It was late evening. James was already asleep, snorting quietly in his sleep while lying on his back. To his side, Lucine was lying. She wasn't sleeping, though. Her eyes were open, staring at the ceiling. She found no rest for she was deep in thought, thinking about herself.

She thought about her feelings towards the human. During her time on the moon, she was the loneliest, feeling so much despair and sorrow over what was done by her, and fear took hold on her — she was afraid she'll stay there forever.

Now, when she's not so alone anymore, Lucine feels conflicted. She doesn't know whether her feelings to James are genuine or just a compulsive desire that was formed of her loneliness. She was afraid she was too forceful, too unthoughtful of her own decisions, fearing that it will push her only friend away.

She sat on the bed, sighing heavily. She glanced at the sleeping human, and then stared through the window. Snow was falling down, barely seen in the pale moonlight that shone through the gray clouds above. Elaborate icy ornaments on the window sparkled in the light of the moon, captivating anyone who dares to watch it.

Lucine stood up and walked to the window. Leaning onto the window-sill, she propped her head with her palms, letting her eyes wander across the snowy, dimly-lit landscape. She creaked open the window, letting the cold air in. Not too much of it, just enough to refreshen the room of its rather stale air. Feeling the cool air brush against her naked body, she allowed herself to relax.

Gazing at the outside, Lucine pondered about her own life, trying to decide on how to continue it, how to move forward. She knew she couldn't stay in that house forever, and she hoped that James would follow her and come out of his shell to re-embrace the world he isolated himself from. While she didn't know much about the world itself, she was sure that it could be so much more for the human if he returned to it, especially after so many years of self-isolation he brought upon himself. His five years paled in comparison to her thousand, and yet she understood that it's no better. She was sure he wasn't bored due to all those games and films he had to play and watch, but there is nothing that can replace a conversation with a living being.

The cool air couldn't extinguish her fiery desire to be with someone who appreciates her as a person, someone who can love her, someone who can carry her in the arms. After her own isolation, she was desperate to find her special someone.

Turning to James, Lucine sighed. Her feelings were confusing even to herself. But she knew for certain that she needed someone there and then. So, she decided to make a go at it and see where it would lead. The finest prize is for those who dares to achieve it.

She closed the window, stopping the flow of air. Then, she returned to the bed and sat on it. She put her palm on James' damaged chest, and felt how it rose and fell as he breathed. Her hand moved to his face and cupped his cheek. Then, it travelled to his long hair, and started stroking it. Lucine found it to be very relaxing. It had been him who stroke her mane in her sleep, and now the roles have switched. She chuckled to the irony of the situation.

And thus, she spent the most of the night that way. However, feeling the desire inside her grow as it engulfed her very soul, she found her hand in between her legs. Quietly moaning, biting her lower lip to contain the sounds that erupted from within, she pleased herself while lying next to James, thinking about him. Fortunately, he didn't wake up during her little outburst of fiery passion.

She made up her mind.

In the morning, James woke up with a good feeling. He opened his eyes, looked around, and didn't see Lucine in the close vicinity. Yawning, he rolled on the bed. Suddenly, he felt something moist and sticky against his palm. Raising his hand, he saw that there was a wet spot on the bed. Out of curiosity, he sniffed his hand. The scent that he found brought a slight blush to his face as he realized what that wet spot is and it's connection to Lucine. Out of even more curiosity, he licked his palm. Not ashamed of his naughty action in the slightest, he chuckled to himself.

He stood up, put on the sweat pants and a t-shirt, picked up the dirty sheet, and went downstairs. On his way, he saw Lucine preparing herself breakfast. Passing her, he entered the bathroom and put the sheet into the half-empty laundry basket.

***

After completing his morning routine of exercises, he joined Lucine. They exchanged greetings, and James started preparing himself a meal. Meanwhile, the mare was finishing her own meal — a salad made the same way as James'.

"James," Lucine put down the fork. "I want to talk to thee."

"What is it?" he replied casually while cutting some cucumber.

"Well, I..." the mare rubbed the back of her head. "I think that we shouldn't stay here."

"Why? Is there something wrong with this place?" James replied in surprise, putting down the knife and turning to Lucine.

"Don't take me wrong, but... It's very lonely here." Lucine said. "I understand why thou live'st here, but it can't go on for long. There is much more to this world than this house in the middle of nowhere, and I've not even seen the rest of the world. But from what thou hast told me, thy world is a place worth living for. And here? I don't think thou shouldst keep this isolation.

"Look, I... I just think thou shouldst give this world another chance, James." she walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Please, consider this."

For a few moments, James just looked away from her, staring sideways. Thoughts circled in his head, confusing him. Then, he sighed.

"I don't know..." he replied, looking into her eyes. "I... I don't think I can just return. What will I do?"

"Thou toldst me thou hast a dream of becoming a restaurant owner, to cook food." Lucine said. "Maybe it's what thou wantst to do? I can help thee, too."

"But... How will people react to you? I don't know if I can just let you go around. No offense, but... You're out of this world. You will get a lot of attention if anyone sees you. And not just good attention, too."

"I understand." Lucine nodded. "They'll have to get used to me. I can stand up for myself as well. Together," she squeezed his shoulder. "We shall overcome whatever stands against us and our dreams."

James pondered for a few seconds before answering.

"But... why do you want to go with me?" he finally said.

"Last night, I came to an understanding." Lucine said. "The two of us can't stay here forever. Thou'st been living here for a long time, completely alone. I don't think that those games and films gave thee true satisfaction. And when I came here... A lot of things changed. Both thou and I... we changed. But we can't just stay here, living day after day until the end of us.

"I understand why thou camest here. Because of fear. But should that fear control thee? Should it dictate thy life? There are people that might want to become thy friends.

"After my time on the moon, and even before that, I was alone. All of that resulted in a catastrophy. I understood that my self-isolation led to that, not the misdoings of others. My own fear... And I don't want thee to go through this.

"While I don't know thee much, I see that thou went through a lot of things. I know that thou didst not tell me everything about thyself, and I understand that. The car accident was a catalyst for thy decision of self-isolation, was it not?" she more stated than asked. Seeing how James looked at her, she understood that she was right. "I see it in thy eyes... Thou art unsure. The fear still controls thee.

"Come out of it, James. Let me help thee get over thy fears, to take thy life back." she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, putting her other hand on his chest. "Trust me... And now, I am completely sure about one thing. I love thee." she closed her eyes and kissed the human on his lips. His eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, James thought that he should pull away. But in the end, he understood just how right Lucine was about him. He needed to go out of his shell, to see the world again. So, he kissed back, hoping that their union would stand against all odds.

She was not that different from him, after all. While not too much has passed since her arrival, James came to conclusion that something must be changed. The days he spent with her in his lonely house made him realize just how lonely he truly was. He told himself over and over again that he was fine alone, only to realize that he was not.

He could stand living there no longer. With someone as Lucine, he was sure he would overcome everything in his way to achieve happiness.

On that day, James made a decision to finally return to the world.

Author's Note

I know that this chapter may feel rushed, but there is an explanation, a reasonable one.

A human is a social being, meaning that one needs a society to survive (most humans do). Doing one thing for years and years becomes boring one day, doing the same routine again and again. I'd imagine five years of that would put quite a strain on most of humans.

Thus, it's time for James to move forward. You didn't really expect everything to happen in that house, did you? If that was true, the story would be pretty boring and repetitive.

Even if you have a lot of games, they eat through time fast if you're alone. Eventually, you'll run out of things to do, and everything will become boring again. Fighting against boredom for five years is pretty impressive, but all stress must have an end.

So, what city will the two move to and how will they live their lives? Feel free to guess.