Verdurous Seas, Cerulean Skies
Aria I
"Joy?"
"No."
"Faith?"
"Nope."
"Coco?"
"Definitely not."
Ledo watched in amusement as Grace and the short-eared flying squirrel played while Amy and her friends tried to come up with a name for his new companion.
Ever since Ledo lost Chamber, the little squirrel had been following him everywhere he went, coming and going as she pleased. As the days passed, Amy and her friends began to notice the critter and openly gushed when they saw handsome Ledo playing with the adorable little ball of fur.
"Well, what do you think new should name her?" Melty asked.
"Why should I come up with the name?" Amy protested.
"Because you're the only other person with a pet squirrel, duh!"
"By that logic Ledo should be the one to name her. She's his companion, after all," Saaya said.
"Why is it so important for me to name her?" Ledo asked. Grace had grown tired of chasing her new friend and returned to her master. The smaller squirrel did the same and Ledo scratched her ear. "She seems to respond to me no matter what I say."
"You have to call her something, Ledo. She may respond to you now, but if you don't establish some dominance she may not be as obedient in the future. She'll go to anyone who gives her food, and then the next thing you know, she'll only respond to the first person who gives her a name. She needs proper training, and it's best to start by giving her a name."
"Training?" Ledo repeated uncertainly.
Melty couldn't help laughing at Amy's ridiculously astute advice. "Don't worry, Ledo. Amy's all talk. Grace isn't exactly tame."
The blue-eyed brunette pouted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, she's kind of like a cat: she's going to do what she likes when she feels like it, and she doesn't take orders from anyone, not even you." As if to prove Melty's point, the long-eared flying squirrel jumped off of her companion's shoulder and flew out of the scene, Ledo's little friend following close behind. "See what I mean? And I don't know what kind of training you're talking about, but it doesn't really take much effort to imprint a name they'll respond to."
"Melty's right," Saaya agreed. "Training is more for working animals, like dogs. Grace is just a companion, so Ledo doesn't need to be concerned about modifying her behavior."
"Housebreaking a squirrel isn't as easy as you think," murmured Amy.
"What's a dog?" Ledo looked at the three girls with curious eyes, resembling a puzzled toddler trying to understand a grown-up conversation, which was very much the case for the former ensign.
"You've seen them around, Ledo. They're, uh…" Amy paused for a moment, grasping for an accurate description of the renowned canine creature. "… Well, they have four legs."
"Very helpful, Amy."
"Shut up, Melty!"
"Dogs are a species of mammals sometimes used for work and at others times just companionship," Saaya explained more thoroughly. "They're known to be very faithful to their owners. They're much bigger than flying squirrels, but they vary in shape, size, and color depending on the breed."
Ledo tried to recall if he ever saw an animal befitting of that description. He remembered yesterday when he was walking with Amy through the market there was a very scruffy-looking creature sleeping next to one of the produce stands. When they approached it, he grew wary, but Amy happily greeted it, allowing it to lick her hand and her face as it pounced on her with spontaneous energy. Even Grace seemed to take a liking to the quadruped, flying around its head and allowing it to chase her. Ledo didn't really understand what was so enjoyable about such an unorthodox, unhygienic interaction, but perhaps it only felt unorthodox because he was still unfamiliar with the many social idiosyncrasies of Earth.
And though he knew the question would be redundant, he couldn't help asking out of mere incredulity. "Dogs are companions?"
"They can be," Amy said. "Or they can be pets."
"What is the difference?"
"Well…" The girls glanced at each other for help, but even Saaya was starting to have trouble coming up with another explanation for their clueless friend. "Pets are… pampered and disciplined. They're treated more like kids. You have ownership over them rather than a mutual bond." This explanation seemed to have confused the poor boy even more.
It was then that Amy finally realized the reason for his befuddlement. "Did you not have pets when you were in space, Ledo?"
He shook his head. "Animals are not an asset to the Galactic Alliance. They serve no purpose in the war against the Hideauze."
"That's so sad. That means you guys only relied on each other for companionship."
"And your talking Yunboros," Melty needlessly inputted. "That sounds awful. I can't imagine only socializing with a bunch of stiffs and their talking tin cans for the rest of my life."
Amy jabbed her with her elbow. "Melty!"
"What? Ledo's not like that anymore."
"Yeah, but you don't just say stuff like that…"
"I think we're getting a bit off track," Saaya said, sensing the steadily growing solemnity. "We still haven't come up with a name for Ledo's new friend."
The short-eared squirrel returned to his shoulder, preening her ears and chittering lovingly into Ledo's. Scratching her head absentmindedly, Ledo decided maybe it was time to go back home. He suddenly had a lot to think about.
"Ledo?"
"I… have to go." He stood from the table mechanically and began walking away without offering a proper goodbye.
Melty and Saaya did the same, aware that Ledo needed some time to himself. "Our lunch break was over about fifteen minutes ago, anyway," said the strawberry-blonde. "We should get back to work."
Amy looked uncertainly at the young man's sluggishly retreating form. "I'm going to go with Ledo. I'll catch up with you guys later."
The two nodded in understanding and left, but not before Melty made another derogatory comment about "having some alone time with the hottie".
It didn't take long for Amy to catch up since Ledo was walking slower than usual. He had an extremely pensive look on his face. Perhaps they had gotten carried away with the conversation. How did something as simple as picking a name for a squirrel turn into something so deep? Now they made him self-conscious about the way he was brought up while he was still getting over his guilt about the Hideauze.
Cautiously, she asked, "Ledo, are you okay?" He didn't answer. His troubled expression turned staid, but she wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. "I'm sorry if we upset you. You don't have to name her if you don't want to. It's just easier that way, and it'll help strengthen your bond." The little squirrel jumped onto her shoulder as if she knew the brunette was talking about her and chirruped happily.
Ledo still refused to say a single word as they approached their apartments.
As they ascended the stairs, a thought came to mind.
"Oh, I know! I think Bebel has a few books that have names in them! I'll go ask him!"
Ledo watched Amy until she disappeared into her place before entering his apartment. His little friend joined him shortly after and perched onto the windowsill next to his bed. Sitting on the cozy comforter, Ledo spotted his flute and communicator, the only thing he had left of Chamber, and grasped the former, fiddling with it.
Despite what Amy thought, he was not upset about the wayward conversation from earlier. He was just trying to understand the relationships between the people of Gargantia and their domestic animals, and thanks to three rambunctious couriers, he finally had a grasp on the differences between companions and "pets". As he mentioned before, animals weren't utilized by the Galactic Alliance, and any creatures they had left were exotic species that evolved in the artificial biosphere the humans had developed in order to survive in space during their relentless struggle against the Hideauze. As far as Ledo could remember, he never had a pet, and the closest thing he had to companions were Chamber and his long-forgotten little brother.
When the little squirrel first approached Ledo, he had accidentally mistaken her for Grace and an inexplicable bond formed between them. After that she continuously sought him out for safety and affection. The Galactic Alliance offered similar things, but the relationships formed were too formal to even be considered companionship; acquaintanceship and comradery, maybe, but soldiers could not afford to form any sort of attachments because of their short lifespans. Names were the basis of such attachments, so the Machine Calibers that were assigned to each soldier were christened by their commanders. But Ledo didn't have to worry about that anymore, not while he was on Earth. He wasn't afraid to care for his new little friend and he embraced their bond.
If only he could come up with a suitable name for her.
Fascinated by his trinkets, the little squirrel flew onto the young man's shoulder, ran down his arm, sniffed at the pearly white object, then jumped onto his bedside table to inspect his communicator. Ledo, captivated by her inquisitiveness, brought the flute up to his lips, a light tune surfacing from his pseudo-amnestic mind.
As soon as the first note was played, the little flying squirrel's ears perked up, her orange and black toy forgotten. As the music flowed throughout the room, she became completely mesmerized. Noticing this, Ledo stopped playing, and the squirrel broke out of her stupor, scratching her ear obliviously. Starting up again, Ledo watched as she was once again enchanted by the light and airy tune. As the song progressed, she wandered onto his lap and settled into a comfortable position. By the time the song ended, she was fast asleep. He stroked her tan hide gently, comforted by the company she provided.
A knock from the door disrupted the soothing atmosphere, and the squirrel jumped out of his lap to hide in the open draw next in his nightstand. "Ledo! I've got the books!" Amy's voice announced. It seemed she completely forgot about work.
Ledo opened the door to find a tall stack of books greeting him on the other side. He took most of the load and led her into the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Amy grinned proudly at her achievement. "I grabbed as many books as I could carry. Bebel didn't have any books that were specifically for names, but he reads a lot of novels that have a lot of characters with weird names. There are some normal names, too, but I didn't think you'd want to give her something too plain—"
"I've decided to call her Aria."
Amy's shoulders slumped slightly. Even though she was glad he finally came up with a name on his own, her efforts had ended up being for nothing! She had to lug all of those books down the stairs—by herself!—and now she had to bring them back up to the apartment! Not to mention she skipped out on 30 minutes worth of pay—but she couldn't blame Ledo for that. It wasn't his fault she got so easily sidetracked.
With that sad thought, she discarded her childish dilemma to consider the name. "Aria… it's beautiful. How did you come up with it?"
Looking back at the nightstand, little Aria had found her way out of the drawer and was curled up against the flute, already sound asleep. The song he played for her was different from the one he had played for Bebel months ago. It was much happier but just as comforting. However, his younger brother hadn't come to mind when he played. Instead, he saw a clear sky, surf kites gliding through the air, cerulean eyes gleaming in joy…
"It just… came to me."
Amy smiled, quickly accepting his answer. "It suits her. Now, can you please help me take these books back upstairs? I have to go back to work before I lose my paycheck."
Ledo obliged, taking four more books from her pile and heading out the door as Amy quickly objected to such heavy-lifting.
As the two humans left, little Aria snuggled closer to the flute. A wispy breeze whistled through the instrument, immersing the squirrel into a deep slumber.
