“Watching you use a knife makes me nervous.”
You can supervise.She wouldn’t lie and say her own attempts at cooking hadn’t resulted in several cuts and burns, all of which sent Örim into a panic. But at least her food was much more edible.
“Supervising doesn’t protect your fingers.”
I’ll make something that doesn’t require cutting.Cassie pulled her hair out of the collar of her jumpsuit, realizing it was getting quite long again. She would have to figure out what to do with it sooner or later. Örim followed her to the kitchen, supervising briefly as she assembled the ingredients to make porridge with some fruits, none of which required any knife skills.
He sat at the table with her as she ate. “How do you feel about learning numbers?”
Numbers?
“You’ve made good progress with your letters and words. Basic calculations might be helpful in other areas of your life.”
Cassie frowned, tapping her spoon on the edge of the bowl.I’m not against learning numbers. I just don’t know what I’d use them for.
“Well, we can try later this evening, and I can show you some practical purposes for them. I can also work on keying your voice to your wrist interface, so you don’t have to wear that thing around your neck all the time.”
She nodded.Fine, but I also want to watch some holos later. I don’t want to spend all night learning about numbers.
Örim clicked his mouth nodes in amusement. “Don’t worry, I won’t interrupt your time watching The Next Intergalactic Cooking Championship.”
It’s fun! You just don’t understand because you don’t eat food.Cassie took another large bite of porridge to emphasize her point.
After they finished their morning preparations, Örim dropped her off behind the schoolhouse, where she usually met Glia and the pups. She still found joy in caring for the younglings every morning, even with K’kaen accompanying her to ensure her safety. The younglings didn’t notice. In their mind, her security detail was just another person to play with.
Cassie was busy pulling Irio away from Karr as the two of them squabbled over the same toy levibike when she noticed a familiar human woman with black hair pulled up into a tight knot at the nape of her neck watching her. Cassie knew she knew her from somewhere but couldn’t quite place it. One of the other kyrot pups, Meyra, wrapped herself around Cassie’s leg, throwing her off balance. Cassie stumbled as she tried to pry Meyra free.
The woman approached. As she got closer, Cassie finally recognized her. Yina. Yina had been part of the recovery team at the IA. She’d helped Cassie and some of the others acclimate after their extraction from the Aviary. K’kaen didn’t seem particularly bothered, so Cassie assumed it must be someone he knew as well.
“You look well, Cassie.”
Cassie nodded, lifting Meyra into her arms so the pup could nuzzle against her shoulder.
“What’s going on, human Yina?” K’kaen’s tail swished once in the dust.
“You’re S’samph’s friend, right?”
“His brother.”
“Got it. Latil’e bonds. I’m here for Cassie, though. There’s been a development in her case, and I’d like to get as much information as possible before we suggest a course of action.”
“Should I get her mate?”
Cassie blushed ferociously. She’d never get used to him being known as her mate publicly. They hadn’t submitted any formal paperwork, but they were mates in all the ways that mattered. She was his aöseria.
“Are you mated Cassie? It’s not registered in our database.” Yina turned to her. “Do you want to register it while I’m here?”
I don’t know. We haven’t discussed it.Cassie started to respond with hand signs, and then realized Yina would have no idea what she was saying. She activated her speaking device. “I’m not sure,” she said.
“Go with Yina, Cassie. I’ll watch the younglings.” K’kaen raised his arms in the air and flicked his tongue, initiating a game of predator chase. The younglings squealed with delight and scrambled away as the latil’e male stomped his way down the road, deliberately missing with his swipes as the younglings ducked and dodged away from him.
“Who’s your mate?” Yina asked as they walked. “Obviously, none of the passeri were entered into the IA MateMatch system before you left our facility, so we don’t have access to any of your preference data.”
“Örim.” Cassie said, glancing toward the schoolhouse as they walked past. He’d be worried if she wasn’t there when he finished his lessons, but she didn’t want to interrupt. She’d ask S’samph to send him a message.
“Örim? The teösian?” Yina’s steps slowed. “Cassie, are you sure?” Cassie recognized the shift in tone. The one people used with her when they were worried about breaking her.
“I’m sure.”
