One Day At A Time
Inspiration: Imaginary Friends By- Tove Lo
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Amani and I were best friends by the end of the day. I wasn't sure how long I'd been in space, but it was refreshing to have another human to talk to. One that understood exactly what you were going through, and wouldn't judge you for saying you were tired as shit. We had talked for hours, about the Yautja culture and about their mannerisms as well. Amani still wasn't too sure about Kwei-Bhu'ja specifically, since he wasn't a normal Yautja. Since the SY were considered their own subspecies by the Yautja, they didn't have to follow the same rules laid out by elders and arbitrators.
Although, since having our little sex conversation about Kwei-Bhu'ja, I had found a way to get right under his skin. She told me that touch was one of the very basic gestures you could use to show a Yautja what you wanted, sub-species or not. Whether to fight, be consoled or be intimate, every touch had a specific meaning.
Essentially meaning, that if I touched him just about anywhere on his body without showing aggression, he'd practically give into any of my demands, because it held the possibility of sex for him. More so because he didn't have any stigma's surrounding him about having sex with a human. And per Amani, he wanted it bad.
Amani had ended up talking me into walking around the market with her, Kwei-Bhu'ja and Tarei'hsan-Thwei trailing behind us, giving each other the occasional shoulder bump to try and stay one step ahead of the other. We walked with our arms linked to one another while we picked up random trinkets at each stall, and tried on jewelry. As we continued to walk some ways ahead of the 2 Yautja, a fat man stepped in front of us, blocking our path.
He was shorter than me, but slightly taller than Amani, and he wore a million rings on his fingers. He was an off yellow color to his skin, and it shone in the light of the sun looking like he was about to start sweating at any minute, whether from the heat or because that's just the way his skin was. He had a humanoid face, but there were 4 eyes staring me down. Before I could continue my observation of the man, a flash of the most beautiful outfit I'd seen all day crossed in front of my eyes.
He was hold the outfit out to his side, trying to display the garment for me to get a better look. The outfit was in two pieces, made up of a bikini style top, and a billowing borderline sheer skirt. The whole outfit was a deep burgundy red, and the skirt bled into a rich black color at the bottom. The top had a few gold jewels lining the straps, and a tassel looking embellishment hanging down the front of it. The overall effect had me wishing I was a gypsy. AND wishing I had money to buy the outfit. Or whatever they used as currency on this planet.
I looked to the man's face as he began speaking, trying to avoid direct eye contact with EITHER pairs of his eyes. The translator in my skull didn't register a thing he said, so I just stood silently admiring the clothes as Amani began arguing with the man in his language. He was blocking the path for us to walk away, clearly seeing that I was interested in the outfit he held. Amani said something to the vendor, and he recoiled as if physically smacked. A dark look settled on his face, and I could feel Amani tense her muscles, prepared to retaliate if the need arose.
Very slowly a shadow loomed over our bodies, blocking the sunlight and effectively sending the vendor scurrying back into whatever stall he came from. We both turned to see Kwei-Bhu'ja staring off in the direction the man had run off to, growling lowly in his chest. Soon after Tarei'hsan stepped up beside him, giving a quick nod in Amani's direction. The boys pushed their way past us, and continued the walk now effectively leading the way and shielding us from pesky vendors.
Before we knew it, the sun was beginning to set and Kwei-Bhu'ja was tapping away on his wrist gauntlet, looking about ready to burst out of his own skin. He'd turned quickly to me, dreads whipping around behind him, and leveled me with a hard stare.
"We're leaving. Kuj'hade and Thwei-Sain'ja are back on the ship."
Amani had wanted me to stay a few days on the planet, since her and Tarei'hsan would be staying until his negotiations for ship parts went through, allowing us to talk more about the Yautja and what I could expect (considering the 3 aliens I was stuck with weren't too keen on giving me any kind of information.) Before Kwei-Bhu'ja could fully turn to walk away, I reached out and placed my hand on his forearm gently, and he immediately froze in place.
It was the first time I'd ever voluntarily touched him since being taken from Earth. The feeling was as much of a shock to me as it was to him, as if even I wasn't expecting the contact despite planning this exact moment in my head. I stared at my hand, where my skin met his. I was expecting hard scales, like a giant lizard, dry and scaly possibly, but his skin was much smoother than that. I could still feel slight ridges to his skin, but they were less defined feeling than they looked.
I slowly swiped my thumb along the taut muscle under his skin, and it gave the smallest twitch in response. It felt like I was trapped in that moment for hours, staring down at our point of contact, warmth radiating from his skin to soak into my fingers, when I began to register a low rumble break through the fog that had enveloped my mind. My eyes slowly worked their way up his arm, admiring the way the leather armor was shaped, fitting every contour of his upper body perfectly.
When my eyes reached his mask, I realized he was looking at me. I could feel his intense gaze through the deep black eyes, and it sent a sharp static feeling straight down my spine. It's that feeling again. The one I felt just before we left the reserve planet. I didn't know If I wanted to stand there and stare into his eyes until I figured out exactly what this feeling was, or if I wanted to run as far away as I could until I found a nice rock to lay under until the feeling just went away entirely.
Either way, it was too late for plan B. I'd already put my "sex as bait" plan into motion, and by the way Kwei-Bhu'ja was looking at me, and the feeling that every muscle in his body was tightly coiled, prepared to somehow fight to get me into his bed, he wouldn't let me go back on my plan anyway.
I cleared my throat nervously, keeping my hand placed lightly on his arm, subconsciously continuing to run my thumb along his forearm.
"I was wondering…if we could stay on the planet for a few more days. Amani is super cool, and I just wanted to stay and talk with her for a while longer."
God I sounded like a teenager asking her dad if she could go to a party at some boy's house. I could feel Kwei-Bhu'ja tense just the slightest, his heart beat steadily thumping in his veins, helping me to ground myself in the decision he made. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if he said no, I could always collaborate with Amani on a way to get the boys to get along long enough to go to a reserve planet together. Maybe.
"Won't have enough to trade for a longer docking. The ship needs to move away from the planet."
My heart sank as the words left his mouth. I glanced over to Amani, and I could tell we shared the same thought. When would I be able to see her again. My only consolation laid in the fact that he hadn't outright refused my request. I let out the breath I hadn't known I'd been holding, letting my hand slide away from Kwei-Bhu'ja's arm. I stared at my feet, prepared to admit defeat and just wish Amani farewell before I became too attached, when Tarei'hsan made a small chuffing noise beside her, the Yautja's equivalent to clearing their throat.
He seemed completely hesitant to speak, either because he realized he really didn't want to now that he had our full attention, or that he didn't know how the information would sit with any of us. I wasn't really concerned. Hell, if it could get me to stay be Amani's side for a few more days and learn as much as possible about my SY companions, I'd be on cloud nine.
"Our…clan ship is positioned close by the planet. Is my place to invite to clan ship on behalf of Sain'ja Amani for you as guests."
Immediately it was like a cold front swept its way across the space we stood in. I could practically feel the air around Kwei-Bhu'ja freeze over, and in response Amani and Tarei'hsan stiffened.
"Will inform hunt brothers."
Kwei-Bhu'ja turned quickly and walked some ways away to begin furiously tapping on his wrist gauntlet. I sidled my way to Amani's side, and cast my eyes to Tarei'hsan.
"Thank you" I said softly, giving him a nod of gratitude. He rumbled deep in his chest, acknowledging me as he stared at Kwei-Bhu'ja's back. I hooked my arm with Amani's, leaning in to speak.
"What the hell was that all about?" Amani stared after Kwei-Bhu'ja before turning to me again.
"From what I've learned so far about the SY, this invitation is not to be taken lightly. Kwei-Bhu'ja could either take it as an insult that Tarei'hsan would invite 3 subspecies Yautja to his clan ship, in hopes that they would be overwhelmed and killed. Or he could consider it a grand opportunity to breed with females.
Apparently not many SY are born female. The more abundant normal Yautja like Tarei'hsan have scores of women, while SY females come by the handful. And considering theirs are stronger than normal Yautja, I doubt the boys would turn down an opportunity to go at it with a more docile female."
"Do you think he'll say yes? I mean, that IS a pretty big offer."
She looked as skeptical about the whole thing as I felt, leading me to believe that she had no idea it was even an option.
"I'm not sure. I've heard of SY being invited to clan ships before, but I've never witnessed the event myself. It's usually an invitation to more docile Yautja's, ones they know won't cause a lot of havoc, or at least won't do a lot of damage if they must be taken down. And it's normally after a Yautja has created a brotherly bond with the SY, either by saving each other during a hunt or some other encounter along those lines.
Meaning the SY would have no reason to be aggressive on a clan ship. Either way, I could tell that Tarei'hsan was nervous about the whole thing, debating whether he should just rescind his offer all together. But that could be considered ruder than asking to begin with, neutral planet be damned."
I involuntarily began to think of the other two Yautja that were currently on the ship waiting. I knew that Thwei-Sain'ja wouldn't be a problem. So far, I'd learned that he was rather unassuming when it came to trivial matters, so I figured he would be able to calmly approach any possible altercations with a level head. Kuj'hade on the other hand was the exact opposite of level headed.
I could guarantee that at the first sign of trouble, Kuj'hade was guaranteed to be in the middle of it. He was like a dog that just wanted to throw itself into another dog's fight, simply because he wanted to be included. And he was the tallest Yautja of the troupe, no doubt it would cause quite a few bristled feathers so to speak. Not that he wouldn't enjoy the attention, but it was whether he could control himself for more than an hour or not.
Kwei-Bhu'ja returned shortly, far less tense than he had been. He stopped within arm's reach of Tarei'hsan, and quickly slammed his fist against his chest, letting off a deep throaty rumble. Tarei'hsan returned the sound in kind, not moving an inch.
"Kuj'hade wants to kill while fighting. He is a Kha'bj-te." Tarei'hsan let off a quick chirp, throwing his head back with the force of it, dreads slapping against the expanse of his back.
"I will inform the elders." He replied. I looked to Amani for clarification, and after she had finished chuckling she turned to me.
"He called Kuj'hade a maniac for wanting to kill while fighting to impress females. Females don't care if you kill, only if you win. He's just going to do it because he's blood thirsty, so Tarei'hsan will inform the elders to warn anyone who wishes to fight, to be prepared to kill or be killed."
I didn't see how that was funny to any of them, but I did know Kuj'hade, and maniac was the perfect word to fit his profile. That, and asshole.
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The four of us soon parted ways. Kwei-Bhu'ja and I headed back to the ship to prepare to move it from the docking bay, to be able to store it inside the clan ship. I was still in shock over the fact that there were hundreds of other sentient life forms, let alone a docking station for their space ships. I wondered how many other planets there were, and how far away from earth's galaxy we had to be for our scientists to not even know a quarter of this existed. I guess we really were the babies of the galaxy.
As soon as we stepped onto the ship, Kuj'hade and Thwei-Sain'ja were waiting for us, practically dancing on their toes. Actually, they were just standing there staring at us. But Thwei-Sain'ja had his mandibles tucked tightly into his face, and Kuj'hade wasn't even clenching his fists. Now if that isn't bubbly giddiness on their behalf, I don't know what ever would be.
The boys had dressed up for their time on the clan ship, with their leather armor looking like it had been recently polished, and the beads in their dreads had been swapped out for cleaner newer looking ones. Kuj'hade was wearing larger teeth along the strap that dangled in front of his codpiece, and even strung along a tiny skull of some rodent creature. He'd refreshed his signature hairstyle, half of his dreads hanging swept behind his head, and the other half tied up and fanned out like a turkey's tail feathers, but this time he wound brown leather straps around a few of them, instead of his normal red.
Thwei-Sain'ja had replaced the golden beads in his dreads with wooden beads, and they had intricate carvings on them that I couldn't quite make out. There were smaller beads on his two top tusks to draw attention to his mouth, and his dreads shimmered in the low lighting of the ship, as if he's taken some of the oils from the bath and rubbed them with it. The whole situation was funny to think about. They were dressing themselves up, trying to look good and impress the ladies with their looks, before they decided to put some smack down on some other Yautja to win the females over. I shook my head at the boys, as I registered Kwei-Bhu'ja walking toward the front of the shop.
"You will not get dressed." Kuj'hade stated toward Kwei-Bhu'ja, more than asking a question. As if he already knew the answer to begin with. Kwei-Bhu'ja stopped in his tracks before looking over his shoulder right at me.
"I have no need to." He stated. I could tell his response was directed at me, and immediately my face turned bright red remembering our moment in the market square, feeling the tips of my ears grow hot. I wrung my hands together, too proud to hide my face from the blush. I'd dug this grave, knowing damn well what it would get me in the end. And Kwei-Bhu'ja didn't strike me as the type to let me keep playing the field without collecting on his reward in the end.
Thwei-Sain'ja made a somewhat disgruntled sound in the back of his throat, before shouldering his way past Kwei-Bhu'ja toward the front of the ship.
"Don't try to hinder us, just because you pauk pyode amedha." Kwei-Bhu'ja flared his mandibles as Thwei-Sain'ja turned to walk away. Kuj'hade gave an interested rumbled beside me, tilting his head to the side like a curious dog. He looked from Kwei-Bhu'ja to me several times, flexing his mandibles to say something when Kwei-Bhu'ja growled low, effectively cutting him off, then turning quickly with a huff before storming away after Thwei-Sain'ja.
Kuj'hade leveled me with a stare, making a noise equivalent to a big cat purring before following after the other two. "Interesting ooman." Was all he said before vanishing down the hallway. I walked my way to my room, intent on keeping myself busy for however long it would take to make our way off the planet and into clan ship. Kwei-Bhu'ja was an excellent pilot I was assuming, because I never once felt the ship entering or leaving the atmosphere of any of the planets we'd been to so far.
Granted the first trip to the reserve I'd been unconscious for the touchdown, but from what I'd learned about human space ships, the landings were none too elegant. Albeit we didn't have the same technology as the Yautja, or even other alien species for that matter, but I just liked to believe that Kwei-Bhu'ja was just very good at what he did.
There was a slight jolt to the ship, and I was thrown to the side, grabbing for the closest thing to me. My hand latched onto a fur that lay in the inverted domed bed, but I missed the edge and instead pulled the blanket down to the floor with me, ending up underneath it as I heard the door slide open.
"You are sleeping? You would rather not join us on the clan ship?" It was Kwei-Bhu'ja who entered the room. He came to a stop by my head, and I could see his sandaled feet from underneath the fur. I pushed the heavy pelt back from my face, craning my neck to look at him.
"I fell when you jolted the ship for no reason." I scratched at my head, looking away from him.
"Kuj'hade docked the ship. I came to make sure you got dressed." Figures. Kuj'hade probably couldn't fly a ship worth a damn. Then again, neither could I. I watched Kwei-Bhu'ja curiously as he walked to a panel in the wall where I knew clean loincloths and fur outfits for me waited. He placed his hand against the wall, then turned it clockwise, pulling a coatrack looking shelf out of the wall.
I hadn't known that was there, and I had practically touched everything in this room with my hands at least 3 times. I walked closer to him, trying to look around his body at the contents of the shelf, but his build kept me from seeing until he had fully stepped out of my way. My jaw practically hit the floor at the outfit hung in front of me.
It was the outfit from the market that the short alien had been trying to sell to Amani and me. The burgundy looked more like a red wine color in the lighting of the ship, but I could tell it was the same one by the way the jewels were placed. I reached out to touch the outfit, jaw slack as I tried to form coherent words.
"How…When did you even have time to buy this? You were with us the whole time after you scared that vendor away." Kwei-Bhu'ja gave a disgruntled huff, bottom mandibles clicking together irritably.
"I purchased it while you and the Sain'ja ooman were speaking. He was trying to resell it to you until he saw me."
That guy did strike me as a little shifty. He was probably hoping he could sell the outfit a second time to get double the profit, then keep the first set of money after Kwei-Bhu'ja left the planet, deeming the garment not worth returning for once he realized it wasn't on board the ship. But when he realized we were part of Kwei-Bhu'ja's group, he most likely panicked and had it sent to the ship immediately.
It was bad enough pissing off an alien that was bigger than you, but one that had a galaxy wide reputation for breaking necks first and asking questions later was the last species you wanted on your bad side.
"I imagined it would look pleasing on you. Now you have a purpose to wear it on the clan ship."
I didn't know whether to be flattered that he thought something as revealing as this would look good on me, or to be paranoid that he knew so much about what I would find interesting in clothing. I chose to be flattered instead, and tentatively reach out to touch the fabric. It was made of smooth silk, and it felt like water running across my hands as the fabric slipped between my fingers. The top was like a bralette, with the cups made of solid fabric, and a sheer overlay of fabric designed in a halter top fashion.
I grabbed the hem of my short dress, prepared to shimmy it up and over my head when I remembered the tan giant in the room. I turned my head to see him intently staring at my face, oblivious to my dilemma.
"Could you maybe, like…turn around so I can change?" I said, frozen in place. He huffed again, annoyed with my ooman antics before turning to face the bed. I quickly peeled my clothes over my head, before grabbing the two-piece outfit off the rack. The top and skirt were made out of some kind of spandex material. They seemed slightly too big at first, but after I had the skirt pulled up to sit on my hips, the upper portion seemed to contour to my body while leaving the fabric from my thighs down flowing freely.
The same thing happened once I had the top over my head. It was as if someone dumped water on me, and suddenly the clothes were a little tighter fitting than they had been previously. It was amazing as far as I could say. One alien material that acted like 4 earth materials all in one outfit. Versace would be swooning.
I cleared my throat to let Kwei-Bhu'ja know I was ready to go. He turned around and regarded me with a look that I couldn't decipher, and slowly reached his hand out to me, claw extended in a point. I held my breath as he moved closer, when I felt his finger lightly stroke the intricate jewel hanging against my sternum as if he might break me easily.
He probably could I'm sure, and I was grateful that he could actually control himself. He turned after pulling his hand away, pushing the rack back into its place in the wall. He pressed another panel on the right side of the wall, and a rack of shoes pulled out. How the hell have I never found these racks before!? I would've killed for some dress up a few days ago! Before I could throw myself at the rack, Kwei-Bhu'ja picked out a pair and blocked me from the rest as the shelf closed.
They were leather, as was everything in the boys' arsenal, but they didn't look like any shoes I'd seen them wear before. He must have bought them to go with the outfit. They were a deep wine red and they were as open as sandals could get. There was a sole for my feet to sit on and protect my feet from the cold metal of the ship, but the only thing holding my feet against the shoe was a thick band of leather on the arches, with roman style laces to tie up my calf. They would make a flipping sound every time I took a step, but it didn't bother me much, knowing I at least got to switch up my apparel a little more often now.
I slipped the shoes on, and laced them up before turning to Kwei-Bhu'ja. He gave a nod of as I smoothed my hands down the skirt, then turned to exit the room. I followed closely behind, listening as a loud clanking sound could be heard several times against the side of the ship. I didn't have time to wonder too closely about the noise as we reached the door to exit the ship. The boys were already standing waiting for us when we arrived, and Kwei-Bhu'ja took his place in the center of them, pulling me up beside him as he had on the trading planet.
I could feel my heart rate pick up as the thin line of light outlined the entrance, notifying us that the door was about to slide open. My mind drifted to how each Yautja would look individually, and how many of them there would be. Would there be a planet worth of the aliens, or like a small clan? All things I would soon find out. There was still so much I didn't know about the Yautja.
The sound of the ramp lowering pulled me out of my musings, and I waited for Kwei-Bhu'ja's que for our dramatic entrance. The soft clang of the ramp touching the metallic ground of the clan ship had him rolling his shoulder, and he took his first step into the ambient lighting.
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I am soooooooo sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out. Writers block is one of my worst enemies. That along with the stress of school work, and wondering if my degree is really the thing I wanna pursue for my future. I'm trying to get back into the groove of things, get my mojo back baby~. Any how, thank you to everyone that has reviewed and favorited or followed my story, and hopefully I can get the next chapter out in good timing, if my brain cooperates with me. If you notice any errors or have any ideas about what you want to happen in this story, please let me know. An idea a day, keeps the writers block away. Or so they say.
Kwei-Bhu'ja: Sly-Ghost
Kuj'hade: Destroyer
Kha'bj-te: Maniac
Pauk: Fuck
pyode amedha: Soft meat
Tarei'hsan-Thwei: Scorpion-Blood
Thwei-Sain'ja: Blood-Warrior