When school ended, the Galalunan trio went home for dinner. Thanatos watched the three, silently floating to the kitchen as his targets began their meal. Octus had prepared something they had never had before; ribs and pulled pork, a Southerner's treat. Octus found that he enjoyed it, especially the rich barbecue flavor, but Ilana couldn't bring herself to eat it. Lance enjoyed the food, too, but his mind was on other things. "It's all sticky and messy!" Ilana complained. "Royalty such as me shouldn't eat this...slop!"
"It may look awful, but just taste it," replied Octus. "You won't really know unless you try some."
Ilana, with a mixture a fear and disgust, took a small bite of a rib, tearing off the juicy meat from the bone. She was instantly transported to a magical world of flavor and spices unfamiliar to her. It was wonderful. And then, she found herself back in the kitchen with Octus, who was still gobbling down scraps on his plate like a mechanical pig. An ironic comparison, since Octus was actually eating a pig. "This is amazing!" exclaimed Ilana. "We've got to take this stuff back to Galaluna! What else do you think should we bring back?"
"Popsicles!" replied Octus.
"Oh, and some of the Earth fashion!" Ilana chimed in. "Except for those midriff revealing things. I don't like those. Oh, and another thing we should import are...uh...guitars! You know, rock and such! What do you think, Lance? When we come back home, if you bring your guitar, you can teach everybody to be rockstars! Doesn't that sound awesome? Lance?"
"Uh, yeah," said Lance absentmindedly. He was still thinking about Kristen. She was so beautiful, but was she really the right girl for him? It seemed as if they started out friends, but they were definitely a couple now. Why was he falling head over heels for her when he only knew of her from just a few dates? Despite the fact that they had only known each other for a short time, it seemed like they should be together. He would just have to forget about Ilana. She was out of his league. Realizing he had no chance for her made him a bit sad. Why were his feelings for the two so conflicted? Didn't this sort of thing only happen to girls when they had trouble choosing a boy, not the other way around? Lance felt like one of those characters in that teen drama show, High School Hearts, which Ilana and Octus loved to watch.
Thanatos raised his flaming eyebrows as he observed Lance's mind. This one looked ripe for the picking...
After dinner, Octus pulled Lance aside. Thanatos followed the two to listen in on their conversation. "Lance, at dinner, you seemed...distant. And I know exactly why you were that way. I just want to give my advice. If you don't take it, I'll understand. It seems like your attraction to Kristen seems to be based more on lust, while you seem to have more... developed feelings for Ilana. Am I correct?" the robot asked.
Lance sighed. "It's none of your business, Octus. I can only like one girl. And it's gonna be Kristen. To be honest, if had to choose, I..." he thought about what he was going to say. "I...would choose Ilana."
"Is it partly because she is Galalunan? "Asked Octus.
"Yes, but...I can't have her. She probably hates me deep down. I wasn't exactly Mr. Nice Guy when we first came here, remember? I've sort of had this mindset, that, if I can't have her, I might as well have an Earth girl who I share more things in common with. Maybe Kristen will turn out to be the right one for me."
"So, in order to negate your disappointment for not having Ilana, you have subconsciously decided to choose someone more...appealing?" asked Octus.
"Well, I...guess so," responded Lance.
"Well, there are three things I want you to remember; if you can learn to love Kristen with your heart, and not just with your head, then it may be real after all. Second, has it occurred to you that perhaps the King assigned you to be Ilana's protector because he wanted you two to grow fond of each other? I mean, if something happened on Galaluna, and you two became the last of your kind, you would have no choice but to...reproduce," Octus reminded him.
This had never occurred to Lance. He was frightened by this idea. He grew nervous and uneasy. "This is one reason the King may actually want you to fall in love with his daughter," Octus continued.
"Yeah, but does he...trust me with her?" Asked Lance.
"Apparently so," Octus replied. "And here's a third idea with more relevancy to now: Do you really know that much about Kristen? Have you met her parents? Her other friends? When is her birthday?"
"Uh..." Lance began. He had no idea.
"See what I mean?" Octus continued. "All the more reason to like Ilana. You know a whole lot more about her. How long have you gotten to know Kristen?"
"2 months," Lance replied. "But I've only known Ilana personally for about a year," he said.
"True, but that would be six times longer than you have known Kristen. For all we know, she could be...a bad influence."
Maybe Octus was right, Lance thought. But... hey, wait a minute! Suddenly, Lance scowled. He realized what Octus was trying to do. "The King programmed you to say that!" He yelled, supposedly knowing the truth. "He just wanted me to fall in love with Ilana so I would protect her more! It's all about Ilana, cause' she's a princess, isn't it?"
"I don't see what you mean, "said Octus.
"Well, if that's not it, then it must be...because you're jealous! You want me and Kristen to break up so you can break up with that slut Kimmy and have Kristen all to yourself!"
"How dare you accuse me of-" Octus began.
If that's not the reason, then it's gotta be...because you think she's some kind of Mutradi spy just because she doesn't wear stupid bright clothes like Ilana. Well, whatever the reason, I'm just gonnna make you change your little plans. I'm not gonna like Ilana. She can go get herself killed by some Mutradi for all I care. You and she will never understand me! I'm just gonna go to bed!" He yelled, walking up to his room. "Besides, why should I take advice from you? You're a robot! YOU CAN'T LOVE! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A SOUL!"
Octus was furious, but he tried to control his temper. "You take that back!" he snapped.
"Oh, what's the matter, is robo-nerd mad at me?" said Lance mockingly. "What are you gonna do? You can't hurt me!"
"I am more than capable of that!" shouted Octus. He turned off the "Mr. Lunis" hologram, and Lance turned on his armor. Thanatos grinned. Perhaps he wouldn't have to do anything! They were just about to fight when Ilana came down the stairs. Thanatos frowned. Nothing could be that easy.
"Hey, I heard shouting and..." she gasped. "What's gotten into you two? Are you really going to fight?"
Lance turned off his armor. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Octus, because if I did, Ilana might get all fussy. I mean, we can't let our glorious, almighty princess see some violence, now can we?" And he ran upstairs, locking the door to his room.
Octus was furious, so Ilana tried to calm him down. "Look, he really appreciates whatever you told him. He's just got some problems. You know, teenage moodiness?" she tried reassuring her robot friend. "By the way, if it's not too personal, what were you two talking about?"
"I'd rather not say," replied Octus. And he went upstairs without saying a word. Lance went to bed, too, feeling no guilt in thinking lustful thoughts of him and Kristen. No one would pull them apart. She was his prize. In ancient days, after soldiers plundered villages, they could do as they pleased with the women. Seeing as he was soldier on a hostile planet, he felt victorious as he had managed to coexist with the natives. And to the victor went the spoils, thought Lance. No one would separate him from Kristen, his prize.
