Eleri nodded. It made good sense. IA membership required a home planet. She was bursting with questions but thought it would be rude to let them spill out all at once, especially since she was here to finish her training, not to learn everything about the zoa. There would be more time for questions as her training progressed.
The rest of the afternoon was spent reviewing how to use the basic healing tech. Eleri bandaged imaginary wounds and helped suture in a virtual reality surgery. She was relieved to find the skills came easily into muscle memory, despite her hiatus from practicing any real medicine.
They also reviewed the most important medications in the pharmacy as well as the full patientroster. The two hundred names seemed daunting, especially when added to an additional three hundred in the other nearby settlement of Indras, but she suspected she would learn them well enough before long. By the time the smaller second sun took prominence in the sky, Eleri was deliriously happy. She wanted to stay longer and keep learning, but Aglao insisted she needed rest and food. Reluctantly, Eleri removed the scrubs and left them in the basket by the hygiene room and changed back into her grimy bodysuit.
Once she had some credits to her name, she would ask Myla about going to buy some new clothing. In the clinic, she could wear the scrubs, but to work in the fields she was in desperate need of something with better ventilation. It was only once she was outside the clinic and in the center of town that Eleri realized she had no idea how to get back to Pyo’s home. Given that Minio was less than enthused by the idea of offering her any real help, she suspected no one would remember to come collect her, despite Pyo’s assurances.
CHAPTER 5
S’SAMPH
S’samph shoved his foot into the spade with more force than strictly necessary, sending clods of blue earth flying. This stubborn patch of roots was as good a place as any to vent his frustrations. It was already well past the first sunset, but he couldn’t find enough reason to go to the town center to find something to eat. S’kasia wasn’t talking to him and getting asked questions about what had happened with Eleri was the last thing he wanted to deal with. No doubt the townspeople were abuzz with the best drama they’d heard since K’kaen had been found floating naked in the irrigation canal with a vela pod on his head after a night of heavy drinking.
The responsible thing would be to release Eleri from their contract and eat the cost himself. There wasn’t really another option. He’d done his best to convince her to return home with him, so at least S’kasia couldn’t doubt his integrity on that front. S’samph had been loath to leave the human female in such a state, but he didn’t want to overstep the tenuous boundaries between them. Besides, Eleri had made the ultimate choice when she had refused his offer to get her medical attention or to come back to his nest.
S’kasia wasn’t talking to him after he reported back what had happened the night before. She probably would hold her angry silence until he made things right one way or another. If the human was released from their mating contract and was free to pick another compatible male, then there would be nothing S’kasia could say. It was impossible to say the next time there would be another batch of colonists coming on-planet, but he hoped by that point he was well and truly beyond the point of mating.
If he had half a brain, he should go to Pyo directly in the morning and ask that the mate contract be officially dissolved. Apparently, he did not. He swiped a film of dust away from his face as a levibike hummed past.
When the vehicle skimmed past the walkway leading to his property, it skidded to a stop and the loud reveille of a horn made him glance up from the massacre of dead roots on his property.
“Eshar, you’re out here late. I don’t suppose this has anything to do with the absolute mess you made with your human mate? I’m heading into town for food. Want to come?”
S’samph narrowed his eyes at K’kaen. He could tell the other male was fishing for information. “Fine, you insufferableravik, let’s go.”
“I’m not theravikhere. That human female has enough to put up with being forced to live in Myla’s company because you left her alone in the sands.” K’kaen’s crimson frill rippled with disapproval. “I’ll pay for your meal if you give me details about what is happening.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re a terrible liar, S’samph.” K’kaen eyed S’samph’s rumpled frill which was an obvious tell of his lies. The damn thing always veered to the left when he was untruthful.
S'samph drove his thresher toward the shed where he kept his farming equipment. K’kaen kept pace beside him as the machine lumbered forward. Ribbons of evening sunlight bounced off the handlebars and into his eyes as he parked the thresher inside the shed and then dismounted.
“We decided it was best to go our separate ways.” S’samph removed his work gloves and shoved them into the pocket of his trousers before locking up the thresher along with his other tools. “Eleri confirmed her lack of interest.”
K’kaen’s tail lifted with disbelief as he mounted his levibike. “That’sf’fretand you know it. Myla was telling everyone about how you rejected her and how she came back to their home leaking sadness last night. Apparently, she wouldn’t say a word and just fled to her sleeping quarters.”
S’samph mounted his own levibike beside K’kaen. “Eleri was not leaking sadness. In fact, she poured out her stomach contents all over my good boots and then refused medical attention when I offered to accompany her to the clinic.” The hum of the levibike engine drowned out his voice, but he had no doubt K’kaen could hear him. His friend might have responded, but the roar in his tympanum combined with the noise from the engine made it impossible to tell.
When they reached the central village of Laurus, residents walked the dusty main street laughing andchattering amongst themselves. Several people greeted K’kaen, but S’samph could feel the weight of disapproval in their gazes when they looked at him. He was never particularly popular in Laurus. He had neither K’kaen’s sharp humor nor S’kasia’s decisiveness, but usually people didn’t pay him much mind. Now they were paying attention to him, and that was something he could do without.
K’kaen docked at the charging port and glanced back at S’samph. “Well, I did hear about the stomach contents, but that was from S’kasia.” K’kaen jabbed at S’samph’s boot with the tip of his tail. “But I need more details. Your clutch sister is ready to murder you if you step one foot off the sand.”
“Eleri was ill from travel. What more information do you need?” S’samph was starting to think staying home and eating mushy, astringent vela beans was better than the interrogation he had yet to face to pay for his meal with K’kaen.
“Eleri. That’s the human’s name?” K’kaen’s tail swished. “Are you sure it wasn’t just because she saw your face again? I wonder what she was thinking when she accepted your application.”
S’samph’s frill tightened against his spine. He’d been wondering the same thing himself, but it felt worse coming from K’kaen. He couldn’t even properly defend himself because he knew the jabs were deserved.
“Are you going to be this irritating all evening.”
“I’m paying for drinks and food. I can be as irritating as I like.” He led the way toward The Eon as S’samph dragged his tail after him.
“I didn’t realize the cost changed anything.”
K’kaen’s frill rippled with annoyance. “You’re even more dour than usual. Time to get you outrageously drunk and then maybe you’ll be less miserable to be around. You should be thanking me anyway.”
“For what exactly?”
