CHAPTER 3 #2
“Yeah,” she says with a wry smile. “I gathered. Sorry about… what I asked. I thought you were… well, I’m meeting a lot of… yeah. We can just pretend we’re talking and then you can go home.”
A bead of guilt tugs at me. “It’s nothing personal, I promise.”
“No, I totally get it.” She sounds honest this time. “If I could get away with it, I’d never leave home. Well… if I had a home…”
I raise a brow. “If you had a home?”
She winces. “Sorry, that sounds pathetic. I just… I’ve been moved around a lot. By the ICSS. I’m looking for something more… permanent.”
“I’m sorry that I won’t be able to help you with that. Genuinely.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. Your, um, caimites? Is it? Sound cool.”
“The desert’s quite hot, actually.”
She blinks. “Oh, I guess the translators aren’t as good in offline mode… They’re neat. Wait… interesting? Charming?”
“Ah. That’s kind of you to say.”
“I mean it. Do you have pictures of them?”
“Uh… a couple.” I tap my holo-watch, and a three-dimensional representation of a caimite appears, slithering down under the sand then peeking its eyes back out. It sneezes, clearing sand from its nostrils.
Celeste leans closer.
I follow suit. She smells like rain and blooming flowers.
She puts a hand to her cheek as she watches the recording. “Aw, it’s like a chubby six-legged crocodile… with big googly eyes. I can see why you love them. Are they difficult to care for?”
I flip to another rendering of two caimites chasing each other, throwing their bodies up out of the sand in twisting jumps.
“Very. They need wide ranges since the desert is sparse in prey. It takes a lot of land to maintain a herd, and they’re very…
picky when it comes to breeding. My main export is eggs, so I need them breeding a lot.
The entire range must be meticulously maintained. ”
“That does sound difficult. Does that mean you spend most of the day out in the desert?” The tension in her muscles subtly unwinds.
“Most of the night. But yes.”
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. That sounds nice. Can you see a lot of stars out there?”
“Hm. Yeah. All of them.”
Something complex flickers in her eyes. “Can you see Sol?”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “I have a space-time telescope.”
“Oh, wow…” She blinks and shakes her head. “Sorry. That’s cool. Neat. Uh, good. Fascinating.”
“You don’t need to flatter me.”
“I know. I’m not! I mean…” She sighs and puts her head in her hands. “I’m so bad at this.”
“Bad at what?”
She sighs, then laughs. “I don’t even know. Existing.”
A smile pulls at the corner of my mouth. “I can relate to that.”
“What do you mean, you’re—” Her blush deepens. “Uh…”
“I’m what?”
“Strong. Capable. Not a…” She lifts her arms up in front of her, wrists limp. “…weird little shrimp.”
I snort.
“That translated?” She puts her head in her hands. “Just shoot me now.”
I take a step closer to the table and lean over it so I’m more on her level. “Can I ask you something, Celeste?”
She lifts her head. “Why I’m so weird?”
“Why you want to be a hucow.”
“I just…” She bites her lip, glancing around, then shrugs and looks back at me. “…want a place to stay, I guess.”
“No, I mean, why as a hucow?”
“Not like I have many other options.”
I tilt my head. “This may be too forward, but… I find that hard to believe. You’re resourceful, if you managed to get this far.”
Celeste is quiet for a moment. “Huh. I guess you’re right. If I didn’t find the idea of being a hucow at least somewhat appealing, then I would’ve kept searching…”
The most gorgeous crimson blush spreads across her cheeks. I want to lick it.
What has gotten into you, Razul?
“Um, so, since you’re not in the market, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What do you think my chances are? Like, do I have a shot at being picked? Would I be… desirable as a hucow?” Her grey eyes are like the desert sky at dusk.
Something thrums deep in my abdomen. “Yes, Celeste. You’ll be a… very desirable hucow.”
Her intensity sharpens. “If… you, personally, were in the market, would you be… open to a trial period? With me?”
It’s like she has me under some kind of spell. “I’d be open to quite a lot with you involved.”
She leans closer, giving me a better look at her small, determined face. I could hold her whole head in one hand. “What could… convince you? To be in the market?”
“Well, the… caimites are very sensitive to change.”
“Right… the caimites.”
“Besides, you’d hate the desert. It’s very dry and quiet and lonely.”
“I like dry and quiet and lonely.”
Our breath mingles between us.
My face is much, much too close to hers.
I blink and lean back. “Maybe you can visit when Andromeda does.”
She does a good job of hiding how she wilts, but I have a sharp eye.
Her voice is strong as she says, “Yeah. That’d be nice.”
I need to get out of here. I turn and stride toward the exit, but every step gets harder, like I’m sinking into quicksand.
The caimites have been breeding well. With the payment for the eggs I just delivered to Sylvus, I could run the farm for years without a single sale. And that’s not even counting my savings. I can tolerate a few cycles of smaller clutches and some bickering among the females.
Besides, she’s so small. Her vibrations would be minimal, even after the hucow transformation. I could simply carry her around and manage the vibrations that way.
I put a hand to my forehead. Why am I thinking like this? This isn’t like me.
But I know one thing for sure.
If I leave this room, I’ll lose my chance with her forever.
“Wait—“ I turn, ignoring how the other Arthropoids glance at me. All I see is her wide, grey, hopeful eyes.
I step deliberately back across the room, forcing myself not to rush.
I reach the table to find Andromeda sitting next to Celeste, a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“Wait. Celeste, if I… were in the market, would… you choose me?”
Hesitant, she nods. “Yeah…” Then firmer, with more confidence, “Yes.”
“It’s… a trial period. So… might as well try, right?”
“Yeah,” she breathes. “Let’s try.”