Upon Vestia: Chapter Thirty-Seven

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"You mentioned the possibility of using a spell to look into someone's mind. Is that part of your plan to try to communicate with Fate?" Vestia asked Jarral. She wanted to learn as much as she could here. After all, it was her job to protect her crew as well as she could.

~~
"You can paint the light switches in your room if you want," Vestia told Vela. "I trust you not to break anything."

Ellie giggled.

Ellie started teaching them all the game, which was fortunately pretty simple to learn. Other than the name, it didn't seem to have much to do with Humans. Go figure. "It's a game Humanists play sometimes," she explained, "Come to think of it, maybe the rules are top secret."
But she kept teaching them all anyway.

~~
Asher stood, and gave Kay a hesitant smile.
He wasn't actually sure whether spending time with Kay alone was a good idea or not but... it was worth a try. Probably.

Dawn nodded then shook her head "True, but that makes the bots have to clean up after us." She joked, picking a random movie. This was more like old times, joking and watching 'bad' movies together.

~~~
Danika nodded and led Jerral to the games table, picking out a board game and starting to set it up, moving the instructions to him so he could read them.

~~~
Shane listened to the rules of the game, settling in to play with the group.

Kay rose from his chair, collecting his tablet and clutching it close to his chest. He looked anxious, but that really was his default state since returning from the rift.
He shot Asher a hesitant half smile and let him lead the way.

---

Esk settled in to watch the terrible movie. It almost felt normal. Almost.

---

Jarral studied the instructions carefully, reading over them a few times as he tried to make sense of them.

---

Web tried to keep up with the game, thankfully it was a fairly simple game.

Ellie taught them all the rules pretty quickly, and soon they were playing a card game that possibly hadn't actually been created by Humans, but was easy and moderately entertaining, at least.
"Oh hey, Asher and Kay just sneaked off," Ellie said, amused. "Oh! And Dawn and Esk are gone. Suspicious."

~~
Asher led the way out of the party, and down a hallway, avoiding areas that tended to be frequented by people, even though almost everyone was still at the party.
He looked to Kay as they walked, worried by his expression. "Would you be all right with discussing our relationship?" he asked, with caution. He was starting to get the feeling that they wouldn't be able to do much until they had done that, but he also wasn't convinced that Kay would be able to do that either. Poor guy was so nervous, and had every right to be.

"Ready to pick a token?" Danika asked, looking to the pieces after having set the rest up, ready to play.

~~~
Shane would play the game with the others, having fun as he did, though he switched to soda after finishing the beer.

Web glanced up from the cards. "Good, perhaps they'll talk things through." He, much like Matt, really wanted his brother happy. He also wanted Asher happy. Asher was a good guy and waiting for someone for ten years can't have been easy.
He chuckled at Ellie "What do you think Esk and Dawn are doing that's so suspect?"

---

Kay tensed. He knew it was coming. It was a conversation they really NEEDED to have. A bit like tearing off a bandaid, it was better to get it over with. He nodded hesitantly.

---

Jarral looked at the tokens. "They all look the same." He remarked, visibly bewildered by them. He referred back to the rules.

"This one's Vestia, this one's a dragon, this one's a shoe" Danika said, laughing a little at the shoe one. It was obvious someone had added the pieces in for the various people on the ship but the shoe had to have been an original piece or perhaps from another game.

Jarral picked up the shoe and stared at it. "Why?" He was totally confused. Who made a tiny shoe shaped thing? It wasn't even to scale of the other pieces. Space ships were substantially larger than dragons or shoes.

Danika shrugged and chuckled softly. "There had to be a reason to make them, but I don't know it."

"I think Esk and Dawn are seeecretly in looove, but just haven't noticed yet," Ellie said conspiratorially. "I mean, they totally deny it if you make the mistake of asking, but I've just gotten this... vibe off them. And as you may or may not know, I'm really good at detecting romance."

Zara looked interested. "The medic and the uhh, scales guy?"

"Yeah, them! Totally in love!"

Zara considered that. She wasn't sure she saw it, but then, she'd only met the two briefly.

"Spend time around them, and you totally see it, right Shane?" Ellie said with another grin.

~~
Asher managed a smile, a weak attempt to diffuse the tension. "I've said I want to make this work, and I hope you know that's true. We're approaching this from such different places mentally though, and I may know a lot about you, but I've never been great at guessing what you're thinking. And I'm sure this is even more difficult for you. So if we can clarify things for each other, that would be good."

Shane shrugged uncertainty. "I don't know, she certainly isn't afraid to be around him but then again they did go through a lot together. Saved one another's lives before they joined us, that makes a bond of it's own like with all of us. If they have more than that, then that's good." He really wasn't sure what to think about them, he'd been trying not to use his power especially around Esk. He knew Dawn was fond of Esk, but not if it was reciprocated.

Web chuckled. "Well good for them. I hope they find a way to make it work." He smiled at Ellie. "A romance detector hmm?" He wasn't sure he believed that but who knew? Maybe it was her special power?

---

Kay nodded slowly, looking like he wanted to say something or rather, write, but hesitating. There was SO MUCH. So many fears, so much anxiety and uncertainty, so much confusion. He didn't know where to start or if admitting any of it was too much to saddle Asher with and arghhhhh.
Where to even start?

----

"This universe is a strange place..." Jarral remarked flatly, still turning the tiny shoe over in his hand. "The instructions are not very well written." He put the paper down. "Do you know what is supposed to happen?"

Danika nodded and smiled "Yeah, the pieces were different, but we had a similar game on the station." She replied and picked up the dice. "So, do you want to go first?"

Ellie nodded approvingly at Shane's assessment. "That sums it up well," she told him. "They're probably super horny for each other too, but never ever imply that to them or they will FIGURATIVELY ATTACK you."

Zara blew on her tea to cool it, trying to stifle her laughter without actually looking away. "You implied that to their faces?"

"Only a little bit," Ellie said. She nodded to Web, "Yes, I correctly predicted when Asher and Kay started dating, and Starr and Armin, and also I had some other predictions that were totally supported by facts."

~~
Asher considered for a few seconds, trying to sort out how to proceed. He was painfully aware how much control he had right now, how much Kay would put up with just to keep Asher in his life in some capacity. He needed to be careful what he said, or Kay would be even more scared to be frank with him.
"You've been trying so hard to accommodate me ever since you came back, and I'm grateful for it," he said gently. "But a relationship isn't just about one person, I'm here because I care about you too."

Web kept a straight face despite how amused he was at Ellie's assertations. "how does one figuratively attack?" He asked politely.

---

Kay nodded slowly. He looked thoughtful, finding somewhere to sit so he could write. [Ten years is a long time, it would be different if it was both of us but it isn't. ] It was like starting all over again for him, and it was painful.

---

Jarral studied the dice, turning it over. The only games he'd ever seen played involved cards. "The instructions say to roll this. It does not look like it will roll well."

Shane chuckled, playing his turn then sitting back. "She does take more notice of such than some do, that's for sure."

~~~
"It doesn't, but that's so they don't roll too far away...or that's what I heard once." Danika replied with a smile.

"Esk glares at you and tells you you're wrong, and Dawn doesn't glare because she doesn't show emotions, but she tells you you're wrong too, and it feels like an attack even though it isn't literally one," Ellie explained. "And then they make excuses about how they can't touch each other, as if that ever stopped anyone from having feelings," she added.
She nodded at Shane's words, "Thanks, Cutie! I'm glad you have faith in me."

~~
Asher sat down in a nearby seat so he wasn't ominously hovering over Kay. He nodded. "I think I might know what you mean. You don't know who I am any more, but I have a fairly clear idea of who you are. So you have to get to know me again, but I won't have to go through that. It must feel pretty unbalanced to you too."
There was more to it than that, Asher was pretty sure, but he'd rather Kay put it into words instead of him speculating.

Jarral frowned and dropped the dice, which landed with a thunk on the table and didn't roll.

---

Web chuckled. "Glaring sounds about right for him. He's good at glaring. " he shook his head. "Can't be easy not being able to touch. I mean if they really do have feelings for one another..." He shrugged. He didn't want to assume or get involved in his brother's romantic life. He didn't think it was much his business.

---

Kay nodded, chewing his lip awkwardly. [You really waited all this time for me?] He asked. That can't have been easy, ten years not knowing if they were alive or dead, not knowing if you could or should move on. He felt a stab of guilt, even though it wasn't really his fault. [I'm so sorry.] His eyes glistened with tears but he wiped his face on his sleeve and composed himself.

"That is one way to do it." Danika said with a soft chuckle. The rules never did say how to roll the dice after all, and she knew he wasn't trying to cheat by rolling a certain number, so it didn't really matter. "Now you move your token"

~~~
"Maybe that's why they deny it, better to convince yourself you don't have feelings than to confront that a relationship is unattainable?" Shane asked, glancing from Ellie to Web then back again.

"Maybe that's it," Ellie agreed. "Poor Esk and Dawn, having all these feelings and feeling like they have to ignore them completely, can't be easy."

"Why can't they touch?" Zara asked.

"Esk has magic that makes him drain the life out of things if he touches them," Ellie said with enthusiasm. She didn't like being near Esk, but she didn't mind telling other people about his creepy magic.

Zara looked doubtful, but nodded.

~~
Asher smiled sadly. "I couldn't give up on you, not while the dragons could sense Starr out there. I had to believe that you and the others would find a way home."
"It's not your fault, none of this is," he added, knowing it probably wouldn't help Kay's grief, but saying it anyway. "And I'm glad I waited for you. Waiting for you to come back was far better than letting our story end like that."

Web frowned a little at Ellie's enthusiasm. "Physical contact isn't essential to relationships though. Some people manage fine without sex or holding hands..." He shrugged. He wasn't exactly great with relationships himself, so what'd he know?
"Maybe they'll make it work."

---

Kay looked at the floor, swallowing hard. Asher always had a way with words didn't he? [So what do we do now?] How did you start again?

----

Jarral had apparently selected the boot, not by making any decision about it, simply because it was the piece he'd picked up to examine. He looked at the dice. "the dots represent numbers yes?" He clarified.

Danika nodded. "Yes, you move as many spaces as there are dots then if you land on one of the pick a card places, you pick that type of card or buy the property from the 'bank' machine."

~~~
"True, I do hope they can work things out." Shane agreed. It might be possible, but he certainly prefered touching to not even being able to hold hands.

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, physical contact is optional in relationships for a lot of people, but try telling them that. They're very certain it's non-optional."

"I guess it can't be fun having other people tell you what your relationships could be like," Zara suggested. "Maybe they want to sort it out in their own time. Or maybe they really are friends."

~~
"I'm still not certain about that part," Asher said, a hint of sheepishness in his tone. He was good at putting on his more confident persona, but the truth was that even when he managed that, there was a lot of wild guessing going on.
"This isn't really my realm of experience. You can ask me questions if you want to. I might have questions for you too. And we could go somewhere less public than this hallway?"

Web shrugged. "whatever the case, lets just hope they're happy."

---

Kay glanced up and down the hall and nodded slowly. [We lost a lot in the attack. It's still sort of wierd being on a new floor in new rooms. ] He managed a weak smile. [The medical room definitely needs new signs.]

---

Jarral obediently moved the boot three spaces and did as he was told. Taking a card and reading it carefully. "It claims I won second prize in a beauty contest." he told her, looking bewildered. "What is a beauty contest and when did I enter one?"