“Hey, Eri!” Percy stepped on the hot coal, “This is how you’re supposed to do it!” 

Stella cheered: “You know what you’re proposing?”

“I’m perfectly aware what I’m doing, thank you very much!” ,Percy shouted back as he walked over the coals, winking at Andromeda, who blushed, “Come on, let’s do it the proper way!”

Caught a bit off guard, Andromeda turned around: “Do you mind?”

Eri and Stella shook their heads. 

Percy, who had finished the walk grabbed her and together they walked down the aisle.

To the amusement of the aliens and the confusion of the Sims the newly wed couple each stood on one end of the coal path Cyngus had lit. Auriga, noticing Zoes puzzled look explained to her: “It’s a common ritual on our planet and usually connects engagement and wedding. The future husband is supposed to walk over the coals- or any other hot substance- to his bride. But now, with a huge percentage of our population being hybrids, we usually connect both customs.”

Both watched in silence as Eri stepped on the coal. He almost managed to walk over half of the path before the heat got too much and he jumped of the trail to the amusement of all.

“Chicken!”, Cyngus hollered, while Stella had to laugh at the view of her husband: “Come here, you big idiot!”

While everyone (except for Almeric, Jasmine and Jane, who somehow found it more comfortable to stay inside(?)? watched the wedding ceremony, Zoe noticed that Cyngus was busy trying to light a fire on a small coal field near the wedding arch. She leaned over to Auriga: “What is he doing?”

Auriga laughed: “You mean Cyngus? That’s part two of the ceremony. You’re gonna like it!”

“…Orion, libra and scorpio.”

Percy and Andromeda lay on the ground outside the house, stared into the sky and listened to local wildlife- which luckily mostly consisted of crickets and some confused frogs.

“So, Stella and Eri got engaged.”

Percy glanced over at Andromeda who stared into the distance: “Mh-hm…”

Suddenly she jumped to her feet: “That’s not okay!”

“Huh?”

“They are settling down, Auriga and Lyra are friends with the Sims and Cyngus… Cyngus is Cyngus. We are not going back, are we?”

Percy sat up: “Of course we are!”

“Then why is the responder off? Why doesn’t anyone try to actually get back?! I don’t want to stay here? What if they find us?!”

“Calm down.” , Percy sighed and picked himself up off the ground.

“No! You don’t know them!They are brutal! They will kill us without hesistation!”

Percy grabbed her by the wrist and embraced her: “No one will hurt you. We’ll get back. Somehow!”