chaos and control | druig ✔︎

17 | complicated

17 | I don't care 

how complicated it gets, 

I still want you

2023 - The Domo

Hestia sat on a ledge, wondering where all her stuff had gone. She had left some things on the Domo, like her sketchbook. She decided to look through the messy room and try to find it. Walking past stacks of books, with titles she didn't recognise, she found a leather-bound book, with her name scratched into it.

Flipping it open, she saw all sorts of different quotes, that seemed like they were said by some ancient people, like Aristotle. However, when she looked closer, she saw that there were dates under every one of them, including her name and a place. One of them was from Babylon. "I like to live in the present, rather than the future." It read.

Shock washed over her like a wave of cold water. Druig and her went on their date in Babylon, that was what she had responded when he asked if she ever thought about what happened after their mission finished. After she told him that, he had joked that he would put all the poetic things she said into a book, and he actually did.

More and more pages were filled with things she had remembered saying, some bringing up memories she had forgotten, some bringing up memories she would never forget. Even though she was searching for her sketchbook, she was more than satisfied with what she had found instead.

"My beautiful, beautiful Hestia." Druig whispered, causing her to turn around and glare at him, not wanting to hear those words from his mouth until he apologised.

He held his hand up at her, showing her sketchbook. She eyed him suspiciously and realised he spotted the book she was holding. Within a second, Druig had snatched the book from her hands, and she did the same with her sketchbook that he was holding. Satisfied, Hestia smiled at the familiar notebook.

She opened it, to flip through all the drawings she had made over time. A few drawings were of Druig, some were simply landscapes, and others were plants, with the original inspiration next to it, either taped or just loose. It felt amazing to her to have it back in her hands, where it belonged. She was about to close the book, when she realised there was a piece of paper sticking out on the first page and Hestia pulled it out.

"I'm sorry" it read, a small heart underneath. She didn't need long to figure out who wrote it. Her eyes glanced across the room, to find Druig already staring at her. Strolling over to him, she gave the paper to him.

"For what?" She questioned him, knowing damn well why he said sorry, though she wanted to hear him say it, directly in her face, before even thinking about forgiving him.

Druig sighed, realising she wasn't going to let him off easy, at all. "I'm sorry for walking away. I'm sorry for dragging you away from me, and I'm sorry for leaving. I regretted it every day."

"Was that so hard?" Hestia smiled softly, clutching her sketchbook to her chest.

"Actually, it was harder than you think." He stated. "Well, then you know how I felt when I said everything to you on the plane." She retorted; chin held high.

"So, does this mean I can call you 'my beautiful, beautiful Hestia' again?" Druig smirked, stepping closer to Hestia. She faked being in deep thought for a moment, but eventually she answered. "I guess you're going to have to find out." She dared him.

"I'm sorry. What are we watching?" Phastos gestured at the two of them. "Because this... Are you two?"

"Is this new?" Kingo joined in. "Because I hate it."

"Kingo." Hestia started. "You know what I hate?" He just shook his head. "Your movies."

He looked insanely offended at that moment, and Druig held up his hand, Hestia getting the hint and giving him a high-five.

"Phastos, I need to control the mind of a Celestial." Everyone gathered around.

'Okay, get ready for it." Phastos waved his hands in the air.

"Bracelets?" Kingo quizzed. "You made us bracelets?" Hestia saw what Phastos had projected in the air and her breath hitched in her throat. The bracelets that were floating in the air, looked exactly like the bracelet Phastos had used to force her asleep.

Druig wrapped an arm around her, remembering what she had told her about her past experience with a bracelet.

"So, here's a little Celestial 101. Celestials are the most powerful energy generators in the universe. When Arishem made us, he imbued us with infinite cosmic energy to keep our bodies regenerating." Phastos explained. "The bracelets, in theory, shut down our regeneration process. And once that happens, our bodies accumulate extra cosmic energy."

"What for?" Sersi asked.

"Well, if the deviants can absorb our energy, what if we can absorb each other's energy as well?" Phastos posed the idea to the group. "If I can find a way to connect us all, one of us could become immensely powerful, pulling the accumulated energy from the rest, forming..."

Phastos paused for a minute, pulling up a visual. "A uni-mind." He clapped his hands together.

"'Uni' meaning 'one' and 'mind' meaning 'mind'." He explained to the group. "We heard you the first time." Kingo declared.

"Yeah, I think the explanation wasn't necessary." Hestia remarked. "Terrible name." Sprite agreed and nodded.

"We'll brainstorm..." Kingo gasped. "Brainstorm! That's a way better name!"

Phastos refused. "No, I invented it, so I'm calling it whatever I want." Makkari waved her arms to get everyone's attention.

"So, suppose Druig can, say... put Tiamut to sleep. Then what?" She signed. "She's got a point, you know. If he needs all of our power to put it to sleep, who says he can keep Tiamut asleep when we take the bracelets off and we get our power back?" Hestia backed Makkari up.

"Not saying that I'm doubting you, before you get all mad at me." She put her hands up in defence after seeing the look Druig gave her.

"We find humans a new home on another planet." Sersi reasoned.

"Are we building a big ship, too?" Sprite joked at the woman. "Take a pair of each animal?"

"Well, you know what's never saved the planet. Your sarcasm." Phastos pointed out.

"If we're all gonna die, we might as well die being sarcastic bitches." Hestia suggested.

"Space colonization could take decades." Sprite deadpanned. "It can happen quickly with our help." Sersi proposed, shrugging.

"What if we end up accidentally killing Tiamut?" Kingo sounded very concerned. "We could be responsible for billions of lives not being created across the universe. Boss, am I right?"

"Say something, Ikaris." Sprite begged the man next to her. "You don't think we should be doing this."

"She's got a thing for him, I'm telling you." Hestia whispered to Druig, who snorted.

It stayed quiet for a while, everyone awaiting Ikaris' answer. "Ajak chose Sersi to lead us." He finally said. "Sersi should decide."

"Forget who Ajak chose." Sprite commented, annoyed by Ikaris' answer. "You're the strongest. You should be making this decision."

"Just because he's the strongest, doesn't mean he's the smartest. Ajak chose Sersi for a reason." Hestia rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Just keep lying to yourself." Sprite glared at Ikaris, and she stormed out. "Sprite." Ikaris sighed; arms still crossed. He ended up walking out after the girl.