Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗
oh okay YAY!
The body is a temple.exe
Arknights
This fic is my favorite child. It both caught a lot of lot dodge balls and missed completely where canon plot was going. This is the story where I really found my voice.
Becoming Eden [it's me I'm trees]
Trigun
my magnum opus, I wrote it in a fugue state and its thematically one of the tightest novels I've write. I'm so mad its a fic. its part one of four now, so have fun with that if you like 300K+ long fics. But it also stands alone.
Hold me like a grudge
trigun
I'm just pleased with this one. Despite being outside of my usual genre preference its the one I've reread the most for my own pleasure. Every time I think I want to write more I reread it and go no, I'm satisfied, they deserve tacos, and close the document.
Mr Whiskers Doesn't Know
Trigun
I love Livo and Razlo, heres a whole poem about them <3 I may or may not cannibalize this piece for a Becoming Eden chapter at some point.
Inglorious
Trigun
Meryl dies in the elevator instead of Roberto in 500 words. Some of my best work!
Content warnings: Biting and biting and biting and
Synopsis: Glaucus and Blue Poison spend some downtime together, Glaucus needs a chewy stim toy to concentrate, but Blue is right here :(
It always felt like a blessing whenever Blue Poison and Glaucus’ schedules gave them overlapping downtime. Blue loved being able to take time to bake together, shop, play a game, or just relax in their shared Rhodes’ dorm as they are now. Blue Poison had settled herself on a kitchenette stool with a fashion magazine, as well as a piece of leftover cake that she was leisurely working through. Glaucus was curled up on the couch a short distance away looking at something on their tablet-terminal. Their leg braces were folded and set aside nearby.
Blue Poison glances at Glaucus, as she has been doing fairly regularly for the past twenty minutes. They seemed really absorbed in whatever they had going on on their tablet. The edge of one of their index finger was held between their teeth and they seemed to be gently gnawing on it in concentration… Cute. Blue smiles and goes back to her magazine.
It was peaceful, the only noises at the moment were the ambient sounds of the air system, fridge, and the background noise of the landship itself. Maybe Blue should offer to put some music on? She scoots back her stool and stands up to go and see if she can locate her wireless speaker, which seems to alert Glaucus to her presence. (They remembered she was there before, right?)
“Oh, Bloop.” They had withdrawn their finger from their mouth and were reaching out with that same hand in a grasping motion. Their voice was expressionless, but the gesture communicated they were eager to see her and wanted her to come nearer.
“Hehe, yes, Glau?” Blue beams and trots over to stand at arm’s reach by the couch.
“Do you have any chew toys?”
Blue narrowly avoids choking and her eyes widen. “Oh! Um…” she averts her gaze and casts it around nervously. She can understand asking for such a thing, completely and totally, but why was Glaucus looking directly at her when they asked…? Blue was okay with eye contact generally, but Glaucus’ unmitigated direct stare made her feel a bit embarrassed sometimes…
“I-I’ll look around, I feel like I might’ve had a chewy stim toy around somewhere?” Blue managed a smile and a thumbs-up. She wanted to be dependable! And she knows she should have such a thing amongst her belongings, somewhere.
________
After rustling through her cluttered drawers as thoroughly as she could, Blue had to admit defeat. It felt like sometimes her stuff just got up and walked away when she wasn’t looking…
She sighed disappointedly as she made her way back over to Glaucus. “My apologies, Glau, I know I had something like that, but I can’t seem to find it. It was even shaped like a cookie too…”
Glaucus extracts their thumb from their mouth this time and blinks. “It’s okay. Thank you for checking.” They put on a small smile that crinkles their eyes before going back to what they were working on.
Glaucus was so polite and kind, but that was absolutely unacceptable! That Blue failed to fulfill a request that simple from her roommate! Her chest aches and she barely suppresses a whine of discontent, standing there and fidgeting with her clasped hands.
She took some deep breaths and walked back over to the kitchenette, and then back to the couch. Then paced back and forth once more for good measure.
“Err, Glaucus?” She can’t let herself fail. “What do you think about… would it be suitable to use me as a chew toy?” This was only to help her friend, and not any self-motivated reasons, she was sure.
Glaucus stared at her. They actually started to look a little bit amused, like they were holding in a laugh.
“Ah, mhmm, well. I was looking for something I could chew without interrupting what I was doing…”
“I! I won’t stop you! I’ll just— I’ll sit beside you and you can have my arm! Does that sound— does that sound amenable? To you?” Blue felt like she was going to pass out. Oh, she’d thoroughly made an embarrassment of herself this time.
Glaucus hummed to themself as if thinking deeply on the offer. “Okay,” is what they said at last, straightening up a bit on the couch and patting the space beside them.
Blue can’t believe it.
She finds herself in the next moment seated primly besides Glaucus, worming her arm out of her hoodie sleeve on one side, and then holding it out awkwardly.
“Um. Here.” Blue fidgets in place, apprehensive.
Under her hoodie, Blue had on a short-sleeved button-up, and so her skin was available to access now. Maintaining their hold on the tablet in their other hand, Glaucus sort of supports the underside of Blue’s forearm, and brings it closer to their face. “Thank you… I will treasure this gift.”
That made Blue giggle. “Ehehe, ah—!” a quiet exclamation and intake of air sounded out as Glaucus put their teeth against Blue’s skin. They were basically just resting them there, barely indenting her flesh. She could feel the tip of their tongue poking against her skin as well though.
Glaucus’ eyes flit over to meet Blue’s over her forearm, held in their mouth with all the gentleness of a kitten being carried by the nape.
“Sh’okay?” muffled by her arm.
“Yes, of course! Please, don’t let me distract you, carry on.” Blue nodded, and took to staring into the middle distance.
Glaucus hummed in assent and turned their attention back to their tablet.
…
This was nice. It was warm sitting next to Glaucus like this. She can hear their breathing beside her.
“Glaucus.”
“Mmhmm?”
“You can… actually chew on me, if you want. … I don’t mind.”
“Ohkfhay.”
Ah, they were teething on her arm now. That felt… nice.
She takes a moment to sink into the cushions and soak in the soft textures and ambience of their couch and living-space.
…
…
Blue reaches for a pillow on her other side so she can scoop it under her arm and have something to lean on. She readjusts some more to retrieve her pocket-terminal from her pants pocket, in order to start browsing the Rhodes Island messaging boards.
Oh, that’s interesting, what Pinus Sylvestris are doing.
Poncirus got stuck in the ducts…? She’s sure someone from engineering is on that.
Blue’s eyes start to droop a little. She doesn’t think she could fall asleep with the mild pain from Glaucus’ teeth, but it is putting her into a state of relaxation. Her terminal screen eventually shuts off on its own, and she lets it be set down with the slow, sleepy fall of her arm.
It would be so nice to be able to rest her head on Glaucus’ shoulder… but that feels like it might be a bit much, and they’ were partly occupied with her already. She should wait for another time to ask about that. She settles for continuing to listen to their breathing, feel their teeth squishing into her skin, and the soft incidental traces of their tongue as their jaw worked.
They moved her arm around every so often to find a fresh, unchewed patch of skin, maybe to avoid spending too long on one spot and bruising it. Glaucus was so considerate, hehe…
It felt good on the meatier part of her arm, but the other way closer to her wrist made her feel especially fuzzy.
A tiny noise escaped her mouth. “Mnh, Glaucus…” she’s looking at Glaucus nearly over her shoulder; nervously, pleadingly, but unflinchingly. “You can bite harder… please.” Glaucus, holding her gaze, doesn’t react for a long moment, besides their cheeks colouring almost imperceptibly pinker.
And then they do, and Blue tenses and keens out a long, stuttering whine. She stays frozen until Glaucus relaxes their jaw enough that Blue’s arm drops from their mouth as dead weight, and Blue ends up slumped against their shoulder anyways.
“Ah… Oops.” Glaucus picks up Blue’s arm again and pokes at it. “Was that too much?”
Blue peers through bleary eyes, and sees her forearm riddled with indents from Glaucus’ teeth, some of them fading already, but one particular spot where they were much starker, with the surrounding skin maybe starting to discolour in a bruise.
“No, no, I’m okay Glau, don’t worry,” she finds their hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. And then the full weight of how embarrassing and shameful that whole series of events was hits her all at once.
She wrests her arm back to herself and stands bolt upright, flushing deeply and stuttering. “I-I-I’m so sorry Glaucus! That was completely unprofessional and- and the peak of impropriety, I… I sincerely apologize!!” She clasps her hands in front of her and bows repeatedly.
Glaucus looks on with a somewhat amused look on their face, which made Blue feel even more embarrassed. They reach for her sleeve and tug on it, then open their arms.
“Are you sure?” asked Blue, confused, looking almost teary. They make a ‘come here’ gesture with both hands to emphasize, to which she responds by moving forward, allowing them to take hold and pull Blue into their embrace, forcing her to crawl onto their lap on the couch. Glaucus then starts petting over Blue’s back, which was really quite soothing, and started to make her feel a bit better.
“It’s okay Blue. It didn’t bother me at all… promise.” Blue let herself relax even more at hearing those words. “When I asked for a chewtoy… I was thinking about your neck, but your arm… was delicious too.”
“Oh,” Blue breathed out, and then, “you fucker.” She buried her face in Glaucus’ shoulder and groaned.
“I wanted to try… your poison, straight from the tap…”
Blue’s flush from earlier survives, rekindled by each successive statement.
“Aren’t you working on something?” Blue chuckled embarrassedly, “no way that wouldn’t distract you too much.”
“Mhmmm, true. But… you’re more important.”
Blue smiled, hidden by Glaucus’ sweater, and hugged them tighter. “Awww, thank you Glau, you’re just too sweet…”
________
The next day Blue lets her sleeve fall by accident and someone asks if she was attacked by a beckbeast.
And still I hear nothing but the windy beating of the sea.
Happy birthday Laurentina and Specter!!!!!
Words: 506
Rating: G
A palette of soft ashen inks spilled across the afternoon sky, air heavy and humid; the imminent threat of rain to betide the shore’s rocks.
The silver-grey spray of sea foam reposed, face upturned and basking; eagerly awaits such a cloudburst.
“O lighthouse keeper, wherefore art thou standing there so grimly? Thy dour countenance will frighten the crabs away.”
“Spare me the drivel, witch. How brazen of you to be lounging so near my post. Do you court death today?”
The witch laughs. “Prithee stay thy blade, o lighthouse keeper. What harm have I brought to thee? The sands and the waves are free for all things under the sun to indulge in, are they not?”
The crunch of boots on stone as the lighthouse keeper paces, descending the high perch of her approach, strafing the creature before her.
“Your kind slew and devoured my father, I shall not tolerate your trickery.”
A rueful laugh escapes the witch’s lips. “A shame. Certainly a good man he was, and I’m sorry for thy loss, little bird. The sea is far from fair-play, as I’m sure thou art aware in thy profession, little bird.”
“Don’t call me—! Hmph.” The lighthouse keeper approaches, blade held forth.
“Quite the doleful figure thou strike, keeper of the shore. Will my blood sate the wound thou dost speak of? Will it ease thy pain? If so…”
The keeper’s blade stops a scant foot from the creature’s chest, but she closes the distance herself; fingers cradling the tip and lifting it, leaning forward and alighting her cheek on the bladed edge. “My blood is thine own to claim if that is thy want.” The keeper’s eyes do widen as the witch blinks lowly and slowly, crimson eyes meeting her own. “But I was hoping for some company at the shore today, if it should please thee. What say thee?”
The lighthouse keeper’s blade trembles, and lifts, returning to its scabbard. She stumbles back, stricken.
The shark giggles freely as the wind, gestures forth, then pats the space beside her. “Set aside thy sword and thy lantern, o lighthouse keeper, if only for a moment. Enjoy the waves with me.”
As does the sea-weary pelagic bird, on trembling legs the lighthouse keeper alights to the gravelly sand. Gloved hands meet and sink into the silt, the sea breeze catches and plays with her hair.
Finding utter disbelief in herself, the keeper mutters, words carried by the breeze: “I don’t know what I’m doing. Perchance I am adrift as the sea bird…” Her fingers clench and fist the loose gravel.
“Even the mighty albatross must roost from time to time,” the shark tentatively sets her own hand upon the keeper’s, feeling it tense and then slowly relax. “If thou wouldst allow me, let us sculpt you a form anew from sea foam, and see what thou discovers.” The shark tilts her head and smiles, display of pointed teeth.
Light of the Stars, Glow of the Moon; Distant Satellite
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Rated: G
Words: 4509
Content warnings: Dissociation, derealization
A fic running with the concept introduced at the end of Dorothy's operator record, that the transmitter inside her is receiving stimuli from the Galleria Stellaria.
Takes place after Dorothy's Vision and Lone Trail
Enjoy!
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A causeway of stars, smeared across the dark void like a splash of fresh milk. Glittering and glimmering, particles of light dazzling the eye with their intensity before fading, new bursts of light taking their place. The scope is staggering. Dorothy feels small and weightless, cold and hot. She feels hungry.
Dorothy’s expecting to only be working on administrative tasks today after getting her breakfast (or… maybe lunch?), but she likes wearing her lab coat. She puts it on over a blouse, cardigan, and sweatpants. Definitely good enough for a cafeteria.
Making her way out of her room, she feels kind of ill and has to lean against the doorframe for a moment, but the feeling passes. She slaps her face lightly and feels just barely awake enough to remember the path she’d been shown to the cafeteria.
Rhodes Island isn’t bad at all, she quite likes it actually. The interior decoration manages to mesh ‘high-security armoured landship’ with ‘chic living and working environments’ fairly well. She loves the angular design elements, splashes of paint against brutalist concrete, and various potted plants and hydroponics systems. The lights are bright. Sometimes in places where open spaces are stacked in the layout there are big bay windows where you can look up or down and feel like you could almost fall into it.
She wrenches herself away from the windowed seating area and continues on. She waves at a couple people she’s pretty sure she’s been introduced to already.
That feeling of uncertainty nags at her enough for her to make a pitstop at one of the washrooms, splashing cold water at her face and pressing her palms into her eyes.
She’s fine! She’s literally fine, she’s both awake and alert this time, for real. She stomps her foot on the ground and tilts her head, eyeing her reflection in the mirror. She’s fine. One task at a time. She puts back on her famously charming and gentle smile, and heads out the door to continue on her way.
Much better. The day is still young and there is much to do! She’s still the Director of Originium Arts after all, no matter what post her work shall lead her to. Perhaps she should look up what other Rhine personnel were onboard with Rhodes at the moment, pay them a visit. Maybe she could conjure up some harmless yet fascinating arts device to give as a gift to Olivia’s daughter.
Would a… bouquet of funerary condolence flowers be appropriate for Saria and Muelsyse? Those poor lone planets, losing a constituent part of their impossible three body problem, flung out into the dark… Much to consider, yes.
Oh, the cafeteria! Excellent. Something smells good already…!
Dorothy grabs a tray and gets in line. Not too busy at the moment, just a short wait until she can ask for what she pleases off the menu.
She runs her eyes over the chalk-written menu, and then the various metal basins and trays. Much to consider…
Green bean casserole… mappo tofu… pierogi… Maybe she really had missed breakfast time. Well, there’s always the cereal bar. Her stomach is feeling a bit loopy, so perhaps lighter fare would do well for her. There’s a thin looking soup behind the glass as well though, that might be suitable. She absently feels her fingernails click against the glass as she presses her fingertips to the surface. It’s cold, but it’s hot underneath. She can see liquid being stirred and poured and it’s fascinating in a numb sort of way. She feels very far from her body and yet too close at the same time. Too close, too much detail to take in, fuzzy and numb. A chill wind and ultraviolet radiation. She thinks someone is talking to her.
She blinks. “Wha— Pardon me?”
The forte behind the counter is creasing his brow slightly. “Apologies, you seemed to be spacing out. Are you alright?”
“Oh, yes! Absolutely, don’t you worry.” She smiles.
His smile in return communicates that he doesn’t really believe her but his brow lightens. “Very well, I’m glad to hear it. Can I get you anything?” He nods his head in the direction of the nearest copy of the menu.
“Oh, ummm. I believe I’ll help myself at the cereal bar, but thank you for the offer.” She gives a shallow curtsy and steps over to the other counter.
Drat. That almost certainly wasn’t the optimal way to say that. Was probably holding up the line too. Maybe she needs to go back to bed.
No no no! Cut it out! She’s. Literally. Doing fine.
She congratulates herself on selecting and pouring a cereal no problem, picks up a little clementine to go with it, and is standing in front of the milk selection. She picks up the almond milk. It’s good to try different things sometimes! She usually goes for soy.
“—Haha yeppers, okay see ya!”
Oh okay, well there’s an alarmingly familiar voice. She wanted to speak to the other Rhine members but not at this exact moment, preferably.
She stays still in the off-chance that she’ll camouflage into the environment and be passed by. It’s a pharmaceutical company, surely lab coats are a common sight for the staff.
She can see Muelsyse in her peripheral vision with her hands tucked in her pockets and whistling as she passes behind her. Dorothy’s ear twitches. Muelsyse tilts her head and then wheels around on her heel, eyes wide.
“Whuh— Doroth— Director Franks!! What are you doing here!?”
Dorothy smiles serenely, “Yes, that’s me. You can call me Dorothy, Muelsyse.” She hopes that she can make this a quick exchange, lovingly encourage her to run along. She likes Muelsyse, she’s sweet, and has a good heart. They should really talk more, but right now she would really like to eat alone and be on with her day.
“And to answer your question, I’m staying here for the time being.” Beams at her, eyes crinkling.
“Oh! Neato! Um. Are you cradling a carton of almond milk?”
Dorothy sighs almost imperceptibly and lets her smile falter. She lifts the object that she had subconsciously tucked close to her as if to look at it for the first time. “Yes, it would appear that I am. Thank you Muelsyse, I’ll pour it and then go eat.”
“Sounds great!” Muelsyse bounces on the balls of her feet, “do you mind if I come with you?”
Dorothy stares at the milk a little longer. “No, I shouldn’t expect to mind at all. Let’s go,” and she pours her milk.
The two of them settle down at a quiet and unoccupied table off to the side, Dorothy tucking her tail over and around her leg as she sits.
“How have you been doing, Muelsyse? Up to anything fun?” Dorothy starts eating her cereal while she listens to the answer.
“Oh, absolutely fabulously! And very much so, yes yes! I haven’t really been here that long either but they’ve already let me set up some experiments to run in the gardens, I’m expecting it to be very interesting.” Muelsyse is resting her chin on her hand while talking and seems to be kicking her feet under the table.
“Hmm, that sounds lovely, you’ll have to give me a tour of the gardens at a later date.”
“Of course!! You betcha, any time you want miss Dorothy Franks!”
“Mhmm.” Dorothy starts the process of listlessly peeling her orange with a medium amount of coordination.
“Oh, I’ve got that for you!” Muelsyse snatches the orange before proceeding to attempt peeling it with an also medium amount of coordination and a stalwart expression. “So,” her tongue is protruding from her mouth in concentration between utterances, “what’s the full reason you’re here at Rhodes?” She places the enthusiastically peeled orange in Dorothy’s hand.
“House arrest, I believe”
“Hou—, House Arrest? But this isn’t your house!!!”
“It can be, for the time being,” Dorothy smiles wryly. “I like the idea of a house that moves around.”
“Who’s… arresting you?”
“The Columbian government, Maylander I guess… Or Dr Olivia Silence if you’d prefer. She’s meant to be keeping an eye on me, theoretically.”
“What the hell? Just because of that stuff at Site Something-Or-Other? You’d think they’d care more about that hole in the sky…” Muelsyse trails off pouting and chuffing.
Dorothy chuckles warmly, glad for the first time to have gotten roped into sitting with Muelsyse. She’s trying to cheer her up.
Dorothy extends a segment of orange to Muelsyse, who breaks her comical expression to crack a smile and accept it. She puts it between her teeth and starts sucking the juice out of it noisily.
Should Dorothy mention anything more about that hole in the sky? She hasn’t acknowledged… any other part of it yet.
She just ends up watching her eat her piece of orange weirdly. Her cereal bowl was still mostly full.
Muelsyse chomps down on the husk of the orange to pull it into her mouth like a scalebeast. “Aah, I’m going to give Olivia a piece of my mind next time I see her, no matter what say she had in it.”
“Please don’t, she’s been very kind to me. I… appreciate her perspective.”
“Okay, okay, you got it. You should finish your cereal, before it gets soggy.”
“I’ll do that.”
Dorothy doesn’t feel like she has the words enough at the moment to put together a meaningful sentence for Muelsyse, nothing that would feel right. Maybe she will drop off a bouquet at her dorm or when she sees her for the garden tour.
She supposes that’ll have to do for now.
————
Dorothy sighs, a weary sound emanating from down near where her forehead is pressed against the surface of her desk. Her work has been progressing, just slowly. She oscillates between bouts of perfect clear-headedness, and feeling the stars rush through. She even has her own small office that Rhodes has provided her for the time being, perhaps as compensation for the inconvenience. It’s nice, she can hang things on the walls and play her own music. Old-fashioned Columbian jazz fills the space.
A knock comes from the door. “Come in!” Dorothy shouts as she abruptly rises to her feet.
The door clicks open and Elena steps through, holding a mug of coffee, and a plate with some cookies on it.
“Ah, Elena! Good to see you, good to see you!”
“Hehe, you as well Dorothy, it’s been a few days! I brought these for you,” Elena lifts the items she’s holding and steps over to set them on the desk away from the computer. “Have things been continuing well with settling in?”
“Thank you Elena dear, and yes, very much so. Nothing to worry about.” She smiles
Elena lifts an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure? Muelsyse mentioned that you seemed a little bit… off.”
Dorothy hums and takes a sip from her coffee. “Hmm, nothing more than the consequences of my own actions, if that’s what she’s talking about.”
Elena adopts a look of consternation and leans forwards. “You mean… the transmitter?”
Dorothy grimaces lightly and says, “Yes, it would seem so.” She sets the cup down. “No worse than oripathy certainly, much more manageable. I’ll grow used to it soon enough.”
Elena seems unconvinced. “What’s it… doing? Is there anything the doctors can do to stop it?”
“I’ve had extensive testing done with collaboration from Dr Silence and Dr Kal’tsit both. I’m afraid it’s not quite ‘doing’ anything, simply made a place for itself wrapped around my nervous system, as expected.” Smiles some more.
“Umm, okay, yeah. It’s a bit weird when you say it like that, but sure. What’s the problem then?”
“What problem? It’s functioning exactly as intended.”
“Ugh,” Elena groans. “Dorothy,” she adds, in only a slightly whiny voice, “what was Muelsyse talking about?”
That gets a good laugh out of Dorothy, lifting her hand to her mouth in mirth. “Sorry, Elena dear, sorry, I won’t tease you any further.”
Dorothy moves to clear some books off a spare stool and brings it over to the desk so they can both sit.
“It’s the Galleria Stellaria. The guidance system relied on transmitter to communicate with Terra. I can feel it.” Elena’s eyes widen in response. “It should be fine, I just need to get the hang of turning it off.”
“Dorothy…” Elena breathes, “that’s… what…? What’s it like?”
“Oh,” Dorothy chuckles, “it’s like… it’s very bright, and distant. I feel so… far away. There’s a lot of temperatures as well. It’s hard to tell… sometimes it’s hard to tell if I’m dreaming or not.”
“Oh Dorothy… Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Elena looks slightly heartbroken, or maybe just concerned.
“I’m sorry, Elena, you… had enough going on, no? All of us do. I don’t want to worry you.”
Elena smacks her on the shoulder with all the strength of a baby fluffbeast. “Stupid,” she mutters under her breath. “How are you feeling right now?”
Dorothy laughs and tilts her head, “Fine, just fine Elena, thank you. Let’s enjoy these cookies together. Tell me about what you’ve been up to.”
The two of them have a nice chat, well over an hour of work-time spent well-wasted. For the most part, the specks of light fading in and out of Dorothy’s vision behind Elena stay away. Outside, the setting sun casts a warm wash over the landship, Trimounts fading further away into the backdrop.
On her way out, Elena hears Dorothy call from behind her., “And don’t bring me coffee anymore, you’re not an assistant.” She smiles.
————
Bundled up in a warm winter jacket, with thick pants, mittens, and a scarf pulled up over her face, Dorothy lays on her back on one of the benches on Rhodes Island’s deck. Her misting breath spills out around her scarf and floats into the star-filled sky.
The rumble of engines, the feeling of slow but persistent motion, lulling one like the rock of a cradle. A field of vision filled with points of light, distant.
Dorothy feels clearheaded, like collimating a telescope, her mirrors are aligned in this moment. Unfortunately, her life demands more than gazing at the stars, she has things she wants to do.
Like turning a lens on and off, on and off.
If such a thing were possible, she’ll figure it out.
Despite the chill on her exterior, she feels a warmth inside.
————
Dorothy is reclined on one of the couches in one of the recreation rooms, a science magazine gripped loosely in her hands that she was ostensibly reading, and a few of the younger residents of the landship nearby playing a game who she was ostensibly supposed to be minding. The caretaking staff had had to leave the room and hastily put the task on her, as the adult around who looked put-together and responsible, apparently not noticing how not-up-to-the-task she was.
The sound of the kids talking was far away, and her consciousness felt like it was swimming hazily above or behind her body. The stars are uncountable.
Her eyes are pointed more up towards the ceiling than the magazine she’s holding, so it catches on her attention just enough when a brown shape enters her field of vision. Brown, and fluffy looking…
The shape leans down and puts a hand on Dorothy’s forehead, as if checking her temperature out of habit.
Dorothy raises an arm in defence, but the hand is withdrawing, and the person letting out a weary sigh.
“Good afternoon, doctor.”
“ ‘Afternoon, Dorothy.” Olivia sits down on the couch next to her. “Hm, Scientific Columbian, is that issue good?”
Dorothy shrugs with a small motion, “I’m babysitting, I think.”
“I can see that.” Olivia surveys the room passively. Dorothy can barely make out her face looking away and above her, then back down. The lights are too bright. “I’ll keep an eye on them for you.”
“… Thank you, Olivia.”
The clock on the wall ticks away, and the kids’ chatter feels like music heard through a wall.
Dorothy tries to look up and to her side at Olivia. “Wait, what… are you doing here…?”
Olivia huffs a little, and says “I took a transport over for a quick visit, it’ll be my last chance to see Ifrit for a little while. I trust Rhodes to take care of her, and… Saria, but I wanted to visit her while I can.” A pause, “If you mean what am I doing in this room, I’m checking on you. Heard you were in here.”
“Indeed I am, you’ve found me,” Dorothy laughs limply.
“Hmm, have you been using the grounding exercises we talked about?”
“Sometimes… When I remember.” Dorothy feels a little frustrated, distantly. She would do them more if she could remember, and she would remember more if she was grounded.
Olivia starts walking her through some basic ones again, but Dorothy’s eyes keep being drawn to a point on one of the walls, as if seeing through it to something on the other side. Just over there… Twinkling, dancing…
She feels something soft being placed in her lap.
“… Here, my wing. Try running your fingers through it, feel the texture.”
“Oh…” Dorothy breathes. Her hands shake lightly as she brings her hands over the wing, lowering her fingertips to the array of feathers, before slowly sinking them in.
They’re soft…
“… Thank you, Olivia, very much.”
She runs her fingers back and forth through the feathers
“Mhm, it’s… no problem at all. Now, listen to my voice, we’re going to name some things we can see in this room…”
Dorothy doubts if it will help, but she’ll try her best, for Olivia’s sake at least.
————
It’s been about a week since Dorothy first met with Muelsyse in the cafeteria. Probably an appropriate time to ask about meeting up again. (Dorothy has definitely spent more time in the lab than on arranging social visits.)
—
DoOA D. Franks: Good day Muelsyse! ♪
DoECO Mumu: Dorothy!!! ٩(◕▽◕)۶*:･ﾟ✧
DoOA D. Franks: Is today a good day for a visit? I have some time, but if that doesn’t work for you I’ll see what I can arrange over the next week.
DoECO Mumu: nono, swang on by anytime! id love to have you up here! Not like its my place, but its always open for visitors im pretty sure
DoOA D. Franks: Excellent! How about 1:00pm, does that work for you?
DoECO Mumu: yeppers! see u then bbgrl!!
—
Dorothy closes out of her tablet and leans back, stretching her arms and popping her shoulders. Maybe she should set about acquiring a nice little bouquet before the visit. Nothing too fancy, just to show she cares, right? … Now that she thinks about it, the flowers would be coming from one of the greenhouses on the ship most likely, but maybe they’re available at one of the shops. She’ll ask around.
Dorothy makes a mental list of things to do: the last bits of work she wants to wrap up for this session, go talk to some people to find out about flowers, have lunch (regular lunch at regular lunch-time), acquire flowers, then head to the gardens. Excellent.
————
The clicks from Dorothy’s boots echo in the hall as she makes her way to the gardens, bouquet tucked in against her arm. She’s back in her ‘Stylish-Researcher’ garb, and hopes to make a good impression. She hopes that the bouquet she picked out is appropriate as well. She doesn’t know anything about flower language. Shoot, what if Muelsyse does and she picked something wildly inappropriate? It’s a bit late to fret about that, so it’ll have to do…
She steps through the set of sliding doors and is hit with a wash of air a good bit warmer than the cool hallways she’s left behind. The December days are cold, but the glass ceilings above and walls along the side do a good job of trapping heat.
Dorothy casts her gaze around, and sees Muelsyse arranging some stuff on a broad stone bench, surrounded by some ferns and a tall tropical-looking tree with fruit. As soon as Muelsyse sees her too she gives a big exuberant wave with her whole arm and beckons her over excitedly. Dorothy smiles back as she trots over.
“Dorothyyy!!! Hellooo!!! Oh! What’s that you got there?”
“Hi! Ah, well, it’s just a little bouquet that I got for you…” —Geez maybe she should have thought this through more— “…to express my condolences.”
Muelsyse’s eyes blow wide and her eyebrows shoot up. “Your— WHAT?!” She takes a step back, then a step forward, and her face kind of crumples. “What the hell, what the fuck dude,” she’s muttering almost to herself as she steps into Dorothy’s space and rests her forehead on her shoulder. She sets a hand on the paper wrapping the flowers, as if to accept it. Dorothy hesitantly rests one of her own hands on Muelsyse’s back.
“Oh, um. I’m sorry Muelsyse, if that wasn’t the right thing to do… Maybe I should have just said something.”
Muelsyse sniffles wetly. “No, no. It’s nice, thank you.” Dorothy rubs her back a little bit. “I mean— I didn’t really think you would say anything, we don’t know each other super duper well… But thank you, it means a lot.”
“Of course, Muelsyse. It’s the least I could do, I think. I’m really sorry about what happened. I understand her dream, and I’m happy she achieved it, but… I’m sorry.”
Muelsyse is definitely wiping her face on Dorothy’s shoulder, but… she’ll allow it.
“ ‘sokay. Me ’n’ Saria have been talking about it. It’s… I’m happy for her too.”
“Mhmm”
“All of Terra will remember her name, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, that’s right. And we’ll all keep striving for our own dreams in turn.”
Muelsyse raises her other hand to wrap around Dorothy’s back, completing the loose hug/huddle with a bouquet of flowers tucked between them. Over her shoulder, Dorothy can see the little picnic of tea and some sweets that Muelsyse had set out for them. She hums a sweet low note in appreciation, setting her cheek on Muelsyse’s head. Such a sweetheart…
———
After their little dessert picnic, Muelsyse makes good on her promise to give Dorothy a tour. They stroll through the ornamental gardens, marvelling at all the interesting colours and shapes of flowers, growth forms of leaves, bark, and spines.
Then Muelsyse shows off what she’s working on, actually in some smaller adjoining rooms where the temperature and humidity can be adjusted to simulate more extreme conditions for plants. There’s even a bank of high-security cases along one wall where the air inside is filled with originium dust.
They end their tour through the food-gardens and hydroponics. Muelsyse snatches a strawberry of a plant and smoothly passes it to Dorothy with a finger raised to her lips mischievously.
Dorothy thoroughly enjoys the tour, but throughout it is struggling more and more with feeling awake.
She does her best to feel the weight of body resting on her feet, to look around and take in the specific sights and smells, run her hand lightly over plants that they pass.
She can see the colourful and exciting plant-life around her, can almost feel it even, buzzing. Her head and extremities feel numb and deadened, heavy, but she feel as if in her heart there’s that same buzzing present, too.
They end their tour at a different bench, shrouded by azaleas. Muelsyse takes a good look at her.
“Hey, are you okay? You seem a little…”
Dorothy groans internally and does a little waving motion with her hands, “Quite fine, really… just a little out of it, to be honest.”
Muelsyse tsks under her breath and looks her over, as if looking for a stray hair to tuck back or a bit of dirt to brush away that would make things better. “I noticed before, last time… You didn’t use to dissociate like this did you? Like I said, I don’t know you the best, but I would think it was obvious…” She gives up on or thinks better of her apparent attempt at personal grooming and settles for taking a beaded fidget toy out of her pocket and placing it in Dorothy’s hand. “…It’s the transmitter, right? I heard what you did, and the only other large concentration still existing is in the network used for the guidance on the Galleria Stellaria…”
Dorothy smiles ruefully and gratefully accepts the toy as Muelsyse takes a seat at her side, spinning the textured beads. “Look how clever you are… Right on the money with that one,” she gives a tired laugh.
Muelsyse smirks playfully and does a little fist-pump. “Gotta put my analytical brain to use somehow huh?”
“Ahaha, of course, absolutely.” Her laugh manages to be bright, even with the way she’s feeling. “I must admit it does feel a bit peculiar, in new and different ways sometimes, but I have to say I do prefer feeling peculiar alongside a friend.”
Muelsyse leans her weight into her from the side and crows, “I’m literally always saying this!”
————
In a few months, Dorothy has the hang of it, more or less. It turns out, practice can be effective. Not a miracle cure, but when the stars are dropping down to grab her attention, she can answer by seating herself firmly in her body and grounding herself in her surroundings. She can say hello to the cosmos, give it a wave, but remember where she herself is and what’s around her.
Her colleagues and friends from Rhine are entirely understanding, and do their best to be helpful. She loves them for that, truly. She’s even started making new acquaintances at Rhodes. There are so many interesting people onboard!
And when there’s a rash of bad days, sometimes she spends part of a night on the deck, stargazing and taking some time for her lenses to be aligned, so to say. It’s nice. If one were to look carefully, they could see the hole in the Starpod, and where the cavas of stars has that misaligned edge, the refraction through a surface and the true view beyond.
It’s one of these nights, long after the Horizon Arc incident, that she finally puts it together.
She can see it, she feels like she can see it, through the hole punched in the sky, past the cosmic dust. One speck of light tracking slowly across the sky. It could be anything, but her eyes are drawn to it with a certainty rarely felt.
She can see the star-filled field, glorious and full, a magnificent view from front row-seats. She can feel the cold all around, except for the sun-facing side, and a peculiar warmth within, buzzing and alive.
She has to tell Saria and Muelsyse as fast as she can.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Had a conversation about canon interactions, wanted to explore Stainless/Hoederer in a different way because it sounded fun, and then realized both the height difference and build difference.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Soft lights hung low between the trees of the convalescence garden, glowing softly in the warm evening air, rocking with the gentle, floral-scented caresses of a languid, lazy breeze. The light fell gently on the stone paths, mixing in a slow swirl with the low chatter of conversation and dulcet tones of the band. Irene rolled the stem of her glass between her fingers, watching the light play over its golden ripples before sighing and letting her gaze trail back over the gathering she lingered on the edge of.
For a recommissioned mining rig, Rhodes Island sure could clean up nicely.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
25 chapters. 70k words. Over 2 years of poking at this now, my God.
Basic premise: Myth isekai into Terra and, since they can't leave immediately, become Rhodes Island Operators.
Reality: Slow burn of getting characters acquainted with each other for more than half the fic, past few chapters have gotten a lot more... dramatic? Probably the best blanket description.
And it's part of a multiverse. You can read it standalone, but knowing this is happening while the rest of Safekeeping is may be useful... (:
