Chapter 29 #3
By chance, it was Fellaseen she saw first. The sight of the feline female made her grin.
It was the first time she had seen Fellaseen’s entire pack.
The other five rootavin females and the single rootavin male that they all shared.
The male had dark brown fur that was especially thick at his chest, puffing out of the ‘V’ shaped collar of the colorful robe he wore.
He had his hand on the lower back of one of his mates while talking to another.
Fellaseen was talking to two more but, when she caught sight of Scarlet, she beamed and gestured for her to join them. An offer Scarlet was happy to take. She liked Fellaseen.
“Scarlet! We’re so glad to see you. Come, meet our pack. We’ve been wanting to introduce you for a while.”
Fellaseen was speaking in plural again, and she wasn’t the only one. All of the females of her pack spoke in plural – slipping into the singular ‘I’ rarely and only after stating they were about to do so, like it was more unusual to speak as themselves than as the group.
The exception was the male. He did occasionally use the plural ‘we’, but it was more similar to how Scarlet would have used it. He was broad around the shoulders, even accounting for the extra fluff on his chest, but he spoke softly and had kind eyes when he was introduced to her.
“So many people,” she said in aw after all the introductions were done.
Fellaseen beamed proudly. “Yes. Speaking as myself, I love my pack mates dearly. Joining with them was the best decision I ever made. And our mate is quite handsome, don’t you agree?”
“Very handsome,” Scarlet agreed, not even really lying. By now, she was used to the different alien features she was exposed to so often. At this point, she worried that human features were going to seem strange to her once she returned to Earth. “Do you have any children?”
“Kits? Oh, yes. We’ve five. They’ve stayed home with their grandparents though. It was quite hard for our mate to leave them. He’s a very good father. He doesn’t like to leave our offspring. Such is the way of males, though.”
Scarlet assumed she meant her species’ males, but she nodded in agreement.
“Shall you and Havali have offspring of your own?”
Scarlet blushed red. “Havali and I aren’t mated.”
Fellaseen laughed. “What do you wait for? Oh! You must invite us if you have a formal ceremony. We would be quite eager to make the trip to Turv to be a part of it.”
“Thanks, but the domini don’t really have a formal ceremony. I hope you’ll let me invite you to visit for some other occasion though. Or no occasion at all even.”
“Yes! You must. We would be happy to accept.”
Scarlet nodded eagerly before turning to check the room. Only to find that Havali was already halfway across it, speaking to people easily and quickly. She looked back to Fellaseen who had a knowing smile on her face. “Will you excuse me? I have a few others I want to speak to about the vote.”
“Of course,” Fellaseen grinned. “You have our support for certain.”
Scarlet thanked her and said goodbye to the rest of her pack before continuing on her journey.
She didn’t know the other delegates or their families nearly as well, but conversations with them were never stilted or uncomfortable.
All of them were nice, and a few of them were even open to having their minds changed.
She didn’t get to speak to Char Tsok, but a glance across the room told her that Alanna and Atem had him covered. She didn’t think they’d ever change his mind, but he did look polite as he spoke to them about whatever topic they were on.
“Erm, Scarlet?”
A soft, tinkling voice, pulled her focus back forward to where a winged female with dull, dark gray skin and a shy smile stood. One of Superior Crav’s mates. It took a second for Scarlet to remember her name, but she recovered quickly.
“Hello. Danya, correct?”
“Yes,” she smiled, wings shifting a bit. “You remembered.”
“Of course. How are you and your mates doing?”
“Oh, we’re fine. Crav is working. Svit is around here somewhere. I was hoping for a chance to talk to you on my own.”
“Sure. Was there something you needed?”
Danya cocked her head curiously. “Needed? No, no. Nothing like that. I just wanted to talk to you. Crav is eager to support your cause, and I think we could be friends.”
Scarlet considered Crav and Svit and thought that maybe Danya was being na?ve. Crav was certainly supportive, but he was annoying. And Svit clearly hated her.
But she didn’t say that. She just nodded as Danya explained how eager she was to get home and start nesting. She was going to go into heat soon and she was eager to try again for a clutch. Apparently, Crav hadn’t successfully fertilized either of his females, but Danya hadn’t given up hope.
“Well, you’re still young,” Scarlet said, unsure what else she could say. “There’s still plenty of time to have a family.”
Danya made a face. “Maybe for humans, but my species doesn’t breed so easily. And it gets harder the older we become.”
“Right. Sorry.”
Danya waved away her words. “Never mind. What I really came over to ask was if you wanted to go out with Svit and me tomorrow. We want to get to know you better.”
Scarlet was pretty sure Svit would rather drop her off a tall building, but she didn’t say that. Instead, she smiled, grateful she already had an excuse to tell her no.
“Sorry. My party and I are going on a cruise over the pole tomorrow. We’re all really looking forward to it.”
“What? Really?” Danya’s eyes widened. “How did you earn that honor?”
“It’s a gift from the High Imperium.” Scarlet moved around her, still smiling. “But maybe some other time? Excuse me.”
She was quick to extract herself from the conversation before it continued. She liked Danya fine, she seemed harmless enough. Svit though? Not so much. And Crav? She had already caught Havali talking to him, and she was at once grateful it hadn’t been her and sorry it had to be him.
A few more people later and, unfortunately, she found her eyes caught by Char Tsok who had gotten away from Atem and Alanna and was now in conversation with Tuvo.
She couldn’t exactly skate around him without saying anything, especially when Tuvo turned to follow his gaze and caught sight of her as well.
“Greetings, Scarlet,” Tsok said, inclining his head towards her when she approached. “Tuvo and I were just discussing you.”
“Oh? Anything I should worry about?”
“No, of course not,” he grinned. “I was wondering if your hair color was natural or artificial. Tuvo confesses that he does not know. So, we were wondering about the shades of colors that human hair comes in.”
“Ah, I see.” She brought forward one of her curls. “Brown and black are the most common hair colors for humans. Yellow is rarer, but not uncommon. Reds are the most uncommon. Mine especially. It’s not normally so dark.”
“It’s a striking color. Very lovely.”
“Lovely enough to sway your vote?” She grinned.
He laughed. “I hold no grudge against you, female, truly. You and Alanna are quite charming. She has made me laugh plenty of times. Were charming the bar for an invitation to our ranks, you would have had my support long ago. Please, do not hold it against me when I must vote no. I simply see no reason to offer your planet a protected status.”
“I do understand,” Scarlet said, smiling, trying her very hardest not to hold it against him. She believed him when he said that it was nothing personal. It was very hard not to take it that way, however.
Tuvo interjected, “The Char and I were just trying to think of ways that could justify his voting on our side. Alas, from what you have told us, we can think of nothing.”
“There is truly no great crime or calamity on your planet that it needs protecting from?” Char looked at her, oddly hopeful.
Like he really did want an excuse to vote in their favor.
“You’ve mentioned the climate crisis on your planet, but that is a tragedy of your own making.
Those are specifically prohibited from being offered a protected status. ”
Scarlet frowned, thinking. “I guess poverty and illness falls into that realm as well.”
“Illness is just your planet’s own life fighting back against you. I’m afraid that does not qualify either. Nor does poverty. That is also a self-made problem.”
Scarlet shook her head. “Sorry. If I think of something, I’ll let you know.”
Char almost looked disappointed. “Then, you can understand my inability to change my vote.”
She did not, but she nodded like she did – prompting Tuvo to explain the head movements since Char’s people did not use them either. She excused herself while Tsok was asking about other non-verbal communications so she could continue meeting her quota.
A few more conversations later – none of them going in her favor – she was in the far corner where Havali was already waiting for her. Oddly dispirited after the disappointing discussions, she was only too happy to take his hand and let him pull her away.
“Home?” He asked gently.
“Home,” she confirmed, laying her head down on his arm.
She didn't even care about the drone cameras watching the two of them like hawks when they stepped outside and summoned their hover.