Candidate (Selected Book 4)

by Robin Roseau

  "This is nice," I said, holding her arms tightly to me.

  "I've never done this," she said.

  "Neither have I. I'm in a tub with a big Wookie."

  "I've never been in a tub."

  "Oh."

  "Or held anyone like I'm holding you."

  "Oh."

  "I really like it."

  "I do, too."

  "The water feels good."

  "Your fur is going to clog the drain," I said. "I'm glad I'm not part of the cleaning staff."

  She rumbled her laugh.

  We soaked for a while then finally she asked, "Were the punishments that horrible?"

  "They were enough I went around that last trap," I said.

  "You could have won."

  "And miss out on belonging to a Wookie? Why would I do that?"

  She tightened her hold around me for a moment. Then she lifted a hand and began stroking my skin. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the touch. Her hand followed my arm, finding my hand. She pulled it from the water and held it up to look at it. I looked over my shoulder at her.

  "So delicate," she said.

  She didn't stop me when I reached up and caressed her face. Then I closed my eyes and relaxed again. She put my hand back where it had been.

  A few minutes later, her hand wandered, but it was tentative. She brushed along the edge of my breast, but it was almost like a guy afraid to get caught.

  "I already gave you permission, you know."

  "I read," she said. I thought that was a non sequitur.

  "What have you read?" I asked.

  "About human women."

  "And?"

  "These are very sensitive."

  "They can be."

  "I am afraid I'll hurt you."

  "You won't. Are you curious?"

  "Yes."

  "It's up to you," I said.

  She grew a little bolder, but only marginally. And then she wrapped her arm back around me and held me tightly. I was a little disappointed, but I clutched her arm for a moment then relaxed again.

  It was a while later that she said, "I'm hungry."

  "I imagine. I could eat. I imagine it's going to take hours to dry you."

  "Not as long as that. Will you help?"

  "Of course."

  And so we stood and she led me back to the shower. We first rinsed the soap from our bodies, one of us requiring her usual amount of rinsing, and one of us requiring a great, great deal more. Then the water turned off, and a moment later there was a warm breeze from one of the walls.

  Then Soft Rain produced a sort of brush and handed it to me. "It fits over your hand," she said.

  I pulled it on, and then I brushed the Wookie.

  And brushed the Wookie.

  And brushed the Wookie.

  She spent the entire time with her eyes closed, rumbling, and the sound alone made it worth it.

  When she was fully dry, she smelled really good, and her coat had a shine. She opened her eyes and turned to me. "That was wonderful, Andromeda."

  She took the brush from me and told me to turn around. And then she began using it on my hair. I thought she was about to fill me with Wookie fur, but if she did, I didn't notice later. She brushed for a while until my hair was straight and tamed, and then the brush disappeared, and she pulled me from the shower.

  Waiting for me was a camisole and undies.

  "Oh, you have got to be kidding," I said.

  "What? This is what human mating candidates wear."

  "Funny."

  "It's more than I'm wearing," she pointed out. And then she looked me up and down. "Besides, we just spent the last 90 minutes without you wearing a single thing."

  "So we have," I said. I pulled them on.

  She sat me at a table and disappeared for a few minutes. She then made multiple trips to collect plates, silverware, and platters of food. Finally she sat then lifted the covers from the food.

  "Everything is human," she said. "We can both eat this, although I don't know if it is to your taste."

  It was entirely vegetarian.

  "I wouldn't have expected you to be vegetarian," I said.

  "I'm not, but we can't eat the same meats. I wanted a meal we could fully share." And then she served first my plate, then her own.

  Then, before I could pick up a fork, she took my hand and closed her eyes. I set my other hand on top of hers and watched her. She was still for several moments then opened her eyes and turned to me.

  "Thank you for sharing this meal with me, Andromeda."

  "Thank you for inviting me, Soft Rain."

  We ate quietly for a minute, then I asked, "What is your world like, Soft Rain?"

  "It is beautiful," she said. "It is a blue and white planet, rich in water and green with life."

  "So like Earth?"

  "It has a single moon, which pulls on the tides and has had significant effects on the entire nature of the planet and the resulting evolution."

  I cocked my head.

  "And it is peopled by this species of creatures, much smaller than me. They are soft and delicate and beautiful."

  "Soft Rain."

  "Earth is my world now, Andromeda."

  "That's sweet," I said. "And I'm happy you're here. But that's not what I meant."

  "I know. I wanted to make a point. In actuality, our home worlds are not so different. Mine is slightly cooler on average, but it has less tilt, so the northern and southern polar regions are much larger. There is only small variation from summer to winter, and when you travel much further north than about your home, it is permanent tundra."

  "Is that why you have so much fur?"

  "Probably. We have never been archaeologists, so we have never explored our history the way humans have. We've now settled much of the planet, at least the regions with ample water that can support life. My brother and I are actually from a region that could be considered the equivalent of your south pacific islands."

  "With all this fur?"

  "Well, all this fur also holds a great deal of water, so when it is hot, a quick dip in the pool can keep us cool for hours. Our homes are designed to be tolerant of wet Wookie."

  "Oh, I suppose they would have to be."

  "I can show you video sometime. You may find it difficult to tell our worlds apart."

  "I'd like that."

  "But this world is my home now, when I am not in space."

  "Oh, I hadn't thought about that."

  "It is my turn to ask a question. I am confused by something. A number of things, actually, but something in specific."

  "I can try to help."

  "I was given to expect..." she trailed off.

  "Expect what?"

  "Well, something different."

  I looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't want you disappointed."

  She leaned forward and set a hand on my arm. "I am not disappointed. I thought you would hate being with me."

  "Oh." I looked up. "Why could I hate being with you? You are very sweet and gentle, and have I mentioned how much I love your voice?"

  She rumbled. "Once or twice, perhaps."

  "I would not have volunteered to come here," I said. "I had a life." I shrugged. "Had. I lost my job, and then the aliens took me."

  "I know."

  "So I don't know what life I lost. If I were being treated like the other women, I'd be very, very angry, especially if they tried to give me to a male. But I get to meet different people, and I really like some of you. I will have a choice, or so I am led to believe. I'm happy to be here with you, Soft Rain."

  "You aren't at all afraid of us?"

  "I am intimidated at how little control I have, and Jasmine Brighteyes goes out of her way to remind me from time to time. But I'm not afraid of any of you."

  "You're so..." Again she trailed off.

  "Friendly?" I asked. "Forward?"

  "What does it mean to be forward?"

  "Well, putting your hands on my breasts was a little forward," I said.<
br />
  She rumbled. "Yes, that is what I meant then."

  "I didn't mean to embarrass you," I told her.

  "I wasn't embarrassed, but I'm confused."

  "To be quite blunt, I wanted to find out early what your intentions were. I won't do it again, Soft Rain."

  "So you don't want me to touch you in that way?"

  "I don't want you to feel you need to touch me any way you don't want to touch me."

  "Weren't you inviting me to take you as my mate?"

  "Not exactly. I was offering to let us explore our bodies together. Humans don't equate that type of touch with being married. Yes, if you're married, and it's a good marriage, you touch that way. But you can touch that way without being married."

  I shook my head. "I can't believe I just said any of that." I grabbed my water glass and hid behind it as I drank. Soft Rain rumbled.

  "Open honesty between disparate species is important," she said. "We will not understand each other otherwise. So you weren't offering to become my mate."

  "You don't know what you want yet," I said. "I was perhaps offering to help you decide." I smiled. "The first taste is free."

  "Excuse me?"

  "It's a joke. Imagine I were selling illegal drugs. I might offer to let you try it for a while to get you hooked before I made you pay me for more."

  "Are you upset I didn't take your taste?"

  "No, Soft Rain. But I made the first move this time, and you turned me down. I won't offer again. If you decide you want a taste after all, you're going to have to woo me for one."

  "I have offended you."

  "No, Soft Rain. But I'm not going to throw myself at you more than I have."

  "Oh. I understand." She looked down at the rest of her meal and ate quietly.

  So I set a hand on her arm. "At least for a while, I won't say no if you ask. But you'll have to ask, and because we are different species, you will need to be clear."

  She didn't look up, but she nodded.

  * * * *

  We talked for another hour or so. And then she told me the guards were coming for me. I thought the evening ended far too early, but I collected a hug and told her I'd had a nice time.

  I don't know if I was offended. But I was definitely disappointed.

  Wills

  I waited in my cell. I was due for my challenge with Cherish, the Tutor.

  She hadn't met with me when I swam that morning, and I hadn't heard from her. And I didn't have any clothes, and the guards weren't there for me, either.

  But when I checked, she was still on my schedule.

  I'd spent a portion of the morning with Jasmine, reviewing what I had learned about the women. We'd talked, and then I'd talked to Clover about the two that were hers. I got hugs from her, with tentacle, so that was nice.

  I helped with only one event in the afternoon, a final challenge. Of course, the alien had won, but the woman didn't seem too upset. Nor did she seem too accepting. At the end of the event, he asked for physical affection, but she turned away from him. At least he didn't push it.

  I didn't talk to her, but I thought she was going to be a tough nut for him to crack. They weren't mated, after all. She only had to give him a chance. Jasmine assured me no one produced pheromones as well as the Octals did, so the outcome wasn't a given, if the woman kept a cold heart.

  I then spent an hour in my office then had returned here. But I'd been waiting an hour, and we were already twenty minutes past our start time.

  I tried contacting Dark Skies, but the call was instantly declined. I couldn't tell if she was that fast or if she was in do not disturb mode. My visor didn't have such a setting, but I bet whatever she had could do that.

  And so I sat and wondered if I were being stood up.

  I worked myself up into a lather, and we were an hour late when the nook opened. I stared at it, not moving right away, but then got up to investigate.

  I found simple clothing: undies, camisole, and a robe. At least there was a robe. I pulled them all on, and the guards appeared only moments later.

  They surprised me. Although I was shackled for the walk, they removed the shackles and set me into a chair. And then they left. The chair didn't attempt to swallow me. The visor brightened, and I saw Cherish watching me.

  I looked around. We were in a living room, and we were alone. I looked at her for a moment or so, trying to calm my mood. I was able to find a smile. "Hello, Cherish. I thought we were having a challenge."

  "We are. We will negotiate the nature ourselves. I hoped you would let me choose."

  "Will I have a fair chance?"

  "I believe you will lose, but it is not decided."

  "Tell me what you want."

  "We have a game. It is a game of concentration. The game itself is exceedingly simple. It requires only minutes to learn, and there is little strategy."

  "Okay," I said slowly.

  "But it is a difficult game, because you can only perform well if you can concentrate and ignore distractions. You play the game nearly entirely with your mind."

  "This sounds intriguing," I said.

  "We actually have many games like this," she said. "They are our form of computer game."

  "I'm going to get my ass handed to me."

  "I do not know this expression, but I think I understand you anyway. I will play with a handicap. Perhaps you will let me show you, and if you do not care for this game, we can attempt something else."

  "It does sound intriguing," I repeated.

  "Wait here," she said. She rose to her feet and disappeared into another room. She returned very quickly carrying a metal case. She set it on the table and opened it.

  Inside rested four, well, they looked a little like crowns made of metal. Cherish selected one and then moved to me.

  "That goes on my head."

  "Yes," she said. "Do not be frightened."

  "I'm not. Do I remove the visor first?"

  "No. Your visor is required." Then she reached over and set the crown on my head. It, well, it moved, wrapping itself in place and making itself at home. It felt a little weird, but when it was done, it felt more like a very strange hat than a crown.

  Cherish collected another of the crowns and set it atop her own head. It settled in just like mine did. She collected her own visor and put it on. Then she sat down in the chair facing me. "The game is in your head, but the playing field is projected through the visor. There should be an entry in your gaming menu."

  I didn't realize I had control of the visor, and I didn't -- not full control. But I had some, and I found an entry called simply, "Concentration". I selected it.

  My vision went blank, and then I was in a computer-generated world. Cherish entered a moment behind me. We were both seated in our own chairs, although somewhat further apart than we had been.

  "I will show you," she said. "The game is simple. Between us you see dark globes."

  I did. They were lined up midway between us.

  "The goal is to pull the dark globes to you. Like this." Then I watched as one of the globes began moving towards her. It came to a rest touching her feet. Then another, and another, and they each clung to her, climbing up her body until she looked like she was surrounded by a bunch of balloons.

  And then they all disappeared. A moment later, they reappeared in the center again.

  "The winner is the one who collects them all," she said. "Or we play until a time limit."

  "That seems simple," I said. "How do you make them move?"

  "Look at one," she said. I did, and the visor highlighted it as if it were a button I could press. "Select it." I did, and it began to pulse. "Now, you must form a pure thought. I can be any thought, or no thought at all. Think about one thing as hard as you can, or think about nothing at all, but that is much harder."

  And so I did the simplest thing. I thought about the orb itself. It twitched. I thought harder, and it began moving towards me, not smoothly, but towards me. I concentrated until it touched my
feet.

  I did it again with three more orbs, and it grew easier the more I did.

  "Very good," she said.

  "You said there would be a distraction."

  "Ah, yes. It can come in two forms. First, even if I capture an orb, you can steal it. And I can steal from you. Or we can fight for the same orb."

  "Okay."

  "But we can also offer distractions."

  Then my screen changed, and along the side were a list of options.

  "You can select a distraction from the list, and then when you concentrate, you are offering the distraction to me. If you break my concentration, I can lose control of my orb, and if you keep me distracted long enough, those I have captured will reset. Once you use a particular distraction, it is used. You only get to use them each once."

  "Got it."

  "I am going to demonstrate a distraction to you," she said. "Try to pull an orb to you."

  I did, concentrating, and when it was halfway to me, my hands began to tingle. Still, I pulled on the orb, and the tingling moved up my hands to include my wrists, and then up to my elbows. A moment later, I lost my focus and began scrubbing at my arms. My orb snapped back to the middle, but still the tingling continued. And it got worse.

  "Oh god," I said. "Make it stop."

  She didn't make it stop, not right away, but I began scratching at my arms and lost any remaining focus. The orbs I had collected snapped away, and a moment later, the tingling stopped.

  "Okay, that's just mean," I said.

  She didn't answer right away. "You don't want to play."

  "I didn't say that," I said. "But you're going to be disappointed in how poorly I play."

  "I am happy if you play with me, Andromeda," she said. "That's what matters to me. Please."

  I thought about it then said, "Of course."

  "I have only a little more to show you. There are several defenses to the distractions I offer you. The first is to ignore it. They grow in intensity, but they don't last forever, and if you can ignore it, you can acquire several orbs while I am attempting to distract you."

  "We'll see if that works."

  "You can also attempt to distract me. If you break my concentration, your distraction will end, but you can continue mine. I would need to use a new one, and if you have distracted me enough to break my concentration, it is difficult to gain it back."