I wake up in bed. The room is dark, except for a small, soft blue light coming from a lamp in the corner of the room. I push myself up, slowly, the remnants of a dream fading away. I'm not sure what I was dreaming about, but it was... unpleasant.
I run my hand through my hair, brushing it away from my face. It's grown so much. I'm not used to it, not really. I need to tie it back, keep it out of the way.
My eyes adjust to the dim light, and I see Llywelyn sitting at the desk near the door. He's got a book in his hands, and he's reading quietly. He's wearing a loose shirt that exposes his collarbone and chest, and a pair of shorts that complete somewhere mid-calf.
It occurs to me that I've never seen him in anything but rather dressy clothes. Then again, I've only been awake for less than a day. I don't know his usual habits.
He looks up when I stir, and his eyes meet mine. "You're awake." He states the obvious.
I nod, rubbing at my eyes. "How long was I asleep?"
"All night. Were you expecting some other amount?"
I open my mouth to respond, but before I can, the bed above me shifts and a shining emerald face swings violently down in front of my face, upside down, pony tail dangling down like some sort of emerald whip. "GOOD MORNING! How are you?!" Her voice is a bright and cheerful song.
I scream, jerk backward, and slam into the wall. Which makes my head hurt a great deal.
"Oooh, be careful!" She admonishes me, flipping over in the air, and landing beside me on the bed, somehow not bouncing at all. "The wall is hard!"
"You're crazy!" I hiss at her.
"I am not!" She pouts. "I'm just very excited! We're going to the greenhouse today! It's my favorite!"
"The greenhouse?" I ask.
"That's where she works." Llywelyn closes his book and stands, running his fingers through his hair. "And I don't. Because she's insufferable. Get used to that, by the way. It's how she always wakes, and why I," he points to the bed next to him, "sleep here, instead." His nose wrinkles. "I'm not a morning person."
Mira is. Literally. Sparkling. She's just...glowing. I don't understand why, or how, but she's so cheerful that it's infuriating. "Well. Yes. Because if you were, then you would see how beautiful everything is in the morning! The sky is full of stars, the air is crisp, and we get to water the plants! And sing to them!"
"You do not need to sing to them. They'll grow just fine without your caterwauling." He rolls his eyes.
"I'll have you know, the plants that I sing to grow faster and better than the ones that I do not!"
"And who told you that?"
"Xilukulkas!"
"That is because he babies you. And I am not going to argue about this." He waves a hand. "I am going to bathe, get dressed, and do my duties. I would recommend you both do the same." He turns and walks into the bathroom.
I stare after him.
There is...
A lot to process today, just as yesterday, and I haven't even met this man who supposedly bought me. I don't know how or why I ended up here when my last memories were standing - or rather, kneeling - in a human processing camp about to be killed or worse.
But the word 'bathe' stands out to me. I haven't bathed since...
Well, technically, that oasis after I hit my head with Alistair was a bit of a bath but...it was... cold. And brief, and... not actually a bath in any meaningful manner except that it was the first time I'd been submerged in water in two years. I... I'm not sure what I'm expecting, here. But I do know that I'd like to be clean. Very badly. Even if I don't know what the hell is going to happen.
I slip out of bed and follow Llywelyn into the bathroom.
I am. Not disappointed.
The bathroom is a full on spa. I hesitate in the doorway and just look around, astonished. The floor is tiled in an intricate pattern of blacks and whites, and in the center is a massive, round tub, big enough for ten people to fit in. There's a sink, and a shower, and a door that I think leads to some kind of sauna. The air is humid, and there's a strong scent of...lavender. Or something like it.
Llywelyn is already stripping out of his shirt and shorts. His back is to me, and I see the...stripes of muscle beneath his blue skin. I can see the ridges of his spine, and the way his muscles ripple as he moves. He glances over his shoulder at me and freezes, the veins under his skin flaring up a bluish pink. "S'nilian wo'! What are you doing?!"
I lift my hands immediately. "I-I thought it was...! Communal!" There was...! There are four beds in the room, so why would the bathroom only have-
"Well! It isn't! S'nilian wo', stop! Stop gawking at me! Fis'ia!" He covers his bare chest and glares at me. "You humans have no decency!"
Why does he even bother to cover his chest when he willingly exposes it daily-
No. No, focus. I shake my head. "I'm sorry! I just. Want a bath, too!"
"Well, then wait your turn! Nishi'an!" He marches over toward me, and for a moment I can't help but tense up, ready for some kind of-
He grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me out of the bathroom, shutting the door in my face. "Wait!" He snaps through the door. "We don't all want to see each other's kill'ij!!"
"He's a very shy species." Mira says from... far too close behind me. I jump and spin around, coming face to face with her. She's smiling at me, head tilted.
"He didn't seem shy yesterday." I mumble.
"Ahaha. Yes, I thought it was very funny to see him so bothered!" She claps her hands together. "But his people are very shy about sex, so you have to be careful to not expose yourself in front of him, or he'll get very embarrassed." She leans in and whispers, "He'll get too excited."
An angry scream came from the room, "NISHI'AN REH!" I can hear him kick the door.
Mira giggles.
I...have no idea how to respond to that. It seems...personal. And I'm not sure if I want to know any more. I don't think I can handle it. Not now. Not when I'm not even sure I'm going to survive here.
"Right. I'll... just. Wait." I swallow.
"Oh! But we need to get you ready for the greenhouse!" Mira skips over to a set of drawers. "Here! You can wear this! It is perfect for gardening!"
She pulls out...well. It's basically overalls. But there's nothing. Under them. She just hands me the overalls as if I'm going to wear those on their own. And I just...stare at her.
"Where is the rest?" I ask, hoping that there is, in fact, a shirt or something.
She tilts her head. "The rest? What do you mean? This is it!"
I...I'm not. I'm not wearing a pair of overalls without a shirt underneath it. It's not happening. I'd rather die, honestly.
"No." I say, flatly.
She blinks at me. "What?"
"No. I'm not wearing this."
"Why not?" She asks, genuinely confused. "It's very comfortable! And easy to move in."
"That is not the problem." I grit my teeth. "I'm not wearing a shirt without anything underneath. I'll look like a..."
I don't know. What I'd look like, actually.
I don't think they'd know what an adult movie star is.
Would they?
I shiver. I don't want to think about it. "It's indecent."
"Oh, you are so much like Llywelyn!" She sighs. "You both have such hangups. But humans don't have anything to be ashamed of! You have such pretty breasts, too! You should show them off!"
"I-! Never! Say that again!" I hiss at her. "In fact, never speak to me about my body again, period!"
She just looks at me for a long moment, and then sighs, and shrugs. "If you insist. But you don't have to be so ashamed of it. All bodies are beautiful." She opens the drawer again and pulls out a white shirt. "How about this? It's just a simple work shirt. Is that okay?"
"Yes." I take it from her, gritting my teeth. "That's fine."
She smiles. "Okay. Well, I'll get changed, and then we can go."
I don't ask how she's going to change, because I'm a little afraid that it'll involve gem-based nudity I don't think I'm ready to behold. I just stand awkwardly in the room until she startles and giggles
"Oh! Yes. I will step outside. You and Llywelyn are both shy~" She skips out of the room and I'm finally alone.
Well. Not completely.
Llywelyn is in the other room, but I can faintly hear the water splashing still, so I don't really have any fear of enacting some kind of cheap sitcom trope of him walking out and catching me.
I pull off the dress I've been wearing and put on the clothes that I've been given. The pants are a soft, beige material, and they're surprisingly comfortable. The shirt is a bit big on me, but it's soft and fits well enough. I don't really care too much about how it looks, as long as I'm not showing anything I shouldn't.
I don't have any idea what I'm going to be doing. Or how. Or...anything, really. I'm just doing what I'm told, because fighting with Mira is alarmingly pointless.
But I...
Definitely want to bathe. Maybe not right this moment, because a certain emerald woman seems intent on dragging me out to look at plants, but... as soon as I can.
When I open the door, I'm startled to see a tall, gangly man with a long neck, and big red eyes standing there. He has a mop of curly black hair and he looks down at me with a neutral expression. I've never seen anything like him before, and I'm momentarily frozen.
"Uh. Hello?" I manage.
His neck bobs and his mouth opens and a series of squawks and clicks come from his throat.
I can't understand a word of it, but it must be a greeting of some kind, because I hear Mira respond with something similar. He nods and then turns and walks away. I step out of the room and look at Mira. "Who was that?"
"Oh! That's Yta! He's...a sort of caretaker. He makes the beds and stuff. He's very good at it!" She smiles at me, and then grabs my wrist. "Okay! Let's go!" She starts dragging me down the hall.
"Wait- wait!" I protest. "I can! Walk! And what- what about Llywelyn-!"
"He won't be out of the bath for hours! We'll be back by the time he's done! He takes forever!" She giggles. "Come on, come on! We need to hurry or we'll be late!"
I want to ask her a million questions. About this place, about Xilukulkas, about Llywelyn and why he's a slave, and about anything else that comes to mind. But I can't. I can't get a word in as she drags me through the hallways, taking turn after turn. I do my best to keep track of where we're going, but the manor is so big, so sprawling, that I quickly get lost. It's like a labyrinth.
After what feels like hours, we finally come to a set of double doors. They're made of glass, and I can see a lush garden beyond. Mira pushes them open and pulls me inside.
The room is massive. The ceiling is a glass dome, showing off the starry sky. There are plants everywhere, in neat rows, in pots, in hanging baskets. There are trees and bushes and flowers. The air is thick with the scent of green, growing things. It's... beautiful. I stop in my tracks, just staring.
"This is the greenhouse." Mira says, releasing my wrist. "It's where I work. We grow all kinds of things here. Food, mostly. But also flowers and herbs. Master likes to have fresh flowers in the manor."
It's undeniably beautiful. Lush and living, more green than I've seen in a long time, but not just green. There are flowers and plants of so many different colors it's almost dizzying to look at. But my eyes are drawn up to the sky above, instead. Stars. I can see the stars. Bright and sparkling, as if I'm looking at them from the clearest night sky I've ever seen. There's more stars than I can count. And that's not all. There are swirling blue and purple clouds, and what looks like a distant nebula.
I can see what looks like contrails in the stars of passing ships. There's a sky full of them, far away. And in the distance, the sight of what looks like a massive, slowly spinning...something I can't make out.
Something constructed, pulsing with light, but it's so far away that I can't make out anything more than that it looks angular and glowing, rather than something natural. It's...
I'm.
I'm looking at space. I'm on some kind of moon. And I'm staring at the rest of the galaxy.
"Where..." I whisper, finally, "Where is this place?" I slowly turn to Mira, and I can feel my hands shaking.
"Oh! It's our Master's moon!" She says, cheerily.
I blink. "Moon...?"
"Of course!" She giggles. "He's very important and very rich, so he bought a moon that travels the edge of the galaxy and made it his personal retreat! Don't you like it?"
"The...edge of the galaxy." I repeat.
"Yes. It's a very small moon. Just big enough to house the manor, the gardens, and a few other things. But it's his, and he lets us live here." She smiles. "He's very kind."
I... I think I need to sit down. I stumble over to a bench and fall onto it, my eyes still fixed on the sky. The galaxy. The stars. I'm...
This isn't. The planet I was on before. The one with the human processing camp. With the five moons, the three suns, the one that was so hostile and awful. I'm not there anymore.
I'm... somewhere else.
Somewhere as far away as possible.
And- so that means...
Alistair.
He can't find me. Even if he comes back for me, he won't be able to. Not if I'm here. How would he even find this place? How would he know? I feel tears well up in my eyes, and I bow my head, my hands clenching in my lap.
Tears I'm sure I should have run out of fall on the back of my hand.
"Oh, what's wrong?" Mira asks, concerned. "Are you alright? Do you feel sick?"
"I..." I shake my head, my voice cracking. "I-"
Oh God. I can't. I can't do this. I can't be here. I'm too far from home now. Too far from everyone I care about. I'll never see them again. I'll never- I'll never go home. I'll never see my mother again, or Alistair, or Hestia, or Mikhail or... anyone. No one from home, no one that I've gotten attached to since.
I'll be stuck here forever. Alone. Surrounded by aliens who think I'm a sub-something or other, who treat me like a pet. I'll never see Earth again. I'll die here, on this strange moon, and no one will ever know where I've gone.
I'll never...
The promise that Alistair and I made...
It'll never be fulfilled. Because he'll never find me. He can't.
"I'm so sick..." I whisper, voice thick with tears, to no one at all, "Of being alone."