Chapter 3
Scarlet
He called her intelligent. And capable. When was the last time that someone complimented her and didn't admire her beauty first? Or even not include it all?
Scarlet knew she was attractive. Not even changing species changed that fact.
If anything, it only made it worse because now not only was she traditionally beautiful, but she was also exotically beautiful.
And apparently, humans were just extra sexy at baseline.
She didn't see it personally, but she could admit that she was also shrouded by some bias.
Truly, it didn't bother her anymore when people became focused on her appearance to the point of losing sight of everything she was actually proud of.
It used to annoy her more, especially when she had just quit pageants and she was tired of people only ever remarking on what she looked like.
But she had come to terms with it, and, like her mother, she ignored them and focused on herself.
She didn't need others to tell her she was intelligent and capable to know it was true.
She didn't know Havali. Havali didn't know anything about her. He didn’t know that she would always respond better to compliments about her mind. She wouldn’t have begrudged him admiring her appearance first either.
But he hadn’t.
And she really looked at him for the first time.
Havali noticeably relaxed when she smiled.
Her reaction must have made him worried that he’d said something wrong.
Not entirely unreasonable. Tuvo’s mess up when he remarked on how big Hattie was had become infamous.
Hilariously, Scarlet hadn’t heard a single domini remark on a human’s size since then.
“Thank you, First Guardian,” she said, genuinely meaning it.
He returned her smile, all three eyes shining. “Please, call me Havali. We are going to be spending a great deal of time working together.”
“Then, you should call me Scarlet. It’s always awkward when I’m called Vora Vakara.”
“Do you not like it?”
“I don’t mind it, it’s just strange. You can call me Healer, if you like.” She smiled, unable to keep it off her face when she thought about her title. The one she earned through her own hard work. Technically, she earned Vora Vakara too, but it didn't feel real like Healer did.
Havali smiled at her. “In that case, may I offer to walk you to the forward viewing deck, Healer Scarlet? You can have an unparalleled view of our approach from there.”
Scarlet hesitated. Not because she didn’t want to go to the forward viewing deck, or even because she didn’t want to go to the forward viewing deck with Havali, but only because she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.
Scarlet was definitely not marriage – or in the aliens’ case, mating – material.
She supported her friends in their new interspecies relationships, one hundred percent.
Her research on Peony and Holly and their pregnancies was going to be completely groundbreaking on a universal scale.
She was going to have her name attached to brand new, unrivaled science.
No, she definitely wasn’t against interspecies mating.
But it was not for her.
After her last relationship, if it even could be called that, she had sworn off men. Or women. Or anyone who might get it into their heads that she was someone who could be manipulated and claimed like a pretty possession.
Scarlet would rather be alone than appreciated only for her beauty ever again.
But Havali’s smile was purely polite. He wasn’t offering his arm or his hand – though the latter was a far bigger deal in domini culture than human and she would have known better than to accept a domini’s hand early in a relationship.
“I was actually hoping for a chance to talk to you,” he continued, raising her suspicions further.
At least until he continued. “I’m going to be working closely with vi Dominani throughout this process.
He will be relying on me a great deal and it will make things easier if you and I can come to our own understanding.
Comrades in battle who can’t communicate are doomed to defeat. And that is from the Omoni Otorsi.”
She cracked a smile, some of her tension easing. That was a good reason. And, in fact-
“I want to talk to you about a few things as well, actually. I feel like I’m walking out on stage and have no idea what kind of show I’m supposed to put on. I was hoping someone would be able to walk me through exactly what I’m looking forward to here.”
“I would be honored,” he inclined his head, gesturing back towards the door. “And the front viewing deck has comfortable seating, unlike this one.”
She nodded and started walking. He almost immediately fell in line beside her, but he kept a polite distance between them, his wrists clasped behind his back.
He didn’t quite have a military posture, it was a bit too graceful and relaxed, but he did walk with confidence and easy strength.
It reminded her of a tiger prowling through the woods.
Not hunting, just walking. A hunter who wasn’t actively dangerous but who all too easily could be.
All domini seemed dangerous to Scarlet. She wasn’t a short woman, by any means. She was as tall as the average man and, if she wore heels, she would tower over them. She actually appreciated that aspect of her modelesque body – it made her feel stronger.
But that advantage, as small as it was, was gone among the domini. The only domini shorter than her were children. The shorter females were around her size. Humans were just smaller as a species and, though she was tall for a human woman, she was still short for a domini.
She could admit, however, despite the fact that the domini were large and craved violence and combat the same way humans craved companionship and family, she didn’t actually feel unsafe around any of them.
Wary, sure. Suspicious, yes. But that was herself at baseline.
The few domini that had done anything to make themselves threats had been immediately dealt with.
Everyone else had been nothing but kind and understanding.
Havali was part of Atem’s council. One of the great leaders of their planet.
A person that, she knew, she should be able to trust implicitly.
Though he moved with the easy grace of a tiger, his expression was polite and easy.
He didn’t ogle her or even smile at her.
He was focused forward as they walked down the brightly lit, white- and cream-colored halls, towards the front of the ship.
She very quickly lost track of where they were, but that was hardly a surprise. The Jutiron Stor was massive, and she had only been on it a few days. Havali, however, seemed very comfortable and took each turn like he lived on this ship.
They didn’t talk until they reached the forward viewing deck.
It had the same half dome window as the terrace she had been on, but it had no garden.
Instead, there was comfortable lounge seating around multiple low tables – the style that the domini preferred.
A drink machine sat in one corner, glowing gently.
There were a few other crew members already here, chatting in low tones as they watched the massive ringworld approach.
It was still only a strip in the vast darkness of space, the bright white of the distant star shining a seemingly impossible distance away.
Scarlet’s mind nearly broke knowing that, as far away as the sun was, the other end of the ring was twice as far.
She couldn’t even see it from here. The circle just continued, endless, into the darkness.
She took a seat at one of the low tables. Havali asked if she wanted a drink and, only after declining, did he sit next to her. She watched him warily, but he didn’t attempt to lean in closer. He even spent a moment more admiring the ringworld before finally looking at her.
“So, did you have any questions in particular?” He asked, reminding her that she had also wanted to talk to him about their duty.
And that really did seem to be all this was about. She relaxed further, sinking into the large cushion as she faced him fully. She could handle business.
“Yes. What’s going to happen when we land?”
“Nothing too exciting. There will be a formal welcome from the High Imperium’s representative for the year.
They’ll show us to where we’re staying, though that’s largely a formality as we always stay in the same place.
The district we’re going to is only for the Coalition representatives and is sectioned off accordingly, so every species has a place built for their own comfort.
The crew of the Stor will be staying on the ship.
It will just be us and the security team Tuvo has picked. ”
“The High Imperium doesn’t greet you themselves?”
“No. They choose someone from among the representatives. It changes each year, so that it can’t be said that anyone is favored. The High Imperium is rarely seen outside of the meeting rotunda.”
“I see. So, we’re taken to our quarters. Then what?”
He shrugged. Which made her grin. Aliens didn’t shrug. That was a human move. He even looked awkward doing it. But the fact that he knew it and was attempting to communicate with her in a way she understood was kind of him.