That night Haseul sat down on the garage’s floor with her legs crossed and a grin on her face that won her an eyebrow raise from her best friend.

“So, you had that much fun with your new friend?” Sooyoung asked from the place where she was checking their emergency ship – Baby Raven as she liked to call. The taller brunette had a smirk on her face, and although her attention was back on the machines engine, Haseul was sure she was ready to drop some of her sassy replies if given the chance.

However, Jo was too content to mind it, besides they were alone at the garage so they could speak freely. The day had been much better than she expected and if she could make of it a routine, she would be more than happy. “She is actually really normal and nice.”

“And pretty?” Ha added with her usual mischievous tone.

“Incredibly, but this is not the point.” She dismissed with a wave of hands.  Deny would be stupid, after all she had never been the greatest at camouflaging her feelings and Sooyoung knew her all too well to catch up on the signs. Still, Jungeun wasn’t just a pretty girl she met at the market and she had to keep it in mind. She was supposed to act like a friend not to be her friend.

Sooyoung glanced at her, extending her hand as a request to Jo pass her a new tool. “Are you sure about it?”

“Positive, Hasu.” Passing her the tool, she nodded and stole a peek of Ha’s work. Mr. Kim’s crew had made sure it was checked too, but Sooyoung wasn’t the type that trusts other people’s work – Saeg work especially – and was making sure everything was where it should be. “She seems very innocent. I mean, about the world. Is almost like…Like she never got to see things for herself.” Squinting her eyes, she leaned into the side of Baby Raven. “She doesn’t act like a princess.” The pilot muttered this part, even if they were alone, she was afraid someone could hear them.

“About that,” Sooyoung stopped what she was doing, using the back of her hand to brush the hair out of her face.  It wasn’t like her to put her work aside to chat, but that was a delicate topic that concerned both of them. “Did you discover anything about it?”

Pursing her lips, Haseul shook her head in a negative. She was surprised to see that the girl they were taking care of was actually a royal, all her suppositions about her being an affair of the king or something like this went down the drain. However, at first she was just so – embarrassingly – impressed by the girl that it took her a while for the idea of who she really was to sink in. Jo had asked Vivi to run a background check on Mr. Kim, yet in no moment Jungeun’s name had popped up in the search. Nor they had found any register of her anywhere else, it was like that girl, someone who was clearly from a high bloodline, didn’t exist.

There was only one thing that could explain that, and it was too sad for Haseul to think about it, asking the girl about it was out of question.

When she had spoken with Sooyoung, before the girls’ arrival, they had thought she would be a noble like Yerim, or maybe even a commoner. The contact lenses would be used to make it easier for them to pass off as humans or common Saeg if needed – she didn’t know how useful it would be until she saw Jungeun’s red eyes. There was thousands of Saegs on the streets of the capitol, no one would notice an extra pair of blue eyes, and even purple ones were still fairly common, but red? People would be able to notice Kim right away and their curiosity could be very dangerous for the girl.

“Whatever reason they had to send her with us, it’s probably a good one.” She sighed, her mind back to the moment she had first met Jungeun and she looked so vulnerable and clueless under that façade of indifference – Even if Mr. Kim hadn’t ordered her to, Haseul would have decided to protect that girl anyway. “We just have to make sure to stay low for this month and everything will be fine.”

Sooyoung crossed her arms over her chest, an inquisitive expression on her face. “What about her documents? Did they give you anything?”

“I suppose she has it on her.” They could avoid an identity check while on Earth, but once they were in space, it would be almost impossible to pass the security without proper documentation. “And if she doesn’t, I think Hyejoo can create something. It shouldn’t be too hard if she is not in the system.”

The taller nodded, her silence was unusual and Haseul could tell she had something in mind. Sooyoung’s mind wasn’t average, she might not be a computer genius like her cousin, but her abilities to find and fix problems were incomparable. Under other conditions Haseul was sure the girl would’ve become a famous engineer, instead of a simple mechanic.

Helping Ha to close the panel on the emergency spaceship’s side, she waited patiently until the woman was ready to speak. And when she finally did, Jo wasn’t sure if she liked of what she heard.

“The problem is, what if all along the question wasn’t  ‘who she is’, but ‘why now’?” Arching an eyebrow, Sooyoung cleaned her fingers on a piece of cloth. “They were keeping her well locked for all this time, don’t you think it’s weird they decided to leave her out now? And to New Mars out of all places?”

Haseul didn’t answer, she didn’t have an answer to give.

“I think we should be prepared for anything, just in case.” Sooyoung finalized, walking towards the exit. “And don’t get too attached.”

Jo didn’t follow her, instead she rested her head against Baby Raven’s cold surface. She hoped Soo was wrong, because she didn’t think she would be able to not get attached.

The first day with the crew, even if she spent more time alone with Haseul than with the rest of the members, made Jungeun feel more comfortable about their journey.

After meeting the others back at the Market, they had shared food and the stories from the day, and Yerim was smiling so much that it was almost like the sun itself was brought to inside the ship with them. The dinner was a nice occasion, and just like on the breakfast, the conversation went on naturally and it didn’t make her feel like an outcast even if she was the quietest one on the table.

Yerim asked to sleep over her room after dinner, under the excuse that she wanted to check the ‘royal accommodations’, and Jungeun said yes, not because she was still afraid someone might try to harm or separate them during the night, but because she enjoyed the younger girl’s company and wanted to talk to her.

“You bought a lot of things today. Shouldn’t you save some money for later?” She asked as she locked the door of the room and took a seat by the mirror to take off her contacts. After a long day with only brown staring back at her whenever she looked into a reflective surface, it was weird seeing her natural eye color. It was pretty, deep and mysterious red, yet it only had brought her suffering and it was hard to not love the warm caramel color that seem to make her life so much easier.

Blinking, she stared at the mirror, seeing Yerim’s smile behind her reflected. “Sooyoung gave me some money, she said the people that hired them gave a lot of money, so we can just buy whatever we want.” The grin on her face was childish, revealing her age.

It made sense, for once her father seem to be thinking a lot about keeping her happy – in his own way. She was grateful he made sure Yerim was included on it. “Okay, but you should still save some.” For when it’s time to go back, she completed mentally. The king had been rather generous with the Choi thanks to their friendship, but she didn’t know how things would be when she was no longer around. She had requested some favors before coming, and unfortunately it was all she could do for her best friend.

“I’ll, don’t worry. The food was so much cheaper than the one they sell near the castle! And the owner was very nice, a bit weird, but nice.” Yerim’s still seemed filled with energy and didn’t waste any time before telling Kim about everything her, Yeojin and Hyejoo had done that day. Jungeun only smiled as she listening, changing into comfortable clothes. They had showered earlier, but she didn’t feel comfortable enough to walk in her pajamas around the ship.

“You were always good at making friends. I didn’t think Hyejoo would go with you two, but seem like you made her change her mind.” Taking her place on the bed, she watched as Yerim did the same on the other side, a soft expression on the younger Saeg face.

“I think she is just a little shy…But she is so smart! And kind! You should have seen her playing games, she even helped me to learn how to play.” The younger girl looked happy, she was the type that valuated small actions more than anything, Son hit the right spot by doing it. She wondered if Yerim had caught on the way the wolf like girl looked at during the whole dinner, but knowing Choi, she probably had dismissed the fact as something normal.

Jungeun smiled, pulling the covers over them. “I’m happy for you. It’s good to have friends around your age.” It would be good for when she wasn’t around anymore – this kind of thought was happening too often for her liking, and she made sure to ignore it. They still had a month before separating and she should focus on the present.

Yerim returned the smile, her purple eyes sparkling as she turned into her side to face the older girl. “You too. Haseul seems very nice.” Her smile became smaller, curiosity spread on her face. “How was it? Did she take you to somewhere cool?”

She knew Choi would ask her this sort of stuff, but for some reason she felt a little shy to answer. “It was nice.” Jungeun said, laying on her back, she stared at the ceiling to avoid Yerim’s gaze. “She showed me a place where they sell art and we ate after.”

“Just it?” Yerim’s pout could be heard in her voice and Jungie smiled at it.

“I also brought a digital piece, I’ll you show it tomorrow.” It wasn’t what the girl wanted to know, she knew that much, but leaving Yerim curious was much more fun than giving her a straight answer. “What more would have happened?”

“Jungeun! I told you about Hyejoo and Yeojin.” Yerim demanded, clinging onto her arm. “How was it?”

With a small sigh, Jungeun gave up. Talking to Yerim would be good for both of them, satisfying Choi’s curiosity and to ease the weird feeling in her chest.  “There was so many people and things to see, at first I was a bit afraid and unsure of what I was supposed to do.” This confession would have sounded ridiculous to anyone else, but Yerim knew about her life and understood her fears and wishes. “But Haseul made it easy. I don’t know why, but being around her feels…Comfortable.” She tried to define the pleasant feeling whenever Jo smiled at her or held her hand for a brief moment, it was like Haseul’s warmth spread to her and she liked the feeling. “First she gave me the contact lenses, and then she was there for me even before I asked her for help. She made me smile and for a while it was almost like we were friends.”

“Almost?”

The blonde shrugged, unsure of how to explain it. “It wasn’t like when we are together.”

“Of course, I’m your best friend.” Yerim giggled, snuggling closer to her. “But maybe you two can become close friends too. It would be nice.”

 “Yes, maybe.” Jungeun nodded slightly. “Good night, Yerimie.”

“Good night, Jungie.”

The life on board was surprisingly comfortable, as if all the members of the crew worked just like the well-oiled machine that transported them through the skies. Jungeun expected to take a while to get used to be around new people, but soon she understood that her news friends were a very special group of humans – and Vivi, of course, Jungie was having a hard time considering the girl as an android and not only another human, because she was just too warm to be a Saeg.

Since Jungeun still hadn’t decided where she wanted to go, Haseul suggested that they should just explore some more Earth for now. Travelling to other worlds seemed like a nice experience, but she never had the chance of seeing her own home planet and now she had the opportunity to do so. Guided by Haseul reliable hands, they visit the interior of Korea – what was left of it, and them some parts of Asia and Europe. Always small stops, to see the beauty and experience the culture even if only for a couple of hours – it was too fast, but duo to Jungeun’s condition, they couldn’t stay too long in a place. She was free to go wherever she wanted to, but they couldn’t risk anyone finding out about her identity just yet, this was the one rule Haseul wouldn’t break no matter what. Kim didn’t knew the reason, but considering how much her unwanted social status had been a burden in her life, she wouldn’t argue.

Instead, she tried her best to enjoy the journey to the most. Different from the first day, they didn’t separate in groups, they would walk together to meet every single attraction and, albeit it was weird at first, Jungeun soon grew fond of this little strange group they were.

Yerim, as expected of the ray of sunshine that she was, had no problems getting along with the fellow ball of energy that Yeojin was– although this duo could be scarily loud when together. Hyejoo, the girl that liked to pretend she was an adult, slowly but surely found her place within the little group as well, and Jungeun could notice she wasn’t as cold as she liked to pretend.

Kim, however, didn’t spend that much time in the company of the younger ones – the maknae like Haseul liked to call, using a dialect that was foreign to her but still sounded endearing when spoken by Jo’s sweet voice. Jungeun wasn’t as good at mingling and the others respected her need of personal space. Yet, it didn’t mean she was always alone, because indeed for the first time in so many years, she always felt like there was someone there for her to push away the ghost of loneliness.

Most of the time it was Vivi, her calm voice and gentle smile that no longer seem odd to the girl, were becoming some of her favorite things. Vivi didn’t speak much, she usually just sat nearby and would recommend her a book or show her a new destination that she may like. Once in a while, Jungeun was brave enough to ask her about other things, like the crew and how she had joined them – the pink haired girl didn’t seem to mind and she would go on about how Haseul had found her at a market in the small city located where be Hong Kong on existed, but was now just a small piece of land that people used to run some sort of illegal trading market. Apparently Vivi was an old model with a little battery issue, luckily Haseul had bargained her way out with Vivi’s old guardian and she had come on board where Sooyoung gave her new batteries and months later Hyejoo helped her to connect with Raven, giving her a role in the crew. Even though the android was unable to express something other than that perpetual smile on her lips, Jungeun could’ve swore her expression got just a little less joyful when she explained that if Haseul hadn’t found her she would’ve ended as a pile of parts sold at the market.

Jungeun knew how it felt to be unwanted and have to pretend you didn’t care about it, and although Vivi would probably never be able to understand this emotion, her heart grew a little softer for the android. After this day, she would be the one suggesting Vivi to sit close to her and they would plan on the next place they would visit.

Sooyoung, on the other hand, was very different. She had an intimidating aura to her, and while Hyejoo seems to just try to portrait this image, for Sooyoung it came naturally. Yet, this aura would go away whenever she wasn’t on duty, giving place to a mischievous smirk on her face as she teased everyone – Even Jungeun.

Soo was smart, bold and reliable. Haseul said she was the co-captain, and the reason was clear: Raven was making a weird noise? Sooyoung would fix it. Hyejoo and Vivi had a problem with the system? Sooyoung had the perfect alternative. They needed to go to somewhere where Raven couldn’t land? Sooyoung would find them a better place to go instead. The mood wasn’t great? Sooyoung would crack a joke and the room would be filled with energy again. Ha’s ability of fixing things wasn’t only related to machines, she seemed to be able to make things better with so much ease that it was impressive. Sometimes she reminded Jungeun of her father, the king, and his ability to keep the people in peace regardless of the circumstances – Sooyoung, however, seem to care about the people she loved more than about power, what was a very big difference.

They didn’t pass as much together as she spent with Vivi, but she learnt to enjoy Ha’s jokes and her wholesome laugh at the dinner table and Jungeun would even crack a smile or two at them. Sooyoung also gave her an extra pair of contacts – blue ones this time – and some ‘average’ clothes in case she needed, for what she was very glad.

Now Haseul…Well, Haseul was in certain sense still the biggest mystery for her – not that the girl seemed like the secretive type, it was just that Jungeun always found herself wanting to know more and more about her, regardless of how much she already knew. Jo was the one person that would always keep her company, be it at their outings, or when they were on board. Even when the brunette tried to be subtle about it, Jungeun never failed to notice the way she would always stick around to ask her if she wanted company after the other girls had went their own ways. Jo would sit across her at the table and ask about her day and tell about hers – what was endearing and a little silly considering they knew pretty much everything already. She would also talk about herself, talk about the first time she had been to certain places and lament about how they would never be able to go to some others due to the changes that happened in the world. Haseul had big dreams and didn’t mind to share it, yet the brunette never pushed her to do the same, but for Jungeun it was becoming harder and harder to not trust Haseul with her own stories and dreams, and sometimes she would tell her small things – she didn’t like to speak about herself, but if it was with Haseul it just came naturally.

Jo would also give her tips about each place they visited, tell her about the dangerous and what areas weren’t Saeg friendly or just generally unfriendly to strangers. Haseul always planned their schedules, making sure they never went to anywhere dangerous, but still, whenever they met someone that seem even a bit menacing – Haseul would not only stay by her side in these situations, but she would also gain a protective look in her eyes that made her look fierce rather than the soft gentle person she was, and grab onto her hand. Jungeun’s heart skipped a beat or two in these moments, and the Kim would rather think it was just due to nervousness.

Nevertheless, she caught herself paying more and more attention to the small brunette that seem to have her own special way of leading that crew.  Haseul wasn’t only attentive and protective with her, she was actually very considerate with the whole crew and Yerim as well. She always seem to know what to say to motivate Hyejoo, what to do to control Yeojin’s overly energetic ways, to find the time to listen to Yerim’s talk about anything, and it was undeniable how strong of a bond she had with Sooyoung, the elder girls would often talk through quick exchanges of looks that were enough to fix any issue the aircraft could have.

Haseul was playful, warm and even a little bit dorky at times – like when she would get carried away talking about the ship as if it was a living being and she would spend a ridiculous amount of time making sure it was always shining. Still, she was attentive and reliable. She didn’t need to command the crew with an iron fist, when she already did it so well only with her gentle words and thoughtful attitude. Would be impossible for Jungeun to not develop some sort of admiration for the older woman, or perhaps liking would be a more accurate wording – both didn’t seem quite appropriate to describe her feelings. It was just a warm, subtle fluttering feeling in her chest, one that made her feel light and brought an easy smile to her face. It was weird, yet, she liked the feeling.

Kim wasn’t sure if Yerim had been right about them becoming friends, still they were definitely closer now. All the crew was slowly becoming fond to her, and perhaps by the end of this trip she would also think of them as her crew – becoming attached didn’t seem a good idea, yet she didn’t mind not being rational this time.

“Of all places, you want to see this?” Haseul asked with a smile on her voice as she looked at Jungeun. They had been planning on where to go next after Raven’s last stop to fill up the tank and fill the maknae line sweets stock as well.

When Mr. Kim had contacted her, she would never thought she would end up stuck with such unique guest. Jungeun had a love for simple things and her choices of places to visit were usually simple, the times they actually visited bigger touristic cities and imposing monuments were the times Yerim would give her opinion or the rest of the crew would try to influence her.

During the day they had visited Tokyo and its streets full of color and technology. The city was much smaller than it used to be, Japan had been wrecked by innumerous earthquakes and with the rise of the sea levels many cities were completely flooded, turning the country that was once a very wealth nation, into a single city. Still, the Japanese were resilient and with the help of the Saeg technology, they could build this new nation.

It was very different from the green landscapes and beautiful lakes they had seen in Europe, the beauty was men-made, taking form into impossible looking skyscrapers, towers, bridges and giant screens placed everywhere. It was a technology paradise and Hyejoo and Vivi had nearly malfunctioned due to their excitement.

After a day visiting touristic places and getting acquainted with the newest releases – Haseul had no idea what most of it was, but she let Vivi get whatever she wanted, while Sooyoung tried to control Hyejoo’s sudden capitalistic tendencies –, they stopped by to eat the typical food and as usual Haseul enjoyed watching Jungeun’s reactions at everything, Yerim was louder and more vocal, but Kim’s little change in expression as she tried to contain the emotions on her face was nothing short of adorable.

Yet, she wasn’t expecting for that kind of request when they went back to the ship at early evening – they decided to spend the night at a field in the outskirts of the city, where Raven could land safely and they didn’t have to deal with anyone else. Although her job was to make sure Jungeun had all her wishes come true, usually the girl didn’t ask her for anything as complicated as this.

“Are you sure about that? There isn’t much to see there. If anything.” The pilot said, touching the big screen on the conference room, opening up a map of the place Kim wanted to go.

Today’s destination, Osaka in Japan, was unexpected.

Jungeun inhaled, nodding. “I know, but there’s something I’d like to see. Can’t we go there?”

“Technically no one is supposed to.” Haseul swiped to a picture of the place. The rise of the ocean had ruined most of the city, an earthquake taking down any chance of recovery, now all that was left was the empty buildings at the outskirts of the city, skeletons of what was once a place full of life. “And there’s no place that Raven could land safely.” Such a big and heavy aircraft would probably cause a landslide.

Turning to face the blonde, the human noticed the way she fidgeted with her fingers and the glint of hope slowly fading away of her eyes – caramel, not red ones. For whatever reason, going there seem to mean a lot to Jungeun. Jo didn’t like this sight, she would rather that Jungeun’s eyes were sparkling with glee.

Mr. Kim’s words ringed on Haseul’s ears: She should take Jungeun whenever she liked, yet her priority should always be to keep her safe. Taking the girl to such place wasn’t exactly what she would call safe.

“Do Saegs really see better in the dark?” The question rolled out of her tongue before she could contain it. “Raven can’t land there, but if it’s only the two of us, we could use Baby Raven…Just for a little while.” When did Jungeun’s shy awkward smile become more important to her than the contract she had signed with a royal?

A relived smile made its way to the blonde’s face and Haseul’s heart also did a thing on her chest, getting warm by the simple sight of it.

“Can we really do it?” Her hesitant tone was trying hard to mask the excitement in her eyes.

Jo nodded. “We’ll have to wait for the girls to go sleep. You know, I’m not supposed to take Baby Raven out without Sooyoung’s approval, but I’ll trust you to keep the secret.” Winking at the girl, she watched as Jungeun’s smile grew into a grin and she could swear the Saeg was about to give her a warm and very much human-like hug, but Jungeun only nodded with a thank you.

Haseul was probably getting herself into more trouble than she should, but she couldn’t say she regretted her words when it made the other girl so happy. They just had to be careful, and with some luck they could go out and comeback before Sooyoung or anyone else noticed it – otherwise she might as well face the first riot of her crew.

“Make sure you don’t have your contacts on, tonight you’ll be our eyes.”

A/N: Hello, how you all doing? This chapter came a little later than planned due to some circumstances (aka me fangilrling over other stories). This is chapter is supposed to stablish the dynamics within lipseul and the rest of the crew, hopefully it won't seem too rushed. Next chapter will be here in 2-3 days and it is the one that made me want to write this whole story, so I'm kind excited.

As usual, I apologize for any mistakes. Thank you for reading 'till here, I hope you enjoyed.