"Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come."

By the time his third trip through space had reached its conclusion, Locke had become accustomed to the quirks and perks of spaceship travel. Not all take-offs were as effortless as the one on the Count's ship, when they first left RhyDin, and not all sectors of space were free of turbulence. Compared to airship travel, though, spaceships were just as comfortable and just as smooth (sometimes evn moreso), and much, much faster. Not to mention the places they'd taken Locke to, and the views!

Their last trip, from Hope to RhyDin, was no exception. The cabin, although a bit cramped and simply designed with white walls and beige carpeting, had all the necessary amenities, and the dining hall served sumptuous meals that were even "Locke-friendly." Of course, even with most of their creature comforts provided for, he was still anxious to get home. Thus, there was much relief when the captain came on over the comm and told the passengers to prepare for landing on RhyDin.

Katarina struggled a bit with the hatchet before it finally gave way and gave her access to their room, "Oi, ya'd thin' th' cap'n said tha' we were nosedivin' it, th' way some o' 'em kids grabbed onta th' walls." A medium-sized group of young families had joined Katarina and Locke on their return trip home, and it was the children's first time on a ship. The kids had helped in keeping the trip entertaining, at least when being stuck on a ship. She looked on the bed at their luggage, and glanced around to see if they had forgotten anything, "Ready ta go, mate?" She tossed him a wink as she stepped further inside to continue her investigation.

He rolled up the sleeping bag and tossed it over one shoulder, before grabbing his messenger bag and throwing it over the other. He looked at Katarina, pausing for what he hoped was dramatic effect, before winking and replying. "I was born ready, melamin." He, too, was scanning the room for forgotten baggage and items, though his hands were just about full with his possessions.

She laughed and bopped herself lightly on her forehead with her palm, "Oh, o' course! So silly o' me ta ferget." While she couldn't do just what she wanted to for the moment, she hoped a bright smile would send the same message. She took what was left of the bags, her right hand no longer bothering her. "I wonda if I could talk myself outta doin' th' shows tomorrow. It'd be nice jist ta hav' a day ta regroup, yeah?"

"Are you scheduled to perform tomorrow? It would seem prudent to give you that time to relax, unpack, unwind, and all that sort of malarkey." He returned her sentiment with a smile that matched hers, as it was now his turn to fuss and fidget with the hatch that would take them out of their room and into the hallway. It wasn't long before he was muttering elvish curses to the door, then looking back at Katarina pitifully.

I dunno. Didn' 'xactly hang 'round long 'nough fer tha' kinda detail, yeah?" She waited as she thought he was going to open the hatch, rocking back and forth on her feet. But when he gave her that pitiful look, she laughed warmly and moved around him, "Ya jist gotta show 'em who's boss, yeah?" Long limbs reached up and gave a swift bang to the hatch, before it opened successfully, "Guess it knows who's th' boss." A cheeky wink before she stepped aside so that he could go up the latter first.

"What does that make me?" He climbed up the ladder slowly, now mindful and prepared for the way the slick metal and the slippery soles of his brown bluchers interacted. He waited until she was up the ladder as well to summon a mock-miserable expression. He even pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, for effect.

"I dunno, bu' I do know i's nah the boss." She followed him up the ladder, and rearranged her bags so that she could blow him a saucy kiss, "It's yer own fault, yanno. Ya made me boss." Suddenly standing straight and tall, she turned sharply on her heels to lead them out of the ship like she was his commander or captain.

He kept up the act, sniffling and folding his ears down as much as he could. "Can I-can I at least be the first mate?" He followed after her with a dejected, slumped posture.

She glanced over her shoulder, and found it hard to keep up her facade. His folding ears made the word "adorable" pop up into her head again. Still, she glanced around him and behind, as if assessing other people for the job, before a swift nod and grin, "Sure, ya kin be my firs' mate."

The ears went right back up, to their normal position, and his whole body straightened as well. He even jumped in the air a little and kicked off to the side, though he nearly lost his grip on his luggage when he did so. "Glad to hear that. Because the alternative was mutiny, and I'm much too fond of you to maroon you on a desert island."

She grinned as he jumped up and almost flew the luggage, before preening and even overtly grooming her curled hair, " 'm so glad tha' ya thin' too highly o' me fer tha'. 'Sides, I thin' ya'd leave me somewhere's cold where ya could visit, yeah?" She walked down the gangway of the ship, and absently took a deep breath from the air of the RhyDin Spaceport.

"I would have to." He gave a simple shrug, as if merely tossing the suggestion aside, but his true feelings about it were clear in his eyes, as he watched her preen and groom. His lack of attention on where he was going was nearly his downfall, as he stumbled slightly on the metal plank off of the ship, and barely managed to catch his balance before faceplanting.

"Locke!" She giggled and threw and arm out to help steady him, "My firs' mate's nah usually flounderin' all ova th' place. Ya feelin' allrigh'?" The easy tease fell away from her face as concern start to show in her eyes. "Maybe ya should give me a bag er somethin'."

"I blame your steering. You're the one spinning the wheel and looking at the compass, after all." He didn't even bother to muster up fake outrage at her "failings" as a captain, once she steadied him on his feet. Instead, he just smiled gently. "I'll be aces, Katarina. No worries."

"Tha's fine, ya blame me all ya wan'." She didn't see anything to further her concern, but it didn't entirely go away. Still she winked and grinned, "Bu' 'm tellin' ya now, git used ta it. I know all 'bout spinnin' 'n circles." She giggled at her own pun, before starting them towards the exit.

After two weeks of unfamiliar spaceports and planets, even the bland, boring decor of RhyDin's spaceport felt comforting. Still, he knew he would feel more at home once they were on the streets and back in New Haven, so he quickened his pace towards the exit, where a carriage would hopefully be available and waiting to whisk them away. There were no further mishaps with the bags or his balance on the way out.

She also had to quicken her pace in order to match with him as they headed towards an exit. The silence was comfortable as she too, looked around the spaceport with a sense of comfort. *Home. I'm home.* The thought kept her silent for a while longer until they were outside. She sighed with relief as several carriages were waiting outing to take people where ever they wanted to go. She approached the closest one, "Kin ya take us ta Belling Street 'n New Haven, please?" When he agreed, she was quick to hop inside so that she could rest her arms from the bags.

Once their bags were safely stashed away, Locke stepped up into the carriage and sat down beside her. Once everything was secured, the familiar clip-clop of hooves on cobblestones signaled the beginning of the last leg of their journey home. With a sigh, Locke leaned back in his seat and threw an arm over her shoulder.

His sigh prompt a smile as she arched her back and curled slightly so that she could rest her cheek on his shoulder, due to it's closer proximity, "Ya gonna clunk ou' 'n th' couch when we git home, an' leave me wit' all th' unpackin'?" Though in truth, unpacked was far from her mind. A necessity that didn't need to be presently met.

"No. I'll lend an ivory. Just enough to make sure my things are unpacked. Then I'll clunk out on the couch." He turned his head just enough so that one eye could face her, and winked.

"Well, I'll be sure ta save ya some room, 'cause 'm pretty sure 'm gonna put 'way my stuff firs', an' then clunk 'n th' couch. Nah' tha' yer nah fast an' all, bu' 'm quicker." She giggled and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. The cold wasn't quite as welcoming as it was in Hope, but it was still warm enough out to not cause a shiver with his nearness.

"That sounds like a challenge. First one to unpack gets the couch. Loser gets..." He trailed off, as he tried to think of something worse than sleeping on the couch. The fingers on his free hand rested on his chin, then his lips, deep in thought.

"Pish-posh," he said, as he clambered up onto the couch into a seated position. "There will be time enough for that tonight, and tomorrow, and Sunday. Savvy?"

"Savvy." She stretched slightly, placed her feet on the far armrest since there wasn't enough room for her legs alone, "So, wha' ar' we doin' 'tead o' unpackin'?"

"Just...relax." He stretched out his arms and yawned, loudly. "I might even risk taking a bit of a nap."

"Yeah? Tha's quite a risk. I mean, if I dun nap wit' ya, there's no tellin' wha' trouble I'll git inta." One hand lazily reached out to him, not really having a destination; only seeking contact.

Are you going to decorate my room with cough syrup?" He teased, even though he knew full well that hand reaching for him would soon be tickling or poking him for his comment.

Her cheeks blushed slightly, "An' risk it ta nah freeze up an' ruin th' walls? Nah way, not afta we jist finished puttin' everythin' togetha 'n there."

"Well...just make sure I don't fall asleep out here." Worry couldn't help but creep into his voice; he knew full well what would happen if the enchantments on his clothes wore off, and fully exposed him to the elements.

"Nah, ya know I won't." Her hand found his arm and she tugged slightly, to urge him to either move closer up to her or to lay down beside her, "We'll jist catch our breath fer a momen', an' then we kin move up ta yer room, yeah?" There wasn't any reason why they couldn't go to his room now, but a moment away from being separated with bulks of clothing or sleeping bags was something she didn't want to pass up.

He chose the latter option, pressing a soft kiss against her clothed shoulder as he went supine. "That's perfectly fine by me." Once pulled down, his hand reached out for hers, to lift it up behind their heads.

Her smile was soft as he kissed her shoulder, "'Sides, if yer too tired ta walk up th' stairs, I'll carry ya." She let him take and direct her hand as she adjusted around his joining presence, "I could do it."

He mulled over the offer in his head for a while, enjoying the silence that came with it. "I believe...I can manage the walk upstairs." Still, his eyes darted to her face, to see what she was thinking.

She gave a single-shouldered shrug, "Then you'll be walkin' sooner er lata." Placing her free hand on his chest she tapped her fingers lightly in some random rhythm, "We still gotta open Ma's gifts, too, whenever we're done restin'."

He slapped himself lightly on the forehead. "Of course! How could I have forgotten about those?" He chuckled, glancing down at the tapping hand. "You know, that tickles just a little bit."

She gave a low chuckle and stilled her fingers, "I dunno. Outta sigh', outta mind kinda thin', maybe?"

"Shall we take care of that, before our nap?" He craned his head, to look for her bags and the gifts that resided within them.

"Yeah, sure." She lifted the hand from his chest and pointed to the bags by the door, "There 'n th' firs' bag in th' boxes 'n th' bottom." She assumed that he was getting up to get them.

He sat up, and then hopped to his feet, walking over to the bag she pointed out. After a moment or two, he removed the tissue-paper wrapped gift boxes and brought them over to the couch, setting them on the coffee table nearby. "You first, salkamin."

As he went to fetch the gifts, Katarina straightened up into a proper seating position and smoothed her skirt. Looking between the two boxes, she was a little apprehensive to go first, considering how large hers was compared to his, "Okay." Placing the gift in her lap, she was gentle with the tissue paper and the box as she lifted the lid off to reveal what was inside. She pulled out a quilt, made of red and cream blocks with lining autumn-colored leaves and gold stitching. She unfolded the blanket to see it's large length, "Wow. I's pretty."

He watched intently, whistling lowly once the gift was revealed. "Indeed. Aces." Once she had finished, Locke removed the tissue paper on the twin clothing-sized boxes he had been given. The first one he opened had a batiked silk tie and pocket square inside. It almost looked like Trisha had splattered teal, blue, and white paint all over what was originally a purple tie and square. The next box had a tie and pocket square as well, in a random marbled pattern that included light and dark shades of brown, yellow, and black. He turned and grinned widely to Katarina. "Your mother was very thoughtful and kind. I look forward to perplexing my coworkers with the source of these ties."

She watched eagerly as he opened his gift, and laughed warmly in delight, "Oh, they're *perfect*!" She picked up one with the splattered texture, and held it up to his chest in her line of sight, "Righ'? Ya're th' new model fer th' Smith's line o' ties." She chuckled, before handing them back to him, "Very nice."

"You will have to thank your mum for me, seeing as I still struggle mightily with the comm." He folded the garments up neatly in their respective boxes, before placing the covers on them again.

"How 'bout we thank her togetha, an' I'll handle th' comm? 'm thinkin' she'd like ta star' hearin' fra ya every now an' then, yeah?" She carefully folded up the quilt once more.

"Sounds aces to me, Katarina." He looked to the quilt, then back to her, questioningly. "You're not going to use that right away?"

She paused, before giving a slightly strained smile, "I dun thin' it's gonna keep me very warm 'n yer room while we nap, yeah?"

"It couldn't hurt, though?" He shrugged one shoulder, before standing to gather his bags. At the very least, he could put those in his room, before the real unpacking commenced.

She looked between Locke and the blanket with a slight frown, wondering why he continued with the suggestion, "Well... yeah, I guess not." She gathered the tissue paper and boxes, throwing them away before moving to then gather her things, "I'll put my bags 'way an' change, yeah? Dun fall asleep withou' me." Her tone was teasing.

"I wouldn't dream of it." While she was getting her bags, Locke went up the stairs and into his room, placing the ties and pocket squares among the rest of his collection. He took the sleeping bag and put it in a different closet, with the rest of their bric-a-brac, before turning to the rest of his things. He sighed, as he contemplated the task ahead: taking all the clothing he had packed for himself for the long vacation, sorting out what hadn't been washed yet, and putting away what was still clean. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at his luggage, almost accusingly.

Once she had all of her things, she walked up the stairs and into the other room that they shared. Her bags here tossed upon the bed without another thought as she changed into one of the only outfits she had that could withstand the chill of Locke's room. The fact that the cloth at least felt akin to satin against her skin was considered a blessing. Special scarf accompanied the pajamas as she slipped on the jacket that shared the special material. Carrying both the quilt and her own sleeping bag made her movements slightly awkward as she walked the short distance to the cold bedroom.

soon as he spotted her struggling with the bag and quilt, Locke stood up and assisted her with getting the sleeping bag situated on the bed. In deference to comfort and aesthetics, the bed at least had a fitted sheet over the mattress, in an icy blue that matched the darker shade of the color on the walls. In fact, the rest of the room, despite its somewhat minimalist decoration and furnishing, felt much more homely than anything at his previous residences.

"Thanks." She brought a hand up to cover her yawn, the sleeves being slightly too long still covered her fingertips in the process. Usually she was uncomfortable with prolonged exposure to the room if she wasn't in the sleeping bag or under some sort of thicker protection than the clothing, but compared to the heat of Hope, she practically welcomed it. She wrapped the quilt around her and promptly flopped onto the bed, with the jacket and all.

He offered her one of his pillows, before laying down beside her more slowly. He fluffed his own pillow, before sticking it back beneath his head. Gloved fingers idly traced at the leaves sewn into the quilt.

She took the offered pillow, and tucked it under the side of her head. She smiled as she watched him trace the design on the quilt. "Wanna come under? I's nah thick, an' I thin' i's big 'nough." She grasped a corner and held her arm straight up and high as an invitation.

was an invitation he gladly took, as he scooted and tucked himself under the quilt, his own pillow moved over as soon as he was beside her. He still wasn't saying anything, but the lopsided, happy smile on his face spoke volumes.

His nearness managed to bring a blush and warm her face. She fidgeted with the ends of the scarf, and returned his lopsided smile with a whisper, "Welcome home."

He had a blush to match, though his was dark purple where hers was pinker in hue. He nuzzled against her shoulder, before murmuring in her ear. "Diola lle. It is good to be...here."