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Another thrum for Saviour-of-Stars Beloved-Grace’s habitat dome is in action. Beloved-Friend-Grace would insist that the dome is more than anyone could ever hope for, but one, Grace is the saviour of Adrian’s mate and all of Erid; two, this never ending project is always a delight to work on, where brilliant minds gather and thrum.
That is to say, all has been going as well as a rolling carapace when a newer sound caught Adrian’s attention.
“Adrian!” The telltale sound of Saviour-of-Stars Beloved-Grace’s semi-simplified keyboard trilled. “Look what Friend-Rocky made this time!”
It was, in fact, a platform big enough to carry Saviour-of-Stars Beloved-Grace’s semi-simplified (though still of considerable size) keyboard, completed with five legs below it, and with a visibly anxious Beloved-Rocky following behind and trilling, “don’t go so fast! Not sure if everything is stable yet!”
“Another keyboard, question?” Adrian asked. It seemed like half of Beloved-Rocky’s biodome contributions were keyboards of some kind with different designs and many variations of how they sounded. Some had so many tones that Saviour-of-Stars Beloved-Grace said he couldn’t tell the difference between the sounds close to each other.
The most memorable one so far had been what Saviour-of-Stars Beloved-Grace described as a giant box of ‘fries’ with every ‘fry’ being a key that emitted a ‘cat piano sounding’ note when pressed. Adrian could tell that Saviour-of-Stars Beloved-Grace really wanted to keep that one, but unfortunately the weird sounds the keyboard emitted couldn’t form anything even remotely close to Eridian words. The keyboard disappeared from the storage soon after so Adrian was pretty sure it ended up in the dome anyways.
“The keyboard isn’t new.” Beloved-Rocky said, a note of annoyance in his tone. “But the platform is adjustable so it can carry any keyboard Beloved-Friend-Grace chooses.”
Adrian hums, the frequency just low enough to be comforting to Beloved-Rocky but still audible to Savior-of-Stars Beloved-Grace. “I see, my harmony. Is this the standard keyboard, Beloved-Grace, question?”
“This time, yes, statement,” Beloved-Grace plays, flashing a spindly thumbs-up afterwards. “Next time, maybe funny one. Or pebbles keyboard. This one—” The keyboard shrieks a nonsense word and Beloved-Grace winces. “—this one conversational,” it corrects the chord with a sigh.
Adrian whistles a laugh, Beloved-Rocky joining in. “Beloved-Friend-Grace sounds like a pebble himself when it forgets a word,” Beloved-Rocky teases, claw tapping on the edge of Saviour-of-Stars Beloved-Grace’s platform.
Savior-of-Stars Beloved-Grace shakes his head. Adrian does not know it as well as their mate, but they know well enough to see his mock pout is all for show as Beloved-Grace plays, “You wound me, Rock. Hey, will forgive if Rocky or Adrian tells the word before Grace name. Convincing.”
“Not supposed to say ‘convincing’ when trying to convince, Beloved-Grace. It is implied.”
“Said word again there,” Savior-of-Stars Beloved-Grace insists, ignoring the correction. “Need word, statement.”
“Why need word?” Beloved-Rocky almost whines and slips back into the baby talk-like vocabulary he used when first communicating with Savior-of-Stars Beloved-Grace, “No need word. Rocky no tell word.”
“Beloved-Rocky, be kinder to Beloved-Grace. It–” Adrian tries to quell Beloved-Rocky but is interrupted.
“That! That word! Need word, exclamation!” Savior-of-Stars Beloved-Grace looks genuinely upset now, his eyebrows are knit tightly and his lips are pushed down into a frown. Adrian lets themself feel a small bit of pride for being able to read a human facial expression so easily.
Beside them, Rocky is fidgeting now. “No need word, Beloved-Grace. Is not important, statement.”
Beloved-Grace huffs through his nose in response. “Yes need word. Yes is important. Rocky and Adrian put word in front of Grace name. Need word, statement.”
Adrian puts a claw against Beloved-Rocky’s carapace and hums another soothing chord. “My harmony, maybe you should just tell Beloved-Grace what word means.”
Rocky taps two claws together. Adrian can practically hear their mate’s internal debate.
“Word means…” Beloved-Rocky begins, letting his words hang in the air for a moment. Adrian hums to encourage their mate.
Beloved-Grace leans forward in anticipation.
“Word before Grace name is “beloved”. Is term of endearment,” Rocky explains in a low, hesitant tone. Adrian coos at their mate.
“Term of great endearment,” Adrian adds.
“Like savior of stars question?” Beloved-Grace asks. Beloved-Rocky shifts awkwardly at the question.
“No. Beloved-Grace is our closest friend. We call closest friend “beloved” to show love.” Adrian explains. “Word rarely used. We use for each other and you.”
“I see.” Beloved-Grace says. Adrian notices that he seems deep in thought. Then he starts to leak.
“Why Beloved-Grace leak question?!” Beloved-Rocky states, bewildered. This statement only seems to make Beloved-Grace leak more. No matter how often it happens it is difficult to get used to this weird human function.
“Very kind gesture. Very happy.” Beloved-Grace wipes away this leaking fluid. “Thank you Beloved-Adrian and Beloved-Rocky.”
A quiet purr escapes Adrian, the sound colored with joy they feel at Beloved-Grace's words. Beloved-Rocky shuffles closer to Beloved-Grace, who at the same time leans over and sits down on the ground, cross-legged. Their figures entwine with each other in a familiar embrace.
Adrian clicks their claws, a little timid at first; then also moves closer. Careful not to lean too much of their towering form over the other two, they cradle them both; one arm resting on Beloved-Grace's shoulder, another reaching over Rocky's carapace.
Through the semi-permeable barrier of the xenonite suit, they almost feel how cool Beloved-Grace's arm is. How strange - to sense cold, yet feel warmth.
Eventually, Beloved-Grace falls asleep leaning against Adrian, and they carry him back to his room. Beloved-Rocky follows behind them. Adrian has to be careful and gentle with Grace, especially since humans can get woken up so easily.
Adrian places Grace on his bed and pulls his blanket over him. They both watch him sleep until the artificial sunlight turns on and he wakes up.
Adrian waits with Beloved Rocky for Beloved-Grace to wake up. Though it is strange, nothing like Eridian sleep, humans are so loud Adrian would've thought they were still wide awake if they didn't know better.
Adrian hears the faint whirr of the lights gradually turning on, and Grace slowly started to wake up. Instead of getting up though, Grace makes a groaning sound, and holds his head in his hands. "Mhhhh five more minutes."
Rocky titters, "Grace have too much fun at party, question?"
Grace groans in a way Adrian can only interpret as offended. Although the event last night had hardly been a party, a celebration no doubt, one apparently deserving of the last of Grace's 'celebration liquid' as mortifying as that sounds, though it had been fun.
"Let's just say I could really do with some tomato juice right now," Grace murmurs, rubbing at his temples.
Rocky pats him gently on the head. "Mm, don’t have any to give, apology; how about hug instead?"
Grace lowers his hands from his face, and despite the miserableness of his expression, there's the smallest hint of smile in the corner of his mouth.
"A hug would be great, actually."
Rocky settles in beside him and rests a limb lightly across Grace’s stomach, and it is not long before Adrian follows, all too happy to join in. It’s a very different experience than that of the night before, with the three of them doing nothing more than lying quietly together in a soft embrace, but celebration could come in many forms—even more so now with Grace’s strange human tradition of, eugh, eating and drinking—and it was quiet moments like these, where they can simply be close with the ones they love and delight in the fact that they were no longer alone, that they enjoyed most of all.