Lotus picked up the fragments of sentences from the stranger through the last pangs of his headache. "[color=00a651]Not looking for anything specifically ... check it out.... Nothing binding you to the ship. If you're interested, you can let owner know and he'll pass it along to me. All right?[/color]"

Lotus nodded a few times, hoping that he had understood the key points of the speech. "[color=c4df9b]Thank you. I'll consider it.[/color]"

Lotus kept his eyes on the stranger as he left, and then stared at the same place for a few seconds after. It was a good offer. A great offer, even. And Aster would want him to say yes right away. But he couldn't.

He had to go back, talk to Aster, sleep on it, and most importantly finish his work for the night. He finished stocking the noodles, then the baked goods that he had been neglecting, and he walked up to the owner (whose name he still couldn't remember) before heading out. "[color=c4df9b]I'm thinking about it,[/color]" he mentioned. "[color=c4df9b]What that-[/color]" What was his name?! "[color=c4df9b]I'll let you know tomorrow night.[/color]"

He couldn't even meet the man's eyes. All he could think about was going back to Aster and having a good, long talk about this before going to sleep. "[color=c4df9b]I'll see you then.[/color]"

~^-^~

Aster wrapped his arms around Lotus as soon as Lotus trudged through the door to their room. "[color=6ecff6]You smell like you've had a long day,[/color]" he whispered.

Lotus resisted the urge to roll his eyes and smiled instead. "[color=c4df9b]More like a long night.[/color]"

Aster laughed softly and pressed his head into Lotus's chest. He mumbled something.

Lotus absently ran his fingers through Aster's hair. "[color=c4df9b]What was that?[/color]"

Aster lifted up his head. "[color=6ecff6]You're shaking. What's wrong?[/color]"

Lotus gently pushed Aster away and hung up his coat before answering. "[color=c4df9b]I don't want to talk about it right now. I'll tell you before I go to bed.[/color]"

Aster leaned against the wall. "[color=6ecff6]All right. I'll get you something to eat.[/color]"

They shared a meal of lukewarm, leftover noodles and Aster's curious faces before Lotus finally opened up.  "[color=c4df9b]I got a job offer,[/color]" he started with.

Aster's eyes went wide. "[color=6ecff6]Doing what?[/color]" he asked as he twirled a noodle around his fork.

"[color=c4df9b]On an airship,[/color]" Lotus mumbled. "[color=c4df9b]He even said we can leave if we find a better place to go. But for now, it's work, it's a place to stay, and it's a lot better than being away from you all night.[/color]"

"[color=6ecff6]We?[/color]" Aster asked.

Lotus blinked. He couldn't actually remember if the man had offered the job to both of them or not, or if he even knew about Aster. He shifted uncomfortably. "[color=c4df9b]Probably? But I don't know.[/color]"

Aster nodded. "[color=6ecff6]And you didn't say yes right away?[/color]"

Lotus sighed. "[color=c4df9b]I wanted to talk to you.[/color]"

"[color=6ecff6]Yeah, yeah, I get it.[/color]" Aster slurped his noodle, accidentally hitting himself in the face with it. "[color=6ecff6]But I don't know about you, but I'm tired of living in a dingy hotel room living on cold noodles and not being able to see you all day or night. Come on. Take the job.[/color]"

Lotus shook his head.

Aster wiped the splattered broth off of his cheek. "[color=6ecff6]I'll come with you. Come on. Who do you have to talk to?[/color]"

"[color=c4df9b]Tomorrow.[/color]"

"[color=6ecff6]All right. We'll talk to them tomorrow. You should go to bed though. It looks like you're stressing out.[/color]"

Lotus winced. "[color=c4df9b]Maybe we should pack our things just in case.[/color]"

Aster smiled. "[color=6ecff6]Now you're talking,[/color]" he whispered.

~^-^~

Lotus could hardly sleep. He trudged back into the shop, Aster trailing behind him. Lotus swallowed his fear as he walked up to the owner. He couldn't meet the man's eyes. "[color=c4df9b]This is Aster[/color]," he mumbled. He cleared his throat. "[color=c4df9b]He's with me. We're interested in taking that job.[/color]"