The house was small, but it was warm and smelled pleasantly of food. Nothing like the Eclector. Almost the direct opposite. The ship was usually cold besides the bunks and the engine room. And it smelled most often of metal and oil. Occasionally Tullk burned something that made it smell like a monk's temple in places but it still wasn't like this.
There were photos on the walls. The woman and her family. As he examined them he found no hints of a child. No Ego. It seemed a little strange. In one there was a man that did not seem to quite fit in but he put that to the back of his mind as he finally made the room where she lingered. Yondu paused in the doorway, if only to observe her for a quiet moment. She was almost dancing across the floor, humming a tune he'd heard from Peter on more than one occasion.
After a few moments, he cleared his throat a little to tell her he was there. Meredith turned her attention towards him if only for a moment. The Captain watched that grin curl over her features again.
" So mister Yondu," She made a motion towards the table where he could sit, " How did you get here?"
His mouth pulled into a hard line as he thought about what to say. It wasn't like he knew exactly what had happened. He was dead one moment and waking up here the next. It seemed a rather perplexing scenario. The Terran waited expectantly.
" Don't know…" He finally relented. He really didn't. "One minute I'm sayin goodbye teh my boy, the next I'm here…" Yondu made a vague motion around himself, his frown only growing deeper.
" You have a son?" that seemed to perk her up a bit.
Nodding, he intoned, " well, adopted in a way. Still loved him like mine. 'S name is Peter…"
The name was dropped between them almost casually. Something that would get a rise from her maybe. He was looking for answers without being obvious. Ruby eyes watched her quietly.
" Always like the name Peter. I used to dream about naming my son that," Her smile had grown but at the same time it seemed almost to have weakened.
He could only hum.
" And why aren't yeh freakin out over an alien in yer home?" Yondu tilted his head a little.
" Simple. You aren't the first one I've met."
That took him by surprise. There was no signs of Ego having ever been here. Was he wrong? Her statement about the name told him that Peter wasn't born yet, maybe not even conceived. So was this stranger Ego? Before he could inquire further, she answered his unspoken question.
" His name was Json. Looked nothing like you. Pretty human actually. But he fell from the stars. A ruler on a planet called Spartax." A dreamy look passed over her features. "He left without warning. That was ages ago. I'm sure he had something important to take care of. I can't imagine a king would be able to spend much time away from his throne," She mumbled and paused at the stove. Meredith seemed to lose herself for a moment. Somewhere in there she was chasing memories. Fleeting images that left light trail in their wake and blinked across the expanse of her mind like fireflies.
Yondu observed the small crease of her brow and the way the corners of her mouth twitched downward. Emotion played so delicately on her pretty face. Peter got that from her, at least he did when he was younger. He'd learned a pretty good poker face over the years. Meredith shook herself out of it when she realized she was still cooking. The pan had begun to sizzle against the stove top. She said nothing, fussing for a long moment to pour batter into the heated pan. Yondu was content to just watch her.
"I'm sorry," She mumbled quietly, " I get so frustrated."
" Don't be," Yondu shrugged a little bit. Meredith put a smile on for him and soon she carried over a plate with a small stack of pancakes.
" It's not much, but I'm sure you're hungry." A glass container of syrup was placed down on the table as well. The Terran woman shuffled back to the stove to take up the last two onto her own plate before coming to join him at the table.
The Centaurian couldn't help his perplexed expression. Not Ego. That was a relief. Well, he supposed he was lucky to have ended up in her field. What were the chances? Almost as though it had been done on purpose. Was this even the same woman? If it was, then what was this place? For every answer he got, three more come up in its place. It was near infuriating.
Terran food was a weakness. Especially pancakes. Peter used to demand them. It had taken them a while to find how to make them but it was enough to keep the boy happy. Yondu wouldn't have admitted it then, but he liked them too. So when she sat herself down, the Centaurian smothered the fluffy cakes in syrup and dug in. At least the food made sense. Now he just had to figure out how to make everything else make sense too.