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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“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?”

Being told what to do, like they're a child again, heals something immediately in them that has felt like a gaping wound for so long. "Okay," they say with a nod and then give Feldspar a tight hug. "Do you want me to walk you back?"

Feldspar hugs them back, holding onto to them for as long as Lapis needs. “I’m okay. The walk back’s not too back - the others did a pretty good job making their path.”

Lapis gives them a quick kiss on their cheek and then leaves them there, trusting that they can make their way back and giving them the privacy that they know they need.

Lapis needs time to think, too.

There is a lot to process through, and the walk gives them more than adequate time to do it. This trip has really set their priorities straight, and though their muscles are aching by the time they take the wooden path up to the room they share with Kent, their mind is humming.

“Kent? Kent, are you around?”

Kent's in the room, tidying a bit, though there's a fishing pole leaned against the side of the door. "I'm here," he says, using his hands to feel around the bed to make sure it's done.

They push the door shut behind them and smile brightly when they see Kent puttering around the space. They cross the room to him and wrap their arms around his waist, pressing their face into his back with an exhale.

“You smell like a campfire.”

Kent chuckles, his hand on theirs. "What's all this about? What happened?" he wonders, turning around to face them so he can kiss their face properly.

Feldspar gives Kent enough slack to turn about, but meets the sight of his face by taking his cheeks between their hands and kissing them firmly. “I love you.”

They smile and drop their hands to hold him around the waist. “I love you more than I love the stars, Kent.”

He smiles, a little caught off guard, but far too much in love to take it for anything more than what it is - a declaration of love.

"What's this about?" he wonders, dopey and grinning.

“I spent the morning with our hatchling,” they tell him, chin resting on his chest. “They’re in love, Kent. They’re in love with an alien, a big antlered alien who only exists in a simulation.”

There's a lot to process in that simple sentence. Kent doesn't make many facial expressions and so the emotions he's feeling only result in a blank expression for a few seconds. He starts to talk, stops, and then nods.

"Start from the beginning?"

“Come sit with me.”

They take Kent’s hand and bring him to the bed. “Lapis took me to finally see the inside of that big structure they were being so cagey about. There’s a whole separate world beneath our feet.”

Fortunately Feldspar’s natural inclination for storytelling helps paint the picture of everything Lapis had shared with them that morning. They talk about the aliens and the whole reason they ended up in the star system, the destruction of their home in the pursuit of something called the Eye of the Universe. They explain how they were fearful of what they found and isolated themselves, and then punished one of them who had tried to release the Eye’s signal.

And then Feldspar talks about the simulation and the prisoner. “They died over and over again - I think Lapis was terrified to see them again and lose them forever.”

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