She was about to launch into an explanation when a thought struck her.
“Wait. Why are you even interested? You never pay attention when I talk about Earth.”
Khar stopped eating and straightened, clearly offended by the suggestion.
“That is not true. I remember everything you tell me.”
That, unexpectedly, moved her.
Not knowing what else to do with that feeling, Lily began outlining the general framework of human dating and family formation. Khar listened attentively, interrupting only occasionally with precise questions. He had more food anyway, so they finished around the same time, even though Lily had done most of the talking.
“So monogamy is a personal choice.” he said.
“Yes. It is preferred, but not everyone wants it. Some people choose celibacy.”
“And you, Lily?” he asked. “You chose celibacy?”
She laughed.
“Since being taken from Earth, it has not exactly been a choice.”
Khar took her empty plate and tossed it into the designated container along with his own.
“I see. Let us go back.”
She was relieved to escape the awkward topic, but at the same time she regretted the end of their time away from the ship. Even with all her embarrassment, she felt better after this short outing than she had during her elegant lunch with Horos.
“It was nice talking to you, Khar.”
He acknowledged it with a rare smile.
“Likewise. Until you ruined everything with your strange human sex topic.”
She punched his shoulder. Khar dodged with a grin, but the impact still surprised her. It hurt more than last time.
She almost snapped back with an insult, something like calling him a space stallion the way those alien women had. Instead, she just growled.
“What is wrong with you anyway? Why are you eating so much?”
Khar only shrugged.
“Call it a growth phase.”
Chapter 13
Irreversible Revelation
Khar
“Most Registered Species show loyalty and devotion to their mates, but the Divani, as in so many things, push this tendency to its extremes. They either avoid commitment entirely and pursue pleasure alone, or they become obsessively devoted to love. From a species that brings such passion, unwavering focus, and reverence to combat, we would expect no less toward a partner. This, however, was written before the rare phenomenon of imprinting was widely understood.” — Ner’fol Vas Gorg, Universal Dating Guru: Loving Across Species
“Divani imprinting has two primary phases:
Sampling and preparation, usually accompanied by visible indicators such as darkening skin, sudden changes in body mass, or the lengthening or curving of horns.
Metamorphosis, a near-hibernative state during which involuntary transformation renders the body biologically compatible with the chosen mate.”
From Khar’s training material, Divani Biology
