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]

Lapis groans and just leads Gossan off and Kent tilts his head a little at that, leaning over to find Feldspar's hand. He squeezes it gently. "They'll be alright."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar steps closer to Kent and leans their face in to rest their nose against his cheek. Slate, Esker and Hornfels all suddenly make themselves look busy, and Feldspar smirks softly.

“I know. They’re not really a hatchling anymore, are they?”

[videointhenoise]

"No, they're not. But - I haven't heard them call you that."

It warms him to the core.

[getfeldsparred]

“They did all this morning,” they tell him, lifting their chin to kiss him briefly on his lower lip. “It was…it was real nice to have that again.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent blushes. "You're going to make the rest of the leave," he laughs to himself. He doesn't know who's still around, but he doubts they'll be sticking it out. "But - I'm glad you have it, too."

[getfeldsparred]

“Yeah, I don’t care.” They grin and reach for Kent’s hips to pull him closer. “They can leave if they want. They’ve had you all to themselves for 7 years, it’s my turn.”

And maybe that’s cooing over their hatchling, or maybe it’s being disgustingly flirty with him.

“I should let you work a bit. I’ll find Gossan and see if we located the main information hub.”

[videointhenoise]

"Wait until they're done on their diving trip," he laughs but he returns to where Slate had been and is immediately sucked into a debate about it.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar sneaks out when Kent’s immersed in his work with Slate and Hornfels, doing their own walk about to have a real look around. Along the way they find Marl,Hal and Tuff, and they listen with wonder at the story of Tuff’s lost ear, Hal’s translator, and Marl’s tussle with the big tree.

They stick around to help them a bit with the dam, though thankfully they’re able to rest a bit when their energy flags. They creep back to their room and fall into the bed.

[videointhenoise]

Kent and Slate talk and argue for a while until it gets darker. There's talk of new slides that Gossan and Lapis found, so Kent reminds himself to talk to them about it tomorrow. After he gets some rest. After - the others have seen it. Lapis finds his dad, though, not wanting to see the slides again. They died watching those films. Far too many times. Sometimes they would stop one on a certain picture, just to have a certain face be the last thing he sees at the heat death of the universe.

[getfeldsparred]

They rest without sleeping and then rise to answer the door when Gneiss and little Arkrose bring by some dinner. Feldspar thanks them both - and gives Arkrose a little wink - and then sets everything out on the table. Kent will join them, but maybe Lapis will too.

[videointhenoise]

Lapis takes Kent back to the room, just as Gneiss and Arkrose walk out. "Is he asleep?" Kent wonders, smelling food.

"I don't know," answers Lapis and then calls out. Loudly. "Mapa! You asleep?"

[getfeldsparred]

“No, pebble,” Feldspar calls back. “Got some dinner for you and dad! Come sit down.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent rolls his eyes. "Is this what we're going back to? Hatchling humor from both of you?"

He cackles softly as he walks inside, letting go of Lapis once he's inside and comfortable where he's at.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar and Lapis continue to giggle, but once they lay eyes on their little hatchling they feel their eyes start to tear a little. They’re still in their spacesuit, sans helmet but still looking so big and grown up.

“That’s a pretty fancy spacesuit, pebble.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent pats their arm. "You can take it off now anyway. Did you find everything you were looking for?"

He joins Feldspar on the bed with a kiss.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar leans into Kent with a quiet sigh, Lapis rolling their eyes and turning around to face the wall as they take off their suit.

“Not yet,” Feldspar answers. “I was distracted by Marl and Tuff working on the dam. What about you, pebble?”

“Uh, yeah, me and Gabbro were able to get a lot of them. Gossan and the others are organizing them now.”

[videointhenoise]

"You don't want to see them?' Kent asks and Lapis winces where his Dad can't see.

"No," he says. "I've - I've seen them all already."

[getfeldsparred]

Oh, Lapis.

“Hey, dinner’s getting cold,” they say, getting up with a gentle squeeze to Kent’s shoulder. “Let’s sit down and eat, and we can tell you about our idea for reconnecting and rerouting the power supply - with no change to some of the more important systems.”

They feel like they needed to have added that, lest Lapis starts worrying about one more thing.

[videointhenoise]

Kent clears his throat. "Let's talk about the elephant in the room before we do. Lapis...Mapa told me about your - well, about the systems. And how important that it is to you that we don't mess with them."

Lapis just sighs. "I thought so. It's not a secret from you."

It kind of was.

Kent nods. "But...we have to tread very carefully."

[getfeldsparred]

They’ve always liked that saying of Kent’s, even as their memory from Kent’s picture book of said elephant is sort of foggy and distant now.

“It’s dangerous,” Feldspar says, the usual mirth in their voice replaced by a quiet sternness. “And we still don’t know a lot about the systems on the ship. We can do a lot, us Hearthians and your dad, but deciphering the Nomai’s technology to use for ourselves took time.”

[videointhenoise]

Lapis sighs. "Yeah. I know. Hal and I are working it out, too. So we're doing stuff. I just - we can't just let them die," they complain and there's real panic in their voice.

Kent reaches out for them. "Hey, hey, it's alright. Look. We have - so much technology. And so do they. So who is to say that we can't find a way to upload their consciousness somewhere safe while we figure everything out, okay? We're going to do this. I promise."

[getfeldsparred]

They can’t let Lapis’ prisoner die, not when they’re getting their first taste of freedom in thousands of years. Feldspar glances at Kent and helps guide his hand to touch Lapis’.

“We told all of Outer Wilds founders about the simulation,” they add. “Minus most of the details, but they know that there are people living there. They’ll be careful, pebble.”

[videointhenoise]

"They are people," Kent confirms gently. "And we're going to treat them like that. They're no different than us and they were here first. Your friend included."

He feels Lapis' hand squeeze his own. "It's alright, pebble."

And he pulls them close in an embrace.

[getfeldsparred]

Lapis doesn’t resist the hug, and falls into their dad’s embrace like a young hatchling who was afraid of a storm might. Feldspar smiles to themself and rubs their back from where they sit.

“You’ve got to tell your dad about them, Lapis,” Feldspar urges gently. “About the one in the tower.”

[videointhenoise]

"It's the opposite of a tower," he tells his Mapa with a frown.

Kent sighs. "Semantics, kiddo."