Orea stirred in her sleep, her mind restless—caught between Valtor's recent revelation and the way the crew had treated him... and the night before with Lynx. With a quiet breath, she slipped out of bed and stepped toward the balcony for some air.
To her surprise, someone was already sitting on the slab, head bowed. She didn't need to guess.
"Valtor?" she called softly.
He lifted his head in response and began to rise.
"Please stay," she said quickly.
Wearing blue-striped pyjamas, she walked over and sat beside him. Her curly hair, tied in a ponytail, swayed gently down her back. Her eyes drifted to the ground.
"Can't sleep?" she asked.
"Just... little thoughts here and there," he replied, voice low.
"Me too."
A pause followed. Then she turned to him.
"You should know—I never believed it. All that talk about you being the enemy. I knew there had to be more to it."
He glanced at her, his expressions easing.
"I wouldn't blame you even if you did believe. I didn't exactly give you a reason not to, because I didn't know what to believe myself". His blue eyes seemed to flicker with emotion. "So... it's all good," he added, turning away.
The silence that followed wasn't empty—it was thick with everything left unsaid.
"About the other night—" Orea began slowly,
"You don't need to explain that to me," Valtor cut in.
"I do," she insisted, facing him. "You know I do."
He sighed, leaning his head back against the wall.
"It just happened," she said. "Lynx and I paired up for a training mission. We won. We were just... celebrating, talking about how fun it was, and then.. somehow..., well, you know the rest." Her gaze dropped again.
Valtor turned toward her, expression unreadable. "Just tell me one thing. Do you have feelings for him?"
Orea met his eyes, her own filled with hesitation. "I... I don't know. My mind's a bit of a roller coaster right now."
"But he has feelings for you, doesn't he?" Valtor asked, his voice softer this time.
Her silence answered for her.
"Of course he does," he muttered, looking away.
Then he looked back at her, gaze steady. "There's so much happening right now—things bigger than any of us. And I don't have the mind space for messy love triangles, I'm sure none of us do."
His voice was calm but firm. "This is in your hands now, Orea. You have to make a choice."
The weight of his words hung in the air between them. Then he stood, offering only a brief "Goodnight" before turning and walking back inside.
................
Early the next day, the crew gathered for training as usual. As they waited for their instructor, they began putting on their protective gear.
Orea sat alone on the back bench, quietly strapping on her chest pads. Her eyes stayed fixed on the ground, carefully avoiding Lynx's gaze.
After a few unsuccessful glances her way, Lynx stood from the mat and walked over.
He sat beside her. "So... what exactly did Valtor say about me to warrant your obvious cold shoulder?"
"That has nothing to do with him," she replied casually, fixing on her knee pads.
"Okay," Lynx said, frowning slightly. "Then what happened? I thought we were in a good place."
"We are," she paused to meet his eyes, "but just as friends."
"I see," he said, hazel eyes narrowing. "And you decided that right after Valtor showed up—but sure, he had nothing to do with it." His tone dripped with sarcasm.
"I had to make a choice, Lynx. And I already have." Her voice was calm but firm.
"I choose me before anyone else. And I need you to respect that."
Their eyes lingered on each other, the silence thick between them.
Finally, he leaned back and gave a curt nod. "Fine. I guess I'll see you at training, then."
"Yeah," she said softly, watching as he stood and walked back to the mat.
"This is for the best", she thought.