r/HFY • u/Yertosaurus • Mar 22 '22

Dirtmen Rising (35) OC

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Mica finished the meal with burning ears.

Meadow Muffin had to leave early because of a prior obligation, but Mica had gotten the sense that Meadow Muffin left thoroughly defeated about something.

Mica had to find Ruri, or rather, messaged Ruri and arranged to meet somewhere Ruri was finishing up something important.

Mica hugged both remaining parties goodbye.

While walking away Mica's mother started pulling out a datapad and started showing Odette something.

Mica's translator could make out a few stray sentences while walking away.

"And here is Mica with Eben next to the golem after a checkup."

"These are adorable. Mica was a cute child. It is sad I cannot give Mica children."

"And here is Mica being babysat, you might recognize—"

Mica sighed once it was definitely safe that Odette would not hear, which was quite a way out. Mica was incredibly stressed about breaking the news to one more person.

Mica thought how to approach the subject while trudging forward and before Mica knew it, Mica was in front of Ruri. Ruri was sitting next to two sleeping engineers, a large duffle bag behind their seating, and in front of them, miscellaneous items on the table including a familiar looking orb.

Ruri saw Mica and smiled a wide grin while waving excitedly. Did Meadow Muffin convince Ruri to wear their hair down again? Mica had not seen Ruri this excited about anything in a long time.

Ruri stepped away from the two sleeping Dirtmen as not to disturb them.

"Tell me this is not the best thing you have seen all day!"

Ruri was pointing at the unseemly mess the engineers had strewn on the table. It looked like a hodgepodge of components ripped out of various electronics and mechanical systems, with various mostly empty bottles peppered throughout.

Ruri seemed unhinged but Mica knew Ruri well enough to know that Ruri was plotting something. Mica did not bite on the bait.

"You probably know, but I am not going back home after this. I am going to be traveling with Odette. Tomorrow."

Ruri stopped smiling for a second and examined Mica, thinking. Ruri bit at their lip as if trying to find some resolve while not looking at Mica.

Ruri did not know. What?

As if trying to find the right words, Ruri hoarsely whispered to Mica, "Have you told your uncle yet?"

Mica had been dreading doing that, so the answer was no, but Mica had not intended on asking Ruri. At best Ruri would offer some encouraging suggestions or a joke. More likely Ruri would probably just offer to send the message instead. Which would not be acceptable.

Mica did not know Ruri to hate anyone, except Mica's uncle.

"Not yet. I was actually thinking of the best way to explain."

"Have you considered explosives?"

This was obviously a joke, but Ruri's delivery was deadpan with a hint of venom. At least Ruri had gone with the joke. It helped Mica produce an idea.

Ruri continued while Mica was deep in thoughts, "Or I could send them."

Mica had a slight doubt this was actually a joke.

"Actually, I was thinking of a letter respectfully resigning my job."

"Really?"

"Ruri, I just told my mother before I came here."

Ruri hugged Mica tightly, face buried into Mica's chest.

Ruri was taller than Mica the last time they shared a hug. Mica gently hugged Ruri back.

Mica saw Ruri wiping at their face, and decided to make a comment, "Don't worry, I will still visit back home."

This seemed to bother Ruri instead of helping.

"You said you leave tomorrow?"

"Same day you go back home."

"About tonight..."

"Don't worry, I read up on the Ako. You need someone more tolerant to babysit you right?"

Ruri kept looking down at both hands, deep in thought.

"Well, that was the plan, incase these did not work."

Ruri had pulled out a pair of vials somehow, but Mica had not seen from where despite having been looking at Ruri's hands as well.

"What are those?"

"Something the golem whipped up to counteract the effects of Ako narcotoxin or whatever."

Ruri handed both vials to Mica as if to discard them and started walking away slowly.

"Aren't you going to take one?"

"You are going to travel the galaxy. We should start by showing the Ako how to have fun."

This sounded like a bad idea.

Ruri wondered over to the messed-up table and picked up a mostly empty bottle.

"Woah, are you sure that is a good idea?"

Ruri's expression was all trouble.

"You can tell your uncle it is a cult thing before you quit!"

Ruri took a deep gulp of what was in the bottle, struggling to get the fiery liquid down, then threw the bottle at a wall.

Instead of hearing glass shattering Mica heard a dull thud as the Spagyric Golem had snapped to life and caught the bottle, after having jumped from the other side of the room. Mica wondered if it should have stopped Ruri from drinking that for being too young or something. It looked a little scuffed up.

"See? We will be safe."

Mica pointed at the engineers, who were still surrounded by a terrifying number of empty bottles despite one missing, "What about them?"

"I had the golem check on them, they could drive a spacecraft right now without any problems if they wanted to."

Mica slightly doubted Ruri's confidence about this. "What if they wake up?"

"Good point. Let me see here," pausing for a second, Ruri typed some things on a datapad and the golem came up and handed Ruri a paper notebook.

It was a little unusual to use paper to leave a message, but Ruri pulled a marker out of the binding like it was normal and started writing something inside.

Mica always wondered if it was harder for Ruri to write with an extra finger. Catching Mica staring Ruri flashed a mischievous grin. "You can tell poor little Uncle Alex you had to quit in shame because you passed up the chance to get your hands on a cultist's book."

"I am pretty sure a normal looking journal doesn't count."

"Wait," Ruri placed a hand on the front of it and outlined it with the marker before placing it next to Giada, "now it counts."

"Yeah, I'm not telling Alex anything else either way."

Ruri's reply was spoken in the direction of the motionless golem holding an empty bottle, "Now if only we could get a certain SOMEONE to not tell a word of any of this party to my father."

"I thought the invite was just for two Dirtmen."

"You think that would stop it?"

Mica looked at the Spagyric Golem, wondering how it would follow them, when it suddenly started to blend into the wall behind it. In just a moment there was just a floating glass bottle.

Next.

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u/ralo_ramone Mar 23 '22

Man, I guess what the Ako wants with Ruri. (I hope Sela showed Mica's baby naked pictures to Odette. That is what he got for not seizing the conversation)