“Don’t worry about it. Just don’t do it again.”
“How about we start over?” She extended her hand to me, her brown eyes meeting mine. “My name is Naomi, and I used to work as a bartender at theStardancer.I like to read my favorite stories while wearing sweatpants and hoodies and drinking my favorite coffees and teas.”
Glancing down at her hand, I slowly reached for hers, understanding it was a gesture of agreement and greeting in human society.
“My name is Ixik’tryl. I am an Ekoiskra councilor, a trade department member, and a member of the Western Wind Clan.” I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, not wanting to inadvertently harm her. “I enjoy long peaceful swims and unique art experiences, such as watching mixologists perform and sampling their drinks.”
5
Naomi
“What am I going to do? “ I muttered to myself as I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the beautiful sunset against the calm violet ocean water. “Regardless of how I look at it, I am dependent on... Ick-Sick-Troll... Ugh, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to pronounce his name remotely correctly when I don’t have a beak and can’t make the trilling sounds that he makes.”
No matter how hard I tried to think of alternatives to my current situation, I kept coming back to the conclusion that this was my new reality. The sooner I accepted it, the more efficiently and successfully I could plan for my future.
I felt like the rocks, constantly battered by the forces of the universe, like the waves crashing against the cliffside.
If my avian rescuer—more like a dark-feathered angel in the flesh—was telling the truth about my profession being something valued on this side of the galaxy, then maybe he could help me find a way to gain the experience I needed to get employed.
Being a part of a refugee sanctuary as a resident was not an option that interested me in the least. I refused to knowingly and willingly allow myself to continue becoming dependent on a system that had its origins in a catastrophic event.
What would happen if they stopped funding and supporting us? Would they willingly send us back to Earth? Or would they use us for more nefarious means?
The sounds of the sliding door echoed throughout the room, and I turned to face my host, eager to see what he had brought me.
“I’m sorry it took so long.” His amber gaze met mine as he peered over a mountain of robes piled on top of each other that he was carrying. “I tried to choose a variety of colors, materials, and cuts because I didn’t know what you’d like, but I believe I accidentally grabbed almost my entire collection.”
“Oh my.” I covered my mouth, suppressing my laughter. “You shouldn’t have.”
There was something endearing about this large, feathered avian alien, who held such a powerful position within the galactic government, being overwhelmed by the task of selecting clothing for me to borrow.
I dashed over to him and grabbed the top half of the robe pile, not waiting for him to decline my assistance. I’d met plenty of men in my life who were immediately offended when I offered to help them, as if having someone help them, especially a willing woman, was a blow to their ego.
In fact, one of the groomsmen threatened to report me to the wedding planner because I offered to deliver a portion of his large drink order to his table, believing that I was questioning his balance abilities and preventing him from flaunting his “impressive” skills to the available women nearby.
I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw him tripping on a chair leg and spilling brightly colored drinks all over himself.
“I appreciate you bringing all of these to me here.”
I looked down at the jade-colored robe draped on top of my pile, taking in the silver and gold leaves and black trim along the edges. It reminded me of a cross between a Japanese kimono and a tank top. They were quite large, had no sleeves, and were made of a thinner material, which made sense given that his species needed to be able to fly on the spur of the moment.
“You may use whatever you want.” He bobbed his head as he approached the far wall and turned to face me. “Let me demonstrate how to open your closet door.”
He tapped his clawed foot against the bottom of the wall, and a wall panel slid open, revealing a screen and two large clear bins.
“My villa has an electric storage system for everything—my clothing, food, and other supplies,” he explained, tapping his wing’s elbow against the screen, allowing the larger bin to open. “You place any of your clothing and accessories into this container and the system will organize and catalog them. Every article you deposit will be displayed once it has been entered into the system and stored, allowing you to easily select what you want to wear.”
“What do you do with your dirty clothes from the day?” I asked as I watched him toss his robes into the bin, and then I did the same. “Can it tell what’s dirty and what’s clean?”
“Of course it can,” he replied, as if offended that I had asked him such a question. “If the system detects any foreign material on the object, it will cleanse and sanitize it before storing it.”
“Wow. Where have you been all my life?” My excitement quickly faded as I stared at the screen and frowned at my inability to read the symbols displayed. “How can I use this if I can’t read what I’m selecting?”
“You’ll be there in time.” He made a popping noise with his beak before pressing a few buttons on the screen, which transformed the symbols into images of the robes. “Until I am able to integrate your native tongue into the universal system, the best thing I can do is keep it in display mode.”
“Will I experience the same problem with the other electronics in the villa?” I cocked my head toward the door, knowing that the kitchen and cleansing room were just outside my door and were full of devices I had no idea how to use. “Or will I have to come to you for assistance every time I want to do something?”
“I understand the problem, but we’ll have to make do with what we have until our communication engineers come up with a solution.” He waved his hand over the screen and stepped away, as the panel door slid into place. “I’ll try to put all the electronics in the same display mode to help you learn what things are by looking at them.”
