Page 47 of Tattle Tail
“Would this be something you’d like to do again? The sleeping-under-the-stars-because-it’s-nice part, not the sleeping-under-the-stars-because-we’re-worried-my-ship-will-murder-us-in-our-sleep part.”
“Yes, I’d like to do more of this,” she answered with sincerity.
Joseph
Joseph stretched out on the foam pad. Ages ago, he picked up a pair of sleeping bags with foam padding on the bottom for spontaneous camping. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was better than sleeping on the ground. He hadn’t invested in high-end gear since it was just for himself. Now that Peaceable expressed an interest in joining him, he should look into better gear.
Of course, he had a perfectly good bed inside the ship, but that was out of the question.
Not tonight.
The ship felt weird. He crawled into all the tight spots in the ship, opened maintenance panels and the ventilation shaft, looking for another disruptor or more damage. So far, he hadn’t found anything, and Nettle failed to return with another nightmare robot bent on his destruction.
That should have comforted him. Reassured him that his home was safe, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of wrongness. Someone had come aboard his ship under false pretenses and violated his home.
He did not want to spend the night on the ship. Beyond the ship feeling off, there could very well be a slow leak in the engine and the whole thing could explode.
Camping, despite the cold night, a good distance away seemed smart. Though they never said the words, Peaceable felt the same. She crawled into the sleeping bag without complaint.
He should ask his mother to smudge or cleanse the ship or balance its energy. He never particularly paid attention to Valerian’s ramblings and tolerated the way she had to cram as many crystals into his space as possible. It was harmless, and he rather liked the massive geode in the common area. Now that his mother’s quirks were useful, he felt like a bit of an ass for basically ignoring her.
An unfamiliar night sky spread out above him, the stars bright against the darkness. He recalled Peaceable’s musings about how the ancients marked time with huge stone monuments. Ancient clocks with a planet’s position little more than a cog in a celestial machine.
He’d like to see that. Earth had similar monuments. He hadn’t considered them before, but now they seemed interesting.
“You are thinking too loudly,” Peaceable said, her voice a tired groan. Curled up in her sleeping bag, she rolled over to face him.
“Sorry, I’ll keep it down,” he replied dryly. Then, “Are you cold? We can put the bags together and share body heat.”
A long moment passed before she answered. “Joseph Moonquest, are you suggesting that I’m the type of person who sleeps around on the first date?” Her tone sounded more amused than annoyed, but that could be the sleepy burr in her voice.
“One, I’m glad we agree this is a date. Two, I’m suggesting you’re the kind of person who’s too practical to freeze.”
“Sweet-talking human,” she muttered, but unzipped the sleeping bag.
In short order, he fastened the two sleeping bags together and they wiggled inside. He rested on his back with his hands behind his head. She lay on her side. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, she eventually settled against him with her head on his chest.
“Warm enough?” he asked. Cautiously, he put an arm around her, holding her to him.
“You talk too much,” she answered, yawning again.
It had been a rough day, but he liked where it ended, under the stars with Peaceable in his arms.
Chapter 14
Peaceable
“I think today is the day to break out the emergency chocolate,” Joseph said. He stood over her, holding a thin rectangular box.
“You’ve been hiding chocolate?” The audacity.
“Not hiding, holding in reserve for an emergency.” He opened the box, revealing three square pieces.
Disappointing.
“What happened to the rest?” she asked.
“Emergencies. Honestly, how many times do I have to explain that?” His voice teased. If he had a tail, it’d dance behind him.
