Chapter Text
Rui was half-kneeling, half-crouching on the floor. He looked up at the body he was building, the artificial body made with the purpose for learning if he could make organic body parts that worked with the real body for amputees. He buttoned up the pants all the way, and stood up. Looking over to his bed, Rui paused. The coat or the cape… The cape got picked up, and shrugged over the robot's shoulders, Rui clipping the sash in the front underneath the large metal shoulderpiece. This is what he always wears, I might as well.
Tup.
Standing back, it was admired one more time. The boots, a deep brown-blue, practically black, laced all the way to his knees, black pants tucked inside, froofing out right where they meet. The pants, high waisted all the way to almost mid-stomach, had the shirt tucked in. An almost black shirt that buttoned far to the left side with a large collar, cravat hanging down with a shining sapphire, sparkling asterism right in the middle. The cape was just a sash across his right shoulder from under the shoulder-guard to over his left arm attaching to the full cape in the back, also a deep blue, though the inside had faded patterns of a galaxy within it.
Rui’s fingers brushed the face, bumping into the grooves within the face where the plates did not quite reach so that each piece of the face could move correctly. I should fix that soon. Letting out a deep breath, he took his hand away from it and turned to his bed, slowly stepping the few feet over to the opened couch bed, and falling face first.
Thump.
He lay there for a while, always on the verge of almost falling asleep, never truly getting there though.
Wet. Well slightly, his arms were lying on… What was it? Ah, freshly rained on grass. And a shuffle beside him. And sparkling eyes, those same sparkling eyes he saw every night. I see. A dream again. At least I fell asleep. Rui lie on the grass thinking to himself while staring at the figure literally glowing beside him.
The same boy as every night, the one he felt needed the body he was making for some odd reason. Almost like the boy told him every night how much he wished to be with him, although he never spoke. Only soft, clear noises like laughs, in that voice, the same one every time too. Clearly not that of a young child, but also not old, yet so, so clear.
“Welcome!” Oh. He spoke this time. Sitting up, Rui looked at the figure who was now standing and walking over to a small puppet-like stage that was in front of Rui’s feet. “I am glad you would like to attend my show! Let us get started!” Rui tilted his head and shuffled closer, crossing his legs and setting his hands in his lap looking at the stage. The boy seemed very energetic, and more than excited. That big smile too.
The curtains moved, paper dolls appeared on stage, and Rui was more than mesmerized. “There were once souls made of magic, a being humans may have called a deity, not quite a god, yet not quite a human. That is incorrect though, as they were just those of a different world, with affinity to magic.” A golden silhouette with deep-purple accents was the main focus now. “Often, they are the stars within the skies. And even more often, they grow attached to the human who watches them every night, almost knowing they are alive in the vast sky.” Now, another silhouette appeared next to the golden one, holding what looked like flowers. “These beings wish to be with the ones they now call dear, though they cannot, only yearning from afar for the one who has captured all of their thoughts.”
The golden silhouette now fell to their knees on the floor, glowing tears falling to the floor in a puddle beneath them. “One such being’s want was so great, they had learned how to communicate with their person, whether the human thought it was real or not.” The figure shifted into a deeper gold silhouette, though this one had more definition to its features, and the person was changed, now clearly a woman with long black hair. “Then one day, as they watched from above while the one they held dear was awake, they saw a bouquet of flowers left on the windowsill. Though it had a note next to it, ‘to the one of my dreams,’ and within were the words, ‘I wish you were truly here to hold me like you do in my dreams, though I know it to not be possible.’ And the being wept, they wept their glowing tears from the sky below to the flowers.”
The plants grew on the stage, glowing like the tears, and slowly wrapped around the figure. “Then, the plants became something most wonderful, a true body for the being, one that could touch the ground on earth.” The boy sighed, and Rui almost looked away from the story for a moment to glance at him, “Then their person found them, and held them how they wished they could. The being now understood what they always wanted, that warmth that comes with being held, that joy, the flutter in their heart.” The figures on the stage now embraced each other, and the stage slowly dimmed, and the boy looked up at Rui.
“The end.” His smile was warm, “How did you like it? Wonderful, right?” Rui could only stare in astonishment. He thinks he may have started crying at some point. “I’m glad.” Rui was now the one being embraced, and somehow, though he knew he was dreaming, he felt very warm. “Thank you, Rui.” The boy whispered, and Rui closed his eyes, bringing his arms around the boy as well.
“Uuuuuurgh…” Rui groaned into his pillow. He had woken back up, and was staring at the dark ceiling. He had barely even slept for an hour before waking up again. Damned insomnia.
Then, a flash, well, more like a blinding light and a screeching noise, like when it gets quiet and your ears ring, only much, much louder.
Rui clenched his eyes, at least he thought he did, it was hard to tell when all he could see was bright white. Rubbing his eyes, Rui then opened and blinked them a few more times. Ah they were closed, good.
“Haa..hwaa–!!??” It was moving. The body Rui built. Huh. Perhaps Nene was right, I really am sleep deprived. “HRUUCH??!” It seemed as though it was struggling, and then falling?
FWUMP!
“Oh my, it actually is moving. Ah, fufu~ This is truly fascinating.” Rui stood up from his bed, walking over to the body now on the floor. “Perhaps you need some help there?” He offered his hand, which was taken almost immediately. Clearly, the body was struggling, and Rui couldn’t say any less for himself.
Rui eventually led them over to the couch, and sat the two of them down.“Okay… So, can you understand me?” Sparkling eyes nodded at him, “Alright, can you speak in that case?” The face scrunched up this time.
“Ahh Uhh– Ahhm–” It looked like he was… Struggling? He could clearly speak but..? Does he not know how? “HAAMPH!!” Wow, okay he was very loud. And waving his hand in front of Rui’s face trying to get his attention. Ah, he spaced out again. Once it was clear attention was back on it, the hands started moving again, pointing at its throat this time and grumbling angrily.
“I apologize, I am not quite sure if I understand what yo–” Rui was interrupted by it pointing a hand to its mouth now, “Ah ? Can you not..? Do you not know how to… Use your mouth?” That would explain why he fell earlier, perhaps… Rui had brought his pointer finger to his chin, curling it
He took a deep breath in. “Alright… then I shall teach you how to speak!” Rui giggled, then looked up. Well, I should start with the basics… So the Alphabet?
It was still looking at him. Very intently. “Okay, alphabet. A is, well no you can already make that sound,” Rui could only remember his loud yell from earlier, “Okay then, B is made with your lips, close them and then allow the air to leave your mouth while they are pressed together.”
“Mmmm?” It looked at him confused. Definitely not right.
“Okay let’s see… ‘B’ is not a continuous sound so, just do it once? Does that make sense?” Rui did not know how to explain, maybe more description would be better, he was no teacher though.
“Mm– B! B! BBBB! HAHA!” And now it was huffing with pride, clearly it knew it did it right this time. And Rui knew he figured it out. I guess that means I figured it out… Now for the rest of the alphabet… Rui took a deep breath. He was going to teach a seemingly new being how to speak, this could really turn out to be a good learning experience.