New Resolve

Armed with his new resolve, Theo stepped out of the engine room. Everything was calm and quiet; outside the portholes, the rising sun painted pale pink streaks across the sky.

A couple of the globe-fish at the ceiling drifted down to meet him, which touched him in some odd way. They bobbed over his shoulders as he headed down the corridor.

When he reached the door to Sam's room, though, he hesitated. This early, he didn't know if she was awake yet. Still, he felt that he absolutely had to talk to her before anything else. 

Even if Sam wasn't up, Ryllis might be. His mind made up, Theo knocked on the door a couple of times. Not too loud, but hopefully anyone awake would hear. 

As he raised his fist to knock again, he heard a thud followed by shuffling footsteps. The door cracked open and Sam's sleepy face peered through the gap, her hair a messy halo around her head. 

"Buh, way too early...Theo?"

Just like that, the sluggish creature behind the door came roaring to life. Before Theo could react, her hands clamped around his back like claws and yanked him into a suffocating hug. 

"Ohmygod Theo! It's you, it's really you! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I said a lot of thoughtless stuff, I hope I didn't make you feel worse! But I'm so glad you're doing better now, I mean, if you are doing better, but it seems like you are 'cause you finally left that place – "

This close, her shrieks drilled straight into Theo's skull. All the same, a strange warmth began to swell inside his chest. 

But he couldn't stay like this forever, what with the small matter of needing to breathe. He squirmed in Sam's grip, trying to pull away without hurting her. She must have caught on, because suddenly she let go. Unbalanced, he stumbled back.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" she chirped, flapping her hands. Then she leaned forward, anxiety shining in her eyes. "But really, are you feeling better?"

Swallowing, Theo nodded. "I am. Sorry for making you worry, Sam. And...thank you."

Sam blinked. "Why? I didn't do anything."

"No, you did a lot," Theo said, managing a smile. To his relief, it came easier than he expected. "It's because of the things you said to me. About how, you know, I shouldn't just mope, I should do something. And how...how I still care about Zenith, in spite of everything."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean...." Theo took a deep breath, gathering all his nerves. "I can't let things stay like this. I'm going to find Zenith again, and I'm going to talk to him for real."

Though he'd already decided on this path, it was the first time he was saying it out loud. The words came startlingly clear, without a hint of wavering. For a moment, they seemed to reverberate in the air between him and Sam. 

Then Sam's eyes grew huge and she jumped back, clasping her hands together. "No way. Are you serious?"

Her voice rose to a squeak, but Theo didn't miss the pride quivering within it. Somehow, that swept all his remaining doubts away. Straightening his back, he looked Sam in the eye.

"I am. Will you help me, Sam?"

"Oh, Theo!" Sam's eyes flooded with tears, sparkling in the early morning sunlight. "Of course! Of course I will!" 

This time when she pulled him into a hug, Theo returned it, wrapping his arms around her skinny back. It helped that she wasn't holding too tightly either, letting him breathe enough to talk.

"Thank you, Sam," he said, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "You really are amazing, you know? I love you."

Not too long ago, he'd said the same thing to Zenith. It had spilled out in the heat of the moment, without any real meaning behind it. Not like now, where he tried his hardest to put every ounce of his emotions – his gratitude, his relief, his pride – into those three words.

Sam's spine locked tight beneath his hands, then her entire body began to tremble. Her tears flowed faster, soaking into his hair. "Theeoh-oh-oh! I love you too, I love you so much!"

As she sobbed, Theo's own eyes began to sting. He blinked back the tears – hadn't he cried enough? - and instead pulled Sam closer. For a while they stayed like this, holding each other tight. In Sam's warm arms, bathed in her love, Theo felt safe and comfortable like he hadn't since Zenith had left.

Really, he didn't know what he would do if he didn't have her. Her, and all of his friends. Just like with Zenith, he'd never take them for granted again.

After a while, Sam's grip eased up before finally slipping away. As they broke apart, Theo suppressed a strange pang of loss. It wasn't like he could spend all day hugging Sam.

Sam sniffled a bit and wiped her eyes before looking back at Theo. Though her face was puffy and red, she managed a wink. "So we're gonna get Zenith back. What's the plan?"

"Well, first things first, I've got to talk to Darian." Theo tried to sound businesslike, but couldn't fight the unease stirring in the pit of his stomach. Somehow, he didn't think Darian would be half as easy to convince as Sam. 

Still, he wasn't going to give up for something like that. Not when he'd made a promise to himself – and to Zenith. 

When Sam flicked his forehead, he snapped out of his thoughts. "Whadda ya mean, 'I'? You're not doing it alone, mister!"

"Ah." Heart pounding, Theo looked up at Sam's determined face. The sunlight, bright and strong now, surrounded her in a halo that made the frizzy ends of her hair practically glow. She had never seemed stronger or more assured.

For what felt like the hundredth time, gratitude flooded his entire soul. Even if he lived an eternity, he felt like he'd never be able to repay Sam.

For now, though, he only needed to remember he had her by his side. That he wasn't alone, no matter what. "Yeah, you're right," he said, nodding at her. "Let's go."

~*~

After Sam got dressed, they headed to the deck. Ryllis apparently hadn't been in the room, as she'd gotten up early to train. They didn't run into anyone else belowdecks, but Theo had the sense that Darian was probably already awake too.

At first he didn't see her on the deck, though. Ryllis and Kress were off in a corner, sparring on their own; they waved in acknowledgment before getting right back at it. Since they seemed busy, Theo went up to Amaro at the wheel.

"Hey there, kid," Amaro said, smiling warmly. "Haven't seen you in a while. How you holding up?"

Guilt squirmed in Theo's stomach. It wasn't just Sam; he'd made everyone worry about him.

"I'm better. Thank you," he said quickly. "Where's Darian?" 

Amaro blinked. "In the cabin. Been there all night."

That was all Theo needed to hear. He took off toward the deck cabin, not running but walking as fast as he could. With her long legs, Sam easily caught up with him. 

Though he kept his strides firm, he couldn't stop his heart from racing. He had no idea how Darian would react to his decision, not to mention the last time he'd seen her, they hadn't exactly left on good terms.

By the time he reached the cabin door, sweat slicked the back of his neck. Still, he only hesitated a moment before pushing it open. 

Inside, a couple of globe-fish bobbed at the ceiling while Darian bent over the table, flanked by Meg and Guntar in the seats. A map was unrolled on the table, and the pungent scent of ink wafted from an open bottle. As soon as Theo entered, Darian lifted her head and lowered the quill she'd been using to sketch on the map. 

"What's going on?" she demanded, blinking from the sudden flood of daylight. Judging by her disarrayed hair and the dark circles around her eyes, she most definitely had been up all night. 

Meg and Guntar didn't look much better, but Theo couldn't spare them any attention. As Sam stepped in after him, he never took his gaze off Darian.

"Oh, Theo," she said, straightening. "What brings you here?"

The question wasn't unkind, but held an irritated edge. No doubt she wanted to get back to whatever she'd been doing. But Theo wasn't about to leave without saying his piece.

"I want to talk about what we're going to do next," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"What do you mean? We're going to rendezvous with the pirates, then figure out which Grand General to pursue. Nothing's changed."

"Actually, that's the thing." Theo took a deep breath, summoning all of his resolve, before plunging forward. "Before that, we need to do something else. We need to get Zenith back."