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 Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:32 am
Room 1: The Fossils While some exhibits appear to have been carefully and meticulously reconstructed, this one is far more archaeological. The room opens into an enormous circular hall, where skeletons of all shapes and sizes have been meticulously constructed. The most impressive of all of them takes up nearly the whole room; suspended overhead by invisible supports was the fossilized skeleton of a creature so immense it nearly disappeared into the darkness above. At first glance it resembled an octopus, but its proportions quickly betrayed something stranger. The creature had been enormous, and each arm stretched dozens of feet, and ended in a diabolically sharp spear. It was posed as if it were half moving, half attacking--no easy feat, given the enormity of its remains. Though the bones were interesting on their own, parts of it were covered in strange crystals, locking up joints. Some of the bones were cracked where the crystals had grown into it. The rest of the room is filled with smaller, but equally unique skeletons and fossils. Each specimen has a uniquely aquatic appearance--from eight legged turtles, and fully crystalized jellyfish that hung from displays like artwork. Some of the specimens had a sketch of the creature as it was in life, but many did not. A neighboring display features only a single bone--a whale tooth, very ground down and still nearly four feet tall. One common feature amongst all of the specimens stood out: each of them bore curious crystalline growths. Pastel crystals had spread through portions of the bone like veins of quartz, glittering softly beneath the gallery lights. Whatever phenomenon had caused this anomaly seemed to have been localized to wherever the specimens were sourced, and Almadel had clearly chosen preservation over restoration.
"Of course there's a survey," he mumbled, dry but not unkind.
When they stepped into the fossil hall, Sessrumnir stopped just inside the entrance, eyes lifting immediately. For several seconds, he didn't say anything.
The thing above them was enormous, all long limbs and sharpened ends, posed in a way that made the room feel less like a museum exhibit and more like… the moment before an impact. Sessrumnir had seen enough ocean in his life to respect what lived beneath it. He'd flown over black water in bad weather, watched waves eat whole ships from the air, and learned very quickly that mankind's confidence meant very little against the deep.
"Sea monsters," he said at last, voice low. "Never did like when people passed everything off as just a story."
His eyes followed along the shape of the creature where crystals split through bone, locking joints in place and glittering under the lights. Beautiful, in a terrible sort of way. Preservation and injury at once.
He reached instinctively for Alastor's hand, not out of fear, but the moment felt better shared.
"Whatever happened to them," Sessrumnir said, quieter, "it looks like it took its time." Lucien's ears pressed back only slightly, although his composure otherwise remained the same. From Alastor's shoulder, he studied the suspended skeleton with a long, critical stare, then turned his attention to the smaller displays.
The crystallized jellyfish caught his eye in particular.
"Hm," he said, unimpressed in the specific way that meant he was, in fact, very interested. "Aesthetically pleasing in a catastrophic way."
His tail gave a slow flick as he studied the creatures.
"Fascinating how whatever this was affected multiple species from the same environment, and deeply enough to alter the remains themselves."
Lucien leaned forward a fraction, careful not to overbalance on Alastor's shoulder. "I suppose Almadel would consider that a selling point rather than taking it as a warning."
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:36 am
Naturally, Alastor's eyes lingered on the creatures, torn between fascination and restraint. On one hand, there was a familiar spark in his eye--the one that said he was obviously thinking about what a fight might have looked like.
On the other hand, Alastor had a deep dread of the sea. It wasn't unconquerable, because it couldn't really be said that Alastor feared the sea, but he had a healthy degree of respect for it.
And he knew there were sea monsters there, too.
He had often dreamed of fighting them, but the sight of something so immense hovering above him perhaps gave him a more practical idea of how difficult that would have been.
It wouldn't have stopped him, though.
Michael's hand slid into his own, so he squeezed it instinctively, stroking the back of his hand while he looked around. He wanted to crane his head upwards more, but he couldn't do so without knocking Lucien off his shoulders, so he refrained. For now. He doubted the Mauvian's curiosity would hold him back for long.
Of course, there was much to observe here, and he regarded the crystal protrusions with an odd expression, like he couldn't decide if they were beautiful or horrifying.
Sometimes the intersection of those things was vast.
"I don't know why he wrote everything in such an obscure language," Alastor mused. "It gives the illusion of information without really being accessible, don't it? I want to know what world they're from. And when they were recovered." He glanced over his shoulder, as if he anticipated the curator to appear and answer this questions, but the room was empty except for them.
Probably for the best, given how inclined he was to interrogate the man.
"I've been to plenty of worlds and not seen anything like this."
Well. Not quite like this.
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:37 am
Sessrumnir glanced down at Alastor's hand when his thumb brushed over the back of it, and for a moment, his expression shifted to something softer. It was an automatic reaction by now, the way he let himself be anchored to that touch. It was a small indulgence, maybe… but one he'd earned many times over it seemed.
"I don't think he wrote it for accessibility," Sessrumnir said, glancing back up at the displays. "I think he wrote it because he likes being the only one who can answer questions."
There wasn't quite enough bite in his tone to be true irritation, but it was close. Almadel had always struck him as the sort of man who collected curiosities and secrets with equal enthusiasm. Beautiful things, terrible things, useful things… anything that gave him a story to tell, and an audience to hold captive.
Sessrumnir's gaze moved over the crystals again. For a moment, he could have sworn he felt a flicker in the glass orb at his chest. Not enough to draw attention from anyone who didn't already know what the necklace was, but he could have sworn the light inside shifted, uneasy and uneven, like a candle flame disturbed by a breath. Sessrumnir paused, fingers brushing the necklace before he even realized he'd reached for it.
The pulse within it was still there. Familiar. Beloved. But there was something strange with the rhythm, like an echo beneath the surface of deep water… and gone before he could decide whether he'd imagined it.
His mouth pressed into a thoughtful line.
"Whatever it was," he said quietly, "I don't like the idea of it being treated like decoration."
He looked up at the enormous fossil suspended above them, then to the smaller specimens arranged around the hall. The whale tooth, the jellyfish, the crystalline veins threaded through old bone.
"Preserving something is one thing," he said. "Displaying suffering without understanding it is another."
Lucien did not respond right away. His eyes remained fixed on the crystal, pupils narrowed to thin slits. He did not recognize them. He was almost certain he did not. And yet, the longer he looked, the less he liked them.
"Informaion should not be obscured in a place of study," he said at last, voice clipped. "Unless ignorance is part of the exhibit."
His tail twitched against Alastor's shoulder. "If Almadel knows more than he is saying, I would prefer he be asked before he has the opportunity to turn the answer into a performance."
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:43 am
Alastor watched Sessrumnir out of the corner of his eye, less out of concern and more out of observation. Sessrumnir was remarkably aware, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d noticed a flicker in the necklace. It was gone quickly enough, and Alastor paid it no further mind.
He shrugged, and while he felt disdain for Almadel and his methods, he was unconvinced that it was so simple.
“Unless he doesn’t know,” he suggested. “With as many civilizations that have been lost to time, whatever happened here might be limited to speculation. And,” he looked up at the enormous bones hanging above their head.
“I suppose it would be difficult to do research on something this size. If I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, I’d hope he had this displayed because he was looking for someone to recognize it and share what they know. But,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I don’t find I have much charity to spare where he’s regarded. So, perhaps not.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:45 am
Sessrumnir hummed softly in acknowledgement, his thumb brushing over the glass of the necklace before his hand fell away again.
"Maybe," he allowed, because he could be fair. He didn't really want to be, but Alastor had a point. "Maybe he does care. Maybe he understands more than he lets on. Maybe this is his way of trying to gather information from people who might know something."
He glanced back to the enormous skeleton overhead, following the reach of its arms into the darkness above them. Something that large, something that old, something infected through with crystal and suspended like art… Maybe Almadel had preserved it because no one else could. Maybe there was compassion in that.
Sessrumnir frowned slightly. "But I don't like that he never seems to offer anything without expecting something in return. Even if that something isn't immediate."
There had been help, yes. Important help. Necessary help. The shields Almadel had provided blueprints for had kept the Earth intact and kept them alive when the serpent came. Sessrumnir wasn't ungrateful for that, and he didn't think anyone should be. But gratitude didn't mean he had to trust, and it certainly did not mean ignoring the questions that came with it.
"He collects from abandoned worlds," Sessrumnir said, quieter now, more thoughtful than accusatory. "Or worlds he says are abandoned. He has things that belonged to people who might have wanted them found by someone else."
His fingers brushed the necklace again, this time more deliberately. Then glanced over at Alastor, his expression softening despite the weight of the thought.
"I suppose I should ask you about that instead of making assumptions. Why this was left on Sessrumnir."
He could only assume the necklace was intended as a beacon to guide them back to each other.
In a way, it had…
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not interrupt until Sessrumnir finished.
"An excellent instinct," he said, although whether he meant the suspicion or asking Alastor was deliberately unclear. His tail gave a flick against Alastor's shoulder again.
"Almadel may be useful. He may even be helpful. But usefulness is not the same as benevolence."
Lucien glanced back toward the crystal laced fossils. "And help offered at the precise moment it becomes indispensable is rarely free."
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:45 am
“He got something out of it,” Alastor said decisively. “He just hasn’t told us what it was.” And if anyone had asked, certainly they’d gotten some silver-tongued answer that side-stepped the question altogether.
Not entirely different from what he was doing now, but unlike Almadel, he actually did have every intention to answer.
Finding the words for a decision you made while drenched in grief and heartbreak wasn’t always easy. He didn’t make a point of returning to those memories unless necessary.
But, Sessrumnir had a right to know. And as far as secrets–and memories–went, that was far from the worst.
“You’re right, though. I left it on Sessrumnir because I didn’t know what was going to happen. I promised Percy I would find him, in every lifetime. So I guess I wanted to make sure he had something of me to know that I was on my way. Waiting can be painful.”
His hands fell to his hips and he craned his neck, squinting up at the ceiling.
He knew a lot about waiting.
“I didn’t want him–or whoever came after him–to be alone.”
Of course, Michael hadn’t gotten the necklace until well-into his life.
But he’d found it, eventually.
“I’m not sure how he got through Sessrumnir’s defenses. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. Jupiter itself isn’t friendly, and Sessrumnir is well-fortified. I suppose there’s no knowing what happened to the necklace between when I left it and when he picked it up.. Maybe someone else moved it and he just happened upon it. I’d ask, but I think he’d just find some way to tell me what I wanted to hear.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:47 am
Sessrumnir didn't reach for Alastor's hand when it slipped away. He didn't want to hold him in place, or make it seem like he expected Alastor to carry the weight of the question once it had been answered.
Still, he felt the loss of contact more than he expected.
His arms folded loosely across his chest a moment later, more self protective than casual. One hand found the necklace again, thumb pressing against the glass before he seemed to realize what he was doing. His fingers stilled. Then he let go and kept his arms crossed instead, as if that made the gesture less obvious.
"I don't think he would give you a straight answer," Sessrumnir quietly agreed, because that was easier than addressing the rest of it first. "Or if he did, it would only be the part of the truth he wanted you to have."
He stepped a little closer to one of the smaller displays, eyes moving over the crystalline remains without really seeing them at first.
He knew Alastor had never compared him to Percy. He knew that. There was no part of him that doubted Alastor loved him for himself, with everything he had. But there was something devastatingly romantic about a promise like that. To find someone in every lifetime. To leave a piece of yourself behind so they would know they weren't abandoned.
And waiting was painful.
Not knowing was painful.
Being alone was painful.
Sessrumnir drew in a slow breath and let it out carefully, unwilling to make too much of it. Alastor had only answered the question he'd been asked.
"I'm glad you left it," he said at last, voice softer. "Even if it took a while to find me."
He glanced briefly at the necklace once more, then back up to Alastor. "And I'm glad you did."
Lucien watched them for a moment, ears angled back slightly, though he offered no immediate comment.
There were some things even he knew better than to interrupt.
Instead, he shifted his weight and sprang gracefully down from Alastor's shoulder, landing with all the dignity expected of him. He stretched first, long and deliberate, claws flexing against the floor before he shook himself out.
A shimmer of magic passed over him a moment later. The sleek Mauvian form gave way to something taller, more human. Long light brown hair spilled over his shoulders, his ears remained pointed and furred atop his head, and his tail swept behind him with the same regal irritation as before. His clothing was elegant and unmistakably Alastorian in design, as if he had stepped out of some surviving fragment of that world's memory.
"I am going to inspect the evidence more closely," he announced, as though this were both necessary and obviously expected.
He moved toward the nearest display, hands clasped neatly behind his back as he studied the crystal veined bones.
"Do continue," he added, without looking back. "I am listening."
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:48 am
Alastor noticed the distance immediately. His own change in posture was not born of a desire to separate himself from Sessrumnir, but rather to have a discreet outlet to work out a small bit of restless energy. It built easily in situations like this, where he had a lot of emotions that just didn’t have any other way to creep out.
But this had been building since before they arrived. He just couldn’t run around here like he did in Destiny City.
Sessrumnir was incredibly obvious to Alastor, who kept an eye on him by nature. Even if he hadn’t been watching closely right now, he’d have picked up on the way Sessrumnir kept fiddling with his necklace.
Lucien didn’t go far, so Alastor didn’t worry about him, and the distance gave the illusion of some degree of privacy.
The room could have been packed and it wouldn’t have changed Alastor’s response.
“I’m glad I left it. But it was always going to find its way to you.”
He moved before Sessrumnir, letting his eyes fall to the necklace he usually worked so hard to keep hidden. Alastor lifted the chain gently, then cradled the little glass orb in his hand.
It beat slow, steady. The same as his heartbeat.
His lips graced the cool glass, but then he leaned forward to kiss Sessrumnir, too.
They were alone. He’d have been able to tell if anyone joined them.
Alastor wasn’t worried.
But, he tucked the necklace away when he was done.
“I’d wait forever for you. But I wish I’d found you sooner. I’m glad I get to grow old with you.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 10:57 am
Sessrumnir's breath caught when Alastor stepped in front of him. He should have expected it, probably. Alastor always noticed too much, especially where he was concerned.
But then Alastor's hand was on the chain, the little glass orb cradled so carefully in his palm, and Sessrumnir forgot whatever he might have said to try to downplay whatever he knew Alastor saw.
His heart gave a flutter when Alastor kissed the glass. It was ridiculous. They were married. They had built a life together. They had a kid and responsibilities and years of proof between them. And still, somehow, Alastor could look at him like that and make him feel as if he were falling in love for the first time all over again.
Sessrumnir felt his face warm when Alastor kissed him, although he returned it without hesitation, one hand lifting to rest lightly against Alastor's side. He was quiet for a moment after, eyes lowered while Alastor tucked the necklace away again. Not because he didn't want to look at him, but because looking at him made the feeling swell too much, too fast.
How had he gotten this lucky?
Maybe it was only starseeds. Maybe it was only the strange, cosmic way souls found their paths through death and rebirth and the endless dark between. Maybe he had simply been born with the right piece of forever inside him, and that had been enough to lead Alastor back to him.
But it didn't feel simple. It felt impossible. Miraculous. Like being loved across time by someone who had every reason to be tired of waiting and chose to keep loving anyway.
Sessrumnir let out a quiet, breathless laugh, embarrassed by how easily Alastor could undo him.
"I hope you don't expect me to remember where we are and what we're supposed to be doing when you say things like that," he let out an intentionally wistful sigh, voice low and fond.
His hand held a little more tightly to Alastor's side before he finally looked up at him again. There was still color in his face, but his expression had softened.
"I'm glad I get to grow old with you, too," he said, quieter. "More than I know how to say."
He glanced over at the displays, toward the crystal laced bones and ancient things suspended silently in the air, but his attention didn't linger there long. Not when Alastor was in front of him.
"Whatever it's worth…" Sessrumnir added, "I would have found my way to you, too. In this life. In any life. Even if I didn't know what I was looking for yet."
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