Chapter 20
Amina
They were lounging, half asleep in the elaborate Ossiso-style bed, when the suite door let out a surprisingly long chime to indicate someone wanted entrance.
“Noooo,” Amina moaned, pressing her face into a convenient pillow.
Myrum’s reaction was much more severe.
“Hurry,” he said, jumping up and tugging her into his arms.
“What?” Her single word warbled because he was carrying her to the cleansing unit.
“No one can see you like this!” he exclaimed. “My precious human.”
Someone wasn’t thinking any clearer than her. She waited for him to set her down before cupping his cheeks to keep his face even with hers.
“If you let me get some clothes, I’ll use the bathing unit and dress. When I come out, I’ll be all covered up with a robe full of helpful toys.”
By the time she was done talking, he seemed to be calmer. He closed his eyes for a moment, pressing his left cheek harder against her right hand before opening his eyes again and sounding a rumble of agreement.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll fetch you clothing. You stay here.”
After that he turned and left, and Amina shook her head with a chuckle. Well, she had her orders!
She heard him come and go while she used the cleansing unit. When she was finished and stepped back out, fresh clothes were on the built-in bench and her robe was hanging from a hook in the wall. She tugged on the items and then her robe.
When she left the cleansing unit, she didn’t expect to find Myrum and Gis wrestling with the curtains around the bed.
“Why did you guys tear down the curtains?” she asked, stepping up to help lift an end and hand it to Gis.
“I didn’t do this,” Gis said with an Ossiso hiccup-laugh. “This was done before I arrived.”
She looked at Myrum. “Did you get tangled in them or something?”
“Or something,” Myrum said with a rumble of amusement. That’s when their earlier aerobics came back to her and she gasped.
“Never mind, forget I said anything!” she said and grabbed more curtain to hand to Gis.
With the three of them working together, it didn’t take long to put the bed back together.
“There we go!” Amina announced. She turned to face Gis. “Why are you here?”
“We should sit,” Gis said, pointing to the sitting room. “I have some information.”
“Not in there,” she said and explained about the vid-capture in the living area.
Gis sighed and leaned against a wall. “After what I’ve found out, I’m not surprised.”
Myrum took a seat on the bed and pulled her into his lap.
“What did you find out?” Amina asked as she wiggled and got comfortable.
“There is an aspect of this visit that I wasn’t expecting,” he said, looking a little sick, which gave Amina a bad feeling. He focused his attention on Myrum. “Lorse is obsessed with you. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Obsessed in what way?” Amina asked.
“Are there different ways to be obsessed?” Myrum asked.
“Sure,” she said. “I mean, I’m a little obsessed with you, but in a good way.”
“You are?” Myrum asked, purring loudly.
“I am,” she said, brushing her lips over his. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here with you.”
“I’m obsessed with you too,” Myrum said. “I want to talk to you about scent—”
Gis’s impatient sound interrupted whatever Myrum was going to say. “I’m afraid Lorse’s obsession isn’t like the way you two see each other. He views Myrum as a possession.”
Myrum jerked a little. “Does he think I don’t have a soul?”
“No, he believes you have a soul, and he won’t start referring to you as it,” Gis said. “But he wants to keep you at his side forever.”
“Forever is a long time,” Amina quipped. “I’m sure he’d get tired of Myrum. Especially when he figures out Myrum isn’t into him.”
Gis frowned. “This isn’t a humorous matter. Lorse will do anything to keep Myrum here. We all need to be very careful. He might even believe Myrum was a gift from the multiverse.”
“I get it,” Amina said. “This is all going to get very sticky.”
“Sticky,” Gis said. “That’s a good term.”
Myrum sounded a questioning rumble. “Do you have any suggestions on how to steer Lorse to the topic of his father, Jishorn?”
“Talk of the war,” Gis said. “Ask about his opinion. The more you can get him to talk on the subject, the more likely you’ll have an opportunity.”
Myrum sounded a rumble of agreement, but Amina could tell he was tense. She rubbed a circle on his chest.
“I’ll be there too,” she said. “If I think of something, I’ll start coughing to give you an excuse to lean over me and pat my back. That way we can whisper to each other.”
His tension eased. “Thank you,” he murmured.
A muted sound came from Gis’s pants. With a grimace he pulled an information square out of a pocket.
“I’m being warned to bring you soon or explain my failure,” he said. “I’d hoped we’d have a little more time.”
Myrum stood up, cradling Amina in his arms. He took his time setting her on her feet.
“You’re going to do great,” she assured him. “Remember, saying you’re unsure or you have to think about something are both viable options.”
“Yes, I’ll remember that.” He leaned over and rubbed his check over her head, filling the air with the smell of honey. She felt his oil saturate her hair and scalp. He pulled in a deep breath with a purr.
“There, now I’m ready,” he said and straightened up.
Gis confidently led them through the outpost. The rugs muffled their footsteps so thoroughly that she heard the clicking of Lorse’s medals even before they entered the dining area.
At the center of the room was the same U-shaped table from earlier, but now it was covered in tiered serving trays and steaming bowls. The lamps she’d been so shocked about were lit, casting warm light around the table.
Lorse was already sitting at one of only two seats at the top of the U that were set slightly higher than the rest of the table.
She could see how everyone else would sit further down the U ends, making them all look like they were subservient to Lorse.
The thing that surprised her was that Myrum’s spot was right next to Lorse, giving him equal status.
Standing together against the back wall were two new guards. How many guards did Lorse have? She made a mental note to ask Gis later.
“I’m sorry for my tardiness,” Myrum said, stopping once we were all inside the room. “I was enjoying your bathing area and lost track of time. Gis tried to remind me, but I ignored him.”
“As you should,” Lorse said. “Your comfort is more important than being on time. If it’s truly important, I’ll fetch you myself. Come, sit here.” He gestured to the only other chair at the head of the table, as if Myrum wouldn’t have figured that out.
Gis was quick to stand against a far wall, joining several other Ossiso attendants there.
Hands tucked inside her sleeves, Amina followed Myrum around the table.
She expected to stand against the wall behind Myrum only to see a small table with a single chair.
There was a canister of water and a bowl of something that looked like soup.
“I’ve provided your pet with a place to sit,” Lorse said. “I told the chef to make sure the food won’t make it ill.”
“That was gracious of you,” Myrum said. His voice and movements were stiff, but when Amina hurried to take her seat, he seemed to loosen up a little, probably because she was fighting a laugh.
She was at the kids’ table! It wasn’t so small that she would need to hunch over to eat, but her legs barely fit under it. She’d have to remember to explain the concept of the kids table to Myrum later.
“I had my chef do her best to recreate some Talin dishes. There’s a shipment coming in, full of better ingredients. In only a few cycles I’ll be able to give you the best Talin food. You’ll have to give my chef detailed notes if you like or don’t like the taste of anything here.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Myrum said. “It all smells good.”
Lorse gestured to one of the attendants, and she rushed forward to serve the food. She could only see the back of Myrum and Lorse and the top of the attendants’ head when she wasn’t leaning over.
She waited until the men started eating before she dished up some of her soup. The soup smelled…odd. It was hard to describe, but it looked like it had been made from leftovers. There weren't any spoons, so she was probably supposed to sip out of the bowl.
She took a cautious sip then put the soup back down and scrambled for the water. The soup was so sour it made her eyes water.
After drinking half the water, she poured most of the soup from her bowl back into the tureen and pretended to sip from the bowl again.
Tonight's dinner would be some of the snacks she’d packed in Myrum’s stuff.
Myrum and Lorse were talking about the outpost and all the ways Lorse had decorated it. He talked at length on the reasons he’d chosen each item. Myrum did a good job of appearing interested, even asking an occasional question.
She didn’t think he was going to be able to turn the conversation to Lorse’s father when he managed it with one simple question.
“Do any of your family ever visit you?”
“Most of them live on Apicore; that’s our homeworld,” Lorse explained. “Two of my siblings and one parent have made the long journey, but none of them stayed long.”
“I don’t even know the names of your family,” Myrum said.
“Well, my parents are Jishorn and Sashon,” he said. “I have seven siblings.”
As he named them, Amina marveled at having such a large family. Then Lorse hit them with, “But, of course, my family isn’t that big. What about you?” he asked.
Myrum named his parents and sister but then turned the conversation back to Lorse’s family.
“You said one of your parents came to visit, was that your father or your mother?” Myrum asked.
“Right now both my parents are female, so they’re both my mothers,” Lorse explained between bites.
Amina’s head shot up from where she was pretending to sip her soup. Thankfully Myrum sounded a rumble of confusion loud enough to cover her. “What do you mean your parents are both mothers now?” Myrum asked.
Lorse chuckled. “I see you don’t know about that aspect of Ossiso biology.
I’m not surprised; we don't tend to talk about it. Let me explain. We are all born female. At some point before we reach full adulthood we transition to male, and that first time is called our sisum. After that we switch randomly throughout our lives; those are called sisort. Our scientists think they’re more likely to happen if we’re surrounded by the same sex, and that’s why I have all female attendants at the outpost. My last sisort was more painful than normal.
I don’t want to go through it again. So far it’s worked, and I’ve remained male for years. ”
“Does that mean your staff is more likely to enter into sisort?” Myrum asked.
Lorse made a dismissive sound. “They are all shaded souls. They don’t feel pain like a clear soul does.
It doesn’t bother them as much. It does mean I have to send for souls more often and am chronically understaffed.
” He let out a long-suffering sigh. “I miss the era before the war when it was easy to find staff. I look forward to when the war is finally over.”
This was the opening they needed. Amina held her breath, but before Myrum could continue the conversation about the war, Lorse leaned in close. He lifted a hand and ran it down the back of Myrum’s head.
“Unless you’d rather I was female,” Lorse purred. “I’m willing to go through another sisort for you.”
Amina almost dropped her bowl. Lorse wasn’t just obsessed with Myrum, he was in love with him.