The remainder of our day cycle was relatively uneventful.

Even though the boys had often expressed discontent with the inactivity accompanying this peacetime, I found the state of things pleasant. There had been few periods in my life where I could afford to stand still without risking my scent becoming too potent for a beast of Fortuna to pick up, or from becoming discovered by SharpClaw scouts on Sauria. I enjoyed days when nothing was happening; it gave me time to acquaint myself with cultural pleasantries I never had the chance to fully experience while I was on my own.

Having access to a hot shower would have spoiled me enough, but I was now taking a greater initiative to make myself look good cosmetically. While never voicing it, Fox regularly thought I looked just fine the way he found me. As entertaining as it would have been for both of us if I only wore my old lightweight Saurian garbs for his liking, I wanted to try out Cornerian clothing. Things that didn't reveal so much fur. It was strange for me, but I was growing more accustomed to it.

I also took the time to take one of the few green jewels I received as gifts during the war on Sauria for a new silver diadem that I had made for myself, which was part of a set alongside two silver braids I put on the ends of my hair. It wasn't anything dazzling, but it was the start of my new 'accessorizing' hobby. Slowly, but not completely, I was shedding my survivalist habits as new hobbies began to fill my time.

I had always kept my nails clawlike for defence and for a firmer grip, but I was humouring the idea of filing them down. I was taking reading, often staying in my stateroom for long periods catching up on books I could never read as a kit. I was also becoming enamoured by soap operas on satellite vision, particularly hospital dramas like Hutt M.D. It sort of became an obsession over time, down to the point where I would occasionally hide away in the Cloud Runner's canopy just to watch it while eating my dinner.

And, on occasion, I would indulge the boys by playing one of their video games with them. They always welcomed me, but sometimes I found myself being deadweight over my overall lack of understanding when it came to video games. One game that Falco and Slippy forbade me to play, though they never enforced it, was some kind of team-based survival horror game about a rabies-infested planet. If one wandered away from the group, they would bring misfortune to the party, and my habits of doing just that would make us lose nearly every time. I found enjoyment in exploring the virtual world rather than taking part in the objective, though that admittedly did make me a pretty lousy player.

With some more time, I knew I would get better at it and hold my own with the rest of my teammates. And that was the indescribable beauty of it all: time. I had time. I felt like I were the bud of a flower just starting to feel the sunlight, and in no time at all I would bloom and reveal who I could truly be. However, I knew better than to completely let my guard down. I had not gotten by on my own for so long by doing that.

That brief, barely noticeable look Fox had given me during breakfast had been lingering in the back of my head for the remainder of the day. Most would likely say that I was fixating too much on something that likely meant nothing at all, but I was especially sensitive to these things. To body language. I did not need telepathy to know that it was a look of contained dread when he looked at me after I had mentioned the plan to go to Sauria on holiday.

I spent a couple of sleep cycles after pondering over it. I wasn't losing sleep, but it wouldn't leave my mind. For the relatively short but eventful amount of time that we have known each other and worked together, Fox has always shown a great amount of respect, as well as a (mostly) hidden attraction towards me with just as much affection. I felt much of the same way towards him, and probably let my feelings slip out more than what would be professional between teammates. Fox had never met me with that gaze until now—like my idea had troubled him.

I had a growing suspicion that it wasn't because he was too busy with work to take time off. It felt deeper than that. Eventually, I arrived at a troubling thought that did manage to make me lose some sleep. I felt like I finally deciphered that look, and it felt like it communicated: On holiday? With you?

Did he not wish to go with me? Why was that the conclusion I came to? I didn't want to arrive at such a conclusion and initially dismissed it for a time, but that took more time to do. By the time I was over it, a couple of weeks had passed, and I felt a subtle shift in Fox's behaviour. It felt like he had been getting more distant.

He was always tinkering with his Arwing or managing our debts, hardly prying himself from his tasks unless Slippy or Falco needed his time, yet he couldn't seem to find any to give me. As the day cycles trailed on, it felt like I was seeing less and less of him. He wasn't necessarily becoming a hermit—he flew just as frequently as ever—but soon it arrived at a point where it felt like we only saw each other at our mealtimes. I knew I had to be overthinking it at this point, but somehow this kept irritating me the longer I didn't relieve it.

I eventually concluded that I should address this passive tension between us to Fox and resolve it like I knew we would. Perhaps something was troubling him and was indirectly putting me in the 'backseat', as it were, while he dealt with it. Hopefully.

Although I often involuntarily pick up on my friends' thoughts, I never deliberately read their minds for my benefit. I respected them enough to never invade their privacy to the extent that I could control it. I could have read Fox's mind more thoroughly to see if something truly was on his mind, but I could never bring myself to do that. However, telepathy was going to be my primary way of reaching out to him.

One day, while I was reading a book on my bed in my stateroom, I decided that I would finally break the ice on the matter. I knew he was still on the ship, and Falco and Slippy were dispatched on a job (It was their shift to take answer a call this time around). I couldn't think of a more opportune time to share some concerns, and I established my telepathic connection.

"Hey… Do you have a moment?" I thought, hoping I reached through to him, which I unsurprisingly did.

"Woah, Brain Waves?" Fox channelled back to me almost instantly, using the name he made for our telepathic hotline. "Why the secrecy, Krystal? It's not like the guys are here."

"I'm comfy and I don't feel like getting up," I said, which wasn't technically a lie.

"And why would you when you have a magic telephone in your head?"

I laughed a little to myself after receiving that. It was not often we used this connection we had between ourselves, but we could be more personal with each other if we needed to and keep it between us without any eavesdroppers. We both cared for each other, so it seemed appropriate to gain each other's insight wherever we were in Lylat with no delay.

"Is something a matter, Krystal?" Fox soon said, making me realise that I might have remained silent longer than I thought.

"I… I believe so," I admitted, resting my book on my lap as I turned to look out the window next to my bed, seeing nothing but the endless tapestry of stars in all directions outside. "I'm a little worried about you."

"Me? Why would you think that?"

"Well… It's a little hard to explain for me," I said, legitimately finding it challenging to put how I felt into words. "I felt like I haven't seen much of you lately. You've hardly pried yourself from your work in weeks."

"Oh. That's all?" he replied, making it unclear whether or not that surprised him. "Well, I've had my head bogged down in all those debts. It isn't an easy task to pay them off with credits you don't have."

"I understand that," I said. "But, I'm more concerned with…us."

There was a silence on his end for a long moment. "What do you mean?" he asked reservedly.

"I would have thought this time of peace would have given us a chance to spend more time with each other. I know we have debts, but they can be paid off eventually. I think we should enjoy the peace while it lasts. Don't you?"

"Of course, I do. I could round up the boys and we could all go out and—"

"No. I mean just you and me."

Another moderately lengthy pause followed, and this one somehow felt longer than the ones prior. "Yeah. You got it," he said, sounding a bit more upbeat this time. "What are you up for? You want to go for a fly outside somewhere peaceful right now?"

"That sounds heavenly, but no," I replied. "I wasn't really up for anything at the moment. I just wanted to make sure all was well."

"It always is," he said reassuringly. "And I want to make sure all is well with you, too."

"I know. And it is," I said. "Thank you."

Our telepathic conversation ended quickly after that. I remained gazing out into the vacuum of space from my window, feeling more and more dissatisfied with how our interaction went. I was hoping that I would receive needed relief from our talk, but I just felt more unsettled. Even though I couldn't feel thoughts as much as I could read them, there was no mistaking that Fox was unwilling to take this matter forward, and I was still left in the dark as to why.

I sighed as I contemplated what I was going to do about this next. This first session of discussion with him didn't alleviate things the way I hoped, but I wasn't going to let that discourage me. Something was troubling Fox for sure, and whether it involved me or not I knew I needed to get the bottom of it. I didn't like the idea of pushing the boundaries of those I loved and trusted, but perhaps it was time that I took a more direct investigation.