For a moment the Ossisos stood in silence, then a few let out a round of their hiccuping-laughter.
“I’m not sure how I feel,” Gis said, taking Desur’s question seriously.
“It might take some time,” Myrum said. “After I recovered and realized I couldn’t go back to doing the work I’d trained for most of my life, I had to think about who I was.”
“Have you figured it out?” Gis asked.
Myrum looked down at Amina. “Yes.”
Before she could look up at him, he let go and stepped away. Now felt like the right time to do this.
Dropping to his knees, he bowed down until his forehead was on her feet. She gasped and leaned over to try and tug him back up.
“Myrum, what are you doing?”
“I think he’s proposing,” Helmen said. “In the traditional way.”
“But he’s not Ugarian,” Amina said, trying to pull him up again. He refused to be moved. He’d talked to Helmen and the rest of the crew when Amina was busy. They’d made the process very clear to him.
He couldn’t move until Amina either accepted or rejected him.
“Proposing the Ugarian way makes sense. He wants to marry you, and you’re basically Ugarian, even if you’re kinda short,” Desur said.
“Call me short one more time and I’ll make sure you never have a comfortable experience in the cleansing unit again,” Amina growled. She stepped back to move her feet out from under Myrum’s head.
He crawled forward and put his head back on her feet.
“Amina, say the words,” Teshor urged. “He seems pretty determined.”
“He’s only doing this because he feels trapped,” Amina said.
It was hard, but he remained silent, even though he was desperate to ask her why she’d said that.
“Myrum, you don’t need to really marry me,” she said, wrapping her hands around one of his arms and pulling with a surprising amount of strength. “You don’t have to do all this. I’m not going to leave you to die.”
“What do you mean trapped?” Desur asked.
“Forget trapped, why did she say that she wouldn’t leave him to die?” Jossulum asked.
Amina let go and straightened up to talk to her crewmates. “Talins do this thing called scent-bonding, and if they go too long without their partner, they die.”
“I know what scent-bonding is,” Helmen said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Is he emotionally blackmailing you? Did he scent-bond with you without your permission?”
Guilt almost made Myrum give up. He’d done exactly what Helmen was accusing him of, but he didn’t think he’d survive this assignment. Trapping Amina had never been any kind of plan. He only wanted to experience the visceral joy of it all.
“No, it’s not like that,” Amina said. “We fell in love; it’s just that he calls it scent-bonding.”
His heartbeat kicked up at her declaration. She loved him and announced it to everyone. Did that mean she’d accept his proposal?
“Myrum, you don’t have to do all this traditional stuff,” Amina said. “We’re together. That’s not changing. I don’t want you to feel obligated or anything.”
Silence filled the room. He’d been warned that if he said anything, the proposal would be ruined. Desur had been adamant; this was a test of his commitment, and partners weren’t supposed to accept right away. They were meant to voice all their concerns and potential challenges to the marriage. His job was to remain still and silent.
His fortitude paid off when she voiced her true fears.
“You have a family and a clan back in the empire. You’d have to give them all up,” she reminded him. “I can’t live in your empire. I know you wouldn’t see me as a real pet, but I couldn’t live in a place where my freedom could disappear at the whim of an inspector. You told me how all the humans on Kalor are free, but they still face a huge risk. What if your government decided to shut down Kalor and transfer everyone to other places? I’m sure there is some legal mechanism to do that. I could be taken away from you and have to wear a real collar and be subjected to someone else's will. I couldn’t ever do that. I’d rather die.”
He’d rather die too.
