As soon as Aeva noticed Asher had grabbed the cards she stopped her pointless rummaging, re-securing the door to the little maintenance hatch. Instead, she strolled over to the couch, plunking herself down before staring at Asher, palm supporting her chin.
"I\m sorry you ended up having to give her away," Aeva said softly, her eyes dropping slightly and a sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "There's a lot to love about being an Explorer. You're going to see and do things that no other person in the entire universe ever will. It's remarkable. But it comes with its costs, and they can be just as pronounced as the benefits. Outside of the danger, one of the biggest costs are personal connections back home. It can be hard to make and maintain meaningful relationships when you're out in the wider universe for months at a time, with no form of contact."
Seeming to realize what should have been a simple comment had turned into a long ramble instead, Aeva lifted her eyes again and let out a slightly forced but still cheerful chuckle.
"But I'm sure that First Men's inundated you with all the horror stories already. No need for me to repeat them." She paused, glancing at the stack of cards. "Come. Show me a game. As I said, I'm a complete novice to card games, other than Go Fish. I know poker exists, but don't think gambling would be my strong suit. I'll leave it up to you to pick something fun."
"I\m sorry you ended up having to give her away," Aeva said softly, her eyes dropping slightly and a sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "There's a lot to love about being an Explorer. You're going to see and do things that no other person in the entire universe ever will. It's remarkable. But it comes with its costs, and they can be just as pronounced as the benefits. Outside of the danger, one of the biggest costs are personal connections back home. It can be hard to make and maintain meaningful relationships when you're out in the wider universe for months at a time, with no form of contact."
Seeming to realize what should have been a simple comment had turned into a long ramble instead, Aeva lifted her eyes again and let out a slightly forced but still cheerful chuckle.
"But I'm sure that First Men's inundated you with all the horror stories already. No need for me to repeat them." She paused, glancing at the stack of cards. "Come. Show me a game. As I said, I'm a complete novice to card games, other than Go Fish. I know poker exists, but don't think gambling would be my strong suit. I'll leave it up to you to pick something fun."