Chapter 30
Peony
Less than a month ago, Peony had been slinging greasy burgers and fries in a hole in the wall diner and living on tips shoved in her old apron.
Now, somehow, she was on the arm of alien royalty, a ruler of a planet based on merit rather than bloodline, draped in jewelry and fabric probably worth more than her entire life, descending into a room of rich, powerful aliens that were all looking at her with reverence.
What was even happening?
Peony used all of her customer service skills to keep a small but bright and inoffensive smile on her face as Atem led her and the others down into the room of constantly shifting color.
Beautiful, charming, completely alien people eagerly came forward.
Within moments, Peony was struggling to keep track of the names and faces of everyone Atem introduced her to.
First Healer Donivi approached to express his joy at seeing them so well and settled.
Scarlet almost immediately peeled off to talk to him.
They lost Alanna when a young male, a scholar, but not one with a number, meaning he wasn't particularly high ranked, started talking to her about a philosophy book that apparently meant a great deal to the domini.
Holly and Hattie soon became caught up in the music, food, and dancing – both having the time of their lives.
Peony, however, dutifully remained at Atem's side. Meeting tons of new people. Accepting the thanks for their actions with as much grace as possible. A few even requested that she tell them the tale of their escape, but Atem informed them that she wasn't here to recite the story.
After the third such request, Peony was starting to think something was happening that she didn't understand.
“Why do they keep asking me to tell them the story?” She asked as Atem passed her a delicate, thin glass filled with a gently bubbling liquid that her mind identified as champagne, but her tongue insisted was not alcoholic at all – though it did taste almost like peaches.
“Story telling is important in my culture,” he said, looking out over the group of people as the two of them stood back, taking a brief break.
“It hearkens back to the time when warriors would trade tales around fires or when they recited them to family when they returned home.
Listening to a warrior's story is considered an act of respect, and being able to both tell and hear one is an honor.”
“Oh!” Peony beamed. “That's why the first thing you did was tell everyone what happened when we arrived. You were telling our story.”
Atem smiled, pleased. “That's exactly right. As First Domini it is my right to tell everyone my story, and I would never deny them the honor of hearing it. They are asking to hear it from you as well.”
“And you don't think I'll tell it right?” Peony asked, frowning as her excitement at figuring it out fading as she considered how quickly he intervened for her.
“Not at all!” He assured her quickly with a laugh. “They are mostly being polite by asking. Events like this aren't the right time to get into a retelling. It's considered polite to defer it in return.”
Peony was confused only until she remembered that, on Earth, it was considered polite to ask someone how they were doing for no more than a 'fine' or some variation thereof because you weren't actually expecting a real answer. She chuckled, relaxing with that explanation.
“A lot to learn,” she said mostly to herself.
“You are doing wonderfully,” Atem promised before looking up. His expression brightened. “Ah! Torvii! You are late.”
Peony turned her gaze as well to see an older male approaching them.
He was wearing long, flowing pants with an equally long vest that was fully open at the chest, both in colors shifting from red to brown that his aging skin just barely struggled to keep up with.
His three orange eyes were going in different directions, the lower two on Atem, but the upper one focused on Peony.
“Peony,” Atem gestured to him. “This is First Scholar Torvii. He served the previous two dominani before me and has been on the council longer than any other.”
“Atem” he greeted him first, then all three eyes focused on her. “And greetings to you as well, honored Vora Vakara. I have been greatly anticipating this meeting.”
“Nice to meet you too,” Peony smiled brightly. She had been introduced to far too many people to still be shy and uneasy anymore. “I hear you're the one investigating the ratchi ship.”
“I am. I am afraid I have nothing to report thus far. The console holding the navigation equipment was well and truly broken. What did you do to it, Atem?”
He grimaced. “I'm pretty sure I was thrown onto it while fighting the captain. An accident.”
Peony gently stroked his arm with her thumb, trying to silently assure him that she didn't blame him for the destruction. “I think it's more important that he won the fight. Collateral damage is expected and what you can't prevent you can only live with.”
“Wise words indeed,” Torvii inclined his head towards her. “Atem, might I have a private moment?”
“Certainly. Peony,” he looked to her. “Will you be all right on your own?”
She saluted him with her almost-peach not-champagne. “I think I can handle it. You go. Do your business. I'll see if I can find one of the girls.”
“I won't be long.” He kissed her temple quickly before stepping away with Torvii, both of them immediately launching into a discussion that Peony didn't bother to follow.
She walked through the room, nodding to some, stopping to chat with others.
All of them were people that Atem had introduced her to already.
She didn't remember all of their names, but their faces were familiar and their meetings brief enough that she could bluff her way through the short conversations as she sought out one of the other humans.
She found Holly first, hiding in a corner, clutching an undrunk glass of not-champagne, halfway behind the purple fronds of a large, potted plant. Peony might have missed her entirely except she saw the train of her long dress peeking out.
“You okay?” she asked, poking her head around the pot that reached up to her neck. It was an impressively big, alien plant.
Holly smiled at her. “Yeah. I'm okay. Just... hiding.”
“Are you not a big fan of parties or being surrounded by strangers?”
“Both?” Holly chuckled sheepishly. “I'm waiting until someone leaves, then I'll sneak out.”
“Why wait?”
“Because I don't want to be rude by being the first person to leave.” They laughed together before Holly continued. “I'm used to being in situations like this. I know all the tricks on how to hide and escape without being insulting.”
“Introvert problems,” Peony chuckled, sliding in beside her. “I swear, Hattie could make friends with a brick wall. I saw her chatting with three different people already like they were besties.”
“That's nothing. Scarlet was talking to the First Healer about training to be a healer herself. She's been here all of four days and already she's making plans and trying to find her niche.”
“I'm not entirely convinced that Scarlet wasn't created in a lab somewhere to make all of us lesser beings feel bad,” Peony laughed. “Honestly, I just want to lay down and not move for like a week.”
“Same. One day of rest per day of imprisonment seems fair, right?” Holly smiled. “You don't have to hang out with me. Go. Enjoy the party. You were doing really well.”
“You think?”
“Totally. You looked like a natural.”
Peony's insecurities rose in her throat like bile.
“I'm so nervous. I mean, Atem's a king. I mean, not really a king, but close enough.
And a merit based one. He earned the right to represent his entire planet!
And I'm a girl with a GED who was working a dead-end job.
I don't see how these two things are comparable.”
Holly shook her head, smiling. “Atem doesn't see that when he looks at you. All he sees is a girl who offered him water when he needed it. That means more to him than all the high school diplomas in the world. Especially on a planet that doesn't have them.”
Peony barked out a surprised laugh. “Yeah. I guess you're right.”
“I am right. Where is he, anyway?”
“Talking with the First Scholar. Business stuff.”
“A leader's work is never done.” Holly saluted him with her glass but didn't drink it. “I think I'll go find Hattie. See if she wants to dance or something.”
“I think I saw her over that way,” Peony pointed. “She was busy following Tuvo, pretending not to be gazing at him longingly as he went around the room.”
Holly frowned as she pushed herself off the wall. “That big, scary dude with all the scars who was giving us creeper eyes on the balcony?”
“Yeah, that's him.”
Holly grimaced. “I mean, if that's what she's into, I guess.”
“What? You not into any of the aliens?” Peony grinned.
Holly held up a hand. “Decidedly not. Not knocking it. If you two are happy bumping interspecies uglies, go for it. But I always wanted a big family, and I don't think I can get that with an alien.”
Peony felt a pang in her chest that she hid quickly as she waved Holly off. She didn't know that she wanted a big family, necessarily, but she always imagined having a kid or two. She couldn't have that with Atem.
Of course, they had never defined their relationship.
He said he considered them all his family, but she was pretty sure he meant that in a platonic way.
And he was busy searching for Earth. Maybe, he only intended them to continue this way until he found her home planet.
Then, he would see her off with a smile and a thanks for the memories.
Her chest squeezed uncomfortably at that mental image, but it made a sick kind of sense. After all, what could she possibly offer a king?
“Peony? There you are.”
Lifted her eyes, she quickly fixed a smile in place as Atem approached, a male she hadn't yet met at his side.