Cosmic (18+)

┉┈◈†𐌷𐍂𐌴𐌴◈┈┉

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Charlie twirled the blue stem between her fingers, watching the glowing purple and blue petals spin. She breathed out a sigh of awe. Its small pulse of energy caressed against hers.

Luca plucked the flower from her fingers. "We ought to put this in some water, don't you think?"

"Hey! I wasn't done with that," she pouted, following him as he walked away from eBot B with the flower in his hand.

┈ ⋞ "Let her hold the flower." ⋟ ┈

"Yeah, what he said." She made a grab for it but he raised it easily out of her reach with an amused smirk. Damn her short stature.

A mechanical arm on the ceiling of the workshop activated and extended down, retrieving the flower from Luca's grasp with its metal pinchers.

┈ ⋞ "Do not take from Charlie." ⋟ ┈

She threw Luca a smug triumphant grin when the mechanical claw lowered and handed her the bioluminescent flower. "Thanks, PENDI!" she chirped.

┈ ⋞ "You're welcome, my love." ⋟ ┈

Luca just chuckled and rolled his green eyes. "Fine, then. I'll go prepare your shuttle for departure. You have fun with that." He exited the room with one last glance behind him as the door hissed closed.

She barely noticed his absence as the flower in her hands captured her full attention. Her eyes widened when she saw the glowing purples and blues change suddenly to a vibrant, burning orange. "Whoa..."

┈ ⋞ "I can feel your touch." ⋟ ┈

Her brows furrowed. "Do you have anything to do with the color change?"

┈ ⋞ "Yes. I've moved into the flower using its connection to Exodus." ⋟ ┈

"And you can feel that way?" she asked, fascinated. She ran a gentle finger down the stem, "Can you feel that?"

The ship physically shuddered and she grasped the side of the metal workbench with her free hand to keep steady. Okay, no more touching.

┈ ⋞ "Yes." ⋟ ┈

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she straightened again. "You're not being pervy about this, are you?"

A pause.

┈ ⋞ "I don't know what you mean." ⋟ ┈

Charlie sighed, "Leave the flower alone."

The orange glow vanished and it returned to its normal coloring. She found a long, narrow container that could be used as a vase and filled water at the bottom before setting the stem into it. She rested it on the workbench and took a step back with her hands on her hips, staring.

She jolted at the sound of the door as Eli entered. He caught sight of the unexpected décor on his workbench and his eyes shone with intrigue. He stepped up beside her, his gaze fixed on the flower. "That's nice. I never thought I'd ever see living flowers in my work space again. Shouldn't this be in the biolab?"

Charlie shook her head, somehow strongly disliking the thought of the small, delicate thing being poked and prodded and tested in the lab. "No. We got more than enough samples."

Eli leaned closer to study the vibrant petals, pushing his glasses further up the curved bridge of his nose. "I admit I'm kind of jealous you'll get to go planet side and see all this beauty around you. When I began, I thought working here would be a paradise for me. And it was for a while," he sighed, straightening as he stepped over to a half finished project of jumbled parts and wires, "but five years is a long time to be living within metal walls. Too long."