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She ticked things off on her finger. “Oh, right. That one.” She drew in a deep breath. “These are the Doctors Merryweather. Elspeth and Thunder.”
Her mother smiled. “I am Elspeth.”
Her father inclined his head. “I am Thunder.”
Hazor bowed to them both, and that sent a ripple of shock through the crowd that was watching. Wherever he went, a crowd formed.
A researcher opened the door, and Hazor grinned. “I look forward to getting to know you better, Elspeth and Thunder. I intend to be involved with your daughter.”
Cloudy smacked her hand over her face. She grabbed Hazor and pushed him toward the building. “Come on, nosey.”
Her parents were appalled and amused as she shoved the guardian into the assessing centre. He was laughing so much that it made it difficult to get him through the door. Once they were inside, she let go and straightened her tunic. She flipped her braid over her shoulder.
Hazor had to stop wheezing with mirth at the desk. “I am here to register Cloudy Merryweather for assessment. Both Hmrain compatible and guardian status.”
The Vecchin flatlander twitched her ears and smiled. She typed a few characters, and one of the doors swung open, letting a researcher in with a lashing tail and twitching ears. Hazor was stunned. “Dr. Winthrell?”
The uplander grinned at him. “Little sprout! You found me.”
Cloudy muttered, “Sprout?”
Hazor murmured, “He knew me when I was twelve. I got bigger.”
The doctor looked at her. “You... aren’t right.”
“I am a human with sea Vecchin pigmentation and gills. I work at a food stall near the docks, so it comes in handy.”
Hazor chuckled. “I guess you learned to describe that carefully.”
“Oh, yes, I learned that working by the docks has familiar connotations.”
The doctor looked at her. “Come in, come in. Let’s get you a suit, and you can change for the assessment.”
The feline physician smiled, led her through the doors to the back, and hummed. “Merryweather? Like the two who work here?”
“Yes. They are my parents.”
He blinked. “Why didn’t they bring you in?”
“They are unaware of the scope of my situation.”
He paused and nodded. “You had no need to enlighten them.”
“Smart man. That’s why they call you doctor.”
He snorted. “Hazor, are you sure you want this one? There are others that aren’t nearly so witty and probably more biddable.”
“That is not what makes a compatible consort. It may be for some, but Vecchin and his kind found their partners, snagged them, and convinced them of the match as the final part of courtship.” Hazor smiled.
The doctor took her into a secure lab and showed her to a scanner for her suit.
The unit was out in the open with no curtain. She turned to glare at Hazor. “Out.”
“No. I have seen everything outlined. I want to know how far your pigment goes.”
She stifled a series of curses and kicked off her shoes and trousers, and then she pulled the tunic over her head and dropped it on the floor. She stepped onto the scanner and put her hands on the grips. Microbots spun around her in a cloud and covered her in a scanner web.
Hazor moved around the unit slowly and tutted. “I was a little too slow.”
