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“--ther news, the IPC has reported that one of the Ten Stonehearts is currently in critical condition following an altercation seventy-two system hours ago during their visit to Penacony. While they have not provided any details as to the altercation in question, they have assured that there is no cause for alarm--"
“--rumors that Aventurine of the Ten Stonehearts was assassinated three days ago following a trip to Penacony to discuss business with Sunday, leader of the Family. While there has yet to be substantial evidence to confirm these rumors, the IPC’s silence on the matter speaks volumes--"
“--PC is currently in deliberations with the leaders of Penacony, discussing a business venture between the Land of Dreams and the Interastral Peace Corporation. Details of this venture are classified at present, but eyewitnesses have reported that a member of the Ten Stonehearts has been overseeing the process--”
Ratio sighed, clicking off the radio after flicking through channels. Of course word would have gotten out about the IPC’s dealings in Penacony, even if the masses were unaware that the IPC sought to seize control of the former prison and return it to their jurisdiction. And of course, word would have gotten out about the damned gambler and his reckless plans...there were no small number of witnesses in the Dreamscape who saw that spry peacock handing out gems and baubles like they were candy.
Of course the rumors would begin to spread when such a high-ranking member of the IPC suddenly vanished after such an act of altruism, though “assassination” seemed to be more than a little extreme. Apparently someone was trying to stir up drama with a false death allegation on social media, and the masses would eat it up like the dreamers filling their bellies with SoulGlad.
Without the radio, the room was eerily silent, save the quiet, steady beep of a heart monitor. Ratio turned his gaze to the sole patient in the room, still trapped in slumber even with IVs and an oxygen mask and all manner of sensors to keep track of his condition.
Of course, the only time he shuts up is when he can’t speak at all, he thought dryly as he studied Aventurine’s sleeping face. Even now, the gambler wore an unreadable expression, his “poker face” unfaltering. What could he be dreaming about, if he still dreamed at all? Perhaps he dreams of his childhood on Sigonia, or perhaps he dreams of riches promised by his actions.
Ratio had seen the display, as Aventurine prepared his final stand to wipe Penacony from the maps. How it had been kept under wraps so effectively escaped him, however; with such a grandiose act, surely the whole of Penacony, from the Golden Hour and beyond, would have noticed. Of course, given the Family’s habit of “removing” pieces of one’s memory and tampering with them, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to assume that they had done that on a massive scale, erasing Aventurine’s gamble from the minds of the masses to maintain their so-called Harmony.
And now, Aventurine lay in a hospital bed, trapped in the Dreamscape and unable to wake by his own strength.
When the glow of his Cornerstone faded, it was as though the paparazzi had discovered a scandal, with the IPC bursting into Aventurine’s room to ascertain his condition. Topaz and Jade had made quite the fuss, citing that a Cornerstone’s glow only fades when its Stoneheart dies--and that for his stone to dull while in the Dreampool, it wouldn’t reflect well on the Family. They had leveraged that fact to slip the leash held by the Bloodhounds, acting under direct orders to recover Aventurine and administer medical attention immediately.
It was a scramble on par with the panic brought about by Duke Inferno snatching away the staff aboard Herta Space Station. Upon arrival they discovered that Aventurine’s heart had indeed stopped, the shock of whatever had halted his attack sending him into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, they were swift enough to arrive and get him back into a steady rhythm before he could suffer permanent brain damage.
Almost too swift, Ratio realizes. As though they were fully aware of his gamble from the start.
Once they were able to stabilize him, however, it became clear that his actions had their intended effect: he had bypassed whatever safeguards were in place in the Dreamscape. Rather than being forced awake upon his death-- To be honest with you, I didn’t believe it, and even tested it a few times myself, he had said--he remained in the Dreamscape, even as the shock nearly killed his physical body.
…Idiot gambler. What would you have done if those failsafes weren’t in effect before?
Ratio scowled as he pondered that simple statement over and over and over. Aventurine had actively tried to get himself killed in the Dreamscape, merely to test if it would work or not. Gambling his life and always coming out with a winning hand. Yet what if, in one brief moment, his luck would have run dry? What if his tests had ended in disaster, and he had well and truly died? After all, the star singer Robin had been so easily killed within the dream, assassinated and left for others to find.
Though, the fact such a failsafe existed to begin with means that there must have been something beyond the veil of death within the Dreamscape, and the gambler’s luck would require his death to find that something .
He hadn’t shared the full details of his plan with Ratio, but trusted him enough to help, slipping the information about the two Cornerstones to Sunday to make that smug “feathery bastard” (in Topaz’s words) think he had won and that Ratio was betraying his “allies”. Aventurine himself put on a good show of acting as though Ratio had betrayed him, and surely anyone watching would think he was well and truly hurt by the “betrayal”, keeping up the act in case any Bloodhounds came sniffing.
Yet the lack of details, not knowing just what Aventurine had planned when Sunday forced the proverbial noose on him and gave him seventeen hours to walk to the gallows, being unable to truly aid him in any way…
It hurt, a horrible and freezing pain deep in his chest.
For all he spoke of the gambler’s presence being a nuisance, it would be a bold-faced lie to say that Ratio didn’t enjoy that bit of time they spent together. Rarely did anyone actually enjoy his presence beyond his capacity as a mentor, and even as Aventurine wore his mask to hide his intentions, it was clear that Aventurine was happy to spend time with Ratio. Actually, scratch that, he wasn’t happy , he was downright giddy . Playfully teasing Ratio, taking his rebukes on the chin with that same smile--a smile that never truly reached his eyes, yet was still just ever so brighter than normal--and putting his trust in Ratio as they worked together…
Those beautiful, jewel-like eyes were always so dull, but in those moments together, Ratio could see the faintest hint of a sparkle, radiance buried under years of grime. Those dry laughs seemed the slightest bit warmer, almost fond, a quiet melody in the discordant dream.
Yet now those eyes are closed, and that laugh is silenced, and no one knew if Aventurine would wake again, or be forever trapped in the dream.
Ratio continued to watch Aventurine in silence, his elbows resting on his knees. The slow, steady rise and fall of his chest assured him that he was still alive, though that was a hollow reassurance. After all, just because he was still breathing meant little if he couldn’t wake up. In time, his body would atrophy, and he would simply wither away into nothing.
No, Veritas. You cannot think that. He will pull through this.
He quickly regathered his thoughts, attempting to think rationally. Even if Aventurine relied on something as abstract as luck, it never failed him before. Ratio would just need to have faith that his luck would guide him back to them--and that his note may give him the push he needed.
Aventurine doesn’t have a lot of self-worth, Topaz had mentioned in passing. He acts a lot larger than he is, but it’s a front. Deep down, he’s a pretty lonely guy...maybe you might be able to help him.
The note was simple enough, and Aventurine was smart, even if he put up a front of a playfully flashy idiot. Even if he couldn’t directly aid him, Ratio could at least assure him that someone gave a damn about him. Perhaps that would be enough of a push for him to keep fighting, to come back alive.
To come back to him .
Ratio slid his chair just a bit closer to Aventurine’s bed, taking his hand in both of his own. His fingers were frigid, palm cooler than normal; his blood pressure was dangerously low, and he would need to be kept under constant watch to ensure his condition didn’t worsen. He clasped that hand tightly, as though anchoring him and keeping him in place. He watched that unmoving face, as though his eyes would open at any moment and all of this would be over.
Yet they remained closed.
Do stay alive. I wish you the best of luck.
“...Stay alive, Aventurine,” Ratio whispered, lifting that cold hand to press a soft kiss on his knuckles. “Stay alive, and return to us swiftly. I beseech you...do not make us wait any longer.”
He closed his eyes, clutching that hand like a lifeline. He was not a praying man, nor did he know much of Sigonian faith, but he at least knew that the Sigonians, and the Avgin specifically, revered their own deities of a pantheon separate from the Aeons, offering prayers to them for safety and prosperity in their hellish world.
“...If you can hear me,” he breathed, “guide this child of Sigonia back to us. Do not allow him to die like this.”
A knock on the door pulled Ratio from his prayer, and he quickly lowered Aventurine’s hand back to the bed before the door opened. “You may enter,” he called, not turning to see who had intruded so suddenly.
“It’s just me,” came Topaz’s voice as she strolled in, Numby trotting along next to her. “I wanted to check in on you and Aventurine.”
She came to a stop at the side of his bed, arms loosely crossed as she looked him over. “...Still no changes, huh?” she asked, her voice quiet. Numby squealed quietly, hopping up onto the bed to nose its way under Aventurine’s arm. “Numby’s been worried about him, too. We all are.”
“I imagine he would insist that he’s fine, were he awake,” Ratio noted dryly, but his tone wavered just slightly. Just enough for Topaz to cast a glance at him, and stare in confusion for a brief moment.
“...Were you cr--"
“Not one word.” He cut her off quickly, but his voice lacked its bite. “I am merely tired. My time in the Dreamscape was restless enough, and now I have to watch over this fool who gambles his life time and again.”
Tired. A likely excuse, but Topaz doesn’t pry. “Maybe you should get some rest, then,” she suggests. “Numby and I can keep watch for a while.”
“I will handle it myself. You are needed to keep your lackeys in line. I heard they caused a commotion in the lobby because they were drinking on the job.”
“Yeah, I already reprimanded them for that one...they’re denser than lead, though, so they’ll probably cause trouble again.” She sighed, shaking her head. “First they stir up trouble in Belobog, then they get drunk and make fools of themselves here. Why do they stick me with those clowns?”
“They likely sought to punish you for your failure to reclaim Jarilo-VI for them and saddled you with bumbling morons.”
“Yeah, well, I had to deal with those bumbling morons on Jarilo-VI. They decided to seize a Geomarrow mine and throw everything out of whack against my orders to not interfere in the lives of the people.”
“It certainly seems like punishment, then. Forcing the troublemakers on you for your failures.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Topaz waved her hand dismissively, before returning her attention to her slumbering coworker. She sighed, a half-smile playing on her lips. “Look at him sleeping without a care in the world. Like he doesn’t even realize how much people are worried about him. He owes us big time for this one.”
“Well, if there is one thing the gambler is good at, it’s repaying his debts. Whenever he wakes, I will be sure to remind him of such.”
“...Yeah, you do that, Doc. C’mon, Numby, let’s let Sleeping Beauty here sleep.”
At her command, Numby shuffled back out from under Aventurine’s arm, bounding back to Topaz’s side as she made her way back to the door. “Call us if there’s any updates,” she noted. “I’ll be over as soon as I can. You’ve got my number.”
“Yes, yes, I know. Out with you, now. Doctor’s orders.”
“Aye-aye.” Topaz waved, a playful twinkle in her eye as she closed the door behind her, leaving Ratio alone with Aventurine.
He waited for several moments, listening for any sign of eavesdropping, before returning his attention to Aventurine. Once more, he took Aventurine’s hand in his own, cradling it gently. Even in those brief few minutes, most of the warmth left behind had seeped away, and his fingers were cold once more.
Almost colder, even, as though he had slipped away just that smallest bit further, slipped just a bit out of reach.
Ratio idly traced circles in Aventurine’s palm, attempting to calm his own nerves as well as promote a bit more blood flow to try to warm his hand. His mind drifted to watching how Aventurine would lazily flip a poker chip across his knuckles, nimbly slide playing cards through delicate fingers, roll a die on his fingertip. How he would twirl his hat around on a finger and brush his bangs from his eyes with a flourish.
He lifted a hand to gently brush the hair out of Aventurine’s face, careful not to disturb him. Not that it would do much in his current state, but it would be needlessly callous. Almost distantly, Ratio noted that even his face felt slightly cool, resting his palm on a pale cheek.
That mask of yours is handsome, but so very cold, Doc, he had noted playfully. Your face is much warmer, and much more handsome.
He couldn’t quite stop himself, leaning closer to press his lips against Aventurine’s forehead. A good-luck charm from another world, he had studied in the past. A little nudge, trying to guide him a little further.
“Your face is as cold as my mask,” Ratio mused quietly, “and just as lifeless.”
The word slipped from his lips so carelessly, and yet he couldn’t take it back, and the tightness in Ratio’s chest returned in full. Lifeless. That’s how Aventurine looks--barring the rise and fall of his chest, he looks no different from a corpse.
Brain death and bodily death are different, yet all too similar. The body can be perfectly healthy, but if the brain is gone, there is no difference from a corpse. Similarly, a mind can be preserved--one of the members of the Genius Society was much like that, preserved within Penacony as little more than a memory bubble--but without a healthy body, can they truly be called alive?
Aventurine’s body draws breath, and yet he shows no signs of cognitive function, with his mind still trapped within the Dreamscape. By definition, he’s already--
No. No, you must not think that, Veritas. He is alive. He will wake.
Deep breaths. Calm down. Ratio closed his eyes, reciting various equations in his head to keep his thoughts from straying too far. Eventually, he opened his eyes again, regarding Aventurine once more.
…His eyes met jewels of cyan and orchid, and his heart skipped.
“...Hey, Doc,” Aventurine rasped weakly, a faint smile on his lips. “I’m back.”
Ratio’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He closed his mouth. Opened it again. Closed it. For once, the verbose doctor was utterly speechless, gawking and gaping.
“What, are you that happy to see me?” Aventurine broke the silence with a playful joke and quiet chuckle. “I’m touched, Doc.”
“You--"
Before he could continue, the door opened, practically flung aside as a certain trotter galloped into the room and leapt onto Aventurine’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him as it squealed with delight. Topaz followed shortly after, breathless as she practically sprinted--and following behind her, Jade peered in.
“Oh, thank the Preservation!” Topaz gasped, eyes wide before she grinned. “Numby just took off running like it was nobody’s business--I thought something was wrong!”
“Welcome back, Aventurine,” Jade greeted, smiling fondly at her esteemed protege as Ratio helped him sit up. “I trust you slept well?”
“I don’t feel all that rested,” Aventurine admitted with a sheepish laugh as he removed the oxygen mask, “but I’m alive...my gamble paid dividends.”
“You have to tell us everything ,” Topaz urged, rushing to pull up a seat near his bed. “All we knew was that you just-- died . Just up and died!”
“Death doesn’t stick in the dream, you know. I tested that myself.”
“Still, your Cornerstone stopped glowing! Even if that was part of the plan, you still had everyone worried sick for the last three days!”
“Three days, huh…” Aventurine closed his eyes, leaning back on the pillows behind him before chuckling.
“What are you laughing about?”
“Nothing, nothing. Just thinking about things. Give me a second to wake up all the way and I’ll tell you everything.”
With the report from their fellow Stoneheart in hand, Jade and Topaz eventually shuffled out of Aventurine’s room, entrusting Ratio to watch over him. Keep an eye out and make sure he doesn’t do anything too reckless for us, would you? Jade had asked, and Ratio obliged without question, leaving the two alone in a room that was a bit too quiet for Aventurine’s liking.
“That may have been the most foolish, feckless thing you have ever done,” Ratio scolded with a scowl, looking up from the plate of apples he had been peeling. “I had heard you were not above gambling your own life away, but this is one bet you could well have lost.”
“But I didn’t,” Aventurine noted. “My good luck has never failed me before, and it wasn’t going to fail me now.”
“Do you have any idea how worried everyone has been? You were unconscious for three days, gambler. Three. Days. At any point your body could have completely shut down, and then what? You would have been but a wandering specter drifting alone in that saccharine dream.”
“I knew I’d make it back. After all, I had some pretty sound advice from the good doctor.”
Ratio paused, blinked. “...So you did read my note.”
“Of course I did. You really think I wouldn’t? Do stay alive. I wish you the best of luck. Kind of silly to wish luck on someone born lucky, isn’t it?”
“Hmph. If it was so silly, then why did you bother taking the advice?”
Aventurine fell silent for several moments, staring down at his hands. His left hand trembled ever so slightly, prompting him to fold his hands together on his lap, just for a moment.
“Well?” Ratio nudged.
More silence, before Aventurine spoke, voice soft. “Because I trust you.”
Another pause. “...Come again?”
“I trust you, Veritas. Why do you think I had you play along and ‘betray’ me to Sunday? I trusted that you would be able to help me win this gamble, and it paid off. Not many people like my company, but you at least tolerated me enough for that.”
Ratio glanced away for a moment, before speaking up. “...You are one of the few people who tolerates me without question,” he admitted. “Many of the masses only flock to me for my intellect and tutelage. Yet you are different in such a bizarre way that I can scarcely comprehend you.”
“You’re not a bad guy, Doc,” Aventurine noted. “Yeah, you can be a little bit wordy and standoffish. But you stick to your principles, and you don’t beat around the bush. I like things like that. Plus you don’t hate me as much as everyone else does.”
“...Who said I hated you at all?”
“Huh?”
Aventurine stared, wide-eyed, when Ratio spoke, the line almost offhanded.
“I said, who said I hated you?” he repeated, meeting those eyes. “Yes, you are a foolish gambler with all the subtlety of a rainbow-colored peacock, but that does not mean I hate you. I hate idiocy and ignorance--and you are neither an idiot nor are you ignorant.”
“If you don’t hate me then...what? You tolerate me?” A half-smile, just as empty as his eyes, played on Aventurine’s lips. “Not a lot of people do, just Jade. And Topaz, I guess.”
“Must I spell it out for you? You should have been able to discern it from my note.”
“Well, probably. It’s not like anyone likes me or--"
Ratio heaved a sigh, exasperation writ plain on his face. “Nous take me, you are more foolish than I gave you credit for,” he groused. “I have left the clues in your lap and you still cannot piece it together? Very well.”
He set the plate and paring knife down on the bedside table, then gripped Aventurine by the jaw as he leaned in close. “Ouch--hey, Doc, what are you--"
Aventurine’s words fell silent as their lips crashed together, hastily and slightly clumsily.
…Ratio tasted like sweet honey and herbal tea, a sophisticated blend befitting his status within the Intelligentsia Guild.
The seconds bled together, and for a few moments, the world around them seemed to stop until Ratio finally parted from him, and Aventurine gasped quietly, having forgotten how to breathe for those few moments.
“Do you get it now ?”
For once, Aventurine had no snarky quip or rebuttal, staring in what could only be called confusion...or perhaps disbelief. Even as Ratio released his hold and sat back down, Aventurine could find no words, still staring.
“...I don’t get it,” he eventually whispered--and Ratio caught the way his voice wavered, the way his normally playful lilt gave way to shaky uncertainty. “Why me ?”
“Hm. Why, indeed? Why shouldn’t I find myself feeling a sense of affection for you?”
“Because no one likes me, Veritas. I’m a Stoneheart, the big bad IPC strongarm who forces planets to kneel when I collect their debts. And beyond that, I’m Sigonian. I’m an Avgin. Without my status as a Stoneheart, I’m nothing .”
“And who said that?”
“This. This damned brand on my neck.” Aventurine raised a hand, fingertips tracing over the blackened mark. “The second anyone sees it, the second they see my eyes, they don’t see Aventurine of the Stonehearts. They see another Sigonian dog who was sold to the highest bidder…”
His voice cracked, and he silenced himself quickly, but the pain on his face was clear as day. Topaz was right--his self-worth was truly abysmal.
Ratio sighed again, shifting out of the chair to instead sit on the edge of the bed. “Aventurine, look at my eyes for a moment. Tell me what you see.”
After a moment, Aventurine did so. “...I see two colors. Red and gold.”
“Correct. A band of color that cuts into another. Now, does that seem familiar to you?”
“...They’re like a Sigonian. But…”
“ But nothing. They are not like a Sigonian’s eyes. They are a Sigonian’s eyes.”
All at once, Aventurine felt something in his chest crack wide open. “What...? They’re... Then, that means you’re…”
“Only half,” Ratio clarified. “My mother was Avgin, and when the IPC had taken to watching over them, she met my father, who brought her to his homeworld. That is where I was born, far from Sigonia-IV.”
“...then I’m... not the only one...?”
“You are not...but, I must admit that I know very little of Sigonian culture, or of its beliefs. It is difficult to find comprehensive records nowadays of anything that isn’t the Katica-Avgin Extinction Events.”
Ratio gently took Aventurine’s hand in his own, with a tenderness that Aventurine was unfamiliar with. Warm and strong, able to break him and yet cradling his hand like a feather.
“...I would like to learn more from you, to preserve their story from one who lived it.”
As Ratio spoke, Aventurine felt his breath hitch, his throat tighten. He had been alone for so very long, yet there was someone right at his side all along...someone who actually gave a damn about him.
“...Of course,” he replied, his voice still shaking. “I’ll share every detail. Everything to keep the memory alive.”
He leaned against Ratio, settling his head against a broad shoulder as he closed his eyes. As he did so, Ratio brought his arms around him, tucking him a bit closer to his side. Such warmth and comfort...it had become almost foreign to him, having lost everything so long ago, and he felt something icy within him begin to melt away.
“...Kakavasha.”
“Hm?” Ratio blinked, glancing down at Aventurine as he spoke.
“...my name. My name is Kakavasha.”
“Mm...a most intriguing name. Melodious, even. Does it have a meaning?”
“Yeah. It means ‘child blessed by Gaiathra’. It rained the day I was born, so my mama named me for the blessing that ended a drought. So...it’s my mama’s reason I was born lucky, I guess.”
“...Mayhap. Or mayhaps you carved out that luck from the desert sands with your own two hands.”
“Haha...you think so, Doc?”
“I do.”
He paused for a moment, before squeezing Aventurine’s hand slightly. “And what of Gaiathra? That is a deity in Sigonian faith, yes?”
“Yeah. The Mother Goddess. We pray to her for her protection. My mama prayed for me and my sis to be safe, and me and my sis would pray together all the time.”
“Would you teach me this prayer? I had prayed for you to awaken, but I’m woefully undereducated regarding a proper Sigonian’s prayer, so I worry She may not have heard me.”
Aventurine smiled, sitting up slightly and holding his hand out. “Here. Put your palm against mine. That’s the first step.”
Ratio did as instructed, noting that his hand was notably larger than the other’s. “Alright. And then?”
“Then, you say the prayer. I’ll teach you.”
“Very well.”
He closed his eyes, and Ratio did the same out of reflex. “May the goddess Gaiathra close Her eyes three times...keep your blood eternally pulsing...may your journey be forever peaceful...and your schemes forever concealed.”
They reopened their eyes simultaneously, and Aventurine allowed himself a sheepish smile. “I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t really pray as often as I used to..."
“It is a most unorthodox prayer,” Ratio noted. “But if it is one that brings you comfort, then I have no right to judge.”
“...I stopped praying so often because I feel like my luck is a curse. That me having good luck comes at the cost of everyone around me having bad luck.” Aventurine chuckled dryly, settling back against Ratio once more. “Is it really worth being so lucky if it harms everyone else...?”
“Mm...one’s fortune must always be another’s misfortune. It is a delicate balance. After all, there are two sides to a coin, and there will always be losers and winners when betting which face it will land upon.”
“Why, Doc, you made a gambling analogy! If I didn’t know better, I would think I’ve rubbed off on you!”
“Don’t push your luck, gambler.” Ratio snorted.
The pun didn’t go unnoticed, and Aventurine laughed, before that laugh melted into a heavy yawn. “Oof...oh dear, guess I’m not fully awake yet.”
“You have been asleep for three days and yet you are still tired. Truly the posterboy of Penacony.”
“Hey, sleeping and winding up in the Dreamscape isn’t exactly restful, you know. You may as well not even be asleep.” Another languid yawn, his eyes beginning to droop. “Just need a quick nap...then I’ll be...back on my..."
His words slowly trailed off, and he snored softly as he nestled against Ratio. Ratio scoffed lightly at how easily the gambler fell asleep, though his heart still warmed slightly. The snoring alleviated his worry that Aventurine may slip back into the Dreamscape, and he felt his own fatigue begin to catch up with him. Fretting for three days wasn’t good for the mind, after all.
Perhaps I’ll join you for that nap, he mused to himself, carefully adjusting both himself and Aventurine. He pulled Aventurine a bit closer as he reclined on the bed, allowing Aventurine’s head to rest against his chest. He carded his fingers through soft golden locks, smiling just slightly.
“Rest well, Kakavasha,” he whispered as he closed his eyes.
Before he did, he could swear he saw the faintest hint of a smile on that devilishly beautiful face.