Whispers in the Leaves

Posted on Mon Jun 2nd, 2025 @ 8:06am by Tristi Richardson & Selari Vonn

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Deck 10, Observation Lounge, Hidden Corner
Timeline: MD 5 – 1630 Hours
642 words - 1.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Tristi hugged her knees to her chest, her back pressed against the curved viewport that arched high over Observation Deck Nineteen. Through the transparent aluminum, stars streaked past in endless silence.

She didn’t come here often. Too many people usually. Too many groups laughing in clusters, pairing off in twos, speaking a language of inside jokes and social codes she’d never been given the rulebook for.

But now it was quiet.

Peaceful.

Except she wasn’t alone.

“...You’re in my spot,” a soft voice said, almost apologetically.

Tristi blinked and turned her head. Selari Vonn stood a few meters away, a data tablet hugged to her chest like a shield. Her eyes—dark, reflective—met Tristi’s with neither accusation nor discomfort.

“I didn’t know anyone had a spot,” Tristi said warily, already pushing to stand. “I’ll move.”

Selari shook her head. “No. It’s okay. I just… didn’t expect anyone else to be here today.” She crossed the deck slowly and sat nearby, leaving plenty of space between them. “You’ve been in the botany lab a lot.”

Tristi stiffened slightly. “Yeah. So?”

“I think it’s cool,” Selari replied. “I kill succulents just by thinking about them. I didn’t know tomatoes needed that much care.”

Tristi gave her a sideways glance. Not mocking. Not fake. Just… awkwardly honest. It was strange. Kind of nice.

She let her shoulders relax a little and picked at the hem of her sleeve. “They don’t like the recirculated air. Or the noise. Or maybe it’s just me.”

“I don’t think it’s you.”

Tristi snorted. “You haven’t heard what the others say behind my back.”

“I don’t need to,” Selari replied quietly. “I hear what they don’t say when you walk into a room.”

That surprised Tristi.

The silence stretched between them. Comfortable now.

Then Tristi whispered, “Something weird happened yesterday. In the lab.”

Selari tilted her head. “Weird how?”

“You’re going to think I’m making it up.”

“I won’t.”

Tristi hesitated, then leaned forward. “The Zynari. I think they were there. With me. Just… watching. Maybe more.”

Selari’s eyes widened. “You saw them?”

“Not exactly. I felt them. They made the plants… move. Like, spell my name with vines. And one of the flowers bloomed, like, just for me.” Her voice was soft now, not reverent but grateful. “They left messages. Nice ones. Told me I wasn’t… what everyone else thinks I am.”

Selari was quiet for a long time, eyes on the stars.

Then: “They helped me too. I was meditating yesterday and my candle wouldn’t stay lit. I’d forgotten to shield against airflow. Then the flame turned purple and floated. Just hovered. It made this little spiral, like it was breathing.”

Tristi blinked. “That’s… beautiful.”

Selari nodded. “They’re not just pranksters.”

“I don’t think they mean harm,” Tristi said slowly. “They see things. Like… pain. Loneliness. The stuff no one talks about.”
Selari’s voice was soft. “Maybe they’re reminding people that wonder still exists. Even for the ones who get left behind.”

Tristi looked at her. For the first time in weeks, she didn’t feel like the only person floating adrift in a place too big for her soul.

“We should tell someone,” Selari said, then added, “Maybe not an adult.”

Tristi laughed—a quiet, genuine laugh that startled even herself. “Definitely not an adult.”

The two girls sat together in silence after that, watching stars and strange colors ripple along the hull from systems no one had yet explained. But Tristi didn’t feel quite so alone anymore.

And somewhere—just out of phase with reality—a flicker of iridescent energy drifted by, like laughter caught on the wind.

The Zynari watched.

And smiled.