The room was sterile and white, unlike the rest of Naveh outside. Yara had grown used to the city in her short time here, waiting patiently for the researcher that she had been paired with by DPIP.

She’d miss it, sure, but it was hard to be sad for long when you were busy working on such a huge project. Especially one like this! What would it be like, living with a bunch of new individuals permanently? Her old tribe moved around a lot back in Rekes, before she practically begged DPIP to take her to nearby Issiq as a part of their colony program. They hadn’t seemed too bothered by the request, at least.

Footsteps echoed in the halls, and Yara’s head shot up, grabbing her few belongings with her forelimbs and waiting patiently for her name. It was the third time she had done this, each time being disappointed when the visitor wasn’t for her.

This time, she was prepared for the same.

“Yara?” a familiar voice said, and Yara’s heart soared.

“I’m here!” she said, the voice coming from the translator secured on her neck still unfamiliar, though not nearly as much as it had been when she had first made connections with DPIP. She let out excited squeaks and snorts as the door opened, a blonde-haired human making their way inside with a grin.

“We got your researcher here, finally,” said Avery, stepping to the side as a tanned, brown-haired woman made her way inside. Her hard gaze examined the entire room, before looking up at the face of the Tsubhua.

“Yara, you said?” the researcher asked. When Yara nodded, she did the same. “Valerie Caro. I suspect you already know the plan and everything.”

“I do!” said Yara, watching intently as Valerie’s eyes suddenly went to the translator. “I’m still getting used to this thing as well. I can understand English well enough, but we Tsubhua can’t make the same noises as humans. And some other species. I can’t exactly test all of them, you know?”

Valerie was quiet, but a small smile tugged at her straight mouth. “No. I suppose you couldn’t.”

“Well, Yara’s from Rekes, southwest of here. Dunno why she wanted to come to Issiq―”

“Because it’s the most different from home. It’s fun.” Yara stuck her tongue out at Avery as she turned her attention back to Dr. Caro. “It’s lovely to meet you, Dr. Caro! I’m sure we’ll get along splendidly.”

Valerie’s smile was tight, though not malicious. Anxious, perhaps? Yara was still trying to get down all of the odd facial expressions of humans and humanoids, though she had learned them very quickly. She had found herself trying to mimic them, though they all probably looked strange on a Tsubhua compared to a human.

“Well, Yara picked out a location earlier, if that’s alright with you. I can show you it―” Avery began, but Valerie waved her hands.

“Whatever she picked is fine. She knows the place better than I do, I’d probably muck it all up and we’d be dead before the year’s end.” Valerie winced. “I’ll trust her judgment.”

“Alright, then! I’ll let the guys know where to drop off your supplies, and I’ll contact you both once we’re ready to head out. Why not explore Naveh until then? You might end up relying a bit on the city for the first few weeks, after all.”

With that, Avery left, adjusting their hat as Yara turned back to Valerie, who simply shrugged. “Whatever you wanna do, I’m game,” she said, looking around at the sterile white walls, her throat bobbing a bit as she inhaled sharply.

Yeah, no, they both had to get out of the DPIP facility for a bit.

Naveh was a… city. Valerie could determine that much, though she couldn’t quite find her words after the meeting in the facility. Yara was quite thrilled, and her enthusiasm was all that was keeping Valerie moving for the time being.

The city was built within a crater, with very few of the buildings reaching over the perimeter. What had once loomed over her and Avery outside of Naveh had turned out to be sharp, tooth-like crags, which a few Tsubhua appeared to be inhabiting, turning their gazes against the dual suns over the distant horizon.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Yara’s voice struck at Valerie, though her new companion wasn’t being mean―truthfully, it seemed unlikely that Yara could be mean. She seemed as chipper as a new butterfly, all ready for adventure in a world that would probably almost kill her if she didn’t wisen up a bit.

That was fine. Valerie would help her adjust. 

“I suppose. It’s rather hot, though.”

“Well, we are in a desert,” Yara said, letting out sounds that Valerie could only assume were akin to a human laugh. The Tsubhua sounded quite like dolphins.

When was the last time Valerie had seen a dolphin? When was the last time she had been on Earth? Well before her whistleblowing, that was for sure. Well before any of this. Time melded like hot metal when one was on the run.

“Is the sky all over the planet that color?” said Valerie, turning toward the lavender hue above once more. Yara followed her gaze and gave a quick nod.

“DPIP said it’s because of the weaker gravity here, and the thinner atmosphere that results in it. Feels odd to consider that other places could be vastly different, though I guess in the grand scheme of things we’ve only been connected to the wider universe for a short time.” Yara blinked. “Sorry, that was a bit deeper than I expected.”

“Hardly. Trust me, I’ve seen grown-ass businessmen go even more philosophical just to make themselves sound smarter than they are. You expressing a genuine point is nothing compared to that.” Valerie paused, inhaling deeply. “I’d rather not think about them right now, though. You’re far more tolerable than they were.”

“Tolerable isn’t exactly a compliment, but…” Yara did her best to smile, though it felt closer to a snarl on her jaws. “I’ll accept it as one! You’re quite closed off, from what I can tell. Tolerable is probably a grand compliment coming from you.”

She’s not being malicious, Valerie reminded herself. Yara was trying to be kind, but it made her stomach churn. Valerie, who often couldn’t tell people’s motives solely from their words, knew Yara wasn’t trying to hurt her.

Didn’t mean it didn’t do it regardless.

Give it time, she thought with a sigh. You’ll both learn eventually.