Nemo__404
patreon
Deathworlders Should Not Be Allowed To Date! 53
🕑 Added 2024-09-22 16:24:45 +0000 UTCLuna VI query: Set the source to the leaked files of the first reconnaissance operation of Irisa.
Certainly!
Luna VI query: How was Nathan doing a week after the big news?
***
In front of Nathan, Amara and Elysira walked side by side. They hadn’t explained why they insisted on sneaking out of the protected area, nor why Ryo, who trailed leisurely behind, had been invited along.
Nathan only knew for certain that they were heading away from the crowded streets and towering buildings, moving toward an area with sparse trees and low undergrowth, still safely nestled beneath the protective glass dome that shielded Caladris' sky.
He had once imagined that, just like on Earth, there would be a small, vocal minority on Caladris that didn’t want humans around. But through his conversations with Amara, he had learned that while such opinions did exist, they were never openly expressed. Those who held them knew they were a minority and had no desire to draw the scrutiny of the majority. According to Amara, they would only voice their dissent if they had someone to rally behind—someone willing to take risks on their behalf like Zandrid once did.
However, Nathan had little mental space for cultural exchanges or deep dives into Irisian society in the present. Over the past week, he had set the mission aside; the thought of becoming a father had overshadowed even his internal conflict over Zandrid’s death in the valleys at his and Amara’s hands. His only real worry was whether Amara should be sneaking past the guards and walking this much. He knew it was pointless to be anxious about that—the doctors had reassured them it was far too early for that kind of concern—but it lingered nonetheless.
The risk of being attacked by a hidden loyalist also weighed on Nathan’s mind, more than it had during the few times he ventured to the surface alone. Or perhaps he hadn’t been truly alone—he suspected Amara had secretly sent a team to watch over him on those occasions. Whether she was doing the same now, with all of them together, he wasn’t sure. He couldn't shake the feeling that Amara and Elysira were hiding something, and he wondered why they were so insistent on going outside together.
Those questions lingered as they crossed the final road, where the artificial ground gave way to a patch of blue-leafed trees, leading them into an open, forested area. These weren’t the towering trees of the Ebon Range mountains, but the smaller, surface-like ones they might find if they took one of the elevators out of Caladris' dome.
"The two of you can wait here." Amara barely waited until they had entered the sheltered patch of forest before turning to address Nathan and Ryo.
"Wait a minute, Amara," Nathan protested, confused, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Without another glance, Amara and Elysira continued deeper into the trees, their skin colors as neutral as possible—a clear sign they were hiding something. Nathan stayed behind with Ryo, torn between following and trusting Amara. The only thing that stopped him from running after her was his faith in her; he knew she wouldn’t do anything reckless. Plus, his gut told him she had a reason for bringing them to this place.
Now alone with Ryo, Nathan didn’t even consider starting a conversation. The memory of their last interaction was still fresh in his mind. Instead, he focused on the plants around him, hoping to find a clue as to why Amara had brought them to this particular spot.
As he studied the organized rows of trees and the irrigation system, an idea formed. "Maybe she wants my opinion as a botanist on this place," he muttered under his breath.
To his surprise, Ryo stepped up beside him, offering his own thoughts in an unexpectedly friendly tone. "Look at the claw marks on the tree trunks," he said, pointing to one tree that appeared to have been climbed hundreds of times. "This is a training ground."
Nathan was more surprised by Ryo's willingness to talk than by the idea itself. A training ground? He couldn’t imagine soldiers training this close to the streets.
"I don’t know," Nathan said, still skeptical. As he scanned the area, something small and blue caught his eye among the leaves. Bending down, he picked up a toy shaped like an Oczoil. He held it up to Ryo, and their eyes widened.
"This is—"
Before Nathan could finish, several sets of orange eyes appeared from behind the trees where Amara and Elysira had disappeared. With a variety of heights, five small heads peeked out from the trunks, their skin shifting to a nervous purple when their curious gazes landed on himself and Ryo. A chill ran down Nathan’s spine. These weren’t soldiers or anyone interested in botany—they were nothing more than Irisian children.
"Uh... and you guys are?" That was all Nathan managed to say.
At the first sound he uttered, the five small heads quickly retracted, disappearing behind the trees instantly. The suddenness of it left him speechless, his words caught in his throat. Children didn't hate him usually, and now he stood there, frozen, unsure of how to respond.
Glancing at Ryo, Nathan realized he wasn’t alone in his confusion. Ryo’s usually composed face showed a rare moment of hesitation, his eyes flicking toward the trees where the children had been. Whatever tension they both felt, it was clear neither of them had been prepared for this. The Irisian children were something neither had expected.
Only a few seconds had passed when Amara and Elysira re-emerged from the trees. As Nathan’s eyes met Amara’s, he could almost sense the thought process that had led her to bring him here for this unexpected surprise. What he couldn’t discern was whether this was some kind of test or simply her way of showing him the children. Either way, the apologetic look in her eyes, surrounded by those emerald rings, told him one thing for sure—whatever this was, failure wasn’t an option.
But now what? Should he say something, or try to appear friendly? Or should he just wait for the children to come to him on their own?
As Nathan wrestled with these questions, Amara spoke up, her voice soft and encouraging. "Cinara, Enior, Azin, Onora, Uror," she called out, naming each of the children. Taking slow steps, she stepped closer to Nathan, wrapping her tail gently around his wrist, her grip firm yet comforting. "These are the humans I told you about," she said to the children, her tone warm and reassuring. "I understand they may appear scary at first, but if you summon your courage and step closer, I give you my word, they will do you no harm."
A faint hint of yellow appeared on Amara’s neck as she spoke, then she turned to him. Though Nathan would have preferred some advance notice of this surprise, he simply ruffled her hair in response. He knew full well how long it would take her to fix her strands later, and that small act of mischief felt like enough payback for nudging him into this unexpected situation.
Unbothered by his playful revenge, Amara joined Nathan’s side, facing the trees where they were hiding. With no sign of the children emerging from their hiding place, Nathan shifted his attention to the side, where an entirely different dynamic was unfolding. Ryo stood stiff and expressionless, while Elysira watched him, a faint purple hue creeping up her neck—a clear sign of her discomfort. It was obvious she hadn’t expected such cold indifference from the Martian soldier.
When Nathan’s gaze returned to the trees, he spotted one of the children taking hesitant steps toward them. The others remained behind, peeking out from their hiding spots behind the trees, their eyes glued to the brave one venturing forward. This small Irisian, about the height of a five-year-old human, had long hair and wore nothing but shorts. Nathan couldn’t immediately tell whether they were a boy or a girl.
"How..." The little girl's voice, now filtered through the translation process and unmistakably feminine, broke the silence. "How can we know if you're angry at us if your skin always stays like that?"
Nathan exchanged a quick glance with Amara and realized she had given the children external translators to wear in their ears.
Mustering his calmest tone, he replied, "You can just assume I’ll never be angry with you."
The girl’s eyes widened, her skin shifting in an intense swirl of purple and yellow, making it clear she wasn’t even trying to hide her emotions. "Not even if I trip and poke you with my claws?" Before Nathan could answer, she quickly added, "What if I break your new AR visor while playing games? I bet you’d be mad after that."
Nathan had to hold back a smile, knowing the expression might be misinterpreted as anger. "Well," he said gently, "your claws won’t hurt me through my clothes. And you don’t need to worry about my AR visor—we humans don’t use them. They’re far too advanced for us."
The little girl beamed, bright yellow flooding the gaps between her black spots. Nathan noticed the others had grown bolder as well, stepping out from behind the tree trunks. Their skin now displayed a steady blue, though they still hesitated to come closer.
"Come now," Amara encouraged them with a gentle nudge. "You would not want to be outdone by young Cinara, would you?"
They followed Amara’s suggestion, and before Nathan realized it, four other small Irisians had gathered around him. They were all taller than Cinara, with long hair, but none spoke as quickly as she had. It took a moment for the first one to finally break the silence.
"You… don’t have a tail," observed a boy, pointing at Nathan’s waist with his own tail. Glancing at the others for support, he continued, "How do you climb trees without one?"
Nathan and Amara exchanged a glance, immediately recognizing the awkwardness of the question in front of Elysira, who had recently lost her tail. Of course, the children didn’t know that, and Elysira herself remained composed. Nathan kept his answer brief. "We use equipment or just our hands, but it’s not like we climb trees all that often."
"We do it every day, and we’re really good at it!" another child chimed in proudly. "Wanna see?"
"Uh... sure," Nathan replied, unsure if it was wise for children this young to be climbing trees. But before he could say anything else, the group, minus Cinara, had already sprung into action. Within moments, they were higher than him, their skin glowing yellow with pride, some even waving down at him with one hand while clinging to the trunks with the other hand and their tail.
Nathan turned to Amara, whispering, "Is this safe? Aren’t they at risk of falling?"
"They will not fall," Amara assured him, her grip on his wrist tightening slightly. "I did the same thing at their age. We all did." She leaned in closer, her voice lowering to a whisper. "But I fear they need constant supervision. Unlike when they are newly born and completely quiet, at this stage, they are full of energy and never stop. I hope you are ready for that when the time comes."
At that moment, the realization hit Nathan—this wasn’t just about meeting Irisian children. Amara had brought him here to show him what to expect when their own child arrived in the future. And then, almost simultaneously, it dawned on him that Amara might need a similar experience—learning about human babies, who tended to be far from quiet right from birth.
But before Nathan could voice that thought, something else caught his attention. Young Cinara stood frozen, looking up at the other children with her skin turning a soft gray, her eyes wide. She seemed on the verge of crying.
Nathan rushed over, kneeling down to meet her at eye level. "What’s wrong?" he asked gently, his voice soft with concern.
For a moment, Nathan worried his sudden approach might have startled her, but Cinara immediately poured out her feelings, her small voice trembling with emotion. "My tail... it’s still too short to climb those big trees," she confessed, her words breaking into quiet sobs. "But I promise I can go that high too."
Nathan exchanged a glance with Amara, smiling softly despite the ache he felt at her honesty. Without hesitation, he bent down and offered her his neck. "Come here. You might be too small for the tree, but I’m tall enough to help."
Cinara hesitated only briefly before stepping onto his shoulders, her tail reaching out instinctively to steady itself against his forehead. Nathan held her feet as he gently stood up, giving her time to balance. When he looked back at Amara, her eyes were alight with amusement, the emerald rings around them glowing softly, surrounded by a subtle yellow.
Elysira, on the other hand, had a very different reaction. Sparse hints of purple rippled across her skin as she cast glances at Ryo, who stood stiffly, arms crossed, looking as pale as if he were terrified to be anywhere near the children. Nathan didn’t dwell on it. Elysira had rarely spoken more than a few words to him, and Ryo—well, he was hardly a friend. His attention shifted back to the children and away from the awkward couple.
As he approached Amara with Cinara perched on his shoulders, Nathan noticed the smug expressions on the other children's faces fade. They watched with wide eyes as Cinara’s tail swayed triumphantly above his head, her balance solid. Moments later, the children began climbing down from the trees, their desire to show off vanishing now that Cinara had claimed her own moment of triumph.
Enior shamelessly asked, "Can you lift me too?" with Azin immediately chiming in, calling dibs on being next. What followed was a moment of chaos as Nathan found himself surrounded by eager children. Soon enough, he was fully caught up in their excitement, lifting them all at once as their tails looped around his arms for support, proving he could handle the challenge.
Eventually, Amara and Elysira had to step in, the children trying to climb all over Nathan at once, leaving him overwhelmed but laughing. The playful chaos only ended after a flurry of questions about Earth, each one more eager than the last.
Elysira, her skin now a calm blue, finally called the fun to an end. "Time to return them to their parents, Amara. They trusted you because of who you are, but if we take too long, they’ll start to worry."
"You are right," Amara agreed, gently lifting Cinara off his shoulders and holding her in her arms. Her grip was less playful than his, but it looked more tender, as though she considered her something fragile.
Cinara looked between Nathan and Amara, her skin shifting to a faint gray—a color that spoke of her reluctance to return to her parents. Nathan felt an unexpected pang at the sight. He had known her for barely half an hour, yet the thought of her leaving tugged at him in a way he hadn’t anticipated.
Seeing the little girl’s pleading eyes, he couldn’t help but speak. "Hey," he said softly, placing his hand on her head, careful not to ruffle her hair. "Me and Amara will come back here. I’m sure we’ll see each other again."
Cinara’s gray hue slightly brightened, her eyes widening with a trace of hope that made this farewell a bit harder than Nathan had anticipated. Amara and Elysira exchanged a knowing glance before gently gathering the children, preparing to lead them back through the woods to where their parents awaited in the heart of the artificial forest.
Elysira guided the children on foot, while Amara continued to carry Cinara in her arms. The little girl’s hands clung to Amara’s shoulder as they started to walk, her gaze lingering on Nathan, watching him until the trees and shadows of the forest slowly swallowed them from view.
Alone with Ryo again, the forest felt emptier than before. The presence of the Irisian children, though not loud, had filled the air with a curiosity and energy that made the surroundings feel alive. Now, without them, a quiet unease seemed to fill the gaps between the trees.
Nathan expected the silence to linger, but Ryo, unexpectedly talkative, broke it. "You and the princess... aren’t you afraid something might go wrong?"
Nathan blinked, caught off guard by the question. He and Amara had avoided speaking openly about their deeper fears. Sure, the possibility of things going wrong had loomed in the background, but whenever they were alone, they clung to the comfort of unspoken hope. His immediate response came out in a clipped tone. "No."
Ryo nodded slowly, his expression unreadable, and for a moment Nathan thought the conversation would die there. But then, with a glance at the trees, Ryo added, almost begrudgingly, "I suppose... we all pretend sometimes. Helps us get through the day."
Nathan didn’t respond, sensing there was more coming. He wasn’t wrong.
"You always seem to have the right words for her," Ryo continued, his tone still detached but noticeably less hostile than in any interaction they had before. "Makes her happy. Makes the kids happy. Don’t know how you do it." He paused, shifting his weight. "I’d never be able to say the right thing, not the way you do."
It wasn’t an apology—not outright—but Nathan recognized the unspoken meaning behind Ryo’s words. Ryo was admitting, in his own way, that he was struggling with Elysira. The last time Nathan had foolishly tried to talk about her, thinking they might share some common experiences, Ryo had shut him down, saying it was none of his business. There had been no room for discussion, no opening for connection.
But now... something had changed.
Nathan glanced at him, unsure if Ryo truly wanted an answer. After a pause, he replied, "I don’t try to make Amara happy all the time." The words felt more natural than he expected. "I just think we’ve got something good, and I do what I can to make it last." He hesitated, feeling like he’d said enough, but then added, almost as if he were thinking aloud, "She does the same. We’ve never even talked about it."
Ryo’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—a recognition, maybe, or understanding. He didn’t reply immediately, but Nathan got the sense that, for the first time, Ryo was listening instead of just enduring the conversation.
Just as Nathan thought he wouldn’t reply and turned to check if Amara was returning, Ryo spoke again. "I’ve been homebrewing something with those weird fruits," he said, the comment almost out of place. After a pause, he added, "What happened in the valleys—that stuff can mess with you."
Ryo turned to face Nathan, his expression more open than before. "Come by the palace sometime if you still remember where your room is. I think I’ve got enough for two."
Nathan smiled, and when he saw Amara and Elysira approaching in the distance, he gave a simple, quiet reply. "Sure."
***
This was an account based on Nathan's state after a week. The previous narrative is based on the events of the fifty-fifth day of the exploratory mission of Irisa. According to your current settings, no queries will be suggested.
