We Leapt Into the Sky

Chapter 25

"Want to guess how many storage containers I have scattered around the galaxy?" Antony asked. His face glowed brightly on the tablet screen, and Seph leaned back against the pillows, considering. He folded his hands under his chin.

"Maybe four?"

"I'm down to three, from seven. Soon as I got to this moon, I put in requests to get the four small ones delivered."

"Anything good in them?"

"Clothes, some knick-knacks, and electronics. Old hearing aids. And—" Antony held up a bag of something with a bright red logo written in a language Seph didn't recognize. He popped a chip into his mouth and crunched it. "Snacks. Not even expired."

"Jackpot."

"Anyway, I'll wait to empty the other storage containers until I know where I'm headed next," Antony said. "Which reminds me, there's something I wanted to ask you about." He smiled, betraying a tension in his eyes and jaw. Though their conversation had been casual, something had seemed off with him; his shoulders were too tight, and his foot tapped against the floor, out of view of his camera.

"Of course," Seph said.

"Do you know New Calathea? It's on Lythrum-9, so I thought you might have heard of it."

"I do. I've passed through New Calathea on the way to visit family," he said with a nod. "I've heard it's a cool, artsy city near the mountains. Why do you ask?"

"My doctor linked me a database of health centers known for their work with prosthetics. New Calathea came up," Antony said, forced casualness in his voice. "I thought the city looked nice."

Seph's eyebrows quirked up before he could stop them. "Yeah, I've heard it's a good place to live."

"Does it snow there?"

"I think so. My hometown is near the same latitude, and we had four seasons. New Calathea might get more snow, since it's in the mountains, but I doubt it gets ridiculously cold."

"Oh." Antony frowned, a furrow appearing between his brows.

"Were you thinking about moving there?" Seph asked, trying his best to contain his surprise. Of all the planets in the universe, Antony was thinking about moving to Seph's home planet. "Is snow a deal-breaker for you?"

"I don't know. It seemed nice there, but I don't know if I can—" He cut himself off. "I don't know if I can do big, snowy mountains," he said, voice oddly hoarse.

"I'd say they're more like green hills," Seph said. "What did you think of the photos of New Calathea?"

Antony shifted on the display before him. "I thought they looked like big, green hills until I saw this," he said, sending Seph a photo of jagged, snow-covered mountains.

"There's nothing like this in New Calathea," Seph said. "Give me a moment." He ran a quick search, his tongue between his teeth as he bent over his tablet. "This is the 'Calathean mountain range,' but it isn't on Lythrum-9."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yep. Just a coincidence."

Antony rubbed his forehead. "Oh my god, I'm so stupid. I should've been able to figure that out."

"No, you aren't stupid. It's the same name, and it's confusing," Seph said.

Antony looked away.

"Hey," Seph said, and waited until Antony reluctantly met his gaze through the screen. "You're good. And I can say with reasonable confidence that there aren't any huge, snowy mountains anywhere near New Calathea."