Page 24 of Accounting for Taste

The door opened, and Sage and Zell came in.He was looking better, and the constellations in his eyes were moving when she looked at him.

Sage paused.“Whoa.”

Zell looked at her and smiled slightly.“I believe I understand the message I received earlier.”

Sage cocked her head.“Message?”

“Wenvari has charged me with making sure that no one makes off with his comptroller.When we arrive at Aten, the job will fall to Ra.”

“I do not mean to be trouble.”

Sage said, “I don’t know what you looked like on Earth, but now, you are stunning.Your facial features are nearly symmetrical, your eyes are slightly wider than normal, lips full, and ears are slightly pointed.Has a Hmrain been tinkering with you?”

“No.I only met Wenvari two days before we left, and we didn’t have any contact.”

Sage frowned.“How long have you been on his world?”

“Just over two years.”

Zell scowled.“And you never spoke to him?”

“Didn’t need to.I did my job, and he did whatever he was doing.There was no reason for us to interact.”

Zell asked softly, “But he met you before you left?”

“Yes.When we renegotiated my contract.”

Zell looked at her, closed his eyes, and rubbed his forehead.“And he wouldn’t care about your appearance.”

“Because he doesn’t see faces.”

Sage was shocked.“What?”

Zell sighed.“Wenvari was given a number of gifts, but seeing emotions in faces is not one of them, so he created a people who wear their emotions on their skin.”

Sage frowned.“What?”

Reem said, “The Wenavik have lines in their faces and bodies that change colour with their mood.It is very easy to see what they are thinking.”

“How does he eat if he can’t experience pleasure?”

Reem said calmly, “His quarters are above the Pleasure Centre.People come in day and night, and he gets the benefit without the socialization.”

Zell blinked and laughed.“That is how he found out what you were.You cycled.”

“He knew I was Terran.”

“Not all Terrans have consumable energy.”

“Ah.Right.I also did cycle.They have a pleasure unit that’s a bot, and it’s very efficient.Takes care of things in under ten minutes.”

Sage blinked.“Like a sex bot?”

“Oh.No.And yes.It’s two thick, flat sheets of a super-soft, slick silicone.Nodules rise out of it and do what is needed for stimulation.My vaginal canal is limited, so penetration is not recommended.”

Zell frowned.“Limited?”

“Surgically reduced to remove abnormally growing cells.”

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