A/N: Sorry this one's so late, life stuff and all that. I'll try harder, I promise.
"You know, I didn't expect you to join us," Jake mused as he idly turned a fishing rod over in his hands. He could feel the curiosity of his partner peaking as she nosed around all the live bait and read through pamphlets of the native fish life. Jeica raised an eyebrow at him and folded her arms.
"Are you kidding me? It's been way too long since I've gotten the chance to relax planetside," she scolded him. "As much as this colony hates to admit it, I do have a life outside of my job."
"Will Mozart be joining us?" Advena asked them distractedly, still tapping the glass tank of squirming worms in fascination.
"Nah. He and I have been… re-evaluating… things." She shifted uncomfortably, which caught Jake off-guard. The last time he'd seen Jeica anything but cool and level-headed was when Glover tried to rape her back on Reveles.
"Would it be too untactful to ask what you mean by that?"
"A couple of days ago, after I got the Queen settled, he brought up the possibility of breaking off our Bond."
"Shit," Jake murmured. That was pretty heavy. "Didn't even think that was possible."
"Queens are able to break the Bonds of her subjects, provided both parties are certain that this is what they want," Advena explained, her curiosity momentarily suppressed by her concern and sympathy. She quickly changed her tune in an attempt to be more comforting, however. "But seeing as you've already grown your telepathy node, Asphid should be able to Bond you to any other Xeno you want without the need for you to be impregnated."
"I dunno, it just bums me out, y'know? Like, you guys and Tyler all have these amazing Bonds with your partners and mine just kinda awkwardly tells me he doesn't want me. Said we're not really compatible or something."
"Well, he is a pacifist," Advena pointed out hesitantly. This was one of those situations where you could just as easily calm someone down as upset them even more. "And you are not only the leader of a sizeable military, but a very skilled fighter. If it's not too bold to say, he may be right in saying you should seek new partners – perhaps someone who will fight by your side will be better suited for you?"
"Yeah, maybe. Jake, what are we still doing here?"
"I wanted to teach 'Vena how to fish human-style."
"Despite the fact that fishing Xenomorph-style is far more efficient."
"Human fishing is way more relaxing," Jake argued, knowing full well that Xeno-style fishing involved diving into the water, speeding away after fish and spearing them with her tail.
"You mean more boring," Advena retorted, knowing full well that human-style fishing involved sitting at the water's edge, staring into the shifting waves and waiting idly for the fish to come to you and get themselves stuck on a hook.
"Ah, forget it then. If you don't wanna fish, and Jeica doesn't wanna fish, then nobody frickin' wants to fish."
"Tyler might wanna fish," Advena suggested hopefully. Partly to cheer him up, and partly to press her defiant stance on mending their relationship. Jake just scoffed at her good-naturedly.
"Tyler? Fish? Come on 'Vee, you and I both know that's never gonna happen. But if it really means that much to you, I'll ask him if he wants to join us on the boat. If nothing else, at least Sal will be able to get out of the house and go for a swim; Tyler tends to keep him cooped up most of the time."
"I'll give him a ring then, shall I?" Jeica inquired, already slipping out her phone. Jake and Advena turned to her curiously as the phone rang a few times, before clicking and giving way to short-breathed huffing.
"Jeica Jeica Jeica!" Tyler cried energetically, causing her to reel back in surprise slightly. "You won't believe what I – oh my gosh, this is huge! Jeica, I – there was – when I – and then Sal – Jeica I've made a breakthrough! A huge, huge breakthrough!"
"Tyler, breathe. Calm down," Jeica soothed him once she'd regained her composure. "Now what the hell are you talking about?"
"I've been trying to figure out how telepathy works for ages now. I always figured it must be some form of radiation or radiation-like energy, and I guess I haven't technically solved that mystery, but the biggest part of discovering this kind of thing is making a receptor. And I made a receptor! I was at a loss until Sal mentioned that Hive resin amplifies telepathic abilities, which is why they coat their homes with it for the Queen and all that. And then I tried it, and I found a chemical shift in the substance every time telepathy is used in its range, likely some form of energy amplification. But – but that's not the most important part. The most important part is the patterns in the shifts are consistent with frequencies and amplitudes – waves! Telepathy utilises waves, Jeica. Do you have any idea what this means?"
Jeica blinked a couple of times, trying to soak that in, and cast a glance at her companions, who all shared her dumbfounded expression.
"Uh…" she tried, but was interrupted by the excitable young scientist.
"It means it can be manipulated, converted, read and predicted, replicated! It – it's huge! I – there's so much I can do! I – I need to get started right away! This is incredible!"
"Whoa… hold on there," Jeica pleaded. "You, uh, sure it can't wait a little? Advena, Jake and I were planning a day on the water, thought you and Sal might want to come along and enjoy Altin for a bit. Y'know, take a break from working or whatever it is you do in that ship of yours." That seemed to finally calm Tyler down, as she received a much more level-headed response from the man.
"Uh, nah, it's alright. You guys go right on ahead, enjoy yourselves."
"Aw, come on Tyler; you have plenty of time to work on your research. Enjoy yourself for a bit."
"It's not that. I just don't like boats."
"Why –"
"Let's just leave it at that, okay? Look, I've gotta go, so you guys have fun out there, alright?" Tyler told them encouragingly, though it sounded awkward coming from his mouth. Jeica tried to reply, but the line went dead. He'd hung up.
"Well, that was weird," Jake commented.
"Weirder than 'usual Tyler'?" Jeica quipped as she adjusted her backpack and made to leave. Jake placed the fishing rod he'd been examining back onto the rack and moved to follow her.
"I guess not. So, if we're not gonna fish, what do you guys wanna do on a boat all day?"
"Eh, swim, sunbathe, read a book, have a few hours of goddamn peace in my life for once. Lunch would be nice too."
"We could've had a fresh fish barbeque," Jake grumbled quietly, eying the door moodily when they stepped outside the hunting and fishing store and into the quiet streets of Altin's colony.
"Don't be such a baby. And if you really wanted to, I could catch several fish much faster than you humans and your silly sticks can," Advena scolded him.
"Let's not start that again," Jeica butted in before they could start arguing once more. "It would be really nice if you could call a truce, just for one day, for me." Jake chuckled, straightened his back, and saluted.
"Understood, ma'am."
"Oh stop that, jackass."
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
Jake took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp, salt-tinged air and sighed in content. There was just something so relaxing about standing on the soft sand of a beach, staring out into the endless expanse of water as the sun reflected brightly off its shifting waves. Advena seemed to share his sentiment, sitting on her haunches with her body pressed against his side.
"It's beautiful," she decided. "It's so strange to see so much water in one place. How far does it go on for?" Jake shrugged.
"Who knows? Every ocean's different. We won't be going too far out though; best to stay where you can see land, just in case."
"Oh boo, you're always so sensible. I thought today was supposed to be a relaxing day."
"I meant it more in the sense that all of us are shit navigators and we didn't bring enough food to spend a week lost in the middle of the ocean."
"Oh, right. No arguments there."
"Ah shit, we're in trouble," Jeica moaned, stepping up beside them. "I just got word Asphid's looking for me. Damn it, I was this close to getting off the hook, can't exactly ignore her though." She sighed, her shoulders sagging while she stared down at the informal T-shirt and broad shorts she was wearing, already replacing them with her officer's uniform in her mind.
"That's bullshit; you told everyone you'd be unavailable – she can't do that!" Jake protested. A dockworker in a high-vis jacket tapped Jeica on the shoulder and informed her the Queen was here, before quickly jogging off to break up an argument between two fishermen. The trio quickly smoothed down their clothes – the two who were wearing clothes did, anyway – and tried to look presentable in their summery swimwear as a Xenomorph Drone who was definitely not the Queen sauntered up to them.
"Greetings, Jeica Smith," Asphid, Queen of the Xenomorphs, acknowledged each of them in turn. It took Jake a second to realise she was body-switched with one of her subjects again.
"Your Majesty," Jeica returned with lukewarm results. Asphid was analysing that, trying to decide whether she was being mocked or if Jeica was struggling to make sense of Xenomorph hierarchy like all humans did when they first met her. It seemed humans had an odd perception of royalty which required fancy titles, the strictest and most uptight behaviour, and a degree of timidness which one would exercise in the face of a superior. All things which Asphid hated, as Xenomorphs firmly believed nobody is objectively superior to another; everyone has strengths, and everyone has weaknesses.
"It makes me uncomfortable when you call me that," she stated bluntly. Jeica nodded awkwardly, feeling her dignity clashing with her current apparel. It didn't feel right to be discussing business formally while clad in anything but her uniform or her armour.
"Is there, uh, a problem, Miss Asphid?" she asked cautiously. The Queen ground her teeth at the persistence in using titles, but let it slide. There would be time to chastise the humans later.
"Not at all, Jeica. I actually heard you were having a day off-duty, and wanted to request to accompany you. It would be beneficial to us if we got to know each other on a casual basis, and I am incredibly eager to have a swim for the first time in my life." Jeica glanced to Jake, seeing as it was his trip, and received an ambiguous gesture.
"Uh… I don't know how to say this politely ma'am," Jeica drawled carefully, slowly bringing her eyes back to the Xeno before her. "But uh, I think you might be a bit too big for the boat." The Drone glanced at itself, then back to the lieutenant.
"I am smaller than this one," she pointed out, motioning towards Advena.
"No, not the Drone, I mean you. The Queen you."
"My body is already ovipositing in the Hive; moving it would be counter-productive. I have been leant this body from one of my most loyal subjects, Yipkar, and he has granted me permission to spend the day in it should you allow me to come with you."
"What the hell does ovipositing mean?" Jake whispered, unheard or ignored as Jeica began speaking again.
"Are you sure you won't be out of range? We're pretty far away from the Hive already…" The Drone tapped his head – er, her head.
"Queens are able to use telepathy over much larger distances than any other Xenomorph. I'll be fine."
"Well, if you say so. Welcome aboard, Miss Asphid. Will your Bonded be joining us?"
"Not today; he doesn't like water. He was raised on a moon base you see, so there was nowhere for him to learn how to swim. I would teach him, but Xenomorph muscle memory doesn't translate well to human. Of course, being the Queen, I could find a human in my Hive who can swim and carry their skills to Abe, but that can be difficult without taking memories along for the ride."
"Well, I'm learning something already," Jake jibed. "But seriously, we should probably get on the boat before someone tries to kidnap us and force us to do our adult responsibilities. Advena and I have finished packing."
And so they boarded their small yacht. It was quite a cosy little thing, with the controls taking residence in the open-roofed fly bridge, underneath which was a small, furnished, indoors area with a couple of couches, a coffee table, and a bench with inset cupboards for utility. The indoors section opened up to the decks via glass sliding doors, allowing access to the rail-enclosed area littered with deck chairs, a set of speakers, a grill and a chilly bin.
"Not bad," Jeica noted as she admired the vehicle. She flopped onto a couch, dropping her bag on the floor next to her and retrieving a book from within. "This is gonna be kick-ass." Jake chuckled at her definition of 'kick-ass' and scaled the steep set of half-ladder-half-stairs onto the fly bridge, Advena hot on his tail.
"A wee bit fancier than what I've seen in the past, but a steering wheel's a steering wheel," he mused. "If I can't find the brakes, I can always swerve us into the nearest beach."
"You are just amazing at inspiring confidence, Jacob," Advena chided him dryly, accompanied by her emotional equivalent of an eye roll. Jake laughed and, once satisfied they were far enough away, cut the engine, letting them drift to a halt amongst the gently-bouncing waves.
"What are we doing first, 'Vee? We can swim, lounge or take the opportunity to chat to our Queen."
"Mmm… cuddling up in the sun sounds like a ball… but, I suppose I am dying to find out more about our newest addition; I want to know what I'm getting into if I decide to join this Hive."
"We," Jake corrected her. "Don't think even for a second that I won't follow you down whatever path you choose. I'll Bond with this Queen if you will." Advena nudged her head into his chest as a form of gratitude, earning herself a loving hug and a gentle hand stroking her dome. She almost went back on her decision and hunkered down for some sun-bathing and cuddles, but Jake was much more resolute than she was. He gently pried his alien girlfriend off and slid down the ladder-stairs after a final, cherishing head-pat. Advena huffed and followed, hopping down to the deck below in one effortless bound, too lazy to use the stairs.
"Howdy lover-boy," Jeica greeted Jake, gracing him with a half-glance before returning to her book. She took up one half of the two couches, lying with her back against the leftmost armrest with her feet on the cushion. Queen Asphid's borrowed body sat idly on the opposite couch, fiddling her hands idly while keeping her gaze occupied by the sparkling ocean. The Xeno slowly turned after hearing Jeica's greeting, offering him an encouraging smile.
"Hey Jeica, Hello… Asphid." Jake felt awkward using such a modest and unassuming name for the effective deity which resided before him, but hesitance aside, she seemed visibly happy at being referred to as such.
"Jacob, was it?" she asked politely.
"Yeah, most just call me Jake though, ma'am."
"And that means you must be Advena. A pleasure to meet the both of you; I've heard much about your exploits."
"Yeah, we kicked the Wey-Yu's ass and freed a bunch of Xenos," Jake sighed, almost dreamily, while inspecting his nails in a sarcastic display of modesty. "No big deal. News travels fast though; you've only been here a day or so."
"It does when you're a Xenomorph. Telepathy, remember?" Asphid reminded him, tapping a claw against her domed head to accentuate her point. "That reminds me; none of you here have joined my Hive, so you may not be aware of a member of your team's… involvement, with our past imprisonments. Tyler, I believe? He was the one who spoke to me in the colony."
"Aaaand it's time for a swim," Jake interrupted, getting to his feet and stretching dramatically. "Because with all due respect, Queen Ashpid, this is our day off, and I refuse to talk about how much of an asshole Tyler is on my day off. Coming 'Vee?"
"Oh man, finally! I've been waiting decades to go for a swim in the ocean! Are there those really colourful rainbow fish here, like on Ha-why-eye?"
"I think you mean Hawaii, darling. And we're about to find out." Jake finished stripping off his t-shirt and dived off the side of the boat, crashing into the lazy waves below. Advena was not far behind him, pouncing off the deck and sailing for a good second or two through the air, before sliding gracefully into the water with her streamlined body.
"Are you going to be joining them?" Asphid inquired curiously. Jeica gave a noncommittal grunt.
"Not really in the mood for a swim today," she replied, retrieving her book. "Besides, salt water sucks. You go ahead and knock yourself out though; have a splash."
"But Jeica, if I am unconscious, won't I drown?" Jeica lowered her book and stared at the Xenomorph with a furrowed brow, trying to glean anything from the expressionless face which stared her back. After a few moments of confused silence, Asphid cracked a grin and flicked her tail, rising to her feet. "A joke, Lieutenant. Enjoy your book." And with that, she skittered over the side, slipping into the water seemingly without disturbing the surface tension whatsoever. Jeica harrumphed at the royal pain in her ass and flicked her book back up.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
"Yo, lover-boy, you guys gonna eat?" Jeica demanded impatiently. Jake cracked an eye open, finding himself lying on one of the deck chairs with Advena's body pressed up tightly to his side, her head resting on his chest and her tail draped over his shins. It was adorable how hard she'd tried to squeeze herself onto the much-too-small piece of furniture in order to stay close to him. He chuckled and rubbed her dome, forcing his other eye open in an attempt to fully awaken himself. He didn't remember taking a nap; the last thing he remembered was taking a break in the pleasantly-warm sun after their swim, on this nice, comfy deck chair. Oh, right.
"Yeah, I could go for a couple of sizzlers," he answered lazily, knowing full well they'd only brought a miniature barbeque and some grillables.
"Mmrf, what are sizzlers?" Advena inquired, yawning the sleep away.
"More importantly, did Jeica just say 'yo'?"
"Hey, you have no idea how hip and cool I am," Jeica scolded him, tossing a spatula into the air so it spun end-over-end a few times. She attempted to catch it, but it bounced off her fingers, forcing her to lunge forward and snatch it up before it could clatter to the floor. She immediately straightened back up, leaned against the wall and grinned slyly like nothing had happened.
"Slick," Jake commented. Jeica jabbed the cooking utensil in his direction in mock-anger.
"Don't forget I can still kill you in twenty different ways with this thing!"
"Yeah? Is one of them death by starvation because you ruined all the sizzlers?"
"I'll have you know I'm excellent at cooking sizzlers. I'm just not really good at the more extravagant stuff."
"Holy shit, somebody stop the press; Jeica is good at putting a sausage on a grill and not burning it, but can't cook when she actually has to do something."
"Yeah, how's this for a sausage?" Jeica raised a closed fist, then pulled the finger with as much flair as she could muster.
"And the trend of Jeica not burning things continues." Jeica chuckled and flipped her spatula again as she made to approach the grill.
"Okay, that was pretty clever actually." She caught the utensil by its handle, smirking victoriously when she did so.
"Thanks, I try." They fell silent for a few moments after that, the gentle swishing of the waves and the sizzling of Jeica's grillables the only sounds which permeated the still, calm air. It was a nice change of pace for the lieutenant, not having to organise thousands of people and conduct interviews to weed out Welyand-Yutani loyalists she didn't know what to do with.
"Something on you mind, ma'am?" she asked idly. "You've been awfully quiet."
"I suppose you could say that," Asphid admitted. "I've just been trying to organise the un-Bonded Xenomorphs; they are very eager to… 'respawn' as they're calling it now. I've been trying to slow them down and get them to use their current bodies to get to know the humans here, pick out someone they know they'll get along with. I don't really want to have to break Bonds because people are rushing into unsatisfying relationships." Jake grimaced and quickly checked his phone. Not wanting to be left out of a convenient excuse to busy herself in a meaningless cop-out task, Advena quickly arranged herself to peer over his shoulder, finding his notification feed suddenly very interesting. Sensing their discomfort, Asphid stiffened. "Oh. Oh, Jeica, I am sorry, I didn't mean –"
"It's fine." Awkward silence fell upon them while Jeica poked the grillables with a sullen expression, like a child poking at their food, unable to eat because of the churning feeling in their stomach. Asphid desperately looked to Jake and Advena for help, but the duo were very purposefully keeping their eyes glued to the phone.
"If… if you would allow it, Jeica, I know each and every Xenomorph under my protection very well. I would be honoured to help you find a more appropriate partner."
"That's okay Asphid. I think I'll just let things unravel naturally. Thanks though. And for Christ's sake Jacob, grow some balls and get off your damn phone."
"Hey, what about her?" Jake demanded, pointing at his girlfriend.
"She can grow some balls too."
"She's right; I literally can," Advena added. "I'd just have to explode out of your chest again to do it."
"Wait, Sal doesn't have balls," Jake protested.
"They're internal, Jake. It makes them less prone to being ripped off by your enemies. Honestly, I'm amazed humankind has survived this long with their only way of reproduction dangling down there in the open."
"You scare me sometimes."
"That's what keeps this relationship fun!"
"Really? I thought it was the constant and passionate sex."
"I mean, that too, but there's just something about lying in the shadows and jumping at someone with your claws out and your teeth bared, making them scream like a prepubescent little boy, which is so hard to beat."
"One time, 'Vee, it was one time."
"Keep putting the steak in those annoyingly-hard-to-open little plastic containers and I'll make it twice."
"The containers keep it fresh for longer!"
"You know full well I'll eat it all well before it will go off."
"Are they usually like this?" Asphid inquired amusedly, tuning out of the little dispute.
"Oh yeah, all the time. I can never really tell when they're actually arguing or just taking the piss. It's usually only afterwards that you can tell; you know, when Jake complains about how his phone is stuck in a ball of resin like – and I quote – 'like the god-damn mosquito from that fucking dinosaur movie'." Asphid chuckled.
"That seems like an abuse of her powers. Also I feel like that would damage the phone."
"Nah, we've got military models. Water-proof, shock-resistant, radiation shielded – the whole kit and caboodle. Advena cling-wraps it first anyway, because she's sweet like that."
"Making sure your cruel and unusual punishments are only temporary is sweet?"
"I was being just a little bit sarcastic." Asphid harrumphed at her and turned her gaze to the bickering couple thoughtfully. Jeica flipped her grillables, then leaned against the wall, following the Xeno's gaze. "It's all in good fun though; they really do care about each other. I've had a few boyfriends in my day, but I've never even seen anything like those two. Maybe because no humans can link their conscious and unconscious minds together for every waking and sleeping moment of their life, but eh. They're good for each other, by which I mean they're just as bad as one another. It's like, Jake's a pain in one of my ass cheeks, and Advena is a pain in the other, so collectively, they're one big pain in my ass, you know what I'm saying?"
"Jeica, I can honestly say I haven't the slightest clue." The lieutenant burst out laughing and returned her attention to the food, her outburst catching the attention of the two lovers, who finally put their little bicker session on hold.
"So what's it like being a Queen, anyway?" Jeica inquired, much to the confused duo's chagrin. Their demands to know what was so funny fell on deaf ears. "Specifically, I've always wondered about the… bigger Xenomorphs. Because I've been told by multiple sources that Xenos choose their Hosts with the intent to romance them, but if you know you're gonna be that massive and your partner's going to be so tiny, does it really matter?"
"I assume you are referring to sex when you ask this question, as size difference tends not to get in the way of having feelings for another. It is not as complicated as it seems, though humans have an irritatingly-persistent and narrow-minded view on monogamy. Normally, a Queen would just borrow another's body in order to couple, but humans seem to be very against the idea of sharing in this manner, so quite simply, coupling is done in the Queen's original body. As you can imagine, the size difference does affect the amount of pleasure one such as I can receive from one as small as you, but that is irrelevant with the Bond, as a Queen may simply tune in to their partner's pleasure and feel it as their own. When I first explained this, the humans of my Hive found it hilarious and aptly summed it up as this: you can cum by thinking about it really hard. Crude, and slightly inaccurate, but it gets the point across. Of course there are other ways in which a little one can pleasure a big one, but when I described them to Abe he neglected to say more than 'freaky' on the matter, so I didn't press it."
"That's disturbing, yet inexplicably enlightening."
"Oh you prudish humans and your narrow views of sex. What is so taboo about physical interactions between two consenting adults? Nobody should have to be ashamed of what makes them feel good."
"It's less about that, and more about what I'm comfortable with. Like, one of my past boyfriends eventually worked up the courage to tell me his kink: he liked a thing called ballbusting. He got off to being hit in the sensitive parts of his sexual organs, painfully. I always felt bad doing it, 'cause, y'know, that's my boyfriend, I like him, I don't want to hurt him like that. I don't judge him for liking it or anything, I just didn't want a part in it, because it kills the mood for me when I'm all guilty and cringing at the pained expression on his face."
"Aw, Jeica is a softie after all," Jake cooed from the sidelines.
"Hey, you ain't my boyfriend, so disrespect me again and I'll gladly plant my foot in your crotch." Jake laughed it off, but quietly crossed his legs, as if to guard the fragile area between.
"I suppose I can understand where you're coming from," Asphid admitted, ignoring the interruption. After a brief pause to consider the appropriateness of the question, she continued. "I wonder then, what are your views on interspecies relationships? And homosexual relationships?"
"I'm gonna be honest here; both kinda gross me out, but as long as it's out of my sight, I'm cool. I will gladly punch the teeth out of anyone who wants to act violently on their opinions though."
"Do I really gross you out, Jeica?" Advena asked timidly, surprisingly enough she sounded a little hurt.
"Of course not 'Vee, just the thought of you and Jake fucking does."
"So," the Queen grunted amusedly, seizing an opportunity to sate her curiosity. She'd wanted to ask about the interspecies couple before, as her Hive had yet to form any, but they had been preoccupied with their argument. "You two are in a romantic relationship. That's quite curious; not many humans are willing to take that extra step."
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty great…" Jake sighed. Advena punched his shoulder lightly, so he elbowed her back as subtly as possible. Advena slapped his butt with her tail, so he elbowed her again. Then, Advena burst into movement, shoving him hard enough to knock him overboard. Splash. She grinned victoriously.
"God damn it 'Vee I'm gonna blue-ball you for a week!" Jake yelled from below.
"He won't be able to resist me for a week," Advena stated smugly.
"Two weeks!" Her face fell.
"Oh shit, he might actually be serious. I'm gonna go help him out now." She quickly scampered over to the railing, leaving Jeica alone with the Queen once more.
"She really doesn't make it easy on me either," Jeica sighed. "Girl's got a sex drive like a Yiffal. She singlehandedly put 'that's what she said' jokes out of style."
"Did Jacob just say he was going to blue-ball a female?" Asphid asked incredulously. "Either I'm misunderstanding human colloquialism, or that didn't make any sense." They waited a few moments in silence. "They're not coming back up for a while, are they?"
"Advena's probably trying to sweet-talk him. They'll probably come up when the food's ready though…" Asphid grimaced, and Jeica did too a second later.
"Jeica, how long are you supposed to –"
"Not this long," Jeica cut her off dejectedly. She grimaced again as she shut off the barbeque and scraped off the charred remains of the grillables. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this one."
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
About an hour later, Jake was sitting opposite Jeica and Asphid with a fresh change of clothes on and an apologetic Advena doing her best to subtly cosy up to him. They were seated in the window booth of their favourite café, bathing in the last of the evening sun which filtered in from the quiet streets beyond. With their food burned, they decided to head back and grab something to eat at a nice, calm food joint. Coming here meant, of course, they were only presented with scones, pies and generic sandwiches to choose from, but that somehow only made it better for Asphid, who was enjoying the normalcy of it all.
The Queen watched as Advena took a small bite from her scone with her inner maw, taking extra notice of how none at the table batted an eye.
"It is… unusual seeing humans so at ease around my kind," she admitted. "You two do not seem fearful or disgusted by any of our traits."
"Well considering –" Jake started, then paused as he remembered the last time he'd been in this café, and the conversation he'd had with Advena. The small joint was empty of customers, but that didn't mean the staff couldn't overhear what was being discussed. "Considering how close Advena and I are now, it's hard to see her the same way I did when we first met."
"I worked as a lieutenant under the USCM for years, which means associating with the worst kinds of Wey-Yu scum; I've gotten good at my poker face. Besides, you guys aren't so bad once you stop murdering innocent people by the dozens." Jake cringed and Advena quickly turned her gaze to the floor, while Asphid refused to break eye contact or show expression. "Too soon?"
"At what point does that become an okay joke to make?" Jake demanded. The group was saved from another period of awkward silence by Advena sliding off her booth seat and onto all fours, stretching out leisurely like a cat.
"Anyyyway, I'm gonna see if Tyler's still up for movie night tonight. It was a pleasure meeting you, Asphid. Coming Jake?" Jake nodded and joined her in finding his feet.
"Seeya tomorrow Jeica, Asphid." The two leaders nodded their farewells and watched the duo leave.
"They seem tense," Asphid noted.
"Yeah, Advena has a bit of a sore spot when it comes to our history. It probably wasn't very tactful of me to bring it up. Not to mention Jacob lost his parents to a Xeno attack. So, you know, there's a bit of tension there; an area they like to avoid for the sake of their relationship. It's kind of cute how even when they're angry, they refuse to use that against one another."
"And what about you? You seem to have no qualms with bringing up the rougher parts of our histories. Do you not hold animosity for what has been done?"
"Nah, not really. Xenos were just doing what was right by them, and humans were doing the same. Nobody could have known that peace was possible between us. Besides, if anyone's to blame it's the Wey-Yu for spreading you guys so much. As harsh as it sounds, if they had opted to destroy your kind, they could easily have done so and spared millions of human lives." Asphid remained silent, staring out the window into the darkened, near-empty streets thoughtfully. Jeica definitely held a grudge but, true to her word, not against the Xenomorphs; that much the Queen could tell from her tone. "But if I'm honest with you," Jeica continued, surprising Asphid a little, causing her to jump and return her attention to the human. "I'm kinda glad things worked out the way they did. Those people didn't die in vain – in a way, they sacrificed themselves for you, to give your kind a chance at survival. Kind of ironic, really."
"I suppose you're right," Asphid agreed. After all, the humans could have, as the lieutenant said, wiped them out long ago, but didn't. The humans gave the Xenomorphs Hosts to reproduce with (granted, without the consent of said Hosts) and the means to spread across the galaxy, or a small part of it anyway. And now, the humans were providing food, home and company, as well as a place in their society, the latter two being incredibly important. As a symbiotic organism, Xenomorphs lacked culture of their own and relied heavily on their Host species for luxury, entertainment, breeding, technology, science, companionship and advancement. To have the humans' cooperation truly was the greatest gift which could be offered. She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard a wet sniff.
"Heh," Jeica chuckled, wiping her nose with her wrist. She was thankful that the café was empty bar them and the staff now, as this wasn't a condition she wanted people to see her in. Somehow, it felt alright when it was just her and the Queen. Asphid stared at her with concern, sitting upright and inadvertently removing some of the distance between them. "Can't help but think about all those people… all those men and women I've seen… I've commanded, even…" She leant her elbows on the table and buried her face in her palms, rubbing her eyes with her fingertips to get rid of the tears before they could form. "Ah fuck. I just can't believe… I've seen people kill themselves with grenades, only able to hope they'll take one of you down with them. I've seen people trying to fight off hoards of aliens alone just to give their friends a chance. I've seen pilots kamikaze their planes into colonies to wipe out Hives, I've seen people order nuclear strikes on themselves, I've seen people carve out their own fucking chests with combat knives to kill the embryo inside them. Isn't it funny, Ashpid? They tried so fucking hard to kill you guys, and in the end, those sacrifices led us here, to peaceful coexistence. Isn't that funny?"
"No, not really."
"No, not really," Jeica conceded dejectedly. "So many fucking good people… fucking Wey-Yu fucked them all. All those pricks needed to do was fucking talk to you. Fuck." Asphid, for her part, didn't bother doing a double-take. It didn't matter to her how they had suddenly spiralled down to this, what mattered was that someone was on the verge of a mental breakdown right in front of her. So she shuffled closer, nudged Jeica's arm out of the way and pulled her close to her chest, wrapping her large arms around the human's back. Jeica sighed and rested her head against the Queen's chest, finding herself oddly appreciative of the affectionate hug, but uncomfortable with the notion of returning it. Asphid didn't mind, and simply hummed gently while she considered what to say next. Jeica was a grown woman; she didn't need to hear she was under a lot of stress, and that piling up more work to distract herself from her own problems didn't solve anything; undoubtedly, the human knew this already, and telling her would come off as patronising. Instead, Asphid settled for:
"Let's get you home."
"Yeah. That's a good idea."
