'May you find peace,' Dustin thinks, having finished setting up three wooden crosses for the three Cyclonians he finished burying.
After that, he goes into the ship to grab whatever seems like it could belong to the girl from a bag to a possible weapon. He does take a few things for himself for scrap usage but leaves the ship mostly intact if the girl needs to be reminded later on. "Shoot. A radio for short-range. That's what I need next," he says to himself as he realizes the girl can't talk to him while he is out here. Dustin grabs his things and scraps to head back. His goal is to do some work at last "No, dad. I just ended up saving a Cyclonian. Not a big deal," he says to himself, already imagining how it might go.
When he got back in, he set his salvage aside and goes to try and find his guest. As he gets up to the main room, he finds the girl working over the workbench with something glowing from it. "Is this something I should know and won't explode a piece of my ship?" he asks in some curiosity while walking over to her.
The girl rolls her eyes as she works with his tools on the crystals. Dustin shrugs, going to check his ship real quick. He does some usual checking as he did on his father's airship. With the engines being first, the fuel next, cooling, hydraulics, and then control lines. After doing so, he checks up on the girl again to see how she is doing, grabbing some natural fruits to eat on the way. When he enters the main room, he still sees the girl at the workbench, but hardly doing anything. "I can't let you stand up all day if that concussion comes back," Dustin warns.
"That should do it," the girl says, applying a crystal to her head.
"Do what?" Dustin asks as he walks over. He then sees her sigh in relief and notes the crystal looks like a mix of two colors then a single one. Dustin then reaches over and feels the air around her to observe how cold it is while it seems to be doing something else. "What did you do?" he asks in wonder. His mind began to race at the idea that maybe she combined the healing and cooling crystals.
"I combined the powers of two crystals into one. It's crude given what I had to work with, but will work," the girl informs.
"Amazing. I never thought about it that way," Dustin says as he thinks about how it can help his inventions or make his map better. "Well, then you should be good to walk and talk. How about I take you to someplace where some of your army or guards can pick you up? Just name the place, and I'll head there," Dustin offers.
"I want to see my ship," the girl asks him.
"The ship…right…" Dustin sighs and looks her over. "First sign you can't walk, I am taking you back to make sure you rest up," he warns, pointing at her with seriousness.
"Lead the way," the girl instructs.
Dustin nods before leading her out into the forests. "It was slightly weird. I found other wreckage of sky knights, so I thought you got shot down. But when I checked your engines, it was damaged, from the inside," he explains while helping her through the trees and bushes.
"Inside?" the girl asks, surprised.
Dustin nods and lifts her before dropping her over a cliff. "You got lucky since the metal splitting looks like it was pointed mostly in your direction. But it could be that it missed you and hit your pilot," he explains down to her and then jumps down to her. "Someone wanted you dead because I don't think a fuel crystal would explode like that."
"You are certain?" the girl asks.
"I worked on a crusty old ship most of my life. There is always an explosion at times," Dustin shrugs and leads her again. "Mostly small," Dustin informs, leading her to the crashed ship for her to see. "Take note of the hole here," Dustin says, leading her up to the vessel where a splintered hole in the engine is. "See how the metal along here is bending out towards us?" Dustin asks.
The girl nods while looking around the ship. "Someone sabotaged my airship."
"Yeah, but who is the question for you," Dustin says before she heads in and comes out with the staff he had left behind. "Oh yeah. Thought that could have been part of the airship or one of your guards."
"It's mine," the girl informs.
"Oh. If I knew, I would have grabbed it," Dustin apologizes.
"Come then," the girl instructs.
Dustin walks up to her and follows. "Where to?"
"Back to your ship," the girl informs.
"Right," Dustin says and leads her back to his ship. "So, where do you need to go? Name a terra."
"Cyclonia," the girl answers.
"Well, I need to set a heading, and we can be there lickity split," Dustin informs happily. The girl takes a seat and waits for him to take off. Dustin kept smiling while starting up the engine and takes off. "Must be great living over there. Benefits and all if you are a high ranking person or something."
The girl says nothing and, for days, didn't speak after that, seemingly focusing on recovering. "Why were you out on the terra?" the girl asks, finally breaking her silence.
"You want to know? Well, I was searching for abandoned parts and, hopefully, a cannon or two as my ship has nothing. I just bought this ship myself and joined the exploration guild, so looking for money and parts for my ship so I can build up a crew and start exploring," Dustin informs.
The girl looks him over and tries to measure his form, but ends up concluding that he is young. Very young and looking around fifteen. And he has his ship already? How far did he go for everything he has? "How did you afford all of this?" the girl asks as Dustin eyes the sun and starts to look for a nearby terra on the maps to anchor for the night.
Dustin smiles while still searching. "My father and his crew. He wanted me to go out on my way. I served on a merchant ship since I could walk. I also pawned off a few prototypes of this map," Dustin says, gesturing to the crystal glass map. "This is my final version too or at least the current one."
"Why do you say the current one?" the girl asks.
"Because I don't want it to be the last. I want to have to add new things and maybe make it better," Dustin says, smiling as they came to a small terra and drops the anchor onto it to stabilize them.
The girl grips her hands onto the structure of the ship while the place shudders around them. "You do know there will be a stopping point one way or another," she points out.
"It's best to stop for the night and get some rest. There are also no outposts or occupied terras according to the maps for a ways now. So I will get started on making dinner. Feel free to help if you want," Dustin informs.
The girl watches him walk on by before getting up and going to the map. Her eyes trail along the pathway they have chosen and the terra they are on. Nothing of note here, but decent to make a watchtower at some point or another. Of course, it is all a rocky landscape and not a forest. So there would be some ways to hide amongst the bland colors.
After a while, Dustin returns with some cooked meat and drinks. "Want to stay in here and eat or take a look outside?" Dustin offers.
The girl slowly turns to him. "Can we step outside? I'd rather not be stuck in a stuffy airship."
"After you," Dustin says before following her out onto the small deck.
The girl takes a deep breath once she steps outside as Dustin steps up a box as a table for them. "There is always something missing in other ships," she says after a while. "Why did you help me?" the girl asks, looking down on the terra below.
Dustin hums. "I saw a person in need. I decided to help you out and not leave you behind."
"I am a cyclonian, and since you didn't realize me immediately, you can't be one as well. So why does one from the Atmos save a Cyclonian when you have done nothing, but either kill us or toss us to the wastelands to die?" the girl asks, trying not to sound accusingly.
Dustin turns to look at her. The girl also looks at him and sees him sitting down on an overturned crate. "Because it is a waste to think of others that way. I am not going to pretend that the Atmosian sky knights haven't done horrible things, but Cyclonia has done bad things too. In war, no one is innocent, and no one is righteous. That's all arrogance and ego. The state of the war we are in is what I would call a cold war. Neither side is fighting directly right now besides small scale skirmishes. The only reason for that is that both sides suffered serious losses in the last great battle. If Cyclonia had the strength, then they would have swarmed the other terras after the battle. But they didn't because the war have drained them. This war has brought nothing but the loss to both sides. The war could easily end, but the pride and egos of both sides keep it going. I, for one, don't care about the arguments of either side. I want this war to end. So, in the end, you are not those who committed the crimes. You didn't start the war, and you haven't ordered any crimes to be committed. That is why I saved you. You are innocent and don't deserve any blame or spite," Dustin informs.
The girl was silent, mulling the words over in her mind before they started to eat. They spoke no more after that and just looked out at the atmos around them and up at the stars. "You see that one there, it looks like a fish, doesn't it?" Dustin asks, pointing out a shape the stars could form.
The girl looks up and tries to see what he could. "No. I don't. I just see the stars up there."
"Oh, you don't know, huh? Some sailors in the old days who were too busy their minds looked up at the stars and let their imaginations draw lines between them, seeing if they could make a shape they recognize," Dustin says, trying to show her in attempting to move his finger as if he was drawing a line from one star to the next.
The girl scoffs. "The only reason to use the stars is to navigate. There is no time in this world for drawing on the charts."
"Thinking like that can be very boring, though, and it helps give some comfort and peace of mind. Life can't only just be about business. If you try, you will burn out. If you also don't let yourself have fun and enjoy what is around, you could miss some things," Dustin says, getting up to stretch when he spots something moving in the clouds. "Heads up. We might have company."
The girl looks up to where he is looking at the dense cloud and then hears a low whine. Her eyes start to catch onto, seeing a bulbous creature slowly swim through the sky. "What is that?" the girl asks, surprised.
"I have never seen anything like it either," Dustin says, pulling out a camera and takes a picture. The girl and Dustin keep watching the beast swim through the sky as it bellows out the low noise.
"Cyclonis."
"Huh?" Dustin asks, making sure to get a few more.
"My name is Cyclonis," Cyclonis repeats.
"Nice to finally know your name," Dustin says as they watch it swim away. "This is why I choose to be an explorer. It may not make me rich, but getting to see things like that will make it all worthwhile," Dustin says, putting the camera away.
Cyclonis slowly sighs before stepping away from the deck. "I'd rather get some sleep now."
"Alright. I am going to keep watching a bit longer then get some sleep as well," Dustin says, seeing Cyclonis walk off with a smile.
"Do we have permission to land?" Dustin asks after Cyclonis gets off the radio.
"Stay on the right docking areas. Those are our areas," Cyclonis explains as she walks up beside him.
"Roger that. Are you happy to be home?" Dustin asks, steering the ship to where she directs.
Cyclonis sighs. "Not home. Just a jumping-off point."
"Seems the welcome wagon is here as well," Dustin says, spying several Talons and what looks like the commander running up.
Cyclonis nods and turns to him. "You can stay here. But this would be the last time we see each other."
"Take care then," Dustin says.
Cyclonis stops halfway before sighing and turning. "I can give a reward and…"
"No need. Just take care of yourself," Dustin says, cutting her off and surprising her.
Cyclonis stares at his form, looking over the map before walking away. "Goodbye."
"Here," Dustin calls, tossing her his crystal map as she reaches the door. The map stopped mid-air as Cyclonis's staff lit up and put it into her hands. "Something to remember me by and to remind you of this."
Cyclonis looks over the map and walks away again. Her mind floods with how he would live and what he would see and then looks to her guards to know that it would be different for her in both experience and time. "I want to be home right this moment," she orders, not even bothering to look at them, but rather at Dustin through the airship's windshield. "Also give that ship two cannons and some crystals to power them," Cyclonis orders and then thinking, 'The least I can do Dustin.'
Dustin smiles and marks another place on the map before noticing something outside on the dock. "Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!" he calls to the approaching crew setting up lines on his ship and then sees the cargo they are pulling. Dustin watches as they set a crate of red crystals and two medium cannons onto his deck. 'Cyclonis, you didn't need to do that,' Dustin thinks, shaking his head.