“Consider it done.” Sah-Rah nodded and then smacked her mate’s chest with the back of her hand. “We’ll get to work right away.”
“Thank you.” I slightly bowed my head in gratitude. “Please notify me when you are less than a day away.”
“I will keep you posted,” Carth’aiq replied, his gaze fixated on his mate. “May the wind lift your wings.”
The communication vidscreen instantly went black, and the default IPA’s map of the home screen appeared, ready for me to make any additional hails as needed.
After a full day of meetings, which I shouldn’t have had to attend because I was supposed to be on vacation, I was ready to call it a day and see how Ami was doing in her first class.
I stepped down from my perch and descended the stairs to where Ami was learning.
Her brown eyes were fixed on the ingredients in her hands as she mixed them in a metallic octahedron device. She stopped swirling and poured the bright pink drink into a thin cylinder glass with a wide smile on her face.
She positioned the octahedron mixer on its stand and held the beverage up to the light, admiring its purple and orange sparkle.
“That’s a fantastic sparkle, especially for your first time.” Sutol’s older female voice filled the room. “For your next attempt, add the ingredients slower into the mixer to allow the drink to heat evenly. The more stable the process, the more gleaming the final product.”
“I will.” Ami nodded, her gaze fixed on the beverage in her hand. “I’ve never mixed a drink in a mixer with that shape before, so I was unsure how I should use it.”
“Everyone has to start somewhere,” Sutol reassured, her gaze fixed on her student. “Now comes the important part. What does it taste like?”
Ami brought the bubbly drink to her lips and took a long sip. When she pulled the thin cylinder glass away from her face, she let out a long gasp.
“That’s good!”
She had a natural aura about her that was brighter than the drink she was holding.
Something within me demanded that I do everything in my power to protect that very glowing presence—the inner strength capable of commanding armies and defeating foes with a few slicing words overa communications vidscreen.
Ami was a female determined to carve out a place for herself on this side of the galaxy, regardless of whether others were ready for her presence or not.
One thing was certain: I would stay by her side and provide her with sufficient guidance and support to allow her to reach her full potential.
If that was the only thing she would let me do, I would accept it graciously and serve as an example to all of what a sponsor should be.
Since she was so talented and eager to learn new things, I had no doubt that her name would soon be famous throughout the galaxy for her drink art. I was so excited to see her beam with self-assurance and satisfaction at what she’d accomplished, and I couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of it.
9
Naomi - Ami
Days flew by, and Axel and I settled into a comfortable routine.
After breakfast, or what he called first meal, he would go to his office and deal with whatever problems were assigned to him, while I spent the entire day in my mixology classes.
Sutol was a kind and fair teacher who never hesitated to correct me and who nurtured me whenever I did something right.
Life felt easy, and conversing with aliens felt like I’d spent my entire life around them.
If my lessons ended before Axel finished his work, I would hail Soraya and talk to her about life—which was really just me checking in to see if she was still happy, and it was nice to have another human to talk to.
I wasn’t going to lie: I missed my friends and family on Earth, but I also knew there would never be a safe way for me to return without being harassed, tested, and studied.
What I was doing was for the betterment of my future, and I knew the ache would fade away with time.
I would never forget where I came from or who had entered my life.
A smile formed on my lips as I heard the soft clicking sounds of Axel’s talons as he approached my nesting chair.
