NOVEL NEXT Chapter 298: Coffee Date
Hailey was doing last seconds checks of her equipment while wearing a spacesuit. All of her ship's functions were turned off to not create issues during the flight. Satisfied with her checks, she unclasped her seatbelt and began to slowly free fall from her chair.
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She began to slowly make her way through the ship using hand rails as leverage to propel her forward until she reached the docking area making her way towards a ladder, she started climbing the rings until she felt the gravity return to her body.
After a few more rings, she made it to the top and found a man looking at her in a way that made her heart throb. 'W-What's happening? Why is he looking at me like that?' She thought to herself as she became glued to the ladder ring she was standing on.
Kneeling down, I grinned and asked. "Need a hand?" I then extended my hand towards Hailey, who was looking at me strangely. It took Hailey a moment to react before she reached up her hand and I helped her into the ship.
Hailey took a little tumble as she stood on the ship as the gravity was slightly higher than what she got acclimated to on Ecumenopolis 4. As a result, she fell into my chest and looked up at me through her helmet.
"Are you ok?" I asked, causing Hailey to make some distance. She then took off her helmet and replied. "I am fine, thank you for your help." I did not reply right away as I was checking out Hailey's attire.
She was wearing a grey space suit that had black and copper accents, but it seemed a little tight and looked more like a skinsuit that Kathrine would wear in the cold. It was so tight that it revealed little bumps in a certain place on Hailey's body.
"Was your ship cold or something?" I asked curiously and used my head to point at her chest. Hailey was confused about why I would ask that until she looked down and what she saw made her eyes go wide.
She proceeded to use her helmet to block her chest region from being seen as she replied. "Um, yes it was cold." That was a much better alternative to her as she could not just say that being in his embrace turned her on.
"Well let's go and find the kitchen together and make ourselves a nice drink while we have a chat. Keyla, can you give us a bit of privacy for a while?" I said, causing Hailey to jump in surprise as she did not see Keyla, who was standing behind Apollo until now.
Keyla then looked Hailey up and down like a piece of meat which caused Hailey to shudder, despite having men look at her like that for years. "Sure thing Boss man. I will give you guys a heads up in an hour when we enter FTL. Don't want to be burning your pretty faces with spills after all."
Once Keyla began walking away, I took Hailey by the hand as we began searching the ship together. Hailey decided to stay completely silent during this time as she did not want to say anything that could prematurely end the excitement that came from holding her crush's hand.
As we explored the ship together, opening doors and seeing what was behind them, we at one point opened a door and a creature commonly known as Orchid was laying down on a bed, staring at the ceiling.
Feeling our presence she looked up and retained a neutral expression upon noticing I was not alone. "Hey Orchid, sorry to bother you. I am going to spend some time with Hailey until we arrive at the checkpoint, ok?"
Orchid simply nodded her head before replying. "Very well, Enjoy yourself." She said, before she returned to looking up at the ceiling." After closing the door on her, Hailey and I began walking once more before she felt the need to ask.
"Apollo, is your sister ok? She seemed,I don't know, Off in there?" I turned back to Hailey and smiled. "Oh, don't worry about Orchid, she is just meditating and clearing her mind. Being around Jewel can be a headache, so she is preparing herself." I said, speaking partially the truth.
Orchid was clearing her mind. Just clearing her mind of all the useless human stuff she learnt on Ecumenopolis 4 and storing it away until she would need it again. The last thing Jewel needed upon re-establishing connection with Orchid was the price of a tub of cherry ice cream from a planet she would not see for centuries, or for that matter what ice cream actually was. Unless Apollo spoke of it specifically, why would she care?
This would take Orchid a few days so she did not accidentally forget something that was tied to Apollo. It would cause her both physical and psychological pain if she did that to herself. She did not have the luxury Onyx had when she fought Apollo as she kept her memories inside of her beloved's Mindspace.
Orchid grew frustrated remembering that her space in Apollo's Mindspace was stolen. She grew annoyed every time Onyx materialised as it meant she had spent time being the most ultimately close to Apollo as you could be. Inside of his very being.
Orchid threw the frustration to the winds however, as that is not what a good 'housewife' would feel. Besides, she wagered that after her Apollo-love was better. He would have enough space in his Mindspace for her presence to be shackled to. A smile crept onto Orchids face at that prospect, before she returned to focusing on 'boxing' up her memories.
Eventually Hailey and I made our way to the kitchen and I felt relieved when the layout looked familiar. Letting go of Hailey's hand, I walked deeper into the kitchen space and asked her. "Do you have a hot drink preference?"
As I turned around to acknowledge her answer, I saw a trace of what looked like disappointment on her face before it turned jovial and happy. "Whatever you are having." She replied with a smile as she made her way to the nearby table.
I began rummaging through the cupboards, looking for the particular beverage until I found it and smiled. Picking up two sachets, I made my way to a tank that said 'boiling water' and filled up two cups underneath a nozzle on the tank.
Opening the sachets and placing the contents into the water, I then walked back to Hailey and placed one of the cups in front of her. "A simple coffee. The first hot drink I ever had on a ship. I thought it would be nice to share my nostalgia."
Hailey smiled at my choice as she picked up her cup and took a sip. After she did so, I mimicked her action and took a sip of my own before I said. "So, Hailey, where are you from?"
Hailey tilted her head slightly at my question. "Why the sudden interest where I am from Apollo? I will answer, I am just curious." I sighed dejectedly at her response, so I replied. "Keyla told me you have been asking a lot of questions about me, wanting to know more about me and so on. It made me realise I was being a bad friend by not asking questions about you. I usually just live in the present so I felt no need to ask about your past. But you are my friend and I do not have many of those. I should know more about you."
'Oh my stars, it's happening!' Hailey thought to herself with glee. At first, she thought Apollo would be mad that she had been asking questions behind his back, but in actual fact, he wants to get to know her as well! 'This is like a coffee date! I am going to die with happiness!'
Her outward appearance remained completely normal however, only a slight smile giving away her current happy status. Still, Hailey did not want Apollo to know of her 'titles' yet, so she would need to skirt the line of truth ever so slightly.
"I see. That is very sweet of you Apollo. I don't have many friends either, which is why I have been asking about you also. To answer your question. My Father was born on Ecumenopolis one while my mother was born on the world of Athens. It is another Ecumenopolis in the core worlds, just not in the capital sol system.
"Athens? Named after Athena?" I asked curiously. Hailey gulped a moment, wanting to express more of herself to Apollo. She wanted him to know her deeply and in a way no one else did. She decided to risk outing herself, hoping that Apollo's gap of knowledge regarding nobles, extended to the royal family prior to that he had met. She felt her odds were good considering he did not even realise he spent an entire evening getting chummy with King Sigismund.
"Yes, named after the founder Athena. In fact, my mothers family is a direct lineage to Athena herself. That is why my last name is 'Athena', though it sounds different, it is spelt the same after all. In a way, you could say I am a direct descendant of Athena herself."