Upon Vestia: Chapter Thirty-Eight

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Shane nodded agreement. "Let them sort themselves out, when they are ready, if they ever are, they can admit it publicly as Starr and Armin have done with their dating.

~~~
Danika chuckled softly and shrugged "It's just part of the game, most of the situations are made up things to give a reason for adding money to your bank." She waited for him to put the amount in then picked up the dice to roll them, using the chance to show him how they were normally rolled without saying so. She landed on the starship (train) and immediately bought it

A smile played across Kasi's face. "what good fortune!" He declared. "Yes, outcasts should support one another. " He tilted his head. "I wasn't aware you were one. My sympathies."

Shane smiled and shrugged. "I don't feel like one here with everyone, but thanks." He said before Vestia interrupted to let them know about the missing part.

"Yeah, the rescuee is okay," Vestia said. "And apparently knows you, Matt? He says his name is Kasi Shyam."

Zara blinked. The odds of meeting an acquaintance by chance in space were small. Really small.

The more time she spent here, the more she was starting to believe what the crew said: that this ship attracted weird events far beyond what was normal.

~~
"I'm not sure," Asher told Danika. "All I know is the visitor needed rescue. It's strange to come across someone so far away from anywhere, but if Starr says the visitor is safe, then I trust her judgment."

Kasi tilted his head at Vestia's voice. "Can it be replaced?" He asked cautiously.

---

Matt nodded to vestia, then paused. "wait... " That name was familiar. why was that name familiar?

Lana frowned at her father. "Who?"

Matt shook his head. "I think... we met once. I dunno, a lot has happened. I meet a lot of people." He looked to Vestia's camera. "He's not mad at me right?" Hey, a lot of people he'd met WERE mad at him. Oops.

Danika nodded then frowned a little. "Mom says we may have the visitor for a while, until the next stop." She said then shrugged a little. "We may get to meet him."

~~~
Starr listened to Vestia say the bad news about the part not being in their inventory and Kasi needing to stay till the next stop before sending the message to Danika for Asher. She was letting some others know as well, though that was for the fighters to let them know that they could relax.

Kasi nodded. He didn't seem surprised, though he did look appologetic. "I thank you for your hospitality." He bowed his head.

Starr smiled softly and dipped her head "Shall we find you a room or do you want to stay on your shuttle?" She asked curiously.

"I would be honoured to have a real bed to sleep in." Kasi bowed his head gracefully. "I have become quite fond of such luxuries since my self imposed exile." He chuckled, seeming to relax a little now.

Starr chuckled and stood, nodding. "Then let us find you a room for your stay." She said kindly

"He doesn't seem angry with you," Vestia told Matt.

"Are people often angry with you?" Zara asked with interest.

~~
"Well I suppose there's always room for visitors here," Asher said, smiling at Danika.

At that point Ellie arrived; she'd decided that she might as well come and guard the kids, just in case. She'd been told it was probably okay, but she was still concerned. She waved in greeting though.

~~
Tala, having been told by Vestia about the newcomer, decided she'd better investigate, even if the newcomer probably wasn't a threat. It was always worth knowing what was going on.

Matt looked relieved and shrugged to Zara "I have some... annoying traits" He chuckled, visibly far far more relaxed than he had been moments before.
He smiled to Lana. "having a good explore huh?"

Lana eyed him critically "you were worried" she frowned a little. "about this new person"

Matt looked sheepish "well... yeah I mean... you never can be sure with strangers right?"

she nodded "but it's ok now?"

"yeah, false alarm"

----

Kasi rose and followed Starr. He'd pause when he caught sight of Tala. How could anyone forget Tala? He smiled and waved.

Danika waved to Ellie, going over to her "Hello did you know we have a visitor?" She asked excitedly

~~~
Starr paused at Tala's approach then smiled at her. "Hello Tala, we were just going to find a room for our guest. Kasi, this is Tala, You may have met before too."

Zara looked at Matt curiously. "Annoying traits?" Hey, she liked knowing about her crewmates. It was always interesting.

~~
"I'd heard something about that," Ellie told Danika. "Weird meeting people so far out here, huh? You look excited about it," she added with a smile.

~~
Tala's nostrils flared; that scent was familiar, as was that face. Starr's introduction removed any last doubt she might have had as to the identity of Vestia's newest passenger.

She blew out a breath. "We have indeed met," she told Starr. To Kasi she added, "Greetings. I had hoped you were still safely with the Guild."

Matt shrugged. "kleptomania mainly... but my brothers i'm sure would fill you in on all the rest." he chuckled.
---

Kasi bowed his head to Tala. "ahh yes, the Guild. I remained there for a while, helped rebuild after the battle. However, it became clear that they could not provide what I was seeking out in the worlds beyond. My wanderlust perhaps got the better of me." He didn't sound as excitable as he once had, the years had mellowed him a little.
He also didn't entirely sound like he was telling the whole story there.

---

Danika nodded then shrugged "It is and it isn't. It isn't often we meet new people out here but it is kind of scary too."

~~~~
Starr tilted her head but didn't ask. It wasn't like they told the whole truth themselves and he seemed harmless enough.

"Oh," Zara said, "I can see how people might not take kindly to that." She smiled briefly.

~~
Tala was a little surprised by Kasi's response; her memory was of being irritated by him, and this time he didn't seem immediately irritating to her. It was easy to forget that ten years had passed, and he had probably changed.

She eyed him contemplatively. "And now you are out here, in neutral territory, far from anything."

~~
"True enough," Ellie told Danika. "Thankfully Vestia's pretty well defended at this point." Which didn't mean they couldn't be attacked and defeated; Vestia was still recovering from her last battle, which could easily have ended even more badly than it had. But Ellie wasn't going to say that around kids.

Kasi nodded to Tala. "indeed. Though not too far from anything. There's a small enclave I was heading toward." he gestured vaguely. "Should have taken me a few days. had my ship not failed on me."

---

Matt shrugged. "Yeah. I mean it's not like I do it intentionally... most of the time."

Lana eyed him and Matt hastily added "You shouldn't steal stuff. Unless it's from really bad people."

Danika nodded,glad she wasn't the only one who felt this way. She looked over to the other kids still playing and smiled a little. "Mom thinks it's safe, that's why she let him stay."

~~~
"I am glad we were around to help you out" Starr said gently, wondering about the enclave.

Kasi smiled "As am I. It seems good fortune smiles upon me."

"What enclave do you seek?" Tala asked Kasi, with some suspicion.

~~
Zara tried to hide her amusement, with minimal success. "Yeah, if they're really bad people, it's okay to steal from them," she agreed with Matt. "When in doubt, ask an adult."

~~
Ellie nodded. "Starr's probably right, she has a pretty good sense for these things." She considered, then asked Danika, "So how's your day going otherwise?"

Kasi smiled placidly. "A small group of fellow outcasts. I don't believe there's many out here. I've only met a handful in all these years."

---

Lana looked skeptical. "okay?" Better to just agree she decided.

Matt chuckled. "Some people have too much nice stuff." He nodded sagely. "so..." he changed the subject. "how you settling in? uh.. both of you."

"Good" Danika replied and smiled at Ellie again. "Everyone is playing well together and no one's arguing." That was what was important to her anyway

Tala eyed Kasi. "Outcasts, you say. Do you mean those of the Kevali?"

~~
Zara laughed. She'd rather not have her things stolen, but she found Matt's attitude toward the matter amusing. "I'm settling in well," she said, letting Matt change the subject. "It's different here, that's for sure. But it's nice having so much room to move, and I like the people." She looked to Lana, curious how she was liking her new home. It had to be weird, suddenly having family she'd never met before.

~~
Ellie grinned. "No arguing, huh? Is that something that happens often?" She glanced to the other dragons with interest, then back to Danika with interest. "I guess it must be chaotic for you, meeting all these kids after so long on Unity."

Kasi nodded. "And Kalvair, though we're even rarer." He shook his head. "From what I understand, usually it's scribes who get outcast and most of them are Kevali." He seemed to be relaxing a little, falling back into his old chattiness. Still, he seemed significantly more reserved than he once was.

----

Lana looked a little awkward. "it's okay." She gave a non committal answer. "big. Lots to find." It WAS wierd. Exciting, novel, different, but still awkward and uncertain. Matt may be her father, but he was still effectively a stranger to her.

Matt seemed satisfied by this though and didn't push the subject. "good." He smiled. "I swear I keep finding new places. I think you could live your whole life here and never manage to see everything." He looked up at Vestia's camera affectionately. "I'm glad we found Vestia."

Danika shrugged a little and looked to Ellie again. "Only when people want to play different things at the same time, stuff like that." She nodded then shrugged again. "It is but it's nice too, and if I want to be alone, I can be easily."

~~~
Starr and Shane glanced at one another, letting the two talk as much as they wanted to for now.

Tala's ears twitched and she huffed in thought. "And so, these outcasts are somewhere out here. I suppose there are worse places to hide than between the Terrans and the Imperium, if one desires to be left alone."

~~
Vestia subtly shifted her lights pinkish at the praise for Zara's benefit, and said "Awww," out loud for Matt's, and possibly Lana's. Come to think of it, she wasn't sure if Lana shared her father's colorblindness or not.

Zara grinned at the adjustment to the lights, and nodded in agreement with Matt. "Short of being on a planet, this is the most spacious place I've ever been."

~~
Ellie nodded sagely. "Makes sense to me. Kids are scary sometimes."

Asher, who had pulled a loop of yarn out of his pocket and was showing one of the Star Dragon kids how to make string figures with it, glanced over to Danika with a smile. "I always did like that about Vestia. Plenty of places to go if you feel like getting away for a while."

Kasi tilted his head. "hiding? I never said they were hiding." He shook his head. "there aren't many outcasts, but they try to find one another. A sort of... community... for those who have none."
He smiled softly.

---

Lana tilted her head at the lights, curious. "I didn't know you could do that." She remarked.