While it didn't mean much to hear it now, Kengo had still appreciated the kind words. It made him realize how hard it was to come across something like that in the world he was in.

"I haven't had a chance to work with it yet. This job is less about my own survival and more about being able to have enough money for my research. There are things I want to see if I can recreate using it, until I have access to my own tools again." Whether or not he would end up going home, but Kengo still didn't consider 'home' an option anymore.

He kept his hands on the counter, picking nervously at the surface. "This place is a lot different from where I came from. Earth was fairly calm, aside from what my friends and I were dealing with." ... had he ever called him his friends before? He wasn't sure. "It's good to know humanity makes it this far."

Those words brought the first familiar ping of what Kengo had referred to as his 'white noise' -- the feeling in the background his entire life that had completely disappeared since arriving on Omega. It was as though, for a moment, he'd gone back to normal. Kengo turned his head away and let out a breath, still unsure of exactly what it meant.