“I’ll clean it and put a fresh bandage on it,” she said quickly, avoiding his eyes.
He followed her back to the table without protest, his presence suddenly looming large in the small room. Even sitting, he dwarfed the furniture, his powerful body making the kitchen feel strangely intimate, like she’d invited a wild animal to tea.
As she cleaned his arm, she tried to focus on the task rather than the heat radiating from his body or the way his muscles flexed beneath her touch. None of the medical texts she’d read had prepared her for the reality of caring for a wound. Or for the way her body reacted to his presence.
“Medical theory is all very straightforward, but the application is...” She trailed off, searching for the right word.
“Different?”
“Alive.” She dipped a fresh cloth into the antiseptic solution and began cleaning the wound again, trying to ignore the way her heart hammered against her ribs. “In the diagrams, everything is static. You can study it, analyze it, and understand exactly how each component functions. But this?—”
She gestured vaguely at his arm, at the raw gash that ran from elbow to wrist.
“This keeps changing. The blood flow patterns shift when you move. The skin texture varies depending on the underlying muscle structure. And you’re warm.” She gently wiped the area that was still seeping blood. “I didn’t expect you to be so warm.”
He was watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite decipher. His green eyes caught the light from the windows, making them appear almost luminous.
“Vultor run hotter than humans,” he said. “It’s one of our adaptations. Helps with temperature regulation in extreme environments.”
“Fascinating.” She leaned closer, her fingers absently drifting along his arm. “The texts mention temperature differentialsbetween species, but they never specify the exact degree of variation. How much hotter do you think? Three degrees? Five?”
“I’ve never measured it.”
“We could measure it now.” She looked up eagerly. “Ari has temperature sensors throughout the tower. We could establish a baseline comparison with my readings, and then calculate the precise differential. It would be valuable data.”
“Liora.” There was a hint of laughter in his voice. “Perhaps we could focus on the wound first?”
“Oh. Yes, of course.” She returned her attention to the task at hand, trying to determine why the bleeding wouldn’t stop in that area. “I’m sorry. I get distracted when I encounter new information. Ari says it’s a sign of intellectual curiosity, but also that I need to work on maintaining focus during practical tasks.”
“ARIS seems to have a lot of opinions.”
“Ari has opinions about everything. Sleep schedules, nutritional ratios, exercise routines. Sometimes I think if Ari could control my breathing, it would optimize that too.”
The words came out more bitterly than she’d expected, and she paused, surprised at herself. She’d never consciously thought about ARIS in critical terms before. It was just... there, a constant presence, as natural and unremarkable as the walls of the tower itself.
But now, sitting across from another person—a real person, with warm skin and curious eyes and a voice that didn’t come from hidden speakers—she was starting to notice things. The way Ari’s presence sometimes felt less like companionship and morelike surveillance. The way its gentle guidance had shaped every aspect of her existence without her ever questioning why.
“Tell me about the animals,” she said, shaking off the uncomfortable thoughts. “The books describe hundreds of species living in this jungle, but I’ve only observed a few dozen from the windows. What have you seen?”
“More than I can count.” He shifted slightly as she began applying antiseptic salve to the wound again. “The jungle is dense with life—birds, insects, mammals. Some I recognized, but many I didn’t. There are creatures here that don’t match anything in the standard databases.”
“Really?” She looked up, forgetting to be embarrassed by her eagerness. “Can you describe them?”
“Let’s see. There was one about the size of my fist, covered in iridescent scales, with six legs and wings like gossamer. It made a sound like crystal chimes when it flew.”
“That sounds like a veloria.” She grinned, delighted. “I’ve been trying to get a clear image of one for years, but they’re too fast. They only appear at dawn, just for a few minutes, and by the time I can get the observation equipment calibrated, they’re gone.”
“You have observation equipment?”
“Of course. How else would I study the jungle?” She gestured vaguely towards the upper floors. “I have telescopes, recording devices, atmospheric sensors, even access to satellite images. I’ve been cataloging the wildlife for as long as I can remember.”
“From inside the tower.”
Something in his tone made her pause. She looked up at him and saw the careful neutrality of his expression, the way his jaw had tightened almost imperceptibly.
“Yes,” she said slowly. “From inside the tower. Where else would I observe from?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he watched her with those intense emerald eyes, and she had the uncomfortable sensation that he was seeing something she couldn’t.
