Perdition's Child

Chapter 20

"Hey guys! You're doing it wrong." Quara's voice cut through his sleeping mind like an alarm, causing him to immediately awaken and check to make sure he was dressed. There was something about the skithtiri's presence that made clothes go away, and it was terrifying. He still had his pants though, so he relaxed somewhat.

Then flinched again when he noticed Irika taking up most of the bed. Oh, right. She must have been as tired as him, and apparently humans at least were a reasonably social species. And she was completely on the bed, not leaning back like before. How the fuck did these sleeping pads work, anyway?

Her eyes slid open and she blinked at him blearily while Quara continued with gleeful malice. "See, you kind of have to be at least mostly naked for the next part. I'll send you both some informative videos."

Irika covered her face and groaned, and Mehk leaned up so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "What do you need?"

Quara sighed, disappointed that he wasn't going to react more strongly while groggy, then switched gears and gave it one more shot. Fluttering her scaly eyelashes in a manner that might be considered flirtatious coming from someone that wasn't a tentacled snake alien, she simpered, "I need you, Mehk."

He cringed. He had known it was coming, and he still couldn't stop the cringe. Luckily, the lovely expression of bared teeth, lowered ears, and slight illness was finally enough to satisfy Quara's need for a reaction and she added normally, "Or, actually, the commander does. If you know any ways of making our guest talk without physical violence, then you can have the first shot at him."

Oh. "Alright, I'll be down in a minute."

Quara waved one tentacle expansively at the two of them before she exited. "Take ten, I'll cover for you."

He glanced at Irika, still lounging there, and for a very brief moment considered going back to sleep and leaving the young cult member to fend for himself. But that wouldn't be Shija's way, and also Quara was probably spreading off-color rumors to everyone she encountered, so he sighed instead. "How do you live with her?"

She got up reluctantly and fished a small folding brush out of a pack at her side. "She's just toying with you because you're new. Every time her and her family leave us for more than a few days the whole place feels empty. Flirt back and she'll back down."

Her hair, normally tied up in a knot with a tail sticking out, actually reached to her waist and was a lot longer and softer looking that the stiff bristles lellians had. And messier. Mehk resisted the urge to preen out the knots by standing up and walking to the door, since that sort of familiarity would be a little creepy even if she were a lellian. Particularly if she were a lellian.

"I'll have to take your word on that..." Oddly reluctant to leave, he dragged his feet a bit. This awful clingy state was as bad as a crush.

He was just standing there though, being awkward while she smiled at him, so he went to deal with his wake-up rituals and head downstairs.

Their reluctant guest was now cuffed by one wrist to the metal frame of one of the couches, and he glared balefully at everyone that walked through the room. When Mehk casually wandered over he growled, making Mehk set his ears forward in annoyance.