The Typhoon ~Vash x OC AU~

Chapter 22: Star Sailing

Vash

Stars dot the midnight sky, swirls of blue and purple and red brush the blackness as the cosmos hover. The atrium's lights are off, matching Ship 3's night theme, but I cannot bring myself to slink back to my room, to lie next to Lei.

I want to. God, I want to. I rather be next to her right now, but my mind is too loud – too chaotic. And to be honest, I don't even know why. I'm tired. Exhausted, even. Physically and emotionally, but I can't bring myself to rest.

Maybe it has to do with Jonas Williams. The fact Brad and Luida were able to find him doesn't surprise me. Even with the old tech of Ship 3, I knew they'd be able to. I just wasn't expecting them to find him this soon. This quickly.

It's good they did. I know Lei was stressed over whether they'd find him or not, but I knew her fears were rooted in the possibility of him being dead. I know that scared her, but he's alive. At least he's alive.

Is he well? That, I do not know. None of us do. If he is ill or sickly or injured, I know Lei will blame herself. I just know she will. And I guess that's why I'm anxious, unable to silence my thoughts.

"You are up late."

I turn, the dim gleam of the night grazing Luida as she approaches. Her frame, tall and slender, is shrouded by shadows, but I can still see the smile on her lips. She approaches, coming to my side, watching as we sail through the night.

"I figured you would be in bed by now," she says, looking at me.

"I could say the same," I joke.

She smirks, "Touche." A beat of silence settles between us, then: "You know, we'll be in Syracuse in a few hours."

I swallow. "I know."

"Don't you want to be rested before arriving?"

"I do," I sigh, turning to face her. "But I can't seem to quiet my mind."

"Are you thinking of anything in particular?"

Leave it to Luida to cut right through it all. Of course, she can see that there is more to it all.

"I'm just worried about Lei and how she'll do seeing Jonas again," I confess. "In particular, I worry about his health. Will he be well or ill? If he's injured, she'll blame herself. I know she will. She'll say she should have been there."

Luida stands, taking my words in. Much like me, she has lived a long life. An even longer life than me, all things considered. In her time, she has seen many scenarios play out, even before Ship 5 went down. She has been mentored and been the one to mentor, and she is no stranger to difficulties of the heart. She may not hold all the answers, but I know she'll have something to offer.

Finally, she speaks, her voice gentle and smooth. "I could see that. Hearing how they had ended up going their separate ways, I could understand why she would feel that way if something had happened." She turns, the shadows masking part of her face as her dark eyes meet mine. "That said, anything could have happened even if she had stayed. Present or not, if something major enough had happened, there's nothing she could have done to prevent it."

I know Luida is right, and deep down, if Lei were to hear that, she would also think the same. However, I know Lei. Even if she acknowledged that as truth, she would still blame herself. There would be something in her that would shroud her with guilt.

I suck in an anxious breath. "Do you...think anything could have happened to him?"

"To Jonas?" She shrugs. "It's hard to say. The surface of No Man's Land is a harsh and brutal climate. Depending where you're at, even a broken bone can spell trouble." Discouragement falls over me and she quickly adds, "That said, the fact we tracked him is proof enough that he is alive."