Venus: The First Meeting

Tahlia sprinted through the open field. Well, it wasn't exactly open. The field was devoid of anything but the lifeless ground, but the visible gases in the air caused the area to seem as crowded as ever. The atmosphere was filled with these gases, though, so it wasn't any different to the girl. She kept going as she left the field, dodging this and that obstacles. Nothing fazed her, Tahlia was set on one thing.

As she ran, the Venan's eyes flickered slightly, finally catching sight of what she was chasing. She slipped her staff from between its band and her back, and aimed the point carefully, gauging the distance. Tahlia increased her speed slightly, and, after waiting another few seconds, pounced. With the top part of her staff, the young woman made quick work of her prey: a small animal, similar to a rabbit. The mutated animal's life quickly left its body, and Tahlia picked up what remained of it, weighing the carcass.

"I'd say that was a good kill. This one feels pretty heavy, must've eaten well." A feline, about the size of a serval, slunk to Tahlia's legs, eyeing the Venan's victim hungrily. "Don't worry, Arif," Tahlia comforted her companion, "there's enough for the two of us."

Tahlia quickly made a fire in a small concave that would protect her from any windstorms that might spring up. She cooked the meat, ate heartily, and napped soundly, with the feline resting at her feet. The day was a successful one.

As Tahlia was nearing consciousness, though, the beginnings of a windstorm jolted her out of her nap. What she had hoped was solid stone protecting the two of them ended up being as weak as a sand. The biting wind snapped at the fire, snuffing it out, and practically blew Tahlia off of the face of the planet. She held fast, though, and grabbed Arif, allowing the cat to cling to her shoulders. The Venan ran with the wind, using it to speed them up. She multi-coloured gases swirling around them caused Tahlia to become disoriented, though, and the two of them tumbled along the ground, becoming utterly lost, and completely vulnerable to the vicious weather.

((So sorry this took so long. I haven't had my laptop all day, b/c my dad was trying to 'fix it', but I think he made it worse, b/c now it's working really, really, REALLY slowly, and sometimes just freezing on me. >.< ))

((It's okay dear. No worries. Now I have to come up with something to write... xD))


Endre had had a long day. It wasn't as if long days weren't the norm at this point, but still, he couldn't help but feel tired. He'd worked with the hired crew, finishing up the necessary final details on the ship he was about to use to blow this joint. And by this joint, he meant the planet of Venus in general. He hated it here. He hated this place not only for its harsh environment and low quality of life, but also for the memories it held.

Endre had been a shepherd, in his old life, though you might wonder what livestock lifeforms could possibly survive here in such a harsh environment, where the air was thick and often putrid. But, in fact, the planet had an abundance of life. From its animals to the people who lived there. What people could be found were lean, often fierce, loners. It was very rare to find a family group of more than three on the planet, and even finding family groups at all was a low chance. There were only certain locations where you'd ever find a group of people large enough to be noteworthy, and that was at the trading posts, where patrons were often standoffish and harsh, cooperative in the least amount necessary and still get what they wanted. Endre had, in fact, just left one such area.

The crew he'd hired was not consisted of Venans, but of some other species Endre didn't recognize. They had to wear protective gear on the surface, as they weren't quite as adaptable to change as Venans were. He'd hired them to help him finish repairing a ship. He'd bought said ship from some men who were here selling spare parts, offering the small transport as a piece to be scrapped; Endre paid them more for it as a whole than they could've gained from the pieces before setting to work on repairing it even though everyone else believed that it would never fly again.

That was six months ago. And today, it had all come to its conclusion. The ship was finished, and Endre could finally, finally get off this godforsaken hellhole.

He was returning to his small, temporary home to retrieve his few belongings when the windstorm hit. He was nowhere near any legitimate cover. However, this situation was not unfamiliar to him and he was very practiced in dealing with it.

Almost as soon as the gusts began, Endre yanked his staff from his belt. It wouldn't have looked like a staff at first glance, merely a small baton, but in moments Endre had pressed the release and swung it out in a wide arc, letting it expand and snap into a very steady place at its full length. He hefted it up with one hand until his palm was above his head and the staff was still pointed towards the ground, then snatched the bottom of the staff, triggering another release and a blade to slip down out of the bottom.

He plunged the long spike into the ground with all of his weight and strength (which was fairly considerable), and managed to wedge it down far enough to be steady and hold most of his weight. As the gusty, dust-filled blasts increased, Endre relied more and more on his staff to hold him steady. He clutched to it tightly, wrapping his feet around the base once the wind became strong enough to knock him off its feet. He knew the storm should pass relatively quickly, as most did on Venus, so he figured waiting it out wouldn't hurt.

After all, this would probably be the last windstorm he ever had to endure. After tonight, he'd be gone.


((So I figure you can, like, have her see him or something? Maybe crash into him? Idk.))

Tahlia continued running along, blinking her eyes multiple times as they finally altered to tolerate the dust and wind, and her density increasing to ground her more. Even with her eyesight enhanced, though, the dust was still too thick to see very far. By the time we find cover, this damn windstorm will be over.

Arif yowled behind the Venan, and Tahlia shushed her impatiently, her mouth catching a fair amount of dust. She coughed and hack sharply, expelling the irritation. Distracted, she ended up losing her footing, and slipped on the bare soil. The wind increased immensely, snatching Tahlia off the ground, despite her increased weight. She yelped in surprise, and began clawing at the ground. Yes, they definitely needed to find some cover, or something to grab onto, anything.

Tahlia desperately began grabbing around, hoping there would be something solid for her to grip. Her right hand brushed something, and the Venan immediately snatched the lifeline. It was a cloth of sorts, and cloth rips. So Tahlia began pulling herself forward, knowing that the cloth had to be tied to something more secure. She finally got a good grip on whatever it was, and pulled her feet to the ground. This was her last chance, she needed to hold on for all she was worth, or else it would be curtains for both herself and Arif.

The Venan clung for her life.

((Also, it doesn't say, but I was figuring she caught a sleeve, and now is holding one of his arms))

Endre grunted in surprise and not necessarily from the added weight when something snagged on his sleeve and then proceeded to latch itself to his arm, though he couldn't even hear the noise himself over the roaring of the wind. He frowned, almost losing his grip on his staff with that arm but managing to keep it steady, and tried to get a look at whatever had decided he was a good thing to grab onto for the duration of the gusts.

And what he saw, just barely through the dust, was a girl. A girl and... some kind of creature that he could hear rather than quite make out through the debris. Deciding quickly that it wouldn't hurt for him to lend her a hand--or rather, an arm--he didn't shake her off. He supposed that many would have, being the somewhat hostile creatures that most Venans tended to be, but... he was a bit predisposed to helping others.

So instead of shaking her off to tumble about in the storm and likely die, he wrapped the arm she was holding onto firmly around his staff and reached out with the other. His hand grasped her opposite shoulder and pulled her closer, guiding her hand to his staff so she could more easily hold on. He didn't try to speak, he knew the wind was much too loud for that--it had increased in intensity--only moved his arm to wrap around the girl's waist and hold onto the pole again with that hand.

It might have been an awkward position for the girl, considering they were strangers, but Endre hazarded the guess that she would rather be wrapped up in some strange man's arms than still blowing about haphazardly in the wind. However, it did mean an unpleasant facefull of fur for Endre, and he had to wrangle the creature around until it became situated in a way that was comfortable for everyone involved. Endre chuckled a little to himself.

Tahlia did not expect her lifeline to be alive. As she felt the object around her arms move slightly, she twitched away. Not too far away that she would be pulled off, though; Tahlia's instincts refused that. The object--no, the person began shifting slowly, keeping their arm around the staff that was keeping them grounded, and pivoting to reach over with their other arm.

The stranger slipped their free arm around Tahlia's waist, pulling her down more with both of their weight. This situation was much too risky for the Venan, but she convinced herself to stay; besides, what murderer would help Tahlia? Letting her go would be a more effortless way to kill her. Unless...the stranger was some twisted criminal that wanted to inflict the pain themselves? No. Tahlia needed to keep repeating it in her mind: this stranger is helping, this stranger is helping.

The mantra wasn't exactly helping much, so Tahlia squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to stay calm. She could always bolt as soon as the wind died down...unless the criminal recovered before Tahlia did...

This stranger is helping, this stranger is helping,

this stranger is helping,

this stranger is helping.

And just like that, the windstorm ceased as abruptly as it had begun.

It was a few moments before Endre let go of the girl. As the dust settled he was able to better see her, and he smiled. He couldn't help himself. The way she had her eyes squeezed shut and her arms clenched so tightly around the staff was so characteristically Venan. And in a way, it endeared the girl to him.

But after a moment, his arms (almost reluctantly) unwrapped themselves from around her, and he stepped back slightly with a sideways grin on his face. He didn't say anything, somewhat in fear of scaring the girl off. He just waited for her reaction. Part of him expected her to bolt off immediately, because that was how Venans were, skittish. He wasn't sure what he would do if she did that. He might just let her leave; pulling her back would probably only serve to terrify her. Maybe she wouldn't do that though. Who knew?

Nonetheless, he stepped back to a reasonable distance, leaving his staff wedged into the ground where she clutched it still, and waited for whatever the girl's reaction would be.

Tahlia felt the wind die around her, and the person moving from under her, but she didn't open her eyes. She hadn't reacted in time, the windstorm had come and gone before she could bolt. Now the could-be criminal was most likely looming over her, preparing their knives, or guns, or poisons, or whatever it is murderers use. So, the Venan kept her eyes clenched shut.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Yet nothing happened. A good minute or two passed before Tahlia began to realize she wasn't going to be killed. Maybe the person that saved her had already left. No, Tahlia was still gripping their staff, there's no way a Venan would leave their staff behind.

So, slowly, carefully, Tahlia opened her eyes to look around, the deep magenta immediately locating the other. He....looked harmless enough? If anything, he seemed like a shepherd. Plus, the lopsided grin plastered to his face didn't really emanate "Murderer." So, she unwrapped herself from the staff that was obviously his, and awkwardly stood facing him, Arif mewing on her back. Tahlia raised a hand, almost like she was going to wave, but instead, it sort of hung there in the air as she blinked up at him nervously.

"Uhm...hello."

Endre's grin spread wider, "Hi there. Quite the tumble you took, huh?" He chuckled a little. He had the slight drawl to his voice of the southern end of the planet, the kind of voice that someone who spent time around other Venans had, possibly picked up at trading posts, possibly from a family if he had one. His eyes were more red than hers, and the crinkled at the edges when he smiled.

"Are you alright? No injuries from getting swept around out there? My name's Endre. Endre Vazio. It's nice to meet you." He extended his hand--not too quickly so as to prevent scaring her--towards her for a greeting. "And who might you be?"

Tahlia hugged herself, her skin crawling slightly. Though, it wasn't in a bad way, exactly. It had been a long time since she'd encountered anyone else in her travels, and the last time had...unsavory results. Thieves. Murderers. Criminals. This time, though, the stranger was being kind to her. Making her skin crawl.

Tahlia reached forward uncertainly, shaking the hand with her small one. "I go by Tahlia....Blye." Blye was her last name, wasn't it? It had been so long since she'd thought of it, she was unsure. No, Blye was correct, that was her name: Tahlia Blye. "I'm...well..sorry about...mistaking you for a handhold. That windstorm caught me off guard. I'm all right, though, nothing I can't handle." Where were her manners? "...Thank you, though, for asking."

Endre smiled a little. She hadn't bolted, like he'd expected, and now he was glad. The girl, Tahlia, seemed sweet--but it was the bittersweetness of any Venan: the harsh way of life, harsh people, harsh environment... everything tended to make most Venans tough and generally untrusting. Endre could certainly relate. But since he was already on his way off this planet, he was feeling a little less irritated with its inhabitants and decided to continue his generosity.

"It's quite alright. I was glad to help out."

He simultaneously stepped a little closer to Tahlia, but on the other side of his staff; he kicked the anchor's release and it slid up and back into the bottom of the staff, leaving a nice, uniform hole in the ground which he knew would be filled up almost immediately with Venan dust.

It was why all the animals of Venus were burrowers; all of their dens were underground and usually covered with rocks to keep the dust and storms out. That was also why Venans typically didn't have a lot of trouble finding food; if they looked under all the rocks they were sure to find one animal den or another.

Endre clamped his hand down on the other release, which caused the staff to retract back to its compact size, and slid it smoothly back into his belt.

"Now, were you headed anywhere in particular when the storm hit? Need anything?"

Tahlia scuffed her right shoe on the ground, attempting to seem nonchalant. "Oh, no, I'm never headed anywhere specifically. I go wherever each day takes me. But it usually doesn't lead me to other groups of people." She swayed from side to side, the energy from her former terror still buzzing in her body. Plus, well, it was awkward to just stand in place for her, anyway. "I was actually setting up camp before the storm arrived, so if you see a fire in the distance, it's probably me. I won't stay so close as to disturb you, though, don't worry." Tahlia grimaced slightly, knowing that she usually was considered a burden to others, no matter how much she tried to help.

((If it's too OOC for him to suggest her staying nearby, or w/e, that's all right, there's other alternate routes to take, story-wise))

Endre frowned slightly. "Stay as close as you like, Tahlia. I won't be around for long, I'm only retrieving a few of my belongings from a small shack where I've been staying, then..." he trailed off, looking distant, before shaking his head and returning to reality, "Then I'm headed off. Away. Off of this planet. It doesn't have much left to offer me, to tell the truth. I've always wanted to go abroad, see new places..." He was imagining the pictures he'd seen of other planets, tropical planets with lovely blue waters, looking so welcoming, or planets with great forests, and plenty of life... not life like on Venus. Easier life. Life that didn't have to fight for survival every single day of its existence. That was where Endre was going.

"Anyways, like I said. Feel free to stick around." Now, reminded of his goal, Endre regained some of that drive to keep moving.


((I guess she could ask him about where he's going, how he's leaving, and then stick around outside, then when he starts the trek back towards where his ship is, at the market, she could ask to go with him? Idk. Whatever works.))

Tahlia's eyes widened. Off the planet? Actually leaving? She'd never known anyone that could do that. "You can just do that? Leave? To see planets, galaxies...stars?" She fiddled with the star charms hanging from her staff and looked up at the cloudy sky. How long had it been since she'd seen that star? She had been much to young to remember what it had looked like, but the feeling she'd had at that moment had melded itself into her being, and and now she had a star-shaped staff, star charms, even star earrings. At least, she hoped they were shaped like stars; she'd had to listen to other people she'd met describe them, but whether they were correct or not, everything she had reminded her of the imaginary outside world.

"How are you managing to leave the planet, though? Only merchants have transports as far as I know." She tilted her head in thought, her magenta eyes blinking.

Endre's red eyes softened in return. "I built a ship. Well, repaired. It was one of the old transports that had been abandoned because they thought it broken. I found it, and was able to determine that most of the internal systems were still very operational. So... I hired some guys, and fixed it up. Works just fine, now, and it's my ticket to anywhere other than here. I've only heard about it, you know, the things that exist out there... they sound beautiful. Wonderful. And that's where I'm going. I bet a man could lose himself out there... and that sounds pretty nice." He trailed off into silence, looking up towards the sky, before shaking himself out of his reverie yet again and smiling at Tahlia warmly.

"Anyhow, I should get going. The sooner I can get out of here, the better." He turned away, heading towards the barely-visible shack, not too far away, nestled against a large cliff face to shield it from the powerful and destructive winds.

Tahlia shook her head in disbelief. What luck this man had! Just finding a ship and being able to fix it. This could be her chance to escape, to go see that star again. What she had heard from others were that there were more of them, stars all over the sky, and Tahlia wanted to see this for herself.

But no. She couldn't just ask Endre to take her with him. Tahlia didn't even know if she could trust him enough to be on a ship with him, and he probably didn't trust her enough, either. Arif hopped down off of Tahlia's back and took a few steps toward Endre, who was gradually shrinking into the background the further away he got. "No, Arif. We're not going to follow him, that's rude and untrustworthy! I know you want off of here as much as me, but stalking him isn't going to convince him he should take us." The feline mewed back at the white-haired girl, and took another few steps, then broke into a run. Tahlia reacted quickly enough, but Arif was built for speed, she was a Venan.

The two ran in the direction of Endre's shack, Tahlia trying to stay quiet and Arif always silent. They were starting to get too close to Endre, he'd be bound to notice them following him. Tahlia kicked it into high gear and finally started catching up with the cat. She just managed to scoop the feline up just as the two of them most likely entered Endre's sense range. He had to know the two of them were there. Endre didn't turn, though, so Tahlia creased her eyebrows together; maybe she had calculated the distance incorrectly. Either way, though, they were lucky.

"Don't you even think about trying to force me into this." Tahlia scolded her companion as she lifted her onto her shoulders. "I told you, stalking him isn't the answer." Tahlia was close enough now to see the shack more clearly and Endre entering the tiny home. Well, now they were safe for sure. She continued to stare at the building, her eyes slowly narrowing.

So maybe following Endre to this ship of his was what Tahlia wanted to do. There was no way she was going to admit that to the cat, though.

Endre quickly round up his meager possessions from the small building, which primarily consisted of a small trunk's worth of spare clothing, some rations he'd bought from the market for use while working on his ship when he didn't have time to hunt, and a small dark box, containing the last pieces of his family, and of the last remnants of his old life, the only life he'd ever known. Inside were a few scraps of paper, some with small, basic drawings on them, some with beautiful images carefully sketched and shaded. There was also a lock of raven-black hair, bound by a delicate, fraying silver-blue ribbon. And a pendant. The pendant in the box was the one he'd made for her, his red and dusty, dark silver, aged and fragile. He still wore its match around his neck, her deep blue, like the wide and welcoming oceans he'd only seen pictures of. It still sat snug around his neck, over his heart, close like the memories of her.

Endre smiled slightly but it was a smile of pain as well as happiness of the memories. He gently shut the lid of the box, adding it carefully to his satchel. He bundled up the sheets and the quilt from the threadbare mattress, but left the mattress there for the next Venan who happened to find it when in need of a place to stay.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he felt around, making sure he had his knives, and then opened the door, stepping back into the Venan sand and looking up at the eternally cloudy sky, ready to face whatever life was about to find him beyond the dark sky of Venus. As he headed towards the market once more, he made out the vague shape of a person he assumed to be Tahlia, and waved at her before continuing.

Tahlia tried to find a place to hide before Endre came back out, but there was absolutely nothing around, not even rocks. As soon as she decided to run far enough away that Endre couldn't see him, the man walked out of his shack. Tahlia froze, hoping he wouldn't notice her, but nope, she noticed him waving a hand at her, then walking off.

Great.

Well, no point in sneaking around. Tahlia began jogging up to Endre, making sure she was loud enough that he realized it was her. Before reaching his side, Tahlia slowed and called ahead. "Sorry about following you, I'm just sort of curious about this ship of yours. And possibly a little skeptical." She was possibly too far off to do it noticeably, but she rose an eyebrow, almost teasingly, nonetheless.

Endre smiled to himself and slowed to a stop, turning back towards the girl. She was turning out to be something much different than what she'd originally appeared to be; most Venans wouldn't follow anyone no matter how much they were curious about anything. He grinned at her raised eyebrow--his vision was very good--and called back, "No problem! You can come along and see it if you'd like. It's nothing much, just a beat up transport..." He said it, but he knew it was very far from "nothing much." He knew how lucky he was to have chanced upon the ship. He knew that things like that hardly ever happen.

In all honesty, it had been a miracle, and a miracle had been exactly what Endre had needed. As Tahlia followed Endre back to the market and to his ship, Endre watched her carefully; he could see a thinly veiled excitement, which he could only imagine was excitement at the prospect of someone being able to get off of Venus. He wondered if she was thinking it meant that if he could do it, so could she. But then something occurred to him; if she expressed interest in it, he could offer to take her with him.

Endre thought she was probably a bit too timid for that, and knew she might never ask to go with him, but if he offered she might be a little more amiable to accepting. Who knew. What Endre knew was that he didn't think it would be a bad thing to have a travelling companion. It had been far too long since he'd gotten to know someone, really gotten to know someone. He had tended to distance himself from people after what had happened. But for some reason, this girl, Tahlia, made him want to get to know her. Want to talk to her, to learn more about her. Maybe even be close to her. And wasn't that an interesting prospect.

Soon enough, after a mostly quiet walk, they arrived at the edge of the market. No one was around; he had placed the ship far enough away from the main activities that it wouldn't be disturbed. He smiled a bit triumphantly as Tahlia eyed it with wonder.

"Definitely not a beauty, but more than most Venans will ever have the chance to ride in." The plating was rusted but mostly intact, the places where it had been patched stood out due to the different colors of metal and paint, but Endre already knew they should hold. He strode proudly to the door, unlocking the ship's door with a swipe of a card which was attached to a cord around his wrist. The door slid open, revealing the much sleeker, less damaged and well-lit interior. It was not a large ship, only designed to be flown by a couple of people, but its cargo bay was big enough. Endre had converted the space into a living space of sorts, with a bed nailed down to the floor and a couple of storage units as well--including one refrigeration unit. The bed was big, bigger than any he'd used on the surface since the incident. It made him feel a little homesick, but he knew there was no home to go home to.

He poked his head back out to where Tahlia was still staring in awe, and said, "Hey, wanna take a look inside?"

Tahlia silently sighed, relieved she hadn't screwed things up. "Great!" She sped up to catch up a little more with him, and the two walked to the market.

She'd never been to a market before, but it seemed pretty dead compared to the stories others told her about them. Maybe they were just too far from the busy streets, or something. As soone as they turned a corner, Tahlia's mind went blank. There was the ship, in all it's glory. It had obviously been mistreated, and quite likely on its last leg, but if Endre had put as much work into it as he suggested, it would be fine. She stepped forward a few more steps, her eyes growing wider and barely noticed Endre walking to the entrance, at least, until he asks if she'd like to look inside.

"Of course I do!" Tahlia quickly worked her way over to the ship and peered in. It was small, but cozy, especially for an old beat up ship. "Wow. It's amazing." She noticed that there was only one bed, though. "Are you actually leaving alone? Out into the universe, all by yourself?" Tahlia couldn't imagine it, she'd always had Arif with her. Being alone made her realize just how bad she had it off, if someone was there to distract her, she managed to forget her hardships. Tahlia couldn't fathom how Endre did it.

"Well... yeah." Endre shrugged, sighing. He turned his face away from Tahlia briefly, to compose himself against the pain that had flashed on his face. With strain in his voice, he said, "It wasn't always this way. I wasn't always alone, I mean. I used to travel with two other people. But something happened, and... they died. I tried to stop it, but..." he trailed off somewhat uncomfortably, and then said, "But you probably don't care about any of that."

Endre slung his satchel down off his shoulder, moving to one of the storage compartments and carefully placing his clothing and the small box inside, as well as placing his rations in the refrigeration unit. He turned around once, looking at what would be his new--if temporary--home.

"It has basic warp capabilities, including interdimensional warp. That means we can go to other dimensions too, and not just other stars." He moved to the front of the ship, to the cockpit, picking up a star map of the area. Oddly, he noticed that he had said "we," and wondering if Tahlia had noticed. He continued, "There are a couple of stars with life-sustaining planets nearby. I think that's where I'm headed first. Just to see them. And if I don't like them, I'll go to another one." He smiled happily, so glad that his new dream was about to come true, really come true.

"Once I'm off this planet... anything is possible."

{For ZYRIAAAAAAAA:}


Tahlia stood in the entrance of the ship, leaning inside, but not technically intruding. Her brows knit together as he explained why he was now alone, and opened her mouth to say something, yet nothing came out, and Endre began talking about the ship, changing the subject.

Wait one second, did he say 'we'? No, he couldn't have, I'm just getting desperate for the ride.

She looked around as he described his plan, and all Tahlia could do was blink, speechless. Other planets? Sure, she knew there were other planets out there, but never any descriptions, and the way Endre spoke about them, they had to be good. "...I never knew there could be so much freedom out in the universe. -sigh- It's always seemed like the world I'd never reach, the beyond that could only be spoken of, not seen. It must have been some lucky break to get this ship working again." Tahlia leaned against the doorway, a faint smile on her face as she thought about the idea of being free of the planet, free of the starvation, around other people, no longer alone (with the exception of Arif, of course).

It was painful to think about it, about something she couldn't ever have, but now, with this man standing before her, there was a chance she could escape, once and for all. So she took the pain of thinking of it, at least for the moment, because right now, it was worth it.

Endre watched Tahlia for a long moment, looking at the small smile on her face, knowing that she was imagining what was out there just like he was. Or maybe, not even what was out there, but the feeling of freedom that would come with leaving the planet. The very freedom Endre was chasing. He watched that little smile on her face and realized it looked good there, on the face of someone who probably rarely smiled. Her words rang out in his memory, Always smile, because we've got nothing if we don't have the ability to smile.

Endre decided he wanted to give Tahlia a reason to smile.

"So... I was planning on travelling alone, but... would you like to come with me?" He paused a little, smiling and looking down briefly, "I'm sure there's room for both of us, and honestly... I'd like to have a travelling companion. You could come with me... we could see the stars together." He watched her face carefully for a reaction, smiling a little bashfully.

{For Zyriaaaaaaaa again:}


Tahlia snapped out of her thoughtful trance as Endre spoke, and her jaw literally dropped. Well, it fell slightly. As much as she had been hoping for the chance, Tahlia was realistic, it had been quite likely that he would have merely left her behind, so she really was surprised when he suggested she go with him.

Her magenta eyes looked down as she thought it over. At least, pretended to think it over. Her mind was just happy that she could be free finally, but she was honestly touched that someone trusted her enough to ask her to come along. She knew that she'd be going with him, Tahlia had to see the stars again, but a rational Venan would weigh the pros and cons, so she waited a moment before answering.

"Yes. Yes, of course. I...I..thank you." Her small smile had relaxed in disbelief at first, then grew into a wide, beaming grin, making her eyes shine. She was going to make sure that she wouldn't get in the way, that she'd be helpful, not a burden. Tahlia was going to owe this man so much, she couldn't begin to fathom how she'd repay him.

Endre's face lit with a grin that was nearly rival to Tahlia's own as he said, "Great. I guess you'll be anxious to get going then, huh?" His tone was joking, but he did realize there were a few things that might need to be done to accommodate another person living on the ship. They would need more rations, which could be bought rather quickly from the market, but there was also the question of a second bed... the bed he had was large enough to fit two people comfortably, but Endre thought that Tahlia might be made quite uncomfortable should they be forced to share a bed. But then again, it would take a while to install another one.

He decided this could be dealt with after rations were bought, so he turned to Tahlia and said, "Well, I suppose we'll need some more food then; I only bought enough for myself, so we might want to go into the market and buy some more before we leave. I have some money leftover from selling most of my possessions in order to afford the repairs to the ship, so we should have enough for some extra rations for you. C'mon, let's go buy them." He smiled, exiting as Tahlia ducked out of the ship, then closed the door and locked it behind them with the electronic key card.

Tahlia nodded, and then her eyes lit up. "Oh, I do have some money, if you'd like to use it for for the supplies." She reached into her satchel and pulled out a handful of Venan currency. It looked very old, yet untouched other than that. "I haven't been to a market before, but I would nab some money from thieves whenever they would try to rob me. It sort of helped keep other criminals off my back. I never use it, though, so you can have it." She handed it over, not allowing Endre to refuse. Having him buy food for her wouldn't only make it harder for him, but Tahlia would edge closer to the 'burden' side of the balance, and she couldn't have that.

The two of them walked along for a few minutes, and Tahlia was thinking about something. There had only been one bed on the ship, hadn't there? Well, how was that going to work? There may or may not be room for a second bed, but she doesn't want time and money spent on that. Besides, Tahlia had never slept in a bed before, so why start now? It would definitely make things easier if she just stayed on the floor. "Uhm, about the bed..." Well, that wasn't an awkward way to start a sentence. Tahlia forced the rest out before Endre wondered where she was going with the subject. "I've never slept in a bed before, so I really would be fine on the floor, or a counter, maybe even a chair, though I've never slept in a chair, either. I don't know what you're planning for it, but I figured I could tell you I can sleep anywhere in case that made things easier." Man, it's a good thing Endre had already offered to take her with him, because now she was starting to sound like a rambling fool.