Archive of Our Own

Harlow can't say they ever imagined the direction their career would take them, sitting as the head psychologist on the team working to keep a bonafide alien alive.

While they were of course honoured to be consulted on Stars-Saviour Grace's health, they were initially quite baffled.

After all, what use could a child psychologist be in treating an alien species?

They were informed of course, as everyone working with her was, of Stars-Saviour Grace's shockingly young age, with the additional note that despite this, she was indeed considered a fully grown adult by her own species standards, and to show her the due respect she duly deserved.

More than a few colleagues had been quite distressed upon learning of how short the average human lifespan was, but Star-Saviour Rocky had little patience for their alarm, as she had every right to, being the closest to Stars-Savior Grace out of anyone. If anyone ought to be distraught over how little time they had left with Stars-Saviour Grace, it was her.

But no, it wasnt Stars-Saviours Grace age that had them brought onto the team apparently, oh no.

It was, in fact, supposedly their work with accommodating a diverse array of pebbles needs and differences that set them apart enough to be considered for this role in her care. Rocky herself had requested them, and told them as much.

Since Stars-Savior Grace had become well enough to become aware of their surroundings, it had become necessary to increase the scope of care from simple survival alone, to ensuring that she was as comfortable as they could ensure, limitations be damned, but issues arose when considering what a wholly alien species would find comfort in compared to the average Eridian.

This was where they came in.

Stars-Saviour Grace was… humble to say the least, hesitant to ask for even the most mildest of changes, apparently fearful she would insult the hard work of the team by implying it wasn't enough.

It wasn't something Harlow was unfamiliar with. There were many young pebbles who refused to request the accommodations they needed to thrive for fear of being a burden.

It could be a struggle to get pebbles to open up, but Harlow worked hard to establish a steady bedrock of trust between themselves and their patients, giving them the time they needed to allow themselves to be vulnerable about their wants and needs. In fact, it could be a struggle even for fully grown Eridians to verbalise their own desires, let alone a timid little youngling, so it was always important to be gentle, and take things slowly.

With Stars-Saviour Grace, things were progressing slowly indeed, though they could hardly blame her.

How frightening it must be, to entrust your very survival to an entirely different planet than the one you were born on! It didn't seem to matter that said planet was of course, entirely grateful to her part in saving not one but two stars, or that Star-Saviour Rocky was quite clear that she wouldn't allow anything untoward to happen to her partner, but fears were rarely ever rational beasts. They would have to tread carefully.

"You guys know I'm not a child, right?" Savior Grace had said when they introduced themselves and their profession. Harlow stilled a moment, unsure if they had caused genuine offence, until they recognised the exposed teeth on her carapace that was called "a smile" as mentioned in Stars-Saviour Graces notes. It would take some time to familiarise themselves with her body language, but she would not be the first patient they'd had with non standard ways of expressing themselves.

"Of course." They had replied, settling down nearby at a polite distance. "I was briefed before meeting you."

"Right…I forgot I'm famous now, being Erid's hottest new gossip and all."

Ah! A Joke! A sign of feeling at ease, or perhaps the opposite? Depending on the patient, it could mean anything from feeling comfortable, to feeling the need to deflect from themselves or uncomfortable lines of conversation. Harlow would need to keep note to figure out which one it was- after they built up more of a rapport of course. Step one:

"I brought a gift."

"What, for me?" Grace pointed to herself with a single claw, and Harlow resisted the urge to croon reassuringly as they presented an oddly shaped bundle of fabric stuffed with soft materials. It was supposedly meant to mimic the form of a Earthen predator. An odd choice of creature to imitate for a pebble toy, but perhaps there were some cultural elements at play that didn't translate well.

"I think I'm a little too old for those."

"You're never too old for comfort" They insisted.

Harlow nudged the soft toy over, and dipped their carapace pointedly. Star Saviour Rocky had made extensive notes about Stars Saviours Grace's behaviours. Humans, or perhaps just Grace, exhibited many sensory seeking behaviours that seemed to indicate they found comfort in touch, having an incredibly sensitive carapace. They hoped that the toy, carefully copied from images taken from the thinking device Grace had so generously gifted Erid, would suffice until they could figure out another way to meet her tactile needs.

Grace appeared to pause for a moment, mouth hanging open, before it closed with a soft click of teeth, throat bobbing as she swallowed on nothing.

"… Oh. I uh… that's… very kind of you." Her voice was a quieter now, they noticed, shifting their attention to carefully map out the small shifts in movement as she reached out to take the gift.

"Thank you."

It was hard to miss the way she ran her claws up and down the surface of the toy, or the way she rubbed the strangely textured fabric between her slender digits, over and over and over.

Self soothing behaviour, perhaps, but they would try to avoid jumping to an early conclusion. Perhaps it was simply the novelty of a new texture, the way that young pebbles would click and tap their claws incessantly to hear the sound of a new and unfamiliar object, a habit many carried into their adulthood.

They weren't sure if Grace was even aware she was doing it. So many of her actions seemed rather involuntary- there'd be an entire list they'd have to memorise to know what was and wasn't cause for concern prior. Was that normal for humans, or just normal for Grace? It was an important distinction to make. Again they wished they could learn more about the specifics of human behaviour, but with the thinking device in high demand, they'd had no choice but to limit themselves to only what would serve useful in aiding Grace.

"Is it up to standard?" They'd been a little unsure if she would find the textures pleasant or not.

Grace made a loud huff of air in response.

"Oh yeah, solid ten outta ten. I never had anything nice like this as a kid-"

She stuttered to a stop then, body stilling.

Harlow waited for a few moments, waiting patiently for her to finish her train of thought, before abruptly realising what this was.

Star-Saviour Rocky had (of course) detailed her partners quiet episodes extensively of course.

"It is like he is somewhere else." She had written. "Somewhere I cannot reach him." Despite their closeness, it seemed even Rocky was unsure of the cause of these little lost moments in time, but it seemed generally agreed upon that the best thing to do was to give Stars-Saviour Grace some space whenever it occurred.

There had been times where, upon returning from wherever her mind had drifted to, she had become incredibly distraught, and during these times, only Rocky knew how best to comfort her, so Harlow made sure to be ready in case they needed to end the session early- but thankfully, after some time, Grace appeared to come back to herself, movements slow, and sluggish.

"I, um." She started, before taking a deep inhale of air.

"Sorry. I just… what were we talking about?"

Harlow listened carefully to Grace's body before responding, noticing the way she resumed smoothing out the fur between trembling fingers.

"… We were discussing whether the gift was to your liking. If it isn't, I am happy happy happy to make another one. It has been most interesting working with such unusual materials."

"You made this?"

"Yes, it is a hobby of mine." They found it relaxing to craft. They were no engineer like Saviour Rocky, but they enjoyed making toys and trinkets to fidget with.

It wasn't purely a hobby of course… most often, they made small items of comfort for their patients, totems to help watch over their sleep when a watchful guardian just wasn't enough to reassure them, and pleasingly shaped toys that bounced sound off in the most delightful of ways amongst many others. The soft, lumpy imitation bear was a far cry from what they usually made, but it had been an interesting challenge to tackle, and while they couldn't speak on the quality of the end result, they felt quite pleased with the attempt. It would be fascinating to see if the concept of these soft, squishy toys would catch on amongst pebbles eager to imitate their hero…

Stars-Saviour Grace bared her teeth again.

"That's amazing! The stitching is so neat, wow!"

She began looking over the gift once more, running her claws across the small details.

"Did you hand sew this? Or did you use some kind of machine? Is this ladder stitch? Oh, and where did you get the materials from? And what about the stuffing?"

It was bizarre, watching Saviour Grace suddenly animate into life again when moments before she'd been so still and placid, still sluggish from malnutrition. She spoke quickly enough that at points they struggled to understand her.

They imagined this must have been what she was like at her peak, when she first met Saviour Rocky, when she still had the energy to endlessly ask about Erid and their way of life. It was rather charming to imagine.

They could only hope, that they could help restore that previous vitality to them again.

But in the meantime, the two of them had a wonderful discussion about arts and crafts.

"Heya Harlow" Grace greeted them warmly as they entered the hospital room.

They had been honoured with the name sometime during the first session, named after a famous Earth Psychologist, or so Grace had said.

"…Because I am a Psychologist?" They had asked.

"Well… actually… it's because this looks more like a monkey than a bear." She'd admitted, clutching the gift close to her chest. "It was that or Maslow to be honest."

From context, they'd gathered a "monkey" was another species of Earth animal, though they had never observed any before. They clicked gently at the direction of the toy to reassess where they'd gone wrong. Perhaps they had made the limbs too long? Or maybe the "ears" should have been positioned further up? It was difficult to tell, but no matter.

As long as Stars-Saviour Grace found comfort in it, then they considered it a success.

It had however, sparked a lengthy discussion about Earth animals, in which they learned many facts, including that foxes were Star-Saviours Grace's favourite. She had painted quite the charming portrait of the four legged beasts, gleaming "orange" fur that "shone like the setting sun", mischievous faces, and big, fluffy tails.

This brought them to today.

"Hello Stars-Saviour Grace. I have brought another gift."

"Wait, really? Aw c'mon, you didn't have to do that."

She liked to complain when anyone did anything for her, it seemed. It would have almost been amusing, if it weren't quite so sad.

"I wanted to." They tapped firmly. "And it was good practise."

They'd been quite excited to try some of the other forms of crafting popular with humans Grace had mentioned. Crochet in particular was incredibly intriguing with how it reminded them of weaving with xenonite, alongside knitting, though they were waiting to learn more about "colours" before they tackled that specific avenue. It had been difficult enough as it was to figure out orange, and they weren't sure if they had gotten the right shade or not.

"Is that a… fox?"

Stars-Saviours Grace's voice rose in pitch, and she bared her teeth again as she scooped up the toy in her arms.

"Yes. I hope it is a more accurate imitation than my last attempt at mimicry."

"Wow… was this your first time doing crotchet? It's really good!"

She continued "smiling" at them in a way that felt… hmm. It felt a bit like when they would encourage their patients with a soft croon.

Interesting.

"Are the "colours" correct?"

"Uuuh… well…"

"It is alright. I will not be offended."

Grace rubbed the back of her head for a moment, running her claws through her hair before letting out a deep sigh.

"It's… a little more yellow than orange- but I don't mind or anything, I don't exactly expect any of you to get things like that right anyway. It's whatever, not a big deal, you know?"

Hmm. There it was. That casual dismissal.

"Mistakes are to expected, yes, but wouldn't you be happier if we did get them right?"

"Well… it's not like it matters? It's just a toy- not that I don't appreciate it, I do, I'm just saying that it doesn't need to be perfect, is all."

"Still, don't you think I, along with everyone else want to do our best for you?"

Grace winced, and held herself a little more stiffly, curling in on herself.

"I… guess. It's just… all… of this-" She waved a hand at her surroundings, the tiny environment made especially for her to recover in until they could create something more permanent, full of her air with the exact amount of pressure she required.

Personally, Harlow thought it was a pitiful amount of space for any sentient being to reside in, but as they were often reminded, comfort was not their main priority at the time. That was, after all, why they'd been brought in to begin with.

"-it's just, you've already done so much for me, all of you. I don't… I really don't deserve it." She continued, and Harlow wanted to smash their carapace against a wall.

How could she possible say she didn't deserve all this effort? Even without the fact that she was responsible in saving not one, but two seperate planets from total extinction, she was a living sentient being with as much a right to live comfortably as anyone else did!

"Stars-Saviour Grace, to speak frankly, I, and many others would wish to help you even if you weren't a Stars-Saviour."

They shifted to their feet, pacing back and forth, before jabbing a limb in her direction.

"You gave us our future back- it is only right that we give you yours also, hmm?"

"… Right."

Grace seemed oddly subdued even as she appeared to agree. Worrying. How deeply rooted was this belief of hers? They'd have to unravel whatever it was to that led to this way of thinking. It was certainly doing Grace no good.

"Apology apology apology. Did not mean to push."

"No no, it's fine, you're just doing your job-"

"No, as Star-Saviour Rocky would say, job is to make Grace happy."

"Yeah, well, good luck with that."

Another… joke? Grace was smiling again but the words didn't seem to match up. Hmm. More research would be needed later to double check what certain human behaviours were supposed to mean, but they were starting to think they were right about the jokes being a deflection tactic.

"Very well. Imitation Fox is "yellow", yes? Tell me more about this colour." There was no point pushing for now, not unity they had more of an idea of how hard and how much they could without causing undue stress.

"Oh, right- uh, well, yellow has lots of meanings on Earth- it's usually considered a sort of um, bright, cheerful colour."

"Fascinating. How can a colour be cheerful?

"Sorry, I don't know what to tell you, it's hard to explain, uh, let me think…"

Already, Stars-Saviour Grace was beginning to relax as she switched into "teaching mode". It was rather awe inspiring how naturally she took to it. She was supposedly a teacher before volunteering for her mission, and it was easy to see in the way she gently explained various ideas and concepts unimaginable to the average Eridian.

"Right, well, actually, I did sub in for the art teacher once, let me try to remember… uh… so, you can split the range of colours of what the average human can see- some people are colour blind and can see less than others by the way- into a colour wheel, and you can split that wheel in half into "warm" and "cool" shades. You following?"

"Yes."

"Now, obviously these colours aren't actually literally hotter or colder, it's just how they feel visually. So say, Blue, Green, and violet are typically "cool", and red, orange and yellow are "warm", and artists will use cool or warm colours to try and uh… influence how it makes you feel."

"Oh, is it perhaps like the difference between rough and smooth? Many artists manipulate the texture in their work to imply a specific mood or feeling."

"Maybe? That does sound fairly similar. What kind of emotions does a uh, rough, jagged texture give off then?"

"Intense, emotional, very… hmm… volatile? But also exciting, makes your hearts race… Hard to describe."

"Sounds a bit like red then. Red can mean lots of things but it's often associated with anger and danger, as well as um, other things. What about smooth?

"Smooth feels calm, stable, safe- but mean many more also. It is… difficult to find the words."

"Don't worry, I understand. It's rough huh?"

"No, it's smooth."

Grace let out an odd sound- oh, so this was human laughter?

"Oh man… you guys sure are natural jokers huh?"

"To the contrary, I've been told there's nothing natural about my sense of humour." Pebbles often groaned whenever they tried to lighten the mood with one. Perhaps they were just out of touch with the humour of today's youth.

"My students used to say the same, not with those exact words but man, they hated my jokes, it was always fun to rile them up with with a bad one."

It was difficult not to notice just how at ease Grace was whenever she spoke of her teaching days. It was yet another thing on the list to investigate. They could not give her back her students, but perhaps they could give her the chance to teach again, once she was better, if they could nail down the logistics of allowing an alien to teach a class of pebbles first.

"But erm, what I meant when I said it was "rough" earlier, I meant… that's unfortunate. While it can be used to refer to texture, it can be used to mean something a problem, or difficult."

"You use many of the same words for multiple meanings. Very strange."

"Oh don't get me started- you can also say something like uh, "I have a rough idea" to say something like, while you don't have the full picture- er, full knowledge of something, you know a little bit."

"We would use the opposite, since smooth surroundings can be disorientating and reflect sound, compared to rough textures which are easy to hear."

"Really? Huh. Guess that never came up before. I'll need to make a note before I forget."

"I will remind you." Grace's memory was certainly unusually lacking compared to most, but she was not the only patient of theirs who needed a little help recalling things. Of course, in those cases it was caused by damage to their crystalline structures, and not inherent, like it was in Grace's species.

They were unsure if Grace ever did end up writing those notes, but they did spend the rest of the session discussing the meaning of colours.

It truly was fascinating how "yellow" could both mean happiness, and cowardice.

Grace was lying in bed with the two gifts in their arms when they arrived, but she quickly sat up when they noticed them, big smile on their face.

"Helloooooohhhhh my gosh."

"Hello Stars-Saviour Grace."

"What… what is… that…?"

"It is a gift from enrichment team member Ethan" To be honest, they were a little irritated that it had gotten out that they were giving Grace gifts, because now everyone wanted in on it. They couldn't blame them, of course, anyone would want to do so for the saviour of their planet, but the fact that it had fallen on them to be the courier for said presents was most annoying.

"… is that… is that Markiplier." Her voice sounded oddly strained as she spoke.

"I was informed that he made sure to find the most pleasing looking human to adorn this comfort totem." He hadn't said what the purpose of this strangely enlongated pillow was, but they assumed that it was akin to the statues used by some Eridians to feel more at ease whilst sleeping.

Stars-Saviour Grace was still "staring" in their direction, mouth agape.

"… Is there something wrong?"

"… No. No. It's- it's fine. This might as well happen." Grace seemed to mumble to herself, wiping a hand through her hair.

"Uh, you said it was from, uh, team member…?"

"Enrichment team member Ethan."

"Right." She muttered, before clearing her throat. "And uh, why exactly are you the one delivering it…?"

"At present, I am one of few Eridians permitted to see you, so Team member Ethan was unable to deliver it himself."

"Wait, what?"

… Oh. Did she not know? Hadn't anyone briefed her? Irritating. It was not conductive to keep things from their patient. At best it risked miscommunication and at worst it could break trust completely. Annoying annoying annoying.

"Allow me to explain. As of present, there is a strict set of criteria that must be passed before an Eridian is approved to visit you."

Grace raised an eyebrow in response before responding. (Fascinating how much humans depended on minute facial movements to communicate their emotions to one another)

"Aaaaand, those are…?"

Ah. This may take a while.

"Would you like the full list or the shortened version?"

"… I'll take the abridged version, thanks."

Ah, as they'd thought. Grace was amusingly predictable at times, just like Rocky.

"Very well."

They drummed a tune against the floor for a moment before replying.

"First, they must submit an application, and wait for a full, in depth background and security check. Once they are cleared, they must then submit the reasoning for their visitation request."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"There's more. If their reasoning for visitation is deemed acceptable, they must then have a in person interview with a board conducted by members of your personal care team, including myself, who must make a joint decision after a deliberation of ten human hours in a small scale thrum."

Graces face scrunched in thought. "That's a long time for a thrum, isn't it?"

"Finally." They continued, ignoring Grace. "Any applications that make it thus far must be approved by Star-Saviour Rocky herself."

Grace whistled, a noise that sounded startlingly like the word for a species of small flying predators on Erid.

"Wow! Why so strict?"

"It should be noted that many, many, many Eridians wish to visit you." They explained patiently.

"What, how many are we talking here? Ten? Twenty?

"Thirty"

"oh, so I was close then-"

"-thousand."

"WHAT?!"

It was a testament to their composure that Harlow didn't jump at the sudden bellowing shout Grace let out.

"Is something wrong?"

"Whu- bu- but that's so many?!"

"Yes. Many many many."

"But-" Grace gestured erratically, before pointing to herself.

"For me? Me???"

"Yes. Did I not already explain?" Was Grace struggling to understand some of their conversation? She had a solid grasp on most of the language, but some words and phrases could still "trip her up", as she'd say.

"You did, I understand you I just… I just don't believe it".

"What is there to doubt? You are one of our planets saviour. You are, as you yourself put it, famous. Many are clamouring for the chance to meet you."

"But… why?"

"To give you their thanks, to see an alien, for study, to be able to say they met a celebrity, one of the most esteemed persons on our planet- many many many reasons."

Rocky would sometimes rant at them as she reviewed applicants, citing the various reasons they were unqualified or unfit to meet with her Grace. She was of course, fiercely protective of her, as she every right to be, since Grace, lacking a cluster of her own, was formally placed under Rocky's as her and Adrien's cluster member.

She'd lost many of her original cluster members on the voyage to Tau-Ceti… the prospect of losing Grace as well must be terrifying beyond relief.

That being said, even they could see that her protectiveness bordered on over the top.

Just the other day, they had listened as Rocky rejected an applicant… simply because they'd made a remark on a local string board stating that they found Grace "oddly attractive."

They must have heard every possible reason why one might wish to visit Grace by now. Even the less than professional ones. (Which were of course, grounds for immediate disqualification right off the bat)

Of the thirty thousand visitation less than half that had passed the stringent background checks. Of those that did, less than six hundred had passed the interview.

And when it came to Rocky's final judgment… a whopping zero had been granted their request.

As of present, only Grace's team had access to her, and even then, you were only allowed inside her room if it was medically necessary.

Harlow was exceedingly lucky they were able to visit Stars-Saviour Grace as much as they did, even if it were for work related purposes, but they couldn't help but worry that this lack of socialising was impacting Grace's mental health.

She had Rocky of course, as well as Rocky's esteemed Mate, Adrian, who both visited Grace often, but humans were social, extremely social, much like Eridians were, they NEEDED company the same way they needed to consume ridiculous amounts of fluids, the same way Eridians needed someone to watch over their sleep.

They had suggested that Rocky perhaps could be a little less stringent with the requests, but unfortunately she was rather insistent that until Grace was considered well enough to make these choices herself, she had protect her from anyone that might do her harm.

Stubborn stubborn stubborn. She'd always been like that, ever since she was a pebble… it was pointless trying to reason with her when she decided she'd do something.

They could only do so much alone, so perhaps it was just as well enrichment team member Ethan had suggested this new gift of his. It was no substitute for real company of course, but perhaps the simulacrum of another human would bring her some comfort anyway.

Speaking of-

Grace had fallen silent some time ago, taking time to process. How they wished they could examine how her mind worked sometimes.

For someone who was so incredibly smart, she could be rather clueless- how she couldn't see that everyone regarded her as a hero was beyond them, to the exstent that they worried there was something deeper behind it, some past experience or trauma that prevented her from seeing herself for what she was.

"Grace."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Just… it's hard to take in, y'know?"

She looked so forlorn all of a sudden, curling in on herself as if to protect the soft spots that exposed her noisy vital organs to threats.

Perhaps they were getting better at reading her body language, or perhaps this was just shared between their species, but they were certain she felt uncomfortably exposed.

"Grace…" they spoke softly, in low, trilling whistles. "I understand how scary this all is for you. I understand that it may feel hard to accept how Erid views you… but, please if nothing else, trust in this."

They stepped forward and placed a hand on Grace's larger, gangly one.

"You are loved."

…That was the first time they witnessed Grace crying.

Grace cried often, it turned out. Over their subsequent sessions, she would tear up over numerous things. It was concerning, but Rocky seeemd to know when and when it wasn't an issue that required her intervention- she had of course seen Grace at her worst.

"Grace is just a leaky wet blob, nothing to worry about." She had commented, tinkering away on a new prototype. "It's only a concern if he begins to panic. Then-" she jabbed a claw at them. "Then you call me."

"Of course Star-Saviour Rocky." They agreed amiably.

Rocky had snorted in response.

"Don't call me that. It feels weird, coming from you."

They had ignored her, of course. (They had manners, unlike SOME eridians they could mention.)

So, being mindful of this advice, they had been careful to monitor Graces tearful episodes, when it occurrrd, what appeared to trigger it, and if it was something that required Rocky's intervention or not.

Most often, something small and insignificant seemed to have set her off, and she would recover swiftly, albeit still a bit dribbly for some time after, but other times…

Other times were like now.

"I'm sorry- I- I'm really sorry."

"It is ok." They crooned, pressed against her side as she sobbed.

They had always been quite content to remain on the smaller side for an eridian, feeling that it made them come across as less intimidating to pebbles, but now, unable to wrap their arms around Grace in the human "hug" she desperately needed, they regretted their choice.

Skin to skin contact was incredibly important for humans, and they were unable to provide that as it was, unable to coexist in the same atmosphere without harming one another.

Not being even able to hug her, the main way humans comforted one another, was just added salt in the wound.

"Do you need me to fetch Rocky…?"

"No, no it's-" Grace sniffed loudly. "I'm sorry, I can get it under control, I just…"

"It is ok to cry, if you need to." They encouraged. They'd made sure to request more time with the thinking machine (the laptop, Grace called it), to do some more research and learn more about why humans cried.

There were a multitude of reasons, but generally it seemed to be a way to remove detritus from their soft, delicate, light seeing organs, or as a social cue expressing they needed help from another human. While it was incredibly distressing to witness, it was essentially just a way to call for help when injured or in need of comfort.

Interestingly, it seemed that it could be beneficial to cry as a way to express inner emotions. They didn't quite understand the perplexity of it all just yet, but from what little they understood, repressing the urge to cry was bad bad bad.

They were unsure if Grace cried more or less than the average human, but if she did, then it just meant she needed the relief that came from "letting it all out" all the more.

Still, the trigger this time seemed rather concerning… all they had done was inquire after her family, and if she had any, back on Earth.

They understood that of course, it could be a touchy issue, never being able to see them again, being unsure if they were still alive or not, seeing as they did not yet know if her "beetles" had reached Earth or not, but still, something felt wrong.

"… Would you like to talk about it?"

"I… I um… yeah, sure." Grace sniffled again, blowing into a tissue, with a honk, before taking a deep breath.

"It's just… listen, it's… hard to explain. I… haven't even told Rocky this, you know?"

Oh.

"I understand. Give me a moment-"

They reached for the small remote they had on them and double checked that the privacy screens around Grace's dwelling were active and working as intended.

Patient confidentiality was their top priority right now.

"… Done. Please, continue."

"Right, well… um. You guys know I have a bad memory, right?"

"We are aware, yes."

Grace fiddled with the crotchet fox on her lap for an moment, lifting its paws, as she sat deliberating something.

"… I'm not exactly a typical case of human memory." She admitted.

This too, they had guessed, but they sat silent, and continued listening.

"When… I first woke up on the Hail Mary, I didn't remember anything."

That gave them pause.

"… Apologies, but what do you mean?"

"Sorry, let me try to explain, uh… I remembered, basic stuff, you know, general skills, that kind of thing, but…"

She stared at a wall for a moment before sighing.

"I couldn't remember anything about myself. Not who I was, my past, my age, not even my name."

Harlow tried to remain still. If Grace had been one of their usual clients, this would have been beyond cause for alarm. Damage to the memory to such an extreme would indicate SEVERE crystalline structure damage, potentially even life threateningly, but, they did not fully understand how a human brain functioned, or how it could so easily forget in the first place.

They must not jump to conclusions, as much as they wanted to sound the alarm and have Grace checked out immediately, they had to stay calm, and listen to her story.

"So." Grace continued.

"It took me a while to figure out what was going on, but, luckily, some of my memories starting coming back."

… pardon? Her memories "came back"…? What did that mean? If her memories were gone they were gone, were they not? Was this another difference between Humans and Eridians?

"I figured out after a while certain things would trigger them- like a little nudge to remind me, I guess but…" She trailed off.

"… Go on." They trilled encouragingly.

"… I still don't remember everything."

Oh. They understood now.

"… So when I asked about your family…"

"I realised I don't remember them." She finished.

Oh Grace…

"Apology apology apology."

"No no, it's not… you don't need to say sorry. You didn't know. No one did."

Ah. Yes. They had to ask about that.

"… Why not Rocky?"

Grace pulled a face.

"It's… complicated."

"How so?"

"There's some things I haven't told him about… some things I'm not sure if I ever want to tell him, actually…"

Hmm.

"Is this something you have been worrying about?"

"Oh, yeah, for the last… uh… however many years it's been now" She waved a hand flippantly.

"It's just… I know, I know I have to tell him eventually, I just… I'm scared." She admitted."

"… Why must you tell her?" They asked.

"What?"

"Why must you tell Rocky, question?" They repeated.

"Well uh… it's… it's a pretty big secret, and… it'll probably change how Rocky sees me- how everyone sees me actually. You all think I'm a hero, that I'm brave, but I'm not, and I can't keep lying to you all."

And there it was. The root of the issue. The reason Grace was so hesitant to believe that Erid admired her, why she refused to simply request the things she wanted- it must all come down to this secret of hers.

"… Is there a pressing reason to tell us?"

"Pardon?"

"Is this secret something the medical team should know?"

"Well no but-"

"Is this secret liable to cause harm to others?"

"I mean I guess not but-"

"Does it involve you committing a crime or harming another?"

"No!"

"Is this secret liable to harm you?"

"… No."

They dipped their carapace in a nod, a trait learned from Grace herself.

"Then there is no need to tell anyone."

"Whuh… wait, now hold on-" she argued.

"You can't just… I can't just keep this a secret from everybody! They deserve to know!"

"Incorrect. If it is no risk to anyone, not a deliberate deception, no crime that needs reporting, and it causes no harm remain a secret, then it is no one's business but your own."

"But-"

"Do you want to tell Rocky?"

Grace fell silent again, and that was answer enough.

"… I have to tell him though. He deserves to know the truth."

"Are you scared she'll stop caring for you if you tell her?"

"…Yes."

"Don't be. Rocky loves you, now and forever. I will remind you- you are loved."

Grace was beginning to cry again.

"Leaky leaky leaky." They teased gently.

"It's what I'm best at." She joked through tears.

"Mmm, disagree." Grace had many many many talents. Crying was the farthest thing from being what she was "best" at.

"… Do I really not need to tell him…?"

"Not unless you want to."

"… I'm just scared he'll hate me."

"… Stars-Saviour Grace, may I offer my professional opinion?"

"Always."

"Grace could kill an Eridian, and Rocky's response would be asking where you'd like to bury the body."

They paused to let Grace burst into a coughing fit of laughter before continuing.

"My point is- unless this secret involved you causing large amounts of harm to another, which you have said it is not, then there is no possible way it would make Rocky hate you."

"You can't possible know that for sure."

Stubborn. Very well then.

"… Ok. Puppet show time."

Harlow pointed to two of their earlier gifts amongst the many that Grace had since received.

"We will use these. You are the fox. The bear monkey will be Rocky."

"What?"

"Pick them up, you will act out what you believe will happen." They demanded.

"Oh come on, really?" Grace sounded unimpressed. Too bad.

"Really."

She sighed, and rolled her eyes wetly in her skull. Just one of her many strange but charming

sounds.

"Fine. Sure. Let's do this".

She cleared her throat, and picked up the fox and bear monkey, miming them bobbing along.

"Rocky, I have something to tell you." She waggled the fox.

"Yes friend Grace?" Waggled the bear monkey.

"I have been keeping a secret from you, a big secret that will change your opinion of me!" The Fox bobbed in place.

"Friend Grace! Now that I have heard this big secret, I hate you, and never want to be your friend again! Good bye forever!" The bear monkey waddled away from the fox.

Grace paused a moment as he held the soft toys and sighed again.

"This is stupid."

"Correct. Now it is my turn."

Harlow took the toys from her and performed their own show.

"Hello Star-Saviour Rocky"

"Hello Stars-Saviour Grace."

"I must confess a big secret."

"Oh, I am glad you told me, thank you for trusting in me. The end." They bobbed the toys in the air once before setting them down next to each other.

"… that's not what'll happen."

"You don't know that."

"Well- neither do you!" She jabbed a claw at them.

"Excellent counter point. Have you been taking lessons from Star-Saviour Rocky?"

"What?"

"Don't worry about it. The point is, neither of us can be entirely certain of how Rocky may react, but your catastrophising isn't the only possible outcome."

Grace sighed. She did that a lot.

"… I know that, I do, but… "

"But nothing. Let me spin this around- do you think Rocky is the type of Eridian who'd abandon their friends?"

Grace didn't hesitate. "Of course not! Rocky is smart, and bossy, yes, but he's the kindest, most selfless person I know-"

"Then why badmouth her by insisting otherwise?"

Her mouth snapped shut with a click of teeth, and she stared dumbly for a minute.

"… That's not the same."

"Isn't it? You are suggesting Rocky would abandon you, a dear friend and an alien alone on a alien planet, simply for hearing something she might not like."

"Now hold on-"

"If I were Rocky, I might feel offended that you thought so badly of me. So, it is a good thing I am not, hmm?"

Grace let out a puff of air, and raised her hands.

"Oh come on! It's not like that! It's not!"

"Then why keep insisting?"

"I'm not insisting you fucking waste of oxygen!"

The both of them were silent then, observing each other in the small room.

It was Grace who spoke first.

"… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It is understandable. I was pushing you, too far, perhaps."

She sighed. "…No, I see what you were trying to do… I know it's just, part of your job, and I blew up at you."

"Mmm. Part of job, yes, but I would want to… what does Rocky say… slap some sense into you, even if it wasn't." They sat down, and folded their legs under themselves neatly. "Your way of thinking will only cause your further harm. No one wishes that for you."

"… I know."

"Hmm. Enough hard talk for today. It is time for Markiplier."

"What? No, I don't need to hug "Markiplier." She air quoted.

"Yes yes yes, it is good for human development. Markiplier now."

"It's a pillow."

"And a gift from Enrichment team member Ethan. Would you insult his hard work?"

"… You're a pain, you know that?"

"Rocky tells me all the time."

"How are you feeling today?"

"Better."

"Good. Did you put any thought into what we discussed last session?"

"I… uh. Yeah. A bit."

"Did you want to talk about it?"

"… Not today."

"Understood. Is there anything else you wish you discuss then?"

"Well, actually, I was thinking we could talk about…"

"Harlow?"

"Yes?"

"… nevermind, sorry."

"-I believe it's time for me to head off. How are you feeling after today's session?"

"I'm feeling ok. Actually, before you go, can I uh…"

"Yes?"

"Uh, nothing, don't worry about it. See you later Harley."

"… Harley?"

"Yes Stars-Saviour Grace?"

"… I think I want to try telling Rocky now."

"I understand. Is there anything I can do to assist?"

"… No, you've done plenty already, can- can you just uh, cheer me on, from the sidelines?"

"I am always cheering for you Friend Grace."

Harlow of course, didn't get to listen in on their discussion. It was a private affair after all, one they had no business intruding on.

… That didn't mean they had no interest in finding out what happened of course.

They were all but stewing in their curiosity as their next session with Grace rolled around.

"Heya Harley!"

"Hello Friend Grace. How are you feeling?"

As much as they would have liked to immediately ask how "it" went, they had to have some measure of decorum.

"Pretty good."

"I am very glad to hear that."

… a part of them had been worried over how Grace would handle this private confession. She was quite the emotional creature, after all.

It was good then, that she seemed in high spirits.

"So, uh, about, that, the thing we discussed before it uh…"

They refrained from leaning in to listen closely as Grace stumbled over her words. Decorum.

"It… it went well. Rocky was… um… he wasn't… mad, or anything or… ok, he was mad, but not at me, which was a relief."

She chuckled, and ran a hand though her hair as she spoke.

"I can't say I feel one hundred percent better about everything but… I think it helped, to get it off my chest at least. Feels less heavy, Y'know?"

They didn't, but assumed this was another baffling human saying, so refrained from commenting on it.

"You are feeling better then?"

"Yeah, not perfect, but, better."

"That's all we can ask for."

"So uh… did someone send another gift again? What's with the… that."

She pointed to the large container in Harlows arms.

"Another gift, yes. I thought I should reward your efforts."

"Positive reinforcement huh… sure, I'll bite, lemme have a look."

Grace opened the container and looked inside.

"What's this? It looks kind of like a… wait… Rocky?"

"Correct."

"Oh wow, he's pretty heavy- did you put beads in this?"

"Yes, I read that some humans find weighted objects comforting."

"You sure got that right- gosh, I don't think I realised how much I missed my weighted blanket until now-"

"You like?"

Grace beamed, hugging the large Rocky shaped toy to her chest.

"Me like like LIKE."

"Wonderful. I wonder what Star-Saviour Rocky will think of it?"

"Oh, he'll hate it. Gurantee it."

"Well, you'd be the expert. A shame. I suppose she'll just have to deal."

"… One of these days I gotta ask what's up with you two."

"And I'll never tell. Confidentiality."

"Yeah right, like you two don't gossip about me."

"Mmm, I am unsure what you mean. I would never gossip about my beloved patient and friend, Saviour of Two Stars Endless Grace.

"Eurgh, not the full title… Stars-Saviour is bad enough, can't you guys just call me Grace and be done with it?" 

"And disrespect one of our dear hero's? Never."