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Vetra didn’t really care for Havarl, if she was honest.
There was just too much. Too much pollen, floating heavy on the breeze, sticking to her cheeks and plates and fringe. Static, maybe, that made it cling so securely. The air itself made the skin on her neck prickle. She always needed a good long shower after Havarl.
And too many weird plants. In a cluster filled with weird plants, Havarl really went nuts with it, vines and tendrils vomiting out of the ground uncontrollably. She thought one of them bit her once, but it was dim in the shadows and maybe it was one of those bug things instead.
The bug things! Hordes of them. And if it wasn’t the bugs, it was the things that ate the bugs, the cloaking lizard things and the bigger lizard things and the biggest lizard thing.
But Ryder didn’t seem bothered by any of it. Vetra couldn’t figure it out. She’d pause midway through a jump-jet up a Remnant monolith to peer at something growing in the cracks. “Look,” she’d crow, “check out its bioluminescence!” And Vetra would peer in at it indulgently, and would be forced to admit that okay, maybe the subtle blue-green glow, diffuse and gentle, emanating from the little crevice mushrooms was kind of nice.
There were other times Ryder noticed the strange things, the odd stuff lurking at the periphery of their missions and scouting trips. At first Vetra chalked it up to the SAM AI. She supposed he was whispering things into her brain, telling her what to check out. Occasionally that was true, but more often than not it was just Ryder, laughing as she held out a beetle the size of her fist that glittered like a jewel, or staring up at the undulating creatures they’d dubbed dragons.
Havarl wasn’t the only place there was a little too much. Vetra noticed with faintly pleased surprise the comments that were scattered here and there back on the ship, paired with a smile, or a wink, or Ryder’s cheeks changing color to pink or red. Ryder was a flirt. Vetra had worked with flirts a million times before. Sometimes they made a job more interesting. But they weren’t usually this persistent.
Vetra noticed other things, too. Ryder’s soft hair was fascinating. The way it caught the light, or tangled a little around her ears, or shook when she laughed; Vetra caught herself staring sometimes. She also couldn’t help but notice just how small Ryder was. Humans were almost always shorter than she was, but somehow with Ryder it was… charming. The same way the little detours that had once annoyed Vetra slowly became charming, too.
Havarl again. Camp around a little station far from the Tempest, a too-small meal of dextro rations, Jaal scouting ahead to ensure the area was safe. Ryder was at the edge of camp, at the shore of a small pool sheltered by giant drowsing plants. Vetra blinked in the dim light. It was never quite bright enough here, even at noon, and in the twilight, she could just make out Ryder sitting down on a flat rock beside the water and pulling off her boots.
“Are you crazy?” Vetra murmured, sitting down beside her.
“Are you?” Ryder laughed. “What’s the big deal? SAM said it should be fine. I just want to dip my toes in.”
“Not worried about a mutant jungle water snake? You never know with this place,” said Vetra.
Ryder finished pulling off her boots, and stripped off the cloth covering her feet. Vetra was startled. Human toes were so short, she’d had no idea.
“Ah, there’s that pessimistic charm I like so much,” said Ryder. “Well, if something eats my toes, I’ll know to be more careful next time.” She eased her feet into the water and sighed. “Oh, Vetra, this feels wonderful. It’s not exactly a hot spring, but it’s so relaxing.”
“I’ll let you try it first,” said Vetra. She chuckled. “Are all Pathfinders this adventurous?”
“I don’t know,” said Ryder. “Maybe just me.” She swished her feet back and forth in the water. The water glittered beneath the night sky, the reflected starlight shimmering on the water’s surface. “I just want to know all of it. Try all of it. I know this place gets a little crazy sometimes, and I know it’s not your favorite, but… I like sharing things with you. You always take the time to hear me out.”
“You’re passionate about this stuff. I get it,” said Vetra. She watched Ryder, watched the starry water swirling around her shins. “I like it.”
“Hm,” said Ryder, and nudged her with a small shoulder.
“Hm,” said Vetra, and nudged back, more with her elbow than her shoulder, given how much she towered over Ryder. Their arms stayed touching, and even though it was only through their armor, it was enough for Vetra to take a deep breath.
The air smelled sweet, almost perfumed from the leaves of the drowsing plants. A light breeze made her shiver.
Vetra looked up at the stars; Heleus was so bright against the dim blue of a Havarl twilight. She glanced back to the water, the stars scattered against its surface in blue and gold and white.
“Well,” said Vetra presently, “if you need me for more Havarl missions, you let me know.” She nudged again, leaning against Ryder. “I’ve got your back. And maybe it’s not so bad here.”
“The company’s good, anyway,” said Ryder, and Vetra could just make out her smile in the starlight.