---

The ship was set on it's course, the autopilot taking over to guide the ship where it needed to go. Russell wanted to stay on the bridge, to stay at the station that he had trained so hard to be, but instead, he was being made to continue stewarding. Perhaps had they been on a planet, he would have taken it a little more lightly as there was little need to pilot within an estate and he understood that. But up in space, he wanted to do what he wanted to do, not the same job he had been born and raised to do without choice. When they got to their destination, he was done. Russell was leaving. He didn't want to, he liked serving under Lady Vinlula, but he was being made to.

Atop the plate that Russell carried into Vinlula's chamber, a trio of glasses were balanced, each one filled with a different colour of liquid; one red, one blue, one green. The soft lighting of the chamber resonated with him, calmed him, and the presence of Lady Vinlula made itself evident as she rose from her bed into a sitting position and gave him a smile. She had always been so kind to him, treating him with respect. Though, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes - news of his soon departure from her service had clearly reached her, and she clearly wasn't happy about it. She was going to miss him, just as he was going to miss her. slowly, Russell made his way toward the bedside table, setting the plate down atop it. His hands trembled just a little, but the drinks remained unspilled. He was going to miss her, he thought to himself, just staring at the glasses. She seemed to pick up on this.

"I'm sorry," Vinlula says quietly, reaching over to run a pair of fingers along the edge of one of his ears. It brought the softest of purrs from Russell, who turned to face her. "If there was anything I could do, I'd do it. But you know how it works. If father's Chief of Staff wants someone gone, I can't say anything about it," she says softly. Then, she spread her arms, and Russell took the hint. He moved close, leaning over the bed, hugging her tightly. It lasted a few, precious moments, before they let go of eachother. After a moment of smiling at eachother, Vinlula places a hand on her chest, giving him a sad look. "If you can't find anything else, I'll try and get you back here. Goodbye, Russell," Vinlula says.

"Goodbye, Vinlula," Russell replies softly. He left the chamber, a crestfallen look on his face. He made his way to the bridge, sitting down at his console to make sure that everything was set for his final destination. They would make it into orbit in ten minutes. That meant it was time for him to head to the shuttle bay, and so he rose once more, walking his way there and waving sadly at the others as he left. The shuttle was already loaded and ready to fly, and so he made his way up the ramp, settling down in a seat beside the cockpit. Soon, the shuttle rose from it's position on the deck, starting to make it's way down the planet, and Russell began to drift asleep for the journey as he mentally planned out where he was going to find a job as a pilot.

---