Page 58 of Sway's Peace
What a strange relationship. She wanted to ask them about it. To know more. But she bit her tongue for now, more focused on the colony coming up to meet them.
The dwarf planet was rather dry and arid. Very much a desert, but without the soft sand. It was all hard packed dirt and whipping winds. The soil itself was a very bland gray color, and it seemed to stain everything, all the buildings and factories and even the people were covered in it.
The shuttle landed in an open field with a group of similar ships. The others all got off first to do actual work. Grace only climbed down after them, gasping in awe. And excitement. It was, technically, her first alien planet. And it wasn’t much, but she was still so excited.
“It’s so pretty!” She declared, taking a deep breath of dusty, dirty air. It smelled like metal and smoke and looked like a coal mining town, but in the best way.
Sway stepped down after her, a second pair of eyelids closing over his eyes to protect them from the dusty air. The wild winds whipped up, ruffling all his feathers, but he paid it no mind as he gave her a curious look.
“What did you want to see first?”
“Let’s just walk around,” she said, grabbing his hand with far more boldness than she actually felt. Her heart raced even from just that, but she didn't want to let go. Especially when he smiled back at her, his fingers slowly, deliberately closing around hers making her heart race. His grip was warm and steady as she walked ahead, eagerly looking at everything.
And, okay, it wasn’t a pretty place, but it was still fascinating in its own way. The streets were practically empty as everyone was up at the factory. This wasn’t the kind of place where there were a lot of families. This was the kind of place that had a high turnaround as it was all hard, unskilled labor. It was mostly bachelors or seasonal workers.
There was no one to pay them much mind as she walked around with Sway, looking at everything. It was all new and exciting to her, even if it was just a bunch of dingy gray buildings. But when she glanced at his face and saw him just looking forward, expression blank, she realized how boring and uninteresting this must be for him.
“Sorry,” she said, coming to a halt, surprising him. He turned his gaze down to her, black eyes dulled thanks to the membrane covering them.
“Sorry?” He repeated, confused. “For what?”
“This is pretty lame, isn’t it?”
He shook his head. “You’re having fun.”
“But you’re not.”
“I am.”
“You don’t have to lie to me.” She gave him a pained smile. “I know it’s not interesting.”
“The town? No. The town isn’t interesting at all,” he agreed, giving her a soft smile. “You’re interesting. I’m having fun watching you enjoy yourself. That is what is fun to me.”
Grace’s cheeks burned but she couldn’t help but smile. “You’re pretty good at this. Did you have a female back on Rik-Vane?”
“I’ve never claimed a female. I’ve never been interested.” He lifted her hand, kissing the back of it so sweetly. “But I’m glad I’m doing it right.”
“You’ve never had a female before?”
“There aren’t many on Rik-Vane. And the ones there aren’t really the type to want romance or sweetness.”
Grace shifted her weight. “Erm, just to be clear, Iamthe type to want romance and sweetness.”
He chuckled. “Are you?”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely. In fact, I would like to be adored and spoiled. If at all possible.”
Sway didn't answer immediately. He looked thoughtful for a moment before tugging on her hand, pulling her in close. He put his arms around her as she rested her hands on his chest.
“I think I would like to spoil you,” he admitted, something strange in his voice giving her pause. That wasn’t the tone that she would expect. It wasn’t flirtatious or teasing or anything that she’d consider appropriate for the moment. If anything, he sounded sad.
“Sway?” She stoked her hand up, cupping his neck. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine. I just realized that I’ve never had a chance to adore someone before. I’m not entirely sure I know how.”
Grace expected as much, if he’d never had a female before.
But then she realized what he meant.
