one
Almaluc – A space station above the planet Jettie
Selene tilted the cup she held to admire the lovely reddish color of the liquid inside. It really was the perfect shade. A delight for the eyes and a promise for the palate.
It was amazing how a love of plants steeped in hot liquid was a universal concept that transcended boundaries of culture and species.
From the seemingly infinite variations of tea and coffee you encountered while visiting human space to the Haldeel’s zier, an underwater flower that released a unique neurotoxin when exposed to hot water that made the lips, tongue, and throat tingle while stimulating the nervous system in much the same way caffeine did humans.
And finally, the Tuann laug, the beverage Selene was currently enjoying.
Closing her eyes, Selene lifted the cup to her lips, breathing in the steam for a short second before indulging in a tiny sip.
Yes. Absolutely perfect.
The taste was unlike anything else Selene had encountered. It wasn’t quite an oolong. Something about the high and low notes in the tea were a little too spicy for that. If Selene had to pick a comparison, she would say it was a mellower version of chai. A little bit smoother with a more delicate finish.
It was the kind of tea you might savor in the quiet moments. Those times when you wanted to bask in simplicity.
Selene set the delicate cup on the saucer she held.
“You were right. This was well worth the experience,” Selene told the person sitting across from her.
The woman finished pouring her own cup before setting down the pot and straightening. Everything about her—from her elegant bearing to the floor length robes and the way her straight black hair was arranged so it cascaded over her shoulder—was a carefully crafted image designed to put Selene at ease and lower her guard.
Yukina was about as far from being the refined, gentle creature she was portraying herself as one could get. As the oldest Face of the Tuann emperor, she was someone who regularly swam in the shark-infested waters of some of the most politically dangerous arenas in both the Haldeel and Tuann empires.
She didn’t spend her time sipping tea while exchanging inane chatter with perfect strangers. Not unless it served her agenda in some way.
Selene studied Yukina over the rim of her cup, taking in every shift of the woman’s expression. It wasn’t easy. Yukina didn’t give her much to work with.
There was a reason the forty-three had listed Yukina as one of the top ten Tuann to avoid under any circumstances. The other used deceit and manipulation the same way most breathed air. You could never trust what she was showing you on the surface. It made her a difficult opponent. Even for someone as experienced as Selene in the art of deception and misdirection.
“I am so glad you enjoyed it.” Yukina paused. “If you were to return home, you would find many other things to your liking.”
Selene hid her smile behind her cup. No wonder Kira had so much trouble with this one. For someone as used to saying what she meant as Kira, it would be difficult to play these subtle word games.
Not that Selene thought Kira incapable of it. Selene didn’t think there was anything Kira couldn’t do. But such methods would annoy her youngest sister.
And an irritated Kira was rather dangerous.
No, Kira preferred to beat and batter the situation until it took the shape she wanted. She lacked patience. It was her defining weakness—and sometimes her greatest strength.
Selene was different. Patience was where she lived. Sometimes for too long. She would rather the moment pass than risk herself.
In Yukina, Selene saw a kindred spirit. Each understood that words were a weapon every bit as dangerous as a blade. That it took a deft hand to shape and mold them to their maximum potential.
Perhaps had circumstances been different—had Selene not been kidnapped from the Tuann as a child and grown up in hell—they might have enjoyed matching wits in this fashion.
They could have been—maybe not friends—but acquaintances who regularly challenged each other to a battle of wits.
Selene thought she might have enjoyed that.
As she was thinking, her gaze drifted to the man standing behind Yukina. The armor he wore was distinctive of a Tuann oshota, an elite warrior class responsible for the protection of their chosen one, the person they called a sword. Known as synth armor, it was far more advanced than anything humans had created.
Harder than any metal or alloy, it could stop all but the most extreme ballistic weapons. However, it wasn’t without its drawbacks, proving weak to en-blades and a few other types of weapons.
This version was a matte black darker than the void of space outside this ship.
