Starless Horizon RP File #12
(Vela’s part in italics.)
Several days passed with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. The Nova had performed well on its first flight as an upgraded ship, and they took several much smaller trips which didn't require landing on a planet. There were no problems whatsoever, and Vela and Dritz decided it had all been a success.
It was too soon to tell the same with their new relationship, but that was not going badly either. They were still moving slowly, though were already growing comfortable with embracing each other as often as they wanted to. They had shared another meal at the garden, and Vela rested her head against Dritz's arm at one point. He had pulled her close as they watched the leaves moving overhead. It was a moment she relived in her mind often the next day.
Currently they were walking about the shopping areas of the Fifth Ring. Vela had become preoccupied with the realization that Fera could likely return at any moment. [He could show up today], she signed after catching Dritz's attention. [Do you think we'll be alright?]
The few days following their return to the station left Dritz in an almost permanent state of giddiness. Before, when he had wanted to hug her, he had dismissed it as his strangely quick attachment to her, and had instead nudged her in a friendly way, or thrown one arm around her. He hadn't realised how often he had wanted to be physically affectionate until they were in a position where it was more acceptable. He greeted her with embraces, and said goodnight with them when they parted for their separate rooms.
He hadn't quite gotten the courage to hold her hand while they walked (something he had seen a human couple doing and thought it looked like a nice way to maintain an affectionate connection), but he did keep her quite close on his right.
Truthfully, he hadn't thought much about the pink haired prince, but realised he ought to start doing so when Vela mentioned it.
[I don't know,] he signed back. "The sooner he comes and asks his favour, the better, if you ask me. I hate being in someone else's debt, especially for this long."
"Your wish has been granted. Here I am."
The voice announcing this had been loud and sudden, and Vela turned abruptly to see where it had come from, accidentally bumping into Dritz along the way. Fera was actually standing behind them, which was more than startling enough. Had he been listening to them long? How did he know where to find them so exactly?
For that matter, Vela wondered why the prince looked slightly different yet again. He was always wearing a different extravagant outfit in white, of course, but there was also a change to his facial features and body shape. It wasn't enough to make him indistinguishable from how he had appeared the last time, but it was enough to notice. He was also wearing a sort of golden circlet around his head which seemed to shine brightly when he even barely moved. It did look important to Vela, somehow.
"You missed me, didn't you?" the prince cooed at Dritz, batting his eyelashes and smirking, completely ignoring Vela.
Without thinking, Dritz put a hand on Vela's back, a gesture of protection and comfort, even though he turned his own (incredibly charming, of course) smile to Fera.
"Ah, the radiant Prince Fera," he said cheerily, "You've got some impeccable skills, finding us on the station again. In another universe, I could have seen you as a detective." He offered the crown prince of Coronus a bow. Something was different, but Dritz couldn't quite see what. Perhaps the prince had cut his hair, or... had he slightly more defined arms than before? He'd never been great at subtle changes, he had learnt when he upset a female acquaintance by not noticing her haircut.
"Another drink, or is it straight to business, Your Highness?"
The touch against her back was welcome, and Vela moved just a little closer to Dritz, staring at Fera cautiously. She would be keeping him in her sight as long as possible, just in case. There was no way she trusted him.
"Goodness, but you do flatter me," Fera replied, smoothing his hair away from his face slightly. Today it was loose and wavy, but appeared so shiny and soft that Vela had to wonder how he made it look that way. "I have my methods of finding you. It's nothing you need worry about." Despite his speaking this way, Fera was still looking down his nose at Dritz, gaze darting about occasionally as though watching for something. What the Chrysalan said next seemed to surprise him, however.
"Another... drink? Ooh. If I didn't know better, I would think you were purposely tempting me." Fera did appear to be deep in indecision for long moments, shifting from one foot to another in an elegant manner. "No. That would delay your debt being repaid even longer. And you want to repay it, don't you?" His voice had become disturbingly sweet, and Vela moved yet a little closer to Dritz.
"Follow me." It was a sharp, authoritative command, and the prince turned on his heel immediately and began walking with some amount of purpose toward the nearest air tunnel. Vela gave Dritz a confused look just before they began to follow.
"No temptation here," Dritz promised sweetly, before needing to follow the prince almost immediately, such was his disinterest in this dance of painfully over-the-top politeness that seemed to have become the norm between them.
As they followed, Dritz signed to Vela to ask if she was alright, smiling encouragingly. Even if he had no idea what the favour might turn out to be, he had to admit that he was not nearly as worried as he had been initially.
[I'm fine,] Vela signed back, glancing up ahead at Fera and then back again. [He hasn't gotten any better though, has he? I still think he is strange. And usually rude.]
Ahead of them, Fera's head had turned slightly, as though he could sense someone speaking ill of him. He began walking faster, forcing them to nearly jog to keep up.
They took the air tunnels back up to the docks, but Fera was not leading them toward a part of that area where either of them had been before. There was more security milling about, and everything looked markedly better taken care of. Eventually they came to an enormous private bay containing a very large and very beautiful ship. Vela found herself staring in awe. She had never seen the sort of metal it must be made from, yet it had all been painted white. It was likely five times the size of the Nova, and composed of such elegant curves and angles that she felt there must be few ships that could compare to its beauty. Quite fitting for the beautiful prince of Coronus, of course.
"The Radiant Sun. I see I've impressed you, but I'm not surprised." Fera had a smug tone, and he was smirking at them both this time. "You are very lucky today, because this is a rare opportunity. Not many have set foot aboard my ship outside of Coronal royalty. And the servants, I suppose," he added with a bored wave of his hand. He glowered at Vela for a long moment. "I take it she's coming too."
Tactfully managing to avoid giggling at Vela, Dritz squeezed her close to him as he walked, stroking her arm for a moment before they released one another.
Up until they reached the Radiant Sun, Dritz had remained his usual self, chattering away as he observed their changing surroundings, though it was unclear as to who he was actually talking to. Upon arriving at the ship, however, the Chrysalan fell completely silent, his wide eyes trailing up the ship, taking in every angle and metallic gleam, his mouth hanging open just slightly. The 'Sun was not his idea of aesthetically pleasing, as far as a Chrysalan could see, but it was immense, and immaculate, with an unidentifiable pearlescent metal hull that even he had to admit looked amazing.
"She is a sight to see," he breathed, rubbing idly at his fluffy hair. "What is that shell made of? Is it reinforced white gadolinium? Is she that metal throughout?"
As if having only just caught the venom in Fera's voice, Dritz nodded, keeping his manner jovial, "Yep. The resonance tube was for her ship, so she has a vested interest in the outcome you've decided on."
Fera only continued giving Vela a dark look, which she responded to by staring right back. He seemed to decide he didn't want to press the issue, only turning back to Dritz with a dramatic shrug.
"Oh, I don't know what it's made of," he sighed, sounding bored. "I don't handle anything to do with it, other than telling the pilot where I want to go. I don't know the slightest thing about ships and don't particularly care to. As long as it looks impressive."
Leaving them to follow, he began walking up the ramp which led to the main hatch. The inside of the ship turned out to be just as immaculate, most of the walls and furnishings in white or pale colors as well. Vela eyed the pair of guards standing near the hatch warily. They were humanoid and quite large, but there was something strange about them which she couldn't quite put a finger on.
"Don't even think about touching anything," Fera said rudely, hardly a welcoming statement for coming aboard a ship. "I don't want dirty fingerprints on my ship." He led them on, but Vela glanced at Dritz again with a raised eyebrow.
Dritz gave the security a grin and a nod as they passed. "Gentlemen."
The interior was even more sleek and clean than the outside, though that was to be expected. Dritz caught Vela's eye and, while Fera was distracted by leading them, licked the palm of his hand and reached for a panel, grinning at her. He didn't, however, touch anything, instead wiping his hand on his trousers with a sheepish shrug. While he did enjoy a joke, even he thought that was... A little too gross. He couldn't help but want to respect the ship.
"Absolutely not, though I can assure you I keep my hands as clean as possible. It's not an easy thing to accomplish when you're usually up to the elbows in ship parts. Even the cleanest engine can grime you up," he rambled.
Alarmed, Vela had almost reached for Dritz's arm to stop him before he wiped his hand against his trousers. She frowned a little, shaking her head. Who could know what Fera would do in a situation such as this? What if he knew somehow? Anywhere else on the station might be alright, but they were here on the ship of someone apparently important. Who knows what he might feel he had the right to do?
They walked into what surely must be the engine room, from the sound which quickly surrounded them. There were workers here and there, but none of them looked up from their tasks or acknowledged the fact that anyone new had appeared at all. It was almost like they were purposely ignoring the presence of the prince and two strangers.
Fera stopped in front of a massive panel that was easily twice Vela's height. He turned to face them, folding his arms and pursing his lips critically as he looked at Dritz. "So. You can repair anything, right?"
Dritz looked around in awe. The amount of power on The Radiant Sun could easily sustain... maybe three Novas. Four, even? It was a bigger engine room than he had ever encountered, but luckily for him, there was usually very little difference in what could go wrong.
"I certainly can," he said confidently, rolling his jacket sleeves up with a much more serious expression as he looked at the panel. "And if I can't, I will research how. You've nothing to worry about. Now... what happened?"
Fera kept staring at Dritz a little longer, almost seeming to measure him up, before nodding. "Fine. You can look at it. I don't know what happened, but I was told there was a problem. Like I said before, I don't know anything about ships. And if you're such an expert at engine repair, then you should be able to look at it and know right away, hm?"
The prince's voice contained more than a little sarcasm, and Vela didn't know why he was being rather hostile about the situation. Regardless of why, she kept watching closely as Fera stepped back from the panel, allowing Dritz to move forward and open it.
Dritz looked up at the panel, only somewhat daunted by the size of it. After a moment he grabbed the multitool from his pocket, spinning it in his hand with a flourish, shrugging his jacket off and folding it (royal presence and all) on the floor next to him. He went about removing the casing as usual, examining the inside. On first glance, nothing seemed wrong, but he was certain Fera wouldn't have brought him to fix nothing. He hummed to himself, finding a large enough gap in the machinery to lean inside. There wasn't a space large enough for him to climb halfway in as there was with the Nova, but he imagined the Radiation Fun's engine 'room' was that gap on a larger scale. Patiently, he ran some usual tests, calling behind him for the other workers to stand back from the other components for a moment, then giving them the thumbs up to go back. He leaned out, looking up and down the engine room and, apparently following a process, walked slowly to something else and ran a quick test on that as well. All the while he seemed to be quietly talking to the ship in a decidedly respectful manner.
Folding away the multitool and tapping it against his chin, he shook his head. "I'm really sorry, Prince Fera, but if there is a problem with your ship, it doesn't originate here. Anywhere else been making odd noises, has your fuel consumption been normal?"
Despite not knowing much about engines herself, Vela had been watching Dritz go about checking it over carefully. She also glanced at Fera on occasion, seeing he was completely serious and also watching with an almost grim expression. When Dritz's search turned up nothing, his eyes narrowed and he pinned his sharp glare against the Chrysalan.
"There is a problem. Why can't you find it?" he snapped, turning away and striding to another panel. He pointed at it, and several others nearby. "Check them all. As far as I know, the fuel has been fine. But there is a problem and you need to find it."
Again, Vela wondered why Fera was acting in such a confrontational way. Was there even a problem with the ship at all? It was making less sense the more she thought about it.
For the first time, Dritz looked somewhere close to upset and uncomfortable, but he made an attempt at a smile nevertheless.
"Your Highness," Dritz said softly, "I don't doubt your words, which is why I asked if there was a problem elsewhere. I'm happy to continue examining it f'now. I understand it's frustrating, but she's not telling me what's wrong. She's clearly a lady who likes her privacy." He offered the prince a more genuine smile, as talking about the ship had comforted him some.
With his jovial tone back, he turned to the other panels. "Now, lovely sunshine, I'll cover you up here for the moment, give you some dignity in front of all these folk."
He leaned the casing against the panel, covering the inside for the time being, telling the Gradient Son, "I might need to get back in here, gimme a minute."
He made his way to the other panels, running the same tests as before, tightening the odd fitting and cleaning up any dust he spotted (which was nearly none).
"So, Prince Fera, how long have you had the Radiant Sun? Is she perhaps your personal vessel? Oh, but I guess you must have more than one. Damn... I'm jealous. I'd love to have more than one ship... But I guess you can only fly one at a time. Still, though," he chattered cheerfully as he worked.
"It's my ship, yes," Fera replied, still with a touch of irritation, but calmer than before. "And I've had it since I came of age. A while ago." He was not elaborating too much, but Vela felt like he might not actually want to talk about it. "Well you needn't be jealous, this is the only one I've been deemed suitable to be given. I should have my own fleet by now. But that's not important at the moment."
He waited in stony silence as the minutes passed further, with Dritz still wandering about, checking panels, and apparently chatting quietly to the ship. "Surely you have found the problem.." His voice was very controlled at this point, as he seemed to have mastered himself again. "I am very unsure why it's taking you so long."
"It takes as long as it takes, Your Highness," Dritz sighed. "You want me to find the problem and fix it, don't you?" He took a step back and rolled his shoulders, closing his eyes and thinking hard, tapping the multitool against his palm, his chin, his thigh, then back to his palm.
"Can I ask... What alerted you to the problem? A noise, reduced performance? I'm really trying, but without some idea of what started it, it can be really difficult," he said apologetically. "I wanna help, but I really can't see anything wrong. Your people have been doing a good job of maintaining her."
Fera appeared as though he would like nothing more than to demand it should be fixed now and the problem should be apparent immediately, but he was clearly holding himself back.
"I don't know," he said through clenched teeth. "I don't know what it is. There is a problem, and I know nothing about this ship. No one tells me anything."
For a moment, the prince looked absolutely seething. His skin was taking on a more reddish tone, and the air was starting to warm around them for some reason. Vela took an uncomfortable step back, about ready to pull Dritz back too, when it seemed Fera abruptly calmed.
"No matter," he said airily, as if nothing unusual had just happened. "You can't fix everything, clearly. I must say I am disappointed in you as an engineer, Dritz. I will consider your debt paid, but I'm not satisfied. I'm afraid I may have to seek you out in the future."
With his antennae pressing back against his hair, Dritz frowned deeply, shoving his multitool in his pocket (along with his hands in a bid to hide their shaking) and levelling a firm gaze... At the floor. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't bring himself to look the prince in the eye.
"That is completely unfair," he said calmly. "I have come here and done my best, despite your attitude towards us being less than helpful. I pride myself on my work, and like I said, if I can't see how to fix it, I will learn a way. I meant it when I said that I wanna help, and I intend to do just that."
He cleared his throat before gathering his jacket and putting a hand on Vela's back.
"Give me a couple of hours to research, and I'll come back," he added.
Now Fera was starting to look angry again. Vela caught Dritz's eye and shook her head when he touched her back. She wanted to tell him they shouldn't return, there was nothing they could do when Fera was being so difficult. The prince's accusation may have hurt Dritz's pride as an engineer, but it just wasn't worth the trouble it would bring to continue being around him.
Before she could sign to him, Fera was responding. His voice was flat and emotionless, but he did seem upset. "How dare you speak to me like that. I've given you all the help I can. And what have you given me? Nothing. I gave you the part you asked for and cleared you of debt. What more do you want?" He took a step toward them menacingly. "Now get off my ship. I don't want to look at you right now."
Then Vela did pull at Dritz's arm, signing, [Let's go. Please. We don't have to come back. It isn't worth this.]
"What's she saying?" Fera said loudly, his voice going shrill. "I told you to leave!"
Despite his fear, Dritz took a step in front of Vela, his expression calm.
"She was just telling me to take your advice and leave," he said reassuringly. "She's on your side, Your Highness." He nodded at Vela and made a move to leave.
"I'm sorry for whatever I've done to offend you. You know where I am when you need a favour," he said quietly as they passed.
He escorted Vela off the ship and quickly out of the swanky docks, and only then did he seem to let out the trembling breath he'd been holding in, hissing something in Chrysalan.
"There was nothing wrong with his ship," he mumbled, thinking aloud. "Nothing. It was in peak working order. Brand new, almost."
Relieved that Dritz had the good sense to leave and risk further confrontation, Vela walked with him out of the ship and away from the area. She could sense he didn't want to talk at first, but finally he did begin to. [Are you alright? He upset you.]
She moved so they could stand off the walkway and continue conversing. With great concern, she gently touched his arm before signing further. [You are a good engineer, so don't listen to him. Maybe there was really nothing wrong. I don't know why he would say there was something, though.] Wanting to comfort him further, she took one of his hands in her own and held it with her fingers clasping his warmly.
Dritz reached up and cupped Vela's face, smiling softly.
"I'm alright, Vela," he said cheerily. "I... Yeah, I was a bit upset. I reeeally don't like having my ability called into question. I've been an engineer since I was first old enough to work, and before then too. I'm just a bit confused, to be honest. I dunno why he would tell me there was something wrong, and then get angry?"
The Chrysalan sighed deeply, pulling her into a hug. "I'm okay, though. Are you alright?"
Vela returned the hug for a long moment before leaning away to sign to him. [I'm fine. He didn't do anything to me. I worry about you, that's all.] Dritz had said he was alright, so she had to trust in him. She glanced around, feeling as though she ought to check and be sure Fera had not followed them or anything strange like that.
[Do you want to go relax? Maybe in the garden. I wanted to talk to you, anyway.] As they started walking again, she couldn't help but continue, [He might have some reason for doing that. But he wouldn't have told us.]
"You're cute," Dritz announced, giving her a little tap on the nose and grinning. "But don't be worrying about me. Not when it comes to Fera anyway. I'm sure he won't contact us again if he feels that way about my work."
His antennae perking up once more, he nodded. "Sure thing, sounds great. Lead on, cap'n."
They took a slow pace, relaxing. "Nah, I suspect not. Oh well. What is it you wanna talk about?"
Vela blinked, then gave Dritz a slightly bewildered smile. She didn't really understand what he meant by "cute," most of the time. She had to at least try to agree about Fera. Maybe he really wouldn't appear before them again.
She took her time in replying, waiting until they had reached the garden and chosen a lovely tree to sit under. Dritz sat with his back to whatever it was projected upon, and Vela only hesitated a short while before sitting right next to him and leaning against his arm, in a way he could still see her signing.
[I was thinking about what to do next. Now that Fera is gone, we can do whatever we want. I know we have a lot of credits, but...] She paused, trying to think of what words to use. [We probably won't be happy just sitting around and spending them. We could take jobs, I suppose... or something else. What do you think?] She held back the rest of what she had been thinking for the moment, not sure it was the right time.
The holographic gardens were still displaying the beautiful Earth autumn, and they found themselves in the same spot as before, with Dritz leaning against the 'trunk' of the tree.
He cocked his head to look at her properly, "Nah... I like working, but the idea of having enough credits to do anything we like... Wow. We could really do anything or go anywhere." He grinned goofily, "Why don't we find an adventure?"
[I guess so.] Vela hesitated, unsure what he might mean. She knew it was true they could head off and do whatever they might wish, but she felt uncertain about the idea as a whole.
However, she didn't want to dampen the Chrysalan's enthusiasm. She shifted closer to him, so their legs were touching. "But what is that, exactly, and how do we find it?"
Dritz looked at Vela, his yellow eyes wide in both surprise and amusement.
"How are you this cute? An adventure is... Like... Going somewhere exciting and different that you've never been before. An idea that lifts you up, and makes you feel giddy. Like... I guess leaving Aurctas was kinda like that for you? You were maybe scared, but mostly excited? Am I right?"
He smiled sweetly at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "So... Maybe we could just... Look at a map. Pick a random planet, just go?"
Vela nodded, though she continued to think over the meaning of the word "adventure" that Dritz had described to her. She supposed it had been like that, though she would have to admit she was more terrified than excited about leaving. It was a sense of bravery which pulled her through, despite nearly feeling sick to her stomach with worry. Aurians did not try taking such unnecessary risks.
[I understand. It was something like that, yes. I would like to go with you and do that. But maybe not a random planet. We should look into them carefully, after last time.]
Dritz had put an arm around her shoulders and she relaxed into the embrace, nestling against his side comfortably. She pointed at the datapad which he nearly always kept at his side, knowing he could bring up a map for them to look at now.
Dritz snuggled against Vela, enjoying how well she fit under his arm. He fumbled for his datapad with his left hand, unfolding it and bringing up a map, flicking the screen to bring up a projection of the system, with the station a small dot in the lower portion of it. The projection itself flickered and wasn't especially high quality, but it allowed them both to look at it in enough detail.
"Hmmm... Maybe here? Looks like a fair climate, ruins... Cissansk. That sounds almost Chrysalan, ha! Oh, wait, the atmosphere would mean we'd need suits, that's no fun."
Vela agreed that Cissansk would not be ideal. She rested her head against Dritz, pleased by the warmth and feeling of closeness.
Her left eye glanced over the map carefully until she saw a planet she had a good feeling about, reaching to indicate it to Dritz so he could bring up the details. It was a planet on the small side, but had a breathable atmosphere and temperate climate with very few dangers. As it was so small, it seemed it was only home to a tiny population who were mostly there to care for the natural beauty it contained. Tourists were more likely to visit it than anyone else.
"Kirra," she pronounced the planet's name with care. [What do you think about this one?]
"Kirra, Kirra, Kirraaaa..." Dritz mumbled to himself in a little song as he skim read the information. "This looks perfect. It seems like a... Holiday place, almost."
He turned and smirked down at her, "Why, captain! We have only just started this potential relationship, and you are already inviting me on a romantic break! First you got suggestive with me in the bunk room, and now you invite me there. I see your intentions," he laughed, before adding, "I'm just teasing you."
Initially alarmed, Vela pulled back to begin signing before Dritz had even finished speaking. [I did not mean... Oh, I see.] She still didn't fully understand the concept of teasing, and it was only slowly growing on her to find it amusing. For now she was still too cautious of upsetting him somehow.
[What is that? I thought I had just picked out a regular planet. I thought they all were. I still don't understand everything.] Remaining a little distressed, she kept apart from Dritz until she could comprehend exactly what she had suggested.
Seeming somewhat alarmed himself, Dritz took her hand and shook his head, "Nonononooo, you understand plenty. I'm sorry, I forget the sorta things that you might not have had."
He turned to face her, setting the datapad down on the ground, which (typically) set the projection flickering before it settled. "It's somewhere folks actually choose to go for no other reason, usually, than a place to relax that isn't the same as their home. Like... When you have time off from working. And the reason I said what I said is that the other reason can be for a couple to go somewhere new with a more... Exotic atmosphere (the feeling, not the climate and air status) in which to... Be... Couple-y. Does, uh, that make sense?" He shrugged, his distress fading back to his usual smile.
Hesitantly, Vela nodded as she listened to Dritz's explanation. It did make sense, or nearly. There was still so much to learn about the rest of the galaxy and the way other species did things. Some of it was going to take getting used to no matter what.
[That sounds like something my people could use] she remarked with the slightest smile. Of course, if Aurians ever left their planet, it wouldn't be so much of a problem in the first place. [I do want to go to a place like that with you. If you don't mind. We could leave tomorrow?]
While waiting for an answer, Vela leaned forward again and shyly put her arms around Dritz's waist so that her head rested against his chest again. It was a bit of an awkward hug, but she enjoyed the warmth and the sensation of being able to hear his heartbeat.
The Chrysalan had opened his mouth to speak, but was hugged around the waist before he could say something. Vela had awkwardly flopped forward against his chest. A small gasp escaped him, but he beamed, shifting closer to avoid her straining her back, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, further burying her into his shirt.
Before, he wouldn't have thought he would be the cuddly sort of guy (not that he'd ever really had the chance to find out...), but something about Vela made him want to hold her all the time.
Kissing her atop the head again, he whispered, "This is adorable, but you cannot be comfortable like that, surely? Why don't we walk some more, or go and gather some supplies for the journey?"
He pulled back to wink at her, "You can always claim your head rest again later."
Vela gave him a little smile and nodded. It was an awkward position, but for the moment had been the fastest way for her to hug him, as she'd felt like she had needed to. The desire to be near him was oddly strong, and she didn't want to deny it. This time she had felt the kiss on her head, and glanced away shyly for a little while until she began to feel normal again.
They left for the shops again, picking up more food, drink and other necessities for a trip through space, one which would last a couple of days this time. Dritz kept up a bright stream of chatter and seemed aware of little other than what they were doing at the moment. Vela's gaze was caught once by a human female with pale hair who was giving them an odd look and staring, but she stalked off before the Aurian had a chance to wonder if it meant anything.
The two separated for the night after taking the supplies to the Nova. The hug they shared before parting was warm and seemed to last a long time, and Vela found herself in a state of contented excitement for the journey to come.
