former cartoonist, died in an awful tiger tragedy

"You're not sure you should be on duty?"

"Affirmative." Click click click, his green fingers tapped on the keypad much slower than they normally did. "But, there is work that needs to be done, and I am the one to do it. Anyone else might mess it up."

Lyle frowned and released a long weight-filled sigh. "Querl, I uh, back then-"

"It wasn't your fault," Querl interrupted as he continued to stare at the screen, then he scoffed. "Hyper-dimensional physics? Rubbish. We have no time nor resources to entertain science fiction! These words mean nothing."

"What?" Lyle probed.

Querl still refused to take his eyes off his monitor. "Are you inquiring about your lack of blame, or the United Planets entertaining hyper-dimensional physics, whatever they mean by that because they cannot determine what the definition of hyper-dimensional even is-"

"Grife! Would you at least look at me?!" Lyle finally snapped as he seized his chair and spun it so that he was face to face with his friend. Lyle's deep brown eyes locked onto Querl's, they held their gaze only for a moment and then they both looked away. "Grife, you're such a sprocking pain."

"You want to talk about what happened," Querl stated flatly then he leaned his temple into his hand as he massaged it tiredly. He had only been awake from the healing tank for a few hours and he already felt exhausted. But not physically.

Lyle really didn't, but he knew if they were going to work, they had to talk. They had to face this. Together. No running into numbers and figures, and no vanishing. "I let Sharn Nux get loose. That's a failure on my end that almost resulted in something I would never forgive myself for if it went through."

"My death."

Lyle nodded. "Yes, your death, you pain in the sprocking ass."

"Don't carry that guilt, Lyle." Querl said his name, his first name, and it was so softly said Lyle felt something in his chest skitter. "I never blamed you, and I never will. But if it is forgiveness your human heart needs then I offer it. If it means anything."

"If it means anything?" Lyle scoffed disbelievingly, then he shook his head painfully as he knelt in front of the Coluan. "Querl, you mean to me. I'm not answering a bogus question with an equally bogus answer anymore with you, I'm-" he stalled as his words left him. He could face endless danger and uncertainty with more confidence than he could simply be his true self.

To be visible to Querl.

Be the true meaning of the word transparent, because when your abilities made you invisible, being seen sometimes was far far more difficult.

"I was scared for you," Lyle finally breathed. "I didn't want you to die before we figured this out. If this can work. And I didn't want to be the one responsible for blowing it."

They both went quiet, just the lull of the Legion Planet's biorhythms and their breaths between them, then finally Querl spoke. "I really am a pain in the ass."

Lyle cracked a small smile. "Yeah, yeah you are."

"Shall we perhaps continue this over dinner?" Querl suddenly asked, and it didn't sound awkward.

Lyle stood up eagerly and offered him his hand. "I've been meaning to try Tenzil's new menu."