<span style="font-style: italic">"Oh,"</span>replied Nakutaro eloquently. Garridan gave a small, grim chuckle at the simplicity of his response, and just like that, their conversation was over. Garridan spent the next few hours not doing much of anything. He would occasionally poke the fire with a stick out of boredom, and a good chunk of the time was spent laying down on the cool grass and staring up into the sky. Even in this secluded, forlorn corner of the galaxy, the would-be home of genetic 'freaks' like him and the others, the sky was just the same as anywhere else. The thought brought a smile to his face; even the UG couldn't take<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>away from them. This galaxy didn't belong to any one race. There was a place in it for all of them, purebreds and crossbreeds alike.<br/><br/>After a while and half a dozen yawns, Garridan resigned himself to sleep. "Hey," he started, glancing towards Nakutaro. "You're staying up, right?" A quick nod from the other party was all the answer he needed. "Alright then. If you need me, I'll be sleeping over by the ship. Try and make sure that fire doesn't light the forest up," he added with a grin. He figured the fire would be more comfortable for the Seharian mix, but despite the bracelet he wore, Garridan still enjoyed cooler temperatures more often than not, and putting a bit of distance between himself and the fire would be good. After laying himself down on the grass once more, he shut his eyes and quickly dropped off to sleep.<br/><br/>********************<br/><br/>As per his usual routine, Garridan awoke bright and early. The sun was still rising, and by its position he guessed it was around 6 in the morning, give or take. After a quick stretch to get himself ready for the day, he glanced over at the nearby ship. The door was ajar, and all signs of the ice were gone. A small smile made its way across his lips as he stepped over to it and looked around, not entirely sure what he was looking for.<span style="font-style: italic">"It's open,"</span>he half-shouted to anyone who happened to be nearby. Gripping one side of the door frame to steady himself, Garridan jumped up, landing inside with a loud, metallic<span style="font-style: italic">clunk.</span>He took a moment to savor the sound; it had been<span style="font-style: italic">far</span>too long since he last set foot in a ship.