[SNEAK PEEK]Make-up for Lost Time
A maintenance worker at INCO-3 spots a missed connection.
(art by LunarStarGaze)
This is just a preview; the full story will go live next month, but if that's simply too long to wait, head over to my Subscribestar to read it, and other stories like it, before everyone else~!
Make-up for Lost Time By Limewah Subscriber Reward for Moggers (Nov 2024) Featuring LunarStarGaze’s character SNEAK PEEK
The Environmental Preserve’s common area had a lot of foot traffic, being one of the few places in the entire station where you could breathe in proper, fresh oxygen, not the recycled, rebreathed gas that circulated through the rest of the compound. It functioned a lot like a terran park, nestled within a forest. A good place to sit and read, take in the breeze (even if it did come from an air-con unit) and enjoy the synthetic sunlight. It was probably the only part of the Mars colony that felt like home.
Kalis spent a lot of his downtime here. He passed without notice most of the time, but that was the case whether he was working or on break. In spite of his size, the Uplifted burmese python had no trouble with keeping out of sight. One might have mistaken him for a wild creature if not for the golden chain dangling loosely around his neck, or the little lanyard with his ID badge on it.
Kalis prided himself on being almost completely invisible - no one noticed any technical faults or glitches on his watch, and they probably assumed it was all just done by magic or excellent design.
That suited him fine; he wasn’t particularly interested in being applauded for his work. It was better if he could just get through it, then get back to lounging and sunning his belly atop a tree.
As he was heading to his usual haunt, he heard a familiar voice, scented something half-remembered on his tongue. His head periscoped downwards from the canopy of a tree, and they spied a tall, shapely figure.
The feline was definitely not from around here. The dark fur and darker hair contrasted sharply with the thick, snow-white cable-knit turtleneck they wore. Their eyes were a piercing yellow behind sharp spectacles. Their grey, blue-veined synthetic arms were crossed as they took their time wandering, ever closer to Kalis’ tree.
That fascinating cat… what was their name again?
Alco… that’s right. They were a doctor, a very stern but very fascinating individual. Someone who kept their cards close to their chest emotionally. Kalis could relate.
The cat also had a thing for snakes, and getting bound up…
Kalis knew they did, after their brief almost-fling a half year ago at that interstellar permaculture conference. Kalis was part of the staff, Alco was a keynote speaker. Sidelong glances had turned into conversation, which turned into… nothing.
They’d come so close to knowing each other intimately - inside and out, Kalis’ case. But there wasn’t enough time. Places to be, jobs to return to.
Kalis hadn’t let Alco occupy much space in his mind since he met them. But now that they were here… why not follow the impulse, strike while the iron’s hot?
“Alco Gale, as I live and breathe!”
The python looped his head around the cat’s shoulders before getting nose to nose with him.
“You’d better not be leaving cat hair all over the place, it’ssss a bitch to clean out of all the machinery.
“...Hello Kalis.” there was a grimace on Alco’s face, their yellow eyes narrowed and apprehensive. But they remembered him too…
“Didn’t think I’d sssee you all the way out here… and I’m jussst on break right now!” Kalis drizzled his coils around Alco’s now-stiffer body. Alco enjoyed this touch, just as Kalis knew they did. His coils oozed down in lazy spiralling loops - enough to enfold the cat without squeezing them - though it would only take one good flex to change that.
Alco’s cool mask dropped. Their eyes lit up and their cheeks rose as they laughed nervously, like a schoolcat on a first date.
“I’m, erm, in a little bit of a hurry right now.”
“You don’t look it.” Kalis would have smiled smugly, were he able to articulate his face that way. “Besssides, You’re on Marsss-time right now. We take lots of breaksss here. You can afford one too. C’mon. Lemme have you for lunch.”