openmisc | Kent/Feldspar

Kent/Feldspar

"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.

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Feldspar draws their hand back with a nod. “Whatever you decide, I’m here for you.”

They hope they choose to fight though. If they’ve done anything worthy for this hatchling, it’d be instilling the need to fight for what you want in this life.

They sigh and press on until the doors open and they reach out to take Feldspar's hand. "It's....a long walk down," they explain.

The structure opens slowly and they’re met with just inky blacknesses. Feldspar’s not sure what they were anticipating, but it certainly wasn’t this, another long and winding path after a long and winding path.

“Let’s get a move on.” Feldspar takes Lapis’ hand and steps towards the darkness with them.

"Wait," they mutter but follow after their Mapa with a sigh. "It's - it just feels like it goes on forever." And they wander down, carefully picking their way through each step.

“Sure as stars dark anyway,” they mutter, squinting all four eyes. They try to adjust the lantern’s light until it shines into a point, bringing them on through to a wooden structure and a lift of sorts.

“Did you…want me to go with you? I assume they’re down there. Or up there. Wherever.”

They hesitate and then shake their head. "No. No, I should go by myself first until I can explain what's happening. And then you can come in."

Feldspar smiles gently. “Of course,” they tell them. “Go ahead.”

They reach for Lapis’ shoulders but instead bring their hands up to their cheeks to hold them. Their little baby.

“Alright, Pebble. Head on down.”

Lapis hesitates only once and then wraps their arms around Feldspar to give them a big and warm embrace. They breathe them in and steps back, heading down the elevator.

They're gone a while before the elevator returns and Lapis takes Feldspar's hand. "Come on. Your turn."

Feldspar fights back tears as Lapis leaves them. They’re terrified for their young one, and so, so proud. They wait in the darkness with the dim light of their own lantern illuminating the space, occasionally prodding at what looks like some kind of telescope.

When the lift returns they try to scan Lapis’ face for any sort of hint of what occurred down there as they follow after them. During the ride down they don’t ask any questions - if Lapis wants to volunteer information then they will, but in the meantime their heart thunders in their chest.

Lapis's hand in Feldspar's is tight and shaking, but they don't betray any worries otherwise.

Instead, they pull them inside where the Prisoner waits.

"Here," they say. "This...this is...them."

The ride down the lift is a long one, and Feldspar holds onto Lapis’ hand just as tightly as they step on through together.

The Prisoner is tall. Really tall. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering just about everything about the ship they built, but it’s one thing to see them in pictures and the echoes of them in furniture, but it’s another entirely to actually see them with their own four eyes. Feldspar cranes their neck up to meet their curious gaze with one of their own. What did Lapis tell them?

Their hands are slightly folded, their posture bent. Nothing about them seems intimidating beyond their size. Feldspar takes a step forward and extends their hand, unsure of how it would be met.

The Prisoner waits a beat, maybe pondering the gesture, before they take their massive hand in theirs and then cover it with the other. They’re warm. Feldspar smiles.

“Good to meet ‘cha. I’m Feldspar.”

This is absurdly cool.

Lapis watches with wide, hopeful eyes. They don't know how this meeting is going to go, and nor do they want to make a guess. But when it goes perfectly, when those two hands join and another atop it, they nearly fall back against the wall.

"I told them...everything," they explain. "I told them that they can leave now if they want and no one will bother them."

“Everything’s pretty broad,” Feldspar says, voice full of awe. They glance over their shoulder towards Lapis, then again towards the very large alien in front of them. “Do they know you’re my hatchling?”

"Yes," they answer and gesture to the device they carry. "You can talk to them there."

They walk over and hold it up for the Prisoner, as if prompting them to use it. "That way, you can tell your story, too. As much as you want."

For once Feldspar doesn’t much feel like telling their story, but they do know what they want to share with the being that’s captured the adoration of their little pebble. They take their hand back and pick up the torch, looking at the green light questioningly before bringing it down to shine onto their forehead.

They can feel their thoughts leave their body and float into the alien’s mind, and with this focus on them they share the story of them and Kent. They were two different species from two vastly different universes, but they loved in the same way. That’s what they want the prisoner to know - their hatchling was a child of the universe, and from a species that dreamed big. They were taught to be infinitely curious by the two that raised them, and loved them, and hoped for the entire world for them.

They wait for the alien’s response, if there is any.

The creature seems to consider responding and then, with a particularly birdlike tilt of their head, places a hand on Feldspar's shoulder in understanding. They look back to Lapis and then gestures up for them.

It's time for them to go.

It's been - a lot to take in.

But the Prisoner, no longer as such, is content to stay a while here. They aren't making their escape.

Feldspar brings a hand to their chest, over their heart, and bows slightly. It was good to meet someone so important to their hatchling - and not only that, but someone so important to their universe. They step back towards the lift and then pause, realizing that they’ve brought something along in their pocket. With a smile they take their harmonica out and set it into the prisoner’s palm.

“I’m sure you’ll figure out how to use that,” they say, winking two eyes. “Alright, Lapis, let’s head back to your dad.”

Lapis blinks once and then looks at his Mapa. "Yeah," they agree. "Are you sure?"

They look back over their shoulder to see the prisoner, former prisoner, staring at the harmonica and then watching them leave with hawk-like determination.

“I’m sure,” Feldspar replies simply. “He’ll be waiting for us.”

And they’ve seen enough for now. They need to report back to Kent with all that they’ve experienced and learned about their hatchling - and with all of this tragic romance and literal star-crossed lovers on the brain they’re missing him fiercely.

Lapis is silent as they walk to the water. They pick up their lantern higher and give Feldspar a smirk before jumping into the river and disappearing.

Feldspar laughs quietly and jumps right in after, waking with the sound of a hiss from the lantern being extinguished.

They wake next to Lapis on the floor surrounded by the mummified aliens. They don’t say anything at all, just rise and offer their hand to their hatchling.

They take their hand and stand up. "That...well, what are we going to do?'

“First thing I’m gonna do is talk to your dad,” they tell them. “What you’re gonna do is either go talk to Slate about making sure we find out where the power is being generated for the dream, or spend some time with Hal. Or both. You need some time to just be a hatchling for a while, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”

Lapis just stares at Feldspar and crumbles a little.

Just be a Hatchling.

They don't know if they remember how to be that way.

They can see the despair in Lapis’ eyes and smile encouragingly. “I’ve made up your mind for you - go spend some time with Hal. Show them the signs and see if you can’t get some of those deciphering skills going.”

There’s nothing at stake there. Hal will help Lapis, they just know it. “Best part about this plan? There’s no pressure to get it right. I mean, when was the last time you spent any real time with your buddy, huh?”

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