She touched his bare arm and twisted in place.He was there, he was awake, and he was naked.“Oh.Hi.”
He grinned.“Sorry.I don’t have pyjamas here...yet.”
“And if they were here, would you wear them?”
“In bed with you?”He looked thoughtful.“Doubtful.”
She snorted and sat up, flicking the sheet over him.A quick look at herself and she said, “I am going to need the illusion of a recent pregnancy for walking around work when I check in at the clinic.”
Jenaki chuckled.“I can give you an exam right now.”
She laughed.“Your flirting is a little heavy-handed.”
“I think you appreciate the direct approach.”He nuzzled her neck.
“I do, but I haven’t engaged in this behaviour before.”
“So you went straight to maternity?”
“I had to test a theory.My family doesn’t have children easily.I was the first of our adaptation to bring a child to term.”She smiled.“I kept notes in case my mother wants to have kids, but I suppose I can offer the information to her cousin as well.”
“Cousin?”
“Aluhara.”
“Oh, wow.What do you mean?Your adaptation.Your activation?”
“Sort of.The exceedingly slow aging.It takes meditation and focus to keep the child growing.That is why I took the job at Z-Corp.I needed not to be elsewhere.A physical job keeps your body restrained while your mind can fly.I needed that.The hardest part for her will be getting a working ovum.Getting them at the right time is the tricky bit.I think Ados’s grandmother can help with that if the Sethir let her.”
Jenaki smiled.“You have thought this through.”
“I needed to, so I did.”
He caressed her arm.“So why Lorn?”
“It was a need.It needed to be cleansed, so I did.”
“So, right now, there is no one there?”
“There is officially one person in the entire country.A friend with a certain skillset.Unofficially, one or two more.”
“What activation?”
“True sight.”
He sat upright.“That is an exceptionally unusual activation.”
“It is.Weirder than seers, as she often tells me.”
“Why is she there?”
“If I have a need for mineral samples, she gets them from the safe and sends them to me.She’s content to live there because being around people is fucking annoying.Her words.”
“True sight would do that.”
“Yup.Well, I should get dressed.I hope that Alody and Ithal took me seriously.I bought this house for my family.”
“Before you reconnected with them?”
