Earthbound (Mother): Giegue/Ninten
Title: Larvae
Author: eiviiaru
Rating: PG
Warnings: Potential Mother spoilers, mostly. Also, like Mother, this fic involves preteens in frightening situations, so if that's uncomfortable for you, please avoid.
Word count: 1339
Summary: There is much Giegue does not understand about humans.
Prompt: Earthbound (Mother), Giegue/Ninten: Someone who is not as they seem. - "May I observe you for awhile?"
A/N: This isn't precisely a pairing fic, and I apologize for that. I hope it still fulfills the prompt, though.
Also, I'm going to be using the "Gyiyg" spelling for Giegue's name throughout. This is because I plan for this story to have continuity with my later EB stories in this round, and it's easier to use a game-neutral spelling than suddenly start spelling the same character's name differently in the subsequent fics. Apologies in advance if this causes any confusion.
The first thing that troubles Gyiyg about humans is that they never change their forms. Never do they shed their skins entering a new instar, and never do they pupate; they simply grow larger. They grow large but stay soft, like larvae.
How puzzling.
***
The humans are all clustered together now, in their dormancy, and yet Gyiyg finds himself continuing his observations. There is something fascinating about a dormant human: the rise and fall of their chests, the twitches, the postures. The silver-haired one has curled in on himself, holding his knees to his chest, while the golden-haired one is on her side, lightly contorted. Only Ninten keeps his extremities straight, lying supine and still. Perhaps it is a dominance gesture?
After a few hours of no great physical change, Gyiyg sends his mind to probe theirs and see if they are dormant as well. He tries the golden-haired one first, and his view opens on a great field of pink-hued clouds, with some great spiraling structure visible in the distance --
Gyiyg shudders. There is something wrong about this, and there is the faint aching of some old pain. Best to move on.
He tries the silver-haired one next and finds his consciousness inside a great machine, silvery gears and cogs in a masterful concordance. He is inside the machine, and he can make out, vaguely, the silver-haired human at a distant control panel. The machine is huge, it is moving, and it is stifling. There are sparks, and the heat grows, and a steam whistle screams as the light glints off the silver-haired one's eye coverings.
No. No. No.
Gyiyg pulls back, and for a moment he lets the humans go and focuses again on his chamber. He can hear the machinery humming, yes, but it is a low, safe noise. There is no danger of being contaminated by any substance of Earth; no human could hope to harm him here. He is safe. He is safe, and they are dormant, no matter what might work in their minds.
The last one left, and the most important, is Ninten. Gyiyg projects his consciousness into his, and he finds -- a vast starfield, and a ship moving through it. Ninten stands on the deck alone, staring out into the stars, and while he cannot identify any of the formations he sees, Gyiyg remembers them clearly. They pass each landmark in turn, Ninten obliviously and Gyiyg knowing full well what will come.
When Gyiyg finally wrenches himself away from Ninten's mind, the little ship was nearly to Homeworld.
The fear he felt before is nothing compared to that. Ninten is dormant, and he is of Earth; how can he possibly know the way to Homeworld? How could an Earth-dweller know those stars so precisely? Gyiyg shudders again, more strongly. Is this more knowledge that George has stolen from him and passed along to his spawn's spawn's larva? How can it be?
The second thing that troubles Gyiyg about humans is something he cannot put a name to: their dreams.
***
There is something discouraging about the other two humans, and yet every time he watches them, it is Ninten he focuses on. There is something fascinating about him above and beyond the simple fact that he is the spawn of the spawn of the spawn of George. Perhaps it is his facility with the Mysteries, his easy grasp of techniques that Gyiyg's underlings have taken years to learn -- but the golden-haired one is an even better example of that, and while the human capacity for the Mysteries is still a stinging wound in Gyiyg's mind, it is no longer of special interest to him. No, there is something about Ninten he cannot quantify -- the way he walks, the shape of his face, that bright and distant look in his eyes.
When Gyiyg stares at Ninten, he hears music.
There is some power that drives the creature, he is certain of it. He is nothing but a larva, but there is a suggestion that something great and terrible may emerge from him, in time. There is something far beyond the standard life cycle of a human here -- something like himself, Gyiyg decides. He must know more. He must draw Ninten to him.
He enters Ninten's mind again that night. This time, Ninten stands at the base of Mt. Itoi, staring up into the clouds at the peak. Gyiyg begins to make himself emerge from the clouds, levitating down into view slowly. In this world, he is unfettered from his machine, and he allows Ninten to see him truly. Ninten, he broadcasts. You are a fascinating creature. I would like to know more --
The fabric of Ninten's mental landscape is rocked by a surge of rejection, and Ninten screams. With a rumble, the mountain behind Gyiyg begins to collapse, a rain of stones propelled by Ninten's palpable out of my mind! The pressure bears down on him, and even his full knowledge that it is harmless does not prevent the crushing pain. Gyiyg tears himself away before the sensation registers to the physical.
When he has his bearings again -- when he has reassured himself that he has not been harmed -- Gyiyg returns to his observations, this time externally. This time, the humans are awake, speaking in hushed tones to one another. Ninten is pale, his face and eyes moistened; he speaks softly, shakily.
"He... he... he was there. In my dream..."
The silver-haired human frowns and takes one of Ninten's hands. The other is already held by the golden-haired one, whose eyes are moistening as well. "It's okay," says the silver-haired one, louder. "We're here for you. We're not gonna let him get you!"
"Loid's right." The golden-haired one speaks now, the softest of all. "We're going to keep each other safe."
This is the third thing that troubles Gyiyg about humans: the insistence on clinging to one another, on sharing their misery and pain like a disease. It is such irrational behavior! The part of him that remains eternally rational reminds him that this is a blessing -- it ensures that his efforts will be made easier when he conquers them, for the humans will do half his work for him -- but it troubles him still. What benefit do they derive from proximity? What makes them crave it so?
And then, a small, insistent voice: you desired proximity with Ninten. Why? What benefit did you hope to derive from it?
He wills it quiet. This is irrelevant.
***
As the humans grow ever closer to Mt. Itoi, Gyiyg's plans take on a solidity. He will convince them to join him, and they will agree; he is certain that Ninten's resistance will crumble when they finally meet, and the others are only troubling afterthoughts. If they do not acquiesce, he will take the same measures by which he has already amassed his human collection, although it is not a prospect he relishes in their case.
He tells himself that it is still gratitude towards George and Maria that drives him. That is a logical, rational urge, to repay their small gesture in kind -- and, in the process, try to understand better the parts of the humans that bother him so. It is entirely rational, and it is a process that requires proximity. Yes, Gyiyg tells himself, this is a simple and reasonable choice he makes.
The humans draw ever closer, and every day they look a touch less like larvae: they are no larger, but less soft, with more certainty in their actions that shows even to him. They are close to breaking free from whatever strange chrysalis humans form around themselves, and Gyiyg hopes that, once they are in his proximity, they might teach him. It is through watching them that he realizes how larval he still remains.
Once he understands humans, he will have won. All he needs is Ninten the strange, Ninten the wise, to show him the way.
Author: eiviiaru
Rating: PG
Warnings: Potential Mother spoilers, mostly. Also, like Mother, this fic involves preteens in frightening situations, so if that's uncomfortable for you, please avoid.
Word count: 1339
Summary: There is much Giegue does not understand about humans.
Prompt: Earthbound (Mother), Giegue/Ninten: Someone who is not as they seem. - "May I observe you for awhile?"
A/N: This isn't precisely a pairing fic, and I apologize for that. I hope it still fulfills the prompt, though.
Also, I'm going to be using the "Gyiyg" spelling for Giegue's name throughout. This is because I plan for this story to have continuity with my later EB stories in this round, and it's easier to use a game-neutral spelling than suddenly start spelling the same character's name differently in the subsequent fics. Apologies in advance if this causes any confusion.
The first thing that troubles Gyiyg about humans is that they never change their forms. Never do they shed their skins entering a new instar, and never do they pupate; they simply grow larger. They grow large but stay soft, like larvae.
How puzzling.
***
The humans are all clustered together now, in their dormancy, and yet Gyiyg finds himself continuing his observations. There is something fascinating about a dormant human: the rise and fall of their chests, the twitches, the postures. The silver-haired one has curled in on himself, holding his knees to his chest, while the golden-haired one is on her side, lightly contorted. Only Ninten keeps his extremities straight, lying supine and still. Perhaps it is a dominance gesture?
After a few hours of no great physical change, Gyiyg sends his mind to probe theirs and see if they are dormant as well. He tries the golden-haired one first, and his view opens on a great field of pink-hued clouds, with some great spiraling structure visible in the distance --
Gyiyg shudders. There is something wrong about this, and there is the faint aching of some old pain. Best to move on.
He tries the silver-haired one next and finds his consciousness inside a great machine, silvery gears and cogs in a masterful concordance. He is inside the machine, and he can make out, vaguely, the silver-haired human at a distant control panel. The machine is huge, it is moving, and it is stifling. There are sparks, and the heat grows, and a steam whistle screams as the light glints off the silver-haired one's eye coverings.
No. No. No.
Gyiyg pulls back, and for a moment he lets the humans go and focuses again on his chamber. He can hear the machinery humming, yes, but it is a low, safe noise. There is no danger of being contaminated by any substance of Earth; no human could hope to harm him here. He is safe. He is safe, and they are dormant, no matter what might work in their minds.
The last one left, and the most important, is Ninten. Gyiyg projects his consciousness into his, and he finds -- a vast starfield, and a ship moving through it. Ninten stands on the deck alone, staring out into the stars, and while he cannot identify any of the formations he sees, Gyiyg remembers them clearly. They pass each landmark in turn, Ninten obliviously and Gyiyg knowing full well what will come.
When Gyiyg finally wrenches himself away from Ninten's mind, the little ship was nearly to Homeworld.
The fear he felt before is nothing compared to that. Ninten is dormant, and he is of Earth; how can he possibly know the way to Homeworld? How could an Earth-dweller know those stars so precisely? Gyiyg shudders again, more strongly. Is this more knowledge that George has stolen from him and passed along to his spawn's spawn's larva? How can it be?
The second thing that troubles Gyiyg about humans is something he cannot put a name to: their dreams.
***
There is something discouraging about the other two humans, and yet every time he watches them, it is Ninten he focuses on. There is something fascinating about him above and beyond the simple fact that he is the spawn of the spawn of the spawn of George. Perhaps it is his facility with the Mysteries, his easy grasp of techniques that Gyiyg's underlings have taken years to learn -- but the golden-haired one is an even better example of that, and while the human capacity for the Mysteries is still a stinging wound in Gyiyg's mind, it is no longer of special interest to him. No, there is something about Ninten he cannot quantify -- the way he walks, the shape of his face, that bright and distant look in his eyes.
When Gyiyg stares at Ninten, he hears music.
There is some power that drives the creature, he is certain of it. He is nothing but a larva, but there is a suggestion that something great and terrible may emerge from him, in time. There is something far beyond the standard life cycle of a human here -- something like himself, Gyiyg decides. He must know more. He must draw Ninten to him.
He enters Ninten's mind again that night. This time, Ninten stands at the base of Mt. Itoi, staring up into the clouds at the peak. Gyiyg begins to make himself emerge from the clouds, levitating down into view slowly. In this world, he is unfettered from his machine, and he allows Ninten to see him truly. Ninten, he broadcasts. You are a fascinating creature. I would like to know more --
The fabric of Ninten's mental landscape is rocked by a surge of rejection, and Ninten screams. With a rumble, the mountain behind Gyiyg begins to collapse, a rain of stones propelled by Ninten's palpable out of my mind! The pressure bears down on him, and even his full knowledge that it is harmless does not prevent the crushing pain. Gyiyg tears himself away before the sensation registers to the physical.
When he has his bearings again -- when he has reassured himself that he has not been harmed -- Gyiyg returns to his observations, this time externally. This time, the humans are awake, speaking in hushed tones to one another. Ninten is pale, his face and eyes moistened; he speaks softly, shakily.
"He... he... he was there. In my dream..."
The silver-haired human frowns and takes one of Ninten's hands. The other is already held by the golden-haired one, whose eyes are moistening as well. "It's okay," says the silver-haired one, louder. "We're here for you. We're not gonna let him get you!"
"Loid's right." The golden-haired one speaks now, the softest of all. "We're going to keep each other safe."
This is the third thing that troubles Gyiyg about humans: the insistence on clinging to one another, on sharing their misery and pain like a disease. It is such irrational behavior! The part of him that remains eternally rational reminds him that this is a blessing -- it ensures that his efforts will be made easier when he conquers them, for the humans will do half his work for him -- but it troubles him still. What benefit do they derive from proximity? What makes them crave it so?
And then, a small, insistent voice: you desired proximity with Ninten. Why? What benefit did you hope to derive from it?
He wills it quiet. This is irrelevant.
***
As the humans grow ever closer to Mt. Itoi, Gyiyg's plans take on a solidity. He will convince them to join him, and they will agree; he is certain that Ninten's resistance will crumble when they finally meet, and the others are only troubling afterthoughts. If they do not acquiesce, he will take the same measures by which he has already amassed his human collection, although it is not a prospect he relishes in their case.
He tells himself that it is still gratitude towards George and Maria that drives him. That is a logical, rational urge, to repay their small gesture in kind -- and, in the process, try to understand better the parts of the humans that bother him so. It is entirely rational, and it is a process that requires proximity. Yes, Gyiyg tells himself, this is a simple and reasonable choice he makes.
The humans draw ever closer, and every day they look a touch less like larvae: they are no larger, but less soft, with more certainty in their actions that shows even to him. They are close to breaking free from whatever strange chrysalis humans form around themselves, and Gyiyg hopes that, once they are in his proximity, they might teach him. It is through watching them that he realizes how larval he still remains.
Once he understands humans, he will have won. All he needs is Ninten the strange, Ninten the wise, to show him the way.