Malik turned aside from the Earth team's console in time to see Bradley walk inside the bay. Yoji and himself were always the first to report for practice, followed by the others but what confused him was the pilot didn't have the artillery specialist by his side; the two always walked in together. Malik gave a display of glancing behind Bradley.
"Hey. Where's our artillery specialist?" he gave Bradley a smirk. The redhead let out a heavy sigh and shrugged.
"I dunno. Ain't seen her all weekend. Was hoping she'd be here, already; I knocked on her door but her folks said she wasn't there."
"Huh. You said you haven't seen her all weekend...? Should... we be worried?"
"I..." Bradley knew he had to stop lying to himself. "No. I have a clue where she's been. She's with Areiv."
"With Areiv? This whole weekend?! But..." Malik stopped himself when he came to the realization and widened his eyes at Bradley. "Noo! No way! They're... nah! Maybe he took her to Esperia; there's no way your little conspiracy theory was right!"
"It's not a conspiracy theory!" Bradley didn't know if he wanted to laugh or glare. He had the whole weekend to allow everything Areiv told him to stick in his mind. Bradley understood why Malik found it unbelievable; it was still difficult for him to accept: Areiv and Lindsay were a couple. He didn't dare mention to Malik what else he discovered; that the manager who appeared to possess a grudge against the artillery specialist was her actual biological father. Bradley decided that Lindsay should be the one to tell the others that bit of news.
"Well, until you have solid proof, it'll be a conspi-" Malik's words left him as he looked up and saw an energetic Lindsay walk inside the bay. An instant aura of attractiveness surrounded her, which both men caught on to as they observed her walk over and speak to Keith.
"Yoo..." Steve had joined the two men, gawking at Lindsay along with them. "Is it me or does Lizzie look like-"
"... She just had the best sex in her life..." Malik finished for Steve and Bradley shot daggers at the two of them. He turned red as he set his attention back on her, recognizing they were probably right. Something pulled at Bradley to observe her as she continued speaking to Keith, not paying full attention that for the first time since the crew formed, the older man didn't scowl at Lindsay.
"I think her clothes are tighter today..."
"... Could be..."
"Fuck; those hips... Lizzie has hips!"
"... Yeah..."
"O-Okay, knock it off!" Bradley snapped out of his stupor and warned the two although he had to admit that there clearly was something very appealing about her that morning. He didn't feel comfortable with the way Steve and Malik pointed it out.
Lindsay finished talking to her father about the day's agenda and walked over towards the three men. A blush crept over her face as she noticed neither one attempted to hide that they appeared to undress her with their eyes. After she overheard Bradley's comments three days ago, she now understood his looks meant more. What shocked her was that she received the same stares from Malik and Steve! Maybe she was reading too much into it, she tried to tell herself. Despite her cheeks aching, Lindsay gave the three a grin.
"Morning!" she greeted, and the three were immediately all smiles along with herself.
"Well; good morning to you!"
"H-Hey..." Bradley stuttered and glanced away, his ears turning a distinct red. Lindsay waited for Malik to say something but he continued to stare at her. Lindsay's eyes widened, a laugh bubbling in her throat as she made a show of waving her hand in his face.
"Helloooo...?"
"Huh? Oh! My bad! Um... hi. You're... you look really good today, Lizzie." Malik mentioned. The laughter burst from her as Lindsay backed away from the three.
"Okay, I have no idea what's going on here but I think it's been way too long since any of you have gotten laid! Are we gonna get some work done today or what?"
"Y-Yeah... whatever you say..." Steve answered dreamily.
Lindsay didn't wait for Bradley for their usual walk back to the housing building after practice; all the men except for Keith were almost rendered useless which made for an awkward practice. She had plans on visiting Areiv at his bay and wasn't in the mood to argue with Bradley.
"H-Hey, Lizzie; wait up!" Bradley called behind her. Before turning around, Lindsay let out a deep sigh; the argument would be inevitable. Instead of her usual smirk, she glanced at him as he caught up to her. Bradley gave her an appreciative grin as he studied her from head-to-toe; he acknowledged he had feelings for her but struggled to understand why he was overwhelmed with them at the moment. Bradley wondered if it was something she done differently; her hair was in its usual bun, and she wore no new perfume. He noticed that Lindsay wore new jewelry, a gem that hung from a string around her neck. "I've been trying to talk to you this whole weekend but you ain't been in your apartment..."
"I know..." Lindsay left it at that and started to leave. She wasn't too upset with Bradley but offended over what he said to Areiv; it was no one's decision but her own as far as who she was involved with.
"Lizzie! Hold on! Are you... mad at me...?" his earlier emotion of passion transformed into confusion. She huffed and bit her lip, folding her arms across her chest.
"Yeah. Yeah, I am!"
"But... what did I do?"
"I heard what you and Areiv talked about Friday." Lindsay glared at Bradley. His eyes widened for a second before he gave out a sigh.
"Okay, it wasn't what you thou-"
"You told him that it was a bad idea for him to be with me. How do I take that out of context, Brad? You seemed pretty damn clear to me!"
"I just don't want to see you hurt, Lizzie..."
"For the last fucking time; Areiv wouldn't hurt a fly! When I called you jealous that one day, never in my life did I think it was for real! So, let's hear it for real this time; what is it about Areiv that irks you so damn much?" she knew the answer; Lindsay just wanted Bradley to admit it.
"He... he never hid his intentions! Of all the female species here, he's overly nice to you and you alone...? I'm pretty sure there's plenty of Esperian women for him to pick from, but he put his sights on you, knowing damn well that you were already married! I mean, come on, Lizzie; he started charming you from day one, and you let him!" the words broke out of his mouth before he could stop them. Bradley realized they were the wrong choice of words as soon as Lindsay's eyes widened and she gasped.
"... Oh, fuck you, Bradley!" Lindsay didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing tears in her eyes as she turned to leave. Bradley wanted to pull his hair out for saying what he did but caught her arm, instead.
"Shit! Wait, Lizzie; damnit, I didn't mean tha-"
"You did mean that! Let me go!" her voice broke as she struggled to hold in her tears. It wasn't true, Lindsay told herself; Areiv wasn't seeking to charm her from the beginning. The attraction was there, but they both recognized she had a husband. She did nothing to make anyone believe it was okay to woo her.
"Lindsay, the truth is I really like you, okay?! That's the real reason why I don't like Areiv, because I saw he did, too! Bu-" the pain was unexpected as Lindsay's fist connected to his jaw; the blow was enough for him to release her. Lindsay's hand throbbed in pain but her anger caused her to be unaffected by the sensation.
"I don't let anyone do nothing! Areiv's been nothing but nice to everyone on this team, including you, even when you didn't deserve it! You... you actually thought I would do something like that to my husband...? Or that Areiv didn't give a shit about Tracy?! No; you didn't give a shit about him!"
"That ain't true. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I respected your marriage..."
"Bullshit!" Lindsay turned around to leave yet again.
"I respected it enough to not say anything about me liking you! Okay, yeah; I flirted a little, and it was wrong of me. But... that's where I stopped. And it felt... Areiv didn't. I got Malik jumping on my fucking back but not his? He called it a conspiracy theory cuz I thought Areiv had a thing for you and I was right! Why couldn't the other aliens show you around here; they've been here before just like him!" he said. The remark made Lindsay's anger leave as she questioned why Agnab or Ona or even Snil didn't show her around Buno; they were comfortable enough to teach her of the Bunodic foods. As much as she didn't want to accept it, Bradley made a good point. Lindsay shook the idea out of her head; it was by pure luck the Baron found her in the commissary that day.
"Areiv never flirted with me... ever! All I want you to do is admit that you're jealous..."
"What? Yes, I'm jealous! It drives me damn stupid to see you two together! I didn't trust him, Lizzie. He has all this charm and niceness and everyone bows down to him... it was suspicious. It's why I wanted to take you on a tour instead of him. But, then... you got hurt and... I couldn't do nothing. But look like a damn fool! I... I was trying to outdo Areiv and... I almost got you killed; he literally called me a stupid animal for it!"
"W-What," she had known the Baron was upset with Bradley but it was the first time she heard the alien was that bothered to resort to name-calling. "Brad... that really wasn't your fault..."
"No; it was. It fucking was. All I had to do was swallow my pride and let him take you instead. You know, I called that little truce between us cuz if it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be here, now. And I knew after that, he wouldn't want to leave your side. But, it bothered me; it bothered me so much. Especially when no one else saw it, not even you. So... I wanted to talk to him. And then he tells me what I feared but more; he told me something I knew for sure you would've told me, yourself. I've been acting like an ass but... you not saying that the two of you were dating? That hurt me the most, Lizzie." Bradley admitted. Lindsay finally looked at him, guilt rising as she caught sight of the blemish on his jaw.
"I was gonna tell you that night; everything! I didn't want to tell you cuz I knew you didn't like him. You almost had a damn aneurysm when you found out we were hanging out; I knew you would flip your shit if I told you we were dating!"
"I'm sorry, Lizzie. But... now, you know the real reason why. And... I really didn't mean to suggest you let all this happen willingly. That... that was me..."
"Being a dick?"
"... A jealous one, okay?" he ran his hand through his hair. Lindsay shook her head and sighed.
"Brad, I want to still be friends but... how, knowing how you feel? You can't be going around telling folks how I feel!"
"I know. And... I want to still be friends, too. I just have to... get over it, right? You made your choice."
"Don't try to guilt trip me out of it. Areiv was the only one who approached me. Actually... Will pushed him to do it..."
"What...?"
"Never mind! Just... stop laying on this guilt trip."
"I wasn't trying to. So... are we still friends?"
"The next time you try to decide shit for me, I'll bruise your other damn jaw! But, yeah..." Lindsay nodded. She hadn't expected the embrace but hugged him back. Bradley realized she was calmer than when the conversation began and squeezed her tighter; he hadn't meant to rile her. The sensuous aroma came back to him and the only thing that ran through Bradley's mind was... ravaging her where they stood. Bradley understood he needed to ask of the scent but had become engulfed with passion yet again as he moved his hands to caress Lindsay's neck, making her look at him. His hands inched towards her jawline as he drew her near and Lindsay placed her hands on his. "Whatever the hell you're thinking or trying to do ain't happening..." she warned, and it was enough to snap Bradley out of the daze.
"Shit... I-I'm sorry!" he released her at once and blushed heavily. "Um... do you know that you've been giving off some type of scent all day today? It's been driving us mad!"
"Huh; that's what's been going on with you guys! I-"
"What is it? What did you do differently?"
"I don't... noth-"
"Is it this stone? What is it?" Bradley grasped the jewel around her neck and examined it. It reminded Lindsay there was something else she needed to say and blushed.
"Oh! Okay, so I need to tell you something very import-"
"Yeah, this is new. Maybe this is it? Wait... no... it's not," Bradley took Lindsay by surprise as he sniffed her engagement gem. Her eyes widened more as he gripped her by the waist and angled her head towards his. "Fuck... Lizzie, I really want to kiss you right now..."
"You really want me to punch you, again!" Lindsay pushed him away from her.
"Oh... oh, God! I'm sorry; I'm so sorry! I don't know what you've done b-b-but... yeah, I-I'll see you later; I gotta take a cold shower!" Bradley rushed and hurried past her, leaving Lindsay to watch in bewilderment while shaking her head.
Lindsay hoped that the delay hadn't cost her missing Areiv as she stepped inside the Esperian bay. The main thing that stood out was how incredible his IR looked up close; it was one thing to compete against it but another to gaze while it was stationary. The IR reminded Lindsay of a golden bird; sleek with its metal wings that took up most of the Esperian bay. Walking around, she caught sight of the control board which was smaller than the Earth team's but the controls were in what she figured was the Esperian language. Lindsay didn't want to touch anything and was glad she didn't as the Royal Magistrate made his way around the corner. Emuh offered her a questioning smile.
"Oh, this is an unexpected visit. If you are seeking my son, he is gathering supplies but shall return shortly. You are more than welcome to wait for him here unless... you are wishing to speak with me?" he moved toward her. Lindsay gave him a smile.
"Well, I really was here to see Areiv but... I guess it wouldn't hurt for us to talk."
"It would not. I always look forward to our conversations, Lindsay. Particularly so, now. If you do not mind me saying so... you are looking most lovely today."
"O-Oh! Um..."
"Has my son acknowledged that you are a most lovely creature? He has a time expressing himself..." Emuh grabbed Lindsay's hands and kissed him, making her entire body flustered. He noted the rosiness in her face and let go of her hands. "O-Oh, my. Lindsay... my son has broken tradition with you?"
"Broken tradi... oooh! Um... okay, Emuh; first, before you go exiling him, I can explain because it was my fau-" Lindsay stammered but Emuh gave out a small chuckle.
"I will not banish my son for something as simple; we have studied humans for eons and my people have claimed many of your human cultures, including the casual performance of the mating ritual. It is not your fault, even if you had persuaded him; I know of the urges my son receives. I am merely surprised that he did not conduct further research before performing the mating ritual with a human being."
"I don't get it..."
"Do you believe Areiv is the first Esperian to perform the mating ritual with a human?"
"O-Okay... I did until you asked that!" Lindsay smirked.
"It is cruel to name them experiments; the humans were voluntary participants in our research. It is why we know so much. When an Esperian performs the mating ritual with a human, a certain... scent is emitted. I believe you know them as pheromones? The scent beckons all the opposite sex of the human, excluding relatives and the mating Esperian." Emuh explained as Lindsay blushed once more.
"Oh, wow! That explains everything! Jesus, we..." Lindsay stopped herself from blurting out that the two performed the mating ritual throughout the weekend. "Uh, yeah; how do I get rid of the scent?"
"I have some cream for you. Please forgive my rudeness; the aroma is most potent on you, oddly. I... it is wise that I keep my distance or... ah, I shall return..." Emuh rushed as he excused himself. Before long, he reappeared with a container and gave it to Lindsay. She opened and studied it; the cream resembled Earth lotion.
"So, I just rub it anywhere or...?"
"Allow me to assist you, Lindsay; I insist," the Royal Magistrate offered as he stroked her shoulders. "Yes, I am confident my son sees how lovely you are, if I am able to comprehend it. Anything you seek, Lindsay, please advise me..."
"... Emuh?"
"Yes, Lindsay?"
"Back away from me..." Lindsay held her smile although her face was rosier than ever. Embarrassed, Emuh backed away from her.
"O-Oh! Y-Yes; I do apologize! Just... apply the cream to your skin... anywhere. H-However... Lindsay? Are you certain I cannot assist..."
"Take a few more steps back and turn around, Emuh..."
"Y-Yes; whatever you desire..." the tall alien obeyed her directions. Lindsay dipped her fingers in the cool lavender paste and smeared it on her arms, legs and neck.
"Now... do I gotta chain you and the other men somewhere while..."
"No... that is unnecessary. I no longer detect the scent on you," he almost sighed out as he turned. Emuh approached her with care but regarded the gem draped around her neck. "Are you in courtship with my son? That is an Esperian gem."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Although, I wanted Areiv to be here."
"I see."
"Why is it so hard to surprise you, Emuh?" Lindsay gave out a laugh. Emuh laughed with her.
"Do you recall when you were on my ship on the journey here? You wished to ask me something but did not."
"It... really wasn't important..."
"You believed it was. Humans like their assumptions, I have grown to find out. You believe anything considered alien would possess telepathy. I trust that since you have been here, you have discovered that is not the matter."
"I have. I've always wondered if you did, though. Your hearing is... crazy good!" Lindsay remembered the first time she set eyes on the Esperian; she could've sworn that she whispered her remark to Bradley but the Royal Magistrate heard her as clear as day.
"I will assume that is a good thing. Esperians do not bear your visible... ears but our audio sensors are strong. I do not possess telepathy; I do not know of any Esperian carrying that ability. What I own is the ability to perceive future events. I cannot witness them at will; the visions appear randomly when I rest. They are not quite detailed, meaning I do not know precisely when the events will happen; only that they will. Every Esperian has one ability. My son is a healer of minor injuries and I hold my visions."
"Wow! So, wait... you're the one responsible for hand picking us out of the millions of people on Earth? You saw that in one of your visions?"
"In several, yes." Emuh nodded. Lindsay glanced at the container in her hand and finally smirked.
"How'd you know to bring this cream? A vision?"
"... Yes. I simply did not learn when but I knew it would happen. I had a vision of my son mating with you. It is why I moved him to befriend you if not become your unofficial guardian."
"You had a vision that I would get hurt?"
"No."
"... What about the Rerecro?"
"I merely pretended to appear surprised when Areiv mentioned his request. I will confess that my visions worried me because, with our analysis I had yet to come across a human being deserving to properly mate with an Esperian. However, as I came to understand you, I knew you differed from the other humans I have encountered. Just because I perceived of the courtship does not take away my enjoyment of it. I am very elated, indeed! Lindsay... I seldom share my visions however, I will permit you to learn you will become Lady of Esperia sooner than you anticipate. Although, that does not necessarily count as me sharing a vision. Perhaps the fact that... you will make an excellent Lady of Esperia. I grant you my blessings to become mated. My only desire was that I was present during the courtship ritual."
"Ah... um, yeah, no; that was when we... broke tradition..." Lindsay blushed.
"Oh. A wise decision to not invite me!" the Royal Magistrate chuckled.
"Plus, we kinda Americanized it so it wasn't nothing special..."
"On the contrary! My son has never declared these feelings for anyone before. He has come upon the one to mate with; it is more significant than you choose to accept!" Emuh praised. Without warning, the Esperian embraced Lindsay and gave her a lingering kiss on her forehead. She felt the coolness of his lips and warmed up.
Areiv arrived inside the bay and watched his father embrace the human woman; he smirked as he placed the supplies down.
"Should I despair about this incident?"
"Ah, my son! We have company; I am afraid that I was too late to cover the IR in time. You will check it before the following race... to be certain, of course..." Emuh gave Areiv a plain face and the Esperian bay filled with Lindsay's laughter.
"First your son, now you with the wise cracks!" she continued to laugh as she went over to Areiv. He smiled and greeted her with a lingering kiss but blushed even as he gazed into her eyes.
"Forgive me, father; it appears that I cannot restrain myself when she is in my presence."
"No need for apologies, my son. It is... perfectly natural you should endure and act in that manner." Emuh responded. Areiv glanced at him and nodded but fixed his attention back on Lindsay. He brushed the gem she wore and threw Emuh a grin.
"Father, we have most exciting news..."
"He already knows." Lindsay said and Areiv looked at her.
"You revealed it to him without me...?"
"You seem to forget of my visions; I was aware before you were. Lindsay, he is going through the stage of his life span where he believes he cannot share anything with his father. That he is too old to do so."
"F-Father..." Areiv warned, looking elsewhere as Lindsay laughed.
"So... you're going through what our human teenagers go through? Does that make you a teen...? Is our... courtship legal...?" Lindsay realized and darted a glance at the Royal Magistrate. Both Esperians chuckled.
"I will assure you I am of age to be in courtship, human woman..."
"Well beyond it..."
"Father!"
"I am rather elated with the news, as I have told Lindsay. However, why present her with such a common gem?"
"She is content with it."
"I love these gems; they change colors!"
"The human is so easy to please..." Emuh shook his head in amusement, which made Lindsay roll her eyes.