Oriehn

Chapter 9- Alice

Chapter 9- Alice

I watched his receding back as he left and then turned to Drai. Blushing slightly, I asked, "Is breeding the only job of females?"

She laughed. "No, not at all. We have other jobs as well. Females can also take a vow of celibacy and become oracles, though that is rare because we don't have enough females for that."

"So our only options are to be wives or nuns," I stated sardonically.

She laughed loudly. "No, Alice. Females are deified. We hold the highest positions possible. Government jobs, medical occupations, law enforcement. But there are so few of us, our main priority is for the continuation of our race."

"Why are females so rare?" I questioned.

"Well, first of all, genetics just doesn't allow it. One in twenty people will be a female. Oriehns have also been hit by a plague that targeted the already rare females, and they died out first. That's why we are always so cherished," Drai answered.

I nodded. "What about those oracles you mentioned earlier? What are their jobs and what do they do?"

Drai shrugged. "The oracles can sense who your mate is, and you will become Bonded with that person." Drai answered, and I cocked my head to the side. "I'm not sure how they do it, but once you become an oracle, I guess you can.""

I nodded. "How are you Bonded?"

"There is a process of selection, closest to being translated as a sieve, in your language I believe. The oracles will give you a prediction of your mate. If you know the person, then you will go through a Binding Ceremony. This can happen very quickly," Drai said.

"What if you don't know your mate?" I inquired.

"Then there will be a Claiming, which lasts about one month. The male has that time to woo the female. Once they give each other touching consent, since Oriehns don't give physical contact easily, then that means the male has won over the female."

"What if the male doesn't succeed?"

Drai pondered over my question. "There has been a few times this has happened, though rare. The woman will get released and she will be returned to where she came from."

"If that happens to me, will I be sent back to Earth?" I asked. This would be a good way to escape here without the Oriehns actually noticing anything.

"I guess so. There have been no records of this happening before, but I'm pretty sure."

"Hm," I hummed, not wanting to reveal more. There was a ground rule I had to set if I got Bonded. Never fall in love. Besides, all that would be on my mind was returning home, so there should be no problem with that. But I still needed to be cautious.

Diverting my attention away from my thoughts, I quickly thought of a new question to ask. "How many Oriehn females are left?"

"There are three of us left," Drai replied, and I gasped lightly. "Yes. Over the past few years, the numbers have really dwindled. When the females do have children, they usually turn out as males. We haven't had any born since...well, since you."

"What is life like for you? Such as your government job, breeding, and daily life. How do males generally treat you? What is the public's image and opinions?" I rattled off, and I felt my head swim with all of my unanswered questions. I told myself that it was supposed to be a simple retrieval of information, and wasn't to combat the overwhelming yearning I felt to know more about the Oriehn.

Drai laughed. "Woah, slow down. Life for me is pretty simple; it's pretty much one constant. I'm not Bonded yet, and I'm training to be an advisor in the government. Daily life is pretty much three meals, sleep, work, and that's it. Males really do not care much for us unless we are their mate."