"Aren't you glad I'm around?"

Neo hummed right beside her ear as he swung a closed capsule full of whatever 'punch' he swiped from the party on the main level of their dorm tower. His fingers clasped her shoulder as they half-walked, half waddled their way back to their dorm with all the grace of a pair of somewhat drunk penguins — not that she was drunk at all. Neo put up an impressive, but no less tipsy front as he stretched his fingers out and pressed his head against hers.

"I mean you didn't have to come down," he pointed out and tapped the body of the capsule against her chin, and she raised a hand to push it out of her face. "I think you wanted to entertain yourself with everyone acting—"

"Out of their minds — or in your case, out of your mind and off the walls?" Nova adjusted his arm around her neck. "Yes, it's hilarious. I watched Ty try a complicated dance maneuver and fall flat on his face — I guess that was enough for one party though. Come on." Music continued to sound throughout the sleek, straightforward halls. "I don't know what was more hilarious. Ty's dancing," she said with added air quotes as they came closer to their door, as she struggled to call Ty's flailing as dancing, "Or you not knowing your way around being flirted with. I heard the way Caera was trying to make the moves on you." Nova snorted.

Neo hummed again and swayed. "What?"

"Thank you for proving my point," Nova said with a scoff and nudged him into their dorm. "I didn't want you to party too hard. We have to get ready to leave for the transports tomorrow." She counted the seconds and her steps as she slipped her ID pod into the power slot.

"Caera was drunk," he answered, late to the conversation. "She wasn't flirting with me."

Nova tipped her head back in the weight of disbelief, where it rested against his arm. "Neo, she had her hands all over you. You can't be that oblivious." Nova motioned her hands up and down, and he squirmed though she didn't touch him. "She also said, and I quote, 'have you ever kissed anyone, Neo?' to which you answered, 'is that the thing where people squish faces?' and she laughed like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard even though I know you were being completely serious. It wasn't even that funny. I've heard you make better quips... maybe you are that oblivious."

Neo gripped onto her as if a sudden thought of terror slammed the brakes in his mind. "That reminds me of the time I found Mira kissing her girlfriend in the backshed, and when I stumbled on them, she chased me around the property and tried to kill me."

Neo followed the train of thought until it went off the rails. "Neo, didn't you also goad her into chasing you? Am I remembering the story correctly?"

"Yes — my point being," he drawled. "Caera wasn't flirting with me." He tapped her nose with a lopsided smile. "I know I'm no master at flirting but I like to think I observe enough that I know the absolute basics of it." He raised both fingers in punctuation. Nova sat him down on the couch and took the punch capsule from him before he got too excited when he needed sleep and without the added headache of the morning.

Back at his side as he brushed his finger against the flat remote, she scoffed. "I've got to hear this. Hit me with your best moves, Teimea."

Neo went wide-eyed. "I don't want to hit you."

"You know what I meant." Nova bumped his shoulder and grinned at him. "Come on, I want to hear it before we have to get up early tomorrow and head for the transports."

Neo brushed his chin with the tip of his fingers with a wry grin. His brow furrowed in deep thought as he tilted his face away from her. Nova sat against the arm of the couch. He's got to think about it? Her fingers dug into the seating when he turned back to her. He leaned closer, resting his arm across the back of the couch with what he must've thought was a winning smile. "So..." he drew out and sucked in his cheeks. "Come here often?"

Nova burst out into laughter at his attempt, then matched his lean. "'fraid I do, I live here," she mocked with a smile. "Hm, not that one." Hand in the air, she shook it in front of him. "Come here often, Neo? I live here."

"I've seen Ty use that one."

"How well does it work for him?"

Neo shrugged. "I don't know, I usually get my attention drawn elsewhere before I can observe the results of his one line hypothesis."

"Good to know it wouldn't work on you either." Nova chuckled. "Here I thought you were going to be the guy who got me a drink."

Neo blinked at her. "I asked if you wanted one and you said no."

First one to fly over his head. Nova snickered, and nodded at him when his eyes went wide in realization.

He pursed his lips and adjusted himself on the seat, setting one leg over the other to bounce it. "Hm, no, I preferred taking you out for coffee, because I like you a latte."

"I hate latte. Make my coffee black — like my heart."

"By the way, before I forget," Neo switched the conversation before she threw her cheesiest line at him to really throw him off and he rifled through his coat. He tugged out a small, cyan core. He pressed it between his thumb and forefinger, smiling at her. "I took the liberty of having an augment made of an anomaly scanner. It's a buffer for when we get to the space station and you get your hands on your droid." He held it out to her with a smile and a lopsided grin. "Actually, it was done a while ago but, I..." He pressed his fingers together when she took it into her hands. "When I remembered I was a little too busy and then I put it off but I got it. Finally." He avoided her gaze and dug his hands between his legs, and they stopped bouncing. "Probably should've done that sooner."

Nova held the little cyan star in her palm. "You had this made before my droid got chosen?"

"Yeah, what?" He shrugged at her. "I had the utmost confidence in you."

Nova stared at him, with his grey eyes wide in hope and faith. "Forget those dumb pick up lines, Neo, they've got nothing on this," she said and held the cyan star close. "Thanks, Neo, for believing in me." Cyan star out of her hands, she pulled him into a hug, where his free hand rested on her back. "We can share stupid pick up lines tomorrow. We should get some sleep," she said, letting him go and they stood up together. "We have to get up early."

"Right." He brought two fingers to his brow, then took a little spinning divot to head for his room. "Goodnight, Engineer Spacyn."

Nova grinned and resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the title. "Goodnight, Scientist Teimea," she teased, but jolted when he opened his door and time almost escaped with her words. "Don't take those sleeping capsules even if it's tempting. You're not going to have access to them on the space station."

He raised a finger with a quick nod and disappeared into his room. Nova sighed and went to bed. Sprawled across her sheets, she listened to the nightlife burst into stars. Outside her window lights danced in colourful clouds between the buildings. Ships took passengers to the tall casinos and high-end restaurant parties. Its deep hum lulled her into a sense of peace and accomplishment, and the howl of the wind coursed through the campus towers to add to the ambient, dulcet noise.

Morning came with an added vengeance, with nothing left within the dorm while she, Neo, and several other chosen interns were delivered to the transports by bullet train. Neo's struggle to keep his head into an upright position hurt her own neck, but she held her blueprints close and to see her dream realised. From arrival to being buckled into the seats of the transports, an overseer with a soldier by their side took their names while the door lifted with a hiss behind them. Neo sat beside her, resting his head back against the seat with his eyes closed. Several other faces she couldn't put names to at varying stages of sleepiness or full, anxious alertness.

"Departure — one minute," a smooth, collected voice sounded throughout the transport comms, all the way to them.

"Good," the overseer said and clapped for their attention, though Neo continued to stare into space while he tapped his pen against his seat in rhythmic beats. "For most of you, you've noted that this is your first time on a transport into deep space," he said, and Nova reached her hand out to stop Neo from creating added noise, and his fingers tightened around the pen. "You may experience dizziness, sudden fatigue, and FTL sickness. We have capsules to make the journey as smooth as possible for you. Do not hesitate to bring it up if you feel any oddities." He smacked the entrance into the other half of the transport. "Your destination is the B.H Supernova — you will have a briefing once on the space station, so listen carefully. Enjoy your flight." He bowed once before leaving through the door, and the lights within the transport dimmed and purred with the engines for lift off.

It's time.

Nova settled herself in the comfy foam seating which locked in her place, resting her knees against the squishy separator between seats. Her fingers found the panel to project articles and a small screen for programs, where the personal ear coverings slipped out of the headrest and readied herself for the journey by watching one last episode of her favourite ghost hunting show, though the transport rumbled her bones. Elbow against the arm rest while the episode played, and some of the new interns requested the capsules, she drifted her attention to Neo, who had snapped awake in a single moment.

Uneasy discomfort rolled across his brow as he twirled the pen between his fingers, drumming against his armrest and causing the other intern nearest him to give him an annoyed side eye, but no sharp words to stop him as they pressed the ear coverings against the sides of their head. Neo's entire body tensed, poised for a need to leap while he went from drumming to poking the end to click it. He shifted in place with an unobservant sigh as his gaze swept around and he pressed his other hand into his cheek.

"You alright?" she whispered.

He nodded without a verbal reply.

"You sure?" she added, quieter to not disturb the other passengers.

He licked his lips and switched his attention to the pen in his hands and held it between both his hands, coming closer to her with a tip of his head. "I forgot my device," he said, much louder than she anticipated, and from the reaction of one of their classmates behind them, for everyone else.

"Stars, Teimea," Laia said from the other aisle. "Transport voice. Some of us are trying to catch some sleep. I heard you through my headphones."

"Sorry," he said with a startled frown, and he returned to his seat and continued to fiddle with his pen.

Reluctant for his retreat, she came closer and ignored. "You forgot it? What do you mean? Are you sure you didn't pack it with your things?"

"Warning — entering hyperspace to the B.H Supernova," the same voice rang out through the intercom.

Her stomach churned at the subtle rumble through the transport and bile inched through her throat. Back against the seat, she ignored the nausea while Neo pressed himself against his. It took too long for the crushing pit in her stomach to subside, where everyone within the transport released a collected sigh of relief. Neo showed no reaction or dizziness while the lights brightened, with some of her fellow passengers wincing.

Out of hyperspace, Nova turned her head to the windows when the protective shutters lifted to reveal what rested outside their transport. A giant, circular space station with three pronged towers and detachable parts coiled around itself, with the center tower blipping out a signal, only one part of the journey over with, Neo's physical agitation became prominent, but he no longer spoke when the overseer returned to their cabin.

"We'll have the docking sequence," he said. "Once we've landed, take a few minutes to regain your bearings. You may experience possible space sickness for the first few of your shifts on the space station — but we're here." He motioned out of the window. "The B.H Supernova will make the rest of the journey straight to the Ushavex nebula."

It's really happening.

We're here.