Juliet's Tryst

Chapter 13: The Council, Part Two

"Do I have to meet with the council? You know I didn't sign up for this."

Juliet felt fear and irritation. What had she signed up for exactly? At first, she thought Dee was some normal Earth-bound alien. After the tense interaction with her "friends", she was sure that Dee was no normal Kyrion. A normal Kyrion would not have people looking after who she spent time with. Juliet, sure as hell, would not have been told to stay out Dee's business. 

It was a point of pride for Juliet that she carried on her life normally after the peaceful invasion. She pretended they didn't exist, and for a long time it seemed that the Kyrion was perfectly ok with that. Then, Dee found her. From not caring, to being asked to be put into their "scholarly archive". It sounded awfully like a prison.

"There was no sign up," Dee replied. Juliet rolled her eyes, not in the mood. 

"Why didn't you tell me earlier that you were a princess?"

"Princess is only approximation of my role in my society."

Juliet rubbed her temples, surveying her surroundings. The apartment was very modern, with an open floor plan. There was a kitchen, and living area which blended into something that looked like a bedroom. There was a shimmering film that separated the living area from the bedroom. It was all varying shades of white, blue and gold. White countertops, and tables. Blue chairs, and gold accents. There was a piece of blown glass mounted on one wall, and Juliet recognized the work of the artist whose art exhibit they both attended. 

"You know you're going to have to be honest with me if we're going to have anything," Juliet said. 

Dee took Juliet by the forearms and pushed her into a nearby wall, placing their faces as close together as possible. 

"And you're going to have to stop denying us. There is no turning back. You belong to me, and me only. I will no longer have you entertaining a future without me."

As she said this, she stared intently in Juliet's eyes. In them, Juliet saw the universe, swirling and turning in all different colors. How far away she must be from what she called home. 

"It's crazy, this future," Juliet had to close her eyes to find her bearings. 

"It's fate."

"You left me for two years." 

"It wasn't my decision," Dee said. She gently let go Juliet's forearms and placed a hand on her cheek. This gentle caress made Juliet want to cry. How many times had she dreamed of this? How many times had she craved this closeness only to be met with a silent darkness? 

"It wasn't my decision," Juliet mocked, sticking her bottom lip out. "That doesn't excuse you from fault." 

"No, I suppose not. It is simply an explanation."

"How do I know it won't happen again," Juliet asked. Dee's thumb was tracing a gentle line from her eye to cheek. 

"I will never, ever, let you be alone again. My love, my technologies and my protection are yours. I admit, I found it strange. Yet, every single night I dreamt of you. I smelled you. I heard you. Juliet, open your eyes." Dee said her name like a prayer for mercy. She was smiling when Juliet opened her eyes, staring intently at her lips. "I fell madly in love with the idea of you, and that is how I knew it was a daeestra bond. Now, let me fall in love with you."

Juliet's breath caught in her chest, hearing those words come out her mouth. She kissed her, with no gentleness. She took her fingers and knotted them into Dee's hair until there was no distinction between hair and finger. Dee responded in kind, pushing her hips to Juliet's, and wrapping her arms around her. 

"Now, where were we," Dee purred. 

"About to go to bed, I believe. The damsel has successfully been wooed," Juliet replied, tugging Dee towards the bedroom. Of course, the moment they lay down, the fatigue became too much. While the intoxication had been erased, there was still a lot of processing to be done. 

"You're such a fucking tease," Dee said as Juliet fell happily asleep in her lover's arms.

---

"She claims daeestra for a human? How could it be? Humans are genetically incompatible with us."

"We though they were genetically incompatible. This may not be the case if it truly is daeestra."

There were five figures sitting around a table. Meeting together at regular intervals was something they had learned from humans. Usually these meetings could be conducted from anywhere in the universe. They liked the way it felt to see eachother in the flesh. If one could say they had a "meeting" it felt like so much more had been done, a proper psychological ear-worm.

"Maybe she has been on Earth for too long. There have been cases of delusion." 

"The lorakai is the brightest I have ever seen."

Silence. A wise mind perplexed at a simple problem. Often, evidence is only enough to confirm reality, not reverse belief.   

"What of the news from Kyria?" 

"Dire. There have been rumors of a full planet attack. I have made sure that as many as we could persuade have set course for here. The rest may perish."

"We knew that this would happen? Why are some not agreeing to leave?" 

"Were you enthused to leave your home planet, Kalry?" 

"No, but feeling is only another set of evidence points."

"For them, it is the only evidence."

"How many chose to stay?"

"About thirty percent." 

"Is there anything we can do? It may be too late."

"The power of the  Council has been eroded over time. The thirty percent is incidentally mostly a dissident population.

"Then maybe it is welcome that they stay to protect the planet. Here, we find a population less diluted, more obedient."

Laughter, raucous and ugly. The participants bared their teeth at each other, a show both of aggression and respect. 

"Aloran has summoned The Ruler. He will examine the human."

"Then he will bring her to us?"

"Of course."

The meeting adjourned.