Noah left Kelvin's side with a smile still tugging at his lips. The ridiculous conversation about weaponized massage oils echoed in his mind like an afterimage of much-needed levity. For the first time in days, he'd laughed so hard that his chest ached. Maybe Kelvin was right, he thought as he walked through the long east corridor of the palace. Sometimes the best medicine is letting someone else take care of you.
But the thought didn't last. His mind inevitably drifted back to their talk about soul forms, Sigma-7, and the gnawing uncertainty of what lay ahead. That weight never fully left his shoulders.
And yet, there was one person he wanted to see right now. One person who always seemed to ground him, even when the galaxy felt like it was spinning off its axis.
Sophie.
