Please, by all she holds dear, let that be the right thing to do. 

She's never heard silence so loud before. The only sound is the opening and closing of Lacedo's mouth, until eventually Alexa excuses herself and quietly click-click-clicks out of the room.

Lacedo. Fuck. Please, let her take this the right way, learn the right lesson. She's seen that shellshocked look in friends' eyes before. The last thing she wants is for Lacedo to turn around and turn this hurt into hate, to decide that Alexa is in the wrong and double down on humanity. Alexa certainly knows that there's enough space on this ship to avoid her if Lacedo decides to do it.

Please, let this be okay.

***

It starts, as things do, almost by accident.

The tulips won't bloom, is the thing. She's almost [i]positive[/i] she's doing it right, and going down the list once more of things. Soil? Acidic, thanks to the bark. Not too moist, which is hard to get on a ship full of crabs, but she picked her niche nicely. No weeds to steal nutrients, as the dirt under her fingers and half-full bucket can attest. At this point, she's half tempted to assume that Demeter is simply cursing her tulips, which, at this point, isn't completely out of the question, but--

She turns at the noise, and for a second Arth'na freezes in the doorway as if caught doing something wrong.

"... I. Can I-- D'you mind if."

Alexa quietly lifts the bucket, and dumps it onto the compost pile as she waits for the Alced to assemble her thoughts. Heck, she's got no ground to judge there.

Arth'na swallows and blurts out, "I won't touch anything, but, um. Can I watch?"

Alexa smiles, and waves her over. "You won't get anywhere in gardening by not touching. Here, let's go over this together, let's get your hands dirty, and maybe you'll spot something I've missed."

And that's how it is. One or two, at first, popping into the kitchen, or the room she's trying to turn into a sewing room, or asking if she'd show them some of the wrestling moves she's been practicing with the Coherents. And it's not until she starts needing to coordinate room spaces, and moving quarters, that she realizes she's started to hold workshops.

She's not the leader the Fleets need. It hurts, a little bit, to think. There won't be another generation of the Fleets that defeated the Kaeri. She doesn't know the lore, the chants, the dances, cannot be the war leader who will lead them to glory and victory against Ceron. She cannot be the Pallas for the Fleets. But maybe [i]Alexa[/i] can help the Alcedi. She can show them what she knows, give them options, simply be herself, be open, and support them as they decide what they want.

And if what some want is to stick around, then, that will be their choice. And when Lacedo wants to talk, Alexa will be there to pick up the pieces.