"Longing"
Tanya gazed straight into the chocolate brown eyes of the grey drake before her, her own were watery and she felt his empathy from across the metal counter they sat at. His presence was obvious, if not pronounced dramatically with the large muscles bulging over the counter. Even still, she felt something in her heart stir, knowing he felt the same as she.
He dropped his eyes downward to the cup of decaf tea he held in his large grasp, taking a gentle sip then setting it back down atop the smooth metallic surface, his eyes still averting hers. Slowly, he lowered his beak, saying, "You miss it too, then."
She smiled. Being a scientist, emotion confused her. Yet she still couldn't hold back the tidalwave filling her heart with so many feelings she felt she'd explode at any moment. Family and friends alike, who's whereabouts and status' she'd love to know, calculate, whatever she'd need to know. Just know. It was not knowing that was so hard. Not knowing whether they had something to go back to, not knowing whether she had a home to go back to. A family, coworkers, friends. Boyfriends.
Sitting there so late at night, wondering, staring at a drake she couldn't understand if she had a brain transplant with, it just hurt. And he understood. And that made it feel better. "Yeah," she whispered lowly, her voice cracking as tears formed. "I miss it too."