“I didn’t know.” Eleri thought back to the way it had been presented to her and the other females aboard the Spark even though she’d signed her contract long before stepping foot on the star craft. The IA agent had encouraged anyone interested in having a family or romantic partner to join their MateMatch program before arrival on Cassiaq-IV. Interspecies dating could be complicated, and the IA matching software ensured a better chance at a compatible match.
“Almost there now.” Pyo nodded a greeting at a kyrot female with two pups clutched against her chest.
They walked beyond the city center, and things transformed from populated to rural in the span of a few meters. The buildings in town shrank behind them as they passed by several fields filled with tall blue-black stalks. In the distance she noticed the looming stacks of an energy generation plant. To her mortification, Eleri’s stomach growled again. If her face weren’t already red from the sunburn, she was sure her fierce blush would be obvious. They turned off the main path and passed an irrigation canal filled with lilac-hued water. A floral scent filled the air and Eleri breathed in deeply as they passed by several fields of some sort of grain. She noticed a cluster of domed buildings in the distance now. Pyo led her to the largest one and pressed his three-fingered hand against a screen on the door. It clicked open.
“They’re nothing fancy, but we have all the basic amenities. Some of the others around here chose to build their own homes near their farming plots, but I’m not much of a carpenter. Besides, my mate dislikes being so close to the dirt and the animals.”
“I’mgrateful for your hospitality,” she said.
After following Pyo inside, Eleri took the time to peer around the cool, darkened main room of the domicile. The floors were spotless and free of dust, which made her conscious of traipsing it in from the outside. She glanced up at Pyo, but he gave no indication that she should remove her boots. He strode inside without removing his own, so it seemed like the best course was to follow his lead. Eleri tapped them off as best as she could in the entryway and then followed further inside. Black and white swirling murals decorated the walls and there were storage bins hanging around the peak of the domed ceiling. All of them were far above where she would be able to reach, despite her considerable height for a human woman. However, for the winged kyrot it must be sensible to store things at such a height.
“Myla?” Pyo called to no response. He waited for another long moment while Eleri tried to make herself small behind her suitcase. When no one answered, Pyo shrugged, seeming unsurprised, and beckoned Eleri to follow him deeper into the dwelling. He led her to a small, spare room with a hammock-style bed hanging from the ceiling. Eleri judged the distance from the floor and determined she’d be able to clamber in with a bit of jump force.
“It’s not much, but we’ll get you a bed covering, and you can stay until we get you another living situation. Once you’re working at the clinic, you’ll start earning your own credits too.”
“It’s perfect.” Eleri rolled her ancient suitcase beneath the hammock, conscious of all the blue dust she had trailed in on its wheels. “I’ll make myself useful as long as I’m staying here.”
“Don’t tell that to Myla.” Pyo made a low chuffing sound that Eleri interpreted as laughter. “Let’s just plan to have you help out in my fields while you get your bearings. Once you know what you want to do around here, then just let me know and we’ll figure out how to get you situated.” There was an expectant pause at the end of his statement.
“I’d like to work at the clinic if Aglao was serious about training me. I still have a lot of studying to do before I qualify as a healer, but I’m willing to divide my time so I can still work in your fields.”
“I think that can be arranged. It’s a lot more valuable to us to have another healer than another farmer.”
“Thank you again. I’ll work hard to earn my keep here. I know you didn’t have to take me in.” Eleri bowed her head in appreciation. There were several kyrot living on Gaia, so she knew this was an appropriate gesture at least. Pyo returned the courtesy by dipping his wings forward. He left her then to get settled and told her they usually had two meals aday, but she was welcome to eat any other food in their pantry if she was hungry outside of mealtimes.
Eleri unpacked her meager belongings into some hanging baskets. She guessed she was home, for the moment anyway. Her stomach rumbled again under the taut fabric of her bodysuit. They’d cautioned her not to eat too much in the twenty-four hours after exiting the luxportal. But surely something small couldn’t hurt. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep on a completely empty stomach.
A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts. A female kyrot peered inside, her eyes following the tip of her brown snout. She entered the room without giving Eleri a chance to invite her inside. Smaller than her mate and her brother, this must be Myla. Although Pyo was likely around fifty standard years or older, Eleri was surprised to find Myla couldn’t be more than a few years older than her.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to greet you earlier. My friend just whelped, so I was visiting with her and the pup. It will be lovely to have another female around this dusty old place.” Myla entered the room entirely now. Her wings were folded neatly against her back to give her enough space to clear the doorway. Unlike Pyo whose fur was streaked with silver, hers was brushed with swirls of peridot green.
Eleri smiled, unsure of the level of enthusiasm and still trying to push past the growing headache pounding between her brows. “Thank you for letting me stay here.”
“Of course! Pyo told me what happened. It’s terrible, isn’t it? I can’t imagine coming all the way across two galactic sectors only to be rejected. Disgraceful.” She made a clicking noise with her tongue. “But we’ll be so glad to have another healer around here. Aglao is helpful and everything, but they can’t manage everything on their own, and it’s so hard to be seen sometimes. Besides they can’t leave the clinic with their sensitivity to heat. You could be out and about helping people, really making a difference.”
“I hope I can. As soon as I finish my training.” Eleri paused in her unpacking to give her full attention to the conversation.
“Well, of course. Pyo told me you’ll helping in our fields in the mornings and then training in the afternoons.” Myla beamed at her. “Now come, tell me everything about your journey here. My home karst is on Brasnia Prime, but I’ve heard so many fantastical things about Earth.”
“Oh, I’m not from Earth.I’m from Gaia, one of Earth’s colonies.”
“Gaia?” Myla paused. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of it. Another Tier III planet then?”
“Tier II.”
“Well, have you been to Earth then?”
“No, never.”
“Such a shame. I was hoping to learn more about the visa process. They’re so picky about off-worlders. I once met a scion of House Dai Cho at a festival in Prime Central, but I was absolutely flying on kvöst and didn’t have a chance to ask for any favors.”
“I’m sorry I’ve never had a chance to visit.”
“Yes, well it’s hardly your fault.” Myla passed a critical eye over her greasy hair and sweat-stained jumpsuit. “Then let me get your opinion on some other things instead. And I’m sure you’re famished after your trip here. We’ll have to see you fed, and then we can discuss the other eligible males in this waste of a town.”
Eleri maintained a friendly expression even though the onslaught of questions made her want to crawl out of her skin. The last thing she wanted to do was think about another romantic partner after her first attempt at a match had failed so spectacularly. But Myla was nothing if not insistent. She tried her best to answer everything and was rewarded with further lines of questioning about everything from her favorite music idols to the fashion trends on Gaia.
Once satisfied by the extent of the conversation, Myla offered some unfamiliar fruits and some sort of squishy pale pink bread after Eleri got a word in edgewise about her dietary restrictions. From there she ate quietly while Myla told her everything about Laurus and its residents.
