Intermission ~ Étoile
Luna's spaceship headed towards the thirty-eighth star. Avi didn't learn what had happened to Daichi. She only knew that Atala left them a short moment after Avi returned with a soul fragment.
To Avi's crew, one of the current most important goals was to ask for assistance from the priests related to the order met at the station that orbited the wandering, cosmic jellyfish. They knew the astronaut's station's coordinates from Daichi and already had the deactivating code. Luna knew that the priests had their base at the fortieth system.
However, at this moment, she didn't bother about it. Lately, she had learned to fully enjoy the short moments of journey between the star systems, and now, she was resting with Avi in the recreational room, viewing the images and recordings from the planets they had already visited. Eva was with them and curiously studied every little thing she didn't see yet.
[ Ooo... It's so big! ] - Eva commented when they played the recording of Goliath.
“It was a hard task...” -Avi said after showing a few photos. - “...but Anaari's plague is in the past, and my bond with Luna flourished.”
[ The warmth you feel when you gaze at Luna. Is it what you're speaking of? ]
“Do you feel it, too?” - Avi blushed slightly.
[ Yes, it's nice... ] - Eva said. - [ ..but I've noticed you often avoid her gaze. Why? ]
“Uhm.” - Avi was embarrassed. - “It's complicated.”
“What are you two conspiring?” - Luna asked with a cunning smile.
[ When she looks at you like this, I feel your heart racing. ] - Eva informed.
“Nothing!” - Avi squeaked and covered her face with a pillow.
[ Does she feel the same when you look at her? ] - Eva asked.
Avi, still behind the pillow, peeked at Luna, who at the moment was brushing back her angel-white hair with her delicate fingers, revealing her cheeks lit up by a contented smile. Her eyes slowly turned to Avi, their pale light like twin full moons.
Avi was speechless for so long that when their eyes met, Luna's mouth opened slightly and she blushed, too.
[ ...intense ] - Eva whispered.
Avi quickly averted her face to hide how red it was behind the pillow, but once she felt Luna gently holding her wrist, her heart began beating faster, and her curiosity, together with the desire to see that goddess-like picture, took over.
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Luna was leaning close to Avi, her lips merely centimeters away from hers. Their eyes, locked in a passionate captivity, betrayed the same emotion. Slowly and methodically, Luna's body shifted to Avi's, pushing her lower, until she was lying defenseless.
When Luna's hair concealed everything around Avi, her smile became more confident, and she only waited for Avi to be ready, asking quietly for her consent.
“...but Eva.” - Avi whispered.
“Let's forget about her, just for this moment.” - Luna asked.
[ I'm not here. Do your thing.] - Eva added.
Avi was too absorbed by Luna to react to this comment. Luna's chaste fragrance reminded her of snowflakes swirling in a gentle wind. It made her calmer and soothed the fire in her heart, removing hesitation and tempting her to close her eyes and trust Luna, surrendering herself to her completely.
Luna's lips pressed against Avi's neck, and her kisses slowly moved higher as she closed her hand around Avi's. When she was next to her lips, she felt Avi's hot breath and let her other hand adjust Avi's chin to the proper position. Her lips tenderly held Avi's lower lip, then she moved higher again...
“It's enough.” - Avi spoke quietly.
Luna moved slightly away, surprised. - “You don't like it?”
“You should know...” - Avi looked at Luna, and she understood.
“...so her presence bothers you after all.” - Luna commented, disappointed.
“I'm sorry.” - Avi uttered.
Luna freed Avi and sat on the edge of the couch, crossing her arms. Avi wasn't sure whether she felt offended, was simply angry, or was intensely reflecting on something. Maybe it was all of these things.
“Luna. When we... You know, deal with this issue. I'll make it up to you.”
“I don't doubt it...” - Luna replied. - “...but it'll take some time before we find a solution, and I'm not sure if I can hold it in after what happened today.”
“Maybe the clockmakers will help us learn something?” - Avi said. - “Well, they can do the same thing Goliath can, after all.”
“Perhaps. It just bothers me that it's likely easier to transfer an undeveloped soul to an empty body than transfer a complex psyche structure.” - Luna pointed out. - “On top of that, there is the whole situation related to her nether and twin nature. I don't know if it will help.”
Avi gently squeezed Luna's hand, giving her a comforting smile. - “We'll be fine.”
“I know that you believe in it...” - Luna said. - “...but I feel pressure. Anaari, Astronauts' weapon, the Witch. We don't know what's going to happen... You must understand it.” - She sighed, frustrated. - “I simply want us to live a little.”
Avi kissed Luna's cheek. - “I know how much you care. The stars will reward you for your patience.”
Luna slightly cooled down. - “Your composure astonishes me.” - She then added, sassily - “I thought I'd made a bigger impression on you.” - and sent Avi a flirtatious gaze.
Avi blushed again and quickly decided to avoid eye contact.
Luna laughed. - “Well, I see that it did stay in your memory. That's enough for me.”
Avi nudged Luna with her elbow, silently asking her to stop teasing her.
Luna hummed a bit. - “...what we were doing? Ah, we've interrupted our little reminiscing. Eva must still be interested in all these photos.”
[ Yes! Photos! Photos! ] - Eva exclaimed enthusiastically.
“Yes, she is.” - Avi confirmed.