The rest of the afternoon passed slowly as their conversation in the flyer seemed to grate between them like a sticky gear that didn't want to turn over. She picked out a few nice items to change over the house, but didn't purchase everything she might have had things been different. Truthfully, she was too distracted to really focus on what she wanted or come up with any design or game plan for the house. She got a few essentials. A few soft blankets and some arrangement materials, a set of place mats and warm smelling candles. They spent a long time walking around the Terran Town area of Kinte. The people here were familiar and the sights and sounds were too. It was slightly comforting in a way, given the stranger she felt like she was walking next to. Every now and then she would steal glances at him. He was always looking at something else and wearing his usual tepid expression like the mask it was. She could hear that broken laugh and see that awful, twisted smile he'd given her. It made her shiver. And yet, she knew he wasn't terrible. Something was just terribly, terribly wrong.

They ate dinner in the same, strange silence. She knew now he couldn't feel much of anything. Saying how she felt was a moot point. The words from earlier in the flyer made her sad in a way that made her chest ache. Ehud had been living this way for so long and simply pretending. She felt hurt to some degree but also felt sadness for him. A ghost of a life was all he could muster. She didn't each much of her dinner and was grateful when they landed on Pyrta again.

*********

After a day and a half of waiting, two hours and dozens of forms, Priscilla sat across from the counselor and the two beefy looking nurses feeling as if she'd been slapped again. This time it wasn't Ehud's words but the counselor. "Our best diagnosis at this point requires a treatment that you'll only need once a month. What we're seeing is evidence of manic depression, and psychosis.....we believe the onset is from PTSD and other trauma left untreated for a period of time. Earlier treatment may have prevented this, perhaps not. ...Sometimes trauma like this causes irreversible damage. Our best option is a simple injection. You just have a monthly appointment at the clinic. The dose is set high for now...."

She listened to what they said in silence and silently, vehemently, scolded herself. She should have seen something was wrong a long time ago. Part of her was relieved to know that it wasn't all her acting entitled and crazy. That he really did have problems with feeling anything. Another part of her felt terrible he had gone untreated for so long that he was on the cusp of certifiable. He had scared her in that flyer and now she knew why.

He took the shot, at least this time, and sounded as if he hated the idea. Would it make him feel better? How long would that last if he had to keep taking it? There were questions and doubts and fears running around her mind. So much so that she opted for a long shower alone and cried. At least he wouldn't be able to hear her over the water. What was she going to do? This wasn't his fault. She felt more isolated and alone than ever and she couldn't rely on him. Not to mention poor Sien had no idea why his father was so distant. She sobbed in the shower and when the water ran cold, she dressed in a soft, much more conservative robe to crawl into bed with. There was a fair distance between herself and him. It was going to stay that way. He was no more capable of giving her comfort as he was able to receive it right now. She would have to deal with things tomorrow. Right now, Ehud needed to have this medicine work and a consistent mood from her, despite what she felt. Who knew what would happen to him if she couldn't manage that.

********

The next day left no time for dealing with anything. Ehud woke up feeling sick and on top of that was foggy headed. Every response was delayed and miserable from him. She had seen him sick with his guts twice before. Once when he'd eaten popcorn and another time when he was laid up and had to drink terrible but prescribed medication to ease the pain. Given he was on a potent anti-psychotic, however, she decided it was best to have the medics come out to take a look. They were able to confirm the gut pain was his usual ailment and the fogginess was a normal side-effect of the medication he was given. He was laid up on the couch the whole day and that was just fine. It was easier to keep an eye on him. She gave him his medicine, and occasionally checked his forehead, though a fever wasn't any of the side affects as far as she knew. It was just a gentle touch and she wasn't sure who needed it more, him or her. Sien helped her make a light dinner of rice and eggs and toast. Something easy to digest for everyone.

The day after, Ehud's guts seemed to feel better and he was all about wanting to roam around. Despite still being wooly brained, he wanted to go roaming around. It was a propensity that made her nervous. She had no idea what sort of side affects could happen with this medication and he could just as easily be lobotomized one minute and depressed enough to jump off the Edge in another. She had no idea what would happen. So, she closed down the bakery for the day again and decided to stick with him. She didn't want him to hurt himself. "Why don't we go outside and you can help me in the garden first, and then we can take Yuji for a walk....then we need to go grocery shopping and make some orders for flour, sugar and yeast for the bakery. That's plenty of walking. We'll be out most of the afternoon."

********

A week passed in somewhat of the same way. She closed down the bakery for the week and stuck with him until he started looking sharper again. Though he was looking more lucid and less teetering on the edge, he was still quiet. They had barely spoken more than a few sentences between them for most of the days. She had decided it might be safe enough for her to open the bakery again and she had to prep a few things on the Sunday in order to open bright and early on Monday morning. To her surprise, there were a few boxes delivered to the house and left on the doorstep. Had Ehud ordered something? She certainly hadn't. They were addressed to the right house though and had her name on them. She brought them inside, confused as to what she might have ordered, and opened the boxes. Inside she found mountains of fall decorations, most of which she had seen on Pyrta. If she hadn't ordered these, it had to be Ehud. Suddenly, her throat tightened up and she sniffled as tears pricked at her eyes. He'd still tried to do something for her even when he didn't have to. Even would he was so messed up.

She'd been in a bit of an emotional limbo knowing she couldn't rely on him and wondering if she ever could or if she would be in a marriage that offered sex and not much else. While she held a happy little golden pumpkin in her hands, she started to cry. Yes, he was messed up, but he did want to do things for her. What man would do something like this, after all?

Sien bounded into the room, and paused when he saw her. "Are you okay?"

Pris wiped at her eyes and smiled at Sien. "Oh, I will be. I think. You want to come to help me get ready for fall in the bakery? I'll show you how to make apple crisps too."

Sien grinned and nodded just as Ehud walked into the room. She looked up at Ehud and cleared her throat. "I'm going to the bakery today. Come with us to help decorate for fall. I...I have some extra decorations."

***************

To Calysta's surprise, Illya only wanted to lounge around for an hour. Then he greeted her with a wild grin and asked if she wanted to take advantage of their little off day and go exploring. She loved those grins and she liked exploring even more when it was with him. "Aye," she told him, "I'd like that." She gave him a little peck on the lips and got dressed him some clothing that was much more comfortable and plain than what she had worn to arrive in. Exploring was much better when you blended in with the area.

They slipped out of the hotel, just the two of them hand in hand...and Koda and Rezna casually following them at a distance. Body guards were not something they could fully escape. If the two of them stayed back far enough, she could almost forget they were there. Almost. The good news was Urians prided themselves on being excellent hosts. Which meant not bum rushing their guests. So, they went into the street unobstructed which was a nice change. "Oooh I know where I want to go first," Calysta grinned, "I want to go to the View Bubble."

The tunnels gave stunning views of the ocean, but it was nothing compared to the view bubble. The biome was set on the reef and blended into it so the fish used it as their home. It was a gigantic bubble right along with the most vibrant and beautiful fish swam. It took an hour and several escalators to arrive at the View Bubble but it was well worth it. Benches formed a ring inside so visitors could sit and watch from any angle. Fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors swam around in schools or peeked out of the reef slowly growing around the bubble wall. "Look," Calysta grinned as she pointed to a tight little coral cavern, "An Muridinae...its an eel!" The long bodied fish poked its yellow spotted head out of the cavern and opened its jaw to show razor sharp teeth. She kept Illya's hand in hers and walked closer to the wall, craning her neck in an effort to see it all. A massive ray-like creature floated along the wall, its wide kite fins floating it along with grace. "Ooh, those are interesting too," she said, "But I think those have long barbs on their tails."

A school of tiny neon fish zipped by and little crab creatures scuttled in the sand between the living coral. Everything was bright and alive. So graceful under the water. She could have sat with Illya and watched in fascination with him for hours, but she knew Illya was already seasick enough. "Where would you like to go? It's your turn to pick. There's a museum...it has less water front walls...there's also a park....and a strip of restaurants along with a shopping district."

***********

Calysta slid the bedroom door closed and the simple knock of the pocket door landing home into the lock sent the fish above them scattering from their school. She slinked up to Illya and slid her hand up his good arm, smiling while she did. The day had been fun. The excitement of exploring new places and seeing new things had her cheeks tinged pink as she looked up at him. He'd been sweet in letting her drag him around all day. Especially when she knew he was one whale away from panicking again at being so deep underwater. "Hey," she hummed, "If you're feeling up to it, we could have a little more fun and we wouldn't have to go far." She tilted her chin toward their plush, freshly made bed.

As they entered the room Illya watched the fish flutter away. It was strange how it was almost like a sky of its own under the water. However, it wasn't the same as it was above the surface and he much preferred the land. They barely obtained privacy and Illya heard the little offer from Kalizda. Meeting her gaze he smirked and then glanced at the bed before looking at her again. "Mmmhmmm...I got plenty of energy. Jes tah prove et," he leaned over to kiss her and ran his right hand down her back, rear end and behind her right leg before he started to pull her up. She mashed his right arm, but it didn't really bother his shoulder. Taking a few steps back he felt the bed at the back of his knees and then sat down on the bed with her.

She was wasn't expecting him to be quite so vigorous right away. He'd been exhausted lately and she had been trying to help him rest by giving him coffee to drink at night. It had been knocking him out before they could up to much of anything in the way of bedroom activities and while she was pregnant, the doctor hadn't forbidden her from sex. They might as well enjoy it while they could. She squeaked a little in surprise when he hoisted her up with one hand. He was gentle with her and sometimes it was moments like that which reminded her how strong he really was. In an automatic reaction, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around him when he sank onto the bed. "Oh, you are feeling wiley," she chuckled as her blush deepened a little. She looked into his bright green eyes and played with his hair near the nape of his neck as she sat with him. She was going to take her time, mostly because she didn't want to hurt him, but also, because he always took his time with her. "Mmm...I remember," she said, "Sitting almost like this while were in the desert on old Quoti. I liked that."

"Mmm...we set like dis en Old Quoti huh?" Illya was momentarily confused and then remembered that if he was on Old Quoti he probably wouldn't have done anything considered out of place for a Chippequoti. There were only one or two positions that Chips sat in when they were intimate and this wasn't quite it, but it was close. "Here..." Scooting back on the bed he gave himself a little more space and then started to cross his legs. His knee felt a bit sore doing that, but he was sure he would get over it. "Someting like dis eh?" They were very close and when she was sitting on his legs like this she was a bit closer to his height.

"Mhmm..." she nodded. She remembered that day well. Things had been strange. Less complicated in some ways, but she felt much closer to Illya now than she had then. He shifted with her as if her weight was nothing but a sack of feathers. She ended up on his semi crossed legs, boosted a little higher so she could almost see his eyes without tilting her chin too much. She held on to one shoulder gently and kept her hand well away from the bullet wound. "Aye," she smiled, "It was like this. We sat in the sand after rolling down the dunes. I enjoyed it." She stole a glance down at his knee which was still mending. She hadn't actually intended on him trying to bend his knee like that. "Your knee...I'm not hurting you am I?"

That look she was giving him was worth it all. Illya listened to her dreamy little talk and then she broke off as she stared at his knee. "Meh knee will be fine for few minutes. When et gets sore we move little eh?" Running his right hand along her back he rubbed it gently and leaned forward to kiss her. "Yah still meh little bird. I love yah eh?"

She nodded slowly as she looked up to him. She didn't want to hurt him and when he was ready, she would move. These little moments of quiet and peace were few and far between sometimes and she couldn't resist the chance to have it. His hand was warm as it rubbed at her back and he leaned forward to kiss her and she smiled. There was something about the way he told her he loved her that left no room for doubt anymore and it turned her heart quite warm in her chest. She had become rather mushy in the last few years, and she was finding out that it was okay. "Aye, I am and I love you." She kissed him long and thorough, then chuckled when they finally drew back just a little for air. "Soon there's going to be a bit more of me to love," she teased, glancing down at her currently flat belly.

Being reminded of the twins was always a bit exciting and scary at the same time. Illya grinned at her mention of the babies and he nodded. "Dey will be very nice babies. Yah maybe dun get so sick as yah did last time eh?" Moving his hand from her back to rest it on her stomach and pelvic region he spoke as if to the babies. "Yah little ones en dere, be kind tah yah moter."

Calysta didn't know how he'd gotten stuck on the idea of multiple babies again, but she wasn't going to correct him this time. He was talking too sweet and she wasn't going to ruin the moment and, for all she knew, it very well could be twins again. His large hand took up most of her stomach and hips when it settled there. The touch was warm and felt nice. She chuckled as he spoke to their baby...or...babies and put her hand on top of his. "One day they'll be able to nudge you back." Her eyes slid up to his again and she leaned in and kissed him, this time she slid her other hand to brace the back of his neck and leaned forward gently. "Lean back and let me do the hard work, yeah?" she said in Quoti.

"I like et when dey start rolling around." Illya grinned some at the idea and then he caught her gaze. She had that sultry look that told him she was going to get him. Unfolding his legs he leaned back a bit and let her kiss him a few times and then he smirked. "Gotta get dah clotes off before we get too serious." Once they were all settled on the bed he enjoyed the activity, part way through he noticed that the fish were all around them and it was a bit strange and the currents seemed to push against the walls and then slide by all while Kalizda and himself had their own motion. No matter how hard he tried to stay focused on only her, it was hard not to see all the other motion around them.

Calysta chuckled when he mentioned taking off their clothes. "Don't worry, I'll take care of that too." She went to work and she intended on making it long slow. She wanted to give him as much time and attention as she could. She kept her work steady but part way through she noticed his eyes wandered past her to what she imagined was the ceiling above them. Maybe he just needed a little more kissing to compliment everything else. Even she had to admit the ceiling would be distracting. Leaning down, she smiled and kissed him hoping he might close his eyes and enjoy it more.


Illya felt Kalizda lean closer. Her hot breath was blowing across his mouth before she even planted a kiss on his lips. Focusing again on her grinned broadly. "Yah feeling very wild tahnight eh?" Momentarily he wondered if they had people that went out hunting fish in swim gear. Urian's didn't seem to value privacy that much.

She chuckled and kissed him all the more then kept right on moving in the rhythm she had picked up. He would get the best she could give him for sure. While she was working, a dark shadow passed over head, blocking out the fading daylight filtering through the water above. Illya seemed to be enjoying himself until the shadow passed over. "Are you alright?" she whispered a little breathlessly.

They were in the middle of the best part and Illya was feeling like he was focusing pretty well. Kalizda was moving nice and slow and he was starting to feel the pleasure build. Then he saw a huge whale coming overhead. He couldn't keep his eyes on Kalizda no matter how hard he tried to focus on her. Wincing a little he leaned further into the pillows and then glanced at her when she asked if he was ok. "Yeah, I jes saw anoter whale." His voice was strained slightly as he watched it float by and then he looked at her again. No matter how hard he tried after that he would glance at the ceiling to be sure there wasn't anything else swimming by. Surely they had to have curtains or something to block the view available. Between the moving sea life, the slow rocking in the bed, Kalizda moving and the water above he started to feel a little dizzy'ish.

Illya's explanation of the whale passing by made sense given the large shadow that engulfed them for a brief moment, but he winced and she wondered if she was hurting him more than he was enjoying it. His voice sounded strained, like he was nervous or in pain, and after a moment he even started to look pale. She stopped moving and looked at him with her brow furrowed slightly in concern. "Love, you look a little...pale. Maybe I should stop."

"No, no, I'm fine." Illya insisted and he adjusted a little. "I jes fe...." Suddenly all of his dinner made a violent rush and Illya sat up a little and started to turn to try and puke over the edge of the bed, but it didn't quite work that way. He puked all the way down his right arm and all over his right side. "Ooooh..." The flecks of fish and globby bits of vegetable didn't look very good the second time around. "I tink I feel better now, but I need shower before we try dis again."

He started to insist he was just fine but suddenly sat up, and heaved. The slightly rancid smell of their fish lunch hit her nose as he vomited all down his right side. The puddle with half digested goops of fish and vegetables slid down and smeared over her leg as he shifted. The slimey sensation was awful and her libido dried up some, cringing a bit as she did. "Oh....Illya..." she winced, "Love...." She wasn't sure what was the worse way to get off of him, rolling to the left side and smearing it further, or going right and getting more all over herself. "Aye...I think we both do." She opted to simply roll to the left and they would just have to have fresh sheets brought up. She got to her feet and tried to grab for a towel to wipe down her leg and to give to Illya so he didn't leave droppings all over the floor when he got up to the bathroom. "Here," she said offering him the towel she had used on her hair that morning. "Are you sure you're feeling better?"

Illya would have reached to stop the vomit from getting her leg, but his arm was pretty messy. "Ugh...no." Wincing some he sat up a little more and grimaced. "I'm sorreh. Ets jes all dat motion. I see tings moving all dah time even when I'm nut and ets making meh dizzy." It almost made him feel like he was on the cusp of having a seizure. As Kalizda started to roll to the left she bumped his side and he grunted a bit and as he sat up he hit his shoulder on hers slighly. "Owe..." Wincing again he accepted the towel from her and then sighed. "Yah help meh. I can't really do dis wit meh sling on." He couldn't reach his own shoulder with a towel and make an effective use of it without his other hand.

Of course she should have though t about him being unable to use his hand properly. "Oh! Aye." She took the towel back and just started cleaning him up a bit where he couldn't possibly reach with his arm in a sling. While she worked she kept glancing up to check on him. "Well, I think this is a first," she mused gently, "At least i know it wasn't my attempts at seducing you that made you nauseated."

Illya smiled a bit weakly and shrugged. "True, ets a first. First time we make love under whales too. Nut dah best idea. Maybe next time I'm on top eh?"

She mopped him up gently, careful not to hurt his shoulder. "Aye. Maybe you'd better be on top if you want to try again," she said, "You know, you're probably the first Chip to make love under the ocean." She finished cleaning him up by scooping up the chunky bits into the towel and then putting it at the end of the bed. "I call for for fresh sheets while you shower off, Yeah?"

Kalizda was very gentle and Illya did his best to try and help, but he wasn't much help till she finished with his arm and he could wipe off the rest of himself. "We jes go tah shower togeter eh? Yah make call and dey can take care of et while we shower. Dane or Mihael will scan dah room again when dey are done."

The idea of someone checking the room again made her tinge a little pink in the cheeks. They surely would know what had been happening by the scent in the air, but perhaps the heavy waft of vomit would over power that. She nodded and wiped down her hands enough to grab her pad long enough to call house keeping . The woman's voice was chipper on the other end and she said they would be up within 10 minutes to change the bedding. She sent a message to let the security team to let them know new bedding has been ordered but not why it had been necessary, then shimmied her way into the bathroom after Illya. "Need some help unclipping the sling," she asked him.

Dane answered the call for security and he gave a hoarse reply, "I'll just take care of it. Would rather strip the bed and make it myself instead of having the scan the entire room." Without waiting he started down the hall toward the bedroom and swung the door open. Illya heard the bedroom door open and he quickly shut the bathroom door with Kalizda barely inside. "Dat was fast." Nodding some he picked at the one clip on his sling that he could reach. The other was a bit more difficult.

Dane didn't give her much a chance to protest before he came barreling into the room. She barely had time to dive into the bathroom out of sight when Dane entered without knocking. "Dane said he'd rather do it himself than scan the room again and didn't give me anytime to insist otherwise. He shouldn't be tugging on the sheets like that with his neck." Of course, there was very little she could so about it since she was in the bathroom and her clothes were out there with Dane. Shaking her head, she sighed some and slid a hand up Illya's shoulder gently to find the clasp to his sling. "One...two," she warned, "Three." Then she unsnapped it letting the arm drop. A red mark was over his skin where the weight of his arm had pulled down like a yoke. She reached up and very tenderly rubbed at it some. "If you can stand it, going to a pleasure house for a massage may not hurt. I'm not strong enough to loosen those muscles up."

The sheets came off the bed pretty easy. Dane noticed that there were signs of activity and puke. Things didn't go well. He wasn't feeling particularly well himself given all the motion that was constantly going on. It was making him sea sick even if he wasn't being rocked back and forth. Gathering up the sheets he opened the doorway to see the housekeeper was there with fresh sheets and Mihael confirmed he had already scanned the woman and the bedding. Dane traded her and then went to work making the bed. Illya winced some when the sling was let loose. His shoulder was still very sore and moving it wasn't quite a relief. Then Kalizda started to work on his right shoulder where the sling had been pulling. "Ooh..careful. I dun tink I want a pleasure house right now." He was in all truth afraid of what a pleasure house would look like on Uria.

"They have a few here," she offered, "Reylia will have one but I'm not sure you should go that long. You look very stiff." She was actively trying to ignore that fact that Dane was currently pulling up their sex scented sheets. He shouldn't have to be doing that either. She lifted the sling away from him and then turned on the water to the shower to get it warm. Then, despite how red her cheeks were, forced herself to barely poke her head out of the bathroom door where Dane could only see the top of her head and her eyes. "I can make the bed," she told him, "I don't want you to pull on your neck."

Illya frowned and he let out a puff of irritation, “I dun want tah go. Dey are nice enough, but dah people here are strange.”

“I get et.” Dane replied and he started spreading the sheets out. Instead of getting any further Mihael overheard the talk and came into the room. Looking at Kalizda he grinned, “I will take care of dis.”

Chips were stubborn and Illya and Dane were no exception to this. Dane just kept right on trucking and much like a wolf pack, her protest brought another fellow elite member over to inspect. Mihael had a grin on his face and she turned a deeper shade of pink. If mihael did it, at least Dane wouldn't be pulling on his neck. She scurried quickly away from the door and shut it before looking to Illya. She understood his concern in some ways about not wanting to go, but it really would be a good idea. "They wouldn't touch you like that but I could go with you and a couples massage if you wanted."

The offer for the massage was obviously not so much an offer as a demand. It was a subtle demand, but it was clearly not going to be easily set aside. Illya grumbled a bit and he stepped into the shower. "Yeah, I guess."

Now she had clearly pissed in his porridge and he was just going to grumble and give her flat answers. It still didn't change the fact that a massage might help. "Okay, then," she said, stepping into the shower. She started scrubbing off the rest of the vomit and decided to wash her hair while she was at it, using the sweet peach scented shampoo. She helped Illya with his shoulder where he let her and the snagged a towel for them both when the water was cut off. "I think they're done doing whatever it was they needed to do with the bed," she said, poking her head out of the door.

Washing off was nice in a way. Illya was slightly irritated with Kalizda’s insistence that they go get massages, but his right shoulder probably did need the help. It was very sore and laying on it was getting more painful each night. Once he finished washing off, Illya towel dried himself and didn’t think of the fact that Kalizda said she thought they would be gone. Stepping into the room he walked over to where their clothes were and picked them up before getting something comfy to wear that was clean. “Yah coming wit meh and yah get massage too?” He just wanted to make sure she was keeping her end of the deal.

He was all in a hurry now walking into the room. She had really twisted his boxers it seemed. So much for continuing their fun. She didn't want to do that just to patch over a mood. Strangely enough, he was getting dressed and she tilted her head, water dripping from her inky black hair. "Well...aye. I meant perhaps you might want to go tomorrow but if you want to go now, I'd still go with you." She had thought they might continue their fun, but it certainly seemed he wasn't in the mood now either. Standing on the bed was something she rarely did, but it was necessary in order to look him in the eye. So, she wobbled to stand on the bed and put and small hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I was only trying to help, yeah?"

"Yah mean tomorrow?" Illya spluttered and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before he started stripping again. "Well, I guess we should jes finish what we started den. Dis time I'm on top."

Calysta nodded. "Aye. I didn't mean right away." She wondered how he had gotten that into his head. When he mentioned finishing what they started she turned a little pink as he started undressing again. Her hand slid away from his shoulder and she stood there on the bed blatantly watching him undress.

About time Illya finished setting his clean clothing aside he noticed Kalizda was just staring. He wasn't sure if she wanted to finish what they started and he figured he would ask. "Yah dun mind? Kinda looks like yah jes enjoy taking a good look."

Calysta blushed deeper and nodded slowly. She was definitely looking. He was handsome nd sometimes it was impossible not to look. It was rare when she stared openly at him, but he had been right there stripping down. She let her towel fall away from her so she was standing quite naked on the bed now. "I am taking a good look my Wolf," she said, "And I wouldn't mind spending all the time together you want."

************
Akten jogged up behind Wynry and smiled. "We have th' afternoon off," he said.

"Mhm. I think I want to go out and explore some," she told him. Then she flashed him one of those smiles that seemed to make him want to do very stupid things to impress her when he saw it. She had been giving him that look more and more since Aerikta and he'd do just about anything to see it again.

"Aye, we should go out t' look," he replied. He wasn't such a fan of being underwater, but he'd go out with Wynry to look around.

"Let me grab my sweater and we can go together if you want. Maybe we can get some dinner."

He grinned and nodded. "Aye, I'll go get Dane an' Mihael. They might want t' come too, eh? Especially f' dinner."

Before Wynry could say otherwise, he was calling out to the two Chip men. "Oi, ye want t' go walk aroun' an' get some dinner?"
 
The first several days on the medication were difficult. Ehud had a hard time organizing any of his thoughts and when he wandered it seemed like he was at least doing something, but he couldn't really sum up what happened at the end of the day. Priscilla had wandered about with him and even if she didn't say anything and he couldn't come up with anything thoughtful to say, he was grateful for her.

Today had been the first day back to work and he felt stressed by it, but he knew that would happen. With so many days out and not even checking in there was plenty of near disaster on the horizon. At least he didn't have to explain to the doctors too much about his work. He simply said he had an office job alongside the tailor business. That between the two he was stressed and perhaps he couldn't do both for a while. That was a balance that they seemed to be willing to strike with him. Pris knew that his office job was more than what it sounded like, at least he suspected that she did, but he wasn't about to tell her it was the most stressful part of his life.

Before heading home he decided to stop and get some flowers and chocolates for her. The little market near his work was good about carrying a few Terran things. With a handful of flowers and a small bag with chocolates hanging on his wrist he walked home. No sooner had he walked through the door than he spotted her misty eyes and his grinning son. "Is everything ok?" Asking the question with great caution he met her gaze. She did her best to brighten her face with a little smile and then offered to have him go to the bakery to help decorate.

"Mmmm...yeah." Glancing at Sien he nodded at his son, "You go to your room for a few." He needed a few moments to talk with Pris. Once Sien was out of the living room Ehud produced the flowers from behind his back and then the bag with the chocolates. "I uh...Don't know what to say." Glancing at the decoration already in her hands he quickly tried to change the subject. "Yeah, looks like you must have ordered a few more decorations. Probably a good idea. Your bakery will look great with those." It was hard to tell if she was giving him a look of disapproval, but he was gonna try anyway. "Maybe we could go together to decorate after I make dinner eh?"

******************************************

Being on top was far better and Illya didn't end up puking this time. However, only having one hand made life a bit more complex when it came to moving to his side of the bed. It was literally a balancing act with one arm and he hadn't realized how far his singular hand planted in the bed would sink. It was a nice soft bed and it was supposed to be designed so that Kalizda would not end up rolling into him because the mattress would cradle each person. This meant that Illya sunk into the mattress and Kalizda tended float on the top like it was a cloud. Thankfully it was still soft, but his hand was practically in a small pit.

Illya shifted his weight slightly to the right and then decided his best option was to try and push himself up by his right hand and quickly replant it on the other side of Kalizda. It didn't go as planned by any stretch of the imagination. Instead he ended up tilting left because he was trying very hard not to land on Kalizda and he fell off the bed.

The boom was loud and the floor shook a bit. Illya heard boots coming down the hall and he knew the door was gonna thrown wide open. Quickly he grabbed the edge of the blankets and threw them over Kalizda. Only a few of her curls were poking out from underneath the bed and Illya wished there was a pillow or something to cover himself, but there was no such luck. Instead Illya did his best to sit in a way that he could avoid showing every bit of himself off. Of course with a sound like that it drew Dane, Mihael and it looked like Koda too. They were all piling into the hallway and Illya met their gaze before he shook his head and waved them off. "Jumped out of bed and didn't land on meh feet. Yah better get moving. I'd like tah put some clotes on now."

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Dane and Mihael had gone through a few sites and they'd split from Akten and Wynry for an hour or two. It was lunch now and Dane nudged Mihael. "Lets get something to eat." His voice was still weak. Mihael nodded and the two of them turned to go toward the food district. At least they understood from one of the Urians that this was the way to the bars and the bars served food too. About time they reached the food district Dane spotted Akten and Wynry. "Hey, let's go there. They probably know a better spot than we do." Mihael shrugged, "Sure, they've probably been here before. Let's make sure the place is full though. That's how you know the food is good." The two of them spoke in Quoti as they worked their way toward the bar. Mihael couldn't see through the glass very well, so he pressed his face to it and peered inside. Dane stood back with a slightly annoyed expression and sighed when Mihael announced it was very full. "Now can we go in?" Mihael nodded in response to the question and the two of them got in line at the door behind Wynry and Akten.

The man at the door was wearing a light sash for a shirt with an emblem marking him as an employee and breezy looking pants for bottoms. When the party of four approached to front door. He smiled and nodded. "Welcome to the Topside Tavern and Restaurant," he said, then gestured to Dane, "You're good to enter sir, enjoy. And you sir...as well." He let Dane and Akten enter without fuss and then looked to the tall, tan man and the short blonde next to him. "For the two of you, I'm sorry I will need to see some identification. Age of majority is 17 to drink."

It seemed that the man working the door was just monitoring those that entered. He had to be security of sorts. Dane stepped through the door when he was given leave and he turned to make sure that Mihael got through. Instead of being let in Mihael was required to show his id because they wanted to be sure he was 17. A broad grin came across Dane's face. Mihael stood by in shock for a moment and then started to pat down his pockets. He pulled out a few credits and he noticed the man raise an eyebrow. "Et's nut bribe, I jes check for meh id. I dun usually carry et." By now it looked like Akten had produced his and Mihael was starting to feel a little flustered. "Really, I'm over 17."

When Akten produced his ID, the man allowed him to enter but the other fellow seemed to be struggling and even flashed a few credits. Accidental or not, it wouldn't have worked anyways. "Aye, I just have to see your ID to show it," he said, "They'd have my job if I let you through without checking. Sorry, but I can't let you without some kind of solid proof or ID."

Mihael let out a sigh and he patted down his pockets and dug through them a second time. "I dun have et." Pointing to the gold phoenix emblem that he pinned to his uniform he gave his next best form of ID. "I'm one of dah Chippequoti Elite. Et would be impossible for meh tah be less den 20." By this time Dane had wandered a bit further into the bar and was sitting at the counter just waiting for him, but not doing anything to help either. "Can't yah ask him how old I am?" Mihael pointed to Dane.

"No, unfortunately not. It has to be an official form of ID from a governmental entity," he said, "I'm not entirely sure what the particulars are for the Chippeqouti Elite or if that counts as an ID from a governmental entity." Akten grimaced a little, and leaned back through the door, whispering something to the bouncer with quick and quiet words. "That....that would work....but can you say it out loud so the boss can confirm later if it comes up. Akten raised a brow at the man, making him look very, very much like his father the Chief of Reylia, Tikan the Great. "Aye," he said, "I, Akten, son o' Chief Tikan, grandson o' Myrakan and descendant of Lyr, certify as th' future Chieftan o' Reylia, th' man is well over th17 year age requirement." He hated talking like that, but this was at least useful. "An if ye want further proof ye just have m' call up the Councilwoman an' the General, eh?"

By now Mihael's cheeks were turning bright red. His age was being questioned and the mere thought of him being under 17 was ridiculous. Then Akten, a young man that could have been a great, great grandson had to pull rank for him. However, the guard at the door didn't seem readily willing to let that pass. He seemed uneasy about it. Mihael reluctantly drew his pad out of his pocket. "I could call meh superior officer. I am sure dat he would verify meh age for yah."

The man's eyes skirted from the reddening face of Mihael to the Reylian prince who looked to be in his twenties with a well chiseled jaw. The man was giving him a look that had swapped from passive to one of silent authority. It was like someone had flipped a switch on the guy. The man swallowed a little and looked back to Mihael. "No...no. I must not be the cause of disturbance for the General and Councilwoman. They are our guests and so are you, now that I know...come in...and uh, tell the barkeep Finney said to give you one on the house...yeah?"

When the man gave in Mihael raised his eyebrows slightly. "Es anyone inside gonna ask dah same questions?" He really didn't want anyone asking him if he was 17 again.

"No sir," he replied quickly," It's just me at the door keeping tabs. You'll be able to order all you like inside." Finney slid the door aside and allowed them all to enter. The place had low, cool lighting and music with a steady beat playing. The scent of fried foods filled the air and there were many people crowded around the lit bar in the back and at nearly every table. Akten's stomach gave a grumble at the scent and he stole a glance at Mihael's still red face. "Eh, I d' normally like t' d' tha' m' apologies if I offended ye." A Reylian wouldn't be offended, and he didn't think a Chip would but Mihael looked mad now and he wasn't on overly friendly terms with the man after their scuffle. It was better to be safe. At least he knew his mother would recommend such a comment.

Mihael nodded and stepped inside past the man. Even if people weren't staring at him it sure felt like it. He'd been accused of having a young face for all his life and today was just a miserable confirmation of that. Clearly he was painfully young looking. Glancing at Akten he muttered, "Et's fine. Maybe better den calling dah General, but yah can bet he's still gonna be telling everyone." Mihael pointed to Dane who was already sipping on a drink. Slinking over to where Dane was sitting, Mihael slipped in next to him and ordered a drink from the bar tender. "I like two drinks of dah best drink yah make."

Akten tilted his head and nodded. "Aye, its gonna b' awhile b'fore he lets ye forget it." There wasnt any denying that. It's just how the military men were. The two split off and Akten sat down with Wynry, hoping they served whatever smelled so good and fried fast. The two Chip men at the bar were graced by a beautiful, smiling barkeep with a sash that covered her busty top half, if only just. "Oh, hello gentlemen," she said in Trader's Tongue, "I can give you two specials, coming right up. Did you want any food or to take a look at a menu?"

The barkeep was pretty and Mihael nodded when she offered a menu. "Yeah, I like tah see menu. Yah have et en Trader's Tongue?" He certainly didn't read Kaerlean well enough to know what he would be ordering. Dane raised a hand and whispered, "I get menu too eh?"

"Sure thing, we have one in Trader's Tongue just for vistors," she chirped as she reached up to the shelf behind her and grabbed a menu. When she turned back around, offering it to Mihael, she saw Dane with his hand raised and immediately turned back around to retrieve one for him too. Both of them were mighty handsome, if not totally opposite. One was strong jawed and a bit serious looking and the other had a boyish charm to him. She went to work making their drinks, which was a beautiful layered drink with several types of liquor. She started to pour a standard sized glass, but then thought the better of it and went for the largest tumblers instead. What they lost in liquor would hopefully be made up for in tip. As she poured everything like an artist would paint a canvas, she smiled to the two men. She could already tell some of the other women had noticed the new comers and were curious. "See anything you like on the menu?" she asked, "And should I put this on your matriarch's tab?"

The woman seemed pleasant enough and Mihael saw she picked a large glass for his drink and Dane's. Both of them grinned a little. This woman knew how to serve a drink and she made it look nice too. Mihael studied the menu carefully and Dane didn't little more than scan it over to see if they served anything he recognized. When he didn't recognize anything he decided he would simply ask to have whatever they were cooking right now. It smelled good. The barkeep turned to ask about the food and Dane gave his hoarse answer, "Whatevah yah cooking smells good. I like dat." Mihael studied the menu a moment longer before he pointed to something he had no idea how to pronounce. "Dat sounds good." Now that their orders were in the woman asked about their matriarch. The best that Mihael could come up with is that she was asking about their mothers. That must have been a customary thing. "Eh, she died many years ago." Dane nodded in agreement and the two looked at the barkeep and then at each other. What an odd sort of custom.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," she said, forehead wrinkling in worry she might have offended them, "Well, I'll just get those food orders in and open up a tab under your names, yeah? I'm Solarity, by the by. Let me get your order in and I'll be right back." She stepped over to the stationary pad displaying holographic images of what to ring up and began typing away. In the mean time, another woman had come to sit alongside Dane. "I couldn't help but overhear," she said, taking a sip of her drink, "It's awful to hear your matriarch died so long ago. I found it was hard to move on after my first husband died in the attack some years back too." She turned in her chair some and offered her hand to shake. "I'm Aren," she said, "Welcome to the city." She shifted her legs, crossing one tanned ankle over the other as the slit in her dress inched up to her mid thigh.

For all the fuss with the custom the woman seemed terribly sorry. Neither Dane, nor Mihael could understand her worried look. At their age it wasn't like it was a surprise when their mother's had passed on. However, the woman probably thought they were younger. The woman that came to sit near Dane started off talking and at first he wasn't sure she was talking to him. When he turned slightly to see who was sitting next to him he realized she was talking to him and she talked about when her husband died. "Eh...." he was confused now. Losing an agreed was very different than losing your mother. Glancing back at Mihael he saw that the other man was gonna let him deal with this one. Naturally, that was going to be the case. He hadn't exactly been help to Mihael earlier. Glancing at the woman's hand that she extended he took it and shook her fingertips lightly. She seemed to be quite delicate. "Tanks...." Dane's gaze drifted down to her legs and his eyes got wide before he looked back up. What was she doing dressed like that?!

They didn't seem much for conversation, but maybe they were just looking to relax a little. They had chosen an odd place to relax in though. A single's bar and restaurant was hardly the place to be complacent. At least they had established that the woman who had come into the bar with the three men was not their matriarch in any way. Though, it wouldn't have been too strange if a matriarch came to singles bars with her husbands if she was looking to make an addition to her harem and desired input from her husbands. She shook hands with the man and sipped her drink and all too soon the bust barkeep appeared with two plates of fried meat in front of the Chip men, then added a spicy looking condiment on the side. "Fried Nyte beast livers and spiced sauce on the side," she smiled, "Did you want another drink?" The woman beside the two men nodded for another drink. About that time, the music swapped to a lively beat and the woman next to them smiled. " Oh I like this one. " Then she slipped off her stool and sashayed over to dance in the middle of the room.

Dane was grateful that the woman didn't say much more and the barkeeper arrived with their food. Sliding his dish a bit closer he sniffed it and hummed. "Et smells good." Though Mihael badly wanted to dig into his food, he was a little more reserved and he didn't lean forward and sniff his food so loudly. Instead he waved the smell of the food over to his face and sniffed more carefully. It was certainly good smelling. Taking a small bite he chewed it and gave careful thought to the texture, taste and....glancing over he saw Dane just gobbling the food he had. Then the barkeep offered more to drink and Dane answered for both of them with his mouth half full of food, "Mmhmm." While the two of them had a moment Dane leaned closer to Mihael, "I don't know what this place is, but you might want to look around and tell me what you notice about the lady that was sitting next to me a minute ago." He was careful to speak in Quoti and nodded toward the dance floor. Mihael swiveled in his seat while he chewed his bite of food and his eyebrows raised some before he turned back around. "You think this is a prostitute house? Her dress was showing a lot of leg."

The bar keep chuckled at Dane's reply good naturedly and went about making another very large round of the same drink for the two men. They began to converse in their own language and that wasn't surprising. It also wasn't surprising that they turned to look at the woman who had sashayed onto the dance floor. "Oh. That's Madame Aren Seyra. She's quite nice. One of the matriarchals that sits on the lower council." Solarity handed over two fresh drinks to the gentlemen and nodded. "Is there anything else you'd like?" About that time a man and woman walked up to the bar and settled in for a chat and a drink. They looked absolutely normal, wearing the same breezy sashes and pants. Several others walked in behind her and ordered drinks. Solarity smiled at them and offered menus while the gentlemen decided if there was anything else they wanted. When everyone was served, she leaned a little against the countertop and sighed a bit dreamily."I'm not a matriarch yet, but someday, maybe." Here eyes turned to Dane as she slid yet another drink toward him. "Dancing is always recommended here too." It wouldn't hurt her feelings to watch the stronger looking one dance a little. She wasn't ready to provide for a husband but that didn't mean someone else couldn't bond with him. Her eyes swept the room and she noticed that the young man with reylian olive skin was turning pink as another woman was chatting him up enthusiastically. His matriarch didn't look thrilled as she sat next to him, brows raised and cheeks reddened too. What kind of woman didn't defend or direct her husband in her expectations when looking for another?

Both Dane and Mihael did their best not to make comment or raise their brows when the woman in such scandalous clothing was identified as a woman of importance. Dane was glad they hadn’t said anything in Trader’s Tongue about their initial thoughts. The woman really was dressed like a prostitute. Carefully turning around Dane did his best to say something nice. “Yah dun need tah be matriarch tah be pretty.” He really didn’t want to encourage any woman to dress like that. Mihael inserted himself into the conversation to keep Dane from saying dumb things. “Yah play song wit nice beat. Lots of drums. We dance for dat kind of music.” He wanted to dance with Dane cause some of what Koda had said about the people here was making him think Dane was on well on his way to giving women here the wrong impression.

"No, I suppose not," she sighed, "But it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a husband who thought so." When the handsome, but boyish man interjected about the dancing. Solarity smiled as she perked back up again. "Oh, I could find you something like that. Give me just a second." With that, the young woman ducked under the countertop with a bounce and within seconds the song was shifting into a new one. This one was all instrumental with a heavy, but lively drum beat. "There, that might work," she told them as she sprang back up, her top bouncing slightly. If the Urians on the dance floor noticed the music change, it didn't stop them, they simply began moving to the new rhythm.

The speed at which the woman changed the music was slightly alarming. Mihael double checked to be sure he wasn't wearing anything that he recalled Koda talking about giving signals. He didn't think so. Grabbing his drink he chugged it down quickly and waited for Dane to do the same. Once they got the floor the two of them argued a little bit about who would be responsible for the kicks or ducks. When they had that figured out, Dane started their dance with a few passes and then he swung around with his leg. He had to make sure there was plenty of room and his foot swung just over Mihael's head as the other man dropped lower. Mihael grabbed Dane by the thigh and threw him over his shoulder. Dane landed with one foot and one hand on the floor. The dance proceeded with several acrobatic moves. By the end of the dance the two of them felt as if the dance were perhaps not a wise choice at all. Everyone was staring at them now. "I don't think that was the right move." Dane grumbled at Mihael and half stomped his way back to their spot. "Let's just drink." They were at least done with dinner.

Nobody would have expected the two very large men at the bar to get up and dance with each other, much less the dramatic style they used. The impressive acrobatics caused the crowd to back off, giving them a healthy, circular berth in which to dance. When the song was over, everyone was staring and then someone near the front broke out into applause which caused a cascade of noisy approval to ripple through the entire bar. When the went to go sit down, Solarity already had another drink waiting for them both. "That was amazing," she smiled, "And it worked! Dancing always works, but that was impressive. You'll have no problem finding another matriarch here. If you find someone that strikes your fancy, that is."

The applause was almost cringe worthy and Mihael caught the accusing stare from Dane. It was worth a try. As they sat down the barkeep set two more drinks in front of them. Dane was almost ready to voice his thanks when she burst into praise for their dance. He was going to try and ignore it and took big drink from his glass when she mentioned finding a matriarch with that dance. It was such an unexpected comment that he started choking. In the attempt not to spit it out everywhere his eyes watered and he pulled the glass closer so he could spit it back into the cup. Dane wasn't quite fast enough and ended up using the napkin because some of it started running out his nose. Mihael just sat by with a somewhat grey complexion. Dane wiped his face off and rubbed his nose before meeting the bartender's gaze. "Why would yah tink we're looking for matriarch? We're jes here tah eat and drink."

The question caused the more serious and mysterious one of the two to choke and sputter. His drink sprayed a bit and dribbled down from his mouth, nose and chin. She quickly grabbed a fresh linen napkin and offered it to him before meeting his gaze, somewhat confused. "Why else would anyone be in a singles tavern? I thought you came in as part of that matriarch's harem," she said nodding to Wynry," And that she might have been looking for additional husband's. But you said your matriarch died many years ago. Its lonely not to have a wife for so many years, yeah?"

Dane's blue eyes had gotten so wide that the whites could be seen on all sides of the iris. Mihael was left slack jawed and the two of them stared her in disbelief. After a moment Mihael managed to shut his mouth and stare at the still dumbstruck Dane. "Eh.." Mihael attempted to give an answer and stumbled over his own tongue. "Eh....No, she es nut agreed, but we are. Yah say dis place es for dose nut agreed?"

Something she said must have been horribly shocking to be getting the looks of near flabberghasted surprise from the two men. The handsome one's blue eyes practically looked like saucers. Then the boyish one mumbled something incoherent before finding traction with his words. She tiled his head at his question, considering what he meant by the word 'agreed'. Maybe she hadn't been clear enough? "I'm not sure about that term you mean by 'agreed' but this bar is for single people looking for partners or to...get married. Matriarchs looking to remarry or people who want to be married for the first time. It doesn't matter." She pointed to the little green light in the window. "We have up the singles light, yeah?"

This time Dane was the one to speak. "Agreed es same as married. We dun know et was for singles. I tink we should go before anyone has dah wrong impression." Mihael nodded in agreement and the two of the quickly pulled out their credits and made sure she had a generous tip. "Tanks for telling us mistake." Dane said hoarsely as he nodded to the little woman. They needed to get out of here fast.

Suddenly they were in such a hurry to go. Maybe she had been mistaken all along and they were two husbands who had once had the same matriarch and had instead, decided to be together themselves. They did dance awfully well together. They fumbled over pulling out credits in a hurry to escape and handed her wad of money that was way too much for their tab. "W-wait.." she sputtered, "This is alot...don't you want your change?"

Dane glanced back at her, "No, yah very kind. We need tah go. Our eh...wives would be very displeased ef dey knew we were here."

It was time for Solarity's eyes to go round as a few realizations hit home. " I thought she was dead?...Wait....You're here without your matriarch's permission? Oooh, you'd better go now. I won't tell a soul."

"I tought dat yah meant our moters. Dat es Matriarch tah Chippequoti." Mihael called over his shoulder while he practically dashed out the door. They needed out of here fast. Dane nodded along and nearly ran into the guard at the door on his way out. "Yah dun tell eh!"

They were already half way out of the door by the time they cast a reply over their shoulder. She gave them a little wave as they nearly crashed into Finney. The man gave a started yelp as the door opened on him and the two tan fellows bowled out, then kept right on going. When they were gone from sight, she looked back to the large amount of credits in her hand and then looked to the other ones that had come in along with the mistaken gentlemen. Decency would dictate that she tell them their mistake, but the more mischevious part of her turned on her heels back to the bar and rang up the tab, allowing Reylian and the blonde to figure it out for themselves.

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Once they were showered again and dressed Illya was ready to go out on the town. It had been plenty exciting today and he wasn't going to waste the rest of their day off. There were a few things that he knew Kalizda wanted from this place. "We go out tah explore little more eh?" Illya held his hand out to her and the two of them went out to look at the city.

Only a few minutes in Illya stopped at a stand to get them something to drink. There were special non-alcoholic juices and tasty drinks with creams on top. Illya went to the first little shop that looked hopeful for drinks and asked Kalizda to wait. When he came out there were two safe drinks for them. Each of them were artfully made and he got extra cream for himself and for her. She liked cream almost as much as he did. That was something that Illya was certain of. He also made sure Rezna and Koda got a drink too. They were with after all and they likely wanted something to drink. When he emerged from the place with Rezna he grinned and made sure that Kalizda and Koda got their drinks and then they all sat down at one of the outdoor tables to enjoy their drinks.

While they walked Kalizda talked with him about some things and he decided they probably should talk about what to do for their make up day. The people had been very kind and no one was clobbering them though he knew that a few recognized them. "I tink we should talk about dah day we stay for dah people here. Dey are very kind." Even while they were sitting at the table people gave them space. Everyone except a little boy who was staring at them with desperate eyes. The little boy was waiting for an invitation to come over and Illya paused long enough to meet the child's gaze. "Yah come over here eh?"

The boy paused for a long moment and then stared at his mother who appeared to be quite upset that her child had been staring and she didn't notice before the Councilwoman's husband. As the child inched toward Illya he grinned. "Yah like fancy drink like dis one?" The boy nodded and Illya pulled a few credits out of his pocket. "How about yah go get one for yahself and yah mum." This time the boy grinned broadly and snatched the credits from Illya's hand before running to the shop. The mother still looked horrified and Illya shrugged. "Children are at least honest. I dun tink he knew who I am. I jes tink he wanted what I have." Chuckling some he turned back to resume his conversation with Kalizda only to feel a little boy nudge his good arm. Looking to his side he saw the little boy holding out his special drink and then chime a thank you before walking off with his mother. It was somewhat funny that the only citizen that stared at him openly was a boy that wanted a treat. He probably wasn't old enough to care that it was the Councilwoman and the General in his hometown.

After they finished their drinks and determined what it was they wanted to do for the make up day Illya set off into the downtown again. He hadn't really been shopping in a long time and he was trying to get himself warmed up for the rest of the tour. There were places where he was going to be in very busy areas and there would be a lot of people. Terra was hard and he was struggling some after that, but he couldn't freak out. Not now. Kalizda's tour was depending on a smooth and successful trip.

The deeper they got into the downtown the more interesting the shops got. Illya was enjoying the walk in the downtown where the walls had less of the water visible. All the light inside had an eerie bluish tint to it. Even when it was bright, there was an odd blue hint. Illya's stomach started to grumble and he grinned at Kalizda. He only puked about 2 hours ago and he was hungry again. There was also a wonderful smell of something cooking. It smelled like Night Beast. "I go get us someting tah eat, jes wait."

Breaking off from the group Illya stepped into the little restaurant with the green light. Green must have meant it was friendly toward Chippequoti. Inside he saw Akten and Wynry getting up from their table. It was indeed a friendly spot then. Walking up to the bar Illya saw the drinks and he was sorely tempted, but chose to ask for a menu instead. "I tink I smell Night Beast when I'm outside. Yah maybe give meh menu and I order 8 portions of dis Night Beast wit vegetables." If he was hungry Koda and Rezna probably were too and Kalizda would want to eat too. She hadn't eaten in a while.

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When they had finished eating and Illya was feeling like walking some more he decided to turn another corner that would take them an alternate route back toward their penthouse. Spotting a shop that advertised the water dancers Illya had Kalizda step in with him. "Yah peck out a dress. Yah tell meh once dat yah always want tah be water dancer when yah little. Dis es chance tah try et out eh? Dey have private lessons and yah maybe try taking lesson wit yah water dancer dress?"
 
Ehud had been very quiet and essentially out of it the last few days. So, she had hardly expected him to answer beyond a general, mumbling assent much less a fully coherent comment. Her eyes from the flowers and chocolates to Ehud's face slowly and she gazed at him as he made his confession. That might have been the first real thing he'd really said to her in all this time. While it confessed uncertainty the words were clear and honest. He quickly changed the subject to the decorations, as if he couldn't bear to be so bold with her yet. She knew she didn't order this many decorations and he didn't want to take credit for it. He was the only one who could have. Priscilla gave him soft look and set the pumpkin aside before rising to her feet. The flowers were quite pretty and she gently took them from his hand along with the chocolates. He was still trying even in the middle of all this. She wasn't sure if she should hug him. She wanted to, but she wasnt sure he was ready for that. "This is really sweet...and I'd like that. Maybe we can cook together and talk a little while?"

Carefully, Ehud nodded and he let her take the flowers from his hand and then the chocolates. "I think that would be good." Stepping to the side he glanced into the kitchen. Things felt foreign in many ways. "Eh...I think I remembered to set out a little meat to thaw yesterday." It was a meal he had in mind that did't require a lot of meat and it had mostly vegetables. Chopping and preparing would take more time than anything.

He seemed to slip away again as he stepped to the side and continued talking about dinner. She wasn't really sure what she would expect. It was hard to tamp down that kernel of hope she had. At his question about the meat, she pointed to the little spot close to the stove. "Its over there under the cloth. The dog was sniffing around so I covered it." She crossed the room with the flowers and showed him the package. "I'll put these in water," she said with a smile, "They'll look beautiful on the table." She snagged a vase from under the sink and ran some cool water into it before arranging her flowers nicely." They were both dancing around things it seemed and she stole a glance at him. "Did you want some help? With dinner?"

Taking some seasonings out of the cabinet Ehud set them near the plate with the meat and then grabbed several squash and root vegetables. "If you'd uh, start chopping the vegetables that would be good. I'll season the meat and cook it up and then help you finish chopping the veggies."

"Alright," she said with a gentle smile. She dug into the fridge until she found the vegetables he indicated, then pulled a long knife from their butchers block and set it beside the cutting board. Lastly, she donned a little apron, pinned her hair back and washed her hands before she started cutting the vegetables with a well practiced hand. "How were things today?" She asked. It seemed like an easier question to start with and she wanted to know how his first day back had gone.



Ehud sprinkled the seasoning over the meat and then put the seasoning away before he snatched a knife and made fast slices in the tops of the meat chunks. Rubbing the seasonings into the meat he listened to her question and thought of an answer. "It went like I thought. Long, lots of fires to put out and stressful." He wasn't going to lie about that. "You know it's always like that when you go back into an office after having unexpected time off. How was your day back at the bakery?"

She heard the knife slide out of the butchers block with the force of being snatched and stole a glance at him as he slashed into the top of the meat. Her stolen glance cost her though. She wasn't paying attention and knicked her finger with the knife. "Ow," she said with a surprised hiss as she jumped a little. It was already starting to bleed and she grabbed for the nearest towel. "Oooh. It was busy. Everyone was glad to see us back open again..."

Owe. Ehud heard Pris' quick intake of breath and he set his knife down before he turned to look at her. She was grabbing a towel, but she would need to wash the wound too. Setting his work aside he washed his hands carefully and beckoned for her to come over to the sink. "Glad to hear your work was good. I'll uh...get that washed up for you and help you get it wrapped too." He felt a bit shy about asking her, but he had to. "Pris, you're not gonna divorce me are you?"

She found Ehud had already put down his knife and was beckoning her over to the sink. She held out her hands, one wrapped in a towel. As he turned on the water he offered to help her clean and wash it. Just as she was lifting up the towel to assess the damage he asked her a very sudden question. She froze and lifted her gaze from her hands to his eyes. Where had he gotten an idea like that? "No," she whispered, "No. I'm not. Are you afraid I would?"


"Yeah, as a matter of fact I've been worried you might." It was a small wonder in his mind that she hadn't already filed. Ehud knew that it couldn't have been easy for her and if he really was crazy it had to be hard for her to come to terms with. "I want us to be together."

That was the second most honest thing he had said to her thus far and possibly the third. She gazed at him, studying his expression intently. "I do to," she said, "I want us to be together and to be able to love each other." She felt herself start to shake with the emotions as she forced her face to stay measured and calm. "I mistook many of the symptoms you were having as displeasure with me. I wasn't sure you wanted me around." She swallowed a little and pressed onward. "I do think its important that you keep getting the help you need to feel better. I want to stay with you."

This was a hard topic and Ehud gulped and then nodded. He grabbed a fresh towel for Pris to wrap around her finger while he went to finda salve and a bandage for her. When he returned she was still waiting and she seemed to be waiting for him to respond. "I know I had depression, but I think this stuff helped. Maybe I can get off of it in a few months. Maybe I just needed something to put my brain on the right track."

He was suddenly swapping out the towels on her hand and then disappeared with only a nod in reply until.he returned to start cleaning up her hand. The cut was more lengthy than it was deep and still bled into the towel and the water from the faucet. "That's possible but, Ehud, I think its important to follow what the doctors recommendations are. This is powerful stuff. And it can can have a hard impact if you don't take it as prescribed. Doing something like that might make you do things to harm yourself. I was scared for you in the flyer." She winced a little as he opened the salve and began putting it on her cut. "After....after what happened to Harry...I don’t want to lose anyone else."

Nodding carefully, Ehud met her gaze. "I'll follow their instructions, but if they think I can get off of it , I will." Wrapping her finger gently he then washed his hands again and resumed preparing the meat. "I'm wouldn't do what Harry did. Disappearing like that without telling you was wrong. I was furious when I met him and he told me who he was. I knew what it was doing to you and I could see it."

He wrapped up her hand and gave her an answer that she was sure was as fair as they could be for now. The fact that he knew what had happened with Harry and could see its impact on her made he feel some shame. "He left me. We made vows. Promises to each other and be broke them. I tried not to make you suffer for what he did. I tried to be fair. I know I wasn't at times by accident." She tested the new bandage and picked up her knife gingerly again. "I want to build a good relationship with you."

"I felt panicked a lot. You didn't do things like Haza. We both had our faults. We'll just have to leave Harry and Haza behind. This is our life now." He didn't like saying it and Ehud was sure she didn't like hearing it, but that was a fact of life. Haza had helped center him for a long time and he hadn't realized how much he needed her till she was gone and he hadn't realized how far he'd slipped.

Priscilla felt that sadness dip a little further into her heart when he said he panicked alot because she didn't do things like Haza. She was certainly not Haza. His comment about leaving their former spouses behind sounded resolute, but only time would tell. "It is our life now," she agreed, "And I think maybe we should step back and get to know each other more before anything bedroom wise starts again." She didn't like saying that but this was something she had thought about.

Nodding some Ehud agreed with her statement. He didn't like it, but he couldn't blame her either. "Yeah, I don't suppose I'd relish get hot and heavy with a crazy person. Who knows maybe you'll decide you like it in time."

That comment came off a little bitter sounding and she put down her knife and tugged his arm. "Ehud, that's not why I'm saying that. Don't jump to conclusions," she said firmly, "I'm asking for a hiatus from sex because, quite frankly you do need time to heal. I don't think you're crazy but sometimes people need help. And I know...very clearly now...that you were practically unable to release any of the chemicals in your brain that allow you to enjoy sex beyond the physical. I want to feel close with you more than just physically Ehud. Its not your fault and its not a punishment. I just think time to build that relationship would be good."




Pris was doing that lady thing. Where she tried to be nice and diplomatic. "I agree we should work on the relationship." Mentally he was still kicking around the diagnosis he got. She was wrong, they said he was crazy and there was no fixing crazy if he'd understood the doctors. They didn't make it sound like he would ever recover. "Pris, what if the doctors say I'll never get off this stuff. What then?"

She couldn't tell if he was saying what she wanted to hear by repeating her words back or if he really understood what she meant. He probably still couldn't feel as much as he should. His next question was so obvious she looked at him and tilted her head. "If you have to keep taking it, then we have to make sure you take it. If you need it to live that can't be helped. I wouldn't leave if you had to stay on it."

"Well then, I guess we just take it one day at a time." Ehud sighed. He wasn't happy with the outcome, but he clearly wasn't going to be able to change what happened. Tossing the meat into the pan and slapping a lid over it he grabbed an extra knife and started to cut some of the other vegetables. "What do you consider success in a relationship?

For someone who was just told his wife didn't intend to leave him, he didn't seem overly enthusiastic. In fact, he sounded outright displeased again. She didn't answer him right away. Instead, she began the process of cleaning up the blood smeared cutting board. "When I can trust someone with my thoughts and feelings and they can trust me. When they enjoy my company and I enjoy theirs. When someone goes home at the end of the day and feels content to be there. A good relationship should be built on trust, consideration, thoughtfulness and empathy. You should be able to.come to me with your troubles and at least let comfort you even if I can't help the trouble."


Ehud nodded as she described what success sounded like. It was a lot of work and it was something he was concerned he would not be good at right away. So many of those things she talked about took time. Thankfully time was something he had plenty of, but she didn't. At this point she had not had the surgery and he doubted she would. That wasn't anything he was going to bring up either. "Yep, that's one day at a time too." Ehud wasn't sure how else to go about those sorts of things.

He seemed to just take it all in. It was clear he didn't feel like he could trust her and that was probably her fault in some ways. The conversation lulled for a moment and she finished up taking care of the bloody cutting board. "What does a successful relationship look like to you? I know I'm not a Chip woman and maybe I could make things easier if I knew."

There was a natural turn in the conversation in which Pris wanted to know what he thought a good relationship looked like. “Chippequoti see being married, or agreed as partnership. It is very much like Chippequoti live together. We make a determination about a way we will live or something to accomplish and then we are sure that all of us work to do this. I think your way of living is good. We will talk about what we will accomplish.” Ehud hoped what he said made sense.

It sounded reasonable though more than clinical in some ways. She cleaned off the knife, thinking on what he said and trying to understand the latter half. "I want to work to have a good marriage. If you want a clear goal...I'm not sure what that looks like for you. I dont see marriage as goal oriented except to love each other and protect each other. Provide and care for. If you're looking for a goal to accomplish now? I would say that was getting you feeling better." She had no idea if this was right or wrong for him. "I do care about you and I want you to at least be able to come home to a wife and a home you can be content in someday." Once her knife was clean, she plucked up another vegetable and began slicing again. "What do you think?"

The reply was odd. “Uhmm,” Ehud blinked a few times. “I meant that we would make goal. Haza and I made goal to get as many Chippequoti free as we could and when the Dark Chips were liberated we made goal to join them. My goal is to do as much damage to the Federation as possible. Your goal is a bakery. What will we accomplish together?”

Clearly there had been some sort of severe miscommunication. She dropped her eyes away from him, feeling a bit like a failure yet again. "My only goal isn't just the success of the bakery. I didn't realize you had to have a purpose for marriage beyond just having a family you could come home to and be loved in. That probably sounds very silly at the point." She moved the chopped vegetables over to Ehud to do whatever it was he wanted. "What do you want to accomplish together, Ehud?"

Ehud took the chopped vegetables and dumped them in with the meat and then set a lid over them to steam. He saw Pros look away as if she were ashamed. “This is not silly. You know how you want to live and we both have personal achievements for ourselves. What I want is for us to determine what we will achieve together. Every Chip knows these things when they are agreed.”

She looked up at him, this time it took great effort to reign in her frustration. "I don't know what purpose there is of a marriage beyond being a safe and loving place to be. I didn't say an achievement was silly. I said my idea of marriage probably sounds silly to you. Due in large part because I am not Chip," she said, "I don't know what you want to achieve together. I didn't now Chippeqouti marriages required some sort of set achievements for their existence to be valid. I'm-" she cut herself off and took a deep breath. "I've been looking to you for help and that wasn't fair given how you were feeling ..or weren't feeling... and maybe it isn't fair for me to be asking what you want to accomplish yet." She leaned against the countertop and smoothed down her hair. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to know what you had in mind for achievement. What is a satisfactory achievement in your eyes, Ehud?"

"I don't want to start a fight with you." Ehud met her gaze with no small amount of frustration flashing in his eyes. "An achievement together is something you decide together. Don't you want to see anything else happen? Do you want children with me?" He was trying to ask some questions he figured would be reasonable since they were agreed. "Besides, you've got to be one of the most stubborn women I've ever met. You asked me to tell you more about the Light Chippequoti and I told you to speak to the Elders and you didn't. Now you get upset when you don't understand things that the Elders would have told you if you talked with them. I don't understand why you don't accept help or answers when I give them."

Now he was visibly upset too and it was in that moment she realized that she simply needed to let go of any emotional expectations she had as a Terran wife. She was letting that counter too much into this conversation. It was still difficult to hear he just wanted to go to the elders. "I don't want to fight either, Ehud." Gathering herself, she stuck anything the might have felt far back as she could and then nodded. "And I am willing to learn. I learned from Harry and I will learn from whoever I need to," she told him, "From my point of view as a Terran being told to go to the elders was being told you didn't want to invest in showing me things yourself. Those are things that build a relationship too." She didn't back down from his gaze. "And I do want children with you, for the record. I want us to live a good life. But that didn't sound like something you would consider an achievement. I've never had to set one for a marriage before. Harry and I...we just were." She swallowed some, and forced her voice to stay even. She would not be emotional about this. She would be practical. "And I see now that isn't the best way to be. I will go talk to the elders if that would help "

"Yes, me getting well so that we can consider having children is an achievement we could set." Ehud wasn't sure why she didn't think that would be acceptable. Pris was at least making some sense now and he did his best to remain calm. "I don't tell you that to dismiss you. It is for our benefit. The Elders can discuss many things with you that will prevent fights. Things that you will understand. You don't have Elders and I read your books, but they do not explain your culture. They just explain wants. They do not explain why things are acceptable, or not acceptable. If you had Eldrs I would go to them for help to understand. We will live like you want and we will be very close and trust each other, but we need some other help too."

He said the words but they sounded resigned again. She thought talking about things might help but she felt like she had backed him into a corner and he was almost admitting defeat. She couldn't think or feel like that though. There would be only the practicality of the thing. "I will go to the Elders then. So long as that's the way you want to live too," she said. She realized she had been playing with the hem of her apron and decided to put her hands to good use. A fresh berry salad with mint and honey would be good as a side. "I'm sorry that I don't have elders for you to go to. I cant introduce you to my family either who might have helped given different circumstances. I know you're frustrated and upset. I dont know how to make that easier for you except to say that Terrans sometimes have a...different way of viewing marriage. There's marriages of convenience. Marriages for money and wealth. Status. And then there's what I married Harry for and that was because I cared about him. That would be the same reason I married you too. So, when you talk of achievements it started sounding very much like the former kinds I mentioned. I could try to explain more if you wanted." She said it plainly and gave a small shrug, knowing better than ever not to put too much emotional burden into it. "I will go see the Elders and we will keep getting you taken care of. I would like a family some day, since that is an acceptable achievement."

A brief chuckle sounded from Ehud when she mentioned the other kinds of marriages on Terra. "Well, it wouldn't be for money, wealth or status that I married you. Probably not for convenience either. If you think about it, this hasn't been terribly beneficial in any of those terms." Sighing he turned and gently put his hands on her shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes. "I love yah Pris.Yah might be one of the most confusing women I've ever met, but I'm willing to live the way you talked. It sounds nice." He wasn't quite familiar with the romantic sort of Terran relationship that she was talking about, but he wanted to try.

She expected alot of things from him but a chuckle wasn't one of them. He was right. It wasn't terribly beneficial for him on any of those terms. She had gotten so used to men of power, and the occasional woman approaching her with sort of deal or trying to persuade her, seduce her, and even sometimes intimidate her into cheating on Harry. She'd been a weakness for him and try as they might, the Federation never did sink their teeth into her. Her trust in Harry had gotten her through all that but it has made it very hard to believe someone might care about her for reasons other than just her body or what they could do for it. His hands settled onto his shoulders. They were warm and so was the look in his eyes when he gazed at her. It seemed like it was the first time he'd really looked at her like that in awhile. He was trying very hard to bridge that strange, warped gap between them. Who knew if he would be like this tomorrow? She hoped he would look at her like this again. A smile, shy and hopeful smile inched to her glossed lips as she looked back at him. "Maybe if I'm the most confusing woman, that makes me worth the effort...I hope...," she said, "And I do love you, Ehud. I want us to have a good life together and to know that without doubt." She gazed at him and this time it was her turn to chuckle. "Its okay to hug me, if you want to. Hugs don't have to be earned or anything."

Since she offered the hug Ehud stepped in a bit closer and then pulled her in the rest of the way. The hug was a brief squeeze and then he let her go. "Well, uh...there you go. We hugged." He gave an awkward sort of shrug to his shoulders. "I really shouldn't do a lot of that if you don't want me to kiss you. There's a few levels and we'll start with level one. Little hugs."

The hug was nice and for a brief second she squeezed him back, only to have him disengage her. "That's fair, I suppose," she agreed, "Maybe when can graduate to level two later. Little steps are still good steps and so are little hugs." She looked him over and stepped back. She wanted more but it was a very poor idea to go jumping into bed with him again. "We're okay?"

Ehud nodded when she asked if they were ok. “Yeah, we’re fine.” Turning slightly he resumed his attentions to the food.

Pris let him continue cooking, not seeing a need to continue to talk when he appeared settled on the matters for now. At least, things felt more settled anyways. After dinner, all three of them went to the bakery and helped decorate for fall. She put up a window display with fall wreaths and beautifully decorated cake stands. There were jars of preserves decorated with twin and bright colored leave tendrils skirting each window. The tables now had a change on their decorations too. Little lanterns and bright, fall colored bouquets. She even showed Sien what fall looked like on Terra using the hologram projector to make a nice scene of crimson and yellow flowers trickle down from the ceiling. When the bakery was looking festive and smelled of warm cinnamon, she looked to Ehud. "I've been thinking more about what you said..about a goal or achievement for our marriage. I think a designated family day would be helpful to that goal. Sunday's the bakery is closed and I think that day should be reserved for spending time with family. No work. Just bonding time. What do you think?"

**********

The second round of fun actually succeeded. Though any thoughts of cuddling after were really dashed when Illya tried to lift himself off of her and crashed into the floor. All the fish near their bedroom scattered in fright and the pounding of boots echoed down the hall. Before she could even ask if he was okay, a sheet was tossed over her and the guards came crashing in. Illya was telling them it was fine while he stayed well hidden under the thin sheet without so much as an eye poked out to see them. She was turning pink at the idea of the guards running everytime Illya made the house thunder in any capacity. They were going to get alot of exercise at this rate.

When the guards were gone, she poked her head over the side of the bed. "Are you okay?"

Nodding at his answer, she slipped out of the bed and made sure he could get out of the floor properly. He seemed to want to go out again, so they showered together and dressed in some more civilian looking clothes. They visited the observation bubble and then wandered the streets, simply looking at all the sights. Illya found them some alcohol free cocktail drinks which were sweet, fruity and piled high with cream. Whatever kind of fruit was in them was delicious and she sucked it down quickly, whipped cream and all. They bought drinks for Koda and Rezna too. A little boy also approached them and while his mother looked mortified, Calysta was more than happy to see Illya interact with the child and get him something to drink.

It was nearing mid afternoon, a mere two hours after throwing up his guts, that Illya got the idea he was hungry. Truth be told, she was getting peckish too, though she should have been more than full from that icee style drink. The smell of fried meats was wafting in the air and her stomach let out a fierce some growl. Once they found where the smell was coming from, Illya made no hesitation to duck inside to make an ordered. She waited outside, surprised that the line to dine in was so long. It must have been a popular place to be. When Illya came out, he was carrying trays filled with baskets piled high with fried bits of something. When she tasted it, she realized it was liver of some kind. Probably nyte beast. It was strangely delicious and she wolfed down the first basket with gusto, letting out a tiny but smelly burp when she was done by accident. "Oh," she said in surprise, clamping her hand over her mouth, "I think I was hungry."

Near the end of the afternoon they passed by a large building both in scope and height. The very bottom floor was a gift shop of sort and it was all paraphernalia about the Water Dancers. Apparently, the troupe of professional Water Dancers lived right there in Uria where they trained for months before the rainy season on Ewen. They were in town now and gave private lessons to people who wanted them. Some how Illya had remembered she had always wanted to be a Water Dancer when she was young. It always amazed her that he could remember those types of things even if the rest of the time was a blur.

When he suggested the private lesson, she looked up at him in surprise then the gaze softened to nothing short of loving admiration. "You remembered," she smiled softly. "I'd love to try it, but I...I'd like you to go with me. Maybe you'd like to watch?" Honestly, she was a bit nervous when she picked out a beautiful and flowing white unitard and skirt. An Ewenian woman was running the counter if the pale skin and dark hair were anything to go by. Water Dancing was an Ewenian tradition during the rainy season spanning thousands of years. It made sense for there to be a place for the troupe to train in the off season. But how would they react to someone like her asking for lessons? She picked up her dress and carefully brought it over to the counter to pay for it and for the private lesson.

She had expected to be recognized but not with a friendly smile followed by a "Oh! Councilwoman Monroe!" As if she were perfectly welcome. Even going upstairs to the locker room and changing into the beautiful outfit was harassment free. Her very Ewenian tutor was everything the Ewen considered perfection; lithe with long dark hair in a perfectly coiffed bun, high cheek bones and long lashes. She moved with a grace that put Calysta's to shame as she beckoned her out into the large stage which consisted of a meter's deep pool in front of theatre style seating.

The tutor introduced herself as Kyrana and they exchanged bows. Kyrana was quiet and precise in her instructions so far. Several poles no wider than Calysta's feet were placed into the water and Kryana first taught her how to stand on them in the water without wobbling. It took a moment to find her balance on such a thin pole, but she found it and then came slow, graceful moves with the arms.

"The movements are meant to be thanks to the Spirit of the Rain," Kyrana said in Kaerelean, "They value grace and fluidity. You are shorter than most Water Dancers, but you can still manage to make it look graceful. Here...adjust your hands here and here. That's better. Now, try the motions again."

She tried again and she could tell Kyrana was being polite, but had a slight undertow of irritation or, perhaps offense.

"No, Councilwoman. Like this. You are half Ewenian, yes? Here let me show you again."

There was a slight emphasis on the half word that Calysta didn't fail to notice, but it wasn't enough to really say much of anything. She was just going to enjoy the lesson.

When Calysta had shown some proficiency in floating along the water on the pole, Kyrana showed her how to dive in with style and then sink to the bottom where they practiced several more moves. It didn't take long for Calysta to catch on. She did dance very well normally and she swam well too. The water was calming to be in along with the graceful moves of the water dancing. Her inky black hair flowed around her with the white tendrils of the dress with each movement. She could hold her breath up to 10 minutes without any real need for air which made Kaereleans wonderful water dancers.

Kyrana showed her all the moves in order and they only bobbed up to the surface a few times to gain their breath before they put what she had learned to music. Calysta performed it all with the music, enjoying every twirl and roll. She had wanted to try this her entire life! And now she was more than welcomed to to do it. Probably because she was the councilwoman only, but she was still doing it! She felt graceful and the whole world fell away besides the music and her moves. Her body seemed to naturally go with the flow.

The lesson lasted an hour and a half before time was called. Calysta waved at Illya merrily from the pool before climbing out and succumbing to gravity again. When she was done changing in the locker room, she met her Chip in the theatre with a smile and a kiss to his cheek. "It was amazing! What did you think? We're invited to see the full troupe dance on Ewen."
 
Ehud made sure Sien had his school bag set out like usual and he put on his work clothes rather than his running pants and shirt. It was the usual time he went running and Pris went to the bakery. "I'll go to work with you for a little bit." Ehud mumbled as he dug through the closet to find his jacket and then gently pressed on her elbow to hurry her out the door. It looked like she was waiting on him and he wasn't needing her to wait anymore. "Got a few things to talk about. I'll help you knead the dough while we talk."

Ehud was especially eager for her to leave him be this morning. He even announced he would be going to the bakery only for a little while today and that they had things to speak about. She didn't want to leave him be, particularly as he was so keen on ushering her outside of the door. What could she say though? She couldn't watch him forever and it would just turn into an argument if she insisted he do something besides what he planned. The prospect of him having something he wanted to talk about made her nervous too. She folded her hands in front of herself and nodded. "Okay." It was simple, clear response. Then she started down the porch with him and started walking to the bakery. It was a short 15 minutes to make the mile trek to the square. She unlocked the back door under the light of the solar bulbs and let them inside, flipping on the office and kitchen lights in turn. All the while she stayed quiet. What else could she say? Maybe this was the moment he decided being married to a Terran woman was too much after all. Or maybe he wanted to ask her about the elders. She wouldn't know until he spoke. She made sure her hair was pinned back, then put on her apron before gathering the ingredients to start the first loaves of the day.

Shoving his hands in his jacket pockets Ehud trudged along quietly next to Pris. He needed to get back to work today and there were a lot of things he had to get done. Things that shouldn't have been left, but they were and now he'd have to deal with them. When they reached the bakery he let her step inside first and then he stepped in and shut the back door and locked it. Taking his jacket off he exchanged it for an apron and started the ovens and rising bowls. They would need all those in short order. "Pris, you've been quiet. Second guessing your choice to stay with me? I don't want you to leave, but there sure seems to be a lot that you're not saying." Her diary was proof of that, but he wasn't about to say that right now. It somehow seemed like a really bad idea.

She was in the middle of flouring the surface of the work station to prepare it for when the dough was done working in the large mixture whe he finally spoke. Her eyes snapped up to him, zeroing in on his face in total shock. She took a moment to stare at him, studying his mood. Which Ehud was she talking to right now? His tone reminded her of his cold laugh and empty smirk in the flyer a few weeks ago, giving her goosebumps up her spine. "No," she said finally, her voice soft, "I haven't second guessed the decision to stay with you, Ehud. I'm quiet because after my meeting with the Elders I thought it might be best for me to talk less and listen more."

There was a flash in her eyes that made her look frightened. The momentary sight of weakness cast a shadow of doubt in his mind. Ehud held her gaze for for as long as she allowed. "You're scared. Why?"

She stood still as the mixer whirled mechanically in the background and Ehud held her gaze. At the mention of being scared, she swallowed and diverted her gaze. She shouldn't have let herself get thrown off guard. "I'm..." she started to speak, but stopped. It was too late to cover anything up now. "Its was just now...you reminded me of how you were on the way to Kinte. It scared me." She dusted off her hands and turned to the mixer, checking the dough. Not quite ready to knead.

Ehud watched her as she seemed to fumble and then answered. It was seemingly the truth. At least as far as he could tell. "Why did it remind you of that? You're afraid the medicine doesn't work?"

"It was just the way you mentioned me second guessing my decision to stay with you when you first spoke. It sounded the same in some ways. It sounded very bitter and sad," she said, "Which is how you were on the ship to Kinte, except...well....except then you sounded worse. Angry and on the edge." The cleared her throat, which was threatening to tighten up and took a small breath. "I think you would have sounded like that if the medicine wasn't working," she admitted, as she turned off the mixer.

"Maybe," Ehud grunted and he grabbed the eggs to start cracking them in a bowl. "Plenty of things happen to make people sad. Bitter is just when it seems there isn't any mercy and there isn't time to be sad anymore. I don't like the diagnosis and I don't like having to take medicine cause they think I'm crazy."

Pris let him talk and again, those goosebumps prickled. "You asked why I was afraid. I was afraid of you and for you that day." She replied quietly. This was how he really felt about the diagnosis. It seemed he had been holding back too. She lifted the heavy bread hook from the machine and began grab hauling up the tacky bread dough. "I understand. I would be upset if that was my diagnosis too."

Ehud figured he wouldn't like her answer, but he wanted to know the real thoughts. "Well, that's a nice, non-inflammatory thing for you to say." Glancing at Pris he caught her attention and then fixed his gaze on her. "I didn't come in here to make bread and only talk about my frustrations. If we're gonna do this family thing we gotta have a few understandings. You know I don't like it. Try telling me the unfiltered version of what you think right now.'

Apparently he wanted to dig and talk about serious things. She had thought those were meant to go through the Elders first. Or maybe he had and this is what they told him to do. It was all very confusing. She put down the dough onto the counter top and wiped her hands down with a lightly damp rag before she looked at him. He was gazing at her. Waiting for her. "I think I'm afraid," she said bluntly, "I care about you, Ehud. But the man talking to me on the way to Kinte didn't care about much. Particularly not a future where we were doing 'this family thing'. He looked at me with a cold smile and a humorless, bitter laugh and told me to my face that as a wife, things were 'nice for now.' You couldn't seem to care beyond that. That was all Sien and I were in that moment, was some fleeting thing." She swallowed and stood her ground. He wanted the truth and he was going to get it. "And that scared me and broke my heart, Ehud. I married a man, who in the moment, saw no other future with me than 'its nice for now' and thats not how you build anything. That's how you...live through it." She took stood there, watching his every expression as she spoke. "I know you're more than that. You're more than the man speaking at me on that flyer. If you weren't, I wouldn't have married you. But I do think that you need that help, Ehud. You may not like it, but I truly do think you need it and as long as the doctor continues to think you need it, then you should take it. Because the man talking to me on the flyer without it was so cold, I wasn't even sure what he would do and that was scary."

She looked at him, her eyes softening and she let out a soft sigh. "And I do want to build a good relationship and future with you. There's nothing wrong with getting help with that, whether we like it or not."

What Pris said wasn't easy. Ehud almost cringed when it came out with a sort of finality that she believed he should be on the medication. Working his jaw he turned his gaze away from her and continued dumping ingredients into the mixing bowls. He was just about ready to turn the mixer on and then start dumping flower in. "Guess I know what I needed to."

Whatever she hoped he might take away from what she was saying, it must have made him angry. He cast his eyes away from her and she could see the tightness in his jaw. At his comment, she stopped working and looked at him. "You asked me to be honest," she said. A moment of silence lapsed and she sighed. "Am I worth doing this?" she asked bluntly.

"I did and you were honest." Ehud replied in a carefully measured tone. "Doesn't mean I like your thoughts." He wasn't feeling like saying much more, but she started pushing and he met her gaze. "Yes." That was good enough for now. It answered her question and he didn't want to go into a long solo speech about it.

The single worded 'yes' came off more as a warning than anything else and she remembered what the Elders had taught her. It was better just to be quiet and let him come to her if he wanted to. She dropped her eyes and didn't reply as she went to kneaded the dough. He didn't like her answer and there was nothing she could do to change it or assure him. She'd tried to reassure him and it had very little effect. She focused hard on the dough and then hefted it into the bowl to rise.

Ehud turned his mixer on and he watched the contents mix in silence. What she said only confirmed what the doctors had said about his diagnosis. As badly as he didn't want that to be the case it was simply what it was and he was going to have to deal with it. While they worked to get all the dough for the day started he remained quiet until nearly the time for her to begin baking. He needed to get to work and he was going in no matter what she said today.

Taking his apron off Ehud hung it on the hook near the back door and he turned to meet her gaze. "I'm going into work today." Leaning in a little closer to her Ehud gently kissed Pris on the lips. "I'll drop by after work to help you close up." He remembered from reading her journal that she'd been a bit nervous at night and he was going to try and at least show her that she was worth more than a pretty face to him. She was struggling since they had agreed and it wasn't quite right. The way she described it was probably honest, but terrible at the same time.

****************

On the way home Ehud stopped at the bakery like usual and he walked through the front door 5 minutes before close. There were only a few children in the bakery looking at the cookies and sifting through the coins in their hands. It was obvious they were Chip children because of their brown little hands, dark hair and bright eyes. A look of disappointment came to one boy's face as he realized they didn't have enough after counting two times. Ehud stopped them from turning. "You work for a treat?"

At the question all five of the Chip children nodded eagerly. "Alright, one of you turn the sign to say closed, one lock the door, one help sweep and one turn off the lights in the display case and the last one is gonna help me wrap the second day things to put in the 1/2 price box." Pris was going to have a few dishes to do, but he could take care of the front with the kids.

When the children were done with the very short set of chores Ehud offered them each a cookie. "If you help me with dishes and cleaning the back you can have all the treats we wrapped for half price." With that offer the four children rushed to the back and quickly washed their hands before nearly knocking Pris aside to do the work. Ehud shrugged a bit and smiled at her. She could relax a little bit at the end of her long day. With the dishes very promptly done and set to dry Ehud took the children out to the front and let them empty the half price box and then sent them on their way. He knew the kids would be back, but they would be very dutiful little helpers if they were promised baked goods. If they didn't want the baked goods they would not show up again.

Now that he had Pris alone he set his hands on either of her shoulders and sighed. "I'll stay on the medication as long as the doctors say I need it. If you will stay with me and we will work on being close like husband and wife then I will do my part and do whatever the doctor says I need." He grinned a bit awkwardly and nodded toward the window where the kids could still be seen dashing off with the food tucked under the arms. "Dark Chips don't have much money most of the time. Figured you wouldn't mind getting rid of your old stock to go to the half price bucket for a quick clean up job. The kids didn't have enough for what they wanted, so they traded a little labor for a bit more. They'll be back." That was for sure and he figured they would likely bring friends.

*************************************************************

Illya stepped into the private viewing room to watch Kalizda get into the water with the instructor. Even when she was learning the moves Illya couldn't help, but notice her legs. The long dress seemed to part as she drifted down into the water and it showed a significant amount of leg. Illya shifted in the seat and he crossed his legs and leaned forward some. She was quite beautiful when she danced like that. He was also very thankful that he was the only one watching. Such a display was almost scandalous. It was deliciously scandalous though.

Time seemed to go by so quickly while she was dancing and when she finally pushed off the bottom of the pool for the last time she floated to the top gracefully and he remained seated for a few reasons. It was helpful that she was going to be taking a few minutes to get dried off and ready to leave. He hoped that she enjoyed doing it as much as he enjoyed watching.

When she emerged Illya stood and smiled. "Mmmm...I'm glad dat I have yah try out little dream yah had. Et was very nice tah watch." He couldn't hide the somewhat mischievous grin that had begun to sneak across his face as he said it.

**********

Back at the fancy underwater rooms they were given Illya did his best to ignore the constantly moving floor and fish floating by. Keisha seemed to be enthralled by the fish and she was more lively than he'd seen her in quite some time. The old cat's paws spread slightly as she batted at the floor and then randomly attacked the wall with her tail twitching back and forth. Suddenly darting across the room she sprung off Illya's lap and hit the wall with a hiss. She seemed entirely pleased with herself as she dropped to the floor and then watched the fish scatter. Her tail still twitched and then she caught sight of the fish below her feet and she began running across the floor tapping with her paws as she went.

A slight shudder went through Illya when he looked at the floor beneath them. He was starting to feel a little motion sick again. Curling onto his side on the couch he pulled the blanket over his head. It might help stave off the ever growing sense of nausea. He just needed things to stop moving for a few hours. Perhaps they could pull all the shades in their room. There had to be a way to keep the walls from looking like they were moving.

Illya was just starting to doze off when he heard someone knock at the door. Sitting up he quickly ran his right hand through his hair to try and smooth it out. The curls only straightened under the weight of his hand and then bounced back stuck wings of his hair out in every direction. Illya threw the blanket aside and started to get up when Mihael answered the door. Standing in the doorway was the fabulous and dreaded Sarai. For whatever reason as Illya stared at her he had a flashback. She was there when he agreed with Kalizda the first time. She'd insisted on dancing with him and she had a dangerous sparkle in her eye then and now.

Swallowing his momentary surge of fear and vomit he gave a mildly charmed smile. It was the best he could muster given how he felt and who he was facing. At least he felt somewhat comfortable in the clothing he got to wear on the day off. It was his usual cargo pants and a shirt with his sling and a jacket.

Sarai smiled broadly and she seemed entirely pleased to see him. She was merrily waving a few invitation cards as she gave Illya his invitation card for the party the next night. "Eh, dat's very fancy looking little card dere." He could see it had hologram letters that lit up as you rubbed your hand over the card. "Do I get tah keep dah card when dah night es over?" Sarai chuckled at his question and seemed to think it was a joke. It was actually pretty cool and Illya was serious, but he figured it couldn't hurt for her to feel amused at his question.

The tassels on Sarai's dress danced and jerked wildly as she flitted over to Kalizda to present her invitation to her. Illya saw a darting color of gray race for Sarai and his eyes widened slightly when Keisha opened her mouth and her paws went swinging as she went after the first exciting bit of movement that was within her grasp since she arrived. "Ho..." Before he could give any sort of instruction of what to do Sarai screeched and her feet began to stamp. It only seemed to excite the cat more and Illya started to duck and reach for the cat with his one good arm when the woman suddenly clutched Dane's chest and her fingers curled around the edges of his vest. Dane was frozen in terror as the tiny woman squealed in terror and climbed up his body.

Dane grunted in surprise and started to try and disentangle himself from her, but she grabbed at him and her foot landed squarely in his crotch. "Whooo." As he leaned forward slightly she scrambled over his back. Mihael's eyes widened slightly in horror and he backed away. He didn't want the woman to leap for him next. Illya stopped in his tracks and simply allowed Dane to deal with the cat. He wasn't going to have Sarai jump him either.

With a groan Dane pushed the cat down and finally grabbed it by the back of it's neck and tossed it. At this point Dane didn't care where the cat went, he just needed it to leave this woman alone so she could get her legs out of his face. By now she was sitting on his back and still screaming wildly with her bare calves at eye level as she kicked for all she was worth.

Mihael was still shocked at the display and he barely noticed the cat flying past himself. To see woman climb a man like that and then shake her bare legs so shamelessly was terribly disconcerting. Illya howled with pain when the cat hit him and dug her claws into his shoulder. Wrapping his right arm around the cat he tried to make her feel less threatened so she would let go of the wound in his shoulder and he ran for the room in hopes of locking her up. Instead the cat decided to panic and clawed her back legs all the way up his stomach and chest and then jumped over his shoulder to try and make an escape.

Hearing the padding of the cat's feet Dane yelled as best he could. "Mihael catch et!" His voice managed to get above the wild screams of Sarai. Illya was running after the cat and Mihael snatched the creature off the floor and then stood there still stunned until he heard Illya give the order to go lock the cat up. Mihael took the yowling cat back toward one of the rooms and Illya did his best to straighten out his clothing and then he saw Dane pushing tassels out of his face and looking at Henryk with a pleading expression. He just really wanted this wild woman off his shoulders.
 
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They finished the lion's share of the bread making in silence. It was the kind of silence where both of them were thinking, but neither of them knew what the other had on their mind. For her part, she wondered if he was weighing the cost versus the benefits of staying on the medication. The cost possibly being their marriage, and the benefit would be keeping her as well as keeping his sanity. Maybe the ticker tape in his head sounded much like one of those business articles he read everyday.

She worked until he broke the silence with the announcement he would be going into work for the first time since his first dose. She wasn't going to stop him this time. He would need some regularity and perhaps some time to think it over. To her surprise, he hung up his apron, then came closer to her. She was about to ask if he needed anything before he left. They hadn't been this close except in the bed for awhile. Then he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. The kiss was warm and she felt that little spark of something in her chest. She wanted to return it more thoroughly, but he was pulling away by the time she had gotten over the surprise of the gesture. "I'll drop by after work to help you close up," he said quietly before disappearing out the back door. Pris watched the doorway for a moment, then brought her fingertips to her lips, feeling the coolness left behind from the sudden warmth and end of Ehud's kiss.

All day she stayed in a state of semi-distraction. Loaves of bread rose up in bowls and browned up in ovens while she tried to focus on decorating a cake with fall leaves in buttercream icing. Customers came and went, some were in a hurry and others noticed the fall decor. The Terrans tended to smile when they saw something so familiar while the Chips enjoyed the colors. The Pyrtans who came had never seen trees turn colors before. They stared around at the leaves drifting from the ceiling in a state of curiosity more than anything else. Pris greeted them all in turn and even took a few specialty orders she would fill the next day, but the entire day her mind drifted to Ehud.

Was he alright? What was he thinking of? She had no doubt that he would come by after work. There had never been a time where he said he would do something and didn't. She resisted the urge to touch her lips again, the feeling of the kiss lingering there for a long time after the kiss he had given her. It made her want more and not just in the physical sense. She'd felt that little warmth in her chest, one she was trying very hard to ignore for awhile because he wasn't ready. He needed to have his own thoughts and emotions sorted out first. She couldn't find the heart to tamp down that warm feeling though. Not in it's entirety.

That little ember made her smile when he walked in five minutes before closing time. She looked up at him and couldn't help it. There were still a few of the Chip children milling around, trying to pool their money together for a treat and she would have simply given it to them. Ehud had a different idea though. He simply asked if they would do some simple tasks for the left overs going into the half price bin. The kids didn't hesitate, and did everything he asked of them.

She stood back and watched him talking to the children. The late afternoon sun was pouring into the windows. It made his light hair look golden and highlighted his solid jaw and cheek bones. She studied him while he was busy, taking in the man who had occupied almost all of her thoughts all day. She had never been the boy crazy type and she had never been the kind of girl to go to pieces over a man either. She did care about Ehud though and seeing him somewhat like he was before they married, perhaps even a bit more relaxed, made her take a moment to appreciate him. He had been through a hard road, some of which she knew of and most of which she didn't.

When he turned back to her, she straightened, pretending as if she had been working until Ehud came over and stalled her by putting his hands on either of her shoulders. She stopped, held still by the gentle touch, and looked up to meet his gaze. There was a soft but decisive look in his light eyes. With a sigh, he spoke to her. "I'll stay on the medication as long as the doctors say I need it. If you will stay with me and we will work on being close like husband and wife then I will do my part and do whatever the doctor says I need."

Then he smiled little awkwardly, somewhere between shy and uncertain on what to do. The bell over the door rang as the kids took their promised treats and scuttled outside. Ehud explained that the children would be back and she nodded with a smile. "They're sweet," she said, "I like them in the shop and I don't mind giving them the left overs at all. I think its a good idea." His hands were heavy on her shoulders, but she didn't dislike the weight. She wanted to step closer to him, but she slid her hand up his arm and took the fingers of his right hand into her own, bringing them up to kiss them gently. "I'm glad you came after work," she said, then she paused and tilted her head a little, "And I am pleased you came...and that you want to work on being closer as husband and wife, even if that means following the doctor's recommendations." Now that it had been said aloud twice, it was starting to sink in and she let out a sigh of relief before taking his other hand into hers. "Let's clean up, and walk home together.” He was grinning at her almost incandescently and she wanted to kiss him for a long time. She knew if she started though, she would have a hard time stopping. So, she leaned in and gave him a long, soft kiss on is grinning cheek.

When they started walking home, she held his hand the entire way. It had been a long time since she had walked hand in hand with someone. In the distance, the rain clouds were brewing and she could hear thunder rolling as night inched over them. She felt him squeeze her hand and she squeezed it back. Now that he had decided, they could get better, couldn’t they?

Sien was home when they arrived and she let Ehud go so he could sit down. He had gotten up early to go with her and stayed out later to come get her. “I’ll get dinner started. Why don’t you sit down and relax some?”

Dinner was baked fish with dill sauce and salad. Luckily, it didn’t take long to prepare, though it had taken her ages to find a fish comparable to salmon on Kaereal. She’d wanted to order real salmon from the Terran mart on Kinte, but with the embargo and no real fisheries set up on the colonies yet, that was a highly expensive meal. As it turned out, the substitute was just fine and tasted good with the Terran dilly sauce she made to go with it.

After dinner was all cleaned up and she had spent some time with Sien and Ehud together, it was time for bed. Bed had been awkward affair since Ehud’s diagnosis. Ehud had been out of it for the first few days and when the brain fog cleared, neither of them had been really sure where the other stood. Now, they knew where they were and where they were going. That fact along seemed to let out alot of the tension trapped between them at night.

She readied herself for bed, taking off her makeup and washing her face, then unpinning her hair. Before she knew it, she was crawling into bed alongside Ehud. Those few inches that had been left between them on the mattress over the last months seemed traversable some how. Sliding closer, she inched her way until her hip was brushing against his and then carefully leaned her head against his shoulder. “Hi,” she whispered, peering up at him, “I thought you looked like you could use some company like this tonight.” Leaning up, she kissed his cheek, then settled her head against his shoulder again.

They would get through this and perhaps come out better for it on the other side. She knew it would take time and no small amount of effort. With Harry, things had been different. Easier. Harry had betrayed her trust in the end though and it had left a wound that she was trying hard not to let Ehud suffer from. She had to give him a little trust again.

Priscilla reached for his hand in the darkness and covered it with her own with a gentle squeeze before closing her eyes to sleep.


***********

Koda had been in the middle of combing his hair when the knock sounded from the door. He was on guard duty that night and there would be many people at the Urian party. Urian parties always made him a bit nervous. They had their social rules which often times seemed as nebulous and knowable as the Orion Gas Pockets along the fringe. When the knock was heard, he poked his head out of the bathroom door. In true Urian hosting style, Sarai had come to deliver an invitation to the councilwoman and the General personally. While he knew this tradition was accurate, he also knew the woman could have sent an emissary to hand deliver them. The fact that she came herself was an honor outwardly, but Koda had seen enough to know she had eyes for the General too. It really was her pleasure to bring them in person.

The others seemed to have the Matriarch well in hand, so he started to dip back into the bathroom, but a shriek of terror stopped him. He whipped around and saw nothing but a blur followed by more frantic shrieking. His body sprang into action before his mind did and his muscles tensed, ready for a fight.

Instead of an enemy or another assassin, he saw the matriarch scale Dane like a desperate squirrel. She kicked downward while she continued to climb, holding to the Chip man who was trying to disentangle himself from her. He lost most of his fight against her when her foot landed squarely into his crotch. Koda winced as Dane bowed over and Sarai used his new angle to climb further onto his back to his shoulders.

His eyes shot to what she was running from and he saw the big cat the family kept as their pet batting and clawing for the fringe attached to the woman’s dress. Koda was the furthest away from the entire scene but the rest of the more than capable men seemed frozen for a second and even actively backed away from Dane as if he were some strange creature and not a man under attack. Dane managed to toss the cat where Illya caught it and now it was extremely unhappy. It used it’s claws to escape and started running.

Finally, Mihael snapped into action and scooped up the yowling animal to lock it away somewhere else. Koda flicked his eyes to Dane. The man parted the woman’s fringed skirts away from his face with an empty look of shock which quickly morphed into a pleading expression.

None of the other Chip men dared to approach. Instead, they seemed to be looking on as if they weren’t sure how to rescue their unfortunate comrade. Dane’s reaction he could understand. The man had a councilwoman and another man’s wife, a matriarch, on top his head panting like a wild woman, her knees on either of his shoulders. The rest of the Chip men unwilling to approach made the scene comical. Who knew all it would take to make Chippeqouti man freeze was a woman?

He didn’t dare laugh though. Instead, he fought the small smile down and watched as Henryk approached his wife like she was a wild mare in need of calming. “It’s alright,” he said gently, “The cat’s gone.” He offered his hand and she didn’t hesitate to take it.

The large Urian man very carefully reached up from Dane's side and let her slide from his lofty shoulders to his arms. He held her up bridal style then bent down, setting her feet onto the floor and steadying her so she could stand with some sort of dignity.

Sarai smoothed down her hair, then adjusted her dress over her fit, but curvaceous form. In a rare show of embarrassment, her cheeks had flushed. “Ah…” she said, still a little breathless. Then she cleared her throat, then she bent down in a low bow to Dane. “I apologize. I hope I didn’t injure you any further.”

Then she straightened and looked to Illya who was bleeding and Calysta, whose eyes were still wide with the entire scene. “I look forward to seeing you there. Feel free to keep the invitations, yeah?” she said briskly before turning to the door. Henryk turned with her and they were gone as quickly as they had arrived, leaving no small amount of chaos in their wake.

Koda took a look at the Chip men and felt the smile he had been fighting threaten to twitch his lips. Rather than giving himself away, he ducked back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. Before he could even start on shaving, he braced his hands against the sink and hissed out a half stifled laugh. The Federation should have simply sent an army of beautiful women instead.

************
They arrived at the party as a unit. The councilwoman was trailing along in a gauzy, but much less revealing outfit that looked like an ombre sunset. It wasn’t as flashy as the other outfits, but she still looked striking in it with her long hair pinned up with glittering hair pins. She arrived on the good arm of the General who was looking traditional, but more covered than the typical Urian man would.

It took them nearly 20 minutes to proceed past the front door because the media begged for holograms and still images. Some she obliged, smiling and waving at them a little, but never letting go of Illya’s good arm.

By the time they arrived at the top floor of the venue, the party was in full swing. Music was playing from one end while there were tables of food and drink set at regular intervals until the dance floor began. White chairs and lounging chaises encircled built in smokeless fire pits on the patio and in small circles inside. A massive pool with a water fall and grotto lay beyond that. The pool was largely unoccupied but that would change as the night wore on and people began to drink more.

Giant swaths of color fabric hung from the ceiling with small, pinprick lights nestled into them. It gave the impression of a galaxy with stars floating around them and the pitch black waters above the dome only helped the illusion. It was all done very beautifully.

"It does look nice," she said whispered to Illya, "You want to stay close for awhile, yeah?"

They were immediately greeted by several of the matriarchs whose eyes sparkled with curiosity. Calysta said hello to all of them in turn. They were easy to spot because they all wore pink sashes to signify their station. Already, she was having to posture some, keeping herself close to Illya. At one point she slid a hand gingerly up his slightly exposed back and looked up at him. When he leaned down, she slid a hand to his cheek and gave him a long thorough kiss in front of all the women. "One ring, one man, for me," she whispered in his ear.
That would keep them at bay for awhile.

Sarai had a silky pink sash, if not much else on, as she glided forward. The woman gave them all a sunny smile and held out her arms. “Welcome! Welcome! Come! I must introduce you to the matriarchal council.”

Calysta had no moment to protest as Sarai was already leading them through the crowd. She kept her grip on Illya gentle but firm. It was over all, better for him to stick with her where she could bat away the women. She was in for a long night of introductions and her Chip husband was along for the ride.

*************

There wasn't a lot going on in the immediate area besides women congregating around Kalizda. Illya leaned in and whispered to her, "I tink I will go stand over dere wit Henryk. Yah do yah councilwoman ting here." He wasn't sure what he would do with Henryk, but it looked like a semi safe spot. There weren't too many women milling about that area. When he arrived at the spot he met Henryk's gaze and nodded. "Yeah, I have some of dat drink." Grabbing a cup he held it in the fountain for a moment and then stood next to Henryk. "What yah doing over here besides watching yah woman?"

Henryk stepped to the side a little to allow the bigger man passage to the bar for his drink, and gestured with his cup toward the crowd. "Mostly staying out of the way," he confessed, "This is her arena, not mine, but it does have a good view of them room. I can keep track of her...and..." He looked around for a moment until a waitress walked out of the nearby kitchen door with a fresh platter of kabobs. He waved at her and she came over immediately and with a flourish, offered them sizzling meat and fruit kabobs. "And if you stand here, you get the freshest snacks."

He plucked a meat kabob off the tray and the waitress waited for Illya to take anything he liked before departing. "What about you, eh? The Coucilwoman has been very busy tonight."

Taking a sip of the drink Illya winced some. He wasn't sure what it was, it had a very sweet taste. "Oooh." About that time the treats came out and he saw a few sizzling kabobs that actually looked good. He saw that Henryk had only snagged one for the time and so, Illya only took one. He could get more later since it seemed that this was the place that all food came from. "Mmmm....Good food. I come over here tah let meh Kalizda do her councilwoman ting and talk wit someone besides dah women wit sparkling eyes."

The Urian smirked a little at the mention of talking with someone who wasn't a woman with sparkly eyes. "Aye, they tend to do that when you've piqued their interest. They should leave you alone for a bit over here." He shifted his weight from one knee to give relief to the other side, then glanced at Illya, noting the patched up scratches down his front, the sling from the assassination attempt and a few more things. Older scars cutting g pale white and pink across the shoulder. They were impossible to miss. "The cat snagged you, eh? But, those other scars, the older ones, don't look like they were the product of a cat. Not an explosion either. Guessing that didn't happen at the battle on Kinte?"

Illya took a bite from the kebob stick and savored the flavor while he listened to Henryk. The man seemed to be amiable enough. "I hope I dun catch dat many women's interest. Only one woman I want tah be wit and dat's meh Kalizda." Though he hoped the women weren't interested he had a sneaking suspicion that Henryk knew what he was talking about. Then a sudden shift in the conversation came and Illya glanced at the man for a long moment. "Yah have experience enough tah know dah difference. Yah right, ets nut from any of dose tings. Why yah take interest?"

He bit into his kabob and chewed as Illya spoke, then he gave then man a bit of a shrug. "You had an attempt on your life in the past 2 weeks but it looks like someone tried something else before that. I've seen similar wounds on Urian traders and in fringe cities. Run across something similar myself about 7 years ago." He pushed aside the sash to reveal a long, jagged mark where the two sash ends tied together, then he put it back. "It keeps going to the knee, but, I don't feel like giving the matriarchs the wrong idea," he continued.

Meeting Henryk's gaze Illya listened carefully and watched as the man revealed a bit of his own scar. It did have a similar appearance though it was placed differently. Illya smirked at the idea of Henryk not wanting to give the wrong impression by stripping. "Mmm...I tink I am unsure what yah consider dis scars from. Yah get dat scar en line of duty?"

Henryk finished off his kabob and chewed as he nodded his response, then he finished off his drink in one giant swig. He put the kabob stick inside his empty glass and held onto, waiting for a waitress to walk by. "Aye. There were reports of Urian traders going missing in a fringe slave trade city far past G'koe. It was never confirmed to be a Federation attack and I normally would have dispatched someone to bring them home. But, one of the women who was taken was my sister. My agent traced them as far as the city and said my people, including my sister had been sold to a man working a drug plantation. So, I went to get her with a team if men. Landing went fine, entry, just fine. But we were found before extraction was green. I ended up fighting more men than we originally thought were there. A task master snagged me as we were running. Used a metallic whip with hooks and razors in the ends. Snagged me and ripped in deep. I only got grazed and it nearly gutted me."

A waitress walked by and he put his cup.on her empty tray before reaching for another drink. "That kind of weapon sound familiar?"

The description of the tale sounded as if Henryk had faced some similar traumas as the Chippequoti. Some of the same fears and he could at least understand that. Even though Henryk had asked about the weapon Illya had his own question first. "Yah make extraction of yah sister and she es safe now?" Nodding at the answer Illya moved on to answer the question posed by Henryk.

"Aye, et sounds like someting I know well. I am beat wit dis weapon before." Green eyes hardening he glowered at his cup and took another sip. "Dere are only two men dat dare hit meh wit such tings. I killed dem bot en dah end." Glancing toward Henryk he shrugged. "I guess sometimes dah past leaves ets marks."

He nodded. "Aye. We made it out. I was a bloody, flayed mess and my sister was terrified. But we made it." Taking a swig of his drink, he looked at Illya. The man's eyes burned with some of the same hate he had for the man who had taken his sister and given him a nephew.

"It does," he said, "But I can't bring myself to regret any of them. I did the best I could and protected my people and my family. Worth the pound of flesh."

He knocked by the last of his second drink and spied his Sarai chatting up the councilwoman. "I was more worried about Sarai skinning my hide when I came back. I had been under very explicit orders not to die."

The band was starting to assemble and the real party was going to get underway soon. He kept getting glances of woman checking them over, checking Illya over, as they circled. "You've got some more sparkly eyed women on your trail. They're getting curious again," he warned.

"Yah very glad yah dun have regrets." Illya murmured. "Regrets from dose kinds of tings make some men crazy and oters cannot live wit demselves after dat. I see many different kinds of regrets." As they stood there for a few moments it got strangely quiet and then Henryk mentioned the women coming near and Illya sighed. "How does a man un-attract dem?"

"Aye. I've seen a few of those regrets take root and never let a man go," Henryk agreed.

At the man's next question, he let out a laugh and grinned. "Un-attract? A Urian woman?" He mused, "I can only think of one way. Become a eunuch."

"Hmm..I was hoping dat wasn't dah answer." Illya chuckled in return and then turned his head away when one of the women tried to lock eyes with him. As he turned his head he caught sight of a fine pair of legs and he felt his ears turning red. There were far too many legs out and about to ignore. Out of desperation he half hissed at Henryk. "How do yah appear too busy tah speak wit dah sparkly eyes?"

Illya seemed to get just what kind of a night he was in for now and Henryk chuckled too. A moment of quiet passed and he was contemplating snagging a cream puff off the tray that just whipped by out of the kitchen when Illya hissed at him again with a question. "Truth? Go find your woman and sit her in your lap. That does the best. Otherwise she keeps having to posture and the other women can get all googly eyed."

Even if Illya wasn't excited to go sit around all the ladies again he didn't want to have the eager looking women throng around him. "Den yah about tah be a lone target. I have nut dah stomach for dis much feminine attention. I will find meh woman." Making a fast exit Illya limped slightly as he slipped through the throngs of people and soon found himself lost. Where did she go? She was not where he last saw her and he hadn't been gone that long.


*************

Sarai had left Calysta chatting with several of the matriarchs in order to take care of a few things. The party had to run smoothly as possible to give their guests the best time. There was one task she had left and that was to make amends.

He was easy to spot. She made her way over, her breezy dress fluttering in her wake until she was close to Dane, but not so close that she was at arm's length. Then she smiled at him. “It was Dane?” she asked, “I know we weren’t exactly properly introduced earlier. I’m Sarai, High Matriarch of Uria and Councilwoman to the Alliance. You probably already know that, of course, but I felt like a proper introduction should be made. I also wanted to ask how you were feeling. I was told how you were injured.” She pointed to her own neck to make the point clear rather than point at him which would have been incredibly rude. “I’ve had several husbands injured before. Two of mine are in the military you see. Anyway, I wanted to make up for what happened this afternoon more than just a simple apology.”

She ushered a man close to her side and he offered out a beautifully carved wooden box. Sarai opened the lid carefully and invited Dane to look. “These are Urian oils, some of the most potent and high quality in the galaxy. They will have various effects.” Pointing to the first delicate vial, she nodded. “This one will cause relaxation. If you’re in pain, dab some behind your ears and under your nose. It won’t knock you out unless you douse yourself in it, but it will be very relaxing. If you rub it into sore areas it will also release tightness and pain.” Then she pointed to the second vial. “This one will energize you. Put a little on your wrists and you will be very awake.” Next, she picked up the last vial and held it up to the light for his inspection. “This one is highly potent and only requires the smallest of use to work. It is Urian Love Oil, an odorless pheromone. It’s blended for females and males, so you and your partner may enjoy.”

She smiled and offered for him to inspect the goods, but suddenly lurched forward. A couple dancing nearby got a little exuberant and twirled themselves right into her. As she stumbled, forward she bumped into Dane and grabbed him out of instinct. The tiny vial snapped cleanly in two in her hand the oil burst out over Dane’s arm and her own. She jumped back and dropped the vial, her eyes going wide before she sputtered. “Oo-o-oh no.”

***********

Solarity paused and took a glimpse at the tan fellow on the couch. She knew that boyish face. He was not a boy and he certainly wasn’t single. He sat there with his drink in one hand and a wary grip laid over the arm of the couch. When women passed him by, he averted his gaze to the floor, then to the side, then he winced and looked up to the ceiling as if he were praying to a god she couldn’t see.

After she delivered her last load of drinks, Solarity walked over to him and smiled. “You know, I don’t think that ceiling is going talk back to you,” she said, “I see you made it out of the bar this afternoon in one piece.” She wondered if he would remember her at all. He had been in such a hurry to get out of the bar, it would be a wonder if he did.”

***********

Something had not settled properly on her stomach. It was probably some morning sickness peeking through a small lapse in her medication. Whatever it was, she had extricated herself from the gaggle of chatty matriarchs and visited the toilet long enough to vomit. Then she’d reapplied her lipstick and rejoined the party. Rezna had gone into the bathroom with her as a guard while Koda kept watch from outside.

Now, they were both flanking her as she made her way back into the crowd. The group of matriarchs swirled around her like little sharks. The topic of conversation was a bit odd for mixed company but for Urian’s it was complete natural to chat about various bedroom techniques. She had been blushing all night, both desperate to get away and find Illya while also glad he wasn’t hearing about Matriarch Gladys’ technique for getting a man to practically sing between the sheets. It was bad enough Koda was here.

She was enveloped quickly by them again, welcomed back as if she belonged with them and was a Matriarch herself.

“So, do tell us,” Gladys said with a slightly tipsy smirk, “What is it you do to keep all of that General occupied? I’ve heard Chippeqouti men are quite wonderful husbands. You two seem a match made on the Moons, dear.” All of the other women were looking at her now, waiting for her to just spill the beans about her sex life.

Calysta’s cheeks heated up and she opened her mouth to reply, some how, when there was a large splash from outside. Men and women alike were starting to dive into the pool or dance near the water’s edge as the music played. It caused a momentary distraction and Calysta mustered an excited look. “Oh, I like this song. Speaking of my husband, I think I’ll see if he wants to dance...it’s one of the ways I keep him...occupied?” With that brief explanation, she exited the circle of women.

When she was around the pillars, she motioned for Koda to come closer so she could talk to him. “Will you please find my husband?”

Koda nodded, and left Rezna in charge of the council woman’s security until he could find the missing General.
 
The past week had been good. From reading Pris's diary, Ehud had gathered that she very much enjoyed the fact that he was getting up and going to the bakery with her each morning and picking her up at the end of the day. One of the most fantastic benefits he'd found was that he got about half an hour to sit down and relax when they got home. He could read his magazine or just sit and think of nothing.

Things had been going well even if they didn't get very far in the department of intimacy. Ehud was hoping to get further, but he also knew she was nervous about his ability to keep his word and stay on the medication. As badly as he wanted to quit he had to keep taking it. That was a deal they made. She was going to stick with him as long as he stayed on his medication and he really did want her to stay with him. Sien was also benefiting and the boy seemed to be much happier than he had been in some time. Family days were even nice for Sien. Ehud still had some serious calls he had to handle on the family day, but he tried to keep them shorter.

It was time for his second shot and Ehud waited at the clinic to meet with Pris. She arrived only a few minutes before he was called to the back and they did a few more scans and blood draws. The doctor returned and gave news that Ehud wasn't terribly excited to hear, but it would have to do. "Looks like the higher dose is what we'll need to keep you on. Things are looking good, but we could see the levels come up here a little more. I think that longer term treatment will achieve that. However, the good news is that from both your answers and your agreed's answers it looks like there has been good response to the medication and you're seeing benefits already." The Ehaui doctor ordered another shot and Ehud frowned deeply, but went ahead and dropped his pants to get the shot. This time he asked if they could do it somewhere besides his rear end and they informed him it could be in the side of his thigh, but he would have to be cooperative for them to do that.

Ehud held still and he let the nurse give him the shot. Even if this was supposed to be good, part of him felt defeated doing it. This was almost like admitting he couldn't cope with life. Regardless of how he felt, he was going to have to get used to this. Once the shot was over with he started for the door with the doctor's orders to set up another appointment. "I'll set it up." Ehud took the paper from Pris. If they had to do this he was going to insist on doing it for himself. He might as well settle into taking care of things for himself.

When they reached the front he handed the note to the nurse doing the scheduling and he waited for her to give him a few different times when he could come in and he named the time he wanted and then exited the clinic with Pris. "I will see you after work." Ehud managed a faint grin and then kissed her gently. "Walk with you as far as the corner and then we'll split off and head back to work eh?"

*****************************************************************************************************

Mihael had been doing everything he could to avoid gazing at a pair of legs that he had no business looking at, or touching. The women were so scantily clad he wasn't even sure it counted as them being fully clothed. Looking to the ceiling only brought a certain amount of relief. There was still the great expanse of the party with hundreds of more legs showing and he had to somewhat watch them because he was on watch for the General. Of course he could choose not to look at the legs closest to himself and it only worked in part. Another pair of legs advanced and he wondered for a moment if they were indeed female and then he saw the familiar woman stop in front of him. "No, I dun expect dah ceiling will answer, but dere aren't any legs up dere eiter."

Solarity glanced up at the ceiling and nodded before looking back down to Mihael. "Ah, you're a fellow who likes the legs, yeah?" she said, "Not much help for that tonight. It's Urian custom to look appealing to the men. If a woman wants a husband or to please the one she has." Stealing a quick look at the bar, she made sure she wasn't needed right away and then tilted her head at Mihael. "Would you want another drink?" she asked, "You look like you're about to jump out of your own skin if someone sits next to you."

It seemed the woman was only partially aware of the fact that legs were a problem. "I would have drink eh, jes nut much. I am on duty. I stay here tah watch dah General." Mihael couldn't lose sight of Illya and he still had a few other things to consider. Perhaps he should go with her to ensure that the drink was safe. He could still see Illya from there. "Never mind. I go wit yah." While they walked to the bar he kept his eyes a bit higher and glanced across the crowd to get a look at Illya every now and then. "I am nut only one who likes legs. Legs are only for husband tah see en Dark Chippequoti tradition."

Solarity was about to ask him what he wanted when he asked for a small drink but then he suddenly changed his mind, saying he wanted to go with her to the bar. "Ooohkay," she said, confused. She didn't question it though. She merely lead him over to the bar she was working and slipped behind to pour him up a drink while he talked. He mentioned something about his own tradition and she listened as she made him something colorful but tasty. When he explained about the legs, she paused and looked up at him with a curious expression. Pointing with her pouring spoon, she gestured to the crowd. "So all of these women are giving you the equivalent of a peep show?" she asked.

After he'd said it, somehow it didn't seem like it was perhaps the most diplomatic thing to have said. Mihael felt his cheeks turn bright red and he cleared his throat before sheepishly nodding. "Et would be one way of saying et." He wasn't sure how else to respond now that he'd tried to do the diplomatic thing and probably failed.

Her eyes widened and she let out a breath, whistling a little. "You really are in for a long night, friend." She finished pouring up his drink, making him a blue and grey concoction that looked like a stormy sea and then passing it to him. It would be sweet and light. There was blush making him turn red and she almost let out a laugh. Chip men seemed to be many things but she was finding them to be endearing more than anything else. "There's no real way to avoid it, unfortunately. If I can ask, why are legs considered so...special in your tradition?"

Mihael took the drink with a shy sort of nod and mumbled a bit before he remembered she probably couldn't hear him. "Tanks." Speaking a bit more clearly he then took a sip of the drink and glanced over to see Illya was more or less in the same place. "Legs are someting dat Dark Chip women dun show. Et es considered very eh....provocative and et es what a man climbs before he engages en more intimate relations wit his agreed."

Solarity listened, intrigued by the idea and began making another order while she thought over what he said. "I suppose that would make it very erotic," she said, "Though I have to say it's a real novelty to think a man would be climbing upward from the legs. Most men start from the top down. Maybe they should try it your way sometime." She finished the order and sent it off to the woman who ordered it, then nodded. to him. "Another drink?"

Somehow Mihael had failed to notice how quickly he went through the drink and he nodded when she offered another. "Maybe dey dun consider et so novel when yah legs always show."

Solarity chuckled. "I didn't say looking at it," she said, pouring up the creme liquor into his cup, "I said touching it. You touch a woman's hair. Something she puts effort into and it's a close contact that not just anyone would have the right to do. A hair dresser can, but a husband being gentle with his woman's hair by touching it in the bedroom? That's considered very intimate. Passionate. It's not done in casual moments."

"Hmmm..." Mihael fell silent. He knew Illya would break that little rule of conduct tonight if he spent any amount of time with Kalizda. Chip men weren't so particular about hair. "Dat was good tah know. I will nut make dis mistake. Meh agreed would be very upset ef I was so careless among strangers."

The young woman smiled and handed his fresh drink to him. "Aye, I imagine she would. But if it's any consolation, I consider you at least one less stranger. We've met twice now and you are very kind. I'm glad we got the chance to talk again." She poured a few rows of small glasses filled with straight alcohol and loaded them onto her tray.

Watching her leave, Mihael wondered how long the party would be. She told him it would be a long night. Sipping at the drink he grinned shyly and then slipped away from the counter when a very pretty woman stepped up to stand near him and she sat on a stool. Her dress fell open showing her legs all the way up to her hip almost. That was quite scandalous and he needed to get away. Almost as soon as he reached his spot on the couch again he sat down and sipped a few more times and then glanced over to where Illya had been.

Mihael's heart pounded right into his ribcage. He had somehow lost the General. Where in the world had the man gone? He wasn't anywhere near where he'd last seen him and not to mention now he didn't see Kalizda either. They were both gone and he'd failed miserably. This was an immense embarrassment. It would be worse if they were both fine and he panicked.

Taking a few moments he stood up and quickly tilted his head back and finished the drink before he began to roam toward the area he last saw Illya. The man wasn't anywhere around and he passed by Dane and circled back around to where the Council Woman had been and to his relief he found her at least. She was still guarded by Koda and Rezna, but that didn't solve the problem of where Illya was.

******************************************************

Sitting with a platter of food was satisfying. Dane hadn't wanted to cook for himself and he was more than happy to let Wynry and Akten have their time together. He was just here for the free food. Mostly he was doing his best to mind his own business. Then he was interrupted by a nice voice and he turned to see it was the woman that had so unceremoniously climbed him like a tree earlier that day.

At least she had the decency to recognize it was indeed an embarrassing thing. Turning to look at her he found his cheeks turning very red. She was in a very revealing bit of clothing. He sincerely hoped by the way she was talking that she didn't intend to offer to share a bed with him. "Uh...no ets...eh..." While Dane was busy tripping over his words she presented a little brown box with oils. He felt lightheaded with relief. "Dat's very kind of yah. I uh...." He stopped again and simply let her explain the oils. The oil for relaxation was something he would certainly be wanting to use tonight and he would probably like to put some on his neck. It was actually quite sore after she'd climbed him like he was some sort of tree.

As she was explaining the oils someone bumped into her and the love oil was splattered all over his arm. He could feel it quickly soaking into his skin. She seemed to be slightly panicked and Dane shrugged, "Et dun do any harm." However, she insisted that he should go wash right away. He could go take a dip in the pool and that was fine. "I do et." It was possible that a concentrated and high quality oil could still cause some skin irritation if he had that much of it on.

Dane grabbed a few towelettes sitting on the table to help soak up the oil. He squeezed the oil from his shirt into the towelette and then set it aside before rising and heading for the pool to wash off.

************************************************************

Kalizda wasn't where he'd last seen her and Illya filtered out of the room. He was just hoping he could find her somewhere. He started toward the food area and stopped to grab a few bites. If he couldn't find Kalizda it wasn't any reason not to enjoy eating. Besides, if he kept on the move and shoved his face full of food he might not look like he was quite available for chatting with the sparkly eyes. Even with a plate of food Illya kept on moving through the party. He saw Sarai making a quick departure from Dane and Dane set aside a towel that he'd used to squeeze out his sleeve. Sitting next to the towel was a box.

It was very possible that Sarai had decided to make an apology of sorts. Walking over to the spot where Dane had been Illya propped the box open and observed the two vials in it. Apparently Dane had decided to take the missing one with him to the pool and bathe with it. Glancing at the pool area Illya was relieved to see that Dane wasn't trying to bathe like he would at the bath house. He was instead rubbing the oil from his arm. Perhaps he'd dumped a little before he got to the pool and now he was smearing it.

Grabbing the towel, Illya sniffed it. The oil was a light refreshing scent. It probably wouldn't hurt to freshen up a bit himself. Illya didn't really want to get in the water with the fresh cat scratches though. Taking the oil drenched towel he rubbed the back of his neck and down his shoulders before setting it back on the counter and moving on.

Despite the fact that he had tried to avoid the the sparkly eyed women Illya found himself cornered in a large area for dancing. The first woman came close with a large grin and she seemed to be quite pleased to have caught up with him. She asked him for a dance and Illya knew the Urians had been wonderful supporters of the Chippequoti. He would have to show his appreciation and simply do his best not to offend the women that seemed to be keen on showing their support for his people. "Et would be meh honor. I'm Illya, dah Council Woman's agreed." He decided that was probably the capacity he was appearing in for this party.

A twittering little laugh made him feel even more nervous as he felt her fingers slink up his good arm and she moved in closer for the dance. The woman chatted with him and kept it remarkably pleasant. Illya humored her with a few smiles and he chuckled nervously, but managed to somehow please her with the dance and then he was passed off to the next woman and the next and the next. It seemed the line of women waiting to dance with him was almost never ending. If he was looking for a woman this would be a pleasant dilemma, but for now it was awkward and uncomfortable.

The only thing making this situation worse was the fact that he had noticed quite a few hologram flashes. There were reporters wanting images of him dancing with the matriarchs. That wasn't going to look good to the Council. After about an hour of dancing Illya carefully worked out an excuse to leave the dancing behind. "Eh, yah all very beautiful and I would like more time tah dance, but I admit dat dis injury leaves meh too fatigued tah dance more. Maybe I rest little while eh?" The women seemed to be disappointed, but eager to help him find a comfortable spot to rest. Even if he'd tried to escape them it seemed he was instead escorted by a host of them. One found him a clear couch to rest on, another found him a pillow, another found him two blankets since one wasn't likely to be sufficient for his size and then another retrieved a drink for him.

Illya got settled on the couch and quickly downed the drink before he realized it was alcohol. Setting the cup aside he nodded nervously at the women. Laying down he pulled the blanket on his shoulders a bit higher and started to hide under it, but then remembered they were all likely waiting for some sort of thanks. "Yah all very pleasant and kind. Tank yah."

Giggling sounded from the women and he cautiously pulled the blanket over his head and tried to sleep. He only lasted about half an hour before he decided he needed to find a better place to stay. Women happened across him on the couch several times and pulled the blanket back to see who he was. There wasn't anywhere that appeared to be immediately shielded from prying fingers. As a final attempt he walked over to a series of tables nearby and lifted the tablecloth on one and crawled under it and then crawled along the line for another three tables before settling in. This way nobody had to know where he was and he could sleep in peace.

Mihael had caught up with Illya during the dancing and he followed him at a distance back to the couch and then sat in the couch after Illya crawled under a table. It might have looked odd to some, but it appeared to be the only logical place to get some rest. Seeing that there was a plate of unattended food nearby he reached over and snatched a little kebob of meat and slid a piece off. Popping the meat in his mouth he chewed on it and settled in a bit more content and relaxed. At lease people had gradually gravitated toward the pools and it was more quiet in the food area now. All he had to do was sit here and make sure nobody started crawling under the tables to find the General.

He was barely finishing the kebob when a frazzled looking Kalizda approached. She was looking for Illya. Mihael rose to his feet and sighed, "Oh, I chased him trough dah party too. He's under dah tables now." Walking over to the table he saw Illya crawl under he lifted the table cloth and caught his breath. "Shet...I know he was under dis one." He'd heard that the General was sneaky and he sometimes got away when he wasn't supposed to. This wasn't looking good.

A growing fire was spreading across his cheeks. It was embarrassing to find himself so inept in front of the Council Woman. He'd literally, lost her agreed at a party where Illya was one of the tallest men and should have been easy to spot. Lifting the table cloth closer to the couch he felt a growing panic rise, but he was careful not to let it show in his eyes. Instead the fierce red had spread from his cheeks to his ears and he flipped the table cloth up on the third table while she moved one table ahead of him and began searching. There were only six tables total in this area and they'd checked four. Finally, Kalizda flipped one and the General was there sleeping safe and sound. "I knew he was here somewhere." Mihael shrugged. He tried to sound casual, but he really didn't think he pulled that off very well.
 
The week went by in relative quiet and for the first time in a long time, Pris realized that she felt better. Ehud had walked with her to work every day and then come to get her when he was done so they could walk along in the twilight. She would go home and cook the two men in her life dinner and listen to Sien's day. Then they would go to bed where she would dare to slink a little close and lay a head her head on his shoulder. It was peaceful and she had started to look forward to closing time when he would walk through the door. He even smiled when he came in and seemed genuinely happy to see her for once rather than wearing a mask of a grin. Now, she knew the difference. His real smiles were a little awkward, but no less handsome with a touch of boyish charm. Even her 'demanded' family day had gone well, despite a few phone calls interrupting it.

Despite the progress, she still felt nervous for his second appointment. This would be where he really decided on following through with what he said. She filled out the questionaire with the same questions as before. Thankfully, some of the answers were different. How was his mood? Outbursts of anger? Sadness? Had he been abusive? Exhibited any strange behavior? The questions were endless it felt. Finally, she finished it, handed the pad off to the doctor and waited.

The news was not what Ehud wanted to hear. She knew that. He didn't want to be on this medicine, but the doctors had all but confirmed it was necessary. She practically held her breath when they brought in the shot and told him he could either take it in his rear or cooperate and take it in the thigh. When he decided to cooperate, and furthermore decided he wanted to do the visits on his own, she let out a small breath of relief. Of course, she knew better than to let someone with issues like Ehud was suffering from not have a check on his accountability. The doctor was message her when he had arrived for his appointments or, if he was more than 10 minutes late, inform her she needed to find him. She wanted to believe that it was an unnecessary precaution, but right now, she would take it. He was still eager to get off the meds and a little more motivation to stay on them couldn't hurt.

He held her hand as they left the clinic and offered to walk with her till they reached the corner. Then he leaned in and kissed her gently. She was starting to relish those little shows of affection more and more. Sometimes, she wanted to kiss him for longer too. However, she didn't want to push things until they were both ready emotionally too. She closed her eyes and kissed him back before squeezing his hand. "It sounded easy when you said split at the corner," she mused, "But I rather like us holding hands. Hard to let go at times." A burbling, sweet chuckle left her and she leaned up giving him an extra kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you after work....Oh, and when you get there...can you check your calendar? Monday is the start of the Pyrtan harvest and they've hired me to provide a stall with some snacks and teas along with the Chippeqouti teashop too. The whole community will be out helping and there's a festival in the evening. Dancing, and food, and games of some variety. I was thinking you might enjoy it too, but if you already had work plans, I would understand. It's a little last minute. Just let me know what you think?"

**********

Finding her husband was proving to be harder than Calysta originally thought. Chippeqouti had strong constitutions and she doubted Urian alcohol had any sort of real effect on a man Mihael's size, but when he swore, not once but twice that he knew where Illya was only to turn up wrong, she wondered if she should reconsider that assumption. He was clearly pink in the cheeks, either from booze, embarrassment or both. Finally, they started checking under tables for her long lost husband. He had been missing for over two hours and she had started to get more concerned that maybe he had wandered home without her entirely or some misguided Urian woman had cornered him some how.

Relief flooded her when she found him bunkered underneath a snack table. At least he was safe, even if he did look exhausted. Calysta bent at the knees and leaned down as she pushed the thick table cloth out of the way and tugged the blanket down Illya's face just enough to check on him. He was going to get stiff laying like that but she didn't want to startle him either. Gently, she put a hand on his arm and rubbed it. "Illya, love. Wake up, yeah? Illya?"

The table seemed to be the only place he was going to get any kind of rest. Illya's shoulder was aching and throbbing after he'd danced and had a few women lean in close. He was also tired because his back hurt and he always slept more after injuries. He hadn't got to sleep very much under the table either. It was better than the last place, but someone was bugging him here too. Grunting a bit he started to roll to his side and the stopped when he felt the stabbing pain in his shoulder. Opening his eyes he gave Kalizda a very tired smile. "Hey, I was looking for yah."

She smiled at him gently and reached up, holding his cheek and smoothing his hair down at the nape of his neck. "Aye and I was looking for you. The little bird finds her Wolf in a cave," she chuckled, "You're going to get stiff. Want to come join me on the couch? Everyone is at the pool now. It's much quieter."

"Mmmm...dat would be good. I need tah look occupied tah avoid dah sparkly eyes." Illya began crawling out from under the table and he already felt stiff. His back gave an audible crack as he stood and he twisted a little to try and get things to loosen up and a few more cracks sounded. "Mmm..dat feels better." Offering Kalizda his good arm he walked slowly to the couch and then sat down.

She winced as his back cracked this way and that. It was a sound that always gave her the chills, even if it was purposeful. Then she took his offered arm and walked over to one of the plush couches. Her feet were starting to hurt a bit but things had gone from formal to more relaxed, so she wobbled out of her golden heels and slid them to the side with her aching toes before smiling at Illya. She wasn't sure what he had meant by the sparkly eyes, but if had been wandering for over two hours, he would have come across more than one woman. She pulled her dress up just a little and gently settled into his lap with her reddened feet on the opposite side of his legs. Then she looped an arm over his good side and kissed his cheek. "I'll make sure they leave you alone if you want to close your eyes," she offered.

Illya smiled a little as he settled into the couch with Kalizda. She said she would be sure they left him alone and he pulled her a little closer. "Dey will. Especially ef yah set on meh lap eh?" He was wanting to be sure he followed Henryk's advice and this seemed like the best way to do it. Besides, if she was on his lap she was warm and then they could both sleep. "Maybe I jes lay across dah couch and yah sleep on top of meh? We spread dah blanket over yah instead of meh and den we sleep good eh?"

Calysta smiled when he pulled her closer and she chuckled. "Aye, maybe we could take a little rest? Nobody as the pool will be missing us, I dont think." She shifted to let him settle down back on the couch then stretched herself over his broad chest. He was warm and familiar which was relaxing in itself. She helped pull the blanket over them and nuzzled into his arms shamelessly. Here, the more bold you were about your affection, the better and she knew they could get some rest comfortably like this. His arms were a bit oily and whatever oil he had used was light and fresh smelling. She enjoyed the scent. It must have been something new he had picked up for the party. She got settled in and laid her cheek across his chest. His heart beat was strong and thumped in its chest in a steady rhythm while his skin was warm, almost hot against her own. Every shift he made, she could feel muscles rolling underneath that warm, tan skin. Suddenly, she was feeling warm herself and a flush rushed to her cheeks. Her own heart rate jumped up a little. She shifted herself this way and that, wiggling and unable to sit still. Why was she suddenly so awake? "Sorry," she mumbled, "I'm just having a hard time sitting still."

Kalizda agreed to settling in and Illya promptly laid down on the couch. He was more than ready to have a little rest. She was trying to get comfy and Illya closed his eyes. However, she kept on shifting and his eyes cracked open when he felt her little elbows dig into his ribs. “Why yah so awake feeling? I’m tired.”

"I know," she said, a little frown of confusion arching over her face,"I don't quite know. I feel warm.....excited...." She realized the word that had come out of her mouth and she turned red in the face from her neck to the tips of her ears and point of her nose. That was exactly what it was. She felt taut as a bow string for her husband.

“Excited?” Illya was confused at first and he frowned. Then it dawned on him and his eyebrows raised. “Yah usually shy. Dis hardly seems place tah be excited. Ef we find private place maybe we can fix dis excitement eh?” This time a slight grin came to his face. He really wouldn’t mind helping her with that.

Calysta's face was practically crimson. She had no idea what had come over her but the feeling was there and growing. She was practically shaking at this point. "This is a big place," she whispered, "We should definitely find somewhere private...soon..." She started to lift off of him, but every instinct she had was telling her to lean in closer and keep going right there. She took in a deep breath and in came out shaky with penned up energy. "L-lets see what we can find, yeah?" She knew he was tired, but all she could think about was him!

Getting up from his place on the couch Illya grunted. His back was sore still, but Kalizda seemed to be quite excited. Illya smiled at her, he had to admit that he wasn't completely adverse to the idea. "Ok...." Scanning the area he spotted a door that was ajar. "Dat might be good place tah try for. Maybe little more privacy eh?" Illya held her hand and started off toward the door with Kalizda.

Calysta felt that excitement grow the more he moved around and her heart was starting to flutter. He pointed out a door and she nodded quickly. "Lets go!" She had all but forgotten Rezna and Koda standing behind them and she walked over with her Chip and peered inside the door. It was another lounge sort of area with chairs and loungers encircling little pits with braziers in the center. The lighting was dim and there were only two doors. The one they were going through and an emergency door labeled at the back. Nobody would be coming through that one, so that left the one at the front. The room was empty since all the party goers were at the pool. She scuttled inside and closed the door, locking it behind them with Koda and Rezna on the opposite side to stand watch. Without hesitation, she stepped up to the end of the couch and wrapped her arms around her husband to lock him into a deep kiss. She was trying to slow down, but all she could think about were wild, passionate things as her heart beat faster. Illya was a a sweet and gentle lover, something she enjoyed and apparently couldn't get enough of. When she finally needed air from the kiss she lifted her eyes up to him in a sultry, breathless sort of gasp. "Are you sure you want to? I know you were tired and I have no idea whats gotten into me. Maybe its the pregnancy hormones."

Somehow this seemed like such a bad idea and so exciting at the same time. Kalizda was rarely this wild. They were sneaking off in the middle of the party to have a little hard work and that just seemed so scandalous. Once they entered the room Illya made a fast scan to be sure it was empty. He wasn't sure he trusted Kalizda's swift head turns. She was barely paying attention to anything, but him and that was exciting. As soon as she was on the couch they were busy kissing and Illya was left almost breathless when she released him. Nodding in response to her questions he swallowed and then answered, "Yeah, I tink I want tah do dis and yah hormones must be going crazy. Et's been busy day."

Calysta grinned in delight at his answer and wrapped her arms around him again, pulling him close and kissing him for all he was worth. She had entirely forgotten she was also supposed to be helping him get her out of the clothes because didn't want to pry her hands away from him long enough to do it. Instead, she focused on disrobing him. It didn't take much, thankfully, and she could get to more of him. She doubted she had the patience to be particularly quiet about their little love making either. Everything was almost most blurry with anticipation until they moved on to the act at hand. He was sweet and they were both a little wild. She tried to watch his arm but it was hard to do when she was practically shivering. Afterward, she laid her head down and took in a deep breath, feeling both satisfied and yet, still wound up. "Are you alright?" she asked Illya with a breathless kiss on his neck. She could hardly stop pecking him with gentle kisses anywhere she could reach.

It had been a while since Kalizda was that eager. Illya never recalled her being like this before when she was pregnant. The more he thought about it the greater his suspicion grew. Something was not quite right. She was still kissing him too and he enjoyed it, but this wasn't quite normal. "I'm alright." Illya answered with a grin and kissed her a few more times. He wasn't ready for anymore action and he was far more tired now than he had been before. Seeing that she was shivering Illya helped her get dressed again and then got himself dressed and laid down on the couch with her. The blanket was at the foot of the couch and Illya pulled it over the two of them and then snuggled in close with her. Just as he was about to ask her why she was acting so wild he had a rather shocking thought. What if that oil was love oil? "Kalizda, yah tink maybe I accidentally have love oil on?"

She hardly wanted to get dressed again, but it seemed Illya was tired. He had been tired before they started and now he surely would be exhausted. And yet she was still ready to purr more like a cat than a chirp like a bird. He laid down on the couch with her as she shook more from uncontrollable energy than actual cold. She knew he wouldn't be up for another round, so she forced herself to lay down with him and be still. Her shoulders and hands were still jittery and she tried to puzzle out what in the Wilds had gotten into her. The closer she snuggled in, the more interested in getting more fun she was. Her brain was foggy and focused acutely on one thing. What as wrong with her? Illya started to nuzzle into her too and just when she had resigned herself to staying awake all night, he suddenly spoke. "Love oil?" She spoke the words and they almost slurred together a little as she thought about it. Her brow furrowed and she looked up at him. That's right. She had been in this fog before but it had been a long time. "D-did you put on anything? Did someone give you some?" she asked, blinking at him in surprise.

"I dun know." Illya was trying to retrace his steps. He hadn't drank anything that tasted like it had oil in it. Then he remembered that nice smelling towel that Dane left behind. "Oooh dat's bad. I tink Dane maybe had some and he spilled a little. I dun remember how et smelled and I smell dah towel he used to clean et up wit. Et smelled nice and so I jes rub some on dah back of meh neck and shoulders." That was another reason none of the women left him alone even when he wanted to sleep."Eh...do yah tink I could wash et off en dah pool?"

Calysta's eyes went round as she stayed on top of his chest still shaking with energy. "Oh....I don't know. Whatever this is, it's really strong. I feel almost like I might fly apart at the seams. it took several showers last time..." Even now it was hard for her not to keep on kissing. "We'd still better go get Dane and tell him. I doubt he would use it on purpose." She tried to get up, bracing her weight on the back of their little couch and wobbled a little, feeling almost dizzy with it. "Oooh that stuff is strong...and I've pretty much...well I've rubbed it in to both our skins at this point..."

"HOo boy." Illya let out a sigh. He wasn't feeling the effects of it on her yet, but if she got it from him he would be able to tell shortly. "We better go get washed up." If it was the Urian love oil they needed to start washing up as quickly as possible.

"Aye..." Calysta mumbled, she started to make her way to the door but paused to look at him, "Maybe one more..." No. She had to focus. Her face turned pink again and she unlocked the door, poking her head out. "Koda," she asked, "Go check on Dane, please. He might need some assistance...don't ask me how I know." She glanced back at Illya. "I doubt soap will make much of a difference. Maybe you were right. Maybe we should just go to the pool." She reached for his hand with her own shaking fingers and looked up at him with a bit of a smile. "Now, I'll really have to make sure the ladies stay away from you."

Calysta guided them over to the pool, which was the fanciest one she had ever seen, and dipped a toe in. The water had been brought to a warm, almost bath temperature and the lights at the bottom of the pool slowly shifted colors, fading from blue, to a soft green, then to purple and so on. What was the most notable thing, was that it was completely empty. Two hours ago it had been filled to the brim with people and party goers. Now, there was no one out there but them. In fact, she saw very few people milling about at the food and bars at all. Where had everyone gone?

A twitch in her belly reminded her that she had more important, more Illya related things to think about and also that she was slathered in Urian Love oil. "C'mon," she said, taking off her skirt to reveal a tasteful body suit, "The water is warm and we need to get this stuff off of us."


*************

Akten had been glad to stay home with Wynry while the others went to the party. Not only could he get out of being recognized as Tikan's son and prince, but he got to spend time with the pretty blonde girl who was rapidly making him see why men bothered to get married beyond just the physical need. She was smart and funny. Unafraid to speak her mind. She always seemed to know alot about things he had never heard of and didn't mind sharing it with him. He'd found more and more than he made an effort to see her smile too. She had a pretty smile.

It was to get that pretty smile that he relented to watching some sappy romantic movie when the kids were all fed and tucked in bed. She'd given him a hopeful look and then sat next to him on the couch and started to play the hologram. He could tell she liked the show, but he was took busy stealing glances at her to really know what was going on. After awhile, Dane came trudging in with a handful of food and looking tired.

Wynry paused the movie and asked how the party went, and he grumbled back as he rooted around the ensuite kitchen looking utensils. She lifted from the couch and pulled one out of the drawer for him, handing it off to him, then decided she wanted popcorn to go with it the movie. So he waited while she closed all the cabinets Dane had left open in his wake and made the popcorn. A few minutes later, she was settling back down with him onto the couch, were slight weight making the cushion dip just a little. He nudged a little closer, but didn't dare touch her without permission.

She offered him some of the Terran popcorn and he took a small handful, popping the little bites into his mouth. It was overly salty, in his opinion, but she'd offered and it was something to do with his hands while they watched the boring hologram. He noticed though, she was started to shift a little in her seat every now and then. He wondered if it was because of him. Was he too close? Did he smell? He casually leaned his chin down and tried to take a quiet sniff of his underarms.

Wynry looked up at him while he was looking down and seemed to think he was leaning close toward him. Suddenly, she was on him! Her head tilted up and her lips half crashed into his. He was so shocked, he made a muffled yelp and tried to pull back, but her hand wrapped into his shirt. Then his more basic instincts kicked in and he started kissing her back. They made out for a moment and it was good, but she was tugging almost desperately at his shirt. He'd never known Wynry to be like that. He broke away from the kiss and stared at her. She looked heavy lidded and confused. A small frown was starting to tug at her very reddened lips. "You stopped," she almost moaned, "Don't you want to?"

He swallowed the sudden rock in his throat and nodded, which caused her to launch herself at him again. He pulled her back by the shoulders, panting from more than just the heavy kissing. She was staring at him, brow knitted together in a sad expression. "I thought you wanted to...don't you like me? I'm not pretty? Is it the hearing aids?" Now she was sounding breathless and there was a horrible waiver in her voice. Panic rose up. He had to say something.

What he had meant to say was 'No, it wasn't any of those things' and 'I want to take my time with you and not rush anything.' It was reasonable and true. What came out was entirely different.

"I...I uh...no?" he stammered, "N-"

Before he could finish, Wynry practically melted in front of him at the word 'no' and tears came to her eyes. He immediately hit panic mode and tried to explain himself as she leapt up from the couch and started walking away. "No..I meant no...I didn't...mind...I just...wanted to take my time." By the time he said it, she was slamming her bedroom door, leaving him on the couch with a romance hologram and a half empty bowl of popcorn.

*******

Koda went looking for Dane and after 30 minutes of checking over every nook and cranny, including under every table he could find, he turned up empty handed. It was at that point he called the man, hoping to get an idea of where he was. The pad rang through twice before Dane answered. There was aquarium wall in the background which confirmed what Dane said about his location, he had gone home several hours ago. "The councilwoman was concerned about you," he said, "She had me looking for you. I'll tell her you went home and you're just fine."

With that, he let Dane to rest and walked over to the pool where Calysta and Illya had gotten into the water to report. "Dane went home about 2.5 hours ago. He's at the hotel resting."

He thought that would have been good news, but the look on the councilwoman's face was wide- eyed concern. Calysta turned to her husband. "He's probably gotten the oil everywhere in the rooms," she said, "And I don't think the pool water his helping at all. It feels...." she made a face and sighed, "Stronger."

About that time, Sarai emerged looking more or less disheveled but not less pleased with Henryk following behind her. The Urian man's hair was a wild mess too and he looked sleepy. "There you are," Sarai said in her usual pleasant tones, "I've been looking for you. It's about your man Dane. You might want to keep an eye on him tonight. He's been practically slathered in some very potent love oil by accident. I told him to wash it off but I was in a hurry myself as well." The matriarch paused, as she looked at the two of them and then tilted her head. "Are you two alright?"
 
Ehud and Pris were almost to the point where they would be splitting ways and he was just letting go of her fingers when Pris announced something about the festival. He should have known that was coming up and somehow he missed it. The thought had slipped his mind several times and now the festival was here. "Oh...." Staring at Pris for a moment he tried to determine what she wanted the answer to be. Based on what she'd said he could figure she would want him to be there. Did her face say the same thing?

The facial expression she had seemed to indicate that she was being honest. Pris wanted him to come help with the bakery and distributing teas and treats to people during the harvest. That was such an odd request. "Uh...I'll check." Ehud answered hesitantly and then he turned to walk himself to work. This was all such a change from what it had been.

Perhaps they had always had an awkward relationship. She seemed almost stiff. Ehud wasn't sure what the cause could be, but he was going to try and make things better. Family days had been challenging in a sense. First of all, he couldn't get away from certain elements of his work and then there was the fact that Pris wanted him to be involved as much as he could be with a few things. If that wasn't confusing enough in itself some days then there was the part with his son. Sien had seemed so pleased with the idea of playing games together and talking about the things he found most interesting in school.

Stepping into the office he walked passed John and muttered under his breath all the way to his office space. John kept the appearance of an assistant, but John was far more than that. The man was working his own contacts and he was a quiet sort. Someone you didn't know and it was better not to know him. Ehud only knew what he had to about John and they kept it that way for decades.

It was hard to focus on work with the thoughts of Pris and Sien running through his head. Ehud stared at his calendar and he saw a few things he could shift around. If he stayed later for the next few days he might be able to make the harvest season a bit more enjoyable. There was just the small niggling in the back of his mind. Was it the crazy side or instinct? That was hard to tell anymore. He didn't know what was crazy and what was instinct or if they had essentially become the same thing to him over the years. His odd hunches had saved him and made a fool of him several times. Swallowing that bit of rising fear he began to shift his check in times. The contacts would find it odd, but everyone knew in this business you could always expect the unexpected.

**********************************

That evening Ehud walked to the bakery to meet with Pris and walk home with her. She was looking a bit worn out, but the Chippequoti children had shown up in force and they all wanted to work hard. The windows were all scrubbed in the shop and new drawings were added to the board, the decorations got dusted and the whole bakery was glistening by the time they were done. For the amount of work done there wasn't really enough half price goodies remaining for the next day to pay them. Instead, Ehud took some loaves that would have to go to half price tomorrow and gave them loaves of bread to take home in addition to their little treats.

It was working out well. Pris was able to sell almost everything at full price and everything half price was partial payment to the children assisting in the bakery. When the last tanned fingers splayed and waved goodbye Ehud nodded and waved in return before he shut the door and locked it. Walking into the back he held a hand out to Pris. "Shall we get something to eat at the Pytran hall tonight? You're looking tired."

Nodding in response to her answer he walked out the back door of the bakery and locked it behind them. Glancing at Pris again he smiled faintly. "I uh...got some things changed over at work. I think I should be able to help with the harvest festival thingy." There was still shock of fear that struck his mind like lightening. So many things could go wrong. Something critical would happen, he could feel it. Still, he was going to try and live life without that constant nagging in his mind. Perhaps it wasn't his instinct. Part of him hoped it was. At least if it was his instinct and it turned out to be right he would know that he wasn't crazy.

******************************

The pool didn't feel too bad. It was nice and Illya was enjoying it. The water was warm and it was relaxing. There was a pleasant odor to the water and it had a slight sheen over the top. Perhaps it was successful in removing the oil. His clothing however, was slightly disconcerting. Illya's strange tunic with no pants kept floating up around his waist and his boxers were in full view. Somehow it would almost seem more appropriate to just take the tunic off and then he wouldn't have the tunic rise like that. Before he could think any further on the issue of Kalizda complaining that the water felt like the oils in it were stronger Sarai came out with Henryk. They looked like they had just got done doing wild things. Subconsciously, Illya found himself rubbing his head and making a futile attempt at taming his own hair. Last thing he wanted was for Sarai to think he had been wild too. "Eh, we're jes fine. Relaxing en dah pools. Nut sure what happened tah everyone."

Sarai looked around and then back at Henryk. "I'm not sure either. Hopefully they enjoyed themselves." It was like the general hadn't heard what she said or perhaps not understood the importance of it. "I've been looking for both of you for awhile." Her eyes roved over the pair of them, stopping on their hair, their clothes and their faces in a quick study. "Your man Dane may be in a fair bit of trouble. He was exposed, quite by accident, to a highly potent tincture of love oil. I told him to go wash, but that might not be enough. You should probably have him stay in the rooms for a day...maybe two...this is so potent it can last for days at the amount he was exposed to."

About that time, Calysta's eyes flicked from Sarai to the pool water, then back to Sarai. She was fidgety and restless, but clearly trying to think something over. Whatever it was must have struck home because her eyes then snapped to her husband and they were round as saucers. "Illya...you don't think...you don't think Dane...she told him to go wash..." she stammered, her face turning pink, "You don't think he used the pool water?"

"Trouble eh?" Illya murmured mostly to himself and he gazed at the water for a long moment before it registered for him that Kalizda was talking to him. Blinking a few times he stared into her eyes and tried very hard to understand what she was asking him. "Who use dah pool water?"

Maybe it was the oil and maybe it was something else. Illya could feel his brain was a bit foggy and he didn't know why it was getting harder and harder to track what was going on. His shoulder hurt, he was getting a headache and maybe he was starting to see things because it looked like the water was getting a little warped. The oil in this concentration hadn't really helped. Then it came together in a brief lucid thought. He was about to have a seizure and he had to get out of the pool now. Without saying much more he started for the edge of the pool and got out quickly. "I jes gonna go lay down for a few."

Calysta frowned when Illya blinked at her almost as if he were confused. She was about to tell her suspicions again, he'd had trouble hearing her at some points recently too, when he suddenly felt like he wanted to go lay down. Was it the oil? He was already climbing out of the pool and a sense of urgency rose up in her, capping off the other, physically instincts. She followed him. Wading out of the pool and hauling herself up to walk behind him, bare feet making tiny sounds as she padded along. Sarai watched, opening and closing her mouth several times in equal confusion. They didn't seem to understand the problem at all.

Calysta caught up to Illya and reached out for him, brow furrowed. "Love, are you okay? Illya?"

Koda and Rezna had dutifully followed and Sarai and Henryk weren't far behind.

There was nothing quite so desperate feeling as being at a party and surrounded by people that he wasn't sure he wanted there to witness a seizure. Regardless, he needed to get someplace fast. Illya glanced back at Kalizda when she came trotting up behind him and he wobbled on his feet slightly when he looked at her. "No." Answering in Quoti he continued looking around almost wildly until he saw a couch he could go lay on. There was a blanket and he went and laid down and promptly pulled the blanket over himself and laid on his side.

The curt answer came back and she looked up at him. He was wobbling on his feet. Maybe it was a bad reaction? Maybe something else was wrong? A seizure incoming? All the thoughts ran through her head as she tried to figure it out. He clearly wasn't able or wasn't going to give more details than that right now. He spotted a couch and wobbled his way, almost drunkenly, over to it. Then he unceremoniously flopped down and pulled the blanket over himself. Everyone else following them stopped in confusion too. Calysta didn't hesitate to sink to her knees beside the couch and touch a hand to his forehead. He didnt feel hotter than his usually toasty self, but something wasn't right.

"Should I be getting a doctor?" Sarai asked looking utterly defeated.

"No," Calysta replied, "Just give him a little space. I'll take care of Dane and the rest of it, yeah?" Illya wouldn't want to be bombarded with doctors so publicly if he could help it unless it was necessary. Calysta saw the look on the matriarchs face and knew the woman must be thinking that she was a terrible hostess. It was a Urian point of pride. "Oh we had such a good time. I think we might just rest for awhile. See you in awhile?" Calysta offered.

Sarai took the hint and sighed. "Yes, but please do call if you need something."

There were quite a few things Calysta felt like she.needed at that moment, and only Illya was going to supply that. Still, she agreed to call and then turned her attention to Koda and Rezna. "Koda, call Dane. Tell him what happened and to stay in his room. Don't go out. And..." she sighed, "Ask him if he went near the pool."

Then she looked at Rezna. "Find me some water or tea. No alcohol please."

"I shouldn't be leaving either of you," Rezna said.

"I'll just take my turn on guard and Koda will be here, just on the pad," Calysta shrugged, "We'll be here. Just go do it."

Rezna growled under her breath and shot Koda a warning look before stalking off.

Calysta looked to Illya. "Just close your eyes for awhile. I won't let anyone bother you." A distinct feeling of guilt welled up. He had been so tired when she found him and she had pushed too much.

It was a relief that Sarai and Henryk left. Kalizda seemed to understand even if Illya was having a hard time putting things together. She quickly gave instructions for a few more things and Illya saw Mihael hovering quietly in the back. The man was at least good at that. He wasn't making a scene and one barely noticed he was there. Mihael also had his medication with in case he needed it. Hopefully it would subside and he wouldn't get a seizure since he was laying down.

Mihael watched while the others left and Rezna went to retrieve a few things. He was aware that the General had particularly violent seizures at times. Moving in a little closer he set the seizure kit out on the table and sat down next to the couch where Illya was laying. Glancing at Kalizda he nodded. "Yah do well." She had done a nice job clearing the unnecessary persons from the room.

Illya laid quietly for about 12 minutes and nothing happened. He was starting to feel a little better, but he wanted to give himself a few more minutes before moving. He was about to get up when a sudden wave of nausea hit and he remained still for a moment longer. Despite his best attempts not to tense up, he felt his muscles begin to pull in tight and his eyes began to roll into the back of his head. Illya's jaw clenched shut and he struggled against the seizure. He could hear Kalizda talking to him and she was gently petting at his hair.

Watching the clock carefully, Mihael waited till the two minutes and then he grabbed the small vial. It barely held more than about 10 drops of medication. With Illya's jaw clenched he could put it in the side of Illya's cheek. With one finger he pulled slightly to make a pocket where he could deposit the drops from the vial and then waited. It only took a few seconds for the medication to work and then the General snored loudly for about five minutes.

The recovery was fairly quick and Illya sat up after his few minutes of snoring. "Ugh...I tink I like some tea and snacks. Maybe I jes go sit outside for little bit." Somehow the room felt very stuffy and hot.

Once everybody was off doing something Calysta could focus on Illya. He looked pale, which was never good, and tired. With all gentle care, she stayed by his side and smoothed his hair down. Maybe he could rest, even if she couldn't.

She jumped a little when Mihael appeared from seemingly nowhere and say down on the couch. He looked at her and told her she had done well. She didn't feel like she had done much but push her Chip too far at this rate. "If he seizes, I'll need your help," she replied to Mihael quietly.

They waited and she stayed with him. For a moment he tried to sit up, but then, the seizure took hold and it was a grand mal for sure. She bit at her lip as he seized and tried to walk him through it. Seeing him like that always brought her back to unpleasant places like the dark moon shadow and a dank ship. She tried not to focus on those images though and kept her gaze squarely on her husband who was fighting his seizure. "Its okay...it's okay. I'm right here." She spoke to him softly as Mihael watched the clock. She knew it was time for meds when he didnt stop at 2 minutes. Moving, she let Mihael administer the medicine and then slowly brought illya down. The snoring was normal but he popped back up rather fast for such a rough seizure and asked for a snack. Calysta took tea cups from Rezna who returned a few seconds before he'd woken up. "Rezna brought some tea. We can sit outside if you like." She didn't ask if he could stand but waited for him to be ready to move. A tiny look at Mihael told him she wanted him to stay up close this time. Calysta couldn't catch her husband if he fell and the only other person capable of hauling him around would be Rezna if they had to.

As badly as Illya wanted to nap, he knew they were at this party and he needed to be a good guest. So far, he hadn't done a lot to make himself a good guest. He was also feeling a bit randy after his seizure and he was sure that was the oils. Kalizda was looking good and he wanted her to sit with him. "Yeah, we jes go sit out by pool now. Maybe I stay out of water tahnight eh?" Swimming sounded like a terrible idea considering the fact that he'd just finished seizing. Getting up off the couch he made a few wobbly steps, but quickly regained his usual stride and then made his way out toward the pool. He was going to have to face Sarai at some point tonight.

He was still sounding a bit sluggish and still wobbly as he made his way over to the pool. Rezna followed and Koda managed to catch up with them. "Dane did bathe in the pool," he said, coming to walk alongside Calysta. The councilwoman let out a sigh and glanced at Koda. "You told him to stay in the rooms right?" Koda confirmed he had done so, and Calysta nodded as she turned the corner to the outdoor pool. Her bare feet met a puddle over the smooth stone and she slid forward, bumping into the wall and the suddenly being grabbed before she could slide or fall further. The hand on her arm righted her and she glanced back to find Koda had done it more out of instinct than anything else. He'd grabbed her arm and when he realized what he had done, he let go but it was likely too late.

Illya hadn't noticed Kalizda was tipping over behind him until he heard her tiny squeak of surprise and he turned in time to see that Koda had grabbed her. That was good and Illya nodded a bit. The man was doing his job and that was good. Once they were back out by the couches near the pool Illya sat down in the nearest one and sipped at his tea. Hopefully Sarai was here and he could ask her what she was saying earlier.

Illya didn't seem to understand the problem and merely nodded his approval before continuing outside. Calysta looked up at Koda and sighed. "Mihael and Rezna are here. Wash your hands and go back to the rooms. Try to stay away from everyone and don't touch anything..."

Koda opened his mouth as if to object but knew it would only be a few minutes before he was feeling it too. He looked at Mihael and Rezna, then sighed before making his exit.

Calysta joined Illya by the pool where Sarai was lounging on Henryk in a way that suggested that perhaps they had been doing a bit more than that a few moments prior. "I've cordoned off the pool," Sarai informed them. "Just in case. If he bathed it...well...that explains where all the party guests vanished to. They'll all be horny as nyte beasts in heat."

Suddenly Kalizda was ordering Koda to go away and Illya frowned slightly. He was still a bit foggy brained after the seizure. It wasn't until he sat down on the couch and Sarai made her announcement that he remembered what this was all about. Was that what everyone had been so concerned about just before he had his seizure? Illya glanced at Sarai and Henryk with a bit of concern and then back to Kalizda. They were in for a very long couple of days. "Oh shet."

Sarai mused a bit lazily from Henryk's chest. "Aye. Oh shit sums it up rather nicely."

Henryk lounged, looking tired yet satisfied for the moment. "When you get back to the rooms. I might suggest keeping the men separate from the women for the sake of comfort."

The other two seemed less concerned than they should be and Illya could feel his heart rate rising. Just thinking of what a mess it would be back at the hotel was making him feel almost sick. "I keep dem separate. I dun share and I feel very angry ef oter men start looking at meh Kalizda. Ef dey touch her I feel like murder es good option."

Sarai looked at Illya with a frown. "No one is saying it will make you share. It's just going to be uncomfortable for a bit as all." Calysta had come to sit beside Illya, which was hard to do and not want to pounce on him again. When he made his territorial comment she blushed and put a hand over his. "It will be alright. We'll just keep the men and women separate. Yeah?"

The frown from Sarai was met with an equally sour frown from Illya. He was feeling tired and irritable after the seizure, but he refrained from saying much more after Kalizda put her hand over his and spoke quietly. It was hard to remember that she was viewed as the more dominant person in the relationship here. The Chippequoti believed it was a shared trait among men and women and they could make equal demands of one another. Here it was different. "Yes, yah right." Illya nodded to Kalizda and then glanced at Sarai again. He really didn't trust her with all this oil.

Sarai lounged on Henryk, her fingers tracing little circles on his chest as she watched the General stare at her. "I really am sorry. No one planned for this."

No matter how he felt Illya knew that Sarai was one of the most fervent supporters the Chippequoti had. This was one relationship he could not afford to make mistakes in. With some effort he was able to clear the irritable expression from his face and he chuckled a little. "Well, I dun tink anyone tought dat Dane would decide tah share his misfortune wit everyone eiter."

Sarai let out a little laugh. "No, I don't think do. But it hasn't been all bad." She leaned up and kissed Henryk with a peck or two. "It will be a party to remember."

A slightly wiley grin came to Illya's face. "No, ets nut party tah forget. I tink et jes takes moderation tah be sure dat dah shared joy es nut going tah cause pain later. Too much hard work makes a man and a woman tender."

Sarai smiled and her loving little pecks on Henryk turned slower and sweeter until she was stretching across him like a sleepy cat, content and amused. She looked at them both, then caught sight of Illya's grin and chuckled. "Indeed it does. I don't think she's quite ready to be done though. Why don't you just kiss him already, dear?"

Calysta was sitting beside Illya with pink cheeks and her knee bouncing frantically. She shifted awkwardly in her seat, clearly to sensitive to sit one way for long. At Sarai's tease, Calysta straightened and shook her head slowly. "No," she said, "I give those. I won't take them, yeah? He is my equal partner." She gave a sweet, shy sort of smile. "I'll do that when he's ready and not before." As if to emphasize her point she clasped both her shaking hands over his and gave them a soft squeeze.

It was getting uncomfortable the way Sarai seemed to think that they ought to do more. The woman had no idea how many times they'd enjoyed one another already and Illya was feeling more than ready, but he didn't want to make Kalizda sore. She was delicate and he didn't want to hurt her. At this point he was refraining for her sake. There was also the side of Illya that refrained because he would be sore too and his shoulder was very painful. Normally he would have had one of his muscle relaxers and pain killers and gone to bed for the night by now. His muscles were getting tense through his back and he knew that the seizure didn't help that. Nodding at Kalizda's reply he smiled some and then spoke to her in Quoti. "Sit on me and we talk. We will kiss some and then I'll pleasure you. We'll just be careful so you don't get sore."

Calysta felt tingling and wild all over but Illya had just had a seizure and she was certain he couldn't possibly feel in the mood after that, even if she was. He smiled at her in a softer look and then whispered to her in Quoti. Her cheeks immediately flamed at the suggestion. Even though it was said in Quoti, Mihael could understand the words easily and the suggestion of doing that out here in the open was absolutely, unfathomably wild. "Out here?" She whispered back in Quoti, half excited for the idea of that just not in front of other people.

The familiar blush came over Kalizda's face and Illya chuckled a bit. His chuckle turned to laughter when he realized he hadn't exactly specified and it did sound a bit wild. "I don't mind the idea, but I think you'd rather have the privacy." With a wink he held his one good hand out to her to assist her in getting more comfortably seated on him. "I wouldn't want everyone to see you. That's for me."

A little relief flooded through the tension in her muscles at the idea that they were not going to be doing that in front of anyone and most of all Sarai. She always had to posture in front of the woman but this was her chance to put a large part of Sarai's blatant curiosity about her husband to rest in a mild way. Calysta took his and came to rest on his lap. She was still wet from the pool and hadn't realized she had gotten cold on top of the flush of desire. Illya was toasty and she actually sighed a little without meaning to. "You're warm," she said in Quoti with a sheepish smile. She kissed him a little and then chuckled. "You know, one of the matriarchs asked me how I kept you so occupied as my husband. I rather think its the other way around." She chuckled and little more and brought her hands up to rub at his good shoulder.

Sarai was loped across Henryk still and looking lazy. The oils were strong and he still had his libido in tact. As much as she hated admitting it, she was slowing down. Even the oils couldn't fix that at a certain point. Henryk leaned down and whispered in her ear and she smiled up at him, though there was a touch of sadness. "Aye." Was her only reply. "You two really are in love as you look," Sarai said quietly, "I admire it. You're both very lucky. I admit for awhile I thought your marriage was purely political at first."

Kalizda sauntered her way over to him and Illya enjoyed watching her little hips sway slightly. She wasn't going to have to be sitting with him long for it to get him all warmed up and ready to go. When her cool, wet body slid over his it sent a shiver up his spine. Clearly, she needed to get warmed up too. She didn't need much else for invitation and she began to kiss him gently. Illya held onto her with his good arm and kissed her back. They were enjoying the moment perhaps a bit more than he realized because he had turned so that they could be on their sides while he lounged on the sofa chair.

Glancing up, he noticed that Sarai was watching them. Illya caught his breath a bit and he cleared his throat before saying anything. "Political benefit was nut ever meh intent. I did nut tell her meh position until after we had promised tah be agreed. She had no title when I agree. Everyone jes call her halfbreed. I never see her as jes halfbreed."

Calysta was enjoying the fun, though she was acutely aware of the audience between their guards and their hosts. It all felt very intimate to be showing off. Sarai's voice cut through her own thoughts and thankfully Illya replied. At the mention of half-breeds she instinctively tightened around Illya without meaning to.

Sarai didn't reply immediately to Illya's comment but slowly nodded. "Purists are rarer on Uria these days. They don't come here and often don't stay. We have no qualms about who someone loves here. Who they chose to have their children with. That is their choice. Anyone of mixed parentage is welcome and anyone who comes to cause trouble on my planet to the contrary is ejected. There are still some older hold outs though that believe mixed blood is an abomination with sickly results." Sarai was blunt about it and she was right. "They're wrong, of course. But convincing them of such an engrained error has been like wind whittling mountain stones. Particularly on Ewen."

Calysta kept her head in Illya's chest while Sarai spoke, partly because she was cold but also because she didn't want Sarai to see her face at the moment.

Sarai nestled comfortably into Henryk and continued. "It makes me glad to see it wasn't a political arrangement after all. You've never strayed or spoken an ill word about each other. You are kind and loyal. The matriarchs and Urian people admire this. They find strength in it as well. We are proud allies. I dare say you've made your mark tonight and it is good one. Wilds, a few matriarchs might even have your man Dane to thank for babies in 9 months." Sarai chuckled and looked up into the inky black dome of the underwater city. "You will have our unwavering support and unity in the days ahead."

Illya listened to Sarai and he knew it was a sore topic for Kalizda and for himself for his own reasons. The response from the woman was welcome and Illya smiled a little. Then the matriarch continued with a comment on Dane and at first Illya's heart sped up. What had Dane done? It only took a moment to remember what exactly Dane had done. It wasn't that Dane had taken advantage of the situation, he simply made a mistake. "Well, yah words are very pleasing. I'm glad dat meh man does nut make trouble here wit his mistake. Dah support of dah Urians es most pleasing to dah Chippequoti. I am nervous tah come here under all dah water, but I find meh time very enjoyable here. I believe dat Kalizda and I will extend our stay so dat we can recover from dah oils and den fully enjoy being wit dah people here more."

Sarai smiled, clearly happy that he was at ease. Not only did it make her feel like less of a terrible host but it was a great honor to have them both stay. "Oh, we would love to have you stay for as long as you like. Rest before you continue...and of course.. perhaps waiting for the oils to wear off wouldn't be a bad idea either. I can arrange anything you might like for your extended stay. Just leave it to me, yeah?"

Sarai was about to say more when Henryk reached up and smoothed down his wife's hair. She seemed to melt with a loving expression. It was a calming motion. A reassuring and most of all an intimate, vulnerable one. She closed her eyes at the touch then smiled. She wasn't so old she couldn't enjoy those moments. "Henryk will also be able to help," she added quietly, "Anything you need just message us." Sliding an arm up to her husband's neck she whispered to him in Kaerelean and he hooked his arms beneath her and stood, holding her bridle style. "We...are...seeking some privacy for the rest of the night. Its only a few hours till sunrise. Stay and do whatever suits you, we will be ready for your message for whatever your need."

With the entire place to themselves Illya couldn't help his wild side from showing. They had toyed with the idea of having fun out here in the open earlier and now that they were alone it could happen. He would just have to dismiss the guards from the immediate area. Kalizda was a bit more shy and it was doubtful that the guards would want to see that. "Eh, we're alone out here. Jes watch dah perimeters. Kalizda and I need some privacy tah talk about a few tings." Illya wasn't going to tell them it wasn't so much about talking as it was about doing other things, but he did want to dismiss the men.

****************************

The next two days at the apartments were quite wild and Illya felt like a raging beast. If he wasn't hungry he was feeling rowdy and he wanted to keep all the men away from Kalizda and he felt incredibly needy as her husband. Normally he had better self control, but with this much oil and at the concentration it was in he couldn't help himself. A few times Dane told him to back off because he was getting rough and Mihael had joined a scuffle or two. They were all sporting new bruises with their heightened hormonal responses.

As the oils began to wear off Illya was a little less brutish feeling and he started to ease into the exhaustion that built up over the last few days. He would be having his surgery soon. The doctors were waiting for him and he was scheduled for it the next day now. He was also supposed to go with Kalizda to her little appointment. She would be getting a check up with the babies.

Having a baby appointment was stressful and exciting in one. She kept claiming it was only a single baby, but he was convinced she had told him they were having twins. She probably down graded it to keep him from feeling so stressed. One or two made very little difference. Her body had struggled with the twins and he wasn't sure they could finish the tour if she got sick and had to do bed rest again. Those were all things that would be sorted out later. For now, they had to rest so that tomorrow's procedure and her appointments could go well. Just as Illya thought he might doze off he remembered something else. "Kalizda, I tink we need tah talk about extending our stay here. Dat last party did nut go as planned and I tink Sarai would be very disappointed ef we left witout giving her chance tah trow party where people stay enstead of running away tah have sex." He also knew they had to do their little appearance for the Urian citizens too. So far the people had been wonderful hosts and they had put up with a lot of small mishaps.
 
When they parted, Pris was sure Ehud did not want to come to the festival. His answer had been hesitant at best after he had stared at her for a long time. She had invited him because she thought it might be fun and she could use the help. Sure, she could ask for someone else to help, but the time with him would have been enjoyable. His clear hesitancy made his answer in the evening all the more surprising. He had decided to come spend the day with her after all and had rearranged work to do so. He gave a weak smile at her but she returned it with a bright one of her own. "Really?" she asked, beaming at him, "It will be fun. We can spend the day together and Sien is out of school too. He's been given a little spot to help in the fields with the other kids and they'll be teaching them all about the harvest." She actually felt a little shred of hope that the festival would be fun with all of them together. Leaning in, she kissed his cheek and took his hand as they walked toward the little Pyrtan food spot on the square. "Thank you," she added, "For making time for this. I'm glad we'll be together."

*******************

The harvest went on all day long and Pris kept her little, well-decorated stall up for the peckish Pyrtans and Chippeqouti alike to stop by. She wore boots and jeans with a green button down top and her hair braided back for the event. It was still somewhat warm outside, but in the evening it would be cooler and it would be best to have some jeans rather than a skirt on. She helped serve some coffee and Terran style teas for those who preferred them. She knew most of their names since many of them stopped by the shop. They were kind, quiet people for the most part and she enjoyed their company too. Some of them even asked who Ehud was, and she introduced him as her husband with gentle pride. Every now and then, when she knew he wasn't looking, she would steal a glance at Ehud. He was handsome in the sunshine. The sun made his hair shine with a hint of gold and his eyes were bright. They didn't talk much besides what was necessary to work the stand but she smiled at him on occasion.

When the afternoon wore into evening, the men and women came in from the fields covered in red bits of grasses and hauling their baled loads of the harvest in skimmers behind them. Pris took down her little stand and gave the rest of the treats to the kids who had been helping in the fields, Sien included, and then took Ehud's hand. "I think they'll have dinner at the tents," she smiled, "And some dancing." As she spoke, she could already hear the sounds of the hodge podge, local band thumping against drums and warming up some sort of string instrument.

The band had struck up a full on song by the time they walked through the fields to the large tents covering the freshly harvested ground. The sweet smell of grass and cooking food at a series of big pots in the back made her stomach growl. Then, of course, the Pyrtan's were already filling up the dance floor, inviting some of the Chippeqouti to dance as well.

An older, Pyrtan woman tapped them on the shoulder as they entered the tent and handed each of them a red ribbon with a toothless smile. "For the Red Dance," she said in broken Trader's tongue, "Brings good luck to young couples. Harvest ends...and the cold months will bring babies in the spring." With that, she winked, and handed the next couple a set of ribbons too.

Priscilla cast a look at Ehud as she held onto the ribbon and then cleared her throat. "Sounds like a Pyrtan tradition," she mused, "Maybe we'll just grab some food first. Are you hungry?"

*************


Calysta went through the usual questions from the nurse as she sat on the papered exam table. The little scanner was already taking her vitals including her heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels. All that was really to be done by the Ehaui nurse was to ask what pre-natal care she had been given and if there had been any signs of spotting. The nurse tutted and shook her head at the Terran doctor's vitamin prescriptions and nodded when she reported there had been no spotting as of yet. Then the doctor finally came in. He was flipping through his pad at first, looking at her chart. "Blood pressure is a little on the low end, but not abnormal for you personally at this stage," he said, "Let's take a look and see how we're developing." He helped her lay back on the exam table and very carefully rolled her leggings and underwear down to reveal the space between her hips without exposing her entirely. Calysta shivered a little because the man's hands were cold and she had been warm, then looked at Illya to make sure he wasn't going to break the doctor in any way. He was still sporting bruises from tussles with Dane and Mihael because the love oil had activated some recessive caveman brain cells it seemed.

The check up with Kalizda was one that made Illya's heart beat a little faster. It was probably just as well that this was before his surgery. He would rather know that she was going to be ok before he went in for his clean up surgery. Kalizda got up on a little table and she had to put her feet on what they called stirrups and they had her in a little hospital gown. Illya really didn't like the way the doctor had her put her feet on those things and spread her knees. Was the doctor really going to look up there for the babies? Apparently the doctor did plan on looking all the way up there because he started to roll Kalizda's pants and underwear down. Illya took a step forward and he saw the doctor's eyes widen momentarily. "Why yah need tah look dere? Can't yah little belly rub and jelly ting tell yah enough from top?"

Calysta could feel Illya's tension and the doctor sat up a little and looked at the man. "Because she is a high risk pregnancy. She has alot of scar tissue and the most accurate way to look for the health of the baby and for her is this way. It will be uncomfortable, but should not be painful." Calysta lifted her hand and brushed her fingers over his. "It's okay. Awkward, but necessary, yeah?" She told him in Qouti.

The answer from Kalizda made sense, but it did not ease Illya's concern much. Moving over he grabbed one of Kalizda's hands and watched with narrowed eyes as the doctor grabbed the wand and prepared it. Illya didn't really like that the man was doing that. This seemed like it was some sort of perverted practice.

Illya was calm, for now. She squeezed his hand gently and looked up at him with a smile. "Hey, in a second you'll get to see you baby, yeah?" she said calmly in Qouti. In truth, it was better she didn't watch them put that thing in. She'd had it done once before and it was indeed uncomfortable. This time it was cold too, but she managed to keep a straight face until the doctor seemed to be pushing too far. She knew that was part of it too, but she sure as the Wilds did not want to give Illya a reason to let go of her hand and break the doctor's instead. The discomfort continued, feeling slightly achy, like she wasn't quite meant to move that way until the doctor let out a curious 'hmmmm' and the pointed toward the ultra sound appearing on the screen. Then he prodded further and she nearly jumped. Now, her heart was really going fast. What did 'Hmmm' mean? She hated it when doctor's did that. "This is your first ultra sound for this pregnancy?" he said, still guiding the wand. "Aye..." she replied, "Why?" She couldn't make heads or tails of the image on the screen if she was honest. The doctor let out another 'hmmmm' and started moving the wand again which was getting weird feeling, until finally, he paused it and pointed to the screen where there was a grey orb in in a sea of darkness. "One," he said, then he pointed to another grey orb, "Two." And then his finger slid upward to a third. "Three." Then he looked at Calysta and Illya. "There are three."

There was a definite sense of uncertainty as the doctor began to do his thing with the wand. Illya braced himself against her bed and he clenched the fist that was dangling from the sling. Then the doctor started counting and Illya wasn't sure if the man was counting down to something or if there was perhaps something else going on. Then suddenly he heard Kalizda say there were three. Illya blinked a few times and he bumped into the wall before stumbling back slightly and losing his grip on Kalizda's hand.

Calysta blinked as the doctor announced there were three and for a moment, it didn't connect that there were three babies. The word three barely computed. Then it struck her at about the same time it must have hit Illya. Suddenly he was stumbling back and his hand slipped from hers. Her instinct was to reach out and grab it to keep him from falling, but she couldn't move because she still had a wand in a very odd spot. "Illya?!"

Looking over the doctor and the nurse saw the big dark fellow begin to tip over. One nurse began to work her way around and she gently patted Illya's hand. "Hey." After a few seconds Illya opened his eyes and he began to scramble to get up, but he felt a bit dizzy at the same time. Swaying slightly he reached for the bed rail and used it to steady himself. "Yah said tree?"

The doctor watched the scene, letting the nurse do the work of getting the big man off the floor. "Yes. Three," he confirmed. Calysta stared at the screen in shock. Three? Three?! She'd barely snuck by with two and now there were three tiny, precious little babies...that weren't going to stay tiny for long. The doctor finished up and much to her relief, retracted the horrible prod from her for a moment. "There are alot of things to consider, but at the moment, I think you two need a second." Calysta nodded, her eyes wide with spiraling realizations, one after the next. Her hands had gone a bit clammy too. She glanced at Illya. "Are you okay?"

Illya nodded when she asked if he was ok. Everything was a blur at the moment. How could they be having three kids at the same time. Letting out a long breath he looked at her with his brow creased some. "Kalizda, dats a lot of babies. I tought yah said we were only having two>"

Calysta let out an unsteady, bubbling laugh. "I only said one. I didn't even think it would be twins...Illya there's three...three." Saying it didn't make it feel anymore real in the moment. There was shock coursing through her combined with joy and fear. She looked to the doctor. "Can I even carry three to a safe term?" The doctor was sitting on his stool, waiting for them to calm down enough to continue. "Technically, you have alot of scar tissue. A cerclage would help, but it has the potential of making that tissue irritated or worse with stitches. It would mean bed rest and light movement only. It's why we recommended not having anymore children. I'd like to do one more pelvic exam to check your cervix again before I offer a possible alternative." Calysta felt suddenly very cold at the idea she might lose any of the babies and she nodded to the doctor who didn't hesitate to bring out the dreaded duck lips and do what he needed to do between her knees. She shifted uncomfortably as he poked a bit, prodding here and there until finally resurfacing. "I think my proposed alternative would be viable, but it will be up to you to decide. A cerclage will limit your mobility, there's a chance it may break, cause irritation and pain through the pregnancy. Or, I can give you a series of injections to strengthen and freeze the muscles and tissues in place, nice and tight. It would be around 7 shots and you'd be very sore for few days, then be more mobile. You could even participate in...light and careful bedroom activities."

The fear on Kalizda's face was easy to see if you knew her. Illya didn't like to see that, but they were both nervous. This was wonderful and frightening news all at the same time. How could he know that she would be having this many babies at one time? Finally, Kalizda spoke to the doctor again and the man did another exam. This was one that Illya disliked even more than the first. It was entirely indecent and he really wanted to wring the doctor's neck. However he waited for the doctor to give his thoughts and Illya clenched his jaw. Shots anywhere internally didn't sound like they were fun.

Calysta knew the answer to this one. She needed to stay mobile and on her feet, even if the way to ensure that she could do that sounded practically like torture. "These shots would work as effectively as the cerclage?" The doctor looked at her. "It would be about the same risk either way. One way just doesnt leave internal stitches and items that could irritate the scar tissues. You are already in a high risk pregnancy, so on top of this we will be setting up appointments and getting you on a course of pre-natal vitamins suitable for your individual needs. You're still going to have to be careful. No lifting items more than 15lbs maximum. No hard workouts. Walking is fine but I would not recommend running or body building and so on. You're going to have to take this pregnancy easy on yourself." Calysta frowned, thinking of all the things she had to do and how things had just become far more complicated. She began to nod to the doctor. "I want to try the shots." The doctor nodded and put in the orders with a few key strokes of his pad. "We'll schedule it to happen right before you go on the surface. That way you will have a few days to rest on the ship before your next destination."

This was a choice that Kalizda needed to make for herself and Illya waited by silently as she spoke with the doctor. When she had decided to have the shots he swallowed hard and just stood by. Having her pregnant was making things a lot more complex especially now that they knew it was just as high risk as the others. Illya was slightly irritated with himself. He should have known this before now and he should have already planned as if she were pregnant, but somehow he hadn't really thought that far ahead on this particular issue. Now he was already working on plans and one of the was to be sure that they kept the current rotation of taking over her chores and that they didn't allow her to do anything that would hurt her or the babies and Illya was going to make sure the entire security team knew she was pregnant. It would certainly urge them to be vigilant and ensure she wasn't pushing too hard.

Calysta felt nervous but when she glanced over a Illya, she smiled gently. "I can't believe it's three...we have to come up with at least six names now."

"Sex names?" Illya started to open and close his mouth a few times and then he thought for a moment. "We do and I get tah name two of dem."

She saw him sputtering at the idea of six names and she understood the feeling perfectly. Was it really his turn to name them? Who had actually named Tomas and Edgar. It was most certainly her, and she grinned. "Aye. They could be all girls, all boys...or a mix of girls and boys..." Even saying it out loud made her chuckle a little. "We have our work cut out for us." It looked like he still might be struggling, so as soon as her feet were released from the stirrups and she was in her pants properly again, she swung her feet over the edge of the exam table and kissed her husband on the lips. "Hey, it's going to be alright. I always like exploring with you and this is one more adventure, yeah?"

Somehow Kalizda seemed to recover from the idea far more quickly than he was. Illya managed a weak smile when she kissed him and he nodded. "Oh, ets adventure alright. Yah get shots en yah and all dat too. Sounds terrible."

He smiled weakly at her and she slid a gentle hand to the back of his neck, smoothing his rumpled curls down at the nape. "It's..." she hesitates, "Not exactly fun no....but it's going to be better than the cerclage I think, even if I'm sore, yeah? It will be better for the babies." A smile arched across her lips again at saying the word babies. "We'll work on it together, yeah? No stress. We can do it together."

"Yeah, we do et togeter. Yah know, now I feel more nervous about meh surgery." Illya couldn't help the fact that he was feeling sick and he desperately wanted to snack on a package of snacks, but he couldn't do that just before a surgery and he wanted something to drink too, but he wasn't allowed that either right now.

Calysta smoothed down his hair and looked at him with soft eyes. "More nervous? How come?" she asked quietly in Qouti.

"I need dis surgery tah go well. Ef I can't help yah den I'm nut much good. Et makes yah more stressed because den yah tink yah need tah help meh. Dis surgery goes well and I'm very good help for yah. Maybe I get sling off en a week." Illya met her gaze and he took a deep breath. "Yah need help Kalizda and I want tah help yah."

She listened to him talk about his worries and she was almost surprised at how earnest he was being. He wanted it to go well so he could help her and he knew she worried about him too. Her eyes were attentive and soft as he spoke and when he finished, she nodded in understanding. "I do need you by my side for this, love. I want you there too. I am worried, yes. I need this surgery to go well because I don't want you to be in more pain. If it does, or doesn't go well, we'll take things one step at a time for now, yeah? I'd like my first step to be to tell you that I love you very much."

Illya wrapped his one good arm around Kalizda and kissed her on top of her head. "Eh, yah have meh by yah side no matter dah outcome."

Calysta smiled when his arm wrapped around her and he kissed the top of her head. He was always so gentle some how, even with his size. When he told her he was with her no matter what, she slid her other arm around and hugged him very gently so she didn't hurt his shoulder. "Then that's all I need, love." Kissing his cheek, she leaned back a little and smiled. "Your surgery will be coming up soon. Do you want to find somewhere to rest for just a little while?"

"I would like tah go eat, but I tink dah doctor would be mad ef I did dat." Illya glanced at the clock on the wall and he sighed. "Probably time tah check en for meh surgery. Dey want meh tah shower wit nasty smelling stuff and den dey will cut meh up."

"Aye, its not a good idea to eat right now," she said, "You'll feel better once the shoulder heals properly. I can walk with you to get you checked in and then I'll be there when you wake up, yeah? I'll stay the whole time."

Illya sighed, "Nut wanting anoter surgery. I know et will hurt, but meh shoulder hurts so bad lately I tink maybe dis surgery es someting I want."

She continued smoothing the hair at the nape of his neck as he spoke and nodded. "Aye, I wish you didn't have to go through another one, but the Ehaui are good at fixing things properly. We'll get your shoulder feeling better." She stole a conspiratorial glance at the door then leaned in to whisper to him. "Then you can pick me up and carrying me off anywhere you like." It was good to give someone something to look forward to.
They were almost to the pre-surgical area and Illya felt a slight tug from Kalizda. Looking down at her he saw that she either planned to kiss him or whisper to him and so he leaned in closer. A broad smile came to his face and he winked at her. "Oh, I have plenty of places I like tah peck yah up and carry yah away to." Pushing the button for the surgical entrance to open he walked inside with Kalizda and his little hospital baggie for the overnight stay to get himself checked in.

Calysta smiled at seeing his broad grin and little wink. It let her know he was still in good spirits and he was going to be okay. She followed him as far as they would let her in the surgical suites and then looked at him with bright eyes. She took his hand and put it on her stomach. "The four of us will be there when you wake up."

*********************

Calysta sat in the less than comfortable arm chair by Illya's bed side as she looked over her pad. Illya was right about one thing. They needed to make plans to meet the Urian people and chat with them. They also needed to have Sarai take another try at a party. She had been working on both things all afternoon and come up with a few solutions. First they would meet with the people in the afternoon. This would be done in the big aquarium dome where people could gather, but also the flow of people could be easily controlled by security. She was sure Illya would approve of that. Then, rather than a full blown party, Sarai had asked for something just as fun, but not as big in scale. A dinner party would follow the Urian reception hosted by Sarai who would work out the menu and details. She was delighted to do it and had kept messaging ideas long after Calysta had dozed off in the chair.

She had been told that Illya's surgery had gone well and that his observation over night was just to ensure there were no complications. She was so relieved things had gone well sleep seemed inevitable. It was also inevitable that she would be woken up by the nurse who came in to check on Illya as he snoozed in the bed. She was a tall, leggy sort of woman with honey colored hair and big doe eyes. When she smiled it was all sweetness.

As the nurse plucked at her pad, Calysta saw Illya's eyes start to fight their way open and she reached out, sliding her hand over his good arm. "Hey, love," she said, giving his good arm a gentle squeeze, "I'm right here." She hated waking up from surgery alone and there was no reason Illya would have to either.

The nurse notice he was waking up and put down her pad. "Good evening, Mr. Blackwolf," she drawled, "It's alright, sugar. You're going to feel a little groggy for a minute or two. Are you in pain? Just let me know and we'll get you fixed right up."
 
Ehud got ready for the day at the fields with Pris. At least he wasn't going to be out there working. That wasn't something he liked very much. It looked like Pris was going to wear jeans and Ehud dug deep into his closet. He didn't actually own anything so informal. However, he did have some older, tight woven work pants that still fit. Pulling the black colored loose legged pants out of his closet he slipped into them and then pulled a plain shirt on and tucked it in.

Before heading over to the bakery he checked himself over in the mirror. He needed a quick shave. The quick shave resulted in a few nicks. As soon as he was done there he rushed out the door to help load up what Pris was going to need. It was still dark outside and there was a bit of a chill in the air. It felt good, and familiar against his skin. Ehud quietly helped Pris collect the things she needed and then packed them into the cart he was going to pull to the fields. After they were loaded up he took his shirt off and wrapped it around a rope that he tied the ends together on. With the shirt wrapped around the rope he stepped into the roped section and then leaned against it with most of his weight before it budged and started to roll along the uneven little walk way to the edge of the fields. When they got to their spot he took the shirt off from around the rope and quickly put it back on.

They didn't take long to get set up and Ehud had a small lantern to light his part of the work. He set up the cart and pulled out the counters on it and then fastened the topper so that there would be some shade around them while they worked during the day. It was nearly sunrise when they were set up and the first of the workers began to arrive at the little stand. Ehud set water to boil for tea. He knew if Chips would be arriving and some of the Pytrans would like tea right away.

Throughout the day he worked diligently to be sure that the little stove was properly fueled, the energy cell was receiving proper daylight and they were always ready with more hot water. Glancing at Pris he would see she smiled a lot during her work. She looked pretty when she smiled and he couldn't help thinking a little more than that.

When the day was finally over she seemed eager to go to the party and Ehud wanted to protest. However, he wasn't going to earn himself any of those favorable smiles, or kisses if he did. "Just let me put the cart together and cover it with canopy tarp so I can haul it to the bakery tomorrow. I don't think I'll get to it tonight."

As they walked into the tent Ehud looked around. At least everyone was mostly wearing clothing that was similar to his own. Nothing was terribly fancy and he could have some sort of relief knowing that he didn't come under dressed for the occasion. They were almost past the little woman standing near the entrance when she stopped them and handed each of them a ribbon. Ehud grinned as he took his ribbon. "Oh, I'll be sure to dance with the ribbon then. I'll need all the luck I can get."

It sounded like he might need more than luck the way Pris seemed to rush to the idea of food. "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry. Still think we should do the red ribbon dance." Slipping a hand around Pris' waist he moved in a little closer and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Maybe you want to try having a baby? I'm ready to add a few little ones."

****************************************

The room smelled different than the hospital rooms usually did. Whatever the blankets were they felt rougher than the puff blankets that the Ehaui had at the hospital on Pytra. What made the room stand out from the Ehaui hospital was that it was cool. Shivering a little Illya tried to shrug the blanket higher, but his shoulder surged with a severe pain and fire. It almost felt like he'd been shot all over again.

Illya's eyelids almost felt like they were glued shut, but he was slowly becoming aware of the fact that there was someone shuffling around in the room and he felt Kalizda's little hand sliding over his arm. Groaning a little he worked harder at forcing his eyes open and then saw Kalizda. With a grin he moved his hand to lace his fingers with hers. Then the nurse came over. She didn't look like any of the nurses he had back home. "Sugar?" That was about as far as she could get from his name. "Eh, no, I jes need more medicine. Meh shoulder hurts."

Calysta smiled and squeezed his fingers laced with hers. He was definitely out of it by the look on his face and his comment to the nurse only confirmed he was still loopy.

The nurse chuckled and looked at the high riding Chip. "You're just as charming as I thought," she cooed, "Aye, we'll get you another dose of medicine and you'll feel better. You might even fall asleep again. Don't worry if you do, alright? Now, Sugar, can you tell me how much the pain is 1 being low and 10 being the absolute worst pain you could imagine?"

Illya snorted at the woman's comment. "Charming...dat's first time nurse say dat to meh. Usually dey cuss meh out." Sighing a little he tried to shift in the bed, but he didn't recognize the symbols on their bed and he didn't really know what they meant. Pushing the red button didn't seem to get the desired reaction so he tried the green one and then the yellow button that seemed to be the one that would get him to sit up a little more. "No, sugar dun help meh. I jes need medicine. Meh shoulder hurts like a seven." He'd certainly had worse pain in his life, but the shoulder still hurt quite a bit. "Yah probably prettiest nurse I have en long time."

The nurse chuckled at his response. "Well, I don't see how. I've had much less charming patients before." When he said his pain was at a 7 she nodded and made a few key strokes on her pad. "Alright, the doctor approved some more paid meds for that. You just sit tight and we'll get you feeling better." She started the work of putting medicine into his drop bag and paused when he called her pretty. She smiled almost demurely and giggled. "Oooh you are a charmer. Sweet as sugar."

Calysta raised a brow at her very high husband but didn't say anything.

The nurse finished her work and smiled at Illya. "You'll be feeling that medicine in a minute or two. Before you fall asleep, we'll need to get you to pick out something to eat. We have fish or nyte beast for dinner. Which do you think you could eat, handsome?"

This nurse was great. She didn't tut at him or make a fuss about the medicine. He was needing some of it and the more he moved the more it hurt, but he figured that was going to be normal for a while. "Yah sweet like sugar too." Mumbling the phrase in return he glanced at Kalizda and gave her hand a little squeeze. "We should get home eh? I tink dat Cin es lonely." It had been a while since he'd seen his bear and he did miss the giant fussy beast.

The nurse came over in short order and offered to get something to eat and she offered few good sounding things. With the assistance of some drugs he was feeling an acute sense of humor coming on. "I like birdy legs." Chuckling at his own joke he noticed that the lovely nurse didn't seem to be as smart as she looked. "Eh well...I tink nyte beast would be good. I like little side of et raw eh?"

Calysta's head tilted when he told the nurse she was sweet like sugar too and the nurse giggled back. He was in a flirtatious mood apparently and the nurse had had just made his day it seemed. He squeezed her hand and told her they should go home soon too the bear. His bear was lonely. She knew she had people looking after the bear but she wondered if it was the bear that was lonely or Illya who missed his bear more.

When he answered the nurses question about dinner, Calysta's eyes widened and she turned pink. Thankfully, the nurse didn't get the joke. Instead, she chuckled. "I'm afraid it all comes cooked, handsome. But I might could get you some extra gravy."

With a look of deep disappointment Illya nodded when the nurse told him it all came cooked. "Shoulda figured yah cook wouldn't know what dey were doing. I like extra gravy." As the nurse was preparing to walk out Illya decided to ask for one more thing. "I like more hot blankets. I can catch bird better dat way and cook et. I have good appetite tahnight."

The nurse paused at the door and looked at Illya as he spoke nonsense about hunting birds and an appetite, then let out a good natured chuckle. "I dont know if you'll be catching any birds with that arm of yours tonight, but I can get you a warm blanket. I'll be right back in a little while with one, sugar."

With that she exited the room and Calysta's turned her pink face to her husband again. "How are you feeling?"

When the woman disappeared Kalizda seemed anxious to check on him and Illya grinned at her. "I feel better ef yah get en bed wit meh. Meh shoulder still hurts. I tink dere medicine es nut good."

Calysta raised a brow at her husband. Even high as a kite he was incorrigible. "Aye, I'll get in with you. When the pretty nurse comes in next time, she'll just have to move me." The bed was big enough she should slide in between him and the rail if she laid on her side with her front towards his uninjured side. She put a hand on his chest very gently. "How is that?"

Feeling Kalizda slide into the bed brought a great sense of comfort. Illya sighed with relief and he started to shift to lay on his right side. That shoulder was sore from being the side he slept on all this time while his left shoulder was recovering, but it was worth it. They would both be more comfortable that way. The blankets were woefully short when it came to the amount of coverage on the sides of the bed. Illya could feel a little breeze along the backs of his legs and the unfortunate slit in the back of the hospital gown. "Ugh...." Pushing the nurse button he waited for the woman to answer and ask what he needed before speaking. "I need extra blankets. I tink ef I leave meh ass out all night et will freeze. Jes one, maybe two blankets tah make sure et stays warm."

The nurse came shortly after his call with two thicket blankets folded in each hand but paused when she saw how he was contorted in the bed to lay with Calysta. "Does your shoulder hurt at that-"

She stopped her question again when she came to the side of the bed and got a full glimpse of the man's brown rear hanging out of the blankets and his gown. She blinked and then glanced at Calysta who put a protective- and possessive- arm over his waist. The nurse smirked a little and put the blanket over his rear first. "You know your Urian culture well," she chimed happily.

Calysta smirked back. "Aye and I know my husband well too. He'll relax this way. Trust me."

The nurse chuckled a laid the second blanket over them both. "How's that, handsome?"

Illya was already feeling tired. He was trying to stay awake for the food, but that was hard. When the nurse came in he was almost asleep and he mumbled a thanks when he felt the warm blanket cover his rear end. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was telling himself he should be embarrassed, but somehow it didn't seem to matter right now. The second warm blanket over himself and Kalizda felt even better and he gave a hum of approval and nestled in closer to Kalizda.

The nurse chuckled. "I'll take that as a everything is all good. Hit the call button if you need me. Otherwise, I'll be around for dinner in awhile." Then she left the two of them alone. Calysta let him nestle close and held him gently. He might wake up in a foul mood but for now, he was okay.

******************************************

Early the next morning Illya was awake. He had slept about all the more he could. He'd had more than enough sleep over the night. Kalizda was still curled up with him in the bed. Illya could see her long black hair was tangled and draped over the pillow, under face and even catching a little drool from the corner of her mouth. Smirking some he decided to let her rest a little longer.

The idea of Kalizda laying next to him was like usual tempting though. Leaning in a bit Illya kissed her gently on her forehead and then struggled to get his arm in the sling to cooperate enough that he could rest that hand on her waist. "She's resting en dah dawn of dah red star, her wings are gold, eyes bright and her home es dah emerald jungle. Dah jungle hides her en times of danger, dah sky lifts her above dah storm and she commands dah tunder. She rises from dah fires. Dah little bird es beautiful beyond measure and now I have her en meh arms." Kissing her again he settled in and got more comfortable. He was going to lay with her for as long as she wanted to rest.

They had a couple of long days coming up. He would have today off for recovery, but they had to be ready for parties and being good guests starting tomorrow. So far it had been a small series of disasters, but they didn't seem to have offended Sarai or the Urians. Even if they were alarming in their customs, they were a good people to have as allies.
 
Pris felt a gentle hand slide around her waist and pull her closer. A kiss pressed against her cheek and she almost froze in place. It had been a long time since anything like that had happened. She turned to look at him and he was smiling....and asking about making babies. That sent a spike of adrenaline through her and she wasn't exactly sure it was a good thing. Maybe coming to the party wasn't such a good idea after all? She flashed him a soft smile. "You're ready?" She wanted to know more about where his mind was at.

The momentary pause and sudden stiffening from Pris made Ehud wonder if he had done a bad thing. He had thought she wanted him to be more open with her. Then an uncertain looking smile came to her face and she asked him if he was ready. Ehud held his gaze steady and he nodded. "Oh yes, ready for food, dancing and babies."

"In that order?" She chuckled. She slid a hand around his waist slowly and hugged him back. "Its a big change from a month ago."
She looked into his eyes. He did look awfully handsome. The last month had been certainly different. He had been sweet and attentive and over all more loving. She wanted to believe that was real and he felt better.

"In that order." Ehud nodded in affirmation and he smiled a bit more. "I had a little adjusting to do is all." The fact that she brought up the past was a bit uncomfortable, but not unfair. "You ready?"

He asked if she was ready and it made her heart pound faster in her chest. She wanted them to be. She wanted this and he was trying. But what if he turns right back around? Her grip in his waist tightened, giving him a gentle squeeze. "That depends," she said honestly, "Do you believe we can start building a life with each other? I dont want it to be too much too soon. Even though I want to be with you very much."

The uncertainty was growing to an audible level. Pris was gripping him tighter and her nails were digging into a tender spot a little bit. Ehud still held her gaze and he nodded again, "Well, I think that's what we've been doing this last month. I'm pretty sure I'm ready."

He didnt look away from her or ignore her. He didnt change the subject. His eyes stayed steady on her and she turned to face him entirely, but kept her arms around him. "Okay..." she found herself nodded slowly, then she slipped a hand to his cheek and looked at him. "I trust you." She wanted to build on that trust. Then, she leaned in and kissed him very gently, almost tenderly.

Pris didn't lose the look of nervousness that she had, but she did relax a bit. Ehud gently kissed her in return and then tilted his head toward the food line. "We better get in line if you think you wanna eat."

He kissed her back and she relaxed a little more. He sounded disappointed almost. As if she had deflated him a little, or maybe he was feeling something else. She didn't know. She never knew with Ehud, it seemed. Pulling back some she kissed him gently on more time. "Maybe we could do the ribbon dance after? I do like the idea."

Taking a deep breath Ehud slipped his hand from her waist to her hand and then took the first step toward the food line. "I'd like to do the ribbon dance. Not much good at dancing, but I should at least try."

His warm hand slipped away and she couldn't help but feel like she had put a damper on things. She gave him a smile and decided to take his hand instead. "C'mon, let's get something to eat and we'll dance. Then...maybe we'll do a little more." She hated to see his good mood ruined and some how she always seemed to be the cause. She tried not to think about it that way though. She pulled him in line for food and recieved a plate of what she suspected was long cooked night beast and something starchy and red. She took a seat with Ehud and smiled as people greeted them. As she ate, she stole a glance at him and smiled, then looked over the crowd. "The dance is starting soon, if you still want to."

They waited quietly in line for a little bit before they were served hearty portions of food. Ehud lifted his plate to his nose and sniffed gently. He wanted to make sure he got the stuff that smelled so good. It was certainly the good smelling stuff and he glanced at Pris and grinned a bit, "What?" He suspected that her smile was an indication that she caught him sniffing his food. Ehud was most of the way through his plate of food when he heard Pris talk about the dance. "Sure, I still want to dance."

He was putting food back pretty fast and she thought it was rather funny. If she watched him closely, he had some interesting habits. She had never seen him sniff her food she cooked, but had certainly taken a whiff of the Pyrtan fare. She looked him over in his breezy looking pants and tilted her head. "You know, you look rather dashing and relaxed in those clothes. They're perfect for dancing." She took a bite of her food and then her curioisity got the better of her. "Can I ask you something?"

Ehud was scooping up some of the last few bites when Pris decided to comment on his clothing. Glancing down at his clothing he nodded and shoved another scoop of food into his mouth. "Mmm...Looking forward too et." His accent came out a little as he rushed to speak to her while he was still chewing. Then she did something that made him nervous she asked if she could ask a question. That was a strange thing women did. "What you wanna know?"

She smiled a little when his strange, disappearing Chip accent came out and put her fork down. "Why did you sniff your food in the line? Were you concerned about it...or just hungry?" He was, first and foremost a spy. It wouldn't surprise her if he thought it was poisoned.

“That’s it?” Ehud was shocked by the question she wanted to ask. Smiling a little he gave the answer, “Wanted to make sure it was the same good smelling stuff they put on my plate that I was smelling when we came in the tent.”

He seemed totally shocked by the question and she started to laugh a little, her smile touching her eyes as she laughed. "I didn't think you wanted to spill your darkest desires to me just yet," Pris giggled, "I was just curious. I had never seen you do it to my food." She was still giggling when a call went up in Pyrtan, then in Quoti and Traders Tongue. Drums began to beat a slow warning that the Red Dance was soon to begin. Pris looked at Ehud and then offered her hand to him. "Shall we?"

"I never needed to sniff your food. You only had one option when you cooked and if it smelled good when I walked in then I knew it would be good." The explanation was simple enough. Ehud didn't see why she might find it funny, but if she did it was just as well. Everyone liked to laugh and a girl laughing at an odd habit meant she found it charming. He wasn't even done with his last bite of food when the drums began to beat and Pris offered for him to get up and dance with her. "Uh huh." Quickly shoving the one last bite of food into his mouth he chewed it and then swallowed as he reached for her hand and ushered her out to the dance floor.

Pris smiled when he took her hand, ready to go dance. The dance floor was simply the shaved field space under the tent but it was large enough to accommodate everyone, Kaerelean, Chip or other wise. She saw a few familiar faces and waved a little as Ehud towed her into the line up and faced her. Then, she focused on him entirely. He did look very handsome when he relaxed a little, especially in the lamp light. The music started and then their lines, separated by men and women, began to move. They zipped off in opposite directions only to have both lines curl into circles. Men on the outside and women on the inside facing the men. They all interlocked arms and began skipping in the opposite direction of the men until they met their partners again. Pris loved to dance, even though this was not her favorite style and when she met up with Ehud it was with a large, breathless smile on her lips. "Hi," she chuckled, "Fancy seeing you here."

The dance was entirely different and Ehud was sure he was going to mess up. He had watched it several times though. When he danced in time with the other men and actually met Pris it was good. Ehud grinned at her. For the moment he swelled with a little bit of pride. However, that was short lived. As the line rotated Ehud found himself staring at another man's back and he realized he was in the wrong place. Whipping his head around Ehud did his best to try and figure out where the other men were. He was half a step behind the others for the remainder of the dance, but at least he was somewhat close to being correct.

Pris wheeled around with the other ladies and then came the time they met with their partners and the girls stepped up to loop their ribbons around the boys ribbons. Then they paired off in a promenade for the end of the dance. Ehud seemed behind a step or two but she just made up the extra space with some long strides and looped her ribbon in his, then went under the arch way to show him off. At then and she squeezed his hand and grinned. "That was fun. I haven't danced like that in awhile." When she caught her breath, she pulled Ehud a little closer. Should she be doing this? She wasn't sure. But they couldn't build anything or move forward unless she trusted him. She had extended an olive branch of trust and it was a bit scary. With a deep breath, she caught his eyes. "I am...pleased."

As they ended the dance Ehud could feel a tinge of pink in his cheeks. He had performed terribly and yet Pris was still smiling at him. With their ribbons tied together he managed a less boastful sort of smile and boldly reached for her hand. They were in public and it was a very public sort of display of affection especially after dancing like this. They danced together. "Et was verah pleasing." His accent came out a little heavier and he tried to clear his throat and accent without much success. "I like tah see yah smile and I'm glad et pleases yah too."

Pris held his hand and smiled. His cheeks were pink, probably from the dancing. Hers were too, she was sure. When he spoke, that strange and very Chip accent came out again. It seemed to do that when he was with her and having fun. Maybe he forgot about all the spy work and the role he was putting on. Maybe he felt more comfortable around her now that he had medicine. In either case she smiled. He was very pleased too. She now knew that mean the equivalent of "happy" or "content" or "enjoyment" and that was a big first for them in a long time. It made her feel more certain about putting a little more trust in him to be a husband. She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently. She could feel his smile there and it made her want to hold him a little closer. She wanted him to have more reasons to feel pleased and happy. A few kids ran past holding rounded pastries with pink and white cream. A tray of them had been set out during the red dance for dessert. The men put the ribbons in their partners hair and walked over to pick up the round, fluffy pastries. She heard the word for them and knew the rough translation. "Mooncakes," she chuckled, "Why don't we grab one and see how we feel. We can always walk home or watch some of the games."

Ehud almost missed the kids running past with the pastries, but the bright color caught his attention and he looked to the pastries briefly. They did look good and he wanted some. "Oh, Mooncakes." Ehud nodded and started toward the table where they were stacked on trays. Grabbing one he brought it close to his mouth and then took a little nibble. "Mmm..Not much for watching games. I'd rather head home." The Mooncake had exceptional flavor and he licked the bit of frosting off his lip before he took the next bite. "These are good. Should probably find Sien before we head back too."

Pris walked over with Ehud to take up a pink iced moon cake and took a small bite. They were as delicious as they looked and even Ehud seemed to enjoy his bite too. When he mentioned wanting to walk home, she nodded. "Sure. I bet he's outside playing with some of the kids." It didn't take long to find him. He was playing tag in the fading light with his class mates. She called out to him and he ran over. His pants were muddy at the hem and knees and his shirt had come untucked. His hair was a wild mop of blonde. The boy grinned at them and waved goodbye to his friends before the three of them started the walk home. Sien was full of energy still and was running ahead of them only to stop a few feet for Pris and Ehud to catch up. Pris slipped her arm into Ehud's and chuckled. "Someone is going to sleep very well tonight I think," she mused.

Sien was messy, but Ehud wasn't too worried about it right now. The boy was bound to be messy after he had worked in the fields all day long and he might as well enjoy himself. As Sien ran ahead of them Ehud reached for one of Pris' hands and he swung their entwined fists back and forth a little while he walked. "Well, I think more than one person will sleep well tonight."

Pris couldn't help but smile when Ehud held her hand as they walked. It felt good and besides the thrill of having his affection for the moment, almost normal. As if they could and should have been doing this a long time ago. She squeezed his hand a little as their arms swayed and glanced at him. "More than one, hm? Are you tired too?" She asked. It was roughly a 15 minute walk to their little cabin home and Yuji was waiting on the porch like a stalwart sentry. She patted his head and his tail wagged, ever the happy to see them no matter how long they had been gone. With a few clicks, the lights came on and Pris instructed Sien to strip his muddy shoes at the door, then take his muddy clothes to the bathroom. He could take a quick shower, brush his teeth and go to sleep with all that pent up energy. Pris untied her own boots at the door and unashamedly used Ehud's shoulder to balance in taking them off one by one. "Your turn," she said, noting his shoes and then casting her gaze up to his face through her long lashes.

"Not tired yet, I will be later though." With a hopeful gaze he looked her over and then made sure he was watching the pathway. They were on their way to the house and he was starting to think of what might happen, however he also tempered that with the realization that she might not want to do that. When they got to the house Pris took her shoes off and leaned on him. When she looked up and said it was his turn Ehud gave her a crooked and uncertain smile. "Does my turn involve taking clothes off?"

Pris gazed at Ehud and that hopeful sort of half grin. She liked that grin. He was relaxed and it looked more genuine than many of the grins he gave others. She had a decision to make. Trust him to be ready. Or not. Slowly, she slid a hand up his chest and gave him a smile back. "It does."

"Oooh." Ehud's grin got a little more broad and he quickly pulled his shoes off and then pulled Pris close to himself and kissed her. "So, where shall we start?"

It took less than a millisecond for Ehud to shirk his shoes and kiss her full on the mouth. The exuberance made her laugh a little and she kissed him back readily. She decided to take things at her pace tonight and she wanted to see what he would do when not in a rip roar of passion but in a slower setting. She untucked his shirt and slid her hands around the bare skin of his waist. "Why don't we take it slow. Start with the clothes and you can start wherever you like after that."

Slow was hardly the mood he was in. Ehud had been deprived of this activity for a while and he desperately wanted to get going. "Slow huh?" With a grin he kissed her again and this time a bit more gently. "Well, I've got to admit that's not quite my mood. It's been a while, but we'll try for slow tonight. Better than nothing eh?"

Pris looked at him and she tried not to show the fact that his idea of slow sex was 'better than nothing' made her feel like she needed to rush it now. At least he was going to try and kissed her more gently. "We can start slow and see where we go?" she offered, rubbing his back gently with her soft hands.

"We'll take it slow. I can keep myself under control." Ehud's mouth twisted slightly and he shrugged, "At least I think I can."

Pris chuckled and tugged him closer to herself, then kissed him as she slowly back up toward the bedroom. "It's been awhile," she whispered, "And I want it too. It might not take terribly long for me either." Then she slid out of his grasp and slinked to the bedroom .

Once they were inside, she did take her time undressing him and then exploring a few long forgotten opportunities slower sex would allow. It still wasn't quite like love making. He wasn't in the mood for slower and she knew that. But it was the closest thing she'd had to it in years. Since her last night on Earth. She savored it for what it was and he held himself together well despite his doubts. Afterward, she curled up under his arm and laid her head on the side of his chest. Her leg lay comfortably draped over his. She felt like he wanted her there and had enjoyed her. He had been putting alot of effort and she wanted him to know she saw that effort. He was asleep before she could really think of anything that would tell him how much his efforts meant. Apparently, he was like most men in that regard. It only took a little sex to knock them right out.

The next morning, she woke up earlier than he did. It was habit now, with the bakery opening time. He had rearranged his entire Monday for her, and she was sure he would have to vanish to work soon, but she was glad he was there for the moment. She looked at him in the very pale light slipping through their bedroom window and smiled. He looked most at peace when he was asleep. She patted at his chest where a little bit of blonde hair gave her something to play with.

"You're a good man, Ehud. I know you won't believe that, but I do. Things are getting better for us. I see you working so hard for us," she whispered, "And it makes me love you all the more for trying to love on me, even if I'm a chipped up from a few things." She kissed the corner of his lips and laid her head back down on his arm, then took a deep. "Don't stop trying and I promise I won't either. So long as you want me here."

*****************************************

Pris felt somewhat relieved for the rest of the day. She went to her work at the bakery after Ehud helped bring their little side cart to the back door. She'd left him with a kiss and a promise of one of his favorite dinners, Italian spaghetti and meatballs, in the afternoon. During her lunch break, she went to see Helen and Edgar, the sweet Elders who she had grown at least a little more comfortable with talking to.

"Things have been getting a little better," she told them over a cup of tea, "I'm trying to trust him more. I want to know more about his family and where he comes from too. We're coming up to a time of year, at least on Terra, where families gather for several occasions over the course of several weeks. Thanksgiving is next week, then another holiday a month after. I don't think any of his family is left, if I understand. None of mine, at least none that I can associate with are alive anymore either. I've been celebrating with Thomas Monroe and Calysta's and Illya's family for several years now. This year it's just me, Ehud and Sien." She took a sip of her tea and looked at Edgar. "Anything that you could tell me about his family or something that would make him feel at home would be helpful."

********************************************

Ehud had to stay late at work and that meant she would be walking home on her own. She had become a little spoiled when he came by to walk her home, if she was honest, and kept looking for him to walk through the door only to remind herself that he would be meeting her at home. The Chip children came stumbling in to help her clean up and she gave them all of the bargain sweets and breads. They particularly liked the little mini pies, grabbing handfuls of them before they dashed off into the falling darkness. She walked home, thinking about her conversation with Edgar and Helen, thinking about their suggestions and when she got home, she started dinner. Sien came through the door not long after and she told him he could help cook when his homework was done. He always liked helping her cook it seemed and she enjoyed spending the time with him.

Once dinner was nearly ready, Pris wandered into her bedroom and took one of the only possessions she had left from her life on Terra. A little hologram coin stowed away in her wooden jewelry box. She came into the living room and sat down on the couch before pressing the tiny round button to turn the device on. The first image to display was a head shot of Harry. Her Harry. The one she had left behind on Earth and not the one gnarled and broken on a hospital bed on a colony. She almost blanched at the sight because it made her heartache.

"Who is that?" Sien asked as he plopped down on the couch beside her.

"His name was Harry," Pris said, trying to keep her heart from pounding too fast, "He was my first husband."

Sien looked at the hologram. Harry was looking into the hologram eye and a playful, genuine smile crossed his lips. He would look at her like that often. Like any child, there was no question not worth asking, and Sien tilted his head. "He looks different from you. What happened to him?"

"His family is from a different part of Terra than I was. And...well...he died. Like your mom. He was attacked," she told him, her throat closing up a little, "I'd forgotten this picture was in here. Would you like to see some more holograms of Earth...Terra?"

Sien agreed and she smiled, looping an arm around his shoulders and tucking him close a bit like a mother hen would her chicks in the rain. Pris flipped through the holograms one by one. "These are my brothers....Jacob...James...Matthew...They're in their teens here I think. I was the only girl with alot of brothers." She couldn't help but think they looked so young and sweet in the hologram. They were at the lake at the ranch where she grew up. It was hot outside and each of them had stripped off their shirts to dive in. Another hologram flipped through and showed an image of herself with long blond hair and skinny legs. She was perhaps about 14 petting a tall chestnut horse. "That's me there," she nudged Sien, "And my horse Laddie." The next one came up and it was an image of her father. "That's my father, Fredrick." Fredrick was stony faced with bags under his eyes and lips set in a line. His eyes were hard as he looked into the hologram and then lifted a calloused hand to wave the image off. "He never liked his image taken," Pris admitted.

Another image floated into view. This one was of a woman with blonde hair much like Pris' captured in a bun. She had a delicate nose and was made over with make up, but not overly so. She wore a flowered skirt and a plain top. A stained apron sat over that. When she noticed the hologram, she looked up and flashed a brilliant smile, then said something, but the hologram had no sound.

Sien looked at the hologram, then at Pris, then back to the hologram. Pris chuckled. "It's not me. That's my mother. Eleanor. I look alot like her, hm? She would have loved to meet you. She always wanted grandchildren. She would have made you biscuits and gravy in the morning and apple tarts for dessert at night. You'd have gotten all the best she could offer. She would have been very impressed with your school work too and how fast you're growing."

"Could we go see her one day?" Sien asked. All the Pyrtan and Dark Chip boys and girls could see their grandparents, or at least had met them unless they had been killed in the war. He wanted to meet his.

Pris smoothed down his blond hair. "Oh, my mother died a few years ago. She got sick with something in her lungs and couldn't get better, so she passed away." As a matter of fact, that was the last time she had spoken to her father too. He'd delivered the news over the phone, bluntly. Coldly. Maybe he'd thought it was a kindness to tell her at all. Pris hadn't even known her mother wasn't feeling well. They had talked a few times a month while Pris lived in Japan with Harry. The last time she had seen her mother was Christmas a couple of years before Harry had been killed on Terra.

About that time, the dog stood up from his spot on the floor and not a second later, the door opened revealing Ehud. Pris smiled at him from the couch before giving Sien one last pat on the shoulder. She stood up and came over to Ehud, giving him a little kiss on the cheek. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour and Sien is done with his homework. I'll call you when the table is set, okay?"

She bent down and straightened his boots by the door, then let him come in the rest of the way, flanked by Yuji who couldn't resist snuffling his shoes. As Ehud passed her, she reached over and clicked off the repeating image of her mother speaking. "I was showing Sien where I grew up," she smiled a little, "Do you mind putting this in my jewelry box when you make it to the bedroom?" She gave him the hologram coin, thanked him, and went to go work on dinner.

*******************************************

Calysta slept surprisingly well considering they were in a hospital. It probably had a little to do with how long of a day it had been and alot to do with having Illya safe out of surgery and thoroughly wrapped around her. He was warm and she couldn't help but close her eyes after he ate his dinner and fall very thoroughly asleep.

She wasn't aware of anything until something tickled at the crown of her hair and something heavy, but pleasantly warm settled on her waist. If felt nice and familiar. Comforting. So, she kept her eyes closed in her mostly asleep state and enjoyed it. "...dah sky lifts her above dah storm and she commands dah tunder. She rises from dah fires. Dah little bird es beautiful beyond measure and now I have her en meh arms."

He wasn't trying to woo her or charm her into anything physical. She wasn't really awake to respond either. He was simply whispering all of those lovely things to her because he could. It made her want to hold him close as possible because words couldn't express how much she loved him. She stayed half asleep and still though, as another kiss graced the top of her hair. It was warm here and she felt lucky to have him in so many ways. How had she gotten such a man that would treat her and love her this way? Even when he probably felt so awful and had every reason to be grumpy or angry that this tour had nearly gotten him killed. She kept her eyes closed and marveled at him for a long time in silence, then stirred, sliding a hand from his hip to his waist and nestling further into his chest. "Mmmm..." she hummed, just barely cracking open her eyes to peep at him. "Hey, my love." She gently inched closer and her fingers rubbed at his back, then she lifted her face just a little and kissed his chest. She didn't say much. Instead, she gently petted at his back and chest, then played with the hair on the nape of his neck. Occasionally she would lean up and give him gentle kisses. She didn't know how to put into words what she felt, so she opted for a language he would understand best.

It was an hour of loving on him before the nurse came in and saw them cuddling, ending the spell of the intimate moment with the announcement that Illya would be ready to go back to the hotel after a few things were completed and exit paperwork given.

*****************

An entire day hardly seemed enough rest, but here they were in the large dome where the ocean floor could be seen from all angles. A little area had been cordoned off and many of the Urian security teams stationed at the entrance helped keep the flow of people going in and out at the most efficient. Calysta knew there were several undercover Urian men and women in plain clothes keeping an eye on things inside the crowds as well. Many of the Urian's just wanted to get a look at them both. Calysta did enjoy Uria for the simple fact that they, by and large, didn't care what she was. They were a widely varied people as far as looks and breeding when too. Dark skinned, lighter skinned, olive toned with all manner of hair and builds. She was sure she even saw someone of a large height with brown hair and stone grey skin like a Undine and Urian might have. Given the flow of people, she was glad the oil had worn off of them for the most part. All of the men in their security team looked far more comfortable now and so was she for that matter.

A couple of Urian women walked up after being invited by Sarai who was nearby. The women were younger and a bit starry eyed. "We were wondering...could we just...have a hologram with the General?"

That had been an on going theme for this meeting with the Urians, but that was fine by Calysta so long as no one got touchy and Illya could stand it. She wasn't in the mood to talk policy very much.

Finally, a fellow came up to them and gave them a formal Kaerelean bow, then stood straight to look at both of them. "Madam Councilwoman," he began in Trader's Tongue, "General Blackwolf. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Garyn Seryilla. I'm not Urian native, but I do live on the planet and it has been my home now for several years. And I've come to ask you for your help. Your help as Councilwoman and allies of the Alliance, upcoming members. I would ask for your help in seeking clemency. Not for myself, but for my brother. Would you please hear my case?"
 
Kalizda was very cuddly when she woke up. Even if Illya had wanted to stay awake it wasn't going to happen. He'd only felt awake for a few minutes and he was quickly fading away into slumber again. When he was finally awake again the nurse came in with some food and he ate a hearty meal before he was unhooked from all the IV solutions and he could get in his usual clothes again.

By the time they got to the quarters for the day of rest Illya's shoulder was very sore and he couldn't hide the fact that it hurt. "I tink I'll jes go sit en dah recliner." Gingerly he got himself into the recliner and Lohgan almost immediately decided she wanted to sit in his lap and then the twins came gurgling their way toward him. Little Tomas was foaming at the mouth and Edgar gave intermittent squawks of joy until they were both at his knees and pounding on his legs. With a little help from Mihael he padded his shoulder and the twins got into the chair with him and he rocked gently until the kids all started to drift off.

The afternoon nap was good, but he was too sore to nap anymore than an hour and the kids were all still on him. Instead of moving them Illya stayed there and listened to them. He could feel the drool from Tomas had soaked at least part of his shirt, Lohgan was still petting his right shoulder where he wasn't sore and Edgar was flopped across Lohgan's legs and his legs were over Tomas.

Eventually dinner rolled around and the kids were woke up and off to play again. Illya ate a light dinner because between his shoulder pain and the floating fish he was feeling nauseous. He was hopeful that the next day would be better as promised.

*********************************

Early the next morning Illya woke up and he felt a bit stiff, but not nearly as sore as he'd been the day before. His shoulder was actually feeling much better. He almost felt like he could take it out of the sling for the whole day, but he needed another four to five days in it. For the first time in a while he was able to stand in the shower without his sling and not have it hurt.

After the shower he put on a looser version of a tunic. It was going to be easy on his shoulder getting it on and off. Then he had breakfast with Kalizda and the kids. This was one of the big party days that they were going to be seeing a lot of people for. "Yah ready for dis eh?" Illya winked at Kalizda and offered to take her dish to the sink since it looked like she was done.

When they left their quarters Illya held Kalizda's tiny white fingers in his large brown hand and he walked with her to the event. They had the security with them, but they were thankfully good at making it feel somewhat normal even when the situation was anything but normal. Before stepping into the large canopied area Illya took a deep breath. They were going to be surrounded that was for sure.

The party was colorful if nothing else. Illya stood near Kalizda. They were supposed to dress in nice clothing and Illya put on a slightly more casual outfit. It was something designed by Pyra. The colors were Chip, but the cut was closer to a tunic style. She had made it a bit looser for him because he requested that it would not be so tight. With the slightly looser cut he could move more comfortably without feeling like he was going to rip the clothing. Walking with Kalizda over to the drinks table Illya found himself surrounded by many Urian women and girls who were all staring. Sheepishly he reached for a cup with some kind of drink in it and he felt his left shoulder graze someone. Glancing to the side he saw a young woman's eyes widen when she realized he had accidentally bumped her with his injured shoulder. "Dat's fine. Et's meh fault." Among all the smaller people he felt a bit like a massive brute, but they wouldn't ever say any such thing.

The young woman had red hair and a dash of freckles barely visible on her tanned skin. Her brown eyes widened when she realized just who it was she had bumped into. "Oh," she gasped a little in surprise,"I'm so sorry." When he actually spoke to her, she looked at him brightly. "Not at all. It's...it's very crowded in here, General. Or do you like Emperor better? I never thought I'd get a chance to see you much less meet you. So I'm not entirely sure."

Illya had thought that perhaps if he used a little social grace she would just nod and accept what he said. However, she went into a strange little side chat about his title. His eyes squinted some in concentration as he listened to her describe the conundrum she was having with titles. Perhaps it was a thing that the Chippequoti had not described very well and he wasn't sure exactly how to answer her question, but he was going to try. "Well eh....en yah situation et would be proper for yah tah call meh General. Only dah Chippequoti and dose under meh rule would call meh Emperor."

She nodded, causing her short cut curls to bounce some. "Oh! I see." Then her expression changed to one of curiosity. "So, what would the Councilwoman call you formally? Isn't she part of the Chippeqouti people? Would it be emperor? Or General?" The question was a genuine one as she looked up at the tall, Chip man. The first one Chip she had ever seen in person.

"Eh...." Illya found himself stuck with yet another question and he not perplexed by the question so much as the lack of understanding. "Dah Chippequoti make tings very simple. She calls meh Illya when I am her agreed...eh husband den General when I appear en meh military capacity, or when I work on military matters and she calls meh Emperor when I work on matters concerning Chippequoti governing"

The woman listened intently and his answer was logical, and as promised simplistic. She realized she was just asking him questions without any other sort of decorum and launched right into talking. It was a bit embarrassing to remember herself like that. Nodding, she blinked a few times and laughed some ."That...that would make sense. Could I have a hologram with you? Please? I was so stunned to meet you I just started jabbering away like a Pleides parrot." She held up her hologram coin to Illya hopefully.

Getting a drink had turned into a much longer ordeal than he had thought. However, that was almost everything today. The party for the people had been quite popular thus far. Illya glanced at the woman's coin in her hand and then back to her before he gave his best, friendly sort of smile. "Aye, yah might as well get hologram wit dah Councilwoman too." Setting the cup aside he beckoned to Kalizda. She wasn't the only woman to ask for a hologram with him today and she wouldn't be the last.

The woman was about to protest. She wanted a photo solely with him in it and then she would try to get one with the Councilwoman. Maybe. But he was the real star here. Instead, she was too slow and Illya was beckoning to the council woman who was wearing a lovely, light flowing dress. It would have almost been Urian style except that it was more conservative. The council woman looked up to her husband with her grey eyes and they softened some as she smiled and wafted over, her lavender gown with silver trim floating behind. Without any hesitation, she slider her arm to the General's side and looked up at him. "Hello, love. You alright?" she asked smoothly in Quoti. The young woman looked at the woman. She had no idea the councilwoman was fluent in the General's language.

As Kalizda stepped in closer she spoke to him in Quoti and Illya answered. "I'm fine. Just more holograms and I figured I would like to see you in some too." He wasn't likely to see this one again, but he wanted it to be clear that Kalizda was his woman. Glancing at the young lady he grinned, "Now we're ready for hologram."

Calysta smiled and nodded gently. She knew it was hard for him, particularly because his arm was still on the mend, and he didn't like so much of the female attention. As it was, she didn't like it when women were so focused on him either, though it couldn't be helped. The red headed woman looked between the two of them, clearly not having anticipated that the Councilwoman would be in the photo too. To say something now would be rude. So, the young woman just flashed a smile and turned on the hologram coin, then stepped up to them. It only took a moment for them to be scanned and the image recreated. Calysta slid a hand up to Illya's chest and stole a glance at him in the hologram. Now, the young woman would have a hologram of her keeping her husband close forever in the Urian style. It might have been slightly petty, but it was also slightly satisfying. When the hologram was done, the young woman stepped back and bowed a thank you. "Thank you, General...and Councilwoman. I'm honored to meet you both." Calysta smiled and nodded. "The pleasure was all ours. I hope you enjoy the reception."

The hologram with Kalizda went very much like many of the others. Illya didn't have many holograms without Kalizda. Only when she was already occupied did he allow a hologram without her. Next a few girls approached and they wanted a hologram with both of them and Illya was pleased with the suggestion. As they moved their way closer to Sarai some young women asked for a hologram with him and Illya smiled. "Yes, dat es fine. Tucking Kalizda under his right arm he smiled broadly. I'm ready for hologram wit all of yah."

Luckily, no one wanted to be rude enough to ask for a hologram without her when Illya automatically assumed they should have holograms of both when asked. The next group was very refreshing, asking for both of them, and informing her that they planned on applying for Skycorp when they came of age. Something Calysta could hardly discourage. She chatted with them for a few moments, giving them some idea of what the testing was like, then she was thanked, asked for an autograph, and then left to the next group with Illya by her side. They were working their way toward Sarai and the flood of women seemed to never end. They all wanted photos with Illya and every time, he pulled her under his good arm and announced he was ready for a hologram with all of them. That sent them all twittering excitedly and there was a bit of a scramble to line up. "Oh! I'm next. Thank you so much! My mother will never believe it! Oh, you're even more handsome in person than on the holograms!" One of the women was bold enough to take the hologram at an angle that Calysta could barely be seen and would probably end up being edited out. It would just appear as if Illya was holding his arm a little funny with the movement in the hologram. She didn't say anything about it though and kept their slow march toward Sarai at a cordial but steady pace. Sarai stood by the Henryk looking far more comfortable in his Urian uniform than in his 'traditional out' he'd been suckered into at the party. When he saw them approach he raised a hand in greeting. "You're very popular today," he noted to Illya.

When they had waded through several layers of women Illya and Kalizda finally reached Sarai and Henryk offered his hand. Illya took Henryk's hand and he shook it firmly. "Oh...I never been so popular en meh life. I tink et would have been easier tah train meh tah accept so much attention ef I was younger. Enstead, I jes too old tah train for dis kind of attention." With a grin he tried to remember an old Terran saying he'd heard that related to this. "Et's like trying tah teach stubborn horse new trick eh?"

Henryk shook the man's hand firmly, but not making it into a challenge, then released it with a nod. When Illya mentioned about training for that kind of attention, the tall Urian man laughed good-naturedly and smiled. "I don't think I've heard that one. I did hear..." he snapped his fingers, remembering what he wanted to say, "Something about teaching an old dog new tricks, yeah?" Calysta looked up at Henryk thoughtfully. "Hmmm...My father used to say something like that to me about a few things....I think it was 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.'" Henryk chuckled, "Now there's a Terran proverb, if I ever heard one." Sarai smiled and laughed along. "You werent trained for this as an Emperor, Illya?"

Somehow both of the old Terran sayings seemed fitting in this circumstance and Illya smiled. "I dun know which one would fet better eh?" He chuckled a bit and then Sarai asked him an uncomfortable question. Illya paused for a long moment while he chose his words carefully. "I was trained from boy tah be warrior first. Meh fater would take meh to dah war camps first time when I was ten and I learn what et was tah lead men and earn dere respect. Den I was taught law and many tings an Emperor would need to know. I was taught never tah be so proud dat I would refuse advice of Elders because dey are wise and know dah ways of meh people and oters. Tah accept many charming greetings was nut someting dat I was taught. I learn tah fight, lead and govern."

Sarai's eyebrow tilted up as much in appreciation for the words as curious about them. "That's interesting. Comforting in a way. It's best to have someone trained in these kinds of positions. But what about knowing your people? There's more than just a charming greeting sometimes, yeah? I meet many of my people like this." Henryk didn't speak to this and Calysta stayed quiet. This was clearly a question directed at him.

"I learn tah know meh people." Illya had hoped she wouldn't pry much further into the role of Emperor. However, people were endlessly curious about it since he'd been proclaimed the Emperor. "Meh knowledge of dem es nut found trough one way. I hear council of dah Elders because dey see dah people en civil setting. I know dah dangers dat surround meh people and I watch over dem using all dat I know. Ef dey have complaints dey speak tah Elders or meh and I try tah find way tah please dem ef et es possible. Ef et es nut possible I give dem logical reason dat dere wish cannot be fulfilled. Meh people are good people. Dey live trough many wars and grief. Dey dun ask for much and so I try tah give to dem before dey ask."

Sarai's expression became less probing and one of relief and perhaps slight admiration. Her skills were not on the battle field but were far more valuable in a social setting. As it was, if his answer were an honest one, which she had no reason to believe it wasn't given his past behavior, then he did indeed make an excellent leader. "As it should be," Sarai said, with measured pleasure in her voice, "As it should be." She smiled at Calysta. "You've done well as well, my dear. I think Henaiah would be quite proud of you."

No sooner had Sarai finished speaking then a man began to approach. It had been clear that she was testing his responses and Illya gave plain and truthful answers. In a way the man seemed to be another part of a test and Illya listened to his request carefully. Normally, Kalizda was quiet in these settings and he knew she would let him speak first. "I tink dis es serious request yah make. Dis es question I would like tah consider first hearing from Councilwoman Kalizda and Councilwoman Sarai on. Perhaps yah tell us more of dis problem?"

Calysta let Illya answer at first because she knew he would follow up with wanting more information. She also became vaguely uncomfortable. What would this man do if his brother was denied? She stepped up slightly, and lifted her chin to meet the man's gaze. He was taller with curly brown hair and pink cheeks. Clearly younger. Perhaps just into his 20's. Calysta tilted her head at him in consideration and then motioned for him to join them at a table. "Perhaps you'd like to sit down with us and tell us more?" At least with a table between them his movement might be limited in case something did happen. He obliged and Sarai agreed. They chose a table topped with a little pink flower and a tan table cloth. She slipped into a seat and waited for the rest to join her. "That was an very big request without more information," Calysta admitted, "Tell us more and we'll listen." The young man looked practically relieved and his shoulders seemed to release tension. "Thank you...Matriarch...Councilwoman...General, sir. My brother works for the Federation...but...he wants out. He got recruited when he was young and on one of the planet Juptier's moons, yeah? My father and my brothers were freighters and we lost our ship to pirates. The Federation, well, a company we know now is part of the Federation offered to give us jobs so we could get home. We worked...but when we had enough to get home...getting out was hard. They would find excuses to take what we had earned or circumstances would be set up to make leaving hard or impossible. I made it out, but my brother has been stuck...he's been pulled in deeper just to survive. Jupiter is squarely in the middle of Federation Territory and he's says they're getting worse. He's been trying to find a way out. I know he's been used as transportation for soldiers...he doesn't want to...believe me. He just wants out, but he I don't know what will happen if I bring him here. Will he go to prison? I need your help."

Further explanation seemed to outline a credible story. There were many such tales during war, but they were also potential threats. Illya wanted badly to just jump in and say a few things, but he needed to stick to his word and listen to the other two and their thoughts first. "Yah have interesting story. Et would be helpful tah know name of yah relatives. Perhaps we will know more." Asking for more information was not providing his thoughts, but he didn't want to just say yes with so little information even though what the man told them could be risky if it were true.

Garyn nodded and swallowed, clearly relieved to be talking to them at all. Calysta raised her hand and flagged down a catering waiter who stopped and at Calysta's request provided Garyn with a cup of clear, cool water. The young man took it gratefully and sipped some. "My brother's name is Taryn Seryilla. He was running what looks like a regular merchant freighter from Terra to an outpost on Jupiter, but it's a Federation ship. He thinks the cargo is weapons and occasionally the crew is bigger with what he believes are soldiers for the Federation. He's 18 and only a pilot. We got separated when we tried to leave and I thought he'd been captured by pirates or worse until he contacted me. He can only leave short messages. It's been a 2 years since we've seen each other, Madam Councilwoman...General. I don't know what else to do to get him out. The Alliance embargo makes it nearly impossible and expensive to get out in the first place. We were only dragged across the embargo line because of the pirates. It isn't his fault."

The young man kept speaking of pirates and Illya was wondering if it might have been his crew. They were prone to doing a few things that weren't quite good practice. After all, they were pirates. "Tell meh more about dah pirates dragging yah across embargo line. I like tah know what yah transporting and yah give meh day dat yah raided by pirates. Yah are Terran?"

The young man's eyes went wide and he shook his head. "No, sir. I'm from the Beta colony on Servra. Beryilea is the name of my home town. We trade silks made by the spiders on Servra and that's what we were hauling. It's high priced stuff for the seller, but not so much for the freighter hauling it, yeah? We bring alot of it here to Uria and the home planet. There's a market for it on Kinte and we bring it and unload it. It's closer to the Terran embargo line though, only a jump away. The pirates caught us halfway to the jump gate. The name of the ship was the Gyltram." Henryk raised a brow. "There's many ships named that, do you have a service number?" The young man nodded. "Yessir..." he patted down his tunic pocket and reached inside.

It sounded like it was a legitimate story and there were more questions. The Gyltram was a familiar sounding name and apparently a common one too. Then Garyn reached into his pocket. It was a dangerous sort of move to make for anyone involved. Illya stood up and reached across the table and put his hand over Garyn's. "Yah dun move yah hand. I like tah believe dat yah have good intention, but yah probably aware of how dis looks to meh."

Garyn's eyes were wide and wild when the big brown hand engulfed his while the General's tall shadow blocked out a fair portion of the lights from above. The man was large, but it wasn't until the man had his hand firmly clasped that it really began to sink in just how big Chips were. He'd never seen one in person before today. "I won't move...I-I-I won't move..." he said quickly. In truth, he hadn't thought about how it looked. He was focused on helping his brother and getting any information to the people who might be able to help him as quickly as possible. "The service number is on my pad...which is in my pocket. Sir Henryk...I'd let you reach inside to get it...or anyone...I wont touch it."

At least the young man had the sense to do as he was instructed. Illya held the young man's hand and he nodded to Mihael. Mihael was a big man too and quite a bit taller than Illya. When the other Chip came over in full tactical gear he pulled out a scanner and swept it over Garyn before nodding and speaking to Illya and Kalizda in Quoti.

Calysta's fingers had clasped the sides of her chair, nails digging into the under side as they all waited for Garyn to decide what was going to happen. The young man looked nervous to have Illya standing over him, hand grabbing his. Mihael came over and the man's anxiety grew higher to match the additional tall shadow eclipsing him. Henryk even had a trained eye on the young man and a hand on Sarai, ready to move her if need be. After a strained moment, Mihael told them it was nothing but a small info pad tucked into the man's pocket. He affirmed it in Quoti and Calysta felt her fingers release the side of the chair.

There wasn't any kind of inlaid bomb material or anything they should have been concerned about. Illya nodded to Mihael and then let his hand off Garyn's. "Dah scan shows ets alright." A broad grin came to Illya's face and he chuckled nervously. "Noting like a little scare tah make yah audience listen. I might suggest yah dun do et quite like dat next time. We're ready tah hear more now."

Garyn nodded quickly and then very slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a cracked, worn pad then held it up a little to show it was just a pad. "Sorry, sir," he said," I didn't mean to scare anyone...I didn't think about it. You just needed the information, yeah?" He gave an apologetic sort of smile and then thumbed through the pad. When he found the number, he offered the pad to Henryk who took it and pulled out his own device to do some research of his own. "Please continue," Calysta said, "Your brother has been in the Federation for 2 years?" Garyn nodded. "Almost three, yes. It took us nearly a year to get enough money to get off of Jupiter. Uria is as far as we could get before we ran out of credits. We couldn't get to the Beta gate. I know I'm not earning enough credits to get him out and I'm afraid the more messages he sends the bigger risk he'll be at. They might even kill him. When I saw you were meeting with the people...I..took the chance and hoped you'd listen."

Despite the sad tale Illya was ever skeptical when the Federation was involved and he wanted to ask at least one more question. "Dis es common kind of story wit Federation. Many of our peoples were coerced into bad situations. Why yah wait so long tah bring dis matter tah dah Councilwoman Sarai? She es good woman and cares deeply for her people and Henryk es very accomplished officer." Illya fully intended on having Henryk run most of the work on this one if it was legitimate.

"I sent messages to her secretary many times. I was given asylum on Uria in response, but I know the Councilwoman has many people. Millions in a whole planet, sir. I doubt she even saw my messages directly. At least that's what I have to assume." Councilwoman Sarai, studied the young man for a moment and tilted her head. "It is very possible I did not see them directly. I have thousands of messages a day which are sorted by my secretary and a chief who does have the ability to grant asylum and other functions if necessary. I will look into the matter personally. This is one of the many reasons I enjoy seeing my people and talking in person. Matters like this." While Sarai was normally very light hearted and bubbly, she changed when it came to executive function of her role. She became decisive and if possible, more confident. "You have my word."

Kalizda had been unusually quiet and Illya looked to her for her answer before he gave any answer. "I will wait tah give meh statement on behalf of dah Chippequoti until dah Councilwoman Kalizda has spoken." She needed to give some sort of decisive and leader-like comment here. He knew that she was thrust into her position and it felt foreign and uncomfortable, but it was also necessary for her to speak.

Garyn's eyes landed squarely on her with hope in them. She knew there were stories like that. People being taken advantage of by the Federation, but she knew there was a need for caution. She looked him in the eyes for a moment and gave him a small nod. "With the information you've given us we should be able to make a thorough investigation. I will investigate the information," she said, "Jupiter is very far into Federation Territory at this point. I will not make promises besides this: I will work swiftly and you will have the help you need in motion before the end of the day to give our people time to work. If what I find is true, as the Councilwoman put my best resources as available into helping you and your family become whole again. It took courage to come here." Garyn swallowed, and nodded, looking relieved. "I understand...I'm just glad you listened. If you're able to find him and we go home...will he be punished for the work he is doin with the Federation?" Calysta looked at the young man. "I'm not in the habit of bringing charges against people committing crimes against their will and under duress. I can only speak for the home planet, but I can't imagine that crimes without the proper mental status would hold up in an Alliance court either." The young man looked like he might help from relieve and he dipped his head in a bow.

The remark from Kalizda was good. She had done well showing both caution and compassion. "Dis es matter I believe falls primarily tah Councilwoman Sarai and Henryk. Dah Chippequoti will show similar support tah what Councilwoman Kalizda speaks. Ef aid es requested by Councilwoman Sarai or Councilwoman Kalizda, I will do meh best tah provide as dey ask. Garyn dipped his head in a bow and Illya waited for him to raise his head again. Standing up he beckoned for the young man to do the same. Stepping closer to him he set one hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath before saying anything. He shouldn't have been here if he was Tannas, but Illya wanted to be sure and he knew the scent of them if he crossed them. "War es difficult. Meh fater tells meh dis when I am young and et helps. No matter what happens, yah remember where yah come from and what dat makes yah. Yah come from proud heritage and strong people. Dun let dat fade eh?"

Illya spoke and Calysta nodded. "I do agree. Councilwoman Sarai and her security team should be the spear point, but I will contribute what I find to allow them to make a determination since you are both a citizen of Kinte and now an amnestied citizen of Uria in the Alliance. Jurisdiction would fall to both. The Councilwoman thanks the representative of the Chippeqouti for the support in this matter as well." She gave Illya a brief nod of thanks. When the young man lifted his head, he looked as if a few weights had been lifted from his shoulders. He wasn't quite to alone in his endeavor anymore, provided he was truthful. He stood up when beckoned by Illya, as did they all, and he looked up at the Chip man who put his broad hand on his shoulder. When Illya spoke, the young man gave him a grateful, but determined nod. "Yessir, it does help my father passed without seeing my brother again and want to bring what's left of my family together and go home where I can start in that heritage again...." then he glanced at Sarai looking at a little sheepishly, "Not that I don't like Uria, Madam Councilwoman." Sarai chuckled. "But it isn't home, yeah?" He shook his head and then bowed to them all. "If you need anything else, please contact me. Sir Henryk has my pad number. And Thank you."

His heart was still going faster than usual and Illya was starting to feel himself come down from the adrenaline rush. There was also the fact that he'd tensed up during some of the exchange and his shoulder was starting to ache, though not so bad as it had been. "Oh, dis es a good time for a drink..." Catching Kalizda's gaze he quickly added "water. Big drink of water." Drinking seemed to be such a natural idea after something like this, but he knew it would break Kalizda's heart if he started drinking again.

Once the young man was being escorted away with assurances one of Henyrk's couriers would come with news by the end of the day, Calysta relaxed more and tried her hardest not to take a deep breath of relief. Illya turned and said flat out it was a good time for a drink before quickly covering up with that he meant water. Apparently, he was still very tense too. Calysta looked at him and reached up, sliding a hand around his back to gently rub it. It would be good to offer different kinds of relief rather than the one he wanted. Maybe one day a drink might not be the absolute first thing he thought of. "Hmm water would be good. Or maybe something to eat?" Her heart was still pounding a little too and she felt a little light headed, but that was only from the the stress and standing up to fast more than likely. Usual things that happened when she was pregnant. "Or we can sit down a little privately just for a moment."

When Kalizda spoke it sounded like she had a few thoughts. Food did sound good and so did a private area to sit. Illya nodded, "Yeah, I tink jes a little private room and food es good." He felt like people were too close after that and he was starting to think he would need that space. She was quick to pick up on that. A lot faster than he was and she even mentioned the one thing he would need if he didn't drink. "Yah would nut mind ef we jes have small break for 20 minutes eh?" Illya looked at Sarai hopeful that she would not be offended.

Sarai looked at the General and nodded. He was injured and just had surgery, twenty minutes was a small request. "Take all the time you need. If you go through the center aisle here, they can take you below the aquarium bulb to a lounge for resting. Henryk can show you, yeah?" Henryk nodded and stepped away from Sarai's side to guide them to the little observation lounge away from the crowd for just a little while. She was relieved when the door clicked closed and she took a deep breath in front of Illya, then let it out. "Well, the trip to Uria certainly hasn't been dull," she mumbled, as she smoothed down her skirt and sat down in a soft armchair. "I think we needed a moment..." Calysta glanced up at him, "If we can find his brother, that will be a very dangerous mission to get him out."

Henryk showed them to a room and Sarai seemed to find the request reasonable. It had taken a few days to get past feeling sick everytime a fish swam by, but at least he'd gotten used to it. Illya nodded to Henryk when he opened a door and let them in and then closed it. Now that they were in the bulb by themselves Illya sunk into the chair and let his entire body go slack. Kalizda was still thinking about the young man and Illya was trying hard not to think about all the ways that request could have been an assassination attempt. "Hmmm...Wha...Oh yeah, dat would be dangerous." Closing his eyes Illya let out a long breath. "Why dun yah jes sit next to meh eh?"

He seemed as relieved as she was as he slumped into the chair beside her. When he invited her to sit next to him, she wobbled to her feet and slinked over to his chair. He took up the majority of the space so, she just gently crawled into his lap. She leaned very carefully against his right side and took a deep breath again. Her shaking hands wrapped around him and she hugged him. She wanted to hug him tightly as possible but she didnt want to hurt him. "I was scared too," she admitted quietly.

"I jes dun want yah tah get hurt." Illya wrapped his right arm around her back to hold her closer to himself. "I tink we make exit too fast and forget tah get food. Dat's alright, I will eat a lot when we go back out dere."

"I didn't want you to get hurt either," she mumbled into his chest, " We did forget. Mostly, I just wanted this for a moment though." There would have been a time where she would never have let this show, even to him. Nobody could know she wasn't fearless. He knew her though. He knew almost every inch of her. His arm wrapped her around her made her relax. "We'll just have to make up for it when we go back, yeah?" She smoothed down the hair on the nape of his neck. "I'm not hurting your shoulder, am I?"

There was still a slight tremor that ran through Kalizda. Illya listened to her and he hadn't thought that maybe she didn't eat when she was stressed out, or that she didn't drink either. Both of which sounded good right now. "Yah nut hurting meh. Meh left shoulder has plenty of space before yah start birdie clawing et." A bit of a smirk came to his face and he kissed the top of her head. "We jes close our eyes and relax for few minutes and we go out looking much refreshed eh?"

Calysta was glad he wasn't in a rush to go back for moment and hugged him a little closer. "Birdie claws, hmm?" she chuckled as he kissed the top of her head, "Aye, let's close our eyes for just minute." She stayed with him for a long time just sitting against his chest and listening to his breathing. Slowly, her heart began to return to it's normal pace and the adrenaline left her feeling a bit odd, but not worse for wear. "We're okay?" she whispered after a long while.

While they were relaxing Illya let his head tilt back into the couch and he could feel Kalizda begin to sink a bit further into him. After about 25 minutes she tilted her head toward him, but he kept his eyes closed and decided to see if a little prank would do her as much good as it would do him. Her cheek was still pressed to his chest, so he figured she wasn't quite looking at his face yet and he let his mouth drop open and he pushed a little spit to the corner of his mouth. Maybe he could fake sleeping just good enough to fool her.

Calysta peeked up at him when he didnt respond and found him with his eyes closed and his mouth slipped open. Was he asleep? Or maybe he wasn't hearing her. He did have problems with his hearing. She raised up just a little and put her lips to his ears. "Are you asleep, love?"

The whisper from Kalizda tickled his ear some and Illya let out a long breath. He was able to control his laughter as long as he kept on breathing deeply as if he were sleeping. With his head tilted to the side he could feel the drool start to drizzle along his cheek and he let more start to form in the corner of his mouth. So far she sounded like she was falling for it.

He must have fallen asleep. She didn't want to wake him up, so she just smoothed down his hair and kissed his cheek. "I'll take that as a yes," she chuckled very quietly. She reached over and snagged one of the little throw pillows to put under his head so his neck wouldn't be bent at that weird angle.

Illya could hear her response and he wanted to bust out laughing, but he was gonna wait for a few more moments to see what she would do. When she started to pull his head toward her so she could put a pillow behind it he opened his eyes and found himself staring into the front of her dress. "Nice view." It was everything he could do to keep from laughing and he closed his eyes again and tried to pretend he was still sleeping after saying that. Surely she'd catch onto his prank after that.

She was lifting his head and putting a soft pillow behind it when he mumbled something. Did he just say 'nice view?' She peered at him and a wicked little idea. She slid a hand into his shirt and kissed him full on the mouth.

The last thing Illya expected in that moment was a kiss. He had drool on half his face. Suddenly Kalizda's little lips locked over at least part of his and he grunted in surprise and had to pull away because he breathed some spit down the wrong track. "Oooh....dat was exciting." Eyes watering he met her gaze and grinned and wiped his mouth and cheek with the back of his hand. "Ready to go eat some food?"

Calysta felt him pull away after a grunt of surprise and looked at him. He was grinning and wiping the back of his hand before suggesting food. That made her laugh and she chuckled into his neck before nodding. "Aye, I think you need it after that performance, love."

"But yah fell for et right?" Illya thought the joke went over, but he wasn't so sure after her chuckle. "I got yah." He wanted to be sure she fell for his joke. He'd drooled all over himself for it.

Calysta laughed a little more and nodded before kissing his cheek. "Aye and I was about let you sleep away."

"Yes!" Illya gave an exuberant hoot and he scrambled to his feet with Kalizda clutched to his chest. Leaning forward slightly he let her slide to the ground. "Eh...I jes get little excited about meh idea. Sorreh. I dun hurt yah or dah babies did I?"

His response was so excited he jumped to his feet with her in tow. She squeaked a little and held on where she could until he slid her feet to the floor. When he asked if he hurt her or the babies she chuckled and shook her her head. "No, not at all." She was grinning as she held on to him. Seeing him wild and excited made her happy and it chased away the fear from a few minutes ago. "Maybe I'll have to pull a prank in you too sometime just to see if you can catch me," she winked.

*********************************************

Pris had been coming a bit more regularly and it seemed that things were getting better. Edgar went to get the tea while Helen got her comfortable. The conversations were much more smooth than it was the first time. Helen showed a little hologram to Pris of when Illya and Maks were younger and the two of them were running around on Quoti. There was even a sour looking Ehvan standing by watching the two of them. "It maybe wasn't peaceful times, but dey were all living in relative bliss. Maks was about 14 and Ehvan was 13. Bot of dem jes started school and Illya was home after a trip wit his dad. Sometimes I wish we could have more children." Smiling a little the old woman glanced toward the kitchen where she could hear Edgar humming as he prepared the drink. "Yah still young and have much time for dis. I tink yah have better years ahead of yah."

As Edgar entered the room Helen put her hologram coin away and then took her cup of tea from the tray Edgar came wobbling into the sitting room with. After they were all comfortable Pris started out with a question that made Helen and Edgar stare at each other for a long moment. They weren't sure how to talk about that subject.

Slowly Edgar turned his gaze toward Pris and he started out cautiously. "We're not as familiar wit his story as one of his Elders might be. However, none of his Elders live. What we do know es very difficult tah convey." The room grew strangely silent for a long moment and Edgar took a few sips of his tea before he leaned back into his chair. "Ehud es from dah mountains on our home planet. His people were mostly hunters and a few tradesman. He grew up en home of hunter. Et was poor village and dey live mostly en caves en dah mountains."

Helen pulled the blanket from the back of the seat she was in almost as if she were protecting herself from the cold. "Yes, et was very harsh land." She chimed in and then Edgar continued. "Dey ate a lot of fish, some of dah roots from plants and wore many furs." While those were all nice demographics, she probably wanted more than that. "I tink many furs and fish would make him feel at home. Maybe someplace cold, but I dun know how dat would make him feel. Dah last he was home was bad time. Dere was battle wit lost Federation troops on our home planet. Dey landed and all communication was cut en attempt tah save our last hidden home. Dere were many of dem."

Despite the discomfort of the situation Edgar continued with the story. "Dah General sends even his troops from dah jungle and wasteland areas tah assist and push dah enemy tah dah mountains. Dis was tah starve dem, kill dem wit elements and corner dem. Dah battle raged for monts. Dah hunters were very brave and dey would use whistle ting tah call dah silver leopards from dere hiding places tah slaughter dah enemy. Silver leopards are very dangerous and many hunters killed en attempts tah save dere homes and villages. Sometimes dah Federation soldiers found hunters and sometimes dah hunters would be killed by dah leopard. Dah leopard es naturally very shy creature dat hides until et hears call or es en danger. Et kills silently and disappears witout trace many times."

This was by far the best he could do try and describe the situation. "Soon even dah people of dah mountains were starving and dey could nut sustain long. Dah Federation was being forced higher tah mountains and many of dah soldiers from dah jungles freeze tah deat and dere was noting tah eat left, but dey keep on fighting tah save our home. Ehud's village was one dat dah Federation was soon tah reach. His fater and broters and moter were all very good hunters and dey went out tah try and save dah village by calling dah leopards down on demselves and dah enemies. He and his agreed were given dah task tah lead dah people on sacred pat tah dah mout of dah dragon's cavern. He was excellent tracker and like leopard he was swift and led dah young dat were nut defending dah village tah dah pat. He made a safe place near dah dragon's cavern and when he was met monts later by remnant of Federation he fled down dah mountain back to his village tah find all his people gone and dah remaining children were fewer den when he left wit dem. Most did nut survive. He find few jungle soldiers and he left Haza wit dah children and led dah remaining men from campaign tah finish dah Federation on our home planet and den he left wit dem tah join dah military base on Quoti. He was never known tah be good en combat, but he had uncanny ability tah hide and he did dis for very long time. When dah war drew near end his unit was caught en impossible position tah defend and he was assumed dead. Dis es what we know of him."
 
Dear Diary,

Things have been getting better between Ehud and I. He even took a a day of to come to the Harvest Festival with me and we had a wonderful time. While I hadn't fully intended on having sex with him until he was ready, he told me he was ready. It's been so up and down, I hesitated to say yes but I didn't want to disappoint him or discourage him. I'm sure he thinks he's being punished, but I didn't simply want to have sex with him just for the sake of it. He could get that from anyone he wanted. He's good looking enough, after all. Not to mention it would be strange to do that knowing he didn't, or couldn't, feel the same way I did about it.

He insisted he was ready though and I knew without giving him more of my trust again, we couldn't move forward. So, I decided to trust him when he said he was ready. It wasn't a particularly romantic or emotional session but I enjoyed it. I missed having him close like that. He also seemed happier, even though he didn't like the idea of slow sex. Maybe, with time, he'll enjoy it more if he ever tries with me again. I do like a variety after all. I know I tend to be more a physical person too. I feel very loved when someone wants to hold me or kiss me. I always have.

I do think the medicine is helping already. He smiles more and he seems at least more at ease, in some ways. I know he is trying very hard. I look forward to him coming to see me in the bakery in the evenings and I feel lucky he's trying to be there with me. He's very handsome when he smiles at me too and it makes me happy to see that he might be feeling a bit better. I'm not going to give up on him. As long as he's trying, then we'll keep working at it.

************

Priscilla beamed at Ehud when he walked through the bakery door at the end of the day. The last of the little Chip children were scrambling out with the left over treats as he was coming in. She wiped off her hands and slipped her apron, the one he had gifted her, over her head to rest it gently on the hook by the kitchen door. "Hey, handsome" she smiled. It had been a long day, especially with her very informative session with Edgar and Helena, but she looked at Ehud with fresh, gentle eyes. Gliding from behind the countertop, she smoothed her dress down and then reached for him, cupping his cheek with her soft hand and gazing at him. "Mmm...you're here...." she mused, "I like it when we walk home together." She glanced outside and saw the rains had already start to fall for the beginning of the rainy season. A little thunder rolled in the distance. It made her want to go home and get even cozier. When she looked back at him, she caressed his cheek with her thumb and kissed him lightly. "Maybe, if you're feeling up for it we can try out having some fun again tonight. If you're not feeling up to it, that's alright too." She kissed him one more time, then slid out of his grasp to go find her umbrella and her rain jacket.

************

Dear Diary,

I had my session with Edgar and Helena again today too. Talking to them is getting easier too and I learned about what happened with Ehud on his home planet. He lost his family and almost his entire village so fast. Knowing what happened has made me think quite a bit. Is it any wonder he doesn't want to get close to anyone? I still remember the way he looked at me when he told me I was "nice for now." That stung more than anything he said to me that day in the flyer. It made me feel disposable or like a fling. Like I wasn't worth investing any love into. I wrestled with those feelings for awhile and it made it feel all the worse because of what Harry did, I suppose. I was sure he said those things because he was needing help with his mind and emotions.

Now, I understand a bit more. He had everything ripped away from him besides Haza. It puts things into perspective. As much as I want it, it's possible he may never feel like he should be closer and more intimate with me. I don't think the war or our losses should prevent us from making a good marriage, but he has lost much more than I ever have. It breaks my heart to know he suffered so much and then lost Haza like he did. I'm not sure I can ever amount to what Haza meant to him after having her there as his wife for so long, and losing so much. I hope one day he feels close enough to me, and can tell me about some of these things himself, even if they hurt. I want to know more so I can be there for him.

For the moment though, we'll just take it step by step. And I'm not sure what my next step is. I had thought about getting some furs and perhaps doing a snowy cabin theme for Christmas time. Something cozy that might make him feel more at home, even though he doesn't celebrate Christmas with me. Now, I'm wondering if that's such a good idea. Should I try to do something familiar or should we make our own traditions?

************

Calysta was feeling plump as a Pleides parrot after dinner but she knew the feeling wouldnt last long. Luckily, coffees and teas along with Urian fruit desserts were being passed around after the formal dinner had concluded. She had found herself cornered by several of the matriarchs on her way out of a brief bathroom trip. They wanted to talk with her more about some of the things said at dinner and so she did. They were chatty, and that was fine. Calysta nodded and showed interest where appropriate, though what she really wanted to was to stick close to Illya. Especially after the little scare they had earlier in the day and the assassination attempt. By the time she disengaged politely from two matriarchs, she'd been away from Illya for nearly 30 minutes. Naturally, he wasn't where she had left him to the use the bathroom either. Where had he gone? Mihael was with him, so if Illya wasn't standing, Mihael would be and she should be able to see him. She canned over the large room and finally spotted Mihael's tan face, stoic and observant as usual. She walked over and found Illya sitting up on the couch. She almost said something, but when she got closer, she realized is mouth was a bit slack and his eyes were closed. His breathing was slow and steady. He'd gotten his belly fully and fallen asleep. Calysta smiled and pulled her shawl off her shoulders, putting it over his arms where she knew he would be cold. "I suppose just let him sleep," Calysta said to Mihael, "You'll watch out for him, yeah? I may have to go back into the after dinner chatter."

It was relief that they finally got to dinner. Illya wasn't normally the type to get irritable when he was hungry, at least he didn't think he was. However, he was starting to feel that way by the time dinner was served. To be sure he wasn't impolite Illya waited until Sarai gave indication he should eat and Illya served a modest amount of food on his plate, he could go back for more as many times as he wanted. Despite the fact that he ate much faster than Kalizda he was still eating five minutes after she was done. Once he was satisfied Illya got up to walk with Kalizda to the center of the room. She peeled off for the restroom and that left Illya the victim of the sparkly eyes. Since there were only so many ways to limit how many of them could be close to him he decided the couch was a great way to get settled in. The couch was big, puffy and soft. Slowly Illya sank into and leaned his head back. His head was cushioned by the large puff on the back of the couch. Before he knew it Illya was asleep. Mihael saw the council woman come over and she took her shawl off. For a moment he wondered if he should ask her if she would be chilled, but he did't think he had anything she could wear in its place. When Kalizda asked if he would watch Illya he nodded and remained in place at attention. He only glanced over when he heard a sigh from Illya and the General slid to the side and took up the entire couch now. The shawl had fallen off his left shoulder and left it exposed to the air and Mihael reached over to pull the shawl over his shoulder. (edited)

Mihael's response was professional if not a little stiff but she knew he would stay with Illya and protect him while he slept. Calysta gave her husband a bit of a soft smile just before she heard her name being called. Sarai was wafting over in gauzy dress with two more matriarchs flanking her. Rather than letting the women get too close to her sleeping husband she stepped a few feet forward and greeted them before they reached the little sitting area where Illya fell asleep. Koda remained by her side while Rezna stayed back a few paces a a secondary to both Calysta and the snoozing Illya. The matriarchs were jabbering on about some sort of tradition involving ropes and a flower when a strange sound caused everyone to pause.

There were more people gathering and Mihael couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy about the fact that many of them wanted to congregate right here. However, Kalizda and her guards stood between the gathering and Illya. Suddenly there was a snort, cough and then something akin to a wheeze that began to turn to the hoarse laughter of the General. Mihael moved his gaze away from the others long enough to confirm that it was indeed the General laughing in his sleep.

At the sound of the wild snorting and wheezing laughter, Sarai stopped her story midsentence and all the women turned their heads to find the source. Calysta knew the source though and her eyes landed on Illya. He was curled up on his side with her shawl and laughing heartily in his sleep. Sarai glance at Calysta with a look of bemusement. "I see the General is equally entertained tonight, Councilwoman."

Illya laughed till he started into a coughing fit. After the first few dry coughs they started sounding phlegmy and Illya woke up. Pushing up with his right arm he got into a seated position and kept on coughing till his lungs felt a little more clear. It wasn't until he was done coughing that he noticed he was wearing a long, sheer and silky feeling shawl. That definitely wasn't his. Pulling it off his shoulders he wrapped it around his right hand and looked up to see that a group of women were watching him. "Hi." Offering his single word greeting he got to his feet and took the shawl back over to Kalizda. "I tink dis es yours. Matches yah dress."

That wheezey laugh soon turned to a wet sounding cough and all the women stared on for a moment. Sarai glanced at Calysta. "Does he need water or something?" Calysta didn't answer but took a step toward him. When she did, Illya jerked awake still coughing. When his coughing fit was under control he saw her shawl and offered it back to her. "Aye," she said gently, taking the shawl and kissing his cheek. "Did you have a funny dream?"

Seeing Kalizda roll up on her toes was usually a good indication that he should bend slightly. Illya bent down an let her kiss him. A mischievous grin came to his face when she asked if he had a funny dream. "Aye, et was a good one." Coughing to the side he tried to get his airway clear, but it wasn't feeling quite right and it hadn't all day, but he was trying to ignore it. "I dream dat Keisha somehow came to dah party. Et was chaos, people running everywhere, dah cat was having good time, drinking cream, eating fish and chasing tassels. Et would be terrible ef et happened, but et was funny dream."

Calysta heard the crackly sound in his chest as he tried to clear it up what was left from that wet coughing that had woken him up. She flashed back briefly to Skycorp where all 50 Chip Elite had that same sounding cough and were passing around buckets of accumulated plehgm. That memory alone made her anti-nausea pills fight to keep her stomach down, pregnant or not. She would approach Dane and check on the tea supplies they had to avoid any Chip cough infections on the ship and in particular for Illya and Dane along with the children. Calysta pretended not to notice the cough, as she was sure he wouldn't want it mentioned in front of everyone and simply offered him her fresh drink of juice she had just snagged from a passing waiter before he'd woken up. He had a wiley grin on his face and then launched into the story of his dream with pleasure. Her lips twitched upward and she found herself smiling. Then a little laugh burbled out. Looking back on the chaos with just Sarai and the cat alone was a bit humorous, but imagining her set loose in a place like this brought a certain image of mass hysteria for such a small cat that it made her giggle.

Sarai's cheeks turned pink and she smoothed down her flowing sleeves, a motion partly in embarrassment and partway to soothe herself. "I'm sure your cat would have a grand time."

Calysta held out her arm for her husband to take and chuckled. "Aye, she would. It really would be chaos. She's pretty good at that when she wants to."

The shorter matriarch next to Sarai tilted her head. "You have a beast in your home? All I can imagine is all the fur everywhere."

Calysta smiled. "We have 6 dogs, one cat, several hens, two roosters, and a very affectionate bear. Oh...and a tarantula. That would be my son's pet." Glancing up at Illya, she tilted her head. "Did I miss anyone?" The matriarch her asked seemed astounded and her eyes looked a little terrified.

Illya took the juice from Kalizda and he thanked her in Quoti before he took a sip. While he was sipping the juice he chanced a glance over the top of the cup at Sarai. The woman was looking terribly uncomfortable. He hadn't mentioned anything about her from the day before to be kind. Kalizda, however found the humor in it. This of course sent the other women careening off into the subject of pets and they looked truly horrified after Kalizda had gone through the list of them. Illya frowned a little as he thought through all the animals too. He was sure that something was missing. Suddenly it struck him. "Oh, I forgot. I collected a few snake eggs dah oter day and dey're en meh pant pockets at home." The frown shifted to a sheepish sort of grin and Illya turned his gaze to Kalizda now. (edited)

Now it was time for Calysta's eyes to go wide. She blinked and then looked at Illya while all the other women in the little congregation turned their heads to look at her in equal shock. Of course he would bring snake eggs home in his pocket. He always had odds and ends in his pockets and Cypher, Tomas and Edgar were just like him. She always had to check the pockets before the wash. Somewhere, thousands of light years away, their house was slowly being infested by snakes. The idea of it made another laugh come out and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Well, love. It sounds like you'll have some hunting to do when you get home. It's a good thing you like snake stew so much." With this exchange, the matriarchs, including Sarai, were staring at Calysta in surprise. (edited)


Somehow Kalizda managed to find more humor in it than he did. Illya was envisioning a disaster. "I tink ets bigger problem den dat. Wit dat many eggs en dah pocket I tink dere es chance dey could be breeding and we will have many snakes. Maybe I jes tell Ehvan and he can hunt some too before we go back."

His next comment brought about the question of just how many snake eggs did he bring home. Apparently, it was quite a few. She wasn't she even wanted to know where he'd gotten snake eggs in the first place. They were not native to Pyrta. When it came to his procurement of animals though, she didn't ask many questions. They simply appeared and that was that. This time Calysta nodded more quickly than she should have at Illya's suggestion. "And perhaps warn my father...he may arrive home before we do and you know how he feels about snakes." The matriarchs listening to the exchange had been silent and wide-eyed for a moment until one of them piped in. "You certainly have a lively home, Councilwoman," she said, "With so many children and a handsome husband, and so many, many animals. I don't know how you keep up. I only have three husbands and 4 children at the moment." Calysta gave a small shrug and smiled as she tried to get the vision of her father having a snake drop on him when he stepped into the house out of her head. "It's just our life. And I love it." The other more horrified looking matriarch gave a nervous chuckle and waved over a waiter carrying drinks. "That sounds like a worthy toast, yeah?" She plucked shots glasses of Urian spirits off the offered tray and handed them to Calysta and Illya. "To building a life and loving it, yeah?" the matriarch smiled, then in Urian style she downed it in one go. Calysta lifted her up in the toast but didn't drink. She couldn't while pregnant and furthermore wouldn't with Illya there.

The smile from Kalizda's face faded slightly. They really were going to have a mess. In fact, it was going to be bad. His pants were draped over the bed and he was pretty sure their bed had turned into a snake nest. That was something he could save for later. Instead the women all decided to have a toast of sorts and Illya saw what they handed to Kalizda and he quickly swapped drinks with her before she could protest. Illya turned from the group slightly and coughed to cover his dumping the alcoholic drink into a plant. When he righted himself again he set the empty glass on a tray as a waiter passed and he winked at Kalizda. "Maybe I need more of dat juice." It was one way to make an exit without creating a scene.

Calysta was already thinking of ways to explain away why she wouldn't drink, but as the ladies lifted their heads back to take the shot, Illya snatched the drink from her and replaced it with the juice cup she'd given him, then put the glass on a passing waiter's tray. He was alot faster thinking than she was at the moment and shot her a mischeivous little wink. He was trying very hard to help her and she smiled up at him with her own set of sparkly eyes meant only for him. "Aye." Standing on her toes, she kissed his cheek again and nodded toward the after dinner snack bar. "I think that might be good." Sarai's eyes flicked from Calysta and Illya and back again, then she smiled. "Aye, join us for a game in a few minutes at the table? It should start soon."

It seemed that the little stunt had gone over quite well and Illya was pleased with himself. Kalizda was in the clear at least for now. If they tried t do more toasts it would be problematic. The mention of snacks got an affirmative from Kalizda and that was pleasing too. She almost never wanted to eat this much. It was a healthy thing for her to eat this much with the babies. At the snack table there was plenty of meats and Illya loaded a large plate full of meats and crackers for himself and Kalizda to share. "I tink dat should be good eh? Yah eat et wit meh?" She was even pleased to eat meat with him and that was even better. Illya liked this version of his Kalizda. They were somewhat committed to some games and so he followed Kalizda over to wherever the other women were to play the games.

Calysta was more than happy to wander over to the snack table where a selection of meats, cheeses and fruits were waiting. Even a few of the fruit mousse desserts with pretty sugared berries on top. She let Illya get as big a plate as she wanted, at first thinking she would only do a small snack. Then his plate got bigger and she caught a whiff of something delicious. There was something on that plate that she instantly wanted. When he asked if she would eat with him, she nodded as she looked at his plate, trying to decipher what it was she was smelling. When they sat down and began sampling, she found it was some sort of cured meat torte with spices. She ate one much faster than she anticipated and then smiled sheepishly up at Illya. "I guess my tag-alongs were hungry too," she said in Quoti. By the time they finished, it was time for the games Sarai had mentioned. A small vase was being passed around and party goers were being asked to find a partner, then select a piece of paper from the vase. Calysta wanted to pair with Illya, but Sarai swooped in. "We try not to do married couples paired together until the last round," she said, "Would you like to be my partner for the charades game?"

When they finished the snack and joined Sarai for the games Illya sat next to Kalizda. It was almost his turn to reach into the vase and they said something about partners. Illya was about to speak up and then Sarai immediately made a rush to claim him as her partner. Looking at Kalizda for a moment and then to Sarai he asked in Quoti. "What does being her partner mean?"

Calysta was hoping she could stay partnered with illya for all the games. Not only would he be more comfortable but they would be a good pair and dominate the field. Except, Sarai jumped in, making her little announcement. Calysta took a glance around the room and did indeed see that others were pairing with people who were not their spouse. Henryk was with the short fair haired matriarch from earlier, looking like nothing but the most kind of hosts. At Illya's question, Calysta looked at Sarai. "Partners for the game," she replied to Illya in Quoti, "If she was wanting to swap partners in other ways, she would have asked me for permission to ask you first. Since I'm your wife. If you're not comfortable, it is appropriate to say no."

"But she will be offended." Illya could see that his choices if he had to have someone besides Kalizda weren't going to be much better than Sarai. "They're all sparkly eyed. I guess I will say yes." With a sort of resignation in his voice he glanced up at Sarai and nodded. "I will be yah partner for dis game." The vase was still in front of him and he realized he had to pick something out of it. Pushing his free hand into the vase he felt like it was a bit of a tight fit and the lady holding the vase dropped it. However, the vase didn't hit the floor. It was stuck on his hand. Illya laughed nervously and shook the vase with his hand inside. "I dun tink I will be able tah grab one and get meh hand out."

Illya didn't want to partner with her but ultimately is was better to go with someone he knew. Illya knew that and they paired off. Calysta ended up with Sarai's fifth husband Skye. She had not had a chance to meet him very much and gave him a friendly, but not overly friendly greeting. When the vase was passed around she saw Illya fumble with it and some how get it stuck on his hand. She stifled a laugh as everyone looked at him in surprise. "I'll take one for.both of us," Sarai piped up. Then she offered her hand for Illya to set his own vase covered hand in. (edited)

With his hand stuck in the vase Illya wasn't sure what to do and he saw Sarai hold her hand out. "Yeah, yah peck one after I get meh hand out." Shifting to sit further back on the couch Illya set the vase between his legs and held it while he pulled his hand out. When he hand came out he grabbed the vase by the neck and then held it out to Sarai, "Yah peck two and I give et back tah lady making rounds wit et."

Sarai raised a brow at Illya when he didnt see seem to understand that she was offering to hold the vase while he got his hand out, then tilted her head some when he ordered her to pick two before he handed it back to the matriarch passing around the Vase. "Why, yes General. I think I shall." She put her hand into the neck of the vase and pulled out two pieces of paper, then handed one to Illya without looking. "I never lose charades," she said, "Have you played before?"

Sarai handed Illya his piece of paper and he rubbed it open with his hand and stared at the word on it. "Mmm...no, I never play." Without looking up at Sarai he answered he question and immediately displayed his ignorance afterword. "Why dah hell does dis say peanut?"

Everyone in the room stopped their chatter and looked at Illya. Sarai winced and waved the woman with the vase back to them. "You're not supposed to say the word out loud or tell anyone. You get 1 minute to act out the word on the paper so others can guess it. You'll be trying to act out the next word you pick so I can guess what it is and get us the points. You'll be trying to guess my word too and other people's as they act."

Illya sighed a little as he realized his mistake. "Well, I'm nut getting meh hand stuck again." As the vase made its way back to him he dropped his word in the vase and then waited for someone else to put their hand in the vase. When he was handed his next word he shook his head slightly. "Can I....." Cutting himself short he realized he probably shouldn't ask for another one and instead stuffed the slip of paper into his sling and then started to fumble around for his tablet. He needed to translate the word because he didn't know what it was. Why would he know what rhyme was? After he looked it up Illya felt slightly frustrated. How could he get someone to guess that. Giving Sarai a pained grin he announced, "I dun know ef yah will win dis time." (edited)

Sarai looked down at her word and began thinking of all the ways she could act it out while Illya studied his own new word. When he looked up at her and smiled, she waved a hand with a little laugh. "Oh we'll do well! You'll get the hang of it. You're so naturally expressive, we'll make a great team." The first pair was up and Calysta stepped into the middle of the encircled group. At first she pinched her nose and then looked as if she were diving underwater before making a circle with her fingers and poking the circle with her other hand. As soon as she poked her circle, she broke it apart and wiggled her fingers up as if something were rising. Shouts and guesses came from the crowd but she continued her pantomime, trying to get some to recognize her word.

The woman seemed to think that they would do fine as a team and Illya found it doubtful. He wasn't that good at acting things out. Not if he wanted to get people to guess. When Kalizda stepped into the middle to do her word Illya watched and let a few others guess before he gave his thought on it. "Yah water dancing." That's what he thought it looked like she was trying to simulate, but there was no telling unless she said he was right. (edited)

Calysta shook her head and then swapped to a new tactic. She held out her hand as if something were in it, then pretended to dip something inside before pulling it out and blowing on it. Skye watched carefully with his big blue eyes, then tilted his head. "Bubbles?" Calysta pointed and a cheer went up as he guessed the first one right. Next Sarai glided up and gave Illya a big grin so he knew she was banking on him to get it right. She pantomimed there were two syllables and then began with taking her own pulse with "official" looking stature, almost as if she were bored and this was routine. Then she pretended to plug something into her ears and held up something to an invisible person as if listening closely.

When Sarai stepped up for her turn Illya noticed she was giving him a very broad grin. She was wanting him to guess and he hoped hers was easier than rhyme. When she started taking her own pulse he wanted to say she was taking her heart rate, but the she started listening and he figured it was two words because she held up two fingers when she started. "Eh, taking vitals."

She shook her head and stood up tall and straight, then began walking around with an invisible pad in her hand, making the same motion. She was looking at Illya insistenly now, because time was running out. Henryk was near the back of the group that was shouting answers, but everyone heard it when he shouted. "DOCTOR!" She stopped her motions and pointed at Henryk.

The game was frustrating and Illya was going to have to try and think of what other thing that might be. Maybe a medical technician. Then Henryk shouted from the back and Illya pursed his lips slightly before he gave a somewhat annoyed answer. "Dat's nut two words."

Sarai looked at Illya with a resigned glance. "One word, two syllables. Doctor." She walked out of the circle and now the next team could go.

The woman sounded almost irritated herself and Illya glanced at Kalizda before he said anything in Quoti. "I don't know what that word is. I know one word, but I don't know the other thing." Turning back to watch the next few Illya gave a few guesses and even manged to get one or two. Then it came to his turn and he looked at everyone sitting around watching him and he shook his head. This game was so strange and pointless. Borrowing an empty chair he sat in it and pretended to be reading a book. Rhymes were supposed to be in children's books. Nobody guessed it, but he didn't think they would. He wasn't even sure how to describe them besides the fact that they were words with similar endings.

Calysta realized what had happened as soon as he said something. He didnt know what 'syllables' were. She was positive there wasn't a word for it in Quoti as the language was entirely different and based on symbols. "Oh..hmmm..its like the sounds of the word, yeah?" She said back quickly. "Doc is the first sound, then TOR. Is the second. They're only doing words in traders tongue. I honestly was never good at charades either but its a Urian party favorite." Nobody could guess Illya's and there was no wonder why. 'Rhyme' was a hard word to guess." The game went on until Henryk proved himself to be the winner. He gave Sarai a pleased look and she shot him back a wiley one. "Next time, my love," he grinned, "Next time." Calysta found Illya again and slid her hand into his. He looked abit tired and perhaps a bit surly. He was competitive after all. "We survived," she said in Quoti, chuckling a little.

The first round was too long and frustrating. Illya didn't know how many rounds they planned, but he was quickly losing patience with the game. Meeting up with Kalizda he answered her in Quoti. "I don't like this game. I should not play the next round." Illya was pretty sure if he played another round he'd lose his temper. Words like peanut and rhyme and trying to make it look like you were one of those things was stupid.

He was certainly surly and she nodded. "I'll be expected to play again more than likely but you don't have to. If you want, we can vanish for a bit."

"Nah, I don't need to disappear. Maybe I'll just have more juice and get some snacks. There are a lot of people waiting over there. They've been watching all night and I think they want to talk." Illya could at least make some use of his time and even if this was the night for the people it was still clear that many of the common folk were not getting as much attention. Sarai had many nice plans, but not everyone could participate.

She looked at him carefully. She would really rather go with him but she knew she would be asked to play again and it would be odd to refuse. "I can go with you and hope nobody asks me again," she said in Quoti.

"Yeah, lets do it. Hopefully nobody notices your gone." Illya took her hand in his right hand and then started off toward the other area. People were looking quite excited as he made his way into the section where most of the common people were.

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Illya sat with a fair sized group of people around him. There was a bit of story exchanging to do and he'd given them several options. Really, he only had one or two stories in mind and so they would get to hear a mix of the things he just offered. That would likely please the majority of the listeners. That way no one was truly disappointed. "I will tell yah of when dah Chippequoti find dere home long ago. Dis was very long ago, even before dah Kaereleans have flight. Et was ancient times en sector far from here. A strong man was born tah warrior woman and he drank dah blood of dah enemies of his peoples. Dah blood made him strong and he hated all dose dat would try tah enslave his people. Dis hatred went too far. He was possessed by many spirits of hate and he soon turns tah murder dah many oter leaders of his people. Some follow him because dey too drink dah blood of enemies and oters are afraid. Even witout dere leaders dah oter clans unite and dey cast him out wit his followers. Dis es how dah Chippequoti begin journey for new home." The people were watching him with at least interested gazes. It was hard to tell if they believed this had any kind of bearing on the truth, or if he was simply making up stories. This was one way of telling of their past through the eyes of the spirits. "Dah gods say dat one day dah blood of dis warrior would be made pure again. He would nut hate his own people and he would make dem free again. So, dey show him way trough dah many clouds and smokes of dah outer skies. He lands wit shep on strange planet wit many suns and blood red moons." "Dere dey live for long time and build first great city en desert. He makes library so tall dat et has special rooms tah sleep en before yah reach top spire. He has Elders dat fill dah library wit all dah knowledge of dah Chippequoti. Dey work day and night dere. Dey must find solution tah protect dah city from worms because dey swallow men whole ef dey wander far from dah great rock shelf."

Several men and woman had gathered around them and Calysta sat by his side listening. Everyone was curious to see what Chippeqouti people were like and now they were getting their chance. A younger boy, maybe thirteen or so looked at Illya in wonder. "Big woryms?" he asked, "Big enough to eat a man? What did you do? Kill them?"

Hearing the question from the boy brought a smile to Illya's face. He liked to see the wonder on a child's face when he told them the stories of his home. "Dey are nut easily killed. Are nut all worms dis giant?" Illya asked the question in turn because these were the worms that he knew. When the boy shook his head Illya frowned a bit, "Maybe yah mistaken. All worms are so large dey eat man. Dey attack by slithering under dah great sands of dah wilderness and make wasteland. Great warriors try many times tah destroy dese creatures. Dah ground would swell and dah worm would open wide ets mout and work to dah surface when et could feel vibrations of armies crossing dah sands or sometimes even one man. Suddenly dah ground would open en hole and men would fall enside dah beast." Illya could see the older kids were finding the idea intriguing. "But first I will tell yah of dah city and den how et was protected from dah worms." Tapping his head some Illya thought for a long moment, "Let meh remember how et looked. Dis es very important." When recalled the wasteland Illya took a deep breath and then continued. "Dah Chippequoti find great shelf of rock where library es built and dey build great stone walls around city. Dey must battle dah worms as dey dig till dey find rock underneath dah sands. Once dey build dah walls dah city es protected and dey build great steps leading up dah rock hill dat dah library es built on and dey begin tah build homes on inside of wall wit sand and clay. Soon dey find dat dah worms dey chop wit sword and spear did nut die, but dey divide and become many more. Now dey are trapped en dere city wit many more worms and dey must send explorers out tah search dah wasteland for shelf of rock and high places where dey are safe from worms. Des journeys lead dem tah many more places. Dey discover mountains and spirits and a jungle filled wit wonderful and terrible animals. First we talk about dah spirits eh? Maybe dah jungle? Yah tell meh where next."

The boy that was curious about the worms shot his hand in the air excitedly and waved it hopefully. Calysta wasn't sure Illya would know what that gesture meant since Chippeqouti schools were run very differently from Kaerelean ones. She pointed at him and nodded. "Did you want to pick another story?" He nodded with excitement. "Can we hear about the Chippeqouti's jungle.?"

It seemed there was a sort of misunderstanding and the boy thought it was a separate story. However, that was fine. Illya smiled. "Oh, yah peck meh favorite. I was born en a jungle and et was dah first home dah Chippequoti make outside dah wasteland city." Scratching his chin he thought for a long moment. "Dah jungle was full of many creatures. Some of dem called Dinosaurs by Terrans and some of dem yah might call giant lizards here. I dun know ef yah know what dinosaur es. Dah jungle es full of tall green skinned people wit tree eyes on dere heads. Dey are like giants tah Chippequoti and dey ride dese dinosaurs and great elephants. Dey use dem like ox and horses tah pull plows and clear land for great gardens of berries big as meh fist and dey eat giant blue slugs. Dah slugs are like size of meh tumb." Illya held his thumb out for the boy to observe. "Soon dah Chippequoti begin training dere own elephants and dinosaurs and dey learn tah hunt and dey follow dah wolves tah dens of many creatures. Dey build homes en trees wit great center clearing for keeping dere animals dey train. As dey explore dey meet dah little bird. Et es jes little smaller den Chippequoti, but quite small for home en dah jungle. Dis bird sings most beautiful song and suns etself en dah tops of dah trees. Dah featers are gold en dah sun and red en dah moon. Dis bird when et es challenged by oter animals turns tah flame and leaves ashes behind. Et hides for time and when et returns dah featers are longer and bird es bigger. Dah oldest of dis bird grows larger den Chippequoti. Et flies very high and dis es why dah Chippequoti of dah jungle wear red and gold. Because dey admire dis creature very much. Some love dah jungle, but oters find mountains and dis es where dah spirits lead dah blood tirsty general. Dey whisper to him of a way tah live forever, he could combine his blood wit deres and he would live forever and he could be rich ef he only explores dah mountains for precious stone."

Of course, all the boys and even some of the men were swept up in the story. Many of the women were too. Chippeqouti had an interesting culture and it was so rarely heard about. An older boy piped up. "Did he learn to live forever? Did he find any treasure and get rich?"

Naturally they all seemed to want to know about the myth of living forever and Illya shrugged. "Dere are many stories of what happened. I will tell yah what we all agree on en legend and den dah two stories of what happened from dere. Dere es one I believe more den dah oter." Now that he was settling into the last half of it Illya began telling the story. "So he travels ento dah mountains and finds dat dere es high mountains dat smell sweet like flowers even en dah winter. Here dah whispers of dah spirits grow stronger. Dey tell him dat he can live forever ef he only goes to dah dragon's cavern and brings dem many stones of precious metal. So he goes up to dah sacred cave of dah dragon and he finds dat dah creature es dere. Et es almost like great lizard, but et es covered en many sharp scales, wit only tiny film for eyelids and et sees even when et sleeps. Dis creature has great horns and breats fire. Et es nut covered en fire like little bird, but ets stomach burns wit fire and when et attacks enemy et burns dem." Illya could see everyone was getting a bit closer and he got more quiet as he told the story. "So dah First General enters dah cave because he wants tah live forever. He hides behind great stones till he finds dah silver rocks dat dah spirits whisper about. He sees et es silver wit green stripes and he grabs large piece and puts et en his satchel. On his way out of dah cavern he hears great screeches and sees many of dah spirits begin tah burn as dah dragon wakes. He rushes out of dah cavern and dis es where many stories begin. Some say dat he gives his agreed tah dah spirits tah appease dem for dah many dat burn. I believe dat dah First General sees dey intend tah take dah stones he brings dem and never give him life forever so he refuses to gater anymore stones, but all dey need es one tah begin life en bodies. So dah spirits grab him by lungs!" Illya raised his voice and almost rose from his seat and watched as his audience jumped.

"Dah spirits dey fill his lungs and dey kill him and den dey choose one dat knows him well tah take his form and et holds rock en et's pockets and he returns to dah city as a dead spirit of hatred and he enslaves dah Chippequoti tah make dem learn tah harvest dah stones. After a time dis spirit es discovered and fed tah dah worms, but et cannot be killed like dis and so dey flee tah dah jungles where little bird burns many spirits and dey flee. Ef yah go into dah mountains near dah dragon's cavern yah still smell dah sweet air like flowers. Yah will know spirits are near and dey seek dah stones, but dah dragons of dah mountains save dah Chippequoti and dah Little Bird es guardian of dah jungles. So dah Chippequoti honor dem wit red for fire and gold for dere scales and featers. Ef yah smell dah sweet flowers covered by snow yah must run for dah cavern for dah dragon will save yah before dah spirits seize yah lungs."

With his story done Illya leaned back and got comfortable again. "Dis es dah story of dah spirits and how dah Chippequoti discover dere home. Ef dah First General discovered eternal life et es trough dah spirit dat takes his place. His agreed bore him sons wit his mark and legend says dat until dis mark es cleansed he will live forever. Oters say dat when one wit his mark lives and does nut enslave his people he will be dah end of dah evil blood. But...I cannot tell yah dah secret of dis mark. Et was nut spoke of for very long dah story es dangerous and et es rumored dat dah spirits will return ef anyone bears his mark. Dat an evil warrior will arise and turn dah worlds red wit blood and gold wit his greed."

The crowd had gone very quiet, as if holding their breath and afraid to move. Calysta had to admire the charisma her husband had. He was a wonderful story teller and she enjoyed listening to him when he told them. This one was particularly fantastical with dragons and dinosaurs. She didnt even know he knew what those were. Unless, of course, they were mistranslations. She would have to ask him later. Right now, he had the crowd on a hook, quiet and thoughtful. Perhaps a bit spooked too. She rubbed the goosebumps off of her own arms and her movement seemed to break the spell. The people began to move again, murmuring in excitement over the story.

An older man who was sitting on the couch across from them and tilted his head. "I think you might like to hear the story of the Handmaiden, General." He leaned forward a bit. "Once, a very long time ago, before the Great War and before Rey conquest, there was a continent on Kaereal where our ancestors lived. It was a large, sweeping place with forests and mountains. There was also a very large lake, one of the largest to exist on the planet at all. It was deep too. The waters were clear and fresh with each new rain, but the depths were so dark no one could see the bottom from the surface. The lake ran deep under ground and created a water table for all the life on Uria. It also reflected the moon lights from the twin moons, the goddesses of life and death. The lake was sacred and a hand maiden was chosen to take care of the lake every generation. She recorded the stars and their movements, predicted the harvests in the waters, and sometimes performed miracles. The Goddess of Life chose her handmaiden carefully. One year, there was a deep drought. Many believed the drought was caused by the handmaiden. Perhaps she had fallen out of favor with the Goddess? Perhaps she had displeased her? Where were the life giving waters of Uria? Where was the fertile soil and lush gardens? In fact, the drought seemed to seep everywhere. Even into the bellies of the women and seed of the men."

"Very few children were being made and even less of them were girls. The drought continued, chipping away at Uria for decades until the ground was parched, there were not enough women for each man, and food was scarce. The handmaiden was no longer young, but wrinkled and tired. When it came time to train the next chosen handmaiden, she took the girl aside and gave her last commandment that came from the goddess herself. "Care for the people, lead the people, and love them all. End the drought and bring us to life again as I could not." The handmaiden lifted the pink sash from her weary shoulders and placed it onto the new handmaiden's shoulders.

The new handmaiden went to the deep pit that was once a pristine lake, entered the caverns below all of Uria and did not emerge for 30 cycles of the moons. Many thought she would be dead, but when she climbed out alive under the light of the the full, pink moon, she was radiant. She was reborn named Sarai Moonslyte and she became the first leader of the Urian people. Her ideas and efforts given to her by the Goddess saved the Urian people from the brink of extinction. We learned to preserve food for a long time and in new ways, we cleaned our remaining water with the ore of the Goddess, and...."

The old man gave a wink to the woman sitting beside him and smiled. "Put in some serious effort in our beds."

The crowd chuckled some and a few of the younger, more eager men gave a little hoot of approval. "Many husbands were needed to improve the chances of pregnancy. Some men were sterile, but it was impossible to tell whose see was viable and whose was not at the time. Sarai Moonslyte became our first matriarch. It is a very fitting name for our current Head Matriarch as well."

About that time, the current Sarai's face appeared in the crowd. Her expression was curious and she tilted her head. "There you are," she said, "I was wondering where you had gone. You missed the last round of charades"

******************************

By the time the dinner was over, they had said their goodbyes and thank you's, then made it to the hotel, Calysta was thoroughly exhausted. Her stomach growled, insistent she was hungry again, but she kicked off her heels and shimmied out of her dress before piling directly onto the mattress. Illya joined her a moment later and she yawned with her eyes closed before scooting closer to him and laying a hand on his chest. "I liked the story you told tonight," she mumbled sleepily, "That's the most I've ever heard about the little bird besides a few stories....it sounds very beautiful. Was it a real bird?" She was curious, even while exhausted and falling asleep to Illya whispering to her was the best way to drift off.
 
Pris sipped at her tea cup a the kitchen table as Sien put the game pieces away and then grinned at her. "Next time, can I play as the banker? I know my credit exchanges." Pris chuckled and winked. "I think you should be. Its good practice. But for now, its off to bed. Brush your teeth and wash your face and I will come in a little while to tuck you in....and don't think I won't know if you didn't brush your teeth." Sien's grin widened and he scurried off to the bathroom. Pris took another sip of his tea and smiled at Ehud across the table. "That was fun. I haven't played monopoly since I was a kid." He looked relaxed enough as she studied him for a moment. If she didn't ask now, he might be too busy later on and she needed to know a few things. Tucking an errant curl of blonde hair behind her ear she titled her head at Ehud. It was now or never. "I was thinking about a few Christmas decorations and thought about doing a little cozy sort of cabin theme," she admitted, "I know Christmas isn't something you celebrate but I wanted to know your thoughts. Its your house after all."

Monopoly was a familiar looking Terran game. Ehud had never played it, but he had seen the game on shelves of stores many times. It was supposedly an old fashioned game promoting land ownership, or something of the sort. When they were finished Sien was going to be 10 minutes late for bed, but the boy knew he had to get to bed promptly or he would forfeit some privileges tomorrow. As he looked up from putting away the last few pieces of the game he noticed Pris was trying to make eye contact. Ehud put the lid on the game and then waited for her to speak. She was talking about Christmas and this seemed to be an inevitable holiday. Apparently she wanted to do some sort of decorative theme in the house. "Eh, dat's fine. I trust yah taste en style."

That strange accent came out again and she smiled some, thinking about how she'd like to hear it more. It sounded more relaxed when he spoke. "I'm glad you do, but I wanted to ask because I didn't want it to be uncomfortable for you."

"Why would et be uncomfortable." Ehud slurred the words slightly and he leaned back in the chair. It ha been a long week and he was tired.

He sounded tired and for a moment, she thought about telling him not to worry about it. She didn't want to stress him out anymore than he was, even if she was trying to do something for the future. "Well, I was concerned that sort of theme might bring up some bad memories for you because it might seem more like home for you. You know, the mountains."

Ehud blinked a few times and he frowned slightly when she mentioned home. "Where did you hear about that?"

He didn't look pleased and his accent vanished in an instance. Regret started to seep into her mind and she looked at him with soft blue eyes. "Edgar and Helen. I wanted to do something nice for Christmas for you and I didn't know how you felt about it after they told me about...about the mountains."

"Oh, that's fine. I just wanted to know where you heard it. Glad to know you're visiting them." Ehud felt like his throat was threatening to pinch shut. "I'd still like the decorations." He didn't want to talk about the mountains very much, but he figured it might be a conversation that was going to happen anyway.

She should have felt relieved but his voice sounded strange and she took a bolstering sip if her tea. "I had also thought about a Christmas present...there are mountains in Kaereal apparently and I looked at a few brochures. I knew you were from the mountains but I didn't know...well, I didn't know all of the rest of the story until Edgar and Helen told me. I was thinking it would have been a nice honeymoon for us, but I didn't want to bring you some place that would make you feel uncomfortable not with how you seem to be feeling better, especially."

Pris was full of ideas and Ehud nodded. That was a lot of planning she'd been doing. It had been a long time since he had been to the mountains. However, no matter the things that happened at home there was still a part that made a person ache for their home. "I like the idea." After he'd taken a few moments the next part of his answer was easier and he managed to get his throat relaxed a bit more. "We should go to the mountains."

He was quiet for a long moment and she started to think maybe he was going to say no, or be angry, or worse, just decide he didnt feel like talking about it. She was shocked when he answered and that he said he liked the idea. She put down her teacup and her eyes went wide before a tentative smile slipped to her lips. "Really? You want to go?"

It seemed that Pris was genuinely surprised by his answer and Ehud nodded. He didn't know how else he was supposed to give her an affirmative sort of motion without talking. Going to the mountains sounded nice and he could stay in a safe territory. The last thing he wanted was for her to decide to cancel the plans. She just needed to know he wanted to go. "Yeah, lets go for Christmas."

Her smile widened and she reached across the table, putting her hand over his. "It was meant to be a surprise but I'm glad I talked with you about it beforehand. I wanted it to be something nice for you." She slid her hand away and stood up to rise the tea cup out in the sink, then returned to him with a little sweet peck to his cheek. "You know if it gets hard in the mountains, all you have to do is tell me, okay?"

The small cool fingers from Pris felt familiar on Ehud's hand and he managed a weak sort of smile. "Ok." He felt a bit odd with her being the one trying to comfort him. However, it wasn't entirely horrible either. "Maybe we can get snow shoes and go out ice fishing?"

She was surprised he made a suggestion after she left him with a peck on his cheek. "Oh, that could be fun. I haven't been fishing in years. Harry wasn't much of an outdoors man but my brothers were." She leaned against the table some and smiled. "I could cook whatever we catch too. This place also has some interesting historical sites we can visit if you like and ice skating. There's a few things to do to warm up when we're ready. What do you think?"

Again Ehud nodded tough this time it held a bit of eagerness to it. "Mm..I like to skate." It had been a while since he'd done that. "Skiing is better." To go skiing was something he hadn't done in a long time and he could get around pretty quickly last he knew. Perhaps he wouldn't be very good anymore. He hadn't done that in a long time.

The fact that he seemed more eager to talk about the activities made her feel much better about her choice to tell him and to take him somewhere. She had almost canceled the idea altogether after their last trip to Kinte and she was glad things felt more even. "I like both, but I haven't done either in quite some time. It will be fun to try with you." She slid her hand down his arm to his hand, inviting him to follow her toward the bed. "How long would you want to go for?"

"I tink a mont." Ehud spoke a bit more quickly this time and he got up from his seat and reached for her hand that had slipped way. Grabbing her hand he pulled her gently back toward himself and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Dis es very good idea. I will make plans wit work tah be gone."

It must have been the medicine helping Ehud relax much more than she could have hoped for. He seemed closer and less stiff. Like he could feel something. Apparently, he was feeling very something as he snagged her hand and pulled her back into his grasp for a sweet, and surprising kiss. It made her grin like a cat who found the cream and she slicked her arms around his shoulders, kissing him back. "A whole month, hm? I could see if they have some discounts, it might be possible. Since the bank, for whatever, reason has cleared my loan entirely. I thought it was a fluke and told them I owed my month loan payment but they said it had all been taken care of, even the fraud department said it was legitimate and couldn't trace it back. It was lucky." Otherwise a month sounded like a wonderful holiday, except she was forgetting about one thing. She inched back just a little to look him in the eye. "What about your medicine?"

A grin matching her own spread over Ehud's face as she talked about the possibility of staying for a month. He was going to have to get one of those pamphlets she talked about. Suddenly the bit of magic in the moment was broken when she asked about his medicine. Ehud did his best to dismiss it as a concern. "I just ask the Ehaui to let me give the shot to myself and then we take a dose with us. We'll schedule a time for the doctor to watch and make sure I'm doing it right."

She studied him for a moment, thinking about his proposal to bring the medicine with. She would be the one to carry it there and make sure he took it with the Ehaui watching if they arranged it that way. Would it work? Would it be safe? It would have to be done at the exact right time of day. Her instincts teetered back and forth as she held him, her fingers smoothing the back of his hair gently. She wanted to trust him. "Okay, I'll ask the doctors and arrange it with you and them." It felt like a step onto a tight rope with no net underneath to say that. What if he tried avoid it? Who could she call? What would she do? He made her a promise but he was also smart. He could find unending ways to get out of it. She took a breath and looked up at him, her smile returning. She wanted to see the grin he had before she mention the medicine. "We could pick up a few mystery novels to read by the fire pit in the cabin too," she offered, "If you'd want to."

"Ok, we'll be sure to ask them since my shot should be about 2 weeks into the trip." Ehud wanted to make sure he was going to get this right. It was his step toward doing it at home. "Maybe we'll take the books and read them by the fire with some tea after the shot." He knew he wouldn't be feeling well enough to do much more and he was stuck with afternoons for now. Then a thought struck him. "What is the time zone there?" He might be taking it before bed, or in the middle of the night.

Pris hadn't kept her arms around him as he calculated when he would take the next one and then he asked what the time zone would be there. She lifted her gaze to the ceiling trying to remember what time check in was and tried to compare it to Pyrtan time frames. "I think we are a few hours behind them. Four hours I think."

"Oh, I guess I'll take et before bed then." Ehud hardly noticed his accent was slipping at home. It was becoming a little more natural. "We'll still have time to read books huh?" The idea of going to a cabin where he could sit by a fire and read, go snowshoeing, ice fishing and skiing was a wonderful thought.

The fact that he was thinking that fat ahead was a good sign to her and she relaxed more against him as she nodded. "Yes. I think so. " Then she closed the gap and kissed him gently before looking up at him with a softer gaze. "Merry Christmas, Ehud."

***********************************************************

The days had been a bit easier with Pris lately. They were getting into a routine and it was healthy. She got off work and he came to pick her up. She'd even written in her diary that she liked he was picking her up from the bakery. That was at least helpful. He was doing something right. Unfortunately, there was still a sense of unease in her record of her life with him. That was slowly changing though. Tonight was proof of that.

Pris was extra affectionate and gentle and Ehud wondered why. Perhaps it had been a rough day and she said she wanted to have fun again or cuddle. After the night before he was more than ready for a second round. That medicine had done more than change some of his thinking, he was feeling a bit more of an appetite for husbandly activities. "I think we could do bot." As he finished the sentence his accent made an appearance and he cleared his throat. "I need a little practice taking it slow."

They had a good night and he did a little better than he had the night before. Some regular activity would change that. Ehud still made his daily read of her dairy and the next morning he was a bit disappointed to see that the change wasn't necessarily because of his effort. She felt bad for him and he didn't really want her pity. However, he would just have to keep working at things. What was she supposed to feel if they told her about his home. Her diary also said she wanted him to tell her about this himself. Telling her wasn't something he ever seriously considered. Just the thought of it was enough to make him feel a little more serious and less hopeful for the future. There were things like that in life that seemed to dry up any hope.

The idea of having to talk with her about his past at some point was a bit stressful. Just thinking about it made him feel like danger was lurking around every corner and something was going to pop out from under every rock and pebble. Despite the worries of talking to her about his past, Ehud decided to simply keep their routine and try to cuddle Pris most nights if he couldn't muster the emotional fortitude to try for more.

There were days the stress was bad enough he almost felt like he was going to be crazy again. However, as long as he could keep it under control and consider how he would eventually talk to her about this he would be fine. Part of him was still excited for their trip to the mountains and the other part of him was worried about it. After about 2-3 days of thinking about it, Ehud came up with a plan of how he might broach the subject and he felt much more confident in the future and at that point he settled into the routine more comfortably again and he was able to consider more than snuggling in the evening with her.

Then came the weekend and Ehud had a small matter he had to attend to at the office and Pris said she'd do the laundry. It was just as well that Illya and Kalizda had been delayed on their trip to the next location. His sources had a few things for him and he went in to meet them. However, it wasn't quite what Ehud had anticipated. He had been searching for Pris' mother in the records for a month and he couldn't find her anywhere in the Federation paperwork. Pris' father and brothers had enough rank that her mother's passing would have been documented. That was a concerning bit. If the woman was Federation she'd gained some serious rank and if she wasn't she'd be a chess piece to be used against Pris. The source had information on Eleanor instead.

"She's not Federation. She's been hiding. What do you want me to do about it?" The man stared at Ehud for a long moment via hologram. Ehud took a deep breath before answering. "So, we've found what I suspected. She's alive, but she's not with us. Give it some time. I'm pretty sure a search for her would unsettle things right now. We'll let her think she's comfy and then I'll do something about it."

A smirk came to the source's face and he shook his head. "Dividing things up are we?"

"Of course. Can't have you work the whole thing. I know you're good, but this is delicate and I'll have to be careful. Can't have her catching wind. If we get her we get a large part of the resistance on Terra. Takes some networking to keep her hidden like that. If Priscilla is still in Alliance territory it's only a matter of time till she's contacted if she hasn't been already. She's got the Chippequoti with her. We could be working against them." The man seemed to understand better now and he nodded with a grim expression. Ehud let that settle for a moment before he spoke further. "Don't want you getting in the way of the Chippequoti if she's a target of their's too. Ran across some information indicating she could be. You just keep out of the way on this one. I want you to look into some stuff on Ewen though. Let me know if you've got any news from there." With that conversation done Ehud ended the call and then decided it was time to go home.

When he arrived home he quietly opened the door. These were the kinds of days that made him feel on edge. It was a struggle even with medication to balance out the emotions that seemed to come back and haunt him. As he stepped through the door he saw Sien was in the backyard painting some of the trees for fun. There was a voice he hadn't heard in some time though and it was coming from the bedroom. It sounded like Haza and he knew that couldn't be Pris' voice. His Haza had a lower voice and she sounded like she was trying to talk to him.

"Ehud, c'mon we need to get this curtain up...." Haza looked over at him and she sighed before walking over to where he was. "Ehud, we can at least try to make a home here." She was speaking in Quoti and they appeared to be in a sandstone hut. Haza's blonde curls were plastered near her face and the rest of her hair was pulled back into a braid that she had coiled on top of her head like a crown. Plopping down next to him on the floor she sighed. "You still thinking about enlisting?"

Silently walking into the hallway, Ehud leaned against the wall and listened to the hologram play. He shut his eyes and simply waited for it to be done. For now it was nice to hear Haza's voice again. He remembered this conversation well. She always knew what to say.

The hologram version of Ehud nodded quietly from his place on the floor as he fiddled with some of the needles for finer stitching work. "Guess I can trade these for some furniture." A gentle hand rested over his and Haza shook her head. "I think you'll want those soon enough. We'll see the end of the war. Besides, those were the needles you got from your mentor. They were crafted in the mountains. Keep them." Leaning in she sat close for a long moment before he folded up the leather pouch and handed it to her. Haza held the pouch gently and responded, "I'll keep them. We'll trade something else for furniture."

"I don't even have cloth to make anything though." Ehud's eyes met hers and they both grinned a bit before she shrugged. "Well," Haza chuckled, "It wouldn't be the first time you built me a house and forgot to put a few things in it." Ehud scratched at the scruff on his chin and he chuckled with her. "Yeah, you'd be right about that."

The two of them stared at their empty little stone hut with only a curtain to keep out the oppressive heat of the desert. "I don't know what else to do, Haza. I got to join up. There isn't other work left here on Quoti. All the tradesmen have enlisted and they work in the field now. I...I don't know that I'd be much good except as a scout. It's the only thing I know how to do. Never liked hunting much, but I'll do what I have to."

A few tears came to Haza's eyes and she nodded. "You were always too kind for that sort of work. I understand times are different now. I'll be enlisting too. They need someone to assist with training and maintaining the airfields. Not grand, but I'll be close to the ships. I'll know when they send you back home to me. I start work next week."

Ehud looked at her with a stricken sort of expression. "I uh...haven't enlisted yet. Got till tomorrow to enlist and they ship out 2 days after that for training." His brow furrowed some at the thought that she'd already enlisted. Haza was so much stronger than he was and she'd always been that way.

"Promise me that if the war doesn't go well that you'll find me?" Haza grinned through her tears. It was obvious as she straightened her shoulders that she was trying to hold it together and be brave. "That's one hunt I know you could do without regrets." Instead of answering right away Ehud grabbed her and held her close. The two of them cried and Ehud nodded at her when they released.

Only a few days later Haza stood near the ship where Ehud was boarding. He was already red from the sun, his uniform was covered in red sands and his brow was almost pinched together with worry as he looked back at her and boarded the ship. "Remember, cunning and not strength." He was aptly named Silver Leopard as a child and he had never been one to rely on strength, but rather cunning. It was why he was chosen to lead the children through the mountains. He could track and hunt and he had the cunning and instincts of a leopard, but he did not have the strength of a dragon, nor the desire to fight. Haza waived until the back of the ship began to close.

With the hologram coming to an end Ehud pushed off the wall and stepped into the bedroom. He felt a lump in his throat, but he wasn't going to say anything to Pris about the hologram. Instead he quietly put a hand over the hologram and shut it off before putting the coin back in the box and meeting her gaze momentarily. It wasn't really a bad thing that she'd watched it. Ehud hadn't watched it for a long time, he decided some time after Haza died that he needed to let some of those things sit in his drawer for comfort and for Sien, if his boy was ever curious about his mother. At this point he was a dead man if the Federation or his sources ever saw past his disguise. His remaining sources didn't know he was Nathan.

The primary danger in the holograms were for himself. There was nothing with Sien or Pris in his drawer. With Haza gone there was no further danger to her either. As he tucked the hologram back into the box he couldn't help the few tears that welled up when he saw the pouch with the needles in them packed neatly next to the coins. She had kept the needles for him all those years and she still had them through all the years in the Federation. They were perhaps one of the last things they had left of their home.

Quickly shutting the box again he grabbed the pile of underwear on the bed and shoved them haphazardly in the drawer before wordlessly walking into the kitchen and taking a seat. It seemed that even though he thought he could escape his past and never talk to Pris about it, he would eventually have to tell her what happened.

********************************

There was an older man that decided he wanted to join in the story telling and Illya figured it was as good a chance as any to learn about the people. Stories were one of his favorite ways to learn about a culture. "Oh, yes yah tell meh dis legend of dah handmaiden." The man leaned forward slightly and began weaving his tale. Somehow it lacked the mystery and vigor of the Chippequoti tales, but it matched the people here well. They were not warriors and they seemed to be more inclined toward peaceful trades. At least part of the tale explained their odd fascination with having harems of men.

Illya's eyes lit up slightly and he smirked at the comment about putting effort into their beds. As the story wrapped up he nodded in approval of the tale. "Dis explains a lot. I understand yah people better and dah strange ways of having one woman and many men." Shaking his head he chuckled. "Now we have anoter trade eh?" The people seemed curious and Illya beckoned to Mihael. "We show yah Chip dance and teach yah how et es done. Mihael help meh show yah how tah make dance where dere are only men and den I show yah dance wit meh Kalizda. I tink yah women like dah dances I show yah."

Dancing was a favorite pass time and Illya figured that the people here would like to dance too. He could see Mihael's eyes get a little wide and he grinned, "Mihael, nothing will happen. We're fine here. Henryk took care of security." Illya spoke in Quoti and while he wouldn't normally say something like this, he also needed Mihael to cooperate and dance with him. Reaching up to his shoulder strap on the sling Illya was about to undo it when he heard Mihael answer.

"Sir, I'm gonna use the body clip to keep your arm in place and I'll keep it clipped all night and lock it if you don't get your hand away from that strap." He wasn't about to attempt dancing with the General's injured shoulder loose. "We'll do the one armed variety."

It was well that Mihael answered in Quoti and Illya shot him a look before he sighed and pulled out the strap to around his body. Apparently, Mihael was just as hard nosed about these things as Dane and Kalizda. Now that they were set Illya had the guys interested in a simple Chip dance pair off and then he and Mihael started with hooking arms. First they had to build some momentum with leaning apart and then Illya leaned into Mihael's side and Mihael leaned forward and pulled Illya. The momentum sent Illya sliding over Mihael's back and then to the other side of Mihael.

The two of them watched then as the Urian men gave it a try. It took a little practice and Illya and Mihael split to go help a few of the Urian men feel what it should be like. It was helpful if one partner knew what they were doing. Once they had a few of the men feeling more comfortable they waited till a larger group had it down and repeated the move smoothly several times.

Then it was time for the next move and Illya liked this one better. It was a high kick from Mihael and Illya's job was to dodge it and turn Mihael around and then have Mihael lean over so he could get on his back. From that position Mihael would stand up and throw Illya off and Illya would do a somersault before landing and resuming the dance. While it was not complicated Illya didn't quite land his somersault from the air like he intended. His prosthetic leg hit a slippery spot on the floor and his knee twisted before he improvised and simply decided the splits were a better option.

Mihael caught the improvised idea and grabbed Illya's one hand that was stretched out and pulled him up. Then they turned to see the other guys staring at them oddly. More than likely the majority of them could not do the splits like that and Illya grinned a bit sheepishly. "Eh, dat wasn't actually what I wanted tah do, but I found slick spot on dah floor so, we jes improvise." A round of relieved sounding chuckles went through the room. When they finished showing the guys a basic Chip dance they were all sweating and then Illya motioned for Kalizda to join him. "Now I will show yah dance wit yah woman."

With his one arm Illya held Kalizda around the small of her back and pulled her tight. She knew how he moved when they danced now and they moved like one person. The first few steps were simple and then Illya got lost in the moment and forgot that when he started dancing like he meant it her feet left the ground. Soon she was swirling in with one of his arms wrapped around her and he smiled at her broadly as they finished the small example of a Chip dance with a man and a woman.

There was a lot of dancing at the party after that. It was a mix of Chippequoti dances and Illya trying to learn the Urian dances. He was a quick study when it came to dancing. It was an art that came easily after all the other kind of physical training and hand to hand combat. Illya always enjoyed the art of precise motions and he especially loved it with dancing. As the General he did not need to take part in the Elite sword dancing, but he enjoyed it and he always took part when he was able. By the end of the night Illya was sure that the Urian's were not disappointed in their choice of allowing him and Kalizda a little more space. The matriarch's got a good few dances in with their men and the men even got some extra dancing despite the lack of female partners. It was a small exchange of stories, dances and other small customs. Before leaving for the night they were offered more food yet and Illya and Kalizda were not the only ones that had worked up an appetite from all the dancing. At least they didn't appear to lack manners when they served large portions. Everyone else who attended the dancing was also quite hungry.

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The only real injury to show for all that was the slight bruising that started to show on the inside of Illya's knee, but it wasn't horrible. When they arrived back at the quarters provided by the Urian's Illya could tell Kalizda was tired out. Illya shuffled into the room behind Kalizda and he waited for Kalizda to be ready before he asked for her to undo the body strap on his sling. At least for all the activity he didn't hurt his shoulder and the body strap did keep it from getting sore from his arm swinging away from his body and then slapping back into his ribs.

Once he had the body strap undone Illya quickly stripped and then put the sling back on before getting into the bed with Kalizda. Her stomach grumbled and he knew they wouldn't be asleep long before she woke up wanting a snack. That was how tonight was going to go. However, keeping her awake to eat probably wouldn't do him much good either.

Kalizda shimmied up to him and Illya did his best to try and put his arm in the sling on her waist. It hurt some to do that, but if she didn't move to much he would be ok. With his arm resting on her waist it was the closest he could get to holding her. "Yes, et es a real bird." Illya answered her question that she managed to mumble at him. "Dah little bird es almost two feet tall from talons tah her head. She es gold en dah sun and her featers turn tah flames ef she es en danger. Dis es how she protects herself and guards dah jungles from dah evil spirits." Illya whispered the story to her because it was late and he didn't want to accidentally wake the kids up.

If she asked him many more questions he didn't get around to answering them because he was already starting to fall asleep and he mumbled an answer to whatever else she said. It was hard to tell if she was talking to him or if she was part of a dream in this moment.

There was a familiar burning in his lungs and Illya coughed. His shoulder ached and he tried to move his arm, but it was propped up by something. With a grunt he tried to shift, but his back hurt and his legs felt like there were a million burning knives being shoved into them. His mouth went dry and he saw his men scattered over the desert. "No...no." Illya started to breath a little faster and he coughed more. There was blood everywhere and he saw the blood drizzling onto the rock in front of him. He was coughing blood everywhere. Little specks of his blood splattered the rock and as he tried to get over the rock to grab the communication's specialists equipment he saw it was Kalizda. Jerking awake Illya sat up in the bed and coughed a little more. His lungs were hurting and his heart was beating so fast his entire chest ached. Rubbing his face he tried to get his breathing under control and he glanced at Kalizda who was now awake and had the nightstand light on. "Yah hungry?" He personally felt like puking right now, but he knew she went to bed hungry. "Maybe I get yah someting tah eat and I get little bit of water and we go back tah sleep eh?"
 
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Today was family day, but Ehud told her he would have to zip to the office to do a few things before he could come home and relax. She knew he was doing his best to accommodate her request for more family time and that his work was often chaotic at the best times. He was also planning a trip that would be dedicated to the entire family and there would be alot of time then too. So, she didn't begrudge him when he said he had to go. She kissed his cheek and sent him out with the good umbrella since it was raining.

The rain didn't dampen Sien's spirits either and when it slacked off to a slight drizzle, he asked to go outside to play. She let him go on the condition he wear his little yellow raincoat and galoshes, and only if he took the boots and coat off at the door whenever he was ready to come inside.

The inside was where she would be doing laundry. Little boys didn't seem to create much laundry, but Ehud created a masterful pile from time to time and so did she. She gathered up all of the laundry, sorted it by color and delicates, and began washing it in the little sink washer built into the kitchen. When the first load was done, she dried them with the tiny built in dryer and then moved to folding while shifting everything over. The second load was strictly Ehud's, more specifically his underwear and undershirts which were crisp and white. She folded them dutifully and then carried them off to their bedroom. When she opened the drawer, she pushed aside the remaining underpants to make room for the freshly laundered ones. When she did, the little box Ehud kept in his top drawer shifted and the lid moved. A peek inside told her there were several hologram coins nestled inside.

She started to pick up the lid, but paused. What was on these? She knew none of them were the kind of coin used to record their wedding. What was on them? Maybe they would have images of Ehud? His family? Her fingers brushed over the silver coin on top and she battled with her curiosity. She knew so little about his past and Helen and Edgar had told her everything they knew. It could only help if she knew more about him, right? Maybe it would make him feel more comfortable with her someday.

It was all so nicely reasoned out. In a snap decision, she picked up the coin and turned it on.

The images started to play a little wobbly a first and then further into focus. She recognized Haza from another image. Even sweaty from the heat of the sun, Pris was struck by how pretty Haza was. They were in some sort of desert, but she didn't know where. Quoti maybe? She'd heard Dark Chips talk of the desert there, but she had no idea when this image playing might be. They were talking so easily with one another and Ehud looked at Haza with earnest eyes as they spoke of enlisting. Emotions came so easily to his face here.

Priscilla found herself feeling jealous of the Ehud that Haza seemed to have in some ways. She knew it was ridiculous to be jealous, but she couldn't help the feeling. She wondered if she might ever see Ehud like this. Maybe time had simply done too much to him. She watched on, mesmerized by the way he seemed to talk to much more easily with Haza. She had kind, blue eyes and was gentle with Ehud. She also seemed very brave and intelligent. How long had he been married here? They're talking about enlisting, but was this before or after the death of his family in the mountains? Questions abounded in her mind, so much so, she jumped back in surprise when she saw someone come into the room. After the initial panic of not realizing she had company, she managed to focus and saw that it was Ehud. He grabbed the coin and turned it off before burying it under an overturned pile of underpants and going into the kitchen.

She backed up until the bed smacked her in the back of the knees and then plopped onto the mattress. The look on his face was one of wide-eyed panic when he'd turned around. He had never intended on sharing this with her and she had never intended on snooping around his stuff. She had practically dug through his diary and hit something personal. She hadn't meant to do it, but it had happened all the same. What kind of wife was she? Tears started to form up on her eyes when she thought more about how upset he'd looked. She'd put that look on is face.

A few sobs of regret escaped her, and she covered her mouth to stifle the sound. She would have to apologize to him if he would talk to her. It took a few moments for her to gather herself. She spent the time refolding the underpants and putting them away. It would have to be done and she could think of what to say to Ehud.

Priscilla emerged from the bedroom nearly fifteen minutes. Her eyes were rimmed with red and tears still wet her eyelashes here and there. She had taken the time to mop up most of her face, but the tears still clung to her long, sweeping lashes. She managed to clear her throat when she came into the living room and saw Ehud sitting in their little kitchen. His expression was one she couldn't begin to untangle. She wasn't sure she should try. He looked pale though. Paler than normal. She sniffled a bit and when she spoke her voice cracked a little before she cleared it again. "Would...would you like some tea?"

The hologram hit harder than Ehud thought it would and he didn’t even see Pris step into the kitchen. When she spoke he slowly turned his head so he could see her. “No thank you.” He didn’t really want anything right now. Some things were better observed quietly for a few minutes.

His voice sounded worse than his face looked when he turned his head to reply. It was a wooden reply. Swallowing some, she flicked her eyes away from his and nodded. "Okay." Then she managed to make her feet move forward into the kitchen to the little sink. She wanted to go outside for air but it was pouring rain. Yuiji shuffled over and nudged her hand which was by her side as she stared out of the window. She instinctively scratched his head. After a very long moment of nothing but the sound of rain, she broke the silence again. She owed him an apology . "I'm sorry, Ehud," she whispered, "I..." Her voice trailed off, trying to find the right words. "I know you're probably upset with me. Its okay to say so."

Ehud looked over at Pris again and frowned. “I’m nut upset wit yah. Et was en plain access area and I would have done same en yah position.” Looking back at the wall once more he worked his jaw and tried to keep from getting too emotional.

She could feel his gaze on her when he replied and she stole a look back at him. He didnt sound angry at her, just like he was struggling now. He sounded emotional. She lifted her eyes up to him and then dared to take a few steps to him as he stared at the wall. His jaw was grinding and his eyes felt far away, but he didn't lift his hands like he was going to hit her or yell. She swallowed and then closed the gap before leaning over the chair and wrapping her arms around him from behind and hugging him tightly. If he struggled, she'd let go but he looked like he needed it and she wanted to hug him.

There was the sound of feet walking across the floor and Ehud saw Pris walking toward him again. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and Ehud's shoulders relaxed some before he turned his head and let his face rest against the inside of her arm. With one arm he reached up and held onto her arm for a few minutes.

To her relief, he didn't push her away. In fact, after a second or two, some of the tension left his shoulders and he turned his head into her arm and his hand slipped up to her other, gripping her gently back. She gave him a squeeze and lowered herself further to wrap him up to. She let him stay for as long as he wanted. She knew that feeling of overwhelming sadness all to well. When Harry died, she was heartbroken with the added bitter feeling of betrayal in some ways. She found herself holding Ehud and not wanting to move. "She was beautiful and brave. She sounded kind too. I see why you love her very much," she whispered, "Its okay to be sad still. I'm still sad about Harry and sometimes I'm angry with him." The admission felt both scary and relieving. "I'm here with you, Ehud." She gave him another squeeze.

Her arms were warm and comforting to an extent. Ehud almost felt like he was holding a stranger for a moment. Pris tried to be consoling, but it wasn't quite consoling. She didn't know Haza and what she said was true and she barely knew anything. How could she speak so easily about these things? Instead of taking offense Ehud decided to accept her love and attempt at comforting. She meant well and she was doing her best to understand. After a few moments he released her arm and then rubbed her hand resting on his shoulder. "Yeah, its very difficult sometimes."

He held her close for a moment and they sat in the silence for a long moment until he released her arm and patted her hand. She rubbed his shoulder gently before coming to his side to look at him. "Will you tell me more? You don't have to, but I think it would help if I knew more. I was...I was afraid to ask."

Ehud wasn't terribly surprised by the question. He somewhat anticipated it and at the same time hoped she wouldn't ask. "What did you want to ask?" Cautiously he shifted to look at her and waited for whatever dreaded question she would pose.

Pris came to sit beside him, but kept her hand on his. "There's alot I'd like to ask, I suppose. I dont want to bombard you..." she started, then took a moment to think of what she wanted to know. "I want to know you more. What was your family like? How did you wind up here of all places? On Pyrta. Doing the work you do. Why...why did you wait so long to remarry?"

"Oh..." Ehud stared at her and blinked a few times before he started to try to answer her questions. "I don't think I'm gonna answer all those questions right now. How about you pick one and I'll tell you what I can about that for now."

She studied his far for a moment, wondering what he would say. It wasn't a no, but it must have been what he felt comfortable answering in the moment. "Why did you wait so long to remarry after Haza died. I saw that you...you were very much in love with her."

It was at least one question now and Ehud found it was actually the easiest to answer. "I didn't like any of the women I met before you."

She titled her head some. "Did you pursue other women at all?" She was curious because he really could have anyone he wanted and yet, she couldn't believe that he actually looked for another woman.

"No, but I had plenty of offers." Ehud shrugged a bit and he twisted himself on the chair so that he could get off of it easily. Getting up off the seat he moved over the kitchen and grabbed a cup to fill with water. "That's about it."

He shifted away, pulling his hand away and got up as he answered. She wondered what he was doing at first. Walking away? Then she saw him fill up a cup of water at the sink and relaxed a little. "That I would believe," she replied. Pausing for a moment, she leaned back in her chair and placed her hands over one another so they didn't feel so empty. "As strange as it sounds. I'd like to learn more about Haza. If you're willing to tell me more about her. If not...I'd understand."

It seemed that one question wasn't enough and Pris wanted to know more. Ehud glanced at her and he shook his head. "Not today. Supposed to be family day. Ask me another day."

It seemed she had reached her limit with him this time. She wanted to know more but if she pushed too much after he said no, it would only serve to irritate him more than likely. She rubbed her hands some and nodded from her seat at the table awkwardly, then stood up. Somehow she felt like she let him down, though she wasn't sure why. "It is family day. And your day to choose what we do. What would you like to do today, Ehud?"

There was a slight scraping sound and Ehud turned to see Pris was rubbing her hands together. She looked nervous and he sighed. "I don't know. Sien is outside painting and I don't really feel like doing anything." He wanted to hide if that counted as something. The talk with his source was a bit disconcerting. Perhaps it was time to let the source run into a bad situation.

Pris heard him sigh and again, she felt like she had dissapointed him even worse. Of course she had messed up. She had gone through his things, upset him, and he found very little comfort in anything she tried to do. Maybe she had pushed too far too soon. She didn't know. She didn't want to back slide on their progress but she didn't know what to do either. "Oh," she said clearing her throat and nodded, "I understand. I kind of ruined the mood...I didn't mean to..." She stood up and looked at him, trying to figure out what to do with herself. Tears were threatening to spring to her eyes. They had been doing well enough until she decided she needed to know things. "I'm not very good at this and I feel like I've displeased you." She admitted. She wasn't sure if that was the opposite of the Chippeqouti word for 'pleased' or not but maybe he would understand what she was trying to say.

She looked him in the eyes, searching for any sort of sign she might be able to salvage the day into something he might at least be able to relax with. "What can I do, Ehud?"

The response from Pris was bewildering and Ehud blinked a few times before he chuggd down the majority of his drink. Setting the glass aside he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm not displeased and I'm not sure what mood you think you spoiled."

She looked at him, feeling more lost than before she started the conversation. "Well, you weren't expecting to come home to me watching you and Haza, I'm sure. And it upset you...I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to do anything today. I'm just...I'm trying to comfort you. I know what its like to lose someone and I'm trying to be there for you in the ways I can...I just don't think I did a very good job of it today. That's what I think I spoiled."

"I didn't expect to find you watching that. It's not your job to comfort me because she's dead. Chippequoti don't talk of the dead much. It's not good." Ehud leaned against the counter and thought for a moment. "I guess we could do puzzles."

This time Pris' brow knit together. "Not because she's dead," Pris said,"It is my place to comfort you because I care about you and you can trust me with giving you understanding. Its not a job. I do it because I love you. Regardless of the reason." Pris nodded at his comment about the puzzles and went to the little game box shelf she had set up in the living room. She plucked a random 100 piece puzzle off the shelf and offered it him. It was the picture of Paris' Eiffle at dusk. "This one?"

Clearly she had a different perspective and Ehud shrugged. "Ok, we had misunderstanding." At least she was able to move past it enough to go get the puzzle and Ehud stared at it for a moment. "Only 100 pieces? Don't we have anything bigger?"

Pris felt like she had bared her feelings more and it was for naught. What did she expect after all? Him to open up to her? She decided to take the emotion with her reply and forget it. Bury down so they could move past this trap of wondering if she would ever hear more from him. She did it with a deep breath and nodded. When he mentioned that he wanted to do a bigger puzzle, she drew the puzzle to herself and went back to the shelf wordlessly, returning with a 1000 piece puzzle of a Thomas Kincade painting. "What about this one?"

When Pris came back with a larger puzzle he smiled. "That's more like it. Should take at least 2-3 hours. Wanna work on it with me?" Ehud offered. To prepare for the puzzle he cleared off the table and then took the box from her and carefully dumped all the pieces on the table and then set up the picture of the puzzle for himself and Pris to look at, (edited)

He smiled when she returned and she mustered a little one before nodding as he took the box from her. "I like puzzles. This one is a favorite of mine. Thomas Kincade makes beautiful art." She let him set it all up and then sat across from him, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I didn't know you liked puzzles too."

"Thomas Kincade makes nice art. I liked his stuff too." Ehud began methodically sorting out the edges from the center pieces of the puzzle. "Used to do puzzles all the time on Terra. Sort of a relaxing pass time."

Pris titled her head in surprise as she began sorting out puzzle pieces with him, her fingers flying over the jigsawed pieces. "I did too," she admitted, "It is relaxing...maybe, next time we're in Terran Town we can pick up a new one together?" She went for an edge piece at the same time Ehud went for it and they bumped fingers a little. She slid it out from under his nimble fingers and a small smile slid to her lips. "What else did you do to relax?"

They had both found something in common and Ehud was glad for that. When his fingers bumped hers he was about to simply sort the piece and then he noted the smile on her face. She was grinning because it was a Terran thing and he was pretty sure what her question was getting at. "Ef dis was Terran movie we would kiss right now. I like dat too."

Pris raised a brow at him when he asked what would be happening in a Terran movie. His comment had taken the conversation in a completely different way than she had intended, but she wasn't necessarily going to complain about it. "If this was a Terran movie, I would be kissing you right now. In fact, I'd probably be pushing this puzzle frantically out of the way to make room on the table for you to be as vigorous as you like." She chuckled a little and began sorting the other pieces. "I like kissing too though. And laying on the couch with you. Its relaxing too."

A chuckle sounded from Ehud as she described the Terran movie scene. "Yeah, I always tink dey were unrealistic." Pris talked a little more about what she liked and he nodded along. "I like dat too. Sometimes it's not nice and that's usually when my stomach gives me pain."

"That makes sense," she said, "Stomach troubles are miserable. But I don't mind staying with you even if you feel bad you know. Terran spouses take care of each other like that too." She clipped in two puzzle pieces and slid the edge she was working over to the one he was working on. They matched and she nestled them together, completing an edge. "What else do you find relaxing?"

"Terrans are different than Chips sometimes. Not all Chip women choose to make her man prove himself before he gets attention." Ehud took the piece of puzzle she slid over to him and he connected it. He didn't look up from his puzzle, but remained intent on seeing it finished. "I like reading the finance column in the Intergalactic Trade and Economy publication."

"Prove himself?" She mused, "How do you mean?" She found a few pretty pieces of the cabin and began connecting them together for later use. "And I've seen you reading that in bed before." She made a mental note to get the newest ones and have them ready for him at the end of the day with his tea.

"If a Chip man is ill or injured some, mostly Dark Chip women require that he impress her with his improvement, or something he has accomplished before she will lay with him, or be close." Ehud pulled all the deep lavender colors toward himself and began working on them. "I know you like the mystery books."

Pris blinked in surprise at his comment. "I do like mystery books. Ive been into a cozy mystery lately. That seems...odd to me. Why would I deny someone I love affection? If you were injured, I couldn't be that way." She paused in her work and looked at him. "Did you think I would be?"

"I don't know." Ehud glanced at Pris and then returned to his work on the puzzle. "Saw mostly Federation women and they're not interested in a whole lot besides money and power."

"I could have become the mistress of alot of Terran Federation men. Even a few of the women tried their hand," Pris shrugged, trying to stay casual, "My interests are not in money or power." She had half of the cabin together and she was searching for part of the door. "I married for love the first time and the second time too." Pris located the piece and locked it into place before sliding the completed cabin to Ehud.

"Well, figures they'd try. Nice to have a pretty lady on their arm." Ehud was nearly finished with the first lilac bush and he began working on the trees next. "Can't say I married for love the first time. It was just what was expected and we both didn't mind each other."

Pris titled her head in consideration and pushed two pieces of the trees toward him as he worked, then went to work on the pond. "Love grows in alot of ways," she said, "Arranged or not." She struggled to find the edges of the lake and bit at her lip. "It can be intimidating to go on dates."

"Tell me about it. I was so nervous that one date that I ate the popcorn and didn't even think of it." Ehud smirked as he thought about the date that went so horribly wrong. "Can't say that I still don't get nervous."

He smirked, remembering their first date that went horribly, terribly wrong after he ate popcorn. She smiled back and chuckled some. "I liked that date, even so. You were sweet and suffered through the movie with me." Her eye brow quirked upward. "You get nervous on dates with little old me?"

"I don't know you that well. Still get nervous." Ehud shrugged and he continued putting his puzzle pieces together until he found a tiny piece of the cabin and pushed his pieces together with hers. "Gets a little awkward sometimes."

"Sometimes. But its not the awkward moments I remember most," Pris replied as she took the pieces from another side. "The moments I remember most are when you smile." She finally found the lake pieces and started assembling it. "But I've been told I'm a bit sentimental."

"You are a bit sentimental." Ehud grinned at her and then shrugged. "I'm awkward. I guess you get to be sentimental about the awkward moments."

He was grinning at her now and she liked the look of it. It was such a turn around from a few minutes ago. "I do have that privilege," she mused, a smile gracing her lips, "I'm glad that I do. In fact, I'd like to keep making those moments for as long as I can with you. Love from your sentimental wife." She winked at him a little and pushed the majority of the lake over to him to connect to the cabin.

They finished the puzzle and decided to cook dinner together too. She had brought out a baked salmon recipe with hollandaise sauce and vegetables. It was distinctly Terran, but maybe Ehud would enjoy the fish at any rate. When it was time for bed, Ehud decided he'd rather shower and relax, so she took the time to write in her diary while he was cleaning up. When he emerged from the shower, smelling like every man soap there was, she took her turn. She showered, dried her hair and let it hang loose down her back while she slid into a pair of silky pajama pants and a loose fitting silk pajama shirt. It was too chilly for little satin nighties anymore and she had worn those to get Ehud's attention with little success.

She padded her way back into their bed and slipped beneath the covers. He suggested they cuddled for a little while, which surprised her. She certainly wasn't going to deny him though. Priscilla slid close to Ehud and turned on her side to face him. Her leg some how draped over his and she nestled into his chest with one hand on his waist and the other tucked where it was warm between them. Despite the less than ideal day, she felt herself relaxing like this. "We should stay like this awhile if you want to," she mumbled hopefully into his neck, "It feels nice."

After awhile, between the warm and the quiet, she could feel herself drifting off to sleep.

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Dear Diary,

Today, I messed up. I went through some of Ehud's things, more specifically, a hologram of him and Haza. I listened to them talk together and saw how he looked at her. She seemed very brave and kind now that I've seen more than just a picture. I didn't really mean to do it, but it happened and I could tell by the look on his face when he caught me that I'd hurt him. I tried to talk with him about it. I was relieved when he said he wasn't angry, but I know seeing and hearing Haza again hurt him. I tried to comfort with him, empathize when I could. I lost Harry. We weren't together for an entire Terran life time, sure, but we were together for close to ten years. I thought he might like to hear me be honest and the therapist suggested I show more of my feelings and concerns. He just told me that Chippeqouti don't speak of the dead much and it wasn't my job to comfort him about Haza.

Is that the way he feels about comfort in general? I tried to explain to him I wanted to comfort him no matter the reason. That what husbands and wives do when they need it. He just said that it was a misunderstanding, and moved on. I tried to tell him how I felt and it didn't seem to have much impact or response. I suppose that means it's just not a good time for me to do that? I don't want to stress him out more than he already is by adding those into the relationship again yet. If I give him more time it might help, though sometimes I feel like I'm a blind woman stumbling through the dark. Sometimes I think I'm doing the right thing, and then sometimes it's absolutely wrong. It makes a terrible wife and friend, I'm sure. I just need to work harder even if I don't know what I'm doing.

**********************************

Priscilla sat across from Helen and Edgar sipping her tea. She supposed it was as good a time as any to admit her mistake and what happened over the weekend. So, she took a deep breath and sat her cup down before looking up to the sweet elderly couple, then spilled the beans. She told them what she saw, and about the conversation afterward. "I feel lost on how to help him. Comforting someone you love is something I've always done or tried to do. I'm...I'm just lost...I don't understand how he feels, not enough, anyways. I don't know what to do either. I could tell him how I felt, but I'm not sure he'd say anything, just like last time. Maybe he's just not ready." She knew she was rambling on, but in part, she was just getting things off her chest. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't take comfort from Ehud when I'm scared or feeling hurt after what happened to Harry. Is that wrong in Chip tradition?"

************************************

Calysta fell asleep smiling vaguely as Illya whispered to her about the little bird being real. "She sounds stunning...beautiful....and you called me little bird..." She wanted to ask more about the story but her eyes began to close and she drifted off to sleep.

She woke up to Illya talking loudly and coughing. Then she felt the sudden force of his body sitting bolt up in bed. She wrenched her eyes open and prepared to either calm him down, or get out of the way. She knew these moments all too well. She leaned over and snapped on their beside lamp, ready to deal with whatever was happening. "Illya?"

He was sitting up, rubbing his face and his broad chest was heaving as if he'd run a marathon. Night terrors. He caught some of his breath and wearily asked her if she was hungry. She had been, but the sudden wake up call had spirited away her appetite altogether and replaced it with concern. Even her own heart was beating a mile a minute. He offered to get up and get her a snack while he got himself some water. It was his excuse to get up and walk off whatever he had seen. Hungry or not, she nodded. "Aye, why don't we fix you some tea and we can have a snack, yeah?"

***********************************

Calysta didn't sleep very well the rest of the night. Even after they went back to bed, she kept her hand on his chest and occasionally peeped open her eyes to check on him. It had been awhile since he'd had a night terror that cause him to wake up yelling and wild-eyed. It was probably stress and she kept waking up intermittently with ideas on how to help him.

Her poor sleep showed when they took the submarine back to the surface with their entire crew and Calysta reported to the clinic for her little procedure. They didn't have to count to 10 when they started to sedate her at all. She closed her eyes as instructed and fell asleep before hearing the nurse hit the number 5.

Waking up was another affair altogether. She wanted to keep sleeping, but a bossy nurse next to her insisted she wake up so they could ask her a few questions. She grumbled and peeled her eyes opened groggily. She felt a dull ache near her pelvis but it wasn't so bad. She nodded along to whatever the nurses told her. Take it easy for a few days. No lifting. No work outs. No sex. Rest. It was all very standard she looked at the nurse blearily. "You took out all the fun stuff," she slurred, "All, I can do is rest."

When Illya's face swam into view she smiled winningly. "There's my Wolf..." then she gave him a very serious look. "They said no sex...I don't think that's very fun. Hard work is fun." Yawning some, she closed her eyes again, only to be forced to open them at the nurses insistence. She would have to walk out of here to keep up appearances. Calysta tried to wake up and an hour after her procedure she blinked most of the drowsiness away. The only problem was that it left her feeling achy and tired as she was wheeled to the door. She could deal with pain, but this one was a unique sort that was taking more mental effort to deal with. It was almost like someone had stuck a hot poker inside of her.

"I'll walk," she insisted, "The reporters can't see me in a wheel chair...especially not where we're going next."

***************************

They made it to the ship which Wynry had prepped for take off. All the children and crew were aboard and strapped in while all the animals were secured. Calysta met Sarai and Henryk at the gangplank and mustered a smile, though the medicine she was given was wearing off. It would be time for another dose soon. The Ehaui had given Illya her prescription but the bottle was made at a Urian dispensary, so Illya would probably have trouble reading it. She would have him give it to Dane so he could schedule out the medicine as required.

"Thank you for a good visit," Calysta said sincerely, "It truly was a pleasure to be here and to see you again. And thank you for being flexible with the scheduling, I know it wasn't easy."

Sarai waved her hand and smiled. "Oh it was nothing. Believe you me, we try to make our guests as comfortable as possible. It was wonderful to see you..." the Matriarch's eyes captured both Illya and Calysta. "Both of you. Be safe on your trip and fair winds."

The goodbyes were brief, particularly for Urian partings, but Calysta was starting to feel nauseated and more than anything wanted to sleep. As soon as the Sarai was gone, Calysta relaxed some, and slumped a little to keep the nausea at bay.

When they were finally aboard the ship, she left the entire ascent and jump to Wynry to do. The woman was more the capable of taking them into a jump toward Kaereal and knew the ship well. Calysta slinked back to the bed and stripped off her clothes until she was in nothing but a robe and climbed into bed. Illya was there, helping where he could. More than anything she wanted him to stay with her and put his big hands on her back and front where that terrible throbbing just wouldn't go away. He had things to do though, she was sure, and the children needed him.

"I'm okay," she assured him, "I'm just a little sore is all and a bit tired. I'll just stay here for awhile, yeah? I'll come out for dinner. Does that sound alright?"
 
Priscilla sat in the large sofa that Edgar and Helen had recently purchased to put in their home. It was not really purchased with money, but with some labor and a few extra hours of teaching for the Chip that had determined they wanted to learn to read other languages now. There were many hours exchanged for the new furniture, but their student could now read most Trader Tongue without difficulty and they spoke it better. With that skill the business owner had determined they were now well suited to travel and expanding their trade.

The woman seemed to be struggling quite a bit for having lived among the Chippequoti for some time. Surely it shouldn't have been that difficult. However, there was the fact that Ehud had not lived among his people for quite some time and it may have contributed to some of the challenges. Priscilla almost seemed to deflate as she described her problems she'd been having and the latest disappointment in her attempts to talk with Ehud.

Usually Edgar let Helen do more of the talking with Pris, but he decided to do a little more of it this time. "Chippequoti understand being agreed differently perhaps den yah people." Considering his next words carefully, Edgar decided to take a slightly risky route, but it was one that he believed would help her the most. "Dere es much dat we require of an agreed. Tah require dat he will comfort yah when yah have fears or sadness es nut wrong. Perhaps he does nut require yah tah be comfort tah him en same way. Et has been several years since his agreed has died and some of dose pains become less wit time. I tink from what yah describe dat he would require comforts en oter ways."

Taking a sip of his tea Edgar leaned back into his chair and smiled. "Dis chair es very comfortable. I tink yah like dah new couch dat Helen and I buy wit our labor eh?" The couch was a brilliant red with black stained wood from the wilds and he was especially proud of the pillows. "I worked 14 extra hours for each gold pillow. Dey have real gold tread en dem." Taking a final sip of his tea and leaning forward Edgar set the cup back on the coffee table. "Now, I tink ef yah are willing et would be good time tah learn some of dah culture of dah Chippequoti and maybe some language. Dis will be very helpful to yah. Many of yah troubles seem tah be misunderstandings. Ehud works hard tah learn yah customs by reading materials he can. Yah do nut have elders for him tah benefit from dere knowledge. So he works hard and speaks wit us. Yah have benefit of Helen and mehself. We will teach yah what he does nut explain well. Dis es deal? Perhaps we trade some hours of lessons en Chip language and culture for goods from yah shop?"

Edgar waited for her response. If she agreed to the terms he would be happy to show her the first lesson. That would be how to conduct trade and make deals.These were important skills even for those who were agreed. Often times it was advantageous to keep a deal even for those who were agreed in their little black books. It was a small custom that made so much sense of an often wild world.

************************************************

The first order of business after Kalizda got on the ship was for the men to be quiet and get everything clean. Illya took Kalizda to the bedroom and laid down with her. She needed her rest and he knew if he told her he wanted her to lay down with him while he napped she would do it. For herself she wasn't as generous, but she would do it for him. As soon as they were off to the next destination he helped Kalizda get out of her safety straps and get to bed.

Keeping Kalizda resting was the most difficult part. She was, like himself a bit restless. There was a different sort of restlessness that had taken her over. She was spending a lot of time looking up the continent of Ewen. Illya let her work as much as she liked as long as she was resting and she was not wandering about.

Then came the next challenge. He had missed a council meeting or two due to the injuries and extended stay on Uria and he needed to make it up before he got to Ewen. This was the second meeting he had to hold during the trip to Ewen and Illya got up around 3 a.m. to get dressed and go sit in th living room for the meeting. Meeting via hologram felt strange since he had to sit near the coin and let it capture his image and then cast it to the room where he was suppose to be.

This being the second meeting in theory should have been better, but it wasn't. He had to make up time on the first one and this one he had to get ahead so that he could have the time off on Uria. Once the meeting was over he sent the various materials he had collected and his men had collected in their research of Ewen, the people, customs, culture and treatment of halfbreeds and outsiders.

He had read several accounts of murders, disappearances and other such events. They had become more tame in the recent years, but it did not eliminate the threat. There was also the fact that he knew they were a bit more closely tied to the Federation than anyone would have liked to admit. It was perhaps not a recent tie, but it was certainly one that had been there. Some were tied to the Federation still, but it was less popular from what he could find. The people were not particularly fond of the Chippequoti, it seemed in part to be due to their appearance and that was fine. All this added up to mean that they would have be very careful.

By the time evening came around Illya wanted nothing more than to go to bed, but it was almost dinner time and he'd promised the kids he would stay up and play with them. Most of dinner Illya fought to keep himself from laughing at stupid things. It had more to do with the fact that he was tired and less to do with the humor of what was happening.

After dinner he crawled around on the floor and chased the kids through the ship while they squealed. It was a lame three legged crawl since his left arm was still in the sling. "I come for you!" Yelling in Quoti he gave a growl and gnashed his teeth before charging after Lohgan who squealed with delight and threw a pillow at him and then tried to hide behind Cypher while she giggled.

Cypher did his best to defend his sister and then decided he would tame the wild beast by jumping on him. Illya grunted as his son landed on his back and began kicking his hips and held tight around his neck. The twins both squeaked and crawled after him growling like little beasts. Then Lohan took to beating Illya's head with the pillow until he collapsed under the weight of the mighty warrior on his back and the wild fighting from the little brown shepherd.

Immediately following his collapse the twins laughed and began crawling over top of him and Cypher while they growled and made their triumph. It had taken them both quite a bit of effort to catch up, but it was well worth it when the giant beast suddenly came to life and roared wildly at them. All the children scattered with screeches and Illya caught Tomas who laughed uncontrollably with the attacks to his belly and the loud sounds made against his little stomach. Edgar hung back in hopes that he too would be captured and treated to such wild attacks. He was not disappointed and he giggled and kicked his little feet until he was almost breathless. Then the chase commenced.

By bedtime the kids were wore out and Illya was ready to sleep, but he had to get them in bed so Kalizda could rest. When he finally got them all put down he wandered into the bedroom. There was one last thing he had to do. Illya had to find out from Kalizda what her take was on the upcoming visit to Ewen.

******************************

"Well..." Illya let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed next to Kalizda. Folding his right arm behind his head he glanced at her and then winked. "Pretty soon we're gonna be landing. Tink it'll be tomorrow. Den we get dis behind us. Yah been acting a little nervous. Anyting I should know before I have debrief wit dah security team?"

As Illya slid into bed, the mattress dipped some and she began her nightly migration to join him in the little dip. He propped an arm behind his head and looked over at her with a wink when he mentioned they would be landing soon. She had thought she was going to the security briefing as well for this stop, though Koda could easily give the same information. Was it because she looked nervous? Did she look nervous.

Calysta came side to side with him and rolled till she was propped on her shoulder, then slid a hand to her husband's warm, bare chest. "I've been acting nervous?" She said, trying, not to sound nervous. She knew she couldn't hide it from him though. He knew her well. "I suppose I have been distracted," she admitted, "Ewen is not a place I like to be."

Illya nodded when she asked if she'd been acting nervous. He knew it was a rhetorical question at this point. She continued and he let her finish her little statement before he said anything further. "Yah dun like being dere eh? What about dat feeling? Yah feel like dat because of yah past?"

It was an honest question and part of her didn't want to ruin their quiet night in bed with such talk. The other part of her knew that he probably had the right to know for several reasons. She had been thinking about things in the past for days. If it didn't come out now, she was afraid it wouldn't at all.

Her fingers began to make little patterns on his chest as she took a deep breath and tried to speak.

"In part, aye," she said quietly, "This will be my third visit to Ewen. The second is when I went into hiding there. Nobody would suspect a half breed to go there for safety. But...the first time visited was different."

She stared at her fingers petting at Illya's chest. "I went in my teens while traveling before I started at Skycorp. I decided I wanted to meet my grandparents. Maybe find my mother if I could. So, I went there to their house. You see they were on the elder council there for a long time. Until the last 4 years. They were members of the Heritage faction, the purists essentially, a majority at the time. I put myself on their doorstep and tried to talk with them. They refused to do anything except demand I leave and never say a word about who my mother was. I left but I guess they didn't trust me not to say anything. That night I was followed...by many people."

Her fingers stopped moving and she watched as that night came back in near perfect memory. "I tried to run away, but the next flight wasn't until the morning. I couldn't get off the continent," she whispered, "They were faster than I was and I got cornered. I fought back as much as a could. I took a few hits to the ribs though and I couldn't keep up. They spat on me, and cursed at me. I fought and went down. I thought they would knock me out maybe, and pitch me over the edge. They just kept hitting and cursing and I couldn't get up once I was down."

Her fingers curled into a fist and she was shaking as her eyes stayed unfocused. "I think they would have killed me. But An officer came on them and took us all in for public fighting. I spent two days in jail until I saw the magistrate. A purist. I was given a week because it was a minor offense and my first. My attackers were allowed to go home. They 'thought I was a criminal' and were 'protecting the community' when I fought back."

The story Kalizda told was one of hatred. It was what people did when they hated or feared one another. He could see why it frightened her. For a moment he let it remain quiet in the room and then he slowly moved his right hand from behind his head to rest on her back and he rubbed gently. "I'm glad yah see dah injustice of dis and yah dun accept it. Et's very good dat yah come back tah face dis." She maybe didn't see it that way for now, but they could make more of this trip than just make the trip one of misery. "Yah are nut alone dis time."

Illya was quiet for a long moment and she tried to get herself under control. Remembering the incident did something strange to her. Sure, she had nearly died from illness several times before. It was different when was someone who wanted you gone simply because your existence besmirched the family tree.

She took in a few breaths and Illya's warm hand came to rest on her back. Her rubbed it a little. That by itself made her start to calm down. When he spoke, she tilted her chin so she could see him better. He was right. Back then she had been alone. Now, she wasn't. She didn't have to do this by herself.

She relaxed against him slowly and nodded. "You're right. I'm not alone anymore. I'm so glad you're here. It was one thing to go into hiding there for a week or two. This time I will be facing them all and because of me, and other people like me, the purists have lost some of their power on Ewen. I dont know what they might do. But I'm not alone like before."

It had been so hard to learn to trust and lean on people. Fear or rejection and unworthiness, coupled with stubborness and experience had been obstacles for her in the past. This time, she would lean on the person she trusted the most.

Leaning up, she kissed his jawline and hugged closer around his chest, taking comfort that he was there. "Thank you, love."

Kalizda seemed to be relaxing more and Illya yawned as he shifted a bit to get more comfortable. Eventually they'd have to pull the covers up on the bed. It would get too cold otherwise. "Mmm....anyting else?"

Illya shifted some under her arm and she eased her grip on him so he could move as he wanted before settling back down. He didnt say much after she spoke again or kissed him. He seemed content to just be with her for the moment until he asked if there was anything else. At first the question confused her until she wondered if he meant to ask if anything else was on her mind.

She laid her head back on his chest and nodded. "I'm worried the children will be hurt like I was. I know physically they're safe, and by bringing them with me, I'm showing that we're not afraid. But I don't want our babies to be made to feel like I was. I wonder if we're doing what is good for them by bringing them to Ewen."

"Dey'll be fine." Illya mumbled. "Ef tings start getting bad Mihael will bring dem back to dah shep or wherever we stay. Cypher es old enough tah learn dese tings."

Illya seemed unconcerned about the children and she knew that was the practical response. Cypher was only 9 going on 10 and she wasn't so sure that any of her children should be shown this so early. Maybe she was silly or being over protective for thinking so. "Aye, alright," she replied quietly. He was starting to sound sleepy now. She had occupied all his alone time with her by focusing on worries. With a small sigh, she reached down and snagged the blankets before pulling them up his chest and thoroughly tucking him in with her along side. "You should rest."

"Mmmmm....yeah. I rest. Dun worry about dah kids. We'll be careful. We can't protect dem from everyting, but we do our best eh?" Yawning again he tried to keep it short, but the yawn lasted even longer than the last one. "Dey will nut be alone ef dey experience problems first time."

Calysta saw him yawning repeatedly between words and slid her hand over his chest again. "Aye. None of us are alone, yeah?" He seemed confident they could handle it and while she wasn't so sure, she trusted him. "Close your eyes, love," she told him as she petted at his chest, "Close your eyes and relax with me."

******************************************

The next afternoon there was only a matter of a day before they arrived at Ewen and it was time for the security brief. Illya dressed in his uniform as it would be expected. He had a hologram up with several different rooms showing the Elite. "I ask all of yah tah be present for dis briefing. We have some back up ready en case dere es any serious trouble. I ask all dose here on dah shep and some of yah on stand by tah do a little searching. I too do some searching." Illya showed them the first of the images. "Dis es center for dere council and et seems tah be most trouble. We could face dis on our trip. Dese are previous histories of dignitaries visits and some places we likely go."

As they went through the material Illya was sure to carefully cover areas that had been identified as potential hot spots, historical treatment of persons that were not Ewenian or mixed. He also brought up concerns for the safety of the children and proposed a few solutions. "I plan tah have Mihael take charge of dah children. Dane will be back up on dat. I will have Rezna take charge for meh and Dane will be back up dere ef needed. Koda, yah will take charge for councilwoman and Dane will be back up. Dane has lots of work tah do ef we all get en trouble." At that the room had a round of chuckles. "Ef dat happens we'll get back up from Saar and a few oters."

They were nearly done with the brief, but there was time for comment and additional concerns. Illya took a deep breath and all his men knew where it was going. This was normal. "Ef anyone disagrees wit assignments dis es time tah speak. Ef yah have additional comment, concerns or have knowledges dat should be shared wit us dis es time tah speak. Yah are here because yah are considered dah best and yah information es critical tah success."
 
Calysta spent most of her time after the procedure asleep and was glad for it. Her insides burned and ached. They felt raw and sitting or standing for too long made her keenly aware of how swollen she was from the procedure. There was still so much she had to do to prepare and yet anytime Illya promised to lay down with her, all she wanted to do was curl up with him and nap. It was well over 48 hours before she even felt like really coming out of the captain’s cabin.

Illya had been running odd hours for the last few days too and she had been so drugged up for part of it that keeping track of the time he was in or out of the bed was nearly impossible. She spent some of her hours awake trying to get as much news about Ewen as she could, thinking preparation would ease her mind about going back there. Not even that could soothe her mind or the memories that kept popping up. She felt on edge about going there and the closer they got the more she couldn’t stand the idea of sitting still.

Illya was in another meeting somewhere on the ship when she got up to check on the kids. She slid the cabin door to Cypher’s room open just a little and leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed to support her stomach.

He was growing up so much and so fast, but when he slept he looked as innocent as the day he was born. His dark curly hair was piled on his head as he lay sprawled, lanky arms hanging out of the covers. One of his hands dangled over the edge of his bed and was brushing at Monster the Dog’s back. She watched him for a long time, seeing his little breaths puff in and out as he slept.

The idea of her children experiencing what she went through on Ewen scared her. It scared her more than assassination attempts and cruels words about herself. More than anything she wanted to protect her children from the terrible things that could happen simply because they were who they were. She would gladly take all of that pain for them if it meant they could grow up in a better world than she had.

Calysta leaned her forehead against the door and watched Cypher for a long time before she walked in and tucked his arms back under the warm blanket. He didn’t wake up at all as she tucked him in, kissed the top of his head, and slipped out of the door.

********

The security meeting went as usual as they went over all of the pertinent information on Ewen. They all chuckled at the General’s joke, cutting the tension that had been building up. Rezna grinned as she stretched her overly long legs under the table she was crammed into. The chair underneath her groaned a bit as she did and she shot the seat a dubious look as the meeting began wrapping up.

Koda was pleased that Illya had put him as point guard for the councilwoman. He had wanted to see where the man would put him first and then ask in private to be swapped. He didn't think himself better than any of the other men on the ship, but this was a place he knew well and being at the councilwoman's back would be an honor as well as a statement to the Ewenians. Thankfully, he didn't have to make the request. It seemed Illya knew his men and their values well and could place them where they were best suited. All except for Akten whose face remained stoic but his eyes revealed a flash of confusion.

He had not heard his name called or given his assignment. His assignment had been given to Mihael instead. The younger man was aware he had limited experience, and it made sense to shift him to another area if need be, but he was surprised at being given no assignment at all.

Akten looked to General Illya. "Sir, what assignment did ye have for m' to take?"

When Akten spoke up a broad grin came to Illya’s face. “Yah learning fast. I was told yah were quick on yah feet and mind.” Shifting some, Illya met Akten’s gaze. “Yah lack size tah be intimidating ef et comes yah protecting dah children. However, yah noted as excellent shot. I have yah placed as point man. Ef yah see active hostile yah alert dah team and shoot ef necessary.”

Akten quirked a brow and then nodded his understanding. He would have to ensure his rifle was serviced and he would be scoping out every step of their procession that night as well. He would never be seen but he would be there.

"Aye, sir," he said, "I will be taking a look at th' maps again an' th' procession route."

With that settled, Koda nodded and then looked to Illya. "Sir, I would like to add some context to some of the more recent climates on Ewen, with permission."

It seemed that the young Reylian understood his job and Illya nodded. "Dat's good. I will have one of dah Elite from dah back up team contact yah. Yah will coordinate wit dem extraction plans ef necessary. Ef anyting goes wrong yah will hold great responsibility wit dah back up team. Yah will be all our eyes." Then he turned toward Koda as another question came his way. "Yes, yah input would be helpful. Yah have understanding dat dah rest of us on dis team cannot have."

At the invitation to add anything else before they concluded, Koda nodded and pulled up the hologram coin once more.

"I’d like to add a The main controlling faction on Ewen has been the Heritage...since the beginning of the Great War hundreds of years ago. You'll know them better as purists. The General has already given good information on the general climate of what we are walking into with the purists, and the recent history. Within the last four years, the council on Ewen has changed hands to a more open-minded group. The problem lies in that the purists are wealthy and still have influences. They have been in power a long time on their agenda and the people are split. Its the older generation grating against the newer one in many ways. You can expect strict adherence to protocol to appease the older generations and the purists. If they attempt anything, it will not be a head on attack. It will be within the confines of protocol more than likely or they will have someone else do it for them."

He clicked on the hologram coin and pulled an imagine of an older man with small grey eyes and salt and pepper hair. "This is Deryeo Reyian. The former speaker on the council for the Heritage group of purists. He and his wife are spear heading the campaign against the Councilwoman as being unfit. I have met them before and they will use any excuse to prod you into making a move first....but will play within the protocol....publicly...until you do. They are also landowners on Ewen and we will be dealing with them at some point or another. My advice is not to break protocol with them. They will absolutely stir the Heritage loyalists on the ground into defending them. I've seen them do it before and experienced his tactics first hand. He would encite a mob against us and make it look as if we started it if he could. Keep your eyes out for him and his wife, Romyea. Wherever they are, they will be the spark for the tinder box. Any questions?"

The Elite in the room nodded and those on hologram seemed to sit back and ponder the situation. None of them had any questions. It seemed to be pretty straight forward. Illya waited a few minutes to be sure there wasn't anything else to say before he made his closing remarks. "Yah all know since dah beginning what meh primary orders been. I kept dis meeting private from Kalizda because I believe she finds dis setting more difficult. Given dah level of treat tah her, yah know I'm first on protecting her. Dis means ef anyting happens tah meh, yah will leave meh tah get her and dah kids out. Use whatever force es necessary as long as yah dun cause her serious harm. Yah also aware dat dere has been Federation influence and Dere es still possible Federation influence. Dis could make dah characters dat Koda mentions particularly dangerous. Dey may have ties wit dah Federation."

Koda nodded in agreement. No activity had been outright proven but many wealthy Kaereleans had businesses that were unknowingly tied to the Federation when the Chippeqouti arrived and the war broke out. Romyea and Deryeo Reyian had large holdings in many markets so it would not be surprising if they had once had Federation backed businesses that went under. They blamed the councilwoman for the war among other things and there were enough people on Ewen to agree with them to make Federation ties a concern.

**********

When it seemed no one else had anything to add, the meeting ended and Koda retired to his room where a video message was waiting from his wife. Live hologram calls couldn’t be conducted while in a jump, but recorded messages could be received most of the time.

He stripped out of his uniform to his boxers and laid across the bed as Mihael came in behind him to do the same.

The image of his wife flickered into the hologram projector. She was a beautiful woman with tan skin and dark flowing hair. Her hologram self smiled as she started to speak. He could tell by the way her eyes softened that she was worried. “Hey handsome, I know you won’t get this message until later and you may not have time to talk, but I love you.”

Another face appeared in the image. His daughter bounced into view with her dark ringlet pigtails and snaggle toothed smile. His wife put their daughter into her lap and gave the girl a squeeze. Koda’s throat tightened at seeing his daughter look so healthy. She had a pink glow to her cheeks that he’d never see before. He wiped at his mouth, forcing himself to swallow as they waved at him. “We love you, Dah,” she giggled at him in the hologram, “Grandmam told me to say ‘fart winds!’”

His wife laughed and leaned down, her hair a shining curtain of softness. He could almost smell her ginger shampoo. “It’s Fair winds, silly goose.”

Koda choked out a laugh as the hologram message flickered out. He missed his family, especially knowing where they were going. He knew there would be trouble and he would be in the thick of it, but seeing his daughter gave him all the more reason to be where he was.

**********

Akten spent his afternoon looking over schematics, reading, and checking the weather conditions on Ewen as reports were made. When he felt versed enough in the area without having seen it, he moved to the weapons locker to check his rifle. Every Reylian warrior carried a rifle and higher trained men learned to use sniper rifles. He had excelled at both and so he had come to the ship with all of his equipment entow. He plucked the solid metal box out of the locked cabinet and opened it find the various pieces he needed to assemble his rifle, quickly if needed. He would be cleaning and servicing his weapon before they arrived. Everything would be exactly as it needed to be for him to meet with the other Chip Elite later.

He unloaded the bolt carrier from it’s padded box and ensured the chamber was empty before he began assessing it. He took a seat at the small work bench and brought out his cleaning kit as well. It didn’t take long for him to became focused on all the small details of ensuring his weapon clean, oiled and ready for use.

Thirty minutes into his work, he heard the bulkhead door open and lifted his head to find Wynry standing in the door way. She looked curious at the rifle in his hands but didn’t comment on it as she walked in. She had apologized for her behavior on Uria and he had forgiven her. Her responses to the oils weren’t her fault and he knew that. She was not privy to the security meetings except for a need to know basis, and as far as he knew, she would be staying on the ship to guard and make sure there were no signs of sabotage here. She was a Skycorp personnel and a top rate flier. She would know if something had been tampered with.

He paused in his work as she gave him a smile. “They said you were down here. I hope I didn’t interrupt. I just wanted to let you know dinner was almost ready.”

Akten nodded his thanks. “Aye, m’thanks.”

She seemed to hover for a minute and he wasn’t sure why. Tilting his head, he sat the but of the gun to the side and glanced up at her again. “Ye needed t’ tell me somethin’ else?” he asked.

She hesitated and her mouth opened a little. He’d never seen her quite so lost for words. Usually she was witty and sharp tongued. His brow furrowed as he twisted in the seat to face her. “Ye alright?”

Wynry clasped her hands in front of her and sighed. “Aye, I am. I just…everyone is a little tense with where we are going. Looking at the crew, I know not a single one of us will be overly welcomed. I feel a little lucky getting to stay on the ship…you know. I won’t be stared at, at least.” She motioned to her ears where her hearing aids were tucked in. “You’ll be out there though and it might be a few days before I see you, yeah?”

Akten studied her face, uncertain why she was bringing all this up. “Aye,” he confirmed, “Ye don’t look s’ happy t’ be on th’ ship after all. Ye don’t like t’ have the space?”

She rolled her eyes, looking more like herself in that moment, and she sighed again. “I’m trying to say…be careful.”

Women were strange creatures. How did any of that amount to being careful? And somehow that was the conclusion she’d come to. He blinked, recognizing finally she didn’t look like herself because she was worried. He didn’t like that look on her face at all.

“Hmm…” he hummed, thinking about what he might do about such a statement. He stood up and walked over to her until they were close enough he was looking down at her. Not a hard feat considering she was petite and he was tall. The Chip men had said to be bold…even if their advice in love went over about as well as a nyte beast shit on a shoe with Kaerelean women.

Akten hooked her small fingers with his, lifting her hand to his cheek. Then he turned his face and kissed the inside of her palm with a gentle, lingering peck. He’d seen his father do this with his mother when he had to go sometimes and he wondered if it would mean the same comfort for her. He didn’t want to see her upset.

The effect was strange and he wondered if she might slap him at first. Her eyes were round as saucers when he put that gentle kiss on her very soft palm. Instead of rearing back for a slap though, she stayed still, and began to turn pink on her ears and tip of her nose.

“Ye no’ worry, yeah?” he told her, “Ye stay safe an’ I’ll see ye again in a few days.”

**********

Calysta stood in front of the hatch in her traditional Ewenian gown. It was tight across her bodice and had stiff, perfectly pleated skirts of white and peach. The colors weren't so bad, but she felt trapped by the thick, silky fabric and the matching silk flats. She stole a glance up to Illya who stood at her side wearing his crisp General’s uniform. He always looked handsome in it and she normally was delighted to see him wearing it for non-military occasions. However, she was almost too nervous to appreciate his good looks.

The children were behind her all lined up and holding their hands were Rose and Wynry. They were flanked by Rezna, Koda, Dane and Mihael. It all had to be a precise and orderly procession. She wasn't even supposed to take Illya’s hand. It was considered a very public display of affection here.

Lifting her chin high, she took a deep breath and opened the hatch.

They were met with silence.

Stretching out the length of the covered dock was a pale green carpet sprinkled with pink flower petals. Lining the edge of the carpet were people. All of them were in their finest silk robes, hats, and furs. As soon as the hatch opened, revealing her and Illya first, the people lining the carpet bowed in a wave that swept across the entire dock. There had to be a thousand people crammed into the dock and lined up in perfect rows.

The wave of silent, respectful bows swept across the dock until they reached a group near the end where a large portion did not bow. They stood straight and stared at them. It wasn’t hard to guess who they were.

The only sound was the sound of the light rain whispering over the dock rooftop.

She gazed over the crowd and took her first step onto the ramp. The entire crowd stayed in their bent bow as they walked in complete and utter silence down the ramp where they were flanked by two small banner carriers. Each carried a pole with the Ewenian seal on one side and the Alliance seal on the other.

Calysta spied their delegation at the end of the dock, waiting for them patiently to have their procession. She kept her eyes forward as they made their way down the green carpet. At one point she could hear the twins burbling behind her.

They passed by the group that refused to bow and she caught sight of her biological grandfather and grandmother. Their eyes were on her and she felt their anger. Fear rose up but she didn’t look back at them. She would ignore them and their dagger stares.

After what seemed like forever, they made it to the end of the carpet where their welcoming delegation waited. A young woman with soft brown eyes and a measured, but kind smile greeted them. Her hair was arranged in ornate loops and her dress was just as brightly colored.

“Welcome to Ewen Councilwoman Calysta Monroe, and General Illya Blackwolf of the Chippeqouti,” she said before bowing stiffly, “It is my honor to meet you. I am Ilsyea Moryn, councilwoman and speaker of the Ewenian majority.”

When she bowed, her two assistants in matching uniforms bowed with her.

Calysta knew what was expected and she bowed in return. “It is an honor to be received in such an efficient and precise manner, Councilwoman Ilsyea Moryn, speaker of the Ewenian majority.”

They both stood up again, once the greetings were exchanged, and the rest of the people on the dock also straightened precisely on time in a wave.

Councilwoman Moryn took two steps to the side and shifted to offer them an open palm. Waiting for them was a covered hover craft waiting to take them wherever was planned next.

“A tour of the continent first, then we will take you to your lodging, then to dinner, precisely on schedule,” she smiled, “This way please.”
 
Mihael sat up on his bunk and stared at Koda for a moment after the man finished his hologram. "Yah miss dem so much?" He was starting to wonder if the man needed a break to go see his family. Perhaps he didn't take longer missions.

Koda hadn't expected that hologram and he hadn't been unaware that Mihael was watching him when he had played it. He glanced up from his pad where the message was starting to repeat and swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Aye, I miss them," he said, "My daughter was able to go home for the first time in two years this week."

"Mmmm..." Mihael nodded. "Dat's long time for one so little tah be away from home. Why?" The girl looked just fine to him. Kaerelean's were a bit odd and Mihael couldn't help the frown on his face. Did they really send children away like that?

He glanced up at Mihael, remembering that not everyone knew about his wife being Terran and his daughter Diya. "My wife is Terran, my daughter half-blood. She was born with the same genetic issues with her immune system that someone of Terran and Kaerelean decent might have. She's been sick since the day she was born." He stole a glance at the hologram repeated through his wife leaning down to capture their little girl in a hug. "We visited the hospital where she's stayed permanently on Kinte." He saw the hologram of his daughter smiling up with her snaggled teeth and he couldn't help but smile a little. "Now, she is home and it's good to see her like this on the hologram."

The frown quickly faded and MIhael nodded knowingly. She was one of the children that the Elite had given bone marrow for. "She looks well now. Makes meh want tah get meh agreed pregnant again. We try for almost 50 years now. She will get pregnant again someday."

"Aye she does...I haven't really been able to hold her since she was born..." Koda admitted, before realizing what the man had said. He blinked and then titled his head some at Mihael. "You've been trying for fifty years?" It was easy to forget this men were much more long lived then Kaereleans and statements like struck odd at times. "Is that considered too long for Chip?" He had no idea what the frame for "too long" would be for someone who lived as long as Mihael would.

"Yah will hold her very much when yah visit her." Mihael smiled some and then heard the shocked question from Koda. "Too long? No, meh agreed es nut even 400. Once she es 400 she starts getting little old for babies. We dun have any babies wit evil blood eiter. So we have great chance tah have more."

"That will be a long while yet," Koda said, but the idea of it made him smile anyways, "We'll be on assignment for some time. The wait will be worth it though." It was hard to fathom reaching the ripe age of 400 was when they stopped being able to procreate. Koda had no idea what the man meant by 'evil blood' either. Was that some sort of disease? A religious issue? He didn't like the idea of a baby being called evil and he wasn't certain he should ask. His daughter could no more help who she was than any other baby born with an issue. "How do you mean babies with evil blood?" he asked.

The man seemed to be pondering the idea of 400 and Mihael smiled. He knew that it felt strange to outsiders to know how long his people lived. They had a long time to have children, but it was very difficult to have them sometimes. "Evil blood means dat dah child es born wit green eyes. Et es rare, but dah moter cannot have children after dis. Dah child makes her sterile."

Koda tried to follow the logic and wasn't sure if Mihael was repeating an old wives tale or if it was the truth. "So children with green eyes have evil blood because they make women sterile?" He reasoned aloud.

The repeated logic sounded strange and Mihael knew he was going to sound dumb if he stuck to it, but that was the story they had to tell. It was not something that had changed since the Council made the deal with Markus to keep his green eyed son. "Yes, dey have evil blood and dah woman cannot have anymore children. Women born Chip never have anoter child after she has child wit evil blood. For many generations dah Chippequoti abandon babies wit green eyes. Et es believed dey have evil spirits." These were all true beliefs, but he could say nothing beyond that. To say more would destroy the orders of the Council and until the General decided to lift the prohibited topic, or they were once more in a time of peace he would refrain from speaking the whole truth of the matter.

Koda frowned at the information from Mihael. He had a hard time seeing any of the Chippeqouti abandon a child. They all seemed to want children and enjoy them, as far as he had seen. Hearing that they simply abandoned babies did not sit well. For religious reasons or otherwise. "Do you think those babies have evil spirits?" He asked.

"I dun know. Never tried tah raise one. Dah General seems tah be fine. Dere are some odd tings said about him and he's strange at times, but I dun see he has evil spirit." Mihael could only use Illya as an example for the time because he didn't know anyone else personally that had green eyes. "I would be very unsure of child wit green eyes, but I tink I would like tah keep dah baby."

Koda couldn't tell if this practice was older and out dated or if it was still happening by the way Mihael spoke. He did recall the general had green eyes, as he had looked the man in the eye more than once. He also recalled the man's daughter, their littlest girl having vivid green eyes too. He knew that because Lohgan could give fiery looks to anyone she disagreed with, including him when he helped with the cleaning and vacuumed up all of her sequins in the floor. "The General's daughter has green eyes too," he mentioned, "I don't think she qualifies as 'evil' because of it. But I'm used to people calling my little girl dirty for her blood rather than evil for the color of her eyes. Children can't help how they are brought into this world." He shrugged a little and leaned back on his bed some. He was in no position to judge a culture he hadnt extensively studied, but that was his thoughts on the matter. "Diya will grow up in a better world, I hope."

"Chippequoti love dere children very much. Dah General es well tought of among his people. He es very fierce tah protect us. I tink ef anyone consider he has evil spirit et would be dah ones dat treaten his people and his family." Mihael smirked some when the man mentioned Lohgan. "Oh, she es very feisty. Kalizda es nut born Chippequoti, she es Chippequoti now, but et es different dat she has child wit green eyes. At least I tink dat's how et works. Dane would know more den meh. He studies tah be doctor one day." Of course it seemed the man was worried about his child and Mihael could understand that. "She already grows up en better world. She es no longer sickly. Dah Chippequoti Elite fund special treatments for mixed blood children dat are sickly en honor of dah Empress. Et es our honor tah see dese children well."

Mihael had a point and Koda nodded. "Aye. She is no longer sickly. Purists will not care though. They see only the blood. I grew up among them and so did the councilwoman. For now, the idea of her growing up at all is a relief in its own." He wasnt aware the Elite had funded the treatment. The General had only said it would be done. Koda looked to Mihael in a bit of surprise, then nodded again. "I wasn't aware of that. I owe the General and the elite for my daughter's health then." He paused for a moment in thought and then decided to extend an offer. "If you'd like to meet her I could arrange a trip to Pryta when the tour is over. Diya should learn about the peoples who saved her life."

The man seemed to have such a strange idea of manners. He was worried about his daughter's future because of the purists, but there seemed to be many ways to overcome that. "Dah Empress can provide much insight for dose dat want tah rise above dah Purist ways." Clearing his throat some he added, "Dah Elite dun seek tanks. Et es our duty tah protect dose weaker den ourselves and tah die en dere place ef we must. Dis es dah duty and honor of dah Elite. Et will nut be necessary for yah daughter tah know dis."

"I know the Councilwoman can do that and I support her endeavors to help half breeds very much," Koda said. He realized the man didn't seem to quite understand what he was talking about. They were from very different places after all. "She doesn't have to know the details but I think its important for her to learn about others at any rate." He yawned a little and laid back on his bed, folding his arms behind his head.

A chuckle sounded from Mihael and he shook his head. "Very Kaerelean of yah. Chippequoti try tah learn dis odd way of tings and sometimes et makes very little sense. Try tah learn of oter cultures. Jes live wit yah own people. Et es much more simple, or find people yah compatible wit and den live life en peace."

Koda laughed a little when Mihael mentioned just how very Kaerelean he was. "Aye, but if you only live among your own people and that's all how do you find people's you're compatible with? There's value in learning about others. Just look at the General and the Councilwoman. There's a successful alliance between our peoples because they bothered to learn about each other at the start. And now, years later, I have a Terran wife whom I met while stationed on the colonies. I have a daughter who was made well by our ally. And so, it may be very Kaerelean of me, but I think its worth it."

Then he shot the man a bit of a smile. "Besides, I would think as a chef, learning new dishes from other places would be at least some fun."

"Yah have point. Chippequoti dun mix often. We live long time ago en place like dah General tells legend about on Uria. We like dat place. Chippequoti only expand when et suits dem." These subjects he had heard were touchy with foreigners and he wasn't about to get things heated.

He recalled some of the story Illya had told at the Urian party, but not all of it. The part about Chippeqouti only expanding when they wanted to he knew was true enough too. He had studied what material was available on them. "Aye, your people have built empires. It was possible you could have come here to dominate," Koda said, "I read what accounts are available. But it made more sense to make allies instead. Expansion of a different kind when it suited the needs of the people and their protection. It was perfectly logical to do that in order to root out the Federation."

His tone thoughtful as he spoke and he gave another shrug of his shoulders. "In that case, or any other, we are still allies and the more we learn, the more effectively we work together."

"Yes." Mihael agreed and he nodded toward Koda. "When Chippequoti make alliance et es for many lifetimes. We make Alliance wit dah Ehaui after we defeat dem en battles. Dey had tah make deal or we would kill dem all. So dey agree tah give us sheps and medicine and all technology as long as we protect dem. Even when Federation capture dem we go and free dem. Dey are our allies and dey carefully listen to dah council and General. Now we are allies wit Kaereal. Dis es very serious and nut someting we take lightly."

"Neither do the Kaereleans," Koda replied, "We stand by our Allies. Though our Alliance was forged with much less blood shed against each other, at least."

"Dat's jes what yah like tah say." Mihael sat up in the bed a bit straighter and gave an indignant huff. "After yah have battles wit Lyre and yah call et less blood shed. Huh!"

There was a clear misunderstanding as Koda had to figure out what got the man so indigant. When he saw the problem he laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm not talking about The Alliance. That was made after a bitter war and a over 700 years of Rey rule. I was referring to the allyship of when the Chippeqouti decided to make us their ally. We didn't fight each other, killing thousands of people. We joined each other without warring with one another."

"Oh, I see." Mihael got quiet and he laid back in the bed with a more thoughtful twist to his eyebrows. "I tink maybe yah try tah tell meh dat Kaerlean's are better den Chippequoti, or make us sound like we are nut sophisticated. Some tink dose tings and et es best tah correct errors like dis early."

Koda raised a brow at Mihael as the man laid back on his bunk bed . The Chippeqouti were a very proud and passionate people. Koda didn't dislike that fact. "Aye, and the people that do such things are ignorant assholes," Koda said bluntly, "I'm not into that habit and I don't tolerate it from my trainees either. You're right in that it should be corrected early."

"Well, we agree den. Dat's very good. I too have men dat I train for almost 200 years. Yah learn many tings when yah train so many." A smirk came to his face. "Yah learn tah have no humor when necessary and den when humor es appropriate and when dah humor cannot be caught. Dah last es most fun."

Koda grinned, thinking of many of his most brilliant students and how they always didn't know how to deal with him at first. "Aye," Koda chuckled, "The newest trainees are the best for that."

******************************************************************************

Getting the kids rounded up for the great appearance was challenging. Mihael was busily tucking Cypher's shirt in for the second time while they waited for the right time to open the door, Illya could feel his hair rumple under his beret as he smoothed out Edgar's little pant legs that had rumpled during his vigorous dancing and chanting only a few moments before and Lohgan was busy playing with a loose strand of hair. Illya was sure that he had pulled all her hair back. Perhaps she had managed to get some loose to play with. It was not uncommon for her to do that.

Since this meeting was formal Illya determined it was best to wear his uniform and Kalizda agreed. Appearing as the Emperor was something he only intended to do for the Chippequoti since he was not Emperor over anyone else. Given who their hosts were it also seemed necessary for him to appear in an official capacity and not informally as Kalizda's husband or agreed. Their guests would do well to remember who she was to the Chippequoti and the rest of the Alliance and if it took him appearing as a General then he would do so.

Dane was giving them the countdown and then when the time struck for them to exit the hatch opened. Illya had thought he would perhaps get a bit more light and he squinted in preparation only to find it was very overcast and the wind was cool with a nasty mist. None of this was appealing to him at all.

If things couldn't be more grim looking there was a sickly green sort of covering on the ground with little flowers sprinkled on it. Who did something like that? This was very strange. Illya maintained a blank expression, but he could hear Lohgan oohing and awing over all the pretty flowers. Mihael grumbled in Quoti, "Don't pick them up." Almost immediately after Mihael gave his instruction to Lohgan the girl huffed and marched a bit faster so she could be next to her mother.

The people were all bowed and Illya didn't care much for that either. As the General he would not bow to any of them. It was not a custom he would perform in this uniform at any time. Every now and then Illya would glance to the side and he could see a group up ahead that were not bowing. At least he could see where the trouble makers were.

Edgar and Tomas both giggled some as they edged closer to the people bowed over and they tilted their little heads and tried to say hi. Mihael and Dane quickly reigned the boys in. Not being satisfied with the boring walk Tomas decided to sit down and Dane plucked the boy off the ground and carried him. Then Edgar stamped his feet and growled before running up to Illya and pulling on his pant legs.

Illya leaned over and picked his son up and then held out a hand for Lohgan to hold onto as they approached the group that remained standing. Cypher felt Mihael rest a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at the big man behind him and then toward the people that didn't bow. He didn't understand what was happening, but he could tell there was a certain tension.

With all the children under careful guard the procession continued until they came to the end where a delegation was ready for them. The delegation bowed and Kalizda bowed in return. Illya and security did not bow as it was not prudent for security to do so and it was improper for a General to bow to anyone in any circumstance.

The sudden wave of people straightening could be heard like a wind. Their clothing was loud enough to make Illya glance over his shoulder to be sure there wasn't anything else going on. Edgar nestled into Illya's shoulder and began stroking one of the many medals on his uniform. The delegate then announced what sounded like a series of long events that would be equally or perhaps even more stuffy than the procession they just finished. Illya nodded to the woman and followed closely behind Kalizda as they were walked a bit further toward the ship that would give them the tour.
 
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Calysta felt relief as soon as they all climbed into the long, limousine style skimmer. The seat was like a bench that wrapped all the way around the interior and the windows were tinted for privacy. They all piled in with the security team included until the driver looked back and shook his head.

"Madam Councilwoman and honored guests, I regret to inform you that the skimmer it out of weight balance. If you would please have the largest and heaviest of the guests alternate sides to balance out the craft so that we may be under way, it would be most appreciated."

Calysta cast a glance at Illya as the security team rearranged. Rezna ended up on the very end of the back bench so she could stretch her legs out properly while Dane and Mihael faced each other on opposite benches. It was a grand shuffle that made the skimmer rock strangely before their guide Councilwoman Moryn stepped inside.

"We'll begin the tour now that everyone is ready," she said smoothly.

The skimmer started up, taking them several feet off the ground before lurching forward to merge along the flight route. It was hard to see through the misty rain but that didn't stop Councilwoman Moryn from conducting the tour as if it was the sunniest day of summer.

"Ewen has the largest rainfall yearly of any continent on Kaereal," she said brightly, "We have just over 15,000 millimeters of rain every year. As a result we have the largest life bearing lakes on Kaereal. There are 7 lakes in total and the main city sits on Ewen's rock, the most solid, but limited foundation at the northwest corner of the continent."

As if it had been rehearsed, the skimmer lurched upward and banked hard. The window tinting faded, allowing a higher view of the entire landmass. Through the misty rain, 7 grey bodies of water were churning below them, and as promised, on a rocky mountainous area to the northwest, the city itself was constructed with great care. It had tall towers, arching foot bridges and covered pathways. Even in the mists it looked elegant.

"The city was partially constructed by Lyr the Conquerer when he invaded Ewen during the Reylian Empire Expansion. Several of the towers are still original constructs. However, much of the city was destroyed in the Great War and then reconstructed in the Ewenian fashion. Much of the bedrock and underlayers remain the same as Lyr built thousands of years ago."

They took a swooping circle as rain streaked the windows and thunder rolled lazily in the distance, then swapped direction for a view of the lakes. The lakes dotted the land in swaths of silvery, grey waters surrounded by covered walkways and buildings on stilted risers. " Fish, eel, and myrtkana are our main exports along with hydro electric power cells. There are several famous restaurants along the lakes shores offering Ewenian delicacies caught right from the lake. I have arranged for you to have dinner tonight at the most famous of these restaurants. I will be joining you as will my staff to welcome you."

Calysta already knew all of this, but she also knew Moryn was saying most of this for the benefit of the rest of them and it was, of course, proper protocol.

"A visit to the Museum of Ewenian history has also been arranged as well as a visit to the walking paths and the hydro electric cell area," Moryn said, as the skimmer to another dip down, "Does anyone have any questions before we go to your lodging? I would gladly accommodate any requests or queries."
 
When they arrived at the ship the security team filed in. A few in front to check it out and then the rest followed after Illya, Kalizda and the kids were inside. Illya sat next to Mihael and they all got comfortable until they were informed that they needed to switch things up a bit to give even weight. A knowing smirk came to their faces and they made an organized chaos of sorts while they did their best to rearrange based on weight.

In a few moments after a bit of bumping around they were finally seated and Mihael felt his knees brush against Dane. Why Rezna got the extra leg room was beyond the two of them. Dane and Mihael came to a sort of agreement where they had their legs just offset so that they were hitting knees the whole time. Illya was a bit more comfortably arranged, though he still didn't have much room.

The lurch from take off made Illya frown some. His back was not ready for that sudden move and he had been reaching over to help one of the kids get something. Clenching his jaw he glanced up at the hostess and did his best to look interested. Illya pointed out the things the woman was talking about to the kids and helped them understand. It was better that way. At least the kids would be quiet. In the middle of the leisurely paced tour the ship pulled up and then turned on it's side and Illya stopped talking and clenched his jaw again. His stomach was rolling and he felt sick.

As expected Illya experienced an acidic sort of burp accompanied by leftovers. Swallowing it he fought the urge to shudder and then felt the acidic stomach contents rise again. He swallowed the leftovers a total of four times before his stomach settled and he managed to meet the gaze of the hostess again. "Et was very informative tour. I dun have any questions." Though his answer was short he didn't want to say anything he shouldn't and for now keeping his answers short was his best shot at not goofing up. They had such a strange number of rules regarding life. It was no way to live. A person needed to have something to look forward to besides protocol.

When they finally landed at their quarters Illya ushered the kids inside after Dane cleared the area. He wasn't sure that bringing them would be a great idea when it came to a few of the other activities. Perhaps he and Kalizda would need to give Mihael the list of fun things the kids liked to do inside. Then Mihael would have something to help out on with the kid watching duties. While the duty didn't sound glorious, Illya knew that Mihael would watch the children with great vigor and he would defend them with his life.

Though they were finally out of sight of the people Illya could feel the tension still zinging off Kalizda. Her shoulders were tight, her face drawn into a sort of pained expression. She was trying very hard to maintain perfect composure. It was the same pained expression he'd seen all the people wear. It was a duty, not a relaxed practice.

Smiling gently at Kalizda, Illya reached for her hand and leaned in to kiss her on her forehead. "I tink we should take a few minutes tah get comfortable before dinner eh?"
 
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