Ardus stood outside her apartment, a sack in one hand and the other curled into a nervous fist. He didn't think that Doctor Nina would still be sleeping this late in the day, but surely she'd be hungry by now. And he would have sent Athe instead of coming himself, except it was Athe's night off and so here he was, shuffling his webbed feet on the mat and clicking his claws nervously. Sea gods drown me! He looked down at his tunic, brushing at imaginary lint and wondering if he should tap the doorpad again. I should just leave. He was about to leave the sack on the mat when the door slid open. Doctor Nina stood on the other side, looking up at him with a strange expression. "Um...hi?"
For a moment Ardus could not speak. She wore what was apparently a casual outfit, a pair of long soft trousers with the ankles ungathered and some kind of grey tunic with short sleeves that looked far too large for her, so loose it hung off of one shoulder. He recognized the emblem on the front as a university seal, but as it was in one of the many human languages he couldn't read it. But her bare shoulder distracted him the most, her bronze skin bright against the grey tunic. He swallowed and tried to say something. All he could manage was a tight "Hello."
"What are you – I mean, what brings you here?" Doctor Nina's eyes were wide, her cheeks pink. "I, uh, I wasn't expecting anyone."
"Ah, well, I..." Even wearing a loose tunic, Ardus could see the rounded shape of her breasts pushing the fabric out from her chest, like perfect little sand dunes. He stared at her face instead. "I...I brought you something."
"More books?"
Ardus cleared his throat, "No, I think you have quite enough to do. I-I thought you might need something to eat. Recovering from sand-skimmer paralysis can be, er, taxing."
"Oh! Well, um, thank you. I was actually just...just thinking about eating." Doctor Nina's eyes traveled down his arm to the sack. He could feel her eyes on his wrist and Ardus fought the urge to drop the sack and run. She looked back up at him, her storm-grey eyes large. "Do you want to come in?"
Ardus fought the impulse to step back, shaking his head. Beads clicked and wires clinked. "Ah, well, I do not want to be any trouble-"
"It's not, I just-"
"I can go-"
"You don't have to-"
He pushed the bag at her. "Here, Athe said you like yellow sea worm." His mouth was so dry, his tongue like wood. "You can bring the dishes back when you have recovered. Good night." He waited until she had her hand on the bag before he turned and very nearly broke into a panicked trot. He only got a few steps before she called out "Hey!" Freezing in place, Ardus waited for whatever came next. He was too anxious to stay, too nervous to run. He didn't think he could trust his legs to not collapse under him. He could, however, turn his head and look back at her. Even his neck felt stiff. "Y-yes, Doctor?"
She was looking into the sack. "There's a lot of food in here."
He turned fully, facing her. His guts felt like a clutch of Meem's red worms. "Ah, yes, well, Athe told me you like Dreen food."
"Yeah, but I can't eat this much." Ardus's heart punched him in the stomach. Of course, she is half my size! She looked back up at him, and Ardus thought his lungs would collapse. She was smiling, her cheeks round and dimpled. "Want to help?"
His eyes went wide. "Do I...?" He hated the way his voice cracked.
"Well, I don't want it to go to waste. Do you have somewhere else to be?"
"Er, no." He could go back to his office and work on acquisition forms, or he could compose his request to move up the fieldwork, or he could go to the pool again and work off more of the excess energy that had been building all day and was now boiling inside him. But it sounded like she wanted him to come in. Should I? She did invite me, I should not be rude. Carefully, not trusting his voice, "I suppose I could, for a short time."
"Oh, good! It's not like you weren't here once already, come on in." Nina turned from the door and Ardus saw that she'd done something with her hair, had woven it into a thick rope that fell down her back. It looked damp, and he surmised that she'd been awake long enough to wash up. If she is up and about she must be feeling better. His hands itched to take that rope into his hands and pass it through his fingers, test its weight and texture. It looks smooth, like blueback fur... Following her in at a distance Ardus tried not to hover, but if he stood close enough he could detect a warm, enticing scent. Soft, sweet, clean... She stood beside a short table – short to him, the perfect height for her – opening the sack and going through its contents. "Oh, here's the yellow sea worm, and – Ah! Seaweed soup! I love this stuff!" Ardus watched her pull a short cushioned ottoman meant to be a footrest up to the table, using it instead as a backless chair. His throat tightened at the sight. She is so small! She unfastened the lid and savored the smell of the salty broth. "Where did you get this?"
"Ah, well...I made it."
"You..." Her grey eyes grew large and her smile turned to open wonder. "You made all of this for me?"
"I..." In truth, he'd begun cooking for himself and found the task soothing enough that he'd just kept going – it felt right. He reached up and ran his fingers through his barbels. "Er, well..." One of his claws got stuck on a wire wrap and he had to use his other hand to free himself. "Yes." Shifting from foot to foot Ardus looked around the room to try not to stare at her eyes or her bare shoulder. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to hide his balled-up fists while he looked around the room at anything that would distract him.
"Would you sit down?" She asked him. "You're making me nervous."
I am making her nervous? Ardus looked for a seat that wasn't too close. He settled for across the short table on a chair that would have swallowed her. She kept unpacking the sack, marveling over the variety. She pulled yet another covered dish out and gave him an odd look. "How much food did you make? There's enough for several humans."
"Eh..." His stomach curled up on itself and wanted to die. "Perhaps I was overzealous."
"I'll say." Nina grinned at him and he clutched the arm of the chair in quiet panic. She picked up a piece of sea worm that had been seared with an herbal oil that crisped the skin. She took a bite and chewed experimentally. Her eyes rolled and Ardus thought she was about to collapse when she exclaimed, "Ardus, this is really good!"
"I-is it?" He couldn't decide what to do with his hands. He set one on his knee, then moved it to the chair arm. He shuffled his feet. She'd called him by his name, without his honorific Doctor, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that yet. He liked the sound of it in her voice, though, like a small boat cresting a wave. Ar-dus.
"Mm-hmm!" Nina nodded enthusiastically, her mouth full. She sampled more of the things he'd brought – a fish stuffed with herbs, roasted and blistered vegetables, tiny sea creatures battered and fried. She seemed to enjoy all of them. "You didn't have to do this, but I'm glad you did. It's what a friend would do. Is that why you did this? You've decided you want to be friends?"
Ardus blinked. She did say she wants to be friends. "Ah...yes. That is what I have decided."
"Wonderful! I was hoping you would." Her smile devastated him, her dimples deepening in her cheeks and her eyes... Oh, those eyes! Something softened deep inside of him, his leaden stomach warming. She made a circling motion with her finger at all the food. "Aren't you going to help me eat this? I won't be able to finish it all before it goes bad." She tipped her head to one side, her pretty grey eyes bright. "Please?" Speechless, Ardus nodded. He wasn't hungry but he couldn't refuse when she asked like that, with her eyes wide and her voice so sweet it curled his toes. He sat forward and Nina pushed a dish at him. Reaching towards it he ran into some trouble – the table was lower than he was used to eating at, and after some jostling and a bit of fussing with his legs he decided to sit on the floor where the table came up nearly above his stomach. Once he settled down, crossing his legs under the table, he looked up and saw Nina grinning at him. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What?"
She shook her head. She drank a bit of the soup and slid the bowl over to him. "Well, it's just that it's funny to see you on the floor. I mean," her face reddened, "I'm used to you being way up there." She gestured towards the ceiling. The neckline of her odd tunic slipped further down on her shoulder and Ardus gulped soup at the sight of more bronze skin and the little cup-shaped depression at the base of her throat. He stared at the tabletop instead, then he realized he could see her feet below the glass. The ring on her toe flashed.
"Do you like it?"
"Hmm?" He looked back up so quickly he had to wait for his eyes to focus.
"My toe ring, you were staring at it."
"Oh... Er, well, it is interesting."
Nina stretched her feet on the fiber mat, flexing and curling her tiny little toes. "I've had this one for years." Ardus noticed for the first time that the soles of her feet were lighter than her skin, as were the palms of her hands. He wondered what other parts of her might be lighter in color. He tucked a piece of crispy yellow worm into his mouth and chewed to distract himself. He realized he was slouching and straightened his back and shoulders. He swallowed the worm. "How are you liking your, ah, your apartment?"
Nina slurped from the soup bowl. She sucked a long strand of seaweed between her pink lips, staring at him as she did so, and Ardus twisted his hands together under the table. His mouth dried to driftwood. "It's nice. The rooms are huge, the bathtub is gigantic, the bed is really comfortable. I can swim in that bathtub," she commented, "or at least I think I could. I haven't tried it yet. I might do that tomorrow. Or, you know, just take a long, hot bath." She lingered over the words, fixing her eyes on him from across the table. "Here, I can't eat any more." Standing, she bent over the table and pushed the last of the soup at him, the neck of her tunic hanging low enough that Ardus could see into it. He saw a soft curve of golden-brown skin and snatched the bowl and slurped the seaweed broth, using the bowl as a shield. Is she doing this on purpose?! When he lowered the bowl, Nina had already sat back down. But she still watched him, her grey eyes wide and a strange, barely-there smile.
Ardus set the bowl down with a clink. "If you are finished, I will go-"
Nina shook her head, "You don't have to leave-"
"I have things to do," Ardus began the complicated task of untangling his legs and standing up. He hoped it felt more awkward than it looked. "For the field, there are acquisition forms to complete, budget plans to submit, travel forms, bureaucratic nonsense. There are meetings to schedule and time-tables to approve, field pay to negotiate-"
"All right, all right!" Nina threw her hands up, laughing, "You're busy, I get it. Have fun, I guess." She smiled at him, dimpling. "Thanks for dinner, it was great." She paused. "We should do this again."
Ardus stopped, one hand on the table to push himself up. "We...should?"
Nina shrugged, her shoulder bobbing in the loose neck of her tunic. "Sure. If we're going to be friends we should spend more time together, don't you think?" She suddenly looked down, apparently deeply interested in her nails. "If...if you'd be interested, that is." She peeked up at him through her eyelashes. Ardus didn't understand eyelashes – his people didn't have any, possessing a nictitating membrane instead – but he recognized the tone in her voice. She wants to spend time with me? He knew humans were social people like Dreen, but there were only three humans on Dreenai and he hadn't seen her with any of them aside from Doctor O'Connell in the infirmary. Perhaps that was why she'd insisted on having him stay. Is she...lonely? The thing that had softened in his chest earlier squeezed. He knew all too well what that was like. Athe's observation came hurtling back: Have you spent any time with her outside of work? And she had come right out and said she wanted to. Should he? When he felt the urge to run but his knees threatened to buckle and every breath had to be carefully, purposefully measured? Just...do what feels right. Some things couldn't be measured, calibrated, examined or quantified. It will be just like field work. Standing, Ardus straightened his tunic. "Yes, Doctor, I think that would be a good idea."
Nina's face turned up to him, her smile brilliant. "Great! I'll see you again soon, then?"
"Ah, well, if you like." He started for the door, eager to escape even if temporarily.
"I would. How about tomorrow?" She turned towards him, pulling one leg up on the footstool. "You could bring lunch, just don't make enough for six people." A sly little grin and a stormy grey flash, and Ardus found himself nodding. Why am I agreeing? I have too many things to do, why can I not say no? Just tell her you are busy. "What, er, what time?" He winced inwardly. Drown me!
"How about you come over sometime around midday? That's usually when people have lunch." She was grinning at him again. "I'll be expecting you."
Ardus swallowed hard. "Right. Well, Doctor, I should say good night."
"Good night, Doctor. It was nice seeing you."
Ardus nodded, letting himself out. As he turned to close the door he saw Nina wave at him, her fingers curling towards her palm. "Tomorrow, don't forget!" He gave what he hoped was a polite gesture, then stepped away quickly as soon as he heard the door latch. Balling his fists into his pockets, Ardus retreated as fast as his feet would carry him without running.
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Nina watched the viewer by the door, her fist pressed against her lips while she watched Ardus leave with his hands in his pockets and his back stiff and straight. Her little experiment had gone better than she expected. Once he reached the edge of the camera's field she let herself laugh. For a few more seconds she stood by the door, processing all she'd seen and heard while he'd sat on her floor, looking by turns uncomfortable and awkwardly fascinated. "Sea gods, he's too funny!" She covered her mouth so her giggles wouldn't travel too far. The way he'd stared at her shoulder had been his tell; she was glad she'd fixed her shirt just before letting him in. Nina snickered. "He couldn't decide where to look!" She looked down at herself, grinning at how her shirt draped. Could he tell I'm not wearing anything under this? Did he like it?
It had been so easy to get him to agree to come back. Even though he'd said he had things to do, he'd crumbled like a sandcastle. All she'd had to do was look up at him, ask, and be cute about it. She recalled the way his eyes had widened when she'd bent over the table, her shirt collar gaping open, and how he'd grabbed the bowl from her and covered his face with it. You're so mean, teasing the poor guy like that... But it had satisfied her curiosity, hadn't it? It had been fun to watch him squirm, to watch his eyes dart between her shoulder and her toes and her chest before leaping away like a frightened lizard. Even without his pores lit Nina could tell she'd unsettled him, the way he'd fidgeted and shifted, how he'd hung back but his eyes watching her every move, uncomfortable yet unable to ignore her. And I liked it, didn't I? I liked making him squirm. Nina felt her face warm again. It's just too fun, I'll have to see what he does tomorrow...
But she had to be careful – Doctor Ardus was huge even for a Dreen, more than big enough to overpower her if she provoked him. What would the big Dreen do if she pushed him a little? Perhaps he wouldn't even realize she was doing it, or wouldn't recognize that what she was doing was on purpose. No, he's a biologist, he'd be able to tell. And if that was the case, what would he do? Would he be annoyed with her and tell her off, ignore her, or would he react in some other, less civilized way? Nina thought about how easily he'd picked her up, like a sack of laundry. He's so strong I wouldn't be able to stop him if he decided to retaliate...or reciprocate. Would he get rough with me? If he did, what would he do? How would it feel? An image formed in her mind of the Dreen picking her up and pushing her against a wall, his huge hands with their inch-long claws wrapped around her waist, his broad chest pinning her between himself and the wall, his face inches from hers. She imagined his blue eyes, ringed in black, narrowed and staring into hers with that dangerous, exciting slant that dared her to just try to get free. She imagined that smile bearing down on her, his teeth flashing. "Wow, okay, so much for not having dirty thoughts about my boss."
Worrying a fingernail with her teeth and staring off into the middle distance, Nina considered what she was thinking. Today's experiment had been harmless, merely curiosity getting the better of her. I didn't do anything wrong, not really. I just...had a little fun. Nothing wrong with that. What if she did push the limits a little, though? How much could she get away with? Grinning, Nina abandoned her fingernail and headed towards the back of the apartment, towards her bedroom. No one said I couldn't do my own experiments while I'm here. Nina opened her closet. Her Dreen clothes hung in the front and she examined them. Doctor Ardus's reaction to them had been all right, more surprise than anything else. Pushing those aside, Nina took a hard look at the clothes she'd brought with her. Then she smiled and started pulling pieces out and tossing them on the bed, plotting her return.
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