Planet: Eteran

First Insurgency War

AVA

Her starday rolled around in the blink of an eye.

"Celestials, Falae. I knew you were a city boy, but you're a rich city boy." Yvonne clucked.

Ava grinned at Yvonne's expected reaction to the massive plot of land the Falae manor rested inside of, surrounded by gates, stone walls, and hedges. Katie gasped when they entered the main foyer for the shared starday party. Meryn motioned at the crystal chandelier in excitement.

A glow settled on Rayan's cheeks as he rubbed his hand through his black hair. "Mom and I got all the food ready," he told them. "So, if you want anything to eat, go nuts." He pointed them down the back corridor which led into the kitchen. "We're fully stocked and then some. Dinner is also on the stove."

Jon rolled up his sleeves and broke his tense silence. "Don't mind if I do!"

"Hold your Starcross ball, Jonny." Yvonne grabbed the back of his varsity jacket while Ava helped Katie with the wrapped packages full of gifts. "First off — rude to dine and dash when this is Ranier's starday party? We have to hand out the presents. You're going to make a mess of the spread Rayan so painstakingly set out."

Rayan came over to lift one of the larger presents. "Mom ordered an entire box of volcano chocolate straight from Kestra. I know you like it, so—"

Everyone froze when Yvonne shoved Jon out of the way and disappeared into the kitchen.

Katie sighed. "Mention the word chocolate and Yiv is going to leap straight for it."

Ava turned to Rayan when he prodded his forearm, but her attention dragged to James, who hid in the shadows of the archways without looking at either of them.

"Do you mind if I give you your present later tonight?" Rayan questioned.

"No problem! I can wait."

"If we're talking about presents," Yvonne called from the kitchen corridor. "Open them now. Also, Jon? You won't believe the size of his backyard."

"If it's anything like the size of the front yard you've piqued my interest," Jon said. "How big is it?"

James lifted his head from the shadows. "It's big enough to play Starcross, for scale."

"Yeah!" Jon whooped and it echoed through the manor, then Ava dodged Jon when he latched onto Rayan with an aggressive shake. "We need to play a game today!" He let go of Rayan, who released a small huff at the bouncy nature of the Starcross captain as he rushed straight to the backyard door. "We'll open presents and then play!"

"I don't know what you expected," James joked, then nudged Rayan in the ribs. "Watch yourself. He's going to walk around in spring with a net to catch you to play our frontliner."

Ava broke out into laughter, and she smiled when her brother did, before helping Katie tug the presents onto the back porch. Jon bounded around the yard, on nebula nine when he raced an entire circuit and slid to a stop in front of the steps before tugging a long object out of the pile. "I got this just for you, Jamesy."

James sat in the lounge chair. "What is it? Suspense?"

"Alright, wise guy." Jon pushed the long object into her brother's lap, who unwrapped it. A Starcross netbat rolled against his knees while excitement glittered through Jon's grey eyes. "It's a specially made backliner bat. You're my best backliner! I want us to take the varsity trophy this Quad."

James grinned. "Thanks, Jonny. Handy considering my old one broke the last Quad during the last game."

"The sacrificial save you made won us that game. I wanted to kiss you." Jon grabbed James' face and squished his cheeks. "You're the reason we won that season."

"Huh, and you kept me waiting for that?" James shoved Jon off of him, then set his hands back on his stomach while Yvonne and Katie moved forward with their pair of matching presents.

Wolves on silver chains, able to connect, but kept apart.

Ava latched it around her neck and smiled down at it, where the chains interlaced with a soft, freeing weave. "It's beautiful, you two," she whispered and rubbed the precious metal, while James investigated his before putting it on after a quick glance at her. "Meryn? Rayan? Did you two already give James your gift?"

Rayan grinned at James with a nod, who pulled out his present from his camera bag.

Several slots stretched out of the top-end datacam to hold multitudes of lenses and photocards. Rayan puffed out his chest. "Meryn helped me pick the best one for him."

"I helped pay for it," Meryn echoed with a sheepish smile, but deflated. "Okay, Rayan met the difference is what I mean."

James' smile turned soft as he brushed the datacam, all his own. Meryn headed to her, and she gazed at her best friend. "I-I couldn't get you a present this starday, Ava, but I'm about to give you something better!" He bounced in place. "I've decided I'm going to join your crew of explorers! Plus one for Captain Ranier of the Northern Wolves!"

"Aw, Meryn." Ava hugged him. "You didn't have to."

"I do!" Meryn exclaimed. "You helped me. You did so much for me... and I want to explore the aetherium as well! So let's do it together." He held out his hand with a beaming smile.

Ava smiled, then smacked her hand against his. "Alright then, Vice-Captain Matthey. I'll be counting on you to keep us on track."

"Which means we need a navigator! I have my first job!" Meryn wriggled.

"I think I might be able to help with that." Rayan tucked his hands into his sweater with a smile.

Meryn leaned his ear for him. "Am I hearing a volunteer? Another plus one for the Northern Wolves?"

Rayan tugged out a spherical wrapped present out of the pile and handed it to her. Ribbons untangled it from its wrapped prison, and a beautiful, black navigation sphere rolled into her hands, where white edevic lines pulsed through the circuitry. "Rayan... these are so expensive," she whispered. On the lounge seat, James perked up with a curious gleam to his eye.

"Actually, it's my mom's old one. I spent the entirety of my allowance on the datacam, but I've got one more thing — well, going to have one more thing come next quad," he said. "I heard you like the Aetherium Werewolves?"

"It's all she ever talks about sometimes," Yvonne teased.

"They're a good band. I like their music." Ava nodded at Rayan. "What about it?"

Rayan lifted out a smaller package, and Ava lunged forward when he opened it for her. It was the new label of the band — 'Wolven Heart', reportedly quite a different sound to what the band usually played, and she longed to listen to it as soon as she could. Her own excitement dripped through her fingers as she grinned down at it, and James groaned.

"Great, so I can say goodbye to sleeping for about a month."

Ava smacked him.

"Not just that," Rayan said. "I'm going to try and get tickets for the next time they hold a concert on Kestra."

Jon bounced off the porch. "Presents are open! You guys know what that means?"

Rayan eyed Jon. "Okay, fine."

Jon split the teams by skill level — which meant Ava found herself with James and Jon, with Rayan on the other side with Yvonne and Katie. At least Jon tries to make it fair. I have no idea how to play Starcross except... throw the ball.

"I'll be ref!" Meryn claimed.

Against Rayan, she found it difficult to block him advancing deeper into their Starcross territory. Jon's instructions weighed on her shoulders and made it harder instead of easier. Fun irritation flowed through her fingers as she crashed her bat against Rayan's, but he pushed past her, taking the ball from her with slippery ease and ran for James, who held his ground.

Quite the difference in skill between her and her twin brother.

James met Rayan with a heavy confidence as Rayan slammed to a stop against the wall of their Starcross team. Rayan struggled to get the ball past James, who danced and slid to meet every path of resistance without falter. Meryn hopped along the line, making loud, almost comical commentary at every move.

James cracked his bat against Rayan's, slipping the ball out of his net before throwing it at her. Ava caught it through the fumble, and rushed Katie, who settled into her stance with a smile, while Yvonne cringed. Ava caught her stride, but rolled the ball through Yvonne's hesitant legs, where Katie caught it with ease.

Next round, Ava faced down Rayan again.

Jon is absolutely using this to get Rayan's capability at Starcross, isn't he? Ava grinned at Rayan, who tipped his head, and he jolted when she continued to stare.

"Is something on my face?"

Ava lifted her attention upwards, to the beautiful, autumn gold clouds. "Hey? Is that a flying Gorgot?"

"A what?" Rayan followed her motion.

Ava pushed into him and stole the starball at his moment of distraction. "Okay," she observed. "It was kinda cute how easily you fell for that."

James cackled on the other end of the pitch.

"That's not fair." Rayan gave her a playful scowl.

Time passed while the game went back and forth, with Rayan, at one point, tackling James instead of trying to pressure him into seceding.

"Take me out for dinner first," James mumbled in the grass while Rayan took the shot, which Jon failed to catch at the last round.

"You need to be my vanguard frontliner," Jon pleaded with a shove into Rayan. "You're a nasty shot, Rayan, where'd you learn that?"

Rayan put the equipment away and pursed his lips. "Hm... okay."

"Yes." Jon hissed with a fist pump into his side. "Well, I worked up an appetite! Let's go eat."

Her friends scrambled for the kitchen, but she frowned at James who stood at the edge of the pack, brushing dirt off his clothes without looking at any of his friends. Rayan laughed and led the group into the manor. Ava followed after one last check on James, who appeared more interested in the setting sun than the party full of warmth and life.

"Hey," Rayan said beside her as the others set out the plates. "Let's go get your final present, Ava."

Ava followed him downstairs, towards the artistry dome. Rayan stopped at the door, and gave her a smile. "I need you to close your eyes."

"Okay." Ava closed them and left herself in the darkness. Rayan's hand wrapped around her arm and he guided her forward through the door. "Are you going to tell me when I can open them?"

"In a moment." Rayan shuffled in the abyss. "Okay, I got it. You can open your eyes now."

Space bloomed into her vision with sprawling nebulae and bright stars. Her heart fluttered at what rested on his easel, in the center of the universe. Her sketch of the insignia of her dream, a wolf plastered on a black field, snarling with protective fury and a visage of the necklace she wore which connected her to her twin brother. His telescope rested beside it.

"Wait, Rayan, is that—?"

"Again, seeing as I spent most of my allowance on James' gift, I wanted to make sure I got this just right for you. If something is wrong, let me know, I'll fix it." He tapped the telescope. "I also got this cleaned up. It accepts Navispheres. If you look around the sky around here, it'll give you a general map of the quadrant. Maybe... it'll help with future adventures you have in mind?"

Ava brushed the telescope and gazed into the wolven fury, the picture of her dreams coming to life.

"Oh, and—" Rayan pointed at a small button, where a small projection screen fluttered over the telescope. "I'd put this in your backyard, or a room with a good window."

"It's wonderful, Ray," she whispered. "You didn't have to do all of this for me."

He shrugged. "It wasn't that big of a deal. You helped me out way more."

No amount of her gratitude repaid his kindness. Kindness Dad saw as trouble. Justice seen in problems. Ava embraced him. "Thanks, Ray... this is just what I needed."

Just what I needed to take that first step.

Quiet footsteps drew across space and time.

James stood there, his face bathed in shadows of projected solar fire. "They found the Battle Galaxy table, Ray. I think Yvonne broke it, though." He blinked, and studied them both with a spreading frown. "Actually... forget it. I can see if I can fix it."

Ava stared at James' retreating back while the door shut him out. Rayan frowned.

James?

Rayan rubbed the back of his neck with a soft puff. "Ava, you don't have to thank me for any of this," he whispered. "You gave me something too."

"What was that?"

"Friends." He smiled. "I don't feel so alone in this place anymore."

Ava turned to him. "You don't have to thank me for that, Ray. I think... I believe that everyone deserves love, surrounded by people they love — to not feel lonely." Smiling, she shook her head. "You don't have to thank me for that, Ray. In a way, the best gift you've given me is the fact you've helped James come out of his shell. It's like he's finally torn himself out of the view of his camera lens and is starting to look at the world through his own eyes." Ava drifted off, then turned to the door where her twin brother had escaped. "I'm glad I met you, Ray. You're... a great friend for James, and a good person."

He glowed at her simple, true words. "Well." He breathed and shifted. "I'm going to go help them with the table. You coming with?"

"No, I need a few minutes." Ava motioned at her gifts. "I want to check these out."

Rayan nodded and left her in the room. Her thoughts drifted to James' behaviour as she grabbed onto the finished product of the Northern Wolf mark. Her little touch of dreams, carved into spiralling lines with each trace of her finger.

James... would tell me if something was wrong, right? He's been acting... off, but I can tell he's happier. Ava fiddled with her part of the twin necklace, where a wolf howled to a crescent moon. Silver speckled through the interlocking chains, and although apart from its twin, it would fit back together again.