Chapter 35
?rim
At home, that evening, Cassie curled up next to him on the bed while he scanned through files on his datapad.
Her files. She knew they were on there, but he hadn’t opened them until recently, until she’d given him permission.
Then there was the message from the institute on Brasnia Prime he still hadn’t discussed with her.
Perhaps now was the right moment. They wouldn’t need to be separated, but they wouldn’t have to stay in Laurus.
He paused his work, turning to her then.
“There might be another option, aoseria.”
Another option for what?
“I’ve been offered a position in a research lab on Brasnia Prime. It would be in Prime Central, the capital. We could go there. You’ll be safer in a populated city with a heavy IA peacekeeper presence. We won’t have to be separated.”
Her eyes dimmed. My whole life is here.
“Brasnia Prime is a huge place. I’m sure you can make new friends, find something meaningful to do.” He came to sit next to her on the bed. “It would be safer.”
Why didn’t you tell me you were offered a job?
“It wasn’t relevant. You were here. The position wouldn’t start for another standard year, but we need to start the resettlement process now. Your refugee status gives you access to any alliance planet.”
Do you know how many Aviary clients live in Prime Central?
He didn’t. It hadn’t factored into his calculus when he applied. Since he hadn’t fully examined her voicelock records, he didn’t know any personal information about her clientele from the Aviary. “It’s a massive city, Cassie. The odds of running into anyone would be statistically improbable.”
It’s not safe! Her hands flew to her arms, but she paused, catching herself in the middle of something, and then gripping tightly around her own wrists.
“It has to be safer than here.” ?rim reached for her hands. She was shaking as she let him take them. “Aoseria, why is this so distressing? It’s just a conversation. We haven’t made any decisions yet.”
They will kill me! These people have money.
They have power. They will assassinate me.
There is nowhere safe on Brasnia Prime. The IA didn’t send a single passeri there for a reason!
Her eyes blazed in an expression he’d never seen from her.
Was this anger? Had she finally found something terrible enough to make her angry?
She hadn’t told him much about the Aviary.
Most of his knowledge came secondhand from IA documents or the intelewave forums and the occasional offhand comments she made about it.
“Is that true?”
Why would I lie about it? The Prime Family spent a lot of time at the Aviary.
?rim went still. His electrical core crackled quietly. He didn’t want to frighten her with the depths of his rage. It wasn’t for her. It was partly for himself, for not asking sooner, but mostly for the people who had done this to her.
“Then we won’t go to Brasnia Prime.” He squeezed her hands more tightly, keeping his tone soft.
Cassie let him. She didn’t pull away. If he had spoken to her sooner, including her in the decision making, none of this would have happened.
It was a bleak reminder of other conversations yet unspoken, but he knew it wasn’t the right time, not when she was already so agitated.
I need to use the lavatory. Cassie pulled her hands away from his and got up from their shared bed before he could say anything else.
A few minutes later, he heard the sound of the shower stall activating.
She had already showered earlier. Why was she showering again?
He wasn’t sure. Maybe she would explain when she returned.
While she was occupied, ?rim started drafting his refusal letter to the institute on Brasnia Prime.
Cassie returned nearly half a standard hour later, dressed in one of her standard long-sleeved sleeping gowns. Her hair was slightly damp, and her gaze was far away.
“Did something happen, aoseria?”
I’m sorry for yelling.
“You’re allowed to yell if something upsets you. I’m not offended by you being honest about your feelings. I just sent my refusal to the institute on Brasnia Prime.”
Ok.
“Do you want to watch something? I can load up one of your cooking holos.”
She nodded and waited for him to find her program before handing her datapad back to her. Cassie kept space between them on the bed as she watched her holo. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep. Quietly, ?rim turned off her device and tucked her closer to him as he covered her in a blanket.