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]

"Mm, and is this where I'm supposed to be thankful?" he laughs, settling down at the table. He reaches out and finds each of the plates, starting with the berries. "This is great, though. Thank you."

[getfeldsparred]

“I never said anything about being grateful, though a little appreciation would be nice.”

They sit down and pull their own plate closer, their foot finding Kent’s under the table.

[videointhenoise]

Kent locks his feet around theirs. "Nope. Not from me, flyboy," he smiles.

The fish is next, taken slowly. "You stop setting this forest planet alight and then we'll talk."

[getfeldsparred]

“I do my best. I think you should talk to Slate if you want to reduce the fires - they’re the one making the damn rockets.”

[videointhenoise]

"Oh no. I'm talking to you. You're the one driving."

Kent flicks a berry at them.

[getfeldsparred]

The berry hits Feldspar square in the face, and they start to laugh in equal parts surprise and glee. “That hit me in the nose! Do it again!”

[videointhenoise]

Kent cackles and picks up a berry, eats it, and then tosses another one.

"Bullseye?" he teases.

[getfeldsparred]

This one hits the wall behind their head, and they sigh in fake disappointment.

“I guess that means ‘hit the target’? The answer’s no, sorry.” They have some of their soup, holding the bowl with one hand as they sip. “What’re you up to today?”

[videointhenoise]

"I was taking the hatchlings out for a lesson today so they stop trying to stand on top of each other to get into the observatory," he laughs.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar laughs. “That won’t stop them, it’ll just encourage them. But who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspiring the next generation to visit space.”

[videointhenoise]

"Maybe I will. Or maybe I need to invent school," he teases, rubbing the back of his neck. "I heard there's a new clutch in the tree, too," he adds absently.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar remembers the pictures of this ‘school’ thing, which they think Kent would be perfect for, but they’re distracted by talk of the new clutch.

“Oh. Yeah. You heard about that, huh? When an egg’s ready we’ll have a hatching ceremony and welcome them. We like to come up with names at the campfire or one of Rutile’s meetings.”

[videointhenoise]

"Oh I know," he says with a playful lilt to his voice. "I've already talked to the others about it. They told me."

He picks up the bowl of soup. "They also told me it's your favorite ceremony."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar sputters a little into their soup.

“They uh…they told you that? Who told you that?”

They’re not wrong, but it’s not something Kent needs to know!

[videointhenoise]

"I know," he says with a smile. "But I know you are. Even if they didn't tell me. I would know."

He is suddenly very interested in his soup.

[getfeldsparred]

“You know I am what exactly?” Feldspar asks, glad at this moment that Kent’s blind and they can study his face.

[videointhenoise]

Kent manages to look very, very innocent. It's a look he's perfected over the years with the help of many people.

"I know you love the hatchlings," he says. "You would take them all in your ship if you could."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar sees right through that fake innocence. Their mild panic relaxes into a silly grin.

“It’s true…I love those hatchlings. They’d be great little copilots.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent reaches over and finds their hand. "It's nice to have hatchlings around," he agrees. "I never thought about kids much, but they're - they're all really great."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar looks down at their five fingers over their three and swallows hard. “Guess it’s probably less overwhelming with us Hearthians because we all share responsibility for the hatchlings. They’re real great, all of them are…yeah, real great.”

They exhale slowly.

“You’ll like the hatching ceremony. They’re even more adorable when they’re real little.”

[videointhenoise]

"I've been walking past that clutch for a while. There's a few in there," he says. "I wonder what they'll be like."

The hatchling ceremony sounds - fun.

[getfeldsparred]

"I bet the elders are hoping for more hatchlings like Gabbro or Chert. I always wonder who's laid the clutch, but no one really talks about it. I guess it doesn't matter? Unless someone gets Slate's personality - yeesh."

[videointhenoise]

Kent laughs. "I like Slate," he says, which might come as a surprise, considering how often they argue.

"Maybe it doesn't matter. Once they're laid, they belong to everyone, right?"

[getfeldsparred]

"Yeah. They might have one Hearthian's height or spots, but they belong to all of us. They say I spent too long with Tektite and I've got a lot of them in me, and Hornfels was Rutile's favorite for a while. Sometimes it all kind of makes sense."

[videointhenoise]

Kent smiles. "Yeah."

He finishes his breakfast and leans forward. "I still have some time before I'm meeting the hatchlings. Do you have the concept of a quickie?" he wonders as if it's the most natural thing.