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]

He slides up close to them. "Yeah. About a half step behind. You can tell me what obstacles are ahead or what's going on. My friend - Ellie, the one who went first? She was a great gossip."

[getfeldsparred]

“There’s a tree to your right that sticks out in the path, so I’m going to swerve,” they warn, hoping that it’s what Kent has in mind.

Feldspar knows that Kent has friends and a community back on his own planet; he’s mentioned Ellie before, but he’s friendly and knowledgeable and doesn’t seem like much of a recluse. It’s hard to think about though, how he might never see any of them ever again. Really sad and tragic, in a way.

“Gossan, my friend who founded Outer Wilds Ventures with me and Slate and Hornfels? Has an awful crush on Porphy, our wine-maker. Porphy’s younger than us all, and one day sprouted up to be about your height, all strong and strapping and charming. Gossan doesn’t know what to do with themselves around them.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent laughs a bit to himself. He doesn't feel sad yet, can't let himself feel that yet, but he knows it's coming. Soon.

Instead, he keeps his smile. "Oh, does Porphy know about that?"

[getfeldsparred]

“Oh, yeah,” they laugh, “Porphy knows. It’s pretty funny actually. They’ll deliberately flirt with Gossan just to see them squirm.”

[videointhenoise]

"Oh no," he laments playfully. "Poor Gossan."

But that does set him on another line of questioning. "Do your people have monogamous relationships?"

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar nods. “Yeah, sure. We date and fall in love and all that. Sometimes we get together without the love part…I mean, everyone gets urges, I guess?”

Feldspar less so, as they always have their eyes on the skies and little else, but they’re aware when someone’s trying to flirt with them.

[videointhenoise]

"Sounds like home," he agrees. "We have marriage, a bonding ceremony that sort of differs by culture, but generally, that's how it goes."

[getfeldsparred]

A bonding ceremony. Feldspar can’t say they don’t celebrate when two of them commit to each other, but it isn’t some big to-do. A new hatchling or a hatchling becoming an adult usually creates more of a big deal than anything between two Hearthians, but a bigger celebration doesn’t sound terrible.

“That sounds nice,” they say quietly. “Did you ever try to find someone? Ellie?”

[videointhenoise]

Kent smiles, shaking his head. "No. Ellie and I were just friends. And I have preferences that Ellie doesn't meet. Plus, she fell in love with a preachy asshole. Do you have religion?"

[getfeldsparred]

“Considering I don’t know what that is, I’m guessing not. But we do have preachy assholes, so I understand that part!”

Loooots of preachy assholes abound.

[videointhenoise]

"Religion is - just a way of explaining things that don't make sense immediately. Usually it involves some sort of higher power, an omnipotent god or gods or goddesses." He shrugs. "But - Palmer is one of those. A preachy asshole. But it's who she loves and I'm not interested in interfering with that."

He pauses a little as he stumbles on a rock. "But uh - no. I don't have anyone like that at home. Never really was interested in it."

[getfeldsparred]

Whoops - probably should have looked out for that rock. Still new at all of this, but he makes a concerned effort to focus on the path and keeping Kent safe.

"There's no accounting for good taste," Feldspar says with a sage nod. "Religion sounds like what the old Hearthians believed in, once upon a time."

[videointhenoise]

It's dark and it was a small rock. Kent is most definitely not paying attention to where his feet go. "I think every civilization has to go through that phase," he explains. "Some grow out of it. Some don't."

[getfeldsparred]

"It probably helps that there aren't too many of us...and maybe knowing about aliens at the start of everything. It makes the universe seem a lot smaller and tangible."

[videointhenoise]

He smiles as the sound of the waterfall gets louder, as they get closer to the little cabin. "Yeah, it does. I'm - interested in seeing how close we are. Or how far."

[getfeldsparred]

“I’m interested to hear more about your solar system.” And hopefully they’re not too far away from Kent’s home world, but Feldspar knows it’s a slim chance.

“We’re here. Come on, I’ll take you up the stairs.”

[videointhenoise]

He nods, following him up the stairs. He's counted them already, fortunately enough, so he's able to let go once they've reached the top. "I can take it from here, I think," he says, though he finds that letting go of him is harder than he thought it would be.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar doesn’t really want to let go. They can’t remember the last time they’ve been this touchy with someone - maybe Gossan or Slate, but never to this degree. It’s kind of nice.

But they do step back, wanting to make sure Kent has their autonomy.

“Alright. Do you want me to…I dunno, come get you in the morning? Bring you breakfast?”

[videointhenoise]

"No," he answers honestly. "But if you can show me how to make it or where to get it, I'd like that."

He refuses to be a burden.

[getfeldsparred]

The no makes them feel a little rejected, but they have to think a moment before they understand the sentiment behind it.

“Or I could bring things and we could make it together, if that works too,” they suggest.

[videointhenoise]

Kent brightens considerably. "I'd like that. Bring something easy, though. I'm not a great chef."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar feels themselves grinning again. “I’m not either. Definitely something simple.”

They step back a little, arms moving behind their back. “Well. Goodnight, I guess. Try and rest up.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent laughs softly. "Goodnight, Feldspar," he tells him, slowly making his way over to the rustic little bed, sitting on the edge so he can take off his shoes and try to sleep.

[getfeldsparred]

"Goodnight, Kent."

They wave a little before they realize how stupid that is and quickly shove their hands into their pockets to turn away and walk to their own little cabin. They whistle a little as they walk down the path, tired but excited still about all that they'd experienced this day.

Tomorrow will be a new one. Hopefully when they sleep they won't wake and it will have all been a dream.

[videointhenoise]

Kent waits until they're gone before he curls up in bed, smiling when the sound of the whistling comes to his ears.

He doesn't sleep for a while, but when he does, he sleeps hard. The world falls away around him, and he dreams of being weightless and the sound of Ellie's voice.

He wakes quickly, with a gasp.