Complications of Mortality | Druig x OC

XXVIII | Mystery Planet

They had gathered around the golden casting of Earth's globe in Phastos' lab. Makkari's face was pointed up to it, watching the planet as it rotated on it's axis. Her arms lifted in confusion, golden reflections casting against her face as she trained in on it. 

It's been weeks, her hands moved to sign. 

Thena had been standing on the other side, arms comfortably crossed over one another and hands neatly tucked away. Makkari had convinced the group of them to return to human clothes. To take a break from the constant training and improvements to their abilities in order to try and connect with the rest of their group of eternals. 

Akiva joined them, offering a delicate silver metal tray to Thena. The goddess took one of the choux pastries, plucking it from the stack and raising it to her lips as she watched Makkari sign. The mimic moved over to Druig, settling against the table he was sitting on top of before setting the platter down between them. She didn't have to watch his movements to know that he was already reaching for a few. 

The girl had basically drowned herself in layering, stacking burnt umber sweaters on top of tanned undershirts and thick brown trousers. 

We haven't heard from any of them. Makkari held her hands up in the air in a sense of almost-wonder, eyes flicking around for any trace or indication that they still inhabited the planet at all. Akiva tilted her head, directed her attention up to the globe as well. It's like...they've disappeared. 

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. 

Akiva leaned off of the table, turning over her shoulder as she watched an empty spot in the hallway towards Arishem's bridge. There wasn't anything there, not to the naked eye at least. But she felt celestial energy beginning to brew a few feet from the ground.

Her shoulders tensed and she stood a bit straighter, taking a small, hesitant step around the table. 

"Arishem," Thena announced, breaking her focus from the globe and directing her attention over to Makkari. They shared a look, even though neither of them had exactly had the luxury of communicating with any celestial at all.

Akiva held the breath in her lungs, extending her fingers out straight to prevent her natural urge to curl them into tight fists. The muscles and tendons along each of her digits strained with pressure, taking another step forward until she stopped all together. 

"We have to go back." Thena decided, causing Makkari's lips to set back into pause. They had already made it so far, venturing out across space and searching for any sign of celestial seeds implanted into various planets. Every chance they had with intelligent life had fallen short. Every opportunity they came across to even seek out a trace of another eternal group had vanished before they got the chance to grasp it. 

Their voices fell into a muffled hush behind her ears, eyes violently trained on the spot. She expected something to be there--anything. The energy that lingered against the wall was brewing right beneath her fingertips. But she couldn't recognize it, not yet.

Someone's tone called out to her. She almost moved to raise her head to the source but she couldn't look away. Not when the energy was so close. 

"Akiva!" 

Her head tilted, jerking towards Druig as he called out to her. Akiva watched him with wide eyes, exhaling her held breath before moving her attention back over to Thena. 

"What is it?" the goddess asked softly, letting her voice carry across the room. Her question echoed around the circular lab, bouncing off of the walls before Akiva brought her face straight back towards the hallway.