Work Text:
As Ariane turned the light bulb, the soft metal connector made a quiet squeak. After six rotations it would turn no more, signifying it sat snug in its socket. Stepping down from the ladder, she gave the switch a quick flip. She stood back and admired her simple handiwork as the bulb flooded the hallway with a warm yellow light. With a satisfied grin, she folded the small ladder and tucked it under her arm.
'Another job Elster needn’t be bothered with,' Ariane thought to herself.
Having spent several hundred cycles in close proximity, the chilly relationship between the two crewmates had warmed to something more cordial. Elster had offered to have her food prepared for when she awoke and lent a hand in mixing her paints. In return, Ariane agreed to assist the Replika with her more menial repair tasks, giving up a small portion of her own recreational time to do so. Ariane found their shared time off and friendly conversations well worth the cost.
…When it bore fruit, that was.
Though Elster seemingly enjoyed her company, the Replika had a recent habit of slinking off to her maintenance quarters, avoiding the Gestalt entirely. Ariane could only hold her attention when the topic of conversation needed immediate addressing, and gave only the excuse that she needed “stabilization.” During their short formalities, she could detect a hint of anxiousness in Elster's voice. Not wanting to bother the Replika too much with her usual smalltalk, she left her friend to her own devices after their pre-work cycle routine. Nonetheless, she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment every time her reclusive comrade slid down the ladder from the main deck, disappearing until the next cycle.
On her way to the auxiliary cargo room, Ariane took a quick sidelong glance into her personal quarters. Upon an easel in the center of the floor lay a half-finished painting. The canvas depicted a morning sunrise from her days at Rotfront; reds and oranges clashed with the light blue hues of a snow-covered city skyline. However, she didn’t feel quite satisfied with it. She had spent much longer than normal creating it; over two dozen cycles. Something about landscape painting -her usual subject matter- wasn’t stoking her creative fires. She needed something new to catch her muse.
Ariane stopped outside the cargo room. A cool breeze brushed past her as the automatic doors slid open. She stepped into the chilly room, carrying the ladder in both hands towards its storage hook, stationed firmly on the wall. As she hung it up, a flash of carbon black and bright scarlet appeared past the doorway in her peripheral vision.
“Elster!” The scout officer shot her a quick greeting in an effort to stop her from disappearing down the hole. Once the ladder was in place, she dashed to the door. Peering from within the doorway, Ariane spotted the Replika standing motionless in the next room over. Elster faced away from her, meer footsteps from the shaft leading to the maintenance room. She appeared frozen in time, and judging by the tensing of her shoulders, did not expect to be noticed. Ariane stepped out of the cargo room, the doors closing behind her.
“I finished replacing the lights,” she began as she approached. Elster didn’t react. “I thought we could… Elster? Is something wrong?” Worry creeped into her voice as her crewmate failed to acknowledge her.
Elster turned to face the gestalt, stopping just far enough to maintain eye contact. “Everything is fine, Ariane. Thank you for replacing the lights. Is there something you need?”
“Well… I…” She had an inkling that something troubling was preoccupying her crewmate's thoughts, and was determined to find out what. She glanced around the corridor, trying to find something damaged or misaligned to hold Elster’s attention so they could talk. The door to her personal room still laid open.
She had just found her muse.
A smirk formed at the corner of her lips as she sought to solve two problems at once. “Yes, actually. Would you mind doing me a favor? Would you…” She swallowed with a nervous gulp before continuing, “...model for me? Just for an hour… maybe two.”
Elster's eyes widened, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink; it was the first time Ariane had seen a Replika blush. When the Replika failed to reply for several seconds, Ariane quietly added, “I replaced the lightbulbs like you asked…”
The scout officer didn’t enjoy holding favors over her crewmate's head. In addition, pushing for more interaction often earned Elster's ire. Yet she knew if they didn’t spend time together now, she might not see the Replika again for several more cycles. Though as selfish as it may be, she wanted to help her crewmate overcome whatever was troubling her. And if she was willing to admit it, she had begun to miss her new friend. It was a harmless guilt trip, if there ever was one.
Good intentioned or not, Elster failed to appreciate being manipulated in such a manner. She let out a heavy sigh, her eyes closed in exasperation.
“Please?" Ariane pleaded.
Elster peeked her eyes open, a tired smile forming on her lips. She had to admit the Gestalt's innocent insistence to spend time together had a charm to it, however undiplomatic it was. Elster turned to face the scout officer fully. “Lead the way,” she surrendered.
It was only then that Ariane noticed she had been holding her breath. She released it as relief washed over her. "Right this way," she said over her shoulder as she stepped past her crewmate. She could hear Elster's heavy footsteps behind her as they walked towards her personal quarters. "The supplies are in my room. The auxiliary cargo room has been frigid lately, so I've been painting in there," she explained.
"Must be another blown capacitor in the heating unit," Elster mumbled to herself. "Maybe that should take priority?"
Ariane was almost taken aback. She spun around to face her crewmate, intent on correcting her that the Gestalt officer set the priority of each task. What she did not expect to see was a sly, smug grin plastered across the Replika's face. She was being toyed with. Caught off guard by Elster's uncharacteristic mischievousness, she simply stood in front of the doorway to her room, mouth agape.
"I…" Ariane trailed off, undecided on how to respond.
"It's okay, I was only joking. That's what friends do, right?" Her grin softened into a subtle smile. "I can tell that you've been struggling to enjoy painting lately. I want to help." Her eyes sparkled, brimming with genuine affection. " I'll do anything ."
Ariane, still lost for words, could only mumble, "Thank you," before turning back to her room. Now sporting a burning crimson blush of her own, she rushed inside, Elster trailing close behind. She stopped in front of the easel, plucking the painting from its stand. Clearing her throat, she began, "It's true. Painting hasn't felt the same lately. I'm glad you're willing to lend a hand," she said as she carried the picture to a corner of the room. She gently laid it down, the paint face-up so as not to smudge. She then approached a loose pile of blank canvases, grabbing the one on top.
As she turned back around and approached the easel, she noticed Elster standing a short distance in front of it. Striking no pose, she simply stood at attention; not dissimilar to the picture they took before their mission. Ariane set the blank canvas down on its stand, and pulled over a stool. Not wanting to keep the Replika waiting for too long, she decided the colors already on her palette would do; she hadn't the time to mix new ones.
"Should I hold a pose…?" Elster asked. She imitated a soldier from an iconic scene featured in Beende Den Kampf , one of the war movies the two had watched. Ariane assumed the pose was for her benefit, seeing as Elster didn't particularly like the films. Nonetheless, Elster held a triumphant fist towards the air, her two knees bent towards her right. The pose was uncharacteristically patriotic for the usually stoic Replika. It was an otherwise uplifting stance.
But as Ariane looked up from the palette and her eyes locked on Elster, she inexplicably shuddered. "Not that one. Something feels off about it.” Ariane couldn’t pin down exactly why the pose made her so uncomfortable. She wasn’t an especially patriotic person, and neither was Elster. Yet the disingenuousness of the pose was not enough to explain her visceral reaction.
As she thought of all the reasons the pose didn’t work, a scene appeared in her mind’s eye. Lifeless bodies clad in blood-stained combat armor lay scattered across a crater-ridden field. In the middle, one soldier held her dying comrade. She criticized the scene as melodramatic the first time she had watched it. Yet now, she understood it more fully. It was not a fate she enjoyed imagining her dear friend to share.
“Perhaps try something more authentic?” Ariane suggested, her voice wavering and weary.
Elster retrieved a screwdriver from her toolbelt. Lowering herself onto one knee, she began to unscrew an electric cable access panel on the wall behind her. She froze halfway through the action, giving Ariane a still scene from which to paint.
While the pose was authentic, it obscured too much of Elster's face as the Replika was turned away from her. The front of her body was hidden too, though Ariane found herself flustered as she was given a flattering view of her backside. "No, that won't work either," she mumbled. The wooden end of her paintbrush found its way to the corner of her mouth as she racked her brain for a suitable pose.
Elster stood back up. Crossing her arms just below her chest, she leaned against the wall. Her head was turned slightly as she looked across the room, her eyes transfixed on some object far behind Ariane. Her left knee was bent as she relaxed.
It was perfect.
In a flurry, Ariane traded her paintbrush for a pencil and began to draw. She traced a rough outline of Elster's general body shape, adding in the corners of the room’s walls to solidify the viewer’s perspective.
Elster took notice of her sudden sketching spree and stirred.
“Wait! Go back, you were perfect!” Ariane demanded. She quickly softened her voice upon seeing the surprise in Elster’s face. "That pose was great. Go back to what you were doing," she asked more gently.
Elster allowed herself to relax once more, leaning candidly against the cold steel wall. Her eyes locked again on the object in a corner across the room.
Ariane finished her preliminary drawing and set her pencil down. Her sketch complete, Ariane's now wetted brush moved methodically as she layered smooth pigment over her haphazard graphite lines. Her face was filled with solid determination as the brush hairs deposited a bold choice of vivid colors: cold silver-blue walls, jet black polyethylene plates, and dazzling turquoise iris soon appeared on the canvas. The image come to life before her crimson eyes; unlike any of her landscape paintings, this one was almost dreamlike.
Elster peeked with her eyes at the Gestalt's possessed expression. She had seen neither Gestalt nor Replika attack something with such passion and enthusiasm. She could not imagine being so feverish over something as innocuous as a picture. Perhaps there was more to painting than the Replika was able to appreciate at first glance. She made a mental note to ask for a lesson, sometime. The thought brought a gentle warmth to her chest. Perhaps the artist, too, deserved more appreciation.
Elster's eyes returned to whatever lay behind the painter as Ariane continued her work. Though she tried to remain motionless, a faint smile crept across her face. Her upturned lips would lay evidenced in the final painting.
Two hours passed. Ariane's hand, nearly shaking from exhaustion, traced the last strand of raven black hair to the top of Elster's head. With a heavy sigh, her arm fell, and she looked to her companion. Elster's gaze remained fixed, causing Ariane's curiosity to get the better of her. What had been able to occupy the Replika's attention for so long? Turning around, she followed the Replika's pinprick pupils to the small vase of pure white lilies laid atop a stack of books.