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Lyta always considered it a privilege to walk beside Ambassador Delenn in the gardens. She was still getting used to station life, and it helped to be surrounded by nature. It also helped to have someone as wise, spiritual, and kind as Delenn for company while she was still finding her place.
Despite the vibrant flowers freckling the area, her gaze kept landing on Delenn’s elegant Minbari features. The lilacs would prompt her to look at Delenn’s lavender robes, so silky they made Lyta wish she was wearing something more casual. And the cherries hanging from low branches reminded her of Delenn’s red lipstick, which was just as enticing.
The way Delenn observed her surroundings always made it seem like she knew something more. It was like she had a bird’s eye-view while everyone else was still looking up to the stars, wondering where the clouds and sun and moon came from, and what their secrets may be. Here, however, all Lyta saw when she looked up was metal panelling and glaring lights and transport tubes ferrying cars along.
She sighed. There were ways to replace the outdoors like sunlamps, holographic programs, and the fresh air of the gardens, but she missed the sky--the actual sky.
“Is something the matter?” Delenn asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.
Lyta’s eyes widened at the physical contact. Usually Normals were afraid to come near teeps, let alone touch them. It might’ve been a scandal if they’d both been human.
“Do you ever miss Minbar?” Lyta asked after the initial rush, hoping she’d actually gotten her homeworld’s name right. It was confusing enough with all of Earth’s countries and colonies. Factoring in entirely different races with entirely different languages was a recipe for diplomatic disaster. But at least it couldn't be as disastrous as when Ambassador Kosh came on board a month prior.
Delenn’s wistful smile seemed like a good sign, unless she was sparing Lyta the embarrassment of her mistake. She took a deep breath. “On Minbar, I would spend my mornings in the temple gardens. They were breathtaking, brimming with purple folls and dachai as pale as our moons. When the sky grew dark, they almost seemed to glow.”
“It sounds beautiful.”
“It was. An old friend would sit with me by the fountain there, reciting her poetry and listening to the bezanns’ songs as they soared above…” Delenn swallowed. “She could not accompany me when I left.”
As much as she wanted to be empathetic to Delenn’s own homesickness, a flash of jealousy coursed through her. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no. It is not a bad thing, necessarily. We must make sacrifices if we are ever to continue learning and growing. I am telling you this, Lyta, because I find there is much to admire here on Babylon 5. There is an abundance of different races, speaking together with voices unique to their own. On Minbar I never would have come across a single flower of the many in this very sector,” she said, stopping to admire a lily, orange like Lyta’s hair, before looking into Lyta’s eyes. “And I never would have met you.”
Lyta’s cheeks warmed as Delenn stepped closer. It was hard to hide how aware she was becoming of Delenn’s cherry-colored lips, but maybe she didn’t want to.
“To answer your question: I miss it, yes. But,” she continued, turning back to the orange lily. “There is much on Babylon 5 to help soothe the pain of departure. Have faith, and you will find such balms as well.”
Lyta took a moment to ground herself. Delenn’s presence itself was like the sun and, despite realizing she might want more than the occasional walk in the garden, and she felt lucky to bask in her warmth.
Maybe the sky wasn’t so far away after all. “I think I already have.”