#takes a break from writing profile stuff to write a lil update drabble

[raitrolling]

“Oh! It’s here. Behind you! Haha.”

Lusien turned around, finding the salt shaker he had misplaced now dangling in front of him. An inky black tentacle was wrapped around the shaker, one belonging to the scientist standing on the opposite side of the kitchen island, who was looking at Lusien with amusement.

“Thank you.” He nodded, and grabbed the shaker off him to pour a small amount of salt into the soup he was preparing for the two of them. Vallis responded with a pleased hum, and retracted the tentacle back into his body. A mutual friend of theirs had tailored him a new labcoat, one that had a hidden slit in the back to allow for easier movement for his eldritch appendages.

That friend must not have visited for a while, nor had his other friends, hence why Vallis was spending his evening with the lighthouse keeper. Lusien didn’t mind, of course, and it was probably better for him to keep an eye on the scientist than to leave him to his own devices. He was quite content to let Vallis hang around in his living room and work on one of his puzzle books while Lusien worked on his own paintings, and neither seemed to mind the lack of conversation. Vallis was perfectly capable of filling the silence with his own humming, but Lusien had noticed there was something different to his tone. As if he was singing in a way that deliberately would not affect the blueblood’s mind. It was calming, but in the sense that he was relieved the hybrid had been taking steps to be more mindful of his abilities, more than being musically forced into a state of calmness.

What was less calming, however, was the demands of Vallis’ appetite. He had bought fresh fruit early this evening, and over the course of the night had watched the seadweller idly consume every piece down to the very last individual grape, and not discriminating between any part of each fruit. Banana peels, apple cores, the skins of the citrus fruits and the heads of strawberries, all gone. Lusien would have preferred to have kept those for compost, but he found it hard to fault Vallis for it. He wondered if those tentacles he was capable of producing (summoning? extending? He’s unsure exactly what the correct phrase was) acted on their own, sensing some form of easily-accessible sustenance in the room and dutifully delivering it to the hybrid’s mouth in order to keep up with the demands of the body. Vallis was somewhat apologetic as well, stating with a laugh that he didn’t realise how much he had eaten until there was nothing left.

Lusien couldn’t fault him either for another reason. He could tell that the seadweller was troubled. 

He remembered that Vallis mentioned a while ago that he’d had a falling out with Celise, and as far as he was aware, the rift between them still had yet to be solved. It wasn’t Lusien’s place to ask, nor could he really do anything about it. Celise always ignored his existence, and on the few occasions he had visited the library they had acted dismissive towards him. It seems that they simply did not care about anyone who didn’t match their own personal interests. Vallis didn’t seem to want to reconnect either, knowing that it was probably a lost cause... Or knowing now that one simply cannot mend a broken relationship with an apology alone.

They were at an impasse, just as Vallis was with Thrixe. And while the seadweller acted like he didn’t mind, spacey as always, singing and humming while he worked on his own projects, Lusien could see the melancholic aura permeating from him. Imperceptible to trolls who lacked his specific kind of psiionics, and undeniably the reason why Vallis was spending more time with him recently. He was lonely.

He couldn’t solve this problem, that was something for Vallis and Celise to work out amongst themselves, and he hadn’t been invited to do so anyway. But, there were things he could provide for him. Some company, and, after giving the pot of soup one last stir and shutting off the stove, a warm meal. He served himself a bowl, making sure to get an even amount of stewed meats and vegetables, then stepped aside to allow Vallis to enter the kitchen.

“Help yourself,” Lusien said with a nod.

“Oh! Thank you!” The seadweller glowed happily, and, true to his voracious appetite... Took the pot off the stove and carried it over to the dining table, swiping the stirring spoon from the bench with a tentacle to use instead of a standard sized utensil. 

Lusien suppressed a sigh. It doesn’t look like he’ll have any leftovers for tomorrow.