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rainbowfic2019-02-19 12:05 am
shadowsong26) wrote in rainbowfic2019-02-19 12:05 am
Provence Lavender #6, Red Summer Sun #4, Library Yellow #25
Name: shadowsong26
Story: Ceres
'Verse: Lux
Colors: Provence Lavender #6. Kerchief; Red Summer Sun #4. The clock, it bleeds for you, but you never got the time in mind; Library Yellow #25. redamancy
Supplies and Materials: graffiti (Caught Sweetly Between challenge, Option 1), feathers ("February 18, 1930 - The dwarf planet Pluto is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona."), yarn
Word Count: 995
Rating: PG
Characters: Rubika, Rechil Kesilen
Warnings: Don't think so.
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. For reference, this probably takes place shortly after this.
Rechil looked up from her weeding when the comm chimed, dusted her hands off on her kerchief and went to check and see who it was. She was expecting a couple deliveries from Neptune that might have trouble passing through customs, resulting in an agent calling her, which she could let go to voicemail and deal with later; or one of her neighbors might be calling to chat, which she would pick up to get caught up on local gossip.
Or--hopefully--it would be Rubika, checking in. Their rule, ever since she'd left home to be a Family Messenger, was that she'd call at least once a week, and it had been about that long since Rechil had heard from her. Of course, as easily as Bix kept track of her maps and her work schedule, keeping track of how many Charon days had passed since her last call home...
Sure enough, Bix's picture, almost a year out of date, grinned out at her from the display hologram, and Rechil relaxed and accepted the call.
"'Lo, Bix," she said, smiling into the camera.
"Hey, Mem," Rubika replied, her accent colored, a little bit, by all the places she'd been since leaving home.
But no picture.
"Hey, turn the camera on, sweetheart," Rechil said. "It's been too damn long since I got to see you smile."
She could practically hear her daughter rolling her eyes. "Sorry, Mem. Projector's broken."
"Of course it is," Rechil said. "Well, mention it to Guardian Sanchez next time you're on Earth. The Family should replace that for you."
"I'm sure they will, Mem," Bix said. "I'll ask, I promise. But what about you? How are the neighbors? Have the storms been bad this year? I want you to tell me everything."
"Oh, just the usual," she said, leaning against the counter. "The storms have actually been pretty mild so far, but the satellites are picking up some cosmic dust from out beyond Pluto over the next six standard months. We'll see. We do have a nice meteor shower to look forward to next month. Should be pretty spectacular, if the dust isn't too bad yet. Any chance you'll be in the area, time to stop by and see it?" Calls once a week were great, but it had been over a standard year since her daughter had actually been home. Rechil missed her.
"Sorry, Mem," Bix said. "I'd love to, you know I'd love to, but I'm supposed to be on--uh, Phobos or Deimos that week, I forget which."
So, maybe not so good for keeping track of her work schedule.
"All right," Rechil conceded. "What's going on out there? Just regular Family business, or meeting someone special?"
"Mem."
"What?" she asked, grinning even if Bix probably couldn't see it--receivers and projectors were usually linked, after all. "I can't ask about my only baby girl's social life?"
"No, I'm not seeing anyone," Bix said. "On Phobos or Deimos or anywhere."
"All right, all right," she said. "Well, if that changes, let me know. And bring them home, I wanna meet them."
"Yes, Mem," she said, with another audible eyeroll.
Rechil shook her head, and changed the subject. "What about other news? Been anywhere special lately? Or after Phobos?"
"Not...super recently, no," Bix said. "Just the usual route. Pretty boring. I might get some time to spend in the Rings pretty soon, though. Remember the first time you took me there, on the way back from the Island?"
"Sure," Rechil said. "You spent hours staring out the window at them. Quietest I'd ever seen you."
Bix laughed. "Yeah, well, they're still magic, and I will stand by that til--forever. I try to stop for at least a few hours every time I'm close enough to Saturn."
"Well, I hope you make it," Rechil said. "And send me pictures. With you in them, this time, Rubika."
"All right, all right," she said. "I promise, one with me in it."
"Good girl," Rechil said.
"Yeah," Bix said. "...damn it. Uh. I have to go, Mem, some tricky navigating coming up. Sorry."
"It's all right," Rechil said, even though the call had been pretty short. "I'd rather talk to you later and not hear on the news that you crashed."
"It wouldn't be the news, Mem," Bix said. "You'd hear from the Family."
"Because that's so much better," Rechil said.
"I know, I know," she said. "I promise I won't die before I talk to you again, Mem."
"That's what I like to hear. Love you."
"Love you to bits," Bix said. "No matter how weird things get, Mem, I love you."
Rechil's eyebrows shot up. "Something I should know about, Bix?"
"What? Oh, no, of course not. Just...you know, our Family's pretty weird on its own. I should know. I work for them."
"Point," Rechil said. "Same to you. No matter how weird things get, you'll always be my baby girl."
"Thanks, Mem," Bix said, and there was less of an eyeroll behind it this time.
Huh.
At least until she added, "but couldn't I maybe be your grown-up girl instead?"
"Nope."
"All right," Bix said. "I really do gotta go now, Mem. Love you. Talk to you soon."
"Talk to you soon, Bix. Love you, stay safe."
"I will," she said. "Bye."
The line went dead, and Rechil leaned forward to make sure her own comm was shut off properly, too, and sighed.
Everything seemed to be going well for Bix, which was good--although Rechil did worry, sometimes, that her daughter got lonely, always on the move the way she was, and this call hadn't done all that much to reassure her on that front. But Bix seemed happy, and that was the most important thing.
There was time enough for all the rest.
Smiling and humming a little to herself, Rechil went back outside to her garden, to the daily rhythms of life on Charon, until the next time Rubika called home.
Story: Ceres
'Verse: Lux
Colors: Provence Lavender #6. Kerchief; Red Summer Sun #4. The clock, it bleeds for you, but you never got the time in mind; Library Yellow #25. redamancy
Supplies and Materials: graffiti (Caught Sweetly Between challenge, Option 1), feathers ("February 18, 1930 - The dwarf planet Pluto is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona."), yarn
Word Count: 995
Rating: PG
Characters: Rubika, Rechil Kesilen
Warnings: Don't think so.
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. For reference, this probably takes place shortly after this.
Rechil looked up from her weeding when the comm chimed, dusted her hands off on her kerchief and went to check and see who it was. She was expecting a couple deliveries from Neptune that might have trouble passing through customs, resulting in an agent calling her, which she could let go to voicemail and deal with later; or one of her neighbors might be calling to chat, which she would pick up to get caught up on local gossip.
Or--hopefully--it would be Rubika, checking in. Their rule, ever since she'd left home to be a Family Messenger, was that she'd call at least once a week, and it had been about that long since Rechil had heard from her. Of course, as easily as Bix kept track of her maps and her work schedule, keeping track of how many Charon days had passed since her last call home...
Sure enough, Bix's picture, almost a year out of date, grinned out at her from the display hologram, and Rechil relaxed and accepted the call.
"'Lo, Bix," she said, smiling into the camera.
"Hey, Mem," Rubika replied, her accent colored, a little bit, by all the places she'd been since leaving home.
But no picture.
"Hey, turn the camera on, sweetheart," Rechil said. "It's been too damn long since I got to see you smile."
She could practically hear her daughter rolling her eyes. "Sorry, Mem. Projector's broken."
"Of course it is," Rechil said. "Well, mention it to Guardian Sanchez next time you're on Earth. The Family should replace that for you."
"I'm sure they will, Mem," Bix said. "I'll ask, I promise. But what about you? How are the neighbors? Have the storms been bad this year? I want you to tell me everything."
"Oh, just the usual," she said, leaning against the counter. "The storms have actually been pretty mild so far, but the satellites are picking up some cosmic dust from out beyond Pluto over the next six standard months. We'll see. We do have a nice meteor shower to look forward to next month. Should be pretty spectacular, if the dust isn't too bad yet. Any chance you'll be in the area, time to stop by and see it?" Calls once a week were great, but it had been over a standard year since her daughter had actually been home. Rechil missed her.
"Sorry, Mem," Bix said. "I'd love to, you know I'd love to, but I'm supposed to be on--uh, Phobos or Deimos that week, I forget which."
So, maybe not so good for keeping track of her work schedule.
"All right," Rechil conceded. "What's going on out there? Just regular Family business, or meeting someone special?"
"Mem."
"What?" she asked, grinning even if Bix probably couldn't see it--receivers and projectors were usually linked, after all. "I can't ask about my only baby girl's social life?"
"No, I'm not seeing anyone," Bix said. "On Phobos or Deimos or anywhere."
"All right, all right," she said. "Well, if that changes, let me know. And bring them home, I wanna meet them."
"Yes, Mem," she said, with another audible eyeroll.
Rechil shook her head, and changed the subject. "What about other news? Been anywhere special lately? Or after Phobos?"
"Not...super recently, no," Bix said. "Just the usual route. Pretty boring. I might get some time to spend in the Rings pretty soon, though. Remember the first time you took me there, on the way back from the Island?"
"Sure," Rechil said. "You spent hours staring out the window at them. Quietest I'd ever seen you."
Bix laughed. "Yeah, well, they're still magic, and I will stand by that til--forever. I try to stop for at least a few hours every time I'm close enough to Saturn."
"Well, I hope you make it," Rechil said. "And send me pictures. With you in them, this time, Rubika."
"All right, all right," she said. "I promise, one with me in it."
"Good girl," Rechil said.
"Yeah," Bix said. "...damn it. Uh. I have to go, Mem, some tricky navigating coming up. Sorry."
"It's all right," Rechil said, even though the call had been pretty short. "I'd rather talk to you later and not hear on the news that you crashed."
"It wouldn't be the news, Mem," Bix said. "You'd hear from the Family."
"Because that's so much better," Rechil said.
"I know, I know," she said. "I promise I won't die before I talk to you again, Mem."
"That's what I like to hear. Love you."
"Love you to bits," Bix said. "No matter how weird things get, Mem, I love you."
Rechil's eyebrows shot up. "Something I should know about, Bix?"
"What? Oh, no, of course not. Just...you know, our Family's pretty weird on its own. I should know. I work for them."
"Point," Rechil said. "Same to you. No matter how weird things get, you'll always be my baby girl."
"Thanks, Mem," Bix said, and there was less of an eyeroll behind it this time.
Huh.
At least until she added, "but couldn't I maybe be your grown-up girl instead?"
"Nope."
"All right," Bix said. "I really do gotta go now, Mem. Love you. Talk to you soon."
"Talk to you soon, Bix. Love you, stay safe."
"I will," she said. "Bye."
The line went dead, and Rechil leaned forward to make sure her own comm was shut off properly, too, and sighed.
Everything seemed to be going well for Bix, which was good--although Rechil did worry, sometimes, that her daughter got lonely, always on the move the way she was, and this call hadn't done all that much to reassure her on that front. But Bix seemed happy, and that was the most important thing.
There was time enough for all the rest.
Smiling and humming a little to herself, Rechil went back outside to her garden, to the daily rhythms of life on Charon, until the next time Rubika called home.
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What lovely world-building. I'm glad to see you back, too, this was fun. :D
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There's a fair amount about Rubika already written--she's one of the main characters of the story. Rechil I haven't done a whole lot with, but I should probably do more at some point!
(Glad to be back! Thank you for setting up this challenge!)
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Yep. It may be a while before Rubika visits her mom in person, but she definitely keeps calling.
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Yeah, I was thinking about what to do for this challenge, and I realized Rubika is the only one of the Horsemen who has close relatives still living, so...here we are!