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She startled, which reminded him she knew nothing about his kind’s soothing techniques. After the initial shock, though, she left her hand where it was, and he kept his tail on top.
“I’m sorry I’ve put you in this situation,” he told her while Cubbie was helpfully cleaning the sauce from the table. “The abduction was unavoidable, but me not showing you how to use the feeding straw is inexcusable. I should have realized… May I?”
Lia studied his eyes for several sechionas before eventually placing her greasy straw in his extended hand.
It was at this point that Dargus noticed his tuft was still caressing her hand, and he quickly withdrew his tail.Such extended petting sessions are reserved for mates and true mates, you idiot.
“So,” he tried to focus on the task at hand, “you press the button up here and the food gets automatically sucked into the straw, one bite-size portion per press. The inside of the straw minces the food a bit so that by the time it reaches your mouth, the food requires 50 percent less chewing. That not only saves you time but is also beneficial for your teeth and your stomachs.”
“Just one stomach in my case,” she corrected him, but Dargus could tell his long explanation had given her time to calm down. “You’d actually make a good salesman on Earth.”
“Nah. Good salesmen often end up behind bars – I’ve arrested some myself. They’re selling questionable cleaning robots one sechiona and switching to weapons sales the next.”
A tiny smile broke out on her face. “Sounds logical.”
“Ready to give the straw another try?”
Lia sighed and turned in her seat until her whole focus was on her plate. Just like Cubbie’s – he loved cumya sauce, apparently even the replicated version.
“Depends on whether you have spare clothes to give me afterwards.”
Dargus chuckled. “Have more faith in your skills. You’ll succeed. Even if you don’t, I have a non-food replicator in the cargo hold.”
Her eyes widened a fraction at that, but then she proceeded to try her luck with the straw, determination in her gaze.
It worked. Lia got a bite in without any damage either to the table or to her clothing.
Dargus was about to compliment her when he saw her expression change the moment she began chewing.
“Ugh!” She swallowed with obvious difficulty. “It tastes like salted cardboard. Or that napkin I accidentally took a bite of back in university. Yuk!”
Lia pushed the full plate as far away from her as the table would allow and grabbed her glass in what looked like desperation. The sechiona the first drops of hal’peris touched her lips, her eyes widened again.
“This is fantastic!” The excitement in her tone could rival the one in Cubbie’s eyes as he regarded her discarded plate. “It’s sweet but not too sweet, and it’s cool on my lips and tongue, and–” She looked embarrassed when she saw Dargus watching her with a smile, and swiftly schooled her features. “It’s good.”
“Go, furball,” Dargus told the gluttonous rabbisaurus, knowing that keeping him off that plate was a lost cause.
In a Luvian’s heartbeat, Cubbie had his fuzzy body on the table and his muzzle in the seasoned roots.
“I’ll… I’ll go for something else myself.”
Dargus turned to look at Lia, surprised. She was already sliding the plate with his creation towards her waiting straw. She must be starving.
He couldn’t hold his tail still while he waited for her to take a bite. Would she like his dish? Would she hate it? It couldn’t be worse that the replicated meal but–
A smile spread across her lips. She closed her eyes and moaned.
By the Three’s blessing, she likes it!No, she loved it – why else would she be putting the straw in for a second bite? Dargus knew he was grinning like a fool for no big reason, but… she loved his cooking! He had provided for a female, and she was pleased!
He couldn’t wait to see his brother’s tail tangling at the news. Bargus had failed miserably on that front with his true mate.
It wasn’t long until Lia had eaten everything on her plate, including the larvae she had initially pushed to the side. While Dargus hadn’t touched his food, too transfixed by the sight of the Terran stuffing herself with his creation.
That warmth from earlier blossomed in his chest again.Strange.
“Here.” Dargus pushed his plate towards Lia.
“Oh, no, there’s no need,” she said, while her eyes were fixed on his portion.
