Lyric nudged a crouton around their bowl. “I… I have a place here.”
Right—their workshop. A veritable paradise of plants and machines. Torian couldn’t blame them for not wanting to leave it. They probably had friends on Colony 4, too. Family, maybe.
Moss didn’t seem to care about that. “You told me you don’t talk to other humans. That is inconducive to your mental state. Your shop was robbed by criminals less than four months ago. That is inconducive to yourphysicalstate.”
Torian balked. “You were robbed?”
Lyric’s head hung.
Well. That put Torian firmly on Moss’s side, but she still didn’t like Moss pressuring Lyric. “Okay. It was probably a one-off. Moss, we shouldn’t make assumptions about Lyric’s desires.”
“I never make assumptions,” Moss replied. “Only statements based on facts and scenarios. Historically, my statements are ninety-three point three percent accurate.”
“It’s right. I ran a diagnostic on its central system,” Lyric added, finally taking a bite of their salad. They apparently likedthe taste, because they quickly scooped up a tong-ful of leaves and ate that too.
Torian left the table to heat up some water for tea. “It has a big enough ego as it is, Lyric. Don’t support it.” She infused a teasing tone, and was pleasantly surprised when Lyric chuckled.
“I do not have a big ego,” Moss said.
“That’s fifty-four percent debatable,” Lyric replied.
Torian laughed, delighted now. Considering Moss’s constant irritation with Dutch and Torian’s poor knowledge about ship repair, the organic computer mightneedsomeone like Lyric—for a plethora of reasons.
And maybe, just maybe, Lyric needed Moss, too.
“Well. You don’t have to make a choice right away.” Torian snagged another bite of food while her tea heated. “We can always come back to get you. And Vaesa is fairly large—if you wanted to bring your family or friends, I’m sure Dutch would be okay with that.”
“I don’t have friends. Or family.”
Well,thatwas sad.
Instantly, Moss responded: “You may become a part of my colony.” As an afterthought, it added, “Not as moss, though, since you are human. This is a metaphorical colony.”
Torian snorted.
Lyric, on the other hand, seemed flattered by that statement. They glanced at the ceiling, a smile tilting their lips. “You’d want me in your colony?”
“I have been abandoned once before. By collecting humans, I can ensure I will not be abandoned again. Humans are proving to be more reliable than a dog-turd fungus inconsiderate asshole nylarian.”
Torian heaved a sigh. “Moss, humans have short lifespans. We should probably work on your abandonment issues.”
“My concern with abandonment is hardly an issue. Besides, humans reproduce. I will introduce your offspring to my colony as well, and theirs after that.”
“You’re like an evil overlord made of moss.”
“I am Moss, yes.”
Lyric raised a hand, like they were waiting to be called on in class. Torian chuckled, gesturing for them to speak. They cleared their throat and picked at their salad with the tong utensil. “If… if I can work with Moss to fix a new space station—I want to help. Especially if it will let your sister breathe better.”
It was the longest speech Torian had heard Lyric make, and it felt like a victory. She melted a bit, her brows knitting together. “That’s so kind, Lyric. But you don’t have to do that just for us. Do you want to come to Vaesa?”
Lyric considered that, then rubbed their arm, staring at the table now. “I don’t like it here. But maybe I’ll like Vaesa.”
“You will.” Moss sounded wholly confident.
And probably, it was right.
Torian grinned. “Then you’re welcome to come. We’ll gladly make use of your expertise, and you’ll have a lovely, private place to live.”
