#i was gonna draw this on magma but i ended up having to hop off

[5thfleetpigeon]

high elder should get their own massage therapist. Dragging around that heavy ass tail and ornament seems like a bitch to the back. This one's for you @imtherainbownow :salute:

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Hi there!

I finally have an idea for the sequel to the angst! By the way, it really did help. Less strong emotions :D

Anyways, idea. Woot woot-

Wels, as a kind of revenge for the death of Hels, wants to save some other helsmits from the world that is Hels. Because it sucks there. He ends up secluding himself from the server to try this. When somebody goes to check on him, they find an obsidian portal frame with a firey red portal contained within. Queue Wels and another Helsmit conveniently coming through, and Wels having to quickly explain before the Hermit tells X-

this is a long boi!!! lol

first part here

...

This is it. This is the moment Wels has been waiting for. After weeks of hiding out in his house, doing experiment after experiment, he’s finally managed to create a portal directly to Helscraft. Now he can finally start on his mission.

He steps through the portal and finds himself facing a bridge across a gigantic ravine with lava at the bottom. On the other side is a mountain made of netherrack and magma blocks, some of which are on fire.

Shivering, he crosses the bridge slowly, one step at a time, keeping a wary eye out for any helsmits around. There doesn’t seem to be any.

Until he steps off the bridge, glances up, and happens to spot a familiar person sitting in a “tree” made of soul sand and bone blocks. Familiar except red eyes, red streaks in his hair, a much shorter stature, and black-and-magenta dragon-like wings.

“Hi,” he says cautiously.

“Helsknight…?” The person narrows their eyes. “Why do you look different?”

“I’m not Helsknight, I’m his hermit counterpart.”

The helsmit blinks in surprise. “Welsknight? What are you doing here in Helscraft?”

“Are you Grian’s helsmit?” asks Wels, avoiding the question.

“...surely you can tell,” the helsmit scoffs. “Yeah, I’m Xelqua, Grian’s helsmit. Why’re you here? Where’s Helsknight?”

Again, Wels tries to avoid the question. “Were you… close to Helsknight?”

“Not really.” Xelqua again narrows his eyes. “What do you mean by that? Where IS he?”

“He’s…” Wels hesitates and bows his head. “I’m really sorry, but he… he passed away.”

He hears a sharp intake of breath from Xelqua.

“I’m sorry,” he says uselessly.

“Why are you here?”

Wels looks back up at Xelqua. “What?”

“WHY ARE YOU HERE?” demands Xelqua loudly. “What, is it not enough that we exist here in this HELLISH place?! You wanna come here and take it over too?! Drive us out AGAIN?!”

“I- No!” Wels hurriedly shakes his head. “No no no! I came here to invite you back to Hermitcraft.”

A flash of shock flickers over Xelqua’s face. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“Because Helsknight wanted all of you to be free. He sacrificed himself for me, so I’m carrying on his dream.” Wels offers his hand to the helsmit. “Xelqua, come with me to Hermitcraft. I can get you a better life there.”

“Wow.” Xelqua appears not to know how to react to this unexpected offer. “What do you get in return?”

“Nothing.”

Xelqua rolls his eyes. “SURE.”

“No, really,” Wels insists. “I want to help you, all of you. I’m not asking for anything in return. I just want you guys to have a better life.”

Xelqua regards Wels with a half-suspicious look. “Why me, of all the helsmits?”

“I want to save all of you at some point. You seem like a good place to start.”

The helsmit doesn’t appear to have a response to this.

“Please, Xelqua,” says Wels softly. “Give me a chance.”

Xelqua is silent for a while as he processes this in his head. Finally, he says, “Okay. I won’t turn down a chance to go to Hermitcraft.”

Wels can’t help an excited smile. “Great! You won’t regret it.”

When Xelqua hops down from the “tree”, Wels is surprised to discover that the helsmit is only just half his height. The height of a child, despite looking almost exactly like Grian.

“Okay, come this way,” he says.

He leads Xelqua back down the bridge and over to the portal. “Will you be able to come through?” he asks.

“I dunno, you’re the brainiac hermit,” Xelqua responds. “Will I die if I go through?”

“Not inherently, but…”

Xelqua shrugs. “Whatever. Death is better than another day in Helscraft anyway. YOLO.”

Wels blinks as Xelqua steps through the portal. Did he just say… YOLO?!

He hurriedly follows Xelqua. As soon as he steps foot in his house on the other side, however, he sees Xelqua frozen on the platform. When he steps forward, he sees why.

One of his friends is standing at the bottom of the staircase, staring at him in shock and horror.

Wels blinks, his heart starting to pound. “...J-Jevin. Hi. You’re in my house.”

“Of course I’m in your dang house, Wels!” snaps Jevin. “You haven’t been seen on the server for WEEKS! And now you come out of a demonic nether portal with a DEMON?!”

Wels quickly pushes Xelqua behind him. “He’s not a demon, Jev. His name is Xelqua. He’s Grian’s helsmit.”

Jevin’s eyes widen and he steps back.

Wels sees his friend’s muscles bunching. “Jev, no…!”

Jevin takes another step back.

“JEV.”

“Somehow a demon would have been BETTER!” yells Jevin, before taking off running.

Wels sprints after him. He’s a lot faster than Jevin so he’s able to tackle his friend to the ground at the top of the stairs.

“Jev, wait!” Wels grunts, trying to hold his squirming friend down. “Hear me out!”

“Are you INSANE?!” Jevin shrieks back. “WHY would you bring a helsmit here?!”

As Wels is about to respond, a dry voice comes from behind them. “Now I know why you said you wanted to avoid this guy, Wels.”

Wels twists his head upwards to find Xelqua standing over them, arms folded. “I didn’t say-.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” demands Jevin, disentangling himself from Wels.

The hint of a smirk is visible on Xelqua’s face. “He said you were pretty close-minded and quick to jump to conclusions.”

“I never said-!”

Wels is cut off as Jevin jumps to his feet and jabs his finger at Xelqua. “You shut your mouth. You’re not even supposed to be here!”

“I’m not the one judging someone I just met based on their nature of birth, Slime Face,” retorts Xelqua.

“If you call me that again, I’m gonna ram my fist in your eye,” Jevin growls.

Xelqua lifts his chin challengingly. “Go for it. I’m not afraid to fight an old man.”

As Jevin moves suddenly, Wels gets between them and holds his friend back. “Okay, STOP it! Both of you! Jev, be the bigger person here.”

“I AM the bigger person!” Jevin snaps back. “Literally!”

“Wow, a short joke,” Xelqua says expressionlessly. “Original. You proud of that one, Slime Face? You feel funny? Clever?”

Jevin’s hands curl into fists. “Wels, you better explain yourself before I punt this obnoxious kid straight into the goddamn sun.”

“Your stupid slimey foot would go right through me,” Xelqua responds immediately.

“Right, that’s it.”

Wels has to strain against Jevin to stop his friend from physically attacking Xelqua. “JEVIN. STOP.”

“Explain yourself, then!”

Wels quickly draws Jevin aside into the next room. “Look.” He takes a deep breath. “I spent months befriending my helsmit, learning about how he dreamt of freeing his siblings from their torturous existence, only for him to die before even being able to start on his dream. Helsmits aren’t inherently evil, Jev. Helsknight grew as a person right in front of me. With the right environment and people surrounding them, they can become good.”

He pauses, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Even if I can only change one helsmit’s life for the better then maybe Helsknight’s death didn’t have to be meaningless.”

Jevin gazes back at him, an odd expression on his face.

“Just…” Wels sighs quietly. “Please don’t tell Xisuma until I’m ready. If he finds out about this before Xelqua makes any noticeable improvements, he’ll have him thrown back to Helscraft and all this will be for nothing. Helsknight’s dream can’t die like that. I can’t… I can’t lose him all over again.”

A short pause follows his words.

Finally, Jevin unfolds his arms and says, “Okay. How can I help?”

“By not treating me like a stupid kid,” comes Xelqua’s voice.

Jevin turns to find the helsmit poking his head through the doorway. “Wasn’t talking to you, Parrot Boy.”

“I’m not a parrot,” Xelqua says. “I’m a dragon.”

“Sure.”

Scowling, Xelqua extends his jet black and magenta wings. “My wings are dragon wings.”

“Whatever you say, Parrot Boy.”

Xelqua glares at him and doesn’t respond.

Jevin raises an eyebrow. “Nicknames hurt, huh?”

“Jev,” sighs Wels. “You’re the adult here.”

“Why AM I the adult here?” Jevin demands. “If he’s Grian’s helsmit, why is he still a kid?”

Xelqua stomps his foot. “I’m not a kid!”

Ignoring him, Wels replies, “Helsmits are only born once a person becomes a hermit. Grian’s only been a hermit for a few years, so Xelqua hasn’t had a chance to grow up yet.”

“Hey, I’m PERFECTLY grown up!” snaps Xelqua. “I already know how to kill things without spilling much blood and how to steal stuff from a chest from right under someone’s nose.”

Wels and Jevin exchange a slightly concerned look.

“But you never had a normal childhood?” asks Jevin.

“I’M NOT A CHILD!” yells Xelqua angrily.

Jevin persists: “Have you ever even seen grass?”

Xelqua scowls. “...what’s grass?”

“Okay…” Jevin pauses for a moment. “Come up this way.”

As he goes to the door, Wels starts to speak: “Jev-.”

“I’ll be careful,” says Jevin reassuringly. “Come on, kid.”

Clearly deciding not to argue anymore, Xelqua follows Jevin out of the house. As soon as he gets outside, he glances up and immediately jumps almost a foot in the air. “What is that?!”

Jevin quickly identifies where he’s looking. “The sun.”

“That’s not the sun,” scoffs Xelqua.

“It is.”

Xelqua shields his eyes from the sunlight and squints up at the sky. “But it’s not hurting my skin.”

“It will if you stay out in it too long.” Jevin pauses. “Why, what’s your sun like?”

“Volatile,” Xelqua responds. “If it’s in a bad mood, it’ll set you on fire as soon as you step out in it. Which is almost every day.”

Jevin blinks. “Your sun is sentient?”

“Trust me, that’s not the weirdest thing that’s sentient in Helscraft.”

“Do I wanna ask?”

“Nope.” Xelqua lowers his hand. “So what’s this grass thing you mentioned?”

Jevin gestures at the ground. “What you’re standing on.”

“Really? This is grass?” Xelqua hops up and down on it a few times. “I thought it’d be a bit more interesting.”

“Lie down on it.”

Xelqua shoots him a suspicious look. “Why?”

“Just do it.”

After a moment, Xelqua lies down flat on the grass. “Okay, now what?”

“Look up at the sky,” Jevin responds. “See those clouds?”

Xelqua frowns up at the sky. “The grey things?”

“Yeah. Do you have clouds?”

“Not like those. Ours are spikey and red and rain lava.”

“Oh jeez…” Jevin shivers. “Well, these ones won’t hurt you. Just watch them for a while.”

“Okay…”

The two fall silent. Jevin watches the clouds himself for a while, before turning back to Xelqua, whose expression is almost completely blank. “So?”

“Weirdly, this is nice,” admits Xelqua. “It’s a bizarre concept to not be afraid of every single thing around me.” As if on cue, a few raindrops start to fall from the sky. Xelqua hops up as the rain gets heavier and dives between Jevin’s feet, clutching Jevin’s leg tightly. “WHAT IS THIS?!” he shrieks.

“It’s just rain!” Jevin reassures him, gently stroking his wings. “Don’t worry, it’s just rain. Just water. It won’t hurt you.”

After a moment, Xelqua sticks out his hand and lets some raindrops fall on it. When it doesn’t hurt him, he carefully emerges from his shelter and hovers just above the ground, closing his eyes against the rain falling on his face. A smile appears on his face and he shoots upwards, his beating wings scattering raindrops everywhere.

Shielding his eyes from the rain, Jevin laughs as he watches Xelqua shoot up through the clouds and dive back down several times. It’s like watching a foal discover how to run for the first time.

“How’s it going out here?” asks Wels, emerging from the building. Immediately, he lifts his arms to shield his head from the rain. “Oh! It doesn’t rain often on this server.”

Jevin continues to gaze up at Xelqua far above him. “...Wels?”

“Yeah?”

“This kid really needs a better life.”

Wels nods. “He does. They all do. This is what Helsknight wanted: for the helsmits to have the same opportunities as us. The same expansive resource-rich world to explore, not the barren hellscape they’re forced to live in year after year. To be able to live and grow without worrying about being robbed or hurt or attacked or murdered by the world and people around them. They have so much potential that’s not being realised because they’re stuck in literal hell. I won’t rest until they’re all as free as Helsknight almost was.”

After a brief pause, he glances over at Jevin and finds his friend smiling at him. He chuckles. “What’s that look for?”

“I’ve never seen you this passionate before,” says Jevin softly. “It’s nice.”

“It IS nice,” Wels agrees. “I haven’t had a cause like this to fight for in a long time.”

Jevin pats his friend on the shoulder. “If you ever need help with Xelqua, lemme know.”

Wels glances at him in surprise. “You want to help with Xelqua?”

“Yeah, I really do.”

“Why?”

As Jevin starts to respond, Xelqua suddenly lands on the ground in front of them, soaking wet. “What are you two nattering about?” he demands. “Come fly up here with me!”

“We can’t fly when it’s raining this heavily, Xelqua,” responds Wels. “It’s too wet for our elytras to work properly.”

“Oh.” Xelqua rolls his eyes. “You guys are lame.”

Wels raises an eyebrow back. “Mhm.”

As Xelqua takes off again, Jevin says, “To answer your question Wels, I want to help because I can tell Xelqua has the potential to be a good kid. He’s got some problems I wanna help iron out.”

“Wow, I…” Wels smiles gratefully. “I’d love the help. Thank you.”

At that moment, Xelqua reappears through the rain and holds out a shovel to the two. “I stole this from a chest in that guy’s house over there,” he says proudly. “He didn’t see me.”

“That’d be Beef’s house,” Wels sighs.

As Wels reaches for the shovel, Xelqua sharply steps back, hugging the shovel protectively.

Wels shakes his head. “You don’t have to steal things here, Xelqua. We’ll help you get your own stuff.”

“Oh…” Xelqua reluctantly relinquishes his prize to Wels.

“Thank you,” says Wels gently. “Do you want your own shovel?”

After a moment, Xelqua nods.

Wels smiles, feeling strong paternal instincts towards the kid.

“Okay, let’s get you a shovel.”

[jabbajambler]

35

Human

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin x f!OC

Word Count: 2,109

*GIF by @lyrawills​*

         The armorer worked diligently on melting down the beskar armor, the pieces that the Mandalorians had worked their whole lives to receive. It turned to liquid like it was nothing. The stories and battles it had seen were forgotten, never to be heard of again.

         "Show me the one whose safety deemed such destruction." She inquired as she shifted her attention towards us.

         Din shuffled closer to the droid that held the child in a pack on its chest. His legs were still weak from the hit, but he was recovering faster than normal with the bacta.

         "This is the one." He said, gesturing towards the green child.

         "This is the one that you hunted, then saved?" She spoke with a joking tone.

         "Yes. The one that saved me as well."

         "From the mudhorn?" Her voice lifted with curiosity.

         He looked from me to the child then back to the armorer. "Yes."

         "It looks helpless."

         I squeezed past Din to face the armorer, standing tall despite how little I felt. "It's a bit tired right now, but it is far from helpless. It- It has the Force." I whispered the final part. Such power was a sensitive topic amongst the Mandalorians despite me having a connection with both of them.

         "Ah... So, it is like you." She directed her attention back to the melting pot of metal.

         "How do you know about that?" Din took a small step forward, his head tilted in confusion as he questioned whether everyone knew about such things.

         "The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore The Great and an order of sorcerers called Jedi that fought with such powers... Like Myrah here."

         "Jedi..." He whispered faintly. "So they are enemies?"

         "No." She sort of chuckled and shook her head. "Their kind were enemies, but they are not."

         "What is it?" He asked about the baby.

         She neared a large cabinet, opening it with the touch of a button. "It is a foundling. By Creed, it is in your care."

         He scoffed. "You wish me to train this thing?"

         "It is too weak. It would die. Unless Myrah deems herself capable of training it, you must reunite it with its own kind."

         "Where?"

         "This, you must determine."

         I huffed out a laugh and crossed my arms over my chest. "You expect him to go out and search the entire galaxy for another one of these things? Din can't go anywhere near them without being a threat."

         "This is the Way." She answered simply. "Isn't that a code that you once followed, Myrah Koor?"

         "Hey." Cara came towards us after exploring the small cave. "These tunnels will be lousy with Imps in a matter of minutes. We should at least discuss an escape plan."

         "If you follow the descending tunnel, it will lead you to the underground river. It flows downstream toward the lava flats."

         "I think we should go." Greef proposed.

         "I'm staying." Din stated firmly.

         My head snapped towards him, both of my hands immediately grasping his. "What are you thinking?"

         "I need to help her and I need to heal."

         "You must go." She must have been growing tired of our bickering. "A foundling is in your care. By Creed, until it is of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father." She paused as we looked towards the cooing baby. "This is the Way."

         She turned towards us, holding a crafted piece of metal in front of her. "You have earned your signet." With careful precision, she welded on the mudhorn symbol onto his pauldron. "You are a clan of two-" She stopped and glanced over to me. "Or three."

         "Thank you." Din's voice was sincere. "I will wear this with honor."

         A muffled explosion and smoke rose from around the corner. They were coming.

         "IG, please guard the outer hallway." The armorer demanded. "A scouting party draws near... I have one more gift for your journey. Have you trained in the Rising Phoenix?"

         Din nodded. "When I was a boy. Yes."

         "Then this will make you complete." She turned, holding a jetpack in her hands.

         "Thank you." He said again.

         I whistled and leaned against the central table. "You in a jetpack? That's sexy."

         "Myrah." Both Din and the armorer snapped, scolding me for my less than subtle words. It was like being a child all over again.

         "When you have healed," she continued, trying to move past my comment, "you will begin your drills. Until you know it, it will not listen to your commands."

         "I understand."

         Blaster fire echoed through the tunnels, followed by the bright red light of the guns. We reached for our blasters during the moment of silence that fell over, but they were lowered as soon as IG came back into our line of sight.

         "You are protected." It declared.

         "More will come. You must go."

         "Come with us." Din offered again.

         "My place is here. Restock your munitions." Din took off towards the table while she stalked towards the droid. "IG, carry this for Din Djarin until he is well enough to wear it. Now, go. Down to the river and across the plains."

          Cara, Greef, and the IG left the room while Din and I lingered a bit behind. "Be safe on your journey." She spoke to him. He said a final thank you and grabbed his blaster before following the others. "Myrah... You be careful. You know how-"

         "I know. I'll play it safe... But you have to as well." I smiled and nudged her with my elbow in a playful manner.

         "No. I wanted to check on this." She gestured towards the heavy hilt on my hip.

         I grabbed the weapon carefully, my fingers brushing over the gentle engravings and hovering over the small button. With two small clicks to the button, a light orange light grew from both ends, similar to its alternative staff form. I could feel my lips twitch into a smile just by gazing at it.

         "Do they know?"

         "Sort of. It's fine for now, though." I tucked the handle into my belt before forcing her into a quick hug. "Thank you for everything." I whispered and caught up to the group. I knew the sincerity went both ways.

         "This is the lava river." Greef pointed out as we emerged from the drab hall.

         The river was long and the heat that radiated from it brought beads of sweat to my face. I could see the steam that rose from the magma. The fiery orange flow of the river was threatening but inviting. It was beautiful and dangerous, the worst combination of them all.

         "The ferry droid is fried."

         "Yeah, but if we push the boat out, we can get it to float downstream."

         I shrugged and glanced over at Cara. "Why don't we just shoot at it?"

         "That'll never work." Greef brushed me off. "Come on." He insisted.

         "Looks old." Din seemed questionable of his idea. "Will it take the heat?"

         "You got a better idea?"

         He sighed. "Guess not."

         Greef and Din struggled against the boat, working to push it away from the dock. He kicked it in frustration, stomping away from it. I had to hide the snort that came up from their failed attempt.

         "Come on! What're you doing?" Greef groaned.

         "Let's try this." Din grabbed a long, metal pole and tried to use it to carve away at the crusted edge.

         Cara sighed and pulled her gun over her shoulder. "You guys mind getting out of the way?" They stepped back as she fired along the edge, breaking the boat away from the platform.

         As Greef and Cara loaded into the boat, I grabbed Din's arm and pulled him over. My finger landed hard against his chest plate, making a small clink as it hit.

         "Don't underestimate my ideas."

         His hand wrapped around my own, his thumb moving tenderly over my hand. "Trust me, I won't."

         "Get in, lovebirds. We don't have time to lollygag." Cara joked with a smile as she looked back at us. I laughed and hopped into the small boat with the others.

         "Watch your feet." The IG advised. "It's molten lava."

         "No kidding." Cara huffed.

         There was a soft beeping and whirring that frightened us. We all spun with blasters raised towards the sound. The ferry droid pulled itself from the cracks and stood, holding its paddle in its mechanical hands.

         "I don't suppose anybody here speaks droid?" Din asked.

         I looked to him with a blank expression and a head tilt that said 'you've got to be kidding me.' Especially when there was a droid standing right next to us. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not at this point.

         "I believe he is asking where we would like to go." IG pointed out.

         "Down river." Greef nodded. "To the lava flat."

         The droid chirped and began rowing that way. It was quite a long ride, lava rivers always seem to have a slow current. After a while, we could finally see a soft, white light at the end; the exit. We were home free.

         "That's it. We're free!" Greef cheered.

         "No." Din's voice was soft and disappointed. "No, we're not. Stormtroopers. They're flanking the mouth of the tunnel. It looks like an entire platoon. They must know we're coming."

         "Stop the boat." Cara demanded, but the droid kept rowing. "Hey, Droid, I said stop the boat. Hey! I'm talking to you. I said stop!" Her anger grew as she blasted the head of the droid off.

         Greef glanced around anxiously. "We're still moving."

         "Looks like we fight." Cara's anger softened into fear.

         "We can't fight them. We're outnumbered. By a lot." I growled.

         "Well, then what do you suggest? 'Cause I can't surrender."

         "They will not be satisfied with anything less than the child." The IG spoke up from its spot. "This is unacceptable. I will eliminate the enemy and you will escape."

         Din chuckled softly. "You don't have that kind of firepower, pal. You wouldn't even get to daylight."

         "That is not my objective." It spoke, receiving a quick turn of heads from all of us.

         "We're getting close." Cara warned. "Saddle up."

         "Cara, we can't." I hissed.

         "I still have the security protocols from my manufacturer. If my designs are compromised, I must self-destruct."

         "What're you talking about?" Din spoke with a harsh whisper.

         "I am not permitted to be captured. I must be destroyed."

         Greef was growing more irritated by the second. "Are we gonna keep talking, or get out of here?"

         "I can no longer carry this for you." The droid spoke and rested the jetpack down on the boat. "Nor can I watch over the child." It passed the packed away child to Din, setting him in his arms.

         "Wait. You can't self-destruct. Your base command is to watch the child.  That supersedes your manufacturer's protocol, right?" He paused. "Right?"

         "This is correct."

         "Good. Now, grab a blaster and help us shoot our way out." He demanded.

         "Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured. The child will be lost. Sadly, there is no scenario where the child is saved, in which I survive."

         Din's tone softened. "Listen, you're not going anywhere. We need you. Let's just come up with a-"

         "Please tell me the child will be safe in your care. If you do so, I can default to my secondary command."

         "But you'll be destroyed."

         "And you will live, and I will have served my purpose."

         "No. We need you." Din spoke in a saddened, pained whisper.

         "There is nothing to be sad about. I have never been alive."

         "I'm not...sad."

         "Yes you are. I'm a nurse droid. I've analyzed your voice."

         It gently pet the child's ear and stepped into the burning lava. It marched through faster than the boat was moving, reaching the exit to the tunnel where the stormtroopers gathered.

         Din grasped my hand tightly, threading his fingers between mine and squeezing it as though it would be the last time.

         "It's going to be alright. IG is giving us a chance to escape." I mumbled and raised our joined hands to my lips, placing a soft kiss against the leather.

         "I know."

         We could faintly hear the droid's final words before he self-destructed. Din's grip tightened as the light reflected off his helm. Without speaking a single word, I knew what he was thinking.

         IG's sacrifice would not be in vain.

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 23 End

Scene 12:

[Less than an hour later it is dark and the planetarium is almost full. Steven. Wallace and Dizzy are sitting in a row together, but Steven keeps glancing around. Eventually he hops out of his seat.]

Steven: I’m going to look for Ren.

Wallace: Don’t be too long

[Steven edges his way out of the row and then out through the planetarium doors. He scans the lobby and sees Ren walking in the front doors.]

Steven: There you are! It’s about to start.

Ren: Sorry I’m late. I actually only came to tell you I’m gonna watch outside with my pokemon. Care to join us?

Steven: And waste my ticket? Of course I will.

[Ren smiles at him and they walk out into the night together. They barely get ten feet from the door before the entire island goes dark.]

Steven: So where to?

Ren: Your place?

Steven: Sounds perfect. So what kept you?

Ren: I decided to put the orbs back on Mt. Pyre. Kyogre severed their connection with me.

Steven: Is that safe?

Ren: I doubt anyone is gonna try and awaken them any time soon now that everyone’s had a fresh look at the kind of damage they can do. And if anyone tries, I’ll be around to stop them. I’m not worried.

Steven: [laughing] You’re right.

Ren: And it just felt right too, like closing a chapter. It’s time to start something else now.

Steven: I’ve felt that too. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I’m going to take you up on that job offer, if you’ll have me.

Ren: [smiling big enough to split her face in two] Anything to get Drake Nathan out of my life.

Steven: Ren!

Ren: I’m joking! Sorry! [mumbling] Feelings are hard sometimes. Besides, you know perfectly well I’d like nothing better.

Steven: Really?

Ren: Yes! [He laughs again but she is quiet for a moment.] Are you sure though? You have plenty of time to decide.

Steven: I am. Believe it or not the world almost ending really helped put some things in perspective. I realized there are some things I’m much more afraid to lose and not much else I’d rather do.

Ren: And nothing stops you from pursuing other things just because you’re on the Elite Four. If you need to travel, we’ll work something out.

Steven: You’re wonderful, do you know that?

[When they get to his cottage, Kotai and all of Steven’s pokemon are waiting for them. Ren sends out the rest of hers and they all settle down in the grass. Ren and Steven lay next to each other with Taraki and Bessemer beside them. The meteor shower has already begun and bright streaks light up the night. It almost seem like you can see forever up into the blackness and no matter where you look there are little points of light. Ren reaches for Steven’s hand and he knits their fingers together.]

Ren: So Steven, about what you said yesterday, did you mean it in a platonic way or a romantic way?

[Steven takes a few seconds to respond and Ren holds her breath.]

Steven: Both.

[She squeezes his hand tight and he turns to look at her.]

Ren: [relieved laughter] Good. Me too.

[Steven smiles and squeezes her hand back.]

Steven: It’s good to be on the same page… I'm sorry it took so long.

Ren: Don't be. This is better, I think, a lot better.

[She rolls over onto his chest and rests her head on her arms so she can look down at him. He smiles up at her and she grins back.]

Ren: But out of curiosity, how long have you been into me? [He squirms uncomfortably.] Want me to go first? [He nods.] To be honest, I wanted to smash my face into your face pretty much from the get go. [He laughs.] And it was a weird thing for me. I’d never felt that way about anyone before and it had sort of gotten to the point where I thought I never would. [She shrugs.] And then you had to be a wonderful person on top of it. I was definitely gone by Meteor Falls.

[He reaches up to stroke her cheek and she leans into his touch.]

Steven: It was a lot more gradual for me. You’re younger and you had only just gotten your first badge when we met. Meanwhile, I was the Champion. I just thought I’d keep an eye on you for Senri. But after you bonded with Latios and more or less took the reigns on taking down Magma, I guess I sort of started to see you differently.

Ren: More like I demanded you did. But this was an unintended consequence for the record.

Steven: I didn’t mean for this either. [He flinches and draws his hand away.] Shit! Was that a little too honest? I’m sorry if I’m ruining the moment.

Ren: Don’t be ridiculous. I'm glad we both followed our better judgement. Things are much more even between us now and we actually know each other. There’s a lot less room for a colossal disaster. Although, I’ll level with you: I’ve never actually dated anyone before, so I guess I’m still woefully unprepared.

Steven: Do you think we shouldn’t…

Ren: NO! [Steven starts at her sudden forcefulness] I’m sorry. What I mean is: if you're willing, we are so totally doing this. [crooked smile] Woefully unprepared is how I like to enter all the major commitments of my life. Are you sure you want to do this though? Things will be awkward.

Steven: Yeah, and maybe a little more difficult than I was anticipating. It never occurred to me that I’d be your first relationship.

Ren: [looking away] Yeah…

Steven: Thank you for telling me. I hope you know that I don’t expect anything from you. I like where we are now.

Ren: [She lays her head on his chest and hugs him.] Thank you.

Steven: [petting her back] We’ll be careful. You’ll tell me if I ever do anything to make you uncomfortable, won’t you?

Ren: You bet I will. I ain’t shy. Plus I can kick your ass.

Steven: [smiling] That’s true.

[She sighs in contentment and snuggles into him. All around them their pokemon are staring up at the sky and talking quietly to each other. Steven looks up too, smiling fit to burst. He feels Ren shift on his chest he turns his attention back to her.]

Ren: And you’re sure you don’t mind being stuck with [pointing at the scarred side of her face] this?

Steven: [completely taken aback] What?

Ren: By your own admission you’re pretty vain, Steven.

Steven: Ren, not that it matters, but I think you’re beautiful.

Ren: [rolling her eyes] Tsh. Charmer.

Steven: I’m serious. I—how can you think otherwise? Just looking at you right now with the stars falling behind you, and that light in your eyes… I can’t even picture anything I’d like to look at more.

Ren: [She snorts.] It’s dark and I’m disfigured. You can’t deny that.

Steven: So it’s possible not everyone is as enlightened as I am.

Ren: Steven.

Steven: So what if other people can’t see past it? I don’t have to look past it. It’s part of you and I love it. I love your freckles and your little button nose and your huge fucking eyebrows. I love that amazing jawline and the way your whole face scrunches up when you’re annoyed. Sometimes I want to smack myself because it took me so long to notice your eyes are green and I could have been looking at them for months now. [Her expression softens, but he is still a bit too agitated to stop.] You’re beautiful to me. And I hope you can see yourself that way. [almost petulant] Maybe I’ve been blinded by your other charms. [obstinate] I stand by my opinion regardless.

[Bessemer and a few of the others snicker and Steven huffs. Ren smiles and shifts her weight so that she can stroke Steven’s hair. He closes his eyes and lays his head back, tension leaving his body.]

Ren: I can’t argue with that. Why don’t you tell me about these charms instead?

Steven: Well first off, you don’t take any of my shit.

Ren: [quirking an eyebrow] And you like that?

Steven: Absolutely. I become a real shit-peddler when people let me and most people let me. I don’t like that Steven. And you always cut me down a peg when I’m being too vain. And you drag me out when I’m getting too self-involved.

Ren: Again, you’re saying that you like this, right?

Steven: What I’m trying to get at is that I like the Steven I have to be with you, even if I grouse about it sometimes.

Ren: That—that is so fucking sweet… I have no idea how to top that.

Steven: [relieved] Oh, good. For a moment I was scared I was screwing this up.

Ren: [soft teasing smile] Aww, were you nervous?

Steven: A little. I’ve never had it quite this bad before.

Ren: [turning beet red and groaning] Stop it! This is so much cuter than all of my dumb fantasies. [thumping her forehead against his chest] You’re killing me!

Steven: This is going pretty well. We’re covering a lot of ground.

Ren: That’s for sure. [popping back up] And we haven’t even kissed yet. [smirking down at him] Isn’t that supposed to be before we discuss all the ins and outs of our relationship?

Steven: We can do things in whatever order we want.

Ren: But how do we know this will even work? What if we’re not compatible?

Steven: [smirking up at her] If you want to kiss me, all you have do is ask.

Ren: May I kiss you, Steven Stone?

Steven: Please do.

[She grins and climbs the rest of the way on to of him, planting her hands in the grass on either side of his head to get a little leverage. He reaches out and touches her cheek, running his fingers along it and back to tuck her hair behind her ear. She leans in and he moves to meet her. It is soft at first but after a few moments, she pushes harder into him. He responds in kind, tilting his head slightly so that they don't bump noses. She puts her weight on one arm so she can run a hand through his hair and his hands run up her back. After a bit more he pulls back just a little.]

Steven: Well, what do you think?

Ren: You know what the hell you’re doing.

Steven: Benefits of being a slut.

[She laughs and kisses him again. He arches into it, pulling her tighter against him, she hums happily.]

Taraki: Whoa! Did everyone see that?

[They break apart and look over only to find Taraki is looking up at the meteor shower like the rest of the pokemon.]

Ren: Kuso! We’re totally missing my show! [rolling off Steven] More makeouts later.

[Steven grabs her hand and squeezes it tight as he turns his gaze back to the sky and she gives him a squeeze in return.]

Bessemer: Thanks for that, Taraki. I was about to say something myself, but I didn’t want to interrupt.

Kata: One of us had to.

Ao: We wouldn’t want you to miss the whole thing.

Ren: Sorry about that everyone. It must have been weird listening to half that conversation. Steven was a perfect gentleman, don’t worry.

Teka: We heard the whole thing. Bessemer has been translating for us.

Bessemer: It was more efficient that way.

Akahata: And Kata filled us in.

Pohaku: [wriggling in delight] I can’t wait to tell Panahi!

Kotai: Aye, she’ll be right proud.

Ren: Oh gods.

Steven: Are yours giving you a hard time? Half of mine were taking bets apparently.

Naihi: We were too. Is that considered rude?

[Ren starts laughing and so does Steven. She edges closer to be in more contact with Steven and he tilts his head to touch hers. Ren reaches out with her other arm and takes Taraki’s hand and he lets out a contented sigh. They all look up at the brilliant rain of meteors and smile. All around the region others are watching too. Kai and Wally are in their reclined seats in the planetarium, hands joined and armrest still tucked away between them. Wallace’s head rests on Dizzy’s shoulder and Dizzy smiles contentedly. Josh and his pokemon are on the roof of Courtney’s mansion taking turns looking through a telescope and marveling at the sight. Courtney herself meanwhile is on a small deserted island with her and Maxie’s pokemon around her. She is reading a letter with the aid of her ninetails’s will-o-wisp. She gets to the end and sets it down. We can see that the signature at the end is Maxie’s before her ninetails puts out the lights and she looks up at the sky. Archie and Maxie watch from the fenced in yard of a prison. Maxie is in the standard issue orange jumpsuit while Archie has a big visitor sticker on his breast pocket. The orb guardians are watching from the top of Mt. Pyre where the orbs are now back in their place at the shrine. Latios and Latias watch by the pool on their island that once again holds their soul dews. Ikki and her mate watch while a little surskit skates across a pond, chasing the reflections of the meteors. Putenga watches with her apprentices from a clearing in the Petalburg Woods. Panahi and her coordinator watch from one of the field in Fallarbor and Mele and his agent watch from Lighthouse Point in Lilycove. Terra and Moana are lying on a beach with their camerupt and sharpedo nearby. Asuka, Senri, Roxanne and the Birches are watching from a bridge over the estuary near Littleroot. And at the top of the waterfall in Meteor falls, Zinnia stands with her pokemon, parents, and grandmother, looking up at the sky. Even Aster, who cannot see, has her face turned upward. Zinnia’s eyes brighten and a tear runs down her face. She holds Aster tighter in her arms and her mother and grandmother each put a hand on her shoulders. Tears continue to fall and she lets them, never looking away from all the lights in the vast universe beyond. For just a little while all of Hoenn is dark, quiet and at peace.]