“Thanks, but I need a guarantee that everyone would be keeping their clothing on.Oh, I got family news today.Our genetics match Nelith.Well, not Nigel.But yeah, we match Nelith and Aluhara.Both.Freaky, huh?”
Salat blinked.“No way.”
“Way.”She clipped the case shut and said, “There are instructions in your inbox.Please read them before letting your beloved go nuts.”
Salat grinned.“You know I am going to contact Nelith, right?”
“She has dozens of girls.Three more won’t make much difference.Nigel wasn’t on the roster.”
Salat snorted.“That’s a good thing.You do realize that once this is confirmed, you will also have an auntie, nieces, and nephews.And that includes my kids.”
“That won’t be weird at all.”
Salat grinned.“It means Sunday dinners, lots of kids’ birthdays, and Nigel can come out and have a solid run across the landscape.”
“He can do that at the house.You just want him to give the kids pony rides.”
Salat shrugged.“Maybe.He’s the right size.”
“Fine.Run the little tests.Do the things.I will be where I always am, wrist deep in shredded metal.”
He grinned.“Thanks, partner.”
“Shut up and go claw someone up.”
Jienne looked at Keska.“Aren’t you excited about meeting family?”
“I have family.The ones who came through hell with me and out the other side.They are my family.The others can be relations, but I don’t know about family.”
Salat smiled.“Their little grouping is rather insular.”
Jienne tried to broadcast generosity toward Keska, and Keska tsked.“Jienne, don’t do that.This is your only warning.”
Jienne winced.“Sorry.I have a lot of family, and it feels wrong not to want to know them.”
“That is you.My closest family is my twin, Ava, and then some lab equipment.Nigel is a second cousin.The first time I was assaulted by a psychic, he spent two days assaulting me and then tried to take off with me.Now, I will issue one warning, and if you try to sway my thoughts again, you will be pinned to the floor, and peacekeepers will arrive to haul you off for medical care.You will need it.”
Jienne blinked.“I am sorry.I didn’t know.”
“That is why I volunteered to take you away from other things today.I was a puppet used to hurt my family once as well, but if you want to follow in your patron’s footsteps, you aren’t going to survive long.”
Jienne felt waves of remorse.“I didn’t know.”
“Why should you have known?That is the point.Last night’s events have made you stronger.You fought against it, and you fought hard.That expands your activation.With your instincts, you tried to move me toward your own inclination.I am protected against that move.I have been exposed to a lot of psychics, and I can hold my own with them.”
“So, where do I get treatment?”
“You get training.It’s different.At the restaurant, you eased people into calm because you needed them to be calm.Today, you wanted me to reach out to family because your family pushed you away the moment your activation was confirmed.They are there but distant.So, you need training to confirm that your will doesn’t win.That is our next stop.”
Salat was looking at them with his claws out.“You good, Keska?”
“I am good.I am taking Jienne to meet Sorooth.I promised to make sure she had lunch.Let me just finish these bots.”
She waved her arm, and the bots assembled themselves, lit up, and flew to the shelf.She looked at Jienne.“Now, let’s wash up and get going for lunch.”
“Wait.We are going for lunch after that?”
“Sure.I have eaten with people trying to kill me.An emotional push is nothing.”
