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Word Count: 5180
Note: this takes place both after the fire, and after the freighters finally leave the hents house.
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"Where are you going?"

I looked up from where i was tugging my boots onto my feet. "Um. Out?"

Mam Dorce gave me a sour look, her hand hovering over the child at her side. "You know I don't like any of you girls going out alone. Especially not you, not now, with that crazy man lurking around here."

I gave her a hurried smile, my eyes flashing towards the clock that ticked by. "I won't br alone for long," I promised. "But I really do havd to get going. I promised to—"

"Promised who?" Mam Dorce cut over me. "I don't want you wandering flippantly about with any man who just smiles at you. We do have standards in this house, you know. Standards and rules. One of which is to let me know whenever you plan on leaving it."

I bent to finish lacing up my boots. "I know, I know. But I really do have to go. I don't want to be late."

"You never said who you are meeting, Enori. Quit dodging the question."

"Fine." I shot to my feet, tugging at my skirt to bring it to some semblance of being tidy, even though everything else seemed to be running ragged around me. "Fine. I'm going to go see Dawson. He said he'd like to walk about the city with me today."

"Oh," Mam Dorce chuckled, almost sounding releived. "Oh, I should have guessed, child. Why doesn't he just come in and marry you already, Enori? Have you scared him off or something?"

I could feel my face flush. "Mam Dorce, it really isn't like that. He just enjoys my company, that's all."

Mam Dorce laughed again. "Of course he does! And I can't blame him. Most of those crew members of his are men, and even I would be longing for some company of the feminine kind if I spent so long cooped up with those types of men."

I edged towards the door, my eyes still pinned on the clock. "So that means I can go?"

"Only if you promise to help Jordyn with her work when you get home! Don't be out too late, or we will be sharing words."

I barely heard the tail end of her statement, just took that initial allowance and ran with it, the back door of the kitchen slamming shut behind me.

My boots pounded on the ground as I ran through the city, skirt swinging about my legs, caught up by the incessant winds that chased through alley and road, weaving between buildings and following me as I wove my own way. He had Saud to meet him at the edge of the market, but Dawson didn't quite specify which one. Was I to head to the main market? Or perhaps the port market now, closest to the docks?

Yes. Yes I would go to the docks and meet him there. Or at least, learn from the other freighters where he might be if he was not there. I dodged around a couple, ambling down the side of the road, then cut short as the long legs of a hopper dropped down from the building and crossed the street, the sound of its clanking and groaning filling the space of the air in the time it took to break away from my path. I did not give it it second more of attention than it needed as I passed, wrapping my skirts up in my hands to keep them out of the way of my feet.

Today was the first day of the weekend, and most of the workers in the city would be off their shifts now and relishing in the relatively good weather of the day. Though the efforts of the sky-busters to bring down rain had been less successful than that first attempt, they had been able to bring more clouds into the sky, sending large swathes of shadows to drape over the city, blocks at a time dipping into the cool comfort of shade.

Perhaps this was the reason Dawson had asked me to take a walk with him. So that I might show him what the City of North Port had to offer while he and his crew were stuck here.

He had told me once before that the crew tried to stick close to the docks when on layovers such as was planned for their stop in Pestas, but after the fire, it was completely reasonable for one to want to know more of one's dwelling while trapped for such a period of time as the freighters were.

I reached the market, now thronged about with people so that there was barely any gaps to slip through in my efforts to reach the docks. But I did so anyways, apologies flying from me with what seemed like every step. It took fifteen or so minutes to run to the market, and though I did not know the current time, surely it was after the time we had agreed in our last moment together.

I broke through to the edge of the market closest to the docks, panting as I stood there. It was only now, in this moment, that I realized how terrible I must look now. No doubt I was all flushed and sweaty from my frantic attempts to get here, and the wing must have tousled my hair for I had not braided it tightly before leaving the Hents House.

But I had made it, and I was here and—

"Dawson!" I couldn't help the excitement in my voice when I saw him, and I reached my hand up high to catch his attention further, waving him over.

He seemed much more relaxed than I felt, that same easygoing smile on his face. "Here there, Little Lady." He chuckled at me, his eyes scanning over me as he walked over. "You seem to have gotten here in a rush. Your hair is all fluttering about."

"Oh no," I gasped, reaching up to try and smooth it down. "Does it really look so dreadful?"

He smiled, and this time it wrinkled the corners of his green eyes. "May I help you?" I nodded in response, and he stepped forward, pulling off his bandana and stepping behind me. I stood still as I felt him place the fabric on my hair, his finger tips brushing against my skin as he tied it into a secure fashion. Tingles ran down my spine at his closeness, and I knew that I was flushed now from more than just the run.

"T-thank you," I stammered as he stepped away.

"Ain't no problem at all, Enori. Now, I do beleivr we promised each other a stroll for this fine day?" Dawson offered out his arm, and I slipped mine into it, falling into step beside him as he led me round the outside of the market.

"I'll admit it has been somewhat odd to not see you or any of the other men about the Hents House anymore," I said, my eyes wandering about the street. "Even though it has only been three days."

Dawson chuckled. "Yes. Well, I appreciate being able to walk without five small children plastered to my legs. How do you ladies put up with it all of the time?"

"What, the kids?" I looked up at him, slight confusion creeping into my voice. "Well that's easy, we love 'em. We might as well all be sisters in that house, though I would argue that some of the Eldest girls really do function more like mothers."

"Still, with so many people in such a small space…"

I shrugged, adjusting the placement of my arm looped through his. "It can get chaotic, that's for sure. Especially when new girls are dropped off. We always get really on edge when it's pioneer crossing season. Money gets a bit tight then, too."

"Hmm." Dawson looked down at me, his expression strange. "It seems like money is always tight for y'all. And I thought you said you were in charge of stuff like that? Are you not as good as you want everyone to believe?" His voice shifted into a light and teasing tone, but I only looked away, trying to sort through the truths I knew, and that which I could honestly say.

"Well… Mam Dorce does get an allowance from the Nitzch Company, but it's not been enough for a few years. It's no secret the Hents House isn't wholly profitable."

"Right." He rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand. "Is that because there are so many of you? I thought the Niztch Company only accepted teens, but there are a lot of younger girls there as well."

"That's…" I hesitated. "You're not wrong. Technically."

I looked away from him, biting on the lower edge of my lip as my eyes cut across the buildings and streets. We were getting closer to the center of the city.

"Oh, Dawson we should go down this way." I pulled slightly on his arm, gesturing to an upcoming street off to the right. "I heard tell of a family who had some trees imported and they've found a way to plant them just outside their building. I would love to see those."

"Of course," he replied, but his voice seemed distracted almost.

"Yoy said "technically" earlier," Dawson said, cutting through the silence I had thrown up between us. "What did you mean by that?"

My footsteps stuttered. "I mean, it's nothing really, Mam Dorce just takes everyone in and—"

"Enori." Dawson stopped, and this forced me to still as well. "You don't have to run away from me, Enori. "Just talk to me like everything is normal, dear."

I stared up at him, trying to read his eyes, to filter through his words for any other meaning that could be hidden there. "Ok," I breathed. "Ok."

Dawson nodded. "Alright. Now please, Enori, what do you mean by "technically"? I'm curious."

I sighed, sidling up beside him once more. "Let's keep walking." I gathered up my thoughts for a few steps, then spoke. "The Niztch Company is really only supposed to take in girls thirteen and older, you know that already. It's so there's a shorter amount of time between girls being brought to the different houses, and when we are finally old enough to be profitable."

"Profitable," Dawson muttered. "You mean when they sell you, like you're just an object or something."

"I'm not." I protested, but my voice was very small.

Dawson moved his arm to wrap it around my shoulders instead, pressing my gently against his side. "I know, Enori. You're more than that to me." He was silent a moment more, before he asked, "But you said you were eleven when you came here?" I could hear the confusion in his voice, and I ducked my head, my feet beginning to carry me faster.

"Yes." The word was short and clipped. It was all I could manage in this moment.

"That doesn't add up, Enori."

"I know." I gulped, trying to gather the words, trying to still the tremble in my voice. "I was first." I hesitated. "Well, the first child Mam Dorce took in, that is. I don't think either of us really had a choiceat that point. My father was… well he was as he was many days back then. Drunk and yelling. Sometimes I forget what he was like the last time I saw him, and I'll remember him in only the good ways, then I'll pass the bars full of rowdy men and it'll all come rushing back."

"What did he do?" His voice was patient, as if waiting for more. I couldn't help but give it as we continued along the path of the street.

"I had been sitting in the ship that morning, just like I always did. Our ship had broken down not long after we landed on Pestas, and dad had said all I had to do was wait for him while he found a job, or some other way to pay for repairs to our old clanker. But instead he started coming home late at night, drunk and angry. I can't remember him ever being like that before we moved to Pestas, but this place seemed to… seemed to change him. He became bitter and never talked to me like he used to."

I could feel my voice catch in my throat, but was still aware enough to pull gently on Dawson's jacket, stepping to the side. "Turn here."

Dawson's hand rubbed against my shoulder, a silent comforting motion. "Did he… did he ever hit you?"

The question took me off guard, and I had to stop, pressure building up inside my chest. "Once," I whispered. "I guess he had run out of money or something. He hadn't brought home food the night before like he normally did, and when I asked why I couldn't eat that night..." My voice choked, and Dawson's hand dropped from around my shoulder. "When he was getting ready to leave the ship the next morning, he said I had to go with him. Of course, I was excited. I had never been stuck waiting for so long on any of the other planets we traveled to. Normally he got a job quickly, or we moved on. If he decided to stay, he usually brought me to a school, or some other place where I could learn."

An almost smile twitched my lips, thinking at the irony of being so excited to finally see the city of North Port. Here I was, seven years later and still so curious to see what little could be found here.

"And he brought you to the Hents House instead?" Dawson asked, tilting his head down to look at me.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Yeah, he brought me there. I guess he heard somehow that Mam Dorce would pay for girls. This was years ago, and she really hadn't been set up on North Port for long, maybe two years, so she didn't have a whole lot of girls at the time. Well, we showed up and the first thing my dad asked was how much I would go for. I don't think I'll ever forget Mam Dorce's expression when she saw me that day. Of course the bruises taking up half my face didn't help.

"She tried to say she couldn't take in children, that the Hents House was only for teens, but he was insistent. Said I was hard obedient, quiet, good with money. It was a little confusing of course, because none of those felt right when he said them. He had always called me his mischievous little monkey who was always up to no good. And I had never been allowed to touch any of his money in my life."

"I don't know what made Mam Dorce change her mind. Maybe it was the stench of alcohol on his breath, or the confusion look of fear in my eyes, or the bruise across my cheek. Either way, she paid him, full price she said, and told him she would take care of me."

I took a deep breath, trying to swallow back the tears I could feel clogging in my throat, hot lines carving down my cheeks. "And then he left me. Just like that. He didn't even say goodbye to me."

"Enori," Dawson moved suddenly, his arms wrapping around me, pulling me in and making me gasp a little, surprised by the sudden touch. He loosened immediately, and I reached up to grab at his jacket.

"No, it's ok,"  I murmured. "I'm OK, really."

He sighed, a deep, heavy sound, his hand rubbing at my back as he held me. "Enori, I'm so sorry, dear. I can't fathom why anyone would do such a thing. Not to such a young, wonderful girl. Not to you."

"I mean, it's fine," I whispered. "Mam Dorce was nice. I got to eat too. I remember being really hungry when it happened. I don't… I don't think I realized what was really going on until I asked when my dad was going to come back for me and Mam Dorce said he wasn't."

I sniffed, still grabbing at at Dawson's jacket, and his fingers splayed out on my back as he held me. I could feel every point where we touched, and it was suddenly as if this weight of everything I had known but had hidden away was suddenly becoming unlocked.

"I just… I just don't get it. Why did he change so much? Why was he so eager to be rid of me? Did he just decide he didn't want me?"

"Enori.' Dawson's voice was firm as he spoke, and he helped me back so he could look into my eyes. "Any man who doesn't want you is a sad man indeed, and truly missing out. I can't imagine a better person than the one standing right here before me."

I laughed, though the sound was muddled by the tears still clogging my throat. "You don't mean that," I argued, trying to wipe at my eyes. "You're just trying to make me feel better."

"Is it working?" His smile seemed so real, so genuine that it made me smile too.

"Yeah, just a little bit."

I patted at his chest, my head ducked. "I cried on your shirt."

He chuckled, a warm feeling that spread through my bones at the sound of it. "It's ok, Enori. You can always come to me to cry on."

"Hmm." I stood there a moment, before letting go of his jacket. "Until you're gone too."

Dawson sighed, dropping his hands from where they had been pressed against my back. "I'm sorry," he murmured. And he did seem truly sorry, his eyes dark and regretful. "But I'm here for you now."

"I know," I replied, looking away. "I'm sorry too. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

Dawson ducked his head to look at me, his hand settling on my shoulder. "Because I asked. Because I care, both about you and what you think."

I blinked. "But you shouldn't."

"But I do."

A soft smile spread across my lips, almost against my will as I dipped my head down. "Ok." It was almost a whisper. "You can care then, I guess."

"Good." Dawson straightened himself. "Are you feeling better, then?"

"Yes. Thank you, Dawson." I scuffed my boot against the dirt of the street, dust puffing up from the action.

He smiled. "Good. Now turn around, you'll love this." Dawson held my shoulders and twisting me, one arm reaching out, pointing past me and further up the street. He ducked low so his lips brushed against my ear as he spoke. "Trees."

My attention caught on them immediately, bright and green and alive amidst all this dust and drab.

"Trees!" I grabbed Dawson by the hand and was barely able to contain my excitement as I pulled. The wind chased away the last of my tears as I dragged him along with me, his laughter following behind we ran down the last lengths of the street.

I stopped in front of the house, breathing in the sight of them. They were small, really. Not full sized trees of anything, and the rested in large, decorative pots, but they were real and they were beautiful. The light seemed to catch in their leaves, and the insistent wind tore a lone one off from the branches, this singular leaf dancing in the wind.

"Oh!" I reached up to try and catch it, but it fluttered away from my grasp… right into Dawson's waiting hand.

He held it up moment, admiring the way the light shone through it, before bowing and offering it out to me. "For you, my lady," he said, winking.

I giggled, taking it from his hand and holding it up beside his face. "It's the same color as your eyes," I remarked, comparing the two. "It's just so… alive."

He grinned, leaning back. "Well, I would hope I look alive. Being dead seems like such a pain."

I laughed, pulling the leaf back to cradle it against my chest. "Not you, silly, the leaf!"

"Of course," Dawson agreed. He took me by the hand, leading me away the the stairs of a nearby home. "Come sit with me."

I hovered beside him, unsure. "Dawson, someone probably lives here. I wouldn't want to grt in their way."

He tugged gently on my hand. "But there's no one here now. Just come sit, Enori."

I relinquished, settling myself beside him and tucking my skirts about my legs so theu wouldn't get caught in the dirt.

"Thank you." His did not let my hand go at this point, but kept hold of me instead, his thumb rubbing against the back of it. "And thank you for coming out here with me. I appreciate it, I really do."

I settled my head against his shoulder, and Dawson stiffened briefly, before loosening and resting his head against mine.

"You should be greatful I made it here at all," I murmured, watching the people passing by. "I could havd sworn Mam Dorce wasn't going to let me out of the house. She caught me just as I was about to leave."

"But you're here now, so you obviously changed her mind somehow."

A smile twitched on my lips. "I told her I was meeting you. Then she couldn't have been more eager."

"Of course she was," Dawson replied. "Everyone knows that I am just an incredible gentleman and such fun to be around."

"I didn't realize how humble you are," I shot back, my voice dry.

"Only sometimes." Dawson's thumb kept rubbing at my hand, and I studied it, fixated almost.

There was such a contrast between the two of us, with his darker skin and rough palms, against the pale of my own smooth hands.

"What's your story?" I asked, shifting a bit against him. "I told you about myself, so it's your turn."

He laughed, a rich sound that made my breathing stutter. "Alright then, Miss Curious. I'll tell you."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Good." 

"Fine. May I start now?"

I tapped one finger against his knuckles. "I suppose so. I did ask you to, didn't I?"

"Fine," Dawson whispered. He ducked his head so his lips brushed against my ear, and I flushed from the feel of it. "If you must know, I'm an interplanetary smuggler on the run from the law."

I jerked back and Dawson laughed again, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Oh, that was good. Your expression, Enori dear. That was hilarious."

I elbowed him in the side before settling against him once more. "Just start talking," I muttered, trying to hold down the laugher that was now threatening to escape me. "No more silly tricks like that."

"Ok," he said. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, his fingers drumming on my skin. "If you must know, I was born on an outer planet, in the Kundar system. Not quite like Pestas, no, Escarious was a gem in a way. It took well to the terraforming, and plants and livestock could live there with ease. Of course, we couldn't quite live in the same luxuries of the central planets, not with the lack of trade routes toward us.

"But it wasn't altogether terrible. Somone had picked up breeding things like rabbits and turkeys for us to able to hunt, but most of the men were focused on tending to the cultivation of tree groves for timber. That would have been my job too, but I told my parents I wanted to see the central systems.

Dawson lifted his head, looking out at the sky far above us. "So they found a way. Got me into the central planets for education, a job, anything I wanted. But it was a one way ticket. I'm not even fully sure how they got me so far off the planet, since there's not ships that regularly head out to that branch of the universe."

"And you joined a freighter crew, why?" I asked, looking up at him, tracing the curve of his profile with my eyes. "I mean, the central planets are the richest, most prosperous planets in all the systems."

Dawson shrugged. "Turns out the central planets are full of pretentious rich people who blow ridiculous amounts of money on ridiculous things. I picked up a job for a while as a servant, just to have a place to live and eat and work. On my off time I learned how to read and devoured any knowledge I could."

"But you left it," I pushed. "Why?"

Dawson sighed, reaching out, as if he could grasp the few wisps of clouds left in the sky and gather them up in his hands. "I got bored. I wanted to see more of what the universe had to offer, but I couldn't afford my own ship. So I signed on to a freighter crew at sixteen, and I've been doing it ever since."

"Sixteen?" I tilted my head, studying him now, more intentionally now. "How old are you, then?"

"Turning twenty-four soon. Only a matter of months."

I blinked, somewhat surprised at this knowledge. I didn't know why I was, it was obvious from the way the other crew members treated him he wasnt a complete youngster, and je did look so different from that one young on on the ship, Phipps. But Dawson was different, he looked more…distinguished, in a way. Even with the stubble growing on his face and the old and practical clothing he always wore, je seemed to carry himself with an assurance, a youthfulness.

He chuckled when he saw my expression. "You're not scared of me now, are you? You do seem a bit startled."

I shook my head, as if that would clear away the thoughts. "No it's just… I don't know, l guess I just didn't realize how young you were. Though I suppose, that number also feels a bit high at the same time. Does that make sense at all?"

He dipped his head. "Of course it does. But why would you think I'm actually older?"

"Well," I tugged on my fingers, choosing my words carefully. "All of the other men on the ship respect you and treat you like you're in charge. But there are also a lot f them which seem quite older than you."

Dawson nodded, eyebrows shifting down some. "Yeah, I understand that reasoning. See, we don't often keep crew-members for much longer than a single tour, and that takes just over a year. So hierarchy is dependant on years spent here, not years of your life. And since I had been flying on that bolt bucket for almost eight, I had a lot of respect tacked onto that."

"I see." I toed my boot into the dirt. "How long were you all thrown off schedule ny the fire? I know you were set to fly out that day."

Dawson rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, the captain and owners got in contact with someone back at the company's headquarters back in the central systems, but it'll take them over five months to get here, and that's without any layovers anywhere."

"I didn't realize how long the trip was," I said. "Will this mess up any of the other plans for your route?"

Dawson clicked his tongue. "Not really. Pestas is the end of our line, so we just stick around here for longer to get some freedom. It's a shame that our run comes after the—what was it you called it?—the pioneer season?"

I nodded. "Right. They're the freighter drop before you all. A fleet of small clankers usually sweep through here right after, to pick up all the pioneers who can't afford their own rides out to the planets further out."

Dawson shifted, stretching one leg out. "Well, most supply shifts only have enough food-stock and lodging for the crew, especially when it comes to return trips. If we had been able to catch the travel barge though, we could have ridden it back to the central systems."

"But instead you're stuck here," I said, my voice sullen.

He squeezed my shoulder, resting his head on mine. "But I'm here with you. And I'll count that as a stroke of luck."

I smiled, blushing at his words. "I…" I looked up at him sky, at the dip of the sun on its arc towards night. "I have you get going. Mam Dorce doesn't want any of us out after dark."

"Oh." Dawson stood, pressing his hand into mine once more. "Then let us get going. We can't have you in trouble with Mam Dorce, now can we? She might not let you out to have fun with me again."

I grinned, elbowing him in the chest. "You've frightened me today, I'm not wholly sure I would want to go out with you once more."

He clutched at his chest dramatically, staggering backwards. "I am wounded by your words, Miss." Dawson popped back up in to standing beside me. "Bjt yourr right. We must get you home."

The walk back to the house was spent with little conversation as we moved quickly through the streets of the city.

It was over all too fast. Now we stood before the hents house, panting slightly from the briskness of our pace. A few girls chased each other about the street, squealing as they tried to pull out the straps of fabric tuck in the others' pockets.

Kidget sat on the stoop of the house, watching the children with a faint smile, which grew even wider when she saw the two of us. "Just in time," she said, rising to her feet. "Enori, we'll be preparing for dinner soon. Why don't you ask Dawson to join us?"

I looked up at him, but his eyebrows were knitted tgrther in disappointment. "I can't," he mouthed, frowning.

"It's ok," I whispered back, patting his arm. "I'll see you some other time, then."

He nodded, and I took that as my cue to make me way towards the house. I had almost made it beside Kidget when he called after me.

"And Enori—" Dawson's eyes were shining as he looked at me. "I meant what I said earlier. He's missing out."

He waved once, before turning away and walking off.

I was startled, flushed by his words and the care with which he had said them. Finally, I had the presence of mind to  wave after him, but the chance had passed and I lowered my hand, feeling a bit foolish.

Kidget seemed to notice the look on my face, and her lips thinned into a pleased line. "Did you enjoy yourself then, Enori?"

I thought of the leaf, tucked away in my pocket, and smiled to myself. "Yes. I suppose I did."