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I’m okay. For him, I’ll be okay.
Doors bracketed the large bar at the opposite end of the room. They took the opening to the right. “The other door leads to the formal dining room,” Masok explained as he led the way down a long corridor. The marble flooring continued, and landscape paintings taller than Avir lined the walls. He was the biggest of the clan, around a foot and a half taller than Matt.
Matt was used to being the shortest person in the room, but he felt very small in this home, a scurrying mouse who didn’t belong. At least Kom gave him a sense of not being so out of his element as the nude Nobek strode confidently. He looked as strange in the posh surroundings as Matt felt. It helped.
The corridor was long. The apartment, if it could be called that, was huge. Matt had lost count of the doors and rooms they’d passed. Fuck, he was already lost. Lost in anapartment, of all things.
“This is what would be your office, or sitting room, or just ‘get me the hell away from those guys’ space,” Masok said as he slowed before a door, which slid soundlessly into the wall. “I went for the vibe of comfort and fun, but again, whatever doesn’t work, pitch it. You won’t hurt my feelings.”
Matt followed him in, trying to quiet the shaking that had begun. His first reaction to the room was relief. It was nothing like the opulent greeting room or the endless hallway.
It resembled a cozy but well-appointed den. He blinked at an entire wall that was taken up by a vid screen.
“The entertainment system is the same each of us has in our suites,” Avir explained. “Gaming, shows, music, live broadcasted events…all accessible by voice command, and in your native language. Go on, give it a try.”
Matt stared at the vast blackness of the vid monitor. “Um. I don’t…I’m not sure…”
“System, play last year’s Sick Creation concert on Dulzee Four,” Kom said.
The screen glowed to life, and Matt was suddenly in front of the four-man Earther rock group as they blasted “Terrible to be Here.” He stepped back as pyros and lasers blasted.
“Whoa.” His eyes were wide. The picture was as crisp as if he were there on stage among the band, the sound perfectly live. His grin was real as he glanced at Kom in delight.
“Better than being there in person, right?” The Nobek laughed.
“Amazing! This is supernova. I never want to watch shows on my handheld again!”
“Yeah, you’ll absolutely be spoiled for viewing after this. System, off.”
Masok was beaming at his success. Matt hesitated, then hedged toward him, carefully wrapping his arms around the Imdiko’s waist to show his gratitude for the excellent room. Masok’s return hug contained no tentativeness, and he kiss the top of Matt’s head too.
“How about the rest of it?” he enthused. “Is the furniture okay?”
The sage green couch and chairs were Earth-style, but big and roomy enough to accommodate Kalquorians. Matt thought they were perfect for cozying up on to watch the vid or read or whatever else he wished. Colorful throws and blankets were slung over the backs in fashionable cascades. The tables were simple but well-constructed, as was the desk where a computer waited. A hover chair floated next to it. There was a cooling unit filled with a number of Earther snacks, water, juices, and bottles of kloq, a low-alcohol drink. The floor was carpeted in a blue Matt suspected matched his eyes. A few large vid frames on the walls displayed his favorite bands and art depicting musical instruments.
“Those can be switched to show whatever you wish, including live feeds of the beach,” Masok told him. “I didn’t get anything else decorative. Such items should be personal to you.”
“It’s perfect.” It was simpler than the greeting room, which was a relief, but nothing in the room was cheap. Matt quailed to think how much Masok must have spent on him. He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat and blinked his blurring vision clear.
He saw nowhere to hide. Maybe there was a closet in the room he could fit in.
“Okay, okay, you have to see the next room now.” Avir had quietly watched the unveiling, but he was fairly bouncing as he stood next to another doorway. He gave Masok a mock glare. “I was allowed a little input when it came to decorating this one.”
“I’ll give you your due. Avir did all the research for the second room and coordinated with Kom on specific items he knew you’d prefer.” Masok gave Matt a gentle push toward the Dramok. “My efforts will be forgotten the moment you see it. Go ahead and be amazed.”
Matt felt more dread than anticipation as he approached Avir and the doorway. They’d gone too far in fashioning the luxurious den. Why would they go to such lengths for him? Avir and Masok barely knew him. He hadn’t earned the gifts they so eagerly offered.
He went into the next room and gasped. It was a music room.
The walls were adorned with acoustic padding, the sort used in professional recording facilities. The padding was interrupted by lighting strips, which managed to look decorative as well as functional. There was a ledge extending from a wall, ample space to accommodate a number of recording devices. At the moment, there were only two sets of speakers on its surface.
What grabbed and held Matt’s attention were the instruments: a baby grand piano, gleaming black, sat in the corner. On the wall, objects of art themselves, hung a violin, a mandolin, and several guitars, electric and acoustic. He stopped breathing when he saw the Martin hanging on his right.
He glanced at Kom, who watched him closely. “Is that the D-45? The one we saw—”
“In the Earther salvage shop on the Adraf station. I told Avir, and he had them ship it here.”
“If there’s a better instrument, I can send out feelers for it,” Avir said. “Kom said you were pretty excited about this one, though.”
