I opened my mouth to reply, but a waiter put two bowls down on the table. Wyn’s soup was a deep green with white noodles and bright red radish-like veggies. Mine was brown with the same noodles, but chock-full of meat.
Poking at the soup, I asked, “What are you going to do after we return?”
“What do you mean?” Wyn slurped up the noodles, liquid dotting his chin.
“Are you staying on the Admiral Ven or going somewhere else?”
“It depends on my orders.”
I focused on the metal rivets on the table, my fingers curled into a fist.
Wyn asked, “What’s wrong, Seth?”
“Would you consider staying?”
“What?” he asked, his forehead creasing.
“Kal’s in charge of the project overseeing NAID’s independence, and Dr. Qinlin is giving the project head over to an engineer. I was wondering if you would be interested in joining the team.”
His mouth fell open.
Words shot from my mouth in rapid fire. “I’m not trying to force you into anything. I thought it would be nice if you were around. I mean, if you want to be around. If you want to be friends after this. No pressure, you know. Whatever’s fine. It’s cool.”
“Seth. Breathe.”
“I am,” I said, laughing nervously.
“I’m not mad. This would be a step up for me.”
I shrugged. “I don’t really know how all of this works, but I thought you would like it. Dr. Qinlin said if I recommend you, you would get the job.”
“You’re mated to royalty, and some believe you’re responsible for NAID’s independence. No one is going to deny you anything.”
“I have nothing to do with NAID. She is who she is.” NAID had picked Edith Smith’s face before she’d even spoken to me. I might have been the catalyst for her revealing herself to other people on the ship, but this was all NAID.
“That may be so, but you can ask for whatever you want.”
I poked at my noodles. “So are you interested?”
“I am. I don’t want to leave you either. You and Urgg are my closest friends. Besides, after the Ensign Puke incident, it would be nice to get reassigned.”
I agreed, though I didn’t comment about the fact that Monty was part of the royal family and he was likely to be around.
I made small strokes, trying to layer the colors to bring Seth to life. My skills had gotten rusty over my long sojourn, but overall, I was pleased with the results. I would have plenty of time to paint Seth in a variety of positions since he was coming home with me.
“Prince,” NAID said. Lucy squeaked in annoyance because NAID had turned off her bird videos to manifest.
“Yes?”
“Empress Vyn would like to speak to you.”
She was the only one of my family I hadn’t spoken to since I’d retrieved Seth. Mother had pinged me, but I’d refused her. But now, I had something to share.
“Put her through,” I told NAID, going back to painting my lovely Seth.
A moment later, she appeared, and I didn’t bother to turn around, knowing what I would see. Her long white hair, perfectly styled. Her green eyes would be on me and her thin lips would be smiling. Mother was always happy; Hallonnixmin took after her.
“You’re painting,” she whispered.
