"Now enough of this laying about. It's past time to wake up. Elena and I are waiting for you to come find us."
There was a hard surface under Kira's cheek. Strangely, she didn't find it uncomfortable. There was also the incongruent scent of damp earth and the smell of growing things that left Kira vaguely disoriented since last she recalled she was supposed to be on a ship in the middle of space.
Kira blinked, opening her eyes to find black synth armor directly in front of her. She shifted, rolling partially onto her back to gaze up at the man the torso belonged to. It turned out that hard yet comfortable surface was Graydon's thigh. Her head lay in his lap, her face toward his front.
Graydon had always been beautiful, but there was something mesmerizing about his current expression.
It wasn't that it was gentle. Though it was. There was a softness that came with his guard being down. A vulnerability she'd only caught glimpses of here and there.
It was a version of Graydon that very few ever got to see.
Kira squinted at what he was leaning against. "Is that a tree?"
The sapling's trunk was thin but strong enough to support Graydon's weight. Its branches reminded Kira of a willow tree, sweeping in a graceful arc to brush the ground. Its white bark was tinged with traces of fuchsia. The leaves were an intriguing pastel blue, contrasting with the backdrop of space visible through the glass ceiling that had definitely not been there before Harlow got ahold of her ship.
Graydon's gaze dropped to Kira's face. "I see your powers of observation remain intact."
There was a tenderness in his gaze that made Kira's chest hurt. Their connection pulsed, feeding her warmth.
"What happened?"
"We left Ta Sa'Riel."
Kira closed her eyes. "The Mea'Ave."
Graydon's touch was gentle as he massaged her temples.
"This isn't the first time I've left the planet," Kira argued.
The side effects on that occasion were nowhere near as brutal. A slight absence. Barely noticeable unless you were as sensitive as she was.
"The circumstances then were different."
"You mean Jin's absence."
His nod had her sighing in resignation.
"Who would have thought the Tuann were so damn fragile?" Kira grumbled.
Humans would be shocked to learn that the race they called wizards due to their seemingly magical technology had so many vulnerabilities. She certainly was. For all her strength and abilities, it was frustrating how easily her body and mind could betray her.
"Why do you think we've never tried to conquer the galaxy?" Graydon asked.
Kira ignored the arrogance in that statement, taking stock of her surroundings. "How did Harlow manage to put a garden on my ship?"
In addition to the tree, there were bushes with tiny magenta flowers dotting the perimeter. Their shape similar to wild roses. And just as beautiful. Lowlying, wide leafed plants whose edges were a brilliant red grew in the open spaces, a white spiral shaped flower sticking up out of their centers. An ivy-like plant climbed the walls, covering them so thoroughly that Kira could no longer see the metal behind it. Or the hatch that should have been somewhere around there.
Flowers called azira aliri surrounded Kira and Graydon. As if they'd sprouted at some point while she’d been sleeping. The round stamen with the bright orange and blue petals sticking out of the top like cat ears added another splash of color to the space.
"Harlow wished you to have a piece of home for your travels," Graydon said.
Kira stroked the top of an azira aliri. "It's unbelievable. I didn't think the Wanderer could sustain something like this."
Gardens were considered a luxury in space. Skilled botanists were usually needed to maintain them. With how limited space was on her ship, this was something of a miracle.
"Let's just say he was highly motivated," Graydon said with a strange note in his voice that Kira didn't have time to analyze as chittering came from the tree's branches.
A tiny creature poked its head out of the leaves.
"A chaterling," Kira said in surprise.
The creature glided down from the tree, landing on the hand Kira held up by instinct. Its weight was barely noticeable as it chattered at her, carrying on a conversation only it understood.
About the size of Kira's closed fist, the chaterling had more mammalian features than avian. Its fur was a pastel blue with darker blue striping along its back and belly. Horns curled up from its head and it used its long tail to grip her wrist for balance.
"Your uncle was especially pleased when a flock decided to nest in the fersier." He nodded at the tree above them for context. "Considering our plans, it can't hurt to have them on board. Maybe their auspiciousness will rub off on us."