Semylyn stood just inside the doorway of the combat training room and watched Troyak's arm muscles bulge and tighten as he started another set of lifts.

"One, two, three..." His voice softened by the padded walls.

She knew he'd be here, as always, taking the last two hours of his day to lift weights. She smiled. He was more than a little prideful about his physical power. 

Tonight, he was the area's only occupant. The strong overhead lighting had been turned off, Troyak preferring the light which shown through the high windows running around the top of the walls. The soft blue, water-filtered light cast strange shadows in the corners of the room. It gave her an eerie feeling, the shadows emphasizing the aloneness of the man she watched.

"I'll never understand why you do this in the dark,"

Troyak froze without looking towards her. She was never able to sneak up on him, but this time he seemed genuinely startled by her presence. With a great, heaving thrust he set his weighted bar on the ground in front of him and turned to face her.

"I've told you. Weight lifting is all about what's in here," he tapped his mind, then his chest. "Anything out here," he broadly gestured to the room, "is just a distraction. The dark helps me focus."

"If you say so." She shrugged her shoulders.

He lowered his gaze and stared at the floor in front of him for a long moment. Evidence of inner turmoil scrawled across his face, leaving a trail of uncertainty. She wished she had the right words to comfort him, words to banish the problems that imprisoned them both.

Finally, he seemed to come to some kind of resolution and looked up at her.

"Have you eaten yet?" He asked. Semylyn shook her head and he moved to her side, offering her his arm, a ghost of his boyish smile playing on his lips.

"Well then, let's eat. I'm hungry."

Semylyn smiled in contentment and slipped her hand in the crook of his elbow, glad to see even a shell of the old Troyak.

They left the darkened training room behind and walked together across the emptiness of the Habitation Ring. A warm glow shone onto the courtyard of the Ring from habitation hubs, people enjoying their meals within.

"So what are you hungry for?" Troyak asked after a moment.

"Anything is fine with me," she said lamely.

"They're still serving food at the main commissary if you don't mind Hamel's over-steamed greens."

She nodded wordlessly and Troyak led her to the commissary, now abuzz with conversation. Of course, they were the youngest present, by at least ninety-seven years, the youngest individuals in all of Sitnalta, actually. The last progeny of Atlantis to be animated from the now-empty embryonic nursery. The knowledge weighed more heavily than ever before as the thought repeated itself in her mind, Sitnalta's last hope...

A greeting from the group closest to the entryway pulled Semylyn from the starkness of her thoughts. After exchanging good wishes, the group grew quiet, and the same silence spread through the commissary. It wasn't as though their presence stilted the conversation, but it did serve to remind everyone of what they'd rather not think about. The recent blackout and the pending transfer of Sitnalta's Guardian and Defender positions to her and Troyak were sure to make everyone uneasy.

She wondered how many knew about the Sun-Dweller plan. Did they all know she would soon bond with a Sun-Dweller male? It made her skin crawl with embarrassment. Sitnaltians were very private people and she wasn't any different. Things like the Bonding rituals were always kept private until they were finished.

It was a strange contradiction, she thought, as Troyak showed her to an empty table against the windowed wall and left her to retrieve their food. How could she be the youngest living being in all of Sitnalta, and yet, at times like now, feel so old and shriveled up inside?

"Hello, Semylyn,"

Semylyn heard a hesitant voice from behind her. She turned and saw Ruitan and her partner Nabreeth standing with linked arms.

"How are you?" Nabreeth asked.

"I'm tired," she said, surprising herself that her response even approached how she truly felt. Maybe it was because she'd always felt comfortable with these two Habitation Representatives because of their open and genuine kindnesses.

"You look a little worn down," Ruitan said kindly, placing a gentle hand on Semylyn's forearm. "If you ever need anything, our quarters are always open."

Semylyn felt the pricking of tears behind her eyes and nodded mutely. She hated how, when she was emotionally wrung out, even the slightest bit of kindness could breach her protective barriers.

Nabreeth and Ruitan smailed at her and then moved on.

"Here we are, two plates of steamed sea-greens and Hamel sends his regards." Troyak slid a warm plate beneath her bowed head and she breathed deeply, inhaling the spicy scent.

"Thank you,"

Troyak shrugged. "All in a day's work. Now tell me straight. Do you want to talk about the Prime and the Sun-dwellers?"

Semylyn grimaced. "I think it's safe to say we'll be talking about that quite enough in the days to come. So a heavy dose of distraction is what we need, yes?" She asked with a hint of urgency.

"Alright then. Let's talk about a tiderunner excursion. You in?"

Semylyn nearly choked on her drink of water. "Tiderunner excursion? Surely you're kidding? Your father made an announcement to the whole city that the new tiderunners were for hunting parties only!"

Troyak smiled smugly and took another bite.

"What are you saying?" Jerking her head in consternation, she whispered across the table. "Troyak, have you stolen a tiderunner?"

He laughed and patted his mouth with a woven napkin. "No, are you crazy? I could never steal one of those things! Where would I hide it, the Council chamber? I'm just saying, I have access to a tiderunner. And, if there were any volunteers to be my navigator..." He trailed off and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

Semylyn laughed and waved her fork in front of her. "Thanks for the invitation, but I doubt my father, or yours, would approve of an unauthorized tiderunner excursion."

Troyak shrugged, unperturbed. "I figured as much." He winked, "worth a try though, right?"

She gazed at the spark of mischief glistening in his eyes and nodded uncertainly.

"Alright then, tiderunner is out. Let's talk about something that doesn't break any rules. I have a surprise for you after we eat."

Semylyn gulped down her last bite. "A surprise? I don't know if I can handle any more surprises today, Troyak."

The sentiment served to draw another cocky grin from him.

"Oh no, believe me, this isn't a planet-endangering Prime surprise. This is a Semylyn-distracting happy surprise."

Semylyn sipped her water and raised her eyebrows. "In that case, by all means. Surprise away."

"Right. As soon as we're finished eating." He scooped another fork full of food.

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1. What do you think of Semylyn and Troyak's relationship?
2. Can you feel their genuine closeness? 

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