And mourn she did, for days David held Minerva as she wept. Sometimes she would still completely, and he would grow concerned only to see her staring off into space. She shifted between laying and sitting. At times she would use David's lap as a pillow, her hands clutching onto his suit; or sitting, wrapped up in his arms as he held her tightly to himself. Either way, she continued to cry.

David couldn't help but frown softly, this grief seemed a lot deeper than just the passing of the white creature. This seemed like something much more. A deep rooted grief which was seemingly only just coming to the surface. The creature seemed to be a catalyst, and David honestly didn't know how to really help her. He stayed vigilant, he spoke to her quietly, reassuringly, and he held her. All throughout he held her, not letting her go. Because right now, being alone, or feeling alone would make her feel ten times worse.

Leaning back in the alcove, David just stared up at the tawny brickwork above, Minerva was having one of those moments where his lap was being used as a pillow. He trailed his hands gently through her hair as she sniffled quietly against him. She wasn't crying for the moment, peace had enveloped them and it was horrible to say, but David was thankful of it. There was only so much crying and sobbing one could deal with before it became too much. He frowned in thought, she wasn't just crying because she had lost a companion; though yes, it was yet another that she had outlived, so David did understand. But it was definitely something more, and the more he thought about it, the more he came to the realisation that this was probably a whole lot of grief and misery that had been getting bottled up since they got here.

Did she properly mourn the loss of her family? David couldn't even remember, if not, then this contributed. Weyland was the last person to give her a companion, David, and he had gone. Now David was the last person to give her a companion, and who knows, maybe Minerva thought he was going to go too? David had zero intentions of going anywhere mind, but she had lost so much, in the way of family and temporary friends. He hadn't. Other than the few creatures he made that didn't last, he didn't know what it truly meant to grieve over someone that had been so close.

He supposed in some way he grieved over her going missing. But that was different, in a way. Maybe it wasn't, seems she had shut herself down, died. David looked down at the blonde laying in his lap. His hands stilled on top of her head, and the resulting pausing caused a sniffle to come from her. Minerva's face slowly peeked up at him, David just frowned softly still. "You know I'm not leaving you, don't you?" He asked quietly, neither of them had spoken. Her mourning had been going on for days, and throughout that, neither said a word. Minerva nodded her head slowly and laid back down, David resumed stroking her hair. He felt her still, listened as the sniffling ceased and he smiled slowly, reassurance did a lot. He still stuck by his previous thoughts, all of this was an accumulation of many different aspects of life, and loss. It just happened to appear now, properly mourning her father, sister, how they came to be here, maybe even Elizabeth, the creature, David didn't know if the Engineers were in there too, but whatever.

"I wish I could fully sleep." Minerva's voice spoke up for the first time in so long. David looked back down at her, his fingers threading her hair around his digits. "I feel like I need to."

David sighed slowly, "I'm not shutting you down." He thought this was what she was hinting at. He watched as she sat herself up, she tucked her legs underneath herself and pushed hair over her shoulder. She sniffed one last time before her eyes looked hazily around the room, eventually she looked at him. "This feeling will pass, Minnie."

"I am sorry, David." He looked confused, she sighed and looked at her hands in her lap. "I have pulled you from your work."

David leaned away from the wall, he reached up and placed his hand against her cheek. He smiled slowly at her, "Work does not compare or compete with making sure you are okay." Yes, that wasn't always the way, but it was now. Minerva just looked at him with a sad expression, David stroked her cheek. "Shall we leave this room?" She tilted her head, "Leave and go for a walk, it may make you feel better."

Minerva looked around again, her expression turning hesitant. "No. No, I don't want that..."

"What? To go out, or to feel better?" David inquired, equally worried for either really. Both came with repercussions.

"To go out, can you not hear it, David? It is storming." Minerva looked at him with an awkward smile. His senses were always so sharp, how could he not hear the churning, howling wind outside? She didn't know, but she definitely could. It sounded dreadful out there. She didn't want to go out in that. The winds reached such high speeds at times, knowing her luck she'd get whisked off and away.

David's eyes widened as he moved forwards, his head tilted, "Ah, yes. So it is, isn't it? I apologise, I have not paid heed to the weather for, well, a while."

"That's because you don't go out!" Minerva said, sounding light for the first time in David didn't know how long. She smiled and picked at the thick cotton of the homemade dress she was wearing.

"Are you calling me a hermit?" David looked at her flatly, Minerva's smile still stayed in place as she looked at him and nodded. David nodded in return, with a small pout he looked to the side. "It's a dead planet out there, Minerva. Not a whole lot for us." His blue eyes flickered over his room before settling back on her. He leaned back against the wall and smiled, "Well, for me. You...you don't deserve to be shut away. You grow bored, so easily." Minerva tilted her head curiously at his words. David leaned forwards, he placed his hands over hers and picked them up, "Venture out, Minerva. Obviously not now, but go, explore. In retrospect, me trying to keep you tied to me, in one place, is something that backfired for Weyland, and will likely, and has, backfired for me."

Minerva smiled, "You know I'm not leaving you, don't you?" She asked, using his words, David smiled at her fondly. "I will always return to you." She paused and sighed, patting her knees, once she got her hands free, she swung her legs over and jumped to a stand.

David simply mimicked, he turned and placed his bare feet on the floor and looked at her curiously. He didn't know what she was doing, she had switched dispositions rather quickly. David wasn't expecting her to have fully recovered from her grief so soon. But he hoped that she had the ability to see that being constantly sad, wasn't going to make her improve. He didn't want to see her forever sad. That's mainly why he changed his attitude on letting her free roam.

"Now, I've distracted you from your work for long enough. You've not been this still for so long, you must be feeling restless, David."

"And what will you do?" David stood up, and looked down at her. She had already expressed a dislike for going out, he didn't blame her still. So what she intended to do, if he returned to work, he didn't know.

Minerva's eyes widened as she blinked several times at him. "I was hoping I could just sit with you..."

David smiled, he placed his hands on her shoulders and ran them down to hold her hands. "I would like that very much, Minnie." David admitted, even if she didn't actively help him with his work, he would like her company.

"Lead the way, David." She gestured a hand to him, David just nodded and passed her by to walk to his work room. Minerva shuffled after him, although her footsteps stopped every so often, just to properly peer at things in the room before hearing him call her name. Minerva trotted quickly after him, although the next time her footsteps stopped, it was because of spotting something on a table.

It wasn't something, it was someone. She hesitated, David half turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He paused near the head of the table, completely nonchalant whereas she was miffed, her eyes searching over everything with a stillness and measured apprehension. Elizabeth. Minerva tilted her head and drew closer, it wasn't like the body was going to jump up or anything. But there was something incredibly wrong. This wasn't a normal corpse. David had done something to her, cut her open, removed parts, other things were coming in and out of her, almost tube like structures. Minerva reached up and risked touching her hand. She felt waxy. Her complexion was waxy as well. Of course she would be discoloured, she was deceased. But this was something else. A pale yet plastic sheen was over her skin. David had somehow preserved her. Minerva didn't know he had the means to do this, but, more often than not with David, she wasn't surprised.

"She provided the building blocks, in a way." David spoke up, for the first time since coming into this room. Minerva tilted her head and retracted her hand, she stepped back too, not wanting to be overly close to the woman she killed. Honestly, she thought he had buried her. This was something else entirely.

"Human hybridisation."

"Yes," David smiled, "Bit ironic, I know." He shrugged and turned, "Come along, Minerva. I may need your assistance to carry something."

She frowned yet darted from the table. "Something?"

David smiled widely, almost excitably at the prospect of showing off, and explaining whatever this something was. "Something has been growing, downstairs."

Minerva looked up at him with a frown. "Something?" She looked away, David just nodded quietly, not answering her as they made their way down into the dark. She didn't much like the subterranean level. Her eyesight was unaffected, she could see, as could David, it was just the constant dripping sounds of water, the dank feeling of the walls. In places it was even flooded down here, Minerva was half tempted to tell David that anything could be growing down here, and he wouldn't even know.

No, soon enough from the dim lighting that was down here, she soon saw what he meant. David stopped on the last step and looked around himself. Minerva was on the stair behind him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped down. Looking around, all she could surmise was that this was some form of growing ground. Something within it aided growth of such things.

Minerva looked up at David, "Are they safe?"

He smiled, "To us, yes. Why else would I ask you to help? It would be stupid of me to ask you, if there was a chance you got hurt, don't you think?" He countered and looked back at what Minerva could only describe as eggs.

They were large, measuring up to her hips. Leathery in appearance, and dark in colour. They were incredibly inhuman. They didn't look natural. Much like the white creature, she got the same ethereal feeling from them. Each of them were nestled into the ground down here. Honestly, Minerva didn't know how long ago David created these, nor did she know how long they had been growing down here. She presumed he did checks, much like a farmer would with their crops. Thinking of these things as crops made her shudder a little. That was a bit demented. Regardless, she watched as David left the step and walked downwards. He seemed unaffected by walking on the soil, or the droplets of water falling from above and landing on him. No, he just seemed intent on walking amongst these things before stopping near one, he placed a hand on it and looked back at her.

"Excuse me, David. But...I am not following." Which she wasn't. Minerva was a bit confused.

David sighed, his finger traced the hard skin encasing and looked back at her. "It's simple, really. I need to know what's in here."

"You're wanting to dissect it."

"Yes."

Minerva pouted, she shifted her weight before stepping down and walking over to him too. "What do you think is in there?"

David shrugged, "It could be anything. But I am excited to find out." Which he was, as a smile soon spread across his face.

Minerva shook her head, "David, you are stronger than me by a long shot. You don't really need my help carrying this. So...why did you bring me down here?"

David looked around the dark space, he looked distant for a moment before turning back to her, his two-toned hair whipping in the air as he did so. "Because, well, because I hope that these will bring the new generation into the world. Although, for that, we need humans. We are in short supply of them, I know. But even you know that eventually, a time will come when they step foot on this planet."

Minerva reached out and slowly placed her hand against the egg-thing which David was still touching. It did feel very weird underneath her palm, yet there was a gentle pulsating, a pulse, a physical sign that this thing was alive. She did not feel much in the way of movement, but then if what David said was true, whatever was in there wasn't going to register two synthetics, was it? "New creatures to possibly look after. That's why you really bought me here, David." She said, looking slowly up at him, he looked sympathetic. Minerva smiled and placed her spare hand against his cheek. "Sweetheart, that is very kind of you. But...we will still outlive it, we unfortunately, will outlive everything."

David nodded, he knew that, he didn't need reminding. Yet, he pulled her hand away and turned. He knelt down and loosened this thing from the ground before looking at her. Minerva got the hint, she helped uproot this thing, not that it was growing like a vegetable. But steadying it, she managed to get a hold and backtracked while David carried the other end. The stairs were taken slowly, but eventually they were back up top. They walked through the room where Elizabeth was, and other bits of work, and made it back to the main workshop. Getting the hint by David turning in a different direction, Minerva followed and they both placed the thing on the table. On the table across was the blanketed body of the deceased creature which David hadn't got round to doing an autopsy on yet. Minerva avoided looking at it, and instead stepped back.

When out of the dark and in the light, it was clear to see this thing was bigger than she thought. Placing her hands on her hips, she tilted her head. How David planned to crack this open, she didn't know. She flicked her eyes sidelong to him, David had found a piece of paper and a pencil and stood sketching away. He clearly wished to document every part of this moment. The before and the after.

Minerva lifted her hands, she tied her hair up and looked back to David, he felt her eyes on him and stopped drawing. "Got an egg slicer or something, David?" She joked with a wry smile as he smiled in return, he leaned across and kissed her on the forehead before placing his paper down and disappearing for a moment. Minerva thought he legitimately did, before he reappeared with a rather sharp yet long looking knife.

David lifted his hands, he made indents, score marks which were evenly placed before going in for it for real. Minerva stood back wincing slightly. The sound of slicing, and the liquid which came flooding out would turn anyone's stomach. Good thing she couldn't feel physically sick. Repulsion was a bit dramatic, but this was a bit disgusting. Yet, David didn't mind. He was happily getting his hands literally stuck in. Minerva sighed, she stood to one side a bit useless before moving and pulling sections apart. Her eyes narrowed, even David slowed as his eyes clocked sight of the weird form within.

"What...what is that?" Minerva asked worriedly, the thing didn't move. She guessed it went into shock and died as soon as its safe haven was being attacked and the fluid within was slowly leaking out. The walls of this structure seemed heavily muscular, shock worked in odd ways. Maybe the muscles of the walls constricted and suffocated this thing?

"I don't know. But, if each is the same, I will get another and examine it." David said offhandedly as he continued cutting and pulling the egg apart so each section had a small space between them.

Minerva watched him curiously, "David, you don't seem to mind about killing these things you've made."

David paused and grabbed a piece of material. He wiped his hands on it and looked at her. "Needs must for science, Minerva. How else is progress meant to be made?" He questioned quite simply, and plainly. Minerva found she didn't have an answer, David turned back and looked at the creature curled up inside. With his hands now clean, David picked up another sheet and commenced drawing again.

Minerva leaned close, even walking around the table and looking from the other side. "That's one long tail..." Minerva trailed off, eyeing it up. "Think it's prehensile?"

David looked through the gap between the sections at her, Minerva's eyes looked back at him. "Both, possibly? Tails in animals are often used similarly."

"Cats and dogs don't." Minerva seemed proud of that as she looked rather chuffed with herself, David smiled her way and shook his head.

"That is true," David admitted. Neither of their tails were able to grasp and act like another hand.

"Feels like skin," Minerva's words had David's eyes flicking back up at her. She couldn't help it, she knew she had problems with David just sticking his hands in Lord only knew what, but it was just there...

David lowered his pencil and looked back the way they had come. "I will be back in a minute."

"You're getting another?" Minerva lowered her hand and turned to him.

David nodded, "Just one of those." He said with a small smile, "I shan't be long," he promised and disappeared back down the stairs. Minerva, being left to her own devices, just stood there looking over the egg. Somehow she got the feeling that the thing within wasn't the whole story, wasn't all that there was. She didn't get gut feelings, not having guts really, but something was niggling at her. She wondered what came from this thing. Everything seemed to came from something else here, nothing was at it seemed to be.

——

Edited: 25/June/2021