Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt: Hunter x OC

Blossoming

Hunter took a deep breath, sinking deeper into the plush L-shaped couch in the corner of Tech and Phee's living room, trying to tune out their excited chatter as they bent over the glowing blossom from the cave. They were huddled at their dinner table, datapads and records scattered everywhere, and they were deep in thought and theory as they considered all of the possibilities of its significance. Lyra shifted her feet where they lay crossed on the large ottoman, tilting her head sideways against the tall cushion behind her to gaze at Hunter, who noticed immediately and glanced in her direction.

They'd both been thoroughly interrogated by Tech upon recounting their adventure, with some interjections of awe and curiosity from Phee, and both felt entirely spent, realizing they should have slept in more if they were to be subjected to an afternoon of this. But upon gathering enough information to be satisfied, if only temporarily, Tech and Phee had dismissed them to the living room in favor of a thorough examination of the flower, requiring them to stand by in case they were needed for a cave visit later.

"Did you manage to sleep at all?" Lyra asked Hunter, who nodded slowly. "How?!" she pressed, having been unable to stop replaying all that had happened, still not entirely sure that the whole thing wasn't just a dream.

"I've seen a lot of weird stuff in my life," he shrugged, stretching his own legs out across the ottoman. "No point in dwelling on it when there's nothing to be done."

"Well that sounds just fine and dandy," she chuckled. "I wish I could turn my brain off."

"I'm sure Tech could come up with something for that."

"Ah, yeah... I'm not quite that desperate."

"Smart choice."

They gazed at each other for a moment longer, then at the floor, the window, their feet... anywhere to take a break from the magnetic pull they felt. Hunter was picking up on an odd combination of anxiety and comfort from Lyra, although he wondered if he was also projecting what he himself felt and was unable to reconcile. There was an inexplicable sensation of not knowing what to do with himself and yet still feeling some kind of compulsion, all while being deeply content in her presence. Attempting to push the thoughts from his mind, he rose to his feet, ambling to the dining table where Phee was carefully holding the petals apart as Tech scanned each one with his datapad.

"Having fun?" Hunter asked, resting a hand on the back of Tech's chair.

"I am not sure I would classify it as–"

"Yes," Phee interjected, grinning at Tech, who gave her a thin-lipped yet harmless look at her interruption.

"Yes, you may call it fun," he conceded, turning his luminous eyes on Hunter. "This is a remarkable piece of flora. Did you look at it closely?"

"Not really," Hunter shook his head.

"There are runes along the edge of each petal that are nearly indecipherable to the naked eye, but we have been able to magnify and analyze them after a methodical scanning process."

"And?"

"And they appear to be either some sort of language native to Xylo or an ancient form of communication that is no longer utilized in any modern database. Therefore, their meaning will continue to elude us until we are able to make sense of the patterns and strokes."

"You couldn't have given us a better gift," Phee laughed, dragging her finger from one side of her datapad screen to the other, where she had organized the runes and was running various trials on them.

"Indeed," Tech agreed, eyes glimmering behind his yellow lenses. "With our unique experiences and expertise in this area, we are truly the most terrific team to be tackling such a task."