Author's Note : Here we go! First real chapter. Make sure to let me know what you guys think!

The Parcel

The small shuttle touched down quietly. The engine giving small hisses as it approached the ground, then small, puttering huffs once the ship was firmly planted. After that was silence.

It was some incredible skill for that feat to be accomplished. Every gear placed proper and exact throughout the vehicle and a steady hand navigating prompt and precise from the stratosphere to the surface. Space ships were noisy by nature, take off costed explosive energy that resulted in fire and thunder; touchdown was just as loud. The counterbalances and speed reducers screeching as they worked. Not this small shuttle, no, this engine purred. Of course, this would be wasted if the pilot didn't know how to man the controls. Every button pushed exactly, every dial twisted perfectly the main control column pushed and pulled to the exact parameters.

This perfection is the only result the pilot will accept, for this troll doesn't do anything less than one-hundred percent.

The door opened silently and a large troll stepped out. He wore heavy, dark clothing; all leather and black denim and wool. A big cloak covered him from his head to his ankles, the hood pulled far down on his face.

He walked heavily, his bulky boots leaving indentations in the sand as he carefully cradled his parcel close to his chest.

He knew this planet, Nahmeieb. It was a desolate planet, mostly sand and ice with devastating storms. Virtually inhabitable if not for the oases. These oases appear every now and then over the sandy surface of this planet. Beautiful and blooming, they are the only places that can sustain life.

The shuttle had placed itself right on the edge of an oasis. He could hear airborne bird-like creatures call to one another and the winds sigh through the trees as the whole place was washed with cold moonlight. He stepped through the last bit of sand before tough weeds crunched under his feet, then soft grass, then mulch as he entered the tree line.

The foliage was thick right from the start, making it difficult to proceed but he was careful to not harm anything. He didn't cut, pull, or break any plant he came across, just moved it aside as gently as he could.

He could see his breath and while he knew the cold didn't bother him, he couldn't afford to expose his parcel to any kind of extreme temperature. Bundled up tight and held close to him, he knew he shouldn't worry, but he was worried, there weren't many things more fragile than his parcel.

Pushing the last leaf out of the way, he stopped out onto a large opening; clear of plants and taken up completely by a large pool of water. The night sky reflected off its still surface like a perfect mirror. It was warm suddenly as he stood next to the water. The pool didn't boil or steam, but it radiated heat. He could feel the extra heat warm him uncomfortably, his heavy clothing suddenly quite hot. At least he didn't need to worry about the parcel getting too cold now. Large rocks made up most of the edges of the pool with a pebble beach taking up the last small section.

That's where he spotted her. On the pebble beach, she was sitting on a fallen log near the shoreline, her feet in the wet pebbles, toes just inches from the still water. She was long and thin, dressed in warm browns and sandy reds. Her shemagh was undone and her face shown out, luminescent, bright green eyes focused in on him.

He carefully picked his way across the boulders to her. She stood as he stepped onto the beach.

"It's good to see you, Equius." She smiled, it wasn't wide or excited, instead it was gentle and soft.

"It's always a pleasure, Kanaya" He dipped his head and upper body, just a little, like a tiny bow. Equius knew that the two of them were friends, fairly close friends at that, but Kanaya still deserved such respect.

Kanaya smiled again and moved closer to him. Reaching up, she undid the clasps that held his hood together in front of his horns and gently pushed the garment off his head. "Though I am curious as to why we're meeting." She started fixing Equius's hair, straightening it back into place from where the cloak had mussed it. Equius ducked his head to make it easier for her. "You never want to meet up, it's too risky, but this time you insisted. Why?"

It was now that Equius pulled back and straightened, he was still holding his parcel against his chest; covered in bundles of blankets and covered by the cloak that was still partway over his arm. He looked down to check anyway. She was still sleeping. Good.

"I have something for you." Equius tells her. He licked his lips, suddenly nervous. He had gone through all kinds of trials and tribulations to get to this very moment and now he doubted his action. This wasn't exactly a gift, well it was, but it was also a request for help. Not help for him but help for someone that desperately needed it.

"Oh?" Kanaya steps back and looked at him curiously. "A gift?" She looks confused, Equius can understand why, he hardly ever gets her anything gift-like and even so there isn't any special occasion going on right now.

"Not exactly." Equius takes a breath then decides to just show her. He careful moves the cloak out of the way to reveal the bundle of fabric he was carrying, or rather, the tiny grub inside the bundle of fabric he was carrying. She was still fast asleep.

Kanaya was taken aback, but her surprise quickly melted back into confusion. "What is this?"

"It's a grub." He said lamely, wanting to explain himself but not sure how. All his carefully thought out mental cues and speech points had flown right out the window. The pool's heat was making him flush.

"I see that." Kanaya said dryly. "Why did you bring it here? Is it not risky enough to meet with me that you have to start smuggling things across the galaxy?"

Equius took another deep breath, eyes avoiding her vexatious look. "She was going to die." He started gently unwrapping the swaddle he had her in. "I saved her. She needs a lusus, but there's not any left for her. I'd raise her myself, but she'd be found out quickly, even if I don't spend a majority of time in the fleet ships." He moved the last of the fabric. "I thought you could help her."

Kanaya gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth as she stared wide-eyed at the tiny grub Equius held. It was green. Bright, bright, luminous green. The forbidden color. The color in her own veins. Lime green.

"What is- how did you...?" She was still staring at that tiny grub. When Equius shifted, Kanaya was startled. Her eyes flicked up to his face then widening again as Equius handed her the grub. He easily positioned her arms and situated the grub in them.

"She was going to die, Kanaya. For no reason other than the pigment of her blood. If anyone can save her it's you." Kanaya had looked uncomfortable at first, but slowly she was relaxing, her eyes on the grub's face. "Even if she were to survive, she'd be all alone." Equius paused until Kanaya looked up to meet his eyes. "You're all alone as well Kanaya. You can be companions. Like true limebloods of the past."

Looking away, Kanaya's posture was as tense of a bow string, her eyes were brought back to the sleeping face in her arms, she tucked the blankets around her a little more securely, hiding that vivid green, "There aren't any more limebloods of the past anymore. Only me."

"No," Equius knew that this wasn't a particularly fond topic for Kanaya, but he pushed it anyway. He didn't risk life and limb for the two of them for her to just politely decline. "Not just you. You and her."

"So? Would you just have us die out together?" Kanaya clutched the grub against her as her glare increasingly got stronger. Equius glared back.

"It's better than dying out alone." Kanaya paused, seeing his opening, Equius drove forward "Isn't it? You have someone now. Whether you want her or not, she needs you. Maybe you will die out, but if you let her die, you aren't helping yourself or your caste any. You'll just be bitter and alone."

Kanaya grit her teeth and turned away. Seconds ticked by and Equius grew more apprehensive as each one passed. Maybe that had been too harsh?

After a few more drawn out minutes where Equius just stood awkwardly, Kanaya finally turned back to him. "My caste can't be helped, can't be saved, you know this as well as I do. Do you think you're a hero? To bring her here knowing what she is, forcing her to live. Merely to exist is..." There is a breathy sound to her words, her eyes unfocused for a soft moment before hardening. "How could you make that decision for her?"

Equius was shocked at first, her sudden emotion was half-expected but its ferocity wasn't. He quickly grew defensive. "If I let her die, I'd be making that decision for her as well. She's barely a few months old, she can't even think the words life and death let alone understand them. She can't make that decision yet."

"Then why put her caste's future on her? Does she get a choice in that?"

"At least this way she can choose. Maybe not now, but later."

"You don't get to choose if you're a limeblood or not." Kanaya scoffed, and it was a downturn in the rising anger, turning it more bitter.

"No, you don't." Equius agreed. "Nobody gets to choose their caste, but she's lucky enough to get chosen by you."

"I haven't agreed to do anything."

Equius bit his tongue to force back his frustration. "But will you?" Kanaya didn't reply. "If you don't want her give her back to me. I'll hand her over to the Alternian Guard, it should be a quick death as long as Nepeta doesn't hear about it." Kanaya looked visibly disgusted by his moirail's name, but they both knew Equius would do as he says, if regrettably. The troll doesn't bluff.

"I-" Kanaya didn't finish her sentence, instead she looked down on the grub.

"Give her a chance." Equius urged. "Nobody else will."

"You're not going to give up on this are you?" Kanaya said wearily.

A small smile tipped the corners of his mouth. "It's highly unlikely."

"Fine." She said the word slowly, as if she still wasn't completely convinced. "I'm not sure how good of an idea this is, but I'll do it."

Equius sighed in relief, his whole body nearly sagging with it. He had done it, he had saved the grub. All of the sneaking around, convincing people to look the other way, taking ship to ship to ship to finally borrowing Sollux's, traveling all the way out into the backlands, it was all worth it. The grub was safe and Kanaya was looking calmer by the minute

"Sit down." Kanaya says offhandedly, not even looking at him. "Spend the night. I'm sure no one will mind."

"Thank you." Equius lowered himself to sit on the log. Kanaya sits next to him. It was quiet, the only noise was the light breeze.

"Equius?"

"Hm?"

"How do I take care of a grub?"

Equius aborted a surprised laugh with a cough. Kanaya glared at him. "Not everyone has inherent jadeblood knowledge like you."

"Of course." Equius cleared his throat and nodded. "I have some supplies in the shuttle I came here in." He looked back out at the mirror like pool. "That will only take you so far. Most of the skills needed to raise grubs are learned through trial and error. The rest of it is just guessing at what feels right. Instinct. Don't tell me trolls don't have maternal instincts. If a jadeblood can have it, a limeblood can too."

"You don't know anything about limebloods." Kanaya sighed and Equius just gave her a very unimpressed look, but after a quiet moment, Kanaya spoke again. "Alright, I suppose I could tap into my wise, nonexistent maternal instincts, but I hope you realize I won't hesitate to troll you in the middle of the day to ask you why the wriggler is crying."

"Deal." It was a small price to pay.

They watched the pool and sky for a little longer. The sky was starting to lighten, which was when the grub opened her gray eyes and saw Kanaya for the first time. She promptly cried.

And so was Kanaya's first lesson in lusushood.