Rested, refreshed, Nina turned down the hall towards her office and hummed to herself. Wearing the grey dress that Ardus seemed to like and the pink coral pieces that were her favorite, she padded along comfortably in her bare feet and wondered how the biologist would react, her more professional look a stark contrast to the show she'd put on two days prior. Maybe he'll spend the day thinking about how I look under the dress, considering the eyeful I gave him. She chuckled to herself, recalling how the Dreen's eyes had boggled and his voice had cracked like a teenage boy's at the sight of her. She decided that today she would behave herself, throwing herself into her work now that she knew why he'd brought her to Dreenai. Thanks for that, Athe, that was the pep talk I needed.
As the frosted glass slid aside, Nina realized she'd walked in on a heated discussion between Ardus and his personal assistant. She heard Ardus's voice as it cut off - "You will not say anything, understood?" At the sound of the glass they both turned sharply, Athe flickering yellow and Ardus glowering with his eyes narrow and his shoulders tense.
"Um, good morning?" she said, "Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine," Ardus said in a peculiar growl, his eyes darting towards Athe. The younger Dreen shot back an equally sharp look, his yellow eyes wide. Whoa, what's with the death glare? Ardus continued, avoiding her eyes, "We have work to do. Get started."
The hell? "Okay then..." Slipping behind her desk, Nina tried to catch Athe's eye. She raised her eyebrows, but Athe turned away with a handful of paperwork and a vial-stand containing their samples from the field trip. Nina read her messages on her tablet and wondered just what the hell was going on. What's his problem?
Nia had an update for her concerning the possible antidote for sand-skimmer venom, and Meem had shared a few pictures of the maturing red worms along with a brief description of the work she'd done while they were out. A few news items as well – some dummy had drawn offensive graffiti on the embassy building back on Earth – rude instructions for Dreen to have intimate relationships with an octopus – and a report of a peaceful demonstration interrupted by some ultra-conservative group throwing rotten fish guts and handfuls of sand. Maybe that's why he's mad. Stupid people, how about instead of being racist, just be quiet! Shaking her head, Nina drew a breath to make some comment – and the smell hit her full in the nose like a physical blow.
It was thick, heavy like moist earth and sweet like sandalwood, with a dark richness like coconut shells and leather. Nina instantly thought of tobacco and the uniquely woody-spicy aroma of acacia koa, a hardwood that grew near her childhood home that her ancestors used to carve into boards for riding the waves. She gasped, drawing in even more of the powerful, bizarrely attractive scent and to her surprise, her lower belly quivered and she pressed her thighs together. Sea gods, what is that? She looked around, searching for a candle flame or plume of incense smoke, but she saw nothing. The window by her desk was closed, there was no other source she could find.
Sniffing, pulling in more of the humid, oddly delicious scent, Nina shifted in her seat and wondered if it had anything to do with how suddenly tight and uncomfortable her underwear felt. In the midst of her squirming, trying to figure out if her clothes were the problem, Nina realized with horror that her seat felt damp. Oh no... Pushing back from her desk Nina excused herself and shuffled out, carrying her bag behind her.
Hurrying to the restroom, Nina's thoughts raced. Please, please Omi, I can't replace this dress! She careened into the washroom and checked the back of her dress in the long mirror. "Oh thank god!" Caught it just in time. Slipping into an empty stall, she pulled down her underwear. But instead of blood, her underwear was soaked with clear fluid. "The hell?" I'm just wet? I mean, that's kind of normal, but there's so much!
Holding the hem of her dress in her teeth Nina caught another whiff of that strong musky smell, and as if in response her toes curled and she felt another wet surge. She spat out the fabric and held it to her nose – earth, leather, wood and spice. When her thighs fluttered, she gasped. It's that smell! Was it some kind of pheromone? If so, it was the strongest airborne aphrodisiac known to science, stronger than yohimbe or vanilla. Where did it come from? Better question, did Ardus or Athe smell it too? Cleaning herself up as best she could, Nina hoped that either she would become used to the smell or it would fade over time – already she was noticing how distracted and excited she was by the scent alone. Briefly she wondered how much money could be made by synthesizing the compounds and selling it to the public. If it's this powerful to me, imagine how other women will react!
Walking back down the hallway she passed Meem and another Dreen woman murmuring something between themselves, looking quite animated and flashing various shades of pink and purple. "Doctor Nina," Meem flagged her down, "are you going to see Doctor Ardus?"
"I was just coming back, what can I do for you?" Nina tugged at her dress, still uncomfortably tight. Maybe I should go home and change. And grab some clean underwear.
"No, no, I was just wondering if he was in today. I have a report for him."
"I just saw him, but I don't think he's in a mood to be disturbed today – he looked upset about something."
The other Dreen woman, one Nina recognized as a night-shift lab technician who helped care for Meem's worms as well as the other specimens, ran her fingers absently over her pale yellow neck. "You work with him?"
"I do, yes. Is everything okay?"
Meem asked, "Have you, er, noticed anything else besides his mood?" Nina caught the Dreen's nostrils flaring, and with each inward breath her pores flickered pink and yellow. She can smell it too! "Meem, I don't know if this is an appropriate question or not, but...do you smell something?"
Both Dreen gave her startled looks. "You can smell it too?" the night tech asked, her hand going to her throat while her face flickered in a rainbow of colors. "I didn't know humans could smell musk!"
"It's pretty hard to miss," Nina shifted on her feet, her thighs rubbing together. The warm, sticky feeling intensified, as though the sensation of skin-on-skin further excited her. "What is it, exactly?"
"Well," Meem's cheeks shifted from orange to pink, "I don't know about human endocrinology, but for Dreen it's a mix of pheromones and other scent chemicals – it's a scent signal, like the ones bluebacks and cliff-climbers use to mark their territories, and like those my worms use to advertise their sexual maturity. Dreen usually start developing the chemicals when they reach puberty and through adolescence, but as this isn't a school for young Dreen I can't imagine why we'd be smelling it here, or why it would be so strong."
As Meem explained she played with the green glass beads around her neck, touching her throat and brushing her fingers across her chest like she was pulling on a chain. She's making Omi's Necklace! Whatever this musk is, it's getting her excited too. It must work on females of any species. Even as she thought about it, Nina realized she was making the gesture as well. She snatched her hand down and curled her fingers into the fabric of her dress. Meem drew a breath and as her nostrils flared her pupils dilated and a ripple of bright pink color started around her neck and flared across her shoulders. "It smells so good..."
"It smells like ruka wood," said the night-shift tech, tugging at her collar.
"It really does," Meem agreed dreamily. She passed her fingers through her short green barbels and sighed. "I wonder if Doctor Ardus is in the office today..."
"Um," Nina watched Meem sway in place, apparently lost in thought. "I just told you I saw him this morning."
Meem blinked, then she gave herself a little shake, the beads in her barbels clicking. "Oh! Right, I was going to give him this report. I... I just finished it."
"You said that a second ago. Meem, are you okay?"
The Dreen woman flapped her hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, I'm fine! I just...got distracted... Sorry, Doctor." Meem started off without her, and Nina had to scramble to catch up. As she did, she caught another whiff of the scent – earthy, woody-spicy, definitely musky, with a heady undercurrent of salt and something oily and warm. Coconut husks, ambergris, macadamia oil, koa wood... Walking into the office the musk seemed ten times stronger, and Nina saw Meem's visible reaction in the form of her eyes widening, her mouth opening to draw in even more of the sultry scent, and her chest and neck flaring in bright pink and purple and white.
Doctor Ardus sat behind his desk, his arms crossed with his hands tucked under and his face cast into a bitter, tight scowl. Ardus turned dark, slitted eyes on Meem as she extended her hand holding the report printout. "What do you want?"
Meem stopped short, glancing down at her report. "I..." She held it out, pores fading from pink to yellow. "This is the report you requested, I finished it early."
"Leave it." Ardus jerked his head at a spot on his desk. "I will look at it in a moment. Doctor Ma'atanoa, next time do not leave without letting me know. We have a lot of work to do, I will not tolerate you dashing out whenever it pleases you." Even though he spoke to her, Ardus did not look at her and Nina wondered why he was so angry.
"I just went to-"
Ardus delivered an icy glare at her. "I do not care, when you are in this office, you are in this office." Then he glowered at Meem. "Why are you still here? Your worms are due for a morning feeding, are they not?"
"They've already been fed, Doctor, I'm ahead-"
"Then take your report and have it to me when I ask for it!" Ardus bellowed, his hands coming free and gripping the edge of his desk. "I will have none of this floundering around and making excuses! I am the head of this department, I expect my instructions to be followed!" Ardus stood, his chair rolling back and hitting the wall behind him with force enough to rattle the ancient map in its frame. His voice shook the room, so much that small artifacts and fossils trembled on their shelves. "If you cannot handle such a simple task I will have you replaced!"
Meem gasped, her eyes widening and her pores dimming. Her hand went to her mouth and she dropped the report print on the floor. Athe appeared in the doorway then, and Ardus turned to him. "You! I sent you to give those samples to Nia, what are you doing back already?"
"I gave them to Tura, I ran into-"
"I did not ask Tura, I sent you to hand them over!" Ardus roared, "is everyone in this department a complete idiot?"
Nina had seen enough. "Ardus!" Marching past Meem, stepping over the report and putting herself in front of the huge male Dreen whose deep blue eyes sparked with dangerous fury and whose claws had gouged deep grooves into the ancient wood desk, Nina took her stand and a deep breath. "Just what the hell is your problem?"
Ardus, towering over her, his teeth bared and his hands curled into fists, snapped back in a low, gravelly voice. "Doctor, I am the administrator of this department, my instructions are clear – those who cannot follow them will be terminated. That includes you."
Oh no, you did not just... Nina turned to Athe. "Athe, would you please take Meem out into the hall for a moment? I need to have a little talk with someone." As she said so, Nina threw an acid glare at Ardus.
Athe hesitated, "Doctor Nina, I don't think-"
"I'll handle this." Nina glared up at the big Dreen biologist, "You two wait outside."
"Are you sure?"
Nina tossed a reassuring smile back at him. "Yes, please. I'll call for you if I need you." Taking Meem by the arm, Athe led the Dreen woman out. Once the frosted glass door closed again, leaving her alone with Ardus, Nina whirled and faced down the huge Dreen. He looked more massive than usual, his dark coloring eating light and his size and presence filling the room with a heavy, choking force like something huge passing close by in the dark. Is he...bigger? Like, physically larger? "Ardus," she said in a hard, cool voice, "sit down."
Ardus scoffed, his lip curling in a sneer. "You are in no position to-"
"I've swam with sharks bigger than you, you don't scare me."
Through gritted teeth, his dirks flashing between his blue-black lips, Ardus growled low in his chest and the air vibrated, "You should not test me today, Nina."
"You shouldn't test me ever," she warned; the sneer faltered and his narrow eyes widened a fraction. "I might be small, but you do not want to piss me off." The huge Dreen looked down at her, his eyes dark and cold as a deep-sea trench, and Nina stared right back with her storm-gray, refusing to flinch. He was the first to speak.
"I am not one to be trifled with, Nina. Not today. You should leave, now."
"Or what?" A risky question.
"You do not know what you are dealing with."
"So tell me."
"You would not understand."
"I can try," Nina took a step forward, Ardus took one back. "This isn't you, Ardus. I saw the real you the other day – what happened? Where's the nice guy I met on the beach?" Another step forward, another step back.
Ardus protested, "Nina-"
"Don't Nee-nah me, I'll do whatever I damn well please." A brief flicker, the faintest flash of fear, showed in Ardus's face. "As for you, you're going to tell me just what the hell is wrong with you, why you're acting like such a prick. You've been acting strange since the trip, and I want to know why." Looking up at him, Nina saw again the fear in his eyes. He's scared, not of me but of whatever it is that has him acting like this. With one more step, Nina had backed Ardus to his chair and the back of his knee touched the seat. Ardus looked behind him – there was nowhere else for him to go. "Now sit down."
There was a moment of silent struggle, a battle of wills that was greater than the size of its combatants – earth and sea, a clash of elements older than time. Then it was as if all the energy had drained out of him, as though his tide had just gone out. Ardus sat heavily and Nina realized that he was exhausted. His hands shook where they gripped the arm-rests on his chair, his face paler than normal. His nictitating membranes flicked across his eyes and he swallowed hard. Something's not right. He's sick, or hurt, whatever it is, he's not well. She stood at his feet, looking up at him from just in front of his knees. "Thank you." Her voice softened. "Ardus, I don't want to be mad at you, but you have to tell me what's going on. I may not understand everything, but I can try." She watched him stare at her, watched his jaw work and his eyes squeeze shut as he fought some internal struggle before Ardus screwed up his face and began to roll up his sleeves, his hands shaking.