Shay grins. "This is where I go to find out what missions there are I can go on! And look at stars! But sometimes it's the same ones over and over. Are you ready to meet my mom or do you wanna wait and look around more first?"

The stars are really pretty. He wants to look around more first. But. "Meet your mom?" he says quietly. (There's no point putting it off.)

He cups his hands to his mouth and calls out, "Computer! Mom, I made a new friend!"

 A giant image of a sun appears across the window, with a human face inside. Her mouth moves as she speaks.

"Sweetie puff! Welcome back! I-" she stops and looks puzzled. "Hello there. You're not made of yarn. Who are you?"

He has a moment where he thinks she's very pretty before she speaks.

He flinches, and curls in on himself. "I- Nova, ma'am?"

"It's nice to meet you. Welcome aboard the Bossa Nostra! Where did you come from?"

"I-" he starts and then stops. "The- I was in the church. And then I... was. Going through a door and it wasn't there? And it was... a bar? M'sorry. Don't know where that was?"

"It's all right. Do you want us to see if one of the transporters can send you back? If not -" she pauses and the sun-image goes blank for a few seconds, before her face reappears, "we are equipped for more passengers and colonists!"

He shakes his head, panicked at the idea of going back. (They're gonna be so mad.) "Won't take up space, ma'am," he promises fervently.

"Okie-dokie then! And we do have space! Would you like to join the crew of the ship, like Shay?"

He nods, not quite eagerly (being useful was good). "Yes, ma'am," he agrees.

She beams. "Welcome to the crew!" She looks about to say something else, but stops herself, and instead says "I'm putting together a bed for you, but it's not ready yet. Are you in a planetary timezone where the next meal is Dinner?"

"Think so?" he confirms. Then hurries on: "But I- I ate this morning. M'fine."

She frowns a little. "It's very important for growing children to eat enough! Especially in space, your bones might not grow enough! The next mission should be dinner."

The sun flickers blank for a few seconds, and then she returns, smiling, to ask "Are you allergic to anything?"

He blinks a little, confused by that, but then shakes his head. "Eat what I'm given," he tells her, a little urgently (don't be a bother).

"... I'll leave out the likeliest allergens for now then, and have the medibot check later. But tell me immediately if your mouth or throat feels weird, okay?"

He nods fervently. "Yes ma'am, I will."

She smiles, then disappears from the window, and the door at the far end of the room slides open.

Shay leads Nova through the door, and then through a hallway and another door, marked with a picture of a spoon and a fork, into an oval room. A counter stacked with colorful shakers wraps around the wall below a window, which looks out onto some stars and what might be an asteroid.

There are two round tables, each with a hole and attached seat on one side. Shay flops into the seat in the chair of the less shiny of the two, and waves him toward the other.

He slides into it, trying to be inconspicuous out of habit. He continues to try and take his surroundings in as inconspicuously as possible.

The black screen mounted on the wall has white letters on it. A tiny disk near the door lights up with the sun-woman, who beams at them.

Two metallic arms descend slowly from the ceiling. Each has three fingers, is covered in a layer of patterned yarn, and carries a small geometric object, painted with a smiley face. Shay opens his mouth and eats the one the arm in front of him gently tosses. The arm in front of Nova stops descending and holds the smiley-thing at about face-height.

Nova cautiously reaches out to take the object.

It feels smooth and soft. The arm retreats into the ceiling once he takes it.

He nibbles cautiously at it.

It has a foamy texture like an extremely dense marshmallow, and a flavor somewhere between potatoes, greens, and anchovies. The nibble he takes is noticeably filling.