Selected Assistant

by Robin Roseau

  “I don’t know what word to use. Is this as … I don’t know what word to use?”

  “Otherworldly?”

  “That works, but that caries implications I don’t want to use. But sure. Is this as otherworldly for you as it is for me?”

  “I think it is,” she admitted.

  “That’s what I was thinking about,” I said. “Trying to catch up to what is going on.”

  “I think I understand. Perhaps we can take a slow walk to dinner.”

  “I’d like that.” We climbed from the stools, still holding hands, and made our way out onto the path. We walked slowly, first heading away from the restaurant. We didn’t speak; we simply walked, and I let Aventurine guide us.

  She took us out to one of the paths over the water. There was an overlook, and we turned back to look at the main lodge. There were people eating dinner at the restaurant. “Do you suppose they’re wondering about our story?”

  “I imagine one or two are,” she said. “Do you want to give them more to wonder about?”

  “Yes.”

  We turned to each other. Her free hand moved to my cheek. I closed my eyes and let her guide us.

  She drew us close, and then she said, “Human style kissing is unusual. Most species do something else. The other human and Kitsune pairs have worked out something that seems mutually pleasant.”

  “You control this, Aventurine,” I whispered. “What should I do?”

  “Feel and respond how you like,” she said. And then she closed the remaining distance, but she licked at my lips, and when I parted, she licked more. I breathed in her scent, which was pleasant, and I tasted of her lips and tongue, which was also pleasant.

  My free hand found the back of her head, and we came more closely together. She licked at me, and then I kissed the tongue and did a little of my own licking, and I became entirely lost to what we were doing.

  But then I pulled her to me, careful not to hurt her. “Aventurine.”

  She held me as well and said, “I enjoyed that.”

  “My heart is pounding so hard.” I pulled away enough to look into her eyes. “Again, please.”

  Her ears flicked. “Be careful how much you try to control.”

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No.”

  “Please may we do that again?”

  “Yes.”

  The second time was at least as good as the first. She licked. I kissed and licked. And as I write the words, I know it sounds weird, and maybe it was, but I don’t think I care.

  It was nice. More than nice, and I didn’t have a clue what to make of it.

  Then she pulled me back into a hug. “I have never done that with a human,” she said.

  “Other species?”

  “Only Kitsune,” she said. “I think we have given them enough to talk about, and us things to think about.”

  “Okay.”

  She took my arm this time, not just my hand, and we turned for shore.

  * * * *

  We took glances and a few outright stares as the hostess led us through the restaurant to a table beside the railing. I didn’t care, and I don’t think Aventurine did, either. We sat. “How odd is this for you?”

  “That depends upon what you’re talking about.”

  “Sitting in a restaurant where most of the patrons are human.”

  “That part is odd,” she admitted. “Restaurants transcend species, although not everywhere, and there can be distinct differences. This is the first time I have sat in a location such as this.”

  “Ever?”

  “If you consider everything: a restaurant with so many humans and few other species. I am the only Kitsune I see. That part is not so unusual to me. But we are in this location.” She gestured out towards the water. “I have sat in a similar location, but it has been two decades.”

  “So long,” I said. “I think I am beyond honored to share this experience with you.”

  “It is lovely,” she said. “But after our kisses, I’m not sure the setting matters to me.”

  I laughed lightly. “Perhaps not.” I leaned forward, setting my hand on the table, palm up. She gave me hers without hesitation, and I looked down at it. “Fur.”

  “We have differences, but they are not as extreme as they seem,” she replied. “Taisha, would it offend you to share food?”

  “No.”

  “Do you care for seafood?”

  “I adore seafood, but not all kinds.”

  “Perhaps we can pick something mutually pleasing.” We picked up the menus. I scrolled to the seafood section, browsed the list, and said, “I enjoy lobster, crab, and fish. You could safely pick from any of them.”

  “I have never had lobster. What is it?”

  “A crustacean,” I said. “Hmm. Do you know what a shrimp is?”

  “No. I can look it up, but I’d rather you describe it.”

  “An invertebrate. No bones. Instead, it has a hard shell. Actually, they look like big bugs, at least to my eyes. They have big claws. Some people order the entire thing, but they are difficult to eat. I like the tail.”

  “How large is it?”

  “Well, shrimp can be small. You might spread them over the top of a salad. Or they can be bigger, and we refer to them as jumbo shrimp.” I held my free hand up. “This long. Lobsters are larger, but not necessarily huge.” I paused. “The meat is sweet. Most people dip them in melted butter. It is decadent and considered a delicacy.” I laughed.

  “What?”

  “Delicacy can be code for ‘weird things only crazy people eat’. That’s not what we mean.”

  “Will one dish be enough for us?”

  “Do you eat more than your size suggests?”

  “No.”

  “Then one will be fine. There will be bread and salads. I am surprised you can eat our food.”

  “I am taking a supplement so that I can,” she replied.

  “Humans are omnivores. We can eat a wide variety of plants and animals.”

  “As can Kitsune,” she replied. “Can we make it a fruit salad?”

  “We can,” I said.

  The waiter stepped over, smiling. She filled our water glasses then asked, “Do you need help finding the Kitsune menu?”

  “No,” Aventurine said. “I will eat human food tonight.”

  “Shall we start with something to drink?”

  “What do you enjoy drinking?” Aventurine asked me.

  “In a setting like this, something cool,” I replied. “And fruity.”

  “That sounds good.”

  I looked over at the waitress. “Can you recommend two different drinks, fruity, frothy, but no alcohol?”

  “Do you want me to make suggestions?”

  “How about if you surprise us.”

  “I can do that,” she replied.

  “We wish to share plates tonight,” I added. “May we start with some sort of fruit salad?”

  “We have just the thing,” she said. “Did you want to place your main course order?”

  “Lobster tail,” I said. “Grilled?” I asked Aventurine.

  “That is a cooking style?”

  “Yes. An open flame.”

  “However you like,” she said. “I would rather not risk raw food.”

  “Grilled,” I confirmed. “We can choose side dishes. Do you eat vegetables?”

  “I tried potatoes once. I liked them.”

  We finished making our order. Once the waiter walked away, Aventurine thanked me.

  “For what?”

  “I would be lost, wondering what I might want to try.”

  “You’re being very adventurous.”

  “I think it’s safe to use that word for anyone who would travel so far to help a species they’ve never met.”

  “Oh, I suppose,” I admitted.

  “If anything sits poorly, I will have learned something. I won’t be poisoned. That is what matters.”

  We talked. The drinks came. We each sampled
, then swapped and sampled. They were both lovely. I buttered bread for her. She ate sparingly and quite delicately. I enjoyed watching her.

  The lobster was perfect. She enjoyed the potato but didn’t care for asparagus. We talked about nothing important, but it was absolutely lovely.

  We declined dessert, and then we sat, holding hands while staring at each other. I was so completely overwhelmed by everything that I didn’t know what to make of it. I thought she was, too, but then her ears twitched. “I would like to take another walk.”

  “I’d like that.”

  We strolled, Aventurine holding my arm. We found a bench, and she pulled me to it. We sat, and I wrapped my arm around her. She curled into my side a little, and we sat, both of us growing quiet.

  We stayed like that for a while, but then she squirmed… into my lap. She put a hand on the back of my head and pulled my mouth to hers.

  We kissed and licked, and it took little time at all before I was significantly worked up and completely overwhelmed. Then Aventurine wrapped arms around me and hugged tightly, her chin on my shoulder. “I want to know something.”

  “All right,” I replied.

  “Kitsune do not work quickly, but…”

  “You want to know if I’d go away with you, if you invited me.”

  “I want to know if it’s possible. I know many humans would never want to leave Earth.”

  “You know if you decide I am your mating candidate, my opinion doesn’t matter.”

  “It does to me.”

  “This is a serious conversation. Sit back.” I guided her to the seat beside me then rotated to face her. “First, the simple answer: yes. I would. But it’s not a simple question.”

  “I agree. What part isn’t simple for you?”

  “I would want certain things. I would want to know you better than I do.”

  “As would I.”

  “This next part is going to sound bad, but it’s not bad.”

  “I consider myself warned.”

  “You’re talking about whether I’d go to the space station with you.”

  “Yes.”

  “Aventurine, you could ask me now, and I’d say yes, but I’d be saying yes to the adventure, knowing I’d spend it with you. That isn’t a promise to spend forever with you.”

  “Kitsune don’t tend towards permanent relationships, but humans don’t seem to, either.”

  “I would go for the adventure, and to see if we can love each other. But promises for…”

  “Let us call them durable promises.”

  “All right. Durable promises… If my opinion matters, then I will need love. And I will also need to know I can be fulfilled.”

  “You mean a career.”

  “Yes, but I was leaving it more open.”

  “You could do anything you wanted,” she replied. “It would be a long conversation, but that would not be a problem for you, Taisha.”

  “Are you telling me you think this is what will happen?”

  “If a future weren’t possible, I didn’t want to think too much on it.”

  “This is something that could be, but we barely know each other. And I want to say something else.”

  “Of course.”

  “I came here to do a job. I do not want to leave until we have solved the problem for Muriel. If you asked, and I had to decide, I might, but I would feel guilty for abandoning my responsibilities.”

  “I won’t ask you to abandon responsibilities.”

  “I don’t want you leaving me behind over this.”

  She caressed my cheek. “That won’t happen.” Her ears twitched. “At the same time, I happen to know I’m not the only one who will be making invitations to you, especially if you dress like this for all of them.”

  I laughed. “Are you asking me to decline?”

  “No. You should accept.”

  “And will you be inviting other humans on dates.”

  “I don’t know, but you should accept. It is not the Kitsune way to ask for exclusivity with someone we have barely met. I will be clear when I wish you to begin to decline.” Her ears twitched. “You hope for Carolina to shower you with attention. You called her your mermaid.”

  I laughed. “True.”

  “You also found Forever entrancing.”

  “If we’re being honest, I find all of you entrancing, Aventurine. I want you to do something for me.”

  “What is that?”

  “If there is someone who you think would treat me poorly, tell me.”

  “You would be cherished, although how we treat you would vary. But if I see anyone showing interest that I do not trust, I will find a way to protect you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “After all, alluring human woman can be found around every sand dune,” she added. “They can get their own.”

  I laughed.

  “Taisha, Kitsune do not decide these things quickly. It may be that I will go away but come back next year to see you again.”

  “I understand,” I said. “We’ll take this one lovely date at a time.”

  “I’m going to take you to your bungalow,” she said. “Once there, I am going to climb into your lap again, but only for a while.”

  “I think I’d like that.”

  * * * *

  I stared at the door after she left. I knew I was flushed. I was also pretty sure Aventurine had enjoyed our rather intense make-out session. We’d kept it to our kiss-licking with only modest touching, and I’d been blown away with my rising passions.

  She had actually fled, I thought, but at the doorway she’d stopped and said, “We’re on Earth for two months. I’m going to give a few others a chance to see you, but only a few days.”

  “I want a ‘I had a nice time’ phone call tomorrow,” I said. “That’s our deal. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “No. No problem.”

  “Good. And email me, too.”

  “I will.”

  “Thank you.”

  And then she had finished fleeing, and I was still staring at the door.

  I considered my choices. One choice was to head to the shower, and, ahem, finish what we’d started. But I realized I didn’t want to. I wanted the sexual tension right where it was. Color me a masochist, if you like.

  I headed for my room and changed, then arranged for a ride back to the center.

  I could work for hours.

  * * * *

  I decided to try something. I disrobed and climbed into the bed. It covered me, and then I accessed the avatar. It was always an odd experience to go from knowing I was in bed, my entire body covered and unable to move, to coming alive, so to speak, in the robot. It was odd, but it tended to make me a little giddy.

  “This is just so cool!”

  I checked on myself. The displays were normal. I’d be fine.

  I headed for the arena. More specifically, I headed for the vast equipment room underneath the arena.

  “You guys have everything in here,” I muttered. I didn’t know what half of it was, but I knew what I was looking for, and I finally found them: four large fans, the type that can be used to dry wet carpet. I wasn’t sure what the aliens used them for, but I knew what I intended.

  I’m not sure I could have carried them easily in my normal body, but I was in Muriel’s avatar, and it had skills. I carried four of them out to the empty arena. I verified they ran on standard electricity, not some super-duper alien power source. I laughed when I saw they’d been made in Illinois.

  I found heavy extension cords, and I found an outlet. I verified everything worked, then played with the fans, setting them on the sand of the arena.

  They produced a wonderful sandstorm. I played, seeing if I could make patterns, but eventually I just left them arranged in a one-third arc.

  Then I looked at everything. “I hope this works or Bay is going to kill me and use me in his next creation.”

  I stepped in front of the fans.

  It was… unpleasant. O
h, it wasn’t my own body being pelted by the sand. But it felt like it, and with four of them running, they were loud besides. I was being assaulted by the noise, by the sand. Bay’s genius, coupled with that of other alien technology, made it all feel so real.

  So overwhelming.

  I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the flying sand, and I turned away, the grit unpleasant against my very, very sensitive face.

  Disregarded

  “We’ve got an alert from the robotics bay,” said the medical technician.

  Her supervisor stepped over. She tapped the display. “Weird.”

  “Those people from the robot company work weird hours.”

  “It’s just a glitch,” said the supervisor. “Their boss is with Jasmine. The one is on a date with the Kitsune.”

  “It must be the other one, then.”

  “She’s with Violet’s family tonight.” And then the supervisor cleared the error. “Just a glitch.”

  * * * *

  The work crew stared at the arena. “Someone shut those off! Who the fuck left these out all night?”

  People scrambled. One person killed the power to the fans. Another began wrapping up electrical cords. And the rest stared at the robot. “Muriel isn’t in there, is she?”

  “I just saw her in the old one,” someone said. “Not five minutes ago.”

  “It’s those people from America, then. They left this shit for us to clean up. Well, put that thing back where it belongs.”

  It took twenty minutes for everything to be put right.

  * * * *

  “Where’s Taisha?” Amanda asked.

  “Hot alien date last night,” Felicia replied. “She wasn’t home when I got there, and either she was gone all night, or she left awfully early this morning. I thought she’d be here by now. But everyone was talking about their shameless behavior.”

  “I know you’re being funny,” Amanda said. “But please don’t put it that way to her. Taisha is a sweet girl.”

  “Yeah, she is,” Felicia said. “For a shameless hussy.”

  “Felicia!”

  Felicia laughed. “I’m only saying she went home with a space alien on her first date after making out in front of the entire resort.”

  “Yes, well, I would prefer you not tease her. I think it’s sweet.” Amanda paused. “You’re jealous!”

  “I am not.”

  “You have the hots for your assistant.”