>Kaijus are alien species, full of unknowns
>Physical contact is forbidden without proper equipment and permission
>But you were a man of science, dammit
>If it weren't for that one nerds ill fated attempt at drifting with a Kaiju brain, you wouldn't be here right now
>You closed the gap between your hand and her snout, pressing onto that smooth, hard material on the bridge of her nose


>She gasps, her eyes going wide
>She seems to be frozen with shock, as are you
>You were worried she was going to jerk away, but she seemed to be locked in position
>You grow bolder and rub your hand on that material, and she seems to let out a pleasant sigh
>"...Your hands...they feel cold." She says. "Are you ok?"
>You aren't sure if they feel objectively or comparatively cold
"Oh, no, no, I'm fine." You say, walking along the platform and running your hand long her bridge
>The material is uncannily smooth, as if it has absolutely zero flaws on it's surface
>It feels strange, yet comforting in a way
>A gentle heat is still there, like holding a rock that was cooked in the summer sun
>You pace back and forth, absorbed by the sheer smoothness of her plating
>She seems to droop her eyelids some
>You did your homework on Orchid, knowing that physical contact seemed to illict feelings of torpor and calm on the specimens
>But you never imagined it would be like that
>You could spend all day just...touching her, exploring her body, trying to-
>You're broken from your train of thought  by a harsh ringing
>Your session timer...damnit, you should have set it on vibrate!
>You jump back, and so does Calamity, rising up out of the water some, splashing some of the scalding water onto the platform
>You try to avoid it, but it's for naught...
>Some of the boiling water splashes onto your hand, and you yell in pain

>You aren't quite able to see the damage in the dimmer dome, but you can tell it's bad
>Calamity looks simply /mortified/, her jaw agape and quivering. "I...I.."
>She isn't sure what you say, but you grit your teeth.
"It's...ngh...it's not so bad..." You say, lying so hard you think your pants might be aflame
>She shakes her head and frowns
>You think she's...sniffling?
>You can't reassure her before she dives back down itno the water, rapidly descending  to the bottom and seeming to curl up
>You can hear mournful, rumbling whimpers from below
>You curse loudly, kicking the wall in frustration
>And now  you think your toe is broken
>Your morale crushed and your body injured, you gather up what you can and hobble to the elevator
>As you ascend, you are mare aware of the damage to your hand
>It's blistered and bleeding quite badly, fat melted and you think some bone is exposed
>You wince in pain and pray you can recover
>You steel your will to face the onslaught of berating and badmouthing the higher ups will give you
>You're going to need do some quick thinking to convince them not to can Calamity
>And most importantly, you swear on all that is holy, you will find a way to cheer her up