Lambert guided his Guardian through the docking ring and down towards the planet's surface. Rather than head for a major city, as most of the traffic did, he immediately took a detour.
They flew through the dark clouds away from the sunset; the Guardian's air-breathing engines carrying them swiftly. It was perhaps ten minutes before Lambert nudged the stick downwards and the ship began to descend. There were many mountains below them, now - seemingly untouched by human hands. Here and there a road meandered through a valley, or a few lights shining in the dusk indicated a small town - but that was all the civilization in sight.
They flew down to treetop level and the ship slowed, until Lambert guided them through the trees into a small clearing. He touched down onto the overgrown grass in front of a small house, illuminated only by the light of his Guardian's headlight.
"This is it," he said, unstrapping and removing his helmet. "My home, such as it is." He popped the fighter's canopy.
He heard his guest unbuckle herself from her seat as well. Lambert glanced back at her, noticing she’d taken off her helmet for the first time since they’d met. Her nearly totally black hair was bound back in a tidy, neat bun, which saved it from any frizz inside her helmet. She had rather pale skin, with a gently angled face and grey eyes. She looked rather severe to him, as if she did not ever smile. That seemed to fit with her demeanor over the comms, however.
With an easy motion, Lambert turned and vaulted out of the cockpit, landing lightly on the ground a few feet below.
"Come on, I'll make sure to turn the lights on first thing," he said, aware the gathering darkness made the empty house look almost... menacing.
He turned around and extended a hand - implicitly offering to help her down.
Therai's face maintained a neutral expression, and she took his hand to climb down after him – a bag in her hand. She stumbled slightly as she hit the ground.
Lambert placed his other arm on her shoulder to briefly steady her as she stumbled - he felt her tense up for a tiny moment before straightening back up. Without a word, Lambert turned and walked up to the front door of the house. He busied himself for a moment at a small console by the door – working to unlock everything.
After a moment of work, several lights clicked to life in and around the house, immediately making it look much more friendly and inviting.
"Much better," he said, quietly, as he opened the front door. Inside, down a short hallway, was a nicely-lit living room with a couch and two chairs. There was also a fireplace, which Lambert immediately walked to. A small lighter got some old wood going, and it did much to combat the lingering chill.
"Make yourself at home. Not sure I have a lot of options, but would you like a drink?"
"...A glass of red wine...preferably cabernet..."
"Ah, I'm sure there's still a few bottles somewhere. Should be able to find something."
Therai glanced around the house. "I wish to change...where may I do so...?"
Lambert paused a moment. "If you want to change, there's P-... the guest bedroom. This way," he said, leading the way into the kitchen. From there, he gestured to his left, down a hall to a bedroom. The door was open and a very bright, flower-covered bedspread was visible.
Therai paused in the doorway for a moment, her gaze flitting all over the room, from salient detail to salient detail. "...Do you have a daughter...?"
"I did, in a sense," he said. "She, uh... left. For good, probably." He turned away, digging through some cabinets in search of a good bottle of wine.
Therai stepped inside without requesting elaboration, closed the door, and clicked the lock. Lambert shook his head wryly, privately wondering if he'd made a mistake by returning to this place.
After a few moments, he finally found what he was looking for - a bottle of cabernet that was one of the best in his small wine collection. He supposed it was appropriate to go ahead and drink it, so he popped the cork. After filling two glasses, he brought them and the bottle out to the living room and set them down on the coffee table. Collapsing onto the couch, he waited.
Soon, Therai returned down the steps, wearing an ankle-length dress of black and muted blues. Her hair had been let down from its bun, instead having the rear locks gathered into a ponytail near the back of her head, though most of her hair remained loose.
She sat down gently on the couch, a leather-bound journal and a pen in her hands, and glanced up toward him, her shoulders still shrugged up slightly. While her face was neutral, to his eye she seemed somewhat uncomfortable. She glanced to the coffee table, and took one of the glasses of wine, sipping it discretely.
Lambert smiled slightly, trying his best to be welcoming, but realizing he wasn't doing the greatest job. "So, uh... should we start?"
