UPON VESTIA: CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

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Kay looked amused at that remark. [You're probably right. And bottom bunk, because I wasn't willing to argue the point. There were about 12 of us in one room, it was fairly cramped.] Not that he'd spent many evenings IN his bunk considering. Nope, his evenings had been spent locked in an old bunker hoping like heck he wouldn't get out and nobody would find him.

---

Ivor shrugged. "I do.. don't know..." He came out into the hall and closed the door carefully behind himself. "You have animals on a ship?"

----

"If they have no choice, then they are still slaves." Armin bowed his head.

This movie was some kind of office party one that later on went to a club.
(*shrugs*)

Esk looked thoughtful. "I got the impression he'd been led there, rather than dragged. " He shook his head, he'd never totally trusted his duplicate. Something about him just wasn't... right. But he couldn't put his finger on what.

----

"This also party?" Silence looked bewildered. Nothing about this one seemed at all like the previous one.

Skye nodded then shrugged a little "Yeah, it's what they called an office party" She informed.

"You think he lied?" Ethan considered that. "Yes, that's possible. He was good at saying what he thought was the right thing to say, whether it was true or not. That's why he was so much better than the rest of us at avoiding his brother's wrath."

~~
"Parties can look very different. The only thing they have in common is people having fun," James said.

Esk shrugged. "I dunno. I couldn't get a good handle on him, but he was pretty good at telling people what they wanted to hear." He shook his head. "Doesn't matter now though does it? We aren't going back."

---

"S.. so... anything... fun is a party?" Ivor asked uncertainly.

"What.. office?" Silence asked. She'd heard the word but it was only used to refer to the place the boss or manager spent their time, sitting at a desk writing on things or tapping at a computer. This didn't look like that sort of office.

"He was an odd guy," Ethan said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he'd lied for some reason, although I don't know what he would have gained by lying." He shook his head, "You're right, it doesn't matter much. I do wonder about him sometimes though." They hadn't been friends or anything, but they had both survived Kaylr for longer than anyone else who was still alive. Made him kind of curious about what the guy was doing now.

~~
"Well, a group of people coming together to have fun is a party," James said. "An office is where people go to work at boring jobs with computers. Or it's a place where one person goes to do boring jobs with computers. Sometimes the people who work at offices have parties."

Esk nodded. "He seemed to always have a plan, i'm sure he's fine. Wherever he is." He shrugged.

---

"w... why?" Ivor asked.

"Probably. He's a smart guy," Ethan said. It was weird to think he'd never see Stellan again. That guy had been a quiet but constant part of his life for so long. Barely worth mentioning compared to Kaylr, but there nonetheless.
"You're sure you don't want any books? I have some ridiculously pulpy Satare-language fiction that's weirdly popular with androids and people from the Imperium alike," he said, changing the subject.

~~
"It's about making the people from the office like each other, so they'll work together better," James explained. "It's good for morale, and morale is good for productivity!"

Esk looked disgusted. "Fuck no, that shit is terrible." Not that he'd ever read one of those pulpy books, looking at the covers was enough to put him off.

---

"oh... " Ivor nodded, that made sense... he thought.

"What parties have here?" Silence asked.

Ethan looked amused. "All right then, no Satare fiction. Just thought I should ask."

~~
"We don't have a lot of parties here. We had one here when we were hiding from some people we didn't like, and I think one of our passengers who left had a party when she was pregnant. And someday we might have a wedding," James said. "We could have a party sometime, that'd be fun."

"We should have a party, when we are ready for it." Skye said with a smile.

"wedding?" Silence asked, this was a term she wasn't at all familiar with.

Ivor looked surprised. It had never occurred to him she wouldn't know what that was. "A.. a wedding? " They had people who might get married on board?

---

Esk shook his head. "Satare works of... art... are terrible." He told Ethan matter-of-factly.

"A wedding is when two people who hopefully love each other decide to spend the rest of their lives together, and have a big ceremony to celebrate it," James said. "In Terran culture, there's usually a cake, and the couple exchange rings, and there's dancing. Did you meet Matt, the taller guy in the wheelchair? He's gonna get married probably at some point." Assuming Thalia didn't break up with him or something, hmm.

~~
Ethan snickered. "I can't say I've read much of it myself, but I pride myself on maintaining a library that appeals to many tastes." He looked curious, "Is it all bad? Not just the books?"

Skye smiled and nodded at the description "Yeah, his mate isn't here now, since she's with the kids, but when we get them back those two might get married."

Ivor tried to remember, he'd met a few people, some of whom were in wheelchairs. "T.. the kids?" He asked. Were they Matt's kids?

Silence looked bewildered till Skye spoke. Mates, now that she could wrap her head around. "ceremony? Like party?"

Ivor smiled softly. "I.. I think there is dancing and rings in Hexenfolke weddings too... but.. I have never seen one... only.. only in stories and pictures."

"There were some kids we sent away to keep safe for a while," James said. "Matt's future wife? Husband? Went with them because he or she was pregnant. Yeah, it's a sort of official thing with rituals, plus party stuff like cakes and dancing." James had never been to a wedding, he was just guessing here based on movies he'd seen.

Moriah was trying to find the new guests. Vestia had been reluctant to let her onto Amari and Marcus's floor, but eventually she did. Moriah was just so curious, and she didn't think that Amari or Moriah would hurt each other.

Amari had mentioned being taught to talk by an android woman, so Vestia guessed this would be okay.

"My little sister is one of the kids that we sent away to keep safe" Skye said with a sad smile. "Moone, Thalia and Starr's three kids."

"he or she?" Silence asked.

Ivor frowned, what the heck did that mean?

"We sent a lot of kids away, but we'll get them back," James said. "Matt's significant other, Thalia, changes genders from time to time. I have no clue what gender pronoun they prefer. I mean, Thalia is pregnant so he or she? They? Can't shapeshift into a male form, but that doesn't mean they don't identify as male." He should have asked at some point. Oh dear.

Ivor looked all the more confused.

Silence tilted her head. "Shape changer?"

"Thalia shapeshifts, but only between having male parts and female parts," James said. "It's kind of confusing. I think Matt thinks it's awesome though." He nodded sagely.

Skye shook her head and frowned a little "Yeah, I'm not touching that part. It's enough to get used to shapechangers that stay one gender. Right now Thalia is stuck as a female, even though she, he, they? were a male when we first met them." She shook her head again "It's too confusing"

Ivor just looked baffled. "that is... very confusing."

Silence shook her head. "Strange."

"y... you can't do that right?" Ivor asked Silence.

Silence shook her head.

"Some magical species have some really interesting abilities," James agreed. "You just have to roll with it, eventually you get used to it." He smiled brightly at Skye. "But whatever Thalia's gender, a wedding will be a great reason to have a party!"

Ivor looked uncertain. He wasn't sure he'd ever quite just get used to all this. He hadn't yet after all.
He nodded slowly. Hytar's staff had been weird too after all.

Skye nodded than shook her head a little "Yeah, a party will be good" She looked back to Silence and Ivor and smiled gently before playing another movie, this one a wedding "This is one kind of wedding party"