Grent wipes sweat from his brow as he tightens a bolt on Amandebot’s mechanical neck and arranges some wires running up through it.
After making sure all is in order, he places the final skin piece to cover it, completing her android look.
A smooth, flawless, and pale skin, only her joints revealed her robotic nature.
That is, if it wasn’t obvious from the blank shell of a face, so dead, even a mannequin looked alive in comparison.
While inserting a mind inside the shell wouldn’t fix that, he had planned for the contingency, with an alternative solution.
If he wasn’t talented enough to sculpt it into Amande’s image, then he would let Amande do it herself with his program.
Fake it if you can't make it, so to speak.
Unfortunately, that system couldn't be tested until her mind had taken root in something inside it.
But what could be tested, was the limbs and other systems related to her general functionality.
The processors, memory, and other computer systems that would work in tandem with Amande’s mind should be fully functional even on their own.
The central computing along with the storage space were situated in her stomach, in one of three slots he had left open, in preparation for different hypothetical methods to bring Amande to life.
The two that remain empty: a slot in the middle of her chest and one in the head.
However, the latter ended up becoming a little cramped with all the hearing, sight, and touch senses having to be put in there as well.
All of the slots were covered with skin plates now, but it wasn’t too hard to remove, as long as you knew how.
And underneath that, a latch with a quick release was available for any of the special slots, mostly in case of emergency maintenance.
Grent plugs the robotic body into his computer using a wireless transmitter on both ends and runs diagnostics one last time.
All joint motors responding…
Memory storage, fragmentation, limb control… all green.
Sight set into demo mode, touch sense minimum, as it should be.
Hearing; better than a human's… might as well leave it on.
Smell [Missing].
I hope Amande doesn’t mind not being able to smell. I don’t exactly have any odorceptors or snottifiers in storage...
Oh well, we can fix it later if it's an issue and pay exorbitant prices for them thanks to the Smelling Monopoly...
Movement charging system output: 100%
Power core 80% charge, 87,57/100% max load, estimated operational length: 20h.
It all looks to be in order, but I’m still worried about the core…
Can it really run it all?
Amandebot was designed to run on an advanced battery, which was still mostly in the development phase.
These so-called ‘Millenium Batteries’ had recently become popular in all appliances, but the technology wasn’t developed enough to be usable in large machinery.
It was only suitable for low capacity, slow power drain over long periods of time.
In Amandebot’s case, if all operations weren’t balanced properly, a bustle of processing activity or a looping glitch in the system could easily overload it, causing it to lose all of its charge at once, in an uncontrollable burst of electricity.
Of course, unexpected power cuts in his wife would be simply unacceptable, not to mention what such occurrences might do to such experimental technology.
But his main worry lay in the usual consequences of this overloading issue—the core overheating and exploding.
Metropolis had recently legislated many regulations and limitations to their usage, like prohibiting their sale to consumers.
Due to the fame, they had gained in a very short time, for their reliability in not only providing lasting power but also house fires if used incorrectly, they had gained the nickname of ‘Firellium Batteries’.
This connection didn't go unnoticed, as The Metropolis Fire Department had never been this busy and took it up to themselves to fight on this new frontier—politics.
Through their campaign, they managed to convince the public that the costs and danger outweighed the benefits and within a week, laws were being enacted in their favor.
Before that happened, Grent had of course stocked up on this wonderful new technology.
Shortly after that, a legislative body, whose authority greatly outweighed that of Metropolis or Galactic Police, was on his case.
Amande had made him swear to an 'Only one fire per lab' -rule after a string of unfortunate accidents, completely unrelated to his recent purchases.
He was on the longest streak of his life on their deal, and wasn’t about to break it now.
Even if this time, his freebie fire had technically been spent by Amethyst—it wasn’t even directly his fault!
Pineapple jumps on the computer table, and Grent eyes the list of systems through once more.
“This is it…” He pets the cat, who nuzzles against his hand. “Are you ready?”
The cat nods and its beady eyes look at him with anticipation. Grent presses the virtual button: Demonstration.
Silently, the systems boot up and start to run their course, only small movement can be seen by some joints returning to their default positions; a knee bending, an elbow twitching.
A glimmer of lenses shifting in the eyes—it's awake.
With stiff robotic strength, it sits up with the power of a pure servo-sixpack without any help from its arms.
Amandebot lays its hands down on the metal bed and rotates itself to the side of it, the legs bend from the knees and shin with a mechanical hum.
Its vaguely human-like, exaggeratedly arched feet akin to shock absorbers, descend onto the floor with a faint clonk.
A knock on the door; it's opened instantly regardless.
“You know there’s no point in knocking if you’re just gonna burst in without waiting for a response...”
Grent turns around, to see Frank enter through the doorway.
“You again?”
“Yup, oh-” Before Frank, Amandebot stands up from the bed, into steady attention, its hands stiffly glued to the sides, but the eyes shift and appear to zoom at him.
“Amande…? Who knew I could return your umbrella to its proper owner!” Frank walks up to the robot and offers the yellow, mostly dry, portable shelter to her.
“Frank…” Grent sits on the edge of his desk and his hands drift behind his neck.
Suddenly Amandebot turns to the side, swings its arm testing the joints, and swats at the umbrella, almost hitting Frank in the process too.
“Huh?”
“It’s just a demo… I’m flattered you thought I could have already brought her back, but… it’s not that easy…”
Grent looks away into his workshop, not even at the demoing Amandebot anymore, who makes a 90-degree turn around the operating table’s corner.
“Oh… I’m sorry. It just looked so… alive…? I thought…” Frank fiddles with the umbrella, checking it for damage before properly closing it up again; its strap opened from the strike.
“Did she really… look alive?”
“I mean… it’s not like I closely inspected… erm… her. But, I’d say so… Not that I’ve ever seen a robot move before, alive or not.”
It takes a second for Grent to grasp the meaning in Frank’s words, which then squeezes a sigh out of him.
“So...”
Frank strokes his smooth chin, and looks around the room aimlessly, before addressing Grent.
“Is it… is she, finished now? I mean, given that she walks and… stuff.”
“As ready as I can make it at the moment…”
“Well, that works nicely. How about a nice break then?”
“A break?” Grent rubs his eyes and stretches his eyelids. They were heavy and sore, he blinked his eyes at Frank, to get rid of the blurry spots in his vision.
The sound of metal against metal startles him from his stupor, Amandebot finished the demo program and now lies back on the bed motionless.
Grent held his head, he couldn't believe he had forgotten her for a moment… Even if sleeping was out of the question, maybe some relaxation wasn’t.
“What are you suggesting?”
“Well, let’s have a sauna ‘evening’. Amethyst is away, for… some time, so why not?”
Frank instead gives the umbrella to him.
Grent receives it and shrugs, “I guess It’s time for me to give it a try too.”
He lays his wife's yellow umbrella down on the table and glances at the results of the demo briefly.
“Wait? Have you not used it at all?”
Grent locks his PC and quickly striders past Frank to the lab’s door.
“Nope, it was always occupied.”
Frank tails after him.
“Huh? And besides, how come this clinic even has a sauna, isn’t that a bit excessive?”
“I’m not sure why. But I have a feeling that was due to the Director.”
“You mean Larsenia?”
“Yeah, warming up the Sauna for her whenever she requested it, was a part of my deal for being allowed to stay here.” Grent opens the door to the ward and briefly looks at Frank.
“What an arbitrary requirement.”
“I guess she really likes saunas.”
They arrive at the familiar multifunction 'bathroom', showers, sauna, laundry, and bathroom all with their own places in one roomy, but cost-effective space.
“So, did she ever contact you to turn up the heat then?” Frank leans on the wall.
“Yeah, many, many times.” Grent reaches up to the inner left-side wall of the door’s side.
“I always locked myself up in my lab for the whole duration though. But Amande joined her frequently.”
He stubbornly keeps his eyes on the sauna control dial on the white tiles of the shower room and turns a knob and pushes some buttons.
“Oh.”
“They asked me to join each time, but as I always rejected them, they finally stopped asking. I knew better than to accept; the fewer chances I had to piss off Larsenia, the better."
Frank laughs. “So that’s why you haven’t used it yourself! You coward!”
“Well, why haven’t you used it with Amethyst then? Nothing wrong with a man and a woman-? Um, Tyrchid, bladed crustacean thing sharing a sauna.”
“H-hey! She’s not a crustacean… is she?”
Grent shrugs and goes to check something inside the sauna, his voice echoes from the walls.
“Anyway, when Amande and Larsenia didn’t occupy it, the miners and other personnel had their own sauna shifts.”
“So, all you had time to do was to turn on the sauna huh?”
“Well, more or less. I should have just automated it, made them a gweb page or something to use."
Grent comes out with a pail, carrying it from a wooden side handle, and pours old water onto the rocky-cave floor's drain.
"Though, Larsenia would have probably seen that as shirking from my duties.”
“Alright," Grent clonks down the pail onto a wooden bench, upside down. "It’ll be at 70 degrees in 15 minutes, let’s meet back up here then. I’ve gotta take a closer look at the data first.”
“Great! I guess I’ll… prepare some drinks for us in the meantime?”
----------------------------------------
Grent returns to see Frank sitting naked on the wooden bench in the shower room, a pile of his clothes next to him, and two towels on the wall coat hangers, yellow and blue.
The sauna pail of metal, with wooden planks layering its sides, refilled with water already.
“Have you been sitting here for the whole time?”
“No… I had to go and take these from the fridge, didn’t I?” Frank smirks and lifts two colorful cans.
“How’s the data?”
Grent strips off his dark blue dress shirt and trousers, he had already left his lab coat behind. Such dignified apparel wasn’t to be lying on wooden benches.
“Nothing I didn’t foresee.”
Otherwise, completely naked, Grent pauses to look at his bandaged arm.
He unwraps the bandages to reveal an upcoming scar on his wrist, the skin stitched up together, rising to a small hill, with a coating of dark red scab on top.
Around the wound and up his arm a series of burns on his skin.
“Should you be coming to the sauna, let alone take a shower with those?”
“My personal doctor said it’d be fine.”
Grent goes first into the shower, failing at hiding a grimace as the hot water sears his wounds.
“Right…” I bet that ‘personal doctor’ is in the room with us right now.
A Frank’s brief shower later, they both sit at the top rafters of the Sauna, atop small square towels in between their bare bottoms and the exotic wooden pews.
The faint wooden smell of a newly built sauna still lingered, despite its frequent use before.
The delightful scent reminded Frank distinctly of Amethyst carving his house, these had been constructed from the same wood.
They and their cold drink cans sweat large droplets as they sit in the dimly lit hot and humid space.
Frank throws water onto the hot rocks, it sizzles and evaporates nearly instantly, just barely allowing the water to color the stones darker.
At least the sauna water wasn’t black, I guess the clinic had its own reserve, or filtered it out somehow?
Frank clonks the ladle back into the water-filled pail.
“So, why did you come here to Midnight Iris in the first place? Work at a clinic to turn on the sauna at demand?”
“Well, initially Amande and I came here to work as doctors.”
“Oh? Are you actually professional surgeons or nurses…?”
“Not really no, we don’t even have medical licenses.” Grent laughs.
“Really?”
“It doesn’t matter now, but we convinced Larsenia to hire us regardless, with the promise that we’d be more... working around it.
Managing the clinic itself, running the infrastructure, and assisting the real doctors and nurses who’d come after.”
Grent swipes his brow and sips his drink.
“People of their profession are highly sought after, I’m sure you’re well aware. We were just the best available at the moment.”
“Right, can’t really be making a settlement or running any operations on new planets without medical personnel as insurance.”
“Exactly.”
Grent leans forwards and grimaces as Frank turns up the heat with more water.
“Though, it’s not like the human body is that extraordinary. Just an organic, poorly designed, and often faulty machine.
I’m sure I can do the work of most doctors, how hard could it be in practice?”
“I beg to differ…”
“You just don’t understand, it's just like maintaining any machine. Even easier with the new medical scanners and automatic Patchers.”
Grent shakes his drink and finger at Frank.
“Why don’t you just have those here then?”
“Well, those can only be legally operated by trained individuals… and they suck up all the electricity you give them.
The solar panel electric network would have needed some refitting already to power anything else with even one Patcher.
But of course, actually using it isn’t much more than just configuring the parameters and pressing a few buttons, situating it at the right spot and-”
Frank shakes his head and lets the subject be, tuning off from the conversation, a losing battle if he had ever fought one.
“What about you then?” Grent asks, his tirade ending at some point.
“Sorry, what?”
“Who are you exactly Frank? How’d you end up here?”
“Oh… me?”
“Yeah, Amethyst flies off, burns down my lab barely sapient, then comes back a few days later quite coherent and with you tagging along.”
“Let’s just say… it’s about time I let go of the past, and...”
Frank rotates his can around, looking down at it.
“Well, we share some goals and ambitions with Amethyst, I think. So, why not go with her?”
“Hmm… that so? Intergalactic employee growing a heart?”
“I had a heart already, thank you very much... though I guess it hadn’t been in place for a long time.”
It was high time to leave IWV behind... but…
“Wait, how did you know I worked for Intergalactic? Besides, didn’t you too?”
“Well, of course, I knew where our shipments were sent to, Wildlife Ventures and Resources have always cooperated. Who else could have arrived with her from Viridian Macula?”
Grent grabs the ladle lying in the wide wooden bucket in between them, waters the stones, and takes a sip of his bubbly beverage.
“Lots of Ex-intergalactic’s around, huh?”
“I suppose so… a lot more hopefully on the way.”
Grent responds with a hearty laugh. “Well, one can hope.”
The heat was getting quite intense, long trails of sweat ran across both of their bodies, and Frank’s eyes were starting to sting from his sweat pouring down into them.
Trying in vain to swipe it away with his hands, but they were slathered in it already too.
The sweet salt of sweat tasted in his mouth, which he washed away with his banaorange soda, before continuing their discussion:
“So… are you from Metropolis too...?”
Grent sighs. “No.”
“Really? Where were you born then?”
“I guess it’s no secret.”
Grent takes a long sip, then says, like exhausted: “Planet Dehua, in the Vajol system.”
Frank ponders for a second.
“Isn’t that the one… the planet that completely collapsed within itself?”
“The very same.”
“They said the cause was never found, that it couldn't be determined. It sent the galaxy in a panic for a moment, the thought that any planet could just suddenly collapse was frightening.”
Grent bursts into a crazed laugh, a mixture of spiteful comedy and sorrow.
“Is that really what the media said? Nobody still questioning it, never looking into it further?
Fated to go down in history as just an ‘enigma’!
A great ‘mystery’ of our Galaxy!”
He laughs once more and batters the rocks with water, sizzling, searing mist bursts into the room.
Both of them duck in the heat, staying upright risked burning their ears and face, at least it felt that way.
After they recover, the heat dissipating enough to straighten their backs, Grent sighs deeply.
“I guess it's a bit hard to do any investigations in clumped-up asteroid mush.”
“What do you mean by that? Question what?” Frank speaks with tight lips, grimacing from the still burning air.
“Planets don’t just implode by themselves… United Galaxy this and that, maybe they should try not sharing just one United brain cell.”
“What… happened really? Were you there… right before it…?”
“Nah… me and Amande left a day before. The signs were obvious. Sudden increase in sinkholes, the ground engulfing houses, collapsing, the whole shebang.
A bit of measurement and calculations is all it took to determine what our fate would be.
We warned everyone about what was to come, Amande printed leaflets when gweb mails didn’t work, I talked to my scientifically inclined colleagues, and word of mouth spread.
We even got our warning on the Planet’s news, but it was treated as conjecture and as “might be at risk”. It wasn’t if, it was when, and that was in two days.”
Grent loudly pushes air out from his lungs like it was responsible and gulps down on his carbonated drink.
Why am I even talking about this?
...
“Some who weren’t enamored or indoctrinated by the ones who caused it; fled. Many, too many, stayed behind.
I guess everyone who survived didn’t care to share the story, no wonder when you were either paid for or otherwise silenced.
We didn’t care to test our luck either, which one we’d get: the bullet or the buck.”
“That’s awful…”
“Isn’t it?” Grent laughs bitterly, his voice devoid of joy, it fizzles out quickly.
If it ever repeats in the infinite time of the universe, it’ll be too soon.
“Enough about me. How’d you like being a galactic star? I watched all of the episodes through today while working…”
“Oh no, you didn’t…”
“First of all, you didn't even use my song!”Grent throws his hands up, he would have spilled his soda, if the can wasn't already empty.
“Well, maybe you should have picked the subject better, huh?”
“What else am I going to write it about, there’s eleven words for Goddess’ sake!”
“How about we call it even, you didn’t even translate it to Tyrchidian for us!”
“You never said anything about that! You wanted a song with lyrics, and I delivered! Anyway, back to what I was saying about the show…”
“Oh no…” Frank shakes his head, lays the drink on the pew below, and leans on his hands.
“...in the comment section, there were a bunch of rumors circulating about Luna. You know, the girl in the table episode? I didn't get it though, she’s only shown up once.”
“Please don’t ask me about her…”
“I was wondering if you knew what the deal was...? The word is she’s making moves on Amethyst off camera and that sounds ridiculous-”
“This was supposed to be a relaxing sauna experience…”
“I mean, that’s just idle gossip…?” Grent shakes the can at Frank with a dubious look.
“You don’t know the half of it… every day she’s been hounding me and Amethyst, talking whatever the crap she can, spinning Amethyst around her finger with her lies…”
“Really?”
“Yeah… really rubs me the wrong way… Just imagining her stupid grin makes my head hurt. I bet she’s got a grin now too, as she’s fishing with Amethyst.”
“Really? You just let that happen?”
Frank shakes his head.
“I wasn’t really given a choice. Besides, it wasn’t my choice to begin with. Amethyst can handle herself, it’s her life, and she can do what she wants with it…”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“You think so...?”
“Eh… yeah...?”
Though I can’t help but wonder how she’s doing…
Suddenly Frank felt even hotter, even though no more water had been thrown on the rocks for a while.
“Let’s take a break...”
Grent and Frank move into the shower room, to cool off, sitting on the bench, doing their best to avoid splashing their clothes.
Basking in the afterglow of the sweating session, body completely relaxed, but Frank’s mind, not so much. Not anymore, at least.
“So… you’ll be leaving for Metropolis after today?” Grent asks rather unabashed.
“Yeah, don’t worry, we’ll get out of your hair soon enough…”
Frank leans his back on the wall, the ceramic tiles feel like ice against his sweltering skin. He flinches but keeps his back to the wall.
“We don’t have the info on our court date yet, but I’d imagine it’ll be very soon. I’m sure Pioneer will… actually, I should probably ask him.”
“What then? Will you… come back after the court?”
“Not to be rude, but why do you care? Are you worried we’ll drive you off for good finally once we get back?”
Frank asks with narrowed eyes, Grent keeps looking ahead.
“Well…”
“In fact, why come here in the first place?
Even as off-license doctors or just as plain scientists you two could have picked any position in the Galaxy instead of this backwater planet and Intergalactic.”
“We had… our reasons...” Grent’s tone turns solemn.
“Eh... well, I can’t say for sure… but I’d imagine Amethyst definitely returns, this is her home after all. I’m not so sure yet myself…”
About anything…
“Weren’t you building a house for you and everything? All just part of the show?”
Grent turns to look at him finally, seeming surprised.
“Well it’s not much of a real house, is it-
Frank pauses and looks around vigilant.
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?
“I’m not sure, like… a clonk of metal? I mean, it’s probably nothing, could have just been the piping or something acting up...”
Grent’s eyes focus and he stands up and grabs his towel “The second I leave my lab and relax…” He mutters.
“Hey, hold up!” Frank goes after him and swipes the blue towel with him.
“I can’t see anything out of the ordinary… Was it even from here?” Grent is looking around at the ward’s door already as Frank catches up to him.
“I think it was this way…” Frank passes the peering Grent and goes to his backpack, the laser rifle that leaned on it lies on the floor.
The backpack has fallen over on its belly, spilling some of its contents out.
Did I leave it unzipped?
“Maybe my backpack fell over on its own and we heard the rifle hit the ground?”
Frank gathers and scoops the clothes and other things back inside and props it and the rifle firmly up against the wall.
“Perhaps… or it was a thief! And, they’re still here!”
Grent says in a whispering manner, his eyebrows creasing as he sneaks quietly towards the door to the lobby, holding a hand to his ear like a cup to amplify sound.
“Don’t be ridiculous...”
Faint steps grow louder and then the door rattles. Grent rushes and pulls it open.
“Aha! -huh?”
“Oh, hello!” Amethyst comes through the doorway crouching. “Thanks for the help.”
Grent backs away quickly, Amethyst’s head wings are rife with the bounty of her underwater massacre.
“Look what I’ve got!”
“Fish?” Grent says dumbfounded.
“Back already Amethyst?”
“Yeah, Luna had to go apparently, then I also had my interview, but that was fast, I think.”
She flounders the fish around on her head, “Can we eat them?”
“Sure…? But let’s cook them first, okay?” Frank walks up to him to spectate her wondrous fish.
“Fine to me either way.”
Grent takes a few more steps back.
“They kind of smell… but I suppose they are still edible.”
Blue blood drips onto the pristine floor.
“Amethyst, come on, this way, quickly!” Grent holds the door open to the corridor and rushes her with a guiding hand and a spinning gesture, like directing a spaceship at a dock.
“To where?” Amethyst saunters toward the indicated direction without any particular urgency.
“Into the showers! You’re leaving a trail of filth after you!” Grent practically pushes her from the back.
Frank takes a look at the blood on the floor and follows after them. “You’re gonna need a thorough clean after this… aren’t you?”
As the door to the ward closes and Amethyst, Frank, and Grent’s voices start to fade, somebody else still remains in this room.
By the stars, he almost scared me to death... that was way too close...
A single person rolls out from underneath Frank’s bed, holding onto their legs. The space below the medical bunk was in real short supply.
They stand up to dust themselves off.
Took me a while to find the right place, and then Amethyst really had to come back already...
It’s all her fault I fumbled with the bag, why’d he bury it so deep anyway?
In their hand, an item clearly not belonging to them.
With glee they throw it into the air; it spins fast around its axis.
As it comes down, they deftly snatch it from the air.
A reckless display, what if they had dropped it? Or maybe they were plain ignorant or just that confident of their ability?
Whatever it was, it wouldn’t bar them from completing their mission.
Quietly, they skip across the room with spring in their step, reaching the door leading to the lobby.
With a flourish, they yank it open and make their exit, leaving the place’s residents none the wiser of their visit.
----------------------------------------
“What are we going to do with all this fish? Just that one shark thing would have been enough…”
Grent stands before the plethora of unknown creatures on the floor, at least they mostly look like fish.
“You’ve got a freezer right? After this, you don’t have to eat just sandwiches anymore.”
Frank says while spraying Amethyst with a shower head, working on washing the fish blood and guts off her thoroughly.
“Or, you can eat fish sandwiches!” Amethyst gets some water in her mouth as she talks mid-wash, it flows straight down her throat.
“Can you gut the fish while I clean her up?” Frank asks without looking at Grent.
“No way. I ain’t touching those.” Grent turns around and crosses his arms, noticing an intruder in the room.
Pineapple sits on the wooden bench, its cat eyes gleaming with hunger as it sniffs towards the pile of fish.
“How’d you get here?”
Not wishing to be interrogated any further, Pineapple dashes between Grent’s legs and sinks its teeth into a sizeable 30-centimeter-long fish.
The cod-like river dweller's dead eyes are of deep purple, black see-through fins complimenting the blue-silver striped body.
“Hey!”
“Oh, hey Pineapple!” Frank looks back to see the cat lift the fish and dash for the barely open door.
Frank looks back to Amethyst, to realize he was spraying her face directly with water again.
“Oops, sorry.”
Amethyst opens her eyes and blinks, looking slightly irate.
Pineapple flops the fish's head against the door with a wet smacking noise, opening it enough to let him squeeze through, leaving behind a wet splatter on the door.
Grent dashes after him, but stops at the doorway; the cat much too fast. “You better eat that at your feeding spot! I don’t want to find pieces of rotten fish all around the place, you hear me!?”
Pineapple jumps up to the door handle of the dining room; it opens to a crack. He leaves another wet splat of fish slime and loose scales on the door as he forces his way through it.
Grent shakes his head and closes the door, retreating back into the room.
“One less fish to worry about.” Amethyst smiles.
“I wouldn't put it that way...”
Frank turns off the shower and taps his chin with the shower head.
“Hmm… you still smell of fish... How do you feel about shampoo, Amethyst?”
“Is it the thing that smells like fruit, the one you used?”
“You still remember that? Yeah, that’s the one.”
Frank glances at Grent, who’s just standing, looking at the fish behind them.
“Can you find out if they are safe to eat while I clean her?”
“I didn’t see any toxin barbs or glands on them, most likely as long as we boil them properly, it should neutralize any poisons... but sure, I’ll give them each a quick analysis.
I’ll be glad to be out of this reeking space…” Grent was already clothed, he had insisted on quickly using the shower before Amethyst did. He gestures at the four fish, “If you would Amethyst. Just very small samples will be enough”
“Sure”, Amethyst catches his meaning and dices a slice of each of the fish for him, Grent grabs a small plastic bucket and drops them inside it.
“Great… Have fun gutting them and stuff…” He leaves the room.
“Strawberry, Raspberry, or Orange…? Which one do you want, Amethyst?” Frank’s hand oscillates between the different options on the shelf.
“Which one did you use?”
“Raspberry?”
“Then that one.” Amethyst smiles and sets herself underneath the shower.
“Alright,” Frank splurts a swirly mound of the pink-tinted shampoo on his hands and foams it up.
“I’ll put it on now,” Amethyst nods in confirmation and he starts to rub it on her armor, starting at her chest and working down to her stomach.
The soap helps with the friction, and it's quite easy to get it on, despite her usual rough surface.
The mellow and relaxing raspberry scent fills the air, overpowering the smell of fish emanating from Amethyst, for now.
“So… how was your trip? Caught a lot of fish, at least.”
”Yeah. I also bathed in the river, but that cleanliness didn’t last…”
“How did it go otherwise… how was Luna?” Frank asks with a careful tone.
“We saw some wildlife on our way there. She almost got hurt by a flying rock lizard.”
“Damn, really?”
“And then we saw this little fluffy rabbit thing at the river and these birds that swam there too.”
“Huh? I’ve barely seen a glimpse of any interesting fauna in all my time here…”
I don’t count Sabertigers as interesting… just very dangerous.
”Anyway…”
As Frank’s discretion didn’t seem to work, he decided to ask directly.
He mulls over his words for a moment, as he runs her hand over Amethyst’s colorful armor, polishing her largest gemstone repeatedly, as if the motion helped him think.
“Did Luna do anything weird... to you? Or in general, too.”
”No, she was very polite and kind, even more so than usual.”
”Really now…?” Frank's head starts to churn through all sorts of things: his memories, experiences, and theories, those related to Luna, but soon, even to those completely unrelated to her.
Frank finishes with her upper body and works his way down to her thighs.
Touching her bare skin brings back stinging memories of when he thought he had lost her; in the cabin of Viridian Macula, he couldn't stop thinking why it ached so.
At the time, he wasn’t sure why he had felt that way and said all those things to her.
To go to such lengths—be willing to turn on IVW, to get justice for her species, even if on his own.
But like the night’s mist that evaporates as morning comes, he felt the reason was becoming clearer.
He lingers on the feeling, on the sense of being able to feel her presence.
…
But how did she feel?
Feel about him?
Of his hand, his proximity…
How it must feel, to be Amethyst.
Bladed elbows… Dangerous fire.
What would it be like to have no fingers to hold on to somebody?
To grab ahold of what matters?
What about, having no hands at all?
The sense of touch in them having never existed, an unfeeling blade of crystal always in their place?
“Frank…?”
“Oh… Sorry.” He realizes his hands had stopped scrubbing a while ago.
“Don't worry, I'm soon done. I’ll clean your thighs, front of your legs, and then your arms, I don’t think you’re fishy elsewhere.”
“What about my sides and back? I think some dripped in there.”
“Really? Alright, I’ll check them, too.”
”Thanks.” She says, a hint of joy in her voice.
Frank cleans the front leg armor and moves to her arms, being careful of her blades.
“How was… sauna, with Grent?” Amethyst asks suddenly.
“Oh, it was great. We chatted a bit about both of our histories mostly. You know, he wasn’t born in Metropolis like me, I was quite surprised.
He and, well I guess Amande too is from-”
“Dehua.”
“Huh?”
“In the Vajol system.”
“How did you know?”
Frank's scrubbing hand stops once again, now in the middle of cleaning her side armor, underneath Amethyst's raised arms.
“I… I don’t know. It just… came to me.”
“Right. Some of that mind-ray mind-merge nonsense I suppose.”
“Y-yeah…” She responds with a wavering voice.
All that remains to be cleaned is Amethyst’s back, but she makes no effort to grant Frank easy access. “Can you turn around?” He spins a wet and soapy finger in the air.
“I… I think it’s safer if I don’t. I might damage the shower…” Amethyst trails off and her antennae droop.
“It’s fine. Just raise your arms again, and I’ll handle the rest.” Frank squeezes a fresh batch of shampoo onto his left hand and foams it up.
“Okay.”
“I’m going to step closer, much closer, to you now.”
“Yes…”
Frank steps in between Amethyst’s front legs, their highest point is at the level of his waist. And as Amethyst is crouching down somewhat, he has an easier time reaching her.
With the shower head in one hand, and soap in the other, he embraces Amethyst.
His hands on the other side get to work, as he leans his head against her shoulder and his bare chest presses to Amethyst’s armor.
The shampoo transfers in between them, and trails down Frank’s body, stopping at the towel clothing his lower body.
“It can’t be easy… to have your mind be fragmented like that. How are you holding up?” Frank speaks softly as he hugs Amethyst, his voice full of empathy and understanding.
“It is… confusing. But I’m managing… I think.” Amethyst says, much calmer than before. “In fact… I think I’m doing much better already.”
“That’s good. I know you’ll be fine.” Frank softly taps her back, as he continues to clean her, proceeding ever lower.
“How can you know?” Amethyst’s voice is full of surprise.
“I know you. So, I know you won’t let it stop you.”
“Thank you…”
Frank feels like a phantom arm, coarse and powerful embraced him back for a moment, but he didn’t see her left arm moving at any point.
As he turns his head, Amethyst’s other arm is held up too.
They stay quiet, their bodies together for the rest of the serene clean, until Frank separates from her.
“There, all done.”
Frank backs off and looks up at Amethyst’s grateful eyes, but quickly averts his gaze, with a shy smile. He scratches his cheek, but only gets shampoo on it.
“I’ve never felt this clean… and that’s saying much.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Amethyst just radiates a smile in response, her armor almost entirely covered in white foam and bubbles.
“Would it be too much… if I…”
“What is it…?” Frank asks curiously and looks at the fidgeting Amethyst.
“Can you do my hair too? And my face…”
“Oh, right. They definitely got their fair share of fishy filaments too.”
“Does that mean you’ll do it...?”
“Yes, it’s not a problem at all.”
Amethyst observes Frank closely as he takes yet another portion of raspberry goodness and begins to reach up toward her head.
As both of his arms reach for her violet hair, Frank has to get onto his toes, which causes a feeling of slipping on his waist.
The towel comes undone from around him and drops onto the floor.
Amethyst’s many eyes keep on looking at him as normal like nothing of note happened.
He kicks the towel further away, flinging it almost onto the wooden bench, so it doesn’t get any more wet than it already was from the floor and Amethyst.
Clearly, he didn’t need it anymore.
“Close your eyes.”
Amethyst obeys without question, without her usual ‘why?’ her eyelids shut tight but with a persistent cute grin on her face.
Her hair is soft, if not a little dirty. In all her life, it had probably never been washed properly like this.
Frank massages the lotion all the way to her scalp, making sure the shampoo permeates deep into her lush hair.
He carefully handles the roots of her antennae, making sure to not splash them too much, as they look very sensitive and fragile.
Amethyst's bony head wings he cleans all the way, they were the ground zero of her fish smell, unsurprisingly.
Applying the foam to the sides of her head is strange, in the spot that humans had ears, she has nothing.
He gently follows the curves of her face, rubbing, and massaging her gray skin with circulating hand motions.
The lack of a nose definitely helps in spreading the suds, though he still didn’t directly slather it on her eyelids or lips.
He cleans her rather pointed chin and with extreme care, slides down to her neck with smooth motions, where he finishes his cleaning.
Frank removes his tingling hands, which were starting to look like raisins, from Amethyst's skin and gazes upon his handiwork, proud.
The cleanest Tyrchid in the Galaxy, nay, the entire Universe!
“I’ll wash it off now, don’t answer though, you’ll get soap in your mouth.”
Amethyst nods, still smiling, she boosts Frank's positivity to new levels, too.
Frank sprays her down again, lightly rubbing some of her armor and hair, so that the shampoo comes off properly.
“There, all done!”
Amethyst opens her eyes, her sparkling face practically competing with her armor in shine.
She closes her eyes momentarily like concentrating on something, “Ah, I smell so good! Thank you, Frank!”
Frank laughs, “No problem. I’m glad you don’t reek of fish anymore, too. And as long as you don’t make too much of a mess, we can keep it that way. We still got to gut the fish.”
“Oh, right… Can’t we just eat them as is?”
“No…”
“Fine… at least I think I can burn off the smell from my blades...”
Frank cleans himself in the shower as well and directs Amethyst in gutting the fish with her natural, extraordinarily sharp, knives at the same time.
Joining her with more hands-on cooperation after getting some clothes on to fight the cold of the cavern.
The fish’s guts are more or less what he expected, and Amethyst gets the hang of the process quickly without any particular issue.
Only the shark gives them some trouble, the rest were more, ‘normal’ fish, at least as normal as could be for an alien planet, so they are done in no time at all.
----------------------------------------
Amethyst and Frank gather in the kitchen, with Amethyst’s fish fillets, to ponder what to make of them.
The door opens before they can start the brainstorming. Grent shows up with a rag and a spray bottle.
He sprays thin mist at the kitchen door's fish splatter left by Pineapple and then wipes it off with a rag.
“Ahem... anyway, all the fish are in the clear to eat.”
“Fantastic!” Amethyst rejoices with animated blades.
“Well then, how about a creamy fish soup? At least from some of the fish.” Frank suggests.
“Why does it have to be soup?”
“Oh, sorry. Maybe not soup.” Frank raises apologetic open hands for Amethyst.
“Well, I don’t think we even have any sort of cream here, that’d spoil too fast.” Grent comments.
“Uhh, what do you even have here? I’ve never seen such a large and badly stocked kitchen before…
You’ve got flour at least? Maybe we could just make some fish balls or patties.”
“Yeah, I’ve got flours, at least those last a long time. I do have some potatoes too still.”
Grent lifts the Solarophone from the floor: “Oh, we’ve got some Pineapple here as well!” He turns the cat to face him.
”Did you enjoy your stolen goods?”
The cat immediately bites his hand and he sets it free.
“Ouch… Wait… why is the cat named after food?”
Amethyst looks at the cat curiously, he hides behind a chair from her.
“Oh… I thought it was funny. I mean he is yellow and his double tails resemble a Pineapple’s leaves. A bit sharp and pointy like that.” Frank makes fruity moves with his hands.
“I don’t see it” Grent comments and holds his bitten hand.
“Of course, we don’t eat cats or… aliens, at least if they are intelligent… or… pets? It’s all a bit vague now that I think about it…” Frank tries to clarify for Amethyst.
“You know if it was fine to eat depending if ISSA shows up knocking on your door or not—goes the saying.” Grent pulls on the sides of his open coat.
“Really?”
“It’s an intergalactic saying… that much is true.” Frank continues in Grent's place.
“But if Amethyst chose poorly with these fish, we might be the first ones to test if it’s true. ISSA’s basically already at our doorstep.”
Amethyst looks at him worried.
“I’m just joking. All of them are just fish.”
“I don’t know, how can you be so sure?” Grent smiles at him, tapping his stubbly chin. “But, if you say so Frank...”
“Hey, come on now!”
“This won’t look good in the ISSA court…” Amethyst says dejected but smirks at Grent.
“Haw-haw... Aren't you two funny?”
“Well, you started it!” Grent shrugs, the red nicks of the small bite marks visible on his hand.
“Well, regardless… can we eat soon...”
“Just put all the fillets in the oven and call it a day?” Grent says.
“Hmm… since we didn’t take the fish skin off… we could easily make Fish medallions. Those only need a bit of salt and pepper to turn delicious.”
“Medallions?”
“It’s just the name, we take this fish fillet, cut it from the middle to just below the skin, and bend it from the middle into two parts, held together by the skin.”
Frank demonstrates with a knife, cutting up one fillet, and ending up with a neat piece of meat.
“Then we just fry them on a pan in a light amount of butter, season after and it’s done!”
“What, we’re just gonna eat just that alone?” Grent presses a paper towel on his hand, the bite mark decides to bleed after all.
“You said you had potatoes? We can make mashed potatoes from them, though that would be best with milk… I suppose it won’t be terrible with just water.”
“I can do the cooking, after all, it’s just the molecules reacting with the heat and forming new bonds.”
Grent nonchalantly volunteers.
“Great! Amethyst you can help in cutting the medallions and the potatoes, which I can turn into mush later.”
“Have you done this dish before?” Amethyst tilts her head and settles before a cutting board.
“Yeah, I used to cook it with my parents, from our personally caught fish too you know.”
Frank slices another medallion, on his wooden cutting board.
“Are you a fisher like Luna?”
As Frank is about to cut another piece, Amethyst's question causes him to flinch and almost slice his fingers.
“...well, I did my fair share of fishing as a kid with my Father.
We’d come back home and we’d cook with Mother if we decided on medallions, if not, then Dad would be happy to help, too.”
A sudden, sullen grimace, twists his lips and he looks away briefly.
“Shall we start?” He picks up the shark onto the table, a consistent smile overwriting the previously stressed expression.
Piece by piece, Amethyst and Frank skillfully slice the ones they’ll eat, deciding to freeze the rest.
Grent takes care of it, and soon arrives back, preparing to cook for them.
Frank and Amethyst work on the potatoes next, and soon they are ready too, boiling in a pot on the stove. They were this season’s ‘tates, so all they needed was to slice them.
Grent starts to cook the fish like a machine, manufacturing each one with a perfect glistening surface, keeping them all intact.
Seems he wasn’t all talk, despite inquiries of how he's such a good cook, he wouldn't give a straight answer.
The confused expression hinted that maybe he himself wasn’t sure of the reason.
But how would that work? Neither questioned him further, perhaps fearing the answer.
A pot full of potato mashing and sprinkling of seasoning later, it was time to dine.
Amethyst uses her blade like a ladle, scooping potato and fish onto it at the same time, then tipping it into her waiting mouth.
The grease, salt, and spices were an ephemeral aftertaste in the potato-ruled portion.
It was good, she assumed, but at least it reminded her of the food she had been offered by Frank in his cottage, which gave her a warm recollection.
Frank cuts a part of the medallion with his cutleries first, checking its state inside. On the surface, it had turned to orange with a side of blue tint which was much the same within.
No stark, dark blue, glistening of raw anywhere, seemed Grent had done an exemplary job in cooking it through and through.
Eating an unknown fish raw wasn’t something he was keen on doing.
Grent first eats quickly, like he couldn't wait to be off, but slows down, a dreamy smile on his lips.
“How could such a gruesome beast taste so-”
He glares at his table pals and quickly assumes his usual frown onto his face.
“-so different from its appearance...”
“It’s pretty good, but are you sure it’s not just that you forgot what actual food tastes like after eating only sandwiches or thawed leftovers?” Frank points at him with a fork.
“Nonsense… flavor is the least important aspect in cooking…” Grent trails off and stuffs another helping into his mouth, tuning out of the conversation.
The most important part of cooking-
His eating stops for a moment, spinning the fork in his hands, then stopping it to gleam the reflection of his eyes from its base.
-is completely different…
He closes his eyes and squeezes the cutlery.
Meanwhile, Frank converses with Amethyst.
“So, you had your interview, too? I hope you at least had some decent questions.”
“Oh, I think I had a few… good ones…”
Amethyst carefully trails circles on top of her damaged plate, staying away from the carved X-mark in the middle that made it hers—just hovering slightly above, to not damage it further.
“Like what?” Frank asks nonchalantly and takes in a grand portion of delectable cuisine.
“Oh… well… this and that…” She hadn’t noticed, but her blade had lowered; she had again carved into the plate. A circle running at the base of its elevated edges surrounded the X.
It was so easy to say then… why’s this time different…?
Amethyst turned to look at Frank, he was shuffling around food on his plate until he noticed her looking. A curious rising of the eyebrows, a subtle inquisitive smile met her.
Shrinck!
Amethyst’s plate’s edges shatter and break off in large pieces, leaving her with a flat disk with an X.
Grent is jolted awake from his thoughts. “Well, now you’ve done it!”
“Oh… I’m sorry.” Amethyst pulls her hands off the table, dangling them on her sides. Her shoulders stiffen and rise as she looks away.
“Are you okay? It’s fine, it’s just a plate.”
Grent sighs. “It had been a perfectly good plate at that, too-!” He rises from his chair and accuses Amethyst. However, mid-sentence, he pauses and sits back down, crossing his arms.
“Whatever. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks for the food, and cooking with me…” Amethyst stands up and quickly leaves the room towards the ward.
It is Frank’s turn to sigh and he glares at Grent, as he starts to pick up the porcelain pieces onto her plate.
“I’m sorry, I messed up. I didn’t need to get so worked up about a plate.” Grent presses his back against the backrest of the wooden chair and looks away.
Frank stops cleaning and looks at him astonished like a stranger had taken his place.
“I guess we’re all a bit tense, for one reason or another.” Frank stacks the rest of the shards onto her rough-edged X-disc and proceeds to dump it into the trash.
“I’ll talk to her, I’m sure she’s just anxious too.”
“Right...”
“By the way… do you have the Tango music ready?”
“Oh, the party is today, isn’t it...? I’ll get right onto finishing it.”
“Grent…” Frank shakes his head in utter disappointment and is about to leave the room, however, Grent’s words stop him.
“Before you leave for the party today… wait in the ward. I’ve… I’ve got something for you.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Don’t question it! Just... get Amethyst to go ahead without you, it’ll be good, I promise.”
“Oh… Thanks. I won’t forget.”
“Good, just think of it as reconciliation and nothing more.”
“But… what exactly do you have in mind…?”
“Consider it a surprise.”
Frank sizes him up and stares sternly. “I'm not gonna do it if you don't tell me what it is first.”
”Oh, fine… here’s the deal...”
Frank hears him out and then leaves to talk with Amethyst, who is more frustrated at herself than Grent.
Disappointed in her lapse of judgment, in the gap in her concentration that made her break the plate.
Afterward, they rest and spend their time in blissful idleness for once, napping, roaming the ward, playing with Pineapple, taking small walks outside, chatting about this and that.
Frank and Amethyst perform their final tango practices, still without the music, Grent had told them that it needed just a few more modifications and that he’d handle sending it to Pioneer.
Then he had driven them out of the lab and locked himself in. Only hours later, had he opened the door to have a break, seeming rather pleased with himself.
Of course, it took no time at all for him to return to his lair.
----------------------------------------
“It’s almost time for the party, should we go already, Frank?”
Amethyst sits with him on a sofa in the lobby, tapping her feet against the floor.
“Will you come, Grent?”
Frank shouts towards the open lab door.
Sounds of tinkering emanate from the lab.
“Maybe. Who knows?”
“If you wouldn't mind going on ahead, without me, I have a… thing I need to take care of?”
Frank stands up and looks to the ward.
“What is it?”
Frank offers a hand and helps Amethyst up from the low sofa.
“Don’t worry about it, you’ll see soon enough.”
“Fine… I trust you.” Amethyst smiles, “Where is the party though?”
“Oh, right. Pioneer messaged me saying they set up near the landing pads after all, there’s a stretch of open land near it against the woods.
“Okay, don’t be late though!”
“Thank you… I won’t,” Frank opens the door to the ward and closes it behind him.
“I wonder what all that was about?” Grent says with an alluding tone of voice, having shown up at his lab’s door, smugly leaning to it and looking at his hand nonchalantly.
“Maybe he’s planning a surprise, too?”
Grent's brow wrinkles and his eyebrows rise.
“Who else is planning a surprise?”
“Luna- oh, that was supposed to be a secret between us… I think.”
“Luna… eh?”
“A-anyway. I’d better go now…” Amethyst hastily leaves the lobby.
Grent reveals a wide and thin item from behind his back, slightly longer than his upper body.
It’s covered with a see-through plastic sheet, with a zipper in the middle. From the top, a metal hook emerges, which he holds onto.
He takes it with him to the ward and as soon as he gets the door open, he gloats to Frank inside.
“You’ll never guess what I just heard...”