2 years later…

A little bit was a lie.

"Mister Calico, this is unwise." The old man said as he slowly followed the child down the mansion's long hallways. Half of the mansion was being rebuilt due to its old walls crumbling down. The abandoned parts of the building were quiet, plants and ivy have taken it over.

The sky was clear and a soft ray of sunlight crept into the building.

The man was short, skinny, and clearly too old to be babysitting. His name was Mr. Darcy Grover. His appearance was that of some type of yellow axolotl.

Ezra walked slower so Mr. Grover could catch up, his eyes never leaving the starlight machine as he tinkered with it. Ezra had grown tremendously within that 1 year. Ezra's 12th birthday was right around the corner. His slicked back hair and fur had taken on a slightly darker color, a tad bit more desaturated than his platinum blond fur-skin . It was just a bit darker than the fabric of a white shirt.

They came across a half destroyed balcony. Ezra stopped, and slowly took a step forward. Plants had grown over it and it was missing some of its railing.

Ezra peered over the edge, seeing how they were several stories above the ground. He looked back up at the view. He could probably see the entire town from here, and half of the space ports.

It reminded him of the observatory.

Ezra stared blankly at the ships coming in and out of the space ports, the workers all running around.

"I suggest we make our way to the courtyard. Mrs. Harrison is waiting for you." Grover simply said, his walking stick hitting the ground with a soft thud. One arm was behind his back as he watched Ezra. He patiently waited for an answer.

Ezra stood still and sighed, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He had snuck out of his room while the maids were packing his things.

He abandoned the fancy green vest and pants for a long tan colored tunic, its short sleeves ending in a section of red, with cross hatching lacing on the collar; thin, baggy dark red pants, and black boots.

Eleanor had taken him in, and yes he was grateful, but he wasn't gonna pretend he wanted to be there. Yeah, he loved living in a mansion. Did he like living without his Uncle ? No.

His Uncle said this life would be better for him, but it didn't feel like it. It felt like he was walking on eggshells. He couldn't keep up with the expectations that the strangers had set up for him.

It had been 1 year and he was still stuck in his little bubble. He barely interacted with the

people around him, not that he could anyway.

Private school didn't work, despite Eleanor claiming to be his "patron", no Dean was gonna let him in. So, Eleanor promised to get him in personalized classes once he was 13.

He was homeschooled. Mr. Grover was assigned to him, teaching him as fast as a rapidly aging man could, which wasn't very speedy as Ezra would have hoped.

Ruckus would've probably made fun of him for wanting to go to an actual school.

There were no other children around the mansion. He wasn't allowed out by himself, and he was deemed a "bad influence" on the servants' children.

The servants themselves weren't talkative people, they hushed him or just silently waved him off.

Ezra was completely aware they didn't want him there.

Well, Eleanor did. He thinks she does, at least. They spent a lot of time together, eating, reading, sitting in the same room, mostly silently, but that was still time spent.

They didn't talk much.

Eleanor's husband, Mr. Harrison, (a human commander for the navy), hated him, or was at least mildly distasteful, and Ezra totally understood why, and didn't blame him.

How are you supposed to feel when the child of your wife's affair partner is living in your house?

Thank gods they didn't interact all that much. Harrison was always gone on navy duty, and Eleanor had all the money she needed.

Ezra had noticed something about Harrison's and Eleanor's marriage.

They weren't close. They might have even been once, but not anymore. Eleanor was still hung up on Ezra's mom, and Harrison was too busy to care.

Ezra didn't mean to seem insensitive, but… He adjusted to the loss of his mother quickly. He didn't know why, it felt like something was just sucked out of him.

While Eleanor and his Uncle grieved, Ezra just couldn't keep grieving. He understood the concept of death, and it was pretty simple.

He loved his mom, more than anything, but when the people in his life seemed to hold onto her death in a tight grasp, never letting go, he had stopped being sad. He wasn't over losing her, he had just… stopped.

It was an empty feeling. He didn't know if it counted as a feeling at all.

Ezra's tail flickered when he was hit by a slight breeze. He shoved the starlight into his pants pocket.

Ezra turned his head to look at Mr. Grover. "Fine… can we at least walk around a bit more, it's not like I'm coming back here anytime soon."

"Nonsense, my boy." Mr. Grover began walking down the hallway again. Ezra begrudgingly follows.

"You'll be back in no time, nothing more than a few months in space. You'll be fine."

"You're not coming with us, right?" Ezra had asked the question before. He didn't know why he asked again even when he knew the answer.

"No, I have a place up in the west part of town." Mr. Grover told him. There was silence between them, nothing but the tapping of Mr. Grover's walking stick hitting the carpet.

Ezra pulled the starlight out of his pocket again, holding the small machine. There have been many modifications made to it, but it was still the same starlight his mom gave to him that fateful night.

"You've taken on quite an interest in machines haven't you, Mr. Calico?" Mr. Grover stared at the little clump of metal.

"I guess…" Ezra mumbled, looking away.

"Take this trip of yours as a learning opportunity, young one." Mr. Grover said. "You could learn much from the staff of the merchant ship."

Ezra hummed in response. He would be grateful for this, but that doesn't mean he has to be happy about it.

They had reached his room. Ezra carefully opened the door, and peered inside to make sure no one was there. When he saw there were no maids or servants, he quickly ran over to his bed.

His suitcase was open on his bed, fancy clothes neatly folded next to it. Clearly, the maids had abandoned the task of packing it, and went to search for him.

Ezra had plenty of clothes, but he only kept half of them up in "his" room. This room was a guest room. When Eleanor's or Mr. Harrison had guests, he had to sleep down in the servant quarters to make more room. He kept spare clothes down there, so he didn't "bother" the guests.

He dug under the bed. His hand roamed around for a second, until he felt a box. He pulled it out. It was a simple, worn down package that had been opened and put back together many times.

He tore it open, checking over its contents one more time to ensure everything was there.

It was a jacket. A dark gray jacket. It wasn't meant for the life of a pampered palace boy, but for a sailor.

It was an old coat, and way too big for him. It was his mothers. Apparently she had won it off a guy at a bar before he was born.

He held it up. He could sneak this into the luggage without getting caught, right? If anyone finds it, they'll throw it away without a second thought.

He dug into the coat pocket. He pulled out a simple golden ring. It belonged to his mom, and to his , and now it was his.

He slipped it onto his finger. It fit loosely, but that was alright.

He hurriedly put the jacket on before Mr. Grover told him not to.

"Alright, I'm ready, let's go."

To Ezra's surprise, Mr. Grover did not say anything about the jacket. He merely smiled and walked out the door besides Ezra.

-

"Where is he, Lucius?" Eleanor asked, her fingers neatly resting on her lap. They were already running late to the space port, and the young Ezra wasn't helping in the slightest.

"I swear, Mrs. Harrison, he should be here any minute now!" Lucius explained. He turned to the servant closer to him, out of earshot of Eleanor.

"Where the heck is the little brat?"

The servant shrugged, then continued to load suitcases into the carriage.

"Why is he like this, Lucius?" Eleanor sighed and slumped into her seat.

"You know children, my lady. They are always like this, very tedious when it comes to important events like this. It's a good thing you never had any."

Eleanor looked at him warily, then looked away. Her sadness became apparent to Lucius immediately.

"Lady Eleanor, what are you wearing!? It is gorgeous! You'll outshine every duchess there!" Lucius gushed. Eleanor was wearing a peach colored dress, laced with white fabric, pearls, and jewels.

She also wore an assortment of pearl jewelry: pearl earrings and a double pearl necklace.

Eleanor softly smiled at Lucius's attempt at making her day. "Nothing out of the ordinary, Lucius, just something flashy for when we board."

"Well, you sure do know how to make an entrance, my lady!" Lucius gave her an applause. "If only the boy could do the same." He whispered under his breath.

Speak of the "devil", Ezra had finally arrived outside the mansion. He came running down to the carriage. In Lucius's humble opinion, he could have been running faster.

Mr. Grover walked at a steady pace behind Ezra, his walking stuff hitting the ground with every step.

Lucius's eyes widened in horror. "By the gods, what in the worlds are you wearing!?" He gasped. "Mister Calico, you are aware there is a strict dress code aboard the Escardian Jewel, correct?"

The Escardian Jewel was the merchant ship, part of the RLS cargo fleet, that was taking them across Nabu Galaxy to some far off planet away from everything Ezra knew. After the voyage, they would be staying with one of Lady Eleanor's many friends until the mansion was rebuilt.

Ezra heard about a year prior, and he knows that Gabi lost the bet.

Ezra's life was about to change again. But this time around, he learned to take it. He knew it was better to just try and keep up with the sudden changes, instead of trying to run away and avoid them.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "So what? You're just gonna stick me behind some boxes so I won't be seen by the public eye again." He huffed. Lucius fumed and opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut short by Mr. Grover.

"Loosen up, Lucius, it's just a jacket." Mr. Grover stated. Clearly the old man's time with Ezra has given him the right to talk back.

"I faintly recall you having a rebellious streak back in the day."

Lucius gasped and stuttered.

The sound of Eleanor speaking up caught their attention.

"We're as late as it is, let's not waste anymore time, chop chop, everybody!" The servants quickly picked up their pace, placing the last piece of luggage into the carriage's trunk.

Eleanor turned to Mr. Grover, for one last time. "Take care, Mr. Grover. Say goodbye to Helen for me."

Helen was Mr. Grover's wife. Ezra had only met her once from a distance,but she seemed like a nice lady. Old and withered, but sweet and tender.

Mr. Grover nodded.

Ezra took his place next to Eleanor. Usually he sits across from her, but this time, he wasn't willing to meet her face to face. The carriage begins to move. It shouldn't take long for them to reach the space port.

Eleanor eyes the jacket for a moment, the elusive memories that it held struck her as odd.

She dismissed the feeling of deja vu, returning her gaze to stare at the carriage wall in front of her.

"The Escardian Jewel's owner, Omar Keen…" Eleanor started. "He has a daughter, around your age, I believe one or two years older. What was her name…?"

She thought for a moment. "Ah, nevermind- anyways, there's never any kids aboard the Escardian, so Omar's daughter is quite excited to meet you." She smiled. Ezra's head tilted in confusion.

"I know it might be a bit strange. But you both come from similar home lives, never having anyone your age to hang out with. I believe this trip will be good for you, Ezra."

Ezra hummed in acknowledgment. He doubts this girl would have any clue what his life was like- and he highly doubted they could get along. If Ezra can't get along with adults, why would he get along with other children?

Ezra just wanted this trip to go smoothly. Eleanor could drag him anywhere she pleased as long as he got to stay in a corner with just himself to keep company.

"Will Commander Harrison be joining us?" He knew the answer to that. Commander Harrison was barely ever on leave, and with Ezra taking residence in his house, he had a reason not to come home so quickly.

Ezra had met Harrison only a few times. During Ezra's first few months there, he had never truly interacted with him. But he once had a full conversation with him once.

Something about pirates and the law. It was the only time Ezra had seen Harrison speak so passionately about something.

But after that, they didn't talk much, Harrison was still wary of the situation and Ezra was too quiet to speak up.

"No, he will not." Eleanor said. "He'll be on leave until the mansion is finished."

Ezra remained silent the whole trip. He spent the entire time looking outside, watching as the normal people walked by, going about their everyday lives, forever the same, never changing.

Why doesn't he get that? He's been good. Ronan used to say that if Ezra did everything he was asked to do, good things would happen. Ezra has been doing just that for a very long time.

Why wasn't anything good happening?

Good things had happened. He learnt things, not a lot of things, but he learned things nonetheless.

But he guessed he could learn things under bad situations as well. He flourished under Eleanor's servants' care- at least educational.

He's pretty sure he just needs one big thing to happen for his life to get started. After his mom disappeared, everything seemed to stop. Everyday was slow and dreadful and he ever so slowly got through each of them.

He counted the cars, the trees, every single man in a top hat, every single droid, that he could as they speedily drove through the streets

He counted each time the carriage drove over a bump in the road, shaking the entire vehicle.

Ezra closed his eyes. He brought a knee up to his chest and rested his head against it. Everything was silent for a moment. Ezra focused on the black void in his head. He wished when he closed his eyes, he wasn't met with darkness each time.

As much as he enjoyed his childhood fantasies, he didn't want to fill the empty spaces in his head by himself.

The mansion was a dry place. The only thing he had to read were his school books about history, mathematics, English, you name it- and maybe he convinced a maid to sneak him a few books about engineering and ships.

The servants weren't much storytellers either.

He'd imagine himself changing the Etherium with his creations, designing the fastest ship in the galaxy, that even out raced the Queen's royal navy ships.

He felt the carriage come to a halt. He opens his eyes.

"Ezra." Eleanor spoke softly. "We're here."

Eleanor stepped out of the carriage with the help of the coachman. Ezra hurriedly hopped out after her, expecting no help.

Ezra looked up and let out a small gasp.

He was greeted by a glorious sight. The Escardian Jewel was a beauty. She was huge too. She was golden, aspects of redwood sneaked into her outer design. Seemed a lot more royal for a cargo ship. He was so eager to see the interior design, the blueprints, maybe even the engine room if he was lucky.

Eleanor let a small smile form on her lips when she gazed upon the star struck Ezra. She leaned down. "Ezra, fall back."

Ezra blinked, suddenly he was back in reality and no longer in his own head. He had accidentally walked ahead of Eleanor instead of behind.

Oh right, of course.

Ezra sank back in line with the rest of the servants. He was expected to stay with everyone else, but as soon as the party starts and Eleanor gets exhausted of the social remedies, he'll be right back at her side, expected to ease her social anxiety till she was ready to "mingle" again.

He will never understand rich people.

He fell back behind Lucius. His attention was once again taken as they began to board the ship.

Ezra noted how the inside of the ship was warmer than outside.

Some of the ship's employees came to their aid, taking the luggage down to one of the many elegant suites the ship had in store.

Eleanor, Lucius, and Ezra were led into the lounge. It was huge, for Ezra at least. Everyone there had probably seen hundreds of rooms like this. The floors, walls, pillars, stairs, and couches were coated in a thin red carpet. Everything else, the arms of chairs and couches, the stair and indoor balcony railing, all that stuff, was covered in gold.

Ezra marveled at the sight. Yes, the mansion was quite pretty but this was new. It was a sign of the modern world crashing down on him.

The lounge was filled with people. Some women wore lavish dresses, and men wore tight suits.

A human man approached them with a big smile. "Lady Eleanor!" He greeted her. He wore a red suit with a dark blue sash going from his right shoulder to his left hip, and a bunch of golden and blue navy pins. Ezra counted at least seven.

His tied back black hair stood out against his almond skin.

"Omar." Eleanor smiled. Omar's giant hands folded between hers.

"It's a pleasure to have you!" He looked at Lucius. "Lucius, my old friend!" Lucius scoffed, but a small smile formed on his face. Ezra met Omar's gaze. "And who is this?"

"This is Ezra." Eleanor said. She was better at introductions than Ezra was.

Ezra whispered, "Hello."

"So, this is the young Ezra Calico you've been bragging about!" Omar slapped a hand on Ezra's shoulder, shaking him a bit.

"Yes, yes." Eleanor stood behind Ezra, placing both her hands on his shoulders. "He's been the jewel of the house for almost three years now."

Ezra raised an eyebrow.

"My daughter will be pleased to meet you." Omar said. "You can see her right now, if you'd like?"

Before Ezra could think about answering, Eleanor answered for him. "Oh, that would be wonderful! Come along, Ezra."

Omar led them through the lounge. While passing multiple people, Ezra made note of their name, how they looked and acted when Eleanor greeted them.

There was a girl, practically identical to Omar, just shorter and younger, standing next to a red pillar.

She was wearing a red dress with gold touches, that looked more like a bunch of fabric wrapped around each other. The neckline of the dress was off the shoulder. Her left sleeve was short, while her right sleeve acted more like a shawl, covering her entire right arm.

Her black hair was up in a high ponytail. She picked at it, her discomfort clear on her face.

She looked bored out of her mind. Then she saw them. Well, more like she saw him. Her orange eyes locked onto him, and she rushed over to them.

"This is my heart, Alani." Omar said. When Alani stood in front of them, eager to speak, Ezra noticed the makeup on her face. Red eye shadow, dark red lipstick and three yellow dots that lined below each of her eyes.

Ezra was jolted forward when Alani took his hand, shaking it violently.

Ezra tried to sly his hand away, but her hold was firm.

"When father said you'd be on the ship, I didn't believe him, because most of the people that board this ship are filthy rich losers-"

Alani," Omar raised his voice, but he didn't look angry. He shook his head, then chuckled and smiled. "Manners."

Alani pouted, then turned her attention back on Ezra.

"I'm Alani. Alani Cassiopeia Keen." Shefinally let go of his hand, her own hands lowered and gracefully folded in front of her.

"…I'm Ezra, Ezra Calico." He bowed his head shyly. If he had eyes on the back of his head, he would see Eleanor staring at him. She smiled, but her mind was somewhere else.

"Can I show him around the ship?" Alani peered back up at her father.

Omar nodded, and Alani smiled brightly. She once again grabbed Ezra's hand, and dragged him out of the lounge.

Ezra had no idea where they were going, or where they were. They were in a hallway, he knew that. But the ship had many long hallways.

Alani had let go of his hand. Ezra fell behind, walking behind her.

Alani hadn't stopped talking since they were out of sight of any adults. She didn't just speak about the ship, she spoke about everything.

Her conversations always drift somewhere else, like school, the planets she's been to, or mostly talking bad about snobby rich folks she's met.

She was two years older than Ezra, a lot more experienced in the social aspect of life.

Whenever she did say something about the ship, her voice took on a mocking tone.

"This ship is my fathers pride and joy." She groaned. "He never stops talking about it."

Like father, like daughter.

She kinda reminds Ezra of Ruckus, just with a lot of money.

"I think it's a nice ship." Ezra said quietly, glancing at the ground. "It's a lot better than the ones I've seen at the dock-"

"You work at a space dock!?" Alani jumped in front of him.

Technically, he didn't work there, his mom, Uncle, and Dryak did. He was kinda just there, but he learned a lot. He expected he would grow up to take over the dock one day, but that's obviously not gonna happen.

There were the big, shiny docks, owned by wealthy merchants, and then there were the smaller ones, owned by the space port's residents.

Drion was more of a planet than a space port. It's surface was filled with shops, mansions and was mostly a home for returning navy or sellers.

"W-well, I used to." Ezra stammered, taking a step back. He dug his hands into his jacket pockets, avoiding eye contact.

"But, yeah."

"Tell me everything!" Alani squealed, then she went quiet, remembering something. "Come on, let's go to my room."

Ezra paused, glancing around. "Why?"

"Because I have to change, I can't walk in this." She wheezed. They turned a corner, and Alani opened a door to one of the suites.

Clearly this was her room. Its base color was pink, but she had all kinds of different colored belongings lying around. It looked like she had been living on the ship for years.

She ran across her cluttered floor and into her wardrobe. "Take a seat, anywhere!" She yelled from the other room.

Ezra took a seat on her huge bed. It could probably fit two or three more people on it. He sat there patiently, his feet crossed and his hands neatly in his lap.

He looked at the bed's pink sheets. There was a book spread open, facing down.

Ezra leaned in to read the title,

"The Rise and Fall of Piracy."

Below that, it read,

"By Admiral Felix Ernezsto"

Who?

Ezra didn't recognize the name. It sounded familiar. Maybe Mr. Grover had brought him up, but Ezra just wasn't paying attention.

There was a date.

Holy-

This book was almost seventy years old!

Ezra picked up the book, flipping through its contents. It had chapters dedicated to mythical pirates like Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and others that had died a long time ago.

Alani must be interested in the lives of pirates, because there were bookmarks at the start of each piratechapter, with names on each one.

Half the book was about the "heroic" and "brave" Navy officers and army men that brought an end to hundreds of pirates back in their day.

Ezra settled in reading the first page, the dedication page.

Apparently the book was written when the Royal Navy had thought they finally destroyed the legacy of piracy, only leaving a few lesser known pirates to run and hide.

Ezra scoffed, just a tad bit. Little did the writers of this book know that piracy would live on so many years later, with notorious ones like Captain Nathaniel Flint terrorizing the Etherium.

Ezra closed the book, placing it gently back on the bed.

Alani finished changing. She abandoned her fancy dress and swapped out for comfortable Sandy colored trousers and a plain, loose-sleeved, amber colored shirt with a round, V shaped collar, highlighting her slender figure. She switched her classy slippers for shoes capable of running in.

Her hair was down, reaching all the way down lower back.

She spread out her arms, twirling around. She flopped onto her bed besides Ezra, eyes closed and sighed. She opened a single eye to stare at Ezra. She grinned.

"Dad can't make me change back if he's too busy launching the ship!" She laughed, sitting up. She walked to the door, gesturing for Ezra to follow. "Time for that tour."

Ezra nodded, and followed her out. The rest of the ship is just how Ezra thought it would be, huge and luxurious.

As they walked through the ship's halls, Alani asked Ezra so many questions.

"Do you work for Mr. and Mrs. Harrison?" She noticed that Ezra had started walking behind her again. She fell back, matching his pace.

His ears twitched.

"No." Ezra answered shortly. He dug his hands into his pockets.

"I just live with her."

"You just live with her?" Alani walked in front of him, but this time she was walking backwards to face him.

"She was 'friends' with my mom." He shrugged. "She's still not over…" Ezra paused, realizing he was about to reveal too much.

"Ok…" Alani nodded, a bit suspicious, but brushed it off. "When's your birthday?"

"I'll be 12 in two weeks."

"2 weeks! That means you'll have your birthday here!" She twirled around.

"Um, yeah, pretty much." He spoke quietly.

"That's so cool! I've had so many birthdays on the ship. I'm pretty sure if my dad had built it sooner, I would have been born on it." She said, "I'm 14, by the way."

"Cool." Ezra mumbled, his gaze still on the ground.

Alani had tried to show him the wheelhouse, but they were stopped by the staff, so she settled on taking him to the deck so they could witness the launch themselves.

The sun was high in the air, shining down on them. Ezra looked over the edge of the ship, and they were high up.

There was a crowd forming at the docks, full of wealthy lady's and sailors. They were there to wave them off.

Alani leaned over the railing, waving excitedly at the people. Ezra joined in, waving shyly.

The ship's passengers crowded the ship's deck, waiting for take off.

Ezra looked down at the ground when he felt the ship rumble. It was bumpy at first, then it grew still.

The ship lifted into the air, leaving the busy space port behind.

Ezra gasped as The Escardian Jewel's dozen solar sails went down, and powered up with Arcturian Crystal energy.

The ship's crew were running around, in a somewhat orderly fashion, keeping everything in "ship shape".

The staff turned on the artificial gravity and the excitement dwindled. The guests went back to the lounge, planning on drinking the night away.

Ezra looked over the edge again, watching as the streets and buildings of Drion got smaller, and smaller… and smaller.

Alani stood next to him, leaning against the railing.

"We're gonna be best friends." She said with a smile, staring off into the distance.

"Oh? What makes you so sure?" He tilted his head to the side, his eyes filled with genuine curiosity.

"I just know." She smirked when she nudged him with her shoulder. "You don't have a choice." She said in a fake scary ghost voice.

Ezra laughs, and playfully shoves her off. They laugh together.

This was nice. He liked this.