3
Pulse picked through their pack of cigarettes.
They counted 12 and then gave three of them a quick sniff.
They leaned against a tattered brick wall while Quark sat on a dented, upturned trash can.
The white dwarf studied the first few pages of the booklet, sometimes chewing on his lip and then ruffling his hair, mouthing silently to the words on the page.
"We probably don't have to go through it all at once," Pulse said, flipping a cigarette between their fingers. They wondered where they could find a light. Maybe they should have asked for one before Gamal sent them out. "I mean, the woman said when in doubt, trust the pull, right?"
"She did, but I just want to be sure." Quark flipped to a page they hadn't combed through yet. "Nine rules in total. Doesn't seem too hard to follow."
"Nine." Pulse eyed an oil lamp in the street. They could reach it and light their smoke. "Seems like a weird number to me."
"Really?" Quark hunched over, his light pastel hair falling over his eyes. "Why does that seem strange to you?"
"Well, ten would seem like a good, even amount, right? It's probably a weird thing to get fixated on, but that's just what I think."
"You like even numbers?"
"I mean, most Celestials do, don't they? Or am I the weird one?"
Quark huffed a laugh. "No, no, but I've met a lot of stars on my travels. It's about an even split when you consider everything."
Pulse grabbed the profile paper from Quark, giving their customer a good look over.
"I wonder where she's from," they said. "She's a carbon creature, that's for sure."
"No doubt." Quark leaned his cheek on his palm, elbow on his knee. "I'm not familiar with her kind of name either. But her profile says she's from 'Earth,' in the Milky Way Galaxy."
"Which one's that?"
"I've heard of it but have yet to visit. I don't know why she—and whoever else—calls it 'milky?' What is 'milky?'"
Pulse had to let out a little chuckle. "You're asking the wrong star. I'm pretty settled where I am. I don't get around like you do."
"Right, right..." Pulse wishes Quark didn't use his hair to cover most of his face. He looked like he had a bit of pink on his cheeks. "I just ramble a lot I guess."
"And that's good." Pulse gave him a cool but assuring smile. "I tend to listen a lot anyway."
Pulse leaned out of the ally, stuck their cigarette into the flame of a street lamp, and then took a long drag.
Whatever was in these little things, it gave a calming sensation.
Warm and cozy like a hug. The intense energy they usually felt mellowed out instantly.
If only Pulse had more than twelve to start with.
"Hey, you new here?"
That wasn't the gentle voice of their familiar dwarf, but something much bolder, louder, more feminine.
Quark snapped up from his daydream as Pulse stopped mid-drag to greet the source of the voice.
For the slightest moment, Pulse thought another Celestial had come to greet them. There was such a warm glow to her skin. Her hair was thick, rich, dark, long—but her eyes gave her away. Her nickle-green irises and large black pupils were indicative of her carbon nature.
Pulse glanced at their paper. This couldn’t be the sleep-deprived woman in the photo, could it?
"Hey," Quark cleared his throat, which allowed Pulse the chance to blow out lungs full of smoke—and to stifle a cough that came with it. "Ahh-do you need help with anything?"
The woman cocked her hip, giving the two stars an intense look over. "I was just wondering about you two. You are new here?"
"Y-Yes we are. Yeah." Quark was taken aback by the woman's directness. He hopped up and straightened his back, offering his hand. "I'm Quark. My friend's name's Pulse."
The woman flashed a stunning, sparkling grin. Pulse had to guess yet again if there was anything celestial in nature about her. "You don't have to shake my hand, Quark," she said. "I knew I hadn't seen you two around before, so I had to see you up close."
"You Leonora McCarthy then?" Pulse asked.
"Blech, so formal!" She exclaimed. "Just call me Leo, okay? I respond quicker that way. Don't be so nervous and uptight!"
Quark stole some air into his lungs. He looked like he was trying to match her posture. "Yeah! Sorry. But you're right, we are new here. We're new to this whole dream thing in general. We-we don't know what we're doing."
"Don't even sweat it," Leo leaned into Quark, giving him a playful nudge into his arm. "I'll make sure you are well acquainted around here."
She pointed her attention to Pulse. Unlike when they first met Quark, she didn't look intimidated by their size, even though she couldn't have been an inch taller than the dwarf star.
Instead, she had this strange glimmer in her eyes.
She studied them, and they caught a moment where she bit the inside of her cheek.
"Not one for many words, huh?" She asked them.
"I suppose not," Pulse replied. This carbon creature was a curious little thing. But they could not understand what she was thinking. Why was she looking at them so—What was that look?
"You two are going to be a lot of fun," she grabbed both of them—An arm around Quarks' neck and an arm around Pulse's waist—and pulled them to her sides. "This is going to be one hell of an adventure! I don't even know where to start."
"L-let's just make some small talk first," Quark stammered. Both Leo and Pulse could make out how flushed his cheeks were. "Just get to know each other first. No need to rush anything, right?"
"God, you are adorable," Leo smirked. "But no, you're right. Nice and slow. Gotta have a little foreplay first, right?"
Pulse cocked their brow, Quark shrugged and shook his head in return.
"C'mon," Leo dragged them along, "Walk with me, talk with me. I want to know as much as possible."
Though Pulse was unsure how Quark felt about being led around by the hip, they knew how they felt.
This was new and strange. This carbon creature was now in command of not only a densely-made white dwarf but one of the most forceful types of stars in the universe.
And she did it with such confidence and ease—Pulse had to admit, it was impressive. Impressive, bold, and captivating.
'Oh no, what are we in for now?