“When we scan different speciesss, collecting their data for the first time, we absorb their basic knowledge—language and anatomy. The more of the sssame speciesss we absorb, the more we learn.” Xizi paused as he wrapped his tail around him, resting it between them. “Humansss are complicated creaturesss. So many languagesss… It was hard to discover everything, which is why we stayed on Earth ssso long—until we were captured doing something so foolish,” he hissed. “But those dreams… when I probed you for the first time? I gave you my basic knowledge—my memories, language, and history.”
Ashley grabbed his tail, feeling the coolness of the scales between her hands. Slowly, the edges of his obsidian scales glowed emerald.
“Pretty.”
“More proof that you are myenax,”he explained.
“How do I know this isn’t a dream?” She sighed, leaning into him for both an answer and comfort. “What if I wake up on my couch, surrounded by my paranormal belongings, and the television is playing alien-monster movie mania?”
“You won’t,” he swore, wrapping his arm around her and chuckling deeply. “If anyone should be dreaming, it’s me.”
“We really messed things up, huh?”
Xizi looked at Ashley with a sense of surprise, wondering what she meant by that. “What do you mean?”
Ashley laughed, a soft and gentle sound that filled him with joy. “I mean that we were doing it wrong, Xizi,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “We were working backward in our relationship. We should have started with the getting-to-know-each-other part, the dating, the courtship. But instead, we jumped right into the physical.”
Xizi looked at her for a long moment, his mind racing as he tried to understand what she was saying. He knew that Ashley was right, that their relationship had started with a physical connection, but now they had to work on building something deeper, something more meaningful.
“I see what you mean,” he said, a smile forming on his face. “But I don’t think we’re working backward. I think we’re just taking things in the order that they happen. And I’m grateful for every moment that we have together, no matter what order they come in. Our physical connection, our intimacy, it’s given me so much joy and fulfillment. And I know that we can build a strong foundation, a deep connection based on trust and respect, going forward.”
“I know we can, Xizi.” Ashley smiled, a soft and gentle expression that filled him with hope and joy. “I’m ready too, Xizi. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”
“I’m glad that I was able to study humans for a long time, and collect information about social norms and dating,” he said, his voice filled with confidence. “It will help me with courting you, Ashley.”
Ashley stared at him, confused. “What?”
“All those magazines and romance movies. Once we landed, we studied human dating culture, trying to figure out human social and mating practices.”
“You researched how to date human females through women’s magazines and romcoms?” Ashley gasped, shoving his shoulder.
“They had articles aboutHow to get your man to find your G-Spot,and those guides showed what works and what doesn’t,” he hissed. “We collected everything we could get our hands on. Who knew they were readily available for anyone to purchase.”
“But I need to let you know, I can’t sing or play an instrument.” He glanced around. “There are no flowers available either.”
“What?”
“I am sorry I failed you,” he sighed. “I didn’t know I was escaping today and didn’t have any time to prepare. If I had known, I would have researched and practiced a song for you, as well as found a way to buy you a gift.”
“Prepare for what?”
“To court you,” he said seriously. “Isn’t that how this works with humans?”
Ashley laughed and rolled her eyes.
“Maybe when you’re young and naive, but I’m thirty-five and know what I want.”
“And what issss that?”
“Alien cock.” She giggled as her eyes filled with merriment. “But seriously, don’t take everything you studied to heart. I’m a lot more open-minded about things than most people.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not running around a sobbing mess, am I? It would be a waste of time, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t go down fighting if you wanted to force me to do something. Fuck that.” She pulled a strand of his hair away from his ears and examined it. “But, getting back to the point, now that you’ve explained what an enax is to your species, I believe I should do as Dia advised and give you a chance.”
Xizi studied her as he hesitated to respond, unsure if she was truly looking for an answer. Dia, according to Fybl, took the news about everything well, and they were friends. Ashley appeared to be the more level-headed of the two, but he was still afraid of rejection for some reason.
Was it because she was a human, the very species that had captured and tortured him and his clutchmates? Even though she was hisenax, he didn’t trust Fates’ choice for him.
