ST. ROCH, LOUISIANA
SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2010
15:40 CST

Ski'Lira was alone in the Hol Residence, allowing her free reign to play music through her speakers as loud as she wanted to. Or at least, as loud as her sensitive hearing would allow. The ambient noise made the chore of a particularly lengthy and tedious math assignment slightly more bearable. She didn't mind the subject, knowing full well how important it was, she was just growing bored from using the same formula over and over again.

With the steadily increasing amount of time the Team was spending active, she had been forced to alter her schoolwork schedule accordingly. Thankfully, online classes were far more accommodating with ridiculous time constraints. She certainly did not envy her teammates', and remained impressed that they could balance a full school day and a full night of vigilante work.

Finishing a particularly tricky problem, she cracked her neck back and forth to alleviate some of the tension before starting on the next problem. Scarcely had she read the question before her phone began to ring, displaying an unknown number.

Brow slightly furrowed, she picked it up to answer as she quickly paused her music. "Skylar Hall speaking?"

"I need you to head to Metropolis."

Her eyebrows flew up to her hairline, recognizing the gravelly voice on the other end. "Ba- Mr. Wayne?"

""Clark was set to meet with Conner today after he was finished with school, but he cancelled last minute." Her mentor explained. "I think he'd prefer to see... someone his own age."

"Where is he?"

"I'll text you the exact location."

Already mentally shuffling her plans for today, she slid off her seat and started to grab her stuff, key lanyard, phone, wallet, and sunglasses, closing blinds as she did so. "On my way... Please tell me you're going to yell at Uncle Clark for this?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll message you when I find him."

Hanging up, she headed out the door, snagging her green khaki jacket from its designated hook by the door. She paused for a moment to save Wayne's number as a contact before she forgot. Door firmly shut and locked behind her, she tied her jacket around her waist and snapped out her wings, flying straight towards the nearest Zeta point.

H

One of the things Skylar appreciated most about big cities was the low level of anonymity it provided. Nobody tried to stop to talk to you, as they were usually in just as much of a hurry to get someplace as you were. When walking down the street, they aimed to get from point a to point b with the least amount of delay. Of course, there were outliers, people with petitions, signs, and flyers, who made a living out of disrupting as many people's commute as possible. For the most part, it was easy to ignore.

Her one exception of the day was to hand over a twenty dollar bill she had in her wallet to a woman accepting donations for a no-kill animal shelter. In return, the woman gave her a Snoopy sticker from a slightly battered roll, which she'd tacked to the front of her jacket like a badge of honor.

Ski'Lira had been to Metropolis a handful of times, but had not visited nearly enough to establish a mental map of the city, forcing her to rely on the GPS app on her phone like a normal person.

As promised, Batman had sent her the location shortly after the call had ended, a slightly secluded area of the park. The intent had been to provide a neutral location without the pressure of passerby attention.

She'd actually been to this park before, as Clark liked to take her here when it was his turn to babysit her. Thus, she knew exactly where to find Conner.

Lo and behold, the teen was sitting alone on a park bench, spine ramrod straight, hands clutching white-knuckled to his knees, and eyes locked on the ground. Pushing her aviators up her nose, she stuffed her hands into the deep pockets of her jacket, sauntering over. As casually as she could manage, she sat down on the opposite side of his chosen bench.

"Rough day?"

Somehow his fingers clenched even tighter around his knees, and a downright poisonous glare was shot her way. "How can you tell?"

It was then Ski'Lira realized that he had no clue who she was, that she was just a random civilian who'd decided to talk to him. She supposed it made sense. When she was walking around as Skylar Hall, she became a different person entirely.

Dick had told her it was downright strange, how much more relaxed her body language was, and how her subtle Thanagarian accent smoothed out entirely, citing that as the reason it had taken him so long to recognize her when they'd met out of costume.

Her being her, she couldn't resist taking at least a little advantage of the situation.

"You were glaring at the ground like it personally offended you." She answered his question, "Did it?"

"... No."

She hummed to herself, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Why would I do that?" The spike of hostility was expected and she took it in stride.

Was this what it was like when people tried to talk to her? "Just thought I'd extend the offer. My name's Skylar, by the way. Skylar Hall." She stuck out a hand.

Still wary of her presence (and confidence), he returned the handshake, his grip featherlight in an attempt to keep his enhanced strength at bay. "I'm... Conner." He considered her silently for a moment after their hands parted. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick up a friend," she couldn't hold back her smirk any longer. "Apparently he's been having a rough day, too." Seeing how she'd piqued his interest, she pulled her legs up so she was sitting cross-legged on the bench. "See, he was supposed to meet someone else today, but they never showed up. It was kind of important to him, so I imagine he's pretty upset."

Letting out a short grunt, Conner's blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Really. Is his name Conner too? Have you been spying on me?"

Skylar huffed out an amused laugh, "I knew you'd pick up on the ruse quickly, but you're still missing an important piece of the puzzle." Registering his increasingly aggressive body language, she hastened to explain lest this come to blows. "It's not often I turn down a potential fight, but the middle of a public park I have some fondness for while we're in our civilian personas is far from ideal. But I suppose we could postpone it to training tomorrow morning?"

He blinked exactly twice before the full implications hit him, all the tension dropping out of his shoulders like a deflating balloon. "Hawkgirl?"

"That'd be me, yes." She confirmed with a slight tip of her head.

"You're so... different." He floundered for words. "Without your mask... thing. Or your mace."

It was with mischief in her eyes that she held up her lanyard, showing off the small bottle of mace hooked alongside her keys and a keychain with a tiny shark on it (a souvenir from an aquarium trip).

The Kryptonian was even more puzzled, "You... don't really need that, do you?"

"Not at all. But I'd never pass up the opportunity to pepper spray someone in the face. If I have to play human, I should at least take advantage of some of the perks."

"And your... wings? Where are they?"

His innocent curiosity was refreshing, really. Instead of providing a verbal answer, she flexed her feathery appendages just enough to make the bulky material of her jacket shift. The last of his wariness at her presence had left by now, though he still seemed on edge. No doubt he was still battling with his earlier upset.

"How did you know I was here?" He asked.

"Our mutual mentor in black. He told me to come pick you up. And that he was going to have a talk with a certain Kryptonian."

Conner was astonished by this information, "I... oh."

"I'm pretty sure he intended for me to escort you back to Happy Harbor, but..." Uncurling her legs and hopping off the bench, she did a short stretch, readjusting the hem of her shirt when it rode up. "I have a much better idea. Follow me."

Jerking her head, she headed away from the bench. A heartbeat later, she heard footsteps behind her as Conner moved to keep pace at her side. "Where are we going?"

Skylar just kept walking.

H

"Do I... get to know where we are now?"

Slipping her house key into the lock of the door, Ski'Lira didn't answer, instead waiting for him to connect the dots as she swung open the door. Toeing off her boots, she shucked off her jacket, finally letting her wings stretch out freely.

She started reopening the blinds, letting the natural light back into the house.

The front door closed softly, as Conner finally stepped fully inside. "This is... your house?" His attention was focused on a set of framed pictures on the wall, pictures of her and her family throughout her life, and even a few members of the League, old and new. She didn't miss the way he paused seeing the photo of Kent Nelson and a much younger version of herself, the old man's grin broad as she grumpily posed next to him.

She left him to wander, living up to her promise and messaging Batman that the retrieval had been successful. There was no response, but she wasn't expecting one.

That finished, she patiently waited for Conner to join her in the kitchen, where she was leaning up against the counter. She couldn't blame him for his wide-eyed nature, as she realized this was Conner's first time inside of an actual Earth abode.

"I was planning on making myself a sandwich, want one?" She offered. Late afternoon was a bit of an awkward time to eat by human standards, but as they were both nonhuman entities with increased metabolisms, there was no bad time for a meal.

"... I am a little hungry." Conner admitted.

"Turkey alright?" Only once she received an affirming nod did she head over to the fridge. "Feel free to take a seat."

Hearing a scraping noise, she tossed a glance over her shoulder to see he was sitting at the kitchen table, examining the abandoned notebooks, calculator and laptop splayed out on the far side of the tabletop. She returned to rooting through the fridge.

"Is this... your homework?" He asked.

"Yes," the container of turkey in hand, as well as a full tomato (a quick sniff confirming it was still good), and half a head of lettuce wrapped in plastic, she deposited the stack of ingredients on the counter.

"But... you said you don't go to school?"

"I don't." She answered, washing off the tomato and setting it on a cutting board. When she grabbed a knife from its block, she replaced it, having accidentally grabbed one of the Nth metal knives hidden there for emergency. The second knife was a normal one, and she set to work slicing. "I take online classes. Means I don't spend all my time in classrooms."

"... Why couldn't I have done that?"

"It was a near unanimous decision on the League's part that both you and M'Gann experience 'sufficient social interaction with peers your age'... Other than your teammates, of course. They wanted you to fully adjust to living in human society." Sandwiches assembled, she carried the finished plates over the table after storing away the surplus ingredients. She doubled back to retrieve glasses of ice water, finally sitting down across from him.

Conner's first bite was tentative before he deemed the sandwich up to his standards. "How do you know all that?"

"My parents told me. They like to complain about League meetings when they get home. At least, the stuff they won't get in trouble for telling me."

"And... you don't have to? Go to school, I mean. You're pretty..."

"Socially maladjusted?"

"I didn't mean-"

She cut him off with a sharp grin. "Despite what you and our fellows might believe, I'm not. I grew up perfectly normally on Thanagar and regularly receive a sufficient amount of social interaction for a Thanagarian of my maturity. Also, unlike you, I'm in a position where I have regular, casual contact with civilians." Ski'Lira tapped the side of her head for emphasis. "Basically, I'm wired different up here, so there are different rules for me."

"I guess that makes sense... Haven't you ever... wanted to?"

"There was a brief period in my time where I did want that, yes, but that was stemming from a much deeper issue I will absolutely not be talking to you about."

The two lapsed into silence, both focusing on finishing their food. It wasn't until Skylar was gathering up their dishes and ferrying them in the sink that Conner spoke to her again.

"Were you lying?"

Taken back by the question, she let the water run over the plate she'd already thoroughly washed and rinsed, snapping back to herself and placing the dish on the drying rack. "Lying about what?"

"You said your name was Skylar Hall, at the park." He clarified, shifting uneasily in his seat.

Relieved by the inquiry he'd chosen, she breathed out a laugh. "No, I wasn't. Skylar Hall is my name, my human one at least. Feel free to call me that, if you want. Just... not around the others. Except for Robin, he already knows. Red Arrow too, though I doubt that'll come up anytime soon."

Noticing she'd splashed some water on the hem of her shirt, she briefly debated changing before opting to leave it be. It'd dry in a matter of minutes, anyway.

"Skylar," Conner tested out the name a few times. "It's... nice?"

"Thanks," she deadpanned.

"I remember, you said..." His brow scrunched up in thought. "You said Green Arrow picked your name, right?"

"Good memory," honestly, she was surprised he'd remembered that little tidbit from their chat on his first day of school. "He thought it was a sufficient approximation of my actual name. It stuck. Anyway... About the park..."

The semi-open expression he'd adopted abruptly shuttered into his usual neutral distaste. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ski'Lira's hands shot up in a placating gesture, "Fair enough. I just thought I'd give you the chance to if you wanted."

The black-haired teen went quiet, looking every bit the lost boy he really was. "... I was going to ask him about Krypton."

She felt nothing but heartbreak on Conner's behalf, the sheer disappointment in his voice almost too much to bear. Anyone who claimed that Thangarians were heartless had never known one personally, as they cared for others just as deeply as most other species, they were just better about concealing it.

Black Canary had told her about love languages once, the five basic ways that people expressed their care, both platonic and romantic. She'd explained how every human had their own combination of the traits. Eagerly, she had continued to give her observations about how Thanagarian culture seemed to have similarity, but above all else, they expressed love through 'acts of service'.

It made sense, considering gift giving was not a casual affair as it was here on Earth, reserved for very specific circumstances. Physical touch... was difficult to categorize, in Dinah's words, because Thanagarians engaged in casual sparring nigh constantly with those they cared for, just as easily as they'd offer a hug, a handshake, or preened the other's wings.

Shaken out of that train of thought, Ski'Lira did the only thing she could think of.

She took off her sunglasses, setting them innocuously onto the table in between them. "Come on, I want to show you something upstairs."

Even though he had no way of knowing exactly how important the action she'd just performed really was, he still seemed shocked by seeing her bared face. Without further prompting, Ski'Lira stood up and headed towards the stairs, leaving her aviators on the table. She wouldn't be needing them anytime soon, anyway.

He followed her like a bewildered puppy, their combined weight making the wooden stairs creak. Leading him towards her bedroom at the end of the hall, she opened the door and ushered him inside. She went so far as to bodily grab him by the shoulders and steer him to sit on the edge of her bed so that he wouldn't awkwardly hover.

His eyes flitted about the newly uncovered room, taking in the posters on the walls, the lack of general clutter, what was very clearly the handle of a switchblade sitting in a pencil cup on her desk, and a sprawling bookshelf in the corner with accompanying knickknacks scattered amongst the shelves.

Conner's attention stopped entirely on a framed photograph sitting on her desk. "Is that Red Arrow?"

Freezing in place where she was moving all of her hanging clothes into the empty space to the right, she answered with a slightly strangled, "Yes."

Thankfully, he managed to pick up on her reluctant tone enough to drop the subject immediately, to which she was grateful. This was about Conner's emotional wellbeing, not hers. Maybe later she would be willing to address the photo that had, until very recently (as in, this morning recently), been hidden away in a drawer, a snapshot of the end of a memorable first meeting.

Moving aside a small framed poster perched on the wall next to the closet door, she revealed a deceptively blank patch of wall. She leaned in close, allowing the miniscule, hidden retinal scanner to do its job, and a pinprick-sized light blinked green in confirmation. With the boxes cleared away, the entire back wall of her closet slid sideways, revealing the lit alcove behind it.

Once upon a time, this had been a walk-in closet, but no longer, as space for civilian clothing was sacrificed in favor of an excellent hiding spot.

Gleaming brightly from its stand was her signature armor, her mace perched alongside with, along with a rack bearing multiple Nth metal daggers, and a few other weapons (for emergencies).

The look in Conner's eyes was nearly comical when she glanced back at him.

"There are similar compartments all around the house," Skylar explained.

"That seems a little... overkill?"

"My people have a saying, 'It's better to be paranoid than to have your throat slit in your sleep and your entrails hung in your enemies home for all to behold'." She paused, realizing it was the first time she'd recited that particular turn of phrase in English. "It sounds better in Thanagarian."

Her quarry actually lay in the lower part of the alcove, in a large, decorated box she unlocked via the hidden thumbprint scanner well-hidden in a whorl of the design on top. Within was a veritable treasure trove of alien technology, all from her home planet. She found the exact item she was searching for quickly, closing everything back up and moving the hangers back into their usual place.

She clambered up onto her bed to sit next to Conner, crossing her legs. In her hands was the Thanagarian version of a tablet device. Silver in hue, it was roughly eight inches long and two inches wide, bisected into two connecting halves. Grasping either side, she ripped them apart in quick snap, a screen of hard light materializing between the two sides. After another second or two, the interface burst into life.

"What... is this?" Conner's hand hovered awkwardly, as if he wanted to touch, but didn't want to risk doing so.

"Thanagarian tech," she began to explain. "It has a few different functions, but right now we only need the one."

No doubt the literally alien alphabet was confounding him, "This is your language?"

"Well, it wouldn't exactly be in English, now would it?" She teased. The closest stylistic approximation to Thanagarian script would be Ancient Egyptian Hieratic. To him, it likely looked like a number of nonsense loops and squiggles.

Tapping on a specific application, she accessed what was essentially a compendium of all the schoolwork and resources for the Thanagarian side of her education. A quick search of key terms and some scrolling later, she had found the relevant articles. Selecting a specific image, she used her thumb and forefinger to zoom in, the photo filling the screen.

Ski'Lira tilted the device so that Conner could see more easily. "There."

Pink-hued skies stretched over jagged mountain ranges on the horizon, sleek, tower-like buildings dotting the foreground from where they emerged from rock.

"Is this... Thanagar?"

She snorted, "Definitely not. This is Krypton. Or rather, it was Krypton."

It was with no small amount of awe that he examined the photo, taking in every minute detail. "Are there... Are there any more?"

She couldn't help but make a face at that. "Not as many as you're probably hoping for." Shrinking the image back down, she showed off a few more embedded within the article, some of the environment, a couple wide shots of the major cities, and one interior shot of a science lab.

"Hang on, is this a textbook? From your home?"

"Sort of," she answered. "Sure."

"Why does it have stuff on Krypton, then?"

"Thanagarian education has a strong emphasis on foreign powers, especially ones that either are a threat or could pose as a threat. Krypton was a highly respected power in the sciences before its destruction. Now, they're... well... My people see Krypton as a cautionary tale, that even the highest reaching empires can fall in an instant." Noticing the slightly distressed expression on Conner's face, she quickly changed subjects. "My gor'bax can't translate to other languages, but if you like, I could do the translations for you."

He met her eyes for the first time since she'd retrieved the device. "You'd do that?"

"If you like. It wouldn't be too much trouble, this is only a few pages."

"Yes," he nodded eagerly, his enthusiasm a rarity. "I would, please."

"Then I'll get on that as soon as I can," she promised. It truly wouldn't be that difficult, though she'd likely have to tweak the wording here and there. Not only did some terms not translate well, but also to sound less... hostile... at points. Thanagarians never falsified information, but there was a genetic propensity for appreciation of acts of unbridled violence (even if said violence was the unavoidable destruction of an entire planet). "I wish I could offer more. Really, it should have been Uncle-", cutting herself off, she hastily tacked on, "Superman... to... tell you all this."

"... Uncle?"

"He's not my real uncle," Skylar clarified. "It's a habit from when I was a kid and he used to babysit. It kept strangers from asking questions. Forget I said that."

In her head, she was chanting to herself 'let it go, let it go, let it go'. The last thing she wanted was to get into an explanation of how most of the League were all soft-hearted and took great pride in having 'honorary nieces and nephews', thanks to herself and the other League kids.

"What's Thanagar like?"

She was nearly given mental whiplash from his abrupt question, and she ended up closing the gor'bax shut with far more force than necessary. "Why?"

He offered a half-hearted shrug. Well, she supposed that honesty was today's theme. "There's a lot more ocean than Earth, for one, which is saying something. Our cities are all suspended above the planet's surface... And pretty much everything is saturated with Nth metal."

"Is that all you're going to tell me?"

"The sky is gray." Her mouth quirked up into a smirk before miming zipping her lips shut. Truthfully, she was fully capable of telling him more, but she'd shown him her face today. He was in her house. He should be complacent with the amount of information he'd gotten already. "But if you wish to ask for more wisdom on my part, please do so now."

Ski'Lira wanted it to be abundantly transparent that she was joking. It was a joke.

She wanted to cease all mushy emotional stuff immediately.

But she miscalculated.

In the moment, she'd forgotten the key detail that Conner didn't understand sarcasm.

Which meant he thought she was serious.

"I think I like M'Gann?"

That was the least surprising thing that she'd heard today. Those two had been dancing around each other for a while now, it was only a matter of time before it came to something.

However, that didn't automatically mean that she wanted to be part of this in an... advisory role? Considering she was probably the only person Conner felt comfortable to talk to about it, she was willing to bite the bullet.

"Okay...?" Nudging his shoulder with her own, she prompted him to speak further, hoping he'd actually tell her the issue at hand.

"I'm... pretty sure she likes me back... the same way?" Conner's words came slowly, as if saying them caused him real, physical pain. "I think we almost kissed."

"Gross," at his sharp glare, she put her hands up defensively. "Reflex, please go on."

"I'm just not... really sure what I should do now."

"... I'm really not the best person to ask. Maybe you should ask Wally instead... Wait, no, that's the worst idea. Robin? He's pretty good with people."

"I... think I'd just like to hear your ideas first. What... What would... a normal person do?"

Her scowl was immediate, "Okay, first of all, you shouldn't feel like you have to conform to the standard of 'normality'. M'Gann's a Martian, you're a Kryptonian, and you're asking for romantic help from a Thanagarian. There is nothing Earth standard about any of this." She had to legitimately think for a moment. "I think you just need to stop overthinking and relax. Take things one day at a time. And don't let people tell you what you should want in this relationship. Trying to force yourself into an unfamiliar pattern of behavior is just going to hurt the both of you in the long run. As long as you're both on the same page and there's open communication, I'm sure whatever you two will have will work out fine."

Things were definitely awkward now, as Conner mulled over her words. He graced her with a tentative smile after a solid minute of silence. "Thanks. That was... surprisingly good."

"You're welcome. For my payment, I demand we stop being emotionally vulnerable immediately."

"Done."

With a nearly uncanny timing, the front door opened, only to be shortly slammed shut hard enough to rattle the hinges. "SKYLAR HALL, YOU'D BETTER NOT BE HIDING A BOY IN YOUR ROOM!" Who could only be Shayera Hall, the fearsome Hawkwoman, hollered up the stairs like a disgruntled suburban mom.

Rolling her eyes, Ski'Lira shifted so she wouldn't end up shouting directly into Conner's ear. "DA'MI, T KNOW THAT YOU'RE WELL AWARE IT'S JUST CONNER!"

"I'M YOUR MOTHER, I'M ALLOWED TO TORMENT YOU IN THIS WAY!"

"YOU'RE SCARING HIM!" Huffing with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment, Skylar rolled off the side of her bed and onto her feet. "Come on, ka'zera, we'd better get downstairs."

Conner's mouth was pulled into a tight line, shoulders rigid and all traces of his relaxed demeanor long gone. "Are we in trouble?"

Skylar fully laughed. "Of course not. My mom just thinks she's funny."

"EXCUSE YOU?! I KNOW I'M FUNNY. CARTER, TELL OUR DAUGHTER I'M FUNNY!"

"YOUR MOTHER IS HILARIOUS!" Carter shouted obediently, though he was distinctly monotone, betraying his presence.

"SEE?!"

"This is normal," Skylar attempted to assure Conner, though he still seemed uneasy. She herded him back towards the stairs and down to the living room, where her parents were already divesting themselves of their jackets, wings on full display and ready to wind down from a long day at work.

"Have fun?" Carter asked.

"Mostly," she answered for the both of them, as she doubted Conner would speak up on his own. "We talked. Showed him some pictures of Krypton because a certain someone is being a-"

"Oh, we know," her father swiftly interrupted before she could drop her scathing insult. "Bats told us. Your mother has already had words with him. Strong ones."

"Damn right I did," the redheaded matriarch of the Hol family crossed her arms. All joviality was gone from her face, replaced with her usual, sterner persona. This wasn't just Shayera talking, this was Hawkwoman. "At first, we were willing to cut him at least a little slack, considering he was cloned without his consent, but now it's just getting ridiculous."

Conner's eyes went wide, "You're... mad... at him?"

"Of course we are. His treatment of you has been disgraceful. What, you thought we'd be mad at you?"

His silence was telling, prompting Skylar to clap him on the back. "See? This is why my parents are the best." She was suddenly struck with an idea. "It's a nice day outside."

"Very much so," Shayera agreed. "Carter?"

Her dad was already on the move, "I'll grab the water and first aid kit."

Conner reached over and tapped Skylar on the arm to get her attention, "Did I miss something?"

"It's a nice day, which means it's perfect weather for sparring. You're not getting out of this one. Fair's fair." Looping her arm through his, she yanked him towards the front door. If he truly wanted to avoid this, he very easily could have, but his acceptance spoke for him. "The sparring ring we have outside might not be the fancy one you're used to, a glorified circular patch of dirt, really. But it gets the job done."

H

"I wanted to say... Thanks. For today. It was... nice. At least, after you showed up," Conner was rubbing at the back of his neck from the sheepish admission.

After a few rounds of sparring (wherein both her parents were thrilled at the chance to test out Conner's abilities firsthand and provide a plethora of pointers), Shayera had insisted he stay for dinner.

Over the course of the meal, Shayera had constantly goaded him into conversation, starting off with a safe topic like what he was learning in school, though that had quickly evolved into a far more intense discussion of Earth history when Conner displayed his near-perfect recall. Needless to say, Conner had acquired a standing invitation to the Hall household.

Now here they stood in an isolated alley of St. Roch, the location of the city's Zeta access point, where Skylar had escorted him.

"I'm glad I could make your day at least a little better." Skylar replied. "And I'll get those translations to you soon."

In a blink, Conner had surged forward, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. It was a little awkward, as he was courteously attempting not to crush her wings around her back. Snaking her own arms around his shoulders, she returned the hug, pointedly keeping her silence when she felt Conner smiling into her shoulder. When he drew back, his cheeks were a little red.

"Bye, Skylar," he gave a tiny wave as he stepped towards the Zeta access.

"Take care, ka'zera."