Page 95 of Cozy Prisons
At least they weren’t getting dirty and covered in dust around here. Now that they liked the other humans, they didn’t want to upset any of them. They bathed and ate regularly and pretended to sleep.
Thanks to their new friends, they were more confident that Dimla and Sukla would be okay. Almost thirty people knew about them. It took a burden off them, making it easier totalk to the others without feeling panicked because they weren’t spending every moment of every day remembering the children.
“Are you lost?”
“Ah!” Hale said, turning around, sinking into a defensive stand. The burnt-orange Talin held up his hands and stepped away.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Lorisum,” he said, purring loudly and ducking his head as if trying to look smaller and less intimidating. “We met when you first came on the ship. I was one of the two individuals Palathum accepted to join your colony."
“I know,” Hale said, taking a step back that put them right up against the large wall display they’d been studying. “I remember, you helped unload the ferry when we docked at the ship.”
“That makes me happy.”
“Great,” Hale muttered, unsure what else to say. “Um, well, bye.”
Picking a direction, they started walking. It wasn’t a surprise when Lorisum fell in step beside them.
“Are you looking for something or moving for exercise?”
“I wanted a snack,” Hale said. There was a sign on the wall, but it was in Talin glyphs. No other languages, and it wasn’t a live display, so Hale couldn’t touch it and scroll through language options.
Another example of Talins being annoying! Why couldn’t they use Universal ticks instead? Even the Ilgorian Federation used Universal, and they were as big as the Talin Empire!
Lorisum pointed to the right. “If you’re hungry, the galley is this way.”
Hale gave the helpful Talin a nod. “Thanks.”
They set off, and once again, Lorisum fell in step with them.
“I should come with you.”
It wasn’t a surprise that Lorisum wouldn’t leave them alone. It made Hale decide they’d get some food and take it back to their room.
When Hale didn’t respond to Lorisum inviting himself along, the Talin continued talking. “I was deeply fearful for all of you when we got the automated distress signal. I was worried about everyone’s safety. After I found out that no one was hurt or killed, I was relieved, but still sad.”
Hale couldn’t help themself. “Sad? Why?”
“I was one of the few lucky applicants accepted by Palathum to settle on Arise. After so many rotations serving my empire, I thought I was going to a place where I could find happiness instead of duty. I thought I’d found my new home, only to hear that the home was gone.”
Even though Lorisum’s voice didn’t change and he didn’t make any emotional rumbles or rattles, Hale could feel the sorrow in those words.
“I lost my home too,” they said, then realized Lorisum would draw the wrong conclusion. “I don’t mean Arise. I lived at a station. When my family died, I realized they’d been my home.”
The memory hurt, but not as much anymore. For the first time since it all happened, Hale thought they might heal from the loss instead of simply existing until they got to die too.
“That’s devastating,” Lorisum said with a purr. Hale hated to admit how much they liked Lorisum’s purr. It was a little different from the other Talins. It was deeper, probably because he was big, even for the large species. “Humans are so fragile. If we’d found all of you sooner, things would’ve been different.”
“My family wasn’t human,” they said, then cursed themself. Hale didn’t know if they wanted to talk to Lorisum about their family. It was one thing to talk to other humans who completely understood that someone outside your species couldbecome family, but they weren’t ready to trust a Talin with that information. Not yet, anyway.
To Hale’s surprise, Lorisum didn’t ask any questions. He started talking.
“I love babies and children. I hated the way the cresh workers always stressed self-control instead of joy when I was growing up. I couldn’t work in a cresh because of my poor reports when I was in a cresh. I went into government and tried to get the cresh regulations changed. I was dismissed from every post I managed to get. It became clear to me that I didn’t have the mindset to work in government because I couldn’t be political enough. All I wanted to do was work with children or help make their lives better, but no one would let me.”
The longing and frustration came out in every word. Hale had lost everyone important to them, but before that, they’d loved more than they’d ever thought possible. Lorisum never got the chance to know what that felt like.
Hale changed their mind about taking food back to their room. “Are you hungry? Would you like to join me?”
Lorisum let out an excited rattle. “That would be nice, thank you.”
