“Why is he coming to your house every day then?” I asked him.
“I wish I knew,” he grumbled. “Melanie and him are chuckling and whispering for the whole time.”
“And they do not let you listen?” I asked.
“No. It is annoying.”
“Maybe it is thegossip,” Baelor mused.
Nitochi straightened, suddenly alarmed. “Then I do not like this either.”
Something told me that we would hear more about this next month and the ones that would follow.
And that, with each meeting, the girl would leave longer to add each new girl, leaving us men tosuffer.
If only we could all manage to get along.
“There you all are,” Sylo—the Lionus—said and the almost friendly atmosphere shattered. “Are you all forming a secret alliance?”
“No but our partners are,” I deadpanned. “They locked themselves in the food room togossip.”
He looked as confused as we all were about it. “What isgossip?”
“We think it is words that are whispered and meant to make the group chuckle like children,” Ghauro said. “I think I have seen my female do it with her human friend.”
Sylo paused, sliding both of his hands in his pants’ pockets. “So…it is a human thing?”
“I guess,” Baelor muttered. “Our female has never done this before.” Then, he turned to Nitochi. “Although…I have seen her talking in hushed tones with Uncle John. Do you think—”
“We could ask him once we get back.”
“Should I worry about this gossip thing?” Sylo asked. “You all seem pretty concerned about it.”
I put my hand in the bag hanging at my side. “You do not have to worry about this. But I do have this for you.”
The book stayed between us for a few seconds before he carefully took it from my hand. “What is this?”
“This is the human codex,” Ghauro proudly explained as I pulled out the translating glass to give it to the Lionus too. “It has everything you need to know about them.”
“Not everything,” I quickly corrected with a wince. If I had known about the water thing being a possibility, it would have prevented an uncomfortable talk with the human scientists… “I added a few notes on things I…learned.”
“Fuck, I should have done that too,” Ghauro remarked.
“Just make sure you pass it on next month,” I said. “Who is getting paired after you?”
“The Virgons, I believe,” he said distractedly. He was slowly searching for the Lionus setting of the translating glass. “But thank you. I will make sure to read it. I do not know much about humans…”
“Why did we not get this?” Baelor asked, offended.
“Because when I planned to, I got distracted by you screaming at everyone and your missing bride,” Ghauro explained.
The two Gemins did not argue further, but they looked genuinely hurt.
And Sylo was leaving, eyes fixed on whatever he was reading, forgetting all about us.
He could have at least said goodbye…
20
