True to Llywelyn's earlier claim, the ship lifts off as soon as Xilukulkas returns from his final meetings. We are already on board when it happens, since we're not 'staff' on this trip, so I'm not sure when he gets on board at all. The ship shakes a little, and there's a low rumble, and then a feeling of weightlessness. It's not too bad, but it's... weird. It passes quickly, though, and then the ship is floating smoothly, as if we're not even moving.
I walk over to the window, and look out. The moon is shrinking behind us rapidly. It's still large, but it's getting smaller and smaller. The manor can hardly be seen anymore. And I feel... something. I can't name it.
Maybe it's some kind of strange sort of nostalgia. A desire not to look away, because - if everything goes right, or maybe even if it doesn't - I won't see it again. It's the last time I'll see this moon, and its nebula, and its stars.
I don't have much connection to it, much less to the people there, given that most of the people I do know are on this ship. But it was... the first place that truly felt... like it wasn't hostile. I could lay down, close my eyes, and relax in a bed without any fear. I didn't wake up afraid to hear marching boots, the approaching tide, or... anything, really. I could just... exist here.
Maybe it's the last time I'll be in a place where I feel that way.
No. No, I'm being silly. I'm going home. Back to Earth. Back to my people. My home. That's where I belong. That's where I'll feel safe. That's where I'll be free.
When I'm back home, that's when I'll feel truly safe. And I'll realize some small, perfect thing I can't remember anymore. Something that makes sleeping at home... home.
"Sarah." A hand settles on my shoulder.
I turn my head, and see Llywelyn looking at me. His eyes are gold, and his veins are glowing a soft blue. "There you are." He says, and squeezes my shoulder. "I was looking for you."
"Why?" I ask, and he sighs.
"Shouldn't i?" He huffs, and his ears twitch. "You're my roommate, after all. If you went and disappeared somehow I know I'd be the one that was found somehow reasonable for it, I'm sure. Or if nothing else, blamed for not being able to keep track of you."
"I'm not going to go wandering off on this thing. I'm not that dumb." I roll my eyes at him.
"Don't say it like that's self evident." He snorts. "You're quite good at wandering."
"Well, you can relax on this trip. I can't wander anywhere if I'm trapped here."
I cringe, just a little. After all, it's not quite the same thing as disappearing mid-flight, and I'm sure Xilukulkas will know the difference between what is and isn't his fault. But the fact is... I'm planning to disappear this trip. Once we're at Galactic Center.
So saying something like that...
Doesn't feel entirely honest to me. It feels a bit like a lie.
"I'll believe that when I see it." He mutters. "Come on. Might as well go to the lounge, right?"
"The lounge? There's nothing to do in the lounge."
"Except drink and watch the stars." He says, shrugging. "Which I find to be a direct upgrade from standing alone and forlorn, watching the stars without a drink."
"I'm not standing all forlornly." I protest. "I'm just... looking. At them." I pause, and glance back at the window. The moon's gone, vanished. "It's not a big deal."
"Mmm. Right." He says, but there's a faint smile on his face. His hand slides off my shoulder, and he gestures for me to follow him. "Come on."
In the end, I don't have anything better to do than go with him. I'm not actually.... forlorn. Or anything like that. It's all just been a gilded cage for me. An escape from the actual hell that I was in before this, but still a cage. The kind of thing I don't have to violently fight for my life in, but...
I shake my head.
Maybe the lounge will be good for me anyway.
The lounge is empty, except for us. Llywelyn walks over to the bar, and pours two glasses of the same stuff he gave me earlier. He hands me one, and sits down on the couch. I join him, and lean back, taking a sip of the drink.
It's still sweet, and spicy, and... warming. It makes me feel... relaxed. Calm. Not bad.
"Cheers." He says, clinking his glass against mine. "To a safe trip back." His tone is casual, but his collar flickers briefly pink.
I raise my eyebrow at him. "Cheers." I say, and drink some more. "You think it'll be a safe trip?"
"I think it will be a boring trip, which is probably preferable in terms of safety."
"Months of boredom, huh." I shake my head.. "Not sure how I feel about it." But I can't deny that a boring trip is preferable to an exciting one if it means a matter of danger and safety.
"Be grateful. It could be much worse. We could be trapped on a small cargo ship, with no amenities, no entertainment, no food, no nothing." He says, and then takes a long drink. "If we had a lesser master, we could be sitting buckled into seats for months."
That...
Does sound pretty unpleasant. If only because I'm certain Llywelyn would make it his mission to ensure no one else could be happy while he suffered.
The thought earns a small shudder and I shake mye head. "Yeah, I guess this is pretty nice." I admit, looking around the lounge.
It's not that big, but it's comfortable. There's a soft carpet on the floor, and the couch we're sitting on is plush and cozy. There are some lamps on the walls, and the window that runs along the far wall is large and clear. It's... nice.
"Did you have any luxuries on the planet you came from?" I ask, and he gives me an odd look.
"Eh?" His ears twitch and he frowns at me.
"Like... I don't know, did you have a house? Or a room of your own? Or anything like that?" I ask.
"Of course I had my own place." He huffs. His ears continue to twitch, and his chest glows softly. "That's not relaxing conversation, though. I don't want to talk about the past."
"Ah. Right. Sorry." I say, and look away.
I guess it's an invasive question but I...
A part of me wants to know. How he lived. What his fellow Akutwasians are really like. All sorts of things. It's...
After all, I don't plan to be around him again. Not after we get to the Galactic center. And so, I want... to know the things about him like that. Before it's too late to ask.
But naturally he doesn't know any of that, so he has little reason to share his past, or his home, or anything else with me.
He glances at me in the corner of his eyes, and then aggressively hits my shoulder with his. I jolt and glare at him. "What the hell?"
"Stop making that stupid face." He says, and then gestures with the hand holding his drink at me. "You're supposed to drink more an think less."
My lips quirk then. "You're right." I lift the glass. "To less thinking. I guess." I squint over at him. "Level's the playing field for you. Finally."
His eyes roll so hard I worry he'll sprain them. "You think you're so clever." He sniffs.
"Mm." I hum and sip at my drink. "One of us has to be."