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 Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 4:32 pm
The checkup had gone well enough, but now Soleiyu and Lucien had entered the waiting game part of it all. Soleiyu had collected a small sample of his blood and the small, portable scanner he’d brought with him was humming as it processed. They’d taken a few quick scans, and a slew of other little tests. During all of it, Soleiyu had spent most of the time explaining what he was doing, and how it worked–or, more accurately, how it was constructed. That was the more interesting part of it all, anyway.
They’d talked a bit, not really about anything important at the time, but only because Soleiyu was so focused on doing things right.
But now, all they had to do was wait. Sure, they could have left the device to do its job and gone to see what the others were up to–but really, there couldn’t be more than a few minutes to go before they had the full results, anyway.
“So,” Soleiyu said. He let a silence linger in the air, but only for a few seconds before he decided he was going to let his curiosity win out. “You really don’t remember much from before you woke up? I mean, that’s not uncommon, I don’t think I’ve met any Mauvian who was in a stasis pod that woke up with a clear memory. If you were worried about that. I’m just curious to know what was up there that was so dangerous.”
Well. He wasn’t curious about just that, but he couldn’t help that he wanted to know everything. He was just trying not to overwhelm Lucien with all of his questions.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 4:38 pm
Lucien sat quietly, patiently, as Soleiyu ran his tests. He didn’t like being poked or prodded, but he knew it was necessary and held still and only purred in frustration a few times, after which he apologized for his stress response.
His tail flicked every so often as Soleiyu spoke and asked his questions and explained things to him, but it was clearly with interest rather than annoyance.
“I am grateful I do not have to worry about it,” he admitted, a mild amusement in his voice. “Being unable to remember so many things has allowed me to, well… not worry about those very things. However, now that you mention it, I am curious about the Mauvians who have made their home here on Earth. So there are others who have been in stasis like myself? Were you in stasis?” he hummed and finally stood so he could stretch, and then slowly, with careful steps, circle around Soleiyu to admire him. He did have lovely fur.
“Perhaps the sensors on the pod recorded something. It remains on Alastor, but I would like to go back to collect whatever data I could from it. That world was my home for a long time, or so I was told. But if something forced me to retreat, I can assure you that I had no choice. Or rather, I don’t feel like I would have run from a challenge that I wasn’t positive of the outcome.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 5:10 pm
While Lucien circled him, Soleiyu sat still. Regal. He deserved to be admired and he knew it. He was getting answers, too, so of course he was happy about all of this.
“I think so. But it’s hard to say. I don’t really remember waking up at all. I remember being lost in the city. My first memory is hazy. I was looking for something. I knew I was trying to find someone. Like there was a promise I had to keep, but I couldn’t remember what it was. I had pieces in my subspace, they could have come from my stasis pod. But I didn’t have the whole thing, nor did I know where to find it. So, it’s hard to say. I’ve been here for a few years now. I have gotten some memories back, though. I know a few Senshi, I’ve been to their worlds and had glimpses of things. So, there’s a chance you’ll get things back. If you want them.”
He shrugged, because he really didn’t know what it was like to be in Lucien’s shoes. It was a good thing he didn’t remember, not when he came from a dead world.
“When Devyn takes you back up to Alastor, I’d like to go too. And he’s your bonded Senshi, or…?”
That, at least, didn’t require memories to answer.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 5:29 pm
“Alastor is my bonded Senshi, yes,” Lucien confirmed as he flicked his tail a bit as he observed Soleiyu. Maybe he was trying to decide who had the larger tail. Not that it mattered but it was good for knowing for fun.
“I will have to verify that he welcomes your company,” he cautioned, because while Devyn invited Soleiyu over, that didn’t mean he wanted other Mauvians snooping around his world.
Why would he when he already had a Mauvian that was familiar with Alastor?
Or… used to be familiar.
“You’ll have to forgive me, but I do not know you. I am sure you understand if you have your own bonded. Do you?”
The pull wasn’t something that could easily be ignored. And, at least for Lucien, there was an innate protectiveness that he felt.
“Devyn has suffered enough heartache already. He doesn’t need to be watching his back while on his own world.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 5:45 pm
“Do you think I’m trying to snipe yours?” Soleiyu asked. His tail twitched, almost in tandem with Lucien’s. Maybe he was doing it on purpose, maybe he wasn’t even thinking about it. If he’d wanted to make Lucien squirm, he might have left it at that to try and rile him up, but he didn’t think that was necessary. “I have my own, yes. Her name is Lysithea.”
He followed Lucien with his eyes but–despite his tail–stayed still.
“I helped him install some lights on his world, back when it was nothing but shadow. If you go back to the Hall, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of things with my signature. I’ve been making devices for him since he showed up on Earth. I’m sure he’ll welcome my company.”
He seemed friendly enough, but maybe he was bragging a bit. He was proud of his work!
…But he also recognized that Lucien had much to deal with already, he probably didn’t want to feel like he might be at risk for losing his Senshi to another Mauvian. “He and I are friends. But I try to keep plenty. Michael and I, and Atticus, as well, have been through our fair share of trouble. I’m sure they’ll be glad to have you here. And, honestly, I’m glad to have a bit of help looking after them.”
Softer, a bit kinder, Soleiyu added. “Devyn’s talked about you. He told me a few stories, he thinks very highly of you. And, he’s missed you. I can only imagine how excited he is to have you back. I know it wasn’t really an easy adjustment period for him once he got to Earth, but we’ll do what we can to make it easier for you.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 5:52 pm
Lucien knew better than to think that any Mauvian could just steal his Senshi, but it didn’t stop the fur on the back of his neck from rising up or his eyes narrowing just slightly. Thankfully, Solieyu cleared up any misunderstanding with his reveal that he had his own bonded Senshi.
He paused, and his tail stilled when Soleiyu shared that Devyn had talked about him. Told him stories. It was surreal to think that there was enough of him to tell stories about. Everything still felt like a blur.
And he felt like he was a disappointment. Like he’d let Devyn down.
Lucien was no fool, despite the lack of memories. Despite not knowing anything that was going on around him.
Devyn missed the Lucien that he once knew. And his kindness was why he was taking care of him now. The adjustment period, he wouldn’t be surprised, was more for Devyn to realize that he’d still lost a friend all those years ago, rather than for Lucien to get used to things.
“Then I must extend my sincerest gratitude for helping Devyn when I was unable to.” When he was still trapped, unable to be reached. Lucien was not unaware that without Soleiyu’s help, he might have never been found.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 5:59 pm
Soleiyu could have easily seemed smug, if he didn’t have something of a friendly aura about him. He’d been sizing up Lucien, of course, but it was in his nature. It wasn’t meant to be anything confrontational.
“You don’t have to thank me. It was the right thing to do. Any Mauvian would have done it. I’m just glad it was me so I know the job got done right. Of course, I’ve got a few projects going on here for them. Maybe you can help me with them. I don’t really like to share,” he admitted, “But I respect that he’s your senshi. Michael and Atticus are lovely. You can give Michael a hard time and he’ll get flustered, but he’s been through a lot so don’t push him too hard. And don’t push Atticus at all, he’s had a very rough upbringing. He's only been here for a year and came from a difficult background, but he’s only ever been sweet. I don’t think he has a mean bone in his body. His birthday’s coming up. Alastorians love festivals and parties, don’t they? You might enjoy it. It’s not going to be a big affair, though.”
He shrugged, and tilted his head to observe the status of the machine, but it was settled at 85% complete. It ticked up to 86% after a few seconds. They would have results soon.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re planning you a ‘Welcome’ party or something right now, though.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 6:22 pm
Lucien thought it would have been redundant to comment on his lack of memories to confirm Alastorians’ love for festivals and parties, so he merely hummed in acknowledgement of this not very big affair they were planning.
“They do seem quite enthusiastic about things,” he admitted and glanced at the status on the machine as well. He felt healthy. Or as much as he could. He couldn’t deny the fatigue, and the heaviness on his body, like there was an invisible pressure on him. He supposed it might have been due to getting used to being on Earth and having to survive off of what his stasis pod provided him, nutrient wise.
“What about you?” he asked after a few moments. “What if I gave you a hard time? Would you be able to handle it?”
He was flicking his tail again, but there was something about the way he asked that implied he was only teasing. It was important to learn about the people -- and Mauvians -- he would be around.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 6:28 pm
Soleiyu side-eyed him, judging him as he considered his answer.
“Why would you give me a hard time? I’m charming, everybody likes me.” He sounded like he almost thought it was a challenge–something he might look forward to. Something he might have fun with. He liked a little friendly harassment, he wasn’t afraid of someone trying to push his buttons. He had his pride, of course, but he thought so highly of himself that he doubted anyone could actually bring him down. “But if you do, you’d better make sure you can handle a hard time, too.”
The machine clicked. Hummed. 98% turned to 99%. A little chiming noise pinged, and the screen lit up white with many rows of text.
Devyn hadn’t been able to read the language when he first arrived, and Soleiyu wasn’t sure if Lucien could, so he pushed himself up so he could process the results.
His tail twitched eagerly, and though he said nothing as he skimmed the results, it was clear by his posture that he seemed pleased with the results.
Finally, he reported, “Your potassium is low. You’ve got a high cortisol level, too. Low iron, but anything to worry about. We should get you some vitamins, but it doesn’t seem like anything food and rest and settling in won’t fix. If you’ve got headaches and fatigue and feel cold, if you’ve got chest pains, or confusion, or feel dizzy, you just need to slow down. We’ll give it a week or so and we should do this again, but this data seems consistent with what I would expect from a long time in a stasis pod and managing a lot of stress. If you’ve got anxiety or irritability, weakness–I’ll get the full list of symptoms you might have, just so you know not to worry about it. I think we can get all of that to clear up in a week or two.”
He looked at Lucien. “So, good news. You’re mostly healthy. I don’t see anything to worry about in these results. If you wanted to ham it up for attention, you probably could, but I get the distinct impression that you’ll be spoiled here, anyway.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 6:48 pm
Lucien hummed thoughtfully but kept his thoughts to himself once the results were in and Soleiyu read the final report. His tail flicked in an anxious sort of way as he listened, but in the end, it wasn’t all that surprising.
“I would like to get access to whatever assistance you have that would let me learn the written language here,” Lucien said with a nod to the screen, because he did, indeed, not know how to read any of it. And he was immediately flustered by his inability to read for himself.
Oh, but he probably shouldn’t just jump to business. So he bowed his head graciously.
“I am not sure what being spoiled will entail, but I would very much like to assist you with any projects you may have,” he said as he circled back to Soleiyu’s offer from before. He hadn’t forgotten. His memory wasn’t that bad. But he wanted to see what Soleiyu was like before agreeing to working with him.
He supposed he could just stop working with him if he didn’t like it, but for now he anticipated enjoying it very much. And the faster he learned about Earth, the better.
“Thank you for running those tests. I will have to do my best to get back to top form. I do not enjoy the lackluster quality of my fur,” he huffed and swished his tail again.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 6:54 pm
“Oh, well one bath with Devyn’s shampoo and I’m sure you’ll be lustrous in no time.” He knew what Lucien meant, though. He also knew the lengths Devyn went through to maintain pristine condition. He liked to preen, himself, so he couldn’t judge, but he could also tease Devyn.
If Lucien didn’t remember, he’d learn. He doubted Devyn’s habits were new, anyway. He certainly talked like he’d been doing it forever.
“I only brought over a few things, but I brought a laptop with audio control so you can use it even as you’re learning the language. It’s got an excellent speech to text and vice versa. It’s got programs to help you learn to read this language. It’s also got some programs to cover Earth and culture and society here. Technically, I made it for Senshi like Devyn–ones who come from the far corners of the universe and need a crash course for how to function covertly here.”
Lucien was a Mauvian, he was–no doubt–clever. Soleiyu already had high expectations.
“There’s also a few tutorials. Just in case you need a refresher on upgrading Henshin Pens. An essay about Knight signet rings–there are some upgrades available. Oh, and Senshi Phones. Those are very important. But there’s information about all of that and more. I made slideshows, too.”
He was sure Lucien would be fine. He pressed a button on the machine to print out the information–two copies, one for Lucien to keep, even if he couldn’t read it, and one for Michael, so he could make sure to buy whatever he needed to in order to make sure Lucien got good food and supplements to get him in top shape.
…He’d probably need to do that pretty fast if he was already aspiring to do so much.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 7:28 pm
“Are there many Mauvians who need refreshers on upgrading Henshin Pens?” Lucien asked, but there was mild surprise and a hint of concern in his voice. He shook his head to let Soleiyu know that he didn’t really want to know. He supposed it was inevitable if Mauvians were coming out of stasis without their memories, but stuff like that should be natural to them. It was ingrained in their genetics. Or at least that was how it felt. He had no idea if he could truly trust his instincts without all of his memories.
“I appreciate your preparedness. Devyn was right to request your assistance in this… unfortunate matter,” Lucien huffed dejectedly, and with a bit annoyance, as he glanced over the results that were listed on the printed page. He remembered what Soleiyu said, but he still wanted to glare at his less than perfect health, even if he couldn’t read the report.
“I suppose we should deliver the news that I do not appear to be dying.” Another huff, but he wouldn’t lie and say he didn’t enjoy the attention Devyn gave him. He was pretty sure Soleiyu was right and that he could very easily milk more attention if he wanted.
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