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"Oh, yes, I'm great," I replied, smiling just thinking back to my rashipi adventure. "Just enjoying my time on the spaceship."
A smirk curled Abby's lip up as she plucked some hay from my hair. "Ooh, I see. Are you discovering how much fun the Kyvens are?"
"No, not like that!" I quickly corrected her before she got the wrong idea. Although I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least curious to find out in which ways the Kyvens differed from humans, and in which ways they were the same.
Abby seemed mostly bemused. "Well, if you have any questions, you can always ask me. I'm sure you must be curious but it's probably weird to talk about it with your cousin."
I chuckled. "Yes, you can say that. I donotwant to know anything about Rachel's sex life. Oh, the horror."
"I can only imagine. This is your first time travelling through space since you left Earth, isn't it?"
"It is, it's equal parts exciting and scary. What about you?"
"I've been back and forth a few times. Mostly to see my parents. They don't fully understand why I've moved so far away and they think I live somewhere in Greenland with Sahra. Luckily, they hate the cold so they're quite happy never visiting."
"Really?" Surprise bubbled up in me. "I didn't realise you still got to see your parents."
"Yes, unlike Tilly or you guys, I'm not missing or wanted. I still own my share of the veterinarian practice and I'm registered there as my home address as well. If someone came to check out my exact living details, they'd discover it doesn't make sense but who is going to do that? Nobody cares about what I do." Abby seemed quite happy about that. "Anyway, I'll let you shower. You look like you need it. Sahra and I are having dinner later in the canteen, you're welcome to join us."
"Thanks." Part of me was surprised that Abby had invited me. Despite living close to the Ta-Kavalla sisters, I didn't spend much time with them or the humans living there. I usually kept to myself and so did they, but getting to talk without the translator humming in my ear was refreshing and made me realise I wouldn't be opposed to actually striking up a neighbourly friendship with them.
This trip was shaping up good for all sorts of things.
I pressed my hand on the scanner of my cabin which opened the door and locked it behind me. It wasn't much in terms of private space but the sleeping pod was relatively nice and there was a tiny little window that was wonderful to stare out of when I tried to fall asleep.
The attached bathroom was small as well, but efficient. I stripped my clothes and tossed them into the sanitiser, a handy gadget that I wished we had on Earth. It was so much quicker and more efficient at cleaning my clothes. The shower, however, could benefit from some improvements.
Bracing for the steam, I twisted the knobs and hot water spurted from all sides, cleaning every possible nook, fold, and cranny of my body. It followed it up with a suffocating powder and a spritz of perfume, just for good measure. I'd never felt more cleaner, although slightly violated.
And the towels weren't any better. They were thin and incredibly absorbent, but not fluffy in the slightest and instantly clammy. It reminded me a little of a slice of wet ham straight from the packet.
A gong sounded and I tightened the towel as I rushed to the intercom. I didn't have any idea how to use it and I didn't want to accidentally unlock the door, so I just shouted. "Who is it?"
"It's Atina." There was brief, confused silence. "Can't you see me?"
"I don't know how to use this thing. Hang on a moment!"
Earlier, I'd simply opened the door, but I'd been dressed then. Now I wore nothing but a towel too thin to trust that it would stay in place. I didn't want to accidentally end up naked in front of Atina before we'd even been on our first proper date. Even though most people didn't expect me to be, I was a romantic at heart. I didn't know why everyone assumed that just because I worked on a farm that meant that I couldn't be feminine and romantic. I wanted nothing more than someone who would bring me flowers, chocolates, take me to nice places, make me laugh and listen to me cry, accept all my little weirdnesses and my sheep, talk with-
The towel slipped down my body. And this was exactly why I hadn't opened the door.
"Give me a few minutes!" I shouted, hoping Atina could hear me.
I rummaged for some fresh clothes and quickly threw them on. My hair was a wet mess, so I wrangled it into a ponytail. The alien showers had a setting to dry hair instantaneously, but I didn't like the scratchy feeling it left on my scalp. Sometimes, the old-fashioned way was better than every technology the Kyvens could come up with.
With a quick glance in the mirror to make sure I was more or less presentable, I opened the door. Atina leaned casually against the frame, grinning at me. I couldn't help but smile back.
"Do you want me to explain how the video doorbell works?" she asked helpfully. I was glad she wasn't teasing me for my lack of knowledge.
"Maybe later. Right now, I'm starving. Our meal feels like ages ago already."
"You're right. Herding is an exhausting job. How do you do this all day?"
"To be fair, I don't have to run after the sheep very often. I've trained them well, so now they come when I call for them, or at least when they hear the sound of their feed bucket. I still occasionally have to search for a lost sheep or a lamb that explored too far from the herd, but most of my time is spent making sure they have everything they need. Sometimes, I just sit on the grass and snuggle with the most sociable sheep. Those are the moments when I really love my job."
"I love moments like that. For me, it's when I get to execute a particular challenging manoeuvre and then get that sense of achievement paired with a beautiful view of a planet or a nebula. It's when I remember why I became a pilot in the first place."
"Yes!" I exclaimed passionately before lowering my voice a little. "I always feel sorry for people who don't enjoy their jobs. Being a shepherd isn't exactly glamorous and it certainly doesn't pay much, but it makes me happy. That's what counts."
