T h e humming of the refrigerated drinks fill in the silence. She's been standing here for at least a minute just staring at colored cartons of milk. Indecisive, partially. Mostly she's just never seen this many flavors before, milk is one of the things that is imported on the station, which normally gets sold out in a matter of weeks. She never even knew it came in this many flavors so here she is. Stuck on which one to try, or perhaps she should just stick to something familiar. It would be a waste to buy one she has never tired only to not like it.

"I'd go with strawberry." A voice comments, sudden and loud in the otherwise silent store. Looking to her left she finds a boy, around her age, wearing a uniform in the same color way as hers. "I'm Baekhyun, by the way." He adds.

"Sterling."

"Are you new?" He asks. Her face isn't familiar to him, and it's one he would remember seeing.

"Small town?" She asks instead. Sterling knows her aunt lives in a more quiet rural part of South Korea but compared to the space station anything above 1,000 was a large population to her.

Her reply earns a smile. "Something like that." The conversation seems to be at an end point as the boy, Baekhyun, glances to the ground before flickering back up to meet her gaze again. Sterling head tilts, she's not exactly knowledge on social cues a practically non existent thing on the station. People we're more direct and blunt in conveying their feelings and intentions. It's not until his gaze looks from her to the drinks that she realizes he's waiting for her to move.

"Oh!" Her smile is sheepish as she opens the door to grab the recommended drink.

"If you want I could uh...walk with you to school." He offers as she starts to walk to the register.

"I would like that." Sterling waits as he reaches in, grabbing the same flavor. "Does this make us friends?" She asks. The only reference Sterling has of how terrans make friends and bond with each other is through dramas and movies. She's not exactly sure if he's just being polite or extending an olive branch.

The smile she gets is bright reminding her of the sun. "I don't share my favorite drink with just anyone." He winks. It's the sincerity in his tone that assures Sterling of his words.

The sun continues to rise during the walk to school. Baekhyun finds himself watching Sterling. Her clear holographic painted nails shimmers in the sun as she holds the milk carton to . Braided pieces connect to each other overlapping to form a pattern leading to clipped buns on either side of her head, the wind brushing the tops of the strands handing over the chrome clips. His brain was trying to piece together the walking paradox that was beside him.

Sterling has inadvertently answered his question of her being new to town but he's beginning to think it's more than that. Aside from her unique accessories and hairstyle she seems to be fascinated by the simplest things. As they walk across a short bridge, her attention switches from the rover that flow through the canal under then, to the bonsai trees, down to the way her metallic flat form shoes scraps the pavement. He had to keep her hand in his after she almost collided with a pole.

"Sterling." He softly calls, those eyes of wonder meeting his own. "Is this...your first time on earth?"

She first has a deer in headlights reaction before a smile forms. "What gave it away?"

"You just seem...fascinated by things that should be normal to see." He gestures to the trees and bushes of flowers around them.

"Most things are artificial on the station, even the oxygen." She says reaching her fingers out to touch the rough cracked brick fence along the side of the canal. "It's different to experience them in person." She adds. Even the smells are different, more authentic. From the damp scent of water, to the fresh cut grass.

With his suspicions confirmed, he realizes what drew him in when he first saw her. Maybe it was her unique hairstyle or the way she seemed to look lost as she stood in front of the milk. Or perhaps it's in the way that there is nothing simple, or earthly about Sterling, she is cosmically divine.

^{Welcome back Baekhyun 💛.}