Can just imagine all the girlies on tiktok going "I know this is a bit controversial but I honestly love using limestone as a gastrolith. Not only can you readily forage it but they are just so pretty when smoothed out after regurgitating them"

So random Eridian scientists are talking to Grace and are like, absolutely no disrespect intended, but very interesting Rocky overcame the cultural weirdness and sensory disgust of "hugs" and does them despite no benefit to himself because he cares for your needs! Its sweet!

Grace: actually Rocky freaks out if he cant press himself against my lungs and heart through the thinnest xenonite possible until he can hear every muscle cell in my body moving at least once a day.

The Eridians figure out how to safely dock the Hail Mary to the top of the space elevator structure. A greeting party of Eridians gathers to welcome Rocky back. Introductions to Grace are made (if this is a version of the story where Grace is in a state to introduce himself, health-wise). The Eridians escort Rocky further in and down, leaving Grace safe in the Hail Mary for the time being.

At the exact point where Grace's heartbeat starts to peter out of Rocky's constant spatial awareness, Rocky just. Stops walking. Completely stops dead in the middle of a hallway with no warning. The other Eridians keep going for a step or two before realizing he's stopped and also stopping, confused. They ask him what's wrong. He doesn't answer.

From the instant that the outer hull of the Hail Mary came between Rocky and Grace, Rocky has been fighting the impulse to sprint back into the ship and double-triple-quadruple-quintuple-check that Grace is still okay. That impulse has been growing stronger and stronger with every step he takes, until this moment, when one more step will carry Rocky out of the range where he can keep tabs on Grace without even consciously thinking about it. It feels like Rocky physically can't move his legs. What's happening to him? Is he going to sleep, and that's why he can't move? He can't be -- he just woke from sleep barely 1.5 Earth days ago.

Adrian steps toward Rocky with a croon of concern. Their carapace tilts away, in the direction the group had been headed. Aren't you coming?

Old instincts kick in and Rocky automatically moves toward his mate, one step, two steps, three--

Grace's heartbeat is gone.

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And I also wanted to mention that humanitarian organisations have free courses too, like the Red Cross on international humanitarian law.

and here he made his first fatal error. his moment of hubristic sex pesting. because of course i know where the term blow job comes from, i love learning about sex and the history of sexual terms! i know so much about oral sex that i could write a book on it!

anyway i wanted a memento of my first pride, you know, and this one vendor was selling keyrings, and i liked it, so i bought one. do you remember those italian charm bracelets that were all the rage like 10-15 years ago? it was a keychain like that, and it had a rainbow rooster, a rainbow cat, and then just a rainbow, and so I bought it.

i run into my mom a couple of vendors over and she goes oh you bought something? what’d you get? so i showed her, and i was like, “I’m not sure why it’s a rooster and a cat. Seems kind of random. But I liked the rainbows.”

and my mom, who was some form of minister’s wife for most of my childhood and teenagerhood, stares at me like she thinks i’m joking.

“What?” i say.

…relic…