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Ever since the Archon's fall, it seemed like Ritika's free time had expanded. Sure, there was still plenty to do as Pathfinder—continued alien relations, planet exploration, preparing for another possible Kett invasion, etc. However, sharing the load with her sisters helped and the overall calmed atmosphere throughout Andromeda made their tasks less pressing. It left a vague, silly feeling inside the dark-skinned woman whenever she did common chores, even more so when Jaal watched her do them.
"Yes?" Riti asked. Her gold gaze rose from the clothes she folded on her bed towards Jaal.
The mauve Angaran shifted in his chair on the bed's other side then returned to the dismantled gun whose parts he cleaned. "I didn't say anything," he told her.
Riti snorted. "You don't need to speak to say something. Out with it."
"I was just thinking."
"About?"
"How much I enjoy watching you."
God, what a sap. Riti rolled her eyes yet smiled, unable to deny how her stomach fluttered. "Whoever thought that one day we'd be leisurely doing mundane things together?"
"Exactly." Jaal lifted his scope to his eye. "I was born into war. I never imagined what it would be like to just...live."
"With an alien, at that." The Pathfinder sent a wink at her Angaran lover, although she doubted he saw it. He hummed, focused on some misaligned calibrations with the scope's sights. "We're finally settling," Riti added. "Even my sisters. It's a good feeling."
"Naturally; they're your family."
"Family doesn't necessarily mean parents and siblings like each other. Especially on Earth. There are a lot of broken ties and"—Riti cringed—"awful people. Betrayal. Hatred. Abuse."
"Abuse?"
Riti inhaled slowly to force away memories of a snide redhead.
"Ritika?" Jaal's Havarl accent rolled his 'R' and prompted his lover to fidget.
"The Angara are more united than I fear the human race will ever be," Riti said. She piled another load of laundry on her bed, even though the clothes below it hadn't been folded yet. "Take Taviint, Baranjj, and Lathou, for instance. You forgave them so easily. With open arms."
"Would you not have?"
"Humans are famous for holding grudges."
"I didn't ask about humans. I asked about you."
Riti tossed several underwears into a separate pile with a huff. "Maybe? I'm not sure. I—I know I'd be hurt. Sad. Angry. Frustrated."
"You think I wasn't?" Jaal's tone adopted an edge that lowered his gun and Ritika's gaze.
"No, I know you were. That's why I think it makes you a better person. Hell, being able to handle eight siblings alone makes you a saint."
"What is a 'saint'?"
"Just a remarkable person."
Jaal raised an eye ridge. "There's hardly anything remarkable about me or my life. I'm one of many who served in the Resistance, and my family is small, comparatively. Paaran Shie has fourteen brothers and sisters."
"Which is crazy."
"It's an average number."
"For Angara. How does a true mother stay sane? I get that she doesn't raise the kids on her own, but damn."
"It is a blessing to have so many children; I would be ecstatic if you gave me as many."
A sudden silence fell over the Pathfinder Quarters. The smile that had begun to bud over the woman's face died, her hands shaky as she folded some pants. Jaal's eyes spoke volumes of his regret, but he didn't amend his statement. Instead, he preoccupied himself with assembling his weapon.
"Evfra is rare, isn't he?" Riti asked in a soft tone.
"How so?" Jaal countered.
"Angaran families are so big; it's almost impossible to have a child who would need to be adopted, huh?"
"Well...yes, usually."
Riti sighed and felt a pang of guilt when she recalled meeting Gil's best friend on Eos. Jill had asked if Riti intended to have children later on. She had said yes, and meant it, but feared she lacked the open-mindedness of Gil and Jill's co-parenting idea. She didn't want to carry another man's child or share that child with a second family. Besides, she'd feel awful if Jaal had to raise only humans.
'Maybe I'm just holding him back from what he deserves,' she thought, eyes prickling.
"Riti?"
"I'm late to meet my sisters. We need our girl time, ya know?"
"Rit—"
The Pathfinder stepped back. "It's okay. I'm okay. I'll see you later."
When Ritika turned, Jaal's wounded look lingered in her mind. She had no intention of continuing the conversation, though; she'd much rather forget it at the bottom of a shot glass.