Open Vitae Medical Cruiser

Agape huffed letting herself back to the ground, bag of oatmeal in hand. Placing the oatmeal on the counter she placed her palms on the counter and pushed herself until she could put her knees on there. Looking back at the ground she was thankfully on the counter, happy with the development she grabbed the bag and set it in the cabinet. Leaning back she closed the cabinet, leaving one hand on the counter to steady her. Before turning her leg to swing off the counter, landing on her feet with a soft thud. Turning to the cabinet she placed her hands on her hips and laughed, before pointing to the cabinet. "Tall places will not defeat me!" She grabbed two bowls pouring the oatmeal in them and placing two spoons, dusting the brown sugar over them she smiled and walked over to Daniel.

"You are welcome! But, be prepared. This will be best goopy you have ever eaten!" She smiled cheekily and held out his bowl for him to take before plopping beside him on the couch. She held her bowl and stared at him, eagerly waiting for him to take the first bite and tell her how good it was. As she waited she grabbed a couple of each fruit off the plate throwing it into her own oatmeal. She hoped her liked it and would wait until he tried it to eat her own, she had practiced relentlessly while he was gone. Not only because it was her favorite meal but also because she wanted him to try her cooking.
 
As Agape lifted herself atop the counter he could only smile at the sight, her eagerness to get it done shone through as she exclaimed that tall places wouldn't defeat her. "You're quite the energetic one this morning." He remarked as she put it away and started setting up both bowls, sugar included. As she brought it over and cheekily smiled at him he nodded along. "If you made it with those instructions, and you were kind enough to bring it to me I'm sure it will be." Daniel lamented, grabbing his spoon and eating a mouthful of the goopy oatmeal.

As he chewed he glanced in Agape's direction, noticing her gaze on him as she seemed to wait for him to finish his first bite. Her expectant gaze threw him off a bit, but with her previous statement it was fair to assume that she wanted feedback on her supposedly best goopy he'd ever eat. "It's very goopy, and you put in just the right amount of sugar to keep it sweet but not too overpowering." He commented, eating another bite before reaching out to the fruit and adding both apple and banana slices. "Thank you Agape, you should be proud of yourself." He remarked as he finished the second bite, happy to have someone cook for him at his home. While the Leaky Servo was convenient, preparing any meal he desired and relatively quickly this was a different feeling entirely.
 
Agape laughed speaking as she sat down, "I feel very happy today. You are here this morning, and I have a new home. It is a very good day!" Watching him chew she could feel her heartbeat in her chest like a drum..she was..nervous? Hearing his praise her eyes lit up their excited neon color and she gave a small happy squeal in return. "See I make the best goopy! Now I will learn t make many more foods for you." Of course, she mostly wanted to cook to receive his praise and see his happy face as he ate. It was a nice feeling, cooking for someone else. She wondered if this is what her mother felt cooking for her. Agape started scooping spoonfuls bit by bit in her mouth. Happily humming as she did.

It was a pleasant morning, Daniel was finally home, he had enjoyed her cooking. And her fears of not being able to stay were gone, not to mention they got to sleep on the couch together. After a while she had finished the oatmeal and started snacking on the fruits, having used her powers so much in the last few days had made her hungrier than usual.
 
Daniel smiled as she laughed, listening to her reasons for how happy she had become. He was glad that she enjoyed all of it, and he was more than happy to be play a part in it. "Well I'm happy that I'm back here with you too, I should be able to stay at least another week or so before I head back out for work so we can make the most of it alright?" Daniel remarked kindly, eating away at his oatmeal bit by bit as she remarked about learning to make more food for him. He rose a brow to that, swallowing the bite he had before continuing.

"I'm looking forward to it Agape, but I guess I'll have to order more things for you to work with then. Was there anything you wanted to try to cook? Meat? Seafood? Did you want to try baking?" Daniel questioned, knowing that getting the ingredients for her was actually the easy part of everything. He would just have to make sure the ship was prepared for any accidents in her experimenting, but if she picked up cooking as well as she did their language he didn't have much to worry about.

Daniel finished the oatmeal after a few more bites, taking a moment to eat a slice of an orange before reaching across and taking Agape's empty bowl from her. "You cooked, I'll do the dishes." He commented before she could protest, moving both of their bowls over to the sink and rolling up his sleeves once more as he started to get to work at it. As he did so, a beep alerted him of a message at his monitor, but he decided he'd check on it in a few moments.
 
Agape nodded her head and smiled, "Yes, I want to learn to cook the meat sticks. And fishes! A-and cake! And we can explore the Nexus when you're not busy! Like an uhm-" Agape paused for a moment to think of the word before smiling at him excited. "A date! Like a date!" She had read about relationships during her studies, though she didn't see the differences between family, friends, and romantic relationships. They were all the same to her, besides the intimacy between a husband and wife. Now that, was much different. But, Daniel and she weren't married so she ignored the though long ago that explicit intimacy applied to anything but married couples.

When Daniel finished his oatmeal, she was going to reach for his bowl before he took hers. "B-but-" She huffed as he walked away. She had gotten good at understanding how to clean things on the ship, though she still had some difficulties it was nothing a quick search couldn't fix. She stood from the couch grabbing the plate of fruit and trailed after him. "I wanted to clean. I do a very good job now! There is a lot less water on me when I finish, a-and you just got home. So you should be relax." She pouted her cheeks puffing slightly as she placed the plate on the counter and sulked crossing her arms. A skill she had learned in her studying as well.

Hearing the beep she glanced at him and then the dishes, "I want to help clean."
 
Hearing Agape's excitement for learning how to cook a variety of meals he nodded along, all of them would be a joy to have home-made and he knew that she wouldn't stop learning how to create them till she was happy with the results. This almost got Daniel hungry again at the thought of more foods to enjoy, but as she stammered though her memory he rose a brow before seeing her decide on date. "A date?" Daniel asked in return, smiling a bit as he continued to clean the dishes. He turned over towards her to see how she was reacting after saying that, and considering how easily she got it out there without stammering or showing any more of her nervous features like grabbing at her neck he figured she didn't quite understand the implications of that.


He was thinking of informing her further then, but she began to huff and puff about him doing the dishes before she could get to them. Her argument seemed somewhat reasonable, but the way she was pouting in his eyes made her seem that much more like a child - but he knew that she was doing this to help him and provide for the home, even if she looked adorable with her arms crossed like that. "I'm going to have to explain how dates work with my culture soon." He remarked, stifling a laugh before moving on. "But you can help clean, because I heard that message and you seem to have mastered pouting. Care to take over?" He asked kindly, reaching over to a hand towel to dry his hands before he moved over to the monitor to check his messages.

It was from his uncle, and the title read "Great News!" and before long Daniel was immersed in reading through the details of his family's exploration. They had happened across a new planet from entering some of the more recent rifts, and through scans it was showcasing similarities to what Agape had explained about her home-world. Daniel glanced over her way as he got halfway through it, but turned back to fully read before asking her over to check.
 
Agape smiled when he said she could take over, her eyes lighting up excited. "Yes! I will take over. And yes, I have read that it is used when a person will not allow you something. It seems that my new ability has worked!" She smiled cheekily once more satisfied that her practice had been of use. Before moving to the sink she rolled up the sleeves of Daniel's shirt. She thought about the meaning of date while she washed the dishes, carefully wiping them until they were clean and rinsing all the suds off. Agape had managed not to get any water on the floor, at most water covered her hands and forearms. When she had finished all off the dishes she placed them neatly in the rack to dry before turning the faucet off. Reaching over to grab a hand towel she wiped her arms and hands. Looking around she noticed the slight mess she had made. Grabbing a smaller towelette she wiped off the counters and stove putting everything back in order before smiling to herself. rinsing out the towel she placed it over the edge of the sink and glanced at Daniel.

He was reading something intently, she was curious as to what had captured his attention. Maybe it was some new items, or maybe he was ordering things again. She thought about it for a moment before walking over to the common room, she moved beside him and glanced at the words on the monitor. Most of it seemed a blur, she looked at Daniel. "What are you reading?" She was close to him, she had yet to grasp the concept of personal space. Tilting her head curiously she glanced at the screen, "What does it say?"
 
The idle sounds of Agape working on the dishes filled his ears as he read along through the documents that his family had sent over. A few notes here and there about the atmosphere, with attached files that when he opened them revealed a few distinct photos. One of which was of the dust that filled the ground of the planet, it's appearance an immediate reminder as he recalled the jar that Agape had gifted him the day before. There was no accurate photo of the people that inhabited the world as they hadn't touched down yet, but were simply analyzing the world and it's potential.

Daniel wasn't and couldn't be certain that this was Agape's home-world, but it had a few good marks going for it and it was most definitely a good option to investigate further. He was somewhat lost in thought as Agape neared closer to him, taking a close look at the monitor. As he turned towards he couldn't help but be taken slightly aback by her proximity, she was close enough that he could smell that she was clean out of the shower and the remnant of what she had washed her hair with. "I'm, going over a message my uncle sent me. I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but it's possible that they found your home planet." Daniel started softly, his attention turning back towards the monitor. "Here, take a look at these photos of the planet and what we can see from scans. Let me know if any of this seems familiar alright?" Daniel asked as he pulled up the attachments again, cycling through for Agape to browse.
 
Agape stared at him in shock, her eyes were wide as he said they might have found her home planet. Her gaze lingered on him for a few moments once his attention went back to the screen. When he asked if anything looked familiar she pulled her gaze to the screen. Images of the crystalized plains, teal waters shimmering against the three moons, the violet-colored grasses. "Xolmeani..." Her voice was quiet as if she was in disbelief that they had found her home. Agape didn't notice until she felt the wetness on her cheek, blinking she touched her cheek. Seeing the wetness on her fingertips confirmed she was crying. It was her planet, her first home. She thought she might never see it again but there it was.

She wiped her eyes and looked at Daniel smiling, "That is Xolmeani! They have found my home planet! M-my mother and father I-I can see them." Agape felt like she might burst into tears of joy. She gave a small laugh and moved to engulf him in a hug. "I-I am very happy! T-thank you Daniel!" She would hug him tight and smile feeling the tears that sprung in the corner of her eyes fall. Before turning her head to place a small kiss on his cheek. She knew the customs were different, but he deserved a thank you nonetheless.
 
Daniel felt her gaze on him, rigid for a few moments before it was pulled away by the monitor. Each picture and scan gave them enough information to help make a decision, but he knew that it would be Agape to fully confirm if this was the right world that they were looking for. He glanced her way as she whispered her planet's name, the sound of her voice hinting at disbelief as he displayed the last attachment that was included within the files. At that, he turned his attention back towards Agape and noticed that she was crying beside him. At the sight he stayed quiet, letting her express her feelings and emotions on her own as she came to terms with the discovery but as she started to wipe her eyes and turn back towards him he offered a kind smile.

Her exclamations made him happy, and he relented as she engulfed him in a hug and expressed her thanks. "You're welcome Agape, we'll have to thank my family for working to find it too - but I'm happy to hear that we found it for you." He started, ready to explain and start preparing for what they may need to travel out and visit her planet but his attention was shifted as she kissed his cheek.

His smile faltered at that for a moment, his cheeks turning a lighter shade of red as he noted how close she had been to him and the embrace they shared. It took a few moments, but his smile returned and he slowly released the tight hug that she had given him. She was excited, and this appeared to be a custom of hers. Daniel took another moment to collect himself, and figured explaining the intimacy of these acts and how it may conflict with his culture would take away from her celebration so he put on a bigger smile and took a step back. "We can prepare to head over there soon if you'd like, we have everything here on the ship that you want to bring but I'm going to order a few more supplies - thankfully we can take this ship here to your planet, but it's up to you Agape. How are you feeling?" He questioned kindly, thinking again about how he'd have to set up the preparations for his clients and guests to be taken care of in his extended absence.
 
Agape nodded when he spoke, "Of course, I will give them many thanks!" When he released her from the hug she let him go and wiped her eyes smiling. She noticed him take a step back and smile and glanced at him as he spoke. The tears had stopped, the underside of her eyes was reddish and puffy from her rubbing, but her face still held the smile. She paused for a moment as she thought about it. Of course, she wanted to leave as soon as possible but, she also knew Daniel had work. " I-I am happy, very relieved, a-and a bit overwhelmed." Agape gave a nervous laugh as she rubbed her neck, "I would like to leave soon...but I don't want to mess up your work. And you have to leave in a week...I don't want to go if your busy....I can-can wait."

Agape didn't want to be inconsiderate, she valued Daniel a lot. And even though this was important she knew his work was as well. She felt conflicted and the tidal waves o emotions that muddle her brain she had trouble sorting through. She was happy but worried. Relieved but uneasy. Returning home was a good thing, especially since she knew she was free to stay on the ship. But, she hadn't seen her parents in a little over three years.
 
Daniel listened as Agape explained how she was feeling, smiling to himself as he saw a few conflicts rise in her thoughts. The nervous laughter and her hand lifting towards her neck let him know that it was weighing on her as much as her words did. He was happy that she was considerate about his schedule and responsibilities but he knew that there were solutions to these problems, he'd be booked indefinitely if he didn't clear his own schedule for things like this.

"We can leave tomorrow, I have an appointment later today that I need to keep with but I can find someone to take over some work for me while we're gone. My trip in a week will stay, but we can go for a few days and if you'd like to stay on your planet for some time while I'm on my trip, or stay here while I'm gone, we can do either but I'll let you decide that after having some time to spend with your family alright?" He went on, a soft smile gracing his lips as he watched her posture shift towards her emotions. After a moment he reached out, his hand gracing the side of her arm. "You can take your time to think it over if you need to Agape." He remarked, happy to see that she was thinking through it thoroughly.
 
Agape's attention snapped back to him as he spoke, she took his words in and bit her lip before nodding slowly. "A-alright." Agape felt overwhelmed with emotions, some of which she had never felt before. She moved to hold her wrist in a free hand. When he graced her arm she stared at his hand and them him. Taking a deep breath she was grateful for his comfort. "I-I will think about it. But I should prepare gifts for my parents, I have been away from my home for a little over 3 Mea cycles. I am sure they miss me terribly." Agape gave a small smile letting her hand fall to her side and lacing a reassuring hand over his. How would her parents react to Daniel? She took another deep breath before walking to the kitchen and grabbing her device.

Agape wanted to think about what she would do, she hated being alone in the ship. Spending time with her family did seem like the best option, she was worried about her parents. Even more so about introducing an outsider to them, they were naturally kind people. But, explaining everything she had learned since coming to this place would be difficult. She had stood in the kitchen by the counter holding her device while she thought. She didn't know where to place her thoughts. Of course, she was still overjoyed but it didn't ease her worries.
 
Daniel offered a smile as Agape explained everything, nodding along as she mentioned providing gifts for her family since she had been away for so long. It made sense to him, and understanding that this was part of their culture he just listened. If she needed any help preparing them he knew that she would come to him or family so he wasn't overly concerned. For now, he just had to focus on getting prepared.

As she went off to the kitchen sink he wrote off a reply to his uncle explaining that it was indeed the planet, and that he would talk to Agape to see about a suitable time to visit when they were fully prepared. He wanted to make sure no one touched down and started communications too soon, and with Agape there it may make the whole situation a lot easier. His family were eager to help, but also to establish connections with a new planet that may prove beneficial as a new partner of their family. Daniel sighed to himself as he finished the message and hit send, standing up from there and passing by Agape. "Thank you again for breakfast, it was delicious. I'll give you some time to think, I'm going to be working for a bit and preparing for our patient who will be here soon, so I'll be in the medical bay if you need me." As he finished he made his way to the fridge and grabbed a pre-mixed drink, heading off to the medical bay with it in tow as he got about setting up for work.
 
Agape glanced at him and gave a small smile, "You are welcome Daniel. I think I will go to my room and pack some things." She let out a small breath and willed herself to walk to her room. She walked past the common area sparing a lane at the monitor till she turned her attention to the corridor that leads to her room. She lowered her arms to her sides, the rolled-up sleeves of Daniel's shirt sliding over her hands and the device. What could she bring to her mother, any gift at all her mother would love so long as she was the one giving it. There were so many things she wanted to explain and tell her mother, not to mention her grandfather. She hadn't mentioned to Daniel but the last time she had seen him was before her travels, he was an elderly man. He had lived many Mea Cycles, though her planet celebrated death as the end of life she couldn't help but worry he was gone.

Sighing she ran a hand through her hair and walked over to her room door closing it. Agape thought it would be best since Daniel was having a patient over. She spent the time grabbing a bag from under her bed, filling it with trinkets and other items she had collected. She knew she didn't need others, sh could buy them from her home town when she arrived. After she had finished that she sat at her desk and began writing in her native language, a gift for her grandfather, a notebook filled with the information she had learned.
 
It didn't take long for his guest to arrive, and as he got the notification from the guard station Daniel had them sent through before opening the ramp of the ship to allow them entry. He exchanged a pleasant greeting and started talking about his previous trip as the two caught up while he prepared. Thankfully the patient's operation wasn't too serious, but it was necessary for them to go on living a more comfortable life. Daniel was about finished setting up, glancing back towards his patient he noted their attention was elsewhere in the room; staring at the jar of dust he had placed inside. "It was a gift from a friend." He responded with a smile before approaching and getting to work. His patient made it's form of a laugh at that, speaking a foreign language but Daniel had a decent grasp of it - recognizing he was joking about him taking gifts from patients. "I normally don't, this one was a bit unique." He lamented, "I'm going to have to put you under for a bit, so I'll see you in an hour or so; lay back for me alright?" Daniel finished, watching as the drug took effect.

The operation itself was simple, difficult only to those who hadn't studied xenobiology. Daniel was thankful he was familiar with it since an alien may get injured without a professional familiar with their physiology. As his patient woke he got him a glass of water, eased him upwards and saw him out with a wave before heading back towards the main common room. Daniel sat down at the couch again, deciding to lie down like he had the night before as he started to mull over how to adjust plans for the week.
 
By the time Daniel has finished with his patient, Agape had finally finished the notebook for her grandfather. She smiled and stood from the desk stretching as she walked over to place it on the bed. Now she had gifts for her mother and grandfather, but, not for her dad. Agape sighed and shrugged walking out of her room and towards the common room. She smiled as she saw Daniel laying on the couch. Agape thought about how her parents would react, her father was much smaller than daniel, yet taller than her. She knew they would greet him with friendly faces, and question her endlessly about who he was and where he was from. Agape thought it might be best to ask Daniel what gift she should get for her father, as well as if they could still go on their date before they left.

Walking into the common room she smiled, she was sure Daniel was tired he usually was after work. And they both had plenty of things to consider before leaving for her planet, but for now, she would cheer him up. She crept over to the back of the couch and went to plop herself on top of him laughing. "Hello, Daniel. I have attacked you!" Agape would smile as her laughs calmed and stare at him happily.
 
Daniel's sleep was somewhat peaceful, the nap was enough to put his senses down and let his mind wander. His family would reroute patients and get them another specialist that they could see, which was always the plan eventually as he started taking on more and more responsibilities for his family. With the patients taken care of, it'd only be his obligations to their contacts and the requests put in for them that he would be expected to handle. The first of which still a week out, which gave him plenty of time.

His sleep was ended abruptly however as a sudden weight collapsed atop him, his eyes opening as his blood pulsed with adrenaline in a fight response to a sudden threat. His veins bulged for a moment as the blood flashed, but after a few moments he settled down and took a few deep breaths as he recognized Agape atop him. "So you have." He got out between an exasperated breath and a chuckle, she had managed to knock the wind out from under him. Her smile and laughter calmed him down quickly as he let his arms wrap around her. "But now you're kind of trapped here aren't you? Was that your plan for attack?" Daniel chided with a small grin, opening his eyes to meet hers.
 
Agape noticed her attack had worked and he was startled. She was happy her plan was successful, she had surprised him. When he wrapped his arms around her she looked at his arms, before bringing her gaze to his. "It was not." She gave a cheeky grin and plopped so her head laid on his chest. "I am comfortably trapped now." Chuckling she closed her eyes for a moment to listen to his heartbeat. "Your heartbeat is like a lullaby." She lifted her head so her green eyes could stare into his as she smiled. "Before we leave for Xolemeani I wish to go on the date." Her green eyes peered at him curiously but the question she posed was harmless. She squirmed so she could move her arms to gently placed them crossed over his chest so she might lean her chin against him. Agape thought about what her father might like from this planet. She was sure her father would just be happy when she was home. Her green eyes searched his as she thought. Daniel was like her father in a way, he was very kind and smart. And her mother might call Daniel handsome as well. The thought made Agape snicker, as she imagined her mother's face.
 
Daniel laughed to himself as Agape rested her head atop his chest with a cheeky grin, admitting to her fault he could only smile at the sight. "Unfortunate, but at least your comfortable; kind of like I was just moments ago." He joked with a small laugh, squeezing her at that before letting her relax from there. "You're pretty comfortable yourself, if not a bit surprising." Daniel remarked, listening in as she asked about the date. He had meant to explain that to her a bit more, but then again he may be a bit unaware to a point as well.

He hadn't exactly gone on a lot of dates, but he knew that there were those which were meant for friends but as he looked objectively at the situation they were in with her atop of him he couldn't say that it was just a friendly venture. "We can go on our date Agape, but this was something I wanted to explain a bit more. How much did you read up on about dates, and what they meant in our culture?" He asked kindly, a smile still there as he mulled over the best way to explain this. "Typically, one would start going out on dates, or dating, when they're considering the partner for a romantic relationship; but there are some instances of them doing it as just friends, but that's rather uncommon and hard to distinguish." He finished, loosening his grip around her waist to give her some room to move around should she need to.
 
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