Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Forty-Nine: Celebratory

It wasn't until long after the sun had sunk over the horizon that the festivities in the palace began to die down. Lex was admittedly a bit sad when it all began to draw to a close. She was more than happy to be able to celebrate their victory, and she needed the distraction to make sure that she didn't start thinking about something dreadful such as the fact that she should have been back on Earth. She doubted that anybody was going to find out that she and the others were gone, but it was something that she would rather not risk. 

Lex was on the way to her room for the night, still vibrating on the spot from pure excitement in the aftermath of the party, when she heard a familiar set of footsteps somewhere behind her. She stopped walking and turned to face the person that was following in her path, a light smile on her face. "I didn't think that you were the type to follow anybody anywhere, Zelda," she confessed. 

Zelda appeared to be taken aback for a brief moment, but she collected herself again a beat later. "I was coming in this direction for other business. It has nothing to do with you, I can assure you," she said to Lex, though neither one of them was at all convinced that Zelda was telling the truth. 

"Yeah. Sure," Lex snorted with a shake of her head. "I'm not here to judge you, if that's what you're afraid of. In fact, I just wanted to ask if there was something that you wanted from me. After all, there are a few things that I want to talk to you about, as a matter of fact. Assuming that you have the time for that at the moment, that is..."

"Of course I do," Zelda assured her. "I don't have anything going on right now, and the party's cleanup isn't going to be happening until the morning. For now, we all need rest so that we don't push ourselves over the edge. We all did a lot today, and the two of us along with the rest of our group did a lot to defeat Alba earlier."

"You can say that again," Lex nodded. "Speaking of the people in our group, do you know where Tavi is? I guess I just didn't expect him to not be at your side at a time like this. He is your second in command and all that fun stuff."

"He's already in bed. Tavi is far from being a night owl, I'm afraid, and if he doesn't get enough sleep, he's prone to becoming a bit of a grouch," Zelda chuckled with a shake of her head. "He was getting a bit overwhelmed by the party. For all of his openness when it comes to discussing tactics, he isn't the best in purely social situations, and there's only so much that he can stand before he needs to take a step back for his own mental health."

"I understand that," Lex laughed. "I know that Ocean and Luke can be like that too. To a lesser extent, Gemini is too... But it really is sweet how well the two of you get along. I can tell that you care about each other a lot, and I wish that I was able to be like that with someone. It's almost like you're siblings."

Zelda raised an eyebrow in her direction, and Lex laughed agin with a shake of her head. "Maybe I should work on being more subtle, huh? I guess this is my way of saying that I've thought a bit about our relationship, and I've decided that I want us to get closer," Lex continued. 

"I see..." Zelda murmured under her breath. "If I'm being honest, I don't exactly know what I'm going to be doing when it comes to sibling-type dynamics. My relationship with Tavi became what it is purely out of a need of operational necessity, and it... It just sort of happened after our years of working together as part of the Fearbringer army. I fear that I may not live up to the expectations that you may have of me."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Lex assured her. "Seriously. It's not something that you really need to put all that much thought into. Things like this... They just kind of happen naturally. People don't have to actively try to make sure that their dynamics are fine. Even if we haven't been around each other in the past, I'm sure that we'll be able to figure something out here."