“Let me help you get everything inside.” S’samph hefted one of the heavier devices meant to monitor Cassie’s blood pressure and heart rhythm onto his shoulder.
“Yes, we should go check on Cassie.” With S’samph behind him, Örim led the way into his home.
“Why are all the lights off?” S’samph held the door open with his tail, letting in a stream of light from outside.
“Right.” Örim had completely forgotten about the lighting situation. He usually kept it dark so he didn’t have to wear hiseyestones, but Cassie would need light to see. “My people mostly live underground. We’re evolved to see in darkness.” Örim discovered Cassie on the ground next to one of his workbenches holding her foot with a grimace on her face. He adjusted his eyestones and turned on the aggressive overhead lights before hurrying over to her. She’d only been here for a few moments, and he was already failing her.
I fell, she said.Too dark. Her hands formed her statement.
“That’s my fault.” Örim helped her to her feet. “I forgot humans need light to see.”
“Not just humans,” S’samph grumbled as he finished bringing in the rest of the supplies. “Try to keep her in one piece. My mate will have my tail if anything happens to her, especially since I’m the one who sanctioned this.”
“Cassie is safe with me.” The promise was more of a reassurance to himself than anything for S’samph. “I’ve done all the research on taking care of a human. I am fully versed in her medical protocols and environmental requirements. I will be more mindful of the lights.”
I can hear you.Her face was twisted in a mask of annoyance although Örim suspected some of it was from pain.
“Good luck.” S’samph’s tail swished as he exited the room, leaving Örim alone with a very frustrated Cassie. When he turned back to her, he noticed she had dragged her bags of fluids over to the bench where he fiddled with wires in his spare time. It was where he had designed her pichari. He had a few projects he was tinkering with at the moment, but he didn’t mind if she disturbed them out of curiosity.
Instead of going to her immediately, Örim simply watched. He realized he hadn’t seen her exist in a home space before. He’d only ever been with her in the schoolhouse or the clinic or outside in the town, but this felt different. She was gentle with his work, her fingers exploring, but only with the faintesttouches. Finally, she turned to him and signed something, but he was missing the crucial verb.
Örim made the sign back to her. “What does this mean?”
Cassie reached for her datapad. S-H-O-M-E. she typed and then repeated the sign.
Örim copied her. “Show? Demonstrate?”
Cassie nodded and then signed the whole sentence again.Show me how to make these.
“You want to learn?” Örim had no problem teaching her, but he was surprised at her interest. It was something he’d hidden from people on Teös. Art wasn’t exactly a respected pursuit. It did nothing to forward the glory of the Empire.
Everything. I want to learn everything.Her jaw was set. Örim reached to brush a strand of hair away from her face. He discovered he liked touching her. It stirred something in him, feelings he didn’t know what to do with. Teösians didn’t touch. Even copulation was considered a barbaric one-time act to procure the necessary genetic material to maintain population levels, and it had long since been replaced with mechanical manipulation. There was no emotional attachment involved. One male, one female, selected by the Imperial Match Bureau to produce an optimally meritorious offspring.
“First, we have to get your medical equipment organized.” Örim clasped the bracket around her waist. It used magtech to suspend her bags of fluid so she could move around more easily. Cassie stared up at him as he did. They were close enough for him to almost see the color of her eyes, even with the bright light overhead. He’d never been this close to her, and he found he wanted to stay there.
“Ok, let me show you the rest of our home, and you can make some decisions about what you want to do with the space.” Örim offered Cassie his arm to help support her. He suspectedafter her morning with S’samph, she would be resistant to being carried around again.
However, she accepted his offered appendage, and from the way she leaned against him, he realized S’samph had good reason to insist on trying to carry her. Örim, however, wasn’t about to risk pushing her beyond her comfort. She was here and giving him another chance. He could compromise to the best of his ability despite his preferences.
“Are you ok to walk, Cassie?”
She nodded.Slowly.
First, he showed her the plasma shield security system he had installed. Originally, it was to protect his data from being hacked. He knew there were researchers still interested in his work, perhaps even more so since he’d gone dark in academic spaces.
“Just ignore this button. It activates my security system. I don’t want you to accidentally lock yourself inside.”
Then he showed her the lavatory. “This should have all the basic amenities. There are towels and cleansing products in the cabinet.”
Cassie pulled it open to look.Did Eleri help you with this?
His mouth nodes came together with amusement as he noted the sign for Eleri’s name was actually not phonetic at all. It was a combination of the signs for the colors yellow and blue. “She did. I admit I knew little about requirements for human cohabitation before speaking with her.”
Cassie smiled and pointed to the products labeled for hair care.She uses the same ones.
“Are they acceptable?”
She nodded, pausing to catch her breath as they exited the lavatory.
