Surprisingly, I have a lot of problem sleeping when I have not a proper bed. 

My father, glorious soldier, lived years on the front line, usually sleeping on the ground, or in the mud, or just closing eyes while marching. That's what a soldier do. 

I probably spent more than half of my life in space, on space stations or on ships, but, still, I need a real bed to sleep. I don't need an house, real gravity or real air, as a lot of people ask, I just need a decent place to lay down. Big interstellar ships have good beds, human space stations not far from Earth have good beds, colonies built by the right people have good beds.

Heereen's fishtanks for human people haven't.

My bed was a cot taken from the Queen Charlotte. I hate cots but there was no time to find something better and I would probably feel ridiculous asking for something more comfortable. When me and Cassandra decided was time to sleep I tried to lay down, because I always try and, as always, I got up few minutes later. Then, I found a good compromise just sitting on the cot, in a yoga position, controlling my breath and relaxing. I probably spent some time in a not-conscious state that helped me rest a little, but in the end I opened my eyes and I was sure there was no possibility to sleep anymore.

I had some books about Teculpa with me and I was going to read for some time when I heard steps, coming from the "living room" , the room I shared with Cassandra. I walked through the pipe that joined my "bedroom" with it and I found Cassandra there, staring at the dark liquid outside.

"Are you able to see something in it?" I whispered.

She knew I was behind her,  she wasn't surprised. She just shuddered a little. "I don't think so. It's too thick. If it's a liquid it should move, somehow, but I can't see nothing like that"

"Well, it's a very depressing view"

I walked to her. There was no strange intention in my mind, it was just that little box, forcing us to come nearer and nearer, as molecules under heavy pressure. I arrived close to her, close enough to feel the heat of her body.

"Did you touch it, when they bring you on their ship the first time?" she asked.

"I hadn't the courage"

"A diplomat, not an explorer"

"Absolutely not"

"I thought all the people good as you with an EVO suit have to be explorers"

"I'm not good, I just did a lot of practice"

She let herself fall back, landing on my chest. i grabbed her arms.

"None of us is going to sleep tonight" she stated, shaking her head.

"Honestly, this is not even a real night"

She turned to me, looking in my eyes. She wasn't in love, she was just vulnerable. "Honestly, this moment probably doesn't exists"

"That's a very... interesting theory"

"So there's no dirty mentor taking advantage on an harmless student lost in space. No dirty games on the steel floor. No embarrassing wake up"

The two molecules clashed under the pressure inside the tank. She just embraced me and kissed me and I kissed back. I was confused, I was sure that wasn't what I was looking for. While touching here, opening her suit, finding a good way to handle her body, I had to repeat myself I was just looking for someone to help, I was just looking for someone to transmit my knowledge to.

She made me kneel, then she knelt after me. As I said, there was no decent bed so we silently agreed to use just the floor of the living room.

She stop kissing me for a moment, still smiling. "The Heereen could come and watch us doing it"

"I don't think they would understand"

"Probably this moment doesn't exist for them too"

"They would say that the time is... wrong"

I felt her fingers in my back, strong enough to leave signs. "I hope you will not fix it, then"