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Sandrone was on her last nerve at the moment. The little blue creatures, the kuuhenki, that always seemed to be around Columbina have grown increasingly more annoying ever since she had begun visiting the girl in Silvermoon Hall.
At first, it was subtle. Maybe one or two of them would trail her to the mouth of the cave before turning back to be with Columbina again. But after a couple of weeks of this, she noticed that maybe three or four of them would follow her nearly all the way back to the Design Bureau. She would constantly have to shoo them away from her, not willing to risk anyone figuring out where she had been. It wasn't just the kuuhenki in the cave either. In the rare instances where she had to actually leave the Bureau, she would find herself with at least one of those little pests following her wherever she went.
They never got in the way of her work at all. Every time Sandrone saw them, they would merely be floating a reasonable distance away from her, like they were watching her. A few of them were almost brave enough to come up to her, but she always warded them off with a glare. She had to admit that she was curious about this new behavior, but she couldn't bring herself to care too much when it wasn't something that really impacted her. Until the next time came for her to meet with Columbina.
They had been officially, but still secretly, dating for around a few weeks now. Columbina had insisted that they had these meetings. Mostly because, as Sandrone soon figured out, Columbina got lonely very quickly. Even if it was inconvenient and annoying, she would rather miss a few hours of work rather than be a sorry excuse for a girlfriend. So that's how she found herself once again walking through an underground field of blue flowers as Pulonia trailed behind her. Before she even got out of the initial tunnel into the cavern, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She turned just in time to see a kuuhenki shying away from her.
Sandrone watched as the little creature floated off towards the gigantic moon statue at the end of the cavern. From here, Sandrone couldn't see Columbina anywhere. She glanced over the field of flowers again, and took notice to the newest addition of the creatures. The one that Columbina called Luonnotar. It was bigger than the normal kuuhenki, and had different markings on it as well. She hardly had time to even blink before the creature had floated towards her, and she felt a gentle and cold touch against her forehead that was placed there by it. While she was stunned, Luonnotar floating around her in a circle before stopping in front of her, making a noise that she could only assume was happiness.
"It looks like Luonnotar has taken a liking to you, dearest." An airy voice spoke from behind her.
Sandrone yelped in surprise and tripped on a small patch of flowers, but Pulonia was quick to prevent her from hitting the ground and got her standing on her feet again. The doll whipped around, glaring furiously at the goddess that had decided to startle her from behind.
"Columbina! What have I told you about sneaking up behind me?! Did you put your little....pet thing up to this? To distract me so you could scare me again?" She hissed, gesturing wildly towards Luonnotar.
"Hm? No. But it's surprising to see it approach someone that isn't the Traveler. Luonnotar has always been more playful than the rest of the kuuhenki, but still doesn't approach anyone else." Columbina said, taking a few steps towards Sandrone.
Sandrone didn't even have time to say her rebuttal because she felt Columbina's lips on her own. Even if she was slightly mad about her response being cut off by the kiss, she couldn't lie to herself and think that she didn't want this. Arms wrapped around her neck and pulled her closer, and she used her own to wrap around Columbina's waist to bring them together. She had recently learned that, although Columbina had never been in a relationship before, she was dangerously good at kissing. It intimidated Sandrone quite a bit, but she would never dream of voicing that out loud and letting Columbina have a leg up on her. The goddess deepened the kiss, letting a soft sigh escape her throat before she finally pulled back.
Sandrone didn't necessarily need to breathe, but she still felt out of breath when they separated. Columbina leaned forward for a second, touching their foreheads together. Although her eyes were still closed, Sandrone felt like the girl was looking directly into her own eyes. The thought of it made her shudder.
"I missed you, my dearest Sandrone." She whispered.
"You just saw me two days ago, idiot." Sandrone responded.
"Every second alone, feels like an eternity. Especially when you have nothing else to look forward to." Columbina said, smiling serenely.
Hearing that, Sandrone's expression softened. While yes, Columbina had gotten herself in this situation where she was hiding out in this cavern because she left the Fatui, she still felt a little bit of remorse for her. But only a little. However, the little moment they were having was soon interrupted by the noises that surrounded them. They both pulled away from one another and discovered that they had been surrounded by several kuuhenki. The radiant blue creatures were still at least a foot away from them, but they appeared eager to come closer. A light chuckle escaped from Columbina when she noticed Sandrone's baffled expression.
"Why do they keep doing this? Are you controlling them? Seriously, tell me the truth." Sandrone demanded.
"I don't control the kuuhenki, Sandrone. They move about on their own. Perhaps they've just grown curious about you." Columbina moved forward and extended a hand towards one of them. "They like me. So maybe they like you because I do."
Sandrone's face flamed when she heard this. She turned her head away and crossed her arms. Columbina giggled at her reaction and approached her once more.
"Whatever. I don't care anymore. Let's just set up the tea. I have to get back to the Design Bureau eventually." She said, walking past the girl.
-
It was around a week later that something major happened. It had only been a routine supply exchange on Lempo Isle that she had unfortunately needed to oversee. But of course, things were never as simple as that. Purple mist erupted from the ground and split her group in two. Pulonia was quick on the defense to protect her from the creatures that emerged from the rifts. She had equipped Pulonia with the proper resources for things like this, so she didn't doubt her work for a single second. Unfortunately, whether it was a miscalculation or simply rotten luck, one creature managed to break past Pulonia.
It made a direct beeline towards her. In that moment, she completely froze. She didn't have enough time to move out of the way of jagged teeth. Sandrone let out a cry of agony as the large jaw clamped down on her torso. The teeth went in so deeply that it jammed some of her inner gears. The beast dragged her from side to side before throwing her with all its might into a nearby cliff. Pulonia had managed to get to her now, and effortlessly crushed the beast. But pain ripped through Sandrone's entire body. Error messages clouded her vision and she found that she couldn't move her legs. She knew she was going into sleep mode. It was a failsafe for when her body sustained enough damage. It was a way to preserve power until she was in a more stable condition.
The last thing Sandrone saw as she shut down, was blue. Lots of blue.
-
When Sandrone powered back on again, she was staring up at the night sky. She didn't know what had actually happened in the time since she shut down, but she could figure quickly that she was in a different place. Her thoughts were interrupted by something appearing in front of her vision. It was that same creature. Luonnotar. It floated down towards her and made a noise that she couldn't translate. Another second went by before she discovered that she couldn't move at all. She was most likely in standby mode. She was still fully conscious, but her body was just not responding.
"Sandrone? Ah! You're awake."
For once, Sandrone was beyond relieved to hear the voice of that air-headed goddess. Columbina came into her field of vision, and she gently pulled Sandrone to a sitting up position so that she could lean her against something. Her head lolled forward, unable to move. Columbina remedied this by gently cradling her by the back of her head and pulling her forward.
"H-how did yo-you find-" Her voice was stuttering, and she had a feeling that she knew why.
"The kuuhenki led me to you. So many of them came to Silvermoon Hall and began to lead me out here. That's how I found you." Columbina said, running a hand through Sandrone's hair.
Sandrone's eyes suddenly went wide as she realized something.
"Pulonia-"
"Right here. Beside us." Columbina interrupted her panic.
The Moon Goddess gently tilted Sandrone's head to the side, and the doll relaxed upon seeing the subject of her current concern. Pulonia was standing tall, keeping an eye out for any threats in the surrounding area. Columbina turned Sandrone's head back towards her. She watched as the girl glanced over her figure, which she assumed was in rough shape. A frown made its way onto her face, which didn't suit her at all.
"What can I do to help you, dearest?" She asked, her voice blanketed in worry.
Sandrone closed her eyes for a moment, doing a quick self-diagnosis on her current condition. She opened her eyes again when the results came back. Her core was in tact, which was the most important part. Her body had sustained multiple punctures to her synthetic skin, and many of her gear were either no longer turning, or they were simply jammed. A few of them were bent and would need to be replaced. But for the time being, she needed to take this one step at a time. Columbina was the only one that could help her right now. Actually, scratch that. She was the only one that Sandrone trusted to fix her. The only problem was the Moon Goddess was far from educated and trained for this stuff.
"T-throat. There's a-a-a button-on-on. Press it-it...re-re-realign..." Sandrone managed to say.
Columbia nodded slowly and leaned Sandrone up against whatever was behind her once more. She placed one hand under her chin so that she could access her throat and Sandrone felt soft fingers press against it. They were searching. The act was incredibly intimate and she could feel every single second of it. Even if she had shut off her pain receptors, she could still feel touch. There was a soft 'click', and Sandrone's throat opened up to reveal multiple circuits and a black box that was where her voice originated from. A few wires connected to it, and a few small gears as well. One of the gears was currently struggling to turn. She watched Columbina reach forward. Once she felt a finger against the box, she audibly gagged, causing Columbina yank her hand back.
"I'm sorry. Did that hurt?" She asked.
"N-No. It's just we-weird. Ar-are the g-gears t-tur-turning?" Sandrone asked.
"No...I think....um one of the is more forward than the others." Columbina did her best to explain.
"Pu-push it ba-back. Until y-you-you hear a c-click." She instructed.
Columbina gave a small nod and reached forward again. Sandrone could feel the moment her finger pressed against the gear, and the subtle pressure from it as well. She had to stop herself from gagging again at the intrusion in her throat, and a resounding 'click' was heard as the gear was pushed back into place. In that moment, the aligned gears began turning in unison once more, and Sandrone felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
"Damnit! None of this was supposed to happen. The Wild Hunt has been chaotic, but it has never been so close to the Bureau before. My team was scattered and that beast managed to break through Pulonia's defense and now half of my gears are jammed. Ugh!!" Once her voice had been restored, Sandrone immediately began to go on a rant about the current circumstances.
As she was doing this, Columbina remained holding her head up with one hand. She reached forward and pressed the button on her throat again so that the opening to her voicebox would close once more. Sandrone managed to calm herself down again and saw that Columbina had been silently staring at her this entire time. Or, whatever staring was when her eyes were closed like that. Not only this, but she had that infuriatingly gentle smile on her face.
"What?" She spat out.
"I'm just....glad you're okay, dearest. The kuuhenki were very adamant about bringing me to you. I had feared the worse when I saw you laying there." The goddess said, caressing Sandrone's face with her hand.
"I....of course I'm okay, idiot. I'm still talking to you, aren't I? Your worrying is completely unnecessary. Alain made my body incredibly durable. I'm sure he wasn't accounting for a mutant wolf to fling me like a ragdoll. Ugh, seriously. This is so annoying." She grumbled. "I have to get back to my workshop at the Design Bureau. Can you get us there with your power?"
"I....think so. I will need to focus for a moment, because I haven't been to your workshop in a while. I need to remember what it looks like so I can take us there." Columbina explained.
Sandrone remained quiet, giving Columbina time to focus. The ground beneath them began to glow with familiar blue color. There was a brilliant flash of light that clouded her sensors before it died down again. When she regained her vision, she saw that she was in her workshop. She instantly felt a sense of relief. Columbina had moved her to one of the tables that she did some of her larger projects on. It wasn't the table that she normally did her maintenance on, but she wouldn't complain when she was in such a precarious position.
"What do you need me to do next?" The goddess asked.
She was being surprisingly obedient, but there wasn't much else that the situation would allow.
"Ugh....I need to restore function to my arms so that I can continue fixing the problem myself. It seems like a bunch of my gears have jammed, and some of my minor circuits have been cut as well. Damnit....Pulonia! Get the charging port! That should at least keep my system from shutting down again." Sandrone said, clenching her jaw.
Pulonia, who was still trying to process the sudden change of scenery, began to follow orders. The robot hoisted up Sandrone's limp body and adjusted the table so that it was now a makeshift seat. She was sitting up now, figuring out quickly that her key was no longer turning. Perhaps this was another reason that her gears weren't turning properly. But it didn't matter. She would fix it. Columbina was remaining still and waited as Pulonia hooked Sandrone up to the charging port. Once the excess power began flowing through her body, a few of her minor abilities began to come back online.
"I'll admit, even if I was worried at first, I can't deny that I like seeing you so focused. Every time I watch you in your element, you seem like you are so at ease." Columbina said, approaching her side.
Sandrone scoffed.
"It's literally my job, Columbina. And my life's work. Of course I'm going to be focused. Now can you stop saying stupid things and help me out here. Pulonia can't get my arms working because he isn't made for delicate work like this." The doll paused. "Stop looking at me like that. You're just the only one that is here right now. Don't let this get to your head."
"Mhm." Columbina hummed.
-
It took maybe a couple hours to get both her arms, and her spine working autonomously again. She had pulled her hair back and removed her clothing so that she could actually access her internal mechanisms without obstruction. Columbina was watching her work, handing her tools whenever she needed them as well as other gears and wiring. Soon enough, the gears in her torso were starting to turn properly, and she felt a weight off her shoulders. Although, it still wasn’t quite down. Not only that but her legs and lower body were still not moving. However her readings told her that it would be a simple fix.
Sandrone finally looked up from what she was doing, and noticed that Columbina had removed the mask over her eyes. They were open. That serene pink gaze that seemed to hold the entire night sky in them was absolutely mesmerizing. No matter how many times she saw it. She felt a little shy upon realizing that Columbina was just staring at her with her internal mechanisms on display.
Of course, she was proud of her body. It was made by a genius, and maintained by another genius. There was not a single complaint she had about her functions and everyday life as a doll. She had never been previously interested in relationships before Columbina, which is why she never really thought about how odd her existence might be for a potential partner. Even if Columbina also wasn't human, she was still living and breathing, with blood flowing through her veins. Sandrone was artificial and could never replicate the warmth that a living person had. She would never truly be alive.
While she was lost in thought, Sandrone didn't notice that Columbina had moved from the stool she had been previously sitting on. She didn't even notice that she had gotten close to her until she felt warm fingers against her cheek, making her jump. She looked up at the girl with wide eyes.
"Sandrone." Columbina said.
"What do you-"
"You're thinking too loudly again." The goddess said, matter-of-factly.
Sandrone remained silent, unwilling to admit that she was sinking into negative thoughts. She continued adjusting a gear that was laying incorrectly in her abdomen, but she found that her focus was elsewhere. She placed the tools in her hands off to the side, allowing a sigh to escape from her. It wasn't often that she found herself falling into this pattern of thinking. Ever since her feelings for Columbina became known, it was as if she was suddenly more self-aware of the fact that she wasn't human, and didn't bleed red.
"I...why are you still here again? I'm fine now. I can finish the rest of the repairs now that my arms are functioning." Sandrone pointed out, doing her best to avoid looking into Columbina's eyes.
She was always weak to those eyes. It wasn't just the fact that they were ethereal to look at, but it was also due to the fact that Columbina wasn't just sensing her anymore. She was seeing her. There was nothing she could hide. Columbina didn't show her eyes to just anyone, which is also what made this so much more weighted.
"Hm. Perhaps I could leave. But I have a feeling that you need me here with you." Columbina said, a smile gracing her features.
"Hah! I don't need anyone, anywhere." The marionette retorted.
"...maybe you're right. Maybe you don't need me here. But you want me here." She responded, gently caressing Sandrone's cheek with her thumb.
Sandrone immediately opened her mouth to deny it, but she clamped her mouth shut again. She growled and pulled her face away from Columbina's hand, bristling as she heard the goddess giggle at her reaction. She turned and began to pick up where she left off with her gears. Aligning them properly and replacing the ones that were damaged. Luckily, nothing vital had been damaged because her gears had taken most of the brunt and protected her deeper mechanisms.
"I've always wondered what you look like on the inside. I've also been curious about how you feel things inside. Do you feel your gears turning? Can you feel it when someone touches them?" Columbina asks, moving closer to the edge of the table Sandrone was seated on. "You never let anyone see you like this. Is it because you're shy, my dear Sandrone?"
Sandrone felt her eye twitch in annoyance. She was used to Columbina's constant insatiable curiosity, but that didn't make it any less annoying.
"This is a private affair, Columbina. Personal maintenance is just that: personal. I don't want anyone else to be seeing me when I'm literally naked with my stomach wide open. Now can you stop asking me weird things. You're making it hard to focus." Sandrone grumbled.
A few more gears, and her torso was finally moving like normal again. She did a self-scan and nodded in satisfaction when she saw that her work was coming back with good results. She sighed and hit a button on her side, making her stomach close up. The Harbinger took a second to lay down on the table and rest her head. She made sure to lay on her side as not to disturb her power port or the key that was now turning shakily. This whole situation was causing her so much stress, and it didn't help that she was sitting here, completely naked, performing repairs on her own body as Columbina watched her. No pressure at all.
"Dearest? Are you feeling tired?" Columbina asked, looking down at her from her place next to the table.
"Of course I am. These things aren't easy. If I mess anything up, it could literally kill me, Columbina. Or at the very least, I won't be able to move a certain part of my body if I do it wrong. Not that I would ever mess up. I'm me, after all." Sandrone said, lifting a hand and glancing over her oil-stained skin.
Sandrone never doubted her own skills. She had been doing this type of thing by herself ever since she had been taught by Alain. But that didn't mean it still wasn't a fragile and sensitive process. It wasn't akin to what humans would call surgery, but it was close enough in terms of it's overall outcome and delicate nature. As she was thinking, she suddenly felt something warm press against her bare stomach. She jerked away, although not as successfully as she wanted given that half of her body was immobile, and widened her eyes. She instantly knew who the culprit was.
"Columbina! Don't just touch me like that!" She hissed.
"Hm? Why not? I've touched you before. Quite a lot. And in much more intimate contexts. Why am I not allowed to touch you now?" Columbian asked, tilting her head to the side.
Sandrone's face turned bright red and the gears around her chest stuttered briefly.
"T-That's different! Ugh, how can you just say these things without batting an eye. Shameless goddess. I swear..." She grumbled, pushing herself up again.
She still couldn't move the lower half of her body, but she could still shoo Columbina away while she fixed it. But, she didn't need to because Columbina gave her a small smirk and backed herself away to sit down on the stool she had previously been sitting on. Sandrone narrowed her eyes in suspicion at her behavior, but she didn't have the time to dissect her behavior. For the remainder of her repair, Columbina watched her silently, and Sandrone pretended like it didn't have an affect on her.
-
A week after the incident, Sandrone found herself being absolutely surrounded by kuuheki every single time she left the Design Bureau. No matter who was there to witness it, there would always be at least one of those mystical creatures hovering around her. A few of her braver officers had asked her about why they were following her, but the majority of them only received a glare followed by a 'get back to work'. The lucky few of them had received a half-hearted response about not knowing.
Sandrone was starting to grow annoyed by them. Every time she entered Nasha Town, no one was in awe at seeing the Marionette herself, rather they were in awe at the small army of kuuhenki that had amassed behind her. Of course, no one in their right mind would ever imagine asking her about it. However, certain people, like the Moonchanter, couldn't hide their amusement with the situation. Clearly, she knew something that Sandrone didn't.
It was when she was on Hiisi Island that she accidently ran into the Moonchanter outside of Silvermoon Hall. She wanted to be discreet, so she didn't bring Pulonia. She actually hadn't informed Columbina that she would be coming today, rather it was a spontaneous decision on her part. And that's how she ended up running into Lauma.
"Oh, Lady Sandrone! I didn't expect to see you out here. Are you visiting Kuutar?" Lauma asked, clasping her hands in front of her.
"You mean Columbina? Of course not. I'm just going out for a walk, Moonchanter. You can return to whatever it is that you were doing. I won't be out here long." Sandrone said, dismissively.
Lauma gave her a look that she couldn't quite decipher. Then she watched the woman glance behind her before her eyes went wide. Sandrone's sensors hadn't detected anything out of the ordinary, but her instinct was to look over her shoulder to see what this woman saw. To her incredible disappointment, she saw that around four different kuuhenki had gathered behind her, floating expectantly close to her. She frowned at the sight.
"Oh my. I've never seen them gather up like this before. They must be very attached to you." Lauma said.
"Hmph. It's annoying. They're always following me everywhere and getting in my way." Sandrone said, crossing her arms.
Lauma chuckled.
"You know, most kuuhenki have an instinctive need to please Kuutar. I suppose it's because she's their goddess. Perhaps they are keeping an eye on you because they know it's what she would like." The Moonchanter said, a knowing smile on her face.
"I don't care. Knowing her, she probably put them up to this to just annoy me. That's always her specialty." Sandrone said, rolling her eyes.
But internally, Sandrone was juggling the idea around in her head. The kuuhenki were already following her before the attack, but they had grown in numbers since then. And, they were much bolder when it came to approaching her. Was it really possible that they were following Columbina's orders? Or were they actually acting on their own? If it was the latter, then was Lauma correct about their instinctive need to please their goddess?
"Well, I'll let you get back to your 'walk', Lady Sandrone. May the moonlight guide your path." The woman said, giving a small wave before turning and walking off.
Sandrone watched her until she disappeared from her sight. Then she turned and began to head into Silvermoon Hall without another word. The familiar sight of the cavern of flowers put her at ease. From here, she could see Columbina laying across the base of the moon statue. She tried to be quiet with her footsteps when approaching, but for one reason or another, Columbina sat up when she got close enough. The Moon Goddess smiled, and Sandrone knew that she had sensed her.
"Sandrone. I didn't expect you today. Is there something you needed? Or perhaps..." Columbina blinked out of existence, then appeared right in front of her. "...did you just miss me?"
The Harbinger didn't give Columbina a single second to react before she grabbed the goddess by the collar and crashed their lips together. In that kiss, Sandrone could feel just how lonely the girl had been, and Columbina could likewise feel just how much Sandrone was desperate for their connection. Neither girl cared as Columbina pulled them both down into the bed of flowers beneath them. The goddess was giggling happily. They simply held each other in their arms and kissed like they would never see each other again.
Around them, kuuhenki had begun to gather. The creatures spun around joyfully as they noticed that their goddess was happy with what they brought her.