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Watered Down

Page 52

by Viola Grace

“Maybe. One day. Not today. There is a lot of future to plan all of a sudden. I need to get busy.” She finished her meal. Hazor was already done. Yvari was moving delicately for a woman close to seven feet tall, but she was still eating fast.

Yvari looked at her with a serious expression. “So, Cloudy, when are you receptive? Your mother and I want to get to work on the baby’s room and finding a local nanny. With your cousins having enhancements, I believe we have city protection. I am very excited. If we can get some more powered Terrans, I believe that Siloven can have a very bright future.”

“And if they aren’t here now, you are going to breed them?”

Yvari grinned. “You are smart. That’s good. It will be good for the children. Now, when are you receptive?”

Cloudy rubbed her forehead. “Two weeks?”

“Good. The nanites are good at ensuring pregnancies. They help things along. Your species are nice and primitive. You have short seasons and a lot of them. It’s a welcome thing.”

“Yeah, I know. It doesn’t feel that way during hormone rushes. It’s a good thing that Hazor isn’t susceptible to my energy.”

“Oh, I am. I am very, very susceptible to it. I just enjoy it.”

She snorted and went to get up and get some kio.

Yvari paused. “I have heard of some plants that your people like. Now that you have bonded, I believe you need a more formal event. I can ask Zell for some of these plants.”

Cloudy walked over. “What kind of plants?”

“I have been told by my father they get certain of your people all excited.”

Cloudy could see Yvari was having fun with this.

Cloudy sat and sipped her kio.

Hazor grinned as he waited it out with her.

“They are called... kahfee, kahkao, and tea? Does that sound right?”

Cloudy grinned. “I am glad they got some of those out. The most benign is the cacao. If you look to try to grow those, you will need a warmer environment than this continent, but the substance is the base of sweets, a mood stabilizer, and a slight aphrodisiac with the right mix of vegetable-based fats. Narlo is a good fat as a base for that. Spices and sweetener, and never mind.”

Yvari chuckled. “So I should try and get some of them?”

“If the beans of coffee and chocolate are already being grown, those are a better start to see if we can make them work with additives from Siloven. The tea is a tea. Green leaves dried and cured and different treatments create different results.”

“You know how to prepare all of these things?”

“Yes, the most popular one will be chocolate; the most nostalgic one is the coffee. It is a stimulant that is toxic in large quantities and can contribute to heart arrhythmia and a number of other ailments, but nothing gets you going in the morning like a hot cup that smells amazing and tastes like hot bean water.”

Hazor frowned. “And you drank this?”

“Several cups a day. It is good for a blast of mental sharpness and a warm cup to wrap your hands around. The smell is as waking as the actual substance most days.”

Yvari was casual. “Is it recommended during gestation?”

“Limiting is requested.”

“Then, the tea and the other beans will be imported, and plants will be requested.” Yvari nodded and sent the signal. “Suitable soil is being arranged on the Arthuth continent. It is warm there. It might give you a place to go on your anniversaries.”

Hazor smiled. “That is a pleasant thought.”

She gave him a bemused look.

“Oh, your grandfather is coming. He wishes to meet the young lady. As does your grandmother.”

Cloudy sipped her kio. “Oh, wonderful. When?”