#ask me about elnor’s pronouns if you have any more questions

[solreefs]

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A note on Elnor’s pronouns: Elnor’s pronouns are kie/kir/kir/kirs/kirself. Conjugation examples will be after the story.

Warnings: Food mention, coughing, slime, a short flashback (though it isn’t scary or violent, just surprising) and also the plotline of the entire story revolves around memory loss/alteration, so don’t read if that’s an issue.

Taglist: @jolieharkness, @della-vacker-supremacy, @gay-otlc, @raiinyrxse, @pencilwritesshiz47, lmk if you want to be added or removed!

Part Two

“Arli,” the voice echoed. “Nice name.”

Slowly, Arli’s vision cleared, and she was able to see the person speaking for the first time. They were tall, that was clear even though they were kneeling, with frizzy red hair and a scar reaching from their forehead to their jawline. They had a nose piercing and were wearing mostly casual, practical clothes; a knee-length pleated green skirt, a belt, work boots, and black leggings. But their dark gray jacket with several colorful pins on the chest looked to be part of a uniform the rest of their clothes were not from. The pins themselves were either various wing symbols she didn’t know the meaning of or buttons etched with swirly glyphs she couldn’t read.

Why couldn’t she read them?

Should she be able to?

The person cleared their throat, having noticed Arli staring. “You’re awake now,” they said. “So let’s get you out of that pod.” They reached into the transport pod Arli hadn’t even registered she was in until now, and lifted her out. Sticky slime dripped from Arli’s clothes and hair and onto their once-pristine jacket. Why was it sticky? Was transport pod gel normally sticky?

“Your pins-”

“Just name and pronoun pins.”

“What do they say?”

“Elnor, kie/kir.”

“Hmm,” Arli replied. “Where are-” she was interrupted by another coughing fit.

Elnor sighed. “Look, I promise you’ll get answers soon, but right now, you can barely ask your questions. You need rest, and a lot of it.”

Arli would have protested, but she couldn’t stop coughing long enough to get the words out. Besides, deep down, she knew kie was right. Long periods spent in transportation pods weakened passengers substantially.

How long had she been in the pod for?

It took Arli a moment to realize Elnor was still talking. “The ship has an extra room,” kie was saying. “So that’s where you’ll stay until we can get to Europa.”

Arli’s coughing finally subsided. “Why Europa?” she asked.

“We won’t be there long,” Elnor said, which didn’t really answer her question. “Here’s your room,” kie added, ducking beneath the doorframe and setting Arli down on the bunk built into the wall of the small space. “Rest for now, and I’ll show you around later.”

Arli laid down, closed her eyes, and was asleep in minutes.

She woke up an unknown time later, feeling more alert and in far less pain. Arli swung herself out of the bunk and stood on still-unsteady legs. Right. Time to figure out what was going on.

She made her way down the corridor, leaning on the wall most of the way, and found what seemed to be the kitchen. She peeked inside and saw Elnor sitting at the table, reading a book and occasionally taking bites of toast.

“Ah,” kie said, getting to kir feet, “you’re up! Hungry?”

Arli shook her head. Now that she was fully aware of her surroundings, she found it hard to talk to Elnor, and especially since she knew nothing about kir.

“Well, we take off in an hour.” Elnor finished the rest of kir toast in one bite and brushed crumbs off kir skirt. “So you should probably shower while we still have gravity.”

“Shower?”

“I assume you don’t want to leave that pod slime in your hair.”

Arli was suddenly very aware of the sticky gel still in her hair and clinging to her clothes. “Oh my god!” She swiped at the congealing patches of slime on her sleeves.

Elnor watched with mild amusement. “You’ll probably want to throw those clothes out.”

She stopped violently scrubbing her cheek with her sleeve. “Through my clothes out?”

“There’s spare clothes in the hall closet.” Elnor set kir plate in the sink. “And we can buy you some more on Europa if we have time.”

Arli stared at Elnor. “You don’t get it, do you?”

Kie arched an eyebrow. “I don’t get what?”

“I can’t throw these out!” The words burst from her with an urgency even she didn’t understand. “I- they’re too important.”

“Do not lose this.”

“Yes, Commander,” Arli says, giving a small, facetious salute and sliding the box onto her belt.

Zyla laughs. “No need for that.”

“Arli?” Elnor snapped kir fingers. “Arli.”

She shook her head to clear it. “Uh- what?”

“You just spaced out on me,” Elnor said, sounding concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Arli tugged at her sticky sleeve. “I’ll shower, but I’m not getting rid of these clothes.”

Elnor seemed like kie was about to protest, but just replied, “Okay. Be quick, I need to turn off the water soon.”

Arli nodded and left the kitchen, turning right on instinct.

“The bathroom’s the other way,” Elnor called.

Arli sighed and turned around.

—————

Pronoun conjugation:

They went to the park -> Kie went to the park. I talked to them -> I talked to kir. That is their pencil -> That is kir pencil. The fries are theirs -> The fries are kirs. They laughed at themself -> Kie laughed at kirself.

#tw coughing #tw food mention #tw memory loss #tw flashbacks #tw slime #space wizards!! #falling stars #Ann writes #ask me about elnor’s pronouns if you have any more questions