Keska stroked Kessie’s arm.“Neither did I.Ah, Dmitri.That’s why he had to greet him.”
Nelith was standing and looking at her and her daughter.“You are one of the lab-born?”
“Yes.One of a set of three.My sisters are Caska and Avagail.This is my daughter, Kessie.”
Nelith looked at the girl with her features.“Hello, Kessie, I am your grandmother.”
Kessie hid behind Keska, but she slowly stuck her hand out.
Nelith grinned and took the little hand in hers.
Kessie whispered, “I’m hungry.”
“Okay, sweetie.Back into the booth, and you can help Jienne with her chopsticks.”
Kessie scooted over, and Khytten and Salat were still staring at her daughter.“Mom, why are they staring?”
“I don’t think they believed you were real.”
Kessie snorted, looked at them, and said, “Boo!”before stuffing dumplings in her face.
Keska grinned.“So very proud.”
Salat looked from her to Nelith to Kessie.“Holy shit.Those are some strong genes.”
Kessie had chipmunk cheeks as she grinned and mumbled, “And we are snappy dancers.”
Nelith laughed, bright and loud.Salat and Khytten scooted in, and then Nelith, and when Dmitri sat, Sorooth scooted in with his thigh warm against Keska’s.The server came with another menu, and the other half of the table made their choices.Dmitri did a lot of the ordering.
Nelith asked, “How long have you been out?”
“Twenty-seven years.We escaped when we were five.”She looked at Sorooth.“Yes, I know you are a year younger.”
She smiled, and he grinned, using his utensils left-handed as he slid the right along her thigh.
Dmitri chuckled.“Family trait.”
“What?”
“Younger men.”
Nelith sighed and kept eating.
Food came, and empty containers were removed as a table full of actives went through dish after dish.
Sorooth smiled.“Still eat the chicken palms?”
Keska held it up.“It’s called a foot.”She jammed the whole thing into her mouth and pulled it out as bones.
Jienne blinked.“I have never seen people eat those.”
Sorooth murmured, “That’s why Kessie doesn’t have any brothers or sisters.”
Keska grinned and ate another one while Salat and Dmitri laughed.She disposed of the second foot and continued with her dumplings and hot sauce.
Jienne said, “So, uh, does that mean you still have a relationship?”
Sorooth grinned.“Of course.We just couldn’t live in the same country until now.So, now she is a full citizen, and Kessie has dual citizenship with Aksalla and the Sethir.For the first time since Kessie was born, we can all be in the same city at the same time.”
