Page 177 of Every Almost

But Charlie completed the inventory without complaint, finding two mislabeled containment seals in the process. She flagged them herself, fixed them, and returned the completed report to Cael's console before he'd even finished his lunch.

Charlie made it a point of not saying anything. But it turns out, she didn't need to. Maren, who had watched the entire exchange from the adjacent console, said it with her Shimmer, a brief, bright flare of a recorded memory that looked a lot like vindication.

The second EarthNight was bigger than the first, which surprised both Charlie and Orion.

But then, it had to be. News of the first one had spread through the crew like wildfire, and there were constant requests for information on when the next one would be.

Once decided, Orion organized the library with true dedication, possibly bordering on obsessive. He cleared the central area and arranged seating in a wide circle. More seats this time to accommodate the possibility of more people. Little did either he or Charlie know, but they still wouldn't have enough.

Borran had outdone himself yet again with what Charlie could only describe as an alien tapas spread. And Tavi, eager to be a part of the entire ordeal and do his part, had upgraded the sound system right in the library so the music could play at a volume that didn't require everyone to huddle around a single datapad speaker.

But what seemed to matter to the whole event was that, this time, Reyna was there.

She just showed up, not having told anyone else she’d be there, taking a seat in the back once she arrived. She'd made sure to change out of her uniform and into something a bit more relaxed and casual. She wore a deep burgundy top Charlie had never seen before. The color looked soft against her sage-green skin.

But Charlie didn't miss her arrival. When she saw Reyna, something sharp and poignant sparked in her chest, something she hadn't known to happen before. It startled Charlie, but she dismissed it as Orion gave her the signal they were ready to go.

Tonight, she wanted the crew to pretty much lead the event. She told stories about subjects they asked about, such as one who asked about holidays. So she told them about Christmas and 4th of July in America, and she told them about Halloween, which became a vote that unanimously passed for the Emberkind to start celebrating the next time it came around in the Coalition cycle. Tavi told Charlie later it was because of the costumes. For some reason, this crew loved their costumes.

Someone asked what was one of the best sights Charlie had ever seen on Earth. So, she talked about the Grand Canyon, and how she had seen it on a whim with Katie when they drove back from Illinois once. She tried to explain to a room full of beings, beings who had seen nebulae and gas giants multiple times over, how a hole in the ground was carved by water over millions of years.

Then, everyone began asking about music. But what made it special this time around was the crew, making requests, based on the music she'd brought to the Emberkind. Katie's mixtapes loaded into the ship's database had spread so wide that the crew was starting to love the music she brought from Earth. She played "Take On Me" because Tavi demanded it, as he would. "Landslide" came on because Orion requested it. And then Borran, who had developed an inexplicable fondness for The Police, asked for "Every Breath You Take." She honored each and every request, making the library a functioning musical celebration of Earth's songs.

Throughout the evening, she kept tracking Reyna in her peripheral vision. Based on her expressions, Charlie couldn't tell if she was enjoying the experience, or was completely bored. Frankly, she didn't look bored, she looked intrigued. As though she was listening to something underneath the words of the songs.

Later, Charlie was mid-answer on the weirdest thing she'd ever eaten, a deep-fried Oreo at the Indiana State Fair (which then required a ten-minute detour to explain what both "deep-frying" and "Oreos" were), when Tavi appeared at her side.

He didn't say anything, instead just stood there, his smile knowing and needing no additional communication.

Charlie looked down at him. "Now?"

"Now."

Charlie turned to the room. "Okay everyone. So, thanks again for coming out. But, we're doing something a little different tonight. You see, I promised a very assertive Tessarae a speaking slot during tonight's gather, and, frankly, I know he will never forgive me if I don't deliver, so..." She paused, turning to Tavi, and smiling. "Tav, the floor is yours."

"I need the chair."

Charlie walked over to the other side and grabbed what had been deemed earlier in the day as Tavi's Talking Chair, and set it up in position.

Tavi climbed up and pulled out his datapad. He cleared his throat with a formality that made Charlie snort and yet was completely perfect.

"Good evening," he began, his voice sounding aristocratic. "My name is Tavi Breck. You all know me as an engineer on this vessel, and tonight, I am here to talk to you about the single greatest achievement that has come from planet Earth." He paused for effect, letting the crew 'oo' and 'ah.' "And just so we're clear, no, it's not Charlie, although she is averyclose second."

Charlie covered her face with her hand. "Thanks, bud."

"Don't mention it, Spark Plug." The crew laughed.

"So who or what is it that I'm talking about, you must be asking yourselves?" Tavi said, tapping his datapad to queue up an audio sample. "My friends and colleagues, I am talking about the genius... of Led Zeppelin."

What transpired from there was six and a half minutes of pure, unfiltered Tavi. He played riffs and broke down musical time signatures. He attempted to air-guitar the opening of 'Whole Lotta Love' from the top of a chair, which was both physically inadvisable and emotionally riveting. He argued, with the passion of a closing attorney, that Jimmy Page's guitar tone on 'Kashmir' was something beyond description. "It's the single most important sound any species has ever produced, and yes, Iamincluding the Brontari mating call, Borran, and I will die on this hill."

Borran made a sound that might have been offense or might have been agreement. It was hard to tell, as per usual with Borran.

The crew was rapt. Tavi had every single one of them in the palm of his hand. Borran leaned forward while Maren's shimmerbrightened. Even Orion's stylus froze mid-note, something even Charlie hadn't been able to get him to do. And Torvax, at his post near the door as usual, tilted his head.

Charlie was laughing, watching her friend gesticulate wildly about Robert Plant's vocal range, when she glanced sideways, and stopped.

Reyna wasn't watching Tavi.