Selenic chronicles… @rosengrotto - Tumblr Blog

The forty-five-year-old Segment was lovely and pleasant company.

Despite his physical similarities to Thirty-Five, you found that the differences between them were far more than anyone could guess at first glance. Forty-Five had slowly begun to mellow out in comparison to his younger self. Less did he focus on experiments, and more did he begin to yearn for a true connection. Perhaps that was part of why he was the Segment you could do the most “normal” activities with, when the younger Segments were more intrigued with their research and whatnot.

Forty-Five greeted you with a ‘good morning’ every time you rose and a pat on your head, unlike the others who didn’t care for casual formalities. He was the one who entertained your wish for stories, giggling and sharing gossip about his fellow Harbingers that he learned from meetings or snooping around for fun, while the others would scoff at such unproductive talk.

This Segment was the one who didn’t mind reading any sort of literature with you, whether they were slice-of-life comic books or romantic light novels, different from the usual informative text the others read, and he’d ask you with his usual smile if you would like to reenact those events in the stories with him. It didn’t matter what Forty-Five was doing - if you came to him and plopped yourself on his lap and rubbed your cheek into his fluffy sweater, he would drop everything to coo about how adorable and precious you were, leaving the others very tired. (Specifically Eighteen, who could only fume to himself and secretly wish he could be that bold.)

The eight-year-old Segment also seemed to be fond of him, and that only added to your view of his character. The child largely kept to himself, except when it came to you and Forty-Five. You still remember the time you walked in on the older man holding Eight with one of his arms, while the child casually flicked Forty-Five’s earring back and forth.

So that was how you deemed the forty-five-year-old to possibly be the sweetest of the Segments, who not only cared for your physical health, but was willing to indulge in quite literally anything so long as it meant you were happy. And that meant he would do things that the others would not or be more hesitant to.

“Oh, darling!” The Segment called for you, and you could easily hear the delighted clicks of his heel rushing toward you. “There you are. I have excellent news.” He was still brushing off damp snowflakes from his coat as he immediately brushed up next to you the moment he got close enough.

“The meetings went well, Forty-Five?” Despite being forty-five, the Segment was exceedingly clingy and not afraid to show it, playfully rubbing his head against yours, expecting attention.

“Yes, yes, nothing particularly new, but I’ll tell you later. More importantly, something came up in the midst of discussion that I believe would be to your liking.” You couldn’t help but smile at his eagerness.

“And that is…?”

“A festival.”

“A festival? Here, in Snezhnaya, you mean?”

“Correct.” Forty-Five’s cute, sharp teeth began to show through as he grinned wider. He patted your back to urge you to walk with him. “There are many celebrations in Snezhnaya, but this one in particular… Well, officially it’s held in honor of Her Majesty, but really, you can call it a morale booster for the people of Snezhnaya to keep their spirits up. Food, drinks, games, shops… You name it.”

“That sounds fun…” It almost reminded you of when you’d attend the Sabzeruz Festival or Akademiya Extravaganza with your dear Zandik back when you two were students. You’d buy the food, and Zandik would buy mechanical toys or anything of the like so he could deconstruct them for parts. You miss those days, when things were simpler.

“That’s why we should go together,” Forty-Five agreed very casually, so you almost didn’t hear him correctly.

“Huh? W-Wait, really? We can go?!” You turned to him and clasped your hands with his, and he squeezed yours back in affirmation.

“Of course. That’s why I brought it up. I figured you would like to spend some more time outside of this place. Even I admit that it can get awfully boring in here.” The Segment felt himself getting a bit warm under all of the layers he was wearing when you positively beamed at him and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you, thank you! Ah, I can’t wait until-” You then paused, as something came over you. “But… What about the others? I’ll have to tell them, and then they’ll probably make a fuss about it and then-” Before you could finish your sentence, Forty-Five pressed his finger against your lips with a mischievous smile.

“They don’t need to know, do they? This can be our little secret.” You stared at him, speechless for a moment, before both of you burst into laughter.

—

Sneaking out of the lab with Forty-Five reminded you of the thrill of sneaking out of the Akademiya with Zandik, except this time you would have fun instead of being stuck researching. And the others were none the wiser; well, according to Forty-Five, they were at least.

There were already plenty of people there by the time you two arrived. Despite the cruel fate that had been thrust onto the nation, the people of Snezhnaya were headstrong and managed to find joy in many things. That much could be said by how lively and wonderful the festival was. Decorations and stalls of delicious foods and souvenirs and games lined the streets, children and adults alike enjoying themselves, while Kresnik’s Torch kept everyone warm even as soft snow fell.

“You know, this is my first time attending as well,” Forty-Five took in the scenery with you. “After all, things like this aren’t something any of us would want to attend.” You believed him. You couldn’t really imagine any of the other Segments wanting to come here either.

“Well, I’m glad I can experience it with you.” You reached inside his coat to rub against his arm, and he perked up.

“As am I. Now, shall we?” Forty-Five placed his hand out, waiting for you to take it.

You wondered how much the average person recognized someone like Dottore, or if anyone understood the logic of the Segments. Forty-Five did not seem particularly concerned at being spotted with you, but you knew that they seemed to want to keep you a secret as best they could. However, that was not something so easily done, not when you had your own desires and wants, and that was not something they could ever strip you of.

Regardless, if the Segment didn’t care, you didn’t need to either. And so you took his hand in yours and let him lead you into the crowd.

—

“Here,” the scholar gave you a stick of hard candy, while pushing some wrapped ones into your pocket. There were many delicious scents floating around, but the sight of candy resembling the creatures of Snezhnaya caught your eye. And of course, Forty-Five would never deny indulging his sweet tooth. The two of you found a spot that was a bit away from all of the commotion to enjoy the treat.

“Is it good, dearest?” You nibbled at your candy and nodded.

“Mhm. Here, want to try some?” You pushed the stick of the sugar sculpture toward Forty-Five’s mouth, to which he didn’t hesitate to try, tongue darting out to taste your candy.

“Your one isn’t as sweet as mine,” the Harbinger observed, licking his lips at the flavor. You were about to pull away before Forty-Five suddenly crunched down and bit a part of the candy off.

“Hey!” A portion of your candy had been munched away while Forty-Five enjoyed himself with a mischievous look. “You bit its head off…” You twirled the sculpture around, now partially demolished.

“Oh, don’t look so sad. You can try mine too, of course.” Now it was Forty-Five who held his candy out to you, brushing against your lips.

“Nom…” Forty-Five’s sugar sculpture was quite sweet, just to his liking. Unlike some of the others, he didn’t care to hide his fondness for sweet treats. “Yours is yummy, too.” The Segment hummed in agreement, content to watch you. When you had enough of his candy and pulled away, he took the opportunity to finally capture your lips with his.

Seems like he was getting tired of all the indirect kisses.

—

It was then that one of the stalls caught your eye, and you tugged the Segment over to look at it. In front of you was a table of cat ears of different colors, as well as different headgear such as antlers.

“What are these?” You had never seen anything like this before.

“Well, it appears to be animal ears that you can wear. I believe they have these in Nod-Krai, as well.”

“You can wear… cat ears? How?” You picked up a pair and thumbed the soft and fluffy material. At that, a Fatui Agent finally appeared from the back of the stall and rushed over.

“Sorry about the wait, we-” The agent stopped in his tracks as he glanced at you and Forty-Five, before suddenly pausing as his brain seemed to process who exactly was standing in front of him. He could only sputter and bow deeply at the sight of the Harbinger. “L-Lord Dottore?! I- We- Uh, i-it’s an honor to serve you!” The Segment only hummed in response, seeming to be more interested in you fiddling with the ears instead.

“So, how exactly do these ears work?” Forty-Five asked, unbothered by the agent’s fumbling.

“Ah, um, well… You just need to stick them on top of your head, really. That’s all.” You furrowed your eyebrows, but followed the instructions anyway, placing the cat ears on your head. You don’t know how it worked, but they stuck there, even when you shook your head.

“Huh… It feels a bit weird. How do I look?” You turned to face the Segment, the sensation of cat ears on your head a bit peculiar. Forty-Five looked at you with a blank expression before suddenly breaking out into laughter.

“... Heh. Hehehe…. Ahahahaha!” Your face burned in embarrassment as he giggled at you. “Adorable. Simply adorable.”

“Hmph!” The Segment’s hand petted the top of your head as you pouted. You grabbed another pair of car ears and pushed it in front of him. “Here. I can’t be the only one being laughed at. You need to wear them too!”

The poor agent had been watching the whole time, awkwardly rubbing his head at the scene. But more importantly, he didn’t know who this person next to Lord Dottore was, but he was sure that the Harbinger would never entertain such a foolish request, so-

Before the Fatuus could finish his thought, Forty-Five took the pair of cat ears from your hands and placed them on top of his head.

“Hmm… It does feel a bit odd.” The scholar crossed his arms in thought, and you reached to pat the top of his head too, specifically rubbing at the newly added cat ears clashing with his fluffy blue hair.

The Fatui agent at the stall was beyond baffled, and yet he kept his mouth shut. D-Did… Lord Dottore actually put on those cat ears?! Was the Lord Harbinger always this cute? Wait, no! He can’t think that way about his superior, much less the fearsome Second Harbinger! But should he compliment the Harbinger? Should he just smile and nod? Or would it be wise to interrupt this clearly affectionate moment? Would Lord Dottore be offended either way?!

“Hehe, I told you! Now you look cute, too!” If you listened closely, the Segment was practically purring at your attention. “Can we keep these? How much are they? I want to take a few pictures with them and bring them back to the lab…”

“Well actually, these aren’t for sale…” The agent’s words slowly died down as Forty-Five gave him a smile that made his stomach turn. “B-But, we can make an exception this time!”

“Very well, my dear. I believe I saw a photo booth somewhere around.” The Segment smiled like usual and urged you away to the next activity.

The agent’s legs nearly gave out at the encounter. Who would ever believe that Lord Dottore would dress himself with cat ears so easily… Though he seemed way more friendly than usual…

—

“It was so much fun! Thank you for taking me.” Your arms were wrapped around Forty-Five, squeezing him tightly. The two of you had a day of fun at the festival, and he seemed greatly pleased with himself as well.

“Of course. We can always go again, or even to some of the smaller towns more often.” Forty-Five brushed your cheek and planted a kiss on your forehead. “You deserve it.”

“Mhm! But uh… Do you think the others noticed anything?” You looked slightly worried, as you had finally arrived at one of the more private entrances of the lab. “You think they’ll be upset…?”

“Not to worry, darling. I’ll take care of anything, no matter what anyone says. Now-” The moment the forty-five-year-old opened the door, Eight was there, crouched to the side as if waiting for you two to return.

“The others are mad at you,” the child said bluntly.

“Oops…”

—

“What, you thought you could just run off with them, and all would be well?” As expected, Eighteen was the most vocal about his displeasure, pacing back and forth while the other Segments and even the original watched on.

“I wouldn’t call it running away. I took them out, and I brought them back.” Apparently, the Segments had turned the lab upside down after learning you were missing, and then realizing that Forty-Five was also conveniently gone. “We all do the same from time to time, no?”

“Taking them out to the forest and whatnot is far different from pushing them around in the capital,” Twenty-Five stated objectively. “And you didn’t tell us anything. What if they fell ill?”

“It may be, but that’s why they enjoyed it. They wanted to attend it, I listened, and everything was indeed well. Besides, do you really think I’m incapable of handling any possible situation?” He continued to smile and shrugged his shoulders. “Should I ignore their wishes simply because of differing opinions amongst us?”

“Differing opinions? Then, what makes your opinion take precedence above mine?” Thirty-Five questioned.

“Enough.” Zandik tapped his cane against the ground, the noise drawing attention. “Forty-Five… is not wrong. [Name] is allowed to do what they like. They should be free, without us intervening on their desires. And what matters is that they are unharmed.”

“…I would have gone with them instead, if I knew,” Eighteen sniffed. Sixty-Five only remained quiet. His mind was more similar to the original, after all.

“Eighteen, Twenty-Five, neither of you like crowds or loud noises for an extended period of time. Thirty-Five, those sort of activities do not interest you either. And Sixty-Five and I…” Well, they were both too old for such fun and walking. That didn’t really need to be said.

“So, Forty-Five is the optimal choice if they want to attend festivities or things of that nature.” Despite the finality of his words, the original sounded a bit saddened about the truth because Zandik could no longer be the one to make his beloved happy. Only his younger Segments could truly fulfill your wishes, now. He had no choice but to leave it in their hands. “That being said, anyone who wants to take them out should still notify the others, so that this doesn’t happen again.”

Forty-Five seemed to have expected this outcome, only humming in response, as the other Segments grumbled for a bit before dispersing.

—

“Where are we going this time?” A few days after you two snuck out, the Segment had bundled you up once again in a fluffy coat and gloves.

“Nowhere all that special, this time. Simply outside, as we usually do.”

“Not that I don’t want to, but why now, so out of the blue?” Forty-Five’s smile twitched as he held your hand.

“You see… it seems that Eight is a little upset that we did not take him with us when we went out. He’s been pouty at me ever since.” Your heart dropped when the scholar said that.

“I-Is he really?” Immediately, you felt guilty for not thinking of inviting your baby along. You thought he liked quieter means of bonding, but at the end of the day, he was still a child. He wanted to have fun with the person he loved, even if it was different than usual. “Oh no… Oh Forty-Five, when is the next time we’re going out? We have to bring him then!”

“You can relax, beloved. He’s not nearly as upset as whatever you’re imagining,” Forty-Five tried to assuage your worries. “Regardless, as an apology, I’m allowing him to take ‘revenge’ on me. I brought you along because I thought you’d enjoy it.”

“Revenge? What does that even entail…?”

The revenge in question was a snowball fight with the other two Segments.

“You’re here. And… [Name].” The child was already outside waiting, and that’s when you noticed he’d already molded a small army of snowballs and set them aside for further use. Little Eight perked up when he saw you by Forty-Five’s side, his favorite person.

“Eight, I-” Before you could apologize, Eight yanked your arm and tugged you to his side, away from the older Segment.

“You’re on my side,” he declared before placing a firm snowball in your hand.

“Wait, I-”

“Two against one? I suppose in this case, that’s fair,” Forty-Five commented before bending down to reach for some snow himself.

“Are we really-” At that, Eight launched the snow with surprising accuracy, as if he’d done this before, at the older man, but Forty-Five dodged right in time, still agile. “Well, I guess we are…” You also attempted to pelt your lover with snow, but you were not as good as either of them.

Instead, you were mostly used as a shield, as Eight frequently hid behind you. The child Segment dove into your coat to take cover, nearly making you topple over, and the snowball hit you instead. Eight popped his head out and stuck his tongue at the older man.

After a long, drawn-out battle, Forty-Five admitted his defeat, and now Eight had become interested in building a snow fort. You and the older man sat at the side to rest.

“That was… surprisingly intense,” you panted while Forty-Five chuckled. Now you knew Eight could really pack a punch through… snowballs.

“Well, you of all people should know how expressive he can be.” You nodded in agreement, and something you’ve been thinking for a while about came to mind, but you weren’t sure how to voice it. Of course, the Segment saw your expression anyway. “What is it?”

“I just… noticed you’re more fond of him than the rest of them seem to be…” Eighteen’s dislike of Eight was clear, while the others seemed indifferent, but Forty-Five seemed to like him. The Segment smiled at your words, but not as wide as he usually did, as if a bit of sadness washed over him.

Perhaps, deep down, he wished for a family, a place to belong. He had always wished for acceptance, but this was a bit different.

Maybe the original Zandik, who eventually grew out of his prime and aged, began to see things differently. Decades had flown by and slowly worn him down, and left him looking back on his life. A life that was lived without you, his dearest.

Perhaps he sat down and wondered about what could have been. Possibly, he thought about how you’d look settling down with him; a garden or pet or maybe even another tiny person would bring joy to your lives. But those types of thoughts had no release for the original. They could only be contained within his mind, tormenting him.

And now, those thoughts had been inherited by the forty-five-year-old Segment, and that mentality was what he lived by. Forty-Five doted on you endlessly, treating you exactly how the original would have wanted, like you were his spouse - his family. And Eight… Well…

But the truth was that a family was not something that could truly be obtained for the Segment, because as he was now, Forty-Five was a stagnant, unchanging man, and he was mature enough to realize that.

So instead, Forty-Five latched onto the things that could give him the illusion of his desires - the fantasy of a family - since that was all he could have, being frozen in time.

Naturally, he did not say any of that.

“It’s a shame. The connection I can make with you is limited by my very own self,” Forty-Five said, the most solemn you’d ever heard him. “And yet, all I want to do is continue to try, even though it will never be possible.” Maybe for him, if he could leave a mark on you, if you could change because of him, then that would be enough.

You opened your mouth, but no words came out. The only thing you did was place your hand on Forty-Five’s.

“Well now, enough of that. Come, it looks like Eight needs our help.” Forty-Five motioned to the child struggling to move heavy blocks of snow.

“… You’re right. Let’s go.” The Segment took your hand and helped you up, and the three of you spent the rest of the day together.

You loved the Segments dearly but…

The very nature of life is to grow and change; otherwise, were you truly living? By that logic, wasn’t the Segments’ existence sheer cruelty for them to endure every day they existed? Because if they could not grow, were they really living?

You didn’t know anymore.

Masterlist.

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Selenic chronicles…