“My horse,” Dante said. Then his chest spasmed again, although he appeared unconcerned about the interruption in his breathing.
Regi knew horses were like pebafri, only without the horns or the ability to digest meat. “Given your fondness for four-legged creatures, I am unsurprised.”
“But I should miss my family most. Sure, my dad is a complete dick. He's probably making hay out of my disappearance the way he did out of my mother's murder. He'll get a whole new election cycle of commercials out of it.” His voice grew strange as it took on a lower tone that did not match his normal voice. “‘Look at how far crime has reached into rural Texas. We must stop illegal immigration. We must hate all outsiders’.” The way Dante waved his arms about and changed his pitch suggested he was mocking such positions, but it was disturbing that he would even assign those beliefs to his father.
“That would be offensive.” In truth, Regi was more offended by the idea of a leader capitalizing on the disappearance of a child than he was at the rampant xenophobia. After all, his own people had a long and storied history of killing outsiders.
“Offensive. Yep, that is my father to a T. Offensive. But you know who is not offensive? Mary is not offensive. She is my decent sister. My other sister, Emily, she's not offensive either, but she's offended. She's nice enough to be offended quietly and out of sight. She never says anything shitty to my face.” Dante nodded. “She’s always polite enough to talk crap behind my backwhere I don’t have to see it. But Mary. Mary. Mary is a good person. I should miss Mary more.”
“I am grateful you had someone to support you in your youth.” Regi was unsure of this territory. He never had siblings. He’d begged his parents for a sibling for five harvest-season festivals in a row as a child, but they had never wanted another. Sometimes Regi wondered if his fathers regretted investing so much of their lives with a wife who chose her goddess over any of them.
“Support me.” Dante poked Regi in the stomach. “That is my point. Mary always supported me. She even had me as a bridesman in her wedding. I should miss her more than my horse, and I am a horrible human being for missing Marengo more.”
Since Regi had no concept of the relationships huumans should have with siblings or domesticated animals, he could provide no advice on the specifics. However, he caught Dante's hand in his and held it until Dante tilted his head back to look Regi in the eyes. “You are a good person,” Regi said.
Dante's eyes grew watery and then he closed them. Regi struggled to find some other words of comfort, but he knew so little of Earth that he had none. Instead, he held Dante as his breathing grew ragged and irregular.
After a time, it smoothed out into the cadence of sleep. He held Dante, watching over him to ensure the intoxicants did not cause him to stop breathing. That was his reason for sitting with Dante’s head in his lap, and Regi would maintain that under torture and interrogation. Now he had to believe it himself.
.
Chapter Two
Dante woke feeling as if something fuzzy and dead had fallen into his mouth. With a grimace, he tried to roll to his side to find he was pinned by Regi's weight against his left shoulder. “Regi?”
Regi twitched, his hand coming up to rest on Dante's chest, but he didn't open his eyes.
This was nice. With Regi sleeping next to him, Dante could imagine a future where this was normal. He wished he understood Regi’s people well enough to know whether he should hope for a future. Other than the fact that pregnancy required three individuals and that Regi had the Kowri-normal two fathers and one mother, Dante knew precious little about how Kowri personal lives worked. The potential for social humiliation was rather high.
Rather than embarrassing himself, Dante confined himself to fantasies. He had almost drifted off to sleep again when the chime for the door sounded. Regi startled, jerked upright, and then rolled off the edge of the slanted bed to the hard floor.
In a flash, Regi bolted to his feet and drew his weapon. Being a security officer on an alien police vessel gave a man good reflexes. When the door slid open, Vk stood there, her nose crumpled to half normal size.
“What's wrong?” Regi demanded.
Fear and Regi’s powerful voice made Dante’s head throb in time with his heartbeat. Getting drunk was never as much fun the next morning.
Vk held her hands low. “There has been an altercation outside the ship. No one is injured, but the captain requests you attend.”
Regi smoothed his hands over his uniform top and glanced over to Dante before he strode out of the room with a grace that made him resemble a predator. Vk’s nose lengthened a little, so hopefully this wasn’t too serious. “Are you all right? Your color is alarming,” Vk asked him.
Dante rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m hungover.”
“Hung over what?”
Dante blinked. He’d never realized English was so illogical until aliens started asking him to explain himself. “It means my body hasn’t processed out all the poisons from last night’s drinking.”
“‘Poisons’?” Her nose scrunched up tight again. “Do you need medical assistance?”
Dante sighed. “I’ll be fine. Water and getting a chance to pee will fix at least fifty percent of it.”
Vk still appeared concerned. “I should assist Regi, but I can request Thet’thec monitor your health until the toxins are processed.”
Dante wondered how bad things were if Regi needed help. Dante knew he didn’t understand much of the politics between the Coalition crew and the Kowri, but the Kowri did seem to think he had some authority since one of their goddesses had taken a shine to him. Maybe he could use that authority to back Regi up. “I’m fine. In fact, once I pee, I’ll be down to watch Regi get annoyed with people.”
Vk’s nose tightened even more. “Perhaps you should stay here.”
Now Dante was more worried. However, he waved her concern away before heading toward the bathroom. He hoped Vk wouldn’t do something like lock the door or call Thet’thecto keep him in his room. That fear made him hurry through peeing, splashing water on his face and pulling on a clean shirt. Yesterday’s pants would have to do because alien boots took too long to get off and he wanted to get outside.
