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Echoes bounced back off of nothing but metal as two sets of footsteps made their way through the darkened corridors of the meteor. Kanaya peered through the darkness up ahead with narrowed eyes. Nocturnal or not, there was only so much darkness a troll could take before they could no longer see. There had to be some form of light source, or else she may as well have been blind.
Thankfully, there was.
The glow from the wand that Eridan gripped tightly in his hand sent a wash of white light all around them. Just right to be able to see in the dark as they descended down toward the meteor's core. Occasionally her eyes flicked towards the violet blood in step with her, but mostly she was focused on either the path ahead of them, or the ever so precious cargo she carried in her arms.
At long last, she would find the Matriorb she had cared for ever so much would finally find itself its purpose. It didn't matter what Aradia had said. Doomed timeline or not, if anything, she could still try to accomplish what she had been hoping for all this time.
“Awfully quiet down here, so far from the others,” she found herself murmuring. It had been a while since she'd been so far out of earshot of the noise that all the trolls made in the main terminal room. There didn't seem to be a reason for all of them to bunch up as they did. So many were used to living such solitary lifestyles, hives scattered about the planet as they had been. It just seemed... oddly comforting, to be all together in one room.
She had to put that all behind herself now, though. The Matriorb was her top priority, even when they were all declared doomed by the seeming harbinger of the concept herself, even if the aspect should have been in control of their group's goldblood.
“Yeah, pretty damn eerie.” Eridan nodded in agreement, eyes scanning the dark corridors. He led the way as they descended down a long staircase. There were so many of these, it seemed. Bringing them further and further into the space rock's depths. “If it weren't so fuckin dark I'd say it reminded me of LOWAA.” Kanaya hummed in agreement. She remembered her sparing visits to Eridan's land. All overwhelming whiteness everywhere with only dark, monochrome, too pristine buildings and decoratively shaped stone. And the angels, horrid creatures they were. They were some of the few times she'd left LORAF.
And they were why she currently had her traveling companion beside her.
“Indeed. It did seem to be awfully quiet there. At least there are no angels here to break it.”
“Yeah. Good thing.” He snorted. He didn't smile, he rarely did, but there was a lightness to his voice. For once he wasn't being a great prick about things. “... Kan? I... I don't think I ever really thanked you.” A curious noise left Kanaya's throat, and she turned her head to see Eridan's profile.
“Thanked me?”
“Well, yeah. You were the only one who actually came out and visited me on my land. I think I woulda probably lost it if I had to spend the whole game there listening to those things and their creepy whispery prophesies bullshit. 'Lord of all angels'. What a fuckin joke. There's nothin any lord could do that would ever best the Prince of Hope. I bet if Ar hadn't thrown us all out of there, I coulda easily taken out Jack Noir,or whatever the fuck he's become.” Kanaya felt the corners of her lips twitch. He did like declaring about his classpect. Of course he would, it gave him so much more to brag about. He did like that sort of thing. “So, yeah. There's that. And you made me this wand here.” He seemed to shift his eyes away for just a moment. “I know I don't say shit like this a lot, so I'm not really that good at it. But, all the same... you actually had some fuckin faith in me, and I do appreciate that. So, thanks, Kan.”
“Is that so? You're certain I wasn't being meddlesome?” His lips almost twitched that time, but he hid that quickly enough.
“Let's save the wisecracks until after the heartwrenchin thanks and shit are over with, huh? I swear, Kan, we're gonna make a proper insult-peddler outta you yet.”
“Such a generous offer, Eridan. Who am I to decline such magnanimity?”
They might have gone on, but Kanaya suddenly looked up, gazing around. The walls seemed to pulse with some sort of undefinable energy.
“What the fuck?” The seadweller breathed, and Kanaya stepped onward towards the darkness with such a great certainty. “Hey, Kan, where the fuck are you goin?!”
“This is the place, I'm certain of it.” Her voice held such weight and assuredness. There was no doubt in her mind. “We have reached the meteor's core. This is the place.” She walked forward into the dark, unmindful of the calls behind her and the sound of footsteps as her friend caught up to her. She wondered briefly if this was what it felt like to be in the brooding caverns back on Alternia. So dark and stiflingly silent. If so, then this would certainly be the best place for the Mother Grub to start her new brood.
Her feet brought her to the center of the room. Once reached, she knelt down with only the grace she knew how to move with, and placed the oh so precious Matriorb on the ground. Her hands sat on either side of it, while she focused intently on it in the thin light. Fabric rustled beside her as Eridan shifted his cape around to kneel next to her.
“... Now what?” Just as he said this, there was a sharp cracking sound, and both young trolls stared in wonder. Kanaya grabbed onto Eridan's wand hand and shoved it down, and he took the signal to dim the light it produced. Until all that was left was the faintest of glows to let them see by.
The shell of the orb began to shake and crack, slowly pieces fell away and into it. Until, at last, Kanaya could catch a glimpse of two, small, glistening eyes peering up at them.
“It's worked... we've done it!” She felt a swelling in her chest, her eyes almost teared up. Doomed timeline or not, she had done it. The matriorb was hatching, and they might actually have a chance. Aradia had to be wrong, she had to be. Surely nothing this utterly fantastic could be brought to an end, not even by all the powers of Paradox Space had to offer. She reached her arms into the opened up sphere, and smiled as she pulled the larval Mother Grub from the slimy depths. For once unmindful of the mess it would make on her clothes.
She opened her mouth, intending to voice some sentiment of joy over this development towards the new creature which would assuredly bring survival to their race.
However, she stopped that train of thought when Eridan suddenly shot up beside her, wand lighting up again harshly. Kanaya moved to shield the newly hatched creature from the harsh light.
“Who's there?!” Perhaps he'd heard something while she'd been overwhelmed, perhaps it was a sixth sense he held as a highblood. She had no idea. But the aggressive tone of his voice immediately put her on edge. Kanaya shifted the infant Mother Grub to one arm, removing but not yet uncapping her lipstick. The way her friend's fins flared out, who or whatever it was was most assuredly Not Good. “Who or whatever's there, get out here already! I ain't in the mood for games.” He was so on edge, almost nervous. She'd only seen that expression on him when near discovery by an enraged angel.
Gritting her teeth, Kanaya peered out into the darkness, clutching her new charge to her for safety.
“... Is someone out there?” Her voice, normally so assured, was wavering a bit. Though she didn't know why.
Whatever it was, it was certainly nothing they couldn't handle. Who or what could possibly bring harm to the both of them combined? Whatever the danger, they could take it, and they could protect the Mother Grub. She was certain of it.
“honk :o)”