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Chapter 9: Small Steps

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

Stretching a little as I walked through one of the many corridors of the ship, I gave a quick glance behind me to find that the newest member of the crew was still having a hard time getting her awe under control. She was mesmerized by the nebulas and stars that were visible through the windows on the side.

I wasn’t too surprised by this behavior.

Since Grace had been forced to live most of her life inside that cold prison, with no real knowledge of how massive life really was, I actually expected her to want to know everything at once… only to get a headache or two in return if she wasn’t careful enough with how much info she tried to digest at once.

With Addie and Carmie going back to their respective rooms to rest until lunch, I decided to take it upon myself to give the Gazelle Prime a tour of the ship.

She was absolutely delighted to meet Archie… and the Spirit was particularly pleased to make acquaintances with the Love Crest as he suddenly found himself pulled in a tight hug by the woman for being such an ‘adorable little thing’.

With Grace still wearing her revealing clothes, it was a miracle the little guy didn’t faint at the unexpected close-up. Once she was done coddling the Nanozell Spirit, I spent a moment to address the new issue presented by our ‘fleet’.

While some of the prisoners that had escaped had bailed once we were far enough from the Imperial fleet, a surprising majority had lingered around for the sake of joining the rebellion once again.

A request for a meeting was issued by several of those ships, but Adela decided to schedule this reunion for the first hours of tomorrow, mentioning that everyone was tired and it would be best to sleep in and think about the next steps with a refreshed mind.

A common agreement was struck with the announcement of the delay, and Archie offered a planet that could be used to host the planned convention. With that solved, the day was pretty much left to rest, recover, and try to grasp at the normalcy before we were forced to handle the bureaucratic nightmare that waited just around the corner.

After making sure that Grace got a clear understanding of where the kitchen and the training room were and their main purposes, I decided to show her where the cabins were and I soon led her to the final destination of our tour around the ship.

“And this is your room,” I commented quietly as I stopped in front of one of the many empty bedrooms within the ship.

Grace regaled me with a surprised look, but soon her interest increased as I went through the pad, showing her how to open it, and then allowed her inside.

Pink eyes widened as they were bestowed with the impressive size of the room.

“This is all… mine?”

A strange emotion fleeted her lips. It was a mix of confusion, glee, and something I couldn’t recognize in that moment.

“Yep,” I muttered with a nod. “Of course, it’s still empty and can be filled with a few shelves of books, maybe a small area where you can try some gardening and-”

“W-Wait, this is… so much. This place is so big and...”

I held my hands up in an appealing manner, drawing her to a quiet pause as she looked around again and… nodded.

“Sorry-”

“There is no need to apologize,” I assured her with a kind smile on my face. “I was overwhelmed too when I first came by. This is… incredibly large. And sometimes I feel that I have yet to discover all that is needed to know myself.”

She giggled at my sheepish shrug, tilting her head to the side. “I suppose it’s not something as awkward as I thought it would be.”

“Oh, it’s awkward… just common with the others here,” I corrected quietly. “But still, if there is something you need to know, feel free to ask.”

After blinking just once, the Prime stared around and… her eyes stopped right at the door that led to the room’s bathroom.

“What’s that for? A cupboard?”

My smile widened a tiny bit, and soon I walked up to the door. “Oh no. That is the bathroom.”

Instead of nodding and accepting as I had expected, Grace froze and suddenly tensed up at the answer.

I paused, looking at her worryingly as that just felt a rather uneasy reaction to the normal room.

“Gracie, what’s wrong?”

A blink, then two.

“I… Can I ask what is inside that bathroom?”

“Well,” I slowly started to answer. “There is a bath, a sink, a cabinet with medicines, the toilet and the shower.”

Just as I mentioned that last appliance, the girl tensed up once again and I frowned at this.

“What’s this about showers?”

…

“I… before being cryo… that, I would be required to have a quick shower. The water was… cold.”

“Oh,” I muttered, understanding her current plight. “Well, the showers there have both cold and warm water which you can select through a simple knob.”

She didn’t look much relieved by my words, so I led her inside the bathroom and offered her a quick look from the inside.

I could tell from her renewed surprise that the Love Crest hadn’t expected it to be that able, and she almost gave me a funny look when she was given a better look of the shower.

“That is...”

“The shower,” I continued for her. “I guess from your confusion you expected something a little less… comfy-looking than that.”

Nodding at my suggestion, Grace gave it a quiet study before giving me another question.

“How does it… work?”

I carefully opened the glass door that led inside the cubicle, with the young woman keeping some distance just as a precaution as I educated her about the knobs.

“This one is used to regulate the heat of the water,” I explained with a calm voice. “As you can see, the red dot indicates the warmth, while turning it on the other side will get it to be cold.”

She nodded at this first part.

“Now, this is the knob that regulates how much water is flowing in the shower. Right now there is no water because the knob is turned to ‘zero’,” I continued quietly, carefully reaching for the small round object. “There is also one way to see if the water is warm without touching it. Do you remember how we could see each other’s breathing because it was too cold?”

A frown adorned her beautiful face, but Gracie allowed a slow nod as she recollected that very scene.

“Observe.”

Turning the water on, I allowed it to be warm enough to get the effect I wanted it to make. Drops of the liquid rained over the floor of the cubicle, and I waited for a while as vapor slowly started to emerge for the two of us to see.

“It’s… the same?”

“Something similar, yes,” I replied with a nod. “When something warmer than the present air is released, may it be a breath or water, the result is that the air tries to condense it and that makes both examples visible like that. In this case, this is vapor.”

Nodding at this new piece of information, the young woman seemed interested by the water now that I explained why this was warm.

A step, then two, I had to make way so that she could step inside without being pushed towards the stream and… Grace reached out with her right arm.

Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise as she was finally convinced that it was warm water. It took her a little while to properly take in the ‘revelation’, her stare fixed on her limb as she played with the droplets some more before backing away and… unconsciously pushing some of the water onto herself.

The Love Crest shivered, the liquid hitting her squarely on her upper dress and drenching it a little bit. I was already prepared with a towel, offering it to her as soon as she regained control of her thoughts.

After silently turning the knob to stop the water, thus learning how sensitive the round piece was, the girl stepped out of the cubicle and gave me an awkward look.

“I don’t think I can walk like this.”

I nodded. “I believe there are some clothes for the crew to wear. There should be a pair of clothes for women in the room.”

With that in mind, I led her back to the bedroom, and tried to find where the wardrobe was meant to be. While I knew where mine was, I discovered by seeing Carmesi going for another spot in her room to retrieve another spare of clothes that it was different in all rooms.

When I asked Archie for the reason behind the decision to have that feature, he merely answered that the creator of the ship wanted to create a ‘non-uniformed’ set of living quarters. Something that just wouldn’t be confused for a military ship, but as a ship that represented what was left of Prism.

Luckily enough for the two of us, I managed to find the compartment with folded clothes rather quickly, taking out a gray shirt, a pair of warm pants and some underwear.

As I walked back to the bed where the girl was waiting for her change, I saw her eyes locking onto the pile of cloth I was bringing to her. Curiosity turned into fascination as she silently studied each apparel, calmly getting an understanding of the different clothes… until it was the turn of the bra and the panties.

“That’s a shirt and a pair of pants but… what is the rest?”

After placing the pile beside her on the bed, I took a moment to realize what she was referring about.

Since that dress had been the only thing she had been wearing until that moment, it was clear to see why she wasn’t acquainted with underwear.

“Well, these two goes before the proper clothes,” I started to explain, holding down the slight nervousness born from the embarrassing topic. “The bra is put to cover your… chest. While the panties are for your lower body.”

…

“But why?”

My jaws almost dropped at that question. She was meaning it with her innocence, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for being this uneasy considering the unique circumstances of this awkward predicament.

“W-Well, differently from your dress, these clothes can be rather uncomfortable without undergarments,” I tried to explain with terms I knew she could understand. “And those are meant to avoid you feeling any discomfort while wearing these.”

“Discomfort? I don’t understand.”

Oh Lord… this is just a lot more awkward.

“I… these clothes might create… friction. And a state of unpleasantness while walking around that could also result in hurting yourself,” I gave some more details. “Plus, the bras help you in case you feel any back pain or-”

“Wait, so these actually help with back pain, Theo?”

…

“Yes but-”

Grace didn’t need to be told twice, already removing the upper section of her dress to try and put on the bra.

I looked away, holding myself from pointing out that I should’ve waited outside before she had to do so… yet she moved particularly fast at the news of a problem that she was pretty aware about, if not tormented by a long time by it.

While I couldn’t exactly leave now without making it awkward for the girl, I could look away until she was busy with it.

I was so certain the Prime would’ve been more focused on putting on the bra to actually notice the fact I was staring elsewhere and… I was proved wrong when she spoke up again.

“I think I forgot to ask what’s for lunch,” The Love Crest pointed out. “I believe Archie mentioned that there was a menu about vegetables?”

“There is a menu for vegetarians and one for meat-lovers,” I answered curtly, trying to keep my eyes away for as much as possible without getting too suspicious. And soon enough, I was looking back at her… this time giving my best to look only at her face.

“I’ve never tried meat. I wouldn’t mind trying it… but how does it taste compared to fruits?”

“It’s… juicier,” I commented with a strong hint of nervousness. “Meat usually offers more proteins and… it’s more delicious.”

“I suppose I can try,” Grace said with a nod. “And I guess the others have already picked their own orders.”

“Yes.”

…

“I don’t want to press too much but… is there a reason why the Queen dislikes any formal way of addressing her? I can see that she isn’t happy about being called ‘highness’ or ‘majesty’,” The young woman muttered, changing topic.

“I think it’s because she is afraid that if we consider her above us, she will lose a good reason to hang around as our friend,” I replied the best I could about that big question. With that subject, I didn’t have any reason to falter over the current awkward situation, as my mind was more focused on Adela’s unique predicament than else. “If she is ‘her highness’ to us, then in her mind we will no longer be her peers.”

Pink eyes widened at that explanation. “That’s… that’s silly.”

“For someone that looks at this without knowing what happened to her, it might feel like that,” I partly agreed. “But Addie had to deal with losing her mother… and all those that were before us. Those that once were under the banner of Queen Rehema and now are gone.”

Something that was going to haunt her for a long time despite her best attempts to show a brave look everyday. I could tell that Grace wasn’t expecting to hear this bit as she deflated at my words.

“The Queen lost… her mother?”

“Recently, yes,” I replied with a nod. “I had the chance to meet her. I… I blame myself for not having been quick enough to get them both out of there. There was an attack from the Empire and… I ended up saving just Adela.”

“Surely you gave your best-”

“I was afraid and I was slow because of my cautious thinking at the time,” I interjected quietly. “I could’ve dared a little more. A gamble or two more so that I could’ve gained more seconds that could’ve saved her too.”

Before I could’ve added more thought to that, I felt my head pulled towards Grace, with the girl allowing it to rest on her chest.

“I… I don’t know how it happened, but I can feel that you were trying your hardest,” The Love Crest pointed out. “You care for Adela. You don’t want any harm to come her way… which is why you wish for the blame to be yours only to suffer. I will not try to lie to you and say you couldn’t have done more… but what is done is done.”

I closed my eyes, my mind wavering a little as the Gazelle Prime started to hum quietly.

“Now I wonder what kind of person she was.”

… “She was kind. And motherly,” I muttered with a sigh. “She would’ve loved you, maybe considered you a surrogate daughter after a while.”

“She sounds nice.”

I nodded. “She was.”

After that conversation came to an end, I decided to help Grace with the bra. The hook bit was a little difficult for her to grasp early on, but she seemed rather quick to understand when I helped her with that part.

She resumed her task of changing clothes shortly after, leaving her folded dress on the bed as I promised her Archie would’ve taken care of it once he was informed of this matter.

With that task completed, we then started to make our way to the kitchen, quickly finding that both Adela and Carmesi were already there waiting for us.

_ It was time for lunch. _

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Preparing lunch took a little longer than before. Now that there were four people to satisfy, I had to make sure to prepare things without lingering too long on certain steps. Of course, I didn’t rush through the process, knowing that burning the dishes wasn’t going to help me in that activity.

After about forty minutes of working around the stove and the other electric appliances, I had all the meals prepared for the group to start eating.

While the Fire Crest went ahead to devour the food on her plate and the Queen happily enjoyed her dish, Grace lingered some more to try out the stake I had prepared for her.

After cutting a small piece from it, the girl had her fork slowly approach her lips. Her lips parted just enough to allow the first bite in and… she started to slowly chew at it.

…

A surprised blink was only the start of her reaction. Once she was done with the first bite, the Love Crest prepared her second and third bite.

The chewing became faster in its pace, and I was surprised when she actually took up a pace akin to Carmesi regarding her meal. Not as fast as the fellow Crest, but enough to leave me impressed at her appetite.

Twenty minutes later, the young woman was asking if she could get some more, blushing and appearing embarrassing at the fact she was so hungry today.

It wasn’t that she was feeling ‘hungrier’ than usual. Knowing the way she had been confined, I knew the Gazelle Prime had been given some bland food that was meant to limit the pang of hunger while also limiting the need of much nourishment from the prison’s reserves.

In the end I prepared a smaller second take for her to digest.

“Why does she get seconds and we can’t?”

“Because you’ve eaten something proper for breakfast earlier this morning,” I calmly replied to Carmie, glancing at her annoyed expression. “And I don’t think you want to fight on this hill.”

“What if I want to do that?” The Fire Crest asked, trying to escalate the situation.

“Then I guess I can’t give you an important task today if you behave like a child,” I flatly remarked. “In fact, it would’ve been something that will give you more honor and-”

“I think I will back down now, but I want that task.”

I smiled. “I’m glad that you accepted so readily to help Grace start training with her Bo Staff.”

A nod left Carmesi, the woman looking away as if thinking about something… and then she tensed up in realization.

“Wait, that’s a trick-”

“You accepted that proposal without even asking details about it,” I pointed out, actually showing some concern at this circumstance. “I think you should really start losing that attitude of rushing at anything that garners your attention. You’re going to get a mean match if you don’t pay attention to this kind of stuff.”

The Fox Prime looked ready to protest, but then she stopped at the second half and frowned, her annoyance simmering down to something more subdued.

“I’m not that gullible,” She rebuked dryly. “And I’m not rushing to some stupid fights.”

I had my doubts that she was meaning it with both affirmations. So much that I knew that I needed to be prepared for anything bad happening to her during future battles from now on.

“If Carmesi doesn’t want, I don’t see why you should push her to-”

Oh no. Gracie, what are you doing?

“Do you think I can back down now that I’m committed, Love?” The Fox Prime interrupted with a stern tone. “Do you believe I’m not capable of the task? That it would’ve been better if Theo had taken over this task?”

“No, I just-”

“I will train you. There is no room to debate about it,” The Fire Crest interrupted again. “I’ve decided that I will shape you to the best offered by your potential. Then you will thank me after the intense schedule I will put you through.”

“I hope that means you’re not going to rush with her since she is just starting training,” I recalled. “Or else I might make your schedule unbearable too. You know… teachers and students should share the same plight.”

Carmesi looked ready to make a question I was more than accustomed to hear from her mouth.

“And yes, I will do that. This isn’t a challenge, and you should be trifling with me about this topic.”

She kept her mouth shut at that ultimatum, sighing as she turned back to the nervous-looking Gazelle Prime.

“Okay, I will make this simple. Today, I will see what you can do. Consider it a test to see what kind of schedule you will start with,” The former captain said, changing tone to something more level headed much to the whole group’s surprise. “This means you will also have a couple of exercises you will have to go through during the morning and before going to bed. Nothing too straining or difficult early on, but enough to get you to make progress quickly and properly.”

Grace eased up a little bit at that change of intensity, seemingly appreciating the lack of the previous pressure exerted by the Fox Prime.

But just as this conversation came to an end, our attention was taken away by a distant relieved sigh.

“I’m glad to see that you’re working your differences properly and without requiring further assistance,” A familiar voice commented, drawing our eyes on the frame of a certain messenger.

“Apogeo?” Addie addressed with a surprised tone. “We weren’t expecting you to… drop by so suddenly.”

“It’s been a while,” I added with a nod, my attention turning to the two Crests as they regarded the Heart of Prism with frowns. I realized just in that moment that they didn’t know who she was. “This is Apogeo. She was tied to Prism before it was destroyed, and now she is our connection to the… Gods.”

“That is mostly correct,” The elder spirit addressed. “I would say that I’m a little more than that, but I guess the description you’ve just offered can be considered a sufficient one for now.”

“So you are a...”

“A spirit. The original one to be more precise,” The heavenly being explained with a nod. “I was the representation of your ancestors’ culture, their will, and their collective soul.”

“I… I don’t understand what you’re referring about… Gods?”

“The Dragon Gods are the deities that protected Prism before the Empire attacked. They are the patrons of Primes and the creators of the keys to their Divine Realm. The ones that are now known as the Crests.”

“Yes, and the ones that bailed our homeworld when the Emperor struck,” Carmesi dryly remarked, her expression giving off some annoyance on the topic. “While the Empire sprouts a lot of different tales about the origins of this war, one thing remains the same. The Gods ditched us.”

“That is a crude assessment. It lacks a context that the Emperor was behind the death of two major Dragon Gods before the grand journey,” Apogeo calmly chided. “Those were dark times that the Gods were unprepared for, and instead of dying without meaning, they decided to elaborate a plan to bring an end to the tyranny of the Emperor.”

“The Crests,” Adela continued from that point. “If they are reunited in a single location, their combined powers should be enough to vanquish him forever.”

“I mean, that is our current plan, right?” The Fox Prime asked quietly. “We all gather the rest of us, and then we just… do something. Actually, what are we supposed to do once we’re reunited with the other Crests?”

Apogeo blinked. “You will understand in due time.”

This deflection got a frown out of me. “That sounds… quite dismissive.”

“As much as I wish to help this cause of good, I myself am unaware of the grand scheme ordained by the Dragon Gods,” The spirit admitted. “But I know for sure that it will work, and that it will all become clear once the Gathering is completed.”

…

“I think it’s my time to go. I’ve overstayed my visit and-”

“Would you like some coffee?” I asked before she had the chance to leave with that quick attempt. “I mean, you came here just for this message, but I don’t see the harm if we offer you something.”

The spirit looked perplexed at first, looking ready to politely decline that offer… but actually ending up nodding at my proposal.

“I could stay a little more. But I will take a cup of water instead of coffee.”

Nodding at her request, I walked up to the fridge to pick some cool water. Once I was back to the table with the simple beverage, I waited for the heavenly being to sip quietly at the liquid.

“It’s been a while since I was allowed the mercy of courtesy,” Apogeo confessed. “I’m quite happy that you’ve taken on your new duty… ‘Theo’.”

I spared a frown at that little delay at using my nickname, but I guess the spirit was trying to point out how she was going to play along with Addie’s idea despite my own reluctance about it.

“I’m still working some of the kinks but… I think I got most of it done?”

She offered a brief giggle. “I believe you’re doing a fine job.”

“And I can vouch for that,” Adela agreed with a nod. “I don’t think I could’ve expected a better knight.”

There was something in that latter bit that got me smiling, even though I felt that it was an exaggeration. But why would the Coyote Prime add this one up like that?

I wasn’t going to get an answer about it but then I felt a sliver of curiosity building up as I realized something that was missing. Or rather… someone.

“I would’ve thought that Archie would’ve rushed to greet you, Apogeo.”

The lady blinked, with her smile widening at my confused look. “I believe he already did. It’s just that… he was rather careful in keeping quiet.”

‘What?’

Just as she said those words, I saw a head slowly climb up to her left shoulder. Archie hummed, looking a little awkward at being called out in this manner and… I felt even more confused as I tried to make sense to it.

“Were you hanging behind her the whole time?”

“...Maybe.”

“Archie, that sounds… disrespectful.”

“It’s alright,” Apogeo conceded. “It’s only natural for him to be endeared by the presence of his creator.”

The smaller spirit nodded in agreement. “Why wouldn’t I want to come and say hi to my own mom?”

“It’s creator,” The woman corrected.

“Yes, creator, mom. To-may-to, to-mah-to.”

I had some trouble holding back a chuckle at that. I was surprised that Archie considered the older spirit to be his mother… but then again, he was created by her. He was her creation… thus her son.

It wasn’t that unbelievable to make that connection work in my mind, and so I kept quiet as the conversation continued for a little longer.

“I believe that doesn’t apply to it.”

“But why not? You created me, which means I’m your son.”

“You weren’t birthed the same way other children are.”

At that sentence, I felt a shiver go down my spine as Grace turned to me with a quizzical look.

...Oh right, she doesn’t know where babies come from…

That was going to be a tough day to live through for sure.

Still, knowing how this conversation was starting to escalate towards some awkward ramifications, I decided to put a closure to it.

“Are you two really going to bicker over… semantics?”

My question was regarded by a mixture of surprise and brief annoyance from the heavenly being. That mere scene was enough to draw a snort from Carmie and smiles from both Addie and Grace.

“...I suppose that role could also be synonymous with creator. It just feels… less formal,” Apogeo explained. “But I could just accept it if it gets people to start… teasing.”

“Apologies-”

“It’s alright, Theo. I’m sure you mean well and that this teasing is done in a good-hearted manner,” The woman interrupted politely. “And I believe it’s time for me to leave, lest the Emperor detects my presence here. I bid you all a fortuitous journey, and I hope to see you all well the next time I visit.”

We gave her some quick farewells before the spirit ended up leaving for good.

Just as I thought things were now going to go back to normal, I found out that something did linger from that visit. Something that became the origin of the inner chaos in the crew.

“Theo, I don’t think I’ve read about it so… where do babies come from?” Grace asked with an innocent tone, her query urging all action to focus onto my frame.

_ Yep, this is going to be a rough day alright… _

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AN

...Wry.