I stand there for several minutes, trying to figure out what the hell just happened, praying she will come back out the door and explainand maybe cuddle into my mane a bit more, before I finally give up and trudge back to my apartment.
Urzu, Furga and Gunnvall are still up when I get back. I see they’ve abandoned cups for passing the bottle around between them. They all try to convince me to join them in finishing it off, but I am not in the mood for company anymore tonight. On heavy feet, I make my way into my room to lay down in my bed that still faintly smells like her.
The next morning, my spirits are not any higher, but I drag myself into the maintenance office anyways. I have a long list of requests on my datapad to work through and I’ve never let it get as long as it is now. I try to organize them by importance, then location, like I always do, but my mind keeps drifting. What was she doing, puckering her lips like that? Was she going to blow her breath on me? Is that a human sign of affection?
Abandoning my list, I click through resources in our Sanctuary database, but there is next to nothing on human behavior, and absolutely nothing on human courting behaviors. A heavy sigh escapes me as I lean back at my desk.
“What’s bothering you, my friend? It is not like you to be so morose,” Josep asks from his desk. His hands are steepled in that familiar way, like he has stopped working to provide me with his full attention. Perceptive bastard.
“I am not morose. I simply have a lot of work to do.” I huff, sitting back up in my seat and leaning over the datapad on my desk to illustrate this.
“Are you sure it isn’t over one of our new citizens?” Meshi chimes in, his tone full of trouble.
I glance over at his desk on my other side to see him watching me intently with a smug smile, probably listening for an elevated heartbeat with his sonar hearing. Lie detecting bastard.
“What do you know of it?” I growl at him.
“I know you almost beat the shit out of Shemo for insulting her.” Meshi taunts back. I don’t miss the quick glance he shoots at Josep, though. The Originem are very strict on hate speech here. Even though Shemo pissed me off, I didn’t want him sent to rehab. He’s a good male, if a little rough around the edges.
“Shemo forgot himself. I reminded him.” I say with a quick nod towards my winged colleague. I won’t call his brother out, even if they are both wearing my nerves thin lately.
“He felt terrible about it. You know how stupid he gets around Furga.”
“Yes I do. I wish he’d just claim her already,” I reply.
We both chuckle for a moment. His brother and my sister’s best friend have been dancing around each other for years. I have a feeling they are both just waiting on the other to make the first move. No one wants to be the first interspecies couples on the space station, though. Furga’s intolerant uncle didn’t help the situation, either. Nowthatis a male who could use a little rehab.
“Maybe he’ll follow your example. He told me you claimed your human. What was her name?”
“Her name is Destiny, and I did not claim her. I invited her to dinner. For Urzu.”
“That’s very kind, Khur. I appreciate your dedication to the community,” Josep chimes in.
For some reason that doesn’t sit right with me. I didn’t invite her for the community. I invited her because I wanted to spend time with her and get to know her, and strangely, I feel the need to share that with Josep and Meshi, even though I just said the opposite.
“She’s excited to be here and try new things. I wanted her to get a taste of Dhugaren culture.”
“Ah, so you want to claim her, but you haven’t yet. Shemo owes me a pound of cave shrooms.” Meshi cackles, ever the jokester.
“Whether I want to or not, I am not sure it matters, Meshi. I have no idea what to do with her. I can’t court her like a Dhugaren female and our databases have nothing on human courting rituals. I’m not even certain she likes me back. Last night, she told me humans are affectionate as a species. Maybe she held my hand and cuddled my arm because it is her nature.”
“No, I don’t think that’s the case, Khur,” Josep cuts in before I could continue, “I am not as well versed on humans as some other Originem, but I know a few things about them. They are affectionate as a species, but usually only towards people they are close with. People they care about.”
He pierces me with a knowing gaze and something like hope flares in my heart. I almost leap across the desk in an effort to get more information from him.
“What else do you know? She tried to blow her breath on me last night, is that a human courting ritual?”
“Blow on your face? I haven’t heard of that…”
“Yes, I pulled her in for a hug and when I looked down she was puckering her lips and her eyes were closed. I’m not sure I responded in the right way and she left rather abruptly after that.” I recount. I imagine if Dhugarens could blush, I would be blood red right now.
“Oh, I know what that was,” Josep says with a smile. “She was trying to kiss you.”
“She mentioned that last night. Kissing. What is it?”
“Kissing is a form of affection that humans do. We haven’t seen it in any other races thus far. I hope they all pick it up on Sanctuary, though. It’s very romantic.” Josep gets a faraway look in his eyes before shaking himself a bit and schooling his features. Behind me I hear Meshi snickering at our boss. He’s always a fool for romance. It doesn’t bother me today, though.
“Go on then, explain it to the poor fellow before he combusts, Josep,” Meshi prods him.
