I spent a while trying to get to sleep, but I just couldn't manage it. The rhythm of Minna's breathing was very relaxing, especially after all the months of fitful sleep, and I was drowsy, but...
I had slept too well the night before. Even with the exercise I had gotten in the afternoon, I just wasn't sleepy.
And despite my best efforts to not to worry, I kept thinking about what might happen if I had messed up the image to Minna. If I had somehow given away to her that I was smart. Just lying there and staring out into the darkness wasn't doing much for my mood, even with the calming rhythm of Minna's breathing.
There wouldn't be anything to actually do in the small room, but I carefully slipped off the blanket anyway. I thought about peeking through Minna's luggage - maybe she had a few treats inside it that she hadn't secured well enough - but to my surprise I noticed that the door to the room had been left open a crack.
Maybe my scratching at it the other day had caused Minna to leave it open? Or maybe she had just forgotten to close it all the way? The Kymari were usually very deliberate and careful about anything they did, but... Minna was still young for a Kymari. I knew better than anybody that she could miss things.
Either way, the door was open. I slipped through it and silently flew through the hallways.
The rooms were all silent. Eerily silent. I still didn't have access to any other parts of the house, so I headed to the living room. It had those nice windows, and if nothing else I could just watch the stars for a little until I felt sleepy.
The curtains had been closed over the blinds, but that wasn't a problem. I slipped underneath them and perched on the windowsill to look outside.
It was dark outside... but the sky was bright with stars. And there were still fireflies dancing in the yard. I settled down and watched the twinkling lights beyond me.
I heard footsteps in the room behind me, followed by somebody settling down on the couch. I peeked my head through the curtain and found Terron on the couch. He seemed tired.
It reminded me a bit of Minna. Though... she hadn't seemed nearly as tired in the mornings lately. I wondered if that meant she was getting better sleep.
Terron yawned, then leaned forward to grab the remote device from the coffee table. He fumbled with it for a bit until a 'click' sounded through the room. Terron started to speak, yawned instead, and then tried again. "Dad?"
"Terron, do you mind telling me what is going on?" An older-sounding Kymari voice seemed to come from the screen at the far end of the room. I peeked towards it, but the screen was dark. Whatever was happening, it was audio only.
"Good morning dad. You know there is a seven hour time difference between us, right?"
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"
"Yes. It's okay though. Loreena and Lyzel are still asleep. I think Minna is too."
"She is staying with you?"
"Just for now. She's looking for a house; it should only be a day or two."
"Why is she staying with you?'' The Kymari on the other end - Terron's dad, meaning he was Minna's dad too - sounded angry.
"Because she got kicked out of all the apartments because of complaints from the neighbors, and I was pretty sure the one she had been staying in wouldn't let her extend her stay again."
"No, why is she still there at all! She was supposed to be on her way back!"
Terron groaned. "I thought she talked to you about this."
"She sent me a recorded message, but that was it. She says she's going to stay? With that... what was it she called that thing? The animal she's been taking care of?"
"Fire lizard." Terron sighed and brought a hand up to his head. "Of course she just sent you a message. I told her to talk to you..."
"Well, she didn't. Your mother is furious. What is going on?"
Terron sighed again. "Minna rescued an injured fire lizard, and it has become attached to her. They are extremely useful creatures, and there are only a handful in captivity, so any that can be tamed are -"
"I know about them; she told me a little, and your mother has been digging up information on them. They hunt and kill sicora, of all things, and one of them even killed a Kymari! How could you let her anywhere near this thing in the first place?"
"It's not like that. That was an extremely specific case; that Kymari was attacking the fire lizard and another Kymari. The fire lizard was just defending itself and the Kymari it had grown attached to. And they do track down sicora, but other than that one instance there haven't been any cases of Kymari being attacked by the creatures. Minna is actually safer with her fire lizard around her than she was before."
"She's starting a new job as a guard! A shuttle pilot was dangerous enough, but a guard? She'll be putting herself in danger by actually looking for sicora! Sicora, of all things!"
"Yes, looking for them. I went on a patrol with one of the bond handlers." I perked my ear tufts at that. That was news to me - apparently Terron had done a lot more looking into what Minna would be getting into than we thought. Never underestimate the protective lengths a big brother will go to for his little sister, I guess, even among aliens.
Terron continued on. "They have more protection on their inspections than most Elders have. Their job is just to guide the fire lizard through the ship and find any crawlers or sicora. And if they do find one, they get to safety with the fire lizard while the team of guards goes in to kill it. The life of the fire lizard - and by extension, of the fire lizard's handler - is too important to risk. They aren't even allowed into zero-gravity compartments. Minna will be completely safe."
"There is no such thing as 'completely safe' when you are dealing with a sicora, and I will not have my daughter anywhere near one! And what is this business about not being able to leave the planet?"
Terron sighed again. "The fire lizards are an endangered species. None of them are allowed off world at this point; the wild population is at a critically low level. Even the loss of a single one would be devastating. The Elders aren't taking any risks whatsoever with them."
"So? Have it stay with you for a while, or put it in a kennel. Or get one of the other handlers to watch it."
"Dad, she's a bond handler. They don't get to leave their companions behind. And the fire lizards seem to be even worse about it; Loreena said that hers was going crazy flying in circles after only a few hours apart, even with how little time they've had together. And Minna wasn't much better. Separation is not an option for her."
"So what is she supposed to do? Just give up on all her plans, and all her friends, and waste the rest of her life on that one barely developed colony? Terron, we let her go there because we thought you would protect her. How could you let her do this? She's still a child!"
Terron sighed again. "Dad... she's an adult now. We both are. You have to let her grow up, even if she makes mistakes. And Dad... you should see her. This fire lizard has changed her. She's grown up so much in this last month."
"She... what? What do you mean?"
I slunk away from the curtain and pressed against the window to make sure I wasn't noticed, but lifted my ears in interest.
"It's... she's matured a lot. She hasn't gotten into a single fight with Loreena the entire time she's been staying with us. No raised voices, no arguing, no rude comebacks. Minna. Being polite. She's putting her fire lizard first instead of jumping at something Loreena says, because Minna knows if she causes problems it'll cause problems for her fire lizard. She's trying to take care of him, and she knows she can't do that without a place to stay, so she's thinking ahead and holding back. Despite all the openings Loreena has given her to get angry, many of them justified."
Terron paused as if to think, then continued. "And... he's been good for her. When she was expelled from the shuttle program, right at the end, she was a mess. I still have the recording where she tried to call me for help. She was barely keeping it together, I could hear that she was half a second away from falling apart and crying. And when I called her just a few hours later, she was fine again. Despite losing her job, despite facing the knowledge she was going to have to go back home and tell you she had failed... she was okay. She was dealing with it, and taking steps to fix it, and not letting it overwhelm her. He did that for her."
"She's grown up, Dad. She's happy, happier than I've ever seen her. She wants to do this."
"She wants to do a lot of things! Yesterday she wanted to fly shuttles! Ten years ago she wanted to be a farmer, and ten years before that she wanted to be a teacher! She has no idea what she actually wants!"
Terron's reply was calm and certain. "She does now, Dad. I can see it. This is what she wants to do, and she's dedicated to it. She's paid far more attention to the notes on training these creatures than she ever did her flight manuals, and you know how much she loves that. She truly cares about him. This is what she wants."
The other voice just sighed. "Terron..." It was full of disappointment. My ear tufts drooped in sympathy for Terron. "It will take me a bit to clear up enough time, but I will make time to visit. We will fix this." The voice sighed again, this time just sounding tired. "I am sorry I woke you. I will try and call again on the weekend. Goodnight, son."
"Goodnight, Dad."
There was another click sound as Terron dropped the remote back on the table. He sighed one more time, then pushed himself up off the couch and started down the hallway.
I watched the stars and the fireflies for a little bit longer, even after I was sure Terron had left. Eventually I felt myself growing tired. I slipped out from behind the curtains and flew back to Minna's room, and gently landed back on the blanket. Her hand came up to pet me slowly, and I let myself drift off into sleep.