Chapter 24 #3
"I told you before, it's not a matter of genetics," Violet said sharply.
I raised an eyebrow at Melgara. My inclusion in this conversation had only come after their first attempt had already failed.
Melgara waved a hand. "There is something behind it, even if we can't entirely understand it. Oftentimes, the first step is an attempt at replication, and you are interested in increasing the captain's lifespan, even if it's only raising the average."
Violet's eyes narrowed dangerously at the woman, as if she'd just been caught in a trap and was heavily regretting her last step.
"Of course I would like the captain to live longer," she said with practiced patience.
"However, my concern isn't only personal.
If the divines discovered that there were experiments being conducted on our tails or abilities, there would be significant pushback.
" Violet shook her head. "No, they would come and kill the captain, kill you, and try to uncover every iota of data you've worked on, only to destroy it, too. "
"It would be far from the first time someone wanted to silence my research. The question is still simply: are you, or are you not, willing?" Melgara smirked.
Violet grumbled.
"What was that?" I tried to help the conversation along—and secondarily, my own lifespan. If we were getting into fights with kikai who were capable of what I understood of Violet's abilities, much less her master's, then it certainly couldn't hurt to be a little tougher on my end.
"How are you feeling about multiple partners?" Violet asked.
I frowned, her words not making any sense to me. "Multiple partners?" I asked, seeking clarification.
Rather than answer me, Violet just blushed deeply. "Are you really going to make me say it?"
I hesitated. "Yes," I answered, because apparently there was something I wasn't quite aware of.
"Multiple romantic partners," she emphasized, in case there was any question.
Which made me pause, stunned, my mind beginning to spin nearly out of control.
From what I understood, it wasn't uncommon, given the gender disparity in humanity, for humans to have multiple partners.
Even if that disparity didn't span the entire galaxy, it had managed to work its way into a few of the other races, making it something of a thing among federation races.
"I'm not sure Lily would be okay with that," I said as an easy out. I'd have to apologize to Lily later for using her as an excuse. Though part of me wasn't sure she would care at all. In fact, she might welcome it. After all, Lily was fairly possessive of me.
Yeah, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed unlikely that Lily would simply jump at the idea of me having multiple partners. More likely, whoever had put that idea in my head would simply disappear. Lily wasn't exactly the most understanding in some regards.
"What?" Violet said, her eyes slamming into narrow slits.
"I mean, can you imagine Lily sharing?" I decided, in for a penny and in for a pound.
My words must have made some sense, because the way Violet's eyes went from a suspicious squint to opening wider told me she understood. However, her tail, which had been drifting close to Melgara, swiftly shifted away.
"In that case, no," Violet said. "Perhaps I could justify assistance under other scenarios, but not under this one." Her tail curled into her arms as messages I didn't fully understand passed silently between the two women.
"I understand," Melgara said, with another one of those unreadable smiles. "Perhaps the captain could convince her." The doctor turned to me expectantly.
"I can probably have that conversation." I probably should, before anyone else had misconceptions. Heck, if someone mentioned it around Lily and I hadn't already made clear I wasn't taking multiple lovers, I could see her modifying my ability to have them at all.
Lily was a wonderful woman. However, I could absolutely see a less-than-desirable level of obsession shaping her actions. Yes. The more this conversation went on, the more it seemed prudent to address it before any misunderstandings could occur.
"Well, if that's all…" I smiled at the two women. The thought of Lily's reaction to such a request haunted the back of my mind and was enough to make me want to get out of this appointment and onto something else with a considerable amount of urgency.
"Why don't we let the captain go." Melgara chuckled, clearly sensing some of my discomfort.
"Make sure you apply your ointment. I'm sure Lily will do it regardless, but we do want to ensure you're in top shape, especially given the fact that we'll most likely have some dangerous conflict in the next few days. "
I didn't miss the way Melgara punctuated the end of that statement while turning to Violet, placing the danger squarely on her shoulders. The kikai clutched her tail to her chest, her shoulders set.
If I'd had even a quarter of the intelligence I had, I would still have known that was a woman who wasn't going to change her mind.