Vita Nova [AL]

Keith was so nervous, it was all kinds of endearing.

"Not really!, I was born in a settlment known as The Pious Pools. Many of us live in lakes and ocassionally large rivers. I have lived next to the sea, since I'm no stranger to the colony where we're headed... but many of my kin have not. They may have lived in the sea, but not next to it. Yeah?." They explained, with only the sound of crunchy kelp as background. That and some last hour calls to commercial interstellar trips.

"No questions are stupid, Keith, remember that, yeah?." Said Valled then, resting a hand on their friend's arm.
 
Keith peeked at Valled shyly as they talked about where they had lived. They were so patient and calm as they talked to Keith, so understanding. They made Keith feel... he was not certain what they made him feel... safe? That was close. He would go with that. They made him feel safe. Then they touched him. He stared down at the hand, his heart fluttering. He could not remember the last time someone had reached out to touch him like this. It wasn't for a medical exam or a professional handshake, it was just... a touch.

"Pious pools?" he repeated slowly, rolling the words around in his mouth as he continued to look at the hand touching his arm. "That is a very good name. I like that name. What is the name of the waters where we are going?"
 
The look didn't go unnoticed, and Valled flashed a bright grin at their new friend. Or so they hoped...

They put their hand away, not wanting to linger or pull too hard on the still newborn bond they were barely starting to share.
They didn't have to think about it for long, since the place had always been quite peculiar.

"There's more technical names in our language, but we call it the singing sea. The currents and the wind howl in very nice tones. The name is Serennadé Sea." They calmly explained. Right after, a thin rectangular device they were carrying started vibrating.

"Oh, sorry." They said, quickly answering a flurry of messages.
 
"Serenade Sea," Keith mulled over the name. It was a good name. He wondered if the waters truly sang. If so, then living by the sea would be the best place he'd ever been! He warned himself not to get too excited. Places were often given fanciful names, but maybe, just maybe! He allowed himself a few minutes to dream of waters singing soothingly as he drifted off to sleep. That would be such a beautiful thing!

Then Valled's flurry of activity caught his attention, and he craned his neck to watch curiously. He tossed the empty packet of synthetic blood into a nearby receptacle that automatically sorted the recycling and watched his new friend. He did not mean to intrude or invade their privacy, but he had never seen such a device!
 
Instead of the usual screen, the device had no light or made any audible sound. It just vibrated, and Valled tapped on it rythmically and surprisingly fast using their thumbs. If one paid attention they'd see the bavethjan's earfins moving lightly to catch on with the airwaves the device sent.

They didn't seem to mind Keith watching at all, mainly because not many outside Bavethjan colonies or planets spoke or understood their complex tapping and vibrating language. It was useful both over and under the water, where the images would travel too far because of the refraction and the messages never got across well.

"We should get going, are you feeling better?"They asked Keith, putting the device away.
 
"Yes, thank you," Keith said politely. He rose slowly and stretched, feeling revitalized and calmer. "The thing you were using... it is like... morse code, yes? I mean, not exactly, but in essence."

He looked around for a moment, trying to remember which direction they needed to go. Oh, yes, that way. He started walking then dashed back to collect his knapsack and his important squishy pillow creature. He'd decided to call it Luminary. He wasn't sure why, it just seemed like a good name for his squishy thing.
 
Valled pocketed the device and watched Keith get ready. It was endearing, in a way.

"In a way, but infinitely more complex. Assuming you're talking about the human variant." Explained the Bavethjan as they walked through the station, buzzing with people of all shapes and sizes. It wasn't long until they got to a gate where more aliens waited. Most of them shared a few common characteristics, such as being bipedal, resembling mammals and others. All of them had a Bavethjan assistant by their side, wearing a similar uniform to the one Valled wore.

"Now we wait a bit longer, and before you know it we'll be on board checking out our rooms!" They said, all four eyes glinting with excitement.
 
Keith stared at the crowd, slowing a little. There were so many people! He paused for a moment and carefully tucked his Luminary into his bag. He didn't want to lose it! Someone might jostle his arm and knock it free to fall under all these feet. That would be bad! Once he had his plushie safe, he turned and eyed the crowd with a little more determination. He could do this!

Wait, Valled was speaking. He turned to them and tried to focus. Rooms, right! He couldn't help but smile at the sparkle in Valled's eyes. They seemed so excited! Keith trusted them. If they were excited, then there was nothing bad about this group or where they were going.

"What will our rooms be like?" he asked, a little more excitedly. "Will we share? Or will we have separate rooms? I do not mind sharing, and separate rooms are fine, too."
 
They slowly advanced as the queue moved toward the ship's entrance. However, they still had a few minutes.

"Well, let's see..." Said Valled, ready to explain the room situation.

"In the ship, we'll be sharing a space. When we ge to our destination you'll have your own room. We want you to have your own space you can retreat to and where you can feel safe. Even in the ship, my part of the room is practically a sealed water tank, so you'll have your privacy. It's very important for us that you're comfortable. How does it sound?" Asked Valled, tilting their head. Alien life went above and beyond for their clients and workers it seemed.
 
Keith nodded, staying close to Valled despite his discomfort at being so close. He was unaccustomed to sharing space with other beings despite his desire to do just that. Valled was safe, though. He'd keep him safe. They. Not him. They. Valled felt rather masculine to Keith, but that was an unfair assessment. Some of the kindest, gentlest people he'd ever met were male, and some of the toughest, most aggressive people he'd ever met were female. In any case, Valled had expressed they were a they, not a him or a her. It was a strange concept for Keith to wrap his mind around, but he was trying.

He shook himself, forcing himself to stop thinking about pronouns. "Would you be able to sleep if there was no water?" he asked curiously.
 
The question made Valled chuckle.

"Of course! We may need water as taddies, er, children. But once we're grown we can live without being surrounded by it constantly with little trouble." They explained.

"As long as the environment isn't too dry, because then our skin gets crusty and itchy... We can use normal beds and dry rooms. Why?, Would you rather I stay with you out of the water instead?" They asked, resting their right hand on Keith's arm. Their head was tilted to the side and their earfins moved forward a bit with concern.
 
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Valled jumped at the touch. He hadn't been touched this much in years! He couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not. He did not mind it, he didn't think. It was different and new, but not bad. Valled seemed to be coming from a place of genuine desire to help. He forced himself to relax into the gentle touch and answered the question.

"No, it is not that," he said slowly. "I was... curious. I have not really spent much time with many other species. Humans, Nekojin, and Andorian, mostly, and I wondered about how your species lived. We are going to be spending a lot of time together, and I don't want to hurt you." His gaze dropped as his cheeks flushed with shame. "I never want to hurt anyone ever again."
 
It was almost their turn now. Valled rubbed Keith's arm gently in an attempt to be comforting.

"I know you don't, I do, but you have to remember I'm a volunteer." They explained, looking at Keith in the eye.

"I know what you're capable of, and I know the risks that come with the job but I still choose to do it. I have also had some bioenhancements done preemptively just in case." They continued, letting out a little sigh.

"Always remember I'm here because I want to be, I want to help you. I know the risks and accept them, Keith." They smiled then, a small shine in their eyes. And just like that it was their turn to board. They were scanned at the same time, and Valled handed them their vibrating device to scan... and read?.. something in it. They were let through without any more questions or scans.
They both walked through a transparent tunnel, the closer they got to the ship the more obvious its gargatuan size was.
 
Keith shivered as Valled rubbed his arm. The touch was still so foreign while being so incredibly welcome. Keith's breath caught in his throat, and he let it out slowly in a shuddering sigh. Valled was so kind to him! He did not deserve such kindness. Such incredible kindness, he would never be able to repay it. But he would try! He would try his best to not cause any trouble and to help them however he could.

He watched the interaction with the gatekeeper with interest. How did that thingy work? He wanted to know how it worked and try to figure it out himself. It would be like a secret code! He could surprise Valled with his knowledge. Of course, first he would have to get hold of one.

All thoughts concerning the vibrating device stopped short as he stared back at the ship. It went on... and on... and on! How could anything be so large?? He stayed close to Valled, his eyes wide in wonder.
 
"The ship is full of scanners and similar devices in case of emergency. You won't notice it when you go through them unless you pay a lot of attention though. See how many you can count while we get to our room." They told Keith, laughing softly. Valled looked like they were used to travelling in vessels this size, juging by the lack of astonishment in their person.

"V3!, V3! wait up!" Some other Bavethjan caught up with them and started walking by their side, by Valleds other side. They had aqua blue skin speckled with cian here and there, and wore the same style of clothig Valled did. The two of them bumped their heads together gently and smiled at each other.

"E3 it's been too long!... how are you?, where's your charge??" Said Valled. "Oh, this is mine. Keith. Keith this is Essek, one of my partners." They explained, now holding Essek's hand.

"It's great meeting you Keith, you're in luck. V3 was practically born for this job. You'll adapt to your location in no time." Said Essek.

"So where's your charge huh?, lost them already?, again?" Said Valled, teasing their partner.

"It wasn't even my fault!, she wandered off on her very own... you'll never let me live that down." Essek rolled their eyes, but their smile betrayed the annoyed façade. "Anyway, my charge is human this time, they're getting on at the next stop. Garrus-9" They continued.

"Do you like humans, Keith?" Asked Valled then, in an attempt to include him in their conversation.
 
Keith watched the interaction with quiet interest. Partner? V3? E3? Why were they referred to like that? Had he learned about this during orientation? He couldn't remember that he had. The greeting was nice to watch, though. It showed him that Valled was not simply being nice to him because that was their job. That was comforting.

"Oh, yes, I really like humans. They taste almost spicy at ti...." He caught himself. "Um... I think they can be charming?" he tried instead.
 
Keith's response had the two bavs doubling over with laughter, they had to stop walking for a second. People passed them and gave the three of them weird looks.

"No, no you don't have to feel bad unless there's a human present. It's fine!" Said Valled, patting Keith's side while still coming back from his laughing fit. Essek looked around to make sure there weren't any actual humans present.

"Their flesh does sort of taste interesting in a good marinade, but I haven't tried their blood." Said Essek, giving Valled a look.

"Mmm... marinated in their own blood maybe?" Said Valled.

"Not sure how that'd go, but you do know your creative cuisine quite well. Let me know if you give it a try." Answered Essek with a shrug. They continued their walk toward the inside of the Bavetjan ship and had to pass through another round of scanners.
 
Keith did not know how to take their response. Were they laughing at him? Were they teasing him and having him on? Did they really eat human? He thought it was supposed to be a bad thing to eat sentient, and while a human could theoretically survive a vampire feeding off their blood provided the vampire was careful and restrained themselves, but he didn't think they could survive having chunks of flesh removed and marinated. He said nothing, though, just nodded vaguely. He didn't think Valled was making fun of him, and he did not want to overreact, so he kept his thoughts to himself until he could compose himself better.

The scanners made him flinch. It felt like a thousand eyes peering into his skin! He did not like it. Not on little bit. But he took a steadying breath and followed his guide. He had come this far, and none of the scans had hurt yet, but it was so strange. So very strange. Then again, maybe this was all normal and he was the strange one.
 
Perhaps it was a cultural difference, Valled noticed Keith didn't really laugh or react at all about their mention of human flesh consumption. In truth, Bavethjan were no strangers to filial cannibalism. The ingest of other sentient species wasn't frowned upon either. Some preferred to buy their meat from businesses with death certificates. This, meaning the subject had perished naturally. Valled did, they also knew Essek didn't always have that luxury. They couldn't blame their friend, however, adventuring into harsher worlds came with a price.

They were through the scanners now, and they parted ways with Essek. The bavs hugged and said their see-you-laters.

"Are you feeling okay, Keith?" Asked Valled, guiding their friend through one of the many corridors in the ship. It was now a tighter space, filled with plenty of people of the same and different species. They were both now heading to deck 13, where their living quarters were located.
 
Keith chose his words with the same caution he did everything. "I am feeling nervous, confused, and uncertain, but I am also feeling hopeful. I look forward to what is to come." He paused and pointed. "Is that where we sit? I think those are our seats."

He did not know what else to say, and he really did not want the conversation to continue along the previous lines. He needed time to process the idea that Valled and his- her- their people ate other people. Wasn't the point of him coming here and joining them to get away from such things? To not hurt people anymore? He trusted Valled - or as close to trusting as he could get - but he was confused now. He did not like being confused.
 
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