Radiance: Part One

L11: Nothing But Time

Fenne the 28th, 2636 CE; 2400 hrs/ Earth Time unknown and untracked

Lyda's sleep had gotten rougher and rougher.

Vyrik had been stressed to the point of self isolation- something his father assured them was normal for him, but bothersome nonetheless. While Lyda wanted to respect him, they also wanted to comfort him and found themself saddened for him with no way to communicate it. Even after he promised to let them in, he'd been distant, and ever more so after talking with the council leader. An entire week went by that they didn't see him more than twice. He'd been briefly affectionate, but it seemed his mind was miles away from his body when they kissed him.

It was eating them up inside, on top of not really knowing what would happen to their peoples'.

Two days after they'd spoken with the king about the new security measures and about the talk Vyrik had had with Councilor Maegnus, they had started to notice smoke in the far distance. It was thick and dark and reminded Lyda of the smog that had hung heavily over their hometown as a child, before people had found a way to purify the air by shooting the harmful vapors out into space. It made Lyda's stomach upset, and added to the anxiety that they had started to focus on their eating habits. Not so much as to stray away from their treatment plan- they were being carefully watched for anything of the sort- but enough to make eating a chore.

After the end of a particularly emotional day, Lyda sat on the floor of their living space, with legs pulled to their chest, trying to focus on the way the cool stone felt against their skin. They didn't want to cry- they were just so tired of feeling so weak. The therapists told them it was an inferiority complex they had always had, but knowing about it didn't make the feelings of insecurity any less intense.

There was a blip and a flash in the corner of their eye-something Lyda was still getting used to- pulling them out of their thoughts as someone asked to be granted entry to their space. With a blink of their eyes and a flick of their thumb, Lyda pulled up the video feed outside of their rooms, into the hall. It was Vyrik, standing in front of the camera, looking nervous as they'd ever seen him.

He was still just as stunning to look at. Even with the nerves eating at his beautiful face, Lyda couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. He wore his hair in a bun, atop his head with a single slim braid hanging down to one side of his face. He seemed to have a new, ever more intricate looking style to his hair every time they saw him. With a sigh and a wave, Lyda let him in, shoving the video feed away with a flex of their index finger and looking to the entrance of their rooms, where a doorway materialized.

Vyrik's eyes quickly landed on them, in their spot curled up on the floor and he cocked his head.

"Did you fall?" He looked concerned, dropping to his knees in front of them. Gods, the way the man could be so unintentionally dramatic- he was coded for royalty.

"No," Lyda smiled up at him, albeit fatigued, "I sat here on purpose. I like how cold the floor is, it helps me feel more centered."

"Oh..." Vyrik dropped onto his backside, sitting right in front of them. They glanced up to see the doorway had disappeared and took a deep breath. It was rare for them to ever be completely alone that way. There was usually an attendant or a guard near by. Their lack of security on the ship had only been for lack of space; there on the ground, Vyrik and his father never seemed to go anywhere at all without someone trailing behind them.

"I brought you something." He smiled lightly.

Lyda cocked their head and grinned at him, "Oh?"

"Here." He held a container out to them. It was a perfect sphere, cut right through the center with a seamless hinge in the back, almost the size of their palm. Lyda slid their fingers across the metallic surface of it before pressing the small, inlaid button at the top of it that glowed ever so slightly. When it opened, the top slid into the bottom like it had never even been there, revealing a lightly glowing purple stone, cut into a perfect tear drop, nestled elegantly in it's center.