Chapter 2
Agent Murphy
Far Side of the Portal
“Somehow they’re a bigger pain in the ass than the men at the diner.” I should’ve realized I wasn’t alone because I was never alone lately, but thankfully, the cough that came from behind me in the small side corridor was familiar.
Klynn.
Finally.
“Have you decided to sneak up on me and ask inappropriate questions too?” Had he come to talk or was he still avoiding me and this was an accident?
Wren had assumed the strange questions would stop once I’d gone through the gate, but he’d underestimated how curious his people could be no matter where they’d come from.
Klynn wanted to laugh, I could see it in his eyes, but he wasn’t ready for that much Earth nonsense yet. So far, I’d just gotten random smiles I thought were designed to send deliberate signals and not just random attempts at practicing them.
But I’d started questioning that theory when he seemed to vanish once we reached the town closest to the gate. I’d only seen him once over the past two days, and while I’d heard him mentioned in several meetings, I didn’t like not knowing where he was.
“Yes.” Klynn stepped closer and gave me a practiced shrug that looked natural on him. “I have decided I need detailed instructions on using Earth bathrooms.”
His dry sense of humor was cute, but I gave him the suspicious frown he wanted. “That would be the third time I was asked that today. Care to explain why?”
His people were weird but it’d gotten to the point of strange.
Klynn’s eyes sparkled but the rest of his face was mostly neutral…so actually showing a lot of emotion for one of the people from his planet. “Someone with new access to English overheard you talking to yourself about the waste removal system and the story has been widely shared.”
Fucking hell.
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
For some reason, that seemed to be what delighted Klynn and he actually let out a quiet sound that wouldn’t have been a laugh anywhere else but his unique planet.
“I just can’t remember the better than human hearing. I’m never going to get used to that.”
No matter where I was in their complex of connected houses and public spaces, there was always someone who could hear me.
When I first walked through what was really a small town where the buildings were all attached together to protect people from the weather and wildlife, I’d been impressed, but I hadn’t realized how it would affect privacy expectations.
They had none.
As I opened my eyes and focused on him again instead of my own drama, something about his expression felt like he was laughing at me but I couldn’t pinpoint what exactly made me read it that way. “Everyone around you appreciates that.”
Brat.
“I’m glad I can be so entertaining to the local populace.” I was starting to understand why my parents had such a good sense of humor about ridiculous things. “I have to admit that I prefer toilet questions to one about…diner nonsense.”
I would never get used to their lack of social boundaries around kinks and anything mate-related either.
The sparkle in his eyes was back, but he nodded seriously. “I agree.”
What kind of weird questions had he been getting?
Did he mean he didn’t like them questioning me about mate activities?
I couldn’t ask, but I’d never realized how much information I obtained through facial expressions until the people around me didn’t have any.
“I am going to do my best to remember the hearing difference, though.” That was going to get me in trouble at some point if I wasn’t careful.
I just wasn’t used to constantly guarding my thoughts and words.
It was like being at work twenty-four seven.
“And that they’re just curious because of the alien coming to visit aspect. ”
“They’re following Wren and the others from Earth too.” That finally got a smirk from Klynn. “I think it’s more about the newness than you being technically an alien.”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed getting another hint of a smile from him. “If we’re comparing them to the diner men, I would have to agree. Those crazy old men didn’t care where you came from as long as they could ask questions and…let’s call it…classify you.”
Klynn couldn’t seem to decide if he wanted to laugh or groan and finally settled on a small huff. “They gather knowledge in inappropriate ways.”
Amen.
“I would agree, but there are times when it is appropriate to ask questions to someone you trust or that you think has the right knowledge that you need.” I’d started to think I hadn’t been clear on that with my complaints about the diner men.
Had that been why he’d disappeared?
Klynn had made a clear effort to talk to me when we’d been on Earth, but he hadn’t engaged me about anything personal or diner-nonsense related. “They just go about it wrong.”
Klynn knew he could talk to me, right?
I wasn’t the warmest person with strangers—it came from meeting too many of them—but I thought we’d gotten close enough over the week before we’d left for him to understand he was different.
The grumpy drama queen went still and the only sign of life was random blinks and the hum of something like energy I always felt from him.
After a few moments, he nodded slowly in a human gesture I appreciated.
“I will admit to preferring to gain information privately, but yes, there are times it is appropriate to ask questions.”
Since his preferred method of information gathering seemed to be romance novels, I felt the need to push just a bit. “Some written information is exaggerated for humor or other emotions, so please feel free to ask me anything you are confused about.”
It was bolder than I’d been before, but I had a feeling he would’ve been fairly content just to watch me for a lot longer than most humans could handle without it getting awkward.
Klynn was fascinating and grumpy and in no way human…
and most of the time I liked that about him…
but not being able to read him as well as I wanted made it difficult to figure out what was going on.
Because there had to be something going on.
“Thank you.” Going back to being still and simply studying me, he was quiet for several long moments as he seemed to process something. “And please feel free to do the same with me. I know there are aspects of our culture and biology that are confusing.”
I appreciated that, but I wasn’t sure any of my questions would be appropriate in return. “Thank you for that. I’ve had a startling number of dragons offer to show me their other form, but it seems…too personal.”
And that hint of a smile peeked out again.
“Is it their other form that feels personal or the fact that they’d be getting naked in front of you?” He clearly thought my reservation about that was funny, and I had to admit that from his perspective it probably was.
“Humans just don’t randomly get naked in work-related situations except in some very particular circumstances…
especially outside.” This wasn’t a weird cult or some kind of nudist retreat, so I was going to do my best to make sure everyone kept their clothes on around me.
“I’m in a…unique position here, so I don’t want to do anything that my boss back on Earth would frown upon. ”
Okay, well, anything his boss would get pissed about.
Mark was…well…he was unique and could justify a lot.
Something shifted about Klynn’s expression but I either didn’t catch it fast enough or read him right to be able to guess what the problem was.
His normally dry and slightly stern tone didn’t help the situation.
“I have heard there are many different cultures on Earth. Would your supervisor have issues with some of the more unique ones on your planet?”
I wasn’t sure exactly what he was asking, but since this was Klynn, I gave him a more thorough answer than I normally would’ve otherwise. “Yes. He has always been involved in gathering intelligence. He has never been part of what we might call the diplomatic side of our government.”
They were not the same thing and didn’t attract the same type of people.
“My parents are both involved in diplomacy in different ways. I was exposed to more cultures than the average American growing up, but that also means I’ve seen situations go from ‘come see the local performers’ to nearly an international incident very quickly.
” I wasn’t sure if that would make sense given his limited understanding of Earth cultures, but he gave me another nod.
“The dragon who I obtained my reading device from had several series based around political situations and drama.” When he went still that time, I knew he hadn’t liked the words he’d picked, but he didn’t fuss over it too much.
“Some of it was confusing, but I was able to see examples of those circumstances.”
Hopefully they were at least slightly based on reality.
“My immediate supervisor would do his best to understand other cultures, but he hasn’t had a lot of exposure to the more interesting parts of human culture.
” For a variety of reasons, he’d grown up slightly sheltered and I’d seen firsthand how confused he’d gotten when we’d seen a man wearing a collar in public one time.
“I am going to do my best to keep the work side of this trip very professional.”
God, I sounded like a prude.
“With the number of people who’ve offered and the difficulty I have in reading their intentions, I’m not willing to put myself in what might end up being an awkward position.” I thought I’d managed to explain it better when Klynn’s shoulders finally relaxed and he slowly nodded.
“Humans see nudity in different ways. I think your views make sense and I am glad to know that you aren’t avoiding our other forms due to any…
due to being uncomfortable.” Klynn frowned as he paused and gave an adorable huff like he was barely holding back stomping his foot. “That is not the right word.”