“As long as you need.” The words came out before he could consider them, too honest by half. His tail twitched again, straining towards her like a compass needle seeking north. She frowned at him suspiciously.
“And then what? You put him down, I take him back, and we wait for the next round of examinations?”
“If there’s anything I can do to improve your situation, I will.” He meant it. The conviction surprised him with its intensity. “Whatever you need. I’ll make it happen.”
“Except let me go.”
The words hung between them.
“Except that,” he agreed quietly. “That decision isn’t mine to make.”
“Convenient.”
“Truthful.”
She laughed, and the sound was bitter enough to make his chest ache. “Right. You’re just following orders. I’ve heard that excuse before.”
He wanted to argue, to explain the complexity of his position, but what would be the point? She was right to be angry and right to distrust him. His people were complicit in her captivity, no matter how uncomfortable that knowledge made him.
“What else do you need?” he asked instead.
“What?”
“You heard me. Within the limits of my authority—what do you need? What would make this more…” He searched for the right word. “…bearable?”
She stared at him for a long moment, and he could almost see her mind working behind those tired eyes.
“Fresh air,” she said finally. Her tone was flat, almost mocking. “I’ve been in this lab for weeks and on the ship for weeks before that. I’d kill for actual sunlight.”
“Done.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Just like that?”
“This facility has secure outdoor spaces. I’ll arrange access.”
“With guards watching my every move, I’m sure.”
“With me watching. I’ll take you myself.”
He saw a crack in the armor of her hostility, but it was quickly hidden, and she looked away, her jaw tightening.
“Fine. What else?”
“What else do you want?”
“A change of clothes. Something other than the clothes I’ve been wearing since I was taken or a hospital gown.”
“I’ll see what can be found.” His tail was moving again, sliding towards her before he caught himself and jerked it back.Stop it.
“And something to read.” Her voice had gone quieter, almost wistful. “Books. Datapads. Anything. My brain is going to rot if I don’t have something to occupy it besides staring at these walls.”
“That may be more difficult. We will not have anything in your language.”
“Then teach me yours.” She met his eyes again, and the challenge in her gaze made his pulse quicken. “You said anything. Did you mean it, or were those just pretty words?”
“I meant it.”
“We’ll see.”
