En - [Nuzi] killer drones

Uzi sat in the workshop. Her tail was wrapped around the chair leg, her wings trembling. She looked at her fingers, where purple sparks kept flying off.
— Ultrasound? I brought some oil...
"Don't come in! " she shouted. The footsteps stopped. En's silhouette was visible through the frosted glass. Once she would have kicked him for distracting her, but now she was afraid. To the point of icy terror.
— I'll leave the jar here. Maybe you should come out?

• No. Go away.
  Her tail tightened. She remembered how yesterday she'd accidentally turned a branch into biomass. En hadn't noticed, but she remembered. Solver wanted to rebuild everything within his reach. Especially someone dear to her. The door creaked.
  "I'm sorry. I can't control this," she said, backing away, spreading her wings like a barrier.
• And I didn't ask you to control this alone,
  En stepped closer. His tail hissed, shielding her shoulder.
  "I'm afraid he'll rewrite your code. Make you obedient. I can't... I'd rather lock myself in here."
  En put his hands in his pockets.
  "So the problem is control. Are you afraid to hurt me because I'm dear to you?"
  Uzi nodded.
  "Then this is our shared engineering challenge. Distance—a meter. You try Solver, I dodge. I'm the best killer drone, remember?"
• You're an idiot. What if I blow everything up here?
  — Then we'll explode together. Come on. Slowly.
• No!
  "Uzi, " he said, turning serious. "You're stronger than this piece of crap. And I'm stronger than any impulse you can muster. We're a team."
  She froze. Then the tip of her tail reached toward his cheek. The sting glowed with poison. En didn't move, staring straight at her with the golden crosshairs of his sight. The tail stopped a centimeter away. Nothing happened. Just a tremor in his processor. "You see, " he whispered. "Wings are beautiful. And I'm not afraid."
  "And I'm afraid, " her voice broke into static. "I'm afraid of losing you."
  He slowly touched the tip of her tail. A jolt ran through her sensors.
  “You won’t lose me. You’re just Uzi. Grumpy, brilliant, and with stupid wings. Take a step. ” She did. She buried her forehead in his jacket, feeling her hands close over his trembling wings. “I’m here, ” he muttered. “And I’m not going anywhere. Don’t even think about it.”