She puts a hand to her cheek as she watches the recording. “Aw, it’s like a chubby six-legged crocodile… with big googly eyes. I can see why you love them. Are they difficult to care for?”
I flip to another rendering of two caimites chasing each other, throwing their bodies up out of the sand in twisting jumps. “Very. They need wide ranges since the desert is sparse in prey. It takes a lot of land to maintain a herd, and they’re very… picky when it comes to breeding. My main export is eggs, so I need them breeding a lot. The entire range must be meticulously maintained.”
“That does sound difficult. Does that mean you spend most of the day out in the desert?” The tension in her muscles subtly unwinds.
“Most of the night. But yes.”
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. That sounds nice. Can you see a lot of stars out there?”
“Hm. Yeah. All of them.”
Something complex flickers in her eyes. “Can you see Sol?”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “I have a space-time telescope.”
“Oh, wow…” She blinks and shakes her head. “Sorry. That’s cool. Neat. Uh, good. Fascinating.”
“You don’t need to flatter me.”
“I know. I’m not! I mean…” She sighs and puts her head in her hands. “I’m so bad at this.”
“Bad at what?”
She sighs, then laughs. “I don’t even know.Existing.”
A smile pulls at the corner of my mouth. “I can relate to that.”
“What do you mean, you’re—” Her blush deepens. “Uh…”
“I’m what?”
“Strong. Capable. Not a…” She lifts her arms up in front of her, wrists limp. “…weird little shrimp.”
I snort.
“Thattranslated?” She puts her head in her hands. “Just shoot me now.”
I take a step closer to the table and lean over it so I’m more on her level. “Can I ask you something, Celeste?”
She lifts her head. “Why I’m so weird?”
“Why you want to be a hucow.”
“I just…” She bites her lip, glancing around, then shrugs and looks back at me. “…want a place to stay, I guess.”
“No, I mean, why as a hucow?”
“Not like I have many other options.”
I tilt my head. “This may be too forward, but… I find that hard to believe. You’re resourceful, if you managed to get this far.”
Celeste is quiet for a moment. “Huh. I guess you’re right. If I didn’t find the idea of being a hucow at least somewhat appealing, then I would’ve kept searching…”
The most gorgeous crimson blush spreads across her cheeks. I want to lick it.
What has gotten into you, Razul?
“Um, so, since you’re not in the market, can I ask you something?”
