Chapter 19
Are you all forming a secret alliance?
Filbur
This was one of the most awkward situations I had ever been in.
“They have been in there for hours,” the dark Gemin complained. “What if something happened?”
“Nothing happened,” the white one replied. “Stay calm, Nitochi. We do not have the time to deal with the security again.”
Ghauro seemed as uncomfortable as I was. We exchanged one charged look.
“It has only been a few minutes since they left,” I pointed out, unfortunately catching the attention of the two. Great. “I believe they wanted to have some…girl time.”
“What even is girl time,” Nitochi grumbled.
“It is time spent between girls,” Ghauro muttered. “Not sure why they would need something like this, but—”
“Cut them some slack,” I cut him off and he groaned, crossing his arms over his chest. “They have one day every month where they can socialize with other human females. You might feel happy to reunite with other Tauris if you were stuck with another species for a long time.”
He frowned at me. “Melanie is not stuck with me, you red moron.”
I rolled my eyes. “It is a manner of speaking you green doofus. She is away from other humans for weeks at a time.”
“She is not,” he corrected.
This man was as stubborn as a stick. “She is—”
“No she is not. Her grandmother and her friend Ernesto live on Taurus.”
Wait, bringing other humans was an option? “Really?”
He gave a jerky nod. “Yes. The man always comes uninvited to share a beverage and they constantly talk in hushed voices so I do not hear. It is pissing me off most mornings.”
“I would not accept that another man come to our nest,” Nitochi gritted out. “What if he tries to steal your female?” he asked Ghauro then.
“He will not,” my old friend said. “I have questioned him when he first came into our clan. He says he does not want her this way.”
“Have you cut off his genitals to ensure it?” Nitochi asked. Seriously.
“No, I have not. Ernesto wants my brother and is not attracted to females.”
The white Gemin—Baelor, if I remembered correctly—looked confused. “Will he not want to reproduce at some point?”
Ghauro shrugged but the motion looked rehearsed. “I do not know. He said he liked other males. My brother. But it has been two months, and they are still courting each other from afar.”
“Why is he coming to your house every day then?” I asked him.
“I wish I knew,” he grumbled. “Melanie and him are chuckling and whispering for the whole time.”
“And they do not let you listen?” I asked.
“No. It is annoying.”
“Maybe it is the gossip,” Baelor mused.
Nitochi straightened, suddenly alarmed. “Then I do not like this either.”
Something told me that we would hear more about this next month and the ones that would follow.
And that, with each meeting, the girl would leave longer to add each new girl, leaving us men to suffer.
If only we could all manage to get along.
“There you all are,” Sylo—the Lionus—said and the almost friendly atmosphere shattered. “Are you all forming a secret alliance?”
“No but our partners are,” I deadpanned. “They locked themselves in the food room to gossip.”
He looked as confused as we all were about it. “What is gossip?”
“We think it is words that are whispered and meant to make the group chuckle like children,” Ghauro said. “I think I have seen my female do it with her human friend.”
Sylo paused, sliding both of his hands in his pants’ pockets. “So…it is a human thing?”
“I guess,” Baelor muttered. “Our female has never done this before.” Then, he turned to Nitochi. “Although…I have seen her talking in hushed tones with Uncle John. Do you think—”
“We could ask him once we get back.”
“Should I worry about this gossip thing?” Sylo asked. “You all seem pretty concerned about it.”
I put my hand in the bag hanging at my side. “You do not have to worry about this. But I do have this for you.”
The book stayed between us for a few seconds before he carefully took it from my hand. “What is this?”
“This is the human codex,” Ghauro proudly explained as I pulled out the translating glass to give it to the Lionus too. “It has everything you need to know about them.”
“Not everything,” I quickly corrected with a wince. If I had known about the water thing being a possibility, it would have prevented an uncomfortable talk with the human scientists… “I added a few notes on things I…learned.”
“Fuck, I should have done that too,” Ghauro remarked.
“Just make sure you pass it on next month,” I said. “Who is getting paired after you?”
“The Virgons, I believe,” he said distractedly. He was slowly searching for the Lionus setting of the translating glass. “But thank you. I will make sure to read it. I do not know much about humans…”
“Why did we not get this?” Baelor asked, offended.
“Because when I planned to, I got distracted by you screaming at everyone and your missing bride,” Ghauro explained.
The two Gemins did not argue further, but they looked genuinely hurt.
And Sylo was leaving, eyes fixed on whatever he was reading, forgetting all about us.
He could have at least said goodbye…