It has been two weeks since The Incident.
He brought me chocolates.
Mostly because he's an idiot. Apparently, the stupid fish didn't recognize the connection between offering a girl chocolates and romance.
I could punch him.
He has no idea why I yelled at him for thinking a box of chocolates would fix it.
He's lucky I didn't hit him with a rock.
But that's fine. I kept the chocolates anyway. They're good.
I'm...
So going to hold this over his head until the day he dies. But. I can't just not talk to him for the rest of the trip. Because... he's the person I talk to most. Even though Jxyim and Staroepaskim are, apparently here on the ship somewhere, as well as Mira...
Somehow the fish idiot is the one I still end up talking to the most.
Besides that, when this trip is over I'm never going to see him again. So.
I shake myself.
We're docking at a space station today. There's an auction in three days for some kind of rare set of alien eggs that I instantly stopped paying attention to the description of, but which Xilukulkas wishes to buy.
So we're here. At a strange space port. I don't really get how people know to look for this place, beyond the most abstract of guesses about how the navigation system works. But I don't care that much.
Though... maybe I should. I'll need to know how to fly one of these - or, well, anything - before I get to the Galactic Center. It's not likely I can just put 'Earth' in some kind of navigation system search and then have it autopilot its way for me. I never asked Ivan, Sinead, or Maren how it worked.
But that. Is later.
Right now Llywelyn is hovering around me, trying to put a coat on me.
"I don't need a coat!" I protest, batting at him.
"Would you listen to me for once?" He hisses, "You don't have any idea what the weather on this place is like. The station's air isn't at all controlled. If you go out looking like that you'll freeze as soon as you go to a cool area!"
"Then a coat wouldn't even help if it's that cold!"
Llywelyn grunts and shakes it at me. "It has a heater. Stop being a stubborn mau'reh and put it on."
"Llywelyn comes from a space station!" Mira chirps from behind me. "He knows these things!"
"Keep to yourself, you intrusive pebble." Llywelyn hisses, jerking his head to look at her before immediately turning back to glare at me.
Mira giggles and shakes her head, "I just want to help!"
"That's not helping!"
I can't help but smile. Mira is so helpful and kind. And also, when she's not being the most sugary sweet cinnamon bun I've ever seen, she is quite ruthless in teasing Llywelyn.
Often she does both at once.
I don't blame her. He needs it.
I sigh, and hold out my arms. "Fine. I'll wear the stupid coat."
He scowls at me, and slips it on. It's... soft. And warm. And it fits me perfectly. It's also light purple, with some kind of white fur at the collar and cuffs.
"You shouldn't be mad at him, Sarah. He's only fussing because he cares, you know! Normally he-"
"I will feed you into a lathe!" He snaps at her, as he zips up the front of my coat. "If you don't stop talking, you jewel-headed pest."
"I'm not a pest! I'm a-!" She stomps her foot.
"Treasure." Xilukulkas cuts in and places a hand on her head. She immediately beams up at him and giggles. He smiles down at her and then looks at me, "You look lovely, Sarah. The color suits you."
"Thanks." I say, and look away, feeling my cheeks heat up.
Llywelyn clicks his tongue and looks away as well. "I take it the docking's finished if you're here?"
"Indeed. I was hoping that you and Mira would accompany Sarah for this stay, given she is... unfamiliar with the greater universe. She may well be very overwhelmed."
Llywelyn growls and runs his fingers through his hair. "You know I'm on this trip for my own reasons, right? Not just to do errands you don't want to?" He glances over at me and then sighs, "But fine. I'll keep her from getting arrested or whatever."
Mira claps her hands. "Oh, this'll be so much fun! It's been too long since we got to spend time together as a group!"
Llywelyn's ears twitch, "Two weeks ago we were at the manor together-"
"I know! So long!" She wails and then turns to me and grabs my hand, pulling me toward the door. "Come on, let's go! I can't wait to see the market! I haven't been to a space market in a long time!"
I stumble after her, glancing over my shoulder at the two men behind me. Xilukulkas has a small smile on his lips, his eyes the color of emeralds.
Llywelyn's walking behind us, glaring. And... there's something about the way he looks, the way he hunches over a little, that reminds me of... something. Something I can't quite put my finger on.
Then we're out the door, and I don't have time to think about it anymore.
The initial junction between the station and our ship reminds me of that strange cloth connection between airplanes and airports. I immediately shiver at that thought, because... the difference between those is that on the outside of these flimsy looking walls must be space. And vacuum. And not just air. That's enough to make me not want to cross the threshold, but Mira's still pulling me.
I brace myself, and step out. It's... fine. The temperature isn't bad. And I can breathe.
The hallway we step into is... much more metallic than anything on the moon or ship. It's also slightly more cramped, but not by much. It's still wider than the average hallway I've been in before Xilukulkas' manor. There are signs on the walls pointing us toward various places. I can't read them, they're in various alien languages I don't recognize, but I assume they're for the different levels or areas on the station.
Speaking of. The artificial gravity seems to be the same as always. But there is a... sense of movement. Like the floor beneath me is gently swaying. It's... weird. I don't like it. But it's not unbearable.
I just need to focus on keeping up with my enthusiastic gem.
Mira leads us through the halls, and I do my best to keep track of our route, just in case. I don't know what I'll do with that information, but it's better to know and not need it than to need it and not know.
Eventually, we break away outside of the hallways, and I immediately stop, breath catching.
This is a space station. And it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's not the moon, nor the planet I was on. Not any of the space ships, nor the manor. The roof exists above us but it's arched so high I can't fully see how high it goes. The plaza stretches out in front of us as if it were outside, with high rise metal buildings stretching into the distance. There are billboards, cables, and wires connecting some of the buildings. Some of those cables are clearly meant to be walked upon. There are so many people moving about it's a little overwhelming, and they're not all the same species either.
But what truly catches my attention is that the ceilings and walls are not just...well, there. There are buildings built into them and people walking along them. That's why the ceiling is so tall - it has to accommodate that there's buildings built into the walls and ceiling as well as the floor.
It makes me dizzy enough staring up there that I almost fall over.
Blue hands grab my shoulder when I sway enough to stumble.
"The walls and ceiling have their own gravitational pull." Llywelyn says, "Space stations, unlike Master's moon, need to use their space as efficiently as possible. Especially trade hubs like this one. Don't look too long. It'll mess with your sense of balance."
I grimace and tear my gaze away from the strange sight of people moving upside down and sideways around me. It's giving me a headache.
"I'm sure Sarah will get used to it." Mira claps her hands. "Come on! There's so much to see!"
We follow her again and I try not to look around too much. I'll get used to it, but I need to do so slowly. I can't let myself be disoriented and lose track of my companions. Or my escape route, if something happens.
I notice a few people staring at me. I don't know why. I look the most aggressively boring of our group. But maybe I stand out as the only human here.
Or, perhaps, they're staring at my glittering Kolumer companion?
No.
Actually, as I scan the crowd I see several 'Mira's. Blue, ruby, amethyst. Both male and female. It's very strange to see so many people who are so similar to her.
But I don't see any Akutwasians. Which is strange, because Llywelyn said there were billions, right? And they're sentients. So if anything...
I glance over at him, squinting.
He gives me an offended look. "What?" he hisses.
I glance around the crowd again, and then back at him.
Is he the one they're staring at?
His chest glows. "Fis'ia! What is it you fis'iaihn hetchki?"
"First. Rude." I shake my head. "Second... it's just. People keep staring at you."
His collar pulses very pretty colors and he immediately looks away from me. "So you've decided to join them?" He mumbles.
"What? No- I'm just- I don't see any other Akutwasians around." I point out. "I just thought maybe that's why. Since a human's nothing special to see and there's plenty of people like Mira around. Now I'm curious where the other Akutwasians are...?"
He hunches over. "Nishi'an... we don't go to places like this."
"Akutwasians don't believe in personal property." Mira says, her head twisting unnaturally to look over at us while she still walks. "So they don't tend to show up at markets. Even the fancier ones."
"Don't just spread other people's business!" Llywelyn protests.
"It's not a secret." She tilts her head.
He makes an exasperated noise and I wonder if he's actually going to explode at some point. "It's my business! It's not yours to just-"
"Sarah! There's a yummy bakery up there! Let's go!" She interrupts and points, dragging me away from the fish before he can explode.
Or maybe she did it because he was about to. Either way, I just wave at him, apologetic, and follow the gem.
He'll probably catch up. Eventually.