November 4, 2111
Valiic Bessile
The trial of James Stone was only fifteen minutes away, and Valiic loitered in silence, hoping his best wishes for his best friend and fellow warrior at heart. For James was more than just a friend and warrior; he was family. And that bond is everything to a maelkii such as him.
Valiic was leaning against a wall in the corner of the recreational area, which was outside of this star cruiser's military court. He wasn't alone, for everyone who cared to bear witness to the outcome of James Stone was here, including his squad mates. At the moment, Valiic could see only one of his squad members, a qwayk male, Uslar Kip, who was towards the front. White hair and body, Uslar brushed at his outfit in an effort to straighten it up for the trial. In the ocean of people, he was lucky enough even to have spotted Uslar.
Narrisa Bessile, his taciturn cohinla, appeared from the crowd, wearing a traditional Rowakii robe; black and white, used for formal events such as this. Valiic mirrored her attire with his own similar robe. Narrisa spotted him and sauntered towards him. As she neared, she reached for his elbow and tugged, gesturing toward the human-qwayk restroom door a few meters away from their position. Valiic followed, and she pushed through the door. They were inside, alone.
In one word, the restroom could be described as somewhat decrepit. Four of the patterned tiles had cracks, and the enamel was chipped inside the dripping sinks. Yet it was scrupulously clean, the old, tarnished mirror sparkling in the glowing light and stalls, though they were also chipped, as brilliantly white as snow. Further back was the shower room, filled with stalls and benches.
Valiic took a long breath, feeling his chest expand as far as it could. He let the calm of the private room come over him. He listened for a moment to the tune of a mellow song playing overhead.
Narrisa leaned against a wall and pressed her hand on the sink countertop. Valiic stood in front of her, seeing his reflection in a mirror above the sinks. Red pupils lying clouded in the black abyss that was his eyes stared back at him. His gaze returned to Narrisa to see her warm smile and soft orange pupils greeting him. They stared in silence at each other, taking in the moment, which to maelkii isn't an uncommon thing to do with one's lifetime partner.
"I need to speak about something of importance with you," Narrisa finally spoke.
"I'm always listening. What, may I ask, is this about?" Valiic asked.
"Those dytirc children we found on Delkeedo. I cannot forsake their fates to a man like Kalvin. I'm afraid he doesn't have their best interests at heart."
"I agree with you in full with regards to Kalvin. If James doesn't trust him, I can't either. But what actions do you wish to take? I mean, is that situation even something we can control?"
"It is. It is if I choose to retire from the ARW military." Her words nearly froze Valiic's heart in time, and from his expression, she knew he wouldn't take this well.
"Wh-what?" Valiic forced the question from his lips. "You cannot be serious. Please… tell me you haven't fully thought this through. I--"
Narrisa stopped him. "I've thought about this over the course of days, and I see no better option."
"If that is what you want, then I am with you fully just like we promised all those years back. We agreed to retire together, and I intend on keeping that promise."
Narrisa smiled, holding back a tear. She then put her hand over Valiic's cheek. "It brightens my day to hear you say that. But my dear cohinla, with Captain Landis gone, James cannot lose us both. He can't. I fear his heart won't be able to handle it. He needs his best friend; he needs you."
"But… but I can't lose you. James is closer than family to me, but you can't be replaced. You are my cohinla, my life, my world. I wouldn't be me without you by my side." Tears dripped down Valiic's cheeks, and Narrisa wiped them away. "I can't even… I-I can't imagine life away from you for such a long time."
"Oh, cohinla." Narrisa sniffled. "This is hard on me, too."
Before Valiic could respond, a human male was just about to push through the bathroom doors. Seeing this, Valiic forced the door back closed. As a maelkii, he could easily overpower the human with just one arm.
"Hey! Who's in there? I gotta piss." The stranger knocked on the door.
"Maybe you should let him in," Narrisa said.
"He can wait. You are what is most important to me at this moment. And we don't need witnesses to our discussion."
"Hey, buddy! Hurry up!" The man kept knocking. "I got to go!"
"Hold it!" Valiic shouted back.
"Dude! Come on! I'm going to piss my pants!"
Valiic sighed and let go. The human pushed through, rushing over to a stall with a waddle, holding his crotch. He shoved open the stall, unzipped his pants, and urinated all in the same second.
One minute, and he was finished. He then strolled out, whistling, as Valiic and Narrisa stared at him. He noticed that instant and picked up the pace until he was out of the bathroom. As he got to the other side, Valiic heard an exchange of words.
"Don't go in there," the man said.
"Why?" another unknown man asked.
"Two maelkii cohinlas are having a fight."
"That's a rare thing to witness." The two stomped away.
Narrisa pulled Valiic's attention back to her. "James needs you," she repeated.
"And I need you. You are my rock, the person I seek when my emotions get the better of me. And I fear for my character without you to guide me. So, how can I be there for James, be there to guide him, when I very well may not be fit to do so?"
"I believe in you." Her words hugged him. "You just need to believe in yourself. And should you need reaffirmation, I will always… always be a call away."
"You wouldn't hold it against me if I called you every day?" Valiic looked to her caring eyes.
"Never."
Those words were the start of a moment that lasted for minutes for them as they let each other's presence fill up their souls, charging them up like batteries. For the bond of cohinlas is ever strong and ever powerful. They could feel comfort in the fact that no matter how far they were in distance, their hearts and souls remained welded as one.