The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the yard and bathing everything in a warm, orange glow. Xizi couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder at the beauty of the moment after being trapped for so many years.
He watched as a woman passed by the curtain, her shadow flickering on it in the dim light.
Hisenaxwas home.
Xizi couldn’t take his eyes off her, even though he knew he shouldn’t be spying on her like this. He wondered how he should introduce himself. He had never been good at making first impressions, especially since most feared being touched by his kind.
Should he take his stored human samples and try to combine a set of genes that would appear attractive to her?
Humans didn’t have a set standard of beauty, and time was running out.
A part of him wanted to do what some humans thought was romantic in their movies and request entrance to her dwelling after stating his undying love to her.
But he couldn’t sing.
And lacked flowers.
He sighed and looked away from the window that taunted him so.
His gaze fell on the body of water that glowed in the darkness, illuminated by its floor lights, enticing him to dive right in.
It had been a long time since he had been allowed water, and he wasn’t getting anywhere with his plan on how to introduce himself to her.
Xizi leaped off the fence, landing on the water’s edge. He dipped the end of his tail into the water, its temperature warmer than the crisp desert night air. His tail sensed chemicals, but nothing that would harm him if he indulged himself.
He pulled his tail from the water and bent down to take a sip. The water felt amazing as it traveled down his parched throat.
One sip became another and another.
He moaned as he finally quenched his thirst after a long day of traveling through the hot desert land. While he should have used the environment, in his poor condition, there wasn’t much his body could tolerate until it could heal itself.
A high-pitched giggle filled the air.
“Here you are! You’re late!” a light feminine voice called. “I’ve been waiting for you!”
Five
Ashley
The cosplayer looked up at her, shock covering his masked face. Now that she could see his front, she liked him even more. The scaled bodysuit showed off his ten pack, making his pecs and abdominal V stand out, asking to be licked.
“Want to come in?” she asked, grabbing the hem of her dress.
The cosplayer cocked his head to the side. “Yessssss.”
Ashley eyed him, confused by the deepness of his voice. She shook her head, deciding he must be playing in character, which was exactly what she had hoped for when she planned the night.
“If you don’t hurry, the government will find you to take you back,” she joked over her shoulder as she entered her condo.
The lizardman cosplayer came to a halt in the middle of her stride, as if she’d smacked him, and looked up at the helicopters circling around. Their search lights filled the night sky, moving around as if battling the light projectors, which were beaming bright colors and alien shapes into the sky.
“They’ve been doing it all day.” She frowned, puzzled as to why he was so interested in something that should be regular practice. “They’ve already searched this area and were unable to find whatever they were looking for, so you don’t have to worry about them disturbing our night.”
“Exxx-ccccellent,” he hissed, bobbing his head as he peered at her, his tail flicking back and forth like a pleased cat. “Let’s go inside. I don’t like the noise or their bright lights.”
As Ashley led Xizi inside her house, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Hiring someone she’d just met to come over dressed as an alien for the city’s unique holiday was something she’d never done before. Ashley wasn’t sure what to expect for the rest of the night, but she knew what she wanted to do—him.
