Chapter Text
The Earth-bound Convention Centre had been draped from ceiling to floor with depictions of their System. Everywhere you looked, it gave off a cheapened version of how their meetings used to be, back before the humans grew too populous and started taking to the skies.
Lucille missed them, missed floating freely around in their system, basking in the glow of their bright sun. Back then, it hadn’t been her, but someone who truly ruled them all and bound them together in their work, and love for one another. Their previous Sol drew everyone into orbit, no one left behind, no one forgotten.
Sera—Terra’s—meetings were colder. She’d been handed the position from their new Sol without anyone’s input, and decided to host them on Earth itself, cramped together in a small place where the walls closed in further with every passing second.
“Mom, look, that’s us!” Charlie ran ahead excitedly to one of the impossibly large drapes, the only one where it was possible to catch a glimpse of the Moon. Her long hair bounced behind her, making her seem impossibly small.
“Sweetheart, don’t run off,” Lucille told her, hurrying after her.
Planets, Moons and Comets were milling by them, none of them sparing the pair of them a second glance. She knew most of them, even remembered their names, though it seemed hers had been lost in rotation.
Big, pale eyes blinked up at her in silent apology, warm fingers reaching for her colder, scarred ones. Lucille’s breath hitched, yet she squeezed her beloved daughter’s fingers gently.
“I’m sorry, I was just excited.” Charlie turned to look at the drape once more, reaching her free hand out to touch the fine fabric.
“I know, starling,” Lucille said, staring at the print that represented all she was and ever would be, unduly bathed in the reflection of a sun to even be visible. It was a gross oversight that she hadn’t been given her own drape, as though her entire existence was tied to Terra, and her life given to her by Sol.
“Careful, little Deneb, lest you seek to bring the meeting to a fiery start,” a sharp, feminine voice drawled behind them.
Charlie turned first, startled by the presence so bright their bodies cast shadows along the bottom of the drape. “Oh, wow,” she gasped, eyes twinkling.
“Agatha,” Lucille greeted quietly, instinctively pulling Charlie closer, just to feel the gentle warmth of her in the wake of the intensity that was the System’s sun standing before them.
“Sol, Luna,” Agatha chastised her with a small scoff, face pinching up for a moment, “you’ve grown much since we were all fortuitous to see you after your making, Deneb.”
The delivery was complete with a pointed, blistering stare in Lucille’s direction. A reminder of all she had yet to do when it came to Charlie. Which was incidentally also precisely why she had chosen to bring her today.
“Sol,” Lucille attempted to amend as she interjected, “can we talk for a moment, before everything—”
The loud, reverberating sound of the meeting gong echoing through the long hall cut her off. Agatha didn’t spare her a second glance as she turned away, walking away with brisk steps, her hooves clacking against the tiles.
On one hand, Lucille felt as though she could breathe freely once more, on the other, her scarred skin danced with shivers in the chill that always followed the star’s absence.
“She spoke to us, mom,” Charlie said, tugging on her hand. Her face was split in a bright smile. “She’s so bright, and warm.”
“Yes, she is,” Lucille agreed, if only because the full truth was much too complicated to give wings at the moment. “Come, we have to find our seats.”
In the obscenely large auditorium aptly named Milky Way, there were countless rows to move through. Luckily, Lucille had memorized the map when they arrived. Being Earth’s only moon, she and Sera were the sole occupants of the third row.
As the meeting began, Lucille quickly realized that the assemblies she had thought were dreadfully dull for so very long were now something she had to pay attention to. Charlie was positively brimming with questions of all sorts.
Both relevant and irrelevant ones.
She hadn’t been called up to speak since the humans had landed upon the surface of her home, in which she had to reassure them all that no one had seen her, nor the entrance to her palace. The humans hadn’t been interested in exploring as such, nor had they seemed experienced enough to.
Yet time had proven fruitful to them. Their technology had led them to further space travels. In almost every meeting over the last decades it had been discussed what they were to do if the humans came too close.
At least the rest of them only had uninhabited little probes committing to orbit. Lucille well and truly thought they should consider themselves lucky.
Once the several hour long meeting concluded, to dissent amongst the masses, Charlie had fallen asleep against her side where they sat at the very end of their row. Everyone milled out quite quickly, save for Sera and Agatha, who remained by the stage, murmuring amongst themselves.
As they spoke, the flowers interwoven into Sera’s long, greying curls sprang to life, as if they thrived off of the attention and care that came with Agatha’s presence. It was a stunning sight.
Lucille sighed softly as she hoisted Charlie into her arms and kissed her cheek. She had seen similar powers in her daughter recently; life bloomed around her as she sat staring at little samplings from earth. Minerals responded uniquely to her touch if she prodded them right.
The time was near, and Lucille feared the next meeting might very well be too late, and she would be truly submerged by her lack of knowledge and understanding.
She’d only just risen from her seat when Agatha scowled at Sera; several blooms in pale hair caught fire, gone within an instant.
“I have told you time and time again, Terra, what happens in your domain is your duty to oversee. That the life atop the chain of command on Earth suffers under my heat after destroying the ozone layer all by themselves is not my issue to resolve.”
“I am hardly asking you to change, but–”
“You are aware, it is the axis on which you put Earth that determines most of its temperature, correct? Do not tell me you have grown dull with age, Terra,” Agatha taunted scathingly, head tilted so far to the side Lucille wondered exactly when her headpiece might topple right off her head.
Over the corner of Sera’s shoulder, Lucille met Agatha’s blazing gaze. It stole all breath clean out of her lungs.
“I sense you are agitated, Sol, and that was never my intention,” Sera said quietly, then turned abruptly, casting a frown in Lucille’s direction. “We shall continue this conversation at the next meeting.”
Agatha blinked, staring at the barely shorter woman. “Pass,” she said simply, before brushing past her.
Even as she made sure not to make contact, she saw how Sera shied away from it. With good reason, as heat distorted the air around Agatha’s body, warbling and crackling until she came up to her and Charlie.
“Sol… I…” Lucille attempted again, taking a small, precautionary step back, only to hit the side of a folded chair row.
“Speak, if you can keep up,” she snapped, almost startling Charlie from her slumber.
“Drat,” Lucille cursed quietly as she hurried after the star. Her eyes caught onto the billowing cape as it flowed behind Agatha. Every step had it look like flames dancing at her heels. “Listen, I know you’re incredibly busy with all your responsibilities, but Charlie recently began exhibiting signs of coming into her Star, and I don’t know the first thing about how to teach her anything at all.”
“So you do see it? Good. I had been concerned you were blinded to her nature,” Agatha said, bright-hot as a solar flare, not slowing down one bit even as Lucille had to jog to keep up with her.
“Yeah, okay, deserved,” Lucille darted ahead, forcing the star to stop, lest they would all go down in a collision. “Would you be willing to teach her all she needs to know about her powers, and prepare her for her future?”
Agatha blinked lazily at her for a moment. “What in the world gave you the impression I wanted a progeny?” she asked, frowning.
“I–well, you keep reminding me that I need to start her training soon, or, uh, that I’m already late in beginning it.” Lucille stared up at the star, neck craned up so high she could feel her own headpiece slipping backwards atop her head.
“That was not an invitation for you to dump your offspring onto me, Moon,” Agatha scoffed and immediately went to walk past her.
“Really?” Lucille arched a brow. “Why else would you butt into the affairs of my daughter if not to pony up yourself?”
“This is my System to manage, regardless of what Terra believes, as such, I am naturally equally responsible for Deneb until such a time as she would potentially form her own System.”
“You know that won’t happen, Agatha,” Lucille said, stepping closer to the star, “her other parent was a blue supergiant without a system. It was just the two of us when I visited… I don’t have anyone else to ask.” she pleaded, hoisting Charlie higher up into her arms.
“There are countless similar stars for you to bother with this, especially stars who will be similar in powers.” Agatha crossed her arms over her chest, scowling down at them. “Trust me, Luna. I am not a wise choice for her.”
“They won’t talk to me!” Lucille hissed quietly, desperation skittering to the floor like moon rocks trickling out of her sleeves. Her hands shook with the effort to calm herself, eyes burning with tears, “Please, Agatha. You’re the only adult Star she knows, your glow, and your influence is all she knows.”
She would not cry, not here in front of the dissipating masses of galactical beings. Every breath trembled as they passed her lips, waiting for any sort of reply from the star standing rigid before her.
“Fine,” she huffed, “I will consider taking her in as a progeny. Expect my decision via letter, sent by my Comet, Husk,” she said tersely.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Do not thank me just yet. I could still disappoint you.”
As the star walked away from her, keeping one ear flicked back to keep track of them, Lucille felt the first little sparks of hope blooming at the centre of her chest.