and did a little dance as she ran across the room. “The new season of Asteroid Belt ?”
“Bern’s favourite.” Reinn let her do her darnedest to squeeze the dickens out of him, then settled in a chair at the table. She brought him a glass of her husband’s special home brew beer. No modern Viking would choose authenticity over a nice cold one. Or a secret TV show addiction.
There was a data port at the train station, and tablets could be loaded there with entertainment content, but Bern was set in his ways. Agathe sometimes sent her children and now grandchildren to load data sticks for her stubborn husband, but this series had just released. Reinn was pretty sure none of them would have it yet.
As he was finishing his beer, Corporal Chin and Private Worst came in. Unlike Ashleigh, they still wore their uniforms, but they greeted Agathe with affection and joined him at the table. With some prodding, they shared what they’d been up to the last few days. Ashleigh had been busy, touring farms and visiting with individual families.
Ashleigh returned in time for lunch, but she stuck to the far end of the long plank table and he gave her the distance she wanted. It wasn’t until they all headed to the square for the solstice celebration and everyone was well into the mead and beer that he drifted to where she was sitting on a bench. She held herself with regal posture, her back tall and straight. Her dark braid curved over her shoulder and fell beside her breast, drawing his gaze to the slight shadow of cleavage above the silver clasp at the front of her dress.
She glanced over, then returned her gaze to the party.
“I like the dress,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“I didn’t wear it for you.” She stared straight ahead. “I’d cover my face on Drendali 3 and my hands on Arbhar. Here I wear a dress when I go into someone’s home.”
“Our women wear pants, too.”
“Maybe I like the dress.”
“Good, that makes two of us.”
“You keep saying that.”
“You know my favourite thing about a dress?”
“Don’t.”
“Easy access.”
Her eyes flared at him. “Reinn.”
“What?”
“You snuck out of my room in the middle of the night and then avoided me for five days. You can’t just show up and start flirting again.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry for making myself scarce. I promise I had good reason.”
“Secret-keeping reasons?”
In a manner of speaking. “I’ll tell you more about it tonight.”
She sighed. “More waiting?”
He made an affirmative noise, hoping it sounded regretful, and changed the subject. “You’ve kept yourself busy in my absence. Everyone seems to like you.”
She bit her lip and shot him a sideways glance. “Can I tell you something?”
He nodded. She could tell him anything.
“I was expecting more hostility. From some of the attitudes in Ny København, and even your attitude when we first met—”
He leaned in to cut her off. “That was just frustration at wanting you so damn much it hurt.”
She blushed and shook her head. “Even so.” She laughed. “God, I’ve lost my train of thought.”
“Hostility.” He joined her, his own laughter warming him all the way from his toes up.
“Right. But without exception, everyone here is welcoming. Gracious and open.” Her face settled into a more serious expression. “I can see why you’re concerned about tourism running rampant.”
In a selfish way, he was glad he hadn’t needed to explain that to her. “With the increased speed of starships these days, the trip from Earth is no longer so substantial. Extended star cruises from other planets have been lobbying for port rights here for decades. We can turn them away, but there’s no way my father will refuse Earth ships access. For all our independence, we share the same blood. We are cousins, and that matters. I get that. But this…” He waved his hand across the market square at the celebration. “This will disappear.
“Bern’s favourite.” Reinn let her do her darnedest to squeeze the dickens out of him, then settled in a chair at the table. She brought him a glass of her husband’s special home brew beer. No modern Viking would choose authenticity over a nice cold one. Or a secret TV show addiction.
There was a data port at the train station, and tablets could be loaded there with entertainment content, but Bern was set in his ways. Agathe sometimes sent her children and now grandchildren to load data sticks for her stubborn husband, but this series had just released. Reinn was pretty sure none of them would have it yet.
As he was finishing his beer, Corporal Chin and Private Worst came in. Unlike Ashleigh, they still wore their uniforms, but they greeted Agathe with affection and joined him at the table. With some prodding, they shared what they’d been up to the last few days. Ashleigh had been busy, touring farms and visiting with individual families.
Ashleigh returned in time for lunch, but she stuck to the far end of the long plank table and he gave her the distance she wanted. It wasn’t until they all headed to the square for the solstice celebration and everyone was well into the mead and beer that he drifted to where she was sitting on a bench. She held herself with regal posture, her back tall and straight. Her dark braid curved over her shoulder and fell beside her breast, drawing his gaze to the slight shadow of cleavage above the silver clasp at the front of her dress.
She glanced over, then returned her gaze to the party.
“I like the dress,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“I didn’t wear it for you.” She stared straight ahead. “I’d cover my face on Drendali 3 and my hands on Arbhar. Here I wear a dress when I go into someone’s home.”
“Our women wear pants, too.”
“Maybe I like the dress.”
“Good, that makes two of us.”
“You keep saying that.”
“You know my favourite thing about a dress?”
“Don’t.”
“Easy access.”
Her eyes flared at him. “Reinn.”
“What?”
“You snuck out of my room in the middle of the night and then avoided me for five days. You can’t just show up and start flirting again.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry for making myself scarce. I promise I had good reason.”
“Secret-keeping reasons?”
In a manner of speaking. “I’ll tell you more about it tonight.”
She sighed. “More waiting?”
He made an affirmative noise, hoping it sounded regretful, and changed the subject. “You’ve kept yourself busy in my absence. Everyone seems to like you.”
She bit her lip and shot him a sideways glance. “Can I tell you something?”
He nodded. She could tell him anything.
“I was expecting more hostility. From some of the attitudes in Ny København, and even your attitude when we first met—”
He leaned in to cut her off. “That was just frustration at wanting you so damn much it hurt.”
She blushed and shook her head. “Even so.” She laughed. “God, I’ve lost my train of thought.”
“Hostility.” He joined her, his own laughter warming him all the way from his toes up.
“Right. But without exception, everyone here is welcoming. Gracious and open.” Her face settled into a more serious expression. “I can see why you’re concerned about tourism running rampant.”
In a selfish way, he was glad he hadn’t needed to explain that to her. “With the increased speed of starships these days, the trip from Earth is no longer so substantial. Extended star cruises from other planets have been lobbying for port rights here for decades. We can turn them away, but there’s no way my father will refuse Earth ships access. For all our independence, we share the same blood. We are cousins, and that matters. I get that. But this…” He waved his hand across the market square at the celebration. “This will disappear.
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