Page 3 of Cozy Prisons
Falkilm was sitting at a table watching something on an information square. Standing up, he came to them while sounding a worried rumble. This rumble sounded like a sliding hatch whooshing open and closed rapidly.
Both of them ignored her words. The Talins on Arise didn’t care about privacy when a human’s health or safety was at risk. At first, she thought it would be nice, but more often than not, they were overreaching.
“I’m fine,” she told Falkilm, even though she knew it wouldn’t do any good. “It was nothing, I swear.”
“She was standing, then swayed and fell,” Daxus said. “When I got to her she was breathing rapidly and damp from perspiration.”
“That’s worrisome,” Falkilm said. “Bring her through.”
Abandoning whatever he was watching, Falkilm led them through a couple of doors and into the medical building. So far only the bottom floor was furnished, but Falkilm had plans for a maternity ward upstairs and equipment fit for both humans and Talins.
Despite the strict laws against Talin women birthing and raising their children, things were different here on the colony and everyone on Arise looked forward to the day they could welcome the first Talin baby. They’d ordered artificial wombs, so everyone could have a choice, but some of the Talins were still excited about going back to the “old ways.”
Nataly was sure it would only take witnessing a few painful births for Talin women to decide artificial wombs werepreferred. Several of the human women were already talking about using them when they decided to have kids.
Nataly couldn’t blame them. At some point, every human colony was challenged by the lack of money for medical care. The first to be sacrificed to poverty were the elderly and pregnant individuals.
“Set her here,” Falkilm said, pointing to one of the smaller exam tables. Unlike the larger ones, this one was covered with a soft blanket and had several pillows stacked up at one end.
Daxus carefully set her on the table, purring the entire time. She crossed her legs and grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was feeling a little shaky.
Even though the Talin government had decided that humans should all be wearing wrap garments, the Arise Colony let them wear what they wanted. Some of the humans adopted the wrap outfits, but Nataly had stuck with her familiar cargo pants and bulky shirt.
When an inspector eventually visited, they’d all have to put on their collars and wrap garments and pretend to be perfect little pets. But that was far in the future.
“Have you eaten anything today?” Falkilm asked as he pulled a scanner arm from the wall and positioned it over the bed.
“I had a full and appropriate human portioned meal twice today,” she answered. She’d learned quickly how to answer Falkilm in a way he would best understand.
“Only twice?” he asked.
“I was going to take my third meal at the communal building," she explained. Talins were constantly worried that the humans didn’t rest or eat enough. It was sweet, if a little annoying.
“Oh yes, it’s Maeve’s celebration day,” he said, sounding a short, excited rattle that sounded like wind chimes. “I should attend that.”
Nataly gave Falkilm a big, encouraging smile and started scooting toward the edge of the table. “That’s a great idea. Everyone would love to see you. We could go right now!”
Daxus sounded a rumble of amusement even as Falkilm let go of the scanner to block her from getting off the table while purring loudly.
“No, no, Nataly,” Falkilm said, sounding a concerned rumble. “I need to check on you first.”
“She knows that,” Daxus said. “I think she’s teasing us.”
“Oh, I see,” Falkilm said. He sounded an amused rumble but it was short and forced. That was the first time Nataly ever heard a Talin feign a sound like that.
She crossed her legs again with a little sigh. “There’s nothing wrong, I promise.”
“I certainly hope so,” Falkilm said and finished moving the scanner into place. It was a bulky, wall-mounted unit, but it was one of the most sophisticated body scanners she’d ever seen.
“Please lie back,” Falkilm requested. “If you’re not comfortable I can get you more pillows.”
Talins had this idea that humans liked to sleep in nests built of pillows and soft blankets. It was cute, and if she was honest, after always having to make do with whatever was available, she and the rest of the humans enjoyed the way the Talins prioritized getting mounds of bedding for them.
It was nice to be surrounded by softness. The universe wasn’t a friendly place, especially for species without a homeworld like humans. Nataly never expected to find herself in a place that not only wasn’t hostile, but was downright easy!
It made her feel a little guilty for being annoyed at Daxus and Falkilm’s concerns.
Tucking the pillow behind her head, she lay back with her arms at her sides. “I don’t need any more pillows, these are perfect.”
