[Amelia Fischer Memories Start]
Early Mornings were one of the best times to gaze up and get a fantastic view of the cosmos that resides outside our tiny planet. In winter especially. The sun was not yet on the rise, and the stars and planets still danced in the sky above for a few extra hours. Not to mention the quiet from a good lack of people out and about so early in the day. This was prime time for a good look at everything beyond our skies without the fear of being bothered too heavily by randoms. Of course, it helped to get away from the city proper and head out to one of the parks. Even less people, even more quiet, just the way she liked it. A small figure hopped out of the driver’s seat of a run-down silver 2000 Toyota Tacoma in the parking lot of the Mountain foothills park, and made its way around to the bed of the truck. With a bit of a struggle, she pulled open the bed, and from it she pulled a long cylindrical case that she strapped over her shoulder. It took the girl a moment to balance herself with the obviously heavy carrying case on her back, but once she found her bearings, she grabbed a notebook from the bed, and slammed the back end of the truck shut. With a light sigh, she began her trek into the park, looking around for the perfect spot to set up.
Seventeen year old Amelia Fischer wandered the park for around 15 minutes before she settled on a nice flat grassy area, far enough away from the children’s play area and the hiking paths and trails that she figured she was least likely to be bothered. Satisfied with what she found, Amelia quickly unloaded the heavy carrying case onto the grass and began to set up her telescope. A Celestron NexStar 127SLT, one of the very best astrological tools available to the common populace for under a thousand dollars, she’d had to beg her grandfather for it before the kind man finally relented and bought it for her as an early Christmas present. Amelia was pretty darn sure he just wanted a chance to use the telescope himself though. She whistled a merry tune as she went about setting the scope up, happy to finally have a chance to use it. When she was done, she pulled out her cellphone to check the time.
5:45.
She still had some time before Venus began its rise this morning, which was her main objective to see today. So for now she figured she could just take a gander at some constellations and stars, and maybe make a few notes about their positioning in this time of day. She opened her notebook and pulled a pen out of the pocket of her hoodie. Amelia wasn’t really someone who cared much about how she dressed. She left the house in just a oversized burnt orange pullover hoodie, some black leggings and her fluffiest pair of Ugg boots. It was only November, but it was still pretty cold out. She had on some big fluffy purple earmuffs as well, just to try and beat the cold away from her poor little ears. She had cute little finger-less gloves on as well. As much as she wanted to cover up her fingertips, it was too hard to manipulate the telescope with full gloves on, and even harder to write in her notebook. She leaned over and put her eye against the scope.
“Let’s see… which little star wants to be my friend today?”
Star Party
Nov 4th 2017, Open to all who want to join
((Dean Puchero Memories Start))
It wasn’t totally uncommon for Dean to bump into people he recognised whilst out for an early morning run. They could be divided very neatly into two separate categories; other athletically minded people, quickly jogging past him with a brief nod and a greeting, and people out walking their dogs, who, if he was lucky, would allow him to pet said dogs. That was always worth breaking out of a jog for.
There were outliers, of course. People drawing, a few people he’d sold weed to before, that sorta thing. Most memorable one of those was two people from the football team, completely stinking drunk, staggering past him and pressing a half-full bottle of Johnnie Walker into his hands. It had made jogging a little difficult, but hey, he wasn’t gonna complain. Even so, bumping into a couple of drunk ex-teammates in the park? Not super unusual.
Now, someone looking up into the dim morning sky through a telescope? Little more out there.
Dean had never done any stargazing himself, but he’d always had an underlying interest in it. His dad’s study was covered with little models of planets and shooting stars, and there were photos and paintings of galaxies and the solar system dotted all across the Puchero house; pride of place went to a huge picture next to their dining table, showing the night sky the day his dad had proposed to his mom.
He found himself drawn to this person, out here alone with their telescope, and he started jogging towards them, slowing his pace down as he approached and realised he recognised her. Amelia Fischer was weird, and normally Dean would be hesitant to put labels on people like that, but the girl thoroughly embraced being known as the ‘Weird Space Girl’. Very weird, very offbeat, but harmless? From what Dean could tell, almost entirely.
It had been just under a year since the car accident, most of that time being spent in and out of hospital. A bunch of people he’d considered friends or acquaintances before had drifted away from him. He didn’t begrudge them for it; shit happened, y’know? All it really meant was he had to try and rekindle those friendships again, reach out to people who hadn’t seen him regularly for a year now. Not the end of the world.
Dean cleared his throat as he got close to Amelia, not wanting to startle her with her attention focused on the stars.
“Looking pretty cosy there,” Dean said, smiling.
It wasn’t totally uncommon for Dean to bump into people he recognised whilst out for an early morning run. They could be divided very neatly into two separate categories; other athletically minded people, quickly jogging past him with a brief nod and a greeting, and people out walking their dogs, who, if he was lucky, would allow him to pet said dogs. That was always worth breaking out of a jog for.
There were outliers, of course. People drawing, a few people he’d sold weed to before, that sorta thing. Most memorable one of those was two people from the football team, completely stinking drunk, staggering past him and pressing a half-full bottle of Johnnie Walker into his hands. It had made jogging a little difficult, but hey, he wasn’t gonna complain. Even so, bumping into a couple of drunk ex-teammates in the park? Not super unusual.
Now, someone looking up into the dim morning sky through a telescope? Little more out there.
Dean had never done any stargazing himself, but he’d always had an underlying interest in it. His dad’s study was covered with little models of planets and shooting stars, and there were photos and paintings of galaxies and the solar system dotted all across the Puchero house; pride of place went to a huge picture next to their dining table, showing the night sky the day his dad had proposed to his mom.
He found himself drawn to this person, out here alone with their telescope, and he started jogging towards them, slowing his pace down as he approached and realised he recognised her. Amelia Fischer was weird, and normally Dean would be hesitant to put labels on people like that, but the girl thoroughly embraced being known as the ‘Weird Space Girl’. Very weird, very offbeat, but harmless? From what Dean could tell, almost entirely.
It had been just under a year since the car accident, most of that time being spent in and out of hospital. A bunch of people he’d considered friends or acquaintances before had drifted away from him. He didn’t begrudge them for it; shit happened, y’know? All it really meant was he had to try and rekindle those friendships again, reach out to people who hadn’t seen him regularly for a year now. Not the end of the world.
Dean cleared his throat as he got close to Amelia, not wanting to startle her with her attention focused on the stars.
“Looking pretty cosy there,” Dean said, smiling.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
The stars were absolutely beautiful this morning, Amelia thought as she scanned the sky searching for cosmic bodies she was familiar with. First she wanted to pinpoint Polaris, or the North Star as it’s more commonly known. Once she was able to find that it would be much easier to find other constellations and planets. Normally, she would use the Big Dipper as a guide, but in the Autumn, it’s fairly difficult to find. Instead, she searched the northern sky to find Cassiopeia the Queen, a grouping of five stars whose peak points in the direction of Polaris. Finally locating her North Star, she quickly made some notes as to its position and relevance to other star groups. Sagittarius was in the southwest sky, and she was able to see the constellation in all its glory. It was mesmerizing, and when she moved her telescope to the right a bit, she was able to see Saturn clear as day.
If she remembered her star charts, later in the moth she’d be able to spot one of Saturn’s moons for just a single night. She made a note of its position in the sky and a reminder to come back here on the 11th to see it’s moon. Moving her telescope directly overhead and moving herself into a bit of a crouched position, she was able to find the Summer Triangle, three bright and beautiful stars that shone strongly in the early morning darkness. These were some of her favorite stars, especially this time of year, as you could see them in the sky brightly all night long, and each was a part of a different constellation. Three separate parts making up a single beautiful triad in the sky. How she longed to be able to see them even clearer. If she’d been out here earlier in darker skies, she’d attempt to search for M-31, the Andromeda Galaxy, but with how much light was polluting the skies as the morning went on it would be near impossible. She sighed lightly, but was thrust from her thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her.
Amelia spun around quickly to view the intruder on the time with the stars, and was surprised to see that it was a face she recognized. He was a boy from school obviously, and if she recalled he’d been in a very bad accident about a year or so ago. Her eyes briefly wandered to his prosthetic arm, and then back to his face. She tilted her head at the boy and tried her darnedest to remember his name. He absolutely HAD to have a name after all, and she more than likely knew it, it was just very early and her mind was still semi-focused on her stars. What did it start with? Maybe a B? No that sounded all kinds of wrong, he didn’t look like someone with a B name. Perhaps it was a D then? Yes, that seemed more fitting. Maybe Dan? No he wasn’t a Daniel or a Danny. Daniford? That’s not a real name, but it’s funny. Dawn? That’s a girls name, but then again, gender was becoming sort of blurry in recent years so you never know. OH! Dean! Yes, yes Dean was his name. She remembered because they had a class together once and he was seated behind her since the teacher liked to put everyone in alphabetical order based on first names. An odd choice, but who was she to judge? It occurred to Amelia all of a sudden that she’d just been standing there staring at the boy for at least a full minute at this point while she’d been trying to remember his name. She should probably respond to him.
“Oh yes… It’s a very cozy morning. The stars are easy to see today. What brings you out here Dean?”
If she remembered her star charts, later in the moth she’d be able to spot one of Saturn’s moons for just a single night. She made a note of its position in the sky and a reminder to come back here on the 11th to see it’s moon. Moving her telescope directly overhead and moving herself into a bit of a crouched position, she was able to find the Summer Triangle, three bright and beautiful stars that shone strongly in the early morning darkness. These were some of her favorite stars, especially this time of year, as you could see them in the sky brightly all night long, and each was a part of a different constellation. Three separate parts making up a single beautiful triad in the sky. How she longed to be able to see them even clearer. If she’d been out here earlier in darker skies, she’d attempt to search for M-31, the Andromeda Galaxy, but with how much light was polluting the skies as the morning went on it would be near impossible. She sighed lightly, but was thrust from her thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her.
Amelia spun around quickly to view the intruder on the time with the stars, and was surprised to see that it was a face she recognized. He was a boy from school obviously, and if she recalled he’d been in a very bad accident about a year or so ago. Her eyes briefly wandered to his prosthetic arm, and then back to his face. She tilted her head at the boy and tried her darnedest to remember his name. He absolutely HAD to have a name after all, and she more than likely knew it, it was just very early and her mind was still semi-focused on her stars. What did it start with? Maybe a B? No that sounded all kinds of wrong, he didn’t look like someone with a B name. Perhaps it was a D then? Yes, that seemed more fitting. Maybe Dan? No he wasn’t a Daniel or a Danny. Daniford? That’s not a real name, but it’s funny. Dawn? That’s a girls name, but then again, gender was becoming sort of blurry in recent years so you never know. OH! Dean! Yes, yes Dean was his name. She remembered because they had a class together once and he was seated behind her since the teacher liked to put everyone in alphabetical order based on first names. An odd choice, but who was she to judge? It occurred to Amelia all of a sudden that she’d just been standing there staring at the boy for at least a full minute at this point while she’d been trying to remember his name. She should probably respond to him.
“Oh yes… It’s a very cozy morning. The stars are easy to see today. What brings you out here Dean?”
Dean waited patiently, smiling serenely at Amelia as the Rube Goldberg machine that powered her mind started spinning and whirring and flinging slices of toast out of the toaster. She scanned his face for a good few seconds, and then her gaze went down to his arm. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch. He still wasn’t used to that. Really wasn’t used to that.
It was a totally understandable reaction, of course. There weren’t many people at George Hunter with full on prosthetic limbs, and considering his injury had happened in such dramatic fashion… People were gonna stare. He’d expected it. But he’d also expected it to sting when they did, and lo and behold, here it was. Stinging. The knowledge that his football career was done and dusted and was never coming back was still sore in his mind. People staring at where his real arm used to be was just salt in the wound.
Still, like he’d acknowledged, it was understandable. He really couldn’t begrudge Amelia for doing so. And if anyone was gonna just… space out staring at people’s arms, it was probably her. So by the time she started speaking, his warm smile was firmly back on his face. He dug his hands into the pockets of his sleeveless hoody, trying to conserve as much of the lingering warmth from his jogging.
“Ah, just an early morning jog, not much,” Dean replied. “It’s always nice and peaceful around this time of morning, really lets you clear your mind and focus on whatever you want. Always worth rolling outta bed for. Although I’m wagering I’m not quite as cozy as you are.”
He chuckled as he gestured to Amelia’s many layers of fluff, then down at his legs, exposed but for a pair of running shorts. Having one arm that couldn’t feel the cold did help a lot, but he wasn’t gonna say that out loud. Not yet. There would be a time when he was fine with that sorta humour, just… not yet.
“Y’know, my dad’s an astronomer too. Works with a slightly, uh, larger scale telescope, but still. He’s shown me a bunch of the photos he’s taken around this time of morning.”
Dean looked up at the stars, quiet for a moment.
“Nothing like the real thing, though. Really is gorgeous up there, huh?”
It was a totally understandable reaction, of course. There weren’t many people at George Hunter with full on prosthetic limbs, and considering his injury had happened in such dramatic fashion… People were gonna stare. He’d expected it. But he’d also expected it to sting when they did, and lo and behold, here it was. Stinging. The knowledge that his football career was done and dusted and was never coming back was still sore in his mind. People staring at where his real arm used to be was just salt in the wound.
Still, like he’d acknowledged, it was understandable. He really couldn’t begrudge Amelia for doing so. And if anyone was gonna just… space out staring at people’s arms, it was probably her. So by the time she started speaking, his warm smile was firmly back on his face. He dug his hands into the pockets of his sleeveless hoody, trying to conserve as much of the lingering warmth from his jogging.
“Ah, just an early morning jog, not much,” Dean replied. “It’s always nice and peaceful around this time of morning, really lets you clear your mind and focus on whatever you want. Always worth rolling outta bed for. Although I’m wagering I’m not quite as cozy as you are.”
He chuckled as he gestured to Amelia’s many layers of fluff, then down at his legs, exposed but for a pair of running shorts. Having one arm that couldn’t feel the cold did help a lot, but he wasn’t gonna say that out loud. Not yet. There would be a time when he was fine with that sorta humour, just… not yet.
“Y’know, my dad’s an astronomer too. Works with a slightly, uh, larger scale telescope, but still. He’s shown me a bunch of the photos he’s taken around this time of morning.”
Dean looked up at the stars, quiet for a moment.
“Nothing like the real thing, though. Really is gorgeous up there, huh?”
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Amelia noticed Dean’s apparel wasn’t really suited to the current weather. She cocked her head to the side slightly as she struggled to understand how he could be comfortable in this cold with so much of his skin exposed. She only had the tips of her fingers and her face exposed and she could feel her entire body shivering from a lack of warmth. It was perplexing. Dean stated he’d been out for a morning jog. That was a sufficient explanation. Something about clearing his mind or what have you, but Amelia could empathize with that. Sometimes it was nice to just zone out as if nothing existed in the world but you and what you were doing. That was something she was extraordinarily familiar with. He made a joke, or maybe it was just a comment; Amelia wasn’t the best at picking up other people’s humor, about their varying levels of comfy-ness and Amelia blushed a bit.
“I get cold very easily… And I like being fluffy.”
She adjusted her earmuffs with both hands and smiled at him. Dean seemed to be a nice boy, although Amelia was pretty sure they’d never really talked before outside of class. Her ears perked up with his next statement, and she looked at him with awe in her eyes. His father was an astronomer?! Fascinating! She had so many questions brewing inside her mind that she wasn’t sure which to ask first. What was his father’s favorite constellation? Did he focus on planets and stars in the milky way or more-so on other solar systems in his research? What kind of telescope was his father’s team using? She was absolutely enthralled at the idea that a classmate of hers had such a connection to the stars and it’s study that her mind was overheating. Dean looked up at the starry skies and was quiet for a moment, Amelia joined him in looking up, and nodded with a content sigh in agreement that the real thing was much better than pictures. She brought her focus back to the boy in front of her. Suddenly she had a brilliant idea, and it brought a bit of color back to her face. She wriggled her hands together in front of her and made small circles in the grass with the toe of her boot, looking down in a bit of embarrassment at the question she planned to pose.
“That’s so cool! Your dad must be so awesome.” She blinked and forced the question out. “Would you… um… would you want to uh… I-I’m actually here to watch Venus rise and um, if you want to, you can watch with me through my telescope. Only if you want, though.”
“I get cold very easily… And I like being fluffy.”
She adjusted her earmuffs with both hands and smiled at him. Dean seemed to be a nice boy, although Amelia was pretty sure they’d never really talked before outside of class. Her ears perked up with his next statement, and she looked at him with awe in her eyes. His father was an astronomer?! Fascinating! She had so many questions brewing inside her mind that she wasn’t sure which to ask first. What was his father’s favorite constellation? Did he focus on planets and stars in the milky way or more-so on other solar systems in his research? What kind of telescope was his father’s team using? She was absolutely enthralled at the idea that a classmate of hers had such a connection to the stars and it’s study that her mind was overheating. Dean looked up at the starry skies and was quiet for a moment, Amelia joined him in looking up, and nodded with a content sigh in agreement that the real thing was much better than pictures. She brought her focus back to the boy in front of her. Suddenly she had a brilliant idea, and it brought a bit of color back to her face. She wriggled her hands together in front of her and made small circles in the grass with the toe of her boot, looking down in a bit of embarrassment at the question she planned to pose.
“That’s so cool! Your dad must be so awesome.” She blinked and forced the question out. “Would you… um… would you want to uh… I-I’m actually here to watch Venus rise and um, if you want to, you can watch with me through my telescope. Only if you want, though.”
“He’s pretty cool, yeah.”
Dean chuckled as he spoke, shoving his left hand deep into the pocket of his hoody to stop it from freezing and falling off. He’d been almost certain that mentioning his dad’s profession would cause some sort of reaction within Amelia, and lo and behold, he’d been correct. Her face had lit up, stars twinkling in her eyes almost as brightly as the ones above her head, like a kid at Christmas.
Fluffy pretty much summed her up. She was weird, bubbly, warm, and totally cute, in a ‘I want to protect this from all harm’ kinda way.
“Most anyone who talks with him’ll say he’s intimidating, but he’s just a big ol’ softie at heart, really. You get him talking about planets, he won’t stop for hours.”
Dean chuckled again, taking a couple steps closer to Amelia, turning to quickly check over her telescope. You could really see Venus through this thing? He knew you could see all sorts of planets and asteroids and heaps more space junk through the telescope at his dad’s observatory, but that was, y’know, an observatory telescope. Amelia’s looked like it cost about as much as a car, true, but it was still something you were able to carry around with you.
Then again, he of all people had first-hand experience of just how damn impressive technology could be.
“That sounds amazing,” Dean said, tilting his head and smiling at Amelia. “I wouldn’t wanna miss something like that for the world. When do you think we’ll get the best view of it?”
Dean chuckled as he spoke, shoving his left hand deep into the pocket of his hoody to stop it from freezing and falling off. He’d been almost certain that mentioning his dad’s profession would cause some sort of reaction within Amelia, and lo and behold, he’d been correct. Her face had lit up, stars twinkling in her eyes almost as brightly as the ones above her head, like a kid at Christmas.
Fluffy pretty much summed her up. She was weird, bubbly, warm, and totally cute, in a ‘I want to protect this from all harm’ kinda way.
“Most anyone who talks with him’ll say he’s intimidating, but he’s just a big ol’ softie at heart, really. You get him talking about planets, he won’t stop for hours.”
Dean chuckled again, taking a couple steps closer to Amelia, turning to quickly check over her telescope. You could really see Venus through this thing? He knew you could see all sorts of planets and asteroids and heaps more space junk through the telescope at his dad’s observatory, but that was, y’know, an observatory telescope. Amelia’s looked like it cost about as much as a car, true, but it was still something you were able to carry around with you.
Then again, he of all people had first-hand experience of just how damn impressive technology could be.
“That sounds amazing,” Dean said, tilting his head and smiling at Amelia. “I wouldn’t wanna miss something like that for the world. When do you think we’ll get the best view of it?”
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Amelia grinned like a madman at Dean as he spoke about his father. He sounded like the kind of man she would love to speak to. She too could go on for days about the planets and stars, and she would have loved a chance to dig into the brain of someone whose whole job was to study the thing that she loved most. Suddenly Dean smiled at her and took a step closer to look at her telescope and she buried her face in her hoodie for a moment. The boy in front of her was tall, and very well-muscled. She found her eyes slightly wandering his figure as he looked over her NexStar, and she felt herself blush a bit. It was rare for her to be in such close proximity to a boy like this. She was around people like Artem and Declyn often, but never really had she been alone with such a… manly, for lack of a better word, boy her age. It was very different from what she was used to for sure. Soon she was broken from her thoughts, and he seemed pretty impressed that they would be able to see Venus in the morning sky. She smiled.
“Actually, you’d be very surprised to find that even with a simple backyard telescope you can see certain planets in our solar system depending on the time of year. Of course, this is no simple backyard telescope.” She giggled a bit.
“I came out here because of the lack of light pollution. It makes it far easier to watch the planet rise. According to my star charts, it should be rising around 6:45, so we still have a bit of time until it’s visible, but…” She stepped in between him and the telescope and, looking through the scope as a guide, lined it up with where she’d been able to see Saturn earlier.
“If you look here, you can see Saturn, already high in the sky this morning.”
“Actually, you’d be very surprised to find that even with a simple backyard telescope you can see certain planets in our solar system depending on the time of year. Of course, this is no simple backyard telescope.” She giggled a bit.
“I came out here because of the lack of light pollution. It makes it far easier to watch the planet rise. According to my star charts, it should be rising around 6:45, so we still have a bit of time until it’s visible, but…” She stepped in between him and the telescope and, looking through the scope as a guide, lined it up with where she’d been able to see Saturn earlier.
“If you look here, you can see Saturn, already high in the sky this morning.”
Heh. Man, Dean always loved this sorta thing, people getting really visibly excited and eager when you shared in their passions. Amelia looked totally ecstatic to be talking about stargazing with him, and his grin grew even broader as she talked. His dad could get this same way too. Not as fluffy and cute as Amelia, obviously, but the way she just lit up when she talked, everything that made up the solar system and beyond it filling her with such joy and enthusiasm, that was something she shared with his dad. Made him happy whenever it happened.
Dean did notice the blush in her cheeks, though. Maybe she was still cold even through her cozy-looking getup. He could feel the morning chill starting to break through the insulation of his post-workout warmth, after all. There wasn’t much he could do about it, though; wasn’t like he could offer Amelia his tanktop to wear. And she’d probably done this a bunch of times before; no doubt she knew better than him how much she needed to wear.
He raised his eyebrow, though, when Amelia told him she was able to see Saturn right now. Sure, the contraption she was looking at definitely wasn’t just a simple, beginner’s telescope you’d give to a kid for Christmas or whatever, but… Saturn? Three whole planets away Saturn? Being able to see that just sounded absolutely insane, in the best kinda way.
“No shit?” Dean said, unable to keep the incredulous tone out of his voice. “That’s awesome, wow. I always thought I’d have to go to my dad’s observatory to see something like that. Or even that I’d only ever be able to see, like, photos of Saturn and Jupiter and shit.”
He took another step closer to the telescope, trying to catch Amelia’s eye, smiling.
“Mind if I take a look? Promise I won’t break anything.”
Dean did notice the blush in her cheeks, though. Maybe she was still cold even through her cozy-looking getup. He could feel the morning chill starting to break through the insulation of his post-workout warmth, after all. There wasn’t much he could do about it, though; wasn’t like he could offer Amelia his tanktop to wear. And she’d probably done this a bunch of times before; no doubt she knew better than him how much she needed to wear.
He raised his eyebrow, though, when Amelia told him she was able to see Saturn right now. Sure, the contraption she was looking at definitely wasn’t just a simple, beginner’s telescope you’d give to a kid for Christmas or whatever, but… Saturn? Three whole planets away Saturn? Being able to see that just sounded absolutely insane, in the best kinda way.
“No shit?” Dean said, unable to keep the incredulous tone out of his voice. “That’s awesome, wow. I always thought I’d have to go to my dad’s observatory to see something like that. Or even that I’d only ever be able to see, like, photos of Saturn and Jupiter and shit.”
He took another step closer to the telescope, trying to catch Amelia’s eye, smiling.
“Mind if I take a look? Promise I won’t break anything.”
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Dean looked at her in surprise at her mention of being able to see Saturn. She smiled widely and nodded her head vigorously to cement her statement. Her eyes shone with glee at sharing her knowledge with him. He seemed to be pretty astounded that you could see a planet with a simple telescope, remarking that he’d assumed he’d have to go to his father’s observatory to see such an incredible view. His mindset wasn’t necessarily wrong in that regard. From a small telescope such as the one she was using, you could only see Saturn’s basic shape and some small detail, while using a high-powered telescope in an observatory would let you see it in much higher quality for sure. Still, even seeing what little she could was enough to get her heart racing. This was the kind of thing she really loved. The universe was so vast, it was such a shame most people would never get a chance to experience it’s infinite scope for themselves.
“I’d give anything to be able to look through an observatory’s telescope. It must be so fascinating and fantastic. Your father is so lucky!” She grinned, clasping her hands together and looking to the sky in awe.
“It’s not the clearest view, and it’s surely incomparable to an observatory’s, but you can see the shape of it at least from this telescope here.” She patted the tool for emphasis, and looked at Dean. She noticed him take a step closer, and he asked to take a look. She enthusiastically stepped out of his way and nudged him toward the telescope.
“Yes! Please, take a look for yourself! I know you’ll enjoy the view!”
“I’d give anything to be able to look through an observatory’s telescope. It must be so fascinating and fantastic. Your father is so lucky!” She grinned, clasping her hands together and looking to the sky in awe.
“It’s not the clearest view, and it’s surely incomparable to an observatory’s, but you can see the shape of it at least from this telescope here.” She patted the tool for emphasis, and looked at Dean. She noticed him take a step closer, and he asked to take a look. She enthusiastically stepped out of his way and nudged him toward the telescope.
“Yes! Please, take a look for yourself! I know you’ll enjoy the view!”
“Aces.”
Dean’s smile grew wider again as he stepped up to the telescope, taking Amelia’s vacated position in front of it. Man, his grin had been ever present since he’d decided to go up and say hi to Amelia, hadn’t it? Kinda waxing and waning depending on what was being discussed, but always there regardless. Like the moon. Yeah.
Jeez, wow, it was a good thing he wasn’t inclined towards poetry because that was rancid.
He leaned in close, putting his eye to the eyepiece, bending down slightly to adjust for Amelia’s height. She wasn’t a small girl, but he was, well, six foot plus. There were… hmm. He couldn’t really say that there were few people at George Hunter taller than him. His class was kinda freakishly tall across the board. He was taller than a good amount of people in his class, how about that?
The sudden view of stars, bright and shining and clear as crystal, took him aback momentarily, and he blinked rapidly, adjusting to his new field of view. It was beautiful, really really beautiful, but not the main attraction he’d come here to see. For a moment, all he saw was stars.
Then his vision caught it, and his grin grew even broader. It was faint, almost as if coated in a layer of fog, but there was no mistaking the shape of Saturn right in front of his eyes.
“Oh, damn,” Dean said, almost involuntarily, his mouth moving by itself as he remained glued to the telescope. “That’s really something else, isn’t it? That’s awesome.”
He wondered whether he could get a clearer view by fiddling with the mysterious dials on the side of the telescope, but he didn’t want to run the risk of making the whole thing collapse. Best not to touch things you didn’t understand, that was a good rule of thumb to live by. Besides, he could see Saturn’s rings like this, and that? That was badass.
“Y’know,” Dean continued, absent-mindedly. “I’ve always wondered whether I could, like, twist my dad’s arm and get a glimpse through that big old telescope he’s got down at the observatory. It’s a long shot, and I’m not making any promises, but…”
He shot a side glance at Amelia, briefly breaking his contact with the eyepiece.
“… My old man’s a big softie, really, when you get to know him.”
Dean’s smile grew wider again as he stepped up to the telescope, taking Amelia’s vacated position in front of it. Man, his grin had been ever present since he’d decided to go up and say hi to Amelia, hadn’t it? Kinda waxing and waning depending on what was being discussed, but always there regardless. Like the moon. Yeah.
Jeez, wow, it was a good thing he wasn’t inclined towards poetry because that was rancid.
He leaned in close, putting his eye to the eyepiece, bending down slightly to adjust for Amelia’s height. She wasn’t a small girl, but he was, well, six foot plus. There were… hmm. He couldn’t really say that there were few people at George Hunter taller than him. His class was kinda freakishly tall across the board. He was taller than a good amount of people in his class, how about that?
The sudden view of stars, bright and shining and clear as crystal, took him aback momentarily, and he blinked rapidly, adjusting to his new field of view. It was beautiful, really really beautiful, but not the main attraction he’d come here to see. For a moment, all he saw was stars.
Then his vision caught it, and his grin grew even broader. It was faint, almost as if coated in a layer of fog, but there was no mistaking the shape of Saturn right in front of his eyes.
“Oh, damn,” Dean said, almost involuntarily, his mouth moving by itself as he remained glued to the telescope. “That’s really something else, isn’t it? That’s awesome.”
He wondered whether he could get a clearer view by fiddling with the mysterious dials on the side of the telescope, but he didn’t want to run the risk of making the whole thing collapse. Best not to touch things you didn’t understand, that was a good rule of thumb to live by. Besides, he could see Saturn’s rings like this, and that? That was badass.
“Y’know,” Dean continued, absent-mindedly. “I’ve always wondered whether I could, like, twist my dad’s arm and get a glimpse through that big old telescope he’s got down at the observatory. It’s a long shot, and I’m not making any promises, but…”
He shot a side glance at Amelia, briefly breaking his contact with the eyepiece.
“… My old man’s a big softie, really, when you get to know him.”
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Amelia watched as Dean stepped up and got into position to look through her telescope. Her smile widened as she watched him, knowing that when he laid eyes on the splendors of the early morning skies he’d love it. Her enthusiasm was barely contained inside her as she bounced from one foot to the other, impatient to see his reaction. She took a moment to try and settle herself down, taking a deep breath and attempting to shake off her nervous energy. Her attempts were undermined, however, when she heard him say how awesome it was, his eyes still watching through the scope. Her smile got so wide she was sure her face would start to cramp, and she excitedly started to giggle.
“Yes! It’s breathtaking, don’t you think?” She squatted down near him, wrapping her arms around her knees to steady herself.
“I could look up there all day.” She sighed contentedly. “I don’t think ill ever be able to get enough of it, honestly.”
Amelia’s ears perked up when Dean began to talk about trying to twist his dad’s arm to go to his observatory and look through the telescope there. Amelia’s eyes twinkled and she pulled herself from her squatting position to kneel beside Dean on the grass. He turned to smile at her, and said that his dad was a big softie. Did that mean…? Was this an invitation?! Amelia didn’t even know how to respond as the cogs and gears turned in her head, desperately trying to process this information. She just continued to stare blankly at Dean for what felt like hours but couldn’t have been more than half a minute. All of a sudden it felt like a bomb went off in her mind, and she lunged forward, grabbing Dean’s hand with both of hers and desperately looking into his eyes.
“Do-do you think… and I don't want to impose or anything, or even expect anything for that matter, but I would very much appreciate it, and this is only if you don't mind, but please do you think I might be able to come with you if by any chance that would be okay?” She was a bit out of breath, not stopping to take in any air before the words came spilling out uncontrollably. She squeezed his hand and bowed her head.
“It would mean the world to me, Dean.”
“Yes! It’s breathtaking, don’t you think?” She squatted down near him, wrapping her arms around her knees to steady herself.
“I could look up there all day.” She sighed contentedly. “I don’t think ill ever be able to get enough of it, honestly.”
Amelia’s ears perked up when Dean began to talk about trying to twist his dad’s arm to go to his observatory and look through the telescope there. Amelia’s eyes twinkled and she pulled herself from her squatting position to kneel beside Dean on the grass. He turned to smile at her, and said that his dad was a big softie. Did that mean…? Was this an invitation?! Amelia didn’t even know how to respond as the cogs and gears turned in her head, desperately trying to process this information. She just continued to stare blankly at Dean for what felt like hours but couldn’t have been more than half a minute. All of a sudden it felt like a bomb went off in her mind, and she lunged forward, grabbing Dean’s hand with both of hers and desperately looking into his eyes.
“Do-do you think… and I don't want to impose or anything, or even expect anything for that matter, but I would very much appreciate it, and this is only if you don't mind, but please do you think I might be able to come with you if by any chance that would be okay?” She was a bit out of breath, not stopping to take in any air before the words came spilling out uncontrollably. She squeezed his hand and bowed her head.
“It would mean the world to me, Dean.”
Hell yeah. That was exactly the reaction Dean had been hoping for, and the results were exactly as adorable as he’d expected. Amelia looked like a kid on Christmas day, barely taking a moment to breathe as she blurted out the question that Dean had ever-so-subtly guided her towards. He was briefly worried that she’d straight up pass out, but she just about managed to recover, looking eagerly into his eyes.
He’d feel real bad if he couldn’t actually land Amelia a visit to his dad’s observatory, but he was pretty sure it’d all work out. Wasn’t like his dad was working on any top secret government projects or anything.
… At least, he didn’t think he was. Man, this would be a hell of a weird way to find out that his dad was working with Area 51 on studying the flight patterns of UFOs or something.
“I’ll do my best,” Dean said, smiling at Amelia, gently squeezing her hands in return. "Like, if I can see stuff as cool as that just through a portable telescope - no shade or anything - then just imagine how awesome it'd be to look up at the solar system through a proper observatory telescope?"
Man, her excitement was kinda infectious. He’d never been inside of his dad’s observatory before, mostly due to a lack of great desire, but now that he’d caught a glimpse of Saturn, he was itching to see even more.
“I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ve got a hunch my old man’ll be cool with it. He’s super no-nonsense and into his work, and he’ll probably act all professional and cool if you did get to come with, but…”
Dean chuckled, smiling wistfully.
“Like I said, he’s a massive softie. He’d probably be thrilled to have someone as excited about space as you around the place.”
He’d feel real bad if he couldn’t actually land Amelia a visit to his dad’s observatory, but he was pretty sure it’d all work out. Wasn’t like his dad was working on any top secret government projects or anything.
… At least, he didn’t think he was. Man, this would be a hell of a weird way to find out that his dad was working with Area 51 on studying the flight patterns of UFOs or something.
“I’ll do my best,” Dean said, smiling at Amelia, gently squeezing her hands in return. "Like, if I can see stuff as cool as that just through a portable telescope - no shade or anything - then just imagine how awesome it'd be to look up at the solar system through a proper observatory telescope?"
Man, her excitement was kinda infectious. He’d never been inside of his dad’s observatory before, mostly due to a lack of great desire, but now that he’d caught a glimpse of Saturn, he was itching to see even more.
“I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ve got a hunch my old man’ll be cool with it. He’s super no-nonsense and into his work, and he’ll probably act all professional and cool if you did get to come with, but…”
Dean chuckled, smiling wistfully.
“Like I said, he’s a massive softie. He’d probably be thrilled to have someone as excited about space as you around the place.”
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Dean smiled at her, telling her he’d do what he could to take her with him to his dad’s observatory, squeezing her hands as she’d done to him. The smile on her face was impossible for her to hide, and she could feel her cheeks cramping from the prolonged grin, but she couldn’t help herself. Amelia hadn’t been this excited about something… well, ever. Dean gave her a small disclaimer about how it wasn’t a guarantee but he didn’t foresee any issues, but Amelia was off in her own head at that point, completely enamored with her fantasy of what it would be like once she got to the observatory. She simply nodded along with what Dean said, blissfully letting her mind wander. A chuckle came out of Dean’s mouth, and snapped Amelia back into the present. She focused her eyes on him, the smile still plastered on her face. His father would be thrilled? That’s incredible, she thought to herself. She felt the emotions brewing up inside her and launched herself at Dean, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him into a tight embrace.
“Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!” She rapidly shouted. She began to giggle, all of a sudden energized like never before.
“I’m so excited! You’re amazing!” She released the boy from the hug and sat back on her heels, looking at him with her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. She never would have thought this would have occurred on her routine stargazing journey this morning, but she couldn’t have been happier. Not only was she going to be able to visit a real observatory, but she also would get to spend more time with Dean, which she decided was also something she was excited for. That thought made her grin widen just a tad.
Suddenly remembering the original reason she was here in the first place, she pulled out her cell phone and checked the time, not wanting to miss the rising planet.
“We still have some time before Venus appears… Do you… uh… want to look some more?”
“Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!” She rapidly shouted. She began to giggle, all of a sudden energized like never before.
“I’m so excited! You’re amazing!” She released the boy from the hug and sat back on her heels, looking at him with her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. She never would have thought this would have occurred on her routine stargazing journey this morning, but she couldn’t have been happier. Not only was she going to be able to visit a real observatory, but she also would get to spend more time with Dean, which she decided was also something she was excited for. That thought made her grin widen just a tad.
Suddenly remembering the original reason she was here in the first place, she pulled out her cell phone and checked the time, not wanting to miss the rising planet.
“We still have some time before Venus appears… Do you… uh… want to look some more?”
“Whoa, hey!”
Dean took a step backwards as Amelia threw her arms around him and hugged him, laughing as he wrapped his own arms around her to gently pull her close. It was a much different laugh to his usual, relaxed, lowkey one; it was a big, hearty laugh, born from a mix of surprise and happiness. It was nice, really really nice just to be able to let his emotions go, let them out, be happy when he felt happy. He still hadn’t recovered from losing his arm. Somedays he just stayed in his room, in a slump he thought he’d never get back out of, and somedays he went out and smoked with friends and put on the laid-back face because that was what he was supposed to be like. Moments like these reminded him that it wouldn’t always be that way, that he didn’t need to dwell on the moment for the rest of his life. Everything would turn out okay in the end.
As if on cue, his mind wandered to thinking about just how weird it must be, getting hugged by someone with a prosthetic. It lingered for a moment, then he shook it away. Amelia was still just as bubbly and excited and starstruck as she had been before. Clearly she didn’t mind a bit.
He laughed again as he released Amelia from the hug, somewhat reluctantly; she was warm and soft, after all, and he was beginning to feel the chill more and more with each passing minute. He pulled his own phone from his shorts pocket, unplugging his headphones and stuffing them back in as he did so.
“Hey, no worries,” Dean said, grinning broadly. “I’m getting real excited myself for this, I’ll make sure to ask my dad as soon as he wakes up.”
He paused, then chuckled.
“Actually, better wait until after he’s had his morning coffee. Just in case.”
Dean glanced at the telescope, then looked up at the early morning sky. One of his old teachers had said something, completely off-handedly, that had nonetheless stuck with him this whole time. A reminder that the night sky was never totally black, that it went through so many different colours; from deep, dark blues and purples, to greys and greens. It was something Dean had always remembered but had never really paid attention to until now. He looked up at the navy blue sky, stars and constellations peppering the deep ocean above him, then smiled back at Amelia.
“I’d love to look more,” he said. “D’you wanna exchange numbers first, though? Just so I can let you know as soon as my dad gives the a-ok.”
Dean took a step backwards as Amelia threw her arms around him and hugged him, laughing as he wrapped his own arms around her to gently pull her close. It was a much different laugh to his usual, relaxed, lowkey one; it was a big, hearty laugh, born from a mix of surprise and happiness. It was nice, really really nice just to be able to let his emotions go, let them out, be happy when he felt happy. He still hadn’t recovered from losing his arm. Somedays he just stayed in his room, in a slump he thought he’d never get back out of, and somedays he went out and smoked with friends and put on the laid-back face because that was what he was supposed to be like. Moments like these reminded him that it wouldn’t always be that way, that he didn’t need to dwell on the moment for the rest of his life. Everything would turn out okay in the end.
As if on cue, his mind wandered to thinking about just how weird it must be, getting hugged by someone with a prosthetic. It lingered for a moment, then he shook it away. Amelia was still just as bubbly and excited and starstruck as she had been before. Clearly she didn’t mind a bit.
He laughed again as he released Amelia from the hug, somewhat reluctantly; she was warm and soft, after all, and he was beginning to feel the chill more and more with each passing minute. He pulled his own phone from his shorts pocket, unplugging his headphones and stuffing them back in as he did so.
“Hey, no worries,” Dean said, grinning broadly. “I’m getting real excited myself for this, I’ll make sure to ask my dad as soon as he wakes up.”
He paused, then chuckled.
“Actually, better wait until after he’s had his morning coffee. Just in case.”
Dean glanced at the telescope, then looked up at the early morning sky. One of his old teachers had said something, completely off-handedly, that had nonetheless stuck with him this whole time. A reminder that the night sky was never totally black, that it went through so many different colours; from deep, dark blues and purples, to greys and greens. It was something Dean had always remembered but had never really paid attention to until now. He looked up at the navy blue sky, stars and constellations peppering the deep ocean above him, then smiled back at Amelia.
“I’d love to look more,” he said. “D’you wanna exchange numbers first, though? Just so I can let you know as soon as my dad gives the a-ok.”
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Amelia was giddy. This day had started off so well, she could hardly believe it. Dean was such a good person, she briefly regretted not having interacted with him much before this. It wasn’t as if she would have been against the idea per-se, but in school she tended to blend in to the background a lot, and she was fine with that. It was funny how a chance meeting like this could bloom a kinship. Now more than ever, she wanted to be friends with this person. That made her excited. It wasn’t everyday you got to make a new friend, after all! And even rarer was making a friend who got as excited as you about something you loved. Amelia felt the warm fuzzies welling up inside her.
Dean said that he’d bring up their hopeful trip to his father’s observatory as soon as he got home, and Amelia was practically vibrating with excitement. He made a comment about waiting until his father had his morning coffee before asking, and Amelia giggled in response. Yes, it would be a good idea not to spring the question on the man until he was comfortably awake. Amelia had learned the same thing when it came to her grandparents. Adults tended to be entirely against discussion until after they’d had enough caffeine to deal with the world around them. Amelia personally didn’t get it. Coffee tasted like crud to her. She was no good with bitter things like coffee or tea, and she was very much so an energetic morning person regardless, so the need for the drink truly escaped her. Maybe when she was older she’d understand it better?
Snapping back to reality, Amelia could see Dean looking up at the sky. The small smile on his face warmed her heart. She was so glad that she was able to introduce someone to the wonders of the cosmos like this. Realizing that there was so much more to the universe than the silly nonsense that goes on on this planet really put things in perspective, at least in her experience.
Dean turned his gaze over to her and she felt herself blush again. Her tummy had a weird feeling when he looked at her. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was one she wasn’t really used to. He mentioned that the two of them should exchange numbers so he could let her know when his dad agreed to let them visit his work. Amelia felt silly that all this time she hadn’t thought of that at all. She started to pat her pockets, attempting to locate where she’d put her phone earlier, finally finding the phone in the large pocket of her hoodie. She pulled the device out, and unlocked the screen, revealing her background photo of UFOs flying over the planet. She quickly brought up her contacts and passed the phone over to Dean so he could enter his information.
“Here! I’m not always so good with remembering to text back, but I always pick up phone calls!” She scratched the side of her face with the pointer finger of her free hand, and reached out to take Dean’s phone, quickly punching in the digits to her phone number. She saved herself under the contact name ‘Space Cadet Amelia’, and passed it back to him giggling.
“So that you know it’s me! Just in case you know lots of Amelias.”
Dean said that he’d bring up their hopeful trip to his father’s observatory as soon as he got home, and Amelia was practically vibrating with excitement. He made a comment about waiting until his father had his morning coffee before asking, and Amelia giggled in response. Yes, it would be a good idea not to spring the question on the man until he was comfortably awake. Amelia had learned the same thing when it came to her grandparents. Adults tended to be entirely against discussion until after they’d had enough caffeine to deal with the world around them. Amelia personally didn’t get it. Coffee tasted like crud to her. She was no good with bitter things like coffee or tea, and she was very much so an energetic morning person regardless, so the need for the drink truly escaped her. Maybe when she was older she’d understand it better?
Snapping back to reality, Amelia could see Dean looking up at the sky. The small smile on his face warmed her heart. She was so glad that she was able to introduce someone to the wonders of the cosmos like this. Realizing that there was so much more to the universe than the silly nonsense that goes on on this planet really put things in perspective, at least in her experience.
Dean turned his gaze over to her and she felt herself blush again. Her tummy had a weird feeling when he looked at her. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was one she wasn’t really used to. He mentioned that the two of them should exchange numbers so he could let her know when his dad agreed to let them visit his work. Amelia felt silly that all this time she hadn’t thought of that at all. She started to pat her pockets, attempting to locate where she’d put her phone earlier, finally finding the phone in the large pocket of her hoodie. She pulled the device out, and unlocked the screen, revealing her background photo of UFOs flying over the planet. She quickly brought up her contacts and passed the phone over to Dean so he could enter his information.
“Here! I’m not always so good with remembering to text back, but I always pick up phone calls!” She scratched the side of her face with the pointer finger of her free hand, and reached out to take Dean’s phone, quickly punching in the digits to her phone number. She saved herself under the contact name ‘Space Cadet Amelia’, and passed it back to him giggling.
“So that you know it’s me! Just in case you know lots of Amelias.”