Page 32 of Ava Stargazer

“Yes I am.” Sai attempted to wrinkle her nose back, but didn’t seem able to make the same movement. She ended up just crossing her eyes instead from the effort.

Ava laughed at the sight and crossed her eyes back at her. “Alright, you were right.”

Sai’s eyes returned to normal and she looked ahead, shifting on her seat. “Of course I am.”

Ava continued to grin, her jumpsuit already sticking to her with sweat as they traveled in the carriage in the hot sun. She took a sip of her water and looked forward.I can do this.

Ava hesitated walking in, letting Sai and the others take the lead. She followed a footstep later, her hands twisted in the sides of her jumpsuit. The building was constructed the same way the quorum hall was, around nature in the older, more rustic ways, using wood and stones. She was not expecting the colors, though. Immediately she was reminded of the solarium in the ship. She looked around, taking in the sight of an open garden full of flowers and lush greenery. It was almost a sensory overload to take in the scents and vibrant hues.

She glanced at the sides of the building, her eyes wide.The walls are even painted?

They were, with flower murals that covered the entirety of the sides, extending to the ceiling. She took one of her fingers and trailed it up a painted vine, textured on the wall.So beautiful.

The Vorbax women, all with slender blue frames and faces like Ava’s, grew quiet and turned toward her, noticing her presence. They shone a muted glow, much less vibrant than Vox’s.

This was the part Ava was wanting to avoid, and she wished she could shrink down small.There are so many of them here.She fidgeted and clasped her hands together instead, pressing them into the biologics, and prepared for her mind to feel overwhelmed with judgment.

It didn’t come. She exhaled out a moment later in relief.Oh.A big grin slid across her face. Even with the women staring as they rested on pillows throughout the room, she didn’t feel the same as she did meeting the quorum. The women’s mental energy altogether was nowhere near as pointed as the men’s had been. It felt soothing and friendly in comparison. Her shoulders sagged in relief, and she chided herself for being afraid.It’s okay. It’s really okay.

Ava looked around, more curious now than anything. Her eyes snagged on a few smaller forms that were slowly walking toward her.There’s even ... children?The children were miniatures of the adult Vorbax, but with larger eyes, and the golden lines intersecting over their bodies were not as prominent. It was also, even at a young age, easy to tell the difference between the sexes, with the males having a larger frame and more pronounced frills around their heads. The energy the few male children put off was not the same intensity as Vox or the other males, though.Maybe it takes a while for that to develop?

“Yes. The male children are welcome here until that happens,”Orla answered, coming up to Ava close enough to enclose her in her arms.

Ava flinched at the contact before hugging her back.

Aloud Orla said, with a wide smile showing her sharp teeth, “I'm so glad you're here. I would have come with you but Erox insisted on bringing me here before he left.”

Ava nodded, but her eyes were still on the children. “I’m glad I came too.”

She was strongly reminded of her younger sisters in the nursery, fresh in her mind after reading the Phor logs, or as fresh as any of her fuzzy memories could be. Maebel in particular, who had clung to Ava fiercely as if she were her own mama.Mae-mae.

Her thoughts, of course, were picked up by the women around them, and one of the women picked up a little female child and brought her closer to Ava. “She reminds you of someone?”

The little girl giggled and reached out to grab Ava’s hair from the woman’s arms. Ava watched, enamored by her excited expression.I bet my hair feels so different.Ava let her feel until she tugged hard, then gently detached her hand. That bit of pain brought her back, and she looked around the room again at the women.

The woman holding the child said out loud, a speculative look on her face, “You care like us.”

Ava felt a ripple of agreement roll through the crowd. It was easier then, as the women no longer pointed at her but resumed their conversations, not needing to really question her further and simply accepting her in their midst.

Just like Sai said they would. Ava chanced a glance back at Sai and received an elbow nudge and crossed eyes in return.

Orla patted her shoulder gently before tugging on her hand. “Come, let me show you around. It is good to have our place here away from the men.”

“I can see that,” Ava said absently, still looking around in wonder at the tall plants. Some of them even housed a few small birds in open cages on their limbs.

Sai added, skipping a step ahead, “The men are never allowed here.”

“Never?”

Sai looked back, “Right. Yes. This is our space.”

Ava looked, curious now about why the women met up, away from the men. “How often do the women stay here?”

Orla looked over her shoulder as she responded, “If they’re unmated and want out of their parents’ homes, some stay all the time. But most of us just come when the men are out, or if we need to connect on our level.” She pointed around. “Those that stay here long-term take care of this place as their own home.”

Sai leaned over and added in a conspiratorial voice, “We come when we need a break. Vorbax men can be a bit too intense sometimes. It is just how they are.”

Ava almost laughed, noting she had almost felt that way with Vox at times as well, with his intensity and protectiveness that he never seemed able to turn off. The energy here was so much more subdued and gentle. She placed her hand on the wall again, over another painted flower, tracing the green vine as far as she could.So beautiful.Ava looked around curiously at this building made of stone and wood and packed with nature. “Is this the only place the women gather?”

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