They waited for a while, until eventually an identical pod glided to a stop. Helix embarked first and settled, less agitated about the journey now that he knew what to expect. When Qalu settled next to him, he didn’t tense or recoil. She had proven she would never willfully violate his boundaries, so he did not fear her proximity. In fact, part of him even relished it because he could feel her ambient warmth and breathe in secret gulps of her perfumed skin.

“Did you enjoy the trip?”

“Very much. Are there other museums we could visit?”

“Many. There’s the classical art museum, the science museum, and a number of specialty archives you might be interested in. Peruse the listings when we get home and choose your favorites. Tell me where you’d like to go, and I’ll accompany you.”

Stunned, Helix could only stare at her for long moments. “Simply…make a list. Of my wishes. And you will fulfil them.”

“It’s not difficult,” Qalu said, seeming bewildered. “Public transport carries a nominal cost and cultural activities are included in our annual citizen’s tariff. The only real outlay is time, and I greatly enjoy spending mine with you.”

“Truly, I don’t understand. This seems…and you seem…too good to be true. Before, I believed this was a dream, and I wanted nothing more than to awaken.”

“And now?”

“I’m afraid I will. I fear that I will awaken, and I’ll be alone, drifting in a derelict ship with a broken mechanical avatar and no hope of being salvaged.”

“Helix…” She breathed his name, and the sound shivered through him, all sweetness. Never had his name sounded so lovely, or so warm. Qalu went on, “We comfort one another through touch, but I don’t know if that intent will translate for you. May I try? If you don’t like it, I will desist at once.”

“Yes,” he said.

To Qalu it felt as if Helix had given her the world.

She set a forelimb carefully on his chest, not directly on his skin, and she tapped lightly in rhythm with his pulse, a comforting tympany offered to represent two hearts beating as one. He didn’t pull away, only sat quiet as she completed the gesture. When she drew back, he let out a breath.

“How was it?” she asked.

“I feel calmer now. It was a…gentle feeling.”

Relief spilled through her. So much of his transition was unknown, and there was no one she could ask. Even on Tiralan, her work was ahead of everyone else’s; she was the expert in this field, and she had no research to guide her. Each step they took together was one into the unknown.