Page 77 of Sway's Peace
She gave him a smile that was at once understanding and sad. “That doesn’t mean you don’t want them. They’re a place of safety for you. It’s natural to feel lost when they suddenly leave you.”
“Don’t worry,” Loyalty said, chuckling, patting his shoulder. “I’ll be here to look out for you. Nothing shall harm you while I’m on duty.”
“I’m not worried,” Sway repeated, giving him dull look, not at all willing to admit that their reassurances were actually working. That would mean they were right and, somehow, he had become dependent on his crew. An act that would be the height of foolishness on Rik-Vane.
But even as he realized it, he didn’t actually feel the pressing need to stop. No matter what, he trusted his crew. They would look after him, as he would look after them. That was the pact that they’d made with each other and had brought them this far.
And as soon as he finished up his business here, whatever that meant, they’d be back. Then, Sway could return to his normal life. He could be useful to them again.
His crew bid him their goodbyes, none of them overly concerned. On a planet populated almost entirely by farasie, there was practically no danger here. And they also knew they’d be back. This separation wouldn’t last long.
Still, he held tightly onto Grace’s hand as the three of them stood back and watched the landing shuttle take off. Taking his crew with it. Simple, quick, no bumps at all in the ascension. Ofcourse there wouldn’t be. Tanin was an excellent pilot in his own right. They’d be fine on their own for one small job.
Then, it was just the three of them left alone on the docks. Neither Grace nor Loyalty moved until he did, turning from the landing platform and walking back towards the Song. He kept hold of Grace’s hand, still drawing strength and purpose from her.
“So, what’s the plan today?” Loyalty asked, looking to Sway with a happy smile on his long muzzle.
“For now, I want to look around. Learn more about my people,” Sway admitted slowly, thinking over the answer as he was giving it. “I spoke with Vweet yesterday when we were getting ready for the celebration. I didn’t tell him why, just that I wanted a chance to talk to Veesway. He said he’ll set up a meeting for me. So, until then, I guess I can look around. Get… comfortable?”
He looked to Grace then, not sure what else he was supposed to do. Either about going around the Song or speaking with Veesway. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure what he wanted to get out of a conversation with a male that was still just a stranger to him. Was he hoping to somehow rekindle the relationship with someone that was supposed to be his father? Maybe ask what happened to them after they were separated? Ask how he managed to build all this? Ask if, maybe, he knew what happened to Sway’s mother?
Sway had been so certain that he needed to do this. But now that he had the chance, all he wanted was to be back on the Humility.
He had to remind himself that this was a good thing. Sway had forgotten so much about his own people, his past, his culture. It was part of himself he’d needed to cut away for his own survival.And while he didn’t regret it, shouldn’t he be excited about the chance to reclaim it?
What, then, was this niggling feeling in the back of his head? A vague idea that he was missing something important. That there was something obvious he should be seeing.
It was a distinctly uncomfortable sensation. It twisted through his chest, clinging to his heart like a heavy chain determined to drag him downward.
Maybe speaking to his father would illuminate the source of that feeling. Maybe it would even make it go away.
But until he could have that meeting – and probably even during that meeting – he needed guidance. He wanted to follow Grace. More than learning about his culture, he wanted to learn more about her. The only part of his people he actually cared about right now was the mating process – and that was only because it was a necessity if he wanted to bond to her.
And he did. Desperately. The brightness of her in his life made all the strain and tension of everything else going on right now worth it. Someone so bright and beautiful, untouched by the harsh reality that had defined his existence, was like a balm on irritated skin.
The sweet music of her voice, the gentle melody of it as she spoke, was the only thing capable of drowning out the screams of his past. When she laughed, everything seemed like it was okay, and like it always would be.
Grace was something completely detached from Rik-Vane. Sway understood Tanin now in a way he hadn’t been able to appreciate before. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want her to know the cruelties of his past because it was bad. More than that, hejust didn’t want to stain her with it. She was oblivious to how horrific the universe could be, and he wanted to keep her that way.
Whatever ended up happening with his father, if he walked away with Grace, he was certain it would be fine.
And she was smiling at him now, like she understood. Like she knew exactly what he needed from her. That he needed her to intervene, to get in the way. Unlike him, she was capable of greeting the world with a true, genuine smile. She wasn’t lost for words when it came to the friendly inanities of strangers. She appreciated both his desire and hesitancy about speaking to his father.
And she wasn’t at a loss now either. She didn’t even hesitate to suggest, “Let’s go to the market. I’d love to buy a farasie style dress.”
“Then, I’ll get you one,” Sway said immediately. It was a little thing, but he suddenly wanted that probably even more than she did. And much more than he’d wanted the same clothing for himself. It was much easier to focus on her. It felt right. “I bet you’ll be beautiful in one of their dresses.”
Loyalty pointed to one of the streets. “I think I saw a clothing store down that way.”
Sway wasn’t sure how dress shopping would accomplish his goal of learning about his people. But he also didn’t mind just buying things for Grace. That, honestly, sounded more enjoyable than studying the farasie.
And, he realized quickly, that was exactly the point. Grace could see him so well. She understood him without him even needing to explain himself.
Instead of making this some kind of chore or mission, she was taking away the seriousness, the purpose, and giving him a chance to just watch. To see how they interacted with each other, with her, with him, with Loyalty. It was a chance to just see the normal people on the streets; young lovers canoodling, experienced parents guiding their offspring, elders on strolls, younglings playing about. He could immerse himself not in the strict details of his culture, but in the day-to-day life of the people that made it.
The farasie were, as he expected, a calm and peaceful group. People walked around with confidence in their safety, joyous smiles on their faces. They weren’t going to be accosted or assaulted here, and he could feel the sense of security they felt in that knowledge.
It was really in the younglings. They ran around practically without supervision. Sway wasn’t accustomed to younglings anyway, but it was even stranger to just see them out. Without an adult immediately hovering over them just in case. They weren’t common on Rik-Vane, and the few unfortunate enough to be born or taken there were usually hidden by their caretakers. Or they simply ended up dead.
