The rest of the morning passed as Winters and Veera discussed how to best use the extra time that the irrigation system had freed up. Veera suggested that she could scour the forest for useful items and he found it hard to argue with her logic. He was already situated much closer to the best fishing location they knew. Any others would likely be even further up river. Until the final harvest, which Veera explained would be in just under two weeks; Winters’ primary objective would be to exploit that resource. She, in turn, would have enough time to stockpile wood, edibles, and other items that could be traded. If she happened upon carcasses or bones, even those could be used or bartered. Winters was worried about her safety, but figured that if she’d been coming out to her farm almost daily for the last five years then she could take care of herself. The truth was they needed all the resources they could get.

“Would it make sense to prepare for the hunt?” Winters asked. “Is there anything you can tell me about the migration patterns of the chesko and hyrven?” He was worried about being caught unprepared, or of looking for prey that simply wasn’t there.

“I wouldn’t worry too much Russell.” Veera reassured him. They had relocated to the pod as Winters mentioned he had to tend to his ‘automatic forge’. He wouldn’t let her see what he was working on, but given how splendidly the irrigation system had worked she felt confident she would enjoy whatever it was, if it concerned her at all. They had taken seats against the sunward facing side of the pod, enjoying the warmth of the star on their faces and the metal at their backs. Cool autumn breezes provided a welcome balance. Veera continued her explanation. “During the winter the chesko move further south, but you can still find enough around. That movement draws the hyrven along with them. If they’re your target, it actually makes sense to wait until the snows fall and then head out.” She hadn’t been thrilled at the idea of Winters going after pack hunters, but figured it was better than the fool’s errand of attempting to bring down an ursae. She wanted him to come back alive much more than she wanted him to be part of the Cauthan’s oral history.

“I see. Well you are the expert here, and that would make things plenty easier, as you say. Gives me much more time to fashion weapons as well.”

“You wouldn’t use what you already have?” Veera asked with surprise. “That weapon you keep on your hip sounded quite deadly.” She looked down to the smooth black contours of the pistol at his hip. Winters shook his head.

“Nah, supposedly ruins the taste of the meat when you shoot them. My weapons are meant to kill without regard to how the carcass looks or tastes afterward. Not to mention my ammunition is limited, as is my ability to create more. This is definitely one of the situations in which the old methods are better. Many human hunters still use bows and arrows back on earth actually. Adds to the challenge as well, though pretty much all hunting is done as sport now. I was considering making a myself bow, as well as a spear. Sword and shield aren’t that great as you might imagine.” He flicked his head up and to the left, indicating the hilt of his bladed weapon. “I doubt any of the chesko will challenge me to a duel, after all. Maybe if I insult their mother?”

“No, I suppose not even then.” She giggled at the idea of Winters mouthing off in the middle of the woods. “So if you aren’t making more weapons, what are you making in your forge?” She couldn’t help the swelling interest.

“Just fulfilling a promise I made.” He replied cryptically. Apparently he wasn’t ambiguous enough because Veera immediately understood his meaning.

“Clothes, finally!” She almost squealed.

“Was I that obvious?”

“No, I’ve just really been looking forward to that.” Looking forward to seeing you as you really are. She didn’t add. It barely fazed her anymore that she felt that particular craving. It was natural, she reasoned, to want to know more about him. He was a part of her life now; that was undeniable. Other than his face, his physical appearance was still a complete mystery beyond utterly conspicuous traits, like the number and placement of limbs. To be inquisitive was normal for her species. At least that was what she told herself.

“Well, hopefully I won’t disappoint then.” Winters stretched and stood up, offering her his hand. She took it and hauled herself up with a small hop. “I should probably get going. We are running low after all.” He gestured to his rod and tackle.

“Indeed, and I should make myself useful as well. Will you be returning to the village tonight?” She asked, unsure just how Winters was handling himself. He seemed much better but there was no telling if that reflected his inner state of mind. Winters hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.

“Yeah, I will. Might be a bit late again depending on how well the fish are biting, but I’ll be there alright? Feel free to eat without me if you want.”

“I’ll try to wait for you Russell, but don’t worry. I have no intention of intentionally starving myself, ever.” She furrowed her brow. The human nodded a silent approval at her. “I’ll see you later then. Selah.” Veera turned from him, wanting to say more but feeling uncertain. Things seemed to be on the mend. It could wait.

“Selah Veera.” Russell replied, kneeling to collect his things.

‘Goodbye Veera, see you later.’ Io bid the Cauthan a cheery farewell.

“You’ve taken quite a liking to our ‘scrawny girl’ it seems.” Winters insisted once Veera was out of earshot. “What changed?”

‘Would you like the long or the short version of VI puberty?’

“How about we discuss this without analogies to human biology?” Winters requested with a chuckle. He was becoming accustomed to this walk; the sounds of the river were soothing to his ear.

‘As you wish sir. It is simple really.’ Io explained. ‘Veera has proven to be an asset in both of the respects that I discussed earlier. With more of her time liberated I believe that she will continue to provide us with needed resources and information. On the other front, she seems quite taken with you and I believe her presence has been beneficial in helping you cope with your grief.’

“I don’t know about that first bit, but I’ll not argue the second. She has helped.” Winters agreed, remembering the feeling of her arms around him.

‘That is all sir. I hate to change the subject, but I have a couple more items I believe we should create lined up for your review. Shall I add these when we return?’ Winters reviewed the simple designs Io showed him, shaking his head and wondering how he could have possibly forgotten undergarments and a pair of boots.

“Absolutely. And thanks for having my back Io. I think we can make this a rush job, weather’s held up pretty well.”

‘Of course sir. I believe we both got a little sidetracked the other day.’

“But it was pretty fun imagining the look on Ratha’s face right?”

‘Yes sir, I believe that’s exactly what I felt. I will work to ensure such enjoyment does not impair functionality in the future. Shall we?’

“You’re fine Io, let’s go catch some dinner.”

Winters approached the village just after sundown, noticing with some surprise that Antoth was on duty at the gate. It was good to see a commander doing the same work as his men. He thought to use the greeting Veera had mentioned before, but then remembered she had demanded to be present when he tried. He settled for a casual wave instead before moving to disarm.

“That won’t be necessary Winters.” Antoth informed him and gestured roughly over his shoulder. “You can head on in.”

“Aww Antoth, thanks buddy! Why the change in heart?” Winters adopted an annoyingly cheerful tone. Antoth’s partner couldn’t help a smirk. Winters saw that it was the young one from the other day. He nodded in greeting.

“Don’t get the wrong idea Winters.” Antoth replied, rolling his eyes. “I’ve been keeping tabs on you. Spoke with Thantis and Ratha too. Seems you’ve been pretty well behaved. We had an agreement and I’m honoring it. No need to read further into it.”

Winters thanked the captain earnestly. “Thank you Antoth. Must admit I’m pretty surprised Ratha would have anything nice to say about me.” Antoth began laughing heartily, much to the surprise of his young charge.

“Oh she didn’t, believe me! She came stomping into the barracks huffing and puffing about that ‘puffed up human and his obsession with the mutt’. Never seen her so flustered before. Even demanded I exact compensation from you for that skull you broke. I assured her that if you returned from a hunt with a suitable kill that you’d donate the head.”

“No problems here on that count.” Winters agreed, thinking the solution a reasonable one. “Still don’t understand why you’re letting me carry my gun though.”

“Let’s just say that if you can go toe to toe with Ratha and not completely blow a gasket, I think you’ll be fine. Damn fine hunter, one of the best at killing hyrven I’ve seen in a while. Shame she acts like ‘em too.” It was Winters’ turn to laugh.

“Glad to hear I made the right impression Antoth, see you around. Later kid!” Winters nodded to the other guard who fashioned a hasty salute with his spear, drawing a smirk from his captain. “No need to get all riled up, I’m not your commander. Appreciate the gesture though.” With a parting wave, he turned down the road to Veera’s home.

“H-He’s a bit…odd, isn’t he?” The young Cauthan asked Antoth.

“More than a bit kid, more than a bit. But we all serve Uthos in our own way. I’d say he does so more than most.” Antoth reflected for a moment before shooting a serious look the youngster’s way. “Don’t ever tell him I said that.”

“Hey you.” Veera greeted him softly. She was sprawled out on her stomach on the bed, head in hand looking up at him, tail waving lazily behind her. Her eyes glinted at him in the low light. Winters felt a flush creep up the back of his neck.

“Hey you.” He looked around, feeling like if he held eye contact with Veera any longer she’d bore a hole through his skull. He noticed a basket full of vegetables and mushrooms, as well as some more salt and firewood. She’d begun stockpiling the stuff. In the center of the room a fire was waiting to be lit. It’s…it’s like coming home. Winters thought, feeling for all the world like his diaphragm had stopped responding to his brain.

“You’re well? No problems on the way here?” She brought him back with a question.

“None. Had plenty by the time Seil was getting low, figured I’d come back a bit early.”

“I see Antoth let you keep your weapons, how did that come to pass?” She asked casually, examining one of her claws. For some reason Winters felt incredibly frustrated. There she was looking like…like that…and yet she was asking him about the most mundane things. Shaking his head rapidly, Winters placed his basket down by the fire pit.

“Turns out my conversation with Ratha got around. Antoth must have a bit of a rivalry with her, seemed quite pleased I’d ruffled her feathers.” He couldn’t help but smirk as he remembered the altercation. “Couple that with my good behavior over the last week and he’s decided to allow me to carry weapons. Where’d you get the basket from?”

“Temple of Meylith again. Went over there to trade a few things. Took a few slices of fish, eggs, and some of the mushrooms I found today in exchange.”

“Could always use more containers, especially when you’re foraging. Should pay for itself pretty quickly.” He remarked absentmindedly while lighting the fire. Satisfied as the tinder crackled to life, he turned to Veera again. She was sitting up with her legs crossed now. Silence reigned for a moment before Veera broke it again. She was giving him a poignant look.

“I was so worried.” She whispered. Winters stood and walked over to her, watching her head tilt upward to maintain eye contact.

“You know I’m capable of defending myself.” He insisted. “You don’t need to-”

“Not that.” She interrupted, shaking her head. Her voice was soft and heavy with emotion. “I was worried that we might lose this.” She blinked once at him, finding confusion in his eyes.

“Lose what Veera?”

“What we’re doing now Russell. Talking, eating, being…I don’t know…friends? The last couple days have been extraordinary, and extraordinarily trying…for both of us.” She sighed as he sat beside her, feeling the bed creak slightly under his weight. “I’m just happy we’re still able to have moments like this.” Her dark chocolate eyes met his, and she willed his gaze to stay on her. After a moment, he nodded.

“I am too Veera. It’s difficult accepting the fact that she…that they’re all gone. I think I’d like to build them a shrine soon. It’s…it’s a long way back to Earth.” He choked up but held his composure, presenting a situation Veera simply couldn’t resist. Resting her head against his left shoulder, she took one of his armored hands in her own. She could feel Winters become rigid at her touch, but he soon relented, turning his hand slightly so that he could return the gesture. Her hand almost disappeared into his.

“Whenever you’re ready, if you want me, I’ll help.” Her tone was gentle and reassuring.

“I’d like that Veera. Thank you. Shall we prepare dinner now?” He asked. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to break contact, but they did have to eat. Veera reluctantly nodded, brushing the velvet tips of her ears across his cheek as she lifted herself upright. He joined her at the fire and they set about their preparations.

“Oh right, I forgot!” Winters exclaimed as he noticed Veera attempting to deal with the vegetables again. “Here.” He reached into the basket of fish and withdrew a slim object wrapped in cloth. He held it out to her. Tentatively, Veera offered her hands to him, palms up, and he deposited the item. “I thought you could use one of these. Doubt you’ll find anything with a sharper edge in the village.” He could hear the pride in his voice. Human weapons engineering was top notch, and he’d kept his knives in peak condition. Veera removed the cloth and stared at the weapon, a four inch blade housed in a synthetic leather sheath. Taking the carbon fiber grip in her dominant hand, she slowly revealed the military-grade steel edge, watching the flames leap across its reflective surface. It was clearly a weapon meant for combat and survival, but Veera couldn’t deny the simple elegance of it, from the balanced hilt all the way to the faint curve of the blade’s point. “I hope you like it.” Winters smiled at her.

“It’s wonderful.” She replied truthfully. “You won’t uh…you won’t mind if I use it to peel vegetables, will you?”

“Why would I?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Seems like a mundane task for such a well-crafted blade.”

“That knife was meant to be used. Use it.” He insisted.

“As you wish. Would you like the kina skins?”

“I think I’m alright. Maybe we can get some eggs for them?” He proposed, knowing there would be plenty of fish offal to augment any other scraps they had left over.

“You’re a big fan of eggs, aren’t you?”

“Well of course! Breakfast is by far the best meal of the day. Wouldn’t you agree?” He asked with mock severity.

“Russell,” She brandished the knife at him. “I’ve eaten nothing but dato for the last three years, and nothing but vegetables for the last five. You really think I enjoy my meals that much? You see these teeth?” She bared her canines at him. “Do they look like they were meant to eat dato?!” She vented. Knowing her frustration wasn’t directed at him; Winters couldn’t help but lay back on the dirt floor and let his laughter consume him. “Hey!” Veera pouted at him.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry!” He tried through fits of laughter. “That was just…oh boy that was just what I needed.” He sat upright again. “Thanks Veera, I really needed that. Sorry it had to be at your expense. And don’t worry; I don’t think there’s a single HEL Jumper in the entire universe that doesn’t like meat. There will be plenty of it. I promise.”

“I’m holding you to that mister.” She fluttered her feathers at him. “I have enjoyed the fish very much. Why do you enjoy breakfast so much anyway? Isn’t it the same as lunch or dinner, just earlier?”

“Not if you’re a human!” He replied cheerily. “There’s an entire class of food reserved entirely for breakfast on my planet! Bacon, eggs, coffee, orange juice, oatmeal with nuts and fruit, waffles, pancakes…man I miss pancakes.” He was staring up at the starry sky now through the vent in the roof. Veera cocked her head to the side.

“Pancakes?”

“They’re a bit like…well no, they aren’t like bread. They’re a bread derivative, if you will. You mix flour with eggs and milk, maybe a bit of vanilla too. They end up light, fluffy, and absorbent. Great for soaking up butter and syrup. Man, I’m getting hungry.”

‘Then perhaps you should continue preparing your food instead of talking about it.’ Io suggested, causing both Veera and Winters to laugh at themselves.

“Capital idea Io. Tell you what Veera, if I can figure out how, I’ll make you pancakes sometime, alright?”

“I look forward to it.” She smiled at him, intrigued by the idea of a male cooking food for her. The Cauthan always did what had to be done, male or female; but the idea of Winters going out of his way to not only acquire food, but prepare it for her caused a butterfly or two to begin fluttering around her stomach. Knowing she’d start quivering her feathers if she kept daydreaming, Veera instead busied herself with the basket of vegetables, finding Winters’ gift to be more than satisfactory.

An hour later the two of them had yet another fish stew going. Thanks to Veera, the vegetables were different this time, and she’d even acquired a barley-like grain to add some texture in place of bread. The two of them sat across from one another, pot between them. Winters sat cross legged, while Veera had her legs tucked under her right side. The remaining filets were being smoked over a smaller fire. The savory smell of the smoke only served to augment Winters’ appetite. Veera chuckled as he dug in with gusto before beginning to eat herself. After a few bites Veera looked at him.

“Russell, can I ask you something about the other night?” She inquired hesitantly. “It’s about what you showed me about the galaxy and everything, not…not what came after.”

“The destruction of my ship.” Winters finished before reassuring her. “I’m getting there, promise. There’s no need to tiptoe around it or feel bad about asking. I’m sure you have a lot of questions after all that.” Looking mollified, Veera continued more animatedly.

“Of course I do! I feel like we just scratched the surface. First it was you and then your species and now it’s…everything!” She threw a hand into the air for emphasis. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“That’s ok, I’ll keep eating.” He grinned through another mouthful of stew.

“You are something else, you know that?” Veera brandished her spoon at him. “I guess what’s gnawing at me most is how did you know about all of that? Your technology is impressive beyond words. It’s practically magic from where I’m standing. But everything you showed me, all those stars and the void and…everything. How did you know? How did your species discover all of this?”

“You’re something else Veera.” He repeated back to her. “Your curiosity in the face of the unknown is…uh…”

‘Admirable?’ Io supplied, showing her support for the pursuit of learning.

“I was going to say attractive.” Winters muttered into another spoonful of broth, feeling his face go red.

“I believe if you were a Cauthan your feathers would be aflutter right now.” Veera enjoyed a light jab at his expense.

“You mean like yours are right now?” The riposte was immediate, as was his smirk.

“You…you said it’s attractive…” Veera was looking very intently at the wall.

“I meant it.”

‘Should I leave?’ Io asked. ‘I feel like I’m going to drown in all the biology going on in here.’ Winters brought a fist to his mouth as he choked with laughter, all tension in the room completely shattered.

“Geez Io, way to read the room.” He finally got out once he finished swallowing.

‘I believe the young lady asked you a question, you decided to get all sentimental about it.’

“Fair enough. By the way Veera, I meant what I said. It’s a rare thing to be faced with the unknown and want to know more, even more so when it challenges the way you view the world.”

“I think you’re giving me too much praise.” She replied faintly.

“I don’t. Let me tell you a story to illustrate my point. Back when humanity was still Earth bound, we were asking ourselves many of those same questions that you had from the other night. Is the world round or flat? Do we rotate around the sun, or does it rotate around us? What is the moon? What else is out there? The question about the sun, and our relationship with it, was examined by many scientists and thinkers around the world at various times throughout history. Among my ancestors, the Europeans-” Io activated the B-MASS and projected the earth, quickly zooming in on the European subcontinent. “Thanks Io.”

‘Of course sir, now hold that up so Veera can see.’

“Of course. Anyway, among the Europeans, this question came to a head around 500-550 years ago. A man by the name of Copernicus had published a treatise on something he called helio-centrism. It was the idea that the earth revolved around our star, as opposed to the other way around. Not a new idea, but it was the first time it had been put forward seriously in that age.”

“So he was correct, yes?” Veera asked. “He must have been quite famous!”

“In a way I suppose he was, though I think he’s remembered more fondly now than when he was alive. The theory wasn’t new, but it was the first time it had surfaced in Europe following what’s called the dark ages. Put simply, we had a big of a regression in terms of science and technology for about a thousand years. It’s much more complex than that and it wasn’t a complete regression, but the point is that Copernicus was re-igniting a debate that had been going for many hundreds of years. Following that, a man by the name of Galileo Galilei adapted various technologies available at the time to better study the heavenly bodies.” Io had generated images of both Copernicus and Galileo, as well as a rudimentary spyglass, a telescope, and Jupiter’s moons, as well as highlighting Poland and Italy. Winters explained the geographies before continuing.

“Right, that’s a good point Io. Those moons there belong to the fifth planet in our system, Jupiter. Galileo was able to see them using his telescope. By observing them and other objects in the sky, he was able to provide a substantial body of evidence to confirm helio-centrism.”

“Ok…” Veera seemed a bit confused. “That’s well and good but what does this have to do with me…or the universe?”

“I was just getting to that. What do you think Vash would do if you informed him that Seil was an inanimate object, a gas furnace of colossal proportions that was completely unremarkable in any way given the nature of the galaxy?” Veera trilled with laughter, feathers quivering in delight.

“Oh he’d lose his mind, maybe literally! He’d certainly brand you a heretic.”

“Exactly Veera. Back when Galileo was doing his thing, the main religious institution of the time, the Catholic Church-” Io brought up images of popes, the cross, the Vatican, and inquisitors. It was clear she knew where Winters was headed with his tale. Veera glanced at the images before her as Winters continued his explanation. “They were publicly saying, along with their other teachings, that the Earth was not only the center of the solar system, but the center of the universe itself.”

“That’s awfully self-important.” Veera scoffed. “Besides, if there’s a giant death void in the center of the galaxy I’m fine being tucked away in this little backwater thank you very much.”

“A fine sentiment.” Winters nodded with a smile. “So you can imagine the outrage that followed when Galileo began publicly contradicting the Church. Eventually he was called to Rome, the seat of the Church, to answer for the crime of heresy. He was tortured and forced to recant, though the legends say he whispered ‘and yet it moves’ within the chamber as he recanted; so it was likely just to save himself. Smart move by him. Regardless, the point is that the truth is often an inconvenient thing, and humans have always had a hard time with it. I can’t tell you why. Maybe it’s because the universe is so terribly complex that our brain has to simplify it into a few set rules that it can handle? Someone comes along and explains that your rules are wrong…that causes fear, panic, anger. So believe me when I tell you that your thirst for knowledge and willingness to accept that what you know could be wrong is rare, admirable…and yes, attractive.”

“Thank you Russell.” Was all Veera would say as she looked expectantly at him. Her ears twitched in the dim light, catching the glow of the embers on her piercings. Winters had to pull his gaze away in order to continue.

“So, to answer your question…uh…geez. Io what do you think? How do we explain how we know about the universe?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

‘I believe atomic theory is necessary sir. We have discussed the very large, now we must discuss the very small.’

“Evolution of the atomic model?”

‘A good place to start sir, bringing up a visual aid now.’ The previous images vanished and were replaced by Io’s body, she looked to Veera. ‘Are you doing alright?’

“Even your history lessons are a lot to take in, but it’s exhilarating. Yes I am fine, thank you Io.”

‘Of course. Here you are sir.’ With a snap of her fingers Io vanished and was replaced by a series of images and a timeline.

“Is this…is this from my high school chemistry text?!” Winters asked in disbelief.

‘I thought a bit of familiarity might be useful.’

“You’re dynamite Io.”

“What’s dynamite?” Veera asked, not wanting to be left out of the loop. Io simulated the detonation of a single stick with a human for scale, causing Veera to yelp and fall back on hands. “What was that?!”

“That was what happens when you explode a stick of dynamite. It’s something humanity discovered a couple hundred years ago or so.”

“Wait…explosion…” Veera recognized the word. “Your weapon does that?!”

“Well…no. I mean, yes it does, but on a very small scale. Nothing like that!” Winters clarified as Veera became demonstrably upset at the idea of a sidearm capable of firing sticks of dynamite. “Shall we get back to the topic at hand?” He asked, eager to move away from the idea of explosions. Veera nodded.

Over the next hour, between bites of stew and tending to the smoking of fish, Winters explained the evolution of atomic theory, starting with Democritus and the concept of ‘atomos’, and ending with the electron cloud theory. Veera kept up as best she could, though towards the end he could definitely see her eyes glazing over. “So, this is quite interesting and all but…” Veera began, her stress evident in her voice.

“You want to know why I just condensed a good month of high school chemistry into an hour?” Winters asked with a smile. Veera nodded fervently, wondering what a high school was. Another question for the human.

“Quite so. This here is the periodic table of elements.” Io brought up a simplified version. “If I asked you to tell me about the universe, all of it, it would be pretty difficult, right?” Veera nodded in agreement. “But what if you understood the pieces that make it up? What if you only needed to understand a few dozen building blocks and how they interact with one another? Sounds much easier right?” Again the Cauthan nodded. “That is what chemistry and our knowledge of atoms does for us. If we look at a star, like yours, we can figure out what it’s made of, how hot it is, how it’s likely to behave millennia from now. That’s an example of what atomic theory allowed us to do, and it’s how we understand most of what we see in the universe, in conjunction with other disciplines. The rest gets more complicated, but I think we can leave quantum theory for another night.”

“What’s that?”

“Deals with objects smaller than electrons.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “Smaller than that?!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Winters laughed, offering her his hand. She took it and he began rubbing his thumb over the back of her palm. “Seriously though, you’ve absorbed information that took millennia to compile. That’s impressive. There’s no need to get frustrated, alright?” Veera stilled and looked at him, feeling like lightning was rolling across her skin and through her nerves, originating from the point of contact. Her breathing became shallow, and she wished she could experience this without his armor in the way. She remembered the heat his hand had given off the first day they’d met, the heat she’d felt from his neck. It was most pleasant and her desire for that comforting warmth had only grown as she’d opened her life to him. She slowly registered he was speaking to her again. “I think I should be heading back. Need to tend to the ‘forge’. Will I be seeing you tomorrow, or should I just handle the farm and you can do your own thing? The growing pile of firewood is very nice by the way.”

Oh my gods! He’s offering to…the farm…and oh gods, oh gods. Why is he so good at this?! He has no idea, does he? Veera’s mind was all over the place, wondering if Winters even understood how his actions were affecting her. It didn’t appear so, making things even more frustrating. Even so, his offer made sense. She nodded. “That would…that would be great Russell. Thank you. Will you be by for dinner?”

“Of course. Going to grab some food for tomorrow too, that alright?” He asked, grabbing a couple of the older pieces of fish, knowing he’d more than replaced them with the day’s haul.

“You caught them after all, go for it! Here take this too, you seemed to like them.” Veera extended a kina to him, he accepted it with thanks.

“Goodnight Veera. I’m glad we did this again, it’s been fun.” He gave her a warm smile.

“It has. Selah Russell. Please be safe.”

“Selah Veera.” He hesitated at the doorway, but eventually pushed the leather covering aside and walked into the night. “I always am.” Veera brought her knees to her chest and sighed heavily. She couldn’t deny the feeling that coiled up inside of her, wasn’t sure she even wanted to deny it. The evening had just felt right, comfortable. It wasn’t the infatuation of youth that she’d experienced for fleeting moments in her past. This was something new altogether. With a deep breath she got to her feet, quenched the fire, and set aside the rest of the food, taking great care with the knife Winters had given her. Curling herself under the cover of her bed, she gazed down at the smoking ash in the middle of the room. The place felt more empty than usual.