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“It’s not a rule.”

“It’s a fact. We have no galleries or hangings in our dwellings. It’s not logical.”

“Enough talking about logic. Let the art speak for itself.”

“Maybe if I’m drunk enough, it will.”

Rane gave a half-hearted laugh. One day, it would. Rane would get the respect he deserved. He had to because, if he existed for much longer in his current role, it might be the end of him.

Chapter 5

Nell stretched her arms over her head and let out a long yawn. Her eyes were blurry from staring at alien and human matches. There were so many aliens looking for a mate. Each one made her feel a little more anxious.

“We’ll have to make Ivy stop promoting this place,” Heather said from the other side of the desk. “We’re never going to catch up at this rate.”

“I heard Avril has a target to induct two hundred new aliens this week alone,” Nell said. “She must be dead on her feet.”

“That’s more than double her usual. She’ll be asking for your help again.” Heather groaned and dropped her face into her hands. “I’m going to forget what Loka looks like at this rate. We barely see each other.”

“I thought he was out on some sort of exploration of dark space matter?”

“He is, but that’s not the point. He won’t always be out on spacewalks. I need my alien loving time.”

Nell forced a smile. “Sounds great. That reminds me, I need to book my own spacewalk. There’s a planned exploration of the new red star cluster. It sounds interesting.”

“Interesting and dangerous,” Heather said. “You’re still into your extreme hobbies?”

“It’s fun, not dangerous.”

“I don’t know. Spacewalking takes extreme sports to a whole new level.”

Nell shut down her tablet and tidied her desk. “It’s good to have a distraction. You can’t afford to lose focus when you’re on a spacewalk. It teaches me not to let my focus slip when I’m doing other things.”

“Are you distracting yourself from anything in particular?” Heather’s tone was gentle as she asked the question, but it still grated.

Nell shook her head. Her closest friends knew she was in therapy. They tried to understand why she went but were so loved up with their own aliens, they didn’t get it.

“I know I’m not an expert,” Heather said. “Any time you want to talk about anything, I’m right here. I might not have great advice, but I can make good sympathetic noises and offer hot cocoa and lots of cake.”

“Thanks, I know you can.” Nell didn’t look at Heather. “Everything’s good. Don’t worry about me.”

“I also offer tissues when things get tough.” It seemed Heather wasn’t getting the hint this evening.

Nell turned away and pretended to search for something in her purse.

“You’ve been through something that not many people understand—”

“Why don’t we get a drink?” Nell couldn’t face having this conversation again. She appreciated Heather’s interest in her life, but when she got frustrated, she lost her composure. Everyone needed to believe she was a professional, not some gibbering idiot who freaked out about aliens if she thought about them too much.

“Did someone mention a drink?” Vegas stuck her head out from her office cubicle. “I’m about done in here. I could do with something to unwind after the hell of a day I’ve had.”

“Something non-alcoholic.” Heather nodded at Vegas.

Vegas sighed. “Of course. I already miss my after-hours wind down cocktail.”

“They serve decent fruity cocktails at the bar,” Nell said.

“The Enchanted Captain it is,” Heather said. “The first round is on the boss.”