Grey the Keeper was back.

It took a second for Jupiter Jones to realize it. Because they were disguised as one of the Nurses on rotation, Andy, and the cloaking technology was nearly flawless. It was only when she looked out of the corner of her eyes Grey fiddled absently with her IV that she realized that Andy was not Andy. Their eyes flickered that dark color, as if Andy's entire eye, from iris to the whites had turned a smokey black.

I thought Nurse Andy was a little early today.

She jumped, paranoia wondering if the finding of a Recurrence had changed after Seraphi's life until the disguised creature gave her a smile, warm and full.

Than they chittered in that language of Keepers, softly, giving Jupiter a wink. Jupiter let out a soft laugh.

"Grey?" She asked, eyes wide.

The imaging cloaking technology had come a long way since Seraphi's death. But like its predecessors, the technology failed in key parts. Projection over the eyes had always been difficult in being kept stable. The user had to be able to see, and earlier attempts at the technology had been incapable of maintaining the illusion and the sight of the user.

Grey looked over their shoulder. And turned back to Jupiter with another warm smile on Andy's face.

"Nice to see you again, well, nice for you to visit me. I'm not actually seeing you," she smiled herself, reaching carefully to grip its hand.

It was a contradiction of sight and sensation. Her eyes told her that Andy's large and dark hand was gripping her's delicately. But she felt the padded texture of Grey's three-fingered hand, bigger than Andy's hand, the skin dry and cooler then what was a normal human temperature, the skinny digits lacing through the space between her own fingers, long enough to nearly reach her elbow. The only thing that broke the illusion was the lightest indent in her arm where Grey's fingertips pressed into.

Jupiter giggled.

"That's weird."

Grey laughed with Andy's voice. Jupiter wrinkled her nose.

"You don't have to hide your real voice."

Grey blinked with Andy's face, brows furrowing. They shook their head, a bemused smile on their face. He pointed to the clock, with the hand that wasn't holding her's.

"I know it's daytime," She told them primly, straightening in her bed, "But Mama and the Ambassador aren't due till my therapy session before lunch. The real Nurse Andy only checks on me every hour unless I call for him. He isn't due for another forty-five minutes."

Grey the Keeper let out a sigh. It released her hand with a small squeeze, moving quickly, too fast for a normal human, ducking his head out of the room for a fraction of a second, before closing the door and then they dropped the illusion.

Dark eyes shined and looked down at her warmly.

"Much better. I don't like you hiding."

The Keeper gave a shrug. They scurried over, curling into a surprisingly compact position at the foot of her hospital bed. They stared at her, head tilted to the side. Deliberately, it chripped at her, unaltered. Jupiter tilted her own head, watching curiously as he fiddled with his tool belt to take out a small, circular device. It looked like a mirror compact, sleek and glossy in a functional metal looking material. It gestured at the item.

Jupiter was both surprised, and curious to realize she had no idea what the device was.

Good to know Seraphi didn't know everything there is to the Verse.

She reached for the device and blinked when it began to changed colors. From the industrial gray metal, paling drastically to a glimmering white. It suddenly looked like mother of pearl, shimmering through the rainbow as she tilted it side to side. Grey mimicked pressing a button as Jupiter looked back at them. Still trusting, Jupiter pressed the slightly softer material at the top.

A soft melody began to play. Sweet, but strong. Jupiter felt herself smile. Grey nodded their big head, before reaching out to grasp the music box. Slowly, the place where they touched darkened to the cool metallic grey. The song shifted as well, adding deeper, hard notes to the slow tempo. Jupiter gasped in awe and understanding.

"It changes melody depending on the user's DNA!" She breathed to Grey, grinning.

The Keeper nodded, still cradling to the music box in between their two hands. They listened for a moment, content to sit and just absorbed the song.

It was Jupiter who broke the silence as Grey sighed and pressed the button at the top, and pulling it back to rest it on their tool belt; "Do you do this a lot, collect recordings of different people?"

The Keeper nodded, eyes crinkling in their version of a smile.

That's not protocol, thought Jupiter, beaming. And this is why it's a good thing that I remember Seraphi as far away as I do. I know things that will help me live in the Verse… But I also know by being me that everyone is a soul. She would have never known such a thing to be possible in Keepers.

"Can we listen to more?"

Grey cooed, but shook their head, pointing to the clock. They jumped off the bed, and they were Nurse Andy again.

"Can you show me next time?"

The Keeper frowned with Andy's face.

"Only if you can," she is quick to reassure, "I don't want to get you in trouble."

Grey the Keeper smiled with Andy's face, and with a wave and a sweet chirp, ducked out of the room.