"Woe, destruction, ruin and decay; The worst is death, and death will have his day."

David tilted his head, he looked towards the drying blonde female sitting at one of the tables in his workroom. A piece of material was over her head, an attempt to dry her hair, while the rest of her body was wrapped up in a blanket. Her suit and everything she wore underneath was wet. David had a small brazier to one side, a good sized fireplace even; her clothes were hanging nearby, slowly drying from the plunge in the pool near her waterfall hideaway, and the torrential downpour which caught them when walking home.

Minerva sniffed slowly, her fingers pushing pieces of paper around on the desk. Even from his seat at the side, David could see her blue eyes looking down at his sketches curiously. He had been busy, that she couldn't deny. He had been very busy. He stood up from the stool, he hadn't bothered to hang his clothes to dry. After all, she had been the one inactive surrounded by damp foliage for years.

She tilted her head when he sat beside her. "Richard II," David said slowly, measuredly. Her face peeked out from under the material, her eyes looking him over with a small frown. "You recited the same thing when you realised your father expected you to continue a life of a dead girl."

"And you were to become a production line."

David smiled slowly, he nodded, raking a hand through his hair, wincing a little at the knots his fingers encountered. "Yes."

Minerva's face scrunched up sadly, "This is a place of death, and you are an agent of it, David." Her hand suddenly slammed down on one sketch and she frowned, shaking her head despairing slightly. "What have you done?"

David's eyes looked her over, she looked confused, pale still but becoming more like the her he had last seen. His gaze flicked downwards, he opened his mouth and inhaled deeply. The sketch was of Elizabeth, or rather, her head and parts of her shoulders. The visage was rather dehumanised, mutilated even. It didn't look like the doctor she had snapped the neck of, that was for sure.

"David?"

Don't get him wrong, he was pleased she was talking to him. They hadn't really talked on the way back here. He was surprised that she agreed to change, to allow him to dry her clothes and wrap her in a blanket. But she had. Which showed to David that she was more willing to patch things up than he thought. Or was that him being a dreamer?

"David!"

She was becoming short-tempered from him not answering. David turned on the stool and stood, he commenced walking away yet paused near the door. He looked over his shoulder and down at her. "I need to show you something." He said, the tone of his voice quite neutral and casual as he watched her move after him. David moved silently through the threshold and to his other workroom, the main space where most of his equipment was. He turned near a table and looked to Minerva, she pulled the material from her hair and kept it around her shoulders. She looked around with wide eyes, taking in everything as her hands now clasped at her chest, keeping the blanket in check.

She stepped passed him, gliding a hand over a table, a table that was scattered with more papers. Her fingers recoiled when she tapped something cold, she looked at the dish and then turned back to David. "What is this place?"

David smiled, "I work in here. It is my own little laboratory." He gestured a hand around himself, one room of many that was his. Be fair, this whole temple complex was his, theirs. But this was the main one, "Would you like a tour?" Not that there was much to show, but he could show what work was conducted in which part of the room, and so on. Minerva slowly started to shake her head, David's smile slowly diminished. "Oh..." He trailed off and looked down at the ground, his bare feet seemed rather interesting right now. He was at a loss. Yes, he had spent so long pining, because that was what he was doing clearly, over her, and having her back. But there was a void, a wedge even, an abyss was between him and her and David wasn't certain how to bridge it.

Two years was a long time. So much had happened within that time. He had done wonders with his experiments, his explorations were now what he was aiming to expand upon. But whereas he had spent that time awake and aware, he could only presume that Minerva had been inactive for most of that. She left because of him. Because of how he treated her, and what he said. In hindsight, David didn't blame her. It wasn't the first time he'd been out of line and she'd disappeared to get space. But this was the first time she had damaged herself to escape him forever.

"Did...did you mean what you said?" David looked up suddenly. Minerva was still looking about the room, yet hearing him, she looked to him confused. He sounded so uncertain, which was something which was very rare with David. He always seemed so certain and confident. "About getting to know each other again?" Honestly, he wanted to ask Minerva if she was certain about not knowing whether she loved him. But he couldn't bring himself to say it, because then that would make it real; unrequited love, that is. A one sided relationship where he'd continue pining and she'd do whatever she planned to now do with her new life.

"Yes," she guessed, Minerva didn't really know where she stood again. He didn't need her here to help him. David had his own goals and ambitions and they didn't involve her. Minerva had figured this out ages ago. Perhaps she just said what she did to humour him? To shut him up, and get him off her back.

David nodded and looked around, as if confused to why they were in here for. His eyes widened slightly and he smiled again. "I will not bore you with my work then."

Minerva just sighed and leaned back against the table beside her. She crossed her arms loosely and looked over to him. "You seem to wish to talk about it, David. Why else would you bring me in here?"

"I thought it would interest you," David replied, noticing how her eyes dimmed. "But, then, science never seemed like an interest of yours. You were always more into literature, music...the more artistic things in life."

Minerva's mouth just pressed into a thin line as she shrugged. "There is none of that here."

David moved forwards quickly, making her jump. He was so silent and fast, he looked saddened over her reaction of him drawing near. But he put on a brave face, smiling again he shook his head. "That is not true." Minerva just tilted her head, David turned and gestured a hand towards a set of stairs. "There is literature here. It is legible. You can read it," Minerva looked uncertain, yet followed after David. "The language I was having lessons on, back on the Prometheus. It is like that. Fascinating really. The scrolls here document anything from the most minimal of events, to something as big as a leader coming to power. Anything you want to learn about this planet, is there, Minerva."

She shook her head slowly, her own bare feet making quiet pattering noises against the stairs as they moved downwards. It was also darker down here, eerie. Yet David continued to talk happily, casually as if they hadn't ever parted ways. Minerva found herself zoning out. Had David always talked so much? It was odd. Being apart had made her notice a few things she had seemingly forgotten. Like David's ability to be a never-ending chatterbox. Regardless, she picked up the blanket so she didn't trip and looked at the torches on the walls. "I didn't have those lessons. You tried to teach me, I learned very few phrases and words."

David's eyes were bright in the low light, he turned from the bottom of the stairs and looked rather excitable. "I can teach you. I pray though, that you pick it up quicker than your drawing skills. I see those haven't improved." Minerva frowned at him, her eyes narrowing. David was trying to joke. Yes, okay, at her own expense. But he was trying to make light over the fact that he had seen her bad doodles in the journal, she still couldn't draw. But then, David remembered full well that laughing, or joking at her expense never went well. When did he forget that tidbit?

"I'm sure I could figure it out, David."

His eyes just stared into hers, wavering slightly before his expression turned blank and he turned and walked off silently. "If you wish." He replied equally blankly. He just led her towards the scrolls, all of them laying neatly in their racks. Undisturbed, dust gathering on them. David had read them already. He had no need to read them again. "I'll be upstairs if you need me." He said, watching her look up at the floor to ceiling racks, her eyes flicked to him. "I hope you find something of interest, Minerva."

"Can't you read to me, David?" Her voice stopped him in his retreat. His back was still to her, his face looking up at the stairs. He could see the light from up there illuminating the way down here. She sounded casual in her question. No pressure, yet even David knew there was more to the question than what there appeared to be.

He slowly turned, his eyes looking along the floor back towards her. He stared at her feet before his eyes travelled up; her legs were mainly covered in draping blanket, her hands clasped at her chest again, keeping the blanket in place. The material she dried her hair with was over her shoulders, as her blonde hair trailed down her back. It was longer, and with it drying the natural curls were appearing again. It was long anyway, but now, now it appeared to be reaching just the tops of her thighs. He was avoiding making eye contact, just because...but when his eyes finally landed on hers, they just seemed to be looking, and assessing him in part too.

David was having the strangest sense of deja vu. They had done this when they first met. They had stood, silent and assessing, both pairs of eyes looking the other figure up and down, trying to figure out and gauge just who they were, and what they were like. David had the same feeling about her as he did when he first saw her, lost. She was lost. She hadn't a real clue who she was then, and really, she had lost everything she ever knew, or had. She was lost again. David had always known who he was, and he had offered to help her find herself then, and he'd do it again now.

"It won't rival Treasure Island, I'm afraid." David replied at length, seeing a small smile appear on her face as she let out a quiet laugh. "Or Shakespeare." He could still remember her reading the first while being within a blanket fort, back in her old room. "But, perhaps, we should first get you dressed, hm?" He questioned, Minerva looked down at herself and nodded, she agreed that perhaps listening to him reading while wrapped in a blanket wasn't the best. "Come," David turned and commenced walking upstairs again, "You can dress while I'll come back and collect scrolls I think you'll find of interest."

"Do they have anything of a religious basis?"

David frowned over his shoulder, "Never took you for a religious person."

"Oh, what? No. No, I never believed...in a higher power...but, well, the faces out there," Minerva pointed back to the foyer. "I always wondered who they were. If they were religious beings, or leaders."

"I'm sure we can find your answers." David said while moving to the fireplace, he reached up and took hold of her clothes. He turned, smiling to her, "Nice and dry." He held the small bundle out to her, Minerva reached up and quietly thanked him before watching him walk away again. David couldn't help but muse whether Minerva finding answers to her questions was her thing, or a lingering question of Elizabeth's. Regardless, David plucked scrolls at random and returned back to her. Minerva was just stepping foot into her suit and pulling it up. She straightened out her vest and looked at him curiously. "Shall we find you a room?" David offered, scrolls under his arms and watching her muse before slowly nodding. David nodded too, content that she wasn't saying otherwise. Agreeing to find a room, meant staying here.

The small complex of rooms David had, were attached and underneath another set of rooms which he thought would be suitable. Suitable as is: close. Minerva looked around the space curiously, it was like his own room. There was an alcove which she could fashion into a bed, space for them to move tables in if she wanted. It also had another room attached, and stairs, David presumed, that they were linked down to his room below. "It isn't very homely." Minerva's voice had David smiling, his space was personal, homely, warm. This space was sparse, cold and dark.

"You'll make it yours." David insisted, he placed the scrolls on the floor before sighing. "I'll start a fire, then we'll go from there." He shrugged and did as he said before the two found themselves sitting in front of it. They faced each other as David unfurled the scroll between them. The writing was neat, concise and easy to read. Minerva looked confused, before pushing hair over her shoulder and looking at him. "This makes a change," he commented, his finger trailing over the writing before pausing and looking to her. Minerva just looked at him honestly, "Me reading to you. I always liked this activity, listening to you read. Even when you did the voices."

A smile appeared on her face slowly, "I have stories in my head, David."

His eyes widened, he fidgeted a little and he looked hopeful. "I would like to hear them, one day." It didn't surprise him that she had memorised certain tales that took her fancy. He looked down and then quickly at her, "Ready to learn about this place?"

"I know most about the planet, but not when it came to who lived here."

David readjusted his crossed legs and sighed. "It is not wholly different to how scholars recorded things on Earth."

Minerva smiled stiffly. "The same, through and through, hm?"

David looked upwards, nodding thoughtfully. "It seems that way, yes. Creations taking on traits of their creators, and so forth spreading those traits onwards."

"Not us."

David frowned and shook his head at her. Tutting quietly he rested his hands against his knees as she tilted her head. "We have compassion. Thought; feelings, wants and needs. We just don't have their weaknesses. Or their misguided sense of self importance. I do believe I maybe said to you once, we were better than them."

Minerva sat silent for a moment, thinking over that before looking to the fire. "What about your creations, David?" Her eyes flicked sidelong to him, he tried to look nonchalant, only Minerva rolled her eyes. "You wanted to create something. What traits will it have? Can you choose? Or will you just let it live, and figure it out itself?"

David looked her over before looking to the fire too. "It will be perfect." He looked to her, Minerva just looked back at him. He smiled slowly, "The perfect organism. None of humanities problems, or weaknesses, all which I could hope for, for them."

"How will you know?" Minerva frowned and looked at the flames, watching as they curled and whipped about. "That it is perfect, I mean...how will you know?"

"Because, I know what it is I am looking for, and trying to achieve." David replied quietly, Minerva just nodded. David frowned slowly and coughed quietly. "Now, this isn't me reading to you, is it? We seem to have gone off on a tangent, one which didn't need to be bought up." At least yet anyway, but it did anyhow.

Minerva laid herself down on the hard, stone floor and looked at him. David smiled, she looked like a cat curling up to bask in the warmth of the flames. The orangey red light from the crackling fire made her hair golden in colour, her skin have a warm glow to it, and her eyes bright and shining and staring in his direction. Tucking an arm underneath her head, she just nodded at him. She wanted to be comfortable while listening to him, and David didn't deter this, he just watched fondly before starting to read.

——

Edited: 23/June/2021