An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Glycogenesis, embroidery and a need for the absolute
Summary:
After some inner turmoil resurfaces, Ruan Mei relaxes by studying a creature in her laboratory while listening to a studio arrangement of classical music. She finds herself thinking about her purpose as a scientist and her ambition to reach Aeonhood. A dwarf then barges in her lab.
Herta stutters when she finds the words to speak. “Ar- Are you heartless, a monster or both? I presume both.” Herta asks, still trembling.
“I’m just conducting research. You’ve seen death before, stop trembling.”
“This is not death, this is a cruel murder scene I am not getting involved with. It had such an adorable face too- how can you dissect something so pretty and cute while listening to Vivaldi?” Herta asks, beyond dumbfounded.
“I can, apparently.” Ruan Mei answers blankly, uninterested. When Herta still looks shook, she genuinely gets worried. “Are you ok?”
“No. I’m going now. Have a great day and keep up the good work.”
The puppet jumps off the table to leave, but is swiftly halted by hand that catches her mid-air.
“Small.” Ruan Mei remarks with a blank face.
“I am perfectly fine for a girl my age.”
Ruan Mei struggles to stifle her laughter. “A geriatric woman in the body of a little girl… that's an oxymoron.”
“An elegant and poised woman who keeps her laboratory with a splattered dead animal inside. That's an oxymoron too, if you ask me.” Herta looks smug, still held in the air but Ruan Mei's tight grip.
“I get carried away when doing research, you should know it by now, but it's probably your narcissism that makes you forget things about others.” Ruan Mei states the truth plainly.
“Doesn't change the fact this place is a biohazard dumpster with all kinds of dead creatures and the walls could melt if you splashed one of these concoctions at them.” Herta swiftly points at the beakers, filled with all kinds of chemicals and the like, all resting on the table in a long straight line right in front of many petri dishes harboring who knows what bacterias inside.
“...I usually tidy up at the end. Don't worry.” The biologist smiles softly, finally dropping the puppet to the ground.
Herta lands perfectly. “I'm not worried- ok, fine. I don’t want to know what ‘tidying up’ even is.” She inhales sharply. “What were you doing to this poor creature?”
Ruan Mei looks down at the creature again, her hand caressing its lifeless squishy body. “I’m creating glucose-based living beings. They will be geniuses, more intelligent than any living being. Yet, many problems have risen during my experimentations. Case in point.” She pulls at the skin and it stretches immediately. “The dermis is not consistent enough yet and peels off easily. Luckily they don't feel pain. I think. They don't scream or shout so I presume they don't have pain receptors.” She then peels the skin off, uninterested. It spreads thin on her fingers: it’s sugary and glittery.
“That is very twisted and cruel, also the way you’re holding that critter's skin is weirdly morbid.” Herta backs off a step, her stance in a fight or flight mode.
“Is it?” Ruan Mei tilts her head, looking puzzled at Herta.
“I keep forgetting I work with a sociopath.”
“Now, now… I have a mirror in my bedroom if you want to look at one.”
After some silent awe, Herta asks “... You rarely joke. Did something good happen?”
Ruan Mei halts in place.
Has something good happened? She mentally retraces her inconspicuous day in the span of five seconds.
…
It has.
...
Notes:
Hello!! :D I've been writing this for a month and only now I'm publishing it because I'm sort of happy with how it turned out. It's a window of life, an auto-conclusive small story that focuses on Herta and Ruan Mei hanging out on Ruan Mei's planet. I love Ruan Mei, so I simply had to dedicate something to her. I am not originally English, so sorry in advance for any mistake you could stumble across. Have a nice read!
