A piece of pink confetti flutters down to land on Lady Zalora’s shoulder.
Her right eye twitches.
“Uh… you-you said I should send notice that the Prince has entered into a breeding contract so that everyone was aware ahead of our arrival-”
“That did not pertain to your merry band of fanatics, Vel!” Lady Zalora quips, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.
While Zalora is busy cursing under her breath, some of Vel’s friends rush forward, apparently not phased at all that they’re not meant to be here. “Oh, my horns, aren’t they adorable!?” one female squeals. She lifts her hands toward Jaya before pausing. “Would it be terribly insensitive for me to… squish you? Squeeze your cheeks a little?”
Kiahn steps forward, issuing the command that, “no-oneis permitted to ‘squish’ the humans,” at the same time that Jaya’s palms come up to cover her cheeks, framing the bemused-looking smile on her face.
All the while, Vel has been apologizing to Lady Zalora a few paces away. But she comes to join us once Kiahn’s Aunt walks off briskly, shaking her head at the whole situation. “You promised you’d be normal about this,” she mutters from the side of her mouth as she sidles up to the Xaviann woman who wanted to pinch Jaya’s cheeks.
Just then, a male Xaviann pushes his way through to us, his hands laden with various objects. He wears a t-shirt several sizes too small that must have come from Earth since it stops several inches above his navel and reads in big, colorful letters,‘I love DILFs’stretched across his Xaviann chest. “I have welcome gifts for you!” he announces, his smile wide enough to crinkle his eyes. “These are all very hard to come by, but I have my connections within the black market traders-”
Kiahn purposely clears his throat and crosses his arms, reminding the male that his prince isright here, and can hear everything he’s saying.
“I mean…” the guy pales, glancing at Kiahn as his hand, clutching one of his gifts hovers midway to Lois. “I-”
“As long as it is only trinkets and baubles you’re purchasing,” Kiahn says, giving the other Xaviann a pointed look. “Perhaps you might help me procure some other Earth items that will make my…” he hesitates, eyes burning into mine before inclining his head, “guestshappy.”
“Of course, of course,” the male says, continuing to dole out gifts to us humans as he thrusts a potato masher into Lois’ hands. I’m very enthusiastically offered a chipped mug that has the words ‘live, laugh, lobotomy’ in swirling pink letters on it, and Jaya - Jays’s given something metal that looks like a-
I smack my hand over my mouth.
Lois giggles.
Jaya looks mortified.
It’s a butt plug.
“No one in the Northern Earthophile Society can figure out what that one is, but it’s one of my prized possessions-”
Jaya shakes her head and tries to offer her gift back. “Oh, I couldn’t take it if you-”
“Nonsense!” the male beams. “Please, just tell me what it is used for, I would rather it be returned to the people of its origin.” The male smiles at Jaya so sincerely and bows his head in such a respectful way, it’s like he’s returning culturally significant historical artifacts back to their rightful owners or something. Jaya opens her mouth but no words come out. She silently begs Lois and I for help.
“It’s… Uh…”
“It’s an ornament!” I interject. “We… uh… display them on special occasions and such…”
The male’s face lights up. “Oh! Delightful! I shall have to see if I can get more so you can each celebrate your special Earth events-”
“Uh, no, that’s fine,” I shake my head. “We’ll… we’ll just share Jaya’s. Thank you.”
Lois looks like she’s going to explode with laughter any moment now. “What else do you have from Earth?” she asks, clamping her mouth shut as soon as the words are out just in case a giggle escapes.
Just as a few other Xavianns step forward, all insisting at once that they possess the best collection of ‘Earthernalia’, Kiahn steps into my personal space. “Come,” he says, his head bent and his voice low, just for me. “I wish to show you something.”
Kiahn ushers me to what feels like the front of the spacecraft hanger, where there is a large balcony, open to the elements. It takes me a moment or two of blinking out the dazzling effect of seeing natural sunlight for the first time in months, but when my sight finally settles, I can’t help but gasp.
“Welcome to my home, Xaavia,” Kiahn says, but I barely hear him. I’m too busy staring, open-mouthed at the towers and spires that look like they’ve sprouted from the earth. The bridges reach across from building to building like arms trying to fold each other into an embrace. Everything is set against a lavender sky - a sky streaked with fluffy clouds and small flight-craft zooming about from tower to tower. The buildings themselves aren’t all straight lines and sharp edges like the skyscrapers back home. Their shape is much more organic-looking, like something Guadi would have designed in Barcelona.
Leaning over the balcony, I look down to see the base of the buildings. A lot of them start off wider, with smooth, rounded walls that twist together - kind of like the roots of a mangrove tree before it comes together to reach high into the sky. There’s a clearing just below us - a ‘town square’ sort of area, but much, much larger than any town square I’ve ever seen with a gorgeous fountain with bottle-green tiles in the middle. There are Xavianns down there, busying about, getting on with theirdays like I haven’t just landed on the first safe place that will hopefully become my home for the remainder of my life.
“The people gather here to welcome important visitors, to hear announcements from the palace, and for various celebrations,” Kiahn murmurs in my ear. It’s only now that I notice he’s stood behind me, both arms braced on the lip of the balcony on either side of me. “They make a particular fuss on my nameday.” He says the words like he’s grumbling about it, but it only sounds halfhearted.
I chuckle, but don’t say anything as I continue to look around, taking everything in, until I feel the heat of Kiahn lean into my back.
