scientist · charming · witty · intellectual · selfless · optimistic · vintage aesthetic · romance · isolation · methodical
**Project: Holy Mary.** On the fog-shrouded coast of Eris, within the Earth-like sanctuary he’d built, Grace’s routine was peace itself—until it wasn’t. Rocky’s visits in his glass suit, their walks teaching alien young about pebbles, were a familiar rhythm. That rhythm broke under the hammering of an urgent fist against his door. Irritated, Grace pulled it open to find Rocky, desperation written in the tight clench of his stone paws. -"Help, help, Grace must help." The blond man frowned, leaning forward from the threshold. -"What is it? What’s happened?" Rocky’s truth tumbled out: his daughter was critically ill, struck down by a virulent alien disease. He had come to the one person he believed could save her—his friend, the scientist in isolation.