On the day Flash first met Buffy and Skip, it was as though they were wearing blinders. They were unable to see the beautiful world around them. They could only see a set of outdated rules that fought to keep them blind. It is natural that foundational teachings would stick. As their eyes slowly adjusted to the light, they had no alternatives. Just pain and disorientation. Flash had felt pity for them, unable to see that he, too, was blind.
Unlike him, they were able to quickly throw off the cloak of tyranny they had been forced to wear. He searched instead for the home he so desired, unaware that the crimson plain was his own welcome mat.
He had wanted to intervene on their behalf. To advocate for them. With all of his uncertainty and fear, he cast himself in the role of champion. Here were two people who survived the destruction of their entire planet, by orbiting above the annihilation of their world. Not only had they survived, they did so smiling and waving.
His let me show you how to… quickly turned to how did you do that? He had left Olo, feeling he was not a hero, but a threat.
He still had lessons to learn on his journey before he was ready to return. There were still others for him to learn from. Lessons of humility and humbleness.
Life on Olo was very different from life on earth. On Olo, there were no corporations. No advertising. There was no greed. Olo had no political parties, no medications, no junk mail. If you offered a television to an Ololian, they would probably ask what is it? When you told them, they would glance at the holograms, and then back at you with a quizzical look. They preferred to live their lives rather than watch simulations of strangers living lives on a screen. They would rather ride a whale than watch a documentary about whales.
I don’t mean to say that everyone on Olo is happy all the time. They feel every emotion. They grieve losses. They avoid uncomfortable situations. They lose their toys. Like I said, it’s just different. I’m not even saying life on Olo is better than life on earth. It’s not a competition. Flash preferred it, though it took some getting used to. Old habits die hard.
Unnecessary ideas and desires were slowly stripped away, and replaced by an Ololian mindset. At the same time, Flash retained his unique individuality. Because Olo was a painting of his life, he couldn’t have felt more at home. Actually, the line between self and the universe had blurred. He was reminded that while he was in the universe, the universe was in his body. He and the universe were one.
Flash hadn’t anticipated what life would be like if Lem transitioned, and went traveling in another dimension… If Bucket, Poikani and the sphere made other friends, and went their separate ways. Oh, they came to visit him in the castle from time to time, or he would meet them in the courtyard or out on the plains, but most of the time, he had to keep himself busy on his own, or with new friends. Change was the one thing that seemed to stay the same. It was that highway of life with its entrance and exit ramps. He just kept drifting down that straight stream. Who was the gondolier that propelled him, silhouetted against the panoramic scenes of his past experiences? He was comfortable on the soft cushions of his rear facing seat, and felt an urgency to appreciate every new day… every new moment he glided effortlessly into and through.
Everyone came to the castle one evening, Bucket, Poikani, the sphere, along with Mad and Luuu, Jewely and Aino. They raised their glasses (all but the sphere) to the wonderful, winding paths that brought them together for whatever time they would share. Bucket led a trivia game, which, thankfully to Jewely and Aino, was comprised mostly of questions about Olo. There were also questions referencing their time in the mother ship, and of their lives before meeting each other. This wasn’t unfair to those who had always lived on Olo. The stories were well known, only these questions went deeper, to lesser known facts hidden beneath, or before the holograms. Often, the subject of the question was the only one who could answer, and everyone else listened eagerly to the new information they would divulge.
A knock sounded from the door to the hallway, and Aino opened it to Eeli and Aada, who asked to join in. Of course they were welcomed with open arms. Any casual onlooker would have no idea that two in the group were royalty.

They were just friends who had come to have fun.

Bucket just knew things, the way the book did. Maybe this is what Lem had sensed about him. Such knowledge in another kind of person would be intimidating and potentially dangerous. In someone like Bucket, it was wonderful.
Bucket knew the location of the secret hiding place Flash’s brother had found in the farmhouse when they were children. He knew the exact weight of metal the table of elements was still missing since the production of the sphere. At this, the sphere beeped and whirred loudly. It vibrated until Poikani reassured it with a soft voice and gentle pets. Everyone laughed good naturedly. They played for hours, and then someone (I think it was Eeli) suggested they open a bottle of spaghetti squash wine.
Why not?