[Please join me in thanking the awesome Marina Black1, whose beta work has helped keep this fiction on track time and again. She is a great sounding board, and I appreciate her patience with me. You all should too. :) And remember, my pretties: the more you write, the more I write! I love your feedback.]
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Drake took on the role of personal security detail very seriously. He insisted that he be the first out the door Saturday morning, and watched with all the vigilance of a new parent as Roman led Emery onto the street. Julia and Lukas followed, and Sophia trailed behind, closing the door behind them. Emery couldn't help a small giggle, surrounded by this entourage of Atrian and human friends.
"Really Drake, this is so unnecessary. I've been in the Sector before. Remember?" She rolled her eyes at Roman, but he also seemed to have lost all sense of humor. Emery looked for Julia then, instead. Surely her irrepressible friend would agree with her that this was all overkill. Instead, she caught sight of Sophia's expression - and that, alone, finally sobered Emery.
"I don't get it," she finally confessed to Roman. "I'm not trying to be ridiculous; I know I'm not the Trags' favorite human... but I really thought your speech had changed things."
"I hope so," he replied, "But we can't be sure. Even if it had an impact, I suspect real change will take more time. Emery, remember that nobody knows you're the one who saved me; not yet. That's our goal today. To get them to see you as I see you," he reached out and squeezed her hand gently. He wanted his people to meet the real Emery Whitehill: the girl who had fought for Atrians even when they wanted nothing to do with her, who had saved Roman's life when he was just a strange little boy and again, years later, after the pair had discovered their own hopes and dreams mirrored in each other. He desperately wanted them to do what he had done: to fall in love with her.
Roman's words helped Emery understand the full weight of his expectations for the day. Her palms started to sweat. She stopped suddenly, causing Lukas to nearly collide with her – and Sophia to actually collide with him. The two of them giggled, embarrassed, as he caught her in a gentle hug and reluctantly returned her to her feet.
"Roman, I can't do it," Emery whispered tremulously. She looked at him and her eyes pleaded for his forgiveness.
"What do you mean?" Roman had not expected Emery to get cold feet. She was fearless. Always.
"What if they hate me? I might say something stupid or offensive. What if they start to think of you poorly because I mess everything up?" She was trembling now; the Atrians needed Roman, she was absolutely certain he was the best thing for his people. She didn't want to ruin that for him. When she had spoken out all those times before, she had only been responsible for her own reputation. This was very different.
Roman struggled to answer her. He glanced at their friends, hoping for assistance: Julia was actively staring up at the clouds overhead, whistling tunelessly. No help there. Lukas and Sophia were not even listening: they were caught up in their own private universe, it seemed. Drake cleared his throat and spoke.
"Emery, the fact that you're worried about it proves you can't mess it up," he pointed out. He smiled at her. "I know I gave you both a hard time at first, but you're the best thing that ever happened to Roman. Our people need to see that. And if you just act like yourself, they will, I promise," he vowed to her.
Something about the tall Atrian's deep voice and expressive eyes calmed Emery. She could see why Taylor had fallen for him so hard. She nodded silently, bit her lip to mask her apprehension, and stepped forward again.
Roman decided to start with a soft target; a walk down one of the larger boulevards, where families congregated in the mornings to make their grocery purchases. He knew Emery's easy rapport with children would go over well in that crowd.
She did not disappoint. No sooner had they rounded the corner than Emery slipped away to crouch down by a little girl eyeing a bowl of goldfish at one of the stands. She chatted easily with the girl, who was eager to practice the English she had been learning in Sector school. Roman stepped up to the girls parents – who were watching the exchange apprehensively.
"Yakson," he greeted them, introducing himself. The young couple were eager and honored to meet their Iksen in person. They had not been in the plaza yesterday, but their neighbors had gone and were impressed by Roman's words. He smiled.
"Please let me introduce you to the human who saved my life," he told them, reaching out for Emery. She stood and greeted the couple warmly, telling them what a lovely and charming child they had.
"The English teacher at the Sector school is doing an excellent job," she added, and the mother beamed. Roman chuckled.
"Emery Whitehill, allow me to introduce you to Anton and his wife, Tara. Who is the English teacher at the Sector school." Emery blushed beautifully.
"Oh my god - I really didn't know!"
"It's okay," Tara laughed, smiling at Emery warmly. "Thank you for the compliment. And thank you for saving our Iksen. We are so grateful to you." Emery was taken aback by their sincerity, and spoke without thinking.
"I had no choice," she said honestly. "I did what anyone in my place would have done."
The Atrian couple smiled knowingly at each other.
Within a few minutes, Roman and Emery had attracted a small crowd. Drake was beside himself with anxiety. There were too many people to track; he finally tapped Lukas to help him keep an eye on the star couple. Sophia and Julia decided to wander ahead and spread the news to those that would be most sympathetic, seeding the audience around Emery and Roman. Sophia helped Julia identify which families were known as ardent supporters of Nox and his ideals.
To Emery, the rest of the morning passed in a blur. It was like being bathed in warm silk, to discover just how much the Atrian community really loved Roman - and to see that with his implicit approval, they were ready and willing to love her, too.
Toward the end of the morning, a whisper started to float among the shopkeepers and patrons of the open-air market. Sophia finally caught wind of the whispered word, and her face blanched as she considered whether or not to tell Roman. Maybe he had already heard? She looked for her brother, and caught him blissfully watching Emery as she practiced counting in Sondiv with a gaggle of children. She was fully engaged with the youngsters, but to Sophia – to anyone watching, really - it was clear that a part of her still rested with Roman. From this distance, Sophia could finally see why that particular word was haunting the crowd.
Roman and Emery moved together seamlessly; to watch them was to watch the dance of the heavens, a pair of binary stars circling each other, feeding off each other's gravity.
The people could hardly be blamed for surreptitiously referring to the pair as "Iksayan".
Sophia bit her lip and stared around at the crowd fearfully. She tried to gauge reactions, to see if there were any upset faces. Panicking quietly to herself, she wondered how long it would take for this news to get back to the Hwatab… and how they would react.
