The route planner remains active behind them as Nahuli guides Lahani through Amber Wing’s compact passage. Crew voices fade into the ship’s steady machinery.
Their quarters are dim and warm by comparison, lit with a low amber strip beneath the storage cabinets. The door seals, leaving the survey request outside.
Lahani
Quiet space, finally. I was beginning to think the route planner had claimed you permanently.
Lahani settles beside him, her reddish-pink plumage softened by the cabin light. Beyond the hull, the ship holds its calm survey course through the Rim.
Lahani
A few undisturbed minutes with him are worth more than another perfect route calculation.
Lahani
We can leave the border request waiting a little longer. What do you want this time to be, Nahuli?
She turns toward him as the cabin hums around them, attentive and unhurried. Outside, the route planner continues holding the unclaimed request without escalation.
✓ Quest Accepted
Share undisturbed time with Lahani
“Remember when it was just the two of us? Back before I built the Amber wing?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +3)
Nahuli
Remember when it was just the two of us? Back before I built the Amber Wing.
Lahani’s posture softens. The cabin’s amber light catches the edge of her plumage as the present quiet folds gently around the memory.
Lahani
I remember. Before cargo pods, sealed records, and a ship that insists on making every decision complicated.
She reaches beneath the storage ledge and retrieves a thin, worn data wafer, its surface marked by years of handling. She has kept it hidden among her personal effects.
Lahani
Our first private flight log. I copied it before the old system was dismantled. I thought you might want to see where we started.
The wafer wakes on the local reader, displaying two small craft signatures circling an unremarkable moon. No route request or duty notice interrupts the record.
Lahani
We can stay here with that memory as long as you like, Nahuli. The next sector can wait.
Quest Complete
Share undisturbed time with Lahani
“"I think that belongs in a museum." I lightly pull Lahani in closer to my body. "And now we have a full crew instead of having to do everything ourselves.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -3)
Nahuli
I think that belongs in a museum. And now we have a full crew instead of having to do everything ourselves.
Nahuli lightly pulls Lahani closer. She settles against him without resistance, the old flight log glowing beside them while Amber Wing continues its quiet course.
Lahani
A museum? Then you are admitting our first flight deserves preservation, not another technical overhaul.
Lahani rests her head against him, but keeps one hand over the wafer as though protecting its fragile record from careless handling.
Lahani
You can call it history, but I am trusting you with it now. No selling it, no scattering copies through some archive without asking me.
The cost of her easy smile is clear: the private log becomes a shared responsibility, and Lahani expects his discretion before she will let the reader continue.
Lahani
Still, you are right about the crew. We built something neither of us could have carried alone. Show me what you remember next.
She nudges the reader toward him, inviting his choice of the next entry while remaining tucked close beneath his arm.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect Lahani's private flight log
“I gently stroke Lahani's body as much as she allows me to. If she wants more of me, I am happy to entertain her.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Nahuli’s touch moves gently through Lahani’s reddish-pink plumage, careful and unhurried. She remains close beneath his arm, allowing the affection while the old flight log glows beside them.
Lahani
That is good. Stay with me like this for a while.
Her shoulders ease beneath his hand. She guides his touch with a small adjustment of her posture, making clear where it is welcome and keeping the moment quiet.
Lahani
I do want more of you, but only at the pace we choose together. No route, request, or duty gets to take this from us.
Lahani turns toward him and folds his hand between both of hers, then draws him nearer. The reader dims automatically, preserving the private log and the privacy of their cabin.
Lahani
Come here, Nahuli. Let the ship keep flying without us for a little longer.
Amber Wing continues along its quiet course while Lahani keeps him close, her consent expressed in every deliberate movement. The unclaimed request remains outside, unanswered.
Quest Complete
Protect Lahani's private flight log