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Gus chattered on in his own incomprehensible language, moving his chubby arms and legs so emphatically that it was hard for Rafe to thread them through his little tunic.
Rafe wondered what the boy was trying to tell him. One day, he would be able to speak, but by then he would not remember.
Before long, he and Gus were ready to start their day.
Jade came out of the refresher, looking lovely in a simple shift dress that matched her long gloves. He noticed with relief that today’s dress covered her much more than yesterday’s gown. Hopefully, he could do a better job keeping his eyes and hands to himself until they had a chance to talk.
“I know, it’s not as fancy as yesterday, but this feels way better for taking care of a baby,” she said.
“Why were you wearing that gown yesterday?” he asked.
“The agency said it was a requirement,” she told him. “Something about an Imberian phrase, your mother greets you with robes of purple, or something like that.”
Rafe choked back a laugh.
“What?” she asked.
“It’s a poetic phrase,” he told her. “The purple represents the placenta.”
She blinked at him for a moment and then burst out laughing.
It was such a happy sound that it made him laugh too. Even Gus let out a cheerful chuckle, though the whelp did not know what he was laughing at.
“I traveled all day on a spacecraft, a deer-drawn sleigh, and a frontier train in a gown that was meant to look like a placenta?” she laughed.
Rafe nodded, still smiling.
“Well, buddy, I hope you appreciate it,” she told Gus. “Because I am never wearing that thing again.”
Which was kind of a shame. Although Rafe was sure she’d look even better out of it.
“Ready for breakfast?” he asked, pushing those thoughts aside for now.
“Very ready,” she told him.
He opened the door and looked up and down the hallway.
“Follow me,” he told her.
They walked in silence through their sleeping car and the next, as well as the passenger car, before finally reaching the dining car.
The place was already bustling, but by some miracle, the schoolchildren weren’t gumming up the works.
He found them a table in the rear, and placed Jade in the corner with her back to the wall, before sitting beside her.
The energy in the dining car was upbeat and excited. Folks were happy to be getting to town, but he suspected this was also the feeling of exhilaration that came after a good scare.
Though power outages were fairly common on the frontier, no one liked to be on a train, hurtling through the tundra, without light.
“How soon will we get to town?” Jade asked him.
“Another hour or two,” he told her. “Not long.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” she said, looking pretty excited herself. “I’ve never had a place of my own. And the town is where Gus will be growing up. Hopefully, there are a few fun things to do.”
“Don’t let your expectations get too high,” he told her. “The house is a simple cottage, and the town is brand new. Most of the things there so far are for necessity, not for fun.”
One of the bots slid over and took their breakfast order.
