Her Masterpiece (Ruan Mei X F.OC)

Her & Her

Ruan Mei hadn't really cared about what explanation she had to give to Stelle.

She'd give her what she wanted for her to get out of her hair... Don't get her wrong, Stelle is actually enjoyable to be around, even for her, a new face, a new mystery, the first in a long while.

...

But the situation her was in required more dexterity and thinnest then she could offer with her attention focused in two different ways at the same time.

It was what she ran from after all.

Sitting alone in the silent lab that was mostly the same outside of the few modification to make it a bit more homey.

The couch she was told to sit at was one of those things, the work surfaces on the left wall turned into a DIY kitchenette with a banged up microwave, a water boiler plugged into the wall, utensils pilled in a coffee cup, stacks on stacks of cans of food, a table here, a chair there.

Another thing that grabbed her attention was the lack of interaction... Before now it was a bother that the critters always ran around her and made her trip up but currently... Sure they were looking on with the same longing they always had but not a single one of them was scooting their way over to her like they would, bouncing after her and meowing her way in excitement...

Did...

Did she miss that? Did she?

Taking things for granted was a thing she often did and usually that didn't change so now that it did for something so ingrained in her it was disconcerting.

Plap.

Plap?

She looked to the left, following the long stretched creamy pink paw stuck to her face to the smaller critter suddenly up on the couch next to her, looking at her with its one big round eye.

"Hello there." She simply said, gently pulling the paw off her face... Hmm... This one is not only smaller then the rest but also more elastic and sticky... Interesting. "Who might you me? I've never seen you around."

"Meow." It said... Dear aeons, if these things were luminescent Ruan Mei was sure this one would be glowing in all the shades of the rainbow it looks so excited, even jiggling like a block of jello in an earthquake simulator.

"Oh my, you have a lot of energy don't you." She poked the jittery little critter with the barest of smiles that started the chain reaction.

it bounced up and off the couch, bouncing in some hyper drive zoomies around the place before coming back too her with a little plastic ball and bouncing up, dropping it in her lap... That sure seemed to get the attention of all other critters too... Was an earthquake actually happening here or what?

it bounced over to the other cat-cakes and waited with with.

Ruan Mei slowly picked up the ball between her thumb and pointer fingers, looking it over but it seemed like a normal ball.

Then looking over at the critters, all their eyes upon this prized piece of plastic.

With a little sigh, grabbing it and lifting her hand, throwing it... And watching the hoard of living desserts bounce off after it.

She lifted a hand to her mouth to cover the smile, having a little silent laugh, hearing the sounds off squabbled meows as one would get the ball and the others would chase it until another got the ball and the cycle started over.

But her ears caught the sound of the airlock opening and closing, knowing who was back from bruing Stelle back up top and who finished the rounds to be sure the swarm's remains were truly dead.

A deep breath... She... Can't really run anymore.

Looking up and seeing, after many decade, once again finally--

Nihl... Didn't expected to instantly b e assaulted by living desserts but she was.

Eye-X had quickly scooted itself upon her should with a ball in its tiny paws while the other bigger cat-cakes were trying to tower up and swarm her legs to hold her in place until they got the ball.

"Will you all calm down?" She muttered, trying to passify the hoard of ravenous danger while Eye-X stuck its tongue out, fueling the fire of war even more.

Even before, against the emanator of the swarm, she hadn't gotten a good look, nor did she try... But now, Ruan Mei didn't really have a choice did she?

She... She hadn't changed that much...

She still was the one she ran from, as far as the cosmos could bring her, she could not face her own creation after how she came out.

Ruan Mei had spent so long on this, so much time and sleepless hours only for... This result...

A living being that seemingly lacked a soul, a liveless husk that refused to die... All she did was for her and all she got was her.

She thought she had finally figured out life but after this result she threw out all her research, ripped apart her notes and destroyed her theories in as it reflected what she couldn't do... She couldn't keep the promise she made to herself, to her.

This result, so familiar and yet there was something different to her.

That symbol of nihility etched into her skin, that pinkish energy she created from her body, those scars marred into her smooth skin... No, that was her, Ruan Mei wouldn't know if her's is the same way... She had ran away after all.

Run away from the results of decades of work that haven't come out like she wanted...

Looking at her dealing with the cat-cake disaster... Oh how she wishes it was her... But it would never be, not until she accomplishes her goal, understanding life fully to control it.

But that's not for soon...

What is...

Is dealing with this...