Kira ignored the arrogance in that statement, taking stock of her surroundings. "How did Harlow manage to put a garden on my ship?"
In addition to the tree, there were bushes with tiny magenta flowers dotting the perimeter. Their shape similar to wild roses. And just as beautiful. Lowlying, wide leafed plants whose edges were a brilliant red grew in the open spaces, a white spiral shaped flower sticking up out of their centers. An ivy-like plant climbed the walls, covering them so thoroughly that Kira could no longer see the metal behind it. Or the hatch that should have been somewhere around there.
Flowers called azira aliri surrounded Kira and Graydon. As if they'd sprouted at some point while she’d been sleeping. The round stamen with the bright orange and blue petals sticking out of the top like cat ears added another splash of color to the space.
"Harlow wished you to have a piece of home for your travels," Graydon said.
Kira stroked the top of an azira aliri. "It's unbelievable. I didn't think the Wanderer could sustain something like this."
Gardens were considered a luxury in space. Skilled botanists were usually needed to maintain them. With how limited space was on her ship, this was something of a miracle.
"Let's just say he was highly motivated," Graydon said with a strange note in his voice that Kira didn't have time to analyze as chittering came from the tree's branches.
A tiny creature poked its head out of the leaves.
"A chaterling," Kira said in surprise.
The creature glided down from the tree, landing on the hand Kira held up by instinct. Its weight was barely noticeable as it chattered at her, carrying on a conversation only it understood.
About the size of Kira's closed fist, the chaterling had more mammalian features than avian. Its fur was a pastel blue with darker blue striping along its back and belly. Horns curled up from its head and it used its long tail to grip her wrist for balance.
"Your uncle was especially pleased when a flock decided to nest in the fersier." He nodded at the tree above them for context. "Considering our plans, it can't hurt to have them on board. Maybe their auspiciousness will rub off on us."
The chaterling warbled.
Others poked their heads out from the bushes and plants around them to regard Kira and Graydon with interest.
Chattering came a second before they launched themselves into the air.
Kira laughed as they used her body and Graydon's shoulders as perches, clinging to her lover's armor and hair as he held very still.
The chaterlings didn't stay long. They disappeared back into the garden and up the tree's trunk. The one Kira was holding was the last to depart. It rubbed its cheek against her hand before following its brethren.
"Is there anything I need to be aware of regarding their care?" Kira asked.
Graydon threaded his fingers through hers. "They're self-sufficient. They'll keep the garden healthy. You just need to provide water. The grow lights Harlow installed operate on a special wave length similar to Ta Sa'Riel's sun."
Kira relaxed into his body. "You brought me here because Harlow's 'piece of home' acts as a mini link to the Mea'Ave."
It wasn't noticeable at first. The connection weak. Just barely enough to ease the effects of departure. But it was there. In every plant and chaterling. The soil even. The air itself fused with a tiny bit of what made the Tuann worlds so very special.
Everything in this room was connected to the Mea'Ave. A literal 'piece of home'. Harlow's gift to a niece who planned to stray far from what was safe.
"There's a reason the Tuann incorporate gardens like this into all our ships," Graydon said in agreement.
"So it's not just because you like the way they look."
"There's that," Graydon acknowledged. His smile made things low in Kira's stomach tighten. It was an expression of pure maleness that almost made her miss what he said next. "But the way it can act as an emergency measure to aid our kind is the more important part."
A traveling med bay of sorts. One intended not for the body but rather the soul. It might not be able to heal massive damage, but it could at least sustain the Tuann long enough for them to get to the ki rich environment of a Mea'Ave inhabited planet where they could recover on their own.
Kira wiggled onto her back, staring through the branches of the fersier to the view of the stars. "This is all incredibly embarrassing."
Collapsing, in and of itself, was bad enough. But to do it in front of an enemy? Someone she was trying to recruit as an informant and source?
She might as well have rolled out a signpost declaring her unsuitability as a partner. In Aeron's place, she'd be questioning whether someone so fragile was worth working with.
As the Phoenix, she was downright mortified.
"Quillon believes it's a side effect of your bond with the soul bound," Graydon said in a neutral voice.
Kira's gaze jumped to his. "What does that mean?"
Graydon's face had gone blank. Nothing slipping through.
Kira knew her lover. The more inscrutable he was, the deeper his emotions ran.
"You're fading."
Graydon's mask slipped, offering a glimpse of what he was trying so hard to suppress. A ferociousness that was every bit as savage and unyielding as Kira's desire to save her niece and Jin.
"In that case, I'm surprised you didn't return me to the planet."
For the Tuann, fading was another word for dying. It was a slow and excruciating process that she'd heard about but never witnessed.
"I wanted to." Graydon's words were stark. "More than anything I've wanted in a long time."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because it would kill you to stay."
A tear rolled out of the corner of her eye as she looked away in shame. His grief more than she could bear.
Graydon touched her chin, turning her back to him. His face solemn as if to impress upon her his seriousness. "If I can't stop you, I might as well join you."
Kira's lips parted, her heart leaping even as she fought to reject his offer. "You can't. Your emperor needs his Face."
Graydon smirked, his features lightening. "Too late. It's already done."
Kira glared at him. "This isn't what I wanted, Graydon."
He shouldn’t suffer because of her mistakes. More than anyone, Kira wanted Graydon to live a happy and fulfilling life. Even if she couldn't be at his side.
Graydon was unaffected. "We make quite the pair, coli. One willing to sacrifice everything. The other unwilling to let her. It'll be interesting to see which of us wins this skirmish."
"You're insufferable," Kira said, giving up.
"I know. That's why you love me."
The hell of it was she did. Somehow. Someway. With her whole heart and soul.
There were still days she found herself surprised by that fact. That she could love someone so entirely. To the point they became the very breath in her lungs.
"Your oshota are going to kill me when they catch up to us," Kira grumbled.
"They're not going to be happy, no."