The halls were quiet, weirdly quiet. When on a ship flying through space, mornings and nights really don't exist, but there did seem to be a collectively agreed upon sleeping time. Luckily for Mim, that meant the halls were nice and empty now, except for the occasional guards. While it certainly wasn't a death sentence walking around the ship alone, she actually had quite the lovely conversation with one of the ruuhtians the day before, but she much preferred it when the halls were this empty. Less stares, less hunger, it made her feel more comfortable.

As she moved through the halls, she pulled McArthy's dog tags out from her belt and raised them to eye level. She looked at the name imprinted in the metal, very mixed feelings circling through her body. She remembered when she spoke the name of his father, thinking it would make him happy, but it did anything but. The pain she saw in his eyes, the things his monster of a father did. They were unforgivable acts.

Mim could feel a snarl escaping her maw as she thought about her lover's father. McArthy was so different from the abusive man he described, and she had no doubt he'd never become something like that. But the idea that this human might still be alive, living freely after what he did to her mate, it infuriated Mim.

Gripping the tags, she marched forward and into the command room, the bridge of the ship. Her eyes wandered over the crew controlling the ship, many kig-yar marching around. She walked along the wall, heading to the short hall leading away from the bridge. She reached a door, then knocked on it. The door whipped open in an instant, then an arm grabbed Mim and yanked her into the room, the door shutting before the crew could even hear Mim's squawk.

The hand that had tugged her let go, leaving Mim to spin for a moment, regaining her balance, then she straightened herself and turned to see the one who had grabbed her, Sil.

With a chuckle, Sil poked her friend in the stomach and said, "Don't look so stern. I knew you were coming to me, why else would you leave your room at this time?"

Mim tilted her head, but before she could ask, Sil pointed at her helmet sitting on an armor stand and said, "I disabled your room's camera, but not the ones in the hallway. So, what brings you here at this time?"

Sighing, Mim held out the dog tag and said, "This is McArthy's dog tag. You said you were connected to humans, and I was wondering… could you find a certain human for me?"

Sil took the dog tag curiously, peering at it, then asked, "Could I find a human, huh? Depends, how much information could you give me about them?"

Mim gestured at the dog tags and said, "That is the identity of his son. Would that be proficient enough?"

Mim watched her friend peer at the tags again, giving them a poke, then she squeezed them in a grip and said, "It will take time. Probably a lot. Finding the location of one specific human in the midst of this conflict is a lot more difficult than shipping a few dog tags back to the UNSC, but it can be done."

Suddenly, Mim lunged forward and wrapped Sil in a tight hug, hearing her release a sigh and loosely return the favor. The two held each other for a few moments, then Mim pulled back and said, "Thank you so much."

Tilting her head with a chirp, Sil asked, "Why do you want to find his father anyway? I thought McArthy had… family issues."

Dipping her head a little, grooming her feathers, Mim nodded and said, "Y-yes, he does. I want to find his father for… self satisfaction."

Tilting her head further, Sil huffed curiously and asked, "What does that mean?"

The pirate watcher her friend shuffle in place, obviously nervous, then it struck her. She began lightly chuckling, then put her hands on Mim's shoulders and said, "I know what you want to do."

Looking up at her friend with a nervous chirp, she asked, "Y-you do?"

Sil nodded her head with a snicker, then said, "I'm a pirate, I can smell vengeance from miles away. I'll find this human for you, don't worry."

Nodding her head, some of her nerves gone, Mim lightly chuckled and said, "Thanks, Sil."

Giving her shoulders a pat, Sil turned away from Mim, walking towards her large nest, then asked, "So, are you going to tell McArthy?"

"No. He specifically said he doesn't want to know anything about his parents anymore. He doesn't care whether they are alive or dead, he doesn't want to hear about them again, and I am going to keep it that way."

The pirate nodded her head, then said, "I see. Well, this kinda stuff is basically my line of work, so I'll find him. Now, I suggest you run off back to sleep with your boyfriend before he wakes up."

Mim nodded her head, then turned back to the exit of the room. The door slid open, then she exited Sil's room and walked back through the bridge. She had more speed in her steps now as she moved through the halls, ready to slide back into bed with her warm human.

#

Mim nervously picked at the fur on her coat, it being a preferable place to pick at over her own feathers. She gripped McArthy's hand with her own, feeling him lean closer, pressing his head against hers. Standing to their right was Sil, wearing her silver armor again, grinning.

The phantom they were in hummed and slowed, lowering towards the ground. Mim felt as they lowered, then settled onto the ground. The door in front of them soon fell open, revealing a very… strange sight. They were on a landing pad of some kind, and in front of them was a vast view of a coastline city. Turning left, away from the coast, she could see buildings in the distance that rose to tall heights.

McArthy took a step forward, his mouth slightly agape, then he said, "This place is…"

Chuckling, Sil walked out of the phantom and said, "I know, it's pretty. Seeing as you guys were stuck on a frozen planet for so long, I thought I'd drop you off at a polar opposite, heh. A pretty beach city. It's not very dense right here, go left into the city and that's where you'll get to the really dense places."

Stepping next to McArthy, Mim gazed at the streets in the suburban city. Her eyes could see so many more details than her mate's. She spotted a long, wide street not too far from the beach itself. Both sides of the streets were lined with vendors, small tents held up by wooden poles as a massive mix of sangheili and kig-yar walked about.

Speaking up, Sil said, "Yeah, this planet is basically the capital planet out of the three. Weirdly enough, the majority of the san'shyuum all live on the same planet, but you'll see a few around here. Like the local library has one as the librarian, he's such a sweetheart. I won't explain it, I'll just let you see it for yourself."

Turning to her with a list of questions in his mind, McArthy asked, "Wait, we can't just touch down on a planet and live here normally. What about citizenship, or…"

Suddenly, he was interrupted as a deep but feminie voice stated from their left, "That will all get taken care of."

The three turned to see a female sangheili approaching them, dressed in a formal outfit, very formal. Behind her were two larger, male sangheili, both wearing very light looking, grey armor on their bodies, strange small weapons sitting on their hips.

Gesturing to the female sangheili, Sil said, "May I introduce you two to the 'president' of these fine planets, Sika 'Zoma."

The female sangheili approached the two, then held out a hand and said, "It is nice to meet friends of Sil."

Mim slowly grasped her hand, then McArthy looked up at the sangheili and asked, "How… how do you speak english?"

The sangheili gestured to Sil after she shook Mim's hand and said, "Sil taught us. She's become a prominent figure across these planets, and with such influence, she was able to allow this english language to become quite popular."

Sil let out a long, satisfied sigh, then put both of her hands behind her head in a stretch and said, "Yeah, I'm a big deal around here. Like a pop star or something."

Nodding, Sika continued, "She was the first visitor to come here since our ancestor's arrival. We had fallen behind on technology compared to the old world, but Sil had brought many gifts that have been helping to fill that gap ever so slightly. She also brought many cultural things, many of them she described as 'human'."

She extended her hand and said, "Such as this, I quite like this."

McArthy shook her hand with a small grin, then asked, "So, you guys know a lot about humans already?"

Sika shook her head and explained, "Not really. You are the first one I've seen. Quite… alien, I must say. But I pride myself in how peaceful our people are, you will be happily accepted."

Gesturing to Sil, Mim asked, "And all of that is why you are famous?"

Sil bobbed her head and said, "I also sing, thank you very much. I wanted to give myself a stage name, but apparently copyright exists here, so songbird got shot down quickly."

Waving the two on, Sika said, "I can explain much to you, but let's get you two… legal."

Suddenly, Sil waved her hand and said, "Wait! I forgot something!"

The group watched as she bolted back into the phantom, the sound of objects falling over coming from it. After a minute of crashing sounds, Sil ran back out with a small briefcase-like crate. She handed it to Mim, then said, "The phantom you two stole had some very nice supplies in it. I figured I might as well pay you two for them. You know, starter up money."

Mim turned to McArthy, then opened the crate, revealing large and neat rows of alien currency. Leaning over their shoulders, Sika hummed and said, "Oh, that's a lot. You two have a nice budget for a home."

Shutting the crate, Mim spun to her and asked, "Wait, that much!? Already?!"

Spinning back to Sil, Mim and McArthy watched the phantom rise and fly off, Sil waving her hand at them as she leaned out of the phantom. "Bye! I have some business to attend to! I'll be back in two days! Good luck!"

They watched the pirate pull herself back into the phantom, it's doors shutting, then it sped off into the sky. Lightly chortling, Sika put her hands on her hips and said, "What a woman. Anyway, let's go get you two taken care of. It shouldn't take too long."

Turning, she led them towards a large gravity elevator leading off the platform. Once on, Sika turned to the two and said, "I would like to introduce you two to Kayo, one of the three planets we have colonized. The city we are in is Granwell, one of the more popular coastal cities. So, what are your names?"

Squawking, Mim looked up at Sika and said, "I am Mim 'Tol. My mate here is McArthy."

McArthy couldn't help but redden as he watched Sika's gaze turn to him, an amused look in her eyes. Lightly chortling, Sika said, "Mate. How interesting. Well, a lovely couple like you two will surely find this to be a nice and peaceful place to live. If I will be honest, given the descriptions Sil has given me, the society we have built here is now more similar to that of yours, McArthy, than the old world."

Tilting her head, Mim asked, "The old world being…?"

Sika bobbed her head and said, "That is the term most used for the Covenant. You see, we ran because we opposed the religion. Upon reaching these planets, we distance ourselves cultural as far as we could, creating the society you see today. A very peaceful society, though it is not without its flaws."

The gravity elevator ended at the bottom, opening up and revealing a busy street, with hovering vehicles moving down the roadways. A massive mix of different kig-yar and sangheili wandered the sidewalks, along with alien trees rising from the ground along said roadways. Gesturing them on, Sika said, "The capital building for this city is not far. We shall go there and have you two dealt with quickly. Now, come, I have so much to show you two."

With that, Sika led the two down the side, the two sangheili guards flanking them as they walked past many people, who strangely didn't mind their leader walking past them. McArthy guessed that might just be the norm here. A completely alien culture, to both him and Mim. A whole new experience is in front of their faces, and they were both equally excited and nervous to experience it all.

#

Mim and McArthy followed an ibie'shan kig-yar down a road, turning to look at the many sangheili and kig-yar walking up and down the road. To their right was a direct view of the shore line, still a bit of a walk to it, but nevertheless a beautiful sight. Once in a while a hovering vehicle would slowly move down the road, making everyone move off to the edge of the road.

As they walked, McArthy could see they were catching most of the people's attention, either in a quick glance or a long, painful stare. There were small tent vendors loosely spaced out, and even the people buying some alien fruits or nick-nacks paused their shopping simply to stare at him. It was off putting, but he didn't put it behind these people. As Sika said, he was the first human ever on these planets. Sure, Sil had shown them pictures and shared tid-bits of human culture that she knew, but seeing one walking down your street all of a sudden must be surreal.

Soon they reached a building to the left in a far less busy part of the road. On this part of the road, the buildings were a bit more spaced out, all being houses. He could see a large sangheili standing on one of the building's porch, looking at them. At this distance, McArthy could see their eyes, and it seemed this sangheili was staring at them with only curiosity.

The ibie'shan realtor waved at the sangheili, who waved back and leaned on the porch. Chuckling, they pointed at the sangheili and said, "He's a nice man. Mutah, a friend of mine. Works commercial real estate around here. If you end up living around here, you should get to know him, he's a lot of fun at a bar. Newcomers like you two should make friends where you can."

Stopping in front of a building, the ibi'shan gestured to it and said, "This place is right under your budget and state of the art. Let's go inside, shall we?"

The pair nodded, then the ibie'shan led them onto a short porch and opened the door to the building. As they walked onto the porch, McArthy turned around and looked at the view, taking in a deep breath. He hadn't been to a beach once in his life. The view was as pretty as people have said.

He felt Mim rest her beak on his shoulder, looking at the view as well, then the ibie'shan, "It is quite the view, isn't it? Quite the selling point."

Turning to the kig-yar, McArthy asked, "Any kind of… dangerous creatures out in that sea?"

The ibie'shan shook their head and said, "Not on this coast. The worst thing you'll find is a large whapper, and those things don't bite. Plus, you'd have to go very far out to find one. Now, lets see this interior, shall we?"

Nodding, the two followed the kig-yar into the building, the automatic door sliding shut behind them. They entered a front room that led into a large living room. There was a large roundish couch against the wall, to their right being a door leading into another room.

Gesturing to the room, the ibie'shan said, "A more old-school design with state of the art soundproofing and strong walls. A twirler could roll through here and this place wouldn't budge."

Pointing at the door, they said, "Through there is an office that leads to another hallway. But down here is the living room."

The ibie'shan spun around as they entered the living room, then leaned against the wall and said, "All the appliances are up to date, though you might find the design a little retro... "

They watched the kig-yar's gaze fixate on McArthy, then they chuckled and said, "But that won't be an issue for you two newcomers, huh?"

Mim stepped forward and asked, "How are the people around here?"

The question obviously caught the kig-yar off guard, them taking a moment to think of an answer, then they said, "They're nice. A very good mix of kig-yar and sangheili. You'll actually find quite a few t'vaoans around here as well. Plus, crime rates are basically non-existent around here, so you won't have to worry about any burglaries. And even if that was a problem, state of the art door locks and plasma-proof windows will be hard for some common perp to bust through."

Chuckling, Mim turned to McArthy and said, "I don't really need to see much more."

Her mate shook his head with a chuckle and said, "Neither do I. I'm not very picky when it comes to homes. We were stuck living in a cave and an abandoned base for a month, literally anything here would be better than that."

Nodding, the ibie'shan scratched their chin and said, "I see, I see. Totally understandable. How about I get the paperwork ready while you two show yourselves around then."

Mim gripped McArthy's hand before he could reply to the kig-yar, then pulled him down the hall leading out of the living room. With a sigh, the kig-yar lifted the small folder they had, setting it on the kitchen counter, then quietly said, "No one wants to finish tours these days."

Leading McArthy into the short hallway connected to the living room, Mim looked left and right down the hallway. There were four doors against the wall, and one at the very right end leading into the laundry room, which led into the garage.

Turning left towards the bedroom door at the halls end, Mim continued to pull at McArthy, who chuckled and asked, "What's the rush?"

Opening the door and leading him in, Mim stopped and gazed into the large bedroom, her beak slightly ajar. Snickering, McArthy gently held her bottom jaw and pushed it back up to close her mouth, then rubbed her beak and said, "I see you like it."

Mim silently nodded her head, her eyes wide. The room was as big as the one they stayed in on Sil's ship, and it had a connected bathroom, a large one too. The nest was massive, bigger than any nest she's ever slept on. Moving into the connected bathroom, the first thing that caught her eyes was the large bathtub. It had more than enough room for one of them to sit in… or both.

McArthy peeked into the bathroom behind then, then said, "Heya, this is nice. My old home was, like, a third of the size of this place."

Turning back towards him, Mim trilled and wrapped herself into a hug, catching McArthy off guard. Softly laughing, he held her close and said, "What are we gonna do with a four bedroom house anyway?"

Nuzzling his neck, Mim cooed and said, "Maybe… start that family we talked about."

"Hold your roll, we just just go here!"

Chuckling, Mim nipped his nose and said, "Not now, silly. I just mean… at some point."

McArthy kissed her on the end of the beak, then said, "I know, I know. At some point."

A knock came from the open door, making the pair turn their heads to see the ibie'shan looking in. Seeing he had their attention, the kig-yar straightened their back and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm ready to have the signing done."

McArthy sighed, then he nodded towards the bed and asked, "Does the furniture come with this place?"

The kig-yar looked at the bed, then shrugged and said, "For you newcomers, sure. With no additions to the price, too. Now let's make this place yours!"

Nodding, McArthy looked back at Mim and said, "Let's."

She gave his chin a lick, then said, "Let us."

Turning, the two followed the kig-yar back into the kitchen behind the living room, then he pushed the paper towards them with a pen and said, "I'm just gonna have both of you sign at the bottom of the paper. Make sure you read the fine print, never miss that stuff."

Taking the pen in his fingers, McArthy quickly skimmed over the paper, then eyed the kig-yar. He stared at the kig-yar for a few seconds, who then tilted their head and asked, "Wh-what are you doing?"

His straight face turned into a grin, then he said, "Was just trying to see if I made you nervous. Guess there isn't a catch anywhere."

Putting pen to paper, McArthy wrote out 'McArthy 'Tol', then held the pen out to Mim. She chirped and took the pen, then wrote 'Mim 'Tol' down as well, then the ibie'shan pulled the paper away and said, "It is official! You two are homeowners! With all the payments taken care of, the place is yours! I hope you two the best days ahead!"

With that, the kig-yar took the papers and walked out of the house, waving goodbye as they left through the front door. Mim waved back, then McArthy scratched his chin and said, "I could've sworn there was more of a process behind buying a house."

Playfully elbowing him, Mim chuckled and said, "Remember, this is not a human world. Completely alien, culturally alien to me as well. This is probably how it works here."

Grinning, McArthy hooked his arm around Mim and said, "Well, with that out of the way, then…"

Mim reached her hand around and gave her mate's ass a squeeze, watching him yelp and turn red. Mim laughed, then wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him with her onto the couch. They both fell into the cushiony surface with a small grunt, then Mim pressed her forehead against his, giggling, and said, "Our home. My human."

Chuckling, McArthy lifted his head and kissed her forehead and said, "Exactly what we wanted, huh?"

He felt as Mim slid her hand up and down his back, her other holding his cheek, one finger gently rubbing his skin. She lightly nodded her head, "Yes. Exactly what I needed."

With a wide grin, McArthy raised both of his hands to hold her cheeks and kissed the end of her beak. Shutting her eyes, Mim opened her beak slightly and let her tongue push through his lips, pressing against his own. The two pressed closer together as they slowly lost themselves to each other, their hands massaging each other as they kissed.

After staying that way for half a minute, McArthy pulled back and they both drew a breath, lightly panting. Mim nuzzled his cheek as he caught his breath, then softly said, "I still love you taking my name."

Chuckling, McArthy began running a strafe of kisses down her beak towards her neck, then paused and said, "Of course I did. If I didn't, my name would've looked weird on paper."

Mim playfully turned her head and smacked his face with her feathers, then said, "That is not the only reason."

Chuckling, McArthy kissed her neck and said, "It's also because I love you, hun, of course. You always call me your human, just thought I would make it official."

Mim' throat vibrated as she felt McArthy softly kiss it, raising her head and slightly opening her beak. She was certainly addicted to the feeling his soft, alien lips gave her.

Neither of them knew exactly what kind of future they had in store, but what they did know was that they'd have each other for whatever this new life threw at them. Finally truly alone and safe, they couldn't help but go deaf to the world, never having felt so satisfied or happy.

#

It had been almost a week since they bought their home. It had struck McArthy that they would need to find a source of income, they certainly couldn't depend on Sil, not that either of them wanted to anyway. This just gave McArthy the chance to make an old childhood dream a reality, which he quickly jumped at as he now walked down a wide road, looking at widely spaced out buildings near the shoreline.

Accompanied by a sangheili, they both stopped and gazed at a vacant building. It looked like it had been empty for some time, and it had a very large holographic banner saying, 'For Sale', in front of it.

McArthy put his hands on his hips and sighed, then turned and watched a group of five sangheili and kig-yar dressed in beachware pass by, all whispering stuff to each other in sangheili, so he couldn't catch anything they said. Though, he watcehd Mutah grunt at whatever they said, waving them off and turning back to the building.

Deciding to simply put it behind him, McArthy turned to the sangheili next to him, tilted his head and asked, "What was this place before?"

Gesturing to the building in front of them, then sangheili explained, "It was a… strange cafe. They quickly went out of business, however. Apparently a nude cafe wasn't popular."

Chuckling, McArthy shrugged his shoulders and said, "That's certainly a surprise."

Walking towards the doorway to the building, watching the doors slide open, McArthy gazed around the empty shop. It was certainly large enough to accompany what he wanted, it even had the booths already installed. He'd just have to refurbish them to fit the style he was going for.

Entering the building with him, the sangheili turned to McArthy and asked, "Shouldn't your wife be here too? I believe a purchase like this should be discussed with your spouse."

Scoffing, McArthy walked towards the counter and said, "She already approved of this. We trust each other, don't you worry. Anyway, how much is the place?"

Standing next to McArthy, the sangheili lowered a datapad to the human and said, "80,000 zeeks. I also went ahead and did the calculations based on your plans to renovate the building, and getting this place up and running will cost you an extra 20,000 zeeks and a month of work. After that, your business will be ready."

Giving the sangheili a thumbs up, McArthy said, "Sounds great to me! Finally, I can actually put my skills to use and provide! How popular do you think it will be?"

Shrugging, the sangheili flexed their mandibles, then turned to look out of the building and said, "Based on the location, very. An exotic restaurant on the coastline? Not only will there be tourists for the beach who come here, but also the wealthy locals. My suggestion would be to raise the prices very high, no matter how much these meals cost on your homeworld."

McArthy chuckled, then waved his hand dismissively and said, "Ah, I'm no scammer. All I needed to know is what you told me. I'll put the right prices up. Thank you, Mutah. You're a big help."

Dipping his head, the sangheili gazed around at the restaurant and slowly asked, "So, seeing as you won't be able to run this place alone…"

Turning to the sangheili, curious, McArthy asked, "What's up?"

Shifting the datapad under his arm, Mutah asked, "My son is in need of work. I ask if you would be so kind as to at least consider him for a role here, once it is ready. His last few attempts at employment have not gone well, though not of it being his fault."

Tapping the counter, McArthy shrugged, "Uh, sure, I see no problem with that. But have him come talk to me about it when this place is actually opened, I don't want your guys' hopes up in case something goes wrong."

Nodding his head, Mutah grasped McArthy's hand gratefully and said, "Thank you, McArthy. When the time comes, he will be overjoyed to hear about it. And I am sure he will enjoy working with you."

Patting the sangheili's hand, McArthy smiled and said, "I'll make sure he does. Now, let's finalize the purchase and get out of here. I wanna go home so I can cook something before it gets dark."

Nodding, the sangheili lowered the datapad again and said, "A simple signature and tap will do it. Seeing as you've done me and my son a grand favor, I am open for you if you require any assistance with the renovations."

McArthy smiled as he tapped the datapad, then said, "I'll be sure to contact you, Mutah. Now, time to go home and hope the wifey doesn't maul me."

Mutah froze for a moment as McArthy walked towards the exit, then spun around and asked, "Wait, I thought you said she approved of the purchase!?"

Laughing, McArthy spun around, walking backwards, "She approved of the business, not buying it today! Don't worry, I'll be fine! Hopefully!"

With that, the human left the building, leaving the sangheili to watch him walk off through the glass doors. Releasing a heavy sigh, Mutah rested his forehead in his hand, then shook his head and said in sangheili, "The next time I see him, he will be in crutches."

#

McArthy was excited, almost giddy as he approached his home. He bought that building ten minutes ago, and he just couldn't wait to get to work on it. It was going to let him provide for the person he held dearest while doing something he quite enjoyed. The prospect of its success made his smile widen.

Walking onto his porch with a wide smile, he made his way through his home's front door, then called out, "Honey! I'm home!"

Immediately, he watched Mim's head poked from around the wall in the living room, then she chuckled and asked, "You have been waiting a while to say that, hm?"

Walking through the front room to her, he cupped the bottom of her beak, kissing her in the beak, then said, "My whole life, really. Anyway, I got some big news!"

Tilting her head with a coo, Mim asked, "What's up?"

Smiling, he took both of her hands and said, "I bought a business!"

He watched her beak open slightly ajar, surprise in her amber eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she loudly asked, "You what!?"

Heya people. How's your day been? Hopefully good. Anyway, as you have read, this is a... strange chapter. At least it feels that way to me. Still, it felt strange, but I still liked it, I hope you people liked it too! And it isn't the last chapter. That one is coming soon, though, so hold on tight! Anyway, feel free to leave a review if you like, and I hope you have a good day or night!