Luck of the Stars [Part 2]
Aug. 1st, 2020 12:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: It started with Frankenstein chasing up the engineering officer, Muzaka Starr, for a late checkup. But there's something about the man that interests Frankenstein the more he interacts with him.
Notes: Space AU square for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
trope_bingo. :D
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 2,245
Total word count: 4,260
Status: Work in progress
Frankenstein absentmindedly scratched at one of the many bug bites along his arm as he prepared the samples he and Muzaka had collected.
One of the downsides to interstellar travel was that bug sprays didn't work; the bugs weren't the same from planet to planet and there was a chance any bug repellents they used could cause a chain reaction with the local fauna.
He hummed, getting into the rhythm of sorting everything neatly.
While annoying, bug bites were worth it in exchange of discovering new places and new items of interest.
Frankenstein paused when he pulled out one plant from its bag. It was already growing roots from the bottom of its stem. Huh, interesting. It had only been a few hours since it had been gathered.
The other samples hadn't shown such initiative yet, but if he could separate what caused such growth, it would benefit Alaunus' farm and garden.
* * *
Frankenstein frowned over the piles of samples he'd created, tapping a finger on his table. Less than half of his samples showed faster growth, while the other half didn't.
It wasn't one particular plant, a few duplicates in both piles or only one. Could it be the difference in the soil? But the area they'd collected them had been in close quarters with each other - the soil wouldn't be too different. None of the area had seemed more overgrown from what Frankenstein could remember, but that could be because if a plant grew too fast, it gathered resources faster while then putting it at risk of being eaten by the local fauna.
Was it how they were gathered? There was a possibility of that being the case, but he was sure...
Muzaka?
Frankenstein reached for his screen, where all the scans were displayed. Sort by which scanner took the details...
It didn't take long and Frankenstein stared between his results and the bags.
It was an exact match.
All the samples Muzaka had collected were the ones that showed the accelerated growth.
How interesting.
Frankenstein leaned back, stretching. He tapped his comms, finding Muzaka's profile, and rang it.
It didn't take long for Muzaka to pick up. "Yo, Frankenstein."
He smiled. "Ah, good, you picked up this time."
"Heh, yeah. What's up?"
"I'd like to talk to you about the samples we collected, if you're free?"
"Sure. I'm in the centre of the garden."
Frankenstein nodded, tidying his samples away. "I'll be there shortly."
* * *
The garden was the area in Alaunus where they maintained flowers and plants, an ocean of colour away from the metallic wall tiles, a place to soak up the light of the artificial sun. The ceiling had a sky projected onto it, and holograms and speakers helped to give the illusion of rain and snow whenever the weather changed. The speakers also played birdsong and distant traffic, trying to capture being hidden away within a city rather than being in a ship travelling through space.
It was an overcast day today, the sky grey and threatening to rain.
It didn't take Frankenstein long to find Muzaka, who had stretched out on a bench, arms resting on the back.
"Yo." Muzaka raised a hand in greeting. "Still workin'?"
"As always," Frankenstein said with a small smile.
"Heh." Muzaka shuffled over so Frankenstein could sit next to him. "So what did you find out?"
"I haven't had the time to properly study them yet, but I've discovered that all the samples you collected have an enhanced growth."
Muzaka's eyes went wide and he straightened. Under the light, it looked like Muzaka paled, but that wouldn't make sense. That was too strong a reaction. "Ah, shit, sorry," Muzaka said, shaking his head.
"No, it's not your fault," Frankenstein said, raising his hands to placate him. "I'm just surprised that you had that effect on them." It certainly wouldn't be something that would be on his medical record.
"Long term exposure to the engine, I guess?" Muzaka said with a shrug.
"Possibly," Frankenstein mused, "but engines are now reinforced to make sure no radiation or energy leaks out. Otherwise, engineer lifespans would still be far shorter, like when we first started long term space travel."
Muzaka grimaced.
"Ah." Frankenstein shook his head. "But you knew that, of course." Muzaka worked with the engine - he would know the risks involved and what had come before.
"Yeah," Muzaka said, his gaze drifting towards the sky again. "So what'll you do now?"
Hm? Why was Muzaka asking that? "Continue to study them and see what I can find out about them."
Muzaka turned back to him. "What about the bad samples?"
Frankenstein raised his eyebrows at him. "They're not 'bad' samples. They merely have accelerated growth - they could be a separate sample group, but other than that, it should be fine."
Muzaka still looked uncertain.
"You tried to help," Frankenstein said. "There's no fault in that."
Muzaka sighed, finally relaxing again. "Yeah, I guess."
* * *
All of the Muzaka group samples had a consistently higher energy charge compared to the samples Frankenstein had collected. Hmm. Frankenstein wanted to discount Muzaka's suggestion that it was due to him being affected by working closely to an engine but...
Muzaka's scars bothered Frankenstein. Not all ships were built as sturdy as Alaunus; if Muzaka had travelled on an older ship with less shielding around the engine, that could explain both why he affected plant life and why he hadn't had access to good medicine before his wounds scarred.
Or they could be something completely unrelated.
Frankenstein heard his office door hiss open.
"Yo, Frankenstein, are you workin' twelve hour shifts?"
He smiled at Muzaka's familiar voice, looking up. "No, I'm off-duty right now, but I prefer working here on my projects." He had more space in his office and it was much easier to access what he needed when he was close to the medical bay.
Muzaka peered at what Frankenstein was working on. "The plants? That's still work."
Muzaka walked forward to keep a closer look, but Frankenstein noticed he kept his hands to his back. Making sure he didn't disturb Frankenstein's work, or worry of what his touch would do?
"And I enjoy it," Frankenstein said. He tilted his head at Muzaka. "Is there something wrong?" Why was Muzaka here?
"Is being ill or injured the only reason why people come to visit?" Muzaka said, amused.
"...Well, yes?"
Muzaka pursed his lips and huffed.
"So unless you're here ahead of schedule for a checkup...?" Frankenstein said, teasing.
Muzaka scrunched up his face, but he didn't seem as tense as before. "Nah, I just wanted to see how you were doin'."
"As you can see," Frankenstein said, gesturing to himself, "I'm doing perfectly well, as are the plants." The ones he'd planted to check their growth were thriving, in fact.
Muzaka nodded, exhaling. "That's good."
Frankenstein studied him. "Are you worried they had died or mutated?" he asked softly.
"Nah..." Muzaka didn't say anything, his gaze fixed on the plants. "I dunno. Just makin' sure. But if you and them are fine, then I should be gettin' back to work." Before Frankenstein could say anything, Muzaka turned on his heel and left.
Frankenstein watched him go until his office doors blocked his view again. Hm...
* * *
Muzaka intrigued Frankenstein; he was a puzzle Frankenstein's mind continually circled back to. He was interested in what about the man caused the reaction to the plants, but that was his curiosity talking.
The scans hadn't picked up any radiation or anything out of the ordinary that could potentially cause it. Muzaka was healthy, and from Muzaka's surprise, his reaction to plants hadn't adversely affected his life if he hadn't noticed it before. Unless it was a new development? His data still said everything was within their normal parameters.
Though... What was the effect when Muzaka touched people?
Frankenstein frowned as he wandered over to the closest monitor, thinking over his interactions with Muzaka. At no point had they ever had physical contact with each other, and he felt no different than usual.
He brought up the profiles of all the engineering officers, going through each one.
It took a while, but he found nothing. There was no changes in any of engineering officers that could be solely attributed to working on shift with Muzaka, when they were the most likely to come in contact with him.
Maybe it was due to plants having more potential to continue growing throughout their lifetime that they were affected by Muzaka's touch?
It was something he would continue to keep an eye on.
* * *
"Well, at least yer easy to find."
Frankenstein smiled, looking up from his slides. "You could call to see where I am."
Muzaka snorted, walking into Frankenstein's office. He stood a step further back than he had the last time he had visited. "No point when yer always in here."
"Hmm, true. Another check on myself and the plants?"
Muzaka nodded.
Frankenstein straightened with a sigh, powering down the magnifier. "Are you worried that I'm also affected by your presence?"
Muzaka didn't say anything for a few seconds. "A little, yeah." He let out a big exhale, crossing his arms. "I didn't know I had that effect on livin' things."
"If you hadn't noticed anything by now, then it's doubtful you adversely affect people," Frankenstein said. "How often do you touch another person?"
Muzaka hesitated, his gaze drifting to the side. "Not that often, honestly. I don't think I've initiated touching someone?" He shrugged. "I get claps on the back sometimes, but that's it."
That could explain why Muzaka hadn't noticed it before. The majority of humans craved physical contact but from what Frankenstein had seen of Muzaka so far, Muzaka hadn't tried to seek it out, nor showed any of the symptoms of being affected by the lack.
"Does it worry you?"
Muzaka blinked at him, his focus on him again. "The lack of touch, or the effect it might have on people?"
"Both."
Muzaka shrugged. "I'm fine with the lack of touch, and if that means I haven't been affectin' people all this time, that's fine too."
Ah. "Which means you are worried about the effect of your touch." Sometimes it wasn't what a person said, but what they didn't say.
Muzaka's shoulders rose up slightly as he looked away with a sigh. "Yeah, a bit."
Frankenstein took two steps closer to Muzaka, holding his hand out.
Muzaka's eyes widened as he approached. "Oi."
"This will let you know for sure, won't it?" Frankenstein said, still holding his hand up.
"I don't want ya dying, just to find out!" Muzaka protested, taking a step back.
Frankenstein swept his free hand towards his plants. "They're still alive, and quite happy."
Muzaka squinted at them, frowning. He still didn't come closer.
Looked like he would have to convince Muzaka. "This journey isn't safe," Frankenstein said. "There's always a chance we may be attacked for one reason or another, or we come in contact with something that aversely affects us.
"It's my job to study these issues and see if I can find a way to decrease its effect on the crew. Your effect however, hasn't made any difference to the engineering officers who have spent long shifts in close proximity to you." He shook his head. "That's why I doubt direct touch would make much difference."
Muzaka just stared at him. "You've checked all that already? Do you sleep at all?"
Frankenstein chuckled softly. "Comparing trends in changes within a group is rather easy." The computer was able to find everyone needed and chart it for him to see.
"You really are always workin'."
"And doing so will alleviate your worry."
Muzaka grimaced. "Or increase it."
"But then you will know for sure if you should avoid skin-to-skin touch in the future." Certainty over uncertainty.
Muzaka pursed his lips. "You're sure?"
Frankenstein nodded.
Muzaka stared at Frankenstein's hand for five long seconds before he gritted his teeth and clasped Frankenstein's hand. "All right."
Muzaka's hand was...a hand. Warm to the touch and Frankenstein could feel his heartbeat thrum under his skin.
When Muzaka tried to pull his hand away, Frankenstein gripped it, holding him in place.
"Oi."
"You touched the plants for longer," Frankenstein pointed out. It wouldn't be much of a test if they didn't keep the conditions similar.
"Yeah, but-" Muzaka's hand warmed under the prolonged contact, and hm.
When Frankenstein let go, he turned his hand over, showing his palm to Muzaka. Nothing. Which didn't say much, seeing how the samples had all looked the same in the beginning.
Frankenstein grabbed his portable scanner, running it over his hand. "No immediate change," he told Muzaka.
"You don't feel any different?" Muzaka said, looking like he wanted to step closer, but holding himself back.
Frankenstein assessed himself and how he was feeling, and then shook his head. "No."
"Hnnng."
Frankenstein smiled softly at him. "I'm in the med bay - if something were to happen to me, I don't have far to go."
Muzaka narrowed his eyes at him, before glancing at Frankenstein's door. "An' how often do people come into your office?"
At that, Frankenstein hesitated. "Not that often, admittedly." He was usually found on his rounds, and usually only came to his office once his shift was done.
Muzaka crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. "Then I'll stay."
Frankenstein smiled. "Very well."
Summary: It started with Frankenstein chasing up the engineering officer, Muzaka Starr, for a late checkup. But there's something about the man that interests Frankenstein the more he interacts with him.
Notes: Space AU square for
trope_bingo. :D Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 2,245
Total word count: 4,260
Status: Work in progress
Frankenstein absentmindedly scratched at one of the many bug bites along his arm as he prepared the samples he and Muzaka had collected.
One of the downsides to interstellar travel was that bug sprays didn't work; the bugs weren't the same from planet to planet and there was a chance any bug repellents they used could cause a chain reaction with the local fauna.
He hummed, getting into the rhythm of sorting everything neatly.
While annoying, bug bites were worth it in exchange of discovering new places and new items of interest.
Frankenstein paused when he pulled out one plant from its bag. It was already growing roots from the bottom of its stem. Huh, interesting. It had only been a few hours since it had been gathered.
The other samples hadn't shown such initiative yet, but if he could separate what caused such growth, it would benefit Alaunus' farm and garden.
Frankenstein frowned over the piles of samples he'd created, tapping a finger on his table. Less than half of his samples showed faster growth, while the other half didn't.
It wasn't one particular plant, a few duplicates in both piles or only one. Could it be the difference in the soil? But the area they'd collected them had been in close quarters with each other - the soil wouldn't be too different. None of the area had seemed more overgrown from what Frankenstein could remember, but that could be because if a plant grew too fast, it gathered resources faster while then putting it at risk of being eaten by the local fauna.
Was it how they were gathered? There was a possibility of that being the case, but he was sure...
Muzaka?
Frankenstein reached for his screen, where all the scans were displayed. Sort by which scanner took the details...
It didn't take long and Frankenstein stared between his results and the bags.
It was an exact match.
All the samples Muzaka had collected were the ones that showed the accelerated growth.
How interesting.
Frankenstein leaned back, stretching. He tapped his comms, finding Muzaka's profile, and rang it.
It didn't take long for Muzaka to pick up. "Yo, Frankenstein."
He smiled. "Ah, good, you picked up this time."
"Heh, yeah. What's up?"
"I'd like to talk to you about the samples we collected, if you're free?"
"Sure. I'm in the centre of the garden."
Frankenstein nodded, tidying his samples away. "I'll be there shortly."
The garden was the area in Alaunus where they maintained flowers and plants, an ocean of colour away from the metallic wall tiles, a place to soak up the light of the artificial sun. The ceiling had a sky projected onto it, and holograms and speakers helped to give the illusion of rain and snow whenever the weather changed. The speakers also played birdsong and distant traffic, trying to capture being hidden away within a city rather than being in a ship travelling through space.
It was an overcast day today, the sky grey and threatening to rain.
It didn't take Frankenstein long to find Muzaka, who had stretched out on a bench, arms resting on the back.
"Yo." Muzaka raised a hand in greeting. "Still workin'?"
"As always," Frankenstein said with a small smile.
"Heh." Muzaka shuffled over so Frankenstein could sit next to him. "So what did you find out?"
"I haven't had the time to properly study them yet, but I've discovered that all the samples you collected have an enhanced growth."
Muzaka's eyes went wide and he straightened. Under the light, it looked like Muzaka paled, but that wouldn't make sense. That was too strong a reaction. "Ah, shit, sorry," Muzaka said, shaking his head.
"No, it's not your fault," Frankenstein said, raising his hands to placate him. "I'm just surprised that you had that effect on them." It certainly wouldn't be something that would be on his medical record.
"Long term exposure to the engine, I guess?" Muzaka said with a shrug.
"Possibly," Frankenstein mused, "but engines are now reinforced to make sure no radiation or energy leaks out. Otherwise, engineer lifespans would still be far shorter, like when we first started long term space travel."
Muzaka grimaced.
"Ah." Frankenstein shook his head. "But you knew that, of course." Muzaka worked with the engine - he would know the risks involved and what had come before.
"Yeah," Muzaka said, his gaze drifting towards the sky again. "So what'll you do now?"
Hm? Why was Muzaka asking that? "Continue to study them and see what I can find out about them."
Muzaka turned back to him. "What about the bad samples?"
Frankenstein raised his eyebrows at him. "They're not 'bad' samples. They merely have accelerated growth - they could be a separate sample group, but other than that, it should be fine."
Muzaka still looked uncertain.
"You tried to help," Frankenstein said. "There's no fault in that."
Muzaka sighed, finally relaxing again. "Yeah, I guess."
All of the Muzaka group samples had a consistently higher energy charge compared to the samples Frankenstein had collected. Hmm. Frankenstein wanted to discount Muzaka's suggestion that it was due to him being affected by working closely to an engine but...
Muzaka's scars bothered Frankenstein. Not all ships were built as sturdy as Alaunus; if Muzaka had travelled on an older ship with less shielding around the engine, that could explain both why he affected plant life and why he hadn't had access to good medicine before his wounds scarred.
Or they could be something completely unrelated.
Frankenstein heard his office door hiss open.
"Yo, Frankenstein, are you workin' twelve hour shifts?"
He smiled at Muzaka's familiar voice, looking up. "No, I'm off-duty right now, but I prefer working here on my projects." He had more space in his office and it was much easier to access what he needed when he was close to the medical bay.
Muzaka peered at what Frankenstein was working on. "The plants? That's still work."
Muzaka walked forward to keep a closer look, but Frankenstein noticed he kept his hands to his back. Making sure he didn't disturb Frankenstein's work, or worry of what his touch would do?
"And I enjoy it," Frankenstein said. He tilted his head at Muzaka. "Is there something wrong?" Why was Muzaka here?
"Is being ill or injured the only reason why people come to visit?" Muzaka said, amused.
"...Well, yes?"
Muzaka pursed his lips and huffed.
"So unless you're here ahead of schedule for a checkup...?" Frankenstein said, teasing.
Muzaka scrunched up his face, but he didn't seem as tense as before. "Nah, I just wanted to see how you were doin'."
"As you can see," Frankenstein said, gesturing to himself, "I'm doing perfectly well, as are the plants." The ones he'd planted to check their growth were thriving, in fact.
Muzaka nodded, exhaling. "That's good."
Frankenstein studied him. "Are you worried they had died or mutated?" he asked softly.
"Nah..." Muzaka didn't say anything, his gaze fixed on the plants. "I dunno. Just makin' sure. But if you and them are fine, then I should be gettin' back to work." Before Frankenstein could say anything, Muzaka turned on his heel and left.
Frankenstein watched him go until his office doors blocked his view again. Hm...
Muzaka intrigued Frankenstein; he was a puzzle Frankenstein's mind continually circled back to. He was interested in what about the man caused the reaction to the plants, but that was his curiosity talking.
The scans hadn't picked up any radiation or anything out of the ordinary that could potentially cause it. Muzaka was healthy, and from Muzaka's surprise, his reaction to plants hadn't adversely affected his life if he hadn't noticed it before. Unless it was a new development? His data still said everything was within their normal parameters.
Though... What was the effect when Muzaka touched people?
Frankenstein frowned as he wandered over to the closest monitor, thinking over his interactions with Muzaka. At no point had they ever had physical contact with each other, and he felt no different than usual.
He brought up the profiles of all the engineering officers, going through each one.
It took a while, but he found nothing. There was no changes in any of engineering officers that could be solely attributed to working on shift with Muzaka, when they were the most likely to come in contact with him.
Maybe it was due to plants having more potential to continue growing throughout their lifetime that they were affected by Muzaka's touch?
It was something he would continue to keep an eye on.
"Well, at least yer easy to find."
Frankenstein smiled, looking up from his slides. "You could call to see where I am."
Muzaka snorted, walking into Frankenstein's office. He stood a step further back than he had the last time he had visited. "No point when yer always in here."
"Hmm, true. Another check on myself and the plants?"
Muzaka nodded.
Frankenstein straightened with a sigh, powering down the magnifier. "Are you worried that I'm also affected by your presence?"
Muzaka didn't say anything for a few seconds. "A little, yeah." He let out a big exhale, crossing his arms. "I didn't know I had that effect on livin' things."
"If you hadn't noticed anything by now, then it's doubtful you adversely affect people," Frankenstein said. "How often do you touch another person?"
Muzaka hesitated, his gaze drifting to the side. "Not that often, honestly. I don't think I've initiated touching someone?" He shrugged. "I get claps on the back sometimes, but that's it."
That could explain why Muzaka hadn't noticed it before. The majority of humans craved physical contact but from what Frankenstein had seen of Muzaka so far, Muzaka hadn't tried to seek it out, nor showed any of the symptoms of being affected by the lack.
"Does it worry you?"
Muzaka blinked at him, his focus on him again. "The lack of touch, or the effect it might have on people?"
"Both."
Muzaka shrugged. "I'm fine with the lack of touch, and if that means I haven't been affectin' people all this time, that's fine too."
Ah. "Which means you are worried about the effect of your touch." Sometimes it wasn't what a person said, but what they didn't say.
Muzaka's shoulders rose up slightly as he looked away with a sigh. "Yeah, a bit."
Frankenstein took two steps closer to Muzaka, holding his hand out.
Muzaka's eyes widened as he approached. "Oi."
"This will let you know for sure, won't it?" Frankenstein said, still holding his hand up.
"I don't want ya dying, just to find out!" Muzaka protested, taking a step back.
Frankenstein swept his free hand towards his plants. "They're still alive, and quite happy."
Muzaka squinted at them, frowning. He still didn't come closer.
Looked like he would have to convince Muzaka. "This journey isn't safe," Frankenstein said. "There's always a chance we may be attacked for one reason or another, or we come in contact with something that aversely affects us.
"It's my job to study these issues and see if I can find a way to decrease its effect on the crew. Your effect however, hasn't made any difference to the engineering officers who have spent long shifts in close proximity to you." He shook his head. "That's why I doubt direct touch would make much difference."
Muzaka just stared at him. "You've checked all that already? Do you sleep at all?"
Frankenstein chuckled softly. "Comparing trends in changes within a group is rather easy." The computer was able to find everyone needed and chart it for him to see.
"You really are always workin'."
"And doing so will alleviate your worry."
Muzaka grimaced. "Or increase it."
"But then you will know for sure if you should avoid skin-to-skin touch in the future." Certainty over uncertainty.
Muzaka pursed his lips. "You're sure?"
Frankenstein nodded.
Muzaka stared at Frankenstein's hand for five long seconds before he gritted his teeth and clasped Frankenstein's hand. "All right."
Muzaka's hand was...a hand. Warm to the touch and Frankenstein could feel his heartbeat thrum under his skin.
When Muzaka tried to pull his hand away, Frankenstein gripped it, holding him in place.
"Oi."
"You touched the plants for longer," Frankenstein pointed out. It wouldn't be much of a test if they didn't keep the conditions similar.
"Yeah, but-" Muzaka's hand warmed under the prolonged contact, and hm.
When Frankenstein let go, he turned his hand over, showing his palm to Muzaka. Nothing. Which didn't say much, seeing how the samples had all looked the same in the beginning.
Frankenstein grabbed his portable scanner, running it over his hand. "No immediate change," he told Muzaka.
"You don't feel any different?" Muzaka said, looking like he wanted to step closer, but holding himself back.
Frankenstein assessed himself and how he was feeling, and then shook his head. "No."
"Hnnng."
Frankenstein smiled softly at him. "I'm in the med bay - if something were to happen to me, I don't have far to go."
Muzaka narrowed his eyes at him, before glancing at Frankenstein's door. "An' how often do people come into your office?"
At that, Frankenstein hesitated. "Not that often, admittedly." He was usually found on his rounds, and usually only came to his office once his shift was done.
Muzaka crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. "Then I'll stay."
Frankenstein smiled. "Very well."