Page 31 of Scales of Time

“Oh. Great.”

“You say oh a lot. I heard it until my ears rang last night and this morning.” He smirked.

She looked at him. “You are being rather glib for someone who knows about my insecurities.”

He hugged her. “Only in private, never in public, and it is my great pleasure to soothe your insecurities.”

“That is going to get old quickly.”

He continued to walk to the dining room with his arm around her. “I will simply find a new way to spar with you.”

Kris sighed. “Uh-huh.”

The buffet in the room was stunning. Her stomach rumbled, but at least it was quieter this time.

Essan chuckled. “Go at it. It is for you.”

“Not all of it.”

“All of it.”

She washed her hands and went to taste the fruit while trying to blank out thoughts of the previous night. When she had flashes of memory, it was like being back in the moment again.

She gathered food onto a plate and looked around for a spot to sit. Essan was looking at a tablet and was seated at a small table. Kris walked toward him, and he gestured to the other chair.

“You don’t eat?”

Essan hissed. “I satisfied myself last night. I actually do consume blood; it isn’t just a rumour.”

“Yeah, I got that idea the third time you lifted your head and there was blood on your mouth.”

He shrugged. “You moved, and my grip slipped. I didn’t waste one drop of you, I swear.”

She started eating and had a thought. “Wait. If your semen is in me somewhere and in my bloodstream and you drink my blood, is that oral masturbation?”

He paused. “Well, for the first thing, it is not semen in you, just nanites. Like your white cells. Semen will be different and when we are actively trying to conceive.”

Kris looked over at him. “We are seriously compatible?”

“Of course. I would not be able to consume you otherwise.”

“So, what about your collection of alien tribute?”

“They are like restricted-value food. Limited nutrient value. I can absorb it, but it takes a lot to get what I need.” He smiled. “With you, light contact fills me for weeks.”

“Oh, I am economical.” She smiled.

He hissed softly. “Only for a few more minutes. After we meet with the seamstresses, you will become very expensive, indeed.”

“Why? You don’t wear much.”

“Until your skin thickens and your scales come in, you are susceptible to our sun.” He looked at her seriously. “You will be protected. There will also be other adornments, but that will be trial and error.”

She paused in her experiencing of the food for the first time. “Can I still fire up?”

He chuckled. “That is what we need the seamstress for. And one textile engineer.”

Kris shrugged. “Fine. All that will happen is I will burn through things anyway. I have walked home naked before. I will probably do it again.”

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