After exchanging messages with central command, we learned that they would be sending a larger ship to take care of the derelict, though they had us fly it into orbit around a moon so it would be easier to find. Once that was done, we returned to our assigned task of mapping the system more thoroughly.

  The mood was a bit somber for the first few days, but started to pick back up after that as people began to get past the demonstration of mortality and risk we had observed. Even then, though, you could occasionally see people staring off into the black via a holoscreen, and I suspected they, like me, were contemplating what had happened.

  Eventually, though, we finished our task and left the system. Having completed our objective, our next stop would be at Leval for some shore leave, something that had everyone excited, including me. Despite that, it took us over two weeks to make it from G33SB10 to Leval, passing through Doral, another system lacking a habitable planet but with a station.

  By the time we arrived in Leval, the anticipation had people getting a little surly. It was weird how sometimes the closer something got, the less patient people got. Finally, though, we docked at Leval Station Gamma, the main military station around the major planet, and a few hours later we were dismissed on leave, barring a few people who had to stay for a short time to oversee the loading of new supplies.

  As it was a secure military station, the station provided security for the ship, allowing the entire crew to take leave at once. They had arranged a shuttle for all of us to take us to a land base just outside one of the major cities, Orogoda. Regular buses would allow us to travel into the city and back to the base, though we were welcome to pay for a hotel room in the city if we preferred not to sleep in the barracks.

  We arrived at the base shortly before dinner, local time. I had planned to stay in the barracks, but Jara, Isa, and Ani convinced me to come into town.

  “Come on,” Isa whined. “You’re a big fancy officer with a big fancy salary. If we mere enlisted can afford to splurge on a shared hotel room to get away from the base, you can, too.”

  “She’s right,” Jara said. “What else are you going to spend your money on?”

  “Boots,” I responded instantly, which led to the others laughing.

  “You can only bring so many boots on the ship, even with that fancy storage bracelet I know you pretend not to have,” Ani pointed out, inciting my heatless glare.

  “Chill,” Jara said. “It’s not a secret from any of us. We figured you for a noble first day. No big deal.”

  I sighed. “Fine, I’ll come.”

  Isa whooped and cheered, the others shaking their heads at her antics which drew a brief bit of attention from the other soldiers in the room, most of whom didn’t know her.

  I just rolled my eyes. “Let’s just go before I change my mind.”

  Isa was very… bouncy as we signed out of the base and walked to the bus stop ten minutes away. The others ignored her, so I opted to as well. Within another ten minutes, a bus arrived, and we rode it straight into the heart of the city. The others had already booked a modest hotel room with two beds, so we checked in and went up to the room. It was my first time in a hotel room—as a princess, we stayed with other nobles the few times I traveled around Eryth.

  The room was simple, with just a bathroom and main room featuring two beds big enough for two elf-height people each, something I suspected wasn’t guaranteed everyone on the felid homeworld. Besides the beds, there was a dresser and armoire as well as a small table with two chairs and a basic vidscreen.

  “All right,” Isa said with a clap. “Let’s get dressed for dinner.”

  “Do we have a plan?” I asked.

  Jara nodded. “I did some research when we arrived and found a place for dinner, as well as some options for nighttime activities.” That last bit made Isa chuckle while the rest of us rolled our eyes.

  Agreeing, we took turns in the bathroom changing into civilian clothes. While the few outfits I had brought from the palace wouldn’t be appropriate for this, I had fortunately bought a few others during the times we visited Valissa’s family, so I had something appropriate.

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  Isa wore an A-line dress in dark green that featured an open back larger than necessary for her wings. Jara opted for an asymmetrical maroon blouse over black slacks, while Ani wore a nice romper in blues and greens.

  I opted for a crimson dress with an asymmetrical hemline and black lace accenting the skirt. Of course, I wore a pair of sleek black ankle boots with a slight heel to compliment the dress.

  Isa looked each of us over intently, presumably assessing our outfits to ensure they fit whatever strange criteria she had in her head. “You’ll do. Let’s go!”

  The restaurant we headed to featured traditional regional cuisine. Like most Levalian cuisine, most dishes featured meat heavily—while felids were omnivores, they tended toward a meat-heavy diet. As a dragon, I was used to that, but it was clear that Isa would have preferred some more vegetables. Nevertheless, she insisted that she enjoyed the food, so we dropped it.

  “What’s next?” I asked as we left the restaurant.

  “Dancing, dancing, dancing,” Isa chanted.

  Jara sighed. “Yes, that is one of the options. How do you two feel about it?”

  Ani shrugged. “Normally, I’d be hesitant—a dance floor with you tallfolk is not the best environment for me, but this is Leval—there will be plenty of felids around to balance things out.”

  Indeed, while other elvenoids were fairly common, the majority of the population here were felids, which made sense—it was their home planet. It was a new experience for me, though, since I was used to the more cosmopolitan nature of the capital and the academy.

  Realizing the others were looking at me, I remembered to answer the question. “Dancing sounds fine.”

  It did, though I wasn’t clear what I was getting into. I had taken dancing lessons and danced at balls, but those were for more formal dances, not whatever casual dancing we’d be doing. I was curious, though, so I agreed.

  “Then I have a place in mind. Come on.”

  Jara led us through the city. It took about a half hour to walk there, but we were all in excellent shape and wearing more or less sensible footwear, so it was fine. When we arrived, Jara explained that there was something called a “cover charge,” meaning you had to pay to enter. It seemed reasonable to me, so I didn’t worry about it. I made what had proven to be decent money as an officer and didn’t have anywhere else to spend it, so it was fine.

  Inside, music blared, just loud enough not to cause pain to the various people inside. It was fairly crowded, at least to my perspective, though the others didn’t seem to have much trouble moving. I just followed in their wake as they approached a bar that was a bit short for most of us but a bit too tall for Ani. Fortunately, there were periodic platforms sticking out with steps up them for the shorter species to elevate themselves.

  “What can I get for you?” the felid bartender asked less than a minute after we made it to the bar. Like many people we’d encountered in town, I had heard her speaking Raugada to other felids but seamlessly transitioning to Draconic when she spoke to us, probably because of our species.

  “Vodka soda,” ordered Isa.

  “Whisky sour,” added Jara.

  “Ale,” finished Ani.

  “And you?” she asked when I didn’t say anything.

  “Ah, just a soda water for me.”

  She nodded and got to preparing drinks.

  “Not drinking tonight or not a drinker?” asked Ani while we waited.

  “Not a drinker,” I replied. After all, I can’t risk being inebriated.

  “A sailor that doesn’t drink? Not something you see every day,” Jara commented in surprise without derision.

  I just shrugged. Seconds later, the bartender served our drinks and took our payment, saving me from further questions.

  Isa took a large sip from her drink, then grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the dance floor. “Come on!”

  I was a bit nervous between the crowds and the newness of everything, but I let Isa drag me out, Jara and Ani close behind. When we reached the dance floor, Isa deftly moved through the crowd closer to the center. Once there, she started swaying and stomping along with the drums-heavy sound, something I recalled being common in Levalian music.

  The others mimicked her, jumping and bouncing and twirling and throwing their arms in the air. At first, I just kind of stood there swaying to the beat, but then Isa grabbed my arm and yanked it up high enough I had to stand on my toes—she was a touch taller than me.

  “Come on! Dance!”

  Slowly, I started moving more, letting my friends and the beat guide me. Before I knew it, I was shaking and spinning, hopping and popping. As I got more into the loose, freeform movements that characterized that type of social dance, Isa’s smile got wider, and Jara seemed to relax. By that point, Ani had found some felid to dance with, so she clearly didn’t care what I did.

  Despite not drinking alcohol, the rest of the night passed in a blur. I danced alone, with strangers short and tall, with Isa, though not Jara or Ani. When it got late, we finally left, the others quite tipsy, leaving me to guide us back to the hotel. They weren’t the only ones smiling, though. I was happy, enjoying time with friends and getting to let go and just move.

  We stumbled into the hotel late at night, getting a nod from the receptionist as we headed to an elevator and up to our room.

  “That was awesome!” cried Isa as we made it into the room. “Y’all are great.”

  “We love you, too,” said Jara, pulling her into a hug. Turns out when drunk, she was eager for physical contact.

  “I’m tired,” moaned Ani.

  “Agreed, let’s get to bed.”

  We took turns cleaning up, letting Ani go first. I ended up going last, and when I stepped out of the bathroom, Ani and Jara were already asleep on the far bed, while Isa was barely awake on the near one.

  “Hey,” she slurred.

  “Hi, Isa,” I said as I slid under the covers.

  “Night, night,” she mumbled, her eyes closing.

  “Goodnight,” I whispered, falling asleep as an elf for the first time in months.