She grinned and tugged at his arm. “I’m not afraid of you,cyborg. This will be fun. I’ve never experienced weather before.”
Xaber looked down in surprise. “Never? I get that you’ve been on a station your whole life, but you’ve never been in a sim-pod?”
“Where I’m from, those have one use, and it’s not to experience the weather. Even if they’d offered that kind of programming, there’s no way I’d use one of those things unless it had been completely sterilized.”
Another peal of thunder boomed, this one louder than the last. The overhead lighting dimmed, and dark, swirling clouds appeared above the greenery. The wind picked up, and she swore it felt cooler than a moment ago. She had a passing thought that one day she’d love to see the mechanisms thatmade this place work. Then, the rain started, and she was too lost in wonder to think at all.
She expected it to start slowly. It didn’t. Big, heavy water drops came down in a rush, the noise filling her ears. She laughed into the noise, her head tipped up so the raindrops fell on her face. Mace and Xaber still held her hands, but she stepped back from them so she could raise her arms a little.
A strange sense of joy filled her, as if the rain had washed away all her worries. She closed her eyes, letting her tears blend with the water falling from above. She had no idea why she was crying, but it felt good, so she let it happen. No one would notice anyway.
“You’re crazy,” Xaber murmured from somewhere close.
“Never said I wasn’t,” she replied without opening her eyes.
“I like your kind of crazy,” Mace said.
“Me too,” Xaber agreed and squeezed her fingers.
They went quiet after that. They stood together in the rain. Curious as to what they were doing, she cracked open one eye to peek. Mace had his head back and eyes closed. Xaber held his free hand out to catch the drops in his cupped fingers.
“Memories?” she asked.
Xaber nodded. “Good ones. The first time I saw a rainstorm. I’d forgotten until now. We all danced around like idiots, stomping in puddles and laughing. None of us had broken our conditioning yet. That day was the first time we did something just for the fun of it.”
“I remember it, too.” Mace opened his eyes and looked around. “I’d never heard any of us laugh before.”
“Was that when it all changed for you?” she asked.
“It was the beginning of it. Yeah,” Xaber said. “And I think this is the start of something, too.”
She nodded because she was afraid that anything she said would come out sounding trite or silly. She didn’t want to ruin this moment.
After a few more minutes, the novelty wore off, and she finally registered that she was drenched. Water dripped from her hair, and her clothes were plastered to her body. They walked to the nearby shelter before talking again.
“I think that’s enough nature for tonight,” Xaber announced as he ran a hand through his soaking wet hair.
“Xay, why don’t you take Tix back to theTrueto dry off. You can get our fabricator to make you something to wear for the rest of the date. If that works? While you do that, I’ll pick up dinner for us. I got some recommendations on where to find the best Pheran street food.”
It was a good plan, but there was a problem.
“That sounds good, but I need to stop by my hotel first. All my possessions are in a locker in the lobby, and I doubt it’s safe to leave them there all night.”
“Why?” Xaber asked.
“Explain,” Mace said.
She did. When she was done, they looked at each other and then down at her. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Mace asked.
“Because I didn’t want to spoil the mood. Plus, this is my problem, not yours. I know you two don’t like getting involved in other beings’ issues.”
“We’re making it our problem, and we’re going to deal with it,” Xaber stated. “You and I will pick up dinner on the way back to the ship. Mace is going to get your stuff back.”
“Everything, including the scrip you’re owed.” Mace looked like he was ready to punch a hole through the nearest bulkhead or anyone who got in his way.
“Thank you.” She hugged Mace and then Xaber. She was relieved to have their help, and a little embarrassed by it, too.
“I told you before, little temptress, your battles are my battles.”
