"What are you doing?" Ardus stood in the doorway, his eyes huge and his mouth half-open in disbelief. Standing on the counter, two plates the size of hubcaps in her hand, Ninaturned and regarded him with wide-eyed innocence. "What? I'm getting plates for lunch." The way she stood, she knew he should begetting a good look at her legs in the bright yellow leggings she'd chosen. At the moment, however, he seemed far more concerned about her location.
"That is not – you are not – Doctor, really!" In a few steps he crossed the threshold and front room and set a heavy dish down on the counter near her feet. "How did you even get up there?" Standing beside the counter Ardus looked up – for once she was taller – at her, one hand on the counter with his claws clicking on the polished surface. Nina looked down at him, enjoying her height and grinning at the top of his head. "How's the weather down there?" She shrugged, letting one strap of her wide-necked tunic fall off one shoulder.
Ardus made a choking sound, recovering enough to drum his fingers on the counter-top. Frowning, eyes narrowed almost to slits, he demanded "Doctor Ma'atanoa, get down."
"All right, but take these." She held out the plates and Ardus snatched them from her hands. He sat them on the counter with enough force to make them clatter. "There, now will you please-?"
Nina bent and sat with her legs dangling off the edge of the counter, her bare feet hanging in space more than four feet off the floor. "What did you bring me?" Sitting on the counter, she was almost his height – she could nearly meet him eye to eye, almost as close as when he'd carried her. Oh, I like this!
He shook his head. "No, not until you are down."
"Oh, all right." She wiggled her behind until she looked ready to slip off, watching his reaction. He did exactly what she thought he would– he held an arm out in front of her and looked horrified. "Doctor! You are not thinking of jumping, are you?!"
"Well, how else am I supposed to get down?"
Doctor Ardus crossed his arms, blocking her. "Not by jumping."
"Then what do you suggest?" Nina watched his face work, his upper lip twitching in vexation. Come on, take the bait like a good boy. She leaned forward, tipping her face up so he had a good view of her cleavage. If he noticed, he wasn't showing it. She wiggled on the counter a little more, crossing her ankles where they hung in space. Come on, don't make me say it. It's more fun if it's your idea. She watched him, waiting patiently. The seconds dragged out. Finally, Ardus sighed. His face was blank, but she could feel the frustration in his voice. He uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips. "Do you need help?"
She shrugged. "Since you won't let me jump down, I guess I do." She watched his nose-bridge wrinkle. Oh Omi, he's adorable when he's mad. His nostrils flared and he glanced at the dish he'd brought. Then, setting his jaw, Ardus closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "Very well." He opened his eyes and Nina suppressed a wiggle of delight. Come on big guy, do it. I know you want to. She watched him take his hands from his hips and flex the fingers, curling his claws towards his palms as though he was steeling himself against a strike. Then he reached for her.
Putting his hands around her waist – and they spanned her waist completely, his fingertips touching across her back and his thumbs barely an inch or two apart across her belly – Doctor Ardus lifted her and stepped back. Nina, holding back a delighted gasp, laid her hands on his wrists for balance and watched his throat work as he swallowed what was probably a gasp of his own. Once her feet were on the floor he backed away immediately, his hands stuffing back into their pockets. His hands were shaking! "Thankyou, Doctor." Nina said sweetly, pouring on the charm. "So, what did you bring me?"
He looked at the dish he'd brought. "Baked eel."
"I love baked eel. Do you want to go first? You're technically my guest."
"Er, no. Help yourself."
"We'll be eating in there," she gestured to the short table in the front room. She'd spent the morning rearranging what furniture she could move to take advantage of the wide window that led out to a small balcony overlooking the sea. She thought they'd sit next to the window, looking out at the water while the afternoon light poured buttery sunshine into the room and illuminated her bronze skin. Nina knew she looked good in the sun, years of life on her home island had assured that. Taking the plates, she lead the way into the sunshine and listened to the sound of his bare clawed feet on the floor behind her. She threw a glance back over her shoulder and gave him an easy smile. His response was to clear his throat and stare at the dish in his hands. Okay, that's probably enough cute for now. "I see you didn't bring a whole bag this time."
Ardus chose the side of the table across from her, placing the dish in the the center where they could both reach it before settling down on the floor in the same cross-legged position as the day before. "I learn from my mistakes."
"I wouldn't call it a mistake, you were just cooking the way you're used to. I still appreciate it, even if I couldn't eat it all by myself. Oh, your dishes are on the counter." She flicked her thumb towards the kitchen, where yesterday's plates sat clean and dry on a wire mesh rack – some things never required improvement.
Ardus huffed. "You washed them."
"Well, I wasn't going to hand you a bunch of dirty dishes."
"Which means you have been climbing. I would have sent Athe to come clean up."
"I doubt he'd appreciate being called in to wash dishes. I'm fine, Doctor. See?"She stood on one foot and spread her arms, touching her nose with one hand and then the other. "Perfectly fine." Nina pulled the footstool she used as a chair to the table. "All that dodging has improved my balance." Ardus snorted softly, but when she looked at him he looked more amused than irritated. "Did you tell Nia you checked on me yesterday? She contacted me this morning to see how I was."
"Er, no. I typically do not make my after-hours activities known." He turned the plate in front of him, touching the edges delicately.
"Yeah, Athe said you were pretty private."
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you prying into my personal life, Doctor?"
"No... Well, maybe a little. So? You're the one who admitted to reading the results of my last physical." She pointed the spoon at him. "That's prying, too."
"Only to determine if you were in condition for field work," he defended, still toying with his plate. "As a part of my employment I also must endure periodic testing to ensure I am in suitable condition. The university does not look favorably upon its researchers dropping dead in the field, so they insist on poking and prodding us every year."
Nina grinned, spooning baked eel onto her plate. I bet that's a great day for whoever gets to do the poking and prodding on you. "Yeah, well, you probably know more about me than I do you, then."
"What do you want to know?"
Nina's head snapped up. Huh? Ardus had sat back to wait for his turn at the eel, leaning against the couch behind him with one elbow thrown up on the seat. His sleeve pulled up on his wrist and tight against a forearm the size of her calf. In the bright sunlight filtering in through the window his dark blue skin looked like burnished leather, shiny across his knuckles and the back of his wrist. "You...you'd just tell me, if I asked?"
He shrugged, shoulders rolling. "Within reason."
"Oh, right, obviously." Nina brushed some loose hair behind her ear. Why am I nervous now? "Well, okay, we talked about my life when I was a kid, what was yours like?" She pushed the dish across the table. While he cut through a fillet of eel, he answered her question. "I was born on the southern continent. I have one brother, Odun, who is older. My family on my mother's side was at one time very poor, but four generations before my arrival they invested what little they had in sending my great-grandmother Yuna to the university where you find yourself employed. She became quite the esteemed academic – you have read her work."
"Wait," Nina swallowed a bite. "you're related to the Professor Yuna?"
Ardus nodded and speared a piece of eel.
"Wow. I guess science runs in the family, huh?"
"It would appear so. My father specialized in biochemical engineering, my brother followed him in that interest. I originally came here to study genetics, but became enamored with field biology. It started with plants – I was fascinated by the vegetation of this warmer continent – and progressed to environmental and ecological biology. Then I met with my mentor and began my career in field biology. She-" Ardus cut off. Under the table Nina could see his free hand balled into a tight fist; he stared at the serving spoon for a long few seconds. "Never mind. Any other questions?"
Nina paused. His mentor keeps coming up, but he doesn't want to talk about her. What does she have to do with him going dark? "Hmm." She speared a piece of eel and turned it, admiring the firm white flesh with the barest hint of blue-green. It tasted fresh, with a slight buttery texture. "Okay, where did you learn to cook like this? This is wonderful."
He took up a spoon. "As much as I rely on Athe for many tasks, both personal and professional, I dislike being completely reliant on someone else for my basic needs. I learned to cook for myself out of necessity, then discovered that I enjoy it. And as with most things I do, anything worth doing is worth doing to the best of my ability." A slice of eel as thick as her two hands slid onto his plate, steaming and fragrant. "Though I do appreciate the compliment, Doctor."
"Call me Nina."
"Pardon?" Ardus looked up from his plate.
"Call me Nina when we're not working. Please."
Ardus pushed some eel around his plate. "Hmm. All right. When we are not working." Nina beamed and he focused hard on his plate. Then he looked up at her. "But under the same conditions, you must call me by my name."
Nina's smile froze. Oh! I wasn't expecting that. She couldn't read his expression, but she nodded. "I can do that...Ardus." He smiled then. Not the broad smile he'd given when he laughed at her joke in the infirmary, and not the soft, kind one from when he'd carried her home. This was the narrow-eyed smile, the one she liked that made him look uncannily predatory. Nina felt her chest and face flush with heat, and her skin tingled. So we're back to this again. She fiddled with her skewer. "So, you're the great-grandson of Professor Yuna, you came up with the idea to bring humans to Dreenai, you taught yourself how to cook, what other hidden talents do you have?" Like that's not a loaded question.
"Talents?" She watched as Ardus sampled more eel. "Well, I suppose I could label myself an accomplished spear-fisherman. I would not consider it a talent though, it is more of an acquired ability. I took up the sport when I was younger and, if you will take care not to consider this bragging, I was quite good at it."
"'Was'?"
He sighed. "Yes, I have not taken up the spear in a while."
"Do you think you could still do it?"
Ardus nodded. "Certainly."
"Can you show me sometime?"
He set down the skewer, his eyes lighting up. "You would be interested? I have been looking for a reason to take it up again. Not that I need one, but the opportunity has not presented itself."
Nina, taken aback by his enthusiasm, smiled. "I'd definitely be interested."Especially if it makes you this excited. His eyes were wide, bright, astonishing. Wow.
Ardus nodded. "I will try to fit it into the schedule. I do try to work some open time into my excursions, Doc-" He stopped. Nina watched him expectantly. Yes. Say my name, big guy. Ardus cleared his throat. "...Nina." Her name in his voice –deep, rich, vibrating in her chest – turned her insides to warm jelly. The way he said it, though not pronouncing it quite right, still made her toes curl on the mat beneath the table. She moved a few pieces of eel around her plate, her belly too tight and squirmy to eat more. She put on her best smile. "Thank you...Ardus."
Ardus said nothing further. He only nodded, returning to his plate. Nina managed a few more bites of eel, sitting in silence, before she set down the skewer. "So... How have things been while I've been gone?"
Ardus chuckled. "Are you missing being knocked over or stepped on?"
"No, I miss the company." She gave him a pointed look. "I was thinking I could come back to work tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'm almost done with the reading you sent to me. I'm getting bored sitting here twiddling my thumbs, and on top of that I'm excited to start the field work. I can't let you do all the fun paperwork stuff without me."
Ardus rolled the skewer handle in his fingers, nodding slowly with a bemused twist to his mouth. "Right. Well, if you are feeling up to it, I will expect you tomorrow morning."
"I'll see you tomorrow morning, then." Nina leaned forward, her elbows on the table and her arms crossed beneath her breasts. His eyes widened and she smiled. "I hope you're ready for me." She watched him swallow hard.
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Apparently roasting an eel is incredibly easy. According to WikiHow, all you need is an eel filet, a teaspoon of salt, 3 teaspoons of oil and a cast-iron skillet or roasting pan. Place in a preheated 375* F oven for 25-30 minutes and you have roasted eel.
I didn't know until researching eels for this chapter that eels can swim backwards!
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