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“Thanks, Qat,” Dyrel said.
Drawing room?
Of course, this building had a drawing room. It probably had several of them. What was the purpose of a drawing room anyway? Did people really draw in them?
Calm down. You’re panicking.
I took a deep breath as Dyrel led me past standing Titan statues adorned in traditional armor. Swords and other ancient weapons dotted the walls.
I entered that state where your eyes tried to take in everything, and in doing so, ended up taking in nothing. I must have looked like a rabbit in headlights.
“Watch out for Brislax,” Dyrel said, leaning in close to whisper. “He can be quite… grabby.”
“Who’s Brislax—?” I said before a huge Titan wrapped his arms around me. Then he ran his hands down my body and squeezed my waist.
Grabby was an understatement.
“You must be Vicky!” Brislax said, grinning with his stained yellow teeth.
“All right,” Dyrel said, before easing his uncle off my arm. “Hands off. She’s mine!”
Brislax peered down at the location of his hands and seemed surprised to see them there.
“I apologize,” he said. “We’re just so excited to see Dyrel finally settle down!”
Suddenly, all eyes were on me. They looked me over head to foot. Their reactions were diverse and wide-ranging. Snooty sniffs from some of the women, others smiles were friendly, and most of the men leered at me with a crooked grin on their faces the way the uncle was.
Dyrel took me from one meaty or dainty hand to another. He hurled a bunch of foreign-sounding names at me. I sure hoped he didn’t expect me to memorize any of them. I grinned and smiled, and only answered questions when they were directed at me.
“Yes, I’m from Earth,” I would say.
“No,” I’d reply, “we don’t live in caves anymore.”
“Our children don’t mature until they’re at least eighteen,” I’d reply, “but it usually takes longer for men than women.”
Sometimes they laughed, sometimes they snorted, and often the women preferred to gulp their drinks and say nothing at all.
Then everyone stopped. They parted, leaving a pathway through them like the Red Sea, leading to a delicate elderly lady. She looked very distinguished with her pearl necklace. She was clearly Dyrel’s mother. She had a smaller, feminine version of his face.
With the family circling us, I felt like I’d just been tossed to the lions in the Coliseum.
I scrabbled around inside my empty head for what the Titan customs were for something like this.
I came up blank.
What was I supposed to do?
Was I supposed to perform some kind of ritual? The dance? Was I supposed to say something?
Nothing came to mind.
She came to a stop in front of me and ran her eyes over my face, studying every detail. I decided to do what came naturally.
I curtsied.
She seemed taken aback. She glanced at the other guests before a smile broke across her lips.
“A custom of Earth, I take it?” she said.
