Chapter 28: Welcome
A/N: "THAT'S IT! I have just come up with a cure for writer's cramp!
Writer's block." -Garfield the Cat
Doesn't quite apply with writing digitally, but the quote fits my exact mood, so I don't care. And yes, that is why this took longer than expected, as per usual, and why this chapter is shorter than the other newer chapters. Or, I suppose it took exactly as long as I expected, given that I'd anticipated this. Well, you get what I mean. Took longer than I would've liked.
Anyway, enough of my incoherent babbling, and on with the chapter. Enjoy.
I proceeded to sit around and do nothing but relax. It wasn't something I got to do very often in the day, after all. And there was absolutely no better place to do it.
So, I just leaned back, closed my eyes, and relaxed.
For the first little while, a nomad would occasionally come and talk to me about recent events, but after what couldn't have been longer than an hour, I had nothing but peace and quiet. And I took full advantage of it.
...
"Wake up!"
My eyes snap open and I sit up, looking around to see Hailey standing there, looking very annoyed.
I give her an equally annoyed look. Did she really think I was sleeping? After I've done this on the cruise a bunch?
"What?" I said, "And I wasn't sleeping."
"It looked like you were," She said, "I finished exploring. I didn't really find anything new, though."
"How long has it been?" I said, "I lose track of time when I'm like this."
"I dunno! I've been exploring all day," She exclaimed, "Are you sure you weren't sleeping?"
"I think I'd feel tired right now if I was," I countered, "But that's weird. Felt like half an hour."
She let out a 'hmph'.
"I talked to that nomad with a pink and white outfit that you were talking to earlier," She said, "She wants us over at her place for supper with her and her family."
"I know," I replied, "She already talked to me. Is it really that time of the day again?"
Hailey merely pointed up at the sky. It had moved quite a large distance across the sky.
"Hmph. I guess time really does fly when I'm allowed to daydream," I mused.
I stood up and stretched. Moving after sitting in one place for hours is never fun.
"I guess we should head over, then?" I guessed.
"Yep!"
"Do you know where we're going?"
"Nope!"
I stared at her.
"You were just talking to her," I said, "Was she not at her own place? Did she not tell you where to go?"
She crossed her arms.
"No and no. But you talked to her a couple hours ago," She countered, "Why didn't you ask her?"
I let out a deep breath.
"Good grief," I grumbled.
Hailey began to laugh.
I just stared at her again.
"What?"
"I was just kidding! Of course I know where we're going!" She laughed, "I just wanted to see how you'd react. Follow me!"
She ran off before I could say or do anything.
"Hailey, I swear to GOD..." I grumbled as I ran after her.
I'd probably said this a billion times already, but...
Never a dull moment with this kid.
I barely managed to keep up with her as she zoomed off through the village. Good thing the place was small, or I'd have probably lost her. We soon stopped in front of a small wooden house leaning on the cliff face, near the blue zipline.
Well, it was actually a bit bigger than some of the other houses around. But it was still small for me, I'd probably be constantly crouching down inside.
And, uh...
Well, the door was a bit... small.
I mentally facepalmed for not thinking that this would be an issue sooner. The nomads, who were clearly adults, were only as big as the kid! Except for Zena, but... she was different.
"This will be problematic," I said, "I'm not getting in there... I feel like an idiot now."
Hailey let out a 'hmm'.
"What if we tell them the problem?" She suggested.
"Might as well," I muttered.
"Okay."
She walked up to the door and knocked on it.
A nomad with a blue-grey cloak came to the door.
"Ah, you two," They, or I suppose he, said, "My wife's been expecting you. Care to come inside?"
"There's a bit of a problem with that," I chuckled, "I, uh, I'm too tall for the door."
He snickered, then broke out into laughter.
"What's going on...?"
I saw Malika come to the door as well. Her husband proceeded to get himself together.
"Oh... I should've seen this coming," He sighed, "I suppose we'd forgotten that you're... quite a lot taller than us."
Malika groaned and facepalmed.
"I was talking face to face with you and yet I didn't think of that! Oh, I'm so silly," She half-laughed, "Well, it'd be a shame to let all of this extra food go to waste, I'll put some into some containers to bring home."
"Oh, that's not necessary," I said.
"'That's not necessary,' he says," Her husband quipped, "Trust me, my friend, it will be."
"He means I'm a good cook," She explained, "I'll be right back!"
She came back a few minutes later with two sealed bowls, and handed them to me.
"I'll want those back, later," She said, "But, enjoy. You're always fully welcome here! Even if... hehe... even if you can't exactly come in."
"Thanks, we really appreciate it," I replied, then turned to the kid. "I guess we should go home, then?"
She nodded, brought out a Time Piece, and grabbed my wrist (my hands were full).
"Thanks for everything," I said.
They both nodded and waved.
Everything went blue, and then we were back in the Engine Room.
"Let's go eat!" Hailey shouted.
"Of course," I muttered, and we went over to the kitchen. I set the boxes down on the table.
"I wonder what she made?" She pondered.
"Let's find out," I replied.
I took the cover off of one of the bowls and looked inside.
"Ahh, that makes sense," I said, "A stew. Simple and easy to make, yet effective."
Hailey took the cover off of her bowl and looked inside as well.
"I've never seen this before," She said, "You people have weird meals."
"Says the girl with a tentacle burger and eyeball spaghetti in her fridge," I chuckled.
She just groaned, before shaking the thought away.
"Well, I always look forward to trying new things," She said, "Let's eat!"
Some time later, once we were done, I found myself nodding in satisfaction.
Her husband was right, she was a damn good cook. Might've even gave Cooking Cat a run for her money.
And I could tell by the satisfied smile on Hailey's face that she had a similar opinion.
"And here I am saying you have weird meals," She joked.
"I told you so," I chuckled.
"But anyway..."
She then clapped her hands together.
"So!" She shouted, "I probably should've asked this while we were eating, but whatever. Have you thought over how you feel about Zena?"
I frowned. I should've known this was coming.
"I have," I replied.
"Aaaand?"
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As if admitting it silently wasn't hard enough. Now I actually had to say it.
I took a few seconds to gather the words, then opened my eyes and looked right at her.
"You were right..." I muttered.
She grinned from ear to ear and clapped her hands rapidly with excitement.
"But... what exactly makes you think she'd like me back?" I asked.
"Are you kidding?" She responded with a laugh, "Don't you remember how she asked you to dance with her on the very day we met her?"
"1: It was perfect timing for her," I deadpanned as I counted on my hand, "2: I was the only person tall enough to dance with her. 3: She probably thought it would be hilarious to see my reaction."
"Okay, but did you not see how happy she was when you went with her?" She countered, "It's the happiest I've ever seen someone! Well, other than you."
"She was probably just happy that she finally got to actually dance with someone after what was probably centuries," I said.
"Maybe, but wouldn't you think that doing that would've had an impact on her?" She said,
"That doesn't mean-"
"And if that's not enough, I've seen how happy she is when she talks with you. She's as happy being with you as you are being with her!"
"But-"
"And if even that isn't enough, then... think about it! She went in the middle of the night, leaving behind her own entire civilization and knowing completely that she'd be risking her life, to come save yours! She cares about you that much! She knew what the consequences would've been if she... if she failed, what would probably happen with her people, and yet she still came to help you without a second thought."
She leaned forward and stared right at me with a pensive expression.
"Doesn't that sound almost like true love to you? Wanting to keep someone safe no matter the cost?" She then leaned back into the chair, taking a relaxed pose. "Of all people, I'm sure you would know."
I threw my arms up and shook my head in exasperation.
"I just don't get why it would be me, of all people," I said, "She's lived for 1000 years, Hailey. I refuse to believe that in such an inconceivably long period of time, not a single person would have come along that would be more deserving of her love than me, let alone if she hasn't even completely abandoned the idea of love in the first place. It just doesn't make sense."
Hailey just smiled and tilted her head.
"Well, maybe that's why she does. Humility."
Again, I wasn't sure what to say.
"Also, if she would've thrown away the idea of falling in love, she probably would've thrown away the idea of having friends, too, right?" She reasoned, "Even if she doesn't, which I'd bet the whole spaceship that she does, you should tell her."
"Absolutely not."
"Why not? What are you afraid of?" She pouted.
I shook my head.
"If she doesn't feel the same way about me as I do about her, and I tell her how I feel, it's gonna change how she views our relationship. Likely for the worse," I said, "And I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable, or guilty, or whatever."
Hailey just stared at me with an "Are you serious?" expression.
"You know that she wouldn't care about any of that," She said, "If she didn't feel the same way, and you told her, she'd feel flattered. It would make her happy either way. Because that's the kind of person she is. And if she did?"
She smiled warmly.
"Well, you already know what would happen then," She said.
I took a deep breath.
She really had thought of every possible outcome, hadn't she? Every possible argument I could've said, she had a foolproof counterargument for.
"How long have you known that I liked her, again?" I asked.
"I had a feeling since that first dance," She said, "It gave me a lot of time to think about this."
"I can see that," I muttered, "Well... I have nothing more to say. You've completely cornered me."
"So tell her!"
"Fine," I groaned, "I'll try to muster up the courage to do it..."
She giggled.
"... after she recovers. Better to let her focus on healing before having to deal with... this."
I merely shook my head and sighed.
"It's funny, though. Real hilarious. I can fight a 15 foot tall shadow demon and the world's most dangerous crime lord without batting an eye, but the idea of talking to a girl makes me stop in my tracks," I grumbled.
She laughed.
"It is for me!" She teased.
"Ah, yes, humour based on my suffering," I grumbled with full sarcasm, "Ha, ha, ha."
She giggled, then walked up to me and grabbed my hands.
"But, really, though," She said, "Trust me. You won't regret it."
I smiled and picked her up into my arms.
"Well, I'll take your word for it," I replied.
She closed her eyes and smiled, before yawning and stretching.
"Tired already?" I asked.
"Hey, I did a lot of exploration today," She muttered, "With no breaks, too."
"Sounds like your problem," I joked as I stood up and began walking toward her room.
"Well, it's yours now."
I chuckled, then proceeded to lay her down in her bed and put her hat on her nightstand.
"Y'know, I would've said the exact same thing."
Her smile widened, and I tucked her in.
"Can you sing for me again?" She asked.
I scratched my head.
"I'm... burnt out on singing for a while," I muttered, "Remember, I never sang before in my life before I sang for you last night. So... uh... sorry."
"Yeah... I thought so," She said, "Who knows? Maybe you'll be singing for Zena next."
I snorted.
"Eh... we'll see," I chuckled, "Good night, Hailey."
"Good night, dad."
I walked over to the door, turned off the light, and left.
I didn't exactly feel tired, myself, so I decided I would mess around with the television and see if I could find something to watch.
...
By the time I gave up fiddling with that thing, I did feel tired. Why was it that every single machine on this freaking ship had to be absurdly overcomplicated?
... Or was it just that we didn't have any actual television programs?
Well, whichever it was, it made it way too difficult to find out.
But... uh... at least I didn't break it?
I turned it off and meandered my way over to the attic with a smirk on my face. Maybe I could get Hailey to show me how it worked tomorrow.
I took my sweater off and hopped into bed.
No matter what, this next day, or week... or two... it was going to be... quite an experience.
And I wasn't sure if I was more dreadful or excited for it.
A/N: Well, there you have it. Not much to say this time, other than, well, seems like Markus is gonna have to man up again soon. At least he has plenty of time.
And, oh boy, that's gonna be... interesting to write about. Haha. Dunno how many chapters away the big moment be, though. Maybe two, maybe three, maybe four, maybe five. We'll see.
Anyway, onto the reviews. Like last chapter, only one this time.
XStarInTheSkyX: You make it sound like I'm totally putting them together. I said it last chapter, I'll say it again. I've made characters suffer before, I'll gladly do it again. Ahahahahaha.
And, I respond to your daily boop once again with a daily peck. PECK!
... Well, guess that does it for this chapter, folks.
As for what to expect next chapter...? Frankly, I have absolutely no idea. Expect it to take a good two weeks or longer to get out.
But either way, I guess I'll see you all then. See you later.
