#file 30

Also file 30 was like really painful. Like so much more painful than I thought it would be. My heart, my soul, ahhhhh

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Yeah, yeah, we’re here. Got a little lost on the way. Sorry for the late answer, can’t email and drive!

Brian got a little impatient, but I made him promise not to go inside if I wasn’t waiting out here. Marvin said I can’t go in since I’ve already been “negatively affected” or what the fuck ever, but he wants me to stick around in case I need to call for help.

I’ve got the lock necklace the magician gave us and Brian’s got one on too.

Talk to you in a bit.

(Vela’s part in italics.)

Orion felt like he was keeping a good sense of his own calmness. Dritz would be with him, and this might help settle Fera further. It was all he could tell himself as he led the way through the station toward the more expensive rooms where the prince was staying.

"This way," he said, leading them straight to a door near the end of the section. "He's not too upset with me yet. I still have this." Producing a card from one pocket, he tapped it against a panel set into the door and watched it silently slide open before he entered.

Luckily Fera was nowhere in sight, in the small entranceway or the main living area just beyond. These rooms were furnished with lavish detail, though many of the decorations were actually items which Fera had brought from his planet. Including the vase which lay shattered into a couple dozen glass pieces near the door which exited the living area. At least, Orion thought it was a vase. Although... why would Coronal need vases when they didn't have plants?

"Right, that's still there," he sighed, making sure neither of his companions would step on the mess accidentally. "We had a little... moment before I left. I think Fera must be in the study, since that's where he headed. Can you believe that, the quarters in this section of the station are like little houses by themselves." His weak attempt to joke about it wasn't working so well, so he sighed and gestured to Vela. "You can stay in here. We'll make sure he doesn't come back through."

The Aurian was already seating herself on a sleek chair covered in some form of gold embroidery, looking around her with quite obvious curiosity. Likely she would not be bored, even if she didn't have to possibly listen to Fera screaming as well. Which he really hoped wouldn't happen. "You ready?" he asked Dritz with an attempted smile, starting to lead him to the next door.

Despite Orion letting them know they did not have to stay, Dritz felt there was very little that would make him abandon those he decided to call friends. Even if part of him was reluctant to see a true Fera foul mood; it must be bad, given Orion's worry.

He put his arm around Vela, though when he felt her back, it was tense. She was clearly preparing herself for whatever Fera might say or do if he saw her. Or perhaps she was just steeling herself in general. She did not seem to be so bothered by confrontation as Dritz was, but perhaps this was something new her was learning about her?

Fera's room was predictably incredible, and far larger than any of the standard accommodation on the station, and with all the kinds of beautiful things adorning it that the prince seemed to like adorning himself with, except for the shards of something on the floor. They were pretty shards, though, whatever the thing had been. "Shame about whatever this was. You, uh, want me to clean it up? I don't mind," Dritz muttered, gently prodding a larger bit with his shoe, careful not to allow it to scratch the otherwise gleaming floor. Of course, Orion politely declined; it was probably the last thing on his mind at that moment.

He watched Vela with a fond smile before turning back to the human, "As I'll ever be!" He reached out to Vela as they passed and squeezed her arm gently.

What Orion had called a "study" was a room which he actually had no other name for. It wasn't full of books or documents, items Fera would have found boring. Instead it was an assortment of low tables and shelves holding beautifully arranged ornaments and curios. As far as Orion could tell, they were not solely from Coronus, but from all over the galaxy. Fera wouldn't talk about any of it, for some reason, but Orion distinctly recognized a sparkling geode of the sort he had heard was found on Earth. All of the objects were pretty, but he could see that none of them had a particular use other than being nice to look at.

Thankfully, the prince hadn't retreated to his bedroom, a place where it was likely he would be angry to be confronted. At the moment Orion entered the study with Dritz, he was curled onto a low couch with his back to the door, lovely white clothing and pink hair obviously in some disarray. This was very unusual for Fera, showing how distressed he was. Orion felt another pang of concern before he tried speaking.

"Hey, love. I brought someone to see you. It's Dritz, he's finally back from his trip off the station. Just the other day you mentioned whether or not we'd ever see him again. But I thought it might make you feel better to know he's here." The silence after this statement was deafening, and Orion felt he might need to speak again just before Fera sharply moved himself around and sat up.

"Oh, yes, Dritz will make me feel better," the prince snapped. His face was flushed more red than pink, and the makeup he used to line his eyes was obviously smudged on one side. It broke Orion's heart to think of his lover crying here by himself, but he had no time to contemplate it further. "And where in the seven hells do you think you've been, anyway? I didn't give you permission to leave! Why does no one even think about me? I should give a damn that you're back? How are you even going to help me now?!"

The tone of Fera's voice had gradually risen in pitch, to the point where it was not quite the screeching from before, but getting close. Orion fought to hold back a sigh. He should have known the prince would continue being difficult. He didn't think this was fair to Dritz, but he only shook his head and waited to see if his friend would need help replying.

Dritz, feeling incredibly surprised the situation was so bad as to reduce Fera to look anything less than statuesque, fought back any sign of the concern on his face and moved to sit down, smiling.

"Aw, I missed you too, Your Highness," he said politely, his voice cheery enough to try and help the tension in the room, soft enough to not seem callous. "I know I'm not like, an insider on whatever is going on, but I do want to help. Whatever is the matter. Ori is worried about you, and so am I. That's why I'm here; why we're both here. So clearly... There is more thought for you than you might think." He offered Fera a slight smile.

He seemed to spot the beautiful trinkets for the first time and let his eyes wander, conscious that the prince might not wish to be seen in such a way, or at least not in a way he might feel stared at.

"These are pretty," he ventured, gesturing to a set of... He guessed hair pins or brooches? They were gleaming gold with many white stones that somehow seemed to contain every other colour, something which fascinated him.

Fera sat up straighter, glaring. He had no awareness of the state of his appearance. There was little in his mind beyond the fact that everything had gone terribly wrong.

"They took my ship," he hissed at Dritz. "The Radiant Sun. My ship. What am I supposed to do? I'm trapped here. Trapped!" The last word had come out strangely loud, and he almost realized his over-dramatic acting... but not quite.

"I told Dritz as much. And yeah, he was really worried to hear it. So we're both here to see if we can help you, that's all we want," Orion said softly, clearly trying to be soothing again. But none of his attempts worked before, and Fera had only found himself growing angry at the human.

He shifted his attention back to Dritz, ignoring Orion. "I doubt you care. I'm not sure why you're really here. As if you know what it's like for me!" Waving away the Chrysalan's interest in any of the items in the room, his eyes went wide as he suddenly remembered what else this might mean.

"Wait... where is she?" There was a definite note of panic in his raised voice as he scanned the room, afraid that the Vela had somehow entered without his knowledge and was now lurking near him with some  strange power to become invisible.

"I heard," Dritz said angrily, matching Fera's tone of indignation. "Frankly, Your Highness, it's a damn disgrace. We, Ori and I, will do our utmost to ensure you are not trapped on the station."

It was clear Orion's soothing, though adorable and soft and nice and Dritz kind of hoped the human was around if he ever had a meltdown himself, was not helping Fera the way it ought to. Perhaps the Coronal royal needed someone to be as pissed as he was.

"Of course I don't know what it's like! Why don't you tell-" he trailed off as he watched Fera scan the room in panic. "She's not here, Fera. Promise. Here, tell me. Tell me what it's like! Rant to me! Then let's see what we can do to sort it all out."

Fera snorted indignantly. If she wasn't here, then where was she? But Dritz's other words and general tone made him forget about the Vela for now.

In fact, it took him several long moments of staring at Dritz until he decided the Chrysalan was not just making fun of him. Then he jumped to his feet and began to pace angrily, his fury at his parents boiling over again. "It's not fair! Just because they want me to go back to Coronus and take part in their ridiculous ceremonies! I won't go!"

His fists clenched and he stopped walking, keeping his back turned on the others. "They took my ship because I won't obey them. And I have no intention of doing so. It's because I have a betrothed." With these words he spun around, staring at Orion, whose mouth had fallen open slightly. "Don't look like that," he snapped. "If you think I'm marrying a woman so I can continue the royal bloodline, you're out of your damned mind. I won't do it. They can't make me!"

Realization of what this meant dawned on him, and his knees buckled slightly before he stood up straighter again. "I... I'll never get my ship back. That's it. Everything is ruined." There was a pause as his chest began to heave dramatically with his breathing. "No... I'm a prince! " he practically screamed, the last bits of his pain and rage coming together all at once before he collapsed back onto his chair with his head in his hands.

Orion, apparently still speechless from Fera's revelation, seemed frozen for the moment as he looked at Dritz with wide eyes.

Dritz's eyes widened. Poor Orion. Well, poor Fera, of course; it must have been hard to have something taken away so abruptly when one was so used to having- he glanced around the room- everything. But poor Orion for suddenly finding out something incredibly upsetting in an even more upsetting way.

Of course, Dritz didn't... No. No, he truly didn't believe Fera would be so cold. The prince was just distressed, not thinking. He did his best to communicate this thought process to Orion without words but sadly the two of them didn't have the same connection as he had with Vela, so it didn't really work.

He leaned over and put a gentle hand on Fera's arm, hesitant but as comforting as possible. "Prince Fera," he said quietly, "Why don't you and Ori have a minute? Even princes need hugs from their partners. I think you'd both benefit? Then I can come back and we can talk about what to do to help you get your ship."

He eyed Orion, hoping this was an acceptable plan.

Vela had been quite entranced by a painting she found on one of the walls; she was unfamiliar with most forms of art in general, though she understood the basic concept. This painting in particular she found not to her taste, even without knowing the intention behind it. There were many strange shapes overlapping each other, and the colors were all variations of red or orange or yellow. She had stared intently, trying to make some sense of it, when she heard... Fera screaming? That was all it could be.

Shortly thereafter she had given up on the painting, but then Dritz entered the room alone. Vela turned to stare at him in surprise, then walked quickly over to embrace him.

[What happened?] she asked, only pulling back to sign. [Is Orion alright in there? I heard... something.] She did know what it was, but wasn't the most curious when it came to the prince, so she didn't ask for more information.

Dritz found himself naturally falling into Vela's embrace, and gladly so. The situation was not stressful for him, as such, but he was almost hyper aware of the tension between the two of them, and he was just worried.

He kissed the top of her head with a smile and a shrug, whispering, "He's having a hard time with something. Seems like the Coronal royals aren't pleased with him? So, from what I can tell, the Radiant Sun has been taken back to Coronus. Oh, and get this-" He lowered his voice even more, "He's supposed to be coupled with someone there?! I dunno why, but it seems to be a problem." He shrugged, pulled an exaggerated expression of confusion. Despite his desire to the contrary, Dritz had been brought up with the idea that coupling with multiple partners was normal, acceptable, encouraged. Why Fera couldn't just... have both? was beyond him. Maybe Coronus frowned on that sort of thing? He only wanted the one partner, after all, and he did know that other planets were different. He just sort of assumed royals had the most partners.

"So... I left them to work out what's going on, and talk and stuff. Though, who knows if Fera will talk and not just scream."

The silence in the room after Dritz left was nearly startling. Fera was actually not screaming... but he wasn't talking, either. Instead he stared at Orion with an expression that was difficult to read, his body totally still, but his eyes flickering slightly as he seemed to search the human's face. What was he looking for?

"Listen, Fera..." Orion began quietly, when it became obvious he wouldn't be speaking first. "I'm still sorry about what's happened. And I'm sorry you had your ship taken away from you. I just... Well, I didn't know you were promised to someone. I think Dritz was confused too, Chrysalans aren't largely monogamous the way humans or Coronal are." His tone was purposely light, trying to make it sound like all of this wasn't a big deal, even though he'd felt his heart sink to know that Fera was betrothed to someone else already.

"Stop." The word was spoken sharply, and not what Orion had expected to hear from Fera first. "Why aren't you angry?"

"Why aren't I angry?" Orion repeated with a sudden sigh. He walked to one of the gilt chairs and sat down, feeling like this legs needed a rest. "Well, because. Maybe deep down I knew you probably had someone, it seems to be what royals do, betroth their children early on. It doesn't mean I'm angry that you didn't tell me, though I still wish you had. And didn't you say you had no intention of a union with this other Coronal?"

The prince's face could have been carved from stone. "No. I have no such intention. I have no interest in her." After another moment, some expression finally came back to him. "I like being a prince. I have no desire to be the king of Coronus. I thought that if I avoided my betrothal long enough, it might always stay this way. But I..."

Fera had become remarkably restrained, but Orion wasn't surprised. He was like this when he was truly upset over something, where others couldn't see. "What?" he asked softly, standing again and approaching Fera. "You know it won't work like that? Is that it?"

Some of the anger and pain flashed across the prince's face again for a brief moment before Orion stepped forward and caught the other man in an embrace. Then it was as if the fight went out of him, and he relaxed into his lover's arms.

Orion stroked his hair and made the slightest rocking motion as he held Fera. "There, there," he murmured, knowing it meant nothing to the Coronal, but it was something his human parents had done for Orion when he was upset and it had always stuck with him. "We'll figure something out. Maybe we can find a way to get your ship back if we talk it out with Dritz. You want to try?"

A small shiver passed through Fera. "I suppose so. But not with the Vela."

"We told you she isn't here," Orion replied carefully. "But if we do come up with a plan, she might have to be there. Depends how much you want your ship back."

Fera snorted slightly in disgust, though he backed away then and returned to his chair, looking grimly resolute. Orion smiled and went to the door, making certain to close it behind him before approaching Dritz and Vela.

"Hey. He's calm now. You want to come back in, Dritz? We can talk about what could possibly be done. Although, I have to say I'm not sure there is anything." His smile was a bit more sad then as he made sure Vela was doing alright and moved back toward the study with Dritz.

Once he was certain Vela was okay with him once again attending to the prince, Dritz kissed her on the forehead and followed Orion back into the room.

It seemed Fera was too riled up, too angry and tense, to have a seat. Dritz touched his arm and smiled, "I hope you're feeling a bit better now. I know you won't be at one hundred percent, but maybe a good start before we discuss. Then we can  get to the one hundred percent later!"

He plopped down on the floor, his boots making the slightest little squeaking as he did so.

"So, your parents... Is them taking the 'Sun away a punishment for defying their partnering?" he asked. With a soft, wide-eyed expression, he added, "Sorry, I just... Don't know."

When Orion returned with Dritz, Fera shrugged off the Chrysalan's concerns, already returning to a slightly more haughty exterior. He did, however, give a disapproving scowl as Dritz sat on the floor, making no other comment on it regardless.

"No. It's not for defying the union. I haven't actually done that. It's simply because they are angry that I refuse to return to Coronus." Fists and jaw clenched, he paced the room briefly before continuing. "There is a ceremony I must attend concerning this union, a sort of bonding that would take place between us. And I want nothing to do with it."

He circled around again, returning to glare at Dritz. "They would not take me directly, or force me to return. But they think that taking the Radiant Sun from me will trap me where I am, force me to give in to what they want." With a long pause, he glanced at Orion, who was remaining quiet for now. "They might win," he muttered. "I am trapped here."

Swiveling his attention back to Dritz abruptly, the prince snapped, "How simple it must be to choose whoever you like to partner with!"

"It's... not as simple as it looks. Chrysalan families are still not usually very open to alien partners, regardless of their biology," Dritz muttered sheepishly. "But I am lucky that my culture's standpoint on relationships is one of passion. Even if alien coupling is frowned upon, it's a small flaw in a very open society." He shrugged, looking sad, "I'm really sorry it's not the same for you. I've never seen trouble in two individuals being partnered so long as they're of age and it's what they want. Everyone's rules around it seem stupid."

He watched Fera and Orion sadly for a moment before adding a hopeful, "Could your family not... accept Ori as your partner at all?"

The reaction he received caused Dritz to flinch in surprise. "Okay, okay, maybe that wasn't the course of action to take. Can you... rent or buy another ship?"

Once again Fera shrugged off Dritz's concerns, even regarding his own people and their lack of openness to alien partners. "Of course it's not the same for me. And it's ridiculous. Being royalty means I cannot choose whoever I like. I must have the best match, the most closely suited, the one with the greatest likelihood of producing... offspring." He said the last word with the kind of disdain most people would reserve for something truly vile. "So to answer your question: no. Orion would not be accepted as my partner."

He felt another flash of irritation then, a sense of unfairness regarding the whole situation. Being reminded of his ship just made it worse. "No! If I purchase another ship, it will likely also be taken from me. Besides, how can I find anything as worthy as the Radiant Sun? Renting a ship is out of the question. Word would spread that I was using it and I can't be seen that way. It is beneath me. There is nothing of suitable quality, anyway." His voice had risen into a whine by this point. "I have business left to conduct! And until it is concluded I have need of a ship! What am I supposed to do!"

Orion seemed to be thinking, measuring up the situation on his own and finally sighing. "There's the Nova," he said quietly, addressing Dritz instead. "But I dunno how open Vela would be to letting Fera and I use her ship."

Fera silently fumed, barely holding himself back from instantly refusing an offer even if it was made. There was no chance, in this life or the next, that he would use the Vela's ship.

Dritz had almost forgotten, to his horror, poor Orion's presence there. He'd been so absorbed in the swirling tornado of Fera's emotions, fascinated by the behaviour, that he'd sort of even forgotten where they were. He didn't know of anyone who behaved like Fera.

Except, sometimes, at a push, and never to such extreme, Kli. Though he was not really bright enough to get het up about anything apart from his hair.

"Well... Maybe we could... Ask her? It's not a terrible idea. The Nova's an amazing ship; reliable and steady. Surprisingly quick too. We could help conduct your business, if Vela agrees to it. I don't want to volunteer her ship without her say so." He wished he still had Papilio at this stage...

"I don't care how wonderful the ship is," Fera said through gritted teeth. "I would rather not."

"Fera." Orion had stood and walked over to him, effectively blocking his pacing and putting both hands on his arms to stop him further. "Listen. You won't go back to Coronus, so unless you know of another way, you can't get the Radiant Sun back. And you're not willing to rent a ship and have people find out you need to do so. So your only bet right now is that Vela would be so remarkably kind as to let you use the Nova. Considering how you really don't deserve it and all."

As usual, Orion's calming tone and words had begun to soothe the prince. At least until the statement at the end. "And what does that mean?" he hissed in annoyance.

"Well, y'know. You haven't exactly been the nicest to her, so you'll be lucky if she agrees. And before you even think about it, no, one of us won't ask her. You have to ask her. You're the one who needs to use her ship."

Fera could feel himself growing warmer with his anger by the second. Of course it would turn out this way! His gaze slid sideways to Dritz, hating the fact that the Chrysalan was watching this discussion. It was highly embarrassing. But there truly was no other option at the moment.

"Fine," he spat dramatically. He turned to Dritz and shrugged to show he really couldn't care less. "Where is she, then? I want to get this over with, I am due in a nearby system tomorrow and I really can't afford this delay." Maybe if he put it out of his mind, he would not be so bothered by the Vela. Maybe.

Dritz didn't realize he'd audibly gasped, just a little bit, until he heard the silence after it. He couldn't believe Orion would be so... direct. His tone was sweet but his words stung with utter truth. Fera was unkind to his flower, and he didn't deserve her help, but no one had said it up until that point.

The gigantic grin that had spread across his face very rapidly disappeared when he was faced with the prince's icy gaze on him.

"She's not far, I'll go and get her," he said quickly, his now positively adoring gaze darting to Orion as he left the study.

Leaving the two men behind, he closed the door, sweeping Vela into one arm and muttering, "We'll have to go and wait for a second, then pretend to return, 'kay?"

Vela, having been studying a strangely-shaped object made out of some sort of golden material atop a small table, was completely surprised when Dritz came back into the room and put an arm around her. The talk in the study beyond had quieted to the point where she could not hear it, for the most part, save for when Fera was particularly loud. Losing interest because of this, she had started wandering about and picking up items at random; she didn't know if it was allowed, but didn't care.

She let Dritz lead her back out completely, stopping once they were outside the door to frown at him in concern. [Why? What's going on? And what reason would I have to go in there and see him?] That was precisely what she had hoped to avoid, but her curiosity at this point was too strong to deny.

Once they were out into the street again, Dritz shook his head. "Sorry about all the weird leaving to return, but basically... Fera thinks you're elsewhere, and given how he was, it just seemed smarter to keep up that illusion," he explained, shrugging apologetically. He pulled Vela close, seeming to contemplate exactly what to say. Was it right to ask her on Fera's behalf, or would it seem more natural for the request for her assistance to come directly from the prince himself? If Dritz asked, he might be able to assure her he'd be kept in line... maybe.

He explained the situation carefully, deciding to simply be honest with her about everything. She was the compassionate and reasonable one of the two of them, and he was certain that even her dislike of Fera wouldn't stand in the way of her helping someone in need. However, he would need to ensure Fera treated her better in return. As he talked her through as much of the prince's shrieking as he could understand, he tried to sign along with his own words.

"So... basically, I think he's going to ask you for help. I wanted to kinda... forewarn you," he said finally, scrunching his nose up in preparation for her response to something which, frankly, she had no obligation to do.

Vela listened closely, her full attention on Dritz, appreciative of his attempts of signing at the same time. When she had absorbed all of this information, she had to take a long moment to think for herself.

Prince Fera of Coronus actually wanted her help? The situation he was in was completely unfamiliar to her, and she didn't want to get involved in his personal business in the slightest. However, the act of him asking her for a favor, or even just talking to her (as he usually seemed to avoid doing so), was intriguing. At the very least she wanted to see him actually somewhat desperate for her help.

[I will talk to him,] she answered noncommittally. [Thank you for telling me. I will have to decide what I want to do.] She thought she already knew, but there was a part of her that didn't want to make it easy on Fera.

Having waited long enough, the two of them reentered the rooms and Dritz led her into the study. Orion was sitting on a low couch and looking completely relaxed, but Fera was standing stiffly near the center of the room, his eyes widening then narrowing upon seeing Vela enter. After a simple signed greeting to the human, who understood what this meant already and replied similarly, she next signed to Dritz.

[Tell him I will speak with him as long as he doesn't insult me.] Fera was already looking alarmed at her hand gestures, and if this discussion was meant to be conducted in a businesslike way, she had no wish to waste time waiting to be treated with some respect.

The tension back in the study was thick, and seemingly radiating from just the one point. The one elegant pink and white point.

Vela was, in a way that Dritz didn't recall having seen, gracious and businesslike, and Dritz straightened himself up accordingly. In his position as translator, he usually spoke in the third person, but as his knowledge of her signing grew, he was able to sense more tone and volume, sometimes even rhythm.

"I will speak with you on the grounds that you do not insult me," he said on her behalf, his tone serious but reasonable and light. If Fera was as desperate as he seemed, he would need to take notice that Vela knew he insulted her a lot.

Fera had spent the time between Dritz's departure and returning with the Vela in furiously searching his mind for any alternative to his current course of action.

There had been nothing.

Yet, when faced with the Vela now, his immediate reaction was to recoil from her, seeing the way she signed to Orion (and received a response? was she beginning to control him too?!) and the way she then addressed him, staring with that alarmingly unnatural mechanical eye. He began to feel a little squeamish just thinking about how it came to be there, and decided to focus his attention on Dritz and his translation instead.

"I... I have never insulted you," he spluttered with less dignity than he would have liked, quickly glancing around the room to see that Orion looked rather disapproving of such an obvious lie. "In any case, considering we are conducting business here, I will be brief."

Thinking about it further, Dritz was translating differently. Speaking as though he was the Vela herself. A shudder ran through him as he considered the possibility that she had taken direct control of the Chrysalan's mind at this point. He would have to be brief to avoid the same sorcery happening to him.

"I need to borrow your ship," he spat out distastefully,  hating himself at the same time. Having to stoop to this level, as a prince of Coronus... Unthinkable. Or it used to be. "It is only for a few days. A week at most, I suppose. I had been in the process of business dealings in a few neighboring sectors and I no longer have access to my own ship." This was enough explanation for him. It did not even occur to him he had not properly asked if the Vela would allow him to use the Nova.

Meanwhile, Vela was watching Fera calmly as he attempted to explain himself. He was acting strangely, even for him, but she wasn't feeling satisfied with what he'd said so far. [I am sorry to hear that. But you speak as though you will take my ship without permission, regardless of what I say. For what reason should I allow it? Can I expect compensation for my time and travel expenses?]

Having dealt with traders while on Aurctas in the past, Vela felt herself strangely more qualified to talk to Fera in this way. So far he had said nothing too troubling, but as she waited for Dritz to translate, she had a feeling it may not last.

Dritz softened while Fera explained. He hated that the prince ever spoke to Vela in the manner he did, but he also seemed to be genuinely concerned (for his safety?) Also between himself, Vela and Orion, Fera was slightly outnumbered.

Fera seemed to be handling the dealings well enough, at least to begin with. He was speaking to her in a more reasonable manner than he ever had before, but then he didn't even ask her about the ship.

Dritz internally experienced that feeling of needing to slap his hand onto his face, willing him to say something. But, of course, that would have been too easy.

Once Fera was finished, Dritz turned to Vela. She had her gaze firmly on Fera, calm and professional as she signed to him before Dritz translated. Once again, he spoke in the first person, though he was unable to emphasise the same things Vela did this time, wishing only to convey that no one wanted to see him struggle, it was just that he needed to learn a little politeness.

"Of course I-" Fera began to say to Dritz, before realizing he was supposed to be addressing the Vela. It was too strange to look at her, so he settled for an area just above her head. "I was going to ask. You did not let me."

He took in a deep but sharp breath through his nose, not liking any of this, but knowing he had to try. "I... need to take your ship. What I mean is... I need to use it. Oh, hells- May I please have use of your ship? I can pay you whatever you like for time and expenses. There is no other way!"

Vela considered Fera, cocking her head to one side. He wasn't looking at her directly, but his strange uncomfortableness with her was not something which bothered her. An idea had sprung up in her mind, one which would not leave her alone once she had thought of it.

Making certain Dritz was paying close attention, she began to sign once more. [I had been prepared to possibly say no. However, there was once a time when you helped us despite really not seeming to want to. I believe we are still in your debt from that time? As a means of repaying you, I will allow you to use my ship, with my personal services as captain and pilot, and Dritz as engineer if he agrees.]

She took a step back, waiting for the Chrysalan to translate and watching Fera's wide-eyed gaze darting between him and Orion as if he was quite frightened of whatever she had answered without even knowing what it was.

As Dritz read Vela's hands, he bit back a loud laugh that bubbled up from his very soul. The Aurian had a sweetly wicked streak he hadn't previously been aware of. Or if he had, he hadn't been aware of exactly how wicked she could be.

More than anything, of course, it was fair.

He was too amused to keep up speaking on Vela's behalf, forgetting himself as he explained. "Vela wants to offer you use of the ship," he said more casually, "As a trade; you helped us once when you truly did not wanna, so Vela will allow the use of the Nova, with her unparalleled piloting skills, and my very own excellent mechanical engineering skills." He offered a silly bow at that moment, glancing at Vela.

Hell, his flower was a clever one.

For a long moment Fera stared, his mouth having fallen open in surprise. Then, naturally, he began to feel angry. How dare they-

"Wow. What a fair solution." Fera swiveled around to glare at Orion, who had just spoken. The human was still lounging in his chair, though thankfully not with his feet on any of the tables. Not after Fera had very clearly told him that such was not permissible. "I remember the story of how you helped them. And now they can pay you back! It's genius, really. Vela's smart; you really should thank her."

Seeming to barely move at all, Fera turned back to the other two. "Thank you," he said through gritted teeth, every word forced out as though he really was being controlled. "I'm sure you're so marvelously smart."

The sarcasm wasn't subtle in his voice, and he quickly brought himself to stand straighter, regaining some of his usual haughtiness. "You have three hours to prepare and supply yourselves, then we really must depart if I am to be on time. Orion, I need you to help me."

With that, he purposefully strode out of the room with a quite unhappy expression. Orion stood up and grinned at Vela and Dritz, stretching his arms. "That went well, right? I mean... could have been worse." He offered them an apologetic shrug, knowing they already understood how Fera could be.

Oh, it was all too much. Dritz could feel the laughter threatening to just explode from him. It was terrible, almost like he was going to burst. He could feel his lips twitching, his breath shuddering through suppressed amusement. Orion was handling Fera so expertly, so beautifully. And Vela had been so authoritative. But no, it was not a funny situation. In the slightest.

As soon as Fera left, Dritz clapped a hand over his mouth, scrunching his eyes closed.

"Oh damn, I'm sorry. I feel for him, I really do, but... You both..." he chirped a curse before snickering for a long moment. "Sorry, sorry. Ahem. It definitely went better than expected. Definitely." He leaned over and kissed Vela on the cheek. "Very firm, cap'n. We should prepare for our escort journey..."

He smirked, threatening to start laughing once more.

Though Vela wasn't sure why Dritz seemed so entertained, she did have a nearly smug sense of satisfaction with how the situation had proceeded. Being able to realize the only solution she thought everyone would accept made her feel calmer. There was still the matter of the actual time they would have to spend on a ship... with Fera.

[Yes, we need to sort through our supplies.] Vela smiled fondly as Dritz kissed her cheek, reaching out to touch his arm for a moment. Suddenly she thought of something else and turned to Orion. [Are you coming with us?]

After a translation, the human nodded. "Yeah, think I better. And I guess he kind of expects me to? Frankly, he's a bit lost without his servants to do some stuff for him. You don't have to worry about supplies for us, either, that's what he's wanting from me now, I think... ah... I better go before he gets mad again. We'll meet you down at the docks in a few hours."