We May Have All Come on Different Ships, But We're in the Same Boat Now (ZAY)

[Gar]

There was an awkward silence, as Ni wasn't quite sure how to explain it to her. "Um..." She began, looking away shyly and clearing her throat, "It's uh...Its not that I--I mean, you're very pretty, but--" she sighed in frustration and squeezed her hands together, "You're actually very pretty, in my eyes, but your opinion matters, too, and I know that you don't desire me. And as I said before, I don't enjoy doing intimate things with beings that don't want me, too..." She pursed her lips nervously as she thought of the best way to explain the next point, carefully adding, "Besides, everything is kinda crazy and different for you right now. I think there are..." She couldn't believe she was saying it, "more important, more pressing needs for you to meet right now."

Now that the hardest part was over the Zeltron could relax a little, falling back to her default smile. "As for the reason why. Due to your upbringing, you're probably not acquainted with this kind of thing in life, but now that you'll be seeing more of the world, you'll notice something very special and amazing. And that is," Ni balled up the hem of her sleeve between her fingers and began to tenderly wipe the grease from Zay's face again, "You'll notice that a lot of people do things just because it is the right thing to do; no underlying motives, no expectations, no strings attached. They do it because they want to."

Ni gently tipped Zay's chin up so that she could look into her eyes again, cupping her cheek softly. "Please know this," she said earnestly, "Everything I went through was worth it, no matter what happened. Sometimes the only thing people want is to see other people as happy as they are. It may take some time for you to adjust to being your own Master, but I believe in you!" The Zeltron's smile was bright and genuine.

Then Ni realized she was touching again and she quickly pulled away, jailing her hands in her lap and averting her eyes. She muttered a shy, "Sorry..."