The Stars Ablaze Deleted Scene: Extended Epilogue, Part 3

This post contains spoilers for the ending of The Stars Ablaze.

Welcome to the third and final installment of deleted scenes from The Stars Ablaze epilogue! If you’ve finished The Stars Ablaze (and if you haven’t, you really should do that before reading this), you may recall a rather significant development has taken place in Nalea and Ilyen’s relationship. So, how did that go?

As before, this scene would have taken place immediately after part 1 and part 2.

***

Five months after the Battle of Amaecea

“Fuck.” Nalea worried her lip. “What if he says no?”

Kerelle paused. “Do you think he might?”

The scientist gave a heaving sigh and flopped back in her chair. “No. I mean, I think he’ll say yes. I hope. It’s just…” She pinned Kerelle with a look. “I never imagined I’d be doing this. It’s more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be. You get it, right? Weren’t you nervous my brother would say no?”

“Ah…he did, actually. At first.” Nalea’s eyes went big and Kerelle suppressed a wince. She probably shouldn’t have mentioned that bit until after Nalea had been successful. “But that was right after we’d rescued him from Dalanva, and his psionics were still damaged, and he was…” being an idiot “unsure of things that are normally more certain.”

From her expression Nalea did not find that reassuring. Kerelle hastened to add, “But it all worked out! We talked it through and went to the civil office the next day.”

“I should have gone to Sandrel about this,” Nalea muttered.

“I’m a bit surprised you didn’t,” Kerelle admitted. “He always gives good advice on this sort of thing.”

“I figured he’s busy with moving and all. And, I dunno…” Kerelle nearly did a double-take; Nalea was blushing. “You get Ilyen. Probably the best out of all our friends. If I was going to fuck this up, I figured you could tell me.”

Kerelle blinked, oddly touched. Vulnerability was not a look she was accustomed to seeing on Nalea.

“I don’t think you’re in danger of that,” she answered gently. “Honestly, I think that Ilyen will say yes no matter how you propose, because it’s you.”

Nalea blinked rapidly, and Kerelle made herself busy with examining the wall while the scientist composed herself. Finally she cleared her throat and gave Kerelle a tiny smile. “Well, since I still don’t want to fuck up, can you help me book the right whiskey bar?”

***

Five months and two days after the Battle of Amaecea

“Nalea’s been acting weird.”

Kerelle’s reflexive response was what, weirder than usual? That seemed rather inappropriate given the likely situation, however, so she swallowed it in favor of a vague questioning “Hmm.” It occurred to her a second later that that might be suspicious in and of itself. Kerelle was really terrible at this kind of thing; the pressing need to keep quiet about Nalea’s imminent proposal made her feel as though she was always a few seconds away from blurting it out.

Thank all the holy stars above Ilyen wasn’t a telepath.

She realized she’d been quiet for several seconds, and hoped that it just seemed like she was concentrating on keeping pace. Not that their pace was particularly punishing; their feet were a steady beat on the park’s running trail, punctuated by the occasional crunch of a dry leaf.

Still, she needed to say something. Their morning jogs were when Ilyen tended to be at his most unguarded. If he’d brought it up, it was bothering him.

She settled on a neutral-toned “How so?”

Fortunately Ilyen seemed distracted enough by the subject that he hadn’t noticed her brief internal struggle. “I don’t know, she just seems…like she’s holding back, or something. Like something’s happening and she doesn’t want to tell me.”

Oh stars, Kerelle thought with a suppressed smile, Nalea was nearly as awful at this as she was.

Her levity evaporated as Ilyen’s brows drew together. “I mean…that’s a bad thing, right? Does that mean something’s going wrong? Everything is still good for me, but maybe Nalea’s not happy? Fuck,” he added with feeling. “I don’t know. I don’t know what this long-term shit is supposed to look like. Longest I’ve been with anyone before Nalea is like twelve hours.”

“One of the many things the PsiCorp screwed us on,” she agreed. “I think it’s uncharted territory for a lot of us.” He glanced sideways at her as they rounded the bend near the ornamental lake.

“You and Ambrel figured it out just fine.”

“It’s…different, when you’re both telepaths.” Having learned her lesson with Nalea two days earlier, she didn’t bring up the rough patch they’d experienced when they briefly were not both telepaths.

Ilyen only gave a noncommittal grunt in response; for several minutes they jogged in silence. Kerelle sorted through how to reassure him without tipping Nalea’s hand.

Finally she spoke again. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, honestly. I think you’re very special to Nalea, in a way that no one else is.”

“When you put it that way I sound like her favorite pet.”

She smacked his arm lightly. “You know that’s not what I meant. Besides, she did shoot a sadistic SysTech agent for you. Pretty sure she wouldn’t do that for just anybody.”

He smiled in spite of himself as they started up the slope of the park’s only hill.

***

Five months and six days after the Battle of Amaecea

“Well hot damn,” Sandrel said under his breath as Nalea and Ilyen vanished around the corner to a more private spot in the rooftop bar’s garden. “She’s actually doing it.”

“You knew too?” Kerelle hadn’t meant the blurted question to sound quite so relieved, but the pressure of trying to act normal all evening had been intense. Having the secret out in the open was a weight off her shoulders.

Not that it had been entirely on her in the first place; naturally Galhen knew as well. High-powered telepaths had no secrets in their marriages.

Sandrel started laughing. “Doc didn’t tell me, if that’s what you mean. But Fury, seriously. First she suddenly invites us all to a top-shelf destination bar for some vague ‘catching up’ occasion. Nalea, our least-social former shipmate, who has to be regularly reminded to come out of her lab and eat things besides instant noodles. Then,” he added, gesturing with his spoon for emphasis, “we get here and not only is she so jumpy it’s making me anxious, but she’s also wearing a nicer dress than I would have believed existed in her closet.”

“Mm.” Lilika’s eyes danced. “It didn’t. She asked me what to wear and after a brief look at our options I practically marched her to the shop.”

Kerelle couldn’t help it; she started laughing too. “I don’t blame her for going to you for fashion advice…I just wish she’d told me. I’ve spent all night terrified I’m going to spill the secret.”

“You’re a good friend, Kerelle.” Sandrel toasted her with his drink. “But I’m pretty sure the only one at this table who hasn’t figured it out is Knives. When she asked him to go check out the view with her just now, anyone else would have realized exactly what was up. But since it’s Knives,” he added affectionately, “I bet he’s still going to be surprised.”

Aureis nodded his agreement with a slightly embarrassed grin. Galhen and Riyel only sipped their whiskey and radiated quiet amusement.

A sudden movement caught her attention. Nalea and Ilyen rounded the corner back toward them, hands tightly interlaced. They both grinned ear to ear, and Ilyen’s icy eyes practically glowed with elation.

“I think,” Kerelle noted with a smile of her own, “he’s probably figured it out now.”