Hanni breathed in the deep salt air, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. It had been a long time since she had seen true sunlight, or the glittering of it on the vast, endless ocean of her homeworld, the deep blue and green like a blanket that covered the planet.

I thought I had forgotten it, she thought. It had only faded.

She licked her lips and tasted the salt there.

Not as sweet as cherries, she sighed softly.

Although it was wonderful to be home again, things were not the same. Her reunion with her family was emotional but welcome and they expressed genuine surprise that she had been released from slavery. Hanni had left out most of the details about Taneleer, keeping them to herself greedily, as if sharing what had happened between them would lessen it somehow. She thought about him with a smile, walking along the hot sand, her shoes in one hand and the satchel he had given her in the other. She rested beneath a shady palm next to a rock in a quiet area, looking about her before she opened the little satin bag and went over the contents yet again. Hanni put the necklace on, running her fingers along it delicately as she remembered Tivan's face. Reaching back into the bag, she felt for the other surprises he had left for her there – a thick bundle of units lay within, but that's not what she was searching for. Her fingertips grazed another piece of paper and she retrieved it with a fond smile, unfolding it and reading it for the hundredth time, Tivan's delicate, loopy writing scrawled elegantly across the page.

Hanni,

As I write this, you are laying across my bed, asleep. I find if I stare at you too long, my hand ceases to write and my conviction wavers. No doubt you will be angry – that is alright. But this is truly the best course. I cannot, in good conscience, keep you here as a slave. Even were I to free you, I would not trust either of us to have clear heads. Were you to want to leave I'm not sure I would allow you to; we must part before my heart overcomes my head. Know always that you are loved, and should our paths cross again it would be more than I could ever hope for. But live your life for yourself, and know that I think of you always.

Love,
Taneleer

Hanni sighed and clutched the letter to her chest, deciding to fold it up and put it away again once her tears started to fall. She did not want to ruin her most treasured possession. She placed the necklace within, too, carefully closing the bag again and laying back as she watched the sun set over the ocean.

Taneleer Tivan walked through his collection quietly, a cigarette in one hand, his other palm drifting lazily over the glass of his exhibits and items. He took another puff of the cherry leaves and paused in front of the photo of his family, a sad grin playing on his face as he reached into his vest and pulled out another frame, placing it beside the old one with care. The new one was smaller, but nearly identical, save for the photo within. Hanni smiled at him softly from the picture, dressed in the elegant red gown that was her favorite, the necklace he had once loaned to her draped about her neck. Once Tivan had found out there had been a photographer that night he had brought her to meet his associates, he had tracked him down and paid handsomely, for both the photo and his silence. He straightened it casually on the old, beaten desk with a smirk, taking one more puff of his cigarette before grinding it into a refuse dish. He sighed and turned around to examine the rest of his collection.

Just another day of eternity, he pouted gloomily, but consoled himself with the thought of Hanni enjoying her new freedom. He pictured her walking on a sunny beach, the wind in her hair, maybe eating a piece of tropical fruit or going for a swim in the ocean... and for the first time since she had left over a week ago, he felt a little happiness. Someday, he promised himself, Someday, if she wishes to return, she will. He held onto the hope thinly, but felt somehow, deep down, he had not seen the last of his former slave. He wondered what she was doing, and once again smiled as he imagined her basking in the sun and breathing fresh air, dancing on the beach and dipping her feet in the ocean. Someday.