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Chapter Text

Regret.

It hits her when she watches her friends throw their collegiate caps up in the air in a coordinated motion of youthful glee. An ominous feeling of watching a train go off its tracks at the end of the road. A solid dullness pressed against her heart, heavy with sorrow and dread. Drowning the happiness she should feel right now.

Long gone were the restless nights of burning compound interest tables against her retinas. Endless days of market analysis, after-class debate, and presentations. Suits and ties that would cut her circulation, old men that gazed unscrupulously behind thick glasses, internships that would devour the little interest she had in her field of study.

Professors that would be understanding but demanding. Classmates that would be competitive one moment, and friendly the next. Great leaders, from all walks of life, and some of them didn't look at her like that.

Like she was a Rembran.

Like she had her future engraved in stone before she was born. A well-paying cushy corporate job, a timely rise through the ranks of bureaucracy; not too soon to protest nepotism, not too late to stop being a valuable asset.

But by the time they were seniors, all of them knew.

Of course they knew her, the Rembran firm had been a staple in the investment banking world for the last 20 years.

What are you doing after you graduate?  she never faced that question, her friends just assumed she'd go into the path of less resistance. And it was fair obviously, but it hurt nonetheless.

It had been clear since the start that it didn't matter what she wanted.

Some nights, she'd lay awake on some stranger girl's bed considering she would rather have been literally anywhere else. Privilege be damned.  

And it felt good while it lasted, the friends, the frat parties, and the business clubs. The laughter, the drinking, the smoking, even the studying sometimes. She didn't doubt she'd keep in touch with some of her classmates from the Finance Concentration. With them, she even forgot that those 4 years were all but a faint relief.

And now it was all over.

The insipid feeling crept up her neck as she stood frozen, too overwhelmed to join in on the celebration. On the corner of her view, a black Cadillac approached the stage and stopped underneath the shade of a tree, her phone rang one time, and she crumpled the plane ticket shoved into the bottom of the robe's pocket.

Miorine hid her white mane under a beanie and a large hoodie, dreading the time she would have to take them off for the TSA check. Thankfully sunglasses were appropriate for this weather.

She opted for a carry-on suitcase and a trekking backpack, nothing too flashy, and just enough to hold her most precious belongings.

Blending in from the press was a survival skill developed after years of just existing as the only heir to an international conglomerate, her life wasn't as drama filled as the ones of young artists and awarded actors and actresses, but she had knocked elbows with enough celebrities in the New York sphere that the tabloids wouldn't mind some juicy gossip about her. Especially when her sexual orientation was already a topic of discussion.

Thankfully it hadn't crossed her father's mind to hide her passport. She had found it after searching frantically around her mess of a room for 15 minutes. Glancing at it, she realized that even Miorine Rembran, renowned heiress, wasn't immune to the curse of bad photographs on official documents.

She chuckled as she cleared the corner towards the Check-in.

The receptionist greeted her with a strange look after looking at her documents, one she'd caught before.

Oh no, please don't end this journey before it begins , Miorine lowered her glasses to confirm her identity to the agent and scrambled to tag her bags.

"Your plane ticket. Have a good trip", said the agent.

"Thank you", responded Miorine, with a perplexed look on her face. Her anxiety seemed to be following her everywhere these days. She sighed as she put her sunglasses back on. At least it was better than the worker recognizing her from a magazine as she feared.

But her stress didn't wane until the plane took off. Her bags were safely tucked away and her phone was disconnected from the network.

That was when she let her mind wander to strange faraway lands. She had been so hellbent on getting out that she didn't think about her destination. After all, a short stay with some distant relatives in the Old Continent was only temporary.

Maybe she could trek across Europe, that seemed like something most of her ex-classmates were interested in. But it was probably dangerous to go alone and she didn't know anyone who could accompany her on such short notice.

If she tried to sign up for a post-graduate degree anyplace relevant, she only risked herself to be found by her father. She wished she could be invisible to the machinations of the company, come and go as the wind, and be gone from a place before anyone could find her tracks.

A notice came through the microphone, she turned her head from the window and was welcomed by the bright screen of her seat, an elegantly dressed smiling lady in front of a tropical background giving instructions to passengers, while the attendants in the aisle showed seatbelts and pressure masks, after that the screen went through different photos of destinations she didn't recognize behind the company logo.

Asticassia Airlines.

That was it. She knew what she had to do.

Safety, Service, Smile.

She had to pull call some favors to get into the program at Asticassia but it was worth it from the start.

The first weeks of flight attendant training were more physically taxing than any of the prior eight semesters. Even worse given her experience with heels was limited to prancing around dinner halls and auctions, leagues apart from using a fire extinguisher that seemed to have a mind of its own.

The Grinch panel of instructors scolded her at the slightest mistake, and they didn't hesitate to get in her face if she forgot the right order of evacuation protocol. She would be hit on the head with a manual during the day and read it to sleep until she memorized each one of the chapters in the handbook.

And for the first time in months, years even, she smiled, from the toes of her feet to the crown of her head, she gleamed with giddiness as she was one of the crew, no different from the rest of the trainees. She walked through the hall surrounded by guys and girls her own age, and none of them even stopped to stare at her with more than a smile. It was exhilarating.

So, she cut her hair and stopped painting her nails as they were ever broken with the motions of training, she wore her heels everywhere until she developed callouses. She made diagrams of airplane parts in her spare time, she started doing yoga and she was just like any white girl living in a cardboard apartment in Center London. She even changed her documentation to list her mother's maiden name: Laurier.

And she felt as free as a breeze of Spring.

Somehow yelling commands at invisible passengers to get on a plastic raft did wonders for Miorine's stress. She was wearing a proud grin when Aliya hooked her arm on the way out of Asticassia Headquarters.

"Have you gotten assigned yet, Mio?", Aliya said, walking slowly towards the bus stop.

"Hmm? I'm waiting on that, but I did send in my priority list at the same time as yours so we should be getting them soon", commented Miorine.

"I'm excited, but I'm predicting that we'll end up on the same crew so let's do our best in the time that's left".

"You're too optimistic Aliya, it would have to be too much of a coincidence".

"Oh, but I do believe the universe will work in our favour. We are grabbing some drinks with the guys. You in?". The guys, Nuno and Ojelo were already at the bus stop. She grinned.

"Sure, as long as we don't stay up past your bedtime", said Mio.

"Says the girl who took a nap on the Uber", replied Aliya as she held her hand out to signal the bus.

"I was meditating", Miorine said as a smile cracked through her teeth.

"If you say so, Mio", replied Aliya.

That night, after leaving the guys at the subway station and accompanying Aliya to her apartment building, she thought about what she had lost in moving to Europe and starting from scratch, and she figured it was not a whole lot.

Chapter Text

"AST 608 to Munich, Asticassia Airlines. Currently boarding Group B. Priority and Gold passengers are welcome to board anytime. Please have your passport and boarding pass on hand".

The stars did align, just like Aliyah said. Miorine, her generation mates Lilique, Ojelo, Nuno and Aliyah herself were assigned to the crew of a two-year-old Boeing 787, and it seemed that each week the schedule had them go to a different destination and Miorine made sure she took in as much she could from each one. She picked up a couple sentences in German and Spanish after strolling around on her free afternoons, fortunately, the weather was nice enough to go out without an umbrella. 

Cabin work was surprisingly mundane compared to the daily simulations of training. She had even managed to get pair of company-issued low heels to use on the air. Medical emergencies were not commonplace but easily handled, the food trolley was not as heavy as the one in HQ, and even if she forgot something her crewmates were there to support her. The most they had to deal with were a couple of rowdy customers who had a couple of Martinis, and Nuno had gracefully offered to deal with them after they chewed out Lilique.

They would have flight schedules decided at least a week in advance, would stay in subsidized hotel rooms, and sometimes would go out as a group. With enough downtime to rest and recuperate in her apartment in Amsterdam, she was surprised no passengers had recognized her yet. Either they kept it to themselves or no one really gave a shit about her anymore, since she wasn't branding her name for the world to see. Regardless, she would enjoy the peace while it lasted.

As they got accustomed to life on the clouds, Miorine found herself at odds with the captain, Guel Jeturk. He seemed to be friendly with the crew in general, perhaps a little annoying to his brother Lauda, the flight engineer, but recently, his behavior had changed towards her.

After hours, or whenever they would drop down at a new bar on a different corner of the world, Guel would sit uncomfortably close, offering her drinks and talking over her. Every. Damn. Time. Miorine decided to ignore him as she couldn't risk her job, and she was sure she couldn't look more disinterested, but somehow, the guy seemed to try even harder, leaving notes at the company hotel under her door to one day finding unintelligible messages from an unknown number on her personal phone, that she immediately blocked. Whoever decided to give leak her personal number was going to have a piece of her.

But one day after months of flying across the Mediterranean, Guel himself gave her the best gift he couldn't have predicted. The crew was relaxing at the company lounges before a flight from Athens to Munich. Miorine relaxed in the company of her crewmates, putting her feet up on a loveseat as they awaited new orders from the airline. It seemed that they found a permanent replacement for the previous First Officer, who had transferred out recently. Lilique, Felsi and Petra seemed excited to meet the new prospect, but she hadn't found the interest to listen to the briefing, preferring to sit it out as she fell half asleep on the lounge.

But Guel couldn't stop bouncing in his seat. So at the ushering of his brother, Guel went to greet the new First Officer. Miorine closed her eyes, breathing out a sigh she didn't know she had been holding, it was probably only the calm before the storm. She could only wish the new First Officer wasn't as much of a pig as their pilot, one Guel was enough to keep her from letting down her guard.

Miorine was on her way to the land of Morpheus, chit-chatter blurring in the background when a piercing ring broke her slumber. It was Lauda's work phone.

"Guel is on his way with Miss Mercury. Everyone look sharp! Or at least look alive. I'm talking to you Miorine", he commented. 

Wait, Miss Mercury?

Miorine rose up, stretched, and followed the team to a wider waiting area outside the lounge. On her way out Lilique ordered a few strands of Miorine's pale hair behind her ear, ponytail already past her shoulders again.

"I think you'll like this one", Lilique said with a genuine smile, which left Mio confused.

"I hope so, it's the first new crewmate we have since December, and that one didn't even do well enough to stay". Even if some people believed she was a bit harsh with her crewmates - or in the words of the previous FO, a bitch - it was because she loved her job, today she just felt a little under the weather, for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that she had read a speculative piece on the recent disappearance of her father from the public communications of the Rembran firm, which obviously came with a paragraph questioning her whereabouts since she dropped off the grid after her graduation in May.

Aliya elbowed her square on the gut to bring her out of her somnolence - damn Aliya and her Karate class - and Nuno signaled to the entrance towards a peculiar scene.

Guel was at the airline counter, he talked briefly with a strange woman in a white suit, and What is that? A helmet?. Before being let into the hall by a representative. A figure following closely behind, Miorine had to strain her eyes to see a red fluffy mane behind Guel, who seemed to be talking by himself.

When they were closer, she saw the new arrival clearly. And gaped.

Tall, tan, and handsome. The girl checked boxes Miorine didn't even know existed. She grasped sheepishly at her ivory hat with shyness reminiscent of a Great Dane. The tailoring on her suit didn't do justice to the broadness of her shoulders and the curve of her waist. She stood - more like cowered - with a hunched back in tandem with her distracted look and slight blush underneath her glistening cirulean eyes.

She almost seemed to hide behind Guel, clinging to his sleeve in a disrespectful fashion. She wasn't helped by the fact that they were almost the same height, and her sleek gold and black getup claimed attention to herself more than she could deflect. Then it all clicked for Miorine.

A pilot.

The new first officer.

Miss Mercury.

Her last name seemed out of a fairy tale, but she turned out to be a daydream Miorine didn't want to wake up from.

A raging blush threatened to tint her cheeks to the color of her favorite vegetable, she stood straight and tried to calm her breath. She averted her gaze, but not before Lilique could sneak a glance at her blazing face. Lilique met her eyes with a suspicious smirk, and Miorine furrowed her brows, her crazed heart beating louder and louder. 

"Guys, this is Suletta Mercury, she has 4000 hours in cargo flights, but this is her first passenger flight", said Guel with his permanent grin. "She was my junior at Bootcamp, who could have known we'd end up on the same team", and with those words, Guel gave the frightened girl a light shove to put her in front of the crew.

"H-H-Hi, m-m-m-my name is Suletta M-Mercury. N-Nice to meet you!", she practically yelled, with her eyes closed, doing a little bow. 

Was she stuttering?

Miorine scrunched her face at the dichotomy, how an idiot with no self-awareness managed to get such an important job at an international airline, she didn't know. She just hoped she wouldn't develop a crush on the bumbling mess of a girl who was currently introducing herself to her coworkers.

The Suletta girl learned the names of all the cabin crew, greeting them with a tiny smile, and seemed to be unwinding a little bit, at least until she reached Miorine.

"And this is Miorine Laurier, but we just call her Mio since she's picky about her full name", claimed one of her crewmates, unabashedly.

"Ojelo, you're on thin ice", Miorine scowled at her friend, but he seemed unamused.

"And you need to break the ice, doll", he replied. Aliya suppressed a snort.

Miorine held her hand for the taller girl, praying it wasn't too sweaty, Suletta shook it energetically.

The girl's bigger hand fit like it was made to hold hers. "Nice to make your acquaintance", Miorine said.

"It's good to meet you too, MioMio", she other responded, Miorine's eyes widened, and the collective crew took a step back.

"HAAAAaaa-", Miorine growled. "Just what is that name?".

"Excuse m-me", the redhead retreated as if Mio had slapped her.

"Just Miorine is fine, thank you. I manage cabin comms, so if you hear anyone on the intercom it's probably me. Which also means I need to deal with this geezer", Mio said, pointing at the pilot beside her.

"Don't cut yourself on that edge, Miorine. And you - ", Guel threw a hand over Suletta's shoulder, and she seemed to make herself impossibly smaller. Miorine winced "- be careful with this one. Her claws may be sharp but she doesn't bite. I can tell you from experience", he failed to whisper.

Miorine settled for calling him a creep under her breath. Had he been a prospective business partner she would have made sure to throw his house into bankruptcy but now she couldn't do anything but exercise her steely gaze over him.

"Oooh, scary", said the redhead, having freed herself from Guel's half embrace. She covered her mouth with a hand after realizing what she had said and Miorine immediately dropped her death stare.

"As he said, I don't bite, as long as you don't earn it", Miorine said, turning around, preferring to stand over where Lilique was. Way to make a first impression.

In her rage, she failed to see the way Suletta's jaw had dropped unto the floor.

"Miorine, you can take your eyes off the FO, I swear nothing will happen to her when you're not looking", Tilly said. He and Miorine were standing against the polished ochre of a bar, colorful cocktails in hand, while the rest of their friends surrounded the new pilot filling a corner of the pub. All of them were a couple drinks down, which was usually a good time but today Miorine just couldn't loosen up.

"She just looks so awkward... I can't believe she went to BMT with Guel and survived", she spoke, ignoring Tilly's suggestion, her eyes glued to the girl like she didn't want to look anywhere else.

"Maybe he was different back then", he said.

"Weren't we all?", responded Mio.

"Yes, but most of us didn't get a full ride to a liberal arts school", replied Tilly, with no malice, just a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"First of all, it was an Econ degree in a business school. And second, how is your mom? Is she out of the hospital yet?", asked Mio.

Tilly sighed. "Yes, but she is not out of the woods yet and I had to hire a nurse to take care of her while I work. Worse is that dad's insurance money is running out".

"I'm sure it will work out. Is she on disability?".

"I sent all the documents but they haven't reached back yet".

She noticed a figure moving from the corner and was surprised to see Suletta watching her. The girl stood up and tried to push her way around the crown towards the bar, Miorine glanced at the way Suletta's shoulders moved as she shuffled. Halfway through she was stopped by a patron who tended her a drink, but she refused it.

"Hey guys, it is really lively here but I'm going to head back to the hotel", Suletta said when she was within audible range of her friends.

"So soon? This celebration is for you, after all", said Tilly with a small grin. But the rest of the group looked like they were having a merry time blending in with other tourists.

"You'll all live. I'm just too excited about tomorrow", replied Suletta with a shine in her eyes.

"What do you have in mind?", asked Miorine. She normally would go on afternoon walks, but maybe it was time to switch things around.

"I'm going take a walk through the Old Town and see a couple of the museums after. We report at 1600, right?", asked the redhead.

"Yup, but most of these animals are going to be too hammered to do anything but brunch before that", said Tilly, signaling the bartender for their tab.

"Are they always like this?", she asked.

"Nope, this is a special day after all, and this part of Munich is safe. Most times everyone behaves, leaving Guel and Lilique. But Lauda always ends up hauling their asses back to the hotel when they don't", Mio replied.

"Lauda is the Mom friend", clarified Tilly, Miorine passed him her credit card.

"Last time we had a substitute FE, Guel ended up swimming in the Thymes", said Miorine, looking at her phone.

"What a sight to behold", said Tilly as he passed her a receipt.

"For some reason, I am not surprised that Mr Guel would do that", Suletta said.

"Do you have all your things Suletta?".

"Y-Yeah, I didn't b-bring anything else".

"Then we can go".

"W-w-where?"

"The Uber is just around the corner".

Miorine didn't wait for the girl to answer, instead, she took her hand and walked through the tightly packed space. Suletta's hand was soft, a source of warmth against the chilly atmosphere, and Miorine was thankful she didn't let go as they reached the outside, which was even colder.

So they waited, hand in hand, for a blue Fiat to arrive at the curb.

"M-Mio, you didn't have t-to. I'll pay you back", said Suletta as she entered the car.

"No way, I'm going with you", Mio responded as she closed the car door behind her.

"H-huh?". The car engine rumbled and Miorine lowered her window, it was too hot, even if their hands weren't joined anymore.

"You are not the only one who wants to take an early walk through the city", Miorine said.

"O-oh", Suletta furrowed her brow in contemplation. "W-wait, d-d-does it mean that... you w-want t-to go with me?".

"I never said that", Miorine couldn't meet her eyes, the combination of gorgeous cerulean and two Daiquiris would make her want to spill all her secrets out. "But I wouldn't be opposed either".

"Great, it's a d-d-d-d-d", watching Suletta short-circuit in real time was more amusing than she expected, "d-d-day t-to look forward to, I'm s-sure it will be fun".

"Don't get ahead of yourself, we don't know what the weather will be tomorrow". She muttered an "idiot" under her breath, but this time she didn't look away, but at their hands on the car seat, so close yet so far at the same time.

Miorine was drying her hair with a towel, having freshly changed into her nightwear. The others hadn't arrived yet so she assumed they had found something else to do, sometimes they would stay out until dawn. She crossed the hall and looked around. The company had labeled their doors so it wasn't hard to find which one was Suletta's, she was rooming with Aliya for the night. She knocked hoping the redhead hadn't fallen asleep yet, and the door opened.

"Suletta, I was wondering if-".

And she was greeted with a sight that made her almost drop her phone. It was Suletta, fresh out of a bath, still wrapped around a towel that reached from her torso to her knees, leaving her collarbone, shoulders, and arms exposed. Her hair was damp and clinging to her nape. Miorine could see small droplets of water fall to her clavicle and disappear behind the towel.

She stared, for what felt like a solid minute, and Suletta stared back, before noticing her own state of undress, cheeks burning, and hurriedly closing the door in Miorine's face. "S-s-sorry!", said the taller girl from the other side. "I'm g-gonna get dressed".

"Wait. I just wanted to ask, what time are you coming down tomorrow. Hotel breakfast begins at 8:30", said Miorine, struggling to dissipate the afterimage from her eyes.

"I'll b-be down b-by 9 then", the door replied.

"See you at 9", and she was about to turn back to her room before she heard something, almost a whisper.

"M-m-miorine", murmured Suletta.

"Yes?", she responded.

"G-good night".

"Oh, good night to you too".

"S-see you tomorrow".

"Of course".

That night, Miorine tossed and turned, and time after time sleep eluded her, and maybe it had to do with the fact that every minute of it was spent thinking about turquoise eyes and bronze skin. When sleep finally got to her she dreamed in hues of cyan and crimson. And at that moment, deep inside where she held her heart torn by a thousand vines, one by one, she let them slip away.

Chapter Text

Suletta put on a cardigan over her striped shirt and denim overalls. 

It was 8°C outside, cold enough to warrant the wool, but it didn't rain much at this time of year, or at least it wasn't supposed to. She twirled the hairs of her fringe. Did this cardigan even go with these boots? Granted, they were the only piece of insulated footwear that fit inside her carry-on, but still. Maybe she should have thought about putting together some outfits instead of throwing random pieces of clothing into her luggage.

8:50 AM, she was overthinking.

She decided to poke Aliya in the cheek a couple times. Her friends had arrived in the early hours of dawn and Aliya had face-planted the pillow with her clothes still on. Suletta reasoned she wouldn't be up for another couple of hours and decided to throw another blanket over her and head down.

She struggled down the stairs like a newborn fawn and found Miorine already at the buffet. Nervously hiding behind a lunging chair, she didn't notice her bright red mane had already alerted the other girl.

"Suletta? Are you having the French Toast? It's really good", her crewmate approached, tray on hand. Miorine was wearing a turtleneck under a short straight dress and patterned tights. She looked stunning and Suletta realized her crewmate's makeup was on point on and off the plane. Her long white lashes hid a pair of glimmering orbs that she wanted to get lost in.

"So?", said Miorine, a slight frown of impatience clouding her face.

"Huh? O-oh. Maybe I'll try it", responded Suletta, hesitation clear in her voice. It had taken her a solid 5 seconds to shake herself from the trance of Miorine's eyes.

"Sure, I'll wait for you at the table", Miorine said, walking away from her.

The French Toast was great, actually. There was no way Miorine would be wrong in the first place. Suletta made sure to grab her compact umbrella before they exited the building (just in case). Miorine arrived with a couple of city maps from the reception and on their way out she talked about what places she had been to and the ones she still wanted to visit. Suletta gave her some opinions and suggested a route around town that would get them through some of the important locations: statues, churches, museums, and all the historical buildings that Miorine had pointed out.

As they walked around the Old Town and visited every shop that caught their (mostly Suletta's) interest - a Bratwurst post, the installations at the MUCA, and a theme store (where she bought Miorine a tiny beer keychain) - Suletta explained a couple things.

She was one year older than her at 25 and had wanted to be a pilot since she was 4 and her father had taken her on her first flight. They moved to Germany when she was 6 and her father was no longer in the picture. Miorine failed to conceal a sad frown at this information but she refrained from asking questions, which Suletta was thankful for as she changed the subject.

Since then it had been her mom and her alone. Her mother owned a company that was doing really well and she was out of the house most of the time since she was 11. She spent her days after school watching old TV shows and playing a Flight Simulator on her school PC.

She did Bootcamp - where she had met Guel - and Pilot School in Hannover before joining a cargo company from Frankfurt. Her mother had suggested the job at Asticassia and surprisingly she had gotten it after her screening and a short interview based on her previous good reviews.

She wasn't into reading magazines and she only used social media to connect with friends from her hometown. Miorine asked her strange questions like if she had ever read American tabloids or how familiar she was with stockbroking, and she had responded no to each one, which was the truth but Miorine had nonetheless let out a sigh of relief after her responses. She didn't press the issue, recognizing it must be Miorine's touchy subject, but she did ask some questions back.

Miorine also had one custodial parent, her dad, who had moved to the US for work when she was young and she had finished a degree there.

"What did you study?", asked Suletta, holding a half-eaten pretzel. At some point during their walk, Miorine had almost gotten lost in the crowd and Suletta had taken her by the hand. It felt perfectly comfy and the shorter girl wasn't pulling away so she hadn't let go yet.

"Economy, but my father almost chose my major for me so I wasn't really into it", Miorine lied, Suletta had noticed her left brow would rise a little when she was telling an obvious lie, something she did occasionally with passengers. They walked leisurely through an avenue lined with tall gothic buildings and Miorine snapped a couple pictures. As Suletta was taller she made sure to match her pace to Miorine's speed. Even in heels, Miorine did not seem to get tired.

"So why didn't you do something else?", said Suletta as a matter of fact.

"The only way I could get him off my back was by completing my degree, and he wasn't gonna pay for anything outside the Business School", Miorine replied.

"He doesn't sound very nice", Suletta commented.

"He isn't", Mio said, stopping in front of a church to look inside from a distance.

"Are you happier now?", Suletta asked. Miorine snapped a picture of the inside and put her arm around the pilot's. Something inside Suletta's chest jumped once, twice but the grip around her was too strong to stop walking.

"I think so. It is definitely less stressful than college and being under my father's rules. My relatives from Amsterdam still support me, so it's not like I have no contact with my family", she said.

"That's great", said Suletta, defaulting to short answers while she prayed for her stomach to stop doing flips.

"It's good for a change. I don't really have to worry about associates and partners and ventures and planning things straight away. I get to visit new places and meet new people", Miorine said, looking straight into Suletta's eyes as she finished her sentence. Suletta couldn't hold her stare so she diverted her attention towards a particularly intricate fountain.

Why did she feel like this lately? It's like she got really nervous specifically around Miorine. She had adapted well with the rest of the crew and didn't get tongue-tied around ChuChu, Guel, or Lauda. But now she felt the symptoms of an ever-worsening ailment, her heart was racing, her ears burned and her stomach was upset, her hands trembled, and she had trouble concentrating. Maybe it wasn't a bright idea to get street food before a flight. But normally it wasn't like this, this lightheadedness and tension were only present around the silver-haired flight attendant and Suletta couldn't get to the bottom of it.

It was a visceral reaction and it was preventing her from surrendering her whole attention to Miorine.

After multiple photos, landmarks visited and some stories that Suletta told about visiting Munich with her mum when she wasn't as busy, they arrived back at the hotel in time to pack their bags and head to the airport. They separated with firm stares as they headed towards their separate rooms, knowing they'd meet again soon enough.

Fortunately for Miorine, her bunkmates were still feeling the consequences of last night and didn't pay attention to her skittish demeanor and flagrant getup. She retrieved her carry-on suitcase and laid down her uniform when Petra sat at the other end of the bed.

Too soon.

"Lilique, if I dressed like this any day. Where would you assume I was going?", she said, eyes trained on recent arrival.

"To get yourself a sugar daddy", said Felsi from her spot on the upper bunk bed. Petra opted for shooting Felsi a glare.

Lilique turned from her phone to look at what Miorine was wearing, and what wasn't so obvious. Heels of a considerable height to even the odds, subtle but flattering makeup, clothes that were elegant and complimented her figure. Matching colors, good contrast with Miorine's signature tights.

"I'd assume you'd be going on a date, but I don't think you'd be able to pull off Miorine's style anyway", Lilique stated.

"Rude", retorted Petra.

"It's less a style and more an attitude. Right Miorine? How did it go with the pilot? Did she sweep you off your feet yet?", asked Felsi.

"Fuck off, Felsi", Miorine took her uniform and left to change.

"See? Attitude", Felsi confirmed, glaring back at Petra.

"You went on a date? Mio", asked a more awake Lilique as Miorine exited the bathroom in her work attire.

"Not a date. Suletta knows the area, we happened to meet at the breakfast buffet", she replied.

"You went to eat breakfast all dressed up and  happened  to meet her there?", asked Felsi, having moved not a centimeter from her previous position.

"If I learned anything from my father is to be presentable at all times", scrambled Miorine.

"But you never learned how to lie, Mio", said Petra. "You were checking your hair a lot this morning, your pacing woke me up".

"Miorine, you know there's nothing to hide around us crew", said Lilique.

As much as Miorine resisted being interrogated, she couldn't deny that news spread like wildfire among the crew, and before she left a bad impression she'd make sure they understood her point.

Besides, she knew that Suletta would say something far more embarrassing than what she could muster at this moment.

"She's nice and better than the last FO we had. I just want to get to know her better", she declared.

...

A long silence filled the room.

Three faces turned towards her, pairs of eyes clinging onto her features as if she were a marble statue, forever immutable.

"Miorine being honest? Before hell freezes over?", noted Felsi.

"Wow, that’s actually the first time I’ve heard Miorine express feelings that aren’t anger or frustration", said Petra in a monotone voice. Miorine growled, there was just no end to the teasing when it was these two.

"Girls", said Lilique. The duo looked at each other and sunk back into the beds, unconcerned about the ever-looming hour.

Lilique patted down the spot next to her on the bed, if there were ever any remarks, Miorine could never say Lilique wasn't a good friend, so she sat down and looked at her crewmate's serene eyes.

"I appreciate that you're sharing with us, but I think you can still be a little more sincere with yourself", she finally said.

Miorine didn't reply, instead, she just sank in thought and raised her knees against her own chest. Maybe she ought to do just that, but her defenses were just raised a little too high when it came to emotionality, she felt she had only just begun to bring them down. After years of dealing with the grouch of her father, and looking up to him at the same time, she had even considered herself to be a little emotionless. 

When on cabin she was compliant but ruthless if the situation demanded so. Other employees had called her harsh before but she had considered it was just part of her personality, a temperament she had been born with and wasn't in a rush to ditch, especially around the classmates and seniors, and prospective business partners that looked at her like she was no more than a walking puppet, or worse, the first prize to get in a competition for her father's attention.

She hadn't even considered in all this time she could afford to be, maybe.

A little soft.

But that's what Suletta made her feel.

Like cotton candy, like air, like strawberries dipped in honey. Sticky and sweet. Like flying, like freedom, like falling. Everything at the same time, just a little too quickly.

Just a little too much.

As silent tears rolled down and blurred her makeup down her cheeks she felt herself being pulled into a warm hug, unexplained but calming. She let her chest compress into painful knots until she felt the air going into her lungs at a consistent pace.

And afterwards, the four of them went to the toilette where they did their makeup, Miorine for the second time. And asides from Petra humming a barely recognizable pop song, nobody said anything.

And everything was the same as ever.