Ryrik

"Holy fuck," Amber breathed as I opened the door into my apartment.

"What? What is it?" I looked back at her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was agape.

"This is your apartment?" Her eyes looked right past me.

"Yeah, a perk of working at the Black Star, I suppose."

Living in this apartment, it was easy to forget that not everyone gets to live like us. Amber lived in the Under, after all, and before that, her situation wasn't much better. My apartment probably seemed like a paradise to her.

Amber ran right past me. Her energy was like a child in a toy store, unsure what shelf to run to first. She started by running toward a large painting that hung on the wall, its vibrant blue waves of color cutting through the room.

But then her hand grazed the sofa as she ran past and she paused. She took a moment to feel the finely crafted leather. Then her eyes caught the chandelier hanging above, adorned with crystals from far off star systems that shone beautifully in the room.

It was charming. Part of me felt protective of this moment, like I'd introduced her to a new life. That was silly, of course. I wasn't adopting her like a pet. This was all for protection. But then she smiled wide, cheeks pink and eyes sparkling, and something deep down told me this was everything I wanted.

"And this is all for you?" Amber asked as she returned her attention to the captivating painting. "No roommates or anything?"

"All for me," I responded, closing the door behind us. "And this is just the living room. Just wait until you see the kitchen or the?—"

The word ‘bedroom' almost slipped out of my mouth. But I stopped myself just in time. That would just make everything weird. Even if that was exactly where I would have liked to take her. Everything about her was inviting, from her smooth voice to the curve of her waist. But I pushed that back down once again.

"But for now," I continued. I joined Amber at the painting. It had been a while since I took the time to appreciate the view. "I'm more than happy to share the space with you."

"Thank you," Amber said as she looked over at me. "When they questioned me… I just got so scared. I wasn't sure what to do. Where to go."

"You don't have to worry about that now. While you're here next to me, you're perfectly safe."

I chose my words very carefully to Amber at that moment. All she needed to know was that I was protecting her by taking her to my apartment. As long as she was here, Conii and all her goons were nothing but a distant memory for her.

Which wasn't a lie. Nobody could touch her at my apartment. The security was too high for Conii to even think about it. But it wasn't exactly the full truth.

Draven's orders were very clear. He didn't trust Amber. And I shouldn't, either. Her connection to Conii was far too dangerous to leave her without constant monitoring. She wasn't an ally. Wasn't a friend.

I knew that. But still, something in my blood wouldn't let me leave her alone.

Though I wasn"t happy that Conii's goons were harassing her, it had worked out well. Draven wanted me to watch her, and now, so did she. She came to me. She needed my help. And now, it seemed she thought my apartment was so good, she might never want to leave.

"What a lovely place. Untouched by the evil of Conii and the Quilthars."

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a small smile on Amber's face.

It was all too easy. So simple to tap into Amber's fear to get her here and keep her. Never had I had someone so willing to be babysat. No arguing. No fighting. Truly perfect.

"I really am grateful, Ryrik," Amber said. Her voice was in a hushed tone.

"I know you are," I said at full volume, a gesture to show her that we were safe and no one was listening in. "No need to mention it."

Amber slowly walked over to the sofa and then sank into it. She took a moment to run her hands over the cushion, taking in the comfort.

"But I think I do need to, Ryrik," Amber responded, looking up at me. "I do need to mention it."

"I'm not doing anything that anyone else wouldn't in my position," I said as I joined her on the sofa. Again, technically not a lie.

"You really aren't, though," she insisted. "I've never… I mean, I didn't tell you my whole life story, but you're smart enough to fill in the blanks. No one has ever looked out for me the way you are right now. No one has ever cared so much about my wellbeing. And Ryrik, I'm just so grateful."

Amber reached out and placed a hand on mine, gently holding it. A tinge of shame twisted in my gut. Her voice was so sincere, the direct opposite of my actions.

She saw me as some noble hero. A knight in shining armor from the human mythology of the old times. She was under the impression that I acted out of the kindness of my heart.

"I'm just happy to help you out in a time like this." Now I was officially lying.

But even if I had to lie, it was for the best. Right? Even if my reasons weren't so noble and I was just following Draven's orders, I was still keeping her safe. The outcome would still be the same.

"I promise, though." Amber squeezed my hand a little and looked me in the eyes. "If at any point I've been here too long or anything…"

"Nonsense," I said quickly. "That won't be happening."

"You say that now, Ryrik."

"Amber, this is a place for you to be safe. Until the threat of Conii is no longer an issue, you can expect to have a place here."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. In fact, I think I should go down to your apartment in the Under. Get whatever it is you may need to stay here." I started to stand up from the couch. As long as Amber was here, she should at least have her stuff.

"No!" Amber yelled. She grabbed my arm and tugged.

I could have easily resisted but decided, for the moment, to listen to her. Instead, I fell back down on the couch beside her.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Why not?"

"I… I don't want to be left alone right now. I feel safe here, I do… But still, after today, I really don't want to be alone."

"Okay, okay, then I'll stay. But still, tell me what you need from your place and I'll send someone else to collect your things."

"Thank you," Amber said. Her hands still held my arm tightly.

About a half an hour later, I'd sent a casino worker as a courier to collect Amber's things, and then the pair of us raided my kitchen for food. Unfortunately, work kept me so busy that eating at home wasn't the norm. But still, we managed to find a bottle of wine and some cheese.

"So," Amber said after we were both about a glass and a half of wine into the evening. "What does a Vinduthi like you, on a night-in like this, do for fun?"

"Oh…" I racked my brain. "I don't really know. There has not been a lot of time for fun lately. How about yourself?"

"Same, I guess," she responded after a swig of wine. "In a life like mine, fun is a luxury I can't afford. I really hoped you'd know a game or something."

"A game… Oh!"

I leaped up from my seat and rushed to a closet. In there, I found a dust-covered, long forgotten box of chess.

"Ever play Vinduthi chess?" I asked as I returned to the kitchen and placed the box down on the table.

"I've never even played human chess."

"Well, it's easy to pick up."

I set up the board, and we started playing. In the first round, I beat her with no issues, chatting as the wine flowed.

"It's not fair!" Amber cried as I reset the board. "You didn't teach me how to play!"

"Yes, I did." I reached out to lightly stroke her cheek. "It's not my fault you weren't paying attention."

In the second round, I let her win. She was clearly getting a little better, but I still had to make some dumb moves. Her smile was worth it, the warmth that her company spread through me worth a whole lot more. We opened a second bottle of wine.

"Did you let me win?"

"Never," I lied.

The third round ramped up to be a real challenge. But it was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Stay here," I ordered.

It should've been safe here. But still, I didn't know who was here. And the less people who knew where Amber was, the better.

I opened the door to find the courier who I sent to collect Amber's things. Sadly, it all seemed to fit in a single box, and not a big one, either.

"Thank you," I said as I took the box from him.

I placed the box down on the sofa, and my curiosity overwhelmed my brain. What could Amber have? What did someone who lived a life like hers bring with her? Plus, humans and the things they prioritized were weird, to say the least.

The first thing I found on the top of the box was a framed photo of two young women. One of the women was clearly Amber from a few years ago. The other I'd never seen before.

"That's Isa," Amber said, joining me from the kitchen. "The one Conii is using to force me to work for her. She's really my only friend in this world. The only one who understands what I've been through."

"What's this?" I placed the photo down and pulled out a second item: a small, red, rubbery ball.

"Bouncy ball," she responded.

She took it from me and tossed it toward the floor. It bounced back into her hand.

"I didn't get many days off with the Quilthar before coming to Thodos III. But one day, it just so happened a carnival was in town. I didn't have money, so I flirted with some men to get them to win me prizes. This was the only one the Quilthar didn't confiscate when I got back. I spent hours on the nights I couldn't sleep, tossing it against the wall."

"And this?" I asked, pulling out a dried-out flower. I could tell it was once colorful and vibrant.

"Oh…" she responded sadly. "When I was living on the streets, there were long stretches of time where it was just day after day of fighting to survive. Just struggling every moment, only to have to do it all over again the very next day."

Amber then stepped away from me, but not before I caught a sheen of tears in her eyes. She walked over to the painting and focused on the image of the nebula.

"During one point… I started to consider no longer fighting. Just letting my fate catch up to me. But then I found that flower."

I joined Amber at the window.

"Alone, poking out of the cracks in the ground in some alley. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. And I thought if something pretty like that could survive in a dirty place like that… so could I. It gave me hope and I kept fighting. Of course, that then led me to the Quilthar and Conii, so…"

"Well," I chimed in. "It also led you to me."

Amber turned to face me. I placed a hand on her chin. Then I leaned in, our lips pressing together in a kiss.