The night was strangely peaceful in the Starseeker village.
Rey sat alone on a raised wooden platform near the edge of the central fire. The flames flickered in rhythmic waves, casting dancing shadows across the moss-covered structures around him. Above, the sky shimmered in hues of deep indigo and violet, stars twinkling through misty clouds that drifted unnaturally low.
The soft rustling of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts.
Fianna approached, holding a gourd in one hand and a pair of strange, round fruits in the other.
"You look like someone swallowed a stone," she teased, sitting down beside him.
Rey gave a half-hearted grin. "Just thinking."
She handed him one of the fruits. "Drink this first. You'll think better afterward."
He took it, drinking cautiously. It was slightly sweet, with a smoky aftertaste. "What is this?"
"Moonfruit brew. Helps with tension."
They sat in silence for a moment before Fianna spoke again. "You said you were just a traveler. But from what you've told us… you lost everything, didn't you?"
Rey nodded slowly. "My family. My world. I still don't know how I ended up here. One moment, it was chaos. Then… this world."
Fianna leaned forward, elbows on her knees, her eyes reflecting the firelight. "Do you still want to go back?"
The question hit him harder than expected. Did he?
For so long, his only thought had been survival. Escape. But now… here, in this strange place, there was warmth. Food. People who didn't try to kill him on sight.
"I… I don't know," he admitted. "I miss them. But if going back means losing this place… I'm not sure anymore."
Fianna looked surprised, then thoughtful. "That's how we feel too. We weren't always hiding. Once, we lived in the open. But the world turned cruel."
Rey studied her face—sharp features with soft curves, her skin a dark shade of emerald. Strange by human standards… yet there was something beautiful in it. Something real.
"Fianna," he said softly, "can I ask you something… personal?"
She glanced at him. "Try me."
"Why did you stay with me these past days? Was it because the chieftain ordered it… or was it your choice?"
For a moment, she didn't answer. The fire crackled between them, filling the silence.
Then she said quietly, "At first, it was duty. But now… I think I'm curious. You're not like the others. Most would have run, or attacked. But you listened. You learned."
Rey felt a warmth spread through his chest. Not from the drink—something deeper.
"I'm glad you were the one who found me," he said honestly.
Fianna smiled faintly. "Don't make it sound too romantic. I did throw you off a cliff, remember?"
They both laughed, the tension between them softening into something lighter. Something gentler.
Suddenly, Rey reached out, not thinking, and gently brushed a loose strand of her hair behind her pointed ear.
Fianna froze, her eyes locking with his.
"Sorry," he whispered, pulling his hand back. "That was—"
But before he could finish, she placed her hand over his.
"Don't apologize," she murmured.
The fire crackled again, casting their shadows together across the wall behind them.
For the first time in a long while, Rey didn't feel like a stranger in a foreign world.
He felt… human.
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