Bring Her Home (ID)

[ThePopcornFairy]

Jack was lost in the moment, simply enjoying Lydia and Max's presence with nothing short of bliss. However, when he sensed hesitation in his beloved and another particular presence, he didn't have to be psychic to know that Lydia wanted to talk to Will, prompting Jack to graciously let her go and give the two a moment. He exchanged knowing grins with Max, then he gazed ahead and watched Lydia embrace her new friend and rescuer. There was no jealousy in his face. He knew this was warranted.

All the while, Dr. Pendleton slowly stood up from his desk and descended into the chamber, staring at Lydia with clear uncertainty. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to broach this. He wanted to be happy that he had his daughter back, but looking at her now, he honestly didn't know how to feel.

[ParamountKeymaster]

Max let out a tiny chuckle as she watched Will walk up to them out of the corner of her eye, offering him an amicable grin before giving Lydia leeway to provide him with the proper thanks. She nodded to Jack, then she glanced back at Ryan, throwing an arm around the latter and giving him a firm pat on the arm. They did good today. Max didn't need to say it out loud to make it clear.

[DanteMGalileo]

It feels good being a hero.

Will couldn't help but crack a small smile at this, placing his hands between her shoulder blades and returning the hug. It was finally over. Lydia was home. She was safe. It... It made him feel a bit like crying. "I-It was what I could do. I'm just glad t'see you safe."

"Aw man, even I'm starting to feel sappy."

[ColArana]

Ryan felt Max throw an arm around him and shot her a relieved smile. "Well... We made it. Somehow, we scraped through and made it." He murmured to her, quietly. He couldn't technically feel tired, due to lacking muscles, but his mind was weary at any rate. Ryan gave Max a hug in return. "You did great Max." He added, before releasing her, and noticing Doctor Pendleton hesitating out of the corner of his eye. He looked directly at the doctor for a moment, before looking back to Lydia and her celebratory return with Will and Percy.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Hah..." Lydia was beyond words. In her state of elation, only laughter could suffice to express her relief and gratitude. She released her hug and beamed up at Will, giving a playful tug to the LunArc lab coat he was still adorned with. Now that they were out of the fire, surely they could look back at this misadventure with fondness.

Her grin dropped as she peeked around Will, noticing her dad joining the party. As usual, his expression was hard to read, but not for the typical reason. If nothing else, Lydia could sense that he felt conflicted, which alone was strange for him.

After giving Will one last pat on the shoulder, Lydia walked up to her Dr. Pendleton with a mix of meekness and purpose. If she held any ill will towards him, it wasn't apparent. She seemed sad, regretful, but nonetheless steadfast in what she was about to say. "Dad...? I'm not gonna point fingers. It's just... is now a bad time to submit my two-week notice?"

[ThePopcornFairy]

Dr. Pendleton said nothing, unperturbed by Lydia's resignation or the fact that it was the first thing she said to him. He merely stared down at her with that same exhausted expression, showing no external reaction for the first few seconds.

Then he stepped closer to Lydia and pulled her into a tender embrace, arms around her shoulders, chin resting on her head. His stance was relaxed, his breaths were calm, but his grip was unfaltering, holding his daughter close and securely. "I'm so glad you're okay..."

He glanced up only for a second when he felt Jack's eyes on him, watching his intern offer him a wise, somber smile and a slow nod. Then Dr. Pendleton closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment of serenity.

[ParamountKeymaster]

Max's smile widened. She gave Ryan one more gentle nudge before releasing him. "You too. Thanks. For everything."

She looked ahead again, watching the exchange between Lydia and Dr. Pendleton. Max didn't know what to expect, but there was an outcome she was certainly crossing her fingers for, and she was glad to see it come to fruition. It seemed like there was hope for the Pendleton family yet.

The initial revelry was starting to die down as the mutual exhaustion in the room set in. Seeing the Mexus staff start to file back to their stations, Max decided that they could stand to move on from this scene as well, if only because she was worried they may never leave it. "Let's get outta here, guys."

As she started climbing the stairs out of the miniaturization chamber, Max glanced back at Ryan, then Jack, donning a coy grin. "Hey Jack? What are the chances that the guys around here could fix Ryan up? I think he's owed that much."

[DanteMGalileo]

Will said nothing, watching Lydia reunite with her father, even with this resignation notice. Well, at least they wouldn't need family therapy after all? He simply crossed his arms and smiled slightly. Hey, he wasn't gonna disturb it. Instead, he turned to Ryan, glancing over the cyborg's damage. "Y-Yeah, man, I think he could use a fixing, and I don't think the nutters that cut people open are really up for this."

From his position, Percy gave a lazy wave to Lydia. "Hey, nice to finally see ya. Sorry about trying to eat you guys earlier."

[ColArana]

Ryan blinked and then sputtered in surprise as Max asked Jack if there was anyone that could help with his repairs. "M-Max, I... I mean I don't...." Granted, he was very beat up after awhile. People's skin healed and bruises fixed themselves, but metal didn't just "undent" itself over time, and Ryan had taken advantage of his less squishy body to take on some heavier risks than the others in the group. Will made a comment about how surgeons probably wouldn't be up to this and Ryan gave an embarrassed chuckle. "N-no... you're right about that. Not anymore. I guess I need mechanics now." He agreed, before looking at Max and smiling at her. "Thank you Max."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

For a moment, Lydia was stunned silent, eyes wide and lips slightly parted as Dr. Pendleton reeled her in for a hug. A genuine, warm, strong but tender embrace the likes of which she couldn't remember ever receiving from her father. It felt alarmingly out of left field, and not just because of her last conversation with him through their literal and metaphorical barriers. She had expected no such emotional vulnerability from him.

As jarring as it was, though, it was hard to say that Lydia didn't appreciate it. After giving herself a few seconds to come to terms with it, she slowly returned the gesture, leaning in, clinging to her father like the lost child she knew she was.

Once the two had separated, Lydia stared up at Dr. Pendleton with a calm, knowing smile. Then she turned and glanced at her friends as they exited the chamber, promptly tailing them with nary a word beyond a soft chuckle at Percy's bizarre greeting. It was time to go.

[ThePopcornFairy]

Dr. Pendleton's closed eyes squeezed tighter, tears silently sliding down his face. He ran his hand through Lydia's hair, committing every tactile sensation to memory. All of his hard work, all of his mistakes, and his daughter was still there. He wasn't about to take that for granted.

With a heavy heart, he released his hug and stepped away, letting the wordless exchange between him and Lydia say it all. He watched her climb the stairs after the rest of her ragtag group, wiping his eyes as he soaked in the liberating smile on her face. Then the doctor turned and stared up at Proteus II, battered and busted, and quickly accepted that he still had one more thing to do.

Jack grinned back at Lydia, allowing her to catch up so he could throw his arm over her shoulder. Regarding Max's request on Ryan's behalf, Jack looked around at the other technicians with an eager smile. "Yeah, I don't think that should be too daunting. What do you guys think?"

"We can certainly pitch in there, buddy!"

"Damages don't look too severe. Shouldn't be much of a hassle."

"See? No worries." Jack beamed brightly at Ryan. "We've got your back!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"And your eyes and your ears and your spleen, among other things," Max teased, shooting Jack and Will a playfully flat smile. "It's gonna be a long writing process ahead of me. I have to wonder how much of what I've learned throughout this little venture is technically classified."

She glanced back at Ryan with a reassuring grin. "But at least we made it through the worst of it. We'll all be back on our feet in no time."

[DanteMGalileo]

Will kept a few steps back as Lydia reunited with her father, letting the two properly get their feelings out. This was probably important in preventing family therapy down the line. "Ha... reminds me of the sappy fiction reels. Right, Perce?"

"Where's the credits?"

"... Can a credit reel happen in real life?"

"Well, on a quantum scale, anything could happen. We could get those credits. Our writer could actually get stuff done. This island could spontaneously rearrange itself into two half-islands. You might even finally lose weight." Whap. "Ow."

As Percy recovered from the bop, Will extended a hand. "I, uh, we've got only a day or so left in our vacation, but we were planning on going to a fancy restaurant on the last day. We'd be delighted to invite you all along."

[ColArana]

If Ryan was physically capable of blushing in embarrassment he would have. His eyes fixated on a particularly interesting spot on the floor as Jack and Max addressed him. "Th-thanks..." He murmured quietly. Max's reassuring words caused him to look up again and nod in agreement. "Well.... on the plus side... I don't think LunArc is going to be in a position to do much about it for... quite awhile." He replied.

Ryan's head quickly snapped over to Percy and Will at their discussion though. "Wait, vacation? You guys are leaving soon?" He actually sounded disappointed. "I mean... I'd join you two of course! But... are you two not planning on sticking around?"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Lydia gritted her teeth in a dopey smile and let out a soft giggle at Jack's affection, at Percy's banter, at Ryan's bashfulness... Everything around her was a joy to take in as she stumbled along on weak legs with Jack's support. Eventually, though, she perked up with mild alarm, staring first at Max, then at Will. The fact that Will and Percy would be leaving soon was concerning enough, but something Max said had jogged her memory.

"Y-Yeah, dinner sounds great. But, uh... I just remembered. I have a promise to keep first." Lydia briefly leaned away from Jack and turned around to glance back at Dr. Pendleton. "Dad? If I'm gonna leave this project, then-"