Intermission ~ You are my curse
The dim light of a white dwarf star reflected from three rocky bodies drifting across the space between two asteroid belts. Luna's scans detected numerous lifeforms on the middle planet, while the other two objects revealed the presence of many active mining complexes, which were mostly automated. Similarly, countless autonomous machines and drilling spaceships traveled through the void, transporting rare ores.
Luna headed between the huge transporters, so Avi could admire the fleet.
[ Whoa. ] - Eva spoke in awe. - [ There are so many of them! ]
“Yeah, it's an incredible sight.” - Avi agreed.
[ I would like to fly one, like we did in the simulations. ] - Eva added.
“You'll get a chance once we figure out how to free you.” - Avi assured.
[ I can't wait! ] - Eva exclaimed. - [ To study and explore, face hardships, laugh over nothing, and cry my own tears. I would love to be like you. ]
“Do you have any plans for the first thing you're going to do once you get your own body?” - Avi asked.
[ I would hug you to thank you! ] - Eva replied.
Avi laughed. - “That's nice, but what are your other plans?”
Eva pondered. - [ Then... I'll learn everything. I want to create music with you, become a skilled mechanic, and the best pilot in the galaxy! I want to learn to cook, make my own bed, do laundry, and take care of things, like my own plant or pet. I want to make friends like you do, and then fall in love! ]
“Beautiful dreams.” - Avi uttered with a nostalgic smile.
[ It's impossible to list everything, but once I make all my dreams come true, I want to return to the people I shared my path with and reminisce about our best memories. ] - Eva finished.
“Your dreams don't have to end...” - Avi uttered optimistically. - “...but I also would like to take those kinds of breaks during my life's journey.”
“...and even if dreams are supposed to end, then why not repeat all these moments?” - Luna added.
[ Yes! ] - Eva shouted. - [ The same way I like to listen to my favorite music on loop! ]
Luna didn't know what Eva was saying, but she smiled after seeing her share the happiness with Avi, and cheer her up.
“I'll go get some snacks and give you a moment to gaze at this view before I activate the engines.” - Luna suggested.
Once she left, Eva was silent for a moment, then spoke. - [ Luna... she wants to be close to you, but you seem to reject her. ]
Avi shifted uncomfortably and spoke quietly. - “Eva. It's a difficult topic, but do know, that's not your fault.”
[ I'm not bothered by being close with you and Luna, so why would I being close bother you both? ] - Eva asked.
“Uh... Eva. Love is something reserved only for your closest ones.” - Avi explained.
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[ We are close, but I assume we are not close enough, yes? ] - Eva continued.
“We're close, Eva, but it's not the same type of relationship as with Luna.” - Avi replied. - “It's two different things.”
[ Can't we all be close like this, in three? ] - Eva asked.
Avi blushed from the mere thought of it. - “Eva!! No! It's impossible!”
[ Why? ] - Eva asked. - [ I don't understand love yet. ]
“Love is reserved for two people.” - Avi explained.
[ ...but why? ] - Eva inquired.
Avi pondered for a moment. She wasn't sure why she had answered like that. - “I... I don't know. I just always thought it was supposed to be like this. Other types of relationships appear weird to me.”
[ The gasous lifeforms also loved, differently than us. ] - Eva noticed. - [ Why would their love be weird? ]
Avi drove those thoughts off. - “Eva, you're messing with my head!”
[ I'm sorry. I was just curious. ] - Eva replied. - [ When you were reading the teachings of Ever-mother, they said that love can only exist in specific conditions, but yours and Luna's love contradict it. I don't know how to tell the difference between true love and the temptations they were describing. ]
“Once you fall in love, you will be able to tell the difference.” - Avi uttered dismissively.
[ I'm scared to be wrong. ] - Eva said. - [ Love seems to be the most important human emotion, and I don't want to hurt anyone. ]
“Ehh.” - Avi sighed. - “Eva, it's not that simple. Even if you were loving someone, you could still hurt them by accident. It requires sensitivity, mutual understanding, and working on self-improvement.”
[ It sounds too complicated. ] - Eva complained. - [ It's so easy to get lost. ]
“Life is like this, and writes different stories.” - Avi commented. - “It took me a long time before realizing that I care about Luna that much, and we had hurt each other more than once.”
[ You didn't know that you loved her right away? ] - Eva asked.
“I...” - Avi was doubting herself for a moment. - “I don't know. Maybe I always knew, or maybe this feeling had to develop. Regardless of how it came to be, we were fated to be together.”
[ Avi. You should know that I share your every feeling. ] - Eva replied. - [ You can be honest with me. ]
Avi tightened her lips. - “I don't want to doubt it. I don't want to. No matter what people say!”
[ ...but you are still scared of being close with her. ] - Eva noticed. - [ My presence is an excuse. Otherwise, you would force yourself to be close to her. ]
“I don't know what's wrong with me!” - Avi uttered. - “But I love her! You know what I feel!”
[ I don't know if it's love or not. ]
Avi moved her knees closer to her. - “I'm... disgusted, but I can endure it.”
[ Why won't you tell her? ]
“Luna... she has been through a lot. Even now, while waiting, she is suffering more than she should.” - Avi said. - “I would break her heart again.”
[ You're sacrificing yourself. ] - Eva summed up. - [ Do you want to live in this lie? ]
“N-no... but...”
[ You should tell her. ]
“I don't know. I prefer to wait... maybe the problem will fix itself.” - Avi uttered, downcast. - “Maybe I'll learn to love her the same way she loves me... or maybe I'll get used to it, or begin to like it.”
[ I'm not an expert... ] - Eva replied. - [ ...but I know what you feel, and I know it won't happen. ]
“...but I can still have hope, and that's enough. When the time comes, I will confront it.”
[ I pray you make a good choice. ]
Avi said nothing and didn't move until Luna returned. Luna immediately noticed that Avi's mood had turned one hundred and eighty degrees.
“Is everything alright, Avi?” - Luna asked as she levitated the plates aside.
“Yes.” - Avi forced herself to smile. - “I was just thinking about us, about what they've said to us back in the temple... and even if I believe in our love, I sometimes struggle to find my place in this world.”
Luna sat next to her, hugging her. - “Don't think about those lunatics and charlatans. They want to dictate to others how to live, yet they themselves are lost.”
“I don't blame them. I sometimes feel it's impossible to find our role in the universe.” - Avi said. - “Don't you, too?”
Luna smiled to comfort her. - “I know what you mean, but you're my compass. Even being lost with you is a dream come true.”
Avi smiled too, taking Luna's hand. She knew its warmth well, so why couldn't she accept it in its entirety?