The three suns' heat had replaced the morning chill.
It left the air dry and grasses crackling. Meanwhile, the open market bustled with Terran species twittering. The noises they made sounded foreign to her own click-based language. Though she knew little about the previous Ascendant, Asa sent a silent thank you to Kali the one who created the universal language Icoburi.
Multiple eyes of the avian-like bipedal beings skimmed over her then landed on Renvir. They scurried to the side, giving the two ample space. She stole a look at the Celest from her peripheral vision. Were they scared of the Celestial Energies he used or of his disease?
The Celest must have noticed her attempt at stealth as he turned his head. Quickly, Asa focused ahead. She felt the heat of his gaze linger for another moment before scanning their surroundings.
"The shop is not much further. It is near the end of the row."
Renvir said, pointing near the farthest end of the line of tents. According to the Celest, the open market would disappear in four months due to the rain season. Asa envied their lack of winter but wasn't sure how she would handle days of near-endless rain. At least she could hibernate through the bitter cold. Flooding, on the other hand, demanded much more attention.
"Here it is," he muttered.
Approaching the table, a long-necked, feathered being greeted them. They wore silken robes. Their golden chokers refracted the suns' light ten times over. What caught her attention, however, was their second set of arms. While they had a line of feathers, they had three bare, finger-like appendages.
"Ah, Renvir," the being said, "I'd prefer you not dawdle around today. I need the money, and you scare away customers."
"I will not be long. I am here for a sanding stone."
"I'm not here for joking around either!"
"I am not joking."
The being's mouth opened, about to start another sentence before locking on Asa. Their golden eyes scanned her like they were reading a document, slow and methodical. They narrowed then flicked towards Renvir.
"You're having your swain buy now, are you?"
"We are not-"
"And here I thought you couldn't dig your grave any deeper," the being huffed, grabbing one of the pale gray stones from behind him, "Not that you Celests bury your dead. It has to be burning with you. Just two weeks ago, there was another fire out back of that void-infested Core Center. One day it'll catch the grasses and kill us all, iekls!"
Before they could spit another tirade, the Wikev stepped forward.
"I'm his medic. I'm getting him the sanding stone as part of his treatment, nothing more."
"That's what they all say. Medic, friend, what have you. Whatever, it doesn't matter to me until you two become the smoke I choke on," the avian said, laying the rock on the counter in front of them, "That'll be thirteen cermiths."
Asa's face drained of color. That was two weeks of her salary, and she was paid well compared to many. No wonder Renvir hadn't gotten one before. The Celest eyed her as she fished into her bag. Did she even have that much on her?
While she searched, her hands began to shake. The previous sentence rang in her ears. She knew the Celests didn't approve of interspecies relationships, but she hadn't heard of killing because of it.
You do not have to get it.
His voice slid into her mind as a whisper. Even though she was not one of them, many planet-dwelling species had sensitivity issues with telepathy. She appreciated the gesture.
"It's fine. I'd rather do this than find another scar on you," Asa replied, forgetting she could project her thoughts to him. Asa pulled out thirteen of the silver coins and placed them on the counter. The avian narrowed his eyes to slits, keeping them on her as he used his small set of arms to swipe them into a satchel.
"Not lovers my tail feathers," they grumbled under their breath, "Now shoo!"
Before Asa could pick up the polished stone, Renvir grabbed it with both available hands. She shot him a look.
"I did not think you wanted to carry an eleven kilogram stone all the way back."
"It can't possibly weigh that much."
"Why do you think it was thirteen cermiths? Besides the fact it is rare."
True, few ores were strong enough to sand the species' claws. Still, she couldn't believe it weighted that much. The medic closed the distance between them, grabbing at the rock. The Celest stopped, stretching the stone just outside of her reach. Asa turned her back to him and gave a few small hops. But to no avail, he kept lifting it higher.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked.
"I won't believe you until I feel it for myself!"
For a moment, Renvir's annoyance smoothed into subdued amusement.
"If you insist."
He brought it down to her level. Asa reached out to grab it, but he didn't let go. Instead, her hands brushed against his hide as he slowly eased the weight of the rock into her grip. It didn't take long before she struggled to hold it. Yet she had insisted on doing so. She couldn't back out now.
Determined not to show her struggle, she brought her arms into her sides and hands closer to her body. As the weight increased, the stone slowly lowered to her abdomen. The medic let out a groan, which made Renvir stop. Her arms shook. She glanced down. For a moment, her surroundings flashed to that of her dreams. The stone transformed into a swollen, pregnant stomach. Gasping, she dropped it, startling the Celest into letting go as well.
Renvir bent down to pick it up. Asa clapped her hands over her mouth. She closed her eyes as visions of the child she killed flashed through her mind. Tears started forming.
"I am sorry. I tried not to give you too much weight," the male paused, "Are you alright?"
Asa's stomach turned, remembering his concerned look the first time he asked that. She opened her eyes to see him kneeling in front of her.
"I'm fine."
One hand reached up but paused above her cheek. Hesitantly, she nodded. Renvir carefully used the bottom of his fingers to wipe the stray tears from her face.
"You are not fine."
Asa chuckled. A weird mix of pain and heat pulsed through her veins.
"Is that your only reply to that?"
Renvir's lips turned into a lopsided smile. He opened his mouth to reply.
"Renvir!" a female voice called out. A brightly green-scaled Wikev strode towards them from the other end of the market, waving. The Celest turned to her and then back to Asa.
"This is my errand. I will be back in a moment."
The medic watched as he met with the other Wikev. He untied the larger satchel from his pants and handed it to her. Despite being a few meters away, the wind had died down so that she could overhear their conversation.
"You know you wouldn't have to track us down every week for this if you joined the tribe."
"I would not be much of an addition."
The Wikev sighed, adjusting the hood of her brown overcoat.
"But we could help you. You don't have to do this alone."
Renvir twisted his neck back around to see Asa.
"Well, I am a little less alone now."
"You got a medic? That's great I didn't think-"
Her words cut off. The Celest's hands continued to move, but no sound came.
"Always so negative, Renvir. You still should introduce us!"
He motioned for Asa to come over. She looked at the stone for a moment. Deciding it wasn't going anywhere soon, she jogged over.
"Ulani, this is Asa. Asa, this is Ulani. She and her tribe will be taking care of my child," he stopped, shoving his hands into his pockets, "when I no longer can."
Ulani smiled warmly, giving the customary greeting hiss.
"Pleasure to meet you Se-Asa."
The medic smiled, happy to meet another who knew about her species' terms of respect.
"The pleasure's mine, Se-Ulani."
"I trust you'll be taking good care of Renvir?" she asked. Though Ulani's tone bounced playfully, the word care stuck inside Asa's head. The medic mustered up a jesting sound to match the mood.
"Don't worry, I'll take very good care of him."