“No,” I said.
“Itchy, then?” he teased.
“No.”
Farr’vye gasped. “An insectoid grub has infiltrated your skin!”
The mental image of bugs in my suit struck a bolt of visceral fear into my heart. I yelped, leaping up from the bench and patting my chest hard. It took an embarrassingly long time before I realized Farr’vye was joking.
I sat back down, praying nobody noticed. Thankfully, the villagers were focused on Dai’zee.
My face flushed hot with shame and anger. “That’s not funny,” I muttered to Farr’vye.
He tilted his head. “No?”
“No!”
“My apologies.” He smiled. Well, it was the closest thing to a smile that the fang-toothed reptilian alien could manage. It reminded me of a crocodile airing out its fangs, ready to strike the nearest prey.
I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat. I wouldn’t reply “it’s fine” because it wasn’t. He’d scared the crap out of me. If there were bugs in my suit, I’d have to strip in front of everybody—and frankly, I’d rather be taken out by the meteor apocalypse.
“Please don’t do it again,” I said.
“Tease you? Or tease you about insectoids?”
“Don’t tease me at all!”
I was shocked when my voice came out louder than intended. I rarely raised my voice. Speaking at a normal volume was already too much effort, let alone shouting. But this purple Maeleon wrung it out of me with his annoying behavior.
Farr’vye wasn’t fazed by my outburst. He leaned his elbow on the table, propping up his chin. The gesture was oddly humanlike. I wondered if he’d learned it from the other men in the village since they spent more time among the locals.
Damn it, what do I care where he learned it from? I don’t want to chat with this alien anymore!
I cast a nervous glance across the table again. Were people leaving yet? I had to escape, but I couldn’t be the first one to leave.
“All right. No teasing,” Farr’vye stated. “But you still have not answered my question.”
Frustration pulsed through my head. Why had I been trapped in this conversation? Why me?
Swallowing my nerves, I turned to look Farr’vye in the eyes. That sunny orange gaze watched me in return, full of meddlesome curiosity.
Then something weird happened.
My faceplate was tinted, so he couldn’t have actually been able toseemy eyes. Yet he somehow managed to look directly into them.
A shiver coursed down my back.
Feeling vulnerable, I looked away.
I have to get away from this alien. He’s too chatty and pushy. What a nightmare.
Nobody else had risen from the table yet. It was too early to leave the party. But I forced myself to break the social custom if it meant escaping Farr’vye.
I was a freak, anyway. Nobody would care if I left. They’d probably be glad I’d stopped bringing down the vibes.
Picking up my fruits and clutching them tightly to my chest, I stood up and hopped over the bench. Nobody batted an eye.
Except Farr’vye.
