Kent/Feldspar

[videointhenoise]

"Just once more," they had said when Ellie's team petitioned for it. She was busy with Palmer, falling in love with science while he fell in love with God, and Kent was left to pick up the pieces. He wanted another damn go at it. The Machine had a pricetag in the billions; it was begging to be used again.

But they wouldn't let Ellie go. They wouldn't let just anyone go. They wanted someone who knew how it worked, who had been there from the beginning, but someone who isn't completely taken in by Ellie's words.

That leads them to a dozen people and they end up with Kent. He's blind, but that's not what decides it. They claim that he wouldn't hallucinate the way Ellie did. That he has a unique perspective.

And, he's already proven himself steady and loyal.

He experiences it all the way that Ellie does, but something goes wrong on the other end. Maybe another terrorist attack. Maybe not. All he knows is that he's in the sphere and then, suddenly, he's floating, unable to find his footing until a great crash and he slams into the bottom of the machine.

He groans, pulling his helmet on with a grunt and a wince.

"Fuck this," he mutters, finding the edge of the sphere with his hands. There was a door there somewhere. He just - has to find it.

Comments

[videointhenoise]

"Oh I know," he drawls lazily, taking the practiced path outside to the door. They meet Gneiss along the way and Kent tells them to go and find Lapis, to meet them outside. They give Kent a small kiss on the cheek for luck, pat Feldspar's hand, and go off to find the little hatchling.

[getfeldsparred]

Gneiss looks so old. It’s really the first time they’ve been able to look at them in the light. The lines by their mouth, always smiling, are deep and the bags under their eyes are dark. Their ears droop so much the tips could touch their shoulders.

They’d loved Gneiss so much, and they’ve missed so, so much time.

Feldspar leans slightly against Kent as they wait, staring up at the upside down river hanging over their heads.

[videointhenoise]

Kent settles down in the grass, slipping off his shoes. "What's it like?" he asks them softly. He knows the structure of it, but he doesn't know Feldspar's thoughts.

[getfeldsparred]

They only had a brief look before, but even for Hearthian standards they’re surprised by how much infrastructure’s gone up. Their little village in the crater had been workable, nothing fancy, and small to suit their needs. In this sprawling space ship - is that even the right term for it - there’s evidence of Hearthian ingenuity everywhere. Bridges spanning across the large river, the barebones start of a dam, quick little homes that had been cobbled together from the trees and debris they’d found upon their arrival.

Though mostly still centered by the areas just outside the landing bays, they can see paths on the outskirts of the river just above their heads. Some of them have already gone exploring. They’ve no doubt that the team was lead by Outer Wilds Ventures.

In the near distance they see a few campfires, and hear some music being played. A simple strumming of a guitar and the plucking of a fiddle, soft and sweet but somehow still cheerful.

“Looks like an untamed wilderness to me. I think I can see Marl and Tektite hacking away at a tree. That river though…I’m kinda surprised at how strong it is. Looks like there are rapids down the way.”

Feldspar squints slightly as they turn their head, their gaze falling on a weird black structure. “There’s a big building with imposing chains to our left. Looks like a safe or a…an old tomb.”

It looks like something they’d want to explore themselves, and they feel that jerk of their heart towards the unknown.

[videointhenoise]

Kent takes their hand and kisses it, hearing the spark of what they once were back in their voice. That need to know and to do and to explore is strong and firm.

He feels his own heart stirring at the sound.

"Lapis said they would be taking care of that. They sounded - I don't know. Like it was important."

[getfeldsparred]

Well Lapis is crazy if they think they’re gonna let them do it alone. They snort softly but keep looking at the strange tower with horns, wondering what could possibly be inside.

[videointhenoise]

Lapis finally trots over after a moment, their hand landing on Kent's shoulder. "Hey dad. Felds. Ready for the big tour?"

[getfeldsparred]

“Hatched ready,” Feldspar grins, crooked smile even more crooked from the scars on their face. “Where are we starting? The dam?”

[videointhenoise]

"Sure," they say and help Kent to his feet and waiting for them to get situated. Kent holds out an arm for Feldspar to guide him. "But you can't go across it yet."

[getfeldsparred]

“I wasn’t going to,” they say with an indignant huff.

Yet anyway. Later, when they’ve got their strength and some muscle mass back.

“Looks like a lot of the original buildings were swallowed up by the river,” Feldspar muses, walking carefully with Kent behind Lapis. They walk like they’ve been to this very place hundreds of times.

[videointhenoise]

"Yeah. The dam would break about halfway through the loop, so the first time, it was already broken by the time I got here. Imagine my surprise when I showed up the next time and it was still there," they laugh.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar laughs in the way one fellow adventurer might commiserate with another, unsure of how to be a parent at the moment. They know what Kent said, that Lapis missed them, but Kent was dad and they were just…Feldspar.

They smile a little and stop to peer into the water. “If we dam it back up again how much land will we get back?”

[videointhenoise]

Lapis turns and spreads their hand out. "Those over there and there. But this would be covered." They point to the prison. "But there's probably a lot more materials down there that have floated down."

They pause. "You know...we don't have to walk."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar follows Lapis’ line of sight, falling onto one of the rafts that had been pull up to a makeshift dock. They turn back to the hatchling and grin.

“I’m up for it if you are.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent hums. "What are you two planning?"

He doesn't get an answer. Lapis just takes his hand to guide him off.

[getfeldsparred]

“There’s a raft,” Feldspar explains, taking his other arm to keep them both from stumbling down to the dock. “River looks smooth, it should ride real nice.”

[videointhenoise]

"Oh sure, sounds smooth," Kent grumbles with no real annoyance. Lapis helps him into the middle.

[getfeldsparred]

The raft wobbles as they all step onto it, but it doesn’t sink and quickly resettles on the water. Lapis pulls a flashlight out from their pocket and switches it on, shining the light on one of the green, glass orbs which lights up from the inside and propels them forward.

Feldspar grins and holds onto Kent’s arm. “These aliens used light for a lot of their mechanics.”

[videointhenoise]

"Oh I know," Kent says softly, though he doesn't see it as the cruel joke he might have once. Instead, it's just a strange sort of justice. A reminder that the universe does not revolve around him. He grips onto Feldspar tightly, crossing his legs to help himself out.

"That's how the doors open."

[getfeldsparred]

“We’ll have to fix that,” Feldspar says. Kent would constantly be locked out everywhere he went!

“Slate and Hornfels are already working on it,” Lapis reassures them with a grin. “Door handles are a classic for a reason.”

[videointhenoise]

"Everyone loves a good door handle," Kent laughs. "I'm not worried about it. Everything will work out." He trusts them all to keep the world accessible for him.

[getfeldsparred]

They laugh and holds Kent a little more tightly as the speed of the raft picks up. They pass a few of the others working on building a home, Feldspar giving them a gentle wave as they float on by.

[videointhenoise]

Kent holds fast to them, but turns his head when he hears people calling out to them with a wave. "What a weird sight we are. What does this raft even look like?"

He places a free hand to the ground and traces the perimeter.

[getfeldsparred]

“Can you feel the carvings, dad?” Lapis asks, sitting down beside him. “They carved everything with these big, geometric patterns. All their buildings and furniture, even their clothes, all these really ornate patterns.”

Feldspar looks over at Lapis with a curious stare. Lapis seems fairly in awe of these aliens.

[videointhenoise]

"Mm, I can," he says, running his fingers along the indents. "I wonder what they mean." Because they do mean something.

"What's their writing system like? You and Hal cracked it yet?" he teases.