Starlight and Shadows

Chapter 20: Broken

Zeffre didn't know how to begin. She had agonized all of yesterday about if she should even ask if they could talk... but he did say he was always available if she ever needed someone to talk to. He was also probably the only person in the universe who she could talk to about it.

That still didn't make it any easier for her to begin.

A strong gust of wind filled the air with the sound of rattling branches, blowing some of her blue hair into her face as she looking around. The sun had set long ago; the people of New Atlantis accustomed to Jemison's 48-hour days were content being out and about illuminated by streetlights. The abundance of trees that dotted the MAST district gave it a naturalistic feeling, with the gentle chirping of insects and different xenobird species blending into the general hum of the crowd. It was all agonizingly familiar.

Looking up from the walkway, Zeffre glanced at Aquilus. He was a much taller, older man, with deep wrinkles and creases that didn't quite convey just how old he was. His stark white outfit caught the ambient light around them, drawing the attention of people as they passed by. He matched her gaze and gave her a kind smile.

Zeffre immediately went back to looking at the ground, blushing. She knew exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to get her to speak first, knowing how much doing so bothered her.

She also knew that the man's patience was nigh infinite and that he was completely content with simply walking with her for as long as it took, even if they had to walk until the sun came back up.

"I joined the Vanguard yesterday," Zeffre muttered, gripping the hem of her coat. It wasn't really that interesting, but she felt the need to say something.

"Oh? Did you beat tier six in the simulator?" he asked with a slight teasing tone.

Her head shot up. "Of course I beat tier six! What? I mean, it would be harder for me not to," Zeffre said before realizing her tone and looking back down. "I mean... sorry."

"Zeffre, there is no need to apologize."

"I know it's just...," she looked back up at him, "I'm sorry."

Keeper Aquilus raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sor— agh! I mean... uh... Anyway, I've already got a new ship with some probationary orders to patrol around Alpha Cen. A Longsword," Zeffre said, slightly annoyed at how easy it was for him to fluster her like that.

"So, you've already got yourself a solid footing here? That's great!" Aquilus said. "Whenever starting a new cycle, I usually found it helpful to give myself some goal. Something to aim for. It really helps in feeling like I'm making progress towards something."

Zeffre nodded, biting the bottom of her lip. "I... uh... I didn't really want to just talk about the Vanguard," she said, stopping near a lamp.

Unholstering her pistol, Zeffre began fiddling with it. Toggling the safety, removing and inserting the magazine; any part that could move she moved just to keep her hands busy with something.

"I got the feeling that was the case. Just know that if it's something you don't want to talk about, we don't need to talk about it."

"I saw her yesterday with my pa—," Zeffre stopped, slamming the magazine back into the pistol with a metallic 'clunk'. "With her parents."

Keeper Aquilus looked at her, his eyes never moving to look at the pistol. He knew she liked to play with her weapon when thinking, and he had vastly more experience with weapons than she did. "How were they, if you don't mind me asking?"