Valmir holds up his catch, and a pair of beady eyes and gaping fish mouth leer back at me. "I figured if I brought in another land creature you'd adopt it."
Already, I'm tired of this guy. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a dick?"
"No, but if you're saying I'm not likable, I have been told that. Repeatedly. Which suits me fine. I am not aiming for likable." He sits across from me by the firepit and glances around. "Is your friend coming back?"
"No, Dawn's busy today." Normally I adore hanging out with her, but I knew Valmir would be coming by. Things are charged between us and I'm glad we're alone instead of having a third wheel in the hut. My khui is humming, but it always feels intense around Valmir. I'm told it'll get worse the longer I fight off resonance, but who can say? It's overwhelming no matter how I consider it.
The cat-alien grunts, as if he's pleased at hearing that Dawn isn't around. He sits down with the fish and pulls a bundled work-skin from our supplies as if he owns the place, spreading it out. I'm just about to protest that he'snotabout to clean the fish inside the hut, because in my experience, they're messy, disgusting creatures that get scales everywhere. But he gets to work, cutting off the head and collar in one deft move, guts it, andbegins to scale it with practiced ease. Part of me expects scales to rain everywhere, but his motions are neat and tidy.
I could learn a few things from him. That's...annoying to realize.
As he works, I pet Makana and watch the strange alien I'm supposed to be bonded to. His catlike features threw me off when we first met, and his pelt of hair — fur? — was a turn-off. Yet the more I look at him, the more his features don't seem odd to me. They're just different, and I can't imagine he finds my appearance a dream. The fur doesn't seem strange any longer, either. Rather, it seems far more convenient than naked human skin. It looks soft, too. Petting Makana is nice, and I wonder if Valmir would like to be pet.
Not that I'd ever say such a thing aloud.
"Makana is still favoring his leg," I comment as he cuts big, meaty slabs from the side of the fish he's filleting. "You think I should wrap it?"
"Give him time," Valmir says. "It's not broken, so all you can do is let him heal at his own pace."
"I suppose. He's just so small and delicate." I scritch the tiny head, and the creature closes his eyes in bliss.
Valmir holds one fish fillet up into the air. "You can cook this one for me."
Ican cook? Misogynist much? "I think there's been some mistake. I never said I'd cook. I said we'd have dinner together. My presence is the reward."
He lowers the fillet and rests his arm on his knee as he eyes me. "That's not much of a reward."
I gesture loftily between us. "And yet here you are, desperate for my attention."
Valmir snorts at that. He moves over to the cooking supplies and grabs a few skewers, pushing them through the fish he's prepared. "Fine, I'll cook. We'll eat together, and youcan tell me what my next task is and what my reward will be." He eyes me as he sprinkles herbs and salt on the fish. "And it needs to be a better reward than feeding you. That's something I plan on doing anyhow."
Well now, that intrigues me. "Is that so?"
"Of course. It's one of the rules of mating. A male provides for his female and makes sure she's well fed." He maneuvers closer to the fire, stabbing the skewered fish into the coals momentarily. "This fire is almost dead. I need to stoke it if we're going to have a decent meal. You werenotprepared for this meal at all."
His irritated tone amuses me. I like getting under his skin...fur...whatever. "Just more for the male to handle, pussycat. Besides, I've got a sick patient I'm tending to."
Valmir's catlike mouth twists into a sour expression. He shakes his head at me, then gets busy building up the fire. As he does, he moves around the hut, bundling up the skin with the innards and putting it out of the way until it can be disposed of. The discarded fish head and filleted carcass will be saved for soup at the main fire, the guts used for fishing traps. Everything will find its purpose. I appreciate that. It's respectful of the life taken.
He stokes the fire, then moves the skewers out of the way of the flames, angling them over the rocks so the flesh of the fish can cook. After he's tidied up, he washes his hands with my meltwater and wipes them on the long hem of his tunic. "Tell me about yourself."
His request surprises me. "Me?"
"No, the rodent on your lap. Of course, you."
I resist the urge to reach across the fire and smack his face. Snarky bastard. "Well, my name is April and I don't like you very much."
"No one does." He seems unbothered by this, reaching outto nudge one of the skewers. I wish I could be so nonchalant about how everyone else thinks of me, but I'm a social creature at heart. I want to be liked and I want to get along with everyone. I do get along, for the most part. There's just something about Valmir that sticks in my craw. When I'm silent, he indicates I should continue. "Go on. There has to be more to you."
I absently stroke Makana's head as I consider my answer. What do I tell him about me that doesn't feel like I'm baring my soul? "I remember a few things about where I came from, but not much. It comes out in random moments when I'm not thinking actively about who I was. There's a language that comes out in bits and pieces in my head, too, but the translator doesn't know it. It's frustrating, because it feels like information I should have and it's just…not there. It's like I have puzzle pieces but they don't fit together. Something in my brain isn't meshing."
"Mm. Perhaps more will come if you concentrate."
I press my hand over my heart. "That's just it. The more I try to focus, the further the memories drift away. If I stop to remember the city I'm from, nothing comes to mind. I don't know the name. I don't know what my house looked like. But I know I lived somewhere warm, because I catch myself wanting to make jokes about the cold and how much clothing I'm wearing."
That makes him pause. "You wore less clothing back where you were from?"
Count on a guy to clue in on that. "Yeah."
