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]

"There are too many people watching and they're too - close now," he explains. "Everyone is keeping an eye on everyone else. They're all in each other's pockets."

[getfeldsparred]

Makes sense. They’re not likely to try anything while everyone’s still so close and recovering from the heat death of their solar system.

Feldspar makes it to the top of the ramp and pauses to lean against the doorway, trying to be casual as they catch their breath. Everything is difficult now - how long is it going to be before they’re able to do even half of what they did before?

“I’ll have a little while anyway,” they mutter.

[videointhenoise]

Kent slides an arm around their waist. "Not as long as you think. Once you're able to be up around around to help, it will go easier. You'll be trying to get from one point to the other via diameter," he smiles.

[getfeldsparred]

“Jetpack, but with a kind of catapulting mechanism to break through the centrifugal force,” Feldspars says, clearly having given it zero thought at all.

They grin a little and lean their weight on Kent’s, leading the way but relying on Kent to keep them upright.

[videointhenoise]

Kent is happy to accept their weight, relinquishing it only when they are firmly in the room and the big comfortable bed is waiting.

[getfeldsparred]

They crawl into the bed and curl up on one side, more tired than they are hungry. Gneiss is quick to follow them inside, setting a basket down of vegetable stew and bread. Feldspar knows that smell - it’s a Tektite speciality, something they’d make when it was cold or storming and the village needed something homey to lift their spirits.

[videointhenoise]

"Hey," Kent mutters once they're alone again. "You gotta eat. I know it's hard "

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar doesn’t bother opening their eyes. “Once I sleep, okay? I promise I’ll eat after.”

They don’t want to admit it, but just that simple rafting trip was enough to knock the wind out of them.

[videointhenoise]

Kent holds them gently and pulls the blanket over them both. "Yeah. I know you will," he assures them. Don't worry."

[getfeldsparred]

They exhale softly, glad that Kent understands. They’ll keep their word, but they just need time.

They just need so much time.

The next few days go by in the same way; Feldspar spends a little less time resting and a little more time moving about each and every day. They walk around with Kent, even spend a little time with their Outer Wilds friends, but they still don’t join the campfire.

“Porphy’s opening up the sapwine tonight,” Gossan tells them both on one of their visits. Besides Gneiss and Lapis, Gossan and Hornfels are the ones who visit the most, with Hornfels close to Kent and Gossan nearer to Feldspar.

“I dunno,” Feldspar says, shrugging his shoulders. “Seems like too much for me.”

Hornfels and Gossan’s faces both fall.

[videointhenoise]

Kent reaches over and puts a hand on Hornfel's arm. "Maybe next time," he says cheerfully, but he is determined to get to the bottom of this. He has spent the past few days glued to Feldspar, telling them stories and hoping that they would be able to start going back out. But no luck.

Still, he persists.

"I'll stop by later," he promises them both.

[getfeldsparred]

“Yeah, okay,” Gossan nods, slowly getting up to their feet. They touch Feldspar’s arm and shares a look with Hornfels before they start for the door.

“We’ve set up base in the control room across the river. The bridge is set up; Hal can bring you over,” Hornfels says just a little sadly.

[videointhenoise]

"It's alright," Kent mutters to them softly as he leads them out. "Don't worry."

But when he returns to Feldspar, he's thoughtful.

"So what's the story?"

[getfeldsparred]

As Hornfels and Gossan move to leave Feldspar picks up a little artifact that was probably for the hatchlings of this world, fiddling with it as Kent turns back to them.

“Story?” they repeat, “whaddya mean?”

[videointhenoise]

"About why you aren't going to the bonfires? Or even talking about it."

He sits on the bed.

[getfeldsparred]

They grimace a little but don’t stop fiddling with the odd little wooden contraption in their hands.

“I’m just not ready yet, that’s all.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent can hear them moving something and he frowns. "What is that?" he wonders.

[getfeldsparred]

“Not sure,” they say, squinting slightly as they raise the little wooden sculpture up towards the light. “An artifact from this world. Maybe a toy of some kind?”

[videointhenoise]

Kent holds his hand out. "May I?"

He can't see it, but he does want to be able to feel it.

[getfeldsparred]

They frown softly but place the little object into Kent’s hand. “There are some notches in it, like something on their might move or unlatch.”

[videointhenoise]

He runs his fingers along it, frowning in thought, so much that his forehead wrinkles a little.

"Maybe it's a toy or - oh, I found the hinge. Where did you find this?"

[getfeldsparred]

“Gneiss brought it to me.” They sit up and lean forward, watching Kent’s five fingers manipulate the box. “Thought I might like it.”

It’s a sweet gesture, the kind that makes them nostalgic for when they were a hatchling and Gneiss would bring them wood carvings they whittled into little toys for them. Gneiss probably did it on purpose, but Feldspar can’t be mad at them.

[videointhenoise]

Kent holds it back out for them to take. "It gives you something new to do. Something new to think about while still being, I don't know, the same? Familiar?"

[getfeldsparred]

They nod and take the little box back, fiddling with the latch until a side swings out. It doesn’t reveal a secret compartment inside, just more box. “Yeah, maybe.”

Feldspar sighs and sets the little trinket aside. “Or maybe they just missed me and wanted an excuse to visit,” they admit quietly.

[videointhenoise]

Kent pretends that thought hadn't occurred to him.

"Maybe," he agrees gently. "Why do you think they need an excuse?"