Page 16 of Sway's Peace
Male farasie, she knew, possessed those dramatic tail and crest feathers as a means of display for their mates. She couldn’t see them fully right now since they were neatly folded together, but Sway’s long feathers were bright in color, yellow fading neatly into orange, before being tipped with bright, hot fuschia.
They weren’t spread right now, but she could see the tail feathers twitching like he was fighting the urge to fan them out.And on top of his head, there was a distinct bump where his crest was trying to rise, the same colors flashing underneath a singular, long blue feather that laid across them.
It was his face, however, that was really alien. In a universe of so many species, she was amazed by just how similar sapient species tended to be. Evolution liked to fall into patterns, with little deviation from certain shapes and types of beasts. There were a lot of differences, but at the end of the day, they were all limbs attached to a torso topped with a head, all driven by the biological imperative to breed and make friends.
But that didn't mean he looked human.
Sway had two eyes like her, but they were both more rounded in the body, and pointier at the ends. They were also all black, glassy and flat, like a doll. There was an iris there in the center, but it blended with the color so well it was hard to see until she was up close. Instead of eyelashes like her, he had a long feather that swept over his eye that ended in a tuft at the end. The stiff center was white, the tuft dark blue. His nose wasn’t as defined as hers either, only coming to a sloping edge on his face. His lips, as well, were stiffer than her own, the skin there gray, but not as rough as that on his knuckles. His ears weren’t really visible on his head like her own, but he did have feathers there that covered the same spot in the vague shape of pointed ears.
Two eyes. Two ears. A nose. A mouth. Normal.
And completely abnormal.
She wanted to get closer. Intrigued. Drawn in by the differences between them. And unlike fur – that she felt would shed everywhere and be a mess – his feathers didn't deter her interest at all.
Especially not when she touched them. She had to resist the urge to make a low, practically sexual sound as she stroked his arm. They were so smooth. The hard spine down the middle of each feather was super thin, so he wasn’t bumpy around the softness. He also wasn’t as slight or delicate as a bird. There was tightly packed, heavy muscle underneath that layer of velvety fluff, making petting him even better since she wasn’t worried about being too rough.
Inappropriately, she dearly wanted to keep caressing him, but she settled for that one touch. Though it left a burning tingle in her hand, and she had to fight the urge to rub her face on that softness, she limited herself to indulging only that far.
Maybe she lingered more than necessary, but it was still only once. She raised her gaze to stare into his black eyes as her hand came to rest over the back of his. Not quite holding it but close enough that it still felt intimate.
Neither of them said anything for a long moment. Quiet and still. They stared at each other. And, really, his face didn’t seem that alien at all. He was actually quite handsome, now that she was getting a good look-
Something beeped out in the docking area, yanking her forcefully back to reality. She cleared her throat, pulling her hand away. Her fingers closed, hovering over her heart as she smiled at him.
“They’re soft,” she said lamely, because she needed to say something. She dearly hoped her voice didn’t sound as breathy to him as it did to her.
“Warm too,” he agreed with that soft, kind smile as he let his arm drop back to his side. It sounded like an invitation to cuddle him and find out.
He suddenly cleared his throat, looking away as he took a steadying breath.
“So, the, er…”
“Inspection! Right!”
“Yes, inspection. That’s what it was.”
“Of course,” she nodded along tapping quickly, loudly, on her tablet. “You mind if I get my droid in here? He will help document everything in the ship as we go through and talk about the upgrades you’re wanting.”
“He?” He chuckled. “Is that a human trait, to personify your machines?”
“It is, in fact,” she chuckled, summoning the robot to come floating up the ramp. It was large, about the size of her torso, and hovered at a pretty stable height off the ground. It hummed with a deep rumble and had cameras on all four sides and at the top. “Let me bring up your appointment notes real quick... So, you’re wanting a crystal replacement for your subspace generator, shielding upgrades, life support replacement, and, if it falls in budget, a new food synthesizer. Is that all?”
He inclined his head, shiny black eyes still trained directly on her. “That about covers it.”
“Okay,” she gave him a bright smile, trying to fall back into her script and not be focused on the way his long feathers moved in the air rushing from through the vents overhead. “Do you have all the public areas opened and accessible?”
“Everything is set as requested. Engine is off as well, and all computer systems put into override mode for you to access as you need.”
“Great! I’ll have my little buddy start his scan in here, while we make our way through the ship. All the public areas will need to be scanned. For your protection as well, to make sure that no damage is done to your ship during repairs, and that everything is back to the way it was, or better, when we leave.”
“Feel free,” he swept his arm out, giving her such a warm, gentle look as she started the recording process.
It didn't take long, but they still had to stand there for a few seconds while her bot started its job. Sway was staring at her, his gaze soft and tender. And she found that she really didn't mind.
Biting her lip, she started going through her tablet. Trying really hard not to stare back at him. That wouldn’t be appropriate or professional. No matter how much she enjoyed the way he looked at her first.
“So,” she started, needing to fill the tension between them withsomething, “are you set on having a new food synthesizer, or are you open to used and refurbished models?”
