Niala’s fingers curled and uncurled at her sides. She exhaled slowly, but it didn’t help. Her pulse still pounded in her ears, drowning out the low hum of the ship around her. She rocked on her heels, then forced herself to stop. Stood straighter. Relaxed her shoulders. Unclenched her jaw.

‘Breathe. Just breathe.’

Niala was nervous. Ridiculously nervous. And that almost never happened—not easily, not like this.

She was early. Way too early. Normally, she prided herself on being punctual, but this? This was overkill. Yet the thought of being even a second late, of something going wrong, of missing this entirely, had sent her rushing here before she could second-guess herself.

The holodeck doors loomed in front of her, closed and impassive, while the corridor stretched empty in both directions. Shifting from foot to foot, resisting the urge to pace. She rubbed clammy hands against her uniform, wiped them on the sides of her thighs, and tried to still the fluttering in her stomach.

Waiting.

Waiting for her.

Nesta.

She had only met the Orion a few days ago, during the feast in Odin’s Palace, but something about her had sunk its hooks into Niala’s chest. A spark? A pull? A current of something she couldn’t quite name? Whatever it was, she needed to understand it.

The seconds stretched into eternities. Each tick of time crawled, slow and agonizing. Every footstep echoing down the corridor sent a jolt through her body. She turned, breath catching in her throat—only to see a passing officer or a crewmember she didn’t care about right now. The rush of hope, the quick sting of disappointment—it was a cycle she couldn’t break, a torturous game she hadn’t realized she was playing.

She ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it. Did she look okay? She adjusted the hem of her uniform jacket, then immediately tugged at her sleeves. Was this stupid? Was she making too big a deal out of this?

This was new. Terrifying. Exciting.

‘Fun… right?‘

More footsteps. Closer. Steady.

Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might bruise her ribs. She swallowed against the tightness in her throat, bracing herself.

She turned.

And there she was.

Nesta’s emerald skin almost glowed under the dim corridor lights, and those striking eyes locked onto Niala’s like a gravitational pull. She looked so effortlessly confident, so breathtaking, and suddenly Niala was very aware of how ridiculous she must seem, standing there like an overeager cadet.

Her mouth went dry.

Her stomach flipped.

Her hands twitched at her sides.

‘Say something. Anything.’

“This is stupid. What am I doing?”

And yet, all that escaped her lips was—

“Hey.”

Nesta had stopped walking and found herself just standing next to the table where Niala sat.  Their eyes were still locked on each other and she quickly noted the nerves that were evident in Niala’s behavior. Nesta had not been nervous but she was now found herself swallowing hard attempting to calm the nauseous sensation forming in her stomach. She balled her right fist together quickly and released it in order to calm her nerves.

Nesta offered Niala a warm smile. She had not looked forward to something this much in a long time. No matter what happened, she would make a friend here and that mattered more than anything to her.

“Hi,” Nesta said as she sat in the chair across from Niala. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.” She took a second a checked the time. “How long have you been here? I am a few minutes early myself.” Nesta said through a knowing smile. She found herself locking eyes with Niala again. There was something about her that kept her from looking away. She was intrigued and she had to know more about this woman.

Niala let out a small chuckle, the sound lighter than she intended.

“No, not that long. Just a little,” she said, the words slipping out almost on instinct.

Her tongue felt clumsy, like it wasn’t entirely hers. Normally, responses came sharp and easy—quick wit, fiery comebacks, never a second thought. But now? Now, the usual certainty felt just out of reach, like grasping at smoke.

Nesta’s gaze warmed her skin. A slow heat crept up her neck, settling in her cheeks.

Blushing? She was blushing? That never happened.

‘Take charge. Act normal. Just say something.’ Niala’s mind raced, her mouth moving before her brain could catch up.

“Are you familiar with Earth’s history?” The words spilled out in a rush, almost too fast, and she immediately regretted how eager they sounded.

Nesta’s eyebrows shot up in reaction to the question she just heard. She understood being nervous. She herself had spent five minutes pacing back and forth outside the door before finally entering. But Niala being nervous was cute. She didn’t know how else to describe it.

“I’m afraid I’m not very familiar with Earth’s History,” Nesta said while chuckling. “I only know what I need to know and I guess what everyone else knows.”

She leaned in close enough to Niala that she could now feel her breath against her skin. She had only meant for the gesture to help calm some of Niala’s nerves but it had wuite the opposite effect. Warmth spread throughout her cheeks and worked it’s way everywhere. The sensation only emboldened Nesta more.

“There must be something else you’d rather talk about but I’m willing to listen to you talk about anything,” Nesta reached out and grabbed Niala’s hand while she spoke.

Nesta rested their entwined hands against the table and offered Niala a smile. Hopefully, she hadn’t overstepped but she didnt want to have any regrets.

Nesta’s touch was a whisper against Niala’s skin, softer than she expected. A quiet warmth spread through her, steadying the nervous energy humming beneath the surface. Without thinking, her fingers curled around Nesta’s, holding on—not tightly, but just enough. Just long enough.

She lifted her head, meeting Nesta’s gaze with a slow, easy smile. A chuckle escaped her, the sound breaking the quiet tension.

“Don’t worry, I don’t either,” she said, the words tumbling out with a breath of laughter. “I was just in this holodeck program the other day—some ancient place on Earth, Italy, I think? It was beautiful. I figured we could take a stroll there, or, I don’t know—fight off some guards to let off steam. Either works.”

Her grip on Nesta’s hand shifted slightly, not pulling away, just anchoring herself in the moment. Her voice softened. “But honestly… there’s a lot I’d rather talk about. Like how you ended up here, on the Valkyrie.”

Nesta let out a small laugh. “Well, that is quite the story and a rather long one I’m afraid. The shortest version is that I worked for my brothers and couldn’t quite live up to their expectations. I had to get away from them and ran into one of your fellow crew members who brought me here. I’d probably be dead otherwise so I owe this ship and it’s crew a lot. Obviously, there’s more to it than that but I don’t want to drag the conversation down with my mess. I’m glad to be here on the ship and even happier to be sitting here with you.” Nesta smiled bigger and then looked down in slight embarrassment.

Niala leaned in slightly, catching the hint of embarrassment in Nesta’s eyes—a brief flicker that softened her own expression. The air around them seemed to shift, the tension palpable. She smiled, a gentle curve of her lips, and let a quiet moment linger between them, her gaze steady.

“Don’t worry,” Niala said, her voice calm, but warm. She held Nesta’s eyes, not looking away. “We have time. You won’t drag anything down.”

There was a flicker of something in her chest as she spoke, a sudden certainty she hadn’t expected. Her fingers, almost without thought, brushed the back of Nesta’s hand, a light touch, barely enough to be noticed, but enough to communicate something unspoken.

“I think you’re the most interesting person on this ship,” Niala continued, her words flowing naturally now, as though she were stating an undeniable fact. “And I’m really glad to be sitting here with you too.”

Her smile lingered, not rushing to fade, as if she were giving both of them time to breathe, to let the moment settle.

Nesta held Niala’s gaze and smiled back. She wasn’t sure how Niala would react to hearing every part of past but she found herself eager to want to tell her. For the first time, she had the desire to speak to someone about everything in life and it wasn’t her brother. She took a deep breath to steady herself and then spoke.

“Well, I guess the best place to start with is that me and my brothers were criminals. Actually, they still are but I managed to get away. I want my life to take a different path though,” she said speaking through a smile. “The rest is going to take a while so I hope you’re prepared to stay a while.”