[PCA] UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS

[skinstealer]

....it had been some time.




The proxy formed in that horrible fight with the fiend was an infrequent member of the castle, but there.


There, and lonely. The other rooks were frustratingly absent every time she stood in their stead, even here in the otherworldly domain.




Left to writhe in bed until someone external got there, her frustration made worse by the contexts for her manifestation.



Thankfully, Lash had found her in distress early enough on the switch to let Maes know, the karacel rushing down the hall and past the proxy as soon as she heard.


She slows down as soon as she recognizes a landmark with her tail- specific statues and decor dragged out of some manner of castle storage to provide quick checkpoints when unguided. Lash would have helped, but-





Jacque was too much of a priority for her to wait.

MAES: ...



 

She takes a deep breath.




This is still new.
She'd have assumed it'd be less of a big deal by now, and yet it feels like something both terrifyingly unknown and something profound.




Fear over hurting her, and the desire to take care of something so fragile and devoted.




Maes slinks in quietly, shutting the door behind her.



The sound is enough to stir the proxy, Maes able to hear her shuffle out of the sheets and try to get a grip.

JACQUE: ..Boss?
MAES: ...hello.

 

There's an audible tail slap on the bed. That had been easy to pick up- a reaction to her presence, a sign of her snapping out of whatever breakdown she had been in.





....it wasn't hard for Jacque, when her very presence was limited to-

JACQUE: Shouldn't have pulled the trigger for a 8 footer, hindsight is 20-20..

 

....



It had been a hard week.



Judgment and the Rooks in general were more on edge during expeditions these days, Jacque manifesting like an anxiously pulled trigger.




Charon tried to play it off.



Handling the job.
Keeping people safe.
Making things right.


...overkill was a understatement for what happened during today's breach.

MAES: You had to act fast-

 

She grimaces as she gets closer.

MAES: ...but, yes.
MAES: You went too far.
JACQUE: Any one of us could've handled it quickly, really but...


 

Her optimism sounds strained.

JACQUE: I do get to talk to you proper.
MAES: Don't blow yourself up just for that.
JACQUE: It's fine, I hit it harder..

 

In one strike the proxy had effectively deleted the thing, atomized without a trace left.


No viscera to even clean up, its existence erased to all who hadn't seen it.





It was.. something that'll have to be explained to crew later, the pocket being an immediate retreat after that mess of a workday.
They'd get the report in mere minutes, after Maes and Charon has gotten enough rest.

MAES: Hitting harder is not the point.

 

The proxy shrinks back into the blankets, clearly trying to hide and failing- her enormous body making Maes look particularly small in comparison.

JACQUE: I'm sorry...

 

Maes winces, carefully sitting on the bed.

MAES: I'm...not trying to scold you.
MAES: But you can't be so risky.
JACQUE: I know, I just.. I don't want something hurting you.
MAES: So it's okay for you to get hurt, then?

 

Another attempt to bury herself.

JACQUE: I'll rest it off but...
JACQUE: It's a bad habit, yes...
MAES: Well...now I have to patch you up.
MAES: Where does it hurt?

 

Maes' surgical arms unfurl, the cat's ear twitching as the audio cues start up.





She hadn't needed to do formal startup calibration as much lately.


Bad habit, but ideal for this.

MAES: Don't hide anything.

 

The proxy finally unearths herself again, her voice confused.

JACQUE: ...Did you sneak those in here?
MAES: Necessary risk.
JACQUE: Without us noticing..?
MAES: Is that so surprising?
MAES: It's not as if I don't store other things here between jobs.




 

The proxy hesitates-

JACQUE: Mm.. guess not..

 

-and then gets shy, poking her nose against one of the arms.

 

[id: maes on the bed of a massive, reptilian proxy- jacque grinning with sharp teeth as the karacel approaches with her surgical arms. the tendrils engulf the page, feeling everywhere they can reach.]

JACQUE: I'd like to be held a bit.

 

The arm twitches, giving her an inadvertent scritch on the snout.



...side effect of the lazy startup.

More reason for Maes to revise her behavior.

MAES: ....these are meant for treating wounds, Jacque.
MAES: You get hugs after we check you for any damage.
MAES: A quick examination is all I ask, because I don't want you downplaying anything.
JACQUE: ...If you insist, doctor.

 

The proxy sits up, her height more apparent.


Jacque is large. Strangely enough, she's also reptilian- and organic, at that.
A rarity among the typically mammalian and artificial rooks.




Something new and precious to study.



Maes scoots in as the arms began to investigate, the surgeon operating them with care.

MAES: Bruises, bruises, light but present-
MAES: ...does it hurt right here?

 

She pokes at a soft stretch of flesh.

JACQUE: Only a little...
JACQUE: I'm mostly unscathed, just....sore.
JACQUE: Muscles hurt.
MAES: Mm...

 

One of the surgical arms finds a tender spot, massaging in.

Careful. Careful.


She gets a squeak out of the proxy, the sound distinctly Mar's.

JACQUE: So professional today...
MAES: W-well, I have to be-

 

There's a distinct nervousness to Maes' voice, especially as the massage becomes...significantly less professional, more like a stroke along the proxy's upper arm.



Stop that.

JACQUE: ...It was scary to see for you, yes?
MAES: It always is.

 

Even moreso now, the cat's mouth twitching at the corner.

MAES: I worry about you.
JACQUE: We haven't talked much, not like this..
MAES: I wish we could more, just...without...
 

Surgical arm trailing to her collarbone.

 

Stop that.

JACQUE: Just more mundane, casual, no stakes...


 

She catches the arm before it could get to the proxy's neck, physically grabbing it with her hand with zero warning.

JACQUE: ...Are you okay?
MAES: ...Just a glitch.
JACQUE: We could do a little maintenance, must just be overworked..



 

Overworked.


A common word, but one that feels...different, in this case.


Frustration.


Indignation.

The startups have been so quick.
That was good, wasn't it?


A bad habit, perhaps, but the job was handled.
The arms are working-

....


But not as intended.

MAES: Third session this week.
MAES: I-

 

She tries to shake the feeling off.



This is ridiculous.



Jacque is just trying to help.

And- she's right!
This is not the correct functionality!

MAES: Hmgh.
MAES: I'll ask Flor.


 

The feeling calms, almost as unnaturally as it appeared.



For the best.


She powers down the rig, unhooking it from her back with a sigh.

MAES: Let's, just...skip to the hugging thing.
MAES: As promised.



 

The proxy pulls her in close without a single bit of hesitation-


Maes fluffs up before she can help it, a startled purr escaping her.





She's so small, effectively a toy in her arms.

Which

she was not going to think about too hard.

JACQUE: ...Sorry, got excited..
MAES: You have a lot more weight to throw around like this...
JACQUE: Need it.

 

The proxy nuzzles up, her teeth grazing against Maes' neck just enough to get the picture.



A predatory animal, built to finish fights in an instant.

Not unlike Maes herself, but-

...different when she's on the receiving end.

MAES: A-as much as I appreciate the size upgrade...

 

She gives the proxy's teeth a small kiss, caressing her cheek.

MAES: ....did you really become this just to protect me that night?
JACQUE: If only, that'd make for such a nice story... certainly the first time in awhile though.



 

Maes pauses.

MAES: ...you don't talk much about those times.
JACQUE: We never know where to start..

 

The proxy's tail brushes against hers.

MAES: Kettle mentioned some, recently.
MAES: Having to drink blood...

 

She returns it, intertwining them together.

Jacque's posture untenses, holding Maes close and petting her hair with a thumb.

JACQUE: Didn't feed growing up.
JACQUE: The vampire thing....made kids think we were weird.
JACQUE: But- things changed.
JACQUE: Got forced to to survive for awhile, ended up hating the taste for years.

 

The proxy blushes, realizing the implication as Maes frowns.

JACQUE: ...You're different, though!
JACQUE: ...something comforting.

 

Maes nods, nuzzling into Jacque's chest to encourage her to continue.

JACQUE: When we were young we messed with magic a lot- grew up close to a neighbor family who lived the witchy life.
JACQUE: Went against everyone's instructions, got sucked into another world for a whole year.. a place like this castle but less of a home and more...
MAES: Like a hell you had to fight through.

 

She nods.

JACQUE: Way to put it.
JACQUE: At the time it was just two, and now it's..
JACQUE: Five?
JACQUE: Six?
JACQUE: Seven if you think of me as my own..
MAES: I...guess I can relate.
MAES: It felt like every day was another step in some kind of endless gauntlet.
MAES: ....without the proxy part.
JACQUE: Mm..

 

Not going to look into that unconvinced tone either.

Swerve the topic.

MAES: ...Did you have anyone to care for you like this?
JACQUE: Friends, but after a point it was pretty much just other kids my age so... we were running tight.

 

Jacque grows a little quiet at that.

MAES: Do you still stay in touch?
MAES: If- they're...around.
JACQUE: Mm.. most of them came from really far away though, so we don't see each other often...
MAES: Maybe...we could see them someday.
MAES: Together.
MAES: I-I mean, if you'll have me.

 

It's Maes' turn to blush.

JACQUE: I'd love to introduce them to you.. sure they'd be happy to know we've met someone nice.
MAES: ...well.
MAES: I wouldn't say nice.
JACQUE: Then what should I say?
MAES: ...Hm.
MAES: I guess saying I bite the shit out of you would be off-putting.
JACQUE: At least one of them is a vampire, so it wouldn't be that weird.
MAES: At least.

 

Jacque laughs, a welcome reprieve from the whimpering earlier.

JACQUE: Should I go over them?
MAES: Yes, please.
MAES: It'll be an excellent distraction to keep you resting.
JACQUE: Hmm...
JACQUE: Cousin Geezer you're going to meet eventually.
JACQUE: He's a knight too, very cool-headed and the one who'll probably get the guild house one day.
JACQUE: Nothing but supportive, can trust him with my life.

 

A pause.

MAES: ...his name is Geezer?
JACQUE: Nickname he got as a kid that stuck.
MAES: Doomed to be called an old man.
JACQUE: You'd never think it looking at him though...

 

Maes gives her a tail squeeze.

MAES: And the others?
JACQUE: Hmm...
JACQUE: Fenton is another fiend, more visibly than us.
JACQUE: He's a bit of a tinker, we hit it off quickly...
JACQUE: There's Hickory too who's a proximity- lab-made though, so they really just had us at the time.
JACQUE: No family to speak of.
JACQUE: ....
JACQUE: The two of them are still together..
MAES: Did they partner up during it all?
JACQUE: A little bit.. neither of them had anywhere to go back to, so..
JACQUE: Staying together made sense.

 

She nods, giving her another encouraging nuzzle.

MAES: And your cousin- is he a fiend as well?
JACQUE: Dopple.
MAES: Adoptive?
JACQUE: Mmhmm..
MAES: ...in a way I'm happy to hear it.
MAES: S-sorry.
MAES: That came out, very wrong.
MAES: ....... I'm not used to people understanding that part of my life either.
JACQUE: A lot of my cousins are in the same boat..
JACQUE: Knight families tend to be less about blood and more.. a patchwork of good people who want to work together.


 

Maes can't help but smile.

MAES: I have to respect it, considering everything.
JACQUE: Mm... I have a feeling you'll get along with them.
JACQUE: Next...Opera.
JACQUE: She's a karacel with a proxy that.. well-
JACQUE: We have a lot in common.
JACQUE: Part of a group of ghost hunters.
JACQUE: ...though they.. really stretch the definition of ghost sometimes.
JACQUE: Very sweet, maybe a bit of a troublemaker on occasion.
MAES: You're recommending I hang out with a ghost hunting troublemaker.

 

Her tone grows teasing.

MAES: How far I have grown.
JACQUE: They're all a lot more mellow than it sounds.
MAES: You'll have to introduce me.

 

She gives the proxy a big squeeze, burying her head in her chest.

JACQUE: Mm.. usually we don't meet all at once unless we're gutting a would-be messiah but... we can see if they'd make a exception.
MAES: It'd be nice to be a part of normal reunion...
JACQUE: Same, just a weekend together eating good food and playing games..
MAES: You really think I could have that?
JACQUE: I'd love it, seriously..
MAES: Someday, then....