The two days that followed were hell as Dha-viath did whatever she could to avoid Baines. She spent more time with Alec, going over design and blueprints which, to his chagrin, she found a couple of inconsistencies and several ways to improve the general efficiency of the structure's power grid and plumbing. Dara and her posse of friends had begun following her around a bit more, most of them equally as curious and inquisitive. Mostly they seemed interested in her hunting stories, which luckily there was no shortage of. She did her best to leave out the especially gruesome details, though it seemed they found such things especially interesting.
More members of the colony were beginning to wonder about Dha-viath the longer she was there, particularly the parents of the children who most frequently flocked to her. In response to the questions and concerns, Andrea and Meagan asked if Dha-viath would be willing to come to a dinner they would prepare, and they would invite some of the others to meet her. The initial thought put knots in her stomach but she knew it would be necessary if she was to continue being welcome there. It was difficult for her to go out of her way to speak with anyone unless they came to her first, so mostly her social interactions were limited to Alec, Andrea, Meagan, Baines, and the children.
Dha-viath arrived early and was somewhat disappointed that her brother had declined the invitation, he seemed to be wrestling with his own demons she had noticed. When Andrea opened the door to their domicile, which was larger than many others, she stared for a moment at her clothes.
"I forgot you don't have much to wear…" The doctor murmured. Dha-viath looked down at herself.
"What? These clothes are clean…I was shown how to use the sanitizer…"
"No, no…clean isn't the problem. Come on, I think I have something that might be more suitable." Andrea pulled her in and led her through to the back where the sleeping quarters were. Meagan had been in the kitchen while Dara appeared to be assisting with food preparation.
In the bedroom, Andrea opened a closet and began looking through the clothing that was hanging there, periodically glancing at Dha-viath, pursing her lips or shaking her head before she resumed searching. Finally, she pulled out a long, dark green garment and held it up against her front before nodding with approval at last.
"I think this will do." She declared. "Is it alright with you to wear a dress?"
"You may have failed to notice what I was wearing when I came in…"
"Ah, right. Well…here." She handed Dha-viath the dress and then turned away. There was a brief moment of confusion before Dha-viath realized Andrea had turned away to furnish privacy, something humans had a very different take on from the Yautja. She was not ashamed of her nakedness, she'd grown accustomed to the fact no one particularly cared how clothed an individual was or not.
Quickly she stripped down and pulled on the dress, which hugged her form. Andrea was of a somewhat slighter build, and was shorter, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Her friend turned around and smiled.
"That looks nice on you, much better than the work clothes. This is supposed to be a nice evening." She explained. "What size shoe do you take?"
"I…I don't know." Dha-viath looked down at her bare feet for a second. Shoes were for utility of some sort only. When not on the hunt, nearly everyone was barefoot; Yautja had very resilient feet.
"Hm. You look maybe close to Meg." Andrea opened the other closet, bending to rummage around and came out with simple black shoes with no ties or buckles. "Try these." Not wanting to appear badly, Dha-viath complied and found that the shoes were a little loose, but fit well enough to stay on. "Perfect…and well, there's nothing to be done about your hair, so we don't have to worry about that."
"Is something wrong with my braids?"
"No! No that isn't what I meant." Andrea patted her arm. "Come on, you can help Dara prep."
Without a word, Dha-viath followed, uncertain of what to expect for the evening. In the kitchen, Dara seemed to be sulking about something and said nothing even as she began helping with cutting vegetables.
"That color really suits you, Dha-viath." Meagan commented and Dha-viath smiled, pleased at the compliment. It was interesting, she thought, that humans would with some regularity say complimentary things to one another for no reason other than to make the other person feel more positive in some way. No Yautja had ever said such a thing to another about their garments, the thought of it alone was ludicrous; Dha-viath almost laughed just at the very notion.
Covertly, she also observed the interactions between her hostesses, the way they helped one another, the look they each got when gazing upon the other, even words of encouragement mixed in their mundane discussion of the weather and snags in building plans. It was a partnership built on trust and mutual respect as well as affection. They seemed so happy, it made her wonder about the nature of conflict in human relationships. Though not the same, she and Nracha-dte had had numerous disagreements and altercations.
The other guests began to arrive and in all there were six people that made up three couples, all of which had children though none of the children had come. Perhaps that was the reason for Dara's disgruntled mood. Dha-viath was introduced to them as they arrived and was relieved that the only revelations about her had been that she had grown up on another planet, raised by another people. They were genial and brought various dishes of food to contribute to the meal.
"I did not know I was supposed to contribute any food to your dinner…" She whispered to Meagan, who smiled, shaking her head.
"Don't worry about it, you didn't have to."
"I'd like to contribute as much as anyone else…"
"Truly. You're our guest, besides, you helped with the prep; that is plenty." Meagan patted her on the shoulder and they all sat down to eat.
"I imagine you must be bombarded all the time with questions." A dark-haired woman called Anna spoke up first as they began.
"Not all the times, no…" Dha-viath shook her head. "I have only been here a few days."
"No one saw you arrive." Anna's husband, Robert, commented.
"Well, Commander Baines tranquilized me and brought me in unconscious." She replied simply, taking a bite of casserole. Six sets of eyes grew very round and concerned while Andrea had her hand over her face. "He initially believed I was a threat."
"Why?" She wasn't sure who'd asked.
"Well, some weeks ago I tried to kill him." She gave a shrug as their expressions seemed to grow more comical. "I was not successful."
"Um…" Anna looked to be trying to formulate another question.
"It was a misunderstanding. I had not seen humans in decades." Dha-viath tried to smile reassuringly, but wasn't sure it was working. "I haven't tried to kill anyone else, if that is your concern."
"N-no…it is just that you have a very relaxed attitude about it." Victor, who was seated the farthest from her, spoke up. "Most would not have admitted to…attempted murder."
"There are a great many differences between your culture and mine."
"Murder is acceptable in your culture?" He asked in a surprisingly non-confrontational way.
"No, our laws are strict, but our life is for the hunt." Dha-viath explained.
"For sport?" Anna asked. "Trophies?"
"Yes." She nodded.
"Dha-viath, you don't have to…" Andrea started.
"No, doctor. I will not hide what I am. I am not here to walk and talk like you and pretend to be like you. I had thought to keep my nature concealed to make a better impression on the colonists here, but I realize now that I cannot do that, I cannot be accepted for something I am not." Her voice was firm and sure, she felt more sure, and it seemed she was in the midst of that epiphany right then. "Our lives are centered on war and the hunt, there is little else that matters and everything we do is to further that existence, to perpetuate it."
"And…you're happy with that?" Someone else said.
"You must remember, we are different…the goals you have, the ideals in your mind of what makes for a good, satisfying life…are not the same for everyone. I am satisfied that I can crush my enemies, I am satisfied that I can hunt dangerous prey and add its skull to my collection. Those things make me happy."
"Is there nothing else? Family? Companionship?" This time it was Meagan who spoke up.
"That is a complicated question for me, because I am not fully of one people or the other. I am here and have remained here because I need to better understand the people I first came from so that I can know truly where it is I belong."
By the end of the dinner, Dha-viath felt as though a weight was lifted from her, she didn't need to hide or be ashamed of the parts of her that were Yautja. They found her fascinating and frightening, but they knew also that she was not a danger to them or, more importantly, their children.
"You can keep the dress, Dhavi, it looks better on you anyway." Andrea told her.
"What? But it is yours…" She looked down at herself. She did rather like how it looked.
"Really, I insist. It's much better on you."
"It is." Meagan whispered loudly from behind Andrea, who frowned at her, but smiled, shaking her head. "Keep the shoes, too. I've never worn them!"
"Thank you…you are both most generous…"
"You're welcome…it's what friends do…they help each other." Andrea patted her on the shoulder. "You can come here any time if you need anything."
"Thank you again…tell Dara I said goodnight."
Dha-viath left, wandering through the dark pathways of the colony, lit only periodically by a lamp post here and there. From the beginning, she had expected glares and scathing remarks. Everything she'd known to be true told her they would shun her and ultimately drive her away or try to kill her. Her mind hadn't been changed about humans as a species, but she believed now that there were groups of them that were good.
She had more to offer them than simply being an extra pair of hands to assist with building their school, if she could get her things back, she could give them a botanical analysis of the plant life on most of the planet, the data of which would otherwise take them decades to acquire. Even basic topological scans and organism reports would help them immensely.
Tomorrow, Dha-viath decided, she would ask for her belongings back. They had no reason now to keep them from her. She'd slip away to her ship to get her spares, but she was still being watched by tower guards. Would they shoot? She wondered.
"Thinking about leaving?" Baines asked. She'd heard him approaching this time and cast him a mildly annoyed glance.
"Do you have nothing better to do at night besides creep around in the dark?" She replied.
"It's my responsibility to keep an eye on you." He gave a shrug. "You've been here only a week."
"That long already?" She kept walking. "Tomorrow I would like my belongings returned to me."
"So you are planning to leave."
"I'm not, but I can offer far more valuable information if I have my own devices available to me. Our technology is well advanced beyond current human capabilities. I could save your researchers years…"
"You would just do that? For no trade off?"
"No." She said quietly. "But I have seen that as reckless as humans are, some can be good. That is enough for me to offer some assistance."
"That is generous." He murmured as they walked for a moment in silence.
"Why do you not have a female?" Dha-viath asked him suddenly, feeling a little bold.
"What?" He halted and stared at her as though somehow she'd asked a complicated question regarding the intricacies of quantum mechanics.
"You have no pair bond, true?"
"True…" The look on his face suggested he was suspicious of some sort of trap.
"I am simply asking why." She gave a shrug. He made a small, irritated noise in the back of his throat at the invasive question. It was no less invasive than the microscope she'd been under for the past week.
"It was never in the cards for me." He growled and continued walking. She trotted alongside him though.
"Have you found no suitable mate or sex partner?"
"There have been suitable…partners." Baines tossed her a glare.
"And what is suitable?"
"Why are you asking?"
"I would consider you to be a suitable partner." Dha-viath shrugged. "I have seen the females here, even the soldiers, and I far surpass them in skill and strength, would I not be suitable?"
"Are you drunk?" He stopped and turned toward her.
"Certainly not."
"I am too old and you are too young." He huffed.
"Age is a factor?" She frowned. "I am undesirable because I am younger than you? That doesn't make sense, I am well beyond the human age of majority. There are no social or legal repercussions for having sex with me. Biologically speaking, I am at a peak condition for fertility. Well, theoretically."
"I didn't say you weren't desirable…I'm an old man…"
"Has your virility declined? I would not expect so in one of your stature and physical fitness to experience such complications…" She glanced at his groin.
"No! Virility is…not an issue…" He made another frustrated noise. "What happened to being bashful and red-faced and avoiding eye contact like the last couple days?"
"I learned tonight that I am acceptable as I am to most, I do not need to pretend or hide myself; under ordinary circumstances I am not shy or meek. I did not like being so amongst the colonists here, but I was afraid. I am not afraid anymore."
"Great." He muttered.
"Your excuse that I am too young is irrelevant. Nracha-dte is several hundred years old by Terran standards and he has no such qualms about my age." She scoffed. "With that obstacle removed, what is left that keeps you from giving in to that basic need?"
"Dhavi…"
"Do you think that I would not be pleasurable to touch? That because I have never been with a human I might lack the skill to…satisfy you?" She stepped closer.
"I don't doubt your skill…" His breath came a little faster.
"I was fearful before that my desire to experience your body would be rejected, and so I fought against it." She'd taken control back of the situation, and feeling like herself once more, her confidence had returned, as well as her acute analysis of the physical responses of others. "So…you know now that should you decide, I will accept your advances."
"I see." He shifted a little.
"Though, whether you desire sex or not, there is something I am curious about that I think you can help me with." She smirked.
"And that is?" Baines looked dubious, as though asking was in and of itself dangerous.
"Well…" Absently, she touched her lips, sort of staring into the distance. "When two people are affectionate, and they put their lips together…"
"Kissing?" He offered with a slight frown. Dha-viath nodded. She'd seen several variations in the last seven days ranging from quick on the cheek, quick on the lips, to long and deep when the couple thought no one was looking.
"Yes…Yautja do not quite possess the ability as their facial skeletal structure is vastly different from that of humans…" She mused.
"Alright."
"What?" She blinked, looking toward him again, but before she quite knew what was happening, Baines had grabbed her, pulling her close. He tilted her chin up and pressed his lips to hers, and she inhaled sharply, clutching his shirt. His beard and mustache rasping gently on her skin. The sensation somehow served to heighten her sense of touch. Baines parted his lips, the tip of his tongue lightly traced her bottom lip. A warm glow at her center expanded and throbbed and Dha-viath opened for him, leaning closer as his arms went around her. His tongue stroked hers and she responded in kind, the feeling far more potent and enticing than her imagination could have predicted. The embrace deepened, and she put her hands in Baines' hair, just then, with no effort at all, he hoisted her up, her legs going around his waist.
She gasped and pulled back, meeting his gaze.
"Indeed, virility does not appear to be a problem for you." She breathed. When he pulled her a little harder against him, the solid ridge met with her bare flesh, as she wore nothing beneath the dress. She gave a quiet groan and her confidence faltered. A strange, excited apprehension wrapped around her, enough so that she dropped her legs, forcing him to release his hold. "Goodnight, Baines." She tugged the dress down the rest of the way and quickly slipped away into the shadows.