"You are going back," Olmed said. It wasn’t a question, but a statement. No amount of discussion would sway Phares to not go back, and to appreciate his vacation time.
"I tried to talk him out of it," Erzo said. "He is determined to go back."
"It's my life," Phares said. "The ship is all I know. I need to help."
Olmed nodded, though he wasn't sure he agreed with Phares. Being so dedicated to a place shouldn't dictate one's own happiness.
But the thought caught him.
For how was that any different than him helping Dhomhes for his theft? Wasn't he just fighting to be allowed back on Kantenan?
To be able to walk on his home soil again?
See his own mother?
He brushed off the thought.
That was different. He committed criminal acts against the Kantenan way of life. If he wanted to walk on that world again, he would have to earn it.
What Phares fought for, that was his heart, something far different.
“So, what do you think of this?” Tori asked, holding up another outfit.
“Fine,” Olmed said.
The last thing he wanted to do was be out shopping. After the females said goodbye to Jana, everyone retired for the evening. Tori slept in the private sleeping quarters, and Olmed slept in the main room. The fancy couch conformed around his spinal ridges, and he slept surprisingly well for lying flat on his back.
In the morning, after dining on a simple breakfast of pastries, she was ready to go out and make some purchases with the credit line the IDA had given them.
And she seemed to be enjoying herself. She picked out many things that she claimed females needed, including a storage bag to carry all of her things.
The pack she already had was insufficient to carry her items, so she needed more.
“I’ll take it too,” she said, throwing the outfit on the stack.
“Is that enough?”
She glanced at the pile of clothing from the shop that was almost as tall as he was, then back to him.
If this was Fwan's idea of a joke, Olmed was not amused. He wanted to question both Fwan and Dhomhes regarding the timing. It was too much to be a coincidence.
Olmed was ready to get back to the Guild. Return to his station and the place he was managing to carve out for himself. Even with issues with other miners, he still felt like he was finding a belonging.
More than he had in a while.
Tori chatted with the shop seller about the items and care for them, as though he wasn't here.
What was he going to do with her? If anything, she was merely a distraction to keep him from finishing the task for Dhomhes.
That took precedence. To be able to walk on Kantenan again. See his mother. That mattered more than many other things. He'd promised his mother that he would be well and that nothing would happen. He hated the idea that he was causing her grief.
“I’m sorry this is boring to you,” Tori said. “Just go find something to do, then. I’ll be fine.”
“We are supposed to be together.”
She put her hand on her hip. “Well then, what is it you want to do?”
Olmed glanced out of the clothing vendor’s establishment.
