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

[getfeldsparred]

“Yeah,” Feldspar nods, dropping their hands to Lapis’s shoulders. “Even if it doesn’t feel like it, it’s still gonna be okay. Might take a while to get to that point, but thanks to you we’ve got nothing but time.”

[videointhenoise]

"I know," they mutters. "I know. I just...can't get over it. I'm real glad for Gneiss."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar frowns. “What do you mean?”

[videointhenoise]

"Being a stable place for everyone. I don't want to lead anyone," they explain.

[getfeldsparred]

They can agree on that much. They sit back on their heels, looking back at Lapis and wondering which way to go next.

“They’re good at it. Them, Tektite, Rutile, Spinel…they’ve always kept us together, and unless I’ve really missed a lot, they’re still with us. Is…everyone looking to you now?”

[videointhenoise]

"Ever since we got here," they say. "Just because I found this place and I - I was in the loop. Me and Gabbro. It's a lot. And I don't have answers," they admit.

[getfeldsparred]

“But to be fair to them, you’ve been protective about some of the secrets about this place. You know a lot more than you want or are able to share.”

[videointhenoise]

They look away. "They can find out the secrets if they want. But some of it is just...destroyed. So it doesn't matter."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar shrugs a little exaggeratedly. “It just seems important to you, that’s all.”

[videointhenoise]

"I'll show you tomorrow," they tell him with a sigh. "It's - I need to be ready."

[getfeldsparred]

“No rush,” Feldspar tells them gently, “I’m real good at waiting things out.”

They put a hand to the wall and begin to pull themselves up. “Did I ever tell you about Gneiss and the village orchestra? It’s a good story. Spinel falls into one of the geysers and Rutile sets their fiddle on fire.”

[videointhenoise]

"Is that the story?" they laugh, glad for the change in subject and stands up to help them if they need it.

[getfeldsparred]

They squeeze Lapis’ hand and start to tell the story, naturally exaggerating all the good parts that they’ve probably been misremembering this entire time. They were young when it happened, so it’s not as though the exaggerations are for that much dramatic effect. They chat while they both walk back to their rooms, lowering their voice as they pass around the outskirts of the village and the low-burning campfires.

“I think that’s why Slate decided to play the guitar,” they laugh quietly. “Gneiss got their orchestra though.”

[videointhenoise]

The story is perfect. Everything that Lapis needs to hear and everything that they want to know. It cheers them enough that they walk closer, feeling conspiratorial.

"Not all of it," Lapis says with a smile. "I think they're making something else now."

[getfeldsparred]

“Oh, yeah?”

They feel a knot in their throat at the thought of Gneiss doing a special project without them knowing. Gneiss had been their biggest champion, and they’d just -

Kept going after they’d disappeared.

It’s not fair to think that way, they know that, but they can’t help how they feel.

[videointhenoise]

"Yeah. They've been working on it since we got here. Just a few days, but - I can tell when they have a project in hand."

They shrug as they duck into the hallway, heading down to the room where Kent is sleeping.

[getfeldsparred]

“Just as busy as ever,” Feldspar says with a shake of their head. Their voice lowers as they get closer to their shared room, not want to inadvertently wake Kent.

“Where are you sleeping tonight?”

[videointhenoise]

"I've got a little place across the river that no one seems to know about."

They're sleeping near their Prisoner, of course.

[getfeldsparred]

“Are you comfortable there? Did you want to spend the night with your dad and I?”

[videointhenoise]

They pause. They haven't slept with them in years and - they've never wanted anything more.

"I can?"

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar sees their ears perk up ever-so-slightly. “Yeah, of course,” they smile. They Lapis by the hand before they can change their mind.

“Just keep it down, alright?”

[videointhenoise]

"You're the loud one," they snort and walk inside, smiling as they hear Kent's steady breathing.

"He won't wake up anyway."

[getfeldsparred]

“Really? He used to be such a light sleeper.”

They frown softly but continue to creep softly forward, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull off their boots. Kent continues to sleep on, unaffected by the slight jostling and soft conversation.

[videointhenoise]

"He hasn't been sleeping well," Lapis mutters and takes off their shoes before crawling into the giant bed.

[getfeldsparred]

They don’t ask about when that started; they know exactly when.

Feldspar shrugs their outer jacket off and lays down onto the bed on the other side of Lapis, letting the hatchling sleep in between them and Kent. Like old times.

“Comfy?”