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“Um, call me Ven.”
“Of course, Ven. Would you like to know what we do here?”
“Sure. That would be helpful.”
He smiled. “Please, come in, and I will walk you through the process.”
He showed her how they took raw emeralds, ultrasonic cleaned them, did assessments for the quality, and then showed her the computers that worked out the cut angles and the grinding wheels that did a lot of the work.
He had different gems in different stages of processing, and it was helpful for her to understand the process.
“What do you do with them once you are done?”
“We catalogue them and give them to Kai. She puts the identification on the stones and sends them to inventory where they are sorted, and orders are filled for shipping around the world.” Manu chuckled. “Only a few hundred per year, but our island is thriving, and the young that go to the mainland for school come home at a rate of over eighty percent.”
“And guys like Solai’s husband are couriers for delivery.”
Kai grinned. “Exactly. The alphas line up for that. They get a chance to get out and travel a little. Some bring mates home.”
Ven smiled. “Some punch sharks.”
Kai blinked. “Aw, she told you about that? It was so sweet. It is a legendary gesture around here.”
“It sounds adorable.”
They thanked Manu and wandered over to the custom design area. Kai asked, “What was the sweetest thing that Syar did for you?”
“Um, we went swimming in the pool with everything glowing around us.”
“He took you to the sacred pool, and the flowers and water glowed?” Kai spoke slowly.
“Yeah, it was pretty.”
“Wow. What else? Romantic moments? Sweet gestures?”
“Uh. We signed a contract for me to be here for a year?” She saw Kai’s disappointed face. “He arranged local clothing for me?” She looked down at her sports bra. “Yesterday?”
Kai sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”
“I am sorry. I don’t expect anything because... well... I just don’t.”
“Bad relationships in your past?”
“One could say so.”
They looked at the area with designs pinned to the walls. Some were delicate, some were sturdy, and some looked heavy as hell. Kai introduced her to Lagi, the designer.
They chatted for ten minutes before Syar walked up with a box in his hand. “Venetia, you might want to go with Kai for some coffee or a snack.”
“Right. I am to bugger off.” She turned on her heel, and Kai joined her, guiding her to the commissary.
There were a lot of snacks, but when she picked one and swiped her new chip, the vendor shook her head.
Kai blushed. “There isn’t an account linked to your chip yet.”
“Okay.”
“It’s fine. What do you want?”
