Stopping by at Flynn’s on the way home from work had become such an ingrained habit that Cal’s feet found their way there automatically. Some days, she was so caught up in the details of some case or another that she wound up outside his front door on autopilot and had to actively make herself remember to traverse the rest of the corridor to her own door. Her new job as Captain of the Guard came with a number of perks, and while Cal couldn’t always decide if her fancy new castle apartment was one of them, living just a few doors down from Flynn and his family was a definite bonus.

If only proximity to Flynn didn’t come at the cost of distance from Buddy. Back in the Volcano, houses were designed with tall ceilings and large doors to accommodate aja living inside with their ker. Houses on Shaman simply weren’t designed that way. In the barracks where Cal had been living ever since she’d arrived on this planet, she’d had a ground floor apartment with a big window. Buddy generally lived outside her room and stuck his head through the window to chat with her, to the amusement of her roommates. Up in her apartment in the castle… well. Cal had never lived on her own before. Even with Buddy’s voice chattering in her ear the small space felt large and empty, so she found herself hanging out anywhere but her own home most of the time.

Flynn was usually back before her. Cal put her shoulder against the door and pushed it open without bothering to knock, smiling at him across the room. He had his bag on the table and was just pulling the zip shut. She quirked an eyebrow at his comment.

“Guessing if I ask what you won’t tell me?” She shot him a sly, knowing smile.

Swivelling in the doorway, Cal turned and headed down the corridor the short distance to her own room. She stripped off her work clothes and donned a pair of distressed jeans, a white shirt and her black leather jacket. She didn’t bother grabbing a coat, knowing full well that Flynn would have packed appropriately if he was expecting it to get cold. After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled her hair down from its ponytail and brushed it out, but kept the elastic looped over her wrist. He might have thought of the coat, but he was unlikely to think of flyaway hair in windy conditions.

She’d left the door to his apartment open. Strolling back inside, she dropped into the couch next to him, leaning on her side with her arm hooked along the back of the sofa.

“Okay.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Do I get to know where we’re going before we set off, or are we playing a fun game of guess as we go?”