trans_9 | Deadlines [Open---see note]

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Deadlines [Open---see note]

Miraculously, happily, Billy had finally set foot on Transmigration Nine once more. It wasn't the cleanest or happiest of reunions on-board the ship, but what mattered most to him was that he had survived. His task now was to return to the routine as much as possible and assist with the Melting Clock situation.

Unaware of how much the situation had deteriorated during his capture, he first set out for sanctuary from the wider world. Home, the house of the Sun and Moon twins, where he could retreat to safety and recover before returning to work. Ronnae would be there, wouldn't she? Some of the lingering guilt and pain would heal after speaking with her, right?

He'd make a beeline for the bathroom, of course. There was no doubt in his mind that the clothes he'd worn on the mission would have to be burned, and there was something he was required to apply to his back to aid the healing there. After that, his odor would be safe enough to expose the rest of the crew to.

---

By the time he 'recovered' and returned to work in the Engineering department, Billy was in a notably sour mood. His best friends and his girlfriend, he'd been informed and seen, were children. Children who didn't have much longer to live if a solution couldn't be found quickly.

His priorities were simple: the Clock and any work that had been left behind. With the Engineering team noticeably smaller than it had been before, and several members of it having taken an involuntary leave of absence at the same time he did, there was undoubtedly much to catch up on.

The race against the clock continued. Billy took his seat at his desk, ready to plow through paperwork and status updates more quickly than ever before.

((ooc: This takes place between the Oryan and Time Dragon missions. It's split into two sections so I don't spam the comm even more than I already have---the subthread at his home is open to people who would reasonably be there, like Ronnae, Nokosi, and maybe Kaya. The section in Engineering is open for anyone who wants to catch up with him//update on the situation//beg him for treats and toys. A separate post for Romeo and Juliet will go up tomorrow or Tuesday.))

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Complete fruition. Life ending at the beginning. The thought clenched at Billy's heart, almost made him shake with fury, but it was simply not an option to allow that to happen. He'd focus his mental energy here on thinking of something.

"It's observational learning combined with basic interpersonal empathy, isn't it? I'm not always the best at the latter, but I hope I've improved."

He confirmed it with a nod, making a face. "Affirmative. I can grab replacements or wear the plantsuit in the meantime---but you don't have to burn it. Whatever disposal method will disturb the surrounding area least is fine."

So began an intense period of scrubbing and washing, particularly for the grime. The syrup, he learned, was best taken care of by soaking and waiting, and soaking provided an opportunity for him to think in peace.

A great power was needed to destroy the clock, right? Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't something Billy possessed himself. Maybe someone stronger did, but he'd have to bargain for it---that would require a power analysis, though, and time. They didn't have very much time.

Nor was it very advisable to test hypotheses at random. For all they knew, dismantling the clock improperly could result in everyone being regressed, or even the regressions accelerating and...completing. The very last thing he wanted. How he hated to act with so little information, but perhaps some asking around was in order.

The whole situation gave him enough of a headache that the syrup had dissolved by the time he paused to breathe.

"Okay," he complied, collecting the clothes in his arms. He would just have to dispose of them and on his way back, disarm the traps.

Things like this is what he preferred, what he was good at. Sure, he'd tried assisting just like everyone else, but Alchemy didn't show much promise of changing anything. Not with a curse like that. Ronnae had been able to run around as various animals and different, smaller people for awhile, though. Something she'd gotten a bit of joy out of.

As he made his way back through the house, he unhooked wires, removed clamps and disassembled the various parts that set off the different traps. He was pretty sure Billy wouldn't want to be hit with potions of endless sleep or paralyzed by iron skin elixirs. It would be funny but that was really beside the point.

To Ronnae's room and he rummaged through drawers looking for clothes for Billy; easily found when he realized where they were kept. His fingers curled around the bathroom door and he pushed it open, making his way inside to lay the clothes on top of the fresh towel.

"I brought you something to change into," he spoke up, as if the man wasn't already aware of his possibly intrusive presence. "Oh, but one more thing I should tell you before I leave you alone," he said.

Nokosi was gone for a suspiciously long time, Billy realized when the elf returned. Just how many traps had existed out there?

He moved to the edge of the tub to talk, folding his arms over the barrier and looking up. "Thanks, it's really appreciated. But what is it? Did you trap the tub as well?"

Just joking, of course. Not that he really felt in the mood to do so, but he had to smile about some things if he was going to survive this whole clock ordeal.

"That would be fairly difficult to pull off without someone noticing, I think. But now that you mention it, perhaps I will try." His words were spoken in all seriousness though after a beat he grinned. "Not on you, of course."

Doing that specifically to him would be dangerously close to a prank and while he could see why witnessing another's mistfortune might be funny, most people he'd met didn't think of it as such.

"Ronnae does not like sleeping alone. She is scared easily, especially since she does not quite understand why it is her parents are not around. Would you sleep with her tonight? She has nightmares otherwise."

That was a fair enough deal to him! He would be honored to witness a prank against someone else, really. But Billy didn't have it in him to be cruel. He'd stick around and help the victim clean up, as Nokosi had done for him. "Fair enough. I've figured out some of the technical details of your tricks. It's clever work, I have to credit you for that."

He also had to thank him for the advice, as much as he dreaded hearing it. Billy had expected young girls to value privacy, but it did make sense that she would be lonely and scared. As awkward as he would feel, there went his plans to sleep on the couch.

"I'll keep her with me," Billy said quietly. "I'm not sure I can keep the nightmares at bay as usual, but I'll be there." Until the end. Whether that meant the end of the night or the end of her...he'd heard that major age regressions often happened at night, and that frightened him. What if he awoke to find her existence terminated?

Gulp. The only nightmares that would go on that night were his.

"Relax," he urged. "You will be fine. She still remembers who you are but not all the specific details of your relationship. It is more like...infatuation. Adoration. Ronnae will be very glad to see you."

Despite the overall strangeness of the situation at hand, he hoped Billy would get some real rest and relaxation. Saying that Ronnae was a handful was a severe understatement.

"And...thank you. Trap-making is one of the skills I am particularly good at though I had never used it in such a...light-hearted? manner."

"Almost every skill has more benign uses. As an inventor, I'm being commissioned to make toys." The pile simply grew and grew. What he was to do with them when this ended, he didn't know, but it was surprisingly enjoyable to build the things he hadn't in childhood.

After squeezing as much water as possible from his hair, he emerged from the tub to retrieve his glasses and towel off. It was nice to know where to look to make eye contact. Not so nice to be embarrassed about something else regarding Ronnae, but that was how things usually went with Nokosi.

"...this is going to be awkward. But I'll make sure she knows what a special girl she is. That people love her very much."

From what Ronnae had told him before, Nokosi had very likely dealt with the worst of her regression. So much pain had come to her, and it was his job to make it feel as far away as possible. As always.

Before Nokosi could leave, though, Billy had one last thing to do. He padded over to wear the elf stood, briefly resting a hand on his arm. "Thanks again. I can only hope to have a fraction of your insight someday."

Silver eyes strayed down to where Billy placed his arm, then darted back up to level themselves on the other man's face. "Insight? That is not something that is usually attributed to me. Building toys, though, sounds very fun. I might have to ask you and Ronnae to build a mini-zepplin as it was certainly my favorite toy from Greatfather Winter."

It flew and set air-mines and you could sneak into other places with it and shoot tiny pellets at the other zepplins! Best. Toy. Ever.

"I think, when you see her cheery face and happy smile you will quickly overcome your awkwardness." Speaking of awkwardness...

Nokosi folded his arms around Billy's midsection and hugged him tightly. "Thank you as well. You are a good friend and have also done more for Ronnae's happiness and health in a few months than some we know have done in the few years I have known her." Nah, he really had no qualms about hugging a naked man to him.

"It sounds like an interesting challenge. We'll get right to it for our next project, how about that?"

Billy nodded. That made enough sense to him. Her smile had always eased his worries, and it wouldn't be too different with her younger self, would it? Many, many things about her were different. But he believed her bright smile would always be the same. "I'll trust you on that one."

Yes, Billy trusted Nokosi. But the trust didn't yet run so deep that he completely lacked uneasiness about being suddenly hugged to him while naked. This would take a second or few of adjustment. He stood rigid for those seconds, red-faced and stuttering what might've been a protest. Until Nokosi's words reached his ears, that is. As he listened, he found that the words were...comforting. Even through Fontaine's distrust and all the offenses Billy managed to commit, they were still friends.

"It's always been my pleasure." Billy finally relented, wrapping his own arms around Nokosi's back. "I've been happier since meeting both of you."

For a brief moment, he had confidence that things would be happy and right once more. Hugs always had that effect on him, even when he felt awkward otherwise.

Billy's reaction to the embrace didn't go unnoticed.

"It seems I have made you nervous," he said, not bothering to disguise or muffle his laugh. "But then again, I suppose that is not very hard for me to do in most cases." As rare as it was to receive physical affection beyond Fontaine and Ronnae, he greatly appreciated the return of the gesture.

"That makes me glad." There was a pause. "If you have had a bad day or days, then you are probably hungry as well. I will make you a snack before I leave. Do call on me if there is anything that I can assist either of you with," the elf said, a cheery smile widening on his face.

Billy waved it off with a smile when they disengaged, securing the towel around his hips for comfort. "Don't worry. Hugs from friends don't bother me at all. It's my...failure to be modestly, appropriately, or at all attired that's the more relevant concern."

But what was done was done, and it did help that Nokosi didn't do or say anything that would worsen his self consciousness. Billy simply pulled his clothes up under and around the towel as he talked.

"It's been a less than pleasant time, and I am hungry," he admitted, "but I'm sure I can find something. You've had enough trouble while I was away, right?"

"Oh, I would not call it 'trouble'. I throughly enjoyed my time spent. It was a pleasant experience," he explained, a genuine smile donning his face. "I will leave you to your own devices then."

He rose his hand in a wave and walked back into the bedroom, stopping short to disable one last trap. Hm. He'd forgotten about that one. All of the others were removed, right? Right.

Back through the window he came through and onto the tree branches that closed the space between their homes. He really hoped that Billy had the patience of the sages.

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