Beauty From the Stars

She chuckled. “You really are amazing.” In the back of her mind a little voice warned against feeding his ego like this but she couldn’t help it. She had spent all this time watching Cletus fail to live up to the one he was trying to impersonate and every day of it had been agony. To now have all her hopes be renewed so suddenly was more than a bit overwhelming.

She felt silly for her tears now. This was a joyous occasion not one for crying. She wiped the back of her hand over her eyes and laughed again. For a second she contemplated kissing him but then she postponed that to later. They had so much talking to do.

“Well, about that saving Deponia thing,” she began, feeling awkward again. She knew how much he had wanted to do this himself, but oh well, it couldn’t be helped now. “After we thought you were … you know … gone … I had Cletus put on your clothes and pretend he was you. I thought it would teach him -” Humility, she had wanted to say but at the last moment she realized Rufus might not enjoy others considering being him as punishment. “… It would teach him … how to appreciate you more. And the two of us did report to the Council of Elders that Deponia is inhabitated and thus the destruction was called off.”

She beamed at him, hoping for a cheer or at least a smile in return.

Goal’s smile was nothing if not infectious, and the ugly, uncomfortable thoughts that Rufus’ was doing his best to ignore got shoved further into the background as he focussed on that. The relief he’d felt when the planet hadn’t blown up right under his feet had been genuine. She’d done a good job, even without him there, and that was something to be happy about. Priorities and all that.

Don’t doubt her.

Don’t doubt her. Don’t.

“Awwww, I get it, I get it. And, did it work?” His grin was all teeth. Too much, even. “You can be honest with me. I know why you really did it. It’s cute that you missed me that much, but babe, you know I’m irreplaceable.”

Clearly that was the only valid explanation behind that rather… questionable decision, but it wasn’t one Rufus wanted to think about on any deeper level. Good thoughts. Things were good now. Different thoughts. Cletus better not have washed his hat, or he was going to hear some words.

For a split second his words puzzled her - did he think leaving her with Cletus would put her life in danger? But then she shoved the thought aside. He was probably just relieved that him letting go made her get to safety in time.

“Of course I am. Thanks to you.” She beamed at him and blinked against her tears. “But I thought you were - I thought …” Her voice caught in her throat and she reached for him and embraced him tightly.

He smelled a bit more singed than she remembered but other than that this was final prove this really was her Rufus. Even when he was wearing the old coat Cletus had always had an air of antiseptic minty freshness around him, but this one was the real deal.

“You scared me so much,” she whispered into his ear. “I thought I had lost you.”

“It takes a lot more than a little drop like that to get rid of me,” Rufus mumbled into Goal’s shoulder, stroking her back in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. His hands were shaking. From the crash, no doubt. “I’ve fallen off plenty of high places before- I’m amazing.”

You should know that.

He laughed, softly. A little awkwardly. Part of him wished she would burst into tears for real, and cry and cry and cry until she couldn’t anymore - no. No that wasn’t it, he expected it. There was a difference. Nobody in Kuvaq would ever shed tears over him, but they should. And Goal should. That didn’t make it something he wished for.

Reluctantly, he pulled away, though he didn’t want to break contact yet. He wanted to look at her face. The hands stayed where they were.

She felt silly for her tears now. This was a joyous occasion not one for crying. She wiped the back of her hand over her eyes and laughed again. For a second she contemplated kissing him but then she postponed that to later. They had so much talking to do.

“Well, about that saving Deponia thing,” she began, feeling awkward again. She knew how much he had wanted to do this himself, but oh well, it couldn’t be helped now. “After we thought you were ... you know ... gone ... I had Cletus put on your clothes and pretend he was you. I thought it would teach him -” Humility, she had wanted to say but at the last moment she realized Rufus might not enjoy others considering being him as punishment. “... It would teach him ... how to appreciate you more. And the two of us did report to the Council of Elders that Deponia is inhabitated and thus the destruction was called off.”

Goal suppressed a sigh.

She was on her way to see “Rufus” as she usually did. Ever since they showed up back on Elysium the Council of Elders seemed to see her as some kind of caretaker of the strange Deponian “genius” she had brought with her. And thus she was sent to check on his progress in coming up with a plan to save Elysium almost daily.

She both resented and enjoyed these occasions. They had settled “Rufus” into Cletus’ old quarters and seeing him there never failed to evoke a whirlwind of emotions in her. She was well aware who he really was but seeing someone who looked so much like Rufus in an environment that had been shaped by Cletus’ tastes was unsettling to say the least. And yet even just seeing him made her want to forget he was only playing a part because of the memories it brought to her mind.

Well, it was no use putting it off even longer, she thought as she strode out of the elevator that had taken her down from the Council of Elders into the habitat section.

Just then a loud crash tore through the afternoon air. She hoped she was just imagining this but there even was a slight tremor in the ground beneath her feet. Her heart was beating against her ribcage. Could it be that even their most pessimistic calculations had been wrong and Elysium was already running out of energy to stay afloat?

She tried to shake off the icy dread that was paralysing her and sprinted forwards in the direction of the noise. She had to know what was going on. Maybe there was something she could do to save -

To save -

She saw him and stopped dead in her tracks. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a shout that might have been half sob and half cheering.

“Rufus”, she breathed. Then she shouted his name and started running.

It was him, without a doubt - right down to the messily patched up clothes, visibly singed around the chest area - and when Goal called his name, he reacted without hesitation, head turning to look at her and-

There was an instant, a moment so short it was easy to miss, before his brain caught up with that was happening and his eyes lit up. Just a second in which his grin wavered and he blankly stared back at her, lost.

And then, before he even realised it was happening, he was moving towards her, as fast as he could (which was not very fast without losing balance), to meet her halfway, to wrap his arms around her, because, well…

What kind of boyfriend would he be otherwise?

“Goal!” He shouted back. A million thoughts were rushing through his head, the entire list of questions he had promised himself he’d find answers to once he made it here, but one thought was louder than the rest. The questions could wait. Only one thing mattered, for now.

“Of course I am. Thanks to you.” She beamed at him and blinked against her tears. “But I thought you were - I thought ...” Her voice caught in her throat and she reached for him and embraced him tightly.

He smelled a bit more singed than she remembered but other than that this was final prove this really was her Rufus. Even when he was wearing the old coat Cletus had always had an air of antiseptic minty freshness around him, but this one was the real deal.

The dust was slowly settling - all around, and into Rufus’ lungs. He coughed, unable to suppress it no matter how much he wanted to, and pushed his way past dented, broken, sharp-edged scrap metal, into freedom. His movements were uncoordinated and clumsy, but his shaken sense of balance would probably restore itself in… a while. Maybe. Hopefully. It usually did.

This wasn’t quite the first impression he’d hoped to make, but it didn’t matter.

It was still an impressive entrance.

The capsule had, in spectacular fashion, missed the opening Rufus had been aiming for (or imagined he’d hit, in any case) and taken down a wall instead, which was honestly a positive because that was action movie hero levels of cool, and it was very effective at drawing the attention he deserved. Upon impact, the capsule had cracked open like an egg, which was less nice, but Rufus was still unharmed (relatively, he’d certainly lived through worse), and it wasn’t like he needed that thing to be functional anymore anyway…

Because he’d made it. And none of the deviations from his plan, not the dust, not the dizziness, not the embarrassing grime and dirt and possibly (?) blood in his hair, could take that away from him.

She was on her way to see “Rufus” as she usually did. Ever since they showed up back on Elysium the Council of Elders seemed to see her as some kind of caretaker of the strange Deponian “genius” she had brought with her. And thus she was sent to check on his progress in coming up with a plan to save Elysium almost daily.

She both resented and enjoyed these occasions. They had settled “Rufus” into Cletus’ old quarters and seeing him there never failed to evoke a whirlwind of emotions in her. She was well aware who he really was but seeing someone who looked so much like Rufus in an environment that had been shaped by Cletus’ tastes was unsettling to say the least. And yet even just seeing him made her want to forget he was only playing a part because of the memories it brought to her mind.

Well, it was no use putting it off even longer, she thought as she strode out of the elevator that had taken her down from the Council of Elders into the habitat section.

Just then a loud crash tore through the afternoon air. She hoped she was just imagining this but there even was a slight tremor in the ground beneath her feet. Her heart was beating against her ribcage. Could it be that even their most pessimistic calculations had been wrong and Elysium was already running out of energy to stay afloat?

She tried to shake off the icy dread that was paralysing her and sprinted forwards in the direction of the noise. She had to know what was going on. Maybe there was something she could do to save -

To save -

She saw him and stopped dead in her tracks. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a shout that might have been half sob and half cheering.

“Oooohhh, we get to meet Janosch,” Goal squealed. “Thank you!”

“Well, I meant … oh, nevermind.”

“You know I told you not to follow me.”

“so this is the whole resistance?”

“Oooohhh, we get to meet Janosch,” Goal squealed. “Thank you!”

“Well, I meant … oh, nevermind.”

“You know I told you not to follow me.”

“Oooohhh, we get to meet Janosch,” Goal squealed. “Thank you!”

“Well, I meant ... oh, nevermind.”

“… Well there goes hiding. You ok?”

Then she got up and turned towards the door and the invisible watcher behind it. “Hiii!” She smiled widely. “We’re the newest members of the resistance.”

“Oh so you’re the two he was talking about.”

“Uhm,” the voice from behind the door said hesitantly. “That was ... right ... I think. I can never remember the new knock. We changed it just a few days ago and ...”

“… Well there goes hiding. You ok?”

Then she got up and turned towards the door and the invisible watcher behind it. “Hiii!” She smiled widely. “We’re the newest members of the resistance.”