Compared to the amount of time she [i]meant[/i] to sleep, Solae had overslept. Mia had not interrupted her slumber nor had Rene out of consideration for how exhausted she had been and because there was no impending deadline. As long as she was conscious and cognizant when they made their approach, so that she could pilot their landing, there was a passive agreement to let her rest as long as she needed- and the duchess had sorely needed the added hours. By the time she had climbed into the captain's quarters bed her entire body felt impossibly heavy with fatigue. Rene had been mere minutes behind her, but he had found her out cold when he joined her in their room, having drifted off the moment her head hit the pillow. It wasn't until she had awoken she realized she had only shucked off her shoes before collapsing onto the mattress.

After a brief shower and change of clothes, she was exiting the bathroom when she ran into Rosaria, who had apparently been waiting to ambush her. Slightly startled in surprise, she moved to politely step around the teenager when the girl, whose eyebrows were knitted together in scrutiny, spoke. "Are you sick?" she asked. This had been a question she had posted to Mia but the computer could only analyze very basic biological functions of her passengers as a way to gauge health. The synthetic being had reassured the youth that their mistress had no erratic heartbeat, elevated temperature, or other concerning symptom, but this was not enough for Rosaria. She didn't trust a machine that completely. If Solae looked like the afterlife warmed over, then she was more apt to believe her eyes.

"No, just tired," Solae said with a smile. "I did not mean to worry you if I did," she added, encouraged by the fact that the former protege of Thorne was showing signs of empathy. They could teach her much of the world outside the slaver's education, but helping her navigate emotions, most of which she had been punished for exhibiting, and thus had become suppressed over the course of several years, was more tricky. More than one night since they had rescued her the diplomat had laid awake at night wondering if they had been too late with their intervention. There was nothing more they could really do, but she grieved for the innocence her younger companion had not been able to keep.

"Are you sure you aren't pregnant?" Rosaria prodded, jumping to what would have been the natural conclusion for someone unfamiliar with the practices of nobility. For all of her composure, the linguist faltered for a moment and gave a somewhat nervous, awkward laugh. Being around others who had families made her think of creating one increasingly. Pragmatically it was impossible at the present, she was not even wed to Rene, nor had she solicited his opinion, she was a woman being hunted down by a treasonous tyrant, her beau's name had not been cleared of the false murder accusations, and she had inherited a sector that was occupied by the very man that wanted her dead, but the heart was often illogical. She missed her parents. She missed knowing that despite any misgivings they had about her, all her flaws, all her mistakes, they would be there for her. It did not matter she was an adult; her mother and father had been taken from her too early. The only chance she had to have a family beyond cousins with whom she was distant was to create one, be it one of choice, or one made by blood.

"It's not possible," Solae finally gently corrected Rosaria before she became too smug with her guess. "Stellar Empire nobility take certain precautions to prevent conception that can't be easily reversed." Tempted as she was to explain more fully, it felt rude to tell someone what Rene had done to him without his consent. "I was just very tired, but I feel better now." While she did feel rejuvenated, it was not fully. The war weighed on her psyche and she did not think she would be fully refreshed until Duke Tan and his conspirators had been apprehended, the empress was safe, and she was just as free in practice as she was in theory.

"Good, a baby would be annoying," Rosaria declared firmly, trying to brush off her concern for Solae as being nothing more than apprehension she'd have to share a ship with an infant in the future. For a second the golden-haired aristocrat was flattered that mentally, whether or not she was aware, the young lady was anticipating spending at least another nine months with this ragtag group of assorted individuals. One way or another they would not be together that long without conscious effort and the decision to do so. Duke Tan could not be evaded forever and it would not take the better part of the year for one side or the other in this galactic altercation to find one misplaced freighter.

"I'm going to study some Kalderi before we enter orbit if you'd like to join me," she graciously offered as she started towards the cockpit. Mia could bring up her lessons on any of the many consoles aboard the [i]Bonaventure[/i]. One in the hold would be more ideal for studying, but she wanted to cram every last minute with the tantalizing distraction of learning a new language, and she could capitalize on her time by keeping it at her fingertips in the same place where she would have to initiate the landing protocol.

"I thought we can't speak Kalderi because of the differences between us and them," Rosaria said, narrowing her eyes again, this time in confusion that edged on frustration. "Why would you bother leaning a language you can't even speak? What's the point? They won't really care since they can speak what we do," she said as she chased after the ambassador. This had been a developing habit over the last week. If she did not at first understand a concept, she would mull it over, then revisit it repeatedly until it made enough sense for her to digest. It was not the most offensive compulsion- her swearing was worse in Solae's estimation- but it challenged the patience of her stand-in maternal and paternal figures.

"If you do well studying languages I think you could have an excellent career as a spy for the empress," the duchess cryptically asserted as she took a seat in the cockpit. Wearing slacks and a fitted shirt for comfort, she unwittingly had attired herself all too well for her role as navigator. Were it not for her enhanced aesthetics and perfect posture it would have been easy to mistake her for a member of the crew that had been aboard for exponentially longer than the reality.

"A spy? What does that have to do with learning Kalderi?" Rosaria half-inquired, half-demanded as she plopped down into the other seat.

"There's popular misconceptions about what a spy does," she explained, crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair. "A good spy does not sneak and skulk around because they don't need to. They know numerous languages so they can understand everything spoken around them, even if the people they are spying on are unaware of the true extent of their abilities. If you met someone and they were cold and evasive it would make you guarded, alert, suspicious. A good spy is congenial, charming, and agreeable, but not overly friendly, because that is the impression that would make people less defensive around them. They know how to talk to anyone, but they don't stand out, and can blend in equally well with high society and the seedy underworld. It seems to me that is something that you would be able to do better than most," Solae pointed out. Exposure to Thorne had desensitized her to the brutality of criminal networks and also given her valuable access to their mannerisms and vernacular. If the same could be done with different facets of the universe's communities, she could adapt, and become more of a chameleon than someone with symmetrical features and hair of an abnormal hue ever could.

"So you want me to study languages and become a spy?" Rosaria asked, puzzled. She was not put off by the idea, just shocked that it was suggestion from someone so upright, so proper, and so transparent. It was not a recommendation she was expecting from a dignified woman who had been awarded her stature by the sovereign of humanity.

"I want you to be exactly who you want to be," Solae clarified. She was reluctant to do anything more than divulge the suitability of her charge. On Zatis she had been granted her agency for the first time in her life and the Syshin, who were more wary of her than they admitted aloud, were cautious to respect it. Torn between wanting to guide someone who needed help to take their place in society and wanting to make sure she had the latitude to explore the wrong choice here and there, she let silence envelop the room. Unprompted Mia, who knew her intentions, had pulled up the uploaded Kalderi language data and categorically divided it into increments so Solae could advance through it at her own pace without being overwhelmed.

"You are a strange woman," Rosaria told her before standing up and walking out, heading towards the kitchen to get food, which wasn't as perplexing. Once she was certain that the girl was out of earshot, Solae let out a bemused chuckle, shaking her head as she queued up sample dialogue for dissection.