Work Text:
A spaceship is waiting at the port, and Gem is sprinting as fast as her legs will carry her.
The day on Hart is a good one, twin suns blazing in the afternoon sky and breeze tangling up her hair into a matted knot. Unfortunately, she is going to be late, and does not have time to fix it.
With her bag held on her shoulder tightly, so as to stop it from spilling onto the ground, Gem considers how late she’s going to be. With the ruckus in her old house, she hadn’t left when she wanted to. Then there was the fight in the market, and the chase over the rooftops-
Well. Safe to say she was not going to be on time to the interview she was lying in. Or on time at all. Unless she did the thing she did so rarely.
She scrunches her face, feet pounding against the street up to the port. The streets pass by, market stalls with billowing tops, vendors clamouring for customers to come see their wares. So many people could see her. It was uncomfortable, and normally she wouldn’t, but she needed off this planet 5 circuits ago. So… she supposes it wouldn’t hurt. Not like the Guild could catch her before she was off and away. They didn’t even have that many people out here (She knows, because that’s the only way this was even a considerable plan) to find her.
She leans forwards, breaking her dead sprint for just a moment, and feels her bones grind into place. With her digitigrade ankles now locked, she takes off, moving even faster than she did before. Her ears pull free from her hair and raise, before flattening against her head. Her clothes, tailor-made for this to occur without ripping or twisting, billow as her tail lifts from where it is tucked against her right leg and tries to poke around the hem of her pants.
She is much faster this way. A group of humans is scattered as she sprints through, yelling curses after her that she doesn’t hear. The winding streets become an obstacle, the dense population of the trading hub town her worst enemy. Other groups scramble to get out of her way, some with looks she doesn’t have time to parse. She barrels though a trio of Hou, setting them growling after her in a way that only ignites her hindbrain and sends her faster down the street. Her claws dig into the side of a dark oak building, letting her spin almost seamlessly around the corner.
As Gem approaches the port, the staircase leading up to it covered in food stalls that reek of homemade goodness, her stomach growls. Later , she promises herself. Food is later, after you’ve secured the job. She trips over a suitcase of a nearby couple, spinning into a roll against the manicured grass in front of Hart’s biggest port. Almost , she is distracted when she pops up, by the magnificence of the building. It stretches into the sky, a tall tower with rings at intervals where the ships can dock. Gem refocuses her attention and ascends the stairs, taking them two or three at a time.
She bursts through the main door, quickly scanning for an elevator. She needs to be on level 20. That’s where she is going, to take her life in her own hands. She spots one, and bounds towards it, before she is assaulted by the crowd of people milling about. Gem goes for a nearby bench, leaping onto it and over the group between her and the elevator. She steps in before thinking, and is pleasantly surprised when it doesn’t leave her damp, but whisks her away and up to the level she needs to be on. As she is shunted out by whatever system the elevators here run on, her heart begins to speed up in her chest. She doesn’t want them to see her in her half and half form, not before she can ascertain their motives. Unfortunately, she can’t go back now, though she hopes she’s made good enough time to have just a moment to slip into a bathroom and swap back.
Fate is not that kind to her. “Gemini Tay?” An unsure voice rings out from just up ahead.
She could slip away and change back. They wouldn’t notice her, and really, it would be only a few minutes. Just as she thinks this, the voice calls out again. “...Gemini Tay?”
Welp. If she’s being called twice, she’s obviously late. No time to duck out. Now to just hope the rumour mill has favoured her for once. That this is a legitimate operation. If she could be that lucky just this once , she’ll eat her hat. If she had one. Or the time to eat it.
“That would be me!” She says, bounding forwards in two loping strides.
The voice seems to be attached to a regular human. Nothing that would make him stick out to her in a crowd. Black hair, tan skin, simple half cloak fastened at his waist, short sleeves, nothing out of the ordinary. Until she notices the scars. They line his body like a tiger’s stripes (At least the ones she’s seen from Earth’s zoo website). They seem thick, and deep, like they were from an old injury that hadn’t really healed over time. She’s so mesmerised by the flamboyant display of such a memorable feature that she misses most of what he says.
“ — and we’re hoping that you are a good fit for the job!” He says, beaming.
“Sorry, could you repeat that?” She asks, blinking.
“No problem buddeh! I’m Chief Medical Officer Skizz Leman, of the ship LS Heart. You are presumably Gemini Tay. G sh— The captain wanted me to conduct your interview, and we’re gonna do it in my office. We’re all super excited about you coming on to help with the research project! Your academy marks are off the charts, man, and we’re hoping you’re a good fit for the job!” He repeats, with no change in tone other than his standard joy.
Gem shrinks a little bit. Not enough he’ll notice, but her smile fades at the mention of the academy marks she doesn’t (legally) have. “Well, we should get going!”
He hasn’t said anything about her less-than-human appearance, and she’ll take that as a win. Even more so when he claps his hands and turns, saying “Follow me!”
She follows him dutifully, taking the time to appreciate the architecture of the port. She’s never been here before, never left Hart, so the open, windowed roof leaves her jaw hanging open with wide eyed wonder. Even as she bumps into the people moving throughout the space, she can’t take her eyes off the building. The high arches on the walls, glazed and shimmering in the sun, take her breath away, and she’s left looking rather dumbstruck, which Skizz notices pretty quickly.
“If you think this is beautiful, just wait until you see the Orion nebula. Or the Score cluster. Ohhhohoh, I’m gonna get Pearlie Pop to make a list of places we’ve gotta take you!” Skizz chuckles to himself, and his half-cape billows slightly, despite there being no wind.
Gem doesn’t know what any of those names were, and folds herself in at the unexpected conversation. Hesitantly, she asks “What’s your favourite place?”
Skizz sighs. He has one of those big, exaggerated sighs that feel like a whoosh of air. “Man, I’m simple! I like the moons of Maand. They’re really gorgeous at this time of year.”
As they walk, Skizz asks other questions, and somehow, without Gem noticing, he manages to coax out of her that she’s never been off-planet (“SERIOUSLY!?!? Gemstone, we’ve gotta take you out there.”) and give her a nickname.
It’s nice. She hasn’t had such a light conversation in years.
Eventually, they come to a stop at a port door, and Skizz says “This is us! What’s up!” as he pumps his fist like he’s just climbed a mountain.
Gem stares for a long, silent moment. Skizz turns around and opens the door quietly.
As soon as it’s open, Gem knows she’s in for a hard time convincing these people she’s any amount of legal in terms of her credentials, even though she still has all the knowledge.
The ship is massive . Way bigger than a simple scientific ship. Her enlistment sheet hadn’t mentioned the ship class, although looking at it now, she can definitely say it’s a true Cruiser, about ten or twelve times the width of the port. It’s docked at the ring, attached by a boarding ramp that seems so small against the side.
And the design . It’s a sleek, efficient ship, with what looks to be true netherite plating along the sides. The shape is more similar to an arrow than to the typical scientific ship. Gem swallows harshly. There’s no way they won’t find her out immediately. Not if their ship has an end crystal core , what , which it does by the look of the thrust engines.
She almost backs out of the port then and there, and it’s only Skizz turning around that keeps her from sprinting back out of the dock and all the way back to her base. He seems to misread her fear, and says comfortingly “Don’t worry, buddeh. The Heart’s intimidating at first, but it’s no big deal.”
She follows him down the passage more out of muscle memory than anything, her tail curling around her leg under her pants and ears so far back they almost disappear into her hair again.
They reach the side of the ship, and Skizz presses a pad built into the door, which is closed. “Hey, Clebert, I’m back with one Gemini Tay! Can we come in, homie?”
A voice crackles to life over the speaker. It’s lighter, and rich, with an accent so different from Skizz, it throws Gem for a second. “I don’t know, Skizz. Can you ?”
Skizz laughs, and his laugh is so warm Gem can’t help but smile. “Alright, Clebert. May I and one Gemini Tay come onboard?”
“Of course. Don’t scare her away. Gemini, don’t let him scare you away, I promise we’re all super friendly.”
“Don’t be mean, Clebert! I wasn’t gonna scare her away!” Skizz says lightly, and Gem just has to grab this opportunity.
“Well, if whoever made the enlistment sheet had included the size of this ship, I wouldn’t have almost had a heart attack when the port door opened!” Gem bites with no real heat.
“Well, I’ll certainly let Grian know to include the class next time!” Skizz says, serious but happy in a way that completely blindsides Gem.
The enlistment sheet really hadn’t had much, but it did list the Captain’s name. Grian Xelqua. And the idea that Captain Grian was going to hear from her, a nobody on a backwater trading hub, about the enlistment sheet, made her tremble.
“No, no, it’s okay.” She puts her hands up, placating. “It was fine, just…surprising for a second.”
Skizz once again smiles. “Alright, but you just say the word!”
Cleo’s voice rings over the speaker. “Now, since I’m just the best , I’ll mention what dear old Skizz probably hasn’t.” (“HEY!”) “The oxygen levels on the Heart are lower than on most ships. We’re sitting at about 19.91% for just about everywhere on the ship, ‘cause we’ve got two lovely species who would much prefer the cold embrace of space to the disgusting air you losers have to breathe. I’m not one of them, to be clear. I’m a Skelzie, so I don’t factor into the equation, but we’ve got a Lunaris and Starbourne on deck. You’ll meet them soon enough. Let us know if you need any respirators to help you breathe and we’ll go get you one.”
Gem smiles at the kindness. “No thanks. I'm a Vixe, so I’ll be okay.”
Skizz grins so wide, Gem’s afraid he’ll crack a tooth. “A Vixe, you say? Well then, I’ll have to introduce you to Etho later. He’s a Vixe as well! I think he’s an arctic subspecies?”
“And— sorry to interrupt, Skizz— If you’ll place your hand on the bioscanner, I’ll be able to key you into the security system. You’ll be able to open all standard doors on the ship. If it doesn’t open, you’ll have to find somebody else to let you through, or don’t go through at all.” Cleo crackles through the intercom.
A panel Gem hadn’t noticed before slides open, revealing what looks like a fairly standard scanner. She puts her hand on it, and feels a slight tingle across her palm as the light sweeps over. It feels a bit cold, and she rubs her hand to try and get the blood back in.
Skizz puts his hand on it, and it beeps at him. “Awwww, and here I was thinking I could get scanned again.”
Gem giggles at his antics.
Cleo chimes in over the intercom, “You can come in now, by the way.” as the door slides open.
Skizz leads her in, and her first impression is that somebody on the crew must be a Glare. The lights are not hard on the eyes, but they are bright. The corridor is otherwise mostly normal to other ship models she’s seen, standard grey on soft carpet with short decorative lights blinking softly along the walls.
Skizz leads her through a system of twisting hallways, and she tries her best to memorise them, soon realising that would be impossible on a first walkthrough. Skizz, bless him, is narrating as they walk.
“So, over here, we have the exercise room, down that hallway is the crew quarters- I’ll show you where you’re going to be staying- and over there is the mainspace. Down that hallway is the— AH!” He collides into somebody, and both of them stumble backwards.
“Sorry about that, Skizz!”
What looks to be an Affinis is standing in front of Skizz, the lower set of arms fumbling with something he’s holding and wings buzzing back into place. His upper set of arms is brushing off his shoulders, before stilling as he notices Gem peeking out from behind them. “Who’s this, then?”
“You remember G’s request for the botanist? This is her!” Skizz grins.
“Alright then,” The Affinis says amicably, holding out an arm as he sorts out the tablet he nearly dropped. “I’m Martyn, resident navigator aboard this lovely ship. What’s your name?”
She shakes his hand. “I’m Gemini Tay. Call me Gem.”
“Not very talkative, are we? That’s alright, the only people you’ll be working with are Pearl and Lizzie, and they can do the talking enough for anybody!”
Gem breathes out through her teeth. She hopes it still looks like a smile, but it probably doesn’t. Thankfully, Skizz saves her. “Well, I’d love to stop and chat, but we’ve gotta finish her interview.”
“Wha- we already started?” She replies, shocked.
“Yeah! Big part of the job is getting along well enough with the crew. It’s great!” Skizz tells her as he leads her past where Martyn stands, tapping something on his tablet.
Skizz takes her to a door, and puts his hand on the scanner. It beeps twice, opening with a pre-recorded “Bop!” noise, which Skizz makes at the same time.
The office is less cramped than she thought it would be. Her ears perk up slightly at the wide room, filled with small cushions and even a couch.
“Since I’m the medical officer on board, I gotta make sure I’ve got everything in reach,” Skizz explains as he pats a wall of cabinets that Gem notices only as he does so.
He gestures for her to sit on the couch. She sits, and he sits across from her with one arm holding a clipboard in place that he’s somehow procured in the three seconds it took for her to sit down.
He asks for her age, experience, and medical history. “Is there anything we need to watch out for? Any allergies?”
She doesn’t feel good when she tells him “I studied at the Fleet school in Enog, majored in botany, and minored in Statistical strategy and security. No allergies.”
She isn’t technically lying, just…stretching the truth a little bit. That’s what she tells herself.
Skizz asks good questions. She answers the more difficult ones with truths a little bent out of shape. The interview continues, and finally, Skizz crosses his legs, setting the clipboard to the side. “I’m going to send this over to the captain, but you’ve done a really good job. Don’t stress.”
Regardless, as he gets up and goes over to his desk, she bites the side of her cheek. She worries if she sounded true enough, and if they do discover her, what’s going to happen. She hadn’t let herself think about it. Somebody must have seen her lock in, and she’d be surprised if there weren’t people waiting out there for her.
Skizz gets up from his desk. “There’s just one more thing. I gotta ask your permission first, but if you don’t want to do it, we can’t accept your interview.”
She nods, setting her jaw. She’ll do anything to get out of here.
“You gotta let me Look at you.”
She frowns. “You…have been?”
He chuckles, and sits across from her again. “Not like that. I’m a Daemos from Haev.”
She tilts her head. “Never heard of it.”
He smiles, surprised. “Well, that’s uncommon. It’s kinda hard to explain if you don’t know. …Basically, I see the truth.”
Her heart rate speeds up, and she feels it beat in her ears. She hears herself say, “Well, bring it on. I’ve got nothing to lie about.”
He closes his eyes and says quietly, “Don’t freak out.” and his scars open.
Or, not scars. What Gem had thought were scars opened, revealing probably around fifty eyes just on the parts of him she could see. They turned to her, and Looked.
She didn’t scream, although she wanted to. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked right back. This was it. She was found out. They would do whatever they were going to do, and she’d be back to square one.
Skizz’s scars close. “Welp, you’re alright!” He smiles, slapping his hands on his knees and standing, and his normal eyes open.
Gem lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “I’m good to go?”
“Well, since we dragged you out here, dinner is on us! We’re gonna eat at 1700 hours, so that's…” he checks a clock on his desk.
His eyes— the regular ones, thank goodness— widen comically. “That’s in five minutes! We gotta go!”
He runs over to the door and Gem follows him. As the door opens, the pair sprint down the hallway, Skizz almost like a cartoon and Gem running with the long, loping strides of a Vixe.
The halls, now that she can appreciate them without the stress of being found out immediately, are quite nice. Though the lights are bright, they aren’t intrusive, humming with a slightly purple glow. What she had previously dismissed as additional decorative lights actually seemed to be messages being sent across the ship, written in standard Galactic. She can make out some short ones, talking to someone called Bdubs with a request for some of his shrub leaves to test for something (Bdubs must be the Glare), and another to somebody named Joel, telling him to meet up in the mess. It’s very pretty, and gives her a sense of interconnectedness. The carpet is soft on her paws, not catching her claws but cushioning the pads of her feet. She wonders what the ratio of humans to other species is. It’s very rare for it to be less than 1:1, but no people she has been introduced to so far have been human. Humans have spread so wide that it’s almost odd, even to somebody who’s never been off-planet, to be in a space where humans are not the prevalent species.
As she and Skizz approach an elevator, he gestures for her to go in. She does, and he enters, pushing a button on the side as the doors close. “What do you think so far? I hope my Looking wasn’t too scary!” Skizz asks as the elevator descends.
“The Looking wasn’t that bad. Your ship, though, it’s very pretty,” She says. “I don’t think I’ve seen anything like the messages on the walls. What’s the mess?”
“Oh!” Skizz laughs. “You’re really smart. Took me ages to notice them, G-sharp had to point it out to me when I got confused about how everybody knew I was missing my comb after I only messaged my buddy Impulse about it! Most people ignore ‘em, for privacy’s sake. Anyways, the mess is our eating hall. We call it that since Joel can’t stop calling it that, so it avoids confusion.”
Gem nods, and the elevator dings. The doors slide open, and Skizz leads her to a t-junction. “Actually, I have a question.”
Gem tenses. He did find out, he knows , he’s going to throw her off the ship-
“Do you want to eat with everybody? I’m one of the louder faces, sure, but we’ve got a huge group of people who love to talk. We have a smaller kitchen down the right-side hallway, if you don’t feel like being surrounded by a lot of people.”
Gem relaxes so fast she almost ragdolls onto the ground. “No, people are fine. I want to meet everyone.”
Skizz leads them down the left hallway, explaining that “Well, you won’t meet everyone right now. Martyn and G have to plot out our next course, Cleo’s probably waiting for Ren and Bigb to get back, and Pearl is doing something which I only know about because she sent a message to everyone telling us all “don’t go in the lab whatever you do if you don’t want to be covered in leaves for several days”, so you’ll probably only meet half the crew.”
The pair enter into a room, and Gem’s first impression is, well, this is sort of underwhelming .
The mess hall is no grand room. It doesn’t tower up and inspire wonder in those who enter, nor does it feel like one could just float away in enormity. It’s a relatively medium sized room, with half being taken up by benches and tables, like in a cafeteria, and the other half with assorted beanbags and plush seats. Gem spots a seat that is built like an armchair, with chunks taken out of the back for winged species. It’s a good model. The lighting in the room is much softer, a warm orange that feels relaxing. Gem spies an adjustment panel in the corner of the room, and gets the sense that the space could be much brighter if somebody wanted it.
Sitting at the benches, near the corner of the room, is a group of people. Skizz heads over, and after a deep breath, Gem follows. Towering above the rest of them, even while bent over his bowl, is a human male, with scruffy brown hair that has a single neon streak of green running through it. A Faer, unusual but not unique to see, is sitting beside him, and her hair is a bold pink. Across from them is another Vixe, with a white ears and a mask pulled over his face. That’s got to be Etho. Something might be resting beside him, but it’s mostly covered by the other bodies. They appear to be talking amicably, though as she gets closer, she hears a teasing tone from the Faer woman.
“Now Joel, how have you lost your com on the way over here?” She grins.
“I dunno , Lizzie! It was in my pocket one minute, and I check when I sit down, and it’s bloomin’ missin’!” The human responds.
“Misplaced coms aside, we’ve got company.” Says probably-Etho.
The group looks towards her, and her ears swivel backwards instinctively. Skizz doesn’t notice, and introduces her. “Alright, homeh buddies. This is our newest interviewee, Gemini Tay! Gem, this is Lizzie, Joel, and Etho.” He says, pointing at each in turn.
Joel waves, Lizzie grins with a smile that looks just a bit too sharp, and Etho cocks his head, ears forwards and on alert.
Without thought, she lets out the tiniest whine— the first Vixe noise she’s made in probably years. Etho’s ears flick towards the sound, and he lets out a huff, ears going all the way back before relaxing into a more neutral position. “Nice to meet you, Gemini Tay.” He says.
“Please, call me Gem.” She can’t help but feel more relaxed with another Vixe in the room, especially since he responded to her whine.
She and Skizz sit down, and he tells her to hit the button in front of her. She does, and a plate materialises. It’s steaming, and the smell makes her realise how hungry she is. She wanted food, back when she was outside the port. Now, it takes all she has not to scarf the whole thing down in one bite.
In an effort to keep herself eating slowly, Gem asks the group. “So, where are you all from?”
Joel answers first. “It’s a bit basic, but I’m from Earth’s moon colony. ‘S why I’m so tall, and why I’ve got an easier time breathing the lower air percentage.”
“I’m from the Faecle.” Lizzie says, wings buzzing behind her.
“And I’m from Hase.” Etho finishes.
Gem lights up. Etho’s from just a world over, Hart’s sister planet. That makes a lot of sense. She’d never had the opportunity to go, but she’d seen people from Hase all the time.
“I’m from Betwn. Hels, specifically.” Skizz chimes in.
“That’s so cool! I haven’t been off-planet before, so I haven’t been to Hase, but I see people from there all the time! Is it different from Hart?” She asks.
“Colder.” Etho answers, then lifts his mask up just enough to slide a straw under.
“Don’t worry, he’s just like that. You’ve got to tell us where you want to go!” Lizzie beams.
“Oh, ummm….” She hadn’t really thought of anything outside of off and away . “I don’t know.”
The silence feels a bit awkward, but it isn’t Skizz who breaks it. Instead, the lump beside Etho that she had assumed was some sort of blanket shoots up and declares loudly “WE SHOULD TAKE HER TO ORION!!!”
She jumps almost a foot in the air, reaching into her pockets for knives that are not there but instead tucked away safely in her bag where she can’t maim anyone with them. The rest of the group is mostly unperturbed by the announcement, but Skizz screams and some of his scar-eyes open. He closes them quickly, as the green thing beside Etho reveals itself.
The voice belongs to a short Glare, probably male, with the trademark huge eyes and what she is now realising is his shrub cloak. Across his face is a simple respirator, much cleaner that what she’s used to, clear for the cover so his mouth can still be seen. The rim goes around and over his mouth and nose. He looks very tired, and after his outburst almost falls off his seat on the bench.
Etho puts an arm under his shoulders. “Can somebody get the light? Turn it on sunmode so he wakes up faster. Bdubs is right, though. She’ll enjoy Orion.”
Trying her best to recover as Skizz stands to go adjust the light, Gem says “And- and why would I enjoy it?”
“Because when we took Etho, he didn’t stop looking out the window for a full 30 minutes.” Says Joel, smirking.
“He said it was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen, and that there was nowhere on Hase or Hart you could get a view like that.” Lizzie adds.
“Okay. Okay….why is he asleep?” She asks, feeling minorly concerned for the dozing Bdubs currently being propped up by Etho with one hand.
“So, you see how he’s a Glare?” Etho points.
Gem nods. “Well, it’s not covered at the academies, but Glares are reliant on light levels for energy. And this guy ,” Etho pushes him slightly, and Bdubs topples over and faceplants on the table, “decided it’d be a great idea to work in the fully dark exercise room and then not turn the light up. For an hour.”
Joel and Lizzie snort in sync. “Yes, he’s…dedicated.” Lizzie says.
“What he is ,” says Joel, “is the biggest idiot on this side of the Carn galaxy.”
Gem laughs, then feels bad. Lizzie quickly joins in, which makes Gem feel a bit better. Skizz comes back over and slides in across from Gem, beside Etho. There are a few moments of silence that still feel just the tiniest bit stilted to Gem, before Bdubs starts to mumble from where he is face-down on the table.
“Ahhh, you’ve joined us.” Etho says, poking his head and chuckling when Bdubs bats his hand away with some annoyed sound lost to the wooden table.
Lizzie pulls something from her pocket. It’s a square, steel grey rectangle with stickers, most notably of some old earth character on it, and a chain hanging from the side so one could put it on their wrist.
Joel spots it and immediately turns to Lizzie. “Lizze? What’s that?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Joel.” Lizzie says, opening it to a similarly decorated inside, with a keyboard and screen.
“Well, it’s just that it looks like my communicator, which I’m sure you haven’t stolen from my pocket.” Joel pokes her, smiling.
“It wouldn’t be, would it? That would be cruel of me, to steal from my oblivious husband just to tease him about it?” She grins sweetly.
The pair devolve into good-natured bickering, poking each other and giggling until Joel manages to steal the com back, holding it above his head where Lizzie can’t reach.
Bdubs sits up, pushing his hair out of his face. “Hello there.”
Gem waves, and Skizz smiles widely. “Hey, Dubs!”
Bdubs grins.
The group devolves into friendly chatter, and Gem doesn't remember most of it, focused on minding her P's and Q's, and eating the meal in front of her.
She doesn't know what it is, but it's meaty and slightly spicy, and her heart sings for joy as she chews. Something like this was a treat, down on Hart, an extra meal she wouldn't have unless there was reason. Gem is practical, but if she's done something well she sees no reason to deny herself a small reward.
Etho clinks his glass against the table, and that's when she notices that everybody else's dishes are empty. He makes a face, obscured by his mask, and stretches. “Well, I better get back to Cleo. She wanted me down for 1830 hours, and it's almost then, so…”
“Bye, Etho! Nice talking to ya, buddeh!” Skizz waves goodbye, the rest following suit.
Etho looks at Gem, and gives a single short nod, which she returns, before he exits the mess hall.
Lizzie flutters her gossamer wings, lifting behind Joel and grabbing his shoulders. “We should probably get going as well. Joel owes me three monopoly games, and I want to take all his properties and put him in jail! Bdubs, do you want to join us?”
Bdubs, who Gem is beginning to think has two settings (loud and louder), claps his hands together. “Why Lizzie, I would love to.”
The group gets up and leaves, Bdubs tossing around gentle jokes as they do. Which leaves just Skizz and her. He stretches, and his half cape billows behind him.
“Well, Gemstone, if you wanna go see the results of your interview, G-sharp is probably done reviewing it!” He offers.
Gem’s heart rate picks up faster than she thought possible. Her blood pounds in her ears and they flatten back so much she feels them disappear into her hair. Skizz catches this, and she can't help but think that Etho must have given them all a rundown on Vixe mannerisms by his look of sympathy.
“Don't worry! I remember my first time applying on a ship. Lemme tell you, it won't be as bad as you think. I mean, I showed up 40 minutes late with my cape untied! You have not done that bad. You'll be okay.” He tells her.
“Okay,” she breathes out, “let's go see Grian.”
Skizz leads her down a series of hallways, each more confusing than the last. She’s beginning to think this place is designed to be impossible to navigate.
“Well, Bigb was on the crew that helped design this place before he joined us, so it’s always possible!” Skizz laughs, and she realises that she’d said that last out loud.
She feels herself flush, and keeps talking. “W-well, what’s Bigb? Is he a human? There’s so few humans on board— which isn’t a bad thing,” she clarifies hastily. “Just a little different, you know?”
Skizz grins. “Hah, don’t worry, buddeh, it took some getting used to for everyone! Bigb is human, we think.”
“You think ?” She asks incredulously. “Doesn’t species need to be confirmed before you can get a job on a starship?”
“Well, yeah. On all the tests that really matter for that stuff, he shows as human. But sometimes there’s something a little bit weird about the guy. So, we think he’s mostly human, and that’s all Headquarters care about.” Skizz shrugs.
“Alright.” It’s odd to be surrounded by people who don’t care what someone is, beyond passing curiosity.
Feels like before.
Skizz leads her through an elevator. She steps in, and has a moment of worry about getting wet before she feels something wrinkle inside her. She’s heard about new elevator-transports, ones that just press the two points together and drag you through them. She hadn’t realised it would make you so cold. It felt like she was in a vent, compressed into a space too small for her. You could be everything and everywhere and always, something in her soul sings.
She shivers, and then catches sight of the space.
It’s an open deck, clearly the main bridge, with a view of the sky outside. The sun has almost set, casting brilliant shadows and golden tones across a thin slice of the room. Above, the stars shine. More than she’s ever seen in her life. It was almost worth it, even if she didn’t get the job, just to see this tiny picture of space.
“Well, here we are!” Skizz gestures to a sliding port-door at the back end of the room.
It doesn’t look all too dissimilar from the rest, if only with a plaque that reads “Captain Xelqua” beside it.
It slides open to reveal two figures. One was the Apidis from earlier. Martyn, she thinks. The other is an Avian. He’s short, even for an avian, with a red sweater. His wings seem to have an underside of dark feathers, which catch the light and reflect colourful hues. From where Gem can see him, she sees that the backside is much more vibrant. He’s got clawed talons, so Gem figures he’s potentially a first generation avian.
The two of them lean over a map, pointing out different marked locations before both heads shoot up in sync at the sound of the door.
“Skizz, hello, and this is…?” Captain Xelqua says.
“G-sharp! I’m here with our newest interviewee! Meet the lovely Gemini Tay!” Skiz calls, doing jazz hands in her direction.
She swallows, then smiles. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
Captain Xelqua gives a terse grin. “Please call me Grian.”
Martyn rolls the map up. “Now, is this something I’ve gotta get my wings away from, or is it okay if I stay and watch?”
“Well, It’s not that much of a secret. I was talking to you about it a bit ago.” Grian answers.
Martyn settles back onto a desktop nearby, lower arms holding the map and upper arms clicking away at something on his com.
“What’s the verdict, G?” Skizz asks, leaning against the wall.
Gem can’t move. She feels as though she’s got rods stuck through her feet, pinning her in place like a bug on a corkboard. Her arms are crossed behind her back, each hand clasping her forearm tightly. She holds her breath, and waits for his response.
“Well, you graduated from the academy with top marks,” Grian starts, and she cringes the tiniest bit, shoulders hunching.
“Your performance on the field, with your attached documents, is almost flawless, from what I can tell. You’re organised, with a mind for presentation, and you gave all the required information. You let Skizz Look at you, and that went well. Honestly, that’s where most people fail out. You were polite and spoke appropriately with the crewmembers you did meet. So, all that is to say…” He pauses, and Gem swears her heart stops as well, in the space between his words.
Martyn is smirking.
“You’re hired. Starting now, you are Officer Gemini Tay of the LS Heart.” Grian finishes matter of factly, fluffing his wings as he speaks.
Gem feels her blood rushing in her ears. She did it. She’s going to escape.
She’s free.
Skizz pumps his fist up in the air, forgetting all conduct for a loud celebratory whoop. “I KNEW it! Welcome on board, Gemstone!”
Martyn claps, still smirking. “He told me about it, and then poked me in the shoulder and went “Now shut up, if you’re smiling when she comes in here you’re going to give her a heart attack.”
Grian whirls on him, wings puffing up. “I DID NOT .”
“Did too.”
The pair dissolve into good-natured bickering, and Martyn puts the map down on the table before swatting at Grian with both sets of arms. It unfurls, just a bit, enough for Gem to catch a glimpse. Something feels familiar about it, but before she can give more thought to that, Skizz puts a hand on her shoulder.
“Gemstone, is it okay if I hug ya?”
She nods shakily, still out of sorts from all of this going well. Skizz enfolds her into a huge hug. He’s taller than her, she realises. It feels…nice.
“Let’s get you to your cabins.” Skizz says, and as he turns away, he gets bapped in the head by Grian.
“Gemini, d-” He begins, before she cuts him off without thinking. “Call me Gem.”
He blinks, re-adjusts. “ Gem , do you have a com?”
She shakes her head. He moves over to a desk, pulls open a drawer, and takes out a black com. “Customization’s up to you, but there’s settings to change the console colour on the device, and if you want the tech put in something like a pocket watch or whatever, go see Tango.”
As she takes it from his hand, her chest swells with something like freedom. This is it. She gets to her cabin, and then she’s away. For good.
She’s in control of her own life now.