by Robin Roseau
"I'd just use the tips," Violet said. Two tentacles reached over, just the tips touching me. "I don't want to mark your face. If you were Catseye, you wouldn't wear marks. If I could taste and not leave marks, I would."
"If Jasmine promises I never have to see the inside of one of her cells again, I'll let you do it occasionally, frequency to be determined once I see. That's my offer."
"I'll make a counter-offer," said Jasmine. "You won't see it again during the current games, but I don't want to be limited if you come back for future games."
"I don't want you to toss us in there every time Violet brings me to play a game, Jasmine."
"I won't, but I won't promise never. Are we agreed?"
"We're agreed."
"Skye and I have reached an agreement," Jasmine said, and I knew she was now talking to all of us. "You all heard her side. I have agreed she will not see the inside of a cell again this week and clarified for the future. Congratulations, Violet."
Violet had been snuffling, but it increased dramatically.
"But no tasting until I've had a shower!" I added.
"What about me?" Audra asked. "I don't want to go back to jail!"
"My agreement is with Skye. If you want a similar agreement, you'll need to make a proposal," said Jasmine.
Audra's gaze turned towards me. "You could have covered both of us."
"I'm sorry, Squirt. I didn't think of it, and I'm not sure Jasmine would have agreed. I bet she wants to see what you offer."
"I'm just a little kid. How do I know what she might want?"
"You're not a little kid," Jasmine said. "You are quite intelligent and mature. I am sure you will think of something. We're five minutes away, so you have that long to think of something." Then her voice changed, and I knew she was speaking only to me again. "I consider our agreement from earlier in the week binding. Don't help her."
Audra looked around a little wildly, her eyes settling on Azalea then flicking over to Bluebell. "You made all three of them agree to attend events."
"Why, so we did," agreed Bluebell. "Are you making an offer, Audra?"
"Maybe." Her gaze turned to Posey. "You have to answer my questions, don't you?"
"Yes."
Audra smiled. "Then for my first question, I want to know how old you are."
"Not here," Posey said. "I'll answer your questions, but in private, and you can't share the answers."
"All right." Audra stood up and held a hand out to Posey. Posey took it and let my sister pull her to her feet. The two moved a short distance away and sat back down, facing each other. A moment later, Audra said, "But that's only-" And Posey's tentacles flew forward, wrapping around Audra's head and across her mouth, silencing her.
There was a pause, and Audra nodded. Posey slowly untangled.
The two talked earnestly for a minute or two. From her body language, Audra was surprised by some of the answers. Then she leaned forward, and the two hugged tightly. Still hugging, they climbed to their feet and returned to us. Posey put her head back into my lap, and Audra sat down with her legs crossed.
"Azalea, I suppose I'm too young to attend those events you want them attending."
"Not at all," Azalea said. "I'm looking forward to our next opportunity to lure you in."
That generated snickers.
"I might be willing to attend some events," Audra said carefully. "But not opera. Will you convince Jasmine to give me the same deal she gave Skye?"
"You get the same deal only if we get the same deal," Azalea said. "The only excuse to say no is due to schedule."
"Or if she has a really, really good reason," Posey suggested.
"Such as?" Azalea said.
"It would be unkind to make her attend an event where everyone will be speaking Catseye," Posey said. "Or if it is hosted by someone whose company she seriously dislikes. Those are examples."
Azalea and Bluebell glanced at each other. "We would listen to such reasons from all of you, but in the end, if we ask you to come, you will come. That is our offer to you, Audra."
"Jasmine, would you agree?"
"I would," Jasmine said.
Audra's gaze turned to Posey. "You want me to go on dates."
"I do," she said.
"I won't say yes if I have a good reason to say no," she said.
"Such as?"
"I don't like or trust the person."
"I wouldn't want you to go on a date with someone you didn't like or trust," Posey agreed. "But I might want you to go on a date with someone who you find, oh, I don't know. Maybe a little boring. I might want you to accept because that person needs to go on a date with someone like you. So if you ever want to turn someone down, you must talk to me first."
Audra cocked her head, then nodded. Then she smiled. "Jasmine, would you accept that agreement instead?"
"Are you offering both?"
"I'm offering to let Posey and Azalea fight over me."
Everyone laughed, and I even heard Mom's laughter in the background.
"We can make them fight a challenge," Audra added. "I'll consider the results binding as long as I don't get put back in jail."
"I accept your terms," Jasmine said.
"Well, there won't be a challenge," Azalea said. "I believe Posey and I can reach an understanding."
Posey sat back up and turned towards Azalea. She paused only a moment then said simply, "Your decision, Mom." Then she lay back down again.
I looked over to Azalea. She was studying Audra. A glance at Audra showed her sitting calmly, smiling.
"Audra, if I were to ask you to attend an event with me, would you turn me down?"
"If it's opera, I will," Audra replied with a grin. "Now, if you offered to take me to a Lorde concert, my answer would be different."
"I don't know who that is," Azalea replied, "but somehow I find the idea unlikely. What if I have asked all four of you to attend an event that Amaryllis is hosting. It is very formal. Gowns, black opera gloves, the whole works. It's likely to be filled with dignitaries, and you would probably be bored, but I tell you it's important to me?"
"They're all going?" Audra asked with a gesture.
"Yes, but you would have to mingle. Maybe you'd have to stick with me or with Bluebell. Or maybe Amaryllis wants you on her arm all night. You don't get to hang out with your sister. What is your answer?"
"I'd go," she said.
"There will be more opportunities to exact a more complete promise," Azalea said. "Posey, she's yours."
"Really? I was sure you'd keep her. Jasmine?"
"Audra, do you agree to Posey's terms?"
"If it keeps me out of jail."
There was a pause, and I thought Jasmine was speaking directly to Audra. She nodded a few times and then said, "Okay. Yes."
"Congratulations," said Jasmine.
And just then, I heard the lander. I craned my neck, and it settled down into the clearing behind me. Posey and Violet sat up and shifted position to watch, but no one got to her feet.
Jasmine still hadn't released my hands, but I didn't ask about it. I was sure she'd follow through on her threat if I did.
The lander door opened. A few seconds later, mom and Jasmine appeared, and they walked down the ramp towards us. They took opposite paths around the pillar and both came to a stop, looking down at us.
"I'm surprised none of you tickled her," Mom said.
"There's a time for everything," Violet said. She caressed my face. "I'm not sure I'd have gotten what I wanted if I'd taken advantage of this situation."
"You wouldn't have," I said.
"Congratulations, Azalea, Bluebell, and Audra," Mom said.
"Well played by everyone," Jasmine added.
"I never even saw either prey," Posey lamented.
"You almost caught your mother," Jasmine said. "On the other hand, both Violet and Azalea missed Skye twice. Oh, the work I had to do to make sure someone got caught."
I looked over at Audra, and I decided
if one of us was captured, I was glad it was me. She looked so happy.
Taste
In the morning, I examined my face in the mirror. I had to look closely. Violet had been very precise. She had actually left a number of taste marks. They were small, from only the smallest of her suckers. There was a matching curve across each cheekbone and another along the sides of my jaw. And then there was a line across my lower lips.
She'd done that a few times in the past. It should have hurt, but it had only tingled when she did it. I brushed a finger over my lips. They were really sensitive, but they didn't hurt.
I turned to face her. She was still in bed, watching me, her tentacles quivering in worry. "I do not want more marks than this, and I do not want marks on top of marks. I believe that means you must let these fade before you do it again."
Her tentacle body language changed entirely, now expressing glee. "You're not upset?"
"No." I turned back to the mirror and turned my head back and forth. "No," I repeated. "I'm not upset."
"Come back to bed," she said. "There's somewhere else I want to taste."
"You already tasted there, and it's tasted out for a few more hours," I said.
"I'll rub it and make it better," she said.
"Oh, I imagine you would," I said. I turned back to face her. At that moment, I loved her at least as much as I ever could. "How do you wake up looking so beautiful?"
"It's your magic," she said. "You make me feel so good."
I crossed the room and sat on the bed. She wrapped some tentacles around me, and I collected her hands and a tentacle in mine. "I want something from you."
"You only have to ask."
"If something is important to you, I want you to tell me."
"You're talking about this." She reached up and brushed my face. "I couldn't, Skye."
"Why not?"
"Because you were clear. No marking your face. If I pushed, it was like human males who push for sex."
"No hanky-panky," I said. "I want another shower, and I'm starving, and we don't have that much time." But then I lay down, cuddling into her, and she enveloped me. We squirmed a little to get comfortable. "I want us to be past that. I want us to be honest with each other. I want you to know you can tell me anything or ask anything from me, and I want to know that if it's important to you, you'll make sure I understand how important."
"Are you offering the same to me?"
"About things like this, yes. I'm not going to ask for things very often, and when I do, they're going to be small."
"What about trips? Events?"
"You already fill my schedule with things like that. How could I ask for more? But if there's something specific I want us to do, I'll tell you. But I have more fun seeing where you take me. I like your surprises."
"Even this week?"
"Well, there were certain details I didn't care for, but yes. Especially this one. And it was Jasmine that controlled the details I didn't like. I wouldn't take it back, and I think I needed all of it."
"I think so, too."
"That being said, don't do it again if she's going to throw me in jail. All right?"
"All right."
"So," I asked. "Are there things you aren't telling me? We're not the same species, Violet. If you're waiting for me to guess, I don't think I'm going to."
"There's one," she said. "When the time is right, will you carry our daughters?"
"Yes," I said immediately.
She tightened around me. I closed my eyes and let her pull me to her. "Then I have everything I want."
* * * *
An hour later, all of us were back in the conference room. Jasmine got us settled and then said, "Bluebell and Azalea have offered to let the grand winner this week choose the destination for your upcoming family vacation as well as one more. If the teams remain teams, then this would require negotiation between the members of the winning team. So I must ask. Do you wish to compete as teams or as individuals?"
Azalea and Bluebell barely glanced at each other. "We will allow Audra and Violet to decide."
Audra and Violet needed far more negotiation. They turned to each other, and Audra said, "I really, really want to go skiing again."
"There are so many other choices."
"I don't care." She paused. "You didn't like the skiing?"
"I enjoyed it a great deal. I would be happy to go skiing again. I am only concerned you will not explore other possibilities."
"Then you can pick something different for the next trip," Audra offered. "Please, Violet?"
"What if you change your mind?"
"About letting you pick?"
"About skiing. The Moms are going to make you review the list of choices, even if you have your heart set on one. What if you pick something else, and I hate it."
"Then we'll pick together, if there are choices I want to try more, and if we can't agree, we'll go skiing."
"And when it's my turn to pick, you'll go and have a good time."
"Not if it's to the opera."
Violet laughed. "You can set aside those fears. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Audra said, then she hugged Violet tightly.
"Violet, you understand the second trip is the next time the seven of us are going somewhere for three nights or more. It might not be as long a trip."
"I think you should make it the six of you," Mom said.
"Carmen, we want you with us, too," Bluebell said.
"And if I can, I will. But coordinating my schedule with everyone else could be tricky. I don't know if I would want to fly to Boston for a long weekend."
"All right," said Bluebell. "You understand, Violet?"
"I understand."
"Then we will play a team game," Jasmine said. "This is to be a simple memory game coupled with an element of spatial orientation. The Catseye will disable any artificial enhancement that Audra doesn't have."
Twenty minutes later, I learned something. I leaned to Posey. "Am I wrong, or is my sister kicking butt?"
She leaned back. "We're accustomed to our enhancements. I'm trying to follow, but I'm not doing any better than Violet." It was a team game, but the nature of the game had Audra basically carrying her partner.
I suddenly felt superior. We found something humans did better than Catseye.
I could see Audra growing frustrated with Violet, but then she glanced at Bluebell and Azalea and calmed down. In Catseye I asked Posey, "Are they letting her win?"
"I don't think so. Like I said, I'm not guessing worst than Violet."
"It's not guessing," I said. "If you're guessing you're doing it wrong."
In the end, Audra figuratively carried Violet across the finish line well ahead of The Moms. Seconds later she began bouncing up and down. "We're going skiing! We're going skiing!"
Bluebell and Azalea tried to convince Audra to consider the other possible choices. She finally let them go over all of them. And then Audra asked a simple question. "Does anyone hate skiing?"
We went skiing.
Octal
Summer approached, and with it, an invitation to lunch from Rapid Flitter, the Octal I'd met last summer. The invitation was very specific. She wished me with exactly one companion to join her and one of her mates for lunch at the restaurant in New York that Violet had first taken me. I discussed it over the phone with Violet.
"The Octals prefer certain numbers," she said. "One, two, four, eight. They are two and we are two, so those are both preferred numbers. And two and two is four, another preferred number."
"I understand," I said. "She didn't tell me who I was supposed to bring."
"She wishes to speak with you. Are you inviting me?"
"Of course I'm inviting you."
The invitation offered a choice of dates, so we agreed to meet the coming Saturday. We would then arrange to join Posey and the Moms for dinner and a show later, and if we were free early from lunch, Posey would join us at the museum.
* * * *
Th
e Octals arrived ahead of us and were waiting at a table when the hostess delivered us. They stood, and we exchanged greetings. I recognized Rapid Flitter, but the other Octal was new. Rapid Flitter introduced us to White Snow, and then we resumed our seats.
Conversation before we ordered lunch was simple small talk. White Snow's English was slow but impeccable, and she assured me she understood me as long as I spoke clearly. I'd become so accustomed to that by now that I nearly always spoke with careful diction, and so it wasn't at all difficult to do so for her.
Between ordering and our meal arriving, Rapid Flitter asked after my sister and mother. "Mom is good, and Audra is coming to visit for a few weeks. She has a break from school. Then she begins her senior year in high school. She'll apply for colleges. Bluebell and Azalea hope to have her living in Boston with us when she begins college next year."
White Snow and Rapid Flitter spoke quickly in their language for a moment, then Rapid Flitter turned back. "I did not understand everything you said. Can you explain this about school?"
So I answered questions. And then the conversation moved in other directions.
It was after the meal I learned it wasn't entirely a casual conversation. "We have few friends here," Rapid Flitter said. "We wish additional social opportunities."
"I love making friends," I said.
"As do we. When does your sister arrive?" I answered, and then she said, "We are four. We would like to invite four to our home for an evening of friendship. You are two, and you each have a sister. This makes four. Can you come?"
I was ready to accept, subject to agreement from Posey and Audra, but Violet slipped a tentacle over my mouth before I could say anything. Then she spoke rapidly in a language I didn't know, although I didn't know if it was Octal, either.
She and Rapid Flitter spoke back and forth for a minute or two. Violet didn't move her tentacle from my mouth until the two clearly ended. Then the tentacle withdrew, and I turned to her.
"What was that about?"
"Your mate did not wish you to make a commitment without understanding," said Rapid Flitter. "We discussed the nature of our invitation. It is for an evening of friendship."
"What else would it be?" I asked.
Rapid Flitter didn't answer. Instead she looked pointedly at Violet, and we waited for her to explain.