to it.
"Excuse me." She bounced quickly over to the unit and shut herself inside. A few minutes later, she emerged. Her hide seemed a little pale compared to Squilyp's, but that might have been a normal gender difference among the Omorr. "Thank you. I nearly had an accident."
It took a moment to realize she meant her body functions. "Do you not have your own privy?" I had thought sanitary facilities standard in all the quarters.
She stared at me, and then sniffed. "Of course I do. I could not make it there in time." She rested the membranes of one arm against the straining bulge of her belly. "Not when he kicks like this."
"A son?" I smiled and went over to her so I could admire the fertile curve. "When is your birthing moon?"
"My .. . the child is due to be born soon. Among my kind, each mother's time is slightly different." She sounded stiff but appeared slightly bemused by my question. "It is my first, too, so we cannot judge by past deliveries."
"Come, sit." I took one of her arms and guided her over to the front room's furnishings, offering her the most comfortable place. "Are you thirsty, or hungry? I can procure something for you from the wall machine. Do you enjoy pretend plants?"
"Pretend plants?"
Wall food might not be good enough for her. Fertile females needed the best, freshest nourishment. I eyed the entry to Marel's room, but remembered that I had promised Reever I would not kill the beasts. "There is no fresh food to be had."
"It is not necessary for you to feed me. Please, sit down." She studied me as I sat across from her. "I apologize for not calling upon you sooner. I thought you might need time to .. . adjust."
"Adjust what?" I scanned the room, but all the lights and equipment seemed to be working properly. The female Omorr did not answer, so I added, "If you people do not tell me what you want adjusted, I will never find it on my own. Do you know how many things there are on this ship? They are as crystals in a frost storm."
"We—I—meant adjust as in grow accustomed to your surroundings," she said. "Our environment on board the ship must seem very strange to you."
"It is warm, there is food and water, and no one is trying to shoot me," I told her. "I do not need to adjust to that. I am grateful for it."
"Yes. Well. You seem very different." Garphawayn gestured toward my head. "I have never seen you wear your hair loose in such a fashion. I had not realized you possessed such a large quantity of it."
The female Omorr had no hair, but there were some long, feathery-looking growths on the very top of her scalp. They were red and purple and blue, and quite striking against her pink skin.
I must look like a beast to her.
"If I had belonged to a tribe, I would have had to cut it off. Only outcast females among the Iisleg grow their hair long." I ran a hand over the unruly mass that I kept forgetting to groom. "I plait or roll it up and clip it for work. It requires much care, but Reever forbade me to cut it."
Her gildrell rings tinkled as she sat up. "He did
what?"
"1 do not mind," I said quickly, worried that I had given her the wrong impression. "The length of my hair pleases him." In that moment I realized that Cherijo must have worn it long. "I will, ah, adjust to it."
Garphawayn muttered something under her breath before she asked, "What would please you, Terran?"
I did not understand the question. "You should not call me that. I speak Terran, and my body belongs to their species, but in all other things I am Iisleg."
"Well, I will not call you Iisleg; it is considered rude by my kind. Your name is Jam?" When I nodded, she asked, "Then what would you do with your hair to please yourself, Jam?"
"Among my people, a woman's greatest pleasure is to serve." When her expression remained blank, I added, "It pleases me to satisfy Reever's desires." After last night, a great deal.
"Indeed." She thought for a moment. "I would know more about these Iisleg women. Would you be so kind as to
"Excuse me." She bounced quickly over to the unit and shut herself inside. A few minutes later, she emerged. Her hide seemed a little pale compared to Squilyp's, but that might have been a normal gender difference among the Omorr. "Thank you. I nearly had an accident."
It took a moment to realize she meant her body functions. "Do you not have your own privy?" I had thought sanitary facilities standard in all the quarters.
She stared at me, and then sniffed. "Of course I do. I could not make it there in time." She rested the membranes of one arm against the straining bulge of her belly. "Not when he kicks like this."
"A son?" I smiled and went over to her so I could admire the fertile curve. "When is your birthing moon?"
"My .. . the child is due to be born soon. Among my kind, each mother's time is slightly different." She sounded stiff but appeared slightly bemused by my question. "It is my first, too, so we cannot judge by past deliveries."
"Come, sit." I took one of her arms and guided her over to the front room's furnishings, offering her the most comfortable place. "Are you thirsty, or hungry? I can procure something for you from the wall machine. Do you enjoy pretend plants?"
"Pretend plants?"
Wall food might not be good enough for her. Fertile females needed the best, freshest nourishment. I eyed the entry to Marel's room, but remembered that I had promised Reever I would not kill the beasts. "There is no fresh food to be had."
"It is not necessary for you to feed me. Please, sit down." She studied me as I sat across from her. "I apologize for not calling upon you sooner. I thought you might need time to .. . adjust."
"Adjust what?" I scanned the room, but all the lights and equipment seemed to be working properly. The female Omorr did not answer, so I added, "If you people do not tell me what you want adjusted, I will never find it on my own. Do you know how many things there are on this ship? They are as crystals in a frost storm."
"We—I—meant adjust as in grow accustomed to your surroundings," she said. "Our environment on board the ship must seem very strange to you."
"It is warm, there is food and water, and no one is trying to shoot me," I told her. "I do not need to adjust to that. I am grateful for it."
"Yes. Well. You seem very different." Garphawayn gestured toward my head. "I have never seen you wear your hair loose in such a fashion. I had not realized you possessed such a large quantity of it."
The female Omorr had no hair, but there were some long, feathery-looking growths on the very top of her scalp. They were red and purple and blue, and quite striking against her pink skin.
I must look like a beast to her.
"If I had belonged to a tribe, I would have had to cut it off. Only outcast females among the Iisleg grow their hair long." I ran a hand over the unruly mass that I kept forgetting to groom. "I plait or roll it up and clip it for work. It requires much care, but Reever forbade me to cut it."
Her gildrell rings tinkled as she sat up. "He did
what?"
"1 do not mind," I said quickly, worried that I had given her the wrong impression. "The length of my hair pleases him." In that moment I realized that Cherijo must have worn it long. "I will, ah, adjust to it."
Garphawayn muttered something under her breath before she asked, "What would please you, Terran?"
I did not understand the question. "You should not call me that. I speak Terran, and my body belongs to their species, but in all other things I am Iisleg."
"Well, I will not call you Iisleg; it is considered rude by my kind. Your name is Jam?" When I nodded, she asked, "Then what would you do with your hair to please yourself, Jam?"
"Among my people, a woman's greatest pleasure is to serve." When her expression remained blank, I added, "It pleases me to satisfy Reever's desires." After last night, a great deal.
"Indeed." She thought for a moment. "I would know more about these Iisleg women. Would you be so kind as to
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