Strange how we’re all finding contentment at the same time. Maybe it’s a sign from the universe that now’s the time to settle down and see what the next chapter of our lives brings. Sophie certainly seems happy with him. She’s no longer a terrified, timid creature afraid to raise her voice, and I’m pleased for her. We tried to be the family she needed, but it turns out all she truly needed was Jerrok and the safety and affection he brings. They’re a strange pairing, but I suppose the universe has seen stranger.
Thinking about the two of them makes me look over at my own mate. I sip the ooli brew in front of me, glancing over at Helen. She’s eating noodles and veg heartily, drinking from her own ooli brew and listening, wide-eyed, to Kaspar’s story as if she hasn’t already heard it a dozen times. Her rolling pin is next to her bowl, but she’s been reaching for it less as the day wears on. She’s so keffing sweet that it makes me ache. My honest, brave, deadly Helen. To think that I pushed her away for so many days and nights at the mining station, convinced she wasn’t adult enough for a relationship.
In short, I can be a keffing idiot sometimes.
But that’s all right. She’s mine now, and I stroke her soft lavender hair as she spears another chunk of veg with her eating sticks. Helen looks over at me in surprise at the touch, then smiles, offering me a bite. “Their food is so good here! I always forget what fresh vegetables taste like until we come here and then I remember.”
I bite the chunk of food off her eating sticks, noticing that her gaze follows my mouth. Sliding the ooli brew away from her, I rub her back. I don’t want her to get so drunk she can’t enjoy the evening…or what I’d like to do with her after dinner. “Glad you enjoy it. We’ll have to set up a garden at our place.”
“I’m happy to give you guys some plant cuttings,” Sophie says, leaning over and interrupting our quiet conversation. “You just let me know. I’ve got all kinds of seeds here and I don’t mind sharing. Jerrok’s gotten me all kinds of plants.” Her cheeks flush with pleasure. “Sorry to eavesdrop. I just wanted to offer that.”
“You’re not eavesdropping,” Helen reassures her eagerly. “You can’t eavesdrop in your own home!”
Sophie gives her a sweet smile and gestures at the extra food. “I just wanted to offer that before you left and I didn’t have time to bring it up. Please, eat as much as you like. We have plenty to go around.” She glances over at Jerrok, and notices that he’s watching her and not Kaspar, and her blush grows deeper, as does her smile.
Helen puts a hand on my thigh, squeezing. She notices it, too.
Her hand remains on my leg as Kas turns to me. “So what kind of station are we gonna get?” he asks. His voice is a little loud due to all the brew he’s been downing, but Alice looks highly amused at his antics, so I don’t have it in me to chide him. Besides, this is a celebration. We’re allowed to get a little messy. “You wanna get the one that Lord va’Rin mentioned?”
I’ve been thinking about that, too. “I don’t know. I imagine he’ll need that for all the displaced humans, unless he wants to mix the clones in with the other Risda inhabitants.”
“Won’t it be distressing for them to see other people with their faces?” Alice asks. “It freaked Ruth out at first to see Ruthie. I don’t know how I’d feel if I lived in a place with twenty other Alices wandering around.”
I nod. “I am sure Lord va’Rin is considering all of it. No doubt he has advisors assisting him with such things. Better minds to solve it than us. But I was thinking…when the pods left the Star, Helen and I were stranded on an old abandoned mining station. And we met Zebah at an old grain processing station. There’s a lot of old, abandoned stations in space. Plenty of them owned by corporations that went under or stopped doing business. It’d probably be simple to acquire one of those and retrofit it to meet our needs. Plus, we’re not taking away from any supplies that va’Rin might need. And we might be in a less trafficked area, which is good for peace and quiet.”
Helen’s hand squeezes my thigh, sending a jolt through my groin. “You’re so smart, Matty. I like that idea. Maybe we could go back to the old mining station we stayed at? We already know the bathrooms are clean of dead men.”
“Clean of dead…men?” Jade asks, looking away from Adi to give Helen a frown. “Do I even want to ask?”