I don't know how long I sit there. I don't know what Mira does. I don't hear her leave or stay. But eventually, my tears stop. I wipe at my face with my hands and take a deep, shuddering breath. I'm still here. I'm still alive. And that's... something.
I can't give up. Not now. Not ever. I just... I need to figure out what to do next. How to survive. How to... get back home. Somehow. Even if it takes years. Even if it seems impossible. I'll find a way.
"Are you feeling better now?" Mira's voice is soft, gentle.
I look up at her, and she's standing a few feet away, a concerned look on her face. "Yes." I lie. I'm not. But I will be. And I... don't know this woman. I don't trust her. I don't know if I can trust anyone here.
She smiles, relieved. "Good! I was worried. I don't like it when people cry. It makes me sad." She steps forward and offers me her hand. "Come on. Let me show you around the greenhouse. It'll make you feel better."
I hesitate, but then I take her hand. I need to learn about this place. About the people here. About... everything. I need to find a way out. And I can't do that if I don't know what I'm dealing with.
"This is a pretty flower." Mira says, as if that is... an informative statement. She's pointing to a vibrant purple flower with a golden center, growing in a pot. "It's called a Kaliana. It smells very nice."
I nod, not sure what to say.
"And this is a Gisht. It's a type of fruit." She gestures to a tree with round, red fruits hanging from its branches. "It's very sweet. Would you like to try one?"
"I don't-"
But this strange woman has already plucked the red fruit from the tree and shoved one into my hands. I hold it up and look at it. It's the size of an apple, but its skin feels more like a grape's. It's smooth and waxy, and smells faintly of strawberries.
I glance over at Mira. She's standing there, sparkling in all the colors of the galaxy above, smiling expectantly. I sigh, and take a bite.
It's...sweet. Very sweet. The flavor is like a mix of strawberry and peach, and the texture is juicy and smooth. It's actually really good.
"See? I told you it was good." She giggles, and then picks one for herself, taking a large bite. The juice of the fruit spills and runs a reddish drop of juice down her chin. It refracts and reflects inside her gem body, and it makes her look like she is bleeding rubies. It's a little disturbing.
I turn away, and look back up at the sky. "How do you have a sky?" I ask, my voice quiet. "If this is a moon...shouldn't it be like... I don't know. An artificial sky?"
"Oh, it is." She nods, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "It's a very special kind of sky. Master has made an atmosphere here for us! It's not natural, but it works very well. The plants love it."
I...
I don't understand. A moon with an atmosphere? That sounds impossible. But then again, I'm nowhere near any kind of expert. I'm just... I was just a highschooler who didn't pay any attention. I didn't even really watch scifi. So I can't make any kind of educated guess as to how this is possible.
I guess... I have to take her at her word.
"Where is he?" I ask, changing the subject. "Xil... your master. Shouldn't I... meet him?" I'm not looking forward to it, but I need to.
"Oh, he's busy right now." She says, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. "He'll call for you when he's ready. Don't worry, he's very kind. He won't hurt you."
I don't believe that. I can't. I don't trust any of these aliens. Not after everything I've been through. But I nod, anyway. "Alright."
I don't know what else to say.
We walk through the greenhouse, and she shows me more plants, more fruits and vegetables and flowers. They're all alien to me, all things I've never seen before. Some of them are beautiful, some are strange, some are downright bizarre.
"Oh don't touch that!" She says, as I reach out to touch a plant with long, dangling vines. "It's very carnivorous. It won't hurt you but we'd have to cut off the vines to get them to let go..." She giggles. "It would be very uncomfortable."
I pull my hand back, startled. "Carnivorous? You mean it eats meat?"
"Yes! It eats bugs. And small animals. It's very useful for keeping pests away." She nods, pleased. "But it's not smart enough to know we're too big for it. So we just don't touch it."
I look at the plant warily. It looks like a cross between a vine and a jellyfish. The vines dangle and wiggle in a breeze that I belatedly realize isn't actually present, while a bundle of flowers and leaves are bunched up top. I didn't even notice that they were moving until she said something. It's... kind of creepy.
"Alright." I say, backing away.
We keep walking, and she shows me more plants. Some of them are familiar, in a way. Like a plant that looks a bit like a cactus, but with soft leaves instead of spines. Or a tree that has leaves like maple leaves, but the bark is a bright, electric blue. Others I would never even realize could be considered 'plants' at all. Like a... cluster of... something. I don't know what. But it's soft and squishy and a bit slimy, and it's growing out of a pot.
I don't touch that one.
Eventually, we end up in a corner of the greenhouse that seems to be dedicated to flowers. There are rows and rows of them, in every color imaginable. Some of them glow, some of them shimmer, some of them have petals that move, or change color. It's like a rainbow exploded in this corner, and it's beautiful.
"These are my favorite." Mira says, picking a flower that looks like a rose, but is a deep, velvety blue. She smells it, and smiles. "They smell so nice. Master likes to have fresh flowers in the manor every day. So we grow them here." She looks at me and then reaches up toward my face.
I jerk away from her and she gives me a patient smile. "Hold still." She says, and then reaches out again, tucking the flower behind my ear. "There. Now you're as pretty as the flowers."
I don't know what to say to that. I just stare at her, feeling the flower brush against my cheek. I want to take it off but - this woman... she's never been anything but kind. Even if she is a little strange. A little too friendly, a little too...touchy.
I can't bring myself to do it. So I just nod, and murmur a quiet "thank you."
She beams at me, and then twirls around, her ponytail swinging. "Come on! We have work to do!"
"What work-?" I have a brown thumb, I can't even keep a cactus alive. What does she expect me to do?
But she doesn't answer, just grabs my hand and pulls me along.
We end up at a large trough filled with dirt. It's filled with small green shoots, and she hands me a watering can. "Water these." She instructs. "Not too much, just enough to keep the soil moist. And be careful not to get the leaves wet. They don't like that."
I look at the trough, and then at her, and then at the watering can. This is... this is my job? Watering plants? It seems so... mundane. So normal. I've been fighting for my life for years, and now I'm just... gardening?
It's a strange feeling. But I nod, and take the can. I don't know what else to do. I follow her instructions, carefully watering the shoots, trying not to get the leaves wet. It's... oddly soothing. The quiet, the simple task, the smell of the earth and the plants. It's almost meditative.
Each time I'm finished with a tray of plants, it slides away, tucks into some alcove in the glass, and another appears. They don't seem to need any other care, and so we just keep going. We work in silence for a while, and then, of course, she breaks it.
"Do you have a mate?" She asks, out of nowhere.
I nearly drop the can. "What?!"
"A mate. You know, someone you breed with?" She tilts her head, innocent. "Humans breed with mating, right? Do humans pair or do they-" she makes a gesture that I don't quite follow but... is probably something obscene.
I feel my face heat up. "I- I'm." 'too young' almost slips out but that... isn't true. Anymore. I swallow. "I... that's. a personal topic."
"Is it...?" She pouts. "So you've never had a mate?"
How?! Did she come to that conclusion? "It's-! It's complicated!" Alistair flashes in my mind, and I bite my lip. "I had a... boyfriend, I guess."
Not that it's this nosy gem girl's business.
But it's... soothing, somehow. Just a little. Thinking about Alistair. About our last kiss. About his promise. It reminds me that I'm not alone. Even if we're... far apart.
"So did you breed?"
I choke and cough, accidentally inhaling air so sharply that I might as well have been drinking something, and turn bright red. "We did not!" I snap. "We're not-! It's not like that!"
"Oh." She blinks, and then looks away, as if thinking about it. "I see. Well, then you should breed soon. You're getting to that age. You're already a bit late, you know."
I just... stare at her. I don't even know what to say to that. Who the hell is telling this emerald woman about human biology?!
"That'd be difficult when all my species are half a galaxy away, wouldn't it?" I don't mean it to be quite so scathing but... I. Don't know how else to respond. This entire conversation is bizarre.
"Well, it depends." She nods. "I don't know if Xilukulkas will go out of his way to buy another human. But I bet you could interbreed!! I've heard humans can be very adaptable!" She smiles, brightly.
Oh hell no. Absolutely not. I am not getting anywhere near one of these...aliens. I shudder, and try to change the subject. "What about you? Do you have a...mate?"
"Me?!" She giggles. "Oh, no, no. Kolumer don't mate like that. We reproduce asexually. We can do it for fun though! But I haven't." She huffs. "Whenever I approach a pretty mate they get spooked and run away. Llywelyn says it's because every part of me is so hard that my-"
"Ah-! That's enough of that topic!" I cut her off, because I'm pretty sure where that's going and I'm not going to listen to a sentence about her own genitalia. I clear my throat. "So. Anyway. You're...you're asexual?"
That's a terrible topic shift. Barely even one. But I panicked.
"Hmm? Is that what you call it?" She thinks about it. "I guess so! I can make a little baby me if I want! But I don't really feel like it. Not right now. Maybe when I'm older." She smiles. "It's a very long process. If I did it now, when I was finished, all my friends would be gone." She sighs, and then shakes her head. "So I'll wait for a bit."
"Oh." I... don't know what to say to that. So I just nod, and go back to watering plants.
After a moment, she speaks again. "Do you want to make a baby with Llywelyn? He's not human, but he has a lot of the right parts. I bet he'd be a good mate. He's very pretty."
I nearly drop the can again. "I barely! Know! Him! And also no!"
She pouts. "Aw. I think you'd make very pretty babies."
"Please. Stop."
She giggles. "Alright, alright. I'm just teasing." She winks. "But if you ever change your mind, you let me know. I can set it up for you."
I'm going to scream.