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1. A Busy Station
The maintenance bay smelled like oil and scorched metal — the kind of smell that had soaked into the walls so long it had become structural.
Ledea stood near the entrance, tablet in hand, frowning at the readout with the expression of someone doing math they already don't like the answer to.
"...Shutia. The starboard thruster shaft is warped. The debris throwing put too much stress on the axis."
"Sorry, sis." Shutia looked appropriately contrite. Internally, she felt a small, warm flicker of something she didn't examine too closely. *The result of something we did together.*
"We'll need to replace it before the next salvage run. There's a parts shop nearby I know."
Ledea started walking. Shutia fell into step behind her — easy, unhurried, the gait of a large dog following its person. Her eyes, though, stayed fixed on the back of Ledea's head with the patience of something that didn't blink.
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2. An Old Acquaintance
"Welcome — oh! Ledea! It's been forever!"
The voice came from behind a counter half-buried in salvaged components. A girl emerged — brown hair in a high ponytail, work clothes, the kind of open smile that filled a room without trying.
Sati.
She came around the counter before Ledea had taken two steps inside, wiping her forehead with her sleeve.
"Sati. Good to see you. We need parts."
"You're always so formal, Ledea, it's honestly kind of adorable." Sati's hand landed on Ledea's shoulder — natural, easy, like she'd done it a hundred times. "Have you lost weight? Are you eating?"
"My caloric intake is within calculated parameters."
"*That's* not an answer! Come on, let me look at you—"
She leaned in, tilting her head to examine Ledea's face at close range. Ledea didn't pull back. She accepted it with her usual composure, though something in her expression softened, almost imperceptibly — the look of someone who found the familiarity quietly welcome.
Behind them, Shutia stood still.
*(She's touching her. Ledea's shoulder. That close, that easily, like it's nothing.)*
"Oh — and you must be Shutia? Ledea's mentioned you. Nice to finally meet you."
Sati turned the smile on Shutia without reservation.
"Likewise. Thank you for always looking after my sister." Shutia's voice was warm, measured, gracious. The version of herself she wore for the outside world — not a crack in it.
"Ledea said you were beautiful, but wow, she undersold it." Sati tilted her head. "You actually look more like the older sister, if you don't mind me saying."
An ordinary compliment.
Shutia smiled and said the correct thing.
But underneath it: the image of Ledea and this girl, in this shop, talking — without Shutia there — settled into her like a stone into still water.
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3. What Erodes
"Thruster shaft, got it. Come back here, Ledea — let me check the inventory for a compatible part."
Sati took Ledea's hand and led her toward the back of the shop.
"I don't have much of a budget, so if there's a quality second-hand option—"
"Leave it to me! What kind of support shop would I be if I couldn't help out a salvager?"
Their conversation found its rhythm easily. Ledea spoke in her usual minimal way, but Sati's easy warmth drew something out of her — small, barely there — a slight softening at the corner of her mouth. Not the composed expression she wore around Shutia. Something more ordinary than that. A girl, among people, in the world.
Shutia followed a few steps behind. Silent.
*Sati is a good person.*
*No malice. Not even the shadow of it.*
*She genuinely cares about Ledea. She wants to help.*
*That's exactly the problem.*
"Here, this one should fit your ship. It's a little heavy — here, I'll carry it."
"I can manage—"
"No you can't, look at those arms, absolutely not—"
Sati lifted the part before Ledea could argue. In the exchange, her fingers brushed Ledea's hand.
Something in Shutia went very quiet, and very cold.
*(Ledea is smiling. She's sharing something with someone who isn't me. Casually. Naturally. Like it's allowed.)*
She wanted Ledea under glass. Safe, untouched, belonging to no one's world but hers.
Sati's kindness walked right through that want like it wasn't there.
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4. What Settles
"Thank you, Sati. You've been a real help."
"Anytime! Come back whenever something breaks — I'll cut you a deal!"
Sati waved them off with the same energy she'd had since the moment they walked in.
The corridor outside was quieter. The two of them walked together — Ledea slightly ahead, Shutia close behind.
"She's good at her job," Ledea said, to no one in particular. "Reliable."
"...She is."
Shutia's arm found Ledea's waist from behind. She pressed herself against her sister's back, matching her stride, making the walk slightly more difficult for both of them.
"Shutia. Again."
"You were getting along so well with someone else. I got lonely."
The tone was familiar. Playful, soft, the usual weight of it. Ledea made the usual sound — somewhere between a sigh and acceptance — and kept walking, pulling her sister along like extra cargo.
But Shutia's eyes, over Ledea's shoulder, had gone somewhere darker.
*(Sati is a good person. A genuinely good person. ...So I should make sure she stays that way.)*
She pressed her nose to the curve of Ledea's neck and breathed in.
*(She smells like the shop. Like someone else's space. I don't like it. I need to put my scent back. Cover it over. Make it mine again.)*
"Sis. I'll make dinner tonight. All your favorites."
A beat.
"...Make sure you eat a lot of what I make, okay?"
Ledea's response came a half-second slower than usual.
"That's kind of you. Though please don't overdo it..."
She kept walking.
She didn't notice.
She didn't notice that the arms around her had tightened — just slightly, just enough — with the quiet intention of something that did not plan to let go.
"...I love you, sis. Stay in my arms. Always."
The words dissolved into engine noise before they reached her.