AvP:DOOMSDAY

Breakfast

Luna combed her hair mindlessly, her body rested but her mind still in disarray. There was just too much happening all at once—the new camp, her responsibilities with the group, and Thö'run. He was nowhere to be found when she woke up. As she French braided her hair, she felt grateful to have found her backpack already in the room last night.

Thinking about the previous night made her smile. Thö'run had taken it upon himself to thoroughly clean her body, and she had enjoyed every second of it. Closing her eyes, she tried to make sense of his words. If she understood him correctly, she would be living here, in this apartment, with him. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it yet.

She grabbed her translator, the piece of technology that felt like was made specifically for her, and she only took it out to sleep last night because she was afraid to damage the thing. She put it on, reading herself to the loud ring. She grabs the jewelry putting them on carefully. She wondered what the silvery crystal bids were made from. Luna thought about her feelings for the Arbitrator, whatever that meant. She knew she loved him, she felt like she knew him for her whole life, yet she knew they were barely strangers. A voice in the back of her head screamed that she would have her whole life to get to know and love him, but her rational brain kept screaming at her that it was too much, too soon.

Luna got surprised that the door simply opened once she approached it, she walked unsure, feeling somewhat like an intruder. She descended a small flight of stairs and was almost blinded by the daylight. Luna gazed out at the breathtaking expanse of jungle stretching out below her. The view was otherworldly, unlike anything she had ever seen.

The trees were colossal, their towering trunks rising hundreds of feet into the air. Their canopies formed a lush, dense ceiling over the jungle, with vibrant green leaves interspersed with striking bluish foliage that shimmered in the dappled sunlight. The blue leaves seemed almost ethereal, glowing faintly with an inner luminescence as if touched by the hand of a mystical artist.

Vines as thick as her arm snaked up the trunks and across branches, creating an intricate web of green and blue. Some of these vines bore strange, glowing flowers in hues of deep purple and bright orange, their petals opening and closing rhythmically, as if breathing.

"I see that you approve of the view." Thö'run's voice was translated in her ear.

Luna smiled, turning to find Thö'run leaning against the kitchen island, arms crossed. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. There he was, in a futuristic apartment, dressed like a gladiator and armed to the teeth. Her lizard brain could understand why people were afraid of him. But not she; Luna knew instinctively that he was hers. All eight feet of him and only gods knew how many pounds. "This is amazing," she said, unsure if she was talking about the view or him.

Thö'run nodded, extending his hand, coaxing her to come to him. "Are you rested?" he asked, gently turning her back to him.

"I am," she replied, feeling his fingers gently undoing her braid. "What are you doing?" she asked, trying to sound indignant, but the giggle that escaped her ruined her attempt.

"I like your hair," he answered, carefully freeing her locks. "You need to eat," he announced when he was done.

Luna tried to be mad about him undoing her hard work, but she couldn't. "It's hot outside; I can't wear my hair down all the time," she protested.

He hummed in acknowledgment while rummaging inside a wall compartment.

As she watched him, she felt a wave of affection and contentment. "Thö'run," she called softly, "thank you for everything."