Page 25 of Mated on Live

“Lucky?” She beamed. “You named him?”

“It’s not alive,” he repeated, face burning as he turned from her, defensive. He couldn’t believe he told her he named the thing. “It’s just a joke. I’m not attached to it.”

Warm lips pressed against his cheek, and he turned, surprised, as Sophie sank back onto her heels, grinning at him. She had kissed him.

“I think it’s cute,” she said. “Can you show me how to use these?”

“Er, sure,” he mumbled, heart racing. She was adorable. Looking up at him with those big, round eyes, smiling like he had pleased her somehow.

He fought back the urge to bring her into his arms as he showed her the various controls on the combot case. They weren’t as advanced as the main one he kept with him as a communicator and computer since they just needed to follow commands and record. However, the set up that let him control all twenty at once was complex.

Sophie, however, was intelligent. She took to it quickly, learning each individual combot’s signature and the basic controls. They could each be set to move independently, but could also be ordered to follow a pre-programed pattern in a group – such as looking for movement, following a certain person or persons, tracking heat signatures, etc.

“We should probably get to work,” he said later, regretful at needing to end her fun. “I can show you more after we record.”

“Oh, cool,” she turned to him, brightly. “Is this dress okay? I tried to go for conservative.”

He took his time admiring her body in the dress she had chosen. It was a silken dress, the yellow fabric shimmering like liquid sunlight, draped over her body and flaring around her thighs. She had covered the top with a little half cape that opened just after the pin on her neck, showing a sliver of her chest, but covering her shoulders. It was a deep, rich brown, and really brought out the bright, natural highlights in her hair. She had styled it like she had before, with gentle, rolling waves and that single, swooping curl to her bangs.

“You like that hairstyle,” he said at last.

She shrugged. “It’s part of my brand. My hair, this swoop in my bangs, is distinctive. Very princess-y. It helps identify me to my followers.”

He nodded his understanding before switching from English to Standard. “You can speak easily this way, right? My interview is best done in Standard since that’s what the universe will speak.”

“Yes! I’ve been practicing,” she declared eagerly in only slightly stilted Standard.

Her accent was absolutely adorable. Sweet and rich, just like her, with a smoothness that made every vowel seem sensual. Combined with her beauty, she would do well on camera.

“Perfect,” he mumbled, struggling to keep himself contained when his cock hardened just from the sound of her voice. “Take a seat in this chair. I’ll sit here. I’ll start by explaining True Match and then go into our story. Then, I’ll ask you questions. I can edit any out you don’t want to answer, so feel free to pass any you feel are too personal. Otherwise, just be honest.”

She nodded once, smoothing down her dress as he led her to the seats. The combots, following their programming, created a little dome around them, recording from all angles at once. Sophie didn't even look at them. She kept her eyes on him, her ankles crossed, her hands neatly folded in her lap, a beatific smile on her face.

Calm and elegant and beautiful. It was at such odds with the high energy he was used to from her, he was surprised to see it.

“Ready?” He asked, sitting across from her, one leg crossed over the other. He had dressed for the occasion as well, wearing plain, black slacks with a cream colored, scoop neck shirt with sleeves pushed up just over his fins. He bought most of his clothing from places other than Wav’aii, which meant they weren’t designed with his fins in mind. He either had to order them with fin slits, cut them himself, or just keep his sleeves over them. He preferred the last for ease.

Taking a breath, he sat straight, faced one of the combots, and began talking.

He introduced True Match, what they did and how. He talked about their successful ventures on several Coalition worlds, including the central Coalition ringworld, and their self-reported accuracy. He then described how he had been scanned as part of an experiment and everything that led to him meeting Sophie.

And then he introduced her.

“My mate is a human, from the protectorate world Earth. She is the first human to be matched off Earth using True Match. Thank you for agreeing to this interview, lov’alel.”

“Thanks for having me,” she responded, and though her voice was formal, there was a sparkle in her eye, a smile tucked into the corners of her lips. Like she was still having fun.

“Tell me about your experience with True Match,” he said, sitting back, content to hear her speak.

And she did. Eloquent and calm. She kept her eyes on him, not looking at the cameras at all – like a professional. It was totally opposite to how she treated her cameras before. Her Standard was accented, but proper and her explanations were just detailed enough that they were informative without being bogged down or uninteresting.

She was, in a word, perfect.

And this was more in line with what Serval was accustomed to doing. No silly dessert tastings or waving to fans. Just the two of them, in a world of his design, playing to an audience while still being completely isolated with each other.

He asked about her life on Earth, and she described what it was like growing up in a family that immigrated from one country to another and all the joys and challenges that brought. She extolled the wonders of her culture and how there was so much more to Earth than just the singular language and culture they had experienced as a Coalition.

When he asked her about her plans now that she was off Earth, she didn't even hesitate. She described her channel and that she wanted to show Earth how wonderful the universe was. That it was a vast, beautiful, safe place and that, just as the Coalition hadn’t seen all of Earth, Earth had no idea of even a fraction of what space was like.

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