I will arrive shortly.

[She does not specify the exact time, though "shortly" translates to approximately 2.47 minutes of travel time before there is a gentle knock on Rhade's door.]

[The room smells less like broken bottles of alcohol now and the only evidence something went awry is a glass case where a senet set is displayed is broken. He has a chess set out, the one Arthas got him (replacing the one he gave to Ben) and set up.

There's a small case near the door that contains nearly all of his belongings he's acquired on the boat.] Hello, Aya. [He's saying as he gets something to drink from one of the not-broken bottles.]

[She lacks the necessary sensory receptors for smell, and says nothing about the condition of the room. Immediately, her attention falls to the chess set. A game Ben has taught her, that Bruce had been aiding in the refinement of her skills at.]

[Something she knew.]

Greetings.

I apologize if my intrusion was sudden, but you did extend the offer.

No apologies necessary. Have a seat. [He motions towards the game table before sitting down himself.]

Did you want to discuss Ben, as well?

[A nod. Getting straight to the primary objective of her visit was fine with her.]

Yes.

You said you were departing, as I can see by the gathering of your belongings. Was Ben made aware before your announcement?

No. But the games are to talk to people in confidence. There really isn't time.

[Because he's 99% sure he will kill a particular person if he sees him right now, in the most nasty, underhanded way possible.]

I...do not understand.

[Why there was no time. Why all this was so sudden. What he referred to by "games". Insufficient data led to confusion.]

Ben is not the only person on board with a genetic predisposition towards violent tendencies. ...But I'm also a father, and those urges will pass if I see my daughter again.

Ben will be better off in someone else's care in the interim.

[The news came as a surprise to her. Both of the admission of certain tendencies, as well as the mentioning of a child. Aya had family--or, at least, what she considered family--back home, yes, but to leave one's offspring?]

Then I wish you luck on your journey.

[Her eyes fall to the chess board, eyes faintly glowing as she continues to process this.]

I cannot guarantee my presence would make much of a difference...but I would never stand idly by if Ben was in need.

[That's been the hardest part, staying away from her even knowing he's missing no time at home. Not beyond what network errors allow for.]

Your presence makes a difference to him. [He says that doubtlessly as he moves a pawn on his side.]

[She also moves a pawn.]

That is what I would like to believe.

Have you learned how he talks yet. The real way he shows his emotions? [He mostly leaves Ben to his own interpersonal relationships, but in the event that he shouldn't come back, she should know.]

I...think so.

[She speaks as one who was only just thinking of this now, when, in truth, Aya had studied their interactions countless times over. As she did with every acquaintances. Much of it she still did not understand--there was only so much logic that could be applied to a single-sided perspective--other than the results were 85% positive.]

We have exchanged many instances of dialogue together, and I have never failed to understand his words. As for his emotions... [A pause. More processing. She looks up.] ...it is a subject I am still learning much about myself.

When you grow up fearing how to speak freely, or simply needing to keep your emotions to yourself, you learn to say them between lines. So if someone really cares about you they'll care enough to listen for them.

[It's a truth of communication in his culture, and he looks disappointed that Ben had to learn it the way he did.]

When he tells a story, all the people he knows are cast in the roles. The story is how he feels about those people, and says the parts of them he can't understand.

I have repeatedly communicated to him that he is both free and welcome to speak to me in whichever degree of freedom he prefers.

[The "repeatedly" indicating that she is well aware of his hesitations to do so, but persists in her insistence.]

[Though the mentioning of Ben's stories gives her pause. She always listened to them. They had talked about some of her stories before as well, so this was nothing new either.]

Have you been able to sufficiently translate his meanings behind each of them?

To some degree. [Now that he knows what it is, and not just stories.] And I believe that most people have encouraged him to communicate. I think that's the medium that he feels most comfortable with.

When I was here before, as an inmate, I rarely conversed with my closest friend bluntly. We always talked in metaphor in public. No one could understand us.

[And he misses Braxiatel a great deal.]

I am used to most other individuals not understanding me 100% of the time. However, I do not believe it has ever been because I spoke in metaphor.

[He just sort of snorts softly at that. Not a full laugh. He's not in a good enough mood, too. But it is amusing.]

[Aya tilts her head slightly to one side, curious. She's not offended by the laugh.]

Did I say something you find amusing?

[He makes a small space between his fingers.] Just a little. [And he moves another piece, without offering explanation as to what it was.]

...oh.

[And she seems to accept this as an answer. It was not the first occurrence, and it would most certainly not be the last.]

[In lieu of further conversation, Aya simply returns the move. Focusing heavily on offense and long-term strategy. Her eyes occasionally glow as she processes the latest potential algorithms to predict his next moves.]