“So, any questions before I head off?”
Relkir looked over their small Legion. They had just explained the plan while Relkir was away. None of them really wanted to go to Relkir’s wedding and Relkir was fine with that, and, in the mean time, Mylon and Skeftin, the two twin captains, would be in charge while Relkir was gone. The rest of the Legion seemed happy with that choice, especially since Mylon would deal with external meetings, schedules and issues and Skeftin would deal with internal ones.
The members of the 99th Legion glanced between themselves. Most of them were quite fine. They were all almost as intelligent as Relkir was, and they did mostly look after themselves without issue. However, Revalos, one of Relkir’s captains, raised their hand.
“What is it?”
Revalos hesitated, then asked their question. “Do you find it weird that we all tower above you, despite you being our General?”
“No.”
“How comes?”
Relkir gestured around. “I have always been tiny. I am used to everyone being a good thirty centimetres taller than me.”
“You do realise, you are possibly the shortest Below Two Hundred General in history, yes?”
Relkir shrugged. “That is an interesting little tidbit, but being short does not mean one is physically weak. After all, death-honoured Kuta was only slightly taller than me, and they were a former captain of the 606th Legion.”
“That was because they were shadowblessed like a Skyavok though.”
Lilyn, one of Relkir’s other captains, piped up. “Not true! General Kuta was ripped. They also literally stopped a ceiling from falling on the High General’s head. There is a reason they are memorialised in a beautiful park with a big statue of themselves in the middle of it!”
Relkir frowned briefly, then nodded in agreement. However, Lilyn picked up on that frown.
“Is something wrong?”
“Um… not… well… a little…” Relkir sighed. “I feel a hint of regret that I always disliked Kuta and I should not have.”
“They were… weird though.”
“So am I. So are a lot of Rethans. Just because we are different, that does not mean we should be automatically disliked!” Relkir tutted. “Either way, are we all clear on our duties while I am gone?”
Everyone nodded. Relkir was satisfied with that response. They quickly checked their wristband, then smiled.
“Alright. We do not have any major duties left over for today, so you may finish your jobs and then head home early. If you have any important enquiries please get them to me before the 24th. If you have enquiries after that, then speak to Mylon or Skeftin. I should be back officially on the 4th. But we do not have any major upcoming events, so we should all be fine. So, one last time, any questions?”
“No, General.”
“Wonderful. You are all dismissed.”
Relkir waited for their staff to disperse, then headed back to their office. The first thing they did was check the General Talks app on their communicator. They had received a handful of messages. Most were minor requests, including two from their adopted kid Litvir, who was asking what the word “hysterectomy” meant and if it had any connection to the word “hysterical”. Another was from Gath, who had just sent Relkir a bunch of hearts and smiley faces. One of them was from the High General, asking if Relkir could meet them in the Ordinary Bar after work. However, the last message was much stranger.
Retvik-Rethianos-116902: Hello, Relkir. I am sorry, I can only send brief messages sometimes. I do not know if you are getting any of them. I hope you are doing well. Kuta and I went to this strange space mall with our friend and mentor Elkay. Elkay reminds me a lot of you but green. We are close to getting space-married. I am also going to be near Sini’s floating island soon so I can talk more. I hope you are happy and safe. You deserve to be happy and safe. I love you and miss you.
Relkir read the message a few times, then smiled. They typed a message back, but had no idea when Retvik would get it, or if Retvik even would. They did live outside the universe, after all. Admittedly, Relkir probably should have told someone about all of this, but they were pretty sure no one would believe them.
Relkir-Rethianos-116903: Hello, Retvik. I am doing well and happy to hear from you. I am making all the preparations for my wedding, which is in two weeks! Everything is pretty much sorted now and I am very excited. We are going to Glimmerling on Thresisa, to a beach that is made of yellow quartz crystals. I hope you are doing well too.
Relkir didn’t know when they’d get a response, but they were always happy to hear from their technically dead sibling. Relkir then turned their attention to the message from the High General, and decided to just call them. Surprisingly, they picked up quickly.
“Little sibling, how are you?” Rethais seemed happy.
“I am good, thank you! How are you?”
“I am… excited, actually. And looking forward to seeing you in the bar later. But I require some assistance. What type of flowers do you think Lysar will prefer?”
“That… is a weird question.”
There was a grunt on the other end of the line. “I am trying to be more spontaneous. I know other races give their partners flowers. I want to do the same for Lysar, but do not know what flowers to get. You would know.”
Relkir smiled. “I would know, yes. You can be traditional and get a bunch of red roses for Lysar, but I think you should see if there are any blue or white flowers that match Lysar’s plating. I think they would like that.”
“I very much appreciate your advice, little sibling. Gath is still on Thresisa, yes?”
“Indeed. I… admittedly forgot what it is like to go to bed without someone by my side, but it is fine, it is only for a few more days.”
“You will be fine. Everything will be fine. I will see you later, yes?”
“In about half an hour.”
“Wonderful! See you then!”
The call ended, and Relkir smiled to themselves again. Both they and their siblings seemed happy. That made a change.
With one last smile, Relkir tidied everything away, then decided to make their way to the Ordinary Bar. Maybe they could chill out and text with Gath a little bit while they waited.