two phds and millions of questions

          In all the centuries he’d been stuck on that planet, Leonius had yet to see anyone survive long enough to get off of it – sometimes, that was his fault. Actually, MOST OF THE TIME, that was his fault. It was a rare occasion that someone simply survived long enough to die of some other cause. The way things were, he got bored far too easily, and he needed a new body every few decades, so that was how things went. He used one for a little while, and then changed when the next useful one came along. The system was strange, and there was a part of him, the small piece of him that was still human, that said it was wrong, but he’d been alone for far too long to care about things like that anymore. He was immortal, and he had his way of doing things, and that would continue until the first condition changed.

          The woman was outside, and with how close he’d been staying to their dwelling, he knew within seconds. He didn’t want to use her – it wasn’t that he’d never used a female vessel before, but he wouldn’t be the cause of her death just for the sake of a change. They always seemed to scream the loudest, to be in the most pain, and there were too many, too clear memories of the first time his ability had hurt someone he cared about. There was no way he wanted to relive the reason he would never see his wife again, the reason he had been punished with exile in the first place. No, he wanted the man. The human race had evolved in strange ways, and the men seemed to be just as frightened as the women, but far more intent on not showing it. That was good, that meant there was less guilt involved.

          Leonius just had to make sure he could lure her partner out, and to do that, he would need HER. He stalked closer, staying out of her line of sight as much as possible – she wasn’t going to be prey, just bait, and if she ran, that plan might have to change.

        Myrcella rubbed calloused hands over her bare arms- she’d long ago ripped the sleeves off to use as bandages or a mask to protect her face from the sand that seemed to be everywhere. (If she lived long enough to get off this planet, she never wanted to see sand again. It was coarse and irritating and it got everywhere.) Her eyes scanned over the horizon quietly. With luck, this would be the last time she’d have to stare at it.

        The woman got to her feet, brushing what she could off her pants. It was nearly time to wake Will up, nearly time to pack and leave the cave that had been her home for weeks now. Her eyes closed in remembrance of her husband, her dear Leonius. 

        “I’m sorry, my love,” she whispered quietly to the air, hoping for all she was worth that, wherever he was, he would know. “I’m so sorry it ended this way. I’m sorry that I did what I did, that I chose the path I did. But I was so scared... You terrified me, I’ll admit it. But you didn’t deserve to die this way, Leonius. Alone. And I’m sorry that you did.”

          He didn’t know what to do, taking a shaky breath and making himself take at least three steps back. This was his fault, Leonius knew that much after only a few moments of thought, and he wanted to run and hide before he could hurt anyone else, but he couldn’t do that without cleaning up the mess he’d already made. “Help… I’ll go get help…”

          Pulling his arm back again when she flinched, Leonius frowned and waited for her to finish speaking before letting his gaze shift away from her. He should have known better than to get too close, but he hadn’t been thinking, and the fact that he could be so close to her had overwhelmed his judgment. “I was just ASKING. I don’t know if it’s the same for you.”

          Letting out a slow breath, Leonius made himself put his arms around her so that he could at least keep her from getting hurt. Whatever was happening, he had no idea what to do next, but leaving her alone certainly wasn’t an option. He kept his voice low, all but whispering while he shifted so that he could sit down before pulling her into his lap. “That’s better, isn’t it…?”

“It’s not that, Jemma!” He let out a huff, shaking his head again with an obvious frown, staring at her. “I never told you because I know that telling people causes problems. You are my best friend, and I want to keep things that way.”