Queen's note: Look up 'right whale songs', and the sound a cassowary makes to get an idea of what I mean in this story. lol No context until you read

Garnets

Chapter Twenty One:

Atlan

The young woman really hated crying like that. She was still exhausted even after a dreamless nap, but now that the animals were taken care of she could lay down again. This time with a wet cloth over her eyes. There was still time left in the 'night' on the Fortress, but Lily was not so keen on getting back to sleep.

"Are you hiding?" An amused but not unkind voice asked.

Lily had to consider the question, lifting her hand and making a small space between her fingers. Then motioned blindly to the drone sitting beside her. "Maybe just a little bit. These guys just found me."

"I think they're excited to show you your gift." Valen glanced over his shoulder to the main entrance where the wire basket on wheels. He took a deep breath, but not really a sigh before turning and sitting near, but not too close to the human.

"Probably." Lily agreed, her tone losing emotion again. She stayed quiet for a while with the Argenta man. "Question."

Valen tilted his head to the girl, humming back to let Lily know she could ask whatever she needed.

"Is it true you put my dad's soul in the sword?" Lily asked, hugging the drone as it sat half on her with legs tucked up.

"Yes," Valen saw no need to lie, "I did not know it was once your father. Just that it was a new gorgon heart. The Slayer said it was a brother in arms."

"...can you honestly reassure me his heart, soul, wasn't hurt?" Lily reached up to move the cloth off her eyes and looked up and 'back.'

Valen turned to look down at the human, the puffy look from the crying earlier. Though she looked better now then when John finally let her go. He shifted to face her while sitting, letting Lily stay laying down on her back beside the planter. "I can tell you that his heart did not suffer a crack or break. It reformed surprisingly quickly, and went willingly into the core of the Crucible."

"John said the hilt used to be dead?" Lily half asked to confirm, and getting a nod she added, "How does a… crucible die?"

"A blade can be broken off, but it is the lack of energy feeding the living blades that kill them. Ages of starvation." Valen chuckled, "With it being linked to the Slayer, it- he? -will not starve until your descendants are long since past."

Lily gave a huff as she sat up, using the damp cloth to clean her face before coming over to sit beside Valen properly. "It seems like he chose to go in the blade. Crucible?"

"If he did not, I would be shocked," Valen shook his head, thinking about what he saw, "That was the smoothest transition if there ever was one."

There was a pause before the older man dared to rest his hand on Lily's back, wanting to offer some comfort to himself after that. Half expecting to get a slap or his metal hand pushed off. When it was not, Valen hummed. "I will not lie to you if I can help it. My Lord wants me to protect you when he can not."

"You've called him that a few times." Lily realized aloud, shifting to let the drone with the bright pink eyebrows climb up into her lap. Picking at her clothes to get a stain out of her pajama pants. "Why?"

Valen tilted his head, surprised, "Because he is my Lord. The Slayer was not just allowed to become a Night Sentinel, and a Commander rank like mine, but for several centuries, he was my people's War King. He technically still is."

There were a long few moments, nearly a minute of the human staring into the middle space. She shook her head, "I… can believe that, but also can't see it?"

"He was an amazing War King." Valen chuckled, daring to pull the smaller girl against his side in a moment of selfish want to be closer to someone. "Not so good at running things for the civilians. He can take almost anything apart, learn what it does and put it back together better than it was. Be it a weapon or something in the wall. Interaction with someone outside of a battle… seems he had lost that ability before I first met him."

"Sounds about right." Lily aloud, tilting her head as she got comfortable. She found there was no want to either 'forgive' Valen, hate him, or even dislike him for what ended up happening to her dad. Because she realized he really did not do anything to him, just offer a spot for his soul to rest in a way. To park?

Lily could not sort out how to get those words out. So she leaned a bit more onto Valen, getting his metallic arm wrapping around her back. An unspoken understanding between them it seemed. Maybe later on she could get her words and feelings out on paper, or on screen.

"...so what did the big guy bring back?" Lily finally asked, resting on her new guardian, while giving the little cleaner drone a rub on a sensor to clean it with the damp cloth.

"Mostly raw materials for repairs, but he seems to have gotten you something." Valen pointed to the entrance area of the gardens. He gave a snort as the drone trilled in Lily's lap.

The young woman smiled despite herself, glancing up. She took a deep breath and started to get up. Lily debated on going to get her mask but still felt good enough. Maybe if she planned on leaving the gardens she would go get it, but she did not really have plans to.

As it was, it was not hard to spot the grocery basket being pushed by the cleaner drones. A few trying and failing to climb up it.

Lily stopped to stare at the spectacular group effort…. Attempt? But the basket was stuck in the dirt, and some of the guinea pigs were upset at the disturbance of their new nighttime routine. "What are you lot doing?"

One of the garden drones that was in the basket lifted in the edges, waving a paper packet at Lily in the dim light. She came over, huffing as she pushed the cart back on the smoother path then peered at the waving packet.

Sweet corn.

It was a seed pack of sweet corn seeds.

"God, why am I crying again?" Lily demanded of herself in a low voice, using the back of her wrist to rub at her eyes again.

"Semblance of normalcy?" Valen offered, even though it was not a question for him. He reached down into the basket, pulling a larger bag of something green. It seemed to only weigh a few pounds but had a picture of some mix of long bladed plants and rounded.

"...maybe." Lily glanced over, and then gave a watery smile at the older man. Then looking at the bag he held added, "He found gras and clover seeds?"

The young woman looked around the still pretty barren garden area. Even with spreading out the big leaf plants of squashes and melons it needed more love. Lily looked back in the basket, and then gave into the temptation to just lift the top box with all the seeds packers. Drone and all was moved to the ground where she set two more bags. Looking at a bag of… cat grass?

Lily picked that up, it was a good five pounds and as she flipped it over to read what was inside. It confirmed her hunch and Lily smiled. "barley, oat, wheat, and rye seeds. That's… damn this is a blessing."

"What is it?" Valan asked, peering at the bag, not able to read the text, or recognize those plants.

"Each of the seeds I mentioned are some of humanity's staple crops." Lily explained, "Not wholly just those but extremely useful for both us and animals… I wonder if John has gone into any of the feed stores. There might be a lot we can use down here in those places."

Lily moved and sat down beside the box to start poking through the seeds. Glancing up as Valen chuckled at her. "...shush, I'm tired and emotionally rung out. Let me be a gremlin."

"I will, but not here." Valen stooped, taking the box and bag away from Lily. Putting them back in the cart, except a few packets that fell. He let the drones fuss and grab those. Valen almost effortlessly picked Lily up into his arms, interrupting her pout. "Come on my lady, let's at least take these to a table to sort."

"...this is so unfair." Lily grumbled, but had learned from the Slayer wiggling while being carried did not help. She pouted fully, as even Valen seemed more than able to support her with one arm as he grabbed the basket to pull to the hidden store rooms. The one that originally held the guinea pigs had long since been cleaned out and the crafting supplies had been set up there with a table or two.

Now the seeds were rolled in.

Valen set Lily down in the cot-like bed that had been turned onto an improvised couch with two mattresses and some blankets. Gently plopping the box from before into her lap before starting to sort out what was in the cart on one of the tables.

Lily looked bemused, but thankfully not offended to be picked up and around. Focusing on the seed packets, Lily started to sort them with a smile. The colors of the packets help first to divide the herbs, veggies, melons, and flowers. The garden drones helped by dragging over some smaller empty boxes to sort.

It was nice to sit in a calm quiet with Valen after the rough, early morning. Showing him the seeds of her favorite plants, and answering questions about the text he could not read.

"This one looks like the fruit the Slayer gave me," Valen noted as he turned a packet around to show the picture.

Lily leaned forward to read, and picked up several other packets. "Oh that's a cucumber! Those are my favorite snacks, and there's a few different types. See? What one looks like what you tried?"

Valen took the packets, shuffling through them before holding one up, "This one. I saw it growing in the garden."

"Ooh, nice, I'm glad there's more of that one- oh! Sugar pumpkins!" Lily started and then was distracted, as she was sorting the group of corn packets and found something else mixed in. Already thinking of where to plant the corn.

Can corn be hand pollinated like squashes?

Lily was pretty sure they could. Maybe Riggs or Vega would have that knowledge somewhere. She should pollinate the zucchini plants again soon.

"Hey, tiny," Lily nudged one of the drones, one with a blue paint marker on its back shell. Getting its attention on her, "Can you please go get one of those seed bowls? And water. We can start planting the corn today."

The drone trilled excitedly and scuttled away with another of the bigger drones.

"You made them happy," Valen noted, moving to sit beside Lily on the chair left in the room. "At one point, not right away, you should come meet the Atlan. The area will be safe after… John gets the new battery installed."

"I thought you said Altan before?" Lily glanced over, but it seemed safe that Valen did not seem to mean soon as he was examining the pictures of flowers on the yellow packets.

"I did, Gatebraker was a different class of mech, but it's in a new shell now." Valen smiled, offering several packages that had small white and blue flowers on the image. "These seem nice. My old mech will need a new name now, being incorporated into the Fortress."

"Huh," Lily considered that, these new bits of information were… interesting. Tempting.

Dude.

A giant robot was somewhere in the Fortress?

Plants first.

At least that was what Lily had intended to do, to try and be responsible as much as hide. They made it long enough to get several types of seeds to soak.

And then John happened.

It was so strange to see him excited that Lily really only could yip and hold on as she was scooped up.

The Demigod dodged Valen's swipe and angry words before taking his human out of the gardens. His stride longer to get to an area faster, but not jarring. Lily stared up at his face, noting how John's eyes were a lighter shade of blue. Still having that eerie glow but that, and the smile he had made his normally severe face lighter.

As he entered a new hall to Lily, she found that the air was colder. Not intolerable, as the Fortress on a whole was on the cooler side. So the heat had not worked into this area yet, or would be kept cooler. Not that the walking heater carrying Lily was not great for holding the chill back.

A mostly clear door opened into a wide open chamber, and the faint vibration in the air became 'deeper.' it was as much a sound as it was a vibration that bussed in Lily's chast and in every bone in her body. Oddly not a bad way, nor exactly like what John had done before. What sound was there was like the long low tones, with some thicker clicking. All at once it reminded Lily of a right whale mixed with a cassowary.

Then she saw what was taking up the space beyond the wide open balcony like area. Brightly glowing optics turned to focus on the movement, the titanic mech thrumming a grating to the Slayer again before pausing. It was not just seeing such a massive thing moving but hearing and feeling as it leaned forward and the head dipped to better see. The ornate horns twitching as it focused several sets of optics on not just John but who he held.

Lily reflexively tried to curl up at the sudden attention, but with how she was held could only do it so much. Then the man holding her grinned wide, humming a bite back at the titanic mecha while squeezing Lily a bit to try and tell her it was safe.

It was definitely a moment that was other-wordly, if not mythic as the mech shifted to lean down and forward. It's chest tapping the bottom edge of the platform. Its head was impossible large, and if it had a mouth it could probably fit all three people inside. Yet it only had a face shield like design instead.

The Atlan mech glanced back as he saw his Sentinel, then looking down again. His low song altered to something surprisingly soft in greeting.

"He likes you," Valen explained, coming up to stand to John's right, smiling as there was a grumble he recognized as a pleased sound. The once commander snorted as he lifted a hand to the small translation implant, but did not say out loud that the mech made a misunderstanding.

This was the Slayer's human, not their King's heir.

Something did not translate, but Valen thought it best not to mention that right now as the demigod walked closer to the integrated Atlan mech. Pausing only to press his head to Lily and then holding her up to get a good look back. Valen could now recognize what was happening, having seen it a few times with the Sentinels. That part of John, that human part of 'I know you feel bad, this makes me happy, I'll share with you what makes me happy to make you happy.'

Lily started to relax to the humming of the mech, smiling as the fear was set aside. If not forgotten in the excitement of this experience.

Giant robots were awesome.

Giant robot that was happy to sing at visitors was even better.

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XFireStoneX: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far