openmisc | Kent/Feldspar

He takes the plate and picks up the toast, finding the fish on the side with a relieved sigh. He knew he could smell it, which means that he hasn't lost his mind.

"What? Big sticks? They have to be perfect!" he teases.

Feldspar picks up their bread and takes a decent-sized bite.

“Oh, it’ll be perfect, but you’re right, you should at least give your input. What would you say if we had the hatchlings take you out to the woods?”

"I think I can handle that," he assures them. "I used to do tours for kids sometimes."

And he can entertain them with stories.

That actually sounds like fun, and he perks up a bit as he finishes his breakfast.

They can see the noticeable change in Kent after the suggestion that they head out with the hatchlings. It’s nice, and Feldspar knows they’ll have a good time. The hatchlings are a funny bunch - Chert, Riebeck and Gabbro will make sure Kent has a good time.

Hopefully Riebeck won’t vomit again.

They finish up their breakfast, keeping Kent’s cup of tea refilled, and stand up to excuse themselves.

“Before we can go back up and get your things, I’m scheduled to test one of Slate’s new ships. I’m going to head up to the observatory, but I’ll send the hatchlings down your way.”

"Take your time with it. I should have grabbed it when we left but - " He laughs a bit sheepishly. "It can wait. Good luck at the observatory."

“You had other things to think about, like the handsome alien rescuing you from the deserted planet,” Feldspar teases, waving their hand. “Just be ready. Those hatchlings together are a formidable force.”

He laughs into his tea. "Is that how the story will be told? Go on, Feldspar," he laughs. "I think I can handle this."

“See ya,” they laugh, heading out the door and down the stairs with a whistle.

They pause a few steps away from the cabin, just taking one more look back, then do what they promised and round up the hatchlings to spend time with Kent. They don’t need to be bribed or coerced, all three are thrilled to help, and Feldspar has to warn them to be careful before they scamper off to say hello to the alien.

Though it would be nice to spend more time with Kent, there are things that need to be done. They show up at the observatory with Slate already talking about the new system updates with Hornfels, and they’re eagerly pulled off towards the launch pad.

Time to do what Feldspar does best.

Kent has time to finish his tea before there's enthusiastic knocking at the door. He calls for them to come inside and they all pile in like puppies, eager to meet the new alien up close.

He gets his shoes on and follows them out to the woods, letting sweet Chert lead him. They talk about the stars, about the different sorts, as they walk, and Kent tells all three of them about listening to signals in the desert.

They try out different sticks, like a fashion show, and finally settle on one that is the perfect height.

Slate’s latest and greatest invention is an additional thruster on the ship, designed to quicken the trip up through the atmosphere and into the vacuum of space. They’ve been working on it for a while, and takes Feldspar on a little tour of the addition while they suit up for a test flight.

“Twice as fast?”

“Twice as fast,” Slate grins. “Assuming it doesn’t explode.”

“That’s what you always say,” Feldspar snorts, pushing his helmet down on top of their head.

Outer Wild’s success rate for successful launches might have skyrocketed (no pun intended) this last year, but that doesn’t mean they’re not without their crashes or fires. Slate’s done an amazing job with the additional thruster, but it does mean the balance of the controls are thrown off. Feldspar gets nearly to the top of the clouds before the steering freezes and they know they have to brace for impact.

The explosion roars through the trees just outside the village crater.

Kent is showing the hatchlings how to swordfight properly, no sight required, when he hears them gasp.

"The launch!" they cry out in unison, but those gasps turn fearful just before an explosion sounds and Kent instinctively reaches for the three to pull them close, out of danger.

"It's okay, Kent! It's just Feldspar," Chert pipes up and Kent's jaw clenches slightly. He is not at all soothed by their apparent nonchalance.

"We should - "

"Go see what happened," Gabbro offers, somehow sounding both bored and intrigued at the same time.

Before Kent can protest, Chert has his arm to lead him out to the crash.

The impact shatters the viewing window and sends Feldspar flying straight into a tree, where they hang from a set of branches while they watch Slate, Hornfels, Gossan and a few of the other villagers come running straight through with buckets of water. They pass underneath them, rushing towards the crash site.

It’s a few minutes later that they realize Feldspar’s not actually in the craft or any of the surrounding debris. They can hear their name being echoed through the trees and give a quiet little grunt to try to get their attention.

“FELDSPAR! Feldspar, where are you!”

They wait until Gossan’s right below to shake a pinecone loose and drop into their helmet.

“Up here!”

Kent and the hatchlings arrive with some of the other visitors. Chert goes to help with the fire but Kent stays near the tree. He can hear rustling in the leaves and he catches the sound of the grunt up above, but before he can alert them, the pinecone drops and there's a small flurry of activity to get them down and out of the branches.

Kent lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and reaches for the other two to keep them back.

"This happens a lot?" he asks and Gabbro laughs.

"Oh yeah. I mean, we got the fire out fast this time."

Marl and Tuff climb the tree and work to chop and untangle Feldspar from the branches, Mark whistling for the onlookers below to watch out for falling twigs.

“Is anything broken?” Hornfels calls up to them, catching Feldspar’s helmet as it drops to the ground

“I don’t think so,” they mutter. “I’m bleeding somewhere though. Hey, Slate!”

Slate shields their eyes with their arm. “Yeah?”

“Your thruster threw off the balance of the controls! Locked the steering up.”

“Good to know!”

“Good to know, is that all you have to say?”they can hear Gossan hiss.

“What else do you want me to say? You pilots are aware of the risk. Felds knew there might be an issue with the flight, but I had to know for sure.”

“Hey!” Marl calls down. “We’re gonna drop Feldspar, so get something to catch them!”

In short time a blanket is found and held out by the awaiting villagers, and down Feldspar falls with a quiet grunt.

He eventually lets the hatchlings go but hangs back a little as the villagers rally around their crazy test pilot.

Kent has one hand on his stick, the other in his pocket, and he waits until Chert joins him again and takes his arm.

"They alright?" he asks them, as if Kent hadn't been listening the entire time.

"Oh, they're fine. Just bleeding. Come on. I'm supposed to take you back to the village," they pipe up.

Well all’s said and done it’s just another scar to add to the collection. Rutile patches up the long gash along their back with a low grump, but has learned a long time ago that it’s not worth saying anything to them about being careful. It’s just in one ear and out the other.

Feldspar spends a little time in the observatory giving Slate detailed notes about how the ship handled, then calls it a night and slowly limps their way towards the top of the waterfall to sit in peace a spell. Contrary to popular opinion, they don’t do any of this for the attention. It’s the love of exploration and the need for the next thrill that always keeps them going, and they hate when the whole village has to come out and fish them down from a tree.

And Kent was there. They could see him as they were being carried away, still with the three hatchlings, who may have been used to all of this by now but were no less startled when it happens.

They sigh and pull their harmonica out from their pocket, humming a note first before blowing through the mouthpiece to play a slow, quiet song.

The villagers bring food for Kent, but they establish a routine for him where he joins others in their homes and tells stories and he gets fed.

It's a great system, and Kent is happy to oblige. It keeps him from brooding. But Horfels isn't going to let him be alone for too long. They invite him to the observatory and he starts to work on comparing maps.

The next time he hears the harmonica at night, though, he follows the sound up.

Feldspar has only seen Kent here and there, busy with his work with Slate on the tech and Gossan in the Zero G cave. They see Kent with Hornfels in the observatory though, and it makes them smile to see him look so at home. They worry for him.

In the morning they’ll take a trip up to the lunar outpost to see Esker, but tonight they want to sit at their spot on the waterfall and play a bit. They can see Kent’s cabin from here - it’s reassuring in an odd way.

He's careful around the waterfall. There aren't any barriers that he knows of here, and he doesn't want to go spiraling into the abyss. Or the river.

But he does walk up, his feet slipping a little on the path as he taps his can in front of him.

Feldspar hears the stop tapping sound despite the hum of the harmonica. They sit up and lower the harmonica from their lips, listening quietly to whoever it is coming their way.

Maybe Gabbro. That hatchling loved to hang out with them by the waterfall to stargaze.

“Who’s there?”

Kent laughs softly.

It's Feldspar. Of course it is.

"I'm a ghost," he calls out as he continues up the path. "Here to haunt you forever."

A ghost, or his friend, Kent! Feldspar hops up with a quiet laugh and goes to meet him on the path.

“Braving this path on your own? Clearly you’re looking to be a ghost. What are you doing up here?”

"I was following the sound of the music," he tells them, reaching out a hand for their arm. "I wasn't planning on stepping off of any cliffs. Not all of us like the thrill."

It’s a bit of a well-deserved dig, but it stings a little coming from Kent. They aren’t sure why that is exactly; it’s not like it’s the first time they’ve heard it, and they certainly wouldn’t deny it either. It’s just…

They want Kent to understand.

Feldspar takes their arm to lead him the rest of the way up the path.

“I like to come here and stargaze.”

And Kent wants to understand, too. So he holds fast to them and walks the path. He has no fear now, nothing can touch him.

"Hornfels was showing me charts, but - doesn't sound like you have constellations like we do," he says. "What do you see out there?"

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